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EwanfromDumfries

Listed below are comments made by EwanfromDumfries between Sunday, 12th April 2009 and Thursday, 29th October 2009.

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It's FMQs, stupid 11:22pm on 29 Oct 2009 Rather interesting that Iain MacMillan had already been shown the door by The Herald after trying to convince them of it's merits. No surprise, that it found a welcome from possibly the worst of the Scotland hating Hootsman journalists, David Maddox.
Map of the Week: Cheese 5:10pm on 04 Oct 2009 Wot no Wotsits?
Redirected controversy 5:00pm on 02 Sep 2009 17. At 12:38pm on 02 Sep 2009, ColonelKurtz wrote:

"I remember watching a film that night on TV and they interupted with the news of the plane crashing. So it didnt happen live but it was reported as an urgent newsflash."

Hi Col Kurtz, I suppose what I'm getting at, in a cack handed way, is the number of opposition MSP's who related their recollection this morning as if they had actually witnessed it live and were therefore personally scarred from the experience, much like those who witnessed the blanket coverage of the twin towers attack so often that it became part of their own memory.

1988 was not the age of rolling 24 hour news we currently live in.
Redirected controversy 12:12pm on 02 Sep 2009 How many opposition MSP's are going to wail, tear their hair and bare their breasts with memories of watching Pan Am 103 aflame? It didn't happen live on TV, we didn't have images until the following morning, this was before the advent of 24 hour news. It was reported on BBC radio as a plane crash on the motorway in the south of Scotland. Similar to the Kegworth tragedy a few short weeks later.
Rumblings of discontent 11:11pm on 29 Aug 2009 JohnConstable at #292.

"That was not the case, Brown as UK PM always had overall control."

Really? Wouldn't that entail him abolishing the Scotland act and the Act of Union. Or perhaps did you not realise that Scotland's Law, Education and Church have remained independent since 1707.

"I am completely fedup with professional Scottish politicians plying their trade at Westminster"

How churlish, we don't complain about the disproportionate number of English politicians plying their trade at Holyrood. SNP have six, Labour five, Tories one and Lib Dems..well no one cares really.

The most important poll in Scotland right now is the Annandale Observer annandaleobserver.co.uk which has support for Macaskill's decision running at 73%. It's important because it is Lockerbie's local paper.
Where next on Megrahi? 7:03pm on 24 Aug 2009 It's becoming increasingly obvious Brian that the BBC prefer to publicise negativity than good news. Our democracy was not served by the opposition today. MacAskill's comments were intelligent, honest and full of integrity. The cringing opposition comments belittled the investment and faith their supporters put into them at the ballot box.

Have a look at the BBC's own 'have your say' page on Lockerbie and click on the 'readers most recommended comments' button.

There is overwhelming, succinct, mature support for MacAskill's decision from around the world. An overwhelming number support the decision over the opponents. Ten out of the first pages fifteen comments endorse his decision.

http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?sortBy=2&forumID=6897&edition=1&ttl=20090824185459&#paginator

Have glance through and see that this decision is not all doom and gloom.
A political career shelved 4:05pm on 17 Jun 2009 An independent Jim Devine, has the ability to split the Labour vote. His dedicated fifty followers who backed him at his constituency meeting will be prepared to back him once again, otherwise they are left looking like corrupt fools in their neighbourhood.
Calman speaks 2:15pm on 15 Jun 2009 Brian, it might be interesting to ask Prof Anton Muscatelli about the 'self-denying ordinance' in place prohibiting Sir Ken's Independent Expert Group from speaking individually on the recommendations until close of play on the 19th of June, when press interest will apparently have subsided...
They've got what it takes 5:16pm on 17 Apr 2009 Iain Mann writing in the Herald put the whole HBOS-RBS farrago so succinctly that I thought I'd best post it here for Mr Reluctant-Expat to ponder over.

I found Gordon Brown's message to Scotland (Herald, April 16) uninspiring and in places patronising. Once again he claimed that the UK government had saved the Scottish banks, when we all know that these banks ceased to be truly Scottish years ago, apart from the name Scotland in their titles and a largely token head office presence in Edinburgh.

RBS was operating (disastrously, as it turned out) on the global financial stage, and HBOS was effectively a subsidiary of the Halifax whose management took all the major policy decisions. Only the high street branches remained Scottish, and even there the personal services provided to small customers fell far short of the standards we used to take for granted from "our" banks.
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The Prime Minister also referred to RBS and HBOS as "Scottish-owned banks". They are nothing of the sort. At least 90% of their total shareholdings are held by British and foreign institutional shareholders, and only a tiny fraction by Scottish private investors.
Tartan trimmings 6:03pm on 12 Apr 2009 "Like Ireland, for instance, Scotland's former role model as Celtic Tiger?"

I've checked the CIA handbook Douglas and Ireland doesn't have a sovereign oil fund to support it. However, Norway does, and are even considering goving $5 billion to the IMF...

As to the Canadian banking system, founded by Scots it has consistently shown profit after profit, not high yield but substantive.

If you wanted to know more about Scotland Week then you should have just read Mike Russell's blog?

http://scotlandweek09.wordpress.com/

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