Fully represented
Posted on
May 03, 2016 by
Chris Cairns
The world's most-read Scottish politics website
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Wings Over Scotland is a (mainly) Scottish political media digest and monitor, which also offers its own commentary. (More)
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Wings Over ScotlandA tall tale
Wee Books
Video
Probably a robbery
Transphobia
Ain’t it the truth.
Made me laugh, but then equally makes me sad and angry!
I genuinely despise the BBC and am glad I gave up my licence!
I only miss it for live TV debates, where I have to watch twitter and wonder what is going on!
A picture paints a thousand words.
That’s a queue of journalists is it not?
Too true.
I see the armed wing of the Tory party (aka landowners) is front of the queue
plus les choses changent
Geoff , I think you are right – I’m sure I spotted the vowel strangler there.
Chris ,a perfect picture of the “impartiality” of the BBBC in Scotland.
The live debates are sideshows for entertainment Murph. It’s the political X-factor, nothing more. Nobody learns anything, but personality trumps integrity. I seem to recall Nick Clegg furthered his career after performing well on stage, and subsequently destroyed the integrity of his whole party.
I also recall Alex Salmond being snubbed for the UK Leaders debate, which was profoundly strange given that the UK stood on the brink of Scottish Independence.
Seems a prerequisite that a successful politician has to be a showman in front of a camera these days. Look at Nigel Farage, living proof that being a showman is all that’s required and political integrity is optional. Wasn’t so very long ago that cameras weren’t even allowed in Westminster, now they act like celebrities.
TV debates are just mechanism for TV broadcasters to ramp up their own importance. Its a myth to think they’re important, but they still need to be respected as a potential minefield.
Never mind – once we have our independence that queue can get tae the back o’ the bus and shut up!
Brilliant as usual,and accurate.The audience of course represented traditional British” values as you depict in your cartoon.
Should there not be a windswept, straggly-haired ‘historian’ amongst that bunch? Probably missed the bus.
Sad but true
Just watched the EBC news where they discussed the UK wide elections coming up with two “journalists” from BUM.
They covered Tory. Labour, and Liberal chances across England, and then on to suggest that UKIP could get 7-8 seats in the Welsh Assembly.
Now is there a large section of the UK that they didn’t discuss?
I’m sure there is a colony up North that starts with an S ?
I think that colony also has its own progressive party that is odds on to govern up North, but it wouldn’t be right to mention them.
Let’s mention them twice: SNP X 2 !
Seems to be a lot of farmers fields down here in the borders with huge Tory placards in therm. That will be the guy with the gun then!
If it is an SNP Holyrood win May 6, BBC Scotland will be very angry with you Scotland region.
Very accurate. The old dick with the gun and the tweedy clowns outfit is typical. And they rein with fear, telling their hingers on that the world will end without large Tory landowners. It is these cunty bastards that designed the 2nd vote system, so don’t fall into the trap, solution: vote for the SNP and do it twice.
Nice boost for UKIP in the Naional this morn. That lot’s put so much effort in for vote RISE and UKIP, its a democratic miracle of UK balanced journo stuff.
“Ukip’s David Coburn tipped to take party’s first seat in Holyrood despite embarrassing gaffes
MAY 2ND, 2016 – 12:29 AM KATHLEEN NUTT 6 COMMENTS
DAVID Coburn is being tipped to win a seat in Holyrood, giving Ukip its first elected representative in the Scottish Parliament.
Yes Chris.You have it spot on.
Looney Yoons bring you 1950s Britain today.
Suck it up, Sweaties.
Great detail in the drawing, Chris.
Pity it’s all so true but perfect motivation for Thursday.
Excellent commentary Chris
What the hell has happened to the National ??
2 days out from election and that’s the front page ?
Do we know who they are going to opt for ?
Could it be Lib dum ?
Can’t be a sell-out false flag can it
Anyway if their journos are reading wont buy again till
The front page features improve.
Been supporting since start but that’s I for me.. So sad had high hopes ..
We need a new true the cause paper and fast
That would be Earl Hope of Hopetoun House, Lord Lieutenant of Linlithgow, in his plus fours and Grouse gun, would it ?
