Absolute Fanny Of The Week
We’ve got a shock result for the inaugural winner of this exciting new award, readers. Remarkably it’s NOT David Torrance – who wrote an arch review of a chapter of a book about Donald Trump that didn’t actually exist. Good effort, Davey, but no cigar.
And it’s not even notorious Lib Dem atom-wit Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, who bleated to Ofcom when an SNP party political broadcast unrelatedly took the mickey out of a character who may (or may not) have been the selfsame Torrance.
No, the first ever Wings Absolute Fanny Of The Week is… Anas Sarwar!
In common with half of Scottish Labour, Sarwar has been raging at Paisley MP Mhairi Black for her “silence” over the closure of a 16-bed children’s ward in the town, which has been replaced by an entire new state-of-the-art 256-bed children’s hospital 10 minutes down the road, right next to the sparkly new Southern General.
But only Sarwar did it by enclosing a picture of the local paper’s front-page splash on the story. In which there was one teeny-weeny slight problem for him.
Now, we’ve got no idea as to whether the Greater Glasgow And Clyde Health Board (GGCHB) made the right decision about the ward or not. Trading a dilapidated 16-bed facility for a brand spanking new 256-bed one with fantastic amenities just six miles away seems a pretty good deal to us, and the decision was made by an almost 3:1 majority of the GGCHB committee, not by the SNP or the Scottish Government. But we don’t know enough about the specifics to judge.
(As with any change of location, some people will lose out because they live closer to the old one than the new one, and others will gain for the opposite reason.)
What we CAN judge, however, is that anyone who gets themselves caught indignantly shrieking about Mhairi Black’s “silence” on the subject while actually including a picture of the newspaper front page in which she’s anything BUT silent about it makes you the Absolute Fanny Of The Week.
Congratulations, Anas! It’s not a secret any more!
I know you have limited time, Rev., but I’m sure there would be scope for:
Monday’s Moron.
Tuesday’s Twat.
Wednesday’s Wanker.
Thursday’s Tosspot
Friday’s Fuckwit
And Saturday we could just make do with Chris’s Cartoon.
And even God needed a rest on the seventh day.
Anas sarwar should win the “Fanny of the Week” award every week.
heh, hilarious, he must have been off school the day they got taught reading, ffs
And that little list of suggestions is before you even get past the Slab mob and onto the Effin’ Tories.
Ah Anas, I forgot he was still fannying around loking for a real job.
There is the most apt quote from Dorothy L Sayers the brilliant author
” But it is the mark of all movements, however well intentioned, that their pioneers, tend, by much lashing of themselves into excitement, to lose sight of the obvious”
Just about sums it up.
Objection!
James Kelly is the clear winner.
Jeez, after Sarwar’s role in the last indyref, and ever since, I’ve had him down as Fanny of the Decade.
But it does prove to everyone that the London branch office of Labour in Scotland, is nothing more than a unionist party harping from the sidelines.
A thoroughly deserved accolade.
Another to add to the ‘Anas Sarwar is a liar’ file.
I have some ideas, should you decide to have a 14 day Fud cycle? I can think of at least 13 to start with….
another one that only pretends to read stuff
Mr Sarwar do at least get the grammar right, it’s ‘standing up for WHOM’ not who.
Oh boy … Fanny of the week award. 😀
I wonder if either Scruffy Fluffy or Scruffy Fluffy Junior would like to try for next week’s award. I have the perfect cause for them … the closure of D.G.R.I. (Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary) in Dumfries.
Admittedly there is a NEW D.G.R.I. on the outskirts of Dumfries on the A75 but, just like the 256-bed children’s hospital in Paisley, a change in physical location and a brand new building (financed by the E.U. by the way) will surely NOT be a barrier to such “esteemed” politicians as this pair of TWATS!
Well played & well deserved Mr Sarwar.
RAH used to be under NHS Argyll and Clyde with the then Chairman Mullin (labour) overseeing the closing of the maternity hospital at Inverclyde and services at Dunoon, RAH and Vale of Leven all under labour. Labour then allowed NHS Glasgow to take over. The Board was full of labour place men with the odd tories and UNITE and UNISON place men in senior management places as they proposed to close Vale of Leven and the other hospitals services— but not with a new hospital to replace them only 6 miles away
How much Sarwar has managed to forget about labour and tories in charge of the NHS. Thankfully many of us have not.
If truth be told, he was a fanny before this week. In fact he’s one of many who has made a career of being a fanny.
Fanny might have asked Jackie Baillie for her thoughts on the RAH. She told the non alligned North of the River Campaign Group that if there was an A & E at Clydebank then she wasn’t bothered if the RAH and the Vale of Leven closed.
She stopped convening the group when the Holyrood Election was on the horizon and announced a “Save the Vale” campaign when Nicola saved it years ago.
Yoghurt for brains. And he is an MSP…
It is beyond my comprehension that a fud like this is allowed to sit in the Scottish Parliament.
256 beds or 16…
As someone who has lived in a number of rural areas from the highlands to the borders, travel to hospital has been a given over the years. If there’s a state of the art unit ten minutes away I’d say that’s a pretty fair trade.
So betrayal? Hardly. Mind you, it is Mr Sarwar. (shrugs)
This is what happens when you rely too much on biased reporting silencing your opponents.
That said the vulnerability of mega hospitals to a flu outbreak does bring in to question the ideal size of a facility.
Shouldn’t there be a vocative comma after ‘Mr Sarwar’? 🙂
I feel it is unfair to have a fanny of the week award that offers no chance to the random, amateur fanny. Seasoned professional fannies like ‘the humungous Anas’ have an unfair advantage and should have a sponsored league that can allow for a Fanny league; perhaps organized through the Professional Fanny Federation (the Pee Fi Fi). This would enable people like Klever Vague, a dog walking economist, to engage in a junior league along with retired hysterical leprechauns and other such innocents.
Sarwar should check into the nearest Britnat desperation ward. He’s probably BUPA on the quiet.
shiregirl @ 15:58,
Alas, there isn’t any political equivalent of the driving licence, alas! It’s the dodgems there in Holyrood.
Perhaps what is really beyond your – and my – comprehension is that there are still plenty of deluded folk around who can bring themselves to vote for utter dolts like Anas and Murdo and the rubbish parties which sustain and promote them.
I’ve never heard a “Unionist” campaign or demand “equal partner” status or even equality in the Union for Scotland. They only ever denigrate Scotland and campaign for greater Colonialist control over Scotland. They’re not Unionists only colonialist and colonialist enablers. Everyone of them are fannies. Never an easy choice picking the biggest fanny from that lot.
Using their term “Unionists” gives them more credit and credibility than they deserve. They’re hoose Tams and colonialist enablers, subjugating Scotland under Westminster’s rule.
“Trading a dilapidated 16-bed facility”
You need to changed that. First the links says it’s 40 beds anyway, second there’s no picture of this “dilapidated” ward, and thirdly having been to the RAH every day for 10 days while my wife’s lkife was saved and then recovered, the hospiatly is NOT dilapidated, it’s a lovely hospital, though it wasn’t the children’s ward I was at it was Ward 32, outside the operating theatre and in HDU – none of them were in the slightest fucking dilapidated.
“You need to changed that. First the links says it’s 40 beds anyway”
No, the link says there are 40 beds free on any given day at the new hospital. Be better at reading.
“thirdly having been to the RAH every day for 10 days while my wife’s lkife was saved and then recovered, the hospiatly is NOT dilapidated”
Nobody said the entire hospital was dilapidated.
‘Bites lip’
And nor was A&E and triage, or even the tunnel.
@yesindyref2 4:28pm
“However, bosses at NHSGGC have defended their proposals and said the 16-bed children’s ward at the RAH is usually only half full.
Jamie Redfern, general manager of paediatric services, said: “On any given day, there are eight patients in the RAH ward and, at the [new] children’s hospital, there are 40 free beds.”
Good to hear your wife is doing well.
And Sarwar’s big mistake?
He didn’t bother to read beyond the headline.
He should listen to The Rev more often!
“Nobody said the entire hospital was dilapidated.”
Well PROVE the children’s ward is dilpaidated. Get a photo and a link thaty proves it.
And yes my apologies about HALF of my posting, yes it is a 16 bed ward in the article, the 40 beds are the free ones at the children’s ward.
It really is time that lying politicians were held to account,legally. Caught 3 times and your out. That would empty the Unionist benches.
@Andy-B says: 20 January, 2018 at 2:57 pm:
” … it does prove to everyone that the London branch office of Labour in Scotland, is nothing more than a unionist party harping from the sidelines.”
Harping? That lot couldn’t even twang a Jaws Harp.
There will be more of this soon Rev, Portree A&E is closing at the behest of NHS Highland and a new hospital is being built in Broadford, yet the SNP are getting slated for it, both Ian Blackford and Kate Forbes are fighting hard to stop the closure to the dept, and Councillor Ronald MacDonald of Bitter Together fameas a economist who was brought out of some dark cupboard every time the BEEB needed a soundbite in 2014, feck knows how he conned his way into being elected up here, but that will def be coming out soon I would say, especially with most services being performed at Raigmore 120 miles away.
He already has previous in the locally published Labour News, I mean West Highland Free Press, seems to be the new Brian WIlson up here in Wilsons old paper
@Spock says: 20 January, 2018 at 3:50 pm:
“If truth be told, he was a fanny before this week. In fact he’s one of many who has made a career of being a fanny.”
As the old advert on STV used to say, “He comes from a long line of Fannies”
More as above cant edit post I dont think but you will remember this fud
link to theguardian.com
link to facebook.com
But he will def push the SNPbad for folks who stay in North Skye, doesnt seem to realise that Broadford, the ideal choice covers quite a bit of the mainland to
“10 minutes down the road”
See discussion on the Herald from a solid pro-indy poster, and I can back that up too. Even at the best of times you’d have to have wings to get there in 10 minutes from RAH, and at rush hour it could take up to an hour from Paisley and around. Traffic can be crawling – I’ve driven it enough times in both directions.
Don’t slip your standards to those of the unionist media.
Facts facts facts.
It has been a remarkable week of idiocy by the Better Together Yoons, even by their standards.
Next week Johann Lamont shares tattie neeps and haggis with Liar Carmichael and Murdo The Queen’s Eleven ‘protecting children is an SNP Vanity Project’ Fraser. A ‘Robbie’ Burns fund raiser for the Filthy Rich who are determined to crush Scotland and starve the people into submission.
Well done, you rabid socialist, JoLo.
I pre nomionate her for Idiot of the Week.
Is it ‘something for nothing’ gravy train beano, or is it a millionaire’s do, £1000 a plate?
They KNOW in their heart of hearts that their days, and their corrupt, immoral illegal Union days, are numbered.
Boy will we party like there’s no tomorrow when we kick this mob of freeloading buffoons out of office.
Eh don’t know the place personally , but apparently it was built 1988 – so 30 years from first build possibly improvements and extensions since then , I don’t know.
I don’t doubt the comment of hardly delapitated from someone who has actually been on the premises , but 30 years however it’s presented and however well it’s been maintained is not a short time and possibly nearing the end of its useful life , just a thought .
I suppose that leaves the airhead of the week award to a Mr Cole-Hamilton. And like the Jules Rimet Trophy winning it three times allows him to keep the award in perpetuity.
Eh as I said last week.
Are S I U operating today , under another name ?
In fact some pretty dubious comments recently from apparently avid Independence supporters , Either that or strong liquor has been partaken of , and sense has gone out the window .
I think you should have a Wings Poll every week on a Saturday for … Fanny of the week award.
Nominations to be in for Friday evening, only one entry per person, there is not enough Days in the week.
The article in the Gazette (links in text) states that the Royal Sick Children’s 256 bed children’s facility would struggle to cope with the estimated 8,000 extra patients that would be using it each year if the 16 bed children’s ward at RAH closes.
8,000 patients per year is 22 patients per day every day. How does a 16 bed ward cope with that given that the average length of stay in hospital for elective procedures is just under 4 days and for emergency admissions just under 7 days?
@Robert Graham
I don’t know the children’s ward there. If it’s in the main building it’ll be fine, but if there’s some annexe I don’t know about it MIGHT be delapidated. It would need a photo or some sort of proof about that. It’s Inverclyde our kids were in, a few times 🙂 Fine hospital too.
It’s not neccessary to the article (“dilapidated”), and I’ve been caught out on that (I posted a commment here about one recently where I misread something – like I did that 40 bed thing). It can destroy the whole argument, even if it shoudln’t.
We need to be hard with each other to get accuracy, but with the other side, patient, nice, friendly, determined, – and correct. So that lurkers know where the right of it is.
This is just the latest in a process which is going to go on and on for some time. The medics are persuaded and I tend to agree with them. Excellence is limited, experience is invaluable and having lots of little specialist services dotted about is not good for patients.
Some of those 8 kids in Paisley might well benefit from the experienced specialists in the larger hospital as well as services like scanners etc.
The stats don’t lie, you are more likely to be properly diagnosed and properly and appropriately treated at a large teaching hospital than a small local one.
There is also the inevitable problem with recruiting enough specialist staff to staff all these multiple centres. So you get non specialists and inexperienced juniors and lots of turnover in smaller centres.
In almost all these cases the decision will be made on the recommendation of the medics who have all the relevant evidence on their side.
Do you want your kid treated by the best in the best facilities or just hopefully in an alright facility?
I think it should be a rule, that the Presiding Officer insists that all information given by MSPs be factually accurate and true. Any MSP found wanting, be removed from the chamber and disciplined. Sick of the weak efforts of our present PO.
Any body having problems with the site today ie posting comments
.
@yesindyref2 says:20 January, 2018 at 5:02 pm:
“10 minutes down the road”
“at rush hour it could take up to an hour from Paisley and around. Traffic can be crawling – I’ve driven it enough times in both directions.”
Yeah, yesindyref2, but do you have a siren and lots of flashing lights?
Is anus on the wordcatcher list 4 times ave posted today and not one post appeared an two test test posts .
“Is anus on the wordcatcher list”
Yes.
Dear ronnie Anderson,
I have had problems for months, perhaps what you are posting is spoiling there game. So they just remove it.
The staff want it closed for better facilities. Tgere must Dr surgery in the area. An ambulance could get there in 10mins. Others might take longer. Just as in every other healthcare facilities. People have to travel, especially if it is not an urgency. Everybody can’t have facilities across the road. How many people would use a 16 bed facilities instead of a 256 facility. With a better waiting areas and better cafe facility etc.
OT … An interesting opinion piece in the Guardian.
” Britain’s tired old economy isn’t strong enough for Brexit “
link to archive.is
The message I took from it is that the UK economy has never really moved from it’s post imperial state into a modern balanced and stable economy.
Accordingly, Scotland needs to disentangle itself from UKOK and move to an economy with a better mix, especially more manufacturing.
Anas is weird. Why would a millionaire dentist want to get into faux lefty SLab politics anyway. Its been a decade now of trying to clear up the SLab era of unspeakable wastes of money for starters.
The English are currently going nuts right the noo over their £200_bn PFI bill, and they will never actually own the hospitals etc that they’re paying £200+bn PFI business/golden goose.
Who was the great PFI king, Crash Gordon Brown.
Every time I see Anas there, I always hear, “Who wants to be a slave wage paying millionaire, Anas!”
link to youtube.com
The RAH may be fine for many, but children come from farther afield and they will be perfectly happy with the new hospital.
People think a ward looks fine for their needs but looked at by staff as past its prime!
Because we live in a world of fast paced change and equipment is being updated sometimes faster than you can learn how to use it, space for patients changes too!
Modern hospitals are more geared up to prevent the mass infections of old…small cottage hospitals for eg can be closed because of flu whereas larger ones can isolate easily.
We all have to understand that no hospital is closed these days by a whim of a politician but by careful medical advice.
@Robert Peffers
Sure, but it’s not 10 minutes down the road for parents taking their kids, going home, and visiting a couple of times a day for a few days or even weeks. And going through the St James even an ambulance would be slowed down.
Yes, in the highlands it could be hours travel, from the islands where Glasgow is used for specialist stuff it can be a day each way.
Still doesn’t mean the “10 minutes down the road” is accurate, it’s not. From a poster in the H: “having worked in Paisley for 35 years I can also tell you without fear of contradiction that while St James’ Interchange is not the middle of Glasgow, at rush hour, or if there are roadworks, it can be chaotic”
From another fierce Indy supporter: “According to Google Maps the driving time between RAH and RHC is 17 mins., alternative route 18 mins, half for what is being claimed. By bus it is 46 min“.
Google doesn’t do rush hour at the St James, or anywhere come to that.
They do not tell us on the TV, the papers, it might be their next move, night be to remove certain posts that inform us.
@Yesindyref2,
Are you making the assumption that most patients live closer to the old hospital than the new. The time from the old hospital to the new may therefore be irrelevant.
The moanin faced cunts want to come down to Ayrshire and get a bus from Dalmellington or Drongan to Crosshouse hospital to see their sick bairns let’s just say it isn’t ten minutes down the road.
Really makes me sick politicising the NHS over a decision taken by the NH fucking S board. total and utter fanny
@Bob Mack
It seems a reasonable assumption. If they were nearer the new one I guess they’d go there anyway. If referred via a GP they seem mostly to have a reasonable choice where they refer people, and an ambluance would presumably go to the nearest or most approptiate (or both).
RAH would have quite a large catchment area to its west and south, and a bit to the east and north compared with RHC.
But my point is about accuracy, not whether it’s the right decision or not. I’ve mixed feelings, but hey, budgets are budgets. It’s what got me thinking: “How could we get £69 million a year to save RAH Children’s ward (and presumably other cuts)”, and that’s how I got into that palace in Paris that houses one British ambassador – and the extravagance of the FCO which iScotland could do without.
Do you trust BBC Scotland?
I see a poll on this as I don’t do twitter cant vote would be a resounding NO from me.
Look on the bright side , at least he’s not inside your mouth trying to mend your teeth.
@Dan Huil
Thanks for that, just saw your post.
Yes, she’s doing fine, just arranging the 6 week clinic which could be at RAH or ironically VOL, same gynaecologist who with the senior consultant / surgeon, saved her life.
@Scott 6:01pm
Looks like over 4000 folk have voted. 96% say No.
link to twitter.com
I believe it’s been the policy to centralise NHS services to save money.
In the West End of Glasgow, Blawarthill shut, Knightswood hospital shut, Drumchapel H shut, Yorkhill children’s shut, the Western Infirmary shut etc.
Gartnavel is still open.
Most services are now transferred to “Betty’s” or the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Govan. Not the easiest place to get to for much of the North of Glasgow.
Many Westenders continue to complain about the lack of an A&E Unit since the one at the Western has closed. I think they have a good point.
If there is a problem with the Clyde Tunnel, it could add quite a bit to journey times, especially in an emergency. The difference could be life or death.
Also, I would just like to praise Mhairi Black for speaking out and criticising decisions, not just toeing the party line. We need more politicians like her who will say what they really think.
Hud the bus this surely qualifies fur ah fanny .
link to facebook.com
Thats a change to far lol.
Hospital closures are always a tricky subject at the best of times. Some people will inevitably be disadvantaged by any move, and those are the ones from whom you will hear loud protests. (As is their right.) You won’t hear a toot though from or about those whose situation has improved.
There has also been a latterday policy of centralisation that is entirely medical-driven, from a well-intentioned wish to maintain a sufficient depth of expertise in any one location.
This does somewhat ignore the wider social context, though. For example, the new Southern here in Glasgow is a fine institution, but after withdrawal of the excellent but short-lived direct bus services from the North side, it is rather expensive now (or alternatively bothersome and time-consuming) to make a visit from large parts of the city. That needs to be changed.
Furthermore, on one occasion I was attempting a visit on a very rainy late afternoon during rush hour, and the Govan Road outside was completely chock-a-bloc with traffic, and nothing much was moving anywhere. None of which was the medics’ fault, but there you are. (Just don’t have a heart attack in Maryhill at 5:30pm on a wet Friday night, peeps!)
However, none of that has anything directly to do with the politics of independence. It is the “weaponisation” of such issues by the BritNat Party, the BBC and the hyenas of the dead tree scrolls that has made any kind of rational analysis and response to such matters nigh-on impossible.
Damn them. The quicker independence is settled so we can all get back to a normal existence the better.
yesindy2ref i have close relatives that stay close to RAH , I have travelled that route countless times and would say it takes me on average ten minutes . Someone posted a photo of the ward on twitter last night, if its indeed the ward in question it looked as if it could do with a lick of paint.
I think the Rev’s description of the journey the journey time is correct as I have done it hundreds of times.
When you talk to somebody and they ask you how long a journey takes you dont say well it can take over an hour because a car may break down at the interchange etc etc do you?
If there is a problem with the Clyde Tunnel, it could add quite a bit to journey times, especially in an emergency. The difference could be life or death.
Mare shite from Colin A.
Colin A, public health care in the UK is actually a terrific way to compare and contrast how each major UK party is doing running the NHS, SNP Scotland, tories England, Labour Wales.
As we all know, beeb Scotland gimps rage at us all the time that the Scottish NHS is truly terrible and we would all be so wise and clever to let Anas and chums run it all, again.
Would we though, even starting at free prescriptions for Scots.
link to independent.co.uk
This could get exciting, a close run thing, with so many contenders.
Who’s going to get the keep the trophy after winning it three times?
Said this on the last post, but I think it is worth saying twice,
‘You know what, I have all the time in the world for unionist supporters making valid points and engaging in debate, but unionists pretending to be Independence supporters, well they are just the scummiest lowest of the low.
Robert J. Sutherland says:
YES …. normal [ like every other small country in Northern Europe ] existence ASAP!
heedtracker
I refer you to the post by Robert J. Sutherland.
He clearly knows what he’s talking about, as do I. I’m sure anyone from the North or Westend of Glasgow will agree with our posts.
Whereas, where are you Heedtracker? North or West End of Glasgow? No.
You just argue the toss for the sake of it.
colin alexander @ 18:38,
Here you are at your divisive little game again, CoCo. Heedy and I don’t disagree as you assert. As with the rest of us, we’re not clones and may well differ on something or other, but not on anything significant.
Which is more than I can say about me and you, wormtongue.
galamcennalath @ 18:35,
Precisely!
Whereas, where are you Heedtracker? North or West End of Glasgow? No.
You just argue the toss for the sake of it.
Southside Glasgow, your arch enemy Nic Sturgeon’s my MSP. She was here this morning but I was too hungover.
The local old Victoria’s gone, demolished almost completely for flats, high density quick buck flats.
This was built lately behind, beeb gimp network have still to drive by smear it though. Soon no doubt.
link to nhsggc.org.uk
heedtracker
Precisely, you don’t live in the North side of Glasgow.
As you mention Nicola Sturgeon: link to archive.is
It’s the Express’ take on the ward closure. I’ve archived it, as I wouldn’t want people clicking on the Express website and giving them ad revenue.
Sorry it’s not the Guardian.
