The same across the world
Posted on
November 20, 2016 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
This article by US writer Emily Robinson is probably more instructive than anything we could post today (the Sunday papers are a news desert again, frankly). It doesn’t take a very great feat of imagination to transpose the American terms to Scottish ones – for “Berniebros” read “cybernats”, etc. Phantom news, it seems, is universal.
A product of the imbalances. The media owners want to keep control.
Their populist message is to appeal to the simplest core systems. In the UK it’s unionism and Britannia – take back control. It’s the same elsewhere, but that control is nebulous and fake.
The common element in no news is that the elite control and slipping past us big spending and laws against the ordinary citizen is done behind smoke screens of Brexit, Trump as president while we all look the wrong way.
“While the inhabitants of Twitter may constitute a comparatively small fraction of the American public, they make a comparatively large fraction of the country’s noise. To the extent that it escapes the Internet and poisons us all, their obsession with the insignificant could very well be significant.”
I don’t “do” Twitter but dip into 4 pages. The above is certainly true as far as some of the comments being retweeted go.
There are some strange people out there…
“Twitter punditry: a writer grabs a few stray tweets and produces an article declaring them a nationwide event.
Other writers, sharing both the first writer’s political persuasion and constant need to emit content, issue commentaries on the phenomenon, citing the first writer’s article as their source.
Pundits quote pundits who quote tweets.
Then there are more tweets, then additional punditry. At no point is the story checked against the real world:”
All too familiar, sadly.
O/T on Unionist attacks on Humza Yousaf over Rail problems.
Rail travel only accounts for 3% of all journeys made …just to put things in perspective…. no consolation for disruptions but ..Scotrail has one of the best punctuality rates in the UK at 89.8% whereas the figure for rail operators in England is 87.9%.
In many cases, Scot Rail can’t get enough rolling stock to run large enough trains (and many platforms aren’t big enough to handle them) as there is a huge shortage of carriages throughout the UK.
This all down to decades of underinvestment throughout the UK, Scottish government is spending £5 billion between now and 2019 on new and improved stations, upgrading track (which can cause delays) plus new and improved rolling stock (virtually all built abroad as successive Westminster governments didn’t project manufacturing jobs.. but bailed out the Bankers) with capacity due to be increased by 23%.
But don’t expect BBC to do any serious analysis of the underlying problems.. just look for a political scalp.
I took the cybernat guff to be a sign of the success we were having back then, pre-wings. That’s why (to continue a thread) Lord Foo let his monkey Dug fly.
Similarly, it was obvs that Eck had been identified as our biggest asset pre-ref. Every ‘Salmond accused’ was further grist to that mill.
Sturgeon. Same.
JC too.
Bullies play the ‘man’, not the ball. It’s easier, for those of low intellect and imagination.
Still got my WoS Proud cybernat badge. My tiny piece of history.
“And with journalists already prone to clubby insularity, Twitter provides new ways for them to confirm their preexisting worldviews, and further wall themselves off from ordinary experience.”
This sentence perfectly sums up the britnat media today, especially in Scotland. Happily, I believe the influence of britnat print media is waning in Scotland. But we still have the very clubby britnat bbc. Thank god for sites like WOS.
Aye but the issue over here isn’t fuckwit hacks churning out non-articles, its always going to happen even in and indy Scotland.
Its the STATE broadcaster using that to justify its own news output as “unbiased” because “everyone is saying it”. That’s what needs to be addressed.
After the Trump win, the media on both sides of the pond are turning on social media (that’ll be Nasty Cybernats ) undermining its reputation amongst the general public.
Brian Doonthetoon
I like this bit. Lord Foulks of SLab and the Lords, take a bow.
“Through the magic of Twitter, political journalists form incestuous cliques that reaffirm their prejudices, then their own publications treat those cliques as the boundaries of the social world. Twitter helps make politicians our friends, and makes journalists friends with politicians.”
Yoon culture in Scotland is ofcourse nothing like this at all, ever.
Kenny FarquharsonVerified account
?@KennyFarq Kenny Farquharson Retweeted Jamie Ross
I was thinking this myself last night. Did Scotland’s indyref happen too early in the global insurgency against the elites?Kenny Farquharson added,
Jamie Ross @JamieRoss7
In hindsight it’s incredible Scotland didn’t vote Yes in 2014. It seems Scots are the only electorate left who actually like the status quo.
Blair McDougall ?@blairmcdougall Nov 9
@KennyFarq @JamieRoss7 we certainly held back a tide that’s overwhelmed others but we had a simpler message that took on populist offer.
The Labour Party in Scotland recognise that Humza Is a serious potential SNP leader after Nicola and that he is much better than any SLAB leader
They are therefore trying a pre-emptive strike to seriously damage his reputation.
I thought he handled Brewis well given the typical BBC talking over of SNP representatives
Corporatism has functional links with consensus democracy that have not kept up with the demands of time. They leave the corporatist model lacking in effectiveness and vulnerable to the abuse of power. Consensus democracy has just moved a step closer to making itself history, IMHO.
https://ecpr.eu/Filestore/PaperProposal/a3b0e5a1-aa7e-4e4d-b61e-ff685e3de8d8.pdf
heedtracker
I’ve no patience left for ignorant tossers tying to shape a debate, the consequences of which they are unlikely to have any appreciation of. Time to apply some principles of science to these WANKS.
