Blink when you’re lying
This is “Better Together” chairman Alistair Darling’s interview on this morning’s Andrew Marr Show. Despite the sort of respectful-verging-on-subservient treatment the former Chancellor received from Marr, who uncharacteristically couldn’t bring himself to interrupt during the 10-minute piece, Mr Darling blinked even more furiously than usual throughout a bewildering flurry of contradictions, non-sequiturs and outright falsehoods.
Even Marr was driven to remark on the wealthy Labour MP’s agitated state by the end of the piece, and while it’s very hard to keep up, we recorded a total of 777 blinks in 10 minutes with our manual clicker. Have a go yourself – we suspect it would actually be possible to get results 100 either side of that figure.
Of course, maybe Mr Darling is just overdue a trip to SpecSavers.
Hmm.
One every five seconds would be 120 in 10 minutes. You do the maths.
Blinkin’ Flip(per)!
Is it just me or does his accent fluctuate quite a bit like he’s remembering to sound Scottish?
Nice to see him dismiss Johann Lamont’s tax raising proposals there. More contradiction for Labour over devo nano
Gordon Brown also took elocution lessons in order to sound more English, but it is difficult to create the inaudible “r” if you hail from north of the Border.
I reckon 682 blinks
@Welsh not British
That’s just what I was thinking. Definitely sounds like he’s hamming it up a bit on purpose.
Any chance of annotating this so that when he gets a bit lost with the truth you can link to the articles where the truth is laid out a bit more clearly..? Also I think I may start using “monstered”. I did not know that was a word:-)
Here’s a few hard questions for Mr Darling
When are you going to scrap Trident?
When are you going to scrap the unelected House of Lords?
When are you going to close the gap between rich and poor?
I wonder what their private polling tells them. Darling seems to be increasingly agitated and angry whereas the Yes team are surprisingly relaxed.
The man is a lying , drivelling ,manipulative arse.
Fred up? Nervous breakdown with nervous tic more like!
Here clearly views Scotland as a region of UK, has difficulty over use of word country, blinks 5 times.
Fade to grey …
Trys to defend businessman who scare workers over their jobs.
Time to go Darling Taxi south is waiting
“The majority of people in Scotland are against independence.” – Darling
Err, no – that’s only if you discount those who are yet to decide. There have been 19 polls this year & only 6 of them show a majority for the Union. 13/19 do not show a majority support for the Union. It’s the same story even if you take into account all polls since May 2011.
Maybe he should be worried that only 6/19 polls show clear support for remaining in the Union. 300 years of history, our two World Wars together & whatever fluffy nationalist nonsense they spout, and only 6/19 polls give a majority for the Union. That’s a hell of a lot of people seriously thinking about independence. The longer they ignore this, the better.
Said positive case,and gives a bucketful of negatives—LOL
“Mr Darling I’ve never quite heard you so fired up” Andrew Marr
Gibbering, lying, idiot more to the point. He should be certified. Blinkity Blink!
I wonder when – if ever – Darling has referred to the ‘Yes’ campaign rather than what his puppet masters think is the more pejorative term ‘nationalists’? Script-bound ventriloquist’s dummy that he is.
As for Marr: ‘Mr Darling, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you so fired up. Can I have your babies too?’
Every time I see him, i’m reminded of Spuds interview scene in Trainspotting. 🙂
Flipper knows he’s a Tory patsy but they all look jumpy right the noo on BBC in Scotland politics. Even vote NO Herald dude Cardham looks sweaty but Scottish history wont forget them.
The blinking, twitching and ticcing aren’t Darling’s only problems. Look at his sallow complexion, drawn features and dark-rimmed eyes. Look at his disheveled hair and lopsided specs. He hasn’t slept much recently.
This is a man who knows that the system he has served all his life is starting to unravel. Worse still, he knows that he’s largely responsible for the unraveling himself.
He keeps repeating ” We WILL make the positive case” future tense! My question is WHEN? The week before the vote?
They’ve already had almost 2 years to come up with something but all we hear is the same old rubbish which has been well and truly debunked ten times over! They’re leaving it a bit late don’t you think?
Nobody is really listening to Darling anymore – when you hear the same rubbish over and over again it becomes background noise!
As for ‘shaming Scotland’ he is the biggest hypocrite and liar going – he should hang his head in shame!
hope thing will be calm after vote,then says MONSTERED–wtf
‘ … has always been something of an outlier in Scottish polls …’
40 seconds into the clip.
I seem to remember that Panelbase was the first poll to detect an SNP lead in the 2011 election campaign.
And now on the Marr show, a Better Together Party Political broadcast.
Beyond pathetic.
God help him if he ever meets a Weeping Angel 🙂
”Fired up” ?, I’ve never seen him so stressed, rattled and tired.
He was trying so hard to be positive but I’m afraid it doesn’t come naturally , he too easily slips back into his comfort zone of negativity.
To quote George Galloway ”Nonsense on stilts” shows the desperation in his thought processes.
Anybody else reminded of Blinky Ben Swaine on The Thick Of It?
‘This poll is an outlier, and its not changed since the last poll’
The whole point of an Outlier is that its DIFFERENT from other polls. If its the same then its not an Outlier.
AD demonstrating he is as strong on Logic as is he is on the Numbers.
Oh forgot to say :
Alastair Darling; you and your Labour Collegues are the major shame to Scotland in this debate.
Siding with the Tories to harm Scotland and keep ‘Unionism : the real old firm of politics’ going, will come back to haunt the ‘Red tories’ of New Labour in Scotland.
