A couple of new ones
Posted on
February 19, 2015 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
These are starting to get a bit surreal.
“Vote Labour, get SNP!”
“Vote UKIP, get trade unions!”
We’ve added them to the list. Keep ’em peeled, folks!
Vote snp get snp I should think.
New option on the ballot paper: “All of the above” 🙂
Ah, don’t vote. Get shafted anyway!
Vote Labour get Tory as in 1979, 1983, 1987, 1992 and 2010.
Nicola on fire but Dimbleby says lets not discuss Scotland.
OT Another cheerleader bigging up Murphy in the Hootsman
https://archive.today/F1eTR
Nicola socking it to them 🙂 well informed, articulate and on the ball
Question Time is so dire. Confirms why normally it is off the viewing list.
@Brian Hill
Think Russell Brand beat you to that one 😉
@Sinky –
‘Let’s not discuss Scotland.’
Is that what Dimplebum actually said? I haven’t seen the thing, and won’t until it gets to I-player, or the highlights are posted here.
Would make sense right enough. I can imagine him becoming momentarily stern:
‘Scotland? We’ve had quite enough of that in the past year.’
Aye. Ye think, Davy-boy?
You ain’t seen nothing yet pal. By the end of this year you’ll be coming out in hives and releasing involuntary noises at any mention of the place.
I rarely watch Question time,now i remember why! Im ashamed to be English quite honestly,Nicola is the only sane voice among the lot of them.
Watching QT – Heseltine is a total dick. What an arrogant opinionated arse.
Question Time is so dire. Confirms why normally it is off the viewing list. Heseltine gets even worse.
26Million Russian died in WW11 to save the West. 1 in 6. 1/2Million in Britain, France and US in Europe. 8 Million In Germany, 6 Million Poles, 6 Million Jews.
Merkel’s ‘austerity’ refused Ukraine a loan, starting the chaos, 5,000 have died. The new Ukraine President is a multi-billionaire who stole the £Billions from the people, helping to bankrupt the country. The US wants to harvest the Ukraine resources.
Russia can just cut off the Gas Europe depends on. Europe/World is heading for a depression because of UK/US foreign policies.
Nicola is doing well. Go girl
Anyone noticed 2Million jobs going spare? The Tories seem to have misplaced them.
@ Ian Brotherhood says:
Dimbleby “Let’s not discuss Scotland.’ words to that effect was said early in programme when Labour’s Caroline Flint came out with the Vote SNP get Tory comment
Do I laugh or cry?
The hatred towards the notion of Better Together Scotland having a say in governing the UK is palpable on Question Time.
As is the hatred of Scotland itself.
Good performance by Nicola.SNP MPs will always stick up for Scotland.
Ian Brotherhood: Let’s not discuss Scotland.’
Don’t be misled, Ian.
Dimbleby was anxious to stop the crass female Labour panellist launching into an unwarranted tribal tirade against the SNP. He manage it, but his rebuke was made more in panic than in choice.
That said, later he seemed oblivious to Heseltine slotting the SNP in with Ukip, and French far-right parties, to him, merely recipients of ‘protest’ votes.
In other words, the old codger thinks we will all return to a simpler world again of Labour or Tory. Interesting to hear how shallow can be the opinion of a Tory grandee, one with a lot of cabinet experience.
One other matter…
And in this I have a feeling I am going to be odd man odd tonight among those discussing BBC’s Question Time.
As well as thinking Nicola’s attitude to Russia misguided, (a topic for another day) I was surprised to see her on the panel.
She’s Scotland’s First Minister now.
There is a dignity in office that must be cultivated. She should stay aloof from the circus parade that is BBC phony debates, with producer-placed questions read haltingly by some unfortunate guinea pig in the audience.
Instant punditry is for lesser politicians or aspiring ones, and vain celebrities.
Just watched ‘Question Time’…. May 8th headlines: ‘Stockton-on-Tees votes SNP!’
Vote onions , get acidic vegtables.
bhà sà ar fheabhas, star of the show – no need to watch question time again for the forseeable future
QT far too much time spent in deference to Heseltine. I think there was more camera time on him than Dimbleby, Sturgeon etc
Crowd of Tory/UKIP voters in the audience i feel with very few liberals
QT really depressing. The English audience didn’t have a clue. They really are thick. What a bunch of complete reactionaries. I really pity the poor SNP MPs who are going to have to go down to that god-forsaken hopeless place. They have completely accepted all that right wing s**t. Brainless morons. They are extremists but what’s so sad is that they don’t even know it. Most were in support of compulsive community service for 18-21 year olds to receive unemployment benefit.
All the westminster parties and their leaders are very firmly in negative ratings while Nicola and the SNP are positive high numbers with the public.
Remember that when viewing westminster bubble TV shows like question time. With the people who matter voting at the GE in May we are winning. Hence all the polls which are also showing that.
Can I just say Nicola was brilliant on that shite QT! Got her points across in a reasoned articulate manner contrasting sharply with the deranged and at times incredibly anti-Scottish ramblings from the unionists. I bet there’s a lot of English voters who watched wishing they could have an SNP government!
Dimbledum was his usual disgraceful self…contempt oozing from his well-fed pores for anything Scottish as per usual.
Grouse-I agree, Nicola should not have appeared on that trash, it demeans the position of FM. You don’t see Cameron or even Clegg on that pish do you?
Just suffered QT. Nicola did well, there were only 5 of them to one of her, after all!
They all know their cosy WM club is in for a fright in May, They resent it deeply, and they haven’t got a clue how to handle it.
Vote SNP, get power and influence for Scotland!
You laugh, Paula. You laugh a lot!
People are fed up of ´Vote SNP get ….´
Labour are clueless. They are absolutley stooped. It’s their only tactic now and it doesn’t work.
The SNP will get over 40% of the vote. 45% may be a bit pushing it, but Scotland has changed hugely.
Sept 19th was still a dark, awful day, and I’d settle for Indy over anything, but this meltdown of the Unionist Labour party is glorious to see.
Roll on the 7th of May and a great night of viewing!
Question Time – In summary:
Scotland should remain part of the UK but as a silent partner with no say in the operation of UK Ltd!
Shall we tug forelock OR sent 40+ SNP MP’s South. I favour the latter 🙂
Does anyone still think the Westminster Cartel will grant Scotland more powers willingly?
On Question Time: Last Question about SNP shoring up a minority labour Government:
Heseltine making a complete (deliberate) pig’s ear of what Nicola Sturgeon actually said about the £180bn. He made out it was all coming to Scotland.
David Dimbelby clearly primed stated that the SNP had co-operated with the Tories during their first term in office. Now given that the sum total of knowledge of the Scottish Political scene by any English journalist/commentator can be writ large on the back of a stamp then someone had clearly primed him with that bit of information – and how it should be used.
@Sinky –
Cheers. I’m happy to take your word for it.
What Dimbleby and his ilk cannot understand – i.e. literally cannot understand – is that the people of Scotland have already expressed desire to leave the ‘United Kingdom’ which our own dear Robert Peffers has been banging on about for years.
They CANNOT understand why anyone would want to leave ‘them’, because the idea that anyone would want to ‘leave’ such a glorious Union is, literally, inconceivable.
I had to view ‘Black Watch’ as part of my course. My opinions on the production etc is neither here nor there, but what did strike me was the mention of ‘the golden thread’.
The Golden Thread?
What’s that all about?
If ‘Black Watch’ does nothing else, it raises that question.
Here’s the whole thing, for anyone who hasn’t seen it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVzHw979gHY
Notice the people of Stockton are mostly delighted to have Trident as long as it’s up here though eh? Warmonger mentality was all pervasive in that audience tonight. The English love rattling their sabres, still think they are a world power! Gie us peace.Absolutely disgusting, and listen to the Tory Bannantyne “where are ye gettin the £100 billion figure from Nicola?” Fuckin eejit.
If you watched QT you don’t nead ME to tell you what the ENGLISH think about Scotland. The MSM and EBC have a different line in England, ie they subsidise Scotland and they don’t object to nuclear weapons for England’s ego provided they ain’t based in England and HMQ’s good subjects swallow it hook line and sinker. Pure anti Scottish propaganda.
Severin Carrell spouting pure unadulterated tripe on Scotland tonight. He either has ties to the security services or he is just completely and totally ignorant of Scotland knows zero about it but has a big mouth.
Let us run our own country.
Incidently, perhaps some the westminster bubble media might care to find out why Heseltine was so fulsome in his praise for Leon Brittan after he died.
Because there’s some very curious coincidences and other data on the internet which seem to offer their own explanations.
Just sayin like. 😉
@Paula Rose
I’d go for laughing if your question isn’t rhetorical.
Just watched QT. Heseltine dreadful, peering from under his billowing eyebrows like a coo teetin oot o a hedge, talking political gibberish through a severely downturned mouth (surely only muppets have mouths like that?).
