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A small discrepancy

Posted on January 19, 2016 by

The Labour Party has today published Margaret Beckett’s report into why it lost the 2015 general election. We were rather struck by this line:

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Let’s just go over that one again to be sure: Labour believed that an SNP victory in Scotland would make it “impossible” for the Tories to form the government.

Which is weird, because that’s not quite what we remember them saying.

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In the end, of course, they were wrong on both counts: the Tories got in, but not because of the SNP. Ironically it was people voting Labour who gave Cameron and Osborne their majority, after the SNP had reduced the Con/Lib coalition’s by 20 seats.

But we suppose that’s harder to get into a snappy hashtag.

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180 to “A small discrepancy”

  1. Ruglonian
    Ignored
    says:

    #LabourStopBeingDicks 😉

  2. Dan Huil
    Ignored
    says:

    Not only did Labour lie to the people of Scotland they also lied to themselves. I mean, if it wasn’t so serious I’d pish masel laughin’.

  3. Kenny Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    Labour’s issue is their hatred to the SNP lets the Tories off the hook. They have on a number of occasions intimated they prefer a UK Tory government to a Scottish Government that is not Labour controlled.

  4. Stoker
    Ignored
    says:

    The sides of the Grand Canyon are closer than Labour and the truth.

    SNP x 2

  5. Geoff Huijer
    Ignored
    says:

    Liars get caught out lying again*

    *Not seen in any mainstream media anywhere.

  6. jim watson
    Ignored
    says:

    Now that Labour have reached that conclusion, does it now mean we were wrong all along and voting SNP actually let the tories back in…because lets face it if labour are saying it it must be the converse that is true…

    I’m so confused…

  7. jimnarlene
    Ignored
    says:

    Labour, more faces than the toon clock.

  8. Fiona
    Ignored
    says:

    It is depressing seeing all those lies in one place. A reminder of how far the media contributes to dissemination of establishment propaganda. It is not that we don’t know, but a reminder of the extent of it is handy now and then

  9. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    FFS.pardon my French..Labour done up like kippers by the Tories pre and post referendum.

    Milliband desperately trying to out Tory the Tories, and Murphy trying to sell the opposite here in Scotland,posing as true Socialists whilst the bosses in London adorned themselves with the right policy manual to appease the English vote.

    Liars ,charlatans,sleekit,and any other words you can think
    of are barely adequate to describe them.

    Beckett now lets the cat out of the bag in the course of the post mortem.
    Who in their right mind would ever again believe these people?.

  10. paul gerard mccormack
    Ignored
    says:

    Laugh?! Ah ver neer crashed mah fags!

  11. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    The guy with his finger on the pulse, worth watching again the arse he made of it on Question Time. Yes for Labour.

    Ed Miliband tells the British public, in no uncertain terms, that he would rather Labour wasn’t in government than make concessions to the Scottish National Party (SNP). Speaking on Thursday during the BBC’s Question Time Election Leaders Special, Miliband responds to a question over the possibility of a hung parliament by saying that he’d rather not have a Labour government if it were supported by the SNP

    http://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2015/apr/30/ed-miliband-question-time-labour-government-means-deals-snp-video

    Since Labour are not in Government does he still feel the same way? Does Jeremy Corbyn and his shawdow cabinet still agree with Milibands view? Guess we won’t find out before the next UK election.

    If there is ever a next UK election.

  12. bjsalba
    Ignored
    says:

    Being pedantic I would say either


    Ironically it was people NOT coming out to vote for Labour who gave Cameron and Osborne their majority, after the SNP had reduced the Con/Lib coalition’s by 20 seats.

    Ironically it was the LACK of people coming out to vote for Labour who gave Cameron and Osborne their majority, after the SNP had reduced the Con/Lib coalition’s by 20 seats.

    Of course that is not the BBC line. I did my morning propaganda watch/listen of R4 this morning and the line they were giving was that Labour voters were afraid that under Ed Milliband, SNP would rule the roost.

    Maybe some did. Either way, it seems to me that the Unionists are running scared.

  13. Vestas
    Ignored
    says:

    I find it hugely amusing that the “South Britain” branch of the Labour party don’t understand that the “North Britain” branch would rather shoot themselves in the head than admit the SNP could be right about anything.

    The current muppet in charge of the “South Britain” branch is just as clueless as his predecessors.

    As an aside I see no reason why anyone on the Yes side of the independence debate should trust any of the unions either.

    I read Len McClusky’s weasel words in the Guardian ( http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jan/17/len-mcclusky-unite-critical-friend-snp-nicola-sturgeon ) and its clear he’s no friend to anyone on the Yes side. That’s quite apart from the Unite union thinking that preserving/renewing weapons of mass murder is OK as long as their members keep their jobs. I guess “solidarity” only goes so far – ie if you’re English & pay your union subs so Len gets paid…

    SLAB needs to be destroyed. Regardless of whether independence happens or not SLAB needs to die. Perhaps then something that isn’t utterly self-serving might take its place.

  14. Clyde1998
    Ignored
    says:

    I’m reading this report, and something sticks out for me when reading about what Labour thought of the SNP ‘changes in policy’ to be more left wing following the referendum.

    …few realised that support for the “yes” campaign might lead straight to increased support for the SNP, especially as their policies, on, for example, the top rate of tax, or a mansion tax, were more conservative than those of Labour. In fact, while some might have expected Labour to regain support after the referendum, the SNP adopted Labour policies they had previously rejected, and built not only on the emotion of the referendum, but on the perception of a possible betrayal of government promises.

    They appear to have forgotten that the SNP changed their leader following the referendum, which may have directly impacted on the party becoming more left wing. Additionally, they fail to note that the SNP’s increase in membership came mainly from people on the left – which would’ve had an impact on the policies of the party.

    Additionally, they’re forgetting that they lost heavily in Scotland in 2011. About 20% of the Scottish electorate were happy to vote SNP at Holyrood, Labour at Westminster, but I suspect that a very sizeable proportion of these voters would’ve moved to only vote SNP.

    They, also, fail to note the change in politics in Scotland from left-right to nationalist-unionist. People in Scotland heavily want more powers, and they haven’t factored this into the reasoning why people might have decided to vote SNP during the general election, when the SNP were the only mainstream party to be campaigning for more, substantial, powers for Scotland.

  15. Effijy
    Ignored
    says:

    You can rely on Labour- to get it wrong, even when they spend a year studying another thing that they got wrong!

    Maybe they are treating themselves as they do others and they are
    lying to themselves?

    Labour are just wrong!

    They are so inept and incompetent that they are now unable to
    make any kind of comment or plan that the public might consider to be plausible.

    Not to worry! I’m sure their pals in the Tory Party will give Margaret Becket a new Ermine robe and a nice pension for her help.

  16. Wulls
    Ignored
    says:

    wonder if there’s a # lying wankers or # apology required.
    I won’t hold my breath for either but it’s nice to see Margaret Beckett finally admitting ( partly) that it was their own doing.

  17. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    I don’t think Labour sought out and spoke to people who have moved from Labour to SNP over the last 10 years, and asked why? They might have learnt something useful and could have drawn some meaningful conclusions.

    Then again, maybe it’s best if the continue to stumble around in the dark. We have Indy to win, and they still have the potential to get in the road.

  18. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    It is also possible that, if Miliband had endorsed the SNP’s anti-austerity policy and agreed to pursue that in Westminster, he would have gained the votes of the left wing English voters who have abandoned Labour in despair.

    Miliband’s performance on Question Time was pathetic.

    Labour were too dominated by their PR SPADS who had their own neo-liberal agenda. “The Thick of It” was eerily accurate. Doesn’t look like this post mortem will move them any further forward. RIP.

  19. gordoz
    Ignored
    says:

    BBC North Britain announce bombardment of SNPbad over health for Reporting Scotchland .

  20. Tam Jardine
    Ignored
    says:

    Watching Mr Foulkes in the Lords- launching an ill informed rant on that old chestnut- Gaelic road signs. He actually describes Gaelic interpreters as ‘great entrepreneurs of the language’.

    Anyway if you want to see a waste of taxpayers money rail against wasting taxpayers money on a subject almost completely removed from filleting Smith in his own characteristic drawl replete with long, tortuous pauses and anecdotes that make one want to double up in a kind of cringing fury- check it out on parliament live 17.45.

    I particularly enjoy when he is subsequently asked what the Gaelic for Cumnock (his manor) is.

  21. JLT
    Ignored
    says:

    This is a party that has no shame.

    Ed Miliband in the run-up to the General Election, sneered at the SNP’s attempts to form a coalition with Labour, in a fair attempt to try and at least, keep the Tories out of No. 10.

    They blamed the SNP for allowing the Tories to win the General Election.

    They then blamed the SNP for ruining Labour’s chances of winning the General Election because the SNP had pulled life-long Labour supporters away from Labour and thus in the process, guaranteed a ‘Tory’ victory.

    They have then avoided working with the SNP at every point when it came to voting down Tory policies in Parliament …only for Labour politicians to abstain at every turn, and thus guaranteeing every policy implemented by the Tories would be passed

    And now this …‘that an SNP victory in Scotland would make it “impossible” for the Tories to form the government’.

    This is a party that is hotfooting from one bad excuse to the next. The only thing that is consistent is their crying of ‘SNP Bad’. This is a party where even the leaders are at odds with each other. Kezia didn’t back Corbyn in the leadership election. She still has to ask his permission to do things in her own Parliament. Then we have those in the Labour ‘cabinets’ (both Scotland and England). Half of the Labour Shadow Cabinet in London don’t like Corbyn …but then again …half the Party don’t like Corbyn! In Scotland, the others just do as they wish. Jackie Baillie opens her mouth, grunts and mumbles something pertaining to be ‘fact’ and no one reins her in (not even our beloved and unbiased media).

    The party is riddled from top to bottom with fantasists, bottom-kissers, delusionists, liars, bare-faced liars!, Red-Tories, Communists, Brit-Nat Union Leaders, Peers, War-mongerers, war criminals, paedophiles …in fact, you name it …they have it!! This is a party where everyone has their own wee agenda; their own wee bit of power play and their own ambition …and all done in the name of Labour.

    The only two things they are consistent on is (1) being inconsistent with themselves; each other and party policy and (2) and their favourite – ‘SNP Bad!’

  22. kato
    Ignored
    says:

    Sorry if this is a bit off subject.
    If as they say the referendum will be in June and The SNP have stated that a vote to leave the EU in England would be one of the triggers for Indy2. As an indy supporter who lives in London who believes that we should stay in the EU.
    Should I be voting to exit the EU to help trigger Indy2

  23. Fiona
    Ignored
    says:

    It seems the report confirms their pre-determined conclusions. Possibly they have asked the right people the right questions, but R4 reporting that they were essentially too left wing and that is what the PLP and the Blairites were pushing before the report commenced. Given the surge in membership etc after Corbyn’s election it is hard to see how that can be right. To me it is more likely that they are confirming their bias, and they will get nowhere if they carry on. However it is business as usual, at least for SLAB and I think also for the Blairites.

