 |
The
bookies obviously reflect the mood of their punters, who do not as a rule enjoy
taking too many risks with their hard-earned cash.
But
sometimes bookies, and their punters, can be wrong, and last night they were.
Almost
everyone has at least a grudging admiration for the swashbuckling,
everconfident manner of Mr Salmond - which is why he was the bookies' favourite
- but with little more than a month before the referendum, most people were watching
from the comfort and safety of their own homes.
And
they will have been looking for reassurance and stability.
Now that we are
virtually on the last lap of this seemingly interminable campaign, the thought
of taking the kinds of risks that Alex Salmond and his Nationalist supporters
propose is distinctly unappealing.
Mr
Salmond, as lubricious as ever, did not fail his admirers.
But
most of last night's viewers, I suspect, would not wish to follow this man -
and his wonky financial nous - into the dense thicket of uncertainty he
proposes.
That
is why, in the absence of any immediate verdict by STV's 350-strong audience,
last night's winner - out there in the real world - was Alistair Darling.
He
was never going to set the studio in Glasgow's Royal Conservatoire alight with
his booming oratory, but his calm, incisive delivery, and his ability to
unravel the untold consequences of Mr Salmond's reckless venture, will surely
have told on the electorate.
Further
Reading:
|
Wednesday, 6 August 2014
COMMENT: Bookmakers were wrong to tip gambler Alex Salmond in independence TV debate, Scottish Daily Express
Scotland’s accountants demand answers from nationalists | Better Together
Scotland’s accountants demand answers from nationalists | Better Together
The report clearly shows Scotland’s fiscal position is better off as part of the UK. With public spending £1300 higher than the UK average, we get a good deal out of the UK. If we were to separate this extra spending would be lost. It is clear that in the UK we have the best of both worlds; the ability to make the decisions that matter most to Scots here, backed up by the strength, stability and security of the UK.
The report, which is highly critical of several areas in the SNP’s manifesto for separation, says:
• The lack of numbers in the SNP’s plans “leaves a gap”, especially regarding the impact of oil and gas revenues on Scotland’s spending capacity.
Scotland’s accountants have picked apart the nationalists’ plans for a tax system in a separate Scotland in a crushing new report. In “Scotland’s Tax Future” ICAS, the body representing Scotland’s accountants, criticises the SNP’s lack of detail saying the nationalists are “virtually silent” on the matter in their plans to break up the UK.
The report clearly shows Scotland’s fiscal position is better off as part of the UK. With public spending £1300 higher than the UK average, we get a good deal out of the UK. If we were to separate this extra spending would be lost. It is clear that in the UK we have the best of both worlds; the ability to make the decisions that matter most to Scots here, backed up by the strength, stability and security of the UK.
The report, which is highly critical of several areas in the SNP’s manifesto for separation, says:
• The lack of numbers in the SNP’s plans “leaves a gap”, especially regarding the impact of oil and gas revenues on Scotland’s spending capacity.
Words for The Wise, From Basics to a Better Way, Hebrews 6 NASB
Hebrews
6 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The
Peril of Falling Away
6
Therefore leaving the [a]elementary teaching about the [b]Christ, let us press
on to [c]maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works
and of faith toward God, 2 of instruction about washings and laying on of
hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. 3 And this we
will do, if God permits. 4 For in the case of those who have once been
enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers
of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of
the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them
again to repentance, [d]since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God
and put Him to open shame. 7 For ground that drinks the rain which often
[e]falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is
also tilled, receives a blessing from God; 8 but if it yields thorns and
thistles, it is worthless and close [f]to being cursed, and [g]it ends up being
burned.
