Hypocrisy, actually
We weren’t going to dignify the utterly absurd media stushie over a tweet by Glasgow MSP John Mason yesterday with any coverage because it was too cretinous to even bear thinking about, but this from today’s Daily Record was just too good.
In addition to putting the “story” on the front cover and giving it the whole of page 7 inside, the Record also indulged in an indignant “no means no” editorial leader on page 8. The only problem was that page 8 was also where the paper had chosen to feature a polled list of all-time favourite scenes from British TV comedies.
The second most-beloved comic scene of the nation’s TV viewers, as celebrated by the Record, was one from wildly popular Ricky Gervais vehicle The Office in which two characters who’d had a will-they-won’t-they relationship over a number of years, including several rejected advances from the male protagonist, “finally get together”.
Alert readers will of course already have recognised “boy is repeatedly rejected by girl but through persistence eventually succeeds in wooing her” as the plotline to roughly a billion TV series, plays, operas and movies, including pretty much the entire recorded works of both John Hughes and Richard Curtis, whose (awful) 2003 box-office smash Love, Actually was just last month voted Britain’s favourite ever Christmas movie.
But while that’s enough to illustrate the stupendous idiocy of the general coverage of the MSP’s tweet, we had to take a moment to salute the Record for going above and beyond the call of duty, by actually highlighting its clanging idiocy on the very same page as it chose to excoriate the hapless Mason for an innocent metaphor.
It’s going to be a heck of a year, readers.
This coming from the party of Greville Janner. I’m sure all the young lads who said no, meant no. F**cking hypocrites.
Another media witch hunt akin to the one done on the SNP’s candidate in Edinburgh which allowed Ian Murray to hold on to his seat.
Faux-outrage which seems to be designed to ruin someone’s career and/or making people too scared to speak.
I remember when that scumbag Greville Janner MP, in the early 90’s got a standing ovation from the great majority of MP’s when he was let off the hook by the police on a technicality. What a shower of filth. The Westminster establishment are a procurer of children for perverts. Time to end this Union of Filth.
I’m sure we all remember the “Will they Won’t they” of Tony and Sharon of the Nescafé Gold blend coffee TV adverts that ran for 6 YEARS ! It increased Nescafé sales by 50% Sharon said NO for 6 YEARS.
Pretty much.
They must be through the nether end of that barrel by now.
This was a gift. Well spotted. I did follow a couple of the threads about this on Twitter and really became quite angry and despairing at one point. I felt the offhand way one particular high profile contributor to The National and outspoken apologist for her very particular brand of feminism tore into Mason was quite unkind and extreme. I also wonder if this was the signal to the Twittering hacks to begin their witch-hunt of the man.
Bingo! It looks like we have reached a sufficient level of media lunacy to re-awaken The KLF: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1snD2zm1pBQ
Can’t agree with your verdict on Love Actually since almost all Christmas movies are American This was a good stab at, sometime cringy, British seasonal fun
Jaysus, and it’s only the 4th January. It’s enough to make you want to go into hibenation for a while.
Absolute CRETINS.
The record have form trying to get innocent people sacked from their job. SNP transport minister was hounded from his job after heavy snow closed th÷ M8. In a well concerted & planned two pronged attack with the help of Labour they got him to walk. The same tactics were employed
The worst people I ever met who would not take no for an answer were DAILY RECORD journalists.
Ran into them in the late 1960’s when a friend was killed in an accident, they would not leave his mothers door until the police were called.
yep throw them a bone and they go for it every time , nothing too trivial escapes their beady wee eyes , is this what its come to bottom feeders searching for shite .
Ooops. Pressed send by accident.
Was going on to say.. ..employed during the Forth Brig fiasco. A fall of snow or a cracked bit of rusty metal on a 60 year old structure must have one obvious outcome. SNP politicians must resign. Apart from appearing absurd, these games are an attemp to damage democracy itself. There’s no difference between the appalling record & the alt right nedia in the US.
I don’t think I can take much more…..
It is not a story. It was never a story. With all that is happening in the World why did someone think this needed cover…but we all know the real reason for the article.
Truly desperate stuff. The cretins who have piled in on this should hang their heads in shame.
This in an age where folk are being sanctioned if they don’t persist day after day with endless failed job applications. Whatever your opinion of Mr Mason this smear is disgusting- I wouldn’t treat my worst enemy like this.
I hope he has a good solicitor poring over these articles and tweets ready to throw the book at anyone for any actionable remarks made.
Similar but not quite as bad as the Daily Express outrage over the Brass Eye Paedogeddon special, which was featured on the page of a paparazzi shot of Beatrice and Eugenie Windsor in bikinis. They were 13 and 11 years old.
RT had the wrong date.
It’s on (or should that be ‘in’) the record, nuff said!
As far as the issue itself goes….MEH! (((( NEXT ))))
Tam Jardine @ 12.57
It’s worse then desperate Tam,they are Using for their own agenda a concept , a narritive if you like, around how we now speak and educate about sexual consent.
This way of speaking of consent is relitivly recent,it is long overdue and hard fought for.
And isn’t gender specific.
Yet on the thinest of connections they are using this concept of no means no to stir up trouble for a politician.
That’s the offensive thing here.
This is not a subject to be playing politics with on any level,no matter what your Political beliefs.
How much lower can they go? Stupid question..It’s the record once again inventing an issue and calling it news.
But it does take a sick mind to go where they went today,and try to devalue a method of addressing the issues around consent just to smear a Political opponent.
Britnat media morals?! If this is all they’ve got…!
Boycott britnat media.
What is it about certain MSP’s/MP’s that faff about on social media? They should be focussed on the day job. In this case, his being a committed Christian is baggage enough to put him on the outer fringes of sanity.
We, as a Nation, and independent or not, need to waken up to the fact that in our newspapers, on Twitter, and most of all on TV, what is being passed off as news is actually something deeply sinister, manipulative, and laced with malicious intent.
It is something which is having a very corrosive on our media culture, and political freedom of expression. It is creating an atmosphere where reasonable argument and objective dialogue cannot happen without being hijacked by hysterical shit stirrers, who’s faux outrage is then amplified in the media.
I am now beginning to wonder whether Brexit alone should be the definitive issue to prompt the enactment of Scotland’s independent sovereignty.
Given the filthy dishonest and misrepresentation which we habitually have to endure regarding our constitutional dialogue and debate, perhaps it is time the Scottish Government started to exercise some Scottish sovereign control over broadcasting, and defamatory or patently false content.
It is rediculous that a Nation on the brink of self determination still has no voice of its own to present either the neutral truth, or its own partisan but legitimate arguments. It’s a myth by itself to believe this couldn’t be done or is a technical impracticality. Nations and regions a fraction of our size with a fraction of our population can enjoy their own TV network, it is a pure fallacy to maintain Scotland could not.
I call on the SNP to formally condemn this broadcast propaganda and hold Westminster in contempt for failing to administer it’s roll in broadcasting with appropriate diligence. Invoke Scottish sovereignty, do not seize control over broadcasting but enact a raft of new legislation to put an end to the propaganda and news manipulation, and facilitate the setting up of our own digital news channel. And when Unionism screams foul, use broadcasting as the mechanism which provoked the ultimate demise of the Union.
In my humble opinion, between Brexit and broadcasting, I am torn which represents the greater outrage and subjugation of our sovereign interests.
To coin the phrase, if we tolerate this, our children will be next.
“Imperialist Running Dogs” Mao Tse Tung used to call such lackeys. Yapping away at their masters’ beck and call. Pathetic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dbG4wqN0rQ
John Mason’s moral framework (born again Christian) means that any suggestion that he was talking about anything other than hand in marriage laughable. John’s social conservatism is sometimes uncomfortable. I did not agree with him on same sex marriage. However, a more unlikely male politician apologist for rape it would be hard to imagine.
If it had been Trump or one of the UKIP wing nuts then one might understand the unease, but context and the individual who typed it both lead to the rather more obvious analogy of a proposal for hand in marriage.
We want independence because we love Scotland and want the very best for her. To suggest that the desire for independence is a seedy rape attempt says more about the shallowness and unscrupulousness of the Yoons than it does of John Mason or a second independence referendum.
However, you cannot ask twice…we should store this and use it every time the principle is broken by the Yoons. I particularly liked the point that Record journalists don’t take No for answer. We should be looking for them to get fired every time they ignore a polite No. 🙂
Will the Record be morally consistent…..or even vaguely moral? Let the games begin!
Britnat desperation, impure and simple.
My friend was sexually assaulted 4years ago, her agoney still clear , how dare the record use such issues to conduct a witchunt they make me sick
Yeah, that block list of yours worked really well in its aim to stop newspapers blowing twitter comments out of all proportion.
“This was a good stab at, sometime cringy, British seasonal fun”
It’s a terrible, terrible film for all the reasons laid out in the excellent article. And I say that as someone who loved Four Weddings and could even tolerate Notting Hill.
One last point is I don’t do twitter or Facebook. Before social media existed, the closest parallel to Web chat would be gossip, and information gleaned from such sources would be taken with a liberal pinch of salt.
Don’t misunderstand, I’m not anti Twitter or online dialogue, but there are simply an indeterminate number of auld fishwives listening in to what people say, and desperate to hear the latest juicy tidbit. Here in the digital age, they neither sleep nor forget what has been said whether it’s true or not. It’s gossip with a paper trail.
We seem to have forgotten our moral perspectives when it comes to online gossip, at least the vast majority of our journalists and news editors have…
Aye,the bottom of the barrel has been well and truly scraped now. Or has it?.
Saw a number of tweets yesterday about this and thought there were quite a few people getting their nickers in a gawd almighty twist over what appears to be an innocently intended tweet.
I think some folks are just out for an angerfest no matter what. I have to question whether the same level of anger would have erupted had anyone from Scotland’s most beloved political party, the Tory party (both Red and Blue factions), had sent the same tweet as John Mason. I think not!
As many people have said, they do not agree with John Mason on a lot of his views on gay marriage etc but that in itself is no reason, in my view, to get all hot and bothered under the collar about his initial tweet yesterday.
Clive Scott
I don’t mean to be rude but can I ask what makes you think all Yes voters might be Godless heathens, such as myself?
“Success in dealing with people depends on a sympathetic grasp of the other person’s viewpoint.” – Dale Carnegie
Or here’s one for all Spongbob fans.
http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft7d5nb4r8&chunk.id=d0e2262&toc.depth=1&toc.id=d0e2262&brand=ucpress
But I thought you said 2017 would be politically boring! Wink.
Astounding pretentious guff from the professionally offended, British corporate media.
