All news is bad news
Figures released yesterday indicated that the number of full-time teachers employed in Scotland had risen by 253 over the past year, despite budget cuts imposed by the UK government’s austerity programme. This obviously presented the Scottish media with a dilemma: how could such statistics be presented as an “SNP BAD” story?
Luckily, we’re dealing with experienced professionals here.
The BBC and STV both led with the fact that numbers had decreased in a minority of local council areas, relegating the fact of the overall increase to lesser prominence.
(The former, embarrassed by an outcry over the headline, went through at least FOUR variants in the course of the day, each slightly less negative than the previous one. At the time of writing, STV still have the original negative one.)
In case anyone still wasn’t sure that this week’s SNP BAD theme in the media was going to be an attack on education, the Scottish Daily Mail this morning weighed in with a thunderous “SCHOOLS CRISIS!” blast, comprising a blaring front-page headline, the standard clutch of distorted and spun figures, and an apocalyptic column by Carole Ford, who the Mail identified as a former headteacher.
But oddly they neglected to disclose another fact about her, that readers of the sort-of newspaper might have considered pertinent in the context of a political attack.
Ms Ford trailed in a poor FIFTH in May’s general election, with fewer than a tenth of the votes of the SNP’s victorious Sandra White, so we can see why she’d want to keep attention away from her political side.
(She also leaves her Lib Dem affiliations out of the Nat-bashing letters she regularly bombards the press with, and recently posed as a member of the public – expressly NOT a politician – in a video interview published by millionaire-funded hardcore nutter Yoon collective Scotland In Union.)
It’s slightly harder to come up with an excuse for the Mail hiding the fact from its readers. But when even supposedly neutral national broadcasters are willing to drill down into positive figures until they can find SOMETHING negative in them to lead their coverage with, the subterfuge looks increasingly like a waste of effort anyway.
You’re being a bit selective in the numbers you choose to see.
Teachers numbers are DOWN by about 10% since the SNP assumed responsibility for education. According to the Scottish Parliament’s figures, spending per pupil is DOWN by about £540 per pupil in real terms since 2010.
And on the quantitative side, we see today that, in addition to the pretty poor PISA performance, somewhere being a quarter and a third of primary school children are being failed by our education system.
You throw in the tired “despite budget cuts imposed by the UK government’s austerity programme” excuse and John Swinney takes “responsibility” by adopting the “brave” stance of blaming the local authorities.
Well, from this week, the SNP has the fiscal powers to do something about that.
“Well, from this week, the SNP has the fiscal powers to do something about that.”
Labour stood in May on a platform of hiking income tax. The electorate made its views on that pretty clear. However, it is of course irrelevant to the stats you’re quoting anyway, since those all predate the new tax powers. Yawn.
So … we have a situation where, as I understand it, 12 LABOUR/TORY controlled Councils have cut in a variety of ways teacher numbers. Somehow though, the fact that Labour and Tory Councillors decided to cut teacher numbers, it is all the fault of the S.N.P. I wonder what part of “the S.N.P. did NOT make any decision about cutting teacher numbers because that decision is made at COUNCIL level” the BBC/SKY/MSM are incapable of understanding. 😉
Ford has to be another example of the “experts” that folk rebelled against in Brexit. People pushing a political nostrum being disguised as impartial / expert advisors. And its not just the papers, how many times have we had so called experts on the BBC where their political affiliations have not been diusclosed?
And then they wonder why we dont trust them
Well, from this week, the SNP has the fiscal powers to do something about that.
They’re useless Phil. Everyone knows that, you included. Hike PAYE, pay twice for the privilege of having another country control every other Scots economic policy there is.
They could have done something nice, for their Scotland region, like give Scotland control of Scottish oil and gas industry Phil, but that’s not how it works, in teamGB.
LOLZ, here Phil Robertson, after you voted to keep Scotland’s revenues and resources in Westminster Tory hands the least you could do is get onto your Tory Government and demand they stop cutting the Scottish budget.
The BBC wouldn’t be aiming to undermine the democratically elected Scottish Government and Scotland’s self-confidence? Possibly.
As the BBC exists to promote British values, is their British ETHOS capable of providing space for difference? The mounting evidence suggests not.
Does the BBC care? Almost certainly not.
PUT THE MASTER’S TOOLS DOWN!
Back in the real worl, do you need teachers if there are no children to teach? Were there 12 councils who had a fall in the number of children on their rolls?
If you are using their services to be informed you are wasting your time
@Phil Robertson
So we have been devolved the powers in the last week to fix this? Are you saying the SNP should have, in this last week, fixed these issues?
Who expected colonial capitalists to stop kicking Scotland just because it voted No?
According to Severin Carrell this is another beating to be dished out by the bully boys: link to theguardian.com
@ Phil Robertson
‘Well, from this week, the SNP has the fiscal powers to do something about that.’
Only in the jaundiced cringing mind of a Yoon could a body try to justify Scotland’s taxpayers paying more tax in order to compensate for Westminster funding cuts.
Get off your knees sycophant.
It was also announced yesterday by the National Audit Office that schools in England would be facing a budget cut of £3bn by 2020. So Scotland can expect cuts of approximately £300m to our education budget via a the Barnett Formula.
Of course this will be because SNPBad.
The tories, who hate taxes, will continue to demand that the SNP hike up your income tax to cover this too, of course. These same income taxes that bring in 20% of overall revenues but are expected to pay for 100% of cuts because all our other taxes are still sent down to England.
And still the big corporations who operate in Scotland will be let of the tax hook by Westminster, hurrah.
Better Together, eh?
“Well, from this week, the SNP has the fiscal powers to do something about that.”
Ah brilliant the ‘Better Together’ tax, we get to pay twice but at least we can take solace in being British eh? Best of both worlds, broad shoulders and all that other claptrap.
Why not just have control over all the economic levers and redistribute accordingly? I suppose you would say that we are broke because that is what they say, and having noddy tax varying powers and still having to pay for things like nukes is the best we can manage.
As for your ranting about education, yes the results were not the best but hardly of disaster proportions. As for a 25% to 33% of children being failed somewhat over dramatic and what does it even mean? You make it sound like we are churning out children who can not read or write which is obviously total nonsense.
Just another Unionist rant and total switches people like me off. It is just like a loop, if it is not an education crisis, it is a policing crisis, or a railway crisis or the BBC holy grail, an NHS crisis.
Change the record………….
This is exactly the kind of story the Rev should focus on, in my humble opinion. 70% of people get their main news from the BBC. Very few in Scotland are reading the Daily Mail/Express for their political news – and those that do will be die-hard Unionists.
The ‘expert academic’ who can’t even put in a special needs module in the teacher training education courses. Part of the problem. Some ‘academics’ think because they can excel so can everyone else. Arrogance and elitism. Part of the problem. They collude with the system of which they are part and have most to gain. Creating divisions in society. Despite more inclusion.
The Medical Schools where alcohol/addiction abuse problems are not part of the syllabus. Leading to ignorance of social problems and redress. People die.
More anti-Scottish propaganda from the britnat media. It’s all they’ve got. Westminster cuts money and blames Holyrood. Britnats in Scotland can’t control their glee. Tractors on heat. Thank god for sites like WOS. Thank god people in Scotland are seeing through britnat media lies.
What Phil Robertson posted:
“You throw in the tired “despite budget cuts imposed by the UK government’s austerity programme” excuse and John Swinney takes “responsibility” by adopting the “brave” stance of blaming the local authorities.”
What Phil Robertson really wanted to say:
Scotland is the fag end of Greater England, you bloody morons, so get used to less and less of your taxes handed back, a harder existence, and more kickings from your elders and betters. Now, shut the fuck up.
Well, from this week, the SNP has the fiscal powers to do something about that.
Aha!
Look out peeps … we have a fully paid up member of the “Tax the Bastards” Brigade in town. Think it might be best to mind our “P’s” and “Q’s” for a wee while. 😀
Severin Carrell is a clueless, chicken shit A-HOLE!
@ Severin Carrell
Managing to develop your understanding of semiotics? You might want to take a look at post-colonial literature and theory once you are up to speed. WANK!
link to un.org
The new Director of BBC Scotland can still (I think) be reached via e-mail. She used to be donalda.mackinnon (at) bbc.co.thingy in a former role she had commissioning programmes.
I’m sure she’d appreciate feedback on her team’s ability to distort a story.
dakk@11.57,
Don’t you know that it is impossible for a yoon not to be on his knees? He needs to be in that position when he’s giving his Westminster overlord his morning bj. It is part of their mental makeup. Their the whoreboys of the establishment. Cocksuckers to the men in striped suits. They love being oh so submissive to the Union don’t you know? Lol.
Half of TV news is under average.
Just like people in East Germany became adept at translating news headlines and items from Neues Deutschland and Aktuelle Kamera, and reading between the lines to try to get an inkling of what was really going on in their democratic republic, so the people of Scotland (with your help) are learning the same skills. We need to learn fast.
Is there really nothing that we can do about all these twisting the good news to appear bad news ? I mean surely there must be someway to stop this the Scottish government should do something about this the people of Scotland are being lied to by a state run media now I know broadcasting is a reserved matter but telling lies is not reserved so please Nicola do something to right these wrongs
Oh no Phil Robertson you dont get away with that on this board. Money spent is no measure of the value of the outcome.
If you want 4 wheels and an engine to go from A to B then a £250,000 Bentley is no better than a Ford, or even a bus ticket if A and B are on a route.
The “money spent” is the fallacy that gave rise to the saw about accountants who know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
And “money spent” is one of the weapons of Project Fear using the inbuilt human fear of loss to over-ride reason, which is why white elephant projects are continued, why stock market investors dont cut losses and why gamblers go for broke. That is why it is used by people who play politics for their own ends to sway their unsuspecting audience. Unfortunately for Phil we now suspect everything
Phil Roberton is, as usual, being mendacious when he claims teacher numbers are down 10% since 2010. Data on early learning and childcare, primary and total teachers along with associated pupil teacher ratios for 2010, 2011, 2012 were revised in 2013 to remove teachers who were double counted as a result of working in both sectors. Prior to 2010 teacher numbers were artificially inflated due to this double counting. At a rough estimate current numbers are down perhaps 1% on 2006.
@Phil Robertson says: 14 December, 2016 at 11:42 am:
“You’re being a bit selective in the numbers you choose to see.
Teachers numbers are DOWN by about 10% since the SNP assumed responsibility for education.”
You know what I’m about to post – don’t you, Phil?
Utter PISH!
If for no other reason than that the SNP Scottish Government do not employ any teachers. At least not in their role of teaching pupils in schools.
The teachers employers are the Local Council Education Departments and these are under the control of the Local Councils. Which councils, in Scotland are predominantly run by Westminster controlled, unionist, political parties. Mainly Labour at present.
The SNP Scottish Government are thus not, as you wrongly claim, in control of that particular facet of the Scottish Education system.
Tell me, Phil, have you ever made a comment on Wings that was not designed to be, at best, a deliberately misleading anti-SNP biased load of the proverbial pish?
Looks like the BBC is still at it with the 14k unemployment increase story here:
link to bbc.co.uk
and the btl comments are (not surprisingly) open for that ONE story.
Usual herd of SNP Bad and “I am an ex-SNP voter” bleaters.
OOPS – in second line 2010 should read 2006
“ Well, from this week, the SNP has the fiscal powers to do something about that. ”
I am more than willing to pay more income tax to be spent on education and healthcare, AFTER Scotland pays less for defence, pays nothing towards WMDs and illegal wars, stops paying for infrastructure projects in England we get no benefits from, and dumps the HoL!
Yoonery at its finest, as supplied, by the BBC, STV and last and by every means least, Phil Robertson.
Grouse Beater. Amen to that, says it all. Happy Christmas.
Auld Rock
“The SNP has the fiscal powers….”
The unionists are desperate to spring that trap. We should make up the pension gap for woman retiring later, fill the gap in welfare cuts, fill all the budget cut gaps created by Westminster cuts.
This trap was to give the impression of a devolved power that in fact created a stick to beat Holyrood with. Every issue can now be blamed on the SNP not using it’s tax powers…and in a never ending spiral of cuts and increased taxation (in Scotland)…who gets the blame?
The SNP are raising £100Million for education from Council tax. They are doing something about it. Not cutting the intended UK cut on top earners.
Westminster have cut NHS/Education funding. Another £3Billion cut intended,
2009 Labour raised £600Billion in taxes Borrowed and spent £120Billion = £720Billion.
2015 Tories raised £515Billion in taxes. Borrowed and spent £100Billion = £615Billion.
Scotland raised £54Billion (more pro rata) but lost £Billion in revenues and jobs because the Tories taxed the Oil & Gas sector at 60% to 80% when the price had fallen 75%. It is now 40% but Scotland has lost £Billions and had the Budget cut by £Billions by the Westminster Unionists over the last five years. Enough for an even better NHS/Education system. The Tories are borrowing and spending more in London S/E. Hinkley Point, HS2, Heathrow and Trident. All a waste of £Billions of public money with safer, less expenditure alternatives. They are cutting funding for Education/NHS.
There is a shortage of teachers in the NE. 100? ACC Unionist/Green are borrowing and spending £Millions on grotesque projects of little value against the majority wishes and the public interest. They are even blaming children for their responsibilities. No mention of that in the Press. The Unionist supporting P&J and Evening Express. Dundee Thomson Press. People are sick and tired of the deceit.
OOPS – in second line of previous post 2010 should read 2006.
Carole Ford has also had a few letters in The National and there is never any mention of her political affiliations or he failed political career thus far.
Teacher numbers falling in Scotland could be for reasons deliberately hidden by MSM’s SNP Bad Agenda
In previous years many teachers were DOUBLE COUNTED because they worked in different teaching sectors. The actual number of teachers has NOT decreased on the scale screamed by the Yoons today but double counting teachers has stopped from 2010 onwards.
“Data on early learning and childcare, primary and total teachers along with associated pupil teacher ratios for 2010, 2011, 2012 were revised in 2013 to remove teachers who were double counted as a result of working in both sectors. Therefore these figures have been superseded, please use revised figures in the 2013, 2014 and 2015 publication”.
The above quote is from:
link to gov.scot
So before
Ah, the incompetent management/bumbling journalistic boobery nexus at the BBC strikes again. Many’s the chortle I’ve had at their lovable Keystone Cops routine when time after time they simply can’t help themselves getting in a guddle. BBC ‘faw down’ to general hilarity, but where would we be without these adorable chumps?
Yer BBC MISREPORTING SCOTLAND SNP-BAD Bingo Card:
link to imgur.com
(Place yer bets)
Surely the stats should be held against number of pupils.
link to gov.scot
And of course there are actually fewer children in our schools than there were in 2006.
@ Robertson
“Well, from this week, the SNP has the fiscal powers to do something about that.”
You have (dis)graced this site for well over a year now and in all that time and have learned precisely hee-haw about what is REALLY going on in this country. I can only conclude that you have absolutely ZERO INTEREST in fully understanding how WM is shafting you stupid. Or are you just out for a wee (s)troll?
Well, I have no interest in helping those who are so eager to have themselves shafted stupid by WM mornin’, noon and night.
Will you happily be a walloper all yer days? FFS OPEN YOUR EYES and try and LEARN what’s really going on in this country.
FFS.
Teachers’ numbers decrease when pupil intake decreases, causing rural schools to close or amalgamate.
This simple fact is deliberately omitted by Scotland’s Yoons, as it runs agin their Yoon propaganda, that falling teacher numbers is due solely to SNP misgovernment.
Would any sane person entrust Scots education to those doomed to carp ceaselessly from the sidelines of politics, namely Davidson, Dugdale & REnnie?
No.
Phil Robertson wrote:
“..somewhere being a quarter and a third of primary school children are being failed by our education system.”
And with that quote you have just insulted every participant within that very education system, way to go unionist!
BTW, how is Wick today?
Blair Paterson @12:17
A forlorn hope in a state where the normative bias of the law gives greater value to British nationalism, than to the inalienable human rights denied to Scots?
link to uk.practicallaw.com
As I said, the BBC exists to boost Britain by promoting British ethos and values. It is unlikely to be objective towards vile seps., regardless of their inalienable human rights.
link to unesdoc.unesco.org
Dr NO! fires in with his fellow socialist workers at the Torygraph.
Scott Arthur ?@DrScottThinks 6h6 hours ago
‘Scandalous’ gap between education of rich and poor in Scotland exposed torygraph.co.uk/news
Shocked I tell you!
Qoute: Newspapers are just blogs for billionaires.
Best news today.
Scotland 2016 airs for the final time tonight. A new weekly current affairs show is due to start early in the New Year.
The new program will be just as bad all SNP bad
Toryboy’s toryboy Torrance gives us all a n other good kicking in progressive liberal Graun for lunch. Salmond and the SNP are UKOK media’s public enemy No.1, south of Carlisle but its all still just not enough for Scottish toryboys, representing Scottish tory party, a pressure group for the filthy rich in Scotland, ultra yoons, like Dr NO! hysterics, when needed.