  24. Breastplate
    Ignored
    says:

    There was never going to be a deal made by Labour and the SNP.
    As Thepnr already pointed out above, Miliband would rather have the Tories in government.
    All this in my view to ensure the SNP didn’t get anywhere near the accounts and see embezzlement on a massive scale.

  25. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    @Kato,

    You should vote as your principles dictate.

  26. Republicofscotland
    Ignored
    says:

    The Tories played a blinder, by saying that Nicola Sturgeon would be pulling Ed Miliband’s strings if he became prime minister. The rest of the UK especialy England bought into that mantra.

    I wonder if the fear of the SNP South of the border outweighed the fear of the Tories, either way Labour came across as incompetent liars, and too a certain extent still do.

  27. JLT
    Ignored
    says:

    Hi Tam Jardine

    Watching Mr Foulkes in the Lords- launching an ill informed rant on that old chestnut- Gaelic road signs. He actually describes Gaelic interpreters as ‘great entrepreneurs of the language’.

    Hi Tam. I wouldn’t worry about anything Lord Foulkes has to say. He has no idea of what he is talking about. Just over a 100 years ago, Ireland was in the same boat; looking at the old Gaelic language dying out. When Ireland became independent, the Irish Government set out a programme to revive the language. At the time, folk moaned …English was the language of Ireland.

    Fast forward 100 years. Ireland still has English as its main language, but they have saved Irish Gaelic, and now it is taught everywhere and can be read and spoken by most of the population. What the Irish did, was to save a part of their culture. And it is this fact, that Foulkes misses. If one allows their culture to die, then there is no ‘nation’.

    You could actually do this in role-reversal. What Foulkes is terrified off, is the death of the British culture. The more folk drift away from acknowledging things such as the Union Jack, God save the Queen, the Royal Family …then we have the likes of Foulkes shouting that it must be saved from the Nationalists.

    This then, is what is really happening; two cultures both at odds with each other. If the Union ends, then all that ‘British State Culture’ …simply ends.

    Scottish Gaelic is worth saving. It is our heritage. It is another piece of what defines us. As said, if you don’t protect your culture, then your nation’s heritage diminishes …and we would be a lot poorer for it.

  28. R-type Grunt
    Ignored
    says:

    Labour canditates & Labour voters are wankers. Who knew?

  29. dakk
    Ignored
    says:

    I’m astonished.Truly.

    A statement of political truth is finally uttered by a Labour politician.

    Looking at the endless plethora of lies which the ‘Scottish’ msm propagates for them daily,I wonder if the msm will see fit to publish this rare,true,accurate,and informative statement from their buddies.

    Eh,naw.Even now after the event they still would’nt want people to be better informed so strong is their establishment protecting dumbing down instinct.

  30. Tam Jardine
    Ignored
    says:

    kato

    Yes

  31. r.esquierdo
    Ignored
    says:

    The electorate know that when someone from Labour speaks it comes from the heart—–of their waste expulsion pipe

  32. Rev. Stuart Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    “Being pedantic I would say either”

    Click the link.

    DOESN’T ANYONE EVER CLICK ON THE LINKS?

  33. dakk
    Ignored
    says:

    DOESN’T ANYONE EVER CLICK ON THE LINKS?

    No.

    How,what’s on them ?

  34. Legerwood
    Ignored
    says:

    Another quote from Ms Beckett:

    “”She [Beckett] concludes: “We were badly beaten. The collapse in Scotland made it impossible for us to be the biggest party and the Liberal Democrat collapse enabled the Tories to gain an overall majority and keep us out of power. We received far fewer votes than were foreseen. “”

    So they are still peddling, and presumably believing, the myth that the loss of seats in Scotland make it impossible to win an election when in fact it is their inability to win seats in England that keeps them out of power.

    How often was this explained to Labour during the election?

  35. Bill Hume
    Ignored
    says:

    Links?…….there are links?

  36. Macart
    Ignored
    says:

    I’m sure they’ll file it under ‘that’s just how politics is’.

    Lots of talk of betrayal in Labour’s bumf right enough, but then projection is their favourite strategy. Its pretty much a guarantee that if Labour are accusing an opponent of doing something foul, its the very thing they’re doing/planning themselves.

    May will be a rinse and repeat of the exact same bullshit. There will be demonisation, misrepresentation and outright lies. It is how they practice politics. How they have always practiced politics.

    The real enemy of the electorate and the independence movement – the establishment parties of Westminster. Probably best not to forget that.

  37. All the posters claiming to get Tories if you vote SNP,well big lie it made no difference to the Tories getting in,and anyhow notice how Labour have voted with the Tories so many times,they would be just as well telling the truth and joining the rest of the Establishment party on the Tory/Establishment side.Leave the opposition to the SNP,they are doing a better job of it.Labour are all career politicians and the way they spoke after getting their cumuppence last May,saying things like the people don’t realise that this was my job now I’ll have to look for another!! aye not a service to the people but he seemed to think he was entitled to “his JOB” and that is why they got beat.

  38. David Agnew
    Ignored
    says:

    The simple undeniable fact was that Cameron monstered the UK labour party. But it was the sheer blistering stupidity of labour, that led them to take part in their own character assassination.

    The SNP didn’t let Cameron win. Cameron was able to win because he was able to convince Labour to campaign for him.

    The strange thing here, is that they knew by Dec 2014 they were in trouble. They certainly knew by April how bad it was in Scotland. Yet according to sources, Miliband didn’t know why Scotland was an issue. If ever there was a modern parallel with the tale of the “Emperor has no clothes” – it is the UK party.

  39. arthur thomson
    Ignored
    says:

    @JLT 6.12

    Spot on.

    We must get it ingrained into our minds that Corbyn and his British Labour Party are as unequivocally opposed to Scotland ‘s independence as are the Tories and Libdems. In my opinion they will never shift from this position under nice Jeremy’s ‘leadership’ and we need to view their demise as being highly desirable.

    Corbyn would no more enter into an arrangement with the SNP to defend the poor and vulnerable than Milliband would – he has PROVED that by his actions to date, we don’t need to wait for the next general election to find out. We have to be tough enough to recognise that and avoid all misplaced sentimentality towards nice Jeremy – he will stick the knife in us (metaphorically speaking of course)at every opportunity.

    @Kato 613

    In my opinion vote for exit in the hope that it will trigger a constitutional crisis.

  40. Iain
    Ignored
    says:

    Labour got the result it deserved at the general election. It will get it’s well deserved result in May. Maybe then they might think that lying to the people of Scotland is not such a good idea, then again it’s hard to break the habit of a lifetime. And they might try the same winning formula for indy ref two!

  41. michael diamond
    Ignored
    says:

    Kato 6.13pm. Im an indy and eu supporter who lives in england, but i shall be voting to leave the eu as i hope this will trigger another referendum.

  42. Doug McG
    Ignored
    says:

    Did she forget what Ed looked like to normal people? He was the gift that kept giving to the Tories from day one of his leadership(sic). There will be a good case for a Scottish Independence Medal to be awarded to Mr Ed!

    Ed

  43. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    Is Wings under attack again? I’ve had several comments just vanish even as I typed them.

    Anyhow, I decided to type the comments in a word processor first and then cut and paste them to prevent the vanishing acts.

    Conservative Mary Scanlon and Labour’s Rhoda Grant have separately criticised the length of time it will take to upgrade sections of the trunk road. Eighty miles of single carriageway between Perth and Inverness are to be made into dual carriageway by 2025. Improvements are also planned for the A9 at Berriedale Braes, a hairpin bend further north in Caithness.

    Scanlon criticised the timescale for the dualling between Inverness and Perth. Saying it was disappointing the nearly five miles of dual carriageway between Kincraig and Dalraddy was the first upgrade since that at Crubenmore about five years ago.

    The other MSP, Rhoda Grant, complained about the timing for improvements to the Berriedale Braes, a hairpin bend where the trunk road drops from 492ft to 65ft. Grant claimed the project was at least two-and-a-half years away from completion.

    A spokesman for Transport Scotland said: “Since publication of draft Orders last year we have been working hard to progress the Berriedale Braes improvement scheme.

    What a pair of total hypocrites this pair are. I’m just going on 80 and my family has always headed for the Highlands at every chance we got. First with bikes and tents then through all the steps from motorbikes on to cars and tents to caravans and camper vans. In all that time, during both Tory and Labour governments, there have been calls to upgrade the Highland roads. Nothing much was done until the SNP gained power in Scotland.

    A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish government is the first government to commit to dualling the A9 between Perth and Inverness which is a huge undertaking and one of largest and challenging infrastructure projects in Scotland’s history.” Yet this pair of total numpties have the audacity to complain the SNP Government is dragging its heels.

    In point of fact it was Westminster rule that decreed the Scottish Highlands were to be depopulated and that led to the Highland Clearances and made Northern Scotland into a largely barren wasteland. They did the same right across the Southern Uplands. They suppressed both of Scotland’s languages, banned the wearing of Highland dress and tartan, even suppressed the playing of the pipes.

    The time has long passes for Scots to reclaim our country and run it without the dead hand of Westminster holding Scotland and her peoples back. You had better believe that no matter what improvements the Scottish Government make, while under SNP control, it will be decried by the unionist scum. A beautiful new modern Hospital has been under unionist attack since it was first proposed, the New Forth crossing is under the same kind of attacks and now they have begun to run down the A9 improvements. Not forgetting the new Borders Rail Link or the several new Hydro schemes. Mind you they do praise up the Edinburgh Tram system from time to time.

  44. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    Up North labour is unelectable meanwhile,some sabre rattling from darn Sarf from the real nasties!

    Grayling: no second independence poll because of “monumental” financial black hole facing Scotland

    https://archive.is/H8Exp

    Solution SNP x 2 = Independence.

  45. stephen gell
    Ignored
    says:

    Where labour went wrong is simple… A very successful, all be it very racist, Tory scare campaign on the evils of Scotland having a say!!

  46. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    @Robert Peffers,

    Me too. Had several messages about my postings being SPAM. Weird. 77 brigade?

  47. Not Convinced
    Ignored
    says:

    I think Labour’s strategy[1] at this point is kind of obvious :-

    1. Write off Holyrood 2016, as the polls seem to indicate there’s little to no chance of a Labour-led government.
    2. Fight Westminster 2020 in Scotland on the basis of “There was no point voting SNP in 2015, they haven’t achieved anything”. Lay it on thick about how SNP amendments to bills are almost never passed, but make sure it’s never mention that this is because the Labour party tend to either abstain or vote against.
    3. If they win back most/all of the seats lost in 2015, then they’ll have a shot at Holyrood in 2021.

