The tweets you won’t read
Social media amused itself briefly tonight over a spat between former SNP MP (now independent) Natalie McGarry and children’s author and hedge enthusiast JK Rowling.
It started like this:
And then some stuff happened.
McGarry alleged that Rowling defended “abusive, misogynist trolls”. Note that last word – “trolls”, not “trolling” – because it’s quite important.
Having needlessly dot-atted McGarry – ensuring that her 6.6 million followers all saw the tweet, with the inevitable result that they piled in en masse – Rowling continued to accuse McGarry of having done something she hadn’t done at all: say that Rowling had defended specific misogynist and abusive COMMENTS, rather than that she’d defended people who regularly made them.
The exchange carried on in similar vein for a while before Rowling tweeted what looked like an implied legal threat:
Faced with the possibility of a defamation lawsuit from someone worth around half a billion pounds, McGarry backed down slightly and posted a qualified apology, also deleting some of her tweets.
Within literally a few minutes of it, newspapers were already publishing breathless accounts of the event.
Weirdly, none of the stories mentioned the person McGarry had clearly identified as the abusive misogynist she was referring to, because doing so might interfere with the cringingly sycophantic “Vile SNP BAD politician viciously attacks sainted Rowling” narrative that almost always accompanies the author in the press.
(The Mirror piece originally called McGarry an “SNP politician”.)
And since we suspect the story will be in just about every paper tomorrow, and we suspect the same thing will be true about all of them, we thought someone ought to put it on the record.
We’re going to go ahead and express the opinion that those tweets – and believe us, we could go on – are indeed misogynist and abusive, particularly the one referencing female genital mutilation (FGM) directed at Margaret Curran and the one to Roseanna Cunningham referencing the menopause. We’d invite readers to imagine the press reaction if WE’D tweeted any of them.
Shortly after we highlighted the tweets, “Spanner” suddenly decided to publicly admit that some were indeed “abusive” and “inappropriate”.
So the only question left is whether Rowling is “supportive” to the author of them.
Rowling has in fact found the time in her busy life to include “Brian Spanner” in over 200 tweets, regularly referring to him in an unmistakeably friendly manner. Again, in our opinion, “supportive” would be a fair comment with regard to her relationship with him. She follows him (a rare accolade, as she only follows 281 accounts), favourites his tweets and even jokes at one point that she IS him.
As such, our opinion is that JK Rowling is indeed supportive of a misogynist abusive tweeter, which is what Natalie McGarry actually said. If Ms Rowling doesn’t like that, she can sue us instead. But it seemed at least worth mentioning, because we’d lay good money that tomorrow’s newspapers will only tell you one half of the story.
Man, if J.K is actually Spanner, that explains a lot.
Nothing to add Rev. Think they tried to ambush McGarry,who was actually in the right, as they were too quick on the story
I think you will find that Rowling actually “liked” his (Brian Spanner1) stuff on several occasions. Charmer—not.
Rowling has definately laid down a legal threat now…she certainly has a “certain” personality who enjoys power and attention.
who is spanner?
name
shame
I’ve seen a tweet that suggest that the repulsive troll is in fact a well known journalist.
I’m not usually a fan of ‘he said’…’she said’ on twitter. It usually just causes trouble, as Natalie found out tonight. But here, stu, you appear to me to have skewered JK with it, and it’s fun to see…
With this, Rowling has crossed a line from incompetence into malice.
Will be interesting to see where this goes.
As is Kevin H****e
Suitably tweeted, love the media ‘journalists’ – more like stenographers these days for their owners. Love you Rev, you made me smile.
I’m sitting here thinking, those Rowling tweets have to be a parody account. She would not associate her good name with Spanner’s slop.
Why would she sidle up to a foul-mouthed misogynist while millions of her young devotees can read what it is he’s saying? It beggars belief.
Some mention of nasty trolls and sociopaths here: http://wp.me/p4fd9j-3Tl
Good god. You’re right.
I would just like to state that I have never read Harry Potter, watched any of the films or bought into the hype that it is the best thing since sliced bread.
Thanks again Rev for a powerful statement of how the Meia can manipulate situations…
I had to stop at the point I realised someone wasn’t just having a wee go eh, that was disgusting!
“I’m thinking of giving up the spanner account” – disgusting what must go through this womans mind day to day after having read all through.
Disgusting.
What kicked it off Stu?, do you know what Natalie was referring to in the original tweet.
Spanner, would be great cover for someone with a split personality, if only someone could write a book on it, it would be worth billions.
I disagree with the tone of Campbell’s posts sometimes, but this is an absolutely brilliant piece that takes Rowling apart. Stunning.
Thanks Wings, for filling in the gaps (as usual). Grateful reader
What is a Rowling?
Who cares what it says.
Yesterdays news.
SNPx2
“ROWLING MUST CONDEMN!”
screamed no headline.
From this selection of tweets it seems like Rowling doesn’t just support the abusive mysoginist troll, she’s actually great friends with him.
She really does have poor judgement, that woman. All her billions and she hangs out on the internet with hideous people like him? Poor her, I feel sorry for her.
These twitter spats are becoming tiresome.in no way am I defending jk rowling,but we all know how these are reported in the unionist media.No doubt the Daily Record,Sun etc will all over this latest spat like a rash .can’t MPs just ignore this stuff ?,I get the feeling they are being bated,and they bite every time.Just ignore them,hopefully they will go away.
Good work, Stu. That is all.
P.S. Is your fundraiser soon?
I don’t get it. If Ms. McGarry had the same evidence as you have that Ms. Rowling is supportive of the individual known as ‘Brian Spanner’ (because that is how it appears: eg. ”You’re a good man Brian Spanner”) then why did she apologise.
I’m not on Twitter. I regard it as a dangerous construct. Comments can be too easily misconstrued, but ”You’re a good man Brian Spanner” can hardly be understood to mean anything else apart from Ms. Rowling thinks that ‘Brian Spanner’ is a good man.
This is why Kev & his Yoony chums hate you so much!
If a defamation case comes your way I will be first in the queue for the veritas fundraiser.
The link between defamation & cash is a callous thing to take advantage of and cringeworthy to see.
It’s more about power and less about hurt.
When you’re wealthy and powerful and a big celebrity you can warn critics – the little people – that you own lawyers, so they’d better shut up.
And indeed you do own smart big time lawyers and QCs, a brace of them at your immediate disposal, for they’ll happily argue any case on your behalf you want them to whether your lawsuit is just or not.
For an example of how to win when you clearly should not bone up on the O.J Simpson case in the States.
Nothing can assail Rowling’s international reputation, so why does a stupefyingly rich and much loved person get offended by anybody? Your fans have inoculated you against the wicked ways of the Proles.
Perhaps @BrianSpanner1 is an account in which the JK has hidden a fragment of her soul. Or should that be the Horcrux?
Surreal. Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XypVcv77WBU
“Rowling has in fact found the time in her busy life to include “Brian Spanner” in over 200 tweets, regularly referring to him in unmistakeably friendly manner.”
Says it all about Rowling and British nationalists in Scotland. When their masks slip, or when a blog like WoS actually does journalism, what lies beneath is really ugly. Rowling is not an exception either.
She wont take legal action.
Where and how is she defamed? Well m’lud, my client was defamed because she DID included “Brian Spanner” in her tweets to her 6 million twitter followers but he’s a lovely British character really, just like my client?
J.K. Rowling tweeted “I’m thinking of giving up the Spanner account. Too much work”
… Wow, just wow … would somebody with a Twitter account and a hefty legal fund please directly ask Ms Rowling whether @BrianSpanner1 is her good self under a pseudonym.
TBH ‘Brian Spanner’ is exactly the sort of facile name for a character she comes up with.
Was Euan McColm outed as Brian Spanner by his own stupidity? You decide …
https://twitter.com/PoliticsScot/status/692829570039418880
Is it a spoof Rowling account? I can’t quite believe she would support someone so artlessly crude (whoever he is).
Swearing is funny but it requires timing and juxtaposition. This appears to be just drivel from a deranged loon with a disturbingly vicious attitude towards women regardless of their political affiliation (although I see no Tories in the list above).
One to file under W for weird.
If it is the genuine Rowling she has lost the plot.
Amusing in a way (but sad as hell in another….because these people are supposed to be ‘serious’ journalists rather than playground idiots) to see some journos banging on about who ‘won’ Twitter slanging matches….as if the wider world cares.
Rowling really is a vile individual. I absolutely detest people that behave the way she does – that pretend innocence, the way she “dot replies” to folk to ensure her hordes of fans pile in against whoever she’s disagreeing with. She knows she’s completely untouchable, and she revels in it.
In fact, she reminds me of a guy I knew at school. He had brittle bones, so if anyone so much as slapped him, the school would come down on them like a ton of bricks. So the guy would provoke folk then go “you can’t touch me, I’ve got brittle bones!” when they reacted. Utterly, utterly cowardly behaviour, and Rowling is the same – always hiding behind her status as that lovely writer who wrote all the books everyone’s kids love, and if anyone crosses her path, she makes sure it turns into a Twitter storm so that her opponent is splashed across the front pages the next day.
If I was a Harry Potter fan, I’d be kinda devastated to find out the author of my favourite books was such a dick. Fortunately, I’ve never read any of them.
Rowling is basically a bully. After being exposed, she then appears to threaten to use her vast fortune to bully someone financially and make them apologise for pointing out the TRUTH about Rowling.
What a dreadful snark she is
And she knows that the State and Corporate Media will be supportive of her bullying, as bullying or lying Ito ordinary people is their proven modus operandii
@The Rough Bounds – because she suggested that she as a multi millionaire might ‘sue’ NMcG.
I detest a certain author but she has power, clout and very powerful friends and doesn’t appear to be concerned about using it.
Mcgarry’s judgement send to be somewhat off here, not sure what was she hoping to achieve? Her tweeting of what seems to be photoshopped tweets spliced together is just embarrassing.
Spanner has posted some vile stuff, but yet to see where Rowling ‘defends’ him, as per the accusation.
Seriously, if the protection and praise that J.K is now getting, and the abuse that Natalie McGarry is now receiving does not tell us we need to get the f’ck out of here, then I don’t know what will.
@ Roddy Macdonald at 10.52pm: Wow! Huge if true.
More power to you, Stuart.
Well done Rev Stu,
I have had the misfortune to come across Spanner on Twitter and he is a most evil and abusive person.
I blocked him months ago and I do not wish to see his tweets on my timeline.
What I do find extraordinary is he is followed by lots of prominent Unionists.
He is a truely repulsive person and his popularity with prominent red and blue tories is a sure sign of their terminal decline.
Any self respecting poitician or personality would disassociate themselves from his rantings.
But they will not – so it is time to kick them out in May 16 and again in May 17.
As for JK – a very sad individual.
Just shows you – Money can’t buy you love.
Using my old job skills,I would say several things about the various participants to J.K.
Firstly there is a cameraderie in their exchanges that goes beyond mere responses to a contributor. They can identify each others character traits i.e. the remark about Hothersall playing a certain part in a production. They have most definitely met socially.
Secondly I would suggest Mr Spanner is very well known to JK and indeed is in her social circle. The clue is in his name.
He calls himself Brian Spanner QC, which as we know stands for QUEENS COUNSEL. JK is known and often addressed as the Queen of literature by many ( not me). The fact that she accepts his “humour” indicates she is already familiar with it.He is a friend .
Hope she does sue Rev. Crowdfunder and shame in open court awaits when the truth comes out.
This group know each other very very well,and beyond twitter
“What kicked it off Stu?, do you know what Natalie was referring to in the original tweet.”
Er, yes. Spanner. Did you stop reading after the first paragraph or something?
Lol, can of worms squirting all over the shop.
https://twitter.com/BrianSpanner1/status/692832509667610624
J.K. Rowling ?@jk_rowling 50m50 minutes ago
.@NatalieMcGarry You don’t appear to understand how Twitter or defamation works. I’m going to help you out with the latter.
Looks like its on.
Should be an interesting court case though. Rowling is going to help out an SNP MP understand twitter and defamation works, so we’ll all get an education from the fragrant Ms Rowling then.
Is this what its like when big money gets angry? Keeps Rowling in the public view though.
Surely not another dire bumper book of dreary plagiarised grot needing a sales boost, m’lud?
Don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve never heard of this ‘Spanner’ character before tonight and honestly thought it was just a crude wind-up.
I echo Scunterbunnet and Handandshrimp’s observations above – something very fishy going on…
This just gets better and better, Nat tell her tae git tae France,
Spanner will then need to be unmasked. Can of worms right enough.
Wow!
Happy to stick my hand in the moth trap.
I was just wondering what prompted the first tweet from Natalie 🙁
It’s late Stu 🙂
The 17 Most Evil Characters In “Harry Potter”
https://archive.is/csQYj
This ‘Brian Spanner’ character clearly ranks somewhere among this lot.
Holy crap, those Spanner tweets are absolutely despicable. Makes you wonder about the kind of people that are roaming free on the streets when they can write stuff like this, let alone think it. Interesting that that’s the sort of thing that floats Rowling’s boat; it says a lot about her. That and the fact that that she regularly sets her 6m fanboys/girls on anyone who has the temerity to call her out on something. I’ve always thought anyone doing that is showing themselves up a truly nasty husk of human being, not to mention cowardly. It must be unbearable to have 6m idiots hounding you online. Rowling knows that and doesn’t care.
I do wish people though that would stop helping her get her publicity fix by trying to engage her on things though. It achieves nothing other than give tame journalists the opportunity to write hysterical nonsense about how poor, sweet Rowling’s being abused. While Rowling acts bewildered that anyone should be a mean as to disagree with her, then, sets her 6m followers on the poor sod whilst pretending it’s nothing to do with her. She’s a despicable person; best leave it where it lies, maybe it’ll eventually go away.
Rancid The Graun/Observer hack leaps in where fools also leap in. She’s not saying by how much yet but Rowling already planing how to spend all that lovely mullah the libel judges will award her, as she’s carried triumphant from the court by cheering lawyers and thick lazy UKOK hackdom.
Nick Cohen Retweeted
J.K. Rowling ?@jk_rowling 41m41 minutes ago
J.K. Rowling Retweeted Nick Cohen
Thanks Nick. I’m thinking all damages to @lumos! J.K. Rowling added,
Nick Cohen @NickCohen4
I deplore the repressive UK libel laws but if @jk_rowling wants to sue the living daylights out of @NatalieMcGarry, I’ll hold her coat
440 retweets 2,235 likes
Reply Retweet 440
http://www.wearelumos.org/ Rowling’s charity, about to get a massive libel damages donation.
I would like to know what other names follow this “Spanner” account.( I know there a few to be seen ) Funny feeling we will know many of them.
Would be interesting to know who they are……
This is unbelievable. I took a look at the other side. Journalists are actually defending Spanner and encouraging Rowling to sue! From her timeline she really hates the SNP doesn’t she?
It’s like a dystopian Oscar Wilde play with the malignant salon hostess choosing to destroy people and their reputation at will. Toying with them and using enormous influence for a personal vendetta. Most of those who follow her have no idea how easily she seems to manipulate them.
I hope Natalie McGarry is getting good advice. It does seem beyond belief that JKR doesn’t know what Spanner is like. She follows him and follows so few people.
His followers are a Who’s Who of Yoon nastiness.
Something REALLY strange about JKR. Why on earth does she spend so much time on social media sites? Is she lonely? Searching for ‘nasty’ Independence supporters to complain about … supply newspapers with tall tales? Twisted by nature and tryng to create havoc? Obsessed with supporting the Union? You would think she’d be spending her free time considering how to help the poor and suffering here in Scotland and further afield: But no seemingly that’s not what floats her boat.
On the otherhand I would have thought that Natalie McGarry would have kept her head (well) down until she cleared her name. She knows full well how biased the media is so why interact with JKR at all? Crazy! She’s also just, inadvertently or not, given the SCUM another SNP Baad story to run with and a reason (not that they really need one) to dredge up her story again.
Let’s hope that someone in the media will pick up on what Stu has outlined here and expose JKR for the type of person she truly is: And if they don’t there are numerous decent and influential people the World over who will dig deeper as they aren’t JKR fans …. far from it …. and are acquiring, slowly but surely, an even greater insight into what makes the woman tick.
Just out of curiosity here.
Has this spat occured because Rowling has a new book coming out?
Are the sales figures for her last book not looking too great and she needs more press?
Are the anti Scotland gang (a.k.a. Bitter Together) running out of ideas to bribe us to stay in the U.K.?
Oh God. I’m so glad I blocked that account ages ago
It’s an odd world we live in! I’m so glad I’ve had an education. It leaves me largely unimpressed with the shite, albeit successful shite, that the woman writes. And there she sits on a mountain of children’s cash spitting threats like the serpent on the miser’s gold. A legion of gormless idiots pay homage to her, adults who refuse to grow up and judging by her tweets she panders to them. They deserve to embrace each other. For all her money and her fame and her supporters, I’m glad I am who I am. I’m glad she supports the Union and I support independence. We should not engage with her or her like in any way at all. Let’s neglect to pay her any attention. Even the gods died through neglect.
@Roddy Macdonald 10:52pm
Anyone know if that’s for real?
@Lesley Anne – she has a new not Potter/ maybe slightly Potter film coming out.
Eddie Redmayne, ex Eton playing a Potter spin off – ‘I will never resurrect Potter’.
Gosh are we all to be silenced cos someone’s got money?
Away
I think in view of the fact that she has pressed the like key to several of his vile comments may put Ms Rowlings claim on a very shoogly peg indeed .It marks approval.
Ms Rowling might like some of Spanners stuff.That doesn’t mean she necessarily likes all of it,including the mysogony.Im not up to speed on this Twitter crap,so I don’t know if Ms Rowlings supportive tweets related directly to some of Spanners mysogonistic tweets.If they didn’t Ms Rowlings argument will be that she likes some of Spanners stuff but hates his mysogony.A bit pathetic,really.If they did,Ms Rowling needs to take a long hard look in the mirror.And apologise.
What did the referendum do for you?
It opened my eyes to the desperate and needy celebrity underworld that is basking under the illusion of ‘greatness’ bestowed upon them by a brainwashed public who have fallen into the trap of believing who and what the public relations industry, itself the manufacturers of illusions, tells them to regard as ‘important’.
The worst part of that exchange is JK Rowling’s ‘masked’ threat to Natalie McGarry. She truly reveals her self here, as someone who rather than accept the genuine criticism levelled at her with regard to the person Natalie is citing as the ‘misogynist’, and the factual trail of her actual support. (As she of course knows exactly who this guy is), she immediately pulled the ‘defamation’ card. This is a genuinely dangerous person imv, one who displays rank dishonesty combined with hypocrisy with a quick and eager willingness to utilise her wealth to ‘crush’ others ‘she’ deems are impugning ‘her’ reputation.
Nasty stuff indeed.
That in my opinion is a Bully. Intimidation was her first ‘port of call’.
And this is what is called ‘powerful’? No. This is in reality called ‘fear’…the bullying tactic is masking her fear. Natalie called her out correctly. And she knew it.
I’ve no doubt Natalie was ‘advised’ to ‘apologise’. Bullies wi pals in the press who already have an agenda are tricky politically speaking. Look how quickly this has escalated.
Jk Rowling is doing a classic ‘look a squirrel’ manoeuvre here. Her version will be carried not the truth.
Hopefully half of Scotland reading Wings lets the other half know the real story here.
I suppose the whole fantasy thing entices the kids but I’ve never spent a penny on her work and she’s not winning me over. I just wish JKR would stop pretending she is relevant in some way.
Whilst it would no doubt be stressful to Miss McGarry, I’d love to see this harridan with her army of 12-year old sycophants put back in her place!
Rowling has very powerful friends for now, come independence that may change.
An independent Scotland will have a story to tell, and it will be on the international stage.
The truth always has a way of coming back to bite you on the B.U.M.
Kirsty: “Holy crap, those Spanner tweets are despicable.”
I’d say you’re a mite forgiving.
It stinks to high heaven. A guy called ‘Spanner’ defames using vile abuse and someone called ‘Rowling’ says “You’re a good guy.”
It cannot be the same writer who supports charities for abused and battered women.
Something doesn’t add up.
Assuming it is the real Rowling and given this chap has just apologised, she would have a hard time arguing she has not spoken highly of a misogynistic troller.
I think the threat of legal action is bullshit.
I do wonder if Rowling is OK. She has pissed off her neighbours in leafy Cramond and appears to have a siege mentality on absolutely everything.
She needs to get a grip and start enjoying life again.
Rowling’s defamation action will probably come down to the MP tweeting, Rowling “defends” Brian Spanner and his horrifying tweeting. Does she?
Her legal team will probably also advise Rowling that she will be asked to explain why she does follow Spanner in twitter and more importantly, includes him 200 tweets, with her 6 million twitter followers, in light of his tweets.
Publicity wise JK, what will your millions of fans think of you saint JK etc? Or, cant see a defence lawyer doing what UKOK hacks get away with daily.
“Weirdly, none of the stories mentioned the person McGarry had clearly identified as the abusive misogynist she was referring to, because doing so might interfere with the cringingly sycophantic “Vile SNP BAD politician viciously attacks sainted Rowling” narrative that almost always accompanies the author in the press.”
K1:
Agree. I imagine that’s why Natalie reversed – she cannot win. On Twitter and in the papers. In the streets where no-one’s reading Twitter because they’re too busy getting on with life? Who knows.
One of the reasons Stu is so vital is that he was able, ready and willing to pick this up (even though it must be just as wearing for him to know he’s battering his head against a brick wall with these clowns).
Full square behind Natalie on this- Rowling deserves everything she gets for being such a hypocrite. Appalling woman.
Looking at the responses to Natalie I wonder why the abuse of a Scottish MP on social media is not treated as an outrage but rather something to be celebrated by the press?
Fuck them- all these cretins in the media are just holding us back. As for Rowling- was there ever a human since the Roman era who held themself in such high regard?
@Mealer,
Spanner does ONLY mysoginistic stuff, She has pressed the like key to some of these comments.This is a deliberate conscious act. There is no other way to view it.
It is like getting a tweet from Dugdale accusing Nicola Sturgeon of treason. Would you press the like key to that?
Not this whacked out crazy second rate children`s books writer again,somethings in the air guys,they have been pulling out all our old foes lately,big ramp up to the onion fear campaign big fats will be out the pie cupboard blowing his tuba next.
Though Natalie should know better,next time Natalie pass the information onto cybernat central command(the Rev)and let us wingers deal with the onion special zoomer brigade.
i am so over the whole JK thing, wish people would just ignore the pathetic wretch, honestly she is worse than katie hopkins and we all know that the media will lap up her crap like the laptop loyal presstitutes they are. She needs completely ignored and denied the attention that she pathologically craves.
I haven’t seen this much furious backpedaling since the Tour de France.
(Tour de Farce, mair like. Popcorn, anyone…?)
Who IS ‘Brian Spanner’?!
This blasted mystery must be confronted!
Reminds me of this dude, who is like something from a Two Ronnies serial – ‘Spring-Heeled Jack’:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring-heeled_Jack
‘Several witnesses claimed that he escaped by jumping over a 9 ft (2.7 m) high wall while babbling with a high-pitched, ringing laughter.’
Aye, fair do’s – but can he jump over a 9 metre hedge?(More to the point – does ‘he’ have to?)
The plot thickens! As does the hedge! The game’s afoot! Damn, damn, damn this accursed fog!
How can a woman who was badly treated by a former partner, who supports charities for battered and abused woman, appear to welcome the sordid misogynist language of a man she seems to consider a friend?
Is that not the biggest paradox of all?
Can you imagine a Lawyer going through all Spanners tweets to give the court a flavour of his character along with a list of all the people who follow and like him. Priceless.
Seems ironic that this article talks about how the media will lap this up, and ignore many of the tweets, yet it happily ignores the posts from McGarry that started the whole thing off where she blatantly accused Rowling of being a supporter misogyny because of her interactions with spanner.
Funny how people act like its wrong for others to gloss over the important facts, but have no problem adjusting the story for to suit their own bias.
I too am beginning to get the strangest feeling here, that this spanner account is either a well kent name or a fake account she has set up herself. The banter does seem overly ‘familiar’ between them.
Now this spanner account is suddenly apologising for the Margaret Curran tweet…reading Wings are ye?
Ye’ve blown it wi this lark spanner and rowling…yer teas oot.
The Heralds Moderators are now in full swing deleting anything that puts them in a bad light over this!
Their story also seems to constantly changing as well!
As for Rowling.. Has she thought of a Dating Site instead of Twitter? She may well get to “like” less offensive people than Brian Spanner.
Just off topic here but I as wondering if oor Stu was feeling a wee bit miffed at this? 😉
https://twitter.com/murdo_fraser/status/692830202804588544
I mean for someone who is a great a pain in the earse of everything YOON I really thought oor Stu would have made it in to “Pool A.” 😀
Spanner? Perhaps when the charity’s (Lumos?) accounts for 2015 are published we’ll get a clue (assuming any cheque was actually written)
You can probably guess why I’ve taken part in almost every form of socially interactive on-line communication from way back when computing was hardly known to the general public. Before that it was Ham Radio, but will not ever be tweeting.
But then I’ve always hated bullies of any and all kinds.
somethings in the air guys,they have been pulling out all our old foes
DerekM
An election in 99 days?
@Grouse Beater – because it’s a game to them.
There seems to be a suggestion this Spanner guy is a well known journalist.
He may have been stirring it up and pretending to be this appalling person.
You will note that the only person he has apologised to is Mags Curren.
Ooh…half the media in Scotland must be reading Wings right noo…whit’s the stats like on this Rev?
Is there an increase in ‘viewers’.
**puts oan a clean cybernat dressin’ goon…fur the deluge of newcomers…** 🙂
During the Referendum campaign Rowling told Scottish people that we were like a spouse, all packed up and ready to leave. Therefore, we were in a heady position, in a powerful bargaining position. We should give the Union a second chance.
That she herself knew that this was complete tosh is clear from her own biography. According to Wikipedia she married a Portuguese man and was the victim of domestic violence so fled to Edinburgh:
“Rowling was left in despair after her estranged husband arrived in Scotland, seeking both her and her daughter.She obtained an Order of Restraint, and Arantes returned to Portugal, with Rowling filing for divorce in August 1994.”
How heady that divorce must have been. What bargaining powers!
There does appear to be a basic character flaw here. She would be better advised to apologise to Natalie McGarry, and to the rest of us.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._K._Rowling#Marriage.2C_divorce.2C_and_single_parenthood
Liz: “You will note that the only person he has apologised to is Mags Curren.”
That has me chuckling… loudly, a good way to end a decidedly odd day.
JK who?
Spanner who?
Nonentities.
Does JK not understand how behaving in the way she has tonight comes across as just a tad sad. All that money, and nothing better to do than (if they are real) re-tweet that spanner creep and other assorted nutters.
I actually think it’s quite sad. Seriously. I see her regularly reported as tweeting on some subject or other in the news, telling the world her opinion. It’s almost as if she has no real friends.
Makes you wonder.
Disruptions in the Kevosphere earlier this week should have tipped us off that something like this was in the works.
When Kevin goes cuckoo the clock strikes Yoon.
Has Rowling donated millions to the unionist campaign for Europe yet?
Remember if the UK chooses to stay we will be in the heady position of an abused spouse who decides to give it one last chance !!
Or is she just a UK/English nationalist all along..?
This is just as topical as last time, probably more so in light of today’s eye opener:
https://grousebeater.wordpress.com/2014/06/13/dear-j-k-rowling/
@HandandShrimp says: 28 January, 2016 at 11:41 pm:
“Assuming it is the real Rowling and given this chap has just apologised, she would have a hard time arguing she has not spoken highly of a misogynistic troller.”
There is a claim made, among the tweets by Rowling, that could be interpreted as her claiming she is Spanner.
It could be true, and would explain quite a lot.
Put it this way, the woman is well known as one of the World’s best known fantasists and rather childlike orientated in her work. Perhaps this Spanner is just another, alter ego style, figments of her well (over)developed imagination.
Whatever else it is it exposes Rowling as a rather nasty, vicious, cruel and bullying person. Like Brutus, she has a lean and hungry look. Such (wo)men are dangerous.
Brian Spanner QC @BrianSpanner1 22 Jan 2015
Phillipa Whiteford’s guide to being a maverick.
Lie to very ill people about their treatment.
Fucking cow.
twitter.com/BrianSpanner1/status/558249792560984064
Brian Spanner QC @BrianSpanner1 29 Jun 2015
Never mind employing that £3000 part time poverty bint Scottish Govt.
I can fix stuff for £2800 per month.
Plus lunches and stuff.
twitter.com/BrianSpanner1/status/615442449973006336
Brian Spanner QC? @BrianSpanner1 7 Mar 2015
Has Nicola Sturgeon stabbed that Welsh bint in the back yet so Alex Salmond can get a ministerial post?
Transparent vile nats.
twitter.com/BrianSpanner1/status/574158960837726209
Brian Spanner QC? @BrianSpanner1 19 Jul 2014
This welsh bint is the most insincere lump of dna to draw breath.
twitter.com/BrianSpanner1/status/490604460708986880
Brian Spanner QC @BrianSpanner1 7 Jul 2014
@Bravebelly2 BBC Scotlands investigative journalism is that mad blonde bint shouting at lawyers.
twitter.com/BrianSpanner1/status/486085600458838016
Brian Spanner QC ?@BrianSpanner1 14 Jan 2015
Committed socialist Joan McAlpine sent her kids to a private school.
