A matter of presentation
There’s an interesting survey over on the Herald at the moment. Self-selecting and therefore non-scientific, it’s nevertheless quite intriguing, with (the paper notes) strong support for the Scottish Government’s positions on childcare, Trident, renationalising the Royal Mail and encouraging more flights from Scottish airports, but opposition to its plans to cut Corporation Tax.
A couple of the other results, though, are reported a bit more oddly.
The answers of the 8,000 or so respondents on immigration might at first seem to also back up the Scottish Government’s policy. Their view that Scotland needs more immigrants is backed by twice as many people as those saying immigration should be reduced – 42% to 21%.
But it’s how the Herald reports that stat that made us do a double-take:
“Two other key polices have effectively split our readers:
• Nuclear power, which has been outlawed by the SNP, is welcomed by 44%
• Only 42% want more immigration, while 58% want less or no change.”
Wait, what? Why do people who want no change get lumped in with those advocating LESS immigration, turning what was the most popular response into a minority? You could just as easily have said “Only 21% of Scots want less immigration, while 79% want more or no change” – which in newspaper terms would have been the more dramatic story, being significantly at odds with opinion in the rest of the UK.
Similarly on nuclear power, the actual result is a clear victory for SNP policy, by 56% to 44% (there being no “middle” option on that question). That’s a 12-point margin, which is a bit of a stretch to describe as a “split”.
The nuclear-power result is pretty unsurprising, but for as many as 42% of a large sample of Scots to favour more immigration at a time when UKIP is dominating the English political agenda is a remarkable finding. We’re curious as to why the Herald has spun it so as to make the story less newsworthy.
Curious, but not amazed.
This type of article gives the lie to many of current opinion poll results
So you’re not amazed, Stuart? I’ll bet Johann’s astonished there are folk genetically programmed to pick up this kind of bias among the ballot fodder of the Scottish electorate the laments the passing of.
It doesn’t make sense to describe these results the way the Herald has. Unless you have an agenda.
It doesn’t make sense for the Sunday Herald to appear to have a totally different editorial policy, yet it does. No real point in trying to figure out why. it just is.
Brian Wilson will probably be involved …
O/T – I do apologise.
Apparently No supporters really are muppets. Kermit has come out for No although Muss Piggy wants to be queen of Scotland.
Suffice to say I decided, just last week, to give up reading the Herald newspaper and commenting on their on-line forums. They have returned to a more anti-independence stance. While publishing utter bile by anti-independence commenters were banning perfectly reasonable pro-independence posts. While equally bad as, for example, the Scotsman, they are sneaky about it and attempt to give an unwarranted impression of being equal handed. They are not.
I always find it somewhat depressing when journalists spin information like that. The immigration one in particular could have been written by Farage…maybe it was.
@Robert Peffers
It looks like there might now be some kind of coordinated effort of preventing pro-independence posts from being published. I first noticed this on the Scotsman, I don’t bother with the Herald as they took exception to my first post and have never been able to post since.
The one that stuck out a mile though is the Daily Record from just from this weekend that someone else mentioned in an earlier article. Probably more than 50% of posts removed, most pro-indy but some with negative votes that I took to be anti-indy.
I think this is just the beginning, pretty soon it’s possible that the only place you can read positive views on Independence will be sites like this and all those on the Aye Right leaflet. I’m glad Derek Bateman seems to be about to start up some kind of pro-indy radio.
Don’t let them strangle our voice, exposure from whatever source is important especially now we are on the run in.
72.5% want a Scotland team at the next Olympics with 27.5% wanting a British Team.
I’ll settle for that outcome in September.
Its rather like saying
Independence, which has been outlawed by Westminster, is welcomed by 47%
Much like the BBC presentation of annual deficit for Scotland with lots of red boxes whereas UK deficit of £120 billion is shown in an orange line just below Scotland’s £12 billion.
Also BBC had no graphics or strap lines to highlight Prof Young’s demolition of George Osborne’s arguments against currency union.
Oh c’mon – would the Herald try to mislead the people of Scotland.
Would anyone suggest they are anything other than neutral in this debate?
The next thing you know people will start to doubt the integrity of the BBC.
O/T I’m afraid, but I find it stretching the point a bit to see Sillars and Galloway described (on Freewiew EPG) as “politicians” from both sides of the independence debate being questioned by a panel of commentators and experts on Newsnicht the nicht.
“O/T I’m afraid, but I find it stretching the point a bit to see Sillars and Galloway described (on Freewiew EPG) as “politicians” from both sides of the independence debate being questioned by a panel of commentators and experts on Newsnicht the nicht.”
Well, Galloway is an MP, which I’m pretty sure counts 😀
Thepnr
I saw the Record article it was a joke. It looked like a comments section from a North Korean paper.
I have never posted on the Herald. I can’t be arsed making a new profile and they won’t accept my HandandShrimp discus profile. The Scotsman has never enticed me to post..ugly looking board layout.
Strange my Herald account no longer works. I can log in but it doesn’t post my comment.
Stranger still my “spare” account has suffered the same fate.
Why let cybernats post facts and get in the way of a good article!
@Thepnr
A friend tells me that recently several of his pro indy posts have been removed due to “copyright violation” when merely quoting a short sentence to back up his arguments.
He thinks that when substantive cases are made against the unionist postings they are objected to which means they go into quarantine for hours and thus lose the point altogether.
Typical BT driven manipulation, lies and deceit. What’s new?
Where to start…
– Nuclear power is NOT outlawed by the SNP. What a false premise/ leading question. Current production is to be phased out at the discretion of the operators.
– “58% want less” OR (my emphasis) “no change”. This is interpreted from left to right, as written. yet clearly 21% want less in the chart not 58%.
At the end of the Day most people are against more Nuclear in Scotland if we can safely supply our needs without too many Wind turbines all over the place. AKA a diverse Energy generation strategy. Which Scotland is actively pursuing in any case.
As for immigration, Scots recognise that we need immigration but it is considered useful to fill skill gaps. Scots do not want immigrants undercutting domestic resources who have the skills. But thats about it…
The Agenda here is quite clearly trying to skew the results by interpreting them in a way that is less in contrast with the rest of UK opinion. Why would they do that? Maybe so to think that we are just the same or very similar and therefore should remain (better) together?
The Herald’s editor is a liar called Magnus Gardham from England.
I rest my case.
link to newsnetscotland.com
Ponsonby promises: “I am going to present evidence that suggests the BBC’s coverage of Scottish politics and the referendum is being manipulated in order to present the Scottish Government and SNP in the worst possible light.
I challenge those who read the complete series – ‘The Dirty Dozen: The case against BBC Scotland’ – to explain the handling of political news by BBC Scotland and to deny that there is something very wrong at the Glasgow HQ at Pacific Quay”
link to lyceum.org.uk
UNION getting good reviews
@Lindas Back.
On a recent HYS on a BBC topic, I stated:
To parapharse Andrew Marr ‘I think this would be difficult, …I have to say”.
It was removed.
While they remove this maybe something more subtle gets through.
Had a shot at the Herald thing. I thought it was a survey but it is more a political compass test. It said
You should vote yes!
which was a bit of a relief.
G H Graham says:
I think the last two words in your first sentence are redundant.
How do you take in, absorb, digest etc this kind of teamGB vote no propaganda? Presumably UK journalism truly believes they can make us think the way want us to but its always so blatant. Maybe they think that they have a quasi parental or legal power that they can use to coerce us or at least put enough people off voting at all.
Radio Scotland was especially poor today, I was shouting at the radio most of the way into work this morning.
Then, on Newsdrive I heard Douglas Fraser state that Standard and Poor’s report had said that an independent
Scotland would have a worse credit rating than the UK. Correct me if I’m wrong but is this not bollocks?
G H Graham
It is off no account where Mr Gardham comes from and by the way he is not the Editor of the Herald.
Just looking at that pie chart -looks like the yellows and the blues have formed a coalition.
G H Graham
Magnus Garham isn’t the editor of the Herald, he’s the Political Editor.
If the Herald removed all pro indy posts, there would be very little left as probably 95% of them are from Yes supporters. I find I can post pretty much anything I like, the trick being not to fall foul of the rules. Of course, the rules don’t apply to John McIntyre OBE.
Dirty tricks get dirtier.Big changes to the press standards after a YES. Can’t wait to show these scum the door.
Add the “Proud Scot, Unionist politicians to that.
I will never forget what they are trying to do to us,none of us should. Forget being nice, they NEED to get the boot,they are going toooo far.
Paddypower Yes 11/4 think this is the first time it’s been shorter than 3/1. Still good value, but its a long way from 10/1 last year.
I’ve been told the Herald publishes the comments from its paying subscribers more or less immediately. Non-subscribers’ comments will eventually be shown if the moderator feels like it. Could be wrong, though.
I only post on this website but read all newspaper articles and do recognise the wingers who comment on these articles so well done.
In an email exchange on Scotland and it’s remaining oil revenues etc one of my correspondences asked the following question to me as I work in the oil industry as an engineer. I’ve seen this question raised before so any Yes campaigners faced with this question can clarify as below.
Question: The Better Together campaign have a point when they say that an independent Scotland would have to fund the decommissioning and dismantling of old rigs once individual wells dry up? That strikes me as a potential area that would cost the Scottish Government a lot of money and may make the oil resources less profitable.
My response: Decommissioning costs are funded by the oil companies but this can be partly offset by tax concessions given by the government. The oil companies factor these costs into their lifetime development and operating costs so they always have an idea what they will have to pay in order to do this. It costs the government in tax revenues at this point but they were always going to decline anyway at this point in the oil fields life. This is relatively small beer when you consider the 25-30 years of revenues that have been generated for both the oil companies and the government.
So in a nutshell the governent does not fund decommissioning costs, they only give tax concessions to the oil companies who are responsible for this cost.
So another “myth” debunked by the better together campaign. The only costs to the government are the tax concessions to the oil companies i.e. the oil companies are liable for all decommissioning costs for any fields.
Current government tax relief is 50% (or 75% for older fields). See government website below and the statement where:
Oil and gas companies are legally required to decommission their equipment at the end of an oil or gas field’s life.
link to gov.uk
Re: The Herald. I still post there, although not as often. There are many pro-independence voices that do have all their posts / comments approved. Most of them (and me, as it happens) have post moderation, so the comments tend to remain. I have been “cautioned” a few times by Calum, but have retained my commenting rights so far.
I disagree with some here who think the Herald is a lost cause. Some short time ago I wrote to Calum after a “warning” suggesting that the Herald could be more proactive in promoting a balanced, not political articles which involved non-politicians to get to the facts around the main issues. Although he could not commit to debating these matters, he did indicate that he would see what else could be done. I think this online “survey” may be the beginning of something different in their approach.
Don’t write them off just yet.
link to dailymail.co.uk
Have you seen this gang..? Kermit the Frog & Miss Piggy..!
TheItalianJob Thanks for that. Will definitely use.
I’ll say this …this information from various polls saying that the split in the vote is around 40% yes to 45% no. Well, I refuse to even believe that. I have a gut feeling that the media are still trying to say that ‘sure, it’s close, but hey! ‘No’ is STILL in the lead’. They try to imply that Yes is catching up, but it WILL be a ‘No’ vote in the end. Somehow …I just don’t buy it. The mood …and just a sense, that somehow, that just isn’t true. I think more people in Scotland now are prepared for change. I just feel it that people are waiting for that moment …and they are now almost ready for it!
I have felt that a year ago, the figures were around parity (40% mark). I no longer believe that. Around a dozen or so folk that I know, who last year were undecided, or even DK’s, are now more or less ‘Yes’.
Personally …I believe ‘No’ is really tied around 30 to 35%. I think it is nowhere near 50%!
For me at this point in time, I think we have crossed the 50% mark. I think we are now there. I know more folk voting Yes than No. Even those who hum when asked seem to give a slow nod and seem to say they will probably vote Yes.
However, I continue to convert, and I continue to update people on a daily basis. Until the 19th of September when we will truly know …we don’t stop. We just keep going …but at the moment …I think we are now there. I can just feel it.
Oh dear, if I had known they were going to report the results so pedantically, I wouldn’t have taken the test 3 times to see if I could get a different result…
In an email exchange on Scotland and it’s remaining oil revenues etc one of my correspondences asked the following question to me as I work in the oil industry as an engineer.
I work in the industry too. I find it simpler to tell people I don’t know a Scot working in oil & gas that doesn’t support independence and here they all are:
link to oilandgaspeople.com
Does the trick every time.
Herald editor is Magnus LLewellin – had an exchange with him about a year ago regarding impartiality. He promised better – needless to say it never arrived but Magnus Gardham did ensuring pro union, pro Labour bias. I’ve written before, that in my opinion,that we should boycott the Herald comments. Let the unionists argue amongs themselves – they’ll tire of it, advertising revenue will fall and the Herald may modify it’s stance a wee bit – although I strongly doubt it. I also suspect that the union, which has an awful lot to lose, may be pumping cash into these newspapers to keep them going! Don’t believe me?
What part of British nationalism do you trust?
@Vincent McDee 7.38,I hope your shareing that article all
over the Internet,at times like this I wish I had went to
those computer classes & learnt a bit more than how to
switch it on. dynamite Vincent .
I believe ‘No’ is really tied around 30 to 35%
I’d agree from polling data. This is the best No can hope for on the day.
For me at this point in time, I think we have crossed the 50% mark.
Yes, this ostensibly occurred (again) autumn 2013.
All is not what it seems…
Sorry off topic.
The politicians are not doing the job so lets draft in a different kind of Muppet.
link to mirror.co.uk
Gardham’s title is editor which means he controls what content is published as well as the message. There may be other editors there too and one or many with more seniority.
Nevertheless, he writes & publishes blatant lies, inaccuracies & extremely biased stories which are invariably pro union.