A reminder of your ‘best buds’ & bedfellows –
The Conservative and Unionist Party
The Liberal Democrats
UKIP
The CBI
George Galloway is part of the independence movement???? Was I drunk that day, and missed it?
Juteman….it would be a scream if someone was able to dub that over Mr Darling’s interview… “Your leisure is mah pleasure”
Andy Murray doing his bit for Scottish Independence.
He needs a win to keep Team GB in some Davis Cup match and his is getting gubbed. Well done Andy.
C’moan Italy.
What???
Andrew said he’d never heard Flipper quite so ‘fired-up’.
Maybe Flipper was spying at the Counting House on Friday evening and set off the fire alarm.
🙂
What will his response be when the poles are 60% YES to 40% NO..Will he still be blabbing on like a toss-pot..
I do hope Alistair has secured a good deal out of selling “his” country down the river because he has no other job here having given up on his Advocate work to protect himself against enquiries into his expenses.
Oh and enough with all this Nationalist stuff, I am sure if it was only us Nationalists bothering they wouldn’t be so worried.
The Andrew Marr show? It was more like the Alistair Darling monologues! Either Marr is still not recovered or he was providing an uncontested platform to BT.
777 blinks during a 10 minute interview? Maybe that’s 7 blinks each time he either lied, obfuscated or blatantly evaded answering a slightly awkward question.
Perhaps also he is realising from increasing reports in the usually supportive pro-union press, just how he is regarded with either derision or revulsion by an increaing number of people in Scotland. Overall, his credibility factor is decreasing with every ranting interview he gives.
look forward to marr saying,I’ve never seen the YES campaign so fired up,maybe not
Sorry Stu, I couldn’t bare to sit through that “interview” a 2nd time!
I’m assuming the cameras stopped rolling just before Mr Marr went over to tickle his tummy. There there darling.
This is a man who is looking into the abyss, and the abyss is staring right back at him. There were times within that interview that Darling came across either haunted-looking at the very prospect of a ‘Yes’ vote, or he rambled frantically in a desperate tone as he pleads with people to vote ‘No’.
And yet …he offers nothing once more.
‘Do you think there needs to be some kind of change of tone?’
‘I’ve made it clear that…’
So that will be ‘No’ then. He, and the rest of the BT mob have no intention of changing tone or direction. Fine by me! Talk about Lemmings walking off the cliff.
Personally, Andrew Marr should have questioned him further on devolved powers and taxation, but didn’t.
I imagined Salmond or Sturgeon being put in this situation, and I can’t imagine either acting the way that Darling is.
Not only is he out of his depth, but he knows that he is the fall guy if Better Together loses the referendum. On top of being remembered as the Chancellor when the Financial Crash happened, he is now going to be remembered as the man who disastrously led a campaign that lost the Union. History beckons on the near horizon, and Darling can only see abject failure surrounding his name and persona. He knows that each time he walks into a function, a bar, a hotel or a restaurant, then people will know who he is. He knows that people will always see the two spectres that walk beside him wherever he goes; the spectre of the Financial Crash, and the spectre of the man who lost the Union. He will never lose these two spectres.
In that, and to a degree, I will feel sorry for Darling when he finally does lose. I certainly wouldn’t like to walk around my own countrymen with everyone nodding or whispering in my direction. I know some people might say that he brought it on himself (and yes, make no bones about it, he has). God knows how he thought that this Referendum was always going to be in the bag when it clearly wasn’t. He’s been stitched right up by the Tories, and he’s the one who will pay the heaviest price. To carry those two weighty crosses in front of everyone for the rest of your days (and down history too) …well, those are some burdens.
Couldnae watch it .. aw that blinkin .. the draft made ma fringe aw squint ..
The only thing I got out of that was nats are monstrous. Why could he not explain the new tax proposals? He could have made it clearer than Johan Lamont and co did.
I think I would rather be an outlier than an out and out liar, just saying like…
devolution is dead
12:34 PM on 06/04/2014
Alistair Darling MONSTER comment was advice from Eddie
EDDIE Izzard has landed a monster new role — as womanising vampire Grandpa Munster!
The British comedian–turned-actor will star in new US comedy drama Mockingbird Lane, which is a revamped and updated version of classic 1960s family-friendly comedy The Munsters.
Nicola Sturgeon once said that future Scottish governments need strong opposition, and that those on the No side may one day be in opposition post-Yes. I pray that there is NO place in Scottish politics for this man. A poor, gibbering failure of a politician, and of a Scotsman. And a thoroughly negative person into the bargain.
I can just imagine him sucking the enthusiasm out of any room he enters.
@Irene Buchan – He wasn’t pressed on it Irene, once again a run of the mill state propaganda interview with a man who is clearly losing his marbles
His behaviour smacks of someone loaded with guilt. A person caught red-handed but still tries his best to claim innocence, even when he knows the game is up.
That was a total rant from Darling. It was probably better for Marr to let him get on with it and did a hole for himself.
This is the Scottish Incredibly Civil War. No blood is being spilled; no one has been shot or blown up. Alistair Darling, however, is getting all worked up about all this ‘monstering’ (which, apparently, only goes in one direction: the No campaign being such shrinking violets).
There are peoples the world over who would give their eye-teeth to have their countries’ constitutional disputes resolved through nothing worse than a bit of ‘monstering’.
Get over it, Alistair.
I think the pressure is getting to him. I doubt he sleeps at night.
I liked this in the Sunday Post that will me make AD blink very fast.
