An incredible achievement
From today’s Media Guardian:
BBC Radio Scotland was down 2% on the year and 8.9% on the previous three months.
It’s worth taking just a few lines to examine those stats more closely.
Because what they show is that given the golden journalistic opportunity to cover the most important Scottish news story in 300 years, the state broadcaster’s national arm did such an atrocious job that not only did it lose listeners year-on-year, but during the most vital three months directly leading up to the vote, when public interest in the referendum was at its peak, it managed to shed almost a tenth of its audience.
It’s difficult to even begin trying to find an excuse for such an abject performance. The referendum wasn’t just a once-in-a-lifetime chance for any journalist or news outlet worthy of the name, it was a once-in-several-lifetimes one. Yet the only broadcaster with a legally-mandated duty of impartiality couldn’t secure the faith of the Scottish electorate that it would discharge its responsibilities fairly and help them make the most important decision of their lives by providing honest and balanced coverage.
The people’s judgement is one we can’t find fault with. BBC Scotland will have to live with its shame for a long time to come. It worked hard to earn it.
This is BBC Radio Scotland. Any figures for BBC TV?
Good. Payback time.
And they spent enough for us in London to employ a deputy assistant under manager to do so.
Kenmore Quarry, give us our £5 million back!
/sarcasm
Well said. Can’t believe how much my family and friend’s viewing/listening habits have changed over the past year. No one I know even looks at the BBC anymore. And everyone has heard of Wings. 🙂
Lets remind Gary R every morning on twitter. Only fair to remind him how he and his colleagues have, and are, failing miserably on a daily basis.
It’s happened for the same reason the sales figures are falling for Scottish newspapers, in my opinion.
Telling people they’re too wee, too poor and too stupid to run their own affairs doesn’t encourage them to turn to you. Who knew?
Even non-political listeners can tell they’re being sold a pup. And even politically active No campaigners would know what was being broadcast was a load of nonsense.
The BBC trades on its “impartiality” and “fairness” in a way no other broadcaster does. When that goes, everything goes.
I certainly switched off. I just couldn’t stomach another smug, lying, self satisfied second of it. I haven’t gone back either. I find I don’t need it.
Excellent news. I believe the BBC played a huge role in campaign fear. We have grown up with them in our living room they are funded by the people and are supposed to be impartial, I feel betrayed. No reporting of the Parliament Square protests this week lets us know where their allegiance lies. Watch out SNP they are coming for you next. Complain at your peril.
thinking of a FOI request to BBC asking how many licences had been cancelled in Scotland say from 1 Jan 14.
Probably quite a bit of the remaining listeners were Yes supporters listening for bias and phoning in to counter Unionist propaganda!
Certainly quite a bit of the Scotsman’s online count was pro=Independence supporters only there to counter the comments and the articles. Although I stopped looking over a year ago,most of the comments were pro-Indy.
Anne, I submitted 2 FOI’s asking similar questions and they responded that they don’t take regional tallies so it was beyond scope etc.
Better to ask them how many in total were cancelled and use 8% as a very conservative measurement.
Yes, they certainly earned that payback. Simply incredulous they would let the opportunity slip through their fingers, no matter what their overlords said. There comes a point in most senior managers professional lives when you say – No, I’m not doing that, because it’s unprofessional/unjust/expensive etc. but not the BBC minions obvs
Anne
Don’t waste your time. BBC are exempt from FOI requests. It should be extended to include them.
Contrast the BBC’s performance with Wings and other Indy news sources. Therein, perhaps, lies the real story!
BBC Scotland should have doubled it’s audience … of course that didn’t happen because half the electorate were on ‘the opposing side’.
Hahahahaha…….
Not an intellectual response I know, but a deserved one.
Um I dont know as I don’t listen but didn’t they import a “big hitter” for the run-up to the referendum.
Could it be that it wasn’t Radio Scotland’s fault but the London loon(s) they parachuted in? I’m sorry I don’t know his / her name(s) but they should be remembered and their skill when it comes to reviewing their remuneration. After all the ability to lose 85000 listeners from an audience of 955000 in 3 months is pretty impressive and they should be reminded of it often
Utter scum – They did indeed work hard to turn viewers off.
Always wanted Scotland to be independent.
Although 1 year ago I never expected to have joined the SNP, cancelled my TV licence, and stopped listening to/watching BBC.
Who would have thought it!
I would strongly encourage those who still have one, to simply tear their TV Licence in half, pop it in an envelope, (no covering letter required), and post to:
K MacQuarrie
BBC Scotland
40 Pacific Quay
Glasgow
G51 1DA
And I have not gone back either. The only thing I still listen to is Get It On now and then, and Off The Ball. The rest of the time its off or its Classic FM.
And I lost all previous respect for Kaye Adams too.
“A year like no other, a station like no other”
BBC Radio Scotland:
GMS is a disgrace.
UKaye Adams is a waste of space
Fred MacCollie is crap
John Bleattie is a rugby player
Etc,etc,etc
Is Naughtie back home to London yet?
Can I get refund of my licence for the last 5 years, please?
I only listen to the football commentaries and off the ball as well,never really listened to anything else on it.
Their new jingle is scarily accurate then.
“In a year like no other. A station like no other!”
[…] An incredible achievement […]
@Brian Powell
23 October, 2014 at 6:42 pm
“Probably quite a bit of the remaining listeners were Yes supporters listening for bias and phoning in to counter Unionist propaganda!
Certainly quite a bit of the Scotsman’s online count was pro=Independence supporters only there to counter the comments and the articles. Although I stopped looking over a year ago,most of the comments were pro-Indy.”
Can I suggest a Hit Squad of people prepared to counter every attack, lie, misleading report, every instance of bias? Not as the opposing side but as impartial adults simply objecting to the bias itself?
There’s a great resource here (and whether you agree with the party providing the link or not, it’s a good starting point, surely):
link to snp.org
Imagine if just one tenth of the Wings readership did that every single time.
Marcia
You are back?
I’m still waiting for the response to my FOI request about how many TV licences were cancelled in Scotland in the four weeks after the referendum. From the comments above, it doesn’t sound as if I’ll get a satisfactory answer! (Not that I was holding out much hope anyway).
Malcolm X:
If you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything.
I wonder how the Guardian reporter managed to actually get some information for once. Perhaps he/she could now find out how many licences were cancelled and how many complaints they received?
McV says:
Their new jingle is scarily accurate then
“In a year like no other. A station like no other!”
Sheesh yes, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry!
Ok, so I have our radio alarm back on Radio Scotland. We tried music, but that just puts us back to sleep. I sure ain’t trying R4! So, alas, it’s back to RS. The funny thing is, I get so annoyed with it I get out of bed easily these days.
davidb says
“And I lost all previous respect for Kaye Adams too.”
respect?
Avoid BBC as much as possible. License/Dir debit cancelled.
If I do watch any news/current affairs programmes I watch with a totally different eye( I don’t believe a word they say). Bumped into Gordon Brewer last week at Stirling fruit & Veg market. Had a quick chat about his new radio prog. Couldn’t bring myself to have a go to his face, maybe next time.
This says it all both about the red Tory party and the bbc, its enough to make your blood boil this need’s passed around.
link to tinyurl.com
I hope that puts the shites up them.
Panda
A brief visit.
The BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION is pathetic.
Their pretentious seriousness is vomit inducing, and I have left them behind………I feel better for it, and I’m sure others do as well.
They revealed their true self to the people of Scotland, and they clearly have nothing to offer a nation that seeks prosperity through creative effort and self determination. SO, FOR SCOTLAND THEY ARE POINTLESS, and many people I speak to now hold the same view.
BBC = DECEIT
BBC = MISINFORMATION
BBC = BIAS AGAINST SCOTLAND
Some might say the BBC is not fit for purpose, but what exactly is that purpose and who’s interests do they actually serve?
Btw, the Guardian is a disgrace.
A great book to read if you wish to learn about propaganda.
Propaganda by Edward L. Bernays
And if you wish to read how the neocons think then these are a good read.
Fire in the minds of men by James h. Billington
Tragedy and hope a history of the world in our time by Carroll Quigley
On asking for BBC licence cancellation numbers that may be ok as they are covered by the FOI act but with a get out clause as follows…
” Part VI of Schedule 1 to FOIA provides that information held by the BBC and the other public service broadcasters is only covered by the Act if it is held for ‘purposes other than those of journalism, art or literature”. The BBC is not required to supply information held for the purposes of creating the BBC’s output or information that supports and is closely associated with these creative activities, including information relating to the subject of editorial complaints. The BBC’s independence and impartiality would be at risk through disclosure of information on editorial complaints.”
As licence fee cancellation is not part of journalism, art or literature then they should really come up with these figures. I do not believe the regional excuse but asking for the monthly numbers for the last year would be interesting to see the changes over time.
They will probably come up with some other feeble excuse but worth a shot?
But please be careful not to compromise their “independence and impartiality.”????
radio 5 live is only station I listen too
Stephen Nolan
Incidentally, do we have figures for Sunday papers yet? I’d be intrigued how the Sunday Herald did compared to others…
Some good books to read on propaganda and politics.
Propaganda by Edward L Bernays.
Fire in the minds of men by Jame H Billington.
Tragedy and hope by Carroll Quigley.
John O says:
23 October, 2014 at 8:27 pm
This says it all both about the red Tory party and the bbc, its enough to make your blood boil this need’s passed around.
link to tinyurl.com
__________________________
Smashin, John – now bookmarked.
Keep the ammo coming folks, my armoury’s filling up just nicely.
😉
John O says
“This says it all both about the red Tory party and the bbc, its enough to make your blood boil this need’s passed around.”
Suspected as much, but good to read a clearly laid out ‘web, !
I don’t bother listening anymore.
I have no desire have to listen to nauseating propaganda.
Perhaps an alternative to asking how many tv licences have been cancelled it might be worth asking dear old “Auntie” how many folks they they have entrapped using the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) which just so happen to be ANTI TERROR LAWS! If nothing else it would let them know that we are onto them in this area as well. 😛
Sorry folks but this link is from the ever loyal Daily Mail. 😉
link to archive.today
A lot of folk here have commented on Richie Venton’s articles when I’ve linked to them, so here’s his latest.
If your anger has been waning, prepare to have it rekindled big-time:
richieventon.blogspot.co.uk/
Or even this –
link to richieventon.blogspot.co.uk
And that will include the Commonwealth games as well. Mind you BBC Jock land were as appalling there as they were in indy ref, giving their airwaves over to their imperial masters at R5L for much of the coverage
JimnArlene says:
23 October, 2014 at 6:53 pm
Hahahahaha…….
Not an intellectual response I know, but a deserved one.
___________________
I know, but what else can you say?
Karma’s a bitch and our bitch has started biting.
🙂
link to facebook.com
Complete and utter fraudsters. But it’s been going on for decades. Here in England Rab C Nesbit’s a never ending star.
The BBC keeps trying to commit suicide. One day it will hurt itself.
‘Dumbing the Dumb’ grousebeater.wordpress
I have been informing people for many years about the bbc and the mainstream media in general and have been mocked on occasion.
Anyone who did not see this coming in the referendum has been ignorant for too long, however im glad that people are waking up.
One word of advice to the newly awakened however – the Matrix film does a very good job of representing what waking up to the real world feels like. That rabbit hole is deeper than you could possibly have imagined because once your innocence to reality has been cracked then you start the process of critically analysing the information available and you begin to see lies everywhere. The same critical evaluation that pulled our ancestors out of caves and into orbit starts to work in your own Head and from that point there is no going back.
Its very liberating and very scary.
Whits that you say Rev Bbc Scotland listening figures down 8.9% in three months & no figures for TV viewing or the number of people NOT paying TV Licence fees.
Aye whits the point of demonstrations on they’re doorstep Pacific Quay.( BECAUSE WE CAN & SHOULD CONTINUE TO DO SO ) &
that many WINGERS played they’re part & WINGS OVER SCOTLAND should be one of the leading Indy groups to bring the BBC down.
Whatever Happened to the Judicial Investigation Into Child Sex Abuse in Westminster?
The Westminster establishment seems determined to keep the lid on this until after the next general election. We might be best served by getting a judge over from Canada so as to ensure a proper investigation is done.
Baroness Fiona Woolf, the second person appointed to lead the government’s inquiry into child abuse, is to be asked by a committee of MPs to clarify discrepancies over her account of meetings with the wife of Lord Brittain, who was home secretary when a dossier about alleged Westminster pedophiles went missing from his department.
link to caltonjock.com
I’m not genetically programmed to understand anything anyway…Drool…Dribble…
This is the link to Active Resistence to the TV licence, and should come up at the page for some of the FOI stuff on licences….
link to facebook.com
@Dr Jim –
Hear hear.
I’ll see your ‘Drool…Dribble’ and up you a ‘Psshhhhh…’
“It’s all just so complicated and it doesn’t make any sense!” (Alistair Darling – for real – on Radio Scotland ‘News’, last year sometime…)
“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters”
? Albert Einstein
Shock horror fewer people listen to the radio when they go on summer holidays.
Ali says:
23 October, 2014 at 7:22 pm
“A year like no other, a station like no other”
Indeed, correct on both counts. Except where they mean to make themselves seem amazing, what we read by ‘a station like no other’ is that ‘no other station lied quite as much as we did.’ And they lied, and distorted, and omitted information all the way through. They are as responsible as any for the defeat of Yes, except perhaps those wankers at the Daily Record and their front page ‘Believe this’ Vow shit.
The BBC are indeed exempt from FOI requests. They are also law unto themselves, the arbiter of complaints against themselves and as a result never wrong. I have little like for their independent station neighbours on Pacific Quay either, but at least we don’t pay for STV to lie to us. And even they were nowhere near as anti independence as the bastards just downriver.
If that building ever goes on fire I would stand and toast marshmallows.
I hope the Rev won’t mind this, but worth a listen…
link to referendumtv.net
Brian Powell
Scotsman comments were pro-indy a year ago, but I think pro-indy people gave up on it. It’s now inhabited by people I wouldn’t even dignify by calling them unionists. Or people come to that, it seems a herd of platypus-billed vampires has encamped, with the odd few valiant indy posters like cynicus.
heedtracker says:
23 October, 2014 at 9:06 pm
Complete and utter fraudsters. But it’s been going on for decades. Here in England Rab C Nesbit’s a never ending star.
Rab C raison d’etre is only to confirm to the sassenachs that their prejudices are based in fact.
He is popular dahn saath cos it gives em a legitimate platform to laugh at, not with us!
Comparing 2 sets of statistics:
September 2013. BBC Radio Scotland listeners – 888,000. Wings readers – 100,034
September 2014. BBC Radio Scotland listeners – 870,000. Wings readers – 911,054
(Sources – RAJAR and Rev. Stuart Campbell).
Yes. In the month of the referendum, more people read Wings than tuned in to BBC Radio Scotland!
The surprising thing is that having redeemed my TV licence, I not only don’t miss the offerings ( eye candy Bruce or Bird for example ) but haven’t needed the radio.
