Forget media spin. Read Theresa May’s actual unvarnished words. In Glasgow today she notified Scotland of a specific intention for Westminster to intervene in devolved areas to “improve outcomes” in Scotland. There is no other possible logical analysis of the following long passage:
But the devolution of powers across the United Kingdom must not mean we become a looser and weaker union.
We cannot allow our United Kingdom to drift apart.
For too long the attitude in Whitehall has been to ‘devolve and forget’.
But as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, I am just as concerned that young people in Dundee get a good start in life and receive the education they need to reach their full potential as I am about young people in Doncaster and Dartford.
I care as much about the dignity and security of older people on both sides of the River Tweed or the Irish Sea.
The economic prosperity of the UK as a whole depends on young people in all parts of the UK having the skills they need to reach their full potential.
And people who have worked hard all their lives and made a contribution to society are everyone’s concern.
It goes back to the fundamental unity of the British people which underwrites our whole existence as a United Kingdom.
We are all diminished when any part of the UK is held back, and we all share in the success when we prosper.
In Government that principle is called ‘collective responsibility’.
We need to build a new ‘collective responsibility’ across the United Kingdom, which unites all layers of government, to work positively together to improve the lives of everyone in our country.
As the Government serving the whole United Kingdom, formed in a Parliament drawn from the whole United Kingdom, the UK Government exercises a responsibility on behalf of the whole UK that transcends party politics and encompasses all aspects of our national life.
While fully respecting, and indeed strengthening, the devolution settlements and the devolved administrations across the UK, we must unashamedly assert this fundamental responsibility on our part.
So in those reserved policy areas where we govern directly for the whole United Kingdom, we will explicitly look to the interests of the Union – both the parts and the whole – in our policy-making.
And in policy areas where responsibilities are devolved, we will look for ways to collaborate and work together with the devolved administrations to improve the outcomes for everyone.
The meaning could not be more clear, especially following a long litany of claims that SNP rule in Holyrood had failed in every area of devolved power. You can read the full text here.
May seems to be suffering an extraordinary degree of hubris; she sees the Tories having achieved very slightly over half of the SNP vote at the Holyrood elections as a sign of mass popularity. She is laying down that Unionism means Unionism just as purely as Brexit means Brexit. Devolution is only represented in her speech as an evil that must be guarded against.
It is perhaps unsurprising that May did not mention anywhere that Scotland voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU, and did not mention any possibility for special provision in Scotland’s future relationship with the EU. But that she did not even pay lip service to the notion of devolution as a good thing is surprising, and I am frankly astonished that she boldly asserted an intention for greater Westminster interference in current devolved areas.
This is a colossal act of hubris from a woman confident she faces no serious political resistance. That she adopts in Glasgow the false Thatcher like voice and rhetorical style that goes down so well with UKIP leaning Tories is indicative of the shallowness of her experience and the depth of her misjudgement.
Theresa May’s declaration of war on devolution today will come to be seen as a key moment in our path to Independence.
She claims the S. N. P. are not getting on with the day job of running Scotland,
she thinks the S. N. P. only think about Indyref2,
she is almost certainly correct.
Try looking at John Robertson’s thoughtcontrolscotland site (now focussing all the good news stories that otherwise get no air time).
When you dig a little deeper you discover that “not getting on with the day job” sounds good but doesn’t reflect real and under reported actions.
One could make the substantive counter-claim that the Tories under both Cameron and May have not been getting on with the day-job of running the country for the benefit of its population since 2010. Which should be obvious to those who have more than half a brain.
Links, sources, evidence, and names and events, please.
tRuthless getting on with the day job…
http://imgur.com/hFYoyZt
Nicola getting on with the day job…
https://www.snp.org/record
Compare and contrast Scottish NHS and English NHS and welsh NHS. who is making a better job? English schools in crisis, Bedroom tax mitigated in Scotland hurting the poor in England. I could go on but facts tend to offend Knee Jerkers.
Once again you show you know little about Scotland’s SNP government.
You’ve been posting on this site for some time, but you still know fuck all.
I understood it was the branches of the Union parties that were always referring to Independence
“The meaning could not be more clear”
It looks clear to me.
So in those reserved policy areas where we govern directly for the whole United Kingdom, we will explicitly look to the interests of the Union – both the parts and the whole – in our policy-making.
And in policy areas where responsibilities are devolved, we will look for ways to collaborate and work together with the devolved administrations to improve the outcomes for everyone.
I just don’t understand how you interpret that as:
“Theresa May Moves to Replace Devolution with Westminster Control”.
Fred
T\hat is because you are grossly stupid.
As Mark Steel writes today, bankers and Big Business have destroyed all that was best about England and yet England continues to vote in bankers and big business in huge numbers. As my mother would say, we’re too daft to come in out of the rain. I wish Scotland well on its inevitable journey to what can only be described as liberation from these dreadful people.
There’s this story in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy somewhere about a planet where all the people are enslaved by aliens, but they’re happy because every couple of years they get to vote on which set of aliens they want to be enslaved by.
“As Mark Steel writes today, bankers and Big Business have destroyed all that was best about England and yet England continues to vote in bankers and big business in huge numbers.”
Does it? A real question. And if it does, how does it?
Fred made a legitimate comment about Teresa May’s Unionist speech and received uncalled for personal abuse from the Post author in breach of all his own moderating rules which include inter alia “Address the argument, not the person. To do otherwise will be an immediate warning flag for deletion. Any reference to any commenter which is not courteous will lead to the comment being immediately deleted”. And I [Craig Murray] have been most disappointed by the degree of personal insult flying around the comments thread in recent weeks.
Ach give Craig a break anyone’s entitled to a ratty day
Never typed truer words Craig.
Well-it certainly does not mean what it actually says. Read between the lines for the other possibilities.