So yes, Paula, let your laughter be unbridled. I’ll laugh with you if it helps.
Got to go. I hear matron creeping about on the landing.
Grousebeater,
Mr Salmond appeared on QT when he was FM and I think the leader of the Welsh Assembly has also appeared on it.
I think it is very useful if the FM either Mr Salmond or Ms Sturgeon appear on QT and similar programmes that are broadcast throughout the UK because it gives them an effective platform to dispel the myths that are usually peddled by the media and other politicians.
As to the Russia issue, I think Ms Sturgeon gave as good an account of herself as she could under the circumstances and did earn some applause for her position of strengthening conventional forces.
The whole Russia/Ukraine thing has been woefully mishandled by Europe right from the start. They completely misjudged the situation and Putin’s likely response.
They are now compounding that and wracking up the tension. They should follow Churchill’s dictum: ‘Jaw jaw not war war’ or President Kennedy when he dealt with Kruschev when he gave him a chance to back off.
At the moment they seem to be discussing things solely in terms of arming people and further confrontation with Putin by increasing sanctions and backing him further into a corner leaving no way out for any of them.
QT was depressing, such bile from all the other panelists, they really hate us.
Quite confusing for the viewer as well:
Caroline Flint – “A vote for the SNP is a vote to keep Cameron in Downing Street”.
Heseltine – “A vote for the SNP will put Balls and Miliband into Downing Street”.
Well I’m glad they got that sorted.
Yuck at QT, apart from the voice of intellect and sanity of course in Nicola.
Duncan Bannatyne, not so much Dragon as a dinosaur. Hezza, Maggies little lap dog, always abhorrent.
An audience of clapping seals, applauding nukes, and making youngsters work for less than £2 per hour to get their benefits – nice, really nice.
Grouse Beater at 11.46 – Russia comment. Thank you.
I don’t think I have felt so low (IndyRef excepted) in a long time after watching Question Time.
I kind thought ‘OK, Stockton-on-Tees; working class, left-wing, no gonnae take any shite…this should be fun’.
I’m genuinely appalled. Shocked.
A pro-nuclear, reactionary, right-wing, ‘earn your benefits’, arrogant, mob that seemed decidedly anti-Scottish.
I never bought into the ‘we are politically different’ from the English line much. Tonight was an eye opener.
If the Question Time audience is truly representative of general opinion in England then that’s really quite frightening
Superficial pantomime politicians playing out pantomime roles, Nicola looked out of place because politics in Scotland has depth, nuance and a politically informed electorate.
We had more intelligent and in depth discussion in pretty much every town hall of a Scotland last summer than is seen on BBCQT, that programme is just not relevant to my country any more
The animosity of the rest of the panel was indeed palpable.Heseltine put it succinctly when he stated that he did not want Scottish politicians in charge at Westminster.The rest of thecpanel nodded in agreement.
I find it highly unlikely that Labour or indeed any party will work with S.N.P. politicians on this showing.This alone may hasten the end of the Union.Roll on May
We’re heading for either a majority Tory gov, or a minority Tory gov informally supported by Labour on economic policies ‘for the good of the country’, without a formal coalition
Depressing stuff
I didn’t think NS was that great – but, then, I’m not a fan.
An English friend of mine (no right-winger) thought she was poor and ‘out of her political depth’.
I think that attitude is more a reflection of the brainwashing that he is privvy to down South.
Certainly, political debate amongst the electorate seems far more mature in Scotland and I should imagine most people here would be horrified by that tonight.
So depressing watching that.
That Scottish woman on QT. Move the Nukes to the Nth East,she,ll be a very popular woman today,
My goodness Question Time tonite was a farce.
The English want to “punish ” young folk with community service for being on the dole. It’s their own sons and daughters they are condemning.
I thought criminals done that instead of jail. People on benefits or low wages are going hungry and cold. They are condemning kids to this with fucking relish.
Nukes ??
Don’t kill soldiers.
they destroy cities , civilians , kids . They poison the atmosphere and will destroy mankind absolutely .
And The “We love you Scotland” Better together eh ??? They want compete control over everything and we have no say.
The contempt by these folk was bordering on racist.
We have to get the fuck out of this union fast.
They are closer to Nazi’s than ever.
Any Scot watching that will be pissed . what more proof do we need.
Naw bags. Look what you have done ,Proud Scot but ,
Cowards.
Didn’t watch QT ‘cos we don’t watch live TV,
but interesting to hear the reports and comments.
One thing is for sure – the Unionists are under pressure.
Nicola on the other hand has no such pressure.
The Unionists are faring badly in the polls
while Nicola and the SNP are flying.
This pressure they feel, is bound to build,
cracks are bound to appear,
some crumbling will occur.
The guarantees of electoral success,
which have underpinned the political Establishment
for generations, have been removed.
They know it, and they are afraid.
They body-swerved the Referendum and got away intact.
But in GE15, the polls say they won’t do it a second time.
Between now and May 7th,
a lot of sleep will be lost,
a lot of smoking will be done
and a lot more alcohol will be consumed.
There will be less smiling and laughing,
less winking and joking;
more strained faces and taught mouths.
Stress, stress, stress.
For them, these next 10 weeks or so will be about survival.
We should take confidence from all of this.
Thanks Ricky.
I really needed that!
Mr Salmond appeared on QT when he was FM
I think you need to state dates.
I have no such recollection. He used QT before becoming FM, avoided it thereafter, re-joining it when it was not in Scotland and after he had stepped down
@Geoff Huijer
An English friend of mine (no right-winger) thought she was poor and ‘out of her political depth’.”
Your friend is talking out of his/her arse. You posted the comment, and watched the program, tell me which politician on the panel was her better?
Or are you trolling.
@Ronnie Anderson
“Vote onions , get acidic vegtables.”
Vote Labour, get vegetables. Surely?
Sunniva
I’m sure I caught someone on the panel describe the community service as ‘volunteering for compulsory work’. Of course it’s easy for people in the audience to go all Daily Mail on this if they are over 21 or have kids who are comfortably off.
When the audience were clapping at the woman inviting trident to relocate to North East England I just smiled. Let’s give the subs 2 routes out into the Atlantic: 1 through our busy oil fields and 1 through the English Channel! THAT’S WHY YOU ARE NOT IN CHARGE OF THINGS
Then it struck me – the English audience believe all this mince that Heseltine is spouting. He was getting plenty airtime and the audience loved him. All the jingoistic crap, the on yer-bike stuff and the fear is sunk deep in.
If that’s the mood in the North East of England then it’s time to batten down the hatches. This ‘things are getting better/fragile recovery’ narrative is having an effect and it will be pumped out there from now till the election. Since when was the North East so right wing?
@legerwood
Agreed, Dimbleby must have been briefed to mention an SNP/Tory ‘coalition’ during the minority govt spell in Holyrood, as this seems to be the new myth on the block which, mysteriously, Curran just happened to mention the other day also.
I figure McTernan’s mob are currently busy rewriting the past and coming up with all kinds of weird and bizarre forms of truthiness. There must be a line of communication between McTernan’s Bunker and BBC operatives (knowing that NS was on the panel). How else can you explain his possession of this distorted piece of information?
I also agree with others that QT was not a helpful platform for Nicola, surrounded and outnumbered as she was by a fairly hostile and unsympathetic bunch. You could clearly sense the ideological gap that now exists.
And yes, they hate the idea of a strong SNP contingent, soon to have its wicked way.
@Geoff 12.23am Don’t think Nicola was out of her depth at all, but she was severely outnumbered in the views of the panel and the audience – very right wing, so unless she was going to go in for screaming, and arm waving, she had no real chance.
The weight of opinion in that room was very much against her.
Heseltine with his hectoring lecturing tone on nukes etc. was patronising – you have to make a choice, and she chose to not rise.
We aren’t standing any candidates in Stockton-on-tees or any other affluent English market towns.
The voters who matter to us in scotland they will hardly be impressed with the arrogant patronising manner adopted by the intellectual lightweights from the despised (again, check the polls for proof) westminster parties and their shills.
All those disillusioned labour voters in scotland who think Miliband is a waste of fucking space are not going to be reassured that we are “Better Together” after watching that petty small-minded display tonight on QT from London Labour and the tories.
I for one am hardly depressed that scotland’s voters get to see so clearly just how big the lies about “Better Together” were from the out of touch unionist parties and their poodle media.
