tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049548032314779842.post1746141877371573982..comments2020-08-29T17:50:09.711+01:00Comments on Braveheart's Blog: Will there now be a referendum in 2014?Bravehearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07223196805548966030noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049548032314779842.post-86956665392918152952012-05-30T15:47:30.681+01:002012-05-30T15:47:30.681+01:00Yeah
Not having a majority is passable.
Too many...Yeah<br /><br />Not having a majority is passable.<br /><br />Too many Twitter followers rumbling you is definitely another (cheers - nice link)<br /><br />On the 1 million signatures issue. I actually think that it's a quite cleverly disingenuous piece of propaganda puff.<br /><br />The Scottish Covenant collected 2 million signatures, circa 1948, in favour of Home Rule.<br /><br />They did so without 'Internet Wizardry' or 'Twitter Follower' supporters.<br /><br />In the Mail piece previously referred to, the Professor pointed out that 1 million signatures wouldn't represent anything more than the number of committed Yes voters anyway.Longshankerhttp://www.ahdinnaeken.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049548032314779842.post-50942088549858055942012-05-30T11:44:10.563+01:002012-05-30T11:44:10.563+01:00Good question, Longshanker, and indeed it's pr...Good question, Longshanker, and indeed it's probably difficult to distinguish between the comedic and serious in this regard.<br /><br />I suppose trying to think of plausible excuses at this stage perhaps confirms that it's too far down the road for a u-turn now, but of course there's still a lot of things that can be disputed or go wrong.<br /><br />Maybe if there's no third option on the ballot then it could be argued that the will of the Scottish people is being thwarted? After all, that argument's already been deployed to try getting such an option on the paper in the first place.<br /><br />Or the EU/euro situation, maybe?<br /><br />But of course the politicians are experts at thinking up excuses, so probably best for us lesser mortals to think about it too much ;0)<br /><br />By the way, I don't think the content of the Scottish edition of the Daily Mail goes on their website - you have to buy the paper.Stuart Wintonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02772436419630464325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049548032314779842.post-1628608267448502832012-05-29T23:05:10.350+01:002012-05-29T23:05:10.350+01:00His excuse in 2007 and 2010 was that he didn't...His excuse in 2007 and 2010 was that he didn't have a majority in the Parliament. In 2010 he blamed the Labour Party for trying to outmanoeuvre him....hahaha got you there!<br /><br />So I presume he would have no problem chickening out in 2014 on the excuse that he didn't have a majority in the country....<br /><br />Kicking it into the legal long grass over section 30 is also a good posible excuse, but that wouldn't necessarily stop the UK Government going ahead on their own basis and question.Bravehearthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07223196805548966030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049548032314779842.post-47812905084783189072012-05-29T22:40:44.495+01:002012-05-29T22:40:44.495+01:00Here's how you get your million signatures...
...Here's how you get your million signatures...<br /><br /><br />http://carons-musings.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/yes-scotland-must-be-desperate.htmlBravehearthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07223196805548966030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049548032314779842.post-16154573472140229242012-05-29T22:17:59.927+01:002012-05-29T22:17:59.927+01:00There was a small feature piece in the Scottish Da...There was a small feature piece in the Scottish Daily Mail today or yesterday regarding the YouGov poll results re the referendum.<br /><br />It quoted extensively from a Professor (not Curtis - but regularly on telly) regarding what could be concluded from the poll.<br /><br />He stated that for Independence to have any chance of succeeding it must turn the present situation on its head. ie there must be 2/3 Scots supporting independence to 1/3 against.<br /><br />He further stated that that was how the polls were running in 79 up to one week away from the Devolution referendum.<br /><br />Fear and cynicism aided by incumbent Labour ministers resulted in the sharp swing at the death further aided, of course, by the message that not voting at all was the same as a No vote.<br /><br />The rest, as they say, is history. <br /><br />Given that there would be even more to lose or gain, depending on your viewpoint, the professor concluded that the fear messages which will inevitably be used will scare the electorate away from voting Yes and that, as it stands, Independence has no chance.<br /><br />What I'm most interested in is how you think Salmond could wriggle out of a referendum. I think he's too far in, but wouldn't for a minute discount a potential climbdown.<br /><br />What excuse do you think would save his political career?<br /><br />I'm going for a feigned dirty tricks campaign. Or maybe a wrangling over Section 30 so that it gets kicked into constitutional court touch for X amount of years.<br /><br />Any ideas? I think there would be some comedy value in this for my blog, so any suggestions would be most welcome.<br /><br />NB: I've tried finding a link for the piece in the Scottish Daily Mail, but unfortunately I haven't been able to find one. It was either today's Scottish Daily Mail or yesterdays that the piece appeared in. (I read it at a friend's)Longshankerhttp://www.ahdinnaeken.