Scottish National party (SNP)
Opinion
English voters, don’t be fooled by the SNP – its rhetoric hides its nationalism
David Torrance
No. The BBC is right Scottish education is failing; how else can we explain DDR (Davidson, Dugdale & Rennie) in our Parliament? Only Dugdale can we blame on the list system.
Thank heavens for our bestest Sunday school teacher, the Rev Stu, showing us the error of our ways but in true BBC fashion we must point out that he only got 45% of his pupils to the pass mark! 😀
Those of us with an interest in history, or a memory of the Cold War, will remember DDR but were they the good Germans or the bad ones?
The Westminster government never liked a ” taste of
their own medicine” , hence the never ending arguments
with EU over budget contributions. The policy of Brussels of
assisting the poorer areas of the community was always resented by the London treasurey
and Westminster establishment.
Post Brexit , the attitude will be ” it’s all mine again”, as far
as they are concerned. They want to reduce Scotland and Holyrood to kneeling before the UK treasury with a ” begging bowl” , after ” laying waste” to our economy following Brexit.
The BBC’s propaganda war against the SNP government continues unabated with the unionist
leaders at Holyrood ” quoted” on a daily basis as regards ” the day job” .
If we don’t get Independence before the next Holyrood election then expect ” full scale war “to be declared on the SNP government , in a bid to get a Unionist majority at Holyrood with a unionist FM.
Remember they succeeded in denying Nicola a majority government
last May with the previous propaganda offensive over the 2nd vote.
It is imperative that we have an Indy ref2 before then and this time WE NEED To GET ON THE OFFENSIVE and not be continually trying to re butt unionist rhetoric .
If anyone does not see the orchestration involved for of all these headlines to appear simultaneously on the same day then you are a fool. It is a never ending cycle of health service,education,police etc etc.then back to the beginning and repeat.
They just reinforce my will to beat them.
Ps Look out for a major announcement tomorrow which will annoy the Yoons no end.
Carol with an E, certainly does write loads of SNP bad, YES worse letters. Nothing very original. You get all of her stuff daily on BBC vote No Scotland, let alone the several yoon roasters BtL, one of which is my gorgeous Slovene girlfriend. He’s actually stopped for a while. Too much on with Holyrood and uni.
14 Jul 2016 / Letters
6 comments
IN her relentless search for publicity Nicola Sturgeon appears to have abandoned any prospect of Scottish independence. If there is any way to provoke Spain into vetoing Scotland’s entry into the EU as an independent country then allying ourselves with Gibraltar is the way to do it. Her latest jaunt to London to meet with Gibraltar officials is doing her cause no favours at all.
The economic consequences of leaving the UK and entering the EU are overwhelmingly not in Scotland’s interests; the forced use of the euro, the increased contribution to the EU without the UK rebate and the loss of the Barnett formula consequentials are but part of the story. Losing an open border, or free trade, with our most important trading partner would be another. Has our First Minister now concluded, correctly, that the game is not worth the candle and decided to concentrate on grandstanding? Would it not be in our interests for her to concentrate on solving some of Scotland’s problems instead?
Carole Ford,
132 Terregles Avenue, Glasgow.
A very lovely and expensive south side burb too.
Call Kaye this morning talking about mobile phone reception – kaye repeatedly asked the speaker about the reasons for lack of coverage and she kept almost prompting him to say the SG but he did not so after about 3 tries she herself asked if the SG should be doing something about it. No matter what it is good or bad she will always find a way to twist it to SNP baad. I am beyond angry now at the BBC – impartial – bleep bleep bleep.
Biased coverage in the BBC?!
Who’d a thunk it.
military excercies again held in Scottish waters including high tech stuff.
link to newatlas.com
Phil Robertson
the reason your unionist controlled councils are broke is due to the £1bn pfi backhander they dished out to their cronies
we are coming to get the the lot of you next may and no amount of paper shredding will hide this fact.
the extra £1bn a year will go a long way to improving our education system
The BBC should come with a sub-titled Truth Warning on all it’s News networks.
As for the Scottish Daily Mail—————
I’ll be polite and just say words fail me.
FFS @Phil Robertson, now that you’ve crawled out from under the fridge, answer the question I’ve asked you on numerous occasions since you’ve shown up here.
Should Scotland be an independent country?
You’re a charlatan, nothing more.
so fake news channel requests EU to block “fake news sites” while pumping out fake news.
Which meme is used for this again?
Scott,
Scotland has the most politically aware electorate in the world, living daily through Yoon MSM propaganda, ever since the SNP majority 2011 Holyrood win.
BBC Scotland’s nightly show was so predictably biased against the new SNP political reality, and its agenda so nakedly anti-SNP (as it is run by Labour Yoon Goons) that the programme put off political anoraks of every persuasion, not just those seeking independence from Westminster. Nobody wants to watch propaganda. Pacific Quay just don’t get that.
Their new weekly programme, I predict, will be just as dire and doomed to obscurity, as the Slabbers at BBC Scotland will have to concentrate SNP bad into one weekly dose instead of the nightly concoction.
Is that for real ‘the SNP missing £Millions’?
The Tories missing £Billions. £20Billion a year from the Scottish economy from mismanagement of the Scottish economy. Now trying to take Scotland out of the EU. The illegal Tory Gov.
The Tories losing £4Billion+ a year in Oil revenues. More £Billions spent importing Oil, Gas from Norway and untaxed fracked Gas from the US. £1Bilion a year on Trident. Scotland can’t tax ‘loss leading’ drink. £1Billion. £3Billion? Lost in tax evasion. Whisky companies,multinational tax evade. Paying loan repayments on money not borrowed or spent in Scotland £4Billion. Etc, etc. Scotland can’t borrow 10% to invest in the economy. £7Billion = £20Billion lost a year.
Last 5 years = £100Billion lost because of the Tory/Unionists policies and the mismanagement of the Scottish economy.
I posted in yesterday’s thread that in fact teacher/pupil ratios had worsened in the twelve areas mentioned but in two of them teacher numbers had actually increased although pupil numbers had also inceased. Their headline should either have been “Teacher numbers drop in 10 council areas” or “Teacher/pupil ratios worsen in 12 council areas”.
As for Carole Ford, it comes as a surprise that she got 1000 odd votes. I recall only one canvasser reporting the novelty that they had unearthed a LibDem voter and that was in the heart of the West End, a former LibDem enclave!
So it turns out Carole Ford is not just a lib dum but is also a mouth piece for the elite zoomer yoons Scotland in Union.
Jings well smack my coupon with a kipper who would have guessed she is not just an ordinary mum,Déjà vu anybody?
OT
Bad enough getting misinformation from the BBC, DM, DT and Express amongst others rammed down our throats, without generating our own shite. I’ve seen comments bordering or fully racist about the English pensioners flooding in in huge numbers to sponge off our free bus passes, so knowing it to be junk finally I took a few minutes to look it up.
Nett immigration from the rUK mid-2014 to mid-2015, age groups :
0-54 = 7,026 – plenty of working years left in them
55-64 = 1,130 – still some good working years left in them
65+ = 212. Yes they get bus passes, free meds, and spend their pensions here. Perhaps it’s mostly Scots coming home. Bless them.
The “elderly” represent just 2.5% of the nett immigration to Scotland.
link to nrscotland.gov.uk
Well Phil,
How do you like them apples?
Think you have been put right.
No real surprise that the media hide the Lib Dem connection. The don’t want to damage their credibility any worse than it already is by giving credence to the poodle party.
Problem with BBC led tory media monstering of Scottish education, health care, policing, is that unless you work in them, you probably haven’t the faintest idea what’s going on, in them. Not that this man in the street ignorance, troubles anyone in the any of our rabid anti SNP newsrooms but check out this amazing women in Hastings.
link to archive.is
As my honourable friend Ken500 points out, it may partly be down some training issues, if it’s as bad as Jacky Bird smirks at us it is.
“No matter what it is good or bad she will always find a way to twist it to SNP baad. I am beyond angry now at the BBC – impartial – bleep bleep bleep.”
Re Call Kay- why do you listen, then? It won’t change.
winifred mccartney at 1:19 pm:
Re, Call UKay this morning. Typical, eh! Are telecommunication matters not reserved to Westminster? Maybe someone with further knowledge could expand?
And another little statistic from that table.
The current (mid-2015) 65+ population who are on a pension from that table was 982,998 = 18.3% of the population. The incomers from rUK (total not nett) age 65+ were a total of 2,990 out of 47,514 = 6.3%, so just one-third as many of the dreaded incomers were of pension age, as of the resident population already here.
So just to add another grievance for those intent on raising one about the English in our midst, the incomers are more than helping to pay for our pensions – and our bus passes. Three times as much.
Oh poo. Why does anyone think the SNP wants to encourage immigration?
I’m in a very happy myth-dispelling foul mood today, let nobody get in my way, unionist or independentist 👿
Remember it doesnt matter what good news there is in Scotland it will always be twisted as a slight on Scotland.
UKOK
Bullying
Racist
Egregious
Xenophobic
Intransigent
Treacherous
bugsbunny @12.14
‘Their the whoreboys of the establishment. Cocksuckers to the men in striped suits. ‘
🙂
At least whoreboys get paid for their dirty deed.
The vast majority of cringing Yoons are being financially shafted from the rear by their British superors at the same time as they blow.
T.May replete with strapadichtomy attached to her leather breeks only too willing to oblige.
Toon time again Chris Cairns 🙂
And the power shall be given, Yea, unto the SNP to rewrite history the day before it was written
So let it be written so let it be done sayeth the Yoon and it was good
But the SNP had set their face against the Yoon, saying, that which was written and done was in the name of the Yoon and it was shite
So the children of Scotland made plans to leave the kingdom of Yoon saying with one voice “These are Bastirts and we must leave for the land of milk and honey, well honey, because the wicked Yoon Empress Thatcher had snatchered the milk from the Nation of Scotland”
Lord Protector of Scotland Alex Salmond has gone to prepare a place for us in the land of Brussel sayeth Good Queen Nicola and those that are alike shall soon follow with their goods and their taxes to keep within the country with a vote amongst our people who are a just and honest people, excepting the Yoons who are the opressors, and with this vote Scotland shall free itself from the many long years of servitude to the Yoons and their Gods the Engles
So let that be written and let it be stuffed where the sun shineth not
Oh dear Phill Robertson …….
The Yoon awakens.
Yes Westminster is cutting our budget, Yes Swinney had to pass on these cuts.
What you don’t seem to realise is the education budget has been pruned less than the block grant.
So there is the reason education is struggling.
Do you seriously think our ability to raise tax to support education would not be howled at by you and your cohorts as “evidence” the SNP cannot run the Scottish economy.
John Swinney and Nicola Sturgeon are not that stupid.
You will pick fault whatever they do without them handing you ammo.
Aw a back under your rock.
Handclapping
“Those of us with an interest in history, or a memory of the Cold War, will remember DDR but were they the good Germans or the bad ones?”
DDR was East Germany.
the bad guys!
O/T.
My sides are sore laughing. I just got an email from a crowd-funder for an organisation called, “More United”.
link to via.intercom-mail-200.com
I’m assuming someone has a warped sense of humour and gave them my email address.
Whatever makes them imagine an 80 Y.O. OAP, and lifetime Scottish independence supporter, would want to contribute to a fund to fight to get a more united Britain?
Not to mention that they probably actually meant the UK or even England for I’m certain that the three Crown Protectorates and the Republic people have no desire to be more united with the UK. Especially with a UK that wants to isolate itself from Europe and the rest of Britain.
What made me laugh, though, was their aims. They want to sponsor and fund MPs to stand against the present lot.
So tell me someone, how injecting candidates to stand against the present incumbents from the present unionist parties and thus taking votes from other unionist parties is going to get a more united, “Britain”?
Perhaps they mean to sponsor candidates already in other unionist parties but, as these unionist candidates tend to oppose each other anyway, how is that going to help unite, “Britain”?
schrodingers cat says:
I sure hope so!
The Cooncil Elections next year are probably the most important local government elections ever. The momentum towards Indy must be maintained and we need to get Labour (in particular) out of office.
Success will depend on turnout.
DerekeM
“Déjà vu anybody?”
WHAT AGAIN?
I was in Tesco earlier and was struck by the vehemence and anti-SG stance of the headlines in the tabloid papers on display. It felt to me like bullies in the playground ganging up on someone. This is a narrative that would not be out of place in Lord of the Flies. Yet when I search for news in other sources I see mismanagement writ large in HMG, soaring levels of xenophobia, major difficulties ahead in the university sector where I work, growing threats to our environment orchestrated by Westminster, every prospect of a dog’s brexit and increased hostilities aboard fuelled by UK arms sales. I despair at the unbalanced stance of these outlets but my expectations are not high, to say the least. However I have also listened in vain for Willie Rennie, who for better or worse is the local MSP, taking a lead in addressing these global challenges, or taking a principled stand on issues both international and local. The deficit in the tabloid press is disappointing but not surprising. The failure by Rennie et al. to put principle before party and to challenge innuendo and deliberately misleading and biased reporting tells us all we need to know about the qualities of the SLDs.
@Robert Peffers
I don’t think it’s about the Union at all, more about the divisive nature of politics – particularly in England.
All we can do is inform and direct to other alternative sources of information.
We also need to clone the Rev.
Forgive me if anyone has already mentioned this, but Toryboy Torrance has written his article again, this time on the Grauniad.
Phil Robertson (the name was probably picked by his boss as it sounds Scottish) is paid to watch Indy blogs and make sure a negative post is 1st in the comments.
I’m glad the Wings posse sorted him out right away. 🙂
People from Scotland who retire elsewhere also contribute to the pension balance. Taxpayers in Scotland pay UK Gov pensions in Scotland including any retirees from elsewhere who pay tax.
Taxpayers from elsewhere in the UK pay (UK) Gov pensions where they abode. That is how the Barnett Formula works for those who qualify. Either per contributions or flat rate. £140 a week. One of the lowest in Europe. A quarter of the average wage. £540 a week. £27,000 a year?
Less is spent in Scotland (pro rata) on (UK) Gov pensions because people on average die younger. It is less of an overall cost. £6Billion? In Scotland. £72Billion in the rest of the UK. A fact to support the theory of higher rate of pensions in Scotland, to which Westminster will not agree.
Pensioners in Scotland also spend more pro rata of their income on fuel and energy because it is colder. Pensioners often live alone. Despite the fact Scotland is in surplus in fuel and energy and nearer the source. The energy companies wanted to take that into consideration, charge less per unit (-10%?) in Scotland. Westminster would not agree, despite pensioner fuel poverty.
lol aye again jdman
I wonder if she knows my pal Dan the history man BBC presenter extraordinaire and ordinary bloke of the people with no connections to politics 😉
Average wage London £34,000. Average London/shire £31,000.
Average wage women £25,000. Average men £30,000
Average higher with experience – higher in a larger company.
Average wage – Education sector – £24,000?
P.S. Contemporary British nationalism is shaped by an expansionist form of English nationalism. As such, it would appear the BBC wishes Scottish culture conform to BBC opinion, rather than the other way around. Must Scotland become British/English?
@ Gerry Hassan
Given your background in cultural studies and shit, I would have thought you would have been aware of this. Perhaps your British identity prevented you from objective analysis and understanding?
“In an anthropological spirit, then, I propose the following definition of the nation: it is an imagined political community – – and imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign.” – Benedict Anderson
The World Today: Imagined Communities – On British Nationalism
link to youtube.com
@ BBC
Not a fan of the human rights of Scots? Do you consider me a narrow nationalist?
link to un.org
See Hothershall is demanding to know if John Swinney phoned the BBC asking them to change the headline.
Saying he was told he had, who gave him that info?
Benedict Anderson link.
link to nationalismproject.org
Phil Robertson (the name was probably picked by his boss as it sounds Scottish) is paid to watch Indy blogs and make sure a negative post is 1st in the comments.
So here’s to you Phillip Robertson, Jesus loves you more than you will know. If PAYE goes up in say 8-10% of UK economy, its only going to fcuk that 8-10%, Scotland.
Who raises PAYE in austerity teamGB, Westminster’s not doing it. Yes Phil, we do ofcourse have a whole raft of red and blue tory yoons shriekin for tax hikes on Scotland but in England? Mute.
All of which is why its the only thing the Smith Commission “gave” Scotland, for voting NO and their The Vow shyste. Vote NO for devo-max and federal UKOK zone. Weeks later, road signs, PAYE and shut the fcuk up, forever.
Who was on that Smith Commision farce? My Slovene girlfriend. Great kisser Phil, not so keen on devolution for his scotland region of greater England.
link to twitter.com
Regarding new tax powers mentioned previously; if they are used would that mean we pay more or are taxed twice?
Re Mobile phone coverage, one of my Pals was one of the pioneers of the Mobile Phone system , He worked at a very high level with two of the major Mobile companies.
He is too modest to claim that he invented the way Mobile phones communicated with the network, however I believe he had a claim to that accolade. so I take it seriously when he tells me the reason that the Rural parts of the UK have shite coverage is due to the Networks taking equipment out of the excahnges/Masts etc in those rural locations and relocating it to London and the Home Counties.
As we live in the Quantum Age, you might say Hothershall is a figment of some other person’s imagination.