Consider the possibility that Scotland is not just the 1.6 million people who voted Yes. It isn’t. it includes 2 million people who voted No and it includes over a million people who didn’t vote SNP. Those people deserve representation too, those people deserve a government dedicated to looking after their interests.
Lose the notion that the Nationalists are not Scotland they only think they are and it means exactly what it says. If Sturgeon turns her back on the Scottish people in her pursuit of independence then the Scottish people will turn to Westminster.
I agree, Fred, it is down to numbers. Nicola Sturgeon will only gain independence if she, and others outside the SNP, persuade the majority of the people staying in Scotland that independence is in our best interests. Unfortunately, an open and honest debate is almost impossible, while powerful bodies, full of self interest, try to manipulate and mislead the voters to preserve their position and personal interests.
Many of the people who voted No wanted more devolution , which was promised just before 18th Sept 2014 . That option was not allowed by David Cameron. Who knows what they will think of Westmister’s interference in matters they thought were under only Scotland’s control. Especially by what is seemingly an eternal right wing Tory government , at a time when Scotland has only one MP of that persuasion.
Then there’s all the “Weak No’s”
Who were persuaded by “The Vow”
Who voted No to stay in the EU.
And don’t forget , Unionists who want to stay in the EU.
EU citizens who voted No to stay in the EU.
Then there’s all the Scots who don’t want to live under never ending Tory Austerity.
“Collaborate” “to improve outcomes for everyone” . Think about it. The powers have been devolved to serve a specific people e.g. Scottish people, so why the need for collaboration from central government ON DEVOLVED matters to improve outcomes for EVERYONE. I’m guessing you belive Trumps drivel too.
Well, yes, that was unavoidable after the Supreme Court reminded us that the Sewel Convention isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. Time for an actual Federal constitution? (Might be a good compromise between unionists and republicans/nationalists.)
Can’t see federalism as a workable solution. What’s wrong with self-determination, followed by healthy, grown up economic relationships thereafter. Not an extreme goal, surely?
Federalism is self-determination, it’s just not full-fledged independence. Therefore, it’s something that many people might vote for who wouldn’t want to take the economic risks of independence. In a Federal system, Scots still vote for the Westminster parliament, they still have control over the UK’s economic and monetary policy, and they still get to use the pound, but they have protection against the UK government intruding on the Scottish government’s legislative and other prerogatives.
I disagree – I doubt a population of 5m would have much sway against 60m, as clearly demonstrated in the current set up.
It’s more of a vote than they’d have after independence…
(Which is the big problem of Scottish independence. You’d need the English to run their economic and monetary policies for the benefit of the entire island, but you’d have no way of getting them to do that. Or you’d have to give up the pound, which seems like a horrible idea too.)
Martinned, as I said, I disagree with your assumptions and fortune telling.
By self determination did you mean Nationalist determination or what the people of Scotland determined in 2014?
Fred, people have different desires and beliefs. It’s really tiresome playing childish ‘tennis’, with comments of little value. I refer you to Craig’s comment above.
Enjoy your weekend.
Once Independence is gained what makes you think it will be a SNP Government tho i must admit the Tory and Labour lot give me cause for concern
Scots would be governed by whoever the Scottish electorate voted for and not by whoever England imposed upon us.Despite the MSM hype about a great Tory revival they are polling lower than they did when Thatcher was in office. They continue to be no more than a fringe party who owe their present status to the decline of Scottish Labour.Neither have they made even a tiny dent in SNP support despite fighting the Holyrood election with a rallying cry from their leader to save the union.
Would you care to point to the part on the 2014 ballot paper where it says this will be the last Referendum ever, and even if the promises made in the vow were tossed in a bin , and not one kept, and however many changes made to anything connected with the day to day running of the governance of Scotland would for ever and a day rule out another referendum,
Can’t place it ? Well strangely enough I can’t either, as far as I am concerned the 2014 result is null and void, contract not fulfilled, over to you dear try and justify your Union, because f/I’d if I know what it’s for, go on sell us your Union, This will be interesting.
In the SNP White Paper it says:
The debate we are engaged in as a nation is about the future of all of us lucky enough to live in this diverse and vibrant country. It is a rare and precious moment in the history of Scotland – a once in a generation opportunity to chart a better way.
Even in Dundee a generation is at least 12 years and everywhere else it’s more like 30.
The federalism ship sailed many years ago & isn’t coming back.
Nobody with a memory span of more than a couple of years believes anyone talking about federalism in the UK. Its anathema to the tories – blue, red and orange – at westminster. The UK doesn’t do “democracy”, what we have is an elective dictatorship. That’s how power is structured in the UK and has been for 200+ years.
The Tories couldn’t even get the smallest Lords reform through their MPs.
Major constitutional change will never happen under them.
Ironic, given May’s tunnel vision over Brexit, the collapsing NHS in England, falling education standards, disappearing teachers and a prison system in disarray, that she feels she’s got any kind of leg to stand on.
you forgot to mention the dramatic fall in police number in england.
Which feeds straight back into Craig’s excellent comment regarding hubris.
The history of British colonialism follows the path now being adopted by the Westminster Unionists in relation to Scotland.
Deny, defund, threaten, bully and demoralise the populace.
Do not expect any enlightened policies or thinking from this Imperial mind set, they are following their instincts.
As in the past it will not be enough to deny our country taking it’s rightful place in the family of nation states.
It sounds like a Conservative and Unionist message to re-engage with Scotland after years of neglect. To be a party for the whole UK rather than EU/globalism under ‘heir to Blair’ Cameron.