@ Yoon hack WANKs
Inching to get my solutions out WANKS. Go on, stick your necks out. I dare you.
This seems appropriate :
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/nov/20/jarett-kobek-internet-enormously-detrimental-i-hate-the-internet-interview
A quote :
“You seem particularly down on Twitter.
It’s not Twitter per se. It’s the undue amount of importance that very serious people put on Twitter. That, to me, is what’s infuriating. It’s a social network that makes everyone sound like a 15-year-old and then very serious people take it way too seriously. And that’s not how to run a society. That’s not how to effect change.”
CameronB Brodie says:
Its merely how hard core conservatism works, here and the US. Blair chats to a couple of Murdoch goons but leaves out what his “but we had a simpler message” actually means. So lets help him.
Blair McDougall ?@blairmcdougall Nov 9
@KennyFarq @JamieRoss7 we certainly held back a tide that’s overwhelmed others but we had a simpler message that took on populist offer. FEAR.
Vestas wrote on 20 November, 2016 at 2:22 pm:
“This seems appropriate :”
(Direct link to a BUM rag removed)
Nope! It’s never appropriate to help sustain the Unionist cause.
President Adams and Jefferson bought newspapers so that they could plant stories, usually slagging each other off Large corporations still do the same. The railroad companies bought newspapers to demonise the redman to justify their part in their genocide.
New money bough prestigious papers to get into the magic circle. That never worked for the Murdochs, seen as rough Scot Aussies. Robert Maxwell did the same and all he got was Helen Lidlle.
One of ma bugbears is this phenomenon too…insular echo chambers abound on social media in general. I do worry about the infighting on our side from the point of view of shaping people’s voting intentions along ‘party political’ lines when we are supposedly the grass roots of the Independence movement. People are never done wi their own agenda’s in this regard…Loki, Common Space and Bella come to mind…just in case anyone wis wonderin’ whit the heck ah wis oan aboot 😉
‘Thus Twitter provides a streamlined platform from which to shamelessly pimp out your writing to a self-selected group of people who are likely to read it. It’s a wonderful place to reaffirm your beliefs, and it’s so easy to do so on a platform designed to allow you to tailor the information you receive to what you want to hear, or what you know you’ll agree with.’
Journalists never seem to learn that these things can backfire on them. ‘Scottish’ journos see it happening but don’t believe it or can’t comprehend it.
How many times a week does the BBC in Scotland news outlets (TV & Radio) use ‘The National’ as sources for its ‘must be true ’cause it’s in the papers’ stories? Or do they merely rely on the yoon colonial papers for sources?
Since I no longer watch or isten to their propaganda broadcasts, I don’t know the answer to this. I rather suspect, thought, that the answer is somewhere between nil and zero.
Just O/T(ish) here but with the apparent heightened levels of anti SNP attacks by BBC/SKY/MSM this week are wee looking at some opinion polls coming out any time soon that show an increase in support for independence by any chance? 😉
What with the rabid attack by Brewer on Humza Yousaf over the idea that Scotrail has the BEST performance figures throughout the UK then I can only assume there issome really bad news for unionists lying in wait just around the corner. 😀
Big surprise there was a Sunday bash the SNP on the Empire channel.
It has been fantastic since the beginning of September (when the licence changed so no more EBC I player),I used to watch some EBC programmes on it.
Personally I would rather stand and get kicked in the testicles than watch the mind-numbing shi*e they produce, although I occasionally watch the unbiased???QT on Ya Tube, “TOTAL PISH” the same agenda every week, “keep the population DUMB”
As for Brewer, a NOBODY.
OT Help:
Anybody know where I can get a hard copy of Alyn Smiths Wee Bleu Book?
Another Union Dividend @ 1.48
“But don’t expect BBC to do any serious analysis of the underlying problems[on the railways].. just look for a political scalp.””
It seems we can’t expect the Minister to explain clearly, or in fact explain at all, everything that is being done by Abellio, Network Rail and the SG what is being done to improve the network. A far more robust response to the camoaign by media and the opposition parties and unions is required and it is now only too obvious that this particular minister us not capable of doing this.
On the subject of new trains, there are 70 sets on order. The first tranche will be built in Japan and delivered next year.
The rest will be built in the UK at Hitachi’s new facility in England.
Proud Cybernat says:
20 November, 2016 at 2:59 pm
How many times a week does the BBC in Scotland news outlets (TV & Radio) use ‘The National’ as sources for its ‘must be true ’cause it’s in the papers’ stories? Or do they merely rely on the yoon colonial papers for sources?”
Maybe BBC vote NO Scotland gimps at Pacific Quay for example, are just another Twitterati style bubble of UKOK hackdom. Has old Bliar MacD ever tweeted, “and that’s why SLab are now behind Ruth D’s cabal of stuffed shirts and sock puppets.”
Having more or else created and nurtured Farage, UKIP and Brexit, our imperial tory BBC master baiters now look down on their creation. Its not funny either, well Eddie Hitler is but the dude that wants to execute paedophiles probably needs more mental health care, much more.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04h2p3y
Brewer will be going soon. The contract is out. They destroy their own industry and jobs. Producing nonsense. Every word they utter is a lie. No one watches the ‘programmes’. They are so dire.
Bravo for the Internet.
Thanks, Rev. That is a very good article. Quality journalism 🙂
“Pundits quote pundits who quote tweets. Then there are more tweets, then additional punditry. At no point is the story checked against the real world”
That sums up the majority of media output on the Scottish constitutional debate. And it’s all biased in one direction. SNPBaaad.
