Going Nowhere
Posted on
June 24, 2023 by
Chris Cairns
The world's most-read Scottish politics website
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Yip! Deadenders! Scotland’s very own version of the BBC’s Eastenders. LOL!
Excellent and very, very accurate cartoon. The SNP conference to nowhere.
Cannot help but think that at the SNP nonsense in Dundee today, Humza should walk on stage, to the background music of Talking heads’ ‘we’re on the road to nowhere’.
It seem within the current SNP their is a wilful blindness to the mess they are in. Wholly disconnected from the independence movement. As the saying goes, ‘there are none so blind as those who will not see’.
The Toon says it all. Dead End Street. Dilapidated just like so much of our second rate crumbling infrastructure.
Going nowhere or more accurately going down is where we are headed. Local authorities underfunded. Health service underfunded. And look at the road network. The A82 north of Glasgow is absolutely third world. There are section on Loch Lomond where two lorries can only pass inching past each other. Or the A83 Rest and be Thankful. Or the cancellation of dualling the A9.
Contrast pig poor Scotland with the infrastructure of other oil, gas and energy states like the UAE, or Qatar or just across the water in Norway.
And soaring prices too where people cannot heat their homes whilst the majors make billions and billions in energy profits.
A Dead End Street indeed as poor humble Scotland crawls on it’s knees.
Nobody likes an early link…
I don’t care…
Pain!…was in everyones face,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8sewohu2qI
Fix it if u can!
10 years on, 20 years on, 30 years on, 40 years on, 50 years on … You have summed up eloquently Mr. Cairns, all that is Scotland, which is the unpalatable truth. There is a similar Oscar Marzaroli photograph that testifies that in 50 years not one jot has changed, bar a big building in Edinburgh that houses all the talking heads for the benefit of the talking heads. This is a huge political failure of the SNP, given the mandate of the Scottish people time and time again. So what now? Where to now? More of the re-cobbled same? Aye, right.
How very apt Chris, but also very sad. Well done.
Willie, no need to compare Scotland with UAE or Qatar. Look no further than London, It’s amazing. You could eat dinner off the pavement. England is an oil-rich country. Unfortunately they took it from Scotland while the SNP stood by and let them and the Labour party applauded.
What Frank said @ 7.46 am.
Great cartoon – Deadly accurate.
Thanks Sturgeon.
jockmcx,7.29am,
I liked her,she was a nice person!
Is Lesley Riddoch’s honest assessment of the state of play and the need for members to take back control, just another pre-emptive ploy, to set that narrative of a successful convention?
Selling the faithful another bridge, brick by brick, the one and only strategy. A dangerous game, especially, when those bricks become flying missiles,
in the opposite direction.
Hard hats won’t suffice, come election time.
I hadn’t noticed before Chris that the AA and the SNP share the same colours. That’s all they have in common though.
The AA fixes breakdowns while the SNP causes them.
Also, the AA’s accounts will all be in order.
A ghost town called Independence.
Let’s rebuild anew. Call it Alba and elect a mayor who really cares.
A well chosen scene, portrays the sadness of what has become of a once proud, true parry of Independence.
Now a shell and laughing stock.
So i took the long walk,but why should anyone here care!
Back to the slugs!
What if independence supporting mp’s,msp’s were required to sig’n
an allegiance to the sovereign people of Scotland before any other
allegiences…,
How many would would do that?
just asking!
All the cartoon lacks is the half empty SNP campaign motorhome being driven down the cul de sac by the unelected messrs Harvie & Slater.
Vote SNP … Get list Greens.
Depressingly accurate Chris.
Aye.
The SNP/Greens; Making Scotland Shite Again. (MaSSA)…
Och, my post went to the previous “Kiss With A Fist” page. Chris’s perfect cartoon says it so much better but here it is again anyway.
No shortage of last minute trickery to try to lure the unwary independence supporter away from Stirling today.
PR companies have already been working overtime to produce crunchy new Caird Hall carrots such as “members’ contributions” and speakers practised in the art of sleight of hand.
But suddenly the pointless, divisive SNP conference/convention is being hailed as a SUMMIT – dictionary definition: “an important formal meeting between leaders of governments from two or more countries”. Two or more parties maybe… Certainly a puffed up choice of word for an anaemic, inward-looking meeting.
Then there’s the inevitable photo of the sea of saltires from the earlier Glasgow AUOB march with no mention of today’s 12.30 AUOB march and rally from Auld Stirling Brig to Bannockburn Field.
Breeks’ brilliant observation of The National as modern day Daniel Defoe, “sowing the very seeds of division it condemns” sums up the trickery perfectly. And, yes, once you’ve seen it you can’t unsee it.
Scotland’s heart will be in Stirling today, remembering Winnie and all those who have gone before. Marching for independence.
The notion of politics as a job for life.
