All Hands On Deck
Posted on
February 20, 2016 by
Chris Cairns
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A tall tale
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Probably a robbery
Transphobia
You could be forgiven for wondering what the joke is, considering how the noble and honest UK media have buried The Vow farce.
Great observation
Pity it wisnae a long walk aff a short pier!
Well done to Chris Cairns, for highlighting the story, which the entire establishment media in England has chosen to ignore, or possibly even willfully censor.
This whole business of British unionist puppet, hands jetting on holiday, and the rest of the UK treasury unavailable, was no accident. That was a quite deliberate insult to Scotland, and the Scottish Government.
No doubt the shower of craven liars from the treasury in Westminster will be internally applauding themselves, as ‘playing hardball’ with the negotiations, but to any Scot, it is just a big freaking insult.
THIS, is why Scotland needs independence. This alone shows just why we should be free of this cursed union with England. On the one hand Westminster moans that they really want Scotland to stay, yet within two shakes of a lambs tail, they are back to insulting Scotland, and treating the country and people of Scotland with utter, utter contempt.
In the future, when we are finally free of the greedy lying conniving b******* of old London town, historians will shake their heads and wonder just why Scots allowed this to go on for so freaking long.
The undemocratic union of Scotland with England is past its sell by date. As a colonial relic of empire, it now only serves to destroy, rather than build good relations between the Governments of Scotland and England. We cannot be rid of this cursed union with England soon enough. Only then can both countries have a mature, mutually beneficial relationship, free of the petty insulting behaviour perpetrated by the London Tory Government this week.
Although the deputy First Minister of Scotland is far too pleasant to ever do so, I sometimes think Scotland’s needs would be better served if he simply told the conniving liars of Westminster and their treasury plebs, to ‘get tae ****!’.
Makes you wonder if the EU show was put on to eclipse the fiscal framework debacle?
I would love to be a fly on the wall during lessons about Scotland at Eton College.
Might learn a thing or two about why flies are always vomiting on their food.
A new definition of a “Hands off” approach.
Jings Chris, that was exactly what I thought. Timely cartoon.
Hands went the extra several hundreds of miles to sabotage the no-detriment negotiations.
Westminster’s utter contempt for Scotland and all who dwell here, including the No voters who wanted this, does just beggar belief.
Don’t they know which side their bread is buttered on?
I’m pretty well informed about politics,but I didn’t get this immediately,which just goes to show far this gross insult was kept out of the news.
Thanks Chris , another great post.
Not much left to say really.
I Feel the same as Macart a few posts back , but it will not be explained in any MSM .
It’s for WM to deliver their promised VOW , faster etc etc
The SG or JS job is only to scrutinise what’s offered to make sure we are not worse off.
MSM keep reporting that JS went back with “suggestions” / a deal offer to WM.
IMHO , What is the biggest disgrace in the wonderful Scotland Bill , apart from the fact it’s a watered down pile of $hi£e and not really much by way of POWER , is the fact that after 10/12 meetings JS sees WM offering As a great DISADVANTAGE to Scotland.
Trying to stitch us up like a kipper.
Can you imagine if Slab/Lib/cons were in charge@HR ?
We all on here predicted it in Sept 2014 but I bet my last penny non of us feel the “I told you so ” smugness !
Robert Louis @7.50
You just said it all. With the anger and disgust and frustration that I can feel mounting by the day!
Jimnarlene: A new definition of a ‘Hands off’ approach’! =) Briliant!
Nicknamed ‘spunky’ at prep school, Hands has struggled to shake off the sticky moniker.
Gives new meaning to that old Max Bygraves song.
You need hands to hold someone you care for
You need hands to show that you’re sincere
When you feel nobody wants to know you
You need hands to brush away the tears
Scotland should give him the one finger salute!
Gillie at 0833am
Aye. It seems Westminster wants to annoy not just the YES voters, but those who believed their ‘vow’ and voted NO to give Westminster one last chance.
The conceit Westminster has for itself, and the equally inflated contempt which it has for the people of Scotland is sometimes quite overwhelming.
We cannot be rid of them soon enough.
Nothing in the news again, BBC r4 black out, although ex r4 Jim Naughty gracing Edinburgh with his genius today and his awful Umberto Eco eulogy. BBC vote SLab Scotland with the usual #SNPbad. The Vow fraud is dead and buried.
[…] All Hands On Deck […]
Hands buggering off when a time extension for negotiations was given, was a none too subtle message to us Jocks, “take what’s on the table, or leave it”.
I must confess, I can’t see what’s in it for WM, if the SG walks away. The Vow has clearly been broken and it puts the SNP in a strong position for the election.
Perhaps it’s simply because WM believe the main show is the EU, well it isn’t. It’s the future of their Union which is at stake here. They seem oblivious to that reality.
As usual, they are probably misreading the situation in Scotland. Still, we know the saying about not interrupting your enemy when they are making mistakes.
Still plays on my mind however…
Here in Scotland we are expecting progress we can cheer, yet the powers that be in Westminster are scarcely troubled. I keep hearing the words of John Paul Jones, “I have not yet begun to fight”, because they haven’t had to. (I quote the words only, not the context of when they were said).
It just haunts me the reason Westminster gets away with treating Scotland with such abject contempt remains full square in front of us, in the form of the State Propaganda media machine.
Look at things from a different direction; suppose our news was neutral and had its epicentre here in Scotland, just how different would our political landscape actually be? Just how different would the news agenda be, and which issues would be most newsworthy?
The media is it. The crux. The sticking place. It is our collar. It is the bullwhip which keeps our fearties dutifully in their places and keeps their concept of freedom abstract and untouchable.
My biggest frustration with our current predicament is that our elected SNP sledgehammer still has no answer to the media, and the potency of every blow is cushioned to a dull thud that nobody can hear. You can slate me for saying so, but you can’t dispute the truth of it.
Defeat this hostile media, and our quest for Nation status will be one tenth of the struggle. Leave it be, and our enemies are free to summon dragons and spells to bolster their strength.
If you do nothing more than break this media stranglehold, your time in office has not been wasted. Everything else WILL follow.
Yep, eyes popping after a 5.00 session, just like his boss. Waiting on the gloating over his hard negotiations and the great deal secured for the nation…
And in other news, Cameron says “EU deal gives UK special status”. Awe diddums we always knew you were different.
Special status to the left of me special relationship to the right of me and we’re stuck in the middle with you.
I wonder what the Europeans and the Americans really think of the UK being special.
Do you feel all special today?
@Breeks says:
20 February, 2016 at 8:57 am
Still plays on my mind however
Spot on!
Cannae be English he hasn’t got white ankle socks on with his sandals 🙂
This the 20th Feb, yes? I had to double check, twice.
Did a Google search explicitly looking for ‘Scotland Bill’ with the search range set to today. Nothing, absolutely nothing.
‘John Swinney’, one article from the BBC. No sense that time is running out and the situation is critical.
The colonial press have a blackout, no other way to describe it.
‘Cameron EU’, wall to wall coverage.
Nice Chris…..shocking contempt for the people of Scotland.
Westminster assuming they held the upper hand……wrong…..the positions have ‘flip flopped’.
Hope big John will leave him with a face like a well skelped arse.
Chris Cairns is the most talented cartoonist I have ever observed. I’ll pleased he chooses this site to debut each searing satirical portrait of the journey towards restoring our independence. His collection of weekly “story chapters” as well as the Wings over Scotland site itself, is forming a really important and unique historical record. In years to come people who currently still believe what they see and hear in the corporate media coverage of all of this, will look back and wonder how – and why – they could ever have missed the deep, incisive research and analysis being discussed on the alternative pro-Indy sites.
The other massive thing they will have missed is the huge and frankly hilarious body of creative humour unleashed by this movement. I can’t be the only one to detect a distinct difference in the general demeanour and “personality type” between yer average Cybernat, and yer average nippy Yoon. There is a comforting humour and cameraderie about it all that I am enjoying and am somewhat addicted to, heh heh.
Also I agree with Ghillie. Robert Louis at 7.50 sums the Smith situation up in a nutshell.
I had to go back and work in France for a month immediately after the referendum. My French colleagues’ incredulity as to how on earth people in Scotland could have voted No still haunts me to this day. I was grieving, ashamed and so sick in the heart and guts I could hardly talk about it with them.
Who would have thought then though, that less then two years later we were going to be “getting another go at it” with an SNP breakthrough on this (hopefully) massive scale and the possible prospect of another IndyRef within a (relatively) short timescale?
I know there’s no room for complancy. But I do feel we’re at the beginning of the final “heave”.
Robert Louis is right. John Swinney is far too much of a gentleman to tell them to “get tea f***”. I am praying though he has the massive cojones and tenacity necessary to do just that in his actions, and hold out against them as hard as he can.
He certainly has the intelligence and integrity, that’s for sure.
Something we rarely saw under the dead weight of decades of “Scottish” Labour, troughing at the expense of our country’s best interests.
I wonder if there was a fringe meeting within the EU leaders negotiation, where they got the pigs-heads out.
Then perhaps JS should just walk away and say “Mr Hands failed to turn up for the negotiations!”
@galamcennalath
I’d say there was a bit of that in there, but more importantly his break coincided with DCs EU negotiations. DC ia under the hammer and he knows it. He needs breathing space and time to spin his version of the fallout from those negotiations. Aye, apparently he has a referendum or some such looming. 🙂
The FM and Mr Swinney? No pressure at all. They aren’t there to either negotiate or deliver anything, merely scrutinise and inform. Either HMG keeps its word or it doesn’t. We’ve seen so far what their word has been worth in the past seventeen months on pretty much every pledge they made during the referendum. Jobs, pensions, broad shoulders in times of economic hardship, olive branches, respect, they’ve driven a horse and cart through all of it.
Now after the dog and pony show that was the Smith Commission and the farcical Scotland bill debates comes their delivery of the very bestest ever devolution in the history of the universe. Aye, those debates where every amendment proposed by 56 out of 59 MPs (including FFA) was binned out of hand (simply because they could) and the amendments proposed by HMG shot through hardly touching the sides (spooky or what?). Doesn’t appear to have been much respect for partnership and unity going forward there, but maybe they were just showing Scotland some tough love?
Anyroads, over to HMG to deliver those super duper, near federalism powers. Oh, and NO detriment. 🙂
I would like to know what Westminster has given away to secure “special status”. Last time Scotland effectively lost our fishing industry.
link to twitter.com
Oddly enough, future Lord Tomkinski, Ljubljana West ( C ) hasn’t mentioned the thing that shall never be spoken of by any UKOK ligger, in print or on BBC/ITV, either.
Its an odd black out by future Lord Tomkins because he is a Conservative thingee on the Smith Commission farce, what came up with whatever it is UKOK Treasury are currently bullshitting us, for the union. All just another toryboy UKOK coincidence I’m sure.
