A matter of focus
Posted on
January 14, 2015 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
In a publishing environment where newspaper sales right across both Scotland and the UK have been suffering an unbroken decline for several years, the news that the Sunday Herald – the only newspaper to declare support for independence before the referendum – actually managed to INCREASE its sales in 2014 by a whopping 31% after coming out for Yes is a striking story.
Here’s the headline the BBC chose to cover it under this morning.
Seems legit.
Oh God, I’m really worried about the effect the BBC could have on the GE up here now. This is going to get worse and worse as months go by.
So the increase in the sales of the pro YES title published one day in seven, did not balance the decline in sales of the six days in seven pro NO title?
I take it that this does not take into account the sales of The National, pro independence title.
I would think that Richard Walker would be lionised by the Board?
Does the BBC they have a protocol for covering good pro independence news so it can be turned into doom and gloom.
A BBC fatwa against independence?
Just me picturing Charlie Higsons character in the Fast Show who shouted “PINS PINS PINS!” and painted everything black regardless of how lovely the vision in front of him?
“-Snort of derision-”
Classic BBC legerdemain, conflating Sunday Herald and Unionist Herald figures and linking the decline of one to an imaginary, hey presto!, decline in the other.
Hey EBC!, I suppose your licence subscriptions in Scotland currently exceed the total population of same 😉
There’s been some discussion on twitter about the time in 2010 when the media forced Stewart Stevenson to resign as Transport Minister after the central belt (and especially the high part of the M8) was paralysed by about 10 inches of snow.
The evening before the incident the BBC showed two weather forecasts, as usual. On the general forecast, a band of snow was shown right across the central belt. Two minutes later, on the Scottish forecast, there was no snow at all on the map in that area. (I remember my mother asking me, is it going to snow tomorrow? I replied, it depends on which forecast you believe – not according to the Scottish forecast, anyway.)
Even on the general forecast, the prediction was for much less snow than actually happened. The precautions in place could easily have coped with what was forecast, even on the general forecast. Nobody mentioned that when the attack on the Scottish government began. Just, oh look snow was forecast (yes a couple of inches) and yet the country was paralysed (yes by about ten inches of the stuff).
What was really striking though was that every time the matter was discussed on TV, the BBC chose to show the forecast map from the general forecast and jeered that they had predicted the snowfall. The snow-free map that was shown with the Scottish forcast never appeared on the airwaves again.
Sundays Herald:
BBC License Fee payments erode in months following vote
It’s the comment at the end that gets me…”So, so far I don’t think [the referendum] has impacted on the London broadcasters all that much.” I.e. as far as MSM concerned apart from a wee hiccup Scotland’s irrelevance continues unabated. Roll on GE2015 and we’ll see about that…
As usual out of touch with reality and out of any semblance of control.
On a seperate issue, interesting to see that the Scottish Review comes out of hibernation today with a claim that Kezia Dugdale gleaned most of her Daily Record column from your friend David Torrance.
Scottish Blethers Together right enough
Interesting too that the only full page story they show is the Herald with negative oil story.
BBC in full news-wank mode.
Where would we be without the good old trustworthy, child friendly BBC. Probably in an Independent country by now.
Just a thought, when did the Sunday Herald come out for YES?
If I remember it was well into 2014 so the 6 month figures quoted by the BBC would not represent the sales after the change. Secondly, the average daily sales figures would also be lowered?
Lies, damn lies and statistics?
‘I don’t see anything negative about independence today, for godssake somebody give me something… ANYTHING!’
There should be a law passed making it illegal to tell lies by Registered companies during elections The Scottish referendum was a classic example of Democracy being corrupted
Bugger the panda,
Yeah, first thing that sprung to my mind, that the yearly figure is down on last year doesn’t indicate the sales boost has been eroded after the referendum at all.
It merely indicates the post-yes sales boost wasn’t enough to stop an overall decline for the entire year.
Only comparing recent sales figures for December and those the month prior to the Sunday heralds support for yes could back up the assertion made by the headline.
and anothet thing, the electronic sales of the Sunday Herald and The National are not mentioned.