@Heed
In a previous life I had a contract with the GGHB and regularly visited them all (not medical staff mostly), very nice people, I loved the work. The people at the Vic were very relaxed 🙂
colin alexander says:
20 January, 2018 at 7:14 pm
heedtracker
Precisely, you don’t live in the North side of Glasgow.
But the squinty bridge is never shut, so if the tunnel is, that’s what say 5 minute divert past the Hydro delay Colin A?
There’s a pretty nifty helipad on the roof of the new QE too.
The people at the Vic were very relaxed
Its almost all gone now though. Really miss it too. We do not appreciate our heritage in Scotland today, sometimes. Its all about the bucks.
Robert J. Sutherland
Wormtongue, haha. Cheers Robert, I like it. You know how to flatter me.
@Heed
Privatisation came in and I need say no more.
Robert J. Sutherland re policy of centralisation to maintain a level of expertise, i am living proof that the policy works , during June and July 2015 I was in the new southern general, i spent over a week in critical care several days of which was in an induced coma. I have been told by a relative who is a senior healthcare professional that if I was anywhere else I would not have made it.
*
It’s called a splat. It’s what a fly does as its head goes up its airse when it hits the windscreen.
Too much whataboutery. Local mat flats are ideal when everything goes smoothly but when it goes wrong, and can go wrong spectacularly and fast, you want the all singing all dancing sooper duper kit and caboodle with highly trained staff to use it.!
GGS is 9 months old, brain hemorrhage and heart stopped twice on the day he was born 10 weeks premium. Wasn’t expected to last the night.
Several infections, major bowel ops and he’s a bright wee button, thriving, trying to walk and making all the proper goo gah noises he should. Still has to have a heart valve repaired when he’s a bit bigger.
Don’t anyone ever dare run down our SNHS or the good folk who work in it. Hospitals get old, priorities and procedures change. Specialities change all the time and hard decisions have to be made.
I know absolutely that our latest GGS would not be alive if he hadn’t received the best of care.
End of *
Now fuck off!
@Lenny Hartley / @RJS
Centralisation or not is an issue that shouldn’t be party political. Sadly it is.
Premium should have been prem as in premature, bloody autocorrect!
@frogesque
Before that contract at the GGHB I’d been all private sector, and the accepted attitude was private sector good people, public sector just in it for the benefits and the pension, lazy, incompetent, you name it. I took it because I was in Edinburgh long long commute back home, hardly got to see the baby / weans (can’t remember the year) and it was a lot nearer. What an eye-opener it was working there and I worked with a lot of people.
It only needs one word to describe them: dedicated.
link to isdscotland.org
For those who want to check waiting time performance etc
See also: http://www.nhsperforms.scot
Talking of respected Scottish journalists, remind which ones were tied up with the obscenity of the Brian Spanner scandal?
yesindyref2 @ 19:43,
My view also, as already indicated.
In fact I got an inside view on this some years back (centralisation is by no means a new issue) from someone I knew from when we were both on the local school board, who was both a medical professional and also a LibDem party activist, and very much in support of the clinical advantages.
Like other issues we have seen, it’s only post-IR1 that the Red/Blue/Orange Tories and their faithful friends in the media have poisoned all rational debate on this. Largely due to their manifest inadequacies as politicians, it must be added.
And in so doing they have also attempted to airbrush away all their inconvenient previous views and public statements.
A blag which they can’t get away with, thanks to sites like this.
I have a sense that unionists are becoming more polarized in their view. They agree with the propaganda they are being served up by the BBC and it reinforces their belief hence this type of headline and fake news will be very effective.
There is part of me thinks the SNP should serve up Westminster cuts to the full
The yes side need to break the media impasse and this means making Wings mainstream
@yesindyref2 7.59
Actually the wee fella was born at the new Simpsons, Little France Edinburgh, and the bowel operated on at The Sick Kids Edn, he will get his heart op in Glasgow though.
It’s a tribute to the organisation and dedication of health care teams. They are bloody fantastic!
Here’s the performance figures for the A&E at Betty’s in Govan:
link to nhsperforms.scot
The latest figure for meeting the A&E 4 hour target:
7 January 2018 – 67.6%,
the previous figure for 31 December 2017 was
63.3%
I wish the SNP would just stop building hospitals and clinics and updating services all the time all this modernisation’s too much we need to get back to basics when we just went to the phone box put our four pennies in dialled and waited to be connected then pressed button A to talk then went to the bus stop to wait for the bus, one every half hour before you changed buses to go where you wanted to go then went into the freshly updated Labour refurbished hospital with the new smell of refurbishment paint because that’s how Labour used to refurbish hospitals, you knew where you were with Labour, by the time you’d done all that you were satisfied you’d done all you could then you died aged 57 and had had a good life everybody said at your funeral, and your kids had died from diptheria anyway so what was the point of your living anyway
Better days
Going to be some tough competition for this new award.
There are a lot if practical and financial reasons that this decision makes sense, whether parents think/feel hospitals should be near to them.
By the accounts I read on FB, the children’s ward at RAH was very outdated/lacking. Children were exposed to adult patients etc. First hand accounts of the new facility include individual bedrooms, pull out beds for parents, TVs, then its all modern medical equipment. Of course the big plus is that world renowned paediatric staff from old Yorkhill are on hand. Call me daft, but that last one is pretty key.
We are a small country. We inevitably work around the centres of population that attract the brightest and best doctors to their hospitals, that coincidentally have accommodation to buy by those doctors.
Travel to a centre of medical excellence happens in heart, cancer etc. and as far as im aware, if you are asked to attend elsewhere, you get travel expenses.
In terms of travel time, half of Paisley has no need to get through the St James interchange, they go on at the airport, and it would take you 15-20 mins in a car. Certainly an ambulance or transport will have no real issue. Public transport is a bit more hassle, but it is for most places.
Until this country has an oil wealth fund of £1 trillion like Norway, this is the best decision for our pocket money.
I grew up in Paisley during the 70s/80s, and it was known as The Butcher’s shop. A bit cruel, but it is certainly not at the cutting edge. I was visiting a sick female adult there about 3 months ago, and the best thing I can say about it is it looks ‘tired’. These comments are not in any way reflective of the staff, because I know all staff do their best under very difficult circs.
Dr Jim I was just thinking the SNP could build more hospitals & schools & housing if they went back to gerry building Nissen Huts .
Four Pennies tae phone lol , did ye no learn tae tap ( morse code ) worked every time .
Dr Jim says
My great grandparents lost four of their five children in the 1874 scarlet fever epidemic. Aged 0-7. They went on to have ten in total, including my grandfather. They lived in crap accommodation around where the M8/M77 now split.
Apparently this epidemic raged globally, yet history books never mention such event. Child death was a normal occurrence than.
Dr Jim ah forgot tae mention the Nissen huts wie nae windies would be Sanatoriums fresh air for the Tuberculosis sufferers .
Ronnie
That’s what Law hospital was originally, old barracks! It’s where I trained and really loved it but, it wouldnae be suitable in these high tech days. 😀
@galamcennalath
I myself had scarlet fever, measles and chicken pox like most of the kids then, and polio was still a thing when they had to get around wearing leg braces
Rickets was not unknown, pneumonia was every winter for many
and yet here we are with state of the art hospitals, paramedics, helicopters, scanning machines that can see amazing amounts of stuff never seen before allowing for medical interventions and treatments so quick people don’t even realise their lives are being saved on a daily basis they just expect star trek medicine because they’ve seen it on the telly
And all of it free for an extra ten minutes on a bus to visit a facility that has Television, reading, computers, games for the kids and the confidence that somebody can help you with whatever your problem might be
OK I might sound like and old duffer to the youngsters but I remember and was there when Labour used any extra cash to line their own pockets with wee holidays to Cuba (for cultural exchanges) while Scotlands homes were damp dark and and full of closes with lead paint but as they like to keep reminding us
What a sense of humour and community we all had
And Billy Connolly was funny when he made his living from it and good luck to him but he was and is also a total dickhead because he supports the regime that made it that way
End of History reminder for the young who might think they’ve got troubles
Actually accolades for the campaign to save children’s services should go to the hilarious independent councillor who sticks it to Labour on a regular basis in Paisley. He may be an outsider but he is no dummy when it comes to looking at how Labour works.
It is however a sore point about the children’s ward at RAH. Labour conjoined Inverclyde Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire into Greater Glasgow which they are most definately not.
The new “state of the art|” hospital has struggled from the beginning to accomodate both patients and visitors. It’s essentially too big. If you have a child with major illness it’s a nightmare to park at the new hospital. You have to go there anyway if the illness is serious enough.
What we are losing is a local facility accessible by transport links which are local. The important thing is that people in Paisley, Mhairi Black and all, recognise this. We are being steamrollered into being part of Glasgow for health services and that is always a bad idea.
Ha ha. What a fanny.
mogabee The Law/ Stonehouse/ Belvidere /Hairmiers if the Scottish Gov did return to Nissen Hospitals it would give these moaners something to moan about . In the last 5 years I’ve been in more Glasgow Hospitals than my local Monklands & more recently the Jubilee in Clydebank if that where the Specialist treatment is the onus is on the Patient to ether go or suffer .
In respect of RAH children’s ward I would rather my child was in the best place of care under full Pediatric staff .
I had two of my sons in Yorkhill when younger ( dif times ) I traveled by train from Airdrie to Partick every night after work with no thought of the time or journey , that’s what Parents do . My Wife & myself were grateful to the Staff for their dedication .
Mmm, Yorkhill, parties, nurses, Overflow and the Stirling Castle was it? I think I was born in nissen huts which was Ayr Hospital (Heathfield) back then but not sure if my leg was being pulled. Strangely enough I don’t remember.
….not fair. Unionists have an unfair advantage in this contest!
I guess anyway we’re pretty spoilt in the Central Belt or even on the finges of it. There must be people reading these comments shaking their heads in wonder about discussions about a few minutes either way. Everybody should have an A&E to go to, and they do use phones to get opinions.
yesindyref2,
“Don’t slip your standards to those of the unionist media.”
How much do you spend on The National every year?
How do you compare the standards there with the standards of articles on this site?
How many comments do you post on The National every week?
yesindyref2 (3rd March 2017 – “Pushing the accelerator”):
“To pick up what Rev says, all I gave was £5, and posted as much on the first thread.
Am I ashamed it’s so little? Why should I be? It’s all I can afford at the moment.”
I spent almost a decade working on the Paisley Daily Express, back when it was actually based in New Street, Paisley.
We had a great team then, under a charismatic Editor, who was a born and bred Buddie, who loved the town and the paper.
Today, the PDE sells less than half the copies it did then, oh, an the main editorial office is in GLASGOW. So, the PDE really has a nerve getting aerated about the closure of Ward 15 – the new unit is a damned sight closer to Paisley than the PDE is.
Cag-does-thinking @ 21:18,
You touch on the heart of it here. It isn’t really a medical issue pure-and-simple at all. If anything the medical case supports centralisation as the medics prefer, and people like Lenny Hendry upthread can personally attest.
Rather it’s an issue of adequate resourcing for ancillary support, not least accessible and affordable public transport. Which is a much wider issue than a purely medical one, granted, but it has a particular sensitivity for this issue.
In my case, for example, I don’t have a private car, so travel to that big central facility by taxi takes something like 30mins at best, and costs £20 round trip (which isn’t refundable for a visitor). The only alternative is the bus, which is cheaper, but takes far onger and involves changeovers.
Initially there was a great and very convenient direct bus service, but the private operator discontinued it after a year because it was severely underutilised. (All those people taking to their cars instead.) It ought to have been maintained by subsidy as a public good, but that’s austerity for you. (During the time of the previous Labour administration, as it happens, but I’m not trying to political point-score here.)
The conclusion: public support for clinically-necessary improvements in medical facilities may depend critically on apparently tangential social issues such as ease of access.
And unfortunately for us all, the continued high dependence on private car ownership and the absolutely antiquated bus system operating in much of Scotland (not helped by the idiotic privatisations of the Thatcher/Major years) is having an impact on otherwise unrelated matters.
Meanwhile, the best that Anas+NorthBritLab can muster is inane sound-biting like this.
We desperately need a medical treatment for parasites. The human kind.
Sarwar deserves this title permanently because he makes his millions partly by not paying the living wage ‘because he does not have to’ that’s socialism in action for you – labour style. And he thought he could be leader of even a red tory party.
A longish post but covers some of the points raised by other posters above
1. Hospital provision in Glasgow:
New Victoria Hospital
link to nhsggc.org.uk
Click on the Servicesand Outpatients link to see what is offered at the hospital. There are 21 Services including Minor Injuries Unit, Day hospital, Day Surgery and out of hours GP service.
All in a brand new facility.
New Stobhill Hospital
link to nhsggc.org.uk
Again click on the Services and outpatients link to see what is offered at the hospital which serves the North of Glasgow. There are 28 services in all including Minor injuries unit etc same as Victoria.
Again in a brand new facility.
So provision of local services particularly some of the most commonly used diagnostic and outpatient services as well as Day Surgery which means people do not have to travel far to access them. The provision of modern facilities also helps to cut infections and improve the throughput of patients in an efficient manner. Access to a minor injuries facilities helps to take the strain off larger A&E departments.
2. Provision of Services in general
Last year Shona Robison outlined the future direction of service provision in the NHS. This will be based on centres of excellence dealing with what are described as life changing procedures – heart OPS, orthopedics (hip replacement etc) and probably key hole surgery. The model for this type of centre would be the likes of the Golden Jubilee Hospital. Local hospitals would provide day surgery etc similar in fact to the new Victoria and Stobhill facilities.
This is driven by the recognition that the changes in medical delivery and the need for medical professionals -doctors, nurses and midwives – to maintain their skills requires a certain level of throughput of patients in order to maintain their skill levels.
Do you want your key-hole surgery carried out by someone who does 2-3 such procedures per month in your local hospital or someone who does 2 per day in a centre of excellence? That is what it boils down to across so many disciplines in medicine.
There is also staffing issues. A growing problem as we lose EU doctors and nurses. Of relevance to Paediatrics in RAH and in Livingston is a workforce report published in 2017 by the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health. You can read it here by following the links in the page. It is short – 6 pages -but worth reading
link to rcpch.ac.uk
@ Dr Jim
I always feel like some kind of cultural sell out when I confess I NEVER found Bill Connelly funny at any point in his career. The acting role I like him best is the Uncle who kept poisonous creatures, but the kids like him. The Lemony Snicket movie.
The rest is, imo, guff. As a young man, doing his big banana feet etc., talking about Govan, I just didnt find it funny, and I wanted to.
When I was about 11, we lived on 3rd floor of a tenement in West end of Paisley. About 1am one night, I felt sick, and my face felt numb. I felt I had no choice but to go wake my mother, so shuffled through to her bedroom, followed by my young sister, saying I felt funny.
My mother was raging at being woken, and was cursing as she fumbled for the switch. When the big light was turned on, my mother and sister started screaming – at me.
My face had blown up to more than twice its size, and my eyes were almost shut. There was a lot of omg, and my mother put on her coat over her nightdress, to run up to a phone box that was two streets away.
An indian doctor came, who was very kind to me, because my mother apologised to him for me being a nuisance.
The doctor snapped at her that I could have died if the jag and pill he gave me hadnt slowed the swelling. He was prepared to do a tracheotomy, and cut a hole into my windpipe.
We never found out what caused it, but everyone told me I looked like a hideous doll for a week. It was a severe allergic reaction to something.
Ah, those were the days. Im glad it wasnt raining that night, or you might be a cybernat short today :).
Dundee built a new hospital in 1974, Ninewells and it is about as far West as you can go before leaving the city.
The main hospital until then had been Dundee Royal Infirmary which first opened in 1798. A big grand imposing building that continued to be used after Ninewells opened for a further 24 years before finally closing in 1998.
I’ve had reason to use Ninewells on more than one occasion since 1998 and have always been impressed with the treatment I received. In fact when I last looked Ninewells has consistently been very close to the top of the A&E figures and is one of Scotland’s best performing hospitals.
OK it is now over 40 years old but I doubt you would notice, I’d much rather be there than the old DRI.
Things change and often for the better, it’s the making of difficult decisions that are not so easy but I’ll tell you what even if initially you might disagree with a decision made on your behalf. Often it can turn out to be the right one.
Me personally? I’m all for modernising Scotland in all ways possible, out with the decrepit and in with the new if it will make peoples lives better.
By the way can anyone tell me where that £69 million figure came from.
Aye yer right Ronnie.
Mind you, Monklands frae Wishaw was incredibly hard to get to without a car, as I had one of my boys in the isolation unit. And I recently had an op in the Jubilee!!
Just shows how things have changed and some haven’t changed much at all. 😀
Slab probably dodged a bullet when they didn’t elect Anas as leader.
They may have sat on a hand grenade minus pin with the one they got but they probably dodged a bullet. 🙂
@yesindyref2
Yes, some folks live a few hours drive from a full A&E. That’s why so much of Scotland is covered by planes and helicopters, both Scottish Government and chastity. Hospitals in Scotland with full A&E 24/7 facilities ….
(I think this is the current situation)
Ayrshire & Arran
University Hospital Ayr
University Hospital Crosshouse
Borders
Borders General Hospital
Dumfries & Galloway
Dumfries & Galloway Royal Infirmary
Galloway Community Hospital
Fife
Victoria Hospital
Forth Valley
Forth Valley Royal Hospital
Grampian
Aberdeen Royal Infirmary
Dr Gray’s Hospital
Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital
Greater Glasgow & Clyde
Glasgow Royal Infirmary
Inverclyde Royal Hospital
Royal Alexandra Hospital
RHSC Glasgow
Queen Elizabeth University Hospital
Highland
Belford Hospital
Caithness General Hospital
Lorn & Islands District General Hospital
Raigmore Hospital
Lanarkshire
Hairmyres Hospital
Monklands Hospital
Wishaw General Hospital
Lothian
RHSC Edinburgh
Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
St John’s Hospital at Howden
Orkney
Balfour Hospital
Shetland
Gilbert Bain Hospital
Tayside
Ninewells Hospital
Perth Royal Infirmary
Western Isles
Western Isles Hospital
Chastity!? Charity of course.
fanny of the week more like fud of the century
galamcennalath @ 22:08,
Ah well, you know what they say: “abstention is better than cure”.
Or something…?! =grin=
I said
Of course I’m thinking of the mainland only here. All across the Hebrides any serious emergency and it has to be an air ambulance!
@mark roberston –
Fud of the Century is different league altogether, surely!? It’s Mundell-level fanniness, rarely reached by mere mortals.
@olin alexander says: 20 January, 2018 at 7:14 pm:
“Precisely, you don’t live in the North side of Glasgow.”
Such illogical thinking there Colin. Perhaps we should situate the Hospital equidistant from north and south Glasgow, just to be fair to both area covered by the new hospital, and a site in east or west Glasgow may well fit that bill.
Oh! Wait! Then we will have the voters of either east or west Glasgow complaining unless it is also equidistant for them as well.
The point is that no matter where you site a new hospital in any given area, unless that area boundaries are absolutely circular, there will be people less conveniently situated than others.
Oh! Wait up! Some will still be closer to the hospital than others and complaining.
Did you understand the logic and the point of this comment, Colin? It really isn’t difficult to understand.
As to bringing Nicola Sturgeon into the matter – any excuse will do – would that also be the case Colin?
@Colin alexander says: 20 January, 2018 at 7:14 pm:
“Precisely, you don’t live in the North side of Glasgow.”
Such illogical thinking there Colin. Perhaps we should situate the Hospital equidistant from north and south Glasgow, just to be fair to both area covered by the new hospital, and a site in east or west Glasgow may well fit that bill.
Oh! Wait! Then we will have the voters of either east or west Glasgow complaining unless it is also equidistant for them as well.
The point is that no matter where you site a new hospital in any given area, unless that area boundaries are absolutely circular, there will be people less conveniently situated than others.
Oh! Wait up! Some will still be closer to the hospital than others and complaining.
Did you understand the logic and the point of this comment, Colin? It really isn’t difficult to understand.
As to bringing Nicola Sturgeon into the matter – any excuse will do – would that also be the case Colin?
Totally OT, but showing what small independent countries can achieve.
New Zealand planning a space launch tomorrow!
https://www.rocketlabusa.com
Hi Thepnr at 10:04 pm.
You typed,
“In fact when I last looked Ninewells has consistently been very close to the top of the A&E figures and is one of Scotland’s best performing hospitals.
OK it is now over 40 years old but I doubt you would notice, I’d much rather be there than the old DRI.”
I’ve been working at Ninewells (in the Medical School) since 2001. What struck me, in my first few months there, was that there is always maintenance and refurbishment work going on – and new builds, like the Clinical Research Centre, the Jackie Wood Cancer Centre, the (newish) Maternal & Child Health Sciences building, at the far west of the campus, which physically connects with the Childrens’ Hospital, based around Ward 29 and children’s outpatients areas. I don’t think a week goes past without work going on somwhere on the Ninewells Campus.
Apart from maintenance work going on within the actual hospital, at the moment a new building is nearing completion, next to the Jackie Wood Cancer Centre. This new building will house a manufacturing facility producing generic drugs for all NHS Scotland.
Yes, the original (expansive) building is over 40 years old but it has been expanded over the years and the original building is still in good shape.
@Brian Doonthetoon
I have a certain bias towards Ninewells, I too worked there for 6 months back in 1987 in their engineering department while a student at what is now Abertay University.
Most people would not believe the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to keep a hospital running. Even then planned maintenance cards printed out everyday for all the essential equipment that few ever see.
The maintenance for every pump, generator, boiler (and they were big) etc. has it’s own maintenance scheme. Then the small things like the radiators, leaky taps, kitchen equipment. All have to be maintained and it’s not a small job to keep everything running smoothly.
They manage it though and the proof is the comparison with Scotland and the other NHS’s elsewhere. Well done to all NHS Scotland staff and not just the front-line doctors and nurses.
yesindyref2 says:
20 January, 2018 at 7:32 pm
@Heed
Privatisation came in and I need say no more.
New modern hospitals are much cleaner too. Mind the outbreaks of the MRSA superbugs. No idea how much of that was down to our noble UKOK hackdom bullshit but I know they’re designed now for much more effectively cleaning.
@galamcennalath
Interesting list, was looking for Islay and that’s what it is at Bowmore “Community Casualty Unit”. I went up and had a look one time I was over there just for interest. I’m guessing they take people there before ferry / air ambulance.
Yes, the air ambulances. See them sometimes where I am on the mainland, or at least I guess that’s what they are.
There’s the hand dispensers too, we used them all the time at RAH. I did manage to use the wrong one by a sink, thought it was a bit sticky all the same. Most visitors seemed to use them, it’s education too so in that way the media done good for a change.
Talking about air ambulances, I often amn’t able to book a ferry not knowing if I’ll get that far sometimes, or what time, so end up in the wait queue – every time at Mallaig for Armadale. They really work hard to get you on, one time I was 8th there and just got on, a couple of times diagaonally in the ramp and one time they had to get an officer down to check it was safe.
