POLLING DAY AS IT HAPPENS: TELEGRAPH TV LINK

The US doesn't have a monopoly on bent politicians, Lily. Indeed, Whitehall had a few centuries' start on Washington in deviousness, lying and backstabbing.

Sabot wrote:I suspect that might be the end of The LibDems in Scotland.

There is a Holyrood election next May, Sabot. Do you fancy being a LibDem running for MSP after this? Or with Carmichael still in his seat?

No, me neither.

Taken at Shetland's silent protest.

Good for them!

We've all read about political skullduggery and dirty tricks in fiction, or seen it on TV in drama series, haven't we, Lily? It's a rare treat to be able to watch it unfolding in front of us in real life, in real time.

My own feeling is that this is going to take a few others down before its over; the more I've read about it, the more I can see NO way that our token Tory, Mundell, wasn't involved. The trail may, in the end, lead back to Cameron's doorstep.

And all the SLabs and LibDems were making comments within minutes of the 'story' breaking.....as if they knew it was coming.

I hope they all get what's coming to them.  

That's not revenge is it?   Barstewards...

It's beyond stupid, Lily. A high-speed train that only runs between London and Birmingham or Manchester is utterly pointless, just a wasteful vanity project.

One that actually ran from top to bottom would be a different matter indeed, it would be like the French trains.

Serves him right.  

https://weegingerdug.wordpress.com/2015/05/23/the-dishonourable-dissembler-for-porkies-and-scrote-lying/

I do admire The Dug's way with words.

https://storify.com/theSNP/telegraph-and-the-scottish-labour

Looking at how it all happened in chronological order, it becomes clear that more than just Carmichael are likely to go down over this.

Sad for you all. What a joke. But this sort of shite is always much more funny from this side of The Channel.

For so long I felt as though I had bailed out when my country most needed me. And I did feel like a Rat to some small extent. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Or so they say. But some things you just can't beat. I was living in fear in Plymouth, which used to be the least likely place to fear. Ran my own business. Worked at least 12/7. And provided excellence because it was the only way that I knew. And then finally got ground down by The Bank. Not because I wasn't paying them or the bloody mortgage, because I was. But my statistics weren't showing any upgrade, and so they demanded that I reduce my working overdraft of 2,000 Pounds. How much do you need to owe these people?. 2,000 Pounds is f*cking peanuts.

So I sold all of the machinery, which I actually owned, and got out. Yep, sorry, I left the mortgage. But I wasn't the prime mortgagee. He had been bleeding me for several years. Such is the stupidity of Love.

Sorry about that. I don't often sound off on my own stupidity. But it was the very best thing that I ever did.

If your country had really valued you, Sabot, then it wouldn't have allowed a mere bank to treat you like sh*t. This corruption and greed has been building for decades and those outside the M25 corridor are getting increasingly disgruntled.

This particular scandal is going to become a benchmark, IMO - as usual, the London media are trying to ignore it because it means they can't say SNP BAD. The Mail has been busy being outraged about new SNP MPs eating chips and drinking water - the shame of it, when everyone knows real MPs eat lobster and drink champagne at taxpayers' expense.

What makes Frenchgate different, though, is that there is an actual proper record and timeline of the great and good lying through their teeth, quite blatantly.

Carmichael went on telly and lied through his teeth, smirking while he did it. This is why this one is almost unique - there is a proper record of it all, that those involved can't deny. Now, the breadcrumbs are leading to Number 10 itself.

I am actually starting to think Carmichael shouldn't stand down. He should continue to represent Orkney and Shetland for the next five years as a living example of corruption, thievery from taxpayers of more than a million quid, and blatant lying.

Actually it was Williams and Glyns Bank. Eventually taken over by The Royal Bank of Scotland. And a bunch of stupid little arseholes who knew nothing about Devon and small businesses.

One day I was talking to a man who understood what I was doing, and the next day I was talking to a boy who only understood statistics. And decided that my business wasn't growing larger enough. Despite the fact that it was paying its way.

Believe it or not, selling excellence is quite difficult. But I had enough of those to manage for a very long time.

And then I discovered the same thing when I took up Gardening here. "Can you just run the mower around once a month?"
"No, sorry, I can't." I lost a couple for that intransigence. But it all amounts to the same thing in the end. No one wants excellence. And I can't cope with anything less. It is who I am.

This is what Britain is now, today. And I feel so sorry.

It's not actually Britain, Sabot. The further away you get from the M25 corridor, the less it is like that - look at all those angry people in northern England right now.

IMO, the London mindset, and frequent lack of morals in financial matters, is skewing everything. RBS should never have been bailed out; it should, IMO, have been temporarily nationalised to protect depositors, and the bankers responsible for the mess charged and taken to court.

Not bailed out with taxpayers' money; that stood every concept of the free market on its head, and is the root cause of this 'austerity' crap.

