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A hostile environment

Posted on April 19, 2018 by

From here:

(NB These rules do not apply to Andrew Neil, Nick Robinson, etc etc. Like, duh. In a properly democratic country we’d be able to use FOI to actually see the blacklist, but this is the BBC we’re talking about.)

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  1. 19 04 18 16:56

    A hostile environment | speymouth
    Ignored

369 to “A hostile environment”

  1. Geordie
    Ignored
    says:

    Wow. Just… wow.

  2. bobajock
    Ignored
    says:

    Socts will never get a job on the BBC from now on.

    Sensibly put, and simply illustrating the inherent bias thereof.

  3. Robert J. Sutherland
    Ignored
    says:

    Yes, the clue’s indeed in the title.

    Hard questions now need to be asked about that BBC e-mail. A blacklist.

  4. Betty Boop
    Ignored
    says:

    We know that is what happens, but, somehow it seems worse when someone speaks of personal experience. It is discrimination. It is undemocratic. It is also the proof that the Beeb is nothing more than a unionist tool, an establishment propaganda loudhailer.

    I saw RT described as “Kremlin backed RT” today. Oh, the irony. From now on, instead of referring to the Beeb as the state broadcaster, I am going to call it “Westminster/UK government backed BBC”.

  5. Street Andrew
    Ignored
    says:

    Stop paying the licence fee.

    It’s the only way.

  6. Arbroath1320
    Ignored
    says:

    Well there’s a surprise!

    Anyone with a background in supporting Scottish independence is person non grata on the British Propaganda Broadcasting Corp.

    Any semblance and I DO mean ANY semblance of impartiality by the BSPC has now quite clearly been blown clear out the water!

  7. One of the Hundred
    Ignored
    says:

    Is it cos e is Nat?

  8. ahundredthidiot
    Ignored
    says:

    I actually have no problem with there being an email (hopefully some whizz kid will find it or a conscientious objector will leak it). This is the BBC, it is only to be expected, why on earth would they possibly allow voices to be channelled through their network that undermines Britain??

    What I do have a problem with is that this is beginning to happen in normal businesses. These BBC executive fuckwits sit at dinners with business executive fuckwits and they brag and exaggerate and solidify their position.

    Then it filters down. I personally know of two managers, poles apart, and the competent one has no chance achieving the next step in his career path because the business knows his politics. The Unionist fuckwit manager though, believe me, he’s shooty in.

    Maybe one day all of this will change, but time is not our friend and the Yes movement, thus far, is too damned polite.

  9. Jason Smoothpiece
    Ignored
    says:

    No longer shocking, it should be front page news, but thats just how England are doing things now.

    There seems to be no attempt to conceal the underhand possibly illegal behaviour.

    They just dont care really, good enough for the daft Scots.

    If the country dont vote yes next time round it indeed will be good enough for the dafties.

  10. Breeks
    Ignored
    says:

    First they came for the people marked with a Christmas tree, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t marked with a Christmas tree…

  11. Gordoz
    Ignored
    says:

    Stupid question but, cant BBC be forced to comment factually via FOI request ?

  12. Dan Huil
    Ignored
    says:

    The britnat bbc doesn’t care anymore about hiding its anti-Scottish agenda. Don’t give them money.

  13. Merkin Scot
    Ignored
    says:

    Years ago, I was blacklisted after ‘blowing the whistle’ on a very large multi-national (being blacked by one of Maggie’s favourite think tanks). Only found out much later after being employed in a nationalised industry. Caused me problems for many years but I wouldn’t change a thing.
    .
    All power to Hardeep’s elbow.

  14. Ghillie
    Ignored
    says:

    That sounded like a whistle just blown.

    Loud and clear.

  15. Highland Wifie
    Ignored
    says:

    Poor Jackie, Louise, Gary etc. They must be quaking in their boots by now. When there’s no BBC Scotland gravy train what are they going to do? The new EBC won’t want them and they’ll be toxic for any new Scottish broadcaster. Hope their pensions are worth the effort they put in to denigrate Scotland for so long.

    Don’t pay the licence fee. You won’t miss the daily dross I promise.

  16. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    Does anyone know when/where that footage was recorded?

  17. Gordoz
    Ignored
    says:

    Ian it was part of the YES East Kilbride Celebrities for Yes event at the weekend. Filmed by Indylive.
    Was lots on twitter about it.

  18. mike cassidy
    Ignored
    says:

    Come on, somebody!

    Leak the fecker til we find out who BBC Scotland have deemed enemies of the state.

    Presumably Stuart Cosgrove and Michael Stewart are ‘safe’ because they’re only dealing with football.

    I wonder when they’ll come for you, guys.

  19. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    Ian Brotherhood,

    Hardeep Singh Kohli describes being placed on the BBC’s blacklist of independence-supporting commentators at a meeting of Yes East Kilbride, 18 April 2018.

    An alert reader, me.
    😉

  20. schrodingers cat
    Ignored
    says:

    no surprise, but it strikes me that those in RIC, and common space like haggerty, cat boyd, johnathan Shafi etc, by being in the indy movement and criticising the snp and the indy movement in general, have managed to craft them a position and a career in the msm as the “acceptable” face of the indy movement at the expense of people like hardeep, stu campbell, wgd etc. who actually do represent us

    thats why i blocked them and will have nothing to do with any of them ever again.

  21. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    Meanwhile OFCOM are investigating RT, the “Russian State Broadcaster” on 7 complaints of showing bias.

    Scotland pays £320 m per year to the Westminster Government for lies and mendacity on their shoddy propaganda outlet.

    But you can’t complain to OFCOM about the BBC. You have to first exhaust the lengthy Kafkaesque BBC complaints procedure. If you live long enough, you may be able to take your complaint to OFCOM. At any time, the BBC could curtail OFCOMs investigation by writing you a letter of apology.

    You can look all this up on their respective websites but it would be a soul destroying waste of energy.

    Watch any other news organisation while you can. Westminster is determined to ban RT. Their Saudi friends are determined to ban Al Jazeera.

    Scotland is completly deprived of a broadcasting service that is fit for purpose. With our £320 m we could produce something infinitely better.

  22. Truth
    Ignored
    says:

    1. Do not pay for this.

    2. Devolve competence over media immediately.

  23. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Of course the BBC would reply that Hardeep’s not popular anymore so we can’t use him for that reason so he’s griping

    We see it every day even with folk who previously claimed they were pro Independence then they make a couple of appearances on the BBC or STV and their tone has altered and somewhat softened on Independence and even begin to criticise it claiming they’re only trying to be objective

    They’ve been bought for the thirty pieces, and you know what that makes them?……………

    Yes! those are the very words

    Unionists, if they can’t partition countries they’ll partition people, or buy them, or discredit them, or deport them, or kill them, or any combination of all those things

  24. Andrew Simpson
    Ignored
    says:

    Not surprised by this, disgraceful, and look how they push unionist celebs like Susan Calman, panel shows, strictly etc etc,

  25. One_Scot
    Ignored
    says:

    OMG. Although you know it to be the case, when you here it first hand like that it really does make you sick.

    I have nothing but the utmost respect for people who put their political beliefs before their career.

    This is the sad reality of where we are in politically in Scotland. I have said it many times before, but if the SNP cannot come up with a way to deal with the overwhelming weight of the British Biased State and State media, winning our children’s right for a better future is going to be an uphill struggle.

  26. Andy-B
    Ignored
    says:

    As I’ve said before don’t fricking pay any licence fee to the BBC, it’s an enemy of Scotland, don’t fund your enemy.

  27. Fred
    Ignored
    says:

    Is Leslie Riddoch’s name not on the same list?

  28. Arbroath1320
    Ignored
    says:

    Gordoz says:
    19 April, 2018 at 4:46 pm
    Stupid question but, cant BBC be forced to comment factually via FOI request ?

    You could try an FOI on the BSPC (British State Propaganda Corp.) if you like Gordoz but I strongly suspect you’ll get a non entity of a response from them. BSPC generally do not, as a rule apparently, supply answers to anyone. They apparently are above the level of being required to do so … allegedly.

    On the issue of independence supporters being “banned” here’s a tweet put out by Deidre Brock the other day.

    https://twitter.com/DeidreBrock/status/986634507859226625

  29. Proud Cybernat
    Ignored
    says:

    “Oh NO! Davey’s talkin’ politics again!”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abtmNT5o0FY&feature=youtu.be

  30. Roland Smith
    Ignored
    says:

    Could I suggest if you can afford it to have a serious look at a subscription for the iscot magazine. Its beautifully produced, filled with interesting articles by almost all the well known bloggers, short stories, and indeed general articles about Scotland. When read it’s a handy thing to drop off at surgeries etc. For others to pick up and read.
    We all complain rightly about the MSM bias so we desperately need to support Indy outlets.

  31. TheWealthOfNations
    Ignored
    says:

    Could we not just all send Leslie Riddoch a tenner a month and let her set up an SBC to do this job properly?

  32. manandboy
    Ignored
    says:

    Sadly the majority cannot even begin to consider giving up live TV, and at £3 a week its an easy habit to fund, even if you know you’re paying for your own brainwashing.

  33. Clootie
    Ignored
    says:

    They (…the BBC) do not care a jot that we are aware of the email blacklist. The unionist control the media and nothing will ever be reported on the topic except on Indy supporting sites.

    The arrogance of the BritNat machine is boundless. Did this really surprise anyone?
    They know that the dice is loaded in their favour by design.

  34. Marcia
    Ignored
    says:

    So much for free speech. It would be very interesting to see the names on that BBC email.

  35. Elmac
    Ignored
    says:

    I think we should be making up our own blacklist – of those who will never again be able to find work in the media after we gain our independence. It would also be worthwhile keeping a record of the perpetrators of the biggest lies and omissions for possible prosecution post independence. Lets fight fire with fire – at least it might make some of these shysters feel a little less comfortable in their snakeskins.There has to be some retribution when this is all over.

  36. Hamish100
    Ignored
    says:

    eLMAC

    Camel don’t take the hump. We are better than that. But does show how the establishment NTS, Universities, QUANGO’s etc fill their boards with their own kind. Uni of Aberdeen great example.

    On the other side labour filled up NHS GG& Clyde Board with their ain folk. ie members of UNITE, GMB Labour Party etcetera

  37. Breeks
    Ignored
    says:

    Unfortunately, however galling it is to have pro-Indy celebrities snubbed by the BBC, just spare a thought for all the programs being snubbed, all the program makers being snubbed, all the script and screenwriters being snubbed, all the pro Indy media material being snubbed, all the Indy sentiment and encouragement from abroad being snubbed, all the pro Indy events being ignored, all the pro Scotland news being ignored.

    Are you angry yet?

    ARE YOU YES YET?

  38. Hamish100
    Ignored
    says:

    camel /elmac – are you a Mail JOURNALIST?

  39. Macart
    Ignored
    says:

    Shocked? No. Angry? Yes.

  40. Brian McHugh
    Ignored
    says:

    What is stopping the Scottish Government from investing in a 24 hour BBC news/RT/Sky News/Aljazeera channel?

    Broadcasting is reserved, but not the channels that go on air. If the Russians can have a 24 hour news channel in Scotland, then there is nothing stopping the SNP.

    In Catalonia, they have pro-indy and sympathetic to indy channels.

    We have tons of folk with the skills to make it work and I bet RT would help in providing advice in the initial set-up… maybe Alex has some contacts? How many journalists/managers/backroom researchers have lost their jobs due to the newspaper industry tanking? consider 45% of those are pro-indy, highly skilled and would jump at the chance to work for a truly Scottish news channel.

    This should be priority number one for all the SNP from grassroots to the top of the party. If we don’t do this, then we have learned nothing from Indy-ref 1.

    If you go to; and take part in local SNP branch meetings, then raise it… keep raising it and get it raised at conference.

  41. Robert Louis
    Ignored
    says:

    I think what is truly shocking in all of this, is that their are sane people, working at pathetic quay, who KNOW about all of this ,but DO NOT SPEAK OUT. They are complicit in having one half of the Scottish population suppressed, and in perpetuating the ‘England knows best’ mythology.

    Is it not time they spoke up, and IF they really fear for their jobs, maybe they might consider leaking the documents and blacklists.

    This really is quite intolerable. The BBC is now a propagandist leech in Scotland, bleeding our country of its life blood, pumping out anti-Scotland lies on a daily basis, to ACTIVELY DECEIVE the people of Scotland.

    Today’s BBC propaganda about how the SNP did NOT use Cambridge analytica is a prime example. The REAL story is that the tories did and the SNP didn’t. Watch the journalists paid liars on the BBC however, and you will think that it is the SNP that was caught red-handed – ‘exposed’ by Ruth Davidson.

    The BBC are liars. Those who choose to work for them are ACTIVE participants in the deliberate running down of anything good in Scotland. It is time they were all held to account. ‘I’m merely doing my job’, is simply not an acceptable excuse anymore.

    It is now a well established fact, the BBC are propagandist liars, working on behalf of Westminster, and against the best interests of Scotland.

  42. Clydebuilt
    Ignored
    says:

    Gordon @4.46pm. The BBC is exempt from having to reply to FOI requests.

  43. Andy-B
    Ignored
    says:

    Jeez, Rape Clause Ruth Davidson, named in Time magazine as one of the most influential people in the world.

    So called historian Niall Ferguson gives her a glowing report in the magazine.

    Unionidt backing slapping at work.

    http://archive.is/FZfMv

    Time magazine does their reputation no good over this one.

  44. Brian McHugh
    Ignored
    says:

    PS. The Scottish government have just become minority shareholders in BiFab. They can become shareholders in any business to support employment in Scotland. Creating employment is their job; and that is the legal way to fund the venture.

  45. Reluctant Nationalist
    Ignored
    says:

    It’s charming how Navid thinks the bbc has ‘transmuted’ into a state broadcaster.

  46. schrodingers cat
    Ignored
    says:

    while i fully support ventures like TSTV, iscot, the national etc, other than complaining on social media, i do not think we can change this biased uk media flooding scotland during indyref2.

    even those who accept the msm is biased can still be influenced by its output.

  47. Brian McHugh
    Ignored
    says:

    Schrodingers cat. Yes agree, the unionist media will still be there, but so would the other side of the story on a truly Scottish channel. Look at the way the American establishment were freaking out about RT recently… and look at how RT have made a huge dent in their lies about Skripal-gate and Syria.

  48. Brian McHugh
    Ignored
    says:

    Schrodingers cat. Yes agree, the unionist media will still be there, but so would the other side of the story on a truly Scottish channel. Look at the way the American establishment were freaking out about RT recently… and look at how RT have made a huge dent in their lies about Skirpal-gate and Syria.

  49. ben madigan
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Dr Jim who wrote “They’ve been bought for the thirty pieces”,

    or maybe they’ve been blackmailed! Made an offer they couldn’t refuse!
    Have a look here to see how the british state recruited informants during the troubles in NI

    “Any minor infraction– shop-lifting, a mistress, cross-dressing – of the social and legal mores of the time could have been used as leverage, considering the prevailing mentality and the fear of being shamed before the community.

    “Ingram” affirmed, “a free-spending wife, or an accident in a third-party-only insured vehicle, were common starting points for an approach.”
    Yet, perhaps more disturbingly, such problems may have been fashioned by the security services to facilitate an approach”.

    https://eurofree3.wordpress.com/2015/02/06/the-dirty-war-2/

    Maybe similar mechanisms are at work in “turning” apparently convinced Scottish nationalists

  50. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    Kohl aside, I do have a problem with blacklisting Indy supporters. Next thing you know they will be stopping the SNP appearing on the television to rebutt stories—-wait a minute.

  51. Meg merrilees
    Ignored
    says:

    Any one else having problems getting on to The National site tonight – trying to read the article about the Continuity bill but can’t open the page.

  52. theHairyHaggis
    Ignored
    says:

    It’s not just on the BBC that indy voices are being suppressed, Lesley Riddoch mentioned very recently on her twitter feed that work “has dropped off” and she says someone risked disapproval to send her an email proving that being pro indy is a factor…

    https://goo.gl/fJENne

    Personally I doubt that BBC “list” is confined just to media such as the BBC – is there a pro-indy voice blacklist shared and in circulation round all the MSM?

  53. jfngw
    Ignored
    says:

    @Brian McHugh

    The SNP don’t have enough money to run a 24 hour news channel. If you want it to look professional it costs a fortune, more than the whole BBC Scotland budget. ITV pulled out of this market due to the cost, Sky use it as a loss leading advert for its subscription service.

    You can do something on the cheap, but if it looks amateurish it would damage the SNP rather than help.

  54. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    This is totally illegal. A disgrace and an insult to taxpayers in Scotland. Could a fellow discriminated against group not take the BBC to an employment trubunal? Or even raise a class action against the BBC. The discriminated against women re the pay gap are taking action. Many people in Scotland will not work for the BBC because of their attitude. No one watches it anymore unless they have to for some obscure reason. The BBC is mainly held in derision in Scotland. The only channel worth watching in the parliamentary channel. To see what the psycho bastards are up to. The union incompetent Ignoramouses mucking up the economy. Half pissed all the time.

  55. Hamish Kirk
    Ignored
    says:

    Hanish Henderson was banned from appeaaing on any BBC broadcast for YEARS

  56. robert alexander harrison
    Ignored
    says:

    This is how scared of us they really are and how dirty they are willing to be typical old English empire remnants thats all the bbc are betting stu and wgd are 2 others thats probably been blacklisted by the English broadcasting corporation.

  57. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    People can get £1000 for a personal speaking appearance to YES and other groups. Blogs. They can actually make a better living/income from freelancing. Instead of appearing on the BBC which no one watches any more. So being pro Indy could in fact be a positive rather than negative. With a wider audience overall. Alex Salmond is on RT. It is broadcast worldwide to a wider audience. Things could change quite soon. People remember loyalty. Being on the side of right could guarantee a bright future.

    Professional speakers could be earning more being pro Indy than unionist. Limited employment and not too bright futures for union speakers or politicians.

  58. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    Hamish did quite well in academia. Well remembered and appreciated. Probably had a bob or two. Nice family. Plenty of documentaries and memories. A hero. Accomplished scholar. The Scottish Centre is acclaimed the world over. Recording, verse, words culture and tradition. International aclaimed. 40 million diaspora.

  59. schrodingers cat
    Ignored
    says:

    Brian McHugh

    agreed, the reach of altenative media is growing but the bbc and the rest of the msm are still a powerful medium.

    also, interms of social media, YES can compete there, indeed, i would say we lead the way over the britnat media which needs to employ people to tweet etc.

    but we do need to recognise that in traditional media stakes, the britnats still have and will have an advantage over us.

    but we are not without our own advantages, we have an army of footsoldiers and activist that the britnats can only dream of. we need to use this resource to the best advantage possible

  60. Scottish Steve
    Ignored
    says:

    Can you imagine the wails of self-righteous indignation from unionists if the shoe was on the other foot? BBC Scotland is just another place for establishments Scots to have cost jobs and lives. Why rock the boat?

  61. Scottish Steve
    Ignored
    says:

    Apologies for the error. Meant to say *cosy jobs and lives

  62. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    If hard evidence of this can be made public, it could be a game changer.

    ‘Black lists’ takes bias to a whole different level.

  63. Breeks
    Ignored
    says:

    Being unusually optimistic for me, I think the media game is all to play for.

    If you think where YES started and where YES finished in the Campaign back in 2014, you can skew that perspective and look at where the BBC’s reputation was in 2014 and where it is now.

    Back in 2014 you hardly dared express the word “bias” for fear the media and BBC would jump down your throat with self righteous indignation and well scripted counter arguments. “How dare you attack the noble BBC”…. Both Alex Salmond and Blair Jenkins ducked out of the direct bias question… Those were the days when people were writing complaints to the BBC Trust. The equivalent of Mrs Trellis of North Wales poking it with a stick.

    Move forward 4 years, and look at the reputation of the BBC now. It’s a laughing stock. It is the living caricature of a State Propaganda Channel. It is the Pravda of our time. The effect has been pernicious, and time has done its work. A little lie that nobody would have noticed in 2014 is now picked up in a Tweet that’s shared. A lot more people a tuning in to what’s going on, and the more tuned in they become, the more BBC skullduggery they find. These days many more of us cannot sit in earshot of the BBC news without squirming in painful discomfort. That wasn’t happening in 2014, or at least happened much less.

    I don’t know how you measure the actual effectiveness of propaganda. What can you use as a yardstick? But I rather suspect these days the BBC would really struggle to get a smear story to stick. Their Unionist audience will lap it up of course, as ever, but the cynicism and skepticism will kick in much earlier too. An obvious hatchet job is now met with acerbic derision which the BBC increasingly cannot duck.

    The BBC shot its bolt in 2014. But now, perhaps we are seeing the sweet irony that the BBC is way, way, out on a limb when it comes to undermining the very Union it is frothing at the mouth trying to save. Frankly, I can’t think of a more fitting epitaph for both.

  64. Northern Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    I’m sure the guy who played the Doctor on River City a couple of years ago got the same treatment. He was a strong Indy supporter and he didn’t mind letting BBC Scotland know he was.

    Rumours have it that he was dragged to the dungeons underneath Pacific Quay and chained to the walls, never to be seen again.