There ought to be a «use by» shelf life date for those in politics.
Manifestly too many have well exceeded the date.
The constitution of a dynamic democracy should state a time period for political activity.
The same applies to political cabals ie political parties.
The political life of a society ought to be fresh with ideas, innovation, experimentation and daring. Politics ought not to be a place where brilliant ideas go to die at the hands of third rate jobsworths.
That’s Govanhill. Right?
The greyness… such a powerful metaphor, it instantly brought tears to my eyes.
I’m finding it difficult to ignore the increasing evidence that the majority ARE too stupid. This place is one of the few havens of sanity and common sense left.
Also, on roads infrastructure (Willie, 7.23am), it has never failed to amaze me at the sudden change at Newcastle (England’s impoverished North) when driving down the A1, where even at busy times, the traffic flows on wide, well surfaced road and you pass through with no great delay. Contrast this with the road from Edinburgh, our main East coast connection with the South, and the disgrace it mostly is. There is NO easy way South from the East of our country, and it’s even worse if you’re driving from Edinburgh to West England. The A701 and A702 are simply scandalous, as is the haulage traffic on them. The M8/M74 is still a long way round.
Also compare it to the joke that is the Edinburgh City Bypass which I have to drive on several times a day, where I simply don’t have the words to express my disgust at the inaction on improving it.
It’s sickening. Rant over, I’d better go cut the grass, and other productive things.
Nice one Chris, dead end indeed we’re going nowhere with the SNP in power we need to get them out at every election.
Meanwhile another useless SNP gravy trainer is to stand down, if only more of these useless inept mediocre SNP MSPs and MPs would do the decent thing and stand down we might achieve independence.
Was Creepy Crawley pushed?
“Angela Crawley, who has represented Lanark and Hamilton East since taking the seat from Labour in 2015, announced the news on Friday afternoon.
It follows Peter Grant, the SNP Westminster group treasurer, announcing he would be standing down.”
The National Defoe is sending four members of staff to Caurd Hall but only one reporter to Bannockburn.
the green fungus growing up the derelict building says it all!
I get around!…
‘got’ around…!
Aye Chris…what a thoughtful and accurate cartoon.
As the Kinks put it in Dead-end Street
(dead end) Why should we be on dead end street?
(dead end) People are living on dead end street
(dead end) I’m going to die on dead end street
Thank you SNP, my former party, for fiddling with your petticoats while the opportunity went begging to get us back into the world. You utter, abject and weary cowards.
Frank at 7:46 am
“Willie, no need to compare Scotland with UAE or Qatar. Look no further than London, It’s amazing. You could eat dinner off the pavement.”
Lol! Yeah, right. There are some nice bits but then there’s lots of shitholes in That London.
“England is an oil-rich country. Unfortunately they took it from Scotland while the SNP stood by and let them and the Labour party applauded.”
And now you’ve painted the whole of England like it’s Canary Wharf. You need to get out more.
These councillors, MSPs, and MPs are so intrenched in retaining their own jobs, they’ve have totally given up on Scotland.
I’ll make a simply point that the above just don’t seem to realise and that is that all of the above apart from MPs, Scotland is going to need MSPs, Councillors and a seconded chamber so where would there be the loss for this MSPs, MPs and Councillors. If you have just delivered Independence for your country why would you be rejected at the ballot box, if you’ve just achieved Independence look at what happened after 2014 Labour went from 40+ MPs and the biggest party in Scotland to just having 1 MP and in Holyrood going from 1st to 2nd to being replaced by the Tories and going into 3rd place.
Scotland will need:- Ambassadors and High Commissioners to represent Scotland abroad in al of these country’s
Afghanistan Albania Algeria Angola Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Bolivia Bosnia-Herzegovina Botswana
Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burma Cambodia Cameroon Canada Chile China Colombia DR Congo
Costa Rica Côte d’Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Dominican Republic
East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Fiji Finland France The Gambia
Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Guatemala Guinea Guyana Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary
Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya
Korea, DPR (North Korea) Korea, RO (South Korea) Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos
Latvia Lebanon Liberia Libya Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia
Mali Malta Mauritius Mexico Moldova Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Namibia
Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Nigeria Norway Oman Pakistan Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Romania Russia Rwanda Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands
Somalia South Africa South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Sweden Switzerland Syria Tajikistan
Tanzania Thailand Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Uganda Ukraine
United Arab Emirates United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Venezuela Vietnam Yemen Zambia
Zimbabwe.
When we become Independent, we are going to need a least a million jobs that at the moment only England provides in fact when Scotland becomes Independent Scotland will have jobs opportunity in ever sector or society, where as in England they’ll be jobs loses.
We have to get rid of the SNP or the people running it.
Sigh!
There seems to be nobody!…ok
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUdbZ9QY5VU
something nice…time…i’ts not on ur side!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE6YAjFucdQ
That’s painful.
Very accurately depicts Dundee city centre under an SNP administration
Make no mistake that underfunding is entirely down to Westminster robbing its last rich colony.
The Tories have stripped untold billions out to hand over to Englands elite.
Bois in the Daily Hail proclaims those who died in the tin pot sun as heros?
Apparently they were pushing the frontiers of knowledge in his book.
I think they may just have been very rich gouls suckered by a fellow millionaire.
Seems like not everyone at the SNP conference is happy to listen to Humza rambling on.
The dead end sign is a nice touch. Sublimely clever, but also makes me want to cry.
Great Cartoon Chris. Shame its so accurate.
Reading Tommy Shepherds tweets today, looks like the nuSNP are away to borrow heavily from nuLabours book of excuses. Cue the, ‘we need to listen to our voters memes.’
The real question now is, how many SNP voters will vote for Scotland United Indy, staying at home and sulking lets in Labour, even if it gives nuSNP a drubbing.
“You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” Humza, walking on water or eggshells?
Excellent! Says it all!
Some communities may get the political «leaders» they deserve. When people will stand in line for 15minutes for a coffee they could easy make at home, similarly wait ages for a junk food Deliveroo and seemingly link their intimate brain functions to that of a cellphone the AI universe of Eloi and Morlocks has a head start.
@Effijy 11:23
Monitoring the DM for mentions of Boris???
Google “masochism”.
See TB’s record breaking 3 in a row, those 13 years when Labour ran the UK, 1997 to 2010? Did the flow of cash reverse, so that untold billions was stripped out of England and handed over to Scotland’s elite?
Naw?
So not just the Tories then.
Depressingly accurate Mr Cairns.
I take it if the viewer peeks around the corner there’s a camper van, sitting up on bricks, being used as a crack den by a fat, baldy bloke in a string vest, sporting DIY prison tattoos, and a wee wifey in a tatty, thrift shop business suit, who spends all day muttering to herself about someone called “Alex”.
I read what Fergus Ewing said about the Greens and how they are not fit to be in government. It’s a “the emperor has no clothes” moment.
I want to hear that Alba has already made overtures to Mr Ewing and that discussions are in hand for him to join Alba.
I want to hear that Mr Ewing is seriously considering and planning to make that move.
The SNP and the wider yes movement share the same predicament: neither have sufficient support. You cannot win because the majority chose the UK. It is over. You either continue as the SNP are by just regarding the whole thing as an exercise in hoarding power and money, or you go home and move on with your lives.
Here’s the link for live coverage for anyone who really really wants to see the Dundee gig.
Heaven only knows what the head count is but when you strip away staffers, the Stirling Throbber Krew etc, I’m sticking with 250 or less. Probably more ‘real’ independence supporters outside.
Caught the end of the panel discussion, WGD had a big giant stick with him and then he got helped off-stage by GMK a la James Brown but, thankfully, didn’t come rushing back on to ‘take it to the bridge’.
http://www.thenational.scot/news/23609966.watch-snp-independence-convention-live-national/
Yes, the cul-de-sac which the SNP leadership favours. Well done, Chris, yet again. Says it all.
Mark: nope, it is never over till it’s over. Read your history books, and you will learn that valuable lesson. Just when they think they can relax and it’s all over, it erupts. It is going to happen in Scotland, too.
Mark…
The majority of Scots voted for Indy in 2014. Those from elsewhere in the UK and EU ensured that they and the minority of Scots got what they wanted.
The UK Government ensured that wasn’t going to happen in 2016 by excluding EU voters from the referendum.
There’s a lesson therein …
Now, away take a long walk off a short pier, or go educate yourself, whichever you find the least taxing.
We will win this,
Because we are the PEOPLE of SCOTLAND,not the fannies who think
they can sit on thier arses,profiting from our votes while doing nothing whatever to earn thier ill gotten gain’s…!
They had better make clear where they stand pretty soon,because they
should be clear…crystal clear, (if you like) they will not be
forgotten…Oh yeah…
Dear SNP fannies
You put yourself up,you know why people voted for you,…not to be
another scumbag…So…Are you a scumbag or not…ANSWER Now…
or Answer to the PEOPLE of SCOTLAND the first chance we get,
iether way you will not be forgotten,…love and kisses and flower’s and rainbow’s and whatever else shite float’s your imbecilac boat!…
Was’nt elizabeth frazer lovely…blush!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFWKJ2FUiAQ
That is an awesome picture of what I feel about the current climate , incompetence ego and vengeance is steering our country at the moment and its heartbreaking.
@robertknight
“We wus robbed”
See? Your post can be summarised with no loss of valid information.
Coming up 10 years. Any ideas for getting the people, resident and voting in Scotland, onside for the next vote?
Anything at all to turn these No’s to Yes’s?