Yes. i think you may be right. she. is saying. quite a. lot. but it appears she is going to try to supplant. or gain some. of the territory ceded by the collapse of the Labour party. I think. it. is also an acknowledgement. that Scotland (and. NI for that. matter) is a problem for her Brexit strategy. A big political and financial commitment will. be. made to. attempt to. secure compliance, with a docile Scottish Tory government, or at least a. much reduced SNP-where there is a Tory presence big. enough to thwart any and all moves towards. independence. I think there. must be. research of some. kind somewhere. indicating that it might work.The. system. in. Scotland. may. not. need. too. big. a. shunt(from a heavily financed campaign to reduce. the. Scottish government to a babble fest with. no. clear dominant party. tht. is all they. have to achieve-immobility/stasis-They don’t actually need a. huge swing to achieve that and the way. Labour. is. going, damn near. anything. could happen.
Remind me of the polls ( I know) you are talking of a 15% shift to gain parity not going to happen. Look at the Holyrood elections actual seats not the Dewar legacy system. SNP 58 seats rest 11seats.
Yes. it. seems unlikely but the problem is that May is unlikely to put out such an obvious challenge without some idea that something can be done.She. is not really a. bluffer. She really needs to neutralise the Nationalists for her Brexit plans to be credible. She doesn’t need to destroy-all she needs is to have a hung parliament that just rubber stamps essential matters but never agrees on any substance. She can also depend on the Labour party rump or. arsehole that is left to give support to Unionism.
In the past the Tory party has been ‘relaxed’ about the situation in Scotland/ low priority and their resources. have gone elsewhere but the fact. is that the Tories have huge financial resources compared to any other party and if they were to bring that to bear on Scotland, I wouldn’t be too sure what might happen. Remember that an awful lot of Scotland is quite naturally conservative and with the right propaganda and ‘soft’ skills-such as. media control and judicious campaigns etc and a bit of gerrymandering and ‘palm greasing’/sinecure promising etc in key places, it could all change.
1) Just WHAT would federalism BRING that would be of the slightest use?
2) Can I ask thoughts, please, as to why Davidson is encouraging postal votes? Anything to do with being a shot across the bows? (as to ‘we could’ and ‘we would’ interfere with postal votes again)
Just WHAT would federalism BRING that would be of the slightest use?
The opportunity to align the laws of Scotland more closely with the values of Scottish voters.
(If you want a more specific answer, you’d have to offer some details of what kind of federalism you’re thinking of.)
Federalism in the dis-United Kingdom is a non-starter, simply because the Tories aren’t interested in it. The Tories are in a very strong position at the moment.
That depends on whether the SNP look like they might have the votes for independence. If they do, a proper constitution might be a compromise that even Tories can accept.
To be fair to those making the “federalist’ case, one should look at the recent history of Quebec and the Canadian Constitution.
I would prefer real independence but that can only be won on the basis of a revolution, in the sense that it will involve a transfer in power from the top to the bottom. The SNP affects a mildly social democratic policy-as most nationalist parties do- but it makes it clear that it sees tomorrow’s Scotland as operating very much as the Unionists’ has.
This is what is so disappointing about the EU matter- the EU is almost as committed to neo-liberalism as the UK is. The SNP is proposing that Scotland jump out of the frying pan into the skillet. The same is true with all this chatter of ‘it’s Scotland’s oil’ and the euro is as good as the pound- they indicate not real change but lateral political adjustments. Nothing worth shedding much sweat, let alone blood, for.
If there is a sentiment that life would be more acceptable if saltires, tartans, kilt swaggering and all the rest of the invented traditionalism were more in evidence, and “None like us” and “Here’s tae us’ is on every pair of lips, my advice is to look at Quebec where the fleurs de lys and the French language are rigorously promoted and developed, where Education and Health are run by the Province and there are considerable differences between tax policies and social safety nets in other regions. But the questions of Defence, Foreign Relations and the Economy are determined in the Parliament of Ottawa which acts as a branch office for the Pentagon and Wall St, much as Westminster does.
The EU may soon expire.
A suggestion surprising for the people who live in it. It’s only a Brexiter fantasy, which could only occur by a combination of multiple unlikely events. Le Pen is not winning. Wilders is not going up. AfD in Germany has no chance. It would take a lot to turn all that around.
Fully agree. Our Jill Stein-ite seems to have morphed into a Donald Trump-ite.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe people in Quebec are just as subject to the limitations on free speech with respect of Israel and Zionism that other Canadians are.
Probably more but not under Ottawa’s orders.
Did you notice, incidentally, the poll showing that 80% of Canadians disapprove of Israel?
Disapprove of what, exactly?
Either way, please do provide a source.
Hope you don’t mind Bevin…
I’m putting up the Poll Martinned requested, Re most Canadians disapprove of Israel?
https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/cjpme/pages/2537/attachments/original/1488423127/EKOS_Poll_Results_Report_R2_-_2017-03-02-Final-v1.pdf?1488423127
Cheers Brian. It’s good to see that the Canadians are wide awake.
Harper and Baird overdosed the Canadian people with their Z prop.
Where to start – so much crap its unreal.
Euro – were Scotland independent and in the EU it still doesn’t qualify to join the Euro (try reading the rules).
Oil – oh look the Scottish economy GREW (even with GERS figures, much use they are) when the price of oil went down. Brexit has actually benefited the UK in terms of oil as its US-dollar denominated. Also Scotland doesn’t actually get any revenue from oil now so not sure why you went there other than stupidity.
Education & Health – already run by Scotland, always have been even prior to devolution. More stupidity from you mmm?
Tax – there’s already some varying powers but they’re meaningless/stupid. Oh look there’s that word again. Stupid.
2) Can I ask thoughts, please, as to why Davidson is encouraging postal votes?
Because her voters are elderly.
So that she can count them in advance of polling day. Not sure how she got away with that one?
