News values depreciate further
Almost a year ago we ran a short piece mocking a Scotsman headline which claimed that “THOUSANDS” of people had signed a Tory anti-referendum petition, when the actual number was a strictly-accurate-but-pathetic TWO thousand.
We didn’t think that could ever be beaten for technically-true hyperbolic exaggeration, but we’d reckoned without the bold boundary-pushing ingenuity of the Daily Express.
Hundreds of thousands? How many hundreds, exactly?
Oh. Oh dear. That’s embarrassing.
The actual number of “hundreds of thousands” that were spent on the case isn’t even one and a half, let alone two. It’s actually LESS than 1.4 – if you were rounding it off to the nearest whole number it’d be one.
And it’s actually even worse than that.
We hate to break it to the Express, but £128,877 plus £800 isn’t £136,000.
That one, it turns out, is just a typo. We checked with some grown-up news sources and the actual figure seems to be £7,541 for the extra costs, which the paper has rounded it up by a few hundred quid and then divided by ten while writing it down, possibly because its ham-fisted hack was already confused and tired from having to hold down the Shift button for the headline, or clap and bark for fish while honking a bicycle horn with his snout.
The new ABC circulation figures for Scottish newspapers are in the process of being released today and tomorrow. We’ll let you know how many hundreds the Express has fallen by, but we’re pretty sure that one WILL be a proper plural.
I was taught in Higher English that this could be viewed as Hyperbole. In university politics on Strathclyde University SRC I learnt it was telling lies.
Seems Express journalists did n’t grow up.
?
You’d think they’d give up on this, after the arse the Tory made of himself at FMQs.
And God bless, link to chrome.google.com
Parp! The unionists new tactic, lie about money, anything, just make it up! Is it your salary or the jobless centre you want journo! You decide, but come up with something god damn you!
So many english run, tory and pretendy lefty rags sitting in piles on shop shelves these day, even at 7pm. No surprise at all there, in fact, hole, deep, keep digging right wing media!
It’s no coincidence that the underpaid, demoralised hacks on the Daily Express are producing a product that reads ever more like the Sunday Sport. Mr Desmond, one time owner of Asian Babes, has learned many lessons from selling inflated fantasy – and the fact that the Express fell into his clutches heralded the immediate demise of any serious journalism.
Frankly, Rev, I doubt it’s worth your while deconstructing Express articles. They care nothing for truth.
My mother always said that…
SHOUTING DOESN’T GET YOU ANYWHERE!
By god, she was right. 🙂
Instead of all the waffle words, which only open them up to accusations to telling lies, would it not be easier, less risky, and straight to the point if they simply repeated “SNPBaaad” over and over on the page? That is what they actually mean, is it not?
National circulation down to under 9k a day.
link to pressgazette.co.uk
With IScot not making its target and the National ‘s circulation under half what it was on launch, we are in danger of not having any Pro-Indy mags/papers come the next referendum.
If that does happen we only have ourself to blame.
Galamcennalath, I’m sure Proud Cybernat will be along any second now to visually fulfill your suggestion!
Nice bit of seal culling there Stuart
Daily Express really needs to have a long hard look at itself
Express is battered, slapped down, kicked, hammered, malkied etc. 🙂
Now there’s a nice simple solution to the Ireland border problem…
“Irish premier Enda Kenny has insisted on a clause in the Brexit deal to allow Northern Ireland rejoin the European Union as part of a united Ireland.”
.,,, the people of NI can decide whether they want a hard over cliff edge Brexit border …. or no border at all. Clever move.
link to archive.is
So the Express is upset about the SG spending tax payers money pursuing Scotland’s interests.
What about the dosh spent by the Tories going to the Supreme Court? Whose money was that?
More importantly, in whose interests did the Tories spend that money?
Hate to tempt fate but what has become of mad mental Siobhan, mibbe still down the cop shop 🙂
The National’s plummeting circulation was mentioned in a piece on the press on Reporting Scotland tonight. The biggest fall – 30% and only selling 8,500. We’re going to lose it soon. I am quite critical of it at times. It is a dull read, the front page being the exception. Too many columnists, too many typos, too late a deadline for late night sport (this has improved although why Hibs weren’t on the back page today is a mystery), not enough everyday stories of “stuff that happens” and some very poor sportswriting. The best thing about it is the Letters.
I just can’t understand those on here that say it doesn’t want independence and that it just exists to boost the Herald group’s falling profits. Well, it’s not doing much of a job of that! Why put in the effort at all if that was the case, why bother with their roadshows? Having it on the newsstands during an indyref campaign would be invaluable. Alex Salmond says we should support The National. That’s good enough for me.
The Express, Graun, Heil, Torygraph to name but a few, wouldn’t know their arse from their elbow.
I know a few folks who “read?” these forms of toilet paper, and to say they fall into the Eddie Hitler mentality is an understatement.
So long as Brenda’s empire has her devoted followers, these gutter rags can print whatever they like and the mugs will keep buying them, they don’t care about facts or the truth, it’s kind of pathetic really.
If you have F8CK ALL morals, become an empire journo, Satan wouldn’t even touch your soul.
Re:Lenny Hartley@10.15
Hmm, actually do we? 9 times out of 10, you can guarantee that the National will not be visible in the shops. It is folded over, hidden under tory rags, shoved onto the bottom shelf under any old rag. The shops say they don’t sell many if you ask them so they reduce stock. Funny that, they seem to stock the other rags as if paper was going out of fashion! Oh, wait…
The National’s agenda? A lighweight leaning towards independence, but certainly not pro SNP, the unionists should welcome it. Some articles just omit to tell the whole truth, so you could be left thinking SNP bad,when in fact they are mitigating unionist austerity more than anyone cares to mention.
Wording and emphasis can be pretty misleading, today the National had an article about poss strike action of workers at Faslane and Coulport. A short piece, saying, ‘civilian workers at Scotland’s nuclear naval base are set to vote on industrial action…’. Anyone not in the know might think that Scotland is in fact responsible for said nuke naval base, rather than it being totally and utterly an english MOD base.
Very misleading.
If my basic maths is correct, I am appalled that the Scottish Govt has only spent £00.08p of my tax to represent me and the fellow 1.6m people who voted to Remain
Frankly disgusted at this ridiculously efficient use of my tax.
o/t kezia trying to push federalism on STV right now oh f/k its pathetic drivel , what happend to the most powerful devolved administration in the world as per broon , almost like home rule ha ha oh god i am off to bed , still shaking my head in total disbelief . Oh the tosser from the record has started i cant listen dear dear .
