It smacks a bit of Eastern Roman tinkering. An early emperor reduced the numbers in a legion to 1,000. Not for a military reason, but so the roll call of legions would sound more impressive because it'd be longer.
So we just make it less safe for tens of millions of British citizens to live, work and travel in Europe?
You are just repeating in what you hope are more emotive terms an argument which has already been debunked. But anyway the most likely outcome is: we make it as safe as it is now for tens of millions of British citizens to live, work and travel in Europe, and Europe makes it safe for tens of millions of European citizens to live, work and travel in Britain.
When I consider the word "reciprocity" I ask myself whether there is a four-syllable upper bound on concepts which remainers are able to process.
The UK has a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, skilled diplomats, capable armed forces, effective intelligence services, the best sigint agency in the world, and considerable expertise on fighting terrorism and organised crime. We are a member of five eyes. We make a considerable contribution to European security via co-operation on policing, intelligence, defence and foreign policy. We have a world-class air force, logistics and naval resources. We help secure the Med, and both Gibraltar and Cyprus are key. And we participate in the European Arrest Warrant, Europol, Eurojust and the Schengen databases.
The UK and EU deciding not to comprehensively cooperate in security matters would not be preferable for either the UK or the EU.
It would hurt the EU far more. That makes it a card.
We know the EU are worried about it because of the level of protestation they made on the A50 letter, despite it being gently mentioned only a handful of times, just as we know they are also worried about the UK becoming an offshore Singapore, as they put a comprehensive anti-dumping clause in their draft European Council negotiating guidelines as well.
The right wing Tory Brexiteer fantasy is undoubtedly a low tax, low regulation, low public spending Atanticist island that is as cut off from Europe as possible. Funnily enough, they never spell this out to voters. They seek to achieve it by stealth.
And the great thing is if voters dislike living under a "low tax low public spending Atlanticist" government they can kick them out at the next election
Not if you are a colony like Scotland, only England can chuck them out.
A colony in which the people have as many rights as anyone else living the UK? Under that logic we could all say we're colonists.
Britain has some useful cards in a generally poor hand. It is not playing them at all yet.
I'd be interested to hear what you think those are, especially give your stance on Brexit.
Your interest may be satiated if I get time to put together a thread header on the subject.
Some people seem only to be able to think of 'cards' in the sense of things we have to threaten or take away, rather than things we have to offer.
The delusion and hatred of foreigners and how we can do the dirty on them here illustrates just how far this country has fallen. Is it any wonder the UK is circling the drain.
Morning Malcolm. What do you think about Jim Sillars' view that Scotland should not leave the UK to rejoin the EU?
Malcolm think Sillars is a bitter old wanker.
No doubt true, but he has thus far been an indy-supporting bitter old wanker, so for that reason alone his current stance is interesting.
He would think about maybe abstaining. Sillars will say anything to get in the papers.
He was a failure as part of the SNP leadership, his strategy got the SNP no where close to a referendum and he harbours deep bitterness that the gradualist wing is in power and producing results.
Mr. D., I read that article as saying the US submarine was paying a planned visit to Gibraltar (probably to give its crew some fresh air and a chance to go out on the pop) and whilst there took the opportunity to fix some bit of kit that had gone wrong.
Nuclear attack boats are often at sea for extended periods, commonly much longer than the ballistic missile boats, which work to a regular schedule. So a safe port where they can put in, restock and give the crew a chance to let off steam in a safe environment and get kit fixed, probably does count as servicing. The same of course applies to the surface fleets of both navies.
Dura_Ace, I think, probably knows more about this than any of us, but it is my understanding that Gibraltar was, and maybe still is, the first and last port of call for RN ships heading South or East.
Hurst, must idle most of the time given the dearth of ships we have in our "navy" nowadays, can we even call it that any more. Swiss probably have more ships than UK.
A bit of an exaggeration there, Mr. G., but I agree with your general point. To call the present state of the RN as a disgrace is like describing gang rape as a mild social deviation.
Hurst , but not much, given we have twice as many Admirals as we have ships there is something very wrong.
I think the one thing that almost everyone here agrees with, is that there's far too many fat suits in brass hats crawling around the MoD, mostly getting in the way while waiting for retirement.
Britain has some useful cards in a generally poor hand. It is not playing them at all yet.
I'd be interested to hear what you think those are, especially give your stance on Brexit.
Your interest may be satiated if I get time to put together a thread header on the subject.
Some people seem only to be able to think of 'cards' in the sense of things we have to threaten or take away, rather than things we have to offer.
The delusion and hatred of foreigners and how we can do the dirty on them here illustrates just how far this country has fallen. Is it any wonder the UK is circling the drain.
Morning Malcolm. What do you think about Jim Sillars' view that Scotland should not leave the UK to rejoin the EU?
Morning, I have not seen anything on it at all and was talking about him with G earlier in week. For me he is yesterday's man and has been for 20 years. His standard position is to be against whatever the SNP are for nowadays, nobody up here listens to a word he says. Where was the article and I will have a read at it.
Low tax, low regulation and low public spending sounds fine to me!!
The EU don't think it's fine for the UK go down that route on their doorstep though! Once we leave their protective cocoon, we can buy our food from Africa and our steel from China if we want, to give two examples of trade advantage in a post-Brexit UK.
Cannot wait for that, even more steel from China that we already buy and we can cause more starvation and poverty in Africa
So we just make it less safe for tens of millions of British citizens to live, work and travel in Europe?
You are just repeating in what you hope are more emotive terms an argument which has already been debunked. But anyway the most likely outcome is: we make it as safe as it is now for tens of millions of British citizens to live, work and travel in Europe, and Europe makes it safe for tens of millions of European citizens to live, work and travel in Britain.