  65. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    The total and utter lies that Davidson knowingly is telling about SCL and Cambridge Analytica are a total and utter disgrace. She is on oath required to tell the truth and she is lying through her teeth. The smirking cohorts are an appalling disgrace. Can nothing be done about the lies they are telling? A court action? A Police complaint. No coincidence an ex BBC employee.

  66. Northern Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    And as I posted the other day, the BBC weather forecasters are now calling the four Nations of the UK “The Country”.

    And Scotland is quaintly known as “the North of the Country”.

    And in case you forgot, we have a “Capital” of the “Country”.

    The forecaster told us that “The Capital” will be extremely warm this weekend.

    That’s us telt’

    So shut up and eat your porridge !!!

  67. schrodingers cat
    Ignored
    says:

    fngw says:
    19 April, 2018 at 7:34 pm
    @Brian McHugh

    The SNP don’t have enough money to run a 24 hour news channel. If you want it to look professional it costs a fortune, more than the whole BBC Scotland budget. ITV pulled out of this market due to the cost, Sky use it as a loss leading advert for its subscription service.

    You can do something on the cheap, but if it looks amateurish it would damage the SNP rather than help.

    ————
    i agree with this but would also add that even if we did pile millions into a new station, or convince channel 4 to relocate and back indy, old habits die hard, while it would even things up a bit, it could take decades to convince bbc veiwers to change channels. there isnt the time

    unfortunately we need to recognise that we will be up against this.

    however, while we should continue to critise them at every opportunity, perhaps once indyref2 kicks off we should consider some of the nuclear options available, eg, refuse to do interviews, nicola to throw the bbc out of holyrood, launch a legal action against the bbc or mount a boycott the bbc campaign. etc. we dont have to win, we just need to fight.
    we need to sow seeds of doubt into the population about the bbc. this is how you do it

    I have always been against such nuclear options such as, the snp mps walking out of WM, not because i dont think this is a valid tactic but because it is a use once only tactic. but indyref2 is the end game folks, if ever there was a time to play for keeps, this is it.
    nothing should be off the table

  68. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    Sad, angry, but not surprised.

    Someone on an earlier post asked about Lesley Riddoch.

    Folk such as Lesley Riddoch – no gung ho indpendenista – are given air time only if matched by someone of the opposite political persuasion, and even then in strict time limits, and strict expose by the month.

    You won’t ever see Riddoch on a BBC celebrity show tracing her family tree, or showing you around her house or garden, or on a panel show.

    Producers are ‘crapping their load’ to be blunt, in case they inadvertently cross the line and do a Kirk Douglas: demand their blacklisted colleague be treated openly, fairly and given due credit.

    Try that and you get reprimanded. Every excuse is given, you need balance, keep it non-political, we don’t ant to stir up political trouble, et cetera, but it’s all bull crap. Certain people are persona non grata because they’re considered loose cannons.

    The only loose canons I’ve ever known are priests.

  69. schrodingers cat
    Ignored
    says:

    Breeks says:

    BBC Pravda

    that is a meme that should be used by everyone. the oaps will recognise what is meant by this immediately

  70. Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    Rock (28th October 2014 – “And still there were none”):

    “Scotland’s enemy number 2 is the Labour party, enemy number 1 being the BBC.”

    There is no way Scotland can become independent as long as Pravda GB exists in Scotland.

  71. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Remember very many of those who voted NO and will vote NO again don’t pay for their TV licence

    Over 75s are free, Sheltered housing around £7 to £12, Care homes free

    It’s kinda funny really that most of those who voted YES are subsidising many of the NO voters to watch the TV that’s working against the YES voters

    When I say funny you know I don’t mean Ha Ha

  72. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    @Meg merrilees
    Yes, me too. In fact a traceroute doesn’t work either, so it could be a technical problem. Maybe the National is switching over to https, and screwed things up. I lost one of my domains over the weekend for a couple of hours because I messed up the virtual server (techie stuff), had to take out permanent redirects and go through the rigmarole again. Sweat at 3 in the mornng, unusual to do these things during the day all the same.

  73. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    Ooops

    Domain Name thenational.scot
    Registry Domain ID D10002-SCOT
    Update Date 2018-04-19T16:05:44.414Z
    Creation Date 2014-11-07T16:49:14.411Z
    Registry Expiry Date 2018-11-07T16:49:14.411Z

    might take a couple of hours, .scot doesn’t seem to be as well supported as dot coms or dot co uk.

  74. jfngw
    Ignored
    says:

    @schrodingers cat

    Also met to say that 24 hour news channels are a minority area, those that watch them are probably perfectly aware of facts available elsewhere.

    The voters we need to target don’t watch 24 hours news channels, the vast majority only watch the news because there is nothing else on they want to watch. You need the lack of inertia viewer, the news happens to be on the channel they have left the TV tuned to, this is not going to happen for the indy movement.

    So in my mind throwing money at broadcasting is a waste and it would probably be better spent where it will be more effective. I’ll leave that area to those with more expertise than me.

  75. schrodingers cat
    Ignored
    says:

    jfnjw

    agreed, money could be spent better elsewhere

    however, we should continue to highlight the bias at every opportunity, indeed, legal action, demonstrations, petitions boycot campaigns etc could be a more aggresive for of opposition. lets face it, we are now angy enough, also, distrust of bbc pravda in 2014, was limited to scotland, not anymore
    —————
    The voters we need to target don’t watch 24 hours news channels,
    —————–
    the voters we need to target are the oaps, we do this by face to face, 1-2-1, doorstep canvasing. i dont know how else we can target these voters. that is why i am pushing the idea of getting the postman to deliver our leaflets and asking the yes groups to focus entirely on canvasing

    in indyref1, the only canvasing BT did (or had the man power to do) was by targeting the very old and infirm. They knew exactly which door to knock on, no badges or flags or big foam hands, dark suits and ties were the order of the day, and they lied and terrorised these people.

    I know, i was there, i saw……. and it worked.

  76. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Non voters are the key, the many who don’t vote because they think it makes no difference because they still get stuck with what they don’t want no matter what

    These are the people who need convincing

  77. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    “Registry Expiry Date 2018-11-07”

    I read that at 2017-04-07.

    Should have gone to sepecsavers.

  78. Macart
    Ignored
    says:

    @Grouse Beater 8.30pm

    Neatly summed up Grouse and very much echoes my own opinion.

    Well said.

  79. ben madigan
    Ignored
    says:

    personal anecdote time coming up –
    hamish henderson was a life-long personal friend of my dad’s.
    According to my dad they were friends from even before WWII and my dad certainly knew a lot about Hamish’s personal background.
    My dad showed me a photie of them on a walking holiday in the glens of Antrim – late 40’s I would say, long before i was born.
    My father said his feet killed him at the end of each day’s hiking.
    Hamish was unsympathetic “Get handmade boots like mine!” he said.
    My father did for their next outing!

    I do remember Hamish coming to stay with us for a few days when i was about 6 or 7. First time i had ever seen a man wearing a kilt!
    Driving an open-top sorta sports car!
    My mother said he was totally uncaring of what the neighbours or any one else thought about what he did. (we lived in a pretty prissy neighbourhood). he certainly never did anything illegal – but he created a stir wherever he went –
    I never knew until i was much older that he was such an important man in Scotland and the left movement generally

  80. ayemachrihanish
    Ignored
    says:

    please for once let’s stop this (navel gazing halfarsed let’s not pay our TV license) discussion….

    He has
    (a) been discriminated against by a media organisation because of his political opinion and
    (b) illegally blacklisted.

    CAN WE STOP TALKING. AND USE THE LAW! YES THE LAW!!

    Is it beyond us to collectively financially support SK (say Crowdfund) to (a) seek the best legal advise. And then (b) pursue legitimate redress through the courts against (say) the following :-

    1. who sent the email? who acted upon it?
    2. who authorities/originated the content of the email and
    3. who employed the person(s) in point 2 and point 1?

    Skilfully & Assertively USE THE LAW!

  81. David Smith
    Ignored
    says:

    Scotland’s Apartheid Media. Right there in one clip.

  82. schrodingers cat
    Ignored
    says:

    Dr Jim says:
    19 April, 2018 at 9:17 pm
    Non voters are the key, the many who don’t vote because they think it makes no difference because they still get stuck with what they don’t want no matter what

    These are the people who need convincing
    ————-

    very true dr jim

    how else do we target or convince them except by canvasing them directly, door step, 1-2-1. bear in mind, we do have the activists to do this

    can you think of any other way to convince them? an ad in the daily record, stv?

    the snp and the yes campaign are a very effectivve leaflet distribution organisation. no question, but i dont think this is enough. the only way we will convince non voters is to speak to them directly

  83. schrodingers cat
    Ignored
    says:

    ayemachrihanish says:
    19 April, 2018 at 9:28 pm
    please for once let’s stop this (navel gazing halfarsed let’s not pay our TV license) discussion….

    He has
    (a) been discriminated against by a media organisation because of his political opinion and
    (b) illegally blacklisted.

    CAN WE STOP TALKING. AND USE THE LAW! YES THE LAW!!
    ———————-

    agreed, im angey enough, maybe it is time we started to fight back? maybe it is time to get medievel on their arses?

    i said that we need to accept they will be a force standing against us, i never said we shouldnt hold them to account

  84. Jockanese Wind Talker
    Ignored
    says:

    “Non voters are the key, the many who don’t vote because they think it makes no difference.”

    Fully agree with you @Dr Jim says at 9:17 pm it worked for Obama during the 2008 Presidential election campaign when he engaged, energised and mobilised non voters.

    This was similar to the SNP returning 56 MPs due to a still engaged, energised and mobilised voter base following Indy Ref 1 defeat.

  85. Joemcg
    Ignored
    says:

    Mr Kohli’s star was on the rise pre 2014 I noticed. He was gradually getting more gigs in print and televisual media. Then boom. Nada, nothing. A bloody disgrace. Don’t pay the yoon telly tax.

  86. Jockanese Wind Talker
    Ignored
    says:

    Fully agree @ayemachrihanish says at 9:28 pm

    The ONLY way to conduct a peaceful Indy Campaign is to stay within the law.

    The BBC are operating outwith the law.

    Crowdfund and Legal Challenge 100%.

    Publicity of illegal practice and BritNat Political Bias.

    More scales will fall from the eyes of Soft NOs.

    Gloves aff time.

  87. Fred
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Dr Jim, don’t go to Unionist funerals! 🙂

  88. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    It is outrageous, and all the more so when you hear such testimony being accepted with a weary shake of the head.

    This shite has been going on for as long as the BBC has existed. It acts a highly effective filter of dissent – potential ‘rabble-rousers’ are identified early and are nipped in the bud.

    I recently suggested here (only half-jokingly) that some of us submit a FOI request to BBC Scotland to ascertain what information they have on regular Wingers who organised and/or attended protests ouside BBC Pacific Quay HQ. It is unthinkable that no such records exist. Question is – can the BBC say, hand-on-heart, that it does not hold such records? Yes, it can, because it outsources such ‘archiving’ to private companies who, in effect, protect BBC from accusations of ‘blacklisting’. I’m sure GrouseBeater and others can confirm this as fact.

    That said, a test case might be illuminating, even if it does nothing more than expose the paper-trail of denial and obfuscation which necessarily accompanies such requests.

    I’m up for it.

    Anyone else?

    PS I’m past caring about accusations of ‘conspiracy theorising’ etc. Just doesn’t wash any more. I’ve done freelance work for BBC Scotland, received payment for scripts, development work etc etc. I have an ’employee’ reference number for tax purposes, so they DO have me on file. I’d like to see what else in in that file, and I can’t be the only one.

  89. schrodingers cat
    Ignored
    says:

    ben madigan

    genuine thanks for sharing that with me 🙂

  90. louis.b.argyll
    Ignored
    says:

    Nothing wrong with most of the general admin and technical staff at the BBC.

    It’s the BBC Trust that places the propagandists into current affairs and prime time control.

    Like The Electoral Commission, they are 90% privately educated carrerists and privileged Tories.

  91. jfngw
    Ignored
    says:

    Get ready for tomorrows headlines, apparently OFCOM have declared Alex Salmond show tweets not from audience. Let’s hope OFCOM don’t check every TV how that uses tweets as they will probably find this is a widespread practise. A producer wants a particular topic raised and lo and behold a tweet will turn up. Broadcasting is full of fakery, that’s just how it works.

    Pretty much how QT works also, they will decide the subjects they want to cover. Someone in the audience is sure to have a question close that can be linked to it.

  92. Lenny Hartley
    Ignored
    says:

    Ben madigan, Hamish Henderson’s should be the first Statue we raise in Freedom Square
    On Independence day. Funny enough the best program I have seen on his life was on a BBC Alba program. It was Excellent, I just love the photo of him in his Army Willis Jeep, standing up wearing his British Army Officers Uniform giving the Clenched Communist salute with Bandera Rosa painted in White on the bonnet of the Jeep. No wonder he was revered in Italy.

  93. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    The UK Refused To Raid A Company Suspected Of Money Laundering, Citing Its Tory Donations;
    http://archive.is/MZQSI

  94. Elmac
    Ignored
    says:

    Hamish100 says:
    19 April, 2018 at 6:26 pm
    camel /elmac – are you a Mail JOURNALIST?

    I contribute only occasionally, usually when I am sufficiently angered by yet another example of unionist/media lies, corruption and deceit, as were others today. I meant every word I said. You must not assume that any strong opinions are necessarily those of a troll. Comments like yours will only discourage independence supporters like myself from engaging on Wings.

    Besides, it should be obvious that my command of the written language far exceeds that of a Mail journalist.

    Have a good evening. Hope to see you on May 5.

  95. Indy2
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T
    Brexit: DUP insists EU must help find solutions to Ireland border issue.

    By David Hughes

    April 19 2018

    The DUP has told the European Union to accept its responsibility to find solutions after Donald Tusk issued a fresh warning to the UK that a transitional deal after Brexit will not happen unless problems over the Irish border are resolved.

    European Council president Mr Tusk told MEPs that the UK had created the issue as a result of the Brexit vote and had a duty to find a solution.

    Speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Mr Tusk said he welcomed the progress that had been made in the Brexit talks.

    “We want to use the positive momentum in these negotiations to finally settle outstanding issues, such as the solution to avoid a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland,” he said.

    In a message that the government could not simply leave it to the Irish and EU to decide what the customs arrangements at the border should be – as some Brexiteers have suggested – Mr Tusk said: “The UK’s decision on Brexit has caused the problem and the UK will have to help solve it.

    “Without a solution, there will be no withdrawal agreement and no transition.

    “Leaders will assess the negotiations in June. In parallel we will start our first talks about the future EU-UK relationship.”

    Senior officials were meeting in Brussels to hold preliminary discussions about the future relationship for the first time.

    Responding to Mr Tusk’s statement, DUP MEP Diane Dodds said the European Council President had “resorted to bully-boy tactics”.

    “He may wish to wash his hands of the border issue but the reality is that the EU has joint responsibility alongside the UK Government to find pragmatic solutions to what are mutual challenges. It is high time Brussels established a practical, hands-on approach to these matters which to date has been glaringly absent,” she said.

    “Although progress has been made on the terms of the Brexit implementation period, the DUP has made it clear that we have not passed the point of no return for a no deal scenario. The aggressive stance taken by Mr Tusk may grab headlines but it is not in the interests of a workable accommodation, nor does it reflect the economic interests of the Republic of Ireland.”

    SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said Mr Tusk’s comments must serve as a final wake-up call to the British Government on the Irish border.

    He said: “Today’s statements in the European Parliament must bring an end to that cynical strategy. The comments from Donald Tusk couldn’t be clearer – the European Union are not bluffing. They are not bluffing on their commitment that there can be no hardening of the Irish border and they are not bluffing in saying that no deal will be done until this issue is resolved.

    “The British Government are therefore left with only one choice. Either accept that a hard border in Ireland can only be avoided if the North remains in full alignment with the single market and customs union or come to the broader economic sense that all of the UK should remain in the customs union and single market.”

    Former Northern Ireland Secretary Lord Peter Hain said: “The government can no longer continue to duck the question of the Northern Ireland border. As Donald Tusk has made clear, lack of progress on this vital issue now threatens to blow apart the Brexit negotiations.

    “The contradiction between not wanting a hard border and being outside of the Single Market and Customs Union has in no way been resolved. And more than a year since negotiations started, the government has offered no credible solutions.

    “Ministers know they cannot deliver the Brexit that was promised, and that every Brexit outcome will leave us worse off, but they are refusing to be straight with people.”

    Belfast Telegraph

    https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/brexit-dup-insists-eu-must-help-find-solutions-to-ireland-border-issue-36821273.html

  96. Indy2
    Ignored
    says:

    Tomorrow’s National front page:

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DbK31WYXcAAFh0J.jpg

  97. Colin Alexander
    Ignored
    says:

    Too much time and resources spent chasing middle-class votes, leaving many poorer areas un-canvassed, with too many then feeling left out and not voting – when these are the most likely to vote YES, as they are the ones that have been treated worst under successive UK Govts.

    Whereas the posh areas, with more NO voters, get more resources wasted on them. As many there back the Union as a way of ensuring Tory tax cuts from WM for the wealthier.

  98. Indy2
    Ignored
    says:

    Tomorrow’s “National” twitter pages:

    https://twitter.com/ScotNational

  99. Proud Cybernat
    Ignored
    says:

    For Galamcennalath:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abtmNT5o0FY&feature=youtu.be

    Davey bangin’ again…

  100. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    Emily Thornberry is a can’t.

    QT is a hostile environ.

    FUCK QT.

  101. Dave McEwan Hill
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T

    I am puzzled. Surely if a lady cites rape as a reason for a childbirth police action should follow?

  102. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    Scotland doesn’t have a broadcasting company. It has an organisation that siphons ability and blocks vigorous minds from free expression.

    How does it do that?

    Simple. It sets the guidelines within which talent is to be contracted and the extent to which that talent can say what they want to say. Those guidelines are very narrow. You are free to say what you want to say within strict confines.

    Thus the BBC can claim they are the guardians of free speech when in reality what you’re allowed to say is severely constrained by BBC diktat and agenda.

    Imagine the BBC as a formal committee looking after the institution called Scotland.

    It has a chairperson determined to run things on behalf of the British Establishment – where OBE’s and knighthood lay – not on behalf of you its viewing members. At first you’re surprised by this because you thought something called ‘BBC Scotland’ existed to represent and nurture Scottish culture. In time you get angry. You’re paying money to the BBC yet get stymied when making programme proposals.

    Step out of line at a meeting and the chairman will call you to order. Your point of view should have been on the agenda for discussion. Of course, had you given advance warning of your subject matter the chairman or his cronies would have had it nixed – not appropriate for he upcoming meeting.

    If you insist on (say) wanting to have a discussion on the aftermath of Culloden, banning of the kilt, no teaching Gaelic, no playing bagpipes, gathering of Highlanders banned, if you insist you will be asked to write a paper for submission to the chairman… which is where it will end up and get no further.

    BBC Scotland blocks knowledge, enquiry, inquiry, and talent. It closes down opportunity, it drives it out of Scotland rather like the Highland Clearances, to be frank.

  103. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    So basically speaking the usual “we don’t want a YES vote” trolls have come up with its usual wheeze “Get more poor people to vote YES who mostly voted YES anyway, and ignore those middle-class selfish people, and concentrate on the poor who mostly voted YES anyway apart from some Labour and other voters, and concentrate also on those who didn’t vote last time and are unlikely to bother voting next time”.

    While “it’s not worth persuading the selfish middle-class. Well, stats for the UK (and Scotland will be a little different), are and I couldn’t be bothered searching around to find Scottush ones:

    http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0038038513481128

    Senior manager 6.3%
    Traditional professional 4.8%
    Modern professional 18.1%
    Middle/Junior manager 6.7%
    Intermediate 14.7%
    Technical craft worker 10.6%
    Semi-routine worker 15.3%
    Routine worker 14.5%
    Never worked 8.3%

    So these disruptive people are saying “ignore 50.6% of the population, a fair number of whom did vote YES anyway”.

    Yeah, right, LOSERS, like we’re going to get a YES vote that way.

  104. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    Almost Friday mornin’ Salisbury.

    When did a nerve GAS change form into a unspecified nerve LIQUID.

    Ahhhhh ha ha ha

  105. Mike Robertson
    Ignored
    says:

    Good to see Brillo heed getting his tatties on TW by Hitchens earlier. Just about came to blows.

  106. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    Aweright Mike, how do ye do?

    Ahm sitting on a roundabout somewhere in an eastern village in Scotland.

    It’s all so quiet Bjork.

    Magic number.

  107. ben madigan
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Indy 2 who mentioned Brexit and the DUP
    *friendly advice – never go full DUP retard!

    The European Council President Donald Tusk warned Britain there will be no withdrawal agreement and no transition deal unless the problem of the border between Ireland and the UK is solved.
    Speaking during a debate in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Mr Tusk said: “The UK’s decision on Brexit has caused the problem, and the UK will have to solve it.”

    The EU position is quite clear – The UK made the mess! Now clean it up!

