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The Great Disdain Robbery

Posted on December 18, 2013 by

We bought the digital edition of the Herald today on the promise of a 20-page “Scotland Decides” pullout, and were most disgruntled to find out we’d been swindled – you get the Sport supplement with the electronic version of the paper, answering every question you could imagine about the Rangers AGM, but not the referendum one.

That meant all the content we’d paid good money for was locked behind the Herald’s online paywall, where it’s a complete chore to access from mobile devices like the iPad we’d downloaded the digital edition to, because evidently the paper holds its techno-customers in lower esteem than news-stand purchasers.

So to save anyone else the same irritation, we’ve dug out all the articles we can find from the pullout and archived them for easy access. We don’t like doing this sort of thing wholesale, but if you’re going to steal our cash on false pretences then sod you.

The secret battle for your vote: inside the campaign HQs

“The over-riding feeling when leaving the offices of YesScotland is a positive one, and that of leaving Better Together is one of anxiety.”

Nicola Sturgeon: ‘As things stand right now, it is the only plan for the future of Scotland’

“At moments like this you are glad you’re not in a televised debate with her.”

Alistair Carmichael: ‘If we leave it to politicians, it will become a pretty pointless exercise’

“If the No camp is to maintain its momentum in the court of public opinion, then the Secretary of State will have to up his game to avoid becoming a human punch-bag.”

Defence of the realm: how Scotland will protect itself is suddenly on the frontline of debate

“One central problem is there is no immediate place for Trident to go. Creating a home for it in Wales or England risks running into local opposition and potentially costing billions of pounds.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has already warned the price of any such move would be ‘enormous’, while Lord West, the former First Sea Lord, has even suggested it could trigger unilateral disarmament for the rest of the UK.”

Yes campaign struggling to attract women voters

“The polling was conducted before the publication of the SNP’s White Paper in independence, which included a headline-grabbing pledge to provide near-full-time free childcare by 2024 – a move seen as reaching out to women voters.”

The brilliant or bad may win the day

“The No side have spent much of this year emphasising the alleged uncertainties of independence, not least in a regular series of UK government White Papers on the implications and consequences of independence. Dubbed ‘Project Fear’ by the nationalist camp, the effort has evidently cut little ice with the public.”

Alexander warning on £1.6bn ‘black hole’ in spending sums

“BLACK HOLE BLACK HOLE BLACK HOLE BLACK HOLE BLACK HOLE.”

The rest of the articles don’t appear to be on the Herald website, but after a bit of hunting and a lot of messing around with an unco-operative app, we’ve managed to get the entire supplement downloaded as a PDF, so if you don’t mind reading stuff in that format we’ve uploaded the whole thing here.

scotlanddecides

Sort yourselves out, Herald digital team.

(And while we’re about it, stop sticking the Sport section in the middle of the digital edition of the Sunday Herald as well. We’re bloody sick of being interrupted in the middle of a column and suddenly made to scroll past 32 pages about bloody cycling.)

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55 to “The Great Disdain Robbery”

  1. Training Day
    Ignored
    says:

    Eh.. what is this ‘momentum’ in the No camp of which Michael Settle speaks?  Not a big fan of polls but does not every recent one show movement away from the No camp?
     
    More insidious crap from the Herald.

  2. Extreme0
    Ignored
    says:

    Could be worse. Could be over 40 pages of Golf

  3. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    From the first linked article:
     
    Over the next few months we will be introducing more targets and rewards,” says Mr Murray. “Obama pushed that. If you reach these targets of reaching the swing votes, you will get rewards. A reward could be that a local group gets a visit from Alistair Darling.”
     
    Big wow.

  4. Wee folding bike
    Ignored
    says:

    Heck I ride a bike every day but I’d never heard of Mr Wiggins till he won in France. 
     
    The Herald is trivial to circumvent. On Safari you can use private browsing, on Chrome you can go incognito. 

  5. sneddon
    Ignored
    says:

    Thanks for that Rev.  Rob Shorthouse seems to be even more delusional than McDougall.  Not running a negative campaign? None so blind as those without eyes I suppose.

  6. Illy
    Ignored
    says:

    So it’s not just “vote yes to get Trident off the Clyde”, it’s “vote yes to get the UK to get rid of it’s nukes completely”?
     
    See how much of an advantage an independant Scotland is to the rUK?  We can show a way out of the mess you’re all in!  But we can only do that if we can be different.
     
     
    I still think we should ask the locals in Cumbria, Northumberland, Newcastle and County Durham if they’d like to come with us when we go independant.

