Desperate Measures.

click here for the link to Osborne on the

Andrew Marr Show yesterday

Apologies for not posting last week.  I was busy with my ‘other’ life although I kept an eye on the media’s efforts to support the No campaign.

Weren’t some of the remarks unbelievably stupid?

Reading some Labour voters comments on various newspaper articles, it appears Scottish Labour voters are more than unhappy with their party for many reasons.  The main ones are the loss of social policy, the collusion with the Tories and Libdems and the ineffectiveness of Labour’s Scottish leadership.  I’m sure many of you will be muttering, “We could have told you that a while ago.”  

Quite a few of these disgruntled Labour voters intend to vote Yes and suddenly up pops Osborne on the Marr Show yesterday stating he’s going to offer us Valhalla with cream on top and a cherry if we’re really good and comply with his wishes.  Desperate isn’t it. He won’t be thrilled to read this morning that the Scottish Secretary disagrees with him.

Surely there can’t be a Scot in the land who doesn’t remember - or has heard about - Douglas Home’s 1979 pledge to the Scots that if they vote against devolution he will offer ‘something better’.

The momentum seems to be with the Yes campaign at the moment but Osborne will be hoping to sway the undecided with his feeble coalition offerings in a few days time.

We have to keep positive, keep pleasant and keep the pressure on.

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Unhappy 'No' Campaigners

It appears the Yes campaigners, in particular Willie Rennie of the Libdems, aren't too happy with Martin Sime, the chief executive of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations. Mr Sime dated to read an email from the Scottish Government, in which mention was made of a second referendum question.

Recently it was reported that the SCVO, which is campaigning for greater devolution, said a poll it had organised found 56% of voters wanted a second question on more 

powers at the referendum. The No campaign won't discuss the possibility of having a second question as they don't want all opinions to be considered - only their own for the status quo.

Willie Rennie ‏@willie_rennie

SCVO Chief Exec Martin Sime should go. He sought to undermine Better Together launch + now has been caught plotting with SNP adviser.

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George Foulkes is so incensed he even accuses one of his ex-leaders of being in cahoots with Alex Salmond.

Henry McLeish appears to me to be one of the few unionists who is prepared to listen to all sides of the debate and given much thought to the independence question. The Yes campaign should be grateful he's on their side, but George Foulkes certainly isn't pleased.

George Foulkes ‏@GeorgeFoulkes

@willie_rennie Salmond has been secretly encouraging the "Devo Max" campaign using pawns like Sime & McLeish because he fears Indy will lose

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Mr Foulkes has shown - perhaps inadvertently - all is not well in the No camp.  Who'd have thought it?

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A Little Mystery Revealed

Last week the question of the No campaign funders was shrouded in mystery, but no longer.

A little investigative journalism by the Herald's Tom Gordon and Paul Hutcheon has revealed some of the money is coming from the United and Cecil Club which had to forfeit an 'impermissible' donation last year. In other words it accepted £850 from a donor who was not on the UK electoral register and therefore could not make a legal donation.

The Tory dining club is run from Hickmans Lane, Lindfield, Haywards Heath, a town more than 350 miles from Scotland.  It has about 400 members and according to the Electoral Commission, has donated £100,000 to the conservative party since 2008. To date none of the registered donations went to Scotland.

It's no surprise the No campaign funding will be coming from south of the border as the unionist parties' HQs are all controlled from London. Can Labour afford to contribute much when they have nearly £10 million in outstanding loans?

It was refreshing to hear Blair Jenkins, on yesterday's Sunday Politics (approx 30 minutes in), state that the Yes campaign will not accept donations of more than £500 from anyone who is not on the electoral role in Scotland. What are the chances of the No campaigners pledging such a principle?

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Vote No to Lisbon Launch

Courtesy of ScunnertNation

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For My Irish Friends

My thanks to ScunnertNation

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