His origin is important. It partly explains his pro British credentials.
@scottish_skier says
I have seen this before but thanks for the reminder and the link.
Us “oilies” know the full worth of the oil and gas still be produced and the investments and profits still to be made in the next 30-50 years.
O/T Has anybody noticed the strage goings on over at Dereck Batemen’s website? It was down for a while and now a link to “The Wines of Burgundy Wine Club” has appeared at the top. Following the link, goes along page about donating money to pay for DBs restocking of his wine cellar. Bizarre. Is it a form of cyber attack?
@JLT
You’ll get an even better sense of it if you come out canvassing with us. We’re making a big push on Saturday – check your e-mail! 🙂
Sorry Rev O/T
Kirrie YES event –
A public meeting open to all, with principal speaker Pauline Hinchion from the Greens who will speak on “A Green perspective on independence”. Two auxiliary speakers will discuss “The Common Weal” and “Pensions in an Independent Scotland”, followed by a question and answer session. Admission free, teas and coffees will be provided. All welcome.
WHEN
March 26, 2014 at 7:30pm
WHERE
Northmuir Hall
Shielhill Road
Kirriemuir DD8 4PY
@scottish skier
re: decomissioning
Am I right in thinking that the rebates will come from tax already paid to the UK govt, and that the new contracts being signed over guaranteed rebates are also with the UK govt? In which case will an rUK govt continue to be liable for decommissioning rebates from tax already paid and an Indy Scotland will only be liable for decomissioning rebates on tax it gathers after independence?
scottish_skier says:
“All is not what it seems…”
Care to elucidate SS?
O/T and apologies if it’s already been posted
Wee Ginger Dug
link to weegingerdug.wordpress.com
Westminster debates the BBC license fee tomorrow.
The BBC say that if the non-payment of the fee is de-criminalised, it would cost them around £200 million a year in non-payments.
Add that to the £300 million loss when Scotland becomes an Independent Country and you have a nice round half a billion pounds loss every year.
Yes, the BBC could be losing £500 million a year in the very near future.
I thought that would put a smile on your faces.
Thomas
I don’t think Derek’s site is being cyber attacked, I think he has simply chosen the Wine Club a sponsor. A good claret is not to be sneezed at. 🙂
TheItalianJob says:
I have seen this before but thanks for the reminder and the link.
Your post on decommissioning was top notch BTW. I just find that link on ‘70% of oil and gas people support independence’ works wonders, especially when I point out that’s around the number of Scots working in the upstream sector out of Scotland. Very simple and effective. Who do you listen to on oil? The BBC? George Osborne? The OBR? Or Scots working in it at all levels…
After passing folk that link, I’ve never had someone who’s genuinely asking in an effort to make up their minds question the issue again.
It’s like a ‘McCrone report link’ if you catch my drift. 😉
Have barely seen any official comment on a Scottish Olympic team recently, but see The Herald asked a question about it. Had a look into the subject & came up with info in blog (sorry, very biased towards sport of cycling). Interested in seeing what the Working Group come up with, which should be released in spring, it’s spring now! If anybody has any further info it would be much appreciated.
link to spokeydokeyblog.com
O/T Airdrie Yes out on Sat in Graham St/Sth Bridge St,
I,ll be the wan hugging a lamppost, thats jist tae be able
tae staun up lol.
HandandShrimp
Are you sure? Did you read the bizarre copy
“In keeping with the egalitarian and selfless ethos of the Yes Campaign, my club is different. You pay the money and I get the wine. ”
I think it is a false flag spoof attack. The page text jumps and down as well, very unsettling
Derek Bateman’s problem might not be a cyber-attack.
It could be a cider-attack, due to all that Burgundy Wine.
HandandShrimp
Also I tried to google said wine club, and does not appear to exist.
• Nuclear power, which has been outlawed by the SNP, is welcomed by 44%
• Only 42% want more immigration, while 58% want less or no change.”
Typical msm
..welcomed 44% welcomed: positive for wasteminster
…only 42% only: negative for SG
2% difference from welcome to only
O/T The scare stories are now being regurgitated in style!
On 18th March 2013, the Shetland Times carried an article headlined, Tavish baits Salmond with ‘it’s wir oil’ claim, about the Islanders petitioning for their own independence referendum.
Guess what? It’s back! Today, almost exactly a year on, Reuters have a story headlined, Scottish islanders seek votes for own independence.
Cue the usual scaremongering about the islands grabbing Scotland’s oil.
Funny, because Tavish Scott was with Messrs Darling and Carmichael at the launch of the Shetland’s Better Together Campaign.
They can’t seem to make up their minds, do they want independence for the Shetlands or do they want London rule for them?
Bluff, bluff, bluff. It’s all they have!
You can just see the headlines on 19th Sept in the Herald after a YES victory.
If it finishes with a result of just over 50% in favour of Independence, and it isn’t over 50% of the overall population, then their headline will boom,
“Majority of Scots reject Independence”.
That is why, even after we pass the 50% mark on the opinions polls, that we have to keep going right up until 18th Sept, so no one is in any doubt about the result.
O/T
Spent the last hour or so batting for Scotland on the German Spiegel magazine forum.
Someone called Alba-Scotland telling 150% barefaced lies about Salmond and Cameron.
Saying that it wasn’t Cam who was avoiding a meeting but AS who was desperatly doing the running. The meeting in Aberdeen didn’t happen because AS activly avoided it.
Poll ratings going down, AS very unpopular … the whole bitter together blah blah.
I need a double, treble or even a fourble of Talisker, I’ll even sit in front of a mirror and have a chat with myself … bonkers some people.
GH Graham: “His origin is important. It partly explains his pro British credentials.”
If only it was that easy. I dare say we could all rattle off a list of English-born Yes supporters, dwarfed only by a list of Scottish-born No supporters.
“All is not what it seems…”
Care to elucidate SS?
Don’t take straight Y/N polls at face value; from the mountains of data I have and knowing Scotland it’s much better than this for Yes for reasons I’ve eluded too before.
Although enjoy current rock solid upwards Yes trends and faltering No. Just ‘face value’ parity here (very soon) would cause the No campaign to start completely caving in on itself. I mean look what they’re like when it appears they’re in the lead.
“So, Mr Darling, the latest polls have both campaigns neck and neck. What happened to your lead? What are you going to do to win over voters now?” 😉
Euro Elections in the meantime are going to be fun. SNP looking to take 50% of Scottish seats whilst UKIP come first or second south of the border. That and the Tory GE vote is on the up. All in time for September and those still wavering…
Regarding “a matter of presentation” First Minister on “Distorting Scotland 18.30” described on caption as,
Alex Salmond MSP
“YesScotland”
Disgraceful lack of respect!
Instinctive Scots.
Nae blether. Just dae it.
Too many wee havering 18 year olds on a journey fr fx sk.
I’m signing oot fae this site.
Saludos.
Slan.
