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Temporary service interruption

Posted on March 26, 2015 by

See you Monday, readers.

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  1. 26 03 15 14:45

    Temporary service interruption | Speymouth
    Ignored

1459 to “Temporary service interruption”

  1. Iain Gray's Subway Lament
    Ignored
    says:

    ???? :/

  2. Betty Boop
    Ignored
    says:

    Have a good weekend Stu! Like the Wings on the test card 🙂

  3. Nana Smith
    Ignored
    says:

    Have a good weekend Rev Stu.

  4. Defo
    Ignored
    says:

    This years egotistical, narcissistic, mendacious double dealing SPAD’s, have a nasty habit of turning into next years list MSP’s.

    Deputy Dug didnae get a leg up, on her shimmering intellect alone.
    Dirty deep throating for Lord Foo paid off nicely.

    As for the list system, no good will come from it.
    It only encourages the wrong sorts.

  5. 1.21 GigaScotts
    Ignored
    says:

    See you Monday Mr Rev! Do take care. 🙂

    In the meantime… let’s keep eyes and ears open for what the labour space cadets are up to today.

  6. G H Graham
    Ignored
    says:

    If I won the Lottery, I’d spend half my winnings on alcohol, women & gambling. The other half would more than likely just be frittered away.

    I can keep a secret. It’s the people I tell, who can’t.

    George Bush once claimed that the French don’t have their own phrase for deja vue.

    Funny old world, eh?

  7. Sunniva
    Ignored
    says:

    Rest up Stu, I get what upsets you now, and it confirms something I have smelled before, wondered about, but never quite put my finger on. You are doing a fantastic job attacking all the hubris and conceit of the establishment. I agree with your assessment of the cause of your upset, but it’s a temporary set back and can be reversed. We are many!

  8. 1.21 GigaScots
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Iain grey

    The Rev is taking a small break in preperation for the Election campaign.

  9. Kenny
    Ignored
    says:

    Have a good weekend!

  10. gillie
    Ignored
    says:

    An early picture of Keiza Dugdale and Jim Murphy (high on Irn-Bru) trying to understand the electoral system.

  11. dakk
    Ignored
    says:

    Sounds like you need a decent break.

    Bit of escapism from all this shit.Do something hedonistic.

    I’m gonna have to do the same, the amount of crap I get at work.

    All work and no play make Stuart a basket case.

  12. Rev. Stuart Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    “This years egotistical, narcissistic, mendacious double dealing SPAD’s, have a nasty habit of turning into next years list MSP’s.”

    Mm. If you can’t get people to vote for you, there’s always another way 🙁

  13. Pedro
    Ignored
    says:

    Try to enjoy your downtime!

  14. Cadogan Enright
    Ignored
    says:

    I’ll give him to Friday night before he sees something he cannot resist 🙂

  15. Embradon
    Ignored
    says:

    Have a good weekend Stu.

  16. Jimmur Phymp
    Ignored
    says:

    Best behaviour, now, children. I nominate ronnie as playground monitor.

  17. David McCann
    Ignored
    says:

    Enjoy the break.
    Come back with renewed vigour!

  18. scottieDog
    Ignored
    says:

    Who’s the girl in the picture with jim Murphy?

  19. scunner
    Ignored
    says:

    Enjoy your break.
    For me, this service interruption should be a good thing – I’m spending far too much time on here. Thank god I’m in a position where I sidestep the work proxy and whitelist – I’ll be getting paid to actually WORK for a dew days :-).

  20. X_Sticks
    Ignored
    says:

    Hooray! You’re finally taking a well earned break!

    Have a good one.

  21. BobW
    Ignored
    says:

    Wher’s the interlude music? 😉

  22. ErinT
    Ignored
    says:

    Have a nice break!

    I was going to make my feelings on matters known in a previous iteration but I think this is a much better way to handle things. Well done on this call and enjoy your downtime. Everyone needs moments without working from time to time!

  23. One_Scot
    Ignored
    says:

    Wife wants an iphone6 are they worth the money

  24. ErinT
    Ignored
    says:

    @scunner

    Until you go and hang out in off-topic :p

  25. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    I’m pleased your having a wee break, everybody needs time to recharge their batteries. I hope too that you leave the laptop at home and do something totally different. That would be a proper rest.

  26. scunner
    Ignored
    says:

    Nah, cold turkey.
    and it’ll give me time to practice my “d” & “f” keystrokes…

  27. David Mooney
    Ignored
    says:

    @One_Scot.

    “Wife wants an iphone6 are they worth the money” Naw get a Galaxy Alpha or Note 4 instead.

  28. HandandShrimp
    Ignored
    says:

    They don’t make tellies like that any more

  29. K1
    Ignored
    says:

    Hey BobW! I provided it 🙂

  30. ErinT
    Ignored
    says:

    RE: iPhone 6

    Depends. If your partner has only ever used an iOS device before then maybe. But the iPhone really is abominably expensive and you should only consider the iPhone 6, not the iPhone 6 plus.

    Personally, I’d recommend checking out the Lumia 735 if you can find it for a reasonable price. My partner and a few friends have it and I wish I had gotten it over my current Android phone even if my phone is pink. Which, to be fair, is about the only advantage it has but still…

  31. Peter Macbeastie
    Ignored
    says:

    Enjoy.

    If anyone’s earned a break you have.

    I occasionally disagree with a few points…This is rare…. but overall your bullshit translation service is invaluable. It’s certainly aided the development of my own ability to spot the flaws in politicians (and media) spin.

  32. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    OK i’ll start

    BBC Scotland News…..

    Brian Taylor says…”funding for Scotlands NHS largely comes from Westminster

    Funny, I thought we paid tax up here in North Britain

    Maybe i was wrong

  33. 1.21 GigaScotts
    Ignored
    says:

    @ scottieDog

    girl in the picture with jim Murphy.

    🙂 -sniggers-

  34. Susan
    Ignored
    says:

    Have a great weekend Stu! 🙂

  35. Dcanmore
    Ignored
    says:

    Have a nice long weekend Stu, go for a proper break, somewhere you haven’t been before but always promised yourself a visit.

    cheers

  36. K1
    Ignored
    says:

    This is even better than my previous post ‘interlude’ music…it’s got the Vision On gallery! But check out the BBC1 interlude music and graphics form 4.40mins in…when they were seriously going for the psychedelic effect…at least back then they were up for a bit of fun…

    Sad how times changed for the worst 🙁

  37. YESGUY
    Ignored
    says:

    Have a good weekend Stu.

    We will just have to get by without you. We will of course try hard not to fight among ourselves…. honest 😉

    Play nice Wingers. 😀

  38. ErinT
    Ignored
    says:

    “Have a nice long weekend Stu, go for a proper break, somewhere you haven’t been before but always promised yourself a visit.”

    That isn’t a break. A proper break would involve sitting in your nicest pyjamas with Mean Girls on your laptop eating ice cream and playing Bloodborne on the PS4. When Mean Girls is finished you then either watch Legally Blonde or Mars Attacks!.

    I bet that is Stu’s plan.

  39. Mealer
    Ignored
    says:

    Cadogan 1.36,
    That’s kind of what I was thinking.Making history isn’t someting you can lay down easily.

  40. Bill Dale
    Ignored
    says:

    Just a wee reminder folks, all those who appreciated the great work and work rate of Philippa Whitford in bringing the threat to NHS Scotland into focus during the referendum, now have the chance to support her in her bid to unseat Brian Donohoe, the sitting Labour MP in Central Ayrshire.

    Philippa’s Crowdfunder Appeal closes this weekend so, if you wish to donate, please go in now and do it while there is still time.

    http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/dr-philippa-whitford-campaign-fund

    Have a great weekend!

  41. Luigi
    Ignored
    says:

    Enjoy your well earned break, Stu.

    Recharge the batteries and build up your strength for the final furlong – you’re going to need it!

  42. DerekM
    Ignored
    says:

    @ scottieDog lol i dont know but i bet she beats him at the naughts and crosses.

  43. Jakedm
    Ignored
    says:

    Stay calm dude, don’t kick the dog and if you are planning on a good drink – stay away from the keyboard 🙂

  44. dakk
    Ignored
    says:

    To be honest I’m surprised you lasted this long,having to trawl through the kind of propaganda you have to day in day out.

    For me it would be akin to being a steeplejack with vertigo.

    You are taking on the might of the establishment in it’s many forms and that machine is a relentless behemoth.

    But your damn good at it.You are only one man,however and need proper respite and escapism from the onslaught or you’ll burn out.

    I’m on the verge of it myself in my own capacity to be quite honest.Maybe I’ll see you in hell ????

    Sorry forgot you’re a Reverend !

  45. David Wardrope
    Ignored
    says:

    If you’re having this weekend off, don’t go thinking you can get the easter break next week as well 🙂

    Morning surfing routine won’t be the same for the next few days.

  46. george
    Ignored
    says:

    Rev. Stuart Campbell says:
    26 March, 2015 at 1:34 pm . . . i don’t care

    bugger. off. and. enjoy. the. weekend.

    we’ll mind the fort until you get back, the whip round will be finished so your bigger shovel will be waiting.

    see you monday

  47. Mealer
    Ignored
    says:

    That’s 30 mins since we heard from the Rev.I wonder what he’s doing now?

  48. IAB
    Ignored
    says:

    Chill out and relax – we need you (and re – the previous post, she’s not that influential)

  49. Bittie Glakit
    Ignored
    says:

    Hoy! Mealer and Stoker.

    I had a go at your ideas. You’ll find them here. I’ve added another couple as well since last time.

    http://gmtopp.wix.com/altered-images

  50. carjamtic
    Ignored
    says:

    Tickets still available for AS in Aberdeen tomorrow at eventbrite 🙂

  51. Onwards
    Ignored
    says:

    @Defo

    “As for the list system, no good will come from it.”

    The thing is – with potential gender quotas – do most women actually support that?

    Or does it come across as patronising and insulting?

    I think it’s ok for public boards – that’s taxpayers money.

    But definitely not for private companies.

    And probably not for candidate lists – where choice is taken away from local members.

    Politically speaking, Women are 52% of the population, but the whole issue seems like it could end up as a vote-loser rather than a vote-winner.

  52. katherine hamilton
    Ignored
    says:

    Nil desperandum,Rev. Don’t let the bastards get u down!
    As I’ve said before we all owe you so much. Forward to victory!

  53. Lesley-Anne
    Ignored
    says:

    Sorry going O/T here folks.

    Anyone who has been following the aircraft disaster of flight 4U9525 may find this interesting.

    http://forum.flightradar24.com/threads/8650-We-have-analysed-the-raw-data-from-the-transponder-of-4U9525-and-found-some-more-dat?p=64616

    This is data that Flightradr 24 have on the flight on the day of the crash. It clearly shows that someone inside the cockpit changed the requested flight altitude from the designated 38,000 ft to 0 ft. The system does not allow for 0 ft to be entered so the lowest height is accepted in this case 96 ft.

    This is not a speculative idea about what happened to the flight the data is what the the aircraft actually broadcast through the Mode S transponder sysytem on board the aircraft.

    This report from Flightradr 24 backs up the initial story I heard last night that one of the pilots had been locked out of the cockpit. As everyone knows since 911 all aircraft cockpit doors must now have the capability to be locked from the cockpit. The “normal” operations for entering the cockpit can be seen here.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixEHV7c3VXs

  54. Defo
    Ignored
    says:

    Aye Rev, sometimes I have my doubts.
    And then I remember the bigger picture.

    Edinburgh is nice at this time of year 😉

  55. Grizzle McPuss
    Ignored
    says:

    RESPECT

  56. Fiona
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Onwards

    Many women support it and many are opposed.

    I think the way your post is constructed is quite telling.

    You say “do most women actually support that?
    Or does it come across as patronising and insulting?”

    So you make the shorthand version of the case against: but do not make the shorthand version of the case for. And the force of the word “actually” is ambiguous. I am sure that is not intentional, but can you see how it subtly skews the apparent impartiality?

    I realise from the rest of what you say that you are not impartial, and that is fine. There are arguments to be made on both sides of this issue, and although I take the opposite side I have no thought that those who disagree are in any way disingenuous.

    But if we are to discuss this it would be helpful to do so fully and for me, the question is not about whether it is a “vote loser” or not. Either it is a good idea or it isn’t. Its effect on votes depends on the quality of the argument, and cannot be presumed before the debate. it would have been easy to say that open support for independence is likely to be a “vote loser” in the past: it isn’t now. How do you think that happened?

  57. The Man in the Jar
    Ignored
    says:

    With Wings being “off” for a few days I might catch up on some reading. Perhaps “The Dream Will Never Die” or even “The first blast of the trumpet against the monstrous regiment of women” 😉

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_First_Blast_of_the_Trumpet_Against_the_Monstruous_Regiment_of_Women

    Please note the above is a (probably poor) attempt at humour.

  58. Snode1965
    Ignored
    says:

    Regarding an article in the Scotsman the other day. The Intelligence Services are to open a ” branch office” in Edinbugh. They are actively recruiting operatives in Scotland to work from their base in Dreghorn Barracks.
    This move closely follows the recent formation of the 77th division, a rapid response unit designed to control local populatations, also based in Scotland.
    Is anyone else getting worried about these Establishment moves?

  59. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    Bateman posts Stuart is offered Scotsman editorship.
    Carrell tweets Higgins is new Sturgeon adviser.

    Hmm…

  60. Defo
    Ignored
    says:

    Onwards
    Groucho Marx probably said something negative about lists.
    Peter Lily ?

    Schindler did some good work.. positive discrimination !

  61. CanWeHAveOurDemocracyBack?
    Ignored
    says:

    Stu has done such a superb job creating this wonderful resource. I hope that he does take a well deserved rest and comes back 100% refreshed.

    Off Topic
    “One_Scot says:
    26 March, 2015 at 1:41 pm
    Wife wants an iphone6 are they worth the money”

    I would agree with David Mooney that Android phones, especially some of the higher end Samsungs, are much better in every single way. There is a huge profit margin on iPhones so sales people may get more commission for selling one
    Android Apps are much cheaper or free (and there are an awful lot more of them).
    Build quality on the Galaxy Notes is far superiorto the iPhones and the Samsung specs – Speed, performance memory and screen quality are waaaay better because the iPhones tend to use older technology (sometimes years older) than Samsung.

  62. Jamie Arriere
    Ignored
    says:

    Whenever I see the test card, I’ve got effin awful flashbacks of ‘Swingin Safari’ in my head.

    This time I’m not going to suffer alone. Take that you bastards…

    http://alturl.com/8oxjo

  63. Ally
    Ignored
    says:

    so, should we have a sweepstake to guess where Stu is going?

    Is it a coincidence there is a conference & a football qualifier in Glasgow this weekend?

  64. mumsyhugs
    Ignored
    says:

    Stuart I had no idea you endured so much on our behalf – no wonder you’re so hacked off. Definitely time to do what you have to in order to keep yourself sane and healthy.

    Just look at your readership figures though Stuart and remember that’s how many people know the truth about you, and that those vile accusations are absolute c**p.

    Sending you lots of mumsyhugs (works wonders with my grandchildren!) and take care 🙂

  65. Garry Henderson
    Ignored
    says:

    Why don’t you take in a conference this weekend Stu…?

  66. Lesley-Anne
    Ignored
    says:

    Enjoy your long weekend Stu. If that is really what you are having. 😉

    I only ask because as we know you managed to grill Murph the Smurpoh over the phone yesterday and today, being Thursday I believe, it is Question Time tonight on BBC. Now for those not up to speed yet tonight’s enthralling episode of “we love you Scotland we really really do” comes from Bolton. The *ahem* panelists are Conservative education secretary Nicky Morgan MP, Labour’s leader in Scotland Jim Murphy MP, Plaid Cymru’s leader Leanne Wood AM, Ukip immigration spokesman Steven Woolfe MEP, and broadcaster and Independent on Sunday columnist Janet Street-Porter.

    So peeps the thought has popped into my solitary brain cell here. Is our Stu really having a long weekend or is he a surprise audience member in Bolton tonight! 😛

    Will we see the inglorious Murph the Smurph get battered and bruised by the sweet words of a polite question from OUR hero? 😀

  67. John H.
    Ignored
    says:

    The Rev says – “See you Monday, readers”.

    Aye maybe, but there’s a good chance you’ll be on here tomorrow going by past experience. I do hope you’ll take a proper break this time Rev.

  68. TJenny
    Ignored
    says:

    Hmmm, what with Cameron and Milliband Live on Sky + Ch4, aaand Spud on QT, unless Stu’s put the Emergency Kitty in charge of the Separats and unplugged himself from all electronic input, I think that we may well be hearing from him sooner than we/he may think.

    But maybe we should take the lead and post up extracts from said C+M Live prog which we can comment on and the same with QT, ‘though I have no idea how to do these things, I know there are Wingers who could. We’d have to get Stu to approve and give us access to some sort of ‘Wingers’ Views’ type page/space though.

  69. Ravelin
    Ignored
    says:

    Oh no, what kind of tomfoolery will SLab try to get up to whilst The Rev isn’t looking over their shoulders?

  70. tartanarse
    Ignored
    says:

    Stu, you’re only two hours from Cornwall, get to the beach. Doesn’t have to be hot.

    And pasties. Real ones. MMMM.

    Mind and come back though.

  71. tartanarse
    Ignored
    says:

    What is up with Stu?

    Can someone give it to me in a nutshell?

  72. Wilty
    Ignored
    says:

    @Onwards:

    As a woman, no, I don’t really agree with gender quotas. I suspect my sister and niece might disagree with me.

    I strongly believe that the best candidate should win. If you select or bar candidates because of gender rather than ability, you won’t necessarily have a good outcome. For every Nicola Sturgeon, there may well be a Kezia Dugdale.

    I would also like to say that, in my time lurking on this site, reading all of the articles and many of the comments, I have NEVER noticed anything misogynistic, homophobic, racist or any other -phobe or -ism. Lots of political education and humour, though.

    Rev Stu, many thanks from me for all of it. Keep up the good work.

  73. bobby mcpherson
    Ignored
    says:

    Cool pic

  74. John H.
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Grouse Beater 2.28pm.

    Offering Stuart a job would be one way to attempt to neutralise him, don’t you think?

  75. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    @Jamie Arriere

    Swinging Safari!! Oh you sfwine you!..as Bluebottle would say. 🙁

    Anyhoo… Stu will do what Stu will do. That’s OK by me/us.

  76. Proud Cybernat
    Ignored
    says:

    The truth. Spread it far, spread it wide…

    http://www.scottcreighton.co.uk/GE2015/Jims-Big-Lie.png

  77. Lesley-Anne
    Ignored
    says:

    Jamie Arriere says:

    Whenever I see the test card, I’ve got effin awful flashbacks of ‘Swingin Safari’ in my head.

    This time I’m not going to suffer alone. Take that you bastards…

    http://alturl.com/8oxjo

    Your kindness and thoughfulness knows no bounds there Jamie. 😉

    Thank you ever so much. Now to go and get some loverly relaxing done to some AWESOME relaxing music! 😀

  78. Clootie
    Ignored
    says:

    I agree with quotas. Nothing changes unless you help it along.

  79. Nana Smith
    Ignored
    says:

    Posting this to keep you entertained while the Rev is off for a well deserved break.

    However I thoroughly recommend time away from computer screens.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uf5nLYXlDg&app=desktop

  80. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    Hi scottieDog.

    Her name is Carole Hersee.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carole_Hersee

    .
    Hi Jamie Arriere.

    When I was going to Central Park, Cowdenbeath, on Sunday afternoons in the 60s, for the stock car racing, ‘Swingin Safari’ was played over the PA as the cars paraded round before a race.

  81. schrodingers cat
    Ignored
    says:

    see you at conference stu 🙂

  82. Karen
    Ignored
    says:

    Is that Nicola and Jim?

  83. jock mc X
    Ignored
    says:

    I donated to the crowdfund recently more as a way of thanks to
    Stuart for what he has done up to this point.

    He deserves thanks too from probably all the other sites in-
    volved in the discussion ie Scotlands political future..how
    many of thier sites hits are coming directly from Wings?,how
    many times have they picked up a story from a post on this
    site?….would like to see a bit of appreciation now and
    again guys..you know who you are.

    I did not need wings or any other website to convince me to
    vote for scottish independence.Since i was around 14 all i
    needed was a pair of eyes,and maybe the ability to say,
    haud oan the noo…..labour.

    So why do i check in here just about every day?
    I think it’s…astonishment…at how low some of these –
    people who want power over the lives of scots can go..and
    how well this site shines a light on these characters.

    It is also a worry that at some stage wings will just stop,
    anyone who does what Stuart Campbell is doing is going to
    upset a lot of people,and so he is going to get a lot of
    crap thrown at him.And how long can one person put up with
    that?

    I for one would like to see wings grow,before during and
    after independence…wings over politics,media,business,
    sport,entertainment and whatever else you want to add…
    how do we get that?

    The snp is not wings,wings is not the snp,i support and
    appreciate both,so far so good..Scotland belongs to niether.

    So who is this wummin?…Only one in 5 million.

  84. The Tree of Liberty
    Ignored
    says:

    Put yir feet up an hiv a dram of yir favorite malt. Works fir me.

  85. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    BTW: Carole Hersee’s ‘Jim Murphy’ is actually called ‘Bubbles’. She keeps it in a box.

    Sounds like a good idea.

  86. Mealer
    Ignored
    says:

    Bittie Glakit 2.11,
    Cheers!
    I really enjoy what you do.Keep it up.

  87. asklair
    Ignored
    says:

    Have a great weekend off, enjoy 🙂

  88. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    Crumbs! Just back from the shops to find the Rev really has gone off on holiday – maybe!
    But there’s plenty to catch up with in the meantime. Just finished reading the National and Wee Ginger Dug’s article is good as ever. If Stu does become editor of the Scotsman I will have to read that as well. So little time!

    BTW I’m for quotas since it has come up. Norway introduced them making it illegal to have less than 50% Board members female. Everywoman and her cat was frantically phoned up and asked to join a board.

    I remember when Glasgow University announced that it would increase its quota of female entrants to the medical course to 30% (up from 25% I think – it was in the 60s and of course 0% before that.). So you see quotas are nothing new.

    Also, my mother was 7 when women got the vote in the UK. 100% voting rights are about right.

  89. frogesque
    Ignored
    says:

    Hey folks! Teacher’s taking a wee-break. Let’s PARTY!

    Seriously children, please play nicely while Rev’s away. Last thing needed is for him to return to a shitestorm.

    The SNP is not a religion to be followed blindly, rather it is a vehicle to get us from the now to full Indy and as such, if a tyre goes flat or the exhaust falls off we are allowed to stop and give it a few choice words

    Ultimately I don’t want to live in a one party State. I want a free democratic country where a Scottish Labour Party, Scottish Liberal Party or even Scottish Conservative Party have a place alongside the SNP. The emphasis though is on Scottish, for the good of all Scots (male and female) and Scotland.

    So let’s get out there and kick some ass, there’s a lot to do before we cast a cloot!

  90. A MacRitchie
    Ignored
    says:

    Did I hear correctly last night that the nawbags on BBC Reporting Scottish labour stated that James Callahan blamed the SNP for the vote of no confidence leading to the fall of his Gov. in 79

  91. gerry parker
    Ignored
    says:

    Stu.
    Don’t forget the disguise, lots to choose from here.

    😉

  92. The Man in the Jar
    Ignored
    says:

    Interesting. This morning the postman delivered a Labour pamphlet the big “Only Labour can stop the Tories” one.

    And just a wee while ago two “real” activists were round the doors delivering a pamphlet “Labour working for the community”. “The Vow delivered – More powers for Scotland”. “Vote Labour – Vote Jim Hood”

    “During the referendum Labour committed to deliver more powers for Scotland. The Smith commission was set up and has come forward with new powers.
    Power to set income tax and bands.
    Control of benefits like Disability Living Allowance.
    Winter fuel payments and more.
    Control over Air Passenger duty.
    Increased borrowing powers.
    Removing the bedroom tax.”