‘We are all Doomed!’
http://t.co/lK1CtEkLnR
Helpmaboab says
“This is a man who knows that the system he has served all his life is starting to unravel. ”
This is a man who knows the system that has served him all his life is unravelling,
fixed that for you. 🙂
sorry if anyone else has said it.
Cmon is it not against the LAW to knowingly lie oh wait thats right WMDs if we did it we would get done with perjury but hey an MP lying ABOVE THE LAW,time for change oh and im not running for office its not another broken promise WHEN will the POLICE SERVICE arrest these lying fekks.
Stick a fork in him. He’s done.
The tell tale signs of pressure and stress. He’s been completely outmanoeuvred by the YES campaign, the Scottish Government and judged by the electorate. Named as the architect behind the Westminster currency union stance and criticised even by his masters and peers within the NO campaign.
To be allowed any pull at all with a declaration on treasury policy… Simply stunning revelation. To be so completely in bed with the Tories especially for a failed Labour chancellor, that frankly is appalling on every level. Yet with his monstering claims he keeps digging that hole deeper.
No, he’s made his bed. He can lie in it.
Darling is a self seeking parasite. I have watched him ever since he was an Edinburgh Councillor.Never liked him, never trusted him, so nothing has changed.
Trouble is he has lots of competition as to who is worse, so many “proud Scots” to choose from, Hmmm. Elections please!
Yes, how’s about that Rev, a simple on site poll to pick the worst of the ” Proud ” crowd, say once a month?
“Proud Scot of the Month Award goes to???” ” for?”….
I think last post was a good idea, name them and shame them, they no doubt will then see for themselves just what “real” Scots, really think of them. Would also be good towards INDY.
Why would anybody defend Darling’s warped interpretation of “monstoring” when he makes clear he does not know the meaning of civil rights under a democracy?
The interview was an example of the grossly impaired talking to the badly impaired.
On Darling’s blinking: Roger Moore always blinked when he fired a gun in the role of James Bond. Connery never did. An editor’s job was easy when Connery played Bond.
For God’s sake will someone hook Darling up to the National Grid ! We’d meet our 100% renewables target tomorrow if we harnessed that power.
Good idea to have a Proudscot of the Week award, and spell ‘Proudscot’ as a single word because it really is a special distinct concept.
He said that the ‘stilts’ remark came from the yes side? Surely any decent and informed journo would bring him up on that?
Andrew Marr as experienced as he is, was unable to challenge Mr Darling on his only positive points for the union being bigger, stronger and years of alliance? A well informed YES campaigner could have asked better questions. AD’s arguments for union are as empty as the treasury he left to the Tories.
He was never going to to admit that they are losing ground. I suspect private polling is showing the same thing: They are losing ground to the yes campaign. As I said and indeed as others have said, that as the day drew closer, the lack of a coherent and positive message was going cost the unionists dear. They can do nothing but keep stoking the fear, but it only works if people are uninformed. People are switching to yes as the day draws closer, and these people are beginning to see what the union has in store for them if they vote no.
We’re going to win this. We can leave the unionists to tear themselves apart as they try to figure out what went wrong. Though I would suggest looking in a mirror first.
He knows absolutely, completly and utterly that he And his mock Jock establishment pals are finished! So now it’s we’ll split the nation! Oh really! Like its not already? The power is coming to the people for the first time EVER!
@T.C. Even at 60Y / 40N Darling will be claiming the polls aren’t narrowing. At least then he’ll be right for once as they’ll be widening.
Interesting to note some comments are highlighting (and not nearly enough) that although the Herald is about one of only two papers to give the YES case some prominence, Magnus Gardham certainly has it in for us. I have yet to read one of his articles that doesn’t start with an anti Independence headline. No need to ask where he comes from but if you criticise him in any correspondence to the Herald it won’t be printed. Readers are not allowed to criticize their journalists in the paper.Mind you Bell. Macwhirter and wee Robin Dinwoodie have to be commended for their decent coverage.
There is a certain irony about Mr Darling using the term “monstering” whilst having eyebrows such as his. I would consider voting no if he shaved them off…
Re Geannach:- As some claim to be “proud Scots, but..”, how about “proud Scotbutts”?
@Les Wilson – The Giving Goose has just the blog..
http://whitefeatherclub.wordpress.com/
The blinking could be caused by an inner battle struggling with his heart and mind knowing that really an Independent Scotland would be best for all the people of Scotland.
Just come out and change sides.
Well done the B.B.C. gave A. Darling a free run for as long as he wanted, why,why is there not a ” right of reply”? , don’t half make your blood boil when I hear A Darling complaining about the treatment some business leaders got, and yet there was NO one invited to reply,it is true that when you are up against the “state”, they will crush you as if you were an insect,with no second thoughts, mind you in the case of Scotland with a NO vote, there will be second thoughts, AND consequences!.
I don’t think the MSM understand that politicians ranting on tv is a major turn off for the electorate. Darling exudes panic. Consequently the electorate view him as someone who is being conservative with the truth and can’t be trusted.
Perhaps it’s par for the course in Westminster because there is very little between the three main parties, but for us, they (MSM) are actually helping YES without realising it.
@Dave Robb
“Proud Scotsbutts” – stealing that!
If anyone things Mr D is telling the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth …so help them god.
@gman
He’s actually right, it was Jim Sillars who coined the tern ‘Nonsense on stilts’ with reference to the SNP policy of a currency union.
