Tuesday 29 September 2009

No Scottish Embassies Post Independence? And other ramblings of a Scottish Quisling




Here is a letter that appeared in yesterday’s edition of the Dundee Evening Telegraph:

Independence dream in tatters?

After year upon year of talking about the wish for independence from the United Kingdom, we learn that Scotland without the UK would not establish its own worldwide consular service.

Instead, an independent Scotland would hope to rent a room at the British Embassy.

What an admission. Presumably the rent costs would be met with Alex Salmond’s billions from what is euphemistically called “Scottish Oil”. It begs the question, with the money he said we would have, why can’t we afford embassies?

And if that wasn’t a smack in the face for the independence dreamers, what about the other one, “Independence in Europe”?

The latest from Brussels is an independent Scotland would not walk into membership of the EU without being part of the UK as it is very likely the other 27 member states would veto Scottish membership without the UK. — Eck Setterra.


I’m posting this because after reading it I cringed at the stupidity of some of my fellow Dundonians, but laterally came to realise that this is a good example of the sort of mindset that has to be overcome if we are to obtain our freedom. Talk about clutching at straws or in this case any ridiculous argument to legitimise the continued overrule of our country from abroad (Englandshire for those of you not in the know).

It starts off well enough with a good question from Mr Setterra (Do you think that’s his real name?) and I was looking forward to an interesting answer. But no, instead we get some half baked claptrap about not having our own consular representatives in foreign countries. In case you don’t know off the top of your head that would meant 193 (I’m not counting Taiwan) ambassadors and embassies plus diplomatic staff, cars, security and so on (Dare I say et cetera??). Quite a tall order for Mr Salmond’s billions (as he puts it). Never mind the obvious fact that the oil billions are ours (the Scots) and not Mr Salmonds personal piggy bank. I for one don’t want the oil money squandered on a load of high living freeloaders who do nothing for most of the time except attend parties and drinks and functions at our expense. A bit like the royal family only a lot of the current British ones live better than the royal family but without the blue blood. You ask “why can’t we afford embassies” that answer which you yourself more or less give is that we can (or will) be able to afford them. But while parts of Scotland are some of the most deprived parts of the EU, while our sick still have to pay for prescription charges (not for very much longer thank you SNP) and while our elderly are living on a niggardly pittance given them by an out of touch minister in a foreign country we would rather spend our money on social justice. I imagine that will go doubly for the oil money when we get it because we will have to undo centuries of misrule.

Mr Setterra how is it euphemistically Scotland’s oil? Euphemistically means the act of substituting a mild, indirect or vague expression for one though to be offensive, harsh or blunt. What is the offensive phrase for which you are substituting “Scottish Oil”. I’m jiggered if I can think of one. I’m also unable to fathom how that phrase is mild, indirect or vague or indeed anything other than a fact.

The final bit of Mr Setterra’s letter relates I guess to the article that appeared the day before (28/09/09) in the Scotsman:

http://news.scotsman.com/scottishindependence/Doubts-over-automatic-EU-entry.3335953.jp

It actually says that there would need to be negotiations regarding Scotland’s entry into the EU after it becomes independent. I don’t think the SNP ever claimed that there would be no negotiations at all. So it all depends on your definition of the word seamless. As we know Mr Setterra is on shaky ground when it comes to defining words. The rest of this article is based on research done by a law student at Hull University 10 years ago in 1999. I’m wondering if Mr Setterra is hostile to the EU after all if the UK left just think how many more embassies would be needed.

I’m just wondering whether Eck Setterra is a euphemism for something else?

87 comments:

  1. Mung..

    Well the details in the wording but in this case Mr Buzzerlocks is all over the place.

    This argument about Scotland not being admitted into Europe shows up about once a year. Its almost like Mothers day and is an annual event.

    The 3 Baltic states, Hungary, Bulgaria are all now admitted into Europe and Poland.

    Scotland being a well developed nation (well compared to Poland etc) would have no problem getting into Europe.

    Some say it could set of a chain reaction and Catalonia could be next to follow Scotland etc, well if they vote to detach themselves from Spain then why not ?

    If Scotland can rent rooms in the British embassies (which we also paid for) then im all for that. Its called efficiency savings.

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  2. Excellent post Munguin.

    Typically, someone is up to high doh about a stupid, piddling status matter of Embassies. You hear it over and over agin. "When Scotland is independent they won't have any influence in the world, they won't sit at the top table. Alex Salmond won't be invited to talks at the Whitehouse."

    So what? When Scotland is independent a lot of things will change, like better hospitals and schools, and more money for heating pensioners' houses. The loss of embassies in Niger, Mauritania or Burkino Faso is the last thing that should be worrying our citizens.

    No small country has embassies in almost every country in the world. That the UK has, is a matter of status. Her Britannic Majesty must be represented everywhere. The cost of these places is incredible, and in many countries they do very little of any good.