Better
Things for You
9 But,
beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that
[h]accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. 10 For God is not
unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His
name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the [i]saints. 11 And we
desire that each one of you show the same diligence [j]so as to realize the
full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you will not be sluggish, but
imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
13 For
when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater,
He swore by Himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and I will surely
multiply you.” 15 And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. 16
For men swear by [k]one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as
confirmation is an end of every dispute. 17 [l]In the same way God, desiring
even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His
purpose, [m]interposed with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things in
which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have [n]taken refuge would have
strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. 19 [o]This hope we
have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which
enters [p]within the veil, 20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us,
having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
The
Bible Panorama
Hebrews
6
V 1–3:
PROGRESS The readers are urged to progress from the foundational truths of the
gospel in order to get to know God better. They are not told to abandon those
truths, but to go on from them, as a boat would leave the harbour. It still
needs that harbour!
V 4–6: PARTAKERS There are those who come to the very edge of faith in Christ and even partake of some of the Holy Spirit’s blessings (partake literally means ‘to go along with’) without ever having turned to Christ. Their hearts have become hardened by tasting God’s Word without taking it in, and by skirmishing around the border instead of entering into the blessing.
V 7–8: PARABLE The parable used here, of
thorns and brambles coming up from the ground, reminds us that our fruit will
show whether we are truly saved or not.
V 9–12:
PERSUADED The writer, however, tells his readers that he is confident that they
are saved and that there are things that accompany their salvation that he has
noticed. This includes labouring in love for other Christians. He urges them to
be diligent to walk with God day by day, through faith and patience, inheriting
God’s promises.
V 13–18:
PURPOSE Just as God confirmed His word and intentions through Abraham, He has
confirmed it through His promise and His oath, fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
V 19–20: PRESENCE The Christian’s sure hope is
anchored, as is his soul, in the presence of Jesus Christ in heaven. Like an
anchor securing a boat, Jesus is there to ensure that those who trust in Him
will be there with Him.
Dictionary
of Bible Themes
6745
sanctification, nature and basis of
The
process of renewal and consecration by which believers are made holy through
the work of the Holy Spirit. Sanctification is the consequence of justification
and is dependent upon a person being in a right relationship with God.
Sanctification
is grounded in the holiness of God
God is
holy Eze 39:7 See also Lev 22:32; Jos 24:19; Ps 30:4; Hos 11:9; Isa 6:3; Rev
6:10
God
demands that his people should reflect his holiness Lev 19:2 See also Lev
11:44-45; Lev 20:7-8; Heb 2:11; 1Pe 1:15-16
Sanctification
is the will of God for his people 1Th 4:3 See also Eph 1:4; Eph 2:10; 2Th 2:13;
1Pe 1:1-2
The
basis for sanctification
God’s
election of his people 1Co 1:2; Eph 1:4-11; 1Th 5:9
The
atoning death of Jesus Christ Heb 13:12 See also Ro 6:11; Ro 7:4; Ro 8:2; 1Co
1:30; 1Co 6:11; Eph 5:25-27; Heb 10:10-14; 1Pe 2:5
The
grace of God Lk 1:69-75; Php 2:13; 2Ti 1:9; Heb 12:10
The work of the Holy Spirit Ro 15:16; 2Th 2:13; 1Pe 1:2
The word
of God Jn 17:17; Eph 5:25-26; 2Ti 3:16
The need
for sanctification
The
universal sinfulness of humanity Isa 64:6 See also Job 15:14-15; Ps 51:5; Ro
5:12-19; Eph 2:3
Enslavement
to evil can only be broken through the death of Jesus Christ Jn 8:34-36 See
also Ro 6:16-18; Ro 8:5-7; Eph 4:17-24
The need
for renewal and growth 2Pe 3:18 See also Ro 12:1-2; Col 1:10; 1Th 4:3-6; Heb
6:1-3
The
nature of sanctification
A process
which has already been initiated 1Co 1:2; 1Co 6:11
A
process of growth in holiness Ro 12:1-3; 2Co 3:18; Eph 4:15; 1Th 4:3-7; Heb
12:14; 1Pe 2:1-3; 2Pe 3:18
Consecration
to God Ex 32:29; 1Ch 29:5; Pr 23:26; Ro 12:1
TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY Prepare for Challenges ‘A sensible man watches for problems ahead and prepares to meet them.’ UCB
TODAY'S
WORD FOR TODAY
Prepare
for Challenges
‘A
sensible man watches for problems ahead and prepares to meet them.’