Mental cow.
https://twitter.com/BrianSpanner1/status/555331802165178368
Natalie McGarry did exactly the right thing here. JKR has been supportive of someone who has previously tweeted offensive, misogynistic comments.
There is no implication in McGarry’s original question that Rowling supports the offensive tweets themselves. But an internationally renowned children’s author (and role model) can’t be seen to promote someone who f***s and c***s in a public forum.
That’s the price you pay for making millions off the pocket money of the young and gullible. I don’t have a problem with expletives and un-PC banter on social media in general… but will somebody PLEASE think about the children!!! 😉
Sad that Natalie had to retract. MPs must be able to challenge celebs, especially when child protection is involved.
For the first time tonight I think Ms Rowling, of whom I used to be a fan, just looks like a sad old lonely, bitter person, badly damaged as a human being by her fame and fortune.
@Grouse Beater says: 28 January, 2016 at 11:53 pm:
“How can a woman who was badly treated by a former partner, who supports charities for battered and abused woman, appear to welcome the sordid misogynist language of a man she seems to consider a friend?”
Simples! Schizophrenia. Spanner is her alter ego.
@ HandandShrimp
What there is an election soon why did nobody tell me lol
No what i meant is they are doing the old look big shiny thing to deflect away from the piece of crap trap that is the Scottish bill fiasco.
It will be vile cybernats tomorrow wall to wall but whats new its not like we havnt seen it all before.
It’s a shame Natalie got herself into this.
That said I abhor the attitude that has been adopted towards her re legal action. Evidence if anyone needed it of how the rich can use the law to intimidate.
I despise bullies and will support any action to defend against them.
“the posts from McGarry that started the whole thing off where she blatantly accused Rowling of being a supporter misogyny because of her interactions with spanner.”
No she didn’t, you fucking imbecile. That’s the entire point.
If this came to court – note I do not think it will – would Twitter have to reveal who Spanner actually is? After all the defence could claim that it WAS Rowling and so the tweets were true (and therefore NOT defamatory). Just a thought
DEATH EATING NAZIS, remember.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-13zMud5qd98/VputZN2q-UI/AAAAAAAAAWg/4dnr-SbsHPY/s1600/JK_Rowling_likes.png
Robert Louis says:
29 January, 2016 at 12:20 am
Does JK not understand how behaving in the way she has tonight comes across as just a tad sad. All that money, and nothing better to do than (if they are real) re-tweet that spanner creep and other assorted nutters
——
It is pretty sad and pathetic. She seems like a narcissist who gets withdrawal symptoms if she is out the papers for more than a week or two.
What’s even sadder are the various Britnat sycophants on Twitter who crave her attention.
Woah! In the name of the wee man, this is something else.
@Grouse Beater, you are being enigmatic!
I’m not on Twatter, on account of the fact, it’s not all pithy Stephen Fry type banter.
It really pains me to say this, but McGarry should never have been drawn in. Politicians have to be very thick skinned on social media, and use it only as a medium of communication for their work.
As for Jakey, just wtf.
Rev, yet again, you deliver the coup de grace.
I don’t see for one minute that JKR can have any issue with what the Rev has said here, the tweets are being reported, people will judge accordingly.
Thought just occurred…
Surely next time Natalie is in the House of Commons she could invoke parliamentary privilege and say whatever the **** she likes!
Go on, for a laugh…
I really dislike bullies, especially power tripping rich ones. I note that there are others wondering if she is also EUOK or if she is just UKOK or maybe just EOK!
This cant be good for certain Charities she is acquainted with. Or is she gambling that they will turn a blind eye due to her millions and that the Brit Nat Press and Media will cover her back on this one?
Paco McSheepie anyone? Surely the MSM can find out who this spanner is? I suppose on a technicality jakey is right on the first tweet about the “Defends” accusation unfortunately. The second tweet “supportive” definitely Natalie is right.
I’m a graduate in law and one of the reasons I gave it up was the disgrace that is the law of defamation. We often hear journalists railing about the restrictions it puts them under, but it’s all smoke and mirrors. In truth, they love it because it gives them absolute carte blanche to say anything they want about anybody they want any time they want, however libellous. There is one and only one exception – they can’t do it to someone who actually has the cash to invoke the law, and to do that you have to be Bill Gates minted.
The law of defamation is worthless to protect the poor, the middle class or even the affluent because it is ruinously expensive to invoke. It can only be used by the obscenely rich because if you lose, they’ll take your house. You won’t just get a slap, you’ll be incinerated. That’s how expensive it is. It’s a terrifying prospect to confront for anyone, even of relatively comfortable means, and those who DO have the means know it.
But there IS one chink in the armour: the truth is a perfect defence in law to a charge of defamation. Nicely done, Rev.
Nice man.
Brian Spanner QC @BrianSpanner1 25 Nov 2015
#groupdiscussion
Punch Seamus Milne until your knuckles bleed freely.
twitter.com/BrianSpanner1/status/669551861603688449
Brian Spanner QC ?@BrianSpanner1 21 Mar 2014
Who wants to fuck up Friday #inbreeding
Should the state intervene in interbreeding in muslim communities causing higher rates of disability
https://twitter.com/BrianSpanner1/status/447016262678614017
@Tony Little says: 29 January, 2016 at 12:40 am:
“If this came to court – note I do not think it will – would Twitter have to reveal who Spanner actually is? After all the defence could claim that it WAS Rowling and so the tweets were true (and therefore NOT defamatory). Just a thought.”
Tony, read that last tweet by Rowling the Rev Stu posted above :- “I’m thinking of giving up the Spanner Account. Too much work.”
Isn’t that Rowling plainly saying she owns the Spanner account?
I’m all in favour of light hearted banter, similar to pub banter, football banter, TV panel show banter, where it is ‘understood’ that things are said for primarily humorous reasons with no intent to be taken seriously or to cause other than mild embarrassment to those targeted.
However on my two or three forays into Twitter I quickly decided, that while there is much that is indeed humorous there, it is not the place for me. There is a peculiar toxicity there which I hope does not spread to forums like this and elsewhere.
R @1am
Trouble is, that comment about giving ing up the Spanner account can be read two ways. The way you have described, or that a Twitter friend is too onerous.
As on FB, you unfriend someone, because they are too much work.
However, I do agree that the exchanges between JKR and Spanner look pretty friendly and warm
What a vile person Spanner is though, and I’ve been knee deep in trolls prior to the referendum, it was hell in the trenches!
If there are people out there who think Spanner is real – as opposed to being a very poor man’s Bernard Manning – and that’s a pretty low starting point as it is –
then its time to start playing the music on the Titanic.
We’re all doomed – even if the I gave us five stars!
So is JK claiming that she is not “supportive” of Spanner? Because it does look like fairly positive tweet exchanges.
I guess it more of a stretch to claim that Spanner is not an “abusive misogynist troll”.
Any Lawyers on line?
JKR does not run the Spanner account – please stop that one folks.
My view? MPs should be very careful what they put on twitter as media is so useless it uses twotter to get its stories.
JKR? She’s revealed herslef as a money bully “I’m filthy ricj, I can afford a huge legal battle, you can’t”. End of story.
Of much more interest is the trap Labour and Conservative MSPs have not only fallen into over the fiscal framework, they’ve jumped in holding hands, loooking lovingly at each other like old times in Better Together, singing “Kumbaya”.
Sorry about the mistype, still, it is kind of appropriate.
Paula Rose? Did you just throw a spanner in the works? 😉
Thought Brillo sailed a bit close to the wind tonight by stating that Cameron’s ‘bunch’ ‘gaff’ was a deliberate deflection from Gideon’s seeming light handedness with Google on tax.
Wrists may be slapped. (Unless, of course he possesses inside knowledge).
Paula Rose@1.25am
Paula, you seem very sure, and concrete evidence?
i wonder how (or indeed if) massie will respond to this. it’ll tell us a lot about him, too.
You’re being enigmatic
Ah, two of my posts disjointed by others in between.
Rowling has permanent staff that attend to fan mail and twitter, thousands of fandom flutters a week. There’s an aggression in ‘Rowling’s’ replies that smack of security staff.
Just as McGarry was most certainly asked to step back from the fray, I wonder if a member of Rowling’s team has been asked to tone it down.
I’m not surprised Stuart J Ritchie is involved. He’s a heartless bastard who publishes arguments for having learning support tools removed from primary schools even if they are helping a minority of children. But it’s not significant, so means nothing to the haughty, up his own supercilious arsed twat.
Just being a pedant here…
The media headline scream “SNP’s Natalie McGarry”, surely she is currently an Independent MP ? Or has she regained the Party whip on the fly ?
Good job Stu, the JKR account looks like a parody, this stinks to high heaven of a set up.
“Paula Rose says:
29 January, 2016 at 1:25 am
JKR does not run the Spanner account – please stop that one folks.”
Probably not (marvelously scandalous as that would be). But there are a lot of hints in the twitter dialogues people have posted here that she, and a couple of Sc.U.M. journos, know who owns the account … or are taking turns to tweet as Spanner … it’s a running in-joke among them.
McGarry has done the right thing. If JK keeps liking Spanner, it’s scuttles her “evil cybernatz” flagship. If she stops liking this abomination, well – good, for everyone.
Total concrete evidence.
“she, and a couple of Sc.U.M. journos, know who owns the account … or are taking turns to tweet as Spanner … it’s a running in-joke among them.”
… my point there is that there’s nothing funny about the joke unless they’re all completely aware of how grotesque that account is. JK (and/or her paid twitter house-elves) cannot not know the kind of filth that Spanner tweets.
I guess when you become so rich you literally don’t have to do any work ever again or have to worry about finances every again, you need a hobby.
Quite why Rowling chooses to make her hobby deliberately trolling half of Scotland and retweeting their responses to her no doubt bemused audience of teenage wizard lovers is beyond me.
And why can’t she hire a PR advisor with some of that cash. Surely they’d say keep politics off your official account – one followed by her loyal fans who probably have no interest in Scotland. It’s genuinely perplexing all round.
Regarding this Twit Spat the fact that Spanner is one of very few accounts Rowling follows is very telling in a number of ways, not least that she can’t claim not to know what Spanner is like. That she might know him personally isn’t beyond the realms of possibility.
JKR seems to me like someone who has the world but is trapped by it.
”She follows him”, ”favourites his tweets” and I see that she seems to be happy to have such a person involved in her CHILDRENS charity ……. ” you mean when I was thanking Brian Spanner for raising money for my children’s charity @lumos.”
Scary or what?!
Excuse me but where exactly does she support the “abusive” or “misogynistic” actions of the individual? She congratulates him on his newspaper headlines but… That’s as close as it gets.
@myself.
For some reason, best known to itself, my computer signed me as “R”:- The post so signed above is mine.
It just isn’t my night.At :03:00am I awoke to a great big bang. The house shook. I arose and went out to investigate. It didn’t seem greatly windy but there was what looked like some kind of roof or perhaps a wooden garage or shed on my, and my neighbour’s, roof.
Far as I can see there is no damage on my roof but I cannot see much of my neighbours roof.
So if anyone west of Kelty is missing a shed, garage or roof you know where to claim the remnants.
I think that is what is called a rude awakening.
Thank you Gertrude.
Excellent reporting. I knew there was something up with the extracts I saw and was pointed here for the facts. I’m loaded up with facts now. Cheers.
Amazing stuff and great record keeping.
The only part I personally disagree with is the casual throwing around of the word misogyny, something all too common these days especially online. (if things continue as they are it may even surpass nazi as the go to lazy “you are a bad person” taunt)
I doubt that his hatred of the SNP and Independence leaves Brian Spanner enough free time to hate all women as well.
Sorry for the double post but if anyone wants to partake in a little childish revenge (the best kind in my opinion) taking some of the Spanner tweets and writing “this message approved by J K Rowling” or words to that effect under them then throwing them around social media could be laugh.
I think Natalie McGarry went about this the wrong way, but her point is entirely valid as the Rev has shown. For someone who barely follows anyone, it’s strange a random troll gains her favour. So I think we can safely assume she knows who is posting under that pseudonym, and is aware of the nature of the historical tweets.
Rowling needs to come clean about her connection to this account. She probably doesn’t have access to it but even joking that she does, shows seriously poor judgement.
Reading Spanner’s tweets I’m reminded of the comments attributed to a judge in a case that revolved around someone using the f-word. “This is hardly an obscenity in this day and age, it is merely an adjective used by those who know no other”. The same reasoning probably applies to Spanner’s use of two or three favourite words, clearly he is borderline illiterate and “knows no others”.
Which makes it all the odder that he attracts the interest, let alone the approval, of the likes of JKR. While her prose may be rather pedestrian, she does at least have a respectable vocabulary.
But even more puzzling to me is why she even has a dog in this fight. She has made her pile and chooses to reside in Scotland. Unlike most of us, she could I imagine live almost anywhere in the world. And even were she to remain in Edinburgh, her wealth would surely protect her from any consequences of independence, (short of events on the scale of Ireland 100 years ago, which hopefully are most unlikely).
As an Englishwoman who has settled in Scotland and benefited from our enlightened social outlook, she ought surely to either support the Scots’ national aspirations, or bugger off back to whence she came.
Or at the very least maintain a respectful silence on a matter she clearly doesn’t understand and yet purely by chance happens to wield undue influence due to her immense fandom. This is nothing more than the abuse of undeserved power, something I believe she railed against in her books.
Other celebs have been more responsible and circumspect.
Grouse Beater says:
29 January, 2016 at 1:49 am
“Rowling has permanent staff that attend to fan mail and twitter, thousands of fandom flutters a week. There’s an aggression in ‘Rowling’s’ replies that smack of security staff.
Just as McGarry was most certainly asked to step back from the fray, I wonder if a member of Rowling’s team has been asked to tone it down.”
I was wondering about that myself. JK apparently has over 6 million followers on Twitter. Whilst her ego might be boosted by having a gander from time to time, surely she doesn’t have time to administer a Twitter account of that size? Hasn’t she got books to write?
On the other hand, somebody connected to JK’s Twitter appears to be on friendly terms with Spanner. So it’s either JK herself or someone in her employ. Either way, it reflects badly on her.
For someone with as much experience of social media as Natalie McGarry I’m surprised she decided to take a tilt at JKR. Especially as the author has set herself as the last bastion against the evil cybernats and a staunch defender of Scotland from all attempts to tear it from the loving embrace of the UK government.
Her money, influential friends and army of fans will ensure that regardless of right or wrong JKR can do no wrong. A threat of a legal case will get the pack baying however the benevolent queen will decide not to punish the misguided MP and will show mercy. Another round of applause and publicity. Of course the unlikely chance of JKR losing and the owner of the account being made public along with the authors and other unionists links to them is averted .