    Of course it is necessary to have representation in countries which have important trading links with your own. But having embassies in 196 countries is an affectation of importance.

    One of the things that could be looked at in the round of cuts ahead, could indeed be this massive waste of money. A lot of it is, as you say Munguin, flitting off to a round of parties in a chauffeured Rolls Royce, wearing the right dinner suits/dresses, etc, and having a jolly social life with reresentatives of other friendly nations. Anyone for tennis?

    In the current financial straits the UK should look at sharing facilities with France or Germany or other equal partners. (Not, however, with the US, or their ambassador might find himself in charge of making the tea.) Otherwise it really does start to look like "fur coats and nae knickers".

    Scotland's "euphemistic" oil money ??? would be better spent in lifting people out of poverty. It's a beyond sad that around 300 people die every year in Scotland because of the cold, and most of them are pensioners. The comparative figure for Norway, a far colder place, is 0.

    "Euphemistically" speaking the Telegraph correspondent is a wee bit of a turnip methinks.

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  3. AMW: Exactly, it’s one of the most crap pathetic arguments I have ever heard.

    So we might have to count our oil wealth in Euros rather than Pounds Sterling, but who would want to retain the Great British pound. The Irish didn’t, so I imagine we wont either.

    We can ditch the Tory/UKIP mindset that sees Europe as co-opting their Great British sovereignty. Naturally negotiations will need to take place, nobody ever said they would not.

    Thanks very much to Mathew Happold for your very shoddy and half baked opinion on the future of Scotland in Europe as viewed from Hull. (Commissioned by John Prescott methinks??). A report now outdated as well as wrong, that can be dug up every year and given a good flogging in the pages of the Scotsman.

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  4. Tris: yea how stupid can you be thinking we need all these excellencies in order to keep Britain at the top table. Totally preposterous that Great Britain should squander money on these frills and fripperies it would be unforgivable for an independent Scotland to waste money like this. I would rather we flushed it down the loo than tried to keep up with England.

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  5. The interesting question is, would England be admitted to the EU, either independently, or as a rump-GB? Or rather, would the English vote to remain? I feel that Scotland is more pro-EU than England, so perhaps we would be more welcomed.

    It's all tosh anyway, seeing as the EU wants to enlarge all the time, of course they wouldn't want Scotland ex-EU, 'specially with control of a large chunk of the North Sea's oil.

    The oil has never got my juices flowing actually. Regardless of the empty 'whose oil is it anyway?' debate, Scottish Independence rests on its people, their work, their wishes, their votes. North Sea Oil has never turned the UK into a paradise on Earth, and as time ticks by, the use of oil as a fuel becomes less acceptable. Now wind, hydro, and tidal power, that way lies the future and Scotland should embrace it. We could produce surplus and help England out!

    Likewise for the embassies, never could really get my dander up for them. Scotland is unlikely to become a major power on the world stage, and thank Oor Wullie for that! We may never have to send our sodjers away to fight pointless wars in distant wee countries either.

    Sounds like wee Eck Setterra's just a euphemism for Labour policy!

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  6. Thanks for that S/P. Yes I agree the oil is a convenient sideshow, after all there was no oil last time we were a nation. All of us seem to agree that we want a more social Scotland that cares more about ordinary people than about its position at top tables and at international conferences.

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  7. Munguin, presumably you have written back and corrected the poor misguided Eck Settera... Etceter?

    letters@eveningtelegraph.co.uk

    Iain Blande is a good name to use for your reply...

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  8. M/B I will e-mail them the above. But I wont hold my breath waiting for them to publish it. I imagine that if they did it would take up the whole letters page. Best way of maintaining annonimity is to use the name of someone nobody knows: how about Iain Gray??

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  9. I could have warned you about Dundonians Munguin, especially those who have voted labour all their lives.

    Do I detect a whiff of labour councillor in this drivel? Maybe yes, maybe no. :)

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  10. Good possibility Subrosa.

    It's stupid enough I guess.

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  11. S/R it may be a councillor, but I suspect it is more likely to be Fraser Macpherson the Lib Dem Councillor for the West End. He is by far and away the most slimy item on the council. I remember also a scandal involving him, which I believe involved a big issue salesman down a dark alley one night. According to Macpherson he was discussing constituency issues, but it is widely believed that Mr M had something else in mind. I will leave you to guess what. Anyway the big issue salesman took umbrage at the tone of the discussion and smacked Mr M in the gob. Mr M apparently tried to get the whole thing hushed up by asking D C Thomson not to print it, of course that was a red rag to a bull and for quite a while there after whenever his name was mentioned it reminded its readers of the scandal. I cannot remember exact details, dates etc so may be wrong on a few points. Maybe you remember it S/R.

