how are they spending someone else's money any more than say the Midlands or the South West ? On balance all the Uk is spending someone else's money as we're borrowing £80 billion a year. Scotland at least is in the paying its own way column.
The Midlands and the South West don't have separate assemblies promising freebies and blaming evil Tories for not giving them out.
you just don't get out enough Richard, I'm sat here in Birmingham and it's all about cuts.
No-one is really mentioning the impact on Northern Ireland I see. I'm not expert on the province but what might the reaction there be? I don't buy the idea that this will mean much in Wales. The main concern here with a Yes vote would be that it might make a right wing government in Westminster more likely and I suspect concern about the possible rise of English nationalism. Certainly a preference for the cross of St George over the Union flag (or both) would start to make people here feel queasy. I've long thought the only possibility of Welsh independence was if the English said 'sod it, we're going on our own.'
The fact that Ukip have a reasonable presence of sorts in Wales perhaps means Farage won't exploit any English nationalist feelings too much for now.
Contrary to some on here, I suspect that in the event of a YES vote on September 18th, the Friday will see all sides desperately trying to calm, soothe and mollify. The rhetoric will be switched off and the air will be filled with the sound of sweet reason and compromise.
David Cameron and Alex Salmond will meet within a day or so to promote the general sense of geniality, bonhomie and the notion that it's business as usual and life goes on. Neither will want to be hubristic, euphoric or rub the other's nose in the result (that can happen on places like this which don't matter).
Above all, the aim will be to convince the markets and investors that everything has been planned for and everyting is under control.
As to what will happen at the Party Conferences and especially at fringe meetings - well, as always, that's the most interesting part of all the Conferences.
I really don't fall for the idea that the Civil Service hasn't had "a plan" for a Yes vote, and is now hurriedly cobbling one together. We had all the guff after GE2010 about Cameron making his "big offer" to the LDs, everything being hurriedly put in place, negotiations starting etc, but it became apparent after the event that Whitehall had been planning for a hung parliament for months, the parties had been speaking, there were outline coalition agreements, policy positions sketched out etc, so that the party reps could then get together and form a Government.
I refuse to believe that the engine room of power (which never really rests with the politicians as we all know) hasn't got contingency plans in place, and has probably already been working with the Scottish Administration to work out what might be divvied up, what the options are, how it might work.
I do a lot of work for a client I won't name but which is a rare remaining example of a UK-wide body operating across the three GB nations without any substantive devolution of power already. A senior person there told me over a drink a year ago that "independence would be a massive issue for us, but it is seen as very unlikely, we don't think it is going to happen" but when I pressed, he did concede that "of course, IF - well, yes, there IS a plan" and implied that it had been drawn up with "the Department".
I really do think that there is probably not just a contingency plan for next week and the immediate aftermath, but a pretty well-formed view on how the divorce might work, ready and waiting for the politicians to then pick up and "negotiate" to a conclusion.
Thank goodness there are no impending threats to UK's exporting capacity.
Scotland leaving would just be a change in how the numbers are measured. It doesn't mean rUK exports any less or that people would be poorer as a result.
In fact, if you actually think about practical changes from independence, less oil exports would mean a weaker pound, which would mean more competitive manufacturing exports, which would mean rUK actually would export more than it currently does.
it also doesn't mean that oil would somehow be credited to the UK in a CU, another Nat myth.
Mr. Royale, we must agree to disagree. Cameron (or Miliband) being more prominent would damage rather than enhance their chances of victory.
King Cole, my Latin's awful, I thought the quote referred to 'gods', though.
Mr. Nabavi, give it time. Clegg's cretinous desire to make the Cornish feel separate to the English will probably push it that way sooner or later, unless we get a proper English Parliament fairly soon.
Looking at the polls I would say the Nats have won and independence is certain.
They may not win this referendum, but it looks like the margin of defeat or victory will be small so that even a win for "NO" will simply fire up Nat enthusiasm for further referenda until they get the "right" result.
I disagree. The YESniks w'll blame the English because they lost, of course - e.g. in the form of the "London media" or "Westminster" or "the Tories" or other euphemisms for what privately some of them call "FEBs", standing for "F'cking English B'stards", but that's just insulting the Scottish electorate. You need to look at the independence referendum in Quebec. YES lost by 1% in 1995, and there hasn't been an independence referendum since. Admittedly there had been an earlier one in 1980, where they got beaten by 19%. But things have moved on since the early 1980s. Unemployment was rising then, but nowadays personal debt is far higher and most people know the whole financial system could go 'crash'.
you just don't get out enough Richard, I'm sat here in Birmingham and it's all about cuts.
Sure, but you are missing my point. At the moment the Scots (and indeed to an extent the good people of Birmingham) think that increases in public spending can be paid for by someone else - the rich in the South East, Londoners, bankers, big corporations (we'll leave aside the question of whether this is true, it's the perception, amongst some at least). If Scotland goes independent, there is no-one else: any increases in public spending will clearly and unambiguously come directly out of the pockets of Scots. That will change attitudes.
Mr. Royale, we must agree to disagree. Cameron (or Miliband) being more prominent would damage rather than enhance their chances of victory.
King Cole, my Latin's awful, I thought the quote referred to 'gods', though.
Mr. Nabavi, give it time. Clegg's cretinous desire to make the Cornish feel separate to the English will probably push it that way sooner or later, unless we get a proper English Parliament fairly soon.
As Southam said, if the very fact an English leader expressing an opinion offends the Scots so much then the Union is lost anyway, and should end.
I don't think that's actually true, if Cameron/Miliband steered clear of the contentious politics and focusses on family/culture/history, but I'd much rather have all our leaders to go down fighting - and lose with honour - rather than chicken out, hope that Scots don't notice them and keep their fingers crossed.
Incidentally, I don't think I need to worry any more about the possibility that Ed Miliband could pull off a neat coup and restore a lot of Labour's economic credibility by replacing Ed Balls with Alistair Darling.
I actually agree with his point (2) - a unifying charismatic UK leader could have rallied support.
Watch the 2nd debate. Salmond got the loudest cheer when he called Darling a Tory.
There is no such thing a unifying charismatic UK Tory leader that could have rallied support in Scotland from the people who are not already voting No.
EDIT: Maybe a Tory leader riding a Unicorn might have worked...
you just don't get out enough Richard, I'm sat here in Birmingham and it's all about cuts.