Ideological dogmatists like that one don’t occur naturally, they are a product of very deliberate grooming. How else does he imagine himself in any way helpful to a progressive Scotland.
Silly person.
Dr NO!’s howling for tax hikes too, shock. Only SLab. Here’s his blog on vote Dr NO!. Warning, its funny.
link to drscottthinks.wordpress.com
Do I have any campaign experience?
I have knocked on thousands of doors. I ran the #NoThanks campaign in Edinburgh South in 2014 – my team of over 100 volunteers knocked on the doors of over 2000 people in the final week of the campaign. After that I joined Labour…
I have learned a lot from these campaigns. I know how to develop a data driven campaign strategy, and also how to use social media. I know how to win.”
He knows how to win?
He knows how to develop a data driven campaign strategy? Cut n pasting every single SNP bad thing off BBC Scotland, torygraph, Heil, Express, all of them basically.
Interesting also that Dr NO! left out stuff like his continually shouting “Disgrace” at YESers and SNP people, on pre Scots ref BBC Question Time, from right in the middle of the QT audience too, shock:D
Carole Ford’s article on Scottish education is a ‘cracker’: she dismisses the teaching methods used by a graduate profession; she dismisses the standards and testing regime – and so by implication, at a stroke the Scottish Qualifications Authority; and she questions the objectivity, and by implication, the integrity of the schools’ inspectorate. This is in addition to dismissing Curriculum for Excellence out of hand – and of course its all SNPbad anyway!
Getting education ‘right’ for every pupil is now, always has been, and always will be a major challenge both for governments and for schools. A former headteacher like Ford should know this from her own experience: it is just too cheap and easy to rant in the tabloid press.
And as to her own experience, she perhaps should reflect on the 2011 HM Inspectorate of Education’s report on the secondary school she had been leading for the previous c. 13 years which noted: “By the end of S4, the school’s performance varies between being well below and below national averages.” (Imagine that being used as the basis of an ‘attack’ piece in the local rag at the time.)
The HMI report can be found with a basic Google search – and overall it’s a pretty positive one – but my point is really not to question the professionalism of Ms Ford when a headteacher, the commitment of her staff at the time, or even the performance of her school that she led but rather to argue that the debate around education requires a much greater degree of reflection and careful consideration than she has decided, for apparently political reasons, to adopt in her article today.
As pointed out in the excellent London Calling documentary, the technique of using activists as pretendy ordinary/grassroots contributors, a very common practice by yoons because they struggle to find genuine members of the public to do so, is called ‘Astroturfing’.
Presumably as in fake grass (roots).
If you have not seen it, you should try to make the time.
link to youtube.com
Just remember that the two parties proposing federalism are centrally London registered with the Electoral Commission who continue to allow the charade of being described as “Scottish” for campaigning and ballot paper purposes.
The last “local” leaflets for next year’s council elections I got from Lib Dems were printed in London
At last UK by election Lib Dems came 3rd with 11% and Labour 4th with 10.2%.
Lib Dems fined for failing to declare proper election expenses
link to theguardian.com
Have Lib Dems paid their outstanding £800,000 Police Bill for 2013 Conference?
link to heraldscotland.com
How is the police investigation into Alex Cole Hamilton MSP election expenses return getting on?
link to edinburghnews.scotsman.com
Thought long and hard about how to express my feelings in regard to this deception. Finally, I came to the conclusion that they are…
..a bunch of scheming bar stewards!!
Is it not becoming increasingly apparent that yoonism is a ‘self-harming’ cult?
Dr. NO apparently doesn’t know that he, Hothershall and a ‘united’ BLiS___d stand in opposition to Scots accessing their inalienable human rights.
@ Dr. No
“The higher you climb the more you expose. The stronger the breeze the more that it blows.” – Lee “Scratch” Perry
link to un.org
And so it came to pass that a new power was devolved to the SNP of Scotland and it was good sayeth the Yoons for it shall be a power to rewrite history they said
But the SNP had set their face against the Yoons, for 300 years of days and nights of toil under the yolk of the Yoons had produced only misery and poverty in the land
So the High Protector of Scotland Alex Salmond went forth into the land of Brussel where he was welcomed with open arms and a feast was held in his honour and lo was even awarded status in that land
Come ye out from the land of Yoon said the people of Brussel and join with us and together we will prosper within the spirit of co-operation
The Yoons who worshipped their God The Engle were dismayed and set about with guile and bitterness methods in which to keep the Scots servile and obedient to their ways, but the Scots would have none of it and rebelled, and from among them rose a new leader a woman of keen vision who was greatly admired by the people and they Titled her The First Minister and it was good
We will have a vote to remove the burdonsome yolk of this Yoon opression she offered the Scots, and they saw it as good
A new phrase was sounded throughout the land GIRFUY and that was really good
@ Dr. No
Sorry, I forgot BLiS___d is all about “social justice”.
Perhaps you should allow me to introduce you to by belly-button fluff? Might help develop your rather British world view. Perhaps not.
I have never been so near to planting someone as I was today in my newsagent – granted I had already had to search the bottom shelf for the National and was not best pleased as it seems every foul publication was on grand show.
This auld mannie came in picked up a paper and said to no-one in particular but I was the only customer in the shop,
“typical ” I turned round and he added ‘that woman will bankrupt the country” ” which wummin’ ?’ says I ” that Sturgeon wummin'” says he .
I managed to maintain a cool exterior as I responded ” I utterly disagree with you ‘ and turned my back on him as he burbled on about ” who’ll pay for it ? We’ll pay for it”
He had read the headline about education failing Scottish children.
Folks who think that Scottish Education is bad news should take a look at this.
link to thecanary.co
CameronB Brodie
As we live in the Quantum Age,
yup, one small leap in may next year and Hothershall’s dogma will get run over by our Kharma 🙂
@ Dorothy Devine
I’m surrounded by them D, but there’s a comfort to be had if you go back to the shop or supermarket at around 10pm all those foul publications are being wrapped up in their dozens and returned whence they came unsold
It’s slow but they’re catching on
That brings a nice warm feeling
Another Union Dividend says:
14 December, 2016 at 4:49 pm
“”Just remember that the two parties proposing federalism are centrally London registered with the Electoral Commission who continue to allow the charade of being described as “Scottish” for campaigning and ballot paper purposes.””
I don’t think it is a case of the Electoral Commission ‘continuing to allow’ the term Scottish Labour.
Labour central HQ in London have officially registered it with the Electoral Commission as a LOGO! Ditto ‘Welsh Labour’. At least that was the case a few months ago when I last looked.
So not a party but a logo. Sums up Labour in Scotland quite well really.
@heedtracker –
So here’s to you Phillip Robertson, Jesus loves you more than you will know
Aw heed I cannae stop singing it now..
What’s that you say Phillip Robertson
Big Jim Murphy’s left and gone away… hey hey hey…
Are the GCHQ cyber warriors “fighting Scotland”- sitting facing computer screens – still on operations? Or is Phil Robertson a lone warrior?
Is Carole singing not supposed to be in tune this time of year? oh she is a liberal, that explains it, form the party whose only MP is a liar, from a political party that thinks the electorate are scum, that all their politicians lie.
Given her provenance it’s not surprising she Ford’s the liars party and the monster raving lunatic party. Scotland in chains.
Ayup!
That’s about par for the course where oor meeja is concerned. 🙁
WOS archive links now over on O/T.
So, Carol with an E has been ‘outed’ as a political activist for the Lib Dems, and is not an ordinary punter as claimed by Scotland in Union. It would be interesting to know if the other interviewees are also politically active and for which unionist party. Anyone recognise them???
If the SNP get really bad, we could end up like England. Oh my!
Mind you, I mean really really bad.
“that woman will bankrupt the country”
BritNat ignorance is truly something to behold. Fair takes the breath away at times. You listenin’ Robertson?
Scotland’s meeja packed with Yoon equivalents of Hanoi Hannah – BBC North Britain in particular.
Educashun is important, but the SNP are importanter
Anent The National newspaper distribution, (if any Calmac management happens to read this…)
Travelling on the first ferry sailing from Isle of Arran to Ardrossan recently, I tried to buy a National to read with my coffee from the onboard coffeeshop. There were none. I thought this was odd, as we were the first people aboard who could buy a copy, so they could not be sold out! Plenty of Scotsman/Herald/ etc so I asked the guy serving in the coffee shop if he had any Nationals. He said no, but I might get one in the wee shoppie onboard.
I had to wait a while til the main shop onboard opened, but it was the same story there. Lots of all the Yoon rags but not one single National. I asked again in this shop why he had no Nationals. THis second guy said he had no idea and if I had a problem I should go and speak to the Ship’s Pursers Office.
So off I trotted as directed. This third crew man was very evasive when I asked why the ferry had every paper available to buy, but not the National. He first of all tried to blame the newspaper suppliers. I think he said that was W H Smith and they just get the papers from them every morning. I said. ‘Wait, you’re telling me that Calmac don’t order their own papers in but just leave it all to a supplier? That seems a bit odd’. He then changed tack entirely, admitting that ‘the ship’ orders in the number of papers based on demand. By ‘ship’ he meant someone on board, I asked. He dodged that and I had a hunch this guy was the person who ordered in the papers, at least when he was on. (The crew changes every 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off). OK, I asked,so how many Nationals does ‘the ship’ order in for the good folks on Arran (who voted YES, BTW, in 2014)? Um, I think maybe 4 or 5 copies, maybe 6, but it’s based on demand. Well that seems awfully low, I said, and you have plenty of Telegraphs and other papers left when I am on the last sailing at night but that doesn’t seem to stop you ‘over ordering’ those papers. Plus, I said, if you only order 4 or maybe 6 copies of the National, demand is never going to increase, is it?.
No rational answer, from him, just a repeat of demand and supply. But I did then notice a lot of RMT stickers in this ‘office’ of a Scottish Labour/Daily Record (!) slant.
So I just asked him flat out, is ‘this ship’ i.e you, not stocking the National as a political choice? He denied this outright but did look a little worried when I thanked him and said that I would be putting my concerns on political purchasing on Calmac ferries in writing to their head office.
I then went off to finish my (now cold) coffee. Just as I was sitting down a 4th crew member came up to me holding two Nationals in his hand and asked me, ‘Are you the person looking for today’s National?’ I said yes I was but none of the outlets onboard had copies. I asked this 4th crew where these 2 hand been hiding. I was told he got them from the Pursers Office which was the office I had just left!
I was then asked abruptly if I wanted to buy a copy or not! I said yes of course and luckily I had the change on me to carry out our transaction, me feeling at this stage like an ‘untouchable’ with odd literature tastes! It felt as if I had been asking for a porn mag or something!
So to any Calmac folks out there – sort it, please. And to my fellow YES foot soldiers, when travelling next on a Calmac ferry, be sure to ask them for a National if none are available! If nothing else, it will annoy some torn faced slabber Yoon!
Apologies for the earlier bad grammar, I meant to say “is importanter”
@yesindyref2 says: 14 December, 2016 at 2:58 pm:
“I don’t think it’s about the Union at all, more about the divisive nature of politics – particularly in England.”
Exactly, yesindyref2, but note they speak about, “Britain”, and not either the United Kingdom or England.
Then remember that Britain contains eight distinct countries and only four of those distinct United Kingdom countries are parts of The United Kingdom. Even then of the four United Kingdom countries only three of them have a parliament. England has none.
Then note that there are three crown dependencies that are not governed by the United Kingdom Parliament and a Republic that shed much blood to be free from the United Kingdom
Thus, when we include the Republic of Ireland, there are four non-United Kingdom and separate nations and four United Kingdom countries. Each one of those have a separate legislative body with just one exception.
– England has no separate legislative body of its own.
Yet these numpties want to unite, “Britain”, but unite it as = WHAT?
As you point out – they probably mean England and fail to realise that England actually has no single legal legislative body to begin with
@Dorothy Devine
You need to find a new local newsagent. My local bakery sells nespapers. The staff decided to put the Mail and the Express on the bottom places in the newspaper stand. As the youngest server said, “That way their headlines are out of sight (and the old biddies – male or female – have to bend right down to get them).
By the way – unlike the local supermarkets – my local bakery tries not to use Palm Oil. They source through an ethical supplier.
It is called “Two for the price of one”.
I must admit to growing concerns for the people involved in this,it has gone on now,for too long.
Addiction of any kind is not good,addiction to lying either,pathological or compulsive can be treated,but know this,it is a very difficult thing to do.
Most often the person (s) are trying to avoid a negative outcome,lying to get his or her needs met or is hiding the truth from him or herself.
If the person is living in a state of denial,the therapeutic process cannot be forced upon a person and can actually do more harm than good.
The wisest approach is to seek the support of a mental health professional.
Too many Red/Blue Tory politicians are in denial,too many employees of the MSM / BBC,need such assistance,as IMO,we are looking at needless human suffering here….help is only a phone call away,please don’t give up on yourselves,please seek help today.
#genuinelyworried
Who’d have guessed it – SNP baaad today is a blast from the past -the Scottish College in the USA with no students!
Anybody win?
Excellent report from the Lebanon from Sharon Frew on STV news.
This is exactly what is required as regards Scottish news broadcasting.
Home based reporters with a direct perspective to STV viewers
As regards ” foreign affairs” .Take note BBC Scotland with their endless reliance
on London correspondents for their ” filtered perspective”.
Well done STV .Lets have more of this.
The subtitles for the video interviews are hilarious.
Harry mcaye at 1230 – are you sure that Carol Ford is the same who wrote a few letters to the National? I read letter with that name and responded to 2 but they had neither the content nor the presentation of a head teacher or teacher of any standard. Maybe she is just still a learner YOON bigot. Most of them come across as a bit lacking too!
I have only one thought for today and that is will Phil Robertson ever stop talking through a hole in his arse?
We could of course end up using Ingerlish figures and the SNP could be even badder. I wonder why the SNP don’t change their name to the British Tory and Unionist Party but then that would really confuse the Yoon nutters.
New English teacher not long arrived at one of my local primary schools who has breathed a huge sigh of relief at getting free of Ingerlish school system.
Obviously the Yoon propaganda just bounced of her tits then and she must be unfit for teaching Yoon propaganda to the kiddies since the brainwashing didn’t work on her. I don’t expect any element of the Yoon Press and Media to interview her though.
Dr Jim, I shall try to cheer up at the thought of their losses!
Cuilean,I shall be on the boatie on Friday so I’ll make sure to ask for a National and if there isn’t one I will have a tantrum !
Bjsalba, the one to which I refer is the nearest , but I do have another two relatively near.
Sainsbury’s appear to have decided not to stock it – working on the same principle as CalMac – we don’t stock it because no one demands it.
Re;Robert Peffers@2.46pm
O/T
I have had the same email! Wow, they are saying they have raised money already. I responded saying maybe you need to unite people in england against the xenophobia, racism and demonisation of the sick and disabled etc. Told them to stick their unite britain as far as Scotland is concerned, we are on a different, more life affirming path. Probably just wasted my time.
Wonder where they are getting our email addresses, grr.
Iain More@6.55
A wee bit similar, except my niece moved from Scotland down to England a few years ago( partner lived there), having taught in Scotland for about five years, she has lasted two years teaching in England and has reluctantly changed profession, she said the English system was a nightmare.
But according to the Yoonies, the problems lie in Scotland.
Methinks skulduggery is at hand.
Have noticed a slight ” softening” of tone very
recently aka Jackie Bird on her 1830 ” show” . Somewhat even contrite ?,not the usual
” FM in waiting” dictorial output. Is her new ” boss” Donalda possibly
” on her tail” monitoring her usual sneering style ?
Car Radio Scotland item on Thomas Muir today had Prof Gerard Carruthers of Glasgow University talking about Thomas Muir, Democrat, persecuted by the British Establishment and sent to Botany Bay.
Papers from the Faculty of Advocates have surfaced after 200 years. So Prof has new book out about this forgotten Scottish hero.
Strange comment from the Prof, “It’s a tale that Hollywood could well pick up on.”
Why Hollywood? Have we no film industry of our own? Have we no national broadcasting corporation?
Newsdrive 51mins 43 secs in for almost 5 minutes!
link to bbc.co.uk
@Dorothy Devine
You could move to buying at the Pro-SNP outlet. However, it might be fun to go to the old outlets to tell them (over and over again) why you no longer buy there.
FibDems continue on telling ‘Carmichaels’
BBC continue to Defend the Union as per their Charter
Scotland in Union continue pumping out the ‘Better together in this partnership unless you want to be an equal partner or keep electing an SNP Scots Gov’ propaganda.
Same as it ever was.
Still on the plus side it’s only 11 sleeps until Christmas and I’ve been a good boy this year (Asked Santa for an Independent Scotland prior to UK leaving the EU this year) 🙂
Reported here,
link to twitter.com
but not here,
link to bbc.co.uk
Shock.
The gimps get more ridiculous by the hour, British hour!.
Bjsalba, I am already doing just that! I like putting them on the spot.
@ Dorothy Divine
If there’s a next time for that happening, you might consider handing him your copy of The National. “Here you go friend, have it on me. You really need to read this much more than I do”.