When I consider the word "reciprocity" I ask myself whether there is a four-syllable upper bound on concepts which remainers are able to process.
The UK has a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, skilled diplomats, capable armed forces, effective intelligence services, the best sigint agency in the world, and considerable expertise on fighting terrorism and organised crime. We are a member of five eyes. We make a considerable contribution to European security via co-operation on policing, intelligence, defence and foreign policy. We have a world-class air force, logistics and naval resources. We help secure the Med, and both Gibraltar and Cyprus are key. And we participate in the European Arrest Warrant, Europol, Eurojust and the Schengen databases.
The UK and EU deciding not to comprehensively cooperate in security matters would not be preferable for either the UK or the EU.
It would hurt the EU far more. That makes it a card.
We know the EU are worried about it because of the level of protestation they made on the A50 letter, despite it being gently mentioned only a handful of times, just as we know they are also worried about the UK becoming an offshore Singapore, as they put a comprehensive anti-dumping clause in their draft European Council negotiating guidelines as well.
The right wing Tory Brexiteer fantasy is undoubtedly a low tax, low regulation, low public spending Atanticist island that is as cut off from Europe as possible. Funnily enough, they never spell this out to voters. They seek to achieve it by stealth.
And the great thing is if voters dislike living under a "low tax low public spending Atlanticist" government they can kick them out at the next election
Not if you are a colony like Scotland, only England can chuck them out.
A colony in which the people have as many rights as anyone else living the UK? Under that logic we could all say we're colonists.
MalcolmG is an alias in honour of Malcolm X and Mahatma " Malcolm " Gandhi.
Britain has some useful cards in a generally poor hand. It is not playing them at all yet.
@RobD I'd be interested to hear what you think those are, especially give your stance on Brexit.<
---
In my view, it's the more "soft power" ones. Britain, like Germany, Sweden and Poland for example are strongly Atlanticist. Britain could act as something of bridge, which it was doing before. It is firm on Russia, which is a big issue for a number of cointries. It can offer something on security.
The problem is that Theresa May in particular has taken a resolutely transactional approach. Britain will lose those battles every time with the EU. She should go for a bigger picture approach: how can we work together? what can we offer you?
1 million bitter and twisted brits holding the balance of power, or hand the keys to the mafioso murder band in SF.
either way it would trash the place.
While the North has much less land it adds 40% to the population and the politcal structures of the south can no longer work as they did.
Indeed. One of the reasons that the Good Friday Agreement was an easy sell in the South is because most of the population in the RoI is quite content for the North to exist separately. Surveys show that while people talk about uniting the island of Ireland not many actually wanted to happen.
you cannot have a fully devolved government in Northern Ireland as long as the choice is between the Mob and a theocracy. Neither will work.
St Columbas prayer
give me unity, but not just yet
Alanbrooke. It was St. Augustine of Hippo who reportedly prayed, "Lord give me chastity and continence, but not yet."
AM. Thanks for the betting article. Good to see some percentage chances being analysed in a thread header.
The UK has a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, skilled diplomats, capable armed forces, effective intelligence services, the best sigint agency in the world, and considerable expertise on fighting terrorism and organised crime. We are a member of five eyes. We make a considerable contribution to European security via co-operation on policing, intelligence, defence and foreign policy. We have a world-class air force, logistics and naval resources. We help secure the Med, and both Gibraltar and Cyprus are key. And we participate in the European Arrest Warrant, Europol, Eurojust and the Schengen databases.
The UK and EU deciding not to comprehensively cooperate in security matters would not be preferable for either the UK or the EU.
It would hurt the EU far more. That makes it a card.
We know the EU are worried about it because of the level of protestation they made on the A50 letter, despite it being gently mentioned only a handful of times, just as we know they are also worried about the UK becoming an offshore Singapore, as they put a comprehensive anti-dumping clause in their draft European Council negotiating guidelines as well.
The right wing Tory Brexiteer fantasy is undoubtedly a low tax, low regulation, low public spending Atanticist island that is as cut off from Europe as possible. Funnily enough, they never spell this out to voters. They seek to achieve it by stealth.
And the great thing is if voters dislike living under a "low tax low public spending Atlanticist" government they can kick them out at the next election
Not if you are a colony like Scotland, only England can chuck them out.
Not true. Scotland made the choice not to have a Labour government in 2015. With 50 more Labour MPs (and 50 fewer SNP) Ed Miliband would be PM and we wouldn't be leaving the EU.
Errr, given the Tories have a majority how could 50 SNP to Lab transfer have stopped a Tory Majority?
These things don't operate in isolation. The Tories got some votes by pointing out that Labour could only reach Number Ten with the support of the separatists. If Scotland had been on the point of returning 50 Labour MPs, that argument wouldn't have worked.
I can believe GBP10 x 50m passports but it's only what it would cost for 50m red ones
passports are about £80 a pop nowadays at least
That's what they charge...
(But it could easily be the annual flow coat not the stock replacement cost - I have no idea)
It will not change who will pay the bill, it will be the public. I can just see them lining up to pay their £80 just to change their passport colour and cock a snoot at Johnny Foreigner. That will show the EU.
I think the EU has done us a favour in taking Gibraltar off the table during the negotiations. Had they not done so, Spain could have held up the negotiations as we approached the exit to WTO to extract concessions on the status of Gibraltar.
"After the United Kingdom leaves the Union, no agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom may apply to the territory of Gibraltar without the agreement between the Kingdom of Spain and the United Kingdom."
So Gibraltar will leave the EU (it isn't currently part of the customs union anyway) and the border conditions and free trade agreement for Gibraltar will need the agreement of Spain (which makes practical sense). But it won't hold up the main agreement which it would have done without this statement.
