The news less fit to print
It’s not often that you see the same story on the front page of the i and the Financial Times. It’s even rarer – in fact, perhaps unprecedented – if that story’s about Scotland, because the otherwise-admirable mini-tabloid is barely even aware that there’s a part of the UK north of Newcastle.
(Its parent paper, the Independent, is we think unique among national UK newspapers in not even having a Scotland section, let alone a Scottish edition.)
So when it happens, you know it must be a pretty darned significant story – one which the Scottish press will be all over like a swarm of wasps at a jam-factory picnic. Right?
Sorry, readers. We don’t know what we could have been thinking.
The news that both of the institutions cited by the Treasury in support of its huge showpiece announcement today that independence would cost every family in Scotland eleventy-squinteen frillion pounds a second (or something) have angrily disowned its claims, saying their research has been “badly misrepresented” to inflate the real figures by a factor of 12 – should be a pretty easy sell.
After all, “Government tells flat-out lies about impartial experts’ evidence in order to terrify populace” would in any normal circumstances be splattered across hundreds of column inches in tabloids and broadsheets alike.
When the Scottish Government supposedly misled people over the mere existence of some evidence about EU advice in October 2012, for example, you couldn’t move in print or broadcast media for a week without tripping over a dozen furious headlines and editorials and on-air interrogations, and it still gets dragged up 19 months later.
But in a bizarre turn of events, a massive story about a lie on an enormous scale perpetrated against not only the Scottish people but two highly respected institutions, which makes the front pages of two UK papers at opposite ends of the journalism spectrum, gets completely airbrushed out of existence in Scotland’s own media.
Well, not quite “completely”, to be fair. The Herald is the only Scottish paper which does squeeze the story onto its front page, buried in a small corner where it’s sneakily underplayed as being a claim of Alex Salmond and the Scottish Government, rather than the academics themselves:
And of course the Scotsman does cover it on its inside pages:
You might have to look pretty closely to spot it, so we’ve helpfully highlighted it for you in the picture above. In the 10th paragraph of a page 7 story focusing on the Treasury’s fabricated claims, the paper squeezes in the tiniest conceivable mention, clocking in at a whopping 22 words:
There aren’t any excuses for this. The story broke conveniently at teatime – we covered it at 6pm and the Financial Times had its story up on its website, complete with quotes from both Prof. Dunleavy and the other expert, Prof. Robert Young of Western Ontario University, at 8pm – giving plenty of notice even for print editions.
Yet at the time of writing, the only Scottish articles we can find about it in print OR online are the Herald’s and this rather blandly-headlined one in the Press & Journal:
(In broadcast media, meanwhile, Scotland Tonight didn’t cover the story at all, the BBC’s shiny all-new current-affairs show Scotland 2014 restricted it to a single passing mention in a powderpuff interview with Danny Alexander, and Good Morning Scotland promised, but then didn’t deliver, an interview with Prof. Dunleavy.)
We really should be beyond surprise at this sort of thing by now, but the Scottish media keeps finding new ways to astound us. We salute its commitment. Tick tock.
.
EDIT 4.40pm: The editor of the Scottish Daily Mail has contacted us to note that the paper DID cover the story on inside pages, and quite prominently.
Hold the front page [except for readers in Scotland]
I’ve just linked to the LSE story on the BBC website. Thumb it up everyone!
forgot the link to the original story …
link to uk.finance.yahoo.com
“… mini-tabloid is barely even aware that there’s a part of the UK north of Newcastle.”
Let’s hope there will soon be no UK north of Newcastle.
yep we truley live in the matrix, follow the rabbit?
This whole story is 2-2.5 days old already – although there has been the Times piece published and the public comments of the academics involved in the report rubbishing the findings there is no proper representation of all this important information.
The best thing is to use this information and point it out to undecideds, soft no voters and those sitting on the fence.
Make a case that they are being fed information/opinion from Westminster and the ‘Independent’ press. People should be questioning why they are not being given real facts and information by the BBC and the wider press. Remember the BBC quotes the wider press and uses them for opinion pieces all the time.
BBC and co got UKIP elected in Scotland last week so they are certainly not going to report colossal UKOK corruption like this. They cant bring themselves to even mention the academic complaining about bettertogether liars to start with. Dark days ahead for Scottish democracy.
link to bbc.co.uk
And now i know why they took the firearems off us 30 years ago, im sorry but if theirs a no vote theirs going to be alot of bad feeling towards the lies that have been put apon us.
Scottish journalists are what you term “unionist scum”. Yes I think that is the correct use of the phrase.
I wonder if the MSM is like the smutty books in 1984?
Not to worry, that fancy knew politics show BBC Scotland is puting out is sure to cover it in depth, well maybe!
I would like to know what price was put on the betrayal of the Scottish people.What galls me the most is the scots mps and journalists part in this.
Gillie @12.24
My description of them is a shower of lying twisted anti Scottish bastards..may they rot in hell the lot of them..feckin annoy me…xxx
Just been round to my old 80 year old fathers and suggested he could put his rarely used ipad to good use, and that Wings would be a site worth keeping tabs on.
As he is a DR reader, this article will be an eye opener to start him off!
Even Radio 4 led with this story,and with a quote from John Swinney at that. This is disgraceful, almost worthy of Goebbels himself.
Brilliant Rev.
We are winning.
Danny Alexander should resign over this
and then Carmicheal and then Clegg.
Liars – all.
Wait, what? Katie kicks out Kieran?
And he runs home to Mum?
The Scottish MSM there.
R4 are discussing this after one there contact is here.
link to bbc.co.uk
The media are criminal liars. Do not buy their sh@t and don’t visit their sites.
They are all trying to pretend the Independence campaign isn’t happening.
The problem is that Labour in particular is going along with all the information, knowing it is misinformation.
They still don’t want to accept that if there is a Yes, then what we all think and want will be important for Scotland, but if there is a No, what No or Yes want will have no relevance to what Westminster decides for the next X number of years and parliaments.
A Labour administration in Holyrood or/and Labour Councils would stand no chance against a Tory Westminster.
Journalism in Scotland is, with few exceptions, populated by people who take the money and do not care what shite they produce to get it.
Oh, I understand the BBC. I’ve been referring to that as the state broadcaster, with all the negative Communist state propaganda station connotations, for several years now. They cheer and ignore news depending on instruction, or even just doing what they know the UK Government will like. They are about as trustworthy as a bloke climbing out of your living room window with your laptop saying he’s only there to test your locks.
The rest of them, well, they’re not funded by taxation like the BBC is, (anyone think the TV licence ISN’T a tax? Think about that, please) so they’re not bound to support the UK government by ignoring big, obvious stories like ‘The UK Treasury is lying to you.’ And while they are not funded by the UK Government, they are most certainly owned by people who are friends with people in the UK Government… and ultimately, editors do what they’re told or ‘we can always get another editor who will.’
We have been lied to about oil. We have been lied to about subsidy. We have been lied to about defence.
What does it take to make the people of Scotland be angry? We have been lied to for decades about how poor we are, and how we couldn’t support ourselves, and how the oil is running out in the 1980’s, 1990’s, 2000’s, 2010’s (amend as appropriate for your latest unfounded piece of scare story bullshit.)
Why are we sitting here, in the majority, fat dumb and happy about being LIED to for all that time? Other countries would be off their backsides out on the streets shouting about it.
Westminster lies. That should be on the lips of every Yes activist. Because there’s no shortage of proof if you need to back that statement up. They are certainly lying now, because ‘a currency zone will be very difficult, and we’ll guarantee more powers if you just vote no.’ That last one is recycled from 1979. It was a lie then; it’s a different Tory saying it today but no more trustworthy than the last one. It is a lie now. If we vote no they’ll assume we’ll just take whatever punishment they mete out. More powers?
Only way to get more powers, guaranteed, is to stick your mark in the Yes box on September the 18th.
Scotland has been lied and shit on by UK, and with the advent of social media, which they cannot control, they think ostricisation and allienation on the so called CyberNats is the way forward, the British establishment is doomed in Scotland
I see the BBC have picked this up and are running a delightfully balanced piece on how everyones figures are deemed circumspect.
Classic beeb, means you cant accuse them of not covering it even if its not covered correctly!
I laughed at Danny Alexander standing in front of a board covered in ‘1400’, does Gerard Butler know he didnt make the sequel?
Nothing changes Westminster has been lying to Scotland for over 300 hundred years and old habits are hard to break.
LibDems in meltdown as Oakeshott resigns. Does Oakeshott not bankroll the LibDem Party? Poor too weak, too stupid Danny’s figures. Sniggers.
It’s wrong to mock and blame the people of Scotland like that Peter. BBC in Scotland is all about power and control. They know how to wield power and news blackouts like this are one of the BBC biggest weapons. If you don’t read the Independent or WOS, how on earth can you know about this BBC blackout for starters? Propagandists for the UK are having a field day in Scotland.
Ill researched ‘journalsts’ talking/writing themselves out of a job. Press in meltdown. The lies are all over Sky, BBC Internet. Even less readers/viewers.
@ken500
Most worrying thing about that is the Oakeshott poll asking “Would Lib Dem votes improve if Danny as in charge?”