The express should be done for BREACH OF THE PEACE!!
The National doesn’t sell well because most newsagents hide it from public view.
I do buy the National most days though, it does also counter the dross being fed into peoples’ minds, even just a bit. Hope it doesn’t go under. 🙁
Alex Salmond says we should support The National. That’s good enough for me.
They need to go big online, like the Graun and they need to pile in hard behind two big issues, Ref 2 and the SNP. Otherwise, its not looking good.
How about a certain blogger with a web blog called, eh what’s it called again, eh, you know, whatitsface…?
link to wingsoverscotland.com
Could we expect anything other than this crap from the Express? Lol. ***FACEPALM***
Some shops don’t stock The National,hard to buy on impulse if it isn’t in the shops.
The National
I hope it survives. We need it.
I buy my copy every day at Tesco in Colinton Mains, Edinburgh.
There are usually about twenty copies early but if you are not there by about 2pm they are all gone. I must say I thought it was doing quite well, but maybe they need to do a bit of a sales drive.
Maybe the SNP should remind its many members that we could lose our only Daily if they don’t support it.
While we’re on the subject, there is a stonking long letter today in The National about oil, what the BBC tell you and what they don’t. No other paper would print this.
The National was the only paper to report to it’s readers about The European Commission offering the UK Govt 60m Euros from the EU Solidarity Fund to help pay for the floods of last winter.
Well they wont be selling enough papers to make boats out of to sail accross our mighty rivers seeing as we’ve got no bridges
What are they like eh!
Has Westminster said how much their legal costs were in this court hearing? Does Mr Golden (that was an Austen Powers villain shirley?) care?
The Hoots Mon only Selling 17,000 newspapers per day now.
It will take another 3 years until their circulation drops below 10,000 and they only Employ English based propaganda
script writers to spew bile North of the Border.
This site probably gives the Rag its slight sign of a pulse. That number of copies spread across a population of 5,500,000 isn’t even a drop in the ocean.
The rumour is that people are so embarrassed to buy the paper, they hide it in a copy of Asian Babes?
Do The National’s circulation figures include the digital version? They seem to be pushing that quite hard, with free gifts for subscribers, etc.
I buy the paper edition because I prefer it, but I have bought the online version on occasion.
I do wish they could write better, though – today they printed this:
“The case she referred to is that of Saeed Mohammadi, who lives in Cowcaddens, and who has been trying to apply for a spousal visa from Iran for his wife in Iran. They are a childless couple with no children …..”
I went for my National today and couldn’t find it. Needless to say it was neatly covered by a P&J.
There is a definite strategy on the part of Unionists against any support for Independence.
Also, I wonder what the stats are on on-line subscriptions.
I happen to like the columnists. In fact I would say that they are by far the best journalists going in Scotland.
The National agreed it would be a good idea to print the McCrone report – but did nothing about it.
They occasionally refer to Nicola as ‘the Sturgeon’.
I still subscribe to the online edition ‘page suite ‘, but I do regularly swear at it. I’m not impressed by any of their journalists, preferring the guest writers, Cat Boyd apart.
It will still be a loss, on balance, if it goes under.
The National seems to be sold out very quickly in a lot of stores.
Is their a shortage of copies being left at each individual store???
If so, why???
RE iNDY circulation figures.
Could we help by NOT sending links of articles a few hours after print? The best help is to buy the paper or subscribe online.
Regarding the National, my small newsagent does stock it but it’s well down on the bottom shelf and the assistant says they only get about 5 copies but they always sell. The CO-OP also has it but again it is away from the main newstand and in with the magazines.
Tesco are the only one in my area who have it in a prominent position with the rest of the Daily’s. I noticed today at around 5pm that they were all gone but a very large amount of Daily Records were unsold as was the Sun
The New future map of Europe:
link to pbs.twimg.com
I buy The National most days , love WGD, love the Scottish history, but why dont they push ‘The McCrone Report’ or how much Scotland has in wealth. I also think if they put Oor Rev up as a columnist with a daily;’The Real News’ column, it would do brilliant,we have a better following here than most papers so it should be a no-brainer, but like I-Scot nobody cares enough which is our shame..
I take the National digitally every day, but when I go to my local Co-op its nearly always sold out. Its the same with other outlets.
What happened to sale or return? And what about the local circulation reps who used to check these outlets and make sure that they ordered more if they sold out?
One has to wonder about Herald’s full hearted committment to the Nationa’s success
Re National when Im in the co-op I always check that the National has not been hidden. quite often it is. Anytime Im in any shops that sell paper I check to see if there is any left and I know from my own newsagent that it quite often sells out.
Think the issue may be the distribution, when I stayed in Aberdeen and bought the Herald every day (were talking about 15 years ago) it was often difficult to get a copy unless it
was pre ordered. I sent email to the circulation dept but they blamed Menzies who distributed for them. Maybe the same thing going on with the National. However I guess it must be a balancing act not wanting to print more than are sold etc. However a 30% drop in sales should get the alarms bells going, use it or lose it.
I meant to add that the newsagent i use can’t believe how few Heralds he sells now compared to a few years ago when he couldn’t keep up with demand.
He’s an old ex Labour Councillor who really fought for this area and was very prominent in anything that was good for the town. He quietly admitted that the Labour Party today is nothing like the one he supported at Council level.
% Support for an independent Scotland in Germany, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and France. All above 60%
link to twitter.com
Picture of old Nuclear subs at Rosyth?
link to twitter.com
Apologies if this is old news but I was out of the country last week
Feb 13th (t)Ruthless gave a speech to the LSE on why the Tories must not be complacent about another Indy ref.
link to inews.co.uk
I used to buy the National but didn’t feel like it was as pro indy as all the others are against indy. You can’t advertise yourself as pro indy but go at it half heartedly. It’s got some good articles of course, the coming ref for the future of this country will be the test I believe whether it sinks or swims. I’ll give it one more chance.
BUY THE NATIONAL
use it or lose it!
Buy it, read it then leave it on the train, in your doctor’s surgery, dentist’s waiting room, on the bus on top of the pile of metros
It may not be perfect, but it is the only paper we’ve got. The only way to make it better is to help them sell more of it. And if your newsagent is sold out regularly then MAKE A POINT of going in every day and asking for it. Get the rest of your family to do it as well.
WE NEED THE NATIONAL TO BE AROUND FOR INDYREF2 – DON’T LET IT DIE
@
Col.
