FORTUNATELY, JOHANN DIDN'T TEACH HISTORY

THE THINGS THEY SAY...

Well... actually, I think we are pretty good to you too.
Take for example, the HS2 Project...

Now, that is a pretty big give from a little country
 that's too poor, stupid and small to run its own affairs..

WELL, HE WENT DOWN WELL IN MOTHERWELL

WE DIDN'T START THE UNION

WHICH ONE ARE YOU?

CLICK TO ENLARGE

EVERYTHING THEY SAY IS RUBBISH: THEY'VE GIVEN UP ON SENSIBLE ARGUMENT

Well, they said there was something wrong,
so I suppose they were right on something!

Darling, as we've said before has no authority.
That's why there is no point in Eck debating with him.
He makes up stuff as he goes... en un clin d'œil*.

So all the devo not much plus was hogwash

Well Gordon... what was that you were saying??

It's a wonder any of us sleep

But we couldn't afford it?

* In the blink of an eye! Appropriate for Darling who, as he lies more, blinks more.

THERE'S NOTHING BETTER THAN A COMMITTED GRASS-ROOTS TEAM

WITH HIS USUAL FLAIR FOR INEPTUTUDE, GORDON CHOOSES THE PERFECT TIME TO LECTURE SCOTS ON PENSIONS

Thanks to Cynical Highlander for pointing out the two different headlines in the Daily Express and their Scottish edition.

Thank you Express.
We couldn't possibly have done a better job.
Have you ever heard of the interweb?

So it was pretty much a waste of time Gordon taking time out from his global travel plans to tell us just how miserable our old age would be without the UK's broad shoulders and clout.

There is a superb article over at Wings highlighting the pensions chaos of the UK, together with a few suggestions as to the reasons that pensions are in a mess... mainly Gordon Brown, in case you wondered.

Given the chaos he wrought on pensions when he was in government, you have to wonder why he chose to intervene in the independence debate on this particular subject. 

Did it not occur to him that whilst the friendly press would faithfully report his "wisdom", those on the Yes side would highlight his raid tax on pensions of the early years of his chancellorship and his financial mismanagement on Olympian scale of the British economy. 

His premiership was marked by, and will be remembered for being, a succession of blunders and ineptitudes.

Did it not occur to him or his advisers, or indeed anyone at the Better Together that this was just what Yes was looking for. Or is it possibly he ran it past them and Alistair Darling thought to himself... "YES!!!!"... if you'll pardon the word.

If this is the start of Brown taking a bigger role in the independence debate, I say, "bring it on".

Things can only get ... erm better  bitter.

RANDOM PHOTOGRAPHS...

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

It's starting to move...

I think they are in deep trouble, press or no press.

No brainer

It's not always the way they portray it

Of course it will...there's money to be made in a rich nation. 

Aye Gordon Brown is coming to lecture us on pensions...
The man has no sense of irony

That's a lot of money every day for something that does us no good and
 is a permanent hazard only miles from the centre of Glasgow

But some people do alright out of it...don't they, m'lords?

Very well!

You didn't seriously think it was because they liked us, did you?

The Unforgiveables

Big jobs, fame, loads of money, titles...
George Robertson has more letters after his name than he has in it.

Then there's him to worry about.
He could actually get some sort of power. 

But George Osborne knows better... and so does Danny Whatsit

But Wee Willie knows better, and so does Mr Barroso
(well at least when it comes to Scotland.
When he talks about Cameron's plans for reform of the EU,
it's a different story).

You wouldn't mind if they weren't so crap at it

South, North and erm... whatsitland...

Becasue we are not important, and it they all blow up, so what?

And we don't give a stuff about their stupid fishermen either...

Today this human,
Tomorrow the world.

MORE RANDOM THOUGHTS

Letter to the Honourable Mr Docherty MP

Dear The Honourable Mr Docherty,

I understand that you have recently made a comment about people having to choose which one of their grandparents would be "foreigners" if Scotland votes to leave the UK.

I just thought I'd let you know that I do not have any problem with one of my grandparents being foreign.

You see I have travelled outside of the British Isles and, on occasions, I've been left with no alternative but to meet foreigners.

But, don't worry. They are not disgusting or terrible. In fact some of them are really quite nice and smell quite fresh. Among their number there are those who even learn to speak English so one can have a nearly civilised conversation with them.

I know, however,  that it is a big issue in Labour party circles, with people as distinguished and universally respected as Tony Benn worrying that his mother would have been a foreigner had this independence malarkey happened 40 years ago (I assume that being American doesn't count as foreign, otherwise he wouldn't have married Caroline and put his own kids in the invidious position of having a foreign mother), or people as ...well people like Margaret Curran, who was worrying that her son, at university in England,  would turn overnight into a foreign person.

