Source: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0047/00475500.xls In 1999 the oil industry was still making large profits that could be taxed. Now, even with the price of oil averaging $100 a barrel in 2014, the industry is losing money. The maximum £2.8 billion figure in the Scottish government oil report assumes the oil price rises to $100 a barrel, costs fall 30%, and production increases. And even in the unlikely event this golden scenario comes to pass, Scotland would still have a deficit £5 billion higher than its share of the UK deficit.
Greece and the Eurozone is a terribly dysfunctional relationship - it needs a divorce.
Yes. It's turning into nothing more than collective whinging and mudslinging on all sides. They all want Greece to remain in the Euro, but are refusing to take actions that would manage that, and its a question of who is being most unreasonable. Remarkably, not the EU as far as I can tell.
Really, how did things get to this point? Few countries technically spend only what they earn, that is run surpluses regularly, but they can still manage to afford to spend more than they earn it seems, but Greece seems such a basketcase and totally unable to afford what it wants, and so anyone giving it money is providing a gift, not a loan.
So the Greeks concede, their govt falls and they don't even get a referendum before signing up to 50 years of debt serfdom ?
They signed up for 50 years of debt serfdom when they borrowed the money.
Just think of the endless amount of money we could be sinking in Greece now the EU was a Transfer Union as well... and they wouldn't even have a bill to pay, in the same way that poor parts of the UK that receive extra government money don't pay it back.
Right now the UK has exposure to Greece through:
1. Our IMF commitments 2. UK banks holdings of Greek government debt (the largest private sector non-Greek holder of Greek debt is... a British bank) 3. Our payments to the EU (where we are a net contributor) and Greece is a net debtor.
If we leave the EU and become a member of EFTA/the EEA, then 3 will be dramatically reduced (we will almost certainly still have to pay something, but it will be an order of magnitude less). We'll still have 1 & 2, and there's not much we can do about that :-)
Which bank(s) ?
HSBC has $5bn of Greek debt, other holdings are too small to mention (a couple of hundred million dollars here and there)
Mr. Eagles, don't worry. Just include a horrendously bad classical history reference. That way, you can claim the entire piece was satire, if it proves as wrong as Ed Miliband.
Mr. Eagles, don't worry. Just include a horrendously bad classical history reference. That way, you can claim the entire piece was satire, if it proves as wrong as Ed Miliband.
I've got some very bad puns in this piece.
I suspect I might get tarred and feathered for it.
Mr. Eagles, don't worry. Just include a horrendously bad classical history reference. That way, you can claim the entire piece was satire, if it proves as wrong as Ed Miliband.
A beautiful English rose thought to have been extinct since the last century has been discovered growing in a garden hedge in Gloucestershire.
The "City of Gloucester Rose" was created for the community by John Sanday in 1969, but has not been on sale since 1995 and was thought to have been lost.
But following months of searching, the peach-coloured rose has been found in a garden in Abbeydale near Gloucester.
Greece needs a Mrs Thatcher to take the country out of the Euro and implement sane economic policies.
And the rest of the EU needs to stop all this moral hazard and let people who make stupid investments carry the can for it. Private profit with public liability cannot be the way forward.
Mr. Eagles, don't worry. Just include a horrendously bad classical history reference. That way, you can claim the entire piece was satire, if it proves as wrong as Ed Miliband.
What did you think of the final BBC Top Gear? I thought the short films were genuinely some of their funniest. I was crying with laughter during large chunks of it - especially the pimped up 4x4s. The classic car bit was so close to the knuckle someone like me that I winced with recognition
Weird empty hanger inbetween though. Wonder what the ITV version will be like.
First off, I missed it yesterday, but that was a great diagram by Martin Baxter on the matter of where voters went.
On-topic: I haven't been this astounded since I noticed the sun had risen this morning.
It deserved a better send-off than the end-of-the-pier show the BBC gave it.
Watching it after having seen the movie earlier in the day, it finally struck me who the three reminded me of: The Minions. Their delight in the slap-stick suffering of each other is what is so perfect. And why any show that follows is doomed to be anything like it. Half a bubble off centre and it just doesn't work. That rapport is just comedic gold.
Greece needs a Mrs Thatcher to take the country out of the Euro and implement sane economic policies.
And the rest of the EU needs to stop all this moral hazard and let people who make stupid investments carry the can for it. Private profit with public liability cannot be the way forward.
But the private sector lost out hugely in the 2012 debt restructuring - haircuts were around 50%.
Mr. Eagles, don't worry. Just include a horrendously bad classical history reference. That way, you can claim the entire piece was satire, if it proves as wrong as Ed Miliband.
Greece needs a Mrs Thatcher to take the country out of the Euro and implement sane economic policies.
And the rest of the EU needs to stop all this moral hazard and let people who make stupid investments carry the can for it. Private profit with public liability cannot be the way forward.
But the private sector lost out hugely in the 2012 debt restructuring - haircuts were around 50%.
If you invest in a company and it goes bust, do you lose half your money, or all of it ?
Not sure it was a whole bunch of leftists who routinely failed to pay their taxes and instead squirreled their money away abroad, or who left the country's banks so exposed. Greece has been in crisis for years, under governments of all political shades.
Mr. Eagles, don't worry. Just include a horrendously bad classical history reference. That way, you can claim the entire piece was satire, if it proves as wrong as Ed Miliband.
I've got some very bad puns in this piece.
Nothing new there then...!
This is becoming Hell-enic for the Greek people.
Oh that's bad. - however, avoid all mention of Demis Roussos and you might get away with it.
Not sure it was a whole bunch of leftists who routinely failed to pay their taxes and instead squirreled their money away abroad, or who left the country's banks so exposed. Greece has been in crisis for years, under governments of all political shades.