I second that.
I buy ‘The National’ every day, in fact it is ordered by me from my local newsagent/corner shop whose owner is also a ‘Yes’ man.
I prefer the paper copy so I can do the Sudoku and the crosswords.
Will continue to buy the National if only to annoy my newsagent.
Re the Kez interview on STV (another car crash) funniest part was behind Colin McKay (who was on fire) he had a big YES poster behind him in the shot.
Mmmmm….
The National haters on here will be foaming at the mouth with all these messages of support for the paper.
It’s quite sad, you get the impression they would rather see the National disappear than Scotland achieve Independence if they had to make a choice between the two.
Hi George Wood at 1:41 am.
You typed,
“The National haters on here will be foaming at the mouth with all these messages of support for the paper.”
It seems that there is a small minority of YES supporters from 2014 who don’t want anyone who voted NO then to change their minds to YES. I include “National haters” within that group. The question is raised; how do we raise the vote for independence if we continue to castigate those who voted NO in 2014?
Just a wee while ago, I was moved to post a comment on the “The tyranny of majorities” page, in reply to one of those of whom you type. From 1.21am this morning…
link to wingsoverscotland.com
Still positive
The National has had a high quality digital presence from the off. It is almost like having a dead tree version.
While it is a little cheaper that way, it still represents a significant revenue stream and I suspect a higher proportion of their revenue than the paper version.
BTW I prefer doing the crossword and the number square on computer, all you need to do is use Snip.
What I am saying is, that by their own on line innovation, they have themselves undermined the paper version.
I used to buy the paper version and the on line, but the blatant silliness of that eventually lead to me only buying the on line version. OK it may have increased their revenue but was doing nothing to increase genuine circulation.
A little while back, a couple of Wingers made comments, one here another privately. It seems that the National may be getting a significant number of returns from newsagents.
This lead me to formulate the following plan.
My indy ‘patch’ i.e. for leafletting/canvassing is around 300 households. I suspect this is a similar number to other foot soldiers, give or take.
My suggestion is, that rather than the local newsagent returning copies of the National, that local activists be authorised to uplift any surplus which could then be distributed to households on their patch.
For example, if there were 5 extra papers at the end of the day on average as my newsagent was closing, these could be collected by me. I could then deliver them to households in my patch.
Such a scheme would mean that every household received a ‘free’ National every 3 months or so.
This, hopefully, would boost circulation, whether in paper or on line.
Such voluntary agents would require some authorizing ID, probably a plastic card type thing, and they would also be required to sign some chitty for papers uplifted so the newsagent was suitably recompensed as per normal.
Each agent would know his patch and be able to seed it systematically.
It would not take long, 5 newspapers, what 5 minutes? + walk/drive time from and to home.
An excellent pre-tea preamble. Good daily fitness exercise.
It would save recovery expoense for the National as well.
Result is every voter being presented with a free National maybe 4 times a year rather than them just going to repulp.
Whaddya all think?
Still positive et al
The National has had a high quality digital presence from the off. It is almost like having a dead tree version.
While it is a little cheaper that way, it still represents a significant revenue stream and I suspect a higher proportion of their revenue than the paper version.
BTW I prefer doing the crossword and the number square on computer, all you need to do is use Snip.
What I am saying is, that by their own on line innovation, they have themselves undermined the paper version.
I used to buy the paper version and the on line, but the blatant silliness of that eventually lead to me only buying the on line version. OK it may have increased their revenue but was doing nothing to increase genuine circulation.
A little while back, a couple of Wingers made comments, one here another privately. It seems that the National may be getting a significant number of returns from newsagents.
This lead me to formulate the following plan.
My indy ‘patch’ i.e. for leafletting/canvassing is around 300 households. I suspect this is a similar number to other foot soldiers, give or take.
My suggestion is, that rather than the local newsagent returning copies of the National, that local activists be authorised to uplift any surplus which could then be distributed to households on their patch.
For example, if there were 5 extra papers at the end of the day on average as my newsagent was closing, these could be collected by me. I could then deliver them to households in my patch.
Such a scheme would mean that every household received a ‘free’ National every 3 months or so.
This, hopefully, would boost circulation, whether in paper or on line.
Such voluntary agents would require some authorizing ID, probably a plastic card type thing, and they would also be required to sign some chitty for papers uplifted so the newsagent was suitably recompensed as per normal.
Each agent would know his patch and be able to seed it systematically.
It would not take long, 5 newspapers, what 5 minutes? + walk/drive time from and to home.
An excellent pre-tea preamble. Good daily fitness exercise.
It would save recovery expoense for the National as well.
Result is every voter being presented with a free National maybe 4 times a year rather than them just going to repulp.
Whaddya all think?
The problem with the National isn’t what’s in it, there’s nothing wrong with that
But it’s a bit like an old Volvo everybody knows it’s good but nobody wants a test drive
Folk like block letters, big capitals, inverted commas and all the usual meaningless crap, it looks more interesting and folk feel like they got their moneys worth
It’s got to look the way a jingle sounds snappy and quick to suit the short attention span, yes I know, just like the Sun or the Daily Record but crap though they are, they sell
So get a designer in National and jazz it up or we all lose
and stop doing full front page fotys it’s daft, half a page is enough
Headlines boys Headlines, in stupid bold sound bitey styley
Just one old showbusiness guys opinion
OT
While keeping the end up for Scotland on a forum (UKDJ) where someone was claiming “If Scotland left the uk it would be financially worse off by £32-45 billion a year, rapidly running up a Greek style national debt.
also Scotland would or should have to pay the bill for moving our national nuclear deterrent and all its infrastructure south of the border. Somewhere to the tune of £60-90billion at last estimates. ”
mmm, I only just noticed the Trumpism “you pay for us to move”, oh well, there’ll be a next time. Anyway, someone posted a link and I found this below with a bit moer search, With Fallon talking about getting the T31 built elsewhere in the UK but “assembled” on the Clyde, and what I suspect is a bit of a distancing from BaE this does give some pause for thought about the future beyond whatever T26 are built:
link to savetheroyalnavy.org
On the other hand it does represent a prime opportunity for iScotland, to work in conjunction with the team.
OT again defence.