I am a bit puzzled. Today I have posted my 967th. post with over 9000 up ticks and one featured comment. I am Yes. They know that fine. I try to be balanced, although sometimes it is hard work. You can find my posts every day as GRAHAM HANSON GALASHIELS. I am an online subscriber and have been for a couple of years. The only times they moderated me out were when I opposed their editorial head on which is fair enough. The other was where I was really rude to OBE.
Derek Bateman has a fund raiser up and running, called the burgundy wine club! His supplies are running low, but I think its really to do with his plan for a pro indy radio channel!
@scottish_skier says
Who do you listen to on oil? The BBC? George Osborne? The OBR? Or Scots working in it at all levels…
I do not listen to the BBC, Georgie boy or the OBR. I do listen to most Scots working in the industry and the reports (such as the Wood commission), oil and gas journals that give the true picture of our oil and gas industry in the north sea. I’ve also worked extensively overseas most of my life including 6 years in Norway in the early days of the North sea in the 80’s. Since then look what Norway has done with it’s reserves vs how the UK has squandered ours. An overseas graduate in my company informed me that a senior engineer whom I know told him that if Scotland had been independent since the oil was discovered it would be as wealthy as Saudi Arabia in relative terms. Funny how the same engineer has never mentioned this to me.
Jesus Christ. Galloway on newsnight. Not enough face to palm.
I find it interesting that the poll didn’t ask about whether we would like to see less emigration. If we can create better jobs here, the fewer bright youngsters will be forced to go south to get a decent job.
Then we would not need so much imigration.
If you go to the Scottish Government website to look at the petition for an independence referendum for the islands and look at the signatories you will see some well kent faces from the Better Together/No Facebook pages. It would seem that although big on the Union they can’t wait to actually split it up. I don’t think very many from the islands have signed the petition though.
Just back from the Glasgow Skeptics Independence Debate at the Mitchell Theatre. 85% Yes on exit vote; 15% No. Around 400 attended.
I’m sure the response for immigration would be dramatically different if couched in terms of the demographic deficit, the ageing population, and encouraging the return of previous emigres and opportunity-seeking relatives – all spread over a period of time.
Galloway is the whole Scottish cringe in one small sack o’ bile.
I used to have some respect for him, but no more.
First class Charlatan.
Re Sillars/Galloway
At least yhey sre showing each other the common courtesy of not shouting each other down.
“Just back from the Glasgow Skeptics Independence Debate at the Mitchell Theatre. 85% Yes on exit vote; 15% No. Around 400 attended”
that is just fantastic.
O/t
Couldn’t listen anymore to Newsnight as Sillars and Galloway argued about Independence with them both wanting to be the first to get rid of Alex Salmond ! I’ve said it before on here that Sillars has bad history with Alex Salmond about a fight for the leadership. He should shut up about Alex Salmond. He’s getting about as bad as Lamont! If he wants to fight for Independence that’s fine, but he should leave out the bitterness!
Thanks, Bunter for that. Was going to subscribe but the fact there were no replies at the point I read I decided to wait and see.
On The Herald – I buy the paper (like the crosswords!)and have only started reading the letters’ page since early January when it was 50/50 between yes and no. Definitely changed sometime in Feb to between 3/1 or 4/1 for Yes. Also there seems to be more pro-Yes contributing to their ‘Agenda’ spot underneath the ‘picture of the day’.
We will win this!
@kininvie says:
re: decomissioning
Am I right in thinking that the rebates will come from tax already paid to the UK govt, and that the new contracts being signed over guaranteed rebates are also with the UK govt? In which case will an rUK govt continue to be liable for decommissioning rebates from tax already paid and an Indy Scotland will only be liable for decomissioning rebates on tax it gathers after independence?
What a good question. I’m not an expert on the tax system and how it works in this case. I presume tax relief will be given to the companies in the tax year they submit their tax returns to the UK against the decommissioning costs incurred during that tax year. On the day Scotland gains independence the tax relief liabilty will revert to Scotland for the next financial year as the oil companies will be required to submit their returns to the Scottish tax authorities.
A question to be clarified by our fiscal commission no doubt.
I see these two at least know how to handle tv bias,”ok,what’s your question?”
“cold water Cuba” what a slogan,almost as good as “champagne socialist”.
Ian Mackay
Just read the participants of the Glasgow Skeptics debate
No wonder YES got a good result, very unfair that No side had Jackson Carlaw, Jackie Baillie and Willie Rennie – the dream team enabling a push to YES 😉
Good result!
link to glasgowskeptics.com
Galloway is showing himself up tonight. It’s all about George Galloway. Send for the men in white coats.
Galloway’s stupid buzz word – stilts
God he really is a gormless idiot
Because George,the treaty of Edinburgh has been recognised by the UK government,the others have not.Scaremongering like the rest,you must want back into Labour for a safe seat lol.
Re: the Muppets support for The United Kingdom is nothing new? It was Scots born English puppets that signed away Scottish Independence in the first place and it has been Scots born English Puppets who have kept it there for 307 years. Only differenece now is that we call them Better Together and some of them even claim to just be North Britishers.
Indeed Edward 🙂 And I thought of the 3 No campaigners I thought Willie Rennie was best. (That shows how bad Jackie Baillie and Jackson Carlaw were; Baillie in particular was awful!)
Am I being too analytical[easy to become with all the anti indy tripe]when I think that Sillars and Galloway have cooked up a plot for a YES vote?
Galloway repeating all the tripe and Sillars dissecting it in order to display how ludicrous it is.
They seem to be keen on creating a new Labour party.
Jim Sillars for Scotland’s PM! He’s right about the self belief of the Scottish nation. Come on Scotland, everyone else does it everyday of their lives, even without Westminster or the Tory party.
I really enjoyed Sillars and Galloway ( who has a thing about stilts ) – amusing, and two proper politicians, even though not agreeing with them, rather than the stale apparatchiks such as Alexander and Murphy.
George was looking particularly manic tonight, spouting the same old nonsense and getting all excited about stilts. I thought Jim Sillars came over well though.
Off topic folks: The No Blair over on twitter is saying that there is a new poll out at midnight.
George for Mayor.
Galloway on the Max Keiser Show telling us he wants to be Mayor of London.
link to youtu.be
Really enjoyed Sillars/ Galloway.Both where very respectful by not shouting over one another and i thought Sillars put Galloway to the sword.
Nonsense on Stilts?
©champagne Dode
Has to be the best eane o the campaign thus far!!
HAHA 😛
Fair got his earse handed to him on a plate.
@ Dan Huil says:
“I’ve been told the Herald publishes the comments from its paying subscribers more or less immediately. Non-subscribers’ comments will eventually be shown if the moderator feels like it. Could be wrong, though.”
Dan–I’m a paid-up Herald subscriber and have been for over 6 months. I don’t break any of their rules and still it takes several hours for any of my posts to appear. Sometimes it can be over a day by which time everyone has moved on to another story. Frustrating in the extreme and especially so when they clearly give the likes of Woking Man free rein to pour out his utter pish all over their board. Recently they even stopped showing posters’ down-votes as it wasn’t looking at all good for the UKOKs.
