A lack of selfie-awareness
The Scottish Mail On Sunday felt obliged this weekend to devote newsprint in what’s technically an actual newspaper to a piece of snark that might just be a new all-time low in the highly competitive barrel-scraping field of “SNP BAD”:
Half a page was given up to a bunch of sour complaints that the First Minister had built in FIVE MINUTES on her itinerary on a school visit (aimed at encouraging girls to take up traditionally male careers) for people to get selfies with her.
Stand by, folks. It actually gets worse.
As well as walking Tory rentaquote Murdo “WATP” Fraser chipping in his 2p-worth, miserable griping Labour MSPs joined in the carpathon on Twitter, presumably on the basis that they’d prefer the FM to tell little schoolgirls to sod off because she was too busy and important to spend a few seconds having her picture taken with them:
The Mail’s political editor Alan Roden gave the story a bump at lunchtime:
All of which would be just standard tedious petty whining unworthy of note if it wasn’t for the fact that Nicola Sturgeon had actually been given a selfie stick as a Christmas present last December by… the Scottish Parliamentary Journalists’ Association.
And in case any alert readers are wondering who the wee piggy-faced bald guy gurning right next to the FM at the very front of that shot is…
…it is, of course, Alan Roden of the Scottish Daily Mail.
We’ll just leave that one there.
Irony of ironies
To lie you need to have a good memory.
Nothing to do with jealousy that past and present SNP FMs are the only party leaders that ordinary people in Scotland would WANT to be pictured with?
C*ck!
Stu have you sneaked in the middle at the back 🙂
I bore myself coming on here and saying , “words fail.” But, seriously, words are not enough to express the frustration at these idiots and their lack of self-awareness. It may not be perfect, but thank Crunchie for The Sunday Herald.
“Tires out” her selfie stick?
Christ these people are desperately clutching at straws now.
Presume they meant to say tires, not tries, very funny. Never heard of A.Rodent before now.
Shame these waste of trees journos couldn’t come up with something worth printing, are they that bored by all the expensive wars going on, attacks on human rights coming from oh so not so democratic UKOK, the ENHS facing collosal cuts etc! Still, spouting inane pap pays their wages eh, gits.
Is this a joke .. How do they expect people to react to this piece of rubbish. Now had it been the Queen or Kate …….
Can journalism get get any more pathetic? An anti-Independence journalists job description. The ideal candidate must be…
lying, untruthful, dishonest, deceitful, false, dissembling, insincere, disingenuous, hypocritical, fraudulent, double-dealing, two-faced, Janus-faced, two-timing, duplicitous.
Other essential qualities include…
use of government propaganda to maximum effect, lying through your teeth, smearing Scotland and the Scottish government.
Please forward applications please directly to 10 Downing Street.
If this is the worst complaint that Scottish Mail on Sunday have about Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP, then I don’t think she has too much to worry about. And it makes them look like right miserable c@~£s 🙂
The Herald’s “tires out” typos does it for me. Quality journalism awards all round 🙂
It’s got to the point where it’s cruel to Scottish/British journalists to point out the truth.
The Uriah Heep of journalise is on the same quest that they
operated on Alex Salmond.
Alex is an honest man, courteous, polite, professional,
charitable, and with a greater care for his fellow countrymen
than he seeks financial reward and jaundiced tiles.
Bump into an Englishman and Alex is known as a demon, because that is what they were force fed day after day, month after month and year after year by the filthy rich media owners.
Now we have disgusing Scottish leader not doing England’s bidding but being nice to people, and listening to what they have tom say.
This just isn’t how it is done in Westminster!
Oh the attempted colonoial media demonising of Scotland’s First Minister by the country’s top presstitutes goes on ahead unabated.
Massive FAIL.
Now I hope you all fucking know why we piss ourselves laughing at you, you bunch of monkeys with a typewriter.
Note to Scotland’s presstitutes: remove selfie stick from ass before making dumbass comments.
Nicola, keep doing what you’re doing.
FFS!
Oh well. It’s The Heil. What do you expect…?
Alan Rodent.
Can journalism get get any more pathetic? An anti-Independence journalists job description. The ideal candidate must be…
lying, untruthful, dishonest, deceitful, false, dissembling, insincere, disingenuous, hypocritical, fraudulent, double-dealing, two-faced, two-timing, duplicitous.
Other essential qualities include…
use of government propaganda to maximum effect, lying through your teeth, smearing Scotland and the Scottish government.
Please forward your application directly to 10 Downing Street.
Sad,sad,sad. Have these people no shame ?
Well her itinary is better than Gordon Brown’s diary;
Meet Thomas Hamilton for 5 mins…..
Well, you know they know they’ve really lost the battle and the war when they start on this sort of stuff.
Well these churnalists, and the tweeting nonenties from the tories of both colours is boring, boring BORING.
Go away the lot of you, and try and do a decent days work. Oh sorry, you don’t really know what that is, do you? SNP BAD.
Can you imagine the shenanigans and the shrieking and wringing of hands if Nicola had actually snubbed a wean cause she was to busy.These buggers would have a field day with that.
Carry on Nicola, your doing a grand job.
Alan Roden, Head (Forelock) Tugger.
A Tugger among Tuggers!
“Scottish Parliamentary Journalists’ Association.”
I think on a previous thread I expressed my surprise such a body existed. Hope the FM checked her purse after that encounter.
I am still surprised.
Message to all sad, twisted Yoons, including the most gnarled and twisted Monica Lennon, Hamilton’s Own BLiS Corkscrew:
Can you see all those girls behind the FM? They are our future and you are the past.
Now run along and try to find some form of moral redemption.
Seriously, is there an arse left in that barrel?
Of course, the tabloids are only interested in girls when they turn 16 and they snap them in their bikinis.
‘Wow! (insert young ‘celebrity’ name here) is all grown up!’
What a cruddy piece of bad temper from this Rag.
A real job would kill these fecking wasters.
Great photo of the FM and Scotland’s Future.
A collective noun for a gathering of scribes?
A Hackery? A Bitchery?
Answers on a SAE postcard to..
Well finally the media along with the token labour stooge have finally attained their natural level with all that is happening in the world they resort to what would make a moron seem intelligent , maybe the old saying children should be seen and not heard applies ,other than that is this all they have ? is this their best shot , they are not even intelligent enough to produce a good political smear an amateurish effort that reflects how truly desperate these fools are , truly desperate.
Come on folks! Lighten up. It’s the (Scottish sic) Daily Mail, a publication that can relied upon to leave a shiny trail behind it.
I am advised by an anonymous senior spokesperson from the SNP that there is no truth in the story appearing in today’s Sunday Times (Scotland) that the pavement outside Bute House has been repaired only after the strict orders of the First Minister and that the official responsible has been exiled to Labour held Morningside until after the Festival.
We should be eternally grateful for the vigilance of those publications that only seek to uphold the great traditions of investigative journalism in our benighted land.
David Camron’s Diary 8th September 2014:
10:00am Meet bosses of big supermarket chains to get them to terrorise Scotland with increased food prices if they vote YES.
11:00 – Meet with Banking bosses to get them to terrorise Scotland by moving their HQs out of Scotland if they vote YES.
12:00 – Lunch with that irritating BT lady.
13:00 – Meet with Darling and Mone. Promise them gongs and ermine if they tell Scotland it’s shite.
14:00 – Meet with UKs biggest pop and TV stars. Get them to tell Scotland it’s shite but lovely shite.
15:00 – Polish selfie of me and Andy Murray.
15:15 – Get Georgie to terrorise Scotland by refusing a currency union.
16:00 – Get Scotland’s newspaper barons to print a VOW offering new extended powers if they vote NO. Make it sound really really good but as vague as hell so we don’t actually have to give them anything when the suckers fall for it.
17:00 – Explain to Samantha the pig thing was all just a big misunderstanding.
If we get radical land reform, we can nationalise Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre’s highland estate without compensation?
That will give Alan Rodent something to bump his gums about.
Many’s a time many have written on here how much further can the press in Scotland sink?
Time and time again we all state they have reached rock bottom, the only way is up!
Each and every time how wrong we all are, there is no depth that the unionist press and politicians, be they red or blue tory, will not plummet to!
Lesley Riddoch and Andy Wightman on at 7pm
link to livestream.com
How dare she!
5 minutes wasted in the company of our children. What was she thinking.
I think this is the rock bottom of SNPbad press stories. Can you imagine how hard they are digging to uncover something negative and this is all they can come up with!
Speaking for myself I would be quite happy to have Nicola Sturgeon in any school taking selfies with the kiddies.
I wouldn’t be happy if it were a Brit Nat friend of the kiddy Fiddling Brit Establishment in any school doing the same.
I would also equate Brit Nat politicians using schools as a forum to tell Scots kiddies that they are too wee and too poor and too stupid to be Independent as a form of child abuse that should result in criminal charges being brought against them. Especially if the twa faced Yoon BBC are present as well.
[…] Wings Over Scotland A lack of selfie-awareness The Scottish Mail On Sunday felt obliged this weekend to devote newsprint in what’s […]
She’s got em rattled for sure.
Just keep doing what you do, Nicola.
You are obviously doing something right. 🙂
@Proud Cybernat
Hahaha. You missed
20:00 Bullingdon Boys Reunion (PS bring your own pork)
Zinoviev Selfie No.34. Truth sticks it to lying britnats.
I don’t have a selfie with the FM I was so awsomestruck and enchanted and overwhelmed by her very presence and wonderfulness I forgot
Can people out there pleez pleez send me all the fotys you have of my chosen Queen of Scotland
Ther ye are, diz that make matters wurse or better
Pick a complaint Yoons any complaint roll up roll up
Gratify yersels stupit shower a “Churnalists”
Thing is ALL of the youngsters in our schools have selfies with the FM and see just because of that ALL of the children in Scotland (yes every single one) are definitely voting YES and they’ll be waving Saltires as they do it
They’ve all told me personally when I’ve been recruiting for the Youth Core and teaching marching for beginners
Every night in supermarkets tons of papers are sent back to where they came from or wherever newspapers go to die and still they smear them with the stuff before they get recycled into useful Bottie Paper
Cut out the middle Botties and just put them to the only use they’re good for
I think Roden’s headline is a magnificent piece of self pwning.
In squealing like a stuck pig over a 5 minute slot for kids to get an opportunity to take selfies (something a out of touch buffoon like Roden would not understand) he lays bare his own sordid obesssion in trying to write SNPbad into every word he forms.
The Mail is a sad seedy Tory rag and to be attacked by them is a badge of honour. To be praised by them just disturbing.
I am assuming that that snark from someone called Monica Lennon is actually a Labour MSP. I have never heard of her and I don’t think she will have to worry too much about taking 5 minutes out of her time to connect with kids. Assuming she would even want to connect with people. Labour seems terrified of its own membership never mind total strangers.
Correct me if I’m wrong here, but to me, it looks judging by the wording, as though this was actually the schools itinerary, unless of course the FM was heading back to school at 11am!
A popular politician liked by the people – what is the world coming to?
Fuck even I have a selfie wi the FM…frankly I’m astonished that they are surprised by this…it’s part of the SNP culting programme. Rule number 1, always carry a picture of you with the FM at all times. 2, scream *Freedom* first thing in the morning ‘before’ breakfast. 3, set your ‘chip’ to ‘malky’ vileness when reading anything that any Scottish ‘political journalist’ churns oot, this setting is reserved for ‘maximum’ protection and should only be set to malky on these occasions…..
It’s aw in the handbook! Jeez you’d think they know aw this by now!
Fairierled @ 6 42. I know you are just kidding but any land reform will have to be carried out so as not to deprive anyone of their assets. In essence at a minimum that would involve a capital value compensatory payment. Banning faceless corporations from buying or holding land in Scotland ( a practice adopted in many countries ) would be a good start on the road to reform.
The Press stirring it.
The Tories get booed in London. They need police protection.
@Craig Fisher
“it looks judging by the wording, as though this was actually the schools itinerary”
You know? I think you just might be right. The FM’s diary is more likely to say Ayrshire College 10:00 – 11:00 and nothing more.
Roden and those like him were never known as journalists.
They were called ‘muck rakers’, a term coined by Joe Public.
Seems to applicable still.
Ah, this story makes me so happy.
In the future these kids will look back with great pleasure to the time when they got their photie taken with Nicola. The photie will be evidence of just how important they are.
To think, were it not for the wonderful investigative work of a rodent journalist, I wouldn’t have known anything about this.
Thank you daily mail.
A very interesting phrase in the penultimate paragraph of the Mail’s story, “a source involved with the visit said…everything ultimately comes down to promoting Nicola” Any suggestions as to who this unnamed source may be?
I have a second question. The event took place in March, why is it only being mentioned five months later?
It is quite funny really that the other parties haven’t realised what is happening. We have people queuing up to have a photo taken with Nicola Sturgeon whereas Jim Murphy had to have his “crowd” of supporters ushered off the bus to stand behind him with their pre-printed placards. The SNP is building a popular movement. People get behind something they can feel part of even if it is just that they got the chance to have a selfie taken with the FM. People want to go and vote for the SNP. You don’t really get when you try and manufacture your electoral success by party managers and campaign strategists consulting focus groups to find what will go down well with swing voters in key target marginal constituencies.
How we win Indyref 2 –
link to moflomojo.blogspot.com
were not used to having popular people in charge of our country are we.