    Now I’m no political operator but a counter-strategy for the SNP seems blindingly obvious! Continue to push bills and amendments to bills that are in the political spectrum which Labour would be expected to support. If Labour does support them then you can campaign in 2020 on the basis of (amongst others) “We dragged Labour into action, only a vote for us can ensure this continues to happen!”. If, as seems more likely, Labour doesn’t support them then it’s “Labour isn’t interested in your problems, only a vote for the SNP can ensure that something is done! PS: More powers for Holyrood or independence would make this work much better!”.

    Now Labour could get in front of this by not only supporting such things, but getting there first and doing the proposing/amending themselves. But I guess they’re scared of seeming “too left wing” to win in England? (To be fair, I doubt JC is helping much on this front?)

    [1] I’m assuming I’m not placing too heavy a burden on that word by suggesting iLabour actually has one, rather that just lurching from embarrassment to embarrassment whilst hoping the Tories and/or the SNP will screw-up enough to distract the media?

  48. Iain More
    Ignored
    says:

    One abiding image for me of the night of the election was the glee on Nick Robinsons face when it became obvious the Tories were going to have a majority. It was the face of somebody who couldn’t believe that the English had fallen for the Press and Media con.

    I cant even laugh about the fact that the opinion pollsters allegedly got it wrong. I have always viewed them with cynicism because they got paid to feed the narrative that their paymasters wanted.

    The Brit Nat establishment wanted a Tory majority pure and simple and they got it by scaring UKIP bigots into voting Tory in England on the back of a dubious referendum promise on EU membership.

    The same pollsters will be told to do everything by their paymasters to manipulate turn out and voting in the Holyrood Election to stop a pro Indy majority of any kind happening. That Brit Nat Press and Media narrative is already happening and has been ongoing as far as I concerned since the Brit GE.

    He who pays the fiddler calls the tune!

  49. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @call me dave says: 19 January, 2016 at 7:16 pm:

    “Up North labour is unelectable meanwhile,some sabre rattling from darn Sarf from the real nasties!

    Grayling: no second independence poll because of “monumental” financial black hole facing Scotland

    https://archive.is/H8Exp

    Solution SNP x 2 = Independence.”

    The only, “Black Hole”, that is apparent can be found in the dark void that exists inside the heads of these totally out-of-touch unionist numpties.

    Like the real thing it proves the old truth that nature abhors a vacuum and will draw in anything to fill the void. It’s a bit like computers, really, garbage in = garbage out.

  50. gus1940
    Ignored
    says:

    If the SNP had won every seat in Scotland they would have had only 59 MPs yet we were and still are being told that the SNP tail would wag Labour’s dog if a coalition of the 2 parties were to be formed.

    How come then that during the Con/LibDem coalition from 2010 to 2015 the LibDems with, If I remember rightly, more MPs than the SNP’s eventual 56 were not able with their tail to wag the Tory dog?

  51. Christian Schmidt
    Ignored
    says:

    What, just 18 examples of Labour having it both ways? You’re so lazy, you could have easily found 180!

  52. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    @Robert Peffers

    Read that article. The unionists sure have a hard neck bearing in mind that they have had decades to sort out the problem.

    Trams before other things too.

  53. gus1940
    Ignored
    says:

    Poor old Reporting SNPbad – all primed up for yet another attack on the Scottish A&E Waiting Times to be scuppered by the preceding London bulletin which made the point that the Scottish Waiting Times were better than those In Englnd, Wales & NI something which has been the case for ages.

  54. Papadox
    Ignored
    says:

    Dame Margaret Beckett has proved her standing in the Establishment is totally justified and well deserved. After her long exhaustive in depth investigation into Labours failure in the GE.

    SNP BAD, THEY ARE TO BLAME, ALEX SALMOND ARRRRR.

    Yep sounds as if they are on the trail to solving their problems, yep disbandment that’s the answer to Labours problems especially in Alba.

    Dame Margaret should hitch up her caravan and head into the sunset. SNPX2.

  55. CameronB Brodie
    Ignored
    says:

    JLT @ 6:12pm
    Well said. I’ve nothing much to add, other than British Labour has always been a One Nation party. Without autonomy from London HQ, presenting one’s self as ‘Scottish’ Labour is either embarrassing self-delusion or a cynical hoax on the Scottish electorate.

  56. X_Sticks
    Ignored
    says:

    @Stuart Campbell

    What an amazing memory and/or system you must have. Just fucking A.

    You’re worth every penny.

  57. CameronB Brodie
    Ignored
    says:

    JLT @ 6:29pm
    I hope you don’t mind but well said again. Nothing much to add, other than suggest that cultural diversity is a vital missing component of the UN’s Agenda 21 program (for achieving sustainable development patterns).

    http://www.agenda21culture.net/index.php/docman/-1/393-zzculture4pillarsden

    http://www.culturaldevelopment.net.au/community/Downloads/HawkesJon(2001)TheFourthPillarOfSustainability.pdf

  58. Chitterinlicht
    Ignored
    says:

    Must think we are stupid.

    Guess what?

    I am not voting labour.

  59. carjamtic
    Ignored
    says:

    The Demonising of Democracy

    The SNP,voted for,democratically elected by the people of Scotland

    1. Constantly derided by all sides at Westminster.
    2. Constantly derided by all sides at Hollyrood
    3. Constantly derided by all MSM
    4. Constantly derided by all BBC output TV/Radio

    Labour Party – Conservative Party – Liberal Party : All finished in Scotland

    SNP vote increasing – Scottish voters like democracy

    What can London do ?

    Starve them out i.e. Attempt to dismantle as much industry as possible,impose ever increasing financial restraints on Scottish Government……

    There is no choice left for the democratic Scottish voters,we must leave this union,we need to save democracy.

    SNP x 2

  60. ahundredthidiot
    Ignored
    says:

    Robert Peffers

    Not the site………maybe you should be listening for the barely audible white noise on your landline!

  61. Chic McGregor
    Ignored
    says:

    I am reminded that the seminal moment when the British public first clearly and overtly displayed they at last had British politicians sussed was on a QT program in response to a contribution from Becket a few years back.

    Still recall the look of shock on her face (and Dimblebum et al).

  62. liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Jlt @ 6.29 & Cameron Brodie @ 8.04

    It’s no just a cultural gain if enough of us were to learn Gaelic.
    Job Centre plus and Atos or maximum or whatever their name is
    Would have a bit of recruitment problem.
    There’s also a chance of seeing dimbuldums head explode when Question Time comes from north Britain.
    We could have so much fun with the establishment even after Indy using Gaelic.

  63. X_Sticks
    Ignored
    says:

    @Stuart Campbell

    You must have an amazing memory and/or system. Just fkn A.

    You’re worth every penny.

    The standard of posts in general on Wings of late has been quite superb. Roond o’ applause tae yez aw 😀

  64. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @gus1940 says: 19 January, 2016 at 7:38 pm:

    “Poor old Reporting SNPbad – all primed up for yet another attack on the Scottish A&E Waiting Times to be scuppered by the preceding London bulletin which made the point that the Scottish Waiting Times were better than those In Englnd, Wales & NI something which has been the case for ages.”

    Face it, Gus1940, If we had a media that wasn’t 100% bent and owned by the Unionists, then the Scottish electorate would be better informed and would have thrown them out several decades ago.

    This monstering of all things Scottish has been going on since the Romans left Britain. Mind you the Roman historians were at it too. The Romans came to Britain for what, to them, were very good reasons. They came not just for the minerals but for slaves as well. However, the real reasons are not really ever well explained in history teaching.

    They Romanised local leaders, setting them up in Roman Villas with the full complement of servants and the protection of the Roman legions. These leaders had never had it so good.

    In return the Romans operated a tax system, including a custom & excise system. They levied duty upon all imports and exports and taxed the population. Remember that Mary & Joseph were on their way to a Roman census when Jesus was born.

    The thing is the Romans never conquered the whole of Britain and the records show that the Gask Ridge and Gask Road were the first Roman efforts to build fortified barriers around trouble spots in the greater Roman Empire. The Gask Ridge was then amalgamated as part of the Antonine Wall.

    However this was not effective enough and the Roma border was the rebuilt as Hadrian’s Wall. The Romans never really held sway in South West Britain, Scotland or Ireland.

    Now ask yourself this – were the fortifications designed to keep out the troublesome North Britons or to prevent the smuggling of taxed goods which were the main reason the Romans were in Britain in the first place? After all the north Britons had a far smaller population than we have today and thus north Britain had more than enough resources to support the small population.

    Why would they risk death by attempting to attack the far stronger Roman troops? Remember the Romans dealt in slaves and captured attackers were shipped off to the Roman slave markets.

    So there you are – South Britain has been raiding North Britain’s resources since around when Jesus was born 2016 years ago this year.

    The Romans founded Londinium (the Roman name for London) in the year 43 AD following an invasion led by the Roman Emperor Claudius. The Londoners have been leeching on Scotland’s resources ever since.

  65. CameronB Brodie
    Ignored
    says:

    liz g
    Stirrer. 😉

  66. CameronB Brodie
    Ignored
    says:

    X_Sticks
    Sook. 😉

  67. heraldnomore
    Ignored
    says:

    Have you seen the way the state-funded broadcaster reports on the Becket findings, or on the BT fine?

    No surprises there then, even a dishonourable mention for Stu, for balance of course you understand.

    Investigative input, opinion – course not.

  68. Lollysmum
    Ignored
    says:

    liz g
    Excellent idea 🙂

  69. louis.b.argyll
    Ignored
    says:

    The UK is already in
    A (FINANCIAL) BLACK HOLE.

    A (Scottish) black hole
    WITHIN AN EXISTING BLACK HOLE
    would surely cancel itself
    out.

    Ask a quantum physicist,
    and you’ll get a theory
    based on known truths and
    the laws of physics.

    Ask a unionist,
    and you’ll get lies,
    based on made up
    REVISIONIST
    IMPERIALIST
    DOGMA.

    Scotland will be free..

    Our standard of
    living will continue
    improve.

  70. Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    Bob Mack,

    “@Kato,

    You should vote as your principles dictate.”

    You can only vote on principle in a free and democratic country.

    At the moment for independence supporters there surely cannot be any principle more important than Scottish independence.

    In Scotland, vote Yes even if you hate the EU.

    In rUK, vote No even if you love the EU.

    After independence, we will vote on principle to sort everything out – the purring queen, weapons of mass destruction, the EU, the currency.

  71. tartanpigsy
    Ignored
    says:

    Slightly OT But looks like the BritNats are preventing RTE’s Rebellion mini series, about 1916’s easter Rising, being viewed by anyone under British jurisdiction.

