Taxi Driver Online

No checks and balances, no transparency of government and no direct accountability to the public, sound familiar?
The political class takes over and it’s business as usual. #-o



I rest my case Gusmac

This would be a good point to fall on your sword, Gusmac. If it’s any consolation, I valued your opinion on most subjects but when it comes to politics, you’ve allowed yourself to get sucked in, and it’s probably due to your social conditioning- the future is bright, the future is TARTAN.

That being said, it’s up to you if you are prepared to accept how the political system really works, and not by accident but by design. The wee Eck Salmond’s of this world are as good as they get, he knows how to play people.

Accident

Deary me Gary. You should get some help with those anger issues.
Its still free on the NHS, at least for the moment.

Now, tell the truth, you only valued my opinion when it coincided with yours.

_________________

http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

BTW If you really do know how the system works, you already know there isn't a damn thing you can do about it.

Maybe you should be the one falling on your sword.

_________________

http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

Surprisingly enough, I don’t tell lies, unless I think, it serves something beyond the obvious. A higher purpose may be. I don’t know to be honest. Sometimes it’s just a feeling. As for falling on my sword, perhaps I should, but I won’t.

My belief is, you either live your life willfully ignorant or searching for the truth of the situation, and that’s your choice. And that’s my philosophy on life. I don’t know if it means anything, but it keeps me going.

Oh and as for needing your opinion to coincide with mine. I don't need you to believe in anything. However, you could change my belief system in an instant, but only with evidence and a reasoned argument.

I didn't say you needed my opinion to coincide with yours. Just that when you valued it, was when it did.
Neither of us are going to fall on our swords.

We both want similar things, we just differ on the best way to achieve them. Should we become independent, you will still be there, telling us what's wrong with the system. And I will still be there, looking to change it for the better.

I just don't think the UK as it is will ever change. I do think Scotland can, but I won't pretend it will be easy.
Call it a gut instinct but that's what I believe.

_________________

http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

How naive is this?

If wee Eck had any intention on changing how the establishment controls Scotland, we'd have seen some move towards him doing so. It's no accident he hasn't. Because he is the control mechanism. He is the head of the establishment. And the little tinpot hitlerian dictator loves it. So why would he change anything.

Your instincts aren't gut, Gusmac; they're stomach churning.

Breaking away from the rest of the UK wouldn't improve our situation a jot. You only have to look at ireland to see how vulnerable a small economy is. When the EC grants ran out, their economy hit the skids. And there's no way the EC would pump anything like the money Ireland got into Scotland.

I suggest you pour yourself a Scotch, nibble on the petticoat tails, dust down your Oor Wullie book and dream of the good old days when the stone of Scone was filched by itinerant Scottish fools who mistakenly thought their prank would make a difference.

Because that's the closest you're gonna get to Independence in your lifetime.

_________________
Skull, "You are a police inspector, aren't you?"
Cab Inspector Smith, "Yes."
Skull, "So, are you going to tell Mr Taylor what his rights are?"
Smith, "And ... What rights?"

It must be sad to have such a low opinion of one's fellow Scots.

_________________

http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

Why would we need him to change anything? We voted him in, and we'll vote him out again if necessary. It's called democracy.

Despite the unfounded **** accusations in your post (which the rest of your unionist buddies seem to have given up on, I might add) we are not voting for a Führer or a one party state and nobody has any plans to burn synagogues or invade Poland.
At least not on the yes side of the debate. Some of the no supporters, I wouldn't be so sure

Still, I suppose playing the man is easier than presenting a credible case for staying in the union.

_________________

http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

The system is structured by lawyers working to enhance and maintain control for politicians and their executive over the public. You could vote for a bunch of monkeys fresh out of the jungle, and the system would produce the same results repeatedly. It’s simply not in their interests to put the public before their pay cheque.

And therein lies the problem Gusmac, politicians can tell you almost anything you want to hear but once the executive and their lawyers get a hold of it. It's business as usual. Oh as for the broader issues such as going to War over WMDs, the public simply doesn't count. They do what they like.

So are you saying that an Independent Scotland would have been involved in Blair's illegal war?

_________________

http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

_________________

http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

No. What I am saying, is that the people of an Independent Scotland wouldn't have had more of a controlling influence over their political class, than the whole of Britain had over the Blair Government. The general public isn't part of the decision-making process, as they are not privileged to all the available information.

However, once the (wrong) decision is made, it's with impunity. No one is ever held directly accountable, but we all know who pays.

We are back to the checks and balances again, Gusmac.

Oh and please, spare us the ideological histories of the country's political parties and where it all went wrong, because it's bullshi*.

I don't see Owen Jones writing anything about transparency of government, and the lack of accountability. A politician has to their electorate. And it's not going to change with Salmond or anyone else the way system is operating at the moment.

The position of Scottish Labour Owen Jones points to in his article is purely strategic. These are not changes in ideology in the true sense but finding ways to convince the public to vote once again, for a Labour leadership. It’s like saying the Labour party should return to their roots while promoting core labour values. It’s bullshit. It’s all about pulling the wool over the voters’ eyes. You might as well be voting for Derren Brown, the British illusionist, mentalist, hypnotist, painter, writer, and sceptic. At least when he snaps his finger, you’d wake the fu*k up.

Oh and I don’t necessarily disagree with what Owen Jones has written but does it really mean anything to the man in the street. I think not.