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A man of foresight

Posted on December 13, 2013 by
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Lou Nisbet

Well the LibDums have got their reward – enough MSPs to fill a taxi and less to come in 2015 and 2016.

Doug Daniel

Devolution in Bavaria, eh? The Lib Dems certainly enjoy confusing devolution with federalism, don’t they?

sneddon

That’s Jim for you, always laughing and making us laugh along. 🙂

Macart

Is he actually watching the same news channels the rest of us are? 😀

balgayboy

Re, same article 1997:
How Scotland voted:
Scottish parliament: FOR – 74.3% AGAINST – 25.7%
Tax Powers: FOR – 63.5% AGAINST – 36.5%
Fast Forward: September 18, 2014 referendum vote: No Change.

Hetty

O/T
The further I get into reading The Flag in the Wind by John MacCormick, the less I can tolerate anyone living in Scotland even contemplating voting ‘no’. To actually have to ask to make decisions for your own population, like J MacCormick and many many people were asking for westminster to even consider a Scottish parliament back then, for that not to be automatic is downright crazy. Basically we are living as an invaded country, still.  

Vronsky

I’ve never understod the respect this man is accorded – in some quarters.  I recall after one campaign he was asked to explain his lies about university tuition fees. ‘Oh, that was just electoral rhetoric‘ he said. 

HandandShrimp

Jim Wallace and George Robertson
 
The great seers of our time
 
or maybe not. 

Robert Kerr

@Hetty
 
Yes indeed , an invaded and occupied country, complete with occupying power and tame Q-folk.

Macart

I wonder if he even remembers saying that today or if he does just how confident he feels about the outcome next year?
 
I don’t know about anyone else, but I get this feeling that the louder they shout about how certain a no vote is, the more certain I feel that their coat is on a very shoogly peg.

Sandy Milne

Anyone notice that the Bitter Together mob are retweeting so-called objectional Cybernats of late? It looks to me that these so-called cybernats are nothing of the kind but are BT false tweeters setup for the purpose of being trotted out at the appropriate time. Can someone approach twitter and get them to reveal the true identities of these so-called individuals.  

ronnie anderson

To a man of four sight, I started to wear glasses in the 90s,it didnt give me four sight, jist that their now single glased,but hopefully before they are glased over permantly, I hope to see a FREE SCOTLAND

ronnie anderson

Sandy Milne, Yes Scotlands full of them BT ers, but there easy to spot, its if their reading of a script, no doupt it is organized, they pretend their dont knows ask questions get information, in sread of taking time to read & research their back within minitues whit more questions, yes I agree with you that what will happen they will bring that forward at some time in the future

gordoz

Jim Wallace turns my stomach personally ( and his mates Tavish Scott, Carmichael, D Alexander )

Im just amazed that wll the polls are so consistently coming out with No side in front by a heavy measure. Not my expereince in public ( seems close to 50 – 50 to me with a lot still undecided).
 
No faltering,  no swing,  (either way)  nothing – static since the date of the ref was announced. It has struck me as odd from the start. No matter what little coverage or what YES side do polls remain abolutely resolute and static.
 
Ive never held any trust in any polls past or present  but find this situatiion very, very, strange. Have a real fear the media / polsters are asking very biased Questions or manipulating the data in cunjuntion with state or no campaign. Could be wrong but will be very sad to find this is the case post vote, ( wont be surprised though – bit like McCrone & Healey info release.
 
Are there no young turk English or other international journalists looking to make a name like for themselves by digging deep into this Scottish media politics environment (a John Pilger say). Surely someone from outside can smell a rat here ? 
 
As the majority of Scottish press & TV are for NO (could not count 5 writers in all of Scotland myself who may be more YES or bi-political lets say (Like McWhirter undecided).
 
Cant believe SG got us this far on a landslide and yet only a consistent ( non wavering) 25% are serious YES voters?

balgayboy

Oh Christ…who to believe? Jim Wallace the sychophant and his tory bedfellows or the “pinocchio”of Scottish politics as per our own tory girl Ruthie.

No brainer for me…eh’ll stand by pinocchio any day rather than believe a tory place man/woman?

msean

I think some of these polls have been understating support as the electorate are influenced (wrongly) by poll data.If they told of a higher yes figure it may sway more folk to yes,same goes for ‘no’.

Macandroid

Lord Jim – his reward for giving away 6000 or so square miles of Scottish waters to England?
Quisling? – ("Tractor" - Ed) more like.

Embradon

Vronsky said:
“I’ve never understod the respect this man is accorded”

The Libdems, especially in the Norther Isles, have been living on the fading memory of greats like Jo Grimond in the same way that Labour have on Kier Hardie and Clem Atlee.

The current crop in both parties are embarrasing nonentities.

