The Fringe Meeting at which I am speaking will be livestreamed on Saturday from 12.30 on IndependenceLive.
Meanwhile, Emily has started her own blog.
I had a busy day today moving a lot of stuff to move into my new home in Edinburgh tomorrow. But I must briefly comment on a fascinating opinion poll by IPSOS/Mori tonight, which puts the Tories on 32 and Labour on 29 UK wide – and astonishingly the Lib Dems UK score of 9% only just ahead of the SNP’s UK wide score of 8%, even though the latter is concentrated entirely in Scotland. One reason that SNP figure is so high is that IPSOS MORI weight by certainty to vote, and are predicting a much higher turnout in Scotland than England at the next election.
The scenario leading straight to independence – a Tory/UKIP coalition at Westminster and a crushing SNP victory in Scotland – is looking increasingly probable. One thing I do not rule out at all is a unionist Con/Lab coalition in Westminster after the next general election. There are almost no real policy differences between them, and if coalition becomes the swiftest way to satisfy personal ambition for power and money on both sides (the only thing that drives both parties), I so not think it is in the least improbable. We have seen Lab/Con coalitions against the SNP in Dundee and Stirling Councils, and they were extremely happy together during the referendum campaign. I do not yet see a Lab/Con coalition as the most probable outcome of the next Westminster election. But it is entirely possible.
http://new.livestream.com/IndependenceLive/events/3589902/videos/68194661
Speech at 13 mins 30 secs in
http://new.livestream.com/IndependenceLive/events/3589902/videos/68196705
http://new.livestream.com/IndependenceLive/events/3589902/videos/68197880
Interview at 9 mins 30 secs in.
Ben-9260th dojo katana
16 Nov, 2014 – 7:05 pm
“UK media watchdog Ofcom has threatened RT with “statutory sanctions,” having ruled the TV channel “failed to preserve due impartiality” in four of its news bulletins aired in March this year and covering events in Ukraine.”
……………
Yes Ben, they [Ofcom] got rid of Press TV from the UK.
The BBC can do as it likes as far as Ofcom is concerned:
“We are not responsible for regulating complaints about accuracy in BBC programmes.”
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/about/what-is-ofcom/
Fred
16 Nov, 2014 – 8:14 pm
“I await an erudite and comprehensive response.”
“I know what you want.”
“My figures are plain and unambiguous.”
……………
You don’t back your figures up though Fred, why not? Are you unable to?
……………
@Fred “You have already conceded that what Alex Salmond said before the referendum was untrue…”
……………
No I haven’t that is a lie Fred and all the viewers of this thread [excepting the trolls of course] will know that.
Aren’t you ashamed of being an obfuscating, semi-literate liar?
http://www.newsnetscotland.scot/index.php/scottish-news/9697-calls-for-better-together-to-withdraw-leaflets-as-more-false-claims-exposed
http://nationalcollective.com/2013/03/14/editorial-better-together-are-lying-to-you/
http://www.buzzfeed.com/sirajdatoo/better-together-campaign-chief-we-would-have-struggled-to-wi
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All that matters Fred is that the NO campaign lied, I could add more links with more lies, but since its a wee numpty like you Fred, this all you’re getting.
They all lie, RoS. It’s how they rise to the top.
Doug; I heard rumblings about PressTV but it was threatened. Now it seems sanctions on free speech are publicly accepted. Who next? . Just now MH!7 debris being examined. It only took eight months.
“They all lie, RoS. It’s how they rise to the top”
_______________________________________________
I know that Ben but to listen to Fred, its only Alex Salmond and the SNP who lie.
I’ll just add Ben that in my view and its shared with others, Westminster, is not our government Holyrood is our government, who better to know what Scots need than a Scottish government.
@Always remember : this is (excuse the shouting) NOT YOUR blog.
NOR YOURS let it be stated. You’ll get more than shouting if you don’t stop your disruptive behaviour here. Have you ever tried voluntary work? Doing something worthwhile will make you a happier and more rounded person.
@Doug
Did you not say ‘On BBC Radio Scotland Salmond said: “…we put forward a reasonable oil forecast of a $100 a barrel.”’?
Is the price of oil now less than $80 a barrel?
It isn’t rocket science, it’s just plain logic, when Salmond said $100 it wasn’t true.
Oil price per barrel has been projected to be at 2010 levels before it rises again. Price avg in 2010 about $67.
Does it really matter what Salmand said. Is he fixing prices? Who could have seen the trends going down without insider info which Salmand would not be privy to?
Scotland made their choice just like Americans who don’t know what the fuck their doing.
If Scotland had said Yes what would the pushback look like?
Probably like this…http://www.presstv.com/detail/2014/11/16/386315/spain-warns-of-violence-over-catalonia/
His lot and his best mates in the G20 may want it but we, the people, do not want it.
