The Disappearing Prime Minister 887


UPDATE

I was delighted by Nicola Sturgeon’s announcement today, both the content and the manner of her making it.

I am unsure why she put the window for the referendum as far back as autumn 2018 to spring 2019. Autumn 2018 is fine but spring 2019 is late – Nicola Sturgeon spoke of Scotland needing to declare its choice for independence before the UK actually leaves the EU or very shortly thereafter. But very shortly thereafter is too late. In diplomatic terms, a miss is a good as a mile here and in diplomatic terms at the EU, negotiating to get back in will be much harder than negotiating to remain a part of the EU.

My suspicion is Sturgeon is giving May a ladder to climb down on agreeing the referendum by making it potentially post-Brexit. I see no need to have been so accommodating to May. I am frankly puzzled.

But my major observation is that Nicola’s performance was excellent, the decision sound. Yet what struck me most was the lengthy question and answer suggestion. The mainstream media lackeys laughingly called journalists were not really putting questions. They were emitting deep-seated cries of unionist belief, wild anti-Independence assertions, with the lightest disguise as questions. It is a fair warning of what we have coming.

Even Gordon Brown had a honeymoon period. The temporary popularity of a new Prime Minister evaporates as a morning mist searched out by strong sunlight. The budget tax increases, combined with fierce pre-planned benefit cuts, are evaporating May’s popularity before our eyes. The reality of Brexit debacle will shortly hit very hard, and people will start to notice she is not actually very good.

I have been listening out to determine the extent to which May’s Thatcher voice is a deliberate impersonation, and in consequence have been most forcefully struck by how little we hear her voice. Those packaging her, together with a compliant media, seek to present her as much as possible through silent images. She is repeatedly on television entering places and greeting people, but remarkably seldom is her voice heard. She does not give nearly as many media interviews as David Cameron, because she is not good at them.

Prime Minister’s Question Time has almost vanished from our screens. When David Cameron was causing animal guffaws of genuine delight from Tory MPs roused by his facile debating skills, no week went past in which the BBC News did not show a substantial clip of Prime Minister’s Questions, edited for maximum effect in making Cameron look dominant and Corbyn look out of his depth. I do not believe any reader in the UK can honestly say such an image is not seared on to their mind. But now Prime Minister’s Questions almost never make the news bulletins for more than a very few seconds, because May is hopeless at them and is arguably bested by Corbyn fairly regularly. She has no ability for repartee, no timing and wins mechanical guffaws purely by reading out pre-prepared attacks on Labour and SNP that do not pretend to relate to the questions asked.

How do the broadcast media respond? Prime Minister’s Questions are suddenly no longer newsworthy. Unless you happen to be free to watch live – which rules out almost the entire working population – you would very seldom see May flounder. Indeed, the entire plan for retaining her popularity appears to be based on the public hearing her as little as possible. Personally, I have no doubt her recent Glasgow speech attacking not just Scottish independence but the very notion of devolution, was extremely helpful to the Independence cause. I can understand why the establishment try to avoid us actually hearing her.

Jeremy Corbyn should not now be abandoned. I was saddened to see Owen Jones stab him in the back. Jones appears sadly set on the trajectory typically caused by the salary of a Guardian columnist. He will now increasingly retreat into identity politics rather than the cause of universal social justice. I give it eight years before he spends his entire time attacking the left as having “lost their way”.

I could not disagree more strongly with Jeremy on Scottish Independence or on his approach to Brexit. Nobody would claim quick repartee or even set piece oratory were his strongest suits. He interviews fairly well but is of course handicapped by the extraordinary stream of scepticism and deliberate misrepresentation with which journalists approach him. But the honesty and integrity of his beliefs are why he was elected, and those remain at the core of his leadership. For the English and Welsh voter to be given a real choice, rather than just Blue or Red Tories, has horrified the entire neo-con establishment.

It is most improbable that Corbyn will be able to deliver a Labour Westminster victory in 2020, but it is not impossible. The alt-right spasm gripping England and Wales will diminish by then and Brexit enthusiasm will meet the cold real world. I can assure you the Tories are already considering how to avoid having Leaders’ Debates on television for the next general election. For Corbyn to be able to put a radical message directly to the public, and May’s deficiencies in debate to be so directly exposed, is something they will not want at all. May should be seen and not heard, is their motto.