I believe The National was selling over 10,000 electronic versions per day? I subscribe and to the Sunday Herald.
Whilst on the topic of newspapers How about crowdfunding free delivery of The National to care homes? If enough was raised, perhaps adverts could be taken out (reprints of Wings articles etc.) Might even get a discount from the publishers for bulk sales?
A wee bit for the nobbuts frequently inhabit Wings. I know the National isn’t out and out Indy focussed but it’s the most balanced we have. DR…..National Contrast and compare.
Nearing my 65th birthday, and lifelong socialist and independence supporter, I don’t think it’s good enough to keep harping about my generation voting No and the blatant bias of the media. How about trying to do something that may help counter the situation?
Saw the BBC article earlier. Churlish doesn’t cover it.
UK State propaganda does.
The National – 30,471
Now that is good news. That is 3,000 more than the Scotsman.
Nobrainer here… only paper I buy of refer to online.
Talking about newspapers and a bit o/t
George Kerevan was at the journalist,s meeting with J Murphy, who should have been at Westminster voting against austerity, yesterday. He reckons Murphy did quite well and McTiernan was there overseeing everything.
He made the point that the SNP have got to come out and fight Murphy. We are not hearing from them at the moment except on Facebook! Lots on Facebook. That’s not enough. We can’t sit back and be nicey, nicey again. Blair was hopeless as head of the YES campaign. We can’t do the same all over again and just leave it to the grassroots. The SNP are busy with hustings just now, but afterwards must come out fighting.
I’m no recent convert to the SNP. I’ve voted for them all my voting life and that’s for 51 years, but I WILL criticise if I think that it’s needed!
Usual pish from the state broadcaster – only provide 50pc of a stiory.
Wonder if they’ll publish the decline in TV licences there are since last year.
O/T thanks to those folk posting the link to the documentary about Diana’s unlawful killing. It was chilling.
http://yournewswire.com/banned-in-the-uk-princess-diana-documentary-unlawful-killing-must-see/
Ehh ..
Is this not the state broadcaster ? The British State & broadcaster ?
This is small potatoes when we look back over the Indy ref.
Pure continuation of British Establishment supporting stance prior to, during and ultimately until the sun sets on this constitutional impasse.
If media control is not devolved, we will continue to be fed conflated, confusing, information purported as fact, (or plane old lies & propaganda), forever folks.
Scottish questions on W/ Parliament programme 11.30.
The only time I see coverage of the BBC’s coverage is on sites like this. I said once before that the means employed will define what they achieved. There is no way back for them, they can only keep distorting the news and outright lying about it.
Bella once mentioned on twitter, that the union was in danger of becoming a “jobby in a box”. I think it has already happened.
@gillie – Now that fair cheered me 🙂
The only thing we can do about the BBC is accuse them of bias by leaflet, billboard, social media, letters to the papers contrasting their output with the Beeb’s and stating that this shows the BBC is biased. It needs to be a constant refrain to counteract the years of brainwashing by the Beeb that they are fair, impartial, etc. bollocks
BBC = bias
Usual half arsed reporting from the BBC. They seem to go out of their way to avoid saying anything positive where Scotland is concerned.
Professor Neil Blain said: “So, so far I don’t think [the referendum] has impacted on the London broadcasters all that much.”
Maybe some-one should do an Online poll on ‘Have you cancelled your TV licence’? We cancelled ours, as have a great many of our friends and family. I think the results of such a poll would be quite illuminating.
Dick Gaughan has kicked BBC Scotland into touch anent the opening concert of the Celtic Connections, which is a great pity as he’s a star turn. There will have to be regime change at Pacific Quay before the big man changes his mind.
Surely pretty much every news source took a wee “erosion” after September? I mean, the biggest news story in Scottish history was over. There must have been a few folk who thought they didn’t really need to buy all those papers any more.
