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Wings Over Scotland


Better living through higher prices

Posted on March 28, 2023 by

Well, we’re off to a flying start.

This is certainly what the public want. So let’s see his plans.

Oh. Everything that doesn’t come packaged in organic Fair Trade hemp is going to get significantly more expensive overnight – something which has a proportionately much bigger impact on budget brands and the people who rely on them – and doubly so if you fancy a wee half to cheer yourself up a bit.

(All to marginally reduce Scotland’s absolutely microscopically tiny, basically zero, contribution to climate change, while boosting its already-enormous contribution to the international virtue-signalling mountain.)

Brilliant. Cost of living crisis sorted. Boy’s an economic genius.

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Luke+Warm+Dave

He might as well go all in for the entertainment value now. I really hope he makes Karen Adam a minister.

Sean

The DRS is another piece of dogshyte legislation.

I had my suspicions that it was another veiled attack on casual drinkers, forcing up prices and reduced options.

As usual this will hit the lowest paid as those that rely on public transport will not be seen carrying bags of enpty beer bottles and coke cans to reclaim their 20p….which wont be fixed and over time will steadily increase.

Our only hope is the UK Gov derails this too.

Sickening stuff that Independence supporters are now looking to the British establishment to save us from SNP failures.

turnbulldrier

My money’s still on the lettuce

blackhack

I never in my wildest dreams that I’d ever say this but.

I’m finished with the SNP, I hit the 70 years old in a couple of weeks and have come to realise that I’ll never see the independence that I’ve dreamed of for most of my life.
Himza Useless is just a continuation of the same old, same old….

For me, the parties over.

Alan McHarg

Maybe he doesn’t think that the cost of living is high enough. Maybe he forgets that few Scots are on politicians wages with expenses. The old adage shite in – shite out! And here’s me thinking that “Green” was cheaper to the customer and planet. How naive of me.

SusanAHF

More social engineering from the yousaf bastard. A country that relies heavily on alcohol revenue prices it out of its own population’s reach. Presumably the rest of the world can become alcoholic though. Or will transport costs stop export too?

Fraser Reid

Now instead of people driving south of the border for cheap booze they will be driving to Scotland with a van load of empties to cash out….

Alan A

Getting a wiff if the ‘born to rule’ mentality from him already, which I suppose makes sense given his expensive private education (that he and Sarwar shared but ironically Douglas Ross or Alex Cole Hamilton did not) – assuming Wikipedia pages are correct. Anyway, just sayin..

Robert D. Knight

DRS really should be the SNP’s Poll Tax moment, but it probably won’t be because Scots will just meekly accept it like we do everything else.

Den

6 pack 500ml Morrison sparkling water – today £1.49; bottles recycled via Purple recycling bin (council) works well … wtf that’s gonna cost come August is anybody,s guess.

Stuart MacKay

He’ll need to change his moniker from Useless to Clueless. He’s no more able to address the inflation problem than Nicola was to address the independence problem. Play-acting at tackling inflation will only demonstrate that Holyrood is utterly impotent at addressing the country’s most basic needs.

Perhaps if he declared UDI, nationalised all the energy companies and raised an army to fight off opponents of the plan he might stand a chance of delivering.

However, he could be trying to cut his tenure down to the absolute minimum so he can, through self-sacrifice, wipe that stupid grin off Forbes’ face.

Fraser Reid

Instead of all the white vans driving south of the border to fill up on cheap booze. Those white vansd from south of the border will be driving north full of empties to cash in on the deal.

Fraser Reid

Instead of all the white vans driving south of the border to fill up on cheap booze. Those white vans from south of the border will be driving north full of empties to cash in on the deal.

Anonymoose

Luke+Warm+Dave says:
28 March, 2023 at 1:42 pm

He might as well go all in for the entertainment value now. I really hope he makes Karen Adam a minister.

That’ll be another new ministerial position of zero benefit to Scotland and to siphon off more of our taxes into the SNP machine.

I can almost predict her new title… the Minister for Blithering Idiots & Zealots.

Lorna Campbell

L+W+D: don’t jest. It will come to pass. He really can pick only the most oleaginous, rainbow-coloured dumbbells in the party to hoist to stardom. Anyone with even a tiny modicum of real independence-mindedness or anyone who professes to be able to tell a woman apart from a ‘trans’ woman-man will be given short shrift. His wee, elderly, headscarved mammy is going to have to share her space with men in frillies and high heels. I think, though, that if he faces real opposition he will cave. He may be the continuity leader, but he lacks the sheer bloody mindedness and pigheadedness of La Sturgeon.

Fraser Reid

sorry for the spam – got PEBKAK problems today.

ScottieDog

Pick on the wee people.
Can upset the duke o buccleugh.

John Main

Fits a this aboot alky?

The man disnae drink, FFS.

Maybes that maks a wee bit difference tae his views.

Aye, Naw?

Jist saying, like.

Ottomanboi

Mr Yousaf,
You have not been appointed HM Administrator General of the some Northern Border Province, so don’t play the wee «chamcha».
A very proud people and nation expects much of you and your government.
Chamcha: toady, yesman, arse licker.

Of all the small nations of this earth, perhaps only the ancient Greeks surpass the Scots in their contribution to mankind.?
Winston Churchill

Scotland small? Our multiform, infinite Scotland SMALL??
Hugh Mac Diarmid

Ian McCubbin

Joined Alba yesterday, before this waste of space had time to settle in.
As for the policies he will push, let’s hope UK Gov derail the useless ones here.

Willie

Alex Cole Hamilton, Douglas Ross, Anas Sarwar, Humza Yousaf just confirmed as candidates. 2.22pm.

Now they speak. But will Yousaf get it.

Let us wait and see. We need an election. And so if not now, it will be along in the not too distant future.

Republicofscotland

Like many have said Yousaf is someone else’s puppet as will be “his” policies, things are about to get a helluva lot worse, Yousaf is in effect a conduit for the Greens and Sturgeon, and the gender brigade that inhabits both parties.

Yes the fix was in yesterday, but I wonder how the SNP membership, and indeed the entire indy movement feels today knowing that the only candidate (Ash Regan) that had a plan to save Scotland from this rancid union came last, what does that say about the SNP and the membership, that a party (SNP) whose entire raison d’etre is supposed be to achieve independence and stop Westminster robbing our assets and interfering in our country sold Scotland out to preserve the status quo.

If you support an independent Scotland and all the benefits that go with it, YOU MUST now drop the SNP and support the Alba party, far too many good folk who have fought long and hard for the cause have died in vain, sadly for those true Scots they’ll never see an indy Scotland.

Vote Alba, Join Alba.

robbo

MSP’s only have one vote apparently! Unless you’re SNP of course.
But Humza’s SNP will have 2 votes jist tae b shair.

rogueslr

Doesn’t minimum alcohol pricing lead to more drug use/deaths as it’s cheaper to get off your tits on smack than Buckfast?

Red

In a time of universal roasters, fly tipping is a revolutionary act.

Cynicus

ATTENTION MSPs

Vote

Sarwar 1
DRoss. 2
Cole- Hamilton 3

There is another guy standing. But he’s not worth a pig’s fart in a cold wind. Like the above three.

sarah

@ blackhack at 1.49: don’t despair. People power, not politicians, is the answer. If you haven’t signed the Edinburgh Proclamation on http://www.liberation.scot, do it now!

Antoine Bisset

Let’s get Net Zero out of the way. The only way to achieve Net Zero is to bring about the death of every oxygen breather on the planet.
As regards deposits on bottles we need to go back to 1950 to make it work. 1950 was a different world with far fewer cans and almost no plastic bottles. Glass bottles circulated. That is they were actually recycled, not pretend recycled by being broken and melted and remade. The bottles went out to people and were returned to the supplier. Milk bottles went back to the dairy via the milkman. Beer bottles went back to the brewery, via the pub, shop and draymen. Lemonade bottles the same, although local household deliveries were often direct between household and delivery lorries. Jam jars went back via wee boys taking them to the shop and collecting the 3d deposits to pay for entry to the Saturday matinee at the local cinema.
Almost none of that infrastructure remains.
We do need to stop using plastic. We can use glass if the processes and mechanisms are put in place. Bottlers would need to install facilities to handle glass bottles. Local bottling plants would need to be put in place again, to bottle the likes of Guinness and Coca-Cola, just like 1950, and not shuffle container loads of the stuff hundreds of miles across the UK.
Maybe more thought is required?

Stoker

Strike while the iron is hot: link to albaparty.org

Wee Chid

Just had notification from Scottish Power that prepaid meters in D&G will have a reduction in unit price of 1.12p per unit making a unit 32.872p while the daily standing charge is to increase by 11.05p to 66.74p per day. All these middle class arseholes trying to tell peole how to “cut down” on their electricity and how to save money by “batch cooking”- how the hell do you cut down on the daily standing charge? That’s nearly £250 per year before you even use a bloody unit. What’s useless going to do about that? Sod all – it’s the “lower caste” that is affected and he doesn’t give a toss.Time we all by passed our meters and refused to pay.

Wee Chid

I should also say I’m a carer to an alcoholic and I can guarantee Mr Useless that increasing the price will not stop his addiction – he’ll only eat less and risk malnutrition as well as liver disease. These people are fucking idiots.

Geri

We’ll all be vegan, chewing on foraged brambles & specialising in home brew by Christmas.

That’s the cost of living sorted..

Roll on election…

Wee Chid

Fraser Reid says:
28 March, 2023 at 2:10 pm
“Instead of all the white vans driving south of the border to fill up on cheap booze. Those white vansd from south of the border will be driving north full of empties to cash in on the deal.”

If you live in Dumfries/Lockerbie/Annan areas you don’t even need a white van. Asda will deliver from Carlisle at bargain prices at as little as £1 for delivery.

Elsewhere Amazon has subscriptions to alcohol deliveries. It looks though as if England will also be bringing in a minimum alcohol price later this year.

Ian

“I’m not the continuity candidate”, screams Humza as he continues with the failed policies of his predecessor.

willie

Just listened to our man’s pitch to parliament.

And the pitch was………to protect devolution!!!

Ah our man for continuity. But the vote – only another couple of minutes to wait. 14.48

Wee Chid

rogueslr says:
28 March, 2023 at 2:31 pm
“Doesn’t minimum alcohol pricing lead to more drug use/deaths as it’s cheaper to get off your tits on smack than Buckfast?”