    I haven’t watched this yet but keen to at some point.
    This article is about folk in Northern Ireland unable to view it.
    I’d imagine the same methods would allow anyone in Scotland, who wanted to view it too

    http://www.irishnews.com/news/2016/01/05/news/rte-s-rebellion-blocked-online-for-northern-ireland-viewers-372199/

  72. Effijy
    Ignored
    says:

    @Kato 613

    In my opinion vote for remaining in the EU.
    My thought is that the rule britania Media owners will start to ramp up an exit in order to remove worker’s rights in particular, and the electorate’s in general.

    We will have 12 year old up chimneys again and people will work until they drop should the Tories draw up new “rights”.

    Your one vote for exit is unlikely to trip the English Balance
    to oppose the Scottish outcome.

  73. tartanpigsy
    Ignored
    says:

    Sorry no link on that last post, but interesting none the less.
    here’s another link that won’t let you watch a major part of these islands recent history being dramatized……

    http://www.rte.ie/player/gb/show/rebellion-30003790/10512005/

  74. Luigi
    Ignored
    says:

    tartanpigsy says:
    19 January, 2016 at 9:26 pm

    Sorry no link on that last post, but interesting none the less.
    here’s another link that won’t let you watch a major part of these islands recent history being dramatized……

    http://www.rte.ie/player/gb/show/rebellion-30003790/10512005/

    Seriously – they have blocked it? Is that what the UK has come to – a bloody corporate fascist state with a propaganda media that filters everything, hellbent on mind-controlling the masses, and afraid and unwilling to acknowledge any version of history that does not agree with its own, twisted narrative?

    Hell mend em.

  75. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    The rabble called Labour will not get another chance to run Scotland for at least a generation.

  76. Andrew Mclean
    Ignored
    says:

    Rebellion, outlander, what else will they not show, I emailed stv to see if they would run outlander and unlike rebellion it is filmed in Scotland with tax breaks no doubt we pay for but David the pig shagger leant on Sony so they would not show it, I use tunnel bear to hide my ip then watch whatever I want, so fuck them!
    The enemy of Scotland is cunning but we are winning! And the more we win the more they will try and destroy the Scottish identity. I say fuck them
    Soar Alba

  77. Macca73
    Ignored
    says:

    It’s astonishing to look all those Twitter posts in one place again and the sheer bare faced lies that each one had on them.

  78. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    “However, we failed to foresee the scaler of the collapse of the LibDems,” is also another Labour mega whopper.

    They’re pathological bullshitters and they’ll never learn. Its just another red tory Crash Brown, Bomber Bliar, Lord Flipper legacy.

    A whole generation of Labour will never see power again.

  79. Phronesis
    Ignored
    says:

    ‘Do I contradict myself?
    Very well then I contradict myself,
    (I am large, I contain multitudes)’ Walt Whitman “Song of myself”

    … And no other apparent explanation for the befuddlement of Labour and its northern branch SLAB which is about to fall into a black hole and emerge in another universe- a return trip back to the universe of inevitable Scottish Independence will not be possible-it would simply be against the laws of physics.

    The transformative power of the YES movement has replaced the nihilism of the UKOK mantra. A WM ‘democratic’ system that only speaks to the deserving 0.1% remains shocked that an entire electorate can become self educating and no longer requires or wants a political mantra espoused through the fear and anger producing MSM.

    We should vote for our party of independence, a localised government and keep our progressive society, democracy, civic nationality, grow our economy, become energy self sufficient- it’s not a difficult choice to make for ourselves of future generations.

  80. Papadox
    Ignored
    says:

    Where’s Eleanor Bradford? EBC sticking the boot into Glasgow hospitals and no sign of the nasty witch of the aether. Poor old Reevel Alderson looked a bit sheepish and pissed off having to front another non story about the failing Glasgow hospitals while Eleanor hid under a bed pan.

    Is there nothing these people won’t do to save Jockland from the Jocks! They are the salt of the earth true heroes and heroines. WE WILL REMEMBER THEM!

    SNPX2

  81. dakk
    Ignored
    says:

    Grouse Beater says:
    19 January, 2016 at 9:46 pm
    ‘The rabble called Labour will not get another chance to run Scotland for at least a generation.’

    At best.

    Even then,only if they had Scotland’s interests at heart by supporting Independence.

    If that happens then I’ll be Dutch, so let them suck c–ks in hell for all time.

  82. Chic McGregor
    Ignored
    says:

    @Papadox

    At least Reevel had the decency to look uncomfortable doing it.

  83. ArtyHetty
    Ignored
    says:

    This makes me so angry and brings back awful recent memories of being told a few times, last year, “ah but yous let the tories in didn’t yis’.

    This from family and friends NE, South britain. That was the whole point of the lie being fed to the people, day in day out. It was designed to divide people, so that they blamed each other, rather than the real troughing, greedy bar stewards raking in all they could and still do. The myth that it was the SNP who let thatcher into power is still bandied about, and the gullible, stupid and ignorant believe it and hate Scotland as a result.

    These leibour gits are not as daft as they make out, well I mean their advisors who read the psychology textbooks for their ideas and I am sure a lot more besides, Gorbels’ ideas as well no doubt.

    Creepy and dangerous, to the highest degree, but hey what do the gravy train, first class gits care.

    Let’s see what they come up with in the next four months.

  84. Iain More
    Ignored
    says:

    Effijy says:
    19 January, 2016 at 9:20 pm

    @Kato 613

    “In my opinion vote for remaining in the EU.
    My thought is that the rule britania Media owners will start to ramp up an exit in order to remove worker’s rights in particular, and the electorate’s in general.

    We will have 12 year old up chimneys again and people will work until they drop should the Tories draw up new “rights”.

    Your one vote for exit is unlikely to trip the English Balance
    to oppose the Scottish outcome.”

    The CBI is very pro EU. Cameron will come back from Brussels or Strasbourg waving a white letter saying we have a deal on EU reform and Peace in our time blah dee blah vote to stay in EU. Mendacity is UKOKs middle name. Workers Rights will be burned whether it is a Yes or No vote. The BBC is already ramping up the nonsense that the Great Houdini Cameron will get a deal on reform of EU. We are shagged whether we vote Yes or No. I wonder what he will trade away to get his deal on stripping Workers Rights etc, I suspect it will be a continuation of the scorched Earth policy they are presently using in relation to Scotland.

  85. Kirsty
    Ignored
    says:

    You can really see why a lot of people can’t be bothered with politics and maybe don’t vote at all when you read things like this. No wonder. Could Labour be any more self-interested, mendacious and disdainful of voters if they tried? Probably.

  86. Bill Fraser
    Ignored
    says:

    A reminder to all the fools who believed this rubbish Labor and Lib Dems were the culprits who allowed the Tories an overall majority

  87. ronnie anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T Sheesh dont tell Cameron

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OB1daT_ENs

  88. dakk
    Ignored
    says:

    ‘ The BBC is already ramping up the nonsense that the Great Houdini Cameron will get a deal on reform of EU.’

    Seen it reported yesterday on RT that Cameron suggesting some kind of UK Sovereignty clause being facilitated by Brussels.

    Sounds like the Vow served up on a Belgian waffle wie jam oan it.

    I doubt the English electorate are much more resilient than us,so they’ll probably buy it,for what it’s worth.

  89. mr thms
    Ignored
    says:

    Regarding BBC Scotland’s reports today of the latest weekly hospital A & E performance statistics. I always expect them to report the figure if it falls below the official target of 95%. I don’t recall them reporting the figures that were issued last week.

    http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/A-E-performance-2134.aspx

    Or the week before that

    http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/A-E-performance-2106.aspx

    I presume it is because these were very good.. Especially the latter one issued on the 5th January 2016. It showed 96.1% of patients were were seen and either treated, discharged or transferred out of A&E departments within four hours.

    So is the reverse is true?

    If the weekly A & E performance statistics are good should we expect BBC Scotland to ignore them?

    Perhaps Wings Over Scotland can keep tabs on BBC Scotland’s weekly coverage or lack off..

  90. bjsalba
    Ignored
    says:

    @Robert Peffers

    Correct me if I am wrong but I thought ***Highland List*** Conservative Mary Scanlonn MSP voted to divert the money from the A9 upgrade to the Edinburgh trams project.

    Her criticism now smacks of hypocrisy in the highest degree.

  91. David Jardine
    Ignored
    says:

    I doubt we will get to read the real report.

    If I were Labour, and wanted a cold, no punches pulled analysis of our failings in order to build a feasible comeback strategy, the last thing I would do would be publish the findings for all to see.

    Think about the internal Tory government letters from the mid-eighties on Scottish Office funding ; were they published at the time or held secret for 30 years before quiet publication (any news on that BTW)?

    At the risk of overestimating them, until Labour support independence I will continue to consider their actions taking into account their habit for lying, and afford them a minimum of intelligence, self-awareness, cunning and strategy.

  92. ArtyHetty
    Ignored
    says:

    Ian More, Re, effigy and kato@10.41

    Not only workers rights, embedded in the tories agenda is to scrap the human rights act including the ‘fundamental’ rights which we have as EU citizens. Good piece about that by J.Cherry, SNP MP in Mondays National.

    I had a horrendous thought after reading J.Cherry’s article, what if we ended up out of the EU, with a unionist party in Holyrood, no human rights, no rights at all in fact, oh god that really is the stuff of nightmares.

    Sleep tight all.

  93. Dave McEwan Hill
    Ignored
    says:

    dakk at 10.30

    Labour will never rule Scotland again. They have not been beaten,they have been replaced and are dead – though the establishment run media may try resuscitation for a while yet.
    Signs are however with the promotion of Ruthie and the Tories they may have already abandoned Labour as the saviours of the Union in Scotland.

    The next Referendum will be Scotland against the Tories especially if the forecast Labour wipe out in May comes to pass and what’s left of it joins the independence bandwagon which is entirely possible. The door is open.

    That is why we should hold our fire until May and insure we get a fabulous result (though Independence must always be highlighted as our aim) and the difficulty of contesting a domestic election trying to take the same votes as other indy supporting parties has to be handled delicately.

    I actually doubt if we will ever see another Labour Government down south again either

  94. One_Scot
    Ignored
    says:

    For anyone wanting to watch Rebellion, the first three episodes are available online to download as torrent files.

  95. Tam Jardine
    Ignored
    says:

    David Jardine

    Think about the internal Tory government letters from the mid-eighties on Scottish Office funding ; were they published at the time or held secret for 30 years before quiet publication (any news on that BTW)?

    It is moving forward- will know more in the next few days.

    I am also eagerly awaiting the FOI request response from the “UK Government for Scotland” as that rebranding exercise called it. That is due by 1st February.

  96. Stephen McKenzie
    Ignored
    says:

    Then of course there is this little gem from Alan Cochrane on the General Election results coming in via the Telegraph rolling events on the night…

    “More analysis from Alan Cochrane, our Scottish editor, who writes of the “massive irony” of SNP’s success”

    Quote “There is a massive irony in all of this SNP success. It may be that the nationalists are winning too many seats.