Far be it from me to defend the press, but I do have sympathy for their predicament.
Since Social media was invented, it must be nearly impossible to get a good “scoop”, check its authenticity, double check its sources, then analyse what it all means before a tweet is let loose and bang goes your exclusive.
But that’s where the sympathy ends. There are many other trades and professions who had to raise their game or fall by the wayside when confronted with advancing technology.
The “old” press is dying; rotting on the vine. The new press is social media, and the rules have yet to be written and the boundaries have yet to be set. But then again, perhaps that viewpoint is just as outdated. Rules and boundaries? Err yeah, good luck with that….
If you want to be a journalist, you better be a good one who is respected for their acumen and integrity, or a shameless glove puppet content to given a prominent profile and matching salary by the moneybags in the shadows tying to buy influence, because everybody else won’t be heard above the din.
This is well worth a listen – went out last night on 5Live.
‘Broadcasting Across Britain: Are You Being Served?’
Starring ‘Kenny’ McQuarrie and presented by Kirsty ‘whit-are-ye’s-aw-moanin-aboot?’ Wark.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0833zsr
No one watches the ‘programmes’. They are so dire.”
Yoon culture loves BBC stuff too, shock.
Old MacD’s he, is Ed Balls, the clip is horrible, but everything toryboy BBC does is the greatest public broadcasting ever.
Blair McDougall ?@blairmcdougall 17h17 hours ago
He’s bloody brilliant
BBC Strictly?
Bliar’s tweestering for planet toryboy also includes
Blair McDougall Retweeted
Justin Forsyth Retweeted UNICEF
Hear directly from Judy in AleppoJustin Forsyth added,
1:21
UNICEF @UNICEF
Just as Judy tells us her fears, we hear a bomb. No child should live like this. #Aleppo #Syria
as just one more tory makes a complete and utter arse of himself, in BBC HD.
The validity of claims made in a story often rely on quotes. Clearly it has authority if a leading politician, genuine academic, successful businessperson, recognised academic, experienced professional, etc is quoted with accuracy and in context. The quotes could come from Twitter.
Notice I qualify each source – leading, genuine, successful, recognised, experienced – otherwise, it’s just the questionable opinion of Some Arsehole (© Rev Stu) !
Too often an academic or professional is quoted about something outwith their established expertise, or a businessperson’s opinion on politics are used when it has nothing to do with their commercial success, and so on. No matter how important someone seems, when they opine on wide matters, it can still be no more that Some Arsehole (© Rev Stu) talking.
K1 @ 2.43
I will say straight away,I am probably being a bit to simplistic or maybe idealistic over this.
But I actually don’t worry about what you call infighting too much.
While ok I would have preferred to have been out of the Union in 2014.
We’re not but ….we are in the intervening period between that referendum and the next one.
As it turns out that is thankfully only going to be a couple of years,and we are in the build up to it already.
Had there been a gap of a decade or so then yes all the different views competing with each other would I think have done damage to the overall movement.
Which I suspect was what was supposed to happen.
Along with a fataly damaged SNP.
This would have allowed a reset back to the default position of Labour in Holyrood.
The only remaining question being,would Westminster have then taken steps to ensure that Independence could never get that close again.
EG A new Act of Union ect….or would they have just bumbled along.
Thankfully,thats only a debating point at the moment.
So I see all the different views as a good thing.
Firstly because they are all still there and engaged.
But mainly because these conversions need to happen.
In fact I think it’s a good thing that some of the issues are being thrashed out now.
In this gap between Indy Ref 1 & Indy Ref 2.
I would find it more Worring if everyone agreed on everything.
It’s also,I think,benifical to use “The space between”,to air these differences.
Finding out what others think, helps to explore what compromises could be made.
That’s why I don’t even think we are in as much of a Media bubble as the article describes.
I don’t know if this is unique globally but we not only have competing views in the Indy movement,we have the Unionist view and then we have our neighbours running interference as well.
Lazy journalist’s though you will get no argument from me there.
Could have been written about JK who dislikes progressive politics, who needs a 60 foot hedge around her property, Scottish island to herself, security guards, countless movies all with the same plot, and a few hundred million pounds in various banks, and an army of admiring fans to protect her person from the occasional unidentified troll.
Ian Brotherhood says:
20 November, 2016 at 4:17 pm
This is well worth a listen – went out last night on 5Live.
8 minutes in, Ken MacQuarrel, “across UK wealth of talent, diversity, BBC genius, all marvellous…
Endless stream of Freedom of Info act sent Kenny and chums all asking what BBC Scotland viewer/listener figures actually are, all rejected out of hand, by MacQuarrell.
How frightfully yoonster of him.
Ian Brotherhood: “Starring ‘Kenny’ McQuarrie and presented by Kirsty ‘whit-are-ye’s-aw-moanin-aboot?’ Wark.”
The decisions for drama “remain at BBC London”, despite so-called new commissioners employed ‘locally’.
Or put another way, BBC is employing some nice people to meet prospective indie producers with a cup of coffee and a smile, but who have no power or authority to take decisions.
And a Channel 4 representative, asked about C4’s paucity of Scottish commissions, waffles on about being born in the north of England and how much he travels blah, blah, blah…
Grouse Beater says:
20 November, 2016 at 4:53 pm
Ian Brotherhood: “Starring ‘Kenny’ McQuarrie and presented by Kirsty ‘whit-are-ye’s-aw-moanin-aboot?’ Wark.”
