Building on sand
Last night’s juxtaposition of somewhat contradictory front covers on the Herald and Scottish Daily Mail was modestly amusing, but nothing new. We pointed out weeks ago that papers on both the left and the right were – often on the same days – painting the SNP as hand-in-glove allies of either Labour or the Tories according to whatever suited their own agendas, and nothing’s changed in that respect.
But it’s interesting to take a look behind the headlines of the respective stories and see the degree to which the truth can be bent, exaggerated or in some cases simply made up from thin air.
Of the two, the Mail’s magnificently deranged attack has slightly more content to it, and is also at least fundamentally true. It’s hard to contest the assertion in the English edition of the paper that “Ed Miliband could now only become Prime Minister with the support of the SNP”, and that the two parties are “on the same side” in terms of who they want to lead the next government, though “coalition of chaos” is perhaps overegging the pudding a tad.
Meanwhile in the Scottish edition the phrase “nightmare alliance” is preferred, but there’s some solid statistical information revealing that the SNP voted with Labour 92% of the time during the coalition parliament.
That’s an interesting contrast of emphasis with a recent series of articles in the Guardian, in which Scotland correspondent Severin Carrell made great play out of the number of times the Tories had voted with the SNP at Holyrood during the minority government of 2007-11, by virtue of some highly selective and incomplete data that still only managed to show the parties voting together a little over a third of the time.
For some reason Carrell declined to provide comparison figures about how often Labour had voted with the Nats and against the Tories or how often both had voted against the SNP, rendering the figures meaningless.
He also inflated the isolated votes – without which, of course, no minority government can pass ANY legislation – into first an “informal alliance” between the SNP and Tories, and then even into a full-blown retrospective “coalition”.
So the Mail’s piece, while hysterically overblown, is nevertheless rooted in some kind of fact. But what of the Herald’s? You have to read more than halfway through it before you get to the source of the dramatic “grubby deal” headline, and when you do there’s nothing to it other than the baseless assertion of Labour’s Margaret Curran.
That’s one big empty squawk of nothing, readers. There isn’t a single grain of anything approaching a fact contained in those paragraphs, just Curran screeching “SNP BAD! SNP BAD!” over and over in a variety of phrases like an angry parrot with a thesaurus, but Magnus Gardham and the Herald’s editor not only felt it was worth reporting at all, but the most important story of the day.
Margaret Curran not being a fan of the SNP isn’t news. There was no supposed “leak” justifying her spurious allegations, no loose-lipped Twitter comments from anyone in the party that could be twisted into something sinister-sounding, just what Curran claimed to think something “looks like”, even though not one sane person on planet Earth – including Margaret Curran – genuinely believes the SNP would ever commit the utter political suicide of doing a deal with the Tories.
Had there been a tiny corner at the bottom of page 9 in desperate need of filling you could just about excuse squeezing a couple of sentences out of it, but the Herald held the front cover splash, on a day when someone was arrested over the murder of poor Karen Buckley (in plenty of time for that story to be reported extensively on page 3).
If the longest-running newspaper in the world has sunk so low that it’s having to take lessons in news values from the Daily Mail, we’re not sure it’s going to need a hotshot investigative reporter to solve the mystery of its plummeting sales.
I’d prefer the SNP-Lab ‘coalition’ of ‘chaos’ over the Tory-LibDem coalition of corruption, any day.
That is always going to be a major problem for Scotland, the unrestricted allowance of the UK media to print total and utter pish without consequence.
I cancelled my Herald subscription the day that they decided to back a no vote. This single act of sheer cowardliness was nothing more than a complete betrayal of the readers.
[…] Last night’s somewhat contradictory front covers on the Herald and Scottish Daily Mail were modestly amusing, but nothing new. We pointed out weeks ago that papers on both the left and the right were – often on the same days – painting the SNP as hand-in-glove allies of either Labour or the Tories to suit their own agendas, and nothing’s changed in that respect. […]
If the longest-running newspaper in the world has sunk so low that it’s having to take lessons in news values from the Daily Mail,
There is only one thing to say about this situation … We’re doomed … All doomed! 😀
Where’s the dream Lab-Con ‘coalition of corrupt ineptitude’?
And I’m sorry but this is why I have never purchased a copy of either the Sunday Herald or the National.
Although I acknowledge both of their contributions to the Independence movement, it’s their paymasters that get my coin. The Herald is just as bad as the mainstream publications.
Hell-yes will freeze over before I ever buy a Herald.
Curran is an old bag DESPERATELY trying to cling to her job, Labour are a joke party with joke MPS/MSP’s
they will stop at nothing to cling to power they are a dead party walking, lets humanely put them down in May
My daughter received a card from Jim Murphy, our wonderful MP.
It contains the following. “We will increase the minimum wage AND PROTECT PENSIONERS FROM THE SNP PLANS TO SCRAP THE UK PENSION”
No doubt the MSM will pick this up run with it as factual!