If the National is to have better circulation then it needs to be a better paper. If a large percentage of DR sales is because of the fitba’ then produce better football/sports coverage to challenge it. The problem the National has it is put together by a skeleton staff working part-time on it. I believe the National can grow to 90,000 sales if there is scope to maximise certain aspects of its content. This is where a joined up approach needs to happen with Scotland’s new media landscape, pulling together the efforts of those elsewhere that are already producing great Scottish-focussed content into one publication.
The actual text of the story is fine it is the headline that is bizarrely skewed. It is the No supporting Herald that has seen post referendum erosion so the group as a whole may well have seen some fall back but with the National added to their stable they are in fact selling far more papers now than before.
Also what is seriously lacking in this is context, what are the sales of the other papers doing post referendum? However, that would require engaging a brain cell and that isn’t going to happen with BBC journalists (I use the term loosely here)
Jims Swan Song
Sept 11th 2014 New Statesman
One of the few hecklers arrived with a violin and played “Scotland the Brave”. It has come to something when the playing of one of Scotland’s great anthems is considered a way of making a political point.
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/09/jim-murphy-road-scotland-no-campaign
Jan 13th 2015 Daily Record David Clegg
What should be Scotland’s national anthem? Jim Murphy calls on public to pick a new national song
LABOUR leader calls on the public to be given the chance to pick a new national song as MSPs prepare to consider plans to officially adopt Flower of Scotland.
http://www.scotlandnow.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/what-should-scotlands-national-anthem-4942102
Flower of Scotland, how do you reckon that the SNP comes out fighting, haven’t you noticed that they give them as little press as they can, they are certainly not about to give them and us a positive spin if they can help it.
George Kerevan is a nice man, I wonder if he would like to know what his fellow Edinburgh Labour Councillors were saying behind his back during the time he was sitting with them. We had a front row or maybe back of the booth seat in Valentines in the High Street in the 80’s which would have made many Labour Supporters hair curl far less two SNP supporters.
Dcanmore
I agree. I like the National and have stuck with it but it is only half way there as a newspaper. It needs to cover the day to day stuff like sport, car reviews, science, archaeology and history topics. It needs a sudoko and quick crossword and it needs to cover home and fashion (not to the extent of the Daily Heil or the like).
The Herald has an excellent motoring section and an excellent sports section. You would think the two papers could share some of that effort. I did see some adverts for staff in the National a while back so I am hopeful that it will expand into the other areas that make up a modern newspaper.
Even without all the other stuff there is still more reading in the National than any of the tabloids. It is the bare bones of a very good paper.
The BBC are very sneeky, but sometimes blatantly obvious in their aims.The frustration is we never seem to be able to do anything about it. Thankfully we have the Rev to find these things out and put out the articles.
I am interested in the comments today about the possible manipulation of the weather reports by the BBC.
I think this is a very serious issue, because if they did fiddle with the two opposing reports it had big implications.
Ie setting a deliberate trap for the SNP Government.
Which we all know ended in the resignation of the then Transport Minister.The Slab used this event to hammer the minister over this, but it may have been a rigged BBC event. Now if that happened it raises serious issues that need to be aired, not least by the SNP.
So is there any of the sleuths among our readers who can find both reports to compare? Archived or something?
I would so love to start beating them with this if we see that it did actually happen.
The BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION does exactly what it says on the tin. It defends and spreads propaganda on behalf of the BRITTISH STATE (the establishment, HMG). So what is the problem they are doing what they were set up to do. The only problem I can see is the name should be the ENGLISH PROPAGANDA CORPORATION a wholly owned subsidiary of HMG.
We require a Natioal Broadcaster for Scotland with zero input or interference from HMG or LONDON ESTABLISHMENT.
Like more than a few people on here and on FB, Twitter etc. I’m getting a little concerned and annoyed that the SNP are giving Murphy and Labour at large the stage to say and do as he/they please.
Although a life long SNP voter myself I obviously won’t change, but I’m sure the tens of thousands who joined post referendum are expecting more, and if that’s not forthcoming they may just fade away. We should be keeping up the momentum, not playing catch up all the time.
If Murphy can promote a new labour ‘policy’ every day the SNP press team should be doing the same. E.g. Giving real world examples of why a large number of SNP MP’s at WM will be good for Scotland.