You can see in how much esteem they hold us when Dimbleby asks “What do we think of the SNP coming down to rule us”
No need to supply answers to that i think
it would just upset everybody before Baw Baws
It’s the arrogance and complete lack of respect from the English audience that got me. I didn’t mind the other panellists so much, that was to be expected. But the working class audience was completely uncurious yet completely confident they knew all there was to know about Scotland and the SNP. It made me feel very hostile to the English as a group, though I try hard not to feel that. I like to think that they are fair minded but this lot were narrow minded bigots and completely brainwashed. Even the wee laddie with the temerity to ask for the minimum wage if 18-21 year olds have to do workfare to get benefits, had no passion or conviction in him. You felt he would just as easily settle for a packet of crisps and 50p pocket money, as fight for the minimum wage (not the living wage). It made me realise that Labour’s stance is just about right, if this is the kind of electorate whose votes they are competing for, just a shade pinker than deep Tory blue. Scotland and England are far further apart than even I thought. The English are slaves.
@Tam Jardine
“If that’s the mood in the North East of England then it’s time to batten down the hatches.
I was thinking the same thing while watching. If this is the mood in the North of England, WTF does London and the South think of us.
Agree with other comments that Dumblebys comment about the SNP/Tory alliance was very suspect and did not sit right at all, and what about that Flint character? Despicable and sums up the calibre of the Red Tories. Who the hell would vote for them??
Well from all youse comments on QT, it sounds as though it would not have gone down too well in Scotland.
It will be interesting to see the next Scotland GE15 poll if they gather the data this week.
It’s the mood in a preselected (by the BBC) studio audience. It sure as fuck ain’t the mood in scotland and I strongly doubt it’s even the mood that pervades in England or why are the westminster parties doing so badly even there? Labour/tories are both polling at farcically low levels while the lib dems are all but an an irrelevance with their despised leader Clegg. (Not that Miliband and Cameron are much less unpopular either)
Legerwood 2015 at 12:10 am / Grousebeater,
“I think it is very useful if the FM ……. appear on QT and similar programmes that are broadcast throughout the UK because it gives them an effective platform to dispel the myths that are usually peddled by the media and other politicians.”
True, NS and AS are such naturals that they quickly undo months of monstering ad demonising by the MSM.
Also, when they perform much better than the others as she did tonight, it should instill confidence on the home front.
I’d say there are a lot of people in England hoping she/SNP will do well after tonight
I disagree to some extent with some of the views above regarding members of the audience at Stockton on QT tonight…
I generally felt that Nicola got more than a respectful hearing and genuine response to her opinions – the applause she got invariably was louder than any of her opponents. Fair-minded English folk are more than capable of reasoned and reasonable argument and accepting of our genuine aspirations, whether that be due to affinity of being anti-London/establishment or just broad-minded and the ability to be independently minded.
That’s more than can be said of the ‘uneducated’ Bannatyne, the clueless Flint and the old-fashioned two-party Brit Imperialist Heseltine… not to mention the unadulterated bias of Dumblebee.
The irony was that the most outspoken comment levelled against Nicola and the SNP was from the audience, in the form of as red-haired a Celtic Scot-lady that you could ever stereotype! A very telling scenario that we in CYMRU/Wales are very much used to – don’t need to make or say that the English are our enemies – our own worst are the enemies within.
Shrug that off on May 7th and you’ll wake up so much healthier in mind and spirit next day… ALBA definitely, CYMRU hopefully(but not too hopeful!)
A tad worrying for Miliband if a northern English town really is so reactionary but I guess we have to maybe wonder if the audience somehow got more than its fair share of UKIP participants.
If not then the politics of the two countries really is pulling rapidly apart and we will see another referendum sooner rather than later.
With an election looming Nicola was always going to be the unwelcome guest at the establishment party. Hardly any great surprise but important to be heard and important for Scottish voters to see the antipathy of our so called Better Together chums.
Jim McIntosh
I’m guessing the mood further south isn’t ‘Scotland, stay with us!’
Tim
That is a fair point, the murmuring from some in the audience is largely informed by the likes of Heseltine and Flint and doesn’t run all that deep but all through the independence debate the worst loathing was the self loathing of our own too wee, too poor, too stupid brigade.
Btw… forgot to add…
Saw that QT is in Glaschu in two weeks time – typical BBC, in Nicola’s backyard an’ all, after a Glaschu ‘YES’ an’ all!
Bet my bottom dollar (if I were a betting man and used the $) that Smurphs could well make an appearance.
However, his latterly utterances are such that the SNP probably could not hand-pick a better orator of their behalf!
It’s a real pity we never saw some of these recent QT shows broadcast before the vote and seen the true face of better together,would have been a fricken yes landslide!
Geoff Huijer:
I never bought into the ‘we are politically different’ from the English line much. Tonight was an eye opener.
Honest English will tell you how they realised Scotland is a different country when they first visited it.
Dishonest ones will tell you Great Britain is England and England is Great Britain.
Ever since Brown screwed up and backed the banks – capital over people – a Scottish accent walking the corridors of Westminster is the equivalent of vermin in a canteen.
As for the mass of English, those who run institutions don’t give a damn about Scotland, never have done, neither in seeking a balance of recruited staff, nor in elected individuals from Scotland.
‘From the UK’ generally means anybody outside London.
How are we to expect the proletariat to know anything about Scottish politics when they have been inculcated by their own politicians and newspapers to such an extent they do not understand what is being done to them?
That’s why they revert to platitudes such as ‘we share a common humanity,’ and, ‘come and stand by us in our hour of political need,’ but quietly whisper, not in any position of power over us for England IS the United Kingdom, Great Britain, and this sceptre isle.
Cue Elgar’s ‘Pomp and Circumstance.’
latest online poll in the DR
How would you vote if there was a second independence referendum?
Yes – 73%
No – 27%
@ Wingman 2020 thanks for adding that into my post,meant to put that in.
@ Hand and Shrimp
There are two constituencies in Stockton, one of which was a Tory gain in 2010 and had previously been held by the SDP. There is at least one very expensive private school too.
I don’t have a TV and wouldn’t watch QT if I did, so I’m relying on people’s reports, but these don’t really surprise me. My impression is that it has long been a lot more gentrified and less industrial than Middlesbrough, for instance.
Then there was that woman who said that forcing kids to turn up for voluntary community service in order to qualify for reduced benefits would represent ‘self-respect’… my god, what level have they sunk to? The only sense spoken was the woman in white who ran a charity shop who said that she had worked with ‘volunteers’ who didn’t want to be there, and how pointless is was to have ‘workers’ who are completely unmotivated in what they are doing…this was what the army used to say about national conscription in the 1950s – we’re not social workers! We’re trying to run a professional outfit! She spoke quite movingly about the volunteers she had worked with who were men who had lost their jobs in the shipyards, and how utterly broken they were by that, and being reduced to working in a charity shop…she had compassion and common sense.
There’s a consensus on this thread from all who watched it that the English are lost and beyond hope, and no co-operation with them is possible. We are poles apart.
About QT, it looked to me as if the whole show was designed to trap Nicola Sturgeon into a corner. I agree with Grouse Beater on this and it may be for the best if the SNP put up someone else for these programs as they will never get a fair crack of the whip.
It’s a hard one to call though as I would love NS having the opportunity of convincing a wider audience. Unfortunately, since we are talking of the BBC here it does seem to be a waste of time as they obviously have an agenda.
Anyway, if there is one consolation, Ian Brotherhood is right, come May they will not be able to stop speaking about Scotland, hopefully we will have them by the short and curly’s.
No more crap. Let’s take it to them!
Question Time…
Why is it that whenever people talk about EVEL, it’s about the SNP voting on ‘English Laws’?
The SNP are the only party whose MPs in Scotland have on a point of principle NOT voted on non-Scottish matters!
Nobody mentions the Labour-Libdem-Tory-MPs-who-happen-to-be-based-in-Scotland who have been doing just that since Devolution, and will still do it after May.
As soon as the SNP sought to clarify their position (i.e. they’ll only vote on matters which directly or indirectly impact on Scotland) people got on their high horse and started complaining about those pesky Scots interfering in business that isn’t theirs – even though they were actually pointing out that they wouldn’t vote on business that wasn’t theirs.
I just watched a Labour, Lib Dem and Tory rep on Question Time each sit on their hands and say nothing while Nicola Sturgeon alone was asked about EVEL. Why was the question not directed at them? They are by comparison far more ‘guilty’ – Labour particularly have every intention of exploiting every MP’s vote they have.
So what does that tell us about their mentality? Labour, LibDem and Tory MPs are UK MPs, SNP MPs are Scottish MPs. They treat SNP MPs as if they’re MSPs, as if they have no right to be at Westminster to represent their constituency. Until common sense prevails, we live in the UK and are represented in a UK government by a UK MP who we elect for our UK constituency.
Sorry, but you can’t have it both ways.
@ manandboy
Going by that result, either:
An awful lot of people have changed their minds
Or …
We did actually win by a decent margin.
How would you vote if there was a second referendum?
Yes – 73% (Dutch courage now that it’s a redundant task.)
No – 27% (Because I’m still fearful, never a radical.)
QT Was as expected (quite bad).
Rarely watch it but did tonight as Nicola Sturgeon was on.
Against all-odds she got the salient points across which was encouraging.
