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For the latest news from Scotland see our ScotNews feed at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/
Electric Scotland News
Two big news stories this week were the referendum in Spain and the Las Vegas shooting in the USA.
On the first many people were hurt just trying to express their views on whether Catalonia should be independent from Spain. In the other many died and even more hurt with a senseless shooting which seems not to have been anything to do with terrorism.
Makes you wonder how the world got to the place it is in right now.
This issue I am using The Story to bring you information on the world and why I think Brexit needs to happen with a no deal agreement. I am providing figures on the top world economies and then I'm bringing you articles on Africa and the Commonwealth. I hope by reading this that you'll see why we're better of outside the EU.
I disagree with all the political leaders in Scotland and can't understand why they can't see where our real future lies.
Scottish News from this weeks newspapers
Note that this is a selection and more can be read in our ScotNews feed on our index page where we list news from the past 1-2 weeks. I am partly doing this to build an archive of modern news from and about Scotland as all the newsletters are archived and also indexed on Google and other search engines. I might also add that in newspapers such as the Guardian, Scotsman, Courier, etc. you will find many comments which can be just as interesting as the news story itself and of course you can also add your own comments if you wish.
Morrisons is launching a wonky veg box
Which feeds a family of four for a week for £3
Read more at:
https://inews.co.uk/essentials/news/...y-four-week-3/
Hundreds of places on teacher training courses unfilled
The BBC understands a quarter of places on postgraduate courses for people who want to be secondary teachers have not been taken up.
Read more at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-41438984
12 stats showing how Scotland's households are changing
The latest nationwide survey of Scotland's household trends has been published by the Scottish government.
Read more at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-41397873
Why single-sex schools are more successful
Some studies have shown that pupils from single-sex schools outperform their counterparts at mixed-gender schools.
Read more at:
http://voxeu.org/article/why-single-...ore-successful
Sunday Post investigation
The state of our GP service is the worst it’s been for a generation
Read more at:
https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/the-st...-a-generation/
A short story: Paddy and the Night Court
By Christopher Anderson
Read more at:
http://www.thinkscotland.org/thinkcu...ead_full=13305
How the early years shape a child's whole life
There is a growing recognition that what happens in a child's early years can affect their whole life for good or ill.
Read more at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-41442176
Global businesses increasingly see Britain as an integral trading partner
We’re the fifth largest economy in the world with record employment levels. Countries around the world are increasingly looking to Britain as a prosperous place for investment.
Read more at:
http://brexitcentral.com/global-busi...ading-partner/
Brakes on the spin cycle
Reform Scotland, the think tank, has warned that we've got problems with our numbers in Scotland.
Read more at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-...itics-41455408
The world’s 10 biggest economies in 2017
The economy of the United States is the largest in the world. At $18 trillion, it represents a quarter share of the global economy (24.3%), according to the latest World Bank figures.
Read more at:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/...omies-in-2017/
Drunk on self-importance, the EU is falling apart
Catalonia has brought to a head a fundamental question. When a nation is not sovereign, what right does it have to become so?
Read more at:
http://www.thinkscotland.org/thinkpo...ead_full=13311
State of the European Union
Reactions and Insights
Read more at:
http://brexitcentral.com/state-of-th...-and-insights/
Electric Canadian
Fighting Men
Of a Highland Catholic Jacobite Clan who fought for Canada to gain it for and preserve it to The Crown and for the Honour of the Name of Glengarry (1912) (pdf)
You can read this at: http://www.electriccanadian.com/forces/fightingmen.pdf
A York Pioneer Looking Back
Cranks met with in the Emerald Isle and Canada By E. M. Morphy (pdf)
You can read this at: http://www.electriccanadian.com/pion...okiingback.pdf
My Year in a Log Cabin
By W. D. Howells (1893)
You can read this at: http://www.electriccanadian.com/pion...nalogcabin.pdf
Julie Payette takes oath to become Canada's 29th Governor General
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/paye...ture-1.4313299
Conrad Black
I've always had a lot of time for Conrad Black and so as he writes from Canada on a number of issues of interest from around the world I'm intending to include links to his writings for you to view.
The War on Drugs has been lost. It's time to try something else
http://nationalpost.com/opinion/conr...something-else
Anthem Protests Obscure Any Legitimate Grievances
http://www.conradmblack.com/1337/ant...ate-grievances
There has been a lot of press coverage of Boris Johnson for some time and so I thought you might like to watch Conrad Black's interview with him when he was the Mayor of London. You can watch this at:
http://www.conradmblack.com/1230/int...-boris-johnson
Electric Scotland
Beth's Newfangled Family Tree
Got in Section A of the October 2017 issue which you can read at: http://www.electricscotland.com/bnft/index.htm
Memorials of the Life of James Syme
By R. Paterson, M.D., with portraits (Edinburgh, 1874) (pdf). Added a link to this book at the foot of the page at:http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...edicinendx.htm
John Murray III 1808-1892
A Brief Memoir by John Murray IV (1919) (pdf)
You can read this at: http://www.electricscotland.com/books/johnmurrayiii.pdf
The War in the Air
Being the Story of The part played in the Great War by the Royal Air Force by Walter Raleigh in six volumes.
The History of which this is the first volume is, in the main, the history of the part played in the war by British air forces. It is based chiefly on the records of the Air Ministry collected and preserved at the Historical Section. The staff of the Section have spared no trouble to collect an immense amount of material and arrange it for use, to consult living witnesses, to verify facts down to the minutest details, and to correct any errors that may have crept into the narrative. Their main purpose has been to secure that any statement of fact made in this book shall be true and demonstrable. If in any particular instances they have failed in this purpose, it has not been for lack of pains and care.