    Let me explain – if the polls are right, and the overnight trends suggest that they are, then Nicola Sturgeon’s army have taken so many seats off Labour in Scotland that they have actually dramatically reduced their chances of doing what they really wanted which was to deprive the Tories of victory and put Ed Miliband into Downing Street”

    Aye Alan, once a walloper always a walloper..

  97. Onwards
    Ignored
    says:

    gus1940 says:
    19 January, 2016 at 7:38 pm

    Poor old Reporting SNPbad – all primed up for yet another attack on the Scottish A&E Waiting Times to be scuppered by the preceding London bulletin which made the point that the Scottish Waiting Times were better than those In Englnd, Wales & NI something which has been the case for ages.
    —-

    It’s pathetic isn’t it.
    And you can just see the Lab/Tory drones with their pre-prepared press releases ready to fire off.
    Gleefully rubbing their hands waiting on A&E figures over the Christmas and New Year periods. Always the busiest weeks of the year. Drunks, fights, falls, colds and flu, car accidents, etc

    That feeling of disappointment when overall waiting times turn out to be 5 percent better than last year, and better than the English figures. Damn. Run with it anyway.

  98. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    What gets me is the Labour lot are actually happy about getting on a list where it doesn’t matter that nobody votes for you just as long as you get in

    So they’re not standing for election they’re forming a queue
    like signing on

    I really hope everybody sees this for what it is and doubles up their SNP vote or they’re liable to get Anas Sarwar and that’ll teach them

    SNPxSNP To be sure

  99. dakk
    Ignored
    says:

    Nana 11.27

    The Sovereignty Act like the Vow may be a pile of crap,but would that stop it being sold to the plebs by the State Broadcaster and Establishment parties as a wondrous thing ?

    We’ll have Project Fear from CBI and a nebulous constitutional promise from London and that’ll do.

    Sound familiar?They’ve got the formula.

    The only flies in the ointment would be a few right wing newspapers with limited reach.

  100. jim.watson
    Ignored
    says:

    “Fear and Loathing in Islington” or “An Exercise in the Mass Production of Excuses and Buck-Passing on a Grand Scale”, by Mags Becket.

    It’s a right riveting read…

  101. Still Positive.
    Ignored
    says:

    Agree Dr Jim @ 12.07. SNP x 2.

    Seems the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank – national waiting times as well as heart patients including transplants – is the best performing hospital in the UK.

    The only times Eleanor Bradford does anything positive about NHS Scotland it is from the Jubilee – because it is not a “NORMAL” hospital in her or the BBC’s eyes.

    My MP Martin Docherty has already tabled an ‘Early Day Motion’ to congratulate them. Don’t yet know if it will be tomorrow or Thursday.

    Keep watching folks (if you are not working!) Channel 131.

    You will get your eyes opened re the Tories – they are shafting the North of England and the South West it seems as well as us. No further comment! But you know what I mean!

  102. Chic McGregor
    Ignored
    says:

    @Nana
    Thanks for that link.
    My own inquiries into this field have satisfied me that the usurping of Human Rights by a Supreme Court was first concocted between British and Canadian agencies way back in the 80s, working on the thorny constitutional problem of the patriation of Canadian sovereignty. It was conceived as a potential mechanism not strictly necessary to carry out that singular task but also one which might prove useful in dealing with the, then, future issue of Quebec independence. It was also observed at that time, that a similar UK plan could be followed to help ‘deal with’ any similar future Scottish problem.

    It is therefore my opinion, that the Factortame case was no more than a smokescreen by Whitehall long-term strategists, to aid the invocation of a UK Supreme Court.

    Since then there has been a gradual erosion of the powers of both the Court of Session and the Lord Chancellor to that effect. Most notably under Tory Blair where his pal Charlie Falconer was at one time both Lord Chancellor while holding the new role of Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs made that task somewhat easier.

    Aside [ since Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs was rather too obvious a signal of intent, this was later (under GB) changed to Secretary of State for Justice].

    However, on the positive side:
    The UN have not ruled on the UK/Canadian position which amounts to the relinquishing of the right of self-determination by alleged agreement.

    The right to self determination is a universal right and therefore something which can only be complied with by a domestic court, not nullified.

    The UN has not spoken out on the Canadian position simply because they have not needed to and will not be required to until such time as Quebec votes Yes and Toronto says No.

    Ditto, the nacent UK position.

    However, in the more recent case of Kosovo, despite Serbia, which has a constitutional court, declaring Kosovan UDI illegal, the UN (specifically its judicial body the UCJ) ruled that they had not in fact acted illegally.

    More recent inquiries I have made have indicated that the UK could withdraw from the ECHR, but only in as much as they still complied with human rights as enshrined in various EU treaties which are based on ECHR precepts. Note the ECHR (convention) is largely a subset of the UN’s universal declaration of human rights.

    Failure to comply would result in punitive measures all the way up to the UK not being allowed a vote on future EU legislation. A Brexit enforcing position, referendum or no referendum.

  103. Clootie
    Ignored
    says:

    I often think of those who faught and struggled to form “the Labour Party”. I cannot think of a greater insult to their memory than the current Labour Party…which is still Blairite through and through.

    Please Scotland wake up to the potential of your nation sitting at your fingertips. Think of the generations to come and get us out of this obscene Union currently embraced by our so called “Labour Politicians”.

  104. Petra
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T

    LABOUR … TORY … TORY … LABOUR … TORY … LABOUR … TORY … with the Liberals / Libdems propping them up now and again. One proven to be worse than the other when in power. More than anything neither are interested in the Scots (other than our resources). Blaming each other for their own botch-ups; blaming others for losing Elections and so it goes on.

    We’ve suffered this … LABOUR … TORY … ongoing, nightmarish saga for over a hundred years now. How much longer are the Scots willing to put up with this? Another hundred years? Just asking because my patience is wearing thin.

  105. Brian McHugh
    Ignored
    says:

    The English Labour MP’s and leadership in Westminster should really pay more attention to Scotland. Regarding the last line, the Lib Dem collapse had already happened in 2011.

    They seriously did not expect the scale of it?

  106. Macart
    Ignored
    says:

    Couple of good pieces in today’s National and worth the pocket change. Needless to say WGDs column gets both an honourable punt and it’s teeth intae Tory commentators. Secondly, a good article on Westminster’s handling of the North Sea sector.

  107. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    It is too sair. It just brings it all back. Imagine destroying your Party to try and destroy Scotland. It just beggars believe. They been at it for over 100 years. They killed and mained millions in the Middle East, causing a massive migration crisis and destroyed the world economy. Trident/illegal wars, tax evasion and banking fraud. 1.5Trn of debt. Swanning around the world as Millionaires.

    Brown/Blair should be put in jail, along with the pig face suckers. They cost Scotland a £220Billion+ Oil Fund. They are still taking Scotland’s resources in unfair tax. HMRC not fit for purpose.

    Labour still lying. They lost because they are useless, like the rest of the Unionist liars.

    Mary Scanlon? Discussing ‘River City’ and the BBC. Calling out a Prof who criticised her favour ‘programme’. She voted NO. The irony. They complain but chickened out.

  108. Dorothy Devine
    Ignored
    says:

    OT I am watching RT and apparently the USA has accused Russia of financing the ” rogue” political parties in France , Greece and Spain – I was waiting for Scotland but we were not mentioned – in an attempt to destabilise Europe.

    I believe there is a report in the Telegraph but since it would make me physically sick to visit that paper , I will leave it to someone with a stronger stomach!

  109. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    Who created the ‘Black’ hole of debt, the secrecy and lies -Westminster. At least Scotland would have £10Billion a year to pay it off. Pay it down and reduce it. Instead of being lost to Westminster polices.

    Debt repayment on money Scotland doesn’t borrow or spend.(£4Billion). Oil sector taxed at 60%. Ruined by the Tories. It should be 20% because of the fall in price. Trident/illegal wars, banking fraud and tax evasion. HMRC not fit for purpose. The Tories are warmiongering failures. Elected to protect the NHS and cut the debt. They have cut funding for NHS and the debt Increasing. The junior doctors are going on strike in England.

    Nuclear power stations built with borrowed Chinese money. It will be over time and over budget. HS2 a total waste of money, which will make journeys throught Britain longer and ruin the north and Scotland economy. Do nothing for London S/E but increase the congestion and fares. The Royal Mail Pension fund grab (on the debt, RBS sell off, HS2, Hinkley nuclear are all schemes, scams to transfer public money £Million/Billions to Osbourne and his associates in consultancy and fees. Father-in-law, best man, brother-in-law and associates. Corrupt bankers who fund the Party. That is why Osbourne/Cameron are in politics to benefit their banker associates who fund the Party and them.

  110. louis.b.argyll
    Ignored
    says:

    There is a tiny bit if empire left, hidden fortunes, grabbed land and subservient locals…

    ..they will sell their grannies to keep us down…

    Until the grannies wake up we’re on our own.

  111. Helena Brown
    Ignored
    says:

    Looking at this, the fact that the Labour Party are no further forward in discovering what they did wrong is surely to our advantage. The English blamed Brown and considered then that Labour were untrustworthy with the economy, the fact that the Tories are no better seems to be lost on them. The Scots, well the likes of us, saw Labour standing side by side with their so called opponents and listened closely to what they were saying, then we realised they were simply fluff and not the nice stuff they make cardigans out of, more the stuff you find behind the sofa.
    So lets leave them to their delusions.

  112. Doug Daniel
    Ignored
    says:

    Wow, some of those graphics are really, really dire. I didn’t see half of them at the time. You can totally tell it’s the same idiots who did the No campaign – the Google Translate piss-take is particularly cringe-worthy.

  113. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @ahundredthidiot says: 19 January, 2016 at 8:29 pm:

    ” … Not the site………maybe you should be listening for the barely audible white noise on your landline!”

    As I suffer severe Tinnitus my landline is only used for computer use and FAX reception. I certainly wouldn’t hear anything, “barely audible”.

    My computers are fairly well locked down but I have had the odd Trojan in the past. These are usually instantly detected – even if they do take considerable efforts to then get rid of.

  114. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    Gary interviews Gemma Doyle (ex MP)and Ian Murray (last labour MP in Scotland) about the Beckett report… much Hemmming and Hawwwing!

    Doyle in denial would liked to have seen a more evidence based case and labour should be looking to do more…Corbyn too left wing etc etc.

    Murray scoffs (with fingers crossed no doubt) at the ‘branch office’ tag and repeats the mantra, lessons to be learnt and a long way to go… zzzzzzzzzzzzz!!

    🙁 I dropped off there!

    Later on GMS Prof Muscatelli? calls for a stop to political manipulative football in the oil industry and predicts that $50 a barrel oil will be coming back sooner rather than later…GMS interviewer covers up the dead air as soon as she could and asks another question.

    Then some tory started blethering after that about Poland and the date of the EU referendum…but I really couldn’t be bothered listening any more and went to make my porridge.