[ Mod: Kindly use a proper handle, not a phrase. ]
—
Postal votes leave too much scope for manipulation and vote rigging. A second independence referendum needs arbiters from a neutral country who can manage the entire process from start to finish. The numbers in the first referendum were staggering – around 800,000 – enough to alter the result.
The Scots need to do what the Irish did in 1919-23: refuse to recognize the legitimacy of Westminster rule, mass disobedience to orders from the government, mass refusal to pay taxes, all sorts of other massive resistance.
A government can only rule by brute force over a population that refuses to recognize its legitimacy. It would be politically impossible to maintain a brute rule of force over Scotland for a long period of time.
Its not 1916 anymore matey.
For example how do you “refuse to pay taxes” when 95% of the working population in the UK is on PAYE? You can’t. You can definitely not pay your council tax but that ain’t going to help as its a LOCAL tax & won’t hurt westminster.
Wee bit more thought required maybe?
If PAYE in Britain works the same way that advance withholding works here in the States, it’s the employer’s responsibility to send the money to the central government. Every year, several employers are prosecuted for not sending the money to the feds here in the States,.
If it works the same way in Britain, Scottish employers have the power not to send the money to the central government.
And ordinary Scots have the power to boycott employers that refuse to do this.
No it doesn’t.
Brits won’t do that. They’re too submissive. The example was the petrol price revolt some years ago. The French went all out, and supply was disrupted for weeks. The Brits did a couple of days of blockading supply depots, and the police said enough is enough, you’ve made your point. And the demonstrators immediately gave in.
Which mitigated Ireland’s poverty very little, probably millions of its workers having to find work elsewhere, including England. BTW, when did your forbears leave the emerald isle?
Summary wiki:
The economic history of the Republic of Ireland effectively began in 1922, when the then Irish Free State won independence from the United Kingdom. The state was plagued by poverty and emigration until the 1960s when an upturn led to the reversal of long term population decline. However, global and domestic factors combined in the 70s and 80s to return the country to poor economic performance and emigration. The 1990s, however saw the beginning of unprecedented economic success, in a phenomenon known as the “Celtic Tiger”*, which continued until the 2008 global financial crisis, specifically the post-2008 Irish economic downturn. It also led to the Republic of Ireland becoming the most indebted state in the European Union.[1] As of 2015, the Republic has returned to growth, expected to be the fastest growing country in Europe once again for that year, though unemployment and underemployment remain high.
Sure you can sell that trajectory to the Scots?
* fuelled by foreign investment, an educational revolution, and of course a property bubble. Oh, and an ‘elastic’ labour supply.
My father left Ireland in 1921. At the time, he opposed Sinn Fein and Irish independence, and supported Redmond’s Nationalists and Home Rule. He went back to Ireland for the first time in many years in the mid-1960s, and told me (I was there too) that he had to admit that independence had proved good for Ireland.
Ireland was not terribly prosperous at the time, but the Irish had regained self-respect.
Fair play to him. But he didn’t stay there, did he? Boston is a testament to Irishmen who bought the economic argument rather than the sentimental one.
If the Scots get independence (and it is still my earnest hope that if they decide by a clear majority* that they want it, they do), there’s very little point in (say) Portland ME becoming the hub of Scots culture and economic activity while the best road in Scotland itself is the one out.
*I think I’d set the bar at 60-40% with a minimum 50% turnout for that, though – be glad it’s not my call.
He did admit that he had been wrong. People are reluctant to do that, and generally only do so when confronted with compelling evidence.
“Ireland was not terribly prosperous at the time, but the Irish had regained self-respect.”
That nationalist idea worked then but is today out of date. The flows of business and people are too great to stop, and reimpose national isolation.
I have a better suggestion than confrontation and possible violence. After the Brexit negotiations have been concluded and the UK of GB and NI leaves the EU, Scotland then being outside the EU could then have another referendum to leave the UK, if successful they could then apply for membership of the EU as an independent state. Since the European Union is only mandated to deal directly with its member states.
The aim of many of the SNP is to go straight to the Free State, they would not encourage mass action because they want to take over government for themselves. The gombeens rule.
They said this advocate for children would “start World War Three”.
Craig Murray said it too.
Because any money ina budget that doesn’t go to the Military is DANGEROUS. Highly DANGEROUS.
Is that how it works Craig?
I don’t think it’s hubris. I would expect nothing else from the leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party, It’s what she does, and what her party is committed to. I would expect something more from Nicola, though, like costing independence properly before agitating for another referendum. If only to show us all how it should be done. Certainly there’s a case to be made for greater devolution, not only of power, but of initiative, to all regions of the UK, not just the four countries. And the first part of your extract may be read as supporting that. Whether or not it’s sincere, remains to be seen, as does whether she has the financial flexibility and the support of her peers required – but Scotland free, independent, opened to a supply of cheap labour, and subject to an EU whose sympathy for struggling economies is at best absent , is a pretty speculative proposition too.
As to May’s UKIP affinities, she had two options, the first of which was to steal ownership of the issue, and by far the second of which was to let the UKIP numpties run the debate. I am sure you will agree with her on that much. Perhaps you will not agree so much if I substitute ‘SNP’ for ‘UKIP’ in that sentence, but hey, we know. English nationalism – ugly, racist and bad, Scottish nationalism – fluffy bunnies and inclusive teacakes.
Actually, the Scots will probably come to dislike being run wholly by Holyrood as much as by Westminster, and for exactly the same reasons. Already the pigs are, as usual, becoming harder to tell from the farmers round the table.
I can only assume that you have no knowledge of Scotland and its people at all – from these remarks
Ouch!
Sarcastic or acutely perseptive, either way you brought a wee smile to my face. ?
Should read perceptive, apologies.