So Ken MacQuarrel, Director of BBC Scotland, BBC’s new Director of Nations and Regions, get to talk twice, at the start and the end of that predictable display of BBC mutual masturbating.
Its is funny though, Ken sitting there trying to not doze off. Frankie Boyle did a post US election biopsy for the BBC which he ended with what his daughter says to him, as they run through tv progs to watch and get to Netflix style channels. When she gets to BBC grot, “oh no its British.”
Says all you need to know about just awful the BBC really is.
At least the US hacks are quoting twitter as the source for their non stories. Over here they obviously just print whatever fantasy they dreamt up the night before – a la Siobhan McFadyen.
I’ve got a Twitter account but seldom use it. I keep forgetting it’s there. I follow WOS, a few folk on here and (mainly) some SNP politicians. Not interested in the celeb culture thing.
Lazy journalists used to base their journalism on the incestuous clique of other journalists they met in their nearest watering hole and now, through the magic of Twitter, political journalists form incestuous cliques that reaffirm their prejudices, then their own publications treat those cliques as the boundaries of the social world. So, what’s new?
What’s new is that the great unwashed challenge the boundaries; torrents of terrance no longer go unchecked, shiv-on is called out, and adjustable spanners finds it wrench to be outed. For that, there is a great moaning and gnashing of teeth. Get used to it, get better or get out.
The thing is in what way were the horids of BernieBros fake. Did they not exist in as great a number as reported. Did they exist but in a McGlashan capacity , youtu.be/_MnD7q7EFt0 , somewhere between a parody of extreme nationalists and a deliberate black flag designed to sully the image of genuine supporters. Or where they an outright fiction.
in Scotland it is: “Oh this is a tremendous piece. Euan on Alex on David on Stephen on Iain on Chris’s take on Fraser on Hugo on Brian on Alex’s dad. A must read!
Ian Brotherhood & Grouse Beater
Not withstanding the content of the conversation of the Five Live Broadcast.
The first 5/10 mins are UK UK across the UK… sound bite bingo.
It’s like they took lessons from the..Take Back Control…
Play book of getting the message out.
Or is it just me?
Ian Brotherhood
OOPS…. forgot to say thank you for posting it.
What an absolute a**e Andrew Castle is
Maybe a news desert, but what about Tory MPs wanting to ditch the brexit Supreme Court appeal rather than ‘risk devolved administrations’ having a say in something directly affecting them? Also what about the BBC and other MSM pulling these direct quotes and putting in somewhat anodyne statements in their place, yet leaving Alex Salmond’s response, making him look like an angry Nat howling at the moon? Yes, that’s right, slow news right enough.
Journalists are no longer worthy of the name – no investigation going on – there are so very few people, newspapers, msm that can be trusted anymore and once trust is gone the whole edifice just comes crumbling down. Thankfully we in Scotland do have a policial party to trust and who is trying against all the odds and all the media to do the right thing. I do not know of any other party at present or in the last 30 years who has worked for the people and not for mostly self interest, lust for power or party politics. Once upon a time I might have said that for labour but not now or for the last 30/40 years they have abandoned the people. The more I read about Labour and what they have done to Scotland the angrier I become and they still don’t apologise or try to change. Money, self-interest and greed these are the new gods and politics worships at their feet. How else can you explain what is happening all over the world. Lying is now common place and acceptable and there is hardly anyone prepared to call it out.
O/T, but…
Edinburgh Uni organise a ‘light’s for Aleppo’ solidarity beacon lighting. Nice.
It would be even nicer if Mosul got a mention too, but we’re bombing civilians there, so not a peep. Apparently the hospitals in Iraq are overwhelmed with casualties from Mosul.
Russian bombs bad.
US/uk bombs good.
BBC double think in action.
Never underestimate how Establishment the Uni’s are, or the power they wield in the background.
I wonder what position those £200k/year vice chancellors took on indyref 1 ?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-38029172
I’d forgotten Aidan O’Neill, a bit of a maverick in the Indy Ref 1 constitutional debate. Nothing I could find quickly about the SC appeal itself, but a couple of articles with relevance.
http://www.scottishlegal.com/2016/06/27/aidan-oneill-qc-on-brexit-no-decision-made-to-leave-until-parliament-is-consulted/#
and his own blog on eutopia law
https://eutopialaw.com/tag/aidan-oneill/
In the first article it’s got “Historic precedent for a Scots-Irish union ?” which seems unlikely given the close trade between Ireland and the (r)UK. Could be worth keeping an eye on him, note the gap between those two articles and Dec 2014 his last. He does also post elsewhere occasionally.
Liz-g
“The space between”
Hugs.:)
Defo@7.07.
Happening in Palestine every day, we are all guilty.
I remember as a young student my professor and lecturer was giving us a lecture on the effects of poverty. When he was finished he asked if there were any questions. One very brave young woman happened to disagree with a few of his points and as is often the case you could feel the offence and irritation emanating from him like a heat ray.
“My dear girl” he began,” I have been lecturing on this subject for nearly forty years and I can assure you these facts are accurate”.
The young woman looked at him calmly and replied “And I have lived in the poverty you describe most of my childhood and adult life and I can assure you they are not”.
I wonder which of the two was right.