TTIP: Cameron pledges support for EU-US trade deal
Francois Hollande, Barack Obama, David Cameron and Angela Merkel at the G20 in Brisbane EU leaders and US President Barack Obama discussed TTIP earlier
David Cameron has pledged to put “rocket boosters” behind plans for an EU-US free trade deal.
The UK prime minister said EU and US leaders had met and all agreed the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) “is a deal we want”.
/..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30073357
~~~~
902485 signatures and counting!
We need 1000000 signatures to reach our goal. 902408 of you have signed up so far.
Organisations across the EU are collecting signatures for what’s called a “European Citizen’s Initiative.” Together, we’re aiming for one million!
The petition text:
To the European Union
We call on the institutions of the European Union and its member states to stop the negotiations with the USA on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and not to ratify the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada.
We want to prevent TTIP and CETA because they include several critical issues such as investor-state dispute settlement and rules on regulatory cooperation that pose a threat to democracy and the rule of law. We want to prevent lowering of standards concerning employment, social, environmental, privacy and consumers and the deregulation of public services (such as water) and cultural assets from being deregulated in non-transparent negotiations. The ECI (European Citizen’s Initiative) supports an alternative trade and investment policy in the EU.
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/pages/ttip_home
“Does it really matter what Salmand said. Is he fixing prices? Who could have seen the trends going down without insider info which Salmand would not be privy to?”
I’m just telling it how it is Ben.
Surely you wouldn’t blame a man for that.
“Surely you wouldn’t blame a man for that”
I applaud your steel-spine, but you won. Remember the words ‘Never apologize, never explain’ and you will enjoy the victory even more.
Fred; If I could be a constituency I would vote for your elected office. We need hard-asses without compromise in government.
“Fred; If I could be a constituency I would vote for your elected office. We need hard-asses without compromise in government.”
I don’t see me ever standing Ben. Too much anarchist in me for that.
Mr Scorgie
“The [Gaza Christian] community offers private schools for the younger children, but most Christian youths attend public high schools and later vie to get into Islamic University, considered the best in Gaza.”
“In those environments, Christian youths mix with deeply devout Muslim students and teachers — and [some] parents worry about their influence rubbing off onto their children.”
http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/gaza-christians-fear-the-end-of-their-tiny-community-1.453643
So you see Habbabkuk the Islamic University of Gaza is open to all Gaza’s citizens regardless of religion.”
___________________
I’m glad to hear it, Doug.
I would recommend that everyone read the link provided by Mr Scorgie.
Not only does it say that there are only 2500 Christians in Gaza (1500 according to the Christians themselves) but it also devotes most of its space to how that small community is under constant pressure and is under threat of disappearance – although not by Muslim violence, it’s true.
This is how the article begins:
Gaza Christians fear the end of their tiny community
Fears exploded publicly when two members of the flock recently converted to Islam, prompting them to stage a rare public protest accusing Muslims of pulling followers from their faith.
Christians in overwhelmingly Muslim Gaza have long fretted in private about the survival of their tiny community.
But their fears exploded publicly when two members of the flock recently converted to Islam. Christians staged a rare public protest, accusing Muslims of pulling followers from their faith.
The converts, who had been hiding to evade angry relatives, eventually surfaced and said they voluntarily changed religions. Gaza’s ruling Islamic militant Hamas movement reiterated respect for freedom of worship and Christian institutions.
But the uproar highlighted the growing sense of vulnerability among Christians here. They are a dwindling minority among a mostly devout Muslim majority, mostly hemmed into the tiny sliver of land because of movement restrictions imposed by Israel and Egypt. And they say some Muslims are doubling their efforts to convert them, emboldened by the atmosphere of Islamic fervor fostered by Hamas since it seized power in Gaza in 2007.
“We aren’t safe anymore,” said Josef Elias, a 44-year-old Christian from Gaza City. “This is a conspiracy against our existence in the Holy Land.”
As usual, Mr Scorgie quotes just a couple of lines from his source and hopes that people “won’t be arsed” (remember your famous phrase, Doug?) to plough through the whole of it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Any response to the rest of my original question, Doug? :
1/What about the West Bank? Have the Palestinian universities and schools there been destroyed?
2/. And would you like to answer my question about whether Israeli Arabs can and do attend schools and universities in Israel proper?
Mr Scorgie
“Aren’t you ashamed of being an obfuscating, semi-literate liar?”
__________________-
I don’t think that a dishonest tosser like yourself, who manipulates figures, gives highly selective quotations and seeks to divert rather than answering when challenged is in any position to call Fred anything at all.
Fred has successfully shown that Alec Salmond – an economist by training and and oil economist with the Royal Bank of Scotland for several years – was wildly out in his “prediction” about the future price of oil and that he was probably deliberately wildly out in a dishonest attempt to sway the Scottish electorate just before the referendum.
It is interesting, Doug, that you should attempt – repeatedly – to defend inaccuracy and dishonesty.
Republicofscotland
“Westminster is not our government, Holyrood is our government,…”
________________
What do you mean by “our”, RoS?
