The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


Crayons out again

Posted on January 06, 2013 by

Inspired by Iain Macwhirter’s words in the Herald today, we knocked something up.

Click for full-size high-resolution image. Kids/teetotallers version below.

(Ballot box by Graham Hughes.)

36 to “Crayons out again”

  1. Rev. Stuart Campbell says:

    Also available: ned edition.

    Reply
  2. mogabee says:

    Clever Rev.  Eye catching, simple. To the point. It’s a winner!

    Reply
  3. Craig Evans says:

    It is ashame that Ian McWhirter didn’t name that comedian! I’ sure it will emerge sometime soon.

    Reply
  4. Rev. Stuart Campbell says:

    Bruce Devlin, says someone on Twitter. (NOTE TO LORD McALPINE: I HAVE NOT VERIFIED THIS FACT.)

    He seems hilarious.

    Reply
  5. Vronsky says:

    Wish I could afford to put this on a few billboards.
     
     

    Reply
  6. Roboscot says:

    Saying that Scots are incapable of running their own country is racism, and a hate crime.

    Reply
  7. Vronsky says:

    Is there a way to include images in a post?  I tried dragging and dropping and it appeared in the draft but wasn’t posted to the blog.

    Reply
  8. Rev. Stuart Campbell says:

    I think the only way is to have the pic uploaded somewhere and use the <img> tag.

    Reply
  9. Rev. Stuart Campbell says:

    Here’s a test:


    To do it, enter a line like this, except with the [] brackets replaced by <> ones.

    [img src=”http://address.something.com/yespic.jpg”/]

    Reply
  10. Rev. Stuart Campbell says:

    Hmm, actually that doesn’t seem to work in the user comment box. I don’t really like embedded pics (or YouTube videos) anyway, as if they’re too big they screw up the formatting. Just post a link. If it really needs to be embedded for some reason, I can do it in admin.

    Reply
  11. Vronsky says:

    Here’s a link, then:
     
    link to dropbox.com

    Reply
  12. A few random thoughts, maybe slightly o/t, but I’ve often thought it’d be a good idea if we could print up  some leaflets (say 10,000 for example), get them delivered and track the traffic coming into the specific webpages which would show if it was worth repeating the exercise over other postal code areas.  Maybe use a 4-sided A5 booklet that’d contain some myth-busting stuff with addresses for the full articles, e.g. the stuff about the BBC funding on this site from the other week.

    Maybe that should all be done under the Yes Scotland banner but I’m a bit frustrated with them and don’t really see where that’s going.  Then again is it better that the public see that there’s more than just Yes Scotland involved? 

    I’d happily chip in for that.

    Reply
  13. Rev. Stuart Campbell says:

    “Here’s a link, then:”

    Hmm. It didn’t like that when I tried, possibly due to the “s” in the “https” of the Dropbox address. Something like Twitpic or Tinypic is probably a better bet.

     

    Reply
  14. Aplinal says:

    @Dave
     
    I think YES Scotland are simply biding their time.  There is still 20 months to go, they don’t need to ‘fire’ their bullets just yet.  Without being too unkind, I think most people will have what trainers refer to as the ‘recency’ effect.  that is, they will retain the idea that they last had, especially in such a long campaign.  It will do none of us any good to have a major effort now, as the intervening 18 months would dilute the message and allow tonnes of misinformation by the MSM/BBC Scotland unionist mouthpieces. 
     
    It can be frustrating, I know – I have expressed this myself – but I DO see the plan.  Keep the faith!
     
    Hail Alba

    Reply
  15. Keef says:

    Hi Stu,
    A happynew year to you and all your readers.

    Any chance of your thoughts or your ‘odds’ on a Labour MSP jumping ship before the end of this month. I know there must be a few. Who will be the brave one to make history and lead the way. 

    Reply
    • Rev. Stuart Campbell says:

      “Any chance of your thoughts or your ‘odds’ on a Labour MSP jumping ship before the end of this month.”

      I’d say the odds on that at this particular stage were very long indeed. Perhaps when Lamont’s cuts commission has delivered its verdict things might get interesting, though.

