Mining the playing field
This week’s publication of party accounts by the Electoral Commission, along with a string of recent stories about election expenses, served as a reminder to anyone who might have forgotten that the SNP are still, despite 10 years in power, the massive underdogs in Scottish politics.
Labour and the Tories, in particular, can always rely on handouts from their UK parent parties, who are in turn funded by massive donations from trade unions and big business respectively. In 2016 Labour trousered almost £15m from donors (over and above their membership revenues of £14m), while the Tories pocketed almost £19m in donations from their rich pals.
The Nats, meanwhile, have to gather most of their money from membership fees, but have been able to stay competitive in the campaign-heavy climate of the 2010s (since the turn of the decade the SNP have had to fight three expensive UK general elections, two Holyrood elections, two council elections, a European election and two referendums – that’s ten major votes in seven and a half years) thanks largely to extra help from lottery winners Colin and Chris Weir.
And the fact that Scottish politics can be something like an even remotely fair fight still leaves Unionists raging furiously at the burning injustice of it all.
This, for example, was John Cooper in yesterday’s Scottish Daily Mail.
Note that Cooper offers no rationale even attempting to justify the sole exclusion of lottery winners from the category of “wealthy people who can do whatever they want with their money”. He simply doesn’t like the Weirs’ choices or the party they support, and so he wants the rules to be different from them.
It’s just a column in a newspaper, of course. But readers should keep in mind that the peaceful democratic movement for Scottish independence is only just barely tolerated by the UK establishment, and that given half the chance it’ll do anything it can to stack the odds further and further.
The reason this is worth reporting on is because it reveals the mindset of the unionist: Utterly bereft of reason.
Spectacular brass neck considering the industrial scale of Tory election fraud and the revolving door between the UK cabinet and executive boardrooms.
The difference – in my mind at least – between the Weirs and high faluting Tory/UKIP/Lab donors is that the Weirs have no ulterior motive; they aren’t writing draft legislation for an SNP government to rubber stamp, as is so often the case with Tories and Labour. They simply want Scotland to be independent and have always been very up front about that.
The Weirs won’t be taking seats in the House of Lords. It’s a pity that we cannot say the same of Tory/Lab donors.
Its never going to be fair if we progress by the conventional referenda and appealing to people routes.
The more inteleggent ways of UN lobbying and progressing small takes from WM year on year seem the only way.
Just as New Zealand did.
The drawback is we have too many resources so UN route is only way IMO
Doesn’t matter how much money the SNP have to spend on any election they will still be miles behind on publicity and exposure for their policies when it comes to the media.
The BBC and Unionist Journalists with their Billionaire patrons act as a mouthpiece for the Tories and Labour in all elections, also to some extent UKIP and the Liberals in any election.
This “free” publicity worth at least 10’s of millions dwarfs any amount of money generously donated to the SNP by the Weirs.
John Cooper is a prime example of Unionists getting the message out. For free!
Pompous git.
His boss:
link to en.wikipedia.org
Mr Cooper’s article is sadly lacking in logical discussion of both donations to political parties in general and the rights of lottery winners in particular to spend their winnings as they wish. Was he short of ideas for his column and was this the sorry best he could come up with in a hurry? It was certainly not a rigorous investigation of his subject. Petty and lacking substance is the best I can say for his writing.
The small-minded, ignorant and irrelevant remark about the deficit was puzzling. Apart from Norway, what government in the world does not run a deficit? Mr Cooper himself could probably best be described as small-minded, ignorant and irrelevant. Well suited to the readership of the Daily Mail.
This sounds like unionist “sour grapes” to me and typifies the general gutter press of the daily mail. We should be grateful to the Weirs for their benevolence towards the cause of Nationalism.
This man is complete idiot. The scale of this hypocrisy of past breathtaking.
This man is complete idiot. The scale of this hypocrisy is past breathtaking.
What a totally unreasonable argument that lottery winners should be told how they may and may not spend their winnings.
The assumption that the only thing anybody aspires to is a Ferrari and a super yacht says a lot for where this man is coming from.
Pea brain.
Well…this is the level they will go to as things stand. The mor Scottish nationalism becomes an undeniable force the dirtier they will become.
The British, and the financial powers behind the country, are capable of anything if we look at historical fact. Thanks to Brexit Scotland is one of the last true assets that Britain has since the financial sector might wave London goodbye.
To expect anything except every dirty trick in the book is to be naive.
Much of the money the Torys gather from their chums will be the result of tax avoidance and shady financial deals and the exploitation of working people.
Possibly the only totally legitimate way of becoming as wealthy as the Weirs is to win the lottery and yet this aerosol would try to prevent them spending it as they see fit.
We don’t live in a democracy, we have an oligarchy of idiots and Tory chancers.
Standard world view of Unionists/Westminster/Establishment – different rules for them than for other folks. They are the elite who by their definition are special, we are just Scottish peasants getting above ourselves.
People who write silly books about boy wizards and then donate their royalties to political causes should be banned as well. Yes?
Where do we stop?
Or the fact that this obvious democracy hater John Cooper (Never heard of this hack in my puff), can get this mince pumped into Scotland’s shops and supemarket’s via another country’s media magnet’s deep, very deep pockets.
Why does anyone in Scotland read the Daily Mail (Scottish edition or otherwise), its a great big pile of ANTI Scottish SHITE throughout. There is always an over abundance of supply of this and the Express that is never taken up by customers. Who funds this ?
There that’s as Mail like as I can get in my writing style.
Aye its a fare fight right enough.
Scottish independence is only just barely tolerated by the UK establishment,
Yes it is a worry, where next for neo fascists of the tory Brexit UKOK zone?
He’s also lying about the Weir’s being the biggest donors. Loads of tory creeps have pumped millions more into the tory party alone.
This tory dingdong loves the UK so much, he lives in Belize, which is nice though. These guys tory donate via their corps, tax deductible, natch.
link to en.wikipedia.org
Torygraph,Mar 2010
Lord Ashcroft cleared of breaching electoral law with £5.1m Tory donations
The Conservative Party and its deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft have been cleared of breaching electoral law in relation to £5.1 million of donations from Bearwood Corporate Services.
Yes the Weir’s did donate to the ‘yes’ campaign.
But I believe a certain ‘writer’ who is “rich beyond the dreams of avarice” gave a substantial sum of money to the ‘Better together’ campaign…..so what is Mr Cooper’s point ?
What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander….surely ?
Why ?
Self interest.
The whole sorry state we are in isn’t due to a conspiracy of ‘the elite’, merely the self perpetuating self interests of those currently skimming the cream off of the top.
Even gutter dredging g!mps like Cooper know this. And carry on regardless.
Nothing but a clean break will rid us of this disease.
Removing the charitable status from those who educate our betters would be a good start. A vaccine.
We could do with Zanu pf style land transfers too obvs. 😉
Ideology and pragmatic reason are deadly enemies. Cults do not allow members to think outside the magical bubble.
Not content with access and sometimes control and influence in the output of all the media , press ,tv, radio , every means of influencing the public they control, all is not enough , disent and talk of Independence must be silenced , every day .
in this respect the bbc are doing a sterling job 24/7 rain sleet or snow they are beavering away chip , chip , chip ,
We have not went away and haven’t been silenced , Now that must concern them ,
It hasn’t dawned on them , if they had honored their promises this would have paid dividends, if their much heralded VOW had been delivered the march to independence might have receded, but as usual arrogance took over they must show they are in charge ,strong and stable , Aye feckin right .
As Alex Salmond said The Dream Will never Die they cant handle or kill a dream and they haven’t the brains to figure that out.
Unionist Moi ?
Oh my Mr John Cooper is a clever little loyalist servant using this “The most successful ‘political compact’ in history” (I nearly missed it first time).
Its no longer a Union – now we are in a political compact (locked in tight by our own volition see).
So watch out we’re moving on from a Union to a ‘Federal’ Compact folks. The shackles are coming soon.
The key is the Weirs didn’t deserve their money you see.
‘Unearned income’ through ‘winnings’ from likely No voters – that’s his point; how dare they !
Is that not dangerous ground for Toryism ?
“But had the position been reversed, had some business man, rich beyond the dreams of avarice lobbed equivalent sums to the Tories and Better Together….”
Isn’t that how Tories are funded anyway? Why is it different because the donor won the money? For at least a year I faithfully bought a lottery ticket with the sole aim of winning to fund the Yes campaign. Nothing would give me more pleasure than to hand the lot over – just to hear the whining from Britnats. I might not end up rich but boy – I’d have fun.
The Weirs have always supported the SNP – that they are happy to loan the money or donate as they see fit is up to them. It is the sheer hypocrisy of it all. Parties should only be able to be funded the way the establishment decides.
We see this in all aspects of Indy support, though. Other bloggers moan about funding while they collaborate with a newspaper group, a mouthpiece of ant-SNP poverty rhetoric gets funding from a wealthy author with a political agenda.
The Leith anarchists bemoan they cannot get funding for their art projects yet are promoted and endorsed by luminaries such as Irvine Welsh at every opportunity.
Others who want a share of the pot resent that their work is not deemed popular enough by declaring it is because they are not part of the clique. What clique is that? The 100% Twitter clique? The Jeremy Corbyn as an icon of subversive post-modern satire clique? The remnants of National Collective clique? So many factions all resenting the fact that others get more money than they think they deserve.