The European Union has put a fault line through the Tory and Labour parties. The chips have fallen in a way that leaves both parties with leaderships that were more sympathetic to Brexit than they revealed during the campaign, and certainly have no interest in trying to stop it. The 48% who voted Remain are therefore practically unrepresented in England and Wales. As I suspect that 48% will increase – and there is a curious lack of opinion polls – this will become an increasingly acute problem as the body politic recovers from shock.

The Lib Dems would be the obvious beneficiaries, but they will not so soon recover from popular revulsion at the alacrity with which they abandoned all pretence at restraining the Tories, in return for ministerial limousines. They also have the least able and least charismatic leader in that party’s long history. Indeed, possibly in any party’s history, anywhere. The never appealing Brezhnev was more charismatic than Tim Farron even when he was being wheeled out to parades propped up and effectively dead.

The Labour Party is in the abject position that its pro-Europeans are very largely the totally discredited Blairites. That the delusional Blair sees the EU issue as his chance of a political comeback, is only evidence of what a terrible state the pro-EU camp is in. There are plenty of pro-EU Tories but they too are more concerned with personal careers, except the Clarkes and Heseltines whose course is already run.

It is difficult to believe this situation is sustainable. On the biggest issue of the day, which will have a huge impact on future living standards, 48% of the population, the best educated and most politically active 48% of the population, have no effective representation. Only in Scotland have we a coherent pro-EU political force, but circumstances are such this cannot help England.

The democracy of the UK has become severely dysfunctional. I firmly believe that a crisis is coming, and that Scottish Independence will be a trigger for the resolution of that crisis. Not only will it remove Scotland from the subjugation that has sapped its energies for centuries, it will give a profound and much needed jolt to the political kaleidoscope in England and Wales and lead to new and more relevant political alignments. It may also finally break the obsession with being a world power that so damaged British people for so long.


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887 thoughts on “The Disappearing Prime Minister

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  • Seydlitz

    Read Marx Capital and extract the bits that explain the the working of the system andallwill reviled.

  • michael norton

    Trident

    Well if Scotland the Brave are off, Trident will have to be re-located to another place in the remaining United Kingdom.

    Or scrapped.

    • Republicofscotland

      Oh how terrible, it must be to have the heavy burden of billions of barrels of oil, and gas fields, what a horrible drawback.

      Westminster should devolve the henious burden of oil and gas to Scotland. It must be heaven on earth for those countries who have no such natural resources.

      Of course oil and gas are a wonderous resources under the British governments control, but a terrible burden to a independent Scotland.

  • Anon1

    It’s a win-win situation. A Yes result and Scotland fucks off for good. A No result and the SNP fucks off for good. Roll on #indeyref2 !!

    • Loony

      The situation is even better than you think. Scottish independence will allow Scotland to deal with absentee rentier landlords.

      People like the hated workshy capitalist Bob Dylan can be relieved of his landholdings in Scotland and the Aultmore Estate can be seized by a benevolent Scottish government and used to house refugees. Persecuting Bob Dylan should be a real vote winner.

      • Anon1

        When the people are finally returned their rightful acre of uninhabitable peat bog or grouse moor, they shall hardly know their luck.

          • Herbie

            Anon1 is a deep undercover SNP disinfo agent, whose only purpose is to repulse waverers into the arms of freedom and independence for Scotland.

            I think he’s on a freelance contract actually.

            Seems to perform a similar function for other good causes.

        • Rob Royston

          You’re so ignorant it’s hardly worth explaining to you that the people lived in villages for thousands of years before the London Landlords arrived after the Union. Powerful, strong and healthy people living a communal life where everyone mattered.
          You can zoom in on Google Earth and the ground still bears witness to their industry after the two centuries plus of landlord wastage.

    • JOML

      I thought you have had enough of these threads discussing Scotland? You just can’t keep away, can you? If you could, you’d save yourself and others a lot of your “fucks”. I suppose you don’t have anything more interesting to do.

      • Loony

        Instead of diverting – why not just set out the Nationalist position on land ownership. Do you want an independent Scotland to continue the policy of having vast tracts of land owned by absentee landlords? Or do you want to seize Bob Dylan’s land holdings?

        Surely this is a question of legitimate interest to people voting on independence. You would not want to mislead people, would you?

        • Republicofscotland

          That’s rich coming from you, when Brexit is a complete unknown, even to the British government.

          • Loony

            So by refusing to answer the question you do apparently wish to mislead people.