@Hunky Dory
Think of it this way, by buying a Sunday Herald or a National you are supporting the employment of Yes supporting journalists at the Herald group and getting them out of the tyranny of Gardham. That leaves the bitter old unionist hacks in the ghetto of the ordinary old Herald.
Mags Curran. Eek
Graun Facts sacred. lol
Guardian absolutely detests Scottish democracy but it’s virtually the only thing they do about Scotland, monstering Holyrood, SNP, Andy Murray etc, from every angle Libby Carrell can think of:D
Graun liggers merely do what Rule Britannia Brit nats do do, pretend Scotland doesn’t exist, and why wont you just shut up annoying sweaties, be loyal teamGBists, or we’ll set our resident racist thug Steve Bell on you. So there.
I’m really glad you’ve picked on the ‘subtle’ propagandising of Gardham and the weekday Herald. The past few weeks it’s as if he’s went on holiday and left his laptop in the care of McTernan. Some of the spurious non-fact based stuff they’ve majored on includes yesterday’s tripe about Murphy’s polis protection, Ian Davidson’s back-stabbing of a primary school teacher who invited him to terrorise her class, McMann’s weird Stasi infiltration of an SNP branch meeting, Dugdale’s rant about SNP plots to silence the wee lassie at the Leader’s Debate (actually another Lib Dem online transgression) and on and on.
All of these stories came courtesy of Labour Party briefings or PRs. No other source and often with limited or non-existent right-of-reply. Magnus protege, Daniel Sanderson, has been having a ball. Meanwhile Gardham himself peppers his own reportage on economic stories with unbalanced and near hallucinogenic accounting of the SNP position on everything from Oil Prices to FFA and anti-Austerity. It puts into context Gardham’s suppine and disingenuous Editorial inspiration for the Herald’s “mibbe next time” position at the Referendum.
If it squeals like McTernan’s pet pig, if it roots the news-pen like McTernan’s pet pig, if it rolls in Labour muck like McTernan’s pet pig, then I guess Gard-ham by name Gard-ham by nature.
MajorBloodnok
I second that. Mags Curran in this article is adeptly demonstrating exactly why Nicola Sturgeon keeps saying that SNP would keep Labour honest.
You certainly can’t say they show any signs of honesty now not by any stretch of the imagination!
“Coalition of chaos” was Cameron’s slogan today. The mind of a zombie works in mysterious ways.
Nothing new from the Mail, but I really hate what has happened to The Herald. Should be a great Glasgow institution, but if it’s stooping to this level…I genuinely hoped it would come out for independence during the referendum, but clearly I underestimated the Anglonationalist tendancies within it
Still think it’s the best daily ‘quality’ (sort your damn typos out, National!) most of the time, but this is ridiculous.
Curran stands for all that is wrong in the Scottish members of the British Labour Party.
A talentless woman that only became an MP due to cronyism, and a lack of morals. Willing to stab anyone in the back for self advancement.
Are the other people who work in these papers disinterested onlookers? Don’t they live in this country, does it not matter to them that they support a massive distortion of democracy?
I had BBC radio Scotland on in the car there. Was just listening to the update of todays campaigning and was thinking to myself they are reporting on SNP last for a change when I heard “Swinney is concentrating on increasing high value UNemployment”.
WTF! They are fair pulling the stops out with subliminal messages now.
The BBC involved in establishment psy-ops.
Hunky Dory. The point of paying for the National and the Sunday Herald, rather than the Daily Record, the Herald or the Sun, The Scotsman or Scotland on Sunday, is to show the “paymasters” where our preferences lie, here in Scotland.
If you buy print newspapers, you will always be paying for multinational organisations to stay in business. If most of the profits are coming from the National and the Sunday Herald, their sad off-shoots will close. Simples.
The co-operation/collaboration between the Tories and the SNP government was fatally demolished when the Tories ganged up with Labour and LibDems to vote FOR the accursed Edinburgh Tram debacle. At least the Tories’ approval was limited to £500 million unlike Labour/LibDems for whom money was no object.
The money spent (nearly £500 million) could have been used for many other transport improvements,many of which are suggested by the same MSPs who pushed through the tram scheme.
Three weeks tomorrow and perhaps the situation will be wonderfully simple. The results / seats will have fallen in such a manner the SNP will be able to provide the backbone to a suitably grateful Labour Government. If it falls somewhat short of that scenario and protracted horse trading ensues then who knows the full and final outcome.
Two things strike me, firstly the stronger the SNP presence in Westminster the better it has been for Scotland, fact, and that has been the case continuously since 1967.
