Day: September 12, 2014

Categories
Scottish Referendum

Margaret Curran & Johaan Lamont Ladies with a Past, But Hopefully No Future

Margaret Curran Labour Party MP for the East of Glasgow and Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland is a Labour Party animal.

1. Labour Party Doctrine;

a. The Labour Party comes, first, last and always.

b. The Labour Party is infallible. Any thing she does or is done in the party name is explained away as always being for the better good of the people.

c. The Labour Party provides a vehicle allowing officers of the party to manipulate the needs and wishes of the electorate so that they are in harmony with the Party’s wishes and the promotion of the officers of the Party.

d. Local officers of the Party promote the myth that they are in place and trusted implicitly to service and protect the needs and aspirations of the local electorate.

e. Nepotism is a good thing since it ensures continuity of electorate representation.

f. Promotion of religious division is to be encouraged, nurtured and maintained in electorate areas where there might be a significant majority of one religion over another. Popularly called, “Divide & Rule.
2. Denis Healey – Oil & Gas Finds – The McCrone Report

a. Healey admitted that the Labour government cheated the Scottish electorate out of the oil and gas finds reported on in the McCrone Report.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/scottish-independence-blog/2013/may/29/scottish-independence-oil-healey

Click to access mccronereport.pdf

b. Margaret Curran, (at that time) was a senior officer of the Labour Party, (through her duties in the University) and enjoyed regular contact with officers of the party of all levels. It is expected Margaret and her close working colleague Johaan Lamont would have been aware of the existence and content of the McCrone document. If not at the time it was presented then soon after.

c. Margaret and Johaan represent, (still do) areas of Glasgow with the worst social deprivation, lowest life expectancy and highest infant mortality in the developed world and not a lot has or is being done to improve matters. Set against this damming situation is the fact that the Labour Party and both Margaret and Johaan knew full well, (for the last 40 year’s) that Scotland had massive oil and gas wealth and that the Scottish people have been lied to for decades. I wondered at their behavior and the justification of it then remembered the Labour party creed allows the sacrifice of the electorate for perceived good of the bigger picture of the Labour Party and it’s manifesto.

http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2013/05/28/being-there/ Full expose of Margaret Curran et.al.

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Scottish Referendum

Referendum Wrecking Tactics – Supermarkets – Banks & Retailers

Referendum Wrecking Tactics – Supermarkets – Banks & Retailers

1. Wrecking tactics, (conceived, organized and ordered by David Cameron) require the billionaire heads of banks and businesses to issue, “gloom and Doom” messages to their Scottish staff and the public in the last few days before the referendum. Frighteners such as; transferring banking activity and employment to London, (adversely affecting 30,000 people employed in the Scottish financial sector). Price increases, across the board in the case of retailers and in particular Supermarkets, (designed to spread negative messages to retailing staff and shoppers).

2. The Banks

3. But the devil is in the detail and David Cameron may yet be hung by his own petard

a. The total cost of employing 30,000 highly trained finance staff in Scotland is approximately £1 Billion.

b. Assuming it might be feasible to locate and purchase 30,000 homes in or near London and transfer staff and their families relocation cost would be in the region of £10 Billion.

c. On-costs, house purchase, mortgage support, travel and other aspects of relocation would require another £50 Billion.

d. Then there is the additional wage bill for 30,000 staff who would attract salaries in line with those in place for London staff .750 Billion.

e. Total cost £61 Billion.

f. Is it financially prudent to relocate staff? No it most certainly is not.

g. I n any event it would not be possible to recruit new staff in London and financially prohibitive to relocate Scottish staff and there is insufficient housing stock available.

h. The solution? Move the brass plate to London effectively registering the banks there, ensuring any financial deficit carried over from the financial crash are retained in London with the UKr Treasury. Note: This will happen regardless of the outcome of the referendum

i. Retain all 30,000 staff in Scotland, effectively outsourced from London. Discharging the same duties as before. Might need some IT investment but this would be minimal.

j. Result. Everybody happy. No unnecessary financial expenditure associated with the changes
4. Supermarkets and Retailers

5. Retailers were put under ruthless, unfair and persistent pressure from David Cameron to back and make public their support for a no vote in the Scottish referendum, (but most refused). However the attack dog, (self appointed) is Sir Ian Cheshire, the, (soon to be replaced) Chief Executive of Kingfisher, the business behind B&Q, the DIY chain. His position is that, “business leaders need to speak out and get the facts in front of Scottish voters who need to make a decision”. “It’s not scaremongering. Independence is possible but there are costs and consequences of separation. I think the current system works well, but people have to decide if it is better.”