Didn’t realise Think Defence was winding down, did wonder why there didn’t seem to be anything new! Anyway, here’s an interesting bit:
“Over the years a few things have remained constant at Think Defence;
People, training and thinking must always come before shiny new toys
High-end equipment spending will be wasted without adequate support, spares and consumable stocks
Civilian industry can offer many solutions to defence problems
Technology risk taking is to be encouraged
UK defence industry must be nurtured and protected
Bridges are rather cool and metals boxes, likewise
My hope is that these themes remain as defence writing evolves, especially the last one, obvs!”
link to thinkdefence.co.uk
The reason I post this is because there WILL be indy defence plans, and they will be a little short on such as logistics, training, civilian employees – which half the budget goes on.
link to gov.uk
Anyway, back to back-breaking and footsore work 🙁
It’s been a hard day’s week and in 6-10 hours I’ll be sleeping like a log.
Labour lost Copeland by-election, a seat they have held for 80+ years.
Conservatives win Copeland – their joy will be unbounded!
2,000 or so of a majority- the same number of votes roughly that went to UKIP.
This is the path England is taking for the future, we should be worried.
Labour held Stoke by about 2,000 (polling 7,000+) but probably only because UKIP split the Tory vote (5,000 each)
Anent the National. This paper is, perhaps, the prototype of what print newspaprs will become. It is produced from mainly agency and freelance-genrated copy. The publishers are not paying for “big name” journalists, who only produce one or two articles per week.
But, it is not the publisher’s main print outlet. It is, in some ways there to compliment, but not over-shadow the Herald.
The original design and layout was done by Richard Walker, who is one of the top design guys in the business. It might benefit from an update, but, basically, it is a good design.
I understand, the National is produced, as something of an add-on, or extra duties, by some of the Herald/Evening Times production guys – maybe with, I don’t know for certain, some casual/freelance input. As such, the National is not their primary concern, and this is a weakness.
As regards availability and circulation, shortages and short-falls are probably down to Menzies, the main distributors, who have a long history of, if a title generates a lot of returns, cutting-back on supplies until, if any paper produces returns on a regular basis from a single shop, that title isn’t put in there.
Finally, if GAnnet/Newsquest thinks the National’s sales are conflicting and costing the Herald sales, then the National will go. This is what happened with the old Sunday Standard, over 35-years ago. The Herald Group was then owned by Tiny Rowland, who also owned the Observer. In Scotland, the Standard was out-selling and affecting the Observer, so, it was closed.
That said, the Herald is now such a disaster, it could fold regardless of the National effect. There are desk jockeys and “name” journalists on the Herald today, who would not have been let through the door ten or twenty years ago.
Brexit will cost Scotland £8Billion.
The Tories couldn’t make a bigger mess. The Continentals are already leaving the sinking ship. and foreign students are non existent,
Indy2 can’t come soon enough.
Newsquest are a smaller group. They have taken over other titles. Gala? The National is selling.
JP has £300Million debts that needs restructuring. £200Million bonds to pay out in 2019. It is values at £17Million. Shares 17p. The main shareholder 20% has lost confidence in the chairman and financial director. Give it two years.
The Mirror groups wants to take over the Express to conciliate titles. Jobs will likely go. Any value is in the real estate commercial property.
I think part of problem with National are widespread hiding of copies.
I have came accross this in at least 3 stores.
Now one store never seems to have any copies.
UKIP didn’t win. Corbyn/Labour are useless. The Commons is full of misfits, especially on the Front benches. Hypocritical liars. The MSM is a disgrace.
I get The National every day on my way to work.
My good lady and myself are on holiday this week in Pitlochry, and when we were booking into our hotel we were asked if we wanted a free copy of The Scotsman!
I replied ‘No thanks, but if you have a copy of The National I’ll take it’.
The look on the receptionists face was a picture, I can tell you.
Copies of the Scotsman left in their lounge each day!!
Journalists gloating about the demise of the Press. Destroying their own industry. Not very smart. There is always a job briefing political propaganda.
Just heard Paul Nutter on the news after his defeat in Stoke.
“I’m not going anywhere”
True for once Paul, true…
Links
link to news.gov.scot
link to commonspace.scot
link to marksimonfrankland.blogspot.co.uk
link to tarffadvertiser.blogspot.co.uk
link to itisintruthnotforglory.wordpress.com
link to parliament.scot
link to autonomyscotland.org
SNP COUNCILLOR OUTS LABOUR’S FRACKING SECRET
link to snp-falkirk.co.uk
Chic McGregor
Re taking up unsold National’s and delivering to doors. Good idea.
Maybe the Greens, SNP and Independence supporters could organise this?
In addition why not each Branch order 20 copies each and deliver. I buy hard copy but maybe I should just go online. Too many folk I know look at the free option and then move on without buying. More spent on chewing gum etc. Think of Scotland without the National in the news aisles.There is no alternative views.
Definitely The National is hidden.
Shows how worried the britnats are.
The National, or iScot isn’t going to win Independence for us on its own, because the future Yes voters we need right now do not look at pro-independence literature anymore than I scan the lines of pro Union blogs.
Why they are necessary however is that when something happens which does move Independence up the agenda and does spark people’s curiosity, we need outlets there with a circulation to make sure “our” version of events is properly presented.
People are saying after failing to buy the National and support iScot that we shouldn’t complain about our lack of pro Indy media, and while there is an element of truth to that, what distinguishes these sources from mainstream press is a pro Independence stance at a time when our SNP government seems reluctant to mention the word Independence. I’m not implying the SNP are cold on the notion of Independence, that’s patently ridiculous, but they are giving away precious little fuel to Yes groups, bloggers, and pro-Indy journals to keep the Independence pot on simmer, and ready to be brought to the boil.
Independence campaign? What Independence campaign? These are pro Independence journals in the winter time of an Independence campaign while the SNP holds back the announcement of Spring. Ok, it’s their strategy, but the SNP doesn’t have to launch the full campaign, but come on, it does need to throw a few bones to the pro-Indy dogs we are going to need.
People gawp at the Tories when they say Independence more than we do; Look! Willie Rennie and Kez, all fixated on Independence, while Nicola gets on with the job…. I’m confused by this one boys and girls. We’re campaigning for Independence by not campaigning for Independence???… Help me Rhona….
link to news.ofthe.eu
Tories are scum
link to thecanary.co
link to centreonconstitutionalchange.ac.uk
link to mlexmarketinsight.com
EU rules out post-Brexit ‘hard border’ with Northern Ireland
link to euobserver.com
link to uk.businessinsider.com
Four in ten European doctors planning to leave over Brexit
link to archive.is
Net migration drop is all about students – and it could cause the PM a headache
link to archive.is
Nana: Good Morning,
Links for a sunny Friday Thank You. Kettle’s on!