Secondly, and I have said it on here before, I am convinced that Labour are afraid of success and are campaigning to come second. Quite simply they do not want to be in power, they only want to be MP`s and sit and snipe at the government. Inherent in this seems to be a pathological hatred of the SNP in that they would have been happy to form a government in 2010 with the LibDems, even although they were not the largest party, and who knows, on May 8 they may succumb in the “national interest” and fall into the warm and familiar embrace of the Tory Party.
Yesterday two fliers promoting the Herald fell out of my copy of the National. Tasty, they were, promoting the lifestyle mag, glossy extras you don’t get with the pared-down National (though to be fair the price of the national is also pared-down).
NO WAY IN HELL WILL I BUY THE HERALD. Not even when they ask nicely in the pages of the National.
I’ve said before,I see this election as an acid test of the influence the MSM still have over the political beliefs of Scotland.
As more people have the scales removed from their eyes by sites like this and links are passed on through social media,we will reach critical mass where enough people will see these Establishment placemen liars for what they are.
Once that happens, there is no way back for the Establishment media.
May 7th will be an update on the progress we have made,I am cautiously optimistic,after Indyref 45%.
That’s the real killer point, isn’t it.
I used to love that paper. Really, really loved it. Read it every day. For decades.
I cancelled it in 2012.
Septic Meg is nothing but a dried-up auld bint full of toxin.
Having to look herself in the mirror every morning must hurt like hell.
It certainly will on the morning of the 8th May 2015.
No ermine for vermin – vote SNP.
Please note that the Herald Fills a very popular gap in the market. The pages are just the right size to cover the base of my rabbit hutch!
Fair play t the rabbit though it treats the paper with the respect it deserves, and than I need to change it with next door’s cast off copy.
I’m sure he doesn’t actually read it, he just waves it about on his way to and from work to make people think he is intellectual. God knows how long ago that train of thought died with the bile they attempt to make news out of? lol
[…] Building on sand […]
sydthesnake says:
16 April, 2015 at 4:41 pm
“Curran is an old bag DESPERATELY trying to cling to her job”
To be fair to Curran, if I was as thick and unemployable as she was, I’d do my utmost to hang on to that job too. I so look forward to her getting canned though.
That all said, on the subject of coalitions and alliances, I’m actually a bit disappointed that the SNP were so quick to rule out a deal with the Tories. I understand the reasoning but it would have done little harm to leave the possibility open in the minds of the Labour leadership.
I think we should all get acquainted with the possibility of the Tories winning an outright majority or forming another alliance with the Libs. That’s nothing to be too down about if, like me, the idea of helping Labour snouts to the trough makes you feel quite sick.
I’d be content with 40 or more SNP MPs at Westminster and no deal with Labour or anyone.
Maybe she believes there is a secret deal because Labour and Tories have already discussed what their respective situations would be should there be a hung parliament.
I think a Lab/Tory alliance in a government of ‘unity’ or some other pish is IMHO not fantasy. They are not a million miles apart. Germany has such a coalition running now, caused by collapse of Liberal (FDP) vote.
One of the reasons given for Labour’s failure to create a colaition with Libdems last time was they were totally unprepared. Libs and Tories had ran some wargame plans through the mincer of what they would do in ahung election beforehand. Labour if they are not stupid will be doing the same this time…..
Why would they not speak to Tories about blocking the SNP…..
Nicola Sturgeon says she won’t support the Tories but will she really say no if the Tories are the largest party and offer her what she wants in return for the votes of her MPs?’”
Isn’t this Currant Bun woman something else?
Don’t take the word of a woman who has been trust worthy and honest since day one, but believe Red Tory Maggie who regularly claims to have been at Westminster voting when she didn’t attend, and claims to have voted against policies when she and her party abstained.
Couldn’t be arsed as they say in her former constituency)
The woman Red Tory who still parrots the lie about the biggest party get form… God I nearly fell asleep repeating that garbage.
Can’t wait to see how the North British Accounting Unit look after she signs o the dole!
Bad actors,they have forgotten their lines and some try adlibbing……it exposes their thoughts,their souls……angry outside,angry inside.
These self centred,self absorbed hypocrites are confusing themselves,confusing Scotland,that’s why they’re angry because deep in the recesses of their minds,they remember…..they once had ideals,they onced cared.
It is too late for them now,too late for the Labour Party,they have had their chance,more than one,they have extinguished their own flame, themselves, from within,are looking for someone to blame,they blame the people of Scotland.
But the flame in the people of Scotland still burns as bright as it always has,maybe even brighter,we move on to a brighter future,no land of milk and honey,but a country to be proud of,a fair place,where riches are not just counted in gold,but in spirit and equality.
I am voting SNP,warts and all,because not only do I agree with most of their fundamental policies,but as equally important,I have to live with myself,I have to face my friends,my family.
The Herald seems to have turned its back on what it said on the 16th September when it came out for NO: “The Herald’s view: we back staying within UK, but only if there’s more far-reaching further devolution”.
