Yes, they do know it's Christmas time

"Well tonight we're reaching out and touching you."

The last thing I ever wanted to hear from Bono if I'm honest.

Cards on the table, I am a sucker for a good cheesy Christmas tune and the original Band Aid is up there amongst some of my favourites. In fact there really is nothing like a good Christmas tune. Which is what the new Band Aid song is: nothing like a good Christmas tune. In fact it's shit.




Obviously taste in music is subjective and you can't please everyone so I'm sure there are those who will enjoy the new single. But this isn't a music blog and no-one involved with the charity single is claiming it's Beethoven's 7th, it's shitness isn't really the point here. Though it's shit, let's all agree on that before we proceed any further. It IS shit!

The reason I am labouring on this point is in the interests of full disclosure, so you know that I don't like it musically. Because I'd hate it to come out later and for you to think it's what has coloured by view of it. It's not. It's awful, flimsy, castrated lyrics and general fluffiness is not the reason I dislike it. I dislike the politics. And actually as I look around it would appear that the tide seems to be turning against Saint Bob and His Holiness The Bono as others seem to dislike it too. It seems that perhaps Bob has been a little misguided this time around.

Here's the thing. Although for corporate reasons I'm not at liberty to divulge what exactly it is I do and who I do it for, I have recently changed job roles. I have gone from a role with responsibility for Scotland and Ireland to a role with responsibility for Europe, Middle East, Africa and India. Now I'm my previous role I would probably have bought the single and never listened to it but felt a little bit good about myself for having played a part in wiping out what is undoubtably a horrific disease. I would have bought into Saint Bob's vision of an Africa crippled by this most virulent of diseases. The images of African children with swollen bellies, swarming with flies, still burned into our collective psyche I think many of us would have done the same and indeed have. By association we assume that if Bono and Geldof are asking us to dig deep once more then things must really be desperate.

But now my view of the world has changed. The fact is I now have colleagues in Africa who I have meetings with at least once a week and I know that they aren't speaking to me from shanty towns or sheds with corrugated iron roofs. In fact they are based in air-conditioned offices and I know know how much money they have and how much business they do locally because I am involved with their budgets. So it seems to me that the Africa that I deal with must be a different Africa from the one One Direction and Coldplay are begging us to help. I've asked and they do know it's Christmas time, they are off or a couple of weeks in fact!











But Africa, it transpires is a rich continent, it has an infrastructure and it has wealth and a growing economy, yes of course there is poverty and there is famine but that is not the bigger picture. There is corruption and there is much to be done, that's is not in doubt, but that is not what Band Aid are asking us to donate to. Band Aid are specifically targeting Ebola. Let's just put this into perspective, Africa has a population of 1.1 billion and according to the latest World Health Organization update on November 14, 2014, a total of 14,383 Ebola cases have been reported. That's less than 0.01 percent if I've done my maths right (which I may not have as I couldn't fit all the zeros on my calculator). But it's a small amount anyway. And it's currently only present in 3 countries across the African continent, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. So to be clear I am not suggesting Ebola isn't a problem and isn't worthy of you time and money but the suggestion by Band Aid that the whole continent is on its knees is offensive and damaging.

Africa is developed in places, developing in others, but if there is one thing that will inject money into an area it's if people with money go there and spend it. Not charity, tourism. But if there's one thing that prevents rich people from visiting a place, it's the constant message that the place is run down, dangerous, riddled with disease or in any way a risk. And that is the image being perpetuated by Mr Geldof and Bono.











I repeat, Ebola IS a terrible problem and there are parts of Africa that really need our help and I would hope that if you have a few Bob (ha ha ha ha, clever eh?) to spare you'll spare it. Not because Paloma Faith and Ollie Murs are singing cleverly re-written lyrics in a Christmas song but because it's the decent thing to do.

