We often say here on Wings that our job is to teach people to instantly recognise the sneaky tricks used by the media to try to create false impressions without saying things that are technically untrue. (Because despite the tiny size they’re allowed to print corrections at, they’re still rather embarrassing.)
A key technique is to look at a headline or story and immediately ask what you’re NOT being told. So here’s an easy example from today’s Scottish Daily Mail.
Just a brief update on some legal shenanigans. Having received no response to TWO lawyers’ letters, I’ve filed a court claim against Express Newspapers over false and defamatory claims made in an article by Siobhan McFadyen (sourced by JK Rowling) on the Sunday Express website of 30 October, as detailed in this Wings article.
The court fee was partly funded by popular politics pundit John McTernan.
Alert readers will remember that last month we debunked a front-page story from the Scottish Daily Mail about SNP MPs’ expenses, which made the spectacularly untrue claim that they were more expensive than their Unionist predecessors, when in fact they cost significantly less and did far more work.
A couple of days ago the Mail finally ran a “clarification”. And we thought you might like to know exactly how much more the Mail values lies than truth.
The highlighted areas on the picture above occupy 440,107 pixels.
We’ll be honest, there are some bits of this that make us wince, and unfortunately most of them come in the first two minutes where they’ll do the most damage in terms of getting a persuadeable voter to watch the rest of it. But it’s an important piece of work, containing stuff even we didn’t know about, and it should be seen.
Particularly alert readers may recall a phenomenon we haven’t covered much recently, whereby aspects of politics magically transform as they cross the border between Scotland and the rest of the UK. But this week we’ve had a sighting in a new area.
Reiner Luyken is a 65-year-old German journalist who’s spent more than half of his life in the Highlands, and seems to have a knack for upsetting the neighbours.
We’re sure it was just an unfortunate one-off misunderstanding.
Alert readers may have noticed with barely-concealed disinterest that Scottish Labour have announced their intention to have another really hard think about devolution.
With Labour not looking like being in power at either Holyrood or Westminster for at least a decade, and their opinions therefore being about as relevant as our ideas as to who should play in the back four for Real Madrid next weekend, most papers treated the news with the gravitas it deserved, such as this report in the Sunday Post:
But we thought it might be a snappy idea to keep track of all the times the Unionist parties have promised that they’ve come up with the ultimate form of devo-X.
Unionists got very excited last week about a YouGov poll for the Times which showed that not only had the post-Brexit bump in support for independence been undone, but that it was now (fractionally) below the level recorded in the indyref for the first time since the September 2014 vote.
(It was a slightly curious poll, with a massively disproportionate number – over 27% – of its respondents born outside Scotland, mostly from the rest of the UK, but it was weighted so that shouldn’t have been much of a factor. It also found majority support for a second EU referendum, despite a 30-point margin for Remain, but opposition to a second indyref despite the margin for the Union being just 12 points.)
Nevertheless, given that nothing’s happened since the end of June that ought to have damaged the case for Yes (the oil price is currently at a 12-month high, for example, almost twice what it was in January), the 10% drop in support is a troubling one for the independence movement.
But it shouldn’t be. Because what the poll shows is that there is currently a majority of people in Scotland prepared to vote for independence.
The Prime Minister of the UK, whose party has one MP in Scotland, officially tells the Commons that she doesn’t believe people on benefits should be able to survive.