  7. big_al
    Ignored
    says:

    Excellent work with the pdf but where’s the sports section?
     
    😉

  8. Rev. Stuart Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    “on Chrome you can go incognito.”

    I didn’t know about that, and it’s very handy, so cheers! But it’s bugger-all use on iPad, which is what I was moaning about. (Unless iPad Chrome supports it, which I’m about to go and check…)

  9. Wee folding bike
    Ignored
    says:

    On iPad Chrome tap the wee horizontal lines button at the right and select new incognito tab. 

  10. Doonfooter
    Ignored
    says:

    Wee Folding Bike – thanks for the Safari private browsing tip for circumnavigating the Herald website. I’ll be cancelling my web subscription today!!

  11. Doug Daniel
    Ignored
    says:

    WOAH WOAH WOAH!!! Hold on a second here.
     
    The PDF version is very useful indeed, mainly for the “Key Figures” sections that are missing from the online version of Lucy Adams’ article. I see a certain Jim Gallagher is there as a “Director of Research” for the No campaign. Now I know fine that Jim Gallagher is a unionist, so any time I’ve seen him mentioned in the media (or given space to write an article, in some cases), I know better than to take him too seriously. But I’ve never seen him described as a “Director of Research” for the No campaign before.
     
    That’s a pretty fucking important piece of information that’s been missing from every article or media piece that’s ever used him or anything he’s done.

  12. MajorBloodnok
    Ignored
    says:

    Why do they keep on with the lie that it is the Nationalist side that called BT “Project Fear”?

  13. Wee folding bike
    Ignored
    says:

    You need to cancel Private every few articles and then turn it on again. iOS 7 makes it easier as you don’t need to use settings to turn it on/off you can stay in the browser and toggle it. 

  14. Rev. Stuart Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    “On iPad Chrome tap the wee horizontal lines button at the right and select new incognito tab. “

    So I see. Excellent! Ta!

  15. Wee folding bike
    Ignored
    says:

    Ummmmm… circumvent and circumnavigate are not the same thing. I do one, Mark Beaumont  does the other. 

  16. bannock hussler
    Ignored
    says:

    Re Illy’s comment
    I’ve a feeling that whereas previously those nearest over the border would have fought hard against Scotland having more power than they themselves would have in the Union, it is now changed days, and they are much more likely to see the sense in the Yes campaign, and support it. From their perspective, they’d be living next door to a thriving and dynamic economy, and not simply stuck at the other end of a country entirely based on the self-interest of a backward-facing and rapacious London elite. The map goes top to bottom as well as the wrong way round.

  17. Muscleguy
    Ignored
    says:

    Just a note that Firefox offers private browsing as well. Third option down from the File menu on the desktop version.

  18. Vronsky
    Ignored
    says:

    My late brother-in-law was a US businessman.  Once, walking through an airport, he bought a newspaper, flipped through the back pages, then threw it in a bin.  ‘They’re doing OK’ he said to me.  ‘Wot?’  ‘They’ve got plenty of advertising, so they’re doing OK’ he explained. 
     
    I bought a Herald the other day (relax, I’ve been to confession) and noted that by that test they are doing very badly indeed.  In general, it was pretty content-free.  I wonder how they’re kept afloat – is someone bank-rolling them just to stagger through to the referendum?

  19. David Martin
    Ignored
    says:

    The first thing I read was Mr McWhirter’s lie about Scotland being prevented from using the pound. He should know better than to conflate use of the pound with a currency union.

  20. msean
    Ignored
    says:

    “focused on the last few weeks”Is that when we get an announcement of the end of the bedroom tax?Just wondering anyway,do the homeless get to vote or do they need a permanent address in order to be registered?

  21. Illy
    Ignored
    says:

    Didn’t Firefox do private browsing first?

  22. msean
    Ignored
    says:

    llly, re cumbria,northumberland etc,it’s been before mentioned/done in history before,under kings Alexander 2nd,David 1st Robert the Bruce in some way or other.

  23. Bill McLean
    Ignored
    says:

    Vronsky – of course you have come to the correct conclusion. Don’t buy any of the papers, don’t post, don’t write to them – let them and their unionist poster friends exist in a vacuum. Still working on the better half to ditch the TV licence!

  24. Dinnatouch
    Ignored
    says:

    I originally took out a sub for the Herald’s iPhone app, but cancelled it in favour of plain online access. The app is pointless, especially since it doesn’t give you access to the comments at the end of articles 

  25. Dances with Haggis
    Ignored
    says:

    Off topic here
    How do yae get in touch with WoS in order tae draw attention tae something. I have just had to leave a possible story of interest concerning our good friend Anas Sarwar on WoS F.B page. I hope its useful.

