Jamaican for the occasion
Posted on
August 07, 2014 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Private Eye editor Ian Hislop hasn’t made much of a secret of his opposition to Scottish independence. The satirical and investigative magazine, which is normally so razor-sharp on all the failings and hypocrisies of politicians and the media, has been remarkably silent on the subject of the referendum for the past few years, which one might have thought would have given it enough material to go weekly.
So in that context of that self-imposed censorship, the BBC’s coverage of last month’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow must have been really quite something.
Spot on. Comments 100% correct in every way.
They should have been called the Common Weal Games.
The article only scratches the surface of what really went on!
“The aim … was to tell the Scots that they are an amazing race, but one which needs to remain within the UK“.
Bollocks. The aim was to play down everything Scottish as much as possible, and try to inject Britishness in where it shouldn’t have been.
“needs … more importantly, the BBC“.
Eh? I fail to see how the BBC’s coverage could possibly have impressed many Scots. It more likely alienated and converted more to Yes. And with Yes will surely come the BBC’s demise.
That aspect of the article was correct. We often think the BBC bias is at the behest of BT/HMG, however it is just as likely to be a fight for its own survival.
I take it that the Games coverage was a bit embarassing then?
Add in the “debate” from STV and it looks as if our broadcaters are doing the Yes campaign proud
Wow, a london ‘bubble’ guy kinda gets it….
While a fair summary, the attempts by the BBC to make the whole affair more “British” were hardly subliminal.
From the GSTQ anthem, the red white & blue of the Red Arrows to the almost complete elimination of Scottish commentary as well as the blatant positioning of anyone with an English flag, uniform or accent in front of a camera at almost every opportunity, it felt quite surreal.
I genuinely felt like I was watching a major sporting event in my home city while I was in a foreign country spectating through a foreign media broadcast, despite being just 60 miles away in Perth.
I stopped following the tweets of BBCSport because it appeared only too often that only one team from the six “home” nations (Scotland, N.Ireland, Isle of Man, Channel Islands, England & Wales) was actually participating. I leave you to easily figure out which one that was.
And finally, no one has to the best of my knowledge explained or justified why the English cycling team wore Union Flag branded helmets, despite a clear rule from the Commonwealth Guide book, explaining that flags from countries that are not competing will not be allowed to be displayed.
Hilarious! Revealing. Well written, too. BBC would lose 25% of their production and transmission capability? Didn’t know that.
“…the BBC needs Scotland and Scotland needs the BBC”? The BBC probably does need the Scottish licence fees but does Scotland really need the Biased Broadcasting Corporation? On balance, NO!!
Our household (like many others I suspect) pay the fee and actually watch or listen to about 5% of the output. Overall it represents only a tiny part of the media we consume. We could quite happily ditch Auntie B and get Dr Who on pay per view.
The BBC would also still be responsible for paying for Pacific Quay given it’s a PFI initiative.
I think that is quite a good take on the C.G. especially so seeing as it written from someone based down in London. There are quite a few things he did not mention, but then again there’s is only so much you can write about the BBC before you start to even bore yourself to sleep so I’ll just let it be. 😉 😛
Wow! I reckon Mr Hislop (the crofter of Caithness) must have been on holiday when that landed on the editorial desk. That’s one of the first London based pieces I’ve seen which has been unashamedly honest.
The local EBC serfs were taken over from dan Sarf and not trusted to obey ze masters.
Now we have Referendum TV who needs the BBC!
First podcast just finished well done and thank you to all.
The BBC were indeed a bit condescending in their commentary, nothing new there then. Just thought I’d add it was a Scotsman who designed the Jamaican flag, his name,William McGhie, that’s why the flag has a saltire type cross in the middle, Jamaica gained its independence in 1962.
‘BBC would lose 25% of their production and transmission capability.’
That, along with £300m in licence fees I think, explains everything about the behaviour at Pacific Quay.
Over to you Mr Batemen.
Tha cartoon’s Blair MacDougall and Jacky Baillie kicking back in front of the telly at Blythswood Square that is.
Ok thats the last one. Fat is not a political issue, end of:D
The BBC collects well over £5 billion in revenues from all its fees & programming sales at home & overseas. Less than 7% of this, about £330 million comes from license fee payers in Scotland.
But even when independent, if folks still want to be anesthetized every night by spending 30 minutes in a temporary coma while watching the soul destroying misery that is “Eastenders”, they can always pony up through Sky or some other cable provider.
Alternatively, get a prescription from your doctor for a double adult dose of Benzodiazepine. You’ll still feel like slitting your wrists but the upside is that the BBC won’t benefit.
It’s a fair attempt at a critique of the real motives of the BBC.