So why are public bodies such as health boards and Lothian Buses actively distributing the Metro? After all, it’s just a watered-down Daily Mail! The links between Lothian Buses and the Labour Party are clear, whilst NHS Scotland bodies have been hotbeds of Labourism for decades. I don’t think the Metro was on our side during indyref. Tricky one since we don’t want to be killjoys but if folk are reading MSM propaganda, then they ought to be paying for it at WHSmith, surely?
By the way, was that the same Lothian Buses that gave five figure sums to Labour a few years ago, or did I get that confused?
bbc state broadcaster…
The BBC has been accused of treating its employees like “the enemy” after it emerged that 37 staff email accounts have been monitored as part of leak investigations.
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/bbc-accused-treating-staff-enemy-new-figures-show-increase-email-monitoring-investigate-leaks
@Heraldandshrimp
yes, the advantage the National has that it is a blank canvas with a dedicated (albeit small) team behind it. If the paper can grow then the readership will grow with it.
What is remarkable is the sheer amount of air time Murphy gets. He and Farage seem to have an open door at the BBC. Miliband, Clegg, even Cameron don’t seem to get as much.
Murphy isn’t even a Government minister, he is an opposition MP.
It’s easy to look outwards from an insular organisation to what other sections of the media are up, how they are performing, and to write negatively.
The BBC are far too busy doing this to realise that the shoogly peg they are on is slowly coming away from the wall..
An organisation, a good organisation that is, should be able to take a step back and see how it performs. They have a charter to adhere to, but they have strayed far from that path. They no longer have the ability to look at themselves, and see how they shape up as a broadcaster. It’s a shame really, but long may it continue until they finally implode on their self adulation whilst denigrating others in the media.
By the way.. Have they ever released viewing figures for News at 6:30pm, Scotland 2015, the fall in license fee payers?
Be interesting to see how their figures stack up (like others have pointed out). Can’t see them openly making themselves a laughing stock, well more than they are in some living rooms around the nation.
If I remember correctly the National came out on 23rd November 2014 & the Sunday Herald switched to Yes in May 2014
Echo @ HandandShrimp
GMS seems to have a new show…it’s called jim’ll fix it, say it, talk over the interviewer, change the subject or promise it!!!…on most mornings ( times vary depending on which way the wind is blowing)
nearly crashed my van this morning listening to his smarmy voice
One of the most controversial events in the course of the referendum campaign was the intervention of the Queen on the eve of the vote. Her unwelcome involvement had been carefully orchestrated by the Government and partners in the Better Together team comprising the Unionist parties who were concerned that the Scottish electorate were indeed ready to vote for independence which would end the gravy train for all those feeding on the wealth of Scots.
This is the feedback from Scots who were only advised of the true nature of the involvement of the queen through a leaked email released by a horrified whistleblower close to the ACTION.
http://caltonjock.com/2015/01/14/the-referendum-the-queen-her-think-carefully-slip-the-government-the-hypocrisy-the-reaction-of-1000-scots/
“Dcanmore says:
14 January, 2015 at 11:51 am
If the National is to have better circulation then it needs to be a better paper. If a large percentage of DR sales is because of the fitba’ then produce better football/sports coverage to challenge it. The problem the National has it is put together by a skeleton staff working part-time on it. I believe the National can grow to 90,000 sales if there is scope to maximise certain aspects of its content. This is where a joined up approach needs to happen with Scotland’s new media landscape, pulling together the efforts of those elsewhere that are already producing great Scottish-focussed content into one publication.”
I couldn’t agree more. The National is an opportunity we didn’t think we’d ever see. Lets grab that opportunity and make sure the National flourishes. As you say, there is already a great deal of talent outside the MSM. I hope the National can reach out to columnists like Wee Ginger Dug and legions of other brilliant writers,humourists and cartoonists
If we’d had an unbiased daily paper 1 year before the Ref that would have made a huge difference to the outcome.
Something that has deeply impressed me about the YES movement is its decency, its compassion, and the shared belief that there IS a better way than the dismal future offered by all the Westminster parties.
