The difficult question
We tried to ring BBC Radio Scotland’s phone-in show, presented by Louise White, this morning in order to ask Ruth Davidson a question, but because we’re not Scottish Labour activist Scott Arthur (who appears on air most weeks, including both today’s and yesterday’s shows) we didn’t get picked, as we normally don’t.
It was a shame, as the question we wanted to ask was a good one – and also an entirely genuine one that we honestly don’t know the answer to. Furthermore, it’s a question that applies equally well to all three Unionist party leaders, so we’ll be trying to phone in and ask them too when they in turn appear on the programme.
We rather suspect we won’t get through unless we change our name, though, so if anyone else is interested in the answer perhaps they might like to try their luck too on behalf of everyone, whether it’s on the Radio Scotland phone-in or any other event where the public are allowed to question the leaders.
So the question is below.
“In a situation where Scots could only stay in one Union – either the UK or the EU – which would you vote for?”
That’s the short and snappy version. It summarises a highly plausible near-future scenario where Scotland has voted to remain in the EU but the rest of the UK has voted to leave. It’s likely that the SNP will have been elected on a manifesto that gives them a mandate for a second independence referendum in such circumstances. The vote would then in practice be a straight choice between Unions.
All three Unionist leaders will doubtless waffle and stall and insist that they want to stay in both. But that won’t be the choice on offer, and the mark of a brave and honest leader is that they deal with hard questions as well as easy ones.
(This question is a lot like the one that invariably silences Scottish Labour supporters: would you prefer an independent Scotland with a Labour government, or Scotland in the UK with a Tory government? The inability to ever answer that is right at the heart of the disastrous condition the branch office currently finds itself in.)
The Unionist leaders will doubtless also all say that they’d doggedly oppose a second independence referendum in such an eventuality, but again that’s just dodging the question – as it would be an issue for the Scottish and UK governments to resolve, none of Kezia Dugdale, Ruth Davidson or Willie Rennie would have any meaningful say in the matter.
The fact is that it’s an entirely fair question to ask, it’s undoubtedly a scenario that could realistically come about very soon, and voters deserved to be treated with the respect and courtesy of a proper response from anyone asking to be elected.
So we’re just putting it out there, because we doubt we’ll be allowed to ask it for ourselves, and we’d bet good money that no broadcaster will ask it either. If you’d like to know the answer, folks, it’s probably going to be up to you.
When you phone in you are asked what your question will be. So you have very little chance unless you do what I have done in the past. Tell the phone operator one thing and ask another
Now they know the question, they’ll all avoid answering!
Looking forward to hearing any proper answer to your question though. 🙂
Good question, well; Kezia, Ruth, Wullie?
I had the misfortune to be listening this morning, seemed hand picked questioners; all to have a go at the SG and not so much the tank (mobile gun or whatever) commander.
Was I surprised, no.
I would have liked to have heard how No Shame Davidson would have answered that Stu in light of her party tearing itself apart over Europe again. Was quite funny watching them last night girning about unfair spend and bias..
Re: “In a situation where Scots could only stay in one Union – either the UK or the EU – which would you vote for?”
I don’t see that it’s a very difficult question for them to answer. I suppose the fact that they have failed to answer it so far suggests otherwise.
We all know that if the UK votes to come out and the SNP start agitating for a second indyref, all those parties are not only going to oppose another referendum (“in the interests of stability and ordinary people, let’s just get on with things”), they are also going to argue to stay in the UK if the referendum takes place.
So there’s your answer. They’ll campaign against indyref2 if we pull out of the EU.
Reminds me of the infamous “Lorraine Mann question” in the mid-1990s when she asked the Scottish party leaders what their second choice would be in a three-option referendum on independence, devolution or the (then) status quo. George Robertson who was Labour spokesman at the time blustered and obfuscated and accused her of being an SNP plant.
I was interested at the time because the bluster seemed to suggest that George was ashamed to articulate his party’s fundamentally unionist position. They’re not so shy about it now.
The BBC is a black hole. It will suck in all the energy you contribute to its gravitational field and nothing will ever change.
Go ahead by all means, I admire your stamina more than the BBC ever will, but for every effort that goes into holding the BBC to account, we should expend two or three times the same effort into lobbying for a progressive solution to bring about our own free broadcasting network.
The BBC is dead to me. The are part of the problem, but not part of the solution.
“Now they know the question, they’ll all avoid answering!”
I couldn’t be playing fairer – I’m giving them all plenty advance warning to think about their reply.
Much is said about respecting the will of the Scottish people in a referendum. The Rev’s question relates to the situation where our will has been expressed on the EU, and each Unionist must decide whether they respect it or not. We need to know now, before May.
It needs to be asked over and over until each’s position is crystal clear and on record. They can try changing the subject, but the only real option is a simple binary choice.
Nicola should ask it in any future televised debate.
It’s a brilliant question and gets to the heart of the Scotland versus London constitutional issue. The question amounts to – where does your allegiance lie?