The above twitter Prof T’s account may well be a spoof. Its tricky trying to work out who’s actually UKOK toryboy real, red and blue, frankly.
link to metro.co.uk
Considering the Scotland region is now being airbrushed out of teamGB world by likes of BBC, no wonder.
Breeks @ 8:57
Agreed
Interesting comment from Mario Monti a past Prime Minister of Italy. While discussing Camerons frantic flopping to get an agreement with the EU that he could hang his hat on said ” Mr. Cameron is playing a dangerous game, he risks Britain breaking away from the EU then Scotland breaking from the UK”
This was on ,I believe, Channel 4 news. We may be having a greater effect than we think.
You know maybe oor John should take a wee holiday,well he has been working flat out.
Go on John pack your suitcase and go sit next to a pool for a fortnight,if the britnats want to continue discussions well they will just have to wait.
Nicely done Chris 🙂
Our own election will now be a sideshow, the living-dead Gordon Wilson & Ming Campbell were exhumed to exercise their ego’s on the Beeb this morning & this Gove, whose name is on everybody’s lips is a complete zoomer. It’ll be “All Hands to the pumps” to save Cameron’s skin.
well Breeks @ 8.57 nailed it , you can stamp yer feet and vent your anger, this is as far as it will get , the Establishment have effectively shut down discussion on this until they dream up the SNP walked away story,Unless the SNP leadership change tactics and figure out how to use all this negative propaganda only one version of this framework farce will see the light of day , the UKOK version , playing nice and being reasonable dosent work .
Does anyone remember when a bunch of folk from Birmingham invaded the BBBC?
I believe they were of a certain religion quite prevalent in the area.
The invasion was briefly mentioned then buried under a thick pile carpet – presumably in case anyone else thought the idea worth repeating.
I find the media of Scotland utterly shameless , useless and rivalling the Lib/Lab/Con party in its dissembling.
I look forward to seeing the Heralds circulation figures – I’m sure they will be an absolute whizz!
We were told if we voted ‘No’ we would get Devo Max. We were then palmed off with the Smith Commission, which came up with less powers than a parish council.
They then failed to meet the Smith recommendations, and now they’re trying to haggle a deal which will result in Scotland being worse off to the tune of Billions, so they can laugh at us struggling even more than we are now.
‘Better Together’, I’m not so sure.
DerekM… I’m with the SNP. They should continue to represent the best interests of Scotland and keep the moral high ground.
Let the Londoncentric Tory’s make a rod for their own back… let them reel out enough rope.
We voted en-masse for the SNP last May for the very reason that they would oppose the Tory’s austerity agenda and expected attack/backlash on Scotland, in favour of their South-east agenda. That is what the SNP are doing (although you will not read about it in the ‘news’).
Keep at it John I say. For all it is frustrating, there are a couple of million of us right there with you.
Another excellent toon Chris, that sums up the Establishment to a tee. Everyone that is politically engaged can see what is going on here, but we must remember that the SNP must speak out to a wider audience. These talks are doomed for certain, the whole crux is in how the SNP play out the aftermath. Will the SNP catch the opposition off guard, and spring a Home Rule referendum in their manifesto? I would…if we don’t maintain the momentum, we’re looking at 10 years or more until the demographics change enough to enable a victory. It’s an extremely tall order to expect a SNP majority to last that long.
Robert Graham @ 10:44
Repeated newspaper ads, billboards, etc only way to get message out there.
If SG can’t fund it we surely can!
Breeks @8:57
Excellent post, however the unionist press, ie most of them, do comment on Scotland, either in their day jobs as liars and crooks, or in disguise as bloggers calling our elected representatives, Vile reprehensible names.
And the silence from the SNP is deafening. It’s time they grew a pair!
@ Brian McHugh
But Brian why should we be making all the running its not our bill its theirs,if their negotiator can go on holiday why cant ours,and since he has done his job its now up to the UK government to go back to the drawing board,Mr Swinney has shown them how to proceed if they dont take his advice then why should he bother.
Time to put the shoe on the other foot and make westminster wait for a change,well its not like we want their crappy bill anyway and plus it would be fun to watch them scream blue murder which they will.
Historically, a typical English halfway mish-mash sure to cause serious political problems later.
Your weekend reading:
link to wp.me
link to wp.me
Scotland must reject this insulting Bill. britnats will be right up themselves during the EU referendum so maybe the SNP could put in their manifesto pledge to hold a second referendum during the next parliament?
Andrew McLean, the silence from the SNP is not deafening. Over the last number of elections, there is always a lull just before the election campaign storm.
As we move deep into March, through April and into May, there will most certainly not be silence.
Radical Independence Campaign 2016 Conference on indylive now
link to livestream.com?
Hi All – Let’s look at this calmly, the Scottish Government has done everything possible to reach an agreement but has been thwarted at every turn, it’s now John Swinnney’s turn to turn round walk out, publish all their miserable tricks in The National and on Wings then let the people decide. The Unionists in their forrss London probably haven’t heard of The National as they will be relying on their tame MSM. This should be followed by our 56 MP’s walking out of Westminster declaring UDI just as the unionists always told us to do – gain a majority of Scottish MP’s and instead of bowing as they leave every one should stick one finger in the air.
If Cameron thinks he’s got a problem with his back-benchers over the EU it’ll be nothing to the one he’ll have as he tries to explain how his dirty tricks department bit him on the bum and lost him Scotland. No Scotland and out of EU with their phoney economy vanishing down the toilet. I’ll drool over this thought all weekend, LOL.
Auld Rock
Derek, we are not making all the running (not that I see anyway). Unfortunately, we are in this negotiation position because we didn’t get a Yes vote, but this is where we are.
