Sep 192014
Sep 122014
By Keith Marley.
Now, I am not a politician or an economist. I have 2 o’levels, Arithmetic and Engerlish, so I hope you don’t mind if I offer a simplified view of the situation. No doubt some ‘learned’ person out there may be able to illuminate me with a bag full of numbers, but, this is just the way I see it.
There still seems to be some confusion about the currency, so what happens if Westminster says no to a currency union?
To me Westminster does not have a choice. Ask yourself what would happen to the pound without Scotland. At the end of June the national debt of the UK was £1,304.6 billion.
A figure which has continued to climb despite all the austerity measures put in place. In other words we are currently failing to pay off the debt and actually accruing more debt. Refusing Scotland to share the pound would mean the rest of the UK would have to service this debt themselves. This would mean the pound would have 4,000,000 less people helping to service a debt they are failing to meet at the moment.
They would also not have the massive benefit of oil revenue contributing to pay off this debt. Put in simple terms the debt would be unserviceable and the pound would be well and truly screwed. To refuse Scotland the pound would make the austerity measures currently in place seem like a walk in the park.
Of course we could use an independent pound in the same way as Tokyo uses the dollar, but we are told by the ‘No’ people that this would leave us high and dry because we had defaulted on our side of the national debt. Without the Bank of England as lender of last resort other countries would be scared to trade with us or loan us money because we have no track record or credit history.
However, the way I see it is if Westminster does not allow Scotland to continue to pay our side of the ‘debt’ then it is them who are defaulting.
It’s a bit like borrowing from a bank to buy a car, making your payments regularly and then the bank coming and taking away your car and then claiming you were defaulting if you didn’t continue making the payments…..I don’t flaming well think so!
As for the other scary side of this suggestion, ask yourself this question. Two people you know come to your door looking for a loan. One is deep in debt, regularly gets into fights with other people costing him a fortune, (Argentina, Iraq, Afghanistan to name just a few) pays a high price for personal protection (Trident) and is having trouble meeting the repayments he already has, he’s just lost his major asset, (Oil), which will only make it more difficult for him to earn the money he needs to service his current debts.
The other has no debt at all and has an asset which provides a good regular income (Oil), has no wish to get into fights with strangers and doesn’t have any need for personal protection.
Which one would you be happy to offer a loan to?
Speaking personally, I would choose to say stuff Westminster, we will use our own currency, however, Alex Salmond says we should share the pound, a currency union. Mr Darling says it’s not on offer. One thing they both agree on is that all the other options would not be as good for Scotland.
So what would happen if Scotland votes ‘Yes’?
Mr Salmond would press for a currency union, but what is more important is what would all the other Scottish politicians do? If they truly have the interest of Scotland at heart then they would have no alternative but to pursue a currency union as well.
So, if we vote ‘Yes’ we won’t just have Alex Salmond arguing for a currency union, he will also be backed by Alistair Darling, Ruth Davidson, Johann Lamont and Willie Rennie, all their parties, as well as all the rest of the ‘No’ campers too who still have a job in Scotland.
The formation of a united ‘Team Scotland’.
Despite all the political posturing Scotland will have a currency union if it wants one and I suspect we will also get it on our terms too.
This is just my opinion and the way I see it.
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Sep 122014
By Duncan Harley
It’s not often that I wonder if the prospect of Scottish Independence is a good idea.
Indeed being rid of the past spectre of the likes of the Darien disaster and the libdem idea-ocracy seems like a step to be taken lightly.
Not that us Scots are kind to ourselves. Check out the quite brutal “Herschip of Buchaine” by the Bruce and his nasty brother Edward to get a taste of what we northern folks get up to behind closed doors.
A mythical spokesperson for the Faslane Peace Camp today spoke out in support of the Better Together campaign.
Sited alongside Faslane Naval base in Argyll and Bute the camp has been occupied continuously since 12 June 1982 but Scotland’s voters may just decide to get rid of it on referendum day leading activists to question the future.
“If Scotland does vote yes, Trident could leave the Clyde remarkably quickly”, claimed Angus McPhee (not his real name of course) a long time resident of the Faslane community.
“It’s not like I wouldn’t hate it to be off Scottish soil” he continued “but where will I live and what work is there for an ageing peace campaigner in this day and age?”
He continued:
“I need a job and those folk in Westminster often forget that Trident has not only provided jobs for sailors, soldiers and factory workers but in a strange way also us peace campaigners.”