  115. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    The USA have been destroying the Middle East and supporting apartheid States and absolute despot monarchies for years. Regimes that would never be tolerated in the US. The US administration has caused more trouble in the world than any other Government. Still sanctioning and starving the North Koreans. Hypocrites and liars.

    Russia saved the West in 11WW. 26 Million died and their economy was devasted. The last thing most Europeans want is War. Unlike US/UK and France who were not so adversely affected by 11WW. It was other European countries which paid the highest price, Europe was starving after 11WW. It led to the formation of the EU. Common market to ensure a distribution of food.

    Death in Europe 11WW. Approx (even more)

    26Million Russians
    8 Million Germans (15Million)
    6 Million Poles
    6 Million Jews
    2 Million US (1941)
    1/2 Million French
    1/2 Million British

    More in Middle East, Far East Asia. Millions

  116. schrodingers cat
    Ignored
    says:

    ot
    very funny
    http://williamduguid.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/to-macaroni-pie.html

    To a Macaroni Pie

    Fair fa’ your sharp, acidic tang

    Great Chieftain o’ the Scotch Pie gang!

    Ye staun aboon the whole shebang

    Steak, Mince or Mutton

    Sworn foe of every hunger pang

    And strainin’ button!

    Behind the Co-Op checkout’s shield

    Ye stand in majesty revealed

    Proud pasta tubes in pastry sealed

    Wi’ milky sheen

    And topped wi’ grated cheese congealed

    Like plasticine.

    His lunch see rustic Labour crave

    And bung ye in the microwave

    Until your stodgy guts behave

    Like lava streams

    And careless diners rant and rave

    Wi’ anguished screams.

    What setting suits your charms the best?

    A banquet for an honoured guest?

    Or watching Strictly in a vest?

    Each maun be prized.

    The eve of a blood glucose test?

    That’s no’ advised.

    Is there that owre his wilted greens

    Or trumpety Aduki beans

    Or juices packed wi’ carotenes

    An’ mingin’ flavour

    Regards this dish for kings an’ queens

    Wi’ stern disfavour?

    Poor devil! See him at the gym

    Astride a treadmill to keep trim

    Sae puritanical and prim

    That joy’s forbidden!

    The wind could sweep him on a whim

    Intae a midden.

    But mark the pasta-nurtured chiel!

    Life holds for him a rich appeal

    The cauld blast canna mak him kneel

    Or idly drift

    He’s blubbered like an Arctic seal

    And hard to shift.

    Ye Powers wha strive for mankind’s good

    And keep them healthy, fit and rude

    Auld Scotland wants nae rabbit food

    That maks her bony

    But one thing stirs her gratitude:

    Baked Macaroni!

  117. Valerie
    Ignored
    says:

    Saw Mr Tickell on the Beebe last night discussing this. He didn’t pull any punches about the Slab mentality, playing the victim, feeling misunderstood, the electorate just not voting the right way.

    Even the Smurph said Slab hadn’t listened when they got their arse handed to them in 2011. Watch as they now disown that narrative.

    I think it’s significant Beckett says they failed to forecast the collapse of Lib Dem. That means they thought nothing of the Libs getting in coalition with the Tories, and there is no price to pay.

    So, Beckett could have drawn a parallel with the Lib Dems, and Slab in coalition with Tories up here in the referendum, so perhaps that’s in the internal report.

    Or, Mrs Beckett could have saved herself a lot of work by just reproducing those truly heinous graphics.

    How can anyone in Labour look at those without doing a double facepalm?

  118. Valerie
    Ignored
    says:

    @Cat

    That Duguid poem is SO clever and funny!?

  119. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @liz g says: 19 January, 2016 at 8:32 pm:

    “Jlt @ 6.29 & Cameron Brodie @ 8.04”

    “It’s no just a cultural gain if enough of us were to learn Gaelic.”

    It isn’t just the Gaelic, Liz.

    I was brought up on a farm that had no electricity and, “The Wireless”, ran on accumulators, an HT Dry Battery and a low voltage Grid bias battery. All far too expensive for casual use.

    Everyone for miles around spoke Lallans, (lowlands), Scots. I never actually heard standard English, (or even, “Scottish Standard English”), until my first days attending the local village school.

    As most Scots do not actually speak a dialect of lowland Scots, (which is a language in its own right), but instead speak, “Scottish Standard English”, (which is a dialect of Standard English with a spattering of real Lallans thrown in for good measure).

    I sometimes lapse into Scots just to confuse those who would attempt to confuse me with what I would describe as the, “Officialese”, much loved by such as United Kingdom Civil Servants.

    Their normal first reactions are to assume me to be an, under educated, yokel numptie. This is fatal for whatever it is they are attempting to achieve.

    As EU law establishes certain minority Languages as legal, and the UK government has signed up to that EU law, they are on a hiding to nothing.

    Here’s an example of what I mean :-
    Scottish Standard English = “Ah gaed through the gate an dandered doon the road”.

    Lallan Scots = “Ah stravaiged ben the yett an doon the gate”.

    Stravaig = to wander; stroll or walk.

    Ben = through.
    Yett = gate.
    gate = street; road.

  120. scunner
    Ignored
    says:

    @Nana 8.10am

    Good link to the energyvoice article. Not so much for the article but for the subsequent link to the P&Js Energy Supplement.

    Lead article on unfair UKCS Selective Corporation Tax very informative.

    Strange how much the supplement differs from the standard line that the MSM like the P&J follow in their daily dose of Oil industry misinformation. They must believe only those in the industry itself will peruse the supplement in depth.

  121. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @bjsalba says: 19 January, 2016 at 11:13 pm:

    “Correct me if I am wrong but I thought ***Highland List*** Conservative Mary Scanlonn MSP voted to divert the money from the A9 upgrade to the Edinburgh trams project.

    Her criticism now smacks of hypocrisy in the highest degree”

    That was, of course, my point – but you state it far more clearly than I did.

    The unionist hypocrisy is so way over the top. The sad fact is a good percentage of the Scottish electorate are daft enough to soak it up just like champit tatties sop up gravy.

  122. Robert Kerr
    Ignored
    says:

    @Robert Peffers

    Thanks for your post. Memory lane for wireless, 2 volt filaments on the valves, no cathodes so there was a need for grid bias supply. Hi tension for the anodes via 90 volt or 120 volt batteries of 1.5 volt cells. Battery being correct word. The wireless was unlikely to be superheterodyne but probably TRF.

    Used to build these as a boy.

    Your language lesson was excellent too. Gate is of course from Norse for a road.

    Wingers know too much. We are a threat.

    Speed the Day.

  123. liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Robert Peffers @ 9.55am
    Aye Robert we’re on the same page.
    The reason I favour Gaelic is because the BBC has put money into promoting it especially online and I quite like the idea of using their own resources to confuse them.
    Maybe the Union taught me something useful after all.
    Also Gaelic being thought of as the language of the highlands,there is a small dark part of me who would enjoy the Windsor’s being obliged to attempt it as they play at being Highlanders for a few weeks every year and it could be disrespectful not to
    Like I said so much fun

  124. mealer
    Ignored
    says:

    Helena Brown 9.04am,
    Labour didn’t do anything wrong in Scotland.They are a unionist party and got about half of the pro Union vote.Their pitch last May was to try to convince Yes voters to vote Labour to keep the Tories out.What was the alternative? They have set out their stall as an anti independence,anti further devolution party.Thats what they believe in and I think they do quite well attracting votes from a declining number of people who hold similair views.As well as anyone can expect.I also think the Tories are doing quite well all things considered.

  125. Nana
    Ignored
    says:

    Hoping this link from G A Ponsonby works.

    GAPonsonby ?@GAPonsonby · 56m56 minutes ago
    Listen to this blatant attempt to railroad a guest into attacking the Scottish Govt.
    http://ponsonbypost.com/images/stories/audio/A_and_E_coerce.mp3

    RT and let’s share it around.

  126. Clapper57
    Ignored
    says:

    I think it is fairly obvious, though perhaps not obvious enough for SLAB, why SLAB lost the vote in Scotland in GE . It is their allegiance to the yoon mentality that makes them politically impotent in Scotland.

    They misjudged and mismanaged the BT campaign that they chose to fight with other toxic yoon parties . A campaign that was for the benefit of everyone bar the Scots and where negativity was linked to all things Scottish.

    They then continued to misjudge and mismanage their GE campaign in Scotland under the leadership of a weak and unwanted idiot in the form of Murphy , whose campaign was mismanaged by a sadistic self serving yoonafile McTiernan. A recipe for political disaster in Scotland.

    They have lost their vote in Scotland, both nationally and in Holyrood because the voters chose a party they deemed the right party to best fight for Scots interests , where a lot of scots felt scottish interest would be best served by SNP MP’s, one only needs to look at Ian Murray’s voting performances in WM to see how catastrophic it would have been for Scotland to have returned more Labour MP’s.

    If the Labour HQ seek someone to blame for their inability to win the GE they need look no further than themselves. There are many of us who could have saved them the time and energy in producing this report by enlightening them to their many political deficiencies .

    If Labour HQ has lost the vote in England then that is an issue they need to address with English voters and not visit their ineptitude upon the SNP, as this has become a tired and weak excuse to hide their inability to be elected in goverment.

    They should get their own house in order as they have many many unresolved issues within their party. Currently with all the infighting it would not be hard to see where they are going wrong. A political party should be one that people can have faith in and should know what they represent , Labour fail to achieve this and fail to form an effective united opposition to the Tories ruthless policies.

    What are Labour , but a sad and split party who are but a shadow of what they once were many many years ago.

    And I as a voter will never ever vote for them again .

    RIP Labour your time is up.

  127. Fireproofjim
    Ignored
    says:

    Thanks Schrödinger’s cat @9.27
    William Duguid’s “Macaroni Pie” is great.
    Funny and clever and he catches the rythms of Burns so well.

  128. Effijy
    Ignored
    says:

    Nana says:
    20 January, 2016 at 10:58 am
    Hoping this link from G A Ponsonby works.

    GAPonsonby ?@GAPonsonby · 56m56 minutes ago
    Listen to this blatant attempt to railroad a guest into attacking the Scottish Govt.
    http://ponsonbypost.com/images/stories/audio/A_and_E_coerce.mp3

    WOW! Thanks Nana, that was quite incredible to listen to.
    I kept wondering if this was a play about news is distorted in a North Korean Radio Station.

    It was pretty much ” don’t bother detailing your report Doctor would you just say SNP Bad after me, and again, and now very Bad”

    Should there be anyone out there who visits this site doesn’t know the truth about NHS Scotland, despite Scotland have a long standing problem with Alcohol Abuse, an unhealthy diet, and very challenging logistical problems supporting remote Rural areas, we have the BEST performing NHS in the UK!