Official records do not in themselves make history. They are colourless and bare. In the business of interpreting and supplementing them we have been much helped by the kindness of many military and naval officers and of many civilian experts. Their help, most of which is acknowledged in the text, has supplied us with the liveliest things in this book. We could wish that we had more of it. Naval and military officers do not advertise, and are reluctant to speak publicly of the part that they played in the war. They are silent on all that may seem to tell to their own credit or to the discredit of others, and this silence easily develops into a fixed habit of reticence. We are the more grateful to those who have helped us to a true account by telling of what they saw. The best part of the book is yet to come; if the theme is to be worthily treated, it must be by the help of those who remember and of those who know.
The writer of this history has endeavoured to make his narrative intelligible to those who, like himself, are outsiders, and, with that end in view, he has avoided, as far as possible* the masonic dialect of the services. For the few and cautious opinions that he has expressed he alone is responsible. In controverted questions, though he has not always been careful to conceal his own opinion, he has always tried so to state the grounds for other opinions that those who hold these other opinions may think his statement not unfair. If his own opinion is wrong, the corrective will usually be found near at hand. The position of an outsider has grave disabilities; if a measure of compensation for these disabilities is anywhere to be found, it must be sought in freedom from the heat of partisan zeal and from the narrowness of corporate loyalty.
Some of the men who early took thought for their country’s need, and quietly laboured to prepare her against the day of trial, are here celebrated, and their names, we hope, rescued from neglect. The men who flew over the fire of enemy guns were so many that comparatively few of their names, and these chosen almost by accident, can here be mentioned. There were thousands of others just as good. The heroes of this story, let it be said once ancf for all, are only samples.
Some apology perhaps is necessary for the variety which has been found inevitable in naming particular men. A man’s Christian name and surname are his own, but change and promotion were rapid during the war, so that the prefixes to these names varied from year to year. Where we are describing a particular deed, we give the actors the rank that they held at the time. Where we speak more generally, we give them the rank that they held when this history was written.
You can read these volumes at: http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...arintheair.htm
Tales and Sketches of the Ettrick Shepherd
Including several pieces not before printed with Illustrative engravings from real scenes by D.O. Hill in six volumes
You can read these volumes at: http://www.electricscotland.com/history/nation/hogg.htm
Recess Studies
Edited by Sir Alexander Grant, Bart. LL.D. (1870)
You can read this at: http://www.electricscotland.com/book...essstudies.htm
The Geology and Scenery of Sutherland
By Henry M. Cadell of Grange (1896)
You can read this at: http://www.electricscotland.com/coun...erlandgeog.pdf
Tales, Legends, and Historical Reminiscences of the Scottish Covenanters
By Ellen Emma Guthrie, Second Edition (1862) (pdf)
You can read this at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/Hist...covenantar.pdf
The Story
This week I have decided to try and convince you that we'd be better leaving the EU and have brought you some facts on what that could mean for Scotland and Britain. First I'm going to tell you about the world's biggest economies, then I am going to discuss Africa and the Commonwealth. I hope by reading this you will see why I say we should just leave the EU with no deal.
The world’s 10 biggest economies in 2017...
The economy of the United States is the largest in the world. At $18 trillion, it represents a quarter share of the global economy (24.3%), according to the latest World Bank figures.
China follows, with $11 trillion, or 14.8% of the world economy.
Japan is in third place with an economy of $4.4 trillion, which represents almost 6% of the world economy.
European countries take the next three places on the list: Germany in fourth position, with a $3.3 trillion economy; the United Kingdom in fifth with $2.9 trillion; and France in sixth with $2.4 trillion.
India is in seventh place with $2 trillion, and Italy in eighth with an economy of over $1.8 trillion.
Ninth place goes to Brazil, with an almost $1.8 trillion economy.
And in 10th is Canada, with an economy of over $1.5 trillion.
The economy of the United States is larger than the combined economies of numbers three to 10 on the list.
The Asian bloc clearly has a larger share than anywhere else, representing just over a third (33.84%) of global GDP. That’s compared to North America, which represents just over a quarter, at 27.95%.
Europe comes third with just over one-fifth of global GDP (21.37%).
Together, these three blocs generate more than four-fifths (83.16%) of the world’s total output.
A new study by PricewaterhouseCooper says that China will be in first place by 2050, because emerging economies will continue to grow faster than advanced ones.
India will rank second, the US will be third, and fourth place is expected to go to Indonesia.
The UK could be down to 10th place by 2050, while France could be out of the top 10 and Italy out of the top 20 as they are overtaken by faster-growing emerging economies such as Mexico, Turkey and Vietnam.
The report also says that the world economy could more than double in size by 2050, far outstripping population growth, due to technology-driven productivity.
Africa's role in the global manufacturing hub of the future
In the mid-2000s, after decades in the slow lane, African economies hit the accelerator. But what lies ahead for the continent is not an open highway. If Africa is to achieve its potential as the next emerging-market engine of global economic growth, it will have to industrialize.
Economists agree that, since the first Industrial Revolution, the rise of labor-intensive light manufacturing (textiles, garments, shoes, and associated tools and machinery) has played a major role in pushing up national incomes. But Africa has not managed to take part fully in industrialization, a failure that has caused it to lag behind the rest of the developing world since the 1970s. In 2015, all of Sub-Saharan Africa exported only as much apparel as tiny El Salvador.
Africa desperately needs an industrial revolution if it is to create jobs for its fast-growing youth population and reduce migration pressure. Some of the building blocks are well known: effective and reliable governance institutions, modern infrastructure, and education. What is less clear is who should play what role in supplying them.