@North Chiel – or it could be London Calling.
John Beattie was on twitter yesterday asking if anyone had any info on Scotland’s oil & whisky, so lots of us Yessers gave him plenty of info.
Then Blair McD appeared and claimed ”the SG decided what proportion (now v small) of oil revenues are allocated to Scotland”.
That is a blatant lie.
So maybe they’re on their best behaviour until it dies down although I’m sure they will revert to ‘normal’ soon
Very interesting, head tracker. I had a suspicion that Nicola Sturgeon’s reception at the Irish Seanad wasn’t just going to be an Irish phenomenon. Now its the EU commission, I wonder which country is going to stick its head above the parapet next. Probaly the French, but it would be great if it was Spain after all the guff spouted about the Spanish vetoing Scotland’s membership.
Hi Cuilean at 6:02 pm.
You typed,
“Anent The National newspaper distribution, (if any Calmac management happens to read this…)” (and more.)
Excellent! That’s the kind of narrative post I like to read btl on WOS.
Scotland in Union continue pumping out the ‘Better together in this partnership unless you want to be an equal partner or keep electing an SNP Scots Gov’ propaganda.
Its Scotland in Union’s 1916 if only Xmas party tonight in Edinburgh, at Voodoo, £11.21 a ticket for some reason. How can you pass up the chance to rub shoulders with the great and good of Scotland in Union. Its live on BBC vote NO Scotland, starring Effie Deans, Kevin Hague and History woman all doing their Santa Baby thing.
Merry Xmas Scotland in Union, and here’s to another year of assorted UKOK tory roasters, wallopers, foamers and lunatics, and Kevin Hague, swigging down all that British Macallan, what England hides from Scots in export tax. Should add some Xmas cheer for @keverage.com
link to youtube.com
Paula Rose is in ‘The Voodoo Rooms’. For more info, see:-
link to wingsoverscotland.com
cuilean well done re the National on the Cally Isles, I make a point of asking for it every time I sail in her, and when I’m told there are now I complain however think the purser will get it on Saturday if they don’t have one when I’m next onboard.
link to euronews.com
Kinda interesting.
I think Scotland can add one or two sources of “fake news”.
Come on SNP, how about a mini Euro-summit on the problem of fake news?
Just to counter the negative UKOKian britnat propaganda, sharing this again. Well deserved award,
really when all is said and done.
link to ideasforeurope.eu
It sure has been a topsy turvy year so far. Bad is good, the rich are poor and deserving, propping up rogue regimes is cool and normal, the 2014 no vote has been the best thing since sliced bread.
Sharing and caring is destructive and negative, justice is bad, the law is justice, and war is peace.
Anent Carole Ford, and her former role as Head Teacher of Kilmarnock Academy.
She should not be handed all the blame – successive policies of a Labour-controlled local council undoubtedly influenced events, but, she certainly played her part in helping turn one of the few schools to have educated: two Nobel Prize-winners: Alexander Fleming and John Boyd Orr; four Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland; numerous MPs and MSPs, and the literary McIlvanney brothers, novelist Willie and journalist Hughie, and loads of distinguished sportsmen and women, including Kilmarnock legends Walter McRae and Ronnie Hamilton, into the third or fourth-best secondary school in Kilmarnock.
Kilmarnock Academy will close in 2018
Following on from the references to Alex Salmond’s award from the Centre Maurice Coppieters (CMC), for interest see the CMC’s July 2016 paper entitled: ‘YES SCOTLAND’ versus ‘BETTER TOGETHER’ HOW DID IT ALL HAPPEN?’
link to ideasforeurope.eu
More powers to pay twice… If the Tories, Labour and wee Rennie have a say in it.
You Scots cough up more and we will slice a bit of the Barnett formula, deal or no deal says Westminster, that’s about how it works.
PS:
Jings what a reasonable man…must be misunderstood. Aye right!
David Mundell open to Brexit ‘arrangement’ for Scotland
link to archive.is
i know how rightly angered scotland is at the past and present squandering of its oil revenues.
that’s a macro- embezzlement.
Have a look here to see how Unionists/Loyalists in the NI Assembly squander major sums in micro-type bamboozlements.
Funds are diverted from their original aims and rightful purposes, schemes are modified, hospital enquiries into the death of children are a never-ending story, enriching somebody, protecting others.
These examples derive from Northern ireland but similar instances could probably also be found in Scotland.
Read and learn.
Be on watch!
link to eurofree3.wordpress.com
The voodoo rooms eh? Just as well our movement is peaceful. Let’s just say in a few more volatile countries in the world that information would attract attention. Just sayin..
I am just asking if any here are having a problem with the “Sky” system.
Normally I record some political programs, rather than watch live, so I can spin past the crap and try and pick up what might be said that includes Scotland.
Over the last week or so, my SKY box is failing to record BBC programs ie Politics Scotland,FMQ’s.
All BBC programs. I could watch them live but as mentioned I prefer to record. I can record Prime ministers questions and A. Neil on daily politics no problem.
Just seems to fail on Scottish stuff. So I was wondering if any others are having that problem? It has never happened before, I find it strange. I have done it for years, but cant now?
A quick scan of UK government statistics show that over the last 10 years the Scottish Education system has consistently has an average pupil teacher ratio of about 13:1 at secondary level and lover.
England’s best is 16.5
Whereas Wales and N.Ireland has been 17.5 :1
That’s numberwang!
lets make Denzel Washington Scottish Ambassador to the State and Corporate Media link to facebook.com
stewart b @10.00
Read the first 27 pages. Please post the link again tomorrow so I can read the rest.
The nub of it:
link to youtube.com
What you begin to realise is that ‘fake news’ is not some ‘new’ phenomenon…a lot of history is ‘fake’ information. The fact that the press are falling over themselves reporting ‘about’ fake news is a testament to the abject failure and inherent thickness of this section of our societies in a) their function as ‘journalists’ and b) their inability to look in the mirror and see that ‘they’ are the problem.
This page was playing up today, showing up as tiny on all devices, not now but its the middle of the night. Not seen that happen since indy in 2014, or maybe during the Scottish election.
link to bbc.co.uk
“University offer rate for Scottish students falls”
It then goes on to say..
“Data from admissions body Ucas suggests the number of places available has gone up but demand is rising even faster.”
I wonder why this was not the headline?
“A Scottish government spokesperson said: “The new Ucas figures record the highest ever entry rate to our universities for 18 year olds from Scotland’s 20% most deprived areas.
“Since 2006, the rate has increased by 3.7 percentage points to 10.9%.”
Stewartb,
I see that Wings has a mention! re polling, Pg 53 of the PDF.
Sarah (heiress to John Smith Labour Loyal to London arch Propagandist for the Establishment thanks very much for my career and forthcoming honour from her majesty) on Radio 4 this morning regarding Scots Government tax powers.
“No longer an excuse to blame Westminster” (I’m paraphrasing).
Good old Sarah, never misses an opportunity no fly the butcher’s apron and touch her forelock on London’s behalf.
@Phil Robertson.
How is the view from GCHQ window this morning?
GCHQ ? Pffft Shaun
Phil’s got a great view of Ibrox.
When his maw switches the red light off.
Have the ignorant incompetent 3rd rate reject Unionist/Green no Party blocked the council tax increase for Education? How low can they go. Is there no end to their malicious incompetence and meanest. £10 a week for the children. Have these ignorant twa faced incompetents have stopped it? They are absolutely unbelievable. Wasting money like there is no tomorrow on Unionist/green non mandated grotesque projects but denying people the right to support education.
The attacks in the Scottish Education system are an absolute disgrace. It is not only first class. It is superior to most other places. These appalling illogical attacks and lies from people who appear to never have been into a school in their lives. The daily dedication of the majority of the teaching profession has to be applauded. The dedication, caring and love most of them have for the children in their care is remarkable.
Their efforts in an often stressful job can only be applauded. To keep the children happy, healthy, well and well educated. The majority of them are totally and utterly committed and dedicated. Most carers from the bottom of their hearts not only support the teaching profession but applaud them for the majority excellent job they do. The majority are exceptional. Thanks for their efforts and their complete and utter kindness.
That a bunch of 3rd rate rejects ignorant incompetents have blocked this funding is a national scandal.
Scotland has one of the oldest and the best inclusive educational systems in the world. In every level and standard. It’s a pity some Unionist/Green ignorant incompetents do not understand. They try on every level to bring Scotland down.
Links
link to indyref2.scot
link to itisintruthnotforglory.wordpress.com
link to commonspace.scot
link to channel4.com
link to theregister.co.uk
link to thecanary.co
MPs set to get £1,000 pay rise – busting the Tories’ own cap on public sector workers
link to archive.is
British PM May’s Brexit plan: secret strategy or muddle?
link to archive.is
link to fwi.co.uk
link to lawgazette.co.uk
link to opendemocracy.net
link to blogs.lse.ac.uk
Having trouble archiving this morning and it’s strange that two articles critical of the government are no longer available. Tin hat on my Santa wish list!
link to zelo-street.blogspot.co.uk
Why the UK is on a collision course with the US for the first time in living memory
link to middleeasteye.net
link to theintercept.com
link to ecowatch.com
The lies and distortion. What’s the BBC’s take on Westminster taxing the Scottish Oil & Gas sector at 60% to 80% when the price had fallen 75%. Losing thousands of jobs and £Billions in Scotland. What about paying £Billions for Trident. Not supported in Scotland. What about taking Scotland of the EU when 60% in Scotland voted to stay. What about Westminster taking the farming CaP given to Scotland. What about Scotland raising more in taxes pro rata but ending up poorer. The nonsense about the fishing industry. The red herring. The fishy tale with a sting in it.Gain a few £Million but lose £10Billion.
Westminster borrowing and spending more and Scotland paying off the loan repayments. What about the illegal wars and the mess in Syria caused by Westminster Unionists. The illegal Westminster Gov who committed fraud in 31 Constituencies. The Dunblane and Iraq scandals kept under the Official Secrets Act for 100 years. The Labour Party connections.
BBC Scotland. What about the £20Billion Scotland loses to the Union. The illegal wars, the tax evasion and the banking fraud. How about a BBC report on that and the Labour/Unionist part in BBC Scotland lies. The Unionist drones fabricating the News. Doing themselves out of a job. Their gross incompetence. SKy news complaining about ‘fake’ News. Their output is fake. Associated with a criminal who hacks phones and bribes public officials. A tax evading Non Dom. Get rid of SKy. There are plenty of more credible alternatives.
No wonder Football is in such a state. Letting paedophiles run the clubs. No wonder the terraces are empty and the lights are going out.
I take it that ‘Phil Robertson’ is a nom de propaganda of McDougal Mc Ternan or even Tom Harris, and their wee team of Satan’s Little Helpers clacking away in back bedrooms keeping Project Fear and Smear alive.
There is no such person as ‘Phil Robertson’ of course.
HMRC are moving thousands of Scots jobs to their new Centre in Crawley. Shades of Johnson’s £1 spent in Crawley is of more value than £1 spent in Strathclyde, wherever that is.
The MOD are closing military bases in Scotland. DWP are closing Job Centres.
The income tax revenue losses of 10’s of thousands of jobs in Scotland in public services, the military, and many WM Government funded Scottish jobs, coupled with concomitant Austerity Cuts in Education Health, and Welfare posts, will severely damage the tax take Up Here.
The BBC in Scotland reach new levels of lies and distortion every day.
At the threshold of 2017, Scotland’s future has never been in greater peril.
We must not allow this Fourth Estate Fifth Column any more room for manoeuvre.
WoS WGD Bateman Macart Grouse Beater and many many more truly independent commentators are now our only source of debunking the lies distortions and naked right Wing propaganda of the Unionist Enclave Up Here.
Phil Robertson does not exist.
He is a fiction.
To all the ACTUAL Phil Roberstsons in Scotland, I apologise profusely; but you get what I mean.
Blair McDougal or whoever is taking your name in vain.
How much are the Education Heads in the ‘failed’ LA’s being paid in wages?
The late winter and early Spring is the time to forensically examine LA spending, and the utt5er waste and corruption of Unionist Town Halls. There’s an election in May, Phil Robertson.
Outstanding piece of debunking, as usual, Stu.
My how they must hate you in the Press Rooms.
Scottish tories be crazy. BBC r4, Nic Robinson’s vote tory Today show, Sarah Smith says SNP bad, Scotland now highest taxed part of UK economy, Scottish tories very angry, its very bad.
Yesterday, Torrance of The Graun,
SNP bad, Sturgeon bad, YES voters bad and
“For deep down, the SNP is about as leftwing as Harold Wilson or Blair, ie not very. Fundamentally, it isn’t driven by ideology but by the pursuit of independence, and over the decades it has adopted whatever philosophical guise is necessary to achieve that goal. In the 1940s and 50s, for example, nationalists were suspicious of the NHS and welfare state; today they pose as its defenders. And the party’s fiscal thinking – such as it is – amounts to little more than trumped-up trickle-down economics.”
Getting mixed singles from planet toryboy, as usual. Wish they’d make their minds up at BBC.
@ Jack
“How much are the Education Heads in the ‘failed’ LA’s being paid in wages?”
Aye, time to look at the wages of all local authority management, many earn more that the First Minister.
Have a radical overhaul of wage structure in Scottish LA’s and limit the management wages to a multiple of the lowest waged.
“But you need to pay large wages to get the best”
Aye, I’ve seen some of the “best” and can tell you that statement is not true.
@Nana
Mornin’ Nana. Still no smallaxe?
Hope he’s keeping well.
Been a bit busy mindin’ someone else’s store, so haven’t been visiting as often this past week. Not a chance of catching up on all comments on threads.
Anyroads, kettle on.
@Macart
He left me a message in off topic yesterday morn, he is not well at the moment, sleeping 18+hours a day. Doctor was coming out. He told me not to worry but that’s impossible.
@ Gerry parker.
The same applies to ALL LA Heads of Department, Education Authorities, Health Boards, and so on.
We’re paying English Premiership Footballers’ wages to a bunch of failures?
It’s all the BAD SNP’s fault that we can’t recruit doctors, teachers, stop old folk bed blocking because highly paid Social Workers health Officials, and their bosses can’t, or more precisely won’t do, joined up service provision.
Well BBC Scotland? What about the scandals at LA level?
Not a fucking peep.
The sloppiness and sheer bad management at LA level may of course be a deliberate attempt to blame the SNP for expensive and almighty fuck ups in the HS, Education, and indeed all Departments managed by our Councils.
May’s LA elections will surely root out the corrupt Unionist fellow travellers who squander hundreds of millions each year, and allow corruption and graft and New Labour Arms Length Loss Making PFI Privatisations to hoover up our money unchecked.
The notion that devolving income tax collection to the Scottish Administration is a ‘new power’ is of course risible.
Phil Robertson, come out come out wherever you are.
@Nana
We’ll keep our fingers crossed for a speedy recovery.
@Nina
@Macart
Let’s hope smallaxe is back at his acerbic insightful and thoughtful best soon.
Forever young, smallaxe. You still have many bridges to build, Clyde built ships to launch.
Peace.
@Jack Collatin
On sooperdooper tax powwwerrrs.
link to reformscotland.com
From Reform Scotland
‘BACKGROUND… on tax
The Scotland Act 2012 devolved 10p of income tax across all bands to the Scottish Parliament (the Scottish Rate of Income Tax). This comes into effect from 2016/17. The proposed Scotland Bill 2015/16 will devolve the rest of income tax to Scotland, in addition to Air Passenger Duty and Aggregates Levy (we have not included any assigned revenue from VAT as control over the tax has not been devolved).
However, despite this, the Scottish Parliament will control less than 30% of all tax income raised in Scotland.
More importantly, 71% of all tax revenue raised by the Scottish Parliament will come from a single source Income Tax.
Reform Scotland believes that with tax income so overly reliant on a single tax, it is likely to be impossible to introduce coherent tax reform that would encourage economic growth. It is a blunt tool, and therefore further devolution is required.’
The media and opposition politicians can feel as happy as they like about ‘responsibility’ for tax gathering. They can party all they want over 30% control of a thing that is the publics by right. They can even toast the thought of mitigating and offsetting bullshit from now till doom cracks.
The rest of us however, have better things to do.
Apologies for o/t. Just read a review of Gerry Hassan’s book “Scotland the Bold” and hope to read the book in the near future if Santa is still in town. In it he writes –
“The UK has in effect what can be called an Empire State – a state devised for global pretensions, projection and military expeditions. It is not designed for the care or well being of its own people”. Can’t disagree with a word of that – get down off the fence now Gerry!
Brexit: Immigration controls will not be up for debate in EU ‘divorce’ talks, says David Davis
Is David speaking for himself, or is this government stance?
On the spectrum of possible outcomes being considered by the Government, he said: “The four I have in mind are inside the Customs Union; a ‘partially inside’ Turkish model; outside with a free trade agreement and a customs arrangement; and completely outside.”
A wide spectrum, but outside what has become the established definition of ‘soft’ inside the EEA/single market.
Without a special deal for Scotland, this would necessitate IndyRef2.
link to archive.is
Anyone else met with Labour handing out cards at a Train Station today saying they demand price freezes for travellers?