    DUP – Diane Dodds MEP from the DUP website (which i’m not citing here on principle)

    ‘Once again the European Council President Donald Tusk has resorted to bully-boy tactics. He may wish to wash his hands of the border issue but the reality is that the EU has joint responsibility alongside the UK Government to find pragmatic solutions to what are mutual challenges.

    “the reality is that the EU has joint responsibility alongside the UK Government to find pragmatic solutions to what are mutual challenges”

    Ben Madigan’s analysis:

    1) The EU found a “pragmatic solution” i.e. the so-called back-stop.
    Pity it doesn’t suit/please/delight/ the DUP, a tiny UK party which is holding Westminster up to ransom.

    2) There are no “mutual challenges” and 3) There is no “joint responsibility”
    The UK decided to Brexit – nobody forced it to- nobody tried to hinder its leaving – nobody tried to force it to stay. The UK itself asked for the Transition/Implementation period.
    This is a one way street UK folks – you asked for it – you get it and everything that comes your way!

  108. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    @Mike Robertson –

    Oooh-er!

    Looking forward to that clip emerging in due course.

    😉

  109. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    You would think if you’re supposed to be a free democratic country where broadcasting and a free press is the norm, that allowing another country to have the power to regulate and or devolve such a power would make normal thinking people wonder why such a power is felt necessary to withhold from such a democratic country

    There are an awful lot of people in Scotland who don’t seem to notice that and yet they complain about other countries breaching human rights

    Example: Most people in Scotland can mimic a passable English accent or American accent, why is that?
    Answer: Because we’re bombarded by English programming from birth except for the odd token Taggart and only because that was successful, or Rab C Nesbitt and Still Game comedy parodies of Scottish drunken violence, which are great but that’s not Scotland

    We are much much more, and the Westminster Bastirts know it
    5 minutes of our own power in our own country would see us sail past England at speed and it would be good for them too, at least the English folk would start to notice what a terrible job successive governments they voted for have done for them because the press couldn’t keep that a secret for long

  110. Liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Mibbi we should create a “hostile environment” of our own.
    while I don’t know a great deal about it,it seems to me.
    That if we all made a 2nd Facebook and/or Twitter account.
    One on which we were Unionists,we would get targeted with the propaganda these companies are paid to distribute.
    We would at least get sight of what they are pushing,so that on the doorstep,we would be forewarned!
    Also if we made sure to,lie,lie and lie again on both accounts then the data gathered would be unreliable.
    We are not going to get broadcasting,or even if we did,we couldn’t get it up and running in time.
    But we do have the internet.
    We are never going to get control over our data…no-one is…but we don’t need to be giving out accurate information!
    We can make the doorstep and the Town Hall meetings THE only place to get information.
    And always point out that everybody lies on line,we all look at things we don’t agree with or could never afford,that’s why we get the adverts we do…
    EG….Any Winger who has ever met me,would probably agree that I’m no likely interested in Russian Brides.
    Now I don’t know what it is about my browsing history that’s telling the advertisers that I might be.
    But they seem to think I am!
    I can’t be the only one that gets weird adverts,we could use that?
    If we say, pretended to be a pensioner,we would find out pretty quickly if the land line’s were being targeted again like they were last time!
    The Yes movement is, I think,well connected enough now so that we could judge,how much to trust what’s getting shared around,to benefit our own campaign!
    We could stand messing with the online resources,there’s a hell of a lot more of us than there are in the 77th!
    Even if it only tied up Westminster’s resources,its still something
    Jist Sayin….

  111. Colin Alexander
    Ignored
    says:

    It’s funny to think some people will sit adding up fractions of percentages at 1am in the morning to try win a straw man argument.

    But, if it keeps some people happy, I’m okay with that.
    ————————————————

    I see the Health Secretary has now earned the epithet “Jonah” Robison in some areas of the MSM.

    Not nice to call her personal names; I don’t agree with that at all. That’s too much like some of the bampot element found on social media and blogs with their bullying and slagging of people.

    The lady deserves to be treated with respect, no slagged with silly names but, I still think Ms Shona Robison, the Health Secretary, ought to resign.

  112. Jack collatin
    Ignored
    says:

    Will Naveed meet a sticky end on Still Game now?

    To all those who had a wee ‘ouch’ every time I ladled into the Lord and Lady Haw Haws of Goebbel’s House Pacific Quay and were uncomfortable with my call for all members of the Yes Movement, and particularly the SNP and Green parties, to boycott any televised ‘debate’ or election programmes during Indyref 2, this shocking frightening fascist revelation of a blacklist confirms what we all knew.

    It now appears that if you want to work for the Media in Scotland you’d better be a Brit Nat apologist.

    Today’s televised FMQ plumbed new depths for Toodle Oo The Noo Taylor and his guest summarisers, Jenni Davidson of the Holyrood Magazine and Robbie Dinwoodie, listed as a ‘political commentator’.

    Ruth Davidson was allowed by Ken McIntosh, Presiding Officer, and fellow ex employee of BBC Goebbels House, to ask a series of questions which had nothing to do with the Opposition holding a Scottish Government to account, but was a baseless attack on the SNP Party’s meeting with Cambridge Analytica in 2016, from which the SNP concluded that they were a ‘bunch of cowboys’.

    The bold Ken allowed Davidson, laughing and giggling, to drag this utter nonsense out, without intervening.

    Of course Sturgeon ripped into her about the Blue Tories’ involvement with Analytica, their contributions to Ruth Davidson’s Party, and the mysterious and illegal funds funds given to the DUP to fight for Brexit in Norn Irn.
    Perhaps the Truth Champion David Leask could investigate that one?

    The Tories were ‘sniggering’ throughout this utter waste of space and time.

    It is all so fucking funny, coining £1200 a week for doing fuck all but attempt to sabotage democracy in Scotland, and to distance yourself from your English Masters.

    Taylor actually referred to the row over the 111 reserved powers returning from Brussels as a fuss over ‘labelling’, and that the general public were not really bothered.

    Our farmers, fishermen, and the rest of us won’t mind having fracking, GM crops, and ‘British Tweed’ foisted upon us?

    Sally Magnusson fronted BBC News heavily edited ‘furious row’ piece, with voiceover from Taylor, with the FM’s response completely edited out, but ex colleague Ruth shown barnstorming and accusing the Bad EssEnnPee of ‘hypocrisy’.

    Jenni Davidson muttered that ‘Ruth Davidson has a strong point’, which was lost on the rest of us.

    What a corrupt little clique the Scottish Branch of the English Establishment has gathered around them to feed this crap over our airwaves and in endless column inches of the dying dead tree scrolls.

    We must insist on this E mail blacklist being made public.
    Again perhaps David Leask will get to the bottom of this.

    I watched QT tonight. England has morphed into a bad place. We have literally nothing in common with them now.

  113. Robert J. Sutherland
    Ignored
    says:

    yesindyref2 @ 23:44,

    My thoughts likewise. I’ve no objection whatever to people trying to garner votes from wherever and whoever they can, but some voters are evidently more easily convincable than others.

    Those who wish to try to awaken the commonly self-disenfranchised – and typically those with the most to lose – have my full support, hard as it may be for them to succeed. Provided they actually do it – and do it effectively – and not just theorise about it online.

    Disengagement is a very easy way of nullifying that particular section of society, as BT very well knew.

    (And not just them either. Hence cereal woman.)

    But to win anyone over at all, one has to understand how the other person thinks. Not just blather on and on too-often in a narrow and doctrinaire way about what the yesser thinks, in the futile hope that by some kind of magic osmosis it will all eventually sink in somehow.

    (And often with the additional intention, it would seem, of changing people’s whole brand of geo-politics as well, as if indy wasn’t enough of a stretch already.)

    Whereas in fact we would all be far better to stop preaching about everything under the sun and instead work to simply convince former no voters that an independent Scotland offers a decent place for them too, without demanding any investment in a new world order. The changes that will naturally flow from independence will be quite sufficient for all but an extreme minority anyway.

    Whereas the present topic gives a far better handle on how to proceed. The revelation about the (alleged) discriminatory practices of the BBC, which is all too plausible, is a potential game-changer, IMO. This can really wake people up, and should be pursued to the hilt. The more people in Scotland can be made to see that they have been serially exploited and misled by an unfaithful UK state servant, the more likely it will be “game over”.

    People don’t like being manipulated. This is the real story, not the little corporal’s manufactures over the SNP + Cambridge Analytica which is being eagerly pushed for all its worth at the moment by the real culprits.

  114. Elmac
    Ignored
    says:

    Grouse Beater says
    19 April 2018 11.40pm

    A succinct account of how the BBC keeps its pictish horde under control.

    When the BBC kicked off in the 1920s I am willing to accept that it sought to achieve the highest principles which were espoused by Lord Reith (a scot and first general manager of the BBC) to be to “inform, educate and entertain”. There was a temporary suspension of the normal function of the BBC between 1 September 1939 and 7 June 1946 during which time the BBC obviously operated as the propaganda arm of the British government in the fight against Nazi Germany but, with that exception, they have gradually cast off their early principles to become today’s organ of state.

    The governance of the BBC has long been carried out by establishment figures, essentially puppets of the government of the day, and who have been in debt to the powers who put them there. They have formulated the general policy of the BBC in its programming and output which has become ever more subservient to the government line. This has accelerated over the last few decades with the concentration of the printed and other broadcasting media into the hands of a few ultra rich and powerful media moguls who have been able to exert considerable power and influence over the UK government. As a result these moguls now form part of the establishment and to a large part dictate the policy agenda of the UK government through their ability to manipulate the British public. The government now in turn manipulates the output of the BBC to suit the establishment agenda. In other words the BBC is has become an outlet for state propaganda. Couple this with the spurious “licence” fee and we have the current situation where people pay for their own indoctrination.

    What can be done? Obviously the first course of action is for all independence minded scots to stop watching live TV and cease to pay the TV tax. This would hurt the BBC financially but they would never reveal to what extent and HMG would continue to fund them irrespective of cost – a news blackout in other words. Westminster would never agree to allow broadcasting to be devolved for obvious reasons so we must find a means to finance the start up of a free and fair broadcaster or hope we can win the next referendum without one which is a tall order.

    As far as the blatant bias of the bulk of the press is concerned, it would go a long way if all independence leaning scots would boycott the unionist rags and support the “National” or any other pro indy newspaper which might try to fill the void. Control over an established major daily by a nationalist leaning concern would be a major hole in the wall.

    Remember, what we are asking for is not a media biased in our favour but one which is fair and independent in its output. We have truth and right on our side and it will prevail if scots have an informed choice at the next referendum.

  115. Eckle Fechan
    Ignored
    says:

    Your name will also go on the list, what is it?
    Don’t tell him Hardeep!

    A man of deep integrity and conscience I believe. Not a bad storyteller either.

    [Childhood chase in Glasgow, caught down a dead end street]
    “Are ye Catholic or Prodisdent?”
    [beat. Incredulous look to camera.]
    “Whit?” [points casually to turban] “Eh, Ah’m a Sikh!”
    “Aye bit are ye a Catholic Sikh or a Protestant Sikh?!”

  116. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    @RJS
    Yes, Alistair Cameron of SiU couldn’t put it better “concentrate on less than half the population who mostly vote YES already”, hoping some suckers might believe him.

    Totally agree about the arguments used, they need to be targetted. More rented property with lower rents, help to buy, availabilty and cost of mortgage is more of interest to the aspirational with some chance of aspiring! Things like “just society”, “ban Trident”, “share the wealth” have little appeal mostly. What might be of more interest is the likes of:

    1. Embassies moving to Scotland, and HQs or proper national branch offices and sales offices, staff will be needed including office managers, IT people, comms, PR, etc. – and the chance of promotions greatly increased.

    2. Military – unlikely to inherit loads of admirals, generals, vice marshals, those who stay with Scotland are likely to go up a rank or more quite quickly, plus the civil service jobs associated – proprotionately few in Scotland right now.

    3. Corporate R&D – mostly done outside Scotland but likely to move to Scotland or set up a facility here – high level jobs.

    4. Never mind call centres wherever they are, Scotland needs a whole civil service – plenty safe well-paid jobs with a future.

    5. All that type of aspirational job chances – Scotland will be a complete Nation, not a branch office or M6 stopover for south of England based companies.

    I’d guess that if you get your average earnest well-meaning socialist talking to the average punters in Milngavie about a fair and just society, they’ll politely listen and then say “Yes, but what about my 4×4?”.

  117. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    Yay, The National’s back 🙂

  118. twathater
    Ignored
    says:

    Guys and gals I’m in total agreement about taking on the beeb re blacklisting , as has been said the best way to expose this is through legal process , but look at the current case of cliff Richard , he is going through purgatory because this edifice believes it can do what it wants to anybody without fear of recrimination ,this will be costing him a fortune which he probably can afford but he HAS TO WIN to make it worthwhile to clear his name .
    The beeb are not worried about the financial cost as it’s the licence payers who will foot the bill ( as always ) but their credibility and people’s trust will be damaged ( hopefully further )
    To succeed in a legal case , first cast iron proof of the email concerned would have to be secured then someone with sufficient gravitas e.g. Nicola or even Alex Salmond would have to take it on as a descrimination blacklisting
    case against Scottish independence supporting artists .
    It would still have to be crowdfunded which I think could work but you would have to have Alex or Nicola supported by big names to make an impact and damage the beeb credibility enough

  119. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Take em down Cliff! Best of luck and hope you show them up for what they are

  120. Al Dossary
    Ignored
    says:

    Blackissing – try to get hold of Ricky Tomlinsons autobiography “Ricky”. It’s a brilliant read.

    Falsely imprisoned overy building strikes around 1974 as one of the Shrewsbury three. On his release he found it impossible to get work as a plasterer and fell into comedy, social club management, supplying working class here’s for tv shows and finally acting.

    http://www.shrewsbury24campaign.org.uk/2016/02/the-story-of-the-shrewsbury-pickets/

    Blacklisting has ruined thousands of lived over the years. All those employed in construction industry know it happens, and generally are afraid to speak out. I have friends who were blacklisted by the big M&E contractors in the UK, I believe I personally was blacklisted by at least 2 companies.

    Blacklisting the the UK was spearheaded by the “Consulting Assocuation”. A shadowy company, who held information on as many as 90k workers in the construction industry. Information was taken on individuals from the Unions, MI5, special branch and the demonstrations squad.

    Basically if you were the site manager for Bam Nuttal, Balfour Beatty, Amy, Carillion…….. (the list is a who’s who of big construction interests) you would ring this guy up, give him a name or NI number and he would basically say yay or nay to employ him.

    The scary thing – when the Information Commission raided the office they retrieved information on only some 3,200 out of the estimated 90k that were on record there.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consulting_Association

  121. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    Proud Cybernat says:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abtmNT5o0FY&feature=youtu.be

    Davey bangin’ again…

    Very good! 🙂

  122. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    Real journalists at work: Interview with 11-year-old Hassan Diab, alleged “victim of chemical attack” in Douma proving the story was staged by #WhiteHelmets. Watch the full interview;
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjPPf3SWs10&feature=youtu.be

    Ultra Electronics shares fall as the SFO opens criminal investigation into “suspected corruption”;
    http://archive.is/XTMSA

    No appetite for a deregulatory post-Brexit Britain: new findings on public attitudes;
    https://www.opendemocracy.net/uk/marley-morris/no-appetite-for-deregulatory-post-brexit-britain-new-finding-on-public-attitudes

  123. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    Good Friday Agreement: why it matters in Brexit;
    http://ukandeu.ac.uk/good-friday-agreement-why-it-matters-in-brexit/

    lONG READ: Dec 1, 2016. It’s been going on for years!
    No Tears Left to Cry: Being Deported Is a Distressing Nightmare;
    https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/nne5zb/mass-deportation-to-jamaica

    Have a peaceful day, Wingers.

  124. Dorothy Devine
    Ignored
    says:

    Smallaxe , that article on deportation is heartbreaking and utterly disgusting – reminds me of bury my heart at Wounded Knee.

    it did make me wonder if there were an equivalent planes heading for Asia.

  125. louis.b.argyll
    Ignored
    says:

    Colin Alexander,

    I wish you would resign. Bye.

  126. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    Good morning, Dorothy,

    Yes, it’s heartbreaking and brutal.
    The Jamaican people are friendly and welcoming but the poverty that some live in is disgraceful.

  127. Dorothy Devine
    Ignored
    says:

    Good morning to you Smallaxe.

    Regarding your last sentence , seems to me that Scotland has disgraceful poverty indeed in this very wealthy world of ours , everywhere you look has disgraceful poverty and the few wallow in disgraceful , obscene wealth.

  128. sinky
    Ignored
    says:

    You won’t be able to raise this in Scottish Parliament as the Unionist Presiding Office will say it is reserved issue yet allowed Ruth Davidson to ask question on Snp meeting that had nothing to do with Scottish government. This of course will not be commented on by MSM.

  129. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    Dorothy,

    World’s eight richest people have the same wealth as poorest 50%;
    http://archive.is/enlp6

  130. starlaw
    Ignored
    says:

    BBC has always had a blacklist. Some of Scotlands best known folksingers were never allowed on BBC as they were judged to be to political, or to Communist or for what ever reason suited the Beeb at the time.

  131. Movy
    Ignored
    says:

    Others have made the point but surely an FOI request can be made?

  132. Naina Tal
    Ignored
    says:

    Starlaw I remember the late Hamish Imlach telling me he was often invited to play at works dances etc. Only to find the gig later cancelled because the employers found he was “on the list” He said at the time it was a Glasgow firm that operated the list and it was used by most big employers. Including of course BBC.

  133. Socrates MacSporran
    Ignored
    says:

    The bad winter of 1962-63. I had just started college in Glasgow, travelling up and down daily from darkest East Ayrshire. Then, my parents decided, the roads were too-treacherous, so, I should lodge with my Aunt and Uncle in Springburn.

    One night, to the delight of my Masonic, Rangers-supporting Uncle, a BBC Scotland folk programme, whose title now eludes me, but, featuring as “house band” ‘The Corrie Folk Trio and Paddy Bell’ as they then were, ended with a mass singalong of a tune, started off by Messrs Browne and Williamson.

    It was ‘The Sash’ and everyone joined-in. Was that song perhaps, how, in spite of their championing of Scottish folk songs and Scotland in general, the Corries continued to get BBC gigs for the rest of their career?

  134. gus1940
    Ignored
    says:

    Is Fred Macaulay on the list?

    I used to enjoy his daily show which followed the toxic nonsense of KayE

    His humour is mostly dry, gentle and frequently self deprecating.

    His show got the bullet to be replaced by extended KayE propaganda.

    He also used to appear regularly on the BBC’s metropolitan panel shows such as HIGNFY, Mock The Week and Qi – but not any more.

    I once saw a report of his having performed at an SNP function which probably sealed his fate.

  135. Macart
    Ignored
    says:

    Cheers Smallaxe

    A good crop there and the piece on NI very informative. I see the meeja are a bit backward on the second biggest story in UK politics. Brexit being No.1 natch.

    How and ever you’d really have to look to find much on The Westminster government taking both the Holyrood parliament and Welsh Senedd to court. This is an unprecedented action in UK politics and goes right to the heart of the treaty of union, the devolution settlement and the very concept of partnership, trust and political divergence.

    Nary a peep.

    Cutting through the bullshit, this isn’t about administrative competence and never was. It’s about power. If the Westminster parliament had an absolute right to repatriate the powers returning from the EU, there would be no negotiations. There would be no court case. They’d just take them. They need them and it doesn’t take a degree in rocket science to see why.

    Day by day the costs and difficulties of Brexit are being drip fed to the public. The constitutional difficulties, broken pledges and endangered national/international settlements more apparent. It’s not a matter of if, but when will society within the UK look to apportion blame for their lives and economy unravelling. There’s going to be some deeply upset people out there to be sure.

    Without the media’s aid, Westminster government would probably already be up to their armpits in deeply grumpy marches camped outside their front door. At some point though, that same public will round on the media who sold them this bill of goods too. Probably a good idea to stay indoors on that day.

  136. Wullie B
    Ignored
    says:

    NW surely this falls into the realm of blacklisting, an email containing names sent by the BBC, after the furore of the blacklisting in the building and oil sectors, the BBC have left themselves wide open

  137. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    Macart,

    Good morning, my friend, your analysis of that situation is spot on, as usual.
    🙂

  138. Joe of the Coutts
    Ignored
    says:

    Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton – yawn.
    Willie Rennie twitching on a string – yawn.

  139. Lenny Hartley
    Ignored
    says:

    Re Blacklisting, one of my mates was blacklisted in the Oil Industry, his rig was tied up at Invergordon, they would not let the drilling crew off the rig even though they were obviously not doing anything. He looked at the contracts and deemed they were illegally being held onboard. So he organised them and led them down the gangway to Freedom for a couple of hours. Never got a job in the Oil Industry ever again. Would go for an interview, they would look at his CV and would offer him a job on the spot, start Monday, on the Friday he would get a phone call saying the contract had fallen through. This happened many times . He reckoned the Blacklist was organised through Shell.

  140. Naina Tal
    Ignored
    says:

    Socrates could the song you heard have been “The Scottish Breakaway” a song popular at the time but sung to the tune of “The Sash”. As an erstwhile singer of the folksongs of our land. I always regretted the tune as it meant I couldn’t risk playing it due to the possibility of axe in heed syndrome!