I still listen to BBC World online – it’s difficult for them to be too biased on world affairs.
A few key websites are more than enough to obtain a balanced view.
I used to listen to Radio Scotland all the time, but earlier this year when the crap was really turned up, I called it a day.The bit that annoyed me most, was when anyone challenged them about bias, they were in there quick blowing about being fair and balanced in their output.
Aye right. Totally and utterley scunnered, radio turned to west sound radio. TV DD cancelled, can’t bear it if I happen to catch BBC news output anywhere. I turn and walk away. I can’t and won’t believe a word that they say.
So they’ve managed to lose all those listeners, boo hoo. Held bloody mend them. A complete and utterly despicable shower of laborite bastards.
Outstanding achievement by those who made the protests.
The BEEB have more than earned their current nose diving reputation in spades. They deserve nothing less than to be continually starved of viewing and listening figures.
Apparently, this is just the beginning.
The figures are going to be far worse for the last quarter.
During WWII in France, there was a broadcasted message (from London) warning that what ‘Radio Paris’ said was just propaganda: ‘Radio Paris ment, Radio Paris est allemand.’
Now you could say: ‘BBC is just pish, BBC is English’
I met a friend last week, to discuss the Lockerbie investigation. He’s a low-level cog in the BBC. He moved to Yes (from “now maybe isn’t the time”) earlier this year.
Pretty much as we were sitting down and reaching for the menu, he started to tell me that 80% of the ordinary shop-floor-level people in the BBC were Yes. They were appalled at what was going on, but the trouble was the higher up you went in the organisation the more people were No.
Maybe next time we meet up I’ll ask him about Blair Jenkins. We talk conspiracy theories all the time after all.
Serious question – does anyone know how to write ‘Fuck The Tories’ (or BBC/BNP/SDL etc) in hieroglyphics?
I found this, and tried it, but don’t know if it’s accurate or not. It’s all Greek to me.
link to quizland.com
@david
Veritas vos liberabit (the truth shall set you free).
Always thought that would be a great Motto for Wings.
On the subject of radio I am one of those Yes folk who listened to the atrocious radio Scotland before and after the referendum.
Part of it is to know your enemy. Also, there was no other DAB station I could pick up on my wee kitchen radio that talked Scottish politics and news.
Is there a new station on the horizon or am I missing one? I did listen to an indyref station on the Web which was guid but we need a proper new radio station.
And turn that dip into a terminal decline.
‘fuck’ in hieroglyphs: a viper, a quail chick, a basket, and another basket.
‘BBC’ : a leg, and a basket.
Marie clark
an’t bear it if I happen to catch BBC news output anywhere. I turn and walk away. I can’t and won’t believe a word that they say.
Me too Marie-however the wife still watches all bbc crap-even tho she says to me she won’t be taken in by their propaganda, she sure is!!
Ian, why don’t you ask a Tory?
Most of them are so old that their mummies would have taught them the language!
@Fairliered –
That’s enough of that. Pay attention at the back…
Now, we’ve already covered ‘fuck’ and ‘BBC’.
This is how we render ‘Scottish’: mouth; basket; quail chick; mouth; reed leaf; this wee box full of wavy blue lines indicates the ‘sh’ sound.
Now, I will give you the following symbols, and you tell me the word they represent.
Ready? Okay: lion; arm; leg; quail chick; mouth.
First to give me the correct answer will get an extra wee cardboard pyramid of warm milk at mid-morning break…
@John O says:
Brilliant – shared around – well spotted!!!
@Ian:
Does not sound right. I have a friend who is pretty keen on hieroglyphs, I was planning to mail him tomorrow about the latest Woody Allen (he is a fan), I can ask him by the way if you want.
Now what? Are you planning to engrave this on an obelisk and send it by UPS to BBC Scotland’s main office? 🙂
Self fulfilling prophecy surely?
There was multiple calls to boycott the BBC in Q3, so this is no surprise. All the numbers suggest is that the calls for the boycott were listened to by some of the listeners.
Remember how the BBC had exclusive broadcasting rights to the GLASGOW Commonwealth Games and proceeded to document an absolute priority to the presence and performances of the English Team both in the able-bodied and special events. The failure to highlight Hannah Miley in the swimming was disgusting. Of course, the organiser in chief was Lord Smith, now of the Smith Commission on greater powers for Holyrood.
When are we going to get on and make our own radio station? I still have radio Scotland on a lot but would love to listen to an unbiased and more imaginative alternative. Not sure why all the crowd funding effort is into TV. Wouldn’t an internet radio station be quicker and cheaper to set up?
@AuldA –
I was thinking more along the lines of an unusual banner for the Labour Party Gala dinner demo next Thursday. We would have to be extremely unlucky if any of Police Scotland’s finest happened to know what such sequences of symbols stood for.
(Plus, if any of the Great and Good in attendance have ever dabbled in the Dark Arts, it might freak them right out – “Quick, Jackie, finish your bombe surprise! They’re onto us! Let us make good our escape via the labyrinthine basements!”)
The referendum pulled out the true bias of the BBC. They were forced to show their true colours.
Ian B
Is time and place confirmed for next Thursdays demo.
BBC Scotland chose sides. They had a duty to remain impartial and completely blew it. Ultimately, they will be shown to have chosen the losing side. Like the Union, their days are now numbered.
Does the BBC have a live player for Question Time, as big Eck is on and I want to see him demolish the rest of the people on it?
EXCLUSIVE – Alex has not ruled out standing for Westminster – James Cook just said it from the pre recorded QT show!
@Valerie
Excellent. Would be great for him to stand in Gordon at the general election, it would be a target seat for the SNP anyway.
Sally Magnusson on Reporting Scotland just announced the latest big oil discovery in the North Sea in such a somber tone – I thought she was going to greet! She then reported the obligatory brutal murder report in the same serious, mournful tone.
Her despondency only lifted (along with the tone of her voice) when she introduced a report into the Dundee United players allegedly involved/present when the Celtic keeper who was assaulted.
on the oil find I found myself laughing uncontrollably. Who’d have thunk it, eh!
BBC Scotland betrayed the country in which I was born. I will never forgive them or view their politically corrupt biased anti-Scottish output ever again.
I hope they rot in hell.
So about the BBC live player, can you get it for QT now?
Forget my last post.
@muttley79 says:
23 October, 2014 at 10:33 pm
Does the BBC have a live player for Question Time, as big Eck is on and I want to see him demolish the rest of the people on it?
There’s this but you still need a tv Licence.
yesindyref2 says:
23 October, 2014 at 9:38 pm
Brian Powell
Scotsman comments were pro-indy a year ago, but I think pro-indy people gave up on it. It’s now inhabited by people I wouldn’t even dignify by calling them unionists. Or people come to that, it seems a herd of platypus-billed vampires has encamped, with the odd few valiant indy posters like cynicus.
____________________
Were you Sunny D?
@Graeme Doig –
Short answer friend – no.
I wish someone would give us a clue. Last I heard, it’s in the Glasgow Central Hotel. No idea what the kick-off time is either.
No Wingers know anyone who knows anyone who’s either going, or working at the thing? It can’t be that hard to confirm, surely?
Would have been better to give the link would it not
link to tinyurl.com
O/T
Reading AngrySalmond tweets while watching QT is fecking hilarious.
The only thing that makes the BBC in Scotland remotely interesting is speculating whether or not No voters would have voted No without the BBC relentlessly attacking Scotland running Scotland. Good Question debate on devo to Englsh cites but would any meaningful devo come under the same BBC assault. Scottish transport system is a farce compared to England yet the UKOK economy still runs massive deficit low wage economy, after decades of Westminster power.