It always comes back to resentment that they cannot connect enough to get ordinary people to support them – and they hate that the SNP – and WoS – can.
By the way, if anyone is considering giving a substantial donation, should they win a big prize – make the SNP or Yes campaign part of your syndicate – that way they could get a bigger share.
I know it is the tail end of the silly season but that has to be the most dog in the manager article I have seen in a while. The Tory rakes in huge donations from business. Perhaps there should be a law limiting the donations permitted by business to political parties?
The bottom of the barrel? I would never misunderestimate the niggardliness of the Unionist press 🙂
Part of the drip, drip, drip, from the unionist press and bbc.
bbc’s leading anti Scottish Government article of the day today has in its headline ‘could’.
It’s up to the independence movement to highlight the press and bbc bias, time, and time and time again, etc.
They will not give up untill they destroy us!
Next they’ll voicing over the FM while she’s talking! Oooh! they do that already, or keeping them off the telly, My My, they do that too!
What about the Gerry Adams technique of letting us see pictures of them while an actor dubs the voice, Well they do it now, the minute the FM speaks Bryan Taylor intervenes over the top to tell us what he says she says
In Inglind total failure of a FM Carwyn Jones of Wales is on the telly and paid more attention to than Scotlands FM
Inglish Nationalist attitude to Scotland is Democracy is what we say it is!
Are we feeling disobedient yet?
It is probably fair to say that Paul Sinclair’s piece is actually more embarrassing than this though.
It’s only a bridge Paul get over it 🙂
Different rules should apply in Scotland according to these Unionists. How dare ordinary folk donate monies to a cause that they believe in without getting a seat in the House of Lords. Not fair innit.
I have had a regular monthly donation to the SNP in place for over 3 decades now. I am not alone, that is how the SNP is funded, by small donations. Those big donations grab the headlines but I am sure the National Treasurer of the SNP works on the basis of the regular small donations.
To maintain democracy in Scotland the labour and Tory party’s need to be funded from England??
The bottom of the barrel? I would never misunderestimate the niggardliness of the Unionist press
And their readership too. If readership’s the right word. Its easy to slide into insulting tory hard core vote base, so here we go…
I wont:D
Methinks the servile unionist types are very worried this article by this Cooper person indicates this, the more they complain and whine about Scottish Independence the more the intolerant nasty mask of the british nationalist slips. The union is a pointless sham/resource grab against Scotland-couldnt be more clearer than that.
This seems to be a trend amongst the right wing: In the US there is a petition, which is gathering momentum, to confiscate all of George Soros’s wealth and to prosecute him as a terrorist.
Troubling times.
Remind me again Mr Cooper, how many Tory/Labour donors are sitting in the HOL at the tax payers expense?
Mr & Mrs Weir must have a wee chuckle to themselves when they see the Unionist hacks frothing at the mouth.
As for Coopers whine that the SNP want to break up Britain, the little englander/British nationalists have already done so with voting for Brexit in England, whilst Scotland voted to remain, so this union is basically null and void- it cant go on.
The wrong type of money given to the wrong type of party, these unionists do have a twisted mentality. Only those from the correct background and political view should be allowed to donate.
What next, they will be telling me the new bridge isn’t Scottish whilst proclaiming the new British Nissan model. They must live in a bitter union flag bubble, you really need to feel sorry for them.
Indoctrination is hard to break, especially from those that have prospered so well from it.
The DM worldview, fundamentally tight so keep those old buttocks well clenched mi dears and think of England.
We need very strict rules governing donations to political parties and campaigns.
Political parties should be financed by membership only.
Campaigns may accept individual donations, all of which must be published, and none to exceed £10,000.
Strict parity in all press and media coverage to be supervised by OSCE.
Press and media coverage banned in final week before election or referendum.
Any breach punishable by disqualification.
Any election/referendum found to have broken these rules to be declared null and void. Erring parties disqualified.
Etc. etc I’m sure there are rules in other countries which could be applied here.
Erm…
link to theguardian.com
Don’t pay the bbc tax; give the money to the SNP, or to any pro-indy organization instead.
HMLP actually paid people to deliver leaflets. In by elections they get help from the North of England and Tame Unions.
@Capella
I tend to agree, votes are bought and payed for of course. Not just those votes of the electorate but those that are being being elected. That’s the whole point of lobbyists for this that and the other.
There has to be a much better way of controlling the interests of the moneyed types from overdue influence in the democratic process of an election. Vile frankly!
That’s something we should get in a Scottish Constitution right from the start.
Not only is his article based on the ridiculous premise that lottery winners can’t spend their winnings how they choose but it is also factually incorrect.
There is no law which states that you cannot buy lottery tickets on a credit card. Ask any major supermarket or filling station.
The Co-op will not let you use your credit card to but a lottery ticket but that is a peculiarity unique to the Co-op as far as I know.
I’d imagine that if the Weir’s had given the money to any other party, other than the SNP, we wouldn’t be reading this column, by Cooper.
The hatred of the SNP, and by definition those who support them, thats 45% of Scots, is breathtaking.
Why do we tolerate such subliminal intolerance from national newspapers, or the media as a whole.
Re my last comment, I should add that the radio stations in Scotland aren’t much better. Clyde 2 this morning allowed a man to rant on for quite a while, he claimed that Westminster paid for the new Forth bridge.
His false assertions went unchallenged.
God, will it ever end?
link to twitter.com
Daily Mail!!!!
Nuff Said.
Any day now, ‘Great British Bridges’ coming soon to BBC Scotland.
Oh dear,oh dear.
What an absolute plonker of a fluff piece.
The DUP get £1 billion, that’s 100 million each to prop up this wee hack’s ‘compact Union.’
The rich of Brit Nat society Lord Darling, that JK wummin, hold an auction in Edinburgh with posh prizes to fund the British National party.
They are obviously worried witless now.
WE shall be free.
If the author of this piece of crap doesn’t like it, he can always seek political asylum in Merrie England.
Marko.
Yes but Rowling gave the million quid donation, in defence of British nationalism, which is a good thing. However Scottish nationalism as we all know is divisive, and therefore a very bad thing.
Capella says:
3 September, 2017 at 1:41 pm
We need very strict rules governing donations to political parties and campaigns.
EC is what it is, an outfit set up and run by people who are tasked with the most fundamental part of our democracy. But who are they really and why did non breaking of purdah in the actual purdah period in Scots ref1 for example, become OK?
If anything displays how Scots are treated like colonial subjects, its via the EC.
Or as the UK greatest professional liars around at the moment explain…
link to bbc.co.uk
Scottish independence: Osborne’s further powers plan ‘not against purdah rules’
By Jamie Ross
BBC Scotland
7 September 2014
From the section Scotland
Alex Clark
I hope I’m not becoming a bore but a written constitution encompassing the Right to Development, would pretty much put an end to the crony-capitalism so favoured by BritNat elites, IMHO. We simply need the liberty to evolve past the Medieval/Victorian mindset that underpins Brittish nationalism and yoonery.
link to cadmusjournal.org
The practice of political manipulation
link to blogs.commons.georgetown.edu
Just recently back from the wonderful opportunity to walk across the Queensferry Crossing. What a slick and professional operation it was and absolutely free to us lucky ticket winners.
It’s a cracking structure and doesn’t sway in the wind like the FRB does. I looked VERY hard and could not see any of the joins. I expect Yoons will complain they have all been plastered over and we should judder 120 times every time we cross it in the car.
The event security looked pretty extensive too, down to fluoro jacket staff on the Western edge of the FRB looking fixedly out every 100m or so. No opportunity for a sniper.
I’d just like to shout out to all the stoic looking polis standing guard. Must have been a boring duty keeping us all as safe as absolutely possible.
Shinty.
Yes indeed, instead of the Great British Bake Off, we may yet have, the Great British Bridge Build Off.
Maybe this old chestnut will be revived.
link to en.m.wikipedia.org
God knows we heard more than enough about it, before it even hit the drawing board…alas, it never made it out of the boardroom.
O/T The Sunday Mail today (picked up in coffee shop!) drawing comparisons with Corbyn and Jim Morrison of The Doors! Look forward to Mr Mojo Jezza exposing himself at his next ‘rock’ gig.
Have to agree with muscleguy above. The Bridge visits were freakishly well organised. Ineed, I’ve never seen a public event for so many people that was so slick and well run.
Unionists will be outraged. Can’t have Scotland doing things well.
@ Muscleguy
I went to the QCE yesterday, and it was very impressive.
No doubt you’ll have seen the journalist (I forget who, or where) whining a couple of days ago about how much he’ll miss the suspension-wrecking jolts on the FRB – which he is still free to use, of course.
You know the thing about the DUP ‘bung’ money from the UK Government to buy votes, really annoys me. If such blatant bribery and corruption were done by somebody like Putin, ALL the yoons in Westminster would cry foul, and tell him he is corrupt.
Westminster pays over a billion quid to literally BUY ten votes from a bigotted racist homophobic political party, and that is deemed quite alright.
We should be clear, Westminster is an exceptionally corrupt parliament, with a most corrupt Government, the likes of which is simply not fit for a democracy. Bribery is bribery, and that is EXACTLY what Theresa May did when she literally bought the votes of the DUP. They and her should be in jail.
The whole article smacks of desperation and the need to control who they allow to have political opinion or affiliation. We surely have the fascists now peeling off their own clothes and revealing what they actually stand for.