  141. Dorothy Devine
    Ignored
    says:

    OT I see the Herald is desperate to start the charge against Shona Robinson – utterly shameful.

    May it rest in peace and soon – if not peace then pieces.

  142. jfngw
    Ignored
    says:

    BBC Scotland is structured in the same way as all the other regional centres but with a slightly larger budget, it is no different to BBC Midlands, etc.

    They are constrained by London about what they can cover, the Scottish controller is effectively their PO, there to rule what is outwith their competence.

    BBC Scotland has always been a test ground for London to try things out. If it fails then they consider it no loss as it has no effect on the centre. The management at BBC Scotland are compliant to every suggestion, they see ingratiating themselves to London as their equivalent to HoL ermine, and promotion awaits. It works for them, if not for the ordinary staff members.

  143. Breeks
    Ignored
    says:

    We should put in a Freedom of Information request anyway. BBC Pravda won’t respect it of course, but they’ll have to write a letter justifying why blacklisting celebrities is in the National Interest.

    Or more likely just lie and deny there is a list.

  144. auld highlander
    Ignored
    says:

    Smallaxe at 7.07,
    That’s quite disturbing behaviour from a so called civilised country, there is no way that behaviour will be tolerated by the families of these poor souls. Maybe they are starting on the smaller easier countries first but all hell will break loose when they try it with the larger eastern ones.

  145. Vestas
    Ignored
    says:

    Well clearly the BBC do not view Angels Haggerty as “pro-indy” as she’s a BBC Shortbread regular now.

    Interesting. Makes me wonder about the Sunday Herald too given she’s the editor.

    Of course some of us have been warning about Haggerty et al being “indy-but’s” for years and years….

  146. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    A link to your post, Dorothy,

    Pressure on Shona Robison to resign over NHS ‘failures’;
    http://archive.is/Uj0P6

  147. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    auld highlander,

    It’s the nature of the beast to go after the smallest and weakest first.

    We must fight and beat this Tory beast!

  148. Dorothy Devine
    Ignored
    says:

    Thank you Smallaxe – I’m hopeless at that and I’m scared of hammers!

  149. Daisy Walker
    Ignored
    says:

    The above article is a start, the dam is about to break I hope. We knew it was going on, but there was no evidence.

    Hopefully (and there’s been no sign of it for the last 50 years) hopefully some documentary proof will be leaked soon.

    Also, hopefully, they don’t leak it to Mr Bateman. The beeb his baby and he won’t see any ill of her.

    On other news…

    So Brexshit and Bad,

    Another very informative essay over on EUReferendum.com today. Here’s a wee taste.

    ‘senior EU diplomatic sources” have said that Mrs May’s plan for avoiding a hard border in Northern Ireland was subjected to a “systematic and forensic annihilation” this week at a meeting between senior EU officials and Olly Robbins, the UK’s lead Brexit negotiator.

    “It was a detailed and forensic rebuttal”, the source is reported to have said – and apparently with some authority, as the person has been “directly briefed” on the meeting in Brussels on Wednesday. “It was made clear that none of the UK’s customs options will work. None of them”.

    This is the review that we were expecting to hear from, and the fact that all we were getting was silence did not augur well for a positive outcome. But, with its comprehensive rejection (which was only what we expected), the fool Foster writes that it “now sends the Cabinet and Whitehall back to the drawing board and raises the serious prospect that Mrs May will have no choice but to remain in the EU customs union if she wants to avoid a hard border in Northern Ireland”.

    Foster, together with a sizable proportion of the Lords, and many equally clueless MPs, has obviously guzzled the Kool Aid on the customs union, but even then he is way off beam. As late as yesterday, Tusk was saying that, if there was no deal on Ireland, there would be no Withdrawal Agreement and no transition.’

    I wonder what the next distraction will be. Whatever it is I hope they keep their clothes on.

  150. Calum McKay
    Ignored
    says:

    I miss Hardeep on the box, he has a witty delivery, whilst being cutting.

    At a personal level to treat someone like this is disgraceful and hurtful by bbc, on a national level it is state manipulation of news.

    All but a fool would say the coverage of independence and the SNP across both Scotland and the uk has not been manipulated by the state. The same is true of Norther Ireland, Kimock and Corbyn.

    As everyone points out, the clue is in the name.

    Let’s find the e-mail!

    Best wishes to Hardeep for the future!

  151. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    The Westminster Treasury refused to give the (SNP) Gov the information to relieve poverty in Scotland when the Westminster made £18Billion of Welfare cuts. The Scottish Gov has to find ways of mitigating. £100Million a year is being spent to mitigate these cuts. Plus ‘bedroom tax ‘ etc. The Westminster Tories are reneging on agreements to pass welfare responsibilities to the Holyrood Gov. These cuts could be easily mitigated by the Scottish Gov if they had the information, Deliberately not forthcoming from Westmster.

    The most coarse nasty UK Gov is attacking the elderly and the vulnerable. Giving tax cuts to the wealthiest. Tax evasion rife. Illegal wars, finanacial fraud and tax evasion costs Scotland £Billions.

    The damage done to the Oil sector by Westminster governance and lack of investment in renewables cost Scotland £Billions. Scotland has lost out on EU renewable grants etc because of Westminster indecision. £Billions The Westminster Tories took the extra CAP payment awarded to Scotland and gave it to weathier farmers in the south. Scotland as part of the EU receives the lowert CAP payment in the EU.

    The Scottish (SNP) Gov is doing everything it can to keep up (additional) NHS funding. Cut by the Torues in the UK £4Billion a year. From 2015 – 20. The Tories are having to put more money £2Billion back in because of the major affects of the cuts in the rest of the UK. The Tories are killing off their own supporters the elderly. Vote Tory to die younger.

    The Scottish Gov is putting more funding into nursery provision. More women work in Scotland .It has increased pro rata. Unemployment is still low in Scotland. Despite the Tories illegally hugh Oil taxes that have ruined the Oil sector. Cost Scotland £Billions and 120,000+ jobs because of Westminster mismanagement. People have died in the Oil sector because of Westminster mismanagement. H & S rules have not been enforced and the culprit companies have not been charged. Reserved policy once again. Westminster unionists once again breaking the Law.

    The Waspi women etc all could be compensated if the Scottish Gov had the powers and the information. Now being withheld by Westminster Treasury, Now breaking and reneging on deals to hand over responsibilities. Most Tory are born liars.

    Scotland pays all it’s own (UK) pensions and benefits – £16Billion from the Tax revenues raised in Scotland, Pays (average) £4Billion on Defence which is mainly spent elsewhere. Pays all military pensions etc. Scotland raises £54Billion in taxes.More pro rata than the rest of the UK. (£533 raised in UK in total)

    More is borrowed and spent in the rest of the UK. (£100Million – £60Billion public? £40Billion private) Scotland has to make interest payments on the debt despite it not being borrowed or spent in Scotland. Ie Hinkley Point, HS2, Trident, Heathrow etc. A total waste of money. Appalling decisions. Over budget, over time and overpriced. The last nuclear plants built in Finland (France) was 7 years late and double the estimates. £Billions over budget. So much so there had to be reconciliation methods between the Gov and the company. A total ripe off.

    There are much more efficient, cheaper safer alternatives in the UK. The Tories banned onshore turbines (Pickles), stopped coal CCS, (totally viable in Scotland), Frscked Gas pays no tax but can have alarming consequences. Totally tax free in the rest of the UK. The Oil sector is taxed at 40% since Jan 2016. 30% Corporation tax and 10% supplementry tax. Corporation tax in the UK is under 20%. More Oil & Gas has to be imported. Putting up the deficit and the debt. Totally out of control in the rest of the UK.

    Banks are still not lending money for reasonable overdrafts and still requiring 20% deposit for house purchases. Out of the reach of many first time buyers although there can be other provision. 10-15% deposit could suffice for buying property. Or did in the past. Reasonable consideration. It was reckless over lending not deposit that caused problems in the past. Cutting leverage and capital reserves world wide from 25% to 13%. Thatcher and Reagan deregulation. Brown and Clinton mismanagement of the banking sector. Illegal wars, financial fraud and tax evasion. Brought down the world economy into recession and cause the worst migration crisis since the 11WW. Costing £Trns. UK/US in £Trns of debt. The most unequal place in the world. No wonder people are so angry and unhappy, Especially the young in these countries. Massacres In the US and stabbing in London S/E.

    The Stephen Lawrence revelations of major corruption and cover up in the Met. Dick was involved an appalling unneccessary, botched operations and death. Awarded the OBE, For failure,

    The Scottish Gov is building or renovation 5000 affirable houses a year. Private companies are building 17,000+. Plus the houses that come on the market as people depart. This should provide enough affodable accomodation.

    HS2 – UK pop 65.5 Million. Japan 127Million. Pop. Nuclear disasters in Japan costing £Billions, Two tidal barrages would be safer produce more energy and be less costly. £20Billion.

    To cut rail journey times throughout Britain. More investment should have been made in the north of England and Scotland. Where journeys take twice as long per distance as in the south because of historical lack of investment. The HS2 white elephant which will be running empty. At low capacity Always subsidised. Same Hinkley Point.

    The Tories are spending £Billions on these projects. The Tory slush fund. Fees, consultancy, bank fees and charges. Donations to the Tory Party. The usual graft and corruption. Then cutting essential services, sanctioning and starving people. The vulnerable. Killing off their own supporters. The elderly. Vote Tory to die younger.

    They are even deporting people. It is just unconceivable. Disgusting disgraceful behaviour. Appalling. The sight of Davidson laughing smirking in Holyrood telling a pack of lies. Denying all knowledge is just sickening. Knowingly on oath telling lies. Unfeeling, uncaring and no empathy at all. Bring back FPTP get rid of the lot at them 3rd rate rejects, At less people would not have to witness their total ignorance. Scotland would be better run. Scotland needs a central bank to be Independent (in the EU). Hope it will not be long.

    The only ones who should resign are May and Davidson. Passing the buck and obeying orders is not an excuse for their ignorant, arrogant behaviour, The Tories in Scotland are funded from Tory HQ’s. They even illegally cheat on expenses etc. Davidson was getting funded from a crooked Russian oligarch. The total illegal overspending on the EU Ref. The false vows, promises overspending, breaking Purdah and electoral limits. Ditto GE. Make them null and void.

  152. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    Hundreds turn out for protest against controversial ‘rape clause’ in Edinburgh;
    http://archive.is/6UTPR

  153. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    LibDems allowed this to happen by going into coalition with the Tories. Lying and reneging on all promises. Clegg still hovering in the background. Despicable behaviour. Interviewing Farague. Making it up as they go along. It wisna me Gov. Only obeying orders. The biggest mess ever. Typical Tories. BT. Definitely not.

  154. Meg merrilees
    Ignored
    says:

    Daisy – perfectly on cue – the next distraction will be the ‘Royal Baby’ followed almost immediately by the ‘Royal Wedding’ and then by Princess Anne’s daughter’s ‘Royal Baby’ – so that will take us through to Winbledon and then summer holidays, ‘Last night of The Proms’ and then it’s ‘Guy Fawkes’, 100 years anniversary of ‘Armistice Day’, ‘Christmas’, ‘NewYear’, another ‘Royal Wedding’ in there somewhere …. and so it goes on.

    Things are definitely hotting up for May- front page news on the telegraph is a report on the N.Ireland/border fiasco and there’s to be a debate and vote(?) on staying in the customs union next week in H o C,
    I expect attacks on Corbyn and Nicola to increase exponentially and there’s bound to be some major squirrel running about with all this C Weapon stuff, N.Korea and Trump.

    Fasten your seat belts it’s gonna get really bumpy!

  155. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    The Herald now going further down the tubes. Now knowingly printing absolute lies.

    The pro Indy commentators just need to bide their time. There is money to be made successfully in talks, blogs and alternative narrative, More lucrative and honest. Keeping to decent principles and convictions. Major support out there. There are many giving over 100% of effort. Pity about the rest? Loyalty will always be rewarded. Just wait and see. A different environment. More diverse not duplicity. Patience. Things cannot go on like this much longer. That is a fact. May 3rd council elections in the South. May will probably have to,resign if there is carnage. Rats in the sack. The EU brought Thatcher down after all the appalling injustice. Still lauded in Tory circles.. Broke every code of conduct in the book. Thatcher established tax havens and bank deregulation destroying the world economy. Established the right wing Press. Murdoch. Against the ministerial code of conduct. Without a free and fair press there is no democacy.

    Just look at Rev Stu more remuneration than any unionists journalist. Even the Editors or organisations. Brilliant. Leads the way and shows how it can be done. With excellent research and dedication. Rebutting all the lies etc in statistical analysis. Top class. Thanks a billion. There will certainly be a place in an Independent Scotland for those who stood up for justice, their convictions, and put there head above the parapet

  156. crazycat
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Vestas at 10.12

    Angela Haggerty is the news editor of the Sunday Herald – which is bad enough. For now at least, Neil Mackay is still the overall editor. Replacing him at some point would be a nice career progression for her, no doubt.

  157. Colin Alexander
    Ignored
    says:

    Dorothy Devine

    For SIX years NHS Tayside were fiddling the books, according to reports. Of course questions must be asked about how that wasn’t picked up and acted on earlier.

    But, that’s just the tip of the iceberg regarding wrongdoing by Health Boards in Scotland and nothing is done about it.

    Ms Robison didn’t do those wrongs; the Health Boards did. Her failures are that:

    She’s a Health Secretary who saw her role as ideas, policies and funding the NHS – not overseeing that Health Boards acted as they are supposed to do: within the rules and laws that they are supposed to adhere to.

    She only acted once the Herald reported the abuses by NHS Tayside and she was put under pressure to act.

    That’s not good enough.

    As Health Secretary she carries the can for the serious failures she allowed to happen in her dept.

  158. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    @Colin Alexander,

    A little education for you. Chief Executives who run Health Boards and the Directors and Chairperson on that Board are autonomous. They are paid very high six figure sums to to that job. They run the services without interference from Central Government.

    They are directly responsible for providing everything within budget, and for producing their own accounting sheet, related to that budget.

    The Government can and will only step in should a situation arise which goes against accepted roles and procedures. This is exactly what happened here.

    You forget that NHS Tayside has had three CEOs within the last few years and was in financial trouble at the time of Mr And Mrs Marr stewardship some several years ago They have been bailed out at least twice since that time. This was only uncovered once they left to go to Australia.

    Ms Robson can only fix what the Boards tell her is a problem. Unfortunately many tend to conceal their problems until they become public.

  159. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    Labour could have taken May down on the 12th Sept 2017 EVEL vote. 8 Labour MP’s voted with the Tories. Field, NI Brexiteer, Skinner? etc They voted or abstained on austerity measures. Then complain when they are happening. It is absolutely despicable behaviour. Corbyn and Labour are totally useless. Ingnorant incompetents. They are disgraceful.They are even abstaining from their own motions. What a way to carry on. They do not even want the poison chalice.

    Illegal wars, financial fraud and tax evasion. Causing the worst migration crisis in Europe since the 11WW. The European countries have to pick up the pieces and try and sort out the massive humanitarian mess. Costing £Trns. The wars going in on Russia’s borders. Causing more disruption and expense to the economy.

  160. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    Navid’s Craiglang neighbour Gavin is a Yes man too.

    Some lists are good and some are bad.

    05/05/2018.

  161. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    Thevreports are done by unionists including Audit Scotland often trying to cover theur tracks. With political bias. Take with a pitch of salt to what is happening and to powers of Scottish Gov. Ie many Academics benefited from Labour patronage. Still biased still there. Non impartial. Fifty years of Labour. Same Police Scotland. Appointed by unionist on the Boards. It can be difficult to dislodge them covering up theur tracks. Especially in cases where powers etc are reserved to Local bodies. Supposed to be for fairness but it ends up total collusion of unionist participation. Councils etc for comparative bad governance but it is difficult to dislodge them. Colluding in duplicity. No wonder people are turned off ‘democracy’. Misuse of public money.

    The healthcare saves people’s lives. Many people have Dundee NHS to thank. It is not all bad. Just needs reorganisation.

  162. Bill Hume
    Ignored
    says:

    Dear Colin Alexander is back again I see.

    Still, it’s a lovely day here in Ayrshire and I’m ‘tooling up’ for IndyRef2.

    I’m ordering lots of lovely stickers for my wee car as I removed most of them after 2014.
    I really had to, as it looked like the script for a porn movie..yes, yes, yes, yes, YES, OH GOD YES.

  163. Colin Alexander
    Ignored
    says:

    Bob Mack

    Health Boards don’t have Scottish independence already, despite what Ms Robison seems to suggest at times.

    Aye, it’s not the Health Secretary’s job to run them directly; it’s her job to make sure the public officials, on much larger salaries than hers, run them properly. When they fail to do that; it’s her job to intervene.

    The Govt are also responsible for making sure procedures, regulations and laws are in place ( and used properly) to make sure failings or misconduct can be prevented or identifed and acted upon.

    If this has been allowed for six years and not acted upon, and other abuses, even when known, have not been acted upon by the HS, then the responsibility does not stop with the Health Boards.

    The Health Secretary approves Chief Executives of Health Boards. She hires and fires them.

    Like a football manager, when the players she chooses fail to do the job right, the manager goes too, even if it’s her players who failed on the pitch.

  164. starlaw
    Ignored
    says:

    Oh well ! back to Salisbury for this weekends press filler scare story. I might believe the danger when they evacuate the children, and shoot all the birds, cats, dogs and urban foxes, until then I’m in two minds.

  165. Jockanese Wind Talker
    Ignored
    says:

    Back ON TOPIC

    Re: BBC and Propaganda

    This from Thursday 20th December 2001:

    http://archive.is/5buha

    “The 17 countries argued that the TV station was a legitimate target because it was assisting the Serbian war effort by broadcasting propaganda.”

    Serbian State Broadcasting = Propaganda

    BritNat State Broadcasting = Bastion of truth, honesty and integrity?

    News vs Propaganda just like the current RT vs OFCOM ‘cos offers different POV.

    As always “Rule Britannia, Britannia Waives The Rules”

  166. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    Shona Robison acted as some as it became apparent that Tayside were not sorting out their mess. Hindsight is a wonderful thing especially for unionists covering up their tracks. NHS has been cut by Tories (Cameron lies) £20Billion from 2015 to 2020. Cameron elected to protect the NHS proceeded to cut NHS funding. Clegg elected to protect education cut Education funding and increased student fees from £3000 to £9000 one of the biggest betrayal in political history.

    The Scottish NHS Gov and Ms Robison are doing a brilliant job in protecting the BHS in Scotland. Increasing funding under difficult circumstances.

    Minimum pricing in May will help NHS funding. Direct China flights in June will help education, exports and tourism. Thanks to the SNP Gov. Well done. Simply the best, Better than all the rest. With the ratings to prove it. Suck it up losers.

  167. K.A.Mylchreest
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Smallaxe

    Thanks for some very useful, interesting and informative links. Dunno how you do it 😉

  168. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    The SNHS is thriving fom good governance despite difficult times. Cuts from Westminster having to be mitigated. Just ask the patients and them who use it. Stop telling lies about the NHS. It does no good or kudos. Everybody supports it. Peddling unionist nonsense. Just bring them into even more disrepute. People can see where the cuts etc are coming from. Westminster Gov. People are not stupid. Unionist propaganda.

    Even the BBC collaborators highlights the deficencies in the NHS elsewhere. Tollies in corridors, long waits, not meeting standards, operation cancelled for months. People dying, ambulance waits, targets not met. A real horror story.

    Ditto Police cuts. Violent crime rising. All happened when May was in charge at the Home Office. Jobs cuts meant people had to be let through at travel points without any checks. It was such a mess. Deportations just unbelievable. People being denied hospital treatment. Hunt getting discount on £Million flats/development from a Tory donor. Not declared. The usual graft and corruption.

    The ones that should be resigning are May and Hunt. Hopefully the rest of them will be gone soon.

  169. HandandShrimp
    Ignored
    says:

    No real surprise, the BBC are as corrupt as any tin pot propaganda channel. You would have to be blind not to have noticed that UKIP were on QT dozens of times and I think Farage has been on 30+ times alone but that the SNP only get the occasional nod despite being the third largest party for the last 3 years.

    Any question of neutrality and fairness went out of the window years ago. I still recall the horror of the BBC presenters when the SNP won back in 2007. I was still moving away from Labour at that time but it did strike me as a bit odd/jarring. It has gone down hill from there ever since.

    I am sure that there are SNP/Green/Indy supporters in the rank and file of the BBC at Pacific Quay but they are powerless. This sort of thing comes from the very top and not just from the top of the BBC but the top of the British establishment. One of the successes of the indy movement has been to show the hand behind the puppets. It has revealed that we are not as free and fair a country as we like to think and that the BBC is mired in political corruption and state propaganda.

  170. ronnie anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    Al Dossery Blackkissing NAW don’t applaud a THUG of the Unions Tomlinson was rightly convicted for threatening working men & their Families with violence ( my older Brother being one ) if he didn’t down tools & leave the building site Tomlinson was going to crash a brick on his head . Tomlinson wouldn’t be alive today if he had tried it .