Proverbs
27:12
The UCB
Word for Today - 5 Aug 2014
The path
to your God-given destiny will have different challenges, so you must expect
them. Indeed you must prepare yourself to face them. Solomon wrote, ‘A sensible
man watches for problems ahead and prepares to meet them.’ Wouldn’t you rather
look ahead and prepare, instead of looking back with regret? Why does the Bible
record the failures of great men like Abraham, Moses, Elijah and Peter? To give
you hope; to let you know that nobody performs flawlessly; to help you believe
if they can do it, by God’s grace you can too. The road to success has many
potholes. You’ll fall into some—and they’re messy. Not only will you have to
climb back out, you’ll have to dust yourself off, refocus, recommit, and keep
going. Since failure is inevitable, why not make it your friend by examining
each experience and growing stronger through it? Once you learn to do that, you
won’t keep repeating the same mistakes, and you’ll become more emotionally and
spiritually stable. Timelines change, resources dry up, assumptions prove
false, plans and people fail. As comedian Bill Cosby quipped, ‘Nothing fits in
a pigeonhole but a pigeon.’ As you walk the pathway to your God-given dream,
remember the old Italian proverb: ‘Between saying and doing, many a pair of
shoes is worn out’. No problem; you can get another pair of shoes! Just make
sure you don’t wear out and give up. Here’s God’s promise to you: ‘Keep
travelling steadily along His pathway and in due season He will honour you with
every blessing’ (Psalms 37:34 TLB).
Read it here:
Independence referendum debate: Alistair Darling wins round one in televised clash with Alex Salmond, Daily Record, Updated
ALISTAIR
DARLING won a shock victory
in the first referendum TV debate
last night as Alex Salmond came unstuck on
the pound. The Better Together leader, an underdog before the start, hammered
the First Minister relentlessly on the future of Scotland’s currency.
And when
it was all over, 56 per cent of viewers surveyed in a snap ICM exit poll named
Darling as the winner.The former Labour Chancellor had been widely expected to
fall victim to Salmond’s feared debating skills.
But he
put his SNP rival on the
rack with strong attacks over whether Scotland would keep the pound
after a Yes
vote.The bruising encounter early in the two-hour battle seemed to unsettle the
First Minister, who went into the debate behind in the polls and knowing he
needed a convincing victory.
Salmond
rallied later to score strong points over Con-Dem welfare cuts, Trident and the
Bedroom Tax.Darling also looked uncomfortable as the First Minister repeatedly
challenged him to admit Scotland could be a “successful independent country”.
But the future of the pound – seen by many as
the key issue in the race to September 18 – was Salmond’s downfall.
Read
more here:
Further Reading here:
Yes Scotland ridiculed after issuing a guide telling supporters what to say on social media during TV debate
“The
Scottish Government’s own figures show a separate Scotland’s finances would be
in a weaker position than the UK’s 2016/17 thanks to declining North Sea oil
revenues. But the guide told supporters in bold type that “we will be in a
stronger financial position in the first years of independence than we are
today.”
Alex
Salmond accused of a 'huge deception' over his plans for a currency union after
a Yes vote
"Alex
Salmond claims that nothing much will change, that threats otherwise are a
bluff and that Scotland would keep the pound sterling - but although Scotland
could keep using the pound, to promise 'no change' is a huge deception: the
consequences would be enormous."
Duel that ignored the hard questions: MAX HASTINGS delivers his forthright verdict on last night's Scottish independence debate . Daily Mail
This was billed as the Great Debate
between Scotland’s First Minister and the former chancellor and standard-bearer
for the No campaign, Alistair Darling.
