From the warm embrace of passionate citizen activism, Scotland’s future passed to the cold hands of hardened political hacks in closeted rooms. It is a physical impossibility that all 14,000 submissions from the public received by mid-October were even read, led alone properly considered. I am willing to bet most were not even opened.
No, this was the very worst kind of deal-making by callous political operatives, where party interests came first, second and last. I do not give a fig for the result. Income tax devolution is of minimal use if other major taxes are set from London and most income still comes from a Westminster “grant”. Revenue from oil and whisky will still be treated in government accounts as “UK” rather than arising in Scotland. It is far short of the quasi Federal powers which No voters were promised and the Lib Dems pretend to believe in.
Actually, I do not give a fig for the Smith Commission. I want to live in a country where the Westminster establishment does not send our children to fight and die in illegal wars, and which does not harbour weapons of mass destruction. I want a country where governance is decided by citizens and not cooked up the way of this sordid, sordid deal.
That is not to say we should not take advantage of any minor opportunities for increasing social fairness in Scotland that may accrue. But given the continued Westminster stranglehold on overall funding levels, they will be minor indeed.
Nor will I disdain the amusement afforded by the total intellectual mess into which the Labour Party has landed itself. If non-Scottish MPs in Westminster cannot vote on Scottish levels of income tax, it would be absolutely wrong for Scottish MPs to vote on English, Welsh or Northern Irish levels of income tax. That is unanswerable, yet the Labour Party cannot bring itself to acknowledge it. This should be fun.
For those wanting a detailed analysis, we have the excellent Stuart Campbell.
Considering Salmond’s accusations and the Statistics Agency response is in all the papers this morning I didn’t think anyone would be daft enough to try an deny it.
But absolutely nada about Salmond claiming it was an anti-Scottish conspiracy. Indeed, nada, even in the Express and Telegraph, if you Google (try it – it’s fun) ‘Salmond “anti-Scottish”‘.
So, come on, Fred, reference please. Or I will say something about crass liars and you will say ‘fuck off and die, retard’, and no-one will be very happy.
Remember Geoffrey Howe’s first budget where he reduced the top rate of income tax from 60 to 40% but compensated by increasing VAT from 8 to 15%. Clearly this could not happen under the proposals to devolve income tax: if rates are reduced the government loses revenue, if they are increased Scotland’s economy becomes less competitive.
This all seems like an empty gesture.
“Yes, and I agree with him, but that’s not the issue. If you can’t supply proof that Salmond also claimed it was an anti-Scottish conspiracy, everyone on this blog will be forced to conclude that you’ve been telling porky pies.”
Getting a bit high and mighty deciding what everyone on this blog has to conclude aren’t you? Nobody going to be allowed an opinion of their own in the Reich then?
Salmond accused the British government of manipulating the figures.
The Statistics Agency have stated that the system was changed because other European countries included their black economy in their figures and insisted Britain did the same.
Those are the facts, people on this blog can decide for themselves what they make of them, I wouldn’t presume to dictate to others what they have to believe.
@Ba’al “I’m going to have to Habbabreak you.”
Go on then, I’m rather looking forward to it.
@Ba’al “I’m going to have to Habbabreak you.”
Go on then, I’m rather looking forward to it.
Go on then, and include me and others here, then you can listen to the sound of your own brain farts, you have no evidence of Salmond calling it a conspiracy, have you Fred?
you have no evidence of Salmond calling it a conspiracy, have you Fred?
Have you, Fred? You’re just here to disrupt. Aren’t you? And then you bleed about how not-your-sort-of-Scots are anti-English, don’t you? Wonder why that might be.
“Go on then, and include me and others here, then you can listen to the sound of your own brain farts, you have no evidence of Salmond calling it a conspiracy, have you Fred?”
Yes. Salmond accused the British government of conspiring with the Statistics Agency to manipulate the figures. As anyone can see.
Now we come to the point I so often make. Read my post, I wrote about Alex Salmond, I wrote about the SNP, I wrote about the British Government and I wrote about the Statistics Agency but I made no personal reference to any other user of this board.
Would you like to explain to everyone why you always feel the need to attack the person making the statement rather that the statement itself?
I wouldn’t presume to dictate to others what they have to believe.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
(Rather like a dormouse jumping over a cobble that’s no longer in its path to the cornsack, my mind read finger without noticing it wasn’t there.)
Thanks for that. Essential to keep the TCI affair on the front burner.