Despite all the twisted bitterness,constant lying, and sheer vitriol we were all bombarded with on a daily basis there were a lot of laughs and a few tears as we cheered each other up and reminded each other what we were all fighting for.
The National still needs to tap into all goodness more than it has so far. I think it will.
The National really matters partly because it can reach people the the web doesn’t AND because it’s increasing circulation may cause the other Scottish papers to tone down their lies and bias as they see their circulation fall. The press,especially the local papers, need to earn revenue. Unlike the BBC, which will become increasingly irrelevent over the years.
I tortured myself watching the English Parliament on the EBC today. The usual. HM Loyal Opposition asking the same questions HM Government asked them in opposition and getting the same Yah Boo answers. What a smug glee club.
BBC just can’t help themselves can they:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-30810359
“Polls have suggested Scottish Labour will lose seats to the Nationalists”
lol.. how to polish a turd eh..
Hmph.. Only “suggest” that they will loose seats. It’s not a science Polling is it. The polls result in Labour loosing badly, numerous seats. I mean hundreds of folk said ‘to hell with Labour’ but that doesn’t really mean stuff Labour.
They took a different approach to polling during the Referendum didn’t they.
I do like the choice of Nationalists.. THOSE PESKY DAMN NATIONALISTS… ARGH….
Why not just use the parties name. SNP. It’s an easy abbreviation to remember and type (it’s only three letters). Surely BBC reporters can manage 3 letters.
I do note though that BBC Scotland has Jim Murphy’s interview on their Watch/Listen bit.
Interesting. They have the story, but the accompanying text is nothing more than a transcript. Strange.. no media/journalist analysis on the piece about the impacts of what was said. No journalist imparting his/her years of Scottish Political knowledge to critique the interview. Have Journalists been replaced with stenographers?
This may sound like I’m shouting “But that’s not fair..” but guaranteed when ever you see a piece from a vile NATIONALIST they are tripping over themselves to pontificate their ever reaching knowledge to come to the conclusion that it is BAD.. BAD.. VERY BAD..
I’m starting the think BBC Scotland are like the Bisto Kids..
Following the whiff of Labour emanating from Jim’s anus (..not his Sarwar) where ever he walks.. Mmmmmm Labour… (can either be sung to the Bisto tune or how about “Mmmm Danone” – as in the yogurt ad)
@ Boris,
Thanks for the link my friend.
Anyone surprised or angry at the queen sneakily getting involved in the referendum, should view the Diana video.
It covers in detail some of the attitudes that the MSM adopt when faced with a story that effects the Elite, and also shows in detail how the elite close ranks and are willing to kill anyone who may damage them.
Also explains why newspapers won’t print anything that may harm their owners chance of a knighthood!
it is truly shocking.
http://yournewswire.com/banned-in-the-uk-princess-diana-documentary-unlawful-killing-must-see/
http://caltonjock.com/2015/01/14/the-referendum-the-queen-her-think-carefully-slip-the-government-the-hypocrisy-the-reaction-of-1000-scots/
Folks can we please stop all these demands for the SNP to do more to counter Jim Murphy etc, as if they haven’t been trying to get their voice heard.
We live in a non-democracy and we need to realise this.
What should be our ‘Fourth Estate’ (without which a country doesn’t have a true democracy) is openly hostile to what is clearly in the best interests of Scotland and lies to our people, as well as refusing to print or broadcast stories that would damage Labour or show the SNP in a good light.
Our only chance is to get our views across on social media, and to encourage people who are unionists but who give media inspired crap as the reason why, to access sites such as Wings.
The fight we have is simple, the more informed people are, the more likely they will be to vote for the SNP or another nationalist leaning party.
Look at the BBC web site now – the headline has changed to “Sunday Herald referendum sales boost after “Yes” support in referendum”. The ‘last updated’ time is still shown as 22:12 on 13 January 2015. The Ministry of Truth strikes again.