Sure, but you are missing my point. At the moment the Scots (and indeed to an extent the good people of Birmingham) think that increases in public spending can be paid for by someone else - the rich in the South East, Londoners, bankers, big corporations (we'll leave aside the question of whether this is true, it's the perception, amongst some at least). If Scotland goes independent, there is no-one else: any increases in public spending will clearly and unambiguously come directly out of the pockets of Scots. That will change attitudes.
great post, people need to realise that when the Government provides something, it is not free, it is paid for by someone else. If you listen to the SNP they are promising a nirvana where everything is free. Nothing is free and is Scotland votes yes it will have less "rich" people to pay for everything for everyone else, taxes will have to go up.
What is the point of opinion polls 6 months before a vote?
You may have been following Napoleon's quip about China - 'let them sleep'. Too late.
The parties that try to block English self-realisation will get steamrollered by it. The ones that embrace it as part of a fully federal UK will ride it to victory.
Contrary to some on here, I suspect that in the event of a YES vote on September 18th, the Friday will see all sides desperately trying to calm, soothe and mollify. The rhetoric will be switched off and the air will be filled with the sound of sweet reason and compromise.
David Cameron and Alex Salmond will meet within a day or so to promote the general sense of geniality, bonhomie and the notion that it's business as usual and life goes on. Neither will want to be hubristic, euphoric or rub the other's nose in the result (that can happen on places like this which don't matter).
Above all, the aim will be to convince the markets and investors that everything has been planned for and everyting is under control.
As to what will happen at the Party Conferences and especially at fringe meetings - well, as always, that's the most interesting part of all the Conferences.
I really do think that there is probably not just a contingency plan for next week and the immediate aftermath, but a pretty well-formed view on how the divorce might work, ready and waiting for the politicians to then pick up and "negotiate" to a conclusion.
You overestimate the British political classes. *They* haven't got a clue. They really believed YES was impossible - or we wouldn't be where we are now.
The contingency plans probably amount to a drafted email in someone's outbox, never sent. I really seriously doubt that there are teams of workers hidden away in a Whitehall bunker, figuring out how to bring home the HMG call centres in Dundee on eighteen inflatable rafts. If there were, news would have leaked.
As someone said downthread there will be an attempt to make it all look smooth. Salmond smiling next to a magnanimous Cameron, blah de blah, business as normal, don't scare the horses
But the horses will be scared. They won't bolt immediately but they will escape. There will be slow but gathering chaos across the Establishment as we try to unpick 300 years of stitching. The economic pain won't come immediately, but it will come hard, and relentless: cross border trade will decrease (a known phenomenon; cf Slovakia), foreign investment will plummet (why risk your money in a country so unstable??), property prices will stagnate or head south, meaning consumer confidence ebbs away. A perfect storm for a new recession, which could be even nastier than the one we've just escaped.
And all this while Scots and English alike are labouring under a vast deficit. Insane. Just insane. Like deciding to leap put of the lifeboat and swim for it - without taking off your heavy diving boots first.
I think it's fairly notable that the group most in favour of independence, in all polls across all companies is the 35-44 year old group.
Thatcher's Children.
Yes, those too young to remember the dire state that the UK, including Scotland, was in before she rescued the country, but old enough to have been indoctrinated by the myths carefully built up subsequently by the left.
you just don't get out enough Richard, I'm sat here in Birmingham and it's all about cuts.
Sure, but you are missing my point. At the moment the Scots (and indeed to an extent the good people of Birmingham) think that increases in public spending can be paid for by someone else - the rich in the South East, Londoners, bankers, big corporations (we'll leave aside the question of whether this is true, it's the perception, amongst some at least). If Scotland goes independent, there is no-one else: any increases in public spending will clearly and unambiguously come directly out of the pockets of Scots. That will change attitudes.
yeah that's one view on the other hand the people in the SE consistently vote for others to pick their pockets. If Cameron was more engaged with the rest of the country and his core voters realised they need to spread wealth around they would be under less pressure.
I actually agree with his point (2) - a unifying charismatic UK leader could have rallied support.
Watch the 2nd debate. Salmond got the loudest cheer when he called Darling a Tory.
There is no such thing a unifying charismatic UK Tory leader that could have rallied support in Scotland from the people who are not already voting No.
EDIT: Maybe a Tory leader riding a Unicorn might have worked...
So maybe Cameron's presence in a 4-way debate might have helped? Swinney, or a Scot Green or SSP rep could have balanced up YES. He could have drawn the sting from Darling, Darling could have criticised his policies but emphasised why such strange beasts were sharing the platform. As it was Darling was made to look like a Tory sock puppet.
Cameron would have got a bit of respect for actually turning up and arguing his corner. It would look like he cared. I agree he would have got a very rough ride, but he could have still defended his ground in a Blair style masochism strategy.
9.9.14 LAB 332 (331) CON 260(261) LD 34(34) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM) Last weeks BJESUS in brackets BJESUS (Big John Election Service Uniform Swing) Using current polling adjusted for 239 days left to go factor and using UKPR standard swingometer
Contrary to some on here, I suspect that in the event of a YES vote on September 18th, the Friday will see all sides desperately trying to calm, soothe and mollify. The rhetoric will be switched off and the air will be filled with the sound of sweet reason and compromise.
David Cameron and Alex Salmond will meet within a day or so to promote the general sense of geniality, bonhomie and the notion that it's business as usual and life goes on. Neither will want to be hubristic, euphoric or rub the other's nose in the result (that can happen on places like this which don't matter).
Above all, the aim will be to convince the markets and investors that everything has been planned for and everyting is under control.
As to what will happen at the Party Conferences and especially at fringe meetings - well, as always, that's the most interesting part of all the Conferences.
I really do think that there is probably not just a contingency plan for next week and the immediate aftermath, but a pretty well-formed view on how the divorce might work, ready and waiting for the politicians to then pick up and "negotiate" to a conclusion.
You overestimate the British political classes. *They* haven't got a clue. They really believed YES was impossible - or we wouldn't be where we are now.
The contingency plans probably amount to a drafted email in someone's outbox, never sent. I really seriously doubt that there are teams of workers hidden away in a Whitehall bunker, figuring out how to bring home the HMG call centres in Dundee on eighteen inflatable rafts. If there were, news would have leaked.
As someone said downthread there will be an attempt to make it all look smooth. Salmond smiling next to a magnanimous Cameron, blah de blah, business as normal, don't scare the horses
But the horses will be scared. They won't bolt immediately but they will escape. There will be slow but gathering chaos across the Establishment as we try to unpick 300 years of stitching. The economic pain won't come immediately, but it will come hard, and relentless: cross border trade will decrease (a known phenomenon; cf Slovakia), foreign investment will plummet (why risk your money in a country so unstable??), property prices will stagnate or head south, meaning consumer confidence ebbs away. A perfect storm for a new recession, which could be even nastier than the one we've just escaped.