The new Band Aid kind of reminds
me of an elderly relative on Facebook, sharing every scare story and scam warning they come across without ever checking snopes! All the celebrities involved seem to be enthusiastically begging us to help as Bob and Bono told them to without actually stopping to check if what they are singing about is real or required! I don't doubt the sincerity of Messrs Geldof, Ure and Bono in their appeal, I just think they are misinformed and misguided and leading the young and impressionable ex-X Factor contestants astray.










The fact is people are donating, there is money going to help fight the spread of the disease and treat those afflicted and if anything the charity single dilutes that as it gives people an instant hit of warm glow simply but downloading a 99p track off iTunes.

So if you would like to help and you can afford to spare a few quid please click on the link below I donate to Oxfam's Ebola appeal. You won't have to listen to One Direction and you won't be touched by Bono.


Oxfam Ebola Appeal

Do They Know it's Christmas 2014




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Rmememberunce Sundi: Are fallin heerows

Spelling and grammar, eh? It's not for everyone.

As we approach Remembrance Sunday, may of us will have bought the obligatory paper poppy to wear on our lapel and show our support. It's only right we should show our gratitude to our fallen heroes, those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Many of us quite justifiably stand opposed to war and cannot relate to many of the modern justifications for sending in the troops but it should not affect our support of those who unquestioningly go into battle to defend our country. And surely no-one can argue that the war against the Nazis wasn't a good idea? Fascism is a disgusting and hateful force and it has no place in a civilised world.

So it is for this reason that the rise of Britain First is so hard to fathom. But then is it really so hard?

Britain First is the modern version of fascism for the 21st century, it takes advantage of social media and manipulates some of the more unfortunate habits that social media users have. For example, there is a large section of social media users who will like, share or comment on any post without checking the source, without even asking themselves if it is accurate or true and without thinking about the wider impact, ie if you comment on a post, even to say that you disagree with it, it will then appear on the news feed of everyone you know. Ditto if you click "like". This is how hate is spread.

That is why there are pages and pages devoted to jokes about cancer, animal cruelty, terrorism and racism. The more vile and hate filled the bigger the reaction and the more traffic that page will generate. If you post "How dare you, this is sick" every one of your friends will now see the thing that upset you and every one of them will be upset too. If every one of them posts the same, every one of their friends will see it and this is how a post becomes "viral". This is also why you have trolls on the internet because they know that the more obscene and the more inflammatory they are, the further their reach will be. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you: Britain First!

Now everyone is on board with the poppy, I think we have established that already and as well as wearing our little paper badge many will also look to update their profile picture with an image of a poppy, or share some touching images or quotes on their page to show their support; and this is where Britain First come in. They are well known for hijacking any cause that has the public's support as they know that the more shares, the more likes, the more comments, the bigger their reach and the more powerful they appear. They can say that they are the most popular political movement on social media and they are speaking for the silent majority who are too scared to speak up and they will point you towards their "likes" to prove it. So if it is the anniversary of Princess Diana's death they will have a "People's Princess" picture with a "like if you agree" caption on the bottom and you will share it. If a famous celebrity dies they will have an RIP picture and a "like to show your support to his family" on it and you will like and share. When Drummer Lee Rigby was murdered they showed pictures of him and asked for likes and even though his family contacted them to ask for the images to be removed, stating that the group stood for everything that Drummer Rigby stood against, they persisted. And the same goes for the poppy and remembrance. If you look on their page at their more populist posts you will see them filled with military personnel asking for them to remove the images and condemning them, but still they persist. And hidden in amongst their populist, like-baiting pictures of Princess Diana, veterans and Rick Mayall you will find their true message, hate, religious intolerance and bigotry. And spelling and grammar errors.

There is a quote that I read on the internet (so it must be true) but I unfortunately do not know where it originated: "You can be taught to hate, or you can be taught to spell. But apparently it's one or the other."

So above you can see some examples of  Britain First's true colours, pure anti-Islamic, anti-immigration, anti-establishment, anti-everyone who is not Britain First. It always amazes me how fascists use Hitler and his defeat to justify their actions. "Our forefathers didn't defeat the Nazis so that we could have religious freedom and democracy, England for the English!" Fascists and bigots, it seems, are completely without a sense of irony. Or a dictionary.