Dreoilin
NAFEEZ AHMED dumped by the Guardian
So I read:
https://medium.com/@NafeezAhmed/how-the-west-created-the-islamic-state-dbfa6f83bc1f
The article blames the neo-cons for everything that’s going on in the Middle-East. That’s a good way to get a footing in the Guardian but it’s hardly analysis, more like a list of what we know already about the shenanegans of Political Islam. The ordinary Muslims of the Middle East are referred to as ordinary Sufis, showing that the writer is embedded in Political Islam, created by the British in the form of the Muslim Brotherhood before the First World War.
The ordinary Muslims of the Middle East know the difference between Islamic power, the practise of Islam under truthful imams, and Political Islam which is a photocopy of the religion of the Pharaohs, offerring mummified cats to an all-seeing hawk-eyed devil which is oblivious to the rights and wrongs of anything.
Islamic Jihad is founded on the reality that God knows our true intentions and forbids us to partake in any war alongside the neo-cons, whom we can conveniently blame for our own collateral damage. Think about it. They spy, which is haram; they create fitna/lawlessness, which is haram; they steal property and murder the innocents, which is haram.
You as an Irish citizen know better than anyone that ordinary people sheepishly believed the narrative of the bastard scheming British, who paid Irish people to divide and rule that green island. They follow the teachings of the Catholic church and their own common sense. What would happen if a Takfiri group arose in the Irish community stating that those simple people should be de-capitated because it turns out that there is oil under those emerald fields? Through the manipulations of the Zionist Banksters’ property boom you cannot find enough young men to form a football team. They’ve all gone.
The US tried to impose a Muslim Brotherhood leader over the Egyptian people. 3 million people demonstrated against him when they realised that he was a re-incarnation of the cat-mummying Firaun/Pharaoh. In Syria when they encountered the West’s Al Qaida the Sunnis switched sides to fight on Assad’s side, their chief torturer and persecutor.
So let’s have nothing to do with UKIP, Political Islam or either of their fraternisers or apologists. There is an international criminal racket including Russian Jewish oligarchs, Middle-Eastern gewads/pimps of their own people, USUKIS banking fraudsters who are currently targetting the oil and gas of the Middle East with low-life brain-washed mercenary Muslims.
But the ordinary Muslims of the Middle East have the stronger right to speak for Islam, because they hold onto the difference between right and wrong, even if some of their religious ideas are actually wrong.
Salmond accused the British government of conspiring with the Statistics Agency to manipulate the figures. As anyone can see.
Where? Salmond has with degrees of justice ranging from the acute to the faintly absurd, accused the British Government and others of conspiracies several times during his tenure. But I can’t find this one. Your source, please. But I see you have dropped the ‘anti-Scottish’ trope. That’s a start.
Christ, it’s like milking hens.
@Ba’al “I’m going to have to Habbabreak you.”
I’m still waiting.
Ba’al Zevul – the entire site should be https now. It should improve the site Google rankings – http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/08/07/google_boosts_search_ranking_for_encrypted_websites/
Let us know if you are seeing non secure pages.
Mary
28 Nov, 2014 – 10:28 am
Lord Bamford
…………………………..
Not to forget JCB’s work for the occupation of Palestine:
“The company’s tools are used in the construction of settlements, settlement industrial zones and infrastructure projects on occupied Palestinian and Syrian land. JCB loaders and excavators were used for the construction of housing projects in the West Bank settlements of Alfei Menashe, Oranit, Ma’ale Adumim and Tzufin; in the settlement neighborhood of Har Homa in East Jerusalem; and for the construction and expansion of the Kalia settlement’s beach in the occupied Dead Sea area, and in the Barkan and Ariel West settlement industrial zones in the West Bank. In addition, JCB machinary is used for construction projects in the occupied Golan Heights.”
http://www.whoprofits.org/company/jcb-j-c-bamford-excavators
Fred
28 Nov, 2014 – 12:31 pm
“Salmond accused the British government of conspiring with the Statistics Agency to manipulate the figures. As anyone can see.”
………………………………………………………………………..
Why no reference; no link and no back-up for what you say Fred?
Making statements as if they are facts without any back-up is a tactic used by some disingenuous posters (who shall be nameless) on this blog.
………………………………………………………………………
“Would you [Ba’al] like to explain to everyone why you always feel the need to attack the person making the statement rather that the statement itself?”
………………………………………………………………………….
I would like to attack the statement Fred, or at least question it but I can’t because you haven’t provided a source for your assertion.
By the way Fred the latest Scottish poll has shown that Nicola Sturgeon is more popular that Alex himself and she will lead the SNP to victory in the next election, trouncing the three main parties, which will lead to a surge in support for Independence.