This is what they are trying so desperately to avoid. An SNP politician being seen as “one of us” and a popular one at that.
Watch Alex Salmond completely and spontaneously mixing with the public in Dundee less than 3 weeks before the referendum. The word has gone out ridicule Nicola Sturgeon as we did the Salmond!
Aye! That’ll work
Real people see things differently. See for yourselves.
link to youtube.com
perhaps some of the more rotund Red and Blue Tory politicians (no names, no pack drill) should follow Nicola’s example.
Trouble is there wouldn’t e enough room to get the kids in the frame.
That’s if any of them turned up.
Alex Clark @8.22
Cracking video Alex, thanks for posting that.
Great to see Mr Salmond working the crowd like the seasoned professional that he is and that it is so natural to him is obvious.
Easy gig for the security guy though eh? -:)
Still best be be on the safe side I suppose.
@ Proud Cybernat
Thanks for revealing DC’s diary entries. Best laugh I’d had all day until I remembered they are likely true!
Jack Collatin says:
“A collective noun for a gathering of scribes?
A Hackery? A Bitchery?
Answers on a SAE postcard to..”
Take yer pick
Collins has it as a ‘Slavering’, but the OED goes with a ‘Chundering’.
@defo/Jack –
A scraping of scribes?
A scrofula of scriveners?
Or just a good old-fashioned bunch of fuds?
deo
I think the collective noun for journalists is “a lie of journalists”.
In the name of God. Seriously…
What is it with this media? David Cameron does selfies. Boris Johnson is a walking selfie. Obama does selfies. 99.99% of Hollywood does selfies. 2 Billion females on the planet do selfies…
…except this one. This one must be condemned. When this one female decides to partake in it, it is deemed that she is self-centred, egotistical and not doing her job.
Absolute tosh!
The bitterness that is emanating from the media these days is that godawful, that it is wonder that some of these journalists don’t choke on their own bile that they are spitting out. Do they not stop for a second and realise that this is not journalism …that it is in fact, nothing more than venom spat out as words on a sheet of paper or on a PC?
I wonder at times (because I know I do, and I suspect everyone does) …whether at times that they could have done better at their jobs. Could one have tried to be better? Could one have aimed higher to provide a better quality of service to others? For this is not it!
A day will come for all these journalists when they no longer have to do what they do as a living, and when they do, they’ll look back at their careers. I’ll just say this if I was a journalist…when that day does come, I wouldn’t want to be looking back with regret. I wouldn’t want to be looking back and wish that I said or written down something that was vicious or a lie. I wouldn’t want to have that most deep down regret …where I lied to my own people. And quietly and most deeply, I hope I hadn’t lied to myself all those years.
Because if they believe this is journalism, then they are lying to themselves right now. Where is the story here? A First Minister takes time out to do selfies with the people of her nation and in return, gives up some time so the people can take selfies with their First Minister. If anything, the story here is of a First Minister completely in touch with her people. A person who embraces the public; not stand aloof from them. A picture, a laugh, small words of endearment, encouragement …joy. Memories always to be treasured.
For all you journalists who pretended that this was a story where a First Minister was not conducting herself properly …hold your heads in absolute shame. For when you published that story, you were anything but a journalist…
Yep there’s Monica Lennon. A more smug individual you’ll struggle to find.
Ehhh …is that our Rev photobombing at the very back of the Herald picture? Even smiling LOL!
A chanty of scribes?
Nicola is our friend.
@JLT –
‘Boris Johnson is a walking selfie.’
🙂
A ‘stable’ of scribes. Stable, of course, being the collective noun for a group of presstitutes.
A feeling deep in your soul
Says you were half now you’re whole
No more hunger and thirst
But first be a person who needs people
People who need people
Are the luckiest people in the world
Barbra Streisand – People.
Jack Collatin: answer on a postcard. A Scribble of Scribes.
Peace.
A scribble of scribes.
A ‘Shilling’ of scribes ?
Individuals referred to as Shills.
Sounds about right, so it must be true 🙂
Shame on you Mr Roden,shame on you.
Look at the faces of every wan of those weans… they wir loving it, an so wiz I. Aye that will dae fir me.
Call a spade a spade. They are “lying cringers”.
Feck’s sake. What a stupid newspaper story.
As others have pointed out, the BritNAT establishment cannot have Nicola being popular, so they daily clutch at straws to attempt to demonise her.
Here. however, is the problem these saddo’s have, Nicola’s popularity does not come from spin, or ‘handlers’ telling her when to smile, it comes from her actually being a likeable, geuine, down to earth person.
I had reason to interact with her, several years ago, just after the indy march to Calton hill, and I can assure you, she is as real and likeable as others have already found.
It is not fake, it is not an ‘image’ created by ‘advisors’. These silly, ridiculous stories by the media, will never work for that simple reason. Nicola is what she is, it is not a facade. That is why she is popular.
Often I think these so-called ‘journalists’ write this kind of tosh, simply because they themselves are fake, superficial and shallow, venal people. They incorrectly assume that others are too.
Loved the collective nouns, guys.
Does the OED really have an entry? Probably.
I love ‘presstitutes’, ProudCybernat.I will use it.
A Judas of journalists?
Keep them coming until the Rev sends us out into the corridor to calm down.
Nominations are invited for ‘The Great Scottish Fuck Off’.
Please send them to O/T.
The only nominees so far are: David Mundell, Murdo Fraser and Duncan Hothersall. We need another 61 (or 29 if there just aren’t enough worthy candidates) then there will be groups and a final showdown on Sep 24th.
@Robert Louis
fake, superficial and shallow, venal scribblers
That works too.
Angry Salmond has kicked-off ‘CockGate’ on Twitter.
It’s gonny be a long, puntastic night – be part of it!
A Harlot of Hacks,
A Scrotum of Scribes,
Or a Chunder of Churnalists
You’ve got to laugh at Murdo’s narcissism. Even down to his constituency address.
The Control Tower,
Perth Airport.
I think he’s given up even trying nowadays. He sounds like a bitter auld bod talking to himself, oblivious to the fact that no one’s listening.
Message to Yoon scrotums everywhere.
Even a simple selfie equates to spending time with fellow human beings.
Why are the Yoons imploding? if you can’t work it out for yourselves?
It goes like this.
TICK TOCK.
Can you smell it ?
(Notes for younger readers,pre-dates smart phones).
This type of ‘pen and ink’ was most commonly found,in the now almost obsolete K1 Red Telephone boxes.
Now,really only detected within the MSM/EBC output….a strong bouquet of stale urine,subtle hints of the creamy sweat of the intellectually satisfied hack producers,sadly as grippy tannins go,this one is a bit weak,nonetheless still guaranteed to bring a tear to even the glassiest of eyes.
;-j
Maybe with all this fascination they have with Scotland’s First Minister, we should have our very own “National Nicola Day” That would wind them up!
Howsabout this coming 18th September..? nominated.
Our independence date will follow shortly thereafer.
X
Journalists?
A scribble
A scrabble
A scramble
A crash (like rhinos)
A crossword.
….and many more.
For folk who are ” men of letters” it is astounding how seldom they can join two or more together and make either truth or sense.
Chasanderson200 @12.11
I doubt that many of them care.
There is not a Subordinate Clause of Reason in their DNA.
Love the collective nouns.
Do none of you recognise a nascent totalitarian dictator when you see one? This is nothing less than early grooming and the indoctrination of our dearest into the First Minister’s cult of personality.
Too late, it looks like the entire Scottish Parliamentary Journalists’ Association has already succumbed.
Vile!
I´m about as cynical as you can get as a rule when it comes to politicians, but somehow I just can´t manage to be cynical about Nicola.
That pic is absolutely brilliant! Everyone smiling, everyone sharing in the hope for a better future! Isn´t that what Scotland needs, more than anything?
An act? The ¨common touch¨? Maybe, but even so, she pulls it off brilliantly. Sometimes you need a bit of faith, even manufactured faith, to make things happen.
Go forrit Nikla! 🙂
I had a great day yesterday with No voting converts.
Case 1. Polish guy, scared of finding himself out of the EU in 2014. Just back from holiday in the Balkans. Got fed up of explaining he was Polish living in Scotland, and resorted to simply saying he was from Scotland.
He was blown away by the warm friendly reception and encouraging words he got from people as soon as they thought he was Scottish. I’ve been trying to convince him for years that he is part of this country, and has earned the right to take part in shaping it’s future. After Brexit,he now wants it and is a solid Yes next time.
He said it surprised him how great it felt to feel Scottish for the first time, and that he actually found himself being proud of it.
Case 2. Family and I had a great night with a couple of pals round for dinner. Two English public school educated gay men. Default soft Nos in 2014. They’re now so scunnered by what has become of their former country. They announced they would without question vote Yes next time.
They were both enormously impressed by the Wee Blue and Black Books, which played a large part in their conversion.
Sometimes it feels like a grind, and then you get a day like yesterday that makes it all worthwhile.
“If they are attacking you personally then they have not one political argument left” maybe the right wing press should reacquaint themselves with some old quotes.
@ Ananurhing (12:44am)
Great news and yes it does, those moments make it all worthwhile!
_____
Did someone mention selfies? Observe and contrast!
Two of the biggest tractors ever to come out of Scotland:
link to archive.is
If i was chocolate i’d eat myself:
link to archive.is
Slabber House of Horrors:
link to archive.is
Wee Willie Stinkie starts the big school:
link to archive.is
The Moronic Lodge (BUM Churnalists) all must have been on holiday when those selfies were taken, eh!
@Ananurhing
I do enjoy reading wee anecdotes like yours. Once my mother in law says Yes then we will have won. I’ll let you know when 🙂
Stone cold busted.
To be fair, in the company of a pack of journalists I can think of better ways of utilising a large stick than taking a photograph with it.
Richardinho,
Every boy needs a good stick, even better if it has a good sharp point.
Sounds like the opposite of wee Willie, he’s no good, no sharp, and is totally f/n pointless.
Alan Roden…
What do you expect from a pig, if not a grunt?
What do you expect from a Yoon journalist, if not SNP-bad?
Should we be surprised at this type of output?
I think we already know the answer…
Ian Brotherhood: “The only nominees so far are: David Mundell, Murdo Fraser and Duncan Hothersall.
Sir James MacMillan: link to wp.me
Christmas present last December by… the Scottish Parliamentary Journalists’ Association.
And that merry band of tory yoons is the UK’s Fourth Estate, who will be here long after they’ve got Sturgeon out, and the SNP and shut down Scottish democracy, is how it works in teamGB. Sales figures for their creepy tory garbage may turn these UKOK facts of life and received wisdom on their heads a bit.
Another round of patronising UKOK shite, rancid The Graun style
link to archive.is
You lost, you voted NO to Let England decide all the big stuff for you silly little Scotland, so shut up, give England a Brexit hand, we’ll love you even more, despite your black hole, you can have your fish back too.
“It’s not as exciting as a second referendum, but there is plenty at stake here, and Mrs May has claimed she is in listening mode where Scottish interests are concerned.”
And there may never be another Labour UK.gov again by the looks of it
link to archive.is
Although the changes will also affect the Conservatives, Hayward, a Tory peer, said his analysis of demographics in the UK concluded that Labour is over-represented.
Two hundred Labour seats – more than 85% of the party’s total – could be affected by the review of parliamentary boundaries due next month, according to a detailed analysis of the review’s likely impact.
Rancid actually mention SNP this time.
The SNP have also raised concerns. “In the run up to the Scottish independence referendum, the UK government said that if Scotland rejected independence we would be treated as an equal partner in a family of nations, with our views valued and respected.
I would admit to being a little snobbish about selfies but that is my problem with the modern world.
Whatever you want to call it- charisma, joie de vivre… Nicola has it and unlike Gordon Brown or David Cameron she clearly enjoys meeting the public. She is comfortable with them and they respond. Nicola doesn’t have a snobbish bone in her body- hence there is nothing more natural than taking a selfie.
She uses social media (which again I am snobbish about in the same way) and uses it with skill… and selfies are a way of reaching people. It is genius. The anti-Scottish press hate it because it is so effective.
Anyway- as someone above pointed out this appears to be the school’s agenda rather than the First Minister’s which if true rips the whole premise to shreds. But little facts like ‘whose agenda was this on’ are inconvenient and hinder the story so they can be quietly ignored.
By the end of this campaign against independence the Scottish journalists will be the Jedi of the political smear piece. They practice endlessly and are devoted to their craft. Just imagine if they practiced actual investigative journalism with the zeal they deploy trying to take down the SNP.
Took the opportunity to hand out some wee black books in the retail park car park yesterday, asked them to read and pass on to someone who will benefit.
Strange. The 1950 European Convention on Human Rights suddenly feels like a luxury we might have to do without, but where it’s pencilled in replacement, the British Bill of Rights, already feels like the ersatz substitute made from soya beans and wood shavings.
link to euronews.com
And this is only the beginning…
@Tam Jardine
Doesn’t really matter whose itinerary it is Tam, its part of the day job of meet n’ greet these days. Sign of the times and technology as it were (shrugs).
The real bother for the meeja is the lack of sheer badness in Scotland’s FM. This is someone who hasn’t crashed an economy, started a war, enacted sweeping harmful policy which impoverishes her electorate. Who doesn’t do hate speech, or marginalisation of others and who is seen to act when others have stood still in times of crisis.