Anyway to get to the point of a shaggy dog story, I was told a long time ago they keep spaces for an ambulance and they are rare, and I think it was about 3 car or small van spaces worth, a reason you usually get on though they can’t properly tell you that just in case you get angry you don’t get on if you don’t, though a little blether don’t go amiss.
You do see the ambulance transfer sometimes, the mainland ambulance transferring patient to the island one and going back on the ferry.
Not a lot of people know that innit!
Robert Peffers
Good evening Robert, how’s it going?
The best thing about Scotland is the NHS.
When I was campaigning for YES, I highlighted the work of Professor Allyson Pollock:
link to allysonpollock.com
One of my themes was that the Scottish NHS is a health care system the world envies. That remaining part of this UK Union poses a threat to our NHS.
In my opinion, the best way of protecting the Scottish NHS is by Scotland becoming an independent country.
That’s what I said in 2014 and I still believe that in 2018.
So, I laugh when people like yourself imagine I’m a Unionist just because I criticise the SNP on occasion.
“I criticise the SNP on occasion.” Zoomer LOL
So, I laugh when people like yourself imagine I’m a Unionist just because I criticise the SNP on occasion.
Its all you ever do Colin A, you and Rock. You are Nic Sturgeon nemesis aren’t you. I think most WoS btl commenters understand how annoying it must be for yoons to read btl comment after btl comment, monstering the tories red and blue.
So hopefully its good old NHS level therapy for you Colin A, to do your Nic Sturgeon ate my British hamster stuff on here.
@Colin A –
It’s okay to be critical of the SNP and still be an indy supporter.
Look at Loki!
Why don’t you collaborate with him and do something productive instead of annoying folk here – he’s already done loads of stuff about ‘pollock’.
Like Stu I don’t know enough about the ins and outs of hospital management to determine what the capacities and requirements are but a couple of things strike me from the story.
1) The rather bizarre claim that children will die seems a tad intemperate. Do all children who live more than a couple of miles from a dedicated ward run this risk or only children in Paisley who have the misfortune to live six miles from the best facility in Scotland? (Carolann Davidson is a Labour Councillor btw).
2) RAH A&E is still there and would be first port of call for an emergency.
3) Getting to the Southern from Paisley is really not that hard and if you are from outside Paisley it is easier getting to the Southern than trying to negotiate Paisley’s insane road system.
galamcennalath to your list add Arran War Memorial Hospital which has 24/7 A+E, I suspect that many Island hospitals are the same. Following job advert I saw today gives details, I can confirm that I have used the A+E facilities many times over the years and the standard of Care is second to none.
YesIndyref2 you are correct about a space being left for an Ambulance and also fire Appliances . However the main reason that Cal-Mac have space when the ship is fully booked is because their booking system is not fit for purpose. Part of the recent contract they were awarded specified a “Smart Ticketing System” We will see, Im not holding my breath.
Location: Remote & Rural North, Arran War Memorial Hospital, Grade: Band 5
Category: Nursing & Midwifery Salary: £22440.00 to £29034.00
Contract: Permanent Duration: undefined
Region: Ayrshire_Arran Hours: 34.50
Job type: PartTime Date posted: 19 Jan 2018
Ref: N/671/17/SHOW Closing date: 03 Feb 2018
Description:
The Isle of Arran often described as ‘Scotland in Miniature’ is an island some 20 miles long by 10 across separated from the mainland Ayrshire by an hour long ferry crossing from Ardrossan to Brodick and in summer by a shorter ferry from Kintyre to Lochranza. Arran’s stable population if just 5250 increases approximately 3 fold during the summer months. In support of our core purpose of Working together to achieve the healthiest life possible for everyone in Ayrshire and Arran we are committed to a culture that is Caring Safe and Respectful. The post holder is required to work collaboratively in a safe caring and respectful way. Dynamic and forward thinking Arran War Memorial Hospital is a 17 bedded hospital providing care to a diverse patient population on an inpatient and outpatient basis including Accident and Emergency services day therapies and outpatient clinics. Patient care services are provided by a wide range of clinicians from both Primary and Secondary care setting and are expanding as the Integration of Health and Social Care progresses locally. We are seeking an enthusiastic and flexible nurse to join our team of staff providing care to patients within all of the hospitals settings. The successful candidate will be a first level Registered Nurse who will be able to provide evidence of work experience in a variety of acute clinical care settings. Staff will be required to work on all shift patterns and provide care in all general areas within the hospital and also the opportunity of working in the community. Hours: 34.5 hours per week.
Corbyn bounce is bouncing less and less. Anas knows why. Who wants to be a millionaire socialist worker/slave wager, Anas!
link to politicalite.com
heedtracker
Nicola Sturgeon and I have much in common: we want the best for Scotland and her people.
We also believe independence is the best way of achieving that.
Of course, I have differences of opinion on best strategies and some policies etc but, that doesn’t mean we are enemies or opponents when it comes to many core issues such as independence and the NHS.
SNP PBB being critisised now for it’s production values and acting
Yoonworld now being sucked up into it’s own bowels
What do they expect for a PBB anyway *Braveheart* I know that’s one of their all time favourites
All the LOLZ
@heedy
I know you like playing with the guy but he’s a mental, careful he’s not infectious, don’t tell him your name Pike
Damn! fell for it again
All the LOLZ
Nearly but not quite, last king of Scothland likes it.
Andrew Neil
?
Verified account
@afneil
6h6 hours ago
More
I don’t retweet PPBs of any party but the new one from the SNP which is causing such controversy I thought was very effective in getting its message across. Big cut above most PPBs.
He,he, he, Fanny
@Lenny Hartley
Yes, that too. I think there was something about the mezzanine deck not being bookable on for instance the Islay crossings, even though they were actually working.
The other thing is block freight. For Coll for instance which I did on Calmac 8 day tickets with other islands (carefully planned trips) I could never get a booking back to Oban, as they were filled from Tiree (the Barra ferry). But I managed to get on OK. It’s annoying, but on the other hand particualrly for the Outer Hebrides freight is the lifeline. Different problems these days of course with RET which takes away the benefit of the 8 day ticket for me, though making it cheaper even than a 6 ticket book for the likes of Arran.
Anyway zzzzzs for me, I see oor Colin and Rock still haven’t come up with their factoids, though some other types of oids seem to be oozing out of them.
colin alexander says:
21 January, 2018 at 12:28 am
heedtracker
Nicola Sturgeon and I have much in common: we want the best for Scotland and her people.
We also believe independence is the best way of achieving that.
Yes dear. There’s a bloke at my work like you too, he voted YES but NEVER again, we can never make it alone etc.
Whatever floats your boat Colin A. You’ll get Nicola in the end though, we all know how political careers end in failure right. Its democracy.
Even the great UKOK newsrooms are looking at the end of everything, sales, influence, advertisers don’t want to be seen in their shitrags much now. BBC gimps will also be wondering how on earth they can get millenials to watch their relentless vote tory, Scotland’s a shithole garbage.
Nothing’s forever Colin A, except you ofcourse:D
heedtracker says:
20 January, 2018 at 11:21 pm
yesindyref2 says:
20 January, 2018 at 7:32 pm
@Heed
Privatisation came in and I need say no more.
New modern hospitals are much cleaner too. Mind the outbreaks of the MRSA superbugs. No idea how much of that was down to our noble UKOK hackdom bullshit but I know they’re designed now for much more effectively cleaning.
……………
The MRSA infection rate in hospitals and its sometimes tragic consequences for patients was very real. The media, for once, were not over-hyping the story. If I remember correctly Scottish hospitals had some of the worst rates in Europe for hospital acquired infections at that time – early noughties.
Labour-LibDem coalition were in office in Holyrood at the time and seemed to be less than pro-active in dealing with the problem.
When the SNP came to power, M&s Sturgeon as Health Secretary, they made a huge effort to tackle the problem.
Cleaning services brought back in house and more cleaners employed. Very pro-active campaign to ensure hand cleaning. Not wearing long sleeves – nothing below the elbow. Pre-testing of patients coming into hospital for elective treatments to ensure they were not carriers. And, as you said, improving facilities which are easier to clean.
Introducing unannounced inspections of hospitals with follow-up inspections to ensure recommendations have been acted upon if problems with cleanliness had been identified.
These and other steps have helped to bring infection rates in hospitals under control and reduce them.
Dug’s in good form.
link to weegingerdug.wordpress.com
It’s like, unionist politicians keep getting more like scary Zombies.
link to youtube.com
Just for laughs, mind.
AFoTW 🙂
AFOTW.
As someone who actually knows about the logistics of looking after sick kids, I can absolutely confirm that it is much, much better to look after paediatric patients in a dedicated facility where the entire staff are skilled at delivering safe care to small people. Having paediatric resuscitation teams, critical care services and surgeons on call 24/7 365 is well worth the 6 mile trip down the road. Children’s Hospitals are much more attractive to elite specialist staff so recruitment is easier than at a District General. Centralising services is also more efficient than having wards scattered around the region so will give better value for money. It’s called the supercentre model.
The whole hospital closure meme is a political football which ultimately distracts from the central aim of health boards to provide high quality safe care at reasonable cost.
@me at 10:59pm
New Zealand launch successful. Wee countries can kick ass too 🙂
link to nzherald.co.nz
RE: SNP PPB
With the yoons and their media chums in meltdown over this, it is becoming obvious just how effective it has been.
Well, SNP folk, you have stumbled on a brilliant formula.
I hope to see more like it. Maybe our hipster could return with one of his yoon pals. More of the same please. 🙂
Luigi at 0711am,
Exactly. What stands out however, from all of this, is just how totally uptight the unionists are. Absolutely zero sense of humour – and let’s face it, I and many others did not when watching the PPB think immediately of that Torrance bloke, since I’d never seen him very much, and the last time I checked he wore dark glasses.
The mind boggling sense of entitlement amongst unionists and their ‘scottishy’ media puppets, is truly staggering. What a right greetin faced bunch.
Let’s have more of this from the SNP. Truly superb.
LINKS!
The curious case of the disappearing parliament;
link to itisintruthnotforglory.wordpress.com
The Scottish Press;
link to grousebeater.wordpress.com
‘Unfair’ delivery charge dossier sent to watchdog;
link to archive.is
How Brexiteers want to reassert British power in Asia;
link to youtube.com
LINKS!
Being deafened by the “silenced”; ‘First posted by Macart 2:12am’
link to weegingerdug.wordpress.com
Sinn Féin to be led by a woman for the first time in its modern history;
link to archive.is
People are crowdfunding to buy Katie Hopkins’ house to turn it into a Refugee Shelter;
link to evolvepolitics.com
No Brexit deal on financial services if UK diverges from EU, says Merkel ally;
link to politico.eu
LINKS!
Exclusive: leaked files reveal Carillion’s payments to blacklisting agency. And far more.;
link to thecanary.co
VIRGIN CARE ‘ASKED STAFF NOT TO REPORT SAFETY CONCERNS’;
link to skwawkbox.org
Carillion’s missing millions;
link to redpepper.org.uk
How not to be ignorant about the world; (Ted Talk)
link to gapminder.org
LINK!
A BBC Scotland complaint – Coverage of EU Withdrawal Bill;
link to indyref2.scot
That’s All for now, Wingers. Will post any late links as and when.
Have a peaceful and profitable Sunday.
🙂
THE BIG PICTURE
As ever, top marks to Stu, our Champion who steps up every day to take on the BritNat forces of propaganda in hand-to-hand ‘media combat’- and wins every time.
While detail will always remain very important, everything has context and should never be looked at as separate from the big picture. When the electorate are distracted they are effectively blinded. This is a vital part of this Tory Government’s propaganda strategy. It helps win elections after all.
So it is that the UK is filled with media noise every single day from morning till night in an attempt to drown out the reporting of the truth.
Currently, the British Establishment, operating through the Government, is seeking to strengthen its power over Scotland and Northern Ireland as part of the UK leaving the EU . In Scotland, by the repatriation of devolved powers, and in NI by redrawing the political boundaries in order to ensure the DUP dominate, a practice known as gerrymandering and not new to Unionist politics in the Province.
The Government’s big picture is framed by the desire of the English ruling classes to grab as much political power as possible within the UK and then, free from EU regulations, to create a UK which will be effectively democracy-free and controlled by the wealthy elite via its political wing, the Tory Party and with only two over-riding policies – to continually transfer the wealth of the UK to the rich, and to cement Austerity into the lives of the masses on a permanent basis.
People like Anas Sarwar and David Torrance will always be promoted and protected by and in the Media because they are part and parcel of that strategy. The British Establishment always looks after its own.
Our big picture is of course Scottish Independence, and it’s becoming clearer by the day why Scotland needs it.
Over in NI, the same basic problem of British Colonial power continues to usurp the sovereignty and integrity of the island of Ireland and disturb the peace of the people. This is the same colonial legacy which the English Upper class has left scattered across half the world. And still they cling to their delusions of superiority in their insistence on different classes of people, only now there are it seems only two classes, the very rich and the rest.
Everyone ready, eyes open, and…. say ‘cheese’.
Is Mhairi Black going to apologise for her plastic paddy remark? Is she another big jock knew headbanger who can’t accept an Irish identity?
Is it still Labour – unionists plants and placepeople running (ruining) the Health boards or inciting malicious protests. That new hospital looks really adequate for the many and not the few.
Sarwar has a habit of asking ridiculous questions in Holyrood which should have been for the Labour run Health Board. With manipulated facts and figures. They can’t count or read a balance sheet. Killing and maiming people the world over. £Trns of debt. Milking Scotland of £Billions which would provide even better essential services.
Most people would be delighted with a brand new up to the minute facility. Instead of complaining.
I have been told many times, keep putting the drops in the eyes, although you can see better, you will see even more and tell others.
O/t
You know those ‘Jimmy’ hats etc much loved by footy supporters?
Anyone know where I can get a hipster beard tie and glasses from?
Listening to President Macron is like listening to Nicola Sturgeon
Spookily promising for Scotland I think
“Listening to President Macron is like listening to Nicola Sturgeon”
How?
Did he demand Scotland’s Remain ( in the EU) vote be respected based on the Claim of Right and the sovereignty of the people of Scotland, then do the opposite and support Soft Brexit?
The Scottish Fanny Society is holding its Anas Sarwar of the week competition this evening (allegedly)
@Stephen Paterson,
I will deal with your points. She is a Partick Thistle supporter and has been since she was a little girl She went to a Catholic girls school and attended Mass every week.
The issue you are referring to about “plastic Irish” is an interview she gave to Holyrood magazine. She was not decrying Irish folk in any way, but was alluding to those native Scots on both sides of the religious divide here in Scotland, who utilise Irish culture and history to their own ends,
She is perfectly correct in that view in my opinion
26 January 2012, c5805
Nicola Sturgeon: “Presiding officer, the motion for this afternoon’s debate is deliberately simple. It states that
“This Parliament acknowledges the sovereign right of the Scottish people to determine the form of Government best suited to their needs, and declares and pledges that in all its actions and deliberations their interests shall be paramount.”
Nicola, the people voted to REMAIN part of the EU. That is a form of government. So, you have no right to support Soft, medium, or hard-bolied Brexit.
The FM or Scot Govt or Holyrood is not sovereign; it’s the people of Scotland, as you have accepted.
Frogesque link to tamshepherdstrickshop.co.uk Hope that helps
Another fanny exposed and ridiculed, ignorance and lies oozing out of them, like a poisonous pus.
The SNP PPB was perfectly pitched, in my view, by eliminating the need for any argie-bargies and allowed a narrative of a real and rightful national pride in Scotland’s achievements, full of facts and information. Hence the faux outrage from the Colonialists/Unionists who can’t stand it when they are denied argie-bargies to sow their division and hatred and lies.The PPB exemplified ,for me, a line I read in a fictional book by the great James Lee Burke, that the only argument you ever win is the one you don’t have.
@Stephen Paterson says: 21 January, 2018 at 8:57 am:
“Is Mhairi Black going to apologise for her plastic paddy remark? Is she another big jock knew headbanger who can’t accept an Irish identity?”
Isn’t that comment from you in the wrong place, Stephen?
What exactly did you intend to achieve by asking your rather idiotic question here on Wings?
Seems to me that Wings has, of late, acquired a small, but overly vociferous, faction of totally illogical thinkers who ask, or state, absolutely ridiculous questions.
However, as I seem to be making a reply to one such illogical thinker, I had best explain the illogical thinking I refer to.
It really is, as all logical things are, quite simple.
You enquire, “Is Mhairi Black going to apologise for her plastic paddy remark?”
Logically there is only one person in the entire World who can answer your question – that one person is none other than Ms Black herself and to the best of my knowledge, (and I stand ready to be corrected), Ms Black may or may not read Wings but, sure as hell, is not well known as a Wings over Scotland commenter.
So may I ask you the obvious question – What exactly is your motive for questioning Wingers if the SNP MP will answer your question?
Which question incidentally refers to some alleged remark quoted completely without context. Without which context, (or having personally heard/read or viewed the remark elsewhere), the average Winger will have no idea what the hell you are mumping about.
By the way, your own denigration, that you apply to Scots in general instead of to Ms Black in particular, is hardly likely to encourage Wingers to answer your, somewhat overblown and much exaggerated, feelings of insult.
What was it again?
Oh! Yes! Here it is:-
BTW: It makes little sense – what exactly is a, “knew headbanger”?
Incidentally, are you aware that most Scots will likely have a fair proportion of Irish blood. For Myself I had two Irish Grandmothers. One born in what was to later become a republic and one from what was and still is, from 1542, the English province.
O/T completely random:
My road map shows total border crossings between Scotland and England:
2 railway lines
1 motorway
4 A-roads
17 minor roads
Doesn’t seem very much
The SNP PPB has opened a door to more exposure of the ways that
corrupt media reporters follow the Westminster directive for Scotland.Their squealing over the Torrence issue shows how they could be hurt, annoyed and outraged by similar kinds of exposure.
A phantom Films type on the same lines of “No to Yes” could be deployed, deliberately targeted on social media and with a themed end punchline making fools of them.
That would outrage them further, and the more rabid they become, the more mistakes they make, which again may trend on social media, which the PPB shows is very effective. Just my way of thinking. However opportunities are endless with idea.
What thoughts do you have on this?
colin alexander says:
21 January, 2018 at 10:20 am
“Listening to President Macron is like listening to Nicola Sturgeon”
How?
That made you jump huh Colin A.
Yoons are a hoot sometimes:D
If you ever dare to mention online anywhere that Scotland could be an EU member state and there might be a Scottish EU president like,
link to euronews.com
Yoon and English fury and mockery melts the line. You’re an odd lot Colin A but who’s the odder, yoons or Scots that voted to stay under yoon rule?
Another though re my last posting, imagine what could be done with this idea in exposing the unionist parties in Scotland!
Yesindy2ref, the mezz deck would probably not be bookable as if more than a couple of trailers booked then they cant use them. The freight block bookings are an issue, however if
I have seen one photo on fb of car decks half empty when folk have been told the sailing is full, ive seen a hundred and that cannot be down entirely to block bookings. Mind you cannot keep everybody happy, the number of folk complaining that they cant get their car on to attend a medical appointment on the mainland or have a short notice medical appointment seems to have risen considerably since RET has been introduced.
When I was a lad you accepted the good and bad of living on an Island. Now folk expect no downsides.
So it turns out that Keith Cochrane, who is the chief executive of Carillion, is also the lead non-executive at the Scotland Office.
Surely Fluffy Mundell must remove this incompetent aid as soon as possible.
Cochrane backed no in the 2014 independence referendum, he’s also an advisor to the pro-unionist group These Islands.
LATE LINKS!
link to pilaraymara.com
link to salon.com
link to theregister.co.uk
They Were Bad. He May Be Worse.
link to archive.is
Well Sunday Politics show is at it again, showing a clip of the new SNP PPB, speaking about new schools. The programmes shows Edinburgh’s Oxgang primary school, which was in the news due its shoddy building and the unfortunate death of a young pupil.
Of course there’s no mention of the Labour/Libdem admin, that the PFI school was built under. The show even rolled out Tom Harris, to say Labour’s PFI wasn’t that bad.
Heedtracker said:
“yoons or Scots that voted to stay under yoon rule”
You mean, 55% agreed with a central tenet of the BT NO campaign that said:
“vote NO to guarantee Scotland’s continued membership of the EU”
Then 62% in Scotland voted Remain in the EU.
Thus, TWO referendums backed Scotland remaining part of the EU.
Now, since the Turkeys voted for Christmas (the NO vote), the status quo that they were supposed to be voting for will no longer exists with Brexit.
However, Alex Salmond warned of this very situation in 2013: “real uncertainty on Scotland’s future in Europe is coming from Westminster”.
He urged people to vote YES or: “The alternative is Scotland being dragged to the EU exit door against our will as Westminster descends into a right-wing debating society that threatens jobs and prosperity in the real world.”
Brexit is against the will of the clear majority of the sovereign people of Scotland. It is a betrayal of TWO clear referendum decisions, so the Scot Govt should not touch it with a barge pole.
Soft Brexit is Brexit. It is being dragged out the EU against our will. Thus, it is unacceptable for the FM, Scottish Govt or Scottish Parliament to aid or facilitate that in any way.
It’s good that the SNP warn of the very serious damage of leaving the EU, highlight the betrayal of promises and argue that Hard Brexit is the most damaging of all.
But that does not give them a mandate to try to achieve ANY form of Brexit when it is clearly contrary to the will of the people of Scotland.
Andy-B says:
21 January, 2018 at 11:50 am
‘So it turns out that Keith Cochrane, who is the chief executive of Carillion, is also the lead non-executive at the Scotland Office.’
As reported in the Herald. Good grief this sounds corrupt as f*ck
link to archive.is
@Glamaig
Thanks for the border crossing count. Saved me the effort. Was on my wish-list/todo-list.
You are correct Scotland is isolated pretty much from our neighbour.
Most of the heavy stuff goes by rail via Carlisle. Xustoms checks at Mossend in N Lanarkshire would be easy to implement. Then we would be able to quantify actual Scottish exports by rail. All that whisky exported via Felixstowe would not be English anymore.
Two Off Topic links,the first being David Mundell MP “under pressure”.
The Sunday Herald:
“SCOTLAND Secretary David Mundell is under pressure after it emerged that the interim chief executive of failed construction giant Carillion is one of his top advisers.
Keith Cochrane CBE, who sat on Carillion’s “business integrity” and audit committees before taking temporary charge of the the firm last year, is also the lead non-executive director at the Scotland Office……” [!!!] 🙁
link to tinyurl.com
The second link is the Guardian:
“Scotland’s new social security system will include an unprecedented degree of independent scrutiny – with the express intention of future-proofing the powers against the kinds of austerity measures that have devastated vulnerable groups in the rest of the UK………”
By Libby Brooks.Scotland correspondent.
link to archive.is
@colin alexander says:21 January, 2018 at 10:20 am:
“Listening to President Macron is like listening to Nicola Sturgeon”
How?
