“Third World” Prediction is yet Another Third Rate Scare Tactic

According to Douglas McWilliams, the chief Executive of the Centre for Economics and Business Research it will take the people of Scotland just over a decade to destroy their country’s economy to such an extent that it will become the Ethiopia of Europe and require Western aid. They will do so despite being part of the EU, the world’s first trade power and the largest and wealthiest economy on the planet. 

The latest third rate unionist attack on Scotland comes from Douglas McWilliams, the chief Executive of the Centre for Economics and Business Research. He used to say that an independent Scotland would be a Third World Country by 2050. Now however, with the independence referendum looming, he has cobbled together a new report and revised that date to 2030.

The Finance Minister, John Swinney, has dismissed this latest report as “deeply flawed” and containing “a series of basic mistakes”.

Mr McWilliams may very well believe in what he says but, how he comes to his conclusions are unclear.

He points out that in the last ten years, living standards in Spain and Greece have caught up with hose in Scotland and that Korea, Poland and Turkey are soon to do so. Good for them.

The reason for this, he claims, is a lack of entrepreneurship and over-government. This is compared to who or what you might ask. Because as far as I know, everything’s far from rosy in the garden south of the border.

As for Spain and Greece - just what were they doing in the last ten years that an independent Scotland should have been copying?

But, a “Third World Country”?

The term “Third World” has long been considered an arbitrary one. It arose during the Cold War to define countries not aligned either to Capitalism and NATO or Communism and the Warsaw Pact. Today it is generally considered to mean those countries which demand and receive Western aid.

So, if Mr McWilliams is correct then more than the people of an independent Scotland should be worried. In the relatively near future the European Union will be in such a mess that one of its better off countries will have become comparable with present day Ethiopia, Sudan, Afghanistan and Haiti. In economic terms these countries are considered the least developed by the United Nations based on, among other things, their Gross National Income per capita (GNI).

If McWilliams’s prediction had already come to pass, then in 2010 the Scottish GNI would have been £460. The GNI for the UK (nominal atlas method) was £1,468,800. However, all that the rest of the UK would have to do to stave off “Third World” status was have a GNI above £551. The suggestion being made by McWilliams however, is that while Scotland becomes one of the least developed countries in the world, England, Wales and Northern Ireland will remain on a sound economic footing.

That then, is the astonishing prediction.

In just over a decade after independence the people of Scotland will show themselves to be so incompetent that they will destroy their country’s economy to such an extent that it will require Western aid. 

They will do so despite being part of the EU, the world’s first trade power and the largest and wealthiest economy on the planet.

The “Fairy of Guadalajara”

Only in deeply superstitious countries such as Mexico could anyone hope to get away with something like this.

Normally in this part of the world, its Jesus or his mother on a tortilla. This time however, they are queuing up to see a “fairy”.

The aforementioned little person has, we are reliably informed, was found by one Jose Maldonado, a 22 tear-old unemployed bricklayer when he was picking Guavas.  It is being preserved in formaldehyde at his home in one of the poorest parts of Guadalajara

Jose has it on display and is charging people to have a look at it.

Mr Maldonado has said that the 2cm tall, red and gold fairy was alive when he found it. He has yet to offer an explanation for its death. Perhaps the police may want to investigate.

As usual, those miserable skeptics are suggesting that the magical sprite is nothing more than a popular plastic toy and that Jose is at it.

This though, has not dissuaded the more than 3,000 visitors to Jose’s “fairy grotto” who have stumped up $1.60 to view the “Fairy of Guadalajara”.

Good luck to Jose. He has shown himself to be an enterprising young man in the mould of P T Barnum.

And after all, he’s only he’s only doing what the Catholic Church has been doing in his country for centuries. Making money out of ignorance and superstition.

In this case however, one can’t imagine there being any lasting damage to those in the queue as Tinkerbell doesn’t appear to come with archaic and repressive life controlling dogma.

“Ordinary Domicile” is not the same as “National Origins”.

Students from the UK, who are not ordinarily domiciled in Scotland, have to pay tuition fees when studying ay Scottish universities. Those domiciled in Scotland do not. A similar fees structure is being introduced in Wales. The fees structure is based on “ordinary domicile” not “national origin”.