The SNP promised that they would hold the unionists “feet to the fire”… I say good plan, they appear to be doing exactly that… and see how it pans out. 😉
@breeks, spot on.
If it wasn’t for the corrupted media, this country should be in an uproar, at the barrage of insults meted out by the Tories.
I know that many are struggling to just keep going financially etc. but we will never change that unless more of Scotland wake up.
I thought there should have been much more noise concerning EVEL,but that has now passed into history.
It worries me too that people forget, or don’t register, because they just consume the headlines.
Cameron comes back the conquering hero, because he got everyone to agree we are ‘speshul’. I noticed he is getting the EU to but out of London, and I pray that gets overturned, because the EU definitely wanted bankers bonuses curtailed, but the colonial masters hated this.
How the wider public are not outraged at Tories yet again feathering their own nest, is beyond me.
Oh, and we can keep using the £ !! As they point out, the pork lover used to work in PR, so he is used to borrowing your watch to tell you the time.
Forgot to add, unionists don’t do Negotiate they only know INTIMIDATE. Ask, Ireland, Kenya, Nigeria etc.
Auld Rock
@mumsyhugs says: 20 February, 2016 at 7:34 am:
“Pity it wisnae a long walk aff a short pier!”
It may yet turn out to be so, mumsyhugs. The Westminster climate is slowly changing and sooner or later the electorate in Middle England will catch up with the rest of us.
If news reports are correct the rather thick and smelly stuff is about to collide with the ventilation equipment in Middle England.
Today sees news reports of the English NHS being now mainly in severe debt. That situation cannot continue. Either the Government must privatise the English NHS or throw money at it. If the former there will be trouble and if the latter it will result in gains for the devolved governments via Barnett Consequentials.
Either way the Tory Government are about to find themselves in very deep waters.
Nice one, Chris. Sums up perfectly the utter disdain and contempt WM holds for Scotland. IndyRef#1 put them in a place they didn’t want to be, i.e. forcing them to make us an offer aka ‘The Vow’. And they detest us for it and will do whatever they can to frustrate our aspirations, to get out of having to give anything. And then they will blame US for it. All part of the ‘game’.
O/T
Time, me thinks, to stop using the term ‘Unionist Press’. To many a unionist it is indeed ‘their’ press and they see no fault in it–to them it is not a pejorative term. To the rest of us the very term ‘Unionist’ is anathema. But ‘Unionist Press/Media’ merely creates a ‘them and us’ division when what we need to be doing is to convert the soft unionists, the soft No voters. We need those voters to realise that what they are reading is unhealthy for Scottish democracy.
They might find the term ‘Unionist Press/Media’ acceptable (because they are, afterall, unionists) but if we refer to the press and broadcasters as the ‘Colonial Press/Media‘ would they find that acceptable?
I doubt it. That term, once it works its way into the interweb lexicon, will be unacceptable to many unionists and, hopefully, will make the soft unionists THINK why the hell they are reading and accepting what the Colonial Media is telling them.
Scotland needs its own indiginous media since the Colonial Media we have here serves only to undermine and thwart Scottish democratic aspirations with a catalogue of spin, deceit and outright lies.
Only an SNP ROUT will keep UKIP OUT – SNP x 2
Tbh I despair of middle England ever waking up & I live there (for now). Everyone moans about what the tories are doing but it’s always someone else that has to fight them. This makes me mad.
Headlines are seen as the gospel truth but even limited scrutiny blows that ‘truth’ apart.
Some are waking up but not enough yet.
It is ok the BBC have all got it all covered.
link to bbc.co.uk
Must take the BBC PQ award for most patronising article ever.
They just sink lower and lower.
Dont get me wrong Brian i think they are doing a marvelous job especially John,but i do feel we are chasing this a little to much when it should be them thats doing the chasing ,especially now that we have thrown the bill back in their face and told them to go away and fix it or no deal.
Two can play at their game we have waited since the indyref for them to come up with their plan for Scotland,which just goes to show they never had one to start with,i said it way back that they would do everything they could to slow the process down and they have,they know their number is up its all about how long they can keep their grubby thieving hands on our resources now.
Fiscal framework not on the on-line front page of the Hootsman or the Herald and only in ninth place on the politics pages.
Nuff said!
Similar on Radio Jockland nothing to see or hear here move along.
PS:
@Robert Peffers
Spot on. More money from George O. and then the Scottish consequencials kick in or UKNHS privatisation and NHS Scotland loses out big time.
link to archive.is
Hoss
“Lego” FFS.
If only we could Lego of the Union right now!
I’ll get me kilt
Last night I was out with some friends who like myself have voted Labour for many years. I have seen the light. They were berating the SNP about council tax freezes and the 1p rate in tax. The devil in me told them that a new proposal was coming that meant people who wanted to pay extra in Council tax and income tax could register voluntarily to do so.
I pressed home the need for concerned citizens like them to have this option,and how grateful everybody would be to see them contribute extra .
After 15 minutes I nearly had them ordering Brandy to keep their hearts going.
Every excuse under the sun came out about why it should be everyone or no – one.
I mean—-I mean. That became the conversation. I did not enlighten them with the truth,so I suppose the Internet will be burning up with research this morning.
It was funny.
We are definately pretty much in agreement derek regarding our feelings on this, but many times in politics, all is not what it appears at face value.
There is a lot of ‘positioning’ going on, which from our perspective is not a bad thing, considering that the ‘No’ vote effectively gives carte-blanche (the last word) to Westminster. As I said, we are where we are at the moment; and have to make the most of it.