@Helena Brown
I’ve discussed this topic with new SNP friends and all are slightly bemused that those put forward by the SNP on radio and TV programmes don’t catch the attention of the listener! Not assertive nor argumentative enough! I know not all good politicians are good speakers, but they can learn can’t they? If they don’t people will just not listen to what they have to say and will be spoken over, which happens a lot! This is a kind of war, Helena, and if you don’t match up don’t go on these programmes.
Blair Jenkins was a good example. Not SNP I know but who thought that he would be good at speaking out for YES? Now Robin McAlpine is a great speaker.
Although I’ve voted for the SNP all my life, I do not automatically jump to their defence if they are not doing a good job. As you say, the media give the SNP very few opportunities to be seen or heard, so they MUST be more effective.
Listen, we don’t need Football pages in a Newspaper cheers, just relevant news.
Let football fanciers buy the record or go the pub for that crap.
If anything the ‘national’ would do a lot better just by having telly pages (obviously ignoring the BBC).
Jim McIntosh at 1208, I agree entirely,the SNP have always had a problem it was widely exposed during the referendum campaign. It’s elected MP’s and MSP’s with a few prominent exceptions are prevented from voicing opinions. Spokesmen and women are few and far between.They just don’t have any Craig Murray’s!
The don’t rock the boat mentality prevails throughout the party.
Disappointingly Hydro aside ,nothing seems to changing.
“What should be Scotland’s national anthem? Jim Murphy calls on public to pick a new national song
LABOUR leader calls on the public to be given the chance to pick a new national song as MSPs prepare to consider plans to officially adopt Flower of Scotland.”
Jim’s choice: You Spin Me round (Like A Record)
[John McTernan Remix]
would love this headline posted earler in the thread
desimond says:
14 January, 2015 at 10:35 am
Sundays Herald:
BBC License Fee payments erode in months following vote
The BBC is the enemy of Scotland… I don’t say this lightly.
It has become a weapon of war that Westminster wields with increasing frequency.
Last month the BBC’s end of year review show chose to ridicule Glasgow’s CWG, this despite them being hailed by all at the time as the greatest commonwealth games ever.
You see the BBC is not only controlling our future, it is also busy manipulating the present and distorting the past.
In order for one nation to control and subjugate another, they have to own and control that nations culture.
The BBC drapes itself in the title of Scotland and then sets about ridiculing and destroying Scots culture.
For example… Yesterday on Radio Scotland the debate was on the Scottish national anthem.. The programming had 3 guests who all agreed that Flower of Scotland should not be the national anthem. In fact they all further agreed we Scots should not have a single anthem (to unite behind?).
You see there really is no need for debate on the BBC, just OBEDIENCE.
@Caledonia
Well its eroding by one more tomorrow morning..
That money will now buy a lot of Nationals and Sunday Heralds
I remember the weather forecast that evening in 2010 I think. The weather was presenter was JR., Judith Ralstin. The Scottish version didn’t suggest that the snowfall would be really bad. The English one definitely did.
I don’t think that is was deliberate though. Why? Because I think someone, and it may have been Judith, just got the forecast wrong. Simple as that.
Our Labour louts used the situation to get a Scottish Parliament Minister thrown out of his job. What was he supposed to do exactly? Run along the M8 and keep all the drivers informed with a smile a free mug of his grannies best soup? I
By around 18:00 on 14Jan the “eroded” has been removed from the headline (at least in the version at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-30798331) – completely altering the its sense, of course. The change is not acknowledged in the edit information at the top of the page which still shows “13 January 2015 Last updated at 22:12” – just as in the WoS version above that tells us the Sunday Herald sales boost has been eroded.
I wonder how that came about – whether BBC Scotland (against all expectations) is occasionally capable of responding to complaints, or . . . .?.
Charlie Hebdo: Press freedom, responsiblity and all that
In Glasgow this Thursday (Jan 15) a tight focus will be turned on the impact of the Charlie Hebdo affair when journalists engage with public at Oran Mor in Byres Road at 7pm.
The Net Is Mightier Than The Sword – James Corbett (Video)
It appears the headline has been changed to: “Sunday Herald referendum sales boost after ‘Yes’ support in referendum”. However, “last updated” still says 22:12 13 January. How peculiar.