One guy at top of Kings Park station handing out the cards ( taken, recognised, ripped up and put into bin) but then there were 2 others on the platform , one either a candidate or wannabee getting his picture taken.
Summed them up it was using an i-pad with no flash in mid darkness. Truly an embarrassment but clearly their going after low lying fruit.
It’s local authorities who will not fund the proper provisions for homelessness, drug/drink rehabilitation, social care, pot holes as per their statutary duty. etc. They break the Law. They are not fit for public duty They spend, borrow and waste public money on grotesque projects of little values against the majority wishes and the public interest. Getting £2 to £10 a week for poorer of the next generation from the wealthier was affordable and right. Less than a cup of coffee or tea. Greedy mean ignoramuses. The Unionist/Greens will suffer for this. Total hypocrites.
Vote SNP/SNP. Vote for Independence.
Re Scottish education; I tend to stay out of the debate, since I don’t know enough about the current situation.
What I do know, however, is: 50-years ago, just after i left my old-style Senior Secondary, Scottish education was among the best systems in the world.
Then the Labour Party started mucking about with comprehensive education, and, it has been downhill ever since.
My old school has had six Head Teachers since I left (seven if you include the psycho incumbent with whom I fought a three-year running battle) in the 50-years.
One of these was an internal promotion – very good teacher and administrator with a long connection with the school. Three were incomers, one very good, but died after only a short time in situ, and two who knew nothing about the school or the area and were unmitigated disasters.
The other two were former pupils. One was never more than acting Head Teacher, holding the fort for two difficult years and impressing everyone with how well he coped.
The other FP, the current Head, has worked wonders in bringing the school back to something like what it was, assisted by a senior management team, nearly every one of whom ia also a former pupil.
We have good teachers, and indifferent teachers, even, I must presume, the odd bad teacher. But, we have even more careerist local government administrators, and Labour Party councillors who were never clever enough to even be “Low Flying Jimmies”, making wrong decisions along party lines.
But, if we can promote the good teachers, and cull the councillors, I am sure Scottish education can again be excellent.
Mind you, we have to acknowledge, since Scotland’s brightest and best have been leaving the country for the past 300-years, maybe our gene pool is not as deep and as strong as it might be.
Scotland is the highest part of the UK because of the illegal UK tax system from Westminster which is not fair or equal. 40% tax on the Oil sector – when prices are low. Losing £Billions and thousand of jobs in Scotland. Scotland can’t put a tax on loss leading’ drink. To save on health care etc. Scotland is taxed for Trident,£Billions.
Multinational and whisky companies tax evasion. HMRC not fit for purpose because UK Gov do not enforce the UK tax Laws.Westminster politicans and their associates can tax evade. Scotland paying £Billions of loan repayments on Westminster illegal borrowing and spending. Westminster illegal Gov. The Tories committed electoral fraud in 31 constituencies. Scotland being illegally governed by criminal Tories/Unionists. Responsible for illegal wars, banking fraud and tax evasion. Most of them should be in jail.
Vote SNP/SNP. Vote for Independence.
In case you missed it.
Short and sweet:
link to youtube.com
Front page of The National today
link to twitter.com
That will have to be well and truly swamped by a mountain of Daily mails!
Scotland has a world standard of education. 50% of the pop go to a University. More to colleges and apprenticeships. Scottish Education lead the world and still does. There are problems that can bad resolved but the basic structure is really good. Teachers need – additional needs training for inclusion.
Admission departments should not be taking A levels over Highers based on a different education system. Highers are equal to A levels. Scotland has a broader based system that offers more choice. Especially at an earlier age. There could be improvements. Keeping class sizes low etc. Giving teachers the best training possible. The majority of teachers do a great job with patience and understanding. They need proper training to put in small strategies which make improvements.
Scotland has a world standard education system. The attacks on it are absolutely disgraceful. Despicable.. That is why so many students come to study here. 50%.
For anyone in the know, would an Independent Scotland be affected by the Snooper Charter?
link to mobile.twitter.com
Labour and Tories working together again…I can’t see the join!
Junkers and Salmond, he looks that happy and comfortable with Alex. That must be a good sign, nothing like May received.
Alex is what all real Scots should try to be.
Alec Salmond’s speech yesterday …
link to thenational.scot
…. excellent!
@Handclapping
Well since, sadly, attendance at the Rev Stu’s classes is not compulsory and around 50% of pupils were playing constant hookie the Rev Stu’s pass rate of those who attended was close to 100%.
Before Comprehensive education. The 11+. 10% of the population went to University.Now 50% go to University. 25% + 25% mature students. More go to College and apprenticeships. Tradespeople can earn a comfortable leaving. Scotland has one of the best education system in the world. China/Finland/Japan? 40% go to University.
Japan 98 Universities. 100million pop
Finland 10 University 5Million pop
China 2200 Universities 1.3Billion pop
Scotland 15 Universities 5 million pop
Go into any school, especially in deprived areas. Volunteer if possible, and see how hard the majority of the Staff work. How kind and caring they are to the pupils. Stressed out they can be.
There MUST be some good news, the BBC anchors and reporters are always smiling at us.
@ macart 09.06 am.
Yet they still flog this bear trap of a devolved tax ‘concession’ as ‘tax raising powers’.
We can but hope that it becomes irrelevant as we opt for Self Determination when England and Wales haul up the drawbridge and pull down the portcullis on the Rest Of The World.
England and Wales will become in effect a ‘gated community’, an Iron Curtain wrapped around them like a Linus blanket keeping out the Foreign Hordes.
Not long now, Sam. Great piece by you today standing in for Paul over on WGD BTW.
@ Muscleguy its aw the fawt of they overachiever Wingers lol, ah mind the day’s when we were locked in the bedroom 24/7 wie oor Laptops & sustained on ah diet of IrnBru an Crisps lol.
O/T
As with Nicola’s recent visit to Ireland it would seem that our wonderful broadcast and print media are blissfully unaware that Eck was in Brussels yesterday to receive a prestigious award and meet with Junckers.
@ One_Scot
Absolutely not though it will not stop them spying on us well they spy on everybody as they lick US ass,the snoopers charter is so they can claim all the spying they do is legal,which they were doing anyway before the snoopers charter was passed into UK law.
The difference is if they get caught in our country we will have the right to slam them in prison and throw away the key.
So wee Rory the tory and his pals had better stay on their side of the border once we are independent,you hearing me you GCHQ spooks come to an indy Scotland if you dare we have a nice hotel lined up for you its called the Bar-L.
? what now for Teresa May being shunned in Brussels —- Cavity searches lol.
louis.b.argyll says:
15 December, 2016 at 11:18 am
There MUST be some good news, the BBC anchors and reporters are always smiling at us.
There is! Toryboy’s of the Scotland region want to make more tax, as of today. It must be true, even Euan MacSpanner wants to. We’re through the UKOK looking glass people. JK Rowling is unwell.
euan mccolm ?@euanmccolm 15h15 hours ago
euan mccolm Retweeted The SNP
thank goodness the first lioness is going to do this.
There is! Toryboy’s of the Scotland region want to PAYE tax, as of today.
I meant.
Too busy following Better Togetherists on twitter, apparently, red and blue toryboys are furious about English students going to Scottish unis. Its an outrage says BBC Scotland, Kenfarq, and ofcourse Dr Scott Thinks.,
Kenny Farquharson Retweeted
TimesEditorScotland ?@magnusllewellin 5h5 hours ago
SNP policy blamed as stats reveal students from England more likely than Scots to get a university place in Scotland
Scott Arthur ?@DrScottThinks 4h4 hours ago
Stronger for Scotland?
BBC News – University offer rate for Scottish students falls
They’re not very welcoming, the yoons o Scotland, especially considering how hard the lied and threatened us all 2014, to make us er, more welcoming to England.
The Susan Calman of scottish politics is on FMQs lol
gus1940
People not being told what Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond and the work our MPs do is frustrating enough but what I don’t get is folk seeing the useless, condescending buffoon David Mundell as SofS, and the fools in charge of Brexit, not clamouring to run our own affairs.
The bbc is now beyond redemption in Scotland. The britnat eejits in charge [!] at Pacific Quay must know it but don’t care anymore. There is no going back. The bbc is finished in Scotland.
Hmm, so that’s JK Rowling AND Jeffrey Bernard BOTH UNWELL. See how lying is bad for the soul.
louis.b.argyll says:
15 December, 2016 at 12:20 pm
Hmm, so that’s JK Rowling AND Jeffrey Bernard BOTH UNWELL. See how lying is bad for the soul.
Billionaires and bombs. Welcome to the UK, in Scotland, run by rabid tory tax dodgers in London, with their rabid tory liggers in Scotland, demanding tax hikes, now.
We’re the UKOK toryboys, we hate tartan tory Sturgeon, she wont let us pay more tax, vote tory!
Confused.com.
RE Scottish Budget remember that Labour’s property tax proposals would reduce council’s income by £140 million a year and their income tax plans to bridge this funding gap would hit 500,000 pensioners plus those on average incomes at a time when even more Westminster cuts are coming down the line.
Remember how Labour failed to vote against George Osborne’s 50p tax cut for the rich), but neither could find even half a sentence in passing to mention the much more significant discovery of the Bain Principle. link to wingsoverscotland.com
Remember when the SNP tried to introduce a fair local income tax this was sabotaged by Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling who said that the UK Treasury would retain the £400 million a year allocated for Council Tax benefit if Council Tax was scrapped.
Heedtracker12:32..
`Billionaires and bombs. Welcome to the UK, in Scotland, run by rabid tory tax dodgers in London, with their rabid tory liggers in Scotland, demanding tax hikes, now.`
Couldn’t agree more, but I’d add a third one..
Billionaires, Bombs and Brexit..
..tomorrow Downing Street might bring you ‘the letter C’
Dan, the BBC isn’t finished until we have a new broadcaster in place which will serve Scotland the way it should. The propaganda we are subject to right now is on an industrial scale due to the BBC’s scope over different platforms. We simply don’t live in a democracy while it remains. Sad but true.
Ouch! Just listened to BBC Politics lunchtime vote tory show, explain that English students paying fees and Scots not, is discrimination and will it end with Brexit.
Interesting spin on “discrimination” there, from the Ligger’s crew. Fees are what English parents voted Tory for, all for their children. Not in Scotland though, but its BBC style “discriminating.”
That’s enough Ligger creep out for the day, Ed.
I just watched London Calling last night. With it’s release we should now be starting a visible non payment of the license fee campaign and hopefully the documentary would ride that particular wave and finish the BBC in Scotland once and for all. Merry Christmas
Thanks DerekM, I think I will continue with the VPN just to be on the safe side.
Just read this headline,
‘Brexit: 40% of US firms with British offices are considering relocating to the EU’
Hmm, wouldn’t it be convenient for them if there was some country in the EU they could move to without crossing water. Nope, can’t think of any, well not yet anyway.
Re tax, progressive that is.
Damned if you do, damned if we dither.
Tax the rich NOW while they are.
Get OUR MONEY back before the whole gilded turd/golden goose of tax evasion rusts..and mysteriously turns to gold.
Heedtracker, if it hurts (watching BBC current affairs programs) then only do it while hiding behind sofa/under cushions etc..and certainly, never with pets or children present.
It lurks for me.
“Grave concerns” “Fears over” “Anxiety grows”
Saves telling outright lies when there are other ways of scaring the public
@ One_Scot
Your welcome One_Scot however i would suggest you do not use a VPN they are still traceable in fact more so than using a normal IP,you see it comes down to data with a VPN your data will be separated from the rest in its own data collection servers making you stand out more,its a con.
With normal data streams the amount in the UK every day is staggering so they can only check it with using computers to check for specific words to check it manually would take more manpower than exists on the planet.
Or in other words stay in the herd or the big bad lion might munch on you 😉
@louis.b,
BBC news lurks for me too like a bad smell 🙂
Another good measured contribution from Derek Bateman on the BBC and reinterates the very valid point about the art of persuation.
“As I wrote at the time of the row over the roadside hoardings plan highlighting BBC bias, the constant raging about the BBC sounds scary to those not yet committed to Yes. It makes them wonder what kind of people nationalists are.”
link to derekbateman.scot
Heedtracker @ 12.47
What still amazes me is that the public in England don’t call for their kids to be made equal with our kids by finding the money to fund education.
They seem to be more interested in making sure Scottish kid’s don’t get it either!!!Bizzare!!
Basically translates into…. If Holyrood can find the money in the education budget to not to have to charge students,then it is not ….look and see how they are doing it….but rather take money away from them and don’t let them manage it better.
Is there no one in England who can see this is stupid.
Scotland gets an education budget just the same as England,Scotland just manages it differently,and they can’t work this out?
Why are English parents not demanding that their kids get the same as our kids, rather than wanting our kids to be brought down to their kids level???
Re Govt snoopers, back in the day pre Internet / mobile phones to get round the illegality of Snooping on its own citizens the UK used to get the US National security agency (NSA) from their bases at Edzell in Angus and Menmouth Hill in Yorkshire to monitor all STD calls, they could not monitor calls within an exchange area just what were then called trunk calls from one city to another. They too relied on specific words and we used to have fun with dropping in the odd random word such as ak47 , Semtex etc into the conversation. I swear that now and again U could hear the clicks and the whirls as the recording equipment kicked in. Kept us amused 🙂
Have any of you taken a look across the water at the major scandal brewing in Norn Iron? I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice to say the DUP have effed up royally at major cost to the tax payer. Implications for Scotland – if the Stormont coalition falls, triggering Assembly elections against the backdrop of Brexit, Sinn Féin could emerge as the largest party in the North. That is generally taken as the trigger for a referendum on a united Ireland.
Let me guess what the Better Together campaign Irish style will consist of – a few backbench Tories, Kate Hoey, UKIP and the extreme right. There will be no vows, no party leaders rushing to Belfast to urge a no vote, and no pop stars pleading Stay with us Northern Ireland. Surely all but the most obtuse of Scottish voters will smell a rat when they see the glaring difference, and hopefully work out that NI has absolutely no oil.
“Sinky says”
Derek Bateman seems to be a bit of an apologist for the BBC
recently, I usually agree wholeheartedly with him, but not in his defence of the shower of shites at PQ, I think he worked for them for a while and has good memories of his time there, but ENOUGH is ENOUGH, maybe he has blinkered vision and cannot seem to believe just how biased they have become, hopefully he can wake up and “smell the coffee” soon,
Syd
Movie re – Edward Snowden. The US/UK acting illegally. Breaking their own Laws.
The discrimination is Scotland raising more and getting less back because of Westminster mismanagement.
Liar, alcoholic Andrew Neil got an entirely free Scottish education. Now pounces about with a BBC public funded remuneration. Wasting public money. Hypocrite. The early broadcasts of the Tory deliberately running down Scotland while Thatcher was ilegally and secretly off shoreing Scottish resources. Thatcher’s henchman. Disgusting. Rejoicing in poverty in Scotland.
I like your thinking.
Liz g says:
15 December, 2016 at 1:37 pm
Heedtracker @ 12.47
What still amazes me is that the public in England don’t call for their kids to be made equal with our kids by finding the money to fund education.
Yes it is a very dirty business, tory BBC attack propaganda. I just caught that bit of the Ligger show which was specifically stating “student fees for the English is discrimination” and will ending it be one of the many big changes coming with Brexit.
But they left out what “ending” student fee discrimination means and the fact that the English have twice voted Tory for policy like student fees for English students.
To be fair though, BBC Politics vote tory show does get very tory zoomerish on occasion. Its probably one of these devolved issues that really gets up your average toryboy nose, no fee Scotland.
There may be planet toryboy trouble ahead, for Scotland, with Brexit.
Hopefully someone from SNP will respond to this p*sh from Ian Murray MP or send reply to letters_en@edinburghnews.com
link to archive.is
The Red Tory abstainer opposed devolving fiscal powers and it was the Labour run Glasgow City Council that cut 4000 teachers jobs.
re; Liz g @1.37
It is bizarre, I still get that from family and friends in england, they go all silent when you mention that there are no prescription charges or tuition fees in Scotland. Basically as far as they are concerned they are actually paying for Scotland to have these privileges, (I know they are not priveleges) and we all know where that myth comes from.
The britnat media, bbc the biggest culprit, create divide and rule, by promoting myths about Scotland. They then make sure that Scotland is seen as a subsidy junkie, and then make sure that people in england don’t even question why on earth their rogue government are charging them for education and health over and above what they pay in taxes. They are being ripped off but will never admit it, better to blame your neighbour for doing things in a more civilised and fair way.
posting again, WoS keeps shrinking on screen, comments not loading. Apologies if this appears twice!
re; Liz g @1.37
It is bizarre, I still get that from family and friends in england, they go all silent when you mention that there are no prescription charges or tuition fees in Scotland. Basically as far as they are concerned they are actually paying for Scotland to have these privileges, (I know they are not priveleges) and we all know where that myth comes from.
