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Dumbing it down for Ruth

Posted on February 16, 2017 by

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson managed to make a bit of a balloon of herself earlier this month when she contrived to get THREE fairly key facts wrong in a single tweet about a poll on a second independence referendum.

ruthjim

(We’re not sure who the guy in the picture with her is. Probably a colleague.)

We suspected the reason she’d so badly misunderstood the data was that there were two options for “have another indyref in the next two years” and only one for “don’t have another indyref”, so when we were putting our latest poll together we thought we’d try to make it easier for her by having an equal number on both sides.

The results, funnily enough, came out much the same as the previous time – 51% of Scots, including 25% of No voters, want another referendum in the near future, either pre- or post-Brexit, with 49% wanting it put off to the distant future or never.

nextref

Hopefully she’ll be able to figure it out this time.

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  1. 16 02 17 13:57

    Dumbing it down for Ruth | speymouth
    Ignored

70 to “Dumbing it down for Ruth”

  1. Socrates MacSporran
    Ignored
    says:

    Ms Harrison is clearly in full Basil, or is it Sybil Fawlty mode. She doesn’t like to mention Independence, but keeps doing so, hoping against hope nobody notices her obsession and that she will get away with blaming it all on the SNP.

    Of course, it helps that the BUMs don’t want to think about Independence either, so they will not mention the fact she keeps going-on about it.

  2. stonefree
    Ignored
    says:

    “to make a bit of a balloon of herself”….
    more like a Zeppelin

  3. Proud Cybernat
    Ignored
    says:

    (t)Ruthless didn’t undesrtand because her mind was on other matters…

    http://imgur.com/hFYoyZt

  4. Bob MACK
    Ignored
    says:

    So, if this poll is accurate there are 17% of people who voted yes in the referendum who now think that either we should wait 20 years or never have another ? That is not logical.

    Could this be Unionists trying to alter the poll by deception ? *I. E I was SNP but not now etc.

    I wonder if this is part of tactical thinking and responses ,as we Scots are now on overload with polls etc.

    There does appear to be consistency with the 37% for no future referendum or for a 20 year gap. I wonder if the twenty year thing is elderly not wanting to disrupt the Union vote in their lifetime. Much to ponder.

  5. Desimond
    Ignored
    says:

    Ant and Dec have let themselves go!

    Like the Orange jacket..could we see another Orange Jacket wearer appearing yet again on Question time tonight..place yir bets!

    Panellist David Mundell
    Panellist Shami Chakrabarti
    Panellist John Swinney
    Panellist Val McDermid
    Panellist Mark Littlewood

    ( Mark James Littlewood is Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs. He has formerly been chief press spokesman for the Liberal Democrats and the Pro Euro Conservative Party.)

  6. Macart
    Ignored
    says:

    Multi choice:

    a. Didn’t understand
    b. Didn’t want to understand
    c. Simply misrepresented

    I’m possibly being a tad cynical. 😉

  7. Joemcg
    Ignored
    says:

    Hope fluffy is paying attention because it’s almost a cast iron guarantee he will spout the majority of Scots don’t want another referendum tonight or even worse quote that 23% figure again.

  8. Calum MacKay
    Ignored
    says:

    Shame that Ruth believes that misleading the Scottish public is the best way to maintain union and protect the treasured british nationalism – but should we be surprised – she’s a tory, they are born to mislead the Scottish public, its in their DNA!

    Good to see Ruth with her close pal Jim, is it true he know works for Blair?

    Red and blue tories, joined at the hip!

  9. louis.b.argyll
    Ignored
    says:

    Very good, took a mere fifteen seconds to work it out.

    Another deception (lie) binned by Wings.

  10. louis.b.argyll
    Ignored
    says:

    Ooh, Question Time Glasgow.

    Mundell/Swinney. Swinney/Mundell.

