A failure of memory 65
Posted on
March 05, 2015 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Archive for the ‘uk politics’
We need to talk about BBC Scotland 178
Posted on
March 05, 2015 by
Christopher Silver
In modern Scotland, you’ll struggle to find a politician from any party who won’t agree with two propositions: that Scotland is a nation and that devolution has, on balance, been a positive experience.
Debates about Scottish nationality are rare these days too. A substantial majority of Scots define themselves as “Scottish only”. Even UKIP has quietly ditched its plan to abolish Holyrood and now talks of forming a government.
But for all this consensus, Scotland’s inability to fully represent itself on the airwaves and onscreen remains one of the most critical issues we must now face up to.
The referendum created an eclectic range of alternative media. But, whether we like them or not, large media institutions like the BBC maintain a reach both online and offline that only a very select number of new platforms can begin to rival.
No single project can address this problem. Only a systematic renewal of Scotland’s media landscape will change the current reality of managed decline.
Nozin’ Aroun’ 127
Posted on
March 03, 2015 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
The waste monster 201
Posted on
March 03, 2015 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Asking for it 573
Posted on
March 01, 2015 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Labour reaches out to voters again 135
Posted on
February 28, 2015 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Scottish Labour MEP David Martin chats to the audience about TTIP.
The Unrefuteables 211
Posted on
February 25, 2015 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
On the left below is part of a Scottish Labour election leaflet that’s currently being put through Scottish letterboxes, featuring an alleged quote from an alleged NHS Scotland nurse identified as “Suzanne” from Clackmannanshire.
On the right is the CastingNow profile of an actress named only as “Suzanne” from Clackmannanshire, who describes herself by saying: “I’m very good at making people believe things which aren’t true hence why I’ve always been told to pursue acting.”
While they have very similarly-shaped faces and features, we have no idea whether the two Suzannes are the same person or if it’s just a strange and potentially amusing coincidence. But the point is, there’s no way of finding out.
The Vow remains an orphan 103
Posted on
February 24, 2015 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Another letter from the government. Sounds a lot like the others.
The tyranny of whining 149
Posted on
February 22, 2015 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
The excellent Jon Ronson has had a couple of articles published recently promoting his imminent book about the phenomenon of “internet shaming”, most recently one in yesterday’s Guardian. He talks fascinatingly with and about people who’ve had their lives ruined because they said things that weren’t illegal, but merely deemed in some way unacceptable by a self-elected mob, often led by the professionally-offended.
Some of the victims are sympathetic and others less so, according to one’s personal tastes and prejudices. But the overall picture painted is one of a world in which it’s becoming harder and harder to express opinions beyond the crushingly bland.
We saw countless examples during the independence referendum, in which comments which were often very mildly rude at worst – calling someone a “minion”, say – were inflated by press and/or social media hysteria into shock-horror scandals. (Indeed, on a few occasions this site was itself the subject of the monsterings.)
Such witch-hunts were of course done in the furtherance of a political agenda – in those cases, in the service of a No vote. But it’s interesting to see a wider version of the tactic being deployed against the SNP in the context of a UK general election.
A horrifying thought 181
Posted on
February 20, 2015 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
This is the Minister for Care and Support, Lib Dem MP Norman Lamb, on last night’s Question Time, letting Scotland know its status as an equal and valued partner in the UK, a partner whose democratically-elected MPs have the same right to have their voice heard on behalf of their constituents as those from anywhere else.
Glad we cleared that one up.
A couple of new ones 169
Posted on
February 19, 2015 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
These are starting to get a bit surreal.
“Vote Labour, get SNP!”
“Vote UKIP, get trade unions!”
We’ve added them to the list. Keep ’em peeled, folks!
Struggling for words 117
Posted on
February 19, 2015 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