    Unfortunately I was a bit slow off the mark or I would have “returned” their leaflet. I am surprised that they bothered as I have a SNP poster in the window.

  93. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    John H: Offering Stuart a job would be one way to attempt to neutralise him, don’t you think?

    There is that, yes, but in this possible instance it’s too Machiavellian. There’s cheaper, easier ways to undermine, one’s that don’t involve Barclay Brother’s money. Anyhow, if a higher calling was accepted he can demand his website continued by hand-picked staff.

  94. almannysbunnet
    Ignored
    says:

    I love the symbolism of the TV test card, it’s all there, a young Nicola, Murphy, wings…

  95. Luigi
    Ignored
    says:

    Seriously children, please play nicely while Rev’s away. Last thing needed is for him to return to a shitestorm.

    You mean like last time? LOL

  96. Crisiscult
    Ignored
    says:

    Enjoy yer wee break rev. Didn’t follow what the issues were but if it’s snp related i’m sure you are well aware lots of us not in snp or that most of those who are are bright enough tk see it as a suitable vehicle for what they want eg the best current vehicle towards independence and social justice, imho

  97. Luigi
    Ignored
    says:

    So peeps the thought has popped into my solitary brain cell here. Is our Stu really having a long weekend or is he a surprise audience member in Bolton tonight!

    Our Rev should be on the panel. I don’t suppose he will ever be invited though – perhaps we should start a petition!

  98. Jamie Arriere
    Ignored
    says:

    @BrianDoontheToon

    Ma Goad, Swingin Safari at the Stock car racing? A pony club dressage maybe, but no the racing…

    I hope it changed to ‘Born to be Wild’ or ‘Ace of Spades’ once they got started…

    Right, away to get some decent music into my head.

  99. cearc
    Ignored
    says:

    Have a great weekend Stuart.

    I think this is unwise selection. Well actually, in private, that is not quite how I would describe it.

    I also object to gender quotas. I think there is a good case for equal male/females at selections or interviews.

    The appointment should be given based on what the candidate has between the ears not between the legs.

  100. Mealer
    Ignored
    says:

    50% female engineers?
    50% female brickies?
    Maybe if we bring in a quota for MPs and company directors we’ll soon see a big change in gender balance without having to bring in quotas further down the chain.I find the whole debate very interesting.Hopefully in the future quotas will be seen as an unnecessary and unhelpful archaic nonsense.

  101. Ali
    Ignored
    says:

    Shame really. I would have liked an explanation of why it’s so upsetting. Maybe after the break. Did you fib to Jim Murphy about being an SNP supporter?

  102. Helena Brown
    Ignored
    says:

    Have a great weekend Stu, you deserve it. Then you can come back and probably have to knock a few heads together. I think you need a deputy so that you can go off and leave us safe in the knowledge we will not do anything stupid.

  103. almannysbunnet
    Ignored
    says:

    Did anyone catch the farewell speeches in Westminster today? These are from MP’s who are retiring and leaving the houses of parliament. I didn’t record it so doing this from memory but Malcolm Bruce was wittering on about how he was proud of setting up a devolved Scottish parliament with Donald Dewar. “The only mistake was the voting system which I argued about with Donald at the time and I have since been proved right. This is something that needs to be rectified in the next parliament. If it had been done my way the SNP would never have been in power.” I kid you not!

  104. ClanDonald
    Ignored
    says:

    It’s not so much about “do you agree or disagree with gender quotas” and more about “is it OK to say that those who disagree with gender quotas are sexist misogynists?”

    I would say it’s not OK.

  105. Graham
    Ignored
    says:

    All the best, Stu. Don’t let the b@stards grind you down. We’re all rooting for ye, have a nice weekend.

  106. Betty Boop
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Lesley-Anne, 2:18pm

    The “normal” operations procedure for opening the cockpit door don’t exactly inspire confidence either! There have been very disturbing and confusing reports about the air crash today.

  107. Defo
    Ignored
    says:

    Bagsy ther’ll be 1979 comments before the next post.

    It’ll have (d)evolved into talking about something really mundane and irrelevant by then. Kitchen accessories or some such..

    Mines a second hand Gaggia btw.
    Trickle down economics IS real, after all !

  108. Brian
    Ignored
    says:

    Enjoy your time off.
    In the meantime lets join the real co-op!
    http://www.realcoop.net/

  109. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    @almannysbunnet

    Well, that’s absolutely right, we can’t be going around allowing the people to get what they vote for,

    Whatever next,gender equality, it was bad enough women being allowed the vote in the first place

    The country’s going to the dogs i tell you and a stop to it must be put

    These damnable uppity SNP cults, they’re a damn virus i tell you, a virus

  110. Kenny
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T Don’t you think it’s sad that we seem to have moved into a world in which any international problem is now solved by bombing? And it was Tony Blair and NuLab who helped to set this process in motion with his part in the bombing of Belgrade.

    We now have a very dangerous precedent and it is sure to get worse with the development of drones. And how appalling that arms manufacturers seem to be deliberately stirring up a sectarian conflict in that region (we on this board know how abhorrent secterian is). This could lead to an all-out Sunni-Shiite war. And most people who live there just want to get on with their own lives, which is enough of a struggle as it is…

    When I read yesterday of the opening of another front in the conflagration that is the Middle East, I immediately heard in my ears the words of a young poet from that region:

    Death
    sang its sad song
    for the hundredth time
    My heart
    shook
    for the hundredth time

    http://www.rusartnet.com/persian-culture/literature/poetry/english/death-sang-its-sad-song

  111. Bob Sinclair
    Ignored
    says:

    It just occurred to me that Stu’s wee break might just be so he can spend some time in the North West, say somewhere like Bolton. Now that would be worth tuning in for.

  112. Bugger (the Panda)
    Ignored
    says:

    @
    Mealer says:
    26 March, 2015 at 3:22 pm

    50% female engineers?
    50% female brickies?

    True story. I was in my first job after Uni. working in Tennents. Afer 5pm we would all gather round in the Brewers’ Sample Room for a wee taster.

    There was an Engineer there who had just returned from Moscow ( early 1970’s) where he was working, part time, on a contract to modernise a local brewery.

    The Permanent Site Engineer had regaled him how he was keeping company with a female brickie on the site and he promised him a another available lady should he need some company when he was there for his visits.

    When he arrived he found out that it was the Hud carrier!

  113. unchillfiltered
    Ignored
    says:

    You can safely bet that the SNP HQ have clocked all this today and will be extremely keen not to further upset the Rev. Everyone knows how important he has become and how much the SNP now depend on him to cut through the crap.

  114. rongorongo
    Ignored
    says:

    In Praise of Alex Salmond” – reluctant praise yes – but not what I would expect from The Economist.

  115. tigertiger
    Ignored
    says:

    Can someone explain what’s going on? Ta.

  116. Johnny
    Ignored
    says:

    Man in the Jar @ 2:25

    Well, I thought it was quite amusing. Clearly tongue in cheek, after all!

  117. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    I believe in gender equality but i’m not sure that belief is equally shared by some of the people who say it
    Because i’m not sure people’s understanding of equality is the same thing, but others equally may disagree

    To open a door, is it manners or is it patronising or am i implying one lacks sufficient strength or do you look disabled
    Am i attempting to hit on you or rob you when you’re attention is diverted, did you drop something, do i pick it up or leave it

    You shout at me, “you’re missing the point”

    I say “maybe but i’m only 12” can you splain it again

    Don’t start, i’m only having a laugh….

  118. Swami Backverandah
    Ignored
    says:

    Error 404?
    Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttt??

    Keep the faith Stu.
    You work for the peeps, not the pollies.

    As the crowdfund bears witness.
    In fact, it’s gone up a bit since #higgggggggate

    She’s working for ya, Stu 😀

  119. Macca73
    Ignored
    says:

    Recharge the battieries Rev. We’ll be here waiting for that first update on Monday. Meantime enjoy the debates, Question Time ploys and sheer nonsense of it all. Most important though.

    GET SOME REST!

    Have a good one!

  120. bookie from hell
    Ignored
    says:

    1/5 on STU from Bath is at sky studios

    icon_wink.gif

  121. Onwards
    Ignored
    says:

    @Fiona

    I suppose I can only go on how I would feel personally.

    If I was a woman, I wouldn’t like to think I was given a job just to make up the numbers.

    50-50 for public boards is reasonable – they are appointed to serve and represent the general public.

    But party quotas – personally.. not too keen.
    Especially ballots with female-only candidates.

    What about the rights of local party members to choose their own candidates?

    Should equality trump democracy?
    And is that really ‘equality’ anyway?

    I understand women are under-represented in politics, but I think there are some valid explanations for that, and it seems to be improving anyway.

    I admit I’m not very up on this – It’s not really the biggest issue for me.

    Personally, I would generally like to see more women in the SNP, as it neutralises the ‘nasty nationalist mob’ image we are smeared with.

    I just don’t want it to backfire, if gender quotas are seen as going too far, and especially if it gets into private companies.

    Are there any recent Scottish polls on the issue?

  122. Lesley-Anne
    Ignored
    says:

    Betty Boop says:

    @ Lesley-Anne, 2:18pm

    The “normal” operations procedure for opening the cockpit door don’t exactly inspire confidence either! There have been very disturbing and confusing reports about the air crash today.

    To be honest BB I initially heard on SKY papers review last night the presenter make mention of some U.S. paper going with the idea that the Captain had been locked out of the cockpit. Apparently the paper was alleging the information came from one of the briefings yesterday. I did, last night anyway, take this with a large pich of salt seeing as we were only just over 24 hours into the investigation.

    However, after reading the information from Flightradar 24 today then I’m inclined to now accept that the Captain, or First Officer, was indeed locked out of the cockpit. This is the only reasonable excuse, in my view, that would allow the Flight Management System to be altered from 38,000 feet to 96 feet without it being immediately returned to 38,000 feet. This can, if I remember correctly, only be altered via the automatic pilot system, autopilot or *ahem* “George” if you watch really really old movies 😀 , that sits towards the top of the cockpit panel.

    If you read the information from Flightradar you can see that the Modes S, transponder system, records the altitude being changed from 38,000 feet. There is about a 9 second delay and then the aircraft starts to descend. I’m no expert but I suspect the 9 second delay is in built to ensure no further alterations are being made.

    I must admit though that I was surprisecd to see that the cockpit door locking system does not appear, at least from what I saw in the video, an over ride that prevents a cockpit member being locked out of the cockpit as appears to have happened here. I’m thinking that another cockpit door system upgrade may be in the offing after this accident.

    As far as today’s news reports are concerned BB I’ll wait till tea time and watch them then while enjoying a lovely plate of sausages, peas and mash! 😛

  123. Chitterinlicht
    Ignored
    says:

    Without Wings filter i thought i would dip my toe in tweeters from unionist side……to see what they were saying about ‘temp interuption’

    I lasted less than 3 mins.

    Good god can you imagine the utter crap that he has to deal with all the time? Fair enough he must expect this but at least his work is based in fact not just pure hatred.

    No wonder he needs a break – we should buy him large furry pussy to stroke (can i say that?)

    Think i may take the weekend off myself from GE2015 -couldn’t give 2 shakes of lambs tail about tonights ‘posh boy’ debate.

    #peace

  124. Cadogan Enright
    Ignored
    says:

    @Dr Jim 1.51 – I hope you phoned up and complained – we don’t want to put all those nice boys and girls at the complaints desk of the BBC out of work, do we?

  125. Jim Thomson
    Ignored
    says:

    @Swami Backverandah 4:16pm

    Next time Stu has a fundraiser, here’s the new performance target …

    http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/super-troopers-2

    Got my spare pennies going into the coffee jar right now 🙂

  126. ronnie anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    Ah wee infiller fae Chunky Mark & Max Keizer

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDyEA8Es9zo&feature=youtu.be

  127. 1.21 GigaScotts
    Ignored
    says:

    Malcolm Bruce said what?

    Bwhahahahahha. I shouldn’t laugh, that actually sticks in my craw. Still the labour mask has slipped ever more revealing such a disdain for democracy. They honestly believe only they have divine right to rule in Scotland as if they were ever our champions.

    Yup, champions of Scotland who gave away Scottish sea territory to England, Scottish Champions who failed to stop the worst acts of the Tory/Lib government inflicting misery on this nation. Champions who told us that Scotland is actually a bit rubbish, poor, stupid, unworthy during the referendum. Champions who celebrate the news the price of Scottish oil has fallen. Oh and food banks up over 700% under your opposition. Nice job.

    I’m sure the ermine coats are worth trashing your own country for in your eyes Mr Bruce, just don expect my vote for your party of Tory clones any time soon. You don’t want true democracy, you want dictatorship disguised under the cloak of a banana republics form of democracy.

    Oh am I ready for any Labour reps to knock my door.

  128. TJenny
    Ignored
    says:

    In the words of the movie ‘Risky Business’, sometimes you just have to say ‘What the F**ck’, so I’ve just dropped another few bob into our crowdfunder – one of the best ways to counteract all our political frustrations is by keeping our MiB (Man in Bath) financially supported. 🙂

    It cheered me up anyhoo. 🙂

  129. manandboy
    Ignored
    says:

    The Man in the Jar says:

    Interesting. This morning the postman delivered a Labour pamphlet the big “Only Labour can stop the Tories” one.”

    I too received one.

    This flyer shows clearly that Labour are deliberately living in the past.
    Understandably – they have little present and no future.

    They simply cannot get up to speed.
    They refuse to acknowledge the almost certain reality
    of a hung parliament.

    As was the case in 2010, in a hung parliament, it is obvious
    that ‘only Labour can stop the Tories’ is just NOT TRUE.

    Please note, as has been emphasised by other wingers,
    and is most obvious in a hung parliament,
    the election creates a NEW PARLIAMENT – NOT A NEW GOVERNMENT.
    It is the parties who then create the Government.

    Labour are targetting those people whom they think
    are either politically illiterate, seriously under-educated,
    very, very simple, or who don’t access the media in any form.

    In other words people who are just like Labour – out of touch.

    Lying Labour – two words, but a perfect match.

  130. michael
    Ignored
    says:

    FFS sake why cant I read wings over the weekend.

    Why don’t the Tories, Red and Blue force people to actually work. This culture of ‘I need a break’ is bankrupting our United Kingdom.

    I’m sick of bullying cybernats saying we need more job creating powers, when its clear to me they are a bunch of lazy, idle shirkers who just don’t want to work.

    The bankers might have made a few mistakes, but at least they put in the hours and know how to graft.

    Enjoy your ‘break’, but I expect significant blatant cybernattery propaganda when your back.

  131. Silver19
    Ignored
    says:

    @A MacRitchie
    Yep you heard correct last night on BBC Reporting Scotland Tim Reid said that James Callaghan blamed the SNP for bring down the Government at the time, Which we know is a flat out lie and James Callaghan blamed his own party rebels. The BBC are just making up stuff and getting away with it, nothing new.

  132. One_Scot
    Ignored
    says:

    Thanks for the phone advice. Will look at other options.

  133. Wilty
    Ignored
    says:

    @Dr Jim

    If you hold the door open for a woman, but you would let it shut on a man – that’s patronising.

    If you hold the door open for whoever is there, just to make life easier for them – that’s manners.

    Simples! 🙂

  134. macnakamura
    Ignored
    says:

    Proud Cybernat says:
    26 March, 2015 at 2:55 pm
    The truth. Spread it far, spread it wide…

    http://www.scottcreighton.co.uk/GE2015/Jims-Big-Lie.png
    ==========
    The figures you quote on link do not seem correct.

    Table: 1951 general election results summary
    Party Seats
    Conservative 321
    Labour 295

    http://www.ukpolitical.info/1951.htm

  135. Onwards
    Ignored
    says:

    @Lesley-Anne

    I must admit though that I was surprisecd to see that the cockpit door locking system does not appear, at least from what I saw in the video, an over ride that prevents a cockpit member being locked out of the cockpit as appears to have happened here. I’m thinking that another cockpit door system upgrade may be in the offing..

    If it is widely known that crew members have secret access codes, then terrorists could force it out of them.

    It’s about weighing up the risks between pilot suicide and terrorism. This has happened a few times now – maybe also on the Malaysian flight last year that disappeared.

    What is sure to happen from this is two crew members being compulsory in the cockpit at all times.

  136. Jim Thomson
    Ignored
    says:

    @One_Scot also, there’s a trend for manufacturers to NOT include a SD Card slot in a lot of models. that’s a complete pita if you like taking pictures or loading your phone with apps.

    Look around for a model that still supports SD Card memory.

    For example, HTC One was a great phone but they lost a lot of sales because it didn’t allow users to add their own swappable memory. They’ve made the change with the HTC One M8 and now it’s a corker of a phone (also improved the camera significantly).

  137. dakk
    Ignored
    says:

    Stuart,take a complete shut out of politics and media for a bit.

    I think that’s the only way you will refresh.

    I’ve got people in my face all day every day and it sure makes you realize the nature of the human psyche(not pretty).

    Don’t know if a few long weekends will be enough to repair you,that’s all I’ve had in the last 2 years and I think a longer break is needed to recharge.

    Got to go.People in my face till 9 tonight,and their all f’kn Brit Hats.Help me !

  138. Jamie Arriere
    Ignored
    says:

    Just noticed the Scottish Government announcing this consultation. Wonder if the new SPAD is involved with this?

    http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Tackling-violence-against-women-17dd.aspx

    Plus a brief interview with NS on new media on KILTR

    http://www.kiltr.com/KILTR/1781642889

  139. Greg
    Ignored
    says:

    Well deserved. Hope to see you Monday 🙂

  140. manandboy
    Ignored
    says:

    Which is of greater value to the community –
    gender equality or meritocracy

    I’d be completely happy with 50/50 gender balance
    but only if there was 50/50 merit balance.

    The enemy isn’t gender; it’s incompetence, cronyism, greed and corruption.

  141. Proud Cybernat
    Ignored
    says:

    @ macnakamura

    The Tory 321 figure is their ‘Total Strength’ which is a combination of a rainbow alliance of Conservative, (264), Scottish Unionists (29), Lib National (19) and Ulster Unionists (9).

    You can check it more closely on Wiki here:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_general_election,_1951

    Observe the notes under the main table:

    Total votes cast: 28,596,594. All parties shown. Conservative result includes the Ulster Unionists.

    1 The National Liberals were in alliance with the Conservatives, bringing total Conservative strength to 321 seats (51.36%); votes total 13,717,850 (47.97%).

    But also, as pointed out by a poster here on Wings, the Scottish Unionists were not part of the Tory Party.

  142. Lesley-Anne
    Ignored
    says:

    Onwards says:

    If it is widely known that crew members have secret access codes, then terrorists could force it out of them.

    It’s about weighing up the risks between pilot suicide and terrorism. This has happened a few times now – maybe also on the Malaysian flight last year that disappeared.

    What is sure to happen from this is two crew members being compulsory in the cockpit at all times.

    I think you may very well be right Onwards.

    With regards to the cockpit crew knowing the codes so do the cabin crew. If you watch the wee video I posted earlier they need to know it to gain access after following the correct entry procedures.

    I think the idea of a crew member being forced to enter the correct code is a valid point but as the code is a four or five figure code then there is plenty opportunity for an crew member under duress from a terrorist to input the *ahem* wrong code. If this is done I believe nothing can be re-entered for around 5 minutes. this gives the crew plenty time to alert authorities as well as locking the door.

    I think you other suggestion of always having two crew members in the cockpit at all times does make sense though. It would certainly cut down, although probably not completely eliminate, the options for any possible suicidal pilot.

    Like everything else these days though whatever changes, if indeed changes are brought in, will have an impact of the cost of flights. No surprise there then. 😉

  143. T222Deracha
    Ignored
    says:

    Rest Rev, you must be weary dealing with all the bulls**t and too many people are oblivious to it, totally unaware they are being duped.

    You can take inspiration from the wonderful James Randi, who spent many years of his life investigating all sorts of misinformation and lies. He kept fighting the good fight in spite of overwhelming odds, that constantly tried to discredit him.

  144. frogesque
    Ignored
    says:

    Silver19 says:
    26 March, 2015 at 4:40 pm
    @A MacRitchie
    Yep you heard correct last night on BBC Reporting Scotland Tim Reid said that James Callaghan blamed the SNP for bring down the Government at the time, Which we know is a flat out lie and James Callaghan blamed his own party rebels. The BBC are just making up stuff and getting away with it, nothing new.

    I heard it too. Blatant re-writing of history. The SNP could not have brought down the Callaghan Government on their own. His own MP’s stabbed him in the back and the SNP merely buried the coffin, along with a good few others as well if I recall.

    Why no such vitriol about the Conservatives, they originally forced the vote anyway?

  145. Shiprex
    Ignored
    says:

    Thanks for keeping the feet to the fire of Murphnumpty on the radio that was classic. Have a good one Stu and lets hope there comes a brain fart from the establishment that perhaps working WITH the Nats (cyber ones excluded) there may be some more mileage in Old Britannia yet.

  146. frogesque
    Ignored
    says:

    Wilty says:
    26 March, 2015 at 4:43 pm
    @Dr Jim

    If you hold the door open for a woman, but you would let it shut on a man – that’s patronising.

    If you hold the door open for whoever is there, just to make life easier for them – that’s manners.

    Simples!

    It’s still a very pleasant surprise that now I’m a bit older (68 this year – please, I can’t wait 30years for the next IRef!) when younger folk, especially ladies hold a door open for me and I make a point of thanking them, particularly if they have children with them.

    As you say , manners still matter and should another lady be struggling with youngsters and a pram I will stop and help them. It’s just what you do!

  147. Lollysmum
    Ignored
    says:

    Just been viewing this site via Chrome-all the posters names are missing & quotes included in the posts.They were there because I read many of them about an hour ago. Switched to IE-site is fine-all posts complete with names & quotes.

    Am I cracking up or what?

  148. terry
    Ignored
    says:

    @JOCK MC X

    Well said Jock – I agree with everything you have said.

    I’m a feminist and have never seen anything remotely misogynistic on this site. In fact I love it – and it’s been invaluable and educational.

    We wouldn’t have got to this point if it wasn’t for Stu. So have a well earned break. You have our back – and there’s “THOOSANDS” of us – dare I say a million?

  149. GM_Dundonian
    Ignored
    says:

    The Rev away for a few days? Good on him, all the shite in the media at present is enough to make anyone’s head spin. Think I’ll leave politics alone for a few days too. Have a great weekend all. Over and oot.

  150. manandboy
    Ignored
    says:

    I see ‘Bella’ is now missing from the Links list.

  151. KennyG
    Ignored
    says:

    Someone correct me if I’m wrong.

    This Brady character was harassing the Rev, with, among others, threats and comments of a vile sexual nature involving family and ex girlfriends and this Kate Higgins was condoning this behaviour, is that right?

    If this is the case no wonder he’s disillusioned, I am too.

    If this is the type of person Nicola Sturgeon wants at the helm then I’m going to have to have a good long think about where my vote is going.

    I am seriously considering voting green if this turns out to be the case.

    Have I got the right or wrong end of the stick here?

  152. dramfineday
    Ignored
    says:

    Whistles “innocently”. I have been advised that the Daily Wrecker is looking for a new digital editor – rare opporchancity in this wonderful business, blah, blah. Apparently advertised today. Stuart, long spoon mate!

    Let’s see if this flushes him out. Chortles in sinister tones like Ming the Merciless.

  153. Jim Thomson
    Ignored
    says:

    @Lollysmum

    don’t worry, there’s an on-going struggle with virtually all browsers, and there has been for a few months now.

    If you’re not being hit by the “it takes 25+ minutes for my post to appear” bug, you’re probably ok.