Greece was a basket case before it joined the EU, but too many of the great and the good were so desperate for them to join "The International Brotherhood of Free Western Nations" that they turned huge blind eyes to gaping holes in the accounts and comforted themselves that political will and fraternity could overcome financial gravity.
Mr. Eagles, don't worry. Just include a horrendously bad classical history reference. That way, you can claim the entire piece was satire, if it proves as wrong as Ed Miliband.
I do wonder about holding open auditions. Clarkson wanted Hammond and May (he only got May in series 2, it's worth recalling). Now they're going down an audition approach which (assuming they don't go for box-ticking) should result in 3 good individuals, but it's the rapport that counts.
Greece needs a Mrs Thatcher to take the country out of the Euro and implement sane economic policies.
And the rest of the EU needs to stop all this moral hazard and let people who make stupid investments carry the can for it. Private profit with public liability cannot be the way forward.
But the private sector lost out hugely in the 2012 debt restructuring - haircuts were around 50%.
If you invest in a company and it goes bust, do you lose half your money, or all of it ?
Would it have been better for the UK to run a significant surplus during the glory days of Oil revenue? Ideally yes although the North Sea was always a relatively modest part of GDP for the UK as a whole. No doubt you will be able to link to all the Nationalists who complained that public spending was far too high in those years.
It might have been a modest part of the GDP but it was not a modest part of the tax take. At it's 80's peak it was almost 10% of the UK tax revenue.
Never mind the Nats, from the released cabinet papers we know that members of the Conservative cabinet thought it was folly to blow the oil revenue on current account spending rather than, at the very least, capital projects.
Greece needs a Mrs Thatcher to take the country out of the Euro and implement sane economic policies.
And the rest of the EU needs to stop all this moral hazard and let people who make stupid investments carry the can for it. Private profit with public liability cannot be the way forward.
But the private sector lost out hugely in the 2012 debt restructuring - haircuts were around 50%.
If you invest in a company and it goes bust, do you lose half your money, or all of it ?
It depends if the Receiver has anything left after he has liquidated the assets and paid off debts. Sometimes they pay out 90p in the £; sometimes 10p in the £; and sometimes nothing.
I totally agree - you can't buy that camaraderie off the shelf. It's the slap-stick that has me crying with laughter. I don't care how much of it is staged - it's very very funny.
When Hammond lost his shoe in the mud, May fell flat on his face in it and Jezza's Penis Wheels relief at not ending up in the mud bath was just marvellous.
What did you think of the final BBC Top Gear? I thought the short films were genuinely some of their funniest. I was crying with laughter during large chunks of it - especially the pimped up 4x4s. The classic car bit was so close to the knuckle someone like me that I winced with recognition
Weird empty hanger inbetween though. Wonder what the ITV version will be like.
First off, I missed it yesterday, but that was a great diagram by Martin Baxter on the matter of where voters went.
On-topic: I haven't been this astounded since I noticed the sun had risen this morning.
It deserved a better send-off than the end-of-the-pier show the BBC gave it.
Watching it after having seen the movie earlier in the day, it finally struck me who the three reminded me of: The Minions. Their delight in the slap-stick suffering of each other is what is so perfect. And why any show that follows is doomed to be anything like it. Half a bubble off centre and it just doesn't work. That rapport is just comedic gold.
So the Greeks concede, their govt falls and they don't even get a referendum before signing up to 50 years of debt serfdom ?
They signed up for 50 years of debt serfdom when they borrowed the money.
Just think of the endless amount of money we could be sinking in Greece now the EU was a Transfer Union as well... and they wouldn't even have a bill to pay, in the same way that poor parts of the UK that receive extra government money don't pay it back.
Right now the UK has exposure to Greece through:
1. Our IMF commitments 2. UK banks holdings of Greek government debt (the largest private sector non-Greek holder of Greek debt is... a British bank) 3. Our payments to the EU (where we are a net contributor) and Greece is a net debtor.
If we leave the EU and become a member of EFTA/the EEA, then 3 will be dramatically reduced (we will almost certainly still have to pay something, but it will be an order of magnitude less). We'll still have 1 & 2, and there's not much we can do about that :-)
Which bank(s) ?
HSBC has $5bn of Greek debt, other holdings are too small to mention (a couple of hundred million dollars here and there)
In which case the directors of HSBC should be prosecuted for breach of fiduciary duty. There is no excuse whatever for any manager of other peoples' money to have even one penny invested in Greek debt.
Actually, there are plenty of reasons why you might have small holdings as part of transactions on behalf of clients.
But I agree that there's really no excuse to have $5bn worth.
Not sure it's that simple. The risk was priced into the debt at the time via its cost. That might have been wrong but then again it might have been right. Banks make judgments on these things. Being in the Euro helps people think the risk is less (or did!). Now the risk is so high the yield is in the 30s.
Not sure it was a whole bunch of leftists who routinely failed to pay their taxes and instead squirreled their money away abroad, or who left the country's banks so exposed. Greece has been in crisis for years, under governments of all political shades.
So it would seem. The sudden deterioration under the recent leftists may be masking how it was the whole class, left and right, which help precipitate this mess.
I do wonder about holding open auditions. Clarkson wanted Hammond and May (he only got May in series 2, it's worth recalling). Now they're going down an audition approach which (assuming they don't go for box-ticking) should result in 3 good individuals, but it's the rapport that counts.
Given they've gone one already (I think?), then auditions for anyone else should include rapport with that one, and so on.
They're largely head v heart questions. [snip] I'm really on the fence about our membership. I'm genuinely persuadable because the original goal of not shooting at each other is really rather good, but I fear unless there's more reform than I think there will be we might have to peaceably go.
**APPLAUSE** I agree with every word. I've tried a couple of times to put my thought into a post, but never quite managed it - but your effort was excellent.
Of course, the Scots have heard people telling them not to become independent because they'd lose Barnett transfers. And when they hear the same people saying Barnett transfers should be slashed or abolished, you see why they don't respond quite as one might imagine to the first point?