A “poodle fondling Yoda”.
That’s just sick.
Wouldn’t surprise me if Brian spanner turns out to be Euan McColm. They both have the same level of arrogance, hatred of the SNP, and fondness for the word “cunt”.
http://caltonjock.com/2016/01/29/labour-voters-decide-labour-party-in-scotland-is-finished-get-the-message-jackie-baillie/
To be honest, I believe our MP’s and MSP’s should steer clear off Twitter. Aye …it’s nice to have quick wee soundbites with them on the odd occasion, but it sooner or later, it always leads to this.
The media have leapt on it, and it’s turned into a feeding frenzy.
And make no bones about it, how many times has a certain author jumped into these arguments herself? She herself should steer clear of politics. She’s an author; not a politician, but yet, she seemingly gets herself into public slanging matches with nationalist supporters who will point out the continual mistakes made by the British State. Defending it is one thing, but knowing that the British media have your back is another. And this is a prime example of that fact. The author takes on a Nationalist MP; media gleefully jump in also.
So a veiled question is …is it deliberate? After all, knowing that the media will come rushing to your rescue, it’s a bit like shouting the old Scottish slang of ‘hunners’ when facing a foe. And this is what this smacks off.
So …when it comes to people who have absolutely nothing to do with politics or Scottish Independence, then the simple thing to do, no matter what they ‘tweet’ … is ignore it.
O/T
What a storm raging across Scotland (other than political). Winds of 130 mph plus over the Northern Isles and 80/90 across the Central Belt. I’m just waiting for my roof to take off. Hope this finds you all well. Stay safe x
Out of pure interest, why did McGarry choose to initiate an attack on Rowling at all? Did she have nothing better to do?
‘Spannerism’ – a gratuitously nasty message (often a ‘tweet’) of dubious origin.
Ian Brotherhood
“Reminds me of this dude, who is like something from a Two Ronnies serial – ‘Spring-Heeled Jack’:”
Or this guy even?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwaEPTSRcSw
__________________________________________________________
Stewphen McKenzie
“As for Rowling.. Has she thought of a Dating Site instead of Twitter? She may well get to “like” less offensive people than Brian Spanner.”
As long as the guy know he’s going to be eaten afterwards’…..eh and not in a good way!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_cannibalism
__________________________________________________________
Wellreadned
“Disruptions in the Kevosphere earlier this week should have tipped us off that something like this was in the works.
When Kevin goes cuckoo the clock strikes Yoon.”
Hahahahahaha
________________________________________________________
@Petra
Yes and I’m just waiting for the fallout over the forth road bridge closure…
Going back to Natalie McGarry, I think MPs need to discipline themselves over the use of Twitter. They’re always going to be lining themselves up for trouble and the papers will lap it up.
Interesting that instead of recognising what kind of character Spanner is, Rowlings threatened to sue McGarry for defamation.
We aught to do something about that awful woman (Jakey)
The media can huff and puff all they like.Brian Spanner QC comes over as being an odious creep and JK Rowling is tarnishing her image and reputation by associating with him.
I wonder what Universal think of this authors connection with such a foul mouthed person.
Will they close the Harry Potter Park at Orlando?
The tweets I saw last nigh had JK, McColm and of course Hothersall all thinking Spanner was very funny, what a hoot.
They know who it is which is why they find it so so funny, its just another fine example of the Unionist filth we have in this country.
Hothersall is a brainless arse, McColm is just scum and JK you really are a fucking idiot.
My money is on McColm, he was the scumbag tweeting about The Clutha, you could replace McColm with Spanner and not know the difference.
All the above is my opinion, if you don’t like it, Super.
I see Brian Spanner QC is busy apologising to the women he verbally abused. Could this be in preparation for being identified? All get the same/similar odd message.
It’s like, he forgot what he did. Or, he is only apologising because someone retweeted and reminded him. Not much of a grovel.
McGarry should have been more careful and less confrontational online, however was she wrong in what she said?
Cameron completely ignored Robertson’s question about Scotland voting to stay in EU WILL break up the UK!
“I said dont look Ethel, but it was too late”
Going out canvassing later today, weather permitting. What’s the betting this spat won’t be mentioned on the doorstep?
Normally rich people, with a bit of class, shun headlines and stay clear of the gutter press. She craves headlines and the attention of gutter press. God even most lotto winners choose to remain anonymous. There is some deeply flawed and deathneederish about this woman.
Rowling is a humourless creature who can’t take criticism. I think we should just ignore her – don’t feed her anything and don’t buy her books. Response should be ‘Who?’
Thanks Stu, as usual the media report half a story and fill the gaps with insinuations and innuendo. You have nailed it again. I am glad I have transferred my herald subscription to a wings donation. Keep it up.
Has Spanner apologized to anyone other than Curran and Rose ?
Just wondered if he was re-enforcing his position by not apologizing to many SNP female politicians he has tweeted abusively about.
The ‘Get off my land’ response……entirely predictable….dinnae rattle any skeletons…there’s weans here yea ken…..pfffft
Tick Tock
J.K. has millions of followers but does not see their tweets, she only sees the tweets of the people she follows, which is about 250 to 300 and the spanner guy is one of them 250 – 300 people.
It is of my opinion that the spanner guy will be protected by the media, as it would damage the editorial line that it is only the independence side that are the “natzis”, “fascist scrum”, “IRA terrorist loving republican scum”, “brainwashing children” etc awww look at the lovely squirrel….
I am always disappointed when somebody responds to the foolish/abusive/disgusting trolling and I sure do believe that our MSPs/MPs should stay away from twitter altogether.
I am more than disappointed though , by the media and its backing of a rather disturbed woman bleating about
” cybernat nastiness ” .
I was astonished to find the once sane and mighty Herald having this puerile tale as its top story on line – but then I should have realised that this is the ” standard” of our media now and the Herald has become the Hello magazine with a few more words, none of them worthwhile.
I love the fact that screen shots of Spanner QC tweets are readily available for any court case and the poor lady’s “likes” and responses recorded for posterity – should make for a most interesting court case with some nifty footwork on behalf of any QC.
Definitely a popcorn at the ready event!
P.S Should the dementer attempt to sue you Stu a wee crowd fund should do the trick.
Looks like Gandhi was right about the stages before independence is won. Brian Spanner is another great recruiting sergeant for the freedom movement!
Anagach says:
“Has Spanner apologized to anyone other than Curran and Rose ?”
Yes, some more last night …
https://mobile.twitter.com/BrianSpanner1
I’m genuinely only surprised that this Spanner character has only just been highlighted. The account has been posting nasty comments in tandem with Maggie Vaughn and History Woman throughout Indyref and beyond. The hypocrisy is alarming. I seem to recall Nicola Sturgeon being reprimanded all over the front pages for following the twitter account YescuresTories that later became YesThatcherDead..
.
The core support for Indy and SNP is cemented. Just think of the amount of money and paper wasted on this rubbish.
Why did McGarrry apologise?
http://imgur.com/ggF0fz1 – One of the first accounts to be liked by Spanner
http://imgur.com/MwFZpqZ – Birthday tweet accident, forgot who he was logged in as
A slight indication of the true identidy, found it in a reddit forum, I don’t take credit for this notice but thought it was appropriate to share. 🙂
Rowling “likes” Spanner. Says more about Rowling than it does about Spanner.
Wow, is History Woman defending the spanner guy to call women c*nts? Freedom of speech makes it all ok I guess, as long as it’s the other side. Mind you this is from the same Woman that called a young woman a “Slut”.
“Some of these comments are not to my taste. But there we are. Freedom of speech.”
https://mobile.twitter.com/2351onthelist/status/692860554231226370
One must shut one’s mouth and eat one’s cereal I guess.
Googling “Brian Spanner” returns Wings higher than the Herald…The truth is out there.
Haven’t been on the computer most of yesterday until this morning due to a very strange “malware” or “phishing” warning taking over my every actions, despite my PC security system giving me the all OK. Everything seems fine now though!
I read this threads article on MSN after coming out of my email account and something wasn’t quite sitting right about it. So i thought to myself, i’ll wait until i get onto WOS and see if they’re mentioning anything about this.
AND, surprise, surprise, a completely different and detailed version altogether, backed up with evidence and cold hard facts as per usual. Is it any wonder WOS is the success it is.
Merci beaucoup, Rev!
It seems Rowling likes to portray herself as a victim.
Obviously she likes dishing it out but can’t take it,
She then resorts to threats of legal action.
I’m not a Twitter or a Facebook user, and when I read this stuff I’m glad that I’m not, it’s a Sewer.
I’m astonished that a supposedly intelligent woman like J.K. Rowlimg would associate herself with vile verbal abuse like that.
I hope she sues you Stuart, so that I can donate to the crowd fund for your defence in the court case that will drag her and her ‘friends’ through the courts.
Sticking a clothes pg over my nose, I bit the bullet this morning and logged onto the Daily Heil website, expecting to see another hard-hitting expose of Natalie McGarry and “SNP Bad!!!”.
Nothing, nil, nada, zilch???
This, I think, looks bad for Jakey. Given that odious comic’s past track record, of building “personalities” up, before doing a hatchet job on them – perhaps her support for M’learned friend Mr Spanner is the excuse the chaps in the Heil Reichstag have been waiting for, to have a go at Jakey.
As for Mr Spanner’s identity. Reads a wee bit like old Cockers to me!!! Just saying like.
@Eddie Munster
Freedom of speech is often quoted as the free pass to.excuse insulting filth when it suits.
How many times that has been trotted out to me because I’ve objected to being compared to a Nazi, for the party I support.
It’s not that I feel hurt by it, but I object to throwing around the term as it demeans the Holocaust.
I’m no fan of JKR (best ignored), but as others have commented, our MPs should really stay clear of these twitter scraps. Is “likes” the same as “defends”? Mmm – not so sure about that one, so why risk it? Natalie McGarry may have had a point to make, but her careless wording could put her in serious trouble. Besides, she should really be keeping low until the WFI investigation is concluded.
In these David v Goliath battles, you really have to know what you are doing (and tweeting), so Natalie, please get on with your day job, clear your name regarding the WFI challenge, and leave this nasty work to the professionals, like our Rev!. 🙂
To think that we all willingly chose to dig deep in order to support this woman when she was on hard times.
Now, when we’re fighting to be able to support others like her, she’s opposing our efforts to do so.
Just goes to show, money doesn’t engender class.
J K’S in a crass of her own. Give it a rest hen. You’re alienating a lot of young people who used to look up to you. All very unedifying.
It’s always one rule for them, and another rule for everyone else.
When it’s vile obscenity from a loyal Yoon it all acceptable under ‘freedom of speech’.
When you are not a loyal Yoon, asking the time of day is unacceptably offensive.
Someone with some clout among the Unionists is needing to rein their Yoony Goons in.
OT “Ruth Davidson: Talking up Union still key to Scotland’s future”
… aye, right, hen.
https://archive.is/xtf5w
No doubt she believes talking up anti-Indy will bring her support from among BritNats.
However, having the Tories as the face of the Union does the Indy cause no harm!
ROFLMBHAO!!!!
Jakey – taken apart wi’ a Campbell spanner. Sublime.
No amount of “expelliarmus” will get you out of this one, Jakey!
Petra, Yes ,I think you are right.
I think Joanna Rowling is lonely, desperatly sadly lonely, and that it dates way back to long before her fame and fortune. The mad success of her chilrens’ books has only made that worse.
Her comments in the run up to the referendum, that we might enjoy special favour after threatening to leave and then staying put, were scarey to read. Suggesting that OVERLOOKING abuse could reap rewards. I really do worry about what that woman has experiencied. And what a dreadful message to send out!
I am trying to be compassionate here, because I do think there is something very dysfunctional in this woman’s life.
JK Rowling’s life SHOULD now be a bowl of cherries but it clearly is not. What a shame, for her. And what a shame for the world. Because she has HUGE resouces which could now be working marvels in the world.
Except JK Rowling is wasting good time following despicible wee trolls with nasty twisted outpourings and she,JK, is attacking some of the best people she could ever hope to meet.
Why? This behaviour flies in the face of the stories she told. There is something very very wrong here.
I and my children enjoyed the Harry Potter stories JK Rowing penned.
But none of us like the person the author has become.
I can accept that JK might want to be a unionist (guessing she had’nt done any homework on the subject) But I cannot accept the Clickbait behaviour.
I abhor the lack of interest in finding out why so many of the people of Scotland, in the very land where she found sanctury, feel so strongly about our need to determine our own future.
If the Harry Potter stories were supposed to be any kind of morality tale then the author’s behaviour has destroyed that illusion. Sad.
If you are reading this Joanna, there is still time to reflect and put things right. I don’t think you are stupid. Sadly, I think you have been damaged severely somewhere along the line. And I see you doing stupid and damaging things. Please get help pet. There ARE decent folk out there.
And WHO the hell is Spanner? What an odious character. (he makes Snape look sparkly)
Spanner seemed to know a lot about a Fife SNP councillor in one of his tweets. Does he live in Fife I wonder?
@galamcennalath
I really can’t comprehend fit the Tank Commander is trying to say.
She wants a’body to move on by telling a’body that she disna want a second indyref and in turn keeps it firmly front and centre….
Also, I dinna mind on oor Nicola ever promising a once in a generation event.
As has been debated to death, it wis Alec that gave his opinion that it wid be a once in a gene yada yada.
Nicola wisna even first minister at he time.
Onions – nae a clue av’a!
Excellent journalism.
They set their own trap. How can they complain of abuse after that. Disgusting remarks. They could find themselves in court. The foreign weirdos who come out of the woodwork.
I’m sure it’s been said in the comments above, but why not once again.
JK Rowling supports misogynist abuse tweeter Spanner.
Why did McGarry apologise for calling her on it?
Figure for 2015
Daily Mail circulation 1,657,867
Bulk sales to airports etc 74,787
ISTR the Scotsman (McColm’s employer) used to regularly have BtL trolls who were almost certainly staff. The trolling comments would appear before comment facility was enabled for site visitors.
Is there a pattern here?
I know Mags Curran has been round the block.She’s no shrinking violet and her years in politics have,I’m sure,made her very thick skinned.But those comments by a leading unionist tweeter and associate of JK Rowling have got to hurt.Its not so much a case of getting stabbed in the back by her own side,but getting pi**ed on by them in public.Ms Curran has many deep character flaws,but she doesn’t deserve this kind of abuse.Isnt it time Kezia Dugdale called off the dogs?
Surely this isn’t the real JK? If you had that amount of dosh, would you bother with this shit? If the MSM runs with it, and it isn’t the real JK, guess who’ll REALLY get sued by the real one!