    Easiest way to refresh Chrome is to do a restart on your PC and then launch Chrome. If there’s anything awry with it, it will automatically sort itself out by downloading a fresh build of the software, or whichever bit is playing up.

    Have a look at another WordPress site (e.g. Wilderness of Peace) and see if the same issues arise. Mind you that probably won’t tell you much other than that a non-wings site works 😛

    I’m using Chrome on desktop and laptop and my better half is using it (occasionally when IE gets tetchy) on her laptop too. Only issue is with hers, and the random delay for posts to appear.

  154. Lesley-Anne
    Ignored
    says:

    To be honest I’m glad Stu is having a few days away. R & R to recuperate and recharge the old batteries. 😉 It will give me time to do some more genie in the bottle family history stuff. 😀

  155. YESGUY
    Ignored
    says:

    Article in the New Statesman.

    It seems there are people out there who welcome the SNP in govt at Westminster. There’s hope yet for England. Some folk are listening and making their own minds.

    A wee change from the threats and scares

    http://www.newstatesman.com/2015/03/snp-westminster-and-toll-benefits-sanctions

    And a wee reminder of the murder of it’s citizens by the DWP.The disgraceful treatment of a fellow human being . So sad.

  156. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    Man and Boy I see ‘Bella’ is now missing from the Links list.

    I would be delighted to fill the gap – but am not a chosen one, even Bella moderates the few posts I leave there. And I knew Small since he was a twinkle in his father’s eye.

  157. Clootie
    Ignored
    says:

    KennyG says:
    26 March, 2015 at 5:28 pm

    I don’t know if you are wrong because I have no idea what is upsetting you?

  158. manandboy
    Ignored
    says:

    Grouse Beater to replace Bella in the Links list.

    It’s a no brainer.

    All in favour, say ‘Aye’

  159. Bugger (the Panda)
    Ignored
    says:

    I no longer post on Bella

    I think they dislike my subriquet or my furry ears.

    Onwards and upwards.

  160. Storm chase King
    Ignored
    says:

    Now is the good Rev taking some well deserved time off – or us he going under-cover on a field mission.

    Perhaps a QT visit – does the panel accept that the biggest party always forms government.

  161. crazycat
    Ignored
    says:

    I’ve had problems on another site with posters’ names not appearing, and earlier today I tried twice to post here and nothing happened.

    So, third time lucky perhaps.

    Anyone wanting an ethical smartphone – but not in a hurry because version 1 has sold out – should look at a Fairphone.

    I won’t include the link in case that was what caused posting problems earlier.

  162. manandboy
    Ignored
    says:

    On reflection, Mgt. Thatcher’s legacy:
    she opened the door to a monster, neo-Liberalism,
    which then wrecked the UK.

    Neo-Liberalism is simply Government permission to steal everything owned by the poor.

    But the electorate have had enough of life in the wreckage.

    But the fightback is already in progress
    and will continue in GE15.

    Unionist neo-Liberalism now has a sell-by date.

    Soon to be replaced by social democracy.

    There simply is no other choice.

  163. Proud Cybernat
    Ignored
    says:

    More info about the Scottish Unionist Party:

    With electoral defeat, reforms in 1965 brought an end to the Scottish Unionist Party as an independent force. It was a renamed ‘Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party’ that constitutionally then came under the control of the British party. These, and further reforms in 1977, saw the Scottish Conservatives transformed into a regional unit, with its personnel, finance, and political offices under the control of the leadership in London.

    From Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unionist_Party_%28Scotland%29

    In that article it also says this:

    In the subsequent Conservative election victory of 1951, an equal number of Labour and Unionist MPs were returned from Scotland, 35, with one solitary Liberal taking the remaining seat.

    This then means the following terms of WM seats:

    Labour 295 (UK)
    Conservative 258
    Scottish Unionists 35
    Liberal National Party 19
    Ulster Unionist Party 9
    Liberal Party 6
    Independent Nationalist 2
    Irish Labour 1

    So a rainbow alliance of Tory (258), Scottish Unionists (35), LibNat (19) and Ulster Unionists (9) = 321

    So the Tory Party figure is even LOWER and Labour’s ‘advantage’ as the largest party was 37 seats.

    Poster update here:

    http://www.scottcreighton.co.uk/GE2015/Jims-Big-Lie.png

  164. bookie from hell
    Ignored
    says:

    Malcolm Bruce

    change voting system –u can clearly hear he’s nuts

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BeDkcfyWcMU&feature=youtu.be

  165. Conan_the_Librarian
    Ignored
    says:

    @ BtP

    My wee blog was not a fave amongst the PC mob either.

    Feminism was a good idea in 1970. It’s now 2015.

  166. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    All in favour, say ‘Aye’

    Big empty echo chamber there, Manandboy. Tumbleweed…

    Rejected again. Sniff. 😉

    Tell you honestly, I’ll miss Stuart’s Twitter barbs. I got hooked on them recently, and discovered they lead to all sorts of interesting places, and some not so nice.

  167. JimStir
    Ignored
    says:

    The problem as I see it is that we are only seeing one side of the story. Some twat named Murray was being horribly abusive to Stuart. After being found out, the stalker was suspected of creating an identity here {though not proven} on wos before eventually being banned, this identity then created a blog of his own.

    On this blog the nonsense continued, the blogger made a habit of contacting people who had a disagreement with WoS. Which apparently is where Kate Higgins came in by responding to this contact. Was she in the wrong certainly she should have taken the time to find out what he was all about before responding favourably to his contact. Does this make her culpable for the actions of the twat, of course not?

    Let’s look at it from another perspective say you have a blog and WoS has been negative about you, then you are contacted by someone on another blog, claiming the same. Would you automatically assume the guy must be a maniac {bearing in mind, the guy has changed his ID and you in all likelihood do not know the backstory} or would you think he is someone who has shared the same negative opinions from WoS as you have, which let’s be honest can be bloody in nature { typically fully deserved by those on the receiving I must say}

  168. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Dr Jim says:26 March, 2015 at 1:51 pm

    “Brian Taylor says…”funding for Scotlands NHS largely comes from Westminster. Funny, I thought we paid tax up here in North Britain”. Maybe i was wrong.</I?

    Naw, Dr Jim yer nay wrang ava.

    Furthermore, I would say that as the ONS, (Office of National Statistics), figures show the average Scottish Per Capita GDP, (Gross Domestic Product), is higher than both the average English Per Capita GDP and the average United Kingdom per Capita GDP it means we Scots actually contribute more per person than our fair share of the Westminster Establishment's Treasury.

    How can that overblown, and self opinionated, balloon, Taylor tell such obvious bare faced lies?

  169. Dave McEwan Hill
    Ignored
    says:

    Kenny G at 5.28

    Yes. You have the wrong end of the stick.
    What has appointments to minor positions got to do with whether Scotland should be independent?

    I speak as someone who abandoned Burdzeyeview after a particularly nasty, ill judged and unhelpful offering on it over a year ago. There may have been extenuating circumstances of which I am unaware which led to an unbalance but it was the very bad and destructive judgement that sent me off rather than any other element of it.

  170. Valerie
    Ignored
    says:

    manandboy @ 6.07, Aye! Grouse Beater, and Wilderness of Peace on the list!!!

  171. Cash_x
    Ignored
    says:

    Thought this could be analogous to the GE2015

    A horse running at Wolverhampton today came in last, 7th of 7 runners, Named “State Of The Union”.
    Couldn’t help but notice the post race comment.

    “Led, Ridden and headed over 1 furlong out, WEAKENED FINAL FURLONG”.

  172. Fred
    Ignored
    says:

    Gordon Brown’s valedictory address in the Commons was as hysterical as it was historical nonsense. “For the first time in 300 years” there would be two classes of MP”. Has he never heard of the Rotten Boroughs and the Great Reform Act of 1832, and even then representation was confined to the middle classes. Even the Scots peers after the Union only had access to the Lords by ballot unlike their English counterparts.

    For any so-called Socialist MP to be heaping plaudits on this still-undemocratic circus beggars belief. Brown is another suitable case for treatment, the man is un-hinged.

  173. ronnie anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    Sales of Paper Hankies have rocketed in Scotland today all they farewell speeches in the HOC today.Piper Fare thee weil ma bonny lad, LOUDER.

  174. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    Panda: I think they dislike my subriquet or my furry ears

    😉

  175. Bugger (the Panda)
    Ignored
    says:

    Conan_the_Librarian says:
    26 March, 2015 at 6:28 pm

    @ BtP

    My wee blog was not a fave amongst the PC mob either.

    Feminism was a good idea in 1970. It’s now 2015.

    The only people who could have been offended by your blogs would have been the butt of the jokes, Iain Gray’s Diary for example, would be somebody terminally constipated and those needing an excuse to just be the centre of attraction, and terminally stupid.

  176. Meindevon
    Ignored
    says:

    Aaw, Ronnie. Paper hankies. Ah need one now, you made me greet. Not words you hear down here on a regular basis, my luvver!

  177. caz-m
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T

    More oil and gas west of Shetland.

    “UK Government approves Field Development Plans for Total’s Edradour/Glenlivet project.”

    http://www.total.uk/en/home/media/list-news/uk-government-approves-field-development-plans-totals-edradourglenlivet-project

  178. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @:dakk says: 26 March, 2015 at 2:03 pm:

    “For me it would be akin to being a steeplejack with vertigo.”

    Hate to disillusion you, Dakk, but vertigo doesn’t mean a fear of heights. It means to experience an actual spinning sensation due to motion sickness or from damage to the part of the inner ear that controls balance. The term for fear of heights is : – “Acrophobia”, which is an extreme or irrational fear or phobia of heights, especially when not particularly high up.

    “Vertigo” is often used (incorrectly) to describe a fear of heights, but it is actually a very real spinning sensation that occurs when one is not actually spinning.

    Believe me I know, having had my inner ears, (which control balance), damaged by exposure to a ship’s guns while working on a RN ship and I’ve never been afraid of heights in my entire life.

  179. ronnie anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Meindevon steady on there that wummin My Luvver you,ll be asking me tae sing next, LHL fae Liverpool,noo You dont want tae make oor Paula Rose upset dey you an she wull,she,s very protective of her MEN,of whitch I am only but one. LoL

  180. Croompenstein
    Ignored
    says:

    We Are Wings.. 🙂

  181. Lesley-Anne
    Ignored
    says:

    Fred says:

    For any so-called Socialist MP to be heaping plaudits on this still-undemocratic circus beggars belief. Brown is another suitable case for treatment, the man is un-hinged.

    Damn it Fred you are making one hell of a gigantic assumption here are you not? 😉

    I mean making the claim that Broon the Loon is unhinged. Surely for him to become unhinged he must first of all had to have been hinged at some point and as we all know perfectly well THAT is a physical impossibility! 😀

  182. Lesley-Anne
    Ignored
    says:

    caz-m says

    O/T

    More oil and gas west of Shetland.

    “UK Government approves Field Development Plans for Total’s Edradour/Glenlivet project.”

    How on earth can this be true Caz? 😉

    I mean since before the referendum last year they, Westminster, have been doing nothing but tell us too wee, too poor too stupid Scots that our oil is running out! 😛

    Methinks someone has been telling porkies here. Either Westminster LIED to us before the referendum or they are LYING to us now!

  183. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    FWIW, I’d like to see Grouse Beater and Taranaich both listed above. Also, Richie Venton of the SSP.

    This whole episode is pure deja-vu. I was pretty new here when the first stushie erupted, jumped in without doing my homework on KH and ended up taking a severe doing from Rev Stu. At that time I’d had a couple of articles published on BellaC. (I did submit one more after they’d taken on KH, but the handling of it was do dreadful that I never submitted anything else and now I rarely even visit the place.)

    It’s a pity. I was lucky enough to get Mike Small to help me out on a project for Social Media Week. It went well, and I have a lot of respect for the guy – he’s a fine writer and an asset to the Indyref movement, as is Kevin Williamson.

  184. Truth
    Ignored
    says:

    Try and have a break Stu, and if you manage to, have a good one!

  185. Gallowglass
    Ignored
    says:

    I don’t get it, whats the issue with this katie higgins woman?

  186. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @:Snode1965 says:26 March, 2015 at 2:28 pm:

    ” … Is anyone else getting worried about these Establishment moves?”

    Of course they are! The they being the Establishment. Any proven moves by either organization will see the accelerated end of their precious Union. Probably not only by Scotland leaving but Wales and perhaps even N.I. too.

    It would probably also see reactions from the Commonwealth and the European Union, Council Of Europe and the UN. Probably their only remaining friend would be the USA.

  187. caz-m
    Ignored
    says:

    For the lovers of Scots History from 1707.

    Came across this interesting Pro-Indy website that has information regarding the Treaty of the Union 1707 and other info from that time onwards.

    It explains that we have been nothing more than a Colony. We have NEVER been taken seriously by our friends from south of the border. An outpost.

    http://forscotland.com/actofu.html

  188. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Gallowglass
    It’s history. Said lady has a blog and, in the past, has allegedly said some very unkind things about this site. Whether this is now water under the bridge or not is unknown. She is rumoured to be a newly appointed adviser to Nicola Sturgeon. This may not be the most welcome appointment but I know nothing about it so will shut up and hopefully so will everyone else.

    Stu is off on holiday for the weekend – probably. So we have to make our own amusements.

  189. Scot Finlayson
    Ignored
    says:

    @Proud Cybernat
    Great post ,yet again debunking the lie that the party with the most MPs always controls the parliament.

    Also a part of Scotland`s political history that the so called MSM political experts new Hee Haw about.

  190. Derek Scott
    Ignored
    says:

    With the work you’ve put in recently i think you deffo deserve a break… that being said I’m already missing the updates. Never realised how much I checked this site, possibly more than facebook!

  191. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    You do realise, fellow Wingers, Stuart has our £100,000 and next we hear from him might well be from the Bahamas.

    😉

  192. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Fiona says:26 March, 2015 at 2:24 pm:

    “Many women support it and many are opposed.

    I think the way your post is constructed is quite telling.

    Aye! Lassie and so is yours

    I think both of you are standing far too close to the matter. A bit like being unable to see the wood for the trees. I am against selection lists and quotas of any kind for the simple and logical reason that they are restrictive practices.

    In that they restrict the choice of the local Constituency Association to choose who they perceive as the best woman, man or person of indeterminate sexual orientation. The object of the exercise is, after all, to choose the best possible candidate as the member of whatever legislature the election is designed to elect.

    I would hate to see the best candidate turned down because they failed by not having the right kind of dangly bits, (Top or bottom). I would be equally opposed if the selection list was restricted to only those Scottish born, those over 40s, those from only “Good Homes” or those who had gone to good schools.

    It is the concept of restricted choice that is wrong.

  193. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    A whole weekend?! whats the interweb for now? Oh well, loads of work loading up, could go outside maybe. Come back soon Reverend:D

  194. Aidan
    Ignored
    says:

    Have a good weekend Stu.
    Spring is just around the corner. :))

  195. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    @Robert Peffers 7.38pm

    Probably not Wales though

    Too poor and too wee, and likely as not, don’t possess the Genetic Programming
    That just popped into my head there, Hmm, I must have heard it before somewhere

    Let me think Hmm…….

  196. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Wilty says: 26 March, 2015 at 2:50 pm:

    “As a woman, no, I don’t really agree with gender quotas. I suspect my sister and niece might disagree with me. I strongly believe that the best candidate should win.”

    I agree, Wilty, I would speculate that the presence of so many strong women posting on this forum is testament that the movement to independence is not overly sexist. Note too that the SNP’s history is laced through with some women of outstanding political merit. Their names will never be forgotten in Scotland’s history.

    BTW: Dinna be sae shy. Let’s hear from you more often.

  197. cynicalHighlander
    Ignored
    says:

    @Gallowglass at 7:33 pm

    KH has an over inflated ego and will accept lies so that she can flirt with the likes of DH&co plus get on telly.

  198. K1
    Ignored
    says:

    He’s mair likely roon a poker table than the Bahamas, doublin’ up on that hunner grand Grouse 🙂

  199. Quinie frae Angus
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Grousebeater, 7.55pm

    If Stuart is indeed away to the Bahamas with the £100,000 then good luck to him. He bloody well deserves it.

    He must have – single-handedly – converted many thousands of people to vote Yes, undoubtedly at great personal cost to his own health and quality of life.

    In fact I hope he’s got a featherdown-covered hammock to lie on, and a personal waiter – or indeed waitress – to bring him as many Pina Coladas as he can manage.

    He’s been a God-send to the independence movement, and the SNP know it fine well!

    Thank you, Rev Stu, from the bottom of our hearts, for restoring our sanity, opening our eyes, and providing us with this excellent forum. Where else – seriously – could we all meet and exchange this level of information and camaraderie with such a diverse and well-informed bunch of people? People of like mind, and a similar thirst for getting to the bottom of the murky depths of the corrupt British Establishment and its corporate media manipulators?

    Get as much rest as you can, Stuart. We need you more than ever, now.

  200. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    I do support quotas.
    Quota systems or “positive discrimination” originated in the US to try to address the huge inequalities suffered by black people in society. It hasn’t worked. OK they have Obama as President but he is something of a token black in the way Thatcher was a token female Prime Minister here. The vast majority of politicians are white, male, middle class protestants. (WASPs – white anglo-saxon protestants).

    If you have a country where the vast majority of the inhabitants are black but the government is white – you have a clear instance of discrimination e.g South Africa during aparthied.

    Similar case with approx 50% female/male population. If the centres of power and wealth are dominated by males you have a clear case of hstorical discrimination. e.g. UK. Parliament, Industry, boardrooms, stock exchange, churches, local authorities, political parties professions such as law, science and medicine etc etc.

    Appointing people on merit is a great idea. But if you are saying that women don’t progress in these fields because we are just more stupid than men, where is your evidence?
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirmative_action

  201. Bigdrone
    Ignored
    says:

    Stu, are you in Glasgow at the weekend……on a break??

  202. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Clootie says: 26 March, 2015 at 2:57 pm:

    ” … Nothing changes unless you help it along.”

    Nah! Shit Happens without any help whatsoever and to help things along can be done in other ways than restrictive lists.

    For example the SG could run a candidates course. Mind you as the SG it would have to be open to all including Unionists and independents. The object being to increase the quality of the whole Scottish Parliament.

  203. ronnie anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Grouse Beater H ewont get out of britain with £100,000 in his suitcase , the Finacial Authority are very vigilent,oony hows its Bahamainian Dollars they use lol.

  204. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    Excellent article, yeah everyone’s talking about this new free-view TV broadcaster called WBC.. you know, the Wings Broadcasting Corporation.

    Infact, movie question.. what feature film had a radio station called ‘WNBC’? (ah canny remember the now, cheers).

    I tig you Paula!
    You’re het!

  205. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    To Quota or not to Quota Hmmm

    What age range does one fall into to be selected for the Quota, Ooh
    What i meant was, how tall does one have to be, or short, Ooh
    Are we including Obese people or Anorexic folk in the same quota, Ooh, Disabled, got to have some of those

    This is getting quite difficult now
    Who to Include, who to Exclude
    If it’s a male dominated board do they pick the pretty one
    or does it have to be the one with the angry face so as not to show bias
    Would the opposite apply on a female board
    What if the job’s a tyrefitter do we say don’t worry your pretty little head about it Poppet we’ll get a big strong man to do it for you (is that wrong)
    Is a salesMAN allowed in the knicker department at Marks n Sparks, Would the ladies welcome that (maybe)

    So…To Quota or not to Quota

    Wouldn’t like it to be my decision, far too complicated

  206. muttley79.
    Ignored
    says:

    I cannot say I am happy that Higgins is now apparently going to be a special adviser to Sturgeon. Unfortunately I believe Higgins would create a massive split in the SNP given a chance. She appears to take more interest in putting the boot into her own side than the opposition, and when you are going for something as major as independence that is no good whatsoever. Sturgeon would be as well appointing Duncan Hothersall if this is correct. This is an individual who admitted on her blog to not having attended a SNP branch meeting for about 10 years, and then shortly afterwards she decides to run as an SNP candidate at the general election!…

  207. Lesley-Anne
    Ignored
    says:

    ronnie anderson says:

    @ Grouse Beater H ewont get out of britain with £100,000 in his suitcase , the Finacial Authority are very vigilent,oony hows its Bahamainian Dollars they use lol.

    Ah but you forgot one itsy bitsy teeny weeny point here Ronnie.

    The exchange rate between the Bahamian Dollar and the BRITISH pound is $1.50 to the GB£1. However the exchange rate between the Bahamian Dollar and the SCOTTISH pound is $5 to the S£1. 😀

  208. ronnie anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    Quota,s you just need to look at the Labour Party to see where Lists got them ( Kezia but one) Nth & Sth of the border,& what category does a Hermaphrodite fall into,or do we ignore those people.

  209. Lollysmum
    Ignored
    says:

    I’ve always found that in aiming to use positive discrimination with the best of intentions, it always has a downside i.e. that someone is negatively affected by those positive actions.

    I believe in people getting there on their own merits & as a woman would never want to feel that I’d got there because of my gender. If I can’t succeed on merit then I wouldn’t want it because I would always feel that I only succeeded because others were blocked from entering the race thus artificially limiting the competition agaist me.

    I’m 63 now & have always worked in jobs normally seen as the domain of men, as an aircraft engineer, a police officer, probation officer & now as a CEO but I know I succeeded in each role by my own efforts & not because someone decided to smooth the way for my passage. I just don’t think I could live with myself if that had ever happened.

    I work in health & social care & it is steeped in the use of positive action to benefit people with learning disabilities, ethnic minorities, LGBT & many other minority groups & whilst they may gain some benefit from positive action, I find that those dictating that it should be used have rarely given much forethought to the downside & when it goes wrong, it tends to go disastrously wrong, often hurting the people it was meant to support.

    As far as political parties go, I would like to see the range of candidates available to a constituency, not an artificial grouping. I want to support the person who stands out from the crowd that I believe will best represent the constituency & me. I certainly wouldn’t want to think others were excluded based upon someone else’s dictat.

    If women want to get to the top then they have to fight & compete for it like everyone else.

    For me, all women shortlists are a no no.

  210. dakk
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Robert Peffers

    Thanks for that Robert.

    Of course I actually knew that but just used words that I thought the others would understand 🙂

    Should’ve used trogladyte with claustrophobia perhaps.

    Don’t correct me on that or I might become phobic about posting on here 🙂

  211. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @The Man in the Jar says: 26 March, 2015 at 3:12 pm:

    “a pamphlet “Labour working for the community”. “The Vow delivered – More powers for Scotland”.

    So, Man in the Jar, let’s examine that leaflet and a healthy dose of the truth.

    “During the referendum Labour committed to deliver more powers for Scotland. The Smith commission was set up and has come forward with new powers.”

    And every single one of those is a devolved power, (even although most are totally useless), and a devolved power must also have devolved to Scotland the funding previously born directly by the appropriate Establishment Ministry. This was previously the job of the misunderstood, “Barnett Formula”. You know the one the Establishment numpties keep complaining give Scots a larger per-capita sum than others. While they conveniently forget the extra we get is provided to them by way of the services provided by the Establishment Ministries.

    “Power to set income tax and bands”, Indeed but it is in place of the cost of the services we got before from Establishment ministries – do you think we will get value for money? Or is this another Establishment scam to rip us off a bit more?

    “Control of benefits like Disability Living Allowance.
    Winter fuel payments and more.
    Control over Air Passenger duty.
    Increased borrowing powers.
    Removing the bedroom tax.”
    and is there enough devolved funding via Barnett Formula or is it just another rip-off?

    Now I don’t know about anyone else but I’m not at all convinced that the Establishment will play fair and devolve the proper sum to cover the cost of the services they are devolving to Scotland. They do indeed have history in such matters and it is all bad.

  212. TJenny
    Ignored
    says:

    Syeven Daisley has posted an article on STV website saying he’s new deputy ed for Wings. 😉

    It’s quite funny with vids of cute kittens. (hope link works).