    It’s easy to write a one sided account Fek Tomlinson & his fantasy book .

  171. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    K.A.Mylchreest says:
    20 April, 2018 at 12:01 pm
    @ Smallaxe”

    Thank you, K.A.
    I had and still have an excellent teacher, my friend, her name is Nana.
    🙂

  172. Socrates MacSporran
    Ignored
    says:

    Naina Tal @ 9.55am

    No, it was definitely The Sash – which just happens to be my old Alma Mater Cumnock Academy’s school song!!

    If it had been “When the Scottish Brek Awa”, the Corries would surely have been black-listed and we would never hear Flower of Scotland.

  173. Jockanese Wind Talker
    Ignored
    says:

    2007 election @HandandShrimp says at 12:10 pm

    Is that the one where Wee Glen Campbell got caught on camera with his head on the desk crying when the SNP victory became obvious/official??

    Always wondered if the footage was available some where on the internet.

  174. HandandShrimp
    Ignored
    says:

    Jockanese

    I can’t recall the BBC talking head (possibly Sally Magnusson) but I think they asked the Labour talking head “what are we going to do about this” when yet another seat was declared for the SNP.

    Would love to see the Glen Campbell footage though 🙂

  175. jfngw
    Ignored
    says:

    Isn’t it amusing watching the politician’s on QT trying to deflect any responsibility for the current immigration issues. Of the three of them 2 voted for the 2014 bill and the other abstained.

    Duck, a squirrel!

  176. jfngw
    Ignored
    says:

    The roll of the BBC was to ensure Holyrood was always ruled by Labour, I don’t believe the Tories really care about Holyrood as long as it wasn’t SNP.

    Tories see WM as their natural home and as long as they remain in power there then all else is irrelevant to them. They just want enough Scottish seats at WM to claim legitimacy, one seems to be enough in their eyes. Although even when they had none in Wales it didn’t really phase them.

  177. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Colin Alexander,

    Rubbish. Every Health Board advertises,interviews and hires their own Chief Execs and Directors for that matter. Ms Robson does not hire them.

    I already told you that they are directly responsible for budgets and accounting for that budget. If they choose to hide defects within that budget, then that is down to them

  178. Macart
    Ignored
    says:

    No. I’m not surprised either.

    https://archive.is/aylvE

  179. louis.b.argyll
    Ignored
    says:

    Bob Mack, indeed, it is mostly the establishment that places it’s politically corrupt stooges on trusts and health boards.

  180. Macart
    Ignored
    says:

    Still not surprised.

    https://archive.is/vQMBv

  181. Effijy
    Ignored
    says:

    Let’s face it the System won’t let you touch the BBC.

    You must pay for Westminster propaganda if you have a TV.

    They do not have to comply with the Freedom Of Information Act.

    They can employ crooked former bankers or anyone from the old boy network.

    You can complain to the directly, that is nice, but they are their own judge and jury.

    The BBC has been a haven for Paedos for generations.
    They must have had around 10 DJ’s convicted and some escaping by
    dying at an early age.

    On TV we have Savile, Harris, and Stewart Hall.

    These guys were supported by other BBC employees and seen by many more employees too scared for their highly paid jobs to do anything.

    Prof John Robertson has logged thousands of incidents that prove beyond doubt that they employ every trick in the propaganda hand book, but get off Scot-Free.

    Bent Biased & Corrupt.

    I don’t even trust the time on their breakfast news show.

  182. Jockanese Wind Talker
    Ignored
    says:

    Agreed @louis.b.argyll says at 12:50 pm

    “it is mostly the establishment that places it’s politically corrupt stooges on trusts and health boards”

    Grampian Health Board has this beaut:

    https://mobile.twitter.com/Tam1314/status/545552486007054336/photo/1

  183. Calum McKay
    Ignored
    says:

    Colin Alexander says: 20 April, 2018 at 11:41 am

    “The Health Secretary approves Chief Executives of Health Boards. She hires and fires them.”

    No she does not, these are advertised posts like CEX of a local authority, Police Chief Constable or CEX of Scottish Natural Heritage.

    Chairmen / women of healthboards are appointed by the local authority.

    If Government worked as you believed it woukd be totally corrupt, hence non political appointments are advertised on the open market.

  184. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    The DWP has been caught forcing charities to ‘promise’ they won’t criticise Esther McVey;
    https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2018/04/20/the-dwp-has-been-caught-forcing-charities-to-promise-they-wont-criticise-esther-mcvey/

  185. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    New recruits lose out as investors withdraw from Scottish News venture aiming to create Scotland’s largest newspaper;
    http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/new-recruits-lose-out-as-investors-withdraw-from-scottish-news-venture-aiming-to-create-scotlands-largest-newspaper/

  186. Confused
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T

    https://yougov.co.uk/news/2018/04/11/worlds-most-admired-2018/

    scroll down halfway to get the table with all the data on it.

    There is no breakdown for Scotland/England, it’s just UK … Nicola does rather well.

  187. Dave McEwan Hill
    Ignored
    says:

    Might I suggest that everybody on here contact the Time magazine and fill them in with the correct information on Ruth Davidson. They will have accepted in good faith Niall Ferguson’s utter rubbish.

    The fact is that despite relentless, generous and non questioning promotion for over three years Ruth Davidson and the Scottish Tories are sitting in the low twenties in opinion polls in Scotland (and I believe these polls are more than kind) and struggling with the defunct Labour party for a distant second place in Scotland.
    People laugh when her name is mentioned and that is the most crushing opinion in political terms.

  188. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    “The Scotland Office, the branch office of the UK Tory government, seems to be using Twitter and Facebook for political purposes. Ministers are using expensive promotions to target specific groups of people and they’re paying for it with public money – our money.”
    https://twitter.com/rosscolquhoun/status/987287878714712066

  189. Fred
    Ignored
    says:

    I remember the Corrie Folk Trio & Paddy Bell singing the “Scottish Breakaway” probably at the old Anderston Concert Hall, written by Thurso Berwick!

  190. Confused
    Ignored
    says:

    back on-topic

    – we all hate the bbc so much, they are giving us more of it –

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-43837258

    – maybe this will restore “balance” to the Force – or maybe just more industrial strength lying, just in time for the runup to indyref#2 – but that is purely coincidental, I am sure.

  191. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    Confused says:

    There is no breakdown for Scotland/England, it’s just UK … Nicola does rather well.

    2.5% and 10th woman at a UK level.

    Which probably means the sub sample of SNP / Yes voting Scots plus some genuine admirers across these Isles put her first.

    This also implies if it had been Scotland only she would have been first by a long way.

    In Nicola we trust.

  192. ben madigan
    Ignored
    says:

    @lenny hartley
    No wonder he (Hamish henderson) was revered in Italy.
    My father told me Hamish led a Scottish regiment into Rome at the liberation and was present at the Fascist surrender.

    Dad also had letters from Hamish that he received immediately after the war from the time when hamish spent a year or so in northern italy.He wrote some poems or a book of essays about his experiences there.

    As a mathematics-oriented person Dad did not share Hamish’s enthusiasm for collecting scottish folktales and songs.

    I do remember him once telling my mother “he’s off to the Western isles this summer – I’m not going there – I don’t care what he says – I’m not spending a week or 10 days listening to scottish folksongs and traditional singers”

    I should have paid more attention – but I was young and thoughtless! and Dad was much older than me.

    It was just the memtion of Hamish’s name above brought back some memories

  193. Frank Lynch
    Ignored
    says:

    BBC Scotland is where Yoons do their day job.

  194. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Betty Boop says: 19 April, 2018 at 4:20 pm:

    “We know that is what happens, but, somehow it seems worse when someone speaks of personal experience.”

    I’ve been preaching that gospel for nigh on 70 years now, Betty Boop. I’ve posted the truth here on Wings many, many times.

    The very first actual, “Broadcasts”, were made by Radio Amateurs, (Hams). Now Hams were originally given amateur licenses to communicate with each other and thus to communicate with the general public is how the term, “Broadcasting”, came into being.

    The first Ham station that broadcast to the general public had the Ham Radio call sign 2MT. and I quote from:-

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2MT

    “2MT was the first British radio station to make regular entertainment broadcasts, and the world’s first regular wireless broadcast for entertainment. Transmissions began on 14 February 1922 from an ex-Army hut next to the Marconi laboratories at Writtle, near Chelmsford in Essex. Initially the station only had 200 watts and transmitted on 700m (428 kHz) on Tuesdays from 2000 to 2030.

    “Two Emma Toc”, in the spelling alphabet of the day, was a surprising success. The presenter, producer, actor-manager and writer was Captain P. P. Eckersley, a Marconi engineer. His regular announcement; “This is Two Emma Toc, Writtle testing, Writtle testing”, became in short time quite well known. 2MT is located in Essex.

    2MT led to the creation of its sister station 2LO, (a London call sign), and subsequently the BBC. 2MT did not itself become part of the BBC and closed down on 17 January 1923.

    So here is the unvarnished truth. The Westminster Government quickly realised that here was the perfect government propaganda tool and furthermore a great chance to extract a bit more hard cash from Joe and Josephine Public and what better UK Government irony that to make Joe and Josephine Public pay for the privalidge of being brainwashed by Her Majesty’s Government?

    So the BBC was invented by The Westminster Establishment and this was accomplished by way of a Royal Charter on January 1927 as The British Broadcasting Corporation. From day one it was supposedly a private corporation but funded by a grant from the United Kingdom Government and the Government sold licenses, (permission to receive), Radio Broadcasts to Joe & Josephine public. Although the BBC were charged with issuing the licences these were bought from The then GPO, (General Post Office), and the money went directly to the treasury – and it still does so.

    The Licence payer does not finance the BBC they pay the government to get permission to listen & view broadcasts and Westminster agrees how much taxpayer’s money, (not just licence payers money), the taxpayer gives the BBC.

    So there you go the BBC since day one has always been a Westminster funded propaganda tool of the government.

  195. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    Perhaps a FOI request for the actual list/e-mail would get the usual treatment, but what about pursuing Hardeep’s ‘allegation’ – is he lying? If not, was he being wound-up by someone who just didn’t want to give him the gig?

    Who was the producer who let the proverbial out the bag, unwittingly or otherwise?

    There can only be so many who work on producing that morning slot.

    Someone knows who that person is.

  196. Giving Goose
    Ignored
    says:

    Slightly O/T, see Andrew Adonis regarding the BBC, Ofcom and politics; it’s very murky, messy and corrupt.

    When an Establishment figure such as Lord Adonis is crying foul, then you know it’s really, really smelly.

    https://twitter.com/Andrew_Adonis

  197. Welsh Sion
    Ignored
    says:

    Two recent examples of why the yoons would like to see the back of us. (Perhaps from these readings, they *already* have …)

    1 My 92 y/o mum was refused the concessionary pensioners fare on a bus in England recently, as the Welsh one was issued by “a country which is not part of the UK.” (The way she tells it, the bus driver couldn’t believe my mum was 92, either … 😉 ).

    2 I mentioned to a yoon the other day that my father was stationed on the Isle of Dogs during the Second World War and was a witness daily to V1’s and V2’s flying overhead on their way to smash into London.

    Cue the surprised voice, “But he was Welsh!”

  198. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    “The Scottish Breakaway”.

    This is the version I know, having bought the album second-hand decades ago.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zpk5FYeaDM

    Also, peeps seem to be confusing Sanjeev Kohli, who plays Navid in “Still Game”, with the subject of the video atl, Hardeep Singh Kohli, who doesn’t play Navid.

  199. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Street Andrew says: 19 April, 2018 at 4:20 pm:

    “Stop paying the licence fee.
    It’s the only way.”

    Wise-up Laddie – it won’t make a blind bit of difference, (as I’m fed up explaining here on Wings), the licence money goes directly to the Treasury and it has never belonged to the BBC since they began, by Royal Charter, in 1927.

    You used to have to buy your permission to listen to broadcasts from the government from what was then the Government owned, GPO, (General Post Office), but Westminster split that up and sold it off to their pals as The Post Office and British Telecoms. Iyt is all a con and it always has been.

    You pay a fee to the UK Treasury for the government’s permission to receive live video Broadcasts from any source and from any medium. The BBC gets none of it for the BBC gets an agreed annual grant from the Treasury and even if no one paid for permission to receive live video broadcasts they would still get paid tby Westminster o brainwash the public.

  200. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Arbroath1320 says: 19 April, 2018 at 4:21 pm:

    “Any semblance and I DO mean ANY semblance of impartiality by the BSPC has now quite clearly been blown clear out the water!”

    It’s never ever been in the water – read my posts up-thread and you will have proof of that claim.

  201. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Gordoz says: 19 April, 2018 at 4:46 pm:

    “Stupid question but, cant BBC be forced to comment factually via FOI request ?”

    No! The BBC is exempt from FOI requests.

  202. Colin Alexander
    Ignored
    says:

    What I’d like to know is the percentage of fee paying school educated employees( eg Hutcheson’s Grammar School, St Aloysius and High School of Glasgow former pupils etc) working at the BBC compared to those who came from comprehensive schools.

    Then compare that ratio of privately educated adults v comprehensively school educated adults to the ratio in the general working population in Scotland.

    Both Kohli brothers are ex- St Aloysius’College & Glasgow Uni.

  203. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Most interviews with the FM are now done inside after instructions from Westminster head office, in order to avoid accidental shots of woodland animals and tweety birds that scamper up and surround the FM when she ventures outside, and of course the accompanying music interferes with the media sound which makes editing and reframing what the FM says difficult said Bryan Taylor of the BBC

    A spokesperson for Walt Disney said that *at no time has Disney been asked to supply woodland animals or any other wildlife to the SNP or Ms Sturgeon, this can only be a natural occurrance*

    In a statement from the SNP their chief excecutive Peter Murrell said *Zippety Doo Dah Zippety eh my my my what a wonderful day* and offered no further comment

    Ruth Davidson of the *Ruth Davidson Orange and No surrender party* said *These animals come from somewhere and the SNP should come clean and fess up to where they’re getting them and from whom*

    Willie Rennie of the Lieboral Democrats said all of the Lieboral Democrat squirrels were accounted for and housed hamanely in a bouncy castle in the Happy Wood

    Monica Lennon for the Labour Party said *Animals were originally an idea I put forward and the SNP adopted it for their own ends but all Labour animals now stay in our houses where we know they’re safe and cared for and aren’t forced to make political decisions they don’t understand*

    The electoral commission said, the use of animals in
    politics is a long established practice and as long as they are not exploited or harmed we see no need to charge in like a buffalo in a china shop and interfere with that

  204. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Dan Huil says: 19 April, 2018 at 4:52 pm:

    “The britnat bbc doesn’t care anymore about hiding its anti-Scottish agenda. Don’t give them money.”

    Sheesh! When the hell is it going to sink into Winger’s heads? I’ve been posting the truth that the licences fee does NOT go to the BBC since I began to comment on Wings.

    You pay for the BBC whether you buy the government’s permission, (licence), or not because the licence fee money goes to the treasury and Westminster agrees with the BBC how much tax payer’s money they give to the BBC.

    Everyone now pays tax because the UK tax system is now indirect taxation. Thus it is levied upon goods & services and everyone uses goods & services and thus pays the government for them no matter who is providing the goods or services.

  205. Colin Alexander
    Ignored
    says:

    I’m not having a go at either of the Kohli brothers personally or anyone from a private education.

    My point is that Hardeep was the right man for the job at the BBC – until he revealed he’s not British Establishment material.

  206. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    @Dr Jim

    Excellent mental picture you conjured about the FM there. 🙂

    Taken my mind off Wee Willie Rennie and Wee Dick Leonard for a while.

  207. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @schrodingers cat says: 19 April, 2018 at 6:58 pm

    “even those who accept the msm is biased can still be influenced by its output.”

    You can say that again, schrodingers cat, but it won’y make a bit of difference.

    I’ve been telling Wingers the truth that the BBC was begun by Royal Charter as the main Westminster Propaganda tool with the birth of radio broadcasting in 1927. From that day the UK government have collected money for allowing us to tune into broadcasting and the licence fee money has never gone to the BBC but directly into the United Kingdom Treasury.

    Then Westminster makes an annual grant to the BBC of tax payers, (whether the tax payer buys permission to receive broadcasts or not), to the BBC. Yet the brainwashing is so strong that there are dozens of commenters here on Wings today commenting, (perhaps indirectly), that the licence fee pays for the BBC – it doesn’t and even if no one bought a licence the BBC have an agreed grant anyway and it comes from taxpayers not from licence holders.

    No matter how many times I have posted that verifiable truth there will still be Wingers on this forum claiming otherwise.

  208. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Willie Rennie making a great case for Independence in his disjointed ramblings at his wee conference today

    Oh and by the way, he’s winning everything and he’s smiling

    Wee soul

  209. stu mac
    Ignored
    says:

    @HandandShrimp says:
    20 April, 2018 at 12:10 pm
    No real surprise, the BBC are as corrupt as any tin pot propaganda channel.
    =================================

    My eyes were opened (wide open as opposed to half-opened as one realised BBC were pro-establishment but thought they tried to be even handed despite this – I preferred Chanel 4 news at the time, gone downhill these days but still better than BBC) back shortly after devolution when I saw Nicola Sturgeon, then shadow Education sec I think, being interviewed on Scottish Beeb. She couldn’t get an answer in for interruptions: at one point she got interrupted 3 times in the same sentence, it was so ridiculous she was almost laughing. Then the interviewer turned to a labour spokesman and he spoke for several minutes uninterrupted.

    At the time I still had hopes Labour would do something (but soon we would see PFIs, dropping re-nationalisation of rails and Iraq lies) but it did start me on the road away from Labour and towards pro-Indy. Things is, their arrogance and sense of entitlement was/is so great they don’t realise they are doing it so openly and blatantly. They must have helped turn others away from Unionism and to Indy by making it so obvious to many people that they were being lied to.

  210. Liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Iain Brotherhood 2.19
    If you have worked for the BBC and are therefore on their system!
    Its mibbi no FOI requests,but Data Protection laws that could help….These law’s are ment to ensure that if a company holds information on a computer about a person,then that person has the right to see it….?

  211. Proud Cybernat
    Ignored
    says:

    BREAKING from Pravda Quay
    with Union Jackie Kim Ono:

    https://i.imgur.com/kd0scLH.jpg

  212. stu mac
    Ignored
    says:

    @stu mac

    Pity can’t edit here, anyway, I wasn’t exaggerating for effect when I said she was interrupted several times in the same sentence (it’s the main reason it stuck in my mind for so long). I added that point because it proves they weren’t trying to keep her to the question or responding to her reply because you can’t know what someone is going to say until they’ve completed at least one sentence. As I said, proving live on air they had an agenda and were two pig headed to realise they were giving it away in the most blatant manner.

  213. Dan Huil
    Ignored
    says:

    @Robert Peffers 2:47pm

    Jings! Help ma boab, Bob. How many times do I have to explain that I prefer to spend £150 on things other than a bbc licence. I spend the £150 on whisky. The government can blow my indirect tax payment any way it wants; I’ll be too pissed to care.

    How many times?!

  214. Colin Alexander
    Ignored
    says:

    Liz G: “If you have worked for the BBC and are therefore on their system, Its mibbi no FOI requests,but Data Protection laws that could help”

    FOI = does not allow personal data

    Data Protection Act 1998 – Subject Access Request (SAR) = I request a copy of all my personal data held. In 25 May 2018 it becomes FREE to make a SAR.

    SARs must be made in writing. See:

    https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/principle-6-rights/subject-access-request/

  215. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Dan Huil says: 20 April, 2018 at 4:25 pm:

    “Jings! Help ma boab, Bob. How many times do I have to explain that I prefer to spend £150 on things other than a bbc licence. I spend the £150 on whisky. The government can blow my indirect tax payment any way it wants; I’ll be too pissed to care.
    How many times?!”

    Not the point, smarty pants, the point is that Wingers just cannot shake off the truth that the BBC does NOT get the licence money and no matter how many Indy supporters stop paying the licence fee to the treasury the Westminster Government will still be handing out the BBC annual grant to pay for their propaganda work.

    BTW: that Whisky money is a prime contributed to the Westminster coffers too.

    Like the up to 98% oil & gas revenues from Scottish waters all that tax revenue goes right into the Westminster Government’s coffers to spend as they wish – not as you wish – and that’s the point.

    Westminster are creaming off Scotland’s revenues and using it against Scotland. Like that other daylight robbery – The National Grid connection charges.

    Not a penny of those indirect taxes is credited as Scottish earned revenue when Westminster does its books – they are all accounted as United Kingdom a.k.a. English revenue.

  216. Dan Huil
    Ignored
    says:

    @Robert Peffers 4:40pm

    You can pay £150 for a licence, Robert, if you so desire. I’ll spend the £150 on something else. Cheers!

  217. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Road tax is a tax collected by Westminster but everybody knows they don’t spend it back out again on the roads, in exactly the same way as the telly tax is not a licence to watch TV, it’s just a tax that Westminster collects and gives some of it to the BBC when they ask for their grant, and except for David Attenborough probably the government then decides whether the BBC have been good propaganda tools or not and that determines the amount of grant they get

    So the more pro government the BBC is….you see how that works?

