Wednesday 6 June 2012

Silence of the Damned

According to the rabid Alan Cochrane of the Telegraph (as it takes one to know one) I am one of the irrational and lunatic 'cybernats' that are bedevilling the debate to stop Scotland being an autonomous nation state and remain dependent on Westminster's crumbs of comfort.

To defend another few hundred years of colonial rule it appears the 'Yes to dependence' camp have the ear of the BBC in Scotland and the support of a few of BBC Scotland's impartial reporters - stand forward Brian Taylor, Douglas Fraser and Isobel Fraser - to name but three currently on my 'Impartial - my erse' radar.

The BBC Scotland made much of Salmond's response to the low level of bunting and knees ups over Scotland for the Queen of Scots jubilee but has little to say on the visit to the US West Coast where the SNP leader and his team are speaking to and meeting with one of the most respected 'investors clubs' in the US to encourage further inward investment in Scotland. Ernst and Young recently reported that Scotland was the top UK region for attracting inward investment and only today the multinational Diego Group are investing another £1 billion on whisky production in Scotland and another £300 million being invested from overseas on Scotland's alternative power sector. The silence from BBC Scotland is overwhelming prefering, as they do, to focus on the Old Firm (Celtic and Rangers) and the odd homicide or fatal car crash.

There is little or no coverage of the facts of the Labour leader in Glasgow's deal with the sectarian Orange Order which' in return for Orange Order vote's Matheson has allowed an extra 20 Orange Order marches against the advice of Strathclyde Police and folk involved in ridding Glasgow of its faux religious curse. On the other hand the same politicians turned his back on the deal between his council and Unite over Glasgow Council workers pay and conditions. I have no sympathy for the people of Glasgow, they got what they voted for - another four years of Glasgow Labour lackeyism, corruption and contempt for its electorate.

The BBC thought it had come up with a cunning wheeze, a Question Time from Inverness packed with pro-dependence mouthpieces and a token independence supporter in the US based actor, Alan Cummings. What fun they were going to have with such staunch 'Scotch' as Melanie Phillips of the Daily Mail being able to counter anything Alan Cumming said with, 'So why do you live in America?', to which the only sensible answer would be, 'To get away from rabid Thatcherite cows like you.' Unfortunately for the BBC in Scotland the Scottish people spotted their game and bombarded the BBC in Scotland with complaints regarding the extreme bias in the make up of the Question Time panel for Inverness. Ah! we were told: this is a national program, broadcast across the UK and the panel reflects this mix of views in accordance with the BBC's rules on fair play ... ah the people of Scotland said, 'You mean in a program from Scotland, in a city where the Unionist Parties took a serious gubbing in the last two elections, you will not be allowing any questions on 'Scotch Independence' ..... aye, that'll be right.'

It appears that someone further up the BBC chain of command has tweaked the nose of the 'Question Time' producer as a couple of the English talking heads have been dumped and Nicola Sturgeon and Charles Kennedy have been brought in. Still they have Dimbleby in the chair so that should ensure any positive contribution to why Scotland should be independent will still be cut short on 'editorial' grounds.

To Scots of my persuation there is only one side that does not wish to engage in open and informed debate and that is the 'Yes to dependence' camp. The reason is simple - no matter how you stack the economic cards Scotland is better off as an independent country, away from the hubris of Westminster and fiscal Augean Stables which is the 'City of London'. How are we stronger together when a petro-dollar based oil and gas sector, of which 90% is in Scottish waters, is the only thing between HMG and further downgrading from its current AA- status? 

HMG and its nationalised banks are directly exposed to £5 billion losses in Greece but are strangely silent on the Lloyds / RBOS underwriting of French banks' exposure to Greek default to the tune of £37 billion. I know what lets pretend this fiscal shit storm is not on its way and spend another estimated £300 million (we do not have according to Osbourne) in London, on a Union Flag waving jamboree - in the meantime the NHS in England is being short changed and UK Welfare budgets are being hacked.

Yep, that is clearly the way to go about convinving this 'rabid cybernat' that we are better off under the thrall of Westminster.

(PS: The Scots are having a celebration for the 60th year of Elizabeth, Queen of Scots, rule in July during her annual stay at Holyrood ..  but the BBC will not be covering it as they no longer have the resources in Scotland to do so due to cuts in BBC Scotland's budget.)


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