The UK’s official political bogeyman
Posted on
January 23, 2015 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Official poster from the Tories:
Official leaflet from Labour:
So if Scots vote SNP in May, both Ed Miliband and David Cameron will get in. Glad we cleared that up. We might start work on some sort of handy translation chart (“vote Green get Ulster Unionist”; “vote UKIP get Monster Raving Loony”), so if you spot any more do drop us a line.
Actually, that last one’s true, isn’t it?
Just what is your problem with the Monster Raving Loony party eh?
I notice a couple of flaws with Labours attempt.
Minimum wage up to £8 is not until 2020, I.E. Never never land.
Energy Bills being frozen until 2017 not such a smart idea when prices are coming down.
And a Powerhouse Parliament, abuse of the English language.
“So if Scots vote SNP in May, both Ed Miliband and David Cameron will get in.”
Yep. Dave as PM, Ed as deputy PM. A Tory-Labour coalition, bravely
admitting what everyone else already knows is trueputting their differences asideto keep Tridentto keep austerityto keep “the markets” happyfor the good of the UK.Actually, it is possible that they both could be correct and the two of them would form a government of national unity against the insurgent SNP.
I wouldn’t put anything past those barstewards, anything.
“A vote for anyone is a vote for everyone else! Er, except the ones you like. Only the scary ones. WoooOooOOOOoooOooooo!”
Thanks a fucking lot, First Past the Post. Yay democracy.
Vote Labour, get Tory, Vote Labour still get Tory. Red or Blue, is there any difference.
Ed will have to come up with some decent bills before Alex, who is yet elected, will be allowed to support him. Nicola is no fool.
BtP, I Soooo agree, I expect them to. That is the only way they have got to ensure we do not get a hand on any levers.
Labour will have killed themselves up here,if that hasn’t already happened.
On Salmond’s shoulder in that top pic – is that Thing from the Addams family?
Shouldn’t that be Angus Robertson and not Alex?
Also, I’m pretty sure that Nicola Sturgeon is leader of the SNP.
Notice in the Labour poster they have gone back to ”energy freeze”. First it was energy freeze then Rachel Reeves said energy cap but now its back to energy freeze.
Wonder if the Branch Manager has fully checked with the boss in London.
I’ve recently pointed out to someone on the Graun that the SNP would be good for England, except perhaps the fat cats in the SE.
If you are in England, and don’t want a Lab-SNP coalition, you want to vote Labour, not Tory, to make sure English Labour has a majority without needing any help. Their poster is backwards.
Though maybe there’s a grain of truth in both statements (though obviously not Salmond being in No.10) if the grand Red/Blue Tory coalition comes into fruition in May?
Don’t vote SNP and you will have 5 more years of Nick Clegg.
I can’t believe how poor the Tory effort is, has no one at CCHQ heard of PhotoShop? It looks like someone has knocked this up with Paint
Aye, it’s all the SNPs fault. Everything is. Every problem everyone in the UK may encounter ever is the fault of the SNP.
I smell fear.
Thepnr says:
Just what is your problem with the Monster Raving Loony party eh?
I’m assuming that your reference to the MRLP there Thepnr is about the REAL MRLP and NOT the wee pretendy MRLP a.k.a. UKIP. 😛
Looking at that Labour leaflet I was wondering … did RED Ed pass this by Murph the Smurph, after all he, no not RED Ed the other one, is *ahem* leader (Branch manager in reality) in Scotland so surely before anything is distributed in Scotland the Branch manager has to sign off on it. 😀
Will the SNP’s votes count in Westminster?
What will end austerity?
1. Tory-UKIP coalition.
2. Tory-LibDem coalition.
3. Labour-LibDem coalition.
4. Labour-Rainbow coalition (Greens, SNP and Plaid)
That’s some outstanding Photoshop in the Tory poster…
Let’s send many bogeymen and bogeywomen, to make Westminster’s game a bogey.
Vote Lib Dem get … too hard. Could be anybody
It looks very much like we are back in pre 18th September mode from the unionists and the UK MSM. They look set to try and demonise Alex Salmond again, and he is not even FM, and leader of the SNP anymore. 😀 Great to watch the British establishment in full scale panic mode already. Lets hope we can keep the momentum going until May.
Red or Blue Tories still results in the same austerity cuts, the same support for Trident, The same desire to interfere on behalf of the Americans abroad etc etc
The Iraq War/Rendition flights/Austerity cuts/House of Lords/Expenses/ etc etc. Labour should be judged by their actions not the sound bites that they generate to mislead.
“New Labour” rejects are looking for a new home and they assume they can hold a safe refuge – Scotland.
It is their ENTITLEMENT to run Scotland.
Better Together?
Tories had this planned as they stood on calton hill,Edinburgh
LABOUR being butchered,while Scottish labour fall behind Jim Murphy im not a unionist fantasy
I’m glad both parties have shown such confidence in Alex winning Gordon.
Both posters only work if Alex Salmond MP for Gordon is accepted as a certainty.
Two rumours;
N E Labour MP to join UKIP
Scottish Labour politician to join SNP
All over the UK, in many a WM party office could be heard…
“SHRIEK!!!…I SEE SQUIRRELS”
Surely the more accurate Tory poster should state:-
The SNP would prop up Ed Milliband – and continue just to “take, take, take…”
It looks like the blue tories and the red tories are working hard to ensure, in Scotland, that the other side votes SNP.
The unionist alliance didn’t last very long then.. Ho Ho.
In a way, there is an element of Schadenfreude to see Labour get some of their own negative campaigning flung back at them, even if it is by the Tories.
They had a field day the last 2 years demonising Alex Salmond.
Now Ed Miliband is on the receiving end of the personal abuse.
It’s like a competition to see what images make him look like the biggest geeky nerd in the world.
In 2010 the SNP and Greens were rarely mentioned on the Network news from London. This time we will hear far more and that will make a difference. These leaflets will help also. Last time it was out of sight, out of mind. Every little bit helps. The electorate (mostly) are not as dumb as they (non-SNP/Green) think they are.