      Reply
  16. Vronsky says:

    I occasionally wonder if ‘Labour for Independence’ represents a genuine political opinion, or is just a ‘stay behind’ operation in case the Unionists lose the referendum.

    Reply
  17. FreddieThreepwood says:

    @Aplinal

    I too have been hoping the Yes Campaign is playing the long game but, you know, McWhirter’s piece did touch on a very important factor – confidence. I find it hard to believe a late push (a la SNP in 2011) can deliver such a momentous decision as ending the union. I think the foundations for that really do need to be laid now. If we’re confident in our arguments then we can’t plan a campaign around denying the No camp too much time to counter them. If the other mob really don’t have anything to offer – and they don’t – then let’s get in amongst them now – why wait? Is a person not more likely to vote yes having listened to the thick end of two year’s worth of positive, confident, assertive arguments for independence rather than just some effective campaigning in the previous few weeks?

    Reply
  18. squarego says:

    The long game is the only one in town. 
     Itc’s worth considering that people tend to gravitate towards information which supports rather than challenges their position. People read the newspaper which agrees with their beliefs and biases. Most of us probably spend more time reading pro-independence material rather than anti. This is a danger with the long game – once someone takes a position, they’ll tend to seek out and absorb the information to back up that position. Better to get people on board while they’re swaying than trying to move the entrenched at the last minute.

    Reply
  19. Macart says:

    I agree with Aplinal, its all about building momentum slowly but surely. Knock down the three pillars first and foremost – too wee, too poor, too stupid. Build peoples confidence in the competence of their government, show them the increasing realised potential of our resources, give them examples of Holyrood forged policies making a positive difference in the face of Westminster party objections. Last but by no means least, the finishing touch, a whitepaper blueprint of the future of an independent Scotland.

    With only twelve months left by that point the opposition won’t know which way to turn. Do they attack the principle of independence set out by the YES campaign, attack the future government policy of the SNP Scottish government or actually form a positive future vision themselves? I’d be delighted if they tried to juggle all three, but the good money is on an all out dirty campaign aimed at the SG. Let’s face it the rainbow no alliance can’t stand to be in the same room together, far less agree on a future positive vision for Scotland. Arguing against the principle of independence? Good luck with that. That leaves continuing along their current chosen path of smear and scare, which even by this point already is boring the crap out of people and seriously pissing them off.

    Nope, slow and steady, give them multiple targets and problems to deal with. Most importantly keep it clean, steady and reasonable from our perspective.

    Tortoise not hare. 

    Reply
  20. muttley79 says:

    I don’t think a Labour MSP would resign at this stage.  I reckon discontent usually begins at a lower level, particularly if it is with a leader, or a leadership.  Remember when Thatcher was first challenged for the Conservative Party leadership a so-called ‘stalking horse’ was deployed to test the waters, and see how much opposition there was to the old cow…When she did not get enough support then everyone knew she was a goner.  In the case of Scottish Labour I doubt if any of their present MSPs have the stomach to try and oust Lamont.  Therefore, a rebellion would most likely come from the grassroots members, and perhaps some councillors (although obviously not from the likes of Terry Kelly!).  😀   I always thought somebody like Malcolm Chisholm would have resigned by now.  However, it looks like that is not going to happen.  I would imagine he his privately horrified at Lamont’s leadership though. 

    Reply
  21. muttley79 says:

    @Freddie Threepwood

    You make a really good point about the 2011 elections and the referendum.  The SNP did come back in the 2011 elections to get a majority.  The problem in citing this as an example of what could happen in the referendum is the completely different contexts involved.  The 2011 elections were for a devolved admin or government, the referendum is about the nation’s poilitcal future.  Assuming that the Yes campaign could achieve a similar turnabout in fortunes is potentially dangerous.  The importance of the referendum on independence is well known and understood.

    Reply
  22. Fiona says:

    With Labour for Independence getting firmly established a Labour MSP doesn’t need to resign from the party to make their support for Independence clear, all they have to do is declare themselves in support of LfI from within the party. I would love to see the reaction from Ms Lamont and co. when this eventually happens-as surely it is bound to. The cat will be well and truly amongst the labour pigeons then and it will be fun to watch- do they withdraw the whip, expel from the party- the final stage of the meltdown of Labour will have begun

    Reply
  23. douglas clark says:

    Good point Fiona.

    Reply
  24. muttley79 says:

    @Fiona

    Would a Labour MSP not just stay quiet if he/she supported independence?  They would save themselves a lot of aggro…

    Reply
  25. Vronsky says:

    “Would a Labour MSP not just stay quiet if he/she supported independence?”
     
    Maybe I’m unfairly cynical, but I think Labour MPs support only one thing: their own private best interests.  If a point arrives when it seems that the most likely way of hanging on to the salary and the expense account is to jump to the SNP or declare support for independence then they will immediately do that, and assure us that that was their view all along.  Remember how the ‘gang of four’ invented the Social Democrats, and how many Labour MPs jumped ship to them when it seemed inevitable that they would form the next government?  An informative exception was George Robertson, as he apparently feared he would lose his Hamilton seat to the SNP.  Principles?  Wouldn’t know them if they found them in their soup. Do we really want more George Kerevans?

    Reply
  26. Fiona says:

    @Mutley
    A lot of people will be staying quiet just now to stop aggro I’m quite sure. As the time ticks by to the referendum though folk will no longer be able to stay quiet as I’m sure that they will be expected by constituents, readers- in the case of the media to declare one way or another. In the case of those supporting independence they will feel that they have to speak out eventually.
    The added complication for Labour representatives is the fight for the future of the party. People like Malcolm Chisholm, who surely do not feel comfortable with the direction the leadership are taking the party, and will feel more at home with the LfI ideas, may feel compelled to declare their support for LfI. If Ms Lamonts commission into universal benefits comes out with some fairly right of centre views- as I’m sure it will then some traditional Labour folk may feel the only option they have to remain true to their political values is to declare support for LfI. Once the first few do this then we may see a bit of a surge for a while, but I don’t expect any of this to happen before we are within a year of the referendum.
     

    Reply
  27. muttley79 says:

    @Vronsky

    Do you think that all Labour elected representatives are only interested in their own private interests?  Is that not a very difficult thing to say, as you would have to know all of them?  Also, what have you against George Kerevan?  I don’t know much about him, only that he writes for the Scotsman and supports the SNP.

    Reply
  28. muttley79 says:

    @Fiona

    Yes, that is very possible.  I honestly can’t imagine many liking this very obvious shift to the right.  I am still not convinced that the likes of Malcolm Chisholm supports, or would support, independence.  On the other hand, only the likes of Murphy, Curran, Baillie, McMahon, Alexander etc will support come what may the line from Millibank and John Smith House. 

    Reply
  29. Fiona says:

    @Mutley
    I suppose it depends on how deeply they support a more socially just society. If that is what they want above all else then I don’t see they have any option but to support Independence as a means of securing this. If not then they are happy to see these ideals lost in the Westminster dust forever as the Tories and Labour chase themselves in ever decreasing circles to the right- it is downward spiral that only Independence can save us from- we know it and I’m sure in their hearts they must know it too.

    Reply
  30. Jim Campbell says:

    Hey Rev, think about a couple of senior Scottish MPs,  who have no Ernine in sight,  and who could portray  crossing the floor as  “taking the high road” for Scotland and voting  YES FOR SCOTLAND in the referendum !   I would nominate M. Moore, our rather powerless Secretary of State, and  C. Kennedy,  the most northernly sited and likable, non-conformist in the U.K. Parliament.   Think of the money we will save every day by not having to pay out £300 a day for them to just turn up at the “House of Lords” and all these Labour and the few LibDems MPs who have to collect their P45s – thats’ a few million more, eh ?    Plus the 20 billion a year on the Nuclear Submarines and WMD that they are forcing us to help pay for.  

    Any other nominations, guys ?

     

    Reply
  31. AnneDon says:

    I think the whole point of Labour For Indy is that they are still IN the Labour Party – they’re staying there to fight. The fact that Johann Lamont is dragging the party rightward is making their job easier, but it wasn’t necessary for them to exist.

    However, I don’t think, in the event of independence, Labour MSPs can suddenly emerge to ‘lead’ Labour for Indy activists and expect them to follow – like ‘non-Thatcher’ Tories did in the 1990s – pretending they were fighting behind the scenes.  

    I have time for Malcolm Chisholm – the worst thing I know about him is that he’s in the Labour Party! And people have many different motivations for staying in a political party – not all of them are ideological.    

    Reply
  32. Boorach says:

    O/T Newsnet have an interesting item on Nicola setting up a committee to look at how the social injustices being perpetrated by the tories can be corrected on achieving independence. It’s this sort of perpetration, given some publicity, which will drive tha YES movement forward and  help sway a lot of undecideds!

    Reply
  33. Frances says:

    If you read Ian Smart’s first entry in his blog it is a list of the ten reasons Labour lost the last Scottish election.  It is a sane and balanced analysis and at point ten he lets it be known that with the Labour Party, the party comes before the country.  
    I doubt any Labour politician in Scotland will cross the floor to join the SNP.  However, I do think a lifeline has been thrown in the form of the new ‘independent’ group – the Greens and the ex SNP.

    Reply
  34. dadsarmy says:

    Posters – I like them. But the Irn Bru is more appropriate for jakeys (a sugar rush). Youngsters, school and university, in my experience are more vodka and cheap cider. For teetotallers and older fogeys like me, perhaps just a bottle of milk and a tea-cup!

    YesScotland.net – I’ve criticised it, but on reflection I have to hope it’s just for the phase of the campaign where they’re concentrating on already decided voters, to join the campaign, buy a teashirt, twibbon (yeeuch but no have one too), and donate. They WILL have to change their website almost completely in the last 12 months of the campaign. Their logo’s rubbish, sorry to be so negative. It’s not clear, and it’s nothing special either. I’m not sure about “Yes Scotland” either as a slogan.

    MSPs jumping ship. It won’t be just one, it’ll be 2 or more to keep each other company. I also doubt it’ll happen this year, unless therer’s a mass desertion to Lab for Indy, or SLab decides to back Independence, making a YES certain, and therefore allowing them to claim credit for it – and hope for re-election in 2016. They’ll be watching polls closely and the background trends.

    Reply
  35. JLT says:

    Rev,

    Your giant blue ‘Yes’.

    That’s all you need on a Giant Billboard. Plaster this one word, and nothing else, and place it on Billboards around the nation.

    Subconciously, the message will seep in to folks minds.

    Reply


Comment - please read this page for comment rules. HTML tags like <i> and <b> are permitted. Use paragraph breaks in long comments. DO NOT SIGN YOUR COMMENTS, either with a name or a slogan. If your comment does not appear immediately, DO NOT REPOST IT. Ignore these rules and I WILL KILL YOU WITH HAMMERS.


  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,787 Posts, 1,222,179 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • Young Lochinvar on According As We Need Them: “TH Cos they are up to their proverbial ears in it.. Just like the public sector, the 3rd sector (really…Jul 18, 03:37
    • twathater on According As We Need Them: “THAT door is emblematic of the whole uk establishment, Fuck All WORKSJul 18, 03:09
    • twathater on According As We Need Them: “If the chief constable was engaged in unlawful conduct or actions surely she should be removed from her position As…Jul 18, 03:05
    • twathater on According As We Need Them: “For a supposed supporter of independence your continuous negativity echoes your fellow travellers penchant towards undermining everything about Scotland The…Jul 18, 02:53
    • Young Lochinvar on According As We Need Them: “Google! Q: When were doors invented? A: Doors are first recorded in ancient Egypt around 3000BC. So doors have been…Jul 18, 02:47
    • Young Lochinvar on According As We Need Them: “Boom boom! Why did the Lords cross the road?? Because the new £9m £6m HOL door is jammed shut so…Jul 18, 02:17
    • Young Lochinvar on According As We Need Them: “Boom boom.. How many Lords does it take to open the HOL £9m £6m door? None! It doesn’t work!! Boom…Jul 18, 02:14
    • Stuart on According As We Need Them: “Then Ireland joined the EU and they surrendered their independence…. Just like Scotland will.Jul 18, 01:06
    • Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on According As We Need Them: “MESSAGE TO THE FREE NATIONS OF THE WORLD (Issued in Irish, English, and French by Dáil Éireann at its first…Jul 18, 00:56
    • DaveL on According As We Need Them: “…with a brain he hasn’t gotJul 17, 23:42
    • GM on According As We Need Them: “aye, DaveL. These accounts are largely ignored now which has had an effect.Jul 17, 23:08
    • Captain Caveman on According As We Need Them: “‘… What a bunch of absolute fuckin’ winners!‘ Yep! That’s how we roll mate. “Fuckin’ winners” one and all. (Lulz)Jul 17, 22:59
    • Confused on According As We Need Them: “some people, the whiners, don’t like poetry, well, you know their kind, they don’t like -anything- Poetry is a bit…Jul 17, 22:51
    • Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on According As We Need Them: “POLICE ‘PRIDE’ MARCH DAMAGING PUBLIC TRUST, HIGH COURT RULES A Newcastle United fan investigated by Northumbria Police over her gender-critical…Jul 17, 22:04
    • DaveL on According As We Need Them: “Woah! The colonialists are on overdrive today. Slagging off anyone with the audacity to post an idea a poem or…Jul 17, 22:04
    • Aidan on According As We Need Them: “@Hatey – yes it’s all fun and games, but I really love Scotland, there is no better country in the…Jul 17, 22:01
    • Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: “C’moan Mark. No civilised country would put Edinburgh people in Govan. Or vice versa.Jul 17, 19:31
    • Mark Beggan on According As We Need Them: “I will sleep like a sedated log. Knowing that those three self appointed terrorists are locked up in the Govan…Jul 17, 19:21
    • agent x on According As We Need Them: “@ breeks “Super-container port plan at Scapa Flow wins backing Plans to build a container ship gateway to Europe in…Jul 17, 19:15
    • Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: “Ah, c’moan noo, Aidan. Stereotypically, we Scots are famously lacking in teeth – what we could perhaps call “dentally challenged”.…Jul 17, 19:12
    • Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: “You don’t know what “hight” means, NC? Odd. It’s easy enough to find online. But do tell us true. Are…Jul 17, 18:59
    • Aidan on According As We Need Them: “I appreciate that what I said may seem like a personal attack even though I didn’t name you. I’ll leave…Jul 17, 18:50
    • Northcode on According As We Need Them: “My Tercet – almost – of the Day: AI Dan; The clue is in the name, the artifeecially smert; Artifeecial…Jul 17, 18:43
    • Northcode on According As We Need Them: ““…your posts will achieve new hights of wonder and delight for us readers” Envy is a terrible sin… and a…Jul 17, 18:39
    • Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: “I missed this earlier. Strong, the disappointment is, in me. Still, NC, why not use “thocht” or even “ween”? Even…Jul 17, 18:28
    • Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: ““an alley to trans people but also an alley to women” The seeker after [REDACTED] would do well to stroll…Jul 17, 18:20
    • twathater on According As We Need Them: “You Posted, “You’ll just look like the other unemployment daytime drinker shopping channel serial masturbaters that seem to lurk on…Jul 17, 18:16
    • Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: ““don’t … contribute financially or socially to Scotland or Scots” And you do, TH? You’ve really swallowed the “assistance” line…Jul 17, 18:12
    • Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: ““as a wee mid-week treat for one” There ye gang, NC, fixed it fer ye. Pamper yersel soon!Jul 17, 18:07
    • Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: ““Governments aren’t really interested in the health and welfare of the poorest” By a remarkable coincidence, neither are most people.…Jul 17, 17:58
  • A tall tale



↑ Top