Thursday 13 February 2014

DON'T DO THAT, GEORGE

It always seemed to me that the current Conservative government largely comprised a bunch of over-privileged, upper middle class to lower upper class men from what the English somewhat weirdly call “public” school (as most of the public never get near them) and Oxbridge. After the relative egalitarianism of the previous 18-year spell of  Tory misrule, it was a return to the days of the old school tie.

In practical terms that meant that what you got was a bunch of incompetent Hooray Henrys, in post because of who they knew, rather than what they knew, and with absolutely no idea of what species populated the world outside of their own class (except for Nanny and Cook, the Butler and possibly the Head Gardener).


Scary, of course. But if these people had any saving grace it was that they were largely “gentlemen”. You know what I mean: “a chap’s word is A CHAP'S bond” dontcha know?

Well, that seems to have gone out the window.

A matter of days after the now infamous love bombing from the Olympic Park, which went disastrously wrong,  Gideon George Oliver Osborne (if they’d just transposed his two middle names, we could have called him Gogo), broke the terms of the Edinburgh agreement, which states [in more legal language] that the two governments agree to work together to co-operate with the free will of the Scottish population. He came to Scotland to tell us we couldn't hang on to the pound in an independent Scotland. I can't help but feel that it was a pretty silly thing to say.


It smacks of desperation.  It is pretty obviously designed to put the frighteners on Scots. It wouldn't be for the good of the UK economy or the Scottish economy, because, although our currency would be strong, we'd still have to do business with a UK whose currency wasn't worth the paper it was printed on. It appears to be a nasty move on Osborne's part, designed to scare, perhaps better described as bully boy (as opposed to Bullingdon Boy) tactics, which I suppose is what you get in “public school” playgrounds and “dorms” when a responsible member of staff isn't around to control the children.

Everyone knows that the pound is an internationally traded currency, and as such anyone can use it anywhere, with or without the agreement of the Bank of England, so technically they can't even say we can't use it. We can. We just can't use it with their blessing.

But it doesn't seem to be a threat that was ever designed to be carried out. It would damage the English and RUK economies. Almost certainly the pound would tumble without Scottish exports. Companies operating across the border would be lumbered with administration costs of working in two currencies (and although that works between Eire and Ulster, there are costs involved).

However, Osborne says the opposite to all this, and in what we know already has been agreed with Ed Balls and Osborne's glove puppet, Alexander, he adds: "I don't think any other chancellor of the exchequer would come to a different view."


This, in itself, is odd, given that ex-chancellor, Alistair Darling, the Tory’s stooge in Better Together, famously said exactly the opposite! Not to mention the SOS for Scotland and one of the No campaigns academic advisors!
My purpose in writing this is not to go into detailed analysis of the situation, which is, in any case, beyond my economic understanding. That is more expertly covered here by Iain MacWhirter, and the options open to our government here by James Kelly. I felt however, obliged to comment upon to what I see as some sort of change in their strategy. An almost desperate turning nasty, or nastier, of the campaign, precipitated, I have no doubt, by private polling showing that they are losing the argument.

It could, of course, work. There will be those who will be frightened at the idea of starting out with another currency. Of course people will worry about pensions paid in pounds by English pension companies (or the RUK government on contributions paid over a lifetime to London). There will be people who will swallow the “border posts” stories. Barbed wire posts set up to ensure that no pounds escape from England into the badlands of the Scottish borders, no matter how many pictures you put up of postless borders between other countries.

Mind you, if this were the plan, it might have been better to make the announcement a little closer to the time, when the truth would have more difficulty in getting out. 

But I suspect many will see it for what it is: a dirty tricks campaign designed to coerce Scotland to stay with the Uk and let the smug Tory boys continue to enjoy the benefits of Scottish exports to prop up their 19th century dreams of importance and world statesmanship, and to not suffer the indignity of being the government that lost Scotland.

Those who take the trouble to read a little more than the tabloid stories of the “Hammer blow for SNP” type, will perhaps note what the Adam Smith Institute says.
No one likes a bully, Gideon George… and, I suspect, this may well be another blunder in a long list of blunders that will backfire badly. It can hardly be doubted that, if the referendum is to be won by lies, deceptions and tricks, it will not lead to a happy nor a permanent settlement of the matter. And it won't win you international respect.

Perhaps he should have listened to Joyce Grenfell “Don’t do that, George", which I add here for your entertainment.

