Granville Island

Strange lack of prominence given by the BBC to the huge NO campaign rally taking place through Edinburgh just now - especially in light of the alacrity with which they have been acting as a mouthpiece for said campaign. Does anyone know if today's rally was the reason for the New Rainjurs game being switched to last night?

Great stuff Mr D!!

The OECD certainly thinks so.in terms of GDP per capita (as of March 2014).. 1 Luxembourg $89,417 2 Norway $66,135 3 Switzerland $53,641 4 United States $51,689 5 Australia $44,407 6 Austria $44,141 7 Ireland $43,803 8 Netherlands $43,348 9 Sweden $42,874 10 Denmark $42,787 11 Canada $42,114 12 Germany $41,923 13 Belgium $40,838 14 Scotland (Onshore + geog oil) $39,642 15 Finland $39,160 16 Iceland $39,097 17 France $36,933 18 United Kingdom $35,671 19 Japan $35,482 20 Italy $34,143 21 New Zealand $32,847 22 Spain $32,551 23 Israel $31,364 24 Korea $30,011 25 Slovenia $28,482 26 Czech Republic $27,522 27 Slovak Republic $25,848 28 Portugal $25,802 29 Greece $25,586 30 Estonia $24,260 31 Poland $22,783 32 Hungary $22,635 33 Chile $21,486 34 Turkey $18,315 35 Mexico $17,019 Then again Johann did say that we did not have the genetic blueprint for self governance - even with the economic advantage that independence offers us!! Others in the NO camp have been send out a strong message to our international trading partners that we are an economic basket case. That will really help consolidate our place on the world stage no matter the result of the referendum.

So that the mess in Iraq today may in any way be connected to Britain's illegal invasion of 2003 (100,000 lives later at a conservative estimate) now fully denied by Blair (oh what a fear that we may possibly lose our 'influence' in the world by having our own distinctive voice). I await plan B from the 'sainted' Westminster (that we are governed by the House of Lords alone is a disgrace!) with bated (not baited) breath.

I think this wisdom must form a core component of the British values curriculum that Dave Cameron wants in our schools...we could maybe also conduct a consultation exercise, over Ibrox way, with the fans of New Rainjurs to ensure that their views are central to this curriculum.

I don’t WANT to see REAL poverty – I see it in work every day – in an ever increasing volume! I’d better get off to work now to see this illusory poverty that we have in Scotland – this is becoming like the Four Yorkshiremen sketch from Monty Python – remember that? FIRST YORKSHIREMAN: You were lucky. We lived for three months in a paper bag in a septic tank. We used to have to get up at six in the morning, clean the paper bag, eat a crust of stale bread, go to work down t' mill, fourteen hours a day, week-in week-out, for sixpence a week, and when we got home our Dad would thrash us to sleep wi' his belt. SECOND YORKSHIREMAN: Luxury. We used to have to get out of the lake at six o'clock in the morning, clean the lake, eat a handful of 't gravel, work twenty hours a day at mill for tuppence a month, come home, and Dad would thrash us to sleep with a broken bottle, if we were lucky! THIRD YORKSHIREMAN: Well, of course, we had it tough. We used to 'ave to get up out of shoebox at twelve o'clock at night and lick road clean wit' tongue. We had two bits of cold gravel, worked twenty-four hours a day at mill for sixpence every four years, and when we got home our Dad would slice us in two wit' bread knife. FOURTH YORKSHIREMAN: Right. I had to get up in the morning at ten o'clock at night half an hour before I went to bed, drink a cup of sulphuric acid, work twenty-nine hours a day down mill, and pay mill owner for permission to come to work, and when we got home, our Dad and our mother would kill us and dance about on our graves singing Hallelujah. FIRST YORKSHIREMAN: And you try and tell that to the young people of today ..... they won't believe you.

Maybe those countries should give up their sovereignty to Westminster and join us over here in proudly waving our Union Flag in order to 'enjoy' the economic miracle delivered by Darling and Osbourne. Surrounded by food banks, driving through areas of abject poverty and living in a country that is about to 'boast' the lowest life expectancy in Western Europe (those pesky ex Communist countries are fair catching up with us on that one as well) will surely sell the benefits of Union to them! Westminter really delivers.....for some.