Once again,the kipper gets to spout endlessly.
I may be wrong here but it appears that Brussels is doing everything in its powers to drive the U.K. out of Europe. Apparently Cameron has been asked by Brussels to stump up an extra £1.7 Billion in payments TO Brussels, the Netherlands is being asked to stump up an extra £700 Million meanwhile dear old France is allegedly going to receive around £700 Million FROM Brussels.
WARNING!
The links below are to the Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail. 😛
link to archive.today
link to archive.today
I can’t wait to hear what our friend and lover of everything Scottish, dear old Nige, has to say about this. All this just in time for the Rochester and Strood by election.
Ian
Thanks for that. I think 😉
I’m up for coming through. Seems like a good way of showing them we’re going to get in their face.
Graeme Doig
“Is time and place confirmed for next Thursdays demo.”
Scottish Labour have become ultra secretive these days. I wonder why. Could it be they don’t want to be asked things like, questions?
Scottish Labour don’t do questions anymore.
Margaret Curran also announced a Grand Tour last week, to match that of Nicola Sturgeon’s and I cant find one bit of information about it. I even wrote to Douglas Alexander about it, but still no reply.
@AuldA (10.14) –
‘Now what? Are you planning to engrave this on an obelisk and send it by UPS to BBC Scotland’s main office?’
Brilliant idea. Unfortunately, I sent my obelisk to Better Together at their Blythswood Square address when they were still doing the Freepost thing.
Has anyone approached the BBC Trust about the outrageous bias in the referendum coverage? Probably no point on the basis of this:
“The Media Show” on Radio 4 yesterday was talking about the BBC Trust in the wake of Savile etc. One of the Trust’s founding members said:
[13:05] “…What matters is that there is a body to protect the public interest, to ensure that licence fee payers and this unique institution which is so much a fabric [sic] of our life, so important to the culture of this country, to the democracy of this country…there has to be a body to protect that interest…”
[20:58] “…There needs to be a body to protect the public interest. I don’t think we’ve done a bad job with that, certainly when it comes to editorial matters…”
Yeah, sure. They are incurably up themselves.
I know we don’t like non-archive links, but I don’t think the iplayer will work in the archive version:
link to bbc.co.uk [there’s an announcement at the beginning: “This programme has been edited since broadcast” – dunno what they cut out]
Very interesting that Salmond does not rule out standing for Westminster (on Question Time)
Yes,we lost Caroline,as you keep saying. Your party worked against the Scots,and believe us,you will lose the general election. Deluded if you think you can.
Tory and Labour jeering at Salmond in unison on QT: ‘you lost’.
Salmond may as well be the Latvian Ambassador in this context. A feeling of deep alienation from the ‘United’ Kingdom prevails.
The UK – EU contribution is £12Billion (15Billion euros) – most comes back in CAPpayment, Grants and shared Defence etc. The UK pays the least (pro rata)
Germany (80million) contributes 25Billion euros
France (70million) contributes 20Billions euros
Italy contributes 20Billion euros
Most get their contributions back in Grants, CAP etc. The larger countries help the smaller poorer countries.
Do not believe the Media
The UK has the most debt which Westminster does nothing to clear.
Mr Salmond
Doing the biz on question time. Liverpool seems to have a wee respect for him. He warned them about the sale of the NHS England, He’s head and shoulders above the panel.
Wee laugh at the end when Dimbles asked him to represent Liverpool at WM. chuckle – they would be so lucky. Hope he#s staying put. We still need him.
Like him or not he fights the good fight, a Scot through and through.
ian brotherhood, graeme doing – details of the protest at the Labour Gala dinner are available here
link to indyscot.info
Nice to see Salmond get a lot of respect and sympathy from the people of Liverpool.
Labour representative on the panel managed to get the last word in. ‘The people of Scotland voted for more devolution but not independence.’ What a tragedy the Labour party are against offering a cup of sugar to sustain Scotland let alone more powers.
The biased BBC are terrified of one thing above all else.
The end of their costly, outdated and grossly unfair TV TAX.
Unless and until there is a serious, determined and mass campaign to end the unfair BBC TV TAX and replace it with a subscription fee then the BBC won’t give a flying fuck what anyone says about them or how biased they appear.
FFS!
Between reading comments here and the tantalising Tweets, can’t wait to see Question Time…last time I said that, even to meself, was back in the days when Heseltine was on it.
@cirsium –
Cheers!
Here it is. (Hope it copies okay from site…)
SILENT PROTEST AND FOODBANK COLLECTION ON EVENING OF SCOTTISH LABOUR PARTY GALA DINNER
Outside The Grand Central Hotel, 99 Gordon Street, GLASGOW, G1 3SF
Thursday, October 30, 18:00 (3 hrs)
Event details:
SILENT PROTEST & FOOD BANK COLLECTION ON EVENING OF SCOTTISH LABOUR PARTY GALA DINNER
We are planning a Silent Protest to the Scottish Labour Party and Guests by way of a Food Bank Collection to be held outside the main entrance to The Grand Central Hotel, 99 Gordon Street, Glasgow City G1 3SF on the evening of the Labour Party Gala Dinner on 30th October 2014.
Please join us on the evening to help us express our disgust at how the Labour Party has abandoned the most vulnerable in our society.
Please spread the word to others by all means available of this Food Bank Collection and Protest to help us drive home our grievances on the evening and, more importantly, to help make the Food Bank collection a big success.
We know we can rely on your fantastic support – as always.
Event type: Food Bank Collection & Silent Protest
Who can attend: Everyone – the more the merrier!
Ian, are you sure the dinner is really at the Central Hotel, and not just in “central Glasgow” somewhere? I wouldn’t like to see you all waste an evening.
It’s a plausible enough venue, but I thought I saw someone posting that it wasn’t certain.
The problem?
mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/1493f4097af25d46
cirsium
Thanks. indyscot is a great site.
Are we presuming the cowardice of slab will mean they may have changed their plans due to ours.
Ian
Stick your wellies on. A lot of shite to wade through on QT but AS does well and seems well regarded by the audience down there.
I have to say Rev this has brought a smile to my face. 🙂
Shame we can’t get license figures . Mind you NOW we know we are making an impact , even a small one. Yippee.
Ian Brotherhood.
great to read that R. Venton piece again. If we had a YES vote we could be planning such changes now. Stirring stuff all the same.
THEY MAKE BLIND FOLK PAY FOR A LICENSE. !!!!!!!!
Ronnie Anderson.
When we get rid of the tossers in BBC Scotland buddy you get to bayonet Ken McQuarry …. I’ll had the bugger down.
The BBC do amazing drama and wildlife shows but I no longer trust or respect anything theiy have to say with regard to politics I complained twice during the referendum with regard to bias – only to receive a patronising letter telling me they were not biased – how silly of me to think thy might be …. Naturally they know best
just told some of my workmates that I have cancelled my licence and they are now going to jump on the bandwagon
Even the ones that voted no( told them that they might have to pay more to cover for the thousands that have already cancelled)but think they were more interested in saving the £140 odd quid to be honest
also linked them to the facebook page
link to facebook.com
Jackie Bird, and her insulting sneering disrespectful tone, to say the least, not to mention her blatantly stupid interrogative continuously interruptive technique to the First Minister pre-referendum. Interesting now to see where she fares in the most hated politician poll. surprise, surprise. She is clearly obnoxious.
Re laughing at Rab C, I was never a great fan altho our own Elaine C was on it.
They have now moved onto Mrs Browns Boys and so are laughing at the Irish instead.