That’s not just Scotland / London, it’s – will you back up the Scottish people and their wishes, or choose to keep them ruled undemocratically by outsiders?
I suspect your answer scenario is bang on the money, but yes I’d still like to hear their attempt at it regardless.
Didn’t Kezia have something to say on the subject recently though which caused a bit of a stooshie? Y’know before she flip flopped and returned to SNP badness and ‘no referendums regardless of mandate’ kinda thing.
I used to get around 60% of my texts read out on Radio Scotland. Now I never get a single one of my points or questions read out. Even if it’s something non political like me giving them the meaning of a Gaelic placename that they had been pondering over.
I’m pretty sure I’m blocked, but of course I have no way of finding out for sure.
”Send us your texts and let us know what you think.”
Yeah, yeah, yeah!
Slightly off topic.
“Scots think that Ruth Davidson would be the best leader of the opposition at Holyrood but they do not plan to vote her into the job, a poll for The Times has found.”
So basically Ruthie is slightly better than Kezia but still shite 🙂
How come a full time Heriot-Watt lecturer can spend so much time on BBC Vote SLabour Scotland radio shows, when he’s meant to be at work? “Take a break everyone, have to interrupt this lecture to make a very important phone call to BBC Scotland, on behalf of the Labour party,” every day.
Its one thing to be a political activist but he’s paid by the tax payer to teach. Scott’s boss must be very lenient and easy going supervisor or he’s part time only, or they both are, or you can phone in BBC chat shows from work now, or maybe the good Doc is on flexi time, come and go as you please.
Changed days.
I only caught the first part of the show where she was saying she would keep prescriptions free for her core vote – wealthy, tax avoiding pensioners.
Glad to see she wants to be fair about it.
Re the BBC in Scotland, there must be strategy meetings taking place on a regular basis, where minutes are taken which would prove their bias.
At the very least, there must be email correspondence between executives, “reporters” and “presenters” discussing tactics to undermine SNP / Scots Govt.
They can’t operate such bias without a command and control system.
We need a mole to leak this information to bring them down.
Hi Stu. Join the club, I’ve tried 3/4 times now and because you have to say if you’re a member of a poltical party, so SNP has no chance.
Auld Rock
We know already what Slab will say. Miliband said it at the last general election. If he had to depend on the SNP to form a government he would refuse. Slab, standing for Satraps for (UK aka English) Labour are in a similar position. They have a built-in default mechanism to Westminster. With one MP and a whole host of Slab peers slumbering away on the House of Lords, their nest is truly ermined. When you think there are more Slab peers than Slab MPs, one is left speechless. In fact, it is right across the better together troika. More ennobled, appointed, placed, privileged and unelected unionist members than elected.
I’m not a member of the SNP but that doesn’t seem to make any difference to them.
If your name is on ‘that list’ then you haven’t a hope of getting your question asked.
Rev, if you ask this question direct to Kezia her head will implode. I wouldn’t mind but the SNP would be expected to clean up the mess.
I tried phoning in this morning too. I wanted to point out that Ms Davidson had just said that the Work Choice programme had been a success when in fact it had been a disaster with numerous studies saying it completely failed to help people with significant disabilities back to work. My point was that Work Choice had not been a success as she claimed and there is a wealth of evidence to support this. Moreover, it was the Conservative party who ended wage subsidies for disabled people in employment. Ms Davidson misled her audience.
Unfortunately I didn’t get through to challenge her.
Not only does Scott Arthur appear with alarming regularity on the radio but he also puts up at least one anti SNP video a day on Youtube under his own name. Many of them go unchallenged so if any of you have a few spare moments…..
There is a unifying option that would encourage the Blue Tories and their Establishment chums to align with the SNP and campaign for independence.
Scotland declares that upon gaining independence, Scotland will become an offshore banking casino. just think of the advantages for the elite. A pleasant drive up the M74, or by ‘copter if Grannie has been kind.Face to face meeting with your banking facilitator – no need for concern over e-mail hacking. No tedious expensive flights to foreign parts. Then a spot of shooting with chums on your Highland estate.
A second option would for Scotland to declare she would be “open for business” to store nuclear waste. Dounreay is really really far away you know and “open for business” attracts Tories like flies to keech.
Advantages for the hard-working families in Scotland? I’m working on that, I’ll be in touch.
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BBC Complaints
Dear BBC Complaints: Scotland.
Last time I looked at a map, Darlington was in . . . England!
‘Dr Scott’ (aka Scott fea Embra) the angry brit socialista !
Does make me chuckle how the BBC try to make out they have no idea who he is. (New caller every time ? no ties with Labour ?)
My feeling is that if you get past the first line of defence i.e. telephone screening, and the second line of defence i.e. politician saying, as you have already pointed out, that they’ll fight to be part of both unions, then defence 3 will be that ‘I’m confident we’ll vote to remain in the EU’. If a caller were persistent and not cut off, then I suspect final line will be as follows:
This is a decision for the whole of the UK. We are one United Kingdom. If the UK votes to leave then we all leave. There is no guarantee Scotland would be able to join the EU independently anyway, and if they(we) could it would take years of negotiation (eh, just recycle all the BS from 2012-2014).