Since they started keeping records in 2001 there has been somewhere in the region of twelve and a half million tv licence cancellations (UK wide). I don’t have the exact figures to hand.
They (BBC) do not do “regional” statistics.
The one and only time they have issued figures for Scotland alone was for the period immediately after the referendum – 19th September to 30th September – which was 2399 cancellations.
For the full month of September 2014 – UK wide – there was over 76,000 cancellations.
http://www.facebook.com/events/779063018851870/?pnref=story
@Partick Roden. Is this Soames (Churchill’s grandson)who threatened Diana by phone before her death, Rupert Soames the chairman of Aggreko who warned against Scottish independence, or was it his brother the Tory MP?
@ Fred,
No Fred the one on the Diana Film was Nicholas Soames, the brother of Rupert.
If memory serves me well, they are cousins of the Royals.
Nicholas (Fatty Soames) is an odious Tory who is will be sent around to the BBC studio, to defend any establishment type who find themselves in trouble.
@Tediustantrums
07-12-10: From what I remember it went like this, the MET office issued a warning of snow showers early in the day for the central belt and the BBC followed suit.
The weather however got steadily worse and cars got stuck on the M8 between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Snow Ploughs and gritters did what they could, but with no moving traffic it’s hard to clear or de-ice a motorway.
The BBC saw its chance and soon heartfelt stories of mums with kids only popping out for a short drive (one was in slippers!) who were now stuck with no water or food and oh the number of folk interviewed by BBC Scotland who now blamed the Scottish Government for not assisting – spot a trend here!.
That night was the infamous interview by the BBC reporter Raymond Buchanan to Stuart Stevenson Scottish Transport Minister who was continually asked by Buchanan to apologise to motorists and Stevenson eventually resigned a day or so later – BBC / Labour job done!
Not quite, as a few folk had already noticed that the BBC web site had indicated only moderate snow showers as mentioned by Stevenson and this had contributed to folk just popping out for a short journey, presumably in slippers..
There was then one of the most disgraceful attempts by BBC Scotland to cover its tracks as it attempted to change the time of the web site page to indicate that they had reported heavy snow now much earlier in the day – and they cocked it up. News Sniffer from what I remember caught them at it.
That was probably the first time I remember witnessing the fraud that BBC Scotland had become.
Thanks Patrick, you might think her sons would foregather with Soames one dark night and kick the shit out of him.
Churchill’s family never ammounted to much, if they lived in Cranhill they’d take the weans aff them.
Stephen McKenzie says:
14 January, 2015 at 9:14 pm
@Tediustantrums
To concur with Stephen and to remind everyone there is a demo against the BBC in March – it needs to be massive
Chocolate rations have gone up to 20 grammes. Good News.
Imagine the BBC going to ALL that trouble just to say that? Its almost like…no, couldn’t be, they couldn’t be BIASED could they??
Put a complaint into BBC this morning but the article has been pulled from the main politics page so nobody will see the corrected version. Will no doubt get a response denying the original version. Despicable action from BBC again.
Royal censorship still ongoing…
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/bbc-pulls-documentary-looking-royals-20-year-battle-media
Republic of Scotland sounds good – 5 years after Indy?
‘Fatty’ Soames is the (great?) grandson of Winston Churchill and as vile and useless a piece of the UK’s arrogant in-bred ‘elite’ as you’ll find.
Whenever John (not quite as fatty) Prescott rose to speak in the Commons, Soames heckled him with about his past employment by snapping his fingers and calling ‘Boy! Two glasses of whisky and quick about it!”
Not a fan of Prescott, but his (eventual) comeback was priceless: “I believe an ex-paramour once described her relations with the Right Honorable Member as ‘Like a having a double wardrobe fall on you, with a very small key still in the lock.'”
Maybe his inheritance wasn’t as substantial as he thought.
Dr Ew, I just Googled Fatty Soames, Churchill’s grandson, nasty piece of work, an arrogant shit and former equerry to prince Charles, hence the threats to Diana.