Darling old Chap I am not a Nationalist,and as for name calling etc i can also state i am not a Nazi, (repeated references displayed on a certain Travel Companies Facebook page) I assume that company condones the use of the Nazi words as it was not removed (at the time I read it at any rate?)name calling and abuse is not a one sided affair. Stones and Glass houses spring to mind
Vote No progressive liberal Guardian is high comedy CiF today. Never in the field of UKOK vote no propaganda, have so many vote no hypocrites whined so hard. I think Danny Alexander deserves a huge pat on the back for telling the Guardian that ofcourse rUK will agree currency union only a week ago.
Cheers Danny!
It’s the sniff of ermine that does it and that’s as close as Alistair Darling is going to get, just a sniff. No ermine, no seat and no £300 per day.
Positive case for the union = content free zone.
I have genuinely been waiting for that case to be made for a very long time now. I have concluded that there is no such case. I do not think I am alone
Dang! Term not tern! Now I’ll get the bird …
@Macart – How did things go for yes Wigtownshire in Stranraer yesterday?
Some credit should go – this week – to Andrew Marr! He basically opened the pits in front of Darling and let him fall in. The BT’s leader’s performance was, in the true sense, pitiful – a desperate man gabbling to cover his inner knowledge of weakness.
If he had any real confidence, he’d be talking numbers and remarking how strange it was to be criticised when he was sitting on a poll lead yet again etc. and talking that up. He couldn’t even make use of the crumbs Marr threw him on the Budget or the Labour Party. (Nor, interestingly, did he think it worthwhile trying to boast of Eddie Izzard/Rowling/Simon Cowell.) Deep inside, he knows that the top-down scaremongering isn’t going to be enough and that grass roots activism and increasing public discussion is tearing away the fog of fear and self-doubt that were his only weapons. Most telling of all, given a 10 minute open goal, he could not assemble a single striking example to show the superiority of being part of the UK – not one thing, with a name and numbers – that acted as a disclosure model, a reality which could light up as an emblem of being better together. Nothing.
I was powerfully reminded of Neil Munro’s brilliant passage that begins the exposure of the true nature of the rogue factor, Duncanson, the hidden extortioner and usurper in his great novel “The New Road”. Believing himself in danger of being unmasked, early in the novel, the duke’s factor ‘loses it’ and, in an intemperate interview with AEneas the hero, he is described through the young man’s eyes thus…
“(He) in all their meetings…ever was the sleek well-mannered gentleman(a bit aloof)who boomed in magisterial tones with an averted eye, as if his eloquence was strengthened by an inward contemplation of the sort of man he thought he was: his very post” (Chancellor? BT leader?) “was maintained by his reputation for a gentlemanly presence and a suave though confident address.
And now he was a bubblyjock – a frenzied turkey, gobbling his words… the high points of his parchment face like rust!”
It’s not that I or those of us supporting YES had such illusions of Darling – but those supposedly ‘impressive’ qualities were what made the government settle for Darling as their ‘darling’ – but now, it’s ‘Sweetheart, no more’. And, delightfully, we, they and he all know it.
Our goal is beginning to gape. Let’s make sure by real efforts – on the streets and round the doors – that we don’t fail to find it.
Darlings sending out a form of Morse Code with his eyebrows
or he has Tourettes of the eyebrows, either way his BTers arent getting the message,no long noo for White Hanky waveing. We wish you good Luck as We Wave you,s Goodbye,a wee bit of Vera Lint,naw an am no that Auld,jist that the lights on the noo.
Afternoon All.
Didn’t Marr and Darling go to the same exclusive and posh school? Old School tie…the debate will be won or lost on the playing fields at Musselburgh.
Calm down, Darling, calm down. You’ve just won a Blinkity Blink cheque book and pen.
Interesting that Darling and Eddie Izzard were together at the Festival Theatre’s Better Together love-in the other night. One makes a living out of rambling monologues. The other is a cross-dressing comedian.
OT
Great fun at The Counting House. Next time I need somebody to bring a laptop with mic so we can allow people to Skype into event to chat. Skype: indylive1
I loved the fire alarm going off, allowed me to do a live stream around George Square.
Vid is up on the live stream channel…
Rev.Moving on up ( people are contrary) ah no somebody that,s no.
Mary Marys no contrary
she makes her garden grow
no wae cockle shells an
& heather bells
but wie big fekin Oil Wells
sits back an watches the Oil
Flow.
am jist back in dont put me on the naughty step.
Dunno if this has been mentioned in any previous related threads.. the continual movement of a physical feature / object (blinking eyebrows) is a technique that hypnotists use, in order to try and gain control over their intended audience.
You know the way when Alistair D says to the ladies.. “look into my eyes” 🙂
Contact (starring Jodie Foster)
Just watched the video clip again and have to wonder why Marr keeps saying “the nationalists” all the time. I’m not even sure what a nationalist is. I’m in the Yes campaign, but I’m not a member of the SNP, so am I a nationalist or not? Getting fed up with the media using the term “nationalist” without giving us a definition of what the word actually means.
@ Andrew morton:
that’s fowl…..
Cant we be diplomatic here and ascribe this to something else?
Maybe he had studio lights in his face?Maybe the monitor he was viewing Marr on was at a distance?Maybe he was stressed doing a live interview?
There are plenty of possible reasons.
Mr Darling should’nt be useing words like OUTLIER
people will get the wrong impression of him,
He,s a OUT & OUT LIER.
LIAR!!!! His arse is collapsing.
LIAR!!!! His arse is collapsing.