Still Game had to work hard to get on mainstream.
I’m quite sure it’s deliberate so we don’t get above ourselves and think we’ve actually got talent – that of course was blown out of the water when a lot of very talented folk turned up in support of indy.
O/T Oban by election:
SNP 40.9% (+16.3)
IND 23.6%(+23.6)
LAB 19.9%(-1.9)
CONS15.6% (-2.8)
Higher % must be due to higher turnout
PS not sure about the IND candidate – is that LIB??
@ Ian Brotherhood 10:14pm Jackie Baillie says the word is Replete.
@Grouse Beater
. A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
Salmond lighting a fire under the English voters esp the Red Torys is something we should all be doing , take the fight / war against London rule down to England.
@Ian Brotherhood you better leave the Quail chicks out or you’ll upset Cearc.
Sorry late night % cant be due to higher turnout – Doh
@Yesguy Ma Surnames Anderson no Davidson as a First Aider I would be obliged to treat him,noo you would’nt be so cruel to put me in that position anyhow the Clyde’s next to Bbc drooning,s better fur the Batard ( Lento ).
See Guidos put up a list of highest earners from ‘ outside’ interests.
Number one – Gordon Brown £492.331 for public speaking .
They must have some raffle prizes at Loanhead miners Welfare Club .
O/T but relevant. Naomi Klien video (20 mins in)
link to thenation.com
Scotland excels in renewables. But energy is a reserved matter. We should definitely challenge that.
BP and GDF Suez announce a huge oil find in the North Sea field.
Predictions are for a minimum of 5,350 barrels a day.
There’s the evidence, right there – North Sea oil is drying up. NOT.
Anyone who cares about forargyll, their maths is crap. They added 595 + 301 to 996, not 896, so they could inflate the SNP % in July to show a drop in Oct for the Oban by-election. I corrected it but await moderation, no idea if it’ll get through.
They also make that silly sum by adding an Independent’s vote to the SNP, as the Ind candidate used to be SNP. But some people vote Independent, not party.
I oftehn wonder if Unionist maths is just ridiculously bad, or a totally deliberate lie. Perhaps Danny Alexander can answer that one.
link to forargyll.com
Finished with the bbc and so are many, im daily letting folk know they dont need to contribute money to that corrupt mob who helped rob us of our freedom ever again.
No licence
No tabloid rags
NO more biased british state propaganda
The Establishment want to whip us back into line
SLAB is dead in Scotland
The Fish party (Kippers)politics are just beastial
The MSM and BBC are following their master’s orders
Does this mean
(I shouldn’t say it really)
They are flogging a dead horse?
Recently for the first time Renewables (wind?) out produced nuclear energy. More was produced from Renewables (wind?) than nuclear. (Nuclear is most expensive over time). Scotland is still being charged more for fuel and energy, despite producing more and being nearer the source.The rest of the UK should pay 1% more Scotland should pay 10% less for parity. (equality). Another thing an Independent Scotland could sort out.
Get those electric cars going in tbe Cities. 5 times cheaper to run.
50%+ of listeners thought BBC Scotland were biased. 4/5 of people in Scotland are not happy with the service. Either do not listen or are not happy with the service and think it is biased.
Boycott as much as possible.
400,000 of 4,000,000. Only 10% of potential listeners, listen or think the BBC is unbiased. Demographically going down.
If anybuddy’s looking for a new audio frequency to tune into, check out ‘Celtic Music Radio’ on 95.0FM (pronounced ‘kell-tick’, nothing to do with football btw!), or click here:
link to celticmusicradio.net
CMR play mainly Scottish folk, country, rock & chat.. it’s got it all.. they put on a cracking show!
»»»»»
The good news for Scotland is that the Wee Blue Book remains well and truly out there and will continue to exchange hands and educate the un..
Thinking about it, here’s another TLA for you.. (Three Letter Abbreviation)
“We’ll Be Back!” (WBB) 🙂
“‘The people of Scotland voted for more devolution but not independence.’ What a tragedy the Labour party are against offering a cup of sugar to sustain Scotland let alone more powers.”
Wasn’t it the case only 25% of the NO vote was for more powers, if that’s the case then only 5 million voted for that, 1.5 million voted status quo and 1.6 million voted for independance by my rekoning we won the referendum,
This became a 3 way ballot when BT broke the rules and decided to add “more powers” to the ballot paper
It seems obvious now the the reason Cameron wouldn’t allow Devomax on the ballot paper at the beginning was not only because he doesn’t want us having more powers but because he thought he’d win this easily and didn’t have to but in the highly unlikey event we looked like winning he could throw in only if it was absolutely neccessary to win.
They cheated at every level, and they wonder why we’re not going away
Graeme
Only dropped 2% on the year? There’s clearly still plenty folk out there who enjoy being told on a daily basis their country is shit.
Time for the BBC to cut the budget to radio Scotland. While they’re at it they should cut the tv budget as well.
That is what they wanted after all when they wanted a no vote.
All readers here should help them with that decision by stopping their licence payment.
Incidentally, I switched off radio Clyde about 10 years ago now when I was confronted again by a simpering George Bowie and Tony Blair as a morning guest.
I switched it off in a rage and have never listened to them again.
Next BBC jobs are selling Devo nothing and protecting Labour in Scotland. They did everything they could to save teamGB so they’ll be well up for it. Mind you, vote no or else liggers like Lora Kinsberg look rather demented propagandists now on
Agree with so many statements. I cannot bear to listen to BBC Radio Scotland since the Ref & can hardly bear to read papers. HOWEVER…
” O/T Oban by election:
SNP 40.9% (+16.3)
IND 23.6%(+23.6)
LAB 19.9%(-1.9) split between SNP & Independent a matter of concern that the anti-Westminster, anti Lab/Cons/Lib ‘coalition’ is not materialising ???
Halloween is happening a week today.. which political figure are you gonna dress up as to go out trick-or-tricking?
Crash Gordon appears to be the monster of the moment, so howsabout..
Crasher the Slasher!
Cue Chris Cairns..
link to bbc.co.uk All the greatest cunning fraudsters like to not discuss their fraud. Wonder why they leave out the part they play in Scottish politics? Their giant, totally unaccountable and massively expensive part.
dave oh what says:
24 October, 2014 at 8:00 am
Agree with so many statements. I cannot bear to listen to BBC Radio Scotland since the Ref & can hardly bear to read papers. HOWEVER…
” O/T Oban by election:
SNP 40.9% (+16.3)
IND 23.6%(+23.6)
LAB 19.9%(-1.9) split between SNP & Independent a matter of concern that the anti-Westminster, anti Lab/Cons/Lib ‘coalition’ is not materialising ???
The Blue Tory voters seem to be faithfully backing their Red twins against the SNP, to save the union, but it ain’t working the other way.
Oh Dear.
I wonder whether a proportion of those were actually No voters who simply didn’t want to hear anything about the referendum. Some people were so set in their ways that they kind of wanted to pretend that there was no issue, no debate to be had. They just wanted to blank out any anxiety and the newspapers probably offered more reassurance than BBC radio which for all its mistakes did have opportunities to hear the case for Yes put forward in some real debates, whether through studio guests or phone-ins.
Ian B , what fun I have had with the hieroglyphics!
it makes “Guess who peed in the soup ” look positively beautiful!
This from a contact ,
SILENT PROTEST & FOOD BANK COLLECTION ON EVENING OF SCOTTISH LABOUR PARTY GALA DINNER Outside The Grand Central Hotel, 99 Gordon Street, GLASGOW, G1 3SF Thursday, October 30, 6pm (3 hrs)
I assume it would be easy to check at the hotel?