“We’ve been here on the Clyde for decades. We are in the main unskilled. Not many of us even have even basic IT skills. If Scotland is to become independent then we need at the very least a re-assurance that the likes of us will be taken care of.”
David Cameron recently told voters that the tax payers in the UK would be foolish to abandon Trident in the face of the potential threat of nuclear attack from North Korea and Iran.
“Could Korean nukes hit the UK?” said the mythical Angus. “That would be really brilliant, I could go on living here if that was the case.”
When confronted with the reality of Korea invading Scotland, Angus relented.
“Ach” he said, “I may have been a wee bit misguided actually, can you pass me a sick bag.”
David Cameron’s office today and indeed yesterday, declined to comment on the issue but inside sources indicate that there is trouble in store for those who support the Better Together movement.
Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was similarly unable to comment on the Faslane issue but recently commented that it
“is possible I suppose in 50 years that hordes of people are going to come across in ships to invade us. I suppose we should keep hold of old dreadnought ships in case the Germans come out of the mists of Jutland.”
Puzzling indeed.
Given a yes vote on the 18th of the month Trident has until 2016 to find a new home. The new hosts in Portsmouth, or wherever are bound to wonder why they should have the right to live right next to a radioactive arms dump built to defend Englandshire from the threat of a North Korean invasion of Brighton
Clegg, for all his politically incorrect posturing did at least admit that:
“Trident was designed very explicitly for a completely different cold war world, where the main strategic threat was an unannounced, overwhelming and unpredicted nuclear strike from Moscow.”
For just the once, but just the once, I suspect that he might just have a point.
Most rights reserved © Duncan Harley
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Sep 122014
By Banff & Buchan MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford.
It was back to London for me this week as the long Westminster recess came to an end. I was pleased to find it’s still warm and sunny there, even if Summer seems to have abandoned us here in the North-east. As well as parliament catching up on events that have developed over the break, we also passed the second reading of a pensions bill that will give those with occupational pensions more flexibility when they retire.
I’ve been talking a lot about pensions in recent weeks. As I’ve been out chapping doors ahead of the Referendum, I’ve been reassuring pensioners that their State Pensions will be paid on time and in full in the event of a Yes vote, administered from offices in Dundee and Motherwell, just as they are at the moment.
I’ve been reminding them that their entitlement is based on their contributions record – not where they choose to live. Many thousands of pensioners go off to live in Spain and France nowadays, but all receive their pensions, because they worked for it, and I welcome the confirmation from the UK Pensions Minister that state pensions are secure regardless of the outcome of the Referendum.
But in Scotland we can do better. We spend a lower proportion of our GDP on pensions than the rest of the UK, and life expectancy lags stubbornly behind the UK average. A Scottish pensioner retiring in 2016 will, on average, receive £10,000 less in pension over their lifetime than pensioners elsewhere in the UK.
That’s one reason why we need to tailor pensions to Scotland’s circumstances and look again at whether we really need to raise the pension age beyond 67, as the UK plans to do. Control of our economy would also give us the levers to address the longer term demographic challenges faced by all Western countries with low birthrates and aging populations.
Scotland’s relative economic strength means that we are better placed to ensure that our citizens enjoy a dignified retirement with a secure income in old age.
We can afford to do things differently, and a Yes vote in September will allow us to do just that.
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Sep 122014
By Fin Hall – Writer Photographer, Realist.
I am rapidly approaching my 62nd birthday; in fact by the time that I cast my vote on the 18th of September, that milestone will have passed.
My views on independence has never changed since I first was eligible to put a cross on my first voting paper. It has always been an easy choice to be a yes voter.
When I was 18 I voluntarily joined the army, not any of the Scottish regiments, that would involve too much, hard, physical work, but The Royal Signals, as a radio operator.
When I was filling out my application form, two things rankled me. One was the fact that it was not permissible to put the word ‘atheist’ in the box for my religion. The other being, that I wasn’t allowed to enter ‘Scottish’ in the section reserved for nationality.
I have never been anti-English, nor, on the other hand, have I ever been a Braveheart style nationalist. Both of these options are narrow minded, and potentially dangerous characteristics.
Not long after enlisting, there was an election of some sorts in Aberdeen. I remember getting my dad to vote by proxy for me, something I don’t believe one can do now. This is where I am not sure of my facts, but spurred on by the application form, I seem to recall getting him to vote for the SNP candidate. I am not sure who that would have been, but it was the start of the road to where I am now.
