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Just plain lying

Posted on April 09, 2018 by

The front page of today’s Scottish Daily Mail:

The problem: it’s completely and utterly made up.

Here’s what the paper is claiming:

“Tens of millions of pounds worth of potholes created by the ‘Beast from the East’ will not be repaired because of a major funding crisis.

Scotland’s roads have been plagued by the craters since the nation endured its most severe winter weather in years.

It is estimated it will cost £50million to repair the damage caused over the past few months.

But SNP ministers have offered local authorities only £10million to tackle the problem – despite previously promising to help deal with ‘unforeseen costs resulting from the recent heavy snowfalls’.”

The source appears to be the Lib Dems, in the shape of a local councillor:

“Some local authorities are furious at the Scottish Government for providing only enough emergency money to deal with what is estimated to be a fifth of the repairs.

Perth and Kinross Liberal Democrat councillor Peter Barrett, who sits on council umbrella group Cosla, said: ‘A month ago [Finance Secretary] Derek Mackay promised to ‘help communities remain resilient and councils deal with any immediate and unforeseen costs resulting from the recent heavy snowfalls and ongoing cold weather’.

‘He is going back on his word. In Perth and Kinross alone we have been hit by more than £2million of extra winter maintenance costs. We will end up with just a few hundred thousand pounds because of the Scottish Government’s sleight of hand.”

Backed up by Willie Rennie:

“Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie said: ‘Derek Mackay has ditched the Bellwin formula activated only a month ago in response to the Beast from the East. Instead he’s offering a measly £10million when councils need five times as much.”

Except that absolutely none of the above seems to be true. Something which the Mail knows perfectly well, because tucked away at the very end we hear this:

“The Scottish Government said: ‘This additional £10million is being made directly available to local authorities immediately so they do not have to submit formal Bellwin claims and await approval. No applications have been received for [Bellwin Scheme] funding.”

In other words, the £10 million is OVER AND ABOVE the normal contingency measure which was already in place for emergency funding, known as the Bellwin Scheme, which was triggered by the extreme weather conditions in February. When the sum was announced last Friday, every report made clear that it was NEW, EXTRA money:

Absolutely NOWHERE has it been suggested by anyone whatsoever that the £10m is a REPLACEMENT for the Bellwin Scheme. It’s an immediate additional sum which will be distributed via Cosla without councils having to apply for Bellwin funds. They’ll still be able to apply for Bellwin money on top of that.

The Cosla spokeswoman in the story says “We are pleased the Scottish Government has recognised the impact on councils with this additional funding. (Our emphasis.)

So there is no “scandal”.

Nobody has broken any “promise”.

There is no reason to believe that “tens of millions of pounds worth of potholes created by the ‘Beast from the East’ will not be repaired”.

There has been no “sleight of hand”.

There is no evidence at all that Derek Mackay is “going back on his word”.

There is no evidence at all that he’s “ditched the Bellwin formula”.

It is not true that there is “no money left to repair our roads”.

The piece uses none of the usual media tricks of presenting true facts in misleading ways, or selectively cherry-picking bits of data to fool readers into drawing inaccurate conclusions. It’s simply absolute brazen falsehood from top to bottom.

To be honest, we welcome this new more direct approach from the Mail. It’s going to save us a lot of time in the future.

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  1. 09 04 18 12:56

    Just plain lying | speymouth
    Ignored

  2. 10 04 18 13:33

    You get what you give « Wee Ginger Dug
    Ignored

384 to “Just plain lying”

  1. Ross
    Ignored
    says:

    Is there 40m in the usual pot though? Not sure it’s as clear cas described here.

  2. Macart
    Ignored
    says:

    It’d probably save even more time if they simply printed…

    SNP BAD! JUST BECAUSE! SHUT UP NOW!

  3. James Mills
    Ignored
    says:

    I cannot understand any Scot buying this ‘newspaper’ . It has been shown time after time to be an undisguised propaganda sheet for unionist lies and , from most of its headlines , appears to be virulently anti-Scottish government .
    Of course , were that government to be Tory , every negative headline that has been exposed by Wings would have been fully supportive of a government doing its best in trying conditions . The hypocrisy stinks !

  4. Arbroath1320
    Ignored
    says:

    Let me guess … someone at Lib Dem branchette office noticed that no one from their “party” was getting into the news recently. A decision was made, no doubt by the branchette office manager, to stir the shit with the Daily Mail as stirring spoon in a pathetic attempt to smear the Scottish Government sorry SNP.

    You know what … the LibDems are a complete waste of space and every time they try a pathetic stunt like this they make themselves even more pathetic.

  5. Joe of the Coutts
    Ignored
    says:

    To keep things in proportion. Two dung beetles have been trapped with rabbit droppings.
    I sure chose the wrong job.

  6. Artyhetty
    Ignored
    says:

    Thanks for this Stuart, I know what to expect when I pop to the shops and see a sea of lies glaring at me and no doubt The National hidden as usual underneath these right wing rags’ lies by some tosspot. ( oops can I say that on here!). It’s incessant, 24/7 lies and propaganda.

    I was reading about the artist Louise Bourgeois last night who exiled to America from France. When WW11 started she said, about listening to the radio:
    ‘political discussions, conversations whose sole aim is to conceal the frightful term “neutrality.” I assure you, it’s useful living abroad: it helps one to understand how propaganda and false information is circulated for whatever secret purposes’.

    She also said, ‘I don’t know what to say about the behaviour of the Americans. On the whole they are irresponsible. The newspapers, without exception, are trying to mold public opinion. The news they carry is correct, but the slant they put on events is tendentious — or, most of the time, false’.

    The UK has been a little America for some time. Though the ‘news they carry’ is definitely not correct in their Scotland region.

  7. Artyhetty
    Ignored
    says:

    Re;Ross@1pm

    Read the article again, then you might understand.

  8. Chick McKenna
    Ignored
    says:

    Is it not about time that papers were challenged in court over the deceitful way that they report stuff. Opinions are for the opinions pages.They do not constitute news. And yes I do understand that they are trying to influence by printing this sort of junk but seriously they need to be called out.

  9. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    The people who’ll fall for this rubbish are the same people who fell for “Noah and his magic Zoo boat” or “Hi de Hi the holocaust holiday camp”

    They want to believe it no matter what it says because it fits in with their hate

  10. Gerry Gribbons
    Ignored
    says:

    The Mail dont need any excuse to misrepresent the truth….its their policy

  11. Frank Lynch
    Ignored
    says:

    It’s instructive that the largest shopping centre, raking in an absolute mint from OTT parking charges around its property, has some of the biggest pot holes I’ve seen anywhere, gaping and unrepaired.

    How long it will take the multi-billion pound owners to effect any repairs is anyone’s guess. Suspect they won’t be dipping into their contingency fund or making extra cash available on top of that as the MSM expects the Scottish government to do, regardless of the fact that since 2010 Holyrood has seen a 20% drop in real terms from Barnett.

  12. Frank Lynch
    Ignored
    says:

    Addendum…This shopping centre, I think the largest in Scotland, being located in West Lothian.

  13. Bill not Ben
    Ignored
    says:

    Many years ago it was stated that the total income for the UK road fund was 33 Billion Quid and only 3 Billion was spent on the roads, it also said that the M1 costs 30 Million Quid a mile to repair.
    Now the question has to be asked, if the road fund is not being used to repair our roads where is it going to ?
    A guy once said, if they used the road fund tax to repair our roads, the roads would be paved with gold, he was not far wrong there, every district should get every penny its local road fund payers pay for their roads to be used to repair those roads, what do we get, a few pot holes filled in here and there, its a big con trick by central government, its not the fault of our local authorities if they don’t recieve the funding paid into this confidence trick, and for anyone that is not aware of it, income tax was brought in as a stop gap measure many years ago because the UK needed the money at that time, ofc they did not need nuclear weapons and all the other war paraphenalia they need now, most taxed country in the world, I wonder why that is ?

  14. crisiscult
    Ignored
    says:

    Even if this article were true, surely the local yoon politicians and folk like Willie Rennie should be standing by the tried and tested message that these branches of government should cease with the grievance politics and use the powers they have to magic up money. Why are they running at a deficit and why have they been mismanaging the weather?

  15. Rev. Stuart Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    “Is there 40m in the usual pot though?”

    I haven’t a clue what’s in the pot. The story is that the £10m is a replacement for the Bellwin Scheme, rather than an addition to it, and that claim is complete shite.

  16. Ian McCubbin
    Ignored
    says:

    Thank god I dont read this bull…. and dont buy any paper.
    fiction novels are more of a laugh with my current reading ‘Confessions of a Sociopath’.
    I reckon the Unionists and unionist press have more than there fair share of them

  17. Muscleguy
    Ignored
    says:

    FibDems keeping on Fibbing. It seems once a party starts it is unable to stop. One for the Ferret to add to their pie charts of shame.

  18. Donald anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    “The problem: it’s completely and utterly made up.”

    So is this self evident statement news?

  19. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Of course if Scotland was a normal Independent country all road maintenance costs including road fund licence would be incorporated in the price of fuel so the higher users would pay in proportion to their usage in turn eliminating the beaurocracy of dedicated civil servants collecting road fund taxes which in turn would solve the problem of vehicles from outwith Scotland travelling within Scotland and not contributing to the cost of repairs

  20. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Fury as SNP… for the rest of our lives. Wonder what tomorrow’s Heil says Fury as SNP… will be?

    Who on earth is Paul Hollywood? See what happens when you no longer watch the great beeb gimp zone network.

  21. Ross
    Ignored
    says:

    The pot is clearly quantifiable as they are adding money to it for some reason.

    If it covers the full amount they wouldn’t need to add 10m.

    Regardless Of whether the mail is talking balls as usual/embellishing is there actually 50m aside to fix the roads?

  22. Welsh Sion
    Ignored
    says:

    Not sure how far you’ll get (and I know it’s a well-worn, often fruitless, path), but I’d still like to draw my Scottish friends’ attention to Article 1 of the Editors’ Code of Practice:

    https://www.ipso.co.uk/editors-code-of-practice/

  23. Liam
    Ignored
    says:

    Bill not Ben: said:

    every district should get every penny its local road fund payers pay for their roads to be used to repair those roads,

    Nice in theory but that would mean that here in the Highlands, where we have few car owners per square mile, longer to travel between destinations, and some of the most atrocious weather – we would probably get less per mile to repair the roads. Roads which are full every summer with tourist vehicles which, under such a scheme, would pay nothing for the damage they cause.

  24. Jack collatin
    Ignored
    says:

    What a disgusting little creature Willie Rennie continues to be. The Holyrood Administration will be tied up needlessly refuting yet more lies by this odious little man yet again.
    I look forward to the day when we dance a jig on the Unionist Grave.
    What is the point of Rennie, Rumble, Bumble, Grumble, and stumble? They do not contribute one iota to the good governance of Scotland. They are wreckers and vandals.
    The Lib Dems are as much VFM as burning half a million of our hard earned taxes on Rennie’s Holyrood lectern.
    I am sick fed up to the back teeth of the lot of them.
    They hate Scotland, quite literally, and are Fifth Columnists whose only role is to destroy our civic society and make their fellow Scots suffer in penury and oppression. Liberals, my arse.
    I wouldn’t trust myself to be in the same room as any of them these days.
    Beilin’.
    I wouldn’t wipe my erse with any of the Yoon Rags.
    Stu, hire yourself a bodyguard. It’s going to get very dark soon now, if this rag has resorted to outright lying so soon.
    I mean that.

  25. Bruce L
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Bill not Ben

    “Many years ago it was stated that the total income for the UK road fund was 33 Billion Quid and only 3 Billion was spent on the roads”

    Roads are not intended to be “paid for” by Vehicle Excise Duty, and there is no such thing as the road fund; it was abolished getting on for a century ago.

    Hypothecation of taxes is not a thing. As with all other public expenditure, roads are paid for from one pot, into which all taxes are received.

    Budget for road maintenance is allocated to councils for local roads (plus a portion of council tax receipts also goes into that) and to Transport Scotland for the national road network.

  26. Mike
    Ignored
    says:

    George Orwells work 1984 is turning out to be more prophetic than Nostradamus.
    You could almost believe that George Orwell is the inspiration of todays MSM.
    The right to free speech and expression has been morphed into the right to deceive misinform and suppress truth.
    I wish people would refrain from referring to the UK as Democratic or free because if it ever had been then it lost its way so long ago you couldn’t pinpoint the time it changed.
    What Abraham Lincoln failed to understand is the fact that you can fool far too many people most or all of the time far too often.

  27. Ken MacColl
    Ignored
    says:

    Scottish(?)Daily Mail prints inaccurate news regularly on its front page.
    Come om Rev surely this is not news? They have been printing fake news and extremely nasty right wing fake news for decades.
    It is what they do.

  28. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Polls:

    They stopped being representative of cross section opinion years ago, they’re not innacurate or sometimes flawed, they lie just like the Daily Mail

  29. Eckle Fechan
    Ignored
    says:

    Fury from SNP et al as scumbag arse-wipe tabloid prints more brazen lies.

  30. Glamaig
    Ignored
    says:

    Welsh Sion says:
    9 April, 2018 at 2:03 pm
    https://www.ipso.co.uk/editors-c

    interesting,

    1. Accuracy
    i) The Press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information or images, including headlines not supported by the text.

    Plenty to go on there, just about every day in the Scottish colonial press.

  31. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    Is the Scottish Daily Mail circulation as high as WoS? Perhaps the lies ae falling on deaf ears. Once independent we could set up a proper press complaints commission. Put it in the manifesto.

  32. Blair Paterson
    Ignored
    says:

    Again I say sue them it is the only way you will stop their lies come on SNP do something their is a fortune waiting for you in damages if you do so Stu., shows you every day How to expose them it is not to hard as they are telling blatant lies If a neighbour was doing this to me I would have them in court for deformation of character and with the proof you have with all their previous news papers they cannot even dispute your claims so please sue them or explain to us why you are not doing so???

  33. Craig P
    Ignored
    says:

    James Mills says:
    9 April, 2018 at 1:14 pm

    I cannot understand any Scot buying this ‘newspaper’ . It has been shown time after time to be an undisguised propaganda sheet for unionist lies

    That’s why unionists like it so much.

    As the endgame approaches the Daily Mail can, will, and must become ever shriller, more hateful and with an increasingly tenuous grip on reality – their readership will demand it.

  34. Dan Huil
    Ignored
    says:

    Who’s this Pothole Bill bloke?

  35. Returnofthemac
    Ignored
    says:

    Just heading out to the supermarket to cover up these lying Scottish Daily Mail bastards.

  36. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Damn SNP weather

  37. har
    Ignored
    says:

    Stuart, do you ever get the chance to speak to any of the sources to question them? Is it possible for this to happen?

  38. TheWealthOfNations
    Ignored
    says:

    Derek should sue.

    The mass media have gotten away with spreading lies for too long.

    If the average man in the street thinks a headline means ‘X’ then that should be what it is held to mean in court.

    Retailers who display these lies in such a way as those who are not buying them are exposed to them should be equally liable.

  39. Dan Huil
    Ignored
    says:

    As we all know there’s no such thing as a “Scottish” Daily Mail. It’s the English Daily Mail sent north to lecture Scots on how they must obey England. A filthy disgusting publication.

  40. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    The Scottish Gov could implement Leveson findings? It would make it easier for these papers to be sued.

    AWPR coming on fine. Thanks to Alex Salmond. After being blocked for years by LibDem – Unionists.

  41. Sharny Dubs
    Ignored
    says:

    Seems to me we are preaching to the converted here, we should be getting this out to the people who actually buy the rag.

  42. Lenny Hartley
    Ignored
    says:

    Capella Nope not falling on deaf ears, i was advised by a mate and his wife that their was a report about Call-Mac in their Daily Heil on Saturday. They believed every word, i never read it so cannot remark but i guess I know the answer.

  43. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    It’s an immediate additional sum

    Are you sure it’s “additional”, or is it payment in advance that will then be deducted from any Bellwin claim made, and only if no claim is made will it be extra?

    Similar to what insurance companies do about keys and changing locks, immediate payments that are part of the final accepted claim – but not actually extra.

  44. Robert
    Ignored
    says:

    The aim of the headline is to sell the paper. So they choose headlines to suit their intended market – those who already think “SNP bad” and want to be told “SNP bad”. The truth doesn’t come into it.

  45. frogesque
    Ignored
    says:

    If the SNP criticised the press it took legal action there would be howls of “Censorship!”.

    Cover up the rags, don’t respond to clickbait and keep getting the message in their faces.

    Also, note the very sneaky juxtaposition of the SNP bad hate piece and the fluffy Hollywood story.

    A very quick eye glance while doing the messages and trying to control a handful of bored kids on holiday an it looks like there is a scandal at Holyrood. This is not casual or accidental, it is quite deliberate.

  46. Dorothy Devine
    Ignored
    says:

    When Wikipedia refuses it as a source you know that the publication can not sink much lower.

    May it rot along with the other so called Scottish publication and I care not a jot who loses their job – far too disgusted with the media to care.

  47. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    If the average man in the street thinks a headline means ‘X’ then that should be what it is held to mean in court.

    It’s fascism in the 21st century. Mccarthy in the 50’s did exactly the same as UK msm today, lied so hard and so fast, no one could keep up.

    Hitler said it, the bigger the lie the better or something like that. His US psycho profile report (wiki) could just as easily describe an average Scottish haha newsroom today,

    “His primary rules were: never allow the public to cool off; never admit a fault or wrong; never concede that there may be some good in your enemy; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it”

    So today, Heil gits have gone big with “and blame him for everything that goes wrong.”

    Tomorrow? just more of the same.

  48. Street Andrew
    Ignored
    says:

    Alternative headline:

    SNP fails to protect Scottish drivers from Russian highway sabotage.

    Subtext: Ruth Davidson would sign pan-global agreement to outlaw the immigration of foreign weather (?)

  49. Dorothy Devine
    Ignored
    says:

    Heedtracker , perhaps we should use the strategy and start a whispering campaign .

    Nice big juicy rumours ,lots of misleading info , twisted tales, hints of scandal and BIG lies – playing our evil media at their own game.

  50. Street Andrew
    Ignored
    says:

    In war time this sort of morale sapping disinformation would be deemed treasonable.

    William Joyce, (Lord Haw Haw) was hanged.

    (I’m not actually in favour of capital punishment, but those were different times and different standards applied)

  51. Andy Anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    Keep them coming Stu.

  52. Bill
    Ignored
    says:

    The £10m is genuine additional money to help address the problem. It is very likely the only additional money that Local Authorities will get for roads maintenance. There is a £1.2 billion roads maintenance backlog. https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/41505/sag-response-to-audit-scotland-jan-2017.pdf, so although welcome, it’s not going to make a huge difference.

    Bellwin funding is only (and rarely) given to fund EMERGENCY response works to events. Each Local Authority has to demonstrate it has incurred spend above a set threshold before any Bellwin funding would be provided. Bellwin funding does not cover the expenditure up to that threshold.

    These thresholds are:
    Local Authority Threshold level (£s)
    Aberdeen City 880,402
    Aberdeenshire 1,090,564
    Angus 489,774
    Argyll and Bute 476,608
    Clackmannanshire 236,216
    Dumfries and Galloway 680,204
    Dundee City 675,458
    East Ayrshire 547,542
    East Dunbartonshire 481,644
    East Lothian 449,052
    East Renfrewshire 454,584
    Edinburgh, City of 1,886,258
    Eilean Siar 214,796
    Falkirk 672,982
    Fife 1,542,196
    Glasgow City 2,880,042
    Highland 1,109,810
    Inverclyde 385,434
    Midlothian 394,694
    Moray 402,046
    North Ayrshire 662,314
    North Lanarkshire 1,420,734
    Orkney 163,762
    Perth and Kinross 649,784
    Renfrewshire 747,558
    Scottish Borders 523,880
    Shetland 223,338
    South Ayrshire 511,280
    South Lanarkshire 1,352,574
    Stirling 419,096
    West Dunbartonshire 425,357
    West Lothian 754,206
    So the reason that no Bellwin applications have been received by the Scottish Government is probably because most Local Authorities haven’t hit the threshold in the 6 weeks since the storm.

  53. Alex Montrose
    Ignored
    says:

    A LibDem wet fart = a Mail headline, its a messy business, lol.

  54. jfngw
    Ignored
    says:

    @yesindy2

    It is reported as additional, but it is likely to be impossible to say if an extra £10m has been spent. We would have to know what the total Bellwin claims would be in advance and whether this extra has been spent.

    So I suppose the headline should be, £10m made available immediately and this extra will not be deducted from Bellwin claims fund. The government then presumably hopes these claims will be lower by the up front spending. So possibly you could see it as a bit of spin in the hope the bill will in the end be the same but gives them some good publicity.

  55. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Ruth Davidson and her chums are determined to turn Scotland into one big Belfast and if we don’t stop them soon she’ll get her way and Scotland will be gridlocked for generations just like Belfast and look what’s happened there now, in all but name *direct rule* in co-operation with the DUP

    The Daily Mail and others hatefest headlines are the precursor towards that end, they can’t get rid of the SNP by fiddling votes, they can’t get them out constitutionally, they know they can’t win by fair and legal means so what’s next

    Just look at what the Brits record is on grasping on to what they can’t afford to lose, if they can’t win they destroy by divide and conquer

    It’s why I believe Independence cannot wait until London gets all its ducks in a row, it must be now, by giving them time they win

  56. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    @jfngw
    Yes, as Rev’s article says, Cosla aid it was “additional funding”, so hopefully they know that for a fact.

    I’m just being pernickety, on the basis that since Rev carefully shows the lies “errors” of the media, he needs to make sure he doesn’t do the same, even if far less major an error.

  57. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Check out the FMs Twitter, she’s doing rather well in good old China, so well in fact that BBCs Douglas Fraser is there watching, although by Reporting Scotland news time no doubt it’ll all be Baad
    And you know it’s going well by the amount of poison flowing on to her account from the Yoon poison brigade, they’re doing the full name calling and everything

    They’re frantic with hate

  58. kenny
    Ignored
    says:

    the roads are in shockingly bad shape, potholes everywhere, I once heard a man say that first sign of a banana republic is holes in the roads, and it’s not just because of the storm

  59. Bill McLean
    Ignored
    says:

    Why is nobody pressing Rennie to pay the policing bill the Lib Dems still owe???

  60. Clydebuilt
    Ignored
    says:

    Dr. Jim @ 4.39pm . . . Agree with your highlighting of Ruthless’s. Belfastisation of Scotland’s politics. Think we’re there already, things have been polarised for some time. Best hope is for a Brexit disaster, job losses , inflation that the MSM can’t disguise. . . Then people’s attitudes should turn pro Indy. Going for Indy Ref2 before Brexit bites would be a breeze for the media. They’d just tell folks that Brexit is brilliant. (Every 5 mins) w

  61. stewartb
    Ignored
    says:

    With apologies for the length of this, but there appear to be some ‘nuances’ to this Bellwin Scheme/additional £10m issue.

    My take on it all is as follows. The SG has essentially added £10m to this year’s aggregate Local Government settlement, with the actual distribution of this sum between Local Authorities to be decided in consultation with COSLA. Although provided by the SG because of the cost of dealing with the impact of exceptional weather damage, thus sum is not directly related to potential Bellwin funding but it may well prove to have had an indirect effect in time.

