We’ll be honest, there are some bits of this that make us wince, and unfortunately most of them come in the first two minutes where they’ll do the most damage in terms of getting a persuadeable voter to watch the rest of it. But it’s an important piece of work, containing stuff even we didn’t know about, and it should be seen.
The tone of coverage deployed by the Daily Express (Scottish and English editions alike) with regard to the First Minister of Scotland in recent weeks has been both bizarre and disturbing. Yesterday the paper ran this “story”:
It’s a load of gibberish, obviously. But if the FM was preparing herself for a punch-up, you could hardly blame her given what’s apparently been going on.
“Bias” is a word we hate. Other than in the article you’re about to read, you’ll almost never find it used on this site, for a string of reasons. It’s one of those words that – regardless of context or literal justification – simply makes people switch off instantly and dismiss your arguments. (See also: “Zionist”, “Quisling”, “fascist”, “Liebore”.)
It’s also largely irrelevant, because there are very few people or organisations who have any duty NOT to be biased. When it comes to Scottish independence we’re as biased as all heck, and there’s no legitimate reason to expect the Daily Record or Scotsman or Daily Mail to be any more impartial than we are. They’re privately-owned businesses and entitled to take any position they like.
(The difference, of course, is that unlike them we’re committed to still telling the truth when we’re being biased, and to always providing linked original sources so you can judge our biased interpretation of facts and events for yourself.)
I was born to be a Rangers supporter. I had no real choice in the matter. My father was a Ger, as was his father and his father’s father. I was accepted that as soon as I was old enough to be lifted over a turnstile I would attend Ibrox, faithfully.
From 1964 (aged 5) I worshipped at the shrine of Rangers for almost three decades. Fortunately for me, my father was the least bigoted man you could wish to meet. His religions were the trade unions and Rangers. Because he wasn’t bigoted our next-door neighbour and dad’s friend used to take me to Parkhead to watch Celtic too, which I found thrilling as I was convinced the “Tims” could see right through me.
This caused me a bit of confusion at school, because some of my family were “Tims”. In fact my favourite aunty was a convert to Catholicism and was as devout and decent a Catholic as you will ever meet. The conflation of football and religion was as normal as the smog-filled air we breathed. It just was what it was. You were either Proddy Ranger or Timmy Celtic. It wasn’t to be questioned.
Except my dad questioned it, loudly and often. He tried to explain the wrongs of the situation to me many times. I remember asking him why he still was a Rangers man if he disliked the whole Proddy/Tim thing that went with it.
“They’re my team, son. The morons can’t change that”, he told me.
sam on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “See this? The genetic landscape of Scotland and the Isles https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1904761116” Jan 11, 14:33
Tinto Chiel on Off-topic: “Thought I’d cheer us all up with this uplifting song (before Trump does something really stupid): www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIoBrob3bjI” Jan 11, 14:22
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “TURABDIN. And my sincere apologies to you for the rather exasperated tone of my initial comment. (Though you will perhaps…” Jan 11, 14:20
Nae Need! on Failure To Learn: “That was one of my first thoughts too. My second thought being about the word ‘failure’. Failure presumes an attempt…” Jan 11, 13:45
Nae Need! on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “Having had the time this morning to follow this discussion, I too am in agreement with Aidan and Hatey. Wonders…” Jan 11, 13:39
TURABDIN on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “@ FEARGHAS MAC FHIONNLAIGH, @ ALF BAIRD, @ ANDY ELLIS. COMING FROM AN ANCIENT CULTURE whose language, various iterations of…” Jan 11, 12:40
Andy Ellis on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “@Alf As it happens, this is the only applied theoretical framework explaining Scotland’s colonial condition and urgent need for decolonization:……” Jan 11, 11:59
James Cheyne on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “I agree that a lot of history is bunk, most is just tail spun yarns. The treaty of York 1237…” Jan 11, 11:08
James Cheyne on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “Indeed Henry 111 father Earl of Cambridge, according to DNA does not appear to be his father at all, Ceciley…” Jan 11, 10:47
Hatey McHateface on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “@Andy Ellis There was more in my original post but it went to moderation. I was writing about the pictures…” Jan 11, 10:34
Alf Baird on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: ““develop his own coherent theories rooted in our own, unique, Scottish circumstances” As it happens, this is the only applied…” Jan 11, 10:31
Bilbo on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: ““Young women” may well speak for themselves but what they speak about is another thing. The actions of that nutter…” Jan 11, 10:23
Andy Ellis on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “I suspect it won’t be over until we see some strange fruit in turbans swinging from the lamp posts of…” Jan 11, 10:08
Hatey McHateface on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: ““Whatever would Fantoosh, Mammy and Ceasar make” Who cares. It’s all part of his depressingly cringy acceptance of mediocrity that…” Jan 11, 09:58
Hatey McHateface on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “It’s over. We won. With the exception of one dead body, President Trump got all the hostages home.” Jan 11, 09:48
Andy Ellis on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “@Hatey 9.17am Write up a bigly petition offering The Donald the croun, and beseeching him tae accept it. Use the…” Jan 11, 09:46
Andy Ellis on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “So what you’re saying Alf is that the speakers of Scots colonised the (largely) Brythonic speaking lands that now comprise…” Jan 11, 09:35
Hatey McHateface on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “History is bunk. Henry did a lot more for me and for the world than you’ll ever do, so he…” Jan 11, 09:22
Hatey McHateface on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “Cooking wi gas noo, Northy! Write up a bigly petition offering The Donald the croun, and beseeching him tae accept…” Jan 11, 09:17
diabloandco on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “Completely OT but is the ‘war’ in the middle east ‘over’ or just forgotten about ? I hear nothing on…” Jan 11, 09:10
James Cheyne on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “Most people that write Scotlands history come from outwith the Country of Scotland of Scotland itself. To delete a nation…” Jan 11, 09:02
Northcode on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “I doubt Donald would settle for being king of a mere territory. There can’t be the slightest doubt that President…” Jan 10, 22:11
william G Walker on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “Alf Baird writes a lot of sense, though tongue-in-cheek! Or is it? Better a peripheral “territory” of the USA than…” Jan 10, 21:14
Alf Baird on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “Aye Northcode, that’s the dilemma with a national tradition whereby oor leeberator aye gets tae be crouned Keeng! The Scottish…” Jan 10, 20:37
Northcode on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: ““Scotland a poodle rather than another poodles bitch” It’s a step up from where we are now for sure… the…” Jan 10, 19:44
Alf Baird on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: ““A very unhelpful comment, TURABDIN” I think what you mean, Fearghas, is that such a view is ‘unhelpful’ to the…” Jan 10, 19:35
Northcode on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: ““…an argument that presents negative consequences is not inherently fallacious…” There goes “Dances Without Facts” dancing without facts again. All…” Jan 10, 19:30
Alf Baird on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “As a son of Scotland there is no doubt Scotland is on President Trump’s radar. What does he have in…” Jan 10, 19:00
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “A very unhelpful comment, TURABDIN. Unsound in various ways already very well aired on Wings. It would be wearisome to…” Jan 10, 18:51
TURABDIN on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “SCOTLAND was invaded and settled «colonized» by three cultures, Irish aka Scotti, Anglian aka Inglis and Norsemen. The indigenous locals…” Jan 10, 18:08