Start with government. For the last few decades, the prevailing view guiding economic policy was that market forces should be left to operate undisturbed. Any state intervention, it was assumed, would be either ineffective or dangerous.
That view has lately been changing. “Industrial policy 2.0” assumes that the state does have a legitimate role in spurring industrialization, as long as it focuses on reinforcing comparative advantages. This approach is increasingly becoming a core component of national economic strategies.
And the scope of industrial policy extends even further. In a world of sprawling value chains, services and logistics are as important as milling steel and assembling circuit boards. Industrial policy must cover not only manufacturing, but also the economic activities that support it. Even the agricultural sector is now under pressure to increase its added value (a trend dubbed the “industrialization of freshness”).
This implies a vital role for external actors. In an interconnected global economy, effective development demands effective partnerships – a reality that China, whose economic miracle had a lot to do with global value chains, understands better than most countries. Small wonder, then, that China has been the first G20 country to recognize the importance of supporting African industrialization.
China has been involved in Africa in both an official capacity and as a major source of private investment. China’s government knows that Africa can help it to address the challenges it faces – from population aging at home to a rise in protectionist sentiment abroad – which will, among other things, put pressure on labor-intensive activities. And Chinese multinationals see a lot of potential in large developing markets like those in Africa.
Already, China is preparing to relocate 85 million light manufacturing jobs from higher-income East Asian economies, including its own, to Africa. This represents an important opportunity for Africa to create more and better employment opportunities for its citizens, thereby reducing poverty and supporting dynamic growth.
The process has already started, and early results are encouraging. In Ethiopia, in particular, Chinese investment is helping to realize the ambitious development goals laid out in the country’s Growth and Transformation Plan, and has contributed to Ethiopia’s emergence as one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies over the last decade.
But no single country – not even one as powerful as China – can offer enough support to ensure the success of an African industrial revolution. But there is at least one more country in a strong position to step up: Italy.
As Europe’s second-largest manufacturing powerhouse, Italy is home to numerous companies that lead global value chains, particularly in light manufacturing and agrifood. These firms have the power to boost international consumer confidence in products made in Africa and, eventually, in African brands.
Italy is a rarity in boasting hundreds of small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) that are global leaders in their respective market niches. Many of these “pocket multinationals” have invested in China. And Chinese companies are increasingly investing in Italian SMEs to accumulate skills, acquire brands, and access new markets.
These linkages provide an ideal foundation for joint penetration of African markets and joint exploration of the continent’s potential as a global manufacturing hub. Together, Chinese and Italian firms can overcome the challenges posed by an unstable political environment and limited financial and human resources.
Such an approach would complement government-level cooperation aimed at removing economy-wide constraints to sustainable economic growth. And, in fact, their experience cooperating around the world means that China and Italy have strong government ties, underpinned by mutual trust and respect. In Lebanon, for example, 418 Chinese troops operated under Italian leadership as recently as last July, as part of the United Nations Interim Force.
It seems only fitting that China and Italy should work together to seize the opportunity presented by African industrialization, integrate the continent’s workers into global value chains, and ensure the fair distribution of the resulting gains. As Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella prepare for a bilateral summit later this month, they would do well to add Africa’s industrialization to their agenda.
The Commonwealth
The Commonwealth offers a clear route to building a global Britain .The Commonwealth of Nations, usually known simply as The Commonwealth, is a global association of 54 member states, all but two of which were parts of the former British Empire. The expression “Commonwealth of Nations” was first coined by a Scot, the fifth Earl of Rosebery (later Prime Minister), in 1884 during a visit to Australia, when he recognised that change was inevitable in the face of the movement towards independence by the nations of the Empire.
Previously, I wrote about the need for the United Kingdom to focus on the Anglosphere family when crafting its post-Brexit future. And indeed, Australia and the United States not only have expressed interest in quick free trade deals, but also in making it easier for our people to work in each others’ countries. I am confident that the CANZUK nations and the US will quickly form trading deals with the UK in time to go into effect when the UK leave the EU. I am also confident that the UK and Anglosphere nations will sign agreements to make it easier for their citizens to work in each others’ countries.
However, what of the future? What should be the UK’s ambition in order to be a truly global nation? For that vision of what Global Britain can look like, one need not look farther than the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth of Nations is the natural home of the United Kingdom if it is to remain an international and vibrant nation. It has a bigger economy than the EU and unlike the European Union, its economies are growing exponentially. Of the 12 largest economies in the world, excluding Great Britain, three are from the Commonwealth- Canada, India and Australia. And unlike the EU which has some figures in it that wish to “punish” the UK, Commonwealth friends such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, India and Gambia have all called for new trade deals and close ties with Britain. The UK has literally a queue of friends waiting to have a relationship with it.
Furthermore, besides Canada, Australia, and India, the Commonwealth is home to one of the world’s biggest financial centres in Singapore, the biggest emerging Islamic financial hub in Kuala Lumpur, and the two biggest economies in Africa – Nigeria and South Africa. It also is home to New Zealand and many of the fastest growing economies in the world. The British people, in their wisdom, decided it was best not to be chained to an organisation in one continent that is bent on rule by plutocrats in part because they are already part of an organisation that spans the globe and shares in much of Great Britain’s values, history, and culture that Europe does not – such as Common Law and cricket. With Commonwealth nations rising, this is the perfect opportunity to make deals to benefit the UK – and in a unique model built for the twenty first century rather than the EU’s archaic single market. But, if not an EU model, how should a Commonwealth Common Market look and function?