Assume what you like. But the pretence that Scottish nationalism has no darker side while English nationalism is inherently evil is hard to sustain. Brexit and the revival SNP spring from the same discontents, and both, regrettably, rely on their emotional, rather than their logical appeal. Having helped fight a couple of elections for the SNP ( long ago, rancorous on all sides) I do have some experience of this.
And I do not make the mistake of assuming ‘Scotland and its people’ are necessarily identical with the independence movement, as you appear to think. That error is more characteristic of the latter, in fact.
Well you can read the SNP manifesto and the UKIP manifesto for each of the last few elections and judge for yourself.
I know from experience that party manifestos are tailored to their targetted audience, and pretty cavalier with both facts and figures, so I generally bin them. Even Lysias suggests better reading matter.
The UKIP target is immigration, and this plays very strongly in areas where Polish or Latvian is heard as often as English on the streets. Especially as housing availability shrinks and real wages at the lower levels fall, this becomes an existential problem in many minds. If I were UKIP, that’s where I’d go for support too, as a purely practical matter, and especially as the alleged party of working Britons actively encouraged the mass influx. Sure, that’s cynical. But it’s pure Blairism: never mind the principles, we want power.
That approach is not confined to just one ‘working-class champion’, however
I compared Brexit as a whole, not UKIP , with the SNP, and the issue there, just as it is with the SNP, is autonomy, along with declining living standards and political inertia. It’s populist, and the SNP is populist. Some voted for Brexit (or the SNP) out of sheer bloody frustration, some out of lingering patriotism, and some out of the perception that global capitalism was something that could be opposed or at least proteted against. Some voted for all those reasons. The PR merely heightened perceptions of the arguments – you’re suggesting we compare Irn-Bru and Coke solely on the basis of their TV ads.
No.
All you need to know about the difference between civic Scottish nationalism and English/British nationalism is this….
Even though Brexit won there was a massive spike in hate crimes in England after the vote.
After Indyref there was no spike in hate crimes despite the referendum essentially being decided by people born outside Scotland.
A majority of people born in Scotland voted for independence but didn’t get it due to the votes of immigrants. Can you imagine if a similar thing happened with Brexit. Or the reaction in England if Scottish and Irish votes had kept the UK in the EU against the will of the English electorate?
None of which conflicts with what I said. Had immigration not been a perceived problem in England, there would have been no anti-immigration dimension to the debate about Europe. And there would have been ‘no’ hate crimes. Immigration is not significantly perceived to be a problem in Scotland. Why? Taking ethnic minorities as a yardstick – doesn’t cover free movement from ‘white’ Europe at all, of course – and a year which you may care to update for yourself, in 2011, Scotland had a minority ethnic population 4%, while the UK had a population of Asian and Afro-Caribbean extraction of 10%. You may want to dig out the stats on agricultural and hospitality workers from the less marvellous parts of Europe for yourself, in which case pleas pass them on.
I repeat, Scottish nationalism is based on the same sources of disquiet as Brexiters voted to change. None of us likes being run by faceless beancounters in a distant capital: none of us enjoys being compelled to bail out obscenely rich international orgaisations when they stuff up.The swing towards Scottish independence is as populist* as Brexit. And, I suspect, as likely to be disappointed when it sees what compromises it will be forced to make, lacking any real strategy for fundamental change.
* I see my mate Tony Blair is now using ‘populist’ as a term of abuse. I don’t. From the Latin, ‘populus’ – the people. And inescapably associated with ‘democracy’, from the Greek ‘demos’ …..the people.
Putting the Scottish hate crime thing into context, racial hate crime is still the most commonly reported, and yes, it fell a little after the September 2014 referendum. Sexual hate, religious hate and disability hate all rose substantially. No doubt due to the referendum, eh? 🙂
Female President. “She will start World War III”
Money for the Arts. “She will start World War III”
Money for PUBLIC education. “She will start World War III”
Money for subsidized health insurance for all. “She will start World War III”
Money for environmental protection. “She will start World War III”
And now, the guy they all believe is so much more “peaceful”
“One day we’ll go back in and steal the oil”
“We need to build the world’s biggest military”
“Why do we need diplomacy?, we just need military”
“We don’t need NATO, we just need bigger military”
“We don’t need trade deals, we need trade WARS”
“America first”. “Heck, America ONLY”
Oh Bob, please stop whinging over Hillary Clinton, it’s become a bit tedious now **SHE LOST** no get over it.
At least try and post one comment on topic, afterall you rail over respect.
Interpret it how you like. Craig’s conduct in this matter will not be forgotten.
He and his hounded her to the ends of the Earth. So…
You have to admit that Hillary Clinton gave quite a bit of ammo to her enemies, particularly when it came to taking vast amounts in speaking fees after stepping down as Secretary of State. That probably wasn’t wise, knowing how the rabid dogs on the teabagger-infested alt-right would scream and rant about it. Of course the criticism was one-sided, of course the teabaggers are being selectively (hypo)critical.
Personally, I’d far rather Clinton was in power now than this dangerously unhinged lunatic Trump, with his nasty little band of fascists pulling the strings.
“We came, we saw, he died”. It’s the smile, the laugh, and the gleeful body language that really get to me, considering that they were talking about the awful way Gaddafi died.
Not her greatest moment, for sure. We can never know how much gallows humour is employed on these occasions.
But did “I grab them by the pussy” convince you that Trump was the superior candidate, or his mocking of a Miss World competitor over her weight, or his bragging about going backstage to ogle and ass-grab contestants in the Miss Teen USA competition?
Glenn you can see the vast gulf between Hillary’s blood soaked and disgracefully racist intervention in Libya and Trump’s macho vulgarity to a couple of guffawing cronies.
Whether Trump or Clinton is preferable is another matter but Clinton’s actual record from Kossovo to Syria is one of unhinged, psychopathic fevotion to the most violent imperial adventures.