Scotland insulted again!! Deliberately so! Time to walk away! Great cartoon!
Mr Hands MP,who is negotiating with John Swinney MSP holds dual American-British nationality.
The Guardian,November 2008:-
“Greg Hands,the Tory MP for Hammersmith & Fulham,took advantage of his dual citizenship to vote for McCain and Palin.” !!!!! 🙁
Just wait till the Scottish people realise the NHS is no longer affordable and that their future pensions will be crumbs.
It all might seem a long way off,but is actually just around the corner. Another 5 years of Tory rule will bring it to fruition.
These are the topics that incite people to action. For now they do not see it,but they will eventually. Then ,hold onto your hat.
Shouldn’t that be “DEPARTURES…”?
heedtracker says
link to metro.co.uk
This reminds me of many many years ago in a pub in Liverpool where I ordered up some drinks handed over a Scots £1 and was told sorry they do not accept them so I said ok we will go somewhere else,what about these drinks he said my reply you pay for them with your English money and drink them left and no problem in next pub.
Many was the time I was only offered 19/6 for my Scots £1 always refused,I found Malta very happy to accept my Scots money.
Heard on Radio 4 this morning. “People down here are asking themselves how Margaret Thatcher would have voted”.
After all this time, many of the London elite are still in thrall to that damned woman.
Hands for trump?
Re ‘Special’ EU deal for Great Britain….what’s to stop other EU countries applying same (or other) conditions/terms , as those given to Britain, onto British people currently living, or seeking to live, in their countries?
Perhaps I’m missing something here (very willing to concede ) but if Britain got a ‘Special’ deal then to be fair other EU countries could also justifiably decide to change terms for Brits when in their countries .
Perhaps Cameron has backed Britain into a corner in his desperation to save face. I would hardly think Britain is in a position to object should other EU countries decide that they too wish to apply same rules as UK….or new ones !
Cameron has opened a can of worms negotiating this ‘Special’ deal for UK and there WILL be a EU fallout ! ( Perhaps after EU vote here in June other EU countries may decide to act accordingly ).
Get the feckin popcorn.
EU referendum on 23 rd June – need to get a postal vote
Now that the EU Referendum vote is now set for June, it may by that time bored a lot of people to death. I just get the feeling that the turnout wouldn’t be as high as some think it will.
I don’t feel “Special” relationship wise
I’m sorry I just don’t….so there
Worms comes to mind
Clapper57 @12.41
I think Brits living in the EU will indeed be affected. The host country will reduce any payments, because why would they pay more?
I posted the other day that UK is 3rd bottom of all EU countries for benefit, giving a lie to our benefits paradise. Additionally, the money involved in putting this brake on benefits to those EU nationals claiming here, is pure chicken feed – £30M.
Economic migrants make a net contribution to this country, but should they get sick, they can feck off. If the economy is turned to dust by the UK govt, and they are made redundant, they can feck off!
Rule Britannia! We invented shit working conditions, and by God, you will be dragged back there – tally ho!
Total disrespect towards Scotland, nothing new there then.
Re the EU ref I envisage wall to wall coverage for ukip, heaven forbid they get seats at Holyrood.
link to france24.com
Also Robin McAlpine said something about reconvening the Yes movement, about time someone did. We need to get going so people don’t lose heart.
EU ref, 23rd June which is just seven weeks after the Holyrood.
OK, since a short gap is acceptable, can we pencil in Indyref2 for 25th August which is after the schools go back? Everyone OK with that? 🙂
Ruthie will be spitting, dear old Dave has set June 23rd for his Euroref. Farage will never be off the telly, there will be UKIP MSPs from the list. At the expense of the vote Ruth Davidson party and allowing Kez to hold onto second place.
Oh dear, how sad. Never mind, lovely boy!
See people seem concerned that ukip might get an inflated vote in the Holyrood election,but why would anyone vote for a party in May that has only another month of relevance left. After June 23rd,no matter what the result,I think ukip is finished.
Greg Moodie is not surprised that Chris can do such a good portrait of a holiday-maker! 😀
Thanks Chris.
Heard on the BBC this morning, one commentator to another.
“What about the danger of the UK breaking up and Scotland leaving the UK if we vote on coming out of Europe?” “Well I’ve talked to a lot of people in “middle England” that see it as a two for one bonus and say bring it on!”
Well I’m hoping for a three for one bonus. UK dragged out Europe by “middle England”, Scotland freed, Cameron consigned to history as the man who played one poker hand too many.
Clapper57… spot on. In Physics, we say that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. 😉
When the Bill to allow the EU Ref goes through WM, SNP MPs should table an amendment.
A second question should be added to the ballot papers in Scotland.
“In the event of UK exit from the EU, should Scotland become an independent country?”
What are the chances of WM carrying that amendment? 🙂
Almannysbunnet
You have posted what I was thinking!
Around social media I have read the 2 for 1 comment many times from those in the south, and its genuinely held!
Once again, Cameron can’t lose personally in this. He has delivered the referendum. If there is Brexit, he can step down as he indicated last year. If they vote to remain, he can choose his leaving when the south finally erupts, or the economy crashes. Either way, he is planning his own retirement, with as little shit attached as possible.
Almannysbunnet says:
“Cameron consigned to history as the man who played one poker hand too many.”
He certainly shows all the signs of a secret online gambling addiction!
Plays fast and loose with his Union. He may lose more than the shirt of his back.
I wholeheartedly agree with all the comments about us having to dance to their tune, when they’re not on holiday. I am f’n sick of it.