Realising that the constituent nations of the UK were competing against each other, the BBC attempts to create an amorphous blob called ‘the home nations’ into which we UK-ers could all unhesitatingly buy became increasingly comic. Especially as most if not all of those efforts were ultimately undone by the English presenters’ inability to see things other than in terms of England. England became ‘the home nations’ and ‘the home nations’ became England, as when Claire Balding said ‘we have two English swimmers in this race, one from Scotland and one from Wales’.
The colonialist aspect to the Games, from selling huge amounts of tickets in England to removing Scottish announcers at Hampden when the serious stuff began, was ultimately much more sinister than the pathetic, transparent attempts of the BBC to spray a gloss of unity over the ‘home nations’.
@heedtrackers
Mind, Fat Cats are fair game!
@Christian Wright
Well Scotland has 1/3 of the landmass so facilities need to be dotted around it.
That we don’t have 1/3 of them is for population reasons. The 1/4 figure doesn’t therefore surprise me.
Until Salford most places just had single studios. But each needed a camera and microphones and transmission dishes and of course fast internet access now.
Though when they are divvying up assets and liabilities 25% is more than our population share, so won’t we have to pay for it somehow?
Sorry for going O/T so early folks but I’ve just read this on Twitter. Now if only we could get someone from STV to come out and publicly acknowledge that this is FACT then we might have job done and a certain polling company might be in a wee bit of trouble! 😀
http://tinyurl.com/oa7ewjx
What happened to Ingeram? He is half Scottish when it suits him.
@Training Day
Well actually it’s worse than that. The BBC also keeps a weather eye on favourite Commonwealth nations. So we got to see Kiwi competitors even when they weren’t in much danger of a medal. As a naturalised Kiwi I noticed these things.
I think the Jamaican thing was part of that too. I doubt Jamaican TV launched a big independent transmission effort so relied on Aunty to do a lot of it for them.
@Lesley-Anne
Knew fine it was stitch up debate all along. But if this is true then we really need to spread this far.
Lesley Anne… That doesn’t surprise me… since the leader of BT wont be able to vote either.
Also the Beeb has always done this. I think they look strange because of the referendum. This has made the English a touch more xenophobic in their uneasiness over it and so these Commonwealth attentions the BBC has always done stand out starker. That is all.
Way back the BBC would have broadcast to the whole Empire. Then Canada and India and Australia took on their own thing. NZ stared piggy-backing half on Oz and half on the BBC etc. So the likes of Jamaica are left looking more isolated.
That’s why I don’t pay the TV license. It’s a con because the BBC are too lazy to advertise like everyone else. Just watch catch up on Iplayer, STV Player (when it works) and 4OD. Don’t need a license for that!
Why financially support the oppressive BBC? I certainly won’t.
A bit of pedantry from someone who has worked on past Games:- there are 7 teams from the British Isles not 6. There isn’t a Channel Island team. There is Jersey & there’s the Bailiwick of Guernsey which includes Alderney, Sark & Herm.
O/T , but a quick straw poll at the smokie at work .. 1 NO ,1 DK , 13 YES , not very scientific i know , but probably no worse than the loaded BT polls.
Oh and if my last post wasn’t *ahem* interesting enough folks how about this as wee after dinner mint. 😀
http://tinyurl.com/k9fdpwo
I think we all know why and where all this money from certain *cough* donors to Better Thanks/NO Together/Project Feart or whatever is going now don’t we? 😉 😛
Muscleguy
I just googled your words ‘Scotland’s landmass’ and here’s what came up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6RVspFAWAk
The biggest joke of all was BBC producers and camera wonks desperately trying every single angle/trick in their bumper book of ” BBC guidelines on filming Scotland flags and Scottish types,” and making Saltires look v v small and v vv quickly off screen.
Only in the BBC Scotland region, ruled with a sweaty fist by this last great teamGB baron of Britishness in Scotland.
http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/bbc-portrayed-alex-salmond-as-figure-of-fun-1-3335594
Who was it that solemnly advised that the ‘Independence debate was entirely a matter for the Scots’?
@Lesley-Anne
Well, well, well. Not content with bussing up leafleters, they’re now providing rent-a-crowd. 😀
@heedtracker
Maybe fat is not a political issue but, she was Shadow Health Minister and she did cast a big shadow.
I think a few of you need to understand how tv works at these events.
Do you really think it was BBC cameras at all 11 venues or whatever it was? Sure they would have supplied some resources from all over the UK, but, the production duties of the SPORT is devolved to the games organisers. (It was the Olympic Broadcast Services in London)
In turn, they sell the event pictures back to each broadcaster to transmit over whatever platforms they choose. (6 dedicated channels on Sateliite / redbutton / online etc.)