Very telling that you, and your yoon pals, need to ask that little question.
There is one stand out EU/EC view that has been held and stated but goes mainly unreported by the Westminster Establishment. It is precisely worded, “The United Kingdom cannot cherry pick which of the four freedoms it chooses”.
That simple means that the freedoms that are the entire essence of the EU are sacrosanct.
Got it now, Colin?
The EU and EC have said since the United Kingdom declared
BRUKEXIT that in no way will the EU allow any dilution by the United Kingdom of any of the four core freedoms of the EU.The ‘four core freedoms’ of the European Union are the freedom of movement of goods, people, services and capital, over borders.
Is that David Torrence on Politics Scotland a look alike how many are there.
Where is Davidson sent Mary Scanlon on Police Scotland now Brewer the same as Gary.
Glamaig says:
21 January, 2018 at 12:06 pm
Andy-B says:
21 January, 2018 at 11:50 am
‘So it turns out that Keith Cochrane, who is the chief executive of Carillion, is also the lead non-executive at the Scotland Office.’
As reported in the Herald. Good grief this sounds corrupt as f*ck
link to archive.is
And I can only think that’s ‘lead’ as in ‘balloon’.
Totally bizarre that Unionism can have an unchallenged monopoly on broadcasting, a virtual monopoly on press media, can see the Labour Party liaising with the BBC to write the news agenda two weeks in advance, and see the BBC’s flagrant violation’s of Purdah rules all but ignored by spineless, dare I say, complicit Electoral commission, and yet, look at the farcical hysterical reaction to what, a minute and a half of what might at a push be described as abstract ridicule.
You can smell their terror as Scotland wakes up to their widespread complicity in keeping Scotland subjugated and downtrodden for generations.
Their reaction is like a pompous BritNat drill instructor screaming and busting a blood vessel trying to keep conventional order in the ranks, but floundering and impotent because it’s his own idiotic caricature the troops are laughing at.
It is real “Emperors new clothes” stuff. The SNP’S broadcast has pointed a finger at the buck-naked Imperial media …and giggled.
Andy-B
Tom Harris, it seems, appears on Scottish political shows more than any elected politician.
Whether it’s BBC or STV, there he is again, Tom Harris. Political reject. Hasbeen. A nobody. An EX-Red Tory Labour MP.
WHY ??!!
Breeks
I printed the Electoral Commission rules.
They said the Electoral Commission does not have any rules on impartiality for the BBC or ITV in General Elections or referendums ( well, that’s what it said for indyref)
These organisations have their own codes of conduct and are regulated by OFCOM.
Andy-B says:
21 January, 2018 at 11:50 am
‘So it turns out that Keith Cochrane, who is the chief executive of Carillion, is also the lead non-executive at the Scotland Office.’
And this is just a glimpse of what direct rule from Westminster would look like.
link to archive.is
BBC POLITICS Scotland Peter Geaghan? is Torrance’s doppelgänger or is it the other way around?
Leonard (LABOUR NORTH) will side with the tories in any possible vote over our independence.
Why?
There hasn’t been a material change since 2014!!!! Brexit in his view is a wee side show obviously. Tell that to the workers who will be losing their jobs in the next few years. What a total f******- my nomination for next week. Or maybe ex MP Harris or Jackie Baillie or Davidson, Torrance Mundell…. so many to choose from.
colin alexander says:
21 January, 2018 at 12:02 pm
Heedtracker said:
Ok Colin A, so what do you actually want to happen next for Brexit Scotland?
You’re on here all the time ragin away, SNP bad, Nic Sturgeon ate my hamster etc, but you never say what you want to be done about it all.
Constructive critics are rather rare in yoon culture to be fair Colin A, smash, wreck, lie, frighten, UK first, Scotland is our region of greater England, Holyrood’s just a shitty town council for a shithole region of the UK etc
So what to do next Colin A, other than stop voting SNP?
Why Heed why…y’know he’s just gonnae launch intae mair fud fanny waffle? 😉
K1 says:
21 January, 2018 at 12:33 pm
Why Heed why…y’know he’s just gonnae launch intae mair fud fanny waffle
He is. But Nic Sturgeon ate his hamster, that’s always interesting to hear about:D
@colin alexander says: 21 January, 2018 at 12:15 pm:
“Tom Harris, it seems, appears on Scottish political shows more than any elected politician.
Whether it’s BBC or STV, there he is again, Tom Harris. Political reject. Hasbeen. A nobody. An EX-Red Tory Labour MP.
WHY ??!!”
colin must be the only Wings commenter who does not already know why.
Looks like I’ve upset @heedys resident wee playmate by saying Scotlands beloved leader has similar views to an actual President of another country
He’ll be at it all night now @heedy and you know it’s you he comes here to play with
Nae pals the wee soul
[…] link to wingsoverscotland.com […]
Heedtracker
I want the SNP to 100% oppose Brexit, as that’s the will of the people (62%).
If the UK Govt ignore that, they ignore that. The SNP stick to their guns. The SNP do NOTHING to facilitate any type of Brexit. Instead they fight to keep Scotland in the EU.
Re devolution. The SNP sticks to: devolved = devolved. EU powers are devolved so if Scotland is dragged out the EU against her will, those EU powers go to Scotland.
It would then be for Scotland to decide if they want to give WM any say in administering them – or not. After the Scottish election (seeking a mandate for independence) or an indyref.
That’s what I want, because that’s what the people voted for.
As I am a democrat and defender of the sovereignty of the people of Scotland.
Fud*
*Fear Uncertainty Doubt
He’ll be at it all night now @heedy and you know it’s you he comes here to play with,
Indeed, but more generally as I mentioned, Colin A’s jump into UKOK action at the site of your Macron/Sturgeon point, is much like the yoon rage, you really only ever see in BBC Scotland telly, at Scots, with the damn cheek to even suggest that there may well be a Scottish EU president one day, can melt the internet.
England first, never forget:D
Dr Jim
What same views? You never explained.
Do you mean France is pro-nuclear power, pro-nuclear weapons?
President Macron is the directly Elected head of state of France.
No disrespect to Ms Sturgeon but, the FM is only elected as an MSP and only the appointed head of the North UK Holyrood branch office of devolved Westminster Govt.
The SNP prefer the unelected Royals to be head of state of Scotland.
Claim of Right: Kings can only reign by the will of the people. But the SNP intended to deny the people a say about who would be head of state of indy Scotland.
I’m not saying the Royals cannot rule, but that should be only following a decision by the people, not decided by the SNP’s White Paper.
Let’s hope that’s another lesson learned for next time.
@heedtracker says: 21 January, 2018 at 12:38 pm:
“He is. But Nic Sturgeon ate his hamster, that’s always interesting to hear about:D”
I’d hazard a guess that there are far darker psychological reasons than well loved hamster eating at work there, heedtracker.
I think colin/Colin really, really, fancies Nicola but she ignored his advances.
So it may well be a case of, (the oft misquote William Cosgrove’s), quote is most likely Colin/colin’s motivation:-
Either that or colin/Colin just has a rather poor understanding of the meanings of words coupled with a poor knowledge of politics and diplomacy.
A well written and to the point article by Iain MacWhiter in the SH.
link to archive.is
Watched a few minutes of Politics Scotland as they inferred that collapsed schools was an SNP initiative funded under PFI also the SNP system was basically PFI under another name. Thoroughly unscrupulous reporting, switched off after that. They will of course make some pathetic excuse that it was an overview, but most of us can spot manipulation of facts.
Robert Peffers
As you are so knowledgeable:
How many more Tom Harris TV appearances are needed before he overtakes the all time record set by that other Red Tory reject, Brian Wilson?
As I am a democrat and defender of the sovereignty of the people of Scotland.”
Nice. But what does all that hoohaa mean Colin A, in the real world, of elections and referendums.
You wrapping yourself up into all kinds of contortions here Colin A, at the simplest of questions too,
“I want the SNP to 100% oppose Brexit, as that’s the will of the people (62%)”
That’s nonsense too. Scots voted to Remain in the EU. We did not vote for the SNP to oppose Brexit, in any shape or form. And thusly, your arch enemy Nic Sturgeon is not opposing Brexit.
That’s the kind of gibberjabber we Scots have to face all the time from idiots like you Colin A, in all beeb Scotland gimp tv and radio and every newspaper.
Did Nic Sturgeon really eat your hamster Colin A? sorry your British hamster, great British hamster!
jfngw
Do you mean SNP PFI like Wheatley Group / Glasgow Housing Association taking out huge private loans then paid for by above inflation rent rises while the fat cat boss is on a mega salary?
“Wheatley Group has secured £100 million of new private investment as it drives forward the country’s largest house-building programme.
The debt funding deal with investment firm BlackRock Real Assets follows days after Wheatley’s financial outlook had been revised upward. In its annual review, S&P Global Ratings revised its forecast to “stable” from “negative”, while retaining Wheatley’s A+ credit rating for its £300 million public bond, issued in November, 2014.”
link to scottishfinancialnews.com
Oh dear…i think coco is making a desperate late bid to wrestle away Sarwar’s “fanny of the week” award…!!
My name is coco…and I weely weely support independence…it’s just I hate Nicol Sturgeon, the SNP, the Yes campaign, and everything positive connected with Independence”.
“I also never criticise ANY unionists in any way, nor the msm, but only because I am such an ‘uber yesser’ you understand…and hopefully you forgot everything i posted over the christmas/new year period…that was coco with a ‘C’…honest guv”.
………
Bolt, ya diddy.
Keith “I`M VOTING NO” Cochrane CBE,
Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh,
ex of pro Better Together Weir Group,
UK Government’s Lead Non-Executive Director for the Scotland Office and Office of the Advocate General,
is Chief Executive of the failing Carillion construction empire.
A Lead Non-Executive Director is the way Big Business has been allowed to infiltrate our Government,
there are 80 unelected Lead Non-Executive Directors infesting 17 depts of Government,
their chief is Sir Ian Michael Cheshire who worked for Ernest Saunders during the illegal Guinness takeover of Scottish company Distillers,
Saunders was given a 3 year prison sentence but let out early because, according to bent doctors ,he had alzheimer’s,
he later recovered from alzheimer’s,the only human being to have recovered from alzheimer’s ever,
Sir Ian Michael Cheshire disappeared to later emerge as controller of the 80 business leaders infesting all Government Departments,
worth a read if you are interested in democracy
link to tinyurl.com
His name was Alexander, though Colin was his first
Only SNPbad mantra could quench his toxic thirst
He talked a load of shite from mornings through to nights
But Heed was here to goad him on with phoney little fights
And so we all watched passively to all the pish he spouted
But Alexander thought ‘I’m great!’ though he had been pure routed
So on it went relentlessly, on Wings below the line
The needless pointless crap from Colin, with not one person chimed
What will we all do now, that we know the score?
We cannot rid ourselves of Colin’s obvious ordure
The only course of action, it is plain to see
Is simply to ignore the prick that needles you and me
Oh dear…i think coco is making a desperate late bid to wrestle away Sarwar’s “fanny of the week” award…!!
Colin A’s currently trying to think of a way of explaining what this means, Nicola Sturgeon at my hamster style, because as we all know, yoons of the great UKOK zone, always know what the “will of the Scottish people” is.
“I want the SNP to 100% oppose Brexit, as that’s the will of the people (62%)”
Actually to be fair, future Sir Gordon Brewer told that Leonard nobody this morning on his beeb Scotland gimp network that the English will not permit Scots indyref2, at least until they decide when the time is right, probably after dudes like future Lord Gordon Brewer have actually taken out SNP Scots gov.
See Colin A, even though Nic Sturgeon ate your hamster, the great British UKOK card deck, is always stacked in your favour.
Re the SNP’s versions of PFI.
I have a modicum of sympathy. With Austerity, it’s difficult or nigh on impossible for Govt to fund lots of public building projects.
So, these Quangos and Aleos etc , eg Wheatley Group turn to the likes of BlackRock to borrow money privately.
Ultimately that money will be paid back WITH INTEREST FOR PROFIT to the private investors.
That money will come from taxpayers as Wheatley Group is supported by the Scot Govt and from tenants / factored home owners.
So, while we shouldn’t pretend private money is not happening under the SNP, We must also ask WHY? Are the SNP following the same ideology as New Labour?
The Why, I’d argue, may be because of UK Govt Austerity supported by Tories and Labour, so that the amount of public – not for profit – money that can be invested in house building and public infrastructure projects is severely limited.
Cochrane and his position as a Non-Executive Director in the Scottish Office
I love the acronym for that position: NED so appropriate. And collectively when you include those in other departments: NEDS.
Noticed the Sunday Herald used it quite a bit in the article.
@K1 –
🙂 🙂 🙂
@colin alexander says: 21 January, 2018 at 1:02 pm:
Re your reply @Dr Jim:-
Dear Me!
What a right old load of utter infantile pish, colin.
You have no actual grasp on reality and live in a childlike fantasy world.
In the first place, (whether you or they like it or not), the actuality is that Holyrood, and hence the Scottish Government, no matter of which political spectrum colour(s), are legally, under Westminster’s, (Kingdom of England law), – thus an actual legally created part of the Westminster Establishment’s, de facto parliament of the country of England.
Note those very carefully chosen words Colin/colin. They mean exactly what the describe.
The consequences of any SG not abiding by the Westminster, (de facto Parliament of the country of England), rules would give Westminster the instant legal right, (under English law), to dissolve the Scottish Parliament.
The ensuing battles would be long and deliberately drawn out by Westminster and probably conducted in the Westminster created United Kingdom Supreme Court by mainly English/UK created judges on the bench.
You fail to differentiate between the SNP as a purely Scottish political party and the SNP/SG who have no option but be a part of the Westminster Establishment. For example, Nicola Sturgeon is, through no choice of her own, a Privy Councillor.
Now pause a moment before jumping to your feet yelling, “I told you she was one of them”, and consider this –
:-
link to researchbriefings.parliament.uk
Now ask yourself – is it not better to have an FM on the inside to know what the Privy Council are advising/demanding what the Queen should do?
Whether any of us like it or not, for at least the time being, we must play within the rules as laid down by Westminster even when they are using Kingdom of England legalities that dates from long before there even was a United Kingdom.
We must thole such laws until the SNP and SG command a clear majority of the Electorate. The clear fact is that although the Rule of Law in Scotland categorically states that the people of Scotland are sovereign there must be a clear majority of the electorate backing the SG and/or the SNP before the matter can be legally taken before the High Court of Scotland.
For only then can we be sure that the High Court of Scotland has no other option than accept that the legally sovereign people have spoken and demand they accept the people’s sovereign decision(s).
In Westminster, under the English rule of law, Her Majesty remains legally sovereign but, (since 1688), the monarchy OF THE KINGDOM OF ENGLAND, must legally delegate their divine right to rule powers, (sovereignty), to the Parliament of England. However, there has been no legally elected as such Parliament of England since the last day of April 1707.
Westminster, though, uses that delegated sovereignty as if it applies also under Scottish law. It doesn’t but, even although the High Court of Scotland has ruled otherwise, Westminster has ignored the true facts and, to date no Scottish political party, (or government organ), has had any proof that the legally sovereign people of Scotland want to end the union.
So what you, colin/Colin want is for either the SG or the SNP to take an unlawful, (under English law), action to give Westminster the legal right, (under English law), to take back all Holyrood’s devolved powers. How stupid is that? We are but a hair’s breadth from having a legal, under Scottish law, right to use the people of Scotland’s sovereignty properly.
In your war against Nicola, the SG and the SNP you have the backing of all unionists, (including that other false flag yoon fool, Rock and other yoon sock puppets.
K1
Nice poem.
I don’t force anyone to engage in dialogue.
But when the SNP go talking ( or is that crawling) to the unelected House of Lords to try and save devolution, it seems a bit hypocritical for some Wingers to regard me as someone persona non grata for political discussion.
Dr Jim Says: Looks like I’ve upset @heedys resident wee playmate.
He is doing Wings people a favour, of what to skip by, and YES people from even reading his post in the first place.
So, while we shouldn’t pretend private money is not happening under the SNP, We must also ask WHY? Are the SNP following the same ideology as New Labour?”
Oooh I know this one Colin A. Its because Scots.gov cannot borrow, like what the great and good UK gov Treasury does, by the hundreds of billions, nae trillions, and then there’s their £200+bn PFI debt mountain/golden goose bullshit.
And all of that despite their great 2014 The Vow shyste on Scotland Colin A, where we all promised devo-max, if we would just please please please, not end this shithead UKOK zone.
UK gov Treasury dingdongs have borrowed and wasted so much money Colin A, in Scotland’s book too, it does all look like its their cunning UKOK plan, dump so much debt on their Scotland region, indy really may not be a viable financial option, or at the very least, giant debt does give yoons like you a massive Project Fear 2 stick, to beat the YES out of Scots again. Surely not eh Colin A.
Although, watching SLab’s Leonard nobody flounder about under the very gentlest of future Sir Gordon Brewer questions this morn, it is hard to gauge just how much fiscal planning yoon culture does for its Scotland region, what dudes like Leonard nobody do rightfully own. Leave it all up to the beeb gimp network to crush the vile seps, seems the way UKOK forward.
Interesting too how you’ve ducked away from this nonsense too Colin A. You yoons eh:D
“I want the SNP to 100% oppose Brexit, as that’s the will of the people (62%)”
How dare you call Sarwar a fanny. Fannies are very useful things and Sarwar and his ilk certainly ain’t that.
Things in Ireland, north and south, just got more interesting, and more encouraging, with Mary Lou McDonald becoming Sinn Fein’s new president. The Dublin TD was quick to announce her continuing ambition of uniting the island of Ireland.
Bit by bit the tatty so-called united kingdom crumbles away.
@Colin Alexander says: 21 January, 2018 at 1:12 pm:
“Robert Peffers
As you are so knowledgeable:
How many more Tom Harris TV appearances are needed before he overtakes the all time record set by that other Red Tory reject, Brian Wilson?”
How would I know, Colin? I don’t use the Westminster Establishment, (of which the United Kingdom Media is big part), to get misinformation at subliminal, subconscious or, increasingly, at conscious level.
Some weekend reading when television is crap:
Our useless press: link to wp.me
A hostile western: link to wp.me
Colin Alexander: “Are the SNP following the same ideology as New Labour?”
No. And you state nothing to disprove that.
Remarkable how the irritants that appear on this site to remind us of our master’s existence all have Scottish names, rather than say, Anthony Smith-Jones, or Aubrey Lytton, or Maid Marion of Sherwood.
@heedtracker
There’s a strong similarity between your playmate and the guy in the SNP PPB, it disnae matter how many folk tell him he’s a dumplin and even leave the room he still hangs out at the fridge
Robert Peffers said:
“we must play within the rules as laid down by Westminster even when they are using Kingdom of England legalities that dates from long before there even was a United Kingdom”.
No we don’t.
It’s good you recognise the subservient, devolved WM Govt nature of Holyrood.
I infer from your suggestion that WM can just dissolve the SP despite it clearly saying in the Scotland Act 2016 about the “permanent” nature of the Scottish Parliament that shouldn’t be abolished except by a vote by the people of Scotland. ( You could be right. The “permanent” may be an expression of sentiment, not a guarantee of a legally enforceable right.)
The Gina Miller case upheld the right of WM parliament over Royal Prerogative with regard to Brexit. Other case law has upheld that parliament must vote when it’s constitutional change.
What “unlawful action”? There is no law that says the SG or SP MUST lick their Lordships’ “noble” airses. There is no law that says the SG or SP MUST give an LCM.
The SG and SP could simply do nothing, but continue to criticise and verbally oppose Brexit and argue the Claim of Right.
There was nothing to stop them asserting the breach of Claim of Right rather than Sewell Convention during the Gina Miller case. That the democratic decision of the people of Scotland should be upheld when such major constitutional change, such as leaving the EU, is taking place.
They could or anyone could assert Claim of Right and take it to court. The finding of the court, if biased, if unjust, would be open to national and international legal scrutiny.
To summarise, I agree with some of your points such as the subservience of devolution. Other parts are sheer speculation, sheer unproven assertions and predictions without proof.
PBBs tend to pass me by but thanks to Cole-Hamilton the latest SNP is certainly getting way more attention than these things normally do, although the classic Python format helps too.
Nevertheless it just proves the old adage, if you need a tube a double barrelled tube is better.
How would I know, Colin? I don’t use the Westminster Establishment, (of which the United Kingdom Media is big part), to get misinformation at subliminal, subconscious or, increasingly, at conscious level.”
Colin A is angry that Nic Sturgeon ate his hamster but he’s quite a good yoon tool, a fanny even, at diverts.
Look at this week on planet toryboy, where the top of the toryboy catastrofuck, red and blue, Carillion, is effectively a very big chunk of our noble and honest tory UK gov.
Carillion’s catastrofuck is a toryboy catastrofuck, right in to No.10, yet from massed ranks of beeb Scotland gimps, not a peep.
How it works in toryboy teamGB, current owners of the Scotland region, kept down and in its place by the BBC Scotland gimp network, only £350 million a year too.
To compensate for Colin A’s rage at Nic Sturgeon eating his hamster, UKOK Prime Minister Teresa has appointed a Loneliness Minister.
Yes I know, its all SNP bad but can you really invent bigger and creepy shysters than toryboy Colin A.
TROLLISH NATIONAL ANTHEM
Some speak of Alexander (as you do on days like these)
Of Podmore, Caledonia and those who love to tease
And when the outlook’s rocky we’re all reduced to tears
By the trollolololololol of the British Volunteers
Accordin ti The Manual ti wreck a brand-new threid
Ye either plant a time-bomb or banter wi The Heed
Or throw things fae the margins an play on secret fears
Wi a trollolololololol for the British Volunteers
So let us fight for freedom but be aware of those
Who dress in party colours or wear their mufti clothes
May they and their commanders stay happy down the years
With their trollolololololol for the British Volunteers
Grouse Beater says:
21 January, 2018 at 2:43 pm
“”Colin Alexander: “Are the SNP following the same ideology as New Labour?”
No. And you state nothing to disprove that.””
Exactly. You are 100% correct.
I’m saying the SNP DO USE private finance by a different name.
BUT: I think they are probably forced to do so, due to the lack of public money, due to Austerity policy. (Whereas New Labour did it for political ideological reasons).
So, That’s not an attack on the SNP, but a defence of their use of private money, as there is little other option due to UK WM Govt.
Even if WM did fund those Scottish projects via public money. Much of that “public money” is again from borrowing that is paid back with interest – or rather it’s interest on interest with ever increasing debt under the UK.
Currently just under £2 Trillion and rising by £5,170 per second.
Nevertheless it just proves the old adage, if you need a tube a double barrelled tube is better
To be fair to all the wetfart toryboys like Cole-Jollyposh, that PPB they’re enraged by, does kick off with the party guests arriving and the host explaining that, “Davey’s bashing on about politics again.”