It leads to less money spent on food and death due to malnutrition. These idiots dont understand addiction – and even worse, they don’t provide facilities to help people who have addictions. They just don’t fucking care either.

Ian Brotherhood

We all have our own ways of dealing with disappointment and/or getting the auld batteries recharged.

This is one of mine – a feature-length documentary about Gil Scott Heron called ‘Gone But Never Forgotten’. The music is braw but his take on language, politics, ‘mandates’, poetry and activism generally is a tonic.

I hope some of you enjoy it.

link to youtube.com

John Main

@Cynicus says:28 March, 2023 at 2:31 pm

Shite.

You do realise that the only one of the 4 that is not wedded to the trans woowoo is Dross?

Sarwar is as hell-bent on it as HY.

100%Yes

He’s going to be the gem in the British crown. Oh, dear what can we do? He’s just been elected and already in Scotland we are going to pay more than the rest of the UK because of SNPbad policy making by trying to keep hold of the greens. Hardly making the case for Independence by saying to Scottish people your worse off under the SNP government but we’re going to make the cost of living a priority.

It looks like people are leaving the party after yesterdays result, I’m only saying this just in case the SNP leadership don’t know what the membership figures are today.

Andy Garrett

How about we push for independence, take control of all our resources and get our rightful revenues, join efta and begin trading normally with the rest of Europe?

That would be a good start.

The independence movement has gone backwards 20 years thanks to Sturgeon and the SNP and this fool will do nothing to change this.

Republicofscotland

A picture can say a thousand words.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FsTIQRSXoAEgpcT?format=jpg&name=900×900

Vote Alba, Join Alba.

Andy Garrett

How about we push for independence, take control of all our resources and get our rightful revenues, join efta and begin trading normally with the rest of Europe?

That would be a good start.

The independence movement has gone backwards 20 years thanks to Sturgeon and the SNP, and this fool will do nothing to change this.

cirsium

@Antoine Bisset, 2:33

Yes, we are the carbon they want to get rid of.

Very interesting comment on recycling. The Scottish Government led by Salmond organised the construction of the new Forth road bridge and the new Waverley railway. If a competent government was still in operation, organising the construction of new bottling works would be a possibility.

Regarding tackling the cost of living, we need cheap energy and unhindered economic development. The only way we’re going to get this is independence.

bipod

I have always found the SNPs obsession with “net zero” odd. They have been talking about the “green industrial revolution” even during alex salmonds time and none of the so called green jobs they promised materialised (which is not unsurprising the combination of green regulations and very high energy costs stop any kind of heavy industry not heavily subsidised by the state dead in its tracks). Kate Forbes even admitted recently that they relabelled normal jobs as “green” jobs because they were so far off the target.

The green promise of cheap, limitless energy for all has always just been a pipe dream as the technology currently stands. This obsession is one of the primary causes of the cost of living crisis. We replaced reliable cheap coal power stations with windmills that need to be backed up by natural gas, that was fine when natural gas was cheap but now its not and the entire country is paying the price.

Peter Campbell

Did anyone see all the Humza supporters on Twitter, upon learning of his victory, saying stuff like “onwards to independence” and similar? Are they that deluded or they just not listen each candidate’s manifestos?

Jlm

Don’t despair. As the World banking system resets the Soros/WEF Governments will collapse.
Look at the French and Dutch out in the streets.
Get organised.

Luigi

Sigh. Virtue signalling politicking (and that’s all this is, folks) is destroying the western economies. As the BRICS(+) nations get on with developing their economies, bringing their peoples out of poverty, the middle-class (straight out of uni) wokies and greens (who have infiltrated every party BTW) have set about destroying what’s left of the west. Armed with flawed information, they are on a green crusade. Did they ever consider (are they even aware of the fact) that green energy will never be enough? Do they realise the environmental disaster caused by spent lithium batteries? Contradictions abound (environmental and human rights), but inconvenient truths are ignored. Western politicians won’t give up their own lavish lifestyles, but they certainly wish to impose disastrous green policies on those who can least afford it. At least in communist China, people have a say. Choice of party + no choice of policy (the “free” west) or no choice of party but influence on policy (China). Democracy is in the eye of the beholder.

Red

Peter Campbell says:
28 March, 2023 at 3:37 pm
Did anyone see all the Humza supporters on Twitter, upon learning of his victory, saying stuff like “onwards to independence” and similar? Are they that deluded or they just not listen each candidate’s manifestos?

They’re NPC’s.

Fran

It’s as if they don’t really want to win the next election never mind getting us out of the Union

Skip_NC

Shona Robison as Deputy FM. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

Ian Smith

You can buy spirits from Spain that still work out about 30% cheaper than Amazon after paying international courier fees.

Livionian

Yayyy, more of the same nanny state politics and hitting the poorest hardest.

There was absolutely no reason why a Humza win needed to happen. If Forbes and Regan could have found a way to be pragmatic and work together, then one of those much more desirable candidates would be our firs minister.

Yet here we are, more of the same, happy with us being a Scandinavian style expensive woke nation, yet one forever colonized.

Big Jock

Peter , I don’t even think the Humza supporters think independence is coming. It’s now just a reflex action. Like a corpse that rises when the gases inside explode. It’s deid , but looks alive.

indyfan

Seems the Green tail is wagging the dog.

‘Ms Slater also suggested that Mr Yousaf would not be letting Ms Regan and Ms Forbes in his cabinet due to his “progressive” values as she was asked whether she could serve with them.’
So much for ‘uniting’ the party. It can only get worse.

John C

I’m sure the DRS, like many an SNP policy, will fall apart within a few months at the cost of the taxpayer therefore wasting our limited funding which could have been better spent elsewhere.

There’s no way in hell Yousaf will actually tackle the economy for the benefit of the poorest. He’ll tweak a few things around the edges, have a couple of flagship policies which will end up benefiting the middle class more or be ineffectual. He won’t tackle the real issues as like Labour before him, many in the SNP have realised if they throw one huge bone to some they’ll vote for them regardless. With Labour is was the dream of socialism, with the SNP it is the dream of independence.

We’re in a situation where for most people now they’re a month at most from hitting extreme poverty. We also know that Scotland has a limited amount of funding,even with the ability to raise some taxes we don’t have the full range of powers to fully cure the issues people are suffering but yet, we can still focus on making the lives of people a little better. But Yousaf is pushing ahead with the GRA, will launch a useless Section 30 request, and fight a S35 order because he wants to look good for the Greens who have him by the balls, and for TRAs who today are on the whole, supportive of the violence we’ve seen escalating rapidly since Friday.

Geri

What’s NPCs?

laukat

Shona Robinson as DFM. The BBC report saying Robinson’s constituency office is in the Fun Factory – are they all just taking the piss?

Scotland has Dumb and Dumber in charge. Who else for the clown car/cabinet?

David Holden

I wonder how long before we see Humza on the side of a bus with a catchy phrase like I don’t drink so suck it up plebs. Sounds like a certain vote winner.

iain mhor

I don’t doubt he has the economic sense of a wean in a sweetie shop and counts his change on his fingers. However, the singular ire for the deposit return scheme I find a bizarre thing for everyone, and their dug to get het up about.
Throughout mainland Europe it operates very well, and far from being a burden it’s welcomed by the consumer, and communitiy.

I mentioned to continental friends, that if introduced, Scotland’s streets would be clean overnight. The amusement ceased when I said it wasn’t hyberbole – I meant literally overnight, because our streets, and verges are drowning in a potential kings ransom of shite.

I would bet a case of anyones choice brew, that it wouldn’t just be jaikies, and junkies collecting the discarded plastic, glass, and tinware.

There shouldn’t be any need to educate anyone here, that deposit/return schemes operated quite happily years ago, and the sky fell on no-ones beelin nut.
What you seldom saw was empty bottles of ginger kicking about, because the weans had them, straight to the shop for a chip roll, and swadgers.

Travel the continent, and bin-rakers are a common enough sight, and no-one bats an eyelid. If you can’t be arsed cairting your empty bottle, or tin on your daily commute – then good luck to the bin-raker getting a few bob out of it – it’s not littering the verges and streets.

I once cairted an empty plastic bottle from Germany to France, and back, just so I could get 15 cents back (the Pfand wasn’t redeemable with the French system) I was buggered if I was chipping 3 bob in the bin. I made sure to rake a few more, and had enough empties to buy a few brews afer dinner.

Mind you, minimum alcohol pricing is a vague rumour in coutries where every other town has their own brewery, and beer is quite literally cheaper than bottled water.

So, this is the new Scotland: What everyone else can do, and we used to do very well, is now an impossible burden of apocalyptic drama.
It’s a brave new world – ye can keep it.

David Holden

OK the SNP are just taking the piss now with Shona Robison announced as deputy first minister. It seems like Humza has learned well from Nicola and is going to surround himself with nincompoops to make him look less bad than he is. A big ask but he may have just managed it. Humza I salute you.

Skip_NC

Geri, I’m going to guess that, in this context, NPC means Non-Playing Character. DuckDuckGo also tells me it means National Physique Committee. Context is everything, don’t you agree?

Shug

I am not sure I understand why journalists, when hearing, “my first priority is the cost of living” don’t respond with but you can’t control the cost if living that can only be done at a UK level.

It is such an open goal but they let the off with it

Wullie B

link to bbc.co.uk Towo useless fuckers in charge, both incompetent at all their previous jobs, I suppose birds of a feather always stick together

Den

bottles recycled via Purple recycling bin (council) works well … wtf that’s gonna cost come August is anybody,s guess.”

No mystery – they’ll go up to £2.69.

@rev Stu , aye minimum ,that’s a simplistic view , you not think Manufactures etc will pass on tooling costs, scheme admin / reporting costs etc to the end Customer ? Canny see them absorbing cost.

David

What about the Special Conference? Is that cancelled for good? Is Humza not going to offer us any carrots?

thursoberwick

Humza Yousaf and Shona Robison team leading Scotland to independence?

F@cking game’s a bogey 🙁

Luigi

If Nicola’s best pal becomes DFM, then we know who will be keeping tight strings on the puppet.

(the plot thickens).

wull

Next election slogan, in Banner Headlines:

‘PAY MORE FOR LESS: VOTE SNP’

Ian Spruce

Shona Robison is Deputy First Minister!

LantonParky

Republicofscotland says:
28 March, 2023 at 3:06 pm
A picture can say a thousand words.

link to pbs.twimg.com

Yes, and unfortunately no abstentions in the SNP ranks.