It is one of the worst aspects of the Black Caucus that, instead of responding to Clinton’s racism in Libya (the black mercenaries on viagra raping on Ghadaffi’s orders campaign) and indeed her racist attacks on Obama in 2008, not to mention her support of mass incarceration policies which have turned America-for black people- into a Police State. Instead of responding they counted their campaign donations and handed her the southern primaries, just the way the Redeemers used to do in Jim Crow days.
And now they are keeping the utter nonsense that Russia intervened to elect Trump alive.
Truly the Gods wish to destroy the Democratic Party. And the Gods are right.
The Black Agenda Report is regularly devastatingly critical of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Trump’s bringing back Private Prisons – the Police State is coming back for Black people. The Clintons had actually -learned- from that mistake. The Republicans haven’t. In fact, I suspect they think the mistake was not doing MORE of it.
Trump’s in Yemen now – what do you think of THAT?
And Russians clearly did -some- amount of intervention in the Election. The question is – how much?
Bevin, it’s more serious than just a bit of crude, macho bluster. Don’t you have any concern that this is a known racist, who’s dangerously unstable and is surrounded by a bunch of ultra-nationalists, fascists, clansmen and white supremacists?
You’ve added your voice of concern, to a long list of many voices who clearly see Brexit as a opportunity for Theresa May to repatriate powers back to Westminster.
Westminster’s man in Scotland “Fluffy” Mundell, has been parroting that the above will not be the case. I do not know whether Mr Mundell belives that because he’s been told so, or if he actually knows that powers will not be devolved but repatriated to Westminster.
The Tories like their Red counterparts Labour only have one MP in Scotland, and are now the opposition at Holyrood, though not because they gained more votes that Labour.
It’s interesting to note that the Scottish branch manager of Labour, Kezia Dugdale is pushing hard for a federal Britain, (a ploy to sucker former indyLabour voters back into Labour) whilst the Tories are pushing full steam ahead with Brexit and a power grab. Both outcomes would be disasterous for Scotland.
FM Nicola Sturgeon, really has only one real avenue to go down in my opinion, and that’s to set a date for a second independence referendum.
Labour won’t be protecting anything, they see everything in terms of party politics and will abandon all waiting for their turn in No 10.
You mean like the Liberal’s did ? When they sold their souls to mingle on the front benches, along side Cameron and his Tory cabinet. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head.
Also ref Treeza, yesterday.
Theresa May wants British people to feel ‘pride’ in the Balfour Declaration. What exactly is there to be proud of?
Balfour initiated a policy of British support for Israel which continues to this very day, to the detriment of the occupied Palestinians of the West Bank and the five million Palestinian refugees living largely in warrens of poverty around the Middle East, including Israeli-besieged Gaza. Surely we should apologise.
Robert Fisk @indyvoices a day ago
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/balfour-declaration-israel-palestine-theresa-may-government-centenary-arabs-jewish-settlements-a7607491.html
‘Theresa May told us that Britain will celebrate the centenary of the Balfour Declaration this summer with “pride”. This was predictable. A British prime minister who would fawn to the head-chopping Arab autocrats of the Gulf in the hope of selling them more missiles – and then hold the hand of the insane new anti-Muslim president of the United States – was bound, I suppose, to feel “pride” in the most mendacious, deceitful and hypocritical document in modern British history.
As a woman who has set her heart against immigrants, it was also inevitable that May would display her most venal characteristics to foreigners – to wealthy Arab potentates, and to an American president whose momentary love of Britain might produce a life-saving post-Brexit trade agreement. It was to an audience of British lobbyists for Israel a couple of months ago that she expressed her “pride” in a century-old declaration which created millions of refugees. But to burnish the 1917 document which promised Britain’s support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine but which would ultimately create that very refugee population – refugees being the target of her own anti-immigration policies – is little short of iniquitous.’
She will rival Thatcher’s ‘legacy’.
For someone who claims to be working for Britain’s “independence”, May turns out to be as subservient to foreign interests as you would expect. The EU has at least a mild interest in our prosperity. Israel doesn’t: they’re only interested in themselves. Never known to help out another country without direct return. Trump has declared the US “America First”
This is not a surprise.
It’s impossible for the Union to remain intact if the Tories continue to privatise public services in England whilst Scottish public services are protected by Holyrood.
Here is the audience numbers during Theresa May’s key note speech at the conference.
I’ve seen more people at bus stop than at that speech.
http://wingsoverscotland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/scottory.jpg
I wonder if that’s Theresa May’s sisters in the Union Jack suits, well, if so, it does help boost numbers. Nothing wrong with a bit of moral nepotism, I’m François Fillion would agree.
Here’s a couple more photos (courtesy of WingsoverScotland) of that enthralling, heaving, numerous crowd, that erm… have all gone to the toilet and left more empty seats, than a Donald Trump press conference(The Donald banned quite a few press and TV outlets).
http://wingsoverscotland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/scc17a.jpg
http://wingsoverscotland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/scottishtoryjr-2.jpg
I know I shouldn’t but here’s a SNP conference, last year I think, at the Hydro.
http://m.imgur.com/a/A777Z
And here a photo of the mass protests by Nationalists outside.
https://twitter.com/hashtag/SCC17?src=hash
I’m sure it has not gone unnoticed that pretty much every criticism lined up against the SNP vis-à-vis having tunnel vision and not governing for all of Scotland can be far more aptly used to describe T May and her predecessors approach to governing the UK.
Almost everything that this country is now going through, and will go through for the next 10 years politically, economically and socially, irrespective of how you may have voted in June 2016, is because the Tory Party wanted to remove UKIP as a political force, and an obstacle to their own election winning prospects.
gordon brown
The opposition to the conservaties has been the Labour party, for the last hundred years.