QT Is a good indicator of how brainwashed people are by MSM in the south which is likely why they vote as told by their media.
I think some of you,s are short sighted ( Nicola should,nt be on these programmes ie QT ).
I,ve said it many times for Alex now Nicola to take the fight south( No worthwhile TV exposure in Scotland ) We are all aware these QT audences are hand picked by the BBC on their political affiliations,( but what about the wider audence ) those not in the studio & people with open minds, not affliated to political party,s.
Nicola demonstrated tonight by Hezza,s reaction ( Scotlands votes dont matter to Westminster )& Scots are a irrelivance to the Union & therefore should,nt have a voice in the Union.
QT national broadcast, national insults [Scotland] & then more Scots waken up.
Nicola the national daytime programmes, just a thought lol,
but did,nt she do well.
This is nice. Its nice to see Alex Salnond’s not very personal biographer and ultra UKOK unionist tub thumper has a life outside politics. Bet our Duncan Hothersall wishes he was chums with phoney old red tory Graun instead of the living horror that is the Daily Heil.
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/ng-interactive/2015/feb/12/watch-me-date
I thought Nicola was up to her usual excellent high standards on QT tonight. She certainly, in my view, showed every other panelist, including the useless chairman, how to behave. Not just that but she scored heavily every time she spoke and shot the rest down in flames.
I actually found QT extremely funny tonight. After all how often do you get an audience member offering to store the UK nukes in her back garden … HILARIOUS! 😀
I apologise here of course cause I have been referring to QT when quite clearly I am of course referring to the Michael Hesseltine Show! 😉
For people who are already starting to show withdrawal symptoms fear not for the best is yet to come … QT in Glasgow in TWO weeks! Oh please, please PLEASE let David Starkey be on the panel, he would NEVER get out of Glasgow alive! 😛
Vote SNP, get SNP, get power and influence
Vote Labour, get sweet FA, again
Vote LibDem/Ukip/Tory, waste your vote totally
Consider….
Scottish voting intentions for the May 2015 GE (Survation, 12th-17th February) :
SNP 45%
Labour 28%
Conservatives 15%
Liberal Democrats 5%
Greens 3%
UKIP 3%
SNP & Labour seems to be where the swing and indecision is. The other parties remain stable, poll to poll.
Electoral calculus, keeping others stable, changing SNP and Labour percentages.
SNP : Lab % = SNP : Lab seats
53 : 20 = 59 : 0
52 : 21 = 58 : 1
51 : 22 = 58 : 1
50 : 23 = 56 : 3
49 : 24 = 55 : 4
48 : 25 = 51 : 8
47 : 26 = 48 : 11
46 : 27 = 48 : 11
45 : 28 = 47 : 12
44 : 29 = 42 : 16
43 : 30 = 41 : 17
42 : 31 = 40 : 18
41 : 32 = 36 : 22
40 : 33 = 33 : 25 + 1 LD
39 : 34 = 31 : 26 + 1 LD + 1 Con
Electoral calculus doesn’t take specific circumstances of each site into consideration. It assumes the above % across all Scottish seats.
That said, SNP need ~45% to really ‘get the boot in’. Possible, with effort.
Ledgerwood
Dimbleby was primed but Nicola got her own back after his SNP supported by tories sneer. She added in that Labour also supported the SNP whilst they were running a minority government.
That programme was a stitch up. It was the Heseltine Show & he led the charge against NS & Dimbleby gave him all the time he wanted to get in his lies about SNP wanting £180bn as the price of their support. Conflation was rife on that panel & was deliberate.
The bags under Flint’s eyes were enormous-not a good look at all & tells me that she doesn’t sleep well at night.She only had 3595 majority in 2010 so she’s in danger of being kicked out in 2015 as that is not an unassailable lead in the coming election.Member of Fabian Society, had to pay back overclaimed expenses (yes another one)just like Murphy & his bathroom.A Blairite so I’ll say no more!
Perhaps now you can understand when I say I am ashamed to be English when I can see that my countrymen have all moved rightwards like sheep thanks to the BBC & MSM feeding them with bullshit 24 hrs a day.
Twitter was hectic after it but I saw several tweets from English viewers saying that NS was the only person talking sense & some wanting to vote for SNP 🙂
It was always going to be a tough gig for NS. She knew she’d be ganged up on & was but I think it did more good than harm. She got her messages out across the UK by bypassing BBC Scotland & going into the lion’s den. She showed no fear nor did she back down on anything. She also showed up the rest of the panel for what they were/are- timeserving placemen desperately trying to hang onto their seats on the gravy train.
I think she will have enjoyed BBCQT. It maybe wasn’t as comfortable as she’d like but that’s politics for you. She showed them all that she was no pushover & is a tough bird looking out for Scotland’s interests. That message was received loud & clear in UK. She is not to be messed with LOL.
Vote SNP get Scotland
I think Nicola got a respectful hearing, sometimes claps were merely polite, at other times warmer and more enthusiastic, but on the whole I thought her reception by the audience was respectful but a tad lukewarm. I was more bothered by the right wing attitudes they displayed, not necessarily towards Nicola, but in being enthusiastic about really right wing policies and questions that were put. Heseltine got the most enthusiastic and loudest claps with all his jingoistic elder statesman crap about Trident. And they were happy to cut the benefits of the young! What future do they anticipate if they can’t believe in their young?
Further to the news that QT is returning to Scotland in two weeks I’m already beginning to pick up a few vibes about who the panelists are:
Murph the Smurph
Wee Ruthie Davidson
Wee Willie
WinkieRennieSir Ian Wood
Alex Salmond
😀
Hmmm, things keep going at this pace and the nonsensical dross keeps building I fully expect “Vote at all, get herpes!” to be arriving any day now.
Moved a dead fox, a dog fox, off the road late tonight. Hit by a car, lying prone across a patch of cold, wet, rough black tarmac, a bundle of fur and splayed paws caught in silhouette under the gloom of a street light.
Crap end to a precarious urban existence.
Usually the mate, the vixen is nearby but couldn’t see one.
Dragged it by its long bushy tail out of oblivion’s way, half expecting it to raise its head at me and bare its teeth in reprisal at the indignity of having its tail pulled. But its mouth was already fixed in a snarl of rictus.
Moved it to a fitting final resting place before it got hit and mangled a second time. Bonnie beast, hard life. I wondered where it was going before its life was snatched away in a blaze of headlights. Did it have a plan? Was it on its way home to its lair?
A sudden death, quiet, unmarked in the capital’s streets.
Meaningless, instant opinion on Question Time faded away.
Lesley-Anne
You got your wish. David Starkey is on Glasgow QT panel. Also Mhairi Black 🙂
I see that you also saw that as the Heseltine Show as I did. Great minds think alike!
Paula Rose
Laugh your head off. Nicola got what she set out to achieve-a hearing on UK TV that couldn’t be blocked by MSM or BBC Scotland.
There’s more than one way to skin a cat (or BBC Scotland):-)
@ Grouse Beater 12:29am Alex Salmond Appeared on Question Time as First Minister on the 17th of April 2011 The show was in Liverpool. Peter Hain Chris Huhne and Michael Howard were also on the panel. A Question came up about Lockerbie. (Surprise Surprise) But Alex Reminded the Audience who had done the dodgy oil deals and who had sold Gaddafi Arms. you should have heard the Applause from the Audience.
@ Grouse Beater Just seen your last post 1:55am Totally Agree with the last line of your post.
That Glasgow QT looks like a right stitch up. I don’t fancy being Mhairi. I’m sure she’s feisty but they will just try to trip her up, provoke her into saying something troublesome.
Oh, yes, the BBC world’s viewers saw our Nicola tonight …. and were ‘impressed’! More to follow, no doubt.
I did not see QT, but the comments confirm my impression that the UK is well down the road to disunion, not primarily on account of anything the SNP is doing but, quite simply, by the gathering and ever-increasing momentum of its own internal dis-accord.
All the SNP has to do is hold steady. Keep firm, drop anchor, don’t go away, stick to your common sense and good argument … while the whole out-of-date, unwilling-to-reform UK edifice implodes. Pretty much of itself.
The self-destruct button was pressed a long time ago. Its effects are much further through the system than those who inadvertently set it off yet realise.
What we are witnessing is the final undoing of the 300-year-old Imperial Lie, which served a purpose for a certain time. Not all of it necessarily a bad purpose, it may be admitted, but that time has gone now. Despite various ambiguities, maybe it did serve a fundamentally good purpose during the Second World War, but that was its last gasp. The Imperial Dream, the Self-Deception on which we lived and thrived for so long, has come finally and irrevocably unstuck.
One lie leads to another, of course, but eventually – admittedly a very long way down the road – there is a limit to the amount of Untruth a society can live with. What we are witnessing, from our Scottish perch, is the sheer Untruth of the whole political system of the UK. From this vantage-point, it is glaringly obvious that that system is now such a shambles that it hardly even tries to camouflage its lies.
