Happy clappy people
We were going to inflict Johann Lamont’s latest BBC interview on you tonight, but frankly you’ve suffered enough for one week – it can wait until the morning. Instead, for this evening’s And Finally, we’ll let you enjoy another wonderful shot of some of Ms Lamont’s colleagues, this time at the end of her keynote conference address.
Well, we say “at”. Possibly we mean “as a result of”.
PS This week’s Stories Of The Week were:
1. A litany of idiocy
Johann’s speech transcribed.
2. Interview with the vampire
Johann meets Gordon Brewer, with unfortunate/hilarious consequences.
3. Johann Lamont’s conference speech
See above.
4. Dead man’s swerve
Alistair Darling dodges questions more expertly than Johann.
5. Help for Scottish journalists
Seriously – Labour’s plan is to take your money and send it to Birmingham.
This week’s theme: guess who?
FFS Flipper yer a dolphin no a seal!
“Shiny happy(?) people clapping hands!! Displays of rupturous applause and belief after JoLa’s mind blowing keynote speech! More than a touch of REM!
It is interesting to see the arrangement of the deck chairs on the Titanic, is it not?
Wee Dougie & Alastair D sitting together. Don’t they make a lovely couple
I am confused. How can the BBC permit this image to be broadcast? Surely the state broadcaster has a duty to project a positive case for the union. I may be wrong, but these people just don’t look convinced of the positive case for dependence.
Bigdrone says:
More than a touch of REM!
Please do not insult REM again by putting them in the same universe, let along the same sentence or paragraph as JoLo as you can get…. Except… “Its the end of the world as we know it” is more apt.
“The First Rule of Fright Club is don’t talk about anything Positive.”
so lets get this straight Scottish labour – you claim if we leave, we’ll be £1 billion worse off. If we stay – we’ll lose two billion in funding and then be taxed a special Scottish income tax to cover it. Or if the tories get in and lets face it, that seems likely – they’ll grab 4 billion.
Now while I dispute the first figure – well actually I think its bollocks. There can be no denying what you intend to do if manage to scare enough voters to vote no.
Could someone from new labour tell me if they ever heard of what happened to the last party that tried that shit here?
Sad day when Mr Darling cant even be arsed wearing a tie.
He’s wearing a Better Together badge though so thats a grand total of 2. Only Al and Anas Sarwar felt game enough to say “Feck you Scotland, we know where our priorities lie, and it aint here!”
We wanna be dependant, to the tune of we wanna be elected.
Notice my MSP there (the woman in red), and I can’t even remember her name. How sad is that!
@Bigdrone
@Thomas William Dunlop
‘Imitation of Life’.
“Notice my MSP there (the woman in red), and I can’t even remember her name. How sad is that!”
Pretty sure it’s Cara Schoolclose or something.
I know that public services are overstretched, but surely something can be done to help these poor people. Their misery is painful to watch.
Yes Borders are so happy-clappy that we managed to leaflet one of the remotest hill farms in the area twice on the one day! It’s in my patch, so this afternoon I girded my loins and thanked my lucky stars that the Golf doesn’t have a lowered chassis, and set off.
Did about 26 in about an hour and a half, picking up the farms I’d missed when I didn’t have enough papers to go round and putting Farming for Yes leaflets in as well. Got home to find an email from the lady in Peebles who is co-ordinating this area to say she’d been hillwalking this afternoon and she’d just done that very remote farm while she was passing.
We’re not missing a thing here. No farm too remote, no track too rutted. I spent half an hour yesterday talking to an undecided way up the top of a no-through-road a very long way from anywhere. This is how we will win this.
they will be smearing each other, stabbing each other in the back as they try and find a seat at holyrood after the referendum.
@Claire McNab says:
but surely something can be done to help these poor people. Their misery is painful to watch.
Fortunately they will get put out of their misery on 18th September.
Watched the SLAB party on telly this weekend. I know I’m a sado but it was perversely entertaining to observe the stumbling struggling of a branch party. Speeches were just a NOISE coming from tv. I loved the body language, all over the place, no symmetry, no mirroring, no smiling, I saw sadness, deepdown, any smiles were false. One word captures the performance, UNPROFFESSIONAL. Dont let them in again, they’re psychos militants activists trolls and a undemocratic dangerous lot. Its my Time. Its Time #GrabTheThistle
Gaun yersel’ Morag!