“The Tories expect to lose in Rochester tonight – and blame Labour. Had it not been imploding, they argue, the Ukip vote would not be so big. And why is it imploding? Enter Islington MP Emily Thornberry, who was’t really helping any late efforts by tweeting this ‘Image from Rochester.’ Within no time, this was being taken as a Londoner’s “snobby and derogatory” sneer at White Van Man,” The Spectator, November 20, 2014.
Let us not forget, the leaders of all three British political parties support Israel blindly, but some senior member don’t agree with them. MP George Galloway, Baroness Warsi left their parties those reasons.
MP Emily Thornberry, who criticized Ed Miliband for his support for Israel during the recent 50-day war on Gaza. Since then, the Jewish Chronicle declared her an “anti-Semite”. MP Thornberry has resigned from the shadow government as result of the storm created by the Jewish -controlled UK mainstream media.
http://rehmat1.com/2014/09/01/ex-uk-envoy-britain-is-a-rouge-state-danger-to-world/
“Why no reference; no link and no back-up for what you say Fred?”
Just read any Scottish paper, read the BBC web site, type “salmond statistics” in google, take your pick.
“I would like to attack the statement Fred, or at least question it but I can’t because you haven’t provided a source for your assertion. ”
Then learn how to read it first and don’t go sticking in things I didn’t say.
Thanks, Craigmurray. There seemed to be a brief reversion this morning – I Habbabroke https and deleted http (which had worked last night on another box, and which worked initially on this one) – then imagine my surprise when the poster reappeared – I looked at the URL and it was back to http. Hence my second post. If CM remains https, as it is right now, then my first post can be followed (you may need to mark http as excluded before you are able to enter https in the top box – it all looks a little arcane.
@Fred: Before eliminating you from my ken, I’ll be waiting to have the last word on the topic of serial fantasists attributing to the SNP things it hasn’t thought, said or done. Knowing you, that’ll be a damn long time, punctuated with your accusations of personal attacks when your inventions are exposed. You are sliding inexorably below contempt.
“Before eliminating you from my ken,”
Haven’t you done it yet?
Nope. Last word, please. Break the habit of an e-lifetime and know when to stop bickering on the basis of a manifest falsehood. You stated :
“All the evidence has been there for all to see since Cameron went to Europe that the last thing he wanted was the black economy included in the figures yet tin foil hat Salmond insists it was a conspiracy against the Scots.”
Where? Show us. It’s not in my paper this morning.
(Actually there’s probably two untruths there. Cameron has been looking for something to pump up the books ever since he came in. It was a godsend for him, whatever your (secret) Tory source may have said, IMO)
“Nope. Last word, please. ”
Suit yourself.
If Scotland gets a modicum of independence, or better still total independence, I hope it will hold an independent inquiry into who paid for the Lockerbie disaster, where the bomb was introduced, who the target was and who was responsible for the bombing. Imprisoning Abdelbaset al Megrahi was a total travesty of justice and now we are quite sure he did not do it, we need to find out who did. My colleague Mr Patrick Haseldine believes UN Assistant Secretary and UN Commissioner to Namibia, the incorruptible Bernt Carlsson, was the target and Eeben Barlow was responsible for seeing the bombing through. Whether this is true or not would only come to light if an independent inquiry were to be held.
While Lockerbie still needs investigating a new aircrash investigation is being held in Holland regarding the Malaysian airliner flight MH17 with one of the suspected parties serving on the JIT (Joint Investigation Team). Countries running the investigation are Holland, Belgium, Ukraine and Australia. But the Malaysian government (who as some might recall quite rightly found Tony Blair guilty of war crimes) is being disallowed a seat on the JIT. This raises very serious questions, some outlined here.
http://journal-neo.org/2014/11/28/mh17-malaysia-s-barring-from-investigation-reeks-of-cover-up/
Re Craig’s comment – “Revenue from oil and whisky will still be treated in government accounts as “UK”” rather than devolved to Scotland.
It doesn’t have to be so, even under the Westminster system of government. In Canada many of these taxation rights have long been devolved to the Provinces. Isn’t it time that the London Establishment gave its remaining colonies, such as Scotland (or England outside the South East)the same decentralized rights that Canadians got a century and a half ago.
For example, direct resource based taxation is levied by the Provinces (such as Alberta with its oil) and not by the government of Canada. Provinces also levy their own income taxes on both individuals and companies, sales taxes, and legally oversee the municipalities/cities that levy property based taxes. What amazes me is how little the British people ask for.