    The Bellwin Scheme, opened up by the SG as a result of a request by one Local Authority (Dumfries and Galloway?) is now available to all Councils in Scotland to bid into.

    It is worth noting that the Bellwin Scheme is discretionary UK government emergency financial assistance which “reimburses local authorities for costs incurred on, or in connection with, their immediate actions to safeguard life and property or to prevent suffering or severe inconvenience as a result of a disaster or emergency in their area”. In Scotland the Scheme is devolved to the Scottish Government.

    Where Bellwin criteria are met, a grant to meet eligible costs incurred is paid ABOVE a pre-set threshold. Importantly, each authority is expected to have budgeted for a certain amount of emergency expenditure, so Bellwin relief is paid only when necessary expenditure goes beyond what the Government thinks it is reasonable to expect them to have budgeted for as contingency.

    (I understand that the threshold is set at 0.2% of an Authority’s total net revenue budget and that the Scheme addresses revenue and uninsurable expenditure incurred within a fixed period from the date of the incident or as agreed between the Government and the Local Authority.)

    Crucially also, the purpose of the Bellwin Scheme is NOT to put right ALL the ill effects resulting from an emergency incident but to provide a degree of financial protection to both Local Authorities and council taxpayers as a result of having to deal with emergency situations over and above what could reasonably have been budgeted for.

    (See: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Government/local-government/17999/Bellwin/Bellwin-Scheme-Guidance )

    So it remains to be seen: (a) what bids to the Bellwin Scheme individual Local Authorities will choose to make, and of what value, and (b) how each bid is then assessed for eligibility by the SG.

    Each Local Authority will need to consider the following when deciding on any Bellwin bid: (i) the scale of the emergency spending (as defined by the Bellwin Scheme) it is incurring; (ii) the scale of this emergency expenditure above the threshold that has been pre-set; and now as an extra factor (iii) its need for Bellwin Scheme funding once its share of the SG’s additional £10m to the 2018-19 settlement is known.

    The Mail article states that the overall cost of dealing with the effects of the severe weather is estimated at £50m (estimated by whom and how distributed between Local Authorities?). For the sake of argument, let’s say this figure is an accurate estimate of (strictly) only those “costs incurred on, or in connection with, their immediate actions to safeguard life and property or to prevent suffering or severe inconvenience as a result of a disaster or emergency in their area”.

    Any expenditure within the scope of Bellwin at the level of each Local Authority will be met potentially from three pots of money, from: (i) the Authority’s existing budget, up to the pre-set threshold; (ii) its own share of the SG’s £10m addition to the 2018-18 Local Authority settlement; and (iii) the funding that it may seek to access through a bid to the Bellwin Scheme.

  62. robert alexander harrison
    Ignored
    says:

    Dont forget this is the paper that had ruth Davidsons 2012 tory conference speech as its front page with the 9/10 of scots are a burden to the state as its front page so you know its anti Scottish.

  63. Andrew Dalgleish
    Ignored
    says:

    Did you notice who the COSLA spokesperson was ? None other than Gail “Tenacious Tory” McGregor so no bias there then

  64. Archbishop of Dork
    Ignored
    says:

    Well done to all the English athletes who’ve won medals. However England has about 86% of the UK population, but has only about 60% of British won medals in these Games.

    Someone should tell Clare Balding and the BBC that England are actually a bit rubbish at sport, all things considered.

  65. Welsh Sion
    Ignored
    says:

    Off topic

    Today was National (which nation?) Unicorn Day, apparently.

    Happy NUD to all Scots who love that beast! 🙂

  66. louis.b.argyll
    Ignored
    says:

    This type of mischievous attack, in the form of disinformation by the so-called newspaper, is an outright lie passed from editor to printer.

    “tens of millions of pounds worth of potholes created by the ‘Beast from the East’ will not be repaired”.

    Parliament(s) should be informed of these politically motivated lies.

    Unfortunately we have two parliaments-

    One, Westminster stuffed full of Tories and their unionist buddies.

    The other, Holyrood with it’s Tory led opposition actually hoping for bad news on the SNHS.

    And if there’s none, make something up in their friend’s newspapers.

  67. Morgatron
    Ignored
    says:

    Fuck! RS are at it too.
    Here we go for more SNP bad.

  68. Tinto Chiel
    Ignored
    says:

    The only answer to this MSM cloacal stew of bollocks:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGIY5Vyj4YM

    O, what is that sound?

    Wake up, Scotland, FFS.

  69. Effijy
    Ignored
    says:

    Thank God the Rev is here to reveal the truth when all UK media only exist to deceive the Scottish voters a daily dose of fake news.

    I really feel that the Scottish Government/SNP should be taking the Mail to court of this malicious distortion of the truth.

    I’d also like an advert taken out by same in the local papers where wee Willie and his fellow party liar,Peter Barrett operate
    their scams to reveal their bare faced lies.

    Time to take them on and expose these charlatans to the masses.

  70. jfngw
    Ignored
    says:

    That’s Rep Scot more or less running the Mail story, they just don’t care about facts, even after the lies are exposed. They didn’t even mention the Bellwin fund.

  71. jfngw
    Ignored
    says:

    Apparently the Skirpals were using their Novichokette patches, hence the delayed action. Be sure you wear these when you want to give up on nerve gas.

  72. Andy-B
    Ignored
    says:

    Why does the Daily Mail have the word Scottish in its title, when it’s nothing more than a Britnat propaganda rag.

    Do the numbskulls running that comic think that by adding the word Scottish that we believe a word written in it?

  73. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    The Bellwin fund also operates in England and of course has thresholds. In Scotland the fund is o.2% for each of the local authority budgets. This can vary from £200,000 for smaller authorities to over a £ million for others.

    It is expected that local authorities will contribute as they already have road budgets.

    I do not think it is anywhere near £50 million Stu. More like £ 20 million in total.

  74. TYRAN
    Ignored
    says:

    Wrong Rev. The date and price is right! 65p to read what are Viz-style news pages on a daily basis. Not bad value, I guess. Plus “22 year old lover calls him Cake Cake” on the front page too. Great stuff.

  75. HandandShrimp
    Ignored
    says:

    People say that fake news can’t get any worse. The Mail says “hold my beer”.

  76. Marcia
    Ignored
    says:

    ‘To be honest, we welcome this new more direct approach from the Mail. It’s going to save us a lot of time in the future.’

    That will keep you very busy though. ‘Today’s lie is…….’

  77. Artyhetty
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T
    Having seen the daily lying rags on the shelves this evening, a lot seem to be headlining with pics and story about Pete Wishart being abused online by ‘independence’ supporters. The Britnats are loving the spat.

    Respect Pete and his work for Scotland, and it’s his own view to stall another indy ref, but this has opened up another avenue to demonise the masses of people who support Scottish independence.

    Still, it’s a distraction while the yes groups get on with campaigning! 🙂

  78. Dorothy Devine
    Ignored
    says:

    OT Having just watched a heart wrenching advert for the RSPCA, for those who think to donate to the poor animals that suffer at the hands of the ‘animal loving british’ a reminder that our animal charity equivalent is the SSPCA and some years ago was diddled out of funds by its big brother.

    Please donate to the SSPCA.

  79. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Dorothy Devine says:
    9 April, 2018 at 4:00 pm
    Heedtracker , perhaps we should use the strategy and start a whispering campaign

    Where though? tory reprobates have the UK msm floor to themselves. although you can see some yoons online up here explaining how the SNP “controls” Scottish media. All of which, just more hard core right wing lies.

    Although you can do this all day, their Russian poisoning fiasco, a staggering BBC gimp led tory fraud on, well all western democracy. Talk about your Hitleresque bigger the lie the better.

    Hitler, Maccarthy, Nixon, Orange Hitler, Colonel Ruth, Strong and Stable, Project Fear 2014, everyone in Pacific Quay news stuff today, you name it, all lovely examples of how barefaced hard core right lying can be very successful, for a whilee anyway.

    ps.

    If SNP do control Scottish media, they’re bloody useless at it:D

  80. wee bud
    Ignored
    says:

    Wall to wall coverage of the rising crime stats all over the country.. Even Radio Shiteland is highlighting them..

    Nobody wants to mention the tartan elephant in the room.. No mention of Scottish crime at all time low figures and record police numbers..

    I know it’s par for the course from Brit nat media but still annoys..

    Don’t pay the tv tax or buy the shiterags..

  81. Hamish100
    Ignored
    says:

    Lib dems and tories are good at getting stories on bbc with their ex employees now an MP and MSP

    Donalda of the bbc promised impartiality. Time she was called back to parliament to explain.

  82. Dave McEwan Hill
    Ignored
    says:

    Fake News? The utter rubbish about Syria is reached to a demented crescendo. But bit by bit informed people are understanding who is doing what in Syria and this is destroying the lying media. In due course everybody will know the truth and understand the absolute depths of wickedness the US/UK/Saudi Arabia/Israel have stooped to to destroy Syria and open up attack options against Iran.
    And they will realise that we are getting reported the exact opposite of what is going on there.

    Lies that big can’t survive.

    As I have Middle Eastern relatives and Syrian contacts my rage knows no bounds.

    Who will be the brave man or woman in our political establishment who can’t take any more of the evil and steps across to the truth.

  83. stewartb
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T

    Just been looking at the BTL comments on the BBC Scotland News website concerning the FM’s visit to China.

    I never cease to be amazed not just the bile that is written but also the ignorance of many that contribute.

    Do they not realise that Scottish Development International, an SG agency, already has staffed offices in several locations in China to promote trade and inward investment? (Source: https://www.sdi.co.uk/locations )

    Do they not realise that even within the EU, member states such as Estonia can negotiate bilateral trade partnerships with China?
    (Source: https://www.baltictimes.com/agriculture_ministers_of_estonia__china_speak_about_trade/ )

    Evidently not – more important for these people to show how much they despise the aspirations and the actions of a SG working in the interests of Scotland’s businesses and people. Depressing!

  84. louis.b.argyll
    Ignored
    says:

    Effigy- ‘I really feel that the Scottish Government/SNP should be taking the Mail to court..’

    I’LL second that.

    And where are the ‘checks and balances’ on opposition soundbites? Nothing, even from ‘rival’ media.

  85. Crackerjack
    Ignored
    says:

    We are chasing our tails here, trying to tell the world that these stories are all Unionist lies.

    We will get a similar story tomorrow and the next day and the day after that. It could be about our NHS or our Schools,
    Whether it is true or not, the aim is to keep the idea of the SNP being an incompetent Government on the front pages and the first story of the STV and BBC Scotland news bulletins.

    Until Nicola gives us the date for IndyRef2, there is very little we have to fight these claims with.

    At this moment in time, we are in a very weak position.

    For proof of this, just look at the Polls.

  86. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Oh aye let’s do democracy by newspaper polls
    If it’s the polls then let’s do democracy by online polls of which today has one poll showing Independence at 77%

    Polls are a manipulation tool and have been for years and does anyone seriously believe the SNP enemies of the state are going to look good in newspaper polls, the last time that happened The Tories went into meltdown and promised the Godlike powers we would get if we voted NO, ya think they’re going to let that happen again

    That’s why the polls never move, because the evil SNP don’t control them, if they did at least they’d be honestly done

  87. Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    Why has the “independence supporting” The National published just one article by the Rev. Stuart Campbell in its more than three years of existence?

  88. Meg merrilees
    Ignored
    says:

    Dave Mc Ewan Hill

    Perhaps that brave politician was openly murdered on the streets of Britain a year ago? The on whose husband wanted donations to go to the White Helmets???

  89. Cubby
    Ignored
    says:

    Troll alert. Boring boring.

  90. Meg merrilees
    Ignored
    says:

    Clydebuilt and Dr Jim

    RE the Ulsterisation of Scottish politics – there was a programme on R4 tonight, I switched on half way through but they were visiting N.Irland and discussing with ‘the man in the street’ how their politics are now in Belfast etc… will brexit cause the troubles again and so on…

    Call me a cynic but the final 5 minutes of the programme went on about how the youth of Belfast are growing up to be neither Unionist or Nationalist; Catholic or protestant – they’re “Progressionists”. The binary way is the old way, and of course this is the cynical bit – we read only two days ago that there is a new political party starting up with £50 squillion backing, which will cherry pick the best bits from Labour and Tory( effectively) so they can all stay in WM till they retire.

    I can hardly listen to the BBC now without sensing an ulterior motif behind every programme. Am i wrong?

    On a brighter note, my sister and her husband have decided to stop buying ‘the Scottish Daily Fail ‘ because they think it is TOO NEGATIVE and makes them feel depressed. Hurrah!!!

  91. Bill not Ben
    Ignored
    says:

    The point is the money paid by motorists for using the roads is not being used to repair the roads as they should be repaired, there is allways someone quoting something or other that has nothing to do with the point I made.
    And as for the roads in places like the highlands and roads that are not as busy as others, that could come out of a pot put aside for that purpose, goodness me I can’t cover everything, I am just making a few valid points folks.

  92. Lenny Hartley
    Ignored
    says:

    Dave Mcewan Hill , glad somebody else sees what Syria is about, a way to get through to Iran, back n 2003 , after the illegal invasion of Iraq, i said to a colleague , Syria is next pointing to a map of the World on my office wall. I said they need to get Syria to get Iran, going through the Straights of Hormuz is not an option, they need to get at Iran via Syria and Iraq. He thought for a moment and said big gamble , i dont think the Russians will let them take Syria. Hopefully he is correct.

  93. Glamaig
    Ignored
    says:

    Even Radio Shortbread saying its £10 million EXTRA money to fix potholes – usual suspects whinging its not enough.

  94. Effijy
    Ignored
    says:

    Couple of interesting pieces regarding the despicable state of England.

    We all know the Tories underfund their NHS, we know that are bit by bit privatising it, we know there are countless unnecessary deaths, we know they capped the Nurses wages to deliver a 15%
    real terms cut, we know they forced the First Ever Junior Doctor’s strike, we know they have scarred off foreign recruits, well today it seems that some of their Trusts,
    isn’t that an oxymoron, have increased the parking charges for Doctors and Nurses to £2,600.00 per annum.

    Yes, you too could have all this in Scotland.
    Just vote for Red, Yellow or Blue Westminster Tory!

    Part 2, A True and Reliable source advised that London Police
    were en mass being accused of being racist when stopping ethnic minorities who they considered to be carrying drugs and or weapons.
    The Met know demand a very long winded document must be compiled after a shift to justify why they stopped any ethnic minority to question or search them.

    With so many Police members having lost their jobs and the remainder rushed off their feet, they now don’t bother to stop these guys, even if tipped of they are drug dealers as they are not always carrying.

    So its a case of don’t stop anyone, or you do more overtime for free. Of course these people know their rights so they carry whatever they like as no one is going to stop them.

    I do demand that we are all treated equal but should a known member of a Yardi Drug Gang expect a little more hassle?

    Bottom line, Westminster Controlled London has more murders than New York.

    Good old Tories can’t see the relationship between less Police and more red tape equals more murders.

    Well when you live in a posh gated community down there and have your own driver waiting outside of parliament for you, things don’t seem so bad?

  95. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    @Bill not Ben 9.06pm
    It’s because we’re not Independent, when we are road fund tax will be added to fuel usage so those who use the roads most will pay most which should answer your question on tourism as well as the question of cross border deliveries from other countries

    An added benefit to this system would be reduced beaurocracy and our cousins in England would be able to see how much they’re being ripped of by their chosen government
    by looking at the new Scottish system which I suggested to John Swinney a few years ago and his office replied in the affirmative

  96. Crackerjack
    Ignored
    says:

    Geez….This Russian poisoning thing is getting out of hand.

    Turned over to Sky News, and surprise suprise, the UK Halfwit at the UN who actually represents us is wanting ANOTHER inquiry into whether the Russians poisoned the Syrian rebels this time.

    She wants Syria’s backers investigated.

    England are really noising up these Russians and as I have said, I can see some England fans coming home from the World Cup in body bags.

    We’ve had nearly two months of wall to wall news coverage on how evil the Russians are.

    And if I was a crazy Russian football fan, then England supporters would be my number one enemy.

  97. louis.b.argyll
    Ignored
    says:

    Weak position? Don’t make us laugh.

    Every day we’re closer to Independence.

    The fact that we actually have a hand to play at all, whether good or bad and however we play it, makes me feel quite good. A credit to our movement.

    To come out the other end, almost intact after 300 years, is quite something for a wee nation.

  98. Dave McEwan Hill
    Ignored
    says:

    Meg merrilees at 8.53

    The “White Helmets” were exposed as a fraud over a year ago.They require no funding because the US/UK have spent millions inventing them.

    If you want to know the truth about Syria read John Pilger, Vanessa Beely, Eva Bartlet, SCIAF and a whole variety of others who were/are actually in Syria watching the Syrian government providing humanitarian corridors for its people to escape from Islamic invading loonies who are funded by the West to try to overthrow Assad who wont do what the US tells him (a bit like Saddam Hussein and Gaddafi). The president Assad, elected by a huge majority of Syrians in a an election described as fair and transparent by over 30 counties who oversaw it,has no need to gas his own people and would be a raving lunatic if he did. I could go on all night – but believe me the Syrian lie is the biggest lie we have ever been told. Even bigger than the WMD lie.

  99. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    Good Lord, Pete Wishart is saying we should always listen to Jim Sillars, the guy who told everybody to vote for RISE with their List vote for Holyrood, the guy every Unionist rag looks to for an anti-SNP or anti-Sturgeon vote, the guy who is rabidly anti-EU, and the guy who won’t vote YES if it means a “return” to the EU.

    Now I’ve seen it all.

    Don’t always agree with Jim but he should always be listened to.

    https://twitter.com/PeteWishart/status/983356485190250496

  100. Cadogan Enright
    Ignored
    says:

    Has the Rev or anyone else actually made a complaint to the (admittedly toothless) regulator??

    I lodge regular complaints with the BBC as they are required to report fairly. And progress them to Ofcom

    If we are going to waste time on the Scottish Mail who have no such requirement, then someone needs to pen the complaint too

  101. Crackerjack
    Ignored
    says:

    Yes a “Weak Position”.

    We are fighting with one hand tied behind our back.

    No date for IndyRef2, means no mention of it from the Scottish Government and no media help.

    No matter which way we turn at the moment, we are being met with a wall of Unionist Propaganda.

    So Yes,,we are in a weak position, AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME,,,,,, IMHO !!!

    If that’s alright with you sir????

  102. Luigi
    Ignored
    says:

    Dave McEwan Hill says:

    9 April, 2018 at 10:04 pm

    I could go on all night – but believe me the Syrian lie is the biggest lie we have ever been told. Even bigger than the WMD lie.

    The Salisbury poisoning was completely fabricated and the gas attack in Syria is false flag (rebels allied to the US-UK axis). Lies lies lies. Completely propped up by a compliant media.

    Very worrying developments. More so because the ignorant, the misinformed among us, those disbelievers who think WW3 could not possibly happen need to wake up pronto. Our WM government is panicking – they are on the verge of doing something really stupid and millions 0f us (yep, us not just some other misfortunates) are going to suffer if they go ahead. We should be out on the streets already before this whole thing blows up.

    Any “democracy” that starts a war is not a real democracy. Think about it, what electorate would ever deliberately pick a fight with a powerful neighbour?

  103. Northern Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    Treeza would rather talk about the Bad Russians than this:

    May’s post-Brexit trade plan with EU dealt blow by key ally

    More bureaucracy will be part of price tag for UK leaving single market, says Danish PM

    Theresa May’s plans for a Brexit deal that delivers frictionless trade with the EU have been dealt a blow by a key European ally who has said there will be more bureaucracy after leaving the bloc.

    The Danish prime minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, said after talks with his UK counterpart in Copenhagen that there would be an inevitable price to pay for Britain leaving the single market.

    Following a bilateral meeting with May, he told reporters at a joint press conference: “We should avoid too many changes in our relations and I am totally in favour of an enhanced trade agreement between the EU and UK.

    “I hope if there’s willingness … we will close a deal which will be as close to what we know now as possible. But we have to be realistic and we have to realise that there will be changes. Leaving the single market comes with a price tag and unfortunately the price tag is also a Danish price tag.

    “That is the reality of life. There will be more bureaucracy in future, unfortunately.”

    The European council president, Donald Tusk, has already told the UK that it . “Friction is an inevitable side-effect of Brexit,” he said in March.

    Rasmussen, whose country is generally regarded as sympathetic toward the UK having also joined the EU in 1973, insisted Brussels was simply aiming to be “realistic and fair” in the negotiations.

    May also signalled that the government’s goal of cutting net annual immigration to below 100,000 would remain in place after Brexit.

    She said: “We recognise the concern that people in the UK have about this issue of net migration into the UK, which is why we set ourselves the target … and want to continue to work to ensure that we address that particular target.”

    Her position was in stark contrast to that of her home secretary, Amber Rudd, who repeatedly refused to confirm to the Commons home affairs committee last month that she was aiming to meet the target by the next election.

    The two leaders also discussed fishing rights, and May promised that Denmark, whose boats regularly fish in British waters, would get “fair and reciprocal access” after Brexit.

    Britain is braced for tough negotiations with Brussels after delaying the decision over who will control and have access to its territorial waters. The government is also facing calls at home from an increasingly belligerent fishing industry to restrict the number of foreign boats.

    May, who backed remaining in the EU, again refused to say whether she had changed her mind about Brexit when challenged by a Danish journalist.

  104. Meg merrilees
    Ignored
    says:

    Dave Mc Ewan Hill

    the white helmets – that is exactly my point… the White Helmets are proven to be frauds yet Jo Cox was murdered and her husband wanted the money to go to this fraudulent group. Didn’t they raise £250,000 or some figure like that?

    Maybe she was the brave politician who might have blown it all out of the water? we’ll never know.

    This latest chemical attack immediately had a hollow ring when they were talking about it on the world service and mentioned the W. Helmets in the same breath.

    I believe what you are saying but I really don’t want to believe that we are being lied to on such a massive scale – it’s scary stuff!

    As an aside, I see that a russian chemical weapons scientist has come out of retirement to say that Skripal was poisoned by A238 which he created and the set is right to blame Putin.
    This is breaking news on the Biased Broadcasting Company tonight.

    I suppose the ball is now in Trump’s court and it could all go belly up shortly. Hope I’m wrong.

  105. Meg merrilees
    Ignored
    says:

    sorry typo error 4 lines from the end of previous post @ 11.17

    the west is right to blame Putin

  106. Graeme McAllan
    Ignored
    says:

    I take issue with your accompanying photo – minor English “celebrity” with his “Slapper du joure” – apologies for my Schoolboy French 🙂

  107. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Thanks for the National dig Rock! Great headline tomorrow

    NEW CURRENCY URGED FOR SCOTLAND.

    Pro indy business prepares strategy case during indyref2

    https://twitter.com/ScotNational

    Although Rock is gliding home on the late bus from the Scottish haha Office.

    Wish you’d tell us what its like at work too Rock.

    Is Viceroy Fliuffie as much a fcukwit at the office as he is in public? Word is he keeps nagging London for a colonial style limo, with little union jacks on the bonnet.

    https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/5188966/adolf-hitlers-mercedes-used-in-twisted-nazi-parades-up-for-sale-but-who-would-really-want-to-own-it/

    Fluffie would, if the boss would just sign it off, right Rock?

  108. geeo
    Ignored
    says:

    @Dr Jim@7.42pm

    Well said.

    Polls, Shmolls…!