Fact is, Rowling’s just not that good a writer. I read the first couple of HPs cos my daughters were into it. First one not bad, 2nd more of he same, after that, tedious and padded out with turgid dialogue – the desperate get-out of the multi-book deal writer who used their good idea on the first one.
Best not to engage at all. Real or fake, has-beendom beckons.
Here’s something interesting that I noticed some time ago. Could be something, could be nothing.
Both Euan and “Brian” are disco aficionados. Must be a coincidence.
https://twitter.com/search?q=from%3A%40euanmccolm%20disco&src=typd
https://twitter.com/search?q=from%3A%40brianspanner1%20disco&src=typd
As a disco enthusiast myself, I find it hard to reconcile the fact that such a callous arsehole is into music that was traditionally for the more… open-minded.
JK Rowling is part of the British establishment, like Mone she will get her seat in the house of Lords for assisting in keeping the Scots down and ruled.
Wonder if Brian Spanner is actually her? Seems plausible as she has a pathological hatred of the Scots being able to govern themselves
I do not understand BrianSpanner1, the account persona sets out its stall and sells itself on being utterly contemptible and abusive.
If your going to call a large number of public women the ‘C’ word, (not defamation because its in the category of obvious abuse) what is the point of issuing belated apologies ?
I can only assume that the apologies are flowing because some journalist / celebrity / politico now fears identification.
And as someone said earlier they fall into the category of “tweets my Lawyer told me to make”.
Remember when the Mail thought that Nicola following an abusive, sweary person on twitter was newsworthy, and demanded that something must be done…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3136773/Sturgeon-link-vile-internet-trolls-revealed-SNP-leader-follows-bullies-Twitter-previously-met-one-them.html
No idea who Spanner is but it seems unlikely JK would have a pop at Curran and Toynbee, being a fairly dyed in the wool Labour person herself.
OT Good article by GM-K in the N today.
@HandandShrimp
Whoever it is, Spanner no doubt tweets misogynistic tweets.
It’s not the abuse of words like fuck, cunt, etc, which many use in all sorts of ways, but to actually use them to direct abuse at women carrying references to FGM and the Change is the misogyny.
So if Rowling is Spanner, it seems unlikely moreso because she’s a woman, than because the misogyny was directed towards the Labour Party.
So if it is her, or another woman, she’s got some serious issues, and if it’s a man he’s a vile misogynistic cunt.
@Luigi says:
29 January, 2016 at 9:51 am
I agree, instead of getting involved in arguments on twitter with on line Trolls
Natalie McGarry needs to keep her head down and her mouth shut and get on with the job she was elected to do as well as concentrating on clearing her name.
I wonder why the yoons bother, they are going to take a tanking in May, it is possible that England will vote for abrexit in June and we will certainly vote to dissolve the union. Do they seriously think we are all going to go back to voting slab. They are needing to wake up and smell the coffee
Interestingly, the word ‘spanner’ is slang for a whole lot of words which I couldn’t possibly repeat here. Check ‘urbandictionary’ or Irish slang for example. Very apt, perhaps. Shall we just say, fool/idiot are the nicer options.
The interesting thing about the series of tweets above, although not a totally comprehensive list, is that there doesn’t seem to be any reference to JK Rowling calling out Spanner, who she follows, on his misogyny.
Perhaps we missed those tweets. They must be there somewhere.
Why is Jakey following a scumbag troll that hides behind a pseudonym.
This sewer rat troll would shit their pants at the backlash if it is discovered who they really are and they know it.
Jakey must act!
@ Peter McCulloch
Are you serious? Natalie needs to keep her head UP, say what she thinks fearlessly and carry on doing her job with the support of her colleagues and constituents.
She is not first or last SNP MP to be smeared and bullied in the media.
Thanks Stu for taking the time to put this piece together. JKR has made a point of broadcasting to the World via her media cronies how despicable Independence trolls are and now we have on record, for ALL time, her amicable relationship with one of the, what must be, most disgusting trolls ever.
She purports to be many things such as an advocate of anti-domestic abuse, anti-bullying and a role model for children and yet one wonders what children or young adults (never mind adults) think of her when they see her interact with Mr or Ms Spanner online. Extremely unedifying to say the least. For one take a look at what he / she tweeted 14 hours ago at ‘Nicola.’ Disgraceful.
I’ve never had any time for JKR and I reckon that many more people will agree with me (and you) now. It also goes without saying that the parents (will check out Spanners tweets) of the numerous youngsters in my family will be discussing JKR over the weekend …. being a popular author … being very wealthy ….. being a bully ….. being a hypocrite …. and basically not a very nice person at all.
BBC now running with this. The main point of the whole affair has been saved till the last line in the article.
I have absolutely no doubt that McColm is spanner,as illestrated by the exchange highlighted above by Roddy McDonald.
If you click the link and go to the site,then click on the top picture.I think it is Hothersall, you will see the full twitter exchange between JK Hothersall and McComb regarding him having the same birthday as Spanner,and they clearly are referring to him as both BrianSpanner and McComb.
Rats.
As you said Rev it will be in all the papers and it did not take the BBC long to get in the act showed the tweets but none from spanner barsteward.
JK Rowling ‘may sue MP’ Natalie McGarry over Twitter row
HandandShrimp11.12
I tend to agree.In fact,I have a sneaking suspicion that Ms Rowling and Ms Curran may be one and the same person.I’ve studied their photos carefully and,keeping in mind I can’t recall ever seeing them in the same place at the same time,I’m not ruling it out.
Ach, bastirt…had to answer the phone there, came back to hear Gary Marshall finishing a blether with Steven Jardine about all this JK/Natalie stuff, but don’t know if ‘Spanner’ was even mentioned.
Must’ve been about 11.45ish onward, Radio North Britain…
Did anyone catch it?
Just remembered that we used to have a regular Winger called ‘youandmycomb’…whatever happened to him/her?
Oops meant to say that the comment I’m referring to can be found at galamcennalaths post (link) at 9:10am.
Hmmm.. well, if JK sues McGarry, it is tantamount in my view to her abusing her wealth. However, on the upside, what McGarry said was not IMO wrong. It will be nice to see that spanner creep unmasked and the tweets from JK to him shown in full court.
Think it might open up some people eyes to the fact that having lots of money doesn’t make you a nice person.
@Capella
The fact is that Natalie McGarry isn’t going to win any battle with online trolls, all she is going to do is to provide the biased unionist media with stories such as we have seen on the JK Rowling story.
And yes without doubt she won’t be the last SNP MP, MSP Councillor etc, who will be subjected to smears by the unionists, that’s the nature of the beast.
What SNP politicians and the Scottish government have to do is to continue to show the people they are competent
and are looking after the interests of the Scotland and
its people and deserve to be re-elected.
“Spanner” was the first Yoon troll I ever blocked on Twitter. A valid decision.
There is a sick mind behind that account. Why someone like Rowling can’t see that is mind boggling.
JK Rowling does indeed have friends,walking past her front gate on Abbotsford Place,Cramond.
Fair excited they are too. 🙂
On Worldwide YouTube:-
http://tinyurl.com/j8fvoc8
@ Ian Brotherhood, that’s right. He was at Counting House 1 but can’t recall if he has posted since.
Yes Ian, spanner was mentioned, then dismissed as all the usual Yes/No hatefest going mad on twatter. But did speculate that some of our journos may seem to know the ID of the eejit.
Ghillie at 1025 am
Well said. That sums up EXACTLY what I think many people are coming to realise. There is so much she has the power and freedom to do with her life, yet she sits tweeting about trolls and other peurile rubbish.
Many Scots could only ever dream of the freedom she has to travel the world, and do good things.
As I said earlier, it all seems rather sad.
JK Rowling ‘may sue MP’ Natalie McGarry over Twitter row BBC just now.
K Rowling has suggested she may sue for defamation after an MP accused the Harry Potter author of defending “abusive misogynist trolls” on Twitter.
Glasgow East MP Natalie McGarry said Ms Rowling had “tweeted support” for a Twitter user who goes by the pseudonym Brian Spanner.
The author strongly denied the claim and demanded an apology.
Ms McGarry later apologised for “any misguided inference” that Ms Rowling supports misogyny or abuse.
@breastplate & heraldnomore –
Thanks amuch & cheers aplenty.
Perhaps ‘youandmycomb’ just had a name change? If so, gie’s a wave wi’ yer new handle!
🙂
Ms Rowling seems to share many characteristics with Donald Trump.
I see on Twitter , Angela Haggertys been dumped from her Sunday Herald Column for ‘ showing solidarity with Graham Speirs’ .
Bella has the why fores , apparently it’s more folk with money , wafting it over the SH.
I’ve been swithering for a wee while about The Sunday Herald. I don’t just want an echo chamber, I want a paper that will investigate the news stories, what’s happening in Scotland.
So the Herald has made a choice.
Diversity from writers or advertising money?
So I’ve made a choice.
If it’s just about keeping the paper going through advertising money, well there’s no chance the Herald is ever going to investigate anything that will rock the boat then in case it upsets those who pay for their adverts, so no more Herald for me.
Shame but what other conclusion can you draw , it’s all about the money, money, money
@ Peter McCulloch
Yes I would agree if NM had been tweeting with trolls. But she wasn’t. She was tweeting JKR.
NM is young, clearly a Harry Potter reader and JKR fan. She must have been shocked to find JKR “liking” such a sleazy misogynist as BS. So am I, and I’ve never liked JKR’s books.
Also shocking is JKR’s reaction and unsubtle bullying, widely propagated through the media within minutes. That is very suspicious IMO.
Jack Murphy she has moved away from Abbotsford Place, which was in Merchiston, not Cramond. Not that I care…
Chic at 11:27
Aye, absolutely hits the nail on the head all the way through the article. It’s a cut out and keep one.
Before this last Jakey instigated stooshie with Ms McGarry, (God how arrogant that awful woman sounds), I still had all the Potter books. But a few weeks ago, doing a January clear-out, whilst in full decluttering mode, I decided the Potter books just had to go. Just seeing the name ‘J K Rowling’ on my bookshelf was redolent of too many unpleasant images & memories. But I couldn’t just bin them, as I love ‘my’ books.
But then I had ‘a cunning plan’. ‘As cunning as a fox whose just been appointed Professor of Cunnning at Oxford university’, as they say. This is what I did: ~
I took all Jakey’s books to the local charity shop. Every Potter book bought in a charity shop means NOTHING is going into Jakey’s bank account and she loses a possible sale at full price (£9.99). In addition, children who might not be able to afford the £9.99 price tag, get to read the Potter story, AND all monies raised in the charity shop helps them.
So why don’t all Wingers copy this ‘cunning plan’ across Scotland? All those Potter books languishing on shelves, don’t bin them. Get them into a charity shop now and stop Jakey making more money off us.
I know this doesn’t stop Jakey being as rich as Lucifer, but
(a) it’ll give you a great sense of satisfaction
(b) charities, hard strapped these days, benefit and
(c) everyone’s happy, [except Jakey].
[Jakey put on ‘Sorting Hat’ at age 11. ‘SLYTHERIN’!!! it screamed immediately].
Stay strong Natalie.
Has JK Rowling unfollowed Spanner yet?
Surely one wouldn’t want to be seen having jovial cameraderie exchanges with vile misogynists, would one?
I know it’s impossible (probably/maybe)to be aware of every tweet of someone one follows, but once it’s pointed out to you that the tweets are vile and misogynistic, surely, even if you didn’t feel inclined to comment that those tweets are clearly unacceptable, the least you would do would be to unfollow the person. Surely?
Who would want to be seen as being chummy with a vile misogynist.
Soon only rich unionists will speak to rich authors. MSM is a disgrace. No mention of the ‘Brian’ tweets.
Andy through.
Free Harry Potter!
Or at least very cheap..
..available now in all good charity shops..
..donated by ENLIGHTENED (non-misogynist) YES SUPPORTERS..
I briefly tuned into Radio Scotland just before lunchtime and they mentioned this. I was expecting a McGarry hatchet job, but instead they told the facts of the story much like you did. Astonishing!
Cuilean says:
29 January, 2016 at 12:47 pm
Suggest you print this on the flysheet of each book. Just to keep things fair and balanced mind. 🙂
http://www.wingsoverscotland.com/the-tweets-you-wont-read/
I pity the mind’s of the yoons that somehow think talking Scotland and Scots down, will somehow turn us back to being empire lover’s. They must surely realize” it’s over” only the date of the divorce remains to be announced. Fifty percent of Scots want an end to Westminster misrule. The yoon voters are dying out and some are seeing that the bum and politicians have duped them over the”vow”. The young people of Scotland want change and it will happen.
Relentlessly britnat rancid The Graun piles in
“McGarry appeared to be referring to Rowling’s friendly interactions with a Twitter account named Brian Spanner QC, which had previously raised money for Rowling’s children’s charity Lumos. The account regularly tweets foul-mouthed, expletive-riddled and sexist abuse, particularly directed against SNP politicians and supporters of Scottish independence. Rowling herself was vociferous in her support for the union during the 2014 referendum campaign.
After further demands from Rowling for evidence, McGarry initially seemed to back down, tweeting: “On reflection, I shouldn’t have accused Joanne Rowling of anything based on folk she tweets or retweets, and sends supportive tweets to.”
Graun’s famous/mocked for its decades long wimmins issues coverage/support but clearly rule Britannia over their Scotland region beats all.
As per, Graun first smears the MP, leaves out vital facts like Rowling’s 200 tweets including the Spanner git, then a nice slice of confusion or, how does a UKOK zoomer account raise charity money etc
“a Twitter account named Brian Spanner QC, which had previously raised money for Rowling’s children’s charity Lumos.”
And that’s how you own a region, take down their elected reps, in print, at the Guardian.
@mealer says:
29 January, 2016 at 12:26 pm
She’s definitely a right wingin, UK clingin, bitter clingin, proud clinger. 🙂
http://www.vine.co/v/ieKI9rebnEB
off topic
Mohamed A. El-Erian ?@elerianm
According to @FT : #oil producers that are possible candidates for #imf #bailout : #Nigeria #Ecuador #Brazil #Venezuela #Russia #Kazakhstan
@Capella
I would agree with you on that substantive point.
however I think Natalie was rather naïve, given JK Rowling history to believe that she could mention to JK Rowling about one of her “likes” being a sleazy misogynist.
That was only ever going to lead to the threat of legal action and the story being spread all over the media, as it has been.
That’s why I originally said that Natalie needs to keep her head down and her mouth shut and concentrate on what she was elected to do and clear her name over WFI.
C’mon folks,
Jakie Rowling is NOT part of the establishment. At best she is an “useful Idiot”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Useful_idiot
We have a battle to win in less than an hundred days!
SNP SNP
I’m willing to bet that JK Rowling is much more than just Twitter pals with the well-known journo tweeting as Brian Spanner.
