The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


Jigging in the rigging

Posted on April 04, 2012 by

The agenda behind the Unionist parties and media's concerted smear campaign against the Scottish Government's independence-referendum consultation has become a little clearer today, with the publication of the full data regarding the UK Government's own survey on the subject. Which, purely for the purposes of local colour, we'll passingly note was impartially called "The Referendum on Separation for Scotland" and opens with the following words:

"We believe passionately in the United Kingdom and recognise the benefits it has brought to all of its citizens. For over 300 years the United Kingdom has brought people together in the most successful multi-national state the world has ever known. We want to keep the United Kingdom together."

(The Scottish Government consultation, in contrast, begins with the somewhat less partisan line "The people who live in Scotland are the best people to make decisions about Scotland’s future.")

Conducted by a committee on which no SNP representatives serve, the UK consultation attracted a dismal response by comparison. The Holyrood version, which is still ongoing, had as of Monday this week atttracted 11,986 contributions from members of the public so far. The Westminster report drew a pitiful 2,857 by comparison, but the picture is in fact even bleaker than that.

Of that 2,857 a staggering 1500 responses (or 53%) are believed to have come directly from the Scottish Labour website. Of those, almost half – 740 – used the exact pre-scripted wording written by Labour. (These numbers do not appear in the consultation document, but the latter was freely admitted by the Secretary of State for Scotland to several news sources this morning.)

Under the rules demanded by Labour this week for the Scottish Government's consultation, 739 of those submissions would have to be disqualified on the grounds of duplication, reducing the total number of valid responses to 2,118.

A further 101 respondents were anonymous, and another 118 were duplicate responses which didn't come from the Labour website. Removing those leaves the UK Government's consultation on the independence referendum based on just 1,899 responses from members of the public (that's one for every 34,229 people in the UK).

But perhaps more pertinent than this abysmal level of public confidence in the UK Government's consultation compared to the Scottish Government's one is the staggering degree to which Labour, rather than the general public, swamped the process in submissions. Of those 1,899 eligible responses, it would appear that 761 – or a tiny fraction under 40% – came directly from the Scottish Labour website.

So over half of all submissions, 40% of valid submissions, and an astonishing 25% of the entire consultation response made up of ineligible duplicate spam entries, came from Labour itself. Yet a compliant media has collaborated all week in creating a media portrayal of SNP "abuse" of the Scottish Government's consultation, based around just 3.5% of anonymous responses (contributions whose actual preferences, it should be noted, were not recorded, and which therefore may well in fact have been partly or even entirely from pro-Union supporters rather than nationalists).

We've said it before and we'll say it again – it's not paranoia if there really is a conspiracy against you. We doubt the electorate is all that concerned with the entire point-scoring business, but we're confident that those who are will have no difficulty in seeing the reality of what's been going on.

11 to “Jigging in the rigging”

  1. Peter A Bell says:

    We also had Michael Moore claiming that the UK consultation provides "a good reflection of what people across Scotland think". How can such a claim be justified on the basis of such a small, self-selecting sample of the UK population?

    Reply
  2. When they shout loudly in one direction, it usually because they are trying to distract you from noticing that the very thing they are accusing you of is exactly what's going on in their own camp.
     

    Reply
  3. Stevie Cosmic says:

    Mr Moore, as it is also reported by the STV website, also thinks that the UK governement's consultation needn't be subjected to any independent scrutiny or verification.  Funny that. He also lied though his teeth on that website too with regard to Bruce Crawford 'having a problem' with the validity of the SG's consultation process. Quite breathtaking arrogance and hypocrisy that stretches the definition of 'brass neck'  to giraffe like extremes.

    I have a feeling that there is a concerted effort to piss people off so much with  lies, bile and stupidity that eventually, we'll all just give up because we can't take these undignified levels of childlike discourse any longer.  It's tiring this, to say the least.

    Reply
  4. David Robertson says:

    Think we're crediting them with too much sense. My thoughts after hearing results of the UK versions was that I imagine they would have rather not had so much attention being focused on either of the consultations.
    Labour in Scotland is so desperate to try and "get something" on the Scottish Government that they grasp at anything without knowing the facts or that they are the ones who are up their necks in it.

    Reply
    • Peter A Bell says:

      You got it! "Scottish Labour's entire focus is on lashing out mindlessly at the SNP and Alex Salmond. They have nothing else.

      Reply
  5. tom says:

    Yes, we can be confident there will be those "who have no difficulty in seeing the reality of what's been going on", but can we be confident that they are sufficient in number?

    Reply
    • Peter A Bell says:

      I'm already seeing examples of people saying we should "move on". But I totally disagree. So long as the mainstream media is colluding in passing off the UK referendum as valid, while casting aspersions on the real consultation, we have a duty to persist in trying to get the truth across.

      Reply
  6. I never expected Labour to do anything else and I have a brother in the Labour party and I feel ashamed that he is among such people.The main problem is getting the truth out there to everybody I know it is too much to ask for the media to be honest,they lost their integrity a long time ago.

    Reply
  7. MajorBloodnok says:

    The thing is there are so many positive stories out there – e.g. renewables in Scotland:
     
    link to jonathonporritt.com
     
    And the announcements about all those new railway stations in Scotland (double page spread in today's Scotsman, no less). To name but two.

    Reply
  8. Dubbieside says:

    MajorBloodnok

    Many thanks for the link to the jonathonporritt blog. Very well written and a joy to read such a positive article about Scotland.

    Pity we are not able to get this promoted more in the main stream media.

    Is there any way this could be linked to Newsnet Scotland to try to find a bigger audience?

    Reply
  9. Rev. Stuart Campbell says:

    As I said the other day, feel free to suggest to any other websites that they reproduce WingsLand features. We'll usually let them if they ask.

    Reply


Comment - please read this page for comment rules. HTML tags like <i> and <b> are permitted. Use paragraph breaks in long comments. DO NOT SIGN YOUR COMMENTS, either with a name or a slogan. If your comment does not appear immediately, DO NOT REPOST IT. Ignore these rules and I WILL KILL YOU WITH HAMMERS.


  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,785 Posts, 1,221,692 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • James on Too Tight To Mention: “Aw, thank you – we are indeed blessed by the munificence of the unionists! Thank you for inclusion in the…Jul 9, 13:34
    • AndrewR on Too Tight To Mention: “Hatey, have a heart. (Heartey!) Did you never do anything stupid, aged 15? Maybe not as stupid as going to…Jul 9, 13:26
    • Xaracen on Too Tight To Mention: “This morning I asked three different AIs the following question; Has the JPTI/Salvo Petition to the UN been rejected? None…Jul 9, 13:09
    • Andrew scott on Too Tight To Mention: “For heaven’s sake james PUT A SOCK IN IT total word salad -same words just in a different order Sad…Jul 9, 13:00
    • Insider on Too Tight To Mention: “For heaven’s sake… SHUT UP, you crazy old bat !Jul 9, 12:43
    • James Cheyne on Too Tight To Mention: “Thus we see that the UK ? Westminster parliament with continued English members of the old parliament of England running…Jul 9, 12:16
    • Captain Caveman on Too Tight To Mention: ““It is true in what you point out, a fact that a colonised people will have no voice” Gngh. GNGH!…Jul 9, 12:04
    • James Cheyne on Too Tight To Mention: “Halsbury Laws of England and Wales. Statues and legislation in Westminster based on the Halsbury laws for England and Wales…Jul 9, 11:57
    • James Cheyne on Too Tight To Mention: “Stu, It is true in what you point out, a fact that a colonised people will have no voice, will…Jul 9, 11:22
    • James Cheyne on Too Tight To Mention: “For the 1707 (political) parliamentary union between Scotland and England to exist there has to be two parliaments resting within…Jul 9, 11:06
    • James Cheyne on Too Tight To Mention: “The treaty of union was a political parliamentary union between Scotland and England only, Then England dissolved that union. In…Jul 9, 10:48
    • Captain Caveman on Too Tight To Mention: “@Dan Well, your OP talked about people being “given free land” so they could “help themselves”, which to me seemed…Jul 9, 10:40
    • Northcode on Too Tight To Mention: ““Actually our colonial rulers understandably don’t want to talk about the Liberation Scotland UN initiative…” Indeed, Alf. And for obvious…Jul 9, 10:13
    • Dan on Too Tight To Mention: “@Captain Caveman The subject was the high cost of land. Nothing I wrote infers knocking together buildings that don’t meet…Jul 9, 10:06
    • Captain Caveman on Too Tight To Mention: ““The current SNP administration could chose tomorrow to do away with freebies like the baby boxes or luvvie perks like…Jul 9, 09:54
    • sam on Too Tight To Mention: “From “The National” quoting MSP Allan Dorans “In 2017, the same researchers again, looking at nuclear reprocessing-related radiocarbons in Apex…Jul 9, 09:26
    • Aidan on Too Tight To Mention: “I know! Those bastard English stealing the wind. I was up in Mallaig a few weeks ago and it was…Jul 9, 09:24
    • Aidan on Too Tight To Mention: “@Dan – I assume because I criticise the insane and deluded rantings of our most eccentric posters that makes me…Jul 9, 09:13
    • Aidan on Too Tight To Mention: ““Appear to have issued a D notice” ???? You really are off the reservation today aren’t you. Do you think…Jul 9, 09:09
    • Captain Caveman on Too Tight To Mention: “@Dan It seems to me you like to portray yourself as some “hard-headed pragmatic” type of guy here, yet your…Jul 9, 09:07
    • Anthem on Too Tight To Mention: “Yup, it’s been on the cards for a few years now.Jul 9, 09:06
    • TURABDIN on Too Tight To Mention: “ENGLAND AND FRANCE PLAY FOOTSIE and Kate’s got a new frock and hairdo…. Meanwhile in the adult big world. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-66cdf862-5e96-4e6e-90b8-a407b597c8d9…Jul 9, 09:00
    • sam on Too Tight To Mention: “Water. Currents. Sellafield.Jul 9, 08:56
    • diabloandco on Too Tight To Mention: “Water, wind power and whisky revenue nicked by the neighbours!Jul 9, 08:54
    • sam on Too Tight To Mention: “Oligarchs fall oot. Must have run oot of tea and windaes.Jul 9, 08:33
    • Dan on Too Tight To Mention: “@Hatey at 4:44pm Fuck off with yer drivel spoken like a true toony. Where the fuck do you think a…Jul 9, 08:22
    • socratesmacsporran on Too Tight To Mention: “Given the current occupants of the comfy seats in Holyrood manage to make The Donald and his gang appear intelligent…Jul 9, 08:19
    • Dan on Too Tight To Mention: “@Aidan at 9:39pm But hud oan, your “Better Together” unionist London Rule chums have for as long as I have…Jul 9, 07:43
    • Aidan on Too Tight To Mention: “Exactly Hatey – these “friends” aren’t going to be the ambassadors of Denmark or Singapore. It’s going to be rogue…Jul 9, 05:56
    • Hatey McHateface on Too Tight To Mention: “It’s a hot night, and a sad, insomniac old man’s thoughts turn to self pleasuring. Keep the noise doon, YL…Jul 9, 03:11
  • A tall tale



↑ Top