Which is why Wings is so important. Keeps me sane.
Spontaneous human combustion debate
JS v GW
missed it,any good?
George Galloway has more twists & turns than a whippet
chaseing a hare,an hare coarseing,s illegal. anybody doing
oil change keep a hud o it ah,v got a couple of feather
pillows an a barrel,I,ll even pay his fare tae Dundee,
tap o the Hilltoon tae the Wellgate n I,ll kick the barrel aff.
Galloway indulged in desperate SNP-bashing. Sillars was calmer and more reasonable. Galloway underlined Westminster panic. I think most viewers would have supported Sillars’ opinion: after the Yes result in September it’s a whole new ball game and Scottish politics will quickly find a new equilibrium.
Proud Cybernat – Thanks for the info.
I’m offshore at the moment and the increase in discussion about independence is amazing.
Quite a few “don’t knows” but the YES team are on hand to assist.
I have not encountered an open NO voter.
When your pushing millions of dollars of oil down a pipeline every day from one installation then the scare stories really piss you off.
When you look at the 5year production plan for one company and the target rate has trebles towards the end of the period (That’s an increase Gideon!)
When the notice board has statements regarding highest level of drilling activity for 10 years it really gets to you.
Last years Oil Exhibition was titled “The NEXT 50 years” . Not the last but the next – a bit of a clue!
Jim Sillars was magnificent in his debate with George Galloway.. The best debate of the referendum so far.. The BBC journos let them get on with it with little interruption.. It flowed.. There will be a great reaction to this debate I’m certain of it..
I would encourage all to not buy a single newspaper from now until the referendum, starve them of their funds and that will surely scare the unionist hell out of them to see their sales dive further and further. Lets face it, for what they have done to this country I think they deserve to be worried for a few months. Maybe they will do a bit of soul searching and realize the error of their Brit Nat ways. Who needs enemies when you have the Scottish press and Westminster?
Jim Sillars had a great time with that ” English MP ” loved it 🙂
OT: So Mr Galloway says that Alex Salmond WILL be the first Prime Minister of an iScotland. if so, then the majority of Scots will have voted for him to be their PM. Now on the other hand, how many Scots voted for David Cameron to be their Prime Minister?
Here’s the new poll, just released. It is from TNS. Apparently No is up two on 46 (aye, right) and yes down 3 points on 32… Although that is those certain to vote. When you look at everyone No is unchanged on 42 and Yes down one on 28. Not looking brill for Yes but no more details released to compare.
Looking forward to your analysis, SS
From Blair MacDougall’s twitter.
Breaking TNS poll. Gap grows by 5% amongst certain to vote. N46 (+2) Y32 (-3). Amongst all voters N42 (nc) Y28 (-1) No complacency! #indyref
@Clootie11.50,some o they Cod must hiv goat intae the
pipeline cause there,s a piece o it floatin aroon Scotland
George Galloway,s that piece.
I posted a comment on The Economist’s site a while ago after the currency union scare. I mentioned the affect on the balance of payments of the RUK that the withdrawal of Scottish oil and whiskey would have. It was sent back to me saying it couldn’t be posted because there were problems with other posts in the thread?? Very bizarre. I just don’t think they want the truth known.
The latest poll is a bit odd, gap between yes and no gets bigger by 5%… No chance, It just doesn’t reflect what we are all experiencing on the street, and at events like the college in Dundee (83% yes) or the event tonight in Glasgow (85% yes). Anyone know who commissioned it? Wonder what the weighting looks like.
caz-m
McDougall twittering shite. That poll commissioned by and trumpeted in Scotsman is over 2 weeks old. Desperation now setting for Unionists.
28percent YES. They are just taking the piss now!
The Herald moderates new posters whether subscribers or not for an extended period (6 months+) before giving them immediate posting status. They also take it away if you fall foul of them. I lost it for a while partly because I questioned Jezerna Roza’s identity and partly because I had a spat with Terry Kelly. Back on now though after the amnesty!
@Mary Bruce
I have a feeling this poll by TNS is meant to put us YES voters back in our box.
We were getting to full of ourselves, so they bring out a poll to slap us down.
If correct, then what they are saying is that just about 1 in 4 of us want Independence.
It’s almost as far out as that STV poll that came out a couple of weeks ago.
Bullshit!
The male:female respondents ratio of 2:1 is interesting. We keep hearing women are less in favour of independence; maybe they’re just less in favour of being surveyed?
Be interesting to see the weighting as you mentioned, Mary.
I’m sure a previous TNS one had it at similar numbers. 30% undecided is huge though, and they are dinnae ken’s for a reason – they are there to be won over and WANT to be won over.
We can do it. No doubt lots of “support for Indy less than 30%”, “less than a 1/3 of Scots would vote for indy” etc type pish to be thrown at us from BT and the Unionist media.
Embarrassment for Labour
link to newsnetscotland.com
re TNS comments above, it seems a bit odd for the Scotsman to publish a poll that is older than ICM published in their Sunday paper.
Here’s the table with all the previous Independence poll results and dates.
link to ukpollingreport.co.uk
A wee one for the night-shifters … and the crazy insomniacs. This should help you sleep!
link to commentisntfree.com
It certainly looks a bit out of date, it was carried out between the 26th Feb and 9th March, so older than other polls we have seen lately.
I have a very fine book called “How To Lie With Statistics”. Using the techniques therein, I wrote the same report twice proving two different things. D.
Ref some of these low yes opinion polls, Leaving aside the well known ways in which they can be manipulated,
I don’t believe they reflect the overall opinion of the nation either (not that I am an expert I admit).
Other than being an attempt to sway folk and keep them down, I believe they are also put out as some sort of attempt to calm the “markets”. Imagine the eventual reaction of the “markets” if Yes was constantly shown to be rising or in the lead.
This poll showing Yes at 28% was conducted between 26 February and 9 March, the one issued last weekend showing Yes at 39% was conducted between 17 and 21 March, only a few days ago. What’s the point of this latest poll it just looks pointless.
JS and GG was more like a 2 ronnies tag team.
Galloway is a wee bit self promotional(understatement, obviously)for to be taken seriously, good for comic value maybe, pity this is a serious issue.
Waste of airtime really.
I always do a wikipedia search of what Tory leaning business guru might own shares in whatever pollster first before I believe the figures.
Not pointless at all. They held it back until a couple of better polls showed up, so they could get the headlines about Yes losing ground. It’s pathetically transparent.
There’s going to come a time when they can no longer pauchle the figures like this. Possibly soon. This weekend the clocks change and we get light till eight. It’ll never be dark earlier than this until referendum day, and for a lot of the time it’s going to be light till bed-time.
People are poised to up and at em. Stu is writing his Blue Book. It’s going to look a million dollars and it’s going to be circulated widely. Our local co-ordinator just told me to pace myself because there are another three issues of the Yes magazine to get out plus “goodness knows what else”. The billboards are starting to go up.