I’m betting they’ve met and hobnobbed over drinks and canapes at various publishing/book junkets, the Edinburgh Book Festival etc. So they’ll have actually met face to face one or more occasions and probably had a right old laugh at concocting the Spanner account to wind up those Cybernats.No wonder the exchanges between them on Twitter are so matey and cosy.
I feel nothing but contempt for both of them.
The threat of a defamation trial is nothing but hot air. There’s no way JKR would pursue that and risk all that Spanner filth being exposed in court and in the press, with her name associated.
Peter: “I think Natalie was rather naïve”
Probably, but are we to be cowed because a wealthy person can hire the law? Where is that better society we seek to create?
Was the Orkney Four naïve to assume they could sanction Carmichael?
The better society starts now.
I don’t know exactly how twitter works but assume that when Natalie sent the tweet it was seen by a few people. JKR chose to copy her myriad of follower and I assume her contacts in the press thereby succeeding in making it a big story, with maximum exposure, seen by countless thousands.
If she was truly worried about damage to her reputation (defamation) why did she get the megaphone out?
Anyone with half a brain sees through this. It was nothing to do with her reputation and all about “look at me mwaah mwaaah SNP bad.”
@Quinie frae Angus –
Yeah, agree, you can easily imagine them making one another hysterical, up to their eyeballs in good wine:
‘Wouldn’t it be a right good laugh, or, should I say, a spiffing jape?’
‘It’d be purely awesome. We could take turns at it. No-one minds being called a cunt anyway. It’s a post-modern ironic thing now. It’s all about creating a memorable character, right?’
‘Ya. And that’d be a first for you! Haw-haw-haw! Then we get back here every six months, read over it all and jump up and down on the spot thirteen times!’
‘That’d be smashing.’
‘Ya. Let’s do it!’
‘Brilliant. Now, all we need is a suitably plebeian name…’
I cannot imagine that Rowling would want to go to court with this, the publicity of her engagements with spanner, whoever that is, would cause outrage with very many of her fans and followers. Whatever the out come of such a thing happening, she would never be the same person to her fan base.
She would appear to be a bully and using her financial position to enforce that.
So we will see, but I think after making McGarry sweat, rightly or wrongly, she will appear as the hard done to but the forgiving person she has built her persona to be.
Of course, if she goes ahead,with all those tweets exposed, she might well lose, that would be disasterous for her ego, and career. However in UKOK land there are ways the guilty, no matter what they have done, can find a law that suits them.
Hmmm. If I had Rowling’s money, I’d be sitting on the deck of a luxury yacht somewhere in the Caribbean and sipping on frozen daiquiris all day long. Still, each to his/her own, I suppose…
Before it hits the court, can we determine if this was a personal comment or a political comment from Natalie? Is Jakey self-taking?
Just askin’?
(And for you Jakey – we don’t care HOW MUCH EFFING MONEY YOU HAVE. Wingers care ONLY about the TRUTH. Hint: it’s at the top of this thread. And know this – collectively us Wingers can easily afford to see you in court. Yupfurrit, Jakey? Want to take on half of Scotland?)
Well, nothing stopping other people asking JK why she seems to be so friendly with such unpleasant people.
It seems to me that in any other circumstances Ms Rowling would be appalled to be associated with someone as offensive and abusive as this anonymous troll.
The referendum has changed all that because for Ms Rowling we are the enemy- dehumanised, evil, nazi racists so abuse of ‘nationalists’ is completely acceptable. It doesn’t even register as abuse. It is legitimate.
She appears to provide succour to people with the very characteristics she rails against and claims to have suffered from. The hypocrisy is glaringly obvious to us. Of course the unionists have never examined their dark underbelly- and the press turns a blind eye so why would they.
It is sad that someone who made such a stand against independence through statements and that million quid is so silent on her own side’s twitter abuse, and simply refuses to accept that the dangers she warned of with independence all seem to have come to pass under the union.
Robert Kerr.
“Useful idiot”
I would agree with that. Her chains being well and truly pulled.
@Grouse Beater
Its not the case of being cowed by a wealthy person who can hire the law.
While I applaud what the Orkney four have done, I was never confidant that they would win their case.
The reality is that unless you have very deep pockets you cannot afford the legal costs of taking on the rich and powerful.
I myself, quite a few years was subjected to the threat of legal action for having told the truth about a Labour councillor.
The sad truth is, unfortunately we don’t yet live in a better where the poor have the right of redress against the rich and powerful.
I don’t what happened but it should have said better society
I didn’t realise Jakey had a new product to plug. She usually starts trolling just before she needs to start selling.
Looking at Brian’s twitter feed just now, he seems to be conceding that the game is up and is retweeting people commenting that he is Euan McColm, which is an indirect admission if you ask me.
I wonder what The Scotsman think about one of their writers moonlighting as an obnoxious and prolific Twitter troll? Will anyone in the media challenge JK Rowling about it?
Spanner’s identity isn’t really such a closely guarded secret. I’d say most of the Scottish twitterati know exactly who he his, thanks to his little login slip up on Dec19 with JK Rowling, Duncan Hothersall and Euan McColm.
I suspect that’s why his identity isn’t being questioned by the media.
Meanwhile,back in the Real World of Scotland proper paper journalism,the latest circulation stats:-
allmediascotland.com
‘The Media in Figures: National newspaper sales in Scotland’
“September 4 2015. Please note: The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday, The Herald and the Sunday Herald now appear in the twice-yearly ABC regional newspapers report.”
https://archive.is/2sqPC
If it’s a David and Goliath battle, remember who won that one.
So there seems to be this bizarre phenomenon in Scotland: that repeats itself throughout all the civic and institutional layers.
Politically Westminster decides our fate, our devolved parliament is viewed as a regional county office and we fundamentally have no power to make decisions that would be in line with the majority in our polity.
The Unionist parties in Scotland are obviously devolved too, those who work in Scotland are fundamentally answerable to London. Therefore have no power to even write a manifesto that is not in line with headquarters down south.
The Sunday Herald has no power and is completely at the mercy of The Herald editor in making decisions regarding the firing of staff on the Sunday Herald. In effect the Sunday Herald is devolved in status in much the same way we are as a country.
I do realise that even the nominal ‘editorship’ title at The Herlad is devolved too as the paper is part of a wider media grouping owned by an American corporation.
Of course there’s also the BBC, is STV not also just a franchise of ITV?
So does anyone apart from the SNP have any autonomy that is not being proscribed by those external forces without Scotland?
This is our perennial problem, unlike many other Federal, Canon, the German one that I can’t recall states or provinces, we have no voices within our overarching society in Scotland that has any truly ‘effective’ power. We are quite literally foisted upon by those whose vested interests remain forever external to Scotland’s best interests.
This is completely at odds with our Sovereignty, has there ever existed a more bizarre situation, where a Country with a culture that predates its neighbours culture has been subsumed so effectively?
Is it any wonder many have succumbed to the philosophy of ‘keepin’ yer heid below the parapet’? Else yer cast out. It’s called ‘survival’.
Nae wunner the Rev lives in Bath. Scotland has been taken over by a bunch of cringers, at every level they bow down tae bullies and those wi money.
Natalie was right to call Rowling out. Angela Haggerty is right to fight for freedom of speech and not be bullied by the pals of The Herlad’s editor at that rangers thingy.
SNP/SNP It’s our only chance left to reclaim our dignity. Let’s all stand up for Scotland and get these cringers tae fuck.
@Almannysbunnet
Exactly, for Joanne to respond by having every one of her fantasy-loving followers see that someone has posted a tweet about her that doesn’t contain the words “my queen”, “i love your books”, “my love”, or “AVOCADO CANNAVARO” she is absolutely bringing huge attention to the conversation.
Given their previous responses to people who aren’t particularly fond of Joanne, and assuming she must know how they respond to such tweets, some could say that it was partly a bullying tactic of its own, partly to feed a hungry ego, and partly to help fulfil a media desire to slate SNP at every opportunity.
Apparently Harry Potter has asked for a change of author.
It’s in the news already about the horse faced one wanting to sue Natalie.
“J.K. Rowling has suggested she may sue for defamation after an MP accused the Harry Potter author of defending “abusive misogynist trolls” on twitter”……”the author strongly denied the claim and demanded an apology”.
Folks she’s just an attention whore. Best ignored.
Stephen.
How come Fat Boy Camerons EU referendum is an OFFER
But an Independence referendum is an IMPOSITION
“Excuse me but where exactly does she support the “abusive” or “misogynistic” actions of the individual?”
Please learn to fucking read.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-35438141
BBC IMPARTIAL? Don’t think so.
Slackshoe says: stuff and…
StevieCosmic says:
Spanner’s identity isn’t really such a closely guarded secret. I’d say most of the Scottish twitterati know exactly who he his, thanks to his little login slip up on Dec19 with JK Rowling, Duncan Hothersall and Euan McColm.
I would have thought that the content and level of abuse in the BrianSpanner account would make the author a pariah.
But I guess not in some journalist circles.
Has anyone ever see Spanner and Euan in the same room, just saying like.
@Peter McCulloch, I agree with you. You would never see an exchange such as this from the more experienced SNP.
When you get yourself into a situation where you have to apologise, you have been naive, or inexperienced. McGrath should know by now, how the Unionist press and following works. Her priority should be to get the party whip back, not call out hypocrisy on anyone, and give an open goal to scum journos.
The only redeeming feature of this spat, is the Revs piece setting out the truth, and McGarry should be thanking him for that bit of assistance.
There is no good way to spin this, and I say that as a member of SNP.
@Swami Backverandah says: 29 January, 2016 at 11:29 am:
“So if it is her, or another woman, she’s got some serious issues, and if it’s a man he’s a vile misogynistic cunt.”
I don’t think many would disagree that JK does indeed have serious issues. As does Spanner The old Scots saying applies, “If ye flee wi the craws, ye maun na murn if some ane shoots ye fir a craw.” (If you fly with the crows, you must not complain if someone shoots you as a crow).
Well done Rev, you proved Natalie McGarry’s point in some style.
BBC radio Scotland just reported the story in similar fashion to other unionist media outlets.
McGarry=BAD Rowling=GOOD.
The new Robert Maxwell, bullying people through the threat of issuing a writ.
Rolling should be ashamed, hardly the actions of an empathetic and decent person.
I think in this instance the crow that has been shot has been Brian Spanner and the person that pulled the trigger was the indignant and rather self obsessed JK who scenting some Nat blood has inadvertently pulled the house down.
I am sure Brian is saying “Cheers JK”
Interesting to see how many Wings people abuse Rowling in just as nasty a manner as Spanner abuses his enemies.
Has JK gone on twitter to condemn the vile misogyny of her chum Spanner yet?
Perhaps she’s been too busy to see the tweets he’s busy apologising for.
Wouldn’t it be the first thing to do if you are claiming that you do not support misogyny, and are threatening to sue because of a perception that someone has implied that?
Here’s an example, in case she needs one:
The tweets to women using FGM and the Change to direct abuse, are vile misogyny, and are completely unacceptable.
There you go. Happy to help. A donation to my favourite charity will be acceptable in lieu of payment.
“Interesting to see how many Wings people abuse Rowling in just as nasty a manner as Spanner abuses his enemies.”
If it’s so interesting you really should share your evidence with us.
(If you answer “Google it” you’re off the moderation list and outright banned.)
‘The Media in Figures: National newspaper sales in Scotland’
Thanks for the link. All down again by last September. If the hard core Conservative tax evading owners and desperately attacking Scottish democracy, as a whole, UKOK media in Scotland is still a mighty force of UKOKness.
Outfits like rancid The Graun are probably only selling to Scots libraries, uni’s and colleges now, as they alone drop to well under 10,000 sales a day in their Scotland region
Cant think why
http://wingsoverscotland.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/salmondbell.jpg
No mention of the Press and Journal and all the other local papers which if anything like hard core vote NO vote Toryboy P&J, are far more aggressive British tory unionist propaganda outfits.
Say its 2 dozen rags listed below, totals say half a million daily sales, trending down like the Titanic but still here, pounding out #SNPbad, so its hardly surprising that a very rich English unionist like Rowling can threaten anyone she likes, totally unchallenged.
Libel courts aren’t UKOK newsrooms though.
Daily Mirror – 20.3 per cent drop = from 18,079 on average during August last year, to 14,398 last month;
Daily Record – 10.1 per cent drop = from 203,941 on average during August last year, to 183,365 last month;
Daily Star of Scotland – 13.2 per cent drop = 41,799 to 36,267;
The Scottish Sun – 11.2 per cent drop = 246,066 to 218,609;
Scottish Daily Express – 11.5 per cent drop = 48,636 to 43,032;
Scottish Daily Mail – 3.5 per cent drop = 93,321 to 90,010;
Daily Telegraph – 1.5 per cent drop = 18,599 to 18,314;
Financial Times – 5.8 per cent up = 2,312 to 2,447;
The Guardian – 9.4 per cent drop = 10,073 to 9,122;
i – 8.8 per cent drop = 18,712 to 17,060;
Independent – 11.6 per cent drop = 2,990 to 2,642; and
The Times – 0.3 per cent up = 20,420 to 20,480.
Meanwhile, the Sunday titles’ sales figures in Scotland were as follows:
Daily Star of Scotland – Sunday – 13.3 per cent down = 23,161 to 20,071;
The Scottish Sun – Sunday – 11.2 per cent down = 175,525 to 155,928;
Sunday Mail – 12.5 per cent down = 231,821 to 202,922;
Sunday Mirror – 22.9 per cent down = 18,202 to 14,032;
The People – 21.3 per cent down = 9,678 to 7,620;
Scottish Mail on Sunday – 7.8 per cent down = 83,079 to 76,556;
Scottish Sunday Express – 10.2 per cent down = 28,002 to 25,152;
The Sunday Post – 10.6 per cent down = 146,940 to 131,295;
Independent on Sunday – 13.3 per cent down = 5,896 to 5,114;
The Observer – 6.6 per cent down = 14,093 to 13,164;
Sunday Telegraph – 10.2 per cent down = 16,543 to 14,855; and
Sunday Times – 4.4 per cent down = 46,927 to 44,840.
Source: ABC, September 4 2015. Please note: The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday, The Herald and the Sunday Herald now appear in the twice-yearly ABC regional newspapers report.
I caught the headline of the ” Scottish” Daily Mail today attacking the SNP MSPs/MPs – obviously not the same as the DM down south. I turned it face down on the newsstand.
Glad to see that it is losing readers , I hope that trend continues for it deserves nothing less!
Come on Spanner, start throwing out some more of your well thought out and intellectually witty ‘C’ word tweets again. Now people know who you are, it will make them even funnier.
There’s a story in here some were, anyone know any good writers, I said good writers.
I reckon JK Rowling, Kevin Hague & Adam Tomkins are all pretty close to the edge.