As I observed over on WGD, which producer, whose name is coyly missing from any closing credits on the Beeb’s Final insult to its subscribers’ collective intelligence,this farce of a Leaders’ Debate, commissioned Hopetoun House, one of the most powerful symbols of Unionist Supremacy Up Here, as the venue?
With every penny an apparent prisoner at the BBC, there was enough dosh rattling about in the Petty Cash tin to pay his Lordship?
Or was it ‘donated’ for free?
Who produced this Put Up Job?
We demand to know.
Terrific social commentary, Mr Cairns.
Here’s a curious thought… Anybody care to enlighten me?
This business of broadcasting. Suppose the Scottish government held a fact finding plebiscite, and part of that plebiscite was whether or not broadcasting should be devolved.
Let’s say, just for arguments sake, the result was the same as the Indyref; 45% wanted independent broadcasting, the rest did not.
OK, for black and white / yes or no issues, issues which are absolute, like Independence, the majority view prevails. That’s the arbitration of democracy at work. That’s it function.
But, broadcasting isn’t a black and white issue. The mere existence of a Scottish Broadcaster would not preclude the continued existence or right to broadcast of the BBC; the two could easily co-exist side by side, and thus in democratic terms, both sections of the electorate could get exactly what they voted for. So logically, to deny the wishes of 45% of the population in those equitable circumstances suddenly becomes undemocratic. Doesn’t it?
I am getting increasingly frustrated these days. Take that argument above, bolt onto it the recent example of the Catalans and the essential vitality of their cultural broadcasting, add to that yesterdays revelation that Scottish historians snubbed the BBC over a program supposedly about Scottish History. Let’s not forget Professor Robertson’s study of bias; lets weld that bit on right up front…
Can’t we take all of these mini outrages, we all know there are plenty of them, coordinate ourselves, and use these as components to fashion ourselves a mighty unstoppable steam locomotive that powers its way through every barricade on its way to Westminster and comes back home again carrying all due right and authority for that 45% of our country which wanted home broadcasting to actually go ahead and do it?
Democracy is a process of decision making. It is designed to avoid stalemate and ensure the stronger voice prevails. It is certainly not the function of democracy to empower the stronger voice to silence the lesser’s voice. That becomes an abuse of democracy, and it should not be tolerated in Scotland.
Ha Ha Ha Ha Hillarious. Well done, Chris.
The question is:
Which one is Neil Oliver?
Perhaps he is a combination of the two on the extreme right (a queen in tweed). 🙂
Oh, that’s a good un! 🙂
@Jas 07:49 am
“Should there not be a windswept, straggly-haired ‘historian’ amongst that bunch? Probably missed the bus.”
He was making a commercial for Silvikin Hair Shampoo that day
But don’t you realise these is just a normal selection of Brits? Just typical everyday Brits from Britland.
You wouldn’t want anyone on Brit TV who didn’t think like a Brit, or worse, didn’t even consider themselves to be a Brit. Would you?
Dah, hoad oan a meinute …. 🙂
That’s it in a nutshell Chris. Great stuff, well done.
Yep, that’s what Scotland looks like through the wrong end of a BBC telescope.
By the way you have to read Scottish Democracy Will Not be Silenced over at the Wee Ginger Dug. The description of Willie Rennie is laugh out loud hilarious.
Here’s a curious thought… Anybody care to enlighten me?
This business of broadcasting. Suppose the Scottish government held a fact finding plebiscite, and part of that plebiscite was whether or not broadcasting should be devolved.
A plebiscite?! Are you mad? On Thursday we are being told to vote red or blue tory, so that they can then block a Scottish referendum, for ever.
That BBC creep out of a balanced audience would also like you to vote Dugdale and Davidson. So that you can never have another referendum, for a generation. And, no back chat, Alex Salmond said once in a generation too.
All frightfully BBC democracy in action you see, in the most powerful devolved government in the BBC Scotland universe, what they gave you.
Thank goodness for Chris Cairns, I made the mistake of visiting the Guardian and under Scotland is Steve Bell’s vile “cartoon’ .
I always thought him disgusting and have avoided him for the most part but since he is under the Scotland banner couldn’t miss him today.