Personally, I’d have been more interested in knowing whether Ruth or any unionist politician is a politician of nationalism by asking them: if we assume you think that nationalism is bad, do you think that in the future we should give more powers to the EU in an attempt to form a more stable and more integrated Europe, to get away from national rivalry?
Hmmm…I can’t make up my mind whether I prefer the set of pins on the far left or the far right. Oops! Sorry! Thinking out loud again.
I couldn’t be playing fairer – I’m giving them all plenty advance warning to think about their reply.
Opting for Scotland in the UK and out of the EU is a perfectly tenable argument, and one they should be able to make. If they sidestep and obfuscate, it surely speaks to a severe lack of confidence in their position.
We could all call in and say that we are called Scott from Edinburgh.
Perhaps, he has a password, though.
The answer of course is that all three are British nationalists and so would pick the UK Union over the EU. After all, apart from Davidson, unionist leaders like to refer to the working class in England in terms of solidarity with the working class in Scotland. But noticeably SLAB in particular do not seem to care about the working class in Paris, Rome, Lisbon etc. Their so called internationalism only goes as far as the White Cliffs of Dover! Will they ever admit that they would choose the UK Union over the EU Union? I don’t think so. You only have to read Neil Findlay’s appalling interview on Common Space to find out why.
Alex Salmond was also asked the Lorraine Mann question at the time and in contrast to Lord Robertson gave a clear and honest answer.
I think in our hearts we know the answer to the UK or EU question, but it would be good to have the unionist leaders confirm that they would stick with the UK whatever the consequences. In fact the leader who does clearly state this can only gain traction with the brit nats.
Frogesque@11:05
…what’s the downside apart from the clean up? 🙂
I called to ask:
If nuclear weapons make the world safer, why don’t we promote nuclear proliferation, rather than seeking to prevent it?
Needless to say they didn’t call back.
Maybe a follow up question is how does Scott Arthur manage to get on multiple television and radio programmes when its pretty difficult to get on one?
Scotspine, it could be the BBC just works like the Nazi Party in the Third Reich. Hitler didn’t need to command people to commit atrocities, because everyone was so keen to do what they called “working to the Fuhrer”. They’d imagine what he wanted and just get on and do it. So there’s no paper trail. The BBC ‘journalists’ simply ‘work to the Director General’.
Maybe you’ll get through to her with your question on Scotlands talk in 10am-1pm Sunday, Northsound1 or2 will be on around 11.40
0333 20 20 401
@Clootie
Not much mess with implosion.
On the other hand if it were to explode!
Implosions occur when container in filled with a vacuum. so appropriate to K’Z head.
Subtle Frogesque. Hat doffed!
SNP SNP EU
r esquierdo says:
12 April, 2016 at 10:28 am
“When you phone in you are asked what your question will be. So you have very little chance unless you do what I have done in the past. Tell the phone operator one thing and ask another.”
Bert,you’ve been too-long in Ayrshire Junior Football, such devious behaviour is not guaranteed to work in the real world.
Worth a try, however.
How would Jim Sillars answer the same question?
Rev. I think the answer is in her Party’s name!
I see what you did there Brian…Nice analogy.
Even the Third Reich kept accurate records of missives and orders, so that those carrying out the “action” were in no doubt of what was expected of them.
I’m sure that in this age of computer tech, e-mails, mobiles etc. there must be a “footprint” somewhere. It’s there to be found and exploited.
The fear that “we” are looking for it is enough to help destabilise them.
To these folk, information is everything (even if it is misinformation – which is their stock in trade.
I’m mystified by all the fuss. Who wouldn’t want to live in a country where ordinary people pay for the luxury holidays of the ultra-rich, like the pair touring India at the moment? Or aam I missing something?
I tried once to call “Not Kaye”
The telephone rung and rung then was answered by a female voice who said “Yes” pause.. I said “Is that radio Scotland” the voice said “Yes” Sigh.. I said “I have a question” the voice answered “Well what is it” I replied, the voice then said “We’ll call you back if there’s time”
The End
The answer will be the UK. The Union must survive at all costs one example being milliband preferring a Tory government to an independent Scotland. Think the three of them would do or say anything to keep us ruled by London.
These phone in’s are rigged, and should an question which is iffy for the Unionist, they say” ok thanks for that, we need to move on”, then cut off the phone. Used regularly by Kate, and Louise (as in today and every day)
but also a fav of Gordon Brewer.
Probably all of them really. Cut short Scottish democracy.
The BBC are fit for one thing, the bucket.
Also agree with other posts, it is no coincidence that they attack the same subject at the same time. They are all guided on what to attack on any given day.
It is coordinated, no doubt at all.
Just look at today’s “Scottish editions of the Unionist rags. So clear to see.
We so need too get out of this shit hole “Union”
I have not been able to get through on 80295 for months. I had not been abusive, but did ask questions. I reckon I have been blocked too.