    Also for those who don’t know the BBC is not publicly funded they are a commercial company otherwise they wouldn’t be selling BBC products around the entire globe hence the reason for NOT wanting to sack people like Jeremy Claksons Top Gear show or not too long ago hiding the truth about Jimmy Saville both of whom made the BBC squillions, apart from the now allowed product placement which in the past they weren’t allowed but now you see Kellogs Cornflakes and Heinz Beanz everywhere, to name just a couple, and do you think when Ant and Dec jump around in a Morrisons supermarket advert, the BBC who owns their contract gets nothing

    Everything that appears on the BBC is a product for sale right down to any pictures it takes then shares (sells) to other broadcasters

    That’s how the directors and hidden mandarins of the BBC manage to pay themselves billions of squillions of £ $ Bitcoins Shekels Rubles Euros or any other currency including the live kind…….. (I think you know what I mean) every single year and you know what’s worse, we don’t even know who these people are

    But we keep giving them our bloody money while we say (Oh ah suppose ye hiv tae)

    No we don’t!

  218. Foonurt
    Ignored
    says:

    Heard yoan Murray [Foote?], foarmurr Daily Record editor, oan Radio Scoattlin newspaper reviews – jist yoan last week urr sae.

    Bliddae awfah ee wiz, tae. Kid hoarrdly pit, twaw wurds thegithurr.

    Aye, ah richt shoourr ah basturts, thae Radio Scoattlin/BBC erses. Gittin wurse, bae thoan meenit.

  219. winifred mccartney
    Ignored
    says:

    It has been quite obvious recently on the BBC that something is going on – we had Angela Haggerty on paper reviews and on sunday shows nearly every week, she is at best luke warm and will certainly say something snp baad, Jim Sillars the same. They will have anyone who is remotely concerned with an indy Scotland but is prepared to snp baaaad at the same time – rarely if ever do you have someone who is a committed indy supporter – but the bbc wants to be able to say they are ‘fair’ so they get on often someone like AH but very rarely say Lesley Riddoch.

    You only have to listen to the tone of Kay with an e or Andrew N or Nicky R to know which side of indy they are on – neutral – factual – fair – not likely, just BBC stooges following the party line. I hope they are proud of themselves.

  220. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    It’s quite amusing to think that with the depute election, Wishart and all, talk about the whens of Indy Ref 2 and how, sovereignty and bipartites, EU and EFTA, CA and Robison, that in a few short weeks with a shuffle of papers on 11 desks, a closing of folders, and the immortal words of the (Lady) President, the Union is blown wide open with these quiet words “This court has decided that it has no competence to hear this case, case dismissed”.

  221. Sinky
    Ignored
    says:

    BBC double standards 5th party at HOLYROOD gets top billing for attack on SNP in front of 100 odd delegates.
    Third party at Westminster ignored in National news and Question Time partially compared to when Lib Democrats were third force.

  222. Gary45%
    Ignored
    says:

    Hardeep is way better than the Empire Propaganda Chanel.
    Shortbreads favourite “comedy??” luvvie is Des Clarke, sums up the quality of the Shite corporation, (shite comedian, and even shite-ier broadcasting.)
    Saw a wee bit of QT in a hotel last night switched off after about 5 mins, “SHITE,” this is why I don’t pay for the TV licence or watch live TV.
    Wee Kim Jong Un is a first year apprentice when it comes to Propaganda.

  223. Brian McHugh
    Ignored
    says:

    RT now carrying out interviews with the kids who were ‘allegedly’ gassed by chemical weapons and have filmed the scene where the chemical weapon was dropped (in a bedroom). I’m all behind the SNP’s political cautious approach… But come on to!!! It is so clearly BS, that even the most rabid Yoon would have difficulty carrying on the pretence with a straight face.

  224. Gfaetheblock
    Ignored
    says:

    Two points

    Hardeep clearly has an axe to grind with the BBC, this seemed to start after was suspended for inappropriate behaviour in relation to a colleague.

    He has overtly campaigned for independence and is critical of the bbc and bias, why would he get employed as a news presenter when he is clearly not neutral?

  225. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    That was then this is now then

    Here’s a wee article by Ian Brotherhood on the BBC from 2012. I think he got things mostly right. Ahead of the curve.

    https://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2012/10/30/that-was-then-this-is-now-then/

  226. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    @Gfaetheblock –

    I don’t know if you’ve ever heard the Kaye Adams show (i.e. the one he was knocked back for because of the alleged ‘list’) but it isn’t ‘news’.

  227. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    The prime minister of England is a can’t.

    Don’t cha know already like.

    Scotland is us.

  228. Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    Dorothy Devine says:
    20 April, 2018 at 10:03 am

    “OT I see the Herald is desperate to start the charge against Shona Robinson – utterly shameful.”

    Buy the fake “independence supporting” The National to keep its elder sister The Herald alive.

  229. Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    Ken500 says:
    20 April, 2018 at 12:06 pm

    “The ones that should be resigning are May and Hunt. Hopefully the rest of them will be gone soon.”

    They are only there because of your beloved “First Past the Post” voting system which you are so keen to bring to the Scottish parliament.

  230. Cubby
    Ignored
    says:

    Rock = bloody boring paid to troll British Nationalist.

  231. Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    Robert Peffers says:
    20 April, 2018 at 2:18 pm

    “I’ve been preaching that gospel for nigh on 70 years now, Betty Boop. I’ve posted the truth here on Wings many, many times.”

    All evangalical preachers claim that their word is the truth, and you are no exception.

    You are the biggest SNP apologist on this blog.

    If blind faith in religion is bad, blind faith in politicians is worse.

  232. Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    Robert Peffers says:
    20 April, 2018 at 2:47 pm

    “Sheesh! When the hell is it going to sink into Winger’s heads? I’ve been posting the truth that the licences fee does NOT go to the BBC since I began to comment on Wings.

    You pay for the BBC whether you buy the government’s permission, (licence), or not because the licence fee money goes to the treasury and Westminster agrees with the BBC how much tax payer’s money they give to the BBC.”

    In other words, the licence fee DOES GO to Pravda GB indirectly via the government.

    No wonder the “truth” you have been preaching has not had much effect.

    Robert Peffers says:
    20 April, 2018 at 2:18 pm

    “I’ve been preaching that gospel for nigh on 70 years now, Betty Boop. I’ve posted the truth here on Wings many, many times.”

  233. hackalumpoff
    Ignored
    says:

    FFS Rev, surely Heedtracker is due parole, at least he tried to hammer these these feckin trolls, much more than you do.

  234. Colin Alexander
    Ignored
    says:

    Rock

    You are entitled to your opinion about The National.

    The way I see it is that a publisher of Tropical Fish Keeping magazines doesn’t have to like keeping tropical fish to sell it. It isn’t fake to offer a title for sale to those who do like that sort of thing.

    On the other hand, just because a publisher prints a title aimed at pro-indy supporters, it doesn’t mean it really supports indy either.

    I don’t have a problem with the National. I wouldn’t buy it either but, I sometimes have a read of it online.

    The readership of the Herald and National are so small, I don’t think they make any significant difference to indy or the Union.

    Whereas TV, now that’s a different matter altogether.

  235. Colin Alexander
    Ignored
    says:

    Rock said:

    “If blind faith in religion is bad, blind faith in politicians is worse”.

    Amen to that.

    One of the reasons I want indy is that, at least we can vote out the SNP or Labour or LibDems etc at Holyrood.

    Scotland can’t vote out Westminster Govts.

  236. Gfaetheblock
    Ignored
    says:

    Ian Brotherhood

    I can happily say I have never listened to Kaye Adams show (BBC Scotland not my thing), so will take your steer, but a quick google says that the tagline to the show is:

    Kaye Adams gets to the heart of the stories making the news

  237. Scot Finlayson
    Ignored
    says:

    The BBC can refuse a Freedom of Information request using this excuse,

    “The information you have requested is excluded from the Act because it is held for the purposes of ‘journalism, art or literature.’

    The BBC is therefore not obliged to provide this
    information to you and will not be doing so on this occasion.”

    supposed to be there to protect sources but really an easy get out clause because any request they don`t want to answer can be attributed to ‘journalism, art or literature.’

    The BBC is contracted by Gov to enforce collection of the Broadcasting Tax,the BBC subcontracts this contract to `Capita` who will earn up to £1.5 billion through life of contract,

    The Broadcasting Tax goes directly to the Gov`s bank account called the `consolidated revenue fund` along with all other taxes.

  238. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    The SNP is Scotlands preferred choice of political party or they wouldn’t be in government, simples
    Nicola Sturgeon is the peoples choice for FM or she wouldn’t be it
    Shona Robison is the Health Secretary and will remain so until she becomes unpopular with health boards makes bad decisions or wishes to move on although that’s not likely for years as she is a very well respected and much loved person within and outwith the SNP

    That’s why the BBC started the *calls for resignation campaign* then asked others to *join the calls* so that they can be amongst the *critics say*

  239. Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    For the record, I have never called for any SNP minister to resign.

    But I stand by this post:

    Rock (24th November 2017 – “The Loser”):

    “– I have no problem with ordinary people having cross-party relationships.

    But we are talking about the shameless lying hypocrite Scottish Labour (ex)Branch Manger Dugdale who relentlessly attacks the SNP during the day and is in bed with an SNP MSP at night.

    In my humble opinion, the SNP MSP concerned is even more disgraceful than Dugdale.

    She should have resigned from the SNP before getting into bed with Dugdale.”

  240. Iain
    Ignored
    says:

    Why does the troll not leave us in peace.

  241. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    A whole hour of my life seemed to flash by my eyes there, what might that have been about? Who cares.

    A hostile enviroment, that applies to much more than just the treatment by the BBC of a newsreader or comedian. In my opinion it applies right across the board.

    If you’re an Independence supporter with a Unionist boss then you had to tread carefully, I know I did though I was self employed and is a bit different from being an employee.

    Basicaly the company I got 90% of my employment from could/would have stopped if this guy knew I was actively supporting Independence.

    I did what we all do, I kept my my mouth shut. Not for my support of Independence of course I made that clear but of my participation in my support of Independence. It would have been to much for that particular Unionist to handle.

    This is just another form of discrimination when a comedian can’t get a gig anymore with the BBC and neither can decent journalist like Lesley Riddoch even get a sniff of an appearance on a BBC talk program.

    We are in trouble and it shows the corruption not just in the BBC but the UK itself and how much our politics stink.

  242. mike cassidy
    Ignored
    says:

    Its a Friday night

    So before the trolls bore the pants off us

    You might be amused by this.

    Farage another one with an irony bypass.

    http://archive.is/4c8vQ

    Although I think even I might draw the line at doing this while he’s alive.

  243. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    @Gfaetheblock –

    Hoots for the reply…

    I wouldny give you steer of the bum variety. Kaye’s show is what it is, and Hardeep has, I believe, hosted it previously. I noted what you said about him getting into bother (which I wasn’t aware of at all), so did a wee bit googling meself…

    Aye, you’re right enough, and he apologised profusely. He’s also in the frame for being a dodgy landlord *allegedly* and that can’t have been much fun for his tenants. All in all though, the substance of his comments seems worthy of further investigation – does that e-mail exist? Is there a blacklist of pro-indy voices in BBC Scotland?

  244. mike cassidy
    Ignored
    says:

    And here’s what I even might draw the line at while Farage is alive.

    http://archive.is/uhFNb

  245. Indy2
    Ignored
    says:

    Tomorrow’s National:

    front page … Top presenter Hardeep Singh Kohli claims he was kept off air at BBC because he backed Yes, as the broadcaster insists he was treated fairly.

    https://twitter.com/ScotNational/status/987433108977934337

  246. Brian McHugh
    Ignored
    says:

    Thepnr, I have never kept my mouth shut (no suprises there LOL). If someone doesn’t want me because of my political views, then it is their loss. fuck em. Indy supporters need to get over the past impressions where we were in the minority. It’s 50/50. I have put Yoons in their place in the workplace, when they have came out with their verbal diarrhoea. These days, they are realising that they have to be just as careful, Which is only equal and fair. 😉

  247. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    The BBC fails to provide a broadcasting service in Scotland while Westminster collects £320 m in licence fees fraudulently.

    It doesn’t matter that it’s called the “British” broadcasting corporation. Are we not “British”? Are we not one of the two partners in the Union? Why shouldn’t we have a broadcasting service like every other country in the world?

    Thd Scottish government should demand that broadcasting be devolved along with the licence fee money. There are plenty of talented people in Scotland to run a good service. Even I would pay for that.

  248. Calgacus MacAndrews
    Ignored
    says:

    Every one of the 48% pro-Indy voters in Scotland needs to write to the BBC and, as per their rights under the Data Protection Act, ask whether they are on the BBC blacklist referred to in the BBC email highlighted in this video.

  249. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    @Brian McHugh

    Your right of course, maybe I would have continued getting work fro them and maybe I wouldn’t.

    Back then? I choose not to take the risk of how I was involved on the Yes side. Everybody knew I was a Yes supporter of course and I wore more my heart on my sleeve in that regard.

    It was the other stuff LOL, like oragnising buses or social nights for like minded peopele. That’s what I kept quiet about.

    Now see today I really no longer care what people know, I wear my Yes badge on my jacket, a wee discreet one right enough but don’t care who looks.

    Yes!

  250. Northern Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    When did BBC Radio 1,2,3,4,5,6 or ANY BBC Radio channel air anything of relevance regarding Scotland.

    They are all geared towards their english listeners. Even their news bulletins are about, england, england and england.

    Scotland Wales and N Ireland pay for these channels But get absolutely nothing back in return.

    We really are gettin taken for mugs, and I don’t just mean Scotland… Wales and N Ireland are also gettin the shit ripped right out of them.

  251. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    If there’s anything more boring than Rock, it’s two of them doing a double act, the other being the boring Robison and SNP basher from C&A, it’s enough to make you dozzzzzzzzzz

  252. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Let’s shut down the whole town of Salisbury to make sure the good folk of England never forget about the nerve agent that never was but might still be in a shop doorway or a school handrail or a bus shelter or a post office counter or a rat that’s running around spreading the non nerve agent everywhere it goes transmitting it to other rats who are rubbing against every surface in the town until some bloke in a white Hazmat suit says *that’s it found it all and made it all go away*

    Are you scared yet Salisbury? you’re supposed to be coz they blew it big time and now they’ve got to make it look good and the more they do the worse it gets coz who’s gonna visit Salisbury for a wee day trip shopping now, they might as well remove the bus stops, aint nobody getting off there now unless they bring in the Pied Piper to chase out the rats

    That’ll guarantee votes for sure

  253. Colin Alexander
    Ignored
    says:

    yesindyref2

    Short memory? You’re the guy that had the Wings flakey fit at the closure of the Paisley paediatric ward.

    AFTER the FM assured people there’s no plans to shut it.

  254. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Alyn Smith pointing out that Ireland has 26 EU countries standing behind it protecting its interests while the *UK* is set on destroying Scotlands devolution for its own purposes

    Think of the position Scotland would have been in right now had we voted YES
    The UK could have done nothing as Scotland would have been protected EU members

  255. Calgacus MacAndrews
    Ignored
    says:

    Keep clear of door handles in Salisbury.
    They are either totally safe or fatal to the touch says BBC Whitelist Person.

  256. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    Can you believe it?

    There are those among us who would do all they could to persuade us that Scotland is too wee, too poor and too stupid.

    I’d never have believed that, feeling a wee bit scunnered.

  257. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Dan Huil says: 20 April, 2018 at 4:51 pm:

    “You can pay £150 for a licence, Robert, if you so desire. I’ll spend the £150 on something else. Cheers!”

    I haven’t spent anything on a TV licence for many years, Dan. I haven’t watched live TV either and that was even before I qualified for a free licence and you still aren’t getting the point. The licence money doesn’t go to the BBC is the point. It goes to HM Treasury and thus the BBC annual grant is paid to the BBC out of general taxation.

    That means that every taxpayer pays a share of the BBC annual grant that comes from HM Government out of general taxation.

    Not only that but those who fondly tell us the don’t now pay tax are deluding themselves. Indirect taxation, such as Road Fuel Duty., Alcohol Duty, Betting Tax, Tobacco Duty, VAT and so on. Remember that VAT is on most goods and services.

    So, for example road fuel duty is levied upon the vehicles shops have goods delivered by. The delivery company passes on the cost of that Road Fuel Duty to the shop who in turn passes it on to their customers and that is how indirect taxation is mainly paid by those least able to afford it.

    In other words everyone pays indirect taxation and that means we all pay for the BBC propaganda.

    Thing is, if you do not pay the TV licence it doesn’t mean the BBC gets less money because they get a fixed government grant. So if you spend what you would have paid for a TV licence on almost anything else it still goes to fund the BBC.

    As the highest indirect taxation is on such as alcohol duty, tobacco duty, betting tax, Road Fuel Duty and VAT then those who spend the money they would have spent on a licence on booze, fags, the bookies shop and on road fuel for their vehicles are spending more on indirect taxation that pays for the BBC annual grant.

    The BBC don’t give a damn if you don’t pay for a licence for they don’t get their grant from the licence fees.

  258. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Gfaetheblock says: 20 April, 2018 at 8:06 pm:

    ” … why would he get employed as a news presenter when he is clearly not neutral?”

    Yeah!
    Richt!

    So do we assume you judge Jackie Bird, Wee Nick Robinson, Gary Robertson, Hayley Millar and Kay wi wan e’e as not being neutral?

    Cummon! Geeza breack!

  259. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    Coming back to the title of this article “a hostile enviroment” this is a reference to the policy announced by the Home Secretary T.May in 2012 basicaly became government policy.

    That’s why we got the “GO HOME IMMIGANT” vans or whatever they were called but close enough. Now she weeping crocadile tears over the “Windrush” people facing deportation.

    WHAT THE FUCK!

    Is she not taking the piss or what? This is the woman who as Home Secretary shouted get them out, She is an absolute disaster as a politician.

    I’m just quietly waiting for her premiership to blow up, it’ll happen, guarenteed. Tick tock Theresa.

  260. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    May, Hunt or the unionists would be there is any case in Westminster.

    Scotland is out voted 10 to 1 under any system.

    At least in Scotland the 3rd rejects would be gone.

    Hond’t was imposed on Scotland illegally be unionists without a mandate. For the express purpose by them trying to keep control.

    The haven’t introduced it in the rest of the UK there would be a riot. FPTP is the most favoured in Britain. The LibDem AV Ref got a 30% turnout and massive vote against. So much for PR.

    The SNP got 50% in the 2015 GE. The only time that has ever happened in Britain. Unique.

    The 1945 Labour landslide victory only got 45%. Blair won with 27% of the vote. The Tories hardly have a majority. Their disgusting policues imposed on Scotland because people voted NO. Having to be mitigated. The Tories could have been outvoted 12th Sept 2017 EVEL vote. 8? Labour members voted with them. Labour even abstain against their own motion. Unbelievable.

    Under any system Scotland would be outvoted at Westminster. 10 to l. That is why people campaigned for Devolution, FFA and Independence. (In the EU). The IndyRef, the GE, the EU Ref were a fraud. Total gerrymandering by Westminster parties. CA/SCL fraudulent participation. They should all be declared null and void.The fraudsters buying up elections should be charged. Criminals.

    The Press had obviously been told not to ask May Windrush questions at the Commonwealth carry on. The unionists took everything they could from the Commonwealth. Left India in poverty. Caused the Partition killing millions. Lying sychopaths.

    They banned Indian students from the UK and included student numbers in migration figures. Manipulating the figures and lying. Along with the buses telling migrants to go home. When their legal home was Britain then deporting people. Denied the 30,000 unaccompanied migrant children rights to stay with relatives. Coarse, cruel nasty and appalling behaviour. The Westminster illegal wars caused the worst migration crisis in Europe since the 11WW. Displacing, killing and maiming millions.

    Farague to be embalmed. He nearly died in a plane crash. He is a criminal who should gave been put in jail long ago for electoral fraud. Embezzling EU money for years to fund a political Party. Totally illegally.

    Mundell is doing the same at the Scottish Office. Using taxpayers money to target constituents to try and get himself re elected. Totally illegal. It should be Tory funds. He should be charged with embezzlement. 31 Tories were overspending in the GE. None of them were charged or brought to court. All of them got away with it. LibDems are the same. Totally getting away with breaking electoral rules.

    D’Hond’t is used in the US. Jefferson introduced it. One of the most unequal indebted countrues in the world. The UK FPTP one of the most unequal indebted places in the world.

    It doesn’t matter under any system. When politician crooks and their cronies are buying up elections Totally overspending limits, Millionaires/Billionaires lying and cheating with politicians in their pockets. Acting illegally. Chucking out people. Killing people all over the world. It is a disgrace. Getting the 3rd psycho bastards out of Holyrood so people do.not have to look at their dirty lying dials. Smirking and laughing and telling a complete pack of lies. When people are being sanctioned and starved. Chucked out by these lying low lives. Some Democracy.

    Thank goodness for the SNP standing up for Scotland. Well done them. Another Referendum coming soon. To get rid of the lying unionist low lives. Psycho bastards.

  261. Cubby
    Ignored
    says:

    The trolls on wings are like a nasty rash (Rock sensibledave Colin Alexander = British Nationalist paid to troll) the more you scratch them the more iritating it is.