This is actually copied from a picture of the queue to get into QT Dundee.
In other news, the National continues to do what it was designed for. Don’t buy it.
Very good Chris, well worth the wait.
Only two sleeps to go before we get the chance to send another message to the UK govt, Labour and the MSM that Scotland is continuing its journey towards independence. #bothvotessnp
Anyone elso noticed the Record is pumping anti-Ruth stories instead of SNPBad? They must be feart Labour will lose 2nd place.
@ Heedtracker
Ok, what do you propose? I’m all ears…
Dear oh dear Chris. That’ll be you aff the “balanced” bbc corp. Christmas card list. 🙂
The BBC has been up to top form this morning on the cosy chit chat breakfast show. I’ve just been watching two headline items of no relevance whatsoever to three of the four constituent parts of the UK.
I wonder how the football teams and school tests are going in Bulgaria.
Breeks, nobody really disputes that BBC Scotland is biased, we are way beyond that. There was some sort of independent report last year that confirmed it and advised restructuring. People like Stuart Cosgrove and others at the BBC itself openly admit it too; the way they put it is it’s “lost trust”.
If the BBC was suddenly impartial, support for independence would rise dramatically. The BBC and British State know that so you can expect any debate to involve arguments along the lines of ‘as a British institution it’s only fair that the BBC upholds British values’. There’s a grim logic to that too.
Something Mcwhirter said a few weeks ago is worth thinking about. He said the BBC to a large extent was prone to look at what other news agencies were saying in terms of choosing the stories it covered. It’s a very clever defence.
Other news agencies are private and can say what they want, that includes Hillsborough-style lies and ill-gotten material such as that obtained through phone hacking. Basically anything goes, and nothing has changed; Leveson won’t change that. Discuss or question that and you come up against the old freedom of expression / democracy argument.
There’s a sub-plot there too. If all those other agencies are allowed to print lies etc., why shouldn’t the BBC acting in the interests of the British State be allowed to do so too? Nobody would ever make this argument in those terms but that’s the logic of what Mcwhirter was saying if you follow it through.
Nice cartoon, Chris. Very nice, indeed.
How about another entitled, ‘Only When It Suits Them’
Quiet Italian takes English football team to glory, while England demands no truck with Johnny Foreigner.
“It is certainly not the function of democracy to empower the stronger voice to silence the lesser’s voice. That becomes an abuse of democracy, and it should not be tolerated in Scotland.”
Agree completely, Breeks but the last thing the Establishment wants is an outbreak of democracy in MSM. Catalonia has several dedicated channels to reflect its culture and politics, and we have the likes of Union Jackie Bird and the windswept Oliver to talk tosh and keep us in our place. And when we consider the Dead Tree Press, it’s about 36-1 for the Yoons, if you still regard The National as being unequivocally for independence. I no longer regard the SH as such. That’s a democratic deficit approaching North Korean proportions.
I hope that, as well as reigniting the Indyref2 campaign in the summer, the SNP has a plan for broadcasting which would span both tactics (better media savvy in dealing with bullying interviewers) and strategy (perhaps developing an alternative service along the lines you mention yourself).
However, the only chance our enemies have of holding on to us is to maintain their stranglehold and they won’t give it up easily. There has to be a plan, otherwise it’ll be The Perpetual Great British Dork-Off and the televised cheers of the gratefully oppressed as a Royal hand waves wanly at them, for eternity.
I think we have only a limited number of chances to get out from under over the next few years. Our opponents are completely cynical and corrupt and have the all the dubious powers of the state behind them.
I think some folk are being unfair to The National. I have just read the Coburn article and it reads more like a warning than an endorsement.
Nice one Chris.
Glad you got Jimmy Somerville in there for a bit balance.
Breeks says:
3 May, 2016 at 9:20 am
@ Heedtracker
Ok, what do you propose? I’m all ears…
Immigrate, if latest yoon cunning stunt actually works on Thursday.
Only in the Scotland region can a bunch of BBC led UKOK tory chancers, red and blue, rage away at us to vote for them, so they can block a referendum and if you don’t do as you’re told your ANTI democratic.
Emigrate or lobotomy. UKOK.