The answer came back “Anyone would be better than Clegg”
As the Rev was needing the front page of the Scottish Daily Express for this article I popped out to the wee shop. Nice Sri Lankan lady sez ‘Amber Leaf?’, I nods trying to appear nonchalant under the scrutiny of a dozen ceiling CCTV cameras.
‘Is that all?’, she says looking at the newspaper and my embarrassed face. I felt like I was buying a Lads Mag. Wish I had now.:-)
did I notice in the P&J a challenge from “Pint of bitter …together”newcomer
Nigel Farage “challenging” The First Minister to a debate?
What an opportunity to totally embarrass David
Cameron the “real leader” of the “NO” campaign.
A S should accept this challenge and let’s have
The debate on UK television live.
Perhaps the opening question should be on
Scotland’s position in Europe.
Followed by ukip’s policy on abolishing out Edinburgh
Parliament.
It would be a huge boost to “yes Scotland” to
View an “international class” politician win a head
To head debate with “Cameron’s new front man”l
Re the BBC getting UKIP elected; please have a look at Subrosa, link to subrosa-blonde.blogspot.co.uk and comments, where she has an alternative view on this. We should consider the unpalatable, that Scots actually voted for UKIP because of keenly held reasons.
This is the most galling dereliction of journalistic principles yet. The MSM really do not realise that their antics are being exposed minute by minute, day by day, at meeting after meeting, on the doorstep, at work, rest and play, as well as on Twitter and Facebook.
The day of reckoning is beckoning and the MSM will pay the price in so may ways.
We will prevail!
Don’t. Not Danny. Gie’s peace. It’s enough to make folk emigrate. Vote YES
A totally corrupt and sleaze filled Organisation inevitably collapses under the weight of its own putrefaction! I keep believing good old fashioned Shame will kick in, but perhaps I’m being naive!
As Chomsky said, 80% of the population needs to be fed trash like this in order to distract them from thinking how bad their lot is. This being the case the remaining 20% who DO take an interest ( and the top movers and shakers who really control us ) have but a few weeks now to make the difference.
Shall be sharing this with my elderly parents, who still believe that “it’s the BBC, so it must be telling the truth”!
Re. the Sarah Smith show last night. I had high hopes for this; I thought Sarah was good when on C4News, but this was embarrassing! So dumbed down! How is this supposed to inform voters?! It’s just going to turn people off (or maybe that’s the point?)
Also, this morning I received a letter from Better Together. How did they get my name & address?! Are they writing to everyone on the voter’s roll? As far as I’m aware, I’d opted out of the bit where companies can buy your name & address for marketing purposes, or do political parties/entities not count?
Also, re Counting House – really wish I could come to a meet up, but with young kids, it’s kind of difficult. Are there any family get togethers? Have I missed anything?
Well what do you know, Prof Young in Canada, that Sec State Alexander kept quoting for UK.gov multi billion setup costs, says Alexander/UK.gov are,lying about his research too. Be interesting watching what ever Sarah Smith thinks she’s doing on BBC newsnicht tonight covering this ginormous BetterTogether fraud on Scotland.
After listening to Ivan McKee & Murdo Fraser on BBC radio Scotland (John Beattie). It would seem that the BBC favours to pitch one side against the other and not have any real probe into either sides claims.
Ivan was excellent against Murdo’s content rubbish – the man really knows his stuff and does not stand for any shit.
Going to hear Ivan speak live next week – really looking forward to the experience.
BBC comments on this story have now closed after it was being swamped with people quoting Prof Dunleavy’s rebuff.
It really is the BBC trying to close down the debate if they cannot control the outcome!
O/T, I’ve just read on the Biased Broadcasting Corporation’s website that the Home of Scottish Rugby is to be renamed “BT Murrayfield Stadium” – How appropriate!
Sorry, can’t do links.
Rather tricky for the inherently corrupt to chastise the openly corrupt.
I can only assume the BBC Scotland plan is to continue their campaign for a NO vote and then if they succeed, say that the “Scotland 2014” has been unsuccessful.
They then get rid of that but do not re-instate “Newsnight Scotland”-job done!
BBC News presents the two arguments as merely opposing sides – no mention of the deliberately corrupted calculations of the LSE by the Treasury.
Well at least it is now a little clearer to everyone that the Emperor has no clothes – because he has just shat himself and created quite a stink!
(Shat is used here in it’s scientific and technical application. I couldn’t possibly be vulgar or anything, now could I?)
I have watched Lorna Gordons broadcasts all morning, for the BBC, and not once has she mentioned the discrediting of the UK treasury figures. She portrays each sides claims with equal validity.
I assume she will feature well on the 6 o’clock news.
If the MSM succeed in conning the people into voting No, can we think of a bigger swindle that will have been perpetrated?
Apart from 1979? Oh, and 1707?
In event of a NO vote, something I do not foresee but should this unlikely thing happen one thing must happen in Scotland. No hiding place for any of those who have lied or cheated the people, I rarely advocate violence but I think they are asking for a doing.
Don’t think we should fall into the trap of violence, Bateman suggests non payment of the licence fee by 100,000 should do the trick, but if there is a NO, then mobilisation of circa 1.5m bods should concentrate some minds.
The BBC are well aware that Better Together’s arguments fall apart under the slightest scrutiny. So what we’ll see in the ‘balanced’ run-in is a concerted attempt by the state broadcaster to portray each side as being as bad/mendacious/confusing as the other (other posters have indicated that’s the tack on the lunchtime news today) and hope against hope that that will persuade enough folk to stick with what they know.
Our friends at Pacific Quay are nothing if not predictable.
North chiel says:
28 May, 2014 at 12:57 pm
did I notice in the P&J a challenge from “Pint of bitter …together”newcomer
Nigel Farage “challenging” The First Minister to a debate?
What an opportunity to totally embarrass David
Cameron the “real leader” of the “NO” campaign.
A S should accept this challenge and let’s have
The debate on UK television live.
Perhaps the opening question should be on
Scotland’s position in Europe.
Followed by ukip’s policy on abolishing out Edinburgh
Parliament.
It would be a huge boost to “yes Scotland” to
View an “international class” politician win a head
To head debate with “Cameron
_______________________________________________________
The First Minister and an MEP from England – I don’t think so. Elevated so, Farrage couldn’t lose.
And it would let Cameron off the hook.
So that’s a No from me then.
So last night Danny Alexander kept quoting Prof Young and his Scotland/Quebec comparators but today not even the hootsman can stomach this level of Westminster fraud, which is very weird too.
link to archive.today
@North Cheif
Alex should stay well away from engaging with Farage. Its best to just let the wee daft dugs yelp when the fights with the man that holds the leash.
Our argument is with Westminster.
Alex can misquote Midge Ure and Ultravox and sing “Farage means nothing to me, oh wee Nigel”
@Giving Goose 28 May, 2014 at 12:58 pm
Re: Subrosa, link to subrosa-blonde.blogspot.co.uk
I’d have a lot more respect for those “keenly held reasons” if there had not been so much distortion and outright lies in the press and on the BBC about immigrants.
Whenever I see/hear real reports which quote sources and the actual statistics (which never ever gets the same exposure as the lurid tabloid pieces) I understand why people hold these opinions.
An absolute gem of a scything review of the state broadcasters new ‘in-depth’ politics show which started last night, by Paul Kavanagh,AKA ‘wee ginger dug’.
With reference to the BBC’s Ken McDonald’s lack of ability at satire, he writes:
“Ken really ought to stick to the science stuff, because political satire is clearly not his strong point. Maybe he ought to stick to doing jokey wee segments about topics he’s more familiar with like – What’s the difference between the Large Hadron Collider and BBC Scotland’s referendum coverage? One is a ruinously expensive attempt to smash matter into nothingness, the other is a scientific experiment. See Ken, it’s not that hard, and you won’t piss off half your potential audience. Just some geeks in Geneva who’ll zap you with a scary death ray and try to suck you into a black hole, but real comedy isn’t without risks.”
Marvellous stuff. Unlike the BBC’s atrocious new ‘in-depth’ political programme.
Source: link to newsnetscotland.com
@ Bunter, NO I don’t want violence but I am being sorely tempted. I do agree with non payment of the licence fee though and will be doing so shortly. I no longer buy newspapers seldom if anything watch the BBC and that is only for the weather, and giving up on that as well. Politics on the Beeb, I would rather watch paint dry.
Training Day says:
28 May, 2014 at 1:19 pm
Our friends at Pacific Quay are nothing if not predictable
__________________________________________________________
Our friends at Pacific Quay are nothing if not despicable.
I refer in particular to Ken McQuarrie (Director)
and John Boothroyd(News)
The term BBC is like Harry Potter’s cloak of invisibility.
If Messrs McQuarrie & Boothroyd want to act like enemies of the people, then they ought to be visible to the people.
Daring Doo Doo Danny Alexander the most Senior Scottish Minister in the UK Gov, quik contact D. C .Thomson he would make a great cartoon charicter.
Hope this is the start of the domino effect.
link to scotsman.com
BBC in Scotland finally reporting news as its happening and not as they wish it was.
link to bbc.scotlandshire.co.uk
I think this story was the real test of the Scottish media.