            What is it – fair and equitable land ownership which means going after Bob Dylan or support for the maintenance of the tradition of absentee landlords.

          • michael norton

            I’d like to know when Sturgeon is going to bail out Police Scotland
            to the tune of Two Hundred Million Pounds, deep in the Scottish do-do.

        • Herbie

          It’d be a very very very different world were western countries to apportion land to their peeps, in any significant way.

          It’s inconceivable for advanced financial economies.

          That’d be elite wealth destruction.

          Which don’t never ‘appen.

          Allotments yer lot!

      • Anon1

        I thought you’d had enough of me? You just can’t keep away from trailing me around in the comments threads can you?

    • Alex Birnie

      You don’t really understand Scottish politics, do you? A yes result, and Scotland “f**ks off for good” as you so colourfully put it., but the SNP will be short lived thereafter as a viable political party. A no result, and the SNP will continue as a viable political party and you will be stuck with both Scotland and the SNP. So – for you, it’s win lose.

  • michael norton

    The Pound has shot up, since Ms. Nicola Sturgeon has nailed her colours to the mast of Indyref2.
    Thank you Nicola

    • Republicofscotland

      Just think how much will go up then, when Scotland votes yes to independence. So in essence you should be promoting independence, welcome aboard Michael. ?

  • JOML

    The main focus here has been on Scotland but is England truly independent, while they are tied in the U.K.?

    • Herbie

      Thing is there’d be nothing to hold England together.

      It’s very disunited itself.

      At one time there was this idea of a Europe of the regions, and that was seen as the best way of undermining the nation state influence on central EU power.

      That’s what Blair was implementing when he was splitting the UK into self-managing regions.

      That project is kinda dead now I suppose. Blair was its biggest fanboy. Other leaders weren’t so impressed. More sense.

      But still there are real differences in England itself

      Can’t quite see how they’d maintain a unitary England with the massive unbelievable disparities in wealth between different regions.

      The UK held together in running an Empire.

      That’s easy.

      That held the UK together. Its glue.

      What’s to hold England together when there’s nothing in common in its parts.

      There’s no longer any national narrative to hold it together.

      There’s no Scots, Irish or Welsh to look down upon.

      What is it?

      There isn’t any.

      Brexit, I suppose was some sort of effort to stay the disintegration, but I don’t see them bringing even England together, never mind the UK.

      Perhaps the plan is continuing in different form.

      And Birmingham down will become one region, and the rest of you are on the heath.

      London will become its own region, of course.

      That’s the one part they’re really interested in.

      The popular mayor of Greater London as beard for the Lord Mayor of the City of London.

      The City of London runs itself, has its own police force and government.

      It has run the whole world.

      And it’s kinda mediaeval and weird:

      But yeah.

      All those books you’ve read in economic courses where they discuss Britain’s competitive and comparative advantages in explanation of how this tiny island came to rule much of the world.

      All bollocks!

      Banking’s the key.

      The transfer of central banking from the Nederlands in 1694 is the key to Britain ruling much of the world.

      And look at how much war and deprivation it took for them to achieve that goal.

      • Babushka

        Herbie I’m still getting my head around the history of the Royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau, which appears to have originated in Germany, with family tentacles originating in France.
        I’m also intrigued with the DVD theories espoused by Michael Shrimpton.
        In Australia, settled by all manner of immigrants, there are any number of towns and regions named after English and German regions, suggesting to me that these two Anglo-Saxon nations have at all times continued their Royal and corporate relationships, even while supposedly ‘at war’. And how else, the Dutch royals continued to marry Germans, and now Argentinian. There are continuous threads and dynasties protecting their own private interests, while the crass media serves to distract and discombobulate.

  • michael norton

    Catalan ex-leader Artur Mas banned from office over illegal referendum

    Ministry of Truth

    Former Catalan leader Artur Mas has been banned from holding office for two years after organising an illegal independence referendum in 2014.

    The 61-year-old was convicted in Catalonia’s Superior Court of Justice of civil disobedience for organising the symbolic, non-binding poll.

    Spain’s Constitutional Court had banned the vote at the time.