They all look like they are thinking?When is the next leadership election?This woman’s murder!Beware the ides of March Johanne!
Saw you on the Al Jazeera Lockerbie documentary. Great contribution. However even more impressed by your commitment to spread the good news in the high hills of the Borders. Magic!
Who says Labour has lost it’s soul?
Wally Green – The Good ,The Bad & The Ugly
link to youtube.com
The farm where they’re doing Lambing Live this week is quite coincidentally on my deliveries list for the very days the BBC cameras will be there. Now, should I walk in on the whole shebang, Yes Newspaper and Farming for Yes leaflet in my hot little hand?
P.S. Bunch of cowboys!
Just skimming through some twitter accounts to get some reactions to Labour’s conference and that Lamont speech.
Mandy Rhodes – Holyrood magazine
‘Always enjoy @JohannLamont conference speeches but as mother of teen I’m even more impressed that she got her teens up on stage!’
Lesley Riddoch – Journalist
‘Johann Lamont made good speech today pressing SNP. Devo Nano plan weak & alternatives fuzzy. But bidding war on the left is no bad thing.’
Susan Stewart – Yes, Women for Indy
‘And this feminist has respect for @JohannLamont, like many Yes women. Disappointing.’
So a couple of them found the speech disappointing and light on fact, but have no issues over the hate-filled bile that spewed forth.
These are all women that I’ve heard campaign for women to play a greater role in politics and for better representation, for which I whole heartedly agree, but to praise Lamont for that speech, to say you have ‘respect’ for that ? – ‘a good speech’ ? ‘ always enjoy her speeches’ ?
Is there an unwritten code that women can’t criticise a woman in ‘power’ ? That somehow gender representation comes before a hate-filled personal rant and therefore it can’t be hauled apart as it deserved to be ?
Frankly, I’m at a bit of a loss to understand what credit Lamont deserves for that.
Who are these people? I know a couple of their names, but who exactly are they? Of what relevance are they to me, my family or my country?
None whatsoever, what you are looking at is The Picture of Dorian Gray, a group though, rather than a person.
Their sins will never be forgotten and like Dorian will wither and die by their own hand.
Tartanfever, I post under my real name and as this suggests I am in possession of two X chromosomes. I think Johann Lamont is a disgrace to homo sapiens, and anyone who thinks she shouldn’t be criticised because she’s a woman is in need of re-education with extreme prejudice.
Even as a screen-grab, it is a fantastic image.
Hopefully, some real photographers were there, getting their own angles. In years to come, our grandweans will be able to buy big coffee-table history books containing classic snaps – that moment, captured above, will surely be amongst them. It encapsulates a very special and important moment in our history – the very instant that the Labour movement in the ‘U.K.’ finally faces The Grim Reaper, and realises he ain’t kidding.
‘I’m sorry. It may be a matter of weeks, or months, but the outcome is certain.’
Sad? Aye, it’s always sad, but they’ve only themselves to blame, and they know it.
Big Jock says:
23 March, 2014 at 11:25 pm
They all look like they are thinking?When is the next leadership election?This woman’s murder!Beware the ides of March Johanne!
sarwar says says lamont will be the nextfirst minister
link to heraldscotland.com
WELL AAALLLLLLLLRRRRRIIIIGGGHHHTTT!!
I SAID WELL AAALLLLLLRRRRIIIIIGGGGHHHHTTT!!!!
Is it my imagination or is the Herald comment section better than it was?
I couldn’t tell you Morag, think I was banned after my first post. Wouldn’t mind if it was nasty it was only truthful.
Some just can’t handle the truth though.
Very surprised at that reaction from women to Lamont’s speech. I would have thought her negativity and bile would have turned off most women, not appealed to them. Women tend to favour a more consensual approach to politics, so we are told, and I certainly felt a chill of horror at her comments about the FM and families. As a mother Ms Lamont’s rhetoric does not appeal to me, and were I an undecided voter I would run a mile from her and her party. There is a difference between political sparring and descending to nasty personal comments and allusions.
