If there’s time
We’ve just come by the final agenda of the weekend’s meeting of the SNP National Council in Perth. (The National Council is an essentially toothless talking shop which the party abolished in 2018 but then reinstated this year in order to pretend members actually had any influence over policy.)
Click the pic to read the whole thing, but we’ve got the highlights.
There was, you probably won’t be surprised to hear, no discussion of independence strategy whatsoever among the nine resolutions passed by the council.
The word “independence”, in fact, appears just 21 times in the 22-page document, almost all of them in bumwash “reports” from various party figures which amounted to “We are absolutely committed to saying the word ‘independence’ occasionally in the hope that that’ll do”.
However, there was plenty time to debate more pressing issues.
(Just 77 people in Scotland had HIV as of the end of 2021. It is now in almost all cases a non-serious illness with little to no impact on life quality or expectancy.)
We also heard from the National Treasurer that the party plans to hire a new part-time qualified accountant, which readers may feel is a case of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted, run halfway across the country, met another horse, settled down and raised several generations of foals.
The minutes also revealed the startling fact that Nicola Sturgeon’s sudden resignation cost the cash-strapped party an eye-watering £160,000 in unforeseen costs to elect a new leader to do a second-rate impression of her.
As you may have come to expect by now, there was no detail offered as to how such a hefty bill was run up for a few town-hall hustings and an online ballot.
There was some positive news from hapless National Secretary Lorna Finn, who has been allowed to appoint an assistant from the party’s extensive bank of people called Mhairi to help her make some headway in the SNP’s gargantuan, years-long backlog of internal complaints.
(Another lucky break is that the vast workload involved will presumably have been significantly reduced by the ongoing collapse in the party’s membership figures, with another 10,000 or so having departed in 2023 alone.)
This, from the Policy Development Convener, we’re just bookmarking:
And this one from the National Treasurer, while we’re at it:
Our favourite paragraph of all, though, was this one:
The vehicle for independence, there, ladies and gentlemen.
“I find myself in the peculiar position of being the 4th person to hold a post that has no job description”.
Well, just make it up as you go along … the rest of your colleagues do.
That meme of a bin on fire floating through a flood has never seemed more apt.
Oh, how I enjoyed the exquisite delicacy of that, “extensive bank of people called Mhairi”.
Utter bollox.
So glad I am wasting no more of my life regarding politics of ‘queer theory’ ??? I am straight – have no grudge either way / believe in live & let live but ……
Seriously …. striving for Nationhood & political / democratic emancipation and we got infested by these agenda driven sideshow wallopers ?
The Binfire of Insanity …….
The Green Party has taken over the SNP by infiltration and partnership.
I don not believe it is now possible to save the SNP as the organisation would ignore and undermine any attempt to take the Party back to members having any say in policy.
To be fair banning or restricting under 18s from using vapes & doing more studies on the overall use of vapes while reducing the environmental impact of them is fine. I know of people suffering serious issues from vaping but we need to know more. Same with HIV testing. It’s true not many people test positive but we know younger generations aren’t as informed & we’re not sure how many people are being infected.
Those things are fine as is a basic idea of protecting asylum seekers but to turn that into a Trans issue while repeating the bullshit that ‘Transwomen’ suffering male prisons is probably more about filtering public money into LGBTQ+ organisations who’ll do nothing about helping asylum seekers overall and more about trying to convert asylum seekers to Queer Theory.
However the lack of interest or movement towards independence is no longer shocking. This is a party dominated by the maintenance of power & niche issues while drug deaths increase, poverty increases,the cost of living crisis increases and while Holyrood is restricted in hat it can do, it’s now perfectly clear it isn’t doing enough to change things for the better for most people choosing instead to pitch to a small middle class group who aren’t really affected by the issues which are going to be the ones fought on in future elections.
The SNP are a party lost to social democracy and the cause of independence.
Loving the horse gag to describe this extended pantomime! 🙂
Incredibly, this shitshow seems to be taking longer to play out than that serious called Lost…
David Hannah – You spend a lot of time posting on here but it’s good stuff. I read all of them. They are honest. No fannying about with David Hannah.
More than a hint of Stoneybridge Town Council about it all.
SNP? Nope. Sorry not intested. Bye bye.
The Green Party has taken over the SNP by infiltration and partnership.
The Greens themselves were taken over by entryists over the last decade so they’re no longer eco-socialists but a bizarre mix of neoliberalism, American identity politics & Queer Theory. Take Ross Greer’s latest comments about council tax which talks about tweaking it round the edges than trash it and bring in a fairer method of taxation.