Mister

Let’s be honest here, you can whinge and greet or you can make Alba attractive to snp regional list voters. Up to you. I know which one I’d prefer.

I’m no fan of the Snp but they’re going nowhere. There’s no arrests on the horizon and that mole stummy or stony or whatever he was called was just a spectacularly wrong hilarious troller.

A Bruce

Iain Mhor

The refund here in Germany is now 25c on every plastic bottle and can. Beer bottles are 5c. You never see a bottle or a can lying around anywhere.

akenaton

Ah well Therey’are! Famous words of Dermot Kelly, “Dead Man” in the sixties TV series The Lazy Acre.
Dead Man always reiterated these word when something which was obvious from the beginning actually happened.
Unfortunately, this time not only did we recognise the dread danger but we actually aided and abetted its coming.

Kate Forbes was the wee jewel who could have put life back into the Nationalist movement AND put an end to the social deviance promulgated by the Greens and quickly adopted by a devious but ultimately doomed criminal regime.

Is it too late to re-set society? Probably, as I see no other with the strength of purpose, the personality, or the political intelligence to re-motivate what has become a stupid and defeated populace. Fighting old wars wont cut it, as can be seen daily on this forum, the enemy are amongst us now, they have been cultivated not by parental love and care, but by a media and political class who have like Sturgeon, begun to believe their own twisted propaganda. It won’t end well for them, but by that time we will either be gone or have lost the will or wit to protest the madness.

Colin

Arguably one of the main reasons for voting for Kate Forbes was that there was a very strong chance she would have ditched the appalling Greens. Not satisfied with Yousaf being elected they are now trying to dictate who , or rather who not, should be in the Cabinet. Their influence on the SNP is vastly in excess of their voting strength!

Republicofscotland

Shona Robison is a very close friend of Nicola Sturgeon, it looks like the puppet Yousaf has had his first command from Sturgeon, who to be honest might have stood down as FM but she’s still running the party via Yousaf.

The SNP are a lost cause.

Vote Alba, Join Alba.

Breeks

Jesus wept.

SNP on course to “do a Labour” and sink into obscurity, and apparently without even waiting for an election to pull the chain.

See all these months past, when I said we should have impeached the fkg place? Doesn’t sound so daft now does it?

The only good news is Humza and Robison in charge of Scottish debacles, there’s absolutely zero chance of the SNP Perverts Charter becoming law.

Daisy Walker

@, ‘ Lorna Campbell says:
28 March, 2023 at 2:11 pm

L+W+D: don’t jest. It will come to pass. He really can pick only the most oleaginous, rainbow-coloured dumbbells in the party to hoist to stardom’….

Doesn”t he have family he can promote/install?… asking for his wife/cousin/brother. Doh.

Daisy Walker

Wonder how long into his reign before the term ‘USELESS’ becomes deemed a racial slur?

Republicofscotland

Lanton Parky, link not working.

socratesmacsporran

Seeing Swinney and Sturgeon sitting side-by-side on the SNP back benches, during that travesty of installing Haunless Youseless I had a sudden thought.

Which one is Statler and which one is Waldorf?

Republicofscotland

Alison Thewliss SNP MP, you know the one who brought a child to a trans demo and stood in front of signs calling for the decapitation of Terfs.

She has joined the John Smith Centre at UoG, a well know UK security services safe haven and staging post.

First spotted by Vivian Oblivion.

link to johnsmithcentre.com

Vote Alba, Join Alba.

A Bruce

I’ve just heard the on the news that there has been a shooting in a school in Nashville where 3 adults and 3 children have been shot. The report started of by saying the shooter was a woman. I thought,that’s unusual, but it then transpired that it was a trans who was the shooter. A man therefore, but that’s not how Humza Useless would see it.

Garavelli Princip

Apparently the PervoGreens wouldn’t work with Forbes in the Cabinet. Useless was given an ultimatum.

He couldn’t just sack her, so he offered her a job she couldn’t accept!

I give him six months tops!

It will end in a personal scandal!

Kcor

“The first Muslim First Minister”

Is he a Muslim?

Is he fasting during the day during the month of Ramadhan which is ongoing right now?

Or is he exempted from fasting for being a Minister?

Rev. Stuart Campbell, expose him on that front as well.

robertkknight

Can only hope all the political shysters in the SNP, who’ve suddenly started chucking the word Independence around again like rice at a Greek wedding, get their comeuppance at the ballot box.

In the meantime, I hope their rancid party haemorrhages members as never before… 60k and falling!

Indy for Scotland – SNP OUT!

JGedd

I get a very strong sense of aloof indifference towards the electorate from the Greens and their Woke chums in the SNP. This is evident in the Labour ranks as well in Holyrood and Westminster. In fact it is becoming a feature in the political classes of the EU as well.

It isn’t just indifference – it is elite contempt, an elite that has no empathy with the ruled. We are back in the past with pre-revolutionary France as a model. However, we live in what is supposed to be a democracy yet we have the new elites of the political class who seem as dismissive of the interests of ordinary people as if whatever affects the mass of the people does not affect them. They pass legislation like the GRA against the wishes of the majority of the electorate which they know is unpopular. It’s almost as if they are ‘trolling’ us.

I know what I suspect has fuelled this new elitism but I do not know all the elements involved precisely because they are so diverse and dissipated throughout connected societies. I can see one obvious way in which they have set the narrative to their advantage and that is, of course, the mass media.

All of us know this but consider, for instance, how the American Revolution and the French Revolution were energised, then many commentators suggest an important driver was the growing, educated middle class chafing against the indifference of distant elites who governed them but not in their interest(in America’s case at great geographical distance.) The ideas of the French Revolution, of course, influenced the American Revolution.

Also cited, however, is what was then mass dispersal of opinion to the educated through pamphlets and other print media. it was the beginning of the transmission of news and opinions that did not rely on word of mouth.

Those also who refer to other countries who achieved independence in the past, like Ireland, do not take into account the way modern mass media now works against any radical ideas emanating from the ground up.

Our media is so controlled by the elite that ordinary people are on the receiving of propagandizing almost daily, especially through TV, as immediacy of visual effects together with the carefully chosen narration has a subtle, almost subliminal effect.

We were warned how this would come to bear on the attuned by the author of 1984 who knew how it worked in his day because he had worked within it as one of the propagators. Even he would have been surprised at how easily people today could be propagandized because of the ‘surround’ effect that can be achieved, infiltrating people’s thoughts while they think their opinions are their own.

This is only one way in which people have been captured but it has to have been co-ordinated on a large scale which is not so difficult considering the global scope. There is nothing new about this really since it is the way control has always been exercised – keep the ruled uninformed and disunited – it’s just the means, which is modern technology. But why did the elite politicians all seem to be so co-ordinated, all once, so it appears, as with the Transgender movement? Strangely enough, this all-encompassing global epiphany has overlapped at the same time with the same political adherents having a recent great enthusiasm for NATO.

Annalena Baerbock,(Green) and German Foreign Minister, when questioned recently about the impact of Germany’s support for for the war in the east on German citizens and rising fuel bills stated categorically that she did not care about German citizens, only about the aforesaid war. You couldn’t be any more frank than that.

Kcor

A Bruce says:
28 March, 2023 at 5:35 pm

I thought,that’s unusual, but it then transpired that it was a trans who was the shooter.”

Non woke people should make it a point to always call such a creature “woman with a penis”.

Skip_NC

A Bruce @ 5:35pm, the shooter was a woman who used he/him pronouns. It is no surprise that Nashville police have described her as a woman. Firstly, because she was and secondly because, in the South outside some major metropolitan areas, social conservatism is predominant.

David Holden

Kate Forbes was offered rural affairs and has declined the kind offer. Whatever you think of her beliefs she was more than competent in her job in the last cabinet. She is a teuchter so give her rural affairs seems to have been a poorly thought out strategy but I fear we are in for more of the same. I wonder if they will offer Ash a job making tea or cleaning ? Five minutes in and Humza has shown he aint no leader in fact he is an over promoted idiot and hell mend the SNP.

Alin Scot

Kate Forbes is out of Scottish Government – BBC website.

Rogueslr

Looks like Kate’s been shafted, offered rural affairs she’s leaving the cabinet. Two scorned women sat behind Useless both anti the GRR will be popcorntastic.

himagain

A good start to the new consensus. Forbes turns down a cabinet role and leaves government. He offered her the Rural Affairs job, a calculated insult. God knows what sycophants and drones he will finally choose.

Izzie

When is Ash Regan going to move to Alba and join her leader?

Bob Mack

@Izzie,

Come on !. You should really check out the numbers leaving.

I hope in this case you are right though.

Lenny Hartley
Colin

Kate ousted! Rules out a “deal” me thinks. This is not going to end well!

Robert McAllan

Wullie B @4:35,effter seein’that an’noo Gray intae his oxters an aw. we is totally BULL FUCKED, an’ if that wisnae bad enough Ash Regan on her twitter feed has made the maist tae curlin’ appraisal o’ the direction SHE THINKS THE SNP is noo traivellin’. She is richt aboot wan thing tho, the union will nivver quite believe its luck oan the shite that’s aboot tae come Scotland’s wey courtesy o’ the SNP. Whit a disappointment she’s turned oot tae be!!

peter

Stop stirring, Izzie. You are a troll. “join her leader”. Ha Ha.

Anton Decadent

The elephant in the room is the Greens having more pull in the SNP than the members or any MP who is not part of the kabal.

A Bruce

I have just read an article from Campbell Martin today entitled”A lesson from Ireland”
I don’t know if Wings readers have read Sturgeon’s resignation letter to the palace, I hadn’t and it had me gobsmacked.

“I should wish to reiterate that it has been my pleasure to serve Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Queen and the people of Scotland as First Minister since November 2014” CM says-Nice to see the people of Scotland getting a mention, even if in third place behind two English monarchs. Sturgeon concluded “I have the honourto be,Sir, Your Majesty’s humble and obedient servant”
What the hell would Wallace have thought!

akenaton

I wonder if all the Proud Indy Warriors who demonised Kate are hiding their faces today.
Time to grow up and join the 21st century.

socratesmacsporran

Haunless Youseless offering Kate Forbes Rural Affairs is the political equivalent of Celtic offering Jock Stein the job of running their lottery.

Jm

HY’s policies will be exactly those his handlers across the pond have planned for.