25 comments:

  1. Private schoolboy Gideon Osborne lectures common people on what to do, or else. Private schoolboy Edward Balls agrees. So far, so clear. Then commoner Daniel Grian Alexander runs up excitedly and agrees with his betters. Why try so hard to please them, Danny? In their world of Upstairs Downstairs, Osborne and Balls are the Bellamys. You are Hudson, the butler - a cut above the scullery maid but still only a proudscot who knows his place.
    P.S. 'Grian' is Gaelic for 'Sun'.

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    1. Hi Ronnie. I agree, but I hear that the kitchen maid in the form of Lamont, has agreed with them too.

      Working class Tories trying to emulate their betters, have always thought that somehow the glitter would rub off on them.

      It doesn't.

      The Sun? Bloody hell, he was misnamed! More like a downpour in November with a whipping wind to chill you.

      Delete
    2. Hi Tris. I've never heard of a human being getting called Grian, but a friend of mine called her dog that. Dogs know their place in the hierarchy too.

      Delete
  2. Nice of good old Gideon to come out and confirm what we all knew for the last 48 hours, Westminster will never agree to a currency union. As a result of this an Independent Scotland can never use the pound as its currency!

    Is that right Gideon?

    Are you sure about that Gideon?

    Do you want to phone a friend (assuming you actually have any) ?

    Reality check for Gideon!

    Reality check for Gideon!

    The people of Scotland currently use their own pound currency.....FACT!

    To provide suitable financial coverage I understand Bank of England holds around £3.9 Billion of Scottish money in trust against the Scottish pound.

    Thanks to Gideon and his intervention today attempting to BULLY the people of Scotland has in effect had the reverse affect. I lost count of the number of people I saw on Twitter etc last night who all said that as a result of Gideon's "leaked" speech there were a significant INCREASE in people moving from not only Don't Know but NO straight to YES supporters!

    As everyone has been saying in the lead up to Gideon and his bully speech this morning we can now leave the union totally unhindered by any currency union and more importantly totally debt free! More over how happy is Mr. Kerney at the Bank of England going to be when we go to his door demanding the return of our £3.9 Billion money currently held in trust?

    Finally, anyone visiting Schiphol, Hong Kong or Middle East is more than likely to find that they will get BETTER exchange rates for their SCOTTISH pounds than they will get for any UK pounds!

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    1. Yes. Never mind it's not the bank of England, but the bank of Britain. Never mind that Scottish banks deposit money,

      Just leave it to thicko Gideon to play the part of the evil wizard.

      Yawn.

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  3. Threats of an English invasion were used to help push Scotland into the Union (along with bribery of Scots lords); threats are being used to try to keep Scotland in the Union (along with the prospect of peerages for unionist 'Scottish' politicians like Darling). Plus ça change, and all that.

    One unfortunate thing is that, if the rUK does refuse to negotiate a currency union following a Yes vote in the referendum and there is a loss of confidence in sterling, this might happen before independence. Another is that if sterling does crash, the millionaires on the front benches at Westminster will probably have moved their bank accounts to another country and another currency first, if they have not already done so.

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    1. "Public " schoolboys are like that, especially when they see people they consider their social inferiors... Grammar School boys, or worse still, Comprehensive boys... even worse girls...

      They bully them.

      The alien act is a perfect example of it.

      Delete
    2. Yes, CH, that as well. Bullies in London, 'Scottish' politicians who would sell Scotland for a title and the right to dip their snouts in the Westminster trough.

      Although it is from one of my favourite songs, I have never been sure which nation Burns was referring to in the line "Sic a parcel o' rogues in a nation". It could be either one, then and now.

      Delete
  4. And now the snp nats can explain (can they ???)
    why they want Independence (do they ???)
    and the end of a political union
    to be replaced by another political union.
    and continuing rule by westminster.

    This argument is becoming more
    alice in wonderland topsy turvy
    by the day.

    I mean we now have the Unionists
    saying if yes win they must have
    Independence...In contrast the snp
    and there visceral followers screaming
    from the rooftops. they must have a
    continuing monetary and political union.

    you couldn't make it up .

    then there is the biggest female bully
    in Scotland the snps own thug Nicola.
    snarling like a mad Rottweiler about
    being bullied .....its just a joke

    Look the English have said
    or there leaders????
    FUCK RIGHT OFF

    Now why not just say
    ta very much will do
    goodbyee.

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    1. Niko. Go and take a powder and lie down.