The britnat media, bbc the biggest culprit, create divide and rule, by promoting myths about Scotland. They then make sure that Scotland is seen as a subsidy junkie, and then make sure that people in england don’t even question why on earth their rogue government are charging them for education and health over and above what they pay in taxes. They are being ripped off but will never admit it, better to blame your neighbour for doing things in a more civilised and fair way.
BBC Politics
15 mins ·
Paul Golding, who has stepped down as head of the group, admitted contempt of court and was jailed for eight weeks.
Maybe that nice BBC Question Time Audience Producer lady will sneak in a hacksaw baked in a cake.
New BBC drama, Britain First Prison Breakout, not another US telly BBC rip off, starring Alison Fuller Pedley. All cake ingredients and hacksaw guaranteed British.
BBC Politics
15 mins ·
Paul Golding, who has stepped down as head of the group, admitted contempt of court and was jailed for eight weeks.
Should add, its BBC headline what left Britain First out of their headline, just “the group” popped in, like the Beatles or Shawadiwadi, guys and girls.
From the New Statesman …
link to archive.is
A complex deal may not be within the competencies of the EU and may need to be ratified by each member who individually still control many aspects.
The overall ‘divorce settlement’ of how much the UK needs to pay to get out may be more straightforward, but a complex trade deal may indeed take a long time.
I can’t help but keep thinking – what is all this economic/social pain actually supposed to achieve for anyone?
Joannie @ 1.41
Very interesting! Not seen this during my news seeking channel hopping, but no surprise there.
I genuinely hope I see a United Ireland, it’s surely the right way of things to rational people? It’s the modern way forward, and I’m sure it would be for everyone’s benefit to work together.
Folk in the North weren’t slow at applying for Irish passports to retain their EU rights, so it would be very interesting to know what the polls were indicating.
Sorry if I missed it but a Yoon @ Weekend arguing that the S Gvt is usseless etc.
Apparently the P&J ran an article recently “SNP BAD” as they had failed to claim MILLIONS from EU ?
Anyone able to shed light on this ?
My mam mid 80’s YESSER has bought P&J all her life.
In the 60’s I thought it was “fair” but this last decade its so bad,as Heedtracker always reminds us ,I cannot even open it now.
“Aw canny thole it onymair!”
My mam mid 80’s YESSER has bought P&J all her life.
In the 60’s I thought it was “fair” but this last decade its so bad,as Heedtracker always reminds us ,I cannot even open it now.
So does my grandad, late 80’s, read it all his life, very YES, ex Labour too. “You’re face loon,” he laughs at me when I pick it up for a wee look, especially assorted loaded tory roaster regulars on their letters page.
Delighted to hear that Murdo Fraser says the Tories cannot support the budget. Derek Mackay is clearly doing something right 🙂
Jings! Lost my internet, so missed the last bit of the budget statement.
I was about to post / say:
Derek Mackay is a bit too speedy for me on the Scottish budget details… slow down a bit. 🙂
No sign of any ‘U’ turns there as far as I can make out so far.
The debate should be an interesting exercise for the opposition in saying why the SNP is bad, but we don’t have any plans of our own.
————————————————————-
Back again on Parliament tv again.
Oh here’s Kezia…
How dare the SNP dump a policy that the Tories wanted dumped, I mean How Dare They!
My sides still hurt after the Buffalo Rider was put down.
Sensible budget from Mackay BUT the majot economic levers for growth are still held by Westminster.
Mackay could not announce we will not be renewing Trident or will not be funding crossrail or high speed trains to Leeds. Do not even dream of revenue from gas and oil! Dream on folks,independence is the only sane answer to this and Brexit.
Alf Young is a nasty clown BTW.
WOS archive links now over on O/T.
Put them on early today as i’ve got something to attend to later.
Famous15 says:
Indeed, because in 2014 a majority of our fellow Scots wouldn’t see that they were being lied to, and couldn’t see what was coming down the tracks towards them.
Yessers did see the lies, but let’s be honest, absolutely no one foresaw the absolute shite storm that is Brexit! It has actually been worse than we feared! In 2014 Indy was desirable, now it is absolutely imperative.
Bateman: “Constant raging about the BBC sounds scary to those not yet committed to Yes. It makes them wonder what kind of people nationalists are.”
That’s Bateman doing a Rowling: “Nationalists are not the nation.”
Non-nationalists I know think BBC Scotland unreliable, to say the least.
The notion Scotland conducts a revolution in political dynamics but ‘no one should be outraged’ is ingenuous in the extreme.
Where is the cut-off point? Do we follow the code, don’t mention independence if you feel the other person might be offended?
“The UK has in effect what can be called an Empire State – a state devised for global pretensions, projection and military expeditions. It is not designed for the care or well being of its own people”.
Thanks, Bill McLean, for providing a Gerry Hassan quotation that a) I understand and b) agree with. Quite unsettling, really: is it End of Days or whit?
Capella: new book on Thomas Muir coming out for Christmas.
For those having problems with small web-page size, try pressing ctrl and number 0. Usually works for me.
“Tinto Chiel Solutions. Solutions for the 21st century.”
*End of Advertising feature*
Robert Peffers says:
14 December, 2016 at 12:20 pm
“Utter PISH!
If for no other reason than that the SNP Scottish Government do not employ any teachers. At least not in their role of teaching pupils in schools.
The teachers employers are the Local Council Education Departments and these are under the control of the Local Councils. Which councils, in Scotland are predominantly run by Westminster controlled, unionist, political parties. Mainly Labour at present.
The SNP Scottish Government are thus not, as you wrongly claim, in control of that particular facet of the Scottish Education system.”
What parallel universe are you living in?
In its own words, “The Scottish Government undertakes an annual teacher workforce planning exercise” which is pretty pointless if it is not “in control of that particular facet”.
It also direct funds some teaching posts and it has also directed that the extra funds raised by the increase in council tax are to be spent on education.
Phil Robertson says:
Hey Phill, looks like you guys got your UKOK double whammy then…we demand you hike our taxes Sturgeon you evil witch, shriek the tories, Look at Sturgeon the evil witch, she’s hiked our taxes shriek the tories, style of demented Daily Heil madness.
Its a mad world on planet toryboy, red or blue, Phil.
Grouse Beater says:
I generally like what Bateman has to say, but he really is too soft on the BBC. However, I have a different point to make …
Bateman: ”what kind of people nationalists are” …. he should know better.
Those who are currently pushing their nationalism in everyone’s face aren’t the Scottish nationalists who Bateman implies, they are the British nationalists. And, these are the very people who like the BBC because it is supporting their cause!
The BBC’s mission, in part, is to support and promote British nationalism.
The time is past where anyone can use the word ‘nationalist’ and expect to have that instantly interpretated as ‘Scottish nationalist’.
@Phil Robertson
When the last uproar on teacher numbers “hit the headlines” it turned out to be Labour run councils (mainly Glasgow) who had cut the numbers.
Unionist parties are quite happy for a Holyrood target to fail…I assume you share that mentality.
Great National front page
link to thenational.scot
How things have changed sionce 2014 .. yet no coverage by BBC or MSM
Dr Scott Thinks has thought…
Scott Arthur Retweeted
Nicola Kirton ?@nicolakirton888 56m56 minutes ago
@DrScottThinks @JackieBear1872 absolute betrayal of the real workers of Scotland by Tartan Tory SNP
Flub’s clever clever word selection at usual BetterTogether bullshit standards too.
Blair McDougall ?@blairmcdougall 43m43 minutes ago
More cuts to schools & to services the most vulnerable in society depend on. Because the SNP won’t use the powers they claimed to want.
The SNP got a huge chunk of the vote and got elected, the other parties did dismally and didn’t get elected, they got listed in, and many of them got less votes than I could have got on a walk round to the post office just by asking folk
Yet they’re the ones preventing the voted in party from doing the job they were voted in for by most of the people
Now folk will burble about proportional representation and that’s fine but the Dhont Calculator System is insanity when it creates barriers to the elected government carrying out the manifesto it was asked to by the voters
Currently we don’t have checks and balances we have blackmail and extortion from list MSPs some of whom got less than 400 votes
I know it’s boring but this system sucks really badly and when the SG isn’t able to carry out the manifesto it was elected on the first thing the losers and their pals in the media say is the SNP is not an effective Government because they didn’t do what they promised in their manifesto and in Westminster they pump out the line to their ignorant voters through English media the SNPs popularity is fading because of the same stupid argument knowing the English haven’t the first clue or have even heard of the ridiculous Dhont Calculator System
And to be fair on them why should they it’s a stupid system and
It Sucks!
@Phil Robertson,
I think the article above makes it pretty explicit that there are more teachers in Scotland than last year.Therefore workforce planning has worked at National level.
Where it fails is at local Council level obviously. Who would have thought eh ?
Labour and Tories are not above playing party politics with education or children’s futures. You have the chance to alter that in May.
Two tories together, also clever clever word choice, *SNP get powers* They really think we’re all morons.
David Torrance Retweeted
Kevin Hague ?@kevverage 7h7 hours ago
SNP: we demand tax powers so we can be more progressive
*SNP get powers*
SNP: we can’t increase any tax rates in case some people leave
And to be fair on them why should they it’s a stupid system and
It Sucks!
Its shares out seats across political spectrum votes quite well. Its not perfect and keep in mind, SNP gov wont last forever? But if it doesn’t, what happens if we get say a SLab dude like Dr Scott Thinks for FM. A lot of the old parties are extremists, just like the good Dr.
The only constant in UKOK politics is the fourth estate media. BBC will always be with us, they think. They’ve counted them in and out. Jim Naughty types, the Ligger, they are as permanent as the queen and the BBC and they know it.
So if and when the time comes, PR Holyrood will keep the lunatics in some kind of check and balance, even after independence.
OK this is plagerism from another winger
From Reform Scotland ‘BACKGROUND… on tax
The Scotland Act 2012 devolved 10p of income tax across all bands to the Scottish Parliament (the Scottish Rate of Income Tax). This comes into effect from 2016/17. The proposed Scotland Bill 2015/16 will devolve the rest of income tax to Scotland, in addition to Air Passenger Duty and Aggregates Levy (we have not included any assigned revenue from VAT as control over the tax has not been devolved).
However, despite this, the Scottish Parliament will control less than 30% of all tax income raised in Scotland.
More importantly, 71% of all tax revenue raised by the Scottish Parliament will come from a single source Income Tax.
Reform Scotland believes that with tax income so overly reliant on a single tax, it is likely to be impossible to introduce coherent tax reform that would encourage economic growth. It is a blunt tool, and therefore further devolution is required.’
Was punted on to an old article about someone applying a formula designed to deduce who voted for leave in Scotland and claiming that Banff definitely did. Not really important other than it tied into the idea that regaining control of fisheries, and thus restarting the industry, was high on the list of priorities in that area.
The problem that simple analysis faces is that I kind of doubt we’d get a devolved registry of shipping. So absolutely no way to guarantee a vessel registered anywhere in the UK will ever moor at its “home” harbour. Nor given the defense implications might we see a devolved fisheries protection fleet. So even if fisheries were devolved offshore we’d just end up trying to manage something with no funds to do so and the fleets would be based in England as would the processing plants. Obviously there’d be a green explanation as that’d be closer to distribution to the major population centers.
Teachers in Scotland’s state schools are employed by Local Authorities and there is indeed an annual teacher workforce planning exercise undertaken by the Scottish Government.
As shown at link to gov.scot, this is a excerise to ensure training places meet the demand for teachers that Local Authorities foresee.
“The Scottish Government undertakes an annual teacher workforce planning exercise each autumn to estimate how many student teachers should be enrolled by the relevant universities in the following year to ensure that we maintain an adequate supply of teachers to meet local authorities’ and schools’ requirements.”
And as the same source indicates, the responsibility for teacher recruitment is with Local Authorities as the employer.
“The Scottish Government has secured the agreement of each Scottish local authority to maintain their teacher numbers and pupil teacher ratio for 2015-16 at 2014 levels.”
As recently as December 2015, with information emerging that some Councils were employing fewer teachers than in the previous year i.e. failing to live up to what they had previously agreed (see link to bbc.co.uk), the General Secretary of the Educational Institute for Scotland is quoted as saying: “.. the statistics also highlight that teacher numbers have fallen in a number of local authority areas, in breach of those individual agreements (between councils and the Scottish Government). This confirms the need for a nationally agreed minimum staffing standard to ensure consistent levels of provision across Scotland.”
Given the Holyrood Budget is an Act does that imply that it’s on the same level as any other legislation and Sewell offers it the same protection? So if the tories really don’t want to pay more taxes they can simply get their big brothers at Westminster to step in and overrule it?
@Joannie 1:41pm
Very interesting. Time we did take a closer look at N.Ireland and how its politics could effect ours in Scotland. The so-called united kingdom is definitely, if slowly, tearing apart at the seams. Wonder if our FM talked about Irish unification when she was in Dublin?
North British Tories fail to understand that the marginally higher taxes in Scotland compared to England take into account free personal care, free tution fees, free prescriptions and a far better heath service and a better education system despite recent hysterical yoon yapping and 9% real terms cut from Westminster.
When you also add the better quality of life and a more compassionate Scottish government there is no disincentive for high earners to come to work in Scotland.
Derek Mackay made a decent fist of the Budget for his first go today.
Hootsman’s report.
link to archive.is
Under EU rules home ports have an 100 kilometres? exclusive area . More than some countries designated limit. The SNP over a year ago (Lockhead) negoitiated an EU settlement where the fishing have to use larger nets. No throwbacks or discards. That is why the quotas are being increased.
The seas were over fished. Any Gov would have had to introduced conservation measures. It is migrants workers who process the fish. Much of the catch is sold to EU buyers for higher prices. France and Spain. Brexit could bring tariffs cutting profits or affecting prices.
I see the yoon bawbags are no happy with the budget what a surprise,so lets all blame the SNP for cutting the block grant to Scotland,oh wait they do not get to decide that do they.
The sooner we have control of all fiscal levers the better,what will be even more funny is when we start saying where did this 300 mill come from and this 500 mill jeez we never even considered they were robbing us of that.
Many companies relocate where there are good Education and Heathcare services. They take it into consideration along with amenities. Outdoor pursuits and good housing opportunities, travel connections etc.
Galamcennalath: “Those pushing nationalism in everyone’s face … are British nationalists.”
The colonial view is invariably aggressive; we get pushed into justifying normality accepted by every other nation.
We mustn’t closed down or narrow the internal debate just because we might bruise somebody’s sensibilities.
The UK IS A MESS.
Just as in the UK-wide failing Tory-heavy money-management style NHS trusts..
..I wouldn’t trust an unelected, highly-paid council officer with anything except protecting their own (now corporately defined)positions of influence.
Expertise or knowledge are now overlooked, with budgetary responsibility now trumping real knowledge required TO UNDERSTAND their departments.
Our local councillors are TOOTHLESS. The four yearly exercise to elect those who propose change is A JOKE.
KPMG,Ernst&Young..etc ARE RUNNING OUR COUNCILS, STUFFING TRUSTS AND COMMITTEES WITH CRONIES IN THEIR OWN IMAGE.
Councillors are left to mind the ‘bylaws’ while the business is left to the banks.
The councillors have become mere trustees of hollow councils, soon to become trusts like the NHS models.
After that everything that is ring-fenced becomes homogeneous- and councils opt in or out etc..no discussion, no unique local solutions, no more democracy.
@Dan Huil – whatever Nicola Sturgeon thinks about Irish unity she had the sense to keep it to herself when she was in Dublin. The same policy was adopted by the Irish during the 2014 referendum over there. Probably for the best, nobody wanted to risk inserting a Celtic vs Rangers style dynamic into your referendum. It will inevitably already be there in ours though.
@heedtracker
”
David Torrance Retweeted
Kevin Hague ?@kevverage 7h7 hours ago
SNP: we demand tax powers so we can be more progressive
*SNP get powers*
SNP: we can’t increase any tax rates in case some people leave”
And this is why we are in such a mess. A self professed economics guy given centre stage who doesn’t understand macro economics.
Michael Hudson, economics professor nails so much in this interview. Well worth a watch/read…
link to renegadeinc.com
A low demand economy with high private debt created by the tories requires investment not tax increases..
scottieDog says:
15 December, 2016 at 6:01 pm
@heedtracker
Sarah Smith tells BBC r4 PM and then 6PM news, “SNP can no longer blame Westminster.” Tts dirty business teamGB attack propaganda. Sarah’s quite an accomplished attack propagandist though. Her r4 PM thing was usual condescension towards Holyrood, misinformation, framing it all into SNP bad. She did slip in at the end that PAYE is 30% for Scotsgov income with the rest from England’s block grant.
Its a start though. PAYE cut here we come. If only:D
That would shut them up, our chums in the south and our cringers too.
Reporting Scotland
Sally Magnusson interviewing Derek McKay
Sally immediately pulls a shotgun and fires for an all out attack on the Finance Minister
Derek McKay draws from the hip and fires and accurately shoots off Sally’s lip
Sally retorts by saying “mbir nhsb mlah blub” Derek smiles
and it’s over to Bryan Taylor to have a go and he very simply points out that “eh erm oh there will be a deal”
Derek McKay meantime is walking back to his office jauntily whistling and old Scottish ditty entitled
“That’ll learn ye”
If anyone seriously believes the bbc is not biased about Scottish politics they should hear Sarah Smith’s comment at the end of her wee whine on Radio4 6pm news.
