Saturday 15 February 2014

WHY NOT SCOTLAND?

These countries have all been allowed to be part of the Sterling Zone.

Can I ask Mr Osborne... do we smell, or something?
Gideon George Oliver Osborne  or GO as we like to call him

Federation of South Arabia,
Sudan,
Australia,
The Bahamas,
Bahrain,
Bangladesh,
Barbados, Lesotho Basutoland,
Bermuda,
Botswana,
British Antarctic Territory,
Guyana,
British Guiana
Belize British Honduras,
British Indian Ocean Territory,
Solomon Islands,
British Somaliland Protectorate (left in 1964),
British Virgin Islands, Brunei,



Burma (left in 1966),
Cayman Islands,Dominion of Ceylon Ceylon (Sri Lanka),
Cyprus,
Egypt (left in 1947),
Falkland Islands,
Fiji,
The Gambia,
Ghana,
Gibraltar,
Tuvalu Gilbert and Ellice Islands (Kiribati and Tuvalu),
Hong Kong,
Iceland,
Republic of Ireland (until 1971),
India (including Sikkim),
Iraq (left in 1959)
Jamaica,
Jordan,
Kenya,
Kuwait
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis Leeward Islands (comprising Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, and Saint Kitts (Saint Christopher and Nevis))
Libya (expelled in 1971)
Malawi,
Malaysia,
Maldives Maldive Islands,
Couldn't happen to a nicer bloke.
Malta,
Mauritius,
Oman Muscat and Oman (Sultanate of Oman),
Nauru ,
New Zealand (including, Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau Islands),
Nigeria,
Israel British Mandate for Palestine (required to withdraw in 1948),
Pakistan,
Papua New Guinea,
Pitcairn Islands,
Qatar,
Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) (expelled in 1965),
Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha,
Seychelles,
Sierra Leone,
Singapore ,
South Africa,
Namibia South West Africa (Namibia),
Swaziland,
Tanganyika,
Tonga ,
Trinidad and Tobago,
Oman Trucial Oman (United Arab Emirates),
Turks and Caicos Islands,
Uganda,
The Channel Islands,
So tell us, what have they all got that we don't have?
The Isle of Man,
Samoa,
Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Windward Islands (comprising Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines),
Zambia,
Zanzibar,

20 comments:

  1. What they've got that we don't got? INDEPENDENCE! Once we've voted for that, they'll be falling over themselves to offer us a currency union.

    I still say f* ck'em.

    Eck

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, I know Eck... I don't think any serious commentator thinks they actually mean this.

      I guess that means that the opposition, Ed Balls, is not a serious commentator!!!

      Delete
  2. Tris

    I think a lot of those countries peg themselves to the dollar, a lot of faith in the pound then. I know Ghana is pegged to the dollar and laughter at the suggestion of the pound when they discovered their oil 5 years ago.

    Bruce

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Bruce. The pound is no longer what it used to be.

      And you are probably safer in the world to peg your currency to the dollar or the Euro. A great swathe of Africa, which used to used to be pinned to the franc francais, is now pinned to the Euro.

      I've the impression that the pound has been something of a laughing stock since the days of the ERM, when Lamont insisted , for reasons of pride, in equating it with the value of the German mark. We all know what happened, and how everyone suffered for that, with interest rates being pushed up and up to support the value of a currency which was more escudo than mark.

      But all I'm saying here is that over the years the UK has been fine about all these countries using or being pinned to sterling. Why does it take such issue with Scotland?

      And how many of them shared the UK debt?

      They must REALLY hate us.

      Delete
  3. "So tell us, what have they all got that we don't have?"

    Self respect.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I cannot understand why Labour had to come out with their statement unless Balls wanted to live up to his name. What was the urgency and could they not have waiting for the reaction to Osborne's statement. Could it be that they wanted to appeal to the voting majority in England and taking the traditional votes in Scotland for granted?

    When you think of the comments made by some - okay, one - of your correspondents it looks as if the latter is quite secure despite Milliband, Lamont, Baillie etc etc!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You have to stop thinking of Labour as a different party from the Tories.
      There is only one party in the UK, The Westminster Party.
      Ordinary members of the different branches of The Westminster Party simply haven't realised they are unwitting members of a great charade.

      Delete
    2. Confirmed by the intervention of the head of the civil service showing that the partys dance to his direction which come from the City of London and its backroom boys.

      Delete
    3. If I'd been Labour I'd have let George take the risk and see how the natives took it.

      He could have put off making any statement for a few days...

      Now they hare both unpopular in Scotland...

      And no one gives a damn what Beaker says. He's gone!