Watched the leaders’ debate last night on the iPlayer. Nicola Sturgeon is so far ahead in presentation skills it can only be explained by integrity.
Patrick Harvie also spoke out with conviction.
But the three Unionists were a sad and querulous bunch. No amount of rigged audience trickery can erase the poor impression they make. The BBC will have to sack them and hire a more convincing bunch of actors.
@Luigi
I think the lady beside Michael White (miserable yoon hack at the Guardian)is from the Ladies Orange Association.
Ecclefechen fantastic Chris
On hit nail head lol.
Where’s the thick Labourite? Is he/she already ensconced inside,along with the presenters and producers?
Yes,the National and the Herald on the Sabbath are definitely pushing the second vote for a bunch of nobodies and opportunists whose priorities are not Independence. Have they been got at? Are they trying to let the Onionists in the back door? I still subscribe online and buy a hard copy to leave lying around, but am beginning to have second thoughts.
Wow, Radio Shortbread asking do child protection be doing more harm than good?
Why in fucks name is this even been debated along with named person?
Get a disclosure Scotland, etc, etc and whatever else it takes to prove that a child is safe in your charge then get on with it.
These checks are there to protect children, the clue is in the fucking name.
If you have to jump through hoops to protect a child from harm then get jumping or don’t volunteer and shut the fuck up.
Spot on Chris ,watched the latest debate , the Tank Commander , placed next to Nicola Sturgeon ,( suggesting she was the opposition) , thought she was on a winner . She definitely has got prior knowledge of the make up of the audience , probably from her ex-workmates at the BBC . Confident in the knowledge the audience was on her side Ruthie went on the attack straight away , interrupting Nicola Sturgeon on the very first question . Being the good debater that she is Nicola put her in her place . Something very dark about our Ruthie and her associate’s , reminds me of Mandelson ! . Audience hand -picked as usual , I saw three faces that have been on previous debates on the BBC , one put a question to Nicola which she handled well . As in all BBC shows relating to Scotland , complete set-up !
Breeks: “It is designed to avoid stalemate and ensure the stronger voice prevails.”
Only half that statement is viable.
Democracy is the creation of solutions that benefit the common good, the opposite of the strong shall triumph over the weak. Real democracy empowers all individuals in society so that they may take part in that process.
Democracy is commonly held to mean the majority view holds sway. That only relates in a first past the post election. The party winning power must govern for all people. The majority might, and often do, despise the minority – then where will we be?
It’s Tory dogma, gleefully embraced by Labour too, to let the weak take their chances.
@ Donald, Bella, sad to say, ditto! plot lost completely.
Tartanarse . Re The National…… What It Was Designed For…… Spot on, Initially Under Richard Walker (& incl. Sunday Herald) they did what it said on the tin…… After Richard left they changed to a timetable….. ie. To be on message come this election …… After the 5th May , watch them change back in an attempt to hold on to a readership , to survive financially till the next time there’s an election. Seen this happen over the years, a good example is McWhirter, pumps out reasonable un biased articles (even slightly pro Indy) after elections, then as election time comes round the articles drift onto message.
As I see it The National provides entertainment, generally an enjoyable read for Yessers . BUT what this does is take away our focus on the sister paper the Herald. Reducing letters from our side of the debate. Even though the Herald boasts to supply unbiased journalism under it’s editorial. The paper has become more unionist. Divide and conquer at play……. The paper is of limited use when it comes to attracting undecided folk, the declaration of supporting Indy on the front page will put some new readers off, why not just do what all the other Unionist papers do, ie appear to be neutral. As you said “What it was Designed For” …..Could go on
Just bought last national-been concerned for a while -definitely got at and trying to split snp vote-of course the death in custody must be investigated and the police answer questions but on the front page 2 days before an election when there is a big spread inside – I don’t think so and with WR and CB on front as well- I’d rather not be stabbed in the back thanks -at least with other MSM you know what you are getting but we’re being sold a pup with the national.
…are you suggesting that the audience did not fairly represent a cross section of the Scottish public?…me neither 🙂 in fact it didn’t even com close.
The Election Special
The motivation to vote SNP: http://wp.me/p4fd9j-63x
The reason to ignore the rest: http://wp.me/p4fd9j-6G9
Both votes SNP!