Blink Eastwood does another interview free of charge or for a fist full of dollars? The enforcer comes on TV with maximum force to tell us that his campaign can go any which way but lose(sic). But it will be Blink that runs the gauntlet and will soon be on heartbreak ridge as a high plains drifter. But the rookie white hunter with a black heart will be unforgiven for trying to put Scotland in the line of fire and is on a tightrope in what will soon be the sudden impact of a perfect world when his grace is gone. Him and the other space cowboys and girls from the dead pool will go on to earn a few dollars more once we’re free of the good(?) bad and ugly or should we hang ’em high?
The question I would like to see asked by Andrew Marr is as follows:
If Scotland is not allowed to use the pound then what happens to the rUK economy when it loses the Scottish contibution to GDP and their contribution to paying the UK debt?
I wonder why nobody on BT campaign has been asked this question by anyone on the BBC or MSM.
Would a truthful answer result in an immediate run on Sterling or would we have to wait until 19th September to this this happen?
After all, this is the No campaigns plan ‘A’. Their plan ‘B’ was the Leak.
@Chris Paton says:
6 April, 2014 at 12:12 pm
God help him if he ever meets a Weeping Angel 🙂
tea spluttered over keyboard, still giggling 🙂
@croompenstein
Wish I could tell you. I’d popped round early to see what the seating would be like for the afternoon talks and saw quite a few folk milling in the hall when I stuck my head in. Family emergency put a nail on attending though and I was called away. They had an open door policy. You could literally walk in at any time which I thought was quite good. The volunteer at the door said even if there were no seats later on you could step right in whether there was a speaker on or not and find yourself a spot.
Looking forward to catching up with a few friends tomorrow who did attend to get full SP.
@M4rkyboy
Nah.
He’s a professional politician who has been giving live interviews for…how many years?
Even in my humble career, I’ve had basic media training on how to appear in front of a camera. Surely AD has received the best coaching money can buy, in this respect.
Rev, sos fur going of piste ( must be awe that irn bru )
but what a Braw Crowd of people You have brought together
through this site, if Friday nights anything to go by,then
I look forward to meeting many more fellow travelers.
A special thanks to Ian Brotherhood for organizing the gathering, there are to many there for me to name them all here, but You,s know who you are,many thanks for looking out for me,& the Warm welcome I received from you all,
A special mention for Mrs J Kings Wife ( Liz )for taking
the time to sell raffle tickets,I hope to see You,s all again,at the next outing.
Is it just me that thinks there is a bitter sense of irony in Alistair Darling being introduced in the clip as the person “who is running the better together campaign”?
He is the Chair of the campaign and e.g. Dennis Canavan is never described as running the Yes campaign.
Technically, isn’t Blair McDougall “running” the No Campaign?
The irony is that Alistair Darling is now arguably more personally identified with the [failing] No campaign than Alex Salmond is with the Yes campaign. This is despite years of effort in associating AS as being the sole figure behind Yes.
@jlt 12.30pm
You know, I’m inclined to agree with your sympathetic approach, except for one thing: he agreed to lead the No campaign in the first place.
It was always going to be a poisoned chalice. Undermined by WM Tories, having to make room for Lamont and Brown, no real enthusiasm anywhere, no grassroots to build on. And now even his little diktat to the UK Treasury has been revealed as a scam. He has only hmself to blame.
Blair Jenkins can happily say the Yes movement is ‘out of control’. Darling could say the same, but in his case, it’s cause for lamentation and gnashing of teeth.
Just sat through all of that and christ the BBC is a disgraceful outfit. Andrew Marr is a clown interviewer/propagandist eg. “the changes I am referring to which are the biggest single changes which are the settlement if you like, waffle, we’ll give them power, er, responsibility to fix the income tax rate, that’s coming through” Marr, “right oh”
I hope people around the world see the BBC for what really is after all of this over.
Just me? Or would BT be better just admitting they’re in trouble? Might actually get some of their supports off the couch and involved.
The Darling Blinks of Mayday.
Was a pleasure meeting you Thistle, you’re doing a grand job of the streaming.
I was filled with dread when I went to look at the stream yesterday morning… I can only assume your editing skills are exemplary. 😀
Does anyone think that he is going to have a break down.. To keep this level of stress up for another 5 months doesn’t bear thinking about..
O/T Yes Midlothian have a public meeting on Thursday full details here http://tinyurl.com/o9r7afx if you know any undecideds in the area please take them along.
I have been reading the posts here for some time, but haven’t commented before. Wings is a breath of fresh air, and I really appreciate the tenacity with which the issues are examined. I used to look to the Guardian for an informative view on current affairs (now sadly lacking), and occasionally post there. Interestingly, with regard to AD’s comments today, my Guardian posts – in which I have tried to explain in as polite and as reasonable way as possible why the unionist arguments have fallen short – have attracted considerable vitriol. Mr Darling’s comments will alienate many people who are not natural SNP supporters, but who increasingly see independence as the better option. I suppose that is good, in that it will bolster the yes vote, but it is also a sad reflection on the quality of British politics.
Darlings no got the grace to pack up,ah would like to see him in a live interveiw with Generation YES Saffron Dickson
coup de grace.
@ Andrew Morton & Schrodinger’s Cat
Hope you appreciate alerted to “Bigfoot is Dead” on my blog: grousebeater.wordpress
Its blinking obvious, that Mr Darling is a fibber of the highest standards, and he has been for some time.
http://www.contactomagazine.com/articles/liarsigns0808.htm
I watched Marr live this morning and it got the day off to a good start!
Firstly the news that yes/no are equal within polling errors.