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049548032314779842.post-30085439657804009382012-05-29T10:35:37.322+01:002012-05-29T10:35:37.322+01:00Indeed Alex Salmond effectively ran away in 2010 a...Indeed Alex Salmond effectively ran away in 2010 as well, because he tried to blame the non-appearance of the planned referendum on the basis of the SNP's lack of a Holyrood majority, but of course that was clearly now mere posturing, because when the chance became available a few months later he bottled it.Stuart Wintonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02772436419630464325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049548032314779842.post-47790563041430626142012-05-29T10:31:22.891+01:002012-05-29T10:31:22.891+01:00If Westminster gives the power to Scotland to arra...If Westminster gives the power to Scotland to arrange the referendum then I could well see Salmond looking for a way out if the polls stay as they are, particularly if there's no 'third way' option, which for obvious reasons Westminster won't want to allow on the ballot paper.<br /><br />By the same token, in the less likely event that it's arranged by Westminster, if the polls stay as they are then it will happen, because Westminter won't want to avoid a big bloody nose for Salmond.<br /><br />However, if it's arranged by Westminster and looks like a Yes then it would be difficult for them to wheedle out of it.<br /><br />But it seems more likely that Westminster will devolve the power, in which case it's down to Salmond, and I suspect he'd find an excuse if things weren't going his way. Better some slight embarrasment from a climbdown than total humiliation in a referendum.Stuart Wintonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02772436419630464325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049548032314779842.post-129425560041499382012-05-29T08:03:23.568+01:002012-05-29T08:03:23.568+01:00On 4th May Wendy Alexander challenged Alex Salmond...On 4th May Wendy Alexander challenged Alex Salmond to "bring it on". Sure you can't remember Peter? I do.<br /><br />see here<br /><br />http://www.scotsman.com/news/wendy-bring-it-on-1-1166724<br /><br />At FMQs on the 8th May she repeated the offer.<br /><br />Eck declined. He ran away. <br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendy_Alexander<br /><br />Are you sure you can't remember Peter? You look old enough in your photo. Selective memory syndrome, the Nationalist defence mechanism.?Bravehearthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07223196805548966030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049548032314779842.post-70250352627783583922012-05-28T23:46:17.885+01:002012-05-28T23:46:17.885+01:00When did Salmond "run away from a referendum&...When did Salmond "run away from a referendum". You're just making this up as you go along.Peter A Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14204261467942498747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049548032314779842.post-45408747451962840172012-05-28T22:53:36.213+01:002012-05-28T22:53:36.213+01:00Certainly a strong possibility that the UK Governm...Certainly a strong possibility that the UK Government would want to step into any void left by a Nat withdrawal.....Bravehearthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07223196805548966030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049548032314779842.post-21393841821094726812012-05-28T22:14:31.914+01:002012-05-28T22:14:31.914+01:00The last person to run away from a referendum was ...The last person to run away from a referendum was Alex Salmond. <br /><br />Gordon Brown ducked out of calling a general election.<br /><br />I thought the BBC had got the balance wrong with two Nats on the panel. But it worked out all right.<br /><br />The audience destroyed Nicola's economic position without much help from Sarwar or Davidson. <br /><br />I thought the implicatons of the show were massive for the Nats.<br /><br />They lost all of the arguments.Bravehearthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07223196805548966030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049548032314779842.post-22028578322585249752012-05-28T18:47:00.661+01:002012-05-28T18:47:00.661+01:00Nah, I suspect either we'll get a Scottish Gov...Nah, I suspect either we'll get a Scottish Government sponsered referendum or a UK Government sponsered one. Both sides of the argument have too far to back down, and I think want to settle this at the ballot box.Allanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13574173214924437278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049548032314779842.post-67281328230319071302012-05-28T11:12:20.178+01:002012-05-28T11:12:20.178+01:00The last person to 'run away' from a refer...The last person to 'run away' from a referendum was Gordon Brown - tactically a big mistake!<br />Last night showed the usual BBC balance with all of the questions coming from the NO camp. They will always find it easier to frighten people by asking for guarantees when they can't offer anything themselves - other than more of the same.<br />The Yes camp has a very difficult job especially to get the business community to declare support. It will always be in their interests to remain neutral.The bottom line is frightened or not 70% of the population do not want the status quo and the Unionist parties do.<br />Whatever they claim about devolution it was forced on them.They are only interested in maintaining the last remnant of Empire and their Nuclear passport to the top table. What I find amazing is that Labour supporters faced with increasing austerity cannot see the financial folly of this never mind the moral follyFourfolksachehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12651190231842907126noreply@blogger.com