Izzie

Peter @ 6.05 I actually don’t know what a troll is (apart from the mythical creatures in fairytales that is). I would be grateful for a definition. I am a member of SNP have been for40 plus years. And no I didn’t vote for Humza because I am thrawn

A Bruce

Thanks for the clarification Skip. It just gets all too confusing.

Shug

So 24 hours after Kate decides not to challenge the integrity of the election she is offered a demotion.

That’s what happens when you cut a deal with the Westminster candidate. They will always betray you.

thothScot

Yousaf continuing his stunning track record, by getting in some early terrible decisions.

Ousting a person shown as capable and popular within the party, out of pettiness and spite. Perhaps Nicola has already told him who she wants her sock puppet to have in each post.

Perhaps the other candidates are better out of the train wreck to come. Sadly, things will be even bleaker at any time they want to come back in.

Robert McAllan

akenaton @5:18 ‘KATE FORBES A WEE JEWEL’? FFS NAE WUNNER THE DREAM IS FADIN’ WI’ STATEMENTS LIKE YON!!

robertkknight

“I am a member of SNP have been for 40 plus years”

That’s not a Troll. That’s the three wise monkeys rolled into one!

Republicofscotland

Two parts of Sturgeon’s (aka Cardinal Richelieu) trifecta now in place with Yousaf and Robison, next up to complete the set will be another puppet to replace Peter Murrell, and control of the SNP will be retained.

The SNP is unsavable for anyone who wants to see the dissolving of this rancid union.

Vote Alba, Join Alba

Anton Decadent

Edit to my previous post, that is one of an entire herd of elephants in the room.

Just be kind, they told us, it’ll be fun, they told us…

JockMcT

I’m glad it’s Humza, he will fix himself eventually and in the meantime SNP slides off the board. Forbes was a worse choice, a true tory nodding dog neocon wee free. Regan the dream ticket – so not happening. The greens, FFS, get the bleach out, we need rid, and as for net zero – yeah, net zero greens please. Doesn’t it feel like the Brit state is rubbing our collective nose in this mess, saying you had a chance albeit slim, and rigged by us, nevertheless you had the temerity to try. Now just how much are we going to take, because it will keep coming until we do a French and say an oeuf is indeed an oeuf…Until then, enjoy the circus, the clowns have run amok.

Wullie B

So will Flynn be sacked. And Anam Qaisar be selected for Westminster group leader unopposed

President Xiden

Colin says:
28 March, 2023 at 6:03 pm
“ …this isn’t going to end well”
To be fair it hasn’t exactly stared well never mind how it ends. Clown World.

Mac

Kate Forbes getting everything she deserves.

Rural affairs. HA HA HA HA HA HA!

Skip_NC

A Bruce @ 6:18pm, no problem. I wasn’t sure myself, to begin with, because a woman shooting up like that is pretty rare. Then I saw a press conference on the breakfast news this morning where the Nashville Chief of Police clarified.

What I find interesting is that the local news outlets around here (which lean “liberal,” some of them quite heavily so) have not sought to make a big issue of this. That may change in the days and weeks ahead but I daresay it would be a bad look to prioritize the perpetrator’s feelings over the death of three nine-year-olds and three people in their sixties. All of them attended or worked at a Christian school, so we can only imagine what it would be like for any TV station who took that angle so soon after the loss of life.

twathater

@Iain mhor 4.26pm TBQH Iain my problem with the BRS isn’t returning the bottles and cans as I was a midgie raker in my young years in sunny Govan and made money from beer bottles and ginger bottles ,it is that there is currently a facility in the council’s refuse collections to do this but unfortunately lazy arse people don’t want the bother of separating their rubbish
I have a neebour who illegally fixes cars in his oversized garage and the parts come in cardboard boxes, sometimes quite big but he is too lazy to even tear the boxes up and his bins are literally overflowing, people like him it won’t matter what facilities you provide they will do their own thing ,but slater from tranada has made the usual green and snp fuckup by not thinking things through

Republicofscotland

I wonder if all the Proud Indy Warriors who demonised Kate are hiding their faces today.

akenaton.

Why would we be hiding our faces? Forbes had no plan for independence, and who really cares whether she has or hasn’t a position in Yousaf’s cabinet, for we’d be going nowhere with her as FM.

100%Yes

People on here should just IGNORE Izzie who’s a member of the Tory SNP unionist party.

Bob Mack

@Robert Knight,

Still laughinh here. Belter.

akenaton

Shug and Robert, of course you are entitled to your opinions, but I’m sure when today’s events sink in, the vast majority will come to the view that the support of Reagan and demonization of Forbes was a missed opportunity of gigantic proportions.

All to late now of course, Our country is about to become a Pariah State as all the latest crimes against women and children are rolled out.

Chas

A cracking start from Useless. Incompetence from day 1 but, let’s be honest, that’s exactly what was expected. A leopard cannot change his spots.

I am thinking of setting up a new political party-Sane Scots for Independence. Every prospective member will be vetted. Unfortunately half of the posters on Wings need not apply as I am reliably informed that rejection often offends!

Gordon Gekko

The simple truth :

The inflationary episode is being driven by profit gouging and interest rate hikes won’t help much.

link to billmitchell.org

The reason interest rate hikes won’t help is because it is a myth.

1. When interest rates rise the increase cost of credit just gets passed onto the consumer via higher prices. Interest rate hikes are price hikes.

2. Those that have savings when interest rates rise receive a fiscal stimulas. They receive bigger interest payments and depending what they spend it on can be inflationary in a supply side constrained environment.

Finally, The spot and forward price for a non perishable commodity imply all storage costs, including interest expense. Therefore, with a permanent zero-rate policy, and assuming no other storage costs, the spot price of a commodity and its price for delivery any time in the future is the same.

However, if rates were, say, 10%, the price of those commodities for delivery in the future would be 10% (annualised) higher. That is, a 10% rate implies a 10% continuous increase in prices, which is the textbook definition of inflation! It is the term structure of risk free rates itself that mirrors a term structure of prices which feeds into both the costs of production as well as the ability to pre-sell at higher prices, thereby establishing, by definition, inflation.

And all the empirical evidence proves it. After two decades of 0 rate policies the yen remained problematically strong and inflation very low. And the same holds for the euro and $US after many years of near zero-rate policies. In fact, theory and evidence points to the reverse- higher rates tend to weaken a currency and support higher levels of inflation because of the reasons explained above.

Both Japan and the EU could never hit their 2% inflation target for years with zero and negative interest rates. Because they had the whole thing backwards.

Of course he can’t do anything about it. The BOE sets the rate. Every price rise should have the competition and monopolies authorities crawling all over it. Yet we see nothing. As the poachers became gamekeepers and serve the banks.

Ebenezer Scroggie

If Forbes didn’t see that betrayal coming, then she’s a bloody fool.

The photos of her at the announcement ceremony don’t indicate that she did see it coming. She looked like a cat that had licked the cream.

What’s the price of a long-life lettuce these days?

John H.

All we need now is SAS in charge of finance. God help us.

thursoberwick

On the plus side, the Greens will probably just be left with Harvie as their only MSP after the next Scottish Parliament election. The SNP will have lost most of their MPs by then and all their Short money income, and with Yousaf dividing the party, p@ssing off voters and SNP MSPs and driving out thousands of SNP members by the time he leads the SNP to defeat at the next Scottish Parliament election they will be finished and the independence movement will need a true indy party. Time to start building one.

MarkH

Shona Robison as deputy, that sounds like the desperate circling of wagons.

Merganser

Where does ‘Rural Affairs’ rank in the hierarchy? Must be close to the bottom of the pile. Is Forbes still smiling?

So predictable from Humza. More of the same to follow. Slater for Finance Secretary anyone?

thursoberwick

Anyone often think that Scotland is just fking cursed?
Too many of us are on the take or all talk.

Breeks

There’s a comment in The National that Yousaf’s wife works for Robison. If that’s true, how cosy, but it reeks of nepotism… Don’t know why I’m surprised. Reading BTL comments at The National is worse than WGD… feel like I need a shower. Creepy peeps.

Wonder if Forbes still has that big smile on her face. I’m guessing not. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course I’ll respect you after the ballot”.

Best wishes and commiserations to the person who now has the most important job in Scotland… Not Yousaf, don’t be daft. I mean the person vetting ALBA’s new recruits. Dig deep and be thorough my friend. May they all be blessed with Christmas Trees.

Gordon Gekko

The bank of Japan fully understands it.

The only central bank NOT to raise interest rates and inflation at just over 3%.

They know how things work in the real world free from the neoliberal myths.

link to billmitchell.org

The talking heads driven by the City of London on our TV screens are a bunch of idiotic, placard waving, slogan shouting, ideological retards.

Whose purpose is to instill in the minds of voters 24/7 that government spending is the devil and inflationary. When the truth is bank lending is inflationary, tax cuts are inflationary, any type of spending is inflationary when you have both skills and real resources constraints in a supply side constraint environment.

Interest rates fix nothing. The one rate to rule them all is a myth. Monetarism is a poison. It doesn’t make trucks move faster, doesn’t make boats move faster, doesn’t make trains move faster.

Increased government spending in those areas will by using unemployed skills and real resources to clear the bottle necks and supply side issues.

But these free market tooth fairy ideologues believes raising the one rate to rule them all will fix these things. It certainly will not by job creation but by creating unemployment and removing trucks, rail and boats out of the system. Reducing demand and the knock on effect unemployment causes as it rips communities apart and spreads unemployment through them like a virus.

Insanity !

CR

It seems that there is now an accepted story of Kate having done a deal all because she is smiling at the result reveal. Maybe, she was delighted to have done better than she thought, maybe she’s happy Humza has the poisoned chalice, maybe she’s just a happy wee soul, maybe her wean was across the room waving at her, maybe its …

All the people on here that can see deals and read minds from a photo, paranoid as

but no, its obvious init ..

akenaton

I don’t think for a minute that there was any deal done between Kate and Yousaf….do you not think that smile IS Kate? She seems a genuine girl, too good for politics.
She almost won against all odds…..even the “very odds” here.

Shetto Al

Is it even legal to give a demotion to someone on maternity leave?
At best it is a poor and misogynistic example to set for Scotland’s employers.

Luigi

The FM/BBC are trying to spin it that Kate Forbes had indicated that she didn’t want “a big job” and so they thought that the rural affairs would have suited her fine, given her track record and interest in the subject. They were shocked that she turned it down. Perfectly reasonable (if you believe that).

