White Paper "scotland's Future"

[Wharton]

Defence

PART 3

Chapter 6

page 232

Scotland has been home to one of the largest concentrations of nuclear weapons anywhere in the world, despite consistent and clear opposition from across civic Scotland, our churches, our trade unions and a clear majority of our elected politicians. Billions of pounds have been wasted to date on weapons that must never be used and, unless we act now, we risk wasting a further £100 billion, over its lifetime, on a new nuclear weapons systems. Trident is an affront to basic decency with its indiscriminate and inhumane power.

Will everyone read the White Paper please?

[Wharton]

Finance and the Economy

PART 3

Chapter 3

page 118

The UK tax system is complex and inefficient. It is estimated that there are over 10,000 pages of tax legislation making it one of the longest tax codes in the world, and the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) found in 2010 that there were 1,042 separate exemptions in the UK tax system.....read the rest for yourselves please.....and try to read all of the White Paper too, just to please me? :-)

[KARL]

I admire your effort in raising interest. In my case I was already one of the converted long before the White Paper came out because to me it has long been obvious that the UK's institutions are so clapped out that major revision/replacement is required. But there has thus far been no courage/motivation to grapple with it, hence the long history of putting patch upon patch. This is why I believe that, while Scotland would benefit most from separating into an independent country, the rest of the UK would hopefully receive sufficient wake-up to re-examine just about everything and also end up the better for it. As for the military side, this (in my opinion) is the real reason why the UK is struggling economically - the foreign adventures are very expensive for a medium sized country stripped of its empire. In fact, there is a strong argument for Scotland having no military apart from border and maritime forces - the savings would be enormous and the "threat" of invasion no more than it is today (in reality effectively nil apart from the war games scenario).

[Wharton]

Wharton's grandson looked at what he had written and said, "Grandad, do you not think that you're going a wee bit over their heads here? I get the feeling that some of them would find difficulty in following a plot in the Beano, let alone the intricacies of a government white paper, will you stop it please"? "Ok", said Wharton, and they gave each other a knowing wink. :-)

[Wharton]

KARL - Sorry, I was typing my tongue-in-cheek reply when you posted.

[scorpiojo]

Lol

[Wharton]

.....and good morning to you scorpiojo, keep those clever crossword answers coming :-)

[Baldric]

///Trident is an affront to basic decency with its indiscriminate and inhumane power///

It's also been a blooming good deterrent, protecting the whole UK.

[Peter Pedant]

OK - Biffo to Lord Snooty outside a house labelled no 10
B - why do the Scots want independence ?

LS ( looking like DC or one of his snooty well fed chums ) - They don't - they want to drink and fight ! They eat porridge and dont wash. ugggh !

B - well ?

LS only Mr Salmond does - he wants to be in the Lords like us lot - but we dont hes too poor and noone can understand him ! Think Singapore rapid transit user but at least THEY speak and understand English - poor smelly things !

B - so one advantage is that Mr Salmon becomes a Prime Mininister - tell me another advantage

LS - there isnt one ! That's the only reason.

B - oh

LS we sent the Gub'nor - no not my Dad - to tell him in a Canadian accent that Scotland will be a basket case like OIreland Greece Cyprus and Portugal -and Salmond looked as tho someone had run over his DOG !

LS and B hahahahhahaha !

[Peter Pedant]

Last frame in the comic is
LS and B look at Gnasher in the road looking sad and a tyre mark over him
with Desperate Dan in a van marked Cow pie going off into the distance

[Wharton]

Baldric - Aye, you're in Kent son, Trident is less than 26 miles from Glasgow as the crow flies and as far as I know it goes a helluva lot faster than a crow. It could blow up here, understand?

[Baldric]

Gosh, that was helpful, thank you PP.

[Peter Pedant]

Hey this comic strip is not gonna look too bad....

and there has to be a panel - with Lord Snooty taking a phone photo of his son little lord snooty on Singapore rapid transit with a phone camera, wrecked porsche outside and Chinese with bandannas and knives between their teeth outside - with a speech bubble from the kid : Look Daddy - who are all those poor people ?

[Baldric]

Think of it as a redevelopment opportunity!

[Wharton]

Wharton's grandson said, "Are all the English people on drugs Grandad"? "No", replied Wharton, "I think they've got to pay for them down there".

[Peter Pedant]

OK another panel

B - are all the English on Drugs ?
LS - if they are MPs they should be ( bromide !)
[ panel of Matron slipping bromide into MPs tea and zombies trooping thro the divison lobbies ]
B and the scots
LS no they use whiskey instead....

[Baldric]

And for the record we are probably within 26 miles of Nuclear Power Stations on the French Coast //It could blow up here, understand?//

[Wharton]

There's a big difference between a probable/imaginary French nuclear power station than a real floating bomb capable of destroying half the country (Scotland that is).

[Wharton]

Peter Pedant - Scots don't drink whiskey, unless that's all there is of course :-)

[Baldric]

/// a probable/imaginary French nuclear power station///

Wharton, I suspect your grandson has been left with access to your computer, I may resume this conversation once an adult is in control once again.

In the meantime for your grandsons entertainment

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_France

[Wharton]

Grandson thanks you for the link Baldric, he's interested in that sort of thing. Just before he went to bed he asked me why the first UK nuclear power station was built at Dounreay. I told him it was for safety reasons, and we both exchanged knowing winks again.