I'm not sure if you can make it out but in the picture above there is an example of a template letter that our racist brothers are recommending all civilised parents should send to their children's school. It asks, no it DEMANDS (CAPS LOCK IS A BIG PART OF BEING A RACIST) that their child be excused from religious education and "Islamic indoctrination via the school as ordered by the British State". Education is something to be feared if you are a bigot and a xenophobe (for all my British First readers it means someone who is afraid of anyone who is not exactly like you). I have generally found that those who go in for the more basic, tribal approaches to life fear knowledge and education as it might challenge their firmly held beliefs and the last thing they want is to find out they are wrong. Better to be hatefully ignorant than informed. Hate is like a sport, it's a hobby. It's like football hooligans pretending that football is their main motivation when really it's just a wrap-around to give their violent thuggery a slightly more socially acceptable face.

So if you truly are a racist, a bigot and an uneducated knuckle-dragger then please do join Britain First. But if you are a real patriot, someone who believes in democracy and freedom of choice and you are just looking to show support for our troops or express your love for Princess Diana/Puppies/Christmas trees then do not share, like or comment on anything that bears the words "Britain First". By all means take a look at their page, scroll through the posts and have a right good laugh at the level of debate but do not under any circumstances be drawn in to comment. It's what they want.

Read Further: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/britain-first-hijacking-the-poppy-is-a-vile-insult-to-veterans-like-myself-9841791.html

Islamaphobia, Bigotry or Bleeding Heart Liberalism; pick your team.

I chanced upon a video online of a TV debate featuring Ben Affleck and Bill Maher. I'm sure had Ben Affleck not been involved it probably wouldn't have made my news feed but regardless it did bring to my attention two things: 1) Bill Maher is a prick and 2) Ben Affleck talks sense.

If you haven't seen it yet have a look at the video below and we'll talk afterwards.

Now there are 2 viewpoints here, one is that all of Islam are being tarred with the same brush and discriminated against based on the actions of a very small number of radicals and the other is that liberal minded, free thinking individuals who should speak out are afraid to do so for fear of being branded racists. That Bill Maher is the beacon of light in a sea of darkness, standing up for the poor white man and criticising Islam on behalf of the rest of us who are all too afraid to do so ourselves.

What is your view on this? Ask yourself the question and your answer will let you know whether you are racist or not.

 

The fact is, no-one has ever suggested that all Catholics like to wear sheets on their heads and tie black people to the back of tow trucks but the KKK do claim to be a religious, Christian organisation. The Westboro Baptist Church operate their particular brand of intolerance and bigotry in the name of God but no-one claims that all Christians are radical fundamentalists. So why is it acceptable to suggest that all Muslims are murderers and radicals? Why in the wake of 9/11 were Sikhs being targeted for "looking a bit Muslim" and why are hate groups such as Britain First and BNP growing in popularity in the UK? The answer is simple. People who hold these beliefs were already bigots but in the face of difficult times it is deemed ever so slightly more socially acceptable to voice them.

 

In this area we can take a few pointers from history, its always a good place to look to find examples of the worst of mankind!

The Reichstag Fire of 1933 led to the Reichstag Fire Decree, effectively stripping the German people of civil liberties and allowing the authorities the power to arrest and detain anyone felt to be an enemy of the Nazis, it subsequently led to The Enabling Act which allowed the then Chancellor Hitler the power to enact laws without having to go through due process, it was a temporary act which, unless renewed, would last four years. It was democratically voted for and passed. In difficult times the people were happy to give up their rights and protection as they felt that desperate times call for desperate measures. For more details of what happened next see: World War 2.

After 9/11 the US Government passed The Patriot Act which allowed them to detain indefinitely anyone they deemed to be a risk to national security without trial, evidence or, once again, due process. Guantanamo Bay was the public face of this law with its jolly orange overalls and barbed wire fences. Can you imagine a camp where innocent people are locked away without trial or any opportunity to be heard?