It will be Rule Britannia every time!
I see on the Revs Twit script, someone has flagged up Patrick Harvie saying – Being justified is not enough.
That is in response to a second referendum if there is Brexit.
WTF?
Rev. Stuart Campbell says:
“I couldn’t be playing fairer – I’m giving them all plenty advance warning to think about their reply.”
Since when did playing fair get you a result in (not just Scottish) politics Stuart ?
BTW I’m frae Embra, and my name is Scott. Do you think they might let me ask ? and..
Is there a time delay to broadcast ?
RE: “Would you prefer an independent Scotland with a Labour government, or Scotland in the UK with a Tory government?”
A terrifying proposition…
I suspect a large proportion of Independence supporter would prefer a Westminster Tory government rather than let Labour anywhere near the levers of power!
BBC Radio Scotland only want to discuss 1970s houses decor. No matter how bad it was these buildings will last longer than Labour’s PPP schools.
As a fence sitter on the in or out debate, I’m still for independence. Could someone tell me the pros and cons of what would happen to US with regards to another indy referendum.
The nightmare scenario for us gets ever closer; pulled out of the EU against our will and forced to stay in the UK against our will.
That’s the prison cell they are preparing for us with their silence and spin on things like schools.
The surge in spin and dirty tricks recently is all part of the plan. If they can prevent the SNP from winning a majority, they force us into that cell indefinitely.
This where blindsided morons like Loki and his ego come into play, allowing themselves to be used to split the vote and undermine the SNP. Basically he’s sucking up to the screws for his own selfish reasons.
And that’s the traditional role of the left, sucking up to the screws and selling the rest of us down the river.
We have a few weeks to convince people — voting SNP is more important now than it ever was.
SNP x 2.
RISE are selfish sellout bastards allowing themselves to be used.
It is a good question, and unfortunately I suspect you will absolutely get rambling 3 minute non-answers from the unionist leaders.
However, I guess it’s just me being a bit naive but I’ve never really thought about the process of caller selection on the morning call show (or any other BBC call-in for that matter). Given Scott gets on with such regularity that it can’t be coincidence, do any others turn up in the same way and are there any pro SNP or pro Yessers who manage a regular call-in spot to balance out? (Sorry, I don’t listen to it myself. Arguing with the car radio is a bit pointless, and the impression it gives passers by…)
Great. A competition, guess the legs. I’m good at these..
From left-
Easy, Jaba – Ruthie – Wee Willie R – Oscar Pistorius..
Struggling with the last though..Albert Tatlock ?
where does your allegiance lie?
That’s an easy one. Labour north British branch, the Tories, the libdems, the msm, bbc etc etc. They all belong to the English nationalist party
The number of times Dr Von Scott appears on the BBC might lead some to believe that Labour have friends in the BBC
Shirley not!
bin saying this for a few weeks now
they will avoid this question until the He
after the he, it is a question which will come to the fore front and some unionists may break for cover, most will continue to avoid the question
after the eu ref, if it is a leave…..they will have no choice but to answer
half of all no voters want to stay, if the ruk votes leave, it will rip their remaining voters in two
indyref2 after council elections in 2017
It’s a BBC fone-in. And your question is far too difficult for the Yoon party wanabees to deal with…..Try an easier question like; Kezia, What is your favorite flavored ice cream? Or. Ruth, When is your next “tank” foto opportunity?…..I can think of many others.None of them too taxing.
The EBC is totally fit for purpose and does exactly what it is supposed to do. It protects the corrupt system of government in UK and broadcasts the establishments propaganda to hide the truth from the population. It bribes its employees with hugely inflated salaries to keep them in line and we the plebs have to pay for this shit.
WAKE UP SCOTLAND. We deserve better than this.
The number of times Dr Von Scott appears on the BBC might lead some to believe that Labour have friends in the BBC
He’d make a good ultra unionista SLab MSP as he is very aggressive opposition. Its just the endless bullshit he comes up with to NOT explain red tory Gordo Brown, Darling, Blair’s endless disasters.
He’s also very creepy on uni and college. Student loans came out replacing grants under blue tory UK when I was at uni and dudes like Dr Scott said that it was all lovely and fine, despite none of them ever paying a penny for theirs. To be fair, Dr Bonkers doesn’t look old enough to have had all his fees paid and a student grant.
A classic example of a hard core Britnat zealot, using anything and everything UKOK to stop Scottish independence. And clearly a very light work load.
Willie’s the one to ask. The least guarded with his answers and least likely to have an official party response to that one 🙂
The English Nationalist party sounds more correct to me let’s face it the Welsh get no say, the Irish are only tolerated, and we all know how they feel about us in Jockland
So yes they’re not Britnats they’re Engnats
Doesn’t roll off the tongue very well, but I like it
It’s time this was pointed out to Labour / BBC/ Media
In Edinburgh we pay £40 million every year for Labour’s ill-thought out PFI contract. Over the lifetime of Labour’s flawed PFI contract in Edinburgh, we will have to pay an astronomical £1.2 billion for schools that cost just £300 million to build.