Secondly, Darling’s performance. The guy was is a hell of a state. My guess was (as hypothesised above) that he was in possession of detailed intelligence showing BT were slipping behind and he was in a state of sheer panic! Good news that Yes are probably now winning because that’s what I took from his behaviour.
What next from BT, I wonder?
2. BLINKING. A person who is lying will blink a lot,as blinking seems to correlate to the amount of mental stress we are under. In a normal conversation where a person is attuned to you, he will blink at roughly the same rate as you, often at moments when you pause in your speech. Be wary of someone who is blinking frantically as they speak with you.
Even more creepy, Flipper is not exactly being pushed at all by Marr here either. You couldn’t get a more gentle fawning national tv interview if you were kylie Minogue.
He was a disastrous head of Lothian Region Transport , disastrous chancellor during the banks crash, why would anyone pick him to run anything?
Rev,that SDL boy is on his Youtube page commenting.
My kind,fellow Scot side see’s a troubled soul,frantically lashing out who deserves our help,sympathy and support in calming his vexed conscience.
My ruthless, let’s win this side see’s a big fat juicy vote winner ripe for milking.
What to do?
Havin’ a laugh?! The Sunday Post has a story about a Dad’s Army of Labour lords like Reid and Foulkes coming to the No campaign’s rescue.
@Alba4eva.
I’ll add my thanks to Thistle as well. Well done that man.
Yer no safe yet. Remember I was taking photos 😉
All the posts on here are of a high standard but have you ever campaigned on the streets and listened to some of the electorate who are not conversant with the key points about the referendum debate ? How do we get the message across to the less educated?
FYI
“Liars blink less frequently than normal during the lie, and then speed up to around eight times faster than usual afterwards.“. Research carried out by Sharon Leal & others at Portsmouth University.
As reported The Telegraph in 2008.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2589073/Liars-are-exposed-by-blinking.html
For pointy heads.
Here is a link to the pdf of the article cited.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=leal%2C%20sharon%20and%20vrij%2C%20aldert%20(2008)%20blinking%20during%20and%20after%20lying.%20journal%20of%20nonverbal%20behavior%2C%2032%20(4).%20pp.%20187-194.%20pdf&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CDEQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.researchgate.net%2Fpublication%2F226837273_Blinking_During_and_After_Lying%2Ffile%2Fd912f50808fe7f1b35.pdf&ei=f15BU–7C6jnywP634LQAQ&usg=AFQjCNG3Qi1ATMUNzqF9SgY8owgg94qpTA&bvm=bv.64125504,d.bGQ
Alistair Darling is a strong supporter of TRIDENT and its replacement.
Alistair Darling was strongly opposed to an investigation in to the Iraq invasion.
I think those two FACTS tell you everything you need to know about the man.
Is Alistair Darling an imperialist?
YES
Monstering eh?
http://tinyurl.com/nptrrst
Now Now Mr Darling – think this is one of yours, sounds like a NO supporter to me.
Intimidation, bile, bullying, crazed assertion all coming from No supporter clearly being aggresive to mixed (sex & colour) YES supporters.
Wish the MSM would focus on facts not assertions.
anyone know how to get this to Messrs Darling & Murray or the BBC /STV come on fairs fair after all.
Comments from No suppoerters – you ‘proud’ of this nutter ???
Didn’t mind Marr not asking difficult questions,Darling looks like he has lost the plot and probably turn a few more voters to yes.
The Spectator on Darling’s performance this morning on Marr show.
http://archive.is/otzBL
Doh it was the New Statesman, still recovering from Friday night :0
What was noticeable about Marr interviewing Darling, or rather letting Darling ramble. Apart from the noted blink rate. Was the fact that both Marr and Darling referred to the Yes/pro independence movement as ‘nationalists’. It was Nationalist this or nationalist that. It was the archetypal unionist characterisation that anyone that supports or is actively involved in the Yes campaign is a nationalist, ergo a member of the SNP Its never questioned, just accepted in an attempt to make out that independence is some how a minority.
The other interesting faux pas by Darling was the remark that George Galloway is some how a supporter of independence, with his ‘stilts’ remark
Sorry, lasted to 3.52. The man’s not well.
That’s actually painful to watch. I think he believes what he says as well.
“Good idea to have a Proudscot of the Week award, and spell ‘Proudscot’ as a single word because it really is a special distinct concept.”
I dont think he’s got enough free dates in his calender to keep coming back every week to accept his award(s).
I reckon that if Alistair Darling increased his blink rate by approx 57.85% (haven’t the time to refine to more accurate number) the probability of his eyelashes and eyebrows catching fire is 0.75.
This does pose a health & safety concern for the next time he is in the Newsnicht studio with Gordon Brewer. Gordon uses an excessive amount of hair gel and I am concerned it may be alcohol based.
Wee Jonny
Liked that a lot. 🙂
Chicmac says
“The Darling Blinks of Mayday”
Perfic! 😉
anne
Welcome on board. I hope you continue to enjoy helping to develop our response to the post-modern-imperialism of the British state.
You are aware that the Gaurdian edits and censors comment, btl? That has been me experience and the reason I won’t post there.
Onwards and upwards. 🙂
@ thistle,whats the link for the stream from the counting house
In fairness his agitated state is understandable, he faces the prospect of five months of hell then ridicule and political oblivion.
Never interrupt your opponent when he’s making a mistake – maybe Andrew Marr is a closet Yes supporter!
What did Darling actually say – he was a robot whose printed circuit had been trashed. Words, just words pouring out seemingly at random.
I’ll ask around Rev if anyone has a blinkometer lying about their garage.