This story was out with the claim of either side in Scotland. Here we had government officials distorting an academic report to mislead the public…something that has not been see since..well, the IRAQ was I suppose!
The government of the day are prepared to lie.
The MSM will support that lie and cover it up if discovered.
Keep this story live. Circulate it as wide as posiible.
Use the university claim not that of others. The key message is the distorion of an academic report by the government and their rejection of the claim.
Adam Boulton on SKY trying to shut Swinney up from mentioning the LSE professors statement regards the UK Treasury.
They are all at it!
Scything? Scathing?
They were discussing this on the John Beattie show! Ivan McKee did a great job in putting down Murdo Fraser . However Beattie managed to take away his glory by reading texts that said that people don’t want to hear Two men bickering ! So when the YES side put up a good argument , they are bickering!!! That’s the Beeb for you!
Archie not Erchie
I reckon you deserve a medal for actions over and above the call of duty for that!
‘bjsalba says:
28 May, 2014 at 1:21 pm
@Giving Goose 28 May, 2014 at 12:58 pm
Re: Subrosa, link to subrosa-blonde.blogspot.co.uk ‘
I have just read Subrosa’s blog on SNP/AS’s view on EU and do feel she may have a point that SNP should consider some sort of discussion/or whatever after Independence on the membership of EU or the possibility of joining some other some trade-type body (EFTA?); rather than giving the impression we are being led by the nose into the EU, which certainly needs major structural overhaul. This indeed could help the Yes cause, as I believe this is putting off some people even thinking of voting Yes.
Remember last year, the people of England being asked to “pick up the phone, give the Scots a call, tell them they’re wanted”
Now im thinking, ‘If only we knew some English folk going to World Cup and get them to promote “YES”‘.
Now that would be great coverage!
@Gillie
“Scottish journalists are what you term “unionist scum”. Yes I think that is the correct use of the phrase.”
Aww, come on now. That’s a horrible insult to all unionist scum!
I see the Express is doing a bit of a shout-out for the folks at UKIP there.
And the Daily Hate-Mail is picking on obese people apparently…
I’m sure both of those no-doubt extremely important smear campaigns are much higher priority than letting the world know that the Treasury trying to rip off the population of Scotland.
(Folks in Scotland are of course well aware that the Treasury is trying to rip them off, since that happens just about every day!)
Is it just bad journalism not to spot a story which deserves to be heard, or is it conspiracy to deceive the Scottish people by omitting negative stories about BT/UKOK/NOP/Westmidden ? Or, is it both?!
Thing is, everyone of a Unionist persuasion, who wants to keep their precious Union, realises that if it is Yes in September it’s all over for them – the ba’s on the slate. They will lie, cheat, deceive … scratch and bite …. to the bitter end. Nothing should surprise us now.
desimond says:
‘If only we knew some English folk going to World Cup and get them to promote “YES”‘.
We often hear it said they there are those in England who want to see us go! Perhaps the more they express that opinion, the better.
This is BBC Scotland’s Economics Correspondence, broadcasting her economics judgements to Scotland on today’s UK economics statement!
Seems BBC Scotland is only good for second rate broadcasters.
She’s another London cub reporter, but even worse not even any economics qualifications but a POLITICS degree, and she’s got Northern Ireland family connections.
They’re coming out of the woodwork.
Are the BBC up to their Establishment tricks.
Loading the dice again.
You couldn’t make it up.
“Colletta Smith is BBC Northern Ireland’s Business Reporter. Originally from York, she presents the business news on Good Morning Ulster on Radio Ulster and has been with the station for the last two years.”
How did you get started in journalism?
“I’d like to say it was through careful career planning, but like most people’s careers, it was down to getting the right qualifications, doing unpaid work experience, and a good slice of luck. Having graduated with a degree in POLITICS at Durham and realised I was qualified for nothing, I decided doing a postgraduate course at City University in London in BROADCAST JOURNALISM would be a much better route into journalism.”
“I managed to wangle my way into answering the phones for the Jeremy Vine show on BBC Radio 2 and Up All Night on BBC Radio 5 Live. I then got paid work for the Daily Telegraph online in London and then moved on to Newcastle to work on the Politics Show covering the North East of England.”
What brought you to Northern Ireland?
“BBC Northern Ireland was running a production trainee scheme that wasn’t anywhere else within the BBC. I have family over here, and thankfully BBC Northern Ireland let me in. It’s certainly always referred to as a great place to really learn your trade as a journalist and that’s what I was keen to do.”
link to agendani.com
ps. Saw Danny Alexander on SKY today answering questions on the current UK economics statement, from an audience of reporters.
His face flushed and sweaty. I can see he’s not
good at lying, and its not comfortable for him, and he doesn’t know his brief.
I predict he will be gone soon.
Danny Alexander, speaking on behalf of David Cameron & George Osborne, emphasised Scotland’s declining oil reserves which of course means we’re going to end up poor without it. Danny should have read the Shetland Times:-
“Over the last 40 years preliminary surveys have shown that there are huge reserves of oil/gas to be recovered; in fact one of the largest oil/gas basins in the world lies off Lewis. Some oil men conservatively predict that in these western fields there are greater reserves of oil/gas than the whole of the North Sea, including the Norwegian sector and the gas fields of the southern North Sea put together.
If we are not careful we will be done out of our natural resources in exactly the same way as happened after the McCrone report in the 1970s. A report that Denis Healey quite recently freely admitted that both Labour and Tories had misled the people of Scotland.
So let’s cut out the crap and the sophistry that the oil is declining and make it quite clear that once again Westminster has its greedy eyes on these vast untapped resources to dig them out of another hole just as Thatcher did in the 1980s.
Charlie Gallagher in The Shetland Times
Danny is hoping, as is David and George, that if he says nothing about West Coast Oil & Gas, then just like last time, Westminster can get it’s hands on Scotland’s oil & gas and keep it for themselves and for their pals in the City.
WAKE UP Scotland and vote Yes for Independence and to keep West Coast Oil & Gas.
who was it that said “Never let the truth get in the way of a good story” should also have said when its a bad story hide it and Then the bbc could have replaced “And nation shall speak unto nation!”
O/T I know my wife just had letter from Better together
its return freepost and says a stamp is not required but using one would say us money Well sorry to all at better together I dont have any stamps to spare, but I do have a
BOX OF 1000 envelopes that were faulty.. no gum on the flap so they are useless to me and I also have a label printer that can fair churn out labels with no thanks to
Better together,
FREEPOST RTAU-ZCRB-TELS
5 BLYTHSWOOD SQUARE, GLASGOW G2 4AD
What a great hobby I have keeping the post office in work it gives me a warm glow just thinking about it!
Danny Alexander, he’s like the band on the Titanic, has he no shame, his political career is screaming towards the buffers yet he is willing to prostitute himself for a lost cause by lying about the country of his births future, what do his parents/brothers or sisters feel seeing him lie time & again about the future of the country he was born & nurtured in, does he not give his family’s pride a thought ? shame on him & his ilk
As I have said before, a Yes vote in September will say as much about Scots’ rejection of the “Union” as it will about their rejection of the BBC and print media, so much so that hopefully in an Independent Scotland we’l be rid of this incompetent, deceitful bunch of liars and replace them with a proper insightful, investigative brand of journalism with Wings as the torchbearer!
Hmmm…It would seem the tories have manipulated the Oakeshott poll and are getting rid their enemy Cable.
No fan of his but it gives them clearance to pursue a more right wing agenda.
After Scotland does vote YES, same UKOK media liggers will merely be fighting for rUK interests in Scotland, give England fair share of oil, keep Trident for your own good silly Scottish types etc plus they’ll be attacking everything and anything Scots.gov does til end of time. They’ll even be trying to get JoJo Lamont as FM but how Labour in Scotland expect to win power again after independence is anyone’s guess. “Vote Labour and reunite with your brothers and sisters in London”
link to news.uk.msn.com
Apart from their spelling I think they missed out on the real news – the Treasury/Government being strangers to the truth(no, sorry that is not news) and being reported as such (which is news – if you don’t read Sites like this)
Meanwhile in France, A new formed political party, called Novelle Donne, has announced that it is taking two television channels and the French Government to the European Court of Human Rights because they did not respect equal balance and plurality in their coverage of the EU Parliamentary elections.
They managed to get two seats in Bruxelles on more than 2% of the national vote, (which makes them bigger than the Libdems?)
So there is a way to challenge the BBC? However it probably means that Yes Scotland and the SNP / Greens and Labour for Independence would need to file the complaint at the European Court of Human Rights.
AS has ducked that one so far and Blair Jenkins seems singularly lukewarm to challenging his old employer and presumably pension provider, the BBC? That is to say except by way of the BBC Trust who refer it back to BBC Scotland who refer it back to the Trust who seem uninterested.
Time to get the gloves off and the tackity bits on First Minister
bigGpolmont
Belter.
Going out to buy some envelopes.
At least Scottish cinema chains have had the good sense to stop showing VNOB ads. Allegedly it was in response to booing and complaints. People power can win the day!
We Are All Bourgeois Now says:
“Are there any family get togethers?”
