BUT YOU PROMISED US...

And now the passport office in Dundee is to close. And our future in Europe is looking ever more unlikely, in the hands, as it is, of the hapless Cameron. Not to mention our "no detriment" deal being of massive detriment.

What happened to all the fine promises of Better Together?

Where is Gordon Brown?

Where is Alistair Darling?

Vive la construction navale ... en France

This is another one of these situations where reality is stranger than fiction.

I mean, if I'd ever come up with a script for a play about independence that had that long streak of misery, British Virgin Islands Hammond, coming to Scotland for a day to tell us that shipbuilding in our country would die without the UK... 

...and had I gone on to suggest that the UK would never build its warships abroad...

... and had I then depicted a winning "no" side....

... and then, had I suggested that 6 weeks or so later, the UK's head of the navy would announce that there was a good chance that in fact the new ships wouldn't be built in Scotland after all... but in France, un paye étranger, I might add...

...the producer would have thrown the script in the bin and said... you have to go for some reality, Tris. The audience'd never believe this rubbish. Don't give up your day job!

Well...

With friends like you, and a Tory government, who needs enemies?

Erm yeah, the future of it going down the pan?

Sep...what?????  Oh wait, it was Ian Davidson.

You did a really crap job, Margrit.

On the banks of the Clyde, three thousand men and women go to work week after week in one of this country's great industries - shipbuilding. Thousands more rely on those high-skilled jobs for their own employment.

How many of those jobs would you put at risk to vote Yes? That's the very real question facing the SNP this morning and once again they don't have any answers. That's why the campaign by Johann Lamont and Margaret Curran is so crucial. When launching the campaign Johann said:

"Scotland has a proud history of shipbuilding and despite the serious challenges the industry has faced over a long period, the skills and expertise of the workforce mean that Scottish shipbuilding has a bright future if it secures the defence contracts planned by the UK Government.

"But these jobs are at risk. There is a danger that if we vote Yes in September we won't have a shipbuilding industry any longer, because we're reliant on UK defence contracts."

At the start of 2012 the UK Government confirmed that the contracts for the Type 26 will be granted in the middle of the decade, after the referendum on independence.  I often have worried about the Tory Government's industrial strategy, but today it's the SNP that poses a greater threat to Scotland's naval shipbuilding.  

Jim Murphy

No thanks to shipbuilding, eh Jim?

Hmmmmm....

About as accurate as the rest of your facts

"You shall have your reward, what's your name again?
I'll make you supervisor of the branch office in Glasburgh and I'll
get rid of that awful woman, what's her name?
Norman Lamont?"

SO, WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING THIS WEEK?

Repugnant creep though Mitchell is, the police who stitched him
up are even more so. If they can get away with stitching up a
 cabinet member, no matter how vile,
what can they do to the ordinary Englishman?

Oh yeah, one of the reasons we didn't protest when
all the rest of Europe was protesting...
Theresa has been up a telegraph pole

Why not? The Chinese have access to the nuclear plants

 in England. They might as well build the warships

Phew... got away with it...AGAIN

Iain Doughnut Smith has for the last year happily made lifeunbearable for anyone claiming benefit or working tax credits and has beenbellowing how much money he has saved the taxpayer.

Today he was revealed as the snivelling useless little creep he most certainly is, and that his department has spent so far £450 million which now most certainly will be written off, his department has been described by today's report as a shambles and chaotic and there are further accusations that Smith is up to his old tricks of trying to bully fellow ministers and staff into blaming the civil servants working on the project.

Smith the spineless yellow bellied bully pulled the same stunt with his personal Secretary while being investigated for fraud in which she said in her sworn statement that ''Iain Duncan Smith and his friends put unbearable pressure on me to see things their way''.

 Smith is a stain on this country and one of the vilest, most deceitful and just plain stupid parasites ever to hold a ministerial position. It is nothing but a national shame that others will now take the fall for this serial idiot’s total incompetence and utter uselessness at his job. This man is nothing more than a fool with a rich wife and a suit who's father in law set him up to be an MP for his own ends.

David Cameron said today ''Iain Duncan Smith has my full support'' Says it all really.

But now I have to face the civil servants I blamed....eeek

I've wanted to do this to yer smary face for years,
 because you're so much cleverer than I am and I hate you for it

835 JOBS TO GO IN SCOTLAND THANKS TO HAMMOND

In the last year, 106 ships have been built in Norwegian shipyards.

Why did we lose all these jobs on the Clyde today?