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  12. (Commissioned by John Prescott methinks??).

    Ah the pot thickens!!!

    No way Scotland would be booted out of Europe, we have the oil capital and about half of Europe's wind potential, they need us lol.

    Its just all Unionist spin. They said the same sort of stuff about the USA not liking an independent Scotland blah blah blah.

    We are on the march, we are Mungs army.

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  13. LOL Spook. The wee furry leader will take us on to independence in his armour plated Rolls.

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  14. I don't think we would be booted out nor do I think the mere fact of gaining independence would be considered as us having de facto left. Insted we would be in limbo as it were, until we could negotiate our fuller participation or not as the case may be. We do not need a transition period as we already operate EU law.

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  15. Tossers all of you

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  16. hey Anon,

    Is that a considered opinion based on a careful consideration of the facts, or just and off the top of the head sort of thing?

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  17. Special Branch is watching you

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  18. Well, it's high time they were doing something a bit more useful for their money. They get paid way too much anyway.

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  19. Does TRIS stand for Tossers Rule In Scotland?

    It would seem so after May 5th.

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  20. Erm, did you think that up all by yourself or did someone help you, Anon?

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  21. Think Munguin is Kevin Cordell or someone mad like that.

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  22. hello, how are you all? The United Kingdom is a good idea, don't you think?

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  23. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=703v6U5reNE

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  24. Hey Mungo, why are you having a go at Fraser macPherson? He may be a bum boy, but so is the MSP for Dundee West.

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  25. Anon:
    I've payed along with your game for a while because I though you were trying to be amusing. It seems you took advantage of this and are now being offensive.

    It's purile nonsense. I might not agree with Mr MacPherson's politics but his private life is no business of mine, or I assume, yours, unless you are his wife.

    I'm not putting any more offensive posts up.

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  26. Good on ya Tris. There was me thinking it was just salmond and his haggis face that got you going. Why are independence pushers so aggressive? Relax and think of Norway. In bed at 9 pm, no sense of humour and £8 for a pint. And it's bloody cold.

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  27. No Anon. I get going about many things. But I also get bored easily, so while I'm happy having a bit of a laugh, I get cheesed off if it goes too far.

    Norway is OK. It's not the end of the world to pay £8 or a pint if you get paid huge amounts of money, and think of how nice it would be if no old and sick peope would die of the cold...and bed by 9?

    Well that's a personal choice but they said that about Switzerland, but in fact it wasn't true....

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  28. Jeezo. Imagine bein' merrit tae you.

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  29. I don't recall asking you. ;¬)

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  30. Trissy, what do you think of the Israeli/Palestinian thing? Is Munguin an Iranian?

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  31. PS Trissy. Google Chrome says Norway is the most expensive place in Europe to stay. A Salmond Esq would take that title for Scotland.I don't trust his bawface.

    Anon

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  32. Never believed in Darwins Theory until I saw the SNP group photo of all their Holyrood members. I think Mungo is C Cashley or his daft mother.

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  33. A Scottish QuislingMay 25, 2011 10:30 pm

    Well, stone me. Nobody's talking. Except me! Come back Couttsie, all is forgiven.

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  34. 1. Tend to agree with Obama.
    2. No
    3. Nothing wrong with being expensive if you have their kind of money. I've a Norwegian friend. He says life is pretty luxurious. I'd be happy with that. Have you travelled much?
    4.Well there you are. You have developed a bit. I thought no one believed in the 6 days thing any more, not even the Pope.

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  35. Trissy. How about six days with you in Norway? That would be a buzz!

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  36. KK Cool. I like to travel first class though...:)

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  37. I'll need your address to pick you up.

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  38. Lovely, I'll send it to you in private.

    ;¬)

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  39. Tris, just like a woman. Promises, promises

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  40. Maybes yeah and maybes no, bit I is a bloke....


    ....what are you?

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  41. Well I'm certainly not Fraser Macpherson. Im not Kenny Guild. I'm not an SNP supporter. I'm just me. Tris is a funny name for a man. Or is it tristan. Da Cuna, perhaps. "I is", are you dusky?

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  42. It's somewhat of a relief to know that you are neither of the above two... ye gads! They are bth "run a mile from" material, wouldn't you say, quite apart from their gender. Yawn.

    Tristan indeed; you'll no doubt be familiar with the name from your Wagner ... 'Tristan und Isolde'.

    No, 'I is' was a joke, possibly to lessen your disappointment that I was not material for a 'hot date', let alone marriage.

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  43. Fraid I haven't seen Wagner since he was in that thing with wife and big dog, and the butler Max. yeh, Hart to Hart.

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  44. Ah... I seem to have a vague memory of that, although I certainly never watched it.

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  45. That's because I am a lot older than you are. Sorry, you is!

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  46. LOL... indeed! :)

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  47. Munguin is probably GAY. He is far too interested in Fraz MacPherson.