This is important to us. Mr. Swinney should tell them he’ll see them a fortnight come Tuesday. Bring a sensible deal or don’t come. They’ll not come. Scotland Bill dead. Move on to May, destroy them all, and then say-
Do you wanna meet now?
I’d love to be able to LIKE comments on here. There are so many great comments.
By God …talk about a week in politics.
Well …it’s going to get a tad interesting over these next few weeks. Half of England will be staring at David Cameron with a look of sheer contempt while balling fists in anger. Those who want out of the EU don’t give a damn about a ‘super state’, financial regulations or the Euro. Insulting to them is the notion of ‘benefits being curbed’, for that’s not what they want to hear. It’s the immigration itself that they want stopped! As far as they are concerned, the army of migrants waiting at Calais to cross the Channel don’t get any benefits at present, so, does the curbing of benefits really going to deter them from entering Britain?
Of course not.
But yet, blindly, anti-EU protestors believe that pulling out of the EU will solve all of Britain’s migration issues. They believe that no one else will be allowed in (even though major corporations will continue to work with countries like India and China and invite economic migrants to still keep coming).
This migration argument is like a festering sore for England. Now, it is going to be openly discussed, and it is going to tear in England in two. The likes of Farage will talk about ‘securing our borders’ and ‘keeping the European economic migrants at bay’, while Cameron will try frantically to keep the economic argument front and centre and away from the immigration issue. It’s going to get rather nasty I believe.
Immigration along with the economic argument will be the key arguments that the EU Referendum will be fought over in England. Up here in Scotland, it will be on the economic argument and why we need to be in it, even though the EU most certainly does have its faults. For me personally …I’m for the EU. I could give you a whole list of historical reasons as to why it matters.
But as partial bystanders looking on in England …it’s going to be fascinating stuff.
This shows the contempt we are held in and by all, I mean No voters too. The decision to hold the Euro Ref so close to the devolved elections and therefore overshadow the campaigns, rubs it in further.
What is “special” about the UK? By “special” they mean “better” than everyone else.
The only way they will wake up to the reality of their position in Europe is if they lose their last colony, i e us.
From BBC
he key points of the deal are:
An “emergency brake” on migrants’ in-work benefits for four years when there are “exceptional” levels of migration. The UK will be able to operate the brake for seven years
Child benefit for the children of EU migrants living overseas will now be paid at a rate based on the cost of living in their home country – applicable immediately for new arrivals and from 2020 for the 34,000 existing claimants
The amending of EU treaties to state explicitly that references to the requirement to seek ever-closer union “do not apply to the United Kingdom”, meaning Britain “can never be forced into political integration”
The ability for the UK to enact “an emergency safeguard” to protect the City of London, to stop UK firms being forced to relocate into Europe and to ensure British businesses do not face “discrimination” for being outside the eurozone
That’s all folks! All those air miles, and dinners.
UK has to vote to remain for even work to begin. On the emergency brake, I believe that is just an opportunity for a country to bring a case, that their public services are under pressure due to influx. Who will support that, given we have taken in a pitiful number?
O/T
I have just received Oliver Mundell’s “in Touch” pamflet
(Gretna district).I quote “I want to see Dumfriesshire have
the strongest possible voice in Holyrood just as we have in Westminster.” FFS. HELP!!!
msean says:
20 February, 2016 at 1:20 pm
“See people seem concerned that ukip might get an inflated vote in the Holyrood election,but why would anyone vote for a party in May that has only another month of relevance left. After June 23rd,no matter what the result,I think ukip is finished.”
Msean , IMHO the only people who would vote for them are the uneducated and the Orange brigade ( one in the same really ).
They have shown true colours where Scotland concerened , they constantly go on about how unfair it is that Scots get special treatment , remember Paul Nuttal on QT harping on about how Scots get free hospital parking, free tuition fees etc. Perhaps he forgot about David Coborn elected as MEP in Scotland region as it did make me wonder, if that is how UKIP see us then why the feck put ANY UKIP candidates in Scotland ?
I am sure it will be to their disadvantage, in Scotland, their over exposure in EU debate as their prejudiced and ill thought out logic will come to the fore. I am sure they will make detrimental comments towards the Scots especially SNP and any Scot with intelligence will be turned off to their one trick pony and English bias argument.
Remember Nigel farage pre GE spouting guff about Barnett formula should be stopped and moaning about ‘how much money is thrown at Scotland’. ffs it would be ludicrous to elect a UKIP MSP when they obviously exist to promote English votes for English Laws.
Farage and co think England are being ignored…major irony then that his party should seek any kind of representation in a country ( Scotland ) where he and his party are contemptuous of in what they see as having an unfair advantage over England.
UKIP are ALL about English nationalism and they fight for England not for any other part of UK . Scots should ALWAYS be aware of this .
We do not need any more poisonous parties in Holyrood seeking to undermine independence and rights of Scottish people.
NEVER FORGET WHAT UKIP ARE AND WHAT THEY REALLY REPRESENT, WHAT THEY REALLY SEEK AND HOW THEY REALLY THINK ABOUT SCOTLAND, WE ARE NOTHING TO THEM !!!!
ffs #NO-UKIP-IN-HOLYROOD !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Macandroid 11.04 am
“Repeated newspaper ads, billboards, etc only way to get message out there.
If SG can’t fund it we surely can!”
I think the SG could fund it and I wonder why not? But anyway we undoubtedly could and it would be great and very possibly game-changing in a very big and positive way but no one seems willing to or bothered about getting it up and running.
1)Scunterbunnet’s inform-Scotland.org sinks without trace or explanation.
