This is astonishing. From tonight’s BBC 6 O’Clock News:
Nick Robinson claims Alex Salmond “didn’t answer” his question at a press conference earlier today. That is a brazen and quite spectacular lie. The First Minister gave the BBC man a detailed and direct response which lasted for over three minutes BEFORE raising the matter of the Treasury link. You can see that response for yourself below.
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Tags: flat-out lies
Category
comment, media, scottish politics
Earlier today we showed you a clip from a press conference in which Alex Salmond schooled the BBC’s Nick Robinson in some basic financial facts about Corporation Tax, and went on to make a serious allegation about wrongdoing between the BBC and the UK Treasury, in which he claimed that the latter had broken Parliamentary rules by leaking market-sensitive information about RBS.
The BBC dutifully reported the story later in the day.
And as far as we can gather, the First Minister has everyone bang to rights.
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Category
comment, disturbing, media, scottish politics, uk politics
Who’s this? A bunch of lairy, pissed-up neds on a stag weekend?
Nope. Labour members of the Scottish and UK Parliaments, out “campaigning” in Glasgow today. This is their job. You’re paying them to do this. Be proud, Scotland.
Category
comment, disturbing, idiots, scottish politics, video
From a press conference a few minutes ago:
We must admit, this is our favoured mode for the First Minister.
Tags: misinformation
Category
scottish politics, uk politics, video
Today’s might read something like this:
“In a huge boost for the independence campaign, Royal Bank of Scotland today announced that it would move its registered office from Edinburgh to London in the event of a Yes vote. First Minister Alex Salmond was reported to be delighted that the possible future burden of having to bailout the failed bank had been lifted from the shoulders of the Scottish Government.
(The threat was in fact a mythical one, as bank bailouts are not conducted on the basis of head-office location, but had frequently been rolled out as a scare story by the anti-independence campaign.)
With RBS unlikely to pay any Corporation Tax for decades on account of its gargantuan and ongoing losses from the financial crash, there was no downside for Holyrood, with the bank stating unambiguously in a letter to employees that it had ‘no intention to move operations or jobs’.
(Corporation Tax is in any event levied on where business activity takes place, not where the headquarters is located.)
In other words, an independent Scotland would keep all the benefits of the bank – employment, services and employee taxation and spending – with none of the dangerous liabilities. The news will encourage businesses to invest in the Scottish economy, knowing that their money is secure. The outcome would give an independent Scotland the best of both worlds.”
Just imagine it, viewers. Maybe one day.
Category
comment, media, scottish politics
Yesterday the three UK party leaders all came to Scotland to “campaign”. None of them would appear in public or be interviewed on TV, speaking only to small crowds of invited supporters before scurrying south again. Nevertheless, their fleeting presence north of the border meant that the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions was conducted by substitutes. Standing in for David Cameron was William Hague.
So that’s all a bit clearer now.
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Category
comment, history, scottish politics, uk politics
The Wee Blue Book, Gaelic Edition.
(Home-printing instructions on the Wee Blue Book page.)
Category
culture, scottish politics
I had a night off this evening, readers. Poker and banter and laughs (and a Chinese takeaway) with some chums, a quick stop-off to chat a bit of strategy with the Wings Fulfilment Department and then home. I was just a few yards away when a song came on the stereo and I had to change my mind. I stomped on the accelerator, turned the volume up so loud it was distorting my sense of smell and gunned it out to the hills on the edge of town at full tilt just to feel the cool night breeze and release the pressure.
This one’s for all of us.
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Tags: and finally
Category
culture, music