During Smith it kept quite quiet, very strange considering this line from that article: “This newspaper has been a passionate advocate of Home Rule for Scotland and continues to be so. In 1979, prior to the vote on a Scottish Assembly, the then Glasgow Herald argued robustly for a Yes vote, while in 1997, The Herald did the same in the Scottish Parliament referendum, declaring that “for too long we have had the excuse of blaming all Scotland’s ills on others”. In 2014, we believe Scotland’s journey as part of the UK is far from over.”.
Well, it seems to have turned its back on that fine rhetoric, which even attracted grudging respect from regular pro-Indy posters as it was fair, reasonable and apparently very strong.
Now it gives any publicity it can to an anti-SNP and anti-FFA story, even regularly printing as “fact” the totally inaccurate “The IFS have said Scotland will have a £7.6 billion black hole with FFA” or words to that effect.
Words fail me, well, they don’t, I post as strongly as I can within the rules, every time that lie is printed in an article by the Herald. But I’m afraid I have no respect for The Herald. It says one thing, then does another. Hypocrites.
Disappointing from the Herald.
Am I naive but why print this?
Do they really have an editorial meeting where they say or are made to say by their owners on the front page
‘SNP BAD’
?
Not sure I could work there very long.
“Angry parrot with a thesaurus”
– one of your best, Stu.
As much as I detest both Labour and the Tory’s if one of them offered full fiscal autonomy, Devo Max with stripes on then I would hope the SNP would grab it with both hands.
Herald – Scottish woman has an opinion on something.
Yeah a Labour govt. with an SNP/Green/Plaid conscience.
Or a Conservative, Libdem, UKIP govt. with no conscience.
Wait now, let me think…
@Muscleguy
I had hopes for Gardham. He seemed to be doing a slow careful Kevin McKenna, seeing the faults in the Labour party and the way it was no longer the Labour party he had supported for so long. He had some thoughtful pieces, even at the back end of the referendum canpaign, and some quite stark ones too – even one last Saturday “Is Labour really still talking to Glasgow Man?”.
Ach, I guess I’ll reserve judgement. McKenna I think is very much a heart man, thinking with his heart, Gardham is perhaps more a head one. Perhaps he makes the mistake of basically doing articles from Labour party handouts.
Severin Carrell ???? A couple of years ago some of us were banned from the Guardian’s ‘Comment is Free’ pages – not for abuse or ‘tolling’ – but for pointing out Carrell’s er …. ‘missing’ information.
His bias was almost Pacific Quay in status – so we kept giving readers the facts.
100% irrefutable, verifiable facts – and that champion of free speech and liberalism banned us for doing it !
Why do you think Carrell is on BBC Scotland’s speed dial list ?
False claim. The Herald downgraded itself to a regional so its claim fails as Northern Ireland’s Newsletter is a good 50 years older.
@james
LOL
I really couldn’t say anything, no, not me, nor would I venture to agree about Daniel Sanderson, oh no.
It makes me very sad. The Glasgow Herald was my favourite paper, reading the Record and Sun for a different perspective and the horse racing, a wodge of Sunday papers over a few sociable pints to try to get the balance of the news from papers that were in general, much less partisan and more truth-based than they are these days.
Who reads the newspapers ?
link to m.youtube.com
Just watched BBC news about the leaders debate tonight. Quotes from all participants except Nicola. They used a quote from John Swinney instead. Wonder why they don’t want Nicola’s face on TV?
As Roy Orbison would say in my favourite song “Running Scared” 🙂
BTW why was Clegg complaining that he wasn’t ‘allowed’ to take part? Is that true?
These days, whenever I see an article in The Herald that is denouncing the SNP in any way …it’s usually been written by Magnus Gardham.
In fact, I wonder if Gardham has anything nice to say about the SNP. The man must be spitting furballs in blind fury each time he has to type S …N …P …in a row!
Magrit Curren.
A bitter twisted has been. She thought he had a cosy seat but her constituents have seen right through her.
Full of hate for anything but LIEbour and her nose in the trough. The joy seeing her put out of work will live with me for years.
Labour and the likes of the Herald are old news. A failing party and newspaper. Thank goodness folk are awake.
I usually laugh at their pathetic attempts but every now and then the anger comes out. I’m only human after all.
4 weeks and they are out on their collective arses. If we get the seats we should. i will have a party knowing that things are finally going right for Scotland.
I would bite Camerons hand off for FFA . I hate the LIEbour party and all they stand for.
Tick bloody tock
Superb work again Stu. We’re clued up thanks to you.
In fact …if all comes to pass on the 7th, then seriously …god knows what the front pages of all the papers will be like if it truly does mean that a Labour – SNP ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ looks more than likely.
Can you imagine the BBC and SKY on the 8th of May? The likes of Jackie, Sally, Robert Peston, Kay Burley, Adam Boulton, et al, will be truly worth watching; if not just to sit and watch them trying not to let the mask of impartiality slip! But I’m sure the eyes will betray every single one of them LOL
WGD was good in the National today, and a good piece by Lesley Riddoch on FFA.
Given today’s statement by the IMF, that any party promising to clear the debt by 2020, are talking shite, you can see why the SNP brought FFA into the arena.
We are chained to the deck of the sinking vessel of HMS Britannia, and Scotland would do well to break away asap. With that and all of them saying those MPs elected by the Scottish electorate will be disenfranchised as they see fit, I would have thought even Unionists would start to see the looming sandbank.
Such figures would be very interesting indeed, would they not?
For me, the Herald died as a credible paper with the Purcell affair. They knew about his drug problems, but kept quiet because they were part of his “Team Glasgow “. It was the London Times who broke the story of his breakdown.
@YESGUY you just entered my hall of fame… Agree with every word.
And I’ll be frank on the coalition stuff. I despise their treachery and lies so much that I would do a deal with the devil himself before I dealt with Scottish Labour.
@ Eric (Dorice?)
Used to be you didn’t consider you’d had your props on CiF unless you’d been canned or modded at least twice. 😀
They are like parrots. Squawk, Squawk.
The Unionists offered fiscal autonomy/Home Rule/Federalism. Now doing everything to back track. Typical.
Didn’t read the comments. Re Parrot reference.
Minds think alike.
75% of the Heralds readers 20K support Independence. It must survive through it’s website. It’s parent company US Newsquest produces literature for private education, worldwide. It get contracts to produce UK Gov literature.
Hi Dorice
All those accusations; whereas in reality the only ones “in bed” are the Brit-Nats and the Con-Dem-Lab surreptitious rat pack & their etonian banker chums; all in it together for a £7.5 billion hiest on our people in the name of balancing their dodgy books.
For Labour read McTernan. For Milliband read McTernan. The taste of McTernan runs right through Labour, reinforcing the rotten smell already there.
Ask not ‘do I want Milliband for Prime Minister’ but rather, ‘Do I want John McTernan as deputy Prime Minister.’
Eric
I think it fair to say that Severin has a distinct lean in his writings. I have managed to stay on the right side of moderation but I can’t say I have applauded many of his articles on Scottish politics.
Labour voted against the SNP, even when it was Labour policy or Labour agreed. Labour voted against even more apprenticeship places that they wanted.
The irony. Cameron says ‘Labour faces wipeout in Scotland’. The Tories aren’t doing so well.
I see Express owner Richard Desmond has just donated £1m to UKIP. He said “UKIP is for good ordinary British people.” Read that any way you like.
I note the comments above about the Herald and agree with many of them.
Many of the stories it trumpets on its front pages are, to say the least, lightweight and easily debunked and are regularly debunked in the comments attached to the stories in their on-line edition. There is a large regular group of posters who regularly point up the shortcomings in the political articles and columnists articles.
They make a huge contribution to balancing the bias in the paper and in promoting the policies pput forward by the SNP.
Now I know many of you are getting ready to post something along the lines of: Don’t visit the site. Don’t give them revenue.
Think before you do. Lots of people post on the site – clear cogent posts full of information and clearly pointing out the deficiencies in political articles. Lots more people visit the site – I forget the exact numbers but the online edition makes a significant contribution to the Herald’s income.
It is an audience you cannot afford to ignore by ignoring the site or the paper.
The leaders but not the government debate:
“We don’t want to replace ‘tory’ with ‘tory light'” says Sturgeon.
“What is the scale of the labour cuts” she asks.
Poor Ed getting all the flak… from the ladies! Farage is there for comedy effect and to make Ed look a bit better.
Farage crashes and burns!
Ms Sturgeon doing well in the debates but she ducked the question from Ed about the FFA and independence and came back at him with his proposed cuts, how much and where.
I think she should have dealt with FFA and put it to bed once and for all
Maybe another opportunity later but if not then Labour etc will go big on her not answering.
Keep digging Nigel, you’ll end up in Oz, eventually.
Farage complains about the audience (the real audience sitting at home he says). Talking about housing shortage, new houses for British people first!
Dimbledumb says “audience selected by a polling company” gets cheap clap from audience for the BBC.
Nippy sweetie slaps him down again on his views on immigration.
She’s doing well dawn sarf! 🙂
Mentions that the right to buy has been abolished in Scotland.
(comments on the debate would be much appreciated on O/T for those of us who don’t pay)
I think Nicola’s outstanding tonight,
She was suffocated by the nomarks in the Scottish debate but when she’s let loose on Milliband and Farage she is brilliant, this debate is going to increase her stock with the public even higher than it is now!
Shes humiliated Farage. 🙂
@Paula Rose
Debate: it’s free on radio 5.
Ed (mavis out of coronation st) is going to say NO to America. Aye right.
Farage is an utter buffoon. The end.
Aceldo Atthis. 😀
I still have my “champers” from my referendum party. Going to really enjoy it this time.
Paula Rose.
Nicola Doing very well. She looks the part. No fear YES.
brushed off FFA , maybe later. Any way that’s for AFTER the election. Very sure and clear and lots of claps. Very stateswomen like.
Leeane doing well but much better from Nat.. Greens are good England…
The women against the men…. No contest. :). Westminster will be a ball with these women in it.
Ed and Fradge… Dah 🙁
Milliband DEFINITELY batting his eyelids at Sturgeon tonight – Murphy must be green with jealously
There is a total disconnect in the language used by Westminster and her politicians with the language of real life as I experience it. John Lewis and Waitrose as aginst hand me downs and Aldi.
Its just a sign of the gulf between real life and Westminster. Where else can you be simultaneously not mad enough to not make the law and yet too mad to take the law?
OT @ john king
I’ve noticed your absence. Are you keeping well?
@Cadogan Enright
Just said almost same thing on O/T eyelids and everything..Coo!
Paula Rose
Summing up and Nicola stated live “we will never vote for a tory govt . we will work with leanne, Nat and Ed to be a govt different from tory austerity . keep him right.
Leanne big support for SNp buddies.
Nat stated exactly the same ” NO TORY’S ” YES
Ed attacking Nicola over SNP referendum ????? what the fuck.
Nicola attacks and calls out the liar and bangs his jaw, YES.
Ed now telling folk more shite. upper cut from Nic. Crowd going bonkers.. Ed stagggering all over the place .
Ed counters and Nicola finishes him off with slap… huge clap and cheers HONEST 🙂
Nicola is tough phew am sweating .. Paula you have to see this You’ll love it… GO SNP IN ENGLAND. the clapping says it all. Easy
Ed milliband: “Wensleydale grommet”
This is an OK debate
Nicola doing well
The fire in Nicolas attack on millibands refusal to accept SNP support was inspirational!
Arrrgh!
Miliband just clamed Nicola wants to break up, “The Country”. The UK is not a country – except in the eyes of, “The Establishment”. of all colours.
Now Nicola has just shot the Biggest Party myth to bits.
“If there are enough anti-Tories in Westminster after the election they can lock David Cameron out of office”
Facts always beat flannel.
We just got the, “break up our country again”, from Miliband.
Nicola nailed him and with audience support.
Outstanding.
That’s him telt! 😀
Nicola gets 2 rounds of applause challenging Millipead to keep the Torys out of government – the second time effectively drounds out the Pead
The MSM in Fleet street watching this tonight must be having a conuption
Yup! Nippy sweetie thrashed them all… Cameron is toast!
I am trying not to let my bias affect my judgement, but Nicola is head and shoulders aboun them a’.
She really marked Milliband’s card for him. A star.
@luigi,
They wouldn’t have him, he wouldn’t pass the points system…
wow! miliband has been blown totally out of the debate.
I cannot look at Fardge without thinking he’s a stand up comic.
A Bad one too but his one liners are comical. Who the hell would trust this man ….. Upper class twit.
I heard he was a Merchant Banker ??? AYE HE BLOODY IS 😀
Great night for Sturgeon there. Milliband started well but collapsed into a mess of smirky jibberjabber.
So BBC vote SLabour Scotland gave us an enraged creepy Murphy is a Hysteric Show and BBC England gave us a rather good debate. Confusing crew in Pacific Quay. Hope that odd little man Cooke is watching this debate.
Ed made a terrible mistake shaking his head condescendingly when Nicola was talking about locking the Tories out. The audience was cheering Nicola and he knew it.
Television debates are sooooo much better without Jim Murphy,and with a proper chairman.
Why the feck are the BBC interviewing William Hague on the post debate programme ? The Tories didn’t even turn up to the debate. He is getting a free PPB.
@Lemon 9:35
I’m already on the ‘phone
Nicola in grey, Milliband grey tie? Hmmmm..
Sturgeon outstanding. What a bonny fechter.
Milliband good at times, but also lost his way,taking a few big hits.
Wood sold and reliable as ever(growing into the role).
Bennet a lot better, with a few brilliant bytes at the end.
Farage a complete train wreck. UKIP going nowhere now.
Paula Rose ..
No amount of spin will change the results tmoz .Nicola beat Ed and Fradge in 3 rounds 4 th Ed tried a dirty punch below the belt and got battered for his cheek.
Crowd were cheering… WOW.
The girls once again well be chuffed as they were very good, articulate and very supportive of each other.
No Ca-moron so we got his sidekick Niggles for a support act and the usual Hiv foreigner stuff. ( vile and hopeless)
Ed got hammered by the lassies. Where i come from that makes you a big jessie so how any one can vote with confidence (shakes heed)
Nicola and the girls 2 the battered bleeding sniveling men 0
here we go ere we go here we go….. 🙂
done
Nicola, ” I’m asking Ed right now to commit to locking the Tories out with the SNP”.