And all this while Scots and English alike are labouring under a vast deficit. Insane. Just insane. Like deciding to leap put of the lifeboat and swim for it - without taking off your heavy diving boots first.
5/10 for hysteria.
He's calmed down then? He was up at 8 or 9 after the YouGov.....
17.6.14 LAB 330 CON 263 LD 33 UKIP 0 Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM) 24.6.14 LAB 330 CON 263 LD 33 UKIP 0 Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM) 1.7.14 LAB 329(330) CON 268 (263) LD 29(33) UKIP 0(0) Others 24(24) (Ed is crap is PM) 8.7.14 LAB 330 (329) CON 264(268) LD 32(29) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM) 15.7.14 LAB 329 (330) CON 264(264) LD 33(32) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM) 22.7.14 LAB 331 (329) CON 261(264) LD 34(33) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM) 29.7.14 LAB 332 (331) CON 260(261) LD 34(34) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM) 5.8.14 LAB 330(332) CON 262(260) LD 34(34 UKIP0(0) Others 24 (Ed is Crap is PM) 12.8.14 LAB 332 (330) CON 260(262) LD 34(34) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM) 18.8.14 LAB 331(332) CON 261(260) LD 34(34) UKIP0(0) Others 24 Ed is crap is PM 26.8.14 LAB 333(331) CON 259(261)LD(34)UKIP 0(0) Others 24 Ed is crap is PM 2.9.14 LAB331(333) CON261(259) LD24(34) Others24 (24) Ed is crap is PM 9.9.2014 LAB 332 (331) CON 260(261) LD 34(34) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
9.9.14 LAB 332 (331) CON 260(261) LD 34(34) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM) Last weeks BJESUS in brackets BJESUS (Big John Election Service Uniform Swing) Using current polling adjusted for 239 days left to go factor and using UKPR standard swingometer
17.6.14 LAB 330 CON 263 LD 33 UKIP 0 Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM) 24.6.14 LAB 330 CON 263 LD 33 UKIP 0 Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM) 1.7.14 LAB 329(330) CON 268 (263) LD 29(33) UKIP 0(0) Others 24(24) (Ed is crap is PM) 8.7.14 LAB 330 (329) CON 264(268) LD 32(29) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM) 15.7.14 LAB 329 (330) CON 264(264) LD 33(32) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM) 22.7.14 LAB 331 (329) CON 261(264) LD 34(33) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM) 29.7.14 LAB 332 (331) CON 260(261) LD 34(34) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM) 5.8.14 LAB 330(332) CON 262(260) LD 34(34 UKIP0(0) Others 24 (Ed is Crap is PM) 12.8.14 LAB 332 (330) CON 260(262) LD 34(34) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM) 18.8.14 LAB 331(332) CON 261(260) LD 34(34) UKIP0(0) Others 24 Ed is crap is PM 26.8.14 LAB 333(331) CON 259(261)LD(34)UKIP 0(0) Others 24 Ed is crap is PM 2.9.14 LAB331(333) CON261(259) LD24(34) Others24 (24) Ed is crap is PM 9.9.2014 LAB 332 (331) CON 260(261) LD 34(34) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
Christ. What was the point in writing all that down? That's one of the saddest my-life-is-empty posts I've ever seen.
Wouldyoufukkinbelieveit, stocks go up as well as down. Who knew?
"Scottish shares?"
Three out if the four in that chart (Lloyds, RBS and Standard Life) will redomicile in the event of a Yes, and Eck's bestest mate, Sir Brian Souter's Stagecoach is still down.
You really should read these things before you post them....
I really do think that there is probably not just a contingency plan for next week and the immediate aftermath, but a pretty well-formed view on how the divorce might work, ready and waiting for the politicians to then pick up and "negotiate" to a conclusion.
You overestimate the British political classes. *They* haven't got a clue. They really believed YES was impossible - or we wouldn't be where we are now.
The contingency plans probably amount to a drafted email in someone's outbox, never sent. I really seriously doubt that there are teams of workers hidden away in a Whitehall bunker, figuring out how to bring home the HMG call centres in Dundee on eighteen inflatable rafts. If there were, news would have leaked.
As someone said downthread there will be an attempt to make it all look smooth. Salmond smiling next to a magnanimous Cameron, blah de blah, business as normal, don't scare the horses
But the horses will be scared. They won't bolt immediately but they will escape. There will be slow but gathering chaos across the Establishment as we try to unpick 300 years of stitching. The economic pain won't come immediately, but it will come hard, and relentless: cross border trade will decrease (a known phenomenon; cf Slovakia), foreign investment will plummet (why risk your money in a country so unstable??), property prices will stagnate or head south, meaning consumer confidence ebbs away. A perfect storm for a new recession, which could be even nastier than the one we've just escaped.
And all this while Scots and English alike are labouring under a vast deficit. Insane. Just insane. Like deciding to leap put of the lifeboat and swim for it - without taking off your heavy diving boots first.
5/10 for hysteria.
He's calmed down then? He was up at 8 or 9 after the YouGov.....
He wrecked the 'Shriek-o-meter' last night. All the dials went off the scale, and it's fuses blew.
Who knows what might happen in a real crisis or disaster.
9.9.14 LAB 332 (331) CON 260(261) LD 34(34) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM) Last weeks BJESUS in brackets BJESUS (Big John Election Service Uniform Swing) Using current polling adjusted for 239 days left to go factor and using UKPR standard swingometer
Shouldn't you take out Scottish seats?
No they will be in at GE2015 no matter what the result
I still haven't hear a convincing argument for the English to stick with a union and the more the talk is about concessions to the Scots, or in real speak, more English money subsidising the Scots, the more pro Yes I become. Now Brown's involved in No, the more I support yes.
BTW cancelling the Scotland England football "friendly" match in November may be a prudent idea.
Someone in the Guardian said something to the effect that for Scots voters at the moment it was rather like ringing up to cancel your mobile contract and being offered a free upgrade and texts.
What is the real motivation of Gordon Brown taking the lead in the Max Devo Campaign.? If the no vote wins (still the bookies favorite) he gets the credit for pulling off a last minute success.Even if Yes wins he can present himself of trying where others feared to tread.