There’s Yes in the Park:
“It will be a fun-filled family day out, featuring a mix of prominent speakers supporting the Yes campaign, and a variety of live music. There will be stalls offering information, goods for sale and face painting, a beer tent and food stand, with plenty more food choices at M&Ds, Scotland’s theme park, which is located next to our event.”
link to yesinthepark.net
Gerry Parker and Ronnie (with others) are organising a Wings stall for this. Unfortunately I won’t be there as I’ll be away when it happens.
Sounds dramatic and petty, but I will give serious consideration to leaving Scotland if a No vote is returned. The wife is keen on a move to Oz and has been for years.
That will be a lot harder to resist if cowardice wins the day.
Lockie: Danny Alexander is like the Titanic sinking not the band who struggled against the odds by playing to keep morale up.
Why on earth are there surprise and outrage at the behaviour of Scottish broadcasters, newspapers and journalists? There ought only to be a wry acknowledgement that this is how the world works in 2014’s version of East Germany. People in the GDR knew they were being fed crap, but at least they had TV and radio from the west that they could tune into for news. The FT and ‘i’ are today fulfilling the role carried out by ARD and ZDF up until 1990. If only both papers could do that on a daily basis…
goldenayr 205
Glad you like it. try to buy the cheapest that way you can afford twice as many and you can always write the address
apparently bt has to pay between 30p and 33p each for the honour of getting each empty envelope that will whack their budget down a bit but as soon as they catch on they will change the address.
I’ve got my Lithuanian builder round taking of the slates and replacing them with thatch. Got to be ready.
Did you ever get those posters that you wanted the other week?
What were they even for?
@bigGpolmont
I must say that looks like a very fruitful and rewarding hobby. It could catch on.
BigGpolmont@2.02pm
Cheers for the freepost address..got a pile of junk mail I need shot off..any guesses where its heading ?…xxx
Required neutral observers immediately
I think that this shows that they (Brit. establishment) are getting very close to completely blowing it.
Mis-quoting foreign politicians is easier to brush aside as diplomatic considerations prevent the maligned politico getting too vocal.
Misrepresenting Mark Carney is foolish and unlikely to endear him but as governor of BoE he is not very likely to make a row out of it. Although judging from this:-
link to theguardian.com
he cannot be too enamored of the British Way.
The Fiscal Commission Group must be getting pretty fed up with hearing all this ‘uncosted’ stuff.
Using academics like this a very dangerous game.
These people have international and peer respect to consider. They will not allow their reputations to be trashed.
Got a nice letter from Sophie aged 19 with her picture in the top right hand corner. ‘Sob’ it would bring a tear to a glass eye about why she’s voting ‘NO’.
Face looks familiar, need to look back at the VNB photies.
Asked me to fill in her wee survey on one side of A4 which folds into a SAE and pop it in the post…Aaaah!
Minute small tick box in the footer which if you don’t tick puts you on a circulation list for Tories, Labour and Lib/Dems data base. Begging for funds and foot soldiers.
Survey 4Q’s not worth mentioning.
Printed by http://www.treehouseprint.co.uk for Blair McDougal.
I didn’t realise that the i had a Scottish edition, but this front page is different from the one on the BBC website’s paper review.
link to bbc.co.uk
The stories around the edge are all the same, but the main headline is “5 million children facing life of poverty”, and there’s no mention of the LSE story.
The decision of the editors of the newspapers highlighted in the images above not to run with what, to most people, is a story breathtaking in its attempt to deliberately misrepresent the work of an academic should not be forgotten. Even if (a big if, granted) there are journalists providing copy that stress Dunleavy’s anger at his work being misrepresented, it still has to pass over the editor’s desk. Shame on them. Danny Alexander however, in continuing to deny the facts, is beyond shame.
@ Hewitt83, you could go to Australia but if bettertogether wins, Scots will be a world wide joke and for a generation at least. Even “proud Scot but” types are going to get it.
@bigGpolmont
One could always put a slip of paper with something like “encl: UKOK dividend.”
O/T – Just an aside parting OakenShott for ‘Beaker’
Good news for SNP.
Danny Alexander’s constituency of Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey – polling by ICM.
The results are not only a horror show for Alexander, but they’re also yet another body-blow for Labour, who on paper ought to be the lead challengers in the seat.
Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey voting intention for Westminster general election (percentage changes are from 2010 election) :
SNP 32% (+13)
Labour 25% (+3)
Liberal Democrats 16% (-25)
Conservatives 12% (-1)
UKIP 7% (+6)
Greens 4% (+2)
Others 3% (+1)
(Info – From Scot goes pop!)
galamcennalath
“If only we knew some English folk going to World Cup and get them to promote “YES”‘.”
What a magic idea.
OT but I love the poll stats Oakeshott commissioned for Beaker’s constituency. 32% SNP, 25% Labour & 16% LibDems
He’s toast & his only hope now is that Gideon & Dave reward him with ermine for services to Unionism.
I do hope he’s remembered with the contempt he deserves, for he is venal self-serving scum.
nice headline metro
its free on all the public transport networks
If the experts poring over the Scotsman’s books to try to find out where it went wrong have a moment to spare, maybe a quick read of this article would help.
apologies its independent I
which no one reads ( : > (
If the Matrix was to assign a flavour to Scottish journalists, what flavour would they be?
I think Chicken with more than a hint of cow pat would suit them rather nicely but it could easily be something less edible.
Has anyone heard anything of Douglas Fraser, he normally loves to give his view on anything to do with the Treasury.
@heedtracker
All Scots emigrating after a NO vote can choose to have the word REJECT on their British passport
Simon Johnson : Telegraph Scottish Political Editor
link to telegraph.co.uk
Is this guy up for a knighthood – he should be !!
@Indy_Scot
link to twitter.com
Politics Scotland is covering it just now on BBC2 with Andrew Kerr.
Think of all the money BT have spent on launching full page ads today based on Danny’s treasury bumf. All of that cash completely pished up against a wall. Torn apart by their assumption that no one in the LSE might take exception to having their work misrepresented.
Car crash.
I read a post a few days back indicating Mr Fraser was unwell.
I am sure we all wish him well health wise
Danny Alexander is like a man who is trying to persuade his country cousin to part with his winning Lottery Millions ticket on the grounds that sharing and pooling together is the best way forward.
Danny continues to do this for two reasons:-
1. He has no choice as his mortgage depends on it
2. The cousin’s swithering
Conclusion:- Danny’s a complete arse and the cousin has learning difficulties.
Vote Yes
We are back in the world of interpreting BT speak arent we:
When you read COULD, it really means WONT etc
Ever Decreasing Circles: it was a piss poor comedy then, and its a piss poor comedy now.
@ desimond, It doesn’t bare/bear thinking about. But see the Reverend is currently running rings round the Head of Statistics for BBC News twerp right the noo on twitter. What a bunch they are. I was at school with a guy who’s now quite high up in BBC Wales now and he’s another thick pompous arse too just like that guy.
@heedtracker
No coincidence!
Establishment – an anagram of Shit Men Stable
As we know BBC2’s new *ahem* flagship programme at 10:30 tonight, Scotland2014, really put Danny Alexander on the spot over the report that next to no one wants to report last night. So tonight apparently they will be interviewing a spokesperson, as announced last night, from the Scottish government about this report tonight. I wonder if they will get the same level of *cough* vigorous questioning.
Meanwhile, over on STV for those lucky enough to recive STV, Scotland Tonight will have an audience of undecideds tonight appatently asking questions to Blair Jenkins and *ahem* Jim Murphy. I wonder wehy Murphy is on on, oh wait a minute I’ve got it Blair McDougall is too feart to face Blair Jenkins cause B.J. makes him, B.M., look a complete idiot!
@Lesley-Anne
Blair’s probably having an important BT meeting round at his place with John McTernan to discuss John’s new strategy of blocking cybernats on twitter to win the referendum
Professor Patrick Dunleavy of the London School for Economics (LSE) told RIA Novosti “the UK Treasury haven’t yet apologised to us for misrepresenting the numbers.”
link to en.ria.ru
Please folks if you are going to send better together their freepost letters back to them dont send abuse or dog shit or anything like that its probably poor wee sophie (19) thats opening the mail you wouldnt want someone sending your daughter abuse would you? the constant no thanks will be enough but please do tell all your friends and family about the joys of freepost I just popped out to buy some more envelopes and found that a local stationer is closing down when he asked why all the envelopes I told him and he said special closing down offer buy one get five free and then chucked in a box of labels and two ink cartidges
I am going to have to take trips to Glasgow and Edinburgh tonight or BT will not bother picking up the mail from FK postcodes
So RIANovosti can give this story depth and analysis on their world section and the Daily Record run with War Vet Micky. Guess that tells us all we need to know about the Scottish press.
Quite disgraceful that the BBC website is portraying this story as simply “rival views”.
@X-Sticks:
““Are there any family get togethers?”
There’s Yes in the Park”
Thanks! Shall check that out! Near to me as well! I’ve always been a bit wary of taking children along to political events, demos etc, but this is too important regarding their future. My 15 yr old is gutted he has missed out on a vote by a few months, but he’s helping to persuade his grandparents towards Yes!
As someone commented on another site: “If they were as good at predicting the last 20 years, as they think they are with the next 20, we maybe could have avoided the crash. What utter rubbish from Westminster.”