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  48. Surely no one in the world is interested in FM, are they?

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  49. No, not even Mrs M

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  50. Salmond will ruin Scotland. Maybe before that his face will burst.

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  51. Fortunately Mr Cameron is there to save us from that, doubtless using his enormous intellect. Unless of course, HIS face busts from all the Botox he pumps into it. Then where shall be all be.... Oh no.

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  52. Tris, are you sure you're not a woman?

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  53. Yeah, pretty much. What about you?

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  54. Yep. All man female impersonator.

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  55. You a Tory then?

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  56. Tris, you're just no fun any more. Have to try Scottish Patriot!

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  57. Oh Im sorry to let you down Anon.. I can't be fun all the time. :(

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  58. See your pal Salmond is making a right ar*e of himself at the moment.

    SALMOND stands for Scotland and London must offer new deal.

    It also means fat and untalented.

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  59. Well, I don't see it like that. I think he's doing a good job standing against the Tories.

    No one else is, you see. They are walking all over people, taking away hard won stuff, and giving and giving and giving to the royals, to bankers, to the lords and to mps.

    They are trying to get rid of the minimum wage so that people can be made to work for money under the breadline.

    In England, where they have no Salmond, just look at what's happening: Nuclear waste being dumped against the wishes of 98% of the population; health service being privatised, despite the mess that privatisation has made of old folk's care.

    Here they are reducing benefits, and payments to retired people, reducing the money for legal aid, so that law will become a rich man's toy.

    And as for the law being handled by a count in Enland.. no thanks.

    Thank god someone in power actually knows that Scotland exists.

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  60. The people will rise up. We have Raymond Mennie.

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  61. Ah yes... I just Googled him... Does the service station on the A85, planning permission therefor, mean anything to anyone?

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  62. He says he was innocent. Is that you laughing?

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  63. Er no, it's me falling over rolling on the floor banging my head off it laughing, just a wee bit.

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  64. If you want a really good laugh look up Raymond's blog to where he gives a profile and what he says about the judge and "the bent jury." Remember, jails are full of innocent people. Listen to the TAY TALK IN to hear Raymond's mastery of the English language. Raymond is a lifelong communist and wan*er, but quite entertaining. His dad was a rep for Lang's whisky many years ago.

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  65. Um... nah! I'll give his blog a wide berth. It sounds like "ab'die's oot o' step bit fir oor Jock".

    What on earth is Tay Talk In...radio show? He's not a DJ?

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  66. You're kidding obviously. THE TAY TALK IN is the most listened to show on radio in Scotland on a Sunday morning. With Ally Bally it is on 1161 am and DAB. It's on at 11 am so you are probably at the wee free church in Stornoway and won't hear it. For Dundonians it is quite entertaining.

    Look out, eh'm ahent ye.

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  67. No, I'm not kidding, and I only go to the Wee Frees in Stornoway on alternate Sundays, the rest of the time I go to the Catholic placey in Edinburgh.

    Good Old Ally Bally, I've actually met him, I think, but as for listening to his programme....nah, not my cup of tea at all.

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  68. We think you are Mr C Cashley. Hope not. He is a tosser.

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  69. You think I am he?

    Wrong. I'm far slimmer and much better looking.

    Probably not as bright though.

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  70. Callum Cashley bright? That will be shining bright!

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  71. Ah, all I said was that he was brighter than me....

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  72. Doesn't say much for you then, tris. Callum Cashley is as bright as a 1725 penny. Congenital brain disorder they tell me.

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  73. Quad erat demonstrandum

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  74. Eh, right! See that twat Kevin Cordell has raised his ugly head again in today's Courier. Where do you get them from Tris? I think he has the congenitals too!

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  75. Erm, I don't get them from anywhere Mr Anonymous. I don't even know who he is. Should I?

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  76. He writes letters that sneak into the Dundee Courier, but the content is aggressive nationalism of the worst kind. I doubt if he is a Scot anyway with a name like Cordell. But he doesn't have talk some real brown stuff.

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  77. Ohhhhh gotcha. I don't read the Courier.

    Load of Tory rubbish!

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  78. It's a big paper. Thursdays is marginally cheaper than Andrex.

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  79. Hmmm... but does it have alo vera in it?

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  80. Hello Anonymous.

    Please don't call me Vera in public.

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  81. That's what Fitzpatrick calls himself at the weekend!

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  82. Really? I've only ever seen him during the week. You must be more in the with in crowd than I, Anonymous.

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  83. Bob Duncan is one too. But he's an old po*f. The SNP has quite a few of them. It's something to do with eating porage and being on shortbread tins.

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  84. Really?

    I'd have thought eating pink grapefruit and being on petits fours tins would have been a more likely cause, but ... hey I can be wrong, sometimes.

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