Desperate fishwives
Scotland’s political opposition and media, today:
There can surely be no country on Earth cursed and plagued with a more pathetic shower of petty, whining, gossiping harpies in those roles than Scotland. And while we knew that already, barely a day seems to go by without them reaching a new nadir.
If you’ve got the stomach to hear about the latest low point, grit your teeth, lower your expectations of humanity considerably and read on.
So let’s walk through that.
Firstly, the headline is (of course) a lie, just like the one about the FM on the front page of yesterday’s issue that today’s Herald carries an apology for – the actual cost of renting the temporary accommodation for the leader of the country was NOT “nearly £20,000”, it was £11,008 for five months, or £2,201 a month.
(Another £8800 was spent on various fees involving the sort of extensive security and background checks that anyone who wasn’t a complete imbecile might expect to be undertaken on the prospective home of a First Minister/seat of national government.)
£2201 a month is a lot of money, but it doesn’t get you very much house in central Edinburgh. This is the FM’s normal residence, Bute House in Charlotte Square:
It’s pretty fancy. We couldn’t find anywhere for rent in Charlotte Square, but here’s a much more modest pied-a-terre located just a couple of hundred yards away in the still-nice but unquestionably less salubrious Alva Street:
And here’s one a little further out, but in the New Town proper:
It’d be a step down, but certainly still a pretty acceptable place to meet dignitaries and hold cabinet meetings and suchlike. Something more on the level of Bute House would be somewhat pricier:
But rather than bill the taxpayer to keep her in the style to which she’s accustomed, the First Minister of Scotland actually bunked up for five months in a TWO-BEDROOM FLAT and made do with huddling around the living-room table when she needed to discuss affairs of state with her ministers.
(Imagine Theresa May being asked to make do with a two-bed flat for almost half a year if Downing Street needed some work.)
And her thanks for this sacrifice? Furious howls of idiot rage from Unionist politicians and a supposedly grown-up broadsheet newspaper that she was “wasting money” by not decamping to a manky student bedsit or a tent on the Meadows with a lilo and a gas stove.
We’d quite like to see where Graham Simpson lives. We suspect it’s rather nicer than a two-bedroom flat, even though we doubt one Scot in a hundred could tell him from Adam and wouldn’t notice if he fell down a mineshaft for five months and couldn’t do whatever the hell it is he does all day for his fat taxpayer-funded salary.
(We’re pretty sure that he must be one of these anonymous, identikit fannybags, but we honestly wouldn’t like to have to bet 50p on which one.)
The sourest cherry on the cake was that the story was published on the same day Simpson’s government in London was dropping bombs that cost £800,000 each on the Middle East in a moronic act of bread-and-circuses misdirection from the shambles of Brexit, done without the consent of Parliament and based on some highly questionable evidence about a supposed chemical attack, which will do absolutely nothing to bring peace to Syria and could have been achieved perfectly well by the USA under the command of President Bobo The Clown without the UK’s assistance.
(And it is, as always, interesting to speculate on exactly how much the UK spent on its latest bout of impotent sabre-rattling pining for the days of the Empire, versus how many Syrian refugee children the money could have housed instead if we REALLY cared about the plight of the innocent victims of conflict in that benighted land.)
It’s hard to say whether the opposition or the Herald are the bigger embarrassment to Scotland. Governments do need oppositions in Parliament, no matter how dismal. But the Herald – currently bought by just 0.58% of Scottish adults – is altogether less necessary, and its finally swirling down the toilet of history would be little more than a blessed relief to everyone concerned.
There is not enough SNP MP’s to bring the Tory Gov down when Labour and the DUP are supporting them. The Tories could have been voted down on 12th Sept 2017 EVEL vote but 8? Labour MP’s voted with the Tories, including Frank Field? NI Brexiteer? Skinner. Look it up.
The staged Statement shows the Westminster mentality. Few or not enough opposition for the cameras, if there had been a vote it might not have gone through. That is why there was not a vote. To stem the opposition. The only think that will rock the unionists is pressure on their seats. Some are not so secure. Brexit could upset it. Especially in London who voted to Remain. Scotland is outvoted 10 to 1 in Westminster and the unionists know it.
It’s not just squirrels/late library books that deflect the agenda.
Today the BBC was full of ‘new’ NASA stellar frequency planet finding theory…on most of the USA networks, nothing to see, much more important stuff.
Jeremy Clarkson is a prime example of arrested adolescence.