Peace Always
1, Re national, I usually buy them from local Scotmid, as it basically the only shop in the village where I live, if I am later going in there is none around. But when going early, two things going on (a) there is a max of 6 copies being supplied, while the Unionist rags are piled up. So not many available.
2, We have the same problem that many are reporting, in that someone hides them among the piles of Yoon rags.
So lack of decent order numbers, and a plan by someone to hide them. Sometimes easy to locate but other times very difficult to find as hidden in rag piles.
These issues need addressed somehow. We need to buy and when we cannot find, ask the manager to order in more. Sneaks who hide them, need exposed.
@Smallaxe
Good morning, sadly it is not sunny here. Rather wet and chilly and looks set to continue.
link to uk.businessinsider.com
Brexit could threaten everything from cancer treatments to the integrity of nuclear power plants.
link to archive.is
I Was a Muslim in Trump’s White House
link to theatlantic.com
Where the Express is involved, it is always worth double checking with a grown-up.
Frankly I’m a little surprised they haven’t reported the closure of Scotland’s toll bridges. A Tory said it in the HoC, so it must be true…
Listening to GMS this morning, they were talking about local elections, the reporter during comments of the issues referred to the Torys being anti Indy,did this several times and repeated in further news bulletins.
However, it kinda exposes where the Tories are going in these elections, with BBC and media help.
There will be blah blah hyperpole on council services etc, but their main push will be to catch the anti Indy voters. Nothing to do with councils but making themselves the protectors of the
Union, that is what they are counting on to win council seats not social issues, that will just be a smoke screen to cover their real aims.
It’s not just the newspapers who have declining readership. So too it appears from a BBC Trust report issued last month that the number of non-payers of the TV tax is on the increase.
The BBC describe households without a license as “evaders”. Here’s some interesting facts from the report:
Section 6
In 2015-16, the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board (BARB), which measures television audiences, revised its calculation of how many households use televisions. In recent years, BARB data had shown the number of households with a TV on a sharp downward trend, particularly from 2014. The BBC queried these data, and a resulting BARB review concluded that it had underestimated the number of TV households. This means that some recent BBC revenue collection targets, contractor payments and evasion rate estimates were calculated using inaccurate data. For instance, BARB’s revised measure increased the estimated licence fee evasion rate by 1.3% in 2015-16. The BBC is now using BARB’s revised data to underpin future revenue forecasts and evasion rate estimates.
Section 8
8 The BBC’s estimated evasion rate – the percentage of premises that should have a TV licence but do not – is between 6.2% and 7.2%. It has not moved towards the level targeted by the BBC and Capita. The evasion rate appeared to be steady from 2010-11 to 2014-15, at between 5% and 6%. However, in 2015-16 it increased mainly because of changes in BARB’s calculation of the number of households that use a TV. This means it is increasingly unlikely that Capita will achieve its aim of 3.95% evasion by 2020 – an aspiration the BBC considered credible in 2011, and which is very close to the lowest feasible rate of 3.4%, calculated by BBC research in 2004.
Section 10
10 While overall operational performance has largely improved, fewer evaders have been caught on visits to premises between 2010-11 and 2015-16, despite increased numbers of visits. Of three million enforcement visits in 2015-16, around 298,000 resulted in an evader being caught. This was 18% fewer evaders than were caught in 2010-11, when only 2.7 million visits were made. The BBC and Capita explain this performance as, in part, being caused by challenges recruiting and retaining field staff, and, in part, due to visits being focused on a more challenging group of delayers and evaders than in the past.
In Scotland 10% of households do not now have a TV license and this compares with 6% for England, 6% Wales and 9% N.Ireland this can be seen in Fig. 7 of the report which I’ve posted on twitter here.
link to twitter.com
Full Report
link to downloads.bbc.co.uk
The Kezia Kar Krash is Kringingly Kalamatous and Kareering totally out of Kontrol
Kan’t wait for Konference!
@Socratese MacSporran
Pretty much. It’s a good product and if it were given even a quarter of the resources available to most daily titles there would be no conversation here.
Right now the newsprint industry is in decline from a number of factors, but the top two are the march of technology and public perception. It won’t be too long before the last guy out of the press hall hits the light switch.
The killer blow for production guys like myself is that we only make designs, make plates and put ink on paper. The twats who created the catastrophic and toxic perception of newsprint will still be in a job. They get to move on with the times and the technology and their pish still hits the screens of laptops, tablets, smart phones and TV screens.
Print has never been the problem, the publishers and their editorial edicts were. Shutting down newspapers at the fag end of the newsprint era will mean absolutely nothing to them. They’ve already moved or are in the process of evolving their operations.
As I said before the National is a good product and put together by folk who I reckon actually give a damn. I think their marketing and layout are a little off for the demographic that needs to be reached, but you write for who you are comfortable writing for I suppose.
No, the real shame for me, especially this year and this week, is what we are seeing in terms of our visibility on the news stand. During indyref1 we would complain bitterly about representation in print. It was a fair point of contention and an affront to democracy and our basic rights. To a considerable extent it still is. Regardless where there is a will, there is a way and out of the indyref came the National and iScot magazine.
If these titles are allowed to disappear now, of all times, then there will be only one group who will benefit and be cheering/jeering from the sidelines. They’re not too big on democratic rights or fair representation as it happens.
BBC failed to challenge Dugdale on her Act of Union as Its clearly on the record in Scottish Parliamentary business report of 4 November 2015 that all Labour MSPs voted against tax credits, employment rights and the minimum wage to be devolved to the Scottish Parliament.
On Council Tax when SNP tried to introduce a fairer Local Income Tax Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray continues to try to make political capital out of Local Income Tax, although Labour’s own promise to replace council tax has been abandoned. Labour claims it will deliver 250,000 leaflets about the LIT “tax bombshell”
Morning Call on Radio Shortbread soon on Labour’s woes
Call 0500 92 95 00 or Text 80295.
Copeland results
Conservatives, 13,748
Labour, 11,601
Lib Dems, 2,252
UKIP, 2,025
Turnout – 51.27%
Stoke-on-Trent Central results
Labour 7,853
UKIP 5,233
Conservative 5,154
Lib Dems, 2,083
Turnout – 36.7%
….. a lot of votes for the two hard right parties. Scary stuff.
I’ve started buying two copies of The National and make a point of leaving one on the bus, train, in Costa, Café Nero, McDonald’s, wherever.
I’d encourage others to do likewise if they can.