@Ian Brotherhood (11.35 pm):
May I suggest that you use other scripts than hieroglyphic (which is easily recognized)?
You could, for example, choose Linear A/B; or cuneiform; or Phoenician. That would sound more exotic. Inuit would also be a good choice, as well as the various Sud-American pre-Columbian scripts.
Just to say…
Morag @ 9.51
For those who say abolish the BBC and get rid of the Scotsman, don’t buy Tunnock’s products etc., that is too simple because it’s the less senior workers who would suffer by losing their jobs, while “the bosses” are already wealthy or would walk away with mega compensation.
I know people who work for the Scotsman who are aghast at the anti-independence line of the owners/editors, but have mortgages to pay and are unable to move to other papers because they have the same policy and of course sales are dropping all the time and jobs are disappearing.
I don’t have a solution (sorry workers at the Scotsman and Herald which I no longer read) but get slightly annoyed that the people at the bottom of the chain are overlooked when boycotting is being called for.
I only listen to Radio Scotland for 5 minutes every morning as an incentive to get out of bed. One thing I’ve noticed though, is that Eleanor Bradford seems to have vanished.
Pre-referendum, almost every morning at around 6.40 on GMS I would hear the words “And now our health correspondent Eleanor Bradford”. On she would come, filled with doom and gloom about the state of the Scottish NHS. Since 18th September not a peep, as far as I know anyway.
So what’s happened? Have all the perceived problems of our NHS gone away? Or is it that the referendum is won (from their point of view) so job done Eleanor? I need to know.
Luigi, from Oban, first preference:
“•530 Kieron Green [Labour]
•629 Stephanie Irvine [Independent]
•1090 Iain S Maclean [SNP]
•415 Andrew Vennard [Conservative]”
Council elections are quite different. Most transferred to the Independent after Tory then Lab were eliminated. I usually tend to vote for the candidates in my ward not the party, and I think a lot of other people do as well.
@ emegra.
We are certainly not going away.
I have a group of letter writers (using writetothem.com) making a co-ordinated effort to keep these matters to the front of MP’s minds.
We currently have an MP knocking on Ed Millibands office door looking for a copy of the vow for some of their constituents. You’d expect that his office would have a copy of any important document signed by the party leader, wouldn’t you.
We have the Smith Commission knocking on Nick CLegg’s office door looking for a copy so that someone can attach it as evidence to their submission ( a document is easily scanned nowadays, and converted to a .pdf to send to people)
We are asking the labour party MP’s why they do not want to devolve corporation tax (STu has already proven that it wouldn’t result in a race to the bottom in an excellent article on wings (the race that was never run)
Oh no, we are not going away. If you are interested in joining the letter writing group, or anyone else is( I don’t have anyone in Mr Mundells constituency) feel free to get in touch with me, via Stu who has my details.
It is so easy to get caught in the trap of confirmation bias here.
Perhaps the reduction was due to folk simply being fed up with Indy chat? Switched over to Smooth or Classical instead? Or something else. Saying there is a causal link between reduced listenership and impartiality is a bit of a leap. One that confirmation bias makes possible.
Be better than them guys, don’t blindly jump on facts and twist them to your cause. That’s the kind of bias I would expect of the BBC.
Note: I am not saying the Beeb is impartial, it’s just that to challenge impartiality with nothing but supposition is in itself bias.
“It is so easy to get caught in the trap of confirmation bias here.
Perhaps the reduction was due to folk simply being fed up with Indy chat? Switched over to Smooth or Classical instead? Or something else. Saying there is a causal link between reduced listenership and impartiality is a bit of a leap.”
I didn’t say any such thing. What other people conclude from the data is their own affair. But to have such a massive story to cover, for so long, and still lose audience, is utterly dismal by any measure.
John H
Ms Bradford hasn’t gone away
She was on last nights Reporting Scotland talking about mushrooms………………
Seanair: For those who say abolish the BBC and get rid of the Scotsman
Ultimately, the official line wil be to subsume, or in my opinion, better to re-employ BBC staff in a Scottish broadcasting service, therefore the same goes for newspaper staff – one day they realise they should be seeing things from Scotland outwards and not against the people they purport to serve.
As for Tunnocks – the original owner was quite eccentric, kept geese on the factory premises and that eccentricity survives – companies live by the market they praise … and die by it.
Anyhow, the Scots diet is traditionally so bad that we look to crappy biscuits for nourishment – I believe the most sold in Scotland than anywhere else.
@ John H, me too. BBC propaganda attacking Scotland undiluted at and from 6am, day after day. Never mind Bradford, where oh where is Severin Carrell of rancid old Guardian, progressive liberal desperately anti Scottish democracy Guardiian? Did Severin even exist or was he just a figment of Ian Davidson’s etc.
She was on last nights Reporting Scotland talking about mushrooms………………
explains much 😉
O/T Looks like Nigel Farage’s Christmas has come early:
link to theguardian.com
Tory Rags are raging.
The UK must stump up the extra 1.7 billion 10 days after the Rochester byelection.
Oh Dear, Mr Cameron! What now?
Meanwhile, the old enemies (France and Germany) will get rebates.
Oh Dear!
Severin seems to be on a long holiday/no longer required to do a daily anti-Scotland story.
@seanair
That is unfortunate, but the juice is worth the squeeze. An end to unionist bile or keep some people in jobs?
How many opinions does the Scotsman alter v how many job losses would affect pro indy people at the scotsman….I think I know the answer.
It’s not nice but thats the formula.
There’s even an idiot on BBC comments claiming The Germans are still sore from losing two world wars and France for losing at Agincourt! The fruitcakes come out in force when BBC report anything on EU.
We were discussing UKIP after the SNP South meeting on Wednesday, my friends are convinced the English electorate are largely “Yes” to exit.
if we end up campaigning to stay in, I hope the question is worded that we can use “Yes” to stay in, rather than “No”. It would be strange to be campaigning on a “No” ticket!
@Luigi. I seem to recall Diddy Dave giving a speech about ( those with the broadest shoulders )seems somebody else heard it outwith the Scottish People £1.7bil chickens coming home to roost,rump it intae im.
Sorry to say i have no sympathy for the Hootsmon.
It is by far the most disgusting rag of all. They have a cheek with their name .
The commenters are nothing more than rabid unionist trolls. I would crawl over broken glass to watch the rag close down.
Just saying
🙂
Everything is building rather nicely for the Conference in November with regards to the SNP.
I think they know the strategy and they just need the right things to fall into place and UKIP upsetting the applecart in England might be one of them!
Jounalist have Unions to protect them, there are no excuses for the stories they have written or programmes they presented devoid if factual information,all the factual information was/is available to them, they choose not to use it. If the REV can find out factual information given his small budget, no amount of excuses are exceptable for BBC Journalists / Main stream Print Media. Let them ROT in the Sewer they created.
Re the EU news.Well,lol, the uk got the media outlets to trumpet enthusiastically about how well the uk was doing in the days before the indyref,and those nasty EU guys must have tuned in to UK tv that day and believed the storyline.
You can’t plead poverty now only a month later,unless of course,all those falling unemployment claims and economic good news isn’t actually true and therefore,the uk government must have been lying during the indyref.
Looks like voting NO has consequences ,because as any realist will tell you,you can’t actually have the best of both worlds. Ever. Answers must be given here,as there is now an extra,unexpected, huge £1.7 billion black hole in the budget. Who has to pay for that?(queue huge oil find that was never announced that everyone knew about during referendum campaign 🙂 ) Couldn’t make it up.