Will readers please please understand that Alaister darling is English born and bred and please stop referring to him as Scottish he most certainly is not Scottish vote yes
It would be fun to watch this video if someone could insert a little ‘pong’-style beep into the audio-track every time there is a blink.
Sorry for spelling mr. Darlings name wrong it should of course have been Alastair darling vote yes
Darling is a fraud, and the man has no soul.
It’s about time his karma runs over his dogma.
@turnbul drier
agree with you – I posted this a few days ago…
———————
Oh No – you are still slagging off Alistair Darling.
Can you not see he is suffering for work related stress. It is probably related to an earlier episode where he nearly destroyed the whole UK economy.
He is displaying the classic emotional and mental symptoms:
Negative or depressive feeling
Disappointment with yourself
Increased emotional reactions – more sensitive or aggressive
Loneliness, withdrawn
Loss of motivation commitment and confidence
Mood swings
Confusion, indecision
Cannot concentrate
Poor memory
I would recommend a long holiday and a removal from all confrontational situations – i.e. independence debates with Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon, John Swinney, or any journalists who may ask an awkward question.
Hopefully, with a long rest he will be capable of a full recovery if looked after by the NHS in an independent Scotland.
Trust me I am a Doctor.
——————————————————–
p.s. You may have guessed that I am not a medical doctor. But these symptoms are real and come from the nhs website for stress awareness. They are remarkably similar to what AD is currently displaying. Not what he was like a few years ago pre the Boom & Bust.
Perhaps he has better grasp of what is really happening than he can admit and that is the root of his anxiety. However, it is not going to get any better and the No campaign must be thinking of replacing him sooner rather than later.
Problem is – who to replace him with?
@Blair paterson
I won’t go along with you on that track. See the video posted by godoz above at 3.20pm for a rich showcase of reasons why not.
Also, comments like yours undermine the point I keep making to people about the many diverse strands of the YES-campaign representing civic rather than ethnic nationalism. You’re talking about the latter – an ethnic focus – and it really does tip easily into the narrow-minded unpleasantness of which it’s many detractors rightly warn.
The relevance of civic nationalism is that it’s ENTIRELY about the people who live and work in the country and who care about what happens here. It’s not about anyone’s place of birth.
If ethnic nationalism raises it’s head here (although, based on population numbers, cultural diversity and general trends in society, I don’t believe it will) I’ll be one of those who stand against it. It has no place in the kind of YES-campaign of which I am a part and in the kind of future I want to help to create.
Let’s have ideas of Scottishness that are fit for the 21st Century.
@gordoz.
That was pretty painful to watch, the chap seemed intent that voting yes was all about anti-Englishness, and he wouldn’t listen to anyone who tried to differ from his point of view.
It was a negative tactic and quite aggressive one to boot,most folk I’ve spoke to about independence,have been genial and open, thankfully the YES campaigners, behaved impeccably as usual.
Hi anne,
Glad to see you’ve stopped lurking and joined in.
I’ve largely given up on the british press because of the vitriol. It’s just not worth it. There’s no gain in converting people in England.
I hope you’ll join the excellent banter on Wings. Just watch out for that john king. Oh, and the Bugger (the Panda. Hmm.. and that ronnie Anderson.
I’m usually ok , sometimes.
@ Gordoz
you know what is sad about that video? Not the incoherent rambling. Not even the anger that had no real reason to exist. But the fact he walked away thinking he had won the argument, oblivious to the fact that the only one arguing was himself. He wasn’t prepared to let anyone speak, lest his prized and treasured hate was shown to be empty and meaningless.
There was lots of double and triple blinks which upped his blink count
On the subject of, “Nationalists”, are not the NO supporters even more Nationalistic than the YES supporters? Their, “Nation”,or, “Country” is not actually a country but describes itself as, “A United Kingdom”.
The real difference between the two is that while the YES supporters only wish their nation would be allowed to run their, OWN nation’s affairs the NO supporters want their nation of four, countries to be run by a parliament that is the de facto parliament of the country of England.
Now, in my book, the first is a benign form of nationalism but the latter is akin to the form of nationalism that has caused many wars and at least two of them World Wars.
Furthermore, the definition of, “The People of Scotland”, is – “Anyone, of any creed, colour or country of origin who is mainly resident in Scotland and who is registered to vote in Scottish elections”.
Another strange fact is that, NO supporting nationalists seem rather inclined to refer to themselves as, “British”, when in fact, “Britain”, includes the non-UK Republic of Ireland, The non-UK Bailiwick of Jersey, the Non-UK Bailiwick of Guernsey and the non-UK Isle of Man.
A BLT blink lie twitch
Hi anne, welcome.
I used to post on the guardian regularly but I now don’t bother.
I sometimes check to see if anything has improved but it hasn’t
It’s a complete waste of time.
It’s good to see another woman as there still seems to be a reluctance in the 16-34 yr group so we still have our work to do to bring these folk on board.
Re that video, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the worst anti-English sentiments I have ever heard have come out of the mouths of people who support the union.
It’s a paradox, but in a way explainable. They want us to remain in a union with England so they can go on blaming the English when things go wrong. I suspect the ‘gent’ in that video would be no different, if pushed.
Blinking Liar – research from 2008
Apologies if this has been posted already.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2589073/Liars-are-exposed-by-blinking.html
I’m just wonder exactly how BIG a lie Flipper told and how long ago. Maybe there is just so much backed up that he now has to work overtime to release the lie(s)
Jim T at 6.47
Jim – I used to have a boss when I worked in BT and I could always tell when he was lying as the blink rate went up, sometimes to the point that it was painful to look at!