Not sure if Mr T goes by Davey, probably David, Davey is too common by half, even so…
Much as I admire the poems, I’m being nice by warning you:
It seems Stu hates poetry and you risk getting banned by writing poems on his blog.
Grouse Beater
I noticed that too. Many of the Unionists commenters use names like Donald McDonald, Murdo MacLeod, Gregor McGregor etc.
I think they are made up or, I say old chap, it’s the Eton educated SIU clan chiefs / “Scottish” aristocracy writing in..
Can it be just like the World Cup , if you win it three times you get to keep it ?
“Currently just under £2 Trillion and rising by £5,170 per second.”
Until the uk government exercises the use of its asset purchase facility and the BOE and buys up the bonds.
It isnt debt at all
Much as I admire the poems,
I’m being nice by warning you:
If you’re all so nasty to me,
I’ll go running off to Stu
I’m weely just a fanny
And a pretendy fanny too
So now I’m rumbled as a yoon
I’m going boo hoo boo hoo.
c(C)olin a(A)lexander circa 2018
Funny how Rock also goes running off to Stu “help me Stu”.
O/T .
link to facebook.com
One of nature’s wonders, unless your trying to sleep lol .
Cumoan Wingers get ah grip Yous ur aw playing the diversion game wie the Usual suspect Im amazed at some of the better known Wingers responding to clowns .
Apologies for long post, this is literally a copy and paste from the main BBC News Scotland web page a few minutes ago, keeping the story titles only and deleting the rest. I have left none of them out.
It is just one long litany of doom and gloom. This is the impression the BBC want you to have of Scotland. They are totally trying to mess with our heads!
The swimming hedgehog is still there though, obviously more significant than the FM’s speech at the David Hume institute, or anything related to Brexit or the devolution settlement that happened this week, and may or may not be still hidden in the Politics section…
Climbers rescued from snow-covered ridge
Travel warning as heavy snow hits
Police ask drivers to avoid the A82 around Glencoe Mountain Resort where conditions are “hazardous”.
Man found dead after ‘altercation’
‘Despicable’ attacker hid weapon in bag
Man found dead in Glasgow street
Police target drivers in pensioner hunt
Small improvement for polluted streets
Staff member threatened by man with knife
Appeal after officer forced to evade van
Fire crews tackle early morning blaze
‘Six mile tailback’ at Scottish ski resort
Murder inquiry into ‘brutal’ street attack
‘Deadliest winter’ since 2004 The Sunday Post says freezing weather and the flu have pushed winter deaths to a 13 year high.
Hunting The Old Fox Historian and broadcaster Dan Snow on the Lord Lovat mystery
Reborn babies Making the lifelike dolls loved by some and feared by others
Mental health plea ‘I’m just a mum desperate to make a change’
‘I am a victim too’ The wife of a man caught with child abuse images wants the same support as victims
More of your pictures of snow from around Scotland
No shortage of rhetoric at FMQs – just of novelty
Hard frost on Scotland’s economy
Live Hearts 0-0 Hibernian – cup tie goalless at half time
Brora’s Duff eyes Highland derby
‘How I lost my legs loomed over me’
Travel warning across Scotland
Strangers at 103-year-old woman’s funeral
Drivers face major road disruption
Meet Phelps, the swimming hedgehog
Runaway lorry ploughs into cars
Elsewhere on the BBC
Call the Midwife
Don’t forget these new ‘local democracy reporters’ advertised and funded by the BBC and disproportionately more of them in Scotland.
Their job will be to “offer in depth coverage of our local authorities”. In other words spy for the BBC and plague hospitals/council offices and anywhere else you can think of looking for snp baaaad stories.
There’s an interesting monument in Glasgow’s Sandymount Cemetery to all the nursing staff at the Belvedere Fever Hospital who died treating the sick there in the various epidemics which swept the city. Very brave lassies, & they were mostly lassies, who went to their work fully knowing the risks.
ronnie anderson @ 15:23,
We know, Ron, we know. But it’s devlish hard sometimes to ignore the human wart – the unwanted excrescence that’s hard to get rid of.
And the poems, for all the dire warnings, were a good laugh!
(I just wish he were honest enough to come out and say what political movement he’s actually for. Dozy old Labour, I suspect, though RISE or even UKIP are good runners-up.)
@Colin Alexander
I don’t object to private money, most of us have used it at some time. It’s poor control of the profits that I objected to with PFI, something I believe the current Scottish system is trying to control.
Of course these companies are devious and will try and load the system, it’s up to the government to be alert to this.
Winifred.
Yes I’d wager that these BBC funded reporters will be used against the SNP government, and the independence movement in general.
I’d imagine it’s the first step to combat the ever decreasing unionist press demise.
Lets not forget that the BBC currently buys over a thousand copies of the Guardian newspaper every week.
“BBC spent £127,643 on 80,000 copies of Left-leaning newspaper last year
Startling figure is nearly 45 per cent higher than its bill for any other title
This despite fact Guardian accounts for tiny fraction of Britain’s newspaper sales, shifting just 176,000 copies a day”
link to archive.is
Robert J Sutherland I have no problem with the Wingers poems taking the pish out of the Usual suspects ( their not conversing with them as such ) . How many times has it to be said the Usual suspects are on Wings to cause disruption & sow the seeds of division .
PictAtRandom @ 2.59 pm =)
Ah, that’s me untelt!
Not a lot happening at the moment, just the BBC doing it’s normal stuff trying to blacken the names of anyone who isn’t a Tory – it’s Marr giving John McDonnell the treatment now apparently for something explained 4 years ago.
OT/ Enjoying listening to Truly Scottish TV News while browsing Wings comments =)
Fasinating hearing international news from France 24, a completely different perspective to the British media. In a good way!
Looks like our newest Scottish broadcasters are going from strength to strength 🙂
The BBC provide material for 700 titles or something like that. The BBC is bound by its Charter to protect Britain, which is the establishment, which is the Tories.
So when it’s Tories v Labour the BBC support the Tories.
When it’s Labour versus the SNP the BBC support Labour.
The media pick up their stories from the BBC because they have no money.
That’s it, basically, the end of democracy in the UK.
ronnie anderson
Open question:
What’s the difference between the Non-Profit Distributing model under SNP and PFI under Labour or the Tories?
link to scottishfuturestrust.org.uk
What’s the difference in private sector profits between NPD and PFI?
Things slow in politics, so I’ll have a go at the msm. That seems to be in vogue anyway!
We can be pissed of at the msm for their bias. There is much evidence of simply poor journalism as well. We complain about plagiarism and failure to check facts.
However, what is the most basic requirement of a journalist? I would say to understand the language they are writing in and have sufficient knowledge to use it accurately!
An example from the last hour, from the Daily Express. Fails in every measure of competence, not least basic English!
Headline …
“French politician admits EU is jealous of Britain’s booming economy following Brexit”
Article…
“A FRENCH politician has claimed that Britain’s post-Brexit future is positive – something which has made the EU jealous, as he mocked those who predicted a ‘cataclysm’ in the wake of Brexit.”
The writer should have used envious. The text makes absolutely no sense with ‘jealous’.
You are jealous when another person threatens to take something/someone from you.
You are envious when another person has something/someone you want.
Opposites, in effect. Yes, sometimes folks misuse the words in colloquial speech, but there is absolutely no excuse for someone employed to use the English language ‘professionally’!
“Launched in 2017 following more than two years of talks and planning with experts from across the UK media industry, the LNPs support more than 700 print, broadcast and online news outlets by providing free access to news content generated by the BBC News Hub, the Shared Data Unit and up to 150 local democracy reporters.
Those 700 news outlets known as Section One partners – are spread across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.”
link to bbc.co.uk
The MSM is strapped for cash and most reporters are cut and pasters. Here endeth freedom of the press and democracy in the UK.
jfngw
Sensible answer.
So, I’ll ask you too:
What’s the difference in private sector profits between the SNP’s NPD and Labour or Tory PFI schemes?
It’s not a trick question, I don’t know the answer. Do you or anyone else?
So, I’ll ask you too:
What’s the difference in private sector profits between the SNP’s NPD and Labour or Tory PFI schemes?
It’s not a trick question, I don’t know the answer. Do you or anyone else?
You should do some research then Colin A, before going Nic Sturgeon ate my hamster WoS btl.
Would you like me to enlighten you Colin A, seeing as you clearly do not have a clue, or the stones either, to tell us what this means, shock!
“I want the SNP to 100% oppose Brexit, as that’s the will of the people (62%)”
If we look at Wheatley Group:
“Long term debt facilities
As at 31 March 2017, Wheatley
Group had £1,183.5m of bond and
bank funding facilities in place with
total Group drawn debt balances of
£1,014.2m” .
The interest rates they are paying aren’t made clear.
link to wheatley-group.com
“Wheatley Group was issued with a revised credit rating of A+ (negative outlook) in July 2016, following the Brexit vote.”
Interesting effect of the Brexit vote.
link to sfha.co.uk
The interest rates aren’t made clear. Only the £50 million one is mentioned because they had a 3.542% interest rate, so presumably all the others are higher.
Speaking of Scotland’s rancid media [just in case ye hivnae read it yet]
link to weegingerdug.wordpress.com
Today’s Mail On Sunday contains lengthy excerpts from a book by a former Head Of The Diplomatic Service which lifts the lid on just how horrible a person Thatcher was which makes one wonder why the men in grey suits took so long to defenestrate her.
How she didn’t start a major war is a mystery.
Any difference between her views and fascism is difficult to discern.
Try to imagine a world with Thatcher as PM at the same time as Trump as POTUS – makes one almost grateful that we currently have the useless idiot Maybot as PM.
If the thought of reading The Heil is off-putting hold your nose and have a look at the article – it is both scary and revolting.
The Irish perspective always makes much more sense than anything coming out of the loyal UKOK msm!
” … preparations …. all devoted to having your cake and eating it: a bespoke free-trade deal, encompassing all goods and services, plus complete freedom to negotiate third-party trade deals; no more freedom of movement; and no more European Court of Justice. It doesn’t matter how many times or ways in which European politicians say no; the British just don’t seem to listen.”
link to irishtimes.com
colin alexander @ 5.08pm
“The key difference between PFI and NPD is that, whereas in the former, the [private structure’s] capital includes a small element of private equity, in the latter its members invest only loans. In consequence, while [private company] shareholders receive returns on their capital in NPD, the level of these returns is to a large extent ‘capped’ at the point at which contracts are signed, and any surpluses remaining at the end of the contract are passed to a designated charity. This is distinct from the PFI model, in which surpluses are passed to [private company] members as dividends.” (Hellowel and Pollock, 2009: 406)
@colin alexander says: 21 January, 2018 at 2:47 pm:
“No we don’t.
It’s good you recognise the subservient, devolved WM Govt nature of Holyrood. “
You get more lunatic and illogical with every comment you make, colin. I’ve wasted enough time on you but will just point out I reasoned for you exactly why Holyrood has to stick by Westminster’s rules. You obviously cannot take that reason in.
The legally, under the laws of Scotland, sovereign people of Scotland must, to legally, (under anyone’s laws), have a majority of the legally sovereign people of Scotland agree to anything in order to make any legal moves.
The consequence of acting without that majority would be to set Scotland up for a civil war with at least three factions.
The YES, the NO and the Dinna Ken factions. The Dinna Kens will abstain because they dinna ken but the civil war would eclipse the Northern Ireland situation in both length of time and ferocity and the YES faction would be on a hiding to nothing being backed by both Westminster and the Northern Irish Unionists.
Is that really what you are advocating for Scotland, Colin?
You have preached like a demented religious nutter against Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP and everything they stand for as long as you have commented on Wings as colin alexander and your style is rather familiar under other titles.
You want Scotland’s elected representatives, and remember they are in both Holyrood and Westminster to act without the sovereign permission of the legally, (under Scots law), sovereign people of Scotland.
It will be a hard enough fight to have a Scotland with a legal mandate under Scots law recognized by the more prominent World Powers without attempting to do so without such a legal mandate.
Re Sunday Politics and The Marr Program – at least these as a rule have interviews with government and opposition.
As for the Scottish segment of Sunday Politics it seems to becoming almost the norm not to have anybody on from the SNP or supporters thereof.
I was impressed with the interview of Macron on Marr – answered all the questions without any woffling or evasion – a pleasant change from The Maybot.
Legerwood says:
21 January, 2018 at 6:02 pm
colin alexander @ 5.08pm
This is distinct from the PFI model, in which surpluses are passed to [private company] members as dividends.” (Hellowel and Pollock, 2009: 406)
The private company also owns all the schools and hospitals for example, once their PFI contracts are up, usually 30 years. That’s all down to Crash Gordon, the greatest big spender/borrower ever really.
Like or not, England has been showered with PFI contracts but look at what happens to yoon rage, The Graun style, when SNP Scots.gov try to use their PFI variant and its is NOT spent on England.
Severin’s one of the sneakiest yoon attack propagandists around, and this is some of his of creepiest work.
link to theguardian.com
Beeb Scotland gimpery just flat out refuses to even mention that its all on SLabour.
link to bbc.co.uk
“PFI schools built in Scotland ‘owned by offshore firms’
22 August 2016”
@Colin Alexander
You are correct that I’m not a qualified accountant and can’t give a breakdown of the exact differences of NPD and PFI. I need to take it as a matter of trust that the system caps the costs and profits of projects done under this system. Of course if it is proven that I have been deceived then they will have lost my trust and I would be unlikely to vote for them again, it would be risky strategy for a party wanting to achieve independence.
gus1940 says:
Thanks for highlighting.
Worse than I imagined even. A truly dispicable woman.
Next time some old Tory nutter says something positive about Thatcher, plenty of come backs in this!
link to archive.is
If you do not know by now that Colin Alexander is a black ops
Then you never will.
His methodology is pick pick pick. Try and sow doubt. Appear aloof but quote finance figures and have reference sites to back it up.
I have given him the benefit of the doubt as being Labour or RISE, but I think now it is more than that. Eh Colin?
I shall not reply to him again. He wastes our time with distrsction
Legerwood
Thank you for the explanation. I hope others found it helpful too.
@Bob Mack
He uses exactly the same arguments and points as the unionist and anti-SNP posters do on the Herald, but at least they have the honesty not to pretend to be Indy supporters, unlike the cowardly faker who posts here.
Bob Mack says:
21 January, 2018 at 6:25 pm
If you do not know by now that Colin Alexander is a black ops
Then you never will.
WoS btl is not a quarantine zone from the yoons though, red or blue tory, like Colin A and Rock especially.
Bob Mack
No need to guess. Happy to tell you.
Colin Alexander’s voting history:
Nearly always voted SNP since I turned 18.
2011: SNP : SNP
2014 indyref: YES
2015 UK GE: SNP ;
2016 Scot Parl: constituency vote: Labour (only time I’ve voted Labour).
List vote: Rise (Then wished I’d voted Green)
2016 Eu-Ref: Remain.
2017 Council: 1 SNP 2 Green ( should have voted till I boaked. eg voted 1,2,3,4,5 etc.
2017 GE: SNP
CV: Never been in the armed forces.
Political affiliations:
Currently: None.
All previous affiliations:
Former SNP member.
Politically motivated donations 2017:
£’s to Stuart Campbell’s legal fund
£’s to Craig Murray’s legal fund
Bob, I’m criticised if I don’t have figures. When I do have figures, I try to quote the website link. No mystery there: I Google and read some blogs etc.
Black Ops? For BTL comments? Robert Peffers assures me that does happen on here. But that’s Robert for you. Bless him.
Personally, the only similarity I can see between many Btl commenters, and the likes of revolutionaries like Fidel Castro, is that many were born round about the same year.
Somehow, I cannae see Theresa May having many sleepless nights as a result of WoS comments.
gala—- @6.21
And the bastards gave her a State Funeral.
Last word Colin and then we’re done. You may know much, but I bet you any amount you want that if the SNP had any contracts that came anywhere close to the PFI schemes used by Labour, then every Unionist politician and every media outlet would have jumped on it like fleas on a dog.
Big business has much in common with Unionists and I can tell you for certain that there are precious few secrets in business when the need arises, given that many Labour and Tory politicians have entrenched relations with big business.
So spare me the phoney figures please.
P.s. I think many Unionists ,and I believe you are one, are having many sleepless nights thanks to Wings.
Re PFI/NPD
link to archive.is
This appears to be the main clue to the ripoff.
However, what the Treasury missed is that the equity returns on a PFI project are commonly scheduled to accrue late in the life of the project: so that the outstanding capital on which the return is earned builds up
But I’ve no idea what that means in layperson’s language.
Any help appreciated.
colin alexander says:
21 January, 2018 at 7:03 pm
Bob Mack
Pretty good slams Colin A. At least a lot better than your yoon chum Rock.
Just you keep bashing away, Nic Sturgeon ate my hamster, stop voting SNP for Scottish independence, they’re a terrible party because of Scottish sovereignty n shit.
Its clearly the way to bring it all crashing down dude:D
yesindyref2 (to the Rev. Stuart Campbell):
“Don’t slip your standards to those of the unionist media.”
yesindyref2,
“Anyway zzzzzs for me, I see oor Colin and Rock still haven’t come up with their factoids, though some other types of oids seem to be oozing out of them.”
How much do you spend on The National every year?
How do you compare the standards there with the standards of articles on this site?
How many comments do you post on The National every week?
yesindyref2 (3rd March 2017 – “Pushing the accelerator”):
“To pick up what Rev says, all I gave was £5, and posted as much on the first thread.
Am I ashamed it’s so little? Why should I be? It’s all I can afford at the moment.”
Robert Peffers,
“In your war against Nicola, the SG and the SNP you have the backing of all unionists, (including that other false flag yoon fool, Rock and other yoon sock puppets.”
You are an aggressive verbal bully here and almost certainly a nasty person in real life.
And like all bullies, you are a coward who runs away the moment he is challenged.
If you are as clever as you think, why don’t you have your own site to flog your “knowledge”?
Instead of contaminating every article on someone else’s website with your verbal diarrhoea.
Why haven’t you ever written a book on the history of the union?
After 310 years as a colony of England, only an utter “numpty” like yourself would pretend that Scotland is “sovereign”.
Of the last 80 odd posts (didn’t have the time or inclination to go any further) more than half of them are from Mr Alexander (around 18) plus a number of people replying to him (around 26), some of whom think he’s a troll. Just wondering why people who think he’s a troll are clogging up the site by responding to him and in doing so probably encouraging him to continue to post on here? It’s also extremely off-putting for people looking for some half-decent information having to trawl through this.
In other words Mr Alexander is doing a grand job, from his point of view. Renamed the Colin Alexander site. 10/10 Colin. Does this mean that you now get your bonus?
…………………………………….
Sunday Politics: Great to see that Brewer didn’t get all of his own way today. Gillian Martin SNP nipped him in the bud when he was questioning her about Carillion and PFI. She reminded him twice that PFI doesn’t exist in Scotland now with, for example, ”you’re conflating what’s going on in the rest of the UK with Scotland.” Brewer then said that PFI had just been renamed under the SNP and she said no and spelt out the differences for him. She also managed to mention the Scottish Investment Bank. WELL DONE GILLIAN.
………………………..
Leonard was on the show today too and the minute that Nicola Sturgeon’s name was mentioned he began to behave oddly with his head going backwards and forwards constantly, like a tortoise (in and out), and his shoulders going up and down. And with his face screwed up he said, for example, ”I’ve never witnessed from the days of Margaret Thatcher a political leader who was so divisive (forgot about Corbyn), because of that call for another Referendum.” And finished up, when talking about Nicola, by saying ”I can’t see there being a sufficient material change to call for this second Referendum, when it was understood that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for people to vote.”
Dafty or BBC fly man Brewer left it at that. Didn’t bother to ask Leonard if Brexit constitutes a material change.
…………………………
Last weeks Sunday Politics:
Brewer is totally taken aback when Tomkins tells him that ”if legislative consent motion is not passed by the Scottish Parliament it will be difficult to deliver Brexit at all.” Around 4 minutes in.
I watched the full programme on the Iplayer, but when I tried to find it on youtube to post on here Tomkins speech had been edited out, however someone by the name of Tracy has kindly posted this on youtube.
link to youtube.com
Kevin McKenna who was also on the show brings this up again later, by saying that Tomkins statement should make front page news (or words to that effect). Did I miss something? Was it on the News / front page news?
As an aside, Kevin McKenna comes across as being anti-SNP at times, especially when he is on TV, so why does he try to make out that he’s a supporter on other occasions?
yesindyref2,
“Funny how Rock also goes running off to Stu “help me Stu”.”
Evidence? Surely you must have it with your high standards?
yesindyref2 (to the Rev. Stuart Campbell):
“Don’t slip your standards to those of the unionist media.”
Why is everyone wasting so many electrons, so much energy, discussing things with ‘Colin Alexander’?
He may be a genuine indy supporter who has grave doubts about the path the SNP is treading. Or he may (more likely) be a black ops false flag flyer. It really doesn’t matter which, IMO.
I suppose it all depends on what you see the ‘below the line’ discussions on Wings as being good for. For me, I come here to learn stuff I didn’t know, to feel good about being in the company of like-minded people, to garner arguments to direct at persuadable ‘no’ voters and to have my own position confirmed and strengthened.
I am an SNP member, but I don’t agree with everything the party says and does. What I do know is that solidarity and voting SNP all the time is the only way we are ever going to get past this 48% limbo we are stuck in. Plenty of time for slagging the SNP once the job is done, but what purpose it serves in open forum at this point in time escapes me.
I fail to see that ‘Colin’s posts or responding to him is achieving anything other than making us look divided or weak to the casual observer.
My humble suggestion is, STOP FEEDING THE TROLL and concentrate on the good stuff.
Yesindyref2 says: “He uses exactly the same arguments and points as the unionist and anti-SNP posters do on the Herald”.
For example?
I don’t think that’s fair. I’m openly critical of the SNP’s YES campaign. That’s because WE LOST when we should have WON. Daily we pay the price for that. I’m blatant in criticisms of the SNP. Nothing subtle or sleekit about it.
Sometimes I praise them.
I’m openly critical about how little the SNP have done for indy between 2014 to now. However, the Scot Govt’s growth commission have reported back, so let’s wait and see what the SNP say about a future currency and Scottish indy economics. I hope, I’ll have something good to say.
I think Unionists were always on about Gers figures. Making out Scotland is an economic basket case. I don’t do that. For the average income person, I think indy Scotland could be a more prosperous place with better public services and higher quality of life.
Probably higher taxes though and more opportunities for middle / lower income people, so that’s why many rich are so vehemently opposed to indy.
Unionists went on about North Sea Oil ( Brent Crude). It was at c. US 99 in 2014, down to US 43 in 2016, but is now back up to c. US69 per barrel. So, maybe they’ll go back to Gers.
Or just quote the latest BBC SNP bad story.
Colin Alexander: the Eton educated SIU clan chiefs / “Scottish” aristocracy writing in.