I humbly propose that by the time of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2018, which will be held in London, plans be drawn up for “C4” and “C9” agreements to prepare Britain for a post-EU global future. “C9” would be a free trade pact between the nine big powers of the Commonwealth – the UK, Canada, India, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Nigeria and South Africa. This would be as big or bigger than the 9 member EEC of the 1970s Britain joined but with a bigger future upside. Secondly, the UK should push for free movement of people where it makes sense – not from Eastern Europe in the EU, but with natural allies who would fit in well in the UK. Like Boris Johnson, I see strong advantages from freedom of movement with allies such as Australia, and thus I propose making freedom of movement in a “C4” of the UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand – the CANZUK nations. The C4 and the C9 would be a big step towards establishing the UK as a world leader, not a nation begging self-important Eurocrats not to impose more rules. The C4 and C9 agreements would go into effect the moment the UK leaves the EU.
The world is a big and wonderful place filled with diverse people that can learn from one another. In their Commonwealth friends, the UK has a ticket to the world that most nations don’t have. Britain must strengthen their Commonwealth bonds as soon as possible to create a truly dynamic and lasting Global Britain.
In the Pacific we have Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
In the Caribbean and Americas we have Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and The Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.
In Africa we have Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia
And in Europe we have Malta and Cyprus.
In all 2.4 billion citizens.
Business in the Commonwealth
As a body of countries, the Commonwealth plays a major part in the world economy on multiple levels. Its members possess shared values — a desire to be competitive on the world stage, an embracing of their inherent diversity and contrasts, alongside a shared heritage and resulting interconnection.
In a business context, the Commonwealth’s diversity makes it extremely competitive. The Commonwealth is made up of a diverse mix of 11 high, 14 upper middle, 18 lower middle and ten lower income countries*. The Commonwealth is a major player in many industries throughout the world; examples include mining where Commonwealth nations rank in the top tier of producers of gold, diamonds, platinum and other metals; information technology services and publishing, where dominance is owed in part to the widespread nature of the English language in Commonwealth member countries; and tourism, due to the vast geographical and cultural range of member countries. Tourism is a major contributor to GDP; seven Commonwealth countries and territories are in the top 10 countries in the world in terms of the sector’s contribution to GDP, many of which are small island states. In financial services including banking and insurance, Commonwealth countries and territories are the biggest offshore financial centres in the world. Another significant industry is that of accountancy, where all the largest firms originate and work within the Commonwealth, and where the most prestigious and ubiquitous international qualifications were created.
Commonwealth actively encourages a large degree of intra-trading. This was highlighted in a study by the Royal Commonwealth Society, with an average for each member of around one-third. Trade is essential for developing countries to extinguish poverty; and with trade between pairs of Commonwealth countries being up to 50 per cent more valuable than with other countries, the Commonwealth acts as a support network for its developing members.
This ability to be competitive is also supported by the members’ common heritage. For example the embedded nature of the English language and legal system amongst the member nations allows the Commonwealth to be well equipped for international business. The widespread literacy of English allows the Commonwealth to be at the core of globalisation, and makes the business world accessibility to the whole social spectrum— a characteristic which might be lacking in other linguistic environments. This success is highlighted in how five Commonwealth countries rank in the top 10 of the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index.
For information on the Commonwealth countries and the sectors they operate in visithttp://www.commonwealthofnations.org/sectors/business/
At the above link you will find information on each country and when you visit the country page you can also find information on individual sectors within that country so a really excellent resource.
Brexit means Brexit
Given the above statistics and due to my spending a lot of time reading about Brexit matters since the referendum I am now convinced that we need to leave the EU with no deal. After all if the USA, China and Japan (the world's 3 largest economies) can trade with the EU on WTO terms then why can't Britain?
The largest economy in the world right now is the USA and Donald Trump says he wants a great free trade deal with the UK. Given the size of the USA trade that means a good deal with them could bring us better trade that we currently do with all the EU.
By saying no deal to the EU we would give certainty to business that can then get on with doing their own due diligence to get the best deals that they can with the world including the EU.
Right now EU countries sell far more to Britain than we do to them so why would any of them not want to trade with us after we leave the EU? In short they of course would want to keep selling their goods and services to us which would also mean they've have to continue buying goods and services from us.
I have a lot of time for Sir James Dyson and he is very confident that Britain will do great outside the EU and isn't bothered by dealing on WTO terms with the EU so why can't others?
So after listening and reading all the views on different sides of the fence I have to say I am with Boris Johnson and we should leave with a no deal. Boris is perhaps not the best person in the world but his heart is in the right place I think. We need to be ambitious for Britain in the world and in my view it's time we all started to talk us up in world terms as a can do country.
I have also said that we should do well with our old friends in the Commonwealth and with India forecast to be the 2nd largest economy by 2050 then the Commonwealth should be a great target for our exporters. And you've read the potential for business in Africa where several nations are in the Commonwealth.
Scotland needs to start thinking about how to deal with non EU countries around the world. The EU is in decline and this is clearly going to continue so why tie ourselves to a declining area of the world when there is so much out there outside the EU?
Scotland needs to be ambitious and decide we're getting out of the EU so let's get on with how to take advantage instead of wringing our hands over the issue. And that means all of Scotland. All our political leaders have led us astray in wanting to retain our links with the EU and they all need to be held to account for this. They were and are wrong about wanting to retain membership and even now wanting to retain single market membership where we would have no say in rule making and cause issues with us doing free trade deals with non EU countries.
So I say let us just leave and get on with building our country with great trade deals around the world. I hope having read the above information that you'll agree with me that we need to get out and move on in the world.
I did a video about my views at:
And that's it for this week and I hope you all have a great weekend.