So I write to put your mind, and that of Margaret, at rest. Unfortunately Tony Benn, otherwise one of my heros, died recently... so he will be at rest anyway.

I went to School in England and I worked in France for a while and, on both occasions I became a foreigner overnight (once quite literally, and once in a more esoteric way) but on neither occasion was there any lasting damage and on both occasions, when I came home to Scotland, I unbecame foreign...just like that.

So, foreigners really aren't that bad.  Please try not to worry.

Not British of course, and some may even come from banana republics... ie republics where bananas are grown... but heigh ho, one can't have everything.

Pip pip.

Hugs

Tris....

**********

This, as you will know,  is Humza Yousaf MPS, Minister for External Affairs and International Development in the SNP administration (and personal friend of Munguin). 

He was somewhat bemused to find this email in this inbox:

Aye, they are looking for a speaker for the Better Together campaign.

No wonder they are falling behind if they are asking ministers in the Scottish government to speak  for them...

As Humza said... what a shambles of a campaign!

**********

Plymouth MP, Oliver Colvile, (nah, me either) is almost daft enough to get a job with Better Together. According to Political Scrpabook he has been seen delivering leaflets through doors in his constituency with the following information:

I mean, most people with more than one badly damaged brain cell would have worked out that that woman is poison with Tories at the moment.

Duh, Ollie!

**********

And this is just for a laugh... like you haven't already choked on how thick some folk are...

**********

Random Thoughts...

Interesting statement from the STUC today:

Botox Dave and his Baby Face

"Responding to the speech, and referendum question and answer session from Johann Lamont MSP at STUC Congress today, Grahame Smith Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) General Secretary said:

“Overall Johann Lamont gave a strong and confident performance, showing that she has a close understanding of the priorities of Scottish trade unions. Particularly welcome was her announcement of a Workers’ Charter and pledge to continue to press for improvements in the Procurement Reform Bill to strengthen provisions on Blacklisting and Zero Hours contracts and to deliver a Living Wage.

“However, it was notable that her answers to referendum questions on reserved Westminster policy such as Trident, employment rights public spending cuts and Labour’s support for the Coalition’s Benefit Cap, appeared insufficient to convinced our delegates that the current policies of the UK Labour Party will be sufficient to achieve our social justice ambitions for Scotland should there be a no vote in the referendum.

“Johann’s expressed preference for a separate Scottish currency under independence was interesting. While a separate currency may offer considerable economic freedom longer term it would inevitably mean a period of austerity at least as severe as that currently being pursued by the Coalition.”

It isn't quite the ringing endorsement a Labour leader could have hoped to expect from the Trades Unions, is it? The illustration is mine!

 **********

One of them is the prime minister of this sceptred isle, this England.

The man who sees it as his job to sting the poor, found himself on the receiving end of the equation yesterday. Despite advice that it was dangerous to swim, Cameron decided that he was superior to jellyfish, and found out once again, that he was wrong.

The prime minister is one of those people who is lucky enough to be able to afford a holiday and is currently enjoying his break at a luxury resort on Lanzarote. Unfortunately he returns to England this weekend.

Apparently there were many volunteers keen to apply first aid to the Eton Boy. At first this may seem surprising, given his popularity, however it should be remembered that the best cure for jelly fish sting is fresh urine.

We can't lose now!

More importantly, the jellyfish  was reported to be suffering from shock at having come into contact with something slimy, poisonous and vacuous, but he appears to have suffered no long term damage. 

**********

Although, maybe he's only having a permanent...

Has anyone seen this man? Last seen in Scotland with a fat bloke wearing strange clothing and talking agitatedly about aliens and cataclysms.

If you do see him, best thing is to ignore him. 

Sir George (they're all laughing at me) Robertson (redacted for safety reasons)

He'll soon go away. He's a UK minister, and they never hang around for long in North Britain. As soon as the film is completed, he'll be back to his comfy padded cell at eh MoD.

Coming soon to a picture house near you

YES T-SHIRTS ANYONE?

In Albert Street, Dundee, today, I was walking past Dundee Tech Repair, where Munguin gets his many computers repaired, when I noticed that they had started selling printed t-shirts...

I've had a few Independence T-shirts printed over the years, and of course we had the Munguin one done for the Edinburgh march, but this place was doing the shirts for £8 each, or £4 if you bring your own t-shirt. That's a lot less than I've been paying elsewhere.

So I popped in and had a word with the proprietor, whose name is Chris, and it turns out he's a "Yes" man, so I got him to print me up a couple of t-shirts to be going on with.

I mention all this because I think there is no better advertisement for yes... and no better way to get a conversation on independence going with a complete stranger... than to have the word YES starting at you from your t-shirt.