That can be an adorable trait as long as sufferers are not allowed to opine on anything serious or vote.
meanwhile on the BBC Scotland website nada, nothing!
Meg merrilees, you’re right, big news in Wales, total blackout in Scotland. Even if you google, “Continuity bill to be challenged in court,” only Wales BBC come up. Spooky.
link to bbc.co.uk
@ Times
‘Editor blocked from Herald job settles legal dispute with INM? ‘ (2013) Another Editor appointed.
Labour abstained again tonight on Syria vote. Rev Stu twitter.
The SNP MPs were sent to the HOC to speak for us and to expose both sets of Tories red and blue and in that they have succeeded, they were never going to win anything and anyone who thought they were were misleading themselves
At no time was it ever suggested the SNP MPs could somehow overcome the Westminster cabal, the numbers have always borne that out but in the present situation it is hard to see how effective they can be try as they may against what is now a full blown dictatorship and the blame for allowing that dictatorship falls squarely on the shoulders of the Labour party who have enabled the Tories at every turn to exert their will upon all four of our countries in the dim hope the Tories will slip below them in the polls to open up a chance for them to rule, and that should tell you everything you need to know about the Labour party, they couldn’t care less about the state of the country or the people in it as long as they win, which in a way makes them even worse than Tories, they’re like rats waiting to feed on the corpses
There will be many at conference pointing this out I’m sure
but now going forward I expect the next phase of the SNP operation will be set out and once again the airwaves will be thick with opposition squealing and shrieking and the newspapers will be salivating over the anguish misquoting everything everybody says in order to make things worse (coz that’s what they think they’re there for)
All I’ll say is hang on to your hats folks and insert your ear plugs
@ben
tx
For those who have not read this, it is a a very fair commentary on the last weeks of Skripal and Syria. Well balanced
link to medium.com
Meanwhile we find out that the Gas Attack wasn’t actually one. See previous comments relating to Robert Fisk’s report from Douma.
New BSpecials border force for NI.
Squirrels to the left, right, front and back.
Keep your eyes on the prize folks. Independence.
I suspect that the competition for leader of the Tories and hence PM is resulting in an unprecedented level of skullduggery, with apologies to the dug.
Yup, that’s McAskill crawled out of the woodwork right on cue after Sillars, quelle surprise. We’re a couple of
swellshas-beens.Great show from Ross Ashcroft “weapons of mass distraction”..
link to archive.is
Jeremy Clarkson is a performer. He slags off the Germans, the French, the Americans, the Australians… once in blue moon it is subtle and funny, but more often it’s just crass, offensive and rude. I seem to recall Clarkson wearing a rising sun bandana which Japanese Kamikaze pilots wore in WW2 for the final phase of a Top Gear race against the Japanese bullet train. Irreverent is one thing, but that was just grossly disrespectful. He also drove a Stars and Stripes bedecked scooter through Vietnam as I recall. It’s calculated to make your toes curl, like a trip on a Ghost Train at a fair, because the nervous giggle your body let’s rip once the anxiety has stopped passes for laughter. His producers eventually worked it out, and you will too.
I’m going to cut some slack on Ian Blackford and Nicola Sturgeon over recent events. Yes, I hoped for a much more hawkish demolition of May for her Arabian Adventure, but just because the White Helmets can’t make a very convincing crisis out of a drama, we probably have to assume that both Ian Blackford and Nicola were exposed to a much more effective weapons grade MI6 briefing about which they are sworn to secrecy and cannot tell us about.
It’s also dangerous to exclude the possibility that actual, bona fide, caught red handed, proof does exist… however remote the possibility and however irrelevant proof has been in the past…
I can forgive Ian Blackford being soft on May, I can forgive Sturgeon being constrained by what she knew at the time. You don’t have to be the caped superheroes on everything, just as long as you never take your eye off the ball over Scottish Independence.
After all, until we are Independent, Scotland has no independent Secret Security Service. An organisation that doesn’t exist so far, but has the delightful acronym waiting for it; the Scottish Secret Security Service Headquarters…. SSSSH.
Following on from Stu’s twitter banter with Leasky:
link to randompublicjournal.com
Why don’t these mavericks with a personal pique just wait until a joint decision is made by the elected members. With the responsibility to decide the date. Instead of putting undue pressure on, For the best decisions of altruism. Everyone knows their personal huff is what is driving their personal resentment. Not just a calculated rational. It is always the same people some of whom carry personal resentments of exceptionalism. Or just some liars. Especially in an every changing movement of speculation.
Voters just get sick of it. It will be when the time is right. Without any doubt. Especially with Scotland going in the right direction. Independence support rising. The NO’s diminishing and the YES rising, Demographics.
The state of May showing her nasty side when the Labour MP asked about Trump making the decision. Vicious. Nasty piece of work. The guard slips.
May and the Hedge funder £2Million of perks. A £100Million jet commissioned by Cameron. Arlene and her cronies had a trip in it. The £1/2Billion hot air scandal. Burning public money. Another £3Billion on top of the £Billions of NI funding. That is the expense account scandal. Propping up the Tories. Illegally. Not in the interest of fairness and justice. The troubles still brewing under the surface of non democracy. The Irish legacy of Westminster ignorance, arrogance and decades of complete betrayal. At least the EU will lend support.
The Russian e-mails. Correspondence from Russia. A few thousand? Normal inter net traffic? 150,000 (up to few million) 150Million population. US 320Million pop. Internet traffic is going to be quite high.
Cambridge Analytica, SCL Tories totally illegally harvesting and targeting 28Million for corrupt electoral purposes. There is no comparison. The US/UK have been illegally surveilling the world for years. Costing £Billions. Illegally infiltrating every one’s hard drive with impunity. Even when they are found out. The try and keep it hidden under the Official Secrets Act. A bunch of born criminal liars.
Anyone can just send an e-Mail to point this out. MP’s email boxes must be full. They is why they are always trying to shut any opposition down. Universally. Passing Acts of Parliament to shut down opposition.
Without SNP there Scotland would have no voice. Outvoted 10 to 1 in any case. The unionists Parties know it. Scotland only got limited Democracy when Holyrood was established in 2000. Until then Scotland was depopulated and totally outvoted by Westminster lying unionists. Lie after lie after lie. Kept hidden under the Offivial Secrets Act. Iraq, Dunblane, Lockerbie kept secret for 100 years. There must be much to hide. Not in the public interest of open government. What has been going on?
I agree with one thing Clarkson said.
“I don’t understand the need for Scottish independence,” The Grand Tour host continued.
I don’t believe he understands either. He’s another man-child and self publicist. The only thing Clarkson cares about is… Clarkson. *shrugs*
He’s made his millions. Super. (sigh) Using other people’s fear and misery for some more self publicity though? Perhaps a bit of Jock baiting and trolling? Maybe not a good look for the fella.
Labour abstained on the vote last night on their own motion.
Abstained on a vote in support of their own motion.
SLab voters must be impressed.
Incidentally, my reference to the show in the above link got me blocked by David Leaks.
I was referring to the superior economics programmes on RT.
It’s fair comment to say that RT is pro Russia, but when won’t even debate the content of the materials it’s shows you up to be very much pro U.K. establishment.
Should have read “Leask”
OT Anyone with access to youtube should have a swatch at Mt Lavrov on Hardtalk – certainly an antidote to the idiots we have and the J Clarkson’s of the world.
And if you find that you want to wander on then I recommend the Gorgeous George Galloway speaking of the events.
‘No need for Scottish independence’.
BritNat ‘logic’ at first sight obeys some very odd rules.
On the one hand they believe Scotland and England should be integrated into one united entity.
Yet, on the other hand they take great offence to any proposal that England might intergrate with France and Germany.
This might seem contradictory. But it isn’t. In their minds the integration of Scotland and England actually means Scotland being subsumed. In exactly the same way they fear England will be subsumed and ‘lost’ in Europe.
So there is actually consistency when you realise it’s not about a Union, a UK, a ‘Britain’, these Isles … it’s all about England.
Very few actually believe in a Union or a United Kingdom. And a partnership of equals never enters their minds!
Thatcher broke the Westminster parliamentary code of conduct many times. Kept illegal,decisions under the Official Secrets Act. In Scottish matters. ‘This must be kept secret’ written on the papers released since under the 30 year rule. The Barnet Formula deliberately introduced to take resources and funding from Scotland. Shut down every industrial sector.
Spent the Oil revenues on London S/E. Depopulating Scotland and causing total congestion in the S/E. Building Canary Wharf and Tilbury Docks etc. Loads of money bankers funding the Tory Party and getting the Building Societies books to gamble. Causing the world banking crash. Protecting the criminal bankers. No Laws to charge them with fraud and corruption. London institutions and government protecting crooks and embezzlers worldwide while millions died. In illegal wars and poverty caused by corrupt bankihg failure and speculation.
The banks are now ring fencing banking practices. Separation. Having cut back spectacularly. Sending letters out recently. They are no longer giving businesses reasonable overdrafts. Requiring 20% deposits for house purchase. Outside many buyers budgets or balances. Once 10% was considered reasonable. There are conducive schemes.
The Tories have been taxing the Oil sector at 40% since Jan 2016. Tory high taxes when the price had fallen have been ruining the Oil sector since 2010. Taking £Billions from Scotland and costing 120,000+ jobs. Fracked gas activities in the rest of the UK in tax free. Pay no tax.
Thatcher broke the ministerial code and handed the balance of the Press to the right wing. She knew would support her and give unfair advantage. Murdoch was allowed to buy the Times and the Sun group. NI Illegally. She was supposed to keep,out of the decision but she had meetings with Murdoch and denied it. Without a free and balanced Press there is no Democrscy.
.Murdoch is a criminal who illegally phone hacked and bribed public officials. A US citizen because of business interests there. In the US business interest require citizenship and governance by US Law worldwide. In the UK the Press is owned by non Dom tax evaders who are above the Law. A Law unto themselves. Desmond has had to sell up at a loss. Express to Trinity Mirror group. Huge pension fund deficit. £Millions. Green etc have broken company Law of due diligence. Fraud and corruption at Carrillion etc Public contracts. Tory connections to Gov etc. Perrisimmon business practices. What a mess.
It is only a UK citizen resident or subsidiary that can buy UK company shares on the stock exchange. Millionaire stockbrokers. Insured. Tax evading non Doms can own the Press. Not covered essentially by UK Law. The Law is not even enforced. Leveson finding were not introduced. The only address to victims was the civil courts. With extortionate legal costs. Instead of public prosecution in the public interest. Thatcher died alone in the Savoy Hotel. Owned by the Barclay bros? The Telegraph. The non Dom tax evaders. Private island off Sark meddling in Government through the Press.
Can Scotland introduce the Leveson recommendations. It might make a difference to the Oress in Scotland. Hold them to account. Make it easier to sue them. Instead of the Press regulating themselves. Or could they beam in misinformation in any case.
@ Dorothy Devine – Hardtalk interview with Sergei Lavrov here 25 mins:
link to youtube.com
All together now, to the tune of ‘what a friend we have in Jesus’
What’s the point in voting Labour
They will only just abstain
Except when claiming their expenses
Then these troughers know no shame
They were only flipping houses
They were only starting Wars
Not a Socialist amongst them
Sold out for the House of Lords
Not really a surprise I think, lot of Tony’s boys still in the plp.
At least the SNP voted. Is it possible their course of action at WM is not to expend too much energy on another English War, specially when they will get out voted. There’s not a lot of point in them ‘making that system work’, if that makes any sense.
Could well be a lot of very decent people in England just now wishing they had the SNP to vote for.
Keep on keeping on. Bairns not Bombs.
@Kangaroo
I read the recent Fisk article, I’ve admired his writing for over 20 years. That said, can you or anyone shed light as to why Russia would veto the proposed OPCW inspection. I’ve tweeted same question to Craig Murray, Abby & Robbie Martin and Elizabeth Vos.
Sky News presenter told us this morning that voters will soon be going to the Polls in the Local Council Elections across Great Britain on 3rd May.
It’s good to be kept informed by our National media.
Theresa May dresses for The Commons in white after firing just eight missiles out of 105 into Syria “because it was the right thing to do”.
Dressing in white to tell a pack of lies.
She’ll be going to Church on Sundays next.
Pure theatre.
The weapons manufacturers in england and the USA have massive piles of unused weapons.
They need wars.
They love wars.
Wars are big business and most of the share holders in these weapons factories are old pals of the people in power at Westminster.
That is why the english establishment and their media turn a blind eye to massacres like that in the Yemen.
The Yemen is not a huge war, but it does keep enough money flowing into the shareholders bank accounts to keep the holiday home in Barbados ticking over.
Bless them.
I picked up on the white attire too.
How pure!
@MJT Is that the OPCW inspection that’s happening tomorrow?
Meanwhile, in other news…
The Germans are backing Ireland over no hard border, the govt and eu are 3 weeks into a 6 week special negotiations to try and find an acceptable solution and the feedback now is nothing workable so far.
No solution, no deal, no transition deal either.
http://www.EUReferendum.com Brexit: displacement activity
Nana, if your out there, come back, we need you, and your links. Hope your doing well. Best wishes.
MJT 9.01
My understanding (though I could be wrong as I don’t have the texts in front of me) is that Russians vetoed the UK/Us motion because it was authorising OPCW not simply to investigate, but also to apportion blame. The Russians then put up a motion that was almost identical, except that it restricted OPCW to a technical investigation with facts being presented back to security council who would then effect judgement and action. This was then voted down by security council. Issue,perhaps, is transparency of OPCW operations.
There was also a third motion put up by Russians which was voted down by Security council.
Problem is that this has been reported in MSM universally as Russia opposing OPCW inspection. Simply not true. Argument is over process and range of remit of inspection.
The last two referendums ( indyref and EUref) that both made a mockery of democracy, with people being asked to decide one issue, but bombarded with policies, lies and inaccurate, wild predictions that misled and confused the debate. False promises that haven’t been kept; politicians and campaigners almost totally unaccountable; why hasn’t indyref policy been ditched altogether?
“we have a democratic mandate for an indyref”.
Scottish sovereignty and the right to self-determination are powerful arguments. Democratic mandate is the foundation for the indyref. The SNP were elected with a manifesto containing that promise.
What’s wrong with just seeking and obtaining a democratic mandate to declare the Scottish Parliament the sovereign parliament, Scot Govt the sovereign govt for Scotland so then giving the Scot Govt and Scot Parliament the sovereign power to amend or dissolve Scotland’s place within or outwith the Union as they see fit and have the democratic mandate to do so?
Scotland makes the changes Scotland wants, if the other partners in the Union find those changes unacceptable, then the Union becomes unworkable, defunct.
Currently, Westminster Govt works under the belief that basically they can do whatever they like. Previous agreements are not binding. Some votes go to parliament, a parliament where Scots MPs are outnumbered 10 to 1.
The UK system of govt is antiquated and rotten. A system from when there was no democracy and the vast majority of the people of Scotland, England Wales and Ireland had no say.
Bin indyref2, bin indyrefs altogether. Make elections the referendums. Elections where the people of Scotland could empower the Scottish parliament to protect Scottish interests within the Union (devolution with Scottish Parliament sovereignty over the devolved powers ( which is nearly what the SNP are attempting with their Continuity Bill), attempt to reform it or end the Union altogether.
My feeling is that Russians are concerned at possible politicisation of OPCW. In light of OPCW report on Skripal failing to mention US/UK chemical compound identified by Swiss lab in samples, perhaps their concerns have some justification.
Perhaps Russia is concerned about a repeat performance.
link to rt.com
Nuff said.
Terrific.
Now May’s Arabian Adventure has apparently prompted the Israelis to launch missiles into Syria, and Iran is now threatening retaliation against Israel.
Well played Theresa. Help yourself to a round of applause. Don’t bother to check if it’s warranted or not. There’s a REASON why military action requires multiple International resolutions and democratic parliamentary approvals. Every one of those approvals is a failsafe against error, and provides time and breathing space to be certain who really is the culprit, conduct assessments of what reaction is most effective, assess the ramifications, and make sure that Military intervention is the last resort, not the first.
Now the nut jobs in Israel are eyeball to eyeball with the nut jobs in Iran, and just like Brexit, the UK Establishment has believed its own shite and screwed up everybody’s prospects of peace and prosperity because of their own narrow minded greed and arrogance, and the BBC is saying Look away everybody! There’s nothing to see.
Going back to the Israelis, if it is them, makes you kinda wonder if UK /US strikes didn’t take out all the items on the Israelis shopping list, so the Israelis would have a go themselves and also double check whether the Syrian Air Defences really have blunted the West’s offensive capacity. Seems that they have.
End the Union before anymore of this British warmongering shitstirring destroys the lot of us. Get Trident booted out of Scotland so that Nuclear ploriferation treaties prevent it being moved elsewhere and the World breaths a sigh of relief as PsychoBritain is at least disarmed of its nuclear capacity.
Totally agree
[…] inexorably trivialising the debate, with attacks on minimum alcohol pricing, the baby box, and the cost of the First Minister’s temporary accommodation – all stories that were deconstructed by the independence website Wings Over Scotland. Wings […]