And now in the UK we have Theresa May talking about "new powers" to gag extremists, to stop non-violent protests, to monitor social media and "clamp down" on hate speech and David Cameron is proposing to do away with our "much hated" Human Rights. And people are still voting for them!!

As I say above, people have a tendency to cast due process aside in difficult times, it's happened before and it will happen again but it NEVER ends well. The people you hand this power to are never willing to give it back and temporary always leads to permanent.  In the aftermath of the financial crash a few years ago we saw a rise in the popularity of BNP with 1 MEP being elected and 33 local councillors at one stage, UKIP are currently doing the rounds and presenting a more user friendly, palatable brand of racism and they are looking strong at the next general election. When times are tough and people are suffering, whether it be from fear of terror or discomfort as a direct result of austerity measures, they need to find someone to blame. They need a scapegoat to make them feel better and when they find a common enemy it galvanises them, makes them feel like they have power to change the things that they cannot, to improve their circumstances and get back that which they have lost. This is why the Tories demonise the poor to make you think they are stealing your tax to pay for their lavish, free council houses, this is why UKIP make you fear that Poles are coming for your job and your house and this is why a very small handful of evil murderers and thugs are used to make you fear all Muslims. This information always comes to you via someone with an agenda. They already hold these views but its more acceptable if they can surround themselves with a crowd, it's more acceptable if they can convince you that such views are fine. They are not.

The reality is that a mere 5% of the population of England and Wales are Muslim, 15% of the population are immigrants and only 3% of social security is spent on the unemployed. And if you are surprised by those figures I don't blame you, you wont see them reported in the press. Why? Because the press thrive on making people scared. The recent Scottish Independence Referendum has shown us how effective fear can be in maintaining the status quo. They tell people who the enemy is and what they should be afraid of then convince them that you have all the answers. When the terrible thing doesn't come to pass you can say "look, I told you I'd keep you safe".

Yes, there are terrorists and there is evil in the world and Yes we shouldn't just sit by and allow it to go unpunished and uncriticised. But as Ben Affleck says above, criticise and condemn the people who are doing these things, not the group that they belong to, whether it be Muslim, Iraqi or Male! Do not group them together by race or colour or religion, a murderer is a murderer regardless of which church he or she attends. I shall leave you with the words of a far more talented writer than I, Mr Aaron Sorkin.

War: what is it good for?!

Less than 2 weeks ago we were poised, anticipating a future filled with hope. The hope of change in our country. Not just for Scotland, but beyond our borders too. Because we knew that when the change came it would be sweeping and it would be momentous and it would inspire. We had hope, hope that with our independence we would build a better society and those looking inward would see us as the model for how a country can be run. If Scotland was able to make its own decisions then why can't Wales? Why can't Northern Ireland? And why can't England? If we had a truly representative government, of the people, by the people and for the people then the government in England could worry about the issues affecting England only without having to pay lip service to the rest of the Union. Every single person in the small island would have a voice, unique to them.

It was exciting. It really felt like we were about to see something wonderful.

But it wasn't to be. I fail to see how anyone who voted No could have felt anything like the exhilaration of those closing hours of polling day, the 18th September. At 10pm on that day, Independence was like Schrödinger's Cat. It was alive and dead at the same time. But for those of us who voted Yes, the feeling was of anticipation that we stood on the precipice of enormous change. A frightening but exciting time. For those who voted No the feeling was of anticipation that absolutely nothing was going to change or get better, the best that one could hope for was more of the same as before. Of course we now know they were sold a lie.

In the days prior to the vote I spent a fair bit of time on various forums and, as is the case with any debate, some of the posts I read were nonsense, some were daft and some were divisive and scary. But one grabbed my attention. It was posted by someone who said their family member was in the military and they had been placed on standby, all leave was canceled. To them this indicated that UK was on the brink of another war. This didn't seem to make the news though, one wonders what effect that would have had on the outcome of the vote.