Two greedy RBS bankers who used their jobs to run £3million property fraud escape jail because judge says THEY 'have suffered'
Andrew Ratnage, 50, and his boss Raymond Pask, 54, guilty of scam
Pair set up fake companies and used relatives' names to get mortgages
Bankers borrowed £3m and bought five homes in London, Kent and Essex
All the cash came from their own bank NatWest, which is owned by RBS
Judge spared them jail because they 'suffered' and were 'embarrassed'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2851703/Two-greedy-RBS-bankers-used-jobs-run-3million-property-fraud-escape-jail-judge-says-suffered.html#ixzz3b3wwasx7
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http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/trident-missile-flaw-could-cause-fires-explosions-and-radioactive-contamination-revea.1432463191

An INHERENT flaw in Trident missiles could lead to fires, explosions and widespread radioactive contamination,


according to a top-secret safety manual leaked by the naval whistleblower, William McNeilly.

The Royal Navy's official instructions on how to take care of nuclear weapons reveal that the "chief potential hazard" from a live missile is the "accidental ignition" of solid rocket fuel.


This could cause the warheads' conventional high explosives to detonate and scatter plutonium and other toxic materials "over a wide area", it says.

The Trident D5 missile, used by both the UK and US, is designed with nuclear warheads closely wrapped around the third stage rocket motor. This has been highlighted as a design flaw by US experts in the past, but has not previously been acknowledged by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The results of a rocket fuel fire at sea or on land could be "catastrophic" for submariners and the public, critics warned last night. The MoD, however, said it had to train for every scenario "no matter how extreme and unlikely".

McNeilly, as well as alleging 30 Trident security and safety concerns in an 18-page dossier revealed by the Sunday Herald last weekend, says he filmed the weapons safety manual on his smartphone. Code-named CB8890, it is a book kept in a safe in the submarine missile control centre, he says.

Extracts quoted by McNeilly disclose that the warheads "clustered around the third stage rocket motor are at risk from a rocket motor propellant fire". Exposed to heat, the warheads' conventional high explosives "could cook to (non-nuclear) detonation, releasing radioactive materials and aerosols over a wide area," the manual says.

If warhead containment is breached, "several radioactive and/or toxic materials may be exposed to the atmosphere," it says. "These include plutonium, uranium, lithium compounds, tritium gas and beryllium. If mixed with water, fumes or toxic gases will be generated."

The navy manual paints a dramatic picture of what could happen. "The chief potential hazard associated with a live missile is the accidental ignition of the first, second or third stage rocket motor propellant," it says.

"If this were to happen in the missile tube with the muzzle hatch shut and locked, the pressure hull and bulkheads of the missile compartment would burst within a matter of seconds," it continues.

"The missile contains a number of subsidiary propulsive and ordnance items that could cause damage to the missile and/or release toxic gases into the missile compartment if initiated prematurely. In some cases, this could also result in ignition or detonation of one of the rocket motors."

The manual also warns that warheads could be ruptured by an accident and cause "radioactive contamination." Serious damage "could also result from a successful terrorist attack", it says.

The risk of a third stage rocket fire was raised in a report on nuclear weapons safety by the eminent physicist, Sidney Drell, for a US congressional committee in 1990. More recently, it has been highlighted by Eric Schlosser, the US author of a book, Command and Control, exposing safety problems with nuclear weapons.

He pointed out that Trident's solid rocket fuel was a high-energy propellant that was "relatively easy" to ignite. "The conventional explosives used in the American and British warheads designed for Trident are vulnerable to fire," he said.

"The third stage of the missile - where the warheads surround the rocket motor, instead of sitting on top of it - combines both risks. A fire or explosion involving the third stage could cause the dispersal of plutonium - and perhaps a nuclear detonation with a small yield."

Schlosser added: "These extracts from the Royal Navy safety manual on Trident, if they are authentic, seem to confirm the danger. To my knowledge, there has never been a serious accident with a Trident missile. But improper handling, a fire, or a terrorist act could be catastrophic."

Peter Burt from the Nuclear Information Service, which is critical of nuclear weapons, pointed out that Trident was designed 40 years ago to deliver a huge destructive force to the maximum range possible. Mounting the warheads next to a rocket motor was "a short cut which has created an inherent design flaw and drastically increased the risks from an accident involving the missile," he said.

The MoD stressed that the Royal Navy had safely operated the nuclear deterrent for over 40 years without a nuclear weapons accident. "This is a safety record it is vital to maintain, which is precisely why we prepare and train for every scenario no matter how extreme and unlikely," said a spokesman.

But the SNP's new defence spokesman in Westminster and MP for Argyll and Bute, Brendan O'Hara, thought that the new revelations would shock the public. "It makes for very chilling reading and reinforces just how dangerous these weapons are," he said.