Baw bag central, at this point, need to manufacture stories. They character assassinate by inuendo and insinuation. They erode confidence by constant repetitition of the smalll stuff, planting a seed in someones mind and watering the weeds daily. Which works, right up until you realise they’re awe baw bags without a single ethic between them. They have no moral high ground or platform of superiority from which to spout their garbage.
Their sales and influence are falling off a cliff. Their shock horror click bait headlines becoming more strident and panicked by the day. They shot their bolt in 2014 and the day is coming when they’re going to be called on the bill of goods they helped sell two years ago. They need to explain why Better Togetherness didn’t just fail to deliver on its pledges and assurances. They need to explain why it just failed… period. Where is the UK they promised everyone two years ago? It kinda didn’t happen, at all really.
And so they’re left with Nicola Sturgeon is badness itself because… she combs her hair in a highly suspicious manner.
Rinse and repeat. (pfft!)
Before Indy one, when Slab politicians were at their vilest, I concluded that to get as nasty as they were, there had to be a selective process.
I concluded what process made them like this was simple, they actually were very nasty people.
I suspected their initial interview must have went something like this. ” Are you a totally committed Unionist” YES.
“Are you nasty?” OH YES, I am really nasty!” “Would you consider yourself a really nasty bastard?” I CERTAINLY am!
Good, welcome to Labour’s political team!
So folks it looks like journalists have just been through the same process!!!
This week will end well
Over this weekend coming Yoons will be tearing their faces off and making noises only dogs can hear
Eyes will bulge and thrapples will clunk up and down, fists will thump and furniture will be kicked, every expletive and adjective that can be applied to the FM will be employed
By Sunday every Scottish newspaper will front page doom for Scotland on a massive scale, it’s going to be a laugh and a half,so set phasers and keyboards tae Malky
So the rumour goes from the “wee birdie”
Morning everyone. I’ve posted a few links on off topic.
So I was bored this morning….
link to imgur.com
Aye they dont like Nicola being popular with the kids she might brain wash them all into being vile cybernats instead of UKOK cringers.
This stinks of pure desperation they have thrown everything at Nicola and none of it has worked.
LOL our FM has them all scared silly bet they wish Eck was back in charge lmao
@heedtracker 7.19
We might ( or might not) be given back control of fishing but, unless Team GB are prepared to actually defend our waters, a la the Icelandic Cod Wars, then it will just be empty words and hand wringing.
Of course, Team GB could always use the big Willie on a Russian factory ship . . .
Nice to see old Kevin H’s britnat donkey economics getting a kicking from George Kerevan In the National.
National uses an MP to analyze
D Record a pet food salesman, says it all really
Stoker, those pictures were not good to wake up to but the contrast is obvious.
The Regatta woman between Smurphoid and Clunker looks fair scunnered.
Bet she went straight for a shower afterwards.
Oh, and by the way, everyone, Pravdasound4 is frothing to a climax this morning about The Great British Dork Off which starts again apparently. I can’t look a Victoria sponge in the face any more without getting vile-cyber-sep rage. It’s getting to me! They’re everywhere!! Watch the skies! Watch the skies!
It’s at times like these I feel blessed I don’t have a TV licence.
Roden looks like he has a strictly pedestrian attitude to personal hygiene.
The Rev wrote:
“..they’d prefer the FM to tell little schoolgirls to sod off because she was too busy and important to spend a few seconds having her picture taken with them:”
Exactly!
_____
Gerry Parker wrote:
“Took the opportunity to hand out some wee black books in the retail park car park yesterday,”
Here’s another for the WOS footsoldiers out there: Don’t forget Taxi/Cab drivers at the ranks. What’s the one thing cabbies like to do between hires? Read! What’s the one thing cabbies like to do during hires? Talk! Get the word out folks, don’t forget our taxi drivers.
Macart
“Their sales and influence are falling off a cliff”. Exactly. One somewhat ironic consequence of the performance of the press in Scotland is that these title’s economic activity is reducing every year. They lay off staff and income tax reduces. National Insurance contributions decrease. Corporation tax, if they are paying any decreases. VAT contributions by staff drop as fewer papers are printed, fewer hacks travelling the country buying petrol, taking flights etc etc.
You know where I am going with this… the unionist press in Scotland is not only in terminal decline- you could look at it’s economy and describe it as being in deficit. The unionist press in Scotland is contributing to Scotland’s supposed deficit in the GERS figures. The very deficit they are endlessly crowing about.
And as the onshore economy is growing, other firms are having to take up the slack caused by the unionist press in Scotland dragging the economy down.
They should look to their own businesses and see what they need to change to turn their circulation round. Or not bother- that is fine by me too 😉
10:55 Selfies next agenda item 11:00 – alloted time 5 mins.
Seems one picture only for the whole group.
Journo barrel scraping at its most laughable.
Tinto,
I posted this on WGD earlier. I hope that the Rev doesn’t mind as its On Topic-ish in relation to the antics of the News Where They Are TV ‘presstitutes’. ( which description we are indebted to CyberNat)
“Every move you make, BBC.
I just dipped into BBC News Where You Are’s 2 1/2 minutes during the 3 1/4 hours Breakfast TV hegemony from Salford.
Edinburgh University scientists have developed a technique to detect molecules in spinal fluid, that may identify early signs of Parkinson’s disease, therefore offering some hope of early treatment for sufferers.
The story is repeated in the ‘national’ News Where They Are, but ‘Edinburgh University’ is deleted from the Brit script.
Not on ‘Scotland is shite’ message is it? Scotland is now part of ‘Britain’ once more.
Also the ‘British’ Medical Association reports that ‘British’ GP’s are being forced to deal with complicated appointments, seeing 60 patients a day. If Murray loses the US Open, then will he be ‘Scottish’ again?
Where’s Eleanor Bradford when you need her?
I forgot, she’s now something in communications in a British Health Board in North East Northern Britain, I believe.
BBC TV ‘News Where You Are’s’ 2 1/2 minutes did not have time , as their radio version did, to
anguish over the sharp decline in numbers of the small tortoiseshell butterfly population this summer.
Numbers have dropped by 73%. Had me reaching for my inhaler that shocking fact.
Various theories were mooted. Wet windy winters, mould(?), lack of high pollen plants, pesticides, Nicola Sturgeon, (couldn’t resist it), and so on.
I know what’s happened to the missing 73%. They’ve all effed off to Ireland and France following the Brexit vote.
Every breath you take, BBC Propag Team.
WE have scientists up here too, and they are clever wee buggers.
We also have a state funded Scottish Health Service, which won’t end up in the Private Hands of Owen Smith’s, and Ed Balls’ privateer pals.”
Tinto Chiel wrote:
“The Regatta woman between Smurphoid and Clunker looks fair scunnered.”
That’s exactly what i thought when i first seen it TC, she’s got that look of wanting to be anywhere else written all over her face. Compare and contrast indeed!
@Tam Jardine
Either way… they cease to be a drag. 🙂
Oh we will get fishing and agriculture devolved after brexit but not because the tories are being nice far from it,think about it without the EU funding UKOK will need to keep the levels of funding the same to prevent a shock to the industries,if they devolve them then they can pass the buck and still squeeze them though the block grant.
It would be all that vile SNP`s fault when they collapsed,man it so tory its creepy.
Dr Jim says:
Sounds interesting 🙂
The SG are organised and know what needs to be done.
WM are in a state of chaos and haven’t a clue what to do to get out of it.
Now is the time for the SG to set the constitutional pace and where possible the agenda.
The times they are exciting.
Roden?
aha-ha-ha-ha!
Mail on Sunday?
aha-ha-ha-ha!
Journalism?
aha-ha-ha-ha-ha-haha-ha-haha ….
Did Jesus not have a similar problem,
when Judas turned away the children from meeting Jesus,
but when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said to Judas,
`Suffer the little children to come to me,
and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God`.
Scot,
‘Weep not for me, but for your children, and your children’s children.’ is apposite also.
Stoker: that’s actually a great idea about giving taxi drivers the WBB. I’ve still got two left. Time for more subversion (and more WBB).
Jack Collatin: that was very funny but you need to cut back on exposure to the BBC. It can be harmful to mental health.
I’m (licence) free at last, free at last and skip around Hamilton all day saying , “Hello trees! Hello birds! Hello sky!”
Doesn’t affect me affect me affect me affect me.
@Dr Jim
You have my attention. This is ideal timing, May having special Brexit cabinet on Wednesday, Merkel meeting EU leaders etc.
BTW, for those like me, that dreaded TTIP ever making it, the EU has now officially shot it down. No agreement from the member States.
Another argument the Brexiteers used, that TTIP would be imposed by EU. If they think for a minute, Tory gov’t won’t invite American corporation s in here, they are crazy.
It was another lie Brexiteers used because it always looked quite dodgy in Europe and had well organised opposition.
We have to be inside the EU, no question in my mind.
@Alex Clark -that video brought tears to me eyes.
We were so close & can’t believe Dundee only voted 57% Yes
DerekM says:
“Oh we will get fishing and agriculture devolved after Brexit”
What you say is correct. All future devolution will be designed to cause damage, and that would include post Brexit changes.
However, I cannot see how Scotland can actually be part of Brexit. [ Well, if we lose IndyRef2, then it would happen. God help us. ]
Indyref2 will be triggered when it is obvious that WM’s plan is inappropriate for Scotland. Nicola’s five points …
Scotland’s voice is heard and our wishes respected.
Free movement of labour, single market and the funding for farmers and universities.
Continued protection of workers’ and wider human rights.
Nations coming together to tackle crime, terrorism and climate change.
Not just abide by the rules of the single market but also have a say in shaping them.
… frankly, I think not one single one of those will be taken on board by WM. Whatever their approach turns out to be it will be designed to undo or weaken all of those. That is why the right wing want Brexit.
IMO IndyRef2 is a certainty. All we need to do is make sure we win! Then EngExit can proceed.
frogesque says:
29 August, 2016 at 9:09 am
@heedtracker 7.19
Giving “the fish” back to a bunch of Scottish toryboys will be a disaster, for Scotland and the fish. Last time they had control of the fish, the caught nearly everything and then stuck their hands out for tax money. Not good.
But rancid the Graun’s open hostility to Scottish democracy is all about England’s control of their Scotland region, not fish. They want Scotland to shut up go away now, to be seen and not heard, The Vow is to be expunged, above all else we must be grateful that England can fill Scotland’s black hole, because Scots do need saving, and have got start voting SLabour again, or even tory, just not SNP who are bad, at everything.
Rancid’s merely tory England’s version of progressive liberalism, the most conservative kind you can get. But hey, who does actually vote in England? the conservatives.
@Valerie
Now that the EU has shot down TTIP the Tories Brexit plans can go ahead to get the NHS in England and Wales totally on the way to privatisation thus leading to instant big trade deals with America which may have been the plan all along, who knows eh?
Now the Tories can get on with bringing in Americas genetically modified fat food = more ill health = more health insurance = more profit for private health care =everything coming together for the Tories quite nicely
I wonder if our English cousins will be wanting to change their minds when they realise this is coming
Still, I suppose they can come and live in Scotland to get their free prescriptions for their ills as they are doing now but I just wish they’d have the decency to vote for the party and country who’s policies include these things and not against it tying us into the very Union who would rob their own people of their health as well as their money
The “wee birdie” tells me Friday morning somethings going to happen, it’s all I know, like all rumours you cross your fingers and wait (but it’s supposed to be good) hee hee hee
Shorter Scottish news bulletins tonight I see. Must be an English Bank Holiday.
EU/TTIP story here
link to archive.is
I’ve just thought of another use for that selfie stick… I don’t think Alan Roden would like it, though.
Wouldn’t it be great if there were journalists in Scotland apart from Iain MacWhirter and Derek Bateman? People might buy newspapers.
@ Jack
“which description we are indebted to CyberNat”
If you mean me, Jack, then I’d love to take the credit for that one but I saw it somewhere else.
A whoarde of presstitutes. I’ll take that one.
Did you hear about the Yoon, (cough!), journalist who was interviewing the FM. He kept harping on about her special shoes and designer clothes and got right up Nicola’s nose.
She noticed the Yoon Scribe was wearing a pair of odd socks and thinking to hit back at him she said, “Are you aware you are wearing a pair of odd socks”
To which the Yoon Scribe replied, “Aye! And strangely enough I have an identical pair at home in my socks drawer.
Rimmer MP walks away again until November! WTF!
Something seriously wrong with this case, taking over 2 years to finalise?
Westminister red/blue spiders web needs cut and it needs cut now!
OT The Rev highlighted this from the Washington Post on Twitter …
link to archive.is
…. definitely worth a read.
After reading it, something occurred to me. At IndyRef1 few people outside Scotland understood what Scottish self determination was about. Why? What for? Who? Basically.
By Indyref2 the opposite might well be true. Certainly across Europe folks will have a much better idea. The will understand exactly why!
The above opinion in a US publication is significant, I think.
When things heat up, as they certainly will, we might not have everyone on our side internationally, but it will make a huge difference if most of the world at least understands what we are about.
As well as ‘courting’ the EU, the SG needs to be talking to other big players internationally.
In our opinion, we are the good guys! We want everyone else across the planet to at least give that viewpoint some consideration.
I’m sure I pointed to religion as being the most significant cultural difference between Scotland and England.
Due to the ideological differences in faiths, Scotland has a history of community democracy, where as England has a much more centralised heritage.
