Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.
9-15-14
Drones can’t take out all ‘Jihadi Johns’, we need Muslims onside
Britain is a force for good – join tonight’s Trafalgar Square rally to support the Union
It’s against the Tory interest for Scotland to vote No. But here’s why we hope it does.
Some things are more important, dare we say it, than the short-term interest of the Conservative Party.
Queen tells Scots to ‘think very carefully’ about independence vote
In a dramatic and unusual intervention the Queen spoke to members of the public waiting outside Crathie Church
Isis: leaders gather in Paris as UK edges towards military action
John Kerry joins Iraqi, Arab and western ministers to discuss ways to support Baghdad in battle against Islamic State jihadis
Scotland and England’s marriage problems
9-14-14
The First Minister has been blessed. Just watch them go
Hell will freeze over before BBC eco-zealots broadcast the truth
When will the BBC report honestly on climate change?
Ransoms? Raids? Media black-outs? What should the strategy be?
Whatever happens, nothing will ever be the same again
David Cameron is right to warn the Scots that the leap from the precipice is not a bungee jump
Scottish referendum: Scottish soldiers have died to keep the UK together
A tiny minority has no right to decide the future of a nation that so many Scots have fought to defend
A close No would open an opportunity for Cameron
He would have a chance to campaign with his Party for a fair new deal for the whole UK – one decided not by the Westminster elites but by the people.
9-13-14
Scotland 1) Brown’s rash devolution pledge undermines both Labour and the Union
His unilateral promise of “Home Rule” has exposed the untenable position of Labour’s Scottish and Welsh MPs.
Whoever wins this vote, the Union is dead
Gordon Brown has bounced Westminster into giving Scotland home rule. English home rule is now just a matter of time
Ten handy phrases for bluffing your way through the Constitutional Crisis
We all know the referendum is a big deal, but what can we actually say? None of us has much of an idea how the constitution might change after Thursday’s vote. Yet all of us want to talk knowledgeably about it and sound as if we really care. Here, then, is a primer for the uninitiated. Follow it closely and you should be able to skate your way through any discussion about the future of ‘our union’, at least until September 18.
So, Ken Livingstone, do you like Boris personally? ‘No’
Gove can possibly comment
We must get used to an outward-facing Chief Whip. What would Francis Urquhart have thought?
If No triumphs it will be despite the mainstream parties rather than because of them
We need an English Parliament – a bit more power for some cities is not enough
Mr Clegg’s proposal to devolve a bit of power to some English cities is no answer to the pressing need for a fair settlement for England. Nor has it been popular in the past. In 51 referenda to create more powerful elected mayors, 35 have resulted in a rejection of the proposal. 2 elected mayoralties that were set up have subsequently been abolished following another referendum.
9-12-14
Alex Salmond’s persecution complex
Alex Salmond gave a very good speech earlier today about why Scots should vote for independence. It was full of the sort of emotion and rhetoric that the ‘No’ campaign is only now beginning to summon in the final few days of campaigning.
Food prices will rise in an independent Scotland, says supermarket giant Asda as Next and John Lewis warn of rising costs
Retailers say it costs more to trade in Scotland but they absorb cost. But they will not have to keep prices the same if it is outside the UK
The Nationalist ‘Pied Piper’ plan to march voters to the polling booths next week is deeply sinister
For very good reasons, Britain’s political parties do not campaign on election day. By that point everyone has had their say, the rallies and the shouting must stop. Between the opening and closing of the polling stations, voters can get on with casting their vote in peace, unimpeded by noisy displays of partisan politicking. The parties are limited to being able to offer lifts to supporters and outside the polling station they are allowed a minimal presence.
Ed Miliband and Gordon Brown haven’t saved the Union. But they may have killed the Labour Party
Do they realise what they’ve done now? Gordon Brown. Ed Miliband. All those Left-wing “defenders of the union”, who this week decided that to beat back Alex Salmond and his marauding army of secessionists, they would have to tear up the current constitutional settlement, and unilaterally announce the creation of a Federal Britain.
9-11-14
The Commons manages to draw back from a destructive act of so-called modernisation
The Speaker has survived his unwise attempt to appoint an unsuitable Clerk, because most parliamentarians recognise his other admirable qualities.
Scottish independence: Britain is facing its greatest constitutional crisis in 300 years
If Alex Samond wins, neither David Cameron nor Ed Miliband will survive – and that’s only the start
Andrew Gimson’s PMQs sketch: Hague demonstrates he is a leader of prime ministerial calibre
The Commons came together in defence of the Union, but John Redwood wanted to know who speaks for England.
Why I am voting No
Once upon a time, a long while ago, I lived in Dublin. It was a time when everything seemed possible and not just because I was younger then. The country was stirring too. When I arrived it was still the case that a visa to work in the United States was just about the most valuable possession any young Irishman or woman could own; within a fistful of years that was no longer the case. Ireland was changing. These were the years in which the Celtic Tiger was born. They were happy years of surprising possibility.
9-10-14
Cameron, Clegg and Miliband head to Scotland to make the case for the Union
David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband are combining forces and heading to Scotland tomorrow to make the case for the UK.
The No campaign has pressed the panic button and raised a new issue with great relevance to the capital
Devolution has given power to politicians, not people. Independence won’t change that.
So Gordon Brown has spoken, and the unionist parties are in agreement: if there’s a ‘no’ vote then more powers will be given – we’re told – ‘to Scotland’. And why? Because there’ll be another commission and another Scotland act and the Great Broon announces that the results will come out on Burns Night! Neeps and haggis all round! To me, this is only a little better than the Treasury telling Scots that they should vote ‘no’ because they’ll be able to afford more bags of chips.
Scotland 1) Cameron mustn’t let up on Devo Max if its people vote No
The Party’s plan must be pressed on Labour & the LibDems. If Scotland votes No and the Prime Minister backs off it, the SNP will be back for a second push.
9-9-14
Why isn’t growth translating into votes?
Is it really “the economy, stupid”, now that the growth figures have decoupled from the polls?
Alex Salmond: the Hugo Chavez of the North
Forget Scottish nationalism. This isn’t about historic national identity anymore (if it ever was): it’s about historic Labour ideology. The “Save Our NHS” placards were the real giveaway. As many commentators have noted, the “Yes” campaign’s threat that Westminister will privatise Scotland’s NHS is beyond absurd: it is an outrageous political lie. The Scottish Parliament already controls the country’s health service, as it does its education and legal systems.
Our understanding of this crime needs to extend past the physical and into the emotional
Stupid David Cameron and poisonous Labour have let the Union wither and maybe die. I told you so
I hate to say “I told you so”, because, well, it’s unseemly, isn’t it? I told you so. Only kids do that. Certainly not middle-aged thriller writers. I told you so. Besides, hurling such adolescent imprecations, like I told you so, when discussing the death of a great country, is surely inappropriate and. . .
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Across The Pond is edited daily by Steve Parkhurst. Steve is a political consultant, a writer at his blog as well as a Senior Editor here at US Daily Review. Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveParkhurst
