A Christmas presence
Posted on
December 23, 2017 by
Chris Cairns
The world's most-read Scottish politics website
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Wings Over Scotland is a (mainly) Scottish political media digest and monitor, which also offers its own commentary. (More)
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A tall tale
Wee Books
Video
Probably a robbery
Transphobia
Open it Hamish open it 🙂
Its ah cracker Chris .
Ah, that’s all any right-thinking Scotland dweller would want for Christmas!
Merry Crimbo one and all.
The present that tops them all.
Just remember to wait until the right moment to open it.
Happy Christmas everyone.
Quality ,absolutely barrie son.
Nicola has played a blinder this year.
As for Westminster – give ’em enough rope!
Its coming……..
My concern is that it’s still too close. With all the broken promises, continuing austerity, the Mayhem of the present government etcetera I would expect “Yes” to be ahead.
I worry that not enough has changed in terms of the media and that the No campaign won’t be as hopeless as last time. Unionists know how close it was last time and will do everything they can to stop independence happening.
My Christmas wish would be that Yes regularly starts polling ahead.
Sorry to put a bit of a damper on it. Anyhow great cartoon as always, Happy Christmas and may the new year bring us closer to being Scotland being independent.
Brilliant. Absolutely spot on. It’s affordable, and a great gift to those who share in wanting a forward looking, internationalist, peaceful and life affirming country for themselves and their kids, and for future generations.
[…] Wings Over Scotland A Christmas presence Read the full article:: Wings Over Scotland A […]
What a happy picture. Merry Xmas to everyone, including Hamish and his mum and dad, and uncle Stu.
All I want for Christmas is my second Indy ref
my second Indy ref
see my second Indy ref
Gee, if I could only have my second Indy ref
Then I could wish you, “Merry Christmas”
The Tory psycho bastards are sending out calendars to folk. A bunch of ignorant poseurs. Vacant coupons. Wasting money while starving people.
It must be to remind people of the next Indy Ref. Bring it on.
Re Simon
There needs to be stark, visible proof for many people to sit up and take notice.
When people are hit seriously in the pocket and Britannia is unable to hide or mask the fact that she has diminished – then the tide will turn big style. Brexit will deliver that.
The Brexiteer crooks who funded the campaign are being ‘fined’. Illegal offshorers. Coming out of the closet. Slapped with HMRC demands for tax corruption. Not before time. They want out of the EU so they can tax evade.
Time the DUP crooks were investigated. LibDems fined. Most of them should be in jail. Who’s causing the increase in mental health problems. The unionists.
@Giving Goose says: 23 December, 2017 at 8:08 am:
“When people are hit seriously in the pocket and Britannia is unable to hide or mask the fact that she has diminished – then the tide will turn big style. Brexit will deliver that.”
Has it never occurred to you, Giving Goose, that
BrUKexit will, in all probability, never happen?There is every sign now that Theresa and her exiteers are giving away concessions that were previously the corner stones of the United Kingdom, “Taking Back Control”. There is a landslide of such former promised controls being thrown overboard by the wannaleavers.
I hate to say it but I told you so way back when all this surfaced for the first time.
Quite simply the EU cannot allow for any form of Special deal for Westminster. Like candy for the weans, if you give candy to one the rest of the kids will throw tantrums and demand they too get candy. There are 27 other weans in the EU all with hands outstretched for their share of the EU candy.
A few queues at the airport with the new passport should do it. The majority support staying in the EU. May caused it before and blamed someone else. The Tories have blown it. What a complete and utter mess. They will be paying more for less. A shambles.
Green’s gone. Another one hits the dust. Who wants the poison chalice? Every unionist politician who opposes Scottish Independence lasts on average two years. Baillie’s not well. Greeting face. They screwed up the voting system in Scotland without authority. Bring back FPTP get rid of the lot of them. Vacant coupons, An embarrassment.
Simon Curran says:23 December, 2017 at 7:40 am
There is a lot of debate in the previous thread about the part of the poll done where a lot of Scots want to stay in the UK and leave the EU. I use the term Scots rather than English or living elsewhere because as far as I’m concerned if you have lived in Scotland for a long period and choose to stay here then you are Scottish, regardless of whether these individuals think themselves as Scottish or not. If it is good enough for me to identify myself as Scottish then it is good enough for them.
In terms of why it is too close, it has to be accepted that a lot of people think the UK government is doing a good job with the EU negotiations. All this talk of media and British Broadcasting Corporation propaganda, old age mindset is irrelevant, this is what people believe.
I genuinely think that, despite elements in British society, that Europeans have a great deal of respect towards the UK and with Brexit, it would have eventually ended in a amicable settlement where the UK would have had a sort of ‘Canada plus plus’ deal at the end of it.
However, that was blown out of the water when the UK government took a buccaneering attitude towards negotiations. All sympathy and goodwill has been lost and the EU will play hard ball with the UK government which will inevitably end in a No deal/Hard Brexit.
It isn’t only the UK governments attitude that will lead the EU to this position but because they have to protect themselves in future negotiations with other blocs. If the EU is seen to give ground to the UK then the resurgent ‘America first’ Trump team will start a trade war with them, then China etc. The EU simply can’t afford to look weak at the moment.
Once trade negotiations start next year, the Scottish public will soon see how incompetent the UK government is and will have to have the reality that a Hard Brexit will be and how weak the UK negotiating hand on the world stage actually is. When that happens, attitudes will change.
@Simon Curran says: “My concern is that it’s still too close.”
Thursday 14th March 2019?
The Ides of March!
Simon Curran at 7.40
Sorry ,Simon. You are wrong. The notion that we can wait until we have a majority is completely wrong and damaging. We produce the majority when we make a move for the goal and start serious campaigning for it. Until then the status quo has advantage.
As of now, without campaigning for independence,we appear to be sitting at just short of 50/50. Everything is running for us. We will make the move soon.
That fecking hypocrite Farague got his kids duel German passports. What a total thieving liar.
“Optimism is the faith that can lead to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence” —-Keller.
Let us all remember where we all have been ,what we have all achieved,and where we are all going.
Great toon Chris.
Happy Christmas Hamish and to one and all. 🙂
Support increased 20% during the last Indy Ref. Starting at 49%. It would increase much higher. It is increasing 2% a year as predicted without a campaign. The elderly keeling over. They lived under Thatcher but still vote NO. Very strange.
All the young people should and tell their parents think of the grandchildren’s future, not just there’s, and to vote YES next time.
“All we want for Christmas is TWOOOOOOOOOO!”
The Yoons will fecking hate this so ‘Bravo’ Chris.
Hopefully David Davis will make this an inevitability by keeping on doing what he does best. YEW CHOOB’s ‘seasonal’ video…
link to youtube.com
Cannot come soon enough!
I want one for my christmas
Happy happy Christmas Hamish = )
And to you and your’s Chris = )
Wishing all Wingers their true hearts’ desire =)
I know what mine is! = )
It’s one things to grant the referendum. . . . But that referendum needs to deliver a YES . . . .
What have the BBC etc been doing since 2014 . . . Attacking the competence of the SNP not (well barely) Independence.
If the referendum is to be after the next Holyrood election the Parliament needs a majority for Independence.
The bedrock for a successful Independence campaign has to be voters being aware of the true record of the Scottish Government.
So whether the referendum is to take place before or after the Holyrood election.
The YES movement have to start defending the record of the Scottish Government against the medias lies and distortions.
Season of good cheer right enough.
We get IndyRef2 for Christmas, and the BritNats get a blue passport and a ruined economy. Seems a scandalously Pyrrhic victory, since they could have had a blue EU passport anytime they liked, but I suppose some folks are just easily pleased.
I can’t lie, I don’t buy Nicola’s softly softly approach to Indy, but we’re here now so no sense crying about it. But to my mind there is a second pro-Indy campaign which is also much too quiet, and that is the pro-European rhetoric, selling the benefits European Membership to the skeptics in Scotland.
The EU is currently giving the UK a masterclass illustration of Europe’s collective approach to trade and bargaining as a bloc, while the UK is the disruptive dunce in the class with everything just going above their head. Kinda sad that the UK needs drummed out of the EU before the penny actually drops what being in the EU actually meant. The sad story of too little, too late.
It’s a very British attitude to “suffer” the European way of doing things with such reluctant stoicism and awkward martyrdom. The UK has always seen itself as the prima Donna on the pitch, and has never quite grasped the EU’s teamwork principles and mentality.
If we want to see a discernible swing in the polls, in my humble opinion, the Euroskeptics in Scotland are the most promising group of people who’s opinions we should be trying to alter, to promote a renaissance of perception about the actual material benefits of being in the EU, – our own Scottish perspective, free at last of the pernicious BritNat and BBC xenophobia and cynicism.
BritNat pig headedness leads to Brexit and economic isolation. Scottish open mindedness and constructive engagement could, and should, assure us a vital future in the heart of Europe for countless Christmas’s to come.
I share Simon Curran’s caution. Not least because the question giving 49% Yes, welcome as it is, is not the actual referendum question “Should Scotland be an independent country?”
49% for “staying in the EU” doesn’t actually tell us what true support for Independence is.
Irrespective of Brexit we will be out of the EU on independence day. To imagine otherwise is magical thinking.
Also agree with Dave McEwan Hill that we should be able to increase support during the campaign.
Timing is everything. 2018 isn’t possible because there isn’t time to get the Bill through. 2019 is pretty tight for the same reason.
@Derick Fae Yell
It addresses the fear expressed buy some in the SNP that running an overtly ‘Indy to stay in the EU’ campaign would be a loser.
That is why the Rev asked the question that way. He was directly addressing that concern and the results say it is bogus.
So it was about how we campaign and on what issues.
T’was Xmas day In Westminster. The ivy was on the walls.
Theresa said Merry Xmas and Labour answered Ed Balls.
Jeremy said Rule Britannia across old Hadrian’s walls.
Vince said free broadband Cables, with Scotland none at all.
The answer to poverty is more food banks surrounded by England’s oil
The de’il can take the hindmaist while Westminster takes the spoils.
The homeless need nae shelter, with fools in marble halls.
They Royals need mair bedrooms and pay no bedroom tax at all.
Nae refugees here for Xmas, in their stables bare.
We’ll bomb their hoose and chattels and keep them over there.
We’ll house some in Dungavel and offer a useless prayer.
The rich man in his castle, the poor man at his gate can stare.
Nicola can stand. Nicola can fight Waistmonster’s icy stair.
Wee Willie, Ruth and Richard shout Scotland Nae Mair, Nae Mair.
What is right and what is wrong? Your rulers do not care.
Be grateful for the rich man’s crumbs. That’s your Xmas Fayre.
What of New Year? Will you stay in fear and cower neath the wally closemouth stair?
Will you stand and fight for what is right, come what May, or Labour’s Tory Blair?
Will you bleat like sheep, sleep upoan the street, or rise like lions and give thaim a’ a scare?
Come what May, or Corbyn’s timid heart so bare? We can do it aye tomorrow, if you dare.
Will you cower, or take the power from the ballet box? No need for targe and claymore.
Right is might, Courage is to the fore. Now’s the day and now’s the hour for evermore.
Banner bright to see the light, come day, come night with dungeons dark no more.
Trident’s nuclear glare the politician’s bore. We need them not. Bin the lot and even up the score.
Donald Anderson
The poll is a lovely Christmas present from the Rev and Chris just gave us a great Christmas card. Thanks folks.
Merry Christmas to everyone!
If you look at wings post yesterday “anybody’s game” you will see in the graph that of the 92 people born in England 16 did not reply to the question about Scottish independence that’s a whopping 17%
Okay so those who did reply were split between
Yes I will vote for Scottish independence if it means staying in EU and
No I won’t vote for Scottish independence and I want out of EU
So where do those who did not reply fit in ?
Are they likely to be in favour of Brexit and in favour of Scottish independence ? No of course not
Are they likely to be in favour of staying in EU and against Scottish independence ? Yes of course they are
so the figure for English people against Scottish independence jumps from 55 to 71 which puts the percentage of English people living in Scotland who are against Scottish independence up to 77%
There were 2.4 million people voted against Scottish independence in 2014 These figures show that about 770,000 of them were English people who live in Scotland
Okay so 200,000 English people living in Scotland may vote yes to Scottish independence if it means staying in EU but really why are we allowing people from the country from which we seek independence a vote on whether or not we should have independence from their country, it’s obvious they benefit from their country controlling our country and they are not going to relinquish that control
Wake up
Ken500 I see your point but the 770,000 English people living in Scotland who voted against Scottish independence are still going to vote against Scottish independence so even starting on 49% in favour of Scottish independence it is going to be extremely difficult to shift even 1% or 2%
Which is about 40 to 80 thousand people..
Derick fae Yell at 9.49
“Irrespective of Brexit we will be out of the EU on independence day. To imagine otherwise is magical thinking.”
Says who? Provide the evidence . The EU is nothing if not very flexible.
If Scotland chooses to leave the UK union arguably Scotland and England are in exactly the same constitutional position as separate members of the EU. If England chooses to leave and Scotland chooses to stay should be decisions taken by England and by Scotland. Scotland independent is not bound by English decisions and I cannot see any legal imperative that Scotland should have its fully compliant EU membership removed from it.
DerekfaeYell
I agree with your timing for inderef2.
2018 is too early, but a referendum date of Sept 2019 gives us time to get the campaign up and running through next year and a big push through the summer (long light evenings) of 2019.
Also more time for the true implications of Brexit to be revealed.
Happy Christmas when it comes, Chris.
And yes please,Nicola!
Re Robert Peffers.
Yes, I have considered Brexit not happening.
So if it doesn’t you still get a similar ourcome – Britannia diminished and belittled in the eyes of the world (and domestically)
And that will make a difference with current No voters.
Not long now. 🙂
I’m champing at the bit to go!
And when campaigning begins I am certain we will see YES move into the lead.
Nicola needs to chose the timing carefully. At the moment we don’t have a scooby about the right time. Tory Brexit lunacy will dictate that.
If it looks like the UK will be staying in the single market then timing will be very difficult. But I would assess that outcome as nae chance.
If things look hard or even a cliff jump, then there is nothing to wait for … get the deed done IMHO!
thats a Christmas cracker
Wonders will never cease this in the P&J.
North-east businessman at centre of offensive online comments row.
They do say that some of his tweets are too offensive to put in print a pity they don’t ask Davidson for her thoughts.
Merry Xmas Rev
Saw this on twitter, but well worth repeating, with my addition.
Come on Nicola get us out of Brexitville and back to Bedford Falls.
I would have used Pottersville but you know how litigious some authors can be.
Hope everyone who enjoys xmas has a good time, and those that hate it enjoy wallowing in their misery.
Britnat brexit: the gift that keeps on giving.
Excellent Chris.
A dream of a Christmas pressie though I’m sure for many a Yoonyoonist it’ll look more like the Nightmare Before Christmas. BritNats only like democracy when they think they’ll win. When they think they’ll lose it’s, “Naw tae a second referendum”.
We’re well on our way.
Chris Grayling announcement that English districts/towns/villages will get bypasses £100million + & it will come from the DVLA road Tax( hows yer cocco ) , more of Scotland’s money being spent before we leave the UK .
Merry Christmas to all wingers and Lurkers.
And a happy New referendum when it comes.
In the spirit of Christmas we must prepare to receive many more poor English refugees who will spill over the border when we stand on our own two feet.
Dave McEwan Hill @ 08:52,
Spot on there.
We can’t simply rely on having a fair wind through “circumstances”, even though the circumstances are clearly moving our way. More and more people are beginning to see through the Leaver lies, despite the BBC and the rest trying to put a brave face on all the UKGov betrayals of the “bring back control” and “millions for the NHS” rhetoric.
(And that’s always supposing we do have sufficient smarts to move with the grain of the times. Support for Remain is actually increasing, Brexit-Lite EFTA fans.)
But sooner or later we’re going to have to give “circumstances” a good old push. It’s just a question of timing.
@jason 12:27pm
According to a britnat front-page today poor britnat soldiers will need to be bribed to stay [fight?!] in Scotland.
A Scotland Weighting?
Nah, a Scotland waiting!
My list sent up the chimney to Santa this year contains only two sorry one thing.
(clue YES) if I tell you it might to come true.
Thanks Chris for some great cartoons. Thanks Stu for your excellent work in debunking the Britnat propeganda. Also, thanks to contributors to the site for some very informed opinions.
Wishing all a good festive season and hardening the ‘keyboard’ battle lines in 2018.
Forward to an Independent Scotland
Dave McEwan Hill says:
23 December, 2017 at 10:32 am
“Says who? Provide the evidence.”
Says the former President of the European Commission, Mr Barosso,in a letter to the Lord Tugenhat, House of Lords 10 December 2012
“The EU is founded on the Treaties which apply only to the Member States who have agreed and ratified them. If part of the territory of a Member State would cease to be part of that state because it were to become a new independent state, the Treaties would no longer apply to that territory. In other words, a new independent state would, by the fact of its independence, become a third country with respect to the EU and the Treaties would no longer apply on its territory.”
Mr Barrosso repeated this statement of the obvious on 16 February 2014 in a BBC interview. Also reported Financial Times.
Repeated again by the Commission in March 2017. link to theguardian.com
And recently stated by the Commission and Current President Juncker in regard of Catalonia.
“BRUSSELS (Reuters) – An independent Catalonia would have to apply to join the European Union, the president of the executive European Commission said on Thursday, adding that such a policy would apply to any new state.”
link to uk.reuters.com
And set down in black and white throughout the Lisbon Treaty which repeatedly refers to “member states” i.e. only states can be members.
Lisbon A49 “Any European State which respects the values referred to in Article 2 and is committed to promoting them may apply to become a member of the Union”
The EU is a club of member states. Scotland is not a state, and therefore is not a current member. We can’t stay in something we are not a member of. We could apply to join, and I agree with Kirsty Hughes that the accession would be the fast track 3-4 years.
I’d suggest that we listen to what the Commission and successive Presidents have ACTUALLY said, and are saying.
Leave the British exceptionalism behind. We aspire to be a normal country, with a state. And like any independent state we will follow the normal rules regarding membership of international bodies we may choose to join
We need to state our case with reference to the facts, not to wishful thinking
First independence and the power to make international treaties
Then application
Then negotiation
Then membership
I’m not fond of a potential “indy 2” campaign mainly because it reminds me of “Indy 1”
So how about
“Independence Now” or
“Independence Yes”
“Brexit NO”
“No to greedy two faced unionism”– ok getting carried away there.
any thoughts?
Ahh – the Christmas stocking for my brother is Chris’s book.
On a side note, another empty floor in our London City building, moving to Paris in January.
I’m attempting to return to Scotland next summer – lets imagine, projections inside the City are … horrendous (for anyone below the 1%)
Hamish 100.hows about, An indy Scotland for the needy, or the union for the greedy.
Derick fae Yell @ 13:07,
What a long load of guff to “prove” what we all know fine already, that after (and only after) independence, a re-negotiation of our membership of the EU will have to take place. Inevitably it will. But that completely misses the point!
It’s in the hard-nosed economic interest both of an independent and resource-rich Scotland and an EU very happy with us to have a fast and smooth rethink. Where we on our side will be able to negotiate all our interests properly, not filtered and sold-off by London for other things. And it won’t take “n” years – we’re already full members, FGS!!
Jeez. If the EU can give Engexiters a transition period to leave, it will certainly offer us a transition period to stay. It is that hard for some to understand?
If we have to have (yet another) damn referendum afterwards to validate the results of that negotiation in our own right and time, fine, let’s do it. (I doubt it will differ much anyway from the last.)
But we have to start and proceed with intent from now, not deviate uselessly from the sidelines. Way too much time has been wasted already.
Derek fae yell 1.o7pm. So what they are saying is eu citizens would have to apply to be eu citizens. F**k the EU.but indy first even if it means using the EU as a launchpad.
Colin has been asking about it all year. Can’t wait to see his wee face..
Terence callachan at 10.30
The most reliable estimate is of around 480,000 English people living in Scotland, a majority of whom are retired, of whom an estimated about 75%voted NO (and that is an estimate I’m not necessarily comfortable with). I know of VERY many English folk in this area who voted YES and I suspect the retired English voted NO in about the same percentage as our own retired folk.
There is little point in scapegoating retired English folk for the vote. Not enough Scots voted yes.
Donald Anderson 10.05am. Great slogan for a t-shirt.
” Will you cower
“Or take the power”
Another cracker of a cartoon! I suspect that the next indy campaign will be short and intensive. Let’s take the opportunity to recharge our batteries so we’re ready for the fray whenever Indyref 2 is announced.
Wishing all on here a merry festive season!
Mike d says:
23 December, 2017 at 2:01 pm
Derek fae yell 1.o7pm. “So what they are saying is eu citizens would have to apply to be eu citizens.”
Correct. EU citizenship is contingent on being a citizen of a member state of the EU. In our case by being citizens of the UK.
Citizenship therefore lapses when we leave the EU,and would be regained should we rejoined.
Robert Sutherland. Scotland is not a member state of the EU because we are not a state. Therefore there is no re-negotiation. Yes, the accession negotiation and overall process would be swift – as Kirsty Hughes noted maybe as short as 3 years
@Terence callachan
You have repeated on this thread more or less the same post as on the last thread, I’ll answer you again here: You stated that the Rev figures were wrong on the last thread. The reality is that it is you who are wrong with your figures in more ways than one.
“Actually your figures are incorrect
Of the 92 people born in England
17% did not reply“
No it’s incorrect to say they “did not reply”. The 17% or 16 people are those who either said Don’t Know or Would not vote, this is clearly stated in the table as “(Excl DK and would not vote)”.
“The 17% who did not reply will be people who are likely to vote against Scottish independence but want to stay in EU
They are unlikely to be English people who are in favour of Scottish independence but want out of EU
So the English people who are likely to vote against Scottish independence is about 77% of the million that live in Scotland
770,000
I previously thought it about 800,000 but 770,000 is close to that figure”
This is a joke right? Where’s your evidence for the figure of a million English born people living in Scotland? There are NOT a million English born people living in Scotland and in fact less than half that. Also many are under 16 so could not vote.
The most recent census from 2011 gave the percentage of the population in Scotland that were born in England as 9% as is stated in the Rev’s article. The specific number from 2011 was 459,486. From that figure 37,100 were aged between 0 and 15 leaving a total 16 or over of 422,386. From the census:
Ninety-three per cent of the people in Scotland stated they were born within the UK, a decrease of three percentage points since 2001. Eighty-three per cent of the population were born in Scotland, nine per cent in England, 0.7 per cent in Northern Ireland and 0.3 per cent in Wales.
link to scotlandscensus.gov.uk
For full table showing breakdown by country of birth see link below:
link to scotlandscensus.gov.uk
Derick fae Yell at 2.34
And when Scotland leaves the UK the UK no longer exists. So Scotland inherits or continues its present 40 year EU status. Explain to me why not.
Derick fae Yell @ 14:34,
There is no precedent (yet!) for a country splitting whilst an EU member state, so you can’t possibly be dogmatic about this. Unless you believe all the BT pish, that is.
Once independence is delivered, everything changes. EVERYTHING. That’s the whole point! The EU won’t be dogmatic, if only from the simple point of view it would be vastly in our mutual interest for Scotland to continue. (With a two-finger salute to Leaverland as a bonus.)
Furthermore, time and reality is revealing the Leaver lies and distortions, despite the BritNat media’s best attempts to convince us SS Brexitannia isn’t seriously holed below the waterline and sinking. Consequently, public opinion is moving steadily towards Remain. So why throw all that momentum away for nothing…?
O/T Westminster are consulting on whether to scrap road tax for heavy goods vehicles and substitute a charge per mile for the use of the road.
Given that Scottish roads are devolved, can Westminster levy a toll on Scottish roads? Whether a good idea or not is not the point here. Will it be necessary for trucks to declare their mileage on leaving England and again on entering Scotland and vice versa on the way back. Only such a control system would ensure that each country got it’s fair share.
So now we will need a border control at which the mileage of each truck is recorded. The same would have to apply to trucks leaving the republic of Ireland and entering the UK in NI.
The rational behind this may be the large number of trucks entering the UK from the continent, with a tankfull of cheaper diesel and which make no contribution to the upkeep of the roads they use. But, after brexit most of these trucks will be unable to operate as they do now in the absence of a Cabotage agreement. That is the ability of a truck to originate in state 1, pickup cargo in state 2 and deliver it to state 3. Currently there are hordes of East European trucks enjoying this privelege through EU membership. With UK brexited the game changes.
Perhaps someone with an understanding of the legal position might be able to shed light on this.
Scottish tolls for Scotland!!
What excites me is the fact that perhaps the number has actually gone over the line! As James Kelly writes (am I allowed to talk of him here? Can’t quite keep up!)
link to scotgoespop.blogspot.co.uk
“By the way, don’t be dismayed by the fact that the No side are slightly ahead even on the hypothetical question. This poll is the quintessential statistical tie – meaning it’s not possible to know which side is really ahead due to the standard 3% margin of error. Looking at the raw numbers in the datasets, the result appears to be fractionally closer than even the headline numbers suggest – something like Yes 49.2%, No 50.8%.”
Sooo… we may even be across the line! I have to feel optimistic. (It’s been a REALLY TOUGH few months of problems, illness etc.) and I just need that boost! 😉 But the fact is, once campaigning starts, we must surely be able to pull ‘yes’ over the line! It would be too incredible not to be able to persuade 0.8% of the population to back ‘yes’, surely? SURELY?? Whatever… the fact is, we’re NOT starting at 23% this time, and we don’t have such a huge gap to cover. So I’m telling myself, “WE CAN DO THIS!”
Merry Christmas to Rev Stu, to the top cartoonists, and all who post and lurk this wall! Wishing you all A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SEASON, however you are spending it! xx
@tarisgal
Nice post, I’m as optimistic as you. I will always be 🙂
What a nice Xmas present & we haven’t begun to fight yet! The case for being stuck, friendless, on an island with England & Vera Lynn playing on a loop, is quite preposterous!
Mr Hill has a good letter in the National.
Dan Huil @ 12.39
I know for a fact that there is a steady flow of English refugees coming here to Northern England to work in at least one area of the public sector.
They ain’t getting bribed I can tell you.
Some smarter folk from darn sarf know England has had it.
I feel sorry for them having to uproot their families due to political meltdown, incompetence and greed.
Public services destroyed hospitals, police and other services we take for granted university education only for the few.
If I lived in English with a family I would move to its last Colony before the gates close.
Agree with “ Galamcennalth @1141” “ Nicola needs to choose the timing carefully”. Perhaps Nicola is planning a” surprise “ snap referendum campaign? This would be getting her “ own back” on TM , who “ pulled the snap election stunt after Nicola requested section 30 order. Forget about the section 30 “ permission “ this time , just inform May that it’s going ahead with or without section 30.
If Nicola sets a date ( and possibly therefore long campaign) , TM will have time to organise and mobilise all the “ usual weapons of state against independence” . If the polls move further towards independence then May will adjust the “ Brexit position” to attempt to undermine the Independence case. “ The precious precious union is everything to the Westminster establishment “ Far more important than Brexit. The Tory Government could panick if they thought “ Yes” was likely to win . They could call a GE ahead of the vote and Labour would smell blood on the back of a promise to stay in single market & customs union”. ( undermining the Independence case). If total panick set in at Westminster, don’t rule out a second referendum on the EU. Anything to prevent Scottish Independence both from Labour & Tories.
This is why Nicola is probably reluctant to “ set a date” , and why possibly a “snap” referendum could be the preferred tactic.
Finally, as May prevaricates and “ kicks the can down the road” on Brexit , the impact on the financial consequences is delayed and will not be so apparent during the current Holyrood parliament ( and mandate Nicola currently has in place). Perhaps a surprise “ attack” with a short sharp campaign “ AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME” , could be “ a winner” ??
[…] link to wingsoverscotland.com […]
sorta re-blogged Chris’s cartoon here – enjoy!
merry Christmas everyone!!
link to eurofree3.wordpress.com
“ moonlight @ 0418 pm” ref. Road mileage toll for hauliers ? Is this proposal also possibly deliberate discrimination against Scottish exporters and haulage companies transporting Scottish products to the continent??
Might be the right catalyst at the right time @North chiel says at 9:40 pm
“Road mileage toll for hauliers? Is this proposal also possibly deliberate discrimination against Scottish exporters and haulage companies transporting Scottish products to the continent??”
A catalyst to push for export directly from Scotland via Dundees RoRo port facilities, Rosyth, Prestwick etc.
It is about time we cut out the SE of England as point of export from the UK then the export to rUK bullshit figures can be exposed for the propaganda they are.
2.
Presence felt.
Yes love iScotland.
🙂
The campaign of bigging up how great Great Britain is gets more and more infantile and desperate by the day.
The latest ludicrous jingoistic stunts have been wall to wall coverage of Big Ben and the Ridiculous nonsense about the colour of passports.
Dave McEwan Hill
The UK will cease to exist on Scottish independence if, and only if, it agrees to cease to exist, and the rest of the world accepts that.
Do you seriously think the UK will just roll over and play dead just for our convenience? That Scotland will jointly inherit a permanent seat on the Security Council?
The tone is gey like that of the Brexiteers. That the world will arrange itself just to suit us because we are special. It’s what we said when we said of COURSE the UK will share Sterling.
Apart from anything else that puts our fate in the hands of what is likely to be a hostile state.
Time to get real. Time to see clearly and put British exceptionalism away.
It’s snowing in Glasgow.
All is quiet.