Gordon Brown disrespected the voters, Labour started sliding downhill.
Mrs. May is doing what the voters want, which is to leave the hated E.U.
She is a winner.
Hahahahaha
You’re funny mister norton…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf1AL8SXT3U
That Bigoted woman
Gillian Duffy
Or maybe a trapeze artist.
I’m also a big fan of The Stranglers but fail to see what their classic song about heroin has to do with my comment. But thanks for the reply nevertheless.
I didn’t realise it was about heroine until reading “High Society” by Ben Elton the other day. Just didn’t get invited to the right parties, I suppose. 🙁
One bit of her speech rings true:
“But as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, I am just as concerned that young people in Dundee get a good start in life and receive the education they need to reach their full potential as I am about young people in Doncaster and Dartford.
I care as much about the dignity and security of older people on both sides of the River Tweed or the Irish Sea.”
Yup, not giving the tiniest shit about any of the plebs is certainly equality of concern for all of the UK.
Oh dear…If the Tories were that popular in Scotland why are they not in power. The only reason they were second was because Labour are unelectable in the opinion of the majority of Scots. The majority of the people who voted in Scotland was to remain in the EU. Theresa may has done more to fuel the argument that perhaps we should make a go on our own. I would also say our NHS is doing much better than its English version which has been broadcast on BBC for several weeks. Our social care system is also much superior than our English neighbours. I certainly am not co fident about a future under this government…Oh…And one last thing…Nicola Sturgeon was elected by the electorate here in Scotland….Unlike Theresa May
“Robertson”
“Oh…And one last thing…Nicola Sturgeon was elected by the electorate here in Scotland….Unlike Theresa May”
Only in the sense that the electorate elected the SNP and Sturgeon was the SNP leader and therefore became first minister.
If Sturgeon were to fall under a bus next week – or resign – or get ousted in a palace coup à la Ken Livungstone back in the GLC days – someone else would become leader of the SNP and thereby first minister.
And I’m sure you wouldn’t be spouting that “wasn’t elected” line, which is constitutional crap.
Yeah Scotland desperately needs to free itself from the tyranny of the English and mix with more European types…European types like, for example Croatia. Just look at the manifestation of liberal tolerance in Croatia as they go around distributing posters of the Serbian Family Tree. Amusingly depicting dead Serbians hanging from trees.
http://thesaker.is/morbid-racist-poster-in-eu-croatia/
So much more refined and so much more tolerant than the dreadful English.
“dreadful English”? You are aptly named if you think the independence movement involves this type of nonsense. Independence is purely about self determination for people who live here. Crap like that only comes from idiots and those commenting from afar, with no insight to what is driving people towards independence.
Following independence, I’d hope we’d continue to have close and excellent relationships with the English people and people from other nations.
Oh how very bland.
Do you you want to have close and excellent relationships with people that go around displaying “Serbian family trees”? Why do you write so much, but not answer this very simple question?
No, I don’t want to have excellent relationships with people that go around displaying “Serbian family trees”. Didn’t realise Teresa mentioned this today. You don’t come across as a tolerant person yourself – perhaps you should listen to a bit more John Lennon? Did you know his Aunt had a croft in West Sutherland and he used to visit regularly. Perhaps that’s where he gained an insight into peace and appreciation of his fellow man. Perhaps not…
Maybe the idea was to force some appreciation that English/Scottish rivalry is all very civilized in comparison to somethings that go on in continental Europe. Look at the SNP who wish to abandon the union and embrace the EU – well “Serbian family trees'” are one of the things you will be required to embrace.
Whether I am tolerant or not is completely irrelevant – although I note you have zero evidence for the conclusion you reach.
John Lennon was many things – an ultimate product of many cultures and many influences. None of them though were Serbian or Croatian. Despite the lack of Serb-Croat influence most would recognize his talent. Ask why the SNP prefers to align itself with Serb-Croat hatred over people like Lennon.
Loony, you don’t need evidence for perceptions and I doubt if the SNP has a preference on Serb-Croat relations, nor any stance on John Lennon. If you wanted clarification, you should contact the SNP.
Here’s a Wee tune for Teresa, to help her sleep tonight – if Tories can sleep at night….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr6r0_rrjbQ
You people are deranged
Glad you checked it out, Michael – better through song and humour than ranting, even though the message is the same. Do you feel the urge to pick up a guitar and jot down some lyrics?! Whisky helps….
Indeed. How do you sleep?
Listen and learn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNjTPZW7GCU
It’s time!
I must be living in a separate universe here in Scotland. I see new schools being built. Hospitals. New bridges massive infrastructure projects. Renewables , free tuition, free prescriptions for our elderly ?And yet we have many of our populace wishing for a Tory coup
Be very careful what you wish for ?
And all you mention could have commenced years ago, had the Lab/Lib pact not decided to return £1.5 billion pocket money back to their Westminster masters. The progress being made, despite severe restrictions, merits positive comment, not negative put downs. Imagine what could be achieved if we had all economic levers within our control, regardless of the political persuasion of an independent Scottish government? Education would benefit greatly from less cash spent on trident and more on attracting more teachers with a better wage.
So where does the money come from for new hospitals in the Central Belt?
http://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/News/Maternity-unit-in-Caithness-General-to-be-downgraded-29112016.htm
http://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/News/Familys-fury-at-11-hour-wait-for-ambulance-30122016.htm
And the new schools fell down.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/feb/09/damning-report-slams-firms-who-built-fault-ridden-scottish-schools
Fred, the new schools you mention were built during the Lab/Lib pact period. It’s outrageous that they were borrowing money through PFI when they had £1.5 billion to return to Westminster because they had no ideas how to spend the money! Does that seem logical or acceptable to you?