Jenny was a brave girl.
Plenty of really big union jacks waving about on BBC Tennis coverage right the now. Start the day rancid The Graun style, you jocks and your Buckfast swilling…
Thanks to the Internet there has never been a time when it was so easy for journalists to check primary sources, check facts and chronology and so produce informative articles on any given subject. Reports and judgements are available online almost immediately after publication as well as statistics and often accompanied by expert analysis. Yet journalists eschew these sources in favour of sound-bite quotes and partial, in all senses of the word, analysis heavy with the sins of commission and omission to suit their own, and newspaper owners, prejudices.
I read newspapers but only to find out what is making the news then I go and check it out for myself as far as possible from primary sources.
Aye noticed that Heed…these commentators are a shower of shit…
Gary 45%
I’m guilty of more than a few things, but the fate of the Palestinians isn’t one. Even by association.
Jim Murphy, and his Henry Jackson society pals on the other hand…
Marky Booth posted on Twitter a link to a very detailed Google Docs spreadsheet that breaks down and compares the expenses of the current Scottish Westminster MP’s with those of their predecessors. He compared 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16. He also included information on how each much member “contributed” in the house and used this as a basis to calculate a “value for money” number for each member.
To understand the values in the columns please refer to the notes in the column headers.
The two biggest takeaways are:
1) 2015/16 Total expenses are approx. El .5 Million less than both 2014/15 & 2013/14.
2) The vast majority of the SNP Members are “better value for money” than their predecessors.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hOvm0d9Vfpdxp9Lre4r7iiI52gV4GpVu7f_bW2zqOIc/edit#gid=0
Defo@7.34, Its way beyond the Henry Js, there are eye opening documentaries on you tube, some of which might put the “media control” of the Indy Ref situation into some light.
Wooohoooo ! Andy Murray ,fanbloodytastic!
The brilliant display from Andy Murray was emphatic fabulous tennis.
Scotland has a true champion.
That is NOT virtue signalling.
Blair is back and so is ……….Jim “scrambled please” Murphy
@ Brewsed
Oh thank you. I wanted this information last week. I dug around a bit and gave up. I have it saved now for later poring over. Geek? I know. But we are fighting a propaganda war. We need the tools.
Other casual readers note. The columns extend to the right of the page, you need to scroll right to see what our representatives are doing.
@Dorothy Devine says: 20 November, 2016 at 8:13 pm:
“Wooohoooo ! Andy Murray ,fanbloodytastic!”
Not to mention Andy’s big brother is 50% of the doubles World Champs.
Scotland – Too wee, too poor and too bloody gyte tae rin wir aid kintra.
Bit by Goad kin we no play afu guid tennis.
Mind ye, whan wi play Wirld class tennis wir no Scots ava, wir Brits.
:-))
Well done to Scotland’s greatest sporting legend, Andy Murray (world number 1). 🙂
Well done to Andy, but to be fair to Djokovic, he did not play his best (think the occasion got to him), and he did have a couple of howlers at important points.
One thing the did annoy me was someone coughing on Andys second serve in the game to go 5-1 up. It clearly got to Andy, who lost that game to go 4-2.
Anyway, it all worked out in the end.
Could not be happier for Andy.
Glad Andy won.
He has a lot of detractors, and if he hadn’t beat Djokovic today, all we would have heard from them is that he will always be second best.
Now no matter what happens next, Murray has demonstrated that he deserves the #1 position for this year at least.
Very well done to Andy Murray.
Sigh. The expected Yoon calls for a knighthood have started already (I thought they would at l;east wait until daybreak). The BritNat pressure will be immense, but I hope Andy resists their intense efforts to use him to legitimise a corrupt, antiquated system that should have gone extinct 200 years ago. Just a quite, polite “Thanks (again) but No Thanks” would sure put their gas at a peep. 🙂
O/t On Railways:-
Every functional passenger DMU or EMU not scrapped by 2004 is currently in use hired out by a Train Owning Company to a franchise operator somewhere in the Uk.
If anyone discovered 2-3 spare ones hidden in a shed, they would immediately be snapped up. That is why NO extra trains can be found to ease overcrowding or to provide extra trains for Scotrail UNTIL the new ones are delivered in 2017-18.
This will produce a step change in the provision of seats, and the SNP and Humza Yousaf will get some of the credit.
Hence the slavering garbage in the press, and the intentional BBC effort to coordinate ASLEF and the Labour Party’s efforts to nail him NOW.
He doesn’t run or maintain trains, the political will and the means are in place to deliver improvements – but it takes time.
This is their best opportunity to make political drama over a minor crisis outwith the SNP’s direct control. So no change then.
Always do Scotland down , and remember – SNP bad.
Mr Peffers , you are right , and I should have given a Woohooo! for Jamie as well.
I have always loved tennis but I still find it highly amusing/gratifying that a Scot or Two are top of the game – I never imagined it would be so!
Alex Salmond MP
1 hr ·
Congratulations to @andy_murray – undisputed World No 1!
Its fun to consider just how hard UKOK hacks are struggling right now with the greatest British athlete ever. Our chums in the south online are jolly jealous too.
2 World Champs, from Dublane Scotland, its just not cricket. Must get some Buckie in too 😀
2 World Champs, from DUNBLANE Scotland, its just not cricket. Must get some Buckie in too ?
Too much Buckie!!!
WOS Archive links for November 2011 now over on O/T.