James Che on Wider Than A Mile: “Stu, My full apologies for hijacking the money that was missing until your persistence journalism investigation was villified. But the…” Jun 11, 11:28
James Che on Wider Than A Mile: “If union supports claim we are held together by a treaty, they need to evidence to prove their theoretical position.…” Jun 11, 11:18
James Che on Wider Than A Mile: “There is a high % of people in Scotland that would appreciate this topic being aired from its origins to…” Jun 11, 11:07
James Che on Wider Than A Mile: “The money is now not missing due to you being persistent in tracing the source of the deceit Stu with…” Jun 11, 10:16
robertkknight on Wider Than A Mile: ““The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”. A bit like voting…” Jun 11, 10:06
Hatey McHateface on The Ever-Changing Lie: “Alf, I guess the irony of your post dissing the coloniser’s values, hoaching with quotes, none of which are from…” Jun 11, 09:07
Hatey McHateface on The Ever-Changing Lie: ““The Scottish Government is very mildly celebrating what is in effect the closure of Grangemouth” No shit Sherlock, er, Robin!…” Jun 11, 08:08
Hatey McHateface on The Ever-Changing Lie: “You raise some good points, Bob, but how else are we to sweep the Arabic chanters and their tea-towel toting…” Jun 11, 07:59
Hatey McHateface on The Ever-Changing Lie: “I’ve been thinking a lot about my own fossil fuel consumption, recycling, etc. Then I listen to the news to…” Jun 11, 07:54
Hatey McHateface on The Ever-Changing Lie: “Exactly. In addition, as no second referendum has yet been held, a ring-fenced £660,000 carefully invested for several years might…” Jun 11, 07:44
Hatey McHateface on The Ever-Changing Lie: “Our self-identifying, 1,000 year old, space traveling Pict accuses you of childishness, Mark. I hope you’re listening.” Jun 11, 07:38
Ex President Xiden on Wider Than A Mile: “Credit where credit is due. With the SNP rejecting a call for a full public inquiry into this affair, they…” Jun 11, 07:33
RobertG on Wider Than A Mile: “It was strange that Kate Forbes did not win the leadership election when Sturgeon had to quit. Forbes was the…” Jun 11, 07:16
Cynicus on Wider Than A Mile: ““ Swinney rivals Trump for BS ” ========= So, the rumours are true! He really is Sturgeon’s ventriloquist’s dummy.” Jun 11, 00:47
Dan on The Ever-Changing Lie: “Hmm, more on planet Armageddon. https://robinmcalpine.org/five-years-ago-progress-on-climate-change-ground-to-a-halt-in-scotland/ So is the perceived lack of further progress on climate action actually because it…” Jun 10, 20:36
robertkknight on The Ever-Changing Lie: “I agreed with you Willie right up until your united Ireland assumption. I see it this way… A unified Ireland…” Jun 10, 19:27
Dan on The Ever-Changing Lie: “Aye, I’m minded to agree with that Northcode. It seems to me that there are too many supposedly pro-returning Scotland…” Jun 10, 18:55
Jay on Wider Than A Mile: “….the financial impropiety is bad enough, but what about the attempt to put Alex Salmond in gaol?” Jun 10, 18:25
Iain Ross on The Ever-Changing Lie: “Has anyone asked Swinney whether the missing £460,000 and £660,000 are mutually exclusive ? If they are then he needs…” Jun 10, 18:23
Northcode on The Ever-Changing Lie: ““… get them to lick their own shit and enjoy it…” What a disgusting and childish metaphor… it fits you…” Jun 10, 18:18
Douglas on Wider Than A Mile: “Swinney rivals Trump for BS but it will not stop the truth train that is coming down the line.” Jun 10, 17:03
Sean Duffy on Wider Than A Mile: “Ah! But how can we be sure what the SNP spent the money on? Bearing in mind that Swinney was…” Jun 10, 16:38
GreyVote on Wider Than A Mile: “That’s a brilliant and darkly funny take on the current political landscape. It perfectly captures the sense of bewildered acceptance.” Jun 10, 16:15
cirsium on The Ever-Changing Lie: “Brandeis was not talking about soap. “Brandeis made his famous statement that “sunlight is said to be the best of…” Jun 10, 15:52
Young Lochinvar on Wider Than A Mile: “Heard on the radio Val McDermid (sounding like a wee boy) advertising her latest novel. What she failed to explain…” Jun 10, 15:44
cirsium on The Ever-Changing Lie: ““Brandeis made his famous statement that “sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants” in a 1913 Harper’s Weekly…” Jun 10, 15:34
Hatey McHateface on Wider Than A Mile: “I’m with J B Drummond. Until Grenfell is sorted, Indy can wait. Not forgetting the boy who got killed by…” Jun 10, 15:29
Maxxmacc on Wider Than A Mile: “A story: “Can you take this file over to B Wing immediately”, barked the officer. B Wing, he thought, that’s…” Jun 10, 15:21
Hatey McHateface on The Ever-Changing Lie: “Great comment, Jay. Have you read the article at the top of the page? Would you agree that has 77th…” Jun 10, 15:19
Hatey McHateface on The Ever-Changing Lie: ““oaths bind only when the authority remains worthy of obedience” Looks like Northy has worked out for himself the self-justification…” Jun 10, 15:15