In the seventies when Jim Callaghan’s Labour Government ( remember them? Real labour) cheated us out of our right to devolution, by stating that we needed to get at least 46% of the population to cast their vote for the victory to be assured, I was devastated that our proud people, couldn’t drag themselves along to the polling stations in the appropriate numbers.
Fast forward to Tony Blair and his New Labour posse riding into town and delivering the promised, no strings attached, devolution referendum, the result of which is the position we find ourselves in just now. Getting the chance to decide our own future, hopefully the chance to stand on our own two, or should I say five million feet in a few weeks.
There are many reasons why I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone, I mean anyone, could even consider not voting to be 100% in complete control of their own lives, whilst still being in a close relationship with their partner.
Scotland is not, and never will be a third world country. We have no need to have to go cap in hand to Westminster, no need for charitable aid donations.
Technology has advanced in leaps and bounds since then, and will develop even further in the future
We have vast oil resources, and despite the fact that Alistair Darling and David Cameron call it ‘volatile’ and that it will run out eventually, I always argue the fact that they have had oil in the a Gulf of Mexico area since 19th century and in the Middle East since somewhere in the middle of the 29th century.
I realise it is different geological circumstances, but it shows no sign of running out there.
I have been hearing this in Aberdeen since it first started coming ashore in the seventies.
Technology has advanced in leaps and bounds since then, and will develop even further in the future, meaning it will be possible to get even more out. Never mind the Clair Ridge recent discovery. So why is it volatile here and not in other parts of the world? How come our oil-sharing neighbours, Norway, aren’t tearing their hair out worrying about the successful country they are?
I have friends that continuously spout out about supporting local businesses as opposed to putting money into the pockets of the multi-nationals, and then support the Better Together side of things, not getting the irony in what they are doing and saying.
By forever being beholden to a power other than our own is like living at home as an adult, in a great, well paying job, handing over all your salary to your mum, getting some pocket money back, and still having to do your own laundry and make your own tea.
In my day job, or should I say my afternoon and evening job, I am a self employed taxi driver. I have been for 37 years, and all but one of non Scottish people I have had in my cab, and discussed the referendum, have stated that they would have voted yes, or will vote yes, for those eligible.
None of them can understand why any one would vote no. They just don’t get it. In fact one Indian guy stated that independence is in their blood from birth.
The one who said she was voting no was a young English born girl of Romanian descent. Her reason was that when Romania became a free country, it didn’t fare well to start with.
this isn’t set up to be a slight on our southern neighbours, but more showing our standing in the world
I asked her if she had the chance back then, would she have voted to remain under the control, effectively of USSR? She thought I was asking a stupid, irrelevant question. Totally failing to get the point, that, because of the fall of the aforesaid communist empire, she wouldn’t necessarily be free and here in Scotland just now.
I have travelled to well over 30 different countries, and generally what happens is, that locals ask if you are English; when you point out to them that you are Scottish, a smile as wide as the Firth of Forth come across their countenance.
This happened to us in August in Northern a France, when in a pizza restaurant ( don’t ask, it was all that was open) when the owner came over and introduced himself to us, and asked that very question. When we told him we were Scottish, he apologised, and got even more friendlier.
Now this isn’t set up to be a slight on our southern neighbours, but more showing our standing in the world, despite the Better Together campaigners saying we are only good because we are conjoined to England via the Westminster umbilical cord. And despite the Better Together rampagers spreading fear and loathing about currency, our pound, pensions, (safe) health service. ( safe unless Westminster cuts funding, which they could do) and other spurious tittle tattle,every day more people are turning our way.
We are a rich and diverse country fill of artists, inventors, discoverers etc. By saying that, I am not implying that we are unique in such a thing, there are many countries the same. The only difference is that they are independent and stand and fall on their own choice, unlike us, who have the burden of paying the price of Westminster’s failings and bullying.
I am voting yes because I come from a proud country, and would like to leave the future totally in the hands of our own decisions, so my grand children and my soon to be born great grand daughter, and for generations to come, can be proud that we, Scotland the Brave, made the right decision, for the right reasons, and not immediately thinking of the penny in our pocket at thus precise moment, and not because we were fearful of being ejected from the EU the rest of the UK may vote to stay in anyway, and not because we hate anyone, but because we are a nation ready for independence and have no wish to still live with our parents, paying our board and living off handouts .
We are not a third world country, but a globally successful one.