Love this tweet from Judy Murray, says it all really,
https://twitter.com/JudyMurray/status/800439294133465088
Thing about a Labour intervention is who they want to protect. If this had been a plane falling out the sky then questions would have been asked about maintenance. If cut backs on maintenance are behind the breakdown then those responsible should thank their stars it wasn’t a more catastrophic failure. However let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The warning about Albelio’s contact being on the line has already been given. Which might make Labour’s intervention seem a bit redundant unless they want to steal any credit.
This is getting daft now.
On BBC Ceefax BRITAIN’S Andy Murray retains number one spot.
On BBC Scotland Ceefax not a word.
Dave McEwan Hill
….you still have Ceefax! 🙂
I thought I was bad on new technology.
Like everyone else. Well done to the Murray brothers.
When a nation defies the odds and becomes No1 in a sport which is heavily financed for the benefit of London and the South Shires.
Message to the EBC North and South branch trolls, THEY ARE SCOTTISH, pity I will miss Jakey Burds GRIMMACE on the EBC Aye Player.(might catch it on Ya Tube)
GIRFUY.
Andy Murray and his bro number ones in the world – It just isnt cwicket!
Did anyone else notice, the two Gulps Phillip Hammond took on the Marr Propaganda Show this morning?
One for when Marr was introducing how Hammond was going to explain another £100 Billion on top of the current deficit,
and the other for how he was going to explain the Brexit strategy.
He knows that he and the Tories just don’t have a clue about how to reduce the debt nor who they might be trading with in 5 years, if anyone?
With regard the up and coming announcement on a major investment on infrastructure, I wonder if Scotland will be given any of the money?
I’d like to see the First Minister approach Standard Life, the CEO of Asda and B & Q, and RBS, who all threatened to
heave massive price increases or have their HQ’s exit Scotland, if they where to leave the EU, to hear what they have to say about England leaving Europe.
Where are their warnings, why are the BBC not drowning us with their headlines of impending doom?
On BBC Scotland Ceefax not a word. Its even dafter in England.
Eddie Hitler for UKIP leader! Tory BBC drags teamGB ever right ward but its going to bite them on their big flabby backsides.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38043760
Well done Andy and Jamie. I hope they ignore any offers of knighthoods or honours of the British F’n Empire.
O/T has Humza Yousaf resigned yet after that terrible train crash in India?
I’m in Vienna just now and not getting up to date news.
All the city transport system here works like clockwork but then it hasn’t been deregulated or privatised (or run by numptie cooncillors as we suffered in the old days). Gratified by a woman at a museum ticket office this morning asking if we were from Scotland and getting a smile when we said yes. We are getting more and more recognised as different from Brits over here, wonder why.
There’s a re-run of this Spring’s Presidential election in Austria in two weeks time so interesting times here as well as Italy, France and Germany. (The right-wing guy, Hofer, looked to have won it but late postal votes gave Van der Bellen, Green/independent, the lead but the courts ruled it was too close for fraud not to have occurred so ordered a re-run).
Effigy: “Did anyone else notice, the two Gulps Phillip Hammond took on the Marr Propaganda Show this morning?”
From now on he will be known as Two Gulps Hammond. 🙂
Well Done Andy AND Jamie Murray – both number One! Wow!!!
Both Andy and Novak were gracious in victory and defeat – that’s true respect.
Well done the Scottish Rugby Team.
Let’s hope we can add,
‘Well Done, Lord Advocate!’ in a couple of weeks too.
Did we invent the game of tennis?
(I know King James l died in 1437 as an indirect consequence of tennis being played in Scotland) Just curious…
Effijy says:
20 November, 2016 at 10:58 pm
Did anyone else notice, the two Gulps Phillip Hammond took on the Marr Propaganda Show this morning?
One for when Marr was introducing how Hammond was going to explain another £100 Billion on top of the current deficit,
and the other for how he was going to explain the Brexit strategy.”
Since the toryboy’s so rightfully took control of the UKOK economy, what Crash Gordo’s prudence had basically destroyed, they have run up a further debt of nearly a trillion dollars. But the UKOK rich are rich than ever.
So who’s paid the real planet toryboy prize, for the Crash Gordo, Bomber Blair supremacy, other than possibly a million dead people in the middle east?
‘So who’s paid the real planet toryboy prize, for the Crash Gordo, Bomber Blair supremacy, other than possibly a million dead people in the middle east?’
And yet, the British Army have the gall to plaster our screens with a recruitment drive advert featuring a floundering Uncle Sahib looking suitably grateful to his honky Brit superior for letting him sink or swim.
The Aryan super race didn’t have a look in.
Early days for this ambitious crowdfunder.
£20k, 2 months to get there, aim is 50,000 DVD’s of the London Calling movie to show the uninformed.
It’s a good watch and will help us get beyond the net to some more of those we need to convince.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/london-calling-50-000-dvds#/
Night all 🙂
https://caltonjock.com/2016/11/20/1919-westminster-placed-scottish-troops-on-lock-down-in-their-barracks-illegally-deployed-an-english-battle-group-to-scotland-and-established-martial-law-against-defenceless-scots-in-glasgow-are/
O/T
I was just thinking to myself just now then thought to share my thoughts with other wingers, How about setting up an annual Tennis Tournament for the United Kingdom Championships? Perhaps even the British Championships to allow The Republic and the Crown Protectorates to participate.