Nothing can now stop this final ‘undoing’ of what remains of the old Imperial edifice. Scotland’s shame may have been to become so easily complicit in the Great (British) Lie in the first place.
That complicity – our lingering attachment to the old illusions – is the main reason why we did not make up our (tortured?) minds as clearly as we should have done last September. But our minds will soon be made up for us anyway.
When the SNP win handsomely in May, even hitherto convinced ‘No’ voters will be unable to avoid some uncomfortable facts. They will soon discover how little Scotland is wanted in the UK, and how much she is resented, and even hated.
We will also discover just how unhappy so much of England is to have lost its ‘place’ in the world. That is, the ‘place’ she presumed was always hers by right, though it stood on no solid foundation, and disappeared long ago.
Ironically, it is a ‘place’ she could never have gained without the Scots, whom nevertheless – even after all these years of ‘Union’ – she still deep-down, viscerally, despises. Maybe we deserve that, for having complied so easily in carrying out their project.
Without the Scots to tip the balance, the UK, as it had become, (though in English minds it was still England) would have lost the Seven Years War (1756-63, if I remember rightly). In which case the whole of North America would now be speaking French, and the course of World History would have been very different.
The 14th Century wars of Scotland were defensive wars for Scotland, fought against an explicitly Imperial project of England’s. Forged by these wars, Scotland should have been the anti-imperial nation par excellence. Instead, by the end of the 17th Century we were hankering to become Imperialists ourselves (think of Darien), and by the beginning of the 18th (after disaster struck) those most committed to an Imperial Dream had realized that Scotland could never achieve such a thing on her own, but only on the coat-tails of England.
Hence Union, and Scotland’s betrayal of her historic mission, which had always been to piss on England’s border, thereby keeping the balance of power in Europe. That is, it had been Scotland’s job to prevent English dominance and hegemony over other peoples, forcing her to watch her back and divide her forces.
After the Union, with England now looking beyond Europe and outwards, to the whole wide world, we became willing partners in the accomplishment of that dream. Minor partners, of course, but sufficient to tip the scales – the balance of power – in England’s favour. We weren’t much, on paper, yet we were crucial on the ground. With Scotland in her pocket, her rivals, especially France, were no longer a match for England. Scotland made all the difference.
But who can doubt that it’s all over now? And the end of Empire is inevitably the end of the UK, which had no other purpose than to serve the imperial Dream.
Scotland and England are on irrevocably divergent paths. A totally minor event like tonight’s QT serves only to confirm this self-evidence. The (old) centre, increasingly shrinking until it eventually disappears, simply cannot hold.
The QT audience reaction, which shocked some, is a minor but good enough indicator of where we now are. Scotland and England cannot but separate. Both entities increasingly want that separation, and both should get ready for it. There is no reason why it has to be acrimonious, though the danger that it will be is very real. Adult behavior proceeds by mutual consent, not mutual resentment.
I wonder what Wales will do when the break-up happens. Probably it will be content to stay with England: if so, fair enough. But if it doesn’t want that, and isn’t ready to go it alone, I suppose it could always enter a Federal Union with Scotland; mainly autonomous, not contiguous, but joined up by air and sea. That would be something quite new: but why not?
Genuinely Federal, of course, pooling only Defence and Foreign Affairs.
And Northern Ireland? Who knows? Maybe it would enter into a similarly Federal Union with the Republic?
And maybe all of us, England included, would all get along a lot better with each other than we have done for centuries. It won’t be the Promised Land; but it might (at least to some extent) free us from our old illusions. And, dis-illusion-ed, help us deal better with the realities of the modern world.
Independence is about breaking down old barriers, not erecting new ones. If people behave maturely, it will heal wounds, not inflict new ones.
But for that to happen, the old system will have to hit the buffers, and the old power elites (old ‘buffers’ in another sense) will have to pass away. The 2015 GE looks like becoming a bold move forward in that direction. There will be plenty of discomfort along the way, of course, and we should not kid ourselves that the end of the road will be the Promised Land. But we can try and make it better than what we now have, or what we once were, for all concerned, England very much included.
Now that it’s on its way we have to go with it, however bumpy the road, and steer as well as we can, History has no backward movement; if we try to crash the gears into reverse we will only cause an accident, probably a very big one which does no good to anyone.
Independence all round will make so many barriers fall down, heal so many self-inflicted wounds.
If there’s one thing that will annoy women, it’s seeing a bunch of people especially men, ganging up on a lone woman.
Nicola is aware of this and in standing up for herself, she will have won over a few people tonight.
I fell asleep and missed the whole thing so I couldn’t possibly comment, apart from just hating Question Time anyway.
Was it any more confusing then the badly written greetin’ faced ‘Eastenders’?
Vote for the SNP and get euthanised.
Valerie says
“making youngsters work for less than £2 per hour to get their benefits – nice, really nice.”
Lets see just how keen they are to support that view when their own 17y/o kids are made to pick up drug addicts needles in parks to get their pittance of dole money when they know their kids are trying like hell to get a job.
At long last a voice of sanity
Lord Tugendhat, Chair of the Lords EU committee
finally acknowledging that Russia has a point, and the the rush to allow the Baltic states and Ukraine to join NATO was a step too far, just look at the map and put yourself in Russia’s shoes, would you stand for every (European) border to be a NATO country,
As he says the EU countries are guilty of sleepwalking into this crisis,
The scaremongering by the media of Russian “bears” flying off the coast of Cornwall meanwhile casually slipping in that they were in international airspace is getting a little scary, what next a mistaken release of a missile and a Russian plane shot down, then what?
While Leuchars still exists they’re up every day to “escort” Russian bears away from the Scottish coast it is a routine thing now suddenly it is seen as something sinister,
I wonder how many times a day NATO aircraft are “escorted” by Russian warplanes away from Russian soil.
Suddenly the stance taken by the two SNP MSP’s John Finnie and Jean Urquart who resigned from the party on a stance of opposing NATO membership doesn’t look as crazy as it did then.
If the electorate in England is moving right,
then two things are inevitable.
One is that England will end up a fascist State.
The other is that Independence for Scotland
will become even more difficult,
as respect for Democracy fades completely.
Time is short.
Vote SNP.
Join the SNP.
Hmmmmm NS on QT and I missed it. Though from the reactions above I didn’t miss much other than a Heseltine/Dimbleby match up.
On the appearance thing, it occurs that if Nicola wants to appear in the leadership debates, she may have to field some bods for the travelling carnival of QT. The SNP may have to appear at least willing to play along with the Beeb in order to get a shot at the main objective.
Were it any other time I’d be tempted to tell them to stick their QT where the monkey hides its nuts, on this occasion though?
@ John King 07:23am
John, I have a different perspective on this.
The three Baltic states were independent states before WW II and after Russia came into that and eventually helped in beating Germany were occupied by Russia, along with Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Eastern Germany.
The three states were in WW I autonomous regions of Russia having been before that part of Poland. They regained their independence after the Russian Revolution and remained independent until first Germany and the Russia invaded them in WWII.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were the only ones which were absorbed into the USSR or Greater Mother Russia. This was because their position defended the back door of their vassal state, Poland and allowed the USSR a greater access to the Baltic and there was an element of Russian settlement which gave Stalin his excuse of defending ethnic Russians, a mantra that Putin is using in Ukraine right now.
Thereafter Russia imported hundred of thousands of ethnic Russians to tip the ethnic balance in these three countries and marginalise the non Russians.
That is why these countries were so determined to get independence, join the EU and cast their minds westwards, not eastwards. That was where their futures lay and Nato was the final brick to act as a dam against renewed Russian attempts to control. Remember the mantra of defending ethnic Russians by whatever means available.
If you look at the map you will see a section of Russia totally surrounded by the EU, Poland on one side with Lithuania to the North and East. I can’t work that one out either.
Where you are undoubtedly right is that during the economic collapse of the Soviet Union, the West stood back and laughed whilst similtaneously aiding the looting of the Russian natural resources and technology. The Banks of the West won big there, especially London.
The collapse of the former Soviet military was a serious blow to the pride of the ordinary Russians. Poverty and rampant inflation was one thing but to be undefended against the Mongol hoards, the islamic southern states and the Chinese was really scary for them.
That is when Russia should have been offered Nato status and been absorbed militarily, economically and politically.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen was, the SEC Gen of Nato, was bumping his gums loudly for this but was shut up. Probably by the Americans who wanted a strong EU buffer against Russia, not a strong EU against the USA.
I could talk for hours on this.
What could Nicola do against such animosity from the panel and the audience? They were just nasty. I only watched because she was on. I try to never listen to Heseltine. He really is an old bore. He was given a soap box by Dimbelby. Nobody else was allowed so much airtime and C Flint was her usual bullying self.