Unfortunately bollocks like this, does sway the politically ignorant and disinterested. Media assistance demonising Ian Murray’s SNP opponent in Edinburgh comes to mind.
Christopher Orr is an AMERICAN film critic !
A strong business case and strategy is always required for a private company to flourish, an example of a private company is the record.
the record’s business case and strategy appears to be tying itself to a dead rotting corpse (Scottish labour) and then throwing the dead corpse into the Clyde with a heavy weight attached and their hands tied together behind their backs.
Must be a lot of smart people at the record!
Is there another country in the world with a more unpatriotic and politically corrupt media than Scotland has, somehow I doubt it.
The thought of suffering another 30 or 40 years of this repressive existence doesn’t bear thinking about.
If only there was some way to leave all this crap behind us.
I think this could back-fire on our pals in the MSM. The noses of a few DR readers especially may start to twitch at the smell of BS about this one. Well done Stu for spotting the piquant irony of the DR page 8.
There are a few reasons you could take issue with John Mason, but that tweet is not one of them.
Mason appears to me to be one of lifes innocents. His boy meets girl teenage romance figure of speech is a world away from sexual assault or rape.
BUT my anger in this is reserved for the likes of Kesia Dudgale who undermine,in a “cry wolf” way,the very real need to support victims of sexual asault or rape.
The Daily Record has long relied on two main selling points:
The best coverage of the Old Firm
Its racing coverage.
Everything else was a filler. Cannot speak about its current racing coverage, since I have no interest in the Turf, but, if Keith Jackson is their best football writer, then they are in real trouble.
Hugh Taylor, Alex Cameron, even James Traynor he aint.
Breeks – couldn’t agree more re the media, it also concerns me greatly re the referendum consultation – the agreement that both sides can spend the same amount of money on advertising etc is ok in principle but what about the onslaught of broadcast and print media on the unionist side giving an inordinate amount of free propaganda – already this year we see the start of the witch hunt against anyone of an independent persuasion.
It is a sad reflection of our society that our country is continually fed lies and deceit and we have no way of counteracting it at the same level – on-line is great but isn’t able to reach the wider population that the BUM gets to.
What really annoyed me was yessers (who really should know better) were keeping it going, I called several of them out on it!
I am quite sure John Mason MSP, meant no offence in his tweet. What reassuring consistency displayed by the swivel eyed nutters out there, pouncing on it and making something of it simply as he is a Nat.
But what really got me was those who used it as an opportunity to have their opinions heard – in particular the NUS Scotland President, who I note with interest states Mr Mason was ‘trivialising rape and coercion’ and hopes he ‘undertakes serious reflection and makes amends’.
What utter shite. Am I missing something here but I read nothing about rape or coercion in his comments. Perhaps it says more about those who are jumping to conclusions rather than the person who wrote it.
I write this as a woman who has lived through a certain not so nice experience and can tell you that the normal thinking and level headed amongst us finds no ill intent in that tweet. To say there was really is an excuse for political swiping and self gain which I find offensive.
Shame on those who used this non story for their own gain.
Disgusting low life.
Bums tits, Ranjurs and Sellick, celebrating what the gangsters and drug dealers are up to, and filthy shite like this slur. Gutter rags written by greasy wee endomorphs.
As I have observed before, how do they go home at night and face their partners and children?
Do your teenage children ever read the bilge which you churn out?
Get a grip, and take a good look at yourselves in the mirror.
Come Self Determination, and it is soon now, with what evil slanderous garbage will you fill your cess pit then?
As for anyone associating this innocent if clumsy remark with rape, you must be sick in the head.
The Dead Tree Scrolls. Your days are numbered.
Agree with breeks at 1.33pm. It’s now time that broadcasting should be devolved to Scotland. This farce has gone on long past its sell by date.even catalunya has their own state TV. The sg should keep bringing this up.if nothing else at least it will highlight the unfairness of it all. I mean what are they (westmidden)worried about.
@jdman
First I heard of this tweet and its surrounding circus, the only thing I could think of when it viewing it was…Whaah?
Utter bullshit fabrication of the worst kind.
Is there another country in the world with a more unpatriotic and politically corrupt media than Scotland has, somehow I doubt it.
If only there was some way to leave all this crap behind us.
Is it not a “Right” that every person in Scotland has Freedom of Access to all information in print or broadcasting AND should have the selfsame Freedom to Print or Broadcast their views?
It’s a form of censorship when the WM Gov. (BBC als regulator??) dictates by law who has permission to broadcast nationally or not.
I also wrote near the end of the last thread:
“Because we’re dominated by the BBC/MSM we have very few possibilities to get the positive YES message out to the majority of the population so we need to be inventive to circumnavigate their dominance. We MUST build up and use our own COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK.”
They won’t give it to us so we have to take it.
If you’re reading this, John Mason, stop being a dick.
However, rape apologist? gies a brek, Christ.
The media is off its head. And anyone who took “rape apologist” from his tweet needs to have a word with themselves. And that includes some well known figures in the yes movement.
By the way, there wouldn’t even be any fictional romances without girl saying no first time, like Ross and Rachel, Sam and Diane, Sam and Rebecca, Leonard and Penny. In fact the will-they-won’t-they bit is what makes it interesting: as soon as they get together it gets boring.
A lesson to anyone wanting to get into journalism,
forget principles,
forget truth,
forget humanity,
forget consequences,
forget morality,
forget ethics,
if you can do all that, then Murray Foote the editor of the rag Daily Record would be happy to recruit you.
O/T, I know but with Scotland being ranked 2nd in the world for places to visit, how about this for a tourist attraction? Imagine a light railway going over the top of the Forth Rail bridge. Little glass pods like on the London Eye but mounted on a mono-rail like construction.
The superstructure is already in place. I’d pay for a trip in something like that. The Forth Rail bridge – the ultimate funfair ride. Perhaps some of the artwork whizzes on The National could do a visual for it.
Meanwhile, I have just read that Centre for Digital Documentation and Visualisation have digital 3-D scans available of the bridges so maybe virtual fairground rides could be produced in time for the opening of the new Queensferry Crossing.
Am I just mad or does anyone else out there think that this could be brilliant?
It’s a non story. Everyone knows John meant and stated asking a girl out and not asking for sex. The Record knows it, the Herald knows it and the stupid pretendy feminist knew it. He never said it so why should he explain something that didn’t happen.
The best thing to do with these numpties is not to engage once they have openly lied.
OT
Kevin McKenna’s best ever in The National, about baby boxes:
http://www.thenational.scot/comment/15000066.Kevin_McKenna__Handouts_to_give_every_child_a_better_start_in_life__This_time_Nicola_Sturgeon_has_gone_too_far/?c=63fs2o
They will spin a SNPBaaad story out of anything. Mason was the unlucky target this time. It could be anyone associated with the SNP or Indy next time.
They don’t need a real story, they can twist, expand, warp, or invert any minor event. And there are no shortages folks to quote in the role of ‘Some Arsehole’.
It will continue and they won’t change.
Is their campaign a success? Doubt it. It has become so pathetic it just a bad joke. If this is their best defence of their Union then it is certainly lost.
Whatever John Mason’s views are, and personally I find some of them odd to say the least, could someone repeat in 140 characters or exactly what he twerped?
I fail totally to ‘get’ what feather spitting is all about.
What DOES get my nads in a knot are the endless repeats of that exenophobic so called comedy, Dad’s Army. It was tripe first time round in 1968!
I’ve finally managed to read John Mason’s tweet. This stushie is not simply hypocrisy, it’s total insanity. It’s a perfectly innocuous tweet using a very mainstream metaphor. WTF!!!
Oh, and I think ‘Love, Actually’ is a beautiful film. How anyone can not like it is beyond me, but then it takes all sorts.
Press and media provocation to get the reaction they think they want
Dumb!
Yeah Eppy, anything that we can do to promote Scotland, we should, new engineering accomplishments et al.
Celebrate Scotland!
galamcennalath says:
4 January, 2017 at 3:55 pm
…..Is their campaign a success? Doubt it. It has become so pathetic it just a bad joke…
It’s not a success if the aim is to prompt resignations and discredit the SNP, but if the aim is to monopolise the discussion, manipulate the agenda, and keep SNP Bad on simmer, then I’d say it’s pretty much going to plan.
We live in a country divided along constitutional lines facing an undemocratic withdrawal from Europe which neither our own Government nor a majority of us want. What are the chances of seeing an apolitical, calm and rational discussion of all of Scotland options? I mean all options, not just the options that suit the UK.
The success of the Better Together campaign was not it’s lamentable defence of the Union, but to prevent any constructive and dispassionate analysis of the Independence narrative. Their success was not selling their agenda but frustrating and derailing ours.
It’s bad enough that we are subjected to such banal active propaganda which aims to smear all things pro indy, but there is also propaganda by omission; the important issues we are not permitted to see or talk about.
While a lot of us might think that the groupthink on Mason’s tweet is a Unionist thing, I have to tell you it isn’t.
A very similar thing happened to an Aussie friend a couple of years back who made the mistake of tweeting “methinks the lady doth protest too much” and got ripped to shreds as a misogynistic piece of shit by what seemed like half of Australia.
His tweet was about his wife and chocolates.
I think people of a certain age (I include myself) should just avoid the stupidity of twitter/facebook like the plague as what we say is more than likely to be taken as offensive by certain groups actively looking for offence.
Pretty sure that covers 70% of the SNP MP/MSPs/councillors in terms of age – if in doubt then just stfu 🙂
It’s all just part of the ongoing long-term colonial media’s (along with their useful idiots) strategy to frustrate indy suporters and provoke us into rash actions.
It ain’t gonna happen.
Tits.
There are about 20-30 people in control of ALL the print & broadcast media in Scotland. Think about that for a minute. Around 20-30 people controlling what ‘news’ the majority here in Scotland are given and therefore controlling what we believe.
Aye–20-30 media barons controlling what MILLIONS of us think.
FFS–open your eyes. That includes the useful idiots. You might think these 20-30 colonial media barons are your friends. They’re not. They are palcemen intent on enslaving you and your children and your grandchildren.
Are you too dumb to realise that is their agenda? Are you happy to allow them to impoverish your country of truth and resources?
Really?
Think about it.
Bible thumping Holy Willie types like John Mason create a great gnashing of teeth every time they open their holier-than-thou gobs. Not a fan of the man regardless of which side of the independence fence he sits on. Sure the unionist media are making hypocritical hay, but Mason is a self-righteous arse all the same.
Breeks says:
I totally agree with all of that. The case for their Union is very weak so they have never gone down that dangerous path (from their perspective) of actually attempting a defence.
instead, deflection tactics have been one of their main tools.