We have a real problem in Scotland in that we may well be a fairly left leaning country, but we don’t have any real party of the left that’ll be part of government soon.
The lunatics have taken over the binfire.
Unless I’m reading it wrong (in which case kill me with hammers) but the HIV figure in the text is slightly misleading – only 77 new cases but overall 6415 people in Scotland living with HIV in 2021. Minor point but I don’t want you to give your enemies any chink in the armour to come at you.
LGBT asylum seeker… You’ve got to laugh.
Ahahaha..
What about the single, Scottish white Christian men of Tory voting Perth. Perth are socially Conservative.
Hello Sir would you like to vote for more HIV testing? Door slams!
A person called Brian Monteith, a noted BritNat Brexiter, opines in the Scotsman that Scottish Nationalism, not the SNP, needs to be defeated in order to preserve the UK intact. Plainly one of the Conservative party’s deep thinkers.
As the SNP has been doing a good job in slowly strangling all life out of the nationalist cause he ought to be feeling contentedly smug in his home in Tarn, France.
Well, the property’s a snip man.
Conservatives, always snouting for an «opportunity».
What’s this ignorant bit about “…work alongside myself…” when anyone who has a reasonable level of education in our language would say “….alongside me….”?
As for tweaking council tax, as someone who lives on his own I’d quite happily vote for a system that spreads local taxation equally across the adult population, but didn’t that concept cause some grief 30-ish years ago?
I have previously thought that this ‘vehicle for independence’ may have lost its wheel(s). It is now getting very difficult indeed to escape the conclusion that it has lost its engine..
I have noticed a shocking shortage of perverts, foreigners and charity cases in Scotland.
Good to know the SNP is on the case!
navigate life in a new country that is itself in the grip of an anti-LGBTQ+ panic
Straight from the horse’s mouth, folks, that’s what the SNP thinks about us.
We are in the grip of an anti-LGBTQ+ panic that has already destroyed the career of Scotland’s greatest ever politician.
OMG. Seriously. I scan-read the highlights then scan-read through the real thing and thought, really?
Never mind 7 days that shook the world, we’re gonnae dae it just in a mornin and efternoon sesh. Ther, sorted. e-fags n’aw.
Fucking Hell.
But the best laugh of all was the ‘homes for all’ gag. Something to do with Lloyd George kent mah faither?
Keep taking the pills.
The word Moribund springs to mind… Or a certain Monty Python sketch….
Nemisis Benn 3.39pm Maybe you are the ignorant one, ignorant of Scottish expression. The use of ‘myself’ in place of ‘me’ is a common Scottish expression, used by people of all levels of intelligence, achievement and grammatical skill. Scots do follow a different grammatical, spelling and pronunciation structure when speaking Scottish English (as opposed to Scots language), it is one of the defining characteristics of Scots. You would find the same differences among Irish and Welsh people speaking English.
As for your views on council tax, the idea that one man in a mansion or castle should pay less than a low-income family crammed into a poky wee 2-3 bedroom flat was considered to be brutally unfair and utterly selfish all these years ago, and remains so.
SNP=Judean people’s front.
The last one is hilarious. It looks like Citizen Belic may be on thin ice, coming close to criticising the Party…
Let’s all hope he succeeds in his quest to be allowed to determine what his job description could or should be.
Excellent work as ever, Rev, the ghost at the feast.
Here’s one from the mists of time which may have a connection to the donations/funding/accounts mystery as in it could all go back further than we thought.
link to archive.ph
Nemisis Benn @ 3.39pm:
“As for tweaking council tax, as someone who lives on his own I’d quite happily vote for a system that spreads local taxation equally across the adult population, but didn’t that concept cause some grief 30-ish years ago?”
Wouldn’t that be a Local Income Tax? What on earth is so wrong with tax being levied according to ability to pay?
If, for some reason, a property tax is preferable, then it should be levied on the owners of the property, not those who are forced to pay extortionate, rip-off rents to wealthy landlords to live in it. The Council Tax bears no relation either to services used or ability to pay. A flat-rate poll tax is about the only system that would be even less fair.
Instead of iScotland, the destination is now Qscotland.
Note lower case second term marking priority change.
Nemisis Benn @ 3:39 pm
“What’s this ignorant bit about “…work alongside myself…” when anyone who has a reasonable level of education in our language”
Wha’s langage is yon yer on aboot? Speakin for masel, A ken whit ma mither tongue is, an hit shuir as hell isna English. If English wis ma mither tongue A wad bi English. But amna English. You can be English if ye want tae be.