Still the Church of Scotland seems pretty relaxed about how the Union is progressing. Praise be.
O/T
Let it be known across this land, when it comes to honouring pledges, London simply cannot be trusted. Not now, not ever…
link to imgur.com
Ach!
More tosh from Torrance in the Herald so here’s something else instead, just to while away a slow news day. 🙂
link to archive.is
@ galamcennalath
I agree gala they will never get that far but it will not stop them trying to wrap up another poison chalice in christmas paper and flogging it to the brain dead through the BUM as glorious better together most devolved parliament ever UKOK helps out the sweaties love bombing,they might even try to claim its the vow.
Watch out as yoon devo max rears its ugly head once again in an another attempt to derail independence,we must trash that completely and make it clear that devolution is a trap full of lies and broken promises that go way back to 1979.
DerekM says:
“Watch out as yoon devo max rears its ugly head once again in an another attempt to derail independence”
Indeed. DevoMax would have been step forward 5-10 years ago. Even 2 years ago when first actually promised.
Everything has moved on and DM solves none of the current problems Brexit will inevitably bring down upon us. We are no longer debating how Scotland runs itself, we are concerned by how we fit into the wider world as a matter of urgency post Leave vote.
You are right. DM will be promised via some new convention post exit, if only we sweaties just let the big boys and girls and WM decide all the big issues around Brexit.
DM was trashed by Smith. we need to keep it in the trash can.
I notice the Telegraph keeps referring to the here-and-now as ‘post Brexit’ or ‘since Brexit’. Usually it’s in the context of – ‘everything has turned out OK, as we said it would’.
They of course mean since the result of the vote. But hey, that is a long road short of Brexit! FFS
I know, it’s just crude propaganda, but very annoying treating readers as numpties. Five years ago I would have considered Telegraph readers as educated folk. Right wing and Tory, yes, but still people with something between their ears. Clearly the TG has a very low opinion now of its readers.
The ground is being set all they have left is the big lie the one that has pulled it out the bag for them twice,some say we cant lose this one i disagree all it means is that us oldies will just have to wait for those kids you see above with selfies of oor Nicola growing up.
Can we get the vote age dropped to 12 ? lol
George Kerevan is just superb in today’s National!
As noted earlier:
Trial delayed for Labour MP Marie Rimmer over ‘referendum assault’ charge
link to archive.is
What did the Brexit lot expect would happen?
Border deal with Britain should be scrapped unless key changes made, says leading French politician
link to archive.is
@Fred
Totally agree, no punches pulled by Kerevan. Yoons apoplectic as the dog food salesman is called out publicly.
Please people, buying the National is supporting Independence, we need that one newspaper, with its innovative and eye catching front pages.
It does host our favourite writers.
And they’re doing it deliberately… 🙂
link to tinyurl.com
call me dave says:
29 August, 2016 at 12:14 pm
Ach!
Bloody hell, Balls is a right chancer, of the right.
“It also comes as former shadow chancellor Ed Balls launched his own damning critique of the Corbyn leadership, branding it “leftist utopian fantasy” and “devoid of connection to the reality of people’s lives”.
Three red tory Bomber Blair, Crash Gordo terms in office, endless war, teamGB most inequality in the West, giant debt, more war, giant bankster City crash, hundreds of billions thrown at same spivs what caused it, break up of their precious yew kay, even more debt, blue toryboy’s on the rampage for 6 years, end of era SLabour, blue tory UK.gov for see-able and that’s just Lab’s nation wide catastrofuck legacy, locally its just as bad, you want to see what SLab cooncil’s doing to Aberdeen…
The very best you can say about Balls and his New Labour red tory years is, they were even worse than the blue tory freak show, unless you’re loaded.
On TTIP, please do remember that Cameron wanted to “put rockets under it” – implement fully everything the Americans wanted. Stay in the UK and we are likely to get just that.
If you want to see loss of sovereignty, with knobs on, this is it.
By the way the latest poll for TTIP in Germany put support for it at a measly 17%.
Croompenstein says:
29 August, 2016 at 1:23 pm
And they’re doing it deliberately
AWPR by-pass, 35 years too late, blocked by red and blue tory UK.gov, twice the cost after being blocked by rich fake local Greens.
Every single English town and city has had and is getting, this kind of infrastructure investment for the last 50 years and Scotland is always at the end of the Q. Uk.gov has almost run out of England to even build anymore AWPR style by-passes and motorways, which is why they are now going for a massive HS2 style rail spend.
The actual reality freak out for England, after decades of giant road infrastructure spends all over England is, why has it not created the same economic returns in the north of England as it has in the south. Which also explains the current Westminster PowerHouse of the North bullshit. Otherwise, Scotland’s just going to have bumble along, PFI style off book spends only, our black holes filled by our imperial master baiters, because Aberdeen is Europe’s oil capital, so why bother building them a modern road network, its so much important that York gets one, or Newcastle, or Hull, or Bristol, or Sheffield, or Leeds, you have to see to believe Leeds and its spaghetti network of by-passes. Its a five decade long road’s revolution, in England, paid for as usual, with not Scots UKOK oil and gas.
World first as tidal turbine system supplies national grid with electricity
link to archive.is
PS:
Labour set to bear brunt of UK parliamentary constituency boundary review, losing up to 30 seats
In Scotland, the number of seats is due to be reduced by six to 53, meaning at least four SNP seats will be lost.
Que!!! 🙂
link to archive.is
I note there are a lot of pro Indy peeps who are being very supportive to the supporters of Corbyn and Mr Corbyn himself.
We , on here, know already how corrupt MSM and Labour/Tory establishment are so it is hardly shocking all the shit that is going on …..is it ?
I am reluctant to be supportive of Corbyn and his supporters as when push comes to shove these same people will be promoting Labour in next election and will willingly help to promote all the anti SNP shit and project fear agenda come Indy 2. So my support is and always will be for Independence and Indy parties not for a Unionist party irrespective of whether current leader is a ‘decent man’ and true socialist.
Remember Neil Findlay is a Corbynite and we know what a snidey wee s**t he is. This is NOT our fight and I don’t remember any of these people supporting us pre Indy ref or beyond.
Last year John McDonnell stated “The real enemy is the SNP” which obviously has now been proven to be a crock of shit and dare I say kinda blown out of the water by his own party’s shenanigans. I also remember Corbyn on Andrew Marr’s show last year spouting the following lies about SNP.
1. SNP privatising Calmac
2. SNP were behind privatisation of Scotrail
So he was kinda not being very ‘decent’ then was he ? More clueless and so disinterested in Scottish politics that he couldn’t even check his facts before stating the above .
I think we should just remember where our focus should be and not allow ourselves to be distracted by the in house fighting of a party that hates the SNP, is against independence and sees Scotland as a constant problem and a country to be suppressed and tied to England and the corrupt politics of Westminster forever.
Corbyn may be the great hope against the establishment for those in other countries within the UK but for Scots he is one of those who is against us being independent and will stoop to same tricks , namely giving out misinformation and spin to tarnish the SNP. I am so glad he does not want an alliance with the SNP now as this I think would ultimately prove detrimental to independence and to Scotland.
We all know the Owen Smith Blairite mobs are a bunch of self serving shits but not my fight and so I will keep eating my popcorn while the eternal charade and farce within Labour is ongoing.
Jesus if I am honest I too was nearly sucked in to all the shit going on orchestrated by #chickencoup and then realised Corbyn ain’t gonna be no friend to SNP or Scots who want independence. So hey ho happy to watch ……we on here know the whole routine ……….did they not throw the same shit at us pre Indy Ref and beyond ? so this whole drama is just a repeat ……same old same old…..just different targets.
Heedtracker/Croompenstein says..1.23
They have even bypassed a small village in North Yorkshire that lies between two busy towns with a road works that woudn’t look out of place in the central belt..
It was built to stop the traffic from passing through the village…which lies approx four hundred yards west of the M1, now upgraded to three lanes either side..
north of the border the A1/M1resembles a cart track in comparison…..
Tinto Chiel. LOL.’I talk to the Dead Trees but they don’t listen to me’.Paint your Wagon, almost.
Cybernat:- How honest of you. I’m still crediting you with ‘presstitutes’, though, mind, but.
A big Boy said it and ran away.
Most definitely on topic.
The Scottish Sun trivialises an SNP councilor to the level of a Page 3 model. New selfie queen.
link to archive.is
Dougie Bee says:
29 August, 2016 at 2:05 pm
Heedtracker/Croompenstein says..1.23
5 decades of English road investment is jaw dropping to see first hand. Because of SNP Scots.gov, its clearly improving in Scotland but its way behind anything that the English take for granted.
The real issue for teamGB economics is, when you do venture oop North, there’s fuck all economic activity at the ends of their giant motorway network. There is in the south east and London but much of its classic central government multiplier spending. From giant military investment like the latest RAF hi-tech drone factories round Cambridge, several hundred million, to their giant rail network that lies idle from rush hour to rush hour and all weekend. Hi-tech, high pay jobs and directorships, that make people wealthy and happy and tory down south but it makes for a really odd north/south England balance that means the North is far more reliant on UK.gov deficit social spends and the national debt. Scotland leaving their union will have a massive impact on deficit social spends and that’s why to some extent, the North of England is rather concerned at England losing control of their Scotland region.
We Scots get hacked off looking at how Norway has taken a different economic route, with their oil poor 5 million population but the other side of that is looking at federal Germany and England. Holy fcuk.
Would I possibly be stretching things too far if I just left this here? 😉
link to youtube.com
Clapper57 2.03
I doubt if many pro indy Scots are favourable to Corbyn. No doubt blue and red tories are hoping that he’ll draw support away from SNP and indy if he sounds lefty enough but anyone with half a brain in Scotland now knows that that, as far as Scotland is concerned, would lead nowhere.
Even sincere English lefties, many of them at least, are imbued with the English colonialist mindset when it comes to Scotland. Freedom for everywhere!……except Scotland. We in Scotland are supposed to just shut up, get back in our box and continue to hand over our revenues and resources all the while being told that we’re whinging scrounging subsidy junkies.
Corbyn may well be good for England but he’s a waste of time and space here.
OT/Figures may be well wide of the mark, taking a guess here but shouldn’t another 200 – 300 thousand Yes votes be enough to swing it to say, 55% Yes? We don’t need 60%+, 55 would be a clear majority and think of the beautiful irony of it too.
It really shouldn’t be all that hard to achieve with a serious and dedicated campaign focused on what counts, should it?
AWPR section opened at Dyce. Thanks to SNP Gov.
Unionist/Green ACC wastes £Millions on a ‘white elephant’ road to nowhere at Bridge of Don.
I saw this
92 x Challenger Tank Track Pads, New Old Stock, #68298 – MOD Sales
http://www.mod-sales.com/auction/…/92_x_Challenger_Tank_Track_Pads.htm
You are bidding on Direct from the UK Ministry Of Defence 92 x Challenger Tank Track Pads. These 92 x Challenger Tank Track Pads are extremely rare and …
..as they are so rare the above journalists could volunteer to work as track pads for wee Ruthies tank.
They must be willing to travel and work under pressure
I’ll get ma coat
I notice, from the Wings twitter feed – Alan Roden is the new Comms director for Scottish Labour.
If this is true, is he the Mo Johnston of Scottish Political Journalism, of course, without Mo’s talent – he scored goals, rather than own goals.
Next time Tories go on about £15 billion deficit, please remind that UK government has done nothing about tax avoidence.
link to heraldscotland.com
Post GERS, there are stern warnings about state of Scottish economy from the Cuthberts at Common Space.
link to commonspace.scot
And
link to commonspace.scot
@clapper57
Corbyn [like Tony Benn was] is a british nationalist, with very little knowledge of Scotland’s politics.
@clipper says:
29 August, 2016 at 2:59 pm
Clapper57 2.03
“I doubt if many pro indy Scots are favourable to Corbyn”.
Hi Clipper , I check out a few Indy peeps on Twitter ( and Blogs) and they do seem quite supportive and retweet what is going on re #chickencoup mob and on the latest Labour suicide bid e.g. purging of members.
Also noted a lot of lefties supportive of Corbyn are retweeting tweets from Indy peeps on Twitter on various shit re Corbyn and Red Tories .
Take your point , was not really pointing finger at peeps on WOS or anyone specific, just making point that Corbyn may save corrupt politics in rest of UK but his politics is still poisoned chalice where Scotland is concerned. Easy to get sucked in to us against them while maybe forgetting it’s a different battle but same war/same enemy.
And yes we do need a dedicated campaign and we need to tell those who only get their news from MSM to look at social media sites so they can make informed decision in next Indy ref. as ignorance of the real truths is the REAL enemy (take note John McDonnell lol ).
Cheers , have a good day.
Take it the Daily Mails placeman will now impose a Selfie ban for all politicis at British Labour in Scotland ??
Clapper57@2.03 and Clipper:
I couldn’t agree more. JC is your typical Metrovincial Man: he neither knows nor cares about Scotland and it will never cross his mind other than for him to think occasionally, “Where have my 59 shoe-in seats gone?”
I actually thought that if Findlay had got in instead of Kezia and they started flogging the dead horse of Corbyn The True Socialist that quite a lot of Ex-Labour SNP voters might have considered voting that way again but I feel that threat has passed.