Looks like there is a column inch on it, bottom left hand side (right as you look at it) on the P&J FP. Easily missed, but.
The bbc is still reporting these lies as fact, just heard on radio6 that it will cost every Scott an extra 10 grand a year after independence! we just can not trust the news anymore or westminster either! Meh!
No surprise there then, that the so called “National Press” conveniently overlooked, the falsified figures of the Westminster Treasury. Regarding those imaginary figures plucked out of thin air, Ivan McKee and our old but notorious friend Murdo Fraser went head to head, on Radio Scotland’s Johnnie Beattie show.
There was a real ding dong,between Ivan and Murdo, and Johnnie Beattie didn’t break them up, Ivan let it all out regarding those botched figures on a start up cost of an independent Scotland. Murdo tried to counter but Ivan, delivered the Coup De Grace quoting the Treasury’s own experts.
link to bbc.co.uk
Gordoz shocking, looks like on those stats it was the Liberals that voted in the Right UKIP.
just watched taped 2014- sarah
thoughts
1.programme was more breakfast/lunchtime viewing
2.i prefer hard hitting factual questions–gordon brewer
3.someone commented on twitter–loose women style–nailed it.
4.will be watching scotland tonight stv from now on
X_Sticks says:
@Lesley-Anne
Blair’s probably having an important BT meeting round at his place with John McTernan to discuss John’s new strategy of blocking cybernats on twitter to win the referendum
Aye I saw that last night.
I was tempted to tweet back to him, McTernan, something so I could get blocked but then thought “hang on a minute I don’t follow this twat so I’m not going to waste my time.” Thinking about it now it might still have been fun to do and finish off with something like “don’t bother blocking me cause I blocked you first!” 
As far as McDougall is concerned it is either a meeting with McTernan or Lamont to discuss the utterly fantastic job she did on Scotland Tonight last night.
O/T but here’s a good example of the red/blue distract and divide paradigm in action.
Osborne & Balls BOTH attending this year’s Bilderberg meeting
link to zerohedge.com
As is for some reason John Kerr, deputy chairman Scottish Power.
bookie from hell
Loose Beesoms, on a red couch with political guests?
O/T Rev, I do apologise.
The FT taking a middle of the road approach to both sets of figures produced by Holyrood and Westminster,though I did chuckle at the line: “Danny Alexander, a Lib/Dem weened in the highlands on Irn-Bru and Cheesy Wotsits”.
link to ft.com
Re the new badges:
Is a “lert” similar to a “lot”?!
We will see if the “sarah smith show” mentions westminster lies tonight,quite honestly im giving this so called scottich news show a week and then cancelling my licence fee!
Also on a happier note,i see people power has lead to cinemas across Scotland pulling all Ref.adverts.This was probably due to the lieing VNB ones i guess,and although it will effect the YES ones as well I dont have a problem with that.
Alexander has lied about the oil (diminishing apparently – its OK Danny we remember the McCrone report) Lied about the actual figures, deliberately manipulated the data provided by the LSE and has cheek to come to Scotland and tell us we’d be better off in the UK – I am normally pretty sane, but I may be ragin’ mad by the 18th September if media don’t start reflecting at least the 50% view of the referendum.
How did the debate go last night? Was Johann astonished? I forgot about it but to be honest, after last time, I wasn’t really up for a repeat hour of shouting and lunacy.
Haha,
Can anyone see an exodus of Libdems moving towards the yes camp? Seems they are finished for the foreseeable future, in Westminster anyway.
galamcennalath says
“At least Scottish cinema chains have had the good sense to stop showing VNOB ads. Allegedly it was in response to booing and complaints. People power can win the day!”
But remember, they got their message out, but now the cinema’s have banished ALL political ads before the yes campaign had their chance, so its one up for no borders in my book!
I may be imagining things but Danny looks like someone who has given in to the dark side and now struggles to control the impulse to be a total Tory. I could easily see him drifting into a safe Tory seat in the Home Counties. His bridges are burnt.
Sorry to be O/T.
My wife has recently started to receive mail from BT asking her to get involved in their campaign. She has never shown any interest in them, and in fact is an independence supporter.
Yet I have received nothing. Is this because I’m registered with Yes Scotland and if so, how would they know? I thought all correspondence with Yes Scotland was confidential.
John
From what I can gather the NOBs adverts really started to annoy people and there was a lot of booing and shouting at the screen. The memory might not be of the No side getting a say but rather that the No side were annoying gits.
I never saw any of them (apart from the first 1 minute of the Rio one on Youtube which I switched off because it was embarrassing). However, apparently just before the plug was pulled there was a BT, Yes and two NOBs screened one after the other…no wonder people were raging.
O/T
I’ve got an invite to see Gordon Brown outlining a different future for Scotland on June 3rd. This should be fun!
I’m trusting that Sept 18th will be the day of reckoning for the lack of respect being shown to Scotland by all these liars and conmen. If not then we need to make sure it happens somehow.
They’re not getting away with this. Not on my watch.
Just tried to get into the complaints section on their website,funny how it seems to be down…again.
I wanted to tell them Danny is a liar if they didn’t already know it.
link to libdems.org.uk
I’ve just watched the First Minister being interviewed by UKIP Channel, oops sorry BBC News 24. Now I know I’m always one to support him but even after watching this interview I think I have to admit he does seem to have begun to remove the gloves.
link to tinyurl.com
Mr Bateman’s eyes are stinging
link to derekbateman.co.uk
HandAndShrimp @ 4:39
I don’t think Danny Alexander will be alone in doing a Malcolm Rifkind/Teddy Taylor carpet-bagging flight south. After September, I can see Darling, Murphy and Head-boy Alexander rummaging around Buckinghamshire or East Anglia trying to ingratiate themselves with the local Conservative Club and keep their places at the trough in Westminster. The sad thing is, they’ve left it too late to join the Tories. Maybe they should just join up with UKIP and reserve their seats on board the gravy train.
So that’s all good.
My wife received her BT stuff as well…they’ve sent out 300k letters to ‘swing’ women voters….cheeky bastards….she’s never looked at another man.
@John H.
From twitter conversation earlier apparently mailshot going our to 300k women ‘SWINGERS’ (think they mean people who might vote No):
Julie Robertson?@julieannaaitken·2h ·
@BjCruickshank @FreeThinker2040 @nataliemcgarry @X_Sticks_Real
read the BT FB page! Going out to 300k Scottish female SWINGERS! Not me ;-/
Slightly Off Topic
We all know that UKIP are not likely to get into the formal Better Together camapign, but I was reading the BBC Editorial Guidelines which come into effect on 30 May and found out how UKIP can get exposure, which will essentially benefit of the YES campaign:
link to downloads.bbc.co.uk
Section 3.1 Broad balance
“Achieving due impartiality during the campaign means finding “broad balance”
between the arguments and not necessarily between the designated Campaign
Groups. There may be circumstances in which other voices, beyond the formal
representatives, are relevant to the arguments: these too should be weighed in terms
of the broad balance.”
Go Coburn go!
Whilst it is a forlorn hope that BBC Scotland News dept will comply with their own guidance, it give a reference point for complaint(s).
Gavin Esler or UKOK Propagandist No.203 at the BBC, headlines with Alexander and Salmond are pushing “wildly” differing indy costs shock! Sky doing the same, plague on both their houses sort of stuff. Not bad from you’re average hard core bettertogether BBC ligger I suppose.
Good to know that some of the press login to hear the truth. My wife had a letter from bitter today. A student soliciting her support apparently oblivious to their intention to see fees charged in Scotland. Perhaps she will have her degree before then?
Nana Smith 4.45
I’ve just been on it and made a complaint about Alexander and his blatant lying about costs of Scottish Independence.
Apart from that told them that the Lib Dems are FINISHED, in Scotland and in “UK”.
Pointless of course but every little drop wears ’em down that little bit more.
@HandandShrimp
There was talk a wee while ago about how Danny was being laughed at by the Tories. Seems Danny is the epitome of Poacher turned Gamekeeper and has had his head severely turned with all the publicity and vox pops he is getting which in turn fair annoyed the Lib-Dems.
What is it about people who can type up a Manifesto getting promoted above their station?
Thanks to a tweet from the First Minister that I’ve just read I think I know one of the *ahem* phantom departments being used by Danny Alexander to calculate his £2.7 Billion or is it £1.5 Billion or is it something else entirely? The department in question is of course the Ministry of Silly Walks.
Love the coverage from yesterday’s Street Soccer photocall – perhaps Treasury’s bogus depts. “analysis” includes Ministry of silly walks!
@Lesley-Anne
link to tinyurl.com
Thanks for the link, another dig by AS at the BBC regarding their non reporting of Treasury lies. I agree with you, it seems the gloves are coming off regarding BBC bias. I personally think it would do no harm for the Yes campaign to openly accuse the BBC of a lack of impartiality, its not like they don’t have reams of evidence to back them up. It would also get the message out there.
Alexander is like a man who is trying to persuade his country cousin to part with his winning Lottery Millions ticket criticism.
Great analogy. I can develop that.
“What do you want, Scotland, this £1500 now in exchange for your winning ticket, or the opportunity to be vilified in the press for donating to the SNP?”