The Balding / Lineaker / Inverdale bits are BBC exclusives for UK use only (unless NZ / Canada or whoever OPTS to share them.)
They have to get NO voters from somewhere , ones that can string a sentence together 🙂 I was asking a woman from my street the other day how she would be voting in the Referendum , after a torrent of racism she said she would be voting UKIP , there is no arguing with that logic , i didn’t have the heart to tell her 🙂
@ Lesley-Anne, so STV didn’t pick debate audience, polling co audience bussed in from England. Well tie me up and call me Torcuiul Crichton.
Memory serves, the old dude that said he was in business but openly insulted Scotland’s First Minster, the dude that fluffed his “it’s not Scotland’s oil” schtick and all the audience members that Flipper kept scoping when they slipped up and missed his silly slams laugher cue and all the audience that booed Salmond during currency union section, but I could be wrong.
The more UKOK fraud slips out, the more I want to vote in person and not by post.
@Training Day
To be fair to Clare Balding, that clip of her saying ‘we have two English swimmers in this race, one from Scotland and one from Wales’ is deliberately cut to make it look bad. She was indicating that there were four UK swimmers in the race, i.e. the Scottish and Welsh ones were in addition to the two English.
Although saying that, she was guilty on other occasions of saying stuff like “We’ve got so-and-so of England competing in the next race”, and failing to mention that X of Scotland or Y from Wales were also taking part.
I really hated that “home nations” crap, it’s meaningless. Whenever you watch any news report from London it’s like a foreign country. Half the political news doesn’t apply to us and the last thing it feels like is being “home”.
@seoc
Who was it that solemnly advised that the ‘Independence debate was entirely a matter for the Scots’?
________________
Was it the USA? Now 27 members of the House of Representatives have supported a resolution backing a united, secure and prosperous United Kingdom”
Do I get a prize? lol.
Macart says:
@Lesley-Anne
Well, well, well. Not content with bussing up leafleters, they’re now providing rent-a-crowd. 😀
FINALLY!
At long last we finally get the answer to the BIG question of the independence debate. “Where are all those *ahem* boots on the ground for the NO camp?” The answer is now in the open for all to see. They are Suff of the border waiting for their £25 hand outs and £10 travel expenses. 😀
My only hope is that they are MORE vigilant with their expenses forms than Darling is with his house expenses form! 😛
Sorry slightly off topic for so early on but…
I’m confused about this piece of BBC coverage on line today about US politicians backing the union –
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-28689012
Now, i’m no authority on the political landscape of the States but if only 27 out of 435 backed this legislation, how can this even be news?
Jim says:
7 August, 2014 at 2:50 pm
@heedtracker
Maybe fat is not a political issue but, she was Shadow Health Minister and she did cast a big shadow.
Now stop that. Don’t you know that undecided Scots will vote no if you know who’s over active thyroid glands for the union are mentioned.
Here’s the beebs excuse for their biased coverage to me.Doesn’t even the address the main complaint about the commentators sniggering when Hannah Miley came fourth behind two English lassies and an Australian.
We thank you for getting in touch about our coverage of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and are sorry to learn you are unhappy with our commentary or presentation. We’ve received a very wide range of feedback on our coverage of the Games and in order to use our limited TV Licence fee resources efficiently this response aims to answer the key concerns. We apologise in advance if it doesn’t address your specific points in the manner you would prefer, but please do be assured that your views have been formally registered by the BBC.
In covering the Games, we have to strike a balance between all the competing nations involved and we always aim to do so across our coverage. We have featured a wide range of competitors, commentators and pundits on our programmes including those from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England as well as representatives from other Commonwealth countries.
Inevitably, the focus of our programmes has been on events featuring the home nations. As England are the biggest team, and most successful on this occasion, we can understand a perception where they appear to dominate our output. However, we were well aware of this danger and took great care across all of our programmes to celebrate the achievements of all the home nations’ competitors.
The Commonwealth Games are watched by an audience of many millions with a hugely diverse range of tastes and opinions and we value feedback from our viewers and listeners. Ultimately, our aim was to bring our audience the most comprehensive sports coverage and we acknowledge that not everyone will have agreed on our presentation choices, not least because thoughts on individual presenters and commentators can vary considerably so it’s inevitable some viewers or listeners may dislike or disapprove of certain people or may not agree with something mentioned.
Thank you again for getting in touch with your feedback which has been made available to the BBC Sport teams in Glasgow. We do hope you will tune in to future sports coverage on the BBC.
Kind Regards
BBC Complaints
Sorry, it was a resolution… i did say i was no expert!
