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Wanting what you can’t have 36

Posted on January 13, 2014 by

Yesterday’s Scotland on Sunday took a slightly strange angle on the results of a social-attitudes survey conducted by the thinktank “British Future” last month.

“Almost half of the British people believe that the UK would be weakened in the event of Scottish independence, according to the first poll to illustrate the extent that Scotland is valued by its neighbours.”

…or put another way, MORE than half of them DON’T believe that. But anyway.

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Night bombing 201

Posted on January 12, 2014 by

Now here’s an explosive thing to drop at 10 o’clock on a Sunday night.

ftcom

Click the image to read the full Financial Times story. Did the game just change?

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The Highlands and islands 42

Posted on January 12, 2014 by

Chapter 9 of “The Claim Of Scotland”.

claim9

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Days of whine and roses 98

Posted on January 12, 2014 by

It’s a fortunate thing, viewers, that we have a strong will, hardened by years of dreich, endless 1970s Sundays in Scotland with only three channels on the telly (each of them showing programmes entirely about farming and God), everything outside shut except the rainclouds, and nothing to look forward to but school in the morning.

jolly

Because otherwise the frustrations of yesterday’s site problems, followed by waking up this morning to be faced with papers stuffed to the brim with miserable, bleating old Scottish Labour dinosaurs with torn coupons and long catalogues of whinges about you-know-who and you-know-what might just have pushed us over the edge.

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In Russia, fear projects YOU 120

Posted on January 12, 2014 by

Hello again! We apologise for the recent 19-hour interruption to normal Wings Over Scotland service, which was almost certainly the result of a cyber-attack by the KGB.

saynyet1

Not really, of course. A combination of a badly-coded plugin, human error and the global curse of spam comments is most likely what actually took us offline for most of yesterday and this morning. But in the light of today’s Sunday Herald front-page scoop, it’s hard to be absolutely sure.

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The conscientious objector 51

Posted on January 11, 2014 by

lionsdodgedbydonkeys

(Story 1, story 2)

The secret of good comedy 63

Posted on January 10, 2014 by

…they say, is timing. Alert readers may have noticed that Scottish Labour have spent all day on a cheap smear attempt against SNP Cowdenbeath by-election candidate Natalie McGarry, based on a couple of personal Twitter comments she made two years ago that were mildly critical of teachers, and which Labour had evidently rather creepily kept on file for all that time just in case she was ever selected to fight a seat.

“How DARE she attack our heroic, flawless and infinitely mighty educators?” had been the line since early this morning, issued alongside the uncompromisingly righteous hashtag #ContemptForTeachers. (Although all Ms McGarry had actually said was that teachers do a good job but liked to moan a bit, which isn’t terribly contemptuous.)

So there was a certain inevitability that the hapless, bumbling D-listers of Labour’s northern branch office would be swiftly humiliated by their UK masters yet again.

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The takeover bid 38

Posted on January 10, 2014 by

Chapter 8 of “The Claim Of Scotland”.

claim8

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Some things you should know 72

Posted on January 10, 2014 by

Just a wee round-up.

“Plan for Ukip ‘vote swap’ with Tories to to keep Miliband out of No. 10

Writer and Conservative campaigner Toby Young plans to launch a website that will encourage Conservatives and Ukip supporters to pledge to swap votes in margnial constiuencies”

We’re going to assume they mean “marginal” and “constituencies” there. (Even the Telegraph can’t afford sub-editors now?) But hey, it’s a comforting thought, right?

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The immigration falsehood 111

Posted on January 10, 2014 by

It says something about the baleful influence of the right-wing press (not to mention Tory, UKIP and Labour politicians desperate to seek its favour) that some people in Scotland mention immigration as a reason for voting No.

migration

Of the many scare stories originating south of the border, this one is among the least applicable to Scotland. (But is still perpetuated in the media because no major Scottish newspapers are actually owned here.) Scotland needs immigrants, and without sustained immigration over the next half century, we could be in trouble.

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For Mike Dailly 93

Posted on January 09, 2014 by

popnoo1

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Reader alertness test 35

Posted on January 09, 2014 by

Just a quick one, folks. Here’s a story we touched on earlier today, that appeared in today’s Scotsman and Daily Record. (It even briefly showed up in the Herald, but was deleted faster than we could save it.) At first glance it appears to be identical in both papers, but it isn’t. In fact there’s a rather substantial difference. Can you spot it?