Apologies if mentioned before and a bit OT, but I saw this in the Times yesterday.
‘Politics in Britain has turned nasty. Shirkers versus strivers. Scotland versus England. Migrants versus natives. We are in the land of divide and rule. And all the political parties are at it.’
Written by John Hutton and Alan Milburn.
Although they may have a point, it implies the independence debate has turned nasty, which really doesn’t help.
Sorry to be o/t but I must share this.
My daughter has never been interested in politics, thought they were all the same etc., rolled her eyes when I raised the indy debate etc. I believe she votes Conservative like her husband.
When she returned from a holiday in Devon a month ago she remarked out the blue on the amount of UKIP posters that she’d seen as she travelled but hastily added that she didn’t want to discuss politics.
This afternoon, she suddenly announced how horrified she was that UKIP had attracted so many votes at the European elections. She said, ” I don’t want to live in a country that votes for that party Scotland is different.” She went on to tell me that she’d sat her 16 year old daughter down and told her that it was up to all of us to keep UKIP from gaining any more of a place in Scotland and that both she and their dad would now be voting for independence and that she hoped she would do the same”.
I was gobsmacked but delighted .
Danny Alexander will be a Lord whether he loses his seat or not. The UKOK establishment rewards its own and the House of Lords is just the first step to the good life for oor Danny. Their bringing a 1000 more Lords anyway so its pretty clear where they’re heading democracy wise in Westminster. Arise Sir Danny of Nairn and Ardersier.
@Lesley-Anne
Are you sure that isnt a typo in ‘silly-walks’
@heedtracker
If the Scottish people dont recognise the Houses of Parliament, will Danny be allowed to take a Lordship with a Scottish name? Will Dame Maggie Curran of EasterMaison be permitted?
I hoped it was gonna be a case that current MacLords and MacLordettes could stay but no new ones would be created, until King Willy deemed Paulo Nutini’s seminal 2027 album as a peach!
@manandboy says 2:01pm
Couldn’t agree more. Why would anybody want to hold on to a to poor, to stupid, to wee drunken bankrupt country that you need to subsidise to its eyeballs. Don’t think they would do that out of altruism or fondness as they treat us with contempt, arrogance and disdain.
So there has to be something which attracts the HMG/establishment to this poor we country that makes all their skulduggery to keep us under their boot justified.
A oil/gas that is the trick we are missing, but it is running out in about 50/60 years?? The elephant in the room which we all must ignore and not speak about is the WEST COAST OIL which the establishment/HMG would quite willingly KILL for. If we are stupid enough to reject independence then I worry for our future health and safety at the hands of the establishment gangsters.
Beaker’s only hope is that Scotland votes No.
That’s plan a, b, c, d, e…..
Anything else & its the end of the gravy train for him.
There is absolutely bugger all chance of him being offered a seat in England if its Yes & it looks like his constituents have woken up to his mendacity so he’s had it in Scotland anyway.
BBC Scotland at their best?
After months of the BBC2 coverage of FMQs being listed as ‘coverage from the Scot Parly’s debates’, just clicked on the info bit of menu for the BBC1 Sportscene prog tonight (not that I’m any lover of fitba) to read ‘ ‘live coverage of Scotland’s match against Scotland’! Whit? Is this the indy ref being played out on the footy field, or, as I suspect, it’s that the BBC’s talents do actually have no beginnings!
There’s a comments section,doubt it will be open for long
link to highland-news.co.uk
@ heedtracker
“Danny Alexander will be a Lord whether he loses his seat or not. The UKOK establishment rewards its own”
He’s not one of their own though. He thinks he is but he’s in for a shock.
I’ve also received one of those letters, someone mentioned above about the possiblity of BT having access to those of us who have signed the Yes declaration, very unllikely imo.
More likely they are taking the names off the electoral register. I think the full register can be accessed by campaigners to use in a political context; elections, referendums? So even if, like myself you have ticked the box confirmiing that you don’t want your name to be included in the one that businesses can access, this doesn’t prevent your details being accessed by political organisations.
Sorry no link available for this but I think you can read about it on yougov.co.uk pages related to voting et al.
@ desimond, check out one of planet earth’s biggest tax dodgers Lord Ashcroft of Belize is it? He’s worth billions, absolutely determined to NOT pay a penny in tax but he’s a Lord with real power in teamGB, in Belize. His Lordship also paid the Conservatives several million too which cant have done his rise to power any harm. Seems he’s gets off on bravery, British bravery but just doesn’t want to pay any British tax
link to lordashcroft.com
Thanks chalks & X_Sticks.
Elizabeth.5.26
I liked that wee story, cheered me up no end.
I have sussed out the NO campaign strategy. Tell lie after lie. It really doesn’t matter if you are found out. The public will assume that BOTH sides are lying and either not bother to vote (as in the EU elections) or just vote to keep the status quo.
Anent Sarah Smith
“There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.”
Julius Caesar Act 4, scene 3.
You (and your programme) had the chance to surf all the way to the top when you had Danny in your sights. Regretfully, you choose to make sand pies. Ah well.
Danny Alexander will be a Lord
He keeps reminding me of Beaker, hapless assistant to Dr Bunsen Honeydew in the Muppets. Google him and tell me I’m right in my imagery!
Elizabeth.5.26
“I liked that wee story, cheered me up no end.”
Me too. Without the hope of independence the UKIP menace would be pretty much outside of our control.
I have a brilliant paper by William Cameron McLaughlin, BA (Hons), MPA, who before retirement spent his career working in the oil industry both upstream and downstream. This paper titled,”Scottish Atlantic Margin Oil and Gas, The Game Changer”. In light of all the crap that has been spouted by Alexander et al today telling us that oil revenue is declining you will want to read this. I can email you a copy if you contact me at asterix.says.yes@gmail.com. Bill is happy for you all to spread as far and wide as possible and you can use any part of it. All that Bill asks is that you acknowledge him as the author.
Once you read this you will realise just why Westminster lackeys are so keen to lie through their back teeth just to keep this info from you. It’s McCrone all over again.
If you think this is a revelation then just wait as Bill is currently working on the second paper examining ‘On Shore’ Oil and Gas reserves.
Auld Rock
Surely swingers are for YES.
I stopped reading the Herald when they choose to try and misconstrue an event and labelled Mr Salmond as behaving in an “infamous” way.
Oh dear, looks like they’ve earned that little sobriquet themselves by downplaying a massive lie, perpetrated against the people of Scotland, by a UK government department. Infamous behaviour indeed.
Just finished watching a very good debate on RT about the state of bias in western media, it obv refers a bit to the Ukranian crisis but there are parallels with our own struggle against the MSM in the indy campaign:
link to rt.com
A reporter on Sky just now claiming that the Yes campaign haven’t said how they will grow Scotland’s population by 24,000 a year. Well yes they have, as it is currently growing at 22,000 they don’t have to do too much. Liars everywhere you turn.
surely danny boy would be known as lord ukok down south. but then as we all know we Scots dont give anyone their full title and he would be known only by his titles surname Ukok
personally I cant think of anything more fitting
‘Vote No Borders’ are popping up everywhere. I’ve just encountered both of their risible cinema ads as watch-and-be-paid ‘viral’ videos.
I watched both repeatedly and took their cash, reasoning that the message was wasted on me.
Then it occurred that I’d added several units to the view-count of those videos on YouTube.
Did I do the correct thing? I’m not sure.
@Nana Smith
Hahaha, you could easily swap
“but Mr Alexander has dismissed the Poll and claims it does not bear scrutiny”
With
“”but Mr Alexander has dismissed the truth and claims it does not bear acceptance”
Following on Auld Rock’s post above and thanks to you AR
this a link to a newsnet page featuring the same material
link to newsnetscotland.com
Scotland is floating on a sea of oil . . .
This a MUST read
STV news is as bad to watch as BBC Scotland news now.
I called Ponsonby and Mackay, a perr a unionist bastards a while back, somebody on here jumped in right away and said, Ponsonby is no unionist.
You want to take that back mate.
Ponsonby is a big fat fucking unionist bastard, so is his mate Mackay.
Scuse language, but these people really do your nut in.
I was at the Scottish Govt Cabinet meeting in Fernhill Rutherglen yesterday.
I saw Nicola being photographed holding the baby and young girl (Scotsman above). Literally hundreds of photos were taken by the assembled photographers.
I remember thinking how comfortable the kids looked with Nicola, with their big smiles.
Then I see that the one photo the Scotsman has selected is the one where the wee girl looks as if she is looking for mummy and the baby boy is looking less than happy.
It’s a propaganda war, and they have all the big guns.
K1 et al who have posted about their womenfolk receiving a letter from Better Together.
Last week I received the BT bumph at the address I live at. How? I have, on Electoral form, ticked the box that says your data will not be given out, so from whence is this data mined?
Even stranger however, a day later, my mother, who has a totally different surname to me and a different address, also received the same bumph, addressed to me, at her address.
I have never lived at my mum’s address, I did have to put my name to that address in order to have Virgin cable services installed for my mum, for which I wanted to be billed. Virgin are the only people who have any connection with my name and my mum’s address.