    //t.co/hpmTrlMNdC

    Half listening to Spamface being interviewed by Paxo – should think the best bits of the Dumb + Dumber show will be the audience questions – maybe. Tried scanning the audience for signs of Stuey, but didn’t see him.

  213. Cadogan Enright
    Ignored
    says:

    Cameron made a mistake not debating Miliband, Snow taking chunks out of him systematically, In pub watching . No Tory rags to save him.

  214. cynicalHighlander
    Ignored
    says:

    @Capella says: at 8:28 pm

    I do support quotas.

    Because that then discriminates between your genetic make up rather than personal ability for the job. Quotas are a short term harmful fix to a problem started in how children are taught at home and especially in schools.

  215. Stephen McKenzie
    Ignored
    says:

    Oh you doubting Thomas’s he’s no away to the Bahamas just yet, however I think this might be an opportune time to chip in an extra £10 to his funding – just to show we care or something like that or to get him a wee sun hat as it’s quite sunny out there.

    Ok just bung in another £5..

  216. ronnie anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Grouse Beater Is that You gettin yer neb in tae full the Rev,s seat in case he dizna come back,OHs yee,s of little faith Ha Ha winky thingies.

    @Lesley Anne did the Rev consult you on the exchange rates before he said adue.

  217. ronnie anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    Camerons 1st question waffle waffle waffle.

  218. Tam Jardine
    Ignored
    says:

    Ronnie Anderson

    Hi Ronnie

    I also disagree with quotas – and it is beyond me why this divisive issue has been raised before the biggest UK general election in our lifetimes.

    Does anyone know what proportion of SNP candidates are male and what proportion female? Would be interested to know as so many prominent candidates, my own Deidre Brock in Leith are women.

    O/T Cameron doing well in the C4 thing – Paxman pretty soft on him. It’s like one of those stage managed labour media events where Ed is talking surrounded by ordinary people.

  219. Defo
    Ignored
    says:

    Conan_the_Librarian says

    @ BtP

    “My wee blog was not a fave amongst the PC mob either.

    Feminism was a good idea in 1970. It’s now 2015.”

    Too right guys. If Stu is going to reset the links list, maybe he could show some brotherly solidarity, and give us a male only Off Topic.(code word-Top Gear)
    Given what we’re painted as, it would be the go to place for light baiting of the weaker sex ( Typical !, it was a burd who started it sort of thing) & letting a few isms loose too.
    Chubby Brown You Tube mash ups ahoy.
    Funniest line ever – Roy to girl in hot steamy disco “By heck, you don’t sweat much love, for a fat lass !”

    Where has my ‘I’m only joking’ emoticon button gone ?

  220. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    @Quinie frae Angus

    Well said but I doubt the Rev is supping Pina Colada’s in the Bahamas. Should he be? I would back that, the man is a trojan in the fight(that’s what it is)for Independence.

    There are few with the backbone, wit and brains that could have achieved what he has done with Wings Over Scotland.

    I’m no sycophant but am truly in awe of what the Rev has achieved with this website.

    Never forget what we are dealing with here, the power of the state and the UK media. Rev Stuart runs rings around them and makes them look like amateurs.

    The man’s a genius and we are the better for it.

  221. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Jamie Arriere says: 26 March, 2015 at 3:19 pm

    “Ma Goad, Swingin Safari at the Stock car racing? A pony club dressage maybe, but no the racing…”

    Well no it didna. “Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines”, was, if memory serves, the most often follow up. Mind you it was pointless attempting music during races – ye cud hear every lap o the race in Kelty so there was no way you could hear music in the stand at Central Park.

  222. Tackety Beets
    Ignored
    says:

    Just in from a hard day at mill .
    Sorry not read the thread yet .
    I left a Good luck message to Stuart early this morning along with several others … where are the posts & messages ?

    The Test Card takes me back to the 60’s and 70’s , Bongo and Zippy , and my daily dose of The Sullivans , LOL
    I’m a broken down TV Engineer .
    You did a good job with your convergence Stuart , well done.
    The Test Card was a very important part of our day .

    We have a Robert Knight on here , I always wanted to know if its the same one who wrote in our Trade Mags ?
    Any other fellow Engineers here remember our dear departed Les Lawrie Johns from THE TELEVISION mag ?

    The girl was Carol Hersee or similar, my old grey cells struggling a bit .

    You hang in there Stuart and make the most of your time out , long overdue .

  223. Quinie frae Angus
    Ignored
    says:

    Hey Wingers

    A bit of good and funny news to brighten up our glum (ish) evening……

    Rev Stu has just tweeted this.

    Good for Stephen Daisley. One of the mainstream journos who DOES totally “get it”, and isn’t afraid to show his support, in true satirical Wingy style……

    http://news.stv.tv/scotland-decides/analysis/315241-daisley-mail-stephen-daisley-on-wings-over-scotland-and-cats/

  224. Lesley-Anne
    Ignored
    says:

    ronnie anderson says:

    @Lesley Anne did the Rev consult you on the exchange rates before he said adue.

    Ronnie, I’m the village idiot would YOU consult me before bidding adue … oh you would well I think that answers your question then. 😀

  225. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    Here’s the info for the House of Commons – don’t know about Holyrood or the SNP but they are clearly much better than this:

    “Women MPs make up 22% of the House. That proportion is higher than of judges or directors of FTSE 100 companies, but lower than of senior civil servants or Members of the Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales.”

    http://tinyurl.com/n9owppw

  226. ronnie anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Stephen McKenzie the Rev can go native an make his own sunhat that,s why they hiv Palmfonds & its great fur his CV Hat Weaving.

    Wherever you may be Rev, enjoy Yourself.Weil jist muddle through as we do every day.

  227. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Betty Boop says:26 March, 2015 at 3:43 pm :

    “The “normal” operations procedure for opening the cockpit door don’t exactly inspire confidence either! There have been very disturbing and confusing reports about the air crash today.”

    The latest is most disturbing as they say the co-pilot deliberately put the aircraft into a descent while the Captain was at the Loo. A guy was on Radio Scotland this morning who said there were certain procedures for the crew to open the door in emergency situations.

    Apparently the Captain was heard on the surface to air radio after attempting to kick the door in. So there is something very strange if there is indeed a system to open the door. Unless the co-pilot had prevented its use, of course.

  228. cearc
    Ignored
    says:

    Conan,

    I’m using a PC and I thought your blog was great. I still have it bookmarked, just in case.

  229. Wuffing Dug
    Ignored
    says:

    Caz-m
    Yes new fields will be found and come on-stream.
    This is just the tip of the iceberg.

    The oil industry is a total fk up at the minute.
    To be honest, it always has been.
    Lessons are never learned.
    The UK government continue to fk things up.

    Being on the inside, I’ve never seen it so bad.
    Seriously thinking of getting out of it. Thank god I’m not a ‘lifer’ and have other talents I can draw on.

    Can’t figure out what’s going on at the minute but it will become clear eventually. Maybe sooner than we think.

  230. cearc
    Ignored
    says:

    Stuart,

    Come back. That Daisley lad has launched a takeover bid!

    He’s probably planning to asset strip the site.

    http://news.stv.tv/scotland-decides/analysis/315241-daisley-mail-stephen-daisley-on-wings-over-scotland-and-cats/

  231. crazycat
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Tam Jardine

    21 out of 59 SNP candidate are women (36%).

    That’s a higher percentage than anyone other than the Greens (42%), who have fewer candidates (31 I think). The overall percentage is 28, though the deadline for candidacy is April 9, so this may change.

    http://www.centreonconstitutionalchange.ac.uk/blog/international-womens-day-%E2%80%93-women-scottish-politics

    Candidates list is here, in a very annoying format:
    http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/images/dynamicImages/GE2015%20candidates%20Scotland%203pm09_03.pdf

    It may be possible to adjust the width so that it is all on one page, but I don’t know how to do that (or even whether what I see is merely a consequence of my using a notebook computer).

  232. K1
    Ignored
    says:

    I suppose not until the day we raise children as equals instead of the stratifying of ‘tasks’, ‘abilities’ and ‘skills’ et al by gender will we truly see this ‘equality’ disseminated within the culture.

    I don’t really have strong feeling one way or another about the quota issues. Although it is all very ‘proscribed’ as I suppose Dr Jim is pointing out and therefore where do we ‘draw the line’ when it comes to attempting more ‘social engineering’ to produce the desired effects?

    I know my first paragraph is clumsy. What I mean is, that education within schooling can only go so far. The deep cultural conditioning of attitudes is generational…it literally takes a generation or more to really alter the paradigm.

    Maybe this ‘quotas’ solution is the best out of many approaches that have not so far made significant enough impact to alter these ingrained attitudes?

    I think this is were Nicola is coming from, she has mentioned this when asked, that she feels we ‘have to start somewhere’ so by the time another generation or two down the line comes, it’s IN, so to speak?

    I think ‘Kindness’ should be a curriculum subject, I also think it should be under the general heading of Emotional Intelligence.

    We’re a young species, it takes us ages to learn anything of real value.

  233. Bugger (the Panda)
    Ignored
    says:

    I am all for positive discrimination and Panda only shortlists.

    I would have a 1 in 3 chance.

  234. Cadogan Enright
    Ignored
    says:

    I’m supporting Philipa – lets get her over the line in the 3 remaining days of her appeal while Rev is away http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/dr-philippa-whitford-campaign-fund – less than 2k to go – I’m doing another 50

    Cumon guys and gals !

  235. cearc
    Ignored
    says:

    K1,

    Social attitudes are more important than anything else and it works both ways.

    Many years ago I had friends who as a couple decided that he would be house-husband and full time parent whilst their pre-school weans. He was widely regarded as an unemployed bum living off his wife.

    30 years later my nephew did the same. Attitudes had not changed at all. He was treated with deep distrust if he attended any ‘mother and baby’ type events and was regarded as living off his wife.

    She was well upset when he started working again and she had to help with housework, shopping etc and didn’t have a nice hot meal ready when she got home from work!

  236. Fred
    Ignored
    says:

    Daisley on Broon, manage to airbrush his part in the Iraq carnage!

    No Bahama, Balmaha. 🙂

  237. Broch Landers
    Ignored
    says:

    Bahamas? Shurely Shtuart would be a mosht welcome guesht.

  238. Tam Jardine
    Ignored
    says:

    crazycat

    Thanks – we seem to be going in the right direction. The prize is surely for us to reach 50/50 without quotas. Or for the gender of candidates to be irrelevant.

    The Yes campaign was so driven by prominent women and WFI and female politicians it surprises me that THIS is the issue we need to address right now. But there are obviously people who think now is the perfect time to address it.

  239. Caledonius
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Grouse Beater

    For what it’s worth I’d vote for your blog to replace the link! 😉 not my vote counts for anything lol.

    I have sort of lurked between your site and this one since after the referendum.

  240. caz-m
    Ignored
    says:

    Wuffing Dug 9.56pm

    Re. Oil Industry,

    It has been mis-managed by the UK Government since it was discovered in the 1970s.

    It’s not too late to turn it around. Full Fiscal Autonomy is a good place to start.

  241. Lesley-Anne
    Ignored
    says:

    Apologies for getting serious here for a wee second folks.

    I’ve had a wee blether with Southern Uplander over on Twitter discussing Fluffy and his latest *ahem* leaflet. We received one the other day but did as we always do *cough* file it.

    Both my partner and I have scoured the leaflet and can find no where on it that mentions the fact that Fluffy is standing as the Consservative candidate in the General Election in May. Does anyone if this is actually legal?

    I know that everyone knows Fluffy is the Tory M.P. … or at least WAS. That is not the issue but I am concerned that as an election leaflet, because let’s make no mistake that is all this leaflet can be, then surely it is legally required to make absolutely clear what political party the candidate is standing for.

  242. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    Miliband had an absolute car crash there on C4 with Paxman.

  243. Wilty
    Ignored
    says:

    Bugger (the Panda) says: I think they dislike my subriquet or my furry ears.

    Nice ears, BtW :¬)

  244. Tam Jardine
    Ignored
    says:

    Thepnr

    Pretty awful to watch. Really personal. Cameron’s team will be toasting right through the night.

  245. Training Day
    Ignored
    says:

    Only significant comment in that farrago was Paxman sneering – on behalf of the London bubble- how absurd it would be to build HS2 ‘back to front’ by starting it in Scotland.

    Or even including Scotland.

    Shame on all No voters. Everlasting shame.

  246. Cadogan Enright
    Ignored
    says:

    Let’s spend the 3days Stu is away getting Philippa over the line in Ayrshire – she has 3 days left and less than 2k to go. http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/dr-philippa-whitford-campaign-fund

    I’m doing another 50

  247. cearc
    Ignored
    says:

    BtP,

    Your relatives need to get their whatsits out.

    We have a new lady polar bear at Kingussie now, to replace Mercedes.

    The baby bear race is on!

  248. Johnny
    Ignored
    says:

    Cadogan Enright @ 9:21

    Agree, about 5 minutes in I thought that Cameron would have been wishing he was just arguing with Miliband. Paxman had Cameron bricking himself.

  249. K1
    Ignored
    says:

    cearc, there are always exceptions within the ‘cultural norms’, goes without saying 🙂

    Nicola obviously views this as important enough…maybe there’s votes tae be hud 😉

  250. crazycat
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Tam Jardine

    I would rather gender became irrelevant; then we wouldn’t even be counting to see if it was 50/50 (or 52/48, or whatever the split in the population as a whole was).

    I understand the “but waiting for it to happen naturally hasn’t worked” argument, but don’t believe that positive discrimination actually works. We need to be sure there are no gender-specific obstacles (either way) for candidates, and also to make elected office more appealing.

    No point having all-women shorlists if the House of Commons is such a soul-destroying place they only stay for one term – there was a study about this; a really quite high percentage (which I have of course forgotten) of female MPs did not defend their seats. I think I remember that it was most marked if they were Tories.

  251. Lesley-Anne
    Ignored
    says:

    Bugger (the Panda) says:

    I am all for positive discrimination and Panda only shortlists.

    I would have a 1 in 3 chance.

    I do not want to be the bearer of bad news BtP but they have just, or are about to, impregnate Tian Tian in Edinburgh and are also planning to let Yang Guang have his evil way with her as well. 😛

    You may not be the *ahem* mystical third panda for much longer. 😉

  252. Truth
    Ignored
    says:

    I’m not sure the problem is a gender one rather than a class one. Particularly when it comes to private companies.

    Let’s face it, most of the big private sector companies have privately educated old duffers on the board. If the women these men chose to marry were in any way interested in running these companies, then we’d already have gender balance.

    The fact is, they are not, and therefore they put more of their old boy network pals on the board.

    Note, there’s no room for lower class males as well.

    So any women out there thinking legislation to force gender balance in the boardroom will help them in any way shape or form are sadly deluded.

  253. Lesley-Anne
    Ignored
    says:

    cearc says:

    BtP,

    Your relatives need to get their whatsits out.

    We have a new lady polar bear at Kingussie now, to replace Mercedes.

    The baby bear race is on!

    JINGS!

    I forgot about Mrs Polar Bear arriving up North.

    As Cearc says BtP the baby bear race is well and truly on. 😉

    I’m thinking that we could maybe make a slight alteration to our current favourite chant of there being more Panda’s in Scotland than Tory M.P.’s Perhaps we could go with something like we have more Bears in Scotland than Unionist M.P.’s 😛

  254. The Isolator
    Ignored
    says:

    Jeez oh,just watched the Millipede v Paxman debacle.Ended up watching it through my fingers.Horrific stuff,car crash doesn’t even come close.Cameron was poor but FFS Ed was rancid.

    Not sure I’d want the SNP to prop that pile of pish up even on an issue by issue basis.

    Yikes!!!

  255. ronnie anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Fred you nearer the mark with Balmaha than Bahamas.

    Relax folks the Rev,s no goat a Passport.

  256. Onwards
    Ignored
    says:

    @Lesley-Anne says:
    26 March, 2015 at 5:03 pm

    Like everything else these days though whatever changes, if indeed changes are brought in, will have an impact of the cost of flights. No surprise there then. 😉

    It looks like several airlines have immediately introduced the policy to have 2 people in the cockpit at all times. It is already standard procedure on US airlines.

    I don’t see why it should increase costs – Ryanair has this policy already. A flight attendant gets a few minutes off, to step in for a pilot taking a toilet break.

    At the end of the day, it comes down to screening pilots effectively. That must be hard – what pilot is going to admit feeling depressed or under pressure when it could mean losing their job?

  257. Balaaargh
    Ignored
    says:

    Women only shortlists?

    Two words:

    Johann Lamont.

  258. Macnakamura
    Ignored
    says:

    My summary of big debate.

    1-0 Cameron.
    Kay Burley was partial in her approach and this was no surprise after she had fawned over Cameron in the lead up to adverts.
    Q and A sessions were not handled by Burley in an equitable way
    Miliband kept talking and this encouraged Paxman to keep pounding away on personality and the record of the Blair /Brown governments.
    Best riposte ……. You are importantJeremy but not that important.

    Paxman was at it when he spoke to Miliband when the credits were rolling.

  259. ronnie anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Lesley Anne and if all else fails BtP stay aff the Rid Biddy just in case they send fur you,Winky thingies.

  260. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Tam Jardine
    I think the issue has come up because there is an election coming up. We are all considering which party to vote for. The SNP and Greens seem to me to be progressive and egalitarian which is what I would like to see in Westminster since we’re stuck with it for the immediate future.

    Everyone will have a different opinion about the best way to achieve equality and fairness but isn’t that the goal of electing a representative?

    And legal means have worked in Norway I believe. The quota is 40% of either male or female members on boards.

  261. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    Must confess, I haven’t seen the CH4 stuff everyone’s on about, but no doubt the juicy bits will surface here in due course.

    In the meantime, I can only imagine what happens when you put a cranky old buffer like Paxman in a confined space with this:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlTggc0uBA8

  262. Natasha
    Ignored
    says:

    Apologies for the length of this post (but I have used paragraph breaks . . .)

    With regard to the subject of gender discrimination at home and in schools:

    As a primary school teacher, I recently attended a conference on the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy. This is conducted on a yearly basis across Scotland in P4, P7 and S2 classes. Children are chosen at random and assessed in various ways, including completing questionnaires.

    The two areas are assessed in alternate years, (ie numeracy in 2011 and 2013, etc, and literacy in 2012 and 2014 etc).

    So far we only have two sets of data for numeracy (2011 and 2013) but both data sets show a consistent gender discrepancy at P4, P7 and S2, with boys outperforming girls. The gap widens considerably by S2.

    As teachers, we are obviously very concerned about this, and are committed to addressing it. The fact that it is across the board would seem to me to indicate that it is due to a widespread issue within society, probably present both in the home and at school, not a problem of one particular group or sector.

    Obviously something is going wrong at a fundamental level if we have not managed to achieve gender parity in children’s academic performance in the year 2015. I personally don’t think I discriminate between the girls and the boys whom I teach, but then I’m sure most teachers would say the same. And I’m sure most parents wouldn’t feel they discriminate between their sons and daughters.

    The evidence however would seem to indicate otherwise!

    I don’t know what the answer is to this problem; all I can do as a human being is to be very aware of my own behaviour and attitudes and do my very best to be even handed in my approach to all the children in my care.

    As far as quotas go, I have mixed feelings. I sympathise with those who call for them – I can absolutely see their point of view. However, I also feel that people should be chosen on merit, not on their gender. On the whole I think I would be against them – but I am pretty close to being on the fence on this issue – which is a highly unusual situation for me!

  263. Hoss Mackintosh
    Ignored
    says:

    @Btp

    How about your Red Panda cousins up in Kingussie.

    I think there are four of them in Scotland.
    http://www.highlandwildlifepark.org.uk/global-news/2014/07/double-celebrations-for-red-panda

    More Pandas than Blue Tory MPs?

    More Red Pandas than Red Tory Labour MPs?

    What about the Lib-Dems ?

    There was a race of Yellow Pygmy Pandas but they are now extinct!

  264. Cadogan Enright
    Ignored
    says:

    @The Isolator 10.50 .They were both poor, but Milliband gained as Camerons attempt to look like the only PM failed.

  265. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @:Lesley-Anne says: 26 March, 2015 at 7:20 pm:

    “Methinks someone has been telling porkies here. Either Westminster LIED to us before the referendum or they are LYING to us now!”

    Has to be said, Lesley-Anne. There is a distinct possibility the Establishment were/are lying to us on both occasions. They do have much form on that score – or had you not noticed that?

  266. yabadabadoo
    Ignored
    says:

    Did you notice that not once during the referendum or after did the SNP publicly acknowledge or highlight wingsoverscotland.
    NS and AS would bleat on and on about all the groups first was always the woman group then the artist group and so on and on….bla bla bla But never wingsoverscotland.

    Why?

    The SNP published plan (look up their proposed written constitution they were going to straight jacket Scotland with on day one) was not for an independent Scotland but only a shift of elite control in London to elite control in Edinburgh, with the bankers keeping all the monetary controls in place to cream off the profits from the Scottish people, keeping them in continued debt.

    The SNP and their clones are absolutely shaken by the break our of free speech in Scotland, just as the London parties are. Never forget this.

    The will never endorse or give succor to an independent media that could take them to task or hold them to account to the Scottish people.

    Personally I feel that wingsoverscotland should be holding the SNP to account more often. They are not infallible and hold many positions that undermine an independent Scotland.
    They detest independence of thought (Craig Murray’s treatment is a case in point)and have such an over powering clone like control that they are now being called a political cult.

    You cannot have an independent Scotland without independent people.

    Wingsoverscotland should always drive towards an independent Scotland and hold all parties to account to the Scottish people not just the London ones.

    Never follow one person or one party blindly. Always question are they holding to the “dream” as AS put it. If not hold them to account.

    Everyone and every party can be got to, one way or another, but if you hold true to the idea “The dream will never die”.

    Looking forward to reading some more free speech from Rev Stu asap.

  267. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    I’ve been catching up on this page since I got home from a ‘Team YES Bus’ meeting, on the Dragon, at around 9.15.

    I’ve been copying stuff to put together a reply but I have been overtaken by subsequent posts.

    So, apologies for repetition in respect of Mr Daisley.

    .

    Cactus, you typed,

    Infact, movie question.. what feature film had a radio station called ‘WNBC’? (ah canny remember the now, cheers).

    Would that be “Private Parts”?
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_Parts_%281997_film%29

    .

    Now, Stephen Daisley.

    It’s almost hard to believe that STV are carrying this on their web site!

    A huge bag of minty kudos to STV!

    http://news.stv.tv/scotland-decides/315241-daisley-mail-stephen-daisley-on-wings-over-scotland-and-cats/

    .

    Hi Tackety Beets.

    I ‘outed’ her as Carole Hersee at 3.01pm this afternoon.

    .

    Hi Quinie frae Angus.

    Like Thepnr, I agree with what you typed.

  268. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    Ronnie: Is that You gettin yer neb in.

    Erm, nope. Can I help you find your glasses?

  269. Lesley-Anne
    Ignored
    says:

    To be honest Onwards when I mentioned the idea of increasing costs I was looking at it through the idea of having a third pilot on board.

    I understand the idea of having a cabin crew member in the cockpit when ever a pilot leaves for what ever reason. However, I do get slightly concerned that the pilot remaining in the cockpit may still be able to do *ahem* something without the cabin crew member fully realising what was being done.

    I am sure that no matter what the decision taken by various airlines each one will have its merits. This may be something that ALPA or CAA etc may have to get together and agree a universal settlement with regards to having a “permanent” two crew members in the cockpit.

    I did read earlier tonoight that Lufthansa and Easyjet are looking at initiating changes in their aircraft cockpits from tomorrow.