6. The thrust of the intervention by the Chief Executives of a few retailers and two of the largest supermarkets, (since withdrawn) is centered around the probability of, “Increased Prices” for goods and services in the event of a, “Yes” vote. Such increases would be justified since goods distribution costs to Scotland are higher than in the rest of the UK.

7. If Scotland votes, “yes” in the referendum, at the date of change supermarkets and retailers would be free to establish new markets in Scotland. Assuming Scotland would retain, “special membership status” within the EU all, “new” markets would be governed by internal market regulations operating within Europe. To that extent any restriction of trade measures that Supermarkets might seek to introduce would need to meet all aspects of the aforesaid regulations. The European Commission may, if provided with reference, decide to order a market investigation so as to ensure a fair extension of the frontiers of competition within Supermarkets operating within England & Scotland.

8. Any costs inflated by carriage charges would need to be measured and imposed equally across the entire supermarket distribution area, (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). eg Asda, (based in Leeds) would need to introduce an added carriage cost for distribution to Glasgow, Edinburgh, London, Plymouth, Portsmouth and Cardiff. It would not be permissible to add carriage costs to goods for sale in Scotland to the exception of the same goods for sale in England.

9. Tax – Now That’s Another Thing to Sort

10. UK lax tax laws provide a myriad of loopholes which are widely used for tax avoidance and the Treasury is losing many £ billions of tax revenues each and every year. Five of the UK’ largest banks use tax havens, namely BARCLAYS, LLOYDS, TSB, HSBC, and the ROYAL BANK of SCOTLAND. Just about all of the larger retailers, (supermarkets) and food manufacturers compete for places in the top 10 tax haven users A survey of the UK’s largest 100 public companies revealed that there are over 8,000 linking offshoots involved in business activities, (onshore and offshore) all registered in tax havens. Only 2 out of the 100 public companies had no offshoots registered in tax havens. George Osborne, in a recent speech brought the issue to the attention of the UK public stating the matter needed to be resolved. The task of closing the loopholes and recovering tax due is proving to be just about impossible since the bulk of the offshoot companies were registered in UK Crown dependencies such as, Bermuda, Gibraltar and Jersey.

Categories
Scottish Referendum

EU Referendum – Cameron resurrecting 2014 Scottish Referendum Project Fear Incorporating Big Business bullying tactics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The UK before joining the EEC

I lived in Hampshire, England from 1970-1973. Almost weekly local newspapers carried graphic reports of huge numbers of French and Belgian shoppers travelling across the channel to Dover, Folkestone etc.  to purchase food, drink and many other household items. Significant savings were achieved even after adding in the cost of a return ticket. In light of the foregoing  we considered ourselves lucky that Harold Wilson’s bid to join the EEC in 1967 had been vetoed by General de Gaulle.

But bad tidings awaited the UK in the form of the introduction of the “Common Agricultural Policy” (CAP). The  hugely expensive policy had been forced on the EEC by the French who intended retaining their vastly inefficient “peasant farmer”  agriculture system. Once this was in place France dropped their objections to the UK joining the EEC.  Informed politicians warned the UK public that France needed the UK in the EEC so that finance would be available to fund their  inefficient farmers and this proved to be the case.

In 1971 Ted Heath’s Tory government (prodded by the USA)  opened negotiations with the EEC once more. Simultaneously they launched an expensive political and media onslaught on the UK public broadcasting the subliminal message that the EEC was simply a trading agreement and there was no threat to the UK’s sovereignty. The conduct of discussions were not openly broadcast and in time many aspects of the agreement disadvantageous to the UK unravelled. But the (USA owned) UK media and press clamoured for membership, through their heavy use of emotive headlines shaping and promoting USA and Tory  agenda’s.

Yet again the UK public was subjected to a massive con trick orchestrated by politicians and the media who, whilst extolling the virtues, (as yet intangible)  gave no mention  of the extortionate costs of joining the EEC.  Nevertheless  Heath, (assisted by a compliant media and press) without affording the UK public the opportunity of a referendum, agreed a treaty committing the UK to  joining the EEC  in January 1972.

Within days of joining the cost of living in the UK increased by around 40%, (without any increase in wages). Those of us living in the South of England formed “shopper clubs”. These organised weekend trips to France to purchase, food, drink etc. “The shoe had been transferred to the other foot.” What a nonsense.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cameron resurrecting Project Fear bullying tactics in EU Referendum

David Cameron has come under renewed pressure over his conduct during Scotland’s independence referendum – after new revelations that his government put pressure on big business to try and play up anti-independence fears.