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Sep 052014
By Bob Smith.
| If ye canna git some kip Read some referendum papers Ye’ll seen fa faist asleep Bored ti tears wi aa the capers . Debates here an debates there Jist the same auld bliddy crap We’ll be neen the wiser Nae maiiter fa cums oot on tap . A really cwidna gie a shit Fegs ae lot’s as bad’s the ither Faimilies throweoot the lan Hiv noo brither agin brither. . We’ll aa be better aff Yes camp es are sure o Awa ye go the No lot say We micht hae ti use the Euro |
“McFlannel” an “Ditherling” hid a spat It aa wis maist unseemly Wi fowk syne cairryin on It hisna bin aa aat freenly . Es his bin pit upon us Wiv bin forced ti pick a side Efter the eichteenth o September The result we maan aa abide . The vote michtna be conclusive Hivven save us fae es fate If the result’s ower close ti ca Aa think a micht emigrate!!! . Instead o haen anither vote Jist hae pluffers drawn at dawn T’wull save aa the bliddy palaver An aathing’s a bliddy yaaaawn |
©Bob Smith “The Poetry Mannie” 2014
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Sep 052014
With thanks to Jonathan Russell, Aberdeen CND.
Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament’s giant, Big Sandy, will be visiting Aberdeen to encourage people to vote Yes between 2-4pm this Saturday 6th September in the square outside Marks and Spencer’s.
Big Sandy is a ten feet tall puppet. He first appeared at the West End Festival in Glasgow in June.
Since then he has helped the Yes campaign on the streets and at major public events all across Scotland.
Jonathan Russell Chair of Aberdeen and District Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament stated:
“Central to the Independence debate is the getting rid of Nuclear Weapons from Scottish Soil. A non-nuclear Scotland will also be enshrined in a Scottish Constitution Getting rid of Nuclear weapons from Scotland will make it exceedingly difficult for the remaining UK to place the existing or new era missiles anywhere in the remaining UK “
Also attending on Saturday, North East MSP Christian Allard said:
“Weapons of mass destruction have no place in a modern Scotland. Labour and the coalition parties at Westminster are committed to the irrational and costly renewal of the UK’s nuclear weapons system – only a Yes vote in September will guarantee Scottish waters are Trident free. I urge any undecided voters to come along to the St Nicholas Centre on Saturday and learn about the opportunities for an independent Scotland.”
For more information contact:
John Ainslie, Coordinator, Scottish CND,
john.ainslie@banthebomb.org
0141 357 1529 07442 500476
or Jonathan Russell, Aberdeen CND
jhamiltonrussell@hotmail.co.uk
tel 01224 586435
Mobile 07582456233
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Aug 292014
“Just the way I see it” writes Keith Marley.
As I understand it the Scottish Government is currently responsible for 7% of taxes raised in Scotland. However it does have the ability to reallocate some, if not all, of the funds it receives from Westminster.
As a result we have a superior education system at all levels, a not perfect but superior health service, free university places for Scottish students, free prescriptions, free travel for the elderly and have even done away with toll bridges, yet despite all these benefits I am not aware of any services or standards which are in any way substandard to the rest of the UK.
Our country has massive oil reserves with enough oil discovered in the North Sea already to ensure prosperity for at least the next 3 generations.
We are at the forefront of renewable energy technology with 25% of Europe’s tidal and wind potential. All this in addition to our successful, established industries in Whisky, Tourism, Manufacturing, Construction, Agriculture and the Creative industries from fashion to computer games which is enough to make us a wealthy country even if we didn’t have oil.
Here’s the bit I don’t understand……If we vote ‘Yes’ we will have complete control over our whole economy, but if we vote ‘No’ we may be given some more powers such as raising taxes.
I don’t know about anybody else but the promise of paying increased tax hasn’t swung my vote yet. As for these other ‘powers’ there seems to be much shuffling of feet and unconfirmed mumbled answers. Of course it will all depend on who is in power if and when Scotland actually becomes independent.
It seems to me that just as many in Westminster will take a ‘No’ vote as a good enough reason to put an end to the Barnett formula resulting in a decrease in money coming back to Scotland as well as fewer M.P.s which means less representation for Scottish interests.
If we vote ‘Yes’ we are told we will lose the pound, but I think, and I suspect the majority of Scots also think, that this will also be detrimental to the rest of the UK and simply political posturing. If not, there are other options many of which are becoming more appealing as time goes on.