Why squander a chance to maintain liberty in 300 years?
theMadMurph says:
I genuinely despise the BBC and am glad I gave up my licence!
I only miss it for live TV debates, where I have to watch twitter and wonder what is going on!
get yourself an internet tv box an stream channels from any number of sources….
EU Courts of Justice have ruled that viewing streamed content on the internet is not in itself illegal nor breach of copyright
there are multiple internet sources that do this such as Mobdro etc
watch and enjoy
(and another reason to remain in the EU)
Breeks
I think regardless of what happens on Thursday we are going to have to find means other than traditional democratic means to tackle the difficulties we face.
We are not living in a democracy at the moment so I struggle to see how the BBC can be changed democratically. At times I am all gung ho for another referendum but at others I fear for the same tactics being used and the Yes campaign attempting to beat these dark forces using simple democracy and playing the game.
That is why the EU referendum is so important and why a second referendum is under full frontal attack right now. There is a strong possibility that the planets will align and through forces not entirely under the establishment’s control we may be faced with a golden opportunity. At the moment it is the best shot we have (brexit despite a strong remain vote in Scotland or the merry hell of a remain vote courtesy of Scotland).
I applaud your sentiments and wish with all my heart that the pacific quay and all of the bastards attacking Scottish democracy would GTF but if the last 2 years have taught me anything it is that Westminster will not give us anything they don’t want to give mandate or no mandate.
I would love to see a Scottish Broadcaster setup but anything the Scottish Government does now would be mercilessly attacked as state propaganda and until we regain our independence any new broadcaster will be defined by their stance on independence.
Nobody is neutral anymore. Neutrality does not exist.
The bias issue is one the SNP is reluctant to attack – I would see them stop engaging with the BBC immediately and condemn them at every turn but I’m probably the wrong person to decide SNP strategy.
Lets get this vote out of the way and prepare for a snap indyref after Brexit.
Its the funny thing about once in a lifetime/generation opportunities- sometimes they happen twice
@Dorothy Devine
Best avoiding thone erse Bell and the minions of hate cheerleaders BTL in the Guardian Dorothy. I gave them up as a lost cause a couple years ago and never looked back. CiF ain’t full of the thinkers and debaters who made those columns worth visiting anymore.
There are a few hardy bods still atempting missionary work, but its a hard thankless task in the face of the dog whistle loons who swamp the boards.
Its not the forum as was and better we talk to the folk who we truly need to reach today. That and its a whole lot better for your blood pressure. 😀
Lecture one, day one, life: democracy means capitalism.
Of course there’s the fairytale definition too but… well, that’s basically a prank.
I remember George Galloway pointing out a Tory plant in the QT audience.
The guy was mortified as was Dumbledore.
Wouldn’t it be brilliant if Nicola simply informed the watching public that she knew the audience was loaded, the BBC was biased and that she actually recognised half he audience fir who they really were. As in the instance of Kathy Wiles.
There must be some logic in SNP decent behaviour but it sure is frustrating.
We need to be more assertive, for instance Paw Broon always said he embraced prudence, well as the school fiasco demonstrated his financial acumen is wanting, funny he should campaign to elevate third world debt that was built up by western countries leveraging astronomical sums of interest on countries who would take generations to pay back. perhaps Broon could step in to the debate over PFI and say sorry, please, pretty please, don’t take all that money from the Scottish rate payer, what do you think Gordon, are we worthy of your pity?
This lack of fiscal acumen never stopped brown, so next time anyone finds themselves in the company of Yoons speak up loudly, clap cheer and stamp your feet, I know as SNP we are superior to the lunatic fringe of pet shop boys and pig ridding Tories, do you think Ruth asked David for advice to become popular and he told her to ride a pig?
Anyhoo to reprise an old TV program, stop watching TV and do something actually interesting. If you don’t already, get up of your arse, walk down to your local SNP campaign office, and help out!
I mean even old neuron con said he is volunteering? so why don’t you?
For the first time I actually watched how many people were clapping. The camera angles were such that you could do this. I realised that there weren’t so many people clapping the SNP Baaad comments, but the bloody BBC was turning up the broadcast volume when the yoon leaders were speaking. Bastards.