    Like a rash best to ignore and it will eventually go away. They are bloody boring repeating the same guff.

  262. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Iain says: 20 April, 2018 at 9:45 pm:

    “Why does the troll not leave us in peace.”

    Maybe it is because he isn’t a troll. He has an entirely different agenda – he is an agent of a foreign power working for another country.

  263. Northern Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    Re: Brexit.

    If If If Treeza and her merry band of halfwits can’t come up with a plan for the Irish Border,, then the EU will tell them that there is no Transition deal then.

    I have a feeling that our english Government are wanting to go down the “No Deal” route. I personally think they are balking at that Divorce Bill. it was stated today that the Bill will be well above the £39 Billion that everyone is expecting.

    So if they do just walk out on the EU talks, it would save the Treasury about £50 Billion. It would also dump the Irish Border problem back onto the EU to sort out.

    The point I am making is Nicola will need to be ready to move for IndyRef2 probably sooner than she would have liked.

    Everything is up in the air right now, And nobody has a clue how this is going to pan out.

    So we need to be ready for every eventuality, as does Nicola.

  264. Stephen McKenzie
    Ignored
    says:

    Robert Peffers, 11:12pm

    I would add ex BBC Scotland Eleanor Bradford into that list. The opening line from BBC Reporting Scotland was often “And now from our “Health Corr..” would have me hammering away at the Mute button on the car radio.

    I knew what was coming was going to be pish as it was always pish and deep down she probably knew it was pish.

    Wrecked a few buttons..

  265. Gfaetheblock
    Ignored
    says:

    Robert Peffers @ 11.12

    Yes, and unless you have footage of them campaigning on a No platform I will continue to. Happy to be corrected if you have any links of them supporting no, leave or remain or any political party

  266. robertknight
    Ignored
    says:

    BBC

    BritNat Brainwashing Channel

    Nuff said…

  267. Colin Alexander
    Ignored
    says:

    Cubby

    Show me one post where I’ve ever spoken against independence? You can’t, cos I NEVER have.

    I’m an independist. I support independence for Scotland.

    I’ve had to search deep to keep supporting indy because of the SNP Scottish Govt undermining things.

    The abuses that the SNP politicians have tried to ignore, tried to cover-up, are being done under a UK Govt / SNP Scot Govt setup. ( Shona Robinson and Nicola Sturgeon know what I’m talking about.)

    Sooner we get indy and get rid of the SNP, the better. Get rid of the need for the SNP.

    In the meantime, almost 11 wasted years of power, but now you can hear the clock ticking down and the SNP jaickets are on shoogly pegs at Holyrood.

    Like many govts before, power went to their heads. From promises to be more accountable, open and honest, we got the same listening to “special advisers” no the electorate, croneyism, sleekit, secretive “we can do what we like” attitudes. Little different from the Lib-Lab administrations before them.

    I won’t be sad to see them go. I’ll be sad at so many wasted opportunities, so many letdowns and disappointments. I’ll be sad for the people of Scotland who were promised so much, gave them so much support, and got so little in return from SNP Scot Govts.

  268. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    We are Scotland.

    Have absolutely no idea what Chris Cairns is gonna do today.

    It is Saturday.

    Now is ra time.

  269. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    FAO the president of ra beautiful USA ~

    Please don’t send in a 2nd wave…

    Ye did that last weekend.

    Round-a-about now.

    PASSION X!

  270. Mary miles
    Ignored
    says:

    Hi from Tassie:

    I would rather be optimistic about all this. The westminster government etc must be really running scared to resort to this sort of action. One has to ask the question why are they so eager to keep Scotland in the UK. Answer is obvious – we are their income and identity and loved worldwide.

    The true Scottish blood is still strong for independence and it will be obtained as “the dream will never die”. We still carry the blood of our ancestors within us and also take strength from the many new Scots who love our country and who see clearly that Scotland would do so well alone out of the uk.

    To those who want to use Scotland and never love her may they forever live in fear because one day she will gain her independence and that I hope is not too far off!!

    Looking at the news over in the UK this week with the awful treatment of the “wind rush” people, the Queen using her position to ensure her son is elected next to head the commonwealth,all the fuss about the latest royal spend up, the ignoring of Scotland relating to Brexit (taking their bill to the Supreme Court) and almost causing WW3 with the bombing of Syria and the atrocious bias of the media, it is a wonder that Scotland is still managing to keep strong regarding independence being carried by the loyal Scots alone. The uk is obviously a rotten institution as bad as any in the world.

    Keep strong wingers – get the word out and pray that all Scots who love Scotland join together for independence and do not let the rot of the uk divide them. Unite – do not fight each other on issue, whatever the differences can be sorted out after Independence and what a party there is to be had!! I will certainly be over dancing in the street when that happens.

  271. auld highlander
    Ignored
    says:

    Did the young redheaded guy forget to give that two faced May creature the swastika armband back after the party?
    Bet she has huge stocks of Zyklon B stashed somewhere.

  272. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    Hey Mary frae Tassie, mwah xx.

    Haste ye back heedtracker…

    Scotland.

  273. Hamish100
    Ignored
    says:

    Eleanor Bradford moved to one of the most pro Brit nat unis in Aberdeen. Chancellor and colleagues pro Brit nat rugby types and on NTS boards. Wee earners for all. Prof microbiologist Pennington who also gets asked by BBC on all thing bugs- and politics and was set up centre isle during Indy debate, guess what at the event he got allowed to speak to denounce independence.

    No coincidences pure manipulation

    Maybe a wee straw poll of who links with who in the unionist camp, directorships of quangos, business, NHS boards etc will be of interest.

  274. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    The United Kingdom is a hostile environment, for Scotland.

    We really need to unfuck ourselves from it.

    We are Scotland.

    5th May 2018.

    Glasgow.

  275. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    Aussi, the air raid sirens were goin’ aff again today, east side.

    For two mintues chez lunchtime.

    I don’t feel scared.

    2 mins like.

    Leuchars?

  276. Croompenstein
    Ignored
    says:

    I won’t be sad to see them go. I’ll be sad at so many wasted opportunities, so many letdowns and disappointments. I’ll be sad for the people of Scotland who were promised so much, gave them so much support, and got so little in return from SNP Scot Govts

    Stu when is this arse going to fall through the ice… ;(

  277. Socrates MacSporran
    Ignored
    says:

    Croompenstein @ 5.30am

    Re oor frien’ Colin Alexnder:

    One of two things will happen to dear Colin, either:

    At 9.01am, on the morning when the victory for Yes in Indyref2 is announced, he, Rock and the other useful idiots will be lined-up in front of their boss at GCHQ trying to explain how this happened – they were supposed to prevent it.

    Or, as the last Chinooks lift-off from the roof of the Scottish Office, heading back past Berwick, he’ll be one of the unfortunates left gazing longingly up at them before returning to the shredders and hoping he gets everything through before the real Scots arrive to take over. He will be mentally rehearsing quite how he tells the subsequent truth commission: “But, I was only obeying orders.”

  278. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    These latest figures for January show that Scotland’s core A&Es have been the best performing in the UK for the past three years. Our hardworking NHS staff have done an incredible job despite a very challenging winter;
    https://twitter.com/ShonaRobison
    https://twitter.com/scotgovhealth/status/970972329055543296

    Alyn Smith;
    http://www.alynsmith.eu/scotland_in_europe_update_20th_april_2018

    A must watch for #Indyref supporters @joannaccherry hits nail on head… INDEPENDENCE is the only way forward for Scotland;
    https://twitter.com/E_ham01/status/987359239629889536

  279. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    Hounding Commonwealth citizens is no accident. It’s cruelty by design;
    https://www.garyyounge.com/article/hounding-commonwealth-citizens-is-no-accidentit-s-cruelty-by-design

    DWP sent Windrush pensioner £33,000 bill for disability benefits
    Valerie Baker was ordered to return ‘overpayments’ for past claims and threatened with deportation;
    http://archive.is/SmSx8

    “All the justifications for Brexit are being dismantled”—The MEPs fighting to stop British departure;
    https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/all-the-justifications-for-brexit-are-being-dismantled-the-meps-fighting-to-stop-british-departure

  280. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    Last One!

    Forget the headlines. The government’s own figures just revealed benefit fraud is a fairy tale;
    https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2018/04/20/forget-the-headlines-the-governments-own-figures-just-revealed-benefit-fraud-is-a-fairy-tale/

    Have a happy and peaceful weekend, Wingers.
    🙂

  281. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    @Socrates MacSporran
    He certainly muffs his guff (or vice versa).

  282. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    Willy Rennie calls for Shona Robison resignation. Is this in the real world? Calls for a pathetic gang up from the gang of 4. Willy Rennie is a totally annoying inadequate. One of the most in Holyrood. Can’t count or read a balance sheet.

    Shona Robison has been successfully running the Health service. Despite massive cuts from Westminster that have to be mitigated. The NHS performance in Scotland outbrates and out performs any in the rest of the UK. Even the BBC/MSM collaborators have to concede it.

    Shona Robison has more compassion in her little finger than Rennie has intellect. He is not fit for public office. LibDems who stole a generations future. Lied and went into collusion with the Tories causing the whole total mess of Westminster Gov. The fraudulent EU Ref. The increased University fees. One of the biggest betrayal’s in political history. Rennie of the total hypocrite Party causing all the problems. Now bleating about another EU Ref but denying one for Scotland. In spite of all the fraud.

    Shona Robison has beensuccessfulky running the SNHS despite all the problems created by Westminster while Rennie has been playing In playground looking for some cheap publicity. The LibDems committing electoral fraud and overspending. Lying and getting away with it. Propping up the Tory psycho bastards in every constituency. Responsible for £Billions going out of Scotland. Responsible for the EU Ref which will further damage the Scottish economy. While the SNP is standing up for Scotland. Doing a magnificent job inspite of all the deliberate drawbacks initiated and imposed by Westminster totally illegally.

    Westminster massive fraud and election corruption. Illegally chucking people out of the UK. Illegal wars, financial fraud and tax evasion. Costing Scotland £Billions which could be used building up the Scottish economy. Like most countries do. The hypocrites at Westminster not voted for in Scotland. They are sanction and starving people. Wasting public money on grotesque projects of no value. There are cheaper, better alternatives. Killing off their own supporters the elderly. Vote Tory unionist to die younger. The mismanagement and corruption is totally unneccessary. Killing off the vulnerable and wasting public money like there is no tomorrow. Causing as much strife and worry in the world as possible. Especially in the Middle East and now Russia.

    The LibDems denying a generation their future was one of the biggest betrayals in political history.. Rennie was part of that. He is the one that should be resigning. Just for being so annoying. The LibDems still colluding with the Tories at every level in Scotland. A LibDem Jennifer Stewart elected as a LibDem in Aberdeen, Ferryhill. Immediately became an Independent to go in with the illegal Tory/Labour coalition. How is that for barefaced hypocrisy. Overthrew any convictions to cheat the taxpayers. One of the worst run councils in Scotland. The none existent Unionist Alliance Party. Kept in power by a two jobs Tory. The only time the City was properly run was when the SNP was in Office. The SNP the biggest Party prevented from administrstion by the LibDem fraud.

    The only Ones that should resign are the LibDems. They do resign ie to support the Tories. Ditto Aberdeenshire council. The LibDems voted Tory to ruin the local economy. The Tories illegal 40% tax on the Oil sector since Jan 2016 ruining the industry. Losing £Billions and 120,000 jobs in Scotland. Now the shipyard betrayal. The Trident waste. 6 contaminated subs lying at Rosyth. The nuclear dump on Scotland. Flying nuclear waste around the world, The rubbish dump. Dumping rubbish on the rest of the world. Instead of putting a tax on plastic bottle etc. Paying more to dump rubbish on the rest of the world. Than taxing and recycling it in the UK.

    Alex Salmond got the AWPR built and the turbines in the Bay. The LibDems held back the local economy for years in cohorts with the Tories. Blocked the AWPR for years and the major Golf Development. Lying sychophants. Blocked the expansion of the airport and every other major development.

    The UTG project had major support blocked by unionists, wasting public money like there is no tomorrow. £1.2Billion in debt. Selling the City off on the Stock exchange. Refusing a gift of £80Million to pedestrianise the City. Disgraceful. Muse project interest £7Million a year for thirty years. Cutting essential services. Education social care etc. Over 100 teachers short. Thanks to the LibDems. Rennie should resign. A massive failure, Rumbles is a disgrace. A 3rd rate reject. Even voting against the Scottish Parliament. Taking remuneration from Scottish taxpayers. He should resign. The betrayal is complete. The only thing protecting Scotland from Westminster total undemocratic abuse.

  283. starlaw
    Ignored
    says:

    Ken 500

    Right on the nail, lib dems a complete parasitic party. Willie Rennie the biggest waste of space at Holyrood.

  284. Dorothy Devine
    Ignored
    says:

    Regarding the Liberal leader in Scotland , having seen and heard the fresh air circulating betwixt his lugs I wonder if he is being used by the Ruth Bossy party to fire the cannon balls of their making.

    I also wonder how we ended up with such a dishonest , trite , Machiavellian opposition to match the equally dishonest , trite and Machiavellian media.

  285. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    The only ones protecting Scotland from Westminster total undemocratic abuse are the SNP. It is only because of them people can try to sleep easy in their beds. Including the sick and vulnerable in hospital. Thanks to all in the SNHS. Thanks a Billion everyone. Including Tayside SNHS. Much maligned by bad unionist governance being sorted now. Well done Shona Robison.

  286. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    Come back Heedy. Please, Your support is needed. Sadly missed.

  287. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    Ken500,
    21 April, 2018 at 7:36 am
    “Come back Heedy. Please,”

    Same!!

  288. Breeks
    Ignored
    says:


    Smallaxe says:
    21 April, 2018 at 6:35 am
    https://raptorpersecutionscotland.wordpress.com/2018/04/20/snh-issues-licence-for-mass-raven-cull-in-5-year-experiment/

    How about a licence excluding all gamekeepers and arseholes with shotguns for 20 years as an experiment to see whether Scotland’s bird populations can balance their own ecosystem without mass slaughter and genocide of certain species?

    You disgust me Scottish Natural Heritage, and you stink of Tory.

  289. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    Gfaetheblock says: 21 April, 2018 at 12:25 am:

    “Yes, and unless you have footage of them campaigning on a No platform I will continue to. Happy to be corrected if you have any links of them supporting no, leave or remain or any political party.</i?

    Most hilarious post of the day, Gfaetheblock.

    First of all I made no claims that the BBC were, "part of the official NO campaign", so your attempt at deflection fails before it begins. Thus BBC persons appearance on the NO campaign platforms has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the topic.

    The BBC was set up from its very inception to be under the control of the Westminster Government. i.e. as the United Kingdom's state Broadcaster.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/corporate2/insidethebbc/managementstructure/bbcstructure

    It began by drawing upon a group of the only experts there was in the World. These were the actual inventors of the early wireless communications and included the often quoted inventor of the Wireless Broadcast medium:-

    Guglielmo Marconi, 1st Marquis of Marconi was an Italian inventor and electrical engineer known for his pioneering work on long-distance radio transmission and for his development of Marconi’s law and a radio telegraph system.

    He is credited as the inventor of radio, and he shared the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand Braun “in recognition of their contributions to the development of wireless telegraphy”.

    The BBC was established as, “The British Broadcasting Corporation”, by Royal Charter in December 1926 and it’s governance and funding arrangements have been set out in a Royal Charter ever since.

    That means the World’s first two Ham, (Radio Amateur), wireless broadcast stations 2MT and 2LO were taken over by the Westminster Parliament and its governors, (and that of its overseeing body, “The BBC Trust”, have been chosen by Her Majesty’s Government ever since.

    The BBC is thus, (in spite of their ever present brainwashing efforts ever since), undoubtedly the World’s first, biggest and most successful State Propaganda Broadcasters.

    Why would such a long established state owned institution concern itself in the running of the Scottish NO to independence campaign when its entire raison d’être has always concentrated on its main function as the propaganda voice of the United Kingdom Government?

    Its very title, “The British Broadcasting Corporation”, is, in itself, a form of Westminster propaganda. That is, they are indeed British but do not represent all of Britain being owned and finance only by the United Kingdom part of Britain.

    Please note how the Westminster Establishment fosters the false notion that they represent all Britain but they are not so. This false claim is perhaps there very first bit of propaganda on behalf of their masters in the Westminster Parliament.

  290. Socrates MacSporran
    Ignored
    says:

    starlaw @ 7.17am

    You wrote: “Willie Rennie the biggest waste of space at Holyrood.

    I am moved to protect the reputation of a lady and therefore demand, on behalf of Jackie Baillie, you retract that statement.

    I am further moved, on the ground of stupid, orange-tinted, pig-headed ignorance of the fact We Are The People, to demand on behalf of Murdo Fraser – you retract that statement.

  291. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    Breeks,

    Agreed.
    Mother nature will find her own balance if allowed to do so.

  292. starlaw
    Ignored
    says:

    Socrates MacSporran 7-17am

    The Sunshine has clearly affected my brain beams.
    Murdo and Baillie would both be disappointed to be omitted from this List so I offer the pair of them along with Rennie equal rating in the Holyrood waste of Space League Table.
    Yours sincerely Starlaw.

  293. Socrates MacSporran
    Ignored
    says:

    starlaw

    Agreed.

  294. winifred mccartney
    Ignored
    says:

    At least the clown Rennie has realised who the enemy is – Ruthie and her cohorts in WM and Holyrood unlike Richard Leonard who still has to figure it out. Ross Thomson and Murdo are just being true to kind.

  295. Colin Alexander
    Ignored
    says:

    Will all the Glasgow City Council SNP and Green councillors be there on the pro-indy march in May?

    Will all the SNP MPs and SNP and Green MSPs and councillors from other areas be on the march and at Glesga Green thanking and supporting the grassroots indy movement?

    Maybe I should have asked: Will ANY be there?

    My estimate based on past events is one or two at the most, MSPs such as Sandra White or Humza Yousaf.

    ————————-

    So, Shona Robison should get all the credit for good things in the SNHS but it’s nothing to do with her when there are any bad things in the SNHS? No bias there haha.

    The SNP have been in power for 11 years, it’s happened under SNP govts. To be fair to Shona Robison, she’s been in the job less than two. The failures include her time but, go well beyond that.

    Health Boards deliver NHS health services in their regions. Health Boards in turn report and are responsible to NHS Scotland. NHS Scotland’s CEO is Paul Gray who’s been in the job since Dec 2013, if I remember right.

    NHS Scotland are responsible to the Scottish Govt for how the NHS is run, primarily the Health Secretary.

    That’s where the public accountability is supposed to come in. They are public services funded by us.

    All the Health Board CEO’s meet up with Paul Gray / NHS Scotland for monthly meetings. There are auditors and layers and layers of governance.

    If NHS Tayside can cook the books for six years (and other Boards can do other abuses some of which Shona Robison HAS been told about) then there is something seriously wrong with the system.

    That’s not just the fault of Shona Robison, that’s possibly the fault of successive mis-governance of our health service under successive Scottish Govts going back through ALL SNP govts to Labour/LibDem ones.

    And as I’ve said before, the SPSO is a waste of space. A rigged system, Establishment apologist, (created by Labour, continued by the SNP) that masquerades as an independent ombudsman, that’s supposed to scrutinise and uphold the public’s rights in the NHS and other public services.

  296. Famous15
    Ignored
    says:

    Wall to wall LibDem absurdities.Jo Swinton has nothing but our eye shadow between her ears AND Willie Rennie on the localism of Police Scotland appears to wish murders investigated by Neighbourhood Watch.

    Please tell me I misheard that.

    One major point of a National Police Service was the police would have the best equipment and the highest skilled personnel available. It seems to be paying off.

  297. Famous15
    Ignored
    says:

    Colin Alexander at 9.01. The Brigade will dock your wages if you are late again and while we are at it,as you are, more boot boy more boot. i want to see my face in that spit and polish.

  298. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Colin Alexander,

    Your statement makes two assumptions. The first is that nobody could hide millions of pounds from view. The second is that somehow the Health Secretary is responsible when those millions are found.

    I worked in the NHS for many ,many years and I know every trick in the book to hide shortfalls in plain view. It’s what Boards do ,because very few can actually competently balance their books.

    When a Board makes a decision to bypass the system that is down to them. An example in Tayside is when Mr Marr built a multi million pound facility for his wife who was a Director and would have been in charge of its business.

    This came from the Board budget. I can guarantee you it was hidden among other costs. The missing word here is integrity.

    Scottish government rely on integrity from the Boards. Sadly it is often missing.

  299. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    The Herald is knowingly printing absolute lies.

  300. Hamish100
    Ignored
    says:

    Colin Alexander seems to have taken upon himself to undertake a register of attendees for the March. Who appointed you CA? How will I be able to identify you? Saltire on back with Union Jack socks or will you just be shouting , look at me, look at me, look at me? Will you be all alone in a corner? lol

  301. Fred
    Ignored
    says:

    Instead of prosecuting keepers when found guilty, the laird or estate-manager should do time for wildlife crime by their employees! A spell in the Bar-L would work wonders for the chinless-wonders!