    Here in theoretical land…a paper, lets say, The Times, commissions a poll on indy support.

    Said poll returns 56% Yes support.

    Does The Times …

    A. Publish this incredibly good news for Indy campaigners ?

    B. Bury it forever ?

    C. Take a straw poll of office staff, and announce indy support is 32% Yes ?

    The media are carefully and deliberately trying to create a narrative that support for indy is “stuck” in mid 40’s, % wise, and somehow would not go up during an indy campaign.

    Completely ignoring the HUGE 16% increase from pre indyref campaign to the vote in 2014, and the tiny shift required this time to secure victory for Yes.

    Too many Yes folk seem willing to buy into that narrative.

    There is a clear democratic mandate for indy, given by THE PEOPLE OF SCOTLAND.

    You do not get such a mandate from opinion polls, especially when they are commissioned by media vehemently against independence for Scotland.

    We need to remember that wee factoid.

  109. Clootie
    Ignored
    says:

    The Scottish Daily Mail target audience probably don’t read Wings so they will never know that they are being lied too.

  110. HandandShrimp
    Ignored
    says:

    With the possible exception of the Kurds it is hard to pick a side in Syria (or Iraq come to think of it) that makes any sense. There are umpteen sides and most have questionable records, aims and allegiances. Indeed, we probably haven’t backed the Kurds enough, playing Machiavellian politics to keep the Turks happy.

    Why the hell the US/UK would want to get involved in yet another quagmire is anyone’s guess. It is a no win situation. Trump may fire off more cruise missiles as gesture but I seriously doubt he will want to put boots on the ground. He needs those for his border patrol.

  111. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    Good morning Scotland and beyond.

    We’ll sort the roads when we’re i.

    Love ye all, with…

    Passion X.

  112. manandboy
    Ignored
    says:

    Before joining the US in an offensive in Syria against Assad and his allies, notably the Russians, Theresa May would, of necessity, want the support of the ‘British people’.
    How to get such support? Implement the Skripal strategy to stir up anti-Russian sentiment in the UK.

  113. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    Hi Cactus.

    That herbal remedy you suggested at Glenrothes worked a treat over Sunday. 5 doses spread from the back of 1 to Sunday evening, cured the malaise.

    Megathankx!

  114. Jack collatin
    Ignored
    says:

    And there was Jackie Bird on the 10.30 pm Scottish news bulletin introducing Jamie McIvor their Education and Local Government expert by repeating the lie, po-faced, cold as a witch’s teat.

    If McIvor doesn’t know about the Bellwin scheme, he’s no very good at his job. If he does, as is more likely, he lied by omission.
    A government Spokesman (sic) was apparently unavailable, so no need to mention the extra funding available then?
    They interviewed a cyclist who went over on his bike by cycling through a puddle masking a pothole. Cue close up of broken knuckle the treatment of which cost the NHS money, and it was obviously all the SNP’s fault.
    If Ruth or That Dick or that other Willie, Rennie was in charge this poor chap would never have ended up arse over tit in a hidden pot hole.
    I wonder how the Pacific Quay research team got to know about this latest victim of EssEnnPee BADness?
    Or is he an active Red Yellow or Blue Brit Nat activist on tap, ready with his woe is me story?
    What a tawdry little Brit Nat organisation BBC Scotland has become.
    I gather that the SG awaits Bellwin submissions from all 32 councils if they incurred extra expenditure from the ravages of the Beast from the East.

    But fuck the Truth, McIvor. Stick on a Lib Dem nonentity SNP BADding it for the late bulletin.
    The Truth in Scotland is smothered and stifled by the likes of the BBC and its bought and paid for ProudScotBut Fifth Column of Brit Nat collaborators.
    I look forward to the Bird hosting next years Hogmanay Show; not.

  115. Bobp
    Ignored
    says:

    The dirty bar stewards lie with impunity.

  116. HandandShrimp
    Ignored
    says:

    Jack

    I didn’t have the sound on but I saw some grinning ninny squatting by a pothole as if to use it as a public convenience. I take that was the news article? I did wonder if that was Reporting Shite because it looked both inane and parochial enough to be the BBC’s parody of what a national news programme should be.

  117. Meg merrilees
    Ignored
    says:

    Boris

    I take no pleasure in realising that I have reached the same conclusion as Calton Jock and Craig Murray.

    God help us – if he’s not already too busy helping the people of Syria!

  118. Bobp
    Ignored
    says:

    Luigi 10.31pm. The only consolation is , those warmongering westminster bar stewards and their families will get fried with the rest of us.Their billions will be no use use to them then.

  119. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Clootie says: 9 April, 2018 at 11:44 pm:

    “The Scottish Daily Mail target audience probably don’t read Wings so they will never know that they are being lied too.”

    I’d venture a guess that most of them know full well they are being lied to – but they like it that way.

    Had I chat with a close neighbour the other day. She’s married to an Englishman. Actually he’s a really nice guy.

    She made the usual propaganda claim that the Scots get extra per capita funding. I asked her how she knew that to be true.

    I got the usual daft answer, “Everyone knows that’s true”, she said, “It’s in the papers, on the radio and on the TV”.

    I asked her if she knew what the Barnett Formula was designed to do and she said no. So I explained that all it did was calculate the costs of running the functions that were devolved from the Westminster Ministries to the Devolved Governments. To which she replied, “So why do the Scots get more than everyone else”?

    It was just the question I hoped she would ask – although I had expected her not to phrase it as a question but make it as a statement. I knew this meant I had her argument right where I wanted it.

    My reply was, “That’s because the don’t get more than everyone else. They get less, per head, than England, less than Northern Ireland but more than Wales for, first of all England is funder as the United Kingdom and thus gets no Block Grant so nothing decided by the Barnett Formula.

    Northern Ireland has the most devolved functions from the UK ministries. So Scotland has more than Wales but less than Northern Ireland.

    It all depends upon the costs of running the functions devolved from The United Kingdom and England is funded as The United Kingdom, (Now here comes the punchline).

    “So there you go, they told you a lie when they told you Scotland gets more per head than anyone else for England has no block grant and N.I. gets more per head than Scotland.

    However, they lied to you by omission by not telling you that as every devolved country has different levels of devolved function then they must get different levels of funding to run them”.

    When I got back from the Jim Clerk 50 years thingy today she came and apologised for having not believed me but had checked out my explanation.

    I then told her how the BBC was invented by Westminster as its Propaganda Wing – Yes you guessed it – she didn’t believe me.

    So after explaining that one to her that the BBC was founded by Royal Charter and gets an annual grant from Westminster I’ve no doubt she has been busy checking that one out all day today. However, my parting shot may not have sunk in yet – I called after her as she headed back to her door, “By the way The Bank of England was also begun by a Royal Charter”.

    I’m almost certain I have a convert there in the making. Once anyone finds out they have been lied to on any one subject they are on the way to questioning everything else.

  120. Cubby
    Ignored
    says:

    Theresa May and Pete Wishart may say now is not the time.

    I say now IS the time. A referendum every 4 years. Just like the football World Cup.

  121. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Ireland’s had about ten referendums in around ten years on all sorts of stuff, nobody bats an eyelid, and you know why?
    they’ve got democracy so they’re frightened of more of it

    The only people afraid of democracy are those who don’t want you to have it

  122. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    @me 1.37am correction

    Should’ve read *so they’re *NOT* frightened of more of it

  123. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    *Not frightened of it* 1.37am

  124. Still Positive
    Ignored
    says:

    Was at my SNP meeting earlier and we haven’t decided when the next indtref should be.

    What we have decided is that ‘Yes Clydebank’ is starting on 10th May. I am happy about that.

  125. Chick McGregor
    Ignored
    says:

    Dan

    “Who’s this Pothole Bill bloke?”

    I believe he is related to the snorkel and scuba pros Diver Ted and Diver Sean.

  126. Liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Still positive @ 1.45
    Yay…. Thats what I keep hearing,Yes groups starting back up.
    People are starting to organise again.
    I’ve been to more Yes events since the new year than I was at between January to April 2014…

  127. Dorothy Devine
    Ignored
    says:

    Still Positive, good for YES Clydebank .

    In Clydebank ASDA ( briefly) yesterday and though it had a plethora of Daily Fascists , Suns , Daily Depresses there was NO National.

    I wondered if that was standard practice – I thought it strange in Yesser Clydebank .

  128. Jockanese Wind Talker
    Ignored
    says:

    Couple of links for you DMH re Syria and False Flags

    https://www.sott.net/article/348296-MIT-Professor-eviscerates-White-Helmets-evidence-of-Syrian-chemical-weapons-attack

    https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.rt.com/op-ed/417181-chlorine-attacks-syria-responsibility/amp/

    https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.rt.com/news/421589-us-preparing-syria-provocations-airstrikes/amp/

    I also remember seeing video of canisters marked “Salisbury, England” on them getting displayed among other weapons intercepted by Syrian Government forces in an aid convoy into Ghouta on woS fairly recently.

  129. Jockanese Wind Talker
    Ignored
    says:

    Again re Syria Gary Robertson on Radio Shortbread just got his arse handed to him.

    Please can someone lift the audio and post it online

    Also would urge our SNP representatives to listen and understand that is how you deal with the BBC when you know they are lying.

    Interview starts around 07:35hrs

  130. Jack collatin
    Ignored
    says:

    Further on BBC Distorting Scotland’s Potholegate:
    Is the ‘Christopher Johnson: cyclist’interviewed on the piece, THE Christopher Johnson Chief Development Officer for Cycling Scotland?

  131. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    The murder spy’s daughter who got drunk and had food poisoning is discharged. The double dealing spy responsible for the lies in for the ‘dirt dossier’ paid for by Clinton with Saudi money.

    Clinton now interferes in NI. ‘Good Friday’ agreement. For some cheap publicity. Last time peddling a book. Clinton and her buddies are responsible for millions of deaths the world over. In Yemen. In Palestine, in the US. Millions of data breaches and millions of worthless surveillance. Breaking the Law with impunity. To make themselves extraordinary wealthy by makings others lives harder. A total hypocrite. Most of them should be in jail.

  132. Les Wilson
    Ignored
    says:

    Ref Willie Rennie misinforming Scotland about the Bellwin Scheme?
    Just another lie we, can expect no less from them, and their like. It suits the unionist narrative that they suggests by proxy that the SNP are shite.

    This is of course just one tiny part of them trying to turn the people against the SNP, there is nothing sacred in the eyes of the unionist/s now, lies are the prerequisite position of them, for they have no real legs to stand on.
    It is time they were held to account legally if possible, or perhaps to our parliament in that they get kicked out for lying to the electorate. Perhaps 3 ticks and you are out.

    They should be very very glad they do not stay in Spain and many other countries across the world. They would be in a cell with no windows and fed bread and water once a day. Hmmm, some countries get it right, but we are civilised right!

  133. frogesque
    Ignored
    says:

    A lie, however eloquently spoken or oft repeated, is still a lie.

  134. Breeks
    Ignored
    says:

    There’s Jim Sillars out again to resonate with Pete Wishart, and warn anybody who wants Scotland actually saved from Brexit to be sent homeward tae think again.

    Come on Craig Murray. Seen enough yet? Then how about it? You, me, a Constitutional Lawyer, and 62% of the voting population of Scotland… It will all be over by Christmas.

  135. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Jockanese Wind Talker – Veterans Today has articles on Syria. This one shows canisters of smoke grenades made in Salisbury.
    Trump Bolton behind gas attacks:
    https://tinyurl.com/y7p7wqmc

  136. winifred mccartney
    Ignored
    says:

    i thought it was April 1 again in the National after reading Michael Fry and his capitalist plan for indy –

    “we should be cutting taxes not raising them, we should be liberating enterprise not stifling it with regulation. We should favour the private sector not the public sector.”

    I thought the whole purpose of indy was to see change from the capitalist ideas of WM – fair taxes based on ability to pay.

    Enterprise of course but with real living wages and no zero hours contracts, and keeping all the hard won EU health and safety, holiday and maternity rights etc and of course no more PFI and private sector rip offs where shareholders get the profits and everyone else gets falling down schools and damp unsafe houses when builders run away and householders have to foot the bill for new cladding – eg riverside apts and Edinburgh schools.

    And then of course social security we need a system where it really is a safety blanket for everyone of us given with kindness and care recognising that it could be any one of us and this care for all is the hallmark of a civilised society.

    If that is not what indy is about – freedom from WM greed, freedom to tread our own path and freedom to do things differently then what is the point.

  137. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    James Kelly’s assessment of Sillars ….

    “So why would Sillars of all people want Scotland to remain subject to London rule? Quite simply he got a pleasant surprise when Britain voted to leave the European Union, and he’s now emotionally tethered to the idea of Scotland leaving European institutions when the rest of Britain does.”

    … is probably correct. We know a percentage of YES say they have abandoned their position because Leave matters more. Looks like Sillars is one of them.

    Sillars wants to see the polls at 60% before we call ScotRef. I certainly hope it 60% by voting day, but 60% before campaigning even starts!? That is truly other worldly.

    Without campaigning for YES we are relying on the mistakes of the BritNats to convert switherers. Giving their incompetence that is not beyond possibilities. However, they ARE already campaigning for a NO vote! And expecting their net effect to shift polls by over 10% is madness.

    So should we be ramping up a campaign for YES now? Personally, I think we should but limiting it to ‘working with’ the BritNats – highlighting their incompetence and disrespect while countering their lies. Reactive, in effect. We need to be doing a bit more of this.

    Then, when Nicola deems the time I saw right, we go for an all out proactive campaign setting the agenda and backfooting the BritNats.

  138. wull2
    Ignored
    says:

    Do we want to protect Scotland from Brexit, YES
    Vote YES next time.

  139. Jock McDonnell
    Ignored
    says:

    @Jockanese Wind Talker

    has that interview now been cut by the state media ?

    anybody capture it ?

  140. Abulhaq
    Ignored
    says:

    John Bolton the hyper-hawk who ruined Iraq and seeks to bring nuclear devastation to Iran, N Korea, Russia and any other state that doesn’t crawl to US interests is now advising the bipolar, flaky POTUS on how to handle Al Assad (Satan incarnate) and Putin (Brother of Satan) in the West enabled mess that is Syria, where Basshâr still remains a very popular guy indeed…the alternatives having been tried and found rather wanting.
    I hope our National party is not toying with the notion of playing along with this nightmare agenda.
    There should be no Scottish ‘boots on the ground’….a repellent expression, but it fits the current ‘West knows best’ mindset.

  141. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    winifred mccartney says:

    capitalist plan for indy

    The neo liberal approach has been tried, and has failed. The challenge for its believers is to give any examples of where it has actually worked. Nowhere, frankly!

    Yes, a system can make a minority very wealthy, but that proves nothing. And achieves even less for the whole population.

    Take the US. It has been called the richest third world country. By total wealth it seems first world, but by any moral measure of it’s citizens welfare it is definitely third world. A quarter of its population have effectively no access to healthcare.

    Conversely, that doesn’t mean rampant socialism. The ‘best’ by every conceivable measure, human and economic, are the Nordic nations. That’s where Scotland should be looking for a plan. And that certainly doesn’t mean neo liberal ‘hands off’ government.

    Mixed state and private capitalism, with extensive regulation and hands-government is the tried and proven system ….. unless making the rich even richer is your sole objective.

  142. Jock McDonnell
    Ignored
    says:

    I agree @galamcennalath

    we can all campaign at the grass roots but to capture the headlines, we need someone recognisable to stand up & be distinct from the Scot Gov
    somebody who can be a figurehead for a campaign which allows Nicola to say that she is responding to a demand

    thats the only way we will get serious traction in advance of a formal Scot Gov announcement on a referendum, until that person materialises we just need to keep doing whatever we can as grass roots activists

  143. Dorothy Devine
    Ignored
    says:

    OT Thanks to the Herald – I used to find Billy Connelly funny but not any more.

    I now class him with a head tossing non historian.

  144. Ottomanboi
    Ignored
    says:

    @galamcennalath
    Yet to encounter a Nordic who expressed any favourable attitude to Scottish independence. Scots are just a regional variant of English like the people of Skáne are just another tupe of Swede. Nordics are Anglophiles.
    The fetishising of the Nordic way is a fatal error. Nordic states have major social issues and serious problems with far-rightism.
    We must make our own way. That is what independence is about.

  145. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    Pollsters lost the SNP outright majority by advising to give SNP second votes to the greens. Advising to give SNP voters votes to unionist opposition to increase their vote volume. Not conducive to Independence but splitting the vote. Who seriously listens to Sillars. A white noise. Without the migrant vote the IndyRef would have been won,

    Savevresources until another IndyRef is called by elected representative. Not agent provocateurs. Or pollsters who always get it wrong. They have been censored and fined many times for poor, inadequate metholodgy. The pollsters illegally manipulate the vote for money. Most are a disgrace.

    Scotland needs a central bank. To have a IndyRef in Sept it would have to be called now with all the Brexit uncertainty. Not a very wise decision. It is better not to have a winter campaign. In the Bew Year a lot could have changed. Especially around Brexit. The Westminster Gov could gave collapsed, There could be another GE. Independence is more important than EU membership which can be renegotiated. Ibdependence will make the greatest difference to the Scottish economy.

    Chinese direct flights in June (Alex Salmond). In time for the Edinburgh Festival and the new uni term. The Chinese call Scotland the ‘Land of invention’. Every £ spent in education gets £10 back. £1Billion becomes £10Billion. In exports, literature,music, fashion, food and drink, oil, gas, medicine, engineering, computing etc. China 1.2Billion people. A freer market eradicates poverty. In the last 40 years China has eradicated poverty with growth. Invested in renewables. ‘One child’ policy. Now two child. Population imbalance.

  146. Daisy Walker
    Ignored
    says:

    That’s twice now the SNP have run the ‘let the mandate drop’ argument up the flag pole – first it was Tommy Shepherd, now Pete Wishart, and Pete’s not for letting it go.

    Concerning.

    I haven’t been following the news in Syria (the joys of no tv) but when the UN came out in full support of Mrs May’s bullshit over the Salisbury incident, I thought then, it was likely to be about stoking up Syria. Another dodgy dossier.

    And I’ve been wondering how the British Establishment was going to deal with Indyref2 / Brexit shambles.

    I think the answer is now, they’ll make another war in Syria. Whatever research they’ve done in Scotland, to go to this extent, they must be truly shitting themselves.

    Its going to be interesting to hear what Alex Salmond has to say about it on TV, and could it be that the ‘coolness’ displayed by NS and Swinney towards him getting a TV program had its roots in what is about to unfold.

    Interesting times indeed. But here’s a question, if the above worst case scenario, is what is about to pan out, if the SNP have ‘gone over to the dark side’ (again worst case scenario) how do we keep Indy Ref 2 on track and win it?

    Their argument will be in times of crisis/war, holding an indy ref is not appropriate.

  147. Bill McLean
    Ignored
    says:

    All that is necessary for evil states to succeed in deceiving the people is a compliant media. We have that in spades with one notable exception!

  148. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    Hotel in Edinburgh during the Festival nearly £300 a room for the Express hotels. £100 per person? Airb&b approximately cheaper but 150 family sizes apartments. Pop 1 million.

    Then they want to put on a tourist tax? Fleecing. The Trams underpriced.. undersubscribed. OAP’s can’t their travel (bus) passes. More buses have to run. Edinburgh the westhiest City in Scotland with subsidised transport.

  149. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    People can just vote for a mandate. Elected reps can decide. That’s why they are elected. It is up to the voters to elect them.

    Alex Salmond is no longer elected or a representative. He can say what he likes. He does not have to follow the ministerial code of conduct which governs the whole of Scotland. Different roles.

  150. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    @ winifred maccartney – Michael Fry is that rare beast – an Independence supporting Tory. He is involved in The Wealthy Nation blog site.

    It’s a free country and people can promote their ideas freely. We don’t have to agree with them.

    Once independent then I would expect free marketeers to pitch for votes the same as everyone else. As a socialist and also a democrat I have no problem with that.

    I agree, neo-liberalism is a hoax designed to transfer wealth from the poor to the rich.

  151. HandandShrimp
    Ignored
    says:

    I don’t see how a war in Syria rescues the British or Trump administrations from anything. There is no one other than the Kurds to support and the Turks would throw a fit if we did that.

    Assad has with Russian support more or less won. The Kurds control their area apart from a point of conflict with the Turks in Afrin and Assad has persuaded most of the rebels to go to Idlib and now controls most of the rest of Syria. The rebels in Idlib may coalesce into a unified force but there is every chance they might turn on each other.

    While Trump is a wild card I don’t think May is foolish enough to believe another Middle East conflict will help her or anyone else.

    As to Pete Wishart and Jim Sillars I think they are both still committed to Scottish independence but Jim would like that to be outside the EU (as he always has) and Pete is just being cautious, mindful if we do not succeed we could be in a very weak position in a neo-conservative Brexitland. The people I have seen most critical of Pete are people that I would consider to be potential concern trolls. We are not a hive mind, we know what we want but that doesn’t mean there is only one road.

    When the posturing over Salisbury and Syria dies away, as it will, we will back to Brexit and as far as I can see another month has passed and little has been achieved.

  152. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    @Jockanese Wind Talker

    Heard that interview with the ex-ambassador to somewhere and Gary was cut off and outgunned as he tried in vain to push the accepted BBC view of the Syrian story.

    It’ll be on the shortbread i-player thing soon. If it is I’ll post it when I get home.

    Poor Gary. First Lord Adonis and now that this morning… 🙂

    Jings!

    On the other hand maybe his views were known beforehand and it’s shortbread getting the news out…Shurley naw!

  153. Glamaig
    Ignored
    says:

    Jock McDonnell says:
    10 April, 2018 at 9:10 am
    ‘has that interview now been cut by the state media’

    It was quite a long interview, with Peter Ford, former UK ambassador to Syria. Made me late for work!

    Confirms everything DMcE as been saying, was quite surprised they interviewed him.

  154. Les Wilson
    Ignored
    says:

    Further to a previous post.
    Thinking about our politicians at least in Holyrood.

    Would it not be desirable if our elected MSP’s could not lie to their electorate? Would it not benefit all who really believe in democracy? Where we could be sure that we did not get lies or deceit by omission.

    Well, a suggestion to fix it.
    All MSP’s, have to sign up to oath of only telling the truth in all situations to insure our voters are truly guided by the actual truth not partisan propaganda or misdirection.

    I think that would be a really great thing, to include all Holyrood parties, so nothing partisan.

    So how would that really work? Part of their oath would agree that if they are caught lying, they would get a tick on their parliamentary record. Where after accumulating 3 ticks, they would be expelled from parliament.

    This would put a real pressure on them that to speak the truth, is the only way to speak, instilled by the fear of getting expelled altogether.
    Without compensation as they would be proven to be working against the expected rights of the electorate.

    Taking this action would cut out many fake news events or outright lies by any MSP, and gain more of trust of the people.

    To have a system like this would I think, be a world first, a notch for a progressive Scotland and would boost democracy.

    Maybe they would not sign up to the Truth oath?, but then how would their voters take that? what would their excuses be?
    We want to lie? I do not think so.

    There would be no wiggle room in this oath, when electioneering the would have to publicly accept the signing of the oath, to ensure voters that truth will be said by them. If the do not then they would find it very difficult to get elected in the first place. it would be made known that they do not agree to tell the truth!

    It would immensely improve the status of our parliament, and encourage more people to vote,knowing they are judging their vote on a real true perspective.

    Would people like the idea? maybe someone on twitter someone could pose the question and we would see the response.

    Maybe the BBC may like the idea for their reporters and front men and women? (ok, that was a joke, right!)

  155. Fred
    Ignored
    says:

    Pete Wishart should declare an interest here, he just managed to keep his seat & has a nice little earner at Westminster. Why would he want to rock the boat?

  156. Daisy Walker
    Ignored
    says:

    @ handandshrimp

    Not sure what a ‘potential concern troll’ is to be honest.

    The triple lock democratic mandate – was hard won. We will not have it and not get it back any time soon if we let it drop and allow ourselves to be dragged out of EU, have our parliament destroyed, and the UK doubles down on the asset stripping to keep itself afloat.

    No way will people vote SNP after that. They will have less credibility than Scottish Labour, but without the long standing voting habit labour still enjoys in areas of Scotland.

    I get that declaring Indy Ref 2 at this precise moment is not appropriate, but getting real information out now, is a no brainer. And its what the other side – the BBC and all – have been doing constantly, they have never stopped.

    For England/Britian to lose Scotland, it loses 1/3 of its landmass, 60% of Europe’s Oil reserves, over 20% Europe’s Fishing stocks, Renewable Energy Reserves 4 times as large as the oil and gas, etc, etc. And England is bankrupt, it was before and now mid Brexit deal, if it does not get a deal on banking / passport rights, its in a hole it will never climb out of.

    In light of that, calling in a few favours in America and joining in the push to take over Syria and steal their oil is an easy jump. And its been done before!

    And for those who don’t already know, please read Craig Murray’s blog with regards Rupert Murdoch’s 5% stake in Genie Energy, which has been granted drilling rights, by Isreal, in the Golan Heights (which belong to Syria) and take over drilling rights on existing Oil Wells in Syria, should the country ever need to be ‘occupied’. Was it 11 Billion he paid for that? I can’t recall.

    Once War is declared, the ‘wise words of leadership’ will be its not an appropriate time for division, for an Indy Ref, not when our soldiers are in the front line, etc, etc.

    I will be hugely relieved if I’m wrong about all of the above, but, if I’m not, I ask again, if all of the above pans out, what are the tactics for securing Independence for Scotland?

    Being prepared of all possibilities and having a plan B, are infinitely sensible courses of action, wouldn’t you say?

  157. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    Pete Wishart has spent his life in the SNP supporting Independence. He looks stressed out from fighting Scotland’s corner. Like most SNP elected reps who are well educated and responsible. They could earn more money and better conditions, with less stress in other professions. Ie They do not do it for the money. They do it to make people’s lives better. Unlike the unionists who join political parties for what they can get, especially in Scotland.Most rational people can think of nothing worse attending Westminster. Those who can do. Those who can’t join Unionists Parties, especially in Scotland. Racists, bigots and misogynists liars. Getting way with it with impunity.

    Parliamentary Channel Rail Franchising.

  158. Abulhaq
    Ignored
    says:

    I reckon I’m one of the very few who actually knew Syria before the pointless civil war was fomented and encouraged by the US. I recall a country with a growing economy, a liberalising government thanks to the mild mannered President Al Assad, tourism expanding, tentative peace overtures to Israel, infrastructure plans, restoration of national patrimony sites and a good measure of harmony between religious and ethnic communities which its neighbours did not possess.
    Trouble was it had friendly relations with Iran and Russia. America didn’t like, so America, both republican and democrat, must destroy. Islamic State had no time for Iran either. Most interesting, as the US did nothing to prevent Da3ish expansion. Russia did.
    Europe must not get trapped into involvement with politically immature US tantrums. European interference in the Near East in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries is largely responsible for the post-Ottoman trauma in which lives have been wasted on power politics driven, colonial ‘nation building’ schemes.
    Under Trump the USA has all the symptoms of roguery in which laying waste to sovereign states is just collateral damage.

  159. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    The fetishising of the Nordic way is a fatal error. Nordic states have major social issues and serious problems with far-rightism.
    We must make our own way. That is what independence is about.

    All states have fascists. Why should Scandinavia be any different? I can’t think of any state that’s not got fascists. Whether or not its like here with fascist press and broadcasting, is unlikely.

    Look on the brightside. If the great UK fascist did not own and run UK press and broadcasting, they’d have been marching us all down to the local football stadium a while back here in Scotland.

    Land of free, home of the fascist and their latest hero owns a beach golf club 20 minutes north of Aberbloodydeen.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-us-holocaust-survivor-nazi-germany-berlin-stephen-jacobs-a8296956.html

  160. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Handandshrimp – it’s about oil. Sometimes also gas. But always oil. And “full spectrum dominance”. They have to pick off Syria in order to get the big prize – Iran. Saudi Arabia is already bought and paid for. Libya and Iraq already destroyed.
    Then Russia. They already have the southern Stans. It was all spelt out decades ago in the “Project for the New American Century.”

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_for_the_New_American_Century

  161. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    Some people seem to have a crystal ball. Can see into the future. Prophets of doom. This is an Independence supporting website. In the wrong place. Some Pollsters are always wrong.

  162. Vestas
    Ignored
    says:

    If the SNP allow the (triple) mandate to lapse – the KEY point of their manifesto, lets remember – then why would you believe them again?

    If brexit isn’t a reason for indyref2 then what is? Having the parliament & devolution dismantled post-brexit?

    Scotland will NEVER be permitted an indyref once brexit is completed. The rest of the EU will look the other way as devolution is rolled back/abolished, as is happening in Catalonia now. The Council of Europe is pretty much ignored these days & anything at the UN will be vetoed by England.

    What route is left to indy then? Nothing good, thats for sure.

    Wishart has lost the plot, that’s the kindest way I can put it.

    If the SNP are thinking his way then they won’t be in power at Holyrood next time, people simply won’t bother to turn out to vote for them.

  163. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    China reduced poverty from 88% in the 1980’s to 6.5% in 2012. Based on a lower standard of living. In the UK it was 18% rising now to 20%. Austerity. Unequal and unfair.

    HS2 cost £Billions. UK pop 65Million. Japan pop 115Million.

    People in UK being sanctioned and starved. The elderly being killed off. Elderly death in England up 117% in the rest of the UK. Vote Tory to die early. Killing their supporters off.

  164. Les Wilson
    Ignored
    says:

    Abulhaq says:

    I think you are very right and Trumph has just installed a really bias hawk as his security adviser, Bolton. Here is a link, at the end it wants you to buy something so do not do that, or bother with any other links just read through the article. It is no punches pulled on what America is doing and why.

    Preparing for war
    https://www.internationalman.com/articles/preparing-for-war/

  165. Abulhaq
    Ignored
    says:

    @capella
    The anglosphere, the putative alliance of anglophone countries and their buddies, is the 21st century construct.
    It inspires Brexit, it stimulates the grey cells of the US State Dept and is perceived by many as the Brit-American answer to the ‘threat’ of the emerging Asian power blocs.
    Promoting the English language as a vehicle for American/British sociopolitical and cultural worldviews is a core element of the plan. It is called soft diplomacy. In practice, it is aggressive, subversive, well financed and tough. Scots, Irish and Welsh have already experienced its noxious influence.

  166. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Wishart has lost the plot, that’s the kindest way I can put it.

    I can see where Pete is coming from. Even back in 2014, some YES votes would say out loud, our imperial masters simply will not allow nation state Scotland to exist. For starters, there’s just too much money made by a few very rich people and their liggers in this union. Pete’s right at the heart of it all too.

    If SNP Scots gov were publicly prepping a fiscal policy for indy Scotland, with currency planning, in time for the next indyref, 12 to 18 months, Pete would probably not be coming out with this kind of realpolitik.

    We Scots are owned and ruled over by the tories, no matter how hard we don’t vote for them, here they are, feeding on Scotland’s treasure, explaining to us via their beeb gimps, hour after hour just how shite we are. No other of their UK regions has a BBC Scotland endlessly attacking its host region. Its not by chance.

    As we know, some Scots like it this way, from the OO to the fishing “folk.” Maybe Pete’s just saying, long way to go yet.

  167. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    @Japan pop 127Million. Densely populated. Nearly twice UK.

  168. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    Radio shortbread’s Gary interview about Syria.

    1hr and 36mins in then an intro.. then Peter Ford ex-ambassador in Syria for about 8 mins.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09ym4p1

  169. HandandShrimp
    Ignored
    says:

    Capella

    I think the US hawks have missed the boat. The sentiment in the US is now for a more isolationist, trade barrier stance.

    Russia is embedded in Syria and backs Iran. We are back to the cold war stalemate and Putin seems determined to ensure that Russia modernises militarily.

    Trump may be very, very odd but I don’t think he wants his real estate fried.

  170. Liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Les Wilson @ 10.38
    While I agree that Holyrood Parliamentarians should be obliged to swear an Oath of Honesty to the people of Scotland.
    In fact I believe that they should be Constitutionally bound,on pain of defined consequences to do so.

    And I believe that this would go a long way to addressing the dishonesty in the Media,without actually legislating ” for” the Media!

    I don’t think that they should be given any chances…
    They are no teenagers with authority issues,who need time to mature and therefore a chance to get it right.
    But rather …very well paid people who didn’t get into our Parliament on impulse.
    Where they are doing THE most important job in dealing with our resources and writing our laws!

    We have seen time and time again how ,Just, one lie can have dire consequences,E.G. WMDs,320 million a week for the NHS, The Vow,just three recent one’s……International,Uk wide and Domestic.
    So I hope you can see why I would argue for giving the MSPs no quarter …….. One lie just One and they have behaved unconstitutionally…and must pay the price.

    And yes I agree this would probably be a world first,but I have long said that Our Constitution has to be a clever doccument, one that other’s wish they had.
    Just like Indy Ref one was “The Gold Standard” for how to hold a vote, ( even thought it wasn’t perfect,and we should aim to do better next time) and not because of some daft notion of exceptionalism.

  171. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Albuhaq – Yes the Westminster and Washington elite think they have a right to dictate to the rest of us and English is certainly the language of world class bullies and thieves.
    It’s a lingua franca!

    But Westminster is Washington’s poodle as the shambles of the Skripal affair has demonstrated. May and Johnson should be sacked. They are not acting in this country’s interests. Scotland could sack them through independence.

  172. Fred
    Ignored
    says:

    George Kerevan only took the average salary from his MP’s salary, he certainly wasn’t in it for the money & I think Alex Salmond did something similar? Sixty odd grand plus expenses is way beyond the dreams of a working man or woman & as most of the work involved is devolved to Holyrood anyhow, the sooner they’re out of Westminster the better! It is a travesty of a democratic assembly in the 21st century.

  173. Vestas
    Ignored
    says:

    @ heedtracker 11:35 am :

    “Maybe Pete’s just saying, long way to go yet.”

    Doesn’t really matter – the “realpolitik” for the SNP is that if the mandate lapses then plenty won’t turn out again for the SNP. They might vote green or more likely stay at home.

    If the biggest constitutional crisis/clusterfuck/power grab in half a century isn’t reason enough to call indyref2 then are we supposed to wait another 50 years?

    SNP have to pull the trigger on indyref2 this year so it can happen before “brexit day”. If not then I don’t believe they’ll get another chance – they won’t be in power for one thing, never mind devolution being rolled back.

    The signals they’re sending now (via people like Wishart) aren’t going to enthuse swing voters in indyref2 so like others I think they’re kicking it into the long grass. Big mistake.

  174. Lenny Hartley
    Ignored
    says:

    Re the Sripals this is a must watch , hope this guy is not going to become the next Dr David Kelly.
    //m.youtube.com/watch?v=J4utEI2EU64

  175. grafter
    Ignored
    says:

    I think we should put road repairs to one side at the moment along with the Indyref 2 agenda. What is happening re Syria is nothing short of a nuclear confrontation between the USA and Russia. It appears our political masters have learned zero from false flags and their consequences. Led by cheerleader May and her corrupt minority government over the Skripal pantomime it saddens me greatly to see Nicola Sturgeon endorsing the witch hunt against Russia. One wrong move from Trump over yet another “Assad gassing his own people” lie then we could face the end of life on this small planet. Our Scottish government and SNP MP’s need to stand up and be counted over this issue. The people of the Middle East require diplomacy and peace not a warmongering bully who shows no respect for international law while promoting their crusade for worldwide “democracy”. The Russians are in Syria legally having been invited by the Assad government. The Americans with their UK and French “advisors” are there illegally. Make no mistake Russia will not back down over any provocation or threat towards their own military in this region.

  176. Bill not Ben
    Ignored
    says:

    One last time ( our Roads )

    I am a driver, I pay for the upkeep of my roads in scotland because I have a car that uses those roads.
    I do not give a damn how its collected as long as all the money collected is used on scottish roads and not just paid into the UK treasury, that money should stay in scotland to be used on scottish roads.
    And if I happen to drive into england or anywhere else, they can pay for their own roads and they can use scottish roads for free, and we can use their roads for free in return.
    Point is, we pay for the upkeep of our roads, every last penny should be used to repair those roads, and before someone else mentions the highlands or any other area that has their own unique problems, there could be laws to make sure that those roads must be repaired from a central fund if need be

  177. Jock McDonnell
    Ignored
    says:

    Sorry @Glamaig

    I was referring to yesterday’s interview with Lord Adonis, which I think was mentioned on this site earlier. Not sure its available now on the the state media site

  178. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    And I believe that this would go a long way to addressing the dishonesty in the Media,without actually legislating ” for” the Media!

    Honesty is one thing but their greatest power is simply not telling us stuff.

    “If they do not know what’s actually going on, even better, they won’t even begin to understand why. Status quo reins, tory status quo.”

  179. Richard MacKinnon
    Ignored
    says:

    I love this website. It makes my mornings complete.
    Potholes. The latest rage of the nationalists (well 170 of them as of 1202hrs.
    Keep up the good work Rev, your the man.

  180. Breeks
    Ignored
    says:


    HandandShrimp says:
    10 April, 2018 at 10:33 am
    I don’t see how a war in Syria rescues the British or Trump administrations from anything. There is no one other than the Kurds to support and the Turks would throw a fit if we did that.

    Ah, but that’s because you’re not thinking like an Israeli.

    The threat of peace and stability breaking out in the Middle East is the stuff of nightmares for some. If we take it as read that Tony Blair’s war in Iraq was NOT about WMD’s, there remains the rather awkward question what it was all about…

    Do the arithmetic… Palestinian riots and heavy handed suppression, journalists getting targeted and shot, “Syrian” gas attacks, and everything from poisoned ex spies, fiddling elections, and to Putin “lording over the World Cup like Hitler” is bending the truth backwards trying to blame the nasty Russians for everything. Any rational dissent, such as Corbyn or Craig Murray having the temerity to ask for actual proof, is vilified as a tractor, an antisemite, a puppet and “useful idiot” for the Russians. All they did was caution against knee jerk reaction and ask for proof and evidence. Both have been fully vindicated by subsequent developments and revelations, but you wouldn’t think it by the way they’re still being treated.

    But of course, (what’s the HTML tag for Sarcasm?)… none of this has anything to do with Trump recently ad-libbing about removing US troops from the Middle East…

    “We’re coming out of Syria very soon. Let the other people take care of it now — very soon, very soon, we’re coming out.”

    Trump being unhappy with the amount of money the US was spending in the region mopping up ISIS, (yes, that’s the Sunni ISIS whackos who chop of heads and burn people in cages, armed and backed by Sunni Saudis, armed and backed by Sunny America and Theresa May) and Trump, bless him, has questioned the results of that expenditure. Trump had to be persuaded by his Israeli national security team to hold off on ordering a major troop withdrawal.

    It’s almost as if “somebody” is deeply worried the proxy Cold War in the Middle East is going off the boil and risks petering out altogether, and the US troops going home is a very unwelcome development which must at all costs be shown up to be reckless and premature.

    Conversely, given that Assad and the Russians have essentially “won” the war in Syria, both are secure and popular in their office, and actually are mopping up the remnants of ISIS maniacs, why on earth would they provoke fresh retaliatory air strikes, renewed tensions and hostilities by using chemical weapons? That, even in this modern world of total bollox, still doesn’t actually make any sense.

  181. HandandShrimp
    Ignored
    says:

    Richard

    Not as much as you love the Daily Mail then, who made it a front page issue or the BBC who had a lengthy report on the subject with a reporter out live facing the hazards of standing near a pothole (almost as dangerous as going to Syria).

    🙂 The site is here to tackle the shite in the press. If that shite is potholes then so be it.

    To be fair, most of us are talking about the ramping up of the cold war rhetoric between the US/UK and Russia.

  182. Les Wilson
    Ignored
    says:

    Liz g says:
    My post was just my thinking, it could be refined and more pointed by others. However, I think we both agree something needs done and thoughts could be expanded by those brighter than I am.

    Something needs done to protect democracy, something along these lines would be ground breaking. Yes, accountability is a crucial element for our politicians. A sever penalty would be a way to deter lies by any creed by those who people vote for.

    The deterrence I propose may fit the bill or be amended to something similar, but putting a high cost on lying would I feel sure, be the way to stop our MSP’s from even thinking about it.

    As we know a lot of the lies are Westminster supported, so that would also put a spoke in their wheel.

  183. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Bill not Ben says:
    10 April, 2018 at 12:03 pm
    One last time ( our Roads )

    TeamGB’s spent between £35 and £45 billion on middle east war, from their Iraq invasion on to and including their rolling Afghanistan wars. Then they blew £10 billion on two, not one, white elephant aircraft carriers.

    Its a bit odd listening to moaning about potholes, especially from red and blue tories. Labour’s internationalist Socialist Worker party, from Crash Gordo, Bomber Blair, Lord Darling etc had a lot of priorities way beyond pot holes.

  184. HandandShrimp
    Ignored
    says:

    Breeks

    I am an optimist by nature and I am still hopeful that real politik will prevail and Trump will do something token and default back to spending less on such adventures…he has his own spend agenda on walls and the like. Whether this suits other interests is moot…I don’t think Trump cares.

  185. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Richard MacKinnon says:

    It’s,

    Keep up the good work Rev, you’re the man.

    Come come Daily Heil er, readers. It’s your native language.

  186. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    @Lenny H (12.00) –

    Cheers for that link. The poor guy looks utterly dejected, much as Kelly did during those Select Committee hearings.

    Also interesting that he puts NIST in the frame. Deja-fekkin-vu…

    🙁

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4utEI2EU64&app=desktop

  187. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    Some people can’t read. 170 posts mainly not about potholes. Have a nice afternoon.

  188. Dave McEwan Hill
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T but about the biggest lie we have ever been told.
    An amazing resurrection exposing the fake “White Helmets” and the lies being used to justify an invasion of Syria (just like the WMD lie on Iraq)

    http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10160415694630121&set=a.10157696433505121.1073741828.888650120&type=3&theater

  189. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    Yeah. Forgive me Ken but getting involved in a potential Middle East conflict might just be more important than potholes, of which there will be plenty if Russia decides to help Assad.

  190. Dan Huil
    Ignored
    says:

    Yulia Skripal out of hospital. Wonder what uk government office is now giving her the treatment?

  191. Liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Heedtracker @ 12.11
    Well yes….While no system is perfect….
    I did say when I originally commented about addressing the Media, without actually,legislating to bind the Media.
    Which would bring with it it’s own problems that….

    If we can put a parliamentary system in place,in which, we can be reasonably confident that anything they say it likely to be the truth as best they know it to be.
    Then when there are any issues that concern us we just need to have it asked about in Parliament.
    We don’t need to depend on the Media,we have Hoolyrood TV and the internet to share the content of it.
    This makes the Media’s only role (in respect of this country’s politics) to investigate for any lies.
    Even then we can look too.
    Not just for what they Knew,but WHEN they Knew it,so lying by omission is no an option for them either.

    When we are currently in a Country where Courts can approve ” Political ” lying new law’s need to be made to address it?
    And that has not a thing to do with the Media,who normalised it.
    But rather the parliamentary system which didn’t guard against it!

  192. Jockanese Wind Talker
    Ignored
    says:

    The “smoke grenades from Salisbury are probably White Phosphorus grenades @Capella says at 8:59 am

    Gets round the Geneva Conventions ban on WP if you claim it is smoke/target marking.

  193. colin alexander
    Ignored
    says:

    Has Shona Robison resigned or been sacked yet?

  194. Liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Les Wilson @ 12.28
    We are definitely on the same page with this Les…
    Infact you are probably the more reasonable one..lol
    This constant lying by people who should know better,gets on my last nerve and I’m done being reasonable.
    Probably jist as well I’m no actually in charge….
    But I’m sure when and if these things are debated some middle ground will be found!

  195. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    colin alexander says:
    10 April, 2018 at 1:03 pm
    Has Shona Robison resigned or been sacked yet?

    If you CAN get her out Coco, who’s next on the SNP Out hit list?

    Minister of potholes, coco?

  196. ahundredthidiot
    Ignored
    says:

    only one thing worse than potholes

    darn pesky russians

    smoke em out I say

  197. Cubby
    Ignored
    says:

    Westminster = WARMONGERS

  198. Dan Huil
    Ignored
    says:

    Meanwhile in Ireland:

    “Brexit is a “disaster for Ireland” according to Bertie Ahern who insisted any return to a physical border would not be acceptable.

    He said: “Theresa May has said that no British Prime Minister can ever do that.

    ”There never will be a border. There is not going to be a physical border across Ireland because if you tried to put it there you wouldn’t have to wait for terrorism to take it down, people would just physically pull it down – the ordinary people.”

    Asked whether Ireland should take a tough stance in negotiations over cross-border trade and alignment, Mr Ahern answered: “I’m afraid the answer to that is we have to play hard ball.”

    Ticking along interestingly.

  199. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    Plenty of potholes in Syria. Millions more?

    WoS twitter 54,466 followers,

  200. Fred
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Ian, thanks for Dr Busby’s take on this, just reading “A Thorn in their Sides!” by Robert Green on the murder of Hilda Murrell & hope Dr Busby is taking sensible precautions. I would like to fix his wallpaper but!

  201. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    If we can put a parliamentary system in place,in which, we can be reasonably confident that anything they say it likely to be the truth as best they know it to be.

    Its a much more fundamental issue Liz. American constitution says citizens can impeach their elected reps. Even if they try, its almost impossible to do it, get them in to a courtroom, look at Clinton, let alone Nixon.

    Bomber Blair and Crash Gordo marched off to war with far right Bush USA. Its cost millions of lives, who knows how many military casualties, cost trillions of dollars and pounds, destabilised the whole of the middle east, caused worldwide mass refugee crisis, endless war on terror and all of it based on their Saddam’s got WMD’s lie?

    Blair always says, well look at the 2005 GE result, after our Iraq invasion. Labour won.

    Gordon Brown never says anything about anything Iraq and he’s never asked, he’s earned his free tory pass, for stamping out Scottish democracy 2014.

    All just how power works in teamGB, just one of the countless reasons why they can’t ever allow an actual accountable democracy to break out in their Scotland region.

  202. gus1940
    Ignored
    says:

    Now that Yulia Skripal has been kidnapped by UK security forces one has to hope that she does not suffer a sudden relapse which would suit May/Boris and their useful idiots in the BBC and print media. – with the same applying to her father when he leaves hospital.

  203. Les Wilson
    Ignored
    says:

    Listening to the talking heads on my rare visit to BBC, all about action in Syria. What will WE do, we must take some action to deter chemical warfare against civil populations. Russia somehow responsible. Of course that is the tack America and their poodles in Europe want.

    Russia wants a full arbitrary investigation and will comply also.
    So once more we have no proof of any substance as to who caused it. I do not see any reason for Russia to do it, especially with the media hatred towards it at the moment. Syria either as if they did it on their own it would cause a rift with Russia.

    No, someone else is involved in order to further falsely implicate Russia. Just what America and it’s poodles want.
    A set up, if ever there was.

  204. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    @Fred –

    Cheers, but it was the bold Lenny Hartley who put it up, I just posted a different link.

    Yeah, the man talks much sense and seems completely gen, but there’s a frightening resignation about it all. Looks like we really are very close to the end and it could’ve been avoided if only we’d stopped these neo-con maniacs decades ago. It’s not as if they didn’t give us enough clues, make enough mistakes – it was all there in plain view but too many of us were in denial, too scared to admit that these bastards view us as nothing more than expendable livestock.

  205. HandandShrimp
    Ignored
    says:

    Has Shona Robison resigned or been sacked yet?

    ??

    Wrong website Shirley?

    …or because she hasn’t been filling potholes with junior doctors?

  206. starlaw
    Ignored
    says:

    Just heard that Ireland intend to introduce giant ferries which can handle 1500 lorries at a time to sail direct to the continent and Bye Passing the UK all together.
    This does not bode well for the Scottish ferries or jobs in the Stranraer area, Holyhead in Wales will also suffer from the loss of Irish traffic.

  207. Fred
    Ignored
    says:

    Cheers Ian, reaches for the tinfoil!

  208. Yalta
    Ignored
    says:

    Meanwhile back in Jack & Victor land, Isa and Winston gather roon the fire to discuss how rank the Daily Mail is.

    At least Alex Salmond had the courage to make a broadcast condemning the illegal and immoral NATO bombing of Belgrade.

    He is a giant that is sorely missed.

    Only Craig Murray can fill his shoes.

  209. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    Pesky Russkies – successfully jamming American drones in Syria. US trying to drop food parcels to the poor victims in Dhouma I suppose.

    http://www.euronews.com/2018/04/10/russia-has-figured-out-how-jam-u-s-drones-syria-n863931

  210. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Vote SLab, they’re really great.

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/apr/10/labour-minister-barry-gardiner-sorry-good-friday-agreement-shibboleth

    BBC r4 gimp zone says Barry used “colourful” language. Imagine BBC gimp fury alone, if endless UK catastrofucks were on the SNP.

  211. Abulhaq
    Ignored
    says:

    @capella
    The British Council promotes an overwhelmingly anglocentric version of the UK’s cultural mix through its education programmes.
    Scots, Welsh and Irish exist merely to serve the interests of that version. Difference is not in accord with the unitary matrix of Britishness.
    It has outposts in Scotland, Wales and N. ireland.
    It promotes English as the ‘language of peace’. The irony of that being lost.
    @Heedtracker
    Scandi states have issues with male circumcision and kosher and hallal animal slaughter which has origins on the race conscious political right.
    The Swedes experimented with eugenics and sterilisation of the socalled ‘unfit’ before Hitler and the scheme continued until the 1960’s.

  212. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    @Heedtracker
    Scandi states have issues with male circumcision and kosher and hallal animal slaughter which has origins on the race conscious political right.
    The Swedes experimented with eugenics and sterilisation of the socalled ‘unfit’ before Hitler and the scheme continued until the 1960’s.

    So?

  213. Legerwood
    Ignored
    says:

    HandandShrimp says:
    10 April, 2018 at 12:36 pm

    I am not sure if I would be at all optimistic about what Trumps response to the current situation in Syria is likely to be.

    On the news last night there was a clip of Trump at a cabinet meeting saying he would decide on his response shortly. Right behind him was John Bolton, his new National security adviser.

    Not good.

  214. Alba 46
    Ignored
    says:

    Yet another family resident in Scotland being split up due to the hard line stance adopted by the Home office. This time however the man and daughter are Scottish. Doesn’t matter to the english Home office, rules are rules and besides its a devolved issue.

    Contrast this with the hijacking of the “devolved” Scottish powers coming back from Europe by the english government. Their excuse is that the need to set up a common framework thats suits the UK (by that they mean england). In other words its okay for them to ignore devolved issues when it suits them but not the Scottish government.

    Time the Scottish government grew a pair and told the english government to take a hike. We can’t/shouldn’t play by their rules

  215. Liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Heedtracker @ 1.22
    I wasn’t actually meaning team GB/Westminster, they will just have to play catch up when the English electorate finally wake up, and while we can learn a lot from the American Constitution,we can do better.

    Better mainly because of,I think, three things..
    Firstly. Because of modern communication.
    Secondly..Because we can see from the US and other’s what does and doesn’t work.
    Thirdly… We are a small enough country to be responsive to the Seat of Government,America’s main problem, it seems to me, is that it’s too big for the individual to negotiate the systems.
    They are very dependent on the Media to get anything done!
    We don’t need to be…not anymore !

    As to the example of Westminster going off to War,well …
    what Les Wilson and I were getting at was that had they attempted the WMD lie in the Holyrood system we are discussing they would be in jail.
    Not Impeached or Royal Commissioned or on TV with a sad face.

    So while it is indeed a fundamental issue Aye… with the right frame work our systems could be fundamentally working to be keepin us in charge.

    We could for example have a Constitution that requires any military action,that doesn’t involve the threat of invasion or is a response to a direct attack, to be put to a referendum, and/or to last no longer than 18 months,without going back to Parliament and no longer that 5 year’s without being again put before the people.
    Rules like that would have stymied Blair even if he was prepared to risk jail for lying!

    We have to be ready to get control of our Parliament very soon after we take back all of Scotland’s powers,if we want to finnish up with a system that actually works,instead of the same shit different day time after time!

    Oh and apart from we are getting in the middle of a very important discussion of really urgent issues, duty calls so..I will have to leave this one here for now.

  216. Breastplate
    Ignored
    says:

    I think when people say we should emulate certain Scandinavian models, I’m pretty sure they mean the good stuff.

  217. Clydebuilt
    Ignored
    says:

    Call me Dave @ 11.37 am.

    Can’t listen to GMS clip without logging in to the BBC.

  218. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @ockanese Wind Talker says: 10 April, 2018 at 7:52 am:

    “Also would urge our SNP representatives to listen and understand that is how you deal with the BBC when you know they are lying.”

    Why would the SNP want the BBC to stop lying to the people of Scotland?

    Most already independence supporters already know that the media, with only a few exceptions, have been pushing out propaganda and lies at the people of Scotland for centuries. Never forget that Denial Defoe was an undercover Kingdom of England spy and was reporting back to Sir Robert Harley, the English spymaster during the negotiations for the Treaty of Union.

    Defoe’s main claim to fame as a fiction novel writer was actually his cover. Here is the first line in his biography:-

    ” Daniel Defoe born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, pamphleteer and spy.”
    Pamphleteer describes writers of political and/or religious propaganda leaflets.

    At that time newspapers were almost unknown and, anyway, most of the population of England were illiterate, “(the introduction of compulsory education in England only became English law in 1870).

    So as long as the unionists in Scotland are still discovering they are being lied to consistently by the Westminster Governments using the media as their propaganda tools the tide will continue to favour independence.

    Just read Wings if you doubt that fact. I’ve read many, many Wings comments to that effect. Why do you imagine that all the newspaper circulation figures are plummeting and ever more viewers are deserting the BBC with a good percentage of still existing viewers refusing to pay the Propaganda tax that is the licence fee?

  219. Referendum1707
    Ignored
    says:

    “…but too many of us were in denial, too scared to admit that these bastards view us as nothing more than expendable livestock”.

    The neocon view is that the herd is needing culled.

  220. Dan Huil
    Ignored
    says:

    More from Ireland:

    The Irish government was accused by Britnat BS Bulldog David Davis of bowing to political pressure from Sinn Fein yesterday and allowing the party to encourage its hardline stance on Brexit.

    The Brexit secretary said that Leo Varadkar, the Irish prime minister, had allowed republican sentiment to play “a strong political role” in Brexit that had made it harder to resolve the impasse over the Northern Irish border. His claims were rejected by Dublin.

    Row threatens to heighten tensions between the two governments amid talks aimed at resolving the border issue.

    Tick tick tick…

  221. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    We have to be ready to get control of our Parliament very soon after we take back all of Scotland’s powers,if we want to finnish up with a system that actually works,instead of the same shit different day time after time!

    You’re right in theory Liz but who becomes the “we?”

    Who decides what is and isn’t legal to say?

    I’d rather live in a society where the media is like now, a huge army of professional liars, led by the BBC, than one where they’re standing in a dock, in a Scottish court.

    Freedom of speech means ofcourse, the absolute right to lie as hard and as long as you like, like fascists at the Daily Heil for example or BBC Scotland’s absolute determination to bring down SNP Scots, cause as much damage to our nascent democracy as they possibly can and so on.

    Constitutions are only functional contracts and they have loads of problems too.

    We all know USA has an appalling gun ownership problem and the first block on any anti gun ownership laws there is the US Constitution 2nd Amendment, written 200 years ago.

    https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/second_amendment

  222. Lenny Hartley
    Ignored
    says:

    Hey Ian Brotherhood, come to Arran to watch the end of the world, im sure i can get a good view of Faslane from the North of the Island, was gonna built a shelter but thought feck it, fill the Motorhome with the finest arran malt and party, best party ever mo hangover to worry about 🙂

  223. Dan Huil
    Ignored
    says:

    “Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has dismissed as “strange” and “inaccurate” comments by the British Brexit Secretary that claimed the Irish Government was being influenced by Sinn Féin over Brexit.” RTE

    It’s just that David Davis is “strange” and “inaccurate”.

  224. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    @Clydebank

    Link was for those that want to.

    Anyhoo! Peter Ford on a similar interview 7th April.

    A flavour of what happened this morning.

    I expect it will appear on u-tube soon. 🙂

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ry78O40Wc0

  225. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Smallaxe says: 10 April, 2018 at 9:11 am:

    “SiU. Guest Sqeaker: Willie Rennie”:-

    “https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/arbroath-supporters-meeting-tickets-44446733376

    When are all Wingers going to accept the truth that the Westminster Establishment and its three main unionist parties has always been exactly what it is now – A sham to fool the electorate that the United Kingdom has never been other than what its title describes it as a KINGDOM and a kingdom cannot be democratic.

    Truth- It is Her Majesty’s Government – it is NOT the people’s government and the sham of there being three distinct parties is just for show.

    Whenever the United Kingdom has come under threat, externally or internally, there has always been either a formal or an informal coalition government.

    Two World wars each saw a coalition in power, and now that the threats are internal, all three unionist parties stand shoulder to shoulder against their common foe — and we are their common foe.

  226. Liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Heedtracker @ 2.54
    Ouickly
    The WE are the voter’s ….. All of them.
    And what on earth makes ye think I ment the media?
    I thought I made it clear that I was talking about our Elected Representatives..
    Leave the Media to sink of swim ,I say..
    ….
    As for Constitution’s…..we are under an Unwritten one,therefore the Government is not bound by anything.
    With all it’s faults to bind a government to a framework within which they must operate (mindful that we are likely sooner or later to pick a bad one too) can only be a good thing…aye..
    And if we are to have one…well em…we have to actually write something in it…that’s the whole point Heedtracker.
    Or are you seriously sayin we should be like Westminster and not have one…..?
    Have another look at what I Actually wrote…..laters..

  227. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Jock McDonnell says: 10 April, 2018 at 9:23 am:

    “thats the only way we will get serious traction in advance of a formal Scot Gov announcement on a referendum, until that person materialises we just need to keep doing whatever we can as grass roots activists.

    I’m an old man now and have seen many elections and I can state from experience that many elections have been lost by the obviously best party by them peaking much too soon.

  228. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Or are you seriously sayin we should be like Westminster and not have one…..?
    Have another look at what I Actually wrote…..laters..

    UK media are our elected rep’s spokesberks.

    Do you really want to live in a democracy that sees anyone at all in the dock for the heinous crime of telling whoppers?

    Some societies have, over the years. Its a guaranteed disaster. And at the end of the day Liz, they might come for you too.

    Fascists at the Daily Heil for example, publishing on behalf of yoonster Scotland, should ofcourse never see a courtroom. The market, who buys their horror product or not, is good enough for me.

  229. gus1940
    Ignored
    says:

    Starlaw at 1.51

    On the other hand Scotland could build its own Superferries on The Clyde and sail them from Rosyth.

    Another benefit would be that all the Scottish cargoes currently going thru English ports would no longer be credited as English exports

    In the meantime current vessels losing out on Irish Sea traffic could fill the gap for Scottish ferries until we build our own giant ones.

    2 ideal examples are the former Superfast Ferries currently on thr Cairnryan run.

  230. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    In the US most of the day to day administrstion is done by State Law. Different States have different Laws. Raise and lower taxes. Overall admin Defence/Foreign affairs are Federal. Confederation. Federal tax. Flat 10% of income? D’Hondt system. That’s where it started. Jefferson. Checks and balances don’t always work. Senate/House of Representatives. Look it up. Informative.

    Voters have to register. Often elected public officials. Sheriffs, police, fire service. Paid by State taxes? People have to pay for schooling, healthcare insurance, university paid. (scholarships and charity).

    People cannot drink or drive till 21 years old. Less crime and accidents? In 37 States parents can let kids drink at home (earlier) but cannot supply drink to other people’s children. Illegal.

    Gun Laws. 16,000 gun murders a year. 26,000 total. Much more than from terrorism.

    Average State if regulated by population base – 51 x 6Million pop. Some States are densely populated some have less people. Vast wilderness. Pop 320Million. There is some redistribution of resources? Some States have Medicare. Free healthcare – often for the elderly or vulnerable. Private healthcare can be much more expensive. Over treatment.

  231. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Dorothy Devine says: 10 April, 2018 at 9:26 am:

    “OT Thanks to the Herald – I used to find Billy Connelly funny but not any more.
    I now class him with a head tossing non historian.”

    Want to know when I found Connelly had stopped being funny. Dorothy?

    It was when the Humblebums split up and Connelly quit the folk music scene. He then got far too big for his, “Big Banana Boots”.

    Scroll down the cited page below for pictures of those boots.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/bbc-admit-billy-connolly-banana-10817694

  232. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    @Lenny H –

    The final party…what an offer! No need for sleeping bags an aw that paraphernalia…

    @Referendum1707 (2.49) –

    Aye, or as the Israelis like to say of their Gaza incursions, time to ‘mow the lawn’.

  233. ahundredthidiot
    Ignored
    says:

    I am guessing the yanks have gone and reminded tony blair about those pictures they have of him, well, doing what he was doing to that wee, well, let’s just say they had the same shit on Sanders.

    anywho, here he goes again stickin his snib in where it’s no welcome, encouraging May to go it alone without MP’s approval.

    some things never change and a war criminal is a war criminal.

  234. Liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Heedtracker @ 3.19
    Your talking in circles….
    We already have, and have had, for some considerable time Perjury law’s that could put me in a dock for lying after taking an oath!
    And the point was to also remove the Media as a spokesperson for the Politicians….. The information direct from the source and some sort of Perjury laws in place….
    As for the Media?
    They had one job …. but….
    They Don’t hold the Politicians to account,they Don’t answer to us.
    They are infact a distortion to our democracy….they are the problem and they sure as shit don’t need to be part of the solution!
    Reform the Media ??? Why would anyone bother,they are a commercial concern and none of mine, Holyrood on the other hand!!!!!

    Now my Dog hates you cause he missed his walk ….lol..!

  235. jfngw
    Ignored
    says:

    The Tories have no real interest in Scotland beyond its resources and being a playground for their breaks. The only thing that matters, also true for Labour (LibDems are practically irrelevant), is that the SNP do not have a majority.

    The Tories would be quite content for Labour to hold all 59 seats in Scotland as long as they still held a majority at Westminster, after all Labour would not stop them selling out any of Scotland’s resources, they would be just as enthusiastic (that smell of ermine is so seductive).

    On another subject, bye Yulia, if only we had a chance to see you.

  236. Dorothy Devine
    Ignored
    says:

    Mr Peffers , I met him on Arran many years ago and shortly after he went solo. I was dragged to Brodick hall by my pal – who’s husband was delighted to relinquish his ticket.

    I sat on very hard seats while the Tannahill Weavers played ( not my favourite music being an Elvis fan) then Billy took the stage and I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the night – I laughed until my jaw hurt and I forgot my numb bum!

  237. Abulhaq
    Ignored
    says:

    @heedtracker
    Hardly societies to be imitated, unless of course you are in agreement with such covert racism.
    In addition the Swedes suppled Nazi Germany with iron.
    Norway had a government that cooperated with the occupiers.
    And the Finns, under Mannerheim, were Nazi allies.
    They are also adoringly pro-British.
    Really zilch there for us.

  238. Liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Gus1940 @ 3.20
    If I’m remembering right,according to a Winger called Edward,who posted lots of good suff about our Ports a while back.
    The Group who currently own Rosyth won’t allow it to modernise!
    I think he also said that Lord (Smith Commission) Smith was one of them!

  239. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Billy Connolly says better together Bob Geldof says the Irish would’ve been better off under English rule

    Pattern? I think so!!!

  240. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @colin alexander says: 10 April, 2018 at 1:03 pm:

    “Has Shona Robison resigned or been sacked yet?”

    Oh! Wise up! You seem more of a numptie with each passing comment you make.

    The only commenter on Wings that thinks she has failed is Colin Alexander. As I pointed out to you earlier you just do not understand how these things work.

    The lady is not responsible for the failures you lay at her door. The system doesn’t work like that – as I pointed out to you.

    The system is hierarchical and thus the minister’s responsibility is with errors in the Health Board management and not with anything below that level.

    Thus a health board making mistakes is the responsible authority for making the mistakes and The minister’s responsibility is only is so far as that Health Board’s performance.

    She has taken appropriate action at the appropriate level of her responsibility.

    The two Health Board person’s responsible for the errors are now sacked. If it were not a hierarchical system the person ultimately responsible would be Theresa May as Holyrood’s powers are devolve powers from Westminster and May is head of Westminster.

  241. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Liz g says:
    10 April, 2018 at 3:53 pm
    Heedtracker @ 3.19
    Your talking in circles….
    We already have, and have had, for some considerable time Perjury law’s that could put me in a dock for lying after taking an oath!

    Hackdom in the UK doesn’t take an oath, thank god. We’d need very big jails.

    Ofcourse there are UK journos that have been sent down, for, hacking Brenda’s phone or one her firm was it?

    That in itself was wrong.

    Hacks and their billionaire owners happily abuse their freedom of speech rights to say anything they like at all, for their owners political ends.

    Does it all work? WHen New Labour did win 97, all kinds of liggers piled on, explaining, look a neo fascist like uncle Rupert really cannot dictate how our wonderous democracy votes.

    Bollox, red toy bollox, now, but we’re a safer society for these rights.

    There is a lot stopping say you and me starting up our own Daily Not Fascist Heil but when we do, then we can say anything we like at all about yoon culture in Scotland, without any fear we might end up in the big house.

    Because at the end of the day, you and me as eds could end up misreporting a Scots First Minister Colonel Ruth.

    Do you really think that that crew would tolerate any kind of carry on that was not all about vote Colonel Ruth, if they had the Law at their beck and call?

    Have a lovely walk:D

  242. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Abulhaq says:
    10 April, 2018 at 4:04 pm
    @heedtracker
    Hardly societies to be imitated, unless of course you are in agreement with such covert racism.

    You’re arguing about history, in Scandinavia.

    Did you know, the UK once enslaved over a billion people round the planet for example, that genocide was a UK policy or unfortunate outcome, for example. You can do this all day though.

  243. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    “Journalists” on Twitter saying that people shouldn’t be allowed on Twitter and if they are they shouldn’t be allowed to block the “Journalists” who say they shouldn’t be allowed on Twitter

    Listen to OUR truth the “Journalists” cry

    We stop reading their newspapers because they’re shit so they follow us on to Twitter and keep talking the same shit and then complain when we block them for talking shit

    They’re gonnae tell wur Ma’s on us next

  244. haudonthenoo
    Ignored
    says:

    With London lying about Skripals and Syria on a daily basis, building a coalition against Russia we are living in very dangerous times.

    If the SNP do not STRONGLY oppose any military action then they will have lost another member.

    We MUST get out of this stinking edifice of a “union” as soon as possible.

  245. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    Just watched a very revealing interview with Vanessa Beeley, a journalist who works in the Middle East. Completely blows the cover of NGOs in Syria and elsewhere. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, White Helmets, USAID and so on as tools of US and UK foreign policy.

    From UKColumn News:
    https://www.ukcolumn.org/ukcolumn-news/uk-column-news-10th-april-2018

  246. Les Wilson
    Ignored
    says:

    heedtracker says:

    Liz was talking about the same as basically I was. Our elected MSP’s,need to speak the truth and nothing but the truth. We need penalties installed aimed at those who constantly lie and mislead the people who voted them in. Not the media, although I must admit they are the lowest of the low.

    My opinion is that Msp’s sign an oath NOT TO LIE, they should also issue a binding promise during elections that they will sign the oath if elected. Msp’s of all parties would need to sign up.
    So that people can have some faith in who they are voting for and that they are saying the truth.

    I go further and suggest that there are sever penalties if found lying to the electorate.Three strikes, first strike warning, second a very serious strike warning, 3rd strike they are expelled from parliament. With all rights rescinded.

    No coming back, they would have been exposed to lying to voters.

    This would stop lying in it’s tracks, for they would know their voters would see them lying to them and the rest of us. Coupled the sever financial penalty of being expelled, all right rescinded.

    That would stop them from doing it, unlike now where they get away with lying at will.

    It would also stop the Westminster approved lies on Scotland. It would not stop the media, but it would still put a spoke in Westminster’s wheel and others who make the agenda for, in particular unionist politicians .

    Scotland could be a progressive country where our politicians are duty bound to tell the truth,or they are out. Perhaps a world first in this respect. Great for real democracy and Scotland’s outlook for democracy, what is a fault in that?

  247. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    If we tell a lie to say the polis in the course of their inquiries and get caught we’re off to the Poky, If a politician tells a lie to the entire nation and gets caught it’s apparently OK and lovely and legal

    You know there’s no such thing as real democracy when the people who run the country come up with laws like that to protect themselves from the lies they’re about to tell you

  248. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Scotland could be a progressive country where our politicians are duty bound to tell the truth,or they are out. Perhaps a world first in this respect. Great for real democracy and Scotland’s outlook for democracy, what is a fault in that?

    Because it’s fascism or totalitarianism. Anyway it’s impossible to get politicians to court, mostly because that’s a political act in itself.

    Law like history is all politics, written by the winners.

    Look at Blair and Brown? Natural Law dictates they should have seen an Iraq war Human Rights Tribunal at the Hague. Never going to happen.

    Why? Politics.

    Here they are today in Scotland, still battering away at us, vote SLab, We’re really great for You, Your future, the world. Must be true, beeb gimp zone says so.

    Awful arsewipes one and all. Wouldn’t have it any other way.

    Because, if they do get in and they have your legal The Truth, the whole Truth or Else powers, we’re all for it.

  249. manandboy
    Ignored
    says:

    There are at least two pieces of evidence in the Skripal case.

    The first is the complete lack of evidence by the prosecution, which is normally evidence that no crime has been committed.

    The 2nd is that one side is hiding almost every aspect of their case. This would normally be considered evidence of guilt.

  250. Luigi
    Ignored
    says:

    haudonthenoo says:

    10 April, 2018 at 4:22 pm

    With London lying about Skripals and Syria on a daily basis, building a coalition against Russia we are living in very dangerous times.

    If the SNP do not STRONGLY oppose any military action then they will have lost another member.

    We MUST get out of this stinking edifice of a “union” as soon as possible.

    Indeed. We don’t have much time before these buffoons take us to war (and they wont suffer as much as others).

    It is time for the big beasts of Scotland and rUK to step up to the plate, ignore the media backlash and just say it out for what it is lies, lies, dangerous lies.

    And, while yer at it, tell TM to get on with the day job – BREXIT!!!!!!. 🙂

  251. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    A whole barrowload of politicians on telly today congratulating themselves and patting themselves on the back for “Ending decades of sectarianism” in Northern Ireland

    I must’ve missed something, sure they don’t do the murdery stuff anymore but when did the sectarianism end?

  252. Luigi
    Ignored
    says:

    We desperately need the big hitters to shout out about this crazy neocon slide to global confrontation and disaster.

    Don’t be afraid of the media presstitutes – just call it out. Lies lies lies.

    The people are ready to hear a voice of sanity in the wilderness.

    Who is going to break ranks and be a people’s champion?

  253. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Les Wilson

    Just to make my point Les. Think it was last week, BBC Scotland peak time telly news, beeb Scotland gimp explains, “Nicola Sturgeon today blames supporters of Brexit for economy probs!!!” in Holyrood today.

    Fair enough but Sturgeon is later seen on Facebook etc explicitly telling Holyrood that its the tory’s will be held responsible the economic damage caused by Brexit, not the huge catch all “supporters” who as we know include a lot of SNP and YES voters too.

    Were beeb Scotland tory gimps lying at us as usual, with their “supporters” of Brexit rage? Tory’s are ofcourse supporters of Brexit.

    Case dismissed.

    Next accused of lying beeb gimp please:D

  254. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Wars are about money, not what’s right or what’s legal
    The only people who want wars are either people who can make money from them or don’t have to fight and die in them

    Unfortunately wars are money and power for the few and not the many, but many of the many are too thick to see that

  255. Les Wilson
    Ignored
    says:

    heedtracker.
    If people sign an oath then they are bound by the conditions laid down on that oath.If they do not sign it, that is their choice. However if that is the terms for becoming a Scottish Msp they would have to adhere to those terms, or choose not to be an
    Msp.

    Point being they have a choice. Sign to tell the truth or do not sign,people would be aware of that decision.
    It would ensure that Msp’s are bound to tell voters and indeed the country, the truth. Good for Scotland and good for democracy.

    It is no sin to agree to tell the truth.
    So why all the smoke screen.

  256. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Dr Jim says:
    10 April, 2018 at 5:02 pm
    Wars are about money, not what’s right or what’s legal

    When you see the photos of Iraqi kids lying dead around or in the aftermath of UK/US airstrikes, twisted bodies, wee girls with ponytails, I would not want not their consciences for all the money in the world.

    Sure Blair and Brown are rich men today, they may even have no conscience but the Labour party is still here, when it should have had the decency to disband and start again years ago.

  257. Gary
    Ignored
    says:

    Why is it that not ONE of the dailies (with the obvious exception of The National) actually reflects the views of the population?

    I mean, you’d expect there to be Tory papers, Labour papers and SNP papers. When in fact we have ONE SNP paper, ONE Labour paper and the rest are Tory.

    With at LEAST half the population in favour of independence and probably another 10 – 20% ambivalent on the subject WHY don’t any of the papers change their stance? The National came from nowhere to become a fixture whilst ALL the usual suspects are haemorrhaging readers.

    So, it’s costing them money in sales, costing them MORE in revenue as advertisers move elsewhere to get views. Yet STILL they persist. Why would you do something that damaged your business???? Very odd…

  258. Liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Les Wilson @ 4 .28
    Its no jist me then is it???

    We are talking about MSPs taking an Oath and no the Media.
    I don’t know any other way to say it Les.
    The press can keep their freedom to lie.
    The Media are no spending my coin!

    It’s the people we pay to be answerable to us, our Elected Representatives that we want a binding commitment on.
    Heedtracker is usually sharper than that,can’t think why he’s mixing the two issues up?

  259. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    It is no sin to agree to tell the truth.
    So why all the smoke screen.

    We do have a court of truthiness, the ballot box.

    Look at FibDem of Year 2015, A. Carbuncle MP up in Orkney for example,

    https://www.channel4.com/news/alistair-carmichael-was-behind-leaked-nicola-sturgeon-memo

    Mega whopper of the millennium, all on camera, bang to rights, hundreds of thousands in legal fees, Carbuncle gets off scot haha free, because he did it all under his MP persona, not his actual one, what he waddles around Kirkwall in.

    Come next election, the good folks of Orkney decided that despite all of the above, Carbuncle is the best candidate for them.

    Democracy all the way.

    Or, do we open the Scottish Ministry of Truthiness, run by lots of legal eagles, like er, solicitor A. Carbuncle MP.

  260. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Dorothy Devine says: 10 April, 2018 at 4:01 pm

    “I sat on very hard seats while the Tannahill Weavers played ( not my favourite music being an Elvis fan) then Billy took the stage and I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the night – I laughed until my jaw hurt and I forgot my numb bum!”

    That was always Billy at his best. On the folk scene it was all fairly off-the-cuff and spontaneous and Billy wasn’t the only really brilliant act on the scene. It was all much more natural and honest.

    Hamish Imlach, Nazareth, Barbara Dickson and many others started out on that folk music scene. Nazareth’s Manny Charleton, was a works colleague in the Dockyard Radar Bay and Barbara Dickson was a Civil Servant in the Yard’s Personnel Office but the whole scene was more like a big group of friends. There was no segregation of performers and audience.

    You can believe me Billy was far more funny when his main act was the music and the humour spontaneous and interactive with the audience.

  261. Archbishop of Dork
    Ignored
    says:

    “I’m showing infinite patience” tweets Pete Wishart in reference to his online pelters.

    Yes Pete. Unfortunately the infinite patience many people now associate you with is the infinite patience you’re showing to Westminster.

  262. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    @Capella
    As far as I can tell Michael Fry genuinely supports Independence, just has a different view on what it should look like, that’s all!

    His website Wealthy Nation was a goldmine of information and posts, particualrly for me about the currency and central bank issue, at least a good starter for finding out more. Without that I’d find it very hard arguing with the likes of a certain poster in the National who makes ridiculous assertions about the amount of reserves needed and austerity, but in a convincing way if I wasn’t able to slug it out point by point.

    Would be nice if @ScottieDog could help out all the same, he knows far more than me, though it does need to be fought out on the more standard neoliberal platform.

    I’d be pleased to see a lot more Michael Fry’s, to give the current Tory lot in Holyrood a run for their money, and put a more humane face on conservative policies. Yeah, it could have one, honest guv!

    Oh, found the original Wealthy Nation on Wayback weeks ago, *rummages* pick the Sep 17 2014 one:

    https://web.archive.org/web/20141001000000*/www.wealthynation.org

  263. HandandShrimp
    Ignored
    says:

    The question is, who is throwing pelters at Pete Wishart? We are supposed to be the evil cybernats and I don’t see many pelters being thrown here. Not everyone agrees with his cautious approach but that is the case with everything from a football match to bidding for a house. Pete is on the same side. As that long haired hippy chap said “a house divided against itself cannot stand”.

    I would question whether all that are throwing stones at Pete have the best interests of the Indy movement at heart.

    The earliest feasible date for Indyref2 is May 2019 and it may well be later depending on circumstances. If WW3 kicks off it may not happen until we can dig ourselves out of the rubble.

  264. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @haudonthenoo says: 10 April, 2018 at 4:22 pm:

    ” … We MUST get out of this stinking edifice of a “union” as soon as possible.”

    Indeed we must … but! Let me put it this way, that wee bit at the very end of your comment, haudonthenoo, is the important bit.

    “As soon as possible”, is the thing that neither you, I, or the majority of the electorate of Scotland, are better placed to decide when, “it will be possible”, than the party in power at Holyrood and with the majority of Scottish MPs at Westminster.

    They have the MPs, MSPs some MEPs, the entire SNP party and then both the SG and Party Holyrood Civil Servants, legal teams advisors and paid for staff.

    So, forgive me if I believe the SG/SNP and the First Minister are better placed to judge when it will be possible than a commenter on Wings or indeed my own feelings of when the time will be right.

  265. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Hammer that nail in Wishart, NO! that would be bad workmanship says Wishart, who keeps you in a nice comfy well paid job in R Westminster factory Wishart?

    Hammering boss, hammering

    I do hope that’s NOT the case though

  266. Abulhaq
    Ignored
    says:

    @heedtracker
    I certainly wouldn’t look to the British State for ‘models’.
    There is a Scots expression, drei yir ain weird. Following other nations ‘destinies’ is really quite unwise.

  267. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    David Davis? Brexit? Negotiations? Brussells? Theresa May incompetence? Boris idiot Johnson?

    See how they’ve made all that go away in jig time

    And have you noticed how Sky news now refers to Mrs May?

    R Prime Minister

  268. Topher Dawson
    Ignored
    says:

    One of the most horrible tasks you do, Stuart, is to read all this newspaper crap. I really can’t force myself to read it so thanks on behalf of a grateful nation.

  269. Welsh Sion
    Ignored
    says:

    I mentioned IPSO previously. This just in – in an unrelated matter – but for something else my good friends the Scots should take on-board if you ever decide on attacking “Fleet Street”.

    Two notes of apology from me, though:

    1 This is probably not news to most of you – we know that MSM have found Scots and Welshies “easy targets” for decades and will continue to spew their odious, offensive and untrue messages with impunity.

    2 My source is the BBC.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-43711844

    Otherwise, the fight for indy goes on! 😀

  270. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    Sorry peeps I screwed up with that wayback description, the link I suggested just redirects to the current website as it’s set at 2017. You’d have to click the 2014 tab and pick say the 21st Sep link to get the likes of this:

    https://web.archive.org/web/20140921062028/http://www.wealthynation.org:80/

  271. schrodingers cat
    Ignored
    says:

    HandandShrimp says:
    10 April, 2018 at 5:50 pm
    The question is, who is throwing pelters at Pete Wishart?

    i dont think we should read too much into this, it is just the disappointment of people who wanted indyref2 this autumn.

    I must admit, i had been hoping for this date too, but the swing to yes i expected hasnt happened.

    i also neglected to take into account, that altho the eu negotiations finish in sept/oct 18, the subsequent bun fight in westminster only starts at that moment and will last until jan 19. only then will we know the result of brexit or, indeed, if there will be a brexit at all.

    so i concur h&s, the earliest date will be spring 19, after we have left the EU

    remainers will need to prepare to be rejoiners

  272. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    What a fucking pathetic bastard that Liddledick is.

  273. Welsh Sion
    Ignored
    says:

    Off topic

    What’s with this?

    “Ultimo lingerie firm ceases trading in the UK”

    The latest Mone project has gone bust, t*ts up … [cont. on p.92]

  274. ahundredthidiot
    Ignored
    says:

    OT and maybe old hat, but just out of curiosity

    I typed ‘scottish independence’ into a google search and WOS was to be found on page 11. Eleven.

    No conspiracy here folks. move along.

  275. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    HandandShrimp says:
    10 April, 2018 at 5:50 pm
    The question is, who is throwing pelters at Pete Wishart? We are supposed to be the evil cybernats and I don’t see many pelters being thrown here.

    Good point. Look who’s watching. Yoons do use anything at all right enough.

    Kevin Hague
    ?
    Verified account

    @kevverage
    20m20 minutes ago

    SNP/Yes nurtured, encouraged and actively promoted the likes of “Wings over Scotland” – only now, when the nastiness becomes internecine, do we hear calls “to stop [..] verbal bile via social media becoming the language of discourse” – give me strength

  276. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    The latest Mone project has gone bust, t*ts up … [cont. on p.92]

    Watch it! Lady Mone has more power in the trough Lords than all Scots put together.

    Making Mone a Lady was one of toryboy David Cameron’s greatest acts of trolling his Scotland region, since all the rest of them.

  277. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    @ yesindyref2 – a good example of the Wealthy Nation website. I wonder how he fared with Tory colleagues!
    I agree that people like him should be involved in promoting the currency and central bank issues. Scaredy cats who worry about their savings, investments and pensions might feel more confident. I’m lucky in that I don’t have any money to worry about.

    BTW the link I gave to the Vanessa Beeley interview and news item above, interesting though it was on the Skripal affair as well as Syria, was not the live interview I meant to post. It hasn’t yet appeared on the website but I will repost when it does.
    Nevertheless, the UKColumn site has some very interesting articles and interviews. Well worth a visit.

    https://www.ukcolumn.org/

  278. Dan Huil
    Ignored
    says:

    History says, don’t hope
    On this side of the grave.
    But then, once in a lifetime
    The longed-for tidal wave
    Of justice can rise up,
    & hope & history rhyme.

    So hope for a great sea-change
    On the far side of revenge.
    Believe that further shore
    Is reachable from here.

    S Heaney

  279. Old Pete
    Ignored
    says:

    Notice Billy Connolly talking out his arse again in the Mail. Billy was a great comedian but not a great Scot, like so many he has became a lying, anglofied Britnat bastard who lets his former country down any time he can.

  280. Dan Huil
    Ignored
    says:

    Billy Connolly: wee pretendy Scot. No wonder the britnat media loves him.

  281. Liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Heedtracker @ ,5.30
    Well since my suggestion either wasn’t clear or you couldn’t get on board with!
    What do you suggest we do to solve the problem.

  282. ALANM
    Ignored
    says:

    @Robert Peffers 3:22

    Connelly made his name on the Parkinson Show back in the 70’s playing the stereotypical Glaswegian. No opportunity was missed to suck up to southern prejudices. Of course this made him very popular with the BBC down in London but back home his shows bombed – some were even cancelled due to poor ticket sales. To this day he remains a fine example of what we’re up against.

  283. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Luigi says: 10 April, 2018 at 4:49 pm:

    “The people are ready to hear a voice of sanity in the wilderness. Who is going to break ranks and be a people’s champion?”

    I’ve news for you, Luigi, You are not the only one who knows about the lies. Nearly everyone else in the United Kingdom also knows it is mostly all lies. What’s more the SNP, particularly at Westminster, have been calling it out for a long time.

    The media just doesn’t report it, that’s all.

    Thing is there are certain segments of the electorate who not only keep electing these warmongers but are in favour of the wars and are also part of the spreading of the lies.

  284. jfngw
    Ignored
    says:

    Something I keep on seeing referenced by unionists is that 25% more Scots voted to remain in the UK than the EU. They need reminded that 60% more Scots voted to leave the UK rather than the EU.

  285. Cubby
    Ignored
    says:

    All this talk about no movement in the polls should IMHO be terminated.

    The polls will never show a majority for yes as they will never be allowed to do so by the British Nationalists. They will not and never have played fair. Deceit and cunning is par for the course for these barstewards and we should always expect the worse from them as that is what they always do.

    The poll just before Indy1 frightened the horses that much that if we wait for such a poll or polls we will all be dead before it happens. I do not trust that any of these polls will be honest. We will be lucky if Indyref2 is not corrupted by them. Barstewards the lot of them.

    Indyref2 NOW and if we lose then Indyref3 in 4 years time. NEVER GIVE UP.

  286. Glamaig
    Ignored
    says:

    ahundredthidiot says:
    10 April, 2018 at 6:30 pm

    ‘OT and maybe old hat, but just out of curiosity

    I typed ‘scottish independence’ into a google search and WOS was to be found on page 11. Eleven.’

    I typed in ‘stooges of the Kremlin’ and Wee ginger Dug came up second, because of an article title, and WoS came up third, because of the title thing Stu put up.

    Probably just how google works – I think there are ways of making sure your site comes high (or low) the list for specific searches. Dunno what they are.

  287. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    What do you suggest we do to solve the problem.

    Lot’s more education, lots more democracy, lots more WoS blogs! Look at how hard planet toryboy does not like Wings Over Scotland.

    How many Scots really understand D’Hondt, let alone what this one blog about pot hole funding by Scots gov.

    If there’s two things our toryboy masters hate above all else, its a wised up electorate, free speech and lots and lots of
    lovely democracy.

    That’s a three for twofer.

    Don’t get the toryboys started on twitterati cyber nats, let alone their fury at Facebook.

    Just watching Jon Snow C4 news and their “we hate Facebook don’t we Washington” news, but UKOK hackdom’s had it in for Facebook for ages now. Simply because they can’t control what people think on it.

  288. Shinty
    Ignored
    says:

    FFS – Billy Connolly, again! He’s been done to death on here over the past few years – leave the guy alone.

    He may be a Unionist but he was the funniest guy on the planet during my teens. (IMHO)

    To my knowledge he doesn’t have a vote – Stop pissing about and start calling out the people who do.

  289. Breeks
    Ignored
    says:


    schrodingers cat says:

    remainers will need to prepare to be rejoiners

    Oh aye? And who will we trust to lead us? The trusty Brexiteers, who are dumb enough to be persuaded by Farage and Boris that Europe isn’t for us, and selfish enough to split the YES vote and squander a heaven sent Constitutional stand-off which the Union cannot survive, rather than defer their precious Euroskepticism for a year or two until we secure the holy grail of Scottish Independence?

    Or maybe you expect us to trust the SNP again, who marched us up to the top of the hill only to march us all back down again, then pissed away over two valuable years doing absolutely nothing to promote Independence, nothing to build upon nor even sustain the YES momentum left idling since 2014, nor make any use whatsoever of a massive intake of new members who swelled it’s ranks with promise and optimism? Give the SNP a mandate and watch them enigmatically piss it up against a wall… again.

    Oh aye, trust the SNP to pledge it’s support and reassurance to protect the interests of all EU Nationals living here…Aye. All that is except the Scottish ones.

    Scotland delivered a sovereign edict to remain in the EU in 2016. As far as I can see, that’s a Union busting Constitutional watershed. If the SNP don’t see that, or can’t be bothered to defend Scotland’s constitutional sovereignty, then we will simply need to find somebody else to take forward that democratic sovereign mandate and pursue it to its logical conclusion with or without the SNP defeatests and Brexiteers on board.

  290. Dan Huil
    Ignored
    says:

    As the brexit bourach continues things are are about to get extremely chaotic because of Westminster’s incompetence in foreign and domestic matters. Scotland must add to the chaos by declaring it will hold indyref2 regardless of Westminster’s opinion. As individuals we must add to the chaos in our own way – however minor.

    Out of the coming chaos will come Scotland’s liberation.

  291. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    To my knowledge he doesn’t have a vote – Stop pissing about and start calling out the people who do.

    Not having a vote in Scotland, is hardly a bar for campaigning against nation state Scotland. Its 90% of the SNP Out and the NO camper population.

  292. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    @cat: “remainers will need to prepare to be rejoiners

    In which case, if we’re not give the choice in Scotland, the SNP would have broken a manifesto pledge. Simple as that.

  293. Glamaig
    Ignored
    says:

    Cubby says:
    10 April, 2018 at 7:18 pm

    ‘All this talk about no movement in the polls should IMHO be terminated.’

    I agree, they will probably do nothing but drift very slowly without a campaign. I think the SNP position was, Indyref2 if 60% in the polls OR a material change.

    ‘The polls will never show a majority for yes’

    I’m sure the SNP are capable of doing their own polling.

    ‘Indyref2 NOW’

    I think we need to know what the deal is AND have it all ratified so they cant backtrack in the middle of our campaign. Possibly even towards the end of the transition period as the cliff edge approaches. There are still multiple court cases ongoing and there could be a GE and upheaval in Westminster, even in the middle of our campaign.

    ‘and if we lose then Indyref3 in 4 years time. NEVER GIVE UP.’

    I kind of agree we are not going away (I hope) If we exhaust all referendum possibilities I would hope to see the SNP standing on a ticket of declaration of independence if winning more than 50% of the vote, at every election.

  294. Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    Rock (16th March – “The greasy poll”):

    “Nicola and the SNP made utter fools of themselves by supporting Saint Theresa, in my humble opinion.”

    In sharp contrast to the gutless Nicola, Corbyn showed real guts in questioning the “evidence”.

    The SNP standing “shoulder to shoulder” with Saint Theresa and Boris Johnson is worse than Labour and Tory unionists standing “shoulder to shoulder” against Scottish independence.

    Luigi says:
    9 April, 2018 at 10:31 pm

    “The Salisbury poisoning was completely fabricated”

    Ken500 says:
    10 April, 2018 at 8:29 am

    “The murder spy’s daughter who got drunk and had food poisoning is discharged”

    Capella says:
    10 April, 2018 at 11:49 am

    “But Westminster is Washington’s poodle as the shambles of the Skripal affair has demonstrated. May and Johnson should be sacked.”

    Dan Huil says:
    10 April, 2018 at 12:50 pm

    “Yulia Skripal out of hospital. Wonder what uk government office is now giving her the treatment?”

    gus1940 says:
    10 April, 2018 at 1:31 pm

    “Now that Yulia Skripal has been kidnapped by UK security forces one has to hope that she does not suffer a sudden relapse which would suit May/Boris and their useful idiots in the BBC and print media. – with the same applying to her father when he leaves hospital.”

    haudonthenoo says:
    10 April, 2018 at 4:22 pm

    “With London lying about Skripals and Syria on a daily basis, building a coalition against Russia we are living in very dangerous times.”

    manandboy says:
    10 April, 2018 at 4:44 pm

    “There are at least two pieces of evidence in the Skripal case.

    The first is the complete lack of evidence by the prosecution, which is normally evidence that no crime has been committed.

    The 2nd is that one side is hiding almost every aspect of their case. This would normally be considered evidence of guilt.”

  295. Liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Heedtracker @ 7.40
    So nothing then?
    Just more of the same….because more education just means more people know they are lying,it does nothing to address the fact that they do.
    But more than that it does nothing to reassure the electorate that they can insist that they don’t…

    And for the avoidance of doubt ….. I mean our politicians not the Media……
    Planet Tory boy,Facebook and Jon Snow are irrelevant to how we (the voter’s,all of them) ensure the integrity of Holyrood.
    The Parliament won’t self censure,and its up to us to insist that it has standards.
    I cannot see how educating more people to be aware that there are actually no enforceable rules for it to operate under helps!
    Would you approve of the Perjury laws being struck down in favour of educating witnesses not to lie to the court’s?

  296. Crackerjack
    Ignored
    says:

    Shinty 7.41pm

    I can understand where you are coming from regarding Billy Connolly.

    BUT,,,,,,,,,,,during IndyRef1 he ripped the YES Movement to shreds and allowed himself to be used and abused by his Unionist paymasters.

    So, in my eyes, Billy joins Gavin Hastings and all the rest of celebs from the bygone days who have blotted their copy book.

    I no longer have any respect for Mr Connolly or any of the other ProudButScots celebrities.

    They have sold us out.

    Sad really.

  297. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Would you approve of the Perjury laws being struck down in favour of educating witnesses not to lie to the court’s?

    If you put it like that…

    Also, I have no doubt people lie under oath and perjure themselves in court all the time.

  298. Indy2
    Ignored
    says:

    Post-Brexit trade warning for Scottish farmers:

    The EU agriculture commissioner has warned Scottish farmers to expect trade barriers after Brexit.

    During a visit to Edinburgh, Phil Hogan said “things are going to be very different” after the UK leaves the EU.

    He stressed that it will not be possible to keep existing free trade arrangements while leaving the European single market and customs union.

    UK ministers say a free trade deal is possible, highlighting the importance of UK-EU trade for both sides.

    And they said there would be “opportunities” for farmers post-Brexit, with the government pledging to listen to their concerns to “create a farm scheme that works”.

    The Scottish government said any free trade agreement that is not on the same basis as single market membership would be “a disaster”.

    The UK is due to leave the EU in March 2019, although it will stick with most existing trading arrangements during a transition period – currently set to last until 31 December 2020. Talks are ongoing about what the UK’s trade with the EU will look like after that.

    ‘Narrow options’

    Mr Hogan – a former Irish government minister who has been the EU commissioner for agriculture and rural development since 2014 – told BBC Scotland that the red lines drawn by the UK side in the negotiations left few options open.

    He said: “The United Kingdom has put up a lot of barriers to finding solutions. They want to opt out of the single market, out of the customs union, with no reference to regulatory alignment – it narrows the options in relation to what is possible to reach agreement.

    “But hopefully we’ll be able see over the coming months some flexibility on the UK side in order to achieve a better outcome than perhaps people might imagine.

    “The UK has given a lot of ground in the last year, considering what they said at the beginning of these negotiations, and the EU position is very clear. But if you say you want a particular type of agreement, but say at the same say you don’t want to be in a customs union or a single market or have regulatory alignment, of course it narrows the options into a Canadian-type free trade agreement.”

    Speaking following a conference in Edinburgh also attended by UK and Scottish government ministers, Mr Hogan said that “things are going to be very different” after Brexit.

    He said: “There are going to be barriers, there are going to be inconveniences for people who are supplying goods and services in both directions, and these are the logistical issues that people are starting to concentrate on now, because they realise that Brexit is going to happen.”

    Mr Hogan highlighted agricultural products like beef and lamb as among those which could face tariffs in future.

    He said: “This is going to be part of negotiations for the new free trade agreement, and it’s going to be a number of years before we agree all of this.

    “And if we don’t make an agreement, it’s going to go to World Trade Organisation tariff rates, which could be 23% or 24% on certain agricultural products.”

    Frictionless borders

    Scotland Office minister Ian Duncan insisted that “progress has been made” in negotiations, saying the UK was seeking a “frictionless” trading arrangement with the EU.

    He said: “What we’re looking for is no tariffs and no non-tariff barriers. We don’t want troubles at the customs lines, that’s not going to help us.

    “We are the single most important consumer for EU goods, and they are our most important consumer. So anything that does us harm, harms them.

    “Frictionless borders are what we’re looking for – an arrangement that makes sense to traders on both sides of that line and recognising that there will be divergences as we go forward, we should be able to see some form of an alignment which keeps us in lock-step.”

    Lord Duncan said Brexit would provide opportunities for the UK to “strike off in a new direction”, also stressing that farming will be “totally devolved” in Scotland.

    He said: “You speak to any farmer and they will tell you of some of their troubles with the bureaucracy, some of their issues around the computer handling of their support schemes and so on.

    “There are opportunities now. It’s not going to be top-down, it’s not going to be us telling farmers what it’s going to be – it’s going to be listening to farmers and saying, what didn’t work for you before, and how do we create a farm scheme that works?”

    Single market membership

    Scottish External Affairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop was also at the conference, and underlined the Scottish government’s backing for continued single market membership.

    The MSP said Brexit talks were at a “critical stage”, with no agreement over the post-Brexit fate of devolved powers – including some over agriculture – which are currently exercised from Brussels.

    She said: “Single market membership is not just about ability to trade, it’s about access to labour – if you look at our farming sector, being able to access labour is really important.

    “Maintaining good quality standards is vital to our agricultural sector – we don’t want any deals that the UK would want to have with any other part of the world to have chlorinated chicken, for example, or hormone-injected beef.

    “So, therefore, the best way to maintain standards, have access to labour and ensure delivery of our goods and services to markets in Europe, we need single market membership to continue.

    “There has been some movement to date in recognition of the importance of that argument, but a free trade agreement that is not on the same basis as single market membership would be a disaster. Everybody knows that the EU will not give preferential treatment to the UK over single market members.”

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-43717474

  299. schrodingers cat
    Ignored
    says:

    yesindyref2 says:
    @cat: “remainers will need to prepare to be rejoiners”

    In which case, if we’re not give the choice in Scotland, the SNP would have broken a manifesto pledge. Simple as that.
    ———-
    who said you wont get a choice? as far as i can see, there wont be an indyref2 this autumn but i have seen no one suggest there wont be indyref2 after this autumn.

    the mandate comes from the manifesto commitment to hold indyref2 if we are pulled out of the eu against our will. NOT, if dads think we may or may not, possibly or even probably get pulled out of the eu at sometime in the future

    we will be in the eu until 29/3/19. if we exit the eu on that date, we will have a democratic mandate to hold indyref2 in this holyrood electoral cycle. that means any time from 29/3/19 to 5/5/21.

    thats over 3 years from now dads? it seems a bit early to start greetin’ so dry yer eyes and come back again in 3 years and if we still havent had indyref2 by then (my crystal balls tells me that this is extremely unlikely) we will have a greet the gither then launch an indyref2 party. we’ll stand yes2 candidates in 5 regions in the 2021 holyrood elections

  300. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Indy2 says:
    10 April, 2018 at 8:18 pm
    Post-Brexit trade warning for Scottish farmers

    Why do you and CJ post your beeb gimp zone links and then the whole thing?

    It is an odd thing to do, even for you pair of extremely odd chaps:D

  301. louis.b.argyll
    Ignored
    says:

    Skipped right past Rock’s comment there, noticed it was very long though.

    Thinks if he cherrypicks a group of loosely casual but pointed comments, that that allows him to somehow judge us and create negative atmosphere.

    Lol.

  302. twathater
    Ignored
    says:

    OT following the discussion re when to hold indyref2 can I ask people to visit indycar Gordon Ross as he has a good dissection and a positive alternative to put forward which would clarify matters

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTzMqIG-kLs

    I think the SNP SG should support this proposal

  303. Shinty
    Ignored
    says:

    Heedtracker – you are correct of course but, folk going ape over Billy C. it’s kind of up there with that loon Geldof and his recent statement – WTAF cares what they say.

    They are yesterday’s men. Best to concentrate our anger on the ‘Uncle Toms’ who are currently relevant and have some influence.

  304. Northern Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    New referendum split surfaces among SNP MPs

    DIVISIONS among independence supporters about the timing of a second referendum have surfaced within the SNP’s Westminster group.

    Just days after the party’s longest-serving MP urged a cautious and “pragmatic” approach, one of his senior colleagues said he wanted a referendum by the end of next year.

    Angus Brendan MacNeil, who has been the MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar since 2005, publicly endorsed a new vote within 18 months.

    Despite polls showing most Scots opposed to a referendum, he said that once a date was set “energy and enthusiasm will begin”.

    The call for action was in sharp contrast to Perth & North Perthshire MP Pete Wishart, who recently warned Nationalists not to go prematurely into a referendum they might lose.

    Mr Wishart said the Yes movement should be as “pragmatic as possible” and needed to build a new case for independence that could persuade those who voted No in 2014.

    He said there was not enough support for a second referendum, and the impact of Brexit on voter opinion was unpredictable, although an early referendum “might” still be winnable.

    Another defeat would set back the independence cause “decades”, he warned.

    He was called defeatist and an “Etonian boot licker” by fellow Yes supporters as a result.

    Mr MacNeil made his statement after running a poll on Twitter asking people whether a second referendum should be held using the SNP’s current mandate within 18 months, after 18 months but before the 2021 Holyrood election, or after 2021 with a new mandate.

    More than 5000 people voted, with 66 per cent backing within 18 months, 22 per cent later but before 2021, and only 12 per cent backing after the 2021 election.

    Mr MacNeil tweeted: “I voted with the 66% but notable that 88% wish to see #indyref2 happen in this Scot Parl ie by 2021.

    “Nothing will happen on #indyref2 until there is a date to focus on… then like #indyref1 the energy and enthusiasm will begin. I have been hearing chat of campaign for last 2 years but didn’t happen as not date for an aim.”

    Nicola Sturgeon called for a second referendum in March 2017 but “reset” her plans after the SNP lost a third of its MPs in the June election, and is due to update MSPs “on the precise timescale for offering people a choice over the country’s future” in the autumn.

  305. schrodingers cat
    Ignored
    says:

    Glamaig says:

    I think we need to know what the deal is AND have it all ratified so they cant backtrack in the middle of our campaign.
    ————————-

    spot on,

    Possibly even towards the end of the transition period as the cliff edge approaches.
    ——————————–
    dec 2020, good point, the transition will be from where we are now to WTO rules, ie no deal/hard brexit. during the transitional period, WM can negotiate trade deals, which it cant do at the moment, but that doesnt mean they will get any
    ————-
    There are still multiple court cases ongoing and there could be a GE
    ————-
    we took a hit in the 2017ge, mainly cos our support failed to show up(fatigue?) but polls have shown a revival of snp support since then.
    the bun fight at xmas will damage the tories, the moggites already threatening to break away and start a new party etc. but the A50 bill will probably win as corbyn has no choice but to support it. but after that, i expect a leadership challenge against treeza and perhaps even a ge in may19.

    I think it would be a night of yoon mps losing their seats in scotland with the SNP wining back at least 10. bring it on i say.

    if we had announced sept19 for indyref2, a may19 ge could be a real boost to our campaign

    and upheaval in Westminster, even in the middle of our campaign.

  306. Lenny Hartley
    Ignored
    says:

    Dorothy Devine it was my cousin that organised those shows on Arran, i was there as well. He was very funny then , unique in fact, last time i saw him on Arean about ten years ago he was not a tenth as funny.

  307. Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    Northern Rock says:
    10 April, 2018 at 8:31 pm

    “New referendum split surfaces among SNP MPs”

    Rock (30th March – “The rule of law”):

    “Would Establishment lawyer Nicola ever defy British Law?

    I thought that there was a 1% chance but now that she has stood “shoulder to shoulder” with Saint Theresa in condemning Russia for an act it had nothing to do with, there is a 0% chance.”

    Rock (8th October 2017 – “The shoogly peg”):

    “I can say with 100% confidence that Saint Theresa is not going to give permission to Nicola to hold another referendum before Brexit has been completed.

    I can say with 99% confidence that Nicola will not dare defy Saint Theresa.

    If she does, the recent events in Catalonia will look like a picnic in comparison.

    The fascist British state is far far worse than the fascist Spanish state.

    The worst part of it, more than half of Scots will be on the side of the fascist British state.

    After all the Irish and Scots will remain “British” until judgement day and beyond.”

  308. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    They are yesterday’s men. Best to concentrate our anger on the ‘Uncle Toms’ who are currently relevant and have some influence.

    Billy’s enormous head passes me on the way in to work each morn. Should we venerate clowns, highly politicised ones I mean?

    He’s still in it to win it. Hootsman have a huge thing on how Billy hates me because YES Scots hate the English, he says, say the Hootsman toryboys.

    Geldof’s not yesterday either. And he’s also characteristic of a rolling BBC World Service phenomena, where that crew of hard core tories routinely have on Irishmen and women, carefully explainerising how they wish they were still British, how Ireland should be back in the United Kingdom and how they would be better off if they were. Its natural, they say, we are bettertogether, same British isles, same peoples etc.

    So Bob and Billy are very high profile yoonsters indeed.

    Mural’s in Glasgow are a pain in the arse really, you have to avoid a giant Vettriano too. Probably the most awful artist ever to make it and there he is. And he still can’t do elbows, 100 feet high.

  309. Scot Finlayson
    Ignored
    says:

    @heedtracker

    Lying under oath is not always Perjury under Scottish Law,

    Judge`Lord` Burns freed Andy Coulson, who lied under oath,stating that his lie under oath had to be relevant to the trial to be seen as Perjury,

    Tommy Sheridan on the other hand was convicted of lying under oath `Perjury`, his Judge took a different view to Coulson`s Judge.

    Lying under Oath is not Perjury unless the Judge says it is Perjury,

    not implying establishment bias in our fair and uncorrupted very rich judiciary.

  310. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    Interesting what you see if you check out a few timelines:

    Paul Hutcheon @paulhutcheon
    Replying to @FraserWhyte81

    Fyi

    with a link to his Herald article in the Sunday Herald: “Paul Hutcheon: Yes movement is heading for a rift on the economics of independence”

    https://twitter.com/paulhutcheon/status/982905443705073664

  311. HandandShrimp
    Ignored
    says:

    Shinty

    I would tend to agree. Billy describes himself as the least patriotic man in the world. Fair enough! Some people don’t have an attachment to anywhere. He is in ill health and I seriously doubt he will play any part in Indyref2. Our energies are needed elsewhere.

    Syria and Salisbury are distractions that May needs. We do not need them as Brexit is beginning to creep back out from under the fog of the John Le Carre nonsense. We need to focus on the prize not the squirrels.

  312. Meg merrilees
    Ignored
    says:

    Dr Jim @ 5.58
    I noticed that tonight in the 6pm news … “there was a high flying meeting between President Trump; President Macron and Mrs. May” – is she not Prime Minister May???
    At least give her her title it may not be for much longer….

    Do they refer to Mrs. Sturgeon? or even Mrs. Murrell?

  313. Meg merrilees
    Ignored
    says:

    Oh … forgot to add, on early news bulletins they were saying that Yulia Skripal had asked for asylum in Britain – that seems to have vanished and now ‘she is in a safe place’.

    Waiting to hear what Mr. Macron, Mr. Trump and Prime Minister May have decided on their crisis Syria meeting.

  314. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    There is no new case for Independence to be made, it’s the same case as has always been, domination by and from another country who are wrecking and financially raping our country for the benefit of their own, and the sovereign right of any people to determine their own destiny, or in simple terms Bloody Freedom

    Now there might be a new strategy, that’s a different thing entirely

  315. Shinty
    Ignored
    says:

    Heedtracker – sorry, always thought Mr Hoggan was a Yesser.

  316. wull2
    Ignored
    says:

    That’s what they want, split and divide.
    This year, Next year, Never.
    When it comes tell everyone to vote YES

  317. Liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Scot Finlayson 8.45
    Aye yer no kiddin…..
    Don’t get me started on what needs to be done with the Judiciary in Scotland..
    And before anyone else says it…..Seriously please don’t..lol

  318. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Highly regarded and respected throughout many countries of the world including the EU, newspaper columns full, foreign politicians wordy and fullsome in their praise, TV stations and radio overflowing with commentary, invitations to the UN to speak, amnesty international ambassador, respected throughout the Green industry lobby….and yet in Scotland where she IS First Minister Nicola Sturgeon……

    Nothing!

    And the British media critisise North Korea and Russia

  319. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    Brexit’s outcome ranges from bad to absolutely dire. It has the potential to be at one time Blair’s financial crisis, Major’s recession, and Thatcher’s deindustrialise all rolled up! Personally, I don’t think England will ever recover if it opts for a hard outcome.

    They look like walking away from the best trade deals on the planet with vague notions of getting new arrangements from other countries who will completely rip them off in their vulnerable and desperate state.

    Fair enough, I have to say, that is what a majority of their countryfolk appear to want.

    The real issue for me is, surely my fellow countryfolk will see thie danger and set off in a different direction!

    I read tonight Tusk’s anger and disappointment over Brexit. He is spot on. Also visions of reality in foreign press regarding the lack of action of WM over Ireland. Meanwhile UK media full of distractions – all milked to dry in an attempt to hide the runaway train heading for the missing bridge.

  320. jfngw
    Ignored
    says:

    @Dr Jim

    The case for independence is democracy. Between 1979 & 2022 Scotland will have been governed at WM by a party that won most Scottish seats for only 30% of this time.

    England on the other hand has been governed by the party that won in England for 100% of this same period.

    I think that sums up Scotland’s democratic deficit.

  321. Clydebuilt
    Ignored
    says:

    Call me Dave . . . . .

    Got a link to the ex UK ambassador’s interview on GMS

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3j_Z1f84Ps8

  322. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    @Clydebuilt

    Jings! That was timely, just dropped in there. Excellent!

    The bbc: link does suit everyone so good work.

    Been watching woman’s footie earlier, Scotland were dire in the first half survived a penalty then scored 3 in 2nd half.
    Nervous wreck time 🙂

  323. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    Waaha! doesn’t suit everyone.

  324. Dorothy Devine
    Ignored
    says:

    Lenny , it was an experience that we enjoyed and we nipped round to have a chat with him after the show . He was bewailing his stolen guitar at the time – probably about forty years ago!

  325. Legerwood
    Ignored
    says:

    Timing of indyref2

    “”These considerations lead me to the conclusion that if Scotland is to have a real choice – when the terms of Brexit are known, but before it is too late to choose our own course – then that choice should be offered between the autumn of next year, 2018, and the spring of 2019.””

    Nicola Sturgeon March 2017 – from Statement at Bute house

    Full speech here:https://www.snp.org/nicola_sturgeon_speech_scotland_s_referendum

    I think that is still the position

  326. Crackerjack
    Ignored
    says:

    Why is it that the UK have to get involved in Syria, Iraq, Libya Iran.?

    You never hear of Norway Sweden Denmark Finland Ireland Iceland saying they are going to bomb the shit out of a middle east country in the morning

    And when it is the UK, it also means Scotland. So we get dragged into these wars by our english neighbour who want to continually go to war nearly every week.

    Meanwhile back in Norway, their coffers just keep growing and growing.

    I know which option I prefer.

  327. ahundredthidiot
    Ignored
    says:

    My Jury was out on when to have indyref2, but the EU wont be doing a deal to suit either NI or SCO, so we’re on our own here.

    If we leave it too late, project fear 2 will infect the doubters and let’s not forget we are palpably incapable of dealing with the central and most important issue which is currency and that could turn the tide against us.

    It is tempting to run our own project fear while Brexit negotiations are ongoing (my personal choice and probably the EU’s) about how dreadful everything will be, but as a soft Remain we run the risk of losing our own support (that said, I think a Yes at Indyref1 will still be a Yes for Indyref2) and quite frankly I am not sure the SNP have the stomach for that type of fight because ‘we’ should run the battle for Scotland on a note of positivity. .

    So, we are back to how best do we convince that 5 to ten % of No Voters from Indy1 to come over so that we win?

    I say bare the teeth, to hell with the niceties and roll the dice early. Lose and we lose big. Win, and well….

    Fortune favours the brave and the clock is ticking.

  328. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @ALANM says:10 April, 2018 at 7:02 pm:

    “Connelly made his name on the Parkinson Show back in the 70’s playing the stereotypical Glaswegian. No opportunity was missed to suck up to southern prejudices.”

    Actually he made it big in Scotland long before Parkinson but had, as I said, packed in the folk music and banjo playing and went stand-up comic.

  329. ahundredthidiot
    Ignored
    says:

    And on currency….

    ….set out both the UK Sterling and the Euro as options. Scotlands government will get to decide which one after the Indyref2 vote is successful and go with whichever suits our economy best and we know the lay of the lay of the land (since Brexit negotiations are underway), but we can’t stay silent on it, that cries out something else entirely.

  330. Phronesis
    Ignored
    says:

    Scotland fulfills all the criteria of Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States which is codified in customary international law.

    ‘The state as a person of international law should possess the following qualifications: (a) a permanent population; (b) a defined territory; (c) government; and (d) capacity to enter into relations with the other states…The contracting states definitely establish the rule of their conduct the precise obligation not to recognize territorial acquisitions or advantages that have been obtained by force whether this consists in the employment of arms, in threatening diplomatic representations, or in any other effective coercive measure’

    http://www.ilsa.org/jessup/jessup15/Montevideo%20Convention.pdf.

    Now that UKOK is reverting to war-mongering rhetoric – war is always a useful diversion during economic collapse- the world needs a new democratic model as a reference point. UKOK’s wonky moral compass is pointing towards illegal proxy wars and abandoning any sense of humanity.
    That said there are some good people in the world;

    ‘We know that American Jewry is eager for change.
    We are building a vibrant and inclusive movement within the American Jewish community, across generations and organizational affiliations. This movement is open to any who seek to shift the American Jewish public away from the status quo that upholds the occupation’

    ifnotnowmovement.org/about-us/

    The Goal: A Just and Sustainable Peace
    ‘As Israelis, we believe that the only chance for a political settlement that can work is to advocate for full equality of Palestinians and Israelis in Palestine/Israel, with their collective and individual rights constitutionally guaranteed. Indeed, a workable peace must also address the needs of all the peoples of our conflict-ridden region for security, dignity, freedom and economic opportunity’

    icahd.org/our-mission-and-vision/

    ‘In every healthcare system it is essential that care is effective and accessible to the population it serves. But for Palestinians living under occupation or as refugees, this access is often denied by the circumstances in which they live, and the restrictions on their underlying civil and political rights’

    http://www.map.org.uk/the-issues/the-issues

  331. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    And when it is the UK, it also means Scotland. So we get dragged into these wars by our english neighbour who want to continually go to war nearly every week.

    Hopeless concern trolling CJ.

    England no more wants to bomb anyone than America does. Its the tory freakshow in England, just like the neo fascists that own the USA, that love wars, preferably in countries too weak and too far away to affect planet toryboy much at all.

    Its all good toryboy business, their wars, sells lots of made n the UK munitions, keeps enough of their subjects rallying to the flags, gives the unstoppable powers to destroy our personal freedoms, with their endless wars on terror and ofcourse their beeb gimp newtork really love the easy propaganda of vote tory war.

    Neo liberal US and UK love it all.

    So, the reason,

    “You never hear of Norway Sweden Denmark Finland Ireland Iceland saying they are going to bomb the shit out of a middle east country in the morning”

    is because they’re actually liberal progressive democracies, not run by toryboy shitheads, who always have their eyes on the prize, stacks and stacks of cash.

    Hope that helps CJ.

  332. grafter
    Ignored
    says:

    Would appear that unauthorised action by USA is now inevitable. We are now heading into WW3. It will escalate into nuclear exchanges and probably the end of life as we know it. We can forget about independence.

  333. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Scot Finlayson says:
    10 April, 2018 at 8:45 pm
    @heedtracker

    Lying under oath is not always Perjury under Scottish Law,

    Oh aye forgot about that dude Coulson. Wonder what happened to him?

    His boss is one of the most powerful men in the world though, so it probably will get you a mulligan, via Rupert.

  334. mike cassidy
    Ignored
    says:

    Clydebuilt 10.10

    What a beauty of an ‘interview’!

    Gary Robertson well and truly presented with a new posterior.

    Definitely sent homeward to think again.

    Given Ford has previous on fecking with the MSM –

    Was he on this show because Robertson thought he could take him down?

    Or does Ford get an outlet with such low listening figures so the BBC can present him as part of a ‘balance’ equation while ensuring his actual views will not permeate very far?

  335. louis.b.argyll
    Ignored
    says:

    ‘Please – engage your brain’

    Peter Ford (Fmr UK ambassador to Syria)
    to BBC’s Gary Robertson.

    Thanks for that golden link, Clydebuilt.

  336. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    What ever you say about our imperial masters, they certainly look after their running dog lackeys. They probably have to.

    Wiki,

    On 7 February 2011, Coulson and his wife established ‘Elbrus Consultants Ltd’. The purpose of the company is not recorded by Companies House, but is reportedly a public relations agency. Clients include ‘One Young World’. Kate Robertson of One Young World told the Guardian “He can’t do One Young World work at the moment, that is absolutely clear”.

    In January 2016 Coulson launched a new corporate PR agency offering communications strategy services in partnership with Henry Chappell, Coulson Chappell. In March 2017, Coulson Chappell was awarded a contract by the Telegraph Media Group to improve the standing of the company’s publications, The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph.”

  337. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    grafter says:
    10 April, 2018 at 11:59 pm
    Would appear that unauthorised action by USA is now inevitable. We are now heading into WW3. It will escalate into nuclear exchanges and probably the end of life as we know it. We can forget about independence.

    Awe I was really looking for to this summer’s tennis season. There probably will be still be tennis after the Strong and Stable Apocalypse, brought to you by SKY and the great beeb gimp zone.

    WW4 will probably be fought with tennis rackets, hockey sticks, golf clubs etc

  338. louis.b.argyll
    Ignored
    says:

    Heedy,
    Nice to see you doin a bit of art critique on Wings, oh, and now perhaps a sports writer..a welcome relief from forced troll patrol. Take a sabbatical, find your inner self.

    Ps Vettriano is a successful painter, can’t knock that- but critically acclaimed as a mediocre artist.

  339. mike cassidy
    Ignored
    says:

    What a thread!

    Potholes to nuclear Armageddon.

    And entering in to the spirit of things

    I draw your attention to Trump’s Nuclear Posture Review.

    “The most significant change is what appears to be a shift away from seeking to reduce the number of US nuclear weapons and their role in US military strategy. Instead, the Trump review takes a more confrontational tone and presents an assertive posture that seeks to increase reliance on nuclear weapons. This shift entails plans to develop new nuclear weapons and modify others. The report backs away from the goal of establishing nuclear weapons’ sole purpose as deterring nuclear attacks, and more forcefully emphasizes a role for nuclear weapons in deterring “non-nuclear strategic attacks” – even cyber attacks ”

    https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00963402.2018.1438219

    Pleasant dreams!

  340. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Ps Vettriano is a successful painter, can’t knock that- but critically acclaimed as a mediocre artist

    Don’t know much about art but Vettriano makes me want to drown myself in the river across from his giant badly painted mural. There a at least 5.4 million other Scots I’d love to see up there, instead of that old perv. Connolly included.

  341. Benhope
    Ignored
    says:

    To introduce new policies to confront the lies of the media and the BBC/ITV, submit your proposals through your branch to spring conference.

    If enough resolutions, policy will have to be adopted to reflect these views. Democracy in action. Go for it!

  342. Bobp
    Ignored
    says:

    O/t my 86yr old mother in law taken in yesterday to watford general with suspected vascular mini stroke. Lay on ambulance trolley in corridor from 4pm till 9.20pm before being seen by doctor .in contrast my 86 yr old mum taken into Ayr a+e being immediately assessed and treated. No wonder elderly southern retired immigrants/ex pats are moving up to Scotland. No probs with that. It’s when they vote no, i have a massive f****g problem.

  343. Bobp
    Ignored
    says:

    Billy Connolly a fellow celtic supporter whom I had always admired is not a patriot. No he’s just an establishment c**t.

  344. Bobp
    Ignored
    says:

    Can anyone tell me why brits abroad are EX PATS. And foreigners here are IMMIGRANTS . C’mon someone, sensible dave,rock,indy2, please enlighten me.Anyone please?

  345. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    @Bobp 1:42am

    It’s the Empire old boy, it’s the Empire don’t you know
    now fan me some more you sweaty little punkahwalla

    Anyone for Tiffin and a G&T

  346. Bobp
    Ignored
    says:

    Rock 8.43pm ( the irish and the Scots will ‘remain british until judgement day and beyond). Between remain and British you missed the word ‘subservient ‘rock. Also rock not all scots are the most stupid people in the world. Only 55%?? Of them are.but slowly seeing enlightenment.

  347. Lenny Hartley
    Ignored
    says:

    Dorothy Devine about 72 if i remember correctly, ill ask my cousin who is now in Canada,

  348. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    A majority of Scots did vote for Independence. Increasing.

    Billy Connelly can afford not to vote for Independence. He doesn’t have a vote anyway. He does not want to offend his audience for obvious reasons but has made a mint out of Scotland and being Scottish, His whole persona is based on it. Especially for the disaporia. He is still extremely funny being Scottish. It is his heritage. The auld rebel becomes a bit conservative. An act of time.

    Can’t think of anyone who has done so well out of being Scottish than Sir Billy Connelly.

    Vettriano scso successful he coukd not get his painting shown in a Scottish Art Gallery until the SNP came to power.

  349. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    There are more migrants in Europe/UK/US because the US/UK keep on illegally bombing the Middle East to bits. Then they have the cheek to criticise the people. They want to stay in their own land but the US/UK keep on displacing them. Israel is a disgrace. An apartheid state breaking International Law with impunity. Funded by the US. It is just appalling.

    In many middle eastern countries the people do not have a vote. The UK/US support the most absolute despot monarchies in the world, They even gain from it. Blair, Brown, Johnston May the Hedge fund owner, Cameron, Osbourne, the Royals are all getting money from the Saudis. Saudi is now going bust. Sold off Oil rights. It will have to change.

    Sarkozy is now on trial for £Millions of illegal donations from Gaddafi. Before Sarkozy was party to killing him. To cover up? Suitcases of money. Blair gets £Millions of suspect money and is a tax evader. Still meddling. He should be in jail. Chilcot was a whitewash. Iraq, Dunblane and Lockerbie kept secret for 100 years. Gaddafi was trying to modernise Libya and provide welfare for the people. To provide education and healthcare etc.

  350. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    Zuckerberg is on the spectrum, as is most of Silicon Valley. Diversity. Criticise for the right reasons not persona. That is not acceptable. Criticise for breaking the Law not for demeanour which is a trait and can’t be helped. Empathy and understanding can be difficult. Facial contact and recognition.

  351. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    People,the “confrontation” with Russia thing is basic Psychology. May wants the UK to be united, but there is division between all various groups over Independence,Brexit etc.

    A classic way of dealing with such divisions is to create a
    Common threat from an enemy. When the smell of conflict is in the air then a population group tends to unite for better or worse.

    May is creating just such a scenario hoping to bring people together to face the common threat.

    Dangerous tactic.

  352. Bill not Ben
    Ignored
    says:

    Aye Billy Connolly, dae yae thinksa.

    There where two quite good comics in america, one was called Bill Hicks and the other was called George Carlin.
    These two guys started out ok, but they made the biggest mistake any comic can make, they got serious with their audience, ofc the people still paid to see them, but moaning about everything soon gets very tedious.
    George used his comedy to attack religion, politicians, celebrities, anyone that came on his radar basically, he was never my cup of tea, I actually thought he was tediously boring to be honest, but Bill was the saddest thing, what an amazing comedy talent he was, he ended up spending his time on stage just slagging off the authorities, like the police who did basically make his life a misery because of his adult humour, no comedy, no act, and Bill the comic had lost his way on stage.
    Billy Connolly, great comic no doubt about that, but admitted he made a big mistake in speaking of his support for the no camp in the referendum, calling the SNP nazis was not his finest hour, bit of a twit off stage in my opinion.
    Best comic I have ever seen, and I hope he comes back soon from his break.
    Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the one and only, Mr Lee Evans

  353. Abulhaq
    Ignored
    says:

    Scotch Unionist useful tool ‘Sir’ Neil MacGregor on Today show being chatted to by someone called Robinson, singing the praises of Britain, Germany’s love of its humour (Monty Python, who?), Its respect and love for all things British, its way of life and parliamentary democracy, the German national mourning over Brexit blah, blah, blah.
    The AngloSaxophone at its most vomit inducing.
    Genug jetzt!

  354. Dorothy Devine
    Ignored
    says:

    Lenny , that would be about right.

    The sabre rattling just might backfire as the rest of the world decides that the USA/UK world police act is NOT to their liking.

    The US may find it has a bit of difficulty persuading the populace that body bags in droves are worthwhile.

    Sarkozy may wish to contemplate the fact that Saif Gaddafi is going to stand as president in Libya.

  355. Abulhaq
    Ignored
    says:

    Billy Connolly is the Harry Lauder of our time. They all love a comedy Scotchman out there. There’s one on the Simpsons, red hair, bad temper and all and we have Captain Davidson doing her turns on the Home Counties circuit.
    The Scottish reality is the problem. That isn’t funny.

  356. Bill not Ben
    Ignored
    says:

    Flying out from Glasgow airport today, off to america for a couple of months, hope its still there when I get there, heh heh heh.
    If its not, I will see you all in heaven.
    Seriously, have a nice summer, awe the best to you all.

    And I think to myself, what a wonderful world, XXX

  357. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    This morning we learn …. “David Davis has clashed with Whitehall over his demands that Brexit negotiators should map out a detailed trade agreement with the EU before negotiations close this year, the Telegraph has learned.”

    This implies what while Davis does want a future trade deal defined by October, his chums don’t.

    This means the UK will leave the EU with no idea of a future arrangement. This is to plan. Firstly it is designed to make calling ScotRef before we leave more difficult and secondly to make Brexit a done deal, any Brexit.

    Scotland needs to map out a different future, and soon. We mustn’t let the Tories define our agenda.

  358. Scot Finlayson
    Ignored
    says:

    Think it was Dolly Parton that said,

    World War 3 will be fought with nuclear weapons,

    World war 4 will be fought with sticks and stones.

  359. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    Bobp says:

    Can anyone tell me why brits abroad are EX PATS. And foreigners here are IMMIGRANTS

    Simple, entitlement and exceptionalism. Brits are elite, special, superior, different… better. The British Imperial world divided the human race in two – Brits and foreigners. Brits had a deity given right to be anywhere and everywhere, they cannot therefore be immigrants by definition.

    Now it finally all looks like coming to an end. Their Greater England will contract to just England. Their status and standing in the world will shrivel to nothing special. And no doubt there will come a time when they are grad to be economic migrants seeking a better life away from backward and impoverished Blighty.

    And the saddest thing of all is they brought it all upon themselves because of those misplaced ideas of superiority.

    Scotland will not gloat, but we will be glad to be out of it.

  360. Les Wilson
    Ignored
    says:

    Dorothy Devine says
    Ref the sabre rattling, if there was any doubt that the UK is America’s poodle consider this. The US has backed up the UK over the fake poisoning and now the thoughts in defence circles in US are that in response to the American support for the UK, the UK should support them in action against Syria/Russia.

    Compare the two requests, Uk wanted support for an unproven but alleged involvement of Russia with the poisoning issue involving 2-3 people.
    The US wants to have the UK support and maybe take part in military action which may see the end of the world.

    Theresa is in a bit of a bind, to ask parliament to support her in the US request or push it through by some kind of Royal prerogative. She might just take the chance to push it through, needs to show support, and of course she really needs that US trade deal!

    However how can then two requests be remotely similar.The Uk one involving three people including the policeman.

    The US request involves potentially many lives, perhaps millions, with world wide implications for everyone and everything living on this planet.

    She should NOT get involved, otherwise it could lead to the demise of the UK and all our people and to keep American warmongers happy?

  361. Abulhaq
    Ignored
    says:

    Any future depute leader of the National party must have a sophisticated grasp of foreign affairs and a ‘vision’ of Scotland’s place as a distinct political, autonomous entity on the world stage.
    We are sufficiently into this Skripal-Russia-ChemWep.-Syria axis for a general comment from the party about the evils of state roguery, gungho politicking, quasi-imperial ambition and the right of all states to repel preditors.

  362. Abulhaq
    Ignored
    says:

    Any future depute leader of the National party must have a sophisticated grasp of foreign affairs and a ‘vision’ of Scotland’s place as a distinct political, autonomous entity on the world stage.
    We are sufficiently into this Skripal-Russia-ChemWep.-Syria axis for a general comment from the party about the evils of state roguery, gungho politicking, quasi-imperial ambition and the right of all sovereign states, including Syria, to repel preditors.

  363. Les Wilson
    Ignored
    says:

    heedtracker says:
    +Liz

    Looking at your replies on yesterday’s posts by myself and Liz.
    What you posted in replies has little to do with what we were both suggesting.For a start, you brought up Carmichael as something or other. He is an MP ie Westminster, we were talking about MSP’s in Holyrood. So I have no idea what your replies and references had to do with the suggestions in our posts?

  364. starlaw
    Ignored
    says:

    Is the USA and Theresa May about to bomb Syria in support of ISIS.
    Surely someones taking the pi…………..

  365. Clydebuilt
    Ignored
    says:

    Tuesday morning’s interview between Gary Robertson and Peter Ford ex UK Ambassador to Syria

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3j_Z1f84Ps8

    Just after 5pm (Tuesday) Mhari Stuart (Drive time ) interviewed an ex uk Agent who poured scorn over the Salisbury affair

    So in one day the BBC in Scotland have broadcast 2 expert opinions undermining the UK Gov’s policy on Russia. . . .

    What’s BBC Scotland up to?

  366. Dorothy Devine
    Ignored
    says:

    Clydebuilt , it was a mistake NEVER to be allowed to happen again.
    They will choose the people with the ‘correct’ information as in SNP BAD , Russia BAD , UK Bloody Marvellous ( we won the war you know) and other utter ordure.

    Lenny , that mysterious polis! Where is he? How is he? How was he contaminated? That photo of the pair eating and drinking was taken by someone – who? Will washing clothes a fortnight later and wiping down the handbag with baby wipes stop the WORST ,MOST DANGEROUS NERVE AGENT really work????

  367. Highland Wifie
    Ignored
    says:

    I convinced myself that only a handful of world leaders are psychopaths but recent events have had me questioning that assumption. You probably need some level of psychopathy to want to have that much power. Perhaps it’s always been thus and I just hadn’t noticed before.

    It seems to be very dangerous times for us all, but even if we avoid Armageddon the fear produced in the population by the heightened tensions is not good for clear thinking.
    I have no doubt that this suits the UK government very well. A fearful population is more amenable to aggressive action by the state in order to ‘keep us safe’. But that could be a negative factor in increasing support for Yes. Why people think we’re safer with a nuclear weapon on our doorstep is beyond me. But it does add complications to choosing the right time for Indyref 2. I am in no doubt that it should be sooner rather than later. We are in the UK web and their plan is to cocoon us so tightly in it that we will be unable to move at all. We can’t wait until that point.
    I understand why some people are becoming frustrated but I see no reason at the moment to stop trusting the Scottish Government to choose the right time and take the right actions. Call me naive if you like but, in spite of huge respect for him, I don’t trust Jim Sillars on this.

  368. Breeks
    Ignored
    says:


    galamcennalath says:
    11 April, 2018 at 8:42 am
    … This is to plan. Firstly it is designed to make calling ScotRef before we leave more difficult and secondly to make Brexit a done deal, any Brexit…

    Yeah. Who’s great idea was it to park the whole concept of Independence up a cul-de-sac, make Brexit the definitive trigger for an Independence referendum, then abdicate the timing of that trigger to fat headed Unionist BritNats who don’t have a clue what they’re doing?

    “But! But! We need to know the final details of Brexit before we can do anything!”… Really? Why? Sounds exactly like tunnel vision bollocks to me. Europe knows Brexit is a disaster, EFTA knows Brexit will be a disaster. The US knows Brexit is stupidity on stilts. The whole planet is laughing at the UK’S delusional stupidity, but none of that is good enough for Holyrood. Scotland still wants to read the small print on the receipt. We know enough, more than enough, to know Brexit is something we need to save ourselves from. The fact Theresa May might crash Brexit and call another referendum is a glaring weakness in our glass-jaw strategy, not hers.

    Personally, right now I need some urgent sign that the SNP hasn’t lost its way and all perspective.

    It is my heartfelt belief we urgently need YES to reanimate itself, and coalesce not around the SNP’s confused position and selective democracy, but around the clear legal principle of Scotland’s Constitutional Sovereignty, then quickly petition the EUCJ to recognise Scotland as a sovereign interlocutor in International negotiations, so that Michel Barnier is obliged to do likewise, and thus cannot finalise Brexit while UK sovereignty is disputed and Scotland’s resources are not at Westminster’s disposal.

    That is the only way left open to us to save our EU Citizenship, make safe our independent (small i) constitutional sovereignty, and redefine the nature of our future relationship with Westminster, which I believe will take of the “big i” Independence.

    Westminster will concede absolutely nothing that it doesn’t have to. Only a fool would believe otherwise. Negotiation is not in their vocabulary. Westminster will only ever respect our Sovereign Constitution when it is compelled to do so, given no choice, and that requires an International judgement which Westminster has no choice other than to respect.

    The SNP isn’t close to its “end game” strategy. Nicola doesn’t have a visionary masterplan. We are looking to the SNP for inspired leadership while the SNP is looking to us for inspiration. For the love of God, can somebody not break this stifling Catch 22 strategem BEFORE all time is lost and we are drummed out of Europe as the UK’s helpless luggage?

  369. Clootie
    Ignored
    says:

    When you focus on weapons of force projection.
    When you aspire to sit at the big table by having nukes.
    When you constantly interfere in the affairs of other nations.
    When you align with right wing America.
    When you have a rabid right wing media.
    …War is inevitable because it is how they measure their worth as a nation

    That is the Union so many wish to be part of!

  370. Jockanese Wind Talker
    Ignored
    says:

    Any Wingers or Indy Group members able to attend the public meeting about saving the 600 jobs the U.K. Govt sold out to Grimsby despite being in the Secretary of State for Scotlands constituency?

    Thinking some double sided A5s pointing this out plus Zarkwan “Are you yes yet” on the other side might be effective.

    That’s 600 potential Yesser and their extended families.

    https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.insider.co.uk/news/pinneys-of-scotland-youngs-seafood-12341518.amp

  371. Archbishop of Dork
    Ignored
    says:

    Sir William Connolly CBE, ex-Parachute Regiment, close friend of royalty, sometime Laird of Candacraig and owner of a 37-metre luxury yacht. Such a rebel, as he’s never been slow to tell his audiences.

    Not that I harbour any of that Corbynite ressentiment nonsense aboot his big hooses etc. It’s just that he can’t seem to see that hundreds of thousands upon hundreds of thousands of his fellow Scots have ambitions for betterment for themselves, their families and their country and perceive that Westminster rule stands in the way. That isn’t anti-Englishness as he assumes. It’s just the same aspirational freedom seeking that took him from Partick to Hollywood.

    If you have any aspiration left Billy, aspire to be a real old rebel and don’t take the side of the autocratic power grabbing Westminster elite against the people.

  372. Naina Tal
    Ignored
    says:

    I was a great Connolly fan immediately after he left the Humblebums. Thought he was very funny and poked fun at the same establishment of which he is now part. Today’s BC would be an object of the early Billy’s humour. “See yon big eejit? Whit is he fur, Whaur’s his banjo? Dae ye mind the wee purple beard? Whit wis that aw aboot? And when did he start talking like Fyffe Robertson?”
    Jis ma tuppence worth. Hivnae posted for ages: been hiding under a rock reading “the National” every day. (and Wings!)

  373. ScottishPsyche
    Ignored
    says:

    It’s been a weird few days with Pete Wishart igniting a rehash of all the 2014 arguments about cybernats.

    I disagree with him about timing but that is his opinion. What he didn’t foresee with his ill-judged petulance at the response he got, was that since then some of the voices and faces of the Yes campaign who have been courted and seduced by the MSM have no sympathy for him and appear to have changed sides. They have become as much his judge and jury as the most vociferous No campaigners who are rejoicing in glee and saying ‘we told you so’.

    I do wonder if his heart is still in it.

    Maybe it has still to register with him that his hubristic proclamations about past electoral victories and calling people ‘nawbags’ was the reason he nearly lost. Not as he says, Ruth Davidson’s message. Rather than look at his own campaign he is projecting the loss of votes onto the Independence cause. Anyway, something’s afoot as it feels as if campaigning has started but no-one has told the SNP high command.

    So we had best get on with it ourselves.

  374. Fred
    Ignored
    says:

    Naina, the man’s a living caricature so he is!

  375. Lenny Hartley
    Ignored
    says:

    Dorothy Devine, the problem they have is that the dont understand people get most of their news from Social Media these days, so all their propaganda and False Flags is exposed. When I was a lad , rather than be a street sweeper in Brodick I joined the RAF where I was trained in Nuclear and Biological warfare, we were told many times a favoured delivery option for Nerve agents was via a towns or areas water supply,( it only needed about half a pint to wipe out a city) we are told that the Novichock agent which is many times more powerful than the nerve agents used then such as Sarin or VX was degraded that much by a shower of rain that it became non lethal.
    Good thing about being in RAF was thats where I learned that we were not in an equal Union. Jpined as a Brit left as a Nat . ?

  376. Jack Murphy
    Ignored
    says:

    Clydebuilt said last night at 10:10 pm:

    “Call me Dave . . . . .

    Got a link to the ex UK ambassador’s interview on GMS

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3j_Z1f84Ps8

    Thanks for the link.
    If anyone’s in a hurry just scroll to 2:30 and onwards where the former UK ambassador to Syria persistently challenges the proposed American action against Syria.

    Not exactly the narrative the interviewer was expecting!

  377. Dave McEwan Hill
    Ignored
    says:

    Clootie at 10.02

    Well said. If the Scottish Government was to realise that the truth about what the US/UK axis is doing in Syria and the huge lies is the biggest reason for us to grab independence and actually take up the correct position on this load of lies we’d be a lot nearer to success.I have no idea why we are trotting along behind the UK on any of this.

    Exposing the disgraceful lies could hand us independence.

  378. Fred
    Ignored
    says:

    Good letter in the National Dave!

  379. Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    “Bobp says:
    11 April, 2018 at 1:42 am

    “Can anyone tell me why brits abroad are EX PATS. And foreigners here are IMMIGRANTS . C’mon someone, sensible dave,rock,indy2, please enlighten me.Anyone please?”

    Robert Peffers, the walking, talking clone of Wikipedia, usually answers such questions from all and sundry.

  380. Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    Dave McEwan Hill says:
    11 April, 2018 at 12:32 pm

    “If the Scottish Government was to realise that the truth about what the US/UK axis is doing in Syria and the huge lies is the biggest reason for us to grab independence and actually take up the correct position on this load of lies we’d be a lot nearer to success.I have no idea why we are trotting along behind the UK on any of this.

    Exposing the disgraceful lies could hand us independence.”

    I am sure Nicola and the SNP know the truth.

    But they have become totally gutless and entrenched into the Westminster system.

    It is significant that while Corbyn showed extreme bravery in questioning the “evidence”, the gutless Nicola stood “shoulder to shoulder” with Saint Theresa and Boris Johnson in condemning Russia.

    As a long term SNP activist, you know that the rot has set into the SNP but cannot admit it.

    Rock (26th January – By hook or by Cook):

    “The British Establishment makes sure that anyone who goes to Westminster gets corrupted.

    56 SNP MPs achieved as much for Scotland as 6 would have: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

    I would prefer that all of them are called back or lose their seats before they have been bought off.”

  381. Cubby
    Ignored
    says:

    Sensibledave = Rock = paid to troll British Nationalist.



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