In truth it turned into the Big Silence
night, with neither side confronting the real issues and harsh realities about
the future of an independent Scotland.
Alex Salmond called on Scots to seize
the ‘opportunity’ of independence with both hands. Alistair Darling urged them
to reject it, but did not dare to say frankly to his audience: an independent
Scotland will be Iceland without the fish, a dependency culture without visible
means of support, a basket case bobbing on the remotest beach of Europe.
He had to renounce such arguments,
because Salmond mocks the No campaign as ‘Project Fear’; because polls show
that Scottish pride is affronted if anybody reminds them how meagre is their
income tax base, how feeble is entrepreneurialism north of the border, how
drugged on state subsidy their nation has become.
Salmond, one of the most skilful
politicians in Britain, handled himself brilliantly. His pronouncements, from the Vladimir Putin school of statesmanship,
are delivered with wonderful fluency, heedless of their polarisation from
truth. He emphasised again and again the
Norwegian model for an independent Scotland, saying nothing of the fact that
Norway has vastly more oil and fewer people.
He flatly contradicted Alistair
Darling’s assertion that Scotland could not expect to share a common currency
with England, saying ‘everything will change in the negotiation if we get a yes
vote’. He repeated doggedly again and
again: ‘The pound belongs to Scotland as much as to England’, which means
nothing.
Tactically, Darling was usually talking
sense and Salmond nonsense, but the ex-Chancellor – perhaps the only man to
have emerged from service in the Blair-Brown governments with an enhanced
reputation – often seemed on the wrong foot.
Nowhere in the debate, whether from the
platform, the floor or the so-called expert commentators, were hard questions asked about how Scotland would support itself as an
independent country. Salmond asserted that the respected Institute for
Fiscal Studies and Office for Budget Responsibility are simply arms of the
Westminster government, which deceive Scots by noticing that the North Sea oil take is shrinking fast. He
also rejected the IFS calculation that there is a £6billion black hole in SNP
spending plans for an independent Scotland.
He spoke as if his country was Saudi Arabia, its only problem how to
spend vast natural wealth.
Further Reading:
Tuesday, 5 August 2014
'You are really scrabbling around now!' Alistair Darling takes the fight to Alex Salmond in first live TV debate on Scottish independence Daily Mail, Updated
First Minister and ex-Chancellor take part in
live two-debate on STV
Voters to decide Scotland's fate in historic
referendum on September 18
New IpsosMORI poll puts No campaign on 54%
but Yes campaign on 40%
Up to half a million people are still
undecided with just weeks to go
No campaign has received £2.6million, ahead
of £1.5million for Yes camp
Cameron,
Clegg and Miliband sign joint declaration promising tax powers
Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling have clashed over their competing visions for the future of Scotland in the first live TV debate of the referendum campaign.
But millions of people trying to watch
the historic head-to-head were dismayed after the STV website crashed under the
intense demand from viewers worldwide.
In the early skirmishes, Mr Salmond
repeatedly complained that independence was the only way to prevent a future
Tory government while Mr Darling insisted Scotland was stronger as part of the
UK.
As the political temperature rose, Mr
Darling repeatedly accused Mr Darling of 'scrabbling around', claiming the
First Minister has 'lots of good lines but no answers'.
Voters in Scotland will make their big
decision on independence in the historic referendum on September 18.
The No campaign has been consistently ahead in the opinion polls,
despite months of intense debate, impassioned pleas and trading of facts and
figures.
One of the biggest threats to the Yes campaign has been growing doubts
about the currency an independent Scotland would use
.
After ditching the idea of adopting the euro, the SNP has claimed it
would enter a currency union with the UK and continue to use the pound.
But the Tories, Labour and Lib Dems
have all made clear they would block a deal, whoever wins the next general
election.
Mr Salmond came under intense pressure about how he would continue to
use the pound, faltering repeatedly about whether he has a back-up plan.
Further Reading:
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