So what sort of benefits could he personally get? There is widespread assumption that if Scotland is independent then automatically the SNP will win the first set of elections.But this ignores the long Labour domination in Scotland .In my view its only matter of time before time before the Scottish Labour party gains power and maybe there would be major role for Gordon. In the no vote Max devo scenario then Gordon will have earned the credentials to lead Labour in the new Scottish parliament.In this Max devo set up Scottish MP,s would not be able to vote on English matters so Gordon,s talents would be unavailable for Westminster.
I think it's fairly notable that the group most in favour of independence, in all polls across all companies is the 35-44 year old group.
Thatcher's Children.
or families with children.
Why has share ownership gone down then?
No significant new privatisations, people selling shares to cover bills and building societies going tits up so wiping out the shares.
My understanding is that share ownership by the general public is lower now than in 1979. And many of the “public” untilities are now wholly owned by primarily non-British companies.
'Whatever Scotland decides, the old order is dead and buried' - The union will likely be gone within a decade. It’s not just the Tories in our bankrupt establishment that are to blame
... Even if it is a close no, Scotland will be gone within a decade unless there is dramatic change: only the over-65s firmly oppose independence. The old order is dead, whatever happens. A new federal constitutional order – with sweeping devolution to the English regions and Wales, and to Scotland if it remains – must be built. Drawing on our shared traditions of fighting the powerful, English, Welsh and Scots must confront an establishment that will still reign, even if Scotland is formally independent. Too much damage may have been inflicted for anyone to listen to such a call. But the establishment should know: it is responsible for the looming break-up of the country.
If Scotland votes to leave, or only narrowly remains, there will be a reckoning, and our bankrupt status quo must surely be swept away."
You may have been following Napoleon's quip about China - 'let them sleep'. Too late.
The parties that try to block English self-realisation will get steamrollered by it. The ones that embrace it as part of a fully federal UK will ride it to victory.
I don't think England is yet awake. It is, however, waking up. In my work for "the Dark Side", as Mr. Brooke calls UKIP, nobody has mentioned the Scots Referendum to me on the doorstep but several have mentioned the Mathew Parris article and they are livid. It doesn't matter that Parris has no official connection with the Conservative Party, his views are seen to be those of the the modern Conservatives and people who might once have been expected to troop out to vote blue don't like them one bit. Nationally, I reckon Parris has lost the Conservatives hundreds of thousands of votes. Ordinary people are fed-up with the elites, the reaction to Parris is coming from the same well-spring as the likely English reaction to the Indy vote.
As an aside, this to me is an example of how the internet has changed politics. Twenty years ago the Parris article would have been read by a relatively small number of people who take the Times and forgotten. I didn't see the original, I was alerted to it by a blog in the Telegraph. It was than picked up by other bloggers, hit twitter and instead of being seen by maybe 500,000 people his views have been broadcast to millions.
I think it's fairly notable that the group most in favour of independence, in all polls across all companies is the 35-44 year old group.
Thatcher's Children.
or families with children.
Why has share ownership gone down then?
No significant new privatisations, people selling shares to cover bills and building societies going tits up so wiping out the shares.
My understanding is that share ownership by the general public is lower now than in 1979. And many of the “public” untilities are now wholly owned by primarily non-British companies.
wouldn't surprise me. When people need money they sell shares, I'll be selling a whack of mine to pay Uni fees. What's your point ?
I still haven't hear a convincing argument for the English to stick with a union and the more the talk is about concessions to the Scots, or in real speak, more English money subsidising the Scots, the more pro Yes I become.
Any politicians offering further concessions, deserve to be filleted at the ballot box.
As for Miliband whining 'Let's all fly the Saltire'. What a bell end.
It reeks of a desperation to keep the Westminster set up nice and cosy for the boys on the gravy train.
I think it's fairly notable that the group most in favour of independence, in all polls across all companies is the 35-44 year old group.
Thatcher's Children.
or families with children.
Why has share ownership gone down then?
No significant new privatisations, people selling shares to cover bills and building societies going tits up so wiping out the shares.
My understanding is that share ownership by the general public is lower now than in 1979. And many of the “public” untilities are now wholly owned by primarily non-British companies.
Often state-owned. For all the talk back in the 1980s, it seems companies *can* be owned and/or run by the dead hand of the state, so long as it is not the British state. Selling off the family silver, as it were.
Yes, those too young to remember the dire state that the UK, including Scotland, was in before she rescued the country, but old enough to have been indoctrinated by the myths carefully built up subsequently by the left.
You need to look at the independence referendum in Quebec. YES lost by 1% in 1995, and there hasn't been an independence referendum since.
That needs to happen here. If "NO" wins there needs to be some guarantee of future stability. However I do wonder about the damage this whole affair is causing, fuelling resentment on both sides of the border.
Alistair Carmichael 7/4 Vince Cable 5/1 Nick Clegg 6/1 Theresa Villiers 8/1 Iain Duncan Smith 8/1 Jeremy Hunt 10/1 Elizabeth Truss 12/1 Chris Grayling 12/1
The MAX stake PP would allow me on Carmichael was 11 quid. I took it.
What is the real motivation of Gordon Brown taking the lead in the Max Devo Campaign.? If the no vote wins (still the bookies favorite) he gets the credit for pulling off a last minute success.Even if Yes wins he can present himself of trying where others feared to tread.
So what sort of benefits could he personally get? There is widespread assumption that if Scotland is independent then automatically the SNP will win the first set of elections.But this ignores the long Labour domination in Scotland .In my view its only matter of time before time before the Scottish Labour party gains power and maybe there would be major role for Gordon. In the no vote Max devo scenario then Gordon will have earned the credentials to lead Labour in the new Scottish parliament.In this Max devo set up Scottish MP,s would not be able to vote on English matters so Gordon,s talents would be unavailable for Westminster.
Legacy. It makes him a winner - something he never was at Westminster.
'Whatever Scotland decides, the old order is dead and buried' - The union will likely be gone within a decade. It’s not just the Tories in our bankrupt establishment that are to blame
... Even if it is a close no, Scotland will be gone within a decade unless there is dramatic change: only the over-65s firmly oppose independence. The old order is dead, whatever happens. A new federal constitutional order – with sweeping devolution to the English regions and Wales, and to Scotland if it remains – must be built. Drawing on our shared traditions of fighting the powerful, English, Welsh and Scots must confront an establishment that will still reign, even if Scotland is formally independent. Too much damage may have been inflicted for anyone to listen to such a call. But the establishment should know: it is responsible for the looming break-up of the country.
If Scotland votes to leave, or only narrowly remains, there will be a reckoning, and our bankrupt status quo must surely be swept away."
You may have been following Napoleon's quip about China - 'let them sleep'. Too late.
The parties that try to block English self-realisation will get steamrollered by it. The ones that embrace it as part of a fully federal UK will ride it to victory.
I don't think England is yet awake. It is, however, waking up. In my work for "the Dark Side", as Mr. Brooke calls UKIP, nobody has mentioned the Scots Referendum to me on the doorstep but several have mentioned the Mathew Parris article and they are livid. It doesn't matter that Parris has no official connection with the Conservative Party, his views are seen to be those of the the modern Conservatives and people who might once have been expected to troop out to vote blue don't like them one bit. Nationally, I reckon Parris has lost the Conservatives hundreds of thousands of votes. Ordinary people are fed-up with the elites, the reaction to Parris is coming from the same well-spring as the likely English reaction to the Indy vote.
As an aside, this to me is an example of how the internet has changed politics. Twenty years ago the Parris article would have been read by a relatively small number of people who take the Times and forgotten. I didn't see the original, I was alerted to it by a blog in the Telegraph. It was than picked up by other bloggers, hit twitter and instead of being seen by maybe 500,000 people his views have been broadcast to millions.
I agree that Parris has cost the Tories a lot of votes and done UKIP a favour...
But the Clacton Gazette printing the reaction to the story accompanied by a photo of Parris didnt do much to refute his claims... it wasnt a picture of Matthew Parris!!
"The UK has passed a significant milestone towards becoming a graduate economy, with more people now likely to have a degree than to have only reached school-level qualifications.
The OECD's annual international report highlights an "historic high" in the number of female graduates in the UK.
But the report warns that despite the UK's surge in student numbers this is not matched by a rise in basic skills.
High levels of literacy are more likely in Finland, Sweden and Japan.
The OECD's annual Education at a Glance report reveals the "balance has shifted" towards a graduate workforce in the qualifications of the UK's adult population.......
It means the UK has the highest proportion of adults with graduate-level qualifications in the European Union and is only surpassed by a handful of countries including South Korea and Japan.
But the report highlights a disparity between the rising graduate numbers and weaknesses in core skills such as reading and writing.
"On the one hand in the UK you can say qualification levels have risen enormously, lots more people are getting tertiary qualifications, university degrees, but actually not all of that is visible in better skills," said Andreas Schleicher, the OECD's director of education."
Wouldyoufukkinbelieveit, stocks go up as well as down. Who knew?
"Scottish shares?"
Three out if the four in that chart (Lloyds, RBS and Standard Life) will redomicile in the event of a Yes, and Eck's bestest mate, Sir Brian Souter's Stagecoach is still down.
You really should read these things before you post them....
Funny, it was all Unionists screeching about 'Scottish based' companies yesterday.
UK Riots, Scottish Banks, Irish Troubles, the Britnat psyche in a nutshell.
What is the real motivation of Gordon Brown taking the lead in the Max Devo Campaign.?
Labour are desperate. They will lose their SLAB blockvote. So they'll lose the WLQ and England. Even if it's a NO they'll lose devolved policy in England. Health, education, policing and the rest. They'll be neutered. This is why they hate England - they know England is more right wing than they are. A FUK is not going to be the PC/multiculti/bigspendy/bankruptopia of their wet dreams. A YES will rip out Labour's raison d'etre. So they roll out their Scottish cave troll to offer Scotland the moon whilst keeping its MPs in Westminster. Vile, self serving, anti-democratic cu^ts.
What is the real motivation of Gordon Brown taking the lead in the Max Devo Campaign.?
Labour are desperate. They will lose their SLAB blockvote. So they'll lose the WLQ and England. Even if it's a NO they'll lose devolved policy in England. Health, education, policing and the rest. They'll be neutered. This is why they hate England - they know England is more right wing than they are. A FUK is not going to be the PC/multiculti/bigspendy/bankruptopia of their wet dreams. A YES will rip out Labour's raison d'etre. So they roll out their Scottish cave troll to offer Scotland the moon whilst keeping its MPs in Westminster. Vile, self serving, anti-democratic cu^ts.
@MarkKleinmanSky: Exclusive: B&Q boss Sir Ian Cheshire warns over higher prices if Scots vote Yes in independence referendum next week. http://t.co/z1OJ2iAVRJ
Wouldyoufukkinbelieveit, stocks go up as well as down. Who knew?
"Scottish shares?"
Three out if the four in that chart (Lloyds, RBS and Standard Life) will redomicile in the event of a Yes, and Eck's bestest mate, Sir Brian Souter's Stagecoach is still down.
You really should read these things before you post them....
Funny, it was all Unionists screeching about 'Scottish based' companies yesterday.
UK Riots, Scottish Banks, Irish Troubles, the Britnat psyche in a nutshell.
Did it not occur to you that the screeching might have been a little duplicitous and purposive? Tsk.
Get the Scots worried about instability, get it on TV news - shares crashing! pound falling!
Job done. Not many will notice the greater stability today.
It's not just Nats who lie.
Well done then, your impression of a beshitted hysteric convinced of impending apocalypse had me completely fooled.
NEW - Ladbrokes - Salmond to announce resignation as First Minister within 48 hours of result
6/1
Thanks, I've made a small investment as I suspect Salmond will step aside whether he wins or loses. Only a small one mind. If yes wins, Salmond goes down in history. There is no real attraction in hanging around for several years of negotiations.
Wouldyoufukkinbelieveit, stocks go up as well as down. Who knew?
"Scottish shares?"
Three out if the four in that chart (Lloyds, RBS and Standard Life) will redomicile in the event of a Yes, and Eck's bestest mate, Sir Brian Souter's Stagecoach is still down.
You really should read these things before you post them....
Funny, it was all Unionists screeching about 'Scottish based' companies yesterday.
UK Riots, Scottish Banks, Irish Troubles, the Britnat psyche in a nutshell.
If you will persist in digging, this is what the CEO of the fourth company you cited had to say:
Aggreko says Scottish independence would cause it years of uncertainty Power generation company predicts significant extra costs and complexity if Scotland leaves UK
So your much vaunted "recovery in Scottish shares" was among four companies, three of which will redomicile and the fourth of which has warned of "significant extra costs and complexity" of independence.
What is the real motivation of Gordon Brown taking the lead in the Max Devo Campaign.?
Labour are desperate. They will lose their SLAB blockvote. So they'll lose the WLQ and England. Even if it's a NO they'll lose devolved policy in England. Health, education, policing and the rest. They'll be neutered. This is why they hate England - they know England is more right wing than they are. A FUK is not going to be the PC/multiculti/bigspendy/bankruptopia of their wet dreams. A YES will rip out Labour's raison d'etre. So they roll out their Scottish cave troll to offer Scotland the moon whilst keeping its MPs in Westminster. Vile, self serving, anti-democratic cu^ts.