And the great thing is if voters dislike living under a "low tax low public spending Atlanticist" government they can kick them out at the next election
Not if you are a colony like Scotland, only England can chuck them out.
How is Scotland a colony? You've not been conquered, and you voted to stay in the UK.
I mean, granted, it could all have been down to Barnett, but it was still a free vote, won by a clear 10% margin.
********
"We asked the one-time Scottish National Party leader and now Westminster MP about the different heritage with Irish republicanism and why there had never even been a trace of violence in Scottish nationalism.
Mr Salmond replied: “Different traditions. Scotland was never oppressed, or at least not all of Scotland. There were parts of Scotland obviously had a rough time within the Union, the highland clearances."
“It was a partner in Union as opposed to being colonised or planted so it is a different history and different experience."
I've noticed it a few times in London, with Labour party offices not naming the party. I assumed it was something to do with taxpayer funding / the fact that once thy elected they represent everyone. (However they did use red a bit.))
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
The leverage comes from the effect on domestic UK politics. If we look like leaving Gibraltar out in the cold it will weaken May.
That leverage can be neutralised by the UK downplaying the issue in the way I have. "It is just a local practical issue that can be sorted out later". Instead they make a big fuss about it, increasing the leverage. Stupid.
And the great thing is if voters dislike living under a "low tax low public spending Atlanticist" government they can kick them out at the next election
Not if you are a colony like Scotland, only England can chuck them out.
How is Scotland a colony? You've not been conquered, and you voted to stay in the UK.
I mean, granted, it could all have been down to Barnett, but it was still a free vote, won by a clear 10% margin.
********
"We asked the one-time Scottish National Party leader and now Westminster MP about the different heritage with Irish republicanism and why there had never even been a trace of violence in Scottish nationalism.
Mr Salmond replied: “Different traditions. Scotland was never oppressed, or at least not all of Scotland. There were parts of Scotland obviously had a rough time within the Union, the highland clearances."
“It was a partner in Union as opposed to being colonised or planted so it is a different history and different experience."
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
It is so they don't have to keep replacing the windows, they have to make it look like anything other than a Tory office. Despite the delusion on here, they are still reviled in Scotland.
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
It is so they don't have to keep replacing the windows, they have to make it look like anything other than a Tory office. Despite the delusion on here, they are still reviled in Scotland.
Stop being cheeky. It's due to the fact no MSP can put their party/colors on their offices.
Dura_Ace, I think, probably knows more about this than any of us, but it is my understanding that Gibraltar was, and maybe still is, the first and last port of call for RN ships heading South or East.
On my Invincible and Ark Royal cruises in the Med if one hadn't manage to get crabs in Malta or Sigonella then Gibraltar was the last chance before Portsmouth.
I think the EU has done us a favour in taking Gibraltar off the table during the negotiations. Had they not done so, Spain could have held up the negotiations as we approached the exit to WTO to extract concessions on the status of Gibraltar.
"After the United Kingdom leaves the Union, no agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom may apply to the territory of Gibraltar without the agreement between the Kingdom of Spain and the United Kingdom."
So Gibraltar will leave the EU (it isn't currently part of the customs union anyway) and the border conditions and free trade agreement for Gibraltar will need the agreement of Spain (which makes practical sense). But it won't hold up the main agreement which it would have done without this statement.
It is taking leverage away from Spain, not us.
Exactly! Neither the rest of the EU nor the UK want Spain to hold the Brexit deal to hostage over Gibraltar. The UK government can hardly admit to being pleased to wash their hands of Gibraltar, of course...
And the great thing is if voters dislike living under a "low tax low public spending Atlanticist" government they can kick them out at the next election
Not if you are a colony like Scotland, only England can chuck them out.
How is Scotland a colony? You've not been conquered, and you voted to stay in the UK.
I mean, granted, it could all have been down to Barnett, but it was still a free vote, won by a clear 10% margin.
********
"We asked the one-time Scottish National Party leader and now Westminster MP about the different heritage with Irish republicanism and why there had never even been a trace of violence in Scottish nationalism.
Mr Salmond replied: “Different traditions. Scotland was never oppressed, or at least not all of Scotland. There were parts of Scotland obviously had a rough time within the Union, the highland clearances."
“It was a partner in Union as opposed to being colonised or planted so it is a different history and different experience."
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
It is so they don't have to keep replacing the windows, they have to make it look like anything other than a Tory office. Despite the delusion on here, they are still reviled in Scotland.
Stop being cheeky. It's due to the fact no MSP can put their party/colors on their offices.
Typical Tories, everybody has to suffer just to save the Tories replacing their windows every week.
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
It is so they don't have to keep replacing the windows, they have to make it look like anything other than a Tory office. Despite the delusion on here, they are still reviled in Scotland.
Stop being cheeky. It's due to the fact no MSP can put their party/colors on their offices.
Typical Tories, everybody has to suffer just to save the Tories replacing their windows every week.
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
That's the most plausible reason - that the Parliament itself rents an office in each town for the MSP(s) to work out of.
I remember a feature of the MP expenses scandal was how many were renting offices from the local party at higher-than-expected rents, so better for the taxpayer to do it centrally.
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
That's the most plausible reason - that the Parliament itself rents an office in each town for the MSP(s) to work out of.
I remember a feature of the MP expenses scandal was how many were renting offices from the local party at higher-than-expected rents, so better for the taxpayer to do it centrally.
Yep, and it's a central part of their job, so fair enough for it to be paid for centrally.
Agree with the conclusion - and i like the style of the piece but a bit dubious about the use of probabilities.
These are not really independent events... For instance- If Fillon does unexpectedly well - he may be taking votes disproportionately from one of the other front runners...