Andrew Morton

Why do Panelbase give Yes around 40%? Plainly it’s to do with the way the questions are asked.

gordoz

Relating to picture on last thread of  Statute of Limitations
 
Does this ‘African mole rat’ remind you of anyone.

call me dave

Lord Wallace and the rest of our Noble Scottish Lords will be looking at the rules in the Lords to ensure they still have their place after 2014 if there is a YES vote. The SNP of course don’t have an interest in putting their people into thw alords.
 
They ‘Forsth , Foulkes and Wallace had plenty to say on the short debate on Scotland:Independence debate where they were all at it for an hour.
2:29 to 3:30
link to publications.parliament.uk
 
Meanwhile yesterday, Carmichael goofed again when he more or less said “I know nothing” when asked questions in committee.
 
link to archive.is

Papadocx

Bought and sold for ENGLISH gold. Price on application!
 
No wonder the Establishment were determined to prevent a referendum at ALL costs, when we lift the lid on this lot the smell is putrid from the crock of shit that passes as politics, and the rodents who inhabit this environment are rabid and diseased, good for nothing wasters, with few exceptions. 
 
Whether we get a yes or no, the cat is out of the bag as far as politics are concerned, it’s just one almighty con. THE LAND OF MAKE BELIEVE!. The union parties and the establishment are prepared, quite openly to lie, misrepresent and attack any person or body that talks in facts and tells the truth. The truth and honesty undermines and threatens our wonderful democracy.  Something seriously wrong there!.
 
THANKS TO ALEC SALMOND, SNP, AND ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE AND ARE STICKING TO THEIR GUNS. Especially the professionals who have NOT sold out to the corrupt and vile system we live under. I thank them from the bottom of my heart, you see there are people out there who appreciate your efforts at cleaning this “CORRUPT & ROTTEN SYSTEM” up.
 
We really need to support all the websites where the truth is found, that is our only hope!

ronald alexander mcdonald

If there was evidence of skewed polls, surely look no further than the recent one with Labour only 2% behind SNP for Hollyrood  voting intentions. Laugh, I nearly wet myself. Perhaps they asked about Hollywood voting intentions.

braco

Gordoz,
don’t worry too much min. The polls are moving, it’s just that it’s been very gradual and the MSM and broadcasters have passed off each positive change away from NO, in individual polls as ‘within statistical factor of error’ and so feel able to continue to peddle the ‘NO Change’ myth.
 
These small changes, though within the + or – 3% of factor of error, have been consistent over many months and are adding up to a 6 or 7% swing toward YES. Something that even Prof Curtice is starting to have to acknowledge in his last write up of the YouGov poll.
 
I am no poll geek, and I hold no store in them this far away from the vote anyway, but the way that the MSM and broadcasters are projecting the polling ‘story’ simply does not match up with the facts. Isn’t that a surprise!
 
Have a look at Scot Goes Pop and his poll of polls. link to scotgoespop.blogspot.co.uk
The last three or four articles have been on this very subject. As I say, I won’t be putting any real stock in the polling until much closer to the actual referendum, unless of course they start showing us as winning! (wink)
 
Rest assured, the underlying trend is from NO, to Don’t Know, to YES. The wide range of YES/NO headline numbers are down to the various polling companies method’s of info collection and weighting practices. For this reason I would just concentrate on the underlying trends at the moment.
 
Hope this helps.

gordoz

Cheers Braco

Salt Ire

O/T but this piece in the Express is a particularly egregious one.
 
link to express.co.uk

HandandShrimp

It is odd on the polls, the movement toward Yes is slow but steady but when I speak to people the number of Yes voters seems to be increasing and actual active No supporters relatively rare. Many No voters I have come across do consider Yes as an option but are worried about loaves of bread attacking us with Euros (or something).  
 
I would say it is more realistically a 33% three way split with of course many of the Don’t Knows not voting at the end of the day. With the best will in the world getting more than 80% to vote on anything is a superhuman achievement. So I think it is all to play for and it will be tight. I have noticed on some No sites that they think it will be tighter than predicted too and they are not happy because even they secure say a 52% to 48% it will not kill independence and we will be doing this again before long.   

callum

twitter comment above.
 
Hunting naughty Twitter users is pretty difficult without court orders.  I have had some success with Twitter in performing suspensions and take-downs of accounts etc (I work as a security researcher) but that doesn’t stop anonymous individuals from popping up again. It was only when Twitter opened their London office (and therefore within E&W law) that they would even process takedowns.  They are pretty resilient about protecting free speech even if that free speech is illegal in the domain it is viewed.

Saltire Radge

Baron Wallace of Tankerness and his colleagues are well on their way to killing the Scottish LibDems stone dead by their blockheaded opposition to Scottish democracy and self-determination. I wonder if any peers of the ‘proud Scot’ variety opposed the recent Lords amendment to the Energy Bill which removed powers from the Scottish Parliament over Renewables Obligations Certificates. 


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