We now know that the UK indeed, was on the brink of another war. Interestingly I have seen two articles on how much this military action might cost the UK, one was conservative (with a small "c") and the other was a little larger. What was interesting to me was that both figures were more than the 2 figures quoted as the cost for setting up an independent Scotland. The conservative (with a small "c") and the Conservative estimate.

Funny how the cost of setting up an independent nation with the power to make its own decisions; decisions that affect the people who live there and would therefore be made by people who live there; was seen as a ridiculously expensive, catastrophic, economy destroying amount and yet it's money that we can easily afford when it comes to a bit of bombing!

Well I say funny!

One thing we can look forward to is the new powers that are heading our way of course, we have that to reassure us. Of course we now know they have sold us a lie.






But hey, at least we now have 120 years worth of oil, that's 100 years more than what we had to look forward to if we had voted Yes! Of course we now know they have sold us a lie.






But division is one thing we don't need, whether it be Yes vs No, 45% vs 55%, BritNats vs ScotNats or the massive big dividing fault lines that fracking will open up! We do need to accept what has happened, realise that those who voted No did so because they believed what they were told by people they should be able to believe. We need to move on, we need to work together. We need to start building bridges instead of walls and we need to start thinking about what happens next. The only way we can possibly achieve independence for our country is if we work together, we need the 55% who voted No, they are our brothers, sisters, friends, fathers. After the 2 year campaign of fear and lies through the mass media it's hardly surprising that 55% of the population said No, they feared for their pensions, they feared for their pound, they feared for their jobs, they feared that they wouldn't be able to provide for their families in the third world conditions of an Indy Scotland, can you blame them? Every fear they had was put there by a lying media and reinforced over a 2 year period, you can hardly blame anyone for making that decision. The worst that would happen is nothing, according to the press, more of the same if you voted No. If you voted Yes you might be malled by tigers!

Of course we now know they have sold us a lie. Don't we? And it only took 10 days.

In the meantime it's back to business for our Tory leaders. And to think 11 days ago I was debating and discussing what we should include in our new constitution!

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Scotland the Bruised

Like 45% of my countrymen and women I am disappointed today. Honestly I can't quite gather my thoughts right now to put it into words but I am bitterly disappointed at the outcome of the referendum. However what we needed more than anything else was a decisive win on either side and we got it, the sovereign will of the Scottish people is to remain in the UK and if we receive meaningful powers as promised then we have much to celebrate.

So what now? Well earlier today a friend of mine said that she was ashamed to be Scottish and as is often the case in trying to cheer someone else up, my words of comfort to her were words of comfort to myself: Do not feel ashamed. What we did was amazing. We spoke up and while our voices were shouted down, they were heard. You can't argue with the result, our countrymen and women decisively opted to remain in the UK so we owe it to them and ourselves to honour that and work together to make the dream of unity a reality. But the past few weeks, the street parties, the way the yes campaign have composed themselves has been incredible and moving. Look to our Irish neighbours and their history to see how things could have been, we chose discussion, debate and democracy over death and destruction. We chose the ballot box over bombs. We should be proud, not ashamed.

The decision to vote yes or no was an easy one compared to the next vote which is WHO we vote for, as the choice is not inspiring. But if one great thing has come out of this referendum it is the uprising of the young, the future politicians were born out of this debate and that is what we desperately need. A new breed of politician of the people, for the people and by the people. I am confident that the future is in safe hands.

So please Yes voters, do not feel ashamed, do not get angry and do not disrespect the will of our fellow countrymen for having a different view from us. We live in a democracy that is the envy of many parts of the world and while the world is watching do not undo the amazing work that has been done in the last two years, hold your head high and pull together with the energy and positivity that we all know we are capable of. We have to now work together to make the United Kingdom and all of it's composite parts truly better together.

In the run up to the vote I shared an adaptation of Charlie Chaplin's speech from The Great Dictator which was adapted to support Independence and I post the original below in support of our fellow countrymen and the Union to which we still belong. Yes or No, the motivation was always to build a better future so let's focus on that, come together and get building.