He also seems to be suggesting chances of a MLP win are very similar to that of Melanchon... Which seems unlikely to be true.
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
It is so they don't have to keep replacing the windows, they have to make it look like anything other than a Tory office. Despite the delusion on here, they are still reviled in Scotland.
Stop being cheeky. It's due to the fact no MSP can put their party/colors on their offices.
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
It is so they don't have to keep replacing the windows, they have to make it look like anything other than a Tory office. Despite the delusion on here, they are still reviled in Scotland.
Stop being cheeky. It's due to the fact no MSP can put their party/colors on their offices.
Typical Tories, everybody has to suffer just to save the Tories replacing their windows every week.
What's the phrase, 'joyous and civic'?
Now you are channeling "Old Rutherford" who is channeling "Scott and Paste". What a day.
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
It is so they don't have to keep replacing the windows, they have to make it look like anything other than a Tory office. Despite the delusion on here, they are still reviled in Scotland.
Stop being cheeky. It's due to the fact no MSP can put their party/colors on their offices.
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
It is so they don't have to keep replacing the windows, they have to make it look like anything other than a Tory office. Despite the delusion on here, they are still reviled in Scotland.
Stop being cheeky. It's due to the fact no MSP can put their party/colors on their offices.
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
It is so they don't have to keep replacing the windows, they have to make it look like anything other than a Tory office. Despite the delusion on here, they are still reviled in Scotland.
Stop being cheeky. It's due to the fact no MSP can put their party/colors on their offices.
Diane Abbot already blaming the Tories/Brexit for Croydon race hate attack.
"Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott suggested the Conservatives had failed to get to grips with hate crime.
She said: "Sadly this is not an isolated incident but part of a sustained increase in hate crimes that this Tory Government is yet to offer any effective response to.""
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
It is so they don't have to keep replacing the windows, they have to make it look like anything other than a Tory office. Despite the delusion on here, they are still reviled in Scotland.
Stop being cheeky. It's due to the fact no MSP can put their party/colors on their offices.
The obligatory bar charts and whining about the EssEnnPee needless to say.
That's the LD campaign office, described in the article as opening in advance of the Holyrood election. It's not a picture of the constituency office of a sitting MSP.
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
It is so they don't have to keep replacing the windows, they have to make it look like anything other than a Tory office. Despite the delusion on here, they are still reviled in Scotland.
Stop being cheeky. It's due to the fact no MSP can put their party/colors on their offices.
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
That's the most plausible reason - that the Parliament itself rents an office in each town for the MSP(s) to work out of.
I remember a feature of the MP expenses scandal was how many were renting offices from the local party at higher-than-expected rents, so better for the taxpayer to do it centrally.
Yep, and it's a central part of their job, so fair enough for it to be paid for centrally.
Save Tories and Labour pocketing the cash or putting it in their chums pockets. They had to do same with Taxi's as well, no more using them to visit relatives due to Tories abusing it.
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
It is so they don't have to keep replacing the windows, they have to make it look like anything other than a Tory office. Despite the delusion on here, they are still reviled in Scotland.
Stop being cheeky. It's due to the fact no MSP can put their party/colors on their offices.
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
It is so they don't have to keep replacing the windows, they have to make it look like anything other than a Tory office. Despite the delusion on here, they are still reviled in Scotland.
Stop being cheeky. It's due to the fact no MSP can put their party/colors on their offices.
Diane Abbot already blaming the Tories/Brexit for Croydon race hate attack.
"Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott suggested the Conservatives had failed to get to grips with hate crime.
She said: "Sadly this is not an isolated incident but part of a sustained increase in hate crimes that this Tory Government is yet to offer any effective response to.""
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
It is so they don't have to keep replacing the windows, they have to make it look like anything other than a Tory office. Despite the delusion on here, they are still reviled in Scotland.
Stop being cheeky. It's due to the fact no MSP can put their party/colors on their offices.
Dura_Ace, I think, probably knows more about this than any of us, but it is my understanding that Gibraltar was, and maybe still is, the first and last port of call for RN ships heading South or East.
On my Invincible and Ark Royal cruises in the Med if one hadn't manage to get crabs in Malta or Sigonella then Gibraltar was the last chance before Portsmouth.
Did the missus buy that you can get crabs off a toilet seat?
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
It is so they don't have to keep replacing the windows, they have to make it look like anything other than a Tory office. Despite the delusion on here, they are still reviled in Scotland.
Stop being cheeky. It's due to the fact no MSP can put their party/colors on their offices.
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
It is so they don't have to keep replacing the windows, they have to make it look like anything other than a Tory office. Despite the delusion on here, they are still reviled in Scotland.
Stop being cheeky. It's due to the fact no MSP can put their party/colors on their offices.
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
It is so they don't have to keep replacing the windows, they have to make it look like anything other than a Tory office. Despite the delusion on here, they are still reviled in Scotland.
Stop being cheeky. It's due to the fact no MSP can put their party/colors on their offices.
Diane Abbot already blaming the Tories/Brexit for Croydon race hate attack.
"Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott suggested the Conservatives had failed to get to grips with hate crime.
She said: "Sadly this is not an isolated incident but part of a sustained increase in hate crimes that this Tory Government is yet to offer any effective response to.""
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
It is so they don't have to keep replacing the windows, they have to make it look like anything other than a Tory office. Despite the delusion on here, they are still reviled in Scotland.
Stop being cheeky. It's due to the fact no MSP can put their party/colors on their offices.
Diane Abbot already blaming the Tories/Brexit for Croydon race hate attack.
"Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott suggested the Conservatives had failed to get to grips with hate crime.
She said: "Sadly this is not an isolated incident but part of a sustained increase in hate crimes that this Tory Government is yet to offer any effective response to.""