In IndyRef1 they also had fearmongering and in the latter stages, false promises. While they might try to resort to those again once things hot up, they are going to be less useful next time.
So, for now, they try side track public debate. Drivel on the one hand, refusing to report stuff (like Nicola’s Ireland visit) on the other.
However, I’m still convinced that tactic too is faltering. Everyone in Scotland sees the bloody great constitutional elephant in the corner, and it’s going to become an even noisier beast as Brexit unfolds.
Also while the Scottish media tries to refocus on trivia, the UK media never lets us forget about Brexit. In Scotland Brexit in inextricably linked to our relationship with via the Union.
More and more Scots are bound to be aware of the colonial media’s SNPBaaad trivia at a time when big issues are being discussed face to face and online.
In the gilded land,of the Kippered hand,
Unfettered hacks,roam free to smalm.
Red of claw and Blue of blood…their eyes afire,
But on who’ s wings do they aspire ?……
Response A
Ignore them….smalmy bastards.
Response B
(“Whit’ll ye dae fur a face,when King Kong asks for his erse back”)
Mmmmm.
“It’s going to be a heck of a year, readers”
By 9am on New Year’s day I knew there’d be no let up in the MSM barrage, not even a wee ceasefire.
The oldies still buy the Sunday Post (delivered even on the 1st!) which, in between the staple “People’s Friend” waste-of-paper “articles” they’d squeezed in three SNPBads.
1. last years Bridge closure cost Scotland £15M+.
2. NHS24 drops 4% of calls.
3. Teacher attacks at an unacceptable level.
All three were as the result of FOI requests by the Unionist parties. Party press-releases presented unchallenged.
The Bridge one was a straight lie – over 6M of their headline figure was acknowledged as earmarked for future closure and proper repair once the new bridge opens. The blame was ScotGov cutting maintenance budget.
NHS24 dropped calls was pure Tory faux-outrage. “someone’ll die and it’ll be the SNP’s fault…etc”.
You’ll be aware of the LibDem teacher assault story. No historical context I could see.
A lot of you on here would say, “Why read it when you know it’s rubbish?” I do like to know what the MSM are up to – and what the oldies are exposed to.
I did ask why they buy it. “We don’t read the politics”. But there’s bugger-all else apart from the People’s Friend crap and The Broons. Tradition maybe?
They do come out with some factoids which I know can only have come from the Daily Retard, I try my best to correct them on their error in belief without scoffing too loudly.
Thankfully they’re already and always Yessers – despite choosing Brexit.
I said something similar to what I’m about to say regarding Natalie McGarry and her dificulties with Twitter. On that occassion I got slammed by some but not all.
The stushie about John Mason’s tweet is all bullshit designed to cause damage to the Independence movement.
We all know that. John Mason knows that. The MSM knows that. The Anti-Scottish Tory parties (all colours) know that.
So why does John Mason give them the opportunity?
SNP politicians should never be allowed near Twitter if they cannot exercise 100% editorial pitch perfect control.
You get it wrong and give them an inch and they take a mile.
My advice to John is to stay off twitter. Do not give the MSM, Westminster and the red, blue and yellow Tories ammunition. No matter how trivial, if there is a crack, it will be opened up and exploited.
Experience has taught us this!
Ok, you can slam my comments now. I’m prepared.
Speaking Personally
I don’t do twitter. I think every MSP /MP of all parties have to really think why they use it and what for.
In terms of the snp if it aint going to benefit the cause of independence or social justice don’t bother. Get on with the day and evening job.
Remember the tory press and I include the Record in this are on the look out for any comments innocent or not they do not care.
Just think beats them talking about Corbyn and for the real tories brexit. Diversion all the way.
giving goose — I agree –you beat me by 2 mins!!
One of my favourite Burns songs.
Last May a braw wooer cam doon the lang glen,
And sair wi his love he did deave me,
I said there was naething I hated like men.
The deuce gae wi him, tae believe me, believe me,
The deuce gae wi him tae believe me.
He spak o the darts o my bonnie black e’en,
And said for my love he was deein.
I said he micht dee when he likit for Jean.
The Lord forgive me for leein, for leein,
The Lord forgive me for leein!
A weel-stockit mailen, himself o’it the laird,
And marriage aff-hand, were his proffers.
I never let on that I kennt it nor cared,
But thought I micht hae a waur offer, waur offer,
But thought I micht hae a waur offer.
But what dae ye think? – in a fortnicht or less
The deil’s in his taste tae gang near her!
He up the Gateslack tae my black cousin, Bess.
Guess ye how, the jaud! I could bear her, could bear her;
Guess ye how, the jaud! I could bear her.
But aa the next week as I fretted wi’ care,
I gaed to the tryst o’ Dalgarnock,
And wha but my braw fickle wooer was there,
Wha glowr’d as if he’d seen a warlock, a warlock,
Wha glowr’d as if he’d I’d seen a warlock.
But owre my left shouther I gied him a blink,
Lest neibours micht say I was saucy,
My wooer he caper’d as he’d been in drink,
And vow’d that I was his dear lassie, dear lassie,
And vow’d that I was his dear lassie.
I spier’d for my cousin fu’ couthy and sweet,
Gin she had recover’d her hearin’,
And how my auld shoon fitted her schauchl’t feet.
Guid save us! how he fell a swearin, a swearin,
Guid save us! how he fell a swearin.
He begged, for gudesake, I wad be his wife,
Or else I wad kill him wi’ sorrow.
E’en so tae preserve the puir body in life,
I think I maun wed him to-morrow, to-morrow,
I think I maun wed him to-morrow.
Giving Goose – you just laid the golden egg. Entirely agree with you.
Sorry for off topic.
Just heard from my wife that all trains have been cancelled travelling between Edinburgh and Glasgow, Queen street, as someone has been hit by a train around the Falkirk, Polmont area.
It sounds as there has been a fatality as the trains have been cancelled for the last two hours and for the foreseeable next few hours.
Be aware if your travelling on this route and hopefully the unionists will not blame the SG.
@Giving Goose
I agree 100% with your comment.
Eppy says:
4 January, 2017 at 3:25 pm
O/T, I know but with Scotland being ranked 2nd in the world for places to visit, how about this for a tourist attraction? Imagine a light railway going over the top of the Forth Rail bridge. Little glass pods like on the London Eye but mounted on a mono-rail like construction.
What an amazing idea! I would suggest having it underneath the bridge, a great, big, walloping dipper…..Scottish engineering at it’s best.
Firstly I’m on the fence about this. I see both sides of both sides to quote The Housemartins song. I do think this mess highlights the need for a media that we the people deserve, because, in pure intellectual terms…plankton has the jump on us, when it comes to enlightened discussion and debate in the Mainstream Scottish Media.
I followed the debacle on twitter yesterday. It’s worth pointing out that Mason was getting critcism from some folks who are on the Yes side; some folk who I know are SNP members, some folks who are Indy activists, and some women who are, in my opinion good writers, and have done much for the Indy cause. I guess one could call these women feminists, but I also would call them smart, strong women.
These women get appalling misogynistic shite thrown at them all day on social media and BTL comments. As such, i can understand the umbrage taken by Mason’s tweet, which was in my opinion poorly worded, and he ought to know better. Why should he know better? Cos this is what happens. This is what will always happen. And we do not have the media to support suitable discussion.
What I mean is, if we had a 24 hour dedicated news channel, we could have gotten some of the key contributers to these online shennanigans into a studio, we talk it out…kinda like you might see on BBC news 24, but better, and we see things from both sides and we learn and we move on, hopefully a wee bit smarter, a wee bit better. You cannae do that on Social Media. And Mason didn’t respond quickly when the shite was hitting the fan.
And the only thing that will happen in these situations is that the Unionist Media, cos that is the fuckin media, get their grubby paws on it and froth at the mouth cos they have an easy spot, a mark…and all that matters is tearing Mason and the SNP a new arse.
Twitter does not do nuance. And it’s a place where faceless trolls can be nasty as hell to women, and a lot of women are on their guard and quick to pounce on anything that has the faintest wiff of misogyny…intended or not. 140 word back and forths on rape culture can never end well, and that’s part of what we got yesterday.
I am a huge fan of the Great French Essayist. And he said that you don’t judge the action, you judge the intention. But that does not, and i would say often cannot take place on a social media platform where you get 140 characters.
And yes, yes, i know, men get shit thrown at them too. I know that. But yesterday this wasnae that. All round it was a sad sad affair. I wish it could have been nipped in the bud. I wish we could talk about the issues raised, on the telly, live, and be enlightened, cos we’re better than this.
And Love Actually is fuckin mince.
No winners here, that’s for sure. Mr Mason did himself no favours, while the Record, ignorantly, just didn’t quite see the irony.
Overall …a non-entity of a story (not yours, Rev …the actual paper’s two articles).
He’s apologised, and that should be the end of it. But …let’s see what ‘SNP Baaad’ story will appear tomorrow across our delightful newspapers.
PS. However …it must be said. The Record these days seems to have slightly learned the lesson of bad journalism (or so it seems) …but hey!! The Herald …Jeeeeez! Somebody there has an absolute blistering blind hatred of the SNP. Not a day goes by without a major headline screeching ‘SNP BAAAAAAAAAD! SNP REALLY BAAAD!’
The curse of the SJW strikes again…
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=SJW
I’ afraid I have to disagree with Giving Goose.
Spending all their time searching for ridiculous trifle to blow up out all proportion in order to smear a politician is not their job. It is supposed to be holding the government to account for their policies and how they run of the country.
We need a media that exercises a modicum of decency. We do not have that and as far as I can see are not likey to any time soon.
Agree entirely – why the hell do any of the SNP indulge in tweeting?
Why don’t they leave it to the morons from the unionist side?
It might become an interesting experiment and the media might have to hoist their pet unionists on to the headline drivel.
or would a Nazi slur be regarded as the SNP not being able to take a joke?
I agree with Giving Goose about twatter.
The best thing to do is stay off it, after all it does not seem to be life altering stuff that is being tweeted.
CameronB 2.03pm
Thankyou for your reply to Clive that ‘Success in dealing with people depends on a sympathetic grasp of another person’s viewpoint’ Dale Carnegie
I find antifaith posts, repeated also by Dr Ew, leave me with my stomach churning and feeling personaly assaulted.
I know they’re just wanabe trolls and should be ignored but thank you for your deft, amusing and appropriate comment =)
You Godless heathen you. I’ve sent up a wee prayer for you = )
STV news tonight featured a demonstration of various unions outside Glasgow Central Stn. It looked entirely stage-managed for the camera by the unions and the Labour party.