      Delete
  5. Umm ! Malcontents

    there is something quite unedifying in watching
    all the nats crawling on there belly like snakes
    with long yeller streaks down there back.
    squalling and whining for the use of the English pound .
    seems to me the only man amongst you is Arbroath,
    silly as a sheep she usually is.
    On this she got it right saying stick the English pound
    up yer English erse and we will have a Scottish pound.

    All you lot are doing is confirming the
    snp economic credibility(ha ha )
    is dependent on the English pound
    and continuing Westminster oversight of
    the Scottish peoples.

    time for you lot to fold up yer
    raggy tents and march on to
    different ground.
    One hears Salmond is heading
    this way after realising he has lost
    this one.And is being seen as sore loser.

    ReplyDelete

  6. FROM: N
    ICK
    MACPHERSON
    DATE: 11 FEBRUARY 2014
    CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER
    cc Chief Secretary
    SCOTLAND AND A CURRENCY UNION
    I attach a paper by Treasury officials
    ,
    Scotland Analysis: Assessment of a
    sterling currency union.
    I agr
    ee with its analysis and conclusions.
    Currency unions between sovereign states are fraught with difficulty. They
    require extraordinary commitment, and a genuine desire to see closer union
    between the peopl
    es involved. As the Treasury paper
    point
    s
    out, t
    he great
    thing about the sterling union between Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and
    England is that it has all the necessary ingredients: political union, economic
    integration and consent. What worries me about
    the Scottish Government’
    s
    putative
    currenc
    y
    union is that it would take place against the background of a
    weakening union
    between the two countries
    , running counter to the direction
    of travel in the eurozone
    .
    I would advise strongly against a currency union as currently advocated
    , if
    Scotland we
    re to vote for independence
    . Why?
    First, the Scottish Government is still leaving the option
    open
    of moving to a
    different currency option in the longer term. Succes
    sful currency unions are
    based on the
    near universal
    belief that
    they are irreversible
    .
    Imagine what
    would have happened to Greece two years
    ago
    if they had said they were
    contemp
    lating reverting to the Drachma
    .
    Secondly
    , Scotland’s banking sector is far too big in relation to its national
    income, which means that there is a very real risk th
    at
    the continuing
    UK
    would end
    up
    bearing most of the liquidity and solvency risk which it creates.
    Thirdly
    ,
    there is the problem of asymmetry. The continuing UK would be at
    risk of providing taxpayer support to the Scottish financial sector and
    sovereign
    . An independent Scottish state would not face the same risk as it is

    ReplyDelete
  7. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/279460/Sir_Nicholas_Macpherson_-_Scotland_and_a_currency_union.pdf

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CH

      Nah ! just checking out the bed
      for Alex salmond

      made for himself and now finds he has
      got to lay upon whilst we all laff at him

      Delete
    2. Niko. All the papers that the UKOK lot have delivered, by Cabinet Minister, prepared by Whitehall departments have said that Scotland is too wee, too poor and far too stupid to go it alone.

      Some ministers, not surprisingly since they are Tories, have been quite blunt. Hammond for example said that no one would want to be in a Scottish army because there would be nothing to do except have your photograph taken by American Tourists (where did this idiot get off... American tourists were superseded years ago by Japanese, then Artab, and now Chinese tourists with more money than Charlie Wales, and better cameras that Lard Litchfield.

      You don't seriously think they told their departments to produce a paper that found anything to praise in Scotland do you?

      In any case, why would anyone listen to anything the British Treasury experts say? They were the ones that didn';t see the crash coming till the week after it came. If you want experts on economics you don't go to the Civil Service.

      You go to universities, to Nobel Prize winners, to people who can write books on economics.

      Seriously, the Treasury knows squat about it, and Gideon has a degree in history!

      Delete
  8. STERLING
    ALBION


    A proposal
    An independent Scottish government
    would best serve its citizens by
    remaining on sterling for the time
    being. Representation on the Bank of
    England’s Monetary Policy Committee
    is not important and Scotland does
    not have to avail itself of the other
    central bank services and restrictions
    of the Bank of England. Scotland
    should continue to allow local private
    note-issue, but eliminate the 100
    per cent marginal sterling reserve
    requirement.
    Of course, it should allow the
    public to have bank accounts and
    currency in euros, dollars or Swiss
    francs if they wish. Then, should the
    pound sterling weaken substantially
    in the future, free choice in currency
    would allow for a spontaneous
    transition to whatever currency
    standard the public then prefers •

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hey Niko, not gone yet, or are you waiting on a YES vote so you can petulantly fold up your tent.
    Son away and read the WEE ginger dug and pay particular attention to his last sentence.
    I would also say stop using up valuable commenting space with the drivel that comes out of your head, I am sure NOBs can use you.

    ReplyDelete