Eds answer…a goofy grin!!
Thanks for noticing Handclapping
Ive been suffering from a severe viral infection for several weeks but getting over it now,
But Im grateful for your concern. 🙂
When Danny Alexander talks, I get a sudden urge to stick pins in my eyes!!
When Mr Milliband brought up the ‘no coalition with SNP’ and something about ‘you leader Alex Salmond’ and then something again about another referendum.
Ms Sturgeon again missed the opportunity to say: A coalition was never on offer, Alex Salmond is not the SNP leader and no referendum unless people of Scotland want one.
The response was applauded but I wonder if it would have been better to have answered Ed’s points.
I wonder if the fact that she missed two opportunities to put FFA etc to bed suggests she is tired. She is carrying quite a load in this election so maybe time for a rest.
Now in the spin room and BBC are giving free rein to Tories and LibDems. Hardly allowed SNP minister to speak when he was interviewed.
John king .
Sorry to hear that. Hope you better now and ready to party a wee bit on May. usually spot the jokes and one liners but it’s been a crazy couple of weeks and this sight has been buzzing.
Glad you back mate. 🙂
Danny Alexander calls the debate a rabble. Lovely people ConDems. We have a ConDem thug in north east of Scotland too but he’s retiring and that guy will not be missed either.
Beaker on the next bit squirming for his job.
beaker just said ” We’ve said we don’t think the SNP should be contributing to the GVT of the UK ”
Just blew it with that statement !
Jeezo ! They just do not understand waan wee bity .
I hope Rev post that we clip if anyone misssed it .
Raging at that Pienaar shill, treated Humza with complete disrespect, didn’t let him finish and turned back to that wee nyaff Alexander. What a bunch of total bastards the BBC are.
The amount of time Hague and Libdem Alexander got was grossly one sided. We see you BBC.
Nicola fantastic tonight; of course!
John Pienaar just blanked Humza Yousuf and pulled the mike away from him.
A job at Pacific Quay awaits if you’re ever on your uppers John.
@john king
Sorry to hear your unwell John. Best wishes for speedy recovery.
Danny Alexander:
”we don’t think the SNP should be contributing to the government of the UK ”
Spoken like a true democrat
Feckin liberals on now – not being asked what they did not show up either
Followed by the Shinner from my area looking really scary – Commentator totally gob smacked to hear Westminster is utterly irrelevant and unable to deal with him at all
followed by a DUP nutter tugging his forelock
FINALLY 30 minutes later they have the independent commentators on who agree its been a really good night for Nicola
Chucked the Herald after 35 years, a lot of papers! very pleased with the Nash. Magrit is indeed a desperate wummin, had a phone call from a very nice lassie (obviously not herself) asking for my vote, which is a first for me. She was seen at the Glasgow Fort last year with Johann on a shop till you drop trip, wonder who treated who to pies at the Subway, Magrit’s being big fan. 🙂
Nicola won hands down and the woman gave another very formidable combined performance in enforcing the need for alternative and progressive policies.
Congratulations, SNP, Female politicians, & Common Sense.
How nice to see wee RED Ed bringing up 1979 … BORING!
Isn’t it time for someone … ANYONE … to take wee Ed back to school and educate him on the TRUTH and the FACTS about 1979?
Needless to say I thought the Three Wise Women wiped the floor with the Two Old Gits! 😀
@Lesley-Anne
Wise Women, yeah. Village idiots, not so much 😉
Though Danny’s comments about rabble and SNP not being allowed to participate in UK politics was just shocking. He is more Tory than many Tory MPs.
Not seeing all this stuff ‘live’…piecing things together, and very much looking forward to seeing/hearing whatever prompted Rev’s tweet that Danny Alexander is ‘a monumental arse’.
John Pinnar BBC – What an obnoxious man. He had little interest in the opinion of those he was nterviewing. He had an agenda and he was going to deliver it.
A damned good debate. Cameron must be sitting at home wondering if he’s done the right thing at not appearing.
However, what’s infuriated me, is that both Danny Alexander and Wee Willie Hague are allowed to give both Liberal and Tory points of view in the after show!! WTF!!! If they can’t be bothered appearing, then they should not be allowed to give their points of view in the after show, and certainly when no one can challenge them. Definitely not cricket, Beeb! Once again, you’re at it!
However, not only is Hamza rudely interrupted by twat of an interviewer, but then we then get the bizarre comments from a couple of folk who believe Nicola had a bad night!! (What !?!?!) …Seriously …Eh! God almighty, what debate were they watching???
Overall …great night for Nicola, Leanne and Natalie. Fell off the couch in great joy when Farage completely lost it by having not only a pop at his opponents, but also at the ‘made up’ audience. Aye, gawn yirsel, Farage! That’s the way to win them over! Let’s see if you’ll have a seat come the 8th of May! LOL
But they are right …Nicola will get a grip of Ed …and for the right bloody reasons too. Yep, Go Nicola !!!!