100%Yes

Well done Kate.

Luigi

Breeks says:
28 March, 2023 at 7:16 pm
There’s a comment in The National that Yousaf’s wife works for Robison.

Surely that cannot be true. They wouldn’t try to pull that one, not after all the furore about Mr and Mrs Murrell. Would they?

Ted

We can only hope that the same UK government which finished Sturgeon by using the Scotland Act against the gender woo woo, now brings in a root and branch public enquiry to investigate the inner workings of her nasty party. It may need to include a look at the party in 2014 too so we can see what they claim the previous leadership was up to and if there was anything, why it took until 2020 for Sturgeon to act.

thursoberwick

Yousaf’s wife worked in Robison’s constituency office in Dundee. Then she became an SNP councillor in Dundee. “Shona gave my wife a job, I’ll give Shona a job” 2023 in the SNP

Gordon Gekko

The fact the public believe their TV’s when their TV says interest rate hikes fight inflation is just another form of potty training.

Question everything these mugs say. They lie about everything.

The problem with the mainstream credit channel is that it relies on the assumption that lower rates encourage borrowing to spend. At a micro level this seems plausible- people will borrow more to buy houses and cars, and business will borrow more to invest. But it breaks down at the macro level.

Why ? – Why does it break down at the macro level ?

For every £ borrowed there is a £ saved, so any reduction in interest costs for borrowers corresponds to an identical reduction for savers.

The only way a rate cut would result in increased borrowing to spend would be if the propensity to spend of borrowers exceeded that of savers.

The economy, however, is a large net saver, as government is an equally large net payer of interest on its government bonds. Therefore, rate cuts directly reduce government spending and the economy’s private sector’s net interest income.

And looking at over two decades of zero-rates and QE in Japan, 10 years in the US, and 15 years of zero and now negative rates in the EU, the data is also telling everybody that lowering rates does not support demand, output, employment, or inflation.

In fact, the only arguments that they do are counter factual- the economy would have been worse without it- or that it just needs more time. By logical extension, zero-rates and massive QE for decades both in the EU and Japan failed to hit their 2% inflation targets. That tells you everything you need to know.

If these idiots believe increasing interest rates fights inflation ( potty training for those who can’t think for themselves). Then slashing rates under their belief system causes inflation. As both the EU and Japan showed this was never the case with Quadrillion worth of QE and zero rates.

Yet, the public just take what their TV’s say as gospel. Why these mugs get away with what they do.

Prices will keep rising with rate hikes. Until the BOE breaks something with their insanity.

JockMcT

Name the alphabettys, someone, please…

Benny

There can only be two conclusions made by the recent appointment either one is it was fixed or the SNP membership is full of halfwit bampots .

Carole Sharp

You all watching Liz Lloyd on Ch4?

Izzie

Peter@608 Googled troll. I think that you may be right. I can cause trouble in an empty house. I used to do this at work when I got bored.

thursoberwick

@Carole Sharp at 7:55
Why was Lloyd on Ch4? What was she saying? English Lloyd who turned up in the SNP when they came to power. Funny that? Another parachuted in wrecker.

Republicofscotland

“I am thinking of setting up a new political party-Sane Scots for Independence.”

Chas.

That rules you, akenaton and John Main out right away.

David Holden

Any word on the no ifs no buts defacto referendum we were promised by the last first minister. Asking for a friend.

Garavelli Princip

Saw Liz Lloyd unchallenged on Ch4 on the two court cases that Alex Salmond WON.

Poor Nikla was ‘appalled’ when Alex took the Scottish Gov to Court.

No mention that ScotGov was utterly gutted by that case and that AS was entirely vindicated., and that it took their advocates threats to close it down!

Not challenged at all by the interviewer.

Disgraceful.

Presumably Lloyd was paid for this sweetheart interview.

I hope AS has his lawyers onto Ch4 immediately

ronald anderson

Luigi 7.37 .

The SNP has always been rife with nepotism just look at the Ewing dynasty

Paulk

Masterstroke from Useless on day one. He now has Forbes on the backbenches, where she can cause all sorts of trouble for him. He really is thick as mince.

Eric

So much for party unity.

The front bench appointments will be interesting.

ronald anderson

Paulk 8.11.

Get with the programme Forbes is leaving Holyrood .

Graeme George

If Kate Forbes is saying she only wanted a small job what the hell was doing standing for leader/first minister

socratesmacsporran

Haunless Youseless had two choices:

He could have had Kate Forbes and Ash Regan in the tent, pishing oot, but he chose to leave them ootside the tent, pishing in.

The man is clearly a Numpty.

Albert Herring

So has Humza’s wife been appointed CEO yet?

Carole Sharp

@thursoberwick, LLoyd was interviewed by Cathy Newman CH4 news never seen her interviewed before, quite shocked she was asked about Alex Salmond cases and yeah unchallenged

Viscount Ennui

There are still sufficient SNP MSPs who have a modicum of integrity who will not stand for the current nonsense.
They will not act immediately but will become activated once electoral losses begin to mount.
YH will not get a honeymoon boost in the opinion polls. In fact, the opposite is likely to happen.
The second wave of dissent will come from those enjoying promotion when they realise that they might lose their seats.
A third threat is likely to emerge from one of a number of scandals that will inevitably bubble to the surface depsite the best efforts of the puppets. NS looks done. She will lose any remaining ‘friends’ when they realise that she no longer has patronage to offer them and when, I hope, Mr Plod comes knocking at the door. Politics can be very cruel and it has become clear that she deluded herself that she had some special talent rather than a magic carrot to dangle in front of the sheep.
Forbes may surprise us. I was not a fan and I am still unconvinced, but she has played an absolute blinder today by steering clear of the shit-show that is about to emerge. I doubt that many on this site will agree with me but now that immediate independence as a acause has been lost, we have to play the long(er) game and re-group as an indy movement around a credible figure and a credible strategy.
Sturgeon is just a piece of fluff who did no more than occupy a post rather that furthering a cause.

President Xiden

On the jobs front huge increases in the manufacture of clown shoes is expected as the demand is now far exceeding the supply. A similar bonus is expected for the suppliers of clown cars to the Scottish cabinet.

lumilumi

Humza Yousaf as SNP leader and FM and Shona Robison as DFM! Like most commentators (and presumably Rev Stu), I despair.

The cause of Scottish independence has been set further back. This is the legacy of Nicola Sturgeon. The words I have for her are unprintable. And the Useless is set to continue on the path marked out by her (and the DFM even more so).

On one of the points touched on Rev Stu’s article, the DRS. I don’t understand the resistance, even by Rev Stu. The idea is that the consumer pays the price of the beverage + a deposit on the container. Next time the consumer goes to the shop, he/she returns the container and gets the deposit back. The beverage doesn’t actually cost any more.

In my country, we’ve had a DRS as long as I can remember, so early 1970s. It was different from today’s system – for one, the bottles were glass and washed and reused. But bottle returning for a deposit never changed. It evolved to include PET (plastic) bottles and aluminium tins.

Today, the recycling rates are in the high 90s for plastic and aluminium, low 90s for glass. Overall about 94%. Scotland or UK overall recycling is below 50%. In developing countries with no recycling schemes, it’s close to zero. The seas a swilling with plastic waste.

I spent a couple of hours googling, trying to find out when the Finnish DRS first began. It was well-established by very early 1970s (personal memory). The Norwegian company Tomra made their first return machine in 1972 because a DRS was in force in Norway at the time and the shopkeepers wanted a faster and more efficient way to process the returning drink containers. Tomra are now a world leader, with a turnover of billions and very good expansion potential in East and South East Asia, in countries who want to reduce plastic waste and litter (especially in the sea, which spoils their tourism industry).

We’ve had primitive DRS for at least firty years, ever changing and developing, now refining quite a complex system as an export product.

For me, the main benefit is less littering. The litterbugs won’t bother to get the 20p or whatever deposit back, but some people will, like junior sports teams, who go collect empties and make hundreds as a fundraiser.

My first shock of non-recycling culture was at the turn of 1970s-1980s in the USA, living in a very progressive univeristy town where people would throw all drinks containers to the trash. Forwind a dozen years, same happened in Scotland. Not returning your bottles/tins for a deposit was hard to understand.

Recycling in Scotland and the UK has since progressed with sorting and various bins. But I still think not getting (admittedly small) money back for your empties is just… weird.

As to the effort. Teenagers who’d had a party while the parents were away would take a wheelbarrow full of (glass, so heavy) empties a mile away to the nearest shop and bough more beer with the “empties money”. Been there, done that.

It’s a cultural thing. Nearly everybody in my country takes their bag of empties with them when they go to the shops, because that’s what we’ve learned as kids from at least the early 1970s: recycle, and get the deposit back at the check out when paying for our shopping. Our roadsides and parks are not littered with empties because few throw them away and those trown away are collected by entreprising individuals, junior sports teams, local charities and the like as a fundraiser.

I haven’t had time to delve into what the SNP-proposed DRS is. Probably a half-baked virtual-signalling disaster, not learning from well-working D/R -systems in other European or North American countries/states. The SNP and the Greens will probably want the scheme run by rainbow flag weilding trans activists and other “social justice” warriors. Because obviously the work done by materials and logistics engineers, economists, lawmakers, etc. in other countries to produce a well-working model isn’t good enough because it didn’t include enough “diverse” people.

Sigh.

London Scott

My theory re. Kate Forbes. She did not want to be FM…yet. Young, small baby, hopes to perhaps have another in a year. But she wanted to put down a marker for next time. So her result was ideal – she did not win, but only a few % behind Humza she will look like a front runner next time. So her smiles yesterday were of relief and happiness.

Geri

Forbes was the Tory plant to scupper Ash campaign.

It worked. She was driven out of the spotlight.

Eric

I read the Forbes quits Government headline, I interpreted that as effectively resigning from the cabinet, but still sitting as an MSP.

Like Ash did.

Paulk

@ ronald anderson 8.24pm

You’re right. Apologies.

100%Yes

@Viscount Ennui

WHO?

Half voted for Ian blackford to stay on as leader and the other half voted for Flynn who a pension and slipper sort of PERSON.

I’m terrible tired of the SNP MP standing up and spouting Independence when not one of them means it, if they did when ALBA MP’s where sent out of the chamber, the SNP should have followed but they did, spineless the lot of them.

Ian Spruce

No way can I believe Kate Forbes would say that.