BLiS is essentially a rump of Unionists who would far rather see Scotland on the Tory rack for ever rather than admit they are wrong and vote Yes.
Jack C: wasn’t Dead Tree Scrolls one of yours?
Liked that.
English socialists do what they do, English socialism. God save the Queen, solidarity brother and don’t mention the House of Lords. You never know though, he might string Blair if he ever becomes PM, so there’s always hope. 😉
Aye we’ll see
link to publicfinance.co.uk
Some brass neck this
link to archive.is
It looks like the death of Slab comes one step nearer with the appointment of Roden as Comms director. Do the Comms directors not have to at least pretend they believe the stuff they churn out on behalf of the party?
How does Roden, with a straight face, deal with the day to day policy changes Slab make and the pretendy socialism they espouse? Is he there to facilitate Sarwar’s ascendancy or to rally against Corbyn on behalf of Dugdale?
One thing we do know, there will be no time for selfies.
link to twitter.com
I thought it was a spoof account Roden joining slab’s losers, seems it’s a thing and well I’m laughing.
Mail on Sunday/Daily Mail,
This from the paper that encouraged the rise of Fascism, that encouraged the Nuremburg Laws and the invasion of Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland and Romania.
“Hurrah for the Blackshirts”.
The Daily Mail reader, like my Auntie, is dripping with utter contempt and hatred for their fellow human beings. Hates Scottish/Irish Nationalists, Liberals, Socialists, Trade Unionists, Blacks, Asians, Muslims, Jews, the Disabled, the Unemployed, the Poor, Gays etc. Remind you of someone? Correct, that old fascist that terrified all sane minded people in this country. That’s right. Thatcher.
Oh and Hitler was just as bad.
To describe a group of unionist journalists, how about –
An Arse-array of press.
To describe their output –
An Arse-array of press gravy
Tinto Chiel, Clapper57
The obvious solution is for an independent Scotland to mind its own affairs and for an independent England to do likewise.
Corbyn’s probably just basically ignorant about Scotland rather than a truly malevolent britnat imperialist, or am I being too generous?
Anyway if we had a Scottish government elected in an independent Scotland by the Scottish electorate we could be their “friends in the north.”
To me seems like the best (and only) option.
Scottish independence is no longer a matter of choice, it’s now a matter of necessity
That rabid Roden chappie joining Labour as comms heid bummer?
Bwahahahahahahahaha…. and… breathe. 😀 INFINILOLZ
And Labour are happy with this? Oh Jeez.
“Gordon Brown backs effective Scottish Home Rule, saying Brexit vote calls for new constitutional settlement”
So what he’s now saying is that what he sold us in 2014 was deffective Home Rule.
Chase yerself Broon.
OT Way OT
I see the NIMBYs are in action again. Oh and quick off the mark with it. I took the elderly ones for a drive to Pluscarden today and couldn’t help but notice the “No to duelling” of the A96 signs on the way from Miltonduff to Pluscarden.
I can only assume that none of the NIMBYs have ever had to take regular drives between Aberdeen and Inverness. I can only assume that that 4×4 tanks that some of those NIMBYs drive are used only for local runs as well. It was the one with the UKOK sticker and the Butchys Pinny parked in the NIMBYs drive that got me ranting now.
It took me almost 8 minutes to negotiate one left turn onto the main road coming up from Miltonduff and then taking a right to Burghead such was the traffic going in both directions at that time.
Wolf shall dwell with succulent tender lamb, balding, paunchy Daily Mail ligger, wolf:D
Alan Roden ?@AlanRoden 2h2 hours ago
I’ve got a new job: Absolutely delighted to be joining Scottish Labour as communications director.
Proud Cybernat says:
“Gordon Brown backs effective Scottish Home Rule …. ”
Aye, right. And would that be more powers or less powers than federalism?
Scotsman, 15th August 2014 ….. “GORDON Brown has said talks on extending devolution should begin the day after the referendum if independence is defeated as he stated that the UK would be a “federal state” within two years ….
Time’s up. Where is Brown’s last ‘promise’, eh?
The sad thing is some NO voters probably listened to Brown. Worse, some believed him. No one in WM was listening!
Next time? After his 2014 promises?
What was it the Rev’s petition said …. 🙂
clipper: no, I don’t regard him as malevolent, we’re just a far away country of which he knows nothing. I honestly can’t see Labour in power in England for a very long time so we won’t get the chance to work with them in good faith.
And didn’t Henry McLeish say he was thinking about moving towards independence last year? Or am I cursed with a good memory?
Bad Nana, bad Nana for linking us to an El Clunko photograph without the statutory warning. So it’s Scottish Home Rule now from Labour. How very 1914! Can’t say they’re not on the ball.
Now Kez will be along to offer us Super Devo Max (not Scottish Home Rule) Mark II.
Confused?
They hope so.
If only we could describe a group of journalists as unemployed.A Jobcentre of journalists would suit me, to make it even better,a sanction of scribes.Unionist hacks bring out
a side of me that I don’t like.Peace.
Ps.Sorry, it distresses me to wish anyone unemployment But…
Breaking…
euan mccolm ?@euanmccolm Aug 27
decent, well-intentioned people will kill the Labour Party. my @scotonsunday column on useful idiots:
euan mccolm ?@euanmccolm 45m45 minutes ago
it’s terrible labour’s appointed a former daily mail guy as press chief. it’s fine that sturgeon’s press chief is a former daily mail guy.
Trial delayed for Labour MP Marie Rimmer over ‘referendum assault’ charge
What the He** is going on with this nearly 2years to come to court what a farce get finger out before Rimmer can get away with it.
@ Nana
Seriously?!?! Brown and Federalism AGAIN?
Like that utterly deceitful cretin hasn’t caused enough harm to the Scottish electorate for one lifetime. Not satisfied with selling our sovereignty down the crapper once in his miserable life (in between terrifying pensioners), he’s intent on a repeat performance?
FFS!
Why Severin McSpanner, youre spoiling us, 2 rancid Graun thingees to keep the jocks quiet, in 2 days, comedy federal Brown and fish.
link to archive.is
Crash Gordo wants a UKOK federation of fish basically and
“Ian Murray, Scottish Labour’s only MP, said some form of federalism was now the most logical middle way. “It’s quite clear from a Scottish Labour perspective that independence is broken as a realistic prospect for Scotland, and the Tories just want to defend the status quo. That is also now broken.”
What is with our imperial master baiters and bloody fish? Do they really think all we care about is fish. I like fish but independence might have also covered fish. What about English fish swimming up here, wont they need passports at the border, Scottish fish in a federal fish UK, and Vote SLab. Bampots.
@Tinto Chiel
Sorry Tinto just keeping you on your toes and alert.
Scotland needs lerts!
Ian More says @ 4.35
NIMBYS say ‘no to duelling’.
I’m with the BackYarders on this one.
I don’t want guys walking ten paces, turning and firing pistols at each other in my back yard either.
Whereas, I am not with the ‘No to dualling’ educated NIMBYS.
Dyslexia Lures, KO?
Even Kez wants Scotland to have the fish!
Very kind of kez and Crash Gordo to give Scotland control of the fish. It just makes you wonder why our imperial master baiters wont give us back control of our oil and gas reserves, £1.5 trillion remaining.
If we can look after fish, why not the giant Scottish North Sea and Atlantic oil fields? I would love to hear SLab twits waffle that one away. Fish oil’s good for you though, cod liver oil.
SO England takes care of Scotland’s giant mineral oil reserves, Scotland takes care of Scotland’s cod liver oil reserves. Seems fair for too stupid, small, poor Scots.
On Crash, Graun says Kez says
“His speech deliberately echoes similar remarks by Kezia Dugdale, the Scottish Labour leader, over the weekend, when she told the Sunday Post there was an obvious case for Holyrood to have full control over international fisheries and agriculture after a Brexit, strengthening its devolved powers in both areas.”
@Macart
I spotted the broon stuff and thought dega vu all over again.
Are there any people out there who will fall for his bullshit[again]. Waiting for the bbc wall to wall crap to start, sure the bird will be getting her lippy on.
Oh geez
Scott says:
29 August, 2016 at 4:46 pm
Trial delayed for Labour MP Marie Rimmer over ‘referendum assault’ charge
What the He** is going on with this nearly 2years to come to court what a farce get finger out before Rimmer can get away with it.
The reason is clear. She will get paid up to the day and hour she may be found to be guilty. Meanwhile the Scots Justice system has to put up with this deliberate delaying tactic. Lawyer laughing all the way to the bank. What’s the excuse? She’s too busy as a Labour MP in England? She is unwell with stress and anxiety? Labour has to answer why they bussed an English Councillor (at that time) to Glasgow and allegedly assaulted a peaceful canvasser. Next thing she’s an MP. Disgraceful
Sokay, Nana, just downloaded the new Brownian Motion Screen app: total online security.
So last week it was GERS, this week it’s Selfie How Very Dare You, next week it looks like being Super Devo Triple Max/Home Rule Keir Hardie Special Edition relaunch wall-to-wall on Reporting Scotland.
Coming to you later in September:
“William Wallace would have voted no” mediaeval document suggests, says prominent Oxbridge academic.
“Vile Cyber Sep possibly shouted Bum Face at me in Waitrose,” claims local MP Ian Murray.
“87,000 jobs to go in Helensburgh if Trident is removed,” pouts winsome Jackie Baillie.
Remix and rewind for two more effing years before we can get out of this…..
Anyone know a good wormhole to a parallel universe?
Hey @long time lurkers
If you want to join in the talk with us but dunno what first to say.. try something like this..
“I Love Scotland.”
You’re welcome.
The reaction of Slab high command to Roden’s appointment speaks volumes. The most disgusting and distorted stories can be written, approved of and printed on the front page about anyone, including Slab, but it matters nothing.
The writer and editor are not to blame. Roden bears no responsibility apparently – he is a ‘nice guy’. It is this back slapping camaraderie which is responsible for our toxic press. It is all a game to them.
As a defence, the SNP appointment of Stuart Nicolson in 2008 has been cited. I don’t anything about him during his time at the Scottish DM but I do know the sort of output that was typical of Roden’s time. If Slab are happy to be associated with that, hell mend them.
Ahh….monica lennon….!
Friend of Notorious racist and bigoted Labour troll, Del Rashid (amongst other online identities).
I have a photo of Lennon and her troll pal posing happily with a “Team Monica” poster before the 2015 SG Election.
Just in case she takes it down, but despite being informed who Del Rashid is, she seems happy to leave it there for all to see.
Monica Lennon, the rancid bigot’s friend in politics.
Disgusting.
Aw Nana, no Broon again wi federalism and a new settlement. I wish he would just crawl back under his rock and shut his blooming geggie. Feckin big eejit, away and gies peace.
As for Henry McLeish, he MIGHT, just might vote for independence YAWN. How many times is that now he’s come out with this crap, but when push came to shove he voted naw.
Silly old Dunc. What next, tomorrow’s headline, Labour to be re-re branded the New Conservative party, Gordon Brown sectioned.
Duncan Hothersall ?@dhothersall 54m
Duncan Hothersall Retweeted Susan Stewart
Glad to see some folk still have class. :-)Duncan Hothersall added,
Susan Stewart @Scotto_Voce
Hey, @AlanRoden, know I DM’d you but after reading nonsense on Twitter just wanted to say Congratulations publicly!
Duncan Hothersall ?@dhothersall 1h
Even more delighted that @AlanRoden has become @scottishlabour Director of Communications now I know how much it has annoyed @WingsScotland.
TTIP dead in the water……now I think I see why Peppa Fancier Cameron called a brexit ref, then didn’t try as hard to maintain the union as he did to keep Scotland shackled, then pissed off as soon as he’d done his bit for Obama!
Cue huge lands in Scotland, for a man who recently assured us he had hardly any money when asked about his tax affairs!
And while I’m in rant mode, I wish people would stop discussing Corbyn et al; he doesn’t care about us. Make it mutual!
OK, is today a Bank Holiday in Scotland or not? I’m a full time carer so these things pass me by but SNP calendar says “UK not Scotland”, a quick google says it is not, yet schools are off and apparently banks are shut, which should be a good guide. We are getting short news bulletins, Jackie just there didn’t feel it newsworthy to tell folk about Scotland’s newest most expensive footballer, Oliver Burke.
Hallo Cactus!
I LOVE SCOTLAND = )
Hallo Ghillie
We Love YOU!
Thanks.
Tory plans to reduce the number of Labour and SNP constituencies are shocking …
link to weegingerdug.wordpress.com
@ Hammish Rimmers excuse today, she has a High Court to attend + wittness’s not in attendance next hearing 2&3 Nov .Sherriff at the last hearing said there should be no more delay’s & the Sherriff today has allowed those 2 days to conclude the case.
@Marie Clark It’s just awful Marie how toxic waste like Broon keeps coming back again. Like the bindweed in my garden which is impossible to get rid.
link to twitter.com
Blimey here’s Broons partner in crime, what poor Stornoway folk have to put up with.
link to archive.is
I LOVE SCOTLAND TOO!
Do YOU?
When trying to express oneself, it’s frankly quite absurd,
To leaf through lengthy lexicons to find the perfect word.
A little spontaniaty keeps Labour keen,
You they find a way to say, precisely what they mean…
Super-mega-ultra-maxi-uber-devolution!
Even though the sound of it is something quite atrosicous!
If you say it loud enough, someone maybe vote for us?