Shipname	Yard	Delivered
Accomplisher	Grovfjord Mek. Verksted	26 July
Aina	Sletta Verft	13 April
Akvamøy	Promek	–
Anna-Therese	Selfa Arctic Rødskjær	10 January
Arriver	Grovfjord Mek. Verksted	15 November
Assister	Grovfjord Mek. Verksted	21 March
Attender	Grovfjord Mek. Verksted	3 October
Aurora	Viknaslipen	31 July
Båfjord	Kåre Holthe & Sønner	2 March
Barents Ocean	Pipe System Engineering	12 September
Bayard 3	Båtservice Mandal	16 February
Bayard 4	Båtservice Mandal	17 March
Bayard 5	Båtservice Mandal	16 November
Blue Fighter	Ulstein Verft	19 January
Blue Prosper	Ulstein Verft	6 September
Bolgtind	Folla Maritime	9 May
C-Viking	Simek	12 July
Dønnland	Aas Mek. Verksted	14 September
Edøyfjord	Fiskerstrand BLRT	20 January
Eidsfjord	Grovfjord Mek. Verksted	26 November
Elise	Promek	27 March
Eros	Larsnes Mek. Verksted	17 November
Ervik Tilvekst	Promek	–
Evita	Myklebust Verft	29 June
Eyr Breimstein	Brødrene Aa	16 March
Eyr Myken	Brødrene Aa	3 May
Eyr Ytterholm	Brødrene Aa	10 February
Far Scotsman	STX OSV Langsteen	2 July
Far Solitaire	STX OSV Langsteen	4 October
Frøya	Selfa Arctic Rødskjær	–
Frøya	Oma Baatbyggeri	May 2012
Frøyfjord	Sletta Verft	–
Fugløyfjord	Vaagland Båtbyggeri	20 October
Fuji	Grovfjord Mek. Verksted	25 August
Gåsøy	Jemar Norpower	–
Gesa	Måløy Verft	9 November
Grand Canyon	Bergen Group Fosen	17 October
Guratind	Moen Slip	26 January
Havbryn	Skogsøy Båt	–
Havila Charisma	Havyard Ship Technology	12 December
Havnvern	Promek	–
Heia	Promek	–
Hornøya	Hemnes Mekaniske Verksted	1 June
Ingrid	Grovfjord Mek. Verksted	–
Island Captain	STX OSV Brevik	16 February
Island Contender	STX OSV Brevik	27 September
Island Crusader	STX OSV Brevik	31 May
Karlsøy	Grovfjord Mek. Verksted	20 February
KNM Gnist	Umoe Mandal	29 March
Krilo Carbo	Brødrene Aa	7 July
Kya	Promek	–
Lerøy Triton	Fitjar Mekaniske Verksted	23 March
Liafjord	Eidesvik Skipsbyggeri	28 September
Lomstind	Båt og Motorservice	28 January
Lovundværing	Tomma Aluminium	25 February
Luten	Moen Marin	30 October
Maria	Grovfjord Mek. Verksted	–
Mina	Sletta Verft	28 June
Mira	Selfa Arctic Trondheim	–
Molinergutt	Skogsøy Båt	17 December
MW 44	Sletta Verft	10 February
MW 45	Sletta Verft	25 June
Myken	Promek	–
Neptune II	Båteservice Mandal	16 May
Nina	Sletta Verft	13 April
Njord	Oma Baatbyggeri	May 2012
Obelix	Fitjar Mekaniske Verksted	12 June
Ocean Pride	Havyard Ship Technology	2 February
Olympic Commander	Kleven Verft	24 January
Olympic Energy	STX OSV Aukra	24 March
Olympic Orion	Kleven Verft	20 June
Olympic Taurus	Kleven Verft	20 November
Onglesund	Ørnli	4 January
Polarcus Adira	Ulstein Verft	21 June
Polarcus Amani	Ulstein Verft	29 March
Prestfjord	Myklebust Verft	January 2012
Radar	Båt og Motorservice	12 December
Rem Supporter	STX OSV Langsten	3 February
Ringhorne	Bergen Group Risnes	9 May
Saltbåen	Selfa Arctic Trondheim	24 January
Sigmund	Grovfjord Mek. Verksted	–
Sjoborg	Havyard Ship Technology	22 March
Skandi Aukra	STX OSV Aukra	11 July
Skandi Bergen	STX OSV Søviknes	22 May
Skandi Kvitsøy	STX OSV Aukra	21 March
Skandi Marøy	STX OSV Brattvaag	7 November
Skandi Nova	STX OSV Aukra	4 October
Stril Polar	STX OSV Søviknes	9 February
Sulavåg	Selfa Arctic Rødskjær	–
Torøy	Jemar Norpower	29 March
Torsborg	Havyard Ship Technology	27 June
Troland	Promek	–
Troms Sirius	STX OSV Søviknes	29 May
Utvær	Fitjar Mekaniske Verksted	6 July
Vassdal	Folla Maritime	22 February
Vestland Cetus	Fjellstrand	18 December
Vestland Mira	Havyard Ship Technology	14 October
Vestland Mistral	Hellesøy Verft	27 June
Vesuv	Grovfjord Mek. Verksted	–
Vikahav	Viknaslipen	31 July
Viking Fighter	STX OSV Brattvaag	25 July
Viking Prince	Kleven Verft	30 March
Viking Princess	Kleven Verft	13 September
Vingtor	Oma Baatbyggeri	30 April
Vårstev	Hemnes Mekaniske Verksted	1 June
Øylaks	Aas Mek. Verksted	25 February

And thats not all...

Gerald Vernon-Jackson Portsmouth Council said "Portsmouth is the last place in England that has the ability to build advanced warships for the Royal Navy and I'm very concerned that with a potential independence vote in Scotland, if Portsmouth shipbuilding is shut down, what would remain of the UK would have no ability to build advanced warships.

"It would just mean either that that would have to change and the Royal Navy would have to buy ships from France or Germany - or we'd have to spend a huge amount of public money re-employing people, re-skilling people here in Portsmouth".

So, they could buy ships from France or Germany (not Scotland, not Norway, not Denmark ..they only think BIG).

Given that they can't afford to buy ships anyway, and that one they are building at the moment is going to be mothballed while they share with France, I wonder what anyone is worried about.

Britain: The empire is gone; your days of ruling the waves are behind you. China, India, Brazil, Russia and possibly South Africa may be the future. You are part of the past. 

Get over it!

Instead of wondering how many people you will be able to kill in warm countries with lots of sand,  concentrate on how many of your own people use food banks and are in receipt of aid from the Red Cross or the Salvation army. 

Get outside London for a few days and look at the poverty and misery you've caused by pretending to still be a part of running the world.

And give up ideas of photo opportunities in the Rose garden of the White House. It's embarrassing to creep.