Still the headline is a bit misleading to say the least, dont you think?
http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk That bussing in audience fraud by STV did it and I’m switching from postal to ballot box. It’s going to cost but even the electoral commission are at it with the CBI in particular.
@heedtracker
Okay, last one, or two, but is it really an over active thyroid or appetite? See food diet? Not fat, just big boned. Comfortable in her size, i.e, comfortable to sit on?
Steve Cram and Gabby Logan are on the Let’s Stay Together list.
https://www.letsstaytogether.org.uk/
Wha says us auld fogies are voting naw?
http://www.ross-shirejournal.co.uk/Independence-Debate/Centenarians-a-clash-of-Scottish-independence-views-.htm
My ‘Top 10 Most Annoying People’ from the Let’s Stay Together campaign.
1. Rod Liddle
2. David Aaronovitch
3. Nick Cohen
4. Richard Dawkins
5. George Galloway
6. Alain de Botton
7. Howard Jacobson
8. Colonel Tim Collins
9. Cilla Black
10. Frances Barber on twitter
I’m intrigued BigRik, how on earth did you manage to keep a straight face after she said she was voting for UKIP? 😛
Isn’t it amazing heedtracker, the NO camp go to all the expense and trouble to bus people up from dawn suff AND pay them for their time and trouble and the lazy beggars can’t be bothered to learn their lines that they were handed when they boarded the bus to nowhere! DESPICABLE! That would never happen in an independent Scotland, at least we would have the respect to learn our lines. 😀
I’ll bet you are well chuffed with that response goldenayr. I can see you are just ever so happy that you spent all that time and effort into writing your complaint just so BBC can dismiss it so flippantly. 🙂
@Soda
27 State siders are worried about a country of over 5 million going it’s own way in the world.
Do they forget that they, “fought a war” to gain their Independence when all we have to do is put a tick in the right place. Really a non story but as long as they keep flashing those not quite subliminal NO messages on the BBC website they will have said they have done their job.
LA
Do we expect anything else?
Talking of voting – when do the voting cards come out?
With all this busing in to the STV debate and canvassers etc by the NO camp I think I’m beginning to understand why the Electoral Commission has instructed Returning Officers to hold 120% of referendum ballot papers now!
http://tinyurl.com/kakcbsd
@Jim
Aye Jim, its that big headline lie that unravels itself if your continue to read the article thing again. 27 out of 435 is bordering on the lunatic fringe but its how you spin it i guess.
O/T – Business for Scotland’s “Vision for Scotland”, launched yesterday in Edinburgh, is now available as a pdf here:
http://www.businessforscotland.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/BfS_VisionReport.pdf
It was a very good day with a wide range of excellent speakers. Only marred by a wasp thinking it could swim in my orange juice – hey ho …
It might seem trivial, but CBeebies continuity segments were featuring the games and had bunting with all the flags of the participating countries draped in the studio. The saltire was right at the end which meant that it was only ever visible occasionally, while the St George cross and some of the flags which also feature union flags were centre stage. It was quite disturbing how invisible Scotland was that my five year old son eventually started cheering England on.
You don’t really expect me to answer that one do you goldenayr? 😉 😛
I think the voting cards for postal voting come out on the 26th of August Macandroid.
Salmond/Darling debate POLL
http://player.stv.tv/programmes/salmond-darling/
3 MINS IN
54%—NO
40%—YES
7%—UNDECIDED
101%
MASSIVE RED FACE MORI { : > )
I’m struggling to find my Polling station. Moving in with my mother in-law and can’t seem to find it.
@Goldenayr 2:58 & 3:10
“As England are the biggest team, and most successful on this occasion”
And that says it all.
I tried several times, unsuccessfully, to get the broadcast media to look at the medals table in a different way. Simply divide the number of medals by the population (in millions) of each represented nation and it shows a very different story. I didn’t bother with the final day’s tally but it would be pretty much the same as before.
Kiribati was top, Grenada second and Scotland third followed by New Zealand. England languished down around 8th.
Not the story they’d want to show.
LA
Sorree,shouldn’t have put a ? at the end. 😀
OT Anybody else having probs watching ref tv?
Thanks Lesley-Anne – was nearly panicking – then I remembered you don’t actually need to have one with you as long as you’re registered to vote 🙂
Soda: Yes, it does appear to be misleading, total spin. 27 out of 435 supported the resolution, shouldn’t the headline have read something along the lines of “Huge majority don’t back the resolution” or “hundreds more policiticans back Scotland” rather than “Leading politicians back union”?
Dan Lee
Put your postcode in here: http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/default.aspx and contact your local Electoral Registration Office to make sure you are registered with them.
To vote in this referendum, you must be registered to vote. You must be registered by 2 September 2014.