Yes are going to become more visible. Positivity and optimism are going to be all over the place. The SNP spring conference is soon. They’ll have to let Alex Salmond on TV and he can charm the birds from the trees when they’re not calling him Mugabe.
What are they going to do when a poll or two shows parity? They’re going to run out of places to hide.
CANT TRUST any POLL either side,it’s a one off YES,NO
could be a shock sept 18th,don’t know which side thou
might need tablets sept 19 to calm me down or cheer me up
Galloway’s pupils close up are very small which is consistent with drug abuse and his eyes overall were red and bulging, that was my first thought a couple of mins in, then his demeanor absolutely convinced me of it. Drink hmmm maybe describes his style but pupils are a giveaway, another media junkie me thinks.
Jim Sillars is appearing at GLO Center in Motherwell on Fri.
“Not pointless at all. They held it back until a couple of better polls showed up, so they could get the headlines about Yes losing ground. It’s pathetically transparent”
You’re right Morag my cynicism has already gone to bed. Time I was too.
What indeed is the purpose of these latest poll figures?
The Regents – RUNAROUND
link to youtube.com
I think these pollsters might be better employed.
THE SILHOUETTES – “GET A JOB” (1957)
link to youtube.com
P.S. Apologies for posting ‘race music’.
Arel says:
This poll showing Yes at 28% was conducted between 26 February and 9 March, the one issued last weekend showing Yes at 39% was conducted between 17 and 21 March, only a few days ago. What’s the point of this latest poll it just looks pointless
The point is that BT have always been desperate to ensure that Yes does not gather a momentum.
Every time it looks like BT are ‘on the ropes’ a poll is released showing the Yes vote slipping and the ‘No’ vote shooting up.
You can always tell when one of these ‘bullshit polls’ are about to be released…
‘Blair the Bullshiter’, mentions it on Twitter.
Remember this, every single arm of the Unionism arsenal is pointed at the Yes movement and this includes the Unionist owning polling companies, if you look at who runs these companies or who is on the ‘board of directors’ you may feel that they are less deserving of your trust, than you first though!
Don’t worry, we are winning 🙂
Gorgeous George Galloway, old pugalist, endlessly shadow boxing, desperate to convince fight organisers he still has it in him. Who’ll give him one last shot at the title?
He could have been a contender.
Patrick Roden
Don’t worry, we are winning 🙂
Think your right there mate. I don’t have any scientific evidence, only a gut feeling. I have a very strong sense of self-preservation (we all do but don’t often tune in to it). I had to this ‘survival instinct’ after sustaining a serious brain injury.
As someone who has worked in the field of mental health, I assume you come up against issues all the time.
I had to trust this ‘survival instinct’.
The Selecter – On My Radio
link to youtube.com
come up against trust issues all the time.
Editor please. 🙂
Tee, hee. It is pleasing that Scottish public health plays an important role in the treatment of head injuries throughout the world. In terms of Scotland’s political future, perhaps a little ironic?
Glasgow Coma Scale
link to en.wikipedia.org
Rev, the other thing I noticed in that pie chart is the colours. “More immigration” is in red, traditionally used to represent danger. Any graphics designer will tell you that you have to be very careful with colour when presenting graphs and charts.
Sorry folks, I’m not trying to draw attention to myself, but my prognosis was that I was not expected to return to independent living. So I know from personal experience that making decisions for yourself is the most self-empowering experience in life.
Vote Yes Scotland or you are voting for someone else to make the decisions for you. For ever and ever.
I think lamont is at level 6 …
Motor response grade 6.. Obeys commands (the patient does simple things as asked)
colin young
Sorry mate, she’s all the way up to eleven. 🙂
Remember, Scotland exists in its on special inverse universe, so the higher the number…..
Have thing’s changed? Ironically taken from the album “English Rebel Songs 1381-1914”.
Chumbawamba – The Diggers’ Song
link to youtube.com
How about this one. Oh the irony. 🙂
Chumbawamba – Song on the Times
link to youtube.com
Chumbawamba – British Colonialism and the BBC
link to youtube.com
Sorry, wrong link. That was for the album. I don’t think the graphics have anything to do with band.
link to youtube.com
Regarding the polls; just look at the panicked bile coming out of the Labour conference at the weekend to see where the trend is going. I personally only know of one person who is a No voter and that is because his father got an OBE years ago, Land of Hope and Glory and all that!
I believe we have entered a different phase and the language of the No people is very telling. The media attack isn’t working, the scare stories are not working. Expect the type and scale of attack to change. The insulting language from Johann Lamont at the weekend, along with the talk of removing anti sectarian laws were intended as a shot across the bows of the Yes campaign. The language will now start to contain subtle threats.
link to whitefeatherclub.wordpress.com
The Italian Job.
I agree with your post. Another thing to consider is the construction methods of the installations. The early one we pretty much of permanent construction. Through time they were made to a module design. This was with the view of dismantling them, either for removal to be used elsewhere or to be easier to be junked.
regards
Jim Kennedy
Talking of polls, the Herald and Magnus G
link to heraldscotland.com
Most of the posts in the Herald support YES. There are notable exceptions from absentee? Landowners, who do not realise in a more prosperous Scotland, land would have more value and be put to better use.
Recently there have been several posters (party activists?) from the south adding their comments. Groundhog day.
Many newspapers groups have other interests. There are reports Scotsman (share price dire) prints Labour literature.
Telegraph (Newsquest US Co.) prints literature for private education companies, world wide.
Major News Groups (right wing) are printing businesses.
Talking of polls, the Herald and Magnus G
Just focus on ‘No’ for TNS. Another 42 No from them should send shivers up darling’s spine. You need to add at least 10% to Yes in TNS to account for the shy Yes which is hidden by a weirdly high DK. SoS Alistair Carmichael has explained how people are lying, saying DK when the intend Yes. This is what he’s on about in a big way.
I’ve seen Prof. C explain the weird TNS patter as it being down to TNS asking what people would vote in September rather than a referendum held tomorrow. Yet panelbase does this and so do ICM recently…
The real reason is TNS knock your door, sit you down in your living room, look you in the face and ask.
The pattern for No in TNS is clear – it fell over 10 points from late 2012 to now…
I’m just being nasty now. Apologies monarchists. Honest, I’m not in the band. 🙂
She ain’t immutable.
Chumbawamba – Her Majesty
link to youtube.com
I’m interested in the poll numbers on Corporation Tax. I canvass and chat about the referendum a lot (actually whenever I can). I have met almost no-one who is aware of what else is in the white paper.
I quote:
Simplification of the tax system to reduce compliance costs, streamline reliefs and help to reduce tax avoidance, with a target revenue gain of £250 million a year by the end of the first term.
Action like this would put our own businesses on more of a a level playing field with the multi-nationals. I wonder how other countries do this – ones say like Norway, Germany?
The SNP is funded by it’s members. (crowd funded) That is why it can make independent decisions in the public interest.
Unionists Parties are funded by Trade Unions and Banks. A conflict of interest.