You are not Scottish and you do not even live in Scotland.
Is yours a case of what Orwell called “transferred nationalism”, I wonder? 🙂
Mary
“You’ll get more than shouting if you don’t stop your disruptive behaviour here.”
_______________
Stop being so juvenile. Are you going to send NeverHadAMind round to beat me up?
Always remember : it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.
And now get lost.
Watch out everyone our local pet has been on the Buckfast/Jaegermeister again, he’s now freely abusive and lashing out at all comers.
When he starts talking of candles and darkness he means that he’s allowed matches in his home.
US READERS PLEASE BEWARE, THIS IS An OAF/OWL WARNING, I’M not SHOUTING.
What to do with pets…lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhfil-xnv90
I was just saying to Friends last night..that Westminster is not our government, Holyrood is our government,…”
they regret voting No…hear it fkn everywhere noo….
Node.. Brill merriment Last night, what a chuckle ..Cheers Man..Long live a wee bit of effin Humanity.
Tony M
Great Poem Dude
Bleghghghr-
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/tony-blair/11233514/Tony-Blair-hires-investment-banker-with-Middle-East-expertise.html
A spokesman for Mr Blair said: “Jackson Eisenpresser … has not been hired because of any connections with any royal family, but because of his experience and excellent track record.
“He will work – as with other TBA people – globally* not focused on the Middle East.
“The truth** is that the people who keep raising this issue of conflict are really opposed to Tony Blair’s position on the politics of the Middle East … As for the Quartet role, this is an unpaid part-time, ex officio role. Tony Blair does absolutely no business anywhere that concerns that role in Israel and Palestine or is in conflict with it.”
Good Lord, no. Absolutely not. Perish the thought. On my mother’s grave, squire. Would I lie to you?
*a comma may have been envisaged here, but is absent in the original.
** may originally have been in capitals, with ‘T’ illuminated and the odour of sanctity sprayed on the vellum palimpsest on which this rubbish was inscribed…
Fred
16 Nov, 2014 – 9:40 pm
“Did you not say ‘On BBC Radio Scotland Salmond said: “…we put forward a reasonable oil forecast of a $100 a barrel.”’?
“Is the price of oil now less than $80 a barrel?”
“It isn’t rocket science, it’s just plain logic, when Salmond said $100 it wasn’t true.”
……………
Fred I asked you (about three times now) to back-up what you claimed i.e. Salmond said that oil “will not drop below $99”
You haven’t provided that back-up so I assume you can’t. Did you make it up?
If you want to be taken seriously on this blog you need to be prepared to back-up what you say.
An analogy: If I predicted that a certain horse would win the Grand National and it fell at the first hurdle; would you call me a liar?
An analogy: If I predicted that a certain horse would win the Grand National and it fell at the first hurdle; would you call me a liar?
He would. And he’d call you a Grand Nationalist Nazi for good measure….
“You haven’t provided that back-up so I assume you can’t. Did you make it up?”
I don’t need to, I have you saying he said $100 was reasonable on radio. That will do nicely thank you.
Interesting to see Goldman Sachs caught on the hop by the oil price fall too. Last month:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/27/oil-forecast-goldman-idUSL4N0SM08A20141027
And Standard Chartered were still predicting $105 / barrel for 2015… obviously fascist nationalist nazis, eh?
“He would. And he’d call you a Grand Nationalist Nazi for good measure….”
Except I haven’t called anyone a liar, I haven’t even used the word in this thread.
Standard Nationalist tactics, if you can’t argue with the facts attack the source and attack the person who said them.
Except I haven’t called anyone a liar, I haven’t even used the word in this thread.
Come off it. Your repeated harping on about Salmond’s prediction as being ‘untrue’ (you did say that) is clearly intended to smear the man’s veracity. You’re not even slightly worried that major financial institutions got it equally wrong, and I doubt you give a stuff about the oil price anyway, unless it makes running your grey Fergie a little cheaper.
Standard Nationalist tactics, if you can’t argue with the facts attack the source and attack the person who said them.
As in fuck off and die, retard cunt?
Please do me the courtesy of actually reading my last two posts. The first is adequately confirmed by your reaction. The second contains a true statement and a link which, unless you are connected to Reuters, Goldman Sachs or Standard Chartered, cannot possibly be interpreted as attacking you personally. Or do we have different definitions of ‘attack’?
Elucidation welcome. With, for the first time in your inglorious career, something you haven’t made up by way of substantiation.
Mr Scorgie
“An analogy: If I predicted that a certain horse would win the Grand National and it fell at the first hurdle; would you call me a liar?”
______________________
No. Just an idiot. Or perhaps a tosser.
Especially if you made the prediction for personal benefit – analogy : you were hoping to borrow some money on the strength of your hypothetical winnings. Get it, Doug?
“Please do me the courtesy of actually reading my last two posts.”
Which don’t make what I said any less true or what we were told by Alex Salmond before the referendum any more true.