I have no idea why Duncan Bannentyne was there. Imagine telling someone who is desperately looking for a job to get out there and knock doors when that person is applying to hundreds of places online for a job. Companies don’t take you in and listen like it was in his day, they want your questionnaire online. I felt sorry for the female who asked the question. He was just being a smartass playing to the rest of the audience and why was someone from the North of Scotland in the audience wanting nukes in her back yard, was she a plant?
Nicola did very well on QT and her respectful,sensible and friendly general demeanour was the most telling point.
That is what registers and what is remembered, not any if the answers
It has to be understood that many of her honestly given answers cannot be suitable to any English audience.
Heseltine is a disgrace, utter dinosaur. A view of a world we should all want to move away from but instead, as some have noted, we had his thoughts rammed down our throat ahead of all others.
If they had been interested in discussing options, then they might have explored alternatives such as actually having a decent number of troops or a proper navy (I’d prefer we just butted out more often, but prepared to listen to other views!).
However ‘we must have a nuclear deterrent!’ is an article of faith for these idiots, unbacked by any real analysis of its true efficacy in doing what they say it does.
They just rely on people being too scared to question whether it is sensible or not, hence scare stories about what Putin intends being rammed down our throats morning, noon and night (because people have pointed out too effectively that Trident is no use against lone attacks on UK, so they have to go on about a world power which people can believe might possess the capability to launch a big offensive one day).
David Starkey is on Glasgow QT panel. Also Mhairi Black
That is theatre. It’s a deliberate choice to provoke. It has bugger all to do with reasoned debate and argument.
Anyone who believes it is likely that the SNP will be allowed influence in WM should watch last night’s QT. Both politicians and audience were very anti SNP interference in ‘their’ parliament. And, that was a Teeside audience, not the SE where I suspect the resistance will be greater.
A minority Lab government supported by the SNP is possible, but I think unlikely.
After the GE there will be two blocks in WM. A social democratic progressive group of about 60 MPS (SNP, PC, Eng Green, SDLP), and a neo-liberal leaning block of 590 MPs (Con, Lab, LibDem, UKIP)! Even if there are Labour MPs whose politics now lie outside their own party, most are loyal. The UK as a whole is now very right wing.
IMO the necessity of sending as many SNP MPs as possible is to reach a situation where SNP speak for Scotland, and Lab/Con speak for rUK with no mandate here. It should cut both ways – if the SNP can’t influence rUK, then rUK parties shouldn’t be allowed to influence Scotland!
Duncan Bannatyne nearly went bankrupt, he had borrowed from an Irish bank and totally over extended. The Bank was trying to call in the debt. He has £Million of reconstructed debts. Bannatyne is not the successful entrepreneur he tries to betray.
There is no threat from Putin/Russia. It’s an Election ploy by the Tory/Unionists, rewriting history, to get re-elected. Invent a threat to terrorise the population. The last think Putin wants is a war in Europe or the Middle East, but wants to protect Russia’s Borders. Prevented Russian speakers being discriminated in Ukraine. The worse most vicious SS Nazi German Units were from Ukraine.
UK/US are trying to overthrow Putin to get access to Russian resources. Cutting of their nose to spite their face causing chaos as usual. The US is even trying to supply weapons to Ukraine to cause more havoc. The US/UK ave been frozen out of the talks because the Europeans have a measure of their meddling interference. US illegally snooping on European citizens with UK support.
Alex Salmond has appeared on the Question Time panel 22 times, 6 of those as First Minister, and once as outgoing First Minister.
Given this, it would certainly raise questions if Nicola Sturgeon were seen to avoid appearing.
Anyway, I think she done well given the relatively hostile nature of the other panel members, and some of the audience.
Patiently waiting for the Nuclear sub scrap heap to be moored at the Thames beside Westminster, to keep them safer. Instead of the derelict rotten Subs being moored at Rosyth. Nuclear weapons being carted all over Britain. The Offical Secrets Act covering up the lies. Westminster secrecy and lies protects Westminster criminality. They break the Laws that they make and endanger Britain.
Incidentally, Stockton probably just wants what Labour wants, in most policy areas. So that’s nuclear weapons and demonising poor. Labour are for it, so it must be right!
On vote whoever and get whoever, WGD makes a good point.
https://weegingerdug.wordpress.com/2015/02/20/making-magrit-sad/comment-page-1/#comment-16319
People voted on Labour campaigning during the referendum and were guaranteed Tory governments for the foreseeable future.
Spooky, but true.
Grouse Beater
Absolutely correct just as last night’s QT was supposed to be. Didn’t quite work out that way though!Nicola acted as a lightning rod for all that anger & yet remained calm throughout.She was supposed to ‘lose it’ but didn’t.
OT. Gerry Cinnamon is on Sunny Govan at 10am folks
Hesletine was Thatcher puppet as she secretly stole Scottish resources and ruined the UK economy. Banker fraud and established the tax havens for tax evasion. Hesletine is another tax evader, who miss appropriate £Billion of public money to line his own pockets. Leon Brittain leaked a letter about the economic position around a Westland Helicopter deal. Hesletine had to resign. A total hypocrite.
Dim ble bee experience of Scotland is sailing his yacht around the Scottish Isles on BBC licence payers funding. An overpaid non entity. Condescending patronage. Doff your caps to Sir?
At least you don’t hear the right moaning about the lefty bias of the beeb anymore. Just keep getting stuff like facts out there and people appreciate that. eg
wiki says
“The United States is one of the five recognized nuclear powers by the signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). As of September 2009 it possessed 5,113 warheads operationally deployed, in active reserve, or held in inactive storage. This figure compares to a peak of 31,225 total warheads in 1967 and 22,217 in 1989, and does not include “several thousand” warheads that have been retired and scheduled for dismantlement.”
So when you hear the far right establishment hatchet men of teamGB demanding to spend £100bn more on a couple of dozen Trident missiles, its important to keep asking QT BBC shills why a few nukes with union jacks stenciled on them would make any difference in WW3, why are establishment hasbeens Hessletine or clowns like Murphy or Curran at SLab demanding we spend £100bn on weapons that would not make any difference in WW3, maybe make the planet destroying, humanity wipe out nuclear winter last a wee bit longer?
Uk is run by maniacs and conmen.
https://notesfromnorthbritain.wordpress.com/author/conlawforum/
Scotland’s still got a chance to get away from Rule Britannia.
Quite surprised to see Nicola Sturgeon herself has now appeared on the Question Time panel 19 times, the first time 17 years ago.
So for her to stop doing so now, just because she is FM would seem strange, considering being FM didn’t stop AS from appearing.
The expression of terror on Hesletine’s vacant coupon when Bannatyne suggested politician published their income in the sake of openness. Nothing to hide? The income/tax affairs of politicians in the US and other countries, has to be published or they can’t stand for public office.
The Man Who Would Be King
Mcha: Alex Salmond has appeared on the Question Time – of those as First Minister
Ah, memory.
Question Time is barely watchable so gladiatorial and cringe worthy is its raison d’etre.
There is a big difference between Salmond and Sturgeon, and it’s a physical difference, including voice.
In addition, Salmond brought along a lot of intimidating political history with him. I argue Sturgeon has much less in both departments as far as English viewers are concerned. They barely know her, hence there is little respect. And she’s female – men can talk over her. It’s their right, after all.
I repeat – it’s television wasting our time by turning up the drama and turning down careful thought and insight.
Politicians, pundits get to pose and pontificate without incisive questions that develop thesis or check logic. Members of the audience get to boo and hiss and be opinionated too. May as well be a bullpit.
Let’s put all those animals in the same cage and see what happens.
The last thing the ‘show’ is about, is questions.
@ Grouse Beater thank you for moving the dead Fox. I have done that myself when it’s safe.
Upsets me to see foxes and deer corpses left, I just feel it’s so undignified in their death due to humans. The least drivers that have killed can do is pull the body off the road.
Thought it was a bad idea BBCQT confirmed that ;Don’t think the FM should do any more of these shows.
O/T Yeah Labour / Jim Murphy : Top priority time wasting distraction; summit on drink at football in Scotland.
Cutting edge & all that. Go look at last nights Feyenoord match newsclips online. Thugs/ Blood / glass oh and alcohol !!!!
Just what Scots need more than anything ??
We are only ever a ‘bottle toss’ away from that at around Football Stadia. Let drink back eh surely not.
Labour for Scotland ??? – Nutters the lot of them.
Don’t vote for True Blue Labour (AKA Red Tories in Scotland)
Ahh, I get it, it’s a drinking game. Every time someone says or tweets a vote for X is a vote for Y you have to take a specific drink. Obviously whisky when SNP is mentioned. Beer when UKIP is mentioned , champagne when the tories are mentioned, etc.