Which of course is in sheer contrast to the clarity offered on our future by the NO camp - the Tory offer of new powers (that kills off the Barnett Formula - which corrects some of the discrepancy that has seen us as net contributors to the UK treasury in every financial year since 1978 - and will lead to an NHS in Scotland funded on the same basis as the rUK), the Lib Dem version (unlikely to go anywhere as they are finished) or Johan's version that enhances powers over the issuing of dog licences? or will it be like 1979 when, in spite of the fact that we voted for devolution, we didn't get it and the enhanced version on offer from the Tories never came to pass? both the new job offered AND the existing one involve risk. For me it comes down to the type of society that we want to live in - hopefully one where I don't have to listen a monarch talk about equality in her speech to parliament!!

Any answers yet on what will happen with the following Passports Cross-border taxation (As happens with NI and the Eire, and Sweden and Norway) Cross-border pensions (As happens currently between 2 different countries in the EU), with double dip taxing Immigration, Salmond has stated he wants to grow the country to 6 million, now that will impact the rUK if Scotland is seen as a fast track to the island and possibly Europe. Defense contracts which put a hell of a lot of money to the Scottish economy, through the likes of Rolls, BAE etc, the UK has always attempted to where possible have its defense manufacturing within the UK and I am sure the rUK will do the same. Currency, what will we trade in?? The rUK have said no to sterling and the EU have stated membership will not be automatic, or will we go with a "Panama Dollar" scenario Any answers yet on Whether or not we will retain the Barnet Formula What the mysterious 'guaranteed' new powers are that the Lab-Con partners have agreed on for the Scottish Parliament How the democratic deficits, of the West Lothian question or the fact that we don't vote Tory but end up with Tory governments, will shape up in Dave and Gideon's 'good cop bad cop' future Will we still be in the EU after the in-out referendum in 2017 that could remove us from the grasp of the evil 'johnny foreigner' or even Will we finish above Ross County or St Mirren - at least (most of us can agree) in this regard - in Archie we trust!!

Given the intervention from little Gideon Osbourne has led to an increase in the Yes vote, I wonder what Project Fear has up its sleeves for us next. Will they stick with Capt Darling - the financial wizard who brought every family in Scotland the largest sovereign debt in Europe? - under the Union!! Will they dream up some other horror stories? - earthquakes, flooding etc etc

Thought I'd get the debate going again - apologies for the referendum weary!! Are there any actual positive messages to be given by the NO campaign? As far as I can see it: We should be proud of people like Dave Cameron being the representative of us 'Jocks' on the international stage. In spite of being a resource rich nation, democratic and potentially very wealthy we would be thrown out of (i) NATO (ii) the Commonwealth (iii) Europe (iv) sterling - even though we could throw the rest of the UK out of sterling - it is OUR currency. Our pensions would be destroyed - eh I am currently suffering BIG time from Better Together ripping off of my pension to fund tax cuts to the super rich. The people who annoy me are those who go abroad and describe themselves as 'Scottish' whilst being totally committed to being a Brit when it comes to the vote. If we vote NO I will always describe 'Scotland' as 'North Britain' (we will have voted for it) when I am abroad - whilst seeing if I can change my passport to a country that can stand up for itself (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Switzerland.....etc). Can any New Labour supporter really tell me how being ruled by the Tories from Westminster is Better Together?

Yes

Given the independence would bring powers over (i) the economy (ii) foreign policy & (iii) defence under the control of Edinburgh, it would be interesting to look at the 'achievements' of a Better Together approach over the last ten years: (i) Darling's economic mess, a failed austerity response and retirement age for those of us in the public sector rising from 60 to 68. (ii) Iraq, Afghanistan... need I say more (iii) Aircraft carriers without aircraft. Twenty five billion on Trident MkII I can see why Better Together want to concentrate on creating worries through scare stories about independence rather than defend their own position. A once in a lifetime opportunity to get rid of the Tories and people are worried. If you want to make this about football - why should Scotland have an 'international' football team when its people see see it in the same league as Humberside or Cornwall - a region of Great Britain!!