This site can’t claim to know enough about Spanish and Catalan politics to have an opinion about whether independence for Catalonia is a good idea or not. All we can say is that democracy is a good idea, and the draconian and extreme attempts of the Spanish government to suppress the referendum – ludicrously under-reported in the UK media, particularly broadcast media – are a terrifying throwback to its fascist past. We very much hope they don’t succeed.
As readers who were once children will probably recall, papier-mache is a substance in which incredibly flimsy material – such as tissue paper or newspaper – is turned into something rather more hard and durable by dint of combining multiple layers of it with a simple flour-and-water solution.
What’s less well-known is that the process also happens IN newspapers.
For a case study, let’s look at this article in today’s Times.
The Scottish Daily Mail almost explodes with fury over new crime statistics today:
Which is weird. Because there’s less crime in Scotland than there’s ever been at any time in modern history. How do we know that? Because the Mail tells us so.
We stuck this short clip up on YouTube yesterday as a throwaway while watching the Labour conference in slack-jawed astonishment (a visitor from an alien planet would have concluded it was the gathering of a party that had just won a landslide victory, not lost its third general election in a row), but on reflection it deserves a proper post.
If you know anything at all about the story of how female Glasgow City Council employees have fought for equal pay, you’ll probably be as outraged as we are at Baxter’s bulletproof brass neck. But the video actually demonstrates what appears to be Scottish Labour’s master strategy for winning back Scotland.
Labour will start their autumn conference in Brighton properly today, but the comrades have already been at the seaside over the weekend. We thought we’d see how the UK’s official alternative to the Tories was getting along.
This weekend’s Scottish Mail On Sunday carries a column from UK Cabinet Office minister Damian Green which, if anyone was still in any doubt, rings just about every warning bell imaginable in terms of the Tories’ plan to use Brexit to cripple devolution both in principle and in practice.
It’s tucked away on page 27 and doesn’t appear on the Mail’s website, but you can read the whole thing by clicking the pic above. And below, we’ve pulled out the key sentences that should have the blood of devolution-loving No voters running cold.
Grace Green on According As We Need Them: “Great idea, Northcode. And as we abbreviated unionists to yoons, I suggest we call the colonialists “colons”.” Jul 16, 11:53
James Cheyne on According As We Need Them: “Sam, What you say is true to a certain extent, What was not mentioned or explained to Scotland is that…” Jul 16, 11:37
sam on According As We Need Them: “Alf, Here is a link to a paper on the use of the term, “Social Murder” and part of the…” Jul 16, 11:32
Sven on According As We Need Them: “James Cheyne @ 10.06. Speaking personally, James, I voted against joining what was then termed “The Common Market” back in…” Jul 16, 11:29
Andrew scott on According As We Need Them: “O/t Nurse Peggie cleared by nhs fife Now the sparks will fly -hopefully upton, gray and the board are SACKED” Jul 16, 10:39
Oneliner on According As We Need Them: “Yep 16,000 is a good number considering MI5 isn’t a political party” Jul 16, 10:38
James Cheyne on According As We Need Them: “I think most of Scots in more recent times recognise that the EU is one of the biggest perponents of…” Jul 16, 10:06
Northcode on According As We Need Them: “I’m reconsidering my use of the term ‘unionist’ to describe… well, to describe unionists. I’m reconsidering my use of the…” Jul 16, 10:00
James Cheyne on According As We Need Them: “Food for thought, Scotland is registered as a Country in the UN surprisingly just like England, by England although treated…” Jul 16, 09:56
sam on According As We Need Them: “It is certainly possible for people to take an entirely different view from that of Aiden regarding the ICCPR and…” Jul 16, 09:42
sam on According As We Need Them: “There is nothing at all in the links you gave to refute or undermine the research done by Professors Walsh…” Jul 16, 09:04
Aidan on According As We Need Them: “Not to defend Angus Robertson, but the 20,000 people signing the Liberation petition doesn’t compare all that favourable to the…” Jul 16, 08:50
Sven on According As We Need Them: “Aidan @ 06.54 “People were dying in anticipation of cuts.” Gosh, how that one made me giggle this morning, thankyou,…” Jul 16, 08:40
Oneliner on According As We Need Them: “Angus Robertson, while an MP, sat on the House Of Commons Defence Committee. Quite a position for one from a…” Jul 16, 08:05
Aidan on According As We Need Them: “Sure – see Leah Gunn Barrett’s substack: https://dearscotland.substack.com/p/the-scottish-government-surrenders Secondly, Article 25 is the part you want to look at. https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/international-covenant-civil-and-political-rights” Jul 16, 08:03
Aidan on According As We Need Them: “https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(22)00130-2/fulltext https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/mortality-rates-among-men-and-women-impact-of-austerity/ This is where is comes from” Jul 16, 08:00
sam on According As We Need Them: “Any evidence for this assertion of yours regarding a backdoor route to circumvent the Supreme Court judgement? Would you also…” Jul 16, 07:50
Northcode on According As We Need Them: “Thank you, Sarah. TH said this about your contributions to this place: “Your information is enlightening and relevant…” I agree.” Jul 16, 07:41
sam on According As We Need Them: “I have no idea what you are talking about. Do you have a reference or link to the “paper” in…” Jul 16, 07:30
Alf Baird on According As We Need Them: ““I don’t know how Angus Robertson can reasonably claime ICCPR is not needed in Scotland.” Aye Sam, Angus Robertson an…” Jul 16, 07:10
Aidan on According As We Need Them: “We’ve been around the houses with this one before. Despite being published in the Lancet, it’s a pretty dubious paper.…” Jul 16, 06:58
Aidan on According As We Need Them: “Re the last paragraph, Ewan Kennedy is flat out wrong. The petitioner does believe that implementing the ICPPR provides a…” Jul 16, 06:44
sam on According As We Need Them: “One of the Rights under the ICCPR is the right to life which is a protection against arbitrary deprivation of…” Jul 16, 06:33
twathater on According As We Need Them: “TBQH Sarah I would disregard ANYTHING that Bastard Tax MOAN and his wee Scotland Hating sidekicks like Aydun Corporal Batshit…” Jul 16, 01:58
sarah on According As We Need Them: “@ Northcode: “mirkie watter”. I like it, Northcode. Your knowledge of poetic forms puts me to shame.” Jul 15, 22:58
sam on According As We Need Them: “https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/52524-europeans-would-welcome-an-independent-scotland-into-the-eu “That Scotland may vote in a second independence referendum to leave the UK cannot be discounted, and Scottish nationalists…” Jul 15, 21:43
sam on According As We Need Them: “The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) is a United Nations treaty that the UK has ratified (meaning…” Jul 15, 21:38
Northcode on According As We Need Them: “Thanks, James. Here’s another: mirkie watter Rever stanes smuithed roond; shaped by watter no thair ain; drouned in silence, worn…” Jul 15, 19:17