  • Alan Gordon

    Michael re trident, I would watch Ireland as future home for trident. I have no inside knowledge but it would satisfy several issues. The last peace agreement in Ireland cost America dear, to prime pump the Irish economy. Ireland wouldn’t look at full NATO membership till there was peace in the North. Trident, unless scrapped, has to go somewhere. The Brexit debacle in the North could be costly, unification would solve some of the issues, stuffing “mouths with gold” might clear up the resentment to reunification issue, roll in trident.
    Ireland and full NATO membership would have to happen, if trident was placed in the South. France is a NATO full member would love to have it but that would upset the Germans, so won’t happen. England or Wales could be a possible venue but there has never been any support for nuclear weapons to be positioned in Wales or England and in any case the special relationship with America might be shown to be a bit hollow.
    The final possible, with trump in power he might dec ide to take them back to the USA, jobs after all.
    All products of my fevered mind. You have to admit things are getting interesting.

    • michael norton

      I would like them to be based in Cornwall, they are used to the sea and are short of work, so would almost certainly welcome TRIDENT

  • Sharp Ears

    The Tories have won the two votes against the Lords amendments to the Article 50 (EU Withdrawal) bill.

    MPs have overwhelmingly voted to overturn amendments to the Brexit bill made by peers and send the landmark legislation back to the House of Lords.

    ‘They rejected calls for the government to protect the status of EU nationals within three months of the start of Brexit talks by 335 votes to 287.

    They then dismissed calls for Parliament to have a meaningful vote on any Brexit deal by 331 to 286 votes.’

    So some of the Liebour Blairites must have supported the Tories. Lovely people.

    • Rose

      Agree Herbie – great article and no, the PTB probably wouldn’t want such stuff to be too widely read, we might all begin to wake up and that wouldn’t do would it? “Love one another?” Now there’s a revolutionary thought!

  • Anon1

    I think I will cry with laughter when the Scots return the inevitable No vote at the next referendum. ???

    There was at least a glimpse of an economic argument the last time round, with everything having been pinned on high hopes for Scotch oil, but this time there is nothing. Not even a glimmer of hope. It’s basket case status within, and dependence on, the EU, if you’re lucky. And of you’re not then it’s hard austerity. The Scots are reportedly a canny bunch so we shall see which way they vote.

    In the spirit of unity, however, and in recognition of the inevitable result of this second great attempt by the Scots to free themselves from the English teat, I think we should combine our two great nations into one new entity, comprising the last four letters of Scotland with the first three letters of England. And settle the matter for good.

      • Anon1

        I’m getting “This video is not available”. Is it for a Scotch subscribers only?

      • Loony

        What a deeply strange video. It purports to disparage the UK and yet needs to use pictures of at least 2 Scotsman to convey the true horror of the UK. Is there something so wrong with the Scottish independence psyche that it is in fact a medical condition?

        You can vote all you want and for anything you want but you cannot change the fact that Tony Blair is Scottish.

        • michael norton

          and Gordon Brown and David Cameron and George Robertson and Malcom Rifkind

  • michael norton

    Some may say that the goon Salmond has been working Sturgeon like a dummy.

  • michael norton

    Robbing SCUM
    Scottish and Southern Energy

    to rip customers off – even more

    ‘Deep regret’
    average electricity prices would rise by 14.9%

    even though the price of Brent Crude has dropped by 9% since Christmas.

    FILTH

    • fred

      Oil is priced in dollars, when the value of the pound falls it costs us more. Sterling has fallen 20% against the dollar because of brexit.

      • michael norton

        Scottish and Southern Energy
        £31,654.4 million (2015)

        based in Perth, SCOTLAND

      • michael norton

        Here we go:
        The company is the second largest supplier of electricity and natural gas in the United Kingdom, and the UK’s largest generator of renewable energy. It incorporates the brands Airtricity, SWALEC, Southern Electric, Scottish Hydro Electric and Atlantic Electric and Gas. It also owns Southern Electric Power Distribution, Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution and Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission. Its subsidiaries are organised into the main businesses of generation, transmission, distribution and supply of electricity; storage and supply of gas; electrical and utility contracting, and domestic appliance retailing and telecoms.

        Grid connections are more difficult in North Scotland which receives funding from the rest of the UK to reduce tariffs

        thought so
        bloody subsidies

        • michael norton

          They’ll be no more bloody subsidies
          when Scotland is under the jack boot of Sturgeon and England is free of this nonsense.

          • branches

            And there’ll be blue birds over the white cliffs of Dover.
            Tomorrow, just you wait and see.

          • michael norton

            While making its announcement, SSE said it was launching a £5m fund to provide
            “additional financial support for those who need it most.”