I know three clan chiefs personally, all Eton educated, and landowners. Guess what – they all believe Scotland should be independent.
Anyhow, you dodge the scorn in my comment. You’ve too much to say and next to nothing of substance worth saying. But like your predecessor on here, and the one that will follow you when you disappear, they whine the same dirge. And like you there’s an unmistakeable mixture of arrogance and aggression in their posts.
heedtracker,
“WoS btl is not a quarantine zone from the yoons though, red or blue tory, like Colin A and Rock especially.”
Guardian reader with a Slovene (ex-)girlfriend, you are living proof that not all people in Scotland are stupid.
Only the cleverest people like yourself and some of your pals here would think I am a Tory.
Rock (22nd June 2014 – “Good faith and bad practice”):
“I could perhaps agree with you about Scottish Tories but Ruth “line in the sand” Davidson IS NOT TO BE TRUSTED ONE BIT, to say the least.
She is a total bully on TV debates and her tone at FM Questions is disgraceful.
She came 4th in her constituency with less than 10% of the vote yet she gets the privilege of abusing and insulting the democratically elected First Minister.
She is worse than an English Tory and represents everything that makes the Tories so hated in Scotland.
And then there is that Tory scum Alex Johnstone —.”
yesindyref2 (10th May 2017 – Slicing the shrinking pie):
“I have no idea why so much of the electorate actually respects Davidson, though in fairness I did before they became 2nd party and totally dishonest.”
Rock (10th May 2017 – Slicing the shrinking pie):
Some of us can say things with foresight rather than hindsight.
Dafty or BBC fly man Brewer left it at that. Didn’t bother to ask Leonard if Brexit constitutes a material change.
He is an odd choice Petra, Leonardo nobody.
He’s like some bloke that’s gone up to Scotland from Yorkshire on his hols, to visit his Scottish rellies, once a decade and somehow he’s landed the SLabour leader gig, a SLabour Britnat Zelig, Zleonardig, if you will.
“Why is everyone wasting so many electrons, so much energy, discussing things with ‘Colin Alexander’?“
This. Personally I never read his stuff now. Just scroll by and ignore. Very easy.
“As an aside, Kevin McKenna comes across as being anti-SNP at times, especially when he is on TV, so why does he try to make out that he’s a supporter on other occasions?”
Petra, Kevin, like Mr MacWhirter, has made a nice wee living with his columns/publications in recent years talking about independence. He is boilerplate Labour, always talks about Socialism’s Holy Grail and has never, to my recollection, said anything positive about the SNP or SG. I suspect the thought of a Corbyn government gives him a multiplied organism.
Ian’s just a nice middle-class SDP boy who pretends federalism is the answer, while he makes snide disaster-filled comments re the SNP. Two books (and counting) about independence, though.
They might not want an independent Scotland really, but, heh, ho, it pays the bills to kick the can up and down the road.
Could we all just take Ronnie’s advice and ignore the tiresome bacon rolls?
They’ll go back to their mammies in their dressing-gowns for some chicken soup and a cuddle soon enough.
“Plenty of time for slagging the SNP once the job is done”,
It’s meant to be constructive criticisms to sort things BEFORE any indy campaign begins. Heedtracker challenged me to give my alternatives, not just criticise. I did.
We’ve discussed PFI / NPD .
We’ve established I’m not the only person who was confused by the differences.
Hopefully, thanks to helpful commenters people are learning why in theory NPD is preferable to PFI.
When the £ figures are available and compared,hopefully the differences will be very clear.
———————-
If people have a problem with the % of posts being mine in this thread, please write more comments Wingers.
Please readers, join in the debates / discussions. Don’t be put off by the occasional nasty remark.
It would be good to hear from new commenters.
Rock says:
21 January, 2018 at 7:44 pm
heedtracker,
Awe, Rock, you actually think I give a shit what you think.
You mess with my man Rab Peffers, you mess with me, not that Rabbie needs it:D
Petra says:
21 January, 2018 at 7:32 pm
‘Last weeks Sunday Politics:
Brewer is totally taken aback when Tomkins tells him that ”if legislative consent motion is not passed by the Scottish Parliament it will be difficult to deliver Brexit at all.” Around 4 minutes in.’
Thanks for that Petra. I don’t watch the programme but I hauled it up on iplayer there and youre absolutely right there it is (I make it 55 mins in).
That sounds pretty sensational to me but I never heard a cheep about it before and I do monitor Imperial Radio and the BBC website a fair bit. Even the National didnt seem to pick it up.
I’d better withdraw the “cowardly” thing all the same while I remember, it was an old-fashioned troll (designed to elicit a response) and not actually merited.
Glamaig
The BBC’s Brian Taylor’s view on Brexit and LCMs:
link to bbc.co.uk
His view, In brief: “No, Holyrood cannot ‘veto’ or ‘block’ Brexit”
It would be good to hear from new commenters.
It would. But if you do, can you please not endlessly repeat yourself over and over and over, like what our tory yoons Colin A and Rock here do do.
Variety is the spice etc:D
Here’s a couple of good things
link to twitter.com
link to twitter.com
Petra @ 7.32 pm
I don’t know about the Sunday Politics show and Prof Tomkins’ position on the EU ( Withdrawal Bill) but in a report in the Herald on 9th Jan it was reported that the prof and Murdo Fraser both signed up to a unanimous cross party report savaging – Herald’s word – the EU (Withdrawal) Bill.
The report in question was an interim report of Holyrood’s Finance and Constitution Committee. Guess they are members of the committee. The whole committee think the Bill as drafted is incompatible with the devolution settlement.
So, one way or another his position is a matter of public rec
As is the classic Trollers way when you ignore them they resort to abuse in the end , just to incite a response .
Chin up Mr Peffers we’re infuriating in our silence lol.
(spotted on Rev’s twitter)
Well who knew?
link to archive.is
So we’re all clear then? Labour, once again, reneges on home rule. The federal solution. The VOW? A complete lie. Any such pledge made in future by Labour. Any pledge at all of a devolution ‘journey’ whether it be at cooncil level on upward. That pledge was, is and always shall be utterly worthless.
M’kay?
“Ian’s just a nice middle-class SDP boy.”
Apologies: meant to say “LD boy” (age-related inaccuracy). The SDP were formed by some right-wing Labour MPs, and an early defector was George Cunningham, the Islington Massey Ferguson who thought up the 40% Rule for the 1979 Devolution Referendum.
It’s hard to keep up with their infamy, these Yoons, tbh.
I know one thing for sure. Leadership is a heavy burden to bear. Nicola is a great leader.
Throughout history great leaders have overcome the odds by sometimes going against the concensus of all who surrounded them. Napoleon, Alexander, Caesar. All had one thing in common. They did it their own way.
Do not for one second believe that Nicola does not know what we all want and how desperately we want it. I am sure people close to her read all the Indy sites and know exactly how we all feel. She herself has fought for indy since childhood.
Now is when we must trust her to lead the way and plan our strategy. Yes we are outnumbered in terms of resources, but that never stopped Horatio at the bridge or the Spartans at Thermopylae .Yes we are impatient, but we have waited for hundreds of years.
A great leader always knows how to win.
@ Legerwood at 8:45pm ….. “His (Tomkins) position is a matter of public rec…”
I’ve come across articles, etc, to that effect Legerwood and was kind of surprised to hear that the Holyrood Tories were in agreement with the SNP (re. Withdrawal Bill) and then we found out that the Scottish Tories had voted at Westminster in support Theresa May. Hearing / reading about the first in the Media, whilst the second voting fiasco information was suppressed.
However I haven’t read / heard that if “legislative consent motion is not passed by the Scottish Parliament it will (would) be difficult to deliver Brexit at all.” That’s quite a statement, imo, and much as I don’t like Tomkins he IS a Constitutional expert.
If anyone is interested in what Tomkins has to say, check out the video at 7:32pm.
He may be a genuine indy supporter who has grave doubts about the path the SNP is treading. Or he may (more likely) be a black ops false flag flyer. It really doesn’t matter which, IMO.
Scotsrenewables
I tend to agree. It is perfectly possible that Colin is just a grumpy indy supporter. Every workplace, organisation or club has a “glass half empty” character. Given that, there really isn’t any point in threads tail spinning off topic to go over the same issues time and time again. Colin isn’t going to cheer up and the SNP are the only serious game in town. We know where Colin stands, leave it at that.
If it is concern trolling then it is doubly the case that there is no point in getting bogged down in endless discussions. However, if it is concern trolling then at least it is a bit more sophisticated than that complete eedjit that used to pretend he was a Green.
Petra
There was a TV interview with Lord Robertson after the 13 Tory tractors had voted against Scotland and he said that now that the bill would pass to the Lords, it might be possible to get some amendments passed to alter some of it for without it, as it stood, it would need a Legislative Consent Motion and if that was not forthcoming from Holyrood then it would scupper Brexit.
I didn’t hear the interview repeated, and there has certainly been almost zero mention of the 13 tractors and their dastardly deed – it was most noticeable on Brian Taylor’s summing up of FMQ’s last week.
He reports much of the exchanges between Nicola, (t)Ruthless and Leonard but did not mention a single thing about Nicola’s brilliant silencing of the Tories when she stated that the 13 were “Lobby -fodder” and should be ashamed of themselves for their actions against the Interests of Scotland.
Come on Donalda – thought you were going to ensure there was no bias – simply not good enough!!!
He reports much of the exchanges between Nicola, (t)Ruthless and Leonard but did not mention a single thing about Nicola’s brilliant silencing of the Tories when she stated that the 13 were “Lobby -fodder” and should be ashamed of themselves for their actions against the Interests of Scotland.
That’s always been the BBC’s greatest power, just not making public issues that may influence.
Most people can make a decision with what info they are given but if we do not know what’s happening…
Its not just politics either. How many of the BBC knew about sex crime carried about BBC stars and buried it, let alone monsters in Westminster?
Petra @ 9.36 pm
I was surprised when I read the article but that together with the behaviour of their MPs when it came to voting against the amendment suggests they are trying to play both sides of the street on this. Different positions for different audiences but all the time one aim: doing down Scotland.
@Heed: “It is perfectly possible that Colin is just a grumpy indy supporter.”
Oh good grief Heed I can’t believe you’re saying that. And yet I agree wtih you, it is possible. It’s possible that, as he said before, he’s pointing out all the arguments that people will use, and giving us practice in arguing against them.
I find it annoying because the forums are full of those arguments from unionists, I also look occasionally at the blogs of KH and FW, and their twitter feeds and you see that stuff there. Or on Sturgeon’s twitter. But in fairness you get it amongst Indy supporters. CM for instance, whether seriously or as a devil’s advocate, Peat Worrier with some, and posters at times on Wings with one or two. And then there’s Bella / commonspace. Like otheres I’d prefer to get the likes of Nana’s links, Petra’s with info, and others with postitive useful stuff – and even “just” opinions and views.
The problem with Colin is he uses all the negative arguments!
Coco..how about turning up at the next wings meet up ?
You could be a guest speaker, or are your little balls only big on the internet you rancid fud ?
Another noteworthy thing about the Tomkins clip on Sunday Politics is that he is actually complementary about the efforts of the SNP and Scottish Government, which is not something I ever heard before.
Petra…
Correction.
It was not Lord Robertson but Lord Foulkes who was talking about the bill. The clip is viewable on this link from Smallaxe this morning:
link to indyref2.scot
I think i slightly misunderstood as he says that without the LCM from Holyrood, Lord’s would not vote for the bill and that action would scupper Brexit
slightly subtler version of my previous post but the same outcome.
@Glamaig
I did study Heed’s Slovene girlfriend a bit during the first Indy ref, specifically his blog “Notes from North Britain
On Law, Politics and the British Constitution”
He’s a weird one, and to be honest, if I was the Tories I wouldn’t trust him to stay on my side. He might just as easliy get something into his head and change his mind completely, even including this Independence thing.
Bob Mack
Totally agree with you about Nicola.
She is a great leader, knows her stuff and is highly respected internationally.
She certainly has a canny head on her shoulders.
She can steer us to victory.
@ Mike Cassidy, re: NPD/PFI
Thanks for posting the link. I’m like you, hoping for a more ‘lay’ version, but it was good to read anyway.
yesindyref2 says:
21 January, 2018 at 10:07 pm
@Heed: “It is perfectly possible that Colin is just a grumpy indy supporter.”
Oh good grief Heed I can’t believe you’re saying that.
I didn’t, that was HandandShrimp.
Colin A’s merely a yoon with a trick or two to play and then its all SNP bad.
@Heed
Sorry about that, wrong attribution. Yes it was H&S.
Good/bad one from Ireland. Our neighbours are losing interest in Brexit but they’re not going to give up control of their Scotland region. Sorry this one’s not about you Colin A.
link to irishtimes.com
geeo says:
You could be a guest speaker, or are your little balls only big on the internet you rancid fud ?
—————
yawns
@Rock says: 21 January, 2018 at 7:32 pm:
“After 310 years as a colony of England, only an utter “numpty” like yourself would pretend that Scotland is “sovereign”.”
Hilarious, now Rock just you tell the Wingers any instances when I have said, wrote, commented or claimed that Scotland, (country or kingdom), was sovereign after 1320.
You cannot even read and comprehend either Scottish language or even standard English properly for I have never claimed such a thing in my life. I’ll say it again just for you, Rock, The people of Scotland are legally sovereign.
What is more the High Court of Scotland has ruled that to be so.
However, here is an article from, “The National”:-
link to thenational.scot
Now away and think about what I have actually claimed you silly unionist numptie and it most certainly is NOT what you have claimed on this thread today, (Well yesterday now, as from two three ago).
Labour to vote with the Tories to install Ruth Davidson as FM if the SNP are in a minority at the next election
I’ll just leave that to allow time for folk to ponder
@ Macart at 8:48pm …….”Labour reneges.”
Good one Macart. To my mind Corbyn’s our greatest threat now, one of many of course, so we should focus on getting as much data on here to highlight that he’s a waste of space as far as the Scots are concerned. Let the Scottish youngsters know what’s gone on previously with Blair, Brown, Unionist politicians in general and what our future would be like with Mr Indecisive U-turn Corbyn of the Divided party.
…………………..
@ Meg at 9:52pm and 10:51pm …..
Thanks for the info Meg. One thing for sure is that I’m feeling more relaxed about this ‘power grab’, since I came across Tomkin’s comments yesterday, in that it looks as though the SNP Government has MUCH more control over this than I realised. ‘Constitutional crisis’ gets mentioned frequently, by a number of characters. I say bring it on. Bring the Constitutional crisis on. That’s what we’re all waiting for.
……………………
@ Legerwood at 9:59pm ……. “Different positions for different audiences but all the time one aim: doing Scotland down.”
Spot on Legerwood. The MSM is going all out to show Ruth Davidson and her wee Scottish cabal in a favourable light, whilst going hell for leather to suppress information about the Scottish Tory tractors in London. Too bad for them that we’re no longer reliant on the MSM for our information.
………………..
@ yesindyref2 at 10:22pm …….. “Tomkins – he’s a weird one.”
I get the same feeling as you do about Tomkins, yesindyref2. There’s no doubt that he’s highly intelligent, while he can lack in commonsense as per some of his strange ideas that I came across on Hansard. He’s definitely, cognitively, head and shoulders above the Tory dross at Holyrood and probably even in relation to the inept Tories at Westminster too. Maybe he’s actually scunnered with Davidson and May’s, a couple of doughballs, antics? Then there’s Arlene Foster!
He swung from being a fervent Independence supporter to becoming a hard-line Tory, but I wonder if he’s having second thoughts now? I would imagine that he’s highly ambitious and had set his sights on being Westminster PM or a lardy Lordy eventually, however maybe even he can see that England is finished now? Was he a Remainer? If so, now totally disillusioned with the Brexit mess? Add to that, he’s not a supporter of the Monarchy and that his US wife seems keen on bringing their four children up in Scotland. Is it possible that he’s keeping his options open or even looking forward to being PM of an Independent Scotland?
@Petra
Thanks for the support on that, sometimes I think I’m getting a bit wacky. There are two or three other Conservatives I’ve got my eye on, no intention of naming them as I’d be laughed off Wings.
There’s 7 months of turbulence for Union supporters, a lot of mind and heart-searching, and the thing is there’s maybe only one problem for Indy supporters, and that’s that Brexit gets thrown out, Article 50 withdrawn and that accepted by the EU-27. Even then, Indy ref 2 could go ahead as people may well think it was so close we need to be in control rather than apparently helpless.
It means we can be fairly relaxed, whereas a lot of Unionists will be having a maelstorm of emotions.
@Petra
Having said that I’m maybe not the best judge, as I was sure there’d be some Labour politicians coming over to YES in Indy Ref 1 and was savagely disappointed nobody prominent did. Maybe some were close, and who knows how they voted in the privacy of the polling booth.
@Dr Jim.
If we are not independent before the next Holyrood election, there will be no meaningful budget left by the time WM slash and burn it.
The unionists do not want control of Holyrood, they KNOW they are not up to the job.
@ yesindyref2 ….
There’s a couple of others I’ve got my eye on too, but will we ever know how they’ll actually vote when the time comes?
@ Geeo ..
We know they’re not up to the job, as do they Geeo, but it would depend on who was ruling the roost at Westminster as to how well they would (seemingly) do. With their lackey’s in charge at Holyrood we’d probably find that our pocket money would be raised overnight and our NHS, education etc, etc would be fantastic, as per the MSM.
@Petra
The hope would be it becomes important enough for them to become openly verbal about it before the Ref. It could happen, maybe, perhaps, possibly 🙂
I watched the interview with Leonard earlier, what a plank.
@AnasSarwar
I know you support the cause of the Palestinians but assume you also support the state of Israel, so why not a Scottish state? You do support the principle of universal human rights? Are you a British nationalist?
link to journals.sagepub.com
link to routledge.com
link to berghahnjournals.com
@Petra
Mr Corbyn has a woeful track record on Scottish issues right enough.
link to weegingerdug.wordpress.com
Something from August last year.
There’s a most interesting Irish analysis of the English perceptions behind Brexit here :
link to irishtimes.com
It concludes :
“On June 23rd, 2016, the English rejected that offer and opted to continue living the fiction of splendid isolation that sustained the UK and the British empire before it, and to continue denying the Scots and the Irish a will of their own. Any recovery from this collective mental breakdown will involve treating it in the light of its deep historical causes. Not until there is a separate English parliament, giving England at last the distinctive political identity it has shunned for 300 years, will the delusions that led the country to Brexit finally be dissipated by contact with reality. Perhaps then, with their psychosis healed, the English will apply to rejoin the EU.”
Well worth reading the whole short article IMO 🙂
Has this been posted before?
The ‘original’ SNP Political Broadcast from 2011
link to youtube.com
“What has the Scottish Government Ever Done for Us?”
Thanks for posting mr thms.
Marco Biagi mentioned this on Rev’s feed the other day, about how it was almost identical to the current one that’s causing the stooshie wi the unionists. I wonder why that one didn’t produce anything like the furore that the latest one has?
I can see the latest one is set in a more recognisable contemporary set up, perhaps it’s this that drives them mad? That it portrays the younger generation appreciating what the SNP has done for Scotland, whereas the older ppb is in a much more ‘traditional’ pub setting and the casting was certainly older too?
But still doesn’t explain the yoon froth on this at all…yes, they are ‘latching’ on to the ‘character’ likeness of Torrance et al, but perhaps the ‘divisions’ where not in such stark contrast pre 2014 referendum, from a unionist perspective?
They don’t like the idea of their naysaying as represented by the bearded one in the ppb being so outnumbered by the newer generation? Very threatened they are by the prospect of a majority for independence coming up through the youth vote?
If the Tories have traditionally had the ‘well off voters’ and Labour all the rest (I’m sorry, just can’t take the libdems seriously) and as per R Peffers reasoning in terms of the cronyism within unionist ranks in Scotland. Then it’s gotta be killing them knowing that a new and more sussed out generation know the ‘Union’ holds nothing for them and it is the SNP who have taken care of ‘everyone’ in Scotland. That demographic aren’t replacing the unionists ranks in Scotland as they once did?
Perhaps this does explain some of the quite bizarre over reactions that we’ve been seeing of late…hmmm.
K.A.Mylchreest says:
22 January, 2018 at 3:32 am
There’s a most interesting Irish analysis of the English perceptions behind Brexit here :
Nicolas Boyle is also the author of the excellent article in The New European about the English not being team players.
link to theneweuropean.co.uk
Hard to believe it was written a year ago…
I’m curious Yesindyref2 and Petra about your “closet” YES sympathisers…
I still think there is a time/ opportunity coming when it might be possible to gain some purchase over unionism, not the BritNat knob ends perhaps, but the actual thinkers, via the argument that a Brexited England outside the EU and an Indy Scotland inside the EU, might actually be positive result for all, and create the firm foundation for a soft-Brexit type trading arrangement for England – with EU concessions and trading flexibility argued and derived from the former unitary trading conditions of the UK.
Scotland would of course be Sovereign and formally independent, but there is a possibility that some kind of buffer status might exist so that the EU doe’s not lose England’s trade, England trade does tailspin to 3rd world status, nor deregulate itself to toxicity, and that the end of the United Kingdom has a small chance of a constructive agreement rather than an acrimonious dispute.
I know the issue is heavily laden with problems, especially considering England’s exports are predominantly weapons, dodgy economic skullduggery and manipulative propaganda, but from Scotland’s perspective, we should not underestimate the value of cooperation in bringing the UK to its end.
Ireland has surely given Scotland an illustration of how EU membership adds clout to their bargaining position, and economic obscurity on the periphery of Europe will sooner or later focus the minds of the English.
Morning all and a big thank you to Smallaxe for posting my links while I’ve been out of action. I will link when I can so here we go
link to handfulofearth.scot
link to michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com
link to itisintruthnotforglory.wordpress.com
link to scottovoce.wordpress.com
link to newsnet.scot
link to lbc.co.uk
link to stevenpaterson.scot
link to skwawkbox.org
Top Tories boast of close links to Brexit politician in ‘Chinese cash-for-access’ sting
link to archive.is
The Telegraph reports that crime is spiraling out of control The Tories have cut 22,000 police officers and closed hundreds of police stations since 2010. Former Met Chief Inspector, @Peter_Kirkham, says Theresa May is responsible
link to twitter.com
link to politico.eu
Interview with financial journalist & author Ian Fraser on RBS’ turnaround unit GRG. Full interview available 22nd January 2018
link to twitter.com
@Nana
Good to see you Nana. Hope you’re keeping better and kettle’s on. 🙂
Herald comment:
I’ve said that for a while, that there’s a lot less meat ( almost none) in Fray Bentos pies nowadays.
Now I know why: it’s those Baxters, major donors to Better Together, that make them.
(“Gordon Baxter, late President of Baxter Food group. Amount: £10,000
Audrey Baxter: “My father believed firmly all his life in the United Kingdom.”)