The new school in Wick wasn’t and that is falling down before the pupils have even moved into it.
http://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/News/Fears-for-students-at-delay-hit-high-school-16122016.htm
Parents are refusing to let their children go there until independent inspectors have guaranteed it’s safe. I know people involved with it and it’s a nightmare.
Come on, Fred, delays are completely different from “new schools fell down”. There’s been a real tragedy in an Edinburgh school, so cheap shots aren’t appropriate.
The reason for the delays is it is falling down, literally, the foundations are sinking. They had to strip the plasterboard off because the gaps in the roof had soaked it and the builders had left scaffolding under the stairs to hold them up.
If only we had that £1.5 billion now, to keep that school up and these Caithness care homes and maternity suites open…I’m with you on these rural issues. We need to raise and spend our taxes wisely, to the benefit of all.
Oh, my God – that last post sounded like a politician!
“If only we had that £1.5 billion now,”
We do, somebody was just saying how they are spending it all in the Central Belt, somebody was just saying how much money they have for schools, hospitals, bridges, infrastructure projects like building ring roads and electrifying railways. No shortage of money in the Central Belt.
Can’t argue with that, Fred.
Oops, except we don’t have the £1.5b now, do we?
O/T, Marine Le Pen has been summoned to appear before (French, I think) judges, but she refuses to respond until the presidential campaign is over. Assistants parlementaires : Marine Le Pen convoquée à son tour par les juges.
Meanwhile, the UDI party has withdrawn its support from Fillon. Présidentielle : l’UDI retire son soutien à François Fillon.
Moderately serious for Le Pen, but not killing. Fillon is dead. He just hasn’t admitted it yet. Followed by Juppé?
Celts may be interested to learn that the Le Pen family is Breton. Jean-Marie was born in La Trinité-sur-Mer,, a small fishing village near Nantes, which has the Breton name An Drinded-Karnag and where he still lives. His father was killed when his boat was blown up by a mine in 1942, so the father was presumably a fisherman.
It was staggering to hear May announce that ‘Scottish education is a disgrace’. I doubt that will win her any friends among the uncommitted.
What would be the reaction if Sturgeon announced that English education is a disgrace.
Why was that staggering Scottish education is a disgrace?, English education and education in so many places around the world is also a disgrace.
Anyone truly interested in Scottish independence should surely be looking at an opportunity to develop a truly independent education system which imparts real knowledge and is truly valuable. Conversely vassals and lackys will simply be interested in obeying orders received from Brussels.
An interesting diversionary tactic is to feign outrage at anyone who dares to tell the truth.
eh?
“Dundee, Doncaster, Dartford,
These are words with a D this time”
Elephant in the room. Shhhht:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHedekI5w4w
I much prefer the following but elephants are okay too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCfRcgoPxTw
Unbearable.
Politics, voice or both? Appreciate that any answer is valid, but I like his honesty – both politics and voice!
Can’t see but was she wearing her f off pearls? 🙂
She is Thatcher Mk11 personified. She thrives on confrontation and chaos. Now she has to add NI to her ever lengthening To Do list.
PS Where is her mandate? She was not elected as PM by the sheeple. Six years at the Home Office were sufficient for us. Her previous was a second class Geography degree and then a few years at the Bank of England and the Association of Bank Clearing Services. Wow! A polymath.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theresa_May
By that reasoning, Sharp Ears, your friend “Lysias” should be President of the USA instead of Mr Trump
As an equal partner in the Act of Union 1707, we should just dissolve our association with it.
If only it was so simple… then we could start protecting the important things in life..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKfp7_G7UlQ
Please go.
Some of us did warn that one danger of letting the nationalist genie out of the bottle would be that the curse would spread to your next door neighbours. The ENP, formerly known as the Tories, like many nationalists of yore and those other nationalist parties the USNP and the RNP have little problem with their writ extending beyond their borders.
we need to get out before Brexit ….. I can see this power hungry crazy bitch …. invading it’s all about the OIL never mind the smoke and mirrors.. and the better together.. she does’ny give a rat’s ass about the Scottish people..or anyone else.. north of London’
Do you imagine that she gives a shit about people south, or west or east of London?
The point is that neither the Tories nor the Blairites give a toss about the working people. They never have and they never will until people get their attention by doing something striking, for example, and other forms of civic disobedience.
Until that happens in the EU out of the EU, in the UK out of the UK, in NATO out of NATO, nothing will change. If people want the government to work for them they have to grab it by the balls and squeeze.
And that is the history of the world in fifty words or so.
The SNP has prospered by blaming Westminster, but Westminster policy has been shaped by the EU, but now Westminster policy can be shaped by Brexit and refocus towards the UK rather than EU. In particular once article 50 is triggered the Chancellor can finally abandon pro-EU/Euro austerity, which the SNP blames on Westminster rather than EU, which they want to embrace. But end austerity and Scotland’s trade with England will boom killing any prospect of SNP winning a second devolution in EU referendum.
Alternatively, the SNP has prospered because Westminster has repeatedly treated Scotland like shit, regardless of which political party in power…. just an alternative.
Well yes and much of UK outside London thinks the same.
They should have been in a mill town in the North in the Thatcher years, entire streets thrown on the dole at the same time, 40% unemployment in some areas, or a coal mining town in Wales or South Yorkshire.
Bloody whingers.
Two wrongs?
The problem has been professed Unionists from Thatcher on wards haven’t in practice been Unionists due to subservience to the globalist agenda that has pulled UK apart. But now a professed ‘one nation’ conservative can bring it back together again.
She has some radical advisers and has been boosted by Copeland, but whether she can ironically depends on Corbyn/Labour embracing Brexit and providing a pro-British democratic reform and social justice message that pushes the PM in the right direction – and that’s the difficult bit!