I am a tad confused. The National,of course, is not an SNP pamphlet and has indeed been rather generous to the RISE cause but I have just gone through it TWICE looking for the “boost” for UKIP. There is an article featuring “UKIP riven by in-fighting” warning that “the party faces the prospect of disintegration” Some boost!
The front page is on the Sheku Bayoh controversy, a matter of serious public interest and the rest of the paper is an interesting mix of news, current affairs, including political guides to two regions, and a nice feature on Tony Giugliano, SNP candidate in Edinburgh Western and a Lib Dem and RISE candidate
SNP’s Ann Mclaughlin gets good cover from Michael Gray. The Letters are very interesting as usual and there is an informative piece on Henry Bell and the Comet.
I have no idea where the complaints about the National come from. From a halting more in hope than in confidence start it has continuously improved. It’s aim has to be to appeal to other than SNP loyalists otherwise it will be of no use.
David McEwan Hill,
Good point, if it were a SNP pamphlet it would have closed by now. And what good would that do!
I should also have pointed out that forecasts that the UKIP is set to gain a seat in the Scottish parliament is indeed a legitimate item of news and I can see no reason whatsover that suggests the National or any other newspaper shouldn’t report it
Capn Andy, you’re on thin ice. I basically got lynched in here 2 nights ago for suggesting the audience was balanced.
Manipulating sound is easy, if you wanted to achieve the impression that unionists were a majority you’d simply put the mic’s nearer them.
The moving camera helped — as did a few other things that made it harder to spot the fraud, and I guess that points to something sinister.
The BBC lying to you since its foundation.
Nice one Chris 🙂
NC you dont half talk some pish are you Dan Snow ?
Clootie says:
“…are you suggesting that the audience did not fairly represent a cross section of the Scottish public?”
They don’t want a representative Scottish audience. They almost certainly try to have a UK representative audience selected in Scotland.
Which, given the widen gap between Scottish public opinion and UK public opinion, explains audiences which appear ‘a bit weird’ to most Scots’ eyes.
I understand for the Dundee QT they selected an audience 50:50 Leave:Stay. How the Hell are you going to achieve that when even Scots Tories are marginally pro Stay? Answer, by applying some really odd selection procedures! What do you end up with? An audience which represents nowhere.
I read somewhere ( but don’t know if it’s true) that they balanced the last Leaders Debate audience 20% to each ‘major’ party plus a couple of 10% from ‘minor’. If true, where would you find that in Scotland? Answer, nowhere.
Clydebuilt
I think the national was specifically started to act as another unionist tool. It tells folk stuff they already know.
SuperYoons aren’t going to waltz into the newsagent fir a copy. They won’t attract or influence any hardcore Yoons, so they’re preaching to the already converted.
So, they’re not doing the Yoon any harm, whilst taking a few quid off daft Yessers.
Why would unionist owners of National and Herald go out of their way to be pro Indy? Not to be trusted.
Misinformation us what started and continues to maintain the union. Happily for us it is no longer owned by the establishment alone. The internet has only been around for 2 decades and look where we are now in relation to independence.
This is despite an absolute and complete lack of backing for both Indy and the SNP.
Like many here have already said, can we imagine having a neutral media? We’d have already been independent.
Necon, I said no such thing(in the context of the independence referendum)BBC didn’t have to, it was always going to be unbalanced as there were a three to two representation in favour of yoons. As for the snide insinuation that I was an officer I will kick your cxxx in, half my brain removed? You cheeky barsteward.
Dave McEwan Hill says:
3 May, 2016 at 10:47 am
I am a tad confused. The National,of course, is not an SNP pamphlet
No its not Dave. What it said it was a pro independence newspaper, new, exciting etc.
Does giving massive coverage and support to the far left like RISE and SSP make it pro independence or are they simply trying to break up SNP votes for Thursday?
If so, why?
RISE has enough members to maybe fill a bus, yet the National has boosted them as much and as hard as possible. We all know how close D’Hondt makes Holyrood. Huge Tory BBC led media support for RISE and the SSP in their Scotland region must be very exciting for them and The National dont want to miss out on the fun.