Mind, langage is whit gies a fowk thair identity, ye ken. Or mebbes ye dinna ken!
Linguistic Imperialism an linguicide is anither relatit maitter in oor doun-hauden colonial condeetion – whaur Scots bairns hiv anely Englis garred doun thair thrapples. Tho A dinna ‘spose ye ken that aither.
If they had bothered to set up a Finance and Audit Committee that met professional standards there may have been less financial problems. The Chapman incident should have alerted everyone that all was not well. To have an Audit Committee led by the Treasurer ably assisted by the CEO and the Treasurer’s handpicked members (that’s what the Standing Orders say!!!!) is against all governance standards. Why was this not picked up by the external auditors and reported?
Tried to post this on the “Raise a glass” thread.
Research (2020) by Mirjam Allik, Denise Brown, Ruth Dundas & Alastair H. Leyland
Background
Increasing mortality among men from drugs, alcohol and suicides is a growing public health concern in many countries. Collectively known as “deaths of despair”, they are seen to stem from unprecedented economic pressures and a breakdown in social support structures…
…Conclusions
Contrary to the substantial reductions in mortality across all ages in the past decades, deaths among young men are increasing from preventable causes. Attempts to reduce external causes of mortality have focused on a single cause of death and not been effective in reducing mortality or inequalities in mortality from external causes in the long-run. To reduce deaths of despair, action should be taken to address social determinants of health and reduce socioeconomic inequalities.”
Deaths of despair are a lagged effect with drug deaths still happening from the effects of Thatcherism.
Deaths of despair are caused by the effects of successive UK government policies since Thatcher.
Baird
Great stuff. I can almost hear the bagpipes as I look at your drivel.
One just for you-
An old farmer is surveying his land when he notices a man having a drink from a burn that borders one of his fields. He rushes over and shouts ‘Whit are ye daen min. Di ye no ken that the burn is foo o pish an keech frae the coos at the tap o yon field’? The man replies ‘My good man, I am a barrister from the City of London, If you wish to address me kindly do so in the Kings English. ‘Ok sir’ says the farmer-‘remember and use both hands and be careful not to spill a single drop’.
YOURSELF
yoo?r-s?lf?, yôr-, y?r-
pronoun
That one identical with you.
Used reflexively as the direct or indirect object of a verb or as the object of a preposition.
Used for emphasis.
Used in an absolute construction.
Your normal or healthy condition.
An emphasized or reflexive form of the pronoun of the second person; — used as a subject commonly with you; ; also, alone in the predicate, either in the nominative or objective case.
Your own self.
You; used emphatically, especially to indicate exclusiveness of the referent’s participation in the predicate, i.e., that no one else is involved.
(The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition)
Like usage in French & German with même and selbst
I think we’re into ‘death of Stalin’ territory.
It’s not going to end well for Sturgeon, Humza, Shirley-Anne Disaster, or any of the transcult.
They deserve what’s coming. I still don’t feel sorry for the many cowards who let them away with it for so long.
P.S. If they do have an October conference do you think Sturgeon will turn up ?
“No, I won’t be voting SNP”
“Why?”
“Because I’m NOT a Unionist. Good-bye…”
the first line of prioritising independence bullet point is something to behold.
When was the Convention? im confused.
@barelybare says:29 August, 2023 at 4:15 pm
his quest to be allowed to determine what his job description could or should be
Couldn’t agree more.
Everybody to be allowed to self-ID their own job in the new Scotland.
Me for FM (or should that be, myself for FM).
Nemisis Benn 3.39pm
“…work alongside myself” – yes, that did jump out.
Reminiscent of letters of rebuke written by good folks connected to organisations on the spectrum somewhere between yellow and red. (“May we remind yourself that…”)
@sam says:29 August, 2023 at 4:51 pm
a growing public health concern in many countries
Deaths of despair are a lagged effect with drug deaths still happening from the effects of Thatcherism
I wouldn’t rule out a few “deaths of despair” from educated, rational people driven over the edge by flawed logic like yours. Over a hundred years of compulsory education, yet still the ability to add 2 + 2 to make 5 is rampant. It’s certainly not an observation that will cheer anybody up.
Thatcher eh? Still killing people in foreign countries from beyond the grave.
FAO Jenny Gilruth
link to angelfire.com
The document regarding HIV states there are 6415 currently living with it in Scotland. The figure of 77 was for people first diagnosed with it in the period 2019-2021.
Further to my above comment, what is strange is that 77 people were diagnosed with HIV from 2019 to 2021, but the number of people in Scotland with HIV apparently increased by around 800. Of course, people may have moved to Scotland with the virus, but the disparity in numbers still seems perplexing.
Oh well the Scottish Nonce Party have now provided the world with the unarguable or uncontestable reason to apply for refugee status,if anyone has any concerns that they may fail an asylum application or be considered as merely an economic migrant they can invoke the LGBTQ+ mantle and Bobs yer auntie
I always wondered (naw a didnae) why wee nicky insisted that the consultation on the GRR was opened to world comments and opinions
It seems John Moan may have to expect an influx of Ugandan trans activists in the next round of NEW SCOTS
BTW I noticed that you also spotted the despicable assertion that Despicable Scotland was unique in that anyone coming here would have to “navigate life in a new country that is itself in the grip of an anti-LGBTQ+ panic”
These lunatics need to be isolated from normal people
Excellent piece, Rev. Too depressed to say more.
Michael Laing says:
29 August, 2023 at 4:26 pm
Nemisis Benn @ 3.39pm:
Wouldn’t that be a Local Income Tax? What on earth is so wrong with tax being levied according to ability to pay?
Aye, imagine if Susan Aitken and the rest of the cast of Fraggle Rock got to decide how much of your earnings they can help themselves to. That would be great, wouldn’t it.
It’d be like Escape from New York, but with neds.
But in answer to your question, it’s mah money, and Hector can beat it.
“Drug-deaths have increased since the early 1990s almost yearly, but the recent rise since 2012 has been very sharp (approximately 80% between 2012 and 2018). Overall, drug-deaths account for around 50% of all external deaths in 2018 compared to just 3% in 1981…
….Since the 1980s the Scottish economy has undergone major changes, such as the substantial loss of heavy industry jobs, and the financial crisis of 2007 and subsequent imposition of austerity measures, significantly affecting employment and income levels. The links between economic opportunities and mortality from drugs, alcohol and suicide have been made before. The impact of economic recessions on suicides and alcohol abuse is well documented [35, 36] and evidence also suggest increased disorders from illicit drug use during economic downturns [37]. In addition, those of lower SES may be more likely to experience depression or substance use disorders during recessions [37, 38], supporting our findings of high socio-economic inequalities in mortality from suicides, drugs and alcohol. The impact of economic change on health can also be very long-lasting. For example, the cohort of men born in Scotland between 1960 and 1980 and affected by the neoliberal policies of the 1980s have experienced high drug and suicide mortality also in the 1990s and early 2000s, decades after the economic changes [30, 31].”
@twathater says:29 August, 2023 at 6:15 pm
Back in the days when I used to read Private Eye, “Uganda” had a special meaning in that.
Compared to today though, it was all childishly innocent.
Right, I’m off to fit a stereotypical Scottish Panic Button. Does anybody know if they can be interconnected with that other stereotypical Scottish government-mandated pointless expense – the interlinked fire and smoke alarms?
Support jobs and funding for LGBTQetc ie more jobs for the (weird) boys.
Now , come on guys , don’t tell me you haven’t been hearing those eardrum – shattering noises all over Bigotland these last few years . Maybe you have , but mistook them for , thunder claps or laughter at the latest SNP ” initiative ” .
Well , I can inform you , the source of those cacophonous sonic eruptions is none of the above ; they are , in fact ” explosions of transphobia ” . Yip , that’s correct, must be , as this info issued from none other than that Mr ” finger on the pulse of Scotland ” and carefully manufactured human soap-on-a-rope – John Nicolson .
You have to wonder why they’re so keen to roll-out the red carpet for LGBlahBlah refugees when , if they arrive here in Bigotland , they risk being eaten alive by savage phobes of one sort or another .
It’s all the cheapest , low quality , fat-saturated mince
Thatcher died an alcoholic. She drank a bottle most nights. Scotch.
In my view after all that’s happened with the SNP under Sturgeon and now Yousaf, that a vote for the SNP, is a vote against Scottish independence.
Lets just be done with this party (SNP) and try and get them the f*ck out of office at every election, the longer we allow them to govern in any fashion, the longer it will take to achieve independence.
Actually it’s a small improvement, in a sense
I still treasure the booklet for the 2019 SNP party conference at which I was a delegate. In 80 pages of agenda, the word “independence” appeared once.
That is the conference where I was banned from holding a fringe meeting on Independence, on the grounds meetings could only be held by official party bodies or by corporations.
I think it was also the one where BAA gave a huge bung (sorry, sponsorship) in exchange for the SNP voting for Heathrow expansion.
Does anyone think it is possible to get into this position by accident.
it seems so bad it has to be a deliberate act of sabotage.
During the leadership election my branch did not allow any discussion relating to the candidates
A councillor actually stated we will go for a general election asking for a majority of seats and a majority of votes then we will ask of a referendum!!! Much laughing all around.
when it was pointed out
1) impossible no party could win majority
2) why would they then say yes when 6 elections later they say no
it was shut down again
I get the feeling the party expectation is the branches do what HQ say. HQ do not listen to the branches.
Needless to say I am one of many leavers. HQ can do their own leafleting if they are that smart.
Anyway I think the SNP is totally goosed unless the change direction and really quickly.
Everything above says they are totally resistant to change.
I am pleased Alba is not standing in Rutherglen and really hope the SNP get goosed. It might waken them up. Having said that if they win getting to grin off Humza’s face may require surgery. But they will be goosed at the GE
Cronyism meaning: the appointment of friends and associates to positions of authority, without proper regard to their qualifications
“A CALL has been made for everyone living in Scotland on the day of independence to be entitled to citizenship of the country.
“It’s about giving a bit of hope and telling people who live in Scotland there is something to look forward to – and then obviously they might be more interested in voting for independence if they have that that fear removed when Scotland becomes independent.”
—————————————————–
That’s one way of buying votes.
Maybe they can reduce the referendum (if there ever is one) voting age to 14 too.
link to thecritic.co.uk Interesting article here.
link to scottishdailyexpress.co.uk
Speaking of SNP paedos.
Primary teachers fight back. Teachers say no. They’ve had enough of Nicola Sturgeon and Patrick Harvie’s indoctrination groomer material.
‘Children in Scottish primary schools are being asked to talk openly about their sexuality in class & are exposed to images of full frontal nudity, say teachers who think parents should know what’s in the SNP’s sex ed curriculum.’
Just a few days ago the SNP press release about being proud about their primary school indoctrination.
Teachers say no. Teachers fight back against SNP groomers. Read all about it.
It’s time to call in the police on SNP HQ.
Let John Swinney explain.
Sick SNP perverts want adults to talk to primary kids about their sexuality. Ages 9 and 10.
While showing them full frontal nudity. I wonder if the groomer material was discussed in Perth.
Sounds like the good people of Scotland need to shut this paedophile ring down within the SNP and Greens.
link to scottishdailyexpress.co.uk
The motion headlined ‘Asylum Seekers’ was not in fact even debated. Because of time over running, this was rushed through with the last four motions all accepted within a minute by ‘acclaim’; a hasty round of applause.
@ David Hannah and Geoff Anderson: thanks for the wonderful news about the Primary teachers fight against the sex education material.
It’s absolutely vile Sarah…
Teachers are furious about the “sexuality petal” and “the sexuality flower” and the graphic naked images, let alone the sinister discussions.
By the sounds of it. It was created by the monsters at the SNP convention in Perth.
I feel sorry for the primary school kids.
When the SNP send the creepy substitute teacher, LGBTQIA+ alphabet communications officer Amber Roberts in,
With a creepy schools sex survey to traumatise the primary kids. Possibly accompanied by Patrick Grady and Jordan Linden.
After they get all the funding for their fake job created by Humza Yousaf – Love not Hate remember
Can everyone stop referring to the damage caused by “COVID” when they actually mean “LOCKDOWN”.
.
If anyone ever wants to know what a proper journalist looks like; one with real talent at hard forensic work, plus an awesome turn of phrase, just look up the word “journalist” in any dictionary. Next to this word will be a photograph of the very reverend Stuart Xavier Campbell III.
The Rev nearly ended me with this prose. I just broke three ribs and it is the BEST thing that I have read all day. Thanks Rev…
‘We also heard from the National Treasurer that the party plans to hire a new part-time qualified accountant, which readers may feel is a case of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted, run halfway across the country, met another horse, settled down and raised several generations of foals.”
I am utterly and totally finished with the SNP deviant party. If publicity hungry Patrick Harvie thinks “furries” are normal and that 9-year-old children dressed up in skirts showing their knickers in public to middle aged men is anything other than CRIMINALLY DEVIANT, Stuart, please let Harvie have my details. I will meet him and his “furry” friend, with his lawyers and my lawyers at a location which is legally competent on jurisdictional and locus matters: Lothian & Borders Police, Central Pickett Office, 113 High St, Tranent, EH33 1LW.