Wings Over Scotland

Times have changed eh?

Its the clangingly obvious nature of their obsequious pro-yoon approach.

Actually pitiful – ‘electoral commission’ – laughably anti democracy.

Should read ‘Too afraid’. (shrugs)

I believe the EC are guilty of bias and discrimination.

Has the EC had a nod and a wink and maybe a handshake about who and how much any organisation/person is to be investigated. Remember the State IS the union, it is in a state but might is power especially when you hold all the cards, bbc, msm, state civil service, state authorities and of course all the hidden, illegal money to play with to make sure it is your way or the highway.

A kindness might be to suggest that the Electoral Commission don’t care because they think SiU are irrelevant wing nuts, peripheral to politics.

An unkind thought might be that the EC are corrupt.

It’s the ‘Two sets of rules depending on whichnside the offender is on’.

Sucks but how do you sort it?

Postcard answer for those watching.

a) Publicity which embarrasses and shows them up so no-one trusts them anymore, and/ or
b) demand a refund or the imposition of penalties.

Grrr.

So just for clarification THESE are the members of the Electoral Commission who make these “incredible” decisions.

link to electoralcommission.org.uk

@Sinky

The EC are part of the Establishment it would seem, they are there to give a veneer of accountability to the political parties they see as fit and come down on any they see as a threat.

When ‘authorities’ cease to have authority because they have lost the respect of the people, we are in trouble.

And there’s a lot of it about. Official lying has become endemic.

I suspect the FOI exchange published by the Herald, describing a very convenient ‘clearly in the wrong’ indignation from Pamela Nash, will cover the Electoral Commission’s back; ‘Look how seriously we take this matter’.

At the risk of sounding smug – whilst hoping I’m completely off the mark – I felt while reading the Herald article; “This decision’ll be going the way of SIU”..

link to electoralcommission.org.uk.

Led by Sir John Holmes, the ten members of the Electoral Commission are, de facto, fully paid up members of the British Establishment, which is currently fighting for its life. The EC is not going to lift a finger against anyone seeking to maintain the Union.

Horrible. How did plod know it could be him anyway?

That red tory idiot doesn’t look much of bully but its interesting how her wiki write up leaves out her Scotland in Union stuff completely. Yoons are an odd crowd, red or blue tory.

link to en.wikipedia.org

Alasdair Morgan is a fully paid up member of our local SNP party and a thouroughly nice guy

@Arbroath1320
Interestingly, the EC’s Scotland page has a description of their activities in English (language) but with an optional introduction in Welsh. Weird?

Wasn’t the EC’s IndyRef1 ‘communication’ sent to every home in Scotland accused of being pro-Union? Can’t remember the details.

The British Nationalist establishment in full flow. That is what this is. It is merely a reflection of how corrupt our English masters in London are.

Then their is Dan Snow. Who knew he was a supporter of ‘scotland in union’. Well, well. Of course now we know why the British nationalist media are so keen to hand him cushy jobs scuttling around the world making exceptionally partisan, patronising and boring documentaries.

I do not doubt that in final year at oxbridge, the ‘right’ people are hand-picked to take a supplementary class on ‘how to milk the British establishment’.

This is how the British establishment works. It is how it has always worked. At the very top is the unelected and unaccountable aristocracy, including lizzie Windsor saxe-coburg, who maintain their position through patronage, honours, titles, ermine robes, baubles, bribery, corruption and London’s gold.

The electoral commission is the proverbial chocolate teapot of democracy. It merely adds a veneer of respectability to the corrupt ‘British way’. We should not be surprised.

I’m slightly taken aback to find Stu Campbell being taken in by the hype about the battering ram. This is a standard piece of equipment that would commonly be carried in the type of vehicles used in such raids. It would be surprising if officers didn’t go equipped to effect forced entry should this be necessary. Does Stu think the police should send somebody back to the station for an ‘enforcer’ should they find they need it?

The squad carrying out that raid would also be equipped with batons, incapacitant spray and, quite possibly, tasers. Why no hysterical fuss about that? Because these things are standard equipment? Well, so is the battering ram. Because these other items were not deployed? Well, neither was the battering ram.

The battering ram is given prominence solely for the purpose of adding a bit of drama. It’s mentioned only to elicit a knee-jerk reaction. Best not to let them press your buttons quite so easily.

@ Jack Collatin, like this U mean?

link to orangeordersouthernengland.org

O/T apologies to do it so soon

Article in Business section of the Telegraph today:

“”The UK is sitting on natural assets worth £761bn””

Sorry it is one of their premium articles so cannot link to the whole thing but might be useful to see what it says especially about Scotland and oil if anyone can get it.

Posted earlier on a previous thread but not sure what one is ‘trending’ just now hence repost.

Did anyone hear Nicola on BBC R4 this morning?

Nicola was on the Today programme ( first hour) but I was unable to listen at the appropriate time. However, if you read the Guardian website it says…

‘Today’ BBC R4 an all woman programme -presenters and guests- including A.N.Other, the PM of New Zealand, Baroness Shirley Wotsit, founder of LibDems and Amber Rudd.- guess who ignored!

Back to theBBC, interestingly, I heard Amber Rudd being interviewed around 8.15am…

and I paraphrase..

Presenter: So Nicola Sturgeon is concerned that she has not been consulted about the No customs Union decision

Thankyou very much, Amber

Hatchet job completed, honestly, short of calling Nicola a liar… really biased broadcasting.
OBE’s all round.

————————-

Jack Collatin

Lord Adonis tweet from 4TH FEB
link to twitter.com

Freemasonry that matters at Westminster is the Farage/Mogg lodge which now embraces most Tory MPs. Part of UKIP reverse takeover of Tory Party: hence Mrs May forced to rule out any Customs Union. Economically ludicrous & breach of the Good Friday Agreement!

actually a fascinating twitter site to read about the WM shenanigans.

Galamcennalath

Aye, an’ it’ll be compulsory membership of the Flat Earth Society next. We seem to be spinning backwards…

Any one concerned about the police using the Big Red Key a.k.a. the battering ram need only watch Police Interceptors. Quite often the programme goes on a raid with the interceptors and they ALWAYS go “armed” with the Big Red Key. I will say however that although they always take the BRK to the premises it is not always needed. If the door is found to be unlocked they will just walk in bearing in mind that they have a search warrant with them.

Judge has rejected Scottish court case to discover whether Article 50 is reversible. Claimants considering Appeal to Inner Court of Court of Session.

The query is that should MP’s, MSP’s and MEP’s wish to reject the final Brexit deal, there needs to be clarity as to what any possible alternatives are available.

link to bbc.co.uk

Well George Orwell told us all about room 101, the way its going we will be getting rooms for us all, right up to room 201 and beyond, beware the eyeballs in the sky !

getting the feeling someone is playing with a marked deck and loaded dice here , that cant be true can it ? .

Well it’s their Baw and their game I dont think we can expect any fairness from them

The fact is that these beaurocratic organisations are just another tentacle on the octopus that binds us to the British State. The State run and own everything. They own the law. They own the enforcers of law . They own the media and their regulators. The Civil Service and all the mechanisms of State..All belong to Westminster.

That is a fact we cannot escape from. It certainly makes the fight more difficult.but being a Glasgow lad,I will fight anyway. Matter of pride you see.

We have already burst the nose of the press. Who s next?

When the British state doesn’t want you to want what you want, they find ways to stop you wanting what they don’t want you to want, or they’ll even kill you to make you stop wanting, if they want

I think the EC has set an interesting precedent here. One that I think will be used by various political groups in the future.

A battering ram sounds extreme, unless the guy was a huge drugs dealer, or terrorist or something.
Don’t worry, it’s all likely staged, so they can justify battering their way into any independence bloggers’ houses should they see fit, and no one can say boo hoo, how unfair. Nothing will come of their battering ram raid, waste of police time and money.

Stuart has been treated appallingly in recent times, for calling out the liars, and for exposing those who are meant to regulate processes such as voting being fair and equal, and the establishment don’t like that. Not for any wrongdoing but as a journalist in 21st century UKOK.

When an organisation, or media or government regulates itself, then you are not seeing a democracy at work, not in any shape or form. We are definitely not functioning on a level playing field, it’s not healthy, it’s incredibly backward and it’s way out of hand now.

RE the comment above regarding The BBC returning to a flat map – if one clicks on the link to the article it is obvious that although they have returned to a flat map Scotland is still as out of proportion as it was on the slanted Bay Of Biscay view – Just compare the image of the new flat map with the one further down with Bill Giles.

If you’re in need of a laugh:

link to thenational.scot

Suffragists the peaceful movement for *equality for women*
Suffrajettes who for the same reason as above broke the law using Violence Arson and Criminal damage

Anybody noticed who gets the biggest respect

Not judging or advocating just saying

The lesson here is obviously if we want Scotland to become Independent we should send (ask) our women down to kick the shit out of them

How can the UK say no

Lol, from the Sun, ‘The tilted version has been baffling viewers for more than a decade’ – ‘except for viewers in Scotland’ that is, especially the ‘wise to the BBC’ non unionist ones.

People tend to take the easiest route if they can. Harassing WoS is probably fairly easy, and it will likely gain plaudits from from various media and political quarters. Doing the same against an organisation with links to powerful people probably looks like to much hassle.

There is a sweet irony about Clews being brutalised by the very institution that he so reveres

Henceforth her title: The Moronic Mone.

Is there no end to her lacks.

We can safely add the Electoral Commission to the list of “watchdogs” which neither bark not bite. Alongside IPSOS and Ofcom they serve as filters to sift out the irritants who have the temerity to question what our imperial masters are doing, in secret.

In fact, they seem to serve to drain off legitimate criticism into a bottomless pool of despond. Maybe they also serve to identify potential “troublemakers”.

The dawn raid on David Clews is disturbing.

Would female suffrage have been achieved peacefully without the militancy? It would be nice to think so!

Female suffrage in the UK is being “celebrated” by extremely reactionary tories today, not just BBC.

But the fact is, this is all from a British Imperial fascist era, where over 2 billion British Imperial subjects would never get near a ballot box, anywhere in the British Empire, around the globe.

We have to listen to the UKOK tory propaganda about the Palace of Westminster being the mother of all parliaments but ofcourse it is not.

It is fundamentally a memorial to a vast fascist empire, all of it controlled by the Edwardian tories, today venerated for “giving” some women in the British Empire the vote.

British fascist Imperialism is being airbrushed out of the teamGB memory, just like they’ve done with slavery.

link to en.wikipedia.org

Fascism is a form of radical authoritarian nationalism, characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition and control of industry and commerce that came to prominence in early 20th-century Europe.

Or, why are these liars lying to us now.

Reporting Scotlands weather map still shows that Glasgow is about the same distance from Edinburgh as it is from Fort William

The actual distance is around double from Glasgow to Fort William than Glasgow to Edinburgh

They must not have got the same digitals as the English weather people, still if you enjoy zooming in and out very quickly and seeing basically nothing because the place names are mahoosive and covering everything up it’s all lovely

I’ve always wondered about the huge names on the map, do people not know where they live?

As we are talking about hypocrisy, I heard the PM on BBC radio today, espousing her admiration for the suffragist/suffragette movement. I swear there wasn’t a hint of irony about her, despite her opposition to Scotland’s struggle for political emancipation and agency. Then again, she is a child of the Anglican church, so I suppose she is simply articulating the utilitarian values and Anglocentric word-view of her cultural roots.

Giving Goose
Sorry for not replying the other day, the causes of Brexit are unfortunately bound up with economics and Britain’s waning influence as a global power. England simply hasn’t gotten over loosing it’s empire. I just wish more Scots would wake up to the fact that England’s post-colonial malaise isn’t only unsightly, it threatens the well-being of Scots who are yet to be born.

N.B. Approximately 75% of Scots identify as Scots only.

English and British National Identity

Abstract

National identities in the British Isles have been a neglected subject of study for a long time, though interest has been growing recently. Why the neglect, and why the new interest? This article proposes that much of the puzzle has to do with the peculiar, and dominating, position of England historically within the United Kingdom. This has led to a relative indifference to questions of national identity on the part of the English, and, by a defensive reaction, a corresponding increase, over time, with such questions on the part of the Scots, Welsh and Irish. The English developed a largely ‘non-national’ conception of themselves, preoccupied as they were with the management of the United Kingdom and the British Empire; the ‘Celtic’ nations followed a more familiar pattern of developing national consciousness, as shown elsewhere in Europe. With the loss of the British Empire, large-scale immigration, the call of Europe, and renewed nationalist movements that threaten the ‘break-up’ of Britain, it is the English who find themselves most acutely faced with questions of national identity. Hence the new interest in national identity, especially among the English but also generally throughout the United Kingdom as other groups seek to imagine alternative futures for themselves.

link to onlinelibrary.wiley.com

British National Identity

5. British national identity was not born of a deplorable past. It is true that British dominion was not built according to the principles of the Equal Opportunities Commission and we have to accept, too, that it was interwoven with imperialism and what we now call racism. In this it was not alone among other imperialisms – including republican and socialist imperialisms. At the same time we have to accept that British national identity survived because it was a broadly acceptable expression of the British people, to the British people, if not by the British people. Ireland was the great failure in this regard. Even so, most Irish were late in finding union with Great Britain an unacceptable representation of who they were.

6. British national identity has not always been called that. We have to be ready to deal with different names and concepts. E.P. Thompson and G.A. Williams, for instance, demonstrated that it was through their myths of national origin that the English and Welsh working poor became class conscious. It was clear to them, for example, that being ethnically Welsh or English was incompatible with being a factory slave or a dispossessed debtor.

7. National identity can be expressed in images and representations. But in order to be meaningful it has to fit experience and think of itself as a long-term arrangement. Although there has been much talk in recent years of ‘invented’ nations, all working nation states seek to underwrite the long-term obligations upon which all national relationships depend.

link to historytoday.com

British National Identity and the Dilemmas of Multiculturalism

Abstract

Nationalism and multiculturalism are often perceived as polar opposites with the former viewed as the disease and the latter the cure. Contrary to this view, this article argues that a strong national identity, albeit of a particular kind, is prerequisite to a stable and functioning multicultural society. The article seeks to identify both the causes and the implications of the absence of an overarching, civic national identity in Britain, further to the goal of seeking a meaningful solution. It is our contention that the problem lies in the difficulty involved in reconciling current pressures on British identity with a coherent narrative of British history, especially its imperial past.

In 2006 May, the British Minister of Education announced plans to review whether the teaching of “core British values” should be made compulsory in the curriculum between the ages of 11 and 16. According to the BBC, this review, which lasted for six months, “asked how all children can develop a strong sense of British identity by learning about Britain’s culture and traditions.” 1

According to Sir Keith Ajegbo, a former headmaster and Home Office adviser, the investigation found that British identity is hardly touched upon in the curriculum and that much more needs to be done to provide the “essential glue that binds people together.” This initiative highlights one of the major problems faced by British society today: the failure to produce a discourse that integrates various ethnic groups under the umbrella of a common British identity.

According to the education minister, the review was in part a response to the terrorist attacks of 7 July 2005, and the perception that it was the failure to forge a unifying British identity that led some to give greater priority to ethnic and religious signifiers, with significant consequences. The July 7th London bombings illustrate the problems created by the absence of a civic British identity. It was frequently noted that unlike other terrorist attacks, such as those in the United States on 11 Sept. 2001, the London bombings were perpetrated by British citizens whose loyalties evidently lay with their ethnic and religious identities over and against the British state. Thus, the lack of a successfully mobilizing, inclusive civic British identity came to be seen as the cause of large-scale divisions within the United Kingdom that could increasingly serve as a source of friction and conflict.

This article will seek to identify both the causes and the implications of this absence of an overarching, civic British national identity further to the goal of seeking a meaningful solution. It is our contention that the problem lies in the difficulty involved in reconciling current pressures on British identity with a coherent narrative of British history. We will begin by proposing a theory tracing the source of the problem, then illustrate this point by showing two contexts in which this dilemma has manifested itself: first in the way that history is taught in the British education system at present and then in recent efforts to revise citizenship law and immigration procedures.

link to tandfonline.com

Capella 1.22pm. Absolutely right. Ipsos,ofcom,BBC,EC, yougov,msm,etc, the list is endless. None of these organisations/agencies are fit for purpose. All unionist mouthpieces pretending to be impartial. In an indy2 referendum,we need international monitors at all polling stations and a tightening up of who is eligible to vote.

The REAL reason that *almost* Universal Suffrage was achieved is that the Russian Revolution happened the year before.
British Cult hero Churchill, Home Secretary, fought the Suffragettes with an iron rod.
In 1911 Churchill ordered English troops into Wales to quell striking miners.
In 1915 he sent English troops to Glasgow to quell the Rent Strikes.
The British Establishment had sent almost a million working class MEN to their deaths.
Then in 1917 came the Russian Revolution. ..the British Establishment were in real TERROR of receiving the same treatment as the Russians.
That is the sole reason that the Establishment passed the Representation of the People Act 1918, giving 5 million MEN and 8 million women the vote.

Looking at the photo above you have to ask Unionists in Scotland,Why do they have to get help from people from outwith Scotland? Surely they believe Scottish Unionist Citizens have a strong enough argument to defeat us Scottish Independista citizens. No?

Mike

Yes, I think in years to come, indiscretions, FOIs and document releases will ensure a number of people in the establishment will have their place in history…

…a place that one might consider a bit agricultural implementish.

@Snode1965

When the USSR ceased to exist the establishment decided the fight was over and they could get the workers back where they belong. The timing of the collapse of the USSR and the massive greed explosion at the top of western society may just be a coincidence, but I suspect not.

Mike d says:

All unionist mouthpieces pretending to be impartial.

Many of those involved will actually believe they are impartial. I’m sure they are even offended at allegations of bias.

Such is success of imprinting the established version of UKOK into folks minds.

However, they ARE mouthpieces and protectors of that system. Some in their ranks will fully understand this while others just subconsciously take the default and ‘normal’ standpoint.

I believe nothing will change until after Indy. The agencies of the UK State do not have the capacity to be impartial. They will continue to act counter to our cause either maliciously or unknowingly.

Graemeo Rab says:

help from people from outwith Scotland

I believe the entire YES movement needs to take a firm stand on this. Anyone who doesn’t live in Scotland should be told to mind their own f’ing business! It should have absolutely nothing to do with them, and they should be told.

Like, May saying “now isn’t the right time”. The response to that should have been a firm, “no one is asking your opinion”, or whatever.

We shouldn’t engage with, or respond to, anyone who can’t vote here.

I think that attitude would go down well, personally.

CameronB Brodie

Thanks for the reply, a very informative post, cheers!

Just in case some peeps think things are getting too serious on here here is some “light” relief. 🙂

link to archive.is

Could not happen to a nicer person in my view! 😀

How do we explain the extraordinary conduct of the Westminster Government under the Tory PM, Theresa May?

May’s term of office has been completely dominated by Brexit. Right? No,wrong. Brexit has been very carefully nurtured by the Government and its Propaganda Department so as to engage the attention of the British public, and in so doing to stop them from seeing that the Government is trying only to save Britain’s wealthy elite, the Establishment.

So, if it’s not Brexit, what is it then that explains the current madness that passes for Government in Westminster?
The answer is the DEBT.

At two trillion pounds of Government debt, the UK is in a very dangerous place, both economically and politically, but it is also in danger of losing social cohesion because the Government is making the UK electorate pay the debts run up by the bankers and the rest of the wealthy elite. And that is the Establishments greatest fear – a backlash from millions of ordinary people who refuse to take any more.

Add the 2 Trillion debt to leaving the world’s biggest and most lucrative trading bloc – which hasn’t kicked off yet – continue to sell off the NHS while lining the pockets of the 1%, and what have you got?

The UK is heading for a big breakdown.

manandboy
The UK is heading for a big breakdown.

I certainly hope so!

I would not trust a member of the EC to whurl me doon the street in a Tesco trolley. Me being a yes man and them being a naw person they wid coup me oot.

Interesting developments regarding Katie Hopkins LA. I had just been reading a rather detailed article about ‘racial tension’s being raised in South Africa brought by a UK PR company called Bell Pontinger, who’s reputation and standing have been ruined and they. have been bankrupted by this affair. After they were hired by the Gupta Brothers in SA. This was the essence of what took place:

‘By the following year, Bell Pottinger was embroiled in a national maelstrom. In TV reports, editorials and public rallies, it stood accused of setting off racial tensions through a furtive campaign built on Twitter bots, hate-filled websites and speeches. All were pushing a highly toxic narrative, namely that whites in South Africa had seized resources and wealth while they deprived blacks of education and jobs. The message was popularized with an incendiary phrase, “white monopoly capital.”

What’s interesting re Hopkins is that she has ‘jumped’ in to SA on the back of this phoney campaign that was triggered by Gupta brothers aided by Bell Pottinger and others? I would go as far as stating that KH has been duped into believing that there was this ‘real’ backlash on the white population, but only because of a planted false narrative set off before her arrival on the scene?

Here’s a little more detail about their part in it. Article not archived (as I’m happy to have clicks for NYT journalism of this quality) for anyone interested in seeing some backstory that our media, as far as I’m aware haven’t covered at all?

‘Though the only corporate fatality, Bell Pottinger is just one of the companies tainted by the Guptas. A small coterie of multinationals is now under investigation by South African authorities, including local units of three companies, McKinsey, KPMG and the software giant SAP.

The Guptas’ most devastating legacy is the harm they did to the cause of economic reform. With so many blacks in South Africa mired in poverty, the topic is urgent, but discussion about it has been debased by its association with a notorious and self-serving P.R. campaign.

In the midst of that campaign, racial tensions rose to levels that had not been felt since apartheid. “White monopoly capital,” a phrase that for years had been confined to left-wing academic circles, was suddenly unavoidable. A political group with reported links to the Guptas warned of a coming civil war.

When Bell Pottinger’s role became public, protesters rallied against the company, both in South Africa and outside the firm’s London office. A subsequent investigation by the Public Relations and Communications Association, a trade group in Britain, ended with the ejection of Bell Pottinger.’

link to nytimes.com

Too much to expect BBC to mention that Robert KIlgour who is bumping his gums about care homes is a significant Tory donor and set up a Scottish business campaign group to oppose a future independence referendum, warning that supporters of union with the UK have become too complacent about the threat of secession.

The Scottish Business UK group founded by care home entrepreneur Robert Kilgour will announce this month the creation of an advisory board that includes a leading publisher and a former chairman of employers’ lobby CBI Scotland. 

Losses suffered by the Scottish National party in June’s UK general election has been widely seen as killing SNP hopes for an early second referendum on leaving the UK. 

But Mr Kilgour, who has already spent more than £30,000 to establish the SBUK group, said the independence push might quickly regain momentum. 

“I still feel it is very much a real and present danger,” said Mr Kilgour, who believes that relatively late and limited interventions by pro-union corporate figures was a factor in the narrower than expected victory over independence in the 2014 referendum. 

Also Think Scotland, a conservative-minded website is funded by Scottish unionist businessman Robert Kilgour.

Think Scotland is owned by former Tory MSP Brian Monteith.

All I can say K1 is that she is in the best place for US.

Hope the South African government charge her and throw away the key afterwards. She is one evil hate filled xenophobic bitch from hell!

I think that Robert Kilgour became a tax exile after selling the Four Seasons group. Monaco i think, a very typical proud unionist tax avoided. Nothing spells unionism like avoiding tax!

Whatever happened to the Scotland I grew up in where to a man and woman such phrases as “It’s they Bastirts doon in London”
were commonplace, nobody ever defended decisions made by any London government, nobody ever said they liked London government, nobody ever said “Let’s not strike” to curry any favour from a London government

Even my own mother born and bred in Wolverhampton until marriage to my Edinburgh father then came to Scotland to have and bring up her children because education in England was narrow and very poor had the same opinion, until something happened

The Scottish parliament,
but instead of our new parliament empowering the people of Scotland to move on from the tyranny imposed upon them from the English parliament they detested and had always made quite clear they despised, they begun to take sides against the very thing they had voted for which was a form of self determination by selecting their own politicians to represent them by opposing the thing they said they disliked

Now I’m only ordinary me and not some kind of Psychic but it seems to me that by taking part in any dealings with the London parliament it must have looked to many folk like why are we going to the expense of a Scottish parliament that we wanted to make things better for Scotland only to fill it up with representatives of the very thing we didn’t want , politicians who represent the people in the London parliament we used to call “They Bastirts doon there”

The SNP came to power and without doubt were and are the best thing that’s ever happened to Scotland ever, and yet the folk who originally complained about London rule now seem to want it back more than ever even though a deaf and dumb blind man wae a faulty dug can see that the London rule idea is positively mentally irregular and Scotland is doing way better in almost every respect and backed up by the rest of our own money and the support of other countries keen to join with us we’d be as sound as a big Scottish pound

We’ve always had the Orange nut cases but I remember when they hated London too, they might have espoused their love and undying loyalty to HM the Queen but they still despised London rule and that’s the thing that puzzles me, because nobody ever said they wouldn’t be allowed to be loyal to their Queen anymore if Scotland became Independent and they can’t complain that the SNP are all Catholic because we clearly aren’t, the SNP are the most diverse in ethnicity, religion and gender of all the political parties

So whatever happened to the people of the Scotland I grew up in

‘READ: Nicola Sturgeon’s Brexit letter to Theresa May in full.’

”Dear Theresa

In light of the expected meeting this week of the UK Government Cabinet Sub-Committee on EU Exit Negotiations, I am writing to underscore the position of the Scottish Government that, short of EU membership, it is in the best interests of both Scotland and the whole of the UK to remain in the European Single Market and Customs Union.

Last month the Scottish Government produced “Scotland’s Place in Europe: People, Jobs and Investment” which presented our latest analysis of the damage that will be caused to Scotland’s economy if the UK exits the European Single Market and Customs Union. We understand from media reporting, that the conclusions reached in the UK Government’s analysis broadly reflect the Scottish Government’s findings.

I was therefore concerned to read further reports this week that the UK Government has apparently ruled out any form of Customs Union with the EU. The people of Scotland voted decisively to remain within the European Union, and it is the role of the Scottish Government to make sure that their interests are protected. It cannot be right that decisions on the future relationship with the EU are being taken without due regard for consultation across the four Governments of the UK in direct contradiction to the terms of reference of the Joint Ministerial Committee (EU Negotiations). Those terms of reference were to ensure a space for reaching agreement on a UK approach to, and objectives for, Article 50 negotiations; and provide oversight of negotiations with the EU, to ensure, as far as possible, that outcomes agreed by all four governments are secured from these negotiations.

To date the discussions in JMC (EN) have fallen far short of that ambition and of your own commitment when we met in July 2016 to ‘full involvement’. I expect that following the meeting of your Cabinet Sub-Committee there will remain full scope for the Scottish Government, and other devolved administrations, to influence the shape of the UK approach and objectives for negotiations.

In light of the timetable ahead of the European Council on 22 March 2018, there must be urgent and meaningful discussion between us to try to agree a UK position and therefore enable our European partners to respond.”

NICOLA STURGEON

link to thenational.scot

Petra says:
6 February, 2018 at 5:22 pm
‘READ: Nicola Sturgeon’s Brexit letter to Theresa May in full.’

”Dear Theresa

Biggest issue though, Teresa’s got no idea what to do and we know this because,

link to independent.co.uk

Imagine a non tory UK gov or SNP Scots gov this catastrophically bad and how the BBC led tory media would shred them alive ?

K1, you completely forgot to mention how Jacob Zuma openly called for blacks to confiscate white land without compensation, presumably having more of an effect than an advertising campaign.

But, in all sincerity, it’s good that the focus is on the disgusting goodness gracious Guptas.

Simply, One Law for the RICH/POWERFUL/ESTABLISHMENT Etc and ANOTHER FOR EVERYBODY ELSE – AS PER USUAL.

It would be a real shame if Lauri Love, or a n other, managed to hack the details of the SIU donors.

K1 says:

what happens to ‘geographical trademarks’ like Scottish Whisky when we leave the EU

Do Brexiteers care? Of course not. The elites among them probably hold Diageo shares and stand to win!

They want the UK flooded with cheap imports which will lower prices and stimulate the economy. Domestic producers will simply go out of business. Steel and food have no hope. They further believe low wages, low regulation, low pound will help some other sectors. Export.

Only lunatics could come up with it!

BTW, I remember Port, Sherry, and Champagne in the shops which didn’t come from Portugal, Spain, or France. Fine to get pissed on, but definitely not the real thing.

Reluctant Nationalist at 6.05

“White land”? In Africa? No such thing.

For the Rev’s case, and David Clews, computer equipment should be returned quickly as that can be a real burden on someone who is only a suspect.

For that however, it’s handling and production of evidence, and it would seem a sensible idea if the law was changed, so that police could clone the hard drives, memory sticks etc. with some sort of certification for the evidence trail, and if neccessary perform some sort of clean-up of sensitive data before return to the “suspect”. Not easy, but it could be done, with the use of “expert witnesses”.

Quite so gala, quite so.

yesindyref2 says:
6 February, 2018 at 6:12 pm

Re the use by Police Scotland – SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) of a “battering ram” – enforcer there’s this:

link to scotland.police.uk

Section 20.6.3 – Equipment – Public Order Rapid Entry Team:

“Method of Entry (M.O.E.) equipment – Enforcer and Hooligan tools ”

That would need to be read in context, and to get full context go to previous paragraphs, but clearly since “Format c:” would remove evidence quite quickly, Rapid Entry would be appropriate and even use of the enforcer, where seizure of computer equpipment intact with data was required.

—————————————————————–

Format c: wouldn’t remove any data, any data on that drive would still be recoverable even after a format.

As I’ve said before, the Electoral Commission clearly are not independent,impartial and fair.

If there is an another indyref, the Scot Govt should look to the international convention on referendums for guidance and tell the Electoral Commission to go chase themselves, if they want to get involved in helping to rig it for the UK state.

Likewise chase the UK Govt with their pretendy legal agreement, the Edinburgh Agreement.

Did I miss BBC Reporting Scotland’acknowledgement of Ian Blackford / SNP campaign to save the 10 RBS branches

“A judge has rejected a bid from a cross-party group of Scottish politicians to review whether the UK can withdraw Article 50 on its own.”

Another £50,000 wasted on arguing the toss about rubbish. Just like arguing the toss about Sewel.

It’s a pity they shy away from Acts of Union 1707,The Claim of Right 1689 and sovereignty of the people of Scotland, combined with the UN recognised right to self-determination via democracy to challenge whether the Parliamentary Sovereignty ideology from the 18th century
or earlier can be legally challenged or whether this Parliamentary Sovereignty ideology can be defended in law.

Or is it just all made up political ideology that is used to justify ignoring Scotland’s democratic will eg we voted Remain, robbing Scotland of the Devo-max powers, and other devolved powers that should come from the the EU, and to justify treating Scotland like third-class passengers in SS Great Britain?

(Or should that be RMS Titanic?)

WGD on britnat bbc and its maps:

link to weegingerdug.wordpress.com

@Graeme
Yes, you’d need a wiping tool, and even then it’s not entirely safe. A hammer and goggles might do the job all the same.

We’ve had two official World Wars, the third one strung out and still ongoing, a holocaust, apartheid, Palestinian oppression, war on terror etc etc.

One thing that lingers longer in the human psyche, has caused equal, if not more misery than all the above, is the
Bloody British Empire.

We fucked up entire continents.

Arbroath1320 says:
6 February, 2018 at 10:51 am
So just for clarification THESE are the members of the Electoral Commission who make these “incredible” decisions.
link to electoralcommission.org.uk

I am absolutely furious. There are commissioners there who have’nt had a CBE, Knight/Dame Hood or even a Lordship yet. Please correct this anomaly immediately.

Slightly off tack the Sunday Mail had an exclusive at the week-end. The Queen has banned straws!!!! How the mighty have fallen in order to grab express and Mail on Sunday readers. What drivel.

Bob Mack says:
6 February, 2018 at 7:40 pm
Just as an aside. Of the total land mass of South Africa, almost 79% of land suitable for farming or cultivation of any type ,is owned by white families..

So just like Scotland then. But they do permit us to creep around the edges of their Scotland, which is something.

Dan Snow is a neo fascist with a serious war fetish. When you hear Brits explain that the UK won WW2, thank a super rich cash crazed daddy’s boy like Dan.

OK, was it just me or was BBC Scotland’s new weather map still slanted, hiding the country’s true size? Perhaps done to fully include Shetland but they wouldn’t need to do it if they cut off large swathes of Cumbria and Northumberland at the other end.

Dan Snow’s dad, the respected and animated journalist, has publicly distanced himself from his son’s politics.

He sees right through the money.

I look around quite a lot and just read what people write, and the way they put things, and I’ll tell you this, there are lot questioning their previous firm beliefs, the way the UK Gov and the UK state are carrying on. Ultimately I’d say over 95% of the people of Scotland COULD vote YES next time, and everything that’s going on is stacking up to make that happen. It’s one of the reasons I’m starting not to post so much in previously unionist media, and when I do, I’m careful.

Gently does it.

“It would be hard to argue with a cynical reader who suggested that the EC appeared to operate two very different sets of rules depending on who it was investigating.”

Rock (15th August 2014 – “When is a pot not a pot?”):

“The Electoral Commission is itself peddling lies on behalf of Better Together who don’t have the manpower to deliver them themselves.

The system is rotten to the core.”

Rock says You are 100% correct Rotten to the core You only have to look into the people who control the EC . All tories. What worries me is the fact that the SNP government put their trust in the EC during the referendum this was despite numerous people airing concerns. My concern is still deeply rooted

Capella,

“We can safely add the Electoral Commission to the list of “watchdogs” which neither bark not bite.”

Some do it with foresight, some with hindsight.

Rock (11th August 2014 “And smile, smile, smile”):

“That is the Electoral Commission further exposed as the unionist rogue it is, like the CBI and BBC.”

r esquierdo,

“What worries me is the fact that the SNP government put their trust in the EC during the referendum this was despite numerous people airing concerns. My concern is still deeply rooted”

There will be no independence as long as the SNP plays by Westminster rules.

Will Nicola, a lawyer, ever have the guts to hold a referendum without Saint Theresa’s approval?

I very much doubt it.

Why would she want to go into exile in Belgium when she is fine here, flogging a dead horse – a separate deal for Scotland which was never going to happen?

rock –you do sound like CA. quack quack. When does your shift end?

stewartb,
I saw it myself on TV, can’t remember the context. During Brexit coup debate, tried to tar his old-man with his own right wing views. His dad was none pleased and made that very clear.