At what point does all of this stuff just break down and become just a lot of stupid shit that somebody made up?
George Carlin.
@Morag –
Hear hear.
Men, these days, are becoming incredibly sensitive about criticising women on any grounds. It is easy to mock Lamont’s looks, but, by and large, we don’t do that because it’s just too obvious. (Having said that, what’s the story with the teeth? That’s just too obvious and embarrassing – no excuse for it at all.)
But judging her as a human being? She gets big fat crosses in just about any box related to common-decency – she may be, nominally, the ‘Shadow First Minister’, but in real-life, she is a total loser. A sad, haunted, empty character – in those respects, at least, she accurately reflects the party she represents.
Dorothy,
thanks for your response. Thats pretty much what I thought, and it’s the same reaction that all the females in my family gave.
Ian – I just thought it to be an interesting coincidence that the only favourable tweets (outside of the No camp of course) I could find were from women who publicly advocate gender equality, especially in the world of politics.
Morag says:
The farm where they’re doing Lambing Live this week is quite coincidentally on my deliveries list for the very days the BBC cameras will be there. Now, should I walk in on the whole shebang, Yes Newspaper and Farming for Yes leaflet in my hot little hand?
Would that count as ‘product placement’ Morag?
Awe hell go for it, get the photo of the paper being hand delivered, let’s show the world, well alright the BBC at least, that we are our people and no one rules us!
Oops I forgot to put up a link to Munguin’s, it has the result of the debate in Althing I alluded to last night. Defending the union was none other than the Secretary of State for Portsmouth himself Alistair Carmichael.
link to tinyurl.com
All passengers boarding for destinations south.
The Champs – “Train To Nowhere”
link to youtube.com
There’s a difference between women and feminists. La Riddoch is one of the latter and struggles to condemn a revolting bigoted slagbag of an excuse for humanity just because the’ve got teats.
Anybody who defends lamont’s speech has forfeited the right to life. They should pass a law about it.
@Morag
@ Morag
Yip. I am instinctively protective of women. Big hard tuff bloke. nature kicks in. Caballero. An honourable man.
My beautiful talented young 27 year old Irish Doctor wife died from rare nuke radiation, caused by the brit bastirts.
I fkn hate them.
Lamont is a worthless, thick stupid piece of shite.
Peter
You forgot to
They all look as if they’re thinking – “We’re going to need a bigger P45”.
@tartanfever –
I’m genuinely appalled that Lesley Riddoch hasn’t laid into Lamont, let alone lend her tacit support – the idea that Riddoch might ‘diplomatically’ endorse such vile tripe is just shocking. (I’ve only see your comments, so can’t be sure if that’s what she meant.)
Men who try to support a ‘feminist’ viewpoint are often slagged out of the park. Alan Bissett is one, and the Professor (Robertson?) of UWS, who appeared before the SG Committee last week is another. FWIW, I’d be up for that label, no danger.
But we all make mistakes. It’s easy to lapse into cliché and stereotypes, largely because it’s ‘fun’, and we all do it, men and women alike. (FFS, that’s just ‘life’, right? If men and women couldn’t slag each other off? Unthinkable.)
But what Lamont did in that speech was utterly horrible, and no-one – male, female, feminist-supporting or otherwise – should allow her to get away with it.
Not condemning her is tantamount to supporting her – after that appalling speech, she deserves no support from anyone.
@Thepnr
Heh-heh, I get banned fae aw these fkrs tae.
¿Por que?
Yo..
Lesley Riddoch is a smart woman, she knows full well how that speech went down, do not believe all that you see.
@steven Seagull –
How did you turn that question-mark upside down?
Seriously…
As I appear to be setting a pattern of threes, I hope it it’s ok to post another tune.
Interesting times indeed. What might the future bring for aspirational Labour (North British Branch)?
The Devons – Free Fall
link to youtube.com
Well, i’m at the coo’s tail as usual. Warning Graphic Content! Read before eating your porridge
link to heraldscotland.com.