Just think 2 years from today we will be waking up with a hangover after our Independence Day..can’t wait
@SS Thanks for that.
@ Joanna Lamont
Chumbawamba – Come on Baby (Let’s Do the Revolution)
link to youtube.com
If the TNS poll was done before the ICM one, does that mean there was an 11% swing to Yes? We should make this known 🙂
Andrew Morton:
Aye, I was put into moderation for a while because I went apeshit at a ridiculously biased article, but they emailed me to say they’d remove moderation if I promised to behave myself 😛
The Americans are even getting a taste of the bbc’s biased output.
link to dissidentvoice.org
@ Joanna Lamont
P.S. Please listen to at least the next six tracks in that playlist.
For those of who missed it
link to dailymotion.com
Its over!
Kermit the Frog is backing the Union and thinks England gave him his big break (I think he meant UK).
If the TNS poll was done before the ICM one, does that mean there was an 11% swing to Yes?
LOL. No, but you can have fun with that, feigning innocence. 😉
What we can sensibly say is that TNS is the next poll not to show any impact of the ‘nuclear bomb which will destroy Yes’ that was supposed to be the Osballs nae £ and dambusters. Likewise it, recent panelbase and ICM are too early for any Devo Nano and Hate the SNP Conference 2014 effect.
TNS is complicated by a shy factor and also the weird way they try to handle the low turnout of 2011 (way too many people say they voted when they didn’t – more lying!).
Either way, a rough rule of thumb correction is to add 10% to Yes from DK as noted for TNS since mind 2013. This would give you a match with the other pollsters like panelbase and ICM.
I see flipper Darling is complaining about Scottish government expenditure on the White Paper.
Try doing Freedom of Information requests on amount of expenditure by UK government anti independence reports from 13 different government departments, think tanks, House of Commons committee reports, Cabinet Ministers travelling expenses to visit Scotland in the last 15 months?
link to gov.uk
Scottish_Skier
I was interviewed by TNS for their previous poll to this one. The first question the interviewer asked was,’how you are going to vote in the Referendum? and then records it. Then you are asked a series of other questions. For these questions you are handed this mini-laptop and you record your vote without the interviewer seeing what you have done. Perhaps they should do the same for the first question.
creag an tuirc
In answer to your question, at the last general election there was a 65% turnout and the Conservatives polled 36.1% of those who voted, meaning 23% of those eligible to vote cast for the Conservatives.
Contrast this to the turnout for the recent Veneto referendum, “According to Plebiscito.eu’s staff, 2.36 million Venetians (63.2% of all eligible voters) participated in the online referendum and 89.1% of them (that is to say 56.6% of all eligible voters) voted yes to independence.[4][5] ”
Veneto has a population very close to Scotland’s, just sayin’
The TNS poll has a strangely large number of Don’t Knows. That said I am not sure I would really want someone sitting in my living room asking poll questions on any subject be politics or butter recognition.
What is fascinating is the the fact that Blair McDougall was aware that it was coming, that he tweeted the results within seconds of their official release and all the Better Together and No pages immediately made big of it. They are beginning to get very scared that this is slipping from their grasp.
I notice they are also repeating Blair’s “no complacency” comment too. They want to say “We have it in the bag” but they also want to say “Please, please vote or we will lose”.
Marcia at 9:10 am
When you said that the TNS interviewer recorded your answer to the first question, can I ask how did they record it?
No No No…Yes.
If you are asking if I saw the interviewer record it, no I did not see it being recorded on the mini-laptop.
O/T Newsnet Scotland has further evidence of BBC bias
link to newsnetscotland.com
btw On BBC licence fee. Do you know that BBC pays £60 million a year for English Premier league football highlights excluding Gary Lineker’s wage bill.
Yet they failed to bid for live Scottish league football thus depressing the pathetic amount Sky required to pay.
The latest “scare ’em stiff” plan from the unionist camp emphasises how independence is “certain” to leave a legacy of bitterness among friends on either side of the debate.
The campaign does not admit that there was massive anger from 95% of the population unable to exercise their vote on the act of Union, or the Treaty, or that a plebiscite now is a the natural outcome of that kettling of rights, bitterness that lingered down the centuries, generation to generation, over the loss of democratic structures and rights.
Nor does it acknowledge the constructed insults in outrageous falsehoods and scurrilous attacks perpetrated on a people’s humanity and its elected representatives by those loyal to an intangible British establishment.
Still treated as naughty children, we are not expected to be mature enough to shake hands after the Referendum.
George Galloway – nonsense on steroids.
Re Marcia’s experience of being surveyed by TNS, I found the same thing.
I csn confirm Scottish Skier’s “shy yes” hypothesis as, though I am a committed yesser, I found it oddly disconcerting being asked outright in my living room and felt a compulsion to justify my decision. If I had been someone who was less informed or committed but still knowing in my heart I was going to vote yes, I can see how it would have been so easy just to say “don’t know” so as not to look like one of “they rabid Bravehearts”.
Marcia at 9:10am and 9:21am
Based on what you have said, is there an argument that the TNS poll methodology is flawed? If the interviewee does not enter their own answer to the first and most important question, but IS asked to enter all the other answers, surely it could be argued that the TNS pollster might input the first answer to the wrong box? Am I being cynical..?
Talking of strange things in papers, last nights London Standard had a quote from Games of Thrones Scots Actress Rose leslie( born Aberdeen) on the Referendum…
“Im for the Union. If I’m going to be dictated to, I’d rather it was from Westminster than Brussels!”
Also BBC News going heavy in congrats to Humberside for lining up hundreds of great Wind Turbine related jobs. Thats the same terrible big bad Wind Turbines when they involves the Scottish Govt of course.
thx square haggis for the JS ,GG link
Firstly the debate put STV to shame.both were allowed to get points across without interruption.
GG saying UK Labour would get rid of Trident was Nuke on Stilts
GG following same line as BT,attack Salmond.
JS pulling out a RBS note wasn’t the best idea,but he did put arguments across well.
@ Grouse Beater.
I have no doubt that there will be a bitter legacy after the vote if we choose independence. The no campaign is very nasty and likely to get worse. There is a thread within the rUK which is offended by the very idea of choosing self determination and that is understandable, for various reasons: no one likes to be told that their certainties are not only untrue, but morally contemptible. Yet that is a large part of the reason for this vote. Those who are surrendered social democrats within the rUK will not like to be shown that there is indeed an alternative and that they have been sold a lie for decades. There is a cognitive dissonance in play as well as the raw emotion
Such a response is inevitable but it will pass, if the vote is yes: not least because the mainstream media will probably choose to put Scotland in the “Scandinavia box”: that is ignore developments here most of the time: and report if/when we elect a tory government on the basis that it proves TINA.
I was surveyed by TNS some years ago. (Pre referendum) Twice in the one week.
The first guy diligently passed me the tablet device several times to allow me to answer in private. The process took about half an hour +.
The second guy left the tablet in the bag and asked me similar questions from memory writing my answers in a small book. The process took about a quarter of the time the first guy took.
