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Politics is satire plus time 509

Posted on September 10, 2014 by

Here’s an image we made back in October 2012:

edunity

It’s based on a graphic from the movie version of “V For Vendetta”.

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Point and counterpoint 202

Posted on September 10, 2014 by

mails

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Spoiled for choice 133

Posted on September 10, 2014 by

George Monbiot in the Guardian, 10 September 2014:

“If Scotland becomes independent, it will be despite the efforts of almost the entire UK establishment. It will be because social media has defeated the corporate media. It will be a victory for citizens over the Westminster machine, for shoes over helicopters.

It will show that a sufficiently inspiring idea can cut through bribes and blackmail, through threats and fear-mongering. That hope, marginalised at first, can spread across a nation, defying all attempts to suppress it. That you can be hated by the Daily Mail and still have a chance of winning.”

We could have picked almost any paragraph. A tour de force.

A case apart 569

Posted on September 09, 2014 by

We’ve long argued that whatever the small print, when it comes to an independent Scotland’s membership of the European Union common sense and realpolitik will prevail, because nobody wants Scotland to be out of the EU for even a day and it’s in nobody’s interests for it to be.

Of course, we’re just some idiots with a website and nobody should listen to OUR opinion about anything. But it seems as though people like Graham Avery (Honorary Director-General of the European Commission), Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, (the former Deputy Secretary-General of the UN) and Sionaidh Douglas-Scott, (author of a book on EU constitutional law and professor of European law and human rights at Oxford University) ought to have a pretty good inside track on Europe stuff.

And if all those still aren’t enough, how about the esteemed Pat Cox, former President of the European Parliament? He ought to know what he’s talking about, right?

A time to choose 76

Posted on September 09, 2014 by

Between this, and this.

We don’t think we understand 329

Posted on September 08, 2014 by

We just watched, jaws agape, as the BBC news channel gave Scottish Labour an uninterrupted 50-minute party political broadcast for no immediately obvious reason. It mainly took place at Loanhead Miners’ Welfare, and featured speeches from a warm-up man, then Johann Lamont, and finally Gordon Brown.

The ostensible event justifying this extraordinary coverage lasted just 2m 36s.

And having sat through the whole circus, we still have no idea what it was for.

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Hard medicine 183

Posted on September 08, 2014 by

First Owen Jones’ stinging rebuff to the odious fauxcialist John McTernan, now this:

weedougieslap

As another famous Unionist might say: Oooft!

Finding sense to make it work 205

Posted on September 08, 2014 by

The alert readers of this site have encountered currency trader Alpesh Patel of equity company Praefinium Partners before. We were more than a little bit scathing about a previous appearance of his on the BBC News channel back in February, on which it seems fair to say that he nailed his Unionist colours very firmly indeed to the mast.

So this clip from the same channel this morning was interesting.

We don’t think his words need any comment from us, save perhaps that we commend Mr Patel for having learned from his previous errors when it comes to assessing the attitude of businesses to the prospect of Scottish independence. Anyone can make a mistake. The key is to not keep repeating it when the evidence proves you wrong.

The quality press 50

Posted on September 08, 2014 by

You have to laugh.

hoots

Anyone would think WE were the ones who’d had to remove, apologise for and pay compensation for defamatory articles about THEM.

A theme develops 238

Posted on September 07, 2014 by

Save it from what, exactly? Democracy?

theme

(More here.)

The great surrender 70

Posted on September 07, 2014 by

Owen Jones in the Guardian, 7 September 2014:

“New Labour’s surrender to the underlying assumptions of the Thatcherite crusade gave the independence movement its greatest opportunity. Yes, the Blairites could not entirely purge Labour’s traditions, and so the minimum wage was introduced (albeit at too low a level), poverty was reduced and public services were invested in.

Yet they illegally invaded Iraq with Conservative support, killing hundreds of thousands of civilians and 179 British military personnel before handing much of the country over to fanatics. They punished aspiration by introducing tuition fees, saddled public services with long-term debt through the colossal rip-off of PFI, and began privatising our NHS – laying the foundations for some of the pernicious policies of this coalition as they did so.

They allowed the living standards of millions of working people to begin falling years before the crash, even as the coffers of corporate Britain prospered like never before. They failed to solve an ever-worsening housing crisis, leaving 5 million languishing on council housing waiting lists. They cut taxes on corporate Britain while indulging in entirely destructive gimmicks such as scrapping the 10p tax rate.

Many Scots look at the Britain built by this political elite, they don’t like it and they want out.”

Seems to pretty much cover it.

Quack quack quack quack quack 299

Posted on September 07, 2014 by

Here’s what George Osborne actually said on today’s Andrew Marr Show:

“You will see in the next few days a plan of action to give more powers to Scotland. More tax powers, more spending powers, more plans for powers over the welfare state. 