Jim Thomson
That wasn’t the only one I got back.This ones for commending them on their London Oympics 2012 Part 2,and their sensible use of professionals from Britain,instead of those regional second raters.
Hi there,
I’m not sure which section of the BBC website your query refers to, and as the question you typed doesn’t make any sense, it’s unlikely that it generated the right response.
If you’d like to be a bit clearer next time, we’d be happy to provide an answer to your question.
Best wishes,
Anna Sweeney
BBC Enquiries Team
😀
July, 1974 – a hotel in South Africa. The British Lions had, the day before, beaten the Springboks to win the Test series. SABC was re-running their film of the game and some of the Lions were keen to leave the team’s on-going victory celebrations to watch it.
Skipper Willie-John McBride turns off the TV and tells them: “Forget it, that’s history”.
Sound advice. We never could do anything about the BBC’s coverage of the CG. They were always going to concentrate on England – it’s what they do, what they have always done.
We could not change it then, we cannot change it now – we will never be able to change it.
So, move on. Ensure a Yes vote, then we will have future Games covered by Scottish broadcasters, with a Scottish slant.
Don’t get mad – GET EVEN. Or in this case, better than even, without us – they’re in deep doo-dah.
@ Jim, now, you’ll get a row from some of the commenters that have decided WoS is their private blog.
Anyway, off to the Blue Lagoon chipper on West Nile Street. Used to have beat the rush at closing time up at Project Fear HQ Blysthwood Square but the chipper owner’s put Scotland flags up in his window, despite the profit nose dive when Blair MacDougall found out.
Took oor Bliar weeks to scope the huge Saltires mind:D
@ Mary Bruce
Yes indeed, surely the headline should have been –
“SOME leading US politicians back union”
Or –
“Few leading US politicians back union”
Or even more accurately –
“Damn near no leading US politicians back union”?
“Inevitably, the focus of our programmes has been on events featuring the home nations. As England are the biggest team, and most successful on this occasion, we can understand a perception where they appear to dominate our output. However, we were well aware of this danger and took great care across all of our programmes to celebrate the achievements of all the home nations’ competitors.”
It wasn’t perception when they cut away from the bowls gold medal match to a bloody hockey preliminary. It certainly wasn’t perception when the commentators, almost uniformly English, were on about Team GB every time a home nations cyclist or swimmer did well.
The BBC are the state broadcaster, and the state is Great Britain as far as they are concerned. This is what they do; they do what the state wants them to do while claiming, increasingly laughably, that they are independent.
Funded by what is essentially just another tax; oh aye, they’re really independent.
As for 27 US senators, I would warrant that with the pretty well publicised issues in the US educational system and it’s appalling knowledge of anywhere outside the USA, I’m not convinced all twenty seven could point to Scotland on a map, never mind know that they habitually refer to the UK as England because they don’t realise it’s not quite the same place. They probably think we’re like Northumberland; part of England.
The USA tables resolution opposing Scottish independence, Obama says no to independence.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scottish-independence/11017872/US-Congress-tables-resolution-opposing-Scottish-Independence.html
A good enough stab at explaining the motives though to be fair it’s something scottish viewers are already acutely aware of from so many decades of lopsided and two faced BBC output.
I bought the Eye regular as clockwork going way back to some of it’s ‘glory days’ covering Thatcher. Not any more. That has very little to do with Hislop’s unionist stance. (his unionism is based on an idea of old empire that is hardly very appealing to scots who think more of the same from westminster is nowhere near good enough) The Eye has just gradually lost that edge which stopped it from being a bunch of comfortable jolly public schoolboys pleasing themselves. At it’s finest the Eye would savagely attack social injustices and take a pen like a razor blade to the plump and corrupt westminster establishment. Or as these quotations put it beautifully.
“Satire is traditionally the weapon of the powerless against the powerful.” “Good satire comes from anger. It comes from a sense of injustice, that there are wrongs in the world that need to be fixed. And what better place to get that well of venom and outrage boiling than a newsroom, because you’re on the front lines.”
Now the Eye seems more like an integral part of that establishment. Echoing the attitudes of the commons tearooms with cartoons and articles that those at the top of Cameron’s government and in Whitehall would happily chuckle along with. When the Eye takes the government line on many aspects of foreign policy and character assassinates those the State has marked out as ‘undesirables’, like Assange and Snowden, something has gone terribly wrong. It just doesn’t feel like the paper of Paul Foot any more, sadly.
BBC News: Leading US politicians have expressed their support for Scotland remaining part of the UK. Brought in the name of democratic congressman Brad Sherman, of California, it also expressed “deep friendship” for Scottish people and said they “respect” their right to decide on independence.
Sounds like a nice guy.
Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman of California slammed groups doing what he called “international jurisprudence” by counting the large death toll in the Gaza strip to say Israel “must be wrong.” The comments are an apparent dig at human rights group who have criticized Israel in recent days over the rising death toll in the Gaza Strip.
“By that reckoning, you look at World War II and you decide that Eisenhower must have been a war criminal because there were so many more German casualties than American casualties in that war. That is preposterous.”
http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/democratic-congressman-slams-groups-slams-groups-counting-bo
Maybe not.
120% of ballots is a bit excessive but there’s a bit on http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/why_should_i_register_to_vot1/reasons_why_you_should_regis.aspx that gives at least one good reason,
If you’re a student living away from home, you can register twice
If you’re a student living away from home, you may register twice – Many students don’t know that they might be eligible to register to vote at both their home and university addresses, so they’d be able to vote wherever they are at the time of the election.
I think I mentioned before that the law is against voting twice in the same kind of election and not against registering twice. The point is that in addition to spoilage and wastage you also have to account for people, not just students, who are on more than one register for whatever reason. For instance if you’ve moved and for some reason the fact hasn’t been registered in your old electoral area. Or perhaps you’re an MP and registered in both your London and home addresses.
I’d wager and at risk of belittling our little nation but i’m not convinced that Scotland becoming independent is really that high up most US politicians agenda, leading or otherwise. To put it in a nutshell, i dont think they really give a flying fuck whether we do or not and on the same token i honestly dont think they give a damn that there “special relationship” partner is about to come down a few pegs in the world importance stakes either.
Maybe independence will bring about the inevitable full circle scenario of England (with there 2 remaining possessions) becoming a proper US territory or state instead of the vast US aircraft carrier it has been since the end of the war!
Christian Wright says:7 August, 2014 at 2:03 pm:
“Hilarious! Revealing. Well written, too. BBC would lose 25% of their production and transmission capability? Didn’t know that.”
Which, in itself shows that Hislop really did NOT get it at all.
Let me explain, Their title is, “The British”, Broadcasting Corporation. It is Not either the English nor the United Kingdom Broadcasting Corporation. As such they would have continued as the Scottish part of Britain. This of course flies in the face of the arrogance of the English who fondly imagine that UK & Britain are synonymous with England.
The senator who put the motion is Brad Sherman
should tweet him Declaration of Arbroath
Strange thing happened recently.Been posting on FB,after years of eschewing it,with a character known as Fuarach Blas.It’s the closest thing I could get to goldenayr,it means “Accented Song” in really,really bad Gaelic.
Anyhoos,told someone I worked for Whitehall.Next time I logged in,was asked for verification.Either with a phone number..or get this..Govt approved ID.
Don’t know if this is normal?..definitely a bit sus.
The Commonwealth = the British Empire lite.
The BBC = HMV for the Commonwealth.
Private eye = partial hing out.
Robert Peffers
I was thinking along the same lines myself.Truth betold,any argument you could have with them about their perceptions would be met with complete ignorance.So not much point getting annoyed.
Until the negotiations that is.
@ goldenayr
I think its normal but its more to do with facebook wanting to rule your life and the whole world! I think you can decline or skip it.
I actually think you are right Soda. SHOCK! HORROR! 😛
Seriously though I do think the elected politicians in America have far more important things to be getting on with than worrying about whether little old Scotland becomes independent.
In my warped way of thinking, that some folks might recognise 😉 , I think Obama might actually be silently praying for a YES win, despite what he said to appease Cameron recently. As some may recall from some time ago there were noises coming out of the U.S. that they would rather the U.K. did NOT renew Trident but concentrated on securing/building up its conventional forces, something that Cameron blinding ignored.
Fundraiser for Women for Independence:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/last-six-weeks
REV
Heres a great tweet by Brad Sherman
Brad Sherman?Verified account
?@BradSherman
I commend @MikeGatto for passing a resolution through the CA Assembly recognizing independence of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh #Artsakh
Soda
Cheers for that,just seemed strange timing.
I reckon there is going to be something big happening down at Pacific Quay on September 19th.
Either the biggest celebration party or the biggest mass demo in a generation.
It’s mad as feck out there via nob orders.com http://www.toscotlandwithlove.co.uk/84/
This dude will be devastated as his mum’s from Berwick and oh I cant be arsed with these people. It’s a new PR parliament in Holyrood, the union jacks will be lowered and that’s it. Scottish taxes will be spent in Scotland, not given back to us with their usual, there you go you scroungers and that will be that, devastating.
Luigi
You go to PQ on the 19th if you like,I’ll be to busy celebrating with rest of the campaigners here.