Regarding the falling figures for “The National”. I’m not really surprised, lots of stores do not supply it or when they do it’s in very limited quantities. Then some stores actually place them under other titles, put them upside down or simply fail to give the national a fair chance.
Just listening to BBC Scotland this morning providing Brian Wilson (unknown person) with a band stand to say the Scottish Government cut £300M from Glasgow’s budget and that is why things are bad in Glasgow
This must be true when I heard it on the BBC and it was never challenged
Macart @ 8:44
For some strange reason your post reminds me of the Scottish Enterprise approach; they will knock back help for a venture because it doesn’t have enough enterprise, and only help the enterprises with enough enterprise to not need help in the first place. Enterprises which need help to become viable enterprises are wasting their time seeking help for Scottish Enterprise. The whole debacle seems to lack the fundamental spirit of enterprise, and the staff are so many “hingers on” being overpaid to do precious little, while anybody who ever actually had a sense of Enterprise wouldn’t be caught dead working for Scottish Enterprise in the first place.
If ever there was publicly funded quango which badly needs privatised and paid by results not salary, then guess who gets my vote…
Watched FMQs yesterday at which this expense came up. NS pointed out that HMG has refused to say how much they spent on legal fees ( she also pointed out that both Scottish Government and HMG fees would have been unnecessary if HMG had not challenged the earlier ruling). Will a percentage share of HMGs legal fees now be ascribed to all the devolved administrations I wonder?
O/T BBC strangely not reporting the military destruction of the North Dakota Pipeline protesters camp. Given the acres of space devoted to all things Trumpean for months, it’s odd that the thousands of BBC journalists Lord Hall of Birkenhead was boasting about have missed this.
It’s top item on RT just now. But difficult to dismiss as “fake news”, what with all the photos and eye-witness accounts:
link to rt.com
Just caught up with what all the bridge jokes are about.
John Hayes is a complete Muppet. It is incredibly funny though. Ruth must be banging her head off her buffalo.
🙂 🙂 🙂
Despite talking absolute pish it presumably doesn’t matter because it is only Scotland…it will be in Hansard for posterity.
Without control…
link to imgur.com
Issues for headlining/supplements in The National – all those matters the person in the street thinks/worries about –
eg Scottish NHS, Pensions, Environment, Fracking, Green Power, Trident, Oil and McCrone + current analysis, comparison with similar sized/GDP nations, Socially inclusive ossues, Education, Scottish Defence Force, Currency etc etc ad nauseam.
Surely this would help sales/attract curious readers?
Indeed, The National should look into distribution/sales/visibility and enticements to distributors
Say “NO” to democracy…
link to imgur.com
Macart @ 8.44am
As ever, fair comment and good points.
Re the circulation/prominence point you made. When the bean counters first started cutting jobs in the newspaper industry – after the mass job losses from new technology, which took out a great swathe of employees – one of the first things they cut was the number of circulation reps.
These were the guys who went round the shops, making sure there were enough copies to meet demand. With them gone, what goes into shops is now very much up to Menzies, and, since they don’t get anything extra for doing this job, shortages happen.
I buy the National every day but it getting harder to find in shops. At the Co-op it is always hidden behind either the Daily Mail or Daily Express and in shops like McColls it is in with the magazines. To me there is an obvious agenda by the stores to hide it. If they are only selling 8500 a day that is about 0.5% of the people who voted YES at the referendum. I agree it is not perfect but if we lose it we will regret it.
McTernan dribbling to Hartley-Brewer over on talk Radio
Shortbread Radio navel gazing on how to help Labour get over its impending wipeout in English politics…..how?…by bringing in Kezia, Anas, Brian Wilson and a phone in of deluded SLAB morons. Imagine if the SNP had suffered last night’s results….would it not be the exact same cast but with a token SG minister trying to defend the inevitable Unionist hegemony of hate that we are accustomed to?
All I could hear was private grief and a description of a party and its ‘leaders’ I could barely recognise. ‘Sweet’ Kezia, ‘honest’ Corbyn…really? People who have supported the disenfranchisement of the Scottish people and put them at the mercy of the Tories and the rich by letting them attack the poor, disabled and the working class. Naturally, the usual suspects such as Sarwar and Wilson were allowed to talk about ‘defending’ Glasgow people from ‘SNP’ cuts. This being a city devastated over 50 years by greedy and corrupt municipal Labour with the worst health and mortality rates in the UK, if not Europe.
The contributions that I heard from Slab listeners was startling in its confirmation that they are prejudiced myopic sufferers of cognitive dissonance: hatred of the SNP; denial of all the positives that the SNP have brought to and defended for Scotland; the utopian and downright absurd beliefs that Labour can win in England by ditching Corbyn while the party is a tory as its opposition, and that ‘federalism’ is not a chimera in the fevered imagination of ‘Kezia’.
One deluded wifie from Perth thought that Gary Robertson was too hard on the fragrant SLAB leader! Another guy thought she would benefit from elocution lessons…like Maggie Thatcher FFS!…no irony there then. Finally some ‘lifelong’ SLABBER from Johnstone thought too many of the new joiners of Labour were ‘not socialists’….unlike Blair or Brown perhaps?
One last thing…Keep buying the ‘National’ and ‘iScot’…without them we are beginning to lose visibility and apathy is growing as a result. I feel momentum has stalled and some of the conversations I’ve had recently with weak ‘Yessers’ has made me very concerned at the loss of fire in many people buying into the ‘Brexit is boring ‘ meme being spun by the Unionist media.
Good moaning Scotland shortbread had Wilson, Sarwar and Dugdale on discussing the gloomy by-elections darn Sarf and the Council elections coming up in Scotland.
Some callers accuse BBC of bullying and intimidation of poor Kez in her interview. Same labour supporting callers don’t like Corbyn or Kez because they’re too nice.
We independence minded folk give a wee smile as we switch off the radio…Too much fun for us…and wash our porridge plate clean.
The backdrop to the SLab conference kick off tomorrow must be one of the gloomiest in a succession of gloomy conferences.
Listening to the radio this morning it sounded like the BBC have pretty much thrown Labour under the bus. I would feel sorry for them but for the over-riding sense of karma in action and certain degree of schadenfreude.
Socrates MacSporran says:
24 February, 2017 at 10:21 am
Macart @ 8.44am
As ever, fair comment and good points.
I’d like to interject here:D
The National piled in really hard behind the Greens and far lefties like Rise, at last Scots GE. They made great strides forward in ending SNP Scots gov majority. They also put the boot in to Sturgeon too. And why not.