  26. kendomacaroonbar
    Ignored
    says:

    @Dances with Haggis,
     
    erm… there’s a contact button at the top of this page ?

  27. Chic McGregor
    Ignored
    says:

    “Project Fear” was a term coined by themselves.  Bit of a history rewrite there,

  28. Rev. Stuart Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    “How do yae get in touch with WoS in order tae draw attention tae something.”

    Um, the Contact page?

    http://wingsoverscotland.com/contact/

    🙂

  29. Memphisto
    Ignored
    says:

    And so does Internet Explorer, it in the menu under “Tools” or “Safety” and it’s called InPrivate browsing
     
    In Opera it’s called “New Private Window” under the main menu

  30. muttley79
    Ignored
    says:

    Dubbed ‘Project Fear’ by the nationalist camp, the effort has evidently cut little ice with the public.”
     
    The media are lying blatantly every time they say this.  It was in the Herald’s own Sunday paper about the No campaign calling themselves Project Fear. 

  31. Michael
    Ignored
    says:

    Yes finding it difficult to attract women voters is the same as No finding it difficult to attract men. But when did we last read that?

  32. muttley79
    Ignored
    says:

    Incidentally I see Yes Scotland are over their target for the fundraising.

  33. Bugger (the Panda)
    Ignored
    says:

    @Vronsky
    I posted this on Information Retrieval thread wrt Dinwoodie

    The Herald, in those days was owned by Scottish Television.
    Today the Herald is owned by Newsquest which in turn is owned by Gannet Publishing, which a US corporation. The group publishes, amongst others, USA Today and owns a number of television franchises.Gannet Publishing is headquartered in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia and their neighbour is the CIA.
    I wonder if that could help to explain Robin Dinwoodie’s change of mantle.

  34. Rev. Stuart Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    “I originally took out a sub for the Herald’s iPhone app, but cancelled it in favour of plain online access. The app is pointless”

    Yeah, their app’s bloody awful. If I subscribe to a newspaper via a mobile device, what I want is the paper on my screen, as if I was looking at the real thing. Anything else, piss off. (I’m looking at you, The Guardian, with your ridiculously over-designed, incomprehensible mess of an app.)

  35. gordoz
    Ignored
    says:

    After Ricky Burns comments
    Rob Shorthouse = dickhead in his hometown

  36. Jingly Jangly
    Ignored
    says:

    Herald Headlines state new poll, I cant read details as I only have explorer and cant suss out how to get in without them knowing its me, (I don’t want to delete all my cookies)
    Anybody got any details?

  37. Andy-B
    Ignored
    says:

    My My My imagine a Scottish tabloid not living up to expectaions, unthinkable.
     
    On the subject of flawed tabloids the Daily (drivel) Record goes on the attack again today, with no other than the ultimate minion of journalism, David Clegg, who in all honesty, must have purchased the book book, “Journalism for Dummies” with regards to parity on the SNP Government and independence.
     
    Clegg leads of with NHS plunged into crisis (For the dramatic effect of course) in a two page spread which is almost devoted to covertly blaming the SNP for the failing  of the NHS in certain areas.
     
    Of course its left to a Dr Neil Dewhurst to explain that under funding is the REAL cause of misgivings amongst the NHS Boards, no mention is made by Clegg of the percentage of patients that are cared for within the alloted time, which of course has DRAMATICALLY risen under this SNP Government.
     
    Clegg then shifts his sights to the FM Alex Salmond with a two four inch piece on page two, regarding the FM’s expenditure during the Ryder Cup, which in parliamentary terms of cash spending is peanuts, when you consider David Cameron took 130 retinue with him tp China on a crony capitalism adventure.
     
    Finally the Daily (drivel) Record fires a parting shot, in its Record View, which of course is just an anonymous, journalist or should I say literate person as journalism rarely comes into it, who on this occasion tries desperately to link the problems of the NHS in Scotland to the independnece debate, of course, he, she or whoever penned the article fails miserably a trait common to this Trinity Mirror Group gossip rag.

  38. Arbroath 1320
    Ignored
    says:

    I see Newsnet Scotland have an article covering the magnificence or otherwise of the great Danny Alexander’s wisdom about Scotland’s potential “black hole” or not as the case may be. 😆
     
    http://newsnetscotland.com/index.php/referendum/8481-sturgeon-ridicules-treasury-funding-gap-claim-as-no-campaign-figures-veer-wildly

  39. Harry Shanks
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Jingly Jangly re: Explorer
     
    Tools>>>>Private browsing
    Or open a new tab and at bottom of window click “Start InPrivate Browsing”

  40. Training Day
    Ignored
    says:

    @Muttley
     
    Aye, and Yes Scotland owes the Rev a deal of thanks for saving them from a media disaster – not that the media will print the fact they made the target.
     