YESGUY
I just came from seeing an article by McTernan. Wow, talk about the raving loony right party.
Looked at the comments and those calling him what he was had twice as many upvotes as downvotes, so it looks like pro0indy posters are back telling the rag what it is. I added some appropriate upvotes 🙂
@stoker – dadsarmy, but I very rarely post there. Only when I feel masochistic.
@msean
But ‘better togetherness’ will start any day now.
They said so.
Probably shortly after they go back to the public piggy bank for the 1.7bn. 😉
caledonian says:
24 October, 2014 at 4:24 am
No licence
No tabloid rags
NO more biased british state propaganda
_______________________________________
Well said, Cally.
I can’t believe one or two individuals are even attempting
to justify the actions of certain media employees.
There can be no justification.
These people could have stood up against their bosses and
refused point-blank to participate in the mass campaign of
lies and deception.
They pay contributions to a union which is there to protect
them, DON’T THEY, but wait, hold on a minute, that “union”
is a massive supporter of the corrupt Slabbers and UK union,
ISN’T IT.
No, i couldn’t give a rats arse for these filthy ("Tractor" - Ed)s
and their mortgages. They didn’t give a shit about my dreams.
I now live for the day to see them go unemployed, just like me.
Scumbag cowards, the lot of them.
ffs, Could you imagine how things would have turned out if the
likes of Emily Davidson or Malcolm X had adopted such a passive
and forgiving attitude, eh. No, they and their beliefs would
still be getting crapped on. But women now have the vote and the
USA now has its first ever black president.
Meanwhile, over here, some people want us to understand that
certain people have mortgages to pay? Don’t make me laugh.
I’ll laugh enough when these scumbags are dumped on the dole.
British Establishment gearing up for the Jubilant Celibrations of WAR (Rememberance Day) I this year & from now on will not be wearing a RED Poppy. I will be wearing a White Poppy for the 1st time in my life. The British gov / MOD have shown how much they value our Service Personel ie ill equipted/redundency notices on front line service/having to fight for medical treatment / disabled housing, left to Charities to provide, they deserve better. I would encou everybody to Wear a White Poppy & most importantly Donate.
It is a good job those shoulders are broad,just pay the back taxes Dave,you know we’re better together,don’t worry,you can get rid of that effing Juncker chappie in 5 years, he isn’t going to be there forever. 🙂
@ YESGUY, you clearly haven’t seen the Press and Journal in UKOK action. I know a P&J hack from school and he’s like, “we were right, we won” and ” we print our readers views” etc
All of which is more than just accurate for once. It’s an on going UKOk struggle though and they know it. I bumped into him in his kilt getting fags from our local newsagent and watching these guys in their proud Scot but kilts is very weird, ridiculous characters pretending to be who knows what. It’s the proud Scot buts that make no sense in all of this. I have loads of English friends and family who voted No because they thought Yes would be bad for them and England and that makes sense. But the proud Scot buts I grew up with and listened to, with their bizarre over the top super sonic pride in being Scots are the most incomprehensible people.
@Luigi:
Meanwhile, the old enemies (France and Germany) will get rebates.
Rebates on what?
France and Germany, old enemies? There must be some sort of mistake… 🙂
@Scunner:
There’s even an idiot on BBC comments claiming The Germans are still sore from losing two world wars and France for losing at Agincourt!
And I suppose the UK has never recovered from having to let the USA go… 🙂
Auld A, perhaps we should tell the US to get back into the Union, they were quick enough to tell us to stay in.
Well i didnt see that coming did you guys lol hopefully they will shed a lot more listeners their so called impartiality has been laid bare during the referendum and of course after as well tell too many lies and eventually even the most ignorant will desert them the bias and contempt shown to the scottish people will not be forgotten.
Ronnie, I wear a Purple one for all the animals forced into war of the Humans making. I have not worn a red poppy for so long and walk by all the wee laddies and now lassies selling them without on qualm.
Seanair with regard to boycotts and the fact that there will be casualties. In any war there are casualties and most of them are the poor, who do you think ends up fighting. I doubt if you look into the background of the soldiers who have died in the past 100 years you will find all that many from the ruling classes.
Nature dislikes vacuums Seanair, we get rid of firms we dislike someone will come in and replace them, that is how it works. Yes I am sorry for those who get caught up but sadly we will never win if we do not do something.
@Helena Brown:
… or Scotland becoming USA’s 51st State?…
The EU will soon be the 51st State.
@Helena Brown why not ask them why there are no White Poppys on they’re tray, I do acknowledge where your coming from, but for the most part those young people would be Service’s Cadets & should be appauded for selling Poppy,s in support of the Veterans.
Thanks Edward. I was hoping we had at least got rid of one of them.
Re Oban by election – no Lib Dums?? Were they the IND??
If so then the IND candidate is a a BritNat.
Also re EBradford, job done so far but we should not let up on criticising her and constantly reminding her of the lies she told re NHS.
I think she should constantly be warned of getting sued – union or no union for telling lies on BBC.
link to twitter.com
BTW from Faisal Islam re BT
link to twitter.com
@Chalks:
The EU will soon be the 51st State.
Hopefully not. It’s true the EU is right-winged. Economically both “countries” converge more or less and that’s a shame. Yet there’s still a huge difference between the EU and the USA on a lot of other subjects.
For example, free availability of weapons.
Public services.
Etc.
@ heedtracker
Every time I read something about “proud Scots – but”, I can’t help thinking of Harry Lauder types or condescending caricature’s of Scots, as seen in shite 1930’s / 40’s and 50’s films such as Brigadoon.
Sad really.
@ Mikewr
WELL DONE….yours is an example that should be applauded.
WELL DONE INDEED..!!I hope a lot more will be joining us soon.
If you want to support the BBC pay your license fee and watch its output.
yesindyref2
I know you pop on the Scotsman site to put up the good fight, but i have to admit to feeling dirty everytime i read that rag. The vile abuse chucked out continually by their commenters is even worse than the ("Tractor" - Ed)ous O.B.E from Woking. He’s just a Salmond hater.
Your a braver man than me ..
I will laugh my head of when they close that rag down.
My suspicious mind says they are using journo’s to put pro indi comments in just to attract hits . Where were all these posters pre 18th.
If you want to support the Scotsman then buy the paper and add to the number of people hitting it’s website.
Logic and discipline are not human strengths and they are not strengths of mine. I’ll have a go at the logic part of though; If I wanted to support The Scotsman, If I wanted to help the Scotsman and I wanted to contribute to its financial well being I would buy the paper and I would visit it’s website.
Heedtracker.
I know one or two of those “proud Scots” myself.
You show remarkable restraint not punching the bugger. And i have to give you a big respect hug for going anywhere near the P&J . That takes guts too.
What do you call some one who votes against the sovereignty of their own nation ??? I call them ("Tractor" - Ed)s but it upsets a few folk. Tough.
And the number of times i have read Scots down south wanting the vote …just to say NO , pisses me off more.
Why is Scotland the only country in the world that cannot run itself? Why the hell do we need the English to do it for us?
I am ashamed at times to even call myself Scottish.
If every person in Scotland refused to pay the BBC Tax it wouldn’t make a blind bit of difference to the BBC or its output here in scotland. It will continue to be funded from the rUK and any shortfall in funding will be met by the UK Govt. It is, after all, the propaganda mouthpiece of the UK Govt, an essential component in its arsenal to keep Scotland subdued and in its box.
The real issue is to educate people into seeing the BBC in Scotland for what it is, to stop them listening. They can pump their bile out 24/7 but if there’s no one listening, it won’t be working. Good to see we’ve made good inroads in that direction. We need to do much, much more.