 

JFK, Irish hats and aiming for The Moon

When President Kennedy announced in 1963 that America would place a man on the moon within 10 years there was no space program. They had not begun to look at how or if this might be done but he committed to it and they had no option but to follow. In doing so he referenced the story of the young Irish lad who, when stood next to a tall orchard wall, took off his cap and launched it over. A passer by witnessed this and asked "Are you mad, now you will have to climb the wall to get your cap back?!" "That's the idea" replied the lad.
Thursday's referendum is not about Alex Salmond or the policies of a particular party, it's not about the EU or currency or any of those matters which will undoubtedly be negotiated and resolved. It's not about the defence budget or the NHS or any of those things as Alex Salmond's first act after Independence will be to stand down and call a general election. After this we will get to choose a government who represent our views, our interests and our way of life. We are a socialist nation who have been ruled by a Conservative government for too long, even when Labour were in power they knew it was England and the rest of the UK who put them there so they had to move to the middle to avoid upsetting the electorate. If we choose to take this leap we will get what we have never had, a truly representative and democratically elected government who answer only to us. Don't get me wrong, all the details are important and there ARE answers to all of those questions if you do some reading but those aren't the questions you should be asking yourself. Those details are the day to day business of government, the minutiae that are always taken care of and in 10, 20, 100 years from now when our children and children's children look back on the 18th Sept 2014, those details will have faded into history. What they will look back upon is that we took the chance when we were offered. Without any bloodshed or a single bullet being fired we democratically took control of our nation in an adult and civilised manner. In a world that is becoming crueller, where it's every man for themselves and the rich get rich off of the blood and sweat of the poor we have the opportunity to be the country we always knew we could. We can do it differently, we have the chance to write a constitution and engrain the concepts of decency and fairness into it from day one. We can make Scotland the envy of the World and I genuinely believe it will be the start of better things for the rest of Britain, an Island to which we will always belong. So what do you want your part in history to be? If you say No there is no turning back, we won't get this chance again. We'll be permanently stuck with a government elected by the people of one part of this Union and we'll have given them our seal of approval to keep doing what they are doing.

I have been made redundant in the last few years and my partner has been made redundant 3 times in 4 years; and all this while we were apparently Better Together, protected by the strength and security of the UK! Of course you have to do what is right for you and it is a personal choice, just make sure you have the right information to hand when you make it.


If being part of the UK genuinely is the right choice for you then I wish you luck tomorrow. I suspect it will be a very close run thing and the No's will probably win it but when future generations look back, incredulous that we turned down self-determination in favour of a future of Tory rule, at least I'll can say that I tried.

So tomorrow I shall be throwing my cap over the wall and voting Yes. Who's with me?


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Lies, Damn Lies and Effing Tories

How do you feel about being manipulated? How do you feel about being emotionally blackmailed?

Yesterday we were visited by our Prime Minister, Mr Cameron, who cancelled PMQs to jet up here and make an impassioned plea for us to stay together. He reminded me of the abusive husband, bringing flowers to apologise for the black eye. "If you leave me I'll be heartbroken, I won't be able to go on, it'll be your fault. Please don't destroy our marriage."

But when I speak of manipulation I don't just refer to Mr Cameron's speech but the reporting of it. On the BBC last night it was reported that Mr Cameron was "close to tears" and his voice was "cracking with emotion". It was reported the same way in The Telegraph

Saying something doesn't make it true, however it does make people believe it's true and it's another example of the way in which public opinion has been manipulated by a media that's gotten very good at this. We seem to want to be told how to feel about something, it's in our nature so even though we've just watched the video, if we are told his voice cracked and he was on the verge of tears we'll believe it. Well watch again and ask yourself, does David Cameron seem like the sort to get nostalgic and dewy eyed?