IMHO, the “we wus robbed” trope is burnt out. Doesn’t matter how many times it is said, not one No is turned to Yes.
“Show us the money!” Now that has quite an appeal to it. Specifically appeals to those New Scots from England, EU and further afield, who are in Scotland only for what they can get.
Why not show them how they can get more? Maybes they will carry the rest of us to Indy in the stampede.
Got to be worth a try. “We wus robbed” has had 10 years, hasn’t worked, won’t work, so bin it and move on.
Ian B
” Caught the end of the panel discussion, WGD had a big giant stick with him and then he got helped off-stage by GMK a la James Brown but, thankfully, didn’t come rushing back on to ‘take it to the bridge’. ”
LOL ! You mean he never did the cape on / cape off routine ?
Ah well , suppose he’ll just stay on the scene like a donation garnering machine .
Say it loud : IM A GRIFTER N IM PROUD .
Artistically alone , that is a brilliant * cartoon * . Add-in the context/meaning and you have a truly superb piece of political commentary . 10-10 Mr C
Anti Social map of the UK
https://archive.ph/HGMMm
Seems Scotland has already quit.
They are all in it together? And very welcome.
@Robert Hughes (1.41) –
‘a donation garnering machine’
🙂 🙂 🙂
Wishart is next up in Dundee.
http://www.thenational.scot/news/23609966.watch-snp-independence-convention-live-national/
John Main
So for sake of argument, according to you, if 52% of Scots living in Scotland are persuaded to vote for Indy, but those from elsewhere in the UK but living in Scotland, who will never countenance an Indy Scotland under ANY circumstance, swing it to 55% against, that’s the fault of the pro-Indy campaign and that’s just how it is…you failed to persuade those who would never be persuaded, so move along, nothing to see?
Ok. Well that’s one opinion I suppose.
So had the United Kingdom remained in the EU simply due to citizens from outside the United Kingdom voting to remain in the EU, against the wishes of the majority of United Kingdom citizens, that would’ve been ok? Because that’s what you’re advocating with Scotland remaining in the UK simply due to citizens from outside Scotland voting to remain in the UK, against the wishes of the majority of Scottish citizens.
Of course, that didn’t happen in 2016, only in 2014, and we all know the reason why. Democracy, eh? A moveable feast apparently, when it suits!
Perhaps the simple 51% will never be enough. Yes will not only need to persuade 51% of Scots, which it did in 2014, but an additional number of Yes to counter the permanent/immovable No’s from outside Scotland who happen to be living in Scotland on the day the votes are cast. Those advocating a 60% threshold for Yes may well get their way where the domestic vote is concerned.
Apologie’s
I have no reason to post this on a pro independence blog!
I just think it’s it’s a piece of scottish brilliance…so eff it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1quZbpgLh7w…and i’m knackered,so there!
Seeing as it’s cartoon day… Nicola and Peter go doon the watter? https://i.redd.it/2r1mj8i2x8ky.jpg
Beautiful artistry Chris it reminds me of Govan after decades of LIEBOUR rule so once again the Scottish Nonce Party are just emulating their unionist partners
A town in Scotland under snp governance (what a fucking liberty)
@Robertkknight
Your points are all valid, but I don’t have an easy answer. Or maybe I do, see later.
People already resident in Scotland, working, paying taxes, contributing in other ways, just can’t be disenfranchised. That’s how I see it.
No taxation without representation sums it up for me.
So, IMO, Indy has to persuade a majority of New Scots, just as it has to persuade a majority of Old Scots. I have long thought that, die-hard Yoons aside, New Scots should be easier to persuade. I have never subscribed to the belief that immigrants are angelic, altruistic figures. Selfish, sharp-elbowed graspers is far more likely, here in Scotland simply for what they can get.
Easy converts to Indy if we just show them the money.
Been quite a while since I’ve been on here but that is Outstanding
Been quite a while since I’ve been on here but that is Outstanding
John main
“ I have never subscribed to the belief that immigrants are angelic, altruistic figures. Selfish, sharp-elbowed graspers is far more likely, here in Scotland simply for what they can get.”
Makes sense, then, to extract as much value from oil reserves as possible. Plenty Scots on here also want to that so are they “ Selfish, sharp-elbowed graspers…” too?
Anyway, your big plan is a bit stupid because plenty possible yes voters have environmental red lines, as do plenty committed ones. I doubt you have any idea of how those numbers work out.
It has become clear to me that the Scotland’s Oil brigade prominent here, and supportive of AS, don’t have a vision of indy that works without extracting every last drop. It has long been clear to me that persisting with the oil economy is beyond daft. It is clear to many people.
@John Main
“No taxation without representation sums it up for me.”
Then you would agree that UK resident EU citizens paying tax in the UK were disenfranchised in 2016?
Where the streets have no names, only signs of the forgotten.