Easy to understand? Not if you are from Public Interest Lawyers (PIL).

According to Phil Shiner of PIL the Scottish Government has misinterpreted the law and the fees structure contravenes Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits discrimination in relation to rights and freedoms on the basis of “national origin”. He also claims that it is illegal under the Equality Act 2010 which protects against various forms of discrimination including race, which is defined to include “national origin”.

The reason why we use language is to communicate. We use different words to convey different meanings. That is why “ordinary domicile” does not mean “national origin”.

There is no legal technicality behind which the Scottish Government is hiding. Nor is there any loophole in the law which allows them to do so.

PIL’s argument that “national origin” can be determined by “ordinary domicile” is unreasonable, downright stupid and somewhat dangerous.

If this was a case of discrimination based on “national origin” then those born elsewhere in the UK but brought up in Scotland would be paying tuition fess when attending Scottish universities because of their nationality. That is patently not, nor ever has been, the case.

If we go down the road of reinterpreting language by consigning new and different meanings to words then we will never be sure what anything means.

But, I’m sure that there would be plenty of lawyers on hand to tell us.

Don’t Let Three Come Before Four.

It’s astonishing to think that that the BBC would even consider keeping BBC 3 at the expense of BBC 4. Changed and strange days indeed.

My feelings on “Three” have been made clear elsewhere on this blog.  However when you hear the likes of Ken Clark praising some of the channels programmes you might begin to wonder.

BBC 3 is, for the most part, tabloid telly for teenagers. At the forefront of dumbed-down television, its original remit has long since been consigned to the dustbin of quality television. 

Voyeuristic forays into the worlds of the dysfunctional and those less fortunate, with all the subtlety and morality that accompanied a Victorian freak show, has little  educational value and the channel’s attempts to disguise it as meaningful social documentary fail miserably.

“The World’s Strictest Parents”, “Don’t Tell the Bride”, “Young, Dumb and Living off Mum”, “Snog Marry Avoid”, “Under Age and Pregnant”, is a more than fair representation of the channel’s homemade output. All of which seem to be repeated ad nauseum.

Bulked out, only too readily, by jollies to music festivals (including the corporation’s very unhealthy relationship with the Glastonbury annual mud bath) and repeats from BBC 1 means that we have already seen much of what is on offer. And as good as the US imports “Family Guy” and “American Dad” are, even these wear thin on the umpteenth showing.  

And let’s not forget the irritating Cherry. “Cherry’s Body Dilemmas”, “Cherry’s Parenting Dilemmas” and “Cherry’s Cash Dilemmas” to name a few of Cherry’s dilemmas. One might wonder if it’s responsible to actually let Cherry out on her own. Perhaps see should stay in and watch the box – “Cherry’s So much Shite on the Telly Dilemmas”.

Left to their own devices, I have no doubt that “My Three Lesbian Mums”, “My Cross-dressing  Grandparents”, “I Married My i-Pod” and “I gave Birth to a Poltergeist” are coming our way soon.

Although BBC 4 is also blighted by the “rule of repeat”, its more eclectic programming, that encompasses both science and the arts, absolves it of the charges levelled at its spotty faced sibling.

It would be just as unacceptable to see the adolescent driven rubbish from “Three” share a channel with “Four”. Although I’m sure the programme makers would welcome the credibility that might come from association.

If there’s a niche, and it is a niche, for BBC 3, then its not at the expense of a channel that is superior in every way.

There’s plenty of rubbish like this on our screens as it is. There’s precious little quality.

There again, it only television.

Send the Rioters to London - That’s a Real Punishment.

Ah, those were the days. When the courts of England could banish their “ne’er-do-wells” to lands far beyond their borders.

Step up Richard Miller who, after one presumes reasonable consideration, went to the Government’s daft “Petition” website and started a daft petition. He wanted Parliament to debate his suggestion that his fellow English men and women, who are prone to a bit of rioting and looting, should be deported. Not to Australia this time. Rather, his preferred option was the Outer Hebrides.