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
It is so they don't have to keep replacing the windows, they have to make it look like anything other than a Tory office. Despite the delusion on here, they are still reviled in Scotland.
Stop being cheeky. It's due to the fact no MSP can put their party/colors on their offices.
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
It is so they don't have to keep replacing the windows, they have to make it look like anything other than a Tory office. Despite the delusion on here, they are still reviled in Scotland.
Which only reinforces the view that it is the Scottish population that have a problem with understanding politics, relationships, change and the modern world.
Spain has a land border with Gibraltar. In order to take it back if the Spanish marched in we would lieralky have to invade Spain! What the hell is going on in Hard Brexitland? There does seem to be a genuine bloodlust-driven madness taking over. In the real world, of course, all that's happened is that the Spanish have a veto on whether any Brexit deal would apply to Gibraltar.
Ha! Indeed, a quick Google looks like they have a standard purple facade for a number of MSP offices, with no mention of party affiliation on any of them!
Probably paid for by the Parliament - cheaper to change the name if the MSP changes than redecorate the entire thing.
It is so they don't have to keep replacing the windows, they have to make it look like anything other than a Tory office. Despite the delusion on here, they are still reviled in Scotland.
Stop being cheeky. It's due to the fact no MSP can put their party/colors on their offices.
Diane Abbot already blaming the Tories/Brexit for Croydon race hate attack.
"Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott suggested the Conservatives had failed to get to grips with hate crime.
She said: "Sadly this is not an isolated incident but part of a sustained increase in hate crimes that this Tory Government is yet to offer any effective response to.""
Spain has a land border with Gibraltar. In order to take it back if the Spanish marched in we would lieralky have to invade Spain! What the hell is going on in Hard Brexitland? There does seem to be a genuine bloodlust-driven madness taking over. In the real world, of course, all that's happened is that the Spanish have a veto on whether any Brexit deal would apply to Gibraltar.
I doubt Spain would ever do that, unless something drastically changed in their domestic politics.
Edit: and we wouldn't be invading Spain, just Gibraltar.
Dura_Ace, I think, probably knows more about this than any of us, but it is my understanding that Gibraltar was, and maybe still is, the first and last port of call for RN ships heading South or East.
On my Invincible and Ark Royal cruises in the Med if one hadn't manage to get crabs in Malta or Sigonella then Gibraltar was the last chance before Portsmouth.
Did the missus buy that you can get crabs off a toilet seat?
I didn't get married until I left!
On my USN exchange tour one of my squadron mates got some infection off an Uzbek pro in Bahrain. It was horrific - there was practically toadstools growing on his glans. He successfully faked clinical depression for nine months to avoid knocking the nail in at home while he experimented with LD50 doses of every possible fungicide and antibiotic.
Spain has a land border with Gibraltar. In order to take it back if the Spanish marched in we would lieralky have to invade Spain! What the hell is going on in Hard Brexitland? There does seem to be a genuine bloodlust-driven madness taking over. In the real world, of course, all that's happened is that the Spanish have a veto on whether any Brexit deal would apply to Gibraltar.
In my real world he just said we would stand by the people of Gibraltar with the same resolve as we did those of the Falklands. Possibly a clumsy analogy as it gives people with an agenda rope to sensationalise, but he didn't advocate war with Spain
Spain has a land border with Gibraltar. In order to take it back if the Spanish marched in we would lieralky have to invade Spain! What the hell is going on in Hard Brexitland? There does seem to be a genuine bloodlust-driven madness taking over. In the real world, of course, all that's happened is that the Spanish have a veto on whether any Brexit deal would apply to Gibraltar.
I doubt Spain would ever do that, unless something drastically changed in their domestic politics.
Of course Spain won't. It is a civilised democracy, an ally, a friend and an important trading partner. That Hard Brexiteers like Michael Howard are even prepared to talk about this shows how unreasoned their thinking has become. Global, outward looking Britain is supposed to be about making friends, not creating enemies, isn't it?
Howard is a silly old man. Unless it is part of a deliberate tactic by the WTOers to fire up anti-EU feeling, using any excuse, to feed the "let's just walk away" campaign.
Spain has a land border with Gibraltar. In order to take it back if the Spanish marched in we would lieralky have to invade Spain! What the hell is going on in Hard Brexitland? There does seem to be a genuine bloodlust-driven madness taking over. In the real world, of course, all that's happened is that the Spanish have a veto on whether any Brexit deal would apply to Gibraltar.
I doubt Spain would ever do that, unless something drastically changed in their domestic politics.
Of course Spain won't. It is a civilised democracy, an ally, a friend and an important trading partner. That Hard Brexiteers like Michael Howard are even prepared to talk about this shows how unreasoned their thinking has become. Global, outward looking Britain is supposed to be about making friends, not creating enemies, isn't it?
I don't think Spain has ever been a friend when it comes to Gibraltar!
Spain has a land border with Gibraltar. In order to take it back if the Spanish marched in we would lieralky have to invade Spain! What the hell is going on in Hard Brexitland? There does seem to be a genuine bloodlust-driven madness taking over. In the real world, of course, all that's happened is that the Spanish have a veto on whether any Brexit deal would apply to Gibraltar.
I doubt Spain would ever do that, unless something drastically changed in their domestic politics.
Of course Spain won't. It is a civilised democracy, an ally, a friend and an important trading partner. That Hard Brexiteers like Michael Howard are even prepared to talk about this shows how unreasoned their thinking has become. Global, outward looking Britain is supposed to be about making friends, not creating enemies, isn't it?
I don't think Spain has ever been a friend when it comes to Gibraltar!
They're 'Spanish speaking' so clearly no different to the Argies anyway...
