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The truth of the matter 122

Posted on February 24, 2015 by

The last few days have not been proud ones for the Scottish media. Following the Daily Record’s humiliation at the hands of the independent press standards body over the Smith Commission, we don’t see this letter from the chair of the Scottish Prison Officers Association in today’s Scotsman (and the article in question doesn’t appear to have been corrected), so it looks like we’re going to have to print it here.

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Category comment, debunks, media, scottish politics

Now you don’t see it, now you do 179

Posted on February 22, 2015 by

Jim Murphy in today’s Sunday Mail:

“At this election, with a cross in a box Scots can save the poorest families in Scotland £3,000 over the next parliament, because that is the average cost of the bedroom tax for those who are affected by it in Scotland.

The average annual reduction is £600.”

But hang on a minute. What bedroom tax?

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Category comment, debunks, scottish politics

Setting the Record straight 176

Posted on February 20, 2015 by

The Independent Press Standards Organisation has delivered its verdict on the Daily Record’s coverage of the Smith Commission recommendations on 27 November 2014, after we lodged a complaint with the watchdog body.

biglie

We attach its findings below. (Emphases ours.)

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Category comment, debunks, media, scottish politics

Struggling for words 117

Posted on February 19, 2015 by

It’s not often you get to see someone actually thinking out loud.

mcdougallwords

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Category analysis, comment, debunks, scottish politics, uk politics

The imaginary alliance 138

Posted on February 18, 2015 by

All this year we’ve been noticing a curious re-writing of history in the Scottish and UK media. It’s spanned left-wing and right-wing press, and even Yes-friendly voices like Iain Macwhirter and the estimable Lallands Peat Worrier have been sucked in.

Yet it’s such a fundamentally bizarre misunderstanding of a political system that’s now been running in Scotland for 16 years that we’re bewildered at the way everyone’s suddenly decided that it happened.

goldierecord

The latest occurrence of this odd phenomenon was in yesterday’s Daily Record, and the subject is the newly-alleged “informal deal” between the minority SNP government of 2007-11 and the Scottish Conservatives.

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Category analysis, comment, debunks, scottish politics

Another rise in inflation 104

Posted on November 25, 2014 by

It’s still Jim Murphy Day here at Wings (did you all get nice presents?), but we’re as sick as you are of hearing him avoid questions about devolution, so instead we’re going to take a look at something else he said this afternoon.

“Mr Murphy said that, under his leadership, ‘Scottish Labour would introduce a 50% tax rate for people in Scotland earning more than £150,000 per year’.

‘We believe that those who can afford it should pay a little more. There are 16,000 people in Scotland earning more than £150,000 and increasing the highest rate of tax from 45% to 50% would raise around £250m.'”

£250 million? We’re sure it used to be rather less than that.

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Category comment, debunks, investigation, scottish politics, stats, uk politics

A list of nothing 261

Posted on September 09, 2014 by

The Daily Record today outlines what it’s pushing hard as a triumphant intervention from Gordon Brown which justifies a No vote in the referendum. (It also claims the credit, comically suggesting its Monday front page drove Brown’s announcement.)

records

It lists “12 new powers” in Brown’s plan. Let’s take a look.

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Category analysis, debunks, media, scottish politics

Bringing the smackdown 123

Posted on September 01, 2014 by

We thought this deserved a wider audience after the Herald’s appalling front-page lead scare story today by Michael Settle and Kate Devlin, channelling Jim Murphy MP:

“SCOTTISH POLICE FEDERATION
5 Woodside Place, Glasgow, G3 7QF

MEDIA RELEASE

The Scottish Police Federation represents all police officers in the ranks of constable, sergeant, inspector and chief inspector, police cadets and special constables, over 18,500 people, 98% of all police officers in Scotland.

To: News Editor
Date: 1 September 2014
Subject: Independence Referendum

In response to the suggestion of absolute carnage in and around polling stations on the 18th Sept Brian Docherty, Chairman of the Scottish Police Federation said;

‘The independence debate has been robust but overwhelmingly good natured and it would prove a disservice to those who have participated in it thus far to suggest that with 17 days to go, Scotland is about to disintegrate into absolute carnage on the back of making the most important decision in the country’s history.

Politicians and supporters of whichever point of view need to be mindful of the potential impact of intemperate, inflammatory and exaggerated language, lest they be seen to seek to create a self fulfilling prophecy‘

ENDS”

Oooft. ‘Nuff said.

Category comment, debunks, media, scottish politics

Out of the loop 203

Posted on August 26, 2014 by

The key exchange on currency from last night’s debate:

At the end of the clip, a flustered Darling finally blurts out what the No camp have been trying not to admit for the entire campaign: “Of course we could use the pound”.

Unionists and journalists are now frantically spinning that they’d never denied such a thing. But we know that’s not true, and nobody got left with more egg on their face than Mr Darling’s supposed superior, Scottish Labour “leader” Johann Lamont.

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Category comment, debunks, scottish politics, video

Alistair Darling Lie Bingo 138

Posted on August 25, 2014 by

We’ve been so busy with the Wee Blue Book for the past week or so that we only just got round to listening to last Tuesday’s interview with Alistair Darling on Good Morning Scotland in time, before it vanished from the iPlayer. The former Chancellor gets a quite uncomfortable ride from presenter Gary Robertson, and flaps angrily for much of the ten-and-a-half minutes trying to turn every question into one on currency.

soundwave2

Mr Darling also makes some startlingly and empirically false statements throughout the interview, and we thought it’d be worth noting a few of them and seeing if they crop up on tonight’s BBC1 debate with the First Minister.

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Category audio, comment, debunks, scottish politics

The wrong direction 183

Posted on August 24, 2014 by

Stand by, readers. We’re about to post some porn for stat nerds.

bondyields

Yeah, you like that, don’t you? What’s a bit less sexy, though, is what the table above means for the “safety and security” of the UK, and the cost of your mortgage.

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Category analysis, debunks, scottish politics

Why Ed Balls is an idiot 115

Posted on August 24, 2014 by

Labour’s shadow Chancellor quoted in today’s Observer:

“Alex Salmond doesn’t want to admit it now, but joining the euro would likely be his only realistic plan B.”

This won’t take very long at all.

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Category comment, debunks, europe, scottish politics, uk politics

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