We know PB's rather emotional position on all matters Scotch. "Shortly there will be an election, in which Scottish Tories will win a majority."
David Cameron today called on the BBC not to use the phrase 'Islamic State' when referring to the terror group operating in Iraq and Syria.
The Prime Minister - who calls the group 'ISIL' - said Muslims would 'recoil' at the phrase being used to justify the 'perversion of a great religion'.
As far as I can tell, IS, ISIS and ISIL seem to be used more or less interchangeably by commentators and the media.
Not sure what he thinks the first two letters of ISIL actually stand for... "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant", so he is calling it the Islamic State as well. It is so typical of the sort of PR bullshit he seems to enjoy
I disagree. "Islamic State" is PR branding by ISIL. It suggests a degree of legitimacy as a government, and authority as a representative of Islam that they do not deserve.
They are a bunch of murdering thugs, who use religion as an excuse, not a state or a Caliphate. And they should be treated as such
But ISIL is just a acronym of "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant", so I can't see the point that Cammo is trying to make about calling them ISIL. Why not call them something that is in no way connected to statehood. "Murderous Barbarians and Thugs" might be a good start.
Sure, but most people who hear "ISIL" don't translate it. It makes people associate them with the (P)IRA or INLA rather than giving them the trappings of statehood.
How about calling them "Children of the Devil". A quasi-religious tone which might stir the blood in some. They're not on Allah's side in reality.
This thread really doesn't understand the choices facing Scotland.
Undoubtedly any long term depression in oil price has a consequence for Scottish finances and instead of a heavy surplus, Scotland, without the shackles of subsidies paid to Westminster, would be a fairly standard small deficit economy.
But this has no impact on the importance of Independence. Westminster's history is that it does not stop taking the wealth of its colonies when the resources run out. It's history is that it just moves into depleting the wealth of the country it occupies.
The most stark recent example is of course Wales, which has seen plummeting levels of wealth since it stopped being able to produce cost effective coal. Instead of investing in new economic activity, Westminster ignored this need but continued to pump wealth out of the Welsh economy.
This happens in all centralised colonial structures. The entire purpose of an occupation is to plunder the colonised territory till it finally wakes up and throws off the shackles.
So the question of Scotland's future is utterly irrelevant to the relative prospects of oil and everything to do with taking control before further wealth is lost - permanently - to the Westminster/London bubble
Greece needs a Mrs Thatcher to take the country out of the Euro and implement sane economic policies.
And the rest of the EU needs to stop all this moral hazard and let people who make stupid investments carry the can for it. Private profit with public liability cannot be the way forward.
TBF the bank bail-in rules are a step in that direction.
Not sure it was a whole bunch of leftists who routinely failed to pay their taxes and instead squirreled their money away abroad, or who left the country's banks so exposed. Greece has been in crisis for years, under governments of all political shades.
So it would seem. The sudden deterioration under the recent leftists may be masking how it was the whole class, left and right, which help precipitate this mess.
I do wonder about holding open auditions. Clarkson wanted Hammond and May (he only got May in series 2, it's worth recalling). Now they're going down an audition approach which (assuming they don't go for box-ticking) should result in 3 good individuals, but it's the rapport that counts.
Given they've gone one already (I think?), then auditions for anyone else should include rapport with that one, and so on.
If you left a sausage on the floor and your dog eats it - do you blame the dog ?
Not sure it was a whole bunch of leftists who routinely failed to pay their taxes and instead squirreled their money away abroad, or who left the country's banks so exposed. Greece has been in crisis for years, under governments of all political shades.
Greece was a basket case before it joined the EU, but too many of the great and the good were so desperate for them to join "The International Brotherhood of Free Western Nations" that they turned huge blind eyes to gaping holes in the accounts and comforted themselves that political will and fraternity could overcome financial gravity.
Joining the EC as it then was is one thing, but Greece was not fit to join the Euro.
Not sure it was a whole bunch of leftists who routinely failed to pay their taxes and instead squirreled their money away abroad, or who left the country's banks so exposed. Greece has been in crisis for years, under governments of all political shades.
Greece was a basket case before it joined the EU, but too many of the great and the good were so desperate for them to join "The International Brotherhood of Free Western Nations" that they turned huge blind eyes to gaping holes in the accounts and comforted themselves that political will and fraternity could overcome financial gravity.
Joining the EC as it then was is one thing, but Greece was not fit to join the Euro.
The strength of the Euro allowed Greece to borrow and spend in a way it could never have done under the drachma.
This thread really doesn't understand the choices facing Scotland.
Undoubtedly any long term depression in oil price has a consequence for Scottish finances and instead of a heavy surplus, Scotland, without the shackles of subsidies paid to Westminster, would be a fairly standard small deficit economy.
But this has no impact on the importance of Independence. Westminster's history is that it does not stop taking the wealth of its colonies when the resources run out. It's history is that it just moves into depleting the wealth of the country it occupies.
The most stark recent example is of course Wales, which has seen plummeting levels of wealth since it stopped being able to produce cost effective coal. Instead of investing in new economic activity, Westminster ignored this need but continued to pump wealth out of the Welsh economy.
This happens in all centralised colonial structures. The entire purpose of an occupation is to plunder the colonised territory till it finally wakes up and throws off the shackles.
So the question of Scotland's future is utterly irrelevant to the relative prospects of oil and everything to do with taking control before further wealth is lost - permanently - to the Westminster/London bubble
This thread really doesn't understand the choices facing Scotland.
Undoubtedly any long term depression in oil price has a consequence for Scottish finances and instead of a heavy surplus, Scotland, without the shackles of subsidies paid to Westminster, would be a fairly standard small deficit economy.
But this has no impact on the importance of Independence. Westminster's history is that it does not stop taking the wealth of its colonies when the resources run out. It's history is that it just moves into depleting the wealth of the country it occupies.
