We referenced this a few days ago because we definitely remembered it happening, but we’d been unable to actually locate the evidence, and at Wings Over Scotland that sort of thing bothers us. After a very considerable amount of effort we’ve now tracked it down, so we’re bunging it up here to preserve it for the record.
(At that point host Frank Skinner gave up and moved on.)
It’s from one month after the indyref, and the interesting thing is that Robinson is twice given the opportunity to respond to Skinner’s question about whether he thought that the pro-Yes supporters had any sort of fair point about his alleged bias, and both times – rather than, say, just dismissing it with a quick “Of course not” – he ducks it.
Readers can, as always, make their own judgements.
Amid the horror of events in Catalonia yesterday, the Prime Minister of the UK – quite unintentionally – said something during an interview on the Andrew Marr Show which was highly pertinent not only to the Catalan referendum but to British domestic politics too. We thought it needed saving for the record.
As readers who were once children will probably recall, papier-mache is a substance in which incredibly flimsy material – such as tissue paper or newspaper – is turned into something rather more hard and durable by dint of combining multiple layers of it with a simple flour-and-water solution.
What’s less well-known is that the process also happens IN newspapers.
For a case study, let’s look at this article in today’s Times.
The Scottish Daily Mail almost explodes with fury over new crime statistics today:
Which is weird. Because there’s less crime in Scotland than there’s ever been at any time in modern history. How do we know that? Because the Mail tells us so.
We stuck this short clip up on YouTube yesterday as a throwaway while watching the Labour conference in slack-jawed astonishment (a visitor from an alien planet would have concluded it was the gathering of a party that had just won a landslide victory, not lost its third general election in a row), but on reflection it deserves a proper post.
If you know anything at all about the story of how female Glasgow City Council employees have fought for equal pay, you’ll probably be as outraged as we are at Baxter’s bulletproof brass neck. But the video actually demonstrates what appears to be Scottish Labour’s master strategy for winning back Scotland.
Labour will start their autumn conference in Brighton properly today, but the comrades have already been at the seaside over the weekend. We thought we’d see how the UK’s official alternative to the Tories was getting along.
This weekend’s Scottish Mail On Sunday carries a column from UK Cabinet Office minister Damian Green which, if anyone was still in any doubt, rings just about every warning bell imaginable in terms of the Tories’ plan to use Brexit to cripple devolution both in principle and in practice.
It’s tucked away on page 27 and doesn’t appear on the Mail’s website, but you can read the whole thing by clicking the pic above. And below, we’ve pulled out the key sentences that should have the blood of devolution-loving No voters running cold.
Mark Beggan on The Turning Point: ““can re-group and recommence the drive towards independence.” Not only has the SNP failed the bid for independence but is…” Sep 28, 15:42
James on Cowering From Destiny: “Aw, Adrian, sweetie – don’t be coy. You know it all basically goes back to one broken promise; “..not one…” Sep 28, 15:34
Mark Beggan on The Turning Point: “What action would you recomend the “membership” take? This is the same membership that got fleeced twice.” Sep 28, 15:10
Aidan on Cowering From Destiny: “Oh aye of course it isn’t James – let me guess you sit all day in your pants drinking cheap…” Sep 28, 13:56
100%Yes on The Turning Point: “I would say the graph is precisely what Sturgeon and Swinney wanted these two never wanted Independence. I’d go even…” Sep 28, 13:54
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Turning Point: “« Data from: Scotland, Great Britain »” Sep 28, 13:45
James on Cowering From Destiny: “LOL. Oh, Adrian; even you know this is disingenuous Bollox. Divert, distract, divide, remember? Must try harder.” Sep 28, 13:39
Angry Weegie on The Turning Point: “I would only complain about your use of the word ‘stalled’ in the last paragraph, when we all know she…” Sep 28, 13:35
Colin Dawson on The Turning Point: “The pro-independence vote used to be solidly behind the SNP and the unionist vote was fractured. Increasingly, the unionist vote…” Sep 28, 13:30
Captain Caveman on Cowering From Destiny: “Very good post, Lorncal, which I very largely agree with, albeit I don’t think the fundamental issues you describe are…” Sep 28, 13:26
Lorncal on Cowering From Destiny: “The greatest problem for the hard left which is essentially urban, and which has been adopted by the middle-class luvvies,…” Sep 28, 12:07
Captain Caveman on Cowering From Destiny: “I do agree with a lot of what Spartan has said there. Have we not now finally learn of the…” Sep 28, 11:07
Aidan on Cowering From Destiny: “I don’t think Lavrov (a horrible slug of a man) said anything approaching: “liberation is a matter for the oppressed…” Sep 28, 11:02
Spartan 117 on Cowering From Destiny: “@Alf – For the SNP, EU membership represents a good backstop on the event of independence actually being achieved (which…” Sep 28, 10:51
Spartan 117 on Cowering From Destiny: “Many of us, myself included, grew up in very deprived areas. We also got bullied at school for being different…” Sep 28, 10:39
Alf Baird on Cowering From Destiny: ““every delusional who really believes that Scottish Independence is synonymous with majority rule from Brussels” Indeed, Scottish self-determination has absolutely…” Sep 28, 10:10
sam on Cowering From Destiny: “Not so sure about “irrelevant grudges” being a part of the picture in Garvaghy road. This part of Portadown is…” Sep 28, 10:06
Spartan 117 on Cowering From Destiny: “Our politicians don’t act in our national interest though, and haven’t for some time. The EU is a great idea…” Sep 28, 10:04
Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: “Naw, Spartan, I think “white feathering” is to accuse somebody of being feart. I’m not doing that. I’m accusing you…” Sep 28, 09:28
Spartan 117 on Cowering From Destiny: “I’m assuming ‘Yoons’ refers to independence supporters who happen to disagree with the pissed low-IQ ramblings of the more loony…” Sep 28, 08:46
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Cowering From Destiny: “Bill Browder’s backstory is engaging and informative. www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlF0ZzH6C9s” Sep 27, 22:24
Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: “THEY’RE BEHIND YOU, JAMES!!! Oh dear, I shouldn’t have startled you like that. My bad. I’ll put some sand doon,…” Sep 27, 21:45
James on Cowering From Destiny: “Oh, the fucking irony!!! This site’s btl is being take over by warmongering TurboTory Yoons.” Sep 27, 20:19
Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: “If only there was some way to get £5 from every delusional who really believes that Scottish Independence is synonymous…” Sep 27, 19:48
Chris Downie on Cowering From Destiny: “Even if the conspiracy theories were incorrect, the SNP stance is completely undemocratic – and thus guilty of the same…” Sep 27, 19:07
Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: “Have you tried popping across to explain that to them face to face? Could be that it has never occurred…” Sep 27, 18:33
Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: “Guantanamo is still open. Should be a cinch to organise a direct flight from Fairford. The Yanks will have no…” Sep 27, 18:28
Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: “The usual masterful insights from Confused. His conviction that R can’t do force projection gives us hope that when everybody…” Sep 27, 18:22
Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: “Loving how English colonialism supposedly made them the world’s most hated nation, whereas Scottish colonialism supposedly gained us many international…” Sep 27, 18:03
Captain Caveman on Cowering From Destiny: ““Factual post” No one is denying the accuracy of Lavrov’s quote, Shit-for-Brains, merely the act of quoting him at all,…” Sep 27, 17:45