Alastair
http://www.electricscotland.com/
Electric Scotland News
Two big news stories this week were the referendum in Spain and the Las Vegas shooting in the USA.
On the first many people were hurt just trying to express their views on whether Catalonia should be independent from Spain. In the other many died and even more hurt with a senseless shooting which seems not to have been anything to do with terrorism.
Makes you wonder how the world got to the place it is in right now.
This issue I am using The Story to bring you information on the world and why I think Brexit needs to happen with a no deal agreement. I am providing figures on the top world economies and then I'm bringing you articles on Africa and the Commonwealth. I hope by reading this that you'll see why we're better of outside the EU.
I disagree with all the political leaders in Scotland and can't understand why they can't see where our real future lies.
Scottish News from this weeks newspapers
Note that this is a selection and more can be read in our ScotNews feed on our index page where we list news from the past 1-2 weeks. I am partly doing this to build an archive of modern news from and about Scotland as all the newsletters are archived and also indexed on Google and other search engines. I might also add that in newspapers such as the Guardian, Scotsman, Courier, etc. you will find many comments which can be just as interesting as the news story itself and of course you can also add your own comments if you wish.
Morrisons is launching a wonky veg box
Which feeds a family of four for a week for £3
Read more at:
https://inews.co.uk/essentials/news/...y-four-week-3/
Hundreds of places on teacher training courses unfilled
The BBC understands a quarter of places on postgraduate courses for people who want to be secondary teachers have not been taken up.
Read more at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-41438984
12 stats showing how Scotland's households are changing
The latest nationwide survey of Scotland's household trends has been published by the Scottish government.
Read more at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-41397873
Why single-sex schools are more successful
Some studies have shown that pupils from single-sex schools outperform their counterparts at mixed-gender schools.
Read more at:
http://voxeu.org/article/why-single-...ore-successful
Sunday Post investigation
The state of our GP service is the worst it’s been for a generation
Read more at:
https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/the-st...-a-generation/
A short story: Paddy and the Night Court
By Christopher Anderson
Read more at:
http://www.thinkscotland.org/thinkcu...ead_full=13305
How the early years shape a child's whole life
There is a growing recognition that what happens in a child's early years can affect their whole life for good or ill.
Read more at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-41442176
Global businesses increasingly see Britain as an integral trading partner
We’re the fifth largest economy in the world with record employment levels. Countries around the world are increasingly looking to Britain as a prosperous place for investment.
Read more at:
http://brexitcentral.com/global-busi...ading-partner/
Brakes on the spin cycle
Reform Scotland, the think tank, has warned that we've got problems with our numbers in Scotland.
Read more at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-...itics-41455408
The world’s 10 biggest economies in 2017
The economy of the United States is the largest in the world. At $18 trillion, it represents a quarter share of the global economy (24.3%), according to the latest World Bank figures.
Read more at:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/...omies-in-2017/
Drunk on self-importance, the EU is falling apart
Catalonia has brought to a head a fundamental question. When a nation is not sovereign, what right does it have to become so?
Read more at:
http://www.thinkscotland.org/thinkpo...ead_full=13311
State of the European Union
Reactions and Insights
Read more at:
http://brexitcentral.com/state-of-th...-and-insights/
Electric Canadian
Fighting Men
Of a Highland Catholic Jacobite Clan who fought for Canada to gain it for and preserve it to The Crown and for the Honour of the Name of Glengarry (1912) (pdf)
You can read this at: http://www.electriccanadian.com/forces/fightingmen.pdf
A York Pioneer Looking Back
Cranks met with in the Emerald Isle and Canada By E. M. Morphy (pdf)
You can read this at: http://www.electriccanadian.com/pion...okiingback.pdf
My Year in a Log Cabin
By W. D. Howells (1893)
You can read this at: http://www.electriccanadian.com/pion...nalogcabin.pdf
Julie Payette takes oath to become Canada's 29th Governor General
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/paye...ture-1.4313299
Conrad Black
I've always had a lot of time for Conrad Black and so as he writes from Canada on a number of issues of interest from around the world I'm intending to include links to his writings for you to view.
The War on Drugs has been lost. It's time to try something else
http://nationalpost.com/opinion/conr...something-else
Anthem Protests Obscure Any Legitimate Grievances
http://www.conradmblack.com/1337/ant...ate-grievances
There has been a lot of press coverage of Boris Johnson for some time and so I thought you might like to watch Conrad Black's interview with him when he was the Mayor of London. You can watch this at:
http://www.conradmblack.com/1230/int...-boris-johnson
Electric Scotland
Beth's Newfangled Family Tree
Got in Section A of the October 2017 issue which you can read at: http://www.electricscotland.com/bnft/index.htm
Memorials of the Life of James Syme
By R. Paterson, M.D., with portraits (Edinburgh, 1874) (pdf). Added a link to this book at the foot of the page at:http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...edicinendx.htm
John Murray III 1808-1892
A Brief Memoir by John Murray IV (1919) (pdf)
You can read this at: http://www.electricscotland.com/books/johnmurrayiii.pdf
The War in the Air
Being the Story of The part played in the Great War by the Royal Air Force by Walter Raleigh in six volumes.
The History of which this is the first volume is, in the main, the history of the part played in the war by British air forces. It is based chiefly on the records of the Air Ministry collected and preserved at the Historical Section. The staff of the Section have spared no trouble to collect an immense amount of material and arrange it for use, to consult living witnesses, to verify facts down to the minutest details, and to correct any errors that may have crept into the narrative. Their main purpose has been to secure that any statement of fact made in this book shall be true and demonstrable. If in any particular instances they have failed in this purpose, it has not been for lack of pains and care.