Labour should be thoroughly embarrassed by this farce. But the inquiries will come later, the priority now is to get our young people back into their school buildings and to make sure those buildings are safe.
Edinburgh City Council must take control of these PFI school buildings.
Jim Eadie, SNP candidate in Edinburgh Southern, has written to the Leader of Edinburgh Council calling on him to take decisive action.
And still the BBC refuses to mention Labour in connection with the flawed PPP building programme.
The BBC might suss you out if you say you’re “Scott from Edinburgh”.
Try “Daniel from Ayrshire”. Tory activist phoning in soft questions for Ruth.
Ah, the memes – they arrive…
Yes Shetland FB page
This is the Broch of Mousa built 2000 years ago
This is Oxgangs Primary built 11 years ago under Labour.
Scottish Labour – protecting our kids since when?
One of the kids in Labour’s asinine, toe-curling PPB asked, with a piquancy to which Dugdale was evidently oblivious, ‘what is the Labour Party for?’
Out of the mouths of babes…
We all know the answer already anyway.
The Scottish unionist politicians are all BritNats who are delighted to be part of the Establishment of War criminals and Westminster ‘historical’ paedo rings/cover-ups.
The democratic injustice of Scotland being taken out of the EU against it’s will would not cause even a flutter of conscience in these creatures.
Still.
It would be decent sport to watch them lie and squirm some in the spotlight.
Personally, I’d have been more interested in knowing whether Ruth or any unionist /SNP politician is a politician of nationalism by asking them:
If we assume you think that nationalism is bad, do you think that in the future we should give more powers to the Westminster parliament in an attempt to form a more stable and more integrated UK, to get away from national rivalry?
Today’s new YouGov poll will come as something of a relief for the SNP, because the fieldwork is bang-up-to-date (it concluded yesterday), and there is no sign at all of the slippage on the list vote reported by TNS last week. Quite the reverse, in fact.
Constituency ballot :
SNP 50% (n/c)
Labour 21% (+2)
Conservatives 18% (-2)
Liberal Democrats 5% (-1)
Regional list ballot :
SNP 45% (+2)
Labour 19% (+2)
Conservatives 18% (-1)
Greens 8% (n/c)
Liberal Democrats 5% (n/c)
UKIP 3% (-1)
KIDS NOT PPP
Ruthless Ruthie V kamikaze Kez in fight for the nations trust!
https://archive.is/pxiSi
Both only list seat contenders and unfortunately will be occupying the Holyrood opposition bench along with Rennie in the big game of running Scotland.
Thank goodness! 🙂
SNP X 2 May 5th
@Valerie
In the NUS debate there was this from Patrick Harvie to Nicola Sturgeon: “It does sound to me like a period of minority government might be really good for you”
I got it first from a certain tank-top’s twitter feed, but then it appeared in a Herald article reporting the NUS debate. I can’t find it on the Herald now, so it leads me to think there’s some weird underhand things going on there – and I’m not really paranoid, I know they’re out to get me.
I know there’s an election on, but it’s not much used to Indy supporters if the Greens put party so much ahead of Independence in their priorities, they’d be happy to have a toothless minority SNP Government, weakened when they need to call Indy Ref 2.
My personal priority is Independence first, party second, Luckily the SNP agree with me!
In the interests of fairness, we should also aim to ask Nicola Sturgeon and Patrick Harvie if they would rather be in an independent Scotland outside the EU or in both the EU and UK. I appreciate the electoral likelihood of this scenario is lower than the one we wish to present to Ruth, Kezia and the other one, but still, gotta be balanced (plus, I’m genuinely intrigued to see what their answer might be)
My question question could probably apply to the land-slug from UKIP (albeit with different emphasis), but we want to avoid paying attention to him as it only increases his delusional sense of self-importance.
Dr Scott works for Prof Paul Jowett, who led for NO in the 2014 HWU indyref debate. Enough said.
@papko
Good post, and pretty similar to mine higher up 🙂
so, basically, we could integrate the two questions and say to Unionist leaders question a) below, and independence supporting leaders, question b) below:
a) are you in favour of integrating further with the EU to form a more stable Europe and put aside petty national rivalried
b) are you in favour of integrating further with the UK if the UK integrates further with the EU etc etc.
it might flush out who are the nationalists among the Greens, SNP, Labour, Con, Lib, and maybe others.
John Beattie,a disgrace saying no one is engaged in Scottish elections when BBC are refusing to mention Labour in connection with PPP scandal.
Constituency ballot :
SNP 50% (n/c)
Labour 21% (+2)
Conservatives 18% (-2)
Liberal Democrats 5% (-1)
Regional list ballot :
SNP 45% (+2)
Labour 19% (+2)
Conservatives 18% (-1)
Greens 8% (n/c)
Liberal Democrats 5% (n/c)
UKIP 3% (-1)
KIDS NOT PPP
@NeoconNat
So negative NeoconNat. Instead of knocking the left and ripping them a good one, why not make the case of the right, the case for a wealthy Scotland, where right and left can happily co-exist?