I don’t want to come over all Rock like, but this is the reality of The National’s politic.
That’s ofcourse all fine and dandy, their eds know what they want and how make that sale. But at least half of Scotland want Scotland to be a nation state again, and at least half of Scotland have had enough of UK journalism for one life time.
There’s your market right there. Don’t want it? Sink without trace, in a 37 newspaper market.
Listened to Kezia’a car crash of an interview on this mornings GMS
Think it was the best yet car crash by far
She was shrill and all over the place
and I swear I thought I heard Gary Robertson stifle a laugh at one point
Well worth a listen again , this time with popcorn (but don’t drink liquids as you will make a mess as you inadvertently splutter)
According to McTernan, the Brahan Seer, Corbyn and McDonnel are slimy weasels and their enemies are not the tories but people like Blair, McTernan and some other nobodies from yesteryear.
Wondering if he’s speaking at Perth.
Wondering if he’s speaking at Perth.
SLab died fighting to stop Scotland 2014. Lab died fighting each other through the EU ref. Monstering Corbyn, instead of campaigning either for or agin Brexit is the goose that wont stop giving the tories power for another decade at least.
They cant all get jobs such as running the Victoria and Albert Museum, Kensington, London.
@Socratese MacSporran
When I started, fag end of hot metal moving into hot wax and paste up, there were rafts of posts in production alone. Setters, copy readers, comps, camera room/plate making. All gone now. One guy on a Mac with access to a topsetter and a pdf workflow can tackle all of those tasks.
I work in commercial these days, but remember well that even small local papers, upon a time, could boast a formidable production staff and circulation reps were the oil for the machine.
Technology… makes you think of those monks when news of letter press started getting around. End of one era, start of another.
Still, a managed decline should have been the order of the day. Boneheaded bean counters and marketing strategies coupled with catastrophic editorial policies and compromised agenda have irreversibly sped along what should have been a natural and inevitable evolution.
Guys like me? We’ve just run out of time to adjust to change.
BBC report that the £425,000 donor to the DUP to run their BREXIT camping in the mainland was a Richard Cook who stood as Conservative candidate in the East Renfrewshire election 2010:
“The DUP has confirmed it received a Brexit donation of £425,000 from a group of pro-union business people led by a Conservative party member.
The money from the Constitutional Research Council was spent on pro-Brexit advertising throughout the UK, said DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson.
The CRC is chaired by Richard Cook, a former vice chairman of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party.”
link to archive.is
According to WH Smith papers are ordered through the till. If they are sold out more are ordered. It is impossible to get a National after noon. The National should not be so green. Green radical policies put people off Independence. Banning cars, and radical land reform. People think they will lose their property rights and need their cars for transport, especially in rural areas. There is limited public transport. Imagine Souter funding the LibDems.
The SNP are still winning and support for Independence is increasing.
The electoral commission are investigating spending in the EU Ref. What happened to the Police investigation into electoral fraud in 31 Tory constituencies? Funding going through NI is illegal.
To be fair to the National, the editorial position was not so much pro Rise or Greens but that since inception the paper has given a voice to all the church of Yes. Patrick, Vonny and others have always had regular columns in the paper and it is they that gave voice to the confusing arithmetic of Holyrood election. Many us urged caution in second guessing the outcome of the list seats and it was there that the handful of seats that determined whether a majority or not was achieved.
However, while Rise proved an overblown distraction, the 6 Green seats will guarantee the passage of an Indyrefnew (I don’t mind that as the name going forward). That will undoubtedly displease our more vociferous Yoons. Overall the National is pro Scotland and allows a plurality of independence voices including the SNP. It is not a single party pamphlet and on the whole I think I prefer that. Michael Gove thinks it is the worst paper in the universe so it must be doing something right.
@galamcennalath
==============
I suspect that a fair number of UKIP voters think they are voting for the “anti-establishment” party and don’t even realise that UKIP leaders support Tory austerity and privatisation of the NHS. I’m afraid too many folk think they “know” what’s what and never bother to look beyond headlines or really think for themselves. It’s what’s led this country into the state its in – that and the FPTP voting system which exaggerates the effect of the easily led in elections.
Philip Davies currently trying to talk out Combating violence against women Bill in HOC just now…..aided by constant interruptions by colleagues….one even suggested bill was gesture politics.
Brendan Cox’s Celebration of Britain anyone ?
@HandandShrimp 10.53
I’d agree with that.
camping = campaign in above comment.
They look as if they are having a real good time down at the Scottish Labour Party Conference in Perth.
I wonder how many times the SNP will get a mention?
Watch it live:
link to bbc.co.uk
I buy the National online. It’s so cheap! There’s not a lot to it but I think it’s important for the Scottish headlines and politics. I comment too,sometimes. There’s quite a few Unionist trolls commenting so it can’t be all bad!
I do wish Wings got a column, just like Wee Ginger Dug. People do quote Wings in comments, so here’s hoping that they read this fantastic blog.
Almost time to get the Wings flag out again!
However, while Rise proved an overblown distraction,
They were far more than this though. They were given massive coverage by all UK media, clearly to scare middle and upper middle class Scots away from anything remotely changie.
For example C4 national peaktime tv news had guys from RISE on, all promising massive changes to and for Scotland. Then they’ve never been heard of since. They were even lauded by the Daily Mail and Express. So they’ll be back.
As a conspiracy theorist, this is what I’d be planning again, loads of far left Scots all over the UKOK media, all promising all kinds of radical impossibilities, and scaring the crap out of everyone down those leafy driveways of Scotland.
Cheers Macart 🙂
I am not anticipating endorsement from Rock 😉 …but then I am not asking him to pay for my copy of the National either.
The majority of Labour run Councils have frozen their Council tax charges.
Here was me thinking Kezia was wanting to raise taxes to help fight austerity.
Chapter 57
this is the very bill Angus Robertson asked about at PMQ’s on Wednesday when he sought and gained support FOR the bill from Theresa May and also had her agree to instruct the House that no-one should try to talk it out.
Shameful Bar stewards !
They just treat everything Scottish like a joke. This from the party which had a cabinet meeting this week with 90% of the business dedicated to how they could try to save the Union and show regard for Scotland!!!!!!!! (sorry Rev – I know 3 is the limit)
Ye canna believe a word they spout!