To summarise: Europe not featuring on the doorsteps - local issues more important.
That doesn't necessarily favour the Tories but it must give them more ground to work with.
Local issues might help the Conservatives, unless someone asks them about the "localism" that Cameron was so full of in the run up to 2010.
Leaving the tube question in was an own goal. Surely in this day & age it’s not that difficult to tweak a leaflet? It’ll be going out in Devon like that next!
Those who think that a major IT system can't be either shifted or replicated within either a day or two or at worst in a month is kidding themselves.
Indeed. The whole point of disaster recovery is that the system is up and running in hours, possibly minutes. Having helped set up DR systems I know how it works.
Just reading last night's thread and was interested to see that in the discussion about sport in India, with many remarks about cricket and football, nobody mentioned hockey.
Hockey is still the national sport of India, and was more popular than cricket until, I believe, the late 70s when Pakistan started to beat them regularly. I think there were 15 years during which India won just once in 10 major tournament matches against their rivals. During this time India won the cricket World Cup and cricket became the number one sport for most Indians
I really do think that there is probably not just a contingency plan for next week and the immediate aftermath, but a pretty well-formed view on how the divorce might work, ready and waiting for the politicians to then pick up and "negotiate" to a conclusion.
You overestimate the British political classes. *They* haven't got a clue. They really believed YES was impossible - or we wouldn't be where we are now.
The contingency plans probably amount to a drafted email in someone's outbox, never sent. I really seriously doubt that there are teams of workers hidden away in a Whitehall bunker, figuring out how to bring home the HMG call centres in Dundee on eighteen inflatable rafts. If there were, news would have leaked.
As someone said downthread there will be an attempt to make it all look smooth. Salmond smiling next to a magnanimous Cameron, blah de blah, business as normal, don't scare the horses
But the horses will be scared. They won't bolt immediately but they will escape. There will be slow but gathering chaos across the Establishment as we try to unpick 300 years of stitching. The economic pain won't come immediately, but it will come hard, and relentless: cross border trade will decrease (a known phenomenon; cf Slovakia), foreign investment will plummet (why risk your money in a country so unstable??), property prices will stagnate or head south, meaning consumer confidence ebbs away. A perfect storm for a new recession, which could be even nastier than the one we've just escaped.
And all this while Scots and English alike are labouring under a vast deficit. Insane. Just insane. Like deciding to leap put of the lifeboat and swim for it - without taking off your heavy diving boots first.
5/10 for hysteria.
He's calmed down then? He was up at 8 or 9 after the YouGov.....
He wrecked the 'Shriek-o-meter' last night. All the dials went off the scale, and it's fuses blew.
Who knows what might happen in a real crisis or disaster.
Wait til you see my piece in the Spectator.
#
Please let us all know, with URL, when it appears.
Looking at the polls I would say the Nats have won and independence is certain.
They may not win this referendum, but it looks like the margin of defeat or victory will be small so that even a win for "NO" will simply fire up Nat enthusiasm for further referenda until they get the "right" result.
I disagree. The YESniks w'll blame the English because they lost, of course - e.g. in the form of the "London media" or "Westminster" or "the Tories" or other euphemisms for what privately some of them call "FEBs", standing for "F'cking English B'stards", but that's just insulting the Scottish electorate. You need to look at the independence referendum in Quebec. YES lost by 1% in 1995, and there hasn't been an independence referendum since. Admittedly there had been an earlier one in 1980, where they got beaten by 19%. But things have moved on since the early 1980s. Unemployment was rising then, but nowadays personal debt is far higher and most people know the whole financial system could go 'crash'.
Never heard the expression FEB. And there are plenty of English incomers in the Yes movement and SNP.
NEW - Ladbrokes - Salmond to announce resignation as First Minister within 48 hours of result
6/1
Thanks, I've made a small investment as I suspect Salmond will step aside whether he wins or loses. Only a small one mind. If yes wins, Salmond goes down in history. There is no real attraction in hanging around for several years of negotiations.
In the event of Yes I think he would have to stick around for the negotiation - whether he did that by resigning the First Minsiter position to Sturgeon so he could concentrate on the negotiations is an interesting question.
I think it more like, in the event of Yes, that he stays first minister and then stands for the new independent parliament and sticks around for one term. He then retires and the SNP completely disintegrates with absolutely nothing to hold them together.
My favourite Latin phrase is Deus Ex Machina - the ultimate Get Out Of Jail Free card when you've painted yourself into a corner. Politicians always seem to be trying to conjure one up ;^ )
Scottish independence is heretical and blasphemous. It offends the the very nature of the divine being whose every whim man must serve. All bow down and repent before the "Market" lest it smite thee without mercy. I love English Tories and their quaint fascination with false gods.
Thanks to Moniker for the "wanton destruction" phrase.
I'm sure your fans will take every word to heart:
Such as a leaner, meaner Tory party under a Eurosceptic like Philip Hammond, united in a Coalition with Nigel Farage’s Ukip, sweeping into power, taking us out of Europe, and forcing through a ferocious divorce with the helpless, grass-eating Scots where they get a broken souvenir from Benidorm, and not much else.
Thanks to Moniker for the "wanton destruction" phrase.
I'm sure your fans will take every word to heart:
Such as a leaner, meaner Tory party under a Eurosceptic like Philip Hammond, united in a Coalition with Nigel Farage’s Ukip, sweeping into power, taking us out of Europe, and forcing through a ferocious divorce with the helpless, grass-eating Scots where they get a broken souvenir from Benidorm, and not much else.
Has SeantT swung back to being a eurosceptic again?!
What is the real motivation of Gordon Brown taking the lead in the Max Devo Campaign.?
Labour are desperate. They will lose their SLAB blockvote. So they'll lose the WLQ and England.......
Oh good heavens! It's contagious.....
It's spread to The Telegraph too, if you can be bothered to read SeanT's hysterical, chest beating, hair tearing out, wailing and weeping article.
I look forward to next week's denouncing the yellow livered limp wrested poncy big Jessie's who had an attack of the vapours at a narrowing of the polls.....
Thanks to Moniker for the "wanton destruction" phrase.
So tell me dear Cyberunionists:
We're "better together" except when it comes to international representation in our three most popular team sports, Football, Rugby and Cricket? Are we therefore psychologically already separate? Even since the 19th century when separate sport leagues were set up?
Thanks to Moniker for the "wanton destruction" phrase.
I'm sure your fans will take every word to heart:
Such as a leaner, meaner Tory party under a Eurosceptic like Philip Hammond, united in a Coalition with Nigel Farage’s Ukip, sweeping into power, taking us out of Europe, and forcing through a ferocious divorce with the helpless, grass-eating Scots where they get a broken souvenir from Benidorm, and not much else.
I do have some fans on there, now. Comment below the line:
"twowolves • 6 minutes ago Sean, you are the best and most gifted writer on the Telegraph payroll, I immensely enjoy your every publication. They should make you editor.
Write more, please."
That's not my mum, honest. Hah. Also he's slightly over-egging the pudding. Bojo on form is still the best columnist, by a distance.
My favourite so far:
Hagman20 • 9 minutes ago Limeys are so funny, when they panic. Who needs union really?
I'm sure the Barclay Brothers will regard your services as good value.
Miss Plato, deus ex machina is the bane of books. Incidentally, it refers to Greek theatre, where a tangled plot would end up being resolved by a god stepping in and making everything better (or worse, of course). I have vague memories of reading that it pissed off audiences even back then.
Thanks to Moniker for the "wanton destruction" phrase.
I'm sure your fans will take every word to heart:
Such as a leaner, meaner Tory party under a Eurosceptic like Philip Hammond, united in a Coalition with Nigel Farage’s Ukip, sweeping into power, taking us out of Europe, and forcing through a ferocious divorce with the helpless, grass-eating Scots where they get a broken souvenir from Benidorm, and not much else.
I do have some fans on there, now. Comment below the line:
"twowolves • 6 minutes ago Sean, you are the best and most gifted writer on the Telegraph payroll, I immensely enjoy your every publication. They should make you editor.
Write more, please."
That's not my mum, honest. Hah. Also he's slightly over-egging the pudding. Bojo on form is still the best columnist, by a distance.
I fear that a large number of those 'fans', are not the kind of individuals that one would like to find unexpectedly waiting for you at home, on a dark and lonely night.
Comments
The fact that Ukip have a reasonable presence of sorts in Wales perhaps means Farage won't exploit any English nationalist feelings too much for now.
I refuse to believe that the engine room of power (which never really rests with the politicians as we all know) hasn't got contingency plans in place, and has probably already been working with the Scottish Administration to work out what might be divvied up, what the options are, how it might work.
I do a lot of work for a client I won't name but which is a rare remaining example of a UK-wide body operating across the three GB nations without any substantive devolution of power already. A senior person there told me over a drink a year ago that "independence would be a massive issue for us, but it is seen as very unlikely, we don't think it is going to happen" but when I pressed, he did concede that "of course, IF - well, yes, there IS a plan" and implied that it had been drawn up with "the Department".
I really do think that there is probably not just a contingency plan for next week and the immediate aftermath, but a pretty well-formed view on how the divorce might work, ready and waiting for the politicians to then pick up and "negotiate" to a conclusion.
King Cole, my Latin's awful, I thought the quote referred to 'gods', though.
Mr. Nabavi, give it time. Clegg's cretinous desire to make the Cornish feel separate to the English will probably push it that way sooner or later, unless we get a proper English Parliament fairly soon.
'To save the Union, we have to say it out loud: Britain is the greatest country in the world'
http://tinyurl.com/nvukn47
@fletcherr: Yes vote would spark "deposit flight and deep recession" in Scotland warns Credit Suisse http://t.co/h9f2ZM2YIu
I don't think that's actually true, if Cameron/Miliband steered clear of the contentious politics and focusses on family/culture/history, but I'd much rather have all our leaders to go down fighting - and lose with honour - rather than chicken out, hope that Scots don't notice them and keep their fingers crossed.
What sort of victory is that for the Union?
There is no such thing a unifying charismatic UK Tory leader that could have rallied support in Scotland from the people who are not already voting No.
EDIT: Maybe a Tory leader riding a Unicorn might have worked...
Thatcher's Children.
Bah! What do they know?
What is the point of opinion polls 6 months before a vote?
ENGLAND IS NOW AWAKE
You may have been following Napoleon's quip about China - 'let them sleep'. Too late.
The parties that try to block English self-realisation will get steamrollered by it. The ones that embrace it as part of a fully federal UK will ride it to victory.
Y/N (excl DK)
ABC1: 43/57
C2DE: 57/43
Jonathan Gordon @ScotsProgress
@WingsScotland "Scottish Shares Recover COMPLETELY" @BBCJamesCook @BBCScotlandNews @BBCScotland @AngusMacNeilMP
http://tinyurl.com/oyzw63m
Wouldyoufukkinbelieveit, stocks go up as well as down. Who knew?
Cameron would have got a bit of respect for actually turning up and arguing his corner. It would look like he cared. I agree he would have got a very rough ride, but he could have still defended his ground in a Blair style masochism strategy.
That's what leadership is.
Look at the 'respect' Jim Murphy is getting...
Y/N (excl DK)
H&I: 55/45
NE: 36/64
Fife&Mid: 42/58
Lothians: 47/53
Central: 54/46
Glasgow: 53/47
West: 68/32
South: 46/54
Ladbrokes: 100/1 that The Queen publically backs NO in the #indyref http://ow.ly/BgQDl
9.9.14 LAB 332 (331) CON 260(261) LD 34(34) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
Last weeks BJESUS in brackets
BJESUS (Big John Election Service Uniform Swing)
Using current polling adjusted for 239 days left to go factor and using UKPR standard swingometer
What's your alternative anyway? That NO don't bother to campaign?
17.6.14 LAB 330 CON 263 LD 33 UKIP 0 Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
24.6.14 LAB 330 CON 263 LD 33 UKIP 0 Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
1.7.14 LAB 329(330) CON 268 (263) LD 29(33) UKIP 0(0) Others 24(24) (Ed is crap is PM)
8.7.14 LAB 330 (329) CON 264(268) LD 32(29) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
15.7.14 LAB 329 (330) CON 264(264) LD 33(32) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
22.7.14 LAB 331 (329) CON 261(264) LD 34(33) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
29.7.14 LAB 332 (331) CON 260(261) LD 34(34) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
5.8.14 LAB 330(332) CON 262(260) LD 34(34 UKIP0(0) Others 24 (Ed is Crap is PM)
12.8.14 LAB 332 (330) CON 260(262) LD 34(34) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
18.8.14 LAB 331(332) CON 261(260) LD 34(34) UKIP0(0) Others 24 Ed is crap is PM
26.8.14 LAB 333(331) CON 259(261)LD(34)UKIP 0(0) Others 24 Ed is crap is PM
2.9.14 LAB331(333) CON261(259) LD24(34) Others24 (24) Ed is crap is PM
9.9.2014 LAB 332 (331) CON 260(261) LD 34(34) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
If it was on Betfair I might buy this to trade it out. Sort of feels more like a 25/1 shot that she makes a public statement to me.
Ed Miliband Will Never Become Prime Minister
Three out if the four in that chart (Lloyds, RBS and Standard Life) will redomicile in the event of a Yes, and Eck's bestest mate, Sir Brian Souter's Stagecoach is still down.
You really should read these things before you post them....
Who knows what might happen in a real crisis or disaster.
Now Brown's involved in No, the more I support yes.
BTW cancelling the Scotland England football "friendly" match in November may be a prudent idea.
If the no vote wins (still the bookies favorite) he gets the credit for pulling off a last minute success.Even if Yes wins he can present himself of trying where others feared to tread.
So what sort of benefits could he personally get? There is widespread assumption that if Scotland is independent then automatically the SNP will win the first set of elections.But this ignores the long Labour domination in Scotland .In my view its only matter of time before time before the Scottish Labour party gains power and maybe there would be major role for Gordon.
In the no vote Max devo scenario then Gordon will have earned the credentials to lead Labour in the new Scottish parliament.In this Max devo set up Scottish MP,s would not be able to vote on English matters so Gordon,s talents would be unavailable for Westminster.
- The union will likely be gone within a decade. It’s not just the Tories in our bankrupt establishment that are to blame
... Even if it is a close no, Scotland will be gone within a decade unless there is dramatic change: only the over-65s firmly oppose independence. The old order is dead, whatever happens. A new federal constitutional order – with sweeping devolution to the English regions and Wales, and to Scotland if it remains – must be built. Drawing on our shared traditions of fighting the powerful, English, Welsh and Scots must confront an establishment that will still reign, even if Scotland is formally independent. Too much damage may have been inflicted for anyone to listen to such a call. But the establishment should know: it is responsible for the looming break-up of the country.
If Scotland votes to leave, or only narrowly remains, there will be a reckoning, and our bankrupt status quo must surely be swept away."
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/07/scotland-decides-union-tories
As an aside, this to me is an example of how the internet has changed politics. Twenty years ago the Parris article would have been read by a relatively small number of people who take the Times and forgotten. I didn't see the original, I was alerted to it by a blog in the Telegraph. It was than picked up by other bloggers, hit twitter and instead of being seen by maybe 500,000 people his views have been broadcast to millions.
As for Miliband whining 'Let's all fly the Saltire'. What a bell end.
It reeks of a desperation to keep the Westminster set up nice and cosy for the boys on the gravy train.
Thanks CTRLCd from my mobile
That needs to happen here. If "NO" wins there needs to be some guarantee of future stability. However I do wonder about the damage this whole affair is causing, fuelling resentment on both sides of the border.
6/1
But the Clacton Gazette printing the reaction to the story accompanied by a photo of Parris didnt do much to refute his claims... it wasnt a picture of Matthew Parris!!
100/1
The OECD's annual international report highlights an "historic high" in the number of female graduates in the UK.
But the report warns that despite the UK's surge in student numbers this is not matched by a rise in basic skills.
High levels of literacy are more likely in Finland, Sweden and Japan.
The OECD's annual Education at a Glance report reveals the "balance has shifted" towards a graduate workforce in the qualifications of the UK's adult population.......
It means the UK has the highest proportion of adults with graduate-level qualifications in the European Union and is only surpassed by a handful of countries including South Korea and Japan.
But the report highlights a disparity between the rising graduate numbers and weaknesses in core skills such as reading and writing.
"On the one hand in the UK you can say qualification levels have risen enormously, lots more people are getting tertiary qualifications, university degrees, but actually not all of that is visible in better skills," said Andreas Schleicher, the OECD's director of education."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-29086591
UK Riots, Scottish Banks, Irish Troubles, the Britnat psyche in a nutshell.
Campaigning gets underway in Clacton. My report for Look East -12 mins in http://bbc.in/1omLnjP via @bbciplayer"
Would recommend the clip.
To summarise: Europe not featuring on the doorsteps - local issues more important.
That doesn't necessarily favour the Tories but it must give them more ground to work with.
@MarkKleinmanSky: Exclusive: B&Q boss Sir Ian Cheshire warns over higher prices if Scots vote Yes in independence referendum next week. http://t.co/z1OJ2iAVRJ
Aggreko says Scottish independence would cause it years of uncertainty
Power generation company predicts significant extra costs and complexity if Scotland leaves UK
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/mar/06/aggreko-scottish-independence-uk
So your much vaunted "recovery in Scottish shares" was among four companies, three of which will redomicile and the fourth of which has warned of "significant extra costs and complexity" of independence.
But apart from that, great post.
Sea defences might be something to talk about.
Hockey is still the national sport of India, and was more popular than cricket until, I believe, the late 70s when Pakistan started to beat them regularly. I think there were 15 years during which India won just once in 10 major tournament matches against their rivals. During this time India won the cricket World Cup and cricket became the number one sport for most Indians
Please let us all know, with URL, when it appears.
I think it more like, in the event of Yes, that he stays first minister and then stands for the new independent parliament and sticks around for one term. He then retires and the SNP completely disintegrates with absolutely nothing to hold them together.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus_ex_machina
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/stormont-no-longer-fit-for-purpose-says-robinson-1.1922667
All bow down and repent before the "Market" lest it smite thee without mercy.
I love English Tories and their quaint fascination with false gods.
Such as a leaner, meaner Tory party under a Eurosceptic like Philip Hammond, united in a Coalition with Nigel Farage’s Ukip, sweeping into power, taking us out of Europe, and forcing through a ferocious divorce with the helpless, grass-eating Scots where they get a broken souvenir from Benidorm, and not much else.
I cant keep up any more.
Douglas Carswell has written a blog this morning for the DT in which he laments how 8,000 have to share one GP and it's not right.
Apparently, however, this hapless overworked GP is...Romanian!
Is this actually true? Anyone know?
We're "better together" except when it comes to international representation in our three most popular team sports, Football, Rugby and Cricket? Are we therefore psychologically already separate? Even since the 19th century when separate sport leagues were set up?
Hagman20 • 9 minutes ago
Limeys are so funny, when they panic. Who needs union really?
I'm sure the Barclay Brothers will regard your services as good value.
Herald cartoon ...