Spain has a land border with Gibraltar. In order to take it back if the Spanish marched in we would lieralky have to invade Spain! What the hell is going on in Hard Brexitland? There does seem to be a genuine bloodlust-driven madness taking over. In the real world, of course, all that's happened is that the Spanish have a veto on whether any Brexit deal would apply to Gibraltar.
I doubt Spain would ever do that, unless something drastically changed in their domestic politics.
Of course Spain won't. It is a civilised democracy, an ally, a friend and an important trading partner. That Hard Brexiteers like Michael Howard are even prepared to talk about this shows how unreasoned their thinking has become. Global, outward looking Britain is supposed to be about making friends, not creating enemies, isn't it?
I don't think Spain has ever been a friend when it comes to Gibraltar!
They're 'Spanish speaking' so clearly no different to the Argies anyway...
Spain has a land border with Gibraltar. In order to take it back if the Spanish marched in we would lieralky have to invade Spain! What the hell is going on in Hard Brexitland? There does seem to be a genuine bloodlust-driven madness taking over. In the real world, of course, all that's happened is that the Spanish have a veto on whether any Brexit deal would apply to Gibraltar.
If the Spanish "marched in" they'd have declared war on us! Of course we would need to invade Spain if that happened. Which is why it won't happen, unless like with the Falklands other nations cease to believe we will defend our territory.
On topic... I disagree that the value bet is in this market is a lay of Le Pen. In fact, I would go as far as to say that her odds are the closest to being correct, in terms of looking at it from the perspective of where things will stand when the first round result is known in 3 weeks time.
If it were Le Pen v Macron and I had 10k green on Macron and no win on Le Pen, would I sacrifice 2k on Le Pen at odds of 5, to give myself a guaranteed win of 7.5-8k? Yes, like a shot and so would many others. That is why her price is likely to be lower than 5 if she makes it through. That doesn't mean that I think that price correctly reflects her chances of winning, because I would put her chances of winning against Macron at less than 10%.
On the other hand, if it were Le Pen v Fillon or Melenchon then her actual chances improve greatly, so her price would drop much lower than 5.
The current odds on this market are all over the place. Macron, if he gets through are likely to to be around 1.3 and as Mr Meeks suggests, his chances of doing so must be pretty likely, therefore he is exceptionally good value, from both a betting and a trading perspective at his current price of 1.68
Fillon is the lay of the market. I would agree with Mr Meeks assessment of a 12% chance of making it thorugh to the next round and, if he does, it is probably a 50/50 chance of whether he faces Macron or Le Pen. If he faces Macron, his odds are likely to be no better than 4.5. I don't subscribe to the view that if he makes it thorugh, his popularity will have improved greatly. His likeliest route to the final is in a tight 3 way finish for 2nd place with all 3 around 20%
Melenchon at 55 is also exceptional value at the moment. From polling around 11%, his performance in the last TV debate gave him momentum which has taken him to 16% in one poll, just one point behind Fillon. If he were able to put in a similar performance in tuesday's TV debate, it is quite probable that there will be at least one poll showing him level with or even ahead of Fillon by the end of this week. If so, what price Melenchon then?
Spain has a land border with Gibraltar. In order to take it back if the Spanish marched in we would lieralky have to invade Spain! What the hell is going on in Hard Brexitland? There does seem to be a genuine bloodlust-driven madness taking over. In the real world, of course, all that's happened is that the Spanish have a veto on whether any Brexit deal would apply to Gibraltar.
If the Spanish "marched in" they'd have declared war on us! Of course we would need to invade Spain if that happened. Which is why it won't happen, unless like with the Falklands other nations cease to believe we will defend our territory.
I'm afraid we do not have the capacity to invade Spain.
Powerless old man makes promises he won't have to keep non-shocker.
Howard's warmongering is still damn stupid though. Cheaper to pay Russian hackers to help the Basque separatists.
TMay should tell the Spanish if they don't cut it out she'll give Scotland another Indyref
It's not the Spanish who are making an issue out of this - even though their leverage on Gibraltar has been reduced by Tusk taking it off the agenda of the main negotiation.
Spain has a land border with Gibraltar. In order to take it back if the Spanish marched in we would lieralky have to invade Spain! What the hell is going on in Hard Brexitland? There does seem to be a genuine bloodlust-driven madness taking over. In the real world, of course, all that's happened is that the Spanish have a veto on whether any Brexit deal would apply to Gibraltar.
If the Spanish "marched in" they'd have declared war on us! Of course we would need to invade Spain if that happened. Which is why it won't happen, unless like with the Falklands other nations cease to believe we will defend our territory.
I'm afraid we do not have the capacity to invade Spain.
We would not invade Spain, just send British forces to defend Gibraltar as we did with the Falklands, although it is a highly unlikely scenario given Rajoy is hardly comparable with the Argentine Fascist junta in power then
Is that an official constituency office? Doesn't sound as though it is since it was only opened for the election.
It is in fact the LD constituency office, still with big cheesy pics of the MSP on the front window. If that's allowed I'm at a loss why 'popular' Ruthy has missed an opportunity for self promotion.
Is that an official constituency office? Doesn't sound as though it is since it was only opened for the election.
It is in fact the LD constituency office, still with big cheesy pics of the MSP on the front window. If that's allowed I'm at a loss why 'popular' Ruthy has missed an opportunity for self promotion.
The rules on MSP offices were posted downthread. Granted, they have only just been introduced. No party colors or logos.
Leave backer Howard also said he was prepared to see some limited payments continuing to the EU to get access to the single market for key sectors of the economy like the City but the UK would do OK under WTO terms if trade had to continue on that basis
Spain has a land border with Gibraltar. In order to take it back if the Spanish marched in we would lieralky have to invade Spain! What the hell is going on in Hard Brexitland? There does seem to be a genuine bloodlust-driven madness taking over. In the real world, of course, all that's happened is that the Spanish have a veto on whether any Brexit deal would apply to Gibraltar.