  270. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    @Any Slab apparatchiks who may be hanging about here in a vain effort to work out why the people of Scotland are going to kick your bosses’ arses out of public life in a few weeks time –

    Please watch this very short piece of archive footage. It features two men (Reg Keys and Tony Blair) and it helps, at least in part, to explain why the Labour Party is now in its death-throes.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPj5IhATZ7k

  271. Sunniva
    Ignored
    says:

    Question Time on and they are still making the lie that Scotland receives more per capita than England by £1400 pa. Jim Murphy defending Barnett.

  272. Training Day
    Ignored
    says:

    More Celt-bashing on QT. Osama bin Laden was not as demonised as Alec Salmond now is.

    Hey, thanks BBC ‘Scotland’ for producing this bile and hatred directed at um.. Scotland.

  273. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    Question Time

    Murphy holding forth on Question Time on food banks as if he never signed up to £30 billion more cuts. He happily goes on to rehearse his mantra about voting for SNP meaning voting out Labour but getting Tory.

    Dear Janet Street Porter, opinionated as ever, thinks it terribly undemocratic for ‘smaller’ parties to take power in support of larger parties. Which, when you think about it, it an indirect vote for independence.

    Dimbleby asks audience if they are worried about the SNP shaping government – without an SNP member of the panel to answer back. No, says one audience member. He’s far more worried about an alliance of the Tories and Ukip, and more freedom for the bankers.

    More sense from the public than the pundits – as usual.

  274. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    Hi yabadabadoo.

    Well said that woman! (Or man, as the case may be.)

    .

    Hi Sunniva.

    Are your family from Shetland?

  275. Tam Jardine
    Ignored
    says:

    Grouse Beater

    Aye – ‘anyone see the SNP as a threat? Anyone worried about the SNP? Anyone?… Bueller?’

    Wee spot of fishing by David, loved the response.

  276. Lesley-Anne
    Ignored
    says:

    Oops looks like we have started a Panda sub thread within this thread. 😛

    Don’t worry Robert I have indeed noticed that. 😉 My view has always been one that given half a chance Westminster will LIE rather than admit the TRUTH to the people of Scotland.

  277. thedogphilosopher
    Ignored
    says:

    @ yabadabadoo

    How about using two words instead? SNP BAD.

  278. ronnie anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Grouse Beater naw av goat ma glesses oan, its the disconect between the eyes n the brain am confuddled maist of the time lol,an these fekin varifocals dont help .

  279. Col
    Ignored
    says:

    Did Dimbleby not say that Barnett funded basically the four regions or countries of the UK? If so that is a lie as Barnett funds twelve regions. Some of which in England get much higher spending per head than the English average.
    I wasn`t expecting Jim Murphy to defend Scotland and point out the fact that we generate more tax per head and actually deserve every penny we get.

  280. cearc
    Ignored
    says:

    Hoss, LA,

    Well the polars will have to out do the libdems.

    Easy target as there already three of them.

  281. Nana Smith
    Ignored
    says:

    Just seen this tweet

    The SNP got 300 new members (10% of that) during Cameron’s TV thing tonight, lol

    Think it’s gone up after the hate fest on question time

  282. Nana Smith
    Ignored
    says:

    Forgot to copy the first part of that tweet d’oh!

    When I joined the SNP it had 3,000 members

    The SNP got 300 new members (10% of that) during Cameron’s TV thing tonight, lol

  283. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    Good Grief – not a single person on Question time knows what or how the Barnett Formula is supposed to work. This is the level of sheer idiocy exhibited by those elected to govern The United Kingdom. They sit there pontificating to the public and they are totally ignorant of how the United Kingdom is designed to be funded.

    They all, including Murphy, do not understand that the sole purpose of the Barnett Formula is to calculate the cost of the devolved functions Scotland has that the non-devolved countries get paid for directly by the Westminster Ministries.

    Barnett really is as simple as that and, if you remember when I attempted to explain this before on this forum, I said I had, (acting as if I did not know the truth), ask such as Gordon Brown, while he was Chancellor, and got nothing but waffle.

    I kid you not that I’m still awaiting a correct explanation from any elected Unionist from councillors to Prime Ministers. This explains these idiots on national TV channels claiming that England gets a raw deal and Scots get extra per capita funding. They just don’t know the English get that extra value directly in services from Westminster ministries. Nor have they the brains to work it out for themselves.

    Certainly we do get extra per capita funds but they get that same value in services from various ministries and that’s the reason the Scottish Block grant is increased. Do these idiots think Scots should get the duty of providing the extra devolved functions but not the extra funds to pay for them?

    But for the entire panel of Question Time not to produce a single person able to correct the mistaken assumption of the others is, without doubt, a damning indictment of the capability of both the elected panel members and the panel Media folk like the excessively strident numpty Street-Porter just defied all belief. Not to mention the BBC’s David Dimbleby and the shows producers who really should know and be correcting the false claims.

  284. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    Tam Jardine: Wee spot of fishing by David, loved the response.

    Just before the audience member responded my hackles had risen at Dimbleys uncharacteristic crassness.

    English glitterati and political pundits are obsessed with Salmond and the SNP. You get a whiff of the fear and loathing William Wallace must have generated on his military march to London!

  285. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Nana
    Ha Ha that’s great news. Hope they keep it up in the run up to May!

  286. Dave McEwan Hill
    Ignored
    says:

    Col at 11.43

    But Scotland doesn’t get more per head than England. That is a huge myth which we are allowing to fester on.

    It gets more of identified public expenditure on providing the services we enjoy over as comparively large area but that only covers about two thirds of Government per capita spending.
    The other third covers government procurement of which we get about half of our population share and “national expenditure” which is not set against the SE England expenditure figure though the vast majority of it is spent there.

  287. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    Col: I wasn`t expecting Jim Murphy to defend Scotland and point out the fact that we generate more tax per head and actually deserve every penny we get.

    So long as an individual believes Scotland is not a separate nation so long will they think it gets too much of ‘Englands’ money. It is impossible to alter their tunnel vision.

  288. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Well, where do i start

    @yabadabadoo

    So Independence only works if we all listen to you
    How does that work then? sounds like SNP bad yabadabadoo good
    I’ve heard that before somewhere
    So, the truth is, listen to me i’m right, think the way i say

    But is that not what the Labour Party keep saying all the time

    Oh i get it now i must be slow Duh…and funnily enough that’s my own free speech, maybe you’ve not noticed but everybody who posts on this site is allowed free speech as are you
    Also as an SNP member of 66 years when i have been fortunate enough to have been speaking to any other members or Alex Salmond or Nicola Sturgeon or anyone within the party i can assure you categorically nobody has to watch their tongue

    Same time next week

  289. orri
    Ignored
    says:

    http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge51/results.htm

    625 seats:
    Con 321¹ (+23); Lab 295 (-20); Lib 6 (-); Others 3 (-)
    ¹ Includes 9 Ulster Unionists, 2 Conservative & National Liberal, 7 National Liberal & Conservative, 2 Conservative & Liberal, 7 Liberal & Conservative, and 1 National Liberal

    So that’s 28 odds n sods being admitted already. And we’re at 293 seats. But there’s more ….

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_Scotland#1951

    Conservative (Total) 35 1,349,298 48.6
    Unionist 29 1,108,321 39.9
    National Liberal & Conservative 6 240,977 8.7

    So that brings us down to 264, I’m afraid the 258 in the poster has managed to subtract 6 seats from Scotland twice. Unless there’s some seats from elsewhere I’m missing.

  290. thedogphilosopher
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Robert Peffers

    On the subject of Janet Street-Porter. She seems to have changed her tune a little. Prior to the referendum she made a programme travelling about Scotland trying to get a handle on the debate for a metropolitan audience. My gut feeling was that she was hoping to uncover lots of anti-Englishness, which never happened. In fact during her short trip she seemed to come to terms with what it was all about.

    But then she was rather miffed when she found out that the programme was only being shown in Scotland. She felt this was wrong, that the rest of the UK deserved to see her ‘enlightened’ wee programme.

    But on QT tonight she seemed to jump down Leanne Woods’ throat at every opportunity, decrying the idea of small parties having a say in government.

    Short memory, eh?

  291. Chic McGregor
    Ignored
    says:

    Neither of the two big Murphylies (new word alert) on QT were the one expected, namely ‘the biggest party gets to form the government’.

    Instead they were:

    1. That the Barnett Formula differential was calculated on some kind of needs basis, for example he cited greater distances in Scotland. That is absolute bollocks. The starting position of the Barnett Formula was simply to inherit the previous funding arrangement which was simply on a pro rata basis. The differential came about because there was insufficient correction built in to the Barnett Formula to correct for the ensuing large population imbalance as UK Government unidentifiable expenditure (infrastructure, defense etc.) hyper-inflated the SE and consequently relative population growth there.

    2. That Scotland has a higher proportion of its population which are of pensionable age. Bollocks again. Scotland has LESS of a proportion of its population who are of pensionable age than England.

  292. crazycat
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Chic McGregor

    I don’t have a television and almost certainly wouldn’t watch QT if I did. Someone on the UKPR site (a Labour supporter) has just posted this:

    By the way, what was it with Murphy tonight? He looked like a cat who’d just emptied a saucer of cream. Does he know something the rest of us don’t?

    I’m assuming you didn’t perceive things the same way.

  293. Chic McGregor
    Ignored
    says:

    Biggest laugh of the night was Murphy saying ‘Salmond likes the sound of his own voice.’

    He could only get away with that in a non-Scottish audience.

  294. Chic McGregor
    Ignored
    says:

    @crazycat
    I imagine it was quite a relief for Murphy to be in an arena where he has not been sussed out.

  295. Nana Smith
    Ignored
    says:

    @Capella

    Made me smile and so does this

    Glenrothes West (Fife) result:
    SNP – 55.3% (+26.0)
    LAB – 35.8% (-8.5)
    CON – 4.4% (-0.4)
    UKIP – 3.2% (+3.2)
    LDEM – 1.3% (-1.3)

  296. Mealer
    Ignored
    says:

    A lot of politics on the box tonight.Jim was creepy.Everyone else was weird.Except for Ms Woods,who is normal.

  297. Lesley-Anne
    Ignored
    says:

    cearc says:

    Hoss, LA,

    Well the polars will have to out do the libdems.

    Easy target as there already three of them.

    There is a phrase that springs to mind here Cearc … job DONE and DUSTED! 😛

    I have to admit Nana I think dear old Cameron is doing his damndest to ensure that the S.N.P. becomes even BIGGER than it currently is. 😀

    I think it was yesterday somewhere that I suggested that we should send Murph the Smurph or his Branch office a big THANK YOU card after May 7th. It now appears we need to buy a SECOND card and send it to number 10 ready to be opened by Cameron when he returns. 😉

  298. thedogphilosopher
    Ignored
    says:

    @Dr Jim

    Just a wild guess, but I bet you ‘yabadabadoo’ is affiliated to The Green Brigade, Celtic’s ‘republican’ ultras, who are more hacked off with the SNP than are the Union Bears over at Ibrox.

    The delicious irony of it.

  299. Tîm Criced i Gymru
    Ignored
    says:

    BBC and Dimbleby (yet again) were an absolute disgrace on QT tonight. Smurph (doesn’t he look withdrawn) acted throughout like a parrot on Dumbledore’s shoulder, whispering in his ear at every opportunity (Please, please, sir, can I have the last word…again?!) – he was a total waste of space, something he seems to have in abundance between his ears and his rapidly greying hair.
    Dimwhittlebee asking leading anti-SNP/Nat questions and deliberately misleading all with his Alex Salmond, Alex Salmond – SO frustrating. As a Plaid Cymru member, I think Leanne did well on the whole and held her corner steadfastly, often receiving some respectable applause. Shame she couldn’t have just corrected D.D. by promoting Nicola’s name and office as leader of SNP. Ah, well, expect no favours from Britpress, now, for the next 6 weeks… or ever tbh.

  300. bookie from hell
    Ignored
    says:

    An example of an SNP surge at the local election at Glenrothes West (Fife)
    SNP – 2539
    LAB – 1643
    CON – 202
    UKIP – 146
    LDEM – 61

  301. cearc
    Ignored
    says:

    Congratulations to Glenrothes West.

  302. Tîm Criced i Gymru
    Ignored
    says:

    …on the matter of Janet Street-Porter… I think she has a chip on her shoulder about Wales about which she just cannot rid herself. Her mother hails from Llanfairfechan on the North Wales coast, and I remember hearing her some years back muttering along the lines of: “…and when my aunt, my mother’s sister used to come over and stay, they would be prattling on in Welsh together and I couldn’t understand anything they were saying”.
    Ironically, she took part in a TV celebrity Learn Welsh week’s course at the Welsh language centre at Nant Gwrtheyrn about 4-5 years back, which I think she enjoyed, but her hang-ups from her childhood are just not going away.
    So, yes I was slightly taken aback at her animated ‘go’ at Leanne, but I put that down to the above and not rational thinking!

  303. Almannysbunnet
    Ignored
    says:

    To sum up question time, Jeanette Street Porter doesn’t like Leanne Woods, sweaty socks, small parties and has a voice that goes right through my effin brain. Murphy? made a valiant attempt to take over as quizmaster, it’s all about Me me, smooth as treacle and just as tacky, made a complete arse of explaining the Barnett formula. The conservative wifey was a conservative wifey. I’m biased so Leanne Wood can do no wrong, should have reached over and strangled the Porter woman. The UKIP dude didn’t have two heads. Dimbledorf was a twat, WTF was that about no Irish? All the brains were in the audience. If you missed it you didn’t miss much. The only service the programme provided was to increase the SNP vote and membership. Toodlepip.

  304. JGedd
    Ignored
    says:

    @Natasha 11.04pm

    That was a very interesting post. Those findings on gender discrepancies are worrying. It is difficult to know how this comes about without being a fly on the wall in every home. As you say, parents when asked, will protest that they don’t discriminate.

    However, it has to be said that young children are the most acutely attuned to absorb knowledge and information. It is possible that they are absorbing only too well unconscious conditioning coming from a variety of environmental sources to which they are exposed.

    Some time ago, I watched an interesting programme on just this subject. Some intriguing experiments were carried out with mothers and their babies, all around 14/15 months.
    In one situation they were presented with play apparatus with wooden ramps which they could set to whatever incline they thought could be attempted by their babies. In every case, astonishingly enough, the mothers of girl babies set the ramp lower and therefore easier than did the mothers of boys. To the experimenters, there seemed no difference in mobility between the genders and yet mothers of girls had a lower expectation of what their daughters could achieve. Mothers of boys seemed more confident of their son’s ability to surmount a challenge.

    They also repeated another experiment which had been done many years ago in which adults were asked to play with babies in a playroom. However, the adults were given to understand by both the way that the baby was dressed and named, that they were playing with a boy or girl but in each case, the real gender had been reversed. While being watched, it became clear that the adult was directing the child to certain toys appropriate to what they thought was the gender of the child – toy cars and plastic tools for boys and dolls and cuddly toys for girls. When it was revealed to the adults that the baby they had played with was the opposite gender to what they thought, they didn’t realise that they had been unconsciously guiding the child.

    As usual, it is difficult to extrapolate from experiments like this firm conclusions but it does make you think.

    ( I wouldn’t be posting this late but I’ve been kept awake due to a recent injury. However, the painkillers are kicking in, so I will call it a night. Thanks for your interesting post, Natasha.)

  305. JGedd
    Ignored
    says:

    @Natasha 11.04pm

    That was a very interesting post. Those findings on gender discrepancies are worrying. It is difficult to know how this comes about without being a fly on the wall in every home. As you say, parents when asked, will protest that they don’t discriminate.

    However, it has to be said that young children are the most acutely attuned to absorb knowledge and information. It is possible that they are absorbing only too well unconscious conditioning coming from a variety of environmental sources to which they are exposed.

    Some time ago, I watched an interesting programme on just this subject. Some intriguing experiments were carried out with mothers and their babies, all around 14/15 months.
    In one situation they were presented with play apparatus with wooden ramps which they could set to whatever incline they thought could be attempted by their babies. In every case, astonishingly enough, the mothers of girl babies set the ramp lower and therefore easier than did the mothers of boys. To the experimenters, there seemed no difference in mobility between the genders and yet mothers of girls had a lower expectation of what their daughters could achieve. Mothers of boys seemed more confident of their son’s ability to surmount a challenge.

    They also repeated another experiment which had been done many years ago in which adults were asked to play with babies in a playroom. However, the adults were given to understand by both the way that the baby was dressed and named, that they were playing with a boy or girl but in each case, the real gender had been reversed. While being watched, it became clear that the adult was directing the child to certain toys appropriate to what they thought was the gender of the child – toy cars and plastic tools for boys and dolls and cuddly toys for girls. When it was revealed to the adults that the baby they had played with was the opposite gender to what they thought, they didn’t realise that they had been unconsciously guiding the child.

    As usual, it is difficult to extrapolate from experiments like this firm conclusions but it does make you think.

    ( I wouldn’t be posting this late but I’ve been kept awake due to a recent injury. However, the painkillers are kicking in, so I will call it a night. Thanks for your interesting post, Natasha.)

  306. Mike
    Ignored
    says:

    Have a good break Stu whatever you’re doing. I myself am of to Mull and hoping the weather is kind to us but I’m not holding my breath!

    Have a good weekend folks 🙂

  307. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    Yeah, Tîm Criced i Gymru.

    I thought Ms Street-Porter had a bee in her bonnet re Ms Wood.

    Thanks for the explanation.

    Ms Street-Porter did a documentary in the weeks before the referendum, which I thought was pleasantly even-handed. She even interviewed Jesse Rae!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOad0FU9zF8

  308. cearc
    Ignored
    says:

    Tim CiG,

    Interesting. I’ve never thought of Janet Street-Porter and rational thinking in the same sentence before.

  309. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    @Nana Smith

    Thanks for that by-election result data. 🙂 SNP 55% (probably low turn out) but nevertheless… YEEESSSS!

    No disrespect to Lab Cllr Betty Campbell whose death triggered the by-election. Nice woman I thought as I met her on plenty of occasions.

    PS:

    Plaid Cymru bashing time tonight and an easy shift for Murphy…

    Par for the course on QT

  310. Lesley-Anne
    Ignored
    says:

    Congratulations to everyone involved in working for the Glenrothes bye election. Your hard work has paid off. Now for the big one. Let’s see the local Fifers turn out in their ten’s of thousands and return S.N.P. M.P.’s all across Fife.

    As a Fife born trouble making village idiot nothing would make me prouder than to see the WHOLE of Fife turned S.N.P. Yellow on May 7th. 😀

  311. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    @bookie from hell

    Thanks for the numbers!

  312. Chic McGregor
    Ignored
    says:

    My view of JSP. Working Class Hero of the right.

  313. crazycat
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Chic McGregor

    Thanks – I was a bit worried that he might have cheered up because they’ve found a new way to pochle things, but if it was just relief at not being held to account, I can ignore it.

  314. GM_Dundonian
    Ignored
    says:

    Just popping into say Nana, I could kiss you for bring such good news to my and everyone else’s attention!

    We’re on our way folks! Whoooooooooooooo! 🙂

  315. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    HOI! GM_Dundonian.

    You were supposed to be taking a few days off…

    8=)

  316. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    @dogphilosopher

    What my Irish Great Granny used to call

    A little squint of a man

  317. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Nana
    Great news about about Fife vote. Worth being awake for that but it’s way past bedtime now!

  318. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    Aw well time to turn in I guess. An interesting day overall from dawn till dusk 🙂

    The Rev takes a well earned break and all hell doesn’t break out. Then on the telly (Boo) both Cameron and Miliband come across as clowns on C4 under grilling from Paxman (Yeah).

    Jim Murphy makes no impact whatsoever on QT, no surprise there then. All in all, quite a good day in my view.

  319. Lesley-Anne
    Ignored
    says:

    Capella the other three bye elections Buckie, North Uist,and Armadale carry out their counts later today. I wonder if we could be looking at whitewash in all four bye elections. Let’s hope so. 😀

  320. GM_Dundonian
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Brian Doonthetoon

    Lol I know, then for some reason I turned on that ‘debate’ tonight and one thing lead to another and I get the itch to check wings…

    But rest assured Im off for good this time, or till Monday rather. Got A 12 hour lab shift tomorrow, and promised my girlfriend I’ll take her somewhere nice over the weekend, so definitely no time for politics haha. Still, great to hear that bit of good news tonight!

    I shall be back Monday, in the mean time do behave you lot :p

  321. Mike
    Ignored
    says:

    Just watched QT (I know, why bother) and I have to say that if Janet Street Porter is the face of feminism and the so called model of ‘working class person done well’ then things have taken a massive wrong turn somewhere! Her point on smaller parties having a strong say in parliament highlights just how little she understands but it’s ok because she can just laugh it off by just saying that she would like to be a dictator.

    As for Dimbleby, everyone can see he is a bias host and should have been sacked a long time ago from this programme.

    Murphy… had to laugh when he tried to justify the Barnet formula and made Scotland, again, appear like a bunch of scroungers.

    I gotta find better things to do with a Thursday night 😉

  322. Tom Wilde
    Ignored
    says:

    Have a great weekend off. When you come back, I’m dying to hear what you make of the research findings just announced, that “The Vow” made virtually no difference at all to the way people voted in the IndyRef. Turns out that the main reason people voted “No” was that they felt British.

  323. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    Hey Mike.

    Hiv yi trehd the Bingo in the Labour Clubbie?

    Eh huv heard that, sometimes, someone actually wins, an’ thah’.

  324. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Lesley Anne
    that would be so good – make a great weekend. Will check it out later after some SLEEP!

  325. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Now i like a laugh as much as the next person and i usually find it in Alan Cochrane’s writings because nomatter what you think of his “politics” he does talk some absolute mince and it does tickle

    Lately though i have begun to worry about his sanity, not too much you understand, it’s just like he is this old drunk neighbour you sometimes see and then forget about, you know the kind of old fella i mean

    On reading old drunk Cochers musings lately I’ve definitely come to the conclusion that he’s gone, lost it, wiped out,
    and i’m wondering whether in any way I may have played a small part in his downfall by availing myself of a copy of Scolands foremost politician (meaning no disrespect for Nicola Sturgeon as she has a way to go yet) Alex Salmond

    If it indeed is Maya Culpa in some small way, added to the fact of course that Cochers own Literary, and I’m sure weighty tome fell upon it’s Unsubstantial Arse then i am in truth Crestfallen
    No i’m not, i tried there but couldn’t manage any remorse whatsoever

    However it is of concern to us all should we lose this master of comedic failure through the huge depression he surely must suffer on what must be an hourly basis
    I for one wish him no ill and hope that he continues to entertain us through thin and thin even until age or alcohol takes him, and his “Part” and Telegraphs him skyward, perhaps only to find (His dream actually did die) and he is, No More….

  326. K1
    Ignored
    says:

    Turns out according to this latest ‘Vow impact denial poll’ that the majority of people who voted No, were not natural born Scots too. Whit tae believe, eh?

    Much as the right wing press will salivate over this, it is interesting the timing of this survey, as Peter Piper, (indyref2) says over at the Herald article (btl), it very much depends when this survey was carried out in terms of the veracity of these results.

    They will make out as they are over at the Telegraph, that Mr Salmond got it wrong in terms of the “Vow’s’ effect on the vote…and therefore he’s presented a ‘false narrative’.

    Thing is…it wasn’t just Alex who perceived it this way at the time…here’s Eric Joyce on the 22nd September, in the Guardian;

    “I have spoken to firm no voters across the party political spectrum, from my own constituents to prominent Scots elsewhere, and there is no doubt in my mind that if this parliament kicks the vow beyond the next election, and therefore into the long grass, it will be Labour – not the Conservatives – that will be held responsible”

    https://archive.today/E9w55#selection-1953.0-1957.32

    They can try all they want to ‘rewrite’ history and shape their polling accordingly to form a stick to beat up on Alex. They can call themselves academics and announce to the world it was only a 3.blah shift…that the “Vow’ generated toward the No vote.