            The managing director of its retail division, Will Morris, said: “We deeply regret having to raise electricity prices.”
            Ha, ha, ha you’ve been suckered.

  • Sharp Ears

    Off topic but likely of interest to Craig and to those on here who remember his posts on Quilliam and their attempts to shut this blog down. (search results below)

    Maajid Nawaz and Quilliam: The Money Trail Behind the Propaganda
    March 6, 2017
    http://www.loonwatch.com/2017/03/maajid-nawaz-and-quilliam-the-money-trail-behind-the-propaganda/
    h/t JohnHol TLN

    Craig’s previous posts http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/?s=quilliam

    Nawaz himself holds forth on LBC radio on Sundays. Oily.

  • Loony

    Here are some facts:

    The largest estimate for remaining UK oil reserves is 7.9 billion barrels. Assume that 100% of that oil belongs to Scotland.

    The average estimate for Venezuelan oil reserves is 297 billion barrels.

    The population of Scotland is just under 5.3 million. The population of Venezuela is 30.41 million. On a per capita basis Venezuela has over 5.7 times more oil reserves than Scotland.

    The Venezuelan economy is in a state of total collapse with widespread food shortages together with a shortage of many other essential items ranging from toilet paper through to surgical equipment. Venezuela is also experimenting with running an economy without electricity.

    Some say that Scotland could be a vibrant self supporting economy underpinned by the bounty of oil. Everyone agrees that Venezuela, a country with far more hydrocarbon assets than Scotland is an economic basket case.

    Is there any explanation for why this could be that does not rely on an argument that the average Scotsman is somehow superior to the average Venezuelan?

    By the way Venezuela also has far more in the way of hydro electric capacity than Scotland.

    • Anon1

      What wonders socialism can perform. I mean with such a bounteous natural inheritance you can
      actually have your people queuing up cross-borders for bog paper.

    • Hmmm

      Firstly, will you call Scotland “the Scotland” a la “the Ukraine “. After independence?
      B. Venezuela is beset by outside influence, particularly the war on petrol barrel prices. If you think it’s socialism causing the problems I’ll teach my granny to suck eggs. And she’s dead. Everyone knows the real causes. Unless you’d care to enlighten.

      • Loony

        Hmmm – I do so wonder what the answer could be. Oh wait – Venezuela wants to be an independent country and so is under economic assault from the US, an economic assault so savage that not even its vast oil reserves can save it. Scotland does not want to be an independent country and hence it is not afraid of a US economic assault.

        What does this tell us all? Oh yes it tells us that the whole Scottish Independence movement is just a farce. It has nothing whatsoever to do with independence and an awful lot to do with the egos of certain Scottish trougher politicians all mixed in with blaming the English for every problem a Scotsman can list.

  • Ba'al Zevul

    This one’s fun. To disguise the news that the proportion of voters favouring Leave in Norfolk as a whole has increased, the EDP leads on the astonishing news* that in Norwich it hasn’t. The EDP is part of the Archant group, like many formerly independent newspapers.

    http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/politics/exclusive_few_people_in_norwich_have_changed_their_minds_about_brexit_1_4928669

    And Archant last year launched the New European (Motto -“We Are The 48%”) specifically to oppose Brexit and give a platform to Europhiles. Hilarious recent article;

    “Take heart from the brutal sacking of Heseltine: hero of the people”
    Alastair Campbell

    *OK, maybe not astonishing. It’s those educated and politically active people, isn’t it?

    • nevermind

      Arsechant are closet Tories Ba’al, they are the organ grinder, Mrs. May is their monkey and we pay them both, and they love playing both sides, its how they make their money.

  • Dave

    The SNP say leave UK to escape Tory austerity, but its really EU austerity to save the Euro. Now following Brexit UK austerity can end as there is now no prospect of UK joining the Euro, so no need for Scotland to leave UK to escape (embrace) austerity after all. Labour could make this point, but are scared of being attacked by conservatives as proliferate, despite Hammond tearing up Osborne’s pro-Euro fiscal rules and borrowing more than Labour!

    • Laguerre

      So what is EU austerity? Haven’t seen it yet. Only among the Tories. Greece has nothing to do with us.

  • Loony

    All those people who want to join the happy, liberal, egalitarian, munificent EU should be aware of the opinion of one Numan Kurtulmus, the deputy Prime Minister of Turkey.