I hope the Rev investigates this.
Its very yoon mad online, tartan tory seems to be the SLab thing again. This is great too, from a tory yoon who said he was moving to England, if we dare to believe in ourselves, just two mental UKOK years ago.
Pinned Tweet
Kevin Hague ?@kevverage 10h10 hours ago
SNP: we demand tax powers so we can be more progressive
*SNP get powers*
SNP: we can’t increase any tax rates in case some people leave
Norn Iron. It was almost healed over, apart from the minority wankers.
Brexit will tear open the wounds again.
@heedtracker
I saw the twitter storm over Labour Sarah smith earlier. Yes it’s overtly aggressive from someone who is supposed to be impartial. It’s basket case economics too.
ScottIeDog says:
15 December, 2016 at 7:08 pm
@heedtracker
I saw the twitter storm over Labour Sarah smith earlier. Yes it’s overtly aggressive from someone who is supposed to be impartial. It’s basket case economics too
It sure is but it is a start. Tragedy is any Scots macroeconomic tax cut boost just gets sucked away down to London, where its then spent on teamGB, with all that awful “why are we giving scrounger Scots so much freebies and handouts?”
The BBC, they are just pure piss taking trolling. Why? Because they can.
The paper tiger: Hark the Herald: Worth a read.
Ruth Davidson had an excellent start to FMQs. She held up The Herald.
Better than that, she said the front page story about an SNP government U-turn on finding £500m for schools from council tax was “100 per cent true”.
This is something I strongly recommend. Buy a copy, hold it aloft in public, and tell folk how accurate it is, especially when the author happens to share my name.
“We’re used to watching budget u-turns after they’ve been given but it’s quite something to see one falling apart before it’s even been published,” said the Tory leader.
“The SNP government has been telling us for months that it will press ahead with its flagship plan to raid council budgets to pay for an attainment fund.
“Now, a few hours before the most important budget in this parliament’s history, we read that the policy has been dumped. Isn’t this a shambles, First Minister?”
Alas, this was the high water mark of Ms Davidson’s day. All else was shame and ruin.
Nicola Sturgeon conceded “Tories know quite a lot about shambles”, but said MSPs should hang on a few hours for the low down on the budget.
Ms Davidson then changed gear as silkily as dropping a rust-bucket from fifth into reverse.
“If the SNP is going to dump this plan, then good,” she said, to universal cries of “Whahh?”
Hysterical Nat MSPs checked the rafters to see if Christmas coming early included snow.
“I thought the comedy turn at FMQs was usually reserved for Willie Rennie,” laughed the FM.
“It seems there’s a new incumbent in that post today. Can I just check, Presiding Officer. Have I got Ruth Davidson’s position right? She’s saying to the Scottish Government, ‘How dare you dump a plan we absolutely demand that you dump?’”
Ms Davidson almost clawed her way back with a pop at John Swinney, but then succumbed to the intoxicating taste of failure again by describing her own points as “chaff”.
Hilarity became bafflement became more hilarity.
“I’m confused,” said Ms Sturgeon. “I can’t work out whether she wants us to do something or that she doesn’t.”
Sweatily desperate, Ms Davidson broke the glass and reached for her bazooka – the SNP was scaring Scotland with its “threat of a second independence referendum”, she wailed.
Ms Sturgeon was nonplussed. “Nobody watching this will have any idea what on earth Ruth Davidson is asking! Totally confused and shambolic. You always know when Ruth Davidson is drowning at FMQs because she gets on to an independence referendum.”
At which the waves of laughter closed over the Tory leader’s heard for the final time. The Herald she clutched was a wonderful thing, but sadly it cannot double up as a lifeboat.
Bateman is a good guy in my book but he is blinkered when it comes to the bbc.
I think it’s imperative that we deride the bbc at every opportunity and start to encourage folk to view them as suspiciously as the mail or express.
Holding our tongues in polite company is the worst strategy imaginable. That’s what the proud Scots have done for centuries and it’s what has held us back. Let’s not be shy at calling out dishonesty and manipulation when we see it.
A no voter at my work caught me by surprise the other day when, unprompted, he criticised Jackie Bird during a discussion we were having on media bias.
I think we’re getting the message across and the beebs treatment of Corbyn and handling of Brexit is opening eyes. I don’t believe he would have made that comment even a year ago.
Keep criticising and calling the beeb out.
Theresa May is warned that a £50bn ‘Brexit bill’ will be ‘one of the first issues’ in the negotiations
The European Commission’s chief negotiator confirms that the UK will have to pay the fee for outstanding liabilities – and it will be near the top of the list
The first of many shocks for Leavers, a huge bill!
Look on the bright side, if Scotland grabs independence and stays in the EU we will not have to pay ‘our’ ~£4.5billion!
link to archive.is
Maybe sister Sarah (smith) should be quoting Bardsli Ruml, chairman of the federal reserve in America in 1945
Following taken from here…
link to bilbo.economicoutlook.net
“The necessity for a government to tax in order to maintain both its independence and its solvency is true for state and local governments, but it is not true for a national government.”
…State and local governments are similar to a household in the sense they face financial constraints on their spending. They have to raise funds before they can spend. Sure enough, state and local governments have a taxing power that households do not possess. But this is a matter of degree not form.
But a national government is unique in a fiat currency monetary system. Ruml considers two developments to that point (in the last 25 years) had “substantially altered the position of the national state with respect to the financing of its current requirements.
“Final freedom from the domestic money market exists for every sovereign national state where there exists an institution which functions in the manner of a modern central bank, and whose currency is not convertible into gold or into some other commodity.”
So saying Scotland exercises anything like the same freedoms as Westminster is totally destroyed in the above passage by economists who understand far more about money and economics than the court jester guy the BBC keep asking about GERS.
Horrible C4 teatime news thing, “Scots are now paying the highest taxes in the UK now.” That was it.
Should have mentioned in the above by ‘national government’, Ruml is referring to a sovereign national government. Scotland is more akin to a state in America.
Derek Bateman ah good guy. Aye ah bit like Kevin McKenna’s hoat n cauld flushes , no X Bbc jist Bbc apologist for his friends still employed , we need to keep up the pressure on the Bbc/Corporate media , he’ll have his tickets for the corporate christmas / new years bash.
OT
but I was so startled by this I had to archive it.
link to archive.is
Graun piles in, Severin style. Scottish accused, burned into our souls, British souls:D
Scotland
Scottish government accused of cutting £330m from council funding
Critics say finance secretary is squeezing councils to pay for education and social care, a charge he denies
Scotland must stop subsidising England.
Say it loud say it often everywhere possible
That should annoy a few and might make others think.
@Phil Robertson says: 15 December, 2016 at 3:49 pm:
… What parallel universe are you living in?”
Well, Phil, it most certainly is not the one you inhabit.
” … In its own words, “The Scottish Government undertakes an annual teacher workforce planning exercise” which is pretty pointless if it is not “in control of that particular facet”.
Bloody hilarious, Phil, can you not read and comprehend what is written? Here’s a wee parallel comparison to what you seem to understand from, “The Scottish Government undertakes an annual teacher workforce planning exercise”. from which you seem to deduce the SG are responsible for teacher shortages.
“The Metropolitan Police Force undertakes an annual survey of crimes involving deadly weapons”. If, as you claim, the SG are responsible for teacher workforce problems by undertaking an annual survey then are we to assume the London Police are responsible for crimes of violence involving deadly weapons?
“It also direct funds some teaching posts and it has also directed that the extra funds raised by the increase in council tax are to be spent on education.”
Indeed so, Phil, but the SG are responsible for funding education. They are not, though, responsible for employing teachers in local authority schools. There may indeed be exceptions but you have not indicated in what capacity the directly funded teachers operate. Methinks you are dragging red herrings around.
Bob Mack says:
15 December, 2016 at 4:16 pm
@Phil Robertson,
I think the article above makes it pretty explicit that there are more teachers in Scotland than last year.
You are quite correct. My point was that the article also ignored, deliberately or otherwise, other figures which show the decline over ten years and the more recent cut, in real terms, in spending per pupil.
It severely undermines the article that criticises others for not disclosing other facts to do the exact same thing itself.
Radio Tay must get its news from a SNP bad central also. They interview some Tory telling the SNP to come up with an initiative that the SNP just so happens have just announced.
Media is part of the establishment and in Scotland it is hugely corrupt, but it a hugely powerful weapon against Scotland and it’s right to being a nation.
How can this be stopped??
These people who attack the Scottish Government and the SNP at every opportunity – what puzzles me is how on Earth do they expect Scotland’s to ever cast off the colonial yoke without the SNP?
It’s enough to make you believe some of them actually want Scotland to remain Greater England’s last colonial outpost. 🙂
ronnie anderson says:
We do!
We aren’t being dragged down with this xenophobic isolationist Tory Brexit right wing loony fest because we lost in 2014.
We lost in 2014 mainly because of two main things. Firstly media bias especially from the BBC. Secondly from false promises of devosupeffederalhomemaxrule culminating in the notorious Vow.
Perhaps either one of those alone lost us self determination, perhaps not. One thing I am certainly of is that both added together tipped the balance!
The media, inc BBC, are worse than ever. As for the false promises, I cannot see how that card can be played again. So IMO debunking and calling out the propagandists at every opportunity is absolutely crucial.
How can this be stopped??
It can’t. Its just part of life in the UK for all Scots. England cant even begin to imagine giving up control of Scotland, so it wont. Its also why England thinks it actually has and it thinks that because that’s what the grand old tory BBC led media tells them. Clever.
Jean Claude Junkers says there will be a seat for Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP in Brexit negotiations
Cannae wait fur the groop foty eh (Saltire fluttering at the side)I’ll bet they put the FM at the front to get right up the Brits noses
She’ll likely get a dinner invite as well while Theresa May’s away on the bus home (in her good leather troosers that she wore fur the occasion tae)
@Ronnie A et al –
Here’s Peter Bell’s latest on the BBC.
I’ve not been keeping up with all the ins-and-outs recently, so I still don’t have a handle on who’s where on what precisely. Must admit, Peter’s position confuses me a tad, but the man always talks sense so I’m away to read it again, maybe catch-up with what Derek B’s been saying too.
Has anyone heard about anything afoot for another PQ demo? Quite fancy May meself (er, the month that is…)
link to indyref2.scot
Hi Ian Brotherhood at 9:18 pm
You typed,
“Has anyone heard about anything afoot for another PQ demo? Quite fancy May meself (er, the month that is…)”
There’s an “All Under One Banner” march planned for 29th April in Glasgow. Could it not be an idea to have that march STARTING at George Square, then follow a route that takes in the Daily Record and STV HQs, finishing off at Plantation Quay? (Ronnie’s idea – not mine.)
You have to see this quick clip of May at the EU meetings, it will cheer you no end – it’s brutal.
Then think of that pic of Salmond and Juncker hugging.
link to twitter.com
One of the recurring themes in the budget debate today at Holyrood was of the Tories wanting to face two different ways on key issues. But it is not just on finance and the economy: they are happy to do the same on Scotland’s education system too it seems in pursuit of a blatant SNPbad agenda. Let me give an example.
Following the recent PISA results, the Tory spokesperson Liz Smith MSP is quoted as saying:
“These shocking statistics are a damning indictment of a decade of failure under the SNP.”
(Source: link to inews.co.uk )
But then in response today to a UCAS report and a claimed failure in Scotland to meet the demand from young people for university places, the same Ms Smith is quoted as saying:
“Despite having outstanding grades, many Scottish students are finding it increasingly difficult to get into universities because of the constraints applied via the capping policy.”
(Source: link to bbc.co.uk)
So just to recap, the Tory position seems to be that: (i) a decade of educational system failure is (ii) delivering outstanding grades and (iii) an increasing demand for a university education – all at the same time!
Today’s UCAS report on university entrance across the UK also notes something one might have thought would have been welcomed warmly – at least by Scotland’s ‘progressive’ media and Labour politicians: “Entry rate for Scottish 18 year olds from the most deprived areas (is) 51 per cent higher than in 2006.”
(Source: link to ucas.com )
When comparing higher education stats for Scotland with other nations in the UK, this acknowledgement by UCAS is crucial: “In Scotland, there is a substantial section of higher education provision that is not included in UCAS’ figures. This is mostly full- time higher education provided in further education colleges, which represents around one third of young full-time undergraduate study in Scotland …. Accordingly, figures on entry rates or total recruitment in Scotland reflect only the part of full-time undergraduate study that uses UCAS.”
So the picture of higher education take-up in Scotland given in the UCAS data reflects only a minimum position.
@BDTT –
Cheers for that.
Sounds good.
The Peter Bell/Derek Bateman posts are getting a lot of replies, many from well-kent faces from this place. Plenty of argy-bargy, but nowt nasty, so it’s all good.
Let’s not forget – the ‘real’ debates are happening here, and places like this now. Forget QT and the late-evening drivel. They’re playing catch-up, and that’s when they even bother trying at all. It’s OUR discussion/debate, so the more the merrier.
Just watched Sarah Smith’s TV report which failed to mention the Tory cuts from Westminster and limited tax powers which is the backdrop to Scottish budget.
Complaint on its way to the BBC
OT
Noticed Rennie got more money for mental health. Selfish bas***d. How much will be spent on his treatment?
What’s the point of Slaverin Carrell? he is up there with
Wullie “photo opportunity” Rennie, as far as any reasoning goes.
“Total Nobody’s.”
If you think it’s bad just now, wait until the Indy Ref 2 date is announced, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
Sarah Smith works for the EBC, it can’t get anymore embarrassing than that, poor lass.
Still waiting for my anonymous comment to appear on chookers blag on his latest farticle which goes something like this (my comment):
“This article has as much substance as a Christmas pantomime.
Oh yes it does”.
Makes you wonder what the agenda is of unionists who only allow favourable comments, when the likes of Phil Robertson can post here anytime he wants, in real time.
Independence has no fear of telling the truth or criticism.
Budget facts….Here’s what you need to know.
From link to snp.org
Investing in our public services
We will invest a record £304 million extra in our NHS.
It is unacceptable that too many children from less advantaged areas achieve less at school because of their background. Over the next year £120 million will be invested in our schools to help close the attainment gap. That’s £20 million more than previously announced
Local services will benefit from up to £241 million of additional investment including.
– Funding from the NHS for health and social care to pay the living wage to care workers.
– £111 million raised through Council Tax re-banding will be retained locally.
– Local authorities will also be able to increase the Council Tax generally by up to 3 per cent next year, which would generate an extra £70 million.
The police budget will be protected in real terms.
Protecting household budgets
The basic rate of Income Tax will be frozen – helping low and middle income earners. And, by asking higher rate taxpayers to forgo a Tory tax cut, extra revenue will be available to invest in Scotland’s public services.
By 2020, we’ll increase the provision of free, high quality childcare to 30 hours a week.
The Draft Budget allocates over £60 million in new investment in the workforce and infrastructure necessary for this expansion.
A £3 million investment to bring down costs for rail users.
We will provide £47 million to mitigate the Tory Bedroom Tax, and abolish it at the earliest opportunity.
Supporting jobs and investing in growth
We will support jobs by cutting Business Rates. And, the extension of the Small Business Bonus Scheme will lift 100,000 small and medium sized business properties out of Business Rates altogether.
To support more businesses – particularly start-up companies – with the potential to grow and export more, the new Scottish Growth Scheme will provide up to £500 million over three years of investment guarantees and some loans.
We will deliver a £4 billion investment in our infrastructure, supporting 30,000 jobs. Our investment will begin the delivery of 50,000 new affordable homes, energy efficiency measures and improved digital connectivity. The next year will also see the completion of major projects like the Queensferry Crossing, the AWPR and the M8/M74/M73 improvements.
Skills, training and employment in Scotland will be supported by a £221 million investment. And, 2017-18 will see the next stage of our expansion to 30,000 Modern Apprenticeship new starts a year.
Ian Brotherhood: “Must admit, Peter’s position confuses me a tad.”
Peter’s thesis seems to be, there are-were great things broadcast on the BBC so condemning it outright isn’t fair.
That isn’t the point.
The issue is, by all counts and analysis BBC is wholly irrelevant to Scotland’s progress, culture and heritage. Indeed, there’s overwhelming evidence BBC does its level best to halt and divert Scotland’s progress, both by conscious effort and unconscious attitude.
By my insider experience I regard the BBC as corrupt, from its obscene levels of executive salaries – bribes from the British establishment – to sexual favours, spying on staff, broadcasting false news as facts, blacklisting contributors, to the corporate squandering of millions of pounds of license money on systems that proved useless, and chasing commercial television-type viewing figures.
And here’s to you Philip Robertson..