    It changes absolutely nothing: Labour branch in Scotland did betray the electorate, they did lie, obsfucate and more saliently aligned themselves fully with the Tories in treating the people in this country with utter contempt.

    Swill away on yer big survey results, get drunk on believing you have some ‘proof’ positive that Alex got it wrong.

    He’s only got one vote, same as the rest of us, it’s no him you have to be feart of. It’s us.

    We are past being told what to think by any kind of ‘respectable’ ‘academic’ outfit that suddenly six weeks before the GE has produced some numbers that will…what?

    Make us deny our own experience?

    The party is over, MSM and Labour branch. There is no going back. Ever.

    Enjoy yer hangover on the 8Th May.

  327. Al Dossary
    Ignored
    says:

    Stunning result in Glenrothes, well done to everyone involved in the campaign – but most of all to the voters who can now see through the lies and deceit of their imperial masters. Here is hoping that the swing is carried on right across the board In the remaining results, followed by the GE.

    Puts a smile on my face after waiting 3 hours for my mother to clear passport control for her first visit to the land of sand, camels and air strikes on Yemen.

    Going to diverge a little also. Spent my usual Thursday night listening to FMQT, which then rolled on to another few FMQT on youtube as I was messing around on the PC.

    The thing that has struck me the last few weeks is that there seems to be a co-ordinated attack from both the red and blue Tories every week on NS.

  328. Onwards
    Ignored
    says:

    Lesley-Anne says:
    26 March, 2015 at 11:17 pm

    I understand the idea of having a cabin crew member in the cockpit when ever a pilot leaves for what ever reason. However, I do get slightly concerned that the pilot remaining in the cockpit may still be able to do *ahem* something without the cabin crew member fully realising what was being done.

    I wonder what the set-up is in the USA, where 2 crew members have to be present at all times.

    At the risk of sounding sexist, perhaps male stewards typically stand in for a pilot, as a female flight attendant could be easily overpowered in a situation like the GermanWings flight, or the one last year.

    Or perhaps the thinking is that just having another human present, could help to prevent the risk of a vulnerable person snapping when left on their own.

    If a pilot is truly intent on causing harm, it seems like there will always be a weak link to exploit. It just seems so sad and cruel and selfish.

  329. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    Men only shortlists. All the Tory/Labour Unionists. Illegal wars/banking/fraud/tax evasion. Westminster criminals, mass murderers, child molesters, thieves, liars and crooks protected by the Official Secrets Act. Most of them should be in jail. Above the Laws that they make.

    Scotland raises £54Billion in tax revenues. Get’s £54Billion back, but can’t spend it the way Scotland would like. Dictated by Westminster. The UK raises £466Billion tax revenues. The rest of the UK raises £412Billion ( borrows and spends £90Billion more). Pro rata raises less taxes and borrows and spends more.

    Westminster increased Oil tax revenues 11% (£2Billion) a year in 2011Budget up to 80+%. Scotland lost £4Billion+ a year in Oil revenues – £16Billion.

    Scotland could save £1Billion a year by a tax on ‘loss leading’ drink and £Billion by cutting
    Trident/illegal wars. Scotland would not be paying £4Billion in loan repayments, it doesn’t borrow
    or spend. Scotland would be £10Billion better off a year and would not be sanctioning and starving the most vulnerable. Poverty could be eradicated and more people would be in employment.

    Westminster rule destroys the Scottish economy (Oil sector) and affects the most vulnerable.

  330. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    Labour/Unionists in Aberdeen voted against an essential By-pass roads for 30 years. LibDems (Greens funded by landowners) blocked the By-pass road in Aberdeenshire for ten years, causing deaths and accidents on the inadequate roads.

    The SNP Gov are now building the essential AWPR. Aberdeen the only City in Europe without a By-pass road and a pedestrianised City Centre, because of Unionists. They have also mismanaged the Oil sector.

    The usual lies from the Press.

  331. thoughtsofascot
    Ignored
    says:

    @KennyG

    Someone correct me if I’m wrong.

    This Brady character was harassing the Rev, with, among others, threats and comments of a vile sexual nature involving family and ex girlfriends and this Kate Higgins was condoning this behaviour, is that right?

    If this is the case no wonder he’s disillusioned, I am too.

    If this is the type of person Nicola Sturgeon wants at the helm then I’m going to have to have a good long think about where my vote is going.

    I am seriously considering voting green if this turns out to be the case.

    Have I got the right or wrong end of the stick here?

    I’ll say what I said on the last post before it was replaced by this one

    Keep your eye on the goal. the SNP is only a means to an end, not the end in itself.

    Plus, remember Nicola and Alex play the long game. everything is done on strategy rather than tactics. Personally, I think its a poor short term tactic to take her into the fold, given that she often stupidlylends herself to the unionist cause via her mate Hothersall. She is highly divisive.

    However, in the grand strategical map, its extremely shrewd. By tying a loose cannon that can’t be trusted to Sturgeon, it forbids her from lashing out on her own side, as that would run the risk of disgracing her boss in the process. Either she is basically muzzled now, or if she continues to keep backslapping Hothersall and his lumpen fool crew, then she damages the reputation of a female political leader who put her trust in her, which naturally wouldn’t go down very well with Higgins readership and may very well consign her into political oblivion.

    Sturgeon is not Jenkins. She wouldn’t have taken on a loose cannon unless she knew that she could control her.

  332. Helsbels
    Ignored
    says:

    Troll alert

  333. wee folding bike
    Ignored
    says:

    Suggs and Mr Smash on a test card in the video of Waiting for the Ghost Train.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6pF1CwjKpA

  334. ScotieDog
    Ignored
    says:

    Hmm nothing about by-election result on scotsman- surprise!

  335. Dorothy Devine
    Ignored
    says:

    K1. “it’s no him you have to be feart of. It’s us!
    I think that would make an excellent banner!

    Independence from the lying ,thieving ,careless Westminster with its far from my kind of foreign or domestic policies, is the goal.

    Once that happens – and since I’m knocking on sooner rather than later would please me most – then Scotland may see the emergence of diverse parties but hopefully parties that have a common goal of making Scotland a place to be proud of and good for all her people.

    There is a twerpy troll around , new to me.

  336. paul gerard mccormack
    Ignored
    says:

    john humphrys on r4 this morning interviewed himself just there with nicola sturgeon in the studio trying to get a word in edgeways over his hectoring rhetorical questioning. This was a disgraceful treatment of scotlands first minister. this will be how it will be and some.

  337. john king
    Ignored
    says:

    Tom Wilde says
    ” Turns out that the main reason people voted “No” was that they felt British.”

    Finish the sentence Tom “AND FEAR OF CHANGE” or does that little bit not fit with your agenda?

  338. caz-m
    Ignored
    says:

    BBC Scotland announce the results of a survey of why people voted NO in the Referendum.

    Why announce these results today Mr BBC Scotland?

    Oh that’s right, it’s the start of the SNP Spring Conference.

  339. Glamaig
    Ignored
    says:

    Grousebeater at 11:52pm
    You get a whiff of the fear and loathing William Wallace must have generated on his military march to London!

    We are a forward looking nation and I don’t want to hark back to the middle ages, but I cant help seeing the independence campaign as the slowly advancing schiltroms. The elite lords and knights in all their finery are charging at the mass of commoners in vain, but are being driven back into the boggy morass 🙂

  340. Fairliered
    Ignored
    says:

    We were on a Ryanair flight last April, and seated in the front row. When the Captain wanted to leave the cockpit, he buzzed the stewardess on the intercom. She went into the cockpit and then he came out. When he wanted back in, the same procedure was used. Ryanair may be low cost, but they have high safety standards. I am happier flying with them than with a UK airline.

  341. caz-m
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T Re: SNP Saltires.

    Does anyone know where I can get large Saltire flags with SNP printed on them? Similar to the large YES Saltires.

    There also seems to be very few SNP stickers, posters, badges and other SNP material on show. Is there a reason for the low profile.

  342. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    Jim Murphy says if Labour accepts support from the SNP he will refuse to serve. So …

    Vote for Jim Murphy – “I will refuse power!”

    (PS: With serious resistance he might not have a seat to allow him that dubious luxury.)

  343. Fairliered
    Ignored
    says:

    Had an interesting discussion about Labour candidates in 2016.
    There is going to be an interesting competition between deposed MPs, who will be looking for alternative employment, deposed MSPs from 2011, who will be wanting their old jobs back, and the existing list MSPs, who will want to keep their jobs. (I was going to call them third rate, but that means that SLAB would have some 1st and 2nd rate candidates, and I can’t think of any). Who will be most disappointed – the ones that don’t get selected, or the ones that get selected but don’t get elected!

  344. frogesque
    Ignored
    says:

    @scottie dog,

    The Courier has the full result, met the rep at the Kinglassie
    Polling station while talking to the SNP canvassers out in the rain. No SLAB canvassers anywhere across the ward.

    Labour seem to have just given up. It takes more than tacky boards an cable ties. Fifers move slowly but once they get going are unstoppable and Pa Brook and co know they are going out to grass.

  345. orri
    Ignored
    says:

    Even if “The Vow” didn’t change peoples minds it still doesn’t mean that the breaking of it won’t sway people in the opposite direction.

  346. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    A Tory MP gets caught faking a stramash with the EDL to boost his popularity, yet somehow, it is impossible to contemplate Murphy faking a pat on the back with an egg with a confederate?

    Pull the other one.

  347. Sinky
    Ignored
    says:

    Glenrothes Fife Council By Election Result (turnout 32.59%):—

    Martin Green (Ukip) — 146

    Jane Ann Liston (Lib Dems) — 61

    Alan Seath (Labour) — 1,643

    Craig Walker (SNP) — 2,539 (55%)

    John Wheatley (Conservative) — 202.

    SNP GAIN FROM LABOUR.

    Don’t know why BBC Scotland refuses to report Council By Election results when they constitute roughly one third of a Parliamentary Constituency.

    But when they repeatedly stated on GMS that the SNP Conference starts this morning then how can we expect them to be accurate about anything such as largest party gets to rule the country.

  348. Nana Smith
    Ignored
    says:

    Ed Miliband attacked in street by thugs wearing masks of SNP ex-leader Alex Salmond.

    The dirty deeds will escalate especially with the snp conference about to start.

  349. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    Amber Alert: Nicholas the Zsar is still out there: http://wp.me/p4fd9j-17C

  350. Brian Powell
    Ignored
    says:

    While I don’t watch TV now I was interested in comments above on Jim Murphy on QT.

    If he does increase the impression that Scots are ‘scroungers’ using the Barnett formula, he is creating great danger for Scotland.

    Control of what we get is in the hands of Westminster. Combining that with the image of getting more than we ‘deserve’ is an incredibly stupid move by Murphy.

    If Labour ever did get into power in Holyrood, and there was a Tory government in Westminster, they, Labour, would then need to contend with a very hostile administration, and it would be the constituents in Scotland who would pay the price.

  351. Arabs for Independence
    Ignored
    says:

    Stranded at Gatwick last night but got checked into a local hotel – two elderly gentleman sitting at next table to me during dinner and their talk was all about SNP and Sir Alex of Salmond. I just had to interrupt advising them the UK’s wish was for Scotland to have a strong voice in the UK but obviously not a voice that disagreed with them. We had a good civilised chat. I go to my room and watch PMQs from previous night and it is all about Alex Salmond then watch the so called ‘debate’ with Cameron and Glen Millerband and they talk about SNP this Alex Salmond that. They have the fear

  352. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    They have the fear

    Aye. Let’s ramp it up a notch. http://wp.me/p4fd9j-16p

    (Well done on your intervention. Handled with good humour you tend to fine the other party is receptive to some degree.)

  353. James Kay
    Ignored
    says:

    @Brian Doonthetoon, 1:46 am


    Hiv yi trehd the Bingo in the Labour Clubbie?

    Eh huv heard that, sometimes, someone actually wins, an’ thah’.

    About 30 years ago, one of my colleagues was Secretary of an Edinburgh Constituency Labour Party. He was about to sell me some tickets to a raffle when I noticed that the draw had taken place two days earlier, so I indicated what he should do with his tickets!

    A few minutes later, I met a different colleague who, coincidentally, was Secretary for a different CLP. When I told him the story, he said: “That’s nothing. If it was a Labour Party raffle you can be sure that they knew the winners two weeks ago”!!

  354. HandandShrimp
    Ignored
    says:

    That is a cracking result in Glenrothes. If anybody in the Labour Party are still hoping that the polls are not reflecting what is happening on the ground they will have little doubt now and with less than 5 weeks to go we are into the official campaign and final furlong.

  355. bookie from hell
    Ignored
    says:

    Labour putting Vow delivered on election leaflets cheers me up

    everyone barr the budgie Scotland knows that total shate

  356. orri
    Ignored
    says:

    Actually according to this..

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scotland/scottish-politics/11497348/The-vow-of-more-devolution-made-little-difference-to-outcome-of-independence-referendum.html

    Based on responses from over 4,500 voters before and after the vote, it found that just 3.4 per cent of No voters cited the offer of more powers as the main motivation.

    So on that basis the result would have been closer to 47% YES 53% No. Not to mention the drift towards a YES vote that seemed to be happening. Or that without the results to hand there’s no information about how the results were gleaned from the raw data. For instance those uncertain about the risk might have been swayed towards a No by the vow but still cite it as their prime reason rather than the vow.

  357. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    Re recent poll referred to above saying that people voted NO because they felt British and the “VOW” had no effect. See the Ashcroft poll which was conducted immediately after the referendumon the most important reason for voting NO:

    25% said a NO vote would still mean extra powers (ie the VOW)
    27% felt a strong attachment to the UK i.e. “British”

    47% were scared by Project Fear.

    http://lordashcroftpolls.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Lord-Ashcroft-Polls-Referendum-day-poll-summary-1409191.pdf

    So be very sceptical about pre election attempts to rewrite history!

    @ K1 the insomniac – well said at 3.40 ish am.!

  358. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    Haranguing Sturgeon and belittling Salmond.

    Look at it this way: the anti-democratic sods are paying attention at last!

    That’s the only reason those supporting Scotland’s interests get interviewed, otherwise they’d be ignored. Again.

    Don’t recoil when the sods get angry.

    They get angry because they are fearful of losing status and power. And that’s how it should be in the ranks of those dead set against the spread of human happiness.

  359. Fiona
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Natasha,

    What you have said is interesting, but it does not seem to be quite correct

    According the SG’s report on SSLN numeracy tests, there is no significant difference between the performance of boys and girls at P4 or S2.

    http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2014/04/5692/3

    What is concerning is that PISA shows a very significant difference at age 15, and also that all pupils fall away between primary and secondary school

  360. Sunniva
    Ignored
    says:

    The result of the Edinburgh University survey of 4500 voters indicated that 53% of Scots-born had voted Yes but 72% of British-born ‘elsewhere’ in the UK voted No… also, 57% of non-British voted No.

    So if that sample of 4500 is anything to go by, it was the large numbers of non-Scots voting No who might have lost us the indyref.

    More postively, it found a far higher % of those in their 60s had voted Yes than was indicated by Ashcroft’s poll just after the ref. 35% rather than 28% voted Yes.

    The main reasons why 50% of No voters voted No were economic. So even if the Vow only made a 3% difference Project Fear made a huge difference.

  361. gus1940
    Ignored
    says:

    Last night’s debate was broadcast beteen 21.00 and 22.35.

    Last night’s QT was broadcast between 22.35 and 23.35.

    Dimbleby told us several times that the panel and audience had watched the debate.

    Given that QT is precorded I find that interesting as it must mean that the debate was also prerecorded which raises the question of how much editing was performed on it.

    I understand that the SNP Conference starts today and I recollect that live coverage of last weekend’s LibDem Conference was broadcast on the friday and saturday.

    On consulting the TV schedules for today (friday) I can find no reference to live coverage of the SNP Conference.

    If it is indeed the case that no coverage is being broadcast today – WHY?

  362. john king
    Ignored
    says:

    Mealer says @ 2.08pm
    “That’s 30 mins since we heard from the Rev.I wonder what he’s doing now?”

    Now you see, its humour like that that makes us unbeatable. 🙂
    ________________________________________________________________
    Jamie Arriere says

    Whenever I see the test card, I’ve got effin awful flashbacks of ‘Swingin Safari’ in my head.

    This time I’m not going to suffer alone. Take that you bastards…

    Right back atcha you ba…
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7PKSOAtUjc
    The Black Bear
    suck it up. 🙂
    _____________________________________________________________

    Jock Mc X says @ 3.06pm

    What Jock M cX says @ 3.06pm. 😉
    _________________________________________________________
    Jamie Arriere says 3.19pm

    @BrianDoontheToon

    Ma Goad, Swingin Safari at the Stock car racing? A pony club dressage maybe, but no the racing…

    Not from around these her parts are you pilgrim?

    Its all “after you” “no after you I insist” at central park.
    ___________________________________________________________

    tartanarse says @ 2.46pm

    What is up with Stu?

    Can someone give it to me in a nutshell?

    Apparently Kate Higgins has been one of the main opponents of Rev Stu with accusations of misogyny,homophobia,sexism,gingerism etc.
    in a http://tinyurl.com/q2gdc4d
    _____________________________________________________________
    Ronnie Anderson says @9.47pm

    He could paint a face on a football and call it Darling! 🙂
    _______________________________________________________________
    Cearc says @10.35pm
    BtP,

    “Your relatives need to get their whatsits out.

    We have a new lady polar bear at Kingussie now, to replace Mercedes.

    The baby bear race is on!”

    Eh what?
    http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=333j3fa&s=8#.VRUJwfmsUd0
    Last time I looked in that room there were two of em
    grrr bloody pandas,
    where am I going to put them all?
    ___________________________________________________________
    Training days says @ 11.24
    “More Celt-bashing on QT. Osama bin Laden was not as demonised as Alec Salmond now is.”

    whats the similarity between Alex Salmond and OSM?
    they both came out a helicopter door, one by choice the other.. eh… not so much.
    _____________________________________________________
    I see there were no boxes “lost” in Glenrothes last nicht or as they say on telly Glen Roaths. 🙂
    ______________________________________________________
    Thepnr says @1.36am
    “The Rev takes a well earned break and all hell doesn’t break out. ”

    Eh…I got matches

    didnt post 1st time. 🙁

  363. Fiona
    Ignored
    says:

    @paul gerard mccormack

    I heard that interview. Humphreys did what many of these famous interviewers do: he assumed an air of superiority and that wee smirky thing which suggests that anyone who disagrees with him is an idiot

    But to my ear he was singularly unsuccessful. Ms Sturgeon handled it very well and she did not allow herself to be either bullied or deflected. She performed far better than many politicians I have heard and got her points across.

    I was rather heartened by that interview

  364. HandandShrimp
    Ignored
    says:

    gus

    I think the SNP conference is Saturday and Sunday. The BBC are confused (again)

  365. M
    Ignored
    says:

    With all this MSM rubbish I might just start shouting out the window:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Awv8dySZaHE

  366. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    Is that oor ain Chic McG’s letter in today’s National? Good stuff.

    On the subject of which – Miss Higgins today announces that it’s her last column in the National, but doesn’t confirm any SPAD-related reason.

    So, who’s up for nominating Stu as a replacement? Maybe get one of those change-org petitions going? Just an idea…not sure how it should best be worded, but if it got a few thousand folk committing to buy the paper if they knew Stu had a regular column in it, wouldn’t that be something for any editor to have a serious think about?

    Thoughts, please…

  367. Dorothy Devine
    Ignored
    says:

    Orri, same article from the man with the upside down smile in the Herald and with every creepy wee commentator adding their tuppenceworth.

    I beseech you – let the Herald , no matter what lies they tell or what spin they spin , rot on the vine – leave the comments to the usual suspects. It deserves to lose advertisers and punters.

    Remember it is merely the Record with very slightly better grammar – with a couple of honourable exceptions.

  368. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    I see a contributor on the comments blog ‘pop goes scot’ has reported the Cara Hilton MSP (popular on this blog) has resigned her seat. By-election same day as the GE.

    Anyone else heard this?

  369. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Fiona
    That is more in line with my understanding of the position. In fact, a few years ago there was a panic about boys falling behind so I thought Natasha’s figures must mean that whatever action was taken was spectacularly effective!

    Good news on the equal pay front though. Women executives will achieve pay parity in 98 years at current rate of progress – yes that is in 2109 (the article was written in 2011). Fasten your seat belts girls!
    https://archive.today/bcl0N

    Obviously nobody has told Nicola Sturgeon.

  370. David Wardrope
    Ignored
    says:

    @Ian Brotherhood,

    Fine idea, as long as Stu’s up for it though. I’d back it.

  371. K1
    Ignored
    says:

    Night Owl Capella, night owl…3 ish am, slept like a lark after I got that aff ma ruffled feathers 😉

  372. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    From a review of Outlander in the Herald…

    “The series has been broadcast in several countries, but no-one thought that Scottish people might like a peep, given that it’s set and filmed here.”

    For Heaven’s sakes! Even the dogs in the street know it has been kept off our screens purposely!

  373. Jim Thomson
    Ignored
    says:

    @Ian Brotherhood

    What @David Wardrope says 🙂

  374. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    Ian, I’d support it were it not for the perception Stuart was born to be captain of his domain, hence I propose that the National is given one topic a day from Wings to reproduce.

    I think Stuart hasn’t the time to create a special column, although he might wish to tweak it for the newspaper’s readership.

    So, yes, your idea has my support.

  375. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    Like many others who now fight for independence,I am ashamed to say that I accepted the way of things with regard to Scotlands position within the U.K. Rightly or wrongly I took it all for granted. My daily job and life took precedent I suppose,and never presented me with the need to examine closer the relationhips within the Union.
    However,looking at sites like this on the run up to the referendum gave me a focus to find out more for myself,and the more I found out, the greater the imbalance between the Countries which form the Union appeared to be.

    It is all too easy to sit in a comfort zone,oblivious to things which are happening around you,and dismissing them as unchangeable.It is clear to me now that I grossly underestimated what a formidable country ,financially ,Scotland could be in it’s own right,and I do regret not awakening sooner.It was for this reason I joined the SNP post referendum.
    I consider myself an intelligent individual,with plenty of life experience. Where I let myself down, was having the need to focus that intellect. The referendum result gave me that need,and provided the catalyst to me becoming more involved and more aware of what challenges our country faces in an abusive relationship.I am now totally committed to ending the Union,however long that takes.

  376. cearc
    Ignored
    says:

    John King,

    10.00am! 10.00am!

    Not another one skiving off work. This is getting infectious!

  377. almannysbunnet
    Ignored
    says:

    In my area I am being bombarded with libdem paraphernalia. Robert Smith MP is spending some serious money trying to save his skin. Getting big A3 glossy bumph on a weekly basis but yesterday he broke the piggy bank and ramped things up. A 4 page “magazine” called “Talk of the Shire” (Aberdeenshire), popped through the letterbox, with a back page “runners and riders” and betting odds with photo’s of real horses. To top that my wife received a “personal” letter from him in a house of commons envelope, 1st class stamp of course, reassuring her that although parliament has been dissolved he will carry on dealing with his casework and meeting local people in the usual way. We don’t know what “meeting local people in the usual way” means but suspect he must kidnap them because nobody has ever seen him. She suspects he got her address from one of the many online petitions she fills in. He’s not having it all his own way though, just as I was about to press “submit comment” Alexander Burnett (Con) crashed through my letterbox claiming “the facts are clear – only a vote for me can stop the SNP here.”
    The hills are alive with the sound of bullshit.