For a UK general election, the SNP haven’t had as much coverage since 1974.
Brilliant!
I have to admit that, since September, the tories have played a blinder. Not that it will help them in Scotland, but as far as the GE is concerned, Labour are toast.
Badly burnt toast.
If labour and tory do form a coalition to stop the SNP from having any influence, would we in Scotland then be able to remove ourselves from Westminster rule and declare independence due to a lack of democracy? Just a thought.
The SNP is not Westminster’s most detested opponent.
Public Enemy Number 1 is Scotland winning full democracy.
@Lesley-Anne
No matter the result of GE2015 it is undeniable that the Monster Raving Loonies will be the largest party. Guaranteed!
I thought Labour had changed tack with their propaganda recently, but perhaps not. In the last Sunday Herald, there was a quote from a Labour spokesperson to the effect that whichever was the biggest party across the UK would form the next Government. Our local careerist Tom Greatrex MP seemed to echo that in the local paper. It looked to me like a switch from the “vote Labour to keep the Tories out” BS which looked ridiculous with only one Tory MP from Scotland. The new line presumably being the “need” to maximise the number of Labour hacks in Westminster. Obviously the new line is pish too and completely at odds with Brown’s post-GE efforts to retain power in 2010. Whatever they say, it is almost certainly crap.
The polls really have got them scuttling about. The thing is, how many left of centre Labour voters in England are unhappy with the thought that Ed might get in with the support of a party that is generally considered to be more left of centre than current Labour. A party that would push for a fairer, better deal for ordinary people without fetishising austerity (I appreciate Balls is horrified that a left wing party might be a partner but that is his problem).
I like that the ACTUAL Tories’ poster is in red. Nice subliminal touch, that.
Surely a Blue, Red Tory union would cause the English electorate would spot something was amiss. I wonder which one would share the fate of the Lib Dems. Vote Blue Tory get Red Tory, vote Red Tory get Blue Tory, not much of a slogan. and demonstrates no matter what you vote you get Blue/Red Tory. Sounds like after Sir Nicholas McPherson tells us how we voted in the EU in/out referendum. We should embark on MK2 Scottish Ref to demonstrate democracy in action.
Hey I liked the top poster.
To the left Milliband-the-lesser looked like a manic horse on speed and then on the right there he is leaning on Alec Salmond for support. See what a sensible calming effect AS has on Labour losers even before he has been re-elected to the MOAP (Motherofallparliaments)- Ed is learning from the master and about time.
I also loved the desperate plea for someone to love them at the end of the Labour leaflet or whatever it was. Yes come May there will be many at their side – all carrying torches and pitchforks.
Scottish politics is sooo entertaining – until you realize you are being governed by these lying buffoons.
Surely no one can seriously look at the conservative poster and agree with it. It is so ridiculous I laughed because I thought it was a satirical joke, I’m still a little sure it is. It’s too crazy to believe. I wonder in what way the SNP = chaos for Britain? Saving England’s NHS from privatisation maybe and saving Britain millions maybe?
If you want Tory for a neighnour
Vote Labour
Vote Tory and get 5 more years of David Cameron being a Saudi apologist.
Vote Labour and get 5 more years of Ed Miliband being a Saudi apologist.
Vote Lib Dem and get 5 more years of Nick Clegg being a Saudi apologist.
Britain is in official mourning over the death of the Saudi king. Will there be a minute’s silence at football grounds tomorrow as a mark of respect?
Well, at least the SNP and Greens are getting electoral coverage, they will be able to speak out unlike the last one.
I wonder if there is some leftover money left in the Wings vault, that money could kickstart another Wee Blue Book!
Can anybody think of a decent title for that, if it ever happens?
In tribute to Mr Salmond on this memorable of all weekends…
“FAIR fa’ your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o’ the pudding-race!
Aboon them a’ ye tak your place…”
I’m sure you all get my meaning.
Timorous beastie he is not!
The OIL Connection
UK establishment mourns the loss of Saudi King Abdullah.
UK establishment labels former SNP Leader Alex Salmond as the bogeyman.
If what wingers were saying is true and many south of the border envy what the SNP have been doing in Scotland and would like the chance to vote SNP and put them in power at Westminster, then the Tories may be showing them the way.
OK, Ok… Who let Grant Shapps back out of his post BingoGate box?
gillie says:
Two rumours;
N E Labour MP to join UKIP
Scottish Labour politician to join SNP
Oh please, please, PLEASE make these rumours out to be TRUE! 😛
I don’t know about any one else but every day just seems to a great day to be an Scottish independence supporter. I mean the latest evidence is here for all to see. We have Gillie here with the rumours of defections from Labour which even if they turn out to be false will surely set Labour politician upon Labour politician. We also have the post by Gillie on the previous thread about the rumours of in fighting within Scottish Labour and how McTernan appears to have his eyes set on Jackie Baillie (Don’t ask! 😛 ) Again even if this rumour turns out to be false it will have Labour politician setting about Labour politician.
This just leaves one simple question to ask:
Will there actually be anyone left to stand for Labour in Scotland in May after all the dust settles? 😀
Thepnr says:
@Lesley-Anne
No matter the result of GE2015 it is undeniable that the Monster Raving Loonies will be the largest party. Guaranteed!
Well I don’t think anyone would disagree with you about that point Thepnr, least of all me! 😀
They really do think that we’re numpty voting fodder! They bloody well do!
Tories might be on a roll for the GE though. They only need to scare the margins of Middle England to win. The polls might be tight just now between Labour and the Tories but that Tory poster will have the shires and the south hardening their attitudes toward Labour and these bloody uppity Scots.
Only had to watch Question Time and listen to Dave proclaiming an end to Devolution to see that.
After a gentle reminder that there had been a by election in Fife, the Scottish BBC have belated put a link up – admittedly a tiny one right at the bottom of the page. Still, it is progress of sorts. Leads to this…
https://archive.today/edznh
If the Smith Commission was a cleaner, it would be this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36FJwQsYk-M
They just can’t stand it can they?
They wanted better togetherness, a UK, a family of partners and all that goes with it. Well, all that goes with it includes the possibility of duly and democratically elected representatives of the leading Scottish political party coming down to sit on those benches in numbers which means influence.
Or is it a case of any party, including UKIP, but the SNP? In which case so much for their soundbite democracy.
Fraser Nelson
telegraph
The SNP’s surge is strange enough in itself. But it almost defies belief that this should be happening after an oil price collapse that might have bankrupted an independent Scotland.
Wow the National has staples today, onward and upwards. 🙂
There is no such an organisation as Scottish Labour.
Labour really have allowed themselves to be backed into a corner, where anything short of an overall majority (a very shoogly peg to hang your strategy on in the present climate) will leave them with the choice of: 1. A “grand coalition” with the Tories, for which their remaining core vote throughout the UK will never forgive them, or 2. Having to do deals with parties they have spent years demonising to a large section of the English electorate, in order to govern either in coalition or as a minority government, for which many swing voters in “Middle England” will never forgive them. They are in real danger of making themselves unelectable for a generation or more, as the Tories have in Scotland.
You might think that they would consider keeping a few options open by being just a little less nasty in the way they characterise the SNP in the eyes of their audience in England, but of course they can’t afford to do that without conceding defeat to the SNP in Scottish seats. So we can expect the vitriol to be ramped up over the coming months as they become increasingly desperate to cling onto every single seat to try to get to that precious overall majority, the only outcome which will save Labour’s behind. The Tories are getting good at setting these traps, and Labour haplessly stumbles into them every time.
Don’t feel sorry for them by the way. When you tear up the map of your core principles and throw away your moral compass, it’s easy to be led astray, but you can’t blame anyone but yourself.
They really do seem cock sure of themselves, its almost as if they know something we don’t.
Lets see, Westminster is going to have to give up, oil and gas,fisheries, whiskey, and tourism revenues and all the other money spinners that Scotland provides.
The u.s.a will lose its buyer of trident and also its access to the strategic blockade point between Iceland, Greenland and Scotland for anything coming from the Baltic Sea and I have not to have any conspiracy theories of how they are going to prevent this, because, as we all know, both GB and the USA would never try anything dodgy. 🙂
frankieboy says:
There is no such an organisation as Scottish Labour.
Aye we all know that Frankie but there are times it is just easier to type Scottish Labour, knowing such a thing is non existent, rather than type out Labour party Scottish branch. Well that’s my excuse anyway. 😉
Indeed Frankie Boy they are the Labour Party, Scottish Branch.
Ach Leslie Anne, you need to start with Shorthand, how about LPSB.
Gillie says: Scottish Labour politician to join SNP
Let’s hope this isn’t another Page 3 prank.
… or Jackie Baillie!
🙂
Is it just me, or, does Ed Milliband, in the photoshopped pic with Wee Eck, look like Randers director Sandy Easdale?
Now, that really would be the Tory party’s worst nightmare.
suddenly life is fun again, love watching these people tear lumps out of one an other, comedy gold
Fraser Nelson – Telegraph: “The SNP’s surge is strange enough in itself. But it almost defies belief that this should be happening after an oil price collapse that might have bankrupted an independent Scotland.”
Another idiot journalist who tells lies to exaggagerate by claiming oil was Scotland’s entire economic pot of gold. And he’s happy to ignore the problems it has cause the UK Treasury where the oil revenue actually goes.
Wrinkleyreborn says:
23 January, 2015 at 3:33 pm
Surely a Blue, Red Tory union would cause the English electorate would spot something was amiss.
Well, the Scottish electorate bloody well would! If they try to pull that one, the union will be over, sooner than you can say “Smith Commission”.
Surgent: Wow! The National has staples today, onward and upwards.
Breaking News: ‘Labour Claim Staples Part of Home Rule Powers’ 🙂
Helena Brown says:
Ach Leslie Anne, you need to start with Shorthand, how about LPSB.
THAT Helena is why you are a member of the intelligentsia class and I am the village idiot! LD
I bet when Labour and Tories watch The Wizard of Oz they think Toto is the baddie for pulling the curtain back revelaing the sad truth about who is really in power.
Just a coincidence that Toto was a Cairn Terrier of course
Gillie….assume you mean NE England Labour…
Vote SNP cos they stick up for Scotland.
Leslie-Anne, you are very far from that, and I thank ye kindly for those words but I am certainly not of the intelligentsia, I had to spell check that word.
I have just visited the DT – I will now go and wash my brain.
What a load of utter cobblers.
Between now and May 7, Cameron will try, along with Brown, to make a big deal out of the Smith Commission Command Paper,
“which adopts the recommendations of the Smith Commission, (G.Brown).
Right there is the BIG LIE.
Let’s be clear – the recommendations of the Smith Commission were presented to the Cabinet before publication. The Cabinet then proceeded to rip and strip any meaningful or useful proposal out of the Smith recommendations.
What was left was like the carcass of a zebra after a pack of hyenas had spent the night feasting on it, ripping it apart and stripping everything edible out of it.
What was left of the Smith proposals then went forward, kept alive in a PR life-support machine, to be presented to those waiting, amid the usual display of flashing lights.
Since then, the Unionist PR machine has maintained the lie that this bare boned carcass is the same as the once healthy animal which had been procured for shipment to Holyrood.
Cameron, Brown, Murphy and anyone else wearing the Westminster tie, will tell you the same bare-faced lie viz., that this is everything that was promised during the Referendum; that it will transform Scotland and the Scottish Parliament, if used properly;
that we have kept our promises.
Then, the hyenas will slink away, looking furtively at one another and winking with slow, sly smiles as they glance over their shoulders at those examining the bare bones looking for meat, something to get their teeth into, but finding no flesh whatsover; nothing to sustain anyone, far less a nation.
Meanwhile, the Westminster propaganda taskforce, spearheaded by the BBC, keeps force-feeding the electorate,
to get them to believe that this carcass is a feast
and the bare bones are but a figment of the whingeing, ungrateful SNP’s imagination.
This is just the latest part of the Referendum re-run.
No lie too big, no depth too deep, no trick too dirty.
There is a bogeyman. He tells really BIG LIES to fool and scare people.
But it isn’t the SNP.
Instead, he’s a Westminster resident.
His name is Unionist. Dave, Gordon, Ed, Nick, or Nigel.
Take your pick, but beware the first two in particular.
Grouse Beater
Newsflash-Stapler stays in westminster, pooling and sharing of resource is better for uk. 🙂
Seeing things like these (really really badly produced) leaflets makes me ask… just how brick-shittingly scared ARE these people? Of us? Really? But… there’s only 5 million of us and we are Better Together… aren’t we?
Helena Brown says:
Leslie-Anne, you are very far from that, and I thank ye kindly for those words but I am certainly not of the intelligentsia, I had to spell check that word.
I thank you kindly by return for your kind words as well by reciprocation. 😉
Don’t worry I had to use that spell checker thingy as well for both words … intelliwhatsit and reciprowhatsit! 😀
Don’t you just love the smell of Unionist fear? They used fear as a weapon against Scotland in the referendum – what comes around goes around, and now they know how fear feels themselves.
This western Saudi love affair has always flummoxed me. The human rights violations in that country are horrendous and weren’t the 9/11 perps. all Saudi nationals?
@Joemcg,
It’s easy to understand Joe, just ‘follow the money’
Something the Saudi’s have lots and lots of.
Labour recently voted alongside the Tories for £30 billion of austerity cuts so basically, they can both take a run and jump over a high cliff.
Quiz Time
What is the jural opposite of “power”? (Hint : consult Professor Hohfeld )
There ain’t no Sanity Clause. Best laugh in years.
Satire will never be the same again. It is the new reality.
If we have been given power it cannot be taken away. If not is it a liability ?
By the way, the most powerful party in the Land and thats the standard of photoshopping?
Although quite funny they stuck a picture of Alex on Johann Lamonts body
Aw FFS came home to a letter from my local Labour MP (hopefully on May 8th ex MP) with the usual nuggets of pish. Included with the letter is a wee survey card to post back. There are 2 questions
1) Which political party will you vote for at GE
2) Which political party did you vote for at last SP Election in 2011
then there’s a wee section with 3 wee boxes to tick..
1) I would like to vote by post
2) I would like to join Scottish Labour
3) I’m Scottish Labour, sign me up as a supporter
There is a blank section to fill in where it asks.. Scottish Labour has a plan to take Scotland forward but we want to know what you think our priorities should be?
I’m just not too sure what to write in the space before posting back freepost……
@ Croompenstein
In the blank section, I would write,
cancel the plan and call an undertaker.
Should really be pretty pissed off at the unionist’s pathetic vow breaking but you know what, this laughing at them is so infectious I’ve just got to join in:-D
EmbraBoffin says
“I can’t believe how poor the Tory effort is, has no one at CCHQ heard of PhotoShop? It looks like someone has knocked this up with Paint”
What?
like this you mean?
http://tinyurl.com/kvyyyoo
Grouse Beater says:
23 January, 2015 at 4:24 pm
Jackie Baillie…that’s not funny!!!!
Croompenstein, easy, just put in the box SORRY, BUT I’M A SOCIALIST. And post it back to them.
I was offered a free Daily Record with my coffee today – it seems they are desperate for anyone (anyone!) to read their version of events.
I declined.
@Luigi says:
I was offered a free Daily Record with my coffee today – it seems they are desperate for anyone (anyone!) to read their version of events.
I declined.
Just say I don’t have a budgie thanks.
manandboy – Weel are ye worthy o’ a re-tweet as lang’s ma erm!
Headline from an SNP release yesterday (media centre) “Smith plans would grow appetite for independence”.
Perfectly pitched. Keeps Indy supporters onside with the SNP, a tricky thing to do for those for whom it’s Indy or nothing but absolutely vital. But also highlights the commitment to Devo-Max, important to encourage as many as possible of the 55% to support the SNP pushing for Smith, the Vow and ultimately Devo-Max, hoping they too will move over to a YES vote for the next Ref – which could well be 2017 if Westminster continues in its customary (lack of) style.
And today this one: “SNP call on Lab & Lib Dems to back welfare powers”.
The Union is pursuing suicide by a thousand cuts, with the watered down command paper being just the latest, and they’re getting more frequent. Kind of like a wasp stinging itself and then stinging the sting because it thinks it’s the SNP.
Chris will be spoiled for choice for a cartoon this week (if indeed the slacker is back from holiday 🙂 )
We will hardly get a well drawn cartoon from the Rev as Aberdeen are bottling it again tonight 😀
Jusr received and e-mail from Twitter, asking if I wanted to follow
Kevin McGuire
Fraser Nelson
Nick Robinson.
Was the mopey left, over from the Naw campaign, used to fund this brainwashing crap from Twitter?
Croompenstein
Put your voting intention as SNP
Last voted Labour in 2011
Name as Jim Murphy with his address if you can find it.
Like a postal vote: Yes
Join Scottish Labour: I would if there was one
Sign me up as a supporter: yes please
So if Scots vote SNP in May, both Ed Miliband and David Cameron will get in. Glad we cleared that up.
Standard tactic – as I recall the Tories and Labour made the same argument UK wide regarding the LDs last time around.
The time has surely come for Labour in Scotland
to be declared an invasive species
and for a clearance order to be issued
for its removal from the entire land mass of Scotland.
All in favour, say aye.
The ayes have it!
Then let the clearance begin. May 7th we’ll start
and see it through, till we see it no more!
O/T – The BBC Six O’clock news second item was the ‘welcome’ news that 4hr targets at A&E in England had improved over the past week. A graphic went on to show 89.8% of attendees were seen last week and 92.4% of attendees this week. The graphic also showed the number of attendees – last week 389,000, this week 377,000.
So doing the sums – last week 349,322 people were seen, this week 348,348 were seen. Shows how ludicrous it is to set % targets this way.
I’m sure the BBC know all this but are just laughing at us plebs believing the hype.
They even had a doctor on welcoming the results and hoping the trend would continue. Hope his mates take the piss.
In political terms, David Cameron has skilfully outmanoeuvred his opponents since September, 2014. Not only has he got the Labour Party branch in Scotland with their knickers in a twist, but the probable loss of David Mundell would be an added bonus.
Croompenstein,
“Nuggets of pish” has a wonderful ring to it,but is a bit tricky to picture in ones mind!
Here we go again…..let the lies continue.
Luigi says:
23 January, 2015 at 5:56 pm
I was offered a free Daily Record with my coffee today – it seems they are desperate for anyone (anyone!) to read their version of events.
I declined.
YOU SHOULD HAVE TAKEN IT AND THEN PUT IT IN THE BUCKET BECAUSE SOME OTHER NOT SO BRIGHT PERSON MIGHT LAND UP WITH IT AND BELIEVE THE LIES
”
gillie says:
23 January, 2015 at 2:53 pm
What will end austerity?
1. Tory-UKIP coalition.
2. ….”
Easy. INDEPENDENCE.
O/T I see Louise Mensch (who I confess I always thought rather hawt even if I did disagree with her on the very axis the Earth spins on) and Ruthie have both put tackety boots on and kicked the establishment in the nuts over fawning over the death of the Saudi king. Interesting and entertaining at the same time.
Pity BBC in Scotland. They have to make Scotland vote Murphy and Labour by 7th May and then do it all again for the Holyrood elections next year. The more you do something the better you get at it maybe. So after their Project Fear BBC triumph the Pacific Quay liggers will be ready for anything, like getting their P45’s because SNP coalition has to mean state broadcasting devo for starters.
Vote for another Referendum get shot of the lot of them.
@man and boy
For the sake of species diversity and out of respect for UNESCO & WWF keep a few breeding pairs on Gruinard Island – many toxic life-forms have been used to produce valuable medicines – they might have a hitherto unknown use.
“Luigi says:
23 January, 2015 at 5:56 pm
I was offered a free Daily Record with my coffee today”
Dunkin’ Hothersall?
They are dammed by their inaction
Admiral Lord Michael Boyce, the then Chief of the Defence Staff, told the Iraq Inquiry he had been slapped down by ministers for complaining in the run-up to the invasion. He said then Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon, who had never served in the Armed Forces, told him to make his military assessments ‘more of a glass half-full rather than half-empty’.
He also said he was banned from buying equipment for troops until four months before the invasion – contributing to shortages of body armour and other kit in the early days of the conflict. Some units, including the 7th Armoured Brigade – the historic and war-hardened Desert Rats – were only battle-ready the day before the invasion.
http://caltonjock.com/2015/01/23/the-chilcott-inquiry-failures-of-the-military-elite-promotion-or-death/
Haha, I celebrated the staples in The National too! Really enjoying it at the moment. I always like Kevin McKennas writing, he gets some good hard jabs in.
These posters are back handed complements, they are keeching themselves at what SNP will do or say next.
Very unhappy NHS sector in England at the mo, with ambulance staff about to reluctantly strike.
https://archive.today/VRQ82 Devo V V bad for scrounger Scotland that takes and takes and takes and takes but great for England’s fine cities. No mention of their Scotland region in this British reportage on British devo plans but its all based on debt and their Scotland region will pay its share too, so we can go on taking and taking etc.
O/T hopefully this has not been advised previously but my local SPAR store in St Swithens Street has been offering a free copy of the Daily Retard for the last ten days if you buy any other newspaper including the National. It’s driving the store manager insane trying to offload these extra copies which so far I have refused to take possession, however as noted above I will start accepting the rag and sending it on for immediate recycling. Is this phenomenon happening elsewhere in Scotland
Labour Government? Tory Government? What’s the difference.
That should be our line.
There was a shortage of the National in my area around Dunoon today. My local supplier only got 6 and those were gone before 8.30 and I tried three other shops during the day and they had none left.
I hope Menzies is not up to something
@ Croompenstein Send them a link to Yew Choob DimJim
even they need a laugh.
Ahh the bogeyman – Enter Sandman !
Alex Sandman …
Cue Metallica
A Tory victory in the May GE will do me just fine.
It will speed up the next Referendum timetable.
A.B.L
Anybody But Labour.
The Labour Party must be even more unpopular in Scotland now than Thatcher was when she was at her worst in the 1980s.
Low Life Labour.
Ruthie Complaining about lowering flags for the Saudi King.
This is why I think the Labour Party, is even worse than the Tory’s because to be fair to Ruthie, she’s complaining about her own bosses at Westminster as it was them who ordered their departments to fly the flag at half mast.
can you imagine a Labour MP/MSP, having the individuality of thought, to authorise a press release that complained about something coming from Ed’s office, unless it was a manufactured stunt aka a Murphy!
2008/2009 was a year of turmoil for finance and oil. The price of oil was extremely volatile and in a rollercoaster year oil prices ranged from $45 to over $146.
The year 2014/2015 will reveal a pattern similar to 2008/2009 and the utterings of negative Labour politicians, (such as Jackie Baillie, Dugdale and Murphy) seeking to score points over more forward looking members of the Scottish government, should be given consideration using for guidance previous performances of the Oil companies.
http://caltonjock.com/2015/01/23/the-rollercoaster-that-is-the-oil-business-ups-and-downs-but-always-at-the-top/
Slightly O/T (apologies)….
I’m sure I’m not alone among visitors to this site re being aware of the media UK ‘conditioning’ we receive on almost a daily basis. It’s almost subliminal, and I’m actually embarrassed I wasn’t so aware of it prior to the Indyref. As a nation, we effectively get another nation’s news pumped to us. A small example from Radio Clyde earlier tonight. The largest commercial station in Glasgow & the west of Scotland. Their news bulletins used to comprise local & national (ie. Scottish) stories. Increasingly, the bulletins are ‘networked’. The broadcast is clearly being made from somewhere in England and the items are for a UK, predominantly English, audience.
Tonight’s 3 lead stories:-
The NHS/A&E targets…. in England.
Leader’s TV debates. Broadcasters now want all party leaders. The Greens are mentioned. SNP/Plaid Cymru?…. nothing.
‘Syria-related’ terrorist offences in “the UK” were substantially up last year (apparently). No mention of where in the UK most of the offences were commited. No appreciation that Scotland has an entirely separate legal jurisdiction to England & Wales (as does N.Ireland).
As I think Stu said a wee while back on Twitter, if we had eg. German news pumped into our homes every day, we’d probably start thinking and voting like the Germans.
@Onzebill someone mentioned that on twitter and even when refused the staff were told to scan it and then bin it.
If this is happening it means the are falsifying their sales numbers.
Here’s a topical one, especially for Major Bloodnok. (please open the poke very very carefully…)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo2hg-k5e5Y
We need to make sure a bus load of SNP MPs head south after the GE.
I foresee an interesting scenario. The Unionists will gang up to freeze out our MPs. The English electorate won’t stand for anything else.
What it will mean is that the Unionists will only have a mandate to rule rUK. If they do freeze out our MPs and allow them no influence on UK wide affairs then they are effectively accepting that situation.
Reserved matters concerning Scotland, including DevoMore, will be in limbo. The rUK block can’t morally override the wishes of the Scottish block. The Scottish block can pass nothing on its own.
A constitutional impass with a simple solution!
The BBC Scotland piece about Ruthie complaining about flag lowering is a masterpiece of deception by the Beeb.
Ruthie rails against “the Government”, but you have to go half-way down the article before a brief bit pointing out that this isn’t happening in Scotland, as the Scottish government (nowhere in the article does the name of the government party appear, of course) don’t indulge in this sort of crap anyway.
Then, hilariously, we get a comment from Jim Murphy! That’s right, ardent pro-feminist Murphy, whose plans to allow drink back into football matches where he wants the sectarian bile to run free, will undoubtedly lead to plenty more domestic abuse of a Saturday night.
gillie says:
23 January, 2015 at 3:14 pm
“Two rumours;
N E Labour MP to join UKIP
Scottish Labour politician to join SNP”
Is this in addition to the Labour Mayor of Bishop Auckland who defected to UKIP on Tuesday?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/labour/11358947/Labour-mayor-defects-to-Ukip.html
I was thinking this might be off-topic, but then had another look at the ‘topic’, and thought, hmmm, ‘who SHOULD be the UK’s official political bogeyman?’
Check this out:
“I am very sad indeed to hear of the passing of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.
I knew him well and admired him greatly. Despite the turmoil of events in the region around him, he remained a stable and sound ally, was a patient and skilful moderniser of his country leading it step by step into the future. He was a staunch advocate of inter faith relations. He founded KAUST, the science and technology university where women and men are educated equally. And today there are more women in higher education than men. He allowed thousands to be educated abroad people who have experience of the world and will play a big part in the future of the country. He appointed women Ministers. He invested in renewable energy. And of course he launched the Arab Peace Initiative in 2002 which has stood the test of time as a potential basis for a solution to the Israeli Palestine issue.
He was loved by his people and will be deeply missed.”
Who said that? Does anyone need more than the one guess?
And the BB-FUCKING-C quotes this shite, as if it’s coming from an elder statesman who should be revered?
We’re away past the lower reaches of the rabbit-hole now friends – we’re entering some or other level of Hell.
(NB The extract I pasted is precisely as it appears on his ‘official’ website – the matter is clearly of such massive concern to him that he can’t even be bothered to have it proofread…cheapskate fud.)
Heads up for Morag if I have it right. Article this morning in the Herald “Court to rule on Lockerbie appeal”.
I expect she knows anyway.
O/T – Death of Saudi King.
Glenn Greenwald tells it like it is.
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/01/23/compare-contrast-obamas-reaction-king-abdullah-hugo-chavez/
caz-m. I’m leaning towards that way of thinking too, but don’t want to let anyone know.
@ Ian Brotherhood, thats Tony Blair’s eulogy. To be fair Tony’s only groveling to Saudi power for their cash.
Not at all O/T, he rightfully featured on the front page of the National a couple of days ago and should be kept in the limelight until at least May as a reminder of why we should never trust New Labour and its disciples.
Great idea by The National to hold it all together with staples.
Not only that, but they actually manage to fold the pages in the middle!
I’m looking at you, P&J, by the way, and others – you know who you are.
Ian Brotherhood
Trying to post from a phone is a nightmare
……..eulogising the deceased king. Their military officers go to Sandhurst & UK does massive amount of business is done with Saudi. & they pay well. He certainly knows who to suck up to????
O/T
just watched Martyn Bennett’s Grit concert on BBC iplayer.
A truely inspirational concert celebrating a great talent.
Well Done BBC for covering this concert. Why can you not cover Scottish politics in the same way you celebrate the best of Scottish Culture.
Chill out and watch this program – brilliant.
May be of interest to some:
‘West of Scotland SSP public meeting
Tuesday 27th January
7.30pm
The Trades Hall, Glassford Street, near George Square, GLASGOW
GREECE GOES SOCIALIST!
As Syriza socialists fight for power, an eye-witness account of Greek elections by SSP national co-spokesperson, Colin Fox.’
Oh dear, another wee item Labour’s branch office and branch manager may be trying to hid under the carpet methinks. 😉
https://twitter.com/browna_ab/status/558731839222083584/photo/1
Apologies for the very poor quality of this wee toty clip, but it’s documentary evidence which nails Blair the Liar to the deck more efficiently than any official report ever will (25 Brotherhood Beefy-Bonus Points for the first to identify the narrator!!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-5eccxXWZA
John Pilger
If Scots vote SNP in May, the: KuKluxKlan, the Mau Mau, the Kymher Rouge, the Bader Meinhof Gang, The Ring Wraiths, the Lannisters, The Tea Party, the Daleks, The Von Trapp Family Singing Group, ** will get in.
**Delete whichever is inapplicable
I love the von Trapps – Sound of Music was the first film I ever saw.
They can come move to Scotland anytime.
Doe a deer a female deer, Ray a drop of golden sun….
New Scottish national anthem anyone?
O.K. folks just been watching this wee video over on Twitter, thanks to Anam Cara Alba for posting 😉 .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XliZpgDS6XU
I think this kind of sums up what Westminster has been all about, is about and will continue to be all about unless some significant change is made. Roll on the wipe out of Labour in Scotland in May. 😛
I reckon our Ruthie will have permission from WMHQ to make seemingly rebellious statements from now till May and into 2016, in the hope that Tory voters in Scotland will be duped into believing that they are voting for a proper party, not just another Branch Office.
@Chic McGregor –
25 points duly awarded, with hearty congratulations.
I pause here, to raise a glass to you…
…sorry, the glass was empty, had to go and get another can…
…right, that’s me sorted…Cheers!!
As a Beefy Bonus, please accept this image of a Coelacanth. I know you are a man who likes his science and suchlike. I know naff-all about such matters, but I always did like fossilised fish, and that’s why I want to state that I believe – despite not having any evidence bar artists’ drawings and some dodgy photos – that the Coelacanth is related to the ‘Blobfish’.
(Please don’t ask me how I know that. I just do. And I would like my amateur conviction to be preserved ‘on the record’.)
http://www.dinofish.com/cimages/coel03b.jpg
L-A – there’s a date on that tweet of 1st August,2014. The Smurph wasn’t leader of the Scottish accounting unit at that point. Someone may be pulling your chain.
Lesley-Anne 11.43pm
Regarding McTernan and the NHS,
Murphy is on the Sunday Politics show this weekend being interviewed by Andrew Neil.
Maybe Mr Neil will ask Murphy what London Labour’s plans are for the English NHS and what the knock on effect will be on the Scottish Budget.
Alex Smith says:
L-A – there’s a date on that tweet of 1st August,2014. The Smurph wasn’t leader of the Scottish accounting unit at that point. Someone may be pulling your chain.
Yeah that’s true Alex but the guy who made the statement is none other than John McTernan who is now Murph the Smurph’s right hand man. So in reality I’d say that statement is more important today than in 2014. After all if this is the sort of thing that Murph the Smurph’s right man was thinking then obviously he still thinks the same. In fact Stu ran a piece about dear John and some of his *ahem* thoughts earlier this week.
http://wingsoverscotland.com/we-need-to-talk-about-john/#more-56889
Now any *ahem* serious journalist worth their salt would do exactly as you suggest Caz. However, you threw in the name of the *cough* interviewer there so I’m afraid the *ahem* interview will be, in my view, nothing more than a piece of Murph the Smurph doing a “look how great I am and how fantastic the Labour party branch office is.”
Cheers L-A, I stand corrected!
No comment for three hours. Quiet tonight! 🙂
Onzebill @8.44pm
I dont know about offoading free copies of the birdcage litter but I do know the Asda (I know I know but we only wanted a couple of things and I did grimace at all the staff on the way round the shop, but they just thoucht there was a bit o a waant aboot me 🙁 ) in Livingston yesterday had no copies of the National and the Record taking up 4 spaces and the Sun taking up the same amount in the newspaper stand so the claim they didn’t have enough room for it when it first came out is absolute bullshit,
I am sure used Powerhouse Parliament slogan in 1970s to describe the Scottish Assembly with very limited powers.
Also we should remind Labour that in 2010 Scotland voted Labour but got Tory as Labour refused to join a progressive alliance which would have had the majority of seats at Wasteminster.
Mealer says
“Croompenstein,
“Nuggets of pish” has a wonderful ring to it,but is a bit tricky to picture in ones mind!”
http://tinyurl.com/q7ldc2l
Sa’ll Im sayin.
Ode to one David Cameron – sorry Rabbie
“FAIR fa’ your dishonest, sonsie face,
Great puddin’ o’ the chieftain-race!”
Owed to one Alex Salmond
A country – Scotland
asda Livingston usually have the National but for some reason it appears after ten, Didn’t see it yesterday, unless some cretin had covered it with the daily retard.
John King, with regard to the absence of the National in Asda, similar story in Tesco on Thursday, lots of Daily Retards and as previously said urged to purchase in Aldi next door to get a fiver off shopping. Would wonder if there is a wee conspiracy and also wonder how those lovely people in the Herald/National will regard this?
O/T only a little, noticed on the pages of Paperboy, well I do like to read the headlines without paying. That Jim Murphy (who he) is quoted as saying that “he will use new powers to stop fracking, should he become First Minister” I expect Stuart can tell him how! I expect he knows he has to stand as an MSP before that can happen and that he is not living in a fairy tale world.
@ Ian Brotherhood – more on the Syriza/Greece story..
Live Independence will be broadcasting the Common Weal Debate – Syriza: the beginning of a new Europe?
Wed Jan 28 7:30 – David Hume Tower Lecture Theatre Edinburgh University
An don’t forget to contribute to Live Indy’s funding appeal here:
http://www.independencelive.net/support-us
There must be hundreds if not thousands of Wings supporters who have watched the live broadcasts from independence debates, BBC Bias rallies, Pro-Indy rallies, anti fracking rallies and not to mention some of the excellent Skype interviews they are doing.
So far their fundraiser has raised £211.
So where are you all? These guys have given their time and effort to inform us all. They deserve our support.
Vote Tory – get Shafted.
Vote Labour – get Shafted.
Vote LibDem – get Shafted by either Labour or Tory.
Vote UKIP – get Shafted but also get yer heid seen tae.
Vote SNP – get SNP and get richt up Tory, Labour, LibDem and UKIP noses.
@Stoops says:23 January, 2015 at 2:48 pm:
” … I smell fear”.
Aye! Stoops, that has already been well defined by Ms Dunbar, except when Ms Dunbar sniffs it she calls it, “Shyte”.
@Thepnr says:23 January, 2015 at 3:27 pm:
“No matter the result of GE2015 it is undeniable that the Monster Raving Loonies will be the largest party. Guaranteed!”
Are you not a little confused, Thepnr?
There are the Red Monster Raving Loony Party, RMRLP.
The Blue Monster Raving Loony Party, BMRLP.
The Yellow Monster Raving Loony Party, YMRLP.
The Kipper Monster Raving Loony Party, KMRLP.
and the Proper Monster Raving Loony Party, PMRLP.
These parties together form what is known as the EMRLP, (Establishment Monster Raving Loony Party). These are normally shortened to just, “The Establishment.”
@IainBrotherhood
Thanks Iain, I think.
Although as a man whose visage evolves ever closer to that of the blobfish with each passing year it is not a subject which endears me.
I would also like to point out, contrary to all appearances, that I was in fact born after the dinosaur age ended – and by some weeks, if not months.
Thanks for the suggestions folks I wrote in the blank space where Scottish Labour priorities should be… Put Scotland before your Party.
Signed….
Jim Murphy
1 Kerr Avenue
McTernan’s Way
Narnia
YI MAN
Email: jmurphy@myheartisasaltire.pish.uk
Phone: 666
@EmbraBoffin says:23 January, 2015 at 2:47 pm:
“I can’t believe how poor the Tory effort is, has no one at CCHQ heard of PhotoShop? It looks like someone has knocked this up with Paint.”
Nah! It’s photoshop right enough. You must not blame the software for the ineptitude of the Establishment’s
kack handedness of the use of the software.
I mean they’re proven kack handed politicians, kack handed unionists, kack handed economists and kack handed human beings. Whatever makes you imagine they would be other than kack handed Photoshoppers? Ye cuddna whack thaim wi a muckle stick.
@bookie from hell says:23 January, 2015 at 3:13 pm:
“Tories had this planned as they stood on calton hill,Edinburgh.”
You do them far more credit than they deserve. This is just the Unionist Establishment’s usual, “Muddle Through”. A Westminster trait first identified circa 1864 – Speaking of Agincourt: –
“The English had won lots of battles – Agincourt, Crécy – using their famous archers and courage to muddle through”.
Muddle through = to succeed in by chance in spite of any proper planning.
@west_lothian_questioner says:23 January, 2015 at 5:01 pm:
” … But… there’s only 5 million of us and we are Better Together… aren’t we?”
I’ve no doubt you have heard the story, allegedly being told since the Hammer of the Scots was invading Scotland.
His marching army were settling down to camp for the night when the outriders spotted a kilted figure atop a distant ridge. The figure had turned round and lifted his kilt to waggle his bottom at the English. The enraged King was affronted at this show of disrespect and commanded a full platoon of redcoats to fetch him the offender dead or alive.
The troops rode set off but soon galloped back in some great haste. The King roared at them demanding the Scot dead or alive but was told the platoon had been forced to retreat saying, “But Sire, there were two of them and one was a piper”.
Thinking aloud, I wonder how the SNP would fare if they floated a candidate in Corby or Newcastle or even a London seat.
The LabConLib party would find themselves facing another national party which is hopefully already going to have around 50 seats. And the media would have trouble marginalising the SNP as a regional only party.
yesindyref2,
“Heads up for Morag if I have it right. Article this morning in the Herald “Court to rule on Lockerbie appeal”.
I predict with 99.99% confidence that the ruling will be something like:
‘Therefore, the court rules that a new appeal is not justified.’
And I will be very happy to be proven wrong.
The ‘Rev’ writes, “So if Scots vote SNP in May, both Ed Miliband and David Cameron will get in.”
No, the Tories say if Scots vote SNP in May, Ed Miliband will get in.
Labour says if Scots vote SNP in May, David Cameron will get in.
The difference? The Tories are lying; Labour is telling the truth.
The SNP wants to take seats from Labour in Scotland; the net result in all of Britain would be to favour the Tories. That’s the way the system works; you may not like it, but if you vote for the SNP, you would be playing into the Tories’ hands – and not for the first time.
“The difference? The Tories are lying; Labour is telling the truth.
The SNP wants to take seats from Labour in Scotland; the net result in all of Britain would be to favour the Tories. That’s the way the system works; you may not like it, but if you vote for the SNP, you would be playing into the Tories’ hands – and not for the first time.”
Except that that’s complete bollocks. The SNP have categorically stated that they will not support the Tories forming a government, and nobody sane doubts that. They’d be crucified by their own supporters, apart from anything else.
So if Scotland sends 58 or 59 non-Tory MPs, then the effect in terms of the Tories forming the government is ZERO. There is NO rule that says the largest party gets first shot at forming a government. Any arrangement which can win a majority vote gets Downing St.
So if, say, the Tories have 290 seats, Labour have 280, the SNP have 50 and others have 20, it doesn’t matter a shit that the Tories have more than Labour, because the SNP MPs will not support them, they can’t win at least 325 votes, and they can’t form the government.
And you can’t have two separate majorities existing at once, because that would require there to be more than 100% of seats. So it makes no difference whatsoever to the Tories’ chances whether Scottish MPs are Labour or SNP, if you accept that SNP MPs will vote against a Tory government, and they will.