@CameronB love the late night music picks! Keep em coming.
@Ian Brotherhood
Ya meen like this… ??? or mebee this… ¿¿¿
I just inserted a ‘¿’ symbol into an MSWord document. Just a test to see if it works.
Wonder if it works!
Lamont is an insult to honest and intelligent women. I find her nasty, unintelligent ignorance utterly abborant, and sad to read that L. Riddoch, a woman with intelligence and integrity I’d have thought, was less than critical about Lamont’s disgraceful, bitchy and self satisfying conduct. Quite dangerous really that someone like J L can be viewed and portrayed as anything other than the lying, egotistical fanatic that she really is. Brrrrr.
Weedeochandorris
Thanks vm. Last one for tonight then or else I’ll catch it in the morning. I think these guys had it back in 1961.
The Regents – Liar
link to youtube.com
That last one was for the submission.
Just keep talking rubbish Johann, every word is a nugget of idiocy. As for Mr Darling and his tieless attire, he’s trying to show that he is one of “us” and not a stuck up, arrogant, head up his ass, Tory sycophant. FAIL.
OK, I lied. Hope the ref. isn’t watching.
AlDon & the EC’s – Endsville
link to youtube.com
Never forget what is blocking the radical reform the not only Scotland needs, but the whole of the UK, IMO.
Alton Joseph And The Jokers – “The Other Place” (1966)
link to youtube.com
That will teach me to be a smarty,I thought that’s what they called the Lords. Beamer.
From Derick fae Yell (from Newsnet Scotland site – I think he posts here sometimes too):
Althing Debate, Shetland
Tingwall Hall, Saturday, 22 March 2014
Motion, “The time is right for Scottish independence”
Speaking
FOR
Proposer Mike McKenzie MSP
Seconder Danus Skene (Yes Shetland)
AGAINST
Alastair Carmichael MP, Secretary of State for Scotland
Ian Duncan, Conservative No 1 EU elections
Pre discussion vote
For 58
Against 57
Don’t know 31
After discussion
For 70
Against 48
Don’t know 22
As we appear to be drifting apart, here’s some original surf music from 1864. WAKE UP!
The Titans – Reveille Rock
link to youtube.com
The most telling thing for me about the whole Labour conference was a repeated appeal to the one nation British Nationalism. This is no longer a debate between nationalism(be it civic or otherwise) and Unionism.
This is a debate between Nationalism and Nationalism. The civic nationalism of the left wing Scottish nationalists versus the quasi-ethnic nationalism of the right wing British nationalists and political establishment. I say quasi-ethnic because they are trying hard to reforge Britishness as a valid grouping.
I know which side I’d prefer.
I also know which side the Daily Heil prefers.
Draconian taxes are already imposed on Scotland by Westminister. 80% tax on the Oil and Whisky sector. The 11% (£2Billion) a year increase in tax on the Oil sector in 2011 has cost Scotland £5Billion a year, as Oil companies cut future Projects. Appropriate Health & Safety rules are not being enforced. The UK Treasury is deliberately trying to ruin the Scottish economy for political purposes. Scotland subsidies the tax evasion by (foreign) multinationals in the City of London. Unfair competition by Multinational tax evaders is damaging British business.
Scotland raises more tax revenues (pro rata) and borrows and spends less (pro rata) but has to pay off (pro rata) the rest of the UK debts. The UK Treasury has taken the equivalent of £Billions from Scotland for years and squandered it on illegal wars, redundant weaponry, tax evasion, banking fraud and starving the vulnerable. Supporting inequality and rewarding the rich. 5 people in the UK own more than 1/5 (20%) of the population. There has been no sharing and caring, or equal distribution of resources or assets. £10Billion goes to Westminster, 1/6 of the Scottish budget which could be better spent in Scotland creating investment and jobs.
Westminster and it’s associates are corrupt. Vote YES for a better society.
The Press industry is dominated by right wing owners. Thatcher made sure of that. Right wing hypocrites who campaign against the EU but take EU subsidies for their Scottish estates. Blame hardworking immigrants for economic ills, while supporting the fraudulent laisezz-faire policies, deregulation and fraudulent Bankers who caused the crash.
An element of democracy is a balanced Press. The UK MSM is controlled by Westminster. Westminster will no implement the Leveson recommendation because it does not want to lose control of the Press and give the public redress against the Press.
The ConDem have not supported the NHS and Education and have not paid off any of the deficit but increased the debt. Selling off the Royal Mail at a loss and taking the Pension fund, which now becomes a liability and increases the debt. Increased tuition fees, had to borrow £6Billion to service the loans which are not being repaid. It costs more.
Lamont insulted woman and men when she made this speech. It was a dig at both Alex and Moira Salmond.
Please read the feedback from Siôn Rees Williams on my blog; Siôn puts it perfectly.
link to whitefeatherclub.wordpress.com
@Ian Brotherhood
The easiest way to get an upside doon ? Is to have a Spanish keyboard.
The second easiest is to do a paste from within MS Word special characters.
The third easiest is to turn the. Screen upside down.
Morag says
” she’s a woman is in need of re-education with extreme prejudice.”
I’ll tell Mr Dick to get some more Lochgelly tawes made
Ian Brotherhood says
“Sad? Aye, it’s always sad, but they’ve only themselves to blame, and they know it.”
Sad? the loss of that crew will be about as sad as the pest controller saying ,”well that’s the last cockroach”
Following on from Fiona’s post re. the Maritime powers of England/Britain and the Netherlands v everyone else?
The Rise and Decline of European Parliaments, 1188-
1789
Jan Luiten van Zanden, Eltjo Buringh and Maarten Bosker1
Utrecht University/University of Groningen
Abstract
The paper quantifies the activities of medieval and early-
modern parliaments. It traces the long term evolution of this European institution, and offers a first pass at analysing its impact on long-term economic development.
Starting in Spain in the twelfth century, parliaments gradually spread over the Latin West between 1200 and 1500. In the early-modern period, parliaments declined in influence in southern and central Europe and further gained in importance in the Netherlands and Britain, resulting in an institutional ‘Little Divergence’ between 1500 and 1800.
We discuss the backgrounds of this phenomenon in detail. Moreover, by analysing the effects of Parliamentary activity on city growth we find that these differences in institutional development help in explaining the economic divergence between north-western and southern and central
Europe.
link to isites.harvard.edu
I hadn’t picked this up the first time. Detail will get you every time.
ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION IN THE ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW
I think Figure 2, pp 10 is pretty telling. What off though I have no idea. Yet.
James Arriere says
“WELL AAALLLLLLLLRRRRRIIIIGGGHHHTTT!!
I SAID WELL AAALLLLLLRRRRIIIIIGGGGHHHHTTT!!!!”
Away an chuck yersel in the sea an cool aff
Thpnr says
“Some just can’t handle the truth though.”
My wife would not beleive me when I told her innocent (labour)posters have been banned on the Better Together facebook page for simple questions, so I challenged her to see for herself, so she logged on got an email from Bair M thanking her for her support and asking her for money
) but the nature of the question was difficult for BT to answer without exposing the paucity of their argument and she was instantly banned, one very surprised and angry wife is the result, you really really don’t want to get my wife mad!
so she posted a question (forgotten what it was
Brevrijdingsdag (jings that’s hard to spell) says
“At what point does all of this stuff just break down and become just a lot of stupid shit that somebody made up?”
Right aboooouuuutt——————————————NOW.
Seven Seagull says
“Heh-heh, I get banned fae aw these fkrs tae.”
Heavens, why?
Weedeochandorris says
“Well, i’m at the coo’s tail as usual. Warning Graphic Content! Read before eating your porridge :-)”
For F*@k sake couldn’t you have put that warning in bigger writing?
¡Ian! you want ¿
Press Alt key type 168 gives ¿
type 73 gives ¡
^^^^^Sorry type 173 for ¡
Academic from Beijing who was on front page of herald criticising Gideon coming up next on GMS
link to newsnetscotland.com
Oh dear, how sad, what a shame, never mind.
So it was all for nothing, Barroso?
Morag says:
“I post under my real name and as this suggests I am in possession of two X chromosomes. I think Johann Lamont is a disgrace to homo sapiens, and anyone who thinks she shouldn’t be criticised because she’s a woman is in need of re-education with extreme prejudice.”
AMEN to that Morag!
The fella seated next to Drew Smith Labour MSP and behind Flipper’s left shoulder is none other than Annandale East & Eskdale councillor Archie Dryburgh.
I have heard from reliable sources that he has got the Scottish Labour nomination to go up against Mundell and fight the seat to become MP for Dumfriiesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale at the next general election.
@Hetty
Lamentable is a disgrace to our species.
You called it right.
Regards…
@Ian Brotherhood
Spanish keyboard Bud. Spanish language rules. Real Academia.
Like Wee Ginger Dug. Fluent.
I live in inland Spain.(Teba)
I think in Spanish, rarely speak Scots/beurla unless online, or bump intae a tourist.
I love Scots vernacular though.
Have a nice day Pal, best regards…
@ Morag, could not agree with you more, and may I say as another such a Moira Salmond with a younger husband and no kids, there are many many reasons for not having them.
I am ashamed of a woman who call into question another’s right not to have children, and she(Lamont) should remember that Moira Salmond is not in politics and therefore should not ever be viewed as fair game. I chose not to have children because of people just like Lamont. Why bring kids into this world to be treated as so many have since the advent of Thatcher, Blair et al.
I hope Lesley Riddoch reviews what she said, if indeed she did say it.
@ Ann, well you did better than I with our respective MSP, I don’t think I could pick out the said nonentity in any crowd. I got her note that if I had any problems I should bring them to her. I nearly wrote back and said I was not yet in my dotage.
@Ian Brotherhood:
Ian, you can insert any individual text symbol from any font installed on your computer by the use of the Windows, “Character Map”. You will find it under, “Programs/Accessories/system tools/Character map”. It brings up a wee window where you can select the font you want. Then from within the program select the character and copy it. Then just paste it into your text. You can also do so by keyboard keystroke combinations but you have to remember the exact keystroke combinations for each character. My memory is not THAT good, though.
Thomas William Dunlop – Please keep your wig on! Absolutely no insult to the band – my attempted reference was to the medical condition assosiated with sleep deprivation! Don’t that lot look as if they’ve just woken up or wish they hadn’t and are are desparate for the Land of Nod! (Canadian indie band Stars mentions the Land of Nod in the title track to their album The Comeback EP: “Just got back from the land of Nod…”) “Times they are a’changin’ ” ….would that be more acceptable?
We’ll see about that. Yes indeedy we will see about that. (Mind you, who knows what will happen in 2015 after a Yes vote.)
Still, I don’t see how he could be worse than the last Labour candidate they foisted on us.
With reference to my wee trip round the farming community yesterday, although I don’t know the specifics, I think we may have Wings readers to thank for making it possible. (Not that we were completely skint, but we have to budget for another six months of ramping up activity.)
I’d used up all the Yes newspapers we had and I thought that was going to be our lot. Then the fundraiser made its target, thanks to Wings readers without a doubt at all. Then suddenly I came home to another 120 papers sitting on my doorstep, and a pile of Farming for Yes leaflets too.
So thanks again, and you can be sure the money is being put to good use.
@ Morag
Confirmation of what I posted can be viewed at:
link to ukpollingreport.co.uk
The following seats have selected Labour candidates for the next general election:
Said councillor and Labour candidate for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale in the next general election happens to be my brother-in-law. Me a card carrying member of the SNP, I’m fighting on all fronts. Hail Alba vote YES 18th September 2014.
Re Lamont.I found it difficult to assess her points in the regards about the First Minister,while I find it a total disgrace, clearly the woman has issues and more problems than can be readily seen.
Then of course is little excuse for the Labour entourage than fail to recognise her “glaikitness” and criticise accordingly,that shows their mindset
Inbhir Anainn, I wasn’t doubting you for a minute, I was merely expressing the determination to give the guy a very tough run for his money if he comes preaching round here.
@ Morag
Kudos I like your train of thought.