  378. Mealer
    Ignored
    says:

    Here’s a wee thought.At the start of the referendum campaign Cameron was told by advisors that Yes would be lucky to get 30% of the vote.But it seems that,on the day,nearly 30% of rUK born voters voted for independence.Surely that just goes to show how widespread support now is.There are sections of Scottish society where we are very much in the minority.But it’s a substantial minority.We are everywhere.
    I am’nt British myself,but a lot of my friends are.Some voted Yes.Some of them are hostile to the very suggestion of independence.Many of them now consider independence as a viable option,though not the option they support AT THIS TIME.Its only heading one way.

  379. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    72% of British-born ‘elsewhere’ in the UK voted No… also, 57% of non-British voted No.

    That was and has been my consistent summation – but each time I recount it I am categorised a racist.

    The Scots did not lose Scotland.

  380. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    Rev, if you see this – would you write a column for the National, if invited? I asked before, and you said ‘why not?’, but that was a good while ago and you may have changed your mind.

    Wouldn’t want to go ahead unless we know for sure you’d be up for it, and if we only got 23 signatures it would be a bit of a brass neck…

  381. Brian Powell
    Ignored
    says:

    Did any of the people attacking Milliband get arrested? There would have been plenty of police around.

  382. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    It would be great if “Stuart from Bath” would write a regular column in the National. Sales would rocket! But does he have the inclination?
    @ galamcennalath
    Those Herald journalists are such naive innocents. It’s quite touching really. Or are they being ironic?

  383. Fairliered
    Ignored
    says:

    call me dave @ 10.10
    Gordon Brown as SLAB candidate?

  384. handclapping
    Ignored
    says:

    That Glenrothes seat is interesting. Labour lose control of the Glenrothes area committee, effectively 2 off control of the Council and with Kenny Selbie off to Westminster as the new MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath they can lose the Council if the SNP can pick up Selbie’s seat at the by election.

    Interesting times in Fife. Even the last Communist in the country, Willie Clark, might not be adverse to supporting the SNP rather than Labour!

  385. almannysbunnet
    Ignored
    says:

    I don’t know if this comes under special advisor to Nicola but this is what that Katie woman is doing.
    http://homerule.scot/about/steering-group/

  386. David Wardrope
    Ignored
    says:

    @Ian Brotherhood,

    I’m sure we could convince a few Cordelias to sign up 🙂

    Only joking of course!

  387. Bugger (the Panda)
    Ignored
    says:

    @ call me dave says:
    27 March, 2015 at 10:10 am

    I see a contributor on the comments blog ‘pop goes scot’ has reported the Cara Hilton MSP (popular on this blog) has resigned her seat. By-election same day as the GE.

    Anyone else heard this?

    It is her Fife Council seat.

  388. Fiona
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Capella

    The concern about boys’ performance in education is pretty current, rather than a few years ago

    See, for example,

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10260163/GCSE-results-2013-girls-stretch-to-record-lead-over-boys.html

    and

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/11364130/Girls-do-better-than-boys-at-school-despite-inequality.html

    I used to work in HMIT (now HMRC) and noticed this:

    One could join the tax service in a different ways. At the lowest entry level it was by application and intereview and in the offices I worked in the staff at that level were gender balanced. The next grade up was by promotion and there was a slight preponderance of men.

    One could join at executive officer level by entry examination: and the staff at that level were gender balanced. The next grade up (HEO) was by promotion, and there were rather more men than women though the difference was slight. However the grade above that (technical inspector) was also attained by promotion, and they were almost all men.

    One could join as a trainee Fully Trained Inspector and that was by civil service fast stream exam. The entry was pretty much gender balanced. Everything above that was by promotion: and it swiftly became male dominated again.

    To me the fact that the grades populated by exams taken by everyone were noticeably more equal in gender numbers than those which were populated by internal promotion gives the lie to the “merit” narrative.

    It is true, I think, that this is improving: but as in social work, which I know far better now since that is my most recent work experience, that may not really be due to an improvement in discrimination: in social work, at least, it is a consequence of fewer men entering the field. And that is about eroding pay and conditions in the public sector; and a sustained attack on the value of public service. Naturally if women have far greater numbers then more of them will be in higher positions because there is a lack of opportunity for discrimination. What I do not know is what proportion of the men who do enter advance, these days. Such figures are not kept or published, so far as I am aware

  389. Auld Sandy
    Ignored
    says:

    @Chic McGregor
    Last time I checked, Murphylie 2 (your post at 12.11) about the proportion of pensioners in Scotland was, surprisingly, actually true!

    This can be explained by generally lower birth rates in Scotland during last century, young Scots being forced to leave Scotland to look for work, fewer young immigrants settling in Scotland compared to England, and possibly pensioners who have worked elsewhere returning to retire. Net effect wipes out effects of lower life-expectancy in Scotland.

    This is one of the reasons why the SNP are keen to have control over immigration policy and want overseas students to be able to stay in Scotland after their studies.

  390. caz-m
    Ignored
    says:

    To cut down on time, TV broadcasters have asked members of the audience to start wearing name badges, this will cut out the annoying habit that Miliband and Murphy have of asking you them their name.

    They obviously share the same media trainer.

  391. cearc
    Ignored
    says:

    Well I hope oor Stu (or anybody connected to him) is not visiting Cheddar Gorge.

    The curse of Cheddar Gorge has struck!

    http://www.cheddarvalleygazette.co.uk/Jeremy-Clarkson-fired-just-years-aftyer-Gear/story-26230188-detail/story.html

  392. Proud Cybernat
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Orri 12:04am

    So that brings us down to 264, I’m afraid the 258 in the poster has managed to subtract 6 seats from Scotland twice. Unless there’s some seats from elsewhere I’m missing.

    Thanks for that, Orri.

    My original poster had the Tory count at 264 but a source I read cited that the Scottish Unionist Party won 35 seats, Labour 35, Liberal 1 in the 1951 GE in Scotland, hence why I reduced the Tory count by a further 6. Your link has clarified it as SUP (29) and NatLib&Con (6).

    The National Liberals and Conservatives merged in 1947:

    In May 1947 the ‘Woolton-Teviot’ agreement between Lord Woolton (for the Conservatives) and Lord Teviot (for the Liberal Nationals) resulted in the two parties merging at the constituency level… The National Liberals therefore fought the next five British general elections as allies of the Conservative Party. To confuse matters, their candidates stood for election with a variety of names including ‘National Liberal’, ‘National Liberal and Conservative’, ‘Liberal and Conservative’ and so on.

    So, back to the original poster:
    http://www.scottcreighton.co.uk/GE2015/Jims-Big-Lie.png

    1951 GE

    Labour 295 – Largest Party
    Tories 264 – Tory Govt.

  393. Caledonius
    Ignored
    says:

    Hello all, I’m still new to this so if I come off sounding stupid I apologise.

    In relation to this report in the News about how the ‘vow’ didn’t really make much of an impact on the over all vote, it strikes me as rather irrelevant.

    1. The three leaders Cameron, Milliband (or Millidud on lasts nights t.v performance) and Clegg put their signatures to a Scottish national newspaper vow that was seen by everyone and their dogs and cats and budgies. The terms were clear, a No vote = something near full home rule. Dissecting the No vote is just weasel talk. No vote = Vow to be implemented. No was he result. No is No is No, and trying to wriggle out it now will be seen by most as yet westminster just being liars as per usual.

    2. The SNP are running on a mandate to get Devo Max for Scotland. If we return 40-50+ SNP MPs then Scotland has spoken, and the arty has the clear mandate on behalf of the Scottish people to demand new powers. Again these findings are irrelevant in the face of that.

    One last thing, I have two workmates who voted No but are to vote SNP in the coming election. When I asked why, I was told ‘he wanted he protection of the British military and wanted to keep pound, but believe Scotland should run near all of its domestic affairs’. I would think from that response they fall into the ‘afraid of change’ part of that pie chart. It may just be these same people who now they have lost the fear of losing pound/military/ whatever are boosting SNP numbers. What do you think?

  394. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    @Fairliered says

    Och! That’s some conspiracy theory! 🙂

    Shurley shome mishtake.. Gordon stepping down the WM ladder to rule in Holyrood I thought dim Jim was a shoo in.

    Cara no more maybe, has she has a conscience or ran out of cereal.

    Anyhoo! Is it official re: Cara Hilton resigning? Nothing about it here.

    https://www.holyrood.com/articles/news/holyrood-morning-round-8

  395. Mealer
    Ignored
    says:

    Caledonius 11.13
    I think that’s about right.

  396. caz-m
    Ignored
    says:

    Bob Mack 10.30am

    “Like many others who now fight for independence,I am ashamed to say that I accepted the way of things with regard to Scotlands position within the U.K.”

    “The referendum result gave me that need, and provided the catalyst to me becoming more involved and more aware of what challenges our country faces in an abusive relationship. I am now totally committed to ending the Union, however long that takes.”

    Very honest summary of your journey from darkness to light, Bob.

    Hopefully many thousands more take the same journey.

  397. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    Please make it so.

    Coming in third = brass instead of bronze + influence!

    https://archive.today/9OyQA

  398. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Fiona
    I agree but this is not always the case:
    “Naturally if women have far greater numbers then more of them will be in higher positions because there is a lack of opportunity for discrimination.”

    In the rural area here some 30 years ago, of the 10 Primary schools only two had female head teachers all the others had male head teachers. Yet, I had NEVER seen a male Primary School teacher – they were all female. So how the men acquired the experience to zoom up the promotion ladder was a mystery! Merit?

    However, things are certainly more balanced now. And the new role models will encourage girls to aim higher. The appointment committees in local councils are possibly a little more aware too.

  399. John H.
    Ignored
    says:

    I do like Leanne Woods. Last year I heard her interviewed on Radio 4 and the subject of Scottish Devolution came up. She seemed to misunderstand some things, thinking that we had more powers than we actually have.

    I emailed her about this and got an answer from her within two hours, apologising and promising to put the record straight when she next got the chance. Considering that this was on the day of her party’s conference when she must have been very busy, I think that was pretty decent of her.

  400. K8ie
    Ignored
    says:

    Call me Dave and Bugger the Panda
    Clara Hilton has resigned her seat on the Council only. Still an MSP. If she were to resign from Holyrood then she would lose out on the ‘big goodbye’ envelope which all MSPs get if they kicked out, hence the reason that none of them are moving their buts to let DimJim in.

  401. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    Glenrothes by-election SNP take control of Area Committee. 🙂

    https://archive.today/aGYAy

  402. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    @Ian Brotherhood

    I would love for the National to commission the Rev to do a weekly Wings article and I do remember the Rev saying “why not”.

    I don’t though think that a petition is the way to go, far easier in my view for those in agreement to email them directly at:

    feedback@thenational.scot

    Let’s hope they get the message. I’ve just sent mine and I hope lots more do.

  403. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    @K8ie

    Jigsaw complete thanks.

    That makes sense but never mind, only a year to go till 2016.

  404. ronnie anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    The Rev must hiv lookd intae his Cristal Champagne gless & say,s tae hisel an no spending awe weekend dysectioning awe that pish fae the battlefornumber 10 postmortem.

    Rev we,re yer Peoples you should huv gied us the heads up,or at least telt us where you left the heidache pills.

    Morning Mr Daisley are yo sticking with paragraph breaks or can we Wing it, ah noticed you hiv your favourits (Douglas Daniel) we have many favourits & Every Ones Ah Winger.

    @Ian Brotherhood Its ah AYE fae me. I did say to Paul to get a letter in from the start of the National, tain ah while but he did eventualy get his WGD in.

    Taranaich is another one Wilderness of Peace.

    Ian there as you know many great Writers on here ,Yourself included, hows about a Delegation to the Herald to speak to Mr Walker, we could suggest a rota of our Writers,if everyone was up for it, including the Rev.

    Mr Daisley, Paragraph breaks adhered to, just because the Rev,s no here ( for ah few days ONLY )we wont allow the site to fall in to disrepair ( yellow dusters at the ready folks pledge or mr sheen )

    Git tae Polishing,an keep things nice an bright & shiny,an if any turds appear gie them ah wee shine tae,but mind your Wingers manners.

  405. Harry Shanks
    Ignored
    says:

    Re: The Vow – is it so hard to understand why the significance of The Vow is being downplayed by NO votes responding to this survey?

    Who on Earth is going to admit 6 months later that they were completely and totally hoodwinked?

  406. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Today its Salmond wants another referendum from that odd lad Milliband, so give them home rule to thwart Salmond and Scots have been over represented at Westminster since 1999, don’t you know.

    https://archive.today/LamvJ

    If our imperial masters could just make their minds up…

  407. Helena Brown
    Ignored
    says:

    Call me Dave, We knew she was at last giving up her Council seat here in Dunfermline, we have already chosen the Candidate for that election, that was done shortly after we chose the Candidate for Westminster. If it is official we have an excellent Candidate to replace the stupid one, my only argument is that we have to keep Cara as an MSP for another year.

  408. cearc
    Ignored
    says:

    Political Bullshit Editor sounds like a great job title.

    I think proper NUJ journalists, like Stuart, probably cost more than columnists but the National are starting to get a bit more advertising so the budget should be going up.

    Still haven’t got a Chris Cairn cartoon though. Ach well, I’ll have to keep telling them.

  409. Nana Smith
    Ignored
    says:

    Buckie by-election: 2521 votes cast. 32.3% turnout

    SNP GAIN Buckie (Moray) from Independent.

    Snp win Buckie by election with 1,485 votes. Sonya warren newest councillor at Moray Council.

  410. Fiona
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Capella

    I agree with what you say, and I confess that this issue is more complicated than can easily be explored on this forum. Your remarks about primary schools are consistent with my own observation, but I maintain that so long as there are men to choose they will benefit from the positive discrimination they have so long taken for granted. It is only when the numbers fall below a critical mass that things improve, at least that is what I have seen.

    For example, social work was primarily a female occupation in the 1970’s but in around 1980 the profession had a very big “regrading” and after that many more men came into the social work departments. A great many had meteoric rises through promotion long before they had enough experience to warrant that. And many of those men are in the very senior positions today (though some will have retired).

    Subsequently pay and conditions fell back and new entrants were more often female once again for that and other reasons touched on above. It is still true that promoted posts are primarily filled by men, but the shortage means that more women are being put into those posts now.

    I have no doubt that if the situation vis a vis gender changes, so will that trend. I do not think that we will achieve gender parity in 98 years because I think that the reversion is inevitable in the public service: at least I sincerely hope that the neoliberal agenda of demonisation will not persist for the next hundred years

    Do you know what the forecasts of gender parity time scale were in 1975, 1985, 1995 or 2005? I don’t. But I do remember that it was always a “jam tomorrow” scenario and I think it still is.

  411. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    Caledonius says:
    “The SNP are running on a mandate to get Devo Max for Scotland. …… It may just be these same people who now they have lost the fear of losing pound/military/ whatever are boosting SNP numbers. What do you think?”

    I think so. Research suggest about half want independence, but about two thirds want DevoMax (or would accept it was step forward). There’s 15-20% who don’t seem willing to take the full step, but want to take a big step towards self determination.

    This is probably the best opportunity we are likely to get to push for DevoMax.

    WM does not want to give it willingly, but a large cohort of SNP MPs might swing it. That 15-20% above may be beginning to realise that.

    Personally, I think we have to push, but I think the chances are slim. DevoMax may be resisted as much as independence. It is possible WM will dig in heels and gang up.

    That too is a good outcome. Because then everyone know DevoMax is off the table and the choice is DevoFA from grudging Unionists, or independence from the Scottish people.

  412. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    From ‘Scot goes pop’ comments.

    🙁

    SNP lost the Western Isles seat to an independent.

    Technically an independent gain from Labour, who didn’t stand this time.

    Beinn na Foghla (Western Isles) vote result:
    IND – 437
    SNP – 302

    For the very little that it’s worth, the SNP vote share was up from 17% to 41%

  413. Fiona
    Ignored
    says:

    I don’t think they will ever give Devo Max because they would lose all the revenue they currently enjoy.

  414. Helena Brown
    Ignored
    says:

    I am up to adding my signature to any petition to get Stuart a column in the National. (Ian Brotherhood and others)

  415. Caledonius
    Ignored
    says:

    @ galamcennalath

    Thanks for the detailed reply, I had no idea of that 15-20% figure – I find it comforting 🙂
    And good point about them shooting down Devo Max, if they do that and with the Scottish Elections next May I can only hazard a guess at how badly the unionist parties may be punished. We are are certainly in for a very intresting year in politics lol.

    @ Nana Smith

    27 March, 2015 at 11:43 am
    Buckie by-election: 2521 votes cast. 32.3% turnout

    SNP GAIN Buckie (Moray) from Independent.

    Snp win Buckie by election with 1,485 votes. Sonya warren newest councillor at Moray Council.

    That’s amazing news Nana Smith, thats 2 for 2! I wonder if the Unionists are begining to sense a pattern >:)

  416. Caledonius
    Ignored
    says:

    @ call me dave

    Could just be the matter of a popular local individual. It says enough that labour didnt even stand however, they knew it was pointless. And that share increase is excelelnt.

    so of the 4 elections yesterday:

    2 SNP Wins
    1 Independant Win

  417. Mealer
    Ignored
    says:

    I thought the result from West Lothian would be in by now.

  418. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    Fiona says:
    “I don’t think they will ever give Devo Max because they would lose all the revenue they currently enjoy.”

    Neither do I. But I think we need to go through the motions of giving it our best shot so that we can then move forward with the clarity that it is not an option.

    The Unionists / BT’ s biggest weapon is fear. Their second biggest is the ongoing hope in some people’s minds that there is a third way between nothing and full independence. They foster this notion, they keep it alive, no less by The Vow and rhetoric upping Smith.

    DevoMax needs to be achieved (which is highly unlikely), or removed completely as a possibility.

    With regard to the resent academic survey saying the Vow didn’t swing it, IMO the statements made by the MSM don’t match the questions actually asked in the survey. They are drawing the conclusions they want, rather than reality. I understand the questions we about why people voted No … Of course Project Fear was the most significant influence, plus genuine Britishness.

  419. asklair
    Ignored
    says:

    Why do I visit this web site and rate it so highly:
    It does not support a political party.
    It is not run by a committee.
    The content is the view of one person mainly and delivers a view from the heart and not from a climbing the ladder point.
    Gets right up the establishment.
    Can be really annoying to “his betters”.
    Leads the news many times.
    A thorn in the establishment backside and to other sites wanting to become the “establishment”
    So much more, may it continue.

  420. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Nana
    Great news from Buckie.

    @ Dave what’s wrong with the Western Isles? They were reported to be a NO voting area in Indyref! Do they not have a SNP MP?

    @ Fiona
    Interesting topic and at the heart of democratic decision making which is what this blog and the election and referendum is about after all!
    It used to be axiomatic in the Women’s Movement in the 70’s that every generation has to rediscover and refight the issues. Two steps forward, one back. Bit like Independence.

    @ almannysbunnet. Interesting link to the Home Rule site. From Heedtracker’s link to the Simon Jenkins schizophrenic article, it seems that the Home Rule agenda is looking more appealing in London these days (until they do the sums of course).

    Oh will this election frenzy never end – the lovebombing certainly has!

  421. Fiona
    Ignored
    says:

    @ galamcennalath:

    Agree with all of that!

  422. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Thepnr says:27 March, 2015 at 1:36 am:

    ” … Jim Murphy makes no impact whatsoever on QT, no surprise there then.”

    I could be wrong, (I’ve become quite good at reading body language since getting my hearing damaged), but my impression of Murphy’s performance was that he was making a quite conscious attempt to look intelligent but was failing and instead looked the real numptie he actually is.

  423. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    Caledonius says

    “…. shooting down Devo Max, if they do that and with the Scottish Elections next May I can only hazard a guess at how badly the unionist parties may be punished. ”

    That would my hope. We go into Holyrood 2016 with the DevoMax situation sorted out once and for all all. If clearly never go happen … The Unionist will get hammered and the Indy parties know what to do next!

  424. Nana Smith
    Ignored
    says:

    @Caledonius says That’s amazing news Nana Smith, thats 2 for 2! I wonder if the Unionists are begining to sense a pattern

    Well Caledonius I doubt they are happy bunnies this right now!

    Good to see you posting here.

    My friend just told me to say her boss’s family [no voters] will be voting snp.

    She says after last nights disgraceful question time something snapped.

    Guess that’s the murphy effect!

  425. chalks
    Ignored
    says:

    Very little chance of gaining Devo Max, but we must go through the motions to lift the veil over Westminster and let people see how they operate.

    The day after the referendum was telling, a refusal on devo max will all but seal another referendum.

  426. almannysbunnet
    Ignored
    says:

    Robert Peffers says:
    I could be wrong, (I’ve become quite good at reading body language since getting my hearing damaged), but my impression of Murphy’s performance was that he was making a quite conscious attempt to look intelligent but was failing and instead looked the real numptie he actually is.

    I think you are spot on. I kept an eye on him too, watch his eyes, he is very aware of when the camera is on him and his hand shoots to his chin like Rodin’s thinker statue. Tries to look pensive and deep in thought. It all falls apart when someone asks a question out of left field though. The mask slips and he starts whiffering and havering. I think he will drop the accent and go for an English seat at the first opportunity.

  427. Caledonius
    Ignored
    says:

    http://www.thenational.scot/politics/labour-have-seriously-lost-touch-with-ordinary-working-people-poll-finds.1463

    According to that article, alongside Labour woes is something that surprised me. It says 53% of Scots would vote to stay in the EU in the event of a referendum. It doesnt link a source of the 53% figure, but if true thats a significant figure to be on before any campaigning.

    Of course that will only matter if the Torys somehow get their way of a vote on the EU, but it will certainly cause even more a a split in the Union if Scotland Yes, England No.

  428. Iain Gray's Subway Lament
    Ignored
    says:

    There’s only a scant 40 days left now till the election.

    So if you want the red tories out you don’t have all that much time left to campaign, leaflet or canvass.

    You’ll feel far better doing something to help in these final few weeks than spend the next five years regretting you didn’t do more.

    Every vote is going to count and every new activist and helper is vital. It could make all the difference between a few red tory expenses cheats getting booted out on their arse and almost all of them getting the boot. 😀

  429. Caledonius
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Nana Smith

    Thanks Nana, you folks have been rather welcoming and for that I thank you.

    And on QT – Yeah, make us look like beggars and scroungers, nice job Dim Jim. Also, anybody else think he looked a little spaced out at times – he gave Dimbelby some rather weird bug-eyed looks.

  430. Nana smith
    Ignored
    says:

    @Capella

    Western Isles have the lovely Angus McNeil as their mp.

    Indref result from my homeland was a shock and relatives & friends I have spoken with say the same.

    I was told after the ref some church members may have been [how can I say this] urged to vote No. Growing numbers of food banks and welfare attacks on the vulnerable didn’t seem to concern some. Strange indeed.

    I do recall some article perhaps in the Herald quoting ministers [the church variety] who didn’t seem terribly keen on a Yes vote.

  431. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    Brian Doonthetoon dude @ 23:16hrs last night.

    Infact, movie question.. what feature film had a radio station called ‘WNBC’? (ah canny remember the now, cheers).

    Would that be “Private Parts”?
    ««««««

    That’s the one, cheers B, here’s a snippit from the movie:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiLs2kEZ8CA

  432. Fred
    Ignored
    says:

    I think Stu should take over from KH in the National. Like the paper and bought it from day 1 but the election looms & KH didn’t exactly set the heather alight.

    Scottish Bluebell urgently needed.

  433. bookie from hell
    Ignored
    says:

    09.15 More on that incident at Silverlock Hall in Rotherhithe.

    Labour sources say elements of the Mirror report are inaccurate: Mr Miliband was not punched, they insist. But an altercation did take place, and they blame Tory supporters.

    A spokesman says: “This was just a bit of campaign rough and tumble. Ed shrugged it off.”