Now I know the official Yes campaign sell t-shirts and sweat shirts, but they are a bit pricey, and while I know that the money goes to a good cause, I reckon that for those of us on limited budgets this is a good way of getting a few t-shirts printed cheaply. I'm intending to wear Yes t-shirts every day over the summer.

Chris is happy to look at any design, so if you're in Dundee (or even if you're not) and you want to get some of your old t-shirts Yessed, and maybe have a couple of new ones, give Chris a call or drop him a mail at:

sales@dundeetechrepair.co.uk

The photograph, taken on the phone, doesn't do them credit. They are pretty neat. And Chris is a good bloke when it comes to looking at computers too. So if you need repairs done you might want to give him a call. It's good to support a YES business. You know that they are not going to flee the country with your guarantee the minute we become independent.

SCANDAL OF THE 400% RISE IN FOODBANK USE

These figures are UK wide

But at least we are still punching above our weight when
it comes to running the world and causing wars.

You'll be dust by the time that happens Skelly.

Figures show that in 2012/13 Scottish food banks provided help to 14,318 people, but in 2013/14 that figure had increased by 400% to 71,428.

Of those 22,387 - more than 30% - were children.

The DWP junior minister, the insufferable Esther McVey, says that it’s nothing to do with the Tories and their cuts… but as far as I can make out she hasn't been able to explain what IS causing this huge rise in dependency.

I suppose in Tory land these things “just happen”. Maybe they didn't realise that poor people need to eat too, because they had never been in the servants' hall at feeding time. Who knows?

However, despite all this hunger, there still seems to be no reluctance to renew trident at a cost of £100 billion and rising. Clearly, a few rich spoilt Eton brats getting to sit at the top table and pretend that they matter is, to them, far more important than starving children.

The government, our government that is, has made a million pounds available to help food banks in Scotland, as Nicola announced in her speech last week.

Edinburgh has already had to step in to help people beat the Bedroom Tax and other reductions in social security benefits, for which you may remember, we have all paid in our taxes. And we are still waiting for Freud to reply to the letter asking London for permission to exceed the amount of aid legally permitted by the UK government. 

How much more is the Scottish government going to have to find from its ever decreasing budget to help people in this potentially  very rich country being starved to death by London’s policies?

If anyone finds the clip of McVile on the news today (Niko mentioned it on the last post), can you please post a link.

**********

IT'S UP TO YOU...

Even the press think it is mad
When on earth are they going to learn?

As ye sew, Mr Evans, so shall ye reap!

This is absolutely typical of the Tories.

Nigel Evans was recently cleared of several very serious charges of sexual impropriety.

If you trust the English legal system, then you will believe that this proves him to be innocent of these crimes.

My sympathies are with anyone who is accused of something they did not do. When rape, a particularly nasty and universally despised crime, is among them, it is even more essential that an innocent person has the opportunity to defend himself.

But Mr Evans has discovered that, after being found not guilty, he cannot claim back his £130,000 bill for legal representation from legal aid.  And he’s not a happy chappie.

The thing is that, being a relatively law abiding person, and therefore never thinking that he would be in a position to make a claim, Mr Evans supported this arrangement when the current government bought in cuts to the legal aid bill.

Now he thinks it is unjust. 

In short, this arrangement is ok for other people, but not for Mr Evans.

There’s actually a point there for everyone who agrees with cuts to payments that help people who may need help. You simply never know when it is going to be you…

...who is unemployed for the first time;

...who has an accident or who contracts a horrible illness and can no longer work;

...who needs constant care;

...who has to go into a residential home.

Making the mistake of treating these issues like they only affect 'other people' has come back to bite Mr Evans on his bottom.

So maybe he would like to revise his stance on the newly introduced fees for taking a case to an employment tribunal.

He might, too, wish to reconsider his attitude to the cap on benefits and welfare, because with a bill for £130,000 to pay, he may be a lot closer to needing it than he would otherwise ever have thought himself to be.

Additionally, you have to wonder what a non privileged person would do if he or she were landed with a bill for £130,000 pounds to clear his name of a heinous crime of which he or she is innocent.

And we are all in this together…? My backside we are!
**********

I just saw this on Facebook... I read the story earlier in the Telegraph. Brogan seems to feel that it is understood in Downing Street that losing Scotland would be too much of a wound for a prime minister to continue with and that Cameron would definitely have to go.

But the referendum will take place in September and the UK election is in May...only 7 months later. 

A lot to do, to choose another leader, settle a manifesto, and get elected...

Interesting thought though: If he is right (and I doubt it), a NO vote is a vote to keep David Cameron.

The article (linked above) is worth a read for some of the other comments. He says that Cameron should throw himself into the fight for the union, establish an office in Glasgow (not Edinburgh) and base himself there for 3 months... 

Bring it on, I say.