    But you ken what I mean.  Failure to meet the target would have been all over the MSM. 

  41. Rev. Stuart Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    “I wonder if that could help to explain Robin Dinwoodie’s change of mantle.”

    I think we all need to calm down a LOT about this insinuation that Robbie Dinwoodie is now some sort of Unionist stooge. I’ve seen no evidence for it.

  42. Patrick Roden
    Ignored
    says:

    The latest polls I have read had a 5% swing from No.
     
    3% to Yes and 2% from No.
     
    Of these 3% were women.
     
    So more women than men are moving towards a ‘Yes’ vote, and the BT campaign have lost 2% from ‘No’ while ‘Yes’ has gained 3%
     
    The herald are telling so many lies in these articles, it’s difficult to know where to begin.

  43. Albert Herring
    Ignored
    says:

    @Jingly Jangly
     
    Or just delete the Herald cookies.

  44. Wee folding bike
    Ignored
    says:

    I’ve not found a way to delete individual cookies on an iPad. 

  45. Rev. Stuart Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    “I’ve not found a way to delete individual cookies on an iPad.”

    It can be done – it’s buried somewhere in Settings, but it’s very very unfriendly.

  46. Illy
    Ignored
    says:

    Do you not have filesystem acess on an iPad?

  47. Chic McGregor
    Ignored
    says:

    “I see Newsnet Scotland have an article covering the magnificence or otherwise of the great Danny Alexander’s wisdom about Scotland’s potential “black hole” or not as the case may be. ”
     
    Meant to post a vid in response to someone’s vid a post or two back but forgot.
     


  48. Wee folding bike
    Ignored
    says:

    iPads hide their file system. Individual apps have access to their files and some things have the option of being opened in something else. For example if I launch Pages I get access to all my Pages files. I don’t have access to them outwith Pages. On the other hand Pages has access to my photos so I can add them to a document. 

  49. Cindie aka CR
    Ignored
    says:

    Thanks Rev for the links and PDF

  50. Boorach
    Ignored
    says:

    @ msean
     
    As many folk on here will be sick of hearing I live in a van and therefore am of no fixed abode but am on the electoral roll. Nobody is disenfranchised by not having a postal address or roof over their heads 
     
    It may involve some effort by the individual concerned as not all Registrars can do the necessary. I have to travel to Dingwall each year to renew my registration but it’s well worth the effort.
     
    The council’s local service point will point folk in the right direction. 🙂

  51. Andy
    Ignored
    says:

    They could not pay me to take the herald or Scotsman

  52. Ericmac
    Ignored
    says:

    Just a note…  a significant number of comments that were marginally critical of Magnus’s article never saw light of day.  Just noticed because I commented on the thread.  Zilch.  

  53. Ericmac
    Ignored
    says:

    @boorach we exchanged emails a few years ago… and you sent me a picture of your van and invited me in for a cuppa.  I lost your details (laptop stolen) 

    Just a quick hello again from me.  Glad to hear you are still fighting the good fight.  

  54. Boorach
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Ericmac
     
    Apologies Eric, I could tell you lots about the 50’s/60’s but.. ! However, you and any other Yesser passing through Tain would be made welcome any time and the kettle’s quite close to hand!
     
    bill_urquhart@hotmail.com

  55. dadsarmy
    Ignored
    says:

    It’s Herald policy not to allow criticism of its headlines and authors (and editorial policy). The way to do it is indirect, though at times, once a few comments have been posted, they seem to be a bit more lax. Just disagree with the headline in its substance, not to disagree with it being written. I’ve observed a lot over the months and seen comments disappear, and at times have remembered them enough to know why. Some also are for legal reasons. Robbie is no Unionist. Not even sure about Marcus to be honest, I think they just play a balanced role, and government, whatever party, is always in need of more to keep it straight.
     
    In fairness headlines have to attract attention. You don’t get readers with “price of mince goes up 1p a kilo”. You do get readers with “meat off the menu for poor families”. Of the two articles about the politician polls, the one with the more aggressive headline got about 5 times more posts and up votes.
     
    In my genuine opinion Unionist posters generally are getting rattled as they’ve no real material to post supplied by the NO campaign directly or indirectly, and I think even some of them are realising they’re talking 1p mince, and then make a meal of it. Which means we’re winning by staying calm and carrying on.



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