Ronnie, you’ve typed what I was thinking.
I’ve never failed to wear a poppy, not ever. A red one I mean, I never saw white ones on sale. It was something I was brought up to do. A tradition, as much as anything.
Well, that’s changing. I’m going to order in a white poppy instead.
I don’t think it’s really about boycotting the BBC to deprive them of funds. It would be a flea-bite to them. I’ve just decided I’m no longer willing to pay a tax to be lied to and have my dreams used as a punching bag.
When my friend told me that 80% of the shop-floor people at the BBC were Yes, I said I was stopping paying the licence fee anyway, because I simply couldn’t bear to watch it any more. He sort of sighed in a resigned sort of way.
Independence would be an absolute jobs bonanza for all sorts of sectors and broadcasting in particular. IN the mean time, we’ll all just have to do what we judge to be right for us.
I’m still baffled as to why Blair Jenkins came on TV after the referendum result and stated that he thought the BBC coverage was fair and non biased?…..what was that all about?
Heedtracker, I ken a few of those ‘proud Scots’ too. You just have to look at the rugby players who backed No – they are exactly this strange type. They always start their defence of the Union with the usual lines of “You won’t meet a prouder Scot than me”.
I have a pal (thankfully, out of close pals it was 12-2 to Yes) the 2 Nos will still be pals. 1 of them I will refrain from slagging, but the hardcore Britnat I won’t – he’ll never join the 45%+ but I’ve noticed he absolutley DOES NOT like being called a “Brit”.
Asked by a tourist in London where we were from I said he’s from north Britain, I’m a Scot. The guy (from Spain) simled and knew straight away what I meant.
My Britnat pal didn’t exactly like it and went on a tirade and said he was a proud Scot etc, and to be fair, it maybe was a bit petty from me – but bugger it (for now anyways), he voted to be north British, I didn’t.
The strangest thing I find about the proud Scots – you are far more likely to see them in a kilt, and wearing an ”Anyone but England” tshirt that the Yessers. That guy i know is an offical ABE man, yet – he effecitevly voted to be English (in the eys of the world).
I don’t get it. Whenever you bring this up. You get nothing back. Or some shite that the UK is four countries, etc and Scotland is a country.
The rest of the world disagrees.
YESGUY says:
24 October, 2014 at 12:59 pm
“I am ashamed at times to even call myself Scottish.”
______________________
See, I don’t truly understand this.
I have witnessed many Scots state those very words over the years.
I think i know what they are trying to say but i don’t think
they have anything to be ashamed about?
Many, many times, as have most of us, i have been left feeling
angry, irate, fuming and even been driven to blow the odd fuse.
I’ve even felt embarrassed at the actions of other “Scots” but
never can i think of feeling ashamed.
I have done nothing to be ashamed of, my conscience is clear.
And so should yours be, my friend.
😉
We don’t watch news tv anymore – they proved themselves slavishly partizan in the referendum and not to be trusted from here on in. We have given up our license and no longer watch live tv as well. I missed being able to come in from a days work, turn on and zone out for a few days but now I don’t even think about it. Interesting that the voters who did their research online voted yes, and those who took their news and current affairs from the tv and radio voted no.
On a personal note, we really do need to have an alternate to the BBc for news radio. There really is no option available – it is absolutely a closed shop. The BBC’s grip on the radio in Britain needs looked at, especially in relation to news.
I have been trying to listen to a little BBC Radio 4 just to keep tabs on what propaganda they pushing, but sometimes the crap they are peddling is so nauseating that I just have to turn it off.
According to this FOI
link to whatdotheyknow.com
2,399 licences in Scotland were cancelled between 19th and 30th September. There are some caveats so don’t assume every one was an angry Yesser.
I’m ashamed to say I’m still working on cancelling mine. Slowly getting streaming and catchup set up on my main TV. Not sure what the kids will say when I unplug the satellite dish 🙂
Yes Guy: I am ashamed at times to even call myself Scottish.”
Well, it used to stand for something in the mind of non-Scots; a certain authority of the personality, a loathing of injustice, a romantic nature prone to poetry and wild, remote places, a fighting spirit, manly men doing manly things.
Now that we have tossed away our birthright, or at least, allowed others to defile and degrade it, it’s difficult not to be embarrassed when asked if Scotland is still an independent nation?
On the other hand, Stoker is right, if you voted Yes there’s nothing to be ashamed of, other than those Scots who felt life too insecure unless colonised in perpetuity.
@Grouse Beater:
Well, it used to stand for something in the mind of non-Scots; a certain authority of the personality, a loathing of injustice, a romantic nature prone to poetry and wild, remote places, a fighting spirit, manly men doing manly things.
You can add (at least seen from France): great sense of humour, friendliness, empathy, strong friendship, warm and enthusiastic personality.
@Flux_capacitor:
Not sure what the kids will say when I unplug the satellite dish.
You can’t get TV via your Internet box?
Regarding the bill from the EU. I believe the EU is funded by a share of VAT receipts. What has most likely arisen is that retail sales growth has resumed in the UK while the economies in the rest of the EU are in recession. This would likely result in higher VAT receipts in the UK. So the ideal thing to do is spin this like billy oh if you want to be seen to defend the British sausage.
Remember, its UKIP that the Cons are fighting now, Labour is a lost cause.
AuldA: You can add (at least seen from France): great sense of humour, friendliness, empathy, strong friendship, warm and enthusiastic personality.
Very true.
And after half-of-us sold our country a second time, we can add to the list, ‘missplaced bloody loyalty.’
@Grouse Beater:
‘missplaced bloody loyalty.’
I hope you’re not speaking of our famous ancient alliance…
Helena Brown
“We get rid of firms we don’t like”.
I don’t see any big pro-unionist firms looking as if they’re going bust, so let me know how you’re going to do it. Chapter and verse.
I was careful to make a distinction between the owners/chief executives and the “shop floor” workers, and am astonished at how callous some of the posters have been that Yes voters well down the line in a company should somehow make a stand against their bosses. Easy to say when you’re not in that position, asking for trouble and the sack if you attempt it in the real world.
flux_capacitor says:
24 October, 2014 at 2:44 pm
According to this FOI
2,399 licences in Scotland were cancelled between 19th and 30th September.
________________
Let me put a more positive spin on that very useful information.
During an 11 day period in September 2014, the filthy corrupt
rancid BBC lost over £347,000 in revenue due largely to their
biased and deceitful handling of the Scottish referendum.
Oh yeah, keep up the good work folks.
I’m no mathematician, but i would say, at that rate, the BBC
will be losing somewhere in the region of £1,000,000 pm from
Scotland alone. That kind of loss will be getting noticed and
it will be hurting.
Then add the rUK cancellation losses and you are talking mega-bucks.
It’s going to be a blue blue Xmas for Savile’s agents.
Still unsure? Find out all you need to know right here:
link to facebook.com
[…] From today’s Media Guardian:“Despite the huge interest and debate around the Scottish independence referendum, BBC Radio Scotland saw its figures fall for the third quarter of this year.The station had a weekly reach of 870,000 listeners between 23 June and 14 September (the period accounted for by these audience figures) ahead of the independence vote on 18 September.BBC Radio Scotland was down 2% on the year and 8.9% on the previous three months.The BBC faced intense criticism of bias in its coverage of the referendum from pro-independence supporters, with a demonstration outside the corporation’s Glasgow headquarters and participants unfurling a banner calling for political editor Nick Robinson to be sacked.” […]
link to pressgazette.co.uk
In a year like no other, from a station like no other, failure like no other : stop paying the licence, it’s a start.