Ifs and buts and maybes
Alert readers may have noticed that for a non-holiday period, Scottish politics is a deathly quiet place at the moment. Papers are struggling to find anything to write about at all, and were beside themselves with joy this week when presented with the chance to fabricate a ridiculous “anti-Semitism” story about an obscure blogger criticising a trade union and fill several pages with hysterical fauxtrage over it.
The sheer dearth of anything happening whatsoever is typified by the Scottish Daily Mail’s front-page splash this morning.
It sounds dramatic – a potentially catastrophic en-masse exodus of Scotland’s doctors would certainly be a crisis. But anyone reading beyond the lurid headline will swiftly discover a rather less doom-laden reality.
Because in fact the entire piece is based on nothing more than a series of assertions and assumptions stacked on top of suppositions and guesses and possibilities, and it crumbles into something less than dust long before it’s over.
It starts off rather oddly:
“Figures show an alarming number of Scots doctors – many of them family GPs – are leaving to work in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Malaysia and the United States.
Medical staff are struggling with the effects of NHS workforce shortages, while SNP tax rules mean that some doctors are financially worse off than their colleagues in England.”
Readers might be forgiven for wondering about the relevance of that second paragraph, since no claim is being made that ANY of these doctors have left to work in England. And of course there’s an SNP BAD quote from an idiot Tory MSP:
“Scottish Tory health spokesman Miles Briggs said: ‘This is an alarming development which could have serious consequences for our NHS. If there’s one thing we don’t need it’s a brain drain of our top medics heading out of this country.
Perhaps if the SNP had planned its workforce better, easing the intolerable strain doctors are currently facing, we wouldn’t be in this worrying situation.”
Or perhaps if the Tories at Westminster weren’t so hell-bent on keeping foreigners out of the UK, the NHS wouldn’t be short of staff in the first place.
But IS it even a “development”? When did this happen?
“According to the General Medical Council (GMC), 5,044 doctors who trained in Scotland applied for a Certificate of Current Professional Status (CCPS) between 2008 and 2017. This allows medics to work abroad under a new employer.”
Oh. For a start these figures go back over a DECADE, and we’re given no clue as to whether numbers have increased or decreased in recent years. For all we know, 5000 of the 5044 could have shipped out in 2008, and since then almost no doctors might have left at all.
“Of those, 2,895 are likely to have left for other countries because they are no longer registered as practising medicine north of the Border.”
Oh. So in the space of a sentence the 5000 figure has already dropped by 40%, to below 3000, and we don’t actually even know whether they’ve “QUIT NHS TO WORK OVERSEAS” at all. We’re just saying that it’s “likely” for some reason and ignoring any possible alternative explanations.
For all we know they might have retired, or died, or become lumberjacks. It seems beyond any reasonable debate that at least SOME of them will have. We simply don’t know what they’ve done or where they’ve gone or why.
“A total of 2,152 Scottish-based doctors applied for the certificates between 2013 and 2018. Of those, 728 are not licensed to practise in the UK, suggesting they are likely to have left.”
And now the original 5044 in 10 years is down to just 728 over five years. We suppose “FEWER THAN 146 DOCTORS A YEAR OUT OF 19,000 (OR LESS THAN 0.8%) MAY POSSIBLY HAVE QUIT THE SCOTTISH NHS TO WORK OVERSEAS” would have made for a rather weaker headline, in fairness.
But wait – 2152? That would seem, based on the figures we’re given, to suggest that 2892 applied for a CCPS in the first half of the decade in question. So this “exodus” has in fact SLOWED by a quarter in the last five years compared to the previous five, and significantly FEWER doctors are now leaving Scotland than before.
“The figures paint a bleak picture of doctors training at Scottish universities but failing to stay in the country, and medics who have actually worked in the NHS deciding to quit.”
What? No they don’t. We just don’t have enough information to make that statement. And now the disclaimers and qualifiers start piling up:
“Simply applying for a CCPS does not mean the doctor has actually left the country. But the GMC figures are understood to give the closest picture of the number of Scots medics working overseas.”
They’re “understood” to, are they? By whom? Who says so? Maybe this guy:
“Dr Lewis Morrison, chairman of the British Medical Association in Scotland, said: ‘It is professionally useful and desirable for some doctors to gain experience and particular skills working in other countries’ healthcare systems before returning, which can be ultimately beneficial to Scotland.”
Sounds grand.
“‘But these figures raise a real question as to whether more doctors may now be considering leaving because they are unhappy in their current roles.”
Do they? Based on what? How do we know that they’re not just doing the thing you said – gaining experience elsewhere before returning? And what’s the answer to that “real question”, Dr Morrison?
“It isn’t possible to know this for sure from these figures, but that is clearly a worry.”
Oh. And he concludes:
“The pressures that doctors face while working in inadequately resourced and understaffed services, coupled with year after year of real-terms pay cuts for doctors – particularly for those in senior posts – may be one of the reasons these figures are rising.’”
May be, and therefore logically also may not be. But whether that’s a reason or not, they’re NOT rising, as far as we can tell. In fact they’re doing the opposite. As we’ve just deduced, the numbers appear to have fallen considerably in the last five years compared to the previous five, and we aren’t given any more detailed breakdown than that, so we can’t tell whether (say) 2017 was worse than 2016.
So the entire article, we’ve now established, is based on no relevant or reliable statistical information whatsoever. It’s littered from start to finish with “could be”, “may be”, “likely to” and “suggests”, and in so far as there are any hard facts at all they strongly imply that the story’s core claim is the exact opposite of the reality.
It’s an extraordinary piece of fluff, distorting a tiny isolated statistic taken completely out of context through so much smoke and mirrors, and diluting it so heavily with caveats and provisos, that there’s effectively no functioning data left. It’s basically homeopathic journalism, practiced by unqualified quacks, and the more of those that leave the country the healthier it’ll get.
It has gone beyond the stage of incompetent journalism and political bias. It is a sustained, aggressive, drip, drip, drip campaign by the usual media suspects, pursued confidently and relentlessly in the knowledge that they still have readers who believe this guff.
“Obscure blogger”? A bit harsh…
Not soooooo obscure now. Good.
There’s so much misinformation put out there by the press it must be really screwing with people’s heads. So much so infact that you can show someone absolute proof that they’ve been lied to and they will still choose not to believe the evidence.
Skewered again.
Complacency abounds. Even I could have dissected this piddle.
YIR2 made mention of a £450,000 WoS fighting fund last night.
I’m guessing you’ve not mentioned the McLaren yet Stu.
😉
And now we have the wonderful Mr Findlay asking a question at pmq’s re anti-semitism – what a nerve – anything to skew focus away from labour and the unions and the even more wonderful Mr Leonard in their political use of the women in Glasgow.
They conveniently forget how labour took these same women through the courts to avoid paying them and RL recommended differentiated rates for men in 2006 and did it with no shame.
It plays right into labours hands to change the subject to anything at all other then their real anti-semitism, racism, sexism and bullying on their own benches.
The women of Glasgow deserve better and they deserve their pay claim to be settled quickly – whats the betting labour will complain about selling any assets to fund it or claim the credit when it is settled. They have no shame and very short memories but fortunately we have long memories.
I for one will never forgive them for phoning my 92 year old father and suggesting that if he voted No in the referendum he might not still get his pension. My father was distraught and I was totally incensed.
If ifs and ands were pots and pans
what need there be for tinkers?
Yes you hit on one question that occurred to me often during the Referendum, the newspapers kept giving dire warnings of companies and all kinds of professionals leaving as a consequence of Ind but they never once said newspapers or journalists would flood out of Scotland, nor the BBC. Not one of them said they would leave.
Is it that they were generally talking sh.t, or that they were unemployable elsewhere?
All the polls show there is no interest in another Independence referendum says Libby Brooks of the Guardian
There are two governments in Scotland (sadly) says Tory MP Andrew Bowie
I can’t answer any questions on immigration and I’ve been here for over an an hour and could have been elswhere says Tory immigration minister Caroline Noakes
I can’t see another independence referendum in Scotland for a good number of years now, there’s just no point to it says Vince Cable
I saw a very nice consultant from England a few months ago, he had trained in London. In fact have seen a few specialists and they are nearly all from England, they must be coming to Scotland to take a wage cut according to the Britnats.
In Scotland we have people working in our NHS from all over the world. The UK British nationalist government would rather we did have a shortage of staff, they are kicking people out of Scotland and not allowing some people with essential skills in. It’s why the Britnat government flatly refuse to devolve immigration powers to Scotland.
They know they can hold Scotland to ransom, they know they can undermine Scotland’s economy and world standing by keeping immigration powers away from Scotland.
These stories, lies printed on the front pages have some people fooled, but fewer by the day, believe the stories, they go on what they experience when needing treatment from Scotland’s NHS.
Labour and Tories would privatise Scotland’s NHS before you can say Jack flash if htey get even a smidgeon of power in Scotland. They are like vultures, circling, and squawking baying for blood. They can get lost, Scotland’s NHS is not for sale!
I see NZ is mentioned. Aspiring doctor emigrants should beware, unless you are qualified in a specialism in short supply in one of the main centres incoming doctors seeking GP work have to agree to work in a rural area for a certain amount of time before being considered to be allowed to move.
This can be an isolated job with much travel on narrow roads albeit in nice countryside but oh, the silence. Stop your car on some roads in the hinterland is the South Island and apart from your engine pinking and the wind you might hear, nothing. Which can be very unnerving to the uninitiated.
Also the local A&E dept may not be local at all and you will find yourself treating badly injured people until an air ambulance or a road ambulance if the weather is bad can get there. Some may thrive in such a situation though conversation with laconic farming types might not be your cup of tea. Coaxing more than two words out of such people can be very difficult.
Re winifred mccartney
In an Independent Scotland, all those involved in these lies should be put on trial IMHO.
These britnats are determined to undermine Scotland. The SNP should call them out for what they are: britnat liars. The SNP has nothing to lose in doing so, and everything to gain. Don’t play by britnat rules!
“Homeopathic journalism”! Brilliant!
Being a devout agnostic I don’t give a damn about what beliefs or none are held by my fellow ‘Wingers’. It does not bother me one little bit that Stu is an actual Vicar, he could be a Priest, Rabbi, or Iman or any other type of Congregation Leader for all I’m concerned. But I will make this abundantly clear, if I wish to criticise Saudi Arabia over their bombing of civilians in Yemen or the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi or Israel’s conduct over occupied territories or the British Government’s actions in N. Ireland or for that matter the IRA’s response I an NOT making any kind of Islamophobic, or Anti Semitic or anti Anglican/Presbyterian or anti Catholic comment. I like most other people in my ken are simply condemning the Governments of those countries and is nothing to do with religion or beliefs practised by their people, it is quite simply a criticism of their inhumane or even illegal behaviour in the eyes of the UN.