That’s what’s needed for Indy Ref 2, not division.
…I thought Dr Arthur was a full time lecturer? (ok, how could we forget…)
How has he time to phone call in shows when assumably working?
Me thinks being an associate Professor/Senior Director gives you lots of free time.
Or his employers dunno what he is up to when he should be marking papers or designing urban drainage or whatever.
Too many tories in the callers q this morning. The SNP caller got on 9:58 ish but was cut very short by the news and need for Ruth to have a totally unchallenged final word.
Earlier Ruth mentioned during a question about disability and pensions payments that the EU had forced the UK government to equalise the pension ages for men and women. The Tories could only do this by using the biggest money saving option moving all to the male retirement age.
When the caller then proceeded with a very pertininent follow up question asking Ruth if that was an argument for leaving the EU it was ruled out of scope by Louise White.
So even when the politician raises issues in their answers follow up questions on those issues are not permitted. Call Oceania1984,… how long before we just sit quietly waiting to be put in identical boiler suits and forcibly removed from our communities for being off message?
British gongs and honours mean more to these fuckers than the ancient nation of Scotland so yeh it’s probably a no-brainer they will always tug the forelock and bend the knee to UKOK before EU or anything else.
The ‘socialist’ Barons who have sold their souls for UKOK gold will never put Scotland and Scotland’s people first. McConnell and the Flipper should be arrested and questioned over PFI scandal and the statue of Dewar should be removed.
Election Leaflets so far
edin/south
SNP–worker thu letter box(3)
Labour/Tory(1 each)both together delivered by royal mail
@David
That’s exactly what happened, switched off he was, and Ruthie got the end slice.
“No Q’s on EU that’s for another time” says Louise…Aye right
@yesindyref2
“It does sound to me like a period of minority government might be really good for you”
Harvie got the last slice in that article yesterday I was going to post it but I resisted.
Nowhere to be found today in Herald or the Hootsman. 🙁
When you call EBC Radioyou have to take on another
Persona. If asked, you support a Westminster party and
You have nice Westminster supporting question
and then you say what you want and enjoy listening
To their shill choking and try to dance around it.
I’ve made it on with 3 mobile numbers and names
And all no doubt barred for pleasantly delivered,
Justifiable viewpoints that nail the corruption of
Westminster and their propaganda channels
Mike Small’s piece on PFI over on the Groan sets the balance a tad better.
He doesn’t skate over the issues at all at all.
Questions need to be asked and heads should roll…
Edinburgh-schools-pfi-racket-crumbling-scotland-tax-avoiding-governing-class
http://archive.is/YyeP2
https://www.commonspace.scot/articles/3826/nicola-sturgeon-calls-for-inquiry-into-all-ppp-and-pfi-projects
@call me dave
Yes, it’s clear what the Herald is doing. It’s pushing the Greens because that can reduce the SNP vote in the List, and perhaps deprive the SNP of the neccessary list members to get an overall majority.
I quoted that bit in the article about Harvie and commented that Independence supporters might want to think whether they would like to see a minority SNP Government not really empowered to ask Westminster for a second referendum.
I think the editorial of the Herald realised the mistake and pulled the quote. The old bookmark I have has the title “Patrick Harvie cautions against early re-run of the independence referendum”
but the article with changes is now headlined “Scottish Greens target SNP supporters but Patrick Harvie cautions against early re-run of the independence referendum”
Different emphasis. The Herald is really going to town on this election, they smell blood, and perhaps the chance to squash Independence once and for all. They want to split Independence supporters against each other, and push the SNP down, the Greens up to reduce the SNP.
Patrick Harvie will totally back Independence until it comes to backing Independence then he’ll call for a referendum on having a referendum to have a plebiscite on whether it might be bad for the dandelions at a certain time of the year and then best discuss it again another time
The Greens are NOT a political party they’re a protest movement with no hope ever of governing how my grass is cut so they’ll say anything to get any of them elected exactly like the Lib Dems except not in a suit but more friend of the earthy
Sorry Greenies but Noh!
@yesindyref2
Completely agree.
I want to try and like Harvie, but since the referendum, he has incrementally waned for me.
I wonder how close the relationship is with his southern colleagues, and if that has an impact.
It’s only an academic speculation, as I’m a member of SNP.
SLab circulating outright lies now. Kez says Nicola will frack if ‘re elected in May. It’s doing the rounds now.
@call me dave
The media is also going to continue with the line “An overall majority SNP Government is certain, and the battle is over second place between Labour and Conservatives”.
Well it isn’t, it’s getting close now, I’ve gamed the poll figures and there’s not much in it for the SNP to get no or 1 or 2 list seats, and not get as many constituency seats as the media and the other Pro-Indy parties will keep telling us.
The one thing the media hate more than the SNP itself is the idea that pro-Indy voters will vote SNP + SNP.