It was a huge demotion for her from Finance where she did a good job. That is the real reason I am thinking she declined.

I shudder to think who is going to be in his cabinet but at least we only have to wait until tomorrow to find out.

Alf Baird

Luigi @ 3:45 pm

“Sigh. Virtue signalling politicking (and that’s all this is, folks) is destroying the western economies. As the BRICS(+) nations get on with developing their economies, bringing their peoples out of poverty, the middle-class (straight out of uni) wokies and greens (who have infiltrated every party BTW) have set about destroying what’s left of the west. Armed with flawed information, they are on a green crusade.”

Yes, Scots have long been subjected to ‘Ecological Imperialism’, though it is not sheep that are replacing us today, according to the census. Now we also see our country covered in restrictive SSSI’s, National Parks, numerous rewilding schemes, HPMAs etc. Meantime our public utilities/monopolies, lands and resources are sold to offshore corps as modern forms of Ecological & corporate Imperialism exploit us and hold back the development of our nation and people.

Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh

Liz Lloyd’s interview by Cathy Newman on Channel 4 tonight is essential viewing. The British State in the raw —

link to channel4.com

Big Jock

At least he is predictable. Shona Robison as number 2. He is surrounding himself with idiots, just like Sturgeon.

I think we knew he would do that. It’s basically just Sturgeon with a tan. It’s almost as if he has a design for failure. Which then begs the question.Is he the MI5 trojan horse. Or is it just genuine stupidity.

Big Jock

Scotland 2 Spain 0 quite incredible!

robbo

Scotland winning 2-0 . At least something positive is happening today.

100%Yes

How stupid can SNP MP’s and MP’s be, to back a guy who’s going to cost them their jobs at the next Westminster and Holyrood elections, I can’t wait to see who’s going to lose their jobs.

Big Jock

Anyone still think the SNP are worth saving?I think the sooner they disappear, the sooner we can get back to independence. Salmond may be about to take a big role in our movement.

shug

Any money running on Ash and Kate leaving and joining Alba

They might as well they have heehaw chance of being reselected by the SNP and a much reduced chance of winning with the SNP

thursoberwick

100%Yes says:
It’ll be like when Labour get wiped out in 2015, great fun to watch them getting kicked out, and so bitter that it was the party we trusted.

Big Jock

100%. They would elect a hampster to keep the bodies buried. This is about the cover up. Why do you think Sturgeon now looks so relieved.

But Salmond might yet be the end of her.

Graf Midgehunter

After watching the complete chaos and blatant manipulation from the main players in the – so-called – scot nat party, I think I might be up to buying a lettuce and practising a bit of voodoo, you know, the bit with the needles an’ pins.. 🙂

If it worked for Liz T……!!

Robert Hughes

” Yes, Scots have long been subjected to ‘Ecological Imperialism’, though it is not sheep that are replacing us today, according to the census. Now we also see our country covered in restrictive SSSI’s, National Parks, numerous rewilding schemes, HPMAs etc. Meantime our public utilities/monopolies, lands and resources are sold to offshore corps as modern forms of Ecological & corporate Imperialism exploit us and hold back the development of our nation and people. ”

Indeed , Alf . And the fckn demented cuckoo Greens having hatched their demon seed in the feathered nest of ScotGov , not content with inflicting their lunatic * Gender * fanaticism on our country, will also facilitate the continuing sell-off of our assets ( ’cause , y’know , only Green Capitalism can save the planet , right ? ) and what they can’t sell they’ll restrict eg car use, energy consumption ( does anyone really think the drastic rises we’ve seen will ever come down ? No , didn’t think so ) criminalise eg * unacceptable * language , ban eg EVERYTHING THEY DON’T LIKE .

And now they’ve got their man in Mute Hoose – blind to everything accept his own imagined brilliance – they’ll be emboldened to impose the policies guaranteed to ignite the tinder accumulated under the floorboards , carpets n closets : in the process burning the SNP/GREENS aberration to the ground

President Xiden

Ian Spruce says

“ It was a huge demotion for her from Finance where she did a good job. “

Serious question, what is your evidence that she did a ‘good job’?

Izzie

Listening to all the 90 minute Nationalists singing Flower
Of Scotland at Hampden.

Republicofscotland

Scotland 2-0 Spain, win against Spain tonight well done lads.

Kcor

akenaton says:
28 March, 2023 at 7:23 pm

“do you not think that smile IS Kate? She seems a genuine girl, too good for politics.
She almost won against all odds…..even the “very odds” here.”

Forbes is a rank opportunist, IMHO.

Republicofscotland

Re my last comment here’s the Group tables.

link to uefa.com

Run the borders

As a persuadable yoon I would say yooz just need a few non idiots in charge. The idiots in charge may be in disarray but you still have the most enthusiastic and committed suport. I think your demise is exaggerated.

Be cool Jolanda.

John H.

Big Jock 8.56.

I think Sturgeon was the MI5 Trojan horse. Humza was selected by her for his stupidity, so that she could work him from the back. I don’t think MI5 could trust him not to give the game away if they approached him directly. It’s as good a theory as any.

Kcor

lumilumi says:
28 March, 2023 at 8:44 pm

“On one of the points touched on Rev Stu’s article, the DRS. I don’t understand the resistance, even by Rev Stu.”

The recycling scam is the mother of all scams, IMHO.

Recycling almost certainly needs almost 100% of resources, machinery and energy if not more than producing a new item.

The focus should be on not wasting in the first place.

That is already happening out of necessity because of the total incompetence of governments and the end of dirt cheap resources.

To the extent that people have to choose between food and energy.

I trust that Finland has a “peace fund” which can now be used to buy weapons needed for NATO membership.

Similar to the EU’s “peace fund” being used to pour oil on a raging fire.

highlander

The day humza takes over a ferry catches fire, a sign of things to come.

Geri

The SNP are dead.

FFS at the donkeys who voted for Dumbo are now realising they’re out at the next election.

*Quick! We better mention indy & that spring conference thingie about err, democracy*

Do they think we’re as dumb as they obviously are?

All of them are out..and what for?
To save Sturgeons skin.. FFS LOL!

Skip_NC 4:33pm

Cheers! Yes, context is everything. I hate it when ppl assume everyone know who/what they mean..

*NPC means Non-Playing Characters

Anonymoose

Cheers to those who spotted the Lloyd video on Ch4.

Anyone alert to the body-language of others and with a keen eye for spotting a liar should pay close attention to the facial expression, the sudden change of facial complexion and the way she grips her own wrist around the 4:02 timestamp, she clearly didn’t know what question the presenter was coming with next, and again at 4:09 when she gives a small sigh of relief and following that her blink rate increases a lot compared to earlier in the clip right as she continues to propogate lies and smears against an innocent man who was found innocent of all the false allegations made against him in Scotland’s highest court by a majority female jury.

I’ve archived it as it’s rare for a crook to be willingly caught on video further incriminating themselves.

Ebok

Merganser says:
‘Slater for Finance Secretary anyone’

John H. says:
‘All we need now is SAS in charge of finance. God help us’

It’s terrifying to think that Yousaf, Robison and whatever clown is Finance Sec. will have at their disposal for 2023-24 just shy of

SIXTY THOUSAND MILLION POUNDS (£59.7 Billion)

bipod

No chance of kate or ash joining the alba party. With the best will in the world alba doesn’t have any chance of winning seats at either the Scottish or UK elections. They just haven’t achieved the breakthrough they need with the public and it is very unlikely they ever will given that they don’t get any media time.

I think its more realistic to view them as a pressure group/campaigning organization. They can still achieve things like that, after all minority interests have pretty much ran the SNP for the past 8 years.

John H.

Fearghas 8.54pm.

Thanks for the link. Pure spin from beginning to end by Lloyd. Poor shy wee Nicola.

alba

@ robertkknight says 6:28 pm
“I am a member of SNP have been for 40 plus years”
That’s not a Troll. That’s the three wise monkeys rolled into one!

And THAT was enough to break my self-imposed exile long enough to say ‘oooft, that was as true as it was harsh; but still funny as f**k ‘. Or as my daugter wid say;
Defo meme material that

himagain

Saw the interview with the reptile Lloyd. Unbelievable. Well, actually very believable as she is the foullest back stabber to infest Scottish politics in living memory. Evidently Salmond was annoyed at being falsely accused of sexual assault by the coterie around Sturgeon. NOT, I REPEAT, NOT, Lloyd. How dare he be even slightly irritated at being falsely accused by perjurers unknown, of heinous crimes. But Liz seemed to find it amusing, or at least she smiled (nice dental work, by the way Liz, much better than your previous placque covered fangs. A good investment of your undeserved salary.) whilst saying it. We are not, however, shot of them yet. Humza and Shirley will continue to listen to Nic and Liz, and take their orders accordingly. So much for independence. Only problem. Humza ain’t up to it, and he’s making powerful foes already.

Alf Baird

Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh @ 8:54 pm

“Liz Lloyd’s interview ”

Brexit happened, and Sturgeon ‘was worried about EU citizens’? What about us Scots forcibly deprived of our European citizenship and the single market, and Sturgeon/Blackford did nothing?

So Sturgeon has a thing about Salmond going on RT, but fine with an anti-independence EBC?

Lloyd still seems in denial – Salmond won the case?

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she does” take a big international job – which everybody and their grannie knows the UK Gov must have promised her for leading the independence movement up a blind alley for the last 8 years.

Wullie B

Just thhinking about Kate Forbes refusing Rural Affairs, that would be a very smart move for any SNP MSP staying in the Highlands and Islands, Western Isles, or Argyll & Bute, because there is going to be a shitstorm due to the Greens insistance on HPMAsbeing part of the Bute House Agreement
Rural Affairs covers many things, from Food to farming, but also fishing and marine stuff as well. HPMAs being shoved down islanders throats is going ton hit jobs in one of the few full time year round jobs going, and then a lot of seasonal work, as not only is fishing to be banned from HPMAs, but so is going through them on a boat like a rib doing wildlife excursions or kelp or mussel farming, and even sea angling from boat or shore could all be affected.
There is a proposal for an HPMA to cover a loch where I took passengers out to St Kilda from, three creel boats with 11 crew supplying hotels allover the island with their pot, that’s 15 jobs just because of one HPMA.
I think the ideal MSP to be offered this job should be either, Emma Roddick, Emma Harper, Maree Todd or Karen Adam

Gordon Bain

@bipod

Youre absolutely correct. It’s all down to a Unionist MSM. Not something that seems to bother the likes of you.

Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh

Tonight’s Channel 4 News interview (link above at 8.54 pm) of Liz Lloyd by Cathy Newman was as malicious about Alex Salmond as it was unctuous about Nicola Sturgeon. Whether Cathy Newman was complicit or naive I don’t know. But unmitigated animosity towards Salmond would certainly seem to be an editorial default, as confirmed by this older Channel 4 interview with Alex Salmond himself by a truly atrocious Krishnan Guru-Murthy during the early days of the Alba Party (26 Mar 2021) —

link to channel4.com

Beauvais

A thoroughly slanted puff piece interview about Sturgeon between Cathy Newman and Liz Lloyd. To think that C4 news was once held in high respect.

Confused

salaam aleikum my brothers

let us congratulate our brother in faith, Humsa, for his victory over the kuffar

thence to declare jihad over the union and final victory over the white devils (ANGLOS), inshallah

I hope to see Kate and Ash wearing the hijab from now on in the chamber – it’s respect. RESPECT.

and Wings should operate segregated BTL threads for male (average IQ poster 80) and female (average IQ poster 130)

I have 47 opinions from religious scholars on this matter, watched “4 Lions” twice and read a book by Hilaire Belloc, so I know what I am talking about.

I am involved in discussions to see if the Stuart Campbell can be made a wali

and let us hope our brother Humsa will act as the Prophet LOT to the Green Party, who lie not in God’s favour

Jockmcx

Haha
Forgive them for they know not what they do
…that wee guy was right,
After the referendum in 2014’ he said bring it on let the
Fu@&ing tories do their worst,bring the whole fu?@&ng thing
Crashing down!
Be your own independent self,and if people are too thick to see
How they and they,re own country is being shafted by the very ones they put their
Faith in to deliver democracy to Scotland,then fuck off the lot of u!
It’s me and mine now…I’ve had enough!
Tata …and u make ur own luck…Davy mcguinness snp member …for fucks sake!

Al Dossary

With all the hullabaloo from the woke brigade about Kate Forbes religious views and the GRA – how in hell can they square the circle regarding Humza’s views on it.

As a (practicing?) Muslim his views will be every bit if not more strongly against wokeism as Forbes’, yet he is allowed because he can cross his fingers behind his back and go along with it.

Meanwhile in the US the Trans movement is radicalising and trying to deplatform anyone who dares point out that the shooter in Tenesee was a biological male. As one blogger stated – when did a women EVER carry out a mass shooting?

Breeks

My biggest regret in life is not keeping hold of every back issue of 2000AD. I must have had 3 or 4 years of the older stuff. Maybe more.

At the time, I thought it was just a dystopian comic. I didn’t realise how prophetic it was going to become.

Whereas our generation identifies with dystopia as seen through the eyes of George Orwell’s 1984, and also Animal Farm, I have the uncanniest notion that future generations will see their own dystopia foretold in gnostic stories of 2000AD comics.

Just this week we have the creepy, sexually ambivalent Transgender weirdos with their predilection for guns and violence, now responsible for 4 school shootings in the US, and “bravely” pouring tomato juice over a Womens’ Rights Campaigner, while another “man” with dysfunctional morality punches an old lady in the face… and the NZ Press attacks the women.

I’ve seen the images of this before. This is the society and backdrop of the Judges, MegaCity 1, Judge Dredd… Even the androgynous body mutilation and degenerate values are spot on. The “Judges” are American style cops, armed to the teeth, and dispensing arbitrary justice which is essentially execution for petty infractions of the law. It’s already happening.

Politicians pretty much everywhere are feckless, weak and corrupt, nowhere more so than right here in Scotland. 2000AD was all over that too. Remember the story Rev Stu picked out with the scary parallels to Donald Trump?

Sports are degenerating into farce, when male bodied “athletes” are let loose to force themselves into womens’ sports, not just athletics or swimming, where male biology gives them every physical advantage, but even in full contact sports like Rugby, where women are going to get badly injured if not paralysed or killed.

Remember 2000AD’s Rollerball? Hi tech Sports, where every sporting encounter had deaths and violence. Think Quidditch, Ice Hockey, and American Football rolled into one, with a bit of Roman Colosseum bloodshed thrown in…

On the day UK tanks are arriving in Yookraine, a dribble of doomed tanks which the UK hasn’t enough of to defend itself anyway, the UK strategy is courting retaliation from the Ruskians, and suddenly I’m remembering another 2000AD story of plucky Brits in a Scorpion Tank fighting a war of guerrilla resistance in an occupied UK against “the Volgans”.

Most of 2000AD was set in a post apocalyptic wasteland, with much of the planet destroyed by nuclear war, and the ravaged survivors living a Mad Max style existence at the edges of civilisation. But I dunno. It feels like I’m living in that actual world, except it’s the world for whom that nuclear apocalypse is still on it’s way.

2000AD was the nightmare you need to have first, in order to witness the nightmare coming true.

I’m tellin’ ya. Keep your old 2000AD comics and keep ‘em safe. They’re tomorrow’s artefacts… if they survive the blast. The kids of tomorrow might not be able to read, but luckily the story is told in pictures.

Robert Hughes

Managed about a minute of that * exclusive * ” first ever ” ( wow , scoop ! ) Chan 4 interview with Lloyd of London , before rising nausea obliged me to turn it off .

What utterly repellent creatures she – and her ilk – are .

Immaculately * groomed * lying bastards , overpaid , smug , entitled assassins convinced of their own superiority . Brazen apologists/celebrants for abject failure ie …Sturgeon’s people : the kind that would run a mile from engagement with real people .

And no doubt Lizard Lloyd will not only face no consequence for her part in the criminal conspiracy to frame Alex Salmond , she’ll waltz off into some new extravagantly paid * position * to continue injecting her poison into the body politic .

PAID FOR BY US .

Oh to rid ourselves of these parasites and enemies within

Muscleguy

@Fraser Reid

The bottles in the scheme will all have to have special barcodes on them. Which they think will stop English empties coming North. Unless people use tech to print their own. Cue an arms race.

AndyH

Alba needs to start pushing harder now.

It’s obvious the media are doing their best to ignore them. Only Salmond himself seems to get any coverage.

I see FB posts regularly with a handful of comments, This ain’t the way.

Time for them to get out more in the towns and cities and take the SNP on directly now. Make it clear with bullet pointed facts that the SNP are no longer the party of Independence.

Get posting leaflets, get involved with the wider Indy movement, Salmond needs to be the face of Independence again.

Get in their faces, take them on in social media.

Go for the jugular Alba.

Viscount Ennui

Emma Harper for Finance.
Please let it be Emma Harper.

Beauvais

Has Humza claimed some of the credit yet for Scotland beating Spain at Hampden?

PacMan

Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh says: 28 March, 2023 at 8:54 pm

Liz Lloyd’s interview by Cathy Newman on Channel 4 tonight is essential viewing. The British State in the raw —

link to channel4.com

Like in those old westerns where the evil cattle baron’s plies the Native Americans with Whisky to get them to part with their land.

Mac

Cathy “So what you are saying is” Newman interviewing Liz ‘Leaky fat bitch’ Lloyd… wow.

That is one huge pile of steaming shite interviewing another even larger even more stinking pile of steaming shite.

I don’t think I’ll watch it. Both of them are so hideous it would be hard to get through it.

Breeks

Robert Hughes says:
29 March, 2023 at 6:43 am

Oh to rid ourselves of these parasites and enemies within…

Do you actually see any current process doing it?

Apart from the strongpoints of ALBA and SALVO, the Independence Movement looks like the proverbial fly which has had it’s legs and wings pulled off.

Revered as the heart and soul of the Independence Movement, the SNP has been infiltrated, and it’s infiltration has been embedded by a Unionist media which has ZERO interest in any aspect of Scottish Independence that is external to the cosseted realm of the SNP and it’s tame mouthpieces.

When have you seen anything of ALBA or SALVO aired on the mainstream media? And on the spectacularly rare occasion it is reluctantly mentioned by The National, it is invariably set upon by the SNP hatchet mob who relish every opportunity to defame Alex Salmond and ALBA with their unhinged, puerile vitriol.

You would imagine any SNP which actually cared about Independence would reign in these malignant choir, but there’s no hiding the fact the troughers in the SNP would simply prefer that ALBA didn’t exist to embarrass them, and remind them they were meant to be promoting Scottish Independence.

Take a step back, and ask yourself que bono? Who benefits? Who benefits from the SNP that’s divided, charging up one blind alley after another, sacking people with talent and replacing them with numbskulls, embracing toxic policies guaranteed to offend the wider electorate and lose votes, everywhere and in everything replace Salmond’s SNP competence and sure footed government with Sturgeon’s “asleep at the wheel” catastrophic incompetence? Que bono?

EVERY attempt to steer the SNP back towards the light is met with acrimonious venom and unhinged hatred designed to discourage anybody from daring to mention the name Salmond. Que bono?

Right now, who is the SNP answering to? Who is it pulling the SNP’s strings?

The whole thing, from Vichy Parliament, the dodgy cast of players, the corrupted protocols masquerading as democracy, right down to shallow and artificial “balanced view” of the SNP shills at The National, – the whole fkg thing is a racket and a sham. Every fkg aspect of it.

There is ONLY one way to progress Independence, and that is stepping back from the Vichy Holyrood Assembly and the subjugation of the 1998 Scotland Act, and remove Scotland’s political representation from all forums codified by Westminster and instead, set up NEW institutions wholly outside the realm of Westminster, which draw their legitimacy from the sovereignty of the people.

NOTHING which the UK government creates for Scotland is in Scotland’s interests. Not Holyrood, not devolution, not Freeports, not infrastructure to plunder Scotland’s energy and resource, not Scotland’s colonial displacement and occupation.

Rise up Scotland. Create for ourselves the Convention of the Estates which SALVO has been asking us to do for months. Assemble our Constitutional forces to represent the sovereignty of the Scottish Nation to remove the infestation paralysing our Nation’s ability to defend itself.

Alex Salmond, Joanna Cherry, Ash Regan, Kenny MacAskill, Craig Murray, ALL OF YOU, set your Political Parties to one side and COMMIT yourselves to backing a Scottish Convention of the Estates with the express purpose of derailing the UK’s subjugation of Scotland and resurrecting Scotland’s sovereign constitutional status as an Independent Nation.