Or
Maybe the National crew’s decided that as we lost in 2014, its never going to happen. So lets get more radical left parties in to Holyrood, if indy’s never going to happen now, lets all move on. If so, what’s their deal on “buy our paper, we’re pro Scottish independence?”
Whatever they’re playing at, I am not buying it again.
@Capn Andy
I think you are spot on about sound manipulation. The audience probably had a very different experience. The broadcast sound management was a different issue.
I have noted LibDem sites in rapture about how well Willie Rennie was received. It looks like the BBC have even misled their unionist allies. Very loud cheering managed by the BBC following a speech in praise of the union does not mean he or his party are popular.
Clootie
To be frank, i dont think anyone will vote Liar Liberals (Scottish Branch) based on a few yelps from deranged Yoons,
Interesting today was GMS asking if a merger between the Labour Party (Scottish franchise) and the Liarabls was on the cards, personally I think that would be a great move!
By the way stop with the Capn or I will start calling you dumpling >:(
>:(
‘Very loud cheering managed by the BBC following a speech in praise of the union does not mean he or his party are popular.’
And that is what can be termed a ‘stitch up’ or a ‘rigged audience’…it doesn’t matter what way people ‘say’ this…it is bias in action whether by audience selection or sound manipulation. The round of applause and the whooping after Rennie/Davidson spoke was ‘astounding’ because it is simply unbelievable that they have this degree of popularity in our polity.
Andrew, there is a ‘Capn Andy.’ who has commented @ 10.47. 😉
The most powerful protest you can make against the British Government’s propaganda broadcast channel, the BBC, is to stop funding it.
The License Fee is a TV tax but it is optional. It is a unique tax because you are not obliged to pay it. It is only required if you watch “Live” broadcasts. Any equipment you own from which live broadcasts can be viewed is irrelevant because the License Fee is a tax levied upon an activity, not on someone’s property.
So if like me, you are repulsed by industrial scale, pro BritNat jingoism & racism, stop funding it.
Begin your protest today. You may even get a refund. How cool is that?
@Andree McLean If the National was an SNP phamplet it would have folded by now” …… The SNP have a membership of 116,000 , the National has a daily readership of circa 17,000. …… About 1 in 7 of the SNP’s membership. And that’s before you factor in the party political breakdown of the readership. Seems to me if the National was targetted at SNP folk it would increase it’s readership.
However that’s talking to the converted. And I suggest that as it stands the National is doing just that.
BTW my take on the paper is that it’s pro Green more than Pro SNP. Just look at Monday’s election section.
I don’t want to see the paper boycotted……. I want it to become more useful to our cause. That means becoming more attractive to the general public whilst staying true to the cause of Independence…. After all the Sun and the Retard sell around 200,000 per day, with the National on 17,000 per day with most of those sales are to to Yessers. Sounds like a lot of undeveloped potential there.
@Andrew.. It was Cap’n Andy I was replying to.
You may call me dumpling if you wish…”my little dumpling” would be nicer. However reading the post first would be best 🙂
Exactly, Heedtracker. It is a pro independence newspaper and it promotes pro independence parties.It has been over generous to RISE probably because its young writers favour RISE themselves. They are allowed to. I was in the SNP fifty years ago when the SNP was getting less than 1% of the vote. I understand where they are.
Are you happier with Tom Gordon and David Torrance?
The National has to speak to a wide audience. It is on the right side. It deserves support.
😳 I will go sit in the corner, embarrassed and ashamed, my wings clipped!
Apologies also to you Capt Andy, I am sure your brain is intact 🙂
Oh f/k just when i thought it was safe to come on after the resident nut-job more or less vacated the site yesterday after the previous day taking up more space and time than almost everyone else combined , he’s back and as welcome as a fart in a lift .
“The National” is a Trojan horse publication designed to take money from gullible readers & use those proceeds to fund extreme right wing propaganda sheets like “The Herald”.
But hey, if you get some comfort from reading thinly veiled support for the SNP, keep on funding it.
Just be aware of the consequences.
Dave McEwan Hill says:
3 May, 2016 at 12:50 pm
Exactly, Heedtracker.