Hmm… Sherman is a Jewish name isnt it…right wing connections… Rangers fans flying the Star of David… rampant OO fanatics trying to take over every facebook page on the referendum… its all falling into place now!! lol
Well we could *ahem* extend the party to outside Pacific Quay couldn’t we goldenayr? 😀
I mean it surely is only right that we invite BBC and STV to join in with OUR celebrations of them supporting the WRONG side! All done in the nicest possible way of course. 😉 😛
I don’t want to wade in to something out with my understanding here (so why the hell you saying anything at all I hear you say 😛 ) but apart from the political connotations of the Israeli flag was there not once an Israeli football player who once played for Rangers?
@goldenayr – you work for Jack Whitehall?
🙂
Macandroid,
I’m registered and so is my Fiancé, but we’re moving soon. Figured it out, just have to ask to be removed from one and stuck on another. The only issue is its Dundee/Fife, so 2 separate offices.
Well, at least the conundrum of No’s lead in the polls has now been solved.
Yes Lesley-Anne you are right, Rangers once had a player from Israel but…. they have also had players from Algeria Argentina Australia Belgium Bosnia & Herzegovina Canada Chile Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Egypt England Finland France Gabon Georgia Germany Greece Iceland Ireland Israel Lithuania Nigeria Netherlands Northern Ireland Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia Serbia & Montenegro Slovakia South Africa Sweden Trinidad & Tobago Tunisia Turkey Ukraine and the United States *deep breath*
The current tensions in Ukraine must be really stretching their loyalties at the minute but to be fair and to the best of my knowledge no player from Gaza has ever graced the blue jersey 😉
Aye well give them time Soda, give them time. 😉
Private Eye much more predictably anti-Yes and on a “subsidy junkie” groove on p30. Very snide article on electricity generation. Think I will formulate a letter of response. No harm in trying, but I will keep it short to conserve time and energy…
The Debate:I got the impression that the NO booers all sat together and had a leader. Yes supporters were not allowed to sit together.
Anyone else observe this?
I can’t remember where I read it Famous15 but it was on one of the other threads on here, I’m sure, that YES people who were actually allowed into the *ahem* debate were forbidden from sitting next to each other and that included couples!
Yes, someone did tweet about that. Wasn’t allowed to sit with friend.
Still we must never forget Morag that the STV debate was, how can I say this, erm … balanced! 😛
David Stevenson,
I just read that in PI earlier too. Here is the unreferenced report ‘McSparky’ has very selectively extracted his statements from.
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2014/06/3446/3
@Andy-B
Reading through the comments section of that Telegraph piece even the no supporters are up in arms about interference from a foreign country in our affairs.
@Lesley-Anne
This may sound paranoid but how many times did the camera pan to that one woman shaking her head in disagreement when Salmond was talking?
More times than I care to think about Jim. 😀
bookie from hell says
”
The senator who put the motion is Brad Sherman
should tweet him Declaration of Arbroath”
I just did!
Soda says
“Hmm… Sherman is a Jewish name isnt it…right wing connections… Rangers fans flying the Star of David… rampant OO fanatics trying to take over every facebook page on the referendum… its all falling into place now!! lol”
And,
he sang this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jjiWS__Mp0 🙂
Wanted to try and enjoy the C Games without getting in to the political mire, so just bit my tongue and got on with it.
The truth is the BBC and the British Government stole Glasgow and Scotland’s games. An emotional comment? Don’t think so.
Too many things to mention but having to listen to Mark Chapman every night going on to interviewees about how well Scotland and England’s cyclists and gymnasts got on with each other when they go to their training camps with GB even managing to use the phrase training ” Together” on a number of occasions and Beth Tweddle smiling smugly when she managed to fit in the self same comment. Even at the closing ceremony we had to put up with Tom Dailly ( yes he of the 200) in a brief interview of athletes asked how much they had enjoyed the games managing to fit in the same Team GB mantra ( cue another smug smile).
Could it be the BBC and the athletes are worried about the 10% or so of funding that will disappear if the Scottish people have the nerve to choose independence.
So sad their myopic greed and self interest had to disfigure ( for me at least) what could have been a great games
Subliminal??
“Subliminal?”
Not in the slightest. Full blown, in yer face, shameless, imperialism.
The very fact that they also proudly displayed HMS Duncan, moored on the Clyde, with THREE St George’s crosses flying was galling.
Yeah, it’s clear Eye was never going to be particularly on-target. All through the article it talks about “If the opinion polls and the hopes of Whitehall are wrong, then these games were taking place in a country that could be foreign after September.” Well how do you think we Scots feel when our televisions are presented almost exclusively by people who weren’t born in Scotland?