I could tell the meaning of a word like serene
I got some ‘O’ Grades when I was sixteen
I can tell the difference between margarine and butter
I can say “Saskatchewan” without starting to stutter
But I can’t understand why we let someone else rule our land
We’re Cap in Hand
I could get a broken jaw from being in a fight
I know its evening when day turns to night
I can understand why Stranraer lie so lowly
They could save a lot of points by signing Hibs Goalie
But I can’t understand why we let someone else rule our land
We’re Cap in Hand
We fight, when they ask us
We boast, then we cower
We beg
For a piece of
What’s already ours
Once I thought I could make God a bribe
So I said I was in his lost tribe
Getting handouts can be so frustrating
“Get in line son, there’s five million waiting”
I can’t understand why you let someone else rule your land
You’re Cap In Hand.
galamcennalath
re the Coppieters Awards 2016
I see you’ve linked to the text but here is the footage from Alex’ acceptance speech yesterday. Well worth watching
link to youtube.com
I have heard the phrase “Post Ruth” politics” several times and glibly assumed it was a generic reference to Yoon veracity post Tank Girl’s election as ‘leader’.
I have since discovered the phrase is more generic than that and should be read as “Post Truth”.
An understandable error I think you will agree.
@Grouse Beater –
Once again, you’ve made an important statement regarding the BBC, and I hope people will take note of it.
Gary45% says:
15 December, 2016 at 10:55 pm
What’s the point of Slaverin Carrell?
He sums what their relentless hour by hour SNP bad hysteria is all about. If yoon culture does actually lose control of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, its going to make their SNP Out job infinitely harder next GE, let alone ref 2.
“With an eye to next May’s council elections, when the Scottish National party hopes to win control of nearly all Scotland’s cities, Mackay was forced into two key reversals on policies that threaten to be central to that campaign.”
The contributions from opposition parties to the budget debate today which criticised the SG’s plans for achieving future economic growth indicates a (deliberate) lack of understanding of the severe limits of the present devolution settlement. This can be illustrated by the following views of the thinktank Reform Scotland, by no means an apologist for the SNP.
(Source: link to reformscotland.com )
“The Scottish Parliament gains limited control over income tax from 2016/17 as a result of the Scotland Act 2012. It will be devolved almost in full following the passing of the Scotland Bill 2015/16. The devolution means that 71% of the tax raised by the Scottish Parliament will come from the single source of income tax.”
And:
“Though this is welcome, until Scotland has a broader basket of taxes it is difficult to introduce the coherent tax reform that would provide a better environment for economic growth. One dominant tax is a blunt instrument …”
“… with tax income so overly reliant on a single tax, it is likely to be impossible to introduce coherent tax reform that would encourage economic growth.”
Notably tax on company profits (Corporation Tax) and on an individual shareholder’s income from dividends are not devolved. So any success of Scotland-based businesses in increasing profits and their dividends to shareholders resident in Scotland (only) increases the tax take for the Westminster government.
@ Valerie – that is a really painful image of the UK PM. How humiliating it must be to represent the truly embarrassing UK. Thankfully, neither Nicola nor Alex are in that position.
Schadenfreude:
link to twitter.com
Could Colin McKay (STV Scotland tonight) not manage to shout any louder, I’m sure he never did that when he worked at his real job of Radio Forth DJ
Finance Minister Derek McKay in complete calm and contrast maintained an air of positive determination while almost thinking aloud “I’ll punch that smirk round the back of your head in a minute ya Tumshy”
Dorothy Grace Elders “Tubes” comment was a wee cheery uppy moment and could have been applied directly to Tom (it was a UK vote) Harris
Andy McKeever once again attempted to look neutral but can’t help his natural Tory instincts
The wee National wummin, who I apologise for forgetting her name but that’s probably because she was at the edge of the screen and kept fading to invisibility, tried her best to wave the flag for our side (wee soul)
Pretty sold hold for Fife, considering hysterical press too.
Britain Elects
?@britainelects
Leven, Kennoway & Largo (Fife) result:
SNP: 37.0% (-4.1)
LAB: 28.4% (-6.9)
CON: 18.5% (+11.7)
LDEM: 14.3% (+4.3)
GRN: 1.8% (+1.8)
Corrected.
Here’s an interesting thing, reading up a bit on QE:
From 2011 “ A higher level of liquid assets could then encourage banks to extend more new loans than they otherwise would have done. But, given the strains in the financial system at the time and the resultant pressures on banks to reduce the size of their balance sheets, the MPC expected little impact through this channel.”
link to bankofengland.co.uk
But the BBC and MSM were full of telling us all how the QE would allow banks to lend more money to businesses and individuals, as they did in August of this year when there was more QE:
link to bbc.co.uk
So is the BBC full of **it?
Checking this out by the way as I’m wondering where the QE effect goes in terms of the UK as in, when the BOE buys gilts or whatever, does it go to City of London based buinesses in terms of turnover, profits, so is the UK incurring vast quantities of debt or rather not debt but new money, for the sake of England which we’re all paying for – or liable for – a total so far of £445 billion since 2009, of which Scotland’s share as it were would be £37 billion – our effective fiscal transfer to England! (and equivalent amounts from Wales and Northern Ireland).
Don’t forget we’re hit over the head with our “deficit”, and our deficit relative to the rUK, but new money via QE is a form of deficit, just put differently (perhaps). It all amounts in one way or another, to debt or assets.
I really do wish England had its own Parliament – and its own Government Expenditure and Revenues England. I suspect we’d see a totally different comparative picture from the one we’re fooled with.
The SNP could of course allow the budget to be brought down and go to the country, do we think comrade Harvie still fancies he’d con the electorate again, or does Kezia think her party could shrink any further, or indeed does Ruth believe the Tories really are fighting back enough to give her the kind of confidence to try it
And lastly there’s Willie Rennie all he’s got to lose is everything except for Tavish Scott of course
The voters are a thrawn bunch up there
Does Scotland want anybody else doing the Brexit dirty work other than the FM
I don’t think so, SNP till 2030 and I’ll put $100 on it with John McTernan
But remember John I’m not Wingsy I’ll send Rocky round to break the thumbs
Grousebeater 11.12
“The issue is, by all counts and analysis BBC is wholly irrelevant to Scotland’s progress, culture and heritage. Indeed, there’s overwhelming evidence BBC does its level best to halt and divert Scotland’s progress, both by conscious effort and unconscious attitude. “
Yes. Its always important to remember its not just about their pretended objectivity as a news organisation.
Hence worth reading this again.
link to archive.is
And then contemplating how biased you have to be
link to archive.is
to win this award.
link to archive.is
A small amount of backing for my QE idea, but from a bit of a different angle:
link to web-beta.archive.org
Reason for using archive dot org by the way is that BfS are rejigging their website and links via google go nowhere. Why on earth do websites do that? Leave the old site, create a new beta version, then just switch the flaming thing. It’s like the old “website under devolopment” which sat for months advertising only the web developer not the business. Aye aye. Wealthy nation chucked all their old great articles too, or I just can’t find them 🙁 What a waste.
As noted above:Courier:
SNP takes victory in Fife by-election
The Scottish Nationalists are celebrating in Fife after winning another seat on Fife Council.
link to archive.is
Jings! Here’s the content:
Alistair Suttie took victory in the Leven, Kennoway and Largo by-election, called after the resignation of the party’s Ally Hunter who has moved to Australia.
His win takes the total number of seats for the SNP on the council to 25, compared to 34 for the Labour administration.
Mr Suttie has pledged to work with politicians of all hues to ensure the area is well represented.
With a measly 27.6% turnout, just 4,062 votes were cast.
The result was declared at around 11.15pm, just 75 minutes after polls closed.
The speed of the result is thought to be a record for Fife.
Mr Suttie took 1,501 of the first-preference votes, more than double the 744 votes received by Mr Hunter in 2012.
This compared to 1,155 for second-placed Labour candidate Colin Davidson.
But after the fourth stage of counting there were just 48 votes between the SNP and Labour.
Third placed Conservative hopeful Graham Ritchie gained 752 votes.
Mr Suttie lives in Leven and has been chairman of the town’s community council for four years.
He will now join fellow-SNP councillor David Alexander and Labour’s Tom Adams and Charles Haffey on the four-member ward and he will be a member of the local authority’s Levenmouth area committee.
He said he was proud to succeed Mr Hunter, who represented the ward for almost 10 years.
“My top priority is to make sure ward 22 gets good representation to ensure Fife Council delivers the best possible services for the area,” he said.
“I always take any opportunity to promote the area and work hard for the regeneration of the area.”
The final result was Alistair Suttie (SNP) 1,501, Colin Davidson (Labour) 1,155, Graham Ritchie (Conservative) 752, Steve Wood (Liberal Democrats) 580, Iain Morrice (Scottish Green) 74.
For those replying to various disinformation about the tax threshold for the higher rate rising to £43,430, not the £45,000 in the rUK, it affects 14.6% of taxpayers including those on the additional rate.
link to gov.uk
which has a breakdown of taxpayers for 2016-17 in England, Scotland, Wales and NI.
And for those claiming National Insurance will be more – it won’t, NI is NOT devolved, the threshold and rates will be the SAME across the UK.
link to icas.com
Links
link to gov.scot
link to newsnet.scot
link to lbc.co.uk
link to thejournal.ie
link to irishexaminer.com
link to consilium.europa.eu
Brexit’ Talks Could Stretch 10 Years, British Official Warns
link to archive.is
link to politicshome.com
@ Ian Brotherhood
Peter Bell is constrained by his membership of the SNP in what he can sy regarding the Bbc ( I have no constraints ) he’s looking at the Bbc overall & not as I see it Bbc London & Bbc Scotlands political Bias output.
They are corrupt to the core & beyond saving . Peter in his piece acknowledges ( that arses need kicked) Yes , right out the door, they’re is only one way to clearout Mi5 & Westminster control & thats to close the Beeb down in Scotland & startup a Scottish Broadcasting Service.
Noted Peter is quite happy to continue to pay Bbc Licence Fee ( to rail against the content & Bias ) lol ( wee tip Peter dont pay Licence Fee ) you are free to rail against the Bias with a £ 145 extra in your pocket for your Pints .
UK faces Brexit settlement bill of up to £50bn, Sky sources say
link to archive.is
Child sex abuse ‘on an industrial scale’ at London care home
link to archive.is
So there was Samantha Power doing her “shame” bit in the UN.
link to archive.is
link to opendemocracy.net
Smallaxe has asked me to pass on his thanks to those who were concerned. He is waiting for the doc to call and hopes to be back cybernating soon.
Ot… Gimmick? Or Shape of things to come?
link to euronews.com
Not sure, but it brought a smile to my face. Just imagine the drone congestion at the warehouse. Aye, the world is changing.
Soon we’ll be making our own drones with 3d printers…delivered by drone, with off the grid power from nano tech solar panels, and think it entirely routine.
If Scotland can produce limitless renewable and clean, pollution free energy, then there is no limit on producing an excess of such energy, and the options and opportunities then are mind blowing. I prey the power of change respects the little people, and Scotland has “Statoil” approach to our good fortune, and everybody wins. Not just fat multinationals or pickpocket governments.
If we do not get out of this Union, then few in Scotland will be stakeholders in our energy revolution, and 30 years from now, we’ll be reading a McCrone type report of how the people of Scotland were conned all over again.
Bbc BIAS
To my knowledge no Legal challenge has been put to the test in any Court ( muppet or sheriff ) in Scotland & the Bbc with the wealth if information of bias against them would avoid any court case as they wouldn’t like to be exposed.
One test case of a NoN Payer of the Licence Fee would be enough to halt any further court cases, of People who are unable to defend themselves ( most cases are in the muppet court JPs & they are politically Bias ).
Young Girl I know was fined £ 75 with the JP telling her she would’t want the Police to arrive at her door & arrest her ( she’s not paying btw ) as I said Muppet court administrators .
Off to Indycamp Court of Sessions hearing on the Costs
catch you’s all laters.
It’s official, the BBC hate Derek Mckay the mostest of everybody in the SNP
Could be because he treats them with the contempt they deserve and talks right through them
Derek’s always been fair but firm even with the party conferences, nice guy and solidly difficult to shake up, he allows you to be awkward but that doesn’t mean you win
He’s looking good in this job already
Scotland has always been the highest taxed part of the UK under Westminster UK tax regime. But it doesn’t benefit but ends up poorer. The MccCrone Report. Thatcher was illegally and secretly taking the equivalent of £20Billion a year. Over thirty years £600Billion. More over the longer period fifty years+.
Scotland raises £54Billion in the taxes. The UK raises £515Billion. The rest of the UK £461Billion and borrows and spends £100Billion more. Scotland has to pay £4Billion in debt repayments on the borrowing. Not borrowed or spent in Scotland. Scotland has to pay £1Billion on Trident. Can’t put a tax on ‘loss leading’ drink. Cost £1Billion. Loses £3Billion? In tax evasion. Multinationals and whisky companies tax evade and pay no tax. £9Billion. Scotland has lost £4Billion+ in Oil & Gas fevenues and thousands of jobs. The Tories were taxing the Oil & Gas sector at 60% to 80% when the price had fallen 75%. Losing at least £4Billion+ a year. Total £13Billiin a year. Scotland can’t borrow 10%? £7Billion to invest in the economy, = £20Billion a year.
Westminster has always illegally and unfairly taxed Scotland at a higher rate and taken even more out of Scotland. Borrowed and spent more in the rest of the UK, especially in London S/E. Leaving people in Scotland with less revenues disposable incomes. Wasting £Billion. On illegal wars, banking fraud and tax evasion. The Tories have done it again. Spending £Billion on projects of little value to benefit London S/E. Hinkley Point, HS2, Heathrow and Trident. A total waste of £Billiins of borrowed money. There are cheaper, more credible, renewable alternatives.
Westminster Unionists have caused the worse migration crisis in Europe since 11WW. Illegally invading and bombing the Middle East for years. Taking their resources. Supporting absolute despot Monarchies and Apartheid States. Their policies would never be tolerated in the UK. Now they are not taking responsibility but are trying to take the UK out of the EU. Scotland illegally. The Tories committed electoral fraud in 31seats. What is being done about it. May and the Tories are unelected, Their carry on will continue until they lose an Election, Quite soon?
Vote SNP/SNP. Vote for Independence.
Get rid of SKy – Fox abuse, There are plenty of cheaper more credible alternatives. More money for SNP and charity. Scotland can get rid of sanctions and the necessity for food banks. In April, 2017. Welfare changes. Vote SNP/SNP May 2017. Vote for Independence,
@RonnieA –
Cheers. Good luck today. You’re becoming our very own home-grown Legal Eagle. You’d look the biz in one of those wigs!
@Ken500 –
You’ve just reminded me of something I’ve been meaning to ask for ages. Does anyone know if the McCrone Report has ever been mentioned in the Scottish Parliament?
A fair and balanced budget to reflect the aspirations of a fair and balanced society and delivered with confidence.
SG is writing the social contract with its electorate laying the foundations for a Scotland that rejects the UKOK model of profound economic inequality, decimated employee protections, a fragile state welfare structure.
Thinking and talking as an autonomous nation, words and deeds- at local, national and international levels.
@Ian Brotherhood
Mentioned by Jim Mather SNP Highlands & Islands 6th Oct 2015
link to parliament.scot
@Nana –
🙂
Soo-perb.
It’s actually from 2005!
It’s a keeper – have already started reading it, some well-kent faces there, Murdo Fraser bumping his proverbials…
Did you have a note of this somewhere, or do a search?
In any event, cheers aplenty!
@Ian Brotherhood
Think I need new glasses Ian! Quick search found it for you.
McRone report needs to mentioned more often.
For any newbies reading
link to newsnet.scot
Post-independence we will get the BBC free of charge like the Irish! 🙂
A wee point about Derek Bateman and his sympathy for folks at the BBC… I might have more time for that perspective if the BBC had been stung by criticism and was now working to address the perception of imbalance, with some degree of appropriate contrition. But no, there isn’t even the faintest suggestion of any such thing. In fact we see quite the reverse, if the poisonous agenda espoused by Sarah Smith is anything to go by. It is transparently clear the BBC is on a war footing against Scotland and her independence aspirations. If you can’t see that, it means you’re not looking.
If Derek Bateman is correct, and the BBC has fiends within, or perhaps not even friends but merely those who are studiously impartial, then I can perhaps recognise their dilemma. That said however, a dilemma it might be by definition, but when vexed their choice is between honest, professional, probity in doing their job, versus distortion of the truth, misinformation, and manipulation of the natural agenda, the fact these people suffer to have a dilemma at all kinda speaks volumes.
When you make your bed, you ought to be prepared to lie in it. Perhaps Derek should be asking his friends about their long term career prospects in Scottish broadcasting. We are moving from the “Speak up now” days of opportunity to the “for forever hold your peace” scenario.
@Breeks –
Hear hear.
I suggested to Peter Bell that it might be useful to have an actual live debate with him, Bateman, and perhaps other prominent Yessers, to air all this stuff.
He replied that he’d be up for it.
Who could make this happen?
Do we have to do it ourselves?
Anyone hear Ruthie Jong shouting for Maggie May to be sacked for the serious problems at English hospitals?
mmmm.
Me neither.
The comments above about EBC Shortbread hating Derek McKay,
he is way toooo smart for them, as are most of the SNP
simples.