You can draw your own conclusions. I thought about complaining at the time but neither gentlemen left me with any information as to how to get in touch with TNS. A business card would be appropriate.
Strange that I have never been surveyed again.
@No No No…Yes
Not at all likely each TNS pollsters would be involved in any great conspiracy. If it were to be manipulated, it would be done on computer centrally later. Not that I’m accusing them of that, just that it is much easier to get the effect you are looking for that way without involving too many people.
With regards to all these pollsters, once they have built up a pattern of voting intentions with repeat interviews, surely they can pick and choose their respondents as desired?
Or have I got that wrong?
Here’s one LibDem who’ll be voting YES.
link to edinburghnews.scotsman.com
Clegg,Farage EU debate tomorrow
another YES v NO
The only polls I pay attention to are Panelbase and ICM, due to them being better ‘weighted’ to reflect Scottish opinion and as Skier as pointed out, they don’t ask the question from a stranger on your sofa looking you in the eye…..was is this? Gestapo polling?
A more interesting poll would be in the Eastershouses etc, likely to vote and voting intention.
In my opinion, we are winning. We passed them late last year or January, just going by public mood, we have them on the run and all thats left is to bayonet the wounded. ; )
Clegg v Farage
link to tvnewsroom.co.uk
@Another Union Divided
Thank you, very good link.
@Bookie from Hell
Georgie boy will be nursing a wee migrane from hell this grey mornin.
Jim hid his homework and played a blinder wi his quote about the 2 cheeks o the same earse and a sixpence, priceless!
Hope George will now awa hame tae think agin.
Clootie says:
“highest level of drilling activity for 10 years it really gets to you. Last years Oil Exhibition was titled “The NEXT 50 years” . Not the last but the next – a bit of a clue!”
Aye Clootie, and just imagine what could be done with a government that worked WITH the industry rather than treating it as a cash cow whenever they’re short of dosh!
Just watched the Sillars debate – for once a bbc debate with no interuptions – I had to pinch myself (but quickly realised it was because no-one from the snp was present). Galloway’s lack of knowledge was startling – ” more devolution will be decided by you” – quickly demolished by Sillars.
But I particularly liked when Galloway claimed that only the “real” labour party can rid us of nukes, to which Sillars produced the infamous quote from Galloway when he stated that Labour and the Tories were “2 cheeks of the same a*se”, then tucked the note away in his pocket, brilliant!
R.I.P George Galloway (on stilts)…
When I hear someone talk about nonsense on stilts, this is what I think of…
link to alturl.com
Is the Cutting Edge Circus one of Vince Cable’s projects? 🙂
TNS absorbed a polling company that once had my better half as an employee.
A couple of points from the comments above. The tablet PCs, even a few years ago, were prone to having very short battery life, which could explain why @the man in the Jar had the second odd interview experience. All pollster reps MUST provide a contact card that is left with the interviewee and so that aspect is also odd.
In most cases there will be a follow up telephone call to ensure that the interviewer had actually attended the address and spoke to particular people.
The interviewer has a fixed quota of particular “classes” of interviewee covering gender, age and the usual ABC categories and so, if on a door knocking visit, the interviewer might not select any individual in the household, or might pick up several. That might also result in the interviewer asking the occupant if they know of a particular “class” of person who might be at home in their street, so that they can complete their quota.
They also operated a pre-selection system for some polls whereby they would send out letters to specific addresses in an area ahead of the interview to alert the occupant to the opportunity for participation. I don’t know what the selection criteria were/are for that type of interviewee selection but it did result in much higher participation.
A lot of the interviewees complained that “nobody ever asks for my opinion” to which the response is “well, we are now “. A big proportion of the surveys were related to Scottish Government initiatives and it was interesting to see a few days after completion mention of the results in the MSM (most of the time).
In terms of the interviewer’s techniques, they are driven by the (now) tablet PC prompts and the interviewer is NOT permitted to voice any form of opinion before or during the process of collecting responses. Generally you should be able to sit alongside the interviewer and, when they enter a response on your behalf, you should be able to see what they are doing. The caveat there is that some of the screens of information might have prompts which may influence the response and then the interviewer will NOT allow the interviewee to see the screen.
It is generally a well managed process from the exposure I’ve had but, then again, my better half is principled.
O/T
can anyone tell me if Derek Bateman is changing his web site again? If so AYE RIGHT will have to drop it rather than changing.
@Kev
Guid un 😀
Gavin, I was wondering that too. Had a look last night and saw both the “1” and “2” versions. “1” seemed to be a fairly straightforward blog, and “2” seemed to be a bit more satirical.
“1” also had that odd tab for a wine club and when clicked provided a peculiar up/down moving page with bizarre requests for money.
Confused.
Bateman needs technical assistance. He’s migrating to his own url and not doing it very well. This is the second time he’s moved and it didn’t go very well the last time either.
The wine club thing is a quirky way of soliciting support for his referendum campaigning. I like his style, but it’s obviously confusing the hell out of a lot of people. The page is jumping up and down because he has a dynamically-changing set of pictures at the top which are of different heights so every time it flips to a new picture the page height changes. He needs to fix it.
I think he’s offering a fun ride though, and including a party so what the hell. I like parties.
As far as AYE RIGHT is concerned, the new Bateman site does seem to have an automatic re-direct from the old URL to the new. Which is better than the last time he moved, when we all thought he’d been kidnapped.
Hopefully that will continue, but maybe we need to keep buying him lots of wine to ensure that. 😉
I don’t have any problem accessing Derek Bateman’s blog, it looks the same as usual.
Re Media Lens BBC bias – that makes for a good read.
I was particularly intrigued by this quote – ‘It is worth noting that John Mullin is a former editor of the Independent on Sunday, and his propaganda role there has previously been scrutinised by Media Lens.’
@ Desimond 09:46
link to en.wikipedia.org
Now, who’d have thunk she was pro British establishment? 😉
Plasterer’s on stilts will be deeply offended by Galloway,s
comments,George Galloway cometh the hour, cometh the Clown
on Stilts,juggleing nae Brain matter.
Derek has fixed the picture problem I think. The page doesn’t seem to be jumping up and down like a demented March hare any more.
Plasterer’s on stilts 🙂
Re Derek Bateman
Yes I do think he needs some techy help
I’m subscribed for e-mail alert to latest article
but the last one I have is the ‘I’m a Stormtrooper’ one of 22/03.
But didn’t get his latest ‘The Independent Man’ of yesterday, 24/03
So it appears he has been tinkering (again):) (Bad Derek keep away from the switches!..lol)
Derekbateman1 doesn’t seem to be working, that is auto transferring
But all his articles are on link to derekbateman.co.uk
I’ve noticed the ‘The Wines of Burgundy Club’ (which at the moment isn’t opening now, so no doubt he is still tinkering)
i am not genetically programmed to make a decision on this. i must believe everything the paper tells me. how is it possible for me as a scotsman to interpret statistics and therefore reach a conclusion different to what is being fed to me? impossible, syntax error, recalculate