  302. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    1853 – over 200 women in Ardgay village of Gruinyards repel Glaswegian police trying to issue a summons to leave their farms. The police eventually succeed after a bloody battle charge. The Highland Clearance in epitome.

    Your essential weekend reading:

    The Sorrow and the Shame: https://wp.me/p4fd9j-mxZ

  303. Sinky
    Ignored
    says:

    The Herald continues its SNP smear over Cambridge Analytica on front page for third consecutive day while minimal coverage of real Tory involvement / scandal was buried inside.

  304. Highland Wifie
    Ignored
    says:

    Excellent links Smallaxe thank you.
    Hope Nana is well.

    Heedtracker, where are you?!

  305. Colin Alexander
    Ignored
    says:

    If the devolved EU powers are reserved to WM instead of remaining devolved, it’s a total betrayal of Scottish and Welsh devolution settlements.

    I would like to see all the MSPs and Scottish MPs ( and Welsh counterparts) of every party threaten to resign their seats (and do it if required) if the devolution agreement is not adhered to.

    That would force an election. The WM Unionists can stand for their worthless, betrayed devolution settlement if they like and the independists can stand for full independence.

    Let the people of Scotland and Wales decide which they’d prefer.

  306. Fred
    Ignored
    says:

    Hundreds of jobs to go at Nissan in Sunderland! Shit happens eh!

  307. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    The Herald also smears Derek Mackay and Peter Murrell by saying they were cited in a racism court case. Not true, says Peter Murrell.
    https://twitter.com/PeterMurrell/status/987604893694418951

  308. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    This @heraldscotland story claims @DerekMackaySNP and I have been cited in this court case. This is not true;
    https://twitter.com/PeterMurrell/status/987604893694418951

  309. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    The Murrell tweet was from Stu’s twitter.
    Here, from a comment on Craig Murray’s blog is a Tass report about the statement of Russian envoy, Alexander Shulgin, to the OPCW:

    THE HAGUE, April 18. /TASS/. Russia has submitted the proof that the Novichok agent was produced and patented in the United States as a chemical weapon in 2015, Russia’s Permanent Representative at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Alexander Shulgin said on Wednesday.

    The Russian envoy made this statement during his speech at an emergency session of the OPCW Executive Council on the Salisbury incident.

    “On December 1, 2015, the United States Patent and Trademark Office turned to the Russian agency in charge of patents with a request to check the patentability of the invention made by US researcher T. Rubin,” the envoy said, demonstrating the document.

    “This document confirms that nerve agents like Novichok were not only produced but were even patented as a chemical weapon in the United States. And this is not an old story, this happened just several years ago: the patent is dated December 1, 2015,” the envoy said.

    http://tass.com/politics/1000583

    Oops. Looks like US patented Novichok in 2015. Russia will be highly likely to owe them royalites.

  310. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Smallaxe – snap!

    Is Chris Cairns on holiday? Or should that be – where is Chris Cairns on holiday this week?

  311. Archbishop of Dork
    Ignored
    says:

    Advertisement

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    Set in delightful grounds in BERKshire.

    Depute Head: A Rudd
    Head Girl: Caroline Nokes

    Instruction in everything a Tory lady requires from our highly qualified staff.

    *Classes in DEPORTment.

    *Dancing. With Dancing Master Mr. Bojo Johnson. (Wardance a speciality).

    *Language (except diplomatic).

    *Etiquette (Our young ladies are taught how to address the Scotch etc).

    *Music (Learn to play the flute with Miss Davidson).

    Fees: £15 000 per term.
    Interviewing applicants now.

  312. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    Capella,

    Great minds think alike/Fools seldom differ. I think we’re in the first category, I hope!
    🙂

  313. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    BBC to follow up Rivers of Blood speech by asking Katie Hopkins to recite Mein Kampf;
    http://newsthump.com/2018/04/12/bbc-to-follow-up-rivers-of-blood-speech-by-asking-katie-hopkins-to-recite-mein-kampf/

    This is probably true.
    😉

  314. Hamish100
    Ignored
    says:

    ah bbc shereen

    all cosy middleclasses chattering together. Boring and biased

  315. TheItalianJob
    Ignored
    says:

    @Grousebeater at 9.55
    Thanks for this historical timeline on the terrible clearances and subsequent clampdown on all things Scottish the people were subjected too and are still being subjected to.

    @Smallaxe all morning
    Thanks for your wonderful and informative links
    Keep them coming

  316. Robin
    Ignored
    says:

    Does anybody know of anyone who voted for the Lib/Dems at the last election?

    Wullie Rennie tries to justify his large salary by spouting anti-SNP nonsense every week.

    But he fails miserably.

    And the old jokes about “you could hold a Lib/Dem Conference inside a phone box” are not too far from the truth.

    Rennie is just one wee horrible human being.

  317. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    TheItalianJob,

    Thank you, my friend, you’re most welcome.
    🙂

  318. Tinto Chiel
    Ignored
    says:

    “Rennie is just one wee horrible human being.”

    Every time I see this utter plank I think of the malevolent wee ventriloquist’s dummy in “Dead Of Night”.

    Can’t WM just cut to the chase and beam him up for services rendered to the Hall of Verminous Ermine?

  319. auld highlander
    Ignored
    says:

    Grouse Beater at 9.55

    A very interesting link in your article article so I did a google to find exact location and found that the estate with just over four thousand acres and a big was up for grabs at offers over one and a half million. Another playground for the well heeled sold..
    https://bellingram.co.uk/property/gruinards-estate-ardgay-highland-iv24-3bw/#fndtn-panel_description

  320. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    I too miss Heedtracker’s acerbic wit – having been on the receiving end of it on occasion.
    What I don’t miss is the continual bickering with trolls.

    Is there any way to have one without the other?
    It is a relief not to have to scroll past long screeds of boring rubbish.

  321. jfngw
    Ignored
    says:

    I see Tom Gordon is making a pitch to ensure he is a regular on the new BBC Scotland channel He could be BBC Scotland’s Andrew Neil if he plays his cards right. The Hammer of the Nats, a neutral look at the weeks news.

  322. Highland Wifie
    Ignored
    says:

    My post thanking Smallaxe for excellent links seems to have disappeared into the ether.
    Thanks Smallaxe. Really appreciated.

  323. HandandShrimp
    Ignored
    says:

    Is it just me or are the Herald journalists getting increasingly desperate and, frankly, deranged in their SNPbad attempts.

    Tom Gordon’s “bad week for the SNP” has to be one of the more contrived confections of the week. Has he noticed Syria and Windrush at all or is he locked in some sort of strange bubble that only allows him to focus on his pet hate?

    I am willing to bet that you could select 100 people at random on the streets of Scotland and ask who has had a bad week politically and every single one would plump for either May or Corbyn depending on their take on who was responsible for the Windrush landing cards or their respective positions on Syria.

    If you were to say “what about a court case involving an ex SNP councillor trying to sue regarding accusations of racism from a couple of years ago” I am pretty sure they would all say “what court case” (I know I did).

    The Herald channels its inner Daily Mail more and more every day. It is only a matter of time before they will largely be reporting on celebrity bikini styles.

  324. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    Smallaxe has some great links today. Let me add one brilliant post from Mark Frankland. From Stu’s twitter.

    Something to cheer us all up today:
    https://marksimonfrankland.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/so-this-is-england-2018-and-this-is.html

  325. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    Highland Wifie,

    Thank you, for taking the time to read the links.
    Remember, Wingers spread the word!
    🙂

  326. Daisy Walker
    Ignored
    says:

    Morning all, and isn’t it beautiful. Thank you Smallaxe for the links.

    Another pointer for those who like to keep informed eureferendum.com his latest essay is very informative as always.

    The establishment sen to have latched onto a Customs Union as being the best compromise. This does not cur out border controls, does not keep us in the Single Market (and all that trade), but it does keep them out of the ECJ so the tax dodgers will be happy.

    A wee taster.

    “Thus, to put it succinctly, the EU has rejected everything the UK has to offer and the only thing acceptable to the EU has been rejected by the UK. There is no middle way.

    That brings us right back to square one and, unless this can be sorted, we have to confront Michel Barnier’s warning that the Brexit talks could fail. In fact, there’s no “could” about it. We have been told often enough, if there is no settlement of the Irish question, then the talks will fail.

    This is a reality which the UK government doesn’t seem to understand. There is going to be no last-minute change of heart from the EU and no movement from its insistence on the backstop, where North and the Republic maintain regulatory alignment.

    But if the backstop creates a “wet” border between the mainland and Ireland, there is a whole new world of grief awaiting HMG. Not only can ports such as Holyhead not handle the burdens of managing this border, the creation of a whole new infrastructure will cost hundreds of millions and take years to implement.

    With no plans in place, and a transition period that is scarcely long enough, the UK, even if it agreed to it, could not deliver on the “backstop”. And whether it “can’t” or “won’t”, the effect is the same. Mrs May has driven us up a one-way street to a dead end, in a car with no reverse gear.

    And yet, all the Guardian can suggest is that we stay in a customs union. Is this the end of intelligent life as we know it?”

  327. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    Capella,

    Thank you, for that bit of truly heartwarming news, it makes a change from the usual depressing tripe that we have to wade through on a daily basis.

    Here’s another bit of good news;
    One of England’s most notorious fox hunts has suffered a humiliating defeat in court;
    https://www.thecanary.co/discovery/2018/04/20/one-of-englands-most-notorious-fox-hunts-has-suffered-a-humiliating-defeat-in-court/

  328. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    Hi Daisy,

    Thank you, keep your ideas coming, my friend “Every car is a billboard”
    🙂

    Here’s a link from the Independent.ie;
    British approach to dealing with Irish border ‘defies logic’ – former Taoiseach Brian Cowen;
    https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/british-approach-to-dealing-with-irish-border-defies-logic-former-taoiseach-brian-cowen-36826270.html

  329. Dan Huil
    Ignored
    says:

    @Robert Peffers 10:55pm

    “The BBC don’t give a damn if you don’t pay for a licence for they don’t get their grant from the licence fees.”

    Morning, Robert. Excellent news. Everyone! Don’t pay the bbc tax, oops, I mean licence fee, because the bbc doesn’t care if you do or don’t. This news should be trumpeted over and over again. Spend the £150 on something else other than a useless piece of licence paper.

    Ach, sorry Robert, I’m still going to call it the bbc tax.

  330. Gfaetheblock
    Ignored
    says:

    Robin,

    Re voting LD at last election, i did. A pro EU, centerist voice in parliament, as much chance add forming a government as labour or SNP. My vote helped return a LD MP for Edinburgh west.

  331. Dan Huil
    Ignored
    says:

    Ireland is the key that’s going to unlock Scotland’s unionist incarceration.

  332. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Tom Gordon’s “bad week for the SNP” has to be one of the more contrived confections of the week”

    They’re currently bombing the crap out of middle east countries wracked by civil wars, kicked off after they illegally invaded Iraq with the US, their Brexit’s a rolling disaster, their austerity has completely failed, national debt hitting £2 trillion and costing hundreds and thousands of lives. Now they’ve been caught deporting elderly people who’ve lived here all their lives after coming to this mental Uk with their parents as kids.

    Why are the tory party still winning elections? BBC led tory press propaganda Glasgow Herald style.

    And they’re trying to start a war with Russia, with the likelihood of civil war again in Northern Ireland.

    Vote tory, red and blue.

  333. Breeks
    Ignored
    says:

    All the anti SNP and anti Independence smears in the media don’t have to be true to do their job.

    It’s like school bullies abusing the wee boy in the playground. They ridicule and belittle him to isolate him and set him apart from “normal”. Some of the mud thrown at him sticks and impressionable kids start to look in another direction and shun him. The isolation and hostility makes the wee lad afraid and anxious, and impacts on his confidence so he withdraws in upon himself even more.

    The “media” is working very hard to get a broad swathe of Scotland’s population to disengage with the SNP and Independence movement, and that is why you see the constant invective… the SNP tells lies, the SNP are crooks, the SNP are gold diggers, the SNP are incompetent, the SNP are to blame, the SNP smell funny, the SNP’s dad is never home, the SNP wears his sister’s hand-me-downs, the SNP has the pox…

    It doesn’t need to be true to its job…

    Scotland is in an abusive relationship, and a lot of the abuse is psychological and calculated to destroy our belief and self esteem and put a ring around us “Nats” like a “Keep Your Distance” quarantine perimeter so you don’t catch rabies.

    But here’s the catch. There’s a body of well intentioned and considered opinion which wants the SNP to be more animated about promoting Independence and actively defending Scotland’s place in Europe, and the SNP is doing a grand job of carrying on regardless. The criticism is pigeon holed beside all the baseless SNPbad rhetoric in the media, when it is a crucially different phenomenon.

    It is really important that the SNP starts to recognise the difference between malicious criticism it is safe to spurn, and constructive criticism which it really should be listening to. Some people are getting frustrated, exasperated, disillusioned and angry, not with increasing Dickensian Unionism, but with SNP inaction. You don’t have ultimately agree with this body of opinion, but I fear it’s a really big mistake refusing to engage with it. The SNP is becoming the bullied wee boy who withdrawing in upon himself with only his corrosive self doubt for company.

  334. Dan Huil
    Ignored
    says:

    @Smallaxe 11:59am

    Nice one, Smallaxe. The more publicity the better in refusing to pay the bbc tax. The more people refuse the more difficult for the bbc and britnat media to hide the fact that people in Scotland distrust the bbc and hate its britnat propaganda.

    An whit the hell wis The Singing Ringing Tree aw aboot onywyes?

  335. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    More and more it feels like we are being subjected to the propoganda machine of an occupying power. It is verging on complete subversion of facts to fit their narrative.

    Wars and rebellions have started for less. Are we the Resistance movement of our country, because it is certainly beginning to feel that way to me.

  336. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    Dan Huil,

    Mibbies it wis the magic money tree, Dan.
    🙂

  337. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    Yeah, instead of waiting for the date of our imminent iScotref to be announced and in the meantime… all of Scotlands grassroots yessers need to get together and officially relaunch.

    Aye would like to propose an official Yes relaunch date for:
    5th May 2018.

    As the countdown clock ticks, we should be doing stuff and promoting ourselves as often as we can (at least once a month.)

    Then once we’re visible and gathering even more pace, Nicola can point to us as evidence and state, that now is indeed the time and announce the date for iScotref.

    14 days remaining to go till oor Yes relaunch.

  338. Rev. Stuart Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    “I too miss Heedtracker’s acerbic wit – having been on the receiving end of it on occasion.
    What I don’t miss is the continual bickering with trolls.

    Is there any way to have one without the other?”

    That’s rather up to Heedtracker.

  339. Rev. Stuart Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    “FFS Rev, surely Heedtracker is due parole, at least he tried to hammer these these feckin trolls, much more than you do.”

    I’m tired repeating myself. If you want to “hammer trolls”, use the Contact form to tell me about them and link to the problematic posts (right-click on the timestamp of the offending comment). The reason I don’t do more about it is that PEOPLE DON’T DO THAT SO I DON’T KNOW IT’S HAPPENING.

    If you hate trolls, DO NOT derail threads by engaging with them. THAT’S WHAT TROLLS FUCKING WANT.

  340. gus1940
    Ignored
    says:

    Did my ears deceive me or did Toodlootaylor actually refer to on last night’s Misreporting Scotland ‘Ruth Davidson’s Personal Charisma’?.

  341. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    That’s rather up to Heedtracker.

    I know! There has to be a sin bin, red card rules, even btl WoS.

  342. Jack Murphy
    Ignored
    says:

    Thankyou Smallaxe for all your links at 6:30am today. 🙂

  343. Cubby
    Ignored
    says:

    IGNORE THE TROLLS

    They are boring anyway – repeating the same old guff.

  344. Smallaxe
    Ignored
    says:

    Jack Murphy,

    Thank you, Jack, your welcome my friend.
    🙂

  345. K1
    Ignored
    says:

    The irony is Cat had just asked Heed to stop ‘playing with’ his pets…and Heed had said he would, then within moments of that Stu put him on pre mod.

    So come on Heed…back to Wings…puhlease 🙂

    (I’ve used the contact form as suggested…when that ‘person’ verbally abused Lizg a couple of weeks ago..the ‘person’ has been on ever since…just saying…)

  346. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    @Cubby / K1
    I don’t think Rev has noticed that Colin Alexander has ignored his final warning, and is still banging on about Robison and the NHS.

  347. K1
    Ignored
    says:

    Aye, noted Yir2

  348. Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    Ken500 says:
    20 April, 2018 at 11:17 pm

    “May, Hunt or the unionists would be there is any case in Westminster.”

    They would, but they wouldn’t be able to form governments with 35% of the vote.

    The fact they can is because of your beloved “First Past the Post” voting system which you are so keen to bring to the Scottish parliament.

  349. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Dan Huil says: 21 April, 2018 at 11:53 am:

    “Ach, sorry Robert, I’m still going to call it the bbc tax.”

    Thing is I never said it wasn’t a BBC tax, Dan. The BBC like everyone else doesn’t tax anyone as that is the Job of the Government. I said the BBC doesn’t directly get the licence fee money because the viewers pay the government to have permission to view live broadcasts and it doesn’t make a blind bit of difference to the BBC because the BBC gets a fixed, agreed grant from the treasury and, in view of the work they do for the government I’m sure that Westminster would not only continue to pay the BBC even if there was no one paying the licence fee.

    I don’t give a damn what you spend the money on, but it sure as hell is not going to be punishing the BBC.

    It wont even bother Westminster for if they think that they aren’t squeezing folks enough they will just up the VAT or put up the alcohol tax.

  350. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    So you have Rock and CA and others who just attack Heed, Peffers and now Ken500 as their sole boring reason for existence who can post their boring garbage willy, nilly, but Heed put on pre-moderation, who’s at least funny and often informative.

    What a load of crap.

  351. Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    yesindyref2 says:
    21 April, 2018 at 8:24 pm

    “So you have Rock and CA and others who just attack Heed, Peffers and now Ken500 as their sole boring reason for existence who can post their boring garbage willy, nilly, but Heed put on pre-moderation, who’s at least funny and often informative.

    What a load of crap.”

    If you think this blog is “a load of crap”, are you “in” or are you “out”?

    Ian Brotherhood,
    11 February, 2017 at 12:59 am

    “Rock and his supporters are – successfully – choking the life out of creative, informative discourse on this site.

    No more appealing to Rev, or anyone else – I’m out.”

  352. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    So you have Rock and CA and others like Indy2 who just attack Heed, Peffers and now Ken500, Ian Brotherhood and me as their sole boring reason for existence who can post their boring garbage willy, nilly, but Heed put on pre-moderation, who’s at least funny and often informative.

    What a load of crap.

  353. gus1940
    Ignored
    says:

    Today -BBC News web site:-

    Long article detailing the history of BBC Staff Vetting by MI5.

  354. Wullie B
    Ignored
    says:

    It seems the BBC are still at it, according to an article today, yet they try and give the image that they are impartial, Aye right, impartiality would mean they would hire anyone, not just those that give the governments good stead, no wonder Neill and Co are given a free ride

    http://www.bbc.com/news/stories-43754737
    Vetting was brought into play once a candidate and one or two alternatives labelled “also suitable” had been selected for a job. The alternatives served a useful purpose. If the first choice was barred by vetting, the appointments board moved easily on to the second. The candidates were told only that “formalities” would be carried out before an appointment was made. This sounded harmless enough; it would allow time to follow up references, perhaps. Candidates did not know that “formalities” meant vetting – and was, in fact, the code word for the whole system.

    A memo from 1984 gives a run-down of organisations on the banned list. On the left, there were the Communist Party of Great Britain, the Socialist Workers Party, the Workers Revolutionary Party and the Militant Tendency. By this stage there were also concerns about movements on the right – the National Front and the British National Party.

    A banned applicant did not need to be a member of these organisations – association was enough.
    Image caption BBC Announcers Room in 1938

    If MI5 found something against a candidate, it made one of three “assessments” in a kind of league table:

    Category “A” stated: “The Security Service advises that the candidate should not be employed in a post offering direct opportunity to influence broadcast material for a subversive purpose.”
    Category “B” was less restrictive. The Security Service “advised” against employment “unless it is decided that other considerations are overriding”.
    Category “C” stated that the information against a candidate should not “necessarily debar” them but the BBC “may prefer to make other arrangements” if the post offered “exceptional opportunity” for subversive activity.

    The BBC procedure was in principle never to employ someone in Category “A”, though a few did get through the net. This contradicted its public position that the BBC controlled all appointments. In theory it did. In practice it gave that choice to MI5 in Category “A” cases.

    If staff came under suspicion only after they had been employed by the BBC or applied for transfer to a job that needed vetting, an image resembling a Christmas tree was drawn on their personal file.

  355. Graham Hendry
    Ignored
    says:

    Haven’t read the comments. Just to say that saying people in some BBC thing were vetted until the 1990’s or whatever it was doesn’t mean that they weren’t vetted afterwards too – I listened to my music until I got to the shop. (I bought a packet of crisps and then listened to my music again).

  356. Jon Musgrave
    Ignored
    says:

    check this BBC article
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-43754737
    shows they have been at it for a long, long time. Treat denials of blacklists as out and out lies.



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