@call me dave
That quote from Harvie is still out there – I don’t do twitter – anyone able to save it, or whatever, before it gets deleted?
https://twitter.com/davidtorrance/status/719585262381228033?lang=en-gb
Indyref2, stop being so reasonable all the time. You’re confusing politics with missionary work and that in itself is a sort of fascism.
I reserve the right to be a prick.
@Valerie
Harvie’s OK but he is the leader of his party, and can smell those seats and desk in Holyrood. His priority is not Indy, it’s his party. For me the perfect scenario would be:
SNP 70+ MSPs
Green 10+ MSPs
RISE / SSP 4 + MSPs
Solidarity 2+ MSPs
Unless Green, Rise, Solidarity start targetting the heavily wavering Labour voters, sickened LibDems and astounded Consservatives even, there isn’t a snowflake’s chance in hell of that happening.
So Indy supporters are really going to ahve to decide their priority, is it:
1). To vote for the party or person of their choice, regardless.
2). To vote for any non-unionist party apart from the SNP because they hate the SNP.
3). To vote for a party to create a strong opposition to the SNP in a devolved Parliament.
4). To vote to get revenge on the Unionist parties.
5). To vote for the party that gives the best chance of Indy Ref 2, and Independence.
Only option 5 puts Independence as the top priority for the voter.
Louise White is just another anti-SNP pretend journalist. This morning’s programme was like a party political broadcast for the Tories. She never interrogated Ms Davidson at all and allowed her to speak at length uninterrupted on most occasions. I’ll bet Nicola Sturgeon barely gets to finish a sentence when it’s her turn. BBC Scotland is just a home for non-entities like Ms White who promote the station’s views but who wouldn’t get a job on a station that had any journalistic integrity. Bloody pathetic.
@NeoconNat
😎
God bless Crown Colonist John Beattie on BBC Radio Shortbread; doing his absolute best to make sure he’s on Labour’s New Year’s Honours shortlist.
All the while this week, doing his utmost to not mention the word “Labour”.
How tortuous to sit on a fence of supposed neutrality so narrow that even if you don’t fall off, it will still slice your balls in half. The agony, the agony …
Now go & enjoy the rest of your afternoon with that image firmly embedded in your mind.
‘I reserve the right to be a prick.’
To what end?
Genuine question: you’re acknowledging you’re a prick, what are you getting out of that on Wings? What do you bring to the discussions by being a prick?
K1
Cosy consensus is little more than an echo chamber.
Not that far removed from fascism really.
Let the prick have his say, your allowed yours.
All you have to do is say I’m John from Aberdeen in a droll nasal voice and you will get through!
This joker is usually the first respondent so must be on speed dial as he spouts his Snp Bad shit everytime!
You will have to be more economical with the truth Rev., when they ask you what your question is, play their game , say you want the answer to one thing then ask another .Also don’t tell them you are from Wings , get a Winger to phone in with your question using their own name . It’s war out there , let’s take it to them , remember lots of retired people listen to that show to get information so let’s give them the truth and be forceful about it , every vote is going to count .
“How would Jim Sillars answer the same question?”
Dunno. If he appears on any phone-ins, ring in and ask him.
defo?
Not preventing…’allowing’ or ‘disallowing’ anyone having their say on here, I asked a perfectly pertinent question to a poster.
What’s your point? I’m not advocating ‘cosy consensus’, and don’t agree wi the notion that Wings is an echo chamber.
Take yer ain advice and ‘allow’ me to ask questions to whomever I feel like defo.
This particular poster that I asked a question of, has shown no’shyness about ‘having their say’…so fuck of wi the sly inference that I’m not ‘allowing’ people tae have their say.
“In a situation where Scots could only stay in one Union – either the UK or the EU – which would you vote for?”
Not surprised that they weren’t very interested in this question.
Firstly, it is tangential to the subject of the phone-ins, namely the Holyrood election.
Secondly it is so contortedly hypothetical, it is difficult to understand how the condition “stay in one union” could arise. In the event of Brexit, the UK would most likely be outside the EU before a second referendum. So the option of saving one union would not arise.
Finally, why ask the question when you seem to know what all the answers will be?
Well one retired person heard Louise asking at around 8-45 for listeners to phone in with questions, and decided all the callers had already been arranged, turned the radio off and went for a bus.
Great question that Rev. will remember to ask it outside polling station.
Oh and defo….where’s your evidence that I have?
Aye…thought so.
Have a problem with me defo, then talk to me about it, don’t do it on the back of a question I asked someone on here.
Have a nice afternoon. 🙂
K1
You made the inference that being a prick ( I read dissenter/devils advocate)adds nothing here by challenging said prick to justify himself.
Sorry to rub you up the wrong way though.
And a nice afternoon to you too.
In reply to ” The Rough bounds” @11:21a.m.
I prefer the ones in the middle.
defo, I didn’t ‘read’ it that way, having some experience with the poster and no evidence to support the notion that they are playing ‘devil’s advocate’, read it as ‘being a prick’ literally.