As reported today, a leaked letter from Serco has shown that the Prime Minister has pushed corporations to encourage the publication of anti-Brexit information – and makes clear that the UK Government did the same thing during the independence referendum and ‘managed to garner a lot of publicity’.

Commenting, SNP MSP James Dornan said:

“This damning new evidence lays bare the concerted effort of the UK Government to pressurise big business to try and whip up anti-independence fears – and gets to the heart of the sinister, behind the scenes campaign David Cameron ran in the final weeks of the referendum.

“Now we know that the UK government was pressing businesses to garner publicity for anti-independence scaremongering, people in Scotland will view every anti-independence pronouncement from the Tories in the same light – and won’t believe a single word they say on the issue.

“As Prime Minister of the whole UK, David Cameron had a duty to people in Scotland – instead, he put his partisan interest first and actively sought to undermine our economy, and it’s high time he apologised.

“But it’s clear that he hasn’t learned a single thing from the appalling way his government conducted their business during the independence referendum – and seems content to use the same Project Fear bullying tactics on the issue of the EU. “He should make clear that he will eschew the negative tactics of scaremongering from now until June 23rd – and make the positive case for being part of Europe.”

http://thehighlandtimes.com/news/2016/05/17/new-evidence-of-sinister-anti-independence-scheming-by-cameron/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2014 – The Scottish Referendum

Retailers under pressure from David Cameron to back no vote in Scottish referendum

The UK’s biggest retailers are being ruthlessly pressurized by David Cameron forcing them to intervene in the Scottish referendum debate, pushing his message that a, Yes” vote next week will result in higher prices. He invoked Britain’s defeat of Hitler as part of a plea to around 200 business leaders aimed at preventing Scotland voting for independence. The Prime Minister said that it was as a United Kingdom that the Second World War had been fought and won, and that it was crucial that the country remained undivided.

Cameron’s remarks at the private gathering represent some of his most bizarrely impassioned comments so far, ahead of a referendum which is more finely balanced than at any stage since campaigning got underway. “He (Cameron) emphasized the need for us to do everything we can over the next few days to keep the union together,” said one of those present. “He wants us to highlight the dangers of a Scottish exit in any way we can.”

The so called, “initiative” will take the form of a letter to be released to the UK media in the next day or so. It is being led by Sir Ian Cheshire, the Chief Executive of Kingfisher, the business behind B&Q, the DIY chain. Other retailers understood to have agreed to back the initiative, so far include Marc Bolland, the chief executive of Marks & Spencer, and Charlie Mayfield, chairman of the John Lewis Group. Andy Clarke, the chief executive of Asda, and John Timpson, boss of the Timpson shoe repair business, also support it.

On Thursday night Cheshire confirmed his involvement: “Business leaders need to speak out and get the facts in front of Scottish voters who need to make a decision. It’s not scaremongering. There are costs and consequences of separation and I think the current system works better. Independence is possible but people have to decide if it is better. There needs to be measured debate.” So far, it is understood that Morrisons has refused to add its name and that several other leading retailers are holding back, fearing it would alienate vast numbers of Scottish shoppers. News of the move will fuel concerns in Scotland that a dirty tricks campaign is being co-ordinated through Downing Street

http://news.sky.com/story/1332422/pm-invokes-ww2-in-scottish-no-plea
http://news.sky.com/story/1332669/b-and-q-boss-warns-over-prices-if-scots-vote-yes

 

 

Queen “purred” at the good news her realm would stay intact (for now)

 

 

 

 

 
Competition and Supermarkets – A Guidance Note

In the event the Scottish referendum results in Scotland becoming an independent nation. At the date of change supermarkets would be free to establish new markets in Scotland in all respects. Assuming Scotland would retain, “special membership status” within the EU all, “new” markets would be governed by internal market regulations operating within Europe.

To that extent any restriction of trade measures that Supermarkets might seek to introduce would need to meet all aspects of the aforesaid regulations.

The European Commission may, if provided with reference, decide to order a market investigation so as to ensure a fair extension of the frontiers of competition within Supermarkets operating within England & Scotland.

Any costs inflated by carriage charges would need to be measured and imposed equally across the entire supermarket distribution area, (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). eg Asda, (based in Leeds) would need to introduce an added carriage cost for distribution to Glasgow, Edinburgh, London, Plymouth, Portsmouth and Cardiff.

It would not be permissible to add carriage costs to goods for sale in Scotland to the exception of the same goods for sale in England.

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/cma-how-we-intend-to-use-market-investigations-to-extend-the-frontiers-of-competition

 

 

Unionist Party leaders in forefront of Better Together 2014 referendum campaign