Everyone’s talking about the debate between Salmond and Darling which was televised last night. They’re talking about currency, a currency union and why our First Minister wouldn’t budge on a plan B. And they are saying Darling won the debate, although it depends upon what you consider as ‘winning’. You see, not many are talking about what else was said, especially by Mr Darling. I’ve just spent the morning going through the entire transcript, kindly provided by The Guardian. (theguardian/uk-news/scottish-independence-blog/live/2014/aug/05/alex-salmond-v-alistair-darling-the-debate-for-scotland-live) First, the currency, which was covered in detail in a blog post by David Milligan LVSS earlier - https://facebook/groups/SBYND/permalink/668289729928556/ We know that the ‘Plan B’ card is a Better Together political tactic and thanks to Darling’s badgering, it has put currency firmly on the table for discussion. It also disguised the fact that he said very little else during the entire debate. But I did find a few interesting nuggets from him. So, what else did Darling say? Well, he mentioned the ‘best of both worlds’ a lot. He also mentioned ‘borders’, and ‘being stronger in the UK’ although he didnt elude as to why this might be the case. Read the transcript for yourself. Mr Darling also said a few other things: “Darling says it’s striking that the polls have not actually shifted over the last two and a half years.” – NOT TRUE. He said this in his opening statement in an attempt to portray an image of the Yes campaign as having gained no ground at all. “The embargo has just been lifted on a new Ipsos MORI poll for STV News which shows a rise in support for the yes campaign, while support for remaining in the UK is unchanged. Among those who described themselves as being “certain to vote” in the referendum, 40% said they supported independence, an increase of four percentage points from June. Meanwhile the proportion of people who favour Scotland staying part of the UK remained static.” According to the Guardian as quoted here, there has been movement towards Yes but very little change for No. That means that those undecided voters are choosing Yes, and that movement is toward Yes, which is what Alex Salmond said. “Darling says that North Sea oil revenue is declining.” – LIE It’s a lie because - “1. There are at least 15-24 billion barrels of oil remaining. According to the UK Oil & Gas 2013 Economic Report, there are substantial volumes of North Sea oil and gas remaining. (page 7) Current programs have already identified 11.4 billion barrels. (7.4 billion from existing projects and 4 billion in new fields). 2. The remaining reserves are worth over £1 trillion. According to government valuations – based upon current and projected markets – this oil has a total wholesale value of at least £1.5 trillion. This is influenced by soaring global demand for energy. The UK government predicts a 28% rise in demand by 2035.(page 24) 3. North Sea oil and gas will last for decades and decades into the second half of this century. Despite the scare stories, there are decades worth of North Sea oil available for extraction. The UK government concedes that oil has a future “well beyond 2055″ (section 5) in their recent report on the fields. This is a conservative estimation compared to that of Dr Richard Pike, a former oil industry consultant, who predicts a future 100 years of North Sea oil. 4. More than 90% of the tax revenue will belong to an independent Scotland” The above four points are a direct quote from Business for Scotland. And don’t forget, this was posted in October 2013. There is even MORE oil than this as recent ‘discoveries’ have indicated. businessforscotland.co.uk/10-facts-about-scotlands-oil-and-independence/ “It’s clear that Scotland would have to reapply and any one of the EU member states could exercise vetoes, says Darling.” – NOT STRICTLY TRUE, and also deceitfully disguising the real truth which is very simple. Here’s an easier way of saying exactly the same thing: Scotland could easily and would be a part of the EU. Well done Mr Darling, for trying to be clever and cheat the people of Scotland into thinking Scotland would not get in to the EU. Thanks, but we’re not that gullible, or stupid. However, just to confirm, here is what the Scottish Government have to say on the matter; There is, within the EU Treaties, a legal framework by which Scotland, a country that has been an integral part of the EU for 40 years, may make the transition to independent EU membership in the period between the referendum and the date on which Scotland becomes an independent state. Article 48 provides a suitable legal route to facilitate the transition process, by allowing the EU Treaties to be amended through ordinary revision procedure before Scotland becomes independent, to enable it to become a member state at the point of independence.” It is also important to mention that Mr Darling failed to mention that it is the Westminster Government that is making threats to actually leave the EU, and they have backed this will by confirming a referendum on the subject. He also failed to mention that Scotlands place within the EU could be answered simply with one meeting between the UK Government, the Scottish Government and the EU. Westminster are refusing to do this. There is no Treaty provision that would require Scotland to leave the EU on independence. scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/11/9348/10 “Darling starts with the state pension, which he said was paid for by today’s tax payers. A government depends on how much wealth it could generate when it come to the payment of state pensions. Darling said, “There are huge transitional issues.””– LIE “State pensions would still paid after independence a UK minister has told MPs despite concerns raised by the Better Together campaign. Giving evidence to the Scottish Affairs Select Committee Lib Dem pensions minister Steve Webb said that anybody who had paid UK national insurance would be entitled to their state pension whatever the outcome of the referendum. He said: “Citizenship is irrelevant. It is what you have put into the UK National Insurance system prior to separation, answer 35 years, that builds up to a continued UK pension under continuing UK rules, the question is who is paying for it, but they are entitled to that money.” The intervention contradicts concerns raised by former Labour Chancellor Alistair Darling, the leader of the Better Together campaign.” scotsman/news/politics/top-stories/uk-mp-state-pensions-would-be-paid-after-yes-vote-1-3400799 And just to make this really clear, the answer to the question - ‘who is paying for it?’ - could be answered with negotiations. Negotiations the Westminster Government are refusing to have before the referendum. These are just a few of the ways Mr Darling misinformed and lied to the people of Scotland last night. Who won the debate last night? You decide. But I’ll tell you who lost last night – the people of Scotland. Especially if they believe what Mr Darling was saying. Mr Darling was not speaking for us. He was speaking to protect the power and wealth of the union – an unfair and unjust union where the power and wealth comes directly from, and is continually paid for by us. Public perception may be that our First Minister lost the debate last night. But I’ll tell you something for free – Alex Salmond was the ONLY politician in that room last night who was being wholly truthful and he was the only one sticking up for the people of Scotland.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 20:36:53 +0000
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