Mr Miller’s petition states that the islands have “none of the comforts of English city living e.g. no running water, electricity, decent food, culture and shopping”. As such this would constitute punishment. He goes on to say that as some of the islanders keep sheep, they could look after the English yobs as well.

Surely not in the same field. What have the sheep done to deserve that?

You would have to hope that there was an element of mischief behind this petition but, this particular Dick might actually believe that he has come up with a solution. He may even be Jeremy Clarkson in disguise. But, with the inclusion of words in the petition that contained more than two syllables, this seems unlikely.

As for the Outer Hebrides? 

Well, of course there’s running water. OK it hasn’t done the recycling rounds like the drinking water of the South-east. So, if you prefer your water to have previously resided in the bladders of a couple of strangers, then the Hebrides are not for you.

Electricity? Renewable and subsidising the Green House Gas emission reductions of the gas and coal burning South.

Decent food? Granted, no jellied eels, faggots or pie and liquor here. And alas no McDonald’s or KFC. But he could try some fresh lobsters, prawns or scallops. Maybe a bit of salmon or venison. 

As for Culture? Here I would have to admit to knowing little of the traditions and customs of English city life. I know there are brass bands, clogs and Whippets, pearly kings and queens and Morris dancing. But perhaps he means the galleries full of the work of foreign artists, Italian High Opera, or the proximity to concert halls where he can listen to the music of Bach, Beethoven or Strauss. Either way. I’m not convinced that any of those he wishes to inflict on the people of the Hebrides would recognise a fugue as long as the hole in their arse points to the ground. 

How that stacks up against the culture of Hebrides, with an impeccable provenance and an unbroken history going back over a millennium, is perhaps a matter of individual preference. It is certainly not for comparison.

It is also interesting that Mr Miller thinks that denying his fellow citizens the ability to go shopping is a punishment. It was apparently obvious, from the television pictures beamed around the world that they prefer to steal rather than shop.

And Mr Miller needn’t be so modest. What about all the other things that English city life offers that they don’t have in the Outer Hebrides.

Polluted air, muggings, murders, rapes, drug dealers hanging around the school gate and the very real chance of having your children shot or stabbed to death by one of their peers. And all this on litter strewn streets that are costing English councils close on £1 billion a year to clean up.

And let’s not forget the most recent contribution to civilisation to have sprung from English city life, the brain-dead knuckle draggers who rioted, looted and trashed the very places of whose virtues he extols.

London would surely top the list of places of places most suitable for internal exile.

Having said that, there may perhaps be some merit in this idea.

A reciprocal arrangement that saw the despatching of Hebridean delinquents south would be a deterrent unrivalled. Although actually being forced to reside in one of Mr Miller’s urban utopias would surely be considered cruel and unusual punishment.

Still, Richard Miller got his 15 minutes of fame, albeit only in the Outer Hebrides. I for one hope that he has a few more such petitions up his sleeve. A man with such remarkable insight and knowledge of Britain must surely be destined for great things. Even if the freedom of Stornoway is not one of them.

McCoist Gets an Apology – But What About the Rest of Us?

Ally McCoist got an apology from BBC Scotland (sic) after they manipulated film footage to suggest that he took a flippant attitude to sectarian violence. But what about the rest of us who were, and not for the first time, deliberately lied to by the state sponsored broadcaster. The people of Scotland were treated with contempt and its time that the liars were kicked over the border to where they really want to be.

The Rangers’ manager, Ally McCoist has received an apology from the BBC in Scotland after it deliberately  manipulated footage from a press conference in an attempt to show the Ibrox boss taking what he referred to as “flippant” attitude towards sectarian-fuelled violence surrounding his side's games against Celtic. McCoist refused to speak to the BBC until they apologised.

In the clip McCoist was shown appearing to smile when answering a question about violence at Old Firm matches. This was followed by the reporter saying “Well it might not bother Mr McCoist”

The thing was that the footage showing the Rangers manager smiling was his reaction to a different question.

This wasn’t just a piece of clumsy editing. The voice-over on this portion of the film makes it all too clear that this was a deliberate attempt to mislead the viewers. But to what end?