Dumb Unicorn @ 1:12am
Very good point. It’s almost portrayed in such a way as to suggest that the Scottish MPs who have intervened in votes on English matters in ways that have worked to the detriment of people in England (see tuitions fees) were SNP MPs rather than Labour ones!!
Look. I just want to leave ENGLAND. I don’t want to have anything to do with them. They is not my cup of tea.
Jesus wept does this guy never give up!
Murphy at alcohol ban summit Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy will today meet football clubs and supporters’ groups to discuss lifting the ban on alcohol at grounds.
The summit, which takes place at Hampden Park, will also hear from the Scottish Football Association.
First of all Jim, you are not going to get elected first minister EVER.
Second the SG have no plans EVER to change this 35 year old law.
You and your summit are a waste of bloody time,why the SFA and anyone else is even agreeing to meet you to discuss this non- issue is beyond me.
Our FM is absolutely correct when she says this would be “taking a step backwards”.
Grouse Beater et al
QT and Calle Kaye are not factual news or current affairs progams.
They are more infotainment and totally targeted on sensationalism, outrage and ratings.
Compare and contrast The Daily Mail, increasingly now the Telegraph and the way television has gone (BBC, ITV and Sky).
It is all a ratings game and is designed on an LCD formula.
and needs being razed to the ground and rebuilt. It needs to be an example for others to come up to and is really positioning itself to be privatised, by the Blue or Red Tories. Salami slicing?
A good quality independent SBC, following the original tenets of the BBC should be the touchstone for a renaissance of a rejuvenated MSM in an independent Scotland.
Re Mhairi Black going on QT. If this turns out to be right, stitching her up would be a very poor look for the unionists. Only the most rabid anti-SNP people will be pleased to see ‘a wee lassie’ bullied by the likes of Starkey.
Labour activists are encouraging Tory voters in Scotland to vote Labour to stop the SNP.
“Vote Labour, stop the SNP” can be added to the list.
Grouse Beater, I’m not saying it’s necessarily the best platform for Nicola, although she does tend to do well, in my (biased) opinion.
But if she refused any further invitation to appear how long would it be before she was accused of running scared?
MochaChoca
AS when he was FM only appeared on QT when filmed from an audience in England. I think NS should do the same and have some other person on QT when it is recorded in Scotland.
Who would have thought it, the Unionist parties are using the SNP in an attempt to boost their own ratings.
They must really be in panic mode to boost their own ratings, while being terrified of a large SNP contingent at Westminster. Oh happy days! They are like rats when someone throws a shovel among them. Yeah!
Road kill..Mmmmm! tasty.
Best way to deal with the endless unionist propaganda from the BBC is not to pay the TV tax and stop watching/recording live TV.
Fact is an ever more massive number of people watch their TV on catch up and i-player etc. which you can legally do without paying the TV Tax.
Just unplug that aerial, save yourself about £150 a year and watch everything through catch-up services.
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/tv-licence
As long as the TV Tax remains and people keep paying it there is no possibility that the BBC and others will ever stop lying about things like Iraq and the SNP/Independence.
Mocha: not saying it’s necessarily the best platform for Nicola,
If ‘not the best’ then avoid.
Why play the BBC’s game by the BBC’s rules?
As I said, there’s a dignity to be sustained as first minister of a resurgent nation state.
Rule One – Don’t get involved in dog fights.
Jimmy Reid was once put up to debate with Kenneth Williams. Instead of arguing with Williams, who spouted increasingly reactionary and intolerant opinions, Reid simply allowed Williams his head. Reid didn’t need to say anything, Williams own words were enough to condemn his argument.
If Mairi Black has any sense, she will do the same with David Starkey. Let him spout his Scotophbic shite and appear wise and moderate by saying nothing. She should avoid a war of words, which I suspect she won’t come out well from.
Re Question Time. I’ve watched it on iplayer. On the issue of trident no member of the Scottish Branch Office can now oppose replacing trident because Caroline Flint stated quite categorically “Yes the Labour party does support us having an independent nuclear deterrent” at about 24:34 in the program. (Download it for future reference!) However much any of the Scottish Branch say they oppose it they will be told by London to support renewal.
Vote Labour and get Tory policies.
I am not sure that Mhairi Black appearing on QT in a few weeks is a good idea. I sense a political ambush. Having said that it will wind up Ian Smart even more if she does appear on QT.
Off topic but still to do with labels… I was musing about newspapers and their names and how inappropriate or ironic they are.
The Independent… It wasn’t during the referendum, pushing a unionist agenda.
The Guardian… Of the unionist agenda and everything Labour.
The Mirror… Reflecting nothing of substance.
The Record… Broken.
The Daily Herald… heralding doom for anything pro Indy.
The Express… expressing putridness like a squeezed spot.
The list, I am sure, goes on….
Seems that wee Dougie Alexander will be on the Big Debate, Radio Scotland, lunchtime, from Paisley. Booze at fitba grounds is on the agenda. Could be interesting.
Anyone we know going along?
QT had an agenda last night to have a go at Nicola and the SNP. All the current campaign Unionist catch phrases where slotted it, even by the chairman.
I sometimes wonder exactly who we are up against. Certainly the BBC is far from an impartial news provider … propaganda is now its business. BBC in Scotland is clearly pro-Labour, but at a UK level, exactly who is the BBC acting for? We often say ‘the establishment’, ‘the state’, ‘the crown’, etc … we imply beyond democracy, politics and accountability.
Consider the much discussed Outlander series. How does the BBC, ITV, Chan4, Sky, Virgin, Amazon, Netflix accept this ongoing censorship of Outlander? Who holds this power over so many media outlets? How are they exercising it? Perhaps a billion people have had the opportunity to view it, and yet it has been censored off our screens.
Seems like a web of invisible strings with some dark entity tugging on them to thwart Scottish democratic aspirations!
At least we know about Murphy and pals!
Nicola did very well considering the stacked deck on QT, I am however interested to see what QT Glasgow is going to be like will that also be a stacked deck.
Although during the referendum I voted Yes, I did have pangs of guilt about leaving ruk in a worse place. That feeling has now disappeared. With out a doubt they are better together, but we, I’m afraid would be better apart.
Their conduct during the referendum exposed what they have become and the differences that exist. I have no doubt that the GE2015 result will expose this further.
Well done Nicola, good job in difficult circumstances.
I just hope the SNP vary their panellist on QT not that I actually watch it.
Labour should put some of their other MP’s on so we can see what talented MP’s they don’t have.
One I would like to see the demise of is the MP for Motherwell and Wishaw, the SNP candidate has a fundraiser going;
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-marion-kick-frank-roy-out
I think Mhairi Black will be given a great deal of advice. The SNP will know they will attempt a stitch-up. The problem will be for her to keep level headed, they will undoubtedly gang up on her.
She is a wonderful down to earth speaker, who is honest and passionate about getting folk out of poverty.
If she can get that across and avoid ‘sticking the heid’ -joke -on Starkey, she should come across well
Tory spokesperson at their conference says the most left wing government in Scottish history is imposing draconian cuts,forcing the councils to reduce their services etc etc. We (the tories) must get rid of them.
Aye right! Welcome to how the UK treat Scotland through the Barnett formula. Funny old world init! 🙂
GB, the urban fox has been a success story, I have a cracker of a dog fox around here at 11 o clock on the dot to collect its bag of goodies from the neighbours.
Completely unheard of in my young day and I believe they kill loads of urban rats when they’re not at the Chicken Bhuna’s.
A bit O/T but still about the State Broadcaster,
I hear from a PQ emplyee, not in the propaganda department though, that security there has been stepped up to almost airport standard. Them evil cybernats must have got them rattled!
Folks, stop playing Murphy’s game. All he is after is publicity, we all know it’s a mad idea and a very big step backwards.
Let him get on with it, he’s doing a fine job for the SNP.
Stop letting Murphy set our topics and agenda for us.
I think it’s great, the more the BBC tries to rubbish us, the more the Southerners show their racist hatred of us eventually the Scots who like to think they’re Brits will start to get it
They don’t like us down there in Englandshire coz “The Meeja tells them so”
Wee song at the end
Someone needs to find the address of ‘nuclear woman’ from QT then place a couple of oil barrels with radiation symbols stencilled on in her garden. Wonder how happy she will be to have them there? <- Joking, obviously!
I cant believe why people are struggling to expose the lie of the “Nuclear Deterrent”
Out of a grand total of 195 countries in the world only 9 have a “Nuclear Deterrent”.
The argument in favour of having a “Nuclear Deterrent” is to state that by having the ability to retaliate you create a “MAD” situation. “Mutually Assured Destruction”
This apparently is the only way to insure against Nuclear attack.
So the huge flaw in that argument is the fact that for that statement to be true every nation on the planet should be given their own WMDs as the only sure way to ensure Nuclear attack never occurs anywhere by anybody.
So while the supporters of “MAD” promote the concept of “MAD” they simultaneously refuse to allow further nuclear proliferation throughout the rest of the world thus assuring that “MAD” cannot be employed as a means of “Deterrent”.