Official records do not in themselves make history. They are colourless and bare. In the business of interpreting and supplementing them we have been much helped by the kindness of many military and naval officers and of many civilian experts. Their help, most of which is acknowledged in the text, has supplied us with the liveliest things in this book. We could wish that we had more of it. Naval and military officers do not advertise, and are reluctant to speak publicly of the part that they played in the war. They are silent on all that may seem to tell to their own credit or to the discredit of others, and this silence easily develops into a fixed habit of reticence. We are the more grateful to those who have helped us to a true account by telling of what they saw. The best part of the book is yet to come; if the theme is to be worthily treated, it must be by the help of those who remember and of those who know.
The writer of this history has endeavoured to make his narrative intelligible to those who, like himself, are outsiders, and, with that end in view, he has avoided, as far as possible* the masonic dialect of the services. For the few and cautious opinions that he has expressed he alone is responsible. In controverted questions, though he has not always been careful to conceal his own opinion, he has always tried so to state the grounds for other opinions that those who hold these other opinions may think his statement not unfair. If his own opinion is wrong, the corrective will usually be found near at hand. The position of an outsider has grave disabilities; if a measure of compensation for these disabilities is anywhere to be found, it must be sought in freedom from the heat of partisan zeal and from the narrowness of corporate loyalty.
Some of the men who early took thought for their country’s need, and quietly laboured to prepare her against the day of trial, are here celebrated, and their names, we hope, rescued from neglect. The men who flew over the fire of enemy guns were so many that comparatively few of their names, and these chosen almost by accident, can here be mentioned. There were thousands of others just as good. The heroes of this story, let it be said once ancf for all, are only samples.
Some apology perhaps is necessary for the variety which has been found inevitable in naming particular men. A man’s Christian name and surname are his own, but change and promotion were rapid during the war, so that the prefixes to these names varied from year to year. Where we are describing a particular deed, we give the actors the rank that they held at the time. Where we speak more generally, we give them the rank that they held when this history was written.
You can read these volumes at: http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...arintheair.htm
Tales and Sketches of the Ettrick Shepherd
Including several pieces not before printed with Illustrative engravings from real scenes by D.O. Hill in six volumes
You can read these volumes at: http://www.electricscotland.com/history/nation/hogg.htm
Recess Studies
Edited by Sir Alexander Grant, Bart. LL.D. (1870)
You can read this at: http://www.electricscotland.com/book...essstudies.htm
The Geology and Scenery of Sutherland
By Henry M. Cadell of Grange (1896)
You can read this at: http://www.electricscotland.com/coun...erlandgeog.pdf
Tales, Legends, and Historical Reminiscences of the Scottish Covenanters
By Ellen Emma Guthrie, Second Edition (1862) (pdf)
You can read this at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/Hist...covenantar.pdf
The Story
This week I have decided to try and convince you that we'd be better leaving the EU and have brought you some facts on what that could mean for Scotland and Britain. First I'm going to tell you about the world's biggest economies, then I am going to discuss Africa and the Commonwealth. I hope by reading this you will see why I say we should just leave the EU with no deal.
The world’s 10 biggest economies in 2017...
The economy of the United States is the largest in the world. At $18 trillion, it represents a quarter share of the global economy (24.3%), according to the latest World Bank figures.
China follows, with $11 trillion, or 14.8% of the world economy.
Japan is in third place with an economy of $4.4 trillion, which represents almost 6% of the world economy.
European countries take the next three places on the list: Germany in fourth position, with a $3.3 trillion economy; the United Kingdom in fifth with $2.9 trillion; and France in sixth with $2.4 trillion.
India is in seventh place with $2 trillion, and Italy in eighth with an economy of over $1.8 trillion.
Ninth place goes to Brazil, with an almost $1.8 trillion economy.
And in 10th is Canada, with an economy of over $1.5 trillion.
The economy of the United States is larger than the combined economies of numbers three to 10 on the list.
The Asian bloc clearly has a larger share than anywhere else, representing just over a third (33.84%) of global GDP. That’s compared to North America, which represents just over a quarter, at 27.95%.
Europe comes third with just over one-fifth of global GDP (21.37%).
Together, these three blocs generate more than four-fifths (83.16%) of the world’s total output.
A new study by PricewaterhouseCooper says that China will be in first place by 2050, because emerging economies will continue to grow faster than advanced ones.
India will rank second, the US will be third, and fourth place is expected to go to Indonesia.
The UK could be down to 10th place by 2050, while France could be out of the top 10 and Italy out of the top 20 as they are overtaken by faster-growing emerging economies such as Mexico, Turkey and Vietnam.
The report also says that the world economy could more than double in size by 2050, far outstripping population growth, due to technology-driven productivity.
Africa's role in the global manufacturing hub of the future
In the mid-2000s, after decades in the slow lane, African economies hit the accelerator. But what lies ahead for the continent is not an open highway. If Africa is to achieve its potential as the next emerging-market engine of global economic growth, it will have to industrialize.
Economists agree that, since the first Industrial Revolution, the rise of labor-intensive light manufacturing (textiles, garments, shoes, and associated tools and machinery) has played a major role in pushing up national incomes. But Africa has not managed to take part fully in industrialization, a failure that has caused it to lag behind the rest of the developing world since the 1970s. In 2015, all of Sub-Saharan Africa exported only as much apparel as tiny El Salvador.
Africa desperately needs an industrial revolution if it is to create jobs for its fast-growing youth population and reduce migration pressure. Some of the building blocks are well known: effective and reliable governance institutions, modern infrastructure, and education. What is less clear is who should play what role in supplying them.
Start with government. For the last few decades, the prevailing view guiding economic policy was that market forces should be left to operate undisturbed. Any state intervention, it was assumed, would be either ineffective or dangerous.
That view has lately been changing. “Industrial policy 2.0” assumes that the state does have a legitimate role in spurring industrialization, as long as it focuses on reinforcing comparative advantages. This approach is increasingly becoming a core component of national economic strategies.
And the scope of industrial policy extends even further. In a world of sprawling value chains, services and logistics are as important as milling steel and assembling circuit boards. Industrial policy must cover not only manufacturing, but also the economic activities that support it. Even the agricultural sector is now under pressure to increase its added value (a trend dubbed the “industrialization of freshness”).
This implies a vital role for external actors. In an interconnected global economy, effective development demands effective partnerships – a reality that China, whose economic miracle had a lot to do with global value chains, understands better than most countries. Small wonder, then, that China has been the first G20 country to recognize the importance of supporting African industrialization.
China has been involved in Africa in both an official capacity and as a major source of private investment. China’s government knows that Africa can help it to address the challenges it faces – from population aging at home to a rise in protectionist sentiment abroad – which will, among other things, put pressure on labor-intensive activities. And Chinese multinationals see a lot of potential in large developing markets like those in Africa.
Already, China is preparing to relocate 85 million light manufacturing jobs from higher-income East Asian economies, including its own, to Africa. This represents an important opportunity for Africa to create more and better employment opportunities for its citizens, thereby reducing poverty and supporting dynamic growth.
The process has already started, and early results are encouraging. In Ethiopia, in particular, Chinese investment is helping to realize the ambitious development goals laid out in the country’s Growth and Transformation Plan, and has contributed to Ethiopia’s emergence as one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies over the last decade.
But no single country – not even one as powerful as China – can offer enough support to ensure the success of an African industrial revolution. But there is at least one more country in a strong position to step up: Italy.
As Europe’s second-largest manufacturing powerhouse, Italy is home to numerous companies that lead global value chains, particularly in light manufacturing and agrifood. These firms have the power to boost international consumer confidence in products made in Africa and, eventually, in African brands.
Italy is a rarity in boasting hundreds of small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) that are global leaders in their respective market niches. Many of these “pocket multinationals” have invested in China. And Chinese companies are increasingly investing in Italian SMEs to accumulate skills, acquire brands, and access new markets.
These linkages provide an ideal foundation for joint penetration of African markets and joint exploration of the continent’s potential as a global manufacturing hub. Together, Chinese and Italian firms can overcome the challenges posed by an unstable political environment and limited financial and human resources.
Such an approach would complement government-level cooperation aimed at removing economy-wide constraints to sustainable economic growth. And, in fact, their experience cooperating around the world means that China and Italy have strong government ties, underpinned by mutual trust and respect. In Lebanon, for example, 418 Chinese troops operated under Italian leadership as recently as last July, as part of the United Nations Interim Force.
It seems only fitting that China and Italy should work together to seize the opportunity presented by African industrialization, integrate the continent’s workers into global value chains, and ensure the fair distribution of the resulting gains. As Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella prepare for a bilateral summit later this month, they would do well to add Africa’s industrialization to their agenda.
The Commonwealth
The Commonwealth offers a clear route to building a global Britain .The Commonwealth of Nations, usually known simply as The Commonwealth, is a global association of 54 member states, all but two of which were parts of the former British Empire. The expression “Commonwealth of Nations” was first coined by a Scot, the fifth Earl of Rosebery (later Prime Minister), in 1884 during a visit to Australia, when he recognised that change was inevitable in the face of the movement towards independence by the nations of the Empire.
Previously, I wrote about the need for the United Kingdom to focus on the Anglosphere family when crafting its post-Brexit future. And indeed, Australia and the United States not only have expressed interest in quick free trade deals, but also in making it easier for our people to work in each others’ countries. I am confident that the CANZUK nations and the US will quickly form trading deals with the UK in time to go into effect when the UK leave the EU. I am also confident that the UK and Anglosphere nations will sign agreements to make it easier for their citizens to work in each others’ countries.
However, what of the future? What should be the UK’s ambition in order to be a truly global nation? For that vision of what Global Britain can look like, one need not look farther than the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth of Nations is the natural home of the United Kingdom if it is to remain an international and vibrant nation. It has a bigger economy than the EU and unlike the European Union, its economies are growing exponentially. Of the 12 largest economies in the world, excluding Great Britain, three are from the Commonwealth- Canada, India and Australia. And unlike the EU which has some figures in it that wish to “punish” the UK, Commonwealth friends such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, India and Gambia have all called for new trade deals and close ties with Britain. The UK has literally a queue of friends waiting to have a relationship with it.
Furthermore, besides Canada, Australia, and India, the Commonwealth is home to one of the world’s biggest financial centres in Singapore, the biggest emerging Islamic financial hub in Kuala Lumpur, and the two biggest economies in Africa – Nigeria and South Africa. It also is home to New Zealand and many of the fastest growing economies in the world. The British people, in their wisdom, decided it was best not to be chained to an organisation in one continent that is bent on rule by plutocrats in part because they are already part of an organisation that spans the globe and shares in much of Great Britain’s values, history, and culture that Europe does not – such as Common Law and cricket. With Commonwealth nations rising, this is the perfect opportunity to make deals to benefit the UK – and in a unique model built for the twenty first century rather than the EU’s archaic single market. But, if not an EU model, how should a Commonwealth Common Market look and function?