The most stark recent example is of course Wales, which has seen plummeting levels of wealth since it stopped being able to produce cost effective coal. Instead of investing in new economic activity, Westminster ignored this need but continued to pump wealth out of the Welsh economy.
This happens in all centralised colonial structures. The entire purpose of an occupation is to plunder the colonised territory till it finally wakes up and throws off the shackles.
So the question of Scotland's future is utterly irrelevant to the relative prospects of oil and everything to do with taking control before further wealth is lost - permanently - to the Westminster/London bubble
It's taken you over six hours to come up with that?
I like this example of German efficiency: 12pm means it's too late for a deal by midnight.
Possibly my favourite travel story from my travelling the globe involved a model of German efficiency (aka a Teutonic Tw@). In Yemen, negotiating down to the wire before Christmas. After much last minute shenanigans, we finally get to the airport for the 2.00 am Lufthansa flight - the last flight out before our Chriistmas "cheer" is spent in Sana'a. We put out passports and tickets on the check-in desk, only to be told by said Lufthansa official "the flight is closed. You had to be here by 1.00 am. It is now 1.01 am...." A screaming match altered little, even when our five foot high local agent actually stood on his desk pointing down at him.
That was it then. Stuck in Sana'a. Except...our feisty Mr Fix-it said "wait here" - and disappeared. He was gone 25 minutes, all the while we glowered at the smuggest man in the world. Until...another five foot local appeared. Except this one had medal ribbons down to his knees. He looked at Mr Lufthansa and said "Those men are on the flight. Or it doesn't leave." He then wandered off. A questioning glance to our man elicited the response "Head of the Air Force..."
Mr. Lufthansa was then faced with the dilemma - cave in to the Brits - or himself not travel out on the Lufthansa flight, and spend Christmas with us in Sana'a.
As he prepared our boarding passes, we did actually sing "One World Cup and two World Wars...."
This thread really doesn't understand the choices facing Scotland.
Undoubtedly any long term depression in oil price has a consequence for Scottish finances and instead of a heavy surplus, Scotland, without the shackles of subsidies paid to Westminster, would be a fairly standard small deficit economy.
But this has no impact on the importance of Independence. Westminster's history is that it does not stop taking the wealth of its colonies when the resources run out. It's history is that it just moves into depleting the wealth of the country it occupies.
The most stark recent example is of course Wales, which has seen plummeting levels of wealth since it stopped being able to produce cost effective coal. Instead of investing in new economic activity, Westminster ignored this need but continued to pump wealth out of the Welsh economy.
This happens in all centralised colonial structures. The entire purpose of an occupation is to plunder the colonised territory till it finally wakes up and throws off the shackles.
So the question of Scotland's future is utterly irrelevant to the relative prospects of oil and everything to do with taking control before further wealth is lost - permanently - to the Westminster/London bubble
How is wealth being pumped out of Wales? Without vast wads of cash from England in the form of equalised benefits with the rest of the UK and large numbers of public sector jobs that could equally be done in England (DVLA, companies' house, patent office, RAF St Athan, RAF Valley, Army base in Sennybridge, etc etc ) we'd be stuffed.
Dair you're a nutter. You genuinely believe Scotland net subsidises the rest of the UK don't you? I hope you get your independence - and a heavy smack about the head with a cluebat.
They're largely head v heart questions. [snip] I'm really on the fence about our membership. I'm genuinely persuadable because the original goal of not shooting at each other is really rather good, but I fear unless there's more reform than I think there will be we might have to peaceably go.
**APPLAUSE** I agree with every word. I've tried a couple of times to put my thought into a post, but never quite managed it - but your effort was excellent.
This thread really doesn't understand the choices facing Scotland.
Undoubtedly any long term depression in oil price has a consequence for Scottish finances and instead of a heavy surplus, Scotland, without the shackles of subsidies paid to Westminster, would be a fairly standard small deficit economy.
But this has no impact on the importance of Independence. Westminster's history is that it does not stop taking the wealth of its colonies when the resources run out. It's history is that it just moves into depleting the wealth of the country it occupies.
The most stark recent example is of course Wales, which has seen plummeting levels of wealth since it stopped being able to produce cost effective coal. Instead of investing in new economic activity, Westminster ignored this need but continued to pump wealth out of the Welsh economy.
This happens in all centralised colonial structures. The entire purpose of an occupation is to plunder the colonised territory till it finally wakes up and throws off the shackles.
So the question of Scotland's future is utterly irrelevant to the relative prospects of oil and everything to do with taking control before further wealth is lost - permanently - to the Westminster/London bubble
Of course, the Scots would know all about occupation and the plundering of colonised territories after their poor efforts during the Darien Scheme.
I like this example of German efficiency: 12pm means it's too late for a deal by midnight.
Possibly my favourite travel story from my travelling the globe involved a model of German efficiency (aka a Teutonic Tw@). In Yemen, negotiating down to the wire before Christmas. After much last minute shenanigans, we finally get to the airport for the 2.00 am Lufthansa flight - the last flight out before our Chriistmas "cheer" is spent in Sana'a. We put out passports and tickets on the check-in desk, only to be told by said Lufthansa official "the flight is closed. You had to be here by 1.00 am. It is now 1.01 am...." A screaming match altered little, even when our five foot high local agent actually stood on his desk pointing down at him.
That was it then. Stuck in Sana'a. Except...our feisty Mr Fix-it said "wait here" - and disappeared. He was gone 25 minutes, all the while we glowered at the smuggest man in the world. Until...another five foot local appeared. Except this one had medal ribbons down to his knees. He looked at Mr Lufthansa and said "Those men are on the flight. Or it doesn't leave." He then wandered off. A questioning glance to our man elicited the response "Head of the Air Force..."