Having received the first epistle from BT to me at mum’s address. I’m waiting to see if she receives the new BT epistle, addressed to me, tomorrow, and then take this forward.
Who do I then move my broadband services to? Deffo not BT!
@caz-m
I remember the comments you are referring to.
I to think STV have been shameful. Yesterday’s was even worse than today.
They went round Dundee, which is pretty pro yes, and failed to find a single person overtly supporting yes.
The only consolation was one of the no voters hadn’t bothered to register yet.
Giving STV the benefit of the doubt, yesterday was the no piece, today the undecideds, and tomorrow the yes piece. I won’t hold my breath.
FDirst Minister on Scotland 2014 on BBC2 at 10:30 tonight. C’mon Alex keep taking the gloves off and get stuck into the BBC. You’ve been doing a grand job so far this week.
yes it appears that these letters have been deliberatly targeted a women voters I told everyone earlier that I was sending back envelopes to the freepost address I got up to two thousand when my son took the form from me without a word went to his work and photocopied it 5000 times we are now busy folding the forms to go in the mail box every single one returned costs BT 30 pence so send back 10 thats £3.00 the sods cant spend against us. and you keep the postie in a job
@manandboy
Good piece on west Shetland’s massive untapped oil and gas.
Strangely the Establishment are not mentioning Scotland Renewables. Be afaid be very afraid.
I’m exnavy and offshore engineer.
I believe Scotland’s (westcoast offshore) renewables will match and easily beat the energy of all Scotlands oilgas, 10 fold. Starting to show in 20years.
Renewable energy is perpetual, as long the Sun and Moon is in the sky, and thats forever(so so 4billion years)!
The Establishment are not mentioning Hydro Electric. Be afraid be very afraid.
Scotland has the mountains, to built Hydro Electic storage dams to capture and store all renewable energy, we’ll ever need.
The future is YES.
NO is hell.
bigGpolmont 6.41
Very clever thinking big G. I never ceased to be amazed at the innovation shown by us cybernats.
Anyone got the answers to helpmaboab’s question at 6:23?
And by the way cherubs – don’t send BT those reusable items until the ‘official’ campaign starts.
Helpmaboab & Paula Rose
Yes he is right to take their money. I never knew you could be paid for watching videos. Somebody tell me how I can get a piece of the action !
Anyone got an answer to my question at 6.35?
TJenny
I use Talk Talk. Cheap and very reliable.
the answer TJ is yes, thank you.
@manandboy
Phew! Pthanks saved me a search.
I knew that was in the Archives somewhere but not to good on finding articles on NNS.
You clever people can see if their facts are correct
link to blogs.channel4.com
BBC Scotland seems to be disarray all day, radio and TV.
They lead with anti-YES economics story allday today, but
had to correct the Professor’s economic statement at the end of the day, and trying not to loose face.
BBC Scotland’s presenters all look and sound in confusion.
I’ve noticed their reporters/presenters are all flushed, dry-mouthed, stumbling and staring eyes through their scripts. All signs of stress.
Their lying gets hard work. Lying is more difficult to organise on large scale(aka BBC).
There’s always a whistleblower, the more people brougth into the conspiracy.
ps. Yesterday I thought Elinor Bradford looked thin gaunt ill. Lying does cause stress. No job is worth it.
Just watched Alan Little on BBC News channel 7.15pm present the worst case of lying on the referendum.
No has a 60 -40 lead in the polls he said and reporting on todays Treasury statement from Danny Alexander, said simply that people will be £400 better off under the Union than with Independence.
This has been the worst I’ve seen by the BBC
Is there any way through FOI to find out what is known regarding oil off the west cost of Scotland. Which government dept. would hold that info.
I think HMG is hiding something here. Or avoiding something.
Just to elbow in here for the last time!
My fundraiser for the local yes campaigns will end tomorrow morning at 7AM. I’m looking for a late surge. I’m sitting above £10,000 which is fantastic but would love one final punt.
Facebook link: link to facebook.com
Fundraising link: link to indiegogo.com
and my speech on arrival at St Enoch Sq on Sunday evening:
link to new.livestream.com
Please donate. This is for the crucial cause: the grassroots movements.
I will be doing another one possibly in July or August.
@manandboy.
Aye, I got Auld Rock to send me a copy, reading it just now.
Also some good info at:-
http://www.academicsforyes.org
RE BT letters to women only.
If this is the case it confirms something I’ve been saying for a while. Project fear & bullying is primarily targeted at women voters who BT believe will be more easily frightened.
I’m not sure stalking – which is what sending letters to women in a household only is doing – is something women find attractive though.
Got to hand it to Alex he handed the BBC their erse on a plate and blew Alexander oot the water in that ten minute pro indy spiel. It’s a well done from me and I hope there will be more of it.
Mark Coburn dear, will you be at the Counting House on Friday so that we can personally stuff some fivers into your cycling shorts? (please)
Scottish Skier – I too have often wondered if there are unknown majorities of women in Scotland in abusive relationships with whom this ‘too poor, too wee, too stupid mantra resonates. I am aware that Joan McAlpine received pelters on social media for proposing this theory last year, but, as women seem to be the most reluctant to get onboard the indy train, it does make you wonder about the hidden social reality.
Scottish independence: Prof Patrick Dunleavy says Treasury claims ‘ludicrous’:
link to bbc.co.uk
Jim Marshall and Paula Rose,
So, no-one here seems to know how to deal with these adverts? If they’d been for washing powder I’d have watched them and taken their money too. I’ll keep an open mind in the meantime.
These get-paid-to-watch mock viral videos are emerging in many places just now. I’m sure that you’ll encounter them soon.
It strikes me as very typical of the ad-men behind ‘Vote No Borders’ that they’re using such a tactic.
Just read the BBC ‘treasury figures ludicrous’ article, and it does feel strange not to argue with most of a BBC piece. I even thought the last paragraph, while throwing in the £1400 worse off figure, actually sounded quite optimistic
I suppose one benefit from being in Arizona (well, I’m in Nevada for a few days right now, but will be back in Arizona soon) is you don’t get VNB adverts on Youtube. Little things…
Agreed to the eleventy billionth degree – but as heedtracker says, it isn’t the people of Scotland, it’s nothing less than a decades – centuries – long propaganda program by the Union. Social media and the internet is the great equaliser: as soon as people are exposed to the sheer scale of Westminster’s lies over the years, it’ll be difficult for them to possibly trust a damned thing they say on anything. Once I get everything sorted on my blog, I’m planning on doing a miniature series of flat-out lies – no commentary or extraneous material, just links to what was said and who said it.
I think Subrosa has a point about people simply calling UKIP and their voters ‘racist, pinhead, hate-mongering fascists’ – but I don’t know if they’re quite as informed as Subrosa thinks either. This is, of course, aided by the BBC, who keep the focus strictly on immigration and the EU, because they’re the only UKIP policies that have any sympathy (largely already formulated by a government looking for someone for the people to blame except themselves and their banker friends). As soon as you ask UKIP about, for example, devolution, it’ll fall to pieces. So they didn’t, and the public at large have no idea.
What I prefer to do is to actually look at UKIP’s policies, or what passes for them in the absence of a manifesto they can agree on: pro-fracking, pro-slashing the education budget, pro-increasing the military budget, pro-nuclear weapons, anti-EU, anti-immigration, anti-welfare, anti-gender equality, pro-privatisation of everything from NHS to Royal Mail. I can see people voting for them on the EU, but if they knew about some of their more horrible suggestions (like the one who proposed mandatory abortions for foetuses with Down’s Syndrome), would they be as likely to vote for them?
If they were dead set on the EU, then the Greens were right there, and they weren’t suggesting to decriminalise marital rape. Right now, the public at large have no idea just how despicable UKIP are, and so can’t understand *why* people call them racist, fascist, sexist etc. What we have to do is show them why we’ve come to that conclusion.
The state knows how to deal with violence – it perpetrates it often enough, it’s practised at it, and it will beat violence with violence. They cannot beat an idea; they cannot kill a cause; they cannot destroy a thought. That’s what’s made us so powerful – we do not, will not, and cannot, pose any sort of violent threat, because we’re not like them.
@manandboy
Just watched Alan Little on BBC News channel 7.15pm present the worst case of lying on the referendum.
Just yesterday I was saying how Little was the one voice of sanity at the BBC, I spoke too soon. A twenty percent lead for No, where the hell did he get those figures from? He also failed to mention Dunleavy in his report.
@mananboy @James123 – I was the same I thought his piece on the Euro election result was balanced.
Allan Little – Good Cop, Bad Cop
Helpmaboab – this problem raise its head all the time – by clicking they pay, but also they claim passage – I shall raise this at the Counting House on Friday, are you coming?
Truth says:
“and they have all the big guns”
Aye, but nae artillery spotters and nae fit sojers
@Taranaich
welcome(Nevada), welcome Arizona, welcome USA.
International/USA scrutiny/opinion very welcome.
Scotland’s fighting the British Empire/colonialism.
USA you know it.
I’m reading Maya Jasanoff Liberty’s Exiles.
Liking your long strong wise words.
Your deeper than I’ve ever been or ever can be.
Keep posting your strong wise words.
I’m doing my bit.