Maybe if The National had some TITillating pictures and stories and some cash-prizes bank-rolled by a millionaire they’d be able to occupy prime positioning on the news-stands and, in the interests of balance, refute such drivel.
So it’s the headline that is designed to stick in the memory of the gullible. Job done.
Christ Rev, where would we be, if we didn’t have you ?.
Never mind all that, Kate lost THREE uncles in the war?
@Dan Huil says: 1 November, 2018 at 1:50 pm:
” … These britnats are determined to undermine Scotland. The SNP should call them out for what they are: britnat liars. The SNP has nothing to lose in doing so, and everything to gain. Don’t play by britnat rules!”
I honestly cannot fathom this anti-SNP madness here on Wings of all places.
Here we have Dan Hull, soon after Nicola Sturgeon spent FM’s Question time doing just that and Dan says The SNP should call them out – what the hell does he call what Nicola was doing if not calling them out?
You do realise, don’t you Dan, that if any MSP of any party were to directly call someone a liar in the chamber they would either have to withdraw their remark or be excluded from the chamber by the anti-Independence Presiding Officer.
It just isn’t done like that in debating chambers. You must do it by quoting facts that disprove the lies. Nicola just made mincemeat out of the unionist leaders by proving their claims were false.
What’s more Nicola, and for that matter, so do the SG ministers in all departments of the Scottish Government, when it is their turn to be questioned.
Mind you these department ministers get a far easier time of it as their questions are restricted to their individual departments while anything is fair game for the unionist party leaders to claim lies about.
@ Auld Rock, Like!
As Brian Powell said above it would it be nice if all these Britnat journalists said I am fed up paying higher taxes in Scotland and I am off to London like my old buddy Davy Torrance. In fact that improves the case for making the gap even greater.
Who is missing Torrance? Who would miss any of them? Even a large chunk of no voters know that they write a lot of propaganda to fool other no voters.
What despicable creatures these propaganda writers are. They criticise (usually unfairly) every section of Scottish society other than themselves and British Nationalist parties. Oh and of course the OO get a free pass from them. What a way to make a living. Writing propaganda to rubbish the country you reside in as instructed by a foreign country.
I would suggest that the next SNP party political broadcast features a guy with a Northern Ireland accent and a big nose reading the Daily Record.
Its disgraceful that news rags such as this one have a licence print baseless tripe, or skew information to suit their agenda. Why do people williningly pay to be lied to? When information is freely available online.
Maybe they want to believe the doom and gloom from the unionist media.
Rev Stu say
Watered down till it’s devoid of any real substance. Also, rather oddly, it sometimes achieves its aim. That would be a propaganda placebo effect where the target audience have a predisposition to believe it !
David Mundell Tory MP and biscuit fetcher has had a meeting with the heads of the five families of the fishing syndicate in Scotlands North East, gifts were formally exchanged promises made and rings were kissed and a deal to continue supporting the Tories was agreed by all five of the Dons once the concilieres of the families have scrutinised and ratified all details of the new arrangement
Don Bertoli Armstrongi who describes himself as a simple fisherman and servant of his community said *All we wish to do is carry on our traditional way of life as fisher folk the way we’ve always done providing food on the table for all our families and we have explained this in detail to Mr Mundell in the hope that Davo won’t break my heart by any betrayal*
The meeting concluded with the usual swearing of the oath of allegiance to the families and the Dons left for the Opera
Once more you have effectively called out the lies; if only your analyses could be found space somewhere in the MSM. I can dream, can’t I?
This will only get worse, why? because they get away with it.
Only Westminster could hold them to account, but hardly likely to do so.
First thing to be commandered in Fascism is control of the press/media, and that is what the British state is doing.
The best and only way Scotland can free itself from this guttersnipe press and media is Independence, no other country subject to all this would put up with it.
We have the solving of it, if only we could see it through by getting out ASAP from the corruption of all things, that eminate from the British state.
I’m sorry but again I say the problem with the false news media is that no one with the power to do so is taking them to court for all their Halfe truths and outright lies and so it will continue also I read a book on Ireland’ just before their bid for freedom they were bombarding the press with letters and someone pointed out we won’t won our freedom by writing letters So you have been warnedq
Dr Jim
Good one over the fishing families and their stranglehold. SNP challenge the tories to open up licences to a larger, wider and younger group. Any of the existing families who have sold the fishing rights are disbarred!
Watch wee unionist armstrong squeel no surrender.
“…someone pointed out we won’t won our freedom by writing letters So you have been warned.”
True.
It requires a referendum with a YES victory.
It will happen.
In the not too distant.
Auld Rock @2.05pm
Well said.
I thought for a long time about being an agnostic but couldn’t make up my mind. I then decided I was an agnostic but soon became unsure if that was me. Now an atheist – I think. Do you need evidence to be an agnostic? Mr Peffers may be after you soon to provide your evidence.
@galamcennalath says: 1 November, 2018 at 2:28 pm:
” … That would be a propaganda placebo effect where the target audience have a predisposition to believe it!”
Yes! galamcennalath, and I first realised that going on 70 years ago when still a boy trying to wise up my own Labour supporting parents and even back then when Labour really were in power and making a difference, they told lies.
The arsehole Yoon ‘journos’ that write such pish give ‘Fake News’ a bad name!
The last sentence was worth the annual donation on its own. No doubt the homeopath’s may be up in arms about being compared to journalists though, they probably believe their remedies are of more substance than most journalists output.
No doubt the journalists will soon be tweeting to give each other comfort and agree what a nasty person you are.
In an independent Scotland journalists telling lies about doctors going overseas will be sent overseas
Dr Jim @ 2:36.
You must have an inside man Dr Jim as the 5 families usually subscribe to Omerta ie vow of silence. Love the parody.
Neil Findlay at todays FMQ’s. Its clear that this guy doesn’t do irony. He has the brass neck to call on NC to suspend two SNP councillors for alleged AS tweets and also referenced the suspension of GB. If he wants to be serious about this issue he really needs to look closer to home ie the Labour party. Especially the way that they DON’T deal with this issue.
The FMs response was a masterclass in dealing with a current problem. By the end of it he probably wished he hadn’t asked the question. But should we be surprised? No. Findlay is the embodiement of Labour years ago. He is a dinosaur.
Findlay wants things to be as they were. Content to live in the past where everything in Scotland was run by Labour for the benefit of Labour. The exploitation of the women workers at GCC is a perfect example of what labour stands for and what their priorities are.
They use people under the guise of helping them to cement their goal of a labour utopia. They fought through the courts to prevent these women from getting what was their right. Funny but don’t seem to recall Findlay complaining about the conduct of the Labour councillors of GCC then. Labour are totally shameless.
Labour prey on the uninformed/don’t want to be informed brigade to support them. Findlay and his ilk are feeding at an ever diminishing pot as people are much more savvy due to the internet which also highlights the lies and misinformation of the BBC and the print media.
No doubt Neil Findlay’s next demand will be for any SNP member that read the grousebeater blog is expelled from the party. It will be the Labour burning of the blogs, when Findlay nailed his thesis onto FM questions.
What exactly someone’s personal blog have to do with FMQ’s anyway, it has nothing to do with the performance of the Scottish Government. Why does the presiding officer allow these types of questions, forgot he’s Labour isn’t he.
Who reads the Scottish Daily Mail?
The No voting classes who are “not for turning”:
The British Nationalist elderly, the selfish middle classes and English settlers.
It is the ultimate in stupidity to waste limited time and resources trying to convince them to vote Yes.
The SNP government’s “excellent job” in protecting the British Nationalist elderly, the selfish middle classes and English settlers from Tory austerity gives the latter the best of both worlds, making them even less likely to vote for independence.
In my opinion, the winnable are the working class and the poor. Those are the ones who should be treated with care and respect by Yes campaigners as well as the SNP government, in word and in action.
My own GP has moved to the sunny shores of Australia with his husband. Should I write to the Daily Mail about how outraged I am at this? And scream about how it’s a CRISIS?
Everything is a crisis to the Scottish media. If Ruthie stubbed her toe on a table, there’d be a headline along the lines of, “Saint Ruth Experiences Scottish Wooden Table Crisis First Foot.”
Jackson Carlaw demanding we should be rejoicing that the Scottish Government budget is only being cut by £1.9bn rather than the £2.9bn they had planned. I venerate him in his magnanimity, is that good enough for him?
@Cubby,
My mate had a father who was a Jehovas Witness, but his mother was an Agnostic. At 10 years of age he started chapping people’s doors for no reason!!
Someone mentioned Torrance which reminded me I was in Moffat at the weekend and to my horror his book on the First minister was on display for 3.99 – needless to say I did not purchase the item as I knew the content would be ordure.
At least he is no longer employed by the herald and the day the herald losses even more ‘ journalists ‘ will be a day of celebration as far as I am concerned . It will not be missed.
O/T:
For anyone who missed it – here are today’s FMQs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4hJKZVuzI4
Right from Holyrood TV so no Brian Taylor telling you what to think and no BBC interruptions either.
O/T.
Hearts,Hibs violence emboldened by the removal of the OBFA, due to Kelly et al.
Many Scottish University students studying to be doctors would have come from outwith Scotland t.o start with
MSM working in partnership with the anti Scottish Regime and its agents.
Weak story but some dafties will believe it.
The sustained attacks do not end, even when they have nothing to attack.
Scottish folk wake-up please.
There is mince, the manly staple that belongs with tatties and maybe a side of neep.
On the other hand there is mince.
Jason Smoothpiece says:
1 November, 2018 at 4:20 pm
“Weak story but some dafties will believe it.
The sustained attacks do not end, even when they have nothing to attack.
Scottish folk wake-up please.”
Nicola has given the unionists plenty of time to re-consolidate their stranglehold on Scotland.
Scotland must now patiently wait 622 years before another opportunity arises.
Rock (27th August 2017 – “Underneath the Goodyear blimp”):
“Scotland was on the verge of independence immediately after the Brexit vote.
The unionist parties were without leaders and completely lost, the SNP had 56 out of 59 MPs and 50% of the vote, the EU’s eyes were (favourably) on Scotland.
But Nicola squandered a once in a 1000 years golden opportunity by wasting more than a year flogging a dead horse – a separate deal for Scotland which was never going to happen.
The result: Nicola outsmarted by the collusion between Saints Theresa and Ruth on one hand, and Corbyn on the other, fall in SNP support from 50% to 37%.
It is my prediction that there will be a “snap” Brexit and the SNP will be caught napping and unable to hold a second independence referendum.
Or another “snap” Westminster election with the SNP again losing support.
Despite the pretendy “sovereignty” and boasting of the clueless pompous armchair pundits posting here, Scotland is again as far away from independence as ever.
If they succeed in neutralising the Rev. Stuart Campbell and WOS, independence will be “stone dead” for at least 620 years.”
When I was a boy it was a World Wide practice for medical people to state their qualifications and put in brackets after then, (Edinburgh). As did Engineers with Glasgow in Brackets.
It was a sign of the times that Hollywood Movies would cast as Doctors in epic films Scots and all Ship’s Engineers were Scots.
This was still a Hollywood tradition with Doc McCoy & Scottie in the Star Trek Series.
“Hearts, Hibs violence emboldened by the removal of the OBFA, due to Kelly et al.”
Possibly, Andy-B and yet the CEO of the SFA seems happy to re-examine the case for the sale of alcohol inside football grounds. You may remember this was one of Jim Murphy’s Great Ideas in 2015 in an attempt to get the working man’s vote.
We’re going to need more doctors and nurses in A&E, it seems, while Brexit has already frightened many clinicians away.
@defo
That’s an SNP fighting fund of £450,000 – ring-fenced for Indy Ref 2!
No news is good news =)
Which is why unionist ‘journalists’ get twitchy and need to magic stuff up out of thin air.
Conmen.
Just as a general comment, by the way, if I don’t comment on the article itself, in any thread, it means I have nothing to add to it.
Robert Peffers @2.19
Alba46 @ 3.43
Re the First Minister’s response to Neil Findlay. It was simply sublime how she handed him his arse on a plate. That was a political ‘masterclass’ if ever I heard one.
Ironically, for me, that was also the perfect response to the oft put accusation for the SNP ‘to stop playing by britnat rules’ in that in many ways, it’s what she chose not to say that put her streets ahead of that Tammany thug.
The exchange begins at 36:28
I had expected it to happen before now but here it is:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqHbObsu1VM
The Ultra Britnats have eventually picked up and are running with the mantra of those supposed supporters of independence who have run their anti- Nicola/SG/SNP agenda now for many months.
I hope you are all proud of yourselves.
Media lies are getting monotonous now. Investigative journalism now means make something up that runs down Scotland. What a way to earn a living !
@Robert Peffers
Very high profile NCIS as well – “Ducky” (Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard) played by the Man from Uncle David Keith McCallum, as the medical examiner.
@Robert Peffers,
What are you on about? These are you tube vids by Jeff Taylor, arch Unionist and probably O/O. Followed by less than 10,000 arch hardline Unionists. What makes you think that is something to worry about?
@ Robert at 4:58pm …. “Video.”
I see that the BritNat Bricking it Brigade are out in full force on there with one numpty saying that the divorce bill will cost Scotland £39 billion. It looks as though millions south of the border are going to be in for a big shock when we bail out and won’t know what’s hit them when their lights go out (for starters). We should all be thinking of buying shares in the generator industry. Make ourselves a few bucks.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-latest-no-deal-northern-ireland-eu-withdrawal-electricity-energy-crisis-barge-irish-sea-a8443181.html
YIR2 My bad.
Is that all?
The yoons keep that as petty cash, on the dark money account ffs !
I’d still watch him though.
Faced with the choice of printing up wee books, or …
Nah.
That would make him one of Them.
The high handedness and false concern displayed by findlay at FMQ is just another diversionary tactic to get focus away from the REAL bastirts including the Dick leonard who created the GCC equal pay debacle . The attempted SMEAR of AS is very dangerous to everyone as has been witnessed over the decades
Demonising and disparaging people who raise issues which they are genuinely concerned about only forces discussion underground and increases dissatisfaction and division which in itself fosters the climate for radical aggresives to gain the upper hand
IMO this denial of discussion , openness and transparency is what is enabling the facist far right to gain hold and flourish
The refusal by governments to discuss and accept that citizens have concerns and fears relating to immigration , self identifying sex regulation , and identifying the atrocities committed by the Israeli government to automatically infer that it is a slur on the Jewish religion and is therefore anti semitic is setting a very dangerous precedent
By all means call out definite racism , misogyny and anti semitism , but to demonise everyone who has concerns about these subjects , and to force people against their will just to accept whatever the government decides is best for them will only lead to more fragmentation and division
The Rhea Wolfson situation is a foretaste soon everyone will have a reason to be outraged and demand action in law
In an independent country I want MORE referendums to determine the real views and opinions of its citizens not laws that are merely decided by a handful of politicians
Surely there must be a special place in hell for these faux journalists.
It has been negative head line after negative headline in the so called Scottish Daily Mail this week.
Even telling Nicola to shut up after the budget was shocking.
The paper is an abomination.
yeah most doctors are just in it for the money, they should all fuck off to where they’ll all get recompensed in accordance with their value and leave the punters to faith healers, flower remedies and crystals
OT Wiki tends to polish the turd when dealing with right wing stuff. However, this still portrays an extremely dismal picture. Like a catalog of everything that is wrong with UK politics!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arron_Banks
Stuff like this must never happen in iScotland.
Ann says:
Indeed it is. It’s also a handy weathervane revealing the intensity of BritNat paranoia. They know their wee world is about to implode. They are so frustrated that there are no indications from our side about when and how it happens.
I would call this ‘lazy’ journalism but they’ve actually done quite a lot of work here turning a meaningless but of statistics into a barefaced lie.
I think ‘The Daily Mail’ must hand their journos the headline first and ask them to come up with the story. It’s the only way their style of ‘journalism’ makes sense.
They really shouldn’t be allowed to call themselves a ‘news’ paper.
And I am reminded that prior to Facebook doing away with their ‘Trending’ section they had BANNED ‘The Daily Mail’ from it due to ‘fake news’
Robert Peffers@3.17pm
Respect to Mr Peffers.
Putting your parents on the right path when just a wee boy brilliant. I am just surprised that we are not an independent country by now as you have had 70 years to convert the whole of Scotland. What went wrong? Did you get lazy in your middle age?
OT
Just saw the opposition hypocrites who scrapped the OFBA, on STV talking about the violence with Hibs and Hearts.
I know of some Doctors, trained in Scotland who have had to return to their own country following a year or two of practice as this is what they signed up to in order for their tuition to be paid by their government.
As you say, it is complicated and with no definitive figures to work on, well a load of nonsense really!
Jfngw@3.47pm
Findlay is a pretty odious creature. He probably thought about wanting all SNP members who read the blog banned until his adviser told him he had read the blog and logically that would mean he should be banned from the Labour Party.
Macintosh an overpaid Labour/Scot in Union waste of space.
My cousin’s daughter is in her mid 30’s. She is a qualified Paediatrician and in addition to working in Glasgow for many years she has made two trips to work in Malawi for 3 or 4 years at a time. She worked in Micronesia for a few years immediately after qualifying – so she will have applied to practice abroad, possibly more than once.
Don’t know if she has had to apply 3 times or if one application is valid indefinitely , so long as her licence to practice is valid. She may have applied 3 times in the last 15 years.
Point is, each time, she has returned to practice in Scotland. She now has two Ph.D’s in different fields of research and is a Consultant paediatrician in a hospital in Glasgow and her ability as a Doctor is immensely enriched by her experiences in different climates where she encountered different diseases and cultural practices.
Wonder what she thinks of this headline???
Tino chiel @ 4.41 pm
Alcohol in football grounds. There was an item on the news a week or two ago about the SFA, and others perhaps, wanting the ban on alcohol at football grounds lifted. Their impetus for this seemed to be in the context of the European tournament where some of the games will be held in Scotland.
Their argument for the ban to be lifted seemed to be that fans from Europe would not understand the ban since they can drink at football grounds in Europe.
I should imagine their first exposure to drunken fans will aid their understanding as to why a ban is required.
No longer surprised about Bbc news coverage up no mention on Reporting Scotland re £350,000 to keep People’s Palace open or on £2 million for Primark in Belfast but zilch for Glasgow School of Art.
Labour complaints about Grouse Beater would carry some weight if Labour had suspended Cllr Scott Arthur for his more obvious anti Muslim poll
Rock says: “It is my prediction that there will be a “snap” Brexit…”.
There will be no “snap Brexit”. It will be on the 29th March 2019. Simple sad fact of the matter though is – far too few of the voting public will bother to wake from their slumbers until then.
Holding #IndyRef2 before that date is utterly pointless. Holding it after that date will be difficult – but nothing that is ever worthwhile achieving was ever easy.
“I should imagine their first exposure to drunken fans will aid their understanding as to why a ban is required.”
Indeed, Legerwood, although I know from friends’ accounts that there are significant violent incidents at matches in Germany, for example, where drinking is permitted, so any bad behaviour shouldn’t be a total surprise to continental fans. This makes the SFA argument you mentioned a weak one and arouses suspicions about its real motives.
For those supporters in Scotland who have enjoyed the relative peace and safety at football matches during the years of OBFA and the alcohol ban, the SFA’s apparent re-think makes them seem out of step with the ordinary fan again. OBFA was overwhelmingly supported by the supporters yet the Britnats and Greens combined to defeat it in Holyrood.
Opponents of the SG would love mayhem on the streets and in the stadia, which would be portrayed as incompetence/lack of grip.
Pincer movement perhaps.
@Cubby says: 1 November, 2018 at 6:07 pm@
” … What went wrong? Did you get lazy in your middle age?”
Oh! Just a wee thing called life that got in the way, Cubby.
I’ve been married twice and have raised two families. For a spell between my first wife dying I raised two boys, one a babe in arms when his mother died.
Widowers back then got no widows pension and there was only one answer from the authorities back then. Take the kids into care and make the father pay for their keep. Enough to say I kept the boys at home as long as I could.
I’ll not bore you with my life story, just believe me it was very, very hard, expensive, and sometimes I starved. I was still eventually forced into submission by the authorities but that’s another story. I learned quite a bit about Labour Party Council corruption, though, I can tell you that.
O/T
BBC Reporting Scotland made much this evening of the delay in completing the final parts of the Aberdeen By-Pass. This included a lengthy contribution from the owner of a local taxi company complaining about the effect on his business etc.
Always suspicious about who the BBC calls on to comment on its negative stories about the Scottish Government, I wanted to find out more about this company and its director. Nothing ‘suspicious’ found.
However, interestingly the company was only incorporated on 25 October, 2018 – yes, that is just a week ago!!!
Source: https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/SC611825/officers
I find waiting for Brexit day next March 29th is very difficult. I would far rather have something I could do in support of Independence but what I want to do is illegal and contrary to air pollution laws. Yet, the BritNat press are free to operate outside the law, while polluting the minds of half the electorate with fake news and pro-British propaganda.
Propaganda is part of war, but it is treated in Scotland as normal life. I read today of how N Korean women are abused terribly by officials, but it is so commonplace it is accepted as part of everyday life. As in N Korea, so also in Scotland with propaganda.
Are we really so powerless and so brainwashed as the N Koreans.
The keys to English rule in Scotland are a) a divided electorate, and b) near total control of Press & TV.
These are the principal barriers to Independence. If I was a BritNat I’d be laughing at yes voters.
We need something else if we are to up the Yes vote significantly. I’m not at all sure that Brexit is going to persuade enough No voters to switch to Yes. Westminster only need water Brexit down on the TV and the papers and the brainwashed BritNats will believe that the UK is going to be OK after all. And then vote No.
I could do with a glass of something.
Greetings frae Meierskappel.
Let ra night unfold…
Guitaring like.
Do it!
Excellent forensic skewering as usual Stuart, but you really let yourself down in that last paragraph. The last sentence is so full of ignorance and intolerance that it could have been written by a Daily Mail columnist.
Tin hat on.
A howde and what be yer pleasure manandboy ~
It’s excellent to go to places.
Dr Jim knows… to vent is good, ah do it every other day.
If but n aye n mibbies naw.
Fuck the fuckers…
Love the Lovers.
Ye ken who ye are.
Get in sync.
At the risk of Mr Peffers giving me a bash for being anti SNP does anyone know why the SNP did not hold out for control of broadcasting/media during the Smith (the vow) negotiations. A genuine question – honest – not SNP bad.
Homeopathic journalism spot on!!!
Cubby says:
The SNP exercised no power whatsoever over what Smith and WM delivered. Their opinion was given and duly ignored. A foresight of what was to become the norm. Scotland expresses its will, WM ignores it and does what it wants.
Broadcasting is a reserved power.
The word, ‘power’, is there for a very good reason. Control the ‘truth’ and you control the population.
As above, SG had input to the negotiations and it was ignored.
Re Robert Peffers @ 7.38
I enjoy your posts Robert, particularly on aspects of our Scottish history which has been suppressed. As a father I was pained to read the references to what you endured. I have no doubt that corruption in your local labour council contributed greatly to that. Unfortunately the brown paper bag culture does still exist today although to a lesser extent as the labour scum gradually lose their council strongholds. Roll on the day when, like the bubonic plague, they are totally eradicated and Scotland can breathe fresh air.
@ stewartb at 7:40pm ….. “Week old taxi company.”
Great find Stewart. The BBC at it again!
The ConDems cut the NHS £4Billion a year from 2015 to 2020. £20Billion. Totally unnecessarily. Tax take increased. Hammond is now trying change it and still not putting enough in.
The UK is one othe most unequal places in the world. The Tory unionists are sanctioning and starving people making them ill. Illegally.
The SNHS is in a much better state because the Scottish Gov mitigated the cuts and put more pro rata in. Including social care, no bedroom tax and prescriptions. More has gone into nursery care and increased busaries for training nurses. £100Million a year to mitigate welfare cuts from Westminster. £3Billions cuts over six years. £18Billion. Universal credit introduction is cutting budgets for the most vunerable.
@Petra says: 1 November, 2018 at 9:36 pm:
” … Week old taxi company.
Great find Stewart. The BBC at it again!”
I would be a wee bit cautious on this one, Petra,
Many a long established, one man or family business, expands by selling shares and forming a board of directors.
In fact anyone can do so. See here:-
https://www.yourcompanyformations.co.uk/packages/compare-packages/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9YXkjZe03gIV65ztCh0PCwfbEAAYASAAEgIOa_D_BwE
Believe it or not for £5.00.
You get a P.O. Box number and your mail forwarded and probably for a fee your phone calls dealt with.
Obviously a bit of a tax fiddle.
Labour/unionists in Scotland means tested student loans. On household incomes from £21,000 to £42,000. Some students from households of average wage could not get a full loan to go to university. Students with straight ‘A’s could not go to university. They had to try and get a bank loan. Or had to stay at home and struggle to manage. Yet any unemployed youngster could get £3,000? a year in unemployment benefit if they could not find a job or go to college. Or get an apprenticeship. There are increased apprenticeships. People can work and study at the same time. Lifelong learning in Scotland.
No wonder Findlay goes red. He must be black affronted. Lying again.
@Petra / @stewartb
That’s a company called Dash Cab Contracts Ltd, it might have been set up to make it more “corporate” for corporate contracts, a lucrative number. Dash Cabs seems to go back at least to May this year. Their website was Registered on: 10-Nov-2015.
The Westminster unionists have been chucking out (foreign) Doctors in Scotland/UK. There jobs have to be advertised again and they have to apply for their own jobs again. It can take up to four months. So the Doctors are not in their posts. The hospital is out of important staff. Sometimes a locum has to be employed at a higher costs. The red tape is enormous.There is a loss of staff and money all around. Wasting £Millions. Many of the Doctors in the Highlands and Islands are EU residents or from elsewhere.
Scotland does much concentrated medical work and research. Resulting in a lot of EU research grants and funding. That co operation will stop with Brexit. There are special research standards and benefits with EU membership. There are a large number of medical companies and research expertise in Scotland. This will be negatively affected with Brexit. EU standards and International research are important worldwide.
@RP
Beat me to it. It could be though they did a Ltd liability company because of the Uber court case, which would be sensible.
I thought I should share a wee snippet of life.
I have the pleasure of some business with a nice muslim gentleman who works in a Highland Hospital. He is very much one of the top Dr/Specialists in his field & holds meetings , surgeries etc in London on an almost weekly basis. I only know such things as he had to call off arrangements in the past to attend to matters in London.
What raised my heart with some joy ?
It was when I noted him standing applauding surrounded by other fellow doctors @ the SNP Conference.
“Neer gaared ma greet.”
I hurriedly put a post up a wee while ago, not shown yet.
I made ref to Journalists moving south.
Reminded me of a Margo Clip on YT , if short of time jump to 18 mins 30 secs
In YT , search
SNP – Margo MacDonald – Mavis Meets
I assume I didnt edit the YT address correctly, hence the no show.
The Smith commission
Think about that for a minute, we scare the powers that be so badly by almost taking full control of our own country that they offer Scotland more control over our country by setting up a commission where three of the parties out of five on that commission were under the instructions of Westminster to vote against allowing Scotland more power so Scotland never had a chance of anything from the word go
Then they made themselves participants jurors and arbiters and gave a Noble Lord not a judge the position of umpire on a proposition supposedly offered to Scotland
No Unionist political parties should have been allowed to take part let alone have a vote because their job is to defend and hold the union together
They talked endlessly over decisions and issues they were never going to allow Scotland the power to take for the sake of fooling the public into thinking it was a really important thing then used the media to convince that same public that the whole thing was deep and meaningful hence the situation today where many people *think* the Scottish government has much more power than it actually does
Some people think the SNPs gradualist approach is wrong and they should shout much more loudly, but then I say with what power can they enforce and back up that shouting if they don’t have the required numbers of the population to stand behind them because the people are either uninformed or the media will make sure that the genuine grievances and truths of the duplicitousness of Westminster will be either minimilised or not reported at all
Scotland the country is not like most other countries because the population has been ruled by the evil King of another land for so long that many of the people of the land are afraid of the retribution of the King and many will also display faux loyalty to the King to avoid disfavour and many have no hope of ever being free and think it a dream for others to have but not them because it’s the stuff of fairy tales
The evil King knows this and so exercises his will over the people of the land of Scotland not by force as he would like for fear of derision by other countries, but by deception and division using his minions to create constant fear turning the people of the land of Scotland into servile drones for the maintainance of his Kingdom
There is only one way for Scotland to fight this evil King and his Kingdom
The eradication of the fear of losing what we don’t have anyway, it’s not a fair fight and never was and you can’t arm wrestle a bigger man so you concentrate on breaking his leg and a man who can’t stand can’t fight
That’s how we defeat the evil King by being sneaky Bastirts and not fighting by his rules
You know why I like Nicola Sturgeon, she’s a sneaky Bastirt in the right way and on our behalf, when the right moment comes she’ll slip her dirk in quick and clean between the ribs of the evil King when he turns his back, because she knows he will, and that’s how a good Scotswoman fights, with patience
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.
Just make it a woman rather than a mere man!
“ Manandboy @0803 pm “ . Your post of how “ propaganda has been normalised” in our country is
so very relevant to our predicament. Undoubtedly, it is so very difficult for the people to be aware of “brainwashing “. I really only realised to what extent our citizens were “ conditioned” , when in my younger days I “ looked in from the outside”. Ie. Having travelled and worked abroad for a significant period of time , I was astounded at the cultural ,social and political propaganda directed at our citizens on a virtual round the clock basis . It was if the general population was somewhat “ drugged” . Ie people were actually queuing up for their “ fix” of “ newspapers” from the pushers at daybreak ! Not to mention the 24 hour cultural conditioning of never ending “ soap operas” on the “ brainwashing channels”. It was somewhat unsettling until you yourself became “ normalised”.
When you read some (most) of the comments in forums, I think Scotland in Union must be running out of money. The quality we’re getting is non-existent.
Someone please bung them a fiver for more monkey nuts.
Dr Jim. Frogesque Galamcennalath
Thanks for your comments above. I know that broadcasting was to be devolved in the 1997 referendum prospectus and was then pulled late on by labour. They obviously realised the power of the propaganda they would be giving up.
I checked the Scotgov proposals for the Smith commission and devolution of broadcasting is in there. In fact in reading it again years later it is astonishing to see how little of the Scotgov proposals were actually agreed by Smith. It now seems to me that the vow and Smith is even worse than I previously thought. A sad sick joke perpetrated on the people of Scotland.
Devomax it was not – more devomicro.
Dr Jim @ 23:10:
True that, but it’s the old chicken-and-egg thing, DrJ. But given the circumstances as you (accurately) describe them, how then can we ever “activate” the disengaged?
The concern is a genuine one, not merely a stick with to beat “the SNP”. Eventually if you aren’t seen to be moving forward, people lose hope and interest. Not the kind of people like you and me who inhabit sites like this and have a deeper awareness, but ordinary folk who are not obsessing over it all the time.
“Nothing succeeds like success.”
Absent tangible signs of progress and a cause visibly going somewhere as it was back in the spring of 2017, to the ordinary yesser (and many members of the SNP too, for that matter) the strategy appears to be little more than waiting patiently for the tide to turn automagically all by itself. A fond hope that some event will come along to cause sufficient people to wake up to reality and cry out for a referendum to sort this mess out once and for all.
Now I know full well that in the present circumstances, ordinary people have to be given sufficient time to come to terms with the situation for themselves, and only then will a push be able to take off, but equally many people will remain ignorant and passive if no-one ever bothers to stir them up and lead by example.
It’s a fine judgement, and I don’t pretend it’s easy to make in the current confusion, but time is fast running out all the same. It’s the absence of any apparent readiness and willingness to engage and activate people and instead an apparent reliance on patience for “events” to do all the heavy lifting that concerns people like me.
The stakes are high, but at some point we will have to summon the courage to make our move without any sure and certain guarantee of success, trusting that we can and will win converts to take us over that tantalisingly-close line, as our case finally gets the exposure it deserves, and the lies and distortions of our opponents are fully exposed for what they truly are.
I thought for a second that headline was saying Stepford Wife emigrates.
Robert J. Sutherland says:
2 November, 2018 at 1:31 am
Dr Jim @ 23:10:
Some people think the SNPs gradualist approach is wrong and they should shout much more loudly, but then I say with what power can they enforce and back up that shouting if they don’t have the required numbers of the population to stand behind them
True that, but it’s the old chicken-and-egg thing, DrJ. But given the circumstances as you (accurately) describe them, how then can we ever “activate” the disengaged?
It isn’t the gradualist approach that infuriates me, it is the continual unforced compromise which borders on capitulation.
When Scotland voted Remain, the Holyrood Government should have seized on that mandate like a limpit to a rock, and stuck like glue to the absolute and insoluble principle of a sovereign Scottish people having spoken. That was exactly the principle adopted by Theresa May to entrench the mandate for Brexit, despite the fact Westminster was NOT Constitutionally bound by the sovereignty of the people.
I was instantly bewildered why such a resolute and God-given Constitutional watershed was immediately forfeited for no gain, abandoning the principle of absolute Scottish sovereignty which flatly rejected Brexit, in lieu of a “cherry picking” soft Brexit which wasn’t listening to what Michel Barnier was saying, and promoted Scotland as a region seeking its own bespoke Free Trade Agreement after Brexit.
I remember Wull’s very eloquent summary of how Theresa May had adopted the Scottish doctrine that the popular will of the people must be respected as sovereign, while Nicola Sturgeon adopted the English doctrine that the will of her Parliament was sovereign and she could set aside the will of the people. Love her or loathe her, Nicola Sturgeon got it badly wrong. Unpalatable fact, but it’s true.
When progress against the all absorbing, calculated indifference and sophistry of Westminster is indeed so difficult, indisputable benchmarks of sovereign principle, like Scotland’s Remain vote, don’t come along very often. They are rarer than hen’s teeth and when they occur they should be seized and held fast, and NEVER forfeited.
I do understand the relevance of democratic principle and process, but in Constitutional terms, the strategy adopted in the aftermath of the Brexit result was inept and disastrous. The absolute nature and permanence of sovereignty trumps the ephemeral whim of democracy EVERY TIME. No exceptions.
It seems to be emerging that the SNP is currently being tempted to fight for a second EU referendum People’s vote, which threatens to both forfeit the Constitutional watershed which Brexit represents and put back the sovereign principle of Scotland’s 2016 Remain mandate yet again. Once again I am left wondering what the hell are they doing??? And equally, if they think it’s a good idea, (which I don’t), why are they so hesitant and mealy mouthed about doing it?
So many people seem to talk knowledgeably about the Claim of Right, but then act precisely like they have no grasp whatsoever of it’s actual principle. The SNP would have us believe that everything is going to plan, our deliverance is just around the corner, but suddenly says or does something which betrays an apparent lack of awareness about where the finishing line actually is. The SNP seems to be a cunning fox with a singular lack of killer instinct.
I don’t enjoy criticising the SNP. I absolutely do want them to win Independence for Scotland, but jeezo. Why do they so often appear to be so Constitutionally inarticulate and blind to an open goal? The are our professional “Independence Seekers”. Stop mincing about with compromise and faux democracy and GET … IT … DONE.
Knowing that in every country all over the world there are a percentage of people who are gullible for the easy slogan the easy answer the glib solution, people of power will always use that weakness in a population to generate the noise of their will, and it’s an easy and effective tool to use, Donald Trump has succeeded very well with it in America, Nigel Farage and the Tories used it in England, the Daily Mail and others use it on a daily basis, ordinary people use it to make themselves look like they’re hard done by as victims to make others look bad, Neil Lennon just did it at the football knowing full well if you generate people enough one way or another the weaker minded of those people will without doubt respond in the way you want them to then you stand back aghast in faux disbelief of what you yourself just created, in Glaswegian *wiznae me Ma*
There are I would guess many more people than would admit publicly to wanting Independence for Scotland but they’re noiseless and drowned out by the amount of negativity and vitriol from the NO side who appear to have all the power when in reality they don’t, they just have the power to be louder (press and TV media)
Take football as I’ve just mentioned, we know there are around 40% of Rangers fans who are YES for Independence but for fear of isolation and retribution they are quiet and it’s the noisier element who win through
Our task on the YES side is to find ways of normalising Scottish Independence as though it’s an already done and accepted deal that will definitely happen, conversationaly a natural thing and we should act totally surprised by anyone who thinks differently as though they are out of step and not us
We shouldn’t ever defend Independence as though it’s some sort of risk or danger, on the contrary we should be shocked at the very idea of anyone supporting the negative as though they’re the crazy people and not us
Confidence and the restraint to NOT answer questions posed by opposition that only ever leads to circulatory rows which always suit the negative argument, negativity feeds on itself, it’s easy and glib and spirals downward
One of the best weapons the Independence movement has is the marches, because they’re a peaceful joyous expression of the future and every time they happen more people get more confidence and the NO side get very agitated because they know they can’t stop it and that as we all know is why the media try their level best to keep it out of the news and off the TV screens
Stronger for Scotland is working as the negative against Scotland is weakening, and one very important thing also is next time our young people get to vote, and who meets and does more for young people than anybody on the NO side, the FM on a constant and daily basis she’s in schools colleges universties doing that job of normalising Independence
Once Brexit is done signed and sealed and the UK is out of the EU there will be nothing stopping our many friends in Europe visiting our FM and our parliament on a frequent basis and the press won’t keep that out of the news even if it’s just to complain about it
And now back to bed for another wee hour, this medicine business is doin ma heid in
cannae sleep’
so thanks to
Tackety Beets 11.09
SNP Margo MacDonald Mavis Meets…56mins long
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIyeobFqeUs
That was good.
Top item on the BBC Scotland news page today is a press release from Larry Flanagan of the EIS. Apparently, the SG and Cosla have written to teachers explaining the pay offer. Larry is incensed and calls the letter “misleading”.
I suppose this will dominate the news cycle for the forseeable.
Another day another dollar for the Westminster shills.
http://archive.fo/QrCHw
Links
https://www.gov.scot/news/investment-in-new-nhs-digital-system/
The scale of this is a lot to take in, but totally mirrors the briefings I’ve been having. No-Deal is unconscionable.
https://twitter.com/AlynSmith/status/1057965337898090497
Mhairi Black on the budget
https://twitter.com/MhairiBlack/status/1058035476014227456
http://www.businessforscotland.com/fife-is-the-most-enterprising-place-in-britain/
https://grumpyscottishman.wordpress.com/2018/11/01/another-email-from-scotland-in-union/
https://joansjigsaw.wordpress.com/2018/11/01/what-independence-is-and-what-it-is-not/amp/
https://www.lesleyriddoch.com/2018/11/ghostiesghoulies-and-whigmaleeries.html
https://www.facebook.com/indycargordonross/videos/252542625416300/?t=0
https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com/2018/11/01/another-umpteenth-post-on-underlying-strength-in-scottish-economy-edinburghs-office-investment-up-nearly-30/
Figures from House of Commons Library show that in real-terms since 2010 the Scot Gov Budget fell by 6.9% (£2.2bn) while the Irish Gov tax revenue rose 32%.(€16.7bn) That is quite an independent dividend for Ireland and UK penalty for Scotland.
https://twitter.com/AngusMacNeilSNP/status/1058006147075063814
https://www.scottishconstructionnow.com/article/glasgow-s-smart-canal-is-a-first-for-europe
https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexwickham/lib-dems-redundancies
https://www.politico.eu/article/spanish-government-pedro-sanchez-josep-borrell-takes-hit-over-gibraltar-brexit-deal/
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/more-backstop-guarantees-for-london-under-consideration-by-eu-1.3683414
https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2018/10/31/why-cant-philip-hammond-get-the-most-basic-economic-facts-right/
https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/top-stories/politicals-call-for-brexit-to-be-halted-following-arron-banks-revelations-1-5761349
Taking back control
https://www.facebook.com/1498276767163730/posts/2198849003773166/
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/exclusive-uk-meps-will-keep-expenses-three-months-brexit-400000-cost-123544131.html
Former MP avoids prison!!!
http://archive.is/mIspI
https://www.euronews.com/2018/11/01/probe-into-brexit-campaign-funder-arron-banks-moves-beyond-electoral-law-offences
Britain faces a bumpy road ahead at the WTO
http://archive.is/J9NWN
Visit to investigate #poverty in the #UK starts on Monday, I’m looking forward to hearing from people affected by poverty, civil society, and the government. The itinerary is now available here: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Poverty/Pages/VisitUK516November.aspx …
Edinburgh and Glasgow on the 8th and 9th November
https://twitter.com/Alston_UNSR/status/1057685593386303488
Two new processing centres are to be opened in Hayes and Milton Keynes to handle “high-risk” customs arrivals after Brexit.
http://archive.is/tJjQj
https://jonworth.eu/the-irish-border-backstop-why-did-the-uk-agree-it/
Brexit: banking on Banks
http://eureferendum.com/blogview.aspx?blogno=87042
https://www.opendemocracy.net/uk/why-labours-pledge-to-renationalise-electricity-doesnt-go-far-enough
https://evolvepolitics.com/watch-george-osbornes-face-turns-from-smug-to-despair-as-his-political-legacy-gets-ripped-to-shreds-before-his-very-eyes-video/
http://noglory.org/index.php/articles/618-i-called-my-kids-somme-trench-and-mustard-gas-so-i-ll-never-forget-the-war-dead-what-did-you-do
Wrote to Tesco about jacked items appearing everywhere in their shops in Scotland.They confirmed that it was policy but not political. If you read it sounds overtly political to me.
https://twitter.com/RantinScot/status/1058041611354062848
Goodbye Tesco
https://twitter.com/TweetvilleBobo/status/1058138805977432065
Very disappointing
https://twitter.com/moridura/status/1058054004696141831
https://www.thecanary.co/feature/2018/10/31/remember-when-scottish-workers-stood-up-to-a-brutal-dictatorship-one-filmmaker-wants-to-make-sure-we-do/
“In a rare alliance across the political spectrum, nine MPs and peers – including deputy Labour leader Tom Watson, Liberal Democrat baroness Jane Bonham-Carter and the Scottish National Party’s Hannah Bardell – have written to the culture secretary, Jeremy Wright, arguing that if the government is willing to stand up to the tech giants over tax then it also needs to act to protect Britain’s public service broadcasters” – The Guardian, 2 November 2018.
Why on earth is the SNP supporting the BBC? Next thing you know they’ll be arguing for The Scottish Daily Mail to be given more prominence on the newsstands.
Getting ‘Your comment is awaiting moderation’ for four links posted at 7.23am
They may appear later so check back.
Plans to rescue Britons stranded abroad in ‘no deal’ Brexit flight disruption
http://archive.is/io7Iz
https://www.politico.eu/article/how-brexit-burned-uk-irish-friendship-theresa-may-leo-varadkar/
Labour MPs heap scorn on the notion of former PM making a return to the front benche
http://archive.is/mOXTv
“homeopathic journalism..” I like that, made me chuckle..
Dr Jim says:
2 November, 2018 at 5:17 am
Once Brexit is done signed and sealed and the UK is out of the EU there will be nothing stopping our many friends in Europe visiting our FM and our parliament on a frequent basis and the press won’t keep that out of the news even if it’s just to complain about it….
Dangerous rubbish Dr Jim. I hope you don’t really believe that.
The EU will be obliged to ignore a Brexited Scotland as a matter of internal domestic UK policy, leaving Scotland’s people and industry tarred with the same brush as the most radical and unhinged Brexiteers. All our food standards, brands, and international reputation will be thrown down the Brexit drain, and our existing convergence with EU standards criteria will cease and be dismantled just as soon as Westminster can make it happen.
Our European friends will be thrown out their homes and communities by the Home Office, and Westminster will be free to make Scotland a retirement village which can never afford to keep its elderly population and the dream of Independence will never be anything but a dream.
We will also have blown a virtually unprecedented Constitutional opportunity which Scotland hasn’t seen in 300 years where we Scots meekly did nothing while our clear and unambiguous sovereign opinion was clearly and unambiguously subjugated by the will of Westminster.
What you’re talking about is Pax Romana… Peace, because we’re all dead, or worse, Roman.
@Rock 4:29pm
The two figures in the same post – which one is the definitive number – 620 or 622 years? It is very important.
Meanwhile, Mr. Findlay, back in the ‘real’ world rather than your make-believe-one.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/nov/02/met-police-opens-criminal-inquiry-into-labour-antisemitism-claims
Nana looks like ( moridura ) Peter Curran is getting the responses he didn’t expect.
I support GrouseBeater .
@ Nana,
Very disappointing
https://twitter.com/moridura/status/1058054004696141831
what a strange fellow,
this is one of his recent tweets,
`I’m not yet getting the drop in followers I had asked for – but I live in hope.
The large increase in my followers after the BBC/Wings YouTube channel, almost 3k,
sadly included a large number who have not the remotest affinity with my political values – except for independence.`
as i said, `what a strange fellow`.
A brief internet search reveals the state of the NHS in the UK ie England. Doctors have been quitting for elsewhere for years. Nothing new. The Scottish thing is just subversive ‘news’.
The Labour party, and now the SNP, and their so-called ‘anti-semitism’ is another UK government subversive initiative to fracture and neutralise opposition and distract from the incompetence it has displayed over Brexit.
There is politically managed ‘news’ in the British state. False feeds, such as the DM page notably coupled with the royal sob story, are everywhere. Scottish Nationalists must focus on what matters. Independence first and last and no compromises or alliances with Unionism, no matter how it presents itself.
After Brexit there could be a GE, the outcome of that could be influenced by the biggest display of BritNatProp In modern history. Scots snatching defeat from the jaws of success is an old image we must erase.
One thing Neil Findlay and David Cameron have in common is that they both go red in the face when they tell lies.
Ronnie , me too!
And I’m looking forward to helping with his fund.
Nana,
The tesco reply is completely political and demonstrates that Tesco are following a British Nationalist agenda.
If it has a jack put it back.
Thanks for the links Nana and it never ceases to amaze me how little of what you post on here gets reported in the news, such as:
http://www.scottishconstructionnow.com/article/glasgow-s-smart-canal-is-a-first-for-europe
And it looks as though loneliness is now an excuse for being a bl**dy paedophile in this country and can get you off of the hook.
…” His lawyer Richard Williams told the court that “lonely hours” of public service spent away from home and the defendant’s “deep-rooted problems” led him into a “trap.”..
http://archive.is/mIspI
………………………
‘Are you fleeing Scotland to avoid the Nat Tax? Here’s where to go…”
…”course, these will seem like silly suggestions to most high earners either living in Scotland or contemplating a move here. Why travel so far when slightly lower taxes are available just across the border in England and Wales?
Well, there might be a few more factors to consider. There’s the cost of renting or buying a property, the cost of health services (even in a nation with a National Health Service), the cost of education and the cost of personal care in your old age. But the benefits of living in a particular jurisdiction go beyond comparing your tax bill to a laundry list of benefits (what the Scottish Government somewhat misleadingly characterised as a “social contract” when announcing its new tax bands last December).” ..
http://www.thenational.scot/politics/17195753.are-you-fleeing-scotland-to-avoid-the-nat-tax-heres-where-to-go/
…………………..
@ Robert P / Yesindyref2 …. ”Week old taxi company.”
Thanks for the info guys. Looks as though the BBC may be in the clear … this time.
Morning Ronnie, aye and if I followed him I would block him too.
I support Grousebeater.
Sorry I missed your call last Sunday.
Morning Scot, I’m at a loss to understand his stance. Strange indeed.
So sad the woman in the blue dress (was she an X Factor winner?) couldn’t be arsed to wear a poppy. Must be a Remoaner.
“Labour MPs heap scorn on the notion of former PM making a return to the front bench”!
What happens in Westminster has nothing to do with Labour, they gave up being relevant.
@Bob Mack says: 1 November, 2018 at 5:17 pm:
” … What are you on about? These are you tube vids by Jeff Taylor, arch Unionist and probably O/O. Followed by less than 10,000 arch hardline Unionists. What makes you think that is something to worry about?”
I’m not worried – what makes you imagine I was?
You obviously have a wee problem with English comprehension, Bob Mack. Did you not comprehend the bit that says that YouTube video is, “an Example”?
The point, and a valid one, is that the ultra anti-indy factions are now picking up on the incessant anti-SNP, anti-Nicola Sturgeon, anti-Scottish Government drip! Drip! Drip! so prevalent on such well known blogs as Wings.
However, your protest here only serves to highlight that active anti-indy campaigners within the independence movement are alive and well and have no intention of toning down their counter productive campaigning against the only hope for Scottish independence that Scotland has.
Positively the worst blow that could ever be struck against Scotland becoming independent would be for a too quick push for independence that was lost.
The independence movement would never recover from it.
Morning Giving Goose
Without a doubt, Tesco are stuck in the Bettertogether mire.
As you say “If it has a jack put it back”
Cubby says:
I know someone entrenched in the London political bubble. Early in 2014 I had a conversation with them. They claimed they knew that if it began to look like NO might lose, Cameron planned to offer DevoMax for voting NO, which they knew was a certain winner. At the time I thought this sounded positive because that would have been a reasonable consolation prize and a big step towards eventual independence.
True enough, exactly on cue, as polls two weeks out were looking very close, Cameron called an emergency weekend meeting and beginning on the Monday their DevoMax offer began.
By then it was obvious (to anyone whose head didn’t button up the back) that lies and deceit were BT’s main tactics. SuperDevoFederalMax, the Vow, Smith – just more of their subterfuge.
The true plan all along was probably to pretend to offer DevoMax.
Scotland wants a proper publically funded broadcaster, Not the BBC obviously but a a better one. Not Murdoch Mark 11. Gets away with £30Billion having ruined the world economy. Killing millions of people. The family want to continue on destroying the world for money. Illegally buying and influencing elections. Providing propaganda for money.
Zuckerberg and others getting away with destroying the world for money. Enough is never enough. He will find himself in jail in the States. Breaking all World Laws, To destroy the world for money. Totally corrupt. Now employing Clegg as right hand man. Clegg destroyed the world economy for money. Now getting paid £Millions to break every Law in the world. To cause more further damage.Most of them should be in jail. They be in the States. If there is any justice. Instead of buying themselves out of trouble.,
Breaking International Law causing illegal wars. Breaking business Laws. Breaking International Law business wise and others. Breaking data protection Laws. Breaking privacy Laws. Breaking Laws protecting Democrscy. Breaking electoral Laws. Breaking electoral funding Laws on ‘dark’ money. None of them have been put in jail yet in the UK. Despite many protests. Some are being procecuted and investigated. International crooks getting away with murder on a grand scale, Breaking political Laws with impunity. Colluded and supported by the Westminster unionist Gov.
Get rid of Sky and Facebook. They are trying to destroy the world for money. . Murdoch should have been put in jail years ago, in the States, for bribing public officials, hacking accounts, illegal surveillances, harassing and molesting people, breaking data protection Laws and supporting illegal wars. Interfering in Democracy and illegally supporting political parties for money and favours. Bribes of influence. Totally illegal. One of the biggest criminals in the Planet,
The Leveson recommendation was not even put in place. Or the second inquiry. Swept under the carpet as usual by criminal politicians at Westminster. Totally wasting taxpayers money and destroying the world for money. Lying sychophants lining their own pockets on other people’s money and causing misery.
The scandal of the Saudis and the UK unionist Gov. Breaking every International Laws and hiding it under the Official Secrets Act. Illegally bombing the world to bits, starving and killing people, The unionists parties are an absolute disgrace. Trying to ruin the Scottidh economy for their evil paymasters in London. Lying and cheating in every way possible. Agent provocateurs for the most evil regimes in the world. The Westminster unionist hypocritical psycho bastards. EVEL, coarse, nasty people.
Looks like a GE election soon. May will be gone. Another usual, incompetent sychophsnt will come along.
The British/European monarchy caused the 1WW. Queen Victoria’s children. Cousins married cousins. The ‘divine right to rule’. Carry on. Their international rivalries. Millions died. Millions died of starvation and disease. Spanish flu caused even more deaths.
The Royal commemorate frequently. They should be apologising. It finished off the Royals in other countries. Universal Suffrage 1928. Still £400Million to keep a year. Tax evaded fortunes. One gets £20Million a year and pays £2Million tax. 10%. Still illegally interfering in Gov. Over consuming and spending like there is no tomorrow. Aided by the Westminster Gov sychophants. All totally extortionate spending of public monies.
People are being sanctioned and starved. ‘Let them eat cake’. Seems to be the reply. False ‘austerity’ was not the answer. The tax revenues increased and were higher. The immature, naive Tory boys and gals. Lining their pockets on other people’s misery causing mental health ptoblems. The total lying hypocrites and chancers.
Some people should have studied History instead of History of Art at St Andrews at Scottish taxpayers expense. It might have given more explanation of the Royal international involvement. Still interfereing politically. Sword dancing with the Saudis to protect the tax evaded personal fortunes. All best of friends dancing with the devil. While lecturing others and never out of the religious places.. Flaunting every ideal for ideaology. The commandment ‘thou shalt not kill’. Swept away with abandonment going for the kill. An appalling way to behave.
@Robert Peffers,
You actually believe anti independence factions are ONLY NOW picking up on Wings?
Wings has been at the forefront since the beginning and recognised by all as being so. Wings is about independence and the lies told to prevent it in the media. It is about recognising those lies and exposing them.
I fail to see Mr Taylor making any impact on anybody.
You create your own disasters Robert and then blame everybody when you believe them to be true.
Get a hobby man.
@ Dr Jim at 11:10pm …. ”You know why I like Nicola Sturgeon, she’s a sneaky Bastirt in the right way and on our behalf, when the right moment comes she’ll slip her dirk in quick and clean between the ribs of the evil King when he turns his back, because she knows he will, and that’s how a good Scotswoman fights, with patience.”
Great post Dr Jim and the following article just ‘fits’ nicely, imo.
…………………….
Lesley Riddoch: ”Support for People’s Vote could actually drive No voters to back indy.”
…”Essentially, Nicola Sturgeon’s attempt to save the WHOLE UK from the mess of Brexit has impressed many No-voting Scots who care about Britain, view Westminster fondly but want to stay in the EU.”..
…Currently, Nicola Sturgeon looks like the most reasonable politician in Britain. That hard-won reputation for fairness must stay sky-high to put clear water between the grubby way Britain does politics and the mature way Scotland has approached key reserved issues of trade, immigration, and constitutional change. That calm maturity will maximise support for indyref2.”..
http://www.thenational.scot/politics/17192542.support-for-peoples-vote-could-actually-drive-no-voters-to-back-indy/
………………………
………………………
‘Four cows undergo testing for BSE at Aberdeenshire farm.’
”Chapman expressed satisfaction with the development, saying: “I think that’s good. We’re absolutely sure, certain, that there are no other potential animals that could be infected. It’s just the immediate offspring of this particular cow and we know exactly where they are and they have now been taken out.”
http://www.thenational.scot/news/17192506.four-cows-undergo-testing-for-bse-at-aberdeenshire-farm/
………………………
………………………
That’s the way to look at it.
‘Letters: Factors behind People’s Vote and indyref2 are the same.’
…”Of course they’ll whine, “you were all for a second confirmatory vote on the EU but not on one for independence”, so let’s knock that right on the head.
Of course we are in support of a second confirmatory vote on Scottish independence. It’s called indyref2 and justification for having it is exactly the same as it is for a second EU one. Both previous campaigns were based on lies, threats, fear and personal interests of politicians…”
http://www.thenational.scot/news/17192404.letters-factors-behind-peoples-vote-and-indyref2-are-the-same/
To top it all there are reports that Cameron wants or plans to come back. As Foreign Secretary no less. Speak about delusions of grandeur. Having tried to destroyed the world economy. Wants another crack at it for posterity. What an evel chancer. Milking the Tory slush fund for all it’s worth. The British Chinese consortium. Trying to raise a £Billion fund to ripe off public money on projects of no value, with no business case, but many times more expensive. The manipulating Tory unionists. Buying an education at Oxbridge and trying to ruin the world. No diversity. Oxbridge funded 2009 to 1 of all other universities. Lack of meritocracy and diversity. Breaking the Law on equality, fairness and justice. Just like the BBC propagandists.
Morning Petra
“He was easily led because of his loneliness and ‘deep rooted problems”
So deep rooted they led him into the darkest dirtiest places.
Normal folks would perhaps go for a walk or read a book or any number of activities in order to pass the time away from home.
Easily led, aye sure he was.
Take a look at the latest blog from aanirfan, Cover up of child abuse rings continues /DUP skeletons in TM’s cupboard and more.
Excellent thread here re GB’s blog
https://twitter.com/yaakovsloman/status/1057956729475006464
£Billions was spent bailing out the farmers. Some conveniently forget that. More people going over to veggie, vegan. More arable farming less beef in the future. Less milking cows impliciting pregnancy and killing off calves as unsuitable, More innovation and diversity in farming methods. Not destroying the planet.
The UK over fifty years ago had a more extreme climate. Workers were laid off in the winters sometimes for weeks at a time. It was too cold to work outside. Illness and hunger was more pronounced. Although alcohol consumption was lower, People could not afford it. In comparison with price and income. Colder winters and hotter summers, than experience now. Hotter weather means less fuel and energy used and more staycation holidays putting money into the economy. Makes people happier and less troubled.
@Petra says: 1 November, 2018 at 5:30 pm:
” … I see that the BritNat Bricking it Brigade are out in full force on there with one numpty saying that the divorce bill will cost Scotland £39 billion.”
“The Britnat Bricking it Brigade”, are missing out quite a bit of their problem, Petra.
That N.I. Link is a comparatively new link in the, so called, National Grid.
The whole idea of a national grid came about during WWII. At which time generating Electricity was a local matter and there was no real standard. Believe it or not some areas were still being served by DC generating systems. There was no UK wide standard.
The German Blitz exposed the problem and the idea of a standard 240 volt AC interlinked system was agreed. Just after the war the very first cross-border link in the National grid became active. It ran from the old coal-fired generating station that lay just behind the Edinburgh, Portobello, outdoor swimming pool across the borders into England.
When I first checked out this Scotland export, many years ago, Scotland was exporting over 25% of her total electrical power to the rest of the United Kingdom.
Now read it correctly, Scotland is a net exporter of electric power. That is Scotland sometimes imports power but exports much more than she exports but here’s the thing. Due to the crazy Westminster rules of, “Grid Connection Charges”, the UK government is robbing Scotland on an hourly basis.
The Grid Connection Charges operate completely opposite of the Tory, “Free Market Economy”, that Westminster Government believes in. That is the belief that an owner of a scarce commodity has the right to demand the highest price that the free market is prepared to pay.
The Grid Connection Charges operate upon a sliding scale that depends upon the distance from the main consumer of electric power – LONDON. Not only do they pay generators of power in and around London for each unit of electric power added to the grid but then charge generators further from London more on an ever increasing scale as they lie further from London and thus the North of Scotland is the highest charged area in the United Kingdom.
Yet the North of Scotland is the most productive area of green energy while the most expensive area is where the nuclear generating plants are situated and Scotland, as usual, is subsidising London.
@Brian Cahill says: 1 November, 2018 at 5:46 pm:
” … Surely there must be a special place in hell for these faux journalists.”
Nah! But there certainly is one in the House Of Lords.
‘Scotland After Trident: Conference to debate our nuclear future.’
…”Former army officer and commentator on Scottish military affairs, Stewart Crawford, author of A’ The Blue Bonnets: Defending an independent Scotland will speak on that very subject with reference to the post-Brexit era.
He will discuss how an independent Scotland’s defence force will have to cut its coat according to its cloth, specialising to contribute internationally and taking maximum advantage of military alliances to cover gaps in its capabilities.”
”Also scheduled for the conference, which begins at 11am, (November 4, at the Albert Halls in Stirling), is a keynote speech from SNP defence spokesperson, Douglas Chapman MP.”
http://www.thenational.scot/news/17189646.scotland-after-trident-conference-to-debate-our-nuclear-future/
…………………..
…………………..
”While the teachers had the perfect right to demonstrate, why did the EIS allow Leonard to address the teachers’ demonstration?”…
‘Letters: Labour are exploiting equal pay strikes for own gain.’
…”Remember that austerity policies are the real cause of the decline in teachers’ wages and that Labour voted with the Conservatives in 2015 to continue these austerity policies while SNP voted against. Remember that, due to extra funding by the SNP government, teachers in Scotland currently get higher wages than in England and Wales with the lowest-paid teachers in Scotland getting 18% more. Remember that, had it not been for the SNP, teachers and everyone else would be paying for nursery education and school meals for their own children and, while training, would have to have found more than £36,000 to pay for tuition fees as they do in England and Wales. Remember that, while the current offer doesn’t restore wages to where they should be, it is better than what is being proposed in England and Wales.”…
http://www.thenational.scot/news/17189503.letters-labour-are-exploiting-equal-pay-strikes-for-own-gain/
…………………………
…………………………
From the National Notice Board:
Yes Edinburgh West screening Lesley Riddoch’s films on small Nordic countries. Monday 5th at 7:30pm, Clermiston Inn.
…………………
Yes Glasgow North West are hosting a public meeting titled ”Brexit and Scotland’ with Mike Russell. Wednesday 7th at 7pm in the Club Deck at Scotstoun Stadium, 112 Danes Drive.
…………………
Yes Clydebannk is holding a meeting open to the general public to discuss setting up a local Over 60’s for Independence Group. Tuesday, 6th November at (doesn’t say) 7:15pm to 9:00pm.
Seen a number of tweets this morning for this event. No idea where it is being held but looks interesting. Mike Russell and Bruce Crawford are attending. Perhaps they are filming it 🙂
https://twitter.com/sarah_skerratt/status/1058301567537946624
For anyone who missed this
The First Year Anniversary special edition of the #AlexSalmondShow reviews some of the best interviews of the last year: international heads of state past and present, parliamentarians from all parties across the UK, as well as stars of stage, screen and sport.
https://www.facebook.com/AlexSalmond/videos/341076083124099/
https://evolvepolitics.com/20-anti-corbyn-mps-just-voted-against-a-pay-rise-for-the-uks-lowest-earners-to-try-and-damage-their-own-party/
“The Mail understands that in early 2016 the then home secretary Theresa May declined a request by one of the security services to investigate Banks”
https://twitter.com/AlbertoNardelli/status/1058135218060713984
https://www.politico.eu/article/spanish-government-pedro-sanchez-josep-borrell-takes-hit-over-gibraltar-brexit-deal/
“We’re facing a historic opportunity after three centuries … to decolonize the last colonial enclave left in Europe” — Pablo Casado, Popular Party leader
An insight into the mind of Spain’s political Establishment, viz. there is no connection between Scotland and Gibraltar in spite of the fact that both are English colonies, both acquired by stealth and military force but now held and controlled by more sophisticated but equally devious and effective means.
@Petra
Much appreciated Petra you’re one of the good’uns
Six years in charge of the Home office and Theresa May managed to avoid achieving anything except throwing people out of the country in secret and that was later found out, now it appears she avoided taking the precaution of hiding dirty money for her own Tory party
Some of those Tories must now be wondering what did Theresa May actually do with her time in a whole six years
I know the answer to that, same as she does right now, NOTHING! she delegates everything to everybody else then crosses her fingers they might manage to make her look good
Not an easy job
@Dr Jim
TMay certainly is a strange one.
Certainly at the Home Office, ‘callous’ seem the most apt description. Still, being a right barstad is official Tory policy.
I have read that she doesn’t like lying, which is why when interviewed she avoids answers rather than be forced to tell unpalatable truths, or convenient lies. Perhaps that’s why she speaks in robotic sound bites.
I respect her bravery for taking on the job of PM with Brexit. Who would what that job? As a Tory with a deeply split party the leader cannot appease both the swivel eyed English Nationalist heedbangers and the more pragmatic pro-ish-EU group. She has taken a job which will end her career in politics one way or another!
Add to that Dr Jim (11:11am) that she, Big T May, had the power to control EU immigration, but chose not to. What’s she been playing at?
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/richard-bird/immigration-blame-the-uk-_b_13120104.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer_us=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvLnVrLw&guce_referrer_cs=cw_XdwikSmsouYa-1myhbQ
“Positively the worst blow that could ever be struck against Scotland becoming independent would be for a too quick push for independence that was lost.
The independence movement would never recover from it.”
‘Worst blow ever’, and, ‘never recover’.
I cannot subscribe to those descriptions, Robert. They are much exaggerated. A ‘bad blow’, yes, and ‘would take some time to recover’, perhaps, would be just a little better?
IF such a push took place, it would be motivated by frustration, impatience, irritation, misinformation and lack of self-discipline, which the Scottish Govt. would not be sucked into, it would be sure to fail and quickly. It’s a non-starter.
For everyone. In any event, there is still a great deal of water to pass under the Brexit bridge and until it does there is no way of knowing just how Brexit will pan out and what will be left intact when it does.
The entire political system at Westminster is itself under threat from Brexit, such are the deep and rancorous divisions ongoing there. England has gone binary over Brexit, like Scotland before it over Independence.
There is now a Brexit crack in Westminster’s foundations which may develop even further, especially with ‘mindless’ Theresa May in No.10 and a gang of galoots for a Cabinet.
I’m for keeping Scotlands powder dry.
Ca’ canny, and we won’t go wrong.
manandboy @ 10:58,
Not to forget Spain’s own little colonial enclaves Ceuta and Melilla just on the other side of the Straits.
I suppose they’ll be liberating those two as well. Ho hum.
There’s nothing quite like pompous nation-state hypocrisy over territory.
Dear Robert Peffers
I know we had a link to the map showing the Grid Connection Charges in a previous thread, but could you repost it? I was telling a family member about this and she could not believe that the playing field was so skewed.
Thanks
David
Re Petra
I believe that Big T was simply managing the economy.
The UK economy is a Service economy.
Services require people.
In order to achieve growth in a Service economy you require additional people to use those Services.
Therefor you absolutely require immigration.
If the UK had a different economic model, then immigration would not be required to such a large extent as it was.
In effect, the ordinary people, especially of England, have been mislead for years. Or they are in ignorance of the nature of the UK, it’s economic model and economic requirements.
Understandably it would take a brave Westminster politician to spell out the actual circumstances in plain and simple terms that could be understood. Imagine the reaction from the public.
So I’ve decided to unfollow myself from my non-existent Twitter feed but can’t find it or work out how to do it.
Can anyone help me?
Robert J. Sutherland says:
“Not to forget Spain’s own little colonial enclaves Ceuta and Melilla just on the other side of the Straits”
I didn’t know that, Robert. Great point on nation-state hypocrisy. Bang on.
Spain and England are so similar in many ways. No wonder they collaborate.
Hi David P.
https://thecommongreen.scot/2016/09/12/grasping-the-grid/
https://www.commonspace.scot/articles/9739/iain-wright-why-it-s-mistake-see-uk-grid-charges-anti-scottish-conspiracy
http://www.businessforscotland.com/how-an-independent-scotland-can-become-one-of-the-richest-energy-nations-in-the-world/
Becoming and rising as a Tory is like the opposite of a doctor *First do no good* then have no ethical or moral code as to the disposal of life
I do enjoy the way so many people avoid pointing out that the Tory policy of *Work will set you free* is something we’ve all heard before, but we’re not supposed to notice these things in our new shiny PC world of reworded old strategies involving the principle of *We will impoverish you so deeply you will have no choice but to grasp at the only straw we offer which is poverty wages of less than humanely decent then tell you we created employment for you to make you proud and enable you to serve your country*
Now go and line up outside the foodbank to accept the charity of your peers because you are undeserving of respect because you are a failure in the society that we have created for better people than you and be grateful for the benevolence we bestow
But we’ll do it in the best possible taste and all legal and democratic like so nobody will really notice what we are
The only good thing about the Tories is they’ve helped the population see more clearly how much the Labour party is and always has been aligned with them
Same coin but really one side no matter how it lands
Just a thought:
What can you do with £1 a week
Well the 1.6 million plus of us who voted YES would have £80million inside a year
What could we do with it, well what? and why not
It certainly beats anything JK Trolling would shell out for one thing
Brian Doonthetoon @ 12:23,
That article by Iain Wright is interesting. It starts with an initial premise – a UK wide energy market – that ensures the very answer he ends up with! After all the fal-de-rol of physics and bureaucratic niceties, he misses the point, though in the end he can’t totally avoid it either – a separate country like France totally escapes the absurdist constrictions imposed by a purblind UK OfGem, and Scotland could do the exact same if it were free.
And in his comment that “the actual cost of the Scottish system […] would fall entirely on the bills of Scottish consumers” the author betrays his blinkered UK-centrist thinking. The consumers have to pay the cost, true, but that includes all those outwith Scotland who purchase our electricity. We export things like electricity and whisky for a reason, we don’t give it away for free!
K**** H**** fans might want to look away now; others could read this:
https://twitter.com/Moneymonopolist/status/1058306195918938112
Put this in your diary
https://twitter.com/ScotlandsTalkIn/status/1057926692642189312
https://spice-spotlight.scot/2018/11/01/earnings-in-scotland-what-do-the-latest-statistics-tell-us/
Ian Murray carrying on with the Labour Lying tradition
https://twitter.com/Scotpol1314/status/1058104374214492160
Brexit: EU fishing row threatens to snag May’s customs union plan
http://archive.is/2LBzF
@David P says: 2 November, 2018 at 11:58 am:
” … Dear Robert Peffers
I know we had a link to the map showing the Grid Connection Charges in a previous thread, but could you repost it?
Sorry, David P, I was off line attending a couple of medical appointments but I note there are replies from others:-
I’m a bit over tired now so just reading the current thread before having a well needed nap in the big chair.
Nhs staff are already paid more than equivalent in england and the gap will increase a substantial amount over next 2 years.
England
https://nursingnotes.co.uk/nhs-agenda-change-pay-scales-2018-2019/
Scotland
http://www.msg.scot.nhs.uk/pay/agenda-for-change
Normski says:
1 November, 2018 at 7:17 pm
“There will be no “snap Brexit”.”
“Snap Brexit” has already happened effectively.
The EU didn’t give them an excuse to declare it so they are just going through the motions before a No Deal Brexit becomes official.
An independence referendum after Brexit is officially declared and Scotland is at the mercy of Westminster would be impossible to win – for at least 622 years.
Robert Peffers says:
2 November, 2018 at 9:21 am
“The independence movement would never recover from it.”
Stop being so pessimistic.
The independence movement will recover in a mere 622 years from now.
And it would have been on the verge of winning right now if Nicola had not squandered a once in a 1000 years golden opportunity by wasting more than a year flogging a dead horse – a separate deal for Scotland which was never going to happen.
The iron was hot and ready to be struck the day after the Brexit referendum result.
If Alex Salmond had been in charge, he would have not missed the opportunity.
But cautious Establishment lawyer Nicola was not up to it.
Dear Robert Peffers
Many thanks for posting that link – it’s so informative.
David P
Hi David P.
Don’t mention it!
8=)
Brian
I scrolled up from the bottom and saw Robert’s post first… Many thanks to you, too!
David
It’s the Daily Mail.
Wikipedia banned references to it.
I repeat: Wikipedia banned references to it.
Didn’t we use to slag off Wikipedia for being unreliable?
Well, even the supposedly dodgy Wikipedia says “Daily Mail? Nah, feck off, that’s too much!”.
I don’t have time for the rag.
The only thing that makes me angry is that we’re wasting perfectly good paper and ink, fuel to deliver it and leccy to shred the thousands of unsold copies.
Won’t miss that.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/gp-shortage-nhs-leave-doctors-pay-hours-a8376266.html March this year England only survey.