"It starkly lays out what could potentially happen in various scenarios all of which would be catastrophic for the crew and potentially the public, with the release of radiation."

Somehow, I don't find the news that nuclear warheads can catch fire accidentally terribly reassuring - and boasting that there hasn't been an accident for forty years just about guarantees there is going to be one.

But I lived and worked in Devon, Bonny. In Plymouth. And suddenly had to deal with statistics. As though I didn't already know.
My eldest son had already told me that my business wasn't growing any more. But it didn't actually need to. It was doing okay.

I picked up all of The Landed Gentry, mostly by word of mouth. But they don't put it about unless they are satisfied. And they don't question the Laundry Bill if it is reasonable. Well, half reasonable.

My favourite was Mrs. Bast ard. That was her name. She had a horrendous amount of Alsatians who all slept on her bed, and how I discovered that muddy paw prints are neither here nor there.

I once bought a magic Black Alsatian from her. Magic only bit window cleaners. Sadly, I wasn't very all together at that time, and gave her away. But to a very good home. I often regret that. But only for my sake.

But back to the point. What is Britain? I am A Londoner. And a Cockney. But the likes of me don't exist anymore. We have no worth.

Don't care. I don't even remotely want to be there.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/scottish-politics/give-carmichael-a-second-chance-pleads-rennie-as-pressure-grows-for-him-t.127003912

Give Carmichael a second chance, pleads Rennie, as pressure grows for him to quit as MP

Magnus Gardham
Political Editor
Sunday 24 May 2015
THE Liberal Democrats have launched a desperate rearguard action to save Alistair Carmichael, their sole Scottish MP, in the face of growing pressure for him to resign his seat.



Willie Rennie, the Scottish LibDem leader, publicly backed the beleaguered Orkney and Shetland MP, describing his role in a bid to smear Nicola Sturgeon as "an aberration" and called for him to be given a second chance.


His support came as a petition calling for him to go attracted more than 10,000 names.

The SNP stepped up its effort to force him out, highlighting a local newspaper column from five years ago when the former Scottish Secretary wrote of the need for MPs "to tell the truth".....etc.

====

I confess, I am now in two minds about this. In all fairness, he should go, he's an absolute disgrace - and how can he serve his constituents after this? How can they trust or believe a word he says, after he so glibly lied to millions on TV?

On the other hand, if he hangs on, he serves as a sort of living monument to deceit, corruption and lying - a horrible warning, if you like.

It doesn't even matter. He is lying shit bag. And if that is what Orkney and The Shetlands want, then more bloody fools them.

Sabot wrote:It doesn't even matter.  He is lying shit bag.  And if that is what Orkney and The Shetlands want, then more bloody fools them.

The Orcadians and Shetlanders voted for someone they did not know was such an idiot, he was the sitting MP. How were they to know what he was about to do? Orcadians are not mind-readers; it is up to the LibDem party to sort this out, there is very little the Islanders can do if the party does not dismiss him and a by- election is held to replace him; it is the party who chooses the candidates, not the voters, they only endorse the chosen candidate or refuse him at an election. And Orcadians are not 'bloody fools'. Lamplighter

I think you were right when you said the LibDems are finished - or even more finished - in Scotland, Sabot. I am gobsmacked at LibDem Leader Rennie's statement tonight:

http://www.libdemvoice.org/breakingwillie-rennie-i-hope-that-fair-minded-people-will-give-alistair-carmichael-a-second-chance-46095.html#utm_source=tweet&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=twitter

Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader Willie Rennie has just issued this statement acknowledging the seriousness of Alistair Carmichael’s actions but saying that the Orkney and Shetland MP deserves a second chance.

I have discussed the serious nature of the publication of the Scotland Office document with Alistair Carmichael. He fully understands the impact it has had on his reputation. He deeply regrets his actions, has accepted responsibility for his error of judgement, apologised to Nicola Sturgeon and the French Ambassador and declined his ministerial severance payment.

I have known Alistair for almost thirty years and have worked closely with him in parliament for almost a decade. I have always been impressed by his energy, dedication and professionalism. He has served Orkney and Shetland for fourteen years and has been elected on four separate occasions. It is clear to me that recent events are an aberration.

As a liberal I believe that people deserve a second chance. I hope fair minded people would agree that Alistair Carmichael should be given that second chance.

Yesterday, the Scottish Liberal Democrat Party Executive met and gave Alistair Carmichael its support. He has my support too.

Alistair will now get back to his job representing Orkney and Shetland

I wouldn't count on that, sunshine. Apart from anything else, it WASN'T an 'aberration'. An 'aberration' is getting caught with a hooker when you're drunk, not being part of a cross-party plot to smear the Scottish First Minister - and the French ambassador, let us not forget.

Going on TV and repeatedly, barefacedly, lying, isn't an 'aberration', either.