When you have to wheel in Masters of Disaster RBS and Gordon Brown to explain why Scottish independence would be a Very Bad Thing, well, that probably just helps the Yes vote. Distancing oneself from incompetent, plundering thugs like RBS and Brown would seem to be a very smart thing to do.
It was an exercise in unintentional self-parody for those opposed to independence for Scotland to use RBS CEO (who is on the British payroll given the public bailout that left the UK with 80% ownership of RBS) to provide financial grounds for opposing independence. RBS senior managers were so famously incompetent that using RBS as the basis for a financial claim is “roll hopelessly on the floor while convulsing with laughter” levels of funny.
The forces opposing independence are now so desperate that they are rolling out the only financial “expert” who makes RBS look competent by comparison. Brown is flogging his book (the title of his NYT article and book), so it is easy to understand his actions. Brown led the disastrous three “de’s” (deregulation, desupervision, and de facto decriminalization) of the UK financial system in his capacity as chancellor of the exchequer under Prime Minister Tony Blair and then on becoming Prime Minister in 2007. Along with Blair they are among the two most culpable people in the world for the global financial crisis and the Great Recession.
But wait. There’s more. Not the Onion: ISIS favors Scottish independence!
A leading intelligence expert fears Islamic extremists are deliberately threatening to behead a Scots aid worker to break up the UK.
When all else fails, try to slime the opposition with Islamist Terrorism innuedos.