The ones that told us: Vote NO to guarantee Scotland’s continued membership of the EU. We were told we’ll get Devo to the Max with a No vote. Those promises also turned out to be all gravy with no meat.
Now, Scotland is being dragged out of the EU against the will of the majority of the sovereign people of Scotland.
Also, not only did we not get Devo to the Max. We got EVEL which created second-class Scots MPs.
Now, the UK Govt is preparing to totally betray the whole devolution settlement by grabbing back DEVOLVED powers from the EU.
It was supposed to be that what is devolved is devolved.
Thus, devolved EU powers should return to the devolved parliaments.
Just to make a terrible situation worse, Brexit Bill amendments are being done by the unelected and undemocratic House of Lords.
Baxters!
John McTernan ‘our political strategist’ says shortbread radio just on defending PFI schemes and suggesting it is ludicrous that existing schemes should be reviewed / or bought out.
No ‘Dear John’ letter for him yet from Auntie! 🙂
Wings has always been a very sensible platform, so, let us show magnanimity this morning and give praise to someone we all too often denigrate.
How refreshing to see his few minutes of TV stardom last week has not changed wee Davie Torrance one iota. He’s back in The Herald this morning, spouting the same Jackie Baillie as always.
What a trouper.
Well I suppose we cannot expect much less in this “democracy” which is the UK. On youtube now there are appearing videos of the SNP PPB, that are showing the debunking of the claims made, by the incorporation of lies. Black arts at work I suspect.
One particular one comes in numerous different headings in order to mislead the viewer into looking at it. There is no end to their deviousness.
Good morning Macart 🙂
Good morning Nana, lovely to have you back. Thanks to Smallaxe also, what a team! Links and porridge, yummmm. What better way to start the day?
Am I the only one who doesn’t see the ‘lookylikey’ as Mr T?
For me, he’s more like Fluffy’s wean.
I really do not know why good posters on this site, who should know better, can’t seem to avoid giving the “Rock” and “C,A”, all the attention they do not deserve. They are a disruptive force and should not be given the oxygen that many are so are willing to give them.
No doubt with good intentions and trying to debunk what these people have said. However they only persist because of the attention given to them.
call me dave . Left left left everybuddies oota step but oor Jock . McTernan Half Mooth For Rent , he used tae be ah full mooth but who want’s tae listen tae regurgitated keeeh .
Morning Liz. Hackalumpoff posted a wee song for Davey on off topic. It’s a love song of sorts. Go have a listen.
Morning Nana I hope Norman has fluffed up your pillows & keeping you supplied wie tea , take it easy XX .
Nana, great to see you back, now just don’t overdue thing. Many thanks for the links, and to Smallaxe who kept them going for you.
I have to say I second all the folks who are asking for the Rock and coco show to be ignored. They seem to have taken over the thread at times, boring as hell, same old same old. No use whatsoever trying to debate points with them. Makes the thread so much shorter when you have to scroll past them, and the replies. Not good folks.
call me dave
I heard that phrase “our political strategist” on radio Scotland this morning when introducing McTernan and I thought that I was hearing things.
Well, well…
A Freudian slip or a statement of genuine fact?
And whose “politcal strategist”? Radio Scotland’s?
If so, then Radio Scotland is acting like a political party. Actually, we shouldn’t be surprised, because it is a political party, with a manifesto and all the trappings.
The Anti Scotland Party AKA BBC Scotland.
Ronnie, I’m waiting………..
Morning Marie. You are right, boring as hell. It’s the easiest thing just scrolling along, keeps me sane!
Oooh Nana, gid job I wisnae eating my porridge! Loved the wee quiet bit at the end – great song, thank you.
@call me dave says:
22 January, 2018 at 8:30 am
John McTernan ‘our political strategist’ says shortbread radio just on defending PFI schemes and suggesting it is ludicrous that existing schemes should be reviewed / or bought out.
===============================================
Two articles in the National today very relevant on this:
link to thenational.scot
link to thenational.scot
(The relevance of the latter is that the robbery happened on Gordon Brown’s watch and he is also the main culprit for PFI).
BTW re one of the arguments above I’m sure there was a report recently that said on average NPDs cost half as much as PFIs. I’ve searched but can’t find it (funny how that happens a lot) but maybe someone here can recall it. NPD I believe is better but still unnecessarily expensive however that is down to Westminster’s ban on us being able to raise money in the old fashioned way via government bonds or whatever. The SNP have been forced to use private money and have of course been criticised by many for “just using another form of PFI”: which though true is hypocritical and dishonest in most cases as they never mention this is forced on them by the UK government.
@Petra says:21 January, 2018 at 7:32 pm:
” … some of whom think he’s a troll. Just wondering why people who think he’s a troll are clogging up the site by responding to him and in doing so probably encouraging him to continue to post on here?”
Probably, Petra, the answer is some of us do not think these people are trolls. We know them to be undercover agents of the Westminster Establishment. Whether by personal choice or paid for agents is neither here nor there.
These people are not just trying to disrupt the threads they are attempting to destroy the case for Scottish independence. Trolls have a quite different motivation and Trolls do not espouse any particular cause. These people most certainly are anti-SNP, anti- SG and anti-Scottish independence.
The point of replying to some of their stuff is to draw them out and expose the lack of a case for unionism and a secondary aim is to ridicule them. Note how loud they squeal when you show how stupid they are.
Wee example on this very thread. Rock claims Scotland is not sovereign and that I wrongly claim it is. I have never made such a claim and, without even being challenged by me, Rock immediately becomes abusive and attempts to bully me yet claims I’m the bully.
The actual facts are very clear. No country on Earth is sovereign for countries are just lumps of rock. Sovereignty is the God given right, (initially of monarchs, to rule a population.
In the Kingdom of England the English monarch is still legally sovereign but under only the law of the Kingdom of England the monarch of England’s was forced to legally delegate their sovereignty to the parliament of the Kingdom of England. However, there has not been a legally elected parliament of the Kingdom of England since 30 April 1707.
On the 1st May 1707 the Westminster parliament became legally the parliament of a united kingdom and the United Kingdom resulted from a bipartite Treaty of Union.
In Scotland neither the monarch or the parliament of Scotland were/are legally sovereign as from at least 1320 and the Declaration of Arbroath. The people of Scotland are, under Scottish law, legally sovereign and that is still the case today. This has been ruled as such by the High court of Scotland.
The actuality is that Westminster, (always indirectly), claims it has sovereignty over Scotland. Which idea may have been acceptable if Westminster did not, illegally, assume that on the 1st May 1707 it became the Parliament of the Kingdom of England that was renamed as the United Kingdom. Westminster continued from 1st May 1707 as if it was still the parliament of the Kingdom of England but then, by devolution, it became the de facto parliament of the country of England but retained its claim to be still the Parliament of the United Kingdom and simultaneously, (without any elected as such members), the parliament of the country of England illegally devolving the sovereign powers of the country of England to Wales, N.I. and her sole kingdom partner of the Kingdom of Scotland. Ignoring the simple truth that if one of the only two kingdom partners ends the partnership there cannot remain a United Kingdom of any sort. What remains is two independent kingdoms.
The evidence for that truth is contained in a Westminster commissioned paper they produced during Indyref1 that claimed just that. Then, when challenged on this claim we had the Secretary of State
foragainst Scotland, David Mundell who openly claimed, “The Treaty of Union, ‘EXTINGUISHED’. the Kingdom of Scotland and renamed the Kingdom of England as the United Kingdom”.And here he is admitting that was so on Scottish National TV:-
link to youtube.com
Just to also highlight some of the other, more subtle, work of the agents of the union here on Wings who constantly claim the SNP do nothing at Westminster. Here is a recording of a Pete Wishart speech in the Westminster debating chamber that the Yoons shouted down. Yet none of the, so called, Scottish MSM even bothered to even mention it:-
link to youtube.com
Welcome back Nana.
Don’t know how you manage to find such great links. Just what we need.
An academic survey of MPs (as reported in the Guardian) has going that a majority of Tory MPs don’t want a transition deal which gives ongoing freedom of movement and includes the EJC. They haven’t been listening to the EU, again. The only likely transition deal will be full single market membership.
Does this imply the Tories also fantasise about cherry picking a transition deal?
The same survey shows the majority of Labour MPs what to stay in the single market permanently.
It would seem there is a real and wide political gulf between what Tory and Labour MPs want. Yet there is little sign of Corbyn reflecting this.
Thank you fireproofjim 🙂
But but! McTernan is the only game it town..Oh wait!
In other news:
Ian Murray fears he’s on Corbyn’s deselection list. 🙂
PS:
Good to see you posting these links again Nana.
I hope the SNP has got a battery of PPB’S lined up and ready to go.
I hope Phantom Power films have a load more Journeys to Yes films made.
I hope Chris Cairns has all his cartoons selected for Billboards.
I hope Rev Stu has his next Wee Book ready to rumble.
I hope that YES is ready to capture the winds that the SNP can’t hold in its own sails.
I hope that the SNP is properly and thoroughly conversant with Scotland’s inalienable sovereignty and has a robust and detailed strategy to affect its implementation.
I hope Europe is alert to the uphill struggle that Scotland faces against Unionist propaganda, unionist placemen in strategic jobs, and the ocean of dark money that is swamping Scotland’s political landscape.
I hope that all of us, are ready.
I hope that we have learned from defeat. I hope we have mechanisms in place that when somebody stands up for something, like Prof Robertson, GA Ponsonby and Craig Murray, there is coordinated support from them coming from the highest levels and the controversies which they, and others like them, expose are backed to the hilt with the full weight of a coordinated YES campaign and Scottish Government.
I hope we have our YES narrative and agenda as thoroughly planned and crystal clear in our heads as the BBC and Labour Party have their pre-scripted News agenda ready a fortnight in advance.
I hope we have enough quick thinking and able lieutenants to keep us all coordinated, focused and on target to defeat our Unionist suppressors and end the subjugation of our country.
@galamcennalath
Corbyn is aware of the position favoured by the majority of his membership and support. His problem is that it’s not his favoured position. He’s very much an out means out kinda guy. As hard a brexit position as any of his brexit supportive colleagues on the government benches.
Apparently his policy stance though is that he’d deliver exactly the same Brexit as Ms May, only with a sad face and by walking as slowly as possible to the cliff edge whilst wearing slippers.
He really needs to have a sit down with his membership and chat about this position, but he won’t. He can’t. He needs to project the whole party unity/government in waiting/new, nu, noo even cooler Britannia thing. I’d wish him luck with that, but…(shrugs)
Breeks
Excellent point: “I still think there is….opportunity…it might be possible to gain some purchase over unionism….via the argument that a Brexited England outside the EU and an Indy Scotland inside the EU”
That’s one reason why I thought it’s a mistake for independists to campaign for Soft Brexit – after Scotland voted Remain.
The EU seems to assume rUK / England would be the continuing state ( if UK were members), so presumably would continue the Single Market / Customs Union membership ( commonly referred to as Soft Brexit).
Whereas, presumably indy-Scotland would have to start from scratch.
So, if there’s an indyref campaign: Unionists would repeat Project Fear, replacing: “indy-Scotland would be out the EU” with :”indy-Scotland would be out the Single Market. So, vote NO to guarantee Scotland remains in the UK Single Market and EU’s Single Market.”
—————————————————————–
Whereas, if rUK/England is out( EU and Single Market) and Scotland is going in the Single Market, some in the business community, who overwhelmingly back the Union / Tories for financial reasons, may start to break ranks from the British Nationalist faction, if they see a threat to profits because of Brexit.
Some could even go from Union supporters to neutral or even support indy-Scotland in the Single Market or EU.
Breeks: well said; a plan!
@call me dave
Thank you. Some mornings I may be a little late with links [stiff little fingers,lol] or I might have to get up earlier 🙁
Its absolutely disgusting the lengths these Labour ambulance chasers will go to attack and attempt to discredit this SNP Scottish Government.
To throw Neil biddy’s words back into his mouth they aren’t fit to be politicians.
@Nana, welcome back!
One more link
link to spice-spotlight.scot
Good front page in The National this morning
link to thenational.scot
If we had a truly Scottish Broadcasting Corporation this would feature prominently on our TV news channels with expert analysis.
A Road / Rail bridge / tunnel as in Malmo to Copenhagen, which is 16k long, would transform south west scotland and northern ireland’s economy and Port Patrick to Bangor is only 20 miles.
You think even the Yoons would be up for that
Morning Fred 🙂
Robert Peffers
Mr Mundell didn’t say that. It was John Mckay who referred to a report that McKay claims “suggests..Scotland was extinguished in international law” by the Union.
Do you know which report he’s referring to? ( I don’t).
He then asks Mr Mundell: ” Are you comfortable with that?” He answers: “Yes, because the Act of Union is irrelevant”.
Thus, he neither agrees or disagrees with that assertion. He evades answering, as politicians do all the time.
————————————-
I can’t speak for others, but I’ve praised the SNP MPs on being much more hardworking ( than Labour predecessors) and a very talented group of people.
I voted SNP at the GE because of my constituency SNP MP ( Carol Monaghan) being an excellent SNP MP. I’ve already said, I know constituents that were helped by her.
I voted FOR HER, not for the SNP campaign of keeping Scotland Strong at WM
( because that’s an oxymoron).
What I’ve said is that their talents are wasted at WM. As Scotland’s participation at WM is a waste of time, because Scotland does not get a fair deal.
Only today, I’ve pointed out Scottish MPs are now second-class MPs due to EVEL.
But,thank you for your comment and posting the links. An excellent speech by Pete Wishart surrounded by the sneering MPs mocking his every word. ( Reminds me of something).
——————————————————————————–
If you know what report John McKay was referring to, could you tell me?
Also, could you please give details of the High Court case which you refer to : “The people of Scotland are, under Scottish law, legally sovereign and that is still the case today. This has been ruled as such by the High court of Scotland.”
Thank you in advance.
Morning Nana! great to see back with acttual news. That Facebook censorship thing in Skawkbox made RT jump too. They think they’re going to be kicked off FB.
“The changes will reduce the news that people see overall by 20% – but Zuckerberg’s statement that ‘the community’ will decide what constitutes ‘trusted’ are problematic – which community?
Who can be trusted to decide who can be trusted?”
I have an alternative candidate – the person who posted this on bbc:
Learn how the BBC is working to strengthen trust and transparency in online news
link to bbc.co.uk
O/T
SNP PPB viewing figures on Twitter almost at 250,000.
In case you missed it:
Twitter: link to twitter.com
Youtube: link to youtube.com
Let’s keep the momentum going. The BBC really won’t like it. LOLZ!!!!
Breaks
Great summary of the ammunition we need for the next Yes campaign.
If I may add a couple of items.
1. Above all. A powerful, weel kent Yes campaign leader who is combative enough to withstand the inevitable media attacks. First thoughts -Angus Robertson would be good – pro Europe, bilingual in German, ex MP. Well liked.
There are several others who would be good. But appointment must be soon.
2. A short and hard campaign with less but better quality literature than Inde1. Preferably through the spring and early summer of 2019 to allow for evening campaigning and good weather for rallies. Vote in say July/August 2019. (2018 is too soon to properly organise and Brexit result must be clear).
Morning Heedy 🙂
Who decides what the truth is or is not, why the Tory government of course. The fakers will decide.
We will soon see how far this inquiry into child abuse is allowed to go. Westminster will be watching closely, of that I am certain.
Starts today
link to iicsa.org.uk
Sinky says:
22 January, 2018 at 10:52 am
Good front page in The National this morning
link to thenational.scot
If we had a truly Scottish Broadcasting Corporation this would feature prominently on our TV news channels with expert analysis.
A Road / Rail bridge / tunnel as in Malmo to Copenhagen, which is 16k long, would transform south west scotland and northern ireland’s economy and Port Patrick to Bangor is only 20 miles.
You think even the Yoons would be up for that
Great timing and all. 🙂
This is the perfect cue for the SNP to take back the initiative (let’s face they lost a fair bit with BREXIT). Here’s yer chance.
Now commission a full-scale feasibility study (socioeconomic, environmental, cost-benefit, risk analysis – the lot). Show the people you are serious about this.
A bridge to Ireland. Get support/interest from Ireland and NI. Heck even the yoons over there might support it if they thought it would tie Ulster to the UK.
The yoons will scoff. Boy will they scoff, but their red faces and foaming mouths will give the game away. The SNP sometimes seem a bit over-cautious – playing safe to avoid ridicule. But ridicuyle from a useful yoon idiot ain’t a bid thing.
The SNP should be inviting controversy. If they want the media to take notice, they have to be clever.
C’mon, Humza – commission a bridge to Ireland study. Send thousands of pounds on it. Set the agenda and let the greetin yoons try and label “SNP bad” on it. The yoons are auffering cognitive dissonance big time. That makes them vulnerable – very easily triggered. The whole point is to get people taking about what you want them to talk about.
Set the agenda, SNP – stir the pot and do something outrageous and the media lapdogs will not let you down. 🙂
75% of us don’t trust Social media for news now and are returning to proper trusted news says SKY news
Only 25% of us trust the internet news and are returning to getting our news from trusted news outlets says the BBC
In other news the Russians are coming to get us and the Chinese are going to get us and of course North Korea is on the verge of getting us
If anyone’s in any doubt and worried about everything the best thing to do is trust the existing establishment who got us into this mess to get us all out of it because they’re smarter than us and are destined to be in charge as of birthright and position
And it must be true because they’re practically screaming it out the telly at us, the newspapers tell us it every day, so does the radio
So it’s vote for them and all will be well
Phew! I’m reassured, what about you
O/T
An extremely positive (not for the first time) editorial in today’s Daily Record supporting Nicola Sturgeon and putting Richard Leonard down very strongly indeed.
I suspect the Record knows that a very large proportion of it readership supports the SNP and independence and it may think it wise indeed to recognise that. Or perhaps the Record understands the way the game is going and wants to be sure it is not backing a loser. Whatever.
Much of the anti SNP venom in the Record is now confined to the Readers Letters but it is the same handful of nawbag scribes much of the time – Hamish Leishman, Andy from Newarthill, Keith Howell, Allan Sutherland, Jill Stephenson and other names which pop up regularly. It would do no harm if we all wrote regularly to the paper.
Actually it is no longer the Record or the Sun (which is also regularly fairly evenhanded) that are our major enemies in the tabloids but the vicious Daily Mail and the infantile Daily Express.
Nana says:
22 January, 2018 at 11:16 am
Morning Heedy ?
Who decides what the truth is or is not, why the Tory government of course. The fakers will decide.
No doubt. The web’s self censoring anyway. Boring stuff gets little attention, big stuff does. Btl newspapers are all heavily moderated/censored. Its probably heat from mainstream media that’s making Zuckerberg do something.
Tory THe Graun for example really hates him and that crew dine out on their faux lefty liberal progressive free speech hoohaa.
It used to be, complain all you want, as long as nothing changes, the rich get richer. They’re stamping out Holyrood but change is coming.
Can they stop change in England?
From that Salmond LBC thing,
“The author of Article 50, Lord Kerr has predicted that there will be a second EU Referendum in the autumn.
Speaking to Alex Salmond Lord Kerr said: “The parliamentary row of the autumn will be when the government bring back an outline, a framework, of the terms they think they can get for a permanent settlement.
“If it doesn’t look very good, quite a lot of people in the House of Commons and House of Lords will say now hang on, this isn’t exactly as was promised during the Referendum in 2016.
“It turns out we can’t have our cake and eat it.
“A lot of new facts have come to light”.
to,
link to archive.is
“But Farage’s interventions over recent days are highly significant, and about far more than the rogueish populist yearning to be back in the headlines. He is nothing if not a shrewd interpreter of prevailing political and public moods. “He is dangerous – and brilliant, in equal measure,” says one ardent Tory MP from the Remain side. “We know that from painful experience.”
That’s the Graun not the torygraph and all the usual The Graun black out of anything Scots too, with their, “The brilliant and dangerous in equal measure Farage.”
Its going to be a bumpy ride this UKOK summer. So much for Vote NO Thanks for a strong, safe, secure union with the English:D
“… it is no longer the Record or the Sun (which is also regularly fairly evenhanded) that are our major enemies in the tabloids…”
‘The VOW’ will most assuredly be followed up with ‘The VOW2’.
‘Nuff said.
If the UK so much as utters a word even similar to VOW their fate is sealed coz even the ardent dense people will reject that
Isn’t it time that Scotland re-affirms its relationship with WM- particularly taking back its independence of WM with coinage, taxation etc. The ‘Union’ is thoroughly imbalanced, built on injustice and deception- it should be re-imagined for the modern era via Scotland’s autonomy (which will be good for democracy in general).
‘Scotland kept its independence with respect to its legal and religious systems, but coinage, taxation, sovereignty, trade, parliament and flag became one. The red cross of St. George combined with the blue cross of St. Andrew resulting in the ‘old’ union flag. This is popularly called the Union Jack, although strictly speaking, this only applies when it is flown on the jackstaff of a warship’
But the ‘Union’ has never been about equality or fairness,WM attitudes and behaviours are deeply ingrained;
‘Scotland was expressing its deepest anger about its negligent treatment in the 1690s by King William, and by the high-handed action of the English parliament in determining the succession in 1701 in the Act of Settlement without consulting the Scots…
A total of 96 petitions were presented against the union, most in November and December 1706, during the debates on the Articles. They were designed to show to undecided MPs the widespread unpopularity of the proposed terms…
It is possible that the petitions and their messages had some influence in the changes made to the Articles. But the Duke of Argyll, one of the leaders of the Scottish Court party, said that petitions were little more than “paper kites” – a revealing insight into how governments of the day regarded public opinion…’
Pomp and pageantry don’t really disguise the underlying historical wrongs of the ‘Union’ that are still being played out today.
‘At about the time the clearances (mass evictions and emigration of Highland populations) entered a new and more intense phase in the 1820s, the high point of what was known as Highlandism was reached when King George IV made a state visit to Scotland in August 1822.
This visit, the first by a British monarch since Charles II in 1650, was deliberately contrived to reaffirm the bond between the Scots and their monarch, which had been challenged so repeatedly in the past.
It could be argued that the pageantry of 1822, which at the time was called “one and twenty daft days”, glossed over what really was happening in Scotland (and England) at this time – clearances, economic hardship, radical discontent’
link to historic-uk.com
link to parliament.uk
link to parliament.uk
Last links for now
link to rt.com
SMEs may be worst affected by Brexit, research suggests
link to archive.is
What will the EU look like after Brexit
link to ft.com
@colin alexander says: 22 January, 2018 at 8:25 am:
“Also, not only did we not get Devo to the Max. We got EVEL which created second-class Scots MPs.”
And there you go, colin, showing once more your lack of comprehension of reality.
Yes indeed EVEL did relegate Scottish MPs but that was but a tiny symptom of what was really going on right under your nose that you still do not recognise for what it is.
Heaven knows I’ve pointed it out often enough but it still goes way over your head.