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  5. Nicola the snp thug said


    Far from a No vote protecting the institutions that we value, a No vote keeps them at the mercy of Westminster decisions and places them under threat.And it is not just a case - as Labour would have us believe - of crossing our fingers and hoping for a different Westminster government. In truth, there is very little to choose between the different Westminster parties on these issues.Let’s not forget it was New Labour that enthusiastically embraced the market in healthcare and the Private Finance Initiative. And it is Labour today that says it will be just as tough - if not tougher - than the Tories on welfare ..

    All very true.............Im going to bed

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    1. yes... that's a good idea.

      You have a wee lie down. And I'll ask that nice Mr Brownlie to look in on your later and read you a wee story about wicked old witches and chancellors that are turned into toads by fairy godmothers called Nicola!

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  6. Whilst I ignore the racvism from Niko Tris, here is a link to the speech given by Nicola Sturgeon today at the UCL Department of Political Science today.

    http://scotreferendum.com/2014/02/the-case-for-independence/

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    1. He's a bit upset Arbroath...

      He's off to bed with a hot politis on his boil!.

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  7. If you want independence, then fine, good luck to you.How anyone thinks that two conflicting ideologies can share a currency without problems is beyond me. Independence surely means that Scotland has to have its own currency or you are not truely independent.

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    1. Other countries manage fine. Indeed Ireland and the Uk managed.

      If it doesn't happen we both lose, UK loses more, I'd guess.

      I'm not sure I'd want to leave my finances in the hands of a bloke like Gideon.

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  8. just got up to say


    http://www.theguardian.com/business/poll/2014/feb/13/politicians-block-currency-union-independent-scotland

    vote here goodnight

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    1. Thanks Niko....Sleep well.

      It seems that the French German and Spanish newspapers have criticised the move as a cynical ploy. The American ones seem to support it, but then America doesn't want us to be independent and weaken its poodle.

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  9. I've just done my bit on Niko's link. For some I may appear a bit of turn coat here but I've voted YES and I'll tell you why.

    I did originally accept the view held by the Scottish government but now that Ozzy has, along with Balls and Beaker, stated that a Currency Union is not going to happen I think an independent Scotland should use its own currency, the Scottish pound. Remember we already use the Scottish pound and the Bank of England holds around £3.9 Billion in trust against the Scottish pound.7

    The Scottish government is still pushing the currency union line, which is fine but I think in time they must eventually turn to using the Scottish pound independent of rUK which would have the added advantage of NOT carrying any debt, something that can only hurt Westminster as it tries to come to tetms with dealing with the whole £1.3 Trillion debt they have.

    I think Scott Minto's piece here explains everything.

    http://wingsoverscotland.com/the-angels-share/

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  10. Replies
    1. Thanks for the links guys....

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  11. To be honest this was always going to come. One of the reasons that Scotland will not get more devolution is that the more powers that Scotland gets the smaller the step it is to independence, the less threatening it is to Scots and the easier it is to vote Yes.

    The currency union is in the same category. Keeping the pound lowers the step to independence because there's no worries about a new currency so it encourages Scotland to vote Yes. The question was not if the currency union would be disowned by the unionists but when.

    Nice to see Ed Balls cheering on Gideon though. All Westminster chums together against these upstart Scots.

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  12. I would imagine that the lessons of the last time, when idiots like Lord No Language or Culture, of Gaelic Island, said that devolution would put nationalism (as they like to call it) in a box. And then we proved him wrong.

    They have learned from that.

    The more we do that we do well, while they make a mess of it, the more we like doing it well.

    We already want to control our own tax and our own benefits system, and the pensions... We just have difficulty with the world independence. Mainly because the press and the tv and the politicos form London tell us we are miles too stupid, and almost none of us went to Eton, so how could we possibly run the country. We probably don;t even know the best claret to have with the meat course.

    Yes, the currency is a big factor, but it seems it, like so many other of the little ploys, may have backfired a bit.

    There are people who are saying... stuff yer pound ye wee Tory prat.

    Tories should be careful about lecturing us... and of course they usually are. Sending Carbuncle up top do a man's job, on the basis that Fluffy would... well, be a Tory.

    Or churning some old Labour has been Tessy Jowels out to speak for the prime minister on the day of the Olympics love bombing.

    Osborne is a particularly odious example of Tory. He looks like he has a nasty smell under his nose when surrounded by his chums (maybe he has halitosis), lord knows how disgusted he must have been with Scotch people around him.

    Ed and Gideon together...what a lovely couple... and that little Liberal blokey as their tea boy.

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