In my real world he just said we would stand by the people of Gibraltar with the same resolve as we did those of the Falklands. Possibly a clumsy analogy as it gives people with an agenda rope to sensationalise, but he didn't advocate war with Spain
Well quite, but that will not stop the usual suspects from perverting what was actually said. Next we’ll be comparing military superiority and who’d win....
Spain has a land border with Gibraltar. In order to take it back if the Spanish marched in we would lieralky have to invade Spain! What the hell is going on in Hard Brexitland? There does seem to be a genuine bloodlust-driven madness taking over. In the real world, of course, all that's happened is that the Spanish have a veto on whether any Brexit deal would apply to Gibraltar.
If the Spanish "marched in" they'd have declared war on us! Of course we would need to invade Spain if that happened. Which is why it won't happen, unless like with the Falklands other nations cease to believe we will defend our territory.
I'm afraid we do not have the capacity to invade Spain.
We would not invade Spain, just send British forces to defend Gibraltar as we did with the Falklands, although it is a highly unlikely scenario given Rajoy is hardly comparable with the Argentine Fascist junta in power then
That would involve getting troops there and landing them on territory held by an enemy with a professional army in possession of unbroken, land-based lines of communication. The Falklands it would not be.
But of course there will be no war. The madness is that Hard Brexiteers are prepared to discuss it as a scenario.
Spain has a land border with Gibraltar. In order to take it back if the Spanish marched in we would lieralky have to invade Spain! What the hell is going on in Hard Brexitland? There does seem to be a genuine bloodlust-driven madness taking over. In the real world, of course, all that's happened is that the Spanish have a veto on whether any Brexit deal would apply to Gibraltar.
In my real world he just said we would stand by the people of Gibraltar with the same resolve as we did those of the Falklands. Possibly a clumsy analogy as it gives people with an agenda rope to sensationalise, but he didn't advocate war with Spain
Well quite, but that will not stop the usual suspects from perverting what was actually said. Next we’ll be comparing military superiority and who’d win....
Is that an official constituency office? Doesn't sound as though it is since it was only opened for the election.
It is in fact the LD constituency office, still with big cheesy pics of the MSP on the front window. If that's allowed I'm at a loss why 'popular' Ruthy has missed an opportunity for self promotion.
Now he is an MSP it has the same standard design as everyone elses.. SNP shop next door!
Is that an official constituency office? Doesn't sound as though it is since it was only opened for the election.
It is in fact the LD constituency office, still with big cheesy pics of the MSP on the front window. If that's allowed I'm at a loss why 'popular' Ruthy has missed an opportunity for self promotion.
Now he is an MSP it has the same standard design as everyone elses.. SNP shop next door!
Spain has a land border with Gibraltar. In order to take it back if the Spanish marched in we would lieralky have to invade Spain! What the hell is going on in Hard Brexitland? There does seem to be a genuine bloodlust-driven madness taking over. In the real world, of course, all that's happened is that the Spanish have a veto on whether any Brexit deal would apply to Gibraltar.
In my real world he just said we would stand by the people of Gibraltar with the same resolve as we did those of the Falklands. Possibly a clumsy analogy as it gives people with an agenda rope to sensationalise, but he didn't advocate war with Spain
Well quite, but that will not stop the usual suspects from perverting what was actually said. Next we’ll be comparing military superiority and who’d win....
Is that an official constituency office? Doesn't sound as though it is since it was only opened for the election.
It is in fact the LD constituency office, still with big cheesy pics of the MSP on the front window. If that's allowed I'm at a loss why 'popular' Ruthy has missed an opportunity for self promotion.
It's the LD office, paid for by the local Lib Dems, with big cheesy pics of their candidate in the forthcoming MSP election. Hint: the photo was taken, as it says in the article, four months before the election.
An MSP office is different, it's paid for by Scottish taxpayers and the SNP government rolled out a party-neutral style guide for MSP office branding, to take effect after the 2016 elections.
Spain has a land border with Gibraltar. In order to take it back if the Spanish marched in we would lieralky have to invade Spain! What the hell is going on in Hard Brexitland? There does seem to be a genuine bloodlust-driven madness taking over. In the real world, of course, all that's happened is that the Spanish have a veto on whether any Brexit deal would apply to Gibraltar.
In my real world he just said we would stand by the people of Gibraltar with the same resolve as we did those of the Falklands. Possibly a clumsy analogy as it gives people with an agenda rope to sensationalise, but he didn't advocate war with Spain
Standing by Gibraltar in the same way that we stood by the Falklands involves armed conflict.
Spain has a land border with Gibraltar. In order to take it back if the Spanish marched in we would lieralky have to invade Spain! What the hell is going on in Hard Brexitland? There does seem to be a genuine bloodlust-driven madness taking over. In the real world, of course, all that's happened is that the Spanish have a veto on whether any Brexit deal would apply to Gibraltar.
In my real world he just said we would stand by the people of Gibraltar with the same resolve as we did those of the Falklands. Possibly a clumsy analogy as it gives people with an agenda rope to sensationalise, but he didn't advocate war with Spain
Well quite, but that will not stop the usual suspects from perverting what was actually said. Next we’ll be comparing military superiority and who’d win....
That sequence of posts was almost uncanny... Well done!!
Comments
It smacks a bit of Eastern Roman tinkering. An early emperor reduced the numbers in a legion to 1,000. Not for a military reason, but so the roll call of legions would sound more impressive because it'd be longer.