    Mr. Kurtulmus has just opined that European politicians “are under fascist, neo-Nazi influence” So concerned is he as to the depth of this influence that Turkey has cancelled all flight permissions for Dutch politicians.

    Do you really want to be aligned with “fascist neo-Nazi’s”?

    Or maybe you think that Turkish Deputy Prime Minister is a nut job. In which case you are allied with a nut job who is absolutely essential to the defense of Scotland which is necessary in the face of unremitting Russian aggression.

    Are there any Scottish Nationalists who are familiar with the phrase “Heads I win, tails you lose”?

    • Ba'al Zevul

      Not sure I’d want to echo the opinions of the founder of Halkın Sesi Partisi either. That’s Numan Kurtulmuş, and it was a religious conservative party. He formerly led Saadet Partisi (SP), which is overtly Islamist, and against Turkey joining the EU. And we may be sure that now he’s in the AKP he wouldn’t be encouraging the Dutch to allow anti-Erdoğan meetings,no matter how sore he feels about restricting pro-Erdoğan rallies.

      Let’s whisper it. He’s just a little bit rightwing himself.

  • Dave

    Although its portrayed badly, perhaps the national insurance controversy is a deliberate diversion. Probably not as breaking a manifesto promise beneficial to your supporters is not a good idea, but it does mean the rest of the budget avoids exanimation. The budget involves increased spending with money that previously was simply, so they said, not there. I.e. the policy of cuts needed to balance the books has been abandoned in favour of balancing the books over a longer period, which is perfectly sensible and replaces the policy of balancing the books quickly to save the Euro.

    • Dave

      John McDonnell has favourably mentioned the idea of a “wealth tax” as promoted by Greg Phillo. This idea wipes out the deficit and I think national debt and is painless. That is it avoids taxing the poor and keeps the rich, rich, because most of their wealth is asset value and if it saves the economy, it means their asset values will grow. Its a simple but revolutionary idea, like “social credit” but the private banks wont like it, so it will not get little or favourable coverage in MSM.

  • Dave.

    Beware, I’d urge you not to write off May just yet. Yes, she does look far less competent than might have been expected of her, but those of us who lived and worked (or not), through Thatcher should remember that she was far from impressive, as Tory leaders go, for a good couple of years after becoming PM. In fact she looked quite insecure and vulnerable, particularly around the time she backed down in the face of a threatened national NUM coal stoppage in early 1981. We know it later became clear it was just a tactical withdrawal to gather her forces for a concerted and orchestrated full – frontal attack at a time that better suited her, but not everyone saw that at the time.
    As for Owen (Corporal) Jones, the darlin’ of the fake left; why does anyone still listen to that Oxbridge tosser? He’s as irrelevant as the fast-sinking rag he writes for.

    • Ba'al Zevul

      Absolutely agree. May’s not naive, and she’s not stupid, and she doesn’t show her cards. The danger with despising the politics is to despise, and hence underestimate, the person. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s got a little timebomb wired up for Sturgeon, either.

      As to Jones, he’s made a career choice. Between writing op-eds and doing something useful. The former is better paid, even by the Guardian (as long as you’re not an intern). Though he might be better-rewarded writing pro-Brexit stuff for the times, it would be unwise for him to shift too far, but my guess is that if the Lords is still around when he’s 60, he’ll be decorating the Liberal benches.

      • Deepgreenpuddock

        i had the same thought about the bomb wired up for the SNP. There are very high stakes all round for May and Sturgeon. Not sure about May. She certainly gives an impression of confidence but there is a feeling that she is modelling Thatcher-except that that model never worked in Scotland (posh, high church, elitist).
        The demise of the Tories in Scotland is attributable and highly linked to the populism of Thatcher. It struck a distinctly dull note north of the border. She is also veering very close to the Daily Mailism of Englandshire. That is deeply disreputable.
        There are definite weaknesses although it is very unwise to underestimate her politicking ability. I also suspect she is politically ruthless.
        The only problem with her wired-up bomb for the SNP is the co-lateral damage. She may neutralise the Scottish brexit/SNP problem but i can’t see any damage done to Scotland being well received. There are deeper realities than some political bomb plot terrorism cooked up by a destructive political terrorist like May.

        • fred

          I think it’s obvious that any part of Scotland which voted to remain part of the UK should be allowed to. The Nationalists could hardly argue with that, it wouldn’t be fair dragging Orkney and Shetland out of the UK against their will by their logic.