I wonder just how long this demo. lasted as the BBC appear to have missed it entirely.
Kevin’s piece in the National made me smile this morning but I was disturbed to see people have at a pop at him on line for saying that the baby boxes are bad.
The satire was amusing but it was hardly subtle it amazes me that so many can read a piece like that and not get it.
I did think the last paragraph was an excellent nod to the jokes that had been running on Stu’s Twitter feed regarding the history bat.
The problem with comments being taken out of context is that it can be tricky to know when its about to happen and anticipate what context they will be put in.
I could bracket Mason’s comments in the same category as the banal and anodyne “the lady doth protest too much”. Take that out of context and you can invoke a similar “alternative” interpretation of the words, but in its correct and intended context its a perfectly acceptible remark which is not loaded with double entendre. It isn’t what he said that’s controversial but the bizarre mind boggling interpretation which others have attached to it.
In fact the interpretation which has been formed of Mr Mason’s comments is so far out of context you really have to wonder if it is a legitimate misunderstanding or a quite wilful and malicious misinterpretation.
It’s also difficult advice to give to stay off Twitter. True, it prevents comments being taken out of context, but making Twitter a no-go area for MSP’S is not the answer.
It is not Mr Mason who is being unreasonable here.
One of the funniest and most accurate reviews of Love Actually.
http://jezebel.com/i-rewatched-love-actually-and-am-here-to-ruin-it-for-al-1485136388
Giving Goose, excellent point re the hazards of twitter.
I think alot of folk have learned to steer clear, often the hard way!
The msm are way beyond pathetic now. ‘They must be through the nether end of that barrel by now’ Macart @12.33pm = )
We all predicted that there would a continuing picking off of SNP and Independence supporting folk. The less ammunition they can find the better.
As for the famous tweet, I just don’t get what’s wrong with a ‘girl’ or ‘boy’ or ‘man’ or ‘women’ or any ‘person’ saying ‘no’ until they are sure, whatever the invitation. That’s what my Mum taught me.
Giving Goose @ 5.56
Not disagreeing with your comments at all Giving Goose or having a go.
But in answer to your question John Mason as far as I can tell would not have given what he was saying a second thought.
I don’t think it is within his comprehension to wonder if statement’s are mibbi a bit open to interpretation with issues like this.
So if he had considered what he was about to tweet, I’ll wager he still would not have seen anything that had the potential to be controversial.
And while I agree 100% this man on this occasion had no thought in his head other than askin a lassie out.
Also the faux reaction to it from people who should know better is shameful.
But here’s the rub…If we can expect the MSM to be more aware of damaging the concept of consent by belittling it to a Political issue.
Surely we should expect our elected representatives to be completely up to date with current thinking and therefore what he was saying should have rung alarm bells with him.
So I agree with you,the dog’s in the street know how vindictive the media is when it comes to the SNP,so they should indeed either skill up or stay off social media.
Just as an FYI…. I ran the story of what he said past my 22 year old daughter,and she immediately saw a problem with what he had said.
While that she did and I didn’t is mibbi an age thing, we I think have to be mindful that she is one of the one’s dealing with this sort of thing on a regular basis ,and has the most invested in attitudes changing, so I can’t disagree with her assement that he is paid to know better.
Starlaw
I commute via Central and there was nothing there at 5 o’clock (at least not at the entrance I used).
Unionists and their media outlets (+ certain extreme feminists) are bullies. They bully because they are full of hate. The correct response to bullying is to show bravery and call it out for what it is – to demonstrate by your actions that they are wrong and to expose them as the lying cowards that they truely are. For the degree to which they hate you is matched only by the intensity of their fear of you.
There has much been said recently about Feedom of Speech in the media, it’s all been about their Freedom of Speech of course.
This freedom of course extends to attacking in print even the most innocuous tweets of pro-indy politicians and sometimes just supporters.
This is a problem for the Freedom of Speech of our MP’s and MSP’s who are definitely restricted in their use of all social media by this constant hounding.
I’d guess if a prominent pro-indy MP or MSP was to post a perfectly valid comment under their own name here on Wings then no matter what the article was about there would be a good chance that thunderbolts would be raining down on that person the next day in our so called media from those with an agenda.
Part of that agenda I believe is of course to shut them up on social media so as the only voices we can hear or which should be giving any merit are the media themselves.
Then there are the hangers on of the MSM’s coat tails, those that make the most fuss and blow things out of proportion just so as it can then get a front page splash.
These types are worse than the media. Useful idiots is too kind a term for some of these media groupies. Social media has become an important battleground for pro-indy voices to be heard, I don’t we can afford to allow ourselves to be told STFU.
Not a fan of John Mason’s non indy beliefs but he does represent a pretty large body of thought in Scotland and we are meant to be a broad church. But as usual MSM / Slab / Tories take twitter comments completely out of context when they smear SNP politicians.
Meanwhile a great article ftom Derek Bateman on Labour’s respones to baby boxes et al
http://derekbateman.scot/2017/01/04/double-or-drop/
Small tangent from SNP and the media… Can’t help feeling there’s a YES factor missing.
Come to think of it, isn’t there a general YES – Brexit chapter or two needing to be written? Seems awfully quiet out there…
Take a bit of heat off the SNP and also give them a sounding board. The media thinks it can bottle up the SNP but the grassroots nature of YES made it a moving target.
Re Liz G
Thanks for the response (and to everyone else who responded to my comment).
I’m absolutely sure that John Mason is completely innocent. The problem is that the MSM and the 3 Tory parties are not.
Therefore extreme care has to be taken with the use of Social Media. Thepnr is correct and on the money with the point that the MSM are attempting to shut down the Independence movement on social media.
The MSM are trying to discredit John Mason and the whole SNP. The underlaying message is – “Look! The SNP cannot be trusted on social media. Don’t listen to them on Twitter/Facebook etc”.
The SNP need to raise their game on the use of social media because, if we take the example of the Record article, then the MSM is advertising the fact that there is a lot of conversation taking place on social media and that may encourage new users to participate. When they go there for a look-see then the content from the SNP must be cast iron.
The SNP must “own” the conversation and to do that their credibility as responsible participants within the social media bubble must be solid.
The MSM doesn’t need any encouragement in printing or broadcasting anti-Scottish propaganda; they don’t need any free meals.
So SNP social media users – be clever and smart!
Agree entirely with “Breeks” & ” Galamcennalth ” comments at 0425pm & 0525pm
on this thread. The single most important issue of the last of the last 4 decades with regard
to Scotland’s future prosperity and cultural identify being the European/ constitutional issue
and our national interest to trade freely with our European neighbours. Meanwhile the ” petty& juvenile London controlled unionists ” elected to Holyrood continue to ” witter on” about the ” day job” with daily media bulletins to their media friendly cronies as regards anything & everything detrimental to our government’s running of the police, the health service, education , local government etc. etc.despite Nicola & her team doing a ” sterling” job in the face of a hostile London Tory government continually undermining our Scottish government via funding cuts and
the slashing of DWP benefits ( and now infrastructure) , the reduction of military spending in Scotland ( and closure of bases), the withdrawal of financial support to our fledgling renewable energy enterprises , & the ongoing mismanagement of our oil and gas resources .
These unionist ” cretins” wouldn’t see the ” BIG PICTURE “if it was spelled out to them on a giant blackboard in the Holyrood chamber by our terrific FM who undoubtedly and thankfully fully grasps the urgency & seriousness of the ” Brexit situation” and the massive losses to Scotland of EU funding for science, medicine, infrastructure, enterprise etc.etc.( Never to be replaced by Westminster)
Meantime , they continue to peddle their continuous trivial drivel over ” train times”, the ” the baby box” , the ” usual annual crisis in the SNHS, late payments to ( mostly Tory) farmers, police call centre handling , the cost of Gaelic road signs etc. etc. etc.
Giving Goose
The MSM doesn’t need any encouragement in printing or broadcasting anti-Scottish propaganda; they don’t need any free meals.
Ruby replies
The more anti-Scottish propaganda they print and more idiotic stories like this one about John Mason the more people will see them for what they are.
It doesn’t matter what the SNP say or do these rags will find stories.
I amazed that people can be bothered commenting on what John Mason said.
Not all will be treated the same. try typing “ruth davidson abusive tweet” into google. Then type “nicola sturgeon abusive tweet”.
Compare and contrast, what you will find from the MSM is that Ruth Davidson has been abused and that Nicola Sturgeon condemns abuse.
Complete and utter tosh, this though is also the reality of the reporting despite Unionist abuse of Nicola Sturgeon on social media being I believe, many orders of magnitude greater than any Nationalist abuse of Ruth Davidson.
I know who I expect to be apologising and it’s not Nicola Sturgeon.
Slab’s rail demo is all about the forthcoming May election & nothing at all about demanding wheelchair access lavvies, I don’t recall Labour being particularly exercised over this issue when they were in power. One welcome improvement is that shite etc’ is nowadays flushed into a tank instead of splattered onto the ballast & underside of the coaches.
Cameron Brodie, Anent Kant, his folks were Cant’s from Coupar Angus. True dat!
Sinky
Thanks for the link. That is an excellent article by Derek Bateman.
I notice that the Record article says that John Mason is not progressive and is probably ignorant. Pot kettle black are all words that spring to mind!
I did make a comment about the John Mason comment but it seems to have disappeared into cyberspace.
TBH I’m not too bothered because after I typed it I asked myself why I bothered to comment on such total nonsense.
RE the crap printed in the media it does inspire Derek Bateman to write great articles and it also keeps Stuart busy. Every cloud…………………….
Where would Wings be if the MSM didn’t print crap!
Slightly O/T I know but the Masongate episode has rather confirmed me in my reticence to use Twatter. I have a job where my employer positively pushes the use of the damn thing (as if 24hour e-mail and mobile phone availability weren’t enough).
On the content of Mason’s message, my initial reaction was that it was typical of a certain male age-group and set of beliefs – the famous Scottish social conservatism we all hear about. Typical for anonymous “man-in-the street” and relatively innocuous. Unfortunately for Mason he is not a “man-in-the-street” and on Twatter (sic).
Still resisting using the thing professionally and wit gritted teeth in the face of a lot of tutting from the Comms people.
Oh well!
This all looks like Torcuil Crichton in action. He’s a really sneaky wee shit.
But Its a mad tory yoon world. BBC world service currently boosterising French neo fascists, around their world. Its all worked with Farage, won Scotland’s ref, ofcourse toryboy’s want the EU to collapse. The UKOK tory regime is under great stress.
BBC Politics
8 mins ·
Under this model, France could reintroduce a currency such as the franc, while maintaining economic relationships with the eurozone.
BBC says vote Le Pen. Why would hard core Cons in one country be boosting another hard core Con in France? Or when’s the last time any BBC gimps went this deep into their Scotland region of greater England’s politics.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38511058
What in Ms Sturgeon going to do about troubles in the Southwest.
A) Train fare rises ,commuters not happy
B) NHS hospitals in meltdown.
Oh bye the way I don’t mean Southwest Scotland but Southwest Englandshire
Working down here at the moment and NHS seams very stretched
I see that the Invisible Ethernet Editor of Sanity and Calm prevented my rant against the Dead Tree Scrollers reaching WoS. Just as well.
It is encouraging that they are this desperate so early in the year.
Other news, actual news, wind energy across the North Sea’s doing quite well and “The cost of electricity has decreased by about a third for people in Sweden, and it has been reduced in nearby countries like Denmark and Sweden too.”
http://archive.is/rrFwi
Probably enough in yoon culture for one day. WLab want out and in, the EU. Comments permitted by BBC in Wales too. Will all new and exciting Donaldo give her permission in her region?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-38496904
Posted by Mike_1973
13 hours ago
I would just like to add that this utter jebend speaks neither for Wales or the Welsh as a whole.
He lives on the same planet as Nicola Sturgeon populated with all the other political non-entities with delusions of grandeur.
Carwyn, you’re not in a position to demand or expect anything. Better to have everybody think you’re a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt.
66 up, 9 down, in BBC Wales.
Re English nhs, Manx radio reporting that a seriously Manxman who urgently required treatment in Liverpool finally transferred today after waiting for bed since weekend.
If this poor Manx Person had to wait several days for a bed in Glasgow it would be saturation coverage on the BBC and STV
public services throughout the UK are still being strangled due to the austerity agenda of the Tories. There are budgetary issues with Scots NHS, I had a recent discussion regarding this and the SNP were being blamed, it never fails to amaze me that intelligent people cannot see past the propaganda and see that the cuts from Westminster are bound to have an adverse impact on Public Spending in Scotland.
Want a job Tweeting for Scottish Labour? says Kezia Dudgale
When what she actually means is
Want a job searching for things to invent offence at and then condemn them as vile on behalf of your moral Scottish Labour party
Despisers of the SNP are a prerequisite for this position
also special consideration to OO members and Proddy Rangers supporters with Loyal Tatoos but all teeth as meeting members of the public from time to time may be necessary
Kafflicks will be considered so long as the commitment to hatred can be demonstrated in a tangible way
Reply to Ruth Davidson @The all Unionist and Sectarian Party.. Embra
No surrender for Scotlind
heedtracker
“Other news, actual news, wind energy across the North Sea’s doing quite well and “The cost of electricity has decreased by about a third for people in Sweden, and it has been reduced in nearby countries like Denmark and Sweden too.””
That is ON shore wind generation which now costs less than oil or coal and way less than nuclear.
However, UK (read Middle English) policy of promoting OFF shore while facilitating ON shore Nimbyism in England is a by far higher cost of production than even nuclear.
Question.
Just when are the La La I’m no listening brigade going to take their fingers out of their ears and open their eyes?
Westminster (aka the Middle England Assembly) is doing absolutely everything wrong that is possible to be done wrong for a nation state.
OFF shore wind power and nuclear versus ON shore.
Nearly the lowest level of support for manufacturing, ‘We don’t bash metal’, in Europe the very lowest on the investment in equipment table.
F*ck the farmers and the food production industry when if investment into Netherlands style production they could, nearly, produce enough food and drink to feed their population (aka food security).
Refugee problem We created it but we’ll be f*cked if we are going to take any more than we can get away with.
Bail out the financial sector, the taxpayers can pay for it.
Quantitative easing, great idea, miss out the middle man (Westminster) so we don’t get the blame and ring fence it for the financial sector.
Leave Europe because we do not need it (Oh yes you do, more than any other nation state).
Sell as many weapons of mass war creation as possible.
Universal, unalienable human rights? Bollock! We’ll (Westminster) will decide what your human rights are.
Most CCT pro rata coverage in the World. Quite right.
Politicians lying, well its all part of the game isn’t it.
Oh and SNP bad.
I think what we are seeing here is just another (relatively minor) example of the kind of tactic from the yoon camp that we can expect to see repeated through the year – try to find some issue that can be exploited to lever open a crack within the broad indy movement. Never mind the fundamental issues – sow dissent and make us appear like rats in a sack, all the better to deter the “soft no’s”. The usual “divide and conquer”.
Unfortunately there always seems to be someone naive enough or hair-trigger enough to fall for it. Before it was the “indy-leavers”. If it can be amplified by a twitterstorm so much the better. It’s as cynical as hell, and we need to be continually alert to it.
Personally I avoid Twitter like the plague, but it seems fair enough to me for politicians to (want to) use it, since communicating with people is a big part of their business. But it’s a fickle medium that needs to be handled with care.
The Mason episode on Twitter has been truly shocking.
Two names, Laura Waddell and Cat Boyd, jumped to ‘rape culture’. Masons tweet was in the context of a discussion on the Indy proposal not being accepted, and work to do.
Mr Masons views on abortion and gay rights sound a bit bible belt to me, so I’m not a natural fan, BUT, to whip up a witch hunt, on fabricated evidence, is nothing short of disgusting. This is a man’s name at stake, and its been dragged through the gutter by these alleged rabid ‘feminists’.
I don’t feel any sisterhood with hysterical fantisists, intent on ruining someone. However, quite a few, including myself, pushed back. It was an injustice, and Mason deserves support on this incident.
I fcking hope he is taking legal advice, because those that accused him of promoting rape culture, deserve prosecution.
PS sorry for the inevitable typos and other errors in that last rant.
OT: Now no laughing at the back “Dugdale proposes ‘save the Union’ plan for 2017” :- http://archive.is/FXhIR
@Chick McGregor
Looked good to me and glad to see you have got it all off your chest night. There’s nothing like a good blaw now and then 🙂
O/T If you are not on ‘Social Europe’ I would suggest you do so. I got on via FB which I know many of you shun.
I get regular emails from them and this evening I watched a video with Noam Chomsky and Harry Belafonte which was fabulous. Harry Belafonte is such a wise man at 89.
Are all Record ‘journalists’ dirty minded?
silver19
And they said comedy was dead 🙂
My fav bit
“Scottish Conservative MSP & Twitter troll Murdo Fraser said Labour was “extremely late to the party” when it came to “prioritising the Union”.
He added: “They ran away from their involvement in Better Together and even their leader has said she’d consider voting to break up Britain in future.
“The voters made it clear in the Holyrood elections that they don’t trust Labour on the constitution.
“As such, they won’t be fooled by this latest stunt. The only party serious about keeping Scotland in the UK are the Scottish Conservatives.”
“Scotland’s Labour leader & one time shill for Lord Foo, Kezia Dugdale has said 2017 should be the year in which “building blocks” are put in place to “save our Union”.
Utter gobbldygook, even before the edit. Stick to Lego girl.
And BTW it’s your Union. Not mine.
As others have said Mason has found himself stepping on two bear traps at once. Unionists looking for any excuse for a dig and third wave feminists looking for any reason to be offended.
Sadly over the top “won’t someone think of the poor women” messages have a lot of traction in politics across all parties the SNP included.
Och… every movement and Campaign has its fruitloops and the people that make you cringe.
But we should not have to be ridiculed for everything anyone says.
We should not be kept from reaching our full potential.
Working towards a fairer more equal society where no one is left behind should be a right not an outrageous proposal.
The people in power and their tame Media should not be allowed to be so biased against us,like we are some sort of threat that needs to be contained.
Especially by some 5th column home grown lackeys.
Our freedom to live and organise our lives according to our needs is a legal right.
The powers that be should not be throwing ever road block in our way to prevent our right to determine for ourselves how to live.
They had better start thinking of us and right soon, because going back in our box is not an option..Not anymore..This is only going to go one way,and ignoring us would be a big mistake.
Oh…And I also think that all of the above applies to Yes Scotland…Not just woman….
Traction in that direction I can get on board with!
@heedtracker
Interesting the difference in tone of these two articles
FN leader Le Pen calls for France to leave euro but stay linked
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38511058
https://politicalscrapbook.net/2017/01/marine-le-pen-u-turns-on-leaving-the-eu-and-ditching-the-euro/#more-61623
Scotland’s predicament, and it is a predicament, makes me increasingly angry.
I have so many aspirations and ideas that I would love to see pioneered in Scotland and innovations I would love to see explored.
I ache to see the world progressing beyond Neoliberalism to a new reality which is tired of homogenous conformity and economies of scale which stifle individualism and personal growth.
There are answers to unemployment and avenues for countries to reject the Neoliberal philosophy that the poor masses exist to be harvested for their wealth.
Instead of streamlining and rationalising the training and abilities of our people and breaking down our collective knowledge into bitesize packets of NVQS, we should be doing the very reverse, celebrating and investing in the traditional crafts and skills which used to be commonplace. Why do we insist upon uniformity in our trades and qualifications where uniformity means the dumbing down of expertise to suit the lowest common denominator?
With a strategic rethink, and a preparedness to change anything and everything, we could pioneer a post-Neoliberal revolution where personal growth and skills are appreciated for their diversity and individualism, where the average are encouraged to be good, the good to be great, and the excellent celebrated and pushed by challenge to be elite.
It doesn’t matter where you live in Scotland. Look around and you will see countless 18th and 19th century buildings of exquisite character and construction, yet everywhere these buildings are entering their second century of existence and they are going to need an army of tradespeople to maintain them. We should embrace that inevitability, find a way to make the finance work, and use it as a vehicle to haul our trades and tradespeople up from banal existence back to the very peak of traditional excellence.
It could be done, but it needs a seismic change in our attitudes, and a whole new philosophy adopted. I believe however that independence, and the second Scottish Enlightenment is the jewel which awaits us once we shake off this damned parasitic Union which bleeds us dry.
Breeks 4.49
Well said..Used to think it was just me who thought like that.
When you see how people pulling together can achieve thing’s it makes you humble.
Remember when all the snow was there,when the games were on in Glasgow,if there has ever been a home renovation project in your scheme.
And hopefully you have not experienced Bereavementment but I can tell you that it’s the kindness of the community that gets you through.
To see that thrown away like it has no real value,to see it defined and commercialised has been heartbreaking..For me at least…
The worst bit is wating to see if enough people notice,and want to change it.
I do believe that Scotland can and will lead the way,not because we are any better than anyone else,but because we are in a position too….Like you say as soon as we are out of this curse of a Treaty.
By the way did you watch the link to the basic income lecture?
So much great information and a potential way forward, even the professor giving the lecture commented on Scotland’s ability to take this idear forward… Certainly worth a look!!
Oh and Breeks… I almost forgot try going on to U Tube and asking for.. Robert Downey Jnr Cumbernauld..
Right there is where we can see Scotland hasn’t quite gone over to the Thatchersque mantra.
Don’t give in..And Don’t give up my friend!!!
Hey Breeks! @ 4.49 am
Singing from my hymm sheet!
YES!!
Ghillie
All best wishes are gratefully received. 😉
Quite a lot of women said no in 2014, I dont care what anyone thinks about it but I have tried and will keep trying to get them to say YES next time.
That goes for the men as well! Peace Always
Please don’t defend Love actually. It’s a horrible film about why women shouldn’t talk and why men should be all stalkery, or just assume the cleaner is their plaything. I really can’t overstate how awful all of the people in it are and the horrific message it sends.
As for the SNPBad tweeter storm…what a pile of crap. Ask yourself if that had been a pro EU Labour MP talking about EU referendum, would we have seen the same response?
Finally, what the hell has happened to actual news??? Why is something someone said on a vacuous website of self indulgence newsworthy? I presume the humanitarian crises in the middle east are all solved, then?
Breeks @ 4:49
Why are we in a pickle? Probably because we have passed through the ‘behaviourist revolution’ and now live under a system of “Taylorism”, in a time of “post-Fordism”.
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/Taylorism.html
Or for a more complete analysis, here’s a review of Critical Social Theory.
https://caringlabor.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/methodology-of-the-oppressed-chela-sandoval.pdf
Smallaxe @ 7.49
How do you do that!!??
I think for age’s …Wonder if I am making sense??
You nail it in 2 sentences.
Oh man,, Mrs Smallaxe must need to be ten steps ahead of you.
Ha…Ofcourse she is…Give her my love!!XX
liz g:
🙂 Peace Always
Links
http://news.gov.scot/news/future-of-the-crown-estate
https://itisintruthnotforglory.wordpress.com/2017/01/04/speaking-in-forked-tongues/
http://ericjoyce.co.uk/2017/01/scots-should-beware-the-english-centre-left-too/
http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2017/01/04/listen-scottish-government-guide-estonia-fisheries-negotiations
Andrea Leadsom’s Brexit boast fails to impress farmers
http://archive.is/xOFI1
New EU president says rest of bloc unified on dealing with Brexit
http://archive.is/z9bSz
Renewables investment in UK will fall 95% over next three years – study
http://archive.is/uj48x
I’m an insider and I can tell you how shambolic Brexit really is
http://archive.is/tm34Z
Nana:
Thank you, for the lovely links.Kettle’s on.
Peace Always
Theresa May’s New Year Challenge: How to Reset Brexit Expectations
http://archive.is/eXuQ4
http://uk.businessinsider.com/anand-menon-on-sir-ivan-rogers-theresa-may-and-brexit-2017-1
https://politicalscrapbook.net/2017/01/marine-le-pen-u-turns-on-leaving-the-eu-and-ditching-the-euro/
https://skwawkbox.org/2017/01/04/bbc-finds-journalist-of-2016-kuenssberg-guilty-of-fakenews-and-challenges-own-decision/
Good morning Smallaxe, I’m a little late today after reading a rubbish article in the national which got my blood pressure up.
http://archive.is/iDszj
Kezia’s glum face top of the BBC Scotland News today. “Save our Union”. Sad:
https://archive.is/81Jf9
Nana:
I see what you mean about your blood pressure rising, my hands are shaking with adrenaline after reading that Mince.Peace Always
Nana. Re. the National opinionating of Mr Fry, where does one begin?
“It is true the Government set up a commission under ex-MSP Andrew Wilson to look at what might be done about improving our dismal growth. But its report, due by the end of 2016, has yet to appear. Wilson has gone on record to express his opinion that more wealth creators should be attracted to Scotland. The only response has been to raise the higher rates of income tax. Will wealth creators come to Scotland to pay more tax?”
Don’t they have sub editors ?
Higher rates of tax ? Hardly.
A few hundred difference in the higher rate threshold isn’t going to put many off, esp. considering that quality of life, enhanced by a social contract which covers essentials like prescriptions, and is almost always quoted as a reason for moving here !
No wonder you’re beeling.
Look what I found on the sidebar of your Skwawkbox link Nana.
The revolving conveyor belt between Auntie and Westmidden exposed again. No wonder now how we get Coonsberg as ‘Journalist’ of the year.
https://twitter.com/JohnTrelawney/status/816806778243612672/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Fact: Conservatives are wary of the future, preferring old ways.
Fact: They compare current events to previous limitations and historical inaccuracies..(lies)
Fact: The second world war was a nightmare.
Fact: Remove ‘The War’ (as they call it) and ‘British’ England has no identity.
Fact: England loves war, it brings them together..they think they’ve been successful in war.
Fact:Brexit is pure bloody-minded-ness .
Capella says:
5 January, 2017 at 9:12 am
Kezia’s glum face top of the BBC Scotland News today. “Save our Union”. Sad:
Couldn’t hear it but edited highlights-
a people’s constitutional convention “for the entire UK”
a federal solution where “every nation and the regions of England could take more responsibility for what happens in their communities”
“firmly safeguarding” the redistribution of wealth across the UK
a new Act of Union to “safeguard our family of nations for generations to come”
and be reigned over by Faragisti tories, forever.
http://www.lbc.co.uk/politics/parties/ukip/nigel-farage/nigel-farage-joins-lbc-weeknight-show-presenting/
@silver19 says: 5 January, 2017 at 1:12 am:
“OT: Now no laughing at the back “Dugdale proposes ‘save the Union’ plan for 2017” :- http://archive.is/FXhIR“
That translates from Labourspeak into English as, “We must not leave the Westminster Establishment or I will lose getting my seat in the House of Lords”.
Taken from an article on Wings some time ago. Why I despise what Labour has become – and a special mention for the Scottish press.
A letter from the Mid Lanark by election in 1888.
Mr. J. Keir Hardie,
“Dear Mr. Hardie,—I cannot refrain from wishing you God-speed in your election contest. Had I been able to have gone to Mid-Lanark to help you—to do so both by ‘word and deed’—would have given very great pleasure indeed. The powers of darkness—Scottish newspapers with English editors (as the ‘Leader’), partisan wire-pullers, and the other etceteras of political squabbles—are leagued against us.
“But let the consequences be what they may, do not withdraw. The cause of Labour and of Scottish Nationality will suffer much thereby. Your defeat will awaken Scotland, and your victory will re-construct Scottish Liberalism. All success be yours, and the National cause you champion. There is no miner— and no other one for that matter—who is a Scotsman and not ashamed of it, who will vote against you in favour of an obscure English barrister, absolutely ignorant of Scotland and of Scottish affairs, and who only wants to get to Parliament in order that he may have the tail of M.P. to his name in the law courts.
I am, Dear Sir,
Yours very truly,
“J. Ramsay MacDonald,
“Hon. Secretary, S.H.R.A
Chick McGregor says:
5 January, 2017 at 12:09 am
heedtracker
Tory ideology mentalists hate wind energy, right back to Thatcherites 40 years ago, so now England has got to frack like mad.
Why can an actual industrial power like Germany ditch nukes and go green. Google says Germany has 17 nuke power plants and they are all being shut down in five years time.
Frack the shit out of England, planet toryboy hates windmills.
@defo
The revolving door conveyor belt at the bbc. I posted an article a while time ago detailing the hierarchy at the beeb, Tory pals of Osborne and other eton clowns.
Can’t find it now, I think it was an article on Byline.
“The powers of darkness—Scottish newspapers with English editors”
I’ll send this off to them.
Another distorted slaver from Auntie.
The Dug yelping, but wonder of wonders, COMMENTS ARE ALLOWED.
Fill yer boots, but mind and take a peg for your nose. The haters are there already.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-38512484
For those wishing to see more examples of the utter awfulness of the Scottish press there are a couple of belters of stories in today’s (5/01/17) Scotsman and Herald. The Scotsman runs a story about patients waiting to be discharged from hospital dying in the hospital prior to their discharge. This is sold as some kind of scandal for which heads must roll and the usual group of Unionist nutters pile in BTL. So an average of 38 patients per month (Almost certainly extreme geriatrics and terminal illness patients.) dying in hospital before they can be sent home or to a hospice to die is some kind of awful scandal
For once the Herald story outdoes that in the Scotsman. We learn that the ex SNP MSP Nigel Don advised Tayside NHS Board on how to answer the questions of the Holyrood Audit Committee. Its headlined and written up in such a way as to make Mr. Don’s actions seem suspicious or discreditable. Its not until you are reaching the end of the story that you find that Mr Don was actually giving unpaid technical advice on data collection and presentation to the board on a pro bono basis. In other words a great example of public spiritedness by an ex MSP. The Herald couldn’t quite let that lie however and went to a Tory Health spokesman who was allowed 4 or 5 lines of a rant with no actual relation to the story.
Germany gives itself a decade or so to scrap nukes. From 2011,
Nuclear Energy Add to myFT
Germany to scrap nuclear power by 2022
http://archive.is/Y1Ytl
Planet toryboy Torygraph roasters not happy at all, 2014. Familiar?
http://archive.is/MUjSK
German Green party admits to paedophile links
Chairman Simone Peter says the party “deeply regrets” links with paedophile lobby groups in the 1980s
Nana. You’re probably aware, but Powerbase are also v good when it comes to nepotism/corruption spotting. Others may not be.
A valuable resource.
http://powerbase.info/index.php/Main_Page
Louise White on Shortbread Radio in response to caller on mental health ‘So how did it feel to be called a NUTJOB’?…..Surely time for her resignation BBC?
@Capella says: 5 January, 2017 at 9:12 am:
“Kezia’s glum face top of the BBC Scotland News today. “Save our Union”. Sad:
https://archive.is/81Jf9
I know exactly what my wise old Granny would have said on viewing that picture of Kezia Dugdale.
“Whit aa face tae folla a flittin”
Love Actually
OK, so, a lot of Wingers, including the Rev, don’t like/actively hate Love Actually.
Well, I like it. It is not “great cinema”, but, it does have in the cast one or two actors – Emma T, the blessed Alan Rickman for instance – who are incapable, it seems, of delivering a bad performance, regardless of the material they have to work with.
The script may be weak in places, but, as good, old-fashioned – put your feet up, doze through it if you like, post Christmas Lunch/Dinner uncluttered entertainment – it works.
The girl gets the man, most of the cast live happily ever after – FFS, it isn’t meant to make us thin or change the world.
And – if just one of the past 12 or so UK Prime Ministers had stood up to the US President as well as the fictional Hugh Grant did in the film, the world might be a better place.
Thanks to the efforts of Robert Peffers, Wingers are far better informed about the Treaty of Union than ignorant politicians like Kezia Dugdale. She wants to “safeguard our family of nations for generations to come”.
We know that there are only two signatories to Treaty of Union. Kezia must want to revoke the Treaty. YES!
The UK Union costs Scotland £20Billion a year. £4Billion in loan repayments not borrowed or spent in Scotland, £1Billion on Trident, £1Billion on ‘loss leading’ drink, £4Billion in lost Oil revenues (Oil sector taxed at 60% to 80% by Osbourne when price had fallen 75%, losing thousands of jobs). £3Billion? In tax evasion. Whisky Companies etc tax evade. = £13Billion. Scotland can’t borrow (10%) £6Billion to invest in the economy gaining £1Billion+ = £20Billion.
The EU costs £1Billion. More comes back. CAP payments, investment Grants and shared Defence costs.
Scotland pays a higher cost for fuel/energy despite being in surplus and nearer the source.
The Tories want out of the EU to continuing tax evasion.
Ghillie
I just realised how “gratefully received” might appear. I meant “much appreciated”. 🙂
Kezia tries to save her funding.
Get the rest out of the way. A straight fight with the Tories.
Didn’t last long with comments on bbc about KD – they are unable to load comments at the moment – what a surprise – surely labours one scottish mp is obliged to vote as Scotland voted therefore against article 50 being envoked. As for federalism – surely as the most powerful devolved nation we would not need it – but oh labour voted down most of the proposals of the smith commission and would like us to forget that – not a chance. Poor Kezia she does not have a chance, too wee too stupid too blue labour.
Memo to Kezia. The best way to safeguard our “family of nations” would be complete independence from the destructive miasm of corruption which emanates from Westminster.
RE Michael Fry in The National. There is a BBC interview in 2014 about his support of independence in which he talks a good deal of sense, albeit from a right of centre point of view. As a founder of Wealthy Nation, he believes Capitalism is great.
Unfortunately, he confuses Socialism with State Capitalism. He would benefit from listening to the talks given by Prof Richard Wolff. Co-operatives are the way to go. Germany has workers on the Boards contributing to decision making. Although not a majority, their contribution is what makes German industry more responsive to the needs of the German people IMO.
Nevertheless, we need to listen to the views of right of centre independence supporters as an independent Scotland will have its share of “entrepreneurs”.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-27440074
@defo
Thanks for this excellent resource. Seem to recall seeing it somewhere, perhaps you posted the link before now?
http://powerbase.info/index.php/Main_Page
Dugdale selling the old nag federal.
http://archive.is/tq3wk
Nana.
I first came across Powerbase around 2012, maybe before, when looking at the incestuous links between Slab and BBC shortie.
Susan Deacon and hubby, the bastard Boothman if I recall rightly.
If you’re looking to see who’s in who’s pocket, it’s the dog’s…
winifred mccartney says:
Exactly! We should all judge politicians and parties by their actions not their words.
Smith was the perfect opportunity for some Labour actions! They could have followed up Broon’s rhetoric but instead delivered nothing and blocked much.
They won IndyRef1 with promises of Federal Home Devo Super Rule Max. They had their chance and walked away. They stabbed their own voters in the back while they sooked up to the Tories.
We have to judge Kezia’s words against her parties deeds. Both totally hollow.
From the FT
Anatomy of a Brexit transition deal: the issue that haunted Rogers
http://archive.is/EpAPM
Dugdales federalised UK could become Yoons next vow to the people of Scotland. Ranted and chanted by the usual lying media. But as worthless as the Vow.
Slightly O/T, just noticed in yesterday’s Metro (a Daily Mail publication) an outcry
about Section 40 where the press will be held to account for people suing them
for lies and falsehoods. “This is a threat to your free press” they scream. No, this
might make you imposters and your editors think twice about printing lies.
Capella
IMHO and limited comprehension, I reckon we need new mechanisms of collective bargaining and policy formation, if we wish to move on from the limitations of corporatism. As such, we need to be aware of the “networks linking government with interest organizations, many of which had quasi-public status as key actors in policy making”, or “Yoon Goons” such as the CBI or the OBR (an advisory non-departmental public body established by the UK government to provide independent economic forecasts and ‘independent’ analysis of the public finances ).
From what little I know of it, the Co-operative movement would seem to provide an effective strategy towards improved labour relations and productivity.
http://www.izt.uam.mx/sotraem/Bibliografia/Molinacorporatism.pdf
One minute we’re a family of nations next minute we’re one nation, if it comes to decisions we’re the United Kingdom, then we’re told we’re British then we’re told we have a voice except at the moment the English don’t want to hear it
We’re the most powerful devolved nation on earth but somehow we need more powers which the English parliament will think about (they say) and a minute later they say no to that
We’re a burden on the English taxpayer they say, so we prove different and they say it’s a lie
They own the media or they control the media so much so they have the whole of their own country attacking each other and still they use Scotland as the financial scapegoat
Scotland says, we’ll leave then and be Independent so what do they say to that? Well…
That’s when the weasily words change and out comes the true nature of the beast because the first thing they say is in big capital letters…”THREAT”… You’ll be out of everything they say no EU no UK and we’ll make life as difficult for you as we possibly can
So although they profess to love us one minute they threaten to destroy us the next, well I remember the Republic of Ireland receiving the same treatment from the same English government
Let’s ask the Irish if they’d like to come back into the UK fold shall we?.. Ouch!.. I heard that from here
Feck that says the Irish!
Let them trigger article 50 FM and then get the EU leaders over here visibly and vocally showing their support for Scotland which they are free to express once article 50 is engaged, something they couldn’t do in 2014
It’ll certainly be amusing to hear the English government tell us what we can’t do when Europe is saying… Yes we can
Or are the English going to threaten them too
Well said Dr. Jim. That could prove interesting to say the least.
@ CameronB Brodie – agreed. My interest is democratic decision making. When all the profits of industry are dished out to wealthy Board members and shareholders while wages have been stagnant for over 30 years, we have a problem. The problem is, who makes these decisions.
Richard Wolff explains it in very simple terms. Here’s a short interview with Abby Martin of Tele Sur (South American Broadcaster) asking the basic questions. 35 mins:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P97r9Ci5Kg
Along with Basic Income, it would be good if the Scottish Government would promote co-operative decision making. That’s a million miles away from Kezia’s pathetic “new federalism” mantra leaving the power in the same old grasping hands.
The Daily stranger will never lose opportunity to use any issue it can to attack an SNP politician.
Though I am slightly surprised at John Mason, being an experienced politician, he should have learned to be more careful in how he words his tweets, given the attacks he has suffered from the median in the past.
There’s at least one bit of good news here in Fife, the Libraries in our county are from the start of this year no longer buying the daily stranger or hootsmon newspapers
In this “FAMILY of nations…”
Are Scotland and England, then, the parents?
Are N.Ireland and Wales both still at school?
Maybe a family of brothers?
If so, it’s a big bully dictatorship, where the siblings have different parents but are still forced to adopt the values of the biggest brother.
Hmm..Actually..
Ulster was adopted. And following a tantrum has been fed conflicting advice about who it is.
Wales has been England’s live at home granny for 800 years.
Scotland is forced to live on perpetual ‘benefits’..despite striking oil in the garden.
All the while, England’s establishment ‘LORDS’ it over the rest of us. Sneakily sucking the very truth and hope we need to thrive on our own.
WITH INDEPENDENCE, we get ALL the members of ALL our families to stand on their OWN two feet.
Constitutionally and democratically entitled to an equal chance USING ALL OUR NATURAL WEALTH AND INTELLIGENCE.
I’d take any amount of acceptable ‘FAMILY’ debt to create a better nation. It’s a no brainer.
Dugdale must have missed where we have the most powerful devolved parliament in the world, even though her top man, Gordon Brown, was on the tele saying it would happen and her newspaper, DR, saying it was delivered, no prob.
Though when the DR said Yes it had been delivered, they meant No it hadn’t, Yes it would, No not yet, Yes it had, next time.
I guess the dark matter in space is similar to her policies, it is there but it is undetectable by any normal means of measurement.
Dr Jim said
“Let them trigger article 50 FM and then get the EU leaders over here visibly and vocally showing their support for Scotland which they are free to express once article 50 is engaged, something they couldn’t do in 2014”
I’m 100% sure that part of the punishment the Brexiteers can expect, is a wholehearted encouragement from our European neighbours to break free.
They have nothing to lose, and everything to gain by doing so.
More than ever, I feel that Brexit is the key.
For us and the soft No’s, what would staying UKOK mean ?
Human rights eroded.
Unionisation effectively banned.
Fancy this ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Investigatory_Powers_Act_2016
It’s here. Now !
Perpetual Tory government.
A decade of uncertainty over trade deals.
No second homes in the French alps 😉
ot
Jumped into local spar in darkest Saltcoats. Giving away a free Telegraph or Daily Mail!! Took one of course for the granny’s cat litter. No doubt this will show up as a sale.Simon Johnson Scottish Political Editor headline- “SNP’s plan to sell off Queen’s lands”. Puir wee soul I thought. She’s being made homeless.
I like that Alan Partridge is helpfully pointing this out to add to the comedy value.
Capella
That’s pretty much my concern, the ongoing concentration of wealth and political power that has come to characterise Britain.
Though I’m no fan of how corporatism has evolved in the UK, especially since it’s addaptation to neo-liberalism, I do appreciate there does appear to be a need for a Scandinavian style governmental role in wage bargaining. I’m not a political scientist though, so that’s about as much help as I can be.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/243662161_Bargaining_Structure_Corporatism_and_Macroeconomic_Performance
When Scotland sent 56 MPs to Westminster to speak for us Nicola Sturgeon knew exactly what she was doing
It was a clear demonstration of no matter how hard our representatives worked no matter how many hours they debated no matter the depth of talent they possessed they could make no difference to the power or opinion held by the English government that Scotlands voice is immaterial
The coalition of Tories voted against, abstained against and philibustered against every subject raised on behalf of Scotland and subjects that were not, all to demonstrate the dominance and dictatorship that is the English parliament
In that, Nicola Sturgeon has without doubt once again clearly demonstrated her and our understanding of the so called “United” part of the Kingdoms
With Brexit a different solution will be found for Northern Ireland, why? and it’s because of one reason and one reason only the very threat that England wields against Scotland the Northern Irish can and will use another threat in return, we know this, the Irish know this, everybody knows this
So, the Irish worked out a long time ago that the English only understand threats so c’mon Nicola what have we got they need and how does Scotland start making life uncomfortable for Westminster (light switch?) (Faslane water quality? we know it practically glows in the dark and there are hardly any fish there now) (police Scotland close the Kingston bridge next time the English want to drive through Glasgow in the middle of the night with their Nuclear shit)
You know you want to
Sarwar, who released the figures yesterday, said bed blocking could be “seriously dangerous for the patients involved”.
So staying in hospital is causing people to die, what an utter fuckwitted eedgit!
A few links for lunch
http://www.politico.eu/article/eus-brexit-strategy-grab-the-popcorn-ivan-rogers-resignation/
Martin Schulz: EU hamstrung by Brexit and rise of populist right
http://archive.is/qlyMS
Norway PM says UK lacks negotiating experience, fears ‘very hard Brexit’
http://archive.is/mB7B5
MPs call for immigration devolution
http://archive.is/XII84
I could write a Scottish Labour press release: Questions asked as National Records of Scotland reveal that 57,579 people (almost 100,000) died in Scotland in 2015, thousands of them in hospital! Scandalous! Sturgeon must answer!
Anent the “bed blocking” and “patients sent home to die” items on this thread.
My eldest daughter is a Senior Staff Nurse at a local hospital – what would at one time have been a “cottage hospital”.
OK, the fact I have a personal interest through her is I admit, a factor, but, the standard of care which the patients get there – I am a regular out-patient at a clinic there – both as in or out-patients is, for my money, superior to that we get at the local major hospital. The staff locally are also more-cheerful and for my money more-motivated than down the road at the major unit.
My daughter is a geriatric nurse and she keeps reporting about receiving patients transferred from the big hospital, who have contracted viruses and illnesses there, who are discharged to her wee hospital ward, where they do their best to fix them up and get them home, or, where more and more frequently, because their families are unable to cope and the social work department is snowed-under, the patients are left for longer than necessary.
The system is, if not broken, than at the least creaking at the seams. The Scottish Government is trying its best to sort things out, but, with Westminster increasingly cutting their English NHS budgets, which has a knock-on effect on the Scottish NHS budgets, and turf wars breaking-out when it comes to implementing the SG’s plans for closer integration between the NHS and the Council-run Social Work – times are tough.
I will never criticise NHS staff on the ground. As I said earlier, there are, in the bigger hospitals, problems re staff morale and motivation; these also com-up in smaller units, but, the staff there, in my experienc, pull together better. The front-line troops are doing their best in difficult circumstances, the problems are further up the food chain, and need sorting-out.
But, for all the shit flung at it by the Red, Yellow and Blue Tories, the Scottish NHS is doing a good job, in difficult circumstances, and, as far as I can see, making a better fist of things than the English or Welsh NHS.
@ CaneronB Brodie – thanks for the link. I will read with interest though, at first glance, it looks a little challenging!
I was surprised to hear Prof Wolff say, in a lecture, that it is the British Labour Party’s policy to develop worker co-operatives, paid for by the state. News to me. But it’s a policy direction which the Scottish Government could consider.
Promoting greater democracy at every level can stop the very wealthy dominating decision making and buying the political process for their own ends. They will oppose that, of course.
OT
In today’s Oil and Gas News the head of BP Bob Dudley, says in an interview that the UK continental shelf is one of the “Crown Jewels” of BPs plans and they are looking to develop long term by further exploration west of Shetland and partnering with others to develop recent discoveries.
Meanwhile Hurricane Oil announced that their Lancaster Field holds at least 500 million barrels, and the speculation is that there might be a billion barrels. The biggest field for twenty or thirty years.
So don’t listen to unionist lies that the oil fields are finished. Listen to the experts who are putting their money on the line. An independent Scotland will be rich.
Spread the news!
O/T
Understanding Brexit…or not
https://www.facebook.com/SNPBrusselsBranch/posts/1080936438701663
O/T again
Some good news to brighten your day
http://archive.is/iaaqc
Capella
The “Bargaining Structures” one was certainly a struggle for me and I’m not sure if I agree with it entirely, as I’m not an economist either. I’m just trying to broaden the context when folk think of “political structures”.
How about a written constitution centered on the “Right to Development”, as the principle “centralised” value/component of the neo-corporatist bargaining structures of an independent Scotland? That would enshrine pluralism within neo-corporatism characterised by distinctly Scottish characteristics….evil snigger.
Nana says:
.. very funny video, thanks 🙂
Had a wee Brexit thought. The first thing they are going to do is negotiate the divorce settlement. I have thought of a major complication in assessing the ‘get out fee’ to be paid.
There will need to be four different final sums agreed for London to pay to the EU. There are four possible outcomes ahead ….
– all of the UK leaves
– England & Wales leave, Scotland’s gets Indy, Ireland reunifies
– England, N Ireland & Wales leave, Scotland’s gets Indy
– England, Scotland & Wales leave, Ireland reunifies
…. which outcome actually transpires depends on relationship after Brexit which will become clearer later on! So at the time of negotiating the ‘get out fee’, it won’t at all clear who is actually going to get out.
link probably been posted before,but just in case,
Nicola is looking for feed back on her `Draft Independence Referendum Bill`,
worth a read and a comment,
http://tinyurl.com/hkjjx9j
Re Bed Blocking – whatever happened to Convalescent Hospitals and Geriatric Hospitals and who was responsible for disappearing them.
Care In The Community rings a bell – I wonder whose bright idea that was.
@ CameronB Brodie – agree that Right to Development is central. Also, Right to Basic Income and Right to a Home are necessary.
At the moment, the Right to Enjoy One’s Property is sacred. That was used to evict the farmers who sunk their savings into tenant farms, only to be evicted because they prevented the land owner from exercising his “right to enjoy his property”.
No “Right to have Property” though.
The SNP say they want constitutional reform but not sure whether any draft constitution is being drawn up.
“We will also push for democratic reform. We believe that the House of Lords is an affront to democracy and should be abolished, and we will continue to call for the first past the post voting system to be replaced with proportional representation, so that every vote and every part of the country counts.
We will continue to put forward the positive case for Scotland having the power to enact the change that we need, be it powers over social security, employment or equality.”
http://www.snp.org/constitution
HM out for a stroll at 3am? Beggars belief.
Queen almost shot by startled guardsman during 3am stroll
A startled guardsmen at Buckingham Palace reportedly almost shot the Queen after she went for an unexpected 3am walk around the gardens.
According to the Times, the soldier was on patrol on the palace perimeter during the early hours of the morning when he spotted a figure in the darkness.
He reportedly challenged the potential intruder by shouting: “Who’s that?”
On realizing it was the Queen, who had ventured out after a bout of insomnia, he said: “Bloody hell, Your Majesty, I nearly shot you.”
Expecting a serious dressing down by the monarch, he was surprised when the 90-year-old responded: “That’s quite all right. Next time I’ll ring through beforehand so you don’t have to shoot me.”
Can Scotland afford to wait beyond 2017 for a new referendum on independence?
I’m concerned about all these Freedom of Information (FOI) requests by BBC Labour. Who pays for these? How many can FOI requests can one organisation (BBC Labour) make in a year? The only purpose seems to be to access information to bash the Scottish Government with.
The principles of FOI are clear and basically it’s a good idea, but I can’t help but think that it is being abused for party-political advantage (something it was clearly not designed for).
Here’s my FOI request:
How many FOI requests were made, how much did they cost, and how many FOI requests did BBC labour make in 2016?
@Hamish100 says: 5 January, 2017 at 12:25 pm:
” … Simon Johnson Scottish Political Editor headline- “SNP’s plan to sell off Queen’s lands”. Puir wee soul I thought. She’s being made homeless.”
Utter pish! From Simon Johnston. The facts are that the Scottish Crown Estates legally belong to the legally sovereign people of Scotland.
Thus the Queen’s lands in the entire British Isles consist of only two homes. These are Balmoral Castle, in Scotland and Sandringham House, in Norfolk.
Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, are owned by the Crown Estates of the Kingdom of England and such as Holyrood Palace, Stirling Castle, Edinburgh Castle Linlithgow Palace and so on, belong to the Scottish Crown Estates but the crown in Scotland is not sovereign and the person who wears it is the servant of the sovereign people of Scotland who have legal right to sack a monarch who does not protect their sovereign rights,
Mind you the law of England is not exactly clear. The Queen, as sovereign in England, Wales and N.I. is legally owner of the entire Kingdom of England, (and all who sail in her).
Only since 1688 when the English, “Glorious Revolution”, saw the Parliament of England force King Billy & Queen Mary to legally delegate The Divine Right of Kings to the Parliament of England. before the Treaty of Union came into force in 1707 and thus after The Parliament of England – legally ended in 1707.
Further more much of the residences of the other royals also belong to the state as Grace & Favour Homes.
I’m not even sure if the present queen inherited the estates of the old Queen Mother. These would probably have been handed down through the Queen Mothers family male line.
Balmoral estates are owned by a trust, a trust never dies. Could even be registered abroad. Check Andy Wightman the expert.
@louis.b.argyll says
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The so called conservative party haven’t been “conservative” for decades. During the 70s and 80s they were gradually taken over by a RADICAL right wing, neoliberal element who now own the party. Conservatives (small c) like to keep things the same (“traditional” values) and of course tend to favour the elite but in the past supported the NHS, free education etc. – as that had become part of the “old values”. New labour were a slightly ameliorated version of this neoliberal revolution. What you have seen over the last 10-15 years is a constant pushing of the political and economic agenda further and further right and more and more extreme: that is the very antithesis of conservatism.
heathen, someone who follows a different religion, usually from xtianity, a godless heathen is an oxymoron at best and at worst, an insult to all other religions
jus’ sayin’
“I am a huge fan of the Great French Essayist. And he said that you don’t judge the action, you judge the intention. But that does not, and i would say often cannot take place on a social media platform where you get 140 characters.”
Of course it can. It’s obvious to anyone with more brains than a cheese sandwich that Mason is the last man on Earth who’d have been talking about rape there, 140 characters or not. Anybody who tried to pretend they believed otherwise is either a malicious lying sack of shit, or a fucking imbecile.
schrodingers cat
I suppose that’s me telt, though I only said I was Godless, I didn’t say I was without ‘religion’. I’ll stop digging now. 🙂