Facts:- There was no actual legal Union of the Crowns in 1603 because the two kingdom’s Rule of Law could not be compatible and if there had been then under the English law the one kingdom would have been the Kingdom of Scotland. So between 1603 and 1707 the two kingdoms remained independent.
In 1688 England had a so called, “Glorious Revolution”, that was, under English law, a rebellion against their still independent monarchy and they applied their change of monarchy to the still independent Kingdom of Scotland. They were still murdering what they called rebel Jacobites in 1745, almost 40 years after the had illegally forced a Treaty of Union upon the Scots.
However, that Treaty of Union was/is an agreement between only two still independent and equally sovereign kingdoms. It thus former a claimed United Kingdom with both the former independent kingdoms ending their existing parliaments.
Westminster was legally ended as the Parliament of the Kingdom of England but the Scottish parliament was only legally prorogued. The entirely new parliament that opened on 1 May 1707 was the Parliament of two equally sovereign formerly independent kingdoms.
Then Westminster that had increasingly acted as if it were the Kingdom of England parliament forced upon the two kingdom United Kingdom what they claimed was devolved powers.
Thing is they only devolved Westminster’s powers upon three of the four United Kingdom’s countries but they devolved some Westminster powers to the kingdom of Scotland who were one of the two United Kingdom partners and unlike Wales and N.I. who were parts of the Kingdom of England. What was worse they devolved the powers unequally and differently.
In effect by splitting a two kingdom union as a four country union with England not devolved Westminster has assumed itself the parliament of the Country of England and simultaneously the parliament of the United Kingdom ignoring the legal fact that Scotland is their only equally sovereign kingdom partner.
Ergo, Westminster has made itself simultaneously the, unelected as such, de facto Parliament of the country of England and the Parliament of the United Kingdom but has thus made disappear the Kingdom of Scotland and put the country of England as the master country devolving its assumed English sovereignty to the so called devolved administrations and that includes a Westminster instigate supreme court it claims has sovereignty over Scottish law which two legal systems are actually stated in the Treaty of Union as incompatible.
They did not just relegate Scots MPs as second class members of the United Kingdom Parliament they wiped out the entire Kingdom of Scotland and installed the country of England as the master race who rule the country of England’s Scottish region.
As per the claims of Westminster as told by David Mundell:-
link to youtube.com
@Liz Rannoch says: 22 January, 2018 at 8:57 am:
“Am I the only one who doesn’t see the ‘lookylikey’ as Mr T?
For me, he’s more like Fluffy’s wean.”
No you are not the only one who doesn’t see the actor as a Torrance lookalike … but I’m not going to say on an open forum what it looks like to me.
I’ll just leave it to Wingers to use their undoubted imaginations.
Re the suggested bridge to Ireland:
Where would the Customs Post and border be? Would they be needed?
Would that be a “hard border” or “soft border” ?
Re Irish border, What exactly has been agreed so far during Brexit talks? Do Ireland and the UK Govt even know?
Has anything been put in writing by the EU and UK Govt or will the UK Govt just rely on the Daily Record publish a Vow?
Heedtracker@11.01
I think that Facebook is losing customers. Especially the young and the politics. I’m in my 70s and I’ve really stopped doing politics on Facebook. It’s really for wee photos of the family( which I would never, ever post) and we “thoughts for the day stuff”.
Yes people mostly use Twitter now which is quicker easier. “They” will probably attack twitter soon.
We are learning the truth about corrupt politicians and the very corrupt and sleazy British Government and it’s treacherous colonial history. We can learn and debate all round the world now and that horrifies the British State and its Allies. It’s just NOT good enough that people get to see the truth, the very whole truth!
Joanna Cherry QC MP tweeted
UK govt’s refusal to admit the #Article50 notice of intention to leave the EU can be unilaterally revoked is typical of the lack of candour which characterises current UK Govt policy on #Brexit. Read about the Scottish court case here
UK government questions Scottish bid to show Britain can alone revoke Brexit
link to archive.is
@Les Wilson says: 22 January, 2018 at 8:59 am:
“I really do not know why good posters on this site, who should know better, can’t seem to avoid giving the “Rock” and “C,A”, all the attention they do not deserve.”
You are, of course, entitled to your opinion Les, but these people are far from being just simply Trolls who seek attention for the sake of just attention.
Their presence on Wings has a far more sinister motive and if you are naïve enough to imagine them as simply Trolls you are not seeing their real subversive and divisive intentions. What’s more you have just shown they have succeeded in their intentional divisiveness.
Robert Peffers @ 12:08,
Oh, give your CoCo promos a rest, FGS!
Flower of Scotland says:
22 January, 2018 at 12:24 pm
Heedtracker@11.01
I think that Facebook is losing customers.
Maybe. Its certainly a giant cash cow, sucking in ad money and worse, sucking it out of the newsstands.
This is probably what’s freaking out our press barons. We’re just not looking at their products enough anymore with the web, for all sorts of reasons. If youre selling something, you’re hardly going to fork hard cash money to likes of stinky olde The Graun, if far more eyes are on facebook sites, let alone WoS.
Anyway we’ve all had to sit and be trolled by smirking beeb gimps for decades, we saw lately that the beeb is pumping millions in to very rich dude owned newscorps, Scotland the most for a change, but its clearly to keep them in the UKOK tory game.
The mega rich tory that owns Dundee’s tory rags, is a now being handed millions from the BBC, for example. Why would a mega rich tory dude in Dundee, suddenly find a big fat juicy BBC cheque of several millions payable to him, land on his lap?
Will Wings over Scotland get some of free beeb gimp dosh:D
And all of its backed up by nonsense like,
link to bbc.co.uk
Introduction
Impartiality lies at the heart of public service and is the core of the BBC’s commitment to its audiences. It applies to all our output and services – television, radio, online, and in our international services and commercial magazines. We must be inclusive, considering the broad perspective and ensuring the existence of a range of views is appropriately reflected.”
They do love a jolly good larf, do beeb gimps. That pile of BBC “Editorial Guidelines,” is actually Pacific Quay bog roll, gets right in there, no messing.
Welcome back nana and thanks once again for all the links, and smallaxe likewise for standing-in during your absence.
Seems there is increasing resistance down south to a full-bore Brexit, maybe even any kind of Brexit, but how that all develops still remains to be seen. What an almighty guddle!So Nicola’s current caution in proceeding with indy looks to be well justified.
@UKunityorg
You are deluded and quite possibly a danger to yourself and the general public.
link to anthropology-news.org
link to allegralaboratory.net
link to cultureandcapitalismblog.wordpress.com
Robert Peffers
Interesting.
Can you give references as requested? ( see above post)
From my own research, I understand the Claim of Right by the Scots Parliament remains constitutional law, as it has never been repealed ( it has been amended, but then I couldn’t find on Parliament’s website what the amendments are). I
I presume it’s not repealed as it’s the basis for deposing the Stewarts as Kings of the Scots and installing the Hanoverians.
That document asserts the monarch rules by the consent of the people. (Thus the people of Scotland are sovereign).
If the document has not been repealed, then that assertion of sovereignty of the people of Scotland remains valid.
Thus, whether Scotland remained as Kingdom or not is a moot point. It is largely irrelevant. As you point out the land itself is just rock. The King or Queen, thus their kingdom is not sovereign.
By the Claim of Right, it’s the people themselves that are the sovereign people. That is what matters, not the structures of govt / kingdom or physical geography.
————————————————–
Please See my previous post.
Mr Mundell does not say the words you claim. It’s John McKay who says them. Mr Mundell does not challenge them, that’s true, but neither does he say them or agree with them.
We target one Scottish media, and if it is not reported by another Scottish media we target them and so on.
The people and the media will soon get the message,
If we just target the large media, which we don’t appear to be winning the smaller Scottish media get off Scot free, because they never get attacked.
I sense another “SNP BAD” story shaping up:
link to pressandjournal.co.uk
(Great to see The National featuring the Scotland – Ireland bridge which we’d been discussing, BTW.)
You are welcome Robert. Smallaxe did a great job.
For everyone reading Wings
Don’t forget to support this channel. There’s an interesting video from Mark Nicol on The Black Douglas, a Scottish border legend.
http://www.trulyscottishtv.com/channel-5—spotlight.html
@Breeks says: 22 January, 2018 at 10:13 am:
“I hope the SNP has got a battery of PPB’S lined up and ready to go.
I hope Phantom Power films have a load more Journeys to Yes films made.
I hope Chris Cairns has all his cartoons selected for Billboards.”
I hope, Breeks, that your long list of hopes is met but think many of them will be answered with this :-
link to snp.org
Here is another very interesting speech by the FM:-
link to snp.org
I have no doubt that if we could encourage more people to use the SNP website we would have a much better informed electorate.
It should be the main duty of the SMSM to propagate the Scottish Government’s doings for the people of Scotland but, ““The Silence of the Bams”, is deafning.
Breeks @ 22 January, 2018 at 5:20 am, said :
—
link to theneweuropean.co.uk
Hard to believe it was written a year ago…
—
Thanks for that. It would seem that the Irish piece I stumbled across was nothing but a greatly abridged version of this more complete article. I highly recommend it, it just makes so much sense, no really! Almost every paragraph has quotable lines, but you might as well all read it for yourselves.
Part of the reason this strikes home so effectively is, I’m sure, because I must confess to having soaked up a great deal of BritNattery in my early years. When I think rationally I (hopefully!) know better, but at a deeper irrational emotional level, the specters of ‘British’ (i.e. English) exceptionalism still lurk. Perhaps the best we can do is recognise them for the propaganda and conditioning they are. But honestly it’s not easy.
No one likes the taste of humble pie, it ‘feels’ like groveling to admit that all those silly Europeans, with their funny accents and comic antics, are neither any worse nor any better than we ‘Brits’. That’s the nub of the psychosis — that admitting simple objective equality has to feel like some kind of self-deprecation and submission.
Hopefully this is no more than a symptom of us ‘peace babies’, from which younger folk are largely immune?
@AnasSarwar, Leonard, Lokie & all other “leftist” planks
What is British nationalism and Brexit, if it isn’t the articulation of Imperial identity politics?
@Neil Oliver
Are you sure you have Scotland’s best interests at heart and that you’re the right man to represent Scotland’s unique cultural heritage?
link to journals.sagepub.com
I don’t trust the daily stranger or Murdoch’s sun an inch, of course they will give a balanced editorial from time to time.
But they are no friends of ours.
In my opinion the only reason we are seeing the daily stranger attacking Leonard is because he is a Corbynista and it wants to see Corbyn defeated and replaced with an establishment Labour figure.
In my opinion the only reason we are seeing the daily stranger attacking Leonard is because he is a Corbynista and it wants to see Corbyn defeated and replaced with an establishment Labour figure.”
Its for sales Peter. Never forget these rags are businesses that have to make a profit first.
Peter McCulloch @ 13:39,
Interesting thought, that. There is stuff going on in both the Labour and Tory parties over Brexit, but you hear nary a peep about such things from the yoonitariat, except very indirectly as in this case.
One wonders how long it will take for the NorthBritLab faithful to twig that their new leader is no more capable than any of his predecessors were of sorting out their communal failure to establish any kind of coherent and forward-looking policy agenda. (Maybe after everyone has had their turn as leader will they even begin to realise they have a problem!)
As for the Tories, if things get any trickier down south, as in the Brexit deliberations in the
Great Peoples’ AssemblyHoL, I could see a real split coming in the Tory Party. The inability of a section to see anything beyond their superior Little England could easily turn to outright frustration with another lot that is business-friendly and is intent on remaining in SM/CU at the very least. This problem the Tories have had over “Europe” has festered for decades, and this year could finally erupt into open internecine warfare.Meanwhile, we are routinely ignored and trampled over. With a constitutional crisis also likely coming to a head. (Thanks for all the interesting contributions to that topic yesterday evening, BTW.)
Time people up here realised that things just can’t go on like this. We need to get out, and the sooner the better.
OT
Yay, wife just got the letter saying tests show (huge) cyst was benign. Well done Mrs YIR2! Letter dictated 23rd December …
@Yesindyref2
Delighted for you both.
Yesindyref2 @ 2.16
Great news indeed, you must both be so relived ….. my best to Mrs YIR2.
And you get off the internet and go treat your selves…. By order!!!
@Bob Mack / @Liz g
Thanks! I daresay flowers might be a good idea to start with.
Yesindyref2, great news on Mrs YIR2, what a sense of relief for you both. Delighted to hear your news.
Now I hope that you’re going to something nice to celebrate.
Apparently the ‘scottish’ tory twats hsve been shafting Scotland again !!
Voting down a motion to refund VAT taken from the Police Service in Scotland, by 10-9 (labour ACTUALLY supported the SNP on this for a change).
link to facebook.com
K.A.Mylchreest says:
22 January, 2018 at 1:10 pm
“….Thanks for that. It would seem that the Irish piece I stumbled across was nothing but a greatly abridged version of this more complete article. I highly recommend it, it just makes so much sense, no really! Almost every paragraph has quotable lines, but you might as well all read it for yourselves.”
It might be a pipe dream, but the sooner England comes under new management, management that respects the likes of Professor Nicholas Boyle, then the sooner Constitutional dialogue can become a constructive and objective reality.
It is very difficult to foresee anything constructive emerging from a million years of dialogue with the current brigade of charlatans, liars and cretans inhabiting the corridors of Westminster masquerading as UK government. Unfortunately, I fear the same sophistry and mendacity we see in Westminster Government is endemic throughout the “British” Establishment, especially the media, the “Imperial” views of Eton, but unfortunately also the Courts. An “old school” Brit like Professor Boyle seems sadly out of sync with the modern English mainstream.
You get the feeling the British Establishment will attempt to lay claim to everything which “exists” in the Realm UK, and that Scotland, the “great disrupter” should be impoverished and silenced, and require to establish its credentials and right to exist from scratch.
I fear Scotland trying to negotiate the dissolution of the Union with Westminster will encounter the same problems as Michel Barnier, trying to negotiate the UK’s Brexit. Before Mr Barnier gets to negotiate anything meaningful about Brexit, he has first been required to school the UK government about its own competencies and delusions as though they were a distracted brat of child forever looking out the window.
I think it would be quite the Historic spectacle to witness the dissolution of the United Kingdom, with cases presented and being discussed between learned types like Professor Boyle and a comparable champion of the Scottish Constitutional position, but sadly, I very much fear the “debate” if it happens at all, will be yet another Constitutional “whack-a-mole”, with one disingenuous BritNat sock-puppet, appearing after another on the good old BBC’s “Two Minute Hate” every hour rather than broadcast news or constructive informative debate.
With the likes of Professor Boyle in a position of authority however, you get the sense that the correct, righteous and honourable Constitutional judgement would still be delivered, even if the Scottish delegates had been delayed by a snow or train drivers strike, and unable to make their submissions themselves, leaving Professor Boyle to make both submissions.
Did I say that was a pipe dream? Maybe. Maybe we will see who rules England. The Eton Royal Establishment or the gutter Press mob. Something tells me this could get messy…
Been listening to the radio and seeing the news headlines this morning. Already some early contenders in for next weekends WAFOTW winner.
I foretell next weeks award will go to a ‘top’ tory unionist politician.
Moving along.
@ yesindyref2:
Great news for you both. Take a wee break, you both deserve it. Then come out fighting stronger than ever lol
Hi Breeks.
I replied to you yesterday.
link to wingsoverscotland.com
Yesindyref2 great news, must be a weight off your shoulder, nae wonder you blew a fusecatbthe Rev the other night 🙂
All the best to u both and remember to give me a shout next time your on Arran.
Yesindyref2
Catching up here.
Pleased to hear the excellent news for you both.
@heedtracker
22 January, 2018 at 1:58 pm
Yes I understand that, it would want to prevent its sales
from falling any further.
But how many pro indy supporters would actually buy that rag after what it did in 2014?
@Robert J. Sutherland
22 January, 2018 at 2:09 pm
It will be very interesting to see what happens in Labour when momentum purges the Blairites.
Lets not forget Corbyn was lucky in 2017 to up against an incompetent like Theresa that May as prime minister,
most of the media attacks were on her and not Corbyn.
I don’t see the Tories making that mistake again, they will replace her for the 2022 General election with some one younger and a lot less incompetent.
Then watch the right wing media in England get tore into Corbyn and his policies.
We’ve now found out that Keith Cochrane CEO of Carillion had also been appointed as the lead “non-executive director” for the Scotland Office and Office of the Advocate General by David Mundell.
link to newsnet.scot
Don’t you think that we have a right to know who else is working for Mundell / Westminster? Following a bit of a (short) search, I can’t find anything online to that effect at all.
We know who our MP’s, MSP’s and MEP’s are, so why not those who are working at the Scotland Office, especially when their budget has risen dramatically? Is it because the Scotland Office IS the UK’s propaganda outfit? Lack of transparency, secrecy and so on?
Does anyone on here have a comprehensive list of employees?
link to thenational.scot
link to en.wikipedia.org
link to gov.uk
Thanks for the links Nana and great to see that you’re back with us. Big thanks, too, to Smallaxe for keeping the show on the road.
Fantastic news for you and your wife, yesindyref2. A massive burden lifted from your shoulders with your wife no doubt feeling much better than she has for some time now.
Rev 3.37 nice to see you getting back to me on that question I was using the dictionary alternative for arsehole seems more politer .
Thanks all for the good wishes. Both doctors had said they thought it was non-cancerous, but one did say with a cyst that large it can come back cancerous. But after they’d saved her life somehow that seemed a relatively minor problem – one at a time! And not hearing anything kind of presumed they’d prioritise people not so lucky, and then Christmas together which might not have happened, and the flu outbreak and all.
But yes, a relief, and life goes on. Managed to get her a card saying “You’re a living legend” from the card factory 🙂
“come back cancerous” sorry, that should be “borderline” cancerous.
Brian Doonthetoon says:
22 January, 2018 at 3:17 pm
Hi Breeks.
I replied to you yesterday.
Thanks Brian. I’ve skim read it, but I need to read something a few times to really get my head into it. But that seems a terrific level of interest being shown by Europe into circumstances where Scotland was being governed by an unelected Secretary of State.
My immediate thoughts are that it’s dynamite, since what would Europe make of our sovereign Remain referendum result being overturned, our devolved preambles being shat upon by Westminster’s power grab, and if it happens, drawing the teeth and claws from our Holyrood Parliament.
Bit dated perhaps, but the principles, and triggers which allowed Europe to get involved need much closer inspection…
Cheers Brian.
I have also noted the SNP’s literature about Constitution, but frankly it seems lame and anaemic. I hope there’s is a helluva lot more work being done behind the scenes than the prospectus would suggest. The constitutional issue will make THE critical difference about whether or not Europe and the wider world can and will recognise the significance of Scottish sovereignty.
Sovereignty should be forming the bedrock of our whole constitutional strategy, not merely be the rubber stamp we intend to apply to a democratic mandate we “hopefully” secure.
Unlike 2014, I hope we put a great deal more thought and preparation into what happens in Constitutional terms as a direct consequence of a Yes AND No result. Of course a YES means Independence, but let us be clear and explicit what a No vote means and doesn’t mean relative to our constitutional sovereignty.
Don’t get me wrong, I pray to the heavens we never have to worry about another No result, but I feel certain we need a much greater level of awareness about Scotland’s inalienable and popular Sovereignty before we risk presenting ourselves with a de facto ratification of a constitutional oxymoron in the same way we did in 2014- a Sovereign people ostensibly trying to rid themselves of sovereignty.
Breeks
Good luck with that. Many of the bampots think it’s as simple as Yes or NO settling everything.
Sovereignty is more than a four letter word, so it’s beyond their comprehension.
Yesindyref2
Glad to hear your GOOD NEWS. and the relief all round must be welcome.
Here’s to the year ahead.
Take care.
Ronnie and Rev
Being cheeky now but what about the 7th planet?
Uran** or do we call it Urarsehole?
O/T Ronnie
re the comment at 3.37
Think I might have just incurred the Rev’s Hammers!!!
Just asked him what we should call the 7th planet…
Hey Meg merrilees ~
The seventh rock from ra sun (Ra) is Ur…
Thankx for that xx.
To Learn.
@Yesindyref2
Great news about Mrs YI2. 🙂
Brek oot the bubbly.
“ Breeks” Briandoonthetoon” 0317pm/ “ my immediate thoughts are this is dynamite since what would Europe make of our sovereign remain result being overturned” . Agree entirely with Breeks here , this is so relevant to the present situation .Can we please get this printed on the Front page of the “National” ASAP . All WOS readers should read this link !
yesindyref2 says:
22 January, 2018 at 2:16 pm
OT
Best OT news ever. Bet that’s all been a nightmare/life affirming experience.
My Grandad likes to say, we’re not promised a minute.
Robert Peffers,
“Hilarious, now Rock just you tell the Wingers any instances when I have said, wrote, commented or claimed that Scotland, (country or kingdom), was sovereign after 1320.”
Robert Peffers (23rd October 2016 – “All around the houses”):
“What’s more is as much an equally sovereign partner kingdom in the Union as is the three country Kingdom of England.”
Robert Peffers (24th October 2016 – “A reminder of the obvious”):
“The stark truth is that there are only two equally sovereign kingdoms in the United Kingdom and there are three distinct countries in the Kingdom of England.”
I won’t bother to add the numerous other posts in which you have claimed exactly what you are now denying.
You are an aggressive verbal bully here and almost certainly a nasty person in real life.
And like all bullies, you are a coward who runs away the moment he is challenged.
@Heed, Macart and all.
Slept about 12 hours or more, didn’t even have my tea!
It was just great her life was saved, then Christmas and even the week or so after. But then perhaps the worry starts again, could there be cancer, need for chemotherapy, perhaps even a shortened life expectancy? Before that was all irrelevant compared to the possibility of losing her there and then. I never thought she had cancer, seemed to me the other symptoms didn’t exist, but who am I to do a diagnosis?
So I guess it’s a kind of hidden stress that has now got relief, and it’s onwards and upwards.
Massive over reaction from the BBC to the story on tonight’s mis-reporting Scotland. Using a severely disabled child as sob piece to drive home how despicable the SNP are. Parents in outrage, health secretary apology etc, this is the main story on the news. tiny wee bit about 84% seen within 4 hours which appeared to be said grudgingly with a bit tagged on that the target is 95% which was said smugly.
I would rather go an extra 7 miles to get to a newer hospital with state of the art equipment. I have to sometimes travel to Dundee from Perth for treatment which is 28 miles. I have been blue-lighted from Perth to Dundee with Sepsis as there was no beds available at Perth. I Had to wait 2 hours for an Ambulance on fluids, morphine and oxygen all the while knowing sepsis can kill… rapidly. I don’t think a 10 minute journey is going to make a major difference to the care of the child. I have also had to travel to Strathcathro a journey of 52 miles a round trip of 104 miles for a procedure. which can be carried out in Perth because it has been… twice. So complaining about a journey of 7 miles or 10 minutes really hacks me off.