We need all support.
“Jon D says:
28 May, 2014 at 4:50 pm
Mr Bateman’s eyes are stinging
link to derekbateman.co.uk”
I haven’t been able to get Derek Bateman links to work for several days including this one.
Can anyone clarify?
Paula Rose,
You mean the Counting House in St. Vincent Place, Glasgow? I live and work in the East central belt but it might be possible for me to get there. Is there some sort of event happening?
@Croompenstein
Allan Little – Good Cop, Bad Cop
I suppose a good impartial journalist should have the ability of pissing of both sides. He did end his report by saying more Labour voters were switching to Yes because they saw an independent Scotland as a fairer society, so there was a ‘little’ bit of good cop at the end.
Anyone know how Better together got my wife’s name to write directly to her?
thinking if raising a complaint with the information commisioner link to ico.org.uk
Helpmaboab darling every cool dude and red hot winger who can come will be at the Counting House in Glasgow on Friday evening – see off-topic. (do you know how to find that page?)
2 James123 says:
He has been knobled?
Simple
Paula,
I’ll find it and I’ll try to make it to the Weedge on Friday.
@Bugger (the Panda)
He has been knobled?
Sounds painful.
@John King
I also got my monthly “wifie ” letter from better together today.
They will have access to the electrol register ,just as i have when canvassing,because as a political canvasser you can have that information.
I keep sending the bloody things back,filled with YES leaflets of course,and still they send them!
Just shows they dont have the staff to weed out the YESers,even I weed out the hard NOs from my list.
BtP – or he has been promised he’ll be ennobled?
A funny thing happened a couple of hours back, I was listening on the radio to Glen Campbell give his report on the Danny Alexander/Alex Salmond speechs and at the end of it he finally had to mention the Dunleavy intervention.
He almost choked himself trying to find some form of words that would make what Dunleavy had said, sound not to bad against Beakers speech.
He did not succeed, instead he sounded very panicky.
Debbiethebruce and John King – I posted earlier that BT can’t just be using the electoral register to get us ladies’ addresses as I received one in my name at my mum’s address – and the only org that has me at that address are my Virgin Media accts!
Interested to know if any women on here who have received these BT letters also have their own, or perhaps jointly with partners, a Virgin Media acct?
Just been reading about possibility that addresses have been obtained from Virgin Media. If this is true is this not a breach of the Data Protection Act? Can any lawyers out there help?
Auld Rock
Auld Rock – there was a day between my receiving the BT letter at my address and the one at my mum’s. I’m waiting to see if I get one to mum’s tomorrow and then I’ll contact Virgin. They may say that agreeing to their terms and agreements allows this but I’d like to know if that is the case. I usually tick any box saying I don’t want this – unless it’s too wee to see easily.
I have no virgin media account,so non the wiser how they got address.
Debbiethebruce – indeed – then the plot thickens – maybe we should just ask BT where they got our addresses from, presumably they’d have to say? Hmm – might do that tomorrow.
Bloody BBC. I wanted to watch Sarah’s Show but the link on the Beeb website sends me to watch the London option. That rule about incompetence vs. malice is really difficult to believe sometimes…
Didn’t the man Branson say he was not going to get involved in the referendum?
David Wardrope – I believe so and it appears it’s probably not Virgin related.
I hear were you’re coming from Tjenny, I don’t have a virgin media account either. I can only think that it’s the electoral register as Debbiethebruce says, but I understand this doesn’t tally with your experience in that regard. I only recently re registered at my current address, what will be interesting is to see whether I have a letter at my mum’s too, as I was last registered at her address. I’ll check with her tomorrow. Also, I just can’t think of any other way they have garnered the info. Curious thing though, I live with two others who haven’t received letters…they are both registered to vote (as we all voted last Thursday together…first time since ’97 for me…yes dissafected that long…smirk). Anyways will keep an eye on this…as ever…:)
Bloody BBC. I wanted to watch Sarah’s Show but the link on the Beeb website sends me to watch the London option.
Other than Salmond giving his usual intelligent, well articulated answers, you didn’t miss much.
To be fair to the msm and BBC this is not news. Everybody knows that bitter together and Westminster tell lies.
For those wanting to ask BT where they got their information, be prepared to pay.
Anybody can request any company to furnish them with details of all personal data held about them under the Data Protection Act. This is known as a Data Subject Access Request.
Companies can charge for this, though they are not normally able to charge more than £10.
When making your request, it is important to be specific in order to get what you really want.
For example they may just supply your name and address details (which you already know!) but not where this info came from.
So ask them what info they hold, who they approached for this info, and who they have subsequently passed it onto.
They may deny your request on where the info came from considering this not to be personal info, but you can word your request accordingly. For example if you are on Virgin’s customer database, and that is where they obtained the info, then that in itself is personal info about you. ie you are a Virgin Media customer.
Good luck.
@David Wardrope and TJenny
Virgin Media is nothing really to do with Richard Branson. It is owned by Liberty Media.
Mr Branson regularly sets up companies and sells them on. He must have a clause in the sell on as they always tend to retain the Virgin branding.
Note to self, check facts before posting. D’oh!
‘Free Scotland says:
28 May, 2014 at 3:37 pm
As someone commented on another site: “If they were as good at predicting the last 20 years, as they think they are with the next 20, we maybe could have avoided the crash. What utter rubbish from Westminster.”’
something to use every time No bring up the future when we vote ‘Yes’
Have the told us what the future is if we were stupid enough to vote their way – apart from ‘Trust me’
Women just aren’t interested yet….default position is No, as they haven’t explored the facts etc.
When they switch onto it, then god help better together, it’s why they are trying to get ahead of the game…you know, like they did with the men…and we are seeing how well that turned out.
There is also the issue of when women ask their bf’s/husbands about it….last poll indicated majority of men were in favour.
Far be it from me to sugguest women follow their husbands, but we all know what households are like….
At least the BT campaign have come up with a number for the setting-up cost of separation (and shown their sources and calculations). And just to show it ain’t cheap – the cost of moving Scottish National Heritage from Edinburgh to Inverness was around £24M.
Did you hear John Swinney on radio refuse (eleven times in total) to give us his figure for the cost?
One can only wonder why.
“Did you hear John Swinney on radio refuse (eleven times in total) to give us his figure for the cost?
One can only wonder why.”
I’m going to go ahead and suggest that it’s because NOBODY KNOWS WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE.
have a look at Subrosa
Her opiniuon is simplistic, as is her message to Salmond.
What is she saysing?: Many Scots are racist and they are all here crammed into this corner of Scotland?
Don’t worry about the BBC’s editorial integrity being put aside during the Independence debate. If there’s a No vote in September you can bet they will rediscover their impartiality by Panorama type programs telling us of the beastly tricks played by BT & conniving press. But not until then
“I’m going to go ahead and suggest that it’s because NOBODY KNOWS WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE.”
That’s a bit lame and dodges the issue.
Then why all the predictions in the Scottish Government White Paper. If the First Minister and his acolytes want to criticise the BT predictions they should have, at least, the courage to come up with their own figures.
FMQs here, seems to me that the opposition leaders are doing the political equivalent of touching a white hot oven, then touching it again just to be sure….then again…They’re just begging for a verbal kicking here
I don’t think it’s appropriate to call these people “unionists” any longer; they’re just anti-democratic – they’re so determined to have their own way that they don’t care about the damage they’re doing to themselves, the institutions they claim to love, or the people of Scotland.
It’s a sad day when lying, lying by omission, bias, refusing to debate the facts, using all the levers of state to try and get the media and other countries’ governments on side and issuing threats to the Scots people is seen as a reasonable way to behave in a so-called democracy. It’s a disgracefully low way to try and win this referendum and speaks volumes about the UK establishment and about Scotland’s true value to them.
I’d hope that any real unionist would be as disgusted by this as anyone else. It must be degrading to see how many on the no side, including the UK government, prefer lying and cheating their way to a win rather than having a fair, honest, factual debate and letting the people decide for themselves.
@Phil Robertson – Then why all the predictions in the Scottish Government White Paper
Have you read the white paper? It’s one party’s vision of how Scotland can become a successful independent nation, it does not make predictions it makes educated assertions based on fully linked and referenced data.
You, however, talk pish
@Phil Robertson – “At least the BT campaign have come up with a number for the setting-up cost of separation” – If I can give the same answer as I posted on the BT Facebook page to a similar question.
John Swinney did answer the question. He said it would depend on the outcome of negotiations with rUK. On the other hand when the UK government discussed the start up costs they LIED. If you were expecting a finite figure you are deluded.
Imagine if you were buying a new house, you might know how much the new house costs but until you have negotiated a price for your old house (our share of the assets) you don’t know how much deposit you will need, this might over simplify the whole process but hopefully you get the point.
@Phil Robertson – “Then why all the predictions in the Scottish Government White Paper”
The white paper is only a road map, it shows one way to get to our destination.
Imagine travelling in a bus to Independence, Scotland. You’d expect the driver to know the way when you start off, you might even get a map, but there’s no saying there won’t be a few detours, after all it’s the destination that counts .
This is specially true if Dick Dastardly and Muttley (put your own faces to them) are always putting giant obstacles in front of the bus.