@FTDmail says: 3 September, 2017 at 12:39 pm:
“This man is complete idiot. The scale of this hypocrisy of past breathtaking.”
I’ll second that, FTDmail. It is tits like him that have seen me never buying a newspaper since 1970. There is only so much hypocrisy that the human mind can tolerate and, going by the plummeting circulation figures of the Scottish MSM it seems that I am not alone in rejecting these despicably people’s noxious outpourings.
What a nasty little Sh*t Mr Cooper is, but at the end of the day, its what his nasty big employer demands he writes to keep the extreme right Naz* supporting newspaper in power.
Cooperman- Swooping in to quash any possibility of Scotland controlling its own destiny.
I’m sure that he wears his Red White and Blue Knickers over his trousers.
Thank heaven for Mr and Mrs Weir – we all owe them a gratitude that we can never repay. We indy scots thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
We all owe an immense debt of gratitude to the Weirs from Largs for their generous support to the nationalist cause. As mentioned above, their support for the SNP preceded their lottery win and they have a good and consistent record of generosity elsewhere to worthwhile local causes. It is important to recognise that, unlike so many other donors to political parties across the UK, there is no suggestion of personal, financial or political advancement as a reward for their generosity.
We should also be grateful to the Rev for being prepared to go beyond the front pages of our nauseating “newspapers” to expose the drivel that passes for news and balanced reportage on the inside pages.
The BritNat media’s ability to contort ANY situation to its own twisted agenda never ceases to shock me. This one takes some beating, though, right up there with reports on ‘British’ whisky exports. It really does take hypocrisy to new depths.
I remember when the Weirs originally gave the SNP a million. The Unionist media even commented on their looks. Just disgraceful!
I would like to thank the Weirs for their continued support for Scottish Independence and wish that I could win millions on the lottery. I would love to do the same. Considering that I don’t do the lottery, that’s not going to happen.
I’ve received my raffle tickets from the SNP, so at least I can contribute that way.
Unionists and their media are becoming more hysterical by the day. We must be doing something right!
He must have rattled that article out after a night on the piss ,cant wait on his book John Cooper Rambling of a Unionist Hack .
They’ve scraped the bottom of the barrel with many articles , they must have holed it by now .
If the SNP were to ask that the Weirs like the major donars to the Tory and Labour receive something like knighthood. Do you think they will be honoured.
My guess is he is trying to prevent the Weir’s from making further donations. If I were them, I suspect it would have the opposite effect.
Robert Louis says:
3 September, 2017 at 3:03 pm
Have to agree with muscleguy above. The Bridge visits were freakishly well organised. Ineed, I’ve never seen a public event for so many people that was so slick and well run.
Unionists will be outraged. Can’t have Scotland doing things well.
………………………
Friends crossed yesterday and members of the family today and they all commented on how well organised it was. There were golf buggies shadowing the people as they walked across ready to pick up anyone for whom the 1.7 miles proved too much and get them to the other side.
A lot of the people doing the walk were raising money for charity via sponsorship from their friends and family so well done everyone.
Muscleguy @ 2.53 pm
I think there are only two exposed joins on the bridge where the central section went in.
You will also have noticed that the windbreaks along the sides are see through not solid so you would get a good view.
No. The British nationalist parties don’t do fairness. They don’t like challenge to their cosy wee closed shop world at all. They most certainly have all the big cannon on their side t’boot.
All the machinery of central government at their call when their unwritten constitution is threatened. The caste system, otherwise known as the establishment and near unlimited access to the corporate world and mainstream media. You’d think that’d be enough for them. You’d think.
How and ever, for all that advantage, they don’t have the numbers. They can’t form a state or nation with all of those things at their command. Spooky, but true.
The true power and the true wealth of any nation. The thing that makes and defines a country… is the people. Kinda why they expend so much effort in attempting to manipulate the opinions of the population, because if that opinion should ever turn against them, their stewardship of the nation and their duty of care to the people? Y’know, if people decided to have a fairly stern word with their employees? I’d guess they’d have a truly bad day at work.
In short,they need your opinion in hand to underwrite their management. Without it? They’re done.
Might explain why they’re terrified of folk who don’t follow their script. Might also explain why the fright the YES movement gave them left such an impression.
Perspective, eh? 🙂
At first they came with the belittling of Scotland and it’s people then they came with political arguments, then they put their message of fear and economic doom now they come with sectarianism and the engendering of hate and bitterness to gain their ends
The behaviour of the media in Scotland to Scotland should be seen for what it is, incitement, pure and simple
No longer is the constitution of our country a debating affair of questions and answers between rational people it’s been turned into a cold war by an uncaring media set on creating the next chapter in our country’s future, the chapter everyone has so far been bending over backwards to avoid, the chapter nobody wants to see whichever side of the argument you’re on…except the media, and Oh how they’d love to be responsible for the creation of it
What a story, what joy for their front pages, a country at war with itself and we all know where that blame would fall,
not on the media, dear God no, no responsibility there
The political season is upon us again and the media are ramping up their bile on a daily basis, they might as well just print “We hate Sturgeon” and save themselves the trouble of inventing nonsense stories to surround it in order to fool the bewildered and uninformed
In the words of the Great Donald Trumph The media is Baad very very Baad and not good for our country and that’s very very Baad
Every country who decided to leave the UK has suffered this onslaught of outright nasty and vile behaviour on behalf of the UK, Scotland must weather it too and then do the right thing and leave these Nasty Bastirts to fight amongst themselves, it’s all they’ve ever been good for
Capella says:
3 September, 2017 at 1:41 pm
We need very strict rules governing donations to political parties and campaigns.
………………..
Rules can be broken or worked round though – or not enforced.
Round about 2009/10 in the dying days of Gordon Brown’s premiership there was a bit of a stushie about public money finding its way into Labour Party coffers via the Unions and something called the Union Training Fund, or some similar name.
Sums involved totalled around £18 million and the suspicion/suggestion was that the taxpayers money from Government to Unions then worked its way through the Unions and into Labour coffers as ‘Union donations’. Labour was strapped for cash at the time if I remember correctly.
Then, also Labour, big donors flying under the radar by making multiple donations under the reporting limit and using employees names to hide that the donations were all coming from the same source. Think that was around the same time or soon after.
Any rules have to be closely policed and stiff penalties in place which is certainly not the case at the moment – e.g. the national spending vs local spending during elections.
Something else to make the britnat nutters boke:
link to roughguides.com
Well said Winifred.
—–
Andy-B alas, it |the garden bridge| never made it out of the boardroom.
Nonetheless it took a huge chunk of tax payers money with it.
Between £40 -£60M I believe. Not sure if this was allocated as a London only or UK expense.
No matter, you can pretty well assume a wee bit of Scotland’s pocket money will be adjusted to accommodate this failed project – but you can absolutely be guaranteed there will be a boardroom of folk in London laughing all the way to the bank.
This kind of wild yoonatic hurling of small stones in large greenhouses is actually quite helpful, viz:
+ it reminds everyone of who funds the rich BritNat parties and why. Better Together still alive (if not exactly entirely well).
+ its extaordinary bias is so obvious that it’s ultimately self-defeating. Only an idiot could fail to see just how unbalanced this kind of ranting is. Again a useful reminder of all those BritNat Chicken Littles in indyref1 crying the heavens will fall. It became so absurd that people started laughing at it all. (Laughter is more convincing to many than any amount of closely-argued political screeds.)
+ Provides a reminder that politics isn’t something that somehow just happens for free, and thus acts as a useful spur to everyone on the indy side making their own contribution, however small, to the political effort.
I would even suggest that someone should actually start writing barking mad OTT BritNat pieces for some blog or the likes of The Daily Slug. It can only help.
(A naughty thought: maybe some of those current writers are themselves actual subversives!)
I got quite enraged reading this story so thought I will become a member of the SNP. Unfortunately their web site is giving me a headache. I clicked on the right sections of the captcha thingy and it just kept on giving me more. I clicked on the audio and it sounds like they have hired Stephen Hawkins. Just a complete nightmare got no where in the end. Shame….
It’s okay for the rich, big business and the union’s to support the British Nationalists. But we can’t have wealthy folk supporting the SNP.
How is that conclusion arrived at?
It is certainly time for Scottish folk not of a British Nationalist persuasion to have their own unions.
Agreed – the future of Scotland shouldn’t be a lottery where the odds are so heavily stacked against Scotland. The funding of unionist political parties with ‘dark money’ , the bungs to those to who fund the disunited kingdom not a political arrangement between equal partners is very instructive.The scale of SNP funding compared to the other parties is inversely proportionate to the worthiness of the political cause.
link to electoralcommission.org.uk
All the more puzzling then is the often visceral reaction to the underfunded,people’s movement for Scotland’s right to be an independent nation.Surely there is no threat to the continuity of UKOK when all manner of funds can be used to battle this rag- tag group of independinistas.
‘One £100,000 donation – reportedly from the Irvine Unionist Club to the North Ayrshire Conservative and Unionist Association – has now been taken up as an issue of enquiry for the Electoral Commission, after the Irvine Unionist Club could not be found on the commission’s register of ‘unincorporated associations’. Any donation over £25,000 requires the association to be registered with the commission’
link to commonspace.scot
‘Tory election spending in Scotland has more than trebled in five years. In the 2011 Scottish parliament election, the Tories spent nearly £275,000. In the 2016 election, they splashed out £978,921.07: more than three and a half times as much’
link to opendemocracy.net
‘Eventually, under the pressure of the election, with some excellent Northern Irish journalists refusing to let them change the subject, they admitted that they’d got the cash via an obscure group called the Constitutional Research Council (CRC), whose chair is the Scottish Tory Richard Cook. Oh, and that it was actually £435,000. But all they had really done was pull back a curtain to reveal another curtain: who are the CRC, and where did they get all this cash from?’
leftfootforward.org/2017/07/dup-conservative-party-dark-money-donations-adam-ramsay/
‘Since the 2015 general election the biggest hedge fund donor to the Conservatives has been Alexander Fraser, who gave the party £1,137,400 in that period. The former Barings Bank head of brokerage was elevated to the House of Lords for life by David Cameron in his resignation honours’
link to independent.co.uk
It is very welcome that individuals can donate so much to support the independence movement’s main political party but the resilient,determined ,informed independence movement that is people rich is much more than the SNP – and that cannot be bought or paid for.
With Kezia stepping down and the old wounds reopening in Labour and some internal criticism of Ruth from Conservative quarters (she runs the party like a renaissance court) I can see that Tory drum beaters like Sinclair and Daisley will have to work overtime to hate Scotland more.
I think most sane people see Kevin the Bridge as a beautiful and useful addition Scotland’s infra structure, just as the M74 extension is, the Borders railway and the completion of the M8 are. I am sure the above journalists will use all of the same but there is no payday for them unless they pander to the prejudices of their readers no matter how stupid and infantile the copy.
@ CameronB Brodie – hi great to see you back posting.
@ Legerwood – yes election rules would have to be properly monitored. But look at Kenya – what a contrast. They have a method for enforcing the rules and it looks as though the rule of law is prevailing.
Unlike the corrupt UK state where rules are broken with impunity.
link to bbc.co.uk
Phronesis -It is very welcome that individuals can donate so much to support the independence movement’s main political party but the resilient,determined ,informed independence movement that is people rich is much more than the SNP – and that cannot be bought or paid for.
Absolutely this.
@Legerwood
That was the first thing which struck me. In all the pictures I had seen the wind shielding looked solid steel or maybe vented metal in pictures before. I was therefore most pleasantly surprised to see they were transparent.
Also the low level carriageway lights so the lines of the bridge will not be spoilt by high light standards too.
We had a wee 5yo boy with us, a bright wean with a quick mind so I was explaining how the cables held it up and that they had to use special, newly invented concrete to make the towers and that when the FRB was built they didn’t have the technology to build the QC.
The info boards were also terrific. I see they learned from the FRB and installed dehumidifiers from the start. Bridge technology has long been good at learning from mistakes on other bridges. The FRB for eg learned how not to build a suspension bridge from the Verrazano Narrows bridge in the US which blew down due to resonant frequency in the wind.
One thing the FRB hasn’t suffered from is wind damage. Not having to close or restrict the QC due to wind will be an enormous boon. Mrs Muscleguy who commutes over the Forth says they have the option to open the hard shoulders and make it a three lane if necessary.
Overall a most impressive and well thought out facility.
Mr and Mrs Weir are very generous and give to good causes through their Weir trust. They are ordinary working class people and have nothing to benefit from supporting the SNP Unlike some of the people who donate to other political parties. They are caring ,compassionate kind hearted people who should be held in high esteem by everybody in society
HandandShrimp
Kevin the Bridge – just heard it the other day and love it.
Mr & Mrs Bridges & Kevin -nothing like Scots humour
Greg @2.28
Loved the link to the Daily Fail article but the btl comments are TERRIFIC.
link to twitter.com
The article is pathetic but irtually every single remark defends the bridge and criticises the writer. Brilliant… ha ha ha.
The tables are turning folks!
Loved the remark that highlighted the hypocrisy of calling his own newspaper the ‘Scottish Fail on Sunday’ since the logic of his argument shoots that down in flames for starters AND of course strengthen our stand point that there is NO such thing as Scottish Labour, Scottish Tories or Scottish Lib Dems for exactly the reasons he gives. Love it.
Take the plank out of your eye son.
CameronB Brodie
Glad you are back online – was beginning to think you had gone AWOL.
You’ve missed a lot!
Just read the interview with Salmond in Holyrood magazine, which I think Smallaxe highlighted the other day.
It’s top class, a necessary read for all who want a Yes to Independence.
Muscleguy @ 5.37 pm
Glad you enjoyed the day. Quite an experience for everyone.
Found this article about the bridge written during its construction especially the paragraph about the involvement of Scottish firms
“”steelwork for the bridge deck has been manufactured in China, which did cause negative comments at the time. However Transport Scotland has been at pains to point out that the steel supply deal was won in an open tender and that the Chinese firm offered the best price for the high-quality structures required. This has been in a factor in lowering the cost of building the bridge. Transport Scotland has also pointed out that of the 483 sub-contractors working on the project, 265 are local firms while Scottish companies have provided 23,754 of the 26,122 supply orders for the project overall.””
Personally I am glad it was an international undertaking as most of these big projects are. That is what Scotland should be looking outwards and benefiting from the input that brings in so many different ways.
link to worldhighways.com
I posted the link on another thread but worth repeating.
youtube.com/watch?v=9LnY-jy_cE0
From 3:30…
(Sorry if the link doesn’t work. Removed all the gubbins before the dots, but I always seem to do it wrong).
It’s Tony Benn’s Sicko interview, which I find remarkably candid in its cynicism.
It always strikes me as an unguarded confession that the “Government” isn’t there to govern the people, but to manipulate and exploit them. Always makes my blood boil, and Sicko is the perfect title.
What’s the expression? Oh yes, If you tolerate this, your children will be next…
Still think it’s just a referendum we need to win?
O/t somewhat.
Thanks to ayemail, received my YES2 flag this weekend. I shall fly it with pride.
Whatever the MSM/BBC say, write or do, it’s my hard earned and I shall spend it or donate as I please.
Breeks @ 18:09,
(You need to keep the “www.” at the start, then all will work as intended. It’s only the “http://” part you must omit with a youtube link.)
Desperate hatchet job re the new bridge in the Express.
BBC can’t help themselves- A prominent item on their website re the new branch manager, Loads of space for BLIS and the prospective muppets to voice their opinion, What is missing is any input or comment from any other political party, Anything the snp does is always never complete without the usual BUT every single item includes the BUT , Aye different bloody rules for Unionists every single time and they wonder why they are not trusted . Propaganda pushing Ba—–s .
@gus1940 6.19
You can bet the cat and dog that all the MSM and EBC will be salivating tomorrow over the prospect of Aunty Betty and Phil the Greek performing the official opening.
Muscleguy @5.31
Galloping Gertie was at the Tacoma Narrows in Washington State not The Verrazano Narrows which are in NY State.
Incidentally Gertie was replaced by 2 separate suspension bridges.
What an excellent thread. WoS take a bow.
OT
See the complaints from the Tories – and particularly Labour – about the Scottish Government “leaning” on Carloline Gardner? Well lookee here, from the Scot Parliament records:
(29th March 2012): “S4M-02533 Iain Gray on behalf of the Selection Panel: Appointment of the Auditor General for Scotland – That the Parliament nominates Caroline Gardner to Her Majesty The Queen for appointment as the Auditor General for Scotland.”
Umm, which party is Iain Gray an MSP for, again?
The Weirs are genuine, open-hearted, generous people who give to causes they believe in. They also gave a lot of money to Partick Thistle to develop young players for their first team.
What disgusted me was that, after their first donation, the MSM suggested they were simple-minded souls who had been duped by the evil SNP into contributing.
You can’t get lower than an MSM bullshitter.
Apologies to exhaust fitters everywhere.
Planning on going across our lovely bridge next week and coming back via Culross.
We’re a great country: just need to shake off the Golem of this accursed Union.
Dan huil – Thanks for the rough guide link – Aye yer right that will make every Unionist smile.
Then again anyone ever seen a Unionist smile, Now that’s Questionable statement I don’t think the two go together, a bit like Tory and compassion, just doesn’t fit . Much like BLIS and truth . No match possible .
O/T
Watched a great show on BBC Politics channel today 6.10 pm (might be a repeat) – Sean Curren Interviews ?
Cracking interview with Alex Salmond – Def worth a watch !!
Richardinho says:
3 September, 2017 at 12:13 pm
The reason this is worth reporting on is because it reveals the mindset of the unionist: Utterly bereft of reason.
Also revealing of Unionist mindset is his comment’always daydreaming of better days on the far side of the deficit’
They glory in the idea of holding Scotland down and in debt created by the useless fuckers themselves.
Unionists are the most exploitative and hyocritical creatures on the planet.Add genocidal warmongering to their baggage and you have a clear picture of their character.
Cooper represents the Yoon cult well.
Right now, in the wake of great news for Scotland, the new M8 section complete, the new Bridge complete under budget, and then Scotland gets voted the most beautiful country in the world by readers of Rough Guides.
Unionists will be furious. Surely they need Scotland to be sh*te, don’t they? Right now the BBC will be submitting hundreds of FOI requests to every organisation even remotely connected to the SNP or Scottish Government, to desperately try to find a new SNP BAAAAAD story.
Scotland is a fantastic country, held back by the London worshipping servile, deluded unionists, who always think ‘England is best’. It is time to ditch, the corrupt, undemocratic Westminster colonial rule of Scotland. Scotland is on the up, and the unionists just sit and greet and girn. They are utterly pathetic.
Hopefully if the Weir’s read these comments they will appreciate the good will they are receiving from the independence supporters. They put their money where their heart is, unlike most unionists who put their heart where they feel it best benefits themselves. What some will say and do for a bit of ermine is truly stomach churning.
Going by BBC Scotland and the Britnat media, I fully expect her Maj to say ”I name this bridge Shitey MacShitey Bridge”
Capella
Thank you. Only for the next wee while, unfortunately.
The Weir’s are true “Servents of Scotland”, they put their country first and foremost.
Now what is the name of the person who fund’s the far right ‘scotland in union’ bunch of numptys, surely he deserves a mention.
Meg merrilees
Thanks as well.
Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse:-
link to youtube.com
Legerwood @ 6:07 pm
Many thanks for this informative link regarding the Queensferry Crossing: link to worldhighways.com
I noted the description of the Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors (FCBC), the international joint venture which designed and constructed the Queensferry Crossing, in the article. It reported that one of the four companies in the JV has been Morrison Construction. (See also: link to morrisonconstruction.co.uk)
Morrison Construction describes itself as follows: “Scotland’s leading contractor. Our award-winning portfolio covers a range of activities, from the construction of multi-million pound building and civil engineering projects to small works and repairs and maintenance.” (See: link to morrisonconstruction.co.uk )
Still on the Queensferry Crossing, this document regarding the state of the Forth Road Bridge dated 2010 may be of interest (Source: link to archive.scottish.parliament.uk ). It includes this:
“17. A study undertaken by W A Fairhurst and Partners found that replacement of the main cables is technically possible at a cost of £122 million for the engineering works (at 2007 prices, and not including optimism bias or risk). For the Bridge to remain operational, this maintenance could not be undertaken without temporary traffic management measures being put in place which would restrict the capacity of the crossing. The works would be expected to last seven to nine years with notional travel time delay costs of the order of £650,000 per day, if a carriageway were to be closed on the Bridge on a weekday (Sources: Forth Estuary Transport Authority 2010 and Policy Memorandum to the Bill).”
Given the reaction to the recent, short term closure of the ‘old’ Bridge for a few weeks, one can hardly conceive of the reaction to 7 to 9 years of traffic disruption and the associated negative economic impact. But then I hear that some sections of the media today argue that the new bridge is not required.
stewartb @ 7.50pm
It is an interesting article. At the time of the closure of the Forth Road Bridge and all the howling from the opposition parties I read my way through the FETA minutes, accounts and engineering reports going back several years.
Very interesting they were too. They certainly did not show that money had been withheld from the company but did show that prioritising maintenance and keeping the bridge open was a constant juggling act.
Bridge design and building seems to be a very international undertaking so no great surprise that the Queensferry Crossing attracted an eclectic mix of companies.
@TC et al –
re The Weirs –
Just to echo the tributes they’re being paid here. They’ve done more than most are even vaguely aware of.
@Ian B
Well said.
On another front:
Someone’s back from break and the rest seems to have worked wonders.
link to weegingerdug.wordpress.com
Robert Louis @ 7:22 pm
You make an important point in highlighting the SNP Government’s investment in infrastructure – the new M8 section complete, the new Bridge complete under budget etc.
During a time of austerity imposed by the Westminster government, the achievements of the Scottish Government in infrastructure investment – with its impact on direct and indirect employment, on Scottish businesses gaining contracts in these construction projects, plus delivering facilities with long term (legacy) benefit – is very substantial and candidly, under-emphasised by the SNP. Future governments will benefit from what has been achieved in terms of infrastructure improvement during the terms of SNP government – they will ‘inherit’ a much improved national infrastructure.
To the examples you quote, I would add the marked enhancements to the NHS estate, the FE College estate and the Scottish schools estate. In more detail, the latter, involving a collaboration between the SG and local authorities throughout Scotland, has achieved this:
Source: link to scottishfuturestrust.org.uk
“When the (Scotland’s Schools for the Future) programme was launched in 2009 it was valued at £1.25bn and was planned to deliver 55 new or refurbished schools.
Through collaborative working and by carefully managing the programme and its budget, we increased that number to 67 – 12 extra schools from the same budget.
Building on that success, Scottish Government increased the number of schools to 112, taking the value of the programme to £1.8bn.
And most recently, by us further managing the programme, Scottish Government announced details of an additional four schools which would be funded from the existing £1.8bn, taking the total number to 116 schools.”
This is a very positive story of infrastructure investment improving for the long term the educational environment enjoyed by Scotland’s children and their teachers; jobs in Scotland, and a range of other associated community benefits that have been required as part of the commercial procurement process.
This all needs to be pointed out forcefully: frankly we probably all ‘experience’ some of these infrastructure improvements daily but many may take them for granted rather than realise the significance of the achievements given the severely restrictive cards SG has been given during Westminster-imposed austerity!
Just more fear by westminster and there supporters they’ve always feared scottish independence now it’s that or the tory uk the fears getting worse by the britnats that there cash cow will flee soon
“This all needs to be pointed out forcefully: frankly we probably all ‘experience’ some of these infrastructure improvements daily but many may take them for granted rather than realise the significance of the achievements given the severely restrictive cards SG has been given during Westminster-imposed austerity!”
Just so, stewartb. Our job, in our wee conversations every day, I think, is to remind the Scottish doubters of how much the SG does every day to pave the way to a better Scotland.
I find myself agreeing with yesindyref2’s general idea that a million or so wee conversations like this will get us over the line.
We sure as hell won’t get any help from the Dead Tree Scrolls (thanks again, Jack Collatin).
I have a silver Yes badge and a gold Yes badge and I wear them most days, depending on my classy wardrobe…….
@ CameronB Brodie – why only a wee while? I was hoping you would be contributing your insights into semiotics! Hope all is well anyway.
Many little tories
standing in a row
Taking on the EU
All wanting a go
First there was Boris
Spikey as a Thistle
Telling his Counterparts
They can go an Whistle
Next comes Davis
Not so very Wise
Getting found out Easy
Telling porky Pies
Who will be next
Proping up this Facade
Or should they hold a concert
And bring back Band aid
At every round of talks
No progress is Made
The EU Negotiators
Leave them in the Shade
So what next for Missy May
And her band of men
Will they just give up and walk Away
And Screw us once again
Bill Glen
Sept 17
Didn`t get picked in the lottery for walking the bridge,
brother and sister did, and to add insult to injury they both met and got a selfie with the sainted Nicola,
both happy for them and gutted for my miserable self.
anyhoo,
I was wondering if the wind deflectors that are fitted to the new bridge could not be retrofitted to the old bridge,
a lot less traffic so the extra weight shoudn`t be a problem.
The family and myself had our walk across the Queensferry Crossing today. We met various people that brought Saltires with them, but they were informed that they weren’t allowed to fly them as they walked over, although a couple did.
What’s the betting that when ‘Liz from Windsor’ comes up to ‘Officially’ open the bridge tomorrow, there will be no shortage of flags being flown, and that they’ll all be ‘Butcher’s Aprons’ with not a Saltire in sight.
It was opening day to the public for the new world leading 1.7 mile long bridge the bunting was stretched end to end dignitaries were gathering a thousand photographers for news agencies around the world were already snapping filming, interviewers were interviewing, the TV crews seemed to be everywhere
Political figures were amassing to make comment and capital from this new wonder of the Nation, at a nearby airfield the Red Arrows were making their preparations for the fly past and to blow the coloured smoke they’re so famous for
Below, little ships and fire tenders were ready for the sail under and make the the sprays of water into the air to honour and celebrate this new and marvelous iconic structure
The Nation waited with baited breath
Well, unfortunately none of that happened because this particular engineering marvel is in Scotland and commissioned by the SNP so Sshhh….it’s only a bridge
link to facebook.com
Here is a wee taster of what you can expect from myself at George square on Sept 16th. As the king said…. ” If I can dream of a better land , where all my brothers walk hand in hand”……. Come along for a great day of FREE entertainment, HOPE OVER FEAR – 11am – 5pm. Many other fantastic artists there too. I am very proud to be sharing a stage with these guys..Total class acts !!! ( Big thanks to Graham Brown at Planet Studio ).
Ian Russell
Robert Louis @7.22
Don’t forget the World Record in tidal energy generation last week, and Sir Andy Murray who’s only just lost his number one ranking.
Hey, Dr Jim: what’s the Spanish for: “Blow it out your Carmichael, ya Yoon Dorks!”?
Sorry: only trying to help…..
Interesting article about Naeem Hussain who designed Kevin.
link to raeng.org.uk
link to raeng.org.uk
Biography – from http://www.bloomberg.com
Naeem Hussain serves as Global Leader for Bridge Design of Arup Group Ltd. Mr. Hussain has over 38 years’ experience of civil, structural and bridge engineering works in Australia, Bangladesh, China, Denmark, Hong Kong, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and USA. Since 1986 he has complemented his technical and design flair with project managing large multi-disciplinary infrastructure projects through concept, detailed design and construction stages. Mr. Hussain serves as worldwide leader of the Arup bridge business. He serves as Director of Arup Group Ltd. Mr. Hussain’s education in both engineering and architecture has enabled him to combine the best of both disciplines in winning international bridge design competitions and designing award winning bridges for both road and rail.
He also designed the Oresund crossing and is working on a 38km long bridge and tunnel linking Hong-Kong and Macau.
@TC –
🙂 🙂
Wish we could get emojis in this box…
@Tinto Chiel
A lovely word in Spanish used frequently to describe people or things you dislike as you describe is
Cono……there’s a little twiddley thing above the n
Best to look it up though good manners and maybe rules might get me hammered… Oooh! there is a plural just add s
IanB: I know. I’ve followed BDDT and yesindyref2’s advice and still can’t get what I want in the box.
*wishes he hadn’t said that*
Dr Jim: catch your drift, mon vieux. The French think likewise, I believe 😉 . Or at least, my French sister-in-law says so….
Charming girl.
Honestly, this bridge thing: when are the non-sectarian Noes going to finally say: feck’s sake, we’ve been Carmichaeled!”
Hi Ronnie 9.40pm
See you on the 16th Sept. Freedom Square.
The black money laundered through the DUP who don’t declare. The electoral fraud. 31 Tory seats. Have the LibDem been charged with electoral fraud.
The SNP funded by their members donations. Ordinary folk who care about their communities. The SNP standing up for Scotland, Dread to think the state Scotland would be like, if they were not there.
The unbelievable Express headlines. ‘The SNP £1.5Billion vanity project.’ Guess it referrred to the new Brudge. Cheek doesn’t come into it. A wind up. They are trolling Scotland.
£Billions wasted on HS2, Hinkley Point and Trident. A total waste of money. £42Billion more being spent on Trident. The Westminster crooks are illegally starving people. They are just despicable.
As mentioned before.
I name this bridge,
Kevin.
That’s what I will call it/them till the day I die.
link to caltonjock.com
Capella
I’ve not got myself sorted yet.
I’m pretty much spent as far as semiotics go but keep your eye on OT as I’d already worked on a post concerning normative reflexivity before Duncan H ventured into the realm of ethics. I just need to get back to my references.
Normative reflexivity is important as this is the ‘mechanism’ largely responsible for shaping social attitudes. It is the ‘mechanism’ that ensures the values of a colonising culture overwhelm the values of a colonised society (e.g. Scotland). It is also the ‘mechanism’ through which open and tolerant societies can be transformed to become closed and intolerant (e.g. England’s current direction of travel).
Thanks BBC, your narrative has been truly appalling in this respect but then your function is not to advance the betterment of mankind.
Was shortage of funds the reason for the SNP losing 500,000 votes and 23 MPs at the last general election?
SNP support fell from 50% to 37%.
@CamB –
Braw to see ye back mister.
😉
OK Ronnie 9.40pm
See you on the 16th Sept Freedom Sq.
And hopefully Ian Brotherhood and the rest of the Wings contingent will be in attendance on the 16th.
Rock says:
3 September, 2017 at 11:35 pm
Was shortage of funds the reason for the SNP losing 500,000 votes and 23 MPs at the last general election?
SNP support fell from 50% to 37%.
The SNP were hit by a transfer of the rural voters away to the Tory party. Over 50% of the newly appointed Tory MP’s are farmers or retain very strong links to farming communities. The Scottish National Airhead Farmers Union (SNAFU) conducted its own campaign in support of the Tory party blaming the government for not making payment of their Common Agricultural Policy tax free subsidies within the agreed limits.
@caz-m –
😉
See you there mister.
Dr Jim says:
The ‘c’ word, on a Sunday evening! 😉
Sinclair and Cooper: sad wee hacks.
They actually get paid to produce dross like this?
The British Nazis, losing it big time.
It’s comin’ yet for a’ that; and boy, do they know it.
Ok Ian B.
I was down at Stevenson Beach yesterday Ian.
I noticed the “Shows” were in town. LOL
Fun day out.
Ian Brotherhood
😉
Rock @ 11.35
Shortage of funds compared to say the Tories may have contributed to the loss of seats. In the Stirling constituency, for example, the Tory candidate outspent all of the other candidates combined. His spending was almost double that of the SNP candidates.
But another and perhaps equally important factor was the shortage of coverage in the media compared to 2015. This is shown graphically in the report on media coverage of the election by Loughbourgh University.
link to blog.lboro.ac.uk
Look specifically at figures 1.5 and 1.6 which compares the media coverage in 2015 to 2017 GEs.
In 2017 the SNP was all but written out of media coverage of the election. This is in fact almost the norm for the SNP in any election. The coverage they got in 2015 was in fact quite unusual and may have contributed to their haul of seats. That and the residual energy and momentum from the indyref in 2014 and the novelty of Nicola as the new keader and new face on the UK scene.
Much of the publicity was generated by the unionist parties and their response to the possibility of the SNP being the king makers in a hung parliament. Remember all those billboards. Then Nicola’s performance in the debates. The media could not ignore that.
However, come 2017 the unionist parties did not make that mistake again and media coverage of the SNP returned to the default setting…two paragraphs bottom left hand page – on a good day.
That and the unfortunate delays to the manifesto launch caused by the terrorist attacks in Manchester then the overshadowing of the actual launch by another terrorist attack did not help matters. They effectively lost 10 days of campaign because they had nothing to talk about.
Considering all of that then their eventual seat tally was a credible one. The acceptance by some of the SNP supporters and members of the premise promoted by the media and unionists that losing 21 seats was a poor showing was not merited by the actual result and the circumstances under which it was achieved.
boris at 11.50
The SNP also left the people of Scotland with a binary Labour or Tory choice by not mentioning or campaigning for independence which is the only thing that brings a significant percentage of its support out to vote. Like many areas in Scotland,with large SNP membership here,we had difficulty getting the useless leaflets out.
And we seem to think it is non productive to play the “Scottish” card. But we will not win unless we do so because at the final analysis it is only national self respect and identification with Scotland that gives reason for an independent Scottish nation. Otherwise we might as well one of Corbyn’s regions of England.
I hope we have learned but I’m not waiting much longer.
Dictionary Corner.
Carmichaeled= to be lied to in a most contemptuous fashion.
To be pissed upon from a great height.
To be liberally shat upon.
To be Yooned and threatened with federalism.
To have your worthy and good public services insulted etc.
Alex Rowley says He’s glad the SNP are following Labours lead on removing the pay cap
Except in Wales where Labour is in charge they refuse to implement the very policy he claims Labour are leading on
Is Alex Rowley so slow he hasn’t caught up with Labours actual policies, which are….Oppose everything till you get the chance to do exactly the opposite from what you said you would then don’t give a shit because your Arse is in power
See where I come from that’s just called lying your Arse off
The Labour party make my eyes ears and nose bleed wae their lies plus they make me extraordinarily angry with my fellow humans who fall for their shit
Jings I’m reading some stuff tonight
Apparently “Scottish” fishermen who live in Scotland and fish Scottish waters don’t think it’s fair that they can’t catch what they want then take that catch wherever they want and sell it to whomever they want and no questions asked
Now maybe I’ve got this wrong but did that not used to be called piracy or at least who the F..K do you think you are
It begs the question why are these people living in Scotland, they should just move to Grimsby or wherever it is that gives them the financial deals to undermine Scotlands GDP and tax and be part of the great Inglind country they so admire
Oh and by the way if they don’t get their way they’re threatening to take the Scottish government to guess where
The European court
When it comes to “Scottish” fishermen they do make it up
Mibbees that’s why Morrisons don’t sell any Scottish fish
and I know whit I would dae wae Morrisons, second word off!
The Scottish Government has ambitious plans to grow Scotland’s food and drink industry to £30 billion by 2030. It makes sense for the industry to have ‘certainty’ when it comes to sourcing fish, meat and crops. It is a win-win situation for Scotland’s fishing industry.
link to news.gov.scot
I would just like to echo the heartfelt thanks as many have done on here to the Weirs , without their substantial financial support we and the SNP SG may not be in such a positive fighting position , and as always thanks Stu and many others for highlighting the nefarious disgusting antics of the brutish nationalists
@Tinto Chiel and Ian Brotherhood
link to alt-codes.net
The Weirs – it’s not just the SNP and Indy, and Barrfields, it’s a lot of local causes and locals. Possibly the most common expression used locally is “I wish I knew the Weirs”.
37% of the vote is a landslide victory.
No UK Gov has ever been elected on 50% of the vote. Never achieved.
In the NE 6000 did not turn out to vote. It was raining? They know who they are. Voters remorse. Now represented by Multimillionaire farmers getting £Hundreds/thousands of non declared subsidies and pleading poverty, Nasty, little men. They even support taking EU money from poorer farmers. Multimillionaire fishernen pleading poverty. They would not use bigger nets, like the Norwegians. Grew back more dead fish than they caught. Ruining their own industry. Blaming the SNP for forty years of unionists policies with which they did not agree, Scottish Gov 2000. SNP minority Gov 2007. Many fishernen and farmers know the score and support and donate to the SNP. The enlightened ones. Brexit will ruin the world economy.
Dugdale deserved to go. Illegally telling voters to vote Tory. What a disgrace.
The MSM venom against the new Bridge is appalling. The heart warms photo of a 93 year old going across the Bridge with a Saltire.
Trade minister resigns. Another one hits the dust. Major food retailer warns of rotting piles of food with border barriers. The Tory mess. Fiddling the migration figures. Westminster caused the worst migration crisis in Europe since the 11WW. Then wants to walk away without paying for it. The Tory ingnorant incompetents trying to negotiate a settlement for rights already available without paying for it. They will negotiate for less rights which cost more. Unless they are gone.
Another illegal invasion costing £Billions as a diversion?
Blair got 35% of the vote.
Corbyn got 34%
If Dugdale had not told people to vote Tory in Scotland. Corbyn would have gained in Westminster.
Labour the Trojan horse in Scotland.
Dr.Jim@9.32pm,3:9:17
No, no fancy red arrows for Kevin. I did hear a few very loud, scary rumbles Sunday afternoon though, sounded like war had been declared. Big fat military(?) helicopters flying over Edinburgh, they were going in the direction of the bridge though. So maybe just going for a look, expensive exercise anyway.
Wonder what calibre of lies the britnats will come up with this week then. Aye you might have a shiney new bridge Scotland, but don’t get any fancy ideas of separation! Instead you will be getting the Mayist repeal act, ha ha ha!
An article from June’s Insignia, magazine of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
link to ingenia.org.uk
Very interesting about the construction and they are considerably more impressed than the scottish press about the achievement but hey, what would engineers know!
It shouldn’t be a lottery, it should continue to be paid for by big business who know what’s best for us and our children.
OT
Been catching up with a bit of defence reading, and the comments on an article about the North Korean / large US joint South Korean exercise are interesting.
Seems I’m not the only one thinks it’s all very one-sided, with the “West” totally uncaring about how North Korea might feel.
It kind of reminds me of the Versailles Treaty, where it’s only in the last decade or two opinion has been moving to the view that basically speaking, it caused the Second World War. Though the American insistence on no reparations shows either that they realised that as well, or were more interested in rebuilding Germany against the “new menace” from the East.
Funny old world innit? So much power vested in the hands of so few imbeciles.
yesindyref2 , not at all funny!
I am watching Crosstalk on RT and the sense the folk are talking is in complete contrast to the media lead hype.
40 years ago, they had the power to take over all landline communications in the event of an emergency, it was said on TV a few days ago, they had the ability to control all mobiles, so you can take it they have already the power to cut the internet, and you think it is only NK who gets the news they want you to get.
@ CameronB Brodie – interesting comment. We need to focus on all the subtle, cunning, manipulative tricks the media are playing. But please post on the main threads too.
Legerwood – also interesting about media exposure. I don’t watch TV but do listen to the radio (less often nowadays). But what struck me at the GE17 was the tsunami of leaflets from the Ruth Davidson party all saying No Referendum.
@yesindyref2 0343.
Thanks!
@Dorothy Devine
The big problem seems to me to be that there are no diplomats in the whole wide world. Strangely during Indy Ref 1 I did think that Scotland could have a future role in diplomacy if NATO was dumb enough to continue to treat Scotland with discourtesy.
@yesindyref2
Pretty much.
There appears to be a perfect storm of idiocy in the top jobs around the globe right now. The statespeople and diplomats, the peacemakers have either been sidelined, retired or ignored.
We could do with an outbreak of reason at this point. (too much of an ask?)
Dave McEwan Hill says:
4 September, 2017 at 12:25 am
boris at 11.50
The SNP also left the people of Scotland with a binary Labour or Tory choice by not mentioning or campaigning for independence which is the only thing that brings a significant percentage of its support out to vote.
…………..
I would have thought that the fact that the 3 Unionist parties were essentially campaigning on the same platform – No to a second independence referendum – would have brought the SNP’s supporters out in force to vote for the SNP thus demonstrating that the Unionist message was totally repudiated. Any other action, or inaction in this case, seems illogical.
Instead this support stayed at home and allowed the message of the Unionists to gain traction.
Did those who stayed at home not know that Ms Sturgeon had announced that there would be a second indyref in Autumn 2018 or Spring 2019 and this had been endorsed by a vote for the indyref in the Scottish Parliament?
If what you say is correct and people stayed at home because the SNP barely mentioned independence in the campaign then that seems to be a case of biting off your nose to spite your face – big time. This was after all a General Election even if the Unionist parties were trying to make it otherwise.
Tony Blair oddly frank about his Scotland region.
Nice explanation of how UK devo is not independence too. Confession is good for the soul.
link to bbc.co.uk
Blair admits mistake with Welsh and Scottish devolution
2 September 2015
From the section Wales politics
OT
In Edinburgh getting the loon back to uni.
Couple of stories from the Edinburgh relatives which are mini litmus test of current events.
Local French national who is a cheese merchant having to consider a new career because importing cheese is not economically viable due to sterling crashing against the Euro.
Local Edinburgh residents do not have the disposable income to buy Beaufort at £40 a kilo.
Polish national who lectures in education establishment notes that the standard of living has now shifted in favour of Poland as economy has crashed in UK.
Packs of apples in Tesco which recently sold with 6 apples now sell with 5 and at same price.
My point being that as more evidence stacks up of the poor state of the UK economy and it enters the public’s conciousness then there will be public disquiet.
It’s already hitting people in their pockets and as the pound continues to drop against the Euro then the perception of matters getting worse will only increase.
Perception is everything and the right wing press cannot disguise the reality of the cost of living changing for the worse. Expect a seige mentality to become the narrative in the MSM.
link to bitebackpublishing.com
Kezia Dugdale’s not in it but really should be. You know its going to be all about England, but you could write a book at how and why SLabour became loathed by the left in Scotland, absolutely loathed. Arise Sir Crash Gordo, Lord Flipper, and on and on it goes.
@Dave McEwan Hill says: 4 September, 2017 at 12:25 am:
“The SNP also left the people of Scotland with a binary Labour or Tory choice by not mentioning or campaigning for independence which is the only thing that brings a significant percentage of its support out to vote.”
Get real, Dave. It was a GENERAL ELECTION.
It was not a referendum on Scottish Independence but it seems to have fooled you into believing it was.
While otherwise sensible people like yourself can get sucked in by the Westminster Establishment diversionary propaganda there is no chance that Scotland will ever regain her independence.
Even if there had been a 100% return of SNP MEMBERS OF THE WESTMINSTER PARLIAMENT there would have been no difference whatsoever in the country of England domination over the rest of the United Kingdom.
Every person who voted in that election for anything other than to elect a MEMBER OF THE PARLIAMENT AT WESTMINSTER was fooled.
We must never allow ourselves to be fooled by the Westminster propaganda for that is exactly what they wanted us to do. So stop blaming the SNP for the faults of the unionists.
Unless, of course, that is your own real agenda.
This was after all a General Election even if the Unionist parties were trying to make it otherwise.
Its entirely possible that the snap GE results essentially laid out Scotland’s politics and vote patterns, in or out of this lovely union of Britishness.
The real challenge now is all on Colonel Ruth’s crew, beeb Scotland gimps, all Scottish newsrooms, because you cant keep raging vote Cons for No indyref2, for ever, at people. But you know they will:D
Dr.Jim@9.32pm,3:9:17
…at a nearby airfield the Red Arrows were making their preparations for the fly past and to blow the coloured smoke they’re so famous for…
Artyhetty says: No, no fancy red arrows for Kevin
The RAF website says todays schedule is:
Monday, 4 September
Depart Prestwick – 1119
Flypast Forth Road Bridge – 1134
Arrive RAF Scampton – 1211
Appears they will fly over the wrong bridge!
If I remember correctly it was a Labour Government which increased the deposit for elections to £1000,the rational behind it was to cover some of the costs of administering elections.
But the reality was, it was done to reduce the numbers of individuals or smaller parties by making it more expensive for them to stand for election.
Thereby making elections a rich party’s game which only Labour and the Tories could affectively participate in.
Turnout IndyRef 85% (including 16-18 year olds) Turnout GE 61%? Lower electorate. It is difficult to have an IndyRef with/during Brexit. The SNP will support/have an IndyRef when there is enough support for it and it can be won. In the meantime they are doing a magnificent job. Standing up for Scotland. Still chipping away at the unionist agenda, trying to ruin the world economy. Scotland has friends in Europe. Would dread to think the state of Scotland without an SNP Gov.
Regarding that Rough Guide vote where Scotland was chosen as the most beautiful country du monde, I see the headline on the MSM PA web article is (wait for it):
“British Isles nation voted world’s most beautiful”
Scotland: The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name.
The Union Never Sleeps, chinas…..
link to taxresearch.org.uk
What is exactly the point in voting SNP at General Elections anymore?
For over 50 years, it used to be: if the SNP win most MP seats, that is a mandate for independence.
Now, 2017 GE: “Keep Scotland (Strong) at Westminster. Brackets are mine, just to make it clear what the SNP stood for:
Keep Scotland at Westminster, is what they really said.
The other argument put forward is:
Vote SNP so they can help the Labour Left. That’s the best the SNP, Derek Bateman, Craig Murray and I can come up with. It’s called, clutching at straws.
The reality is Labour want nothing to do with the SNP. The SNP are toxic to England’s voters who view the SNP as people who only want to take away Northern Britain’s Scottish Region; so offers of a “progressive alliance” with Labour is not only pathetic, it damages Labour’s chances of winning the election in England.
So, what’s the point of voting for an SNP that WANT to have Scottish MPs at Westminster?
56 SNP MPs were just as feeble as Labour’s feeble fifty, even though many of them worked a lot harder and were more talented.
I suppose the best you can say is: at least it’s not a Tory MP.
(In hindsight, we can now say if all other things had remained the same: If everyone had voted SNP ( or Labour) in Scotland, we probably would have a Labour UK Govt right now.)
On that basis – and because I know my SNP candidate and rated her – I did vote SNP.
Did I think helping to elect an SNP MP would be a single centimetre of progress forward on the road to independence or even Scottish sovereignty within a Union? No, of course not.
Would it have been better if previous SNP voters had turned out to back the SNP or even Labour, so we could have a Labour Govt? For domestic policies, very probably. For independence? It would probably make independence more unlikely than it is now.
Say Labour had become the UK Govt under Jeremy Corbyn and did introduce social reform policies similar to or better than those of the SNP; policies in tax, social reform and welfare that in many cases the SNP can’t, or when they can, won’t (such as a cap or pay ratio for public sector or publicly funded executive pay levels in Scotland and ending preferential charity status for private fee paying schools).
The SNP are still no closer to delivering independence. All talk of independence has been dropped in favour of celebrating the successes of Westminster devolution as administered by the SNP, such as a new Queensferry Crossing bridge and improving the road network.
royal wean alert…
colin alexander says:
4 September, 2017 at 10:20 am
What is exactly the point in voting SNP at General Elections anymore?
Ref2 for the nation state of Scotland and issues like,
link to stv.tv
The UK accounts are fraudulent, especially in relationship to Scotland. Taking £Billions out of Scotland with mismanaged policies. Scotland loses £20Billion a year. The UK Treasury accounting methods are fraudulent. If they were used in private/public sector, they would be fraudulent. For years the Westminster Gov claimed they could not gather separate figures for Scotland. A lie. A click on a computer. They claimed the same for military spending to cover up discrepancies of under allocation. The unionists went along with it. A total cover up. The figures do not add up.
In the eyes of the unionists, second class citizens in their own country!
Thank goodness there are people like the Weir’s who have a social concious and love of their country.
Without them, the uk press and bbc would be even more malevolent, dominant and unhindered to wreak havoc on Scotland.
The Tories are copying SNP policies again. To lift the public pay cap.
@ Heedtracker 10.30
‘What exactly is the point’ in responding to thingy? It knows all this, just let it get back to nodding to itself in complete agreement about how right it always is.
@yesindyref2
“kind of reminds me of the Versailles Treaty, ”
Indeed it was John Maynard Keynes who warned against the austerity measures being imposed on Germany. He warmed that there would be no growth to pay reparations. Just mysery followed by anger
Surely we in Scotland couldve gotten someone local or far more appropriate, to officially open the new Forth Crossing than the Queen.
@ronnie anderson
Good catch and good link Ron.
Insiders claim that Dugdale bailed out on SLAB, because she couldn’t be arsed anymore.
They also claim that SLAB is rife with constant back biting. The insiders also claimed that the word miserable is mandatory to anyone who takes over the position as leader of SLAB.
Sounds to me as though Dugdale is disillusioned by Labour as a whole, maybe she has had her Road to Damascus moment, and now realises independence is the only real way forward for Scots.
link to thenational.scot
On Alex Rowley and other Labour loons, Labour have a policy of, ‘Why go through the difficulties of telling the truth when lies could get us elected’.
Tuned onto the BBC (I know, I know) to see if there was anything about Kevin or impending nuclear war, but apparently some woman is pregnant again. Is something happening in nine months time I wonder?
Liz Rannoch says:
4 September, 2017 at 10:49 am
@ Heedtracker 10.30
I suppose I just really miss creepy old Graun’s btl stuff.
This dude’s fun though, in that only a dingdong like that this can try make SNP bad stuff, out of what is pretty extraordinary journalism, in this one single blog issue alone. If only because, we never ever see this kind of journalism anywhere, in any UK newspaper, let alone tory beeb Scotland gimp network.
I’d whisper “The N_____L” but I don’t want to get my arse kicked by Rock:D
@Liz Rannoch
And what’s the point in being deliberately offensive? Apart from showing yourself to be offensive and ignorant and unable to respond to a reasoned argument without being abusive.
@Heedtracker
Who said SNP bad? I said many of the SNP MPs were much better than the others they replaced.
But that WM Govt is rubbish for Scotland, is constitutionally organised to leave Scotland under represented.
Sending every MP as an SNP MP will still achieve very little to zero for Scotland 99.9 times out of a hundred.
Whooppee doo for the SNP and all that, if they did, but would it change Scotland or the UK for the better? No.
I thought Independists recognised that fact and that’s a major reason for supporting independence.
@ Heedtracker 11.18
‘I’d whisper “The N_____L” but I don’t want to get my arse kicked by Rock:D’
😉 – hope this works.
I thought Independists recognised that fact and that’s a major reason for supporting independence.
I prefer vile seps, Colin A.
As I said, only you can come on btl, under a really great article, report, blog, call it what you will, about just how corrupt all our ghastly UK media gimps produce really is, and go SNP bad.
By produce I mean produce, not produce.
“In 2016 Labour trousered almost £15m from donors (over and above their membership revenues of £14m), while the Tories pocketed almost £19m in donations from their rich pals.
The Nats, meanwhile, have to gather most of their money from membership fees,”
SNP bad though Colin A:D
LINK: live
RT v, “Going underground” with Tommy Sheridon
link to rt.com
Bad words, that didn’t work.
How do you use these emoticons anyway? Supposed to be a ‘winking’ face (checks spelling)!
@Liz Rannoch
link to codex.wordpress.org
😎
Liz: c&p the actual image and it should work.
Thought Dugdale was upfront about the life’s too short for this bullshit thing when mentioning her friend dying so no insider knowledge needed.
Also not sure the on the uppers was unintended. At least it wasn’t on it’s knees anymore. Think the uppers bit originally referenced to older turnshoe construction where you had in effect a leather sock with a sole tacked on assuming you could afford it . When the sole wore through you replaced it rather than the whole shoe.
Magnificent speech from Nicola about Kevin. Some old bat on now.
@Heedtracker
The MSM write mince. Where’s the news?
I never said SNP bad, I have said SNP mediocre (in previous comments), so please don’t put words in my mouth.
I respect the Weirs. They seem like nice people and it’s nice they are trying to use the money for worthy causes too.
But, personally, I wouldn’t waste 5p trying to get an SNP MP elected to WM. Councils, aye. Scottish Parliament, aye.
WM, a waste of time and money. Legitimising the illegitimate WM system of Govt.
The SNP should stop wasting taxpayers’ money and their time going to WM to be booed and shouted down and insulted by ignorant Tory MPs who seem to have learned their debating skills from Liz Rannoch.
The SNP should stop wasting taxpayers’ money and their time going to WM to be booed and shouted down and insulted by ignorant Tory MPs who seem to have learned their debating skills from Liz Rannoch.
All grist to the mill Colin A.
Andy-B
Agree.
Though i’m sure this isn’t quite who you had in mind..
Since the guys who designed it won the Prince Philip Medal for it’s design you’d think the Old Boy could at least have been given one chance to play first fiddle and actually unveil the plaque himself and credit theaward to the designers.
Wot? No Butcher’s Aprons at Kevin.
Job well done Nicola.
Terrible OB by BBC – it looked as if it had been covered on somebody’s mobile phone.
Short Money:
link to researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk
In 2016/17 the SNP received £1,222,106.34
Compare that with 2009/10 when they only received £145,332.53 approx.
Maybe that’s why the SNP are now so keen for lots of SNP WM MPs?
Maybe that’s why the SNP are now so keen for lots of SNP WM MPs?
You want to see newsstand front page SUN today Colin A. Its right up your alley. “Get a Grip Nic” rage the SUN goons. I thought of you Colin A, and roaster Rock, as I place several The N_____L’s over the SUN.
Every little helps Co:D
Heedtracker said: “I thought of you Colin A”.
Awww that’s nice. Thanks.
I think.
The National reports: “LOGANAIR has made its first solo flight in 25 years as it starts a new era as an independent airline.”
Wishing them all the best. Independence is good.
Wishing them all the best. Independence is good.
That’s the spirit. I used to fly low level all over Scotland and can safely say, there really is no more beautiful country in the world than Scotland, Highlands and Islands.
John Cooper said on his appointment as Associate Editor of the Scottish Daily Mail back in 2010, the paper is:
“a real force to be reckoned with and a shining example of quality journalism.”
Three cheers. 🙂
Giving goose
I just hope that not too many ‘Europeans’ leave before the next indy ref- we need their YES votes.
I do believe the weirs also donated to some charitable event in England. Yoons must be livid,now they can’t accuse them of being anti English.
boris,
“The SNP were hit by a transfer of the rural voters away to the Tory party.”
Those must be the same guys who massively voted No in the former “SNP heartlands”.
For the next referendum, we must not pamper them and instead put all our efforts into convincing the “underclass” into coming out to vote Yes.
Legerwood,
“Considering all of that then their eventual seat tally was a credible one.”
They still won but losing half a million votes set back the independence cause.
I blame it mostly on Nicola wasting more than a year flogging a dead horse – a separate deal for Scotland which was never going to happen.
The message should have been loud and clear from the beginning:
Either an independent Scotland in the EU or the Scottish colony of England outside the EU.
For the next referendum, we must not pamper them and instead put all our efforts into convincing the “underclass” into coming out to vote Yes.
And stop buying the N____l.
Dickhead.