    Better than the Tory NHS England that is being slowly privatised, better than the dreadful stats from the Labour controlled NHS Wales, and better than the poor stats reported from N. Ireland.

    SNP Best, UK OK Worse!

    Isn’t it Strange that the Blatant Bias & Corruption, BBC, propaganda channel isn’t allowed to compare Scotland against anyone else, nor is it permissible to report the months when NHS Scotland meets and betters their performance targets???

    Anyone else think the BBC have bonus system in place for reporters who can squeeze in the most SNP Bad comments?

  129. Robert Kerr
    Ignored
    says:

    I skimmed through the “report” by Beckett and note that the named person for Scottish labour input to the report was one M Curran.

    Oh dear oh dear.

    Yes Stu some of us do click the links even if reading them in detail is too arduous.

    Time to walk my Setters. (Scottish ones)

    SNP SNP you know it makes sense

  130. @ScottieDog
    Ignored
    says:

    @Nana,
    Thanks so much for posting the BBC interview.
    Total and utter in your face bias. Not even an attempt to Segway from one topic to the other.

    About halfway through the interview I couldn’t see where they could possibly go to thow in the pro-labour electioneering but then it happened – like a brick.

  131. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Robert Kerr says: 20 January, 2016 at 10:31 am:

    “Thanks for your post. Memory lane for wireless”

    “Used to build these as a boy.”

    Aye! Me too. Started by building crystal sets but couldn’t afford parts so used bits of scrap. Couldn’t even afford to buy real crystals so used alternatives like Blued Razor Blades and a bit of, “Pencil Lead”, instead of, “Cats Whiskers”.

    It began a love of electronics and I server an MOD apprenticeship so as to be at the sharp end of top secret electronics. In which trade I spent my entire working life.

    “Your language lesson was excellent too. Gate is of course from Norse for a road.”

    The remnants of such Scots word are still shown in our towns and cities, (but not often understood as such by the general public), in names such as, “Kirkgate”, and, “Canongate”. Wrongly believed by some to be a city gate where cannons entered the city. We also have Whynds, Vennels and so on too.

    “Wingers know too much. We are a threat.”

    And don’t they, “the Unionists”, just know it but don’t know what to do about it.

  132. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    @Robert Peffers

    Memories… 🙂 and 🙁

    I used to take the accumulators for the wireless from Engine Row (miners row houses) Hill of Beath down the wee brae to the post office opposite the school for the couple that brought up my father. I was about 8 I think, heavy things they were, but I got a penny to spend on two 1/2p bars of cadbury’s chocolate in ‘Boyds’ the general grocers or a bag of broken biscuits.

    I on the other hand was living in luxury in the latest type built pre-fabs next to the football pitch and 30 seconds, if you ran, to the school over the back wall.

    PS:
    @Nana

    Heard that on GMS too… blatant stuff. Good old Auntie!

  133. Petra
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Nana at 8:10am ….

    Thanks for the links Nana. So much information to cover however a couple stand out for me.

    I see that Scot Ian Wood oil billionaire has done the dirty on some of his employees. Made his fortune from Scottish oil, uses their expertise to train others abroad (being paid peanuts) and then dumps them. There’s a Unionist for you. Scotland first my a*s.

    ‘Where does Scotland get its money from’? How misleading is that information from the Scottish Government? No wonder the Scots (and others) believe that we’re too wee, poor and stupid to run our own Country. It should have commenced by outlining the sources / how much money the Treasury ‘extracts’ from Scotland before it deems how to ‘work out’ the level of pocket money we receive in return.

  134. schrodingers cat
    Ignored
    says:

    But mark the pasta-nurtured chiel!
    He’s blubbered like an Arctic seal

    snigger,

    btw mr peffers

    different words existed in different areas with cross fertilisation happening much slower in the past than now. it is difficult to point to one area as the definitive, even without rivers or mountain ranges, from house to house along a road, small differences occur, travel far enough along the road and eventually you will come to a place where, all agree, another language is spoken, the point were this happens is less clear.

    eg in some lowland regions

    gang = wandered, travelled, went etc
    gaed = same meaning but an expression invariably applied only to ghosts

  135. Inverclyder
    Ignored
    says:

    Labour
    The party of the future living in the past.

    The party of change that likes things just as the are.

    I’ll never vote for them ever again. It’s not bitterness. It’s anger that they managed to pull off the decades of lies to the people that paid their wages and believed in them doing the right thing.

    RIP? No. The don’t deserve it.

    There will be no mourning at their passing.

  136. Fred
    Ignored
    says:

    @ The Cat, amused at the muse!

    Meantime back at Holyrood, Slab’s towering intellect Michael McMahon MSP has come up with a cunning stunt to boost his profile on TV & get his name in the papers by a nae-chance bill anent the Not-Proven verdict, a bi-annual controversy which has been kicking around for about a century & a half.

    So non-news by a non-entity about a non-starter!

  137. Nana
    Ignored
    says:

    I have not listened to the radio for about 2yrs. Having listened to that link from Ponsonby it’s obvious I was right in my decision to switch off anything to do with the bbc.

    That ‘imterview’ is staggering in it’s blatant attempt to get the woman to diss the scotgov. Seriously how the hell do we combat this, all I can do is share.

    @Petra
    Absolutely agree with you re that video, I would hope there are others being made which will detail exactly what westminster thieve from Scotland.

  138. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    DOH!
    Should have said in last post ..in the good old days the local post office recharged your accumulators. The younger ones might not know that.

    PS:
    Working mothers in Scotland to suffer.

    https://archive.is/SZv6e

  139. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Nana
    And considering “the woman” in question was the chief Medical Officer for Scotland, Dr Catherine Calderwood, I thought she dealt very firmly with the RS interviewer.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-31663776

  140. Helena Brown
    Ignored
    says:

    Robert Peffers with regard to the Canongate, yes the pity is that folk have been using the wrong name for Holyrood, calling it Hollyrood. There was a Church and Abbey of that name and it means the HOLY CROSS and the Canons were actually monks. Then of course we have no history!
    I must have been a lucky lassie or not as old as you, my folks had this work of art of a radio, stood as high as the average TV in gorgeous wood and powered by mains electricity. Mum and Dad put it in their rented flat circa 1940, not much change from landlords of today.

  141. Helena Brown
    Ignored
    says:

    Call me Dave, seems we are so better together, we get to suffer as well.

  142. Ronnie
    Ignored
    says:

    @ call me Dave, Robert Peffers,

    Aye, used to walk two miles each way with my Granda to get the wireless accumulator exchanged. Then back to the smoke-blackened kettle, filled from the handpump in the scullery, Tilley Lamp lit and the mysterious ‘Hilversum’.

    If it was still daylight, you could read threaded squares of the Picture Post while in the ootside lavvie some distance from the cottage. I won’t say where the bucket got emptied into, just in case there’s any anglers reading this from that era.

  143. Peter McCulloch
    Ignored
    says:

    So according to Labour its everyone else’s fault that we have a Tory Government at Westminster instead of a Labour Government.

    Well I have lost count of the General elections here in Scotland where Labour told people they had to vote Labour to keep/or get the Tories out.

    Those who heeded that message and did vote Labour usually woke up next day with a Tory Government at Westminster.

    So maybe the message here in Scotland should be vote Labour and get Tory.

  144. Luigi
    Ignored
    says:

    Och, TBH I think the red tories are spending far too much time and money over-analysing the causes of their catastrophic GE defeat. Why did Labour lose the 2016 GE? Why were they all but wiped out in ScotIand? It’s very simple really:

    They were shite

  145. William Duguid
    Ignored
    says:

    o/t

    Just to say thanks to Schrodinger’s Cat and others for their kind words about “To a Macaroni Pie”.

  146. schrodingers cat
    Ignored
    says:

    you are most welcome Mr Duguid

    have another plug for yer blog sir

    http://williamduguid.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/to-macaroni-pie.html

  147. Karmanaut
    Ignored
    says:

    A timely reminder that Scottish Labour ran a campaign of lies to try to win votes. I don’t see that changing any time soon.

  148. Dorothy Devine
    Ignored
    says:

    That is a shocking piece of interviewing.

    Thank goodness for Macaroni Pie ! ( I’ve always loathed the stuff but the poem is great!)

  149. Petra
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Nana at 11:48am … ”Seriously how the hell can we combat this, all I can do is share.”

    Nana I wonder if you have any idea how MUCH your ‘sharing’ is contributing towards us ultimately achieving our Independence?

    To my mind we are all on here to ‘learn’ and in turn to ‘educate’ each other …. those who post and those who visit without actually contributing on here.

    To ‘learn’ we need access to relevant information from people like Stu and yourself … in turn using such data to work together, effectively, as a team bringing even more information to the table. Wings wouldn’t exist without Stu however in turn its very existence is reliant on the posters …. sharing … the time they take to search for and post links, their specialist knowledge, knowledge in general, life experiences, musings, humour, passion and even disagreements.

    Your posts are absolutely invaluable as they keep us all up to date with news from across a wide spectrum, unearth specific information, generate discussion which leads to the internalisation of hard data which we can then disseminate elsewhere …. face to face or on other Internet sites.

    Remember too that Wings is probably the most popular pro-Scottish Independence site in the World which means its influence is far-reaching. Who’s to tell how many No or undecided voters you’ve converted Nana or helped us to convert? All I can say is forget about the ‘all I can do’ Nana. Just keep up the good work.

  150. Jack Murphy
    Ignored
    says:

    Helena Brown said at 12:11 pm:-
    “Call me Dave,seems we are so better together, we get to suffer as well.”

    Scottish Labour,Daily Record,The Herald etc. don’t go complaining about the consequences of you all telling us to vote No to this great United Kingdom of ours. 🙁
    We’re no zipped up the back!

    Working mothers in Scotland to suffer:–

    The Herald:- https://archive.is/SZv6e

  151. Nana
    Ignored
    says:

    @Petra

    That’s kind of you. Perhaps I phrased what I said badly in that I meant “all I can do is share” in the hopes that anyone reading would do the same and pass it on.
    I started sharing links long before the referendum, didn’t think I would still be doing this in 2016.

    Anyhoo remember Alex this afternoon on

    http://www.lbc.co.uk/alex-salmond-phone-in-watch-live-122981

  152. Nana
    Ignored
    says:

    PS @Petra you do an extremely fine job yourself on here.

    Always amazes how one link can grow wings!

  153. Derek Cameron
    Ignored
    says:

    NANA at 10 .58

    I heard that interview with chief medical officer this morning. What a half witted attempt to get CMO to say ” SNP bad ” . It failed.

  154. Macart
    Ignored
    says:

    @Nana

    What Petra said. 🙂

  155. Petra
    Ignored
    says:

    ‘Revealed: Chancellor George Osborne to cost Scots working mothers £3,400 each year.’