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    • Sven on Pick Your Poison: ““Woven through the accounts.” ?May 8, 11:06
    • Colin Alexander on Pick Your Poison: “Asylum seekers couldn’t vote but those with refugee status who have Leave to Remain were allowed to vote.May 8, 11:04
    • Big Jock on Pick Your Poison: “Is it any worse than English students voting in Scottish elections and in our referendum! I would trust an asylum…May 8, 11:02
    • agentx on Pick Your Poison: “Refugees can now vote in Scotland if they have Leave to Remain and register to vote. Asylum Seekers are not…May 8, 10:49
    • Captain Caveman on Pick Your Poison: “Well, time will tell later today/tomorrow, but I fear you’ve likely “Picted” the wrong horse again, Northy. 😀May 8, 10:38
    • John H. on Pick Your Poison: “I’ve been hearing rumours, and I really hope they’re not true, that asylum seekers were allowed to vote yesterday. If…May 8, 10:36
    • David Miller on Pick Your Poison: “Yes the old politician spouting the same tired old well I havebeen knocking on the doors and getting our message…May 8, 10:03
    • Northcode on Pick Your Poison: “Hooray! England’s “Scottish piss-take-parliament” election is over, thank Christ. We only have the *untrustworthy count to go and a day…May 8, 09:41
    • 100%Yes on Pick Your Poison: “We all know the SNP will not get a majority. I was just wondering how much of the SNP membership…May 8, 09:40
    • Geri on Pick Your Poison: “Cause it’s harder to rig if a sample has already been announced. The didn’t have one for indyref either. The…May 8, 08:57
    • Aidan on Pick Your Poison: “Well you know CC, sometimes it’s nice to be proven right. It’s like someone who’s about to follow their satnav…May 8, 08:50
    • Mark on Pick Your Poison: “Why no exit polling in scotland?May 8, 08:29
    • 100%Yes on Pick Your Poison: “SNP well short of majority but to remain largest party by far, says leading pollster. If this is true and…May 8, 07:48
    • Captain Caveman on Pick Your Poison: “@Hatey Good morning 🙂 Looks like Reform are smashing it; people are persuaded en masse across the political spectrum by…May 8, 07:20
    • Captain Caveman on Pick Your Poison: “Ooft. That’s gotta hurt… Whilst no one but the most gullible will be surprised at this outcome, I admire your…May 8, 07:16
    • Aidan on Pick Your Poison: “Oh dear James, how embarrassing for you and Alf and the others, I didn’t realise another approach had been rejected…May 8, 06:11
    • twathater on Pick Your Poison: “Alf / Dan, I got roasted by grousebeater for suggesting that Kenny MacAskill had ignored and rejected the hand of…May 8, 02:41
    • Geri on Pick Your Poison: “It’s not nonsense & Marie is correct. Every vote cast for this colonial outpost is a vote to maintain &…May 8, 01:30
    • Mark Beggan on Pick Your Poison: “If the SNP are skint where did they get the money to pay for so many leaflets?May 8, 01:03
    • Geri on Pick Your Poison: “Shiteface, So you admit Scotland only has a say in Westminster if it votes Unionist. Thanks for confirmation that we…May 8, 00:21
    • GM on Pick Your Poison: “I didn’t bother on the constituency either. It turned out there might have been a pro independence party on it,…May 8, 00:05
    • GM on Pick Your Poison: “Staff at polling station said turnout was vert good, surprisingly. I was extremely surprised as it is unusual for the…May 7, 23:35
    • Geri on Pick Your Poison: ““because the Kingdom of England just hijacks the Westminster elections as their own, thus simplifying the choices and reducing the…May 7, 23:18
    • Cuphook on Pick Your Poison: “I have the right to vote, but it’s not compulsory. And I don’t need your respect. My choice to not…May 7, 22:36
    • James on Pick Your Poison: “Well Northy…here we go…. The United Nations Has Received the Evidence: Scotland Is a Colony and the World Now Knows…May 7, 22:08
    • Wally Jumblatt on Pick Your Poison: “I was handed the peachy sheet for the List candidates, a rag, tag & bobtail sheet of non-people and fantasy…May 7, 22:06
    • James on Pick Your Poison: “To paraphrase a great thinker talking about Fish Face previously; not all people who vote “Reform” are racist, but all…May 7, 21:29
    • James on The value bet: “Excellent. Boxes full here as well. Hopefully ATLS will do weel! Soar Alba.May 7, 21:10
    • Chris Downie on Pick Your Poison: “At this stage, would it actually be better if the pro-independence majority was lost, so that minds could refocus and…May 7, 21:02
    • Geri on Pick Your Poison: “They’re read by the candidates throughout the count so they can all agree to discard them/proof they’re spoiled. It may…May 7, 20:51
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