    Jets ‘n the Sharks…

  11. shiregirl
    Ignored
    says:

    She is full wind. Check facts before opening mouth, as a well kent local teacher cum father of current SLab leader once brilliantly said.

    …the boy on the right looks familiar…

    What’s he up to nowadays?

  12. ScottishPsyche
    Ignored
    says:

    Of course she could know full well and be counting on no one challenging her, including our gutless media. She will be aware soundbites and headlines are enough for the unthinking.

  13. Alba Jock
    Ignored
    says:

    “You will need more than that!

    RD obviously understands (enjoys) pie-charts bitter!!

  14. gordoz
    Ignored
    says:

    Well that info should shut Ruth up surely.

    In black n white but no, we know it wont cause the media
    will just keep backing her up as always.

  15. Jack Murphy
    Ignored
    says:

    shiregirl said at 2:09pm:-
    “………the boy on the right looks familiar…

    What’s he up to nowadays?”

    The name is Jim Murphy former Leader of Labour in Scotland.

    Wikipedia: “In November 2016 Murphy took up an employed position as an adviser to Tony Blair.”

  16. louis.b.argyll
    Ignored
    says:

    Rev, your ‘Truth With Ruth’ article, while being narrow in scope, is possibly the best example of why we need independence, never mind Wings.

    Imagine Ruth actually being in charge of strategic finance initiatives or planning legislation or health and education spending, frightening.

    Commercial lobbyists would run rings around the two-faced Tories, who’d also be trying to impress their London bosses, by punishing the very same hard working families that they spout off about all the time.

  17. Takeour blueback
    Ignored
    says:

    76% Believe there should be a 2nd Indyref … sweet!

  18. Auld Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    Oh dear, another failed student of the Jackie Baillie advanced arithmetic/mathematics/statistics for five year olds………..

    As for the other guy, did he not appear in an advert for eggs???

    Auld Rock

  19. Proud Cybernat
    Ignored
    says:

    24% never want to change their mind EVER. Now right there must be your bedrock, swivel-eyed, hard core, nae surrender BritNat.

    What they are essentially doing is giving up their absolute right to change their mind? What kind of person would give up that right?

    A good question for next poll, Rev, would be to ask: “Is there Anything – ANYTHING AT ALL – that would ever make you vote for Indy?”

  20. David Mills
    Ignored
    says:

    Maybe she’s looking for a tips on getting in or up with HJA

  21. joannie
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T – news emerging that an anonymous donor channelled £250,000 through the DUP to campaign for a leave vote in the Brexit referendum, none of which was spent in NI. Due to a loophole in NI law, it seems anyone can use a political party in NI to channel funding through to campaign for anything in England, Scotland and Wales.

    You might want to ensure that loophole is closed before indyref2, I can imagine the DUP would be only too glad to act as bagman for anyone who wanted to fund the NO campaign without revealing themselves.

  22. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    I wonder if the 11% of YES voters who don’t want another referendum for 20 years are the same 11% who want Scotland independent but not in the EU?

  23. geeo
    Ignored
    says:

    Nice to see the WoS poll being quoted in the Scotsman….!!

    “A majority of Scots would support an independent Scotland within or outside the European Union, according to a new poll”

    Then quoted..”the panelbase poll for Wings over Scotland….”

    Jings, i need a wee lie doon…

  24. robertknight
    Ignored
    says:

    “He is the egg man, we loved the egg man, she is the walrus, coo coo cachoo”.

  25. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    Sheesh Rev, perfect timing. There’s a leaflet going around it seems from the Conservative council candidates with precisely that lie. My suggestion is to counter it with this:

    ————————
    The Scottish Conservatives are saying: “a Sunday Times poll put support for a second Independence Referendum before the UK leaves the EU at only 27%.”

    But from the actual Sunday Times poll results, source Panelbase.com – the actual polling company – in response to their question to 1020 Adults in Scotland: “When do you think another Scottish independence referendum should be held?” the responses were:

    “In the next year or two, while the UK is negotiating to leave the EU – 27%

    About two years from now, when the UK has finished negotiating to leave the EU – 23%

    There should not be another Scottish independence referendum in the next few years – 51%”

    So support for a second independence referendum before the UK leaves the EU is actually 50%, not the 27% the Conservatives are claiming. Would you trust a Conservative politician to tell the truth?
    ————————-

  26. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    @ joannie – that was the message in the links that Nana posted two threads back. Fintan O’Toole’s Irish Times article and an opendemocracy one – both on the same subject:

    http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/fintan-o-toole-dup-must-be-punished-for-its-brexit-folly-1.2938690

    https://www.opendemocracy.net/uk/peter-geoghegan-adam-ramsay/you-aren-t-allowed-to-know-who-paid-for-key-leave-campaign-adverts

    I guess we can assume dark players at work in NI and – most likely also in Scotland. It would be out of character for the British Establishment to allow democracy to operate openly.

    BTW the Ken Loach film “Hidden Agenda” about the sinister activities of said BE and their secret minions in NI is available on 123 movies which is where I watched it recently.
    https://123movies.is/film/hidden-agenda-18601/

    Today, however, there was a big nasty red screen warning me of evil cyber attacks if I click on that link. I am able to avoid clicking on dodgy links but most people probably are not. So only go there if you are confident about avoiding bad cyber people.

    The two Youtube versions are also doctored beyond watchability. It is available from Amazon.

  27. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    Sorry, please don’t get annoyed with me for repetition, worth putting the date in:

    ————————
    The Scottish Conservatives are saying: “a Sunday Times poll put support for a second Independence Referendum before the UK leaves the EU at only 27%.”

    But from the actual Sunday Times poll results – source Panelbase.com, the actual polling company, dated 26/01/2017 – in response to their question to 1020 Adults in Scotland: “When do you think another Scottish independence referendum should be held?” the responses were:

    “In the next year or two, while the UK is negotiating to leave the EU – 27%

    About two years from now, when the UK has finished negotiating to leave the EU – 23%

    There should not be another Scottish independence referendum in the next few years – 51%”

    So on 26/01/2017 support for a second independence referendum before the UK leaves the EU was actually 50%, not the 27% the Conservatives are claiming.

    Would you trust a Conservative politician to tell the truth?
    ————————-

  28. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    An important set of results because it’s not ‘what will you vote?’ it’s ‘do you believe there should to be a vote?’

    Statistically it’s half and half.

    Which proves we need more people to firstly realise there is a democratic need for IndyRef2, far less actually vote for Indy.

    It doesn’t worry me. We have had relentless anti-Indy propaganda, and no counter YES campaign. Wait till that starts.

    Also, this is a ‘phoney war’ with Brexit. It hasn’t begun to show it’s nasty side. Wait till that starts.

    Other snippets …

    17% of 2014 YES voters don’t think there should an IndyRef2 soonish.

    Eh? Are they happy with Brexit UK? Or, as I say, they haven’t seen Brexit yet!

    25% of 2014 NO voters do think there should an IndyRef2 soonish.

    That’s interesting. Can we assume they are now NOT happy with Brexit UK? If they say there should be an IndyRef2 it doesn’t necessarily mean they will vote YES. It might suggest they are at least ‘soft’.

    64% of Leavers say no Indyref2. That would be about a quarter of the total and the hardcore BritNats.

  29. joannie
    Ignored
    says:

    Thanks Capella, I didn’t realise it had already been posted. I hope the SNP are aware of that and have a plan to do something about it, otherwise I can see someone like Donald Trump pumping millions into a campaign against Scottish independence and nobody in Scotland would ever even know he’d been involved.

  30. joannie
    Ignored
    says:

    Thanks Capella, I didn’t realise it had already been posted.

  31. Returnofthemac
    Ignored
    says:

    Still waiting on my invite to tonight’s Question Time, it must have got lost in the post or the internet thingy,Ho hum, popcorn at the ready.
    Will man with orange jacket appear? Will man with arm raised throughout his rant for queen and country appear? Will Dimblbum be unbiased?
    More to the point can I suffer it?

  32. Returnofthemac
    Ignored
    says:

    Sorry, still on Question time. Why no Slab? No…. strike that.

  33. joannie
    Ignored
    says:

    Damn, double post.

  34. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    Incidentally, this is where Scottish Labour could do themselves a favour and do what I’m suggesting in that rebuttal above. They could show the Tories up as liars and take back some of the vote that’s moved over. Nobody likes a liar.

    But will they? Or will they continue to copy everything the Tories do, tagging along faithfully in their footsteps like a wagging dog looking for a bone, as a second-string Unionist party asking Ruth Harrison what they should say next?

  35. Col
    Ignored
    says:

    Calum, don’t forget Ruth the mooth is ex BBC when looking for reasons for her trate for lying.

  36. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    In 2016 the average poundage of business rates in Scotland was 50p. So larger businesses (with no rate relief) paid half their assessed rateable value. It is a business expense and would be set against profit. Taking corp (20%?) down. Businesses assessed as £10 Millions of valuation. would pay £100k+ (When in profit).

  37. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    @joannie
    @Capella

    Here is another link on the same theme which I posted on the last article.

    A looming Brexit bombshell is about to make many people VERY angry

    http://archive.is/wdV7L

    Clearly dark forces injected dosh into the Leave campaign in NI even though they almost certainly weren’t connected directly to the province. Thankfully they failed!

    There are undoubtedly lessons to be learnt for Indyref2. Cash will be poured in to a variety of anti-Indy organisations. It could backfire if the sources are identified and looks like an attempt to undermine the democratic process from outwith.

  38. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    The Tories overspent £Millions at the GE in 31 Constituencies. Documented. Nothing has been done about. UKIP overspent in the GE and have bern using public funds to fund a political Party for years. Not put in credible accounts. An illegal offence. Prison.

  39. Luigi
    Ignored
    says:

    Based on known human behavioural patterns, there is likely to be a significant number of NO voters who will be swearing blind they voted YES in 2014.

    I’m not sure how this would affect weighting etc on past voting patterns, but those who forgot (or conveniently refused to remember) what they really voted for, often blind-sides the polling predictors.

  40. Craig P
    Ignored
    says:

    One way of interpreting that is that hardcore British nationalists are only 24% of the population, which is encouraging as I would have estimated their numbers at around 34%.

    For what its worth I don’t see the point in a referendum in the next few years unless the polls change decisively. I reckon it will take another seven or so years of the Tories repeatedly booting us in the face before the more cautious soft Brits get the message they aren’t valued members of a glorious union any more.

    Hope I’m wrong but that’s how I’ve felt since October 2014, and the polls since have moved even slower than I expected.

  41. Phil Robertson
    Ignored
    says:

    Interesting interpolation.

    “After the UK leaves the EU” is taken to mean “in the near future”.

  42. Joemcg
    Ignored
    says:

    So 76% are either staunch yes or malleable to change. Some hope then.

  43. Bob MACK
    Ignored
    says:

    @Phil Robertson,

    Come on . What do you know ? Has Mrs May told you she is taking another few years to trigger article 50 ?

    Reveal all.

  44. Greannach
    Ignored
    says:

    Many of those numbers are in double digits. I’m not sure Mrs Harrison is very good with them. Maybe Ms Dugdale will help explain. (Oh, God…)

  45. crazycat
    Ignored
    says:

    @ joannie / Capella /galamcennalath

    Re: loophole for NI funding anonymity
    My understanding of the Open Democracy article is that they were able to get away with it because the UK was classed as “a single constituency” for the EU referendum (with a single overall result declared, despite numerous local counts). There was no requirement that funds be used where they were raised.

    So, although the loophole needs to be closed, they would in any case have to modify their technique for a Scotland-only vote. They would do that, of course, if they can.

    The article also said that the Secretary of State for NI could decide to reveal who the donors were, even now. I’m not holding my breath.

  46. Johnny
    Ignored
    says:

    Craig P:

    I’m of the mind that there will be no decisive shift (if there’s going to be one at all….if people are not entrenched) until there is a campaign on and folk are forced to consider things anew.

    Many people will not be thinking about it right at this minute, but getting on with their lives….and you can’t guarantee that that wouldn’t be just as true ‘in a few years’, if they haven’t had good reason to think about it before then. Ergo, you could wait forever and a day for the polls to look favourable enough and, in doing so, make a Gordon Brown-like error.

  47. Ian McCubbin
    Ignored
    says:

    The other guy I believe is some kind of political advisor or something like that. Face seems familiar but just can’t place it fundamundally speaking.
    She on the other hand now has no credibility. Please let’s make that official.

  48. Nana
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T

    A few links re brexit fallout

    https://www.commonspace.scot/articles/10332/jj-patrick-15-step-portrait-brexit-fallout-leave-voters-didnt-see-coming

    Officials Say Britain Can’t Pull Out Of EU Courts If It Wants Interim Access To Europe’s Trade Deals
    http://archive.is/TfsYh

    Brexit: UK will be ‘weaker’ after leaving ‘beautiful’ EU , claims European Commission President
    http://archive.is/UgmvS

  49. joannie
    Ignored
    says:

    Crazycat – they could just donate it to the Orange Order I suppose and let them use it for the no campaign.

  50. DerekM
    Ignored
    says:

    We will leave interpolation to you tories Phil since you are so good at it,imagine being able to half the indy support by just some creative arithmetic astonishing.

    In your dreams tory chumps lol

  51. Robert Kerr
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T re Tory election material.

    Received via the postman yesterday for Clydesdale in the S. Lanarkshire Soviet.

    “Voters abandon labour so it’s a clear choice between Ruth Davidson’s Conservatives and SNP”

    Clydesdale conservative hopefuls shown with Mundell snr. He is MP for Clydesdale WM constituence ( actually MP for Dumfriesshire Clydesdale and Tweeddale) it says but at least three of the four Clydesdale wards are not in his patch. Oh dear.

    Confusion re WM constuency boundaries and Local authority boundaries.

    Only one of the five Tory candidates is an incumbent. Oh dear again.

    “Say no to a second independence referendum. Vote Scottish Conservative and Unionist on 4th May” Oh dear yet again.

    No mention of S. Lanarkshire’s 20 million pound black hole. No mention of Brexit at all.

    Finally I had to look up the internet to find out which Clydesdale ward I am in and hence which C and U aka Tory I won’t vote for! No targeting of C and U bumfy. No activists to deliver? Oh dear oh dear.

  52. DerekM
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Robert Kerr

    They look like they are setting up to attack Labour,well even the tory spook think tank will have come to the conclusion by now that the 45 are not persuadable and that the Labour run councils are up for grabs.

    The question is what will slab do if the tories once again attack them.

    And did i just notice popcorn shares rise lol

  53. handclapping
    Ignored
    says:

    So there’s 25% who won’t be shifted; expect the not doing the day job mob to move on to ‘For such an important vote we need to set the bar higher than 50%+1, 75% would be reasonable.’!

  54. shiregirl
    Ignored
    says:

    Jack Murphy says:
    16 February, 2017 at 2:18 pm

    The name is Jim Murphy former Leader of Labour in Scotland.

    Wikipedia: “In November 2016 Murphy took up an employed position as an adviser to Tony Blair.”

    So, he makes the tea and goes for his sandwich….and probably gets paid 50k for the privilege of doing so?!!

    ‘adviser’…for what? which tie to wear?

    I’m in the wrong job.

  55. crazycat
    Ignored
    says:

    o/t

    Since this thread is still accruing comments and the new one is too new, can I make a plea for people to support this, please?

    https://socialscreen.co.uk/films/benchmark-6/

    It’s a fictional story about the aftermath of a nuclear disaster (a sort of updated War Game) and I was sent the original request by SCND.

    I’ve just had an e-mail update; the original target was wildly over-ambitious, so they are now hoping to reach £5,000 by the deadline. They’ve got £3,470 so far.

    I do realize there are many calls on people’s generosity at present.

  56. Robert J. Sutherland
    Ignored
    says:

    galamcennalath @ 15:33:

    There are undoubtedly lessons to be learnt for Indyref2. Cash will be poured in to a variety of anti-Indy organisations.

    It’s already happening, is it not? For example, where did that hundreds of k£ of warchest already accumulated by Scotland in Union come from? Wouldn’t it be quite instructive to know?

  57. mike cassidy
    Ignored
    says:

    The DUP bagman story here.

    http://archive.is/2Rzy7

  58. mike cassidy
    Ignored
    says:

    re the DUP bagman story.

    May not be a good idea holding your breath waiting for the one person with the power to release the information to get his political finger out.
    http://archive.is/AME7P#selection-745.33-3839.0

  59. lumilumi
    Ignored
    says:

    It’s been really interesting reading the results of the WoS poll. Much food for thought.

    Also interesting seeing MSM/Yoon reactions. If they were my only source of information, that’d be so disheartening. I just hope MSM/Yoon social media activity is a diminishing source of information to ever diminishing numbers of people in Scotland.

    Indyref2 hasn’t been called but Project Fear mk 2.0 is well underway. It’s nothing official, just a “grassroots” (astroturf) tory movement given too much time and space in the BBC and other MSM.

    It’s all kind of depressing. The way Brexit and Trump is depressing. Only a few years ago, I used to joke about “first they came for x, but I did nothing because I wasn’t x…”, you know how it goes, creeping fascism.

    I’m of a generation that grew up in the shadow of the Cold War, then saw the fall of the Berlin Wall (I’ve even got a bit of the concrete as a souvenir), and all that followed, we were in our early twenties and naively thought a better world was possible. We could indulge in small, even inward problems as exemplified by Nirvana, while travelling the world and making friends (who were also Nirvana fans). It was all possible back then, and we blew it. We let it slip, we let it get back into the same old, same old money elites and superpowers controlled world. Now we live with the consequences.

    The good-natured, democratic Scottish independence struggle offers a small antidote. Maybe, just maybe, the small guys, the good guys, can win against all odds for once. Scotland is a beacon of hope. I don’t want to see it extinguished.

    Sorry to sound so gloomy and negative. Maybe I should’ve written about “the best schoolday ever”, which is also the last, as it happened in my country today. A day of pure joy and happiness and future hopes. I saw those riotuosly happy, joyful, hopeful young people today as they drove past in their lorries and remembered my last day of school and how great and happy and full of promise it was.

    Maybe some explanation is in order. Last year students in academic high schools finish school in mid-Feb, always on a Thursday, when they celebrate last day of school after 12 years. Then they have several weeks to study, the exams are in April, results come in late May, in time for graduation in early June. Originally all students had to go to Helsinki for their final exams so a tradition of driving them to the station in horse-drawn sleds and celebrating along the way began. Nowadays you take your exams in your own school but you’re still “driven out”, you leave school on the back of a lorry and drive around the city/town centre, throwing sweets at kids and other spectators, chanting “Nolla! Nolla!” (“Zero! Zero!”, number of school days left).

    In most schools it’s also customary to dress in fancy dress and “decorate” the school with something that gets banned afterwards. In my school, a couple years before us, they “decorated” the school with herrings (yes, dead fish) because their theme was fishermen and the sea. Dead fish were banned when we were meeting with our head teacher to discuss our plans.

    Our theme was “Circus” and dear old head teacher thought it was nice. Hay bales and popcorn seemed innocuous enough, after the herring debacle. He didn’t realise popcorn (oily by nature) would make all the floors dangerously slippery. Popcorn was banned after us. But we, 157 people, all popped corn the old way, many times over and again (this was before microwave popcorn was available in my country). We had dozens and dozens of big bin liner bag of popcorn, and just strewed it all along every corridor and lobby in our school. People were wading in popcorn. The smell was also nice. We also had hay bales along the corridors, and in a circle in the gym, where we made our “circus” stage. We had all kinds of circus acts, I was part of a “Hungarian acrobatic group” called Sörözö (Hungarian for a pub) and we had great fun in doing not very acrobatic things with great flair.

    Then it was time to leave school. We were nearly 160 so we had 3 or 4 lorries. I’d been in charge of making the lorry banners. Mostly the usual jokes about exams and the examination board, our teachers, some contemporary popular culture jokes, some contemporary politics jokes. Oh, yeah, and our “burn” to the “rival” school. I and about two dozen others “artists” had spent a couple of weeks painting them. (I went and bought the boards, and had to back my dad’s car and the trailer, uuugh, it went so badly. I just cannea know how a car and trailer go!)

    The class below us had attached our boards to the lorries, as they should. They also carried us. Yes, the tradition is that the abis, the school finishers, will be carried to the lorries by the two younger classes.

    Our Abi lorry drive was the last time schools in Vantaa (a city next to Helsinki) were allowed on the Helsinki abi-lorry drive in central Helsinki.

    It was a fairly cold February day, maybe -10 Celcius. We chanted “Nolla! Nolla!” even while we were waiting to form the lorry convoy. Aah, it was one of the best days of my life. Pure joy.

    That’s why I loved seeing the young ones on their “penkkari” (last day of school) day. They’re so happy and full of energy and hope. I should learn something from them. Something I have forgot. But for one day, these young people, driving around the town and yelling incomprisihemble, joyous, primal screams, with all their heart and hope and optimism, gave me a lift.

  60. Frank Wright
    Ignored
    says:

    On the subject of possible “MI5 INTERFERENCE in the poll”, I notice that the two anti-IndyRef categories each had exactly 200 votes, i.e. for “not for at least 20 years” and for “never”!

  61. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    Hi Lumilumi.

    You are, of course, typing about the original Nirvana?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUrkEWNYAVM

    BTW: your mention of the lorries reminded me of the Dundee Students’ charity parade from the decades up to the 70s.

    /www.youtube.com/watch?v=91PZ2FMCGjc

  62. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    A-A-A-ARGH! Maade a mess of pasting that link…

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91PZ2FMCGjc

  63. lumilumi
    Ignored
    says:

    Ya Scots, maybe ya don’t know how great your country is. Last summer my brother, who’s been doing the “circumnavigation of Finland”, which calls for sailing to St.Peterburgh, then along the Neva and other Russian canals, through the big lakes (which were Finnish berore WWII), up to the White Sea, then the Bering Sea, the North Sea, then through the Danish straits back into the Baltic. Except he decided to sail across the North Sea and winter his boat in Scotland rather than in southern Norway, for cheaper berth.

    Yaeh, and I’m telling him all the time: Yer boat is at Lossiemouth, we’ll take it through the Caledonian Canal (I’ve checked, the mast 23m can pass beneath Kessock Bridge and all the others are swing bridges) to the west coast, we’ll take the boat to Islay and visit whisky distilleries (brother’s wish), we’ll sail to Knoydart. Because it’s the Scottish place off the national road grid, you can only get there by sea or by walking 20 km. Lazybones me hopes for a boat approach.

    I’m a bit scared about sailing with this crew. The Minch and the Pentland Firth, with their strong currents and big seas. But mostly I’m shit-scared about the Corryvreckan, which is quite famous among seafarers. My brother fancies himself a big seafarer, so he might not realise nobody goes near Corrywreckan. I’ll never let him, I’ll run off the boat, I’ll get hysterical just to prevent it. Corryvreckn is no place for a sailboat that c 7, 8, which oubring him into rational speak The boat is at Lossiemouth but maybe the skipper has to take it back to Scandinavia ASAP, sail back throught the Danish straights, the Baltic (maybe berth at Gotland for a night), yeah, boring.

  64. Fred
    Ignored
    says:

    Lumi, slackwater & the Corrievreckan’s a skoosh-case!

  65. David Caledonia
    Ignored
    says:

    I like Ruth, i am allways happy when the dear leader of the scottish branch of the conservative party speaks
    Yes, all the humdingers that flow from the dear leaders mouth keep me enthralled for at least 1.2 seconds in any one year
    I do believe that all her utterances should be free on the national health service for all, especially those who suffer from insomnia, she puts me to sleep , yes i can truthfully say that the dear leader is responsible for me having some lovely dosses in my big chair, cuddling my big hairy teddy, who said is hairy teddy my boyfriend, how dare you, how very dare you

    Peace and Love

    David Caledonia ( aka, Cuddly Bear )

  66. twathater
    Ignored
    says:

    Watched QT tonight I wish a hudnae, John Swinney was rubbish ,even that stutterin eedjit muddle had him on the back foot,if this is the best attitude that the SNP SG is going forward with then we are doomed , there is no PASSION ,

    Swinney was talking as if it was a debating society meeting ,muddle was spouting pish without any challenge from Swinney,no challenge to the export figures ,very little challenge to the finance reduction, and no mention of Sewel and how it makes Scotland and the Scots serfs and servants of the great engerlish government.

    FFS we were better represented by the COUPLE of people in the audience , two of whom were English Scots, they even attacked muddle and upset him ,even the guy Littlewood presented the case for indy2 democratically, Val Mc Dermid was good but heavy on the criticism about education .baroness chacrabarty showed why she got her honour fluffing and faffing

    This should have been an opportunity to SELL the need for independence on live television to a listening audience , to dismantle and ridicule their distorted figures and lies instead it turned out as an excuse and an apology to even think about it.

    My wife who is sick of listening to me talking about independence even commented ( the way Swinney is acting it’s as if he doesn’t really want independence ) if she who also wants independence thinks this , what are undecideds going to think . What with the poll results and tonights non show I think we are up shit creek .

    BTW the ferries must have been busy judging by that audience

  67. Peter McCulloch
    Ignored
    says:

    I have met John Swinney quite few times, for example during by elections such Hamilton, Leven, or at a constituency branch meeting etc.

    While he’s a nice guy, he’s no leader nor someone you would put up for programmes like question time.

    If it had been Alex Salmond or Nicola Sturgeon on, they would have wiped the floor with Mundell.

  68. Phil Robertson
    Ignored
    says:

    @BOB Mack
    Come on . Has Mrs May told you she is taking another few years to trigger article 50 ?
    Reveal all.

    Nothing to do with Article 50. “After the UK leaves the EU” seems to be taken to mean IMMEDIATELY after … An alternative way of looking at the response is that it is the option that best suits those who think there should not be another independence referendum until Brexit is sorted out. And that may takes years.

  69. Cairnallochy
    Ignored
    says:

    I notice that a Tory MSP on Misreporting Scotland last night (Friday) was still trotting out the line that only about a quarter of Scots are in favour of another independence referendum. I suspect that this “alternative fact” will become an established part of the Tory narrative from now on – which won’t actually do them much good when the referendum is actually called.

  70. FIONA TOMANY
    Ignored
    says:

    Support for independence increases to 49% after Tories go for hard Brexi. could not find this in nay English newspapers the other week I wonder why.



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