          • Deepgreenpuddock

            This atomisation of the ‘will of the electorate’ is a ‘reductio ad absurdum’. Please desist. Scotland is undoubtedly a nation.

          • fred

            A nation? That is an abstract entity which exists in the minds of Nationalists. There is a natural border between Scotland and Orkney but nothing to see between Scotland and England.

          • Deepgreenpuddock

            Well go and organise a party of Orks. Get a plebiscite on Ork independence.Summon up the arguments. Publish a paper. Argue for half the revenues of the undersea turbines in the Pentland Firth.Picket the Scottish parliament.Feel free.

          • fred

            But I do feel fine. I’m not the one who said “once in a lifetime”it’s not me that lied. I’m not the one didn’t honour the result of a referendum it’s not me who cheated.

            I’m not the hypocrite either.

          • Deepgreenpuddock

            Seriously now, Fred- do you think ‘lying’ is confined to one or other of the sides in this debate? Economical with truth/disingenuous/the rhetoric of argument- call it what you like but politics has always been about the between the lines as much as on the lines.
            It seems very simple to me. The picture has changed. It was said in advance of the 2014 referendum that in the event of a brexit there would probably be another referendum.
            Will Brown storm to the rescue of the new ‘Better Together’ campaign. The one flaw with this is that we almost certainly wont be ‘better shackled to an England destined to be the next Trump state.(May is SO going to get a ‘deal’ from that gilt turd.

          • Ba'al Zevul

            ..nothing to see between Scotland and England.

            There’s a wall, Fred. A great, great wall. And we’re gonna make Mexico Scotland pay for it….

  • mike

    Sorry, gotta do this quickie:

    ITN News tonight had a piece on the famine in Yemem which, said the voice, was caused by “civil war” — with no mention of Saudi aggression or our part in making it happen !

    No mention.

    • Ba'al Zevul

      Cherie was in Saudi yesterday, speechifying about empowering women journalists….don’t think there are many of those in Yemen, but I bet they could do with some empowerment. Blair Miles refers.

  • Tom

    I think most people already know May is no good. The opinion polls are clearly being manipulated to stifle calls for a general election. It also suits May’s sinister backers that May is no good, as she will do what she’s told in desperation to cling on to power.
    I think it’s nearly game over for the Westminster pantomime. What with our waxwork leader, a fawning media and a parliament packed with yes-men, we’re beginning to resemble the latter years of one of those Eastern European communist regimes.

  • michael norton

    Turkey really knows how to make friends and influence people.
    http://www.france24.com/en/20170313-eu-warns-erdogan-diplomatic-spat-netherlands-nazi-plane

    The issue risks spiralling into a crisis with the EU as a whole, which Turkey has sought to join for more than half a century in a so far fruitless membership bid.

    Erdogan, who has indicated he may attempt to address rallies in EU states in a move that could inflame the situation further, said Sunday that the West was showing its “true face” in the stand-off.

    He accused the Netherlands of acting like “fascists” and “Nazis”, saying on Sunday: “I had thought that the era of Nazism was over, but I was wrong.”

    Rutte has been under pressure to take a hard line against Erdogan, just days before he faces the populist Wilders in a close parliamentary election. He expressed outrage at Erdogan’s Nazi jibe, noting: “This country was bombed during the Second World War by the Nazis. It’s totally unacceptable to talk in this way.”

    • michael norton

      Geert Wilders,
      will be loving all this, people waving Turkish flags in The Netherlands, will play to his field.

    • nevermind

      What need to happen ,Brian, is that voters have to demand that the votes are counted were they are cast, do not let them move ballot boxes around. All parties can witness the phone call from the officials to the counting HQ, no need for storing behind walls or delayed counting or wasting petrol and causing pollution for such a simple task.

      Disallow postal voting, its a lazy menace open to fraud wherever practised, and there is a dire need for those lazies to meet their fellow Scotsmen and women once in a while. Disabled people with a genuine need can be visited with a ballot box, that will not take long and in anyway there’s no haste with an important vote as such, so take your time.

      Very important, DO NOT GIVE ANY INTERVIEWS OR COMMENTS TO THE bbc at all, not during the campaign, elections or afterwards, we all know why they got a new Scottish news channel, they’ll report what London tells them anyhow, so why add facts to it.
      If the latter is announced from the start, the whole country will know that the BBC can’t be trusted.

      As long as many people will vote and the elections are fair this time, Scotland will return a Yes vote.

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