Komodo (re including the black economy in GDP figures):
“(Actually there’s probably two untruths there. Cameron has been looking for something to pump up the books ever since he came in. It was a godsend for him, whatever your (secret) Tory source may have said, IMO)”
_______________
Sorry, but nothing to do with Cameron, matey. Both the OECD and the EU have been calling for the inclusion of the black economy in GDP for a while now and several EU Member State actually do so. Quite sensible, actually.
Mary
Yes, that’s four in a row (five it you include this one).
Thought I’d save you the trouble of saying it and hope thereby to spoil your fun. LOL
@Roderick Russell
That’s a lot how it is here too Roderick. Those areas closest to the natural resources, Orkney, Shetland, Aberdeen have benefited far more economically than the rest of the UK and quite rightly so.
But those aren’t the areas calling for independence, those are the places voted against, those aren’t the ones doing the complaining.
Two of the BBC’s top executives have claimed salary cuts cannot go much further…despite the fact they are paid a combined £690,000-a-year.
Strategy chief James Purnell, who earns £295,000, and finance director Anne Bulford, on £395,000, were accused of ‘scare tactics’ as they threatened to slash the programming budget to save more money.
Miss Bulford said ‘tough choices’ would have to be made over which services are cut as further belt-tightening in pay, staff numbers and the property portfolio is impossible.
Meanwhile Mr Purnell – who is a former Labour cabinet minister – refused to rule out the closure of another TV channel such as arts station BBC4 to save cash.
But Tory MP Philip Davies claimed yesterday there was ‘plenty more fat to be cut from the BBC’s bloated management’ and accused them of trying to frighten viewers into supporting an increase in the licence fee.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2852515/No-pay-cuts-says-690-000-BBC-bosses-Executives-accused-scare-tactics-threaten-axe-programmes-salaries.html
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What a shame the fatcats can’t get by on hundreds of thousands of pounds a year, how will the state broadcaster get by without such talented people? heaven knows.
White van man with St George flags usually has to keep his foul mouth tightly shut at work for fear of losing his job for pc reasons. Their nasty little dogs that crunch their babies to death on a regular basis do their speaking for them.
Well done MP Emily Thornberry for speaking truth to power twice and paying the price for doing so. There has to be a connection between Israeli aphartheid and EDL racism. I still get a police escort to and from visiting my son at my ex’s vicarage so I will include Political Islam and the local bobbies in the Shropshire jungles for trying to amplify this innocent Muslim’s non-crimes.
Welcome back all you darling head-chopping jihadis, there is a great future in the career choice of false-flag duplicity. But don’t forget to send a helicopter to buzz the man who speaks against English, Islamic or Zionist apartheid. Today I got yet another mystery call from a Scottish accented ex-con used by the authorities to threaten me from time to time. He has been in prison for over 30 years now for committing unspeakable crimes.
Please England don’t hand parliament over to the EDL Nazi Zionists/ Al Qaida. You’re supposed to get your violence from watching legalised murder on the cricket field with 120 mph bouncing googlies and listening to the commentators saying that nobody could have predicted it happening and no-one is to blame.
Isn’t that the thrill you already get from hearing about IS beheadings?
Everyone loves a Muslim when they are being slaughtered. Happen another thing when the tide is turned against them.
Facebook can gain direct access to a person’s mobile and take pictures or make videos at any time without explicit consent, MPs warn as they call on social media companies to simplify their terms and conditions.
The MP said that they should simplify the conditions of using their services, which are designed for US courts, because they are so impenetrable that “no reasonable person” can be expected to understand them.
The MPs on the Science and Technology select committee called for the Government to draw up new guidelines for websites and apps explaining clearly how they use personal data, warning that laws will be needed if companies fail to comply.
The committee highlighted terms for Facebook Messenger’s mobile app, used by more than 200,000 million people a month, that means it can gain direct access to a mobile or tablet, including to take pictures or make videos, at any time without explicit confirmation from the owner.
MPs also pointed to criticism of the company earlier this year after it carried out a psychological experiment that recorded users’ moods as news feeds on the social network were manipulated.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet-security/11259250/Facebook-can-gain-direct-access-to-your-mobile-and-take-pictures-or-make-videos-at-any-time-MPs-warn.html
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Big Brother truly is monitoring your every move.
Baa! Humbug
Your flag:
White background (Symbolising white man)
Blue pentangle (Symbolising the devil)
Red Cross (Symbolising the FCO)
Flying at half mast at the moment because of BBC wage cuts. You told the butler to lower your wing in sympathy for the poor things at the ZBC.