What’s with your, “It has been over generous to RISE probably because its young writers favour RISE themselves. They are allowed to.”
No one is saying they are not allowed to Dave. The National is clearly trying to break in to and break up SNP votes. Its a simple as that.
Once again, we live in a British media world led by the BBC that is very hard core right wing and all of them are boosting the far left, just like the National.
And then we have to listen to exact hard core Conservative BBC led media pressure Scotland into voting for red and blue UKOK unionists because a second referendum is anti democratic.
All this yoon toryboy pressure and bullshit might work Dave. Again and as you know, D’Hondt Holyrood’s designed so these tory BBC led attacks on SNP vote most likely can work.
The National’s much more certain than even Farage today. Funny that.
Below is a classic piece of The National bullshit. Just overheard Farage on tv there, now regular BBC Politics pundit, explaining that he’s 50-50 on getting a UKIP Holyrood seat.
BBC pumped masses and masses of vote UKIP stuff into Scotland for last EU election. Scottish Tactical voting went up, Scotland now has an English nationalist MEP, and he’s hopeless too. Another BBC toryboy led media gerrymandering of Scotland’s fledgling democracy, or just one of those things?
http://www.thenational.scot/politics/ukips-david-coburn-tipped-to-take-partys-first-seat-in-holyrood-despite-embarrassing-gaffes.16988?utm_medium=social&utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_term=Autofeed#link_time=1462168922
Apparently Tory supporting farmers in the Borders have Vote Tory placards displayed in their fields. That’ll be the same UK Tory Government that received a subsidy from the EU to correct the inequality in the income of the SCOTTISH farming community – and arrogantly paid out a proportion of it to comparatively rich ENGLISH farmers – justified by the “pooling and sharing” mantra of the Londoncentric UK Westminster Government. Typical of Wee Ruth’s mindset too!
Aye the cartoon encompasses everything we have come to expect from the bbc. Living in the past, on their knees to a corrupt bigoted state.
Scotland is moving on.
Nice One Chris 🙂
‘The Great Rock n Roll Swindle’….part 2 ?
Dave McEwan Hill says:
3 May, 2016 at 12:50 pm
Exactly, Heedtracker. It is a pro independence newspaper and it promotes pro independence parties.It has been over generous to RISE probably because its young writers favour RISE themselves. They are allowed to. I was in the SNP fifty years ago when the SNP was getting less than 1% of the vote. I understand where they are.
Are you happier with Tom Gordon and David Torrance?
The National has to speak to a wide audience. It is on the right side. It deserves support.
———–
I get that. It is trying to appeal to the entire independence movement. I think they need to understand though that the ‘radical left’ parties aren’t really a wide audience though.
I am usually supportive of the paper, but didn’t buy it today.
Two days before an election they have a front cover story on the Sheku Bayoh case. The guy who died in Police custody. It might be a worthwhile story, but a total waste of a front page 2 days before an election when other papers are piling into the SNP.
How does that help the SNP or any other indy party get votes ?
The BBC is beyond salvage like the rest of the Brit Press and Media. Deplorable front page on the National today. I didn’t buy it. Riddance to it and the rest of the Brit Nat Press and Media, a plague on all their houses and publications.
To be fair, although I too had the impression that the audience overall may have been unrepresentative (and the presenter did not in her preamble claim that it was strictly representative; only that its members held a cross-section of opinions, which I think was true) there were also two who got to make non-Unionist non-Establishment points: the young man who worked in the Clyde shipyards, and the lady who referred to Unionist government’s having (within 24 or 48 hours) betrayed its promises made around the 2014 Independence Referendum.
Speaking of media, received my iScot magazine today with the Wee Black Book supplement – superb!
Sheesh. What a dismal looking crew.
Thing is, they’ll never admit it, but I really do believe that even the staunchest unionist WILL truly enjoy Independence when it’s comes.
Spot on chris!
SNP and SNP = )
Chris nails a cartoon… and subsequently makes me depressed… but more full of resolve.
Anne Lawrie @ 6:02. me too… and my old dear has her copy 🙂
It would be funny, if it was not so exactly accurate
Actually makes you cry
I am sure the overpaid gobshites at the BBC know it too