Super-mega-ultra-maxi-uber-devolution
Labour-diddle-diddle-Dumb-diddleye
Um-diddle-diddle-Dumb till they Die.
BBC highlights of the 2016 Tattoo on right now, every single giant flag in the world, from union jack to stars and stripes, all projected on to Edinburgh Castle, except… only in S______d.
Freedom, Aretha!
If you fancy hearing the brilliant Wee Ginger Dug then come along to the Ogilvy Rooms in Alyth (5 miles along from Blairgowrie) tomorrow night at 7.30.
Ahh….monica lennon….!
Friend of Notorious racist and bigoted Labour troll, Del Rashid (amongst other online identities).
I have a photo of Lennon and her troll pal posing happily with a “Team Monica” poster before the 2015 SG Election.
Just in case she takes it down, but despite being informed who Del Rashid is, she seems happy to leave it there for all to see.
Monica Lennon, the rancid bigot’s friend in politics.
Disgusting.
Seems every negative comment/dodgy pic, has been removed…hmm….!
@clipper says 4.11pm :
“Corbyn’s probably just basically ignorant about Scotland rather than a truly malevolent britnat imperialist, or am I being too generous”?
Hey Clipper , Ignorance is no excuse if he wants Scotland to remain part of UK, considering his goal is to be the next prospective PM.
Strange how he is so well informed about Ireland and supports and defends their independence.
Sorry, but I just see him as another MP from another country with no interest, understanding or respect for those of us in Scotland who seek self determination.
Come Indy 2 referendum he will become one of the many who will fight against Independence . I am sure he is a ‘decent’ man but if he denies me the right to live in an independent country then he is no political ally to me and so his ‘decency’ is of little interest or benefit to me or to any independence supporter.
He may be fighting the establishment just now but just wait until pre Indy 2 then his true union Labour colours will shine through and he will join that same establishment in project fear 2 ……also I await with bated breath to hear more tired cliches from McDonnell on the SNP……not.
“Gordon Brown backs effective Scottish Home Rule, saying Brexit vote calls for new constitutional settlement”
Maybe the tories and labour and whats left of the lib dems could make some kind of joint statement pledging this??
Honestly- are we seriously going to live out our days with repeat after repeat of these ridiculous interventions; with no-one ever pointing out to Brown that for interventions 2, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 9 he has proposed, pledged, demanded, orchestrated and guaranteed the very thing he proposes now.
There you have politics in the UK- a complete fraud is wrapped in cotton wool and held aloft.
Can you imagine if an SNP politician attempted one of these flights of fancy?
Sectioned is not too far from the mark heedtracker.
@the Wingers
DO YOU LOVE SCOTLAND TOO?
Another example of British Domination ( Edinburgh Tattoo ) all hail the Scottish Coach, fekin sickening to watch.
Sectioned is not too far from the mark heedtracker.
Historic frauds at the Record said their The Vow’s been delivered, so what on is Crash Gordon doing with this all new federal UKOK shite?
Tory Graun Severin McSpanner says
“Brown said that overhaul would also include the Treasury sending up to £750m more to Holyrood: his advisers estimate the EU programmes, including agricultural subsidies, academic grants and regional funds, are worth £750m in Scotland. But Labour sources admit that giving Holyrood more money and far greater political autonomy from Westminster would provoke a fresh battle with English MPs over Scottish funding.”
So it looks like Crash has been up late number crunching, with things like how much Brexit and lost EU money will cost a lot of once very very solid NO’s in his Scotland region, and he’s filled his union jack pants.
But it could just a Crash fcuk you, to Tam Dalyell who is being very rude about the greatest living former Prime Minister lately
Tory Ponsonby of the STV toryboy style bleh, interviewing Tam o the Bins, also flogging his new book at the Festival.
Poor Crash, even mad old tories hate him.
“Tam Dalyell is extremely gracious, particularly towards political opponents and there are warm words for prominent Nationalists like Billy Wolfe, Winnie Ewing and Labour-turned-SNP politician Jim Sillars. Even talking to SNP members at his byelection count in 1962, he concluded that nationalism was a beast that would only be fully fed when there was a separate Scottish state. So started a long career in which he appeared a lone voice at times.
The harshest judgements are reserved for Labour colleagues. Many privately agreed with his critique but remained mute in pursuit of an easy life. Gordon Brown’s dramatic intervention in the independence referendum in 2014 is dubbed an act of self-promotion and in a follow-up interview with STV News Dalyell effectively accuses the former prime minister of acting out of ego. “I am very angry with him.”
@Nana –
Blimey here’s Broons partner in crime, what poor Stornoway folk have to put up with
I thought it was going to be Brian mad as a mongoose Wilson but my oh my the Flipper comes back to haunt us… this bit caught my eye..
with stories from his time as chancellor, as Alistair Darling, under former Prime Minister Gordon Brown
the (piss) artist formerly known as Alistair Darling what a fannybaws
Somebody has let that crazed Gordon Broon oot again. He is, yet again, promising Scotland the much fabled ‘more powers’.
Of course had Broon, and his corrupt, decrepit Labour party not sided with the Tory party in the first independence referendum, then Scotland would have ALL the powers it wants.
The guy is a fool.
Aye, the Edinburgh Tattoo, the annual televised insult to Scotland. Ssssh! dinnae mention the Saltire. I’m sure that auld wifie lizzie windsor-saxe-coburg loves it. Probably purrin.
Looks like it’s just you and me Ghillie!
WE LOVE SCOTLAND.
@Jack Collatin
The first reference to the term “presstitutes” on Wings as far as I’m aware was March 2013 by Ian Brotherhood.
link to wingsoverscotland.com
@Rev
Do you LOVE SCOTLAND?
collective noun for journalists, how about a ” wormery ” because basically that’s what most of them are.
More tory yoon comedy and farce. No one complained when socialist worker Baron Flipper Darling got a seat on the board of Morgan Stanley?
link to archive.is
2014 BBC blasts out, Vote NO or you’re out of the EU and you ain’t getting in either, says EU Pres Barrosso, in action again,
“More than 75,000 people have signed an EU staff petition calling on former European commission president José Manuel Barroso to forfeit his pension for bringing the European Union into disrepute by joining Goldman Sachs.
The petition, organised by a small group of EU officials, accuses Barroso of “irresponsible” and “morally reprehensible behaviour” for joining the American investment bank.”
I UKOK shit you not:D
This would kill independence stone dead for a while ….
“Britain will never leave the EU because Boris Johnson and other leading Brexiteers did not realise the full complexity of the process, a leading expert has claimed.
Professor Thom Brookes, who is head of Law at the University of Durham, said Article 50 is unlikely to ever be invoked”
…. who knew it was so complex, eh? Jeez. Of course it is! Only fools didn’t know this.
Nearer the truth is, no one actually expected Leave to win.
link to archive.is
Collective noun? I still say a chanty …. you know, full of pish!
A scrotum of scribblers!
If Cameron’s even considering the purchase of a Highland estate the land reform proposals are nowhere near as revolutionary as they should be!
heedtracker
Brown seems to be putting forward that post brexit the Scottish Parliament should have control over fisheries and agriculture- both devolved areas at present that would take (I would presume) an amendment to the Scotland Act or a new Scotland Act to actually reserve.
It reminds me of the Proclaimers line: “We beg… For a piece of… what’s already, what’s already, what’s already ours”
It is maybe a new tactic for Brown: propose changes that are already in the pipeline anyway.
What next: control over APD? Devolution of the aggregates levy? Gordon Brown demands a separate Scottish NHS?
And Labour caution we might not be able to get what Brown proposes for fear of offending parts of England. That wee bit is interesting- they are actually saying agriculture and fisheries should be RESERVED.
There’s your Scottish Champion right there- labour are kind enough to suggest reserving powers we have already just so Gordon Brown can demand devolved powers remain devolved. To big up brown’s new plan through juxtaposition we get the tradesman teeth-suck and shake of the head.
Doesn’t Brown know that Michael Gove has beat him to it and told us were getting all this plus an Australian points based immigration policy all of our very own.
galamcennalath says:
29 August, 2016 at 8:54 pm
Collective noun? I still say a chanty …. you know, full of pish!
I’ll raise you.
I still say it’s a commode … full of keech and pish !
Tam Jardine says:
29 August, 2016 at 9:05 pm
heedtracker
Brown seems to be putting forward that post brexit the Scottish Parliament should have control over fisheries and agriculture-
But why do they not “give” the Scottish Parliament control of the North Sea oil and gas industry?
Give them fish and farming because…
Don’t give them North Sea oil and gas because…
Its a UKOK pickle, considering the hysterical BBC Scotland lead the oil’s gone now so vote UKOK yoon shrieking.
The HS is excelling itself. The Clunking Fist, looking like a fire damaged Madam Tussaud wax image of himselfhas emerged from the primordial swamps again to talk more pish
Then we have the NHS BAD SNP piece.
Mr. Simon Barker, eminent surgeon and new Chair of the Scottish Consultants Committee of the British Medical Association ‘warns’ the Herald that the NHS is on its knees and needs more money. What is the Bad SNP going to do about it ?
I presume that Mr Barker’s ‘Scottish’ Consultants’ Committee has the same standing with the British Medical Association as Ruth’s and Kezia’s Scottish Blue and Red Tory Branch Office have with their British Parties? Branch Office status.
Therefore Mark Porter, Chair of the British Medical Association is his ‘boss’, just like May is Ruth’s boss, and ahem, Jeremy/Owen is/are Kezia’s bos(ses).
Well, his ‘boss’, Mark Porter, seems to know who is short changing our NHS. There follows an exact transcript of Mr Porter’s podcast on the eve of Osborne’s budget 14/03/2016.
“When the chancellor gives his budget speech on Wednesday he’ll talk about the National Health Service. But which one? The one that pops up every budget day, which he says is fully funded. Or the NHS we work in, with its cuts, the deficit, and the soaring demand?
The Government is making a real terms increase in health spending.
But it is spending much less than it says. The NHS will not see £10 billion of new money by the end of this Parliament, as the Government claims.
There is a deception here. The Government has redefined what health service means, for its own convenience.
Areas like Public Health – which has seen savage cuts – are no longer protected.Social Care has never been protected.
With £3.2 billion cuts elsewhere in health services, and the £2 billion that’s already been announced, it comes down to less than half the headline £10 billion that the Chancellor will boast about.
And where will the money go? The nHS desperately needs investment to help integration and service improvement.
But next year, and perhaps beyond, the vast majority of the extra money will pay off the deficit caused by the year on year squeeze on Health service income – paying off last year’s cuts.
The NHS will be £30 billion per year short of what it needs within four years.
No one believed that the target can be met through the small but welcome increase in spending. Leaving the rest to efficiency savings – more cuts.
Health spending is a political choice.
We spend less than the EU average on health, providing lower standards than the public than the Mr. Simon Barker, eminent surgeon and new Chair of the Scottish Consultants Committee ‘warns’ the Herald that the NHS is on its knees and needs more money public wants and that the government has provided.
It’s a multi billion pound mismatch and the NHS and those who work in it have been left to sort it out.”
It would seem that Mr Barker’s boss agrees with him.
You may recall that on the 13th January 2105, a wet Tuesday evening I believe, the Red Blue and Yellow Tories marched through the lobbies arm in arm voting in The WM Austerity Cuts Package.
$12 billion in cuts to Welfare payments, £13 billion in cuts to public services, public service jobs, and ‘non protected (Ed Balls’ phrase at the Red Tory Party Conference 2014) government departments, and £5 billion in tax rises, but a 5% reduction in tax to the Filthy Rich.
Almost hidden in this Austerity Rob The Poor and Infirm, Give to the Rich Austerity scam, was an Efficiency Savings figure of £30 billion a year for the English NHS, with concomitant cuts to the Scottish NHS Block Grant.
You get where I’m going with this one, Mr Barker, surgeon of eminence?
I have reached your attention span, dear reader.
Part II, where Anas talks the usual ordure follows shortly. Well, Bad SNP, what are you going to do about it?
O/T When was the last Indy poll ???
Simon Barker NHS needs more money Part II.
The story so far:
Mr. Simon Barker, eminent surgeon and new Chair of the Scottish Consultants Committee ‘warns’ the Herald that the NHS is on its knees and needs more money.
I doubt that anybody would argue with you that the Scottish Health Service needs more money. I think that we all agree that there will be no more forthcoming from England, who voted through this EVEL Cuts Package.
Eighteen MPs voted against this savage attack on our society, including, bless her, Diane Abbott, and the SNP Six. (who’d have thought?) Red Blue and Yellow Tories Better Together and feck the Sweaties were shoulder to shoulder on this wee gem.
Corbyn must have abstained?
This, it is argued goes to the very heart of the Independence argument.
Our Health service cash is determined by a WM government’s Cuts Policy, a government for which we didn’t vote, yet can cut funding to Health by £30 billion, and health spending outside the NHS Budget like Public Health, Education and Training, and bodies like NICE which suffered a £3 billion cut, and we take a budget hit on the rebound.
All these cutbacks happened without a Holyrood politician being in the room.
Yet Anas berates the SNP, accusing Shona Robinson of an NHS botch up.
The Red Tories answer, to which they received our reply in May, was to add a penny to hard working Scots’ taxes, to paper over the cracks of the Blue Tory Raid on the Poor.