So those who believe in the “MAD” concept are the ones who are refusing to have the concept implemented across the world in spite of their belief that it makes the world a safer place.
Mad indeed.
Then there is the absolute bare faced lie about supporting the concept of Multilateral disarmament.
Every nation on the planet without exception has expressed support for the concept of Multilateral disarmament.
So it begs the question as there are no objections to the concept anywhere why hasn’t it happened?
The answer is very simple. Out of all the countries who have WMDs not one of them actually supports the concept of multilateral disarmament at all.
The only people who actually do believe in the concept of Multilateral disarmament are those who believe and are willing to accept Unilateral disarmament because in supporting the concept of unilateral disarmament you show a truly credible belief in Multilateral disarmament.
I too watched QT with a growing sense of disgust at the sheer bared faced ignorance on display.
Its a horrible spectacle to witness the effects of state sponsored misinformation and State sponsored media manipulation in all its glory.
Truly horrible.
“Re Mhairi Black going on QT. If this turns out to be right, stitching her up would be a very poor look for the unionists. Only the most rabid anti-SNP people will be pleased to see ‘a wee lassie’ bullied by the likes of Starkey.”
True but it’s also obvious the BBC wanted her so most of the programme could be about the ‘controversy’ over what she said. If it were me I’d put up someone else like the excellent Dr Phillipa Whitford who is no stranger to public speaking and also had to deal with smears against herself from the Labour shitrag the Daily Record. Mhairi can probably deal with the entire panel ganging up on her but why risk it when there are other candidates who are well used to that sort of BBC and Labour bias?
Regardless, Glasgow is going to be won or lost on the streets not in the studios and Labour are getting hammered there just like they are everywhere else at the moment. You have to wonder if Labour’s branch office in scotland even have 5000 members at this point because they sure as fuck aren’t on the streets canvassing and leafleting.
Jim McIntosh 12.30am.
‘Or are you trolling’
Click on my name Jim which will take you
to my blog and then you can decide whether I’m
trolling or not.
As I clearly stated, the fact my English friend
thought NS was out of her depth says more about
the brainwashing going on in England than whether
he was right or wrong.
Stockton on Tees was always Tory and was Harold MacMillan’s constituency. It is NOT a typical working class NE area. The QT audience will reflect the essential small c conservatism of middle England and it is strong in that town.
QT is basically Prime Ministers questions under another guise given the abysmally low standard of debate and appalling sloganising. Dimbleby is pure establishment and will always echo the EBC bias and preconceptions. Blue Labour. They simply do not understand Wales or Scotland – nor do they wish to.
@ Bugger (the panda)
Excellent poins made, we could easily have embraced Russia after the end of the cold war instead the West have mishandled things badly.
I have a great interest in Russia and its history and am shocked by the ignorance shown by many in positions of power. Kenny Everrett’s “lets bomb Russia” seems to be close to becoming UK government policy.
Nicola did very well on QT, I too am deeply troubled by the reactionary mood down south. We need independence more than ever.
The most excellent hashtag VoteSNPgetSEXY is floating around the Twittersphere, re the luminous, poised, charismatic and truly captivating Nicola. Does SNP stand for Sexy Nicola Party?
1)Parties aren’t asked to put someone up for a QT panel. They specify an individual, usually one who has been in the news in recent weeks. If party says no to a particular individual, then no-one attends.
2) NS achieved several objectives on QT last night
a) She was there as leader of SNP (so pushing the fact that Alex is not)
b) Her credentials for being there were openly displayed to the UK for all to see
c) She talked about SNP policies & showed just how different they were to UK tories of all hues.
d) She didn’t stoop to the bearpit level of the rest of the panel.
e) She made the most of particular soundbites then shut up & let the remainder of the panel condemn themselves & their own party policies themselves by their comments about SNP & Scotland.
f)She talked about making common cause with English voters on specific issues (that went down well)so clearly saying we don’t hate the English. The only hatred on show was from the tories (red, blue & orange)
g) Not once did she slag off the other panel members. She didn’t need to. She just let them all show their true colours-the camera caught a couple of small smiles.
h) She will have caused a mini surge in SNP membership after that programme-it will certainly have brought some Noes on board.
i) Most of all she showed that she wasn’t a monster & remained cool, calm & collected even when under sustained attack.
She has had the longest apprenticeship in politics & it shows. She has learned her trade well & I think you will find that Nicola was quite pleased with the results.It seemed a bit like playing with clockwork toys-just wind them up & watch them go. More subtle than Alex but effective.
I don’t really think the unionists will care a jot about bullying a young lassie .
I love Mhairi Black but I don’t think she should do QT in two weeks.
Geoff Huijer:
the fact my English friend thought NS was out of her depth says more about the brainwashing going on in England than whether he was right or wrong.
I agree entirely.
When you reach a certain level of respected reputation you must be careful how you use it, not squander it presenting yourself as an Aunt Sally.
She only needed to be in wheelchair, claiming benefits, and Jewish to get a worse reception from English illiterates. (Satire!)
Nicola gave them the solution to their worries. The more they devolve to Scotland the less Scotland will try to influence. She can’t be blamed if they are not listening. The less they devole more they will have to learn to do that.
Who are the other panalists on the QT panel next week. Get as much dirt on them. When they start their nonsense Mhairi should let slip a few gems about them.
Re M/s Black you don’t have to wait 2 weeks
Ian Smart @ianssmart · 14h 14 hours ago
Imagine how miserable the wee Nazi candidate in Paisley must be about tonight’s Celtic performance.
Jim McIntosh says:
20 February, 2015 at 12:40 am
@Tam Jardine
“If that’s the mood in the North East of England then it’s time to batten down the hatches.
I was thinking the same thing while watching. If this is the mood in the North of England, WTF does London and the South think of us.
Couldn’t give a fuck, have exprienced the anti Scottish bigotry in the ne of england first hand. The mood on qt is of no surprise to me and i’m talking about experiences nearly six years ago…. hatches duly fucking batoned. Ah, that’s better.
Re: Mhairi Black.
All she has to do on QT is remain quiet and respectful when others are giving their points.
If she is interrupted and/or heckled by any other panel members when giving her responses, she should immediately stop speaking and when it goes quiet, and she’s urged to continue, she should respond with a savagely cutting retort.
Something along the lines of: No amount of ignorance or bullying is going to prevent me from speaking the truth and there is no point in rudely talking over each other, the public don’t like it.
That should win her rapturous applause and a lot of public support.
Gaun yersel Mhairi, tell it like it is and get stuck in.
Play smart, remember, doonstairs fur dancin – upstairs fur thinkin.
😉
re: Mhairi Black on QT in Glasgow in two weeks’ time.
The unionist parties and the BBC are trying for a total stich-up to save wee Dougie “stab-my-sister-in-the-back” Alexander’s seat for the hallowed Labour Party.
The fact is that, as great and passionate as Mhairi Black is, she is inexperienced and… well, young and passionate. Exactly what you’d want in a young person but perhaps not what you’d want in a UK-wide BBC programme, because everything she says will be used against her and her party.
Can she keep the heid? Can she coolly and rationally talk about the SNP’s objectives? Will she be allowed to? (No, to the last question.)
Anyway, how often have QT had parliamentary candidates with no previous elected position as panellists on QT? Why are they making an exception with Mhairi Black?
Maybe wee Duggie Alexander had a word in the friendly ear of the BBC.
@ GrouseBeater, 1.55am
Your words about the dead fox really moved me. So beautifully written.
I actually once wrote to the highways authority here in Finland asking about what they do to roadkill (usually raccoon dogs and hares on main highways, red squirrels in built-up areas – red squirrels are ubiqutous here) and the polite and informative answer came back: nothing. They let the crows and ravens and other carrion eaters take care of it. Only when there’s a big animal, such as a reindeer or an elk involved, they (or usually the police) get involved, because the car and its human passangers are usually also in trouble and the injured animal needs putting out of its misery.
Most Finnish drivers avoid driving over roadkill for two reasons: out of respect, it’s not right to drive over a dead animal. And most of all, you don’t want your tyres and the insides of your fenders get splattered by the bloody mess.
It should be noted that Finnish roads and streets are wider than Scottish ones (and usually less traffic) so there’s room to avoid the carcass.
The motorways, highways, roads, streets are wider because we’ve got to have somewhere to push the snow when the routes get ploughed. We have snow for 3-5 months of the year. (And winter tyres are compulsory between December and March inclusive. “Traction tyres” or the real thing, studded tyres. You really want studs if you’re driving outside urban areas or main highways.)
I found it highly ammusing that Nicola’s greatest oponent on Question Time was the, (AHEM!), totally impartial presenter. You could actually see the naked hate and detestation shine out of Dimbleby.
When it is as obvious as that it can only help the independence movement