That would allow that lass from the channel islands to take part and might even see the English team bottom of the championship table.
I would imagine, though, that it would see Jamie & Andy getting their honours cancelled for beating The Queen of England’s team.
I’ll get My coat!
Robert Peffers @ 12.12.
Love it.
Hope Andy Murray resists honours and waits until we are independent before he accepts honours from the Independent Scottish government which won’t be knighthoods.
Just to put the record straight, Andrew Barron Murray was born in Glasgow.
maxxmacc
Don’t blame him, he couldn’t help it. 🙂
@maxxmacc
Just to put the record straight, Andrew Barron Murray was born in Glasgow.
So how come he drinks Highland Spring water between games. 🙂
O/T
Here’s a ‘laugh’.
The Royal Navy’s apparently ‘woefully low’ In warships!!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38044967
wonder why?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-37861162
That’s Glasgow’s Freedom Square all lit up as of last night, lookin’ bonnie *
It’s official.. Season’s greetings ye neighbour.
Lookin’ good Glasgow.
Andy Murray, Jamie Murray, Bill Murray..
It’s all happenin’, seamus before.
Mon the Murray.. hip hip..
There can be only *ne.
X.
Yoons be crazy about knighting Andy Murray. Hope he sees through their political agenda.
I’d imagine that if nothing changes at Glasgow City Chambers the anniversary of 1919 will pass without mention.
The Tories are causing a recession in the UK and damaging the world economy. Brexit is a disaster. Sttruggling families are going to be £2500 worse off by 2020. The families the Tories claim to want to support. May is giving £2Billion to research. Oxbridge is already supported 2000 to 1 of other Universities. Oxbridge, Imperial and a Bath Universities are being allowed to give advantageous deals to foreign students and give them post study Visa. Breaking equality Laws.
Some trade Union leaders in Scotland could be sabotaging their own members because of their affiliation to the Labour Party. By campaigning on non devolved issues trying to discredit the Scottish Gov..
The Tories have tried to destroy the Oil and Gas sector with (illegal) unfair, unequal taxes/tariff on the industry when the price had fallen. Now 40%. The CEO of the Oil companies illegally colluded with the Westminster Gov to damage the sector. Breaking UK company Law and governance, and damaging their own companies. Untaxed, fracked Gss is now being imported from the US. More Oil & Gas is being imported putting up the balance of payments deficit and the debt. Scotland could have had near full employment.
Hammond is reported to be borrowing more to spend on Hinkley Point, HS2, Trident and Heathrow. A total waste of taxpayers money with reliable, cheaper alternatives. Borrowing more money to spend in London S/E and Scotland has to pay off the debt repayments. Scotland raises more in taxes than the rest of the UK (pro rata) but is made poorer paying off the rest of the UK debt.
Illegal wars, banking fraud and tax evasion has caused the rest of the UK debt. Scotland is not treated equally within the Union. A breach of International Law. Now the Tories are trying to take Scotland out of the EU against the majority wishes. It will damage the world economy . Scotland will bear the brunt and will be forced into recession because of the policies of politicians which a majority in Scotland did not elected. They are trying to destroy the Scottish economy and hold Scotland back.
Scotland is not allowed to put a tax on ‘loss leading’ drink which would improve healthcare. Helicopters falling from the sky and no Inquiry because of the UK Gov policies. Allowing firns to break UK Gov H & S rules, causing unnecessary death.
Hammond sneered at the prospect of a Scottish Navy to patrol the shores. Hammond described the area around Faslane as a ‘wasteland’. It would be if he gets his way. It is 30 mins from Glasgow one of Scotland major, important Cities and the beautiful, renowned West Coast. Scotland is forced to pay nearly £Billion a year for Trident. Brexit means Trident will be going.
Congratulation to Andy and Jamie and the rest for all the fun and excitement they have brought to Tennis and sport. They are the Champions. There couldn’t be better folk. Amazing dedication. The Britfest at the Davis Cup was a bit much. Tone it down . It can be an uneccessary distraction.
Scotland developed Tennis and Golf. Mary Queen of Scots had a court at Falkland Palace. It can still be seen there. Lacrosse. Golf was developed at St Andrews one of oldest courses in the world.
.
Another chilly one on planet toryboy, BBC r4 Today show explains Chancellor Merkel now rating higher than any EU leader, 55% poll German vote, 90% her own party, Pres Obama last foreign visit to Germany, sees Merkel the last leader of western progressive liberalism.
Google “Merkel poll rating” and all UK toryboy media scream, Merkel rating plummet, drop, fall, slump, plunge, and Putin who loves Trump, also hates Merkel.
https://www.rt.com/news/354782-merkel-support-down-attacks/
Vote Farage, he’s a great lad.
Links
http://indyref2.scot/thirteen-frigates-and-a-train
https://scottovoce.wordpress.com/2016/11/20/the-annual-witch-hunt/
http://deardirtyamerica.com/2016/11/parliament-increases-surveillance-of-social-media/
http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/green-refuses-three-times-to-apologise-to-scotland-for-harm-of-benefit-reforms/
https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/economy/taxation/news/80949/john-mcdonnell-reveals-labour-will-back-tax-cut-higher-earners
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/teach-philosophy-to-heal-our-post-truth-society-says-president-higgins
http://uk.businessinsider.com/paul-krugman-fbi-putin-comey-2016-11?r=US&IR=T
Hammond says budget options constrained by high debt
http://archive.is/SqqlJ
http://www.dodbuzz.com/2016/11/18/uk-buy-1-billion-enhanced-reaper-drones/
http://www.politico.eu/article/trump-farage-uk-brexit-news-remain-mps/
Obama May Jump Into Fray as Democrats Counter Trump
http://archive.is/b3EaY
momondo – The DNA Journey
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyaEQEmt5ls
Nana:
Good Morning Nana,frosty this morning,links to heat me up Thank you
Kettle’s on
Peace Always
Rail crisis Being discussed on BBC Radio Scotland Morning Call at 9 a.m.