He was a failure as part of the SNP leadership, his strategy got the SNP no where close to a referendum and he harbours deep bitterness that the gradualist wing is in power and producing results.
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In my view, it's the more "soft power" ones. Britain, like Germany, Sweden and Poland for example are strongly Atlanticist. Britain could act as something of bridge, which it was doing before. It is firm on Russia, which is a big issue for a number of cointries. It can offer something on security.
The problem is that Theresa May in particular has taken a resolutely transactional approach. Britain will lose those battles every time with the EU. She should go for a bigger picture approach: how can we work together? what can we offer you?
AM. Thanks for the betting article. Good to see some percentage chances being analysed in a thread header.
https://twitter.com/kwr66/status/848134076741689345
Probably something subliminal about using Kipper purple mind.
"After the United Kingdom leaves the Union, no agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom may apply to the territory of Gibraltar without the agreement between the Kingdom of Spain and the United Kingdom."
So Gibraltar will leave the EU (it isn't currently part of the customs union anyway) and the border conditions and free trade agreement for Gibraltar will need the agreement of Spain (which makes practical sense). But it won't hold up the main agreement which it would have done without this statement.
It is taking leverage away from Spain, not us.
http://aberdeensnp.org/sites/default/files/images/McDonald, Mark_ Constituency office.jpg
And another, more colorful version:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C0XQd4TXUAARl4_.jpg
I mean, granted, it could all have been down to Barnett, but it was still a free vote, won by a clear 10% margin.
********
"We asked the one-time Scottish National Party leader and now Westminster MP about the different heritage with Irish republicanism and why there had never even been a trace of violence in Scottish nationalism.
Mr Salmond replied: “Different traditions. Scotland was never oppressed, or at least not all of Scotland. There were parts of Scotland obviously had a rough time within the Union, the highland clearances."
“It was a partner in Union as opposed to being colonised or planted so it is a different history and different experience."
http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/alex-salmond/salmond-scots-nationalism-not-violent-due-to-no-oppression-1-4404744
There you go: "partners in Union," not a colony.
I remember a feature of the MP expenses scandal was how many were renting offices from the local party at higher-than-expected rents, so better for the taxpayer to do it centrally.
These are not really independent events... For instance- If Fillon does unexpectedly well - he may be taking votes disproportionately from one of the other front runners...
He also seems to be suggesting chances of a MLP win are very similar to that of Melanchon... Which seems unlikely to be true.
http://tinyurl.com/mxn3xuy
The obligatory bar charts and whining about the EssEnnPee needless to say.
"Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott suggested the Conservatives had failed to get to grips with hate crime.
She said: "Sadly this is not an isolated incident but part of a sustained increase in hate crimes that this Tory Government is yet to offer any effective response to.""
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/01/teenage-asylum-seeker-critically-hospital-brutal-gang-attack/
They'll be telling us the SNP EU Policy next...
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/racist-hate-crime-against-black-african-students-must-end-amnesty-international-4591332/
https://twitter.com/telegraph/status/848473797808316417
https://www.facebook.com/TheGoatPubShirley/
http://www.parliament.scot/images/Parliament Publications/SP_Office_Signage_Info_Sheet_8pp_-_Jul_2016_(web).pdf
No party references allowed and no renting offices from your party either. Quite sensible IMO.
Edit: and we wouldn't be invading Spain, just Gibraltar.
On my USN exchange tour one of my squadron mates got some infection off an Uzbek pro in Bahrain. It was horrific - there was practically toadstools growing on his glans. He successfully faked clinical depression for nine months to avoid knocking the nail in at home while he experimented with LD50 doses of every possible fungicide and antibiotic.
If it were Le Pen v Macron and I had 10k green on Macron and no win on Le Pen, would I sacrifice 2k on Le Pen at odds of 5, to give myself a guaranteed win of 7.5-8k? Yes, like a shot and so would many others. That is why her price is likely to be lower than 5 if she makes it through. That doesn't mean that I think that price correctly reflects her chances of winning, because I would put her chances of winning against Macron at less than 10%.
On the other hand, if it were Le Pen v Fillon or Melenchon then her actual chances improve greatly, so her price would drop much lower than 5.
The current odds on this market are all over the place. Macron, if he gets through are likely to to be around 1.3 and as Mr Meeks suggests, his chances of doing so must be pretty likely, therefore he is exceptionally good value, from both a betting and a trading perspective at his current price of 1.68
Fillon is the lay of the market. I would agree with Mr Meeks assessment of a 12% chance of making it thorugh to the next round and, if he does, it is probably a 50/50 chance of whether he faces Macron or Le Pen. If he faces Macron, his odds are likely to be no better than 4.5. I don't subscribe to the view that if he makes it thorugh, his popularity will have improved greatly. His likeliest route to the final is in a tight 3 way finish for 2nd place with all 3 around 20%
Melenchon at 55 is also exceptional value at the moment. From polling around 11%, his performance in the last TV debate gave him momentum which has taken him to 16% in one poll, just one point behind Fillon. If he were able to put in a similar performance in tuesday's TV debate, it is quite probable that there will be at least one poll showing him level with or even ahead of Fillon by the end of this week. If so, what price Melenchon then?
But of course there will be no war. The madness is that Hard Brexiteers are prepared to discuss it as a scenario.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.9429127,-3.2840456,3a,75y,181.86h,91.9t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spOAs-cYcvNP6Hs1F3feFcQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1
An MSP office is different, it's paid for by Scottish taxpayers and the SNP government rolled out a party-neutral style guide for MSP office branding, to take effect after the 2016 elections.
http://www.parliament.scot/images/Parliament Publications/SP_Office_Signage_Info_Sheet_8pp_-_Jul_2016_(web).pdf