Last season, when the Celtic manager was receiving death threats, the BBC chose to make a report from outside Ibrox. The obvious conclusion – to make the link between the attacks on Lennon and Rangers FC.

While no one can argue that sectarianism is no more manifest than through the actions of some of those that follow the Old Firm, filming this report outside the Rangers’ ground was a deliberate attempt to make an association that simply did not exist.

This is not the first time that creative editing has been used by the corporation north of the border.

Normally it is reserved for its anti-SNP propaganda. This was seen clearly when Reporting Scotland manipulated footage from the Scottish Parliament last November. In this pathetic little piece it appears as though First Minister, Alex Salmond is apparently mocking a statement by his Finance Minister, John Swinney. In fact he was reacting to a statement by the then leader of the Lib-Dems, Tavish Scott.

The lie can be seen here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hn5T3e4Nk2I&feature=player_embedded 

The truth can be seen here.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5nTcGkEEU8&feature=player_embedded

The actively pro-unionist stance taken by the BBC in Scotland is nothing new. Although in recent times it has become so obvious as to suggest that those in news and current affairs have given up any pretence of impartiality. 

It is the BBC's attitude to sectarianism that many might now question. It undoubtedly sees the problem as nothing more than an opportunity for sensationalism. A chance to do what it does best – continually put Scotland down in an attempt to reinforce the greatest lie of all – that Scotland and its people are incapable of self-determination.

While Ally McCoist has had his apology, that is not really good enough for the rest of us. We were told a lie. Not only that, what we got was yet another deliberate manipulation of the media to promote this lie.

It would be nice to see those responsible for this getting their arses kicked onto the dole.

That's not likely to happen though. And it is doubtful that it will deter the liars at BBC Scotland from carrying on with their agenda of treating the people of Scotland with contempt.

The Gangs of New Somalia Part II

It should come as no surprise to anyone that the loony Islamist al-Shabab has found that its psychopathic take on running a country has proved to be disastrous. They are the only reason that millions of Somalis have, up until now been deprived of the aid that they so desperately need.

In the past al-Shabab have been more interested with the prohibition of music, the banning of mixed-sex handshakes and the idea that women who refuse to get married should be beheaded.

However, while they were getting on with the important aspects of misogynistic medievalism and turning the sane world against them, the will of Allah was about to bite them on the arse.

With Somalia now in the grip of famine, these numbskulls are now desperate for help.

After threatening to kill everybody that worked for an aid agency in the areas that they controlled they now are asking the very people they have vowed to kill to help them out.

It is hard to imagine that they really care about those they have enslaved to their archaic and twisted ideology. History shows us the opposite. The thing is that with starving Somalis leaving the country in the hundreds of thousand, this lot of murdering tossers are fast running out of people to persecute.

They now however, need the help of, amongst others, their greatest enemy – the USA.

Let’s not forget that al-Shabab is a terrorist organisation hell-bent on the crackpot idea of a world where, anyone they leave alive would be ruled by their own particularly nasty interpretation of Islam.

 

It is very unlikely that those who are starving in Somalia are the gun-toting, brainless thugs of al-Shabab.

The ordinary Somalis, who have lived under a reign of terror for far too long now, need to be helped.

What is worrying the West though, is that al-Shabab will somehow manage to take credit for the aid. But the people should be given more credit than that. They’re not stupid. They will understand that the aid has nothing to do with their persecutors. They wouldn't

dare say so though.

The problem is that al-Shabab is nothing more than a gang of killers and extortionists, only too ready to seize an opportunity to line their pockets. They cannot be trusted. I doubt very much that the aid agencies will be left alone. And whereas those delivering the aid might well be willing to pay the “taxes” and bribes that the terrorists will no doubt demand, governments won’t. If, and when, any sort of payments come to light, money from western governments and especially the US will cease.

We all need to help the people of Somalia.

We all need to rid the world of murdering shit like al-Sshabab.

One question though, for the clerics who like to think that they give al-Shabab some sort of moral authority.

Just what is so great about this god that he derives such obvious satisfaction from inflicting suffering on those who worship him?