2)SG doesn’t seem to have any strategy for countering anti-Scottish propaganda. Because the entire Idiot Media is hostile to them doesn’t mean it can’t be done. All that needs to be done is to find companies that would be happy to place pro-Indy billboards and maybe also some of the smaller local papers to place ads in, get the right people on to the wording and imagery of the ads then crowdfund for payment.
I know about just keeping quiet and giving the unionists enough rope to hang themselves with etc, but I’m afraid that as far as penetrating the soft No demographic is concerned that just doesn’t cut it if a significant majority support for Independence, i.e. 60%+ is to be achieved before it’s too late.
So many brilliant posts on here. Too many people to mention by name.
Over the last week we’ve heard one news reporter after another bleating on about the ‘no detriment’ stalemate and not one has mentioned the fact that the continuing stalemate was in part due to Hands lolling beside a pool somewhere in France …. Rather just make out, by omission, that John Swinney is playing silly beggars.
And what’s happened to Cameron’s promises made just days before the Referendum?
”We have agreed a timetable for that stronger Scottish Parliament: a time-table to bring in the new powers that will go ahead if there is a No vote … a White Paper by November, put into draft legislation by January. This is a timetable that is now agreed by all the main political parties and set in stone and I am prepared to work with all the main parties to deliver this during 2015. So a No vote actually means faster, fairer, safer and better change ….You can get real, concrete change on Thursday if you vote No.”
Well we’re into 2016 now and the only concrete changes I can see have been the introduction of EVEL, austerity cuts, job losses and clear signs that we’re living in a Fascist State (radical, authoritarian Nationalism). Independent economists are telling us that the new powers on offer are a fiscal trap designed to penalise and basically destroy Scotland over time. It’s actually so bad that SLab support John Swinney and that’s saying something.
Not only has ‘it’ not been ”fast, fair, safe and better.” There’s actually …. nothing …. better …. on the table at all.
Fantastic cartoon by the way Chris and I can’t wait for the day that you to draw the hundred plus Scottish Office agents heading back to England with their cases and P45s in hand.
It’s just reminded me of this: an old favourite that had us all, Alex Salmond included seemingly, in knots. Over 200 Labour politicians and entourage carrying cases and dragging their wee trolleys bags behind them. Visit to Scotland? …. not a good idea at all! Bbaad in fact. Months later their party was in total disarray …. and finished in Scotland. Good enough for them.
link to youtube.com
Brian McHugh @11:19
No Brian you are wrong.
link to theguardian.com
Why is Stella given protection by her party, but ours aren’t!
Again the silence is deafening.
Ps call me Andrew, we are all friends here.
Agree with “Auld” Rock” and “Katherine Hamilton” , time for JS to give the London treasury
an ultimatum , either deliver the pre referendum ” NO BRIBE” in full or John Swinney ” goes
on holiday ” on 23rd Feb.
Mundell’s ” Scotland Bill” is nowhere near the ” vow” consequently time for ” the gauntlet” to be
“thrown down” by NS and the necessary mandates to be included in the manifesto for May.
Cameron has enough on his plate with EU vote and the SNP should now seize this opportunity
to confront the London Tory government over the “vow” and drive home this advantage
with the endorsement of the Scottish electorate in May.
@ cd says at 2:46 pm ….
Macandroid 11.04 am “Repeated newspaper ads, billboards, etc only way to get message out there. If SG can’t fund it we surely can!”
”I think the SG could fund it and I wonder why not? But anyway we undoubtedly could and it would be great and very possibly game-changing in a very big and positive way but no one seems willing to or bothered about getting it up and running …. SG doesn’t seem to have any strategy for countering anti-Scottish propaganda. Because the entire Idiot Media is hostile to them doesn’t mean it can’t be done. All that needs to be done is to find companies that would be happy to place pro-Indy billboards and maybe also some of the smaller local papers to place ads in, get the right people on to the wording and imagery of the ads then crowdfund for payment. I know about just keeping quiet and giving the unionists enough rope to hang themselves with etc, but I’m afraid that as far as penetrating the soft No demographic is concerned that just doesn’t cut it if a significant majority support for Independence, i.e. 60%+ is to be achieved before it’s too late.”
Cd / Macandroid I can totally relate to what you’re saying for example at the moment many people out there must be absolutely convinced that Scotland can’t make it on its own and it’s not just about oil. We’re all aware of the ins and outs as to what’s been going on with the Scotland Bill, however from most peoples point of view it’ll be coming across that Scotland will be totally beggared if we don’t get enough money through the block grant. This block grant will be / is seen, by some, as an English handout that’s keeping Scotland afloat.
The SNP have to get some facts out there such as a basic outline as to how the Barnett Formula actually works; the MANY areas that Westminster still controls and percentages such as 70% plus of Welfare and that massive amounts of our revenues are being wheeched into Westminsters (Treasury) coffers.
There are over 100,000 SNP members. If it’s down to lack of cash then I’m sure that most, if asked, would donate money towards an advertising campaign.
Prior to the Referendum we could all see that the SCUM were doing their utmost not to interview Alex Salmond or if they did so cut him short / edited responses: Vilifying and demonising him at every turn and more than anything constantly making out that he was a one man band when in actual fact he had a mass of renowned experts supporting him such as Stiglitz. It’s was clear to everyone that something had to be done to by-pass the SCUM to get the truth out there such as by using billboards and so on but more than anything by sending out leaflets.