It’s probably best either to walk on eggshells around them or if you can’t be bothered doing that then ignoring them would be the best policy.
Natalie will probably learn that lesson sooner or later.
The Guardian has a story on this. Comments are not allowed. Posts with links to the Wings and Scot Goes Pop coverage in the comments sections of other Scottish news stories are quickly deleted without a trace.
What do you think Brian Spanner’s objective was?
Why was he making all these abusive tweets?
“Come on Spanner, start throwing out some more of your well thought out and intellectually witty ‘C’ word tweets again. Now people know who you are, it will make them even funnier.”
Wasn’t one of JK’s tweets to him something about him being a fabulous Sun headline writer? (I paraphrase)
How about we start with “Spanner’s A Tool”.
Any good?
Rev,
Looks like you’ve got your jaws lock onto J.K.R.s arse, keep them locked on man, and see if she’s willing to take you and “wings” on, or will she, like most bullies look the other way?.
Heedtracker
I see the circulation of the Times shows an increase. If you travel First Class on Virgin trains you are offered a free copy of the Times. Many copies given to the train companies lie in a pile unread.
When I travelled down to London recently I was offered ‘The Times’ but declined sighting I did not like their politics. The young chap laughed when he said, ‘It could be worse, it could have been the Scotsman!’ I was reading the National at the time.
@ Podmore
“Interesting to see how many Wings people abuse Rowling in just as nasty a manner as Spanner abuses his enemies.”
Away and behave yourself. More Yoon lies right there.
Oh, and “enemies”. Say a lot really about the way you think about people who have a different opinion to yours.
Marcia says:
29 January, 2016 at 4:15 pm
Heedtracker
First class Virgin, very nice. Closest I get to first class is never:D
Its highly likely newspapers are very sensitive to sales of their grot, with business managers matching sales revenue, with give aways to ad space sales.
Rancid The Graun’s sales drop finance squeeze popped up lately with their pulling sponsorship of a tv thing at the Edinburgh festival. But they rarely if ever give their Scotland region. Its only during the referendum that they went UKOK berserk in Scotland. Australia gets massively more coverage from a phoney liberal newsroom in the Isle of Dogs. Weirdos.
They’ll always have the bbc though and then they pray to the great UKOK media gods of Rupert Murdoch, who can sell naked teenage girls anywhere, even more than the historic perverts of the Heil.
eg
Just one more UKOK quite skilful knifing goes down
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-35438141
“She later tweeted: “You are a politician making a public accusation. Show me where I have defended abusive, misogynist trolling.”
The Brian Spanner account is one of the 281 followed on Twitter by Ms Rowling, who has more than 6.6 million followers.
The account is regularly used to post abusive comments about SNP politicians.”
Looks semi balanced but
Rowling follows Spanner, Rowling’s got near 7 million followers, what’s left out by BBC attack propaganda?
Rowling includes Spanner in over 200 of her tweets to her 6.6 million followers. No actual example of Spanner’s spectacular abuse anywhere. If they did show then like WoS did, swear words blanked out, how would the case for Rowling the victim actually look?
Funny that BBC creeps.
Enjoy First Class Marcia, give us a wave in cattle class though.
Apparently Hermione Jean Granger has unfollowed JK because JK follows the misogynist Spanner.
Now that really throws a spanner in the works.
heedtracker
The benefit of having a Senior Railcard. 🙂
@Will Podmore
“Transfiguratis frogicus”
Oh, no need.
This story has been nagging at me all day. I thought it was just the cumulation of the stories since yesterday morning – Dr Whitford, George Kerevan etc.
But the truth is, the last thing I read to my son as he lay in a coma was the last Harry Potter book. That memory has been soiled a little to know the final words I read to him were from someone who thinks it’s OK to follow someone as vile as the disgusting Spanner. I don’t suppose that matters too much to a billionaire but it matters to those of us whose children believed in the magic in those books.
I just feel sad that she has tarnished those memories.
The Scotsman is also censoring posts on its Spanner story, at least any posts related to speculation about Spanner’s identity. No big surprise if the rumours and speculation are true. I can see this one is going to be one of Scottish journalism’s finest hours.
I admit to being disappointed that Natalie had backed down here.
On reflection however, is it not the case that the writer implies and the listener infers?
If that is the case Natalie’s ‘apology’ flat out calls JKR misguided and implies that she is too stupid to tease out the real meaning of the ‘non-apology’.
Funny as that is, don’t we all have better things to do. I’m off to have a word with Nicola about SOAC…
Interesting to see how many Wings people abuse Rowling in just as nasty a manner as Spanner abuses his enemies.
Will
I have for one have never used language like that to describe Rowling (or anyone) and the same goes for most Wings posters. “Useful idiot” seems to me to be at the harsher end of the criticism dished out in this thread.
It should also be noted that Spanner seems to have had a scatter gun approach to almost any female active in political circles, from Toynbee to Rosie Kane to Labour’s Margaret Curran – his anti-Nat thing is just one aspect of his abuse.
On another matter, Colin Fox as been trying desperately to raise his profile of late, last week he had a pop at Tommy Sheridan and now it’s Nicola Sturgeon’s turn for not consulting Fox over the SNP manifesto.
Like the wee kilty in tha advert who “Cannae get the matches tae light!” Fox aye fails to set fire the heather, only Tommy Sheridan used Scottish Bluebell.
So with over 6.6M followers Spanner makes it to the 281 that JK follows. That is a pretty select group.
BBC manage to get all the words onto their site but in an order that completely misses the story.
A billionaire saint has chosen to follow Spanner.
Tweeting someone is NOT the same as supporting everything they do. Good god, some of you are dense.
“Tweeting someone is NOT the same as supporting everything they do. Good god, some of you are dense.”
Not as dense as you, love. Nobody made any such allegation.
People on twitter demanding that Euan McColm denies he is Brian Spanner.
This will never get to any court in the land.
@Redomega
Tweeting someone is NOT the same as supporting everything they do. Good god, some of you are dense.
____________
Jakey Rowling is a follower of the spanner account.
Would you follow the account of the diseased brain that hides behind a pseudonym?
Previous Daily Fail headline:
“Nicola Sturgeon’s link to vile internet trolls revealed: SNP leader follows bullies on Twitter and previously met with one of them.
Posting under the name Roy1Batty, Dickson, who has used the C-word 69 times on his feed, once said of the former Tory employment minister: ‘I have never used this epithet toward a woman … but Esther McVey is a ****.’ Among more than 38,000 tweets, Dickson has also called Labour MSP Kezia Dugdale a ‘thick bitch’, told Miss Curran to ‘f*** off’ and referred to his then MP, Lib Dem Jo Swinson, as a ‘pole climbing, vacuous halfwit”
Where are the headlines proclaiming Jakey Rowling’s links to vile internet trolls?
Where are the headlines proclaiming that Jakey Rowling, a supposed role model with a following of 6.6M people, follows an anonymous, cowardly scumbag of a bully on twitter?
Maybe you should have a wee think to yourself eh?
I think it could be Stephen Daisley trying to be as obnoxious as Euan McColm but can’t do it under his own name because of his connection to STV (and because apparently his mother follows him on twitter.) I don’t follow Spanner but some people seem to think he is funny, Daisley also thinks of himself as funny but there is nothing remotely funny about McColm he is simply openly obnoxious.
Wings, Stuart plus whoever is helping,
Your website is the…most…influential and important in the UK. I can’t put into words how incredible the site’s contribution has been to Scotland, and to re-awakening a huge number of politic sleepers.
Cometh the hour, Cometh the man,
Henry McMillan
Barrhead, Scotland
If someone called me good man I would consider that person to be most supportive. McGarry apologised too soon perhaps?
Interestingly, ‘Spanner’ is a pretty careful writer – nice punchy sentences, good use of punctuation, and only ONE spelling mistake that I noticed in the selection of Tweets published above…did you see it too?
(Please don’t highlight it though – a certain someone might have to trawl through his entire Twitter history to see if he’s ever made the same mistake, thus giving the game away!)
It is your view that if person A interacts with person B on Twitter, they must be “supportive” of B’s every tweet?
Rowling clearly does not support abuse/misogyny. If I was friends with someone with a dark sense of humour that joked about 9/11, would that be considered “supporting Islamic terrorists”? No.
That’d be me happening to be friends or having a general liking to someone who happens to joke about that sort of thing. That does not mean, or even indicate that I anywhere near agree with it.
It’s rough out there, and the weather’s pretty bad too.
Twitter’s crap.
I thought I’d check out this ‘Spammer’ twitter account today. Imagine my surprise to discover that ‘Spammer’ had blocked me. I don’t know why. I have no memory of any exchange with ‘Spammer’, but dearie me, I must have used some pretty offensive language to have upset someone with Spammer’s anglo-saxon. Just wish I could remember what I said! (BTW, has anyone denied they’re NOT Spammer yet? If not, why not)?
JK Rowling is to receive an award from PEN America.
PEN America announced that this year’s PEN/Allen Foundation Literary Service Award will go to Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling for her efforts to fight inequality and censorship. In addition to noting Rowling’s contributions to imagination, empathy, and love of reading (and her journey from single mother to literary star), PEN also credited Rowling’s humanitarian work, including the founding of Lumos, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting children in institutions worldwide, and The Volant Charitable Trust, which works towards alleviating social deprivation and researching treatments for Multiple Sclerosis.
Rowling told the AP that she was “deeply honored” and “humbled” by the award. She also said that she has “long been a supporter of PEN, which does invaluable work on behalf of imprisoned writers and in defense of freedom of speech.”
Previous recipients of the Literary Service Award include Salman Rushdie, Toni Morrison, and Tom Stoppard.
In a statement released earlier today, PEN President Andrew Solomon elaborated on the organization’s decision to honor Rowling: “Through her writing, Rowling engenders imagination, empathy, humor, and a love of reading, along the way revealing moral choices that help us understand ourselves. Through their experiences with Rowling both on and off the page, countless children have learned not only the power of speaking their own minds, but the critical importance of hearing others. A gifted storyteller, fierce opponent of censorship, advocate for women’s and girls’ rights, and staunch defender of access to education, Rowling uses all of the tools at her disposal to create a better and more just world for our children.”
…….. and she will sue anyone who says otherwise.
“Faced with the possibility of a defamation lawsuit from someone worth around half a billion pounds”
That English nationalist biting the hands that fed her might be worth half a billion pounds, but you are worth a trillion pounds to us.
PEN America contacts.
Sarah Edkins, Deputy Director for Communications: sedkins@pen.org
Alison Hendrie, Publicity Consultant: ahendrie@optonline.net
http://www.pen.org/press-release/2016/01/25/pen-america-honor-jk-rowling-hachette-ceo-michael-pietsch-annual-literary#.dpuf
It would be interesting to read the views of PEN America which campaigns for freedom of speech and is opposed to defamation laws on JK Rowling who has threatened to sue Natalie McCarry for defamation.
Fred,
“On another matter, Colin Fox as been trying desperately to raise his profile of late, last week he had a pop at Tommy Sheridan and now it’s Nicola Sturgeon’s turn for not consulting Fox over the SNP manifesto.”
The National supports Colin Fox and RISE, so you shouldn’t have a problem with Colin Fox.
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/blogs/2015/01/richest-1-per-cent-will-own-more-than-all-the-rest-by-2016
The way to really eliminate inequality is to reform the 1% and challenge the institutions and political elite who would rather we didn’t question the five faces of social inequality that they have a vested interest in maintaining ;
Elitism is efficient,exclusion is necessary,prejudice is natural ,greed is good,despair is inevitable- ‘it is now much harder to see who or what there is left to exploit, and how much harder it will be to fool so many better informed people this time around’ (Dorling, Injustice Why Social Inequality Still persists)
Anyone know is someone facing the chill of libel in Scotland because Scottish PEN would like to know.
Defamation
Scottish PEN is interested in the current state of defamation law in Scotland and the potential limitations it has on freedom of expression.
We are currently looking for examples of people and organisations who have experienced libel chill in Scotland.
Please email us with case studies or if you are interested in getting involved in the campaign.
office@scottishpen.org
As long as you need to have lots of money, to help with getting round the purposely confusing and long winded laws and legislation we have, only the people with money, in the majority of cases, can threaten anyone that questions them with court and get the other side to back down.
It wouldn’t be in Jakeys interest to take this to court, as her lovely dovey twitter relationship with spanner, will be picked over forensically in a court of law in full view of the public.
@ Valerie
Very true. “Patriots” they call themselves, and the press turn a man stating on tv that he would take up arms to keep Scotland British, a hero.
If you thought Natalie McGarry apologised for what she said you’ve not read what that apology was. She, in a classic case of not really apologising at all, said she was, and I’m paraphrasing, sorry you feel that way.
JK Rowling is a spanner. But that might be an insult to spanners which I have always found useful, where as she is just a stuck up rich toff and pain in the arse.
of course – now having been alerted to the disgusting behaviour of a follower jk has returned the donation and unfollowed the person
mean really who would possibly, after being alerted to the nature of this person ………. not ensure they unsullied their name as soon as possible
oh……seems not – still on her twitter list..no statement to the effect she returned the money
feel very sick that this woman thinks she should not take any action after being alerted to the nature of someone she has taken money from and follows
or have I just missed the tweet where she disowns him?
@JBS
You would be very badly advised to do that if you were say to win the lottery. Being rich does not change your biology. So lazing about in the sun drinking cocktails all day will just 1. ruin your liver and 2. give you skin cancer and may well make you fat.
IF one was to come into real wealth one would increase the quality, not the quantity and seek to stay healthy and fit long enough to enjoy it and do good with it.
Seems more like Rowling is the one who doesn’t know how defamation works. You need to have a case to bring to court. “She said something nasty about me on Twitter” is not grounds for legal proceedings. No court is going to waste time hearing that, it would get thrown out as vexatious.
Seriously, look at the media coverage that this has produced. How is Rowling going to show her reputation has been damaged as a result of that comment on Twitter?
Even if she could make a case and even if she could get a court to agree to hear it and even if she won, all massive “ifs”, what award of damages is she likely to get? One of the wealthiest people in the country who has received a whole load of positive media attention from the incident that she claims has damaged her reputation. What would be an appropriate figure to recompense her for the suffering and financial loss she has endured as a result?
Jamie@10.10.
Is that an open ended spanner or a ratshit spanner?
Big up your wee avatar flag man.
JKR defines the boundaries of sexism in politics in a tweet back in August 2015:
“It isn’t sexist to say a woman’s good-looking but framing a political race in terms of who’s most shaggable very much is.”
https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/635410057572818944
Hi Stu,
I thought I’d give you a quick overview of how a libel trial would run for you over this article.
First up, you’ve repeated a libel. Putting “alleged” at the start of something means nothing.