We are told that an independent Scotland will no longer enjoy the status of ‘being a world power’ influencing international politics. That suits me just fine, I didn’t agree with getting involved in Iraq or Afghanistan any more than I agreed with the conflict with Argentina over the Falkland isles. If we are no longer a nuclear force then I am confident we will be no longer a nuclear target either.
We have been told by the ‘No’ campaign that we will be out of the E.U. which frankly, seems to be strange threat for 2 reasons.
Why would Europe not welcome a country with a strong economy, which already meets all the standards and criteria for acceptance as well as having Europe’s main oil reserves, wind and wave potential and is Europe’s main provider of fish as well as being an existing trading partner with strong import and export links already established? It seems to me that there will be a rush to ‘fast track’ Scotland as quickly as possible.
The second reason for my doubt about this being a potential threat is the fact that the UK government has already promised (if re-elected) to hold a referendum about staying in the EU which judging by the recent U-KIP wins could well result in Scotland being pulled out of the EU like it or not along with the rest of the UK.
I am not affiliated to any political party and my hope is that come independence and Scotland’s first general election I will be able to vote for a party that truly reflects my own opinions and desires.
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Aug 292014
With thanks to Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP.
Nobody likes to go to the dentist – least of all me. But the only thing worse than the dentist is not having an NHS dentist when you need one, which was the situation for thousands of people in Scotland, including the north-east, until just a few years ago.
One of the early steps taken by the Scottish Government in 2007 was to open a new dental school in Aberdeen and significantly increase the numbers of trainee dentists and increase the level of NHS dental provision across the country.
Just this week, figures were released showing that there’s been a 30% rise in the number of NHS dentists since the SNP came to power, and that over ninety per cent of children are now registered with an NHS dentist, compared to 67% in 2007, and 84% of adults compared to just 46%.
One of the big questions being asked in the independence debate over the past few weeks has been the future of our health service following either a Yes or No vote.
While NHS Scotland is entirely devolved, spending decisions made in England determine the amount of money allocated to Scotland to pay for public services.In Scotland we’ve chosen to keep our NHS in public hands. We do not charge patients for prescription medicines, and we’re investing in new and upgraded hospital facilities.
We’ve also honoured the pay agreement made with nurses, and ensure that everyone working for our NHS is paid a living wage. Our NHS is not always perfect, and faces some real pressures as the baby-boomer generation starts requiring more age-related healthcare. Nonetheless, most of us depend on access to NHS care and value the service we receive.
The story in NHS England is very different. As the NHS there has been gradually broken up and the lucrative bits privatised, a number of Health Boards have gone bankrupt, waiting times have soared, and there’s a total post-code lottery of care. The Westminster Health and Social Care Act 2012 has big implications for the funding of NHS services in Scotland because the expected cuts to spending down south will have a knock on impact on the money allocated to the Scottish Government.
In Scotland we contribute more revenue to the UK Treasury per head of population than the rest of the UK – and have done so in every one of the last 33 years. However, Westminster remains in full control of the amount of money we get back.
This ‘block grant’ calculated through the Barnett Formula is dependent on the UK’s spending priorities, so cuts to health and social care services in England reduce Scotland’s allocation. For every £100 cut to England’s NHS expenditure, £10 will be cut from Scotland’s budget. It’s a convoluted system, rather akin to handing your next door neighbour the entirety of your salary, and receiving pocket money back.
With a Yes vote, the power to set our budget in line with our priorities will enable us to continue to provide healthcare free at the point of need.
With a No vote, the situation is far more uncertain. Many respected authorities believe England won’t have an NHS in 5 years time, and if we follow Westminster’s path, it will become increasingly difficult to maintain services here. We also know that we face big cuts in the block grant in the event of a No vote, with all the UK parties promising cuts to the Barnett Formula, and more austerity.
We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to take Scotland’s future into our own hands in September. With powers over our own budgets we can provide security for our NHS, and set ourselves priorities suited to our own needs and circumstances.
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Aug 222014
With thanks to Dave Watt.
Tommy Sheridan is in Aberdeen on Wednesday 3rd of September at the Copthorne Hotel in Huntly Street as part of the Hope Not Fear Tour where he has spoken at venues all over Scotland alongside YES campaigners David Hayman and Ian Hamilton to over 15,000 people in the last eight months.
Thumbnail image credit: “TommySheridan2007” by D. Natanson – Self-photographed. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons
