Autumn in Edinburgh is a marvel. The sun sets at about 4pm, and I’m meeting friends in the medieval Old Town of Scotland’s great capital. Edinburgh is stunning in the dark – Gothic, spooky, especially when rain glistens on cobbled streets running down to the Grassmarket, a historic marketplace where public hangings once took place.
Between 1661 and 1688, about a hundred Christian religious rebels were executed here. The Old Scots word for being stubborn is “thrawn”. The rebels were so “thrawn” in refusing to change their beliefs that the Duke of Rothes said sarcastically that a particularly stubborn rebel had chosen to “glorify God in the Grassmarket”, by being hanged.
Being “thrawn” – mulish stubbornness – is part of my own character. I suspect it’s a characteristic of many of my fellow Scots and – stubbornly – many are again talking about Scottish independence. For Scottish National Party members, such as the former leader Alex Salmond, independence is “the dream that shall never die".
This month, the dream is not dead but perhaps postponed once again.
The Supreme Court (in London) ruled emphatically that the Scottish government does not have the power to hold a second independence referendum. That’s the law. No serious lawyer believes the Supreme Court could have interpreted the law in any way other than saying no to “Indyref#2”, as a second referendum is called. But – and this is the catch – parliament makes laws. And the parliament that made this particular law is the one at Westminster, in London, not the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh.
Sunak appears to hope that being tough by saying 'no' to a referendum will end the argument. It won’t
Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, says the courts offered clarity on the issue, but she adds that she will regard the next general election (scheduled by December 2024) as a kind of referendum on independence. This is a matter of political choice, which she can of course do, even if others disagree. It is also high risk.
Back in 2014 (Indyref#1), there were broadly three reasons Scots voted against independence.
First, it would have then meant Scotland leaving the EU. Brexit killed that argument. Scots were taken out of the EU by English votes despite Scotland overwhelmingly voting to stay.
Second, the disruption caused by independence would be significant. Independence means new arrangements for currency, trade, pensions, a new border with England and other matters. But independence supporters tell me that Brexit and the chaotic performance of the Conservative governments of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss have themselves been so disruptive that independence – with Scottish voters choosing the government that really matters to them – will bring greater stability in the longer term. Again, that’s debatable, but possible.
The third argument against independence could be called “50 per cent plus one”. What would happen if on such a momentous issue, voters – split roughly down the middle – settled on independence but by a very narrow margin? A split electorate would lead to difficulties in accepting the result, as we have seen with the 2016 Brexit mess six years after the vote to leave the EU.
Some insiders believe Ms Sturgeon has manoeuvred shrewdly. She has kept the idea of Indyref2 alive in theory, which her supporters want, but not achieved it in practice. And that may be good for her since the polls suggest she might lose a referendum. Moreover, the fact that a second referendum is being denied by an unpopular Conservative government solidifies SNP support and could attract other voters too.
Ms Sturgeon is fortunate in her political enemies. Ms Truss and Mr Johnson were as popular in Scotland as measles. Scottish Conservatives have described to me how they feel about Mr Johnson in words so rude that I could not repeat them in print.
So what now?
First, the blame game. SNP members say that the UK was created as a voluntary association of four nations, and there is nothing voluntary about being forced to stay in a union against your will. The UK left the EU after a referendum vote, so why – they ask – is the UK now so undemocratic that Scotland cannot try to leave in similar fashion?
Historians note that the Scottish parliament in 1707 voted itself out of existence to join Westminster. So – this argument goes – why is the Scottish parliament of 2022 being denied the right to reverse the process?
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appears to hope that being tough by saying "no" to a referendum will end the argument. It won’t. Scots have plotted independence long before Mr Sunak was born. As Prime Minister, he could theoretically be creative and say he will allow a referendum but only if a super-majority (say, 55 per cent of Scots) vote for independence. Yet, that won’t work either. Brexit – the momentous constitutional change that Mr Sunak supported – passed by just 52-48 per cent.
At least nowadays Scottish martyrs are no longer executed. Instead, they complain on television and social media about the unfairness of the Westminster government. What happens next – no one can be sure. But the “thrawn” – stubborn – battle for Scottish independence will outlast Mr Sunak’s time as Prime Minister.
For some, the dream – and for others the nightmare – shall indeed never die.
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The biog
Name: Salem Alkarbi
Age: 32
Favourite Al Wasl player: Alexandre Oliveira
First started supporting Al Wasl: 7
Biggest rival: Al Nasr
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 420 bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: from Dh293,200
On sale: now
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Virtuzone GCC Sixes
Date and venue Friday and Saturday, ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City
Time Matches start at 9am
Groups
A Blighty Ducks, Darjeeling Colts, Darjeeling Social, Dubai Wombats; B Darjeeling Veterans, Kuwait Casuals, Loose Cannons, Savannah Lions; C Awali Taverners, Darjeeling, Dromedary, Darjeeling Good Eggs
Genesis G80 2020 5.0-litre Royal Specs
Engine: 5-litre V8
Gearbox: eight-speed automatic
Power: 420hp
Torque: 505Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L/100km
Price: Dh260,500
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
How it works
A $10 hand-powered LED light and battery bank
Device is operated by hand cranking it at any time during the day or night
The charge is stored inside a battery
The ratio is that for every minute you crank, it provides 10 minutes light on the brightest mode
A full hand wound charge is of 16.5minutes
This gives 1.1 hours of light on high mode or 2.5 hours of light on low mode
When more light is needed, it can be recharged by winding again
The larger version costs between $18-20 and generates more than 15 hours of light with a 45-minute charge
No limit on how many times you can charge
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