I humbly propose that by the time of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2018, which will be held in London, plans be drawn up for “C4” and “C9” agreements to prepare Britain for a post-EU global future. “C9” would be a free trade pact between the nine big powers of the Commonwealth – the UK, Canada, India, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Nigeria and South Africa. This would be as big or bigger than the 9 member EEC of the 1970s Britain joined but with a bigger future upside. Secondly, the UK should push for free movement of people where it makes sense – not from Eastern Europe in the EU, but with natural allies who would fit in well in the UK. Like Boris Johnson, I see strong advantages from freedom of movement with allies such as Australia, and thus I propose making freedom of movement in a “C4” of the UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand – the CANZUK nations. The C4 and the C9 would be a big step towards establishing the UK as a world leader, not a nation begging self-important Eurocrats not to impose more rules. The C4 and C9 agreements would go into effect the moment the UK leaves the EU.
The world is a big and wonderful place filled with diverse people that can learn from one another. In their Commonwealth friends, the UK has a ticket to the world that most nations don’t have. Britain must strengthen their Commonwealth bonds as soon as possible to create a truly dynamic and lasting Global Britain.
In the Pacific we have Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
In the Caribbean and Americas we have Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and The Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.
In Africa we have Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia
And in Europe we have Malta and Cyprus.
In all 2.4 billion citizens.
Business in the Commonwealth
As a body of countries, the Commonwealth plays a major part in the world economy on multiple levels. Its members possess shared values — a desire to be competitive on the world stage, an embracing of their inherent diversity and contrasts, alongside a shared heritage and resulting interconnection.
In a business context, the Commonwealth’s diversity makes it extremely competitive. The Commonwealth is made up of a diverse mix of 11 high, 14 upper middle, 18 lower middle and ten lower income countries*. The Commonwealth is a major player in many industries throughout the world; examples include mining where Commonwealth nations rank in the top tier of producers of gold, diamonds, platinum and other metals; information technology services and publishing, where dominance is owed in part to the widespread nature of the English language in Commonwealth member countries; and tourism, due to the vast geographical and cultural range of member countries. Tourism is a major contributor to GDP; seven Commonwealth countries and territories are in the top 10 countries in the world in terms of the sector’s contribution to GDP, many of which are small island states. In financial services including banking and insurance, Commonwealth countries and territories are the biggest offshore financial centres in the world. Another significant industry is that of accountancy, where all the largest firms originate and work within the Commonwealth, and where the most prestigious and ubiquitous international qualifications were created.
Commonwealth actively encourages a large degree of intra-trading. This was highlighted in a study by the Royal Commonwealth Society, with an average for each member of around one-third. Trade is essential for developing countries to extinguish poverty; and with trade between pairs of Commonwealth countries being up to 50 per cent more valuable than with other countries, the Commonwealth acts as a support network for its developing members.
This ability to be competitive is also supported by the members’ common heritage. For example the embedded nature of the English language and legal system amongst the member nations allows the Commonwealth to be well equipped for international business. The widespread literacy of English allows the Commonwealth to be at the core of globalisation, and makes the business world accessibility to the whole social spectrum— a characteristic which might be lacking in other linguistic environments. This success is highlighted in how five Commonwealth countries rank in the top 10 of the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index.
For information on the Commonwealth countries and the sectors they operate in visithttp://www.commonwealthofnations.org/sectors/business/
At the above link you will find information on each country and when you visit the country page you can also find information on individual sectors within that country so a really excellent resource.
Brexit means Brexit
Given the above statistics and due to my spending a lot of time reading about Brexit matters since the referendum I am now convinced that we need to leave the EU with no deal. After all if the USA, China and Japan (the world's 3 largest economies) can trade with the EU on WTO terms then why can't Britain?
The largest economy in the world right now is the USA and Donald Trump says he wants a great free trade deal with the UK. Given the size of the USA trade that means a good deal with them could bring us better trade that we currently do with all the EU.
By saying no deal to the EU we would give certainty to business that can then get on with doing their own due diligence to get the best deals that they can with the world including the EU.
Right now EU countries sell far more to Britain than we do to them so why would any of them not want to trade with us after we leave the EU? In short they of course would want to keep selling their goods and services to us which would also mean they've have to continue buying goods and services from us.
I have a lot of time for Sir James Dyson and he is very confident that Britain will do great outside the EU and isn't bothered by dealing on WTO terms with the EU so why can't others?
So after listening and reading all the views on different sides of the fence I have to say I am with Boris Johnson and we should leave with a no deal. Boris is perhaps not the best person in the world but his heart is in the right place I think. We need to be ambitious for Britain in the world and in my view it's time we all started to talk us up in world terms as a can do country.
I have also said that we should do well with our old friends in the Commonwealth and with India forecast to be the 2nd largest economy by 2050 then the Commonwealth should be a great target for our exporters. And you've read the potential for business in Africa where several nations are in the Commonwealth.
Scotland needs to start thinking about how to deal with non EU countries around the world. The EU is in decline and this is clearly going to continue so why tie ourselves to a declining area of the world when there is so much out there outside the EU?
Scotland needs to be ambitious and decide we're getting out of the EU so let's get on with how to take advantage instead of wringing our hands over the issue. And that means all of Scotland. All our political leaders have led us astray in wanting to retain our links with the EU and they all need to be held to account for this. They were and are wrong about wanting to retain membership and even now wanting to retain single market membership where we would have no say in rule making and cause issues with us doing free trade deals with non EU countries.
So I say let us just leave and get on with building our country with great trade deals around the world. I hope having read the above information that you'll agree with me that we need to get out and move on in the world.
I did a video about my views at:
And that's it for this week and I hope you all have a great weekend.
Alastair
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