@Jim McIntosh says:14 January, 2015 at 12:08 pm:
“Like more than a few people on here and on FB, Twitter etc. I’m getting a little concerned and annoyed that the SNP are giving Murphy and Labour at large the stage to say and do as he/they please.”
The strategy, Jim, is called, “Giving them enough rope to hang themselves”,. The tactic stems from a quotation from one of the World’s greatest strategists.
Napoleon is credited as saying to his generals, when his enemy was attempting to outflank him, “let us wait twenty minutes; when the enemy is making a false movement we must take good care not to interrupt him.”
All in good time. I’m sure the SNP, along with the rest of parties in the coming election, will expose how Murphy is far from being in charge of Labour Policy in either Scotland or the UK in general. The truth being that there actually is no political party registered as, “Scottish Labour”, and thus Murphy is just the Branch Manager of the London Labour in Scotland policy. His own bosses in London will either need to shut Murphy up or disassociate themselves from their Scottish Branch.
In either case it is win/win for the independence movement, for if the Labour Party don’t reign in Murphy then Labour UK wide suffers and if they do reign him in then London Labour in Scotland suffers. The Scottish electorate are not all daft and most of the ones who really are daft seem to be London Labour voters.
I heard one this morning on BBC Radio Scotland. (I paraphrase here), He claimed the SNP were in decline and they should slink away and hide. Now the truth is the parties in Scotland that are growing in membership numbers are every one of the independence movement parties while those in decline are every one of the Unionist parties with Labour the biggest overall losers.
Now ask yourself how that caller to Radio Scotland came to the strange conclusion the SNP were in decline? The plain facts are they have, since the referendum, become the third biggest political party in the entire Union and by far the biggest political party in Scotland.
Quite obviously that caller is, to use a Scottish expression, “”Weel awa wi the Fairies”.
@Naina Tal
In my experience it was the elderly living independently that were the most blinkered. Those in care homes at least had a variety of people to talk to about it. I found those elderly who were either Yes or inclined to Yes cited the influence of children and grandchildren on their thinking. Those who were No NEVER mentioned their relatives. Anecdotal I know but I knocked a lot of doors and that was my experience.
A related effect was that the more kids in a house the more likely that it was Yes.
So distributing Nationals in care homes would perhaps not have the effect you want. Also by definition those in care homes are the sickest so more likely not to be around in the next referendum than those still living independently. How we get them to read The National is a very hard question. We probably need to get it into doctor’s surgery waiting rooms for that.
@Andy Murray says: 14 January, 2015 at 3:34 pm:
“Listen, we don’t need Football pages in a Newspaper cheers, just relevant news. Let football fanciers buy the record or go the pub for that crap.”
Well, Andy, If you have not realised it yet, in the context of Scottish Football and the Media, that translates to Rangers/Celtic and to the West of Scotland lesser teams. With another smaller sect favouring just Hearts & Hibs in the East of Scotland.
Any other resemblance to real Scottish Football news coverage is rudimentary and grudging. I noted the same with the recent start of STV Edinburgh. Their, “Peter & Roughie Show”, goes out to an alleged broadcast area that contains quite a lot of football clubs including Dunfermline, Raith Rovers, Cowdenbeath, East Fife, Falkirk, several Stirling area clubs and Livingston – just to mention a few. Yet they spend most of their time on Rangers, Celtic, Hibs & Hearts with a few brief mentions of the Dundee, Perth and Aberdeen teams and they wonder why Scottish football has been in decline since around the 1960s.
Like the Westminster Establishment and the State Religious Establishment, which strive to suppresses all others, the Football Establishment is killing itself off – and good riddance to all such state established elites. Their influence and reach is malign, evil and corrupting.
I have read The National since first publication and admit it was and still is lacking content.However, I feel the content it does publish at present is first class. It is a newspaper evolving and as such must be given time to evolve. Would you rather read the Record?
Scotland may not control the BBC but it does control the law. Why not pass legislation to stop organisations such as the BBC taking sides during elections and referendums?