Is he close to tears when he hears of David Clapson's death caused by his party's neglect? Does his voice crack with emotion when he hears of pensioners committing suicide over money fears as a direct result of the bedroom tax? Does he cancel his plans and make an impassioned plea to put a stop of food poverty when he hears of working families so poor that they have to use Food Banks? And where is his passion and nostalgic love of our great nation when his party started privatising The NHS and the Post Office? "You've never had it so good!"

No, I don't believe that David Cameron is the sort of man to get dewy eyed or emotional about anything unless there is something in it for him. Ask yourself this, why is he so eager to keep Scotland in the UK? What really floats his boat? I believe it has something to do with money and the resources that we have and he wants.

Going back to manipulation for a moment though, I've spoken of this previously but it still seems that there is a desire to trust the media even when faced with evidence that you cannot. We want to believe in our authority figures, we want to trust them. And even when I tell you that I have spent my whole life defending the Union and arguing against Independence until recently, when I started to read and seek out information on my own rather than being spoon fed lies by the media and Better Together, there are some who simply don't want to believe they are being lied to. It's natural, it's like when you are a kid and you think you can trust all grown ups to tell you the truth, you never want that innocence to end. But whether you watch the BBC, ITN, Sky or Fox, whichever channel you get your broadcast news from just stop for a moment and actually look at how this news is being delivered. Once you have opened your eyes though, there is no going back. You have been warned!



The image above is from last nights BBC News at 10 and it's an example of what we have come to expect from our news outlets, what we have above is a journalist interviewing another journalist and all news broadcasters do it. It is journalistic opinion presented as expertise, editorial presented as fact. Television news is supposed to be impartial but when you see a BBC journalist interviewing his colleague it's basically the same as saying "in this newspaper's opinion.." They stand in the street outside a closed door and interview a fellow employee, asking them questions they already know the answers to. In this way they can present their opinion as if they are simply reporting what the experts said. Look out for it, journalists interviewing journalists.

You may have seen yesterday that the FT came out in favour of the Union, it was seized upon by the Better Together campaign and widely reported. But did you look at the language used?


It was an editorial, an opinion piece. In an economic newspaper, possibly one of the most highly regarded there wasn't much in it that was backed up by economists, it was simply an opinion. However when this article appeared in February, arguing that Independence would be beneficial to Scotland's economy and more in keeping with the FT's more traditional reporting it was widely overlooked. Similarly when The Adam Smith Institute argued that using the pound without a formal currency union would in fact be better for Scotland this was also ignored.

And Pensions? Its no wonder there is confusion but the fact is your UK state pension will not be affected, which is a shame because it could be a lot better It would be quite nice to retire before I die as well, perhaps whoever we elect here will change that. The fact is a No Vote does not provide pension security, what it provides is the certainly that you will get whatever party England elects next and whatever changes they deem necessary to your pension. Remember when the retirement age was 65?

But what this all adds up to is a very subtle manipulation of the information that is getting to you, a slow trickle of fear and doubt and reinforcement that it would be safer and easier to stick with what you know. And it does work. Fear does work but only if it isn't too blatant. Luckily we have had a few years of this campaign to allow it to bed down. But something has happened lately, I don't know if you have noticed! The tide has begin to turn. As more and more people become wise to the lies they have started to use their internet connection and have found other media outlets and other sources of information unconnected to either campaign and have started to find out what the media and No Campaign have been hiding. And more and more have, like me, started to change their mind. You'll notice the links throughout this blog, click them. See for yourself, it really isn't too late!

Oh, one last thing! Additional powers. These were promised in the weeks before the 1979 referendum as well and nothing ever came of them. Indeed William Hague has gone to great lengths this week to point out that these are not promises of policy change but "campaign statements" for reasons that escape me! But let's have a look at what's on offer. This is Johann Lamont, leader of The Scottish Labour Party talking about how she would use the additional powers on offer. Remember, this isn't a UK politician tell us what we are being offered but the leader of the Labour Party in Scotland detailing her ideal scenario on how these powers would be used. Something to look forward to!

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