That will be put into effect – the timetable for delivering that will be put into effect – the moment there is a no vote in the referendum. The clock will be ticking for delivering those powers – and then Scotland will have the best of both worlds.”

(From 32m 40s.) It’s not actually very hard to follow.

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    • Aidan on Seven Days Too Long: “Yup – the insanity of the current SNP policy to incentivise working people to move south and retirees to move…May 1, 10:55
    • 100%Yes on Seven Days Too Long: “I seen this article, “I’m one of thousands leaving England to live in Scotland” am I the only one who…May 1, 10:44
    • Alf Baird on Seven Days Too Long: ““the land that time forgot” A valid point, but other important aspects remain in play for a subordinated people and…May 1, 10:43
    • Aidan on Seven Days Too Long: “Exactly CC, both “parties” are really just a collection of independents standing under a broad banner. The problem is, standing…May 1, 10:13
    • Captain Caveman on Seven Days Too Long: ““What “nothing else” screams to me (and to many others) is “we can’t agree on even the basics” and which…May 1, 09:48
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    • Aidan on Seven Days Too Long: “So vote for a tiny micro-party which is vanishingly unlikely to win any seats, when you could instead vote against…May 1, 08:52
    • TURABDIN on Seven Days Too Long: “AS A GESTURE TO THE K&Q of ENGLAND, Trump cuts tax on uisge beatha…..that great foreign owned export. Did you…May 1, 08:43
    • diabloandco on Seven Days Too Long: “can anyone tell me how to get rid of Microsoft cretinous news , which pops up every time I open…May 1, 07:53
    • Athanasius on Seven Days Too Long: “Don’t vote. The government will get in.May 1, 06:30
    • Peter McAvoy on Seven Days Too Long: “Has the site of the fire in union street been examined to see if the buildings and roads are in…May 1, 02:05
    • Young Lochinvar on Seven Days Too Long: “FFS What is up with you lot? Vote ATLS. Simple. “Independence, nothing else”. Isn’t that what we are crying out…Apr 30, 23:49
    • Rob on Seven Days Too Long: “I did vote for Fergus, its not that I don’t like what the SNP used to stand for, its more…Apr 30, 23:27
    • Alf Baird on Seven Days Too Long: “The Crown as relating to the Kingdom of England seems clear enough, an thars nae doubt thon Croun is whit…Apr 30, 22:31
    • James on Seven Days Too Long: “Dan; I’m south Scotland and have an ATLS choice on the list so they will get my vote, sadly there…Apr 30, 22:12
    • Mark Beggan on Seven Days Too Long: “I think Scotland is about to become the land that time forgot.Apr 30, 21:17
    • Cynicus on Seven Days Too Long: “If you can, vote for Fergus Ewing. #No Votes SNP.Apr 30, 21:13
    • Cynicus on Seven Days Too Long: “If you van, vote for Fergus Ewing. #No Votes SNP.Apr 30, 21:12
    • diabloandco on Seven Days Too Long: “Please , please go and vote – spoil your ballot paper if no-one appeals – but please vote as even…Apr 30, 21:11
    • Dan on Seven Days Too Long: “The trouble is James, that after 10 years and two Scottish parliament elections, there is now a choice of voting…Apr 30, 21:06
    • Doug on Seven Days Too Long: “Our only hope for independence is Farage becoming PM in England.Apr 30, 21:02
    • Doug on Seven Days Too Long: “A leader with any integrity would resign. So, aye, Swinney will remain as leader. The gutless memebership will probably beg…Apr 30, 21:00
    • James on Seven Days Too Long: “Are you not missing the point? Agree to disagree on anything and everything except; Independence, nothing else nothing less. That’s…Apr 30, 20:23
    • Confused on Seven Days Too Long: “pessimism is just playing the odds, but it makes for a dull life 1. england is swallowed beneath the waves…Apr 30, 19:33
    • Potace on Seven Days Too Long: “I’m just not going to bother voting. What an utterly depressing shower they all are, and I’m left completely politically…Apr 30, 19:06
    • Highland Wifie on Seven Days Too Long: “Alf says “Scots need to elect radicals.” Alliance to Liberate Scotland made a huge mistake in parachuting in Craig Murray…Apr 30, 18:30
    • Sven on Seven Days Too Long: “twathater @ 17.54. “They may not be polished or grandiose” and, I’d add, not career or would be professional career…Apr 30, 18:20
    • 100%Yes on Seven Days Too Long: “Have you seen this below? https://neilslegalstuff.blogspot.com/2026/04/crown-of-england-post-1707-read-act.html Just wondered your thoughts?Apr 30, 18:18
    • Sven on Seven Days Too Long: “Cynicus @ 17.39. I’d guess that you have missed the opportunity to waste some hours of your life which you’d…Apr 30, 18:12
    • Alf Baird on Seven Days Too Long: ““a lackey for Sturgeon Don’t you mean “a lackey” for the ‘Union’?Apr 30, 17:56
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