The Blue Tories Up Here, Davidson, Two Jobs WATP Tomkins and the Ruddy Rotund One, policy is to divert money from elsewhere, and undertake a similar ‘efficiencies and savings’ review Up Here, which is, as is so graphically described by Mr Barker’s boss, Mark Porter, ‘A multi million pound mismatch’.
There needs to be a way to generate more income for patient care out of existing funds, if the NHS is indeed on its knees up here.
It has been very difficult to glean any info from the Ethernet of NHS Scotland.
I wonder why.
We have 14 Health Boards, and 7 National Special Health Boards.
They work in partnership with 32 (yes still 32) Local Authorities, and seem all to have their own NHS Boards of Management.
How much does this Governance overkill cost?
I peeked onto NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board’s site.
The main picture is of a meeting with 41 (in view) souls sat around an oblong of 4 teak tables.
41 at a meeting? Aye, right.
How many ‘meetings’ does this lot attend, together or in packs? Dozens a month, I’d venture.
How much did the meeting captured in the site photo cost?
Wages, travel expenses, M&S finger lunches, lease cars?
How much are we paying 21 Chairs, 21 CEO’s, and hordes of exec and non exec directors?
I observed before that Yorkshire with roughly the same population as Scotland, has 3 Local Authorities, while we have 32.
I ask, how many Health Boards has the People’s Republic of Yorkshire got?
I’d make a stab at, not 21.
I note that one of the seven National Special Health Boards provides Services to our hospitals/surgeries/ care homes. Wiki reveals that they have a £700 million contract to ferry goods to outlets.
Can suppliers of masks, gloves, and paper clips not deliver direct? There may be a good reason why not, but is it a £700 million reason?
Supply staff. We apparently spend tens of millions on supply nurses, to plug gaps in staffing because of illness annual leave, pregnancy leave, or whatever.
Do these boards each have an HR Department, responsible for recruitment, training, and retention of staff? Have they built an Absence Factor into their Complement forecasts?
If not why not?
How many HR Directors and HR Teams do we have? 21 ? They are not cheap.
They surely have historic data on sickness leave, and annual peaks and troughs available to them?
It is observed that some Boards deliberately under recruit to save money. Well that isn’t working is it?
We have 28 PFI hospitals in Unionist controlled council areas. Efforts have been made to tinker at the edges of these poisonous contracts, like for example installing LED lighting. Is it time to bite the bullet and pay them off entirely rather than being stuck with a £300 Billion pound debt for 30 years?
And what of the economy of scale of combining health and care in a joined up service?
I could go on.
It is not the BAD SNP’s fault that the NHS is being starved of funds, Mr Barker. If you believe Mr Porter, that is.
It’s Ruth Davidson’s and Murdo Fraser’s fault. The Red Tories would have followed the same savage cuts programme as the Blue Yins.
The SNP was the only party advocating an end to austerity, £180 billion in borrowing to invest in growing our way out of the deficit.
The Bureaucratic Leviathan that is the governance and management of NHS Scotland and Care Scotland may be a starting point in generating more cash for patient care. It appeard to be a legacy of New Labour and Blue Tory economics.
The Thatcher mantra regarding investment in all public services:- Do more with the same money, or do the same with less money, and call it ‘efficiencies’. It is called cuts to sane folk, Mr Barker.
I wish you luck in your new role.
Who loves Scotland?
I do.
Watched the Tattoo highlights tonight.
Was surprised that Royal Regiment of Scotland bands men/women were allowed to the Saltaire to be used.
Also noticed that if it was not for the Irish, Jordanian and Canadian contingent the Black Bear and Scotland the Brave would not be so spine tingling.
It’s a sad state of affairs the the our Scottish Regiments have been slashed so much by Westminster that they are virtually a side show at Edinburgh.
Also imagine making all the weans and the participants sing the “National Anthem”. I muted that.
I was at the tattoo a few years ago. Tickets from Canadian relatives who couldn’t make it over. Don’t remember having to do that. Not that I would have anyway.
My family didn’t do it when I was growing up and I certainly would not be do it now.
Also switched off when the “golden carriage” arrived. Who really gives “a” about the queen on her 90th and all the “old past glories and disgraces of war.” We should be looking forward not backwards.
I look forward to when Scotland is independent and we get pride and numbers back in our Scottish Regiments and do away with the tugging forelock of nobility.
Who loves Scotland?
I DO.
Wouldn’t want to live anywhere else in the world.
@Nana says: 29 August, 2016 at 5:08 pm:
” … sure the bird will be getting her lippy on.
Oh geez”
Where does the bird put the lippy, Nana?
Effter aa she talk a load of shit – sae mibbies the lippy maun bi oan her earse.
Cactus,
I love Scotland!
I caught literally 5 mins of the Tattoo, amid channel hopping.
It would just be the 5 mins of GSTQ, with a bloody huge Butchers Apron unfurling on one wall.
I frightened the poor dozing dog, as I yelled F**k Off, scrabbling for the remote.
Yuck.
Is it true that Alan Roden(t) is the new Labour Press Officer for the ‘branch office’ ?
Cheers Lanarkist!
It’s me, you and Ghillie
Mon the Scotland X
@Cactus
You know I love Scotland. I love her people, their wit and love you too 🙂
Jack Collatin
Very good posts. I am cautious in posting on the Scottish nhs because I am normally impressed with the service I get and although my instinct is to reduce beurocracy by reducing health boards and councils in number I also know that other countries have much smaller local councils which are more democratic. The honest truth is I don’t know.
What I do know is that we are dealing with the symptoms rather than the root causes. The root causes to our burdened NHS, social services and education system are economic. And the root cause of our economic problems need political solutions.
We currently have very few ways of solving the fundamental problems facing the Scottish economy within the current setup. The Scottish Government in being in control of most spending but a small amount of revenue raising and no fiscal levers is hamstrung.
Why is Scotland such an onerous place to set up a business? Why is it all but impossible to buy useable land and use it? Why is 9/10ths of the country empty? Why are we starting, in the second decade of the 21st century with infrastructure that is certainly inferior to such countries as England, Norway, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, France etc etc.
Gers are a good thing to discuss. They examine Scotland- why do we not have the same for Wales, Northern Ireland, England or English regions?
Same question- why do we have Gers only for the one country in the UK that wants to leave? Is it a coincidence that that the one country that we study the figures for in a system that looks unfavourably on low population density is the least dense population within the UK? And lastly- why is that population so low?
Anyway – keep up the good work Jack- you are doing good work on this site.
And Cactus- you are clearly not alone. Frustrating mistress she may right now but I love her all the same
“Scottish Social Attitudes Survey 2015: Attitudes to Social Networks, Civic Participation and Co-production”
More to the point than its findings – how many respondents fell asleep during the survey itself?
Tam Jardine @ 11.06
I have nothing but praise for the doctors and medical teams who have looked after my needs over the years. Thankfully I have avoided major illnesses and surgery, but who can tell as the decrepitude of old age sets in.
It is a political decision at WM level to cut health spending to the bone.
We know the policy Down There. Open health provision up to the market, and have private companies cream off profits from an already stretched budget.
Up here, our spending is decided for us by the level of services and cuts Down There.
To attempt to say that it is the SNP’s fault(note my suggestions to scrutinise our processes, Governance, and top heavy management and administration do not absolve Holyrood from some blame) and the Sarwars and the Frasers attempts to make political capital out of what is a Unionist created Cash crisis, is despicable.As the chief of the BMA points out in his March podcast, it is the WM government’s decision, not Holyrood’s.
Sleep sound, my friend.
@Cactus
I love Scotland.
I admit I actually had a wee bit of the cringe a long time ago when I was young and stupid but it’s gone now.
Re NHS.
Two years ago I set about comparing NHS in Scotland and England and laid them out in bullet points for our ‘Yes’ shop.
I knew there were differences but the scale of the privatisation in England shocked me. Nothing was safe.
More people in England seem to have private health insurance, often through work benefits, than seems to be the case in Scotland. Perhaps that is why there is no huge outcry down there.
The Scottish NHS is not perfect as summed up by Jack Collatin earlier but we, in Scotland, seem to appreciate it more.
@Cactus
Coont me in, eh love Scotland ana!
Gene Wilder has died right now.. fuckin’ legend
Love.
See no evil, hear no evil.
Stop hollygaggin’ around with dem picks and them shovels
Jim!
Fuzzy wossy was a women ?
I FUCKIN’ LOVE GENE WILDER!
Good guy.
I propose a toast to Gene!
Join me.
X
Gene turned black into white.
I’m a mess right now, but that’s cool X
Nous sommes Gene Wilder.
Cheers Al, I’m with you.
“The sheriff is a..”
Way cool.
Cheers Jack.. nous sommes Gene Wilder.
To think, is to believe!
In your imagination.. We shall find..
Settling down to Young Frankenstein at 01:27 the now.
Tomorrow is a new day.
>Re: David Cameron’s Diary.
Reminds me of Alistair Campbell diaries on Tony Blair’s government.
link to theguardian.com
TB said it was clear he had the chance to be a major player and that gave us a great opportunity. “It’s just a shame Britain is so small, physically.”
I actually believe that is one of the reasons the UK government tries so hard to cling onto Scotland. Not just resources, food, water & defence reasons.
But prestige and ego when looking at a map.
Factoid..
Did you know.. Richard Pryor was surposed to play the part of Bart (the sheriff) of Rockridge..
But Cleavon Little got the part.
Check the credits out.
Deranged crud(ite)Alan Roden has Tory principles.
If you don’t like them, he has Labour ones.
Marty Feldman’s got beautiful eyes!
The Labour Party’s going to have to expel Roden for retrospective inappropriate comment.
Gene Wilder.. the perfect gentleman.
SCOTLAND!
Don’t care about swearing no more..
GENE FUCKING WILDER!
And SCOTLAND.
Hedy Lamarr.. why am I asking you?
That’s Hedley!
Yes!
We are Scotland
X
Herald updating the Brown story.
New post-Brexit Home Rule settlement for Scotland could kill off SNP’s second independence poll, says Brown
Aye right! 🙂
link to archive.is
PS:
Scotland sees largest rise in household wealth across UK, says report
link to archive.is
@Cactus
Alex above couldn’t have put it any better. 🙂
Gene Wilder – Legend R.I.P
@Macart
Ditto, cheers dude
Film’s finished.. now chilling out to the amazing Ludovico Einaudi.
Go check him out!
Cheers to all you lovers of Scotland.
Why like when you can love..
Another one bites the dust. Another one gone and another one gone. A sociopath sycophant goes to the highest bidder.
Scotland don’t want to keep Westminster services. Illegal wars, banking fraud or tax evasion. Or the debt and nuclear weapons dumped on it. The borrowed money lent at 50% interest rates. Taken out of the EU. Westminster can keep it’s ‘services’ and it’s deficit. Cut out the ‘pycho bastards’ at Westminster. Independence. GB is delusional.
Seriously. Off to Ljubljana now. Will keep a look out for Slovene girlfriend that I keep hearing about.
Oh, no! Successful breakthrough in tidal wave power in Scottish waters. It’s just like the oil again. We’re doomed! All this energy development can only be bad for Scotland. Britnats say so, and they know how wee, stupid and small we are.
No too shabby. 🙂
link to thenational.scot
Douglas Fraser, Shortbread’s financial wizard/shit (take your pick!) is just off the air expounding on Scotland’s lack of inward investment this past couple of years & offers the view that this might be due to political uncertainty.
Douglas Fraser, who has made a good living for himself for yonks in downplaying Scotland’s economic chances ad nauseum, has no evidence to support this notion, or we would have got it with both barrels, but mentions it anyhow. It’s what the bastard’s paid for!
Back on the scene like a sex machine. Can toryboy yoonsters get anymore ridiculous. Hours and hours of BBC Scotland gimps bleating over the clown quitting twitter and… anyway who had less than a month?!
Wings Over Scotland ?@WingsScotland 1h1 hour ago
Hmm, look whose Twitter account is visible again. link to twitter.com
Political uncertainty like leaving the EU against the majority view in Scotland. If the rest of the UK. had followed Scotland’s view, the UK would not be in such a fiscal mess. Thatcher etc. The Westminster clones are devious, dangerous lying criminals. They don’t know what to do next. Another four years of lining their pockets. What a farce.
Douglas Fraser, Shortbread’s financial wizard/shit (take your pick!) is just off the air expounding on Scotland’s lack of inward investment this past couple of years & offers the view that this might be due to political uncertainty.”
If only toryboy’s could agree. Rancid The Graun say exact opposite from BBC Scotland, teamGB is prospering, their Scotland region is really booming, despite our big throbbing black hole, we’re boom beating London and several other booming English cities.
“Every region of the UK is better off than it was a year ago, according to a new study that found Scotland enjoyed the biggest rise in prosperity last year, beating London and several other booming English cities.”
“Scotland led the way in terms of increase in household wealth over the last year, according to the report – rising by 13%, pushing it up into seventh place overall. It narrowly beat the capital, which saw a 12% increase in prosperity last year.”
Boom!
Headtracker @8.07.
They are relentless. Proud Scots every one of them.
We let them away with none of this Scotland is shite nonsense any more.
It’s not the ‘pooling and sharing’ Better Together’s Broad shoulders and near as federalism Clunk Fist’s fault that,if you actually believe this guff from Fraser this morning that is, it’s ‘political uncertainty’.