I had been really disappointed with the SNP hubs that I’d visited and constantly asked why they weren’t using their windows to advertise?! Then we received SNP leaflets outlining some half decent facts … good … but the last one just days before voting …. well I was totally gobsmacked when I saw it to be honest. A massive leaflet that opened out to show a woman holding a baby and nothing on the reverse side. I could have wept when I saw it just thinking of the amount of information that could have been displayed such as names of experts plus a little comment from …. Joseph Stiglitz (Economy / Currency), Sir Harry Burns (NHS), Sir Donald MacKay – Kevin Forbes (Oil), Steve Webb (Pensions), Lieutenant Commander May – Ian Godden – Donald MacLaren (Defence), Craig Murray (Stolen Seas / oil fields), Dr. Nicolas Levrat (EU) and Dame Marriot Leslie (NATO). Additionally it could have contained information on Fracking, Trident (costs and risks), Who owns Scotland, list of Scotlands assets, McCrone Report and lists of Youtube videos and websites such as Wings etc etc etc.
It didn’t happen then but heres hoping that whoever is running their advertising campaign now has the capacity to think like the ordinary man (woman) on the street and will get the facts out there one way or another. It’s absolutely imperative if we want to get our Independence ASAP …. or ever at all in fact.
On a final note the SNP should be sending out leaflets in relation to the EU Referendum informing people of the number of jobs that may be lost but more than anything what life will be like for the Scots if rUK pulls out and we are left at the mercy of Westminster …. Human Rights, Employment Law, Health and Safety Regulations undermined (rewritten?) to name but a few.
It looks as if part of the deal Cameron has struck with the EU is the limitation of benefits rights for immigrants for the first 4 years of their presence in The UK.
Surely any immigrants falling into that category should be entitled to NI rates reduced to correspond to said reduced benefits entitlemmnts.
If not would it not be a breach of their Human Rights or some other equality law.
It is bad enough being ignored by Westminster and I believe the Scotland bill should be scraped. Hey what about the EU shite it is almost like the indy ref, one side getting all the press Vote to Stay, Bollocks I am not its Vote Leave for me. I say to all you EU lovers watch how this is going to play out, the establishment want to stay so here we go again. I still don’t know what he got oh yeah fuck all, you guys believe this pish more fools you. Vote Leave that is the way ahead role on Indy 2 and we get out. Win win.
If this doesn’t work out like Cameron wants it to, the Treasury will be going Hands-free, Osborne is non-stick. Poor Greg. Seems like a nice chap, family man.
So, it’s official. A “Deal” is done and the date is officially fixed for the E.U. Referendum for Thursday 23rd June. Now the fun begins. An interesting 4 months. 75 days until the Scottish General Election, and 49 days later the Referendum.
Let’s do this. SNP X 2 and a Brexit should secure Indref2 before too long. A dog’s dinner of a Vow, son of trident, more austerity and E.V.E.L should do the trick. We’ve the box of matches. Their supplying the fuel and stoking the fire. Let’s torch this Union.
Stephen.
We should not fight this hostile media. We should not appeal for fairness. We should not seek intervention from any third party. Just shun it as a nuisance. That’s enough.
It should be supplanted wholesale. Leave the whole rotten structure intact, but remove from it the vital essence of actual news. Leave them nothing but second hand quotes, and catch-up stories.
Our Scottish Government should pay the merest possible lip service to Unionist Broadcasting, and put maximum energy into embracing indie (if you’ll pardon the expression) broadcasters.
I recall recently Derek Bateman expressing some irony that the SNP invited all the hostile pro-union hacks to a Christmas drinks party at Holyrood, and snubbed virually all the “new wave” pro indy voices. Evidence would suggest there was no mass partaking of hemlock involved, no skullduggery at all in fact, and it was essentially the thoughtless snub it first appeared. SNP bad… tsk, tsk.
What we require is an alternative media, something akin to Pirate Radio or TV; something free to rebel against the machine, and a thing the SNP might outwardly disapprove of for appearances sakes, but at the same time supply with scoops, direct quotes and inside stories.
We have Wings of course, then Derek Bateman, Lesley Riddoch, and Michael Greenwell seems to have a safe pair of hands too. They all need support, and not just help to pay the bills, but structure and co-ordination, quality access, high priority stories, select information; the type of traffic that will help them to grow an audience and mature into a professional news and political discussion entity that Scotland desperately needs.
What core of listeners does a radio channel need to survive? Can we not even manage just one nation wide pro Scotland radio station? I would listen. Even if it sucked big time, I would listen just to celebrate it’s existence. Even just three or four hours a day…at first. Once it exists, lets then worry about making it good.
TV would be even better, but every journey begins with one step and all that.
Why not get Fergus Ewing and his chums at Scottish Enterprise to stop shitting on the little people and do something constructive for once and test the will of our friends in Europe to assist our cultural self expression through radio and television? Maybe best doing it quick while we still have their phone numbers.
Opportunities don’t just happen. You have to make them happen, and then blow on the spark until it’s a flame.
I know Westminster would seek to shut it down and make life very difficult for it to survive. But don’t you see? That’s why it might just actually matter. Bring it on Westminster. Bring it on.
Hi Andrew (@3:32), The SNP could scream from the rooftops regarding other parties MP’s misdemeanors… the press will not print or publicise it anyway, so it would be futile.
Best to just ignore the establishment propaganda publications… and certainly the BBC. It is better for your health anyway :o)
And the Scottish Finance Bill was prepared by: Sir Nicholas MacPherson!!!!!!!! No wonder John Swinney thinks it stinks
Brian, I am not asking them to shout from the rooftops, I am asking them to report spanner to the PF. That’s all, why’s that too much to ask?