BB I take your point but remember the reason Alec Salmond had to take oil into account was because he had no funding plan for the organs of power/control and no currency. So while he may have wished to stick to the basics his hand was forced. As for Westminster 'oil is running out' as a viable economic contributor they are rapidly being proven to be correct. Maybe not for the reason they intended but still real enough in revenue terms.
Nobody claimed oil was running out within 5 years!! I know BB is not reading this, as as per all Nationalists they refuse to listen when the argument against them is so obviously lost on all counts. The SNP lied last time around regarding all the major issues and they lie now in the full knowledge that Brexit is just a smokescreen to create the excuse for ripping the country apart again. Meanwhile our economy and education lag woefully behind their potential and our defecit is not being addressed properly (not by cuts but increasing economic activity to pay for services). I'm sick of the Nationalists, it'll take at least 100 years to heal the rifts in Scotland caused by these evil self interested nothing more than Nazis. Just re look at the threads at the time of last referendum and see which side were claiming the truth and which side have found to be either ignorant or blatant liers!
Problem is Aberdeen that someone said everything in the heat of battle. And in these days of instant mass communication and what seems to me like 5000000 retweets of gibberish every minute you can find a true honest guv story to back up anything no matter how stupid. But your average intelligent person didn't believe Salmond's economics and daft currency ideas any more than they believed Scotland would be invaded by jihadists after it failed to protect its borders. So not sure a Nat/Union argument will get us far based on who said what. And a thought, no matter how you and BB disagree you are both 'orns and part of the family
The problem we have in the UK and indeed globally is that we are not reliant on the intelligence of people to do whats right but ever increasingly are moving towards populism, the culture of self and a discouragement of independent free thinking. Brexit, Independence for Scotland, Trump, Chavez, Marine la Pen, The Kardashians, Tony Blair... the list goes on and "Do I not like that!!" It all started with my great leader Maggie. For all the good she did she also introduced the most despicable thought process, or rather exalted it... that of self first community doesn't matter. The problem is that this culture now transcends all parties across the entire political spectrum. Brexit is a result of self first and protectionism, Nationalism is a result of self first and the same but dressed up protectionism... Its weeks when we don't have a game that I get to feeling all really is wrong in the world... Bring on Saturday quick!!!
Unlike yourself Aberdeen I would find it difficult to think of anything good that Maggie did, but I do agree that her worst legacy was contained in her own words ie. 'There is no such thing as society, only individuals'. Everywhere you look that legacy is coming to fruition, and people are rebelling against it. People do not want to live in communities which are constantly changing. Which are constantly subject to only external factors - like a blade of grass in the wind. People want 'communities' back. Opposition to globalization, fear of it, can be utilized by both the left and the right. It can take the form of nationalism, racism, localism, calls for local self sufficiency etc. When I campaign for local currencies, growing my own food, and being as self sufficient as possible, then I am aware that most Nazis want exactly the same thing, from completely the other end of the spectrum. People have a right to live in a World in which the decisions which most affect their lives are made as close to them as possible - as locally as possible, where they can take an active part in making those decisions. One of the biggest problems with globalization is that it has transcended our democratic institutions, which were all based on the idea of the nation state. To 'keep up' either those institutions have to become supranational ones or they have to localize - preferably both.
A really interesting post. I agree with a lot of it. I'll shock you by saying I was not Thatcher's #1 fan , but agree with the cultural references you make. I fully understand the nationalist argument when they keep getting governments for whom they haven't voted, but the fracturing of the world worries me. Countries' cultural ghettos worry me. I understand them, if people have experienced racism they might feel safer amongst 'their own', but multi-culturalism works best where people really mix.
Problem is what do you mean by mix? Many immigrants mix by integrating into the local culture while maintaining their own identities . However some want to invade with their culture and destroy the local culture I think a biggest problem on this small planet is over population. As the explorer Ridgeway said (forgive miss quote but the gist) "I haven't seen a problem in this world that couldn't be resolved by halving the planet's population". Without room to express one self; with a limitation of resources, there is certain to be conflict. And the solution to over population is fairly obvious. But what happens if a culture that sees the solution is invaded by one that doesn't? Their culture gets swamped and destroyed. That said I don't think that has much to do with Scottish independence but quite a lot to do with Brexit and the re-emergence of the far right in the EU. I'm depressed now because I see no hope of solution in my life time. Another glass of wine female slave
Oh what a tangled web is being woven. I have a UK EHIC card, not to get treatment in France, but should I fall ill in the UK to get treatment there. I checked this out when I was first informed I should get one as the letter made no sense. Today in the commons it was stated that after Brexit these cards would be abolished, and people could simply take out private insurance to cover any treatment needed when travelling around Europe. In the same committee it stated that the two tier immigration system had stopped many nurses from outside the EU coming to the UK, that ones from within the EU are no longer coming, and that training places for UK students are empty. On the day when it is reported that more hospital beds are likely to go, maybe it is thought that the country will not need so many nurses.
I think that the reason is more likely to be the fact that nursing bursaries are being scrapped this year. As most of the training is done in situ, this will effectively mean that nurses will be paying for the privilege of working in a hospital for the duration of their training. With privatisation looming, I can see employers taking full advantage of that - and so can those who were considering nursing as a career. As for the hospital beds - maybe they won't be needed anyway. If the American health system is anything to go by, only the wealthy will be able to afford even the cost of health insurance - the 'man in the street' will very likely be expected to just die quietly.
Wouldn't be too sure about that - that's exactly what started post-1707. And the same types are in charge now...
Tx BB took me 20 mins to find 1707 But I don't think Scottish indi from the UK or not would impact that. Well except if Scotland did manage to get indi and in the EU then I guess it may be forced to take an intake it didn't wish for. That said the EU appears to have seen the danger and is back peddling.
Whilst we all fret and argue over nothing more than Brexit, spare a thought for the poor Irish.... https://www.rte.ie/news/2017/0221/854368-rhododendron/
This could be a major problem for beekeepers in the area - honey taken exclusively from Rhododendron can be highly toxic, depending on the sort.
Yesterday I watched some of the debate on the Brexit bill from the House of Lords. A lot of good reasoning calling on experience listened to with attention and consideration. Today I caught a bit of questions to the Prime Minister and what a difference. Most of it was not worth listening to as no answers were given. If it comes down to it, I would prefer to place my trust in the unelected HOL to do what is right for the country rather than the elected members of the commons. At the end of the Lords debate a government minister read out a prepared statement, and looked quite embarrassed with some of what he had to say. The country is suffering very bad government at present.
Tonight I had a telephone chat with my oldest friend and best man who lives in Dorset. He was horrified to find out that his peaceful county is actually the one where most post-Brexit hate crime has been reported. It all comes from Bournemouth and Poole he reckons where they are a pretty wild bunch. As he voted to leave I asked him how he felt about being associated with these wild men. Alright he admitted, " I got it totally wrong, and I know loads here who were taken in by Boris". " It is no longer right that Mayhem, his word not mine, should force this through without seeing if we have, and we have, changed our minds."