Mr. Lufthansa was then faced with the dilemma - cave in to the Brits - or himself not travel out on the Lufthansa flight, and spend Christmas with us in Sana'a.
As he prepared our boarding passes, we did actually sing "One World Cup and two World Wars...."
This thread really doesn't understand the choices facing Scotland.
Undoubtedly any long term depression in oil price has a consequence for Scottish finances and instead of a heavy surplus, Scotland, without the shackles of subsidies paid to Westminster, would be a fairly standard small deficit economy.
But this has no impact on the importance of Independence. Westminster's history is that it does not stop taking the wealth of its colonies when the resources run out. It's history is that it just moves into depleting the wealth of the country it occupies.
The most stark recent example is of course Wales, which has seen plummeting levels of wealth since it stopped being able to produce cost effective coal. Instead of investing in new economic activity, Westminster ignored this need but continued to pump wealth out of the Welsh economy.
This happens in all centralised colonial structures. The entire purpose of an occupation is to plunder the colonised territory till it finally wakes up and throws off the shackles.
So the question of Scotland's future is utterly irrelevant to the relative prospects of oil and everything to do with taking control before further wealth is lost - permanently - to the Westminster/London bubble
How is wealth being pumped out of Wales? Without vast wads of cash from England in the form of equalised benefits with the rest of the UK and large numbers of public sector jobs that could equally be done in England (DVLA, companies' house, patent office, RAF St Athan, RAF Valley, Army base in Sennybridge, etc etc ) we'd be stuffed.
On a per person basis, Wales clams 111% of UK average benefits, Scotland 102% and England 99%. (See http://www.ifs.org.uk/bns/bn139.pdf p.9)
Dair you're a nutter. You genuinely believe Scotland net subsidises the rest of the UK don't you? I hope you get your independence - and a heavy smack about the head with a cluebat.
Of course Scotland has been subsidising the rest of the UK, it might be less today than it was when Oil and Gas alone accounted for 10% of the entire UK Tax Take but it still overpays for services and gets less back than it puts in (adjusting for borrowing).
The Union has had it's chance to provide Scotland with a benefit of membership. It has failed. It has taken more than it has given back, it has failed to address poverty in substantial pockets of the country, it has failed to stem substantial expatriation of people by providing sufficient aspirational opportunity in Scotland and it has failed to provide the level of wealth that near identical Norway now has. The Union is a burden Scotland cannot bear.
This thread really doesn't understand the choices facing Scotland.
Undoubtedly any long term depression in oil price has a consequence for Scottish finances and instead of a heavy surplus, Scotland, without the shackles of subsidies paid to Westminster, would be a fairly standard small deficit economy.
But this has no impact on the importance of Independence. Westminster's history is that it does not stop taking the wealth of its colonies when the resources run out. It's history is that it just moves into depleting the wealth of the country it occupies.
The most stark recent example is of course Wales, which has seen plummeting levels of wealth since it stopped being able to produce cost effective coal. Instead of investing in new economic activity, Westminster ignored this need but continued to pump wealth out of the Welsh economy.
This happens in all centralised colonial structures. The entire purpose of an occupation is to plunder the colonised territory till it finally wakes up and throws off the shackles.
So the question of Scotland's future is utterly irrelevant to the relative prospects of oil and everything to do with taking control before further wealth is lost - permanently - to the Westminster/London bubble
How is wealth being pumped out of Wales? Without vast wads of cash from England in the form of equalised benefits with the rest of the UK and large numbers of public sector jobs that could equally be done in England (DVLA, companies' house, patent office, RAF St Athan, RAF Valley, Army base in Sennybridge, etc etc ) we'd be stuffed.
If you truly believe that it is the inherent incompetence and inability of the Welsh people that has led them down the road to becoming the poorest part of Western Europe, then I guess that's for you to say. My take on the matter is continued stiffling of the Welsh economy and drawing down of taxes which should have been invested in infrastructure and education in Wales but were instead spent on London and the Welsh people given hand outs worth a fraction of the value.
Dair.. Bye.. eff off ...please..there's only so much bleating that a nation can take.. oh..and don't come back
Sadly there isn't the faintest chance of the Scots voting for independence in the next indyref if it happens within the next 5-10 years, so we are going to have to put up with a lot more fantasy natonomics and bleating.
This thread really doesn't understand the choices facing Scotland.
Undoubtedly any long term depression in oil price has a consequence for Scottish finances and instead of a heavy surplus, Scotland, without the shackles of subsidies paid to Westminster, would be a fairly standard small deficit economy.
But this has no impact on the importance of Independence. Westminster's history is that it does not stop taking the wealth of its colonies when the resources run out. It's history is that it just moves into depleting the wealth of the country it occupies.
The most stark recent example is of course Wales, which has seen plummeting levels of wealth since it stopped being able to produce cost effective coal. Instead of investing in new economic activity, Westminster ignored this need but continued to pump wealth out of the Welsh economy.
This happens in all centralised colonial structures. The entire purpose of an occupation is to plunder the colonised territory till it finally wakes up and throws off the shackles.
So the question of Scotland's future is utterly irrelevant to the relative prospects of oil and everything to do with taking control before further wealth is lost - permanently - to the Westminster/London bubble
How is wealth being pumped out of Wales? Without vast wads of cash from England in the form of equalised benefits with the rest of the UK and large numbers of public sector jobs that could equally be done in England (DVLA, companies' house, patent office, RAF St Athan, RAF Valley, Army base in Sennybridge, etc etc ) we'd be stuffed.
If you truly believe that it is the inherent incompetence and inability of the Welsh people that has led them down the road to becoming the poorest part of Western Europe, then I guess that's for you to say. My take on the matter is continued stiffling of the Welsh economy and drawing down of taxes which should have been invested in infrastructure and education in Wales but were instead spent on London and the Welsh people given hand outs worth a fraction of the value.
It's certainly news to me that Wales is a cash-cow for Westminister.
Dair you're a nutter. You genuinely believe Scotland net subsidises the rest of the UK don't you? I hope you get your independence - and a heavy smack about the head with a cluebat.
Of course Scotland has been subsidising the rest of the UK, it might be less today than it was when Oil and Gas alone accounted for 10% of the entire UK Tax Take but it still overpays for services and gets less back than it puts in (adjusting for borrowing).
The Union has had it's chance to provide Scotland with a benefit of membership. It has failed. It has taken more than it has given back, it has failed to address poverty in substantial pockets of the country, it has failed to stem substantial expatriation of people by providing sufficient aspirational opportunity in Scotland and it has failed to provide the level of wealth that near identical Norway now has. The Union is a burden Scotland cannot bear.
Has Scotland just been missing from the political process all this time? Socialist Governments propped up by Scottish votes, and populated by Scottish MPs, are largely responsible for our crap economy - Gordon Brown anyone?
Dair you're a nutter. You genuinely believe Scotland net subsidises the rest of the UK don't you? I hope you get your independence - and a heavy smack about the head with a cluebat.
Of course Scotland has been subsidising the rest of the UK, it might be less today than it was when Oil and Gas alone accounted for 10% of the entire UK Tax Take but it still overpays for services and gets less back than it puts in (adjusting for borrowing).
The Union has had it's chance to provide Scotland with a benefit of membership. It has failed. It has taken more than it has given back, it has failed to address poverty in substantial pockets of the country, it has failed to stem substantial expatriation of people by providing sufficient aspirational opportunity in Scotland and it has failed to provide the level of wealth that near identical Norway now has. The Union is a burden Scotland cannot bear.
Has Scotland just been missing from the political process all this time? Socialist Governments propped up by Scottish votes, and populated by Scottish MPs, are largely responsible for our crap economy - Gordon Brown anyone?
The same people would have driven Dair's Fantasy Scotland into the ground. So much for all his talk of economic success.
The Welsh have had to struggle with moving from a large employer economy (coal, steel, tinplate, rail, ports - to move all that heavy stuff about), that was heavily state sector to a small employer more techy/service economy. Such a transition has not had to be done to the same extent in say East Anglia or S West England. It has been long and painful, and frankly not wholly achieved.
However, how London has "stifled" Wales is beyond me. I doubt Wales has been a net contributor to UK coffers since at least the mid 70's and that was itself based on paying people wages in industries such as coal and steel that just were not competitive in a real and unsubsidised world. Now there's many a point about how that was all transitioned circa 1975 - 2015 and beyond, and maybe more could've been done other than creating the WDA and bringing in Sony etc, but I simply refuse to believe from my own life that Wales would've been anything other than drastically worse off without being part of a union with the rest of the UK in general and England in particular.
Dair you're a nutter. You genuinely believe Scotland net subsidises the rest of the UK don't you? I hope you get your independence - and a heavy smack about the head with a cluebat.
Of course Scotland has been subsidising the rest of the UK, it might be less today than it was when Oil and Gas alone accounted for 10% of the entire UK Tax Take but it still overpays for services and gets less back than it puts in (adjusting for borrowing).
The Union has had it's chance to provide Scotland with a benefit of membership. It has failed. It has taken more than it has given back, it has failed to address poverty in substantial pockets of the country, it has failed to stem substantial expatriation of people by providing sufficient aspirational opportunity in Scotland and it has failed to provide the level of wealth that near identical Norway now has. The Union is a burden Scotland cannot bear.
Has Scotland just been missing from the political process all this time? Socialist Governments propped up by Scottish votes, and populated by Scottish MPs, are largely responsible for our crap economy - Gordon Brown anyone?
The same people would have driven Dair's Fantasy Scotland into the ground. So much for all his talk of economic success.
Absolutely. As I've asked before, where were these Scottish Adam Smith inspired economic prodigys that the Scottish sent to Westminster only to be thwarted by their bloated economically illiterate English counterparts? I didn't see them then, I don't see them now.
Not sure it was a whole bunch of leftists who routinely failed to pay their taxes and instead squirreled their money away abroad, or who left the country's banks so exposed. Greece has been in crisis for years, under governments of all political shades.
So it would seem. The sudden deterioration under the recent leftists may be masking how it was the whole class, left and right, which help precipitate this mess.
I do wonder about holding open auditions. Clarkson wanted Hammond and May (he only got May in series 2, it's worth recalling). Now they're going down an audition approach which (assuming they don't go for box-ticking) should result in 3 good individuals, but it's the rapport that counts.
Given they've gone one already (I think?), then auditions for anyone else should include rapport with that one, and so on.
If you left a sausage on the floor and your dog eats it - do you blame the dog ?
Dogs are happily unencumbered by apprehensions of the future and consequences of present actions. People on the other hand are. (I feel like I've lifted that from somewhere, but cannot recall from what).
Outside forces or past governments encouraging and allowing the eating of the sausage do share in responsibility, but if the person who ate the sausage, and perhaps continues to do so, has free will (eg, they decided to do it or continue to elect governments unable or unwilling to fix it), then they have ultimate and primary responsibility for their own actions.
I equate it to when people try to shift blame with a 'you started it' approach, when it depends on level of response. If I stand on someone's foot, deliberately even, they have been provoked but are still more at fault if they respond by punching me in the face as they have escalated things enormously, even if I am not blameless.
In your analogy, a person still chooses to eat the sausage. It was their choice, even if they were tempted and encouraged to do it. If years and years in those people have failed to fix or appoint people to fix or at least stabilise things, they can no longer pretend they were unthinking dogs led down a dark path.
@Reuters: BREAKING: German government official says it is now too late for an extension of the Greek bailout programme.
It's looking like a Fetta-complis.
Let's gO LIVE to our Athens studio to hear from our correspondent Costas Afortune. Costas: All rhodes have been tried in the negotiations, but there have been no new con CRETE proposals. Studio: Was that 'KOS the Germans wouldn't budge? Costas: Yes. There was a sparta of optimism an hour ago, when the cabinet met to discuss the latest proposal, but a corfu (core few) ministers stood firm against them. Studio: So what is the German delegation going to do now? Costas: Well they've picked their towels up from the poolside loungers and told the Tsipiras bluntly "You vill haf to haf eurown currency now!" And now back to the studio.
Wow, Andy Burnham redefining tokenism in the modern Labour party,,,
@MichaelPDeacon: Andy Burnham: "I will promote a front bench full of accents and diversity" #accents
@MichaelPDeacon: Imagining Burnham looking round his first Labour Cabinet and barking, "Right. Cooper: you're doing Cornish. Hunt: Geordie"
Oh dear - from Labour's point of view. From Dave's point of view - Yay! Labour needs a normal leader who can appeal to middle England. A bunch of strong regional accents is pretty much guaranteed to kill that. Burnham himself seems to be a professional northerner - in the deluded belief this is an electoral positive! Blair's accent was neutral / unplaceable. That was a positive.
@Reuters: BREAKING: German government official says it is now too late for an extension of the Greek bailout programme.
It's looking like a Fetta-complis.
Let's gO LIVE to our Athens studio to hear from our correspondent Costas Afortune. Costas: All rhodes have been tried in the negotiations, but there have been no new con CRETE proposals. Studio: Was that 'KOS the Germans wouldn't budge? Costas: Yes. There was a sparta of optimism an hour ago, when the cabinet met to discuss the latest proposal, but a corfu (core few) ministers stood firm against them. Studio: So what is the German delegation going to do now? Costas: Well they've picked their towels up from the poolside loungers and told the Tsipiras bluntly "You vill haf to haf eurown currency now!" And now back to the studio.
@Reuters: BREAKING: German government official says it is now too late for an extension of the Greek bailout programme.
It's looking like a Fetta-complis.
Let's gO LIVE to our Athens studio to hear from our correspondent Costas Afortune. Costas: All rhodes have been tried in the negotiations, but there have been no new con CRETE proposals. Studio: Was that 'KOS the Germans wouldn't budge? Costas: Yes. There was a sparta of optimism an hour ago, when the cabinet met to discuss the latest proposal, but a corfu (core few) ministers stood firm against them. Studio: So what is the German delegation going to do now? Costas: Well they've picked their towels up from the poolside loungers and told the Tsipiras bluntly "You vill haf to haf eurown currency now!" And now back to the studio.
Epic. Though I'm disappointed you didn't lef Corfu stand on its own - no faith in the audience?
Not sure it was a whole bunch of leftists who routinely failed to pay their taxes and instead squirreled their money away abroad, or who left the country's banks so exposed. Greece has been in crisis for years, under governments of all political shades.
So it would seem. The sudden deterioration under the recent leftists may be masking how it was the whole class, left and right, which help precipitate this mess.
I do wonder about holding open auditions. Clarkson wanted Hammond and May (he only got May in series 2, it's worth recalling). Now they're going down an audition approach which (assuming they don't go for box-ticking) should result in 3 good individuals, but it's the rapport that counts.
Given they've gone one already (I think?), then auditions for anyone else should include rapport with that one, and so on.
If you left a sausage on the floor and your dog eats it - do you blame the dog ?
Dogs are happily unencumbered by apprehensions of the future and consequences of present actions. People on the other hand are. (I feel like I've lifted that from somewhere, but cannot recall from what).
Outside forces or past governments encouraging and allowing the eating of the sausage do share in responsibility, but if the person who ate the sausage, and perhaps continues to do so, has free will (eg, they decided to do it or continue to elect governments unable or unwilling to fix it), then they have ultimate and primary responsibility for their own actions.
I equate it to when people try to shift blame with a 'you started it' approach, when it depends on level of response. If I stand on someone's foot, deliberately even, they have been provoked but are still more at fault if they respond by punching me in the face as they have escalated things enormously, even if I am not blameless.
In your analogy, a person still chooses to eat the sausage. It was their choice, even if they were tempted and encouraged to do it. If years and years in those people have failed to fix or appoint people to fix or at least stabilise things, they can no longer pretend they were unthinking dogs led down a dark path.
Wow, Andy Burnham redefining tokenism in the modern Labour party,,,
@MichaelPDeacon: Andy Burnham: "I will promote a front bench full of accents and diversity" #accents
@MichaelPDeacon: Imagining Burnham looking round his first Labour Cabinet and barking, "Right. Cooper: you're doing Cornish. Hunt: Geordie"
Very unfair slur on Cameron, after all, Cameron does have a wide diversity of accents in his cabinet - there's Received Pronunciation, Pronunciation Received, the Queen's English, Oxford, Eton, Home Counties, and BBC newsreader.
(obviously I do realise this is apalling by Burnham, not taking his side)
Comments
Mr. Palmer, I bet it's a bit odd flying in to Carthage Airport.
There is a risk that my thread might end up rivalling Sion Simon's piece for predictive brilliance because of the time gap in writing and publishing.
Really, how did things get to this point? Few countries technically spend only what they earn, that is run surpluses regularly, but they can still manage to afford to spend more than they earn it seems, but Greece seems such a basketcase and totally unable to afford what it wants, and so anyone giving it money is providing a gift, not a loan.
(Not by AEP, obviously.)
I suspect I might get tarred and feathered for it.
Nothing new there then...!
http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/GGGB10YR:IND
Watching it after having seen the movie earlier in the day, it finally struck me who the three reminded me of: The Minions. Their delight in the slap-stick suffering of each other is what is so perfect. And why any show that follows is doomed to be anything like it. Half a bubble off centre and it just doesn't work. That rapport is just comedic gold.
If the Greek Government falls, when do the Generals step in?
Or will Vlad step in with his wad, and back stop the New Greek Rouble?
I do wonder about holding open auditions. Clarkson wanted Hammond and May (he only got May in series 2, it's worth recalling). Now they're going down an audition approach which (assuming they don't go for box-ticking) should result in 3 good individuals, but it's the rapport that counts.
Never mind the Nats, from the released cabinet papers we know that members of the Conservative cabinet thought it was folly to blow the oil revenue on current account spending rather than, at the very least, capital projects.
When Hammond lost his shoe in the mud, May fell flat on his face in it and Jezza's Penis Wheels relief at not ending up in the mud bath was just marvellous.
The Robin Reliant Space Shuttle remains a favourite of mine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJdrlWR-yFM
I agree with every word. I've tried a couple of times to put my thought into a post, but never quite managed it - but your effort was excellent.
We know PB's rather emotional position on all matters Scotch. "Shortly there will be an election, in which Scottish Tories will win a majority."
How about calling them "Children of the Devil". A quasi-religious tone which might stir the blood in some. They're not on Allah's side in reality.
Undoubtedly any long term depression in oil price has a consequence for Scottish finances and instead of a heavy surplus, Scotland, without the shackles of subsidies paid to Westminster, would be a fairly standard small deficit economy.
But this has no impact on the importance of Independence. Westminster's history is that it does not stop taking the wealth of its colonies when the resources run out. It's history is that it just moves into depleting the wealth of the country it occupies.
The most stark recent example is of course Wales, which has seen plummeting levels of wealth since it stopped being able to produce cost effective coal. Instead of investing in new economic activity, Westminster ignored this need but continued to pump wealth out of the Welsh economy.
This happens in all centralised colonial structures. The entire purpose of an occupation is to plunder the colonised territory till it finally wakes up and throws off the shackles.
So the question of Scotland's future is utterly irrelevant to the relative prospects of oil and everything to do with taking control before further wealth is lost - permanently - to the Westminster/London bubble
Nurse!
That was it then. Stuck in Sana'a. Except...our feisty Mr Fix-it said "wait here" - and disappeared. He was gone 25 minutes, all the while we glowered at the smuggest man in the world. Until...another five foot local appeared. Except this one had medal ribbons down to his knees. He looked at Mr Lufthansa and said "Those men are on the flight. Or it doesn't leave." He then wandered off. A questioning glance to our man elicited the response "Head of the Air Force..."
Mr. Lufthansa was then faced with the dilemma - cave in to the Brits - or himself not travel out on the Lufthansa flight, and spend Christmas with us in Sana'a.
As he prepared our boarding passes, we did actually sing "One World Cup and two World Wars...."
The Union has had it's chance to provide Scotland with a benefit of membership. It has failed. It has taken more than it has given back, it has failed to address poverty in substantial pockets of the country, it has failed to stem substantial expatriation of people by providing sufficient aspirational opportunity in Scotland and it has failed to provide the level of wealth that near identical Norway now has. The Union is a burden Scotland cannot bear.
Can you cite any evidence for this please?
Sadly your very, very funny joke (no. really) was spoiled by the fact the banks have no money left to rob...
@MichaelPDeacon: Andy Burnham: "I will promote a front bench full of accents and diversity" #accents
@MichaelPDeacon: Imagining Burnham looking round his first Labour Cabinet and barking, "Right. Cooper: you're doing Cornish. Hunt: Geordie"
The Welsh have had to struggle with moving from a large employer economy (coal, steel, tinplate, rail, ports - to move all that heavy stuff about), that was heavily state sector to a small employer more techy/service economy. Such a transition has not had to be done to the same extent in say East Anglia or S West England. It has been long and painful, and frankly not wholly achieved.
However, how London has "stifled" Wales is beyond me. I doubt Wales has been a net contributor to UK coffers since at least the mid 70's and that was itself based on paying people wages in industries such as coal and steel that just were not competitive in a real and unsubsidised world. Now there's many a point about how that was all transitioned circa 1975 - 2015 and beyond, and maybe more could've been done other than creating the WDA and bringing in Sony etc, but I simply refuse to believe from my own life that Wales would've been anything other than drastically worse off without being part of a union with the rest of the UK in general and England in particular.
Outside forces or past governments encouraging and allowing the eating of the sausage do share in responsibility, but if the person who ate the sausage, and perhaps continues to do so, has free will (eg, they decided to do it or continue to elect governments unable or unwilling to fix it), then they have ultimate and primary responsibility for their own actions.
I equate it to when people try to shift blame with a 'you started it' approach, when it depends on level of response. If I stand on someone's foot, deliberately even, they have been provoked but are still more at fault if they respond by punching me in the face as they have escalated things enormously, even if I am not blameless.
In your analogy, a person still chooses to eat the sausage. It was their choice, even if they were tempted and encouraged to do it. If years and years in those people have failed to fix or appoint people to fix or at least stabilise things, they can no longer pretend they were unthinking dogs led down a dark path.
That analogy really got away from me.
Costas: All rhodes have been tried in the negotiations, but there have been no new con CRETE proposals.
Studio: Was that 'KOS the Germans wouldn't budge?
Costas: Yes. There was a sparta of optimism an hour ago, when the cabinet met to discuss the latest proposal, but a corfu (core few) ministers stood firm against them.
Studio: So what is the German delegation going to do now?
Costas: Well they've picked their towels up from the poolside loungers and told the Tsipiras bluntly "You vill haf to haf eurown currency now!"
And now back to the studio.
A thread all of their own and not one to be seen? Who Have thunk it?
Edit- and then one turns up LOL....
Thank you for the information on databases the other day appreciated. Have taken notes
Personally I'm looking for him to promote a front bench full of competence.
Is that too much to ask?
(obviously I do realise this is apalling by Burnham, not taking his side)