The politics can follow. The referendums and plebiscites can follow. The campaigns can follow. Priority 1 Get the Scottish Convention of the Estates established.

Give Scotland a Constitutional watchdog and troubleshooter which doesn’t have a First Minister who’s a servile wee toady to the King of England, who himself has sworn fealty to the Claim of Right and sovereignty of the people.

If your nation is invaded by virus, you bring in emergency lockdowns to contain it,
If your nation is invaded by tanks, you mobilise your armies.
If your nation is invaded by colonial usurpers and treacherous turncoats, you mobilise your Constitutional defence mechanisms and restore Scotland’s corrupted Operating System with a reset the default factory settings of a constitutionally sovereign Nation.

We stop playing Westminster’s games with Westminster’s rule book, and we stop allowing the colonial media to dictate the Scottish Independence narrative.

We need Scotland’s Political Estate, Scotland’s Legal Estate, Scotland’s business Estate, Scotland’s Cultural Estate, and Scotland’s societal Estate to select their delegates and assemble as an Convention of the Estates to defeat the dismantling of our Nation.

No more talking. Get Scotland’s Constitutional Dreadnought out of dry dock and into the water.

STOP allowing Westminster and our Vichy Holyrood free reign to decide how and when Scotland is allowed to defend it’s rights.

No more shite, assert the Claim of Right. And call a Convention of the Estates to drive it forward.

Mac

Incidentally if you want to see a so called journalist make an utter tit out herself (and I really do mean an UTTER TIT) on TV I recommend you watch Catchy Newman’s performance interviewing Jordan Peterson.

It is hilarious to watch. Newman makes a fool out of herself over and over and over again (while revealing her shallow agenda). She can’t help herself, it is really quite extraordinary seeing it, she is like a dog repeatedly returning to its own vomit.

Peterson repeatedly dismantles her. How she is still in a job after that no one knows. If you really want to grasp the calibre of ‘journalist’ employed by Channel 4 go watch that interview.

Gordon Gekko

Wullie B says:

28 March, 2023 at 11:41 pm

“Just thinking about Kate Forbes refusing Rural Affairs, that would be a very smart move for any SNP MSP staying in the Highlands and Islands”

Wullie as your post suggests from your own experience it’s all about skills and real resources and how you organise them. I have a number of questions you might be able to help me out with.

How big are our Scottish fishing waters ?

How many boats would be needed to police it to stop other countries fishing in it ?

If we seriously reduced fishing in our waters to replenish stocks. Do we have enough boats to change jobs. From fishing to patrolling our waters to stop fishing ?

If our fishing fleet becomes our defend our fishing waters fleet will that create even more jobs in places that made their income from fishing ?

Gordon Gekko

Brilliant Beeks absolutely awesome.

Where do I sign to get these Brussels and London shills out of our politics.

An independence movement that sided with “remain ” in the Brexit referendum was sheer fuckwittery.

thursoberwick

So Kate Forbes was beyond the pale because of the prominence of her religious views and her “lack” of progressive values, but on his first day as First Minister Humza Yousaf is photographed in his official government residence saying Islamic prayers with not a woman in sight? Progressive my @rse. Who is the religious nut now?

Mac

Does anyone know anyone who voted for Yousaf? Out of all the SNP members I saw only one voted for him. I have heard similar stories from SNP members in other areas. No one knows who voted for him.

Luigi

The Alba party needs a Winnie Ewing moment before they will be taken seriously. Who noticed the SNP before Winnie took the Hamilton by-election in 1967? How many failed attempts and false dawns occurred before 1967? They certainly took notice after the event. The media will continue to ignore the party until the breakthrough comes. Chicken and egg, yes, but there are ways to break the cycle. Alba have to play the long game (no choice). By just existing, however, they are having an effect. An opportunity will come in time IMO. Not sure when but it’s coming. The SNP finally prevailed because they never gave up. Alba have to do the same.

Xaracen

“Get Scotland’s Constitutional Dreadnought out of dry dock and into the water.”

Superb comment, Breeks, all of it! Bravo!

Oneliner

Cathy Newman has previous in the useless interviewer/presenter stakes.

Her only documentary that I can remember was about Dr. Andrew Wakefield who had already been discredited. Quite an appalling piece of journalistic opportunism.

Incidentally 1. Angus Robertson was interviewed by her on the evening previous to Lloyd’s ‘unveiling’.

Incidentally 2. The only Channel 4 reporter who covers Scotland with any integrity is Alex Thompson. His piece on Gordon Brown’s cavalcade visit to Holyrood Palace to save the union will remain in my memory banks. Not least because it was curtailed by Special Branch – caught on film by C4 and no one else.

Ian Brotherhood

Haven’t seen the Liz Lloyd interview yet but the very fact of it happening reminded me of something…

Remember when Alastair Campbell invited himself into the CH4 studio and had a go at Jon Snow over his reporting of the Hutton Report?

That was, believe it or not, almost 20 years ago. So a lot of younger readers won’t have registered that at the time.

It was sensational. And part of the reason it made such an impact was, before that evening, few were even aware of Campbell as anything more than a shadowy figure who stayed well away from cameras. I don’t believe I had ever heard his voice up until that interview.

How many folk are aware of Liz Lloyd? How many have heard her voice? And yet she’s chosen now to come out and, and…and what? What is she doing?

Campbell must have calculated that he was doing the right thing at the time. Lloyd, presumably, acted out of the same impulse. But in doing so she has made the same mistake that Campbell made – she has made herself ‘the story’.

stuart mctavish

@Robert Hughes

My voice is one to talk but looks like she could do with a bit hill walking herself.

Her voice, on other hand, had the sort of accent that can all too easily be imagined whispering imposter syndrome nonceness into Sturgeons ear – so much so that her cheeky smile at the memory(?) of driving a nail into the coffin of the Salmond-Sturgeon relationship had me seriously wondering where the cunning plan to resign (for no apparent reason) and appoint a poundshop muslim at the (intended?) expense of the career/ legacy of the two ladies most able and likely to deliver, might well have originated..

that said, bright side of the successful execution of such a daft plan might be that if nobody joins the cabinet for fear of being tarred by association*, then a snap Holyrood GE (giving new opportunity to alba, if not necessarily a defacto ref) remains a distinct possibility.

*irony being that had he been humble enough to keep Forbes at Finance, and made Regan deputy with roving indy brief, these amazing ladies might well have been kind/ good enough to mitigate the damage caused by his candidacy regardless

Eric

A lot of people on here putting a lot of hope in Alba rescuing Independence.

They haven’t won a seat yet.

I think sitting MPs or MSPs who change parties out to have mandatory bye elections.

Viscount Ennui

MUCH LOVED STAR DIES IN HIS SLEEP
Tributes have been pouring in for a popular celebrity who died unexpectedly in his sleep surrounded by close fiends (Ed. surely ‘friends’) and family.
Inn D. Pendants or ‘Indy’ as he was affectionately known was found unconcious by First Minister Humza Yousaf this morning. “I tried everything to revive him by blocking his airways with my hand and beating him around the head with a baseball bat, but it was to no avail”, he said lucratively. It was later discovered that ‘Indy’ had succumbed to a fatal stab wound in the back caused by a knife encrusted in diamonds with the initials , N and S.
Indy will be buried today after a short ceremony at Holyrood.

Geoff Anderson
Dorothy Devine

Is it a hate crime to say ‘I hate the Scottish National Party”?
asking for a friend.

socratesmacsporran

On the back of Scotland gubbing Spain last night – a football take on things.

Alex Salmond was the Alex Ferguson of Scottish politics. Sturgeon therefore has to be Louis van Gaal which means Youseless is Jose Mourinho.

socratesmacsporran

On the back of Scotland gubbing Spain last night, a football take on politics.

Alex Salmond was the Alex Ferguson of Scottish Politics. Which makes Sturgeon – Davie Moyes. This makes Youseless Louis van Gaal, and, looking ahead, I can see Marmalade as Jose Mourinho.

Mind you, either Youseless or Marmalade could be Tommy Docherty and get the SNP relegated to the Opposition seats.

Republicofscotland

The Yousaf backing Daily Record tipping this bunch for ministerial roles in his cabinet. Its all downhill folks from here.

Vote Alba, Join Alba.

“Mairi McAllan and Neil Gray are believed to be in line for jobs in the new First Minister’s top team.

There is also speculation Michael Matheson, currently Net Zero Cabinet Secretary, could become the next Health Secretary.

Backbenchers Natalie Don and Emma Roddick are also tipped for junior ministerial roles.”

Big Jock

Dorothy -No. It’s perfectly rational to hate someone or something who intends to harm you. I am probably more specific. I hate the Murrells, and what they did to our party and movement.

Humza isn’t worth hating. He is just a little twerp being promoted by a malevolent force.

Maureen

Earlier on Tuesday, the new first minister-elect announced that Shona Robison would be his deputy.

It’s laugh or greet time.

laukat

Yousaf is clearly emptying the government of anyone who didn’t back him. This is mad politics. If he wanted rid of some people the time to do it was after the next election as he needs these people onside and voting for Government policy between now and the next election.

Including Regan and Forbes there were 13 MSP’s who publicly backed a candidate other than Yousaf. That 13 must know that they will be deselected come the next election without a change in leader.

Facing that future what keeps them voting for legislation like the DRS which most of them don’t believe in? If they won’t vote for DRS will they vote for Yousaf’s budget?

For that group of 13 they have 2 options. Sit tight, vote against the government in the hope that it secures a quick change in FM or defect to Alba/new party and hope they can create enough support in the next 2 years to get their seats back.

I can’t see a third option for them unless they are happy to end their political careers with a whimper.

socratesmacsporran

Apologies for the double post – I suffered a rush of shite to the brain with the first one, but thought I had killed it.

Dorothy Devine

Remind me who Liz Lloyd is – is she one in the gunsights of an ex FM??

laukat

@socratesmacsporran says:

You forget that after Moyes left, Ryan Giggs tookover as interim manager.

Given Giggs short tenure, not having the skills to do the job long term and chequered personal relationships then perhaps Yousaf is more Giggs in your analogy?

John H.

Can we now expect Lloyd to follow her old boss Sturgeon when or if Sturgeon gets the expected high profile job with the UN or some other organization? Sturgeon will need a spin doctor, so who better to fill that position?

ABruce

Breeks @ 8:30

Absolutely Brilliant.