As a few folk are commenting on the National here is my tuppence worth,have a look at the online edition and the comment section on most of the articles , i have been seeing nutters week after week monopolising these sections , their aim is not to comment on the article but just to cause disruption , it used to be obvious spam advertising that seems to had disappeared, by all means have opposing views but when these comments are starting to become a magnet for Unionist halfwits to vent what ever bile they desire its time for a bit of moderation , Just a thought why provide them with a free platform .
We’d better get a move on with our bid for Independence…
Trump is against Nuclear weapons BUT wants USA to be ‘top of the pile’ for nuclear – doh!
link to bbc.co.uk
Kim Jong-nam killed by use of a nerve gas – weapon of mass distruction freely used in open airport where civilians were in close proximity. Apparently the woman who did it went and washed her hands immediately afterwards but was still vomiting and unwell after.
Kills by paralysing the lungs so you suffocate – charming!
link to bbc.co.uk
What kind of world are we creating!
Well at least the britnat rags in Scotland are down in circulation. Especially good to see the vile p & j losing numbers [-8.1%] along with its mini-me Evening Express [-10.1%].
I for one am looking forward to Kezia’s explanation for the council tax freeze by Labour Councils. I will have aspirin at the ready as the double and triple think is likely to be mind bending. 🙂
I suspect the conference may just be an 8 track stereo utilising its endless loop to broadcast SNPbaaaad and nothing else.
My clicker has burnt out counting the amount of times the SNP get mentioned at this Conference.
Same old same old.
Labour blame everyone but themselves.
Re my comment at 10.58am “one even suggested bill was gesture politics”..the MP was Christopher Chope another filibustering B’tard….and friend of said Davies.
Meg Merrilees….”Save the Union”….”Show regard for Scotland”….more like Save England’s Arse and Sheeite on Scotland.
BTW…actually like the new name you gave me Chapter 57…you can read me like a book I am sooooooooo transparent. Lol.
Have a good day Meg
“Scottish Labour No Vision”
just about sums them up.
Rowley tells us what the labour party won’t support but says little about what they do stand for.
Oh wait! Labour want more powers to Scotland lots of perhaps’s though, perhaps this or perhaps that. 🙁 Federalism!
This is the same party that were against any powers coming to Scotland through the Myth Commission. What are they like?
A bunch of chancers!
Dan Huil-Good to see the Depress+Churnal and the Evening EEjit getting both their just desserts. Both unionist to the core spare them no pity.
call me dave says:
Have they not heard? The Smith Commission is now closed to submissions! 🙂
It is part of the rough and tumble to mock other parties but I genuinely don’t know what Labour stand for any more.
The Liberals are pro-EU but Willie Rennie is so terrified of independence he talks and votes in a way that makes no sense. However, I think the Scottish Liberal rump is an aberration and UK wide the Liberal position is clear enough.
In Scotland the Tories try to hide the crazy and present as the No Surrender Party (don’t mention Tory policies…I did but I think I got away with it). They are attracting Tories and some Labour voters of an Orange hue and that is about it. However, it is sufficient for second place and that seems to be same as winning as far as Ruth and the media are concerned.
The Express trying to STOKE up trouble is their modus operandi.
However this morning they will be singing the blues ….Nuttall will be STOKING up a sense(less) of grievance as he plays the victim…and The Express will continue to try and STOKE the fires as they continue their relentless but futile attacks on the SNP.
Stoke on Trent….Brexit capital does not equate UKIP central LOL….think I will STOKE up for the day on the sweet taste of failure that has befallen the UKIP daily newsletter aka The Express and UKIP party… Wahahahahahahahah
Describing the titles of the last acts passed by the pre union parliaments as being a “phrase” tends to ignore the legality of the situation. Corbyn might not like the inconvenient fact that Scotland, and to an extent Ireland, have a distinct place in the UK and are demonstrably not simply regions that federalism could be imposed on. Doesn’t change the legality of the situation. Or the unfortunate, for unionists, problem that the mechanism for changing devolved legislation in Scotland gives the Queen a veto which at risk of a constitutional crisis the First Minister might advise she use.
Clapper 57
APOLOGIES – don’t know if your name change was my mistake or spellcheck!
—————–
Tthe By-election results show just how important it is to Get Out The Vote!!!
– only a 51% turnout and 2,500 votes of a difference.
Was it the nuclear power issue that swung it? Who knows but the lack of a credible opposition is leading this England off a cliff edge.
Thankfully we have an alternative to vote for but we must do all we can to GOTV for the council elections.!
O/T
I was reading a BBC article about the recent case in the English courts to try and win the right to Civil Partnerships for heterosexual couples.
This contained a section titled:
“Other parts of Europe where you can have a heterosexual civil partnership.”
They, of course, meant other countries of Europe and went on to recite a list of countries BUT was that a genuine mistake or an intentional slip?
It just struck me as really odd- but I suppose if you think Scotland is a part of England then it makes sense to describe the other nations of Europe as parts.
Another Panelbase politics poll, quite a few questions on social care and how to fund it.
heedtracker,
“They need to go big online, like the Graun and they need to pile in hard behind two big issues, Ref 2 and the SNP. Otherwise, its not looking good.
How about a certain blogger with a web blog called, eh what’s it called again, eh, you know, whatitsface…?
link to wingsoverscotland.com”
heedtracker,
“Rock, whatever you’re up to on WoS, listen up, the author of Wings over Scotland is not the messiah and he’s not going to win ref 2.”
George Wood,
“The National haters on here will be foaming at the mouth with all these messages of support for the paper.”
All those supporters should now buy 10 copies daily instead of the 5 they were buying.
Or they could petition The National to ask it to have WOS style headline news every single day.
No effort at all required on its part.
Just pay the Rev. Stuart Campbell a reasonable fee to write the front page top headline and article every day.
Socrates MacSporran,
“That said, the Herald is now such a disaster, it could fold regardless of the National effect.”
The Herald is kept alive by gullible independence supporters buying The National, and helping to share fixed costs.
If The National folds, The Herald will either fold or will be forced to change its tune.
The Herald is a billion times more negative to the independence cause than The National is positive.
heedtracker,
“The National piled in really hard behind the Greens and far lefties like Rise, at last Scots GE. They made great strides forward in ending SNP Scots gov majority. They also put the boot in to Sturgeon too. And why not.
I don’t want to come over all Rock like, but this is the reality of The National’s politic.”
So the likes of you attack me for exposing the “the reality of The National’s politic.”?
Buy the empress to put in the cat’ litter try they have so much in common the paper and the tray both full of crap.