So it’s a misunderstanding defo. I did say: it was a ‘genuine’ question. Which it was, from my ‘reading’ of it.
Hope that helps, sorry for being nippy about it.
And K1, If that doesn’t sound apology like enough, then sorry.
In defence, I’m allergic to the kind of cosy consensus that leads to horrors such as ‘no platforming’ and those oxymoronic ‘safe spaces’.
I’d best stop pissing around here, and get back to work.
those PFI contracts don’t pay for themselves. ;_0
Lol defo…agree regarding ‘no platforming’ et al, pricks gotta be called out though…even if they (seem to be) are ‘on your side’. I would love ‘devil’s advocate’ that would be refreshing, but as I said hasn’t been my ‘experience’ with the poster. 🙂
Enjoy yer slavery tae the man 😉
I noticed that Jackie Baillie’s Twitter handle is @jackiebaillie16.
I’m no couture expert but that looks a tad optimistic. She has to be at least, a size 20.
K1 & defo
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others, even the dull and Ignorant;
They too have their story. 😉
I have another difficult question…
Just suppose the SNP results in May are good but not great; what result would make the SNP reconsider its softly softly strategy towards the media?
Various people are waiting for the gloves to come off, myself included, but I don’t expect it to happen. It’s not a strategy I’m comfortable with, but I’m free to say that since I’m not an SNP member.
Today’s other Wings thread show’s support for the SNP is healthy, if somewhat static. If that is true, should we be concerned that they are struggling to recruit new believers?
And please don’t go all defensive about the media “monstering” the SNP as whiney disgruntled Jock separatists if they dare to complain about the media. That’s true, I know it is, but please don’t assume the SNP has to throw all its toys out the pram and have a tantrum. I am a strong advocate of sponsoring new news media; suppose the SNP openly and officially embraced our “Indie” Indy broadcasting culture? There’s no need to slag off the BBC etc, however much they might deserve it. Quietly downgrade their status and access to our political discourse while upgrading the access and exposure of others. Let the hostile BBC and the “newspapers” be the ones who feel the need to complain about playing catchup with the real news agenda instead of manipulating their own.
When you contact the Bas*ards, slag off the SNP and just say SNP baaad, you will get on the radio no problem.
They put a party colour to the caller, SNP yellow e.t.c, so the producer knows who is calling.
When you do get on, then let rip to what you actually want to say.
I know this is sort of dirty tactics, but hey this is what they do to us.
Fu*k Them.
SNPx2
Fair do’s small axe:-)
Desiderata.
K1, I know you have some imaginary axe to grind with me, but the way you attacked defo there (who strikes me as a very reasonable person) crossed the line between online debate and online harassment. I’m sure I can expect more of that in response to this post.
You apparently asked me a sincere and serious question. But I have no interest in answering, whatever it alluded to.
If I wanted to talk to someone with an all-encompassing knowledge of the world, eager to ram it down my throat with the sort of zeal that’s rarely found anywhere outside of ISIS circles, I would spend more time with my accountant.
Please imagine that I don’t exist. I beg you.
Nurse! Nurse!
K1
Go placidly. 🙂
Hey kids, stop arguing and feel the love.
We all sing from the same hymn sheet on WoS apart from the odd yoon.
Big Love and peace
Smallaxe. Thanks. Noted
K1/ all wingers. Live long, and prosper 😉
“Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.”
It’s BBC Radio Scotland, which is bound to rigged to slant towards anything anti-SNP. Or anti-Scottish independence.
It’s as they say “A no brainer.”
“…Hello,and what would you like to ask Five Star?”
Hi, just in…ah…
I think I’ll leave it up to others to work out what just happened there…
Peace all, defo 😉
What I find weird is that the Kaye Adams, call Kaye facebook page has so few people commenting. Its like there is more than one page or its a complete failure! maybe both.
@ G H Graham (5:34 pm)
I do have a sense of humour (really) but your particular reference to Jackie Baillie and ‘size 20’ in my opinion should not have been posted here. Just saying: we’re better that that surely
@K1, @defo
It’s good practice. And practice makes perfect! Like me.
Oh.
My question is would they have agreed to the Osbourne proposed package for Scotland. (Pre Swinney negotiation ) ? That’s the £7 billion question.
Stewartb @ 9.30 PM.
Re. J. Baillie.
Not really. If she continues making a fool of people with some of her profundities expecting gullible mortals to believe her, then she leaves herself wide open.
Sums up the labour party in Scotland. A bloody embarrassment.
“In a situation where Scots could only stay in one Union – either the UK or the EU – which would you vote for?”
Or perhaps…
“In a situation where Scots could only stay in one Union – either the UK or the EU and polls show a majority of Scots wish to remain in the EU and are 50-50 split on remaining in the UK – which would you vote for?”
stewartb says:
“@ G H Graham (5:34 pm)
I do have a sense of humour (really) but your particular reference to Jackie Baillie and ‘size 20’ …”
————————————–
Dress size ?
Event horizon.