Let me put it this way, Controller: if Scotland is not yet foreign, then imagine if every reporter, correspondent, commentator and announcer spoke with a Scottish accent. Whenever Scotland was going for gold, you heard them getting excited and cheered, barely able to contain themselves, only to reign themselves in and murmur a mention of England getting Silver.
Scotland’s already foreign. The thing is, there is nothing wrong with that.
As bad as this is, the “In the Back” section (which is where the actual serious journalism is supposed to take place) has a section by “Auld McSparky” (Old Sparky decided to use an oh-so-hilarious nom-de-plume) which interprets the working group the Scottish government commissioned to review the connected electricity grid as being too expensive… for the SCOTS.
THE SCOTS.
But it’s pretty clear which side his bread’s buttered, as all through the article he was painting the desire for independence as separatism, even got in an “English subsidies” line.
I was annoyed enough by the Eye when they ran that ridiculous Salmond cartoon piece, and I’d come to acknowledge their general Braveheartery when it comes to ANY mention of the SNP and First Minister. But to say dividing the electricity grid would be a problem for the country that EXPORTS SURPLUS ELECTRICITY TO ENGLAND was indefensible.
Agree totally, it was in our faces but no doubt they thought it was subliminal to us stupid Scots.
http://www.ijreview.com/2013/09/79072-25-ridiculous-bills-go-congress/
A Congressional Resolution is the equivalent of an Early Day Motion. It means nothing.
@ Dan Lee (4.18)
I don’t know if you will see this, but you do not need to worry about the 2 different areas.
When you fill in the form for the address you are moving to, you will also have to tell them the address you are moving from. The form has to be sent to the electoral registration office for your new abode. They will automatically remove you from the old register; you do not need to notify both offices.
The explanation regarding all the camera feeds being sold to foreign stations is a big clue to where the BBC could have done things differently. It’s what the do for individual sports between the home nations. They have different commentary for Scotland, England, Wales and NI
@Taranaich
just read your essay over on your blog site and it reflects my own thinking. I was sure that if AS came across as “superior” that would have been colossal mistake and resulted in a far less favourable outcome.
I’m not sure, however, that he went far enough, I think he was a wee bit off target when he tried to set the scene with the ridiculous fear stories that BT have peddled over the months. He could simply have listed a few staring with the truly bizarre and ending with simply irrational.
I saw Stu tweet something along the lines of “Please not the pandas” when they were brought into frame. I know AS was simply trying to be lighthearted and score a minor point , but it was a bit childish.
If there are any readers left on this thread, please do have a read of Taranaich’s blog entry on Scotland’s Story here:
http://wildernessofpeace.wordpress.com/2014/08/06/scotlands-story/#more-415
Also did anyone else spot the occasional extreme close up of the Aussie flag till almost all you could see was the union Jack during the medal ceremonies?
Politicians in Washington are trying to impeach Obama
I wrote to Hislop way back, around 2011, to flag up the obvious BBC bias ratcheting up, giving him plenty material and names to check out. Principally, Boothman.
He didn’t reply.
I always had him down as the sort of guy the toffs like to describe as a ‘straight bat’ too. The sort who would be appalled at the skewing of the ‘reality’, even though it helps his cause. But HIGNFY will pay weel, & the public prominence it gives him must be nice too. He’s almost a national treasure.
He might still write a piece on it. Afterwards.
When all’s said and done about the BBC undermining the democratic rights of each and every voter,hard No’s included, in a myriad of subtle & not so subtle, but always with the No agenda foremost ways, the name Boothman will be central.
http://www.irishtimes.com/debate/letters/scotland-s-referendum-1.1890540
Hislop’s dad and grandad were Scottish from Ayr.
Bit confused but is Hislop’s finally getting it. ‘Oxbridge’
Hislop’s is a Christian, a Quaker? ‘Onward Christian soldiers, marching on to war’. A conscience for social justice.
Watching the coverage of the games, one could easily be mistaken for thing Glasgow was in England.
Another example of how negative ‘South Britain’ portrays (or indeed ignores) Scotland around the world.
Anything negative they can say about Scotland is done so with glee, especially the weather. In Scotland it rains sometimes – no big deal. In England, when it rains everything floods and comes to a stop, costing the whole of Britain. During the games Glasgow in soaring temperatures…
https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#q=floods+in+london&tbm=vid&tbs=qdr:m
I feel for the people affected, but when it started to rain later in the week in Glasgow, you could see the glee on faces of our BBC betters as they chuckled “Well this is Scotland…”
We should all be asking the BBC after the nearly unwatchable coverage..
“WHEREABOUTS IN ENGLAND IS GLASGOW?”
or considering Scotland supposedly caused the banking crisis..
“WHEREABOUTS IN SCOTLAND IS LONDON?”