Big Business is refusing to invest in Scotland because of the Nat Loons?
Why don’t we Nats just shut up, and let the Scottish Branch of the English Establishment rule over us. Look at the trouble we are causing, bleats a bought and paid for BBC News Where You Are lackey.
Well spotted, headtracker. Every breath they take.
I see the turgid Torrance has returned to Twitter. I also note, he is boasting his column will appear every week, regardless of clicks.
He might be advised not to get ahead of himself. I understand Magnus Llewellin’s notice period with the Herald runs out this week, so, a new Herald Editor is coming, soon. The new guy might not – hopefully will not – follow the current editorial line. Perhaps we will see a man or woman in charge who is more in-tune with the reality of the political position in Scotland today – that Independence in Europe is the thing.
If that happens, Torrance might be toast at the Herald, and be forced to join the rush to be a UKOK propagandist on the usual suspects – whose journalism is highly suspect.
Morning everyone, links posted on off topic.
The Clunking Fist’s story in the Herald was repeated in the National this morning. Apart from the fact that nobody believes him after his past interventions, what is the National doing quoting him word for word, as the Herald does, with no warning about a raving yoonie having escaped from wherever he has been since indyref.
I mean come on, there should have been a big front page warning…Deluded Unionist thinks he can lie with impunity again.
I mean, fair enough, the yoons haven’t got an argument so it’s all SNP baad all the time, but how thick do they think we are in their northern region?
This quote from Henry McLeish in the National.
“The Labour Party has got to recognise that independence should not just be the flag of the Scottish National Party. They have no right to a monopoly, because independence could come from any party,” McLeish said.
“Independence isn’t necessarily about their kind of nationalism. It’s about wanting to be maybe like Finland, or Sweden or Denmark – the Nordic countries generally. We would have a different way of life, different social investment policies, be a genuinely social democratic country.”
Henry doesn’t pay very close attention to politics anymore does he?
Setting aside the mountain of guff that constitutes his idea of what the SNP are or represent, Independence doesn’t ‘belong’ to ANY political party at all. Politicians are ‘public servants’ and it is for our public servants to administer our constitutional status at our request. If one or more parties out there hold with the idea of Scotland as a nation state, then so much the better, but Henry needs to understand that in truth independence isn’t a possession. It isn’t political barter coin and it isn’t a serving suggestion. It is a right.
It is the inalienable right of Scotland’s population.
Pretty much end of.
Valerie says:
29 August, 2016 at 10:04 pm
I caught literally 5 mins of the Tattoo, amid channel hopping.
It would just be the 5 mins of GSTQ, with a bloody huge Butchers Apron unfurling on one wall.
I frightened the poor dozing dog, as I yelled F**k Off, scrabbling for the remote.
Yuck.
Yuck indeed! My German wife normally enjoys the tattoo, but last night they went totally ott with the butcher’s apron and Elisabeth I of Scotland’s face on the wall and that old carriage thing. Nothing like the constant reminder, We rule over your region, Scotland and don’t you forget it.
They even played God save the Queen for the National Anthem and zoomed in to the Highland Dancers who had to sing it. Fucking appalling. As soon as I finished bolting down my tea I was out of there. That sycophantic commentary, needless to say, I did not sleep well or felt all cozy and safe in this Great British Yoonion.
I don’t normally watch the telly. Last night I was reminded of the reason why.
I see Mr Torrance has graced twatter again.
That stroomph lasted well then. 😀 LOL
BBC reporting record foreign investment until EU vote.
There have been a tribal barrage in France since the 1960’s. Dinan
How long will Clegg and Torrance last?
The Tattoo was a bit weird. NZ barbie dancers and GI Blues.
McBoxheid @ 8:48
Thanks for the warning. The only reason I have for going out today was to buy the National so you’ve saved me time, fuel and 60p
Don’t know if anyone has flagged this up yet but there’s an independence rally on the anniversary of the Indyref at Glasgow Green. Sunday 18th September 2016. It runs from 2pm till 8pm.
Those times I think are a great idea. It means people can travel a distance and still get there before it starts and it also means people who are working during the day (shop workers etc) can go after work.
I’ve also heard that there will be other smaller gatherings at locations around the country but I’m not sure of the details – does anyone know?
It’s really important that these rallies are well attended to keep up the pressure on our “masters”.
Was looking for a Yes2 saltire flag that wasn’t quite as big as the one on the Yes2 facebook page shop (5ft x 3ft) but had no luck. Does anyone know where a smaller version can be bought?
Shout out to Gighagal who I met recently on my travels. Like me you are largely a cybernat lurker. Hope you’re lurking just now. Lovely to meet you! Maybe see you on the 18th at Glasgow Green?
Hi Cal yes and lots of us will be there at our well-flagged and bannered stall.
McLeish is a Former FM for good reason . He’s a LIER & A THEIF of public funds, now making MOOTHMUSIC to anybody willing to cross his greedy hands with money.
Not somone we need on the Indyside of the fence ( as many people thought on the 1st Ref ).
@ Cal 9.32 Thanks Cal we The Wings team are on top of it.
Badges Badges Badges
Flags Flags Flags n mair Flags
Scottish Passports ( D McEwan Hill come early )
Posters & other merchandise.
Yes2 Provan
Saltire Creations
Lindsay Bruce & yours truly The Wings Team all under one roof (well twa Gizebo’s actualy).
Come along and get ah Stroke fae Paula Rose.
New Daily Mail political editor Michael Blackley during Indy Ref wrote story that “Scotland more likely to face catatrophic terrorist attack if independent.”
link to wingsoverscotland.com
Cheers Ronnie! I’ll get one on the day then.
Stu,
You must have some kind of high tech associative database (that or your drinking something strange) to be able to remember these details. I am sure that the press pack gave no thought at all to their previous gifts or their own egotistical selfie sins.
By their Selfies shall ye know them.
So … have any of the media actually said that Brown is talking absolute bollocks given that everything he said in Sept 2014 turned out to be bollocks?
No, of course they haven’t. Odd though, because you would need to be really really gullible to believe this guff. Shows someone believe there are enough numpties out there to make this fiasco worthwhile.
Surely there aren’t?
Sinky,
..read that Brackley ‘report’..
The language, content, sentiment and logic can all be debunked by anyone of independence of mind.
Utter push..
Macart @ 8.52
Och, Ol’ Henry pops up again.
“Independence isn’t necessarily about their kind of nationalism. It’s about wanting to be maybe like Finland, or Sweden or Denmark – the Nordic countries generally. We would have a different way of life, different social investment policies, be a genuinely social democratic country.”
He hopes that if he says this nonsense, that enough will believe it. The Nordic model is his Big Idea, not the Yes movement’s? Takes us for fucking idiots in other words. The contempt of the man.
He joins Corbyn, who is not the sweet old sandal wearing honest veggie socialist that his image makers attempt to project, in lying about the SNP, and their form of ‘post national nationalism’.
Corbyn has accused our Holyrood Government of being Tartan Tories, Calmac privateers and so on.
The man who is for reuniting Ireland and opening a dialogue with ISIS, attempts to sell the notion that the SNP, and the broader Yes Movement, is some sort of narrow fascist, clique.
Henry just repeats the message, and implies that he has ‘another form of Independence in mind’, one that we have not considered because we are all as thick and pig shit, and he descends among the Common Herd to cast his erudite pearls of political wisdom before us.
Kezia tries it on with her ‘the Labour Party is the only Party fighting for a fairer Scotland’ mince.
They are all versions of SNP Bad.
I looked up McLeish.
Where has he been since 2001 when he was forced to resign as FM following the ‘officegate’ expenses scandal?
He had to pay back £36,000 in expenses following a ‘muddle’ over subletting part of his political offices to a third party.
He’s no stranger to kafuffle over expenses. Fast forward a decade, and he was resigning again, as Chair of Glasgow Colleges Regional Board.
According to reports, and I neither assert or in any way imply impropriety, his Board top sliced £400,000 for their salaries and expenses, with McLeish himself racking up £14,000 in expenses in a matter of months, allegedly, reportedly.
In between times he seems to have had a varied career.
A few Honorary Fellowships, visiting Professorships, from the heavyweights, Edinburgh University, Cambridge University, and lots of lectures in the States , the US Air Force Academy, Arkansas.
It is amazing how many Labour politicians spend time at US Universities.
He has also had a few wee jobs here in Scotland.
2007, appointed to the Scottish Broadcasting Commission.
2008, appointed to the Scottish Prisons Commission; helped write a Report, so he did.
2010 Scottish Football Association commissioned him to write a ‘major report’ on the state of football in Scotland. Nice little earners, no doubt.
Then 4 years with the College Board.
If all this stuff from Wiki is true, he has been a very busy boy, and should perhaps write a book on Networking.
If all this is true, of course.
Perhaps he has ‘contacts’.
Certainly he can command space in the columns of our Unionist Dead Tree Scrolls at his whim.
He has not been in politics for 15 years, yet like the other dinosaur, Brown, (Henry’s 68 now) we are expected to be interested in what he has to say about contemporary Scotland and self determination.
There is a concerted New Labour effort to ‘steal the SNP’s clothes’.
Trouble is , they are 15 years too late.
Que fur ah song.
Brownman in the ring he’s do laly laa
shows no emotion’s he’s do laly laa
Wan fur Ninja tae work oan.
@Macart
The general view on twitter is Torrance was just on holiday either `doing the festival` or posing about in some quaint French/Italian `undiscovered` village,
his whole strop about twitter was just an excuse for a wee bit Nat baiting and click bait for his column before hols,
just a poseur,sad old man.
@Jack Collatin
Labour’s efforts to etc. –
link to holyrood.com
Hire raging right wing press commentator to become your comms director. :p
I’m sure Kezia is fully aware of the irony in this acquisition. How and ever, the whole ‘we’re the real socialists’ shtick may have just been kicked into touch. 😀 LOL
As for Mr McLeish and his recent dip into the media? Pffft!
Clearly not paying attention to a word the SNP, the Greens, the SSP and more importantly the YES movement have been saying repeatedly for the past several years.
Happily the independence movement doesn’t suffer from memory problems.
Hubby just sent me this video, thought you would like to watch.
We have the people, places and potential to do so much. Independence is the only way forward.
Soar Alba
The Mariner B vessel was this weekend safely berthed at Global Energy Group’s Nigg Energy Park, north of Inverness, after completing the 15,800 nautical miles (18,183 miles/29,263 kilometres) journey from the Samsung construction yard in South Korea.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLW4–VB5PM
Warning photo of a pure evil old git
link to archive.is
Polls for indy must be scaring the unionists when this is old bugger is back.
@Scott Finlayson
Considering his column in the ‘TIMES?” explaining his departure from twitter, its turned into a bit of a train wreck for the fella. He made a lot of public hay on his ‘righteous walk out’ and now apparently reversing this decision, it does make it appear a very shallow PR stunt. (shrugs)
Poor choice on his part, but his choice nonetheless.
Polls for indy must be scaring the unionists when this is old bugger is back
Income tax may double for Scots after independence – Gordon Brown
Sure looks like something big’s got the yoons very UKOK agitated. Rancid The Graun’s UKOK stuff is easy to keep up with as that bunch of McSpanners never report anything much about Scotland at all, except vote NO, vote SLab.
Wednesday 24 August 2016 17.41 BST
Scotland’s North Sea oil revenues collapse, US crude stocks rise – as it happened
Wednesday 24 August 2016 15.52 BST
Scottish deficit grows to nearly £15bn as oil revenues collapse
Deficit is now equivalent to 9.5% of its GDP, with latest figures showing bigger gap between tax income and spending than UK
Monday 29 August 2016 16.21 BST
Replace House of Lords with elected senate, urges Gordon Brown
Ex-PM says Brexit vote means UK should rethink constitutional structures to weaken case for Scottish independence
Tuesday 30 August 2016 00.01 BST
Pre-Brexit vote research shows prosperity hotspots emerging across UK
Annual Barclays report finds no region is less prosperous than last year and Scotland saw biggest rise – but study was conducted before EU referendum
And all to save England’s control of their Scotland region.
I have a lovely photo taken at Portree. Nichola, my youngest daughter and her daughter. Now
Aged 4. Yes Nicola did a selfi. Aske the 4
Year old who is the boss of Scotland immediately she says Nichola. Get them young.
The really important thing about that photograph is that every single person in it is SMILING.
THAT is what the unionists don’t like. Happiness to them is a foreign country far, far away from wherever they are.
I know whats wrong with the jounalists and the yoons.
No one wants to have selfie with them.
However, to be serious.
The SNP are the top party for the use of Social Media, but I honestly think that they should be using it more, especially to counter-act the headlines like the one above and the BBC one with currency and all the other crap that has been printed etc., and to back this up by making reports available (where permitted) for people to be able see for themselves what the Scottish government is / has achieved with the limited resources that they have at hand.
This is something that they will have to utilize to a greater extent come the Local Government Elections in 2017, otherwise we are going to end up with the scenario where Unionist Parties are going to get councilors in by the back door due to the power and backing they have from the old fashioned sources.
Well said The Rough Bounds.
Any one of the smiling girls above could grow up to be the future First Minister of Scotland.
No surprise that Torrance is back on Twitter. It was such an obvious big girl’s blouse flounce that the only thing that required prediction was the date of his flounce back*.
* not very long as it turned out 🙂
Ye’ve got Big Flouncy down to a T.