John Pienaar just blanked Humza Yousuf and pulled the mike away from him.
Glad you posted this as I couldn’t believe who blatantly ignorant
that man Pienar was. Absolutely unacceptable arrogant bias
from yet another BBC employee trying to drive democracy into the ground.
@Lemon says: 16 April, 2015 at 9:35 pm:
“Why the feck are the BBC interviewing William Hague on the post debate programme ? The Tories didn’t even turn up to the debate. He is getting a free PPB.”
Don’t you know, Lemon? “The Walrus”, dragged on a succession of ToryLibDem losers all with one thing in common – every one of them an Establishment numptie worried about the loss of the trough.
K1 & Training Day
Thought Pienaar’s behaviour towards Humza Yousuf was disgraceful. What is wrong with these people? Perhaps blatant displays of political bias are actually a requirement in BBC circles nowadays. Obviously if you are not a politician able to hand out honours etc., then you can be treated with dismissive contempt by BBC. (Hated Wee Dougie’s smirk at the put down.)
Try this on the debate.
link to twitter.com
John King,
Hi matey, didn’t realise that you were ill !! Hope you’re doing fine. On another note, we need to catch up again. You and Irene going to the do on the 1st of May at the Counting House.
Well done the ladies.
As a group I think Nicola, Leanne and Natalie are doing more to influence the political debate in the UK than any of the rest of them.
Glad to see Nicola was afforded respect from the audience in spite of the anti-SNP hate fest that the british media has been running.
Another good night for Scotland.
Lib Dems have a Deck of Cards…can the Rev and Greg Moodie claim copyright?
Hi JLT.
You haven’t typed that you’re going to the May Day get-together – John King has.
So, if you’re going, get over to off-topic and add your name to the list.
handclapping says:
@Lesley-Anne
Wise Women, yeah. Village idiots, not so much 😉
Definitely Three Wise Women HC. The only village idiot around tonight was sat at home watching the debate! 😉
Ipsos mori Wriggling Worm…Farage has been called worse!
Ipsos Mori saying Nicola did ok but not as well as previous debate…oh and says Ed did much better on Immigration than Farage.
@JLT
Thanks for your concern James,
Im geting better but still not sure about the Counting house but hoping to go.
Anyone else had a good laugh at the first Dead Tree Pree poll? Mirror readers say Ed Milliband won.
Aiblins they had a different debate in England – It would explain how the dead tree press get different stories Dan Sath.
Ok, can we just address the housing issue. Too much people and not enought housing is NOT the main cause of unaffordable housing. The graph in this link dispels that myth.
link to positivemoney.org
Tis down to private banks being allowed unrestrained to create too much money for unproductive means.
Slightly o/t,
I will watch the debate on I player tomorrow.
I have just watched UKIPs Cockburn from the STV programme last night, is this guy a real/serious politician?
I cannot believe people actually voted for him.
I hate to say it, he makes FUD sound like a rocket scientist. mmm ( maybe not)
Gary
Hi john king.
What do you mean, “Im geting better but still not sure about the Counting house but hoping to go.”
YOUR NAME’S ON THE LIST!
YOUR BADGE HAS BEEN MADE!
Do we have to deconstruct and recycle your badge?
See you Fifers? Huh…
Wow..is Lydnsey Bewes on Scotland 2015 a former Ed Milibsand groupie.. you would think so judging by her loving review
Robert
Aye but if the Mirror has it Ed 35% Nicola 31% then you know Nicola had a cracking night. 🙂
Who needs John as long as Irene shows?
@John King
Hope you’re feeling better soon fella.
What is Morgan doing on this QT, he’s such a twat.
All in all that was a debate that was worth its name.
Nicola was in top form and reminded me of Zorro with a sharp rapier cutting Ed’s nose hairs. 🙂
The MSN will be in panic tomorrow.
I played around with an original Wings poster, to include Morgan’s puerile remark, back in August, 2014.
You can see it here…
SNP foot soldiers to Dumfries,Galloway and Tweeddale,there is no broadband.
Connor McEwen says:
SNP foot soldiers to Dumfries,Galloway and Tweeddale,there is no broadband.
I’m confused here Connor.
You say there is no broadband in Dunfries, Tweeddale and Clydesdale yet I sit here typing a post onto Wings from … Dumfries, Tweeddale and Clydesdale. 😉
I’m confused!
Paula Rose say
“Who needs John as long as Irene shows?”
OOFFT!
🙂
Thanks for the good wishes guys,
I’m over the worst now but its taking ages for this to go away Its left me with dodgy sense of balance and rip roaring tinnitus,
SCREEEEEECH!
Oldest newspaper ? – look up The Press and Journal