Call 0500 92 95 00. Text 80295.
Email morningcallscotland@bbc.co.uk
See comments above and under previous article on Wings
Smallaxe wrote:
“Good Morning Nana,frosty this morning….”
(((((FROSTY?))))) British Bullshit Corporation said last night it would be -1 overnight for the Scottish Borders. It dropped to -7 and is currently sitting at -6 in Kelsae right noo.
If ma shrubs get deedit coz ae thur incompetence they’ll hear me.
Hud tae rush oot in the middle ae the nicht and chuck a net ower thum. BBC barstewards!
🙁
Smallaxe wrote:
“Good Morning Nana,frosty this morning….”
(((((FROSTY?))))) British Bullshit Corporation said last night it would be -1 overnight for the Scottish Borders. It dropped to -7 and is currently sitting at -6 in Kelsae right noo.
If ma shrubs get deedit coz ae thur incompetence they’ll hear me.
Hud tae rush oot in the middle ae the nicht and chuck a net ower thum. BBC barstewards!
🙁
It was that cold my brass monkeys woke up as eunuchs this morning.
Stoker:
Same here in Gretna,the weddings will all be white this morning.Time for the long drawers.
🙂
Peace Always (FREEZIN’)
The Scottish parliament now has two parties serious about wider politics plus other three single issue parties. The same single issue – SNPBaaad.
The SNP is the government, and I would say the Greens are the opposition. Only the Greens offer alternative proposals when holding the government to account. This is after all what an opposition is supposed to do, offer an alternative view.
No matter what the single issue parties are asked to comment on, they just beat that same worn out drum. We now have the ridiculous situation where the branch offices of Lab and LibDem are willing to go against their own head office policies just to make SNPBaaad rhetoric. Recent access to the European single market for Scotland being one example.
Trains is developing into another illogical stance for the three stooge parties.
@galamcennalath
Trains… FFS!
The Tory parties are by this point pathetically transparent in their agenda.
To be clear folks, they couldn’t care less about Trains, the SNHS, Named Person, Police Scotland, Renewables or any other bloody thing.
Anything and everything is an attempt not to hold to account, rigorously examine or oppose the unworkable, but an avenue of attack on the Scottish Government. Adversarial politics at its very worst in the form of opposition for oppositions sake.
It wouldn’t matter if the SNP found the cure for cancer and put an end to world deprivation, it would still result in the usual shouty, pointy fingered beligerance and torn faces we see week on week in the meeja and opposition benches.
Truly cringeworthy behaviour.
@Smallaxe
Good morning, it’s taken me half an hour to thaw out sufficiently to type a reply.
Chatting with a pal earlier who tells me she has several no voter converts to yes over the last few weeks. She passed on some info I gave her. She told me last week outside church a prominent tory business man started on about the Westminster government and the mess they have created. Did not mince his words about May and Boris and heavily critical of Davidson.
He shocked them by saying he hoped Miss Sturgeon would hurry up and get us out of this mess and when he left one of the men said Aye he’ll be noticing a fall in profits, shame he did not see the damage his party were doing to the disabled.
Nothing quite like losing money to turn a tory.
@Nana
Hope you’re looking after those hands of yours Nana.
As for converts? I suspect we’ll see a few more of those after the budget when folk see just how much of a storm cloud is on the horizon.
@Macart
I’m trying to Sam, the cold weather doesn’t help. I have ‘silver’ gloves [supposed to help with RA and cold] but they annoy the hell out of me. More often than not they get tossed out of frustration.
I’m sure you are right, the budget will be a stonker from a stinker!
http://www.silvergloves.co.uk/raynauds-disease/
Rev going into OOFTMAGEDDON on twitter. 😮
The twisters have earned it. 😀
Oops! This just slipped out: http://wp.me/p4fd9j-bfH
Any chance of getting Emily Robinson to come and work for a Scottish paper? … That would be “No”.
Hi Nana
Have been on holiday meeting up with Canadian friend in the Canaries. She has been taking Chia4you turmeric and black pepper supplements for the last 6 months. The difference in her hands is amazing. I cant wait to get back home and start taking them myself. RA is such a pain! They are quite expensive but anything that keeps the ‘drug taking’ at a minimum and helps is worth a try.
Good Luck!
@ailsa craig
Well thank you for that information, off to search online. We have a pretty good health shop locally and perhaps she would stock them if I ask nicely, that’s if she doesn’t already.
Enjoy the rest of your hols.
Trump = “odium triumphans”
http://moflomojo.blogspot.com/2016/11/odium-triumphans.html
What a facile article. Her point about some journalists constructing a false narrative using tweets is well made, but to claim *all* journalists are lazy is as arrogant and ignorant as saying all MPs are expenses cheats or all bloggers are nerds still living with their parents in their thirties who spout endless crap from the comfort of their bedrooms.