He eventually got found out.
Flipper reminds me of this guy..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEcsgbwBFRs
No pressure from Marr, but Darling falling apart. He had a list of all the most recent scares, and tried to recite it all the way through as fast as he could.
Mustn’t miss out a scare, mustn’t miss out a scare, got to remember them all, remember them all! Er-Weir, er- Standard Life, and don’t forget RBS, coffee maker, er-cuddly toy, cuddly toy…er..
Kept expecting the men in white coats to appear.
X_Sticks I think John King and Bugger the Panda are one and the same, as JK was wearing a Bugger the Panda sweatshirt on Friday Night, JK was trying to persuade me that he was not the Panda who was in France, but we all know that France has not got any Panda’s or at least they probably will have more Tory MP’s than Panda’s.
Anne Welcome on Board, we must have more posters than a squadron of Jumbo Jets!!!
Just watched both Video’s the guy at Edinburgh yesterday was more coherent than Darling, well he wusnae actually but you know what I mean 🙂
Scawdland….
The man can’t even say the word properly haha!
Get this man on the tele more.
On a more serious note, does anyone know of a Printer that could print (Lord) Darlings face on a toilet roll?
I have to say that despite “heightened” state thiswasten minutes of rambling prime time BT yes bashing we in the yes campaign could have done without. We had no reply, so everything darling says goes unchallenged.
I couldn’t watch it twice. Disgusted.
I also think the YES campaign should jump all over Maria Miller ( also covered on andrew marr show), DC defending her and IDS also shielding her. Whats wrong with a witch hunt? she’s a fecking criminal, a fraudster, an obstruct-or of justice, and a corrupt bully (telephone threat to journo)
Look Skye Walker
You may have to go through a promotions company, as that type of printing is pretty specialised and may not even exist in the UK. Promotions companies are the sort of folk who can organised short-run, or not so short-run branding of material. Why not try Rev. Stu’s?
I used to get matchboxes printed in Sweden, once I had sussed out who the promotions companies were using but I don’t think we have time for that sort of skullduggery though. 🙂
If that saga doesn’t brake the camels back then i don’t know what will,
@Vronsky
I think of it as the Stepford Unionists, starting to go haywire.
‘The polls…an outlier…nationalists…shared history…polls show a clear lead…the currency…the currency…monstering…300 years…nonsense on stilts…monstering…must stop…the polls…an outlier…stilts…stilts…monstered…United Kingdom…monster…monster…
‘Andrew, I was just going to give you coffee…I thought we were friends…’
He does sound rattled.
I notice he avoided an answer on income tax variation powers.
Best not focus on Devo-Nano too much.. just keep ranting about monstering nationalists, and ‘being part of something bigger’.
Presumably, we will be hearing his proposals to become a US state soon..
Thank you for the welcome. I will still post occasionally in the Guardian cif, partly because it irks me that the newspaper I looked to to tell the truth is pushing the establishment agenda on this occasion. It is good to be part of the Wings family, and it gives me hope for the future of Scotland.
Um … since we are now inside the 6 month period prior to an official democratic vote … where was the BBC Guideline promised ‘equal time’ and presumably equally browntongued inefficient questioning for a representative of the Yes camp?
Time for the lie detector. I’m sure that Flipper will agree to it to save the Union
Began the campaign as an undecided (leaning to yes) and the tone of the Unionist campaign (typified by the abysmal interview of Darling by Marr today ) has me confirmed as a Yes voter 5 months out.
On their current trajectory I’d suggest we are in for a bout of very nasty campaigning from the No side. When Darling was asked by Marr if he could work with all sides to heal divisions after the vote he said “I hope so”, frankly I was shocked this is not the Ukraine this is my children’s home not his political toy.
In contrast the Yes campaign has been conducted in a way that has been a credit, even though I don’t always agree what’s being said at least my questions are being addressed. Can I suggest that over the coming weeks you keep calm and don’t rise to the bait which will surely be on offer from the Unionists, it will serve us all if the campaign that wins is conducted with an air of inclusiveness, hope and transparency rather entitlement, fear and smear.
PS Sorry for the length of the post, first post on any site about the referendum and got a little carried away.
We need someone like this to interview Flipper..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TknnvlcLsYI
It’s a disgrace that Marr and the BBC provide a platform for this clown to rant on. The day, if it ever arrives, he has to face real questioning and justify the shite he spouts he’ll self destruct.
at 6:06, “From 2016 the Scottish Parliament will be obliged to set an income tax rate”, I thought this was an discretionary power not mandatory. Or do we have another version of Devo Nano?
Finished listening to this, So what I can take away is; it is OK for Mr Darling to ask the nationalists hard questions, but when the nationalists ask hard questions then they are monsters. Cognitive dissonance doesn’t really cover this delusional belief system.
John Curtice will be most surprised to find out he is a professor at Glasgow University rather than Strathclyde University.
He’ll be even more surprised to find out he’s a “respective” polling expert.
Freedom to tell lies without interuption. Tick tock right enough.
Really glad I watched this. Marr did the right thing by not interrupting. Darling condemned himself and the whole BT campaign as he rambled on and on. Fantastic viewing and very heartening for our side that No is being led by such an incompetent second-rater.
Spot the brit spies spouting..
Wurk it oot…
steven Seagull
Eh..they think badly spelt weegie is Scots?
if the gif doesn’t werk click the link [IMG]http://i60.tinypic.com/fkshup.jpg[/IMG]
http://i60.tinypic.com/fkshup.jpg