  434. Sunniva
    Ignored
    says:

    Good idea about a petition for Stu to have a column in the National. Maybe it could replace Higgins now that she has another job. Not a good idea for a spad to have a column, too cosy by far. I am not in favour of a spad being a columnist, a columnist should not be a party insider. That would be entrenching power and the independence of the media.

  435. cynicalHighlander
    Ignored
    says:

    @Nana Smith

    Ta for link have passed it on.

  436. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    Alan Cochrane Telegraph yesterday…Tactical voting required.

    https://archive.today/ZVaQs

    PS:
    Another snippet from the telegraph today.

    A Cabinet Minister has broken ranks about the prospect of a second Conservative-Liberal coalition. Cameron has refused to discuss this prospect, but in many ways it is the obvious outcome from an election stalemate.

    Last night, slightly unnoticed on Question Time amid the post-match reaction, Nicky Morgan was asked if there could be another Lib-Con Coalition. She replied: “If that’s what the electorate obviously presented us with, I’m sure we would try to make that work.”

    Remember: In the event of a hung Parliament, it is the incumbent Government party that gets first crack at forming a government that can command a majority in the Commons.

    (were you listening dim Jim) 🙂

  437. Nana Smith
    Ignored
    says:

    @Mealer

    SNP HOLD Armadale & Blackridge (West Lothian).

  438. A MacRitchie
    Ignored
    says:

    Re yesterdays comment about BBC Labour’s deliberate misinformation to mislead people. Surely there must be some way of recording all these inaccurate facts being stated and away to complain about it. Does the broadcasters not have an independent body to look into these issues and why are they getting away with it. As it hasn’t stopped since the indyref?

  439. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Tom Wilde says: 27 March, 2015 at 1:46 am:

    “Have a great weekend off. When you come back, I’m dying to hear what you make of the research findings just announced, that “The Vow” made virtually no difference at all to the way people voted in the IndyRef. Turns out that the main reason people voted “No” was that they felt British.”

    It’s utter balderdash and the actual statement itself is proof positive that highlights the real truth. That truth is that the vast majority of NO voters have been lied to and brainwashed from birth to make them feel, “British”, (SIC).

    Now consider how many citizens of the Republic of Ireland consider themselves to NOT be, “British”, (SIC), either. Yet there is no doubt whatsoever that the part of Ireland they live it is indeed part of the British archipelago and they are indeed British.

    In both cases the brainwashed persons actually mean the United Kingdom which only, at present, encompasses four of the eight countries that comprise, “The British Isles”.

    If you need further convincing consider the BBC and the entire panel of Question Time that included Nicki Morgan,(Tory Education Minister),UKIPS, (immigration spokesman), Stephen Wolfe, Leanne Wood of Plaid Cymru and of course Jim Murphy as representatives of politicians. Then there was Jannette Street-cleaner Porter representing journalism.

    Yet when claims were made that the other UK countries got a bad deal because Scots got a higher per capita share of the funding nary an expert panellist could understand the very good reason for that extra funding was to pay for what the non-devolved people ignorantly making the false claim get in the services directly provided and funded by their relevant non-devolved Establishment Ministries.

    It isn’t hard to explain just, “Excuse me for correcting you but you get the same funding as the Scots as non-devolved services provided directly by Westminster Ministries”.

    So a Government Minister, A Welsh Party Leader, a Sudo-Scottish Party leader a UKIP shadow Minister and a leading UK journalist, (SIC), all fail to understand the basic funding rules for the UK. Not to mention a leading BBC Political Expert are also so much brainwashed they blindly accept as fact that the Scots are overfunded and should suffer a cut in funding.

    I have absolutely no doubt that if those NO voters were aware that, (a) While they were indeed British there is no such thing as, “THE”, British Government and (b), they had been brainwashed from birth in their false beliefs.

    Now you also know why Mags Curran and the likes said, “If the YES campaign wins the Scots will stop being British”. They are all either brainwashed or barefaced liars. Take your pick of which is the truth in any one particular case.

  440. manandboy
    Ignored
    says:

    Like big lead weights tied around our ankles

    (Might a forensic examination of voting patterns in Indy be useful.)

    Not Devo Max, not Full Fiscal Autonomy, will persuade
    the 72% of British-born ‘elsewhere’ in the UK who voted No, nor,
    the 57% of non-British who voted No. (Ref:Grouse Beater)

    IMO, these particular No voters, the ‘Incomers’,
    are unlikely to change their mind.
    I would suggest that the majority of these people
    would not have chosen to come to an Independent Scotland.

    Ultimately, Independence is a numbers game.

    Might I suggest that Wingers take on the task
    of providing the Scot. Gov. and the SNP and the country as a whole
    with the necessary arithmetic
    so as to make crystal clear what the task in hand actually amounts to,
    and specifically, to identify the numbers of unchangeable No voters.

    At the moment, a Referendum in Scotland
    feels like going for a swim
    with big lead weights tied round our ankles.

    With so many incomers voting No
    and so many Scots-born living abroad wanting a vote, to vote Yes,
    and, resenting, at least a little, not having a vote,
    while so many non-Scots have a vote,
    have the Scot.Gov. been –
    a) too generous with the voting entitlement
    b) too naive in the rough old world of referendum politics.

    Perhaps it’s time for a few ‘boundary’ changes in Scotland.
    It’s no big deal.
    It happens regularly in UK politics.

  441. YESGUY
    Ignored
    says:

    Grouse Beater.

    Just to let you know AYE from me.

    And i already have you bookmarked 🙂 Love the blog. 🙂

  442. gus1940
    Ignored
    says:

    As far as I am aware nobody has made the following point regarding the prospects of Labour MP’s being re-elected:-

    Many of the 49 Labour held seats have historically had massive majorities and have been straightforward shoe-ins for whichever monkey wears the red rosette.

    All they have had to do to secure a sinecure for life at the WM trough is to be selected.

    Given the apparent lowly membership figure for Labour does it not follow from that and the above that not only do many of the sitting MP’s have little or no experience of having to mount a professional election campaign but there has never been any need for the local constituency party to do so.

    That and the now 100k SNP membership spells big trouble for Murphy and his morons.

  443. caledonia
    Ignored
    says:

    Should jobs not be based on whats between the ears not whats between the legs
    I am all for fairness but would be pretty pissed off if i had 30 years experiance in a job and someone else new to the job got promoted just because of their sex

    The pc brigade will never stop next they will want one of ant and dec to be a woman

  444. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    @ More comedy gold from Cochrane. Toys flung farther from the pram today.

    He opines that only 3.4% of NO’s believed the vow. That’s a lot from 2M. So approx 68,000 not enough to sway the balance.

    He also says the No’s won by 11%. It’s the way he writes them.

    That’s still only a 5.5% swing to even things up then.

    Oozing contempt he is! Oh spat out the dummy now. (pacifier)

    https://archive.today/AZ0Ul

  445. A MacRitchie
    Ignored
    says:

    I’ve just received British Labour’s latest propaganda sheet.
    Point 4 states that Scottish Labour scrapped tuition fees surely this is another blatant lie from Brian Roy to mislead people.
    Point 1 states that they will raise the minimum wage to £8. Surely this is a couple of bob more than already rate and a couple of quid less than the greens.
    Point 2 any money given to companies to create apprenticeships will by exploited by private companies to get tax breaks and cheap labour. Surely a tax on bankers bonuses would not cover the whole of the UK to deliver this policy?
    Point 5 Regular hrs? What we talking about here part time full time? 9-5 1 or 2 or 3 or 9 days a week a month very vague

  446. gerry parker
    Ignored
    says:

    @gus.
    Absolutely, that’s why via the Labour controlled local authorities they are trying to get a ban on election material being posted on “street furniture” – lamp posts to you and me.

    They just don’t have the local manpower (or in Pamela Nash’s case woman power) to put up posters, do they try to ban it – successfully in some places.

  447. Bob Sinclair
    Ignored
    says:

    I’m a bit dubious about the low figure quoted as being influenced by the ‘Vow’.
    If you were taken in by such a transparently obvious scam would you admit it?

  448. Caledonius
    Ignored
    says:

    So as Nana reports thats the SNP held West Lothian

    4 Elections:

    2 SNP Wins
    1 SNP Hold
    1 Independant Win

    And nary a Labourite to be seen. Happy days.

  449. Nation Libre
    Ignored
    says:

    I miss the Rev. Need my fix, having DTs

  450. Brian Nicholson
    Ignored
    says:

    Armadale figures
    First Count
    Con 6.8%
    Green 2.4%
    SNP 43.4%
    Indep 20.3%
    Lab 27.0%

    Final stage:
    SNP 57.55%
    Lab 42.44%

  451. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    The way things are shaping up, Scotland could be heading for a summer of content 🙂

    The fellowship of the wings continues.. one wing links us all.

  452. Jim McIntosh
    Ignored
    says:

    This academic paper that the ‘Vow’ had little or no effect on the vote is just nonsense.

    I read somewhere that very few people admit to being taken in by the ‘Nigerian Prince’ scam, however the BBC reported in 2006 that it’s estimated over 5000 people a year in the UK fall for this. With a total loss of £150M.

    Human nature means we don’t like to admit we have been duped. I think a lot of these NO voters have selective amnesia about their reasons for voting as they did.

    An article in The National today quotes that “41% of Yes voters believed the Vow was the main motivation for most No voters”. I don’t know if it was the ‘main’ motivation, but I know of at least 3-4 people who voted NO using the ‘Vow’ as a reason. Extrapolate that to the whole electorate and it will add up to much more than 3.4%.

  453. crazycat
    Ignored
    says:

    @ gerry parker

    It’s not just Labour-controlled authorities that have banned posters on street lights. Certainly two, and I think all three, of the Ayrshire authorities have banned them, and none of those is Labour-controlled (Labour have some arrangement with the Tories in South Ayrshire but not full control; that’s also the one where I don’t know if posters are banned – North and East are SNP councils).

    I think the thing about the cost of removing them is probably true, and Labour have happily taken advantage of the potential.

  454. HandandShrimp
    Ignored
    says:

    I think the thing to note about the STV Council votes is that there is little evidence of the pouters activity. The first cut of votes for the SNP at Armadale at 43.4% to 27% for Labour look almost spot on for the averages for the polls too.

  455. sonas
    Ignored
    says:

    Capella said:
    Good news on the equal pay front though. Women executives will achieve pay parity in 98 years at current rate of progress – yes that is in 2109 (the article was written in 2011). Fasten your seat belts girls!
    https://archive.today/bcl0N

    And yet, and yet… someone else upthread said that feminism was important in 1970 but not in 2015. Hmmm.

    We absolutely don’t want special pleading or unfair advantages. Equal pay for equal work would be nice though.

    It would also be nice if the arguments around quotas were not subject to the reductionist crap I’ve seen on this thread. Does anyone seriously think that in a situation where a quota for shortlists was in place a woman would be appointed to a job she was not qualified to do purely because she was a woman?? How would that work out for the lucky woman or her colleagues, or employer for that matter??

    (Not that I am hugely pro quotas – I’m open to persuasion either way – but wish people could discuss the issue sensibly)

  456. ronnie anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    @ gerry parker 2.09 You do know I have sleep deprivation, ah wunner whit kind of sticky glue DimJim would recommend LoL.

  457. gerry parker
    Ignored
    says:

    @ crazycat.
    The cost of removal of the material is not known (at least in North Lanarkshire it’s not), it seems to be merely a handy excuse.

    https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/council_decision_to_ban_politica#outgoing-422530

    In any case, it is the polluter who should pay, not the council tax payers.

  458. Cadogan Enright
    Ignored
    says:

    Just been reading the Rev’s bete noir on page 10 of National – she seems OK to me. . . .it takes all types

    seems to me the focus is on converting 5.5% and hanging on to what we have . . so it will take different shapes of folk to fit into the different spaces in the movement to enable us to reach the destination.

    Meanwhile, with 1& 1/2 days to go, £1,743 needed to reach Ayrshire Central advanced funding target for NHS stalwart Philippa Whitford http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/dr-philippa-whitford-campaign-fund

  459. David Wardrope
    Ignored
    says:

    I think we might be getting a little hung up on the Vow effect. It, ultimately, is neither here nor there, as the main goal is the same now as it was in the weeks and months before the referendum. We have to win the economic argument, meaning stong arguments that Scotland is capable of standing on her own, and how we get the message into the mainstream.

    The No vote was ahead before the referendum, and it finished ahead. I think the Vow had some impact in slowing the swing, but the Vow revelation didn’t swing the polls from a Yes majority to a No one. We were in a position where we had to win voters before the Vow, and these people were No for other reasons that we need to address.

  460. think again
    Ignored
    says:

    Caledonia @ 1.55

    I might not have phrased it quite like that.

    I was a “victim” of the scenario you paint. In my case 120 managerial positions were reduced to 80 and we had to reapply for our “newly designated” jobs, at the same time the company increased the number of grades which could apply along with the existing post holders. The lower graded jobs were mainly held by female staff and it was this sector that ended up benefitting most.

    However that did not sour my attitude to women or quotas, rather I saw it as a cynical ploy by management to kill several birds with one stone. Firstly a headcount reduction, secondly a dumbing down of experience so they could mould the new intake to new ideas and processes, thirdly lower salary expectations, and fourth and finally a higher number of female managers and a much higher proportion than previously. The equality issue was never the real reason for the exercise.

    The outcome allows me to say “I told you so.” A decade of miss-selling of financial products, a chief executive who spent £1,000 a roll on wallpaper and whose meteoric rise was only surpassed by his meteoric fall.

    Thankfully we have both moved on. I work elsewhere, he has a pension more than 60 times the one I get.

    I still have my good name, I don

  461. Caledonius
    Ignored
    says:

    RE: Leanne Woods vs JSP last night,

    JSP was ignorant as well as loud, and perhaps for me the most crystal clear example of that ignorance came when Leanne Woods was trying to explain about the misery and unhappyiness in many parts of Wales and even the U.K in general.

    NO! claims Porter, your wrong because a ‘Government Happiness Report’ says 2/3 of all the U.K is fine and happy with their lot. She sat back smuggly expecting a massive applause, but in the end I think 3-4 people at most clapped. I could not help but laugh.

    As a former NHS worker I will say the amount of working age people suffering either Depression, Malnutriton or Hypothermia being treated where I used to work rocketed under this same government that created ‘that’ report. I would not call any of these people in the least bit content or happy with their lot in life. Even just speaking with friends, they all have something they moan about: overpriced energy bills, low wages / zero hour contracts, housing costs.

    How could a country that has seen I believe a 700% increase in FOOD BANKS (We’re a first world country folks, so they say) dare to say 2/3 of us are fine?

    Porter was there to represent Journalism. She gave us government spin, told us all is well and that natonalists are evil. So, she represented our own scottish journalism to a tee I think.

  462. Alastair
    Ignored
    says:

    Re Low figure on the Vow.

    The Indy result was No 55.3% Yes 44.7% with 3.6 Million votes. 3.5% of No voters say the Vow effected how they voted. Thats a 7% swing which would have meant No 51.8% Yes 48.2% . The sample is an extremely low number and could be out by a large margin depending on where the sample came from ie a Yes or No area and demographics. On a larger sample the number could easily be 5 or 6 % . To say the Vow had no “critical” effect is pure speculation and downplays its impact. Maybe one for you to pick up on Stu .

  463. ronnie anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Cactus ( one wing links us all ) Dr Morag diz house calls I send her roon tae fix yer ither Wing.We need two Wings tae fly high. smileis

  464. crazycat
    Ignored
    says:

    @ gerry parker at 2.41

    I agree absolutely that the people who put up posters should either remove them or pay someone else to do it.

    I just don’t think it’s purely a Labour ploy to disguise their lack of members!

  465. Caledonius
    Ignored
    says:

    @ HandandShrimp

    The first cut of votes for the SNP at Armadale at 43.4% to 27% for Labour look almost spot on for the averages for the polls too.

    Indeed, and then combine that with significant vote share increases for SNP over all four elections. I know they were very local affairs, but If such a pattern repeats on GE 2015 day, we’ll be in for a very enjoyable night of results methinks.

  466. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    @callmedave

    Cochers eh…

    You gotta laugh, he tickles me he really does, shame though he’s gone completely barking howling native on himself
    It’s like he can’t stop, you can just see his drunky face swelling up and exploding
    I do hope nothing happens to his health though, coz i’d miss the entertainment

    The Vow

    Once again they come up with this unbelievable nonsense
    If i said, “i’m going to punch you in the nose if you don’t give me the money you owe me”
    You said “don’t hit me i promise i’ll pay if you don’t”
    chances are i’ll wait until you pay up
    Hence “The Vow”

    Problem is,if you don’t pay up you only get away with that shit once,

    Now i’m gonny break your face

    And that Westminster is what’s called

    A SCOTTISH PARABLE……Amen…

  467. BrianW
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T i know..

    Front page of today’s ‘The National’

    It does look like Ed’s doing an Alan Sugar You’re Fired pose..

    If only the caption on the cover was.. “.. Jim.. You’re lies and deceit are tiresome now, and for that reason… You’re Fired!”

  468. Caledonius
    Ignored
    says:

    Amen Dr Jim. I’ll be sure to use that in future.

  469. Jim Thomson
    Ignored
    says:

    @Ronnie, will we see you at the SECC this weekend?

  470. Lesley-Anne
    Ignored
    says:

    Sorry for going way, way, WAY O/T here but some folks might like to try this for a laugh.

    http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/can-we-guess-which-part-of-britain-youre-from–eJcjWUGv0g

    Apparently I’m Scottish. Well who knew? 😉

    I really do mean this WHO KNEW? 😀

  471. Rob James
    Ignored
    says:

    Re Glenrothes West by election.

    David Ross, leader of Fife Council and Alan Seath’s (Labour) campaign agent, said:

    “We now need to put the message out that come the GE, any other vote, other than for Labour, will put the Tories back in power”.

    They just can’t seem to come to terms with their own failings and appear to believe that things will revert back to normal for the GE, as long as they keep spouting the usual dross.

    I can picture them running around blaming each other and shouting obscenities at the electorate come May 8th. It’s never their fault after all.

  472. Fiona
    Ignored
    says:

    @ LA.

    Ummm…..apparently I am from Southern England.

    The shame!!!

  473. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    I’ve said it before and i’ll say it again

    The Economy? Really? is that the basis of some folks argument?
    Am i going to be two bloody quid better off in the Union or two quid worse off, coz if that’s what anyone is basing their life and the future of their country on, those folk had better keep their backsides firmly surrounded by the fencepost they’re sitting on and do nothing
    I’m a pensioner with no huge private money flowing in from all over the place, but if, in order to have my country Free, and my vote counted for something, I’d chip something in why wouldn’t the fence sitters, and hey you might well be better off, that’s the risk with leaving home kids

    Life, and the future of our country is a little more important than a few bob

    I think some president or other once said “think what you can do for your country, not what your country can do for you” or something fairly similar

    Self Determination should be a right not a wee favour handed out from on high
    Our country was Free for a thousand years before it was sold
    Scotland…. Builders..Engineers..Academics..Pioneers and on and on

    What the hell is wrong with us, do we allow this Myth of “Economy Bad” to continue, and don’t give me the ” you’ve got to weigh up the pro’s and the con’s” that’s just fearty talk and everybody knows it
    It’s simple, do you want it or don’t you?

    Or, do we say….Stick your threats stick your lies and stick your Corrupted thieving Union
    I won’t say the rest

    Ooh I could crush a grape…

  474. Fiona
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Caledonia (1:55 pm)

    I always like it when people use absurd stories in support of their position. Like the one about how torture is ok if the victim might know where the bomb is. Never happens, but it makes it fine to use it sometimes. Same with your notion, as “think again” points out.

    The fact is that men have enjoyed positive discrimination (and who can blame them? we are not saints). We’d like some of that too, or at the very least not to be ridiculed by pictures of us in somebody else’s underwear sitting on a wrecking ball. Sure, feminism is not required in 2015. I should coco

  475. Caledonius
    Ignored
    says:

    Haha thanks Lesley-Anne 🙂 could do with a bit of fun, lets see…

    Woo, Im Scottish. It says East Scotland… intresting cause I was born on the east coast. Consider me impressed.

  476. Ravelin
    Ignored
    says:

    @LA

    Looks like I’m from Wales, it could have been worse.

  477. Iam Scott
    Ignored
    says:

    Can you tell me why you blocked me on twitter after our discussion on gender equality?

  478. Midgehunter
    Ignored
    says:

    That’s strange, I’m likely to be agreeable and from Scotland. 🙂

    According to the media I’m a cunning, whinging, drunken, doped scrounger who’s a drain on the English purse.

    I don’t do UHU, I’m more of a Pattex man myself. “Sniffs”

  479. Lesley-Anne
    Ignored
    says:

    Fiona says:

    @ LA.

    Ummm…..apparently I am from Southern England.

    The shame!!!

    Don’t feel too bad Fiona. 😉

    Remember Scots are welcomed all over the world and we can also still be a member of the S.N.P. in the process. 😛

    p.s.

    I know you really are in Scotland Fiona. Don’t forget, as I suggested on Twitter this wee *AHEM* quiz is probably linked directly to MI5/MI6/GCHQ … nuff said! 😀

  480. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    David Wardrope says:
    27 March, 2015 at 2:45 pm
    I think we might be getting a little hung up on the Vow effect. It, ultimately, is neither here nor there,

    So why then did they concoct THE VOW fraud? Vote NO for Devo-Max, federal UK, Holyrood autonomous unscrappable by Westminster etc

    All of its turning out to be a giant lie and now same UKOK lie machine says THE VOW made almost no difference, quelle surprise, rodders.

    Who likes to tick the “have you ever been the victim of a scam” box?

  481. Kevin Evans
    Ignored
    says:

    How we all holding up?

    Have we started eating each other yet?

  482. ronnie anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Jim Thomson SECC I would Jim N Betty but I,m not a member of the SNP & no ticket.

  483. Les Wilson
    Ignored
    says:

    Anyone got a link that works to the SNP conference.
    BBC ones do not seem to have it, despite earlier saying it would be streamed from 2.30pm.

  484. David Wardrope
    Ignored
    says:

    @heedtracker,

    I seewhat you’re saying, and I do believe that the Vow stunt may have slowed the transition of some voters from No to Yes. But it the whole campaign was the Yes side playing catch up for a whole host of different reasons before the Vow came along.

    It’s just how I’m seeing it at the moment, if folks were swaying towards Yes and then stopped on the back of a lying newspaper then its a disappointment, telling these people that the Vow was a lie most likely will not be enough to convince them without a strong economic case to back up. Otherwise the slightest retaliation from the No side could just as easily sway them back over.

    I just think the process of persuading should not be limited to disproving the Vow alone.

  485. ronnie anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Les;ey Anne
    Fiona 3.20 E Mail collector thats what those sites are designed for its a American thing to doup people into imparting information.

    Nobody should play their GAME.

  486. Helena Brown
    Ignored
    says:

    Thanks for the laugh Lesley Anne, I seem to be from Scotland, and funnily enough very agreeable, though they did say those from the East of Scotland, and that is my neck of the woods, coming as I do from Portobello, am decidedly introverted. Well maybes I, maybes no.

  487. cearc
    Ignored
    says:

    LA,

    Erm, the Scottish answer is probably based on just one question. The neurotic one, where the possible answers are:

    Every damn day/Nae/Once or twice/Nope.

  488. think again
    Ignored
    says:

    Thanks for the quiz Lesley-Anne. It says I am from the Midlands and indeed this is where I was begotten, as they say. My parents returned to Scotland shortly before my birth and allowed me the honour of being Scottish.

  489. chalks
    Ignored
    says:

    Interesting regarding the impact of ‘nationality’ makes you wonder what would have happened if Yes had pursued nationality over everything else…

  490. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    @Lesley-Anne

    I tried that quiz, said I was from East Scotland, not very informative though is it since I am from East Scotland 🙁

    So, I did it again with where possible the totally opposite answers from the first time.

    It said I was from….London LOL



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