Second, the burden of proof would then be on you to a) prove that “Brian Spanner” is a misogynist. Now when a word is not specifically defined in law, the courts go on the commonly accepted meaning of a word. In this case that would mean you’d have to prove “Brian” “hates or doesn’t trust women”. Not just some women. But women as a group. Spend some time thinking about how you might prove that (clue, it’s pretty much impossible to do so.)
b) prove that JK Rowling had been supportive of multiple misogynistic trolls. What’s that? Don’t be so shocked Stu. You see, the libel you’ve repeated right there at the top of the page doesn’t just say Ms Rowling is supportive of *a* misogynistic troll, it says she defends trolls plural. Which means you’ve put the onus on yourself to find at least one more misogynistic troll and prove that she supports him. So yes, the word “trolls” does make a difference. But not in the way you think.
Might be worth speaking to a lawyer, ey? Hope you’ve got deep pockets.
I don’t do Twitter, I don’t have the time, my family, profession, friends, fill my day.
Occasionally I post here, and hope to be constructive.
But in the name of all that’s holy, why would this silly person spend her days engaging in verbal heavy petting with turds? Lonely? Most probably, and that’s just pathetically sad.
What a waste.
I think that the behaviour of JK Rowling and her little pack of Twitter buddies during and after this whole episode has been utterly vile.
And know it turns out that “Brian Spanner” is a journalist known to them all, whom they all seem to be rallying round.
They’re all against sexism and misogyny, unless it’s directed at a supporter of Scottish Independence, when calling a woman a “c*nt” or a “f*ckstick” is just a bit of lively banter.
Nasty people.
This is the only article that I’ve been able to find that actually goes out of their way to show the “alleged” tweets.
Part of me understands that JK can be a legitimate troll on Twitter, but I have yet to find anything where she personally supports the troll in question. It is not a crime to have random chats with an unscrupulous character.
At no point did I read a tweet where she outright says that she agrees with every single tweet the aforementioned troll has made.
There are times I have to admit that Bill O’Reilly had a point. That does not mean that I agree with him 100% of the time when he opens his mouth. That does not mean I like him or respect him.
In this case, she’s a bit of a mean person. She has trolled with the troll back in August and onward (going by the link to their numerous conversations). But there was no misogyny.
Abuse, the context in all of these articles, seems to not be defined as abusing anonymity, but rather physical and verbal abuse (based off of the one troll’s numerous violent tweets).
There was nothing that indicated JK approved or supported those vile tweets.
If everyone truly believes that she had done so, find the evidence. I think those are the screenshots JK was/is demanding (along with context because that apparently is an issue).
Thank god there are other people in this world brave enough to call out Rowling, instead of slavishly praising everything she does. She is a bully and her droves of toadies are always ready to pounce on those who say the slightest thing against her.
I know that as an American, I am not especially acquainted with modern Scottish politics; however, what I understand of this article has truly reinforced my immense distaste for Rowling. She is everything she pretends not to be.
Who also follows BS1?
Now that would be interesting.
JK Rowling and the Misogynist Troll
Now there is a book waiting to be written.
“There was nothing that indicated JK approved or supported those vile tweets.”
For the love of God, will people pay attention?
Neither we nor Natalie McGarry said she supported any specific TWEETS. What we said was that she was very friendly with the person who made them, and that he’s an unpleasant and abusive person. Those things are true. She follows him, so she knows what he’s like. He does this sort of thing constantly. She follows a very limited number of people, so it’s not like his comments get lost in the flood. She clearly thinks he’s a fun guy, yet she whines to the press if anyone says the same kind of thing to her. And when she had a problem with Natalie McGarry she didn’t just take it up with her – she made sure all 6.6 million of her followers were alerted, knowing full well what they’d do. She’s a hypocrite and a bully.
“I thought I’d give you a quick overview of how a libel trial would run for you over this article.”
Thanks for your concern, Jeff. I’ve been a professional journalist for 25 years and people have threatened me with libel cases more times than you’ve had hot dinners. I’m not losing any sleep over this one.
“It is your view that if person A interacts with person B on Twitter, they must be “supportive” of B’s every tweet?”
No, and nor did I say that.
@ Annie,
Good thinking Annie, but it isn’t Daisley because there’s a tweet from Daisley to the Spanner account, asking if he (Spanner) id free to meet up for a coffee.
One thing we can be sure of is that the account isn’t an alter ego of JKR, however it’s certainly written by a Scottish Journalist.
As someone mentioned above, if you examine someone’s writing skill, looking at sentence structure, spelling mistakes (esp if the person doesn’t make many) you can make a very accurate identification of the person.
This ‘spanner’ account seems to be written by someone with writing skills (ignoring the vile content of his tweets) He is also evidently friends with journalists, and Labour Party activists/supporters (Daft Duncan/JKR)
His writing is full of hate towards the SNP/Yes movement, and his writing style is one that seeps out anger and withering insults.
I can’t help thinking that slowly but surely, the net will be closing in!
You know, it’s very important that this story doesn’t just disappear, because that’s exactly what the MSM are trying to do.
Between this site and Scot Goes Pop, a whole bunch of interesting issues have been raised with regard to Spanner, his identity, and just who exactly follows him.
These bastards were screaming blue murder in a unison chorus of unionist screeching when a few indy zoomers swore a bit on twitter, howling from any shit filled tabloid that would give them a column inch to damage the yes movement. These same people follow, interact, congratulate and seem genuinely pally in an ‘in the flesh’ way with the Spanner account eg. Daisley asking Spanner if he’s around for a coffee, a twitter account that is by FAR the most obnoxious misogynistic tripe I’ve come across on twitter.
Rowling is ok with Spanner’s behaviour towards women, because he raised £548 for her charity by selling fake Scottish Resistance T-shirts. She must be glowing with pride.
But what of the others? Daisley, Massie, Torrance, McDougal, Maggie Vaughn, Ruth Davidson, Ian Murray et al? They are really ok with that kind of language towards women? They’re ok with femake SNP MPs being treated like that, just because they’re SNP?
They’re ok with it because they know exactly who he is. They’re ok with it because it keeps the rotting, putrid, malevolent stench of uber-unionism alive on social media, an anchor for yoon-zoomers to attach themselves to and join in the smearing and de-humanizing of fairly and squarely elected MPs.
After this affair, and the sacking of the Herald journos at the behest of the ‘Rangers’, it should be clear to everyone that ‘journalism’, whatever that really was in Scotland, is stone cold dead. It is, if it has not always been, merely an arm of the British establishment with it’s own special code of ‘whatever it takes’ ethics.
“But what of the others? Daisley, Massie, Torrance, McDougal, Maggie Vaughn, Ruth Davidson, Ian Murray et al? They are really ok with that kind of language towards women?”
… and hothers.
What of the others indeed.
That was my next question also.
Not one of the Spanner sniggerers as far as I can see has pulled him/her up on the misogyny. They must be OK with it.
But here’s the irony. Even Spanner isn’t ok with it, hence his/her rush to apologise once the threat of legal action starts being willied about.
The others obviously think that kind of misogynistic abuse is ok when they’re failing to condemn the dishing out.
@Valerie
29 January, 2016 at 2:52 pm
Thanks Valerie, I get frustrated when SNP politicians like why Natalie McGarry stupidly decide to engaged people like JK Rowling on twitter.
There would never be a good out come to any such exchanges.
and I still don’t understand why she did it, she should have steered well clear of Rowling.
It maybe that some people leave their brains and common sense behind them when they are on twitter or face book and don’t realise you have to be very care about the language used.
@ Victoria Z
“But there was no misogyny.”
You don’t know what the meaning of the word is if you can’t pick it from the way it’s expressed.
And that’s the problem.
Spanner makes misogynistic comments.
His/her followers fail to condemn it.
Decent people condemn misogyny.
Has Rowling condemned the misogyny?
Has she unfollowed Spanner yet?
Apart from the ‘carry on Indy’ exchange, it looked like JK was trolling Spanner, not cosying up to him.
To those saying ‘nothing to see here’:
It’s not ok for someone, anyone, especially a political journalist who’s followed, cheered and roundly supported by the establishment/unionist twitterati, to tweet those things about female SNP MPs. Nor was it ok to tweet those things about Margaret Curran, the only one he’s rushed to apologise to as his mask was beginning to slip.
It’s not OK that Ruth Davidson, follower of Spanner, is being subjected to a torrent of ‘vile abuse’, to use a topical term, from Rangers supporters, although I wonder if the MSM will splash that over their front pages like they did last year with ‘cybernat abuse’.
That kind of online abuse, the treating of women (or men) like shit because of a political view held is simply not on in a decent society and it should be roundly condemned by everyone, -NO MATTER WHO IS ABUSING AND WHO IS ABUSED.
It’s also not OK for Rowling to behave the way she has. It’s right that she was called out. She made a big deal about her online abuse (bear in mind she runs a charity for abused women and girls) but is quite happy to exchange hundreds of cheery, pally tweets with a man she clearly knows personally who is abusing women online in an almost full time basis.
It’s also not ok for that pack of unionist journos who never tire of slating cybernats for online abuse, to just sit back and be ok with one of their pals doing exactly what they are condemning. They ought to be called out too.
If Natie McGarry has to make a further apology, for legal reasons, shouldn’t she say something like:-
“I apologise for saying that you tweet support for a misogynistic anonymous abuser. I should have said that I think some of your tweets give the strong impression that you have friendly and supportive online relations with someone who makes (apparently) misogynistic and abusive comments. I would be interested to see your explanation for this”.
One thing about all these Spanner tweets.
It is quite obvious that many people involved know exactly who he is and also associate with him in the real world. In that respect he is not anonymous within his cliche.
When someone thanks Spanner, they are not thanking some anonymous entity, they are thanking a person they know.
Similarly, anyone tolerating the filthy abuse meated out by someone they know … worse encouraging, supporting or laughing, is acting despicably. When someone is anonymous there is la veil for both sides to hide behind, here we are talking about real world acquaintances.
Exactly.
That’s the real story here, not Rowling specifically or even McGarrie, all they did was unwittingly light the touchpaper of Nay scrutiny.
The story is the identity of Spanner, and that identity being known to, and tolerated by, his unionist clique. They’re closing ranks and talking about anything other than this.
Frankie Boyle had the right of it when he described Jakey as a dragon guarding a mountain of weans pocket money!
Rock, don’t be a doughball all your life. Take a day aff!
The person with most to lose from this rumbling on is Brian Spanner. That is, I would imagine, why there has been several rapid apologies from him to people he has been abusive too.
Of course in admitting that the posts are abusive it does rather undermine the outcome of any libel case, especially if it is demonstrated that Spanner is in real life a friend of Rowling.
Rowling is thin skinned and far too ready to wave her money about in the form of lawyers, like Maxwell of old. It is a deeply unattractive trait. However, in this instance the people with most to gain from this story subsiding into the ether are the unionist supporters and friends of Spanner. If it does go to court it will pull some of the covers off the unionist network in the media. That may be no bad thing.
“Apart from the ‘carry on Indy’ exchange, it looked like JK was trolling Spanner, not cosying up to him.”
Don’t be ridiculous.
There’s no way this is going to court.
If the speculators are right (and all the evidence isn’t in yet), and that account is McColm, then a lot of people have a lot of explaining to do about their tacit endorsement of Spanner’s behavior.
As I read it, one of the Spanner followers who claims to know people who know the identity of Spanner, (and there may be others) is protesting their lack of moral fibre saying that “they didn’t support him/her when they made those tweets’, or that ‘they thought it was satire’.
Well that may well be, but the fact that Spanner has been shown to tweet misogynistic abuse should trigger in them a condemnation of such abuse.
Where is it?
Anyone got any examples yet?
It’s not so difficult is it? Maybe for some it is.
Shows where their values lie.
I think we need to start a ‘Who is Brian Spanner?’ campaign.
Get tee shirts with ‘Who is Brian Spanner?’ on the front.
Ask the question on every online forum?
I’m off to ask the question on The Scotsman & The Herald perhaps the Guardian aswell.
Would love to see the National out Spanner, but from all accounts Twiter seems to be pointing a lot of fingers at Euan Mccolm.
@Swami Backverandah
Nope, no examples of any condemnation, however there are photos of Alex Massie and David Torrance wearing Brian Spanner’s Scottish Resistance T-shirts tweeted to Euan McColm’s timeline in December last year.
If that isn’t tacit endorsement, I don’t know what is.
The double standard of social justice zealotry. JK Rowling is a feminist who gets a pass for buddying up to a seemingly serial misogynist, but only because she’s well respected for her vocal stance as a famous feminist. Natalie McGarry is a feminist who attends the school of “everything is misogyny,” and calls out Rowling. Rowling tweet tags McGarry knowing her fans and followers would dogpile. Her fans proceed to dogpile McGarry.
If this action was done by a John K Rowling, the same media reporting in favor of the author would label him a harasser of women and a misogynist. Simply associating with a known misogynist would put him on any number of blocklists. His online book listings would be bombed with bad reviews attacking him and not his work. He would be banned from stores like Goodreads and Barnes & Noble, and he would never be qualified to receive awards for his work because of his perceived social views. McGarry on the other hand would receive praise for being brilliant for calling out John K Rowling and exposing him for the misogynist he is (in their eyes). She would have a career in giving lectures about the harassment women face online regaling audiences with stories about her endurance.
But it’s not John, it’s Joanne. So even though it’s the same thing, it will never be called harassment, dogpiling, or misogyny.
There seems to be a suggestion that this Brian Spanner may actually be a JK sock-puppet account? If true this is potentially a hell of a story: the saintly JK Rowling making vile, abusive tweets on line under a pseudonym.
Hopefully some journalist will dig into this.
There are programs out there which can identify authors from their writing using an algorithm which can identify particular words and phrases associated with a particular writer. Such have been used in the attribution of works by famous writers such as Charlotte Bronte and Shakespeare. Whoever this Spanner is, such a technique could be used to identify her/him.
What is the term for the message a Troll leaves? If a Troll trolls does it leave a troll or a series of trolls or is there another word for it? If you were trolled would that refer to the act or the person?
How many trolls can a trolling troll troll if a trolling troll can troll trolls?
Never heard of the guy, but his initial tweet about nepotism was not all that bad, it has been raised before, Natalie’s cuz and Tricia’s son has stood for Fife council and was paid a damn site more than minimum wage when working for his mum. Thing is his followers are going to increase, I think this is an Irvine Welsh False Flag operation, the language is so similar, reminds me of that joke he nicked, Fault on the line.
If ‘Spanner the Abuser’,
(frequent user of the C word etc)..
..is really a JK Rowling pseudonym..
Makes sense I suppose..but careful now, or the Empire will thunderbolt you out of existence with its legal threats.
They’d never actually go court, lest the truth…
Who is Brian Spanner?
Surprised to see Brian Spanner in the acknowledgements of JKs latest book under the Robert Galbraith name…