    ‘New figures reveal for the first time the impact on Scots from George Osborne’s cuts to in-work benefits through the new Universal Credit. Critics have accused the Chancellor of attempting to resurrect his scrapped tax credit cuts by the back door. Analysis shows that the average Scottish single mother-of-two working full time on the new National Living Wage would be £3,321 a year worse off by 2021.
    The research by the House of Commons Library emphasizes the difference between those who remain on tax credits and those on Universal Credit, currently being phased in across Scotland.’ ………………..

    ‘Ian Murray, the shadow Scottish secretary, who asked the Library to calculate the Scottish figures, said: “This new research highlights the full and devastating impact that this Government’s policies will have on some single parent working families in Scotland. “Thanks to George Osborne’s determination to fix the deficit on the backs of working people, many Scottish families on Universal Credit face the prospect of being significantly worse off.”‘

    This is from the Better Together man who ‘abstains’ at every turn, whose party agreed, pre-election, with the Tory austerity cuts and is a member of the Scottish Labour party that did everything in their power to ensure that as LITTLE as possible was devolved to Scotland through Smith.

    The Better Together man whose party conned us all with the VOW. It’s thanks to people like him the abject misery of the poor, vulnerable and in this case hardworking single parents in Scotland is going to exacerbate.

    https://archive.is/SZv6e

  156. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    I’ve always been in favour of helicopter money as a means to get the economy going. Better than just giving it to the banks.

    I don’t begrudge Sturgeon her helicopter money either.

    https://archive.is/l0Kvm

    Some spending figures for the various parties.

  157. Graf Midgehunter
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Nana

    I have to second (or third!) those who find your links of great use to finding info off the beaten track or invisible for most folk.

    Not being an avid poster, just sticking my neck up now and again, I click around a lot looking for new stuff to devour. Including the Rev’s “Blue” links for facts. 😉

    “DOESN’T ANYONE EVER CLICK ON THE LINKS?” (sigh)

    In times to come folk will look back and remember who did what, where and when in the Indy battle.

  158. ScottieDog
    Ignored
    says:

    @Nana
    Thanks for the link to that outrageous interview. I don’t listen to BBC R Scotland much at all and this vindicates my decision. What a disgrace.

    The interview got me thinking. I post on here a lot about the issues with money and why we should have a sovereign currency should we become independent. Someone asked me the other day why none of the banking problems and issues with our monetary systems have been resolved.

    The simple reason is because of our media. The majority of the UK population should have been outraged to the point reached in Iceland but we weren’t. We weren’t because the crimes of the city of London and the establishment are well hidden by an establishment media.

  159. Hamish McTavish
    Ignored
    says:

    @ScottieDog 3:07pm

    and 26% of the electorate voted Tory.

  160. Nana
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Macart & Graf Midgehunter

    Aw you realise I now have to go and buy a bigger hat due to my ever swelling big head! Hahaha

    @ScottieDog

    I have linked many times to Nicolas Wilson’s blog. Now there’s a man trying to highlight the corruption within the establishment. Recently he did a livestream so if you have some…

    http://blog.independencelive.net/podcast-nicholas-wilson/

  161. Andrew McLean
    Ignored
    says:

    This report dated January 2016 makes a rather peculiar request

    “The Scottish Labour party(sic), while remaining a key part of the UK party and movement, should have significant autonomy in policy areas relevant to Scotland and its own campaign strategy.

    Correct me if I am wrong but in October last year were we not told this had been agreed and a plan was in place, then why is it suggested here as a good idea that should be looked at? perhaps Margaret Beckett wasn’t told as it would never happen and was just another fairy story, you know like the hole concept of a Scottish Labour party, we all know that is just doesn’t exist?

    I am reminded of the Monty Python sketch where one of them demands to be allowed to have baby’s, being a man they cant so they make a statement that it is symbolic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFBOQzSk14c

    The British Labour Party is root and branch unionist, and I mean Brit nationalist not trade unionist.

  162. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    I paid for the FMs helicopter usage to fly around Scotland and win the GE for Scotland it was a wee early victory present for the FM by 120.000 members

    Come the Holyrood elections if she needs a train or a boat or a plane or a Hudgie on my bike she’s more than welcome

  163. Andrew McLean
    Ignored
    says:

    NANA at 10 .58

    Thanks for the link Nana

    And the BBC are not biased said the man from the BBC, your all loonies if you think reporters have a hidden agenda said the man from the BBC.

    In an interview lasting 6 minutes 40 seconds by the BBC with the Chief Medical officer on her report into the content of discussions between patient and doctor, regarding better outcomes in what can be a difficult discussion, as it involves poor lifestyle choices by the patient.

    The interviewer asked her 9 times if long waiting time was to blame for the poor content of the consultation, and another 4 times if the Scottish government was ultimately responsible for this problem as detailed in her report.
    That’s one unconnected question once every 30.7 seconds! FFS!

    She actually only asked 4 questions that were even remotely relevant to the CMO’s report! So three times as many questions based on her agenda, not the actual interview.

    Is this a world record?

    Constantly the CMO referred to her report into the content of the patient doctor discussions, probably as the length of time waiting to see the doctor is pretty irrelevant to the content of the discussion. This annoyed the reporter as she stuttered and grasped to get the CMO to discus waiting times, not her report. The CMO actually told the reporter to get back to discussing the report!

    BBC The shame of the broadcast industry.

    Biased twisted and loyal to government, just like North Korea http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRY_aDXUe2g

  164. Fred
    Ignored
    says:

    The National just gets better, Rock mentioned twice on the letters page this week. 🙂

  165. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    Yeah, I find Nana’s links useful too, can click on anything that interests me. Thanks Nana.

  166. Les Wilson
    Ignored
    says:

    I do not know how many here will have seen this, but in case you have not, a great speech by Mhairi Black on womens pensions.
    Really worth a watch.

    http://blog.independencelive.net/mhairi-lands-pension-blow-as-the-tories-dont-show/

    This young lady is not going back in her box anytime soon, she will be around for a very long time in politics.

  167. Petra
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T

    @ call me dave says at 2:41 pm …….I’ve always been in favour of helicopter money as a means to get the economy going. Better than just giving it to the banks. I don’t begrudge Sturgeon her helicopter money either.”

    If we delved into it we’d probably find that the £35,000 spent on the helicopter is far less than what was spent by Better Together bussing up the anti-Independence hordes from England. It’s also £22,000 less than the £57,000 that is unaccounted for other than a mention of a couple of train fares seemingly equalling £28,500 each.

    In relation to the latter I see that the Daily Record has mentioned the unaccounted for money but has smoothed over it by mentioning, for example, the Wings fine.

    It’s a massive amount of money to be ‘unaccounted’ for. Has anyone heard if the Police plan to carry out an investigation?

  168. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    This young lady is not going back in her box anytime soon, she will be around for a very long time in politics.

    We all will! More than half of Scotland wants to get into politics.

    Also, its nice to ponder if Milliband ponders what might have been, if he had actually gone with Sturgeon last May. Its probably what all the blue tory Salmond’s a pickpocket thieving off of England posters were heading off. So bettertogether with our neighbour running our country.

    Underlying this Becket autopsy, JC and his not so red tories have been watching the SNP like hawks, and then copying them.

    Poor Ed.

    Two and half million quid to call Salmond and the Scots a pack of thieves. Australia has some lovely characters to off world democracy

    http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tories-splashed-out-24million-controversial-7211032

  169. Proud Cybernat
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T

    BBC Lies versus Spanish Ayes: http://tinyurl.com/qbhlxnn

    (Just in case you missed it).

  170. Graham MacLure
    Ignored
    says:

    Heedtracker 5:30

    Just had a quick look at your link and I think the SNP got the biggest bang for their bucks!

  171. velofello
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Dr Jim: A hudgie! I’d offer her a crossy.

    Keep it coming folks ref Scots, Lallans Doric, or whatever.

    Gaelic, spoken and sung, is music to my ear. Scots words like glaikit, hudgie, etc etc. convey descriptive sounds of the intended expression of the speaker… I believe.

    Languages are not my subject, but I do enjoy listening to peoples’ accents, and words.

  172. msean
    Ignored
    says:

    Always seemed to me that the turning piont was when Mr Miliband said on live tv that he wouldn’t deal with the snp. Dealt with the tories in the indyref ok though.

  173. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    In one of the departments I service, I was asked by the Canadian lady at the desk, “And how are you today?”

    I replied, “I’m trachled (trauchled) – one of the team is on holiday.” “Trachled” was a new word to her so I explained.

    As I left, I remarked that the situation was leaving me fair ferfochen, which I also had to explain.

    8=)

  174. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Helena Brown says: 20 January, 2016 at 12:09 pm:

    “Robert Peffers with regard to the Canongate, yes the pity is that folk have been using the wrong name for Holyrood, calling it Hollyrood. There was a Church and Abbey of that name and it means the HOLY CROSS and the Canons were actually monks.”

    You are indeed correct, Helena.

    Holyrood is the anglicised version of the Lallans Scots, “haly ruid”, that is, “The Holy Cross”, with capital letters the actual cross upon which Jesus died. Feast of the Cross in the Christian liturgical calendar

    Holyrood in Edinburgh is that area of Edinburgh that contains Holyrood Abbey, a ruined Augustinian abbey.

    Holyrood Palace, (known formally as the Palace of Holyroodhouse), is adjacent to Holyrood Abbey and Holyroodhouse is surrounded by Holyrood Park.

    When I was attending school in Edinburgh the Leith RC academy was, “Holy Cross”, and the Leith RC Secondary School was St Anthony’s. This latter was replaced, long after I had left Edinburgh, with a new built and renamed Holy Rood School.

    “I must have been a lucky lassie or not as old as you, my folks had this work of art of a radio, stood as high as the average TV in gorgeous wood and powered by mains electricity.”

    Perhaps not, the main reason, (pardon the pun) was we had no mains electricity on the farm but also because we were soon at war with Germany and all radio production, and parts, were reserved for the MOD, or War Department as it was in those days.

    We did have something like you describe – a large unit of beautiful furniture that contained a useless Mains radio and an electric gramophone. Someone, I don’t know who, had replaced the electric Gramophone with a wind up gramophone.

    This was a little more sane than it seems. The much larger cabinet was designed to produce a much better tone with lots of baffles and compartments for the better effects. BTW: The Edinburgh Canongate is within the Holyrood area.

  175. Effijy
    Ignored
    says:

    Luigi says:
    20 January, 2016 at 12:29 pm
    Och, TBH I think the red tories are spending far too much time and money over-analysing the causes of their catastrophic GE defeat. Why did Labour lose the 2016 GE? Why were they all but wiped out in ScotIand? It’s very simple really:

    They were shite

    Luigi, I disagree with your comment above, you should have said:

    They are Shite!

  176. willie
    Ignored
    says:

    Oh dear, it does seem that once again the Labour Party have again been found out as liars. Over the years they sold the people of Scotland down the river – but no more. Next May will finish them



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