We’ve been having a bit of a ponder over the effective passing into law of English Votes for English Laws, which has been remarkably little mentioned in Scotland’s media today. The BBC website has nothing about it at all on its Scotland front page, forcing readers to dig down into the politics section for some coverage.
The Daily Record, as far as we can tell, doesn’t have a word about it – nothing in the print edition and nothing online, even though as we write this it’s gone 3pm the next day, around 21 hours after the vote was passed in the Commons. The Scottish Daily Mail relegates it to a small feature taking up barely a third of page 12, even though the move supposedly ends the Union.
The Scotsman gives it a tiny corner of the front page and half of page 6, and only the Herald treats it as a lead story, although even there it only gets a couple of columns, less space than that devoted to a picture of David Cameron and the Chinese president Li Xinping having a pint in a pub.
All of which is remarkable, because it’s arguably the most radical change made to the UK constitution since the creation of the devolved Parliaments 16 years ago, and perhaps more significant even than that.
The reaction of the Scottish media and political opposition to Audit Scotland’s annual report on the NHS today has been nothing if not predictable. But we thought you might like an instructive and enlightening look at the two very different types of approach they’ve taken to trying to mislead the Scottish people about it.
First up is the non-specific Scottish Labour apparatchik (as far as we’re aware he has no official role in the party since Jim Murphy quit – indeed we don’t know what he does for a living at all any more) Blair McDougall:
This is what we in the writing trade call a “flat-out lie”.
This month we’ve been noting a sudden avalanche of factually-questionable articles in the media attacking the SNP’s record in government. At the weekend and yesterday we also picked apart a highly misleading and disingenuous claim by Andrew Neil on the BBC’s Sunday Politics that there had been no cuts to the Scottish Government budget since the Conservatives came to power in 2010.
At the weekend this site noted that on the BBC’s Sunday Politics, presenter Andrew Neil claimed that the Scottish Government’s budget had not been reduced in real terms in “the last five or six years”, and that therefore Scotland has not faced cuts.
But as we pointed out, the Scottish Government budget HAS been cut, year-on-year, since the Tories took office. The independent Fiscal Affairs Scotland assessed the cumulative reduction at a hefty 10%, or a little over £3bn a year.
Okay, so we’ve tried everything. We’ve read all the papers, we’ve been through all the emails, and we’ve even gone out for a walk, which usually never fails to trigger some cataclysmic political upheaval or animal-sex scandal.
As spectacular and mindboggling as some of the coverage undeniably is – most notably Alex Massie’s barking-mad, lie-filled howlatribe “J.K. Rowling and her heroic attack on the wicked cybernats” (whose title, remarkably, does not appear to be ironic) in ultra-right-wing loonzine CapX – even we’re fed up of reading people going on about us, so to pass the time we’re going to do something else instead.
James on The Pit Of Vipers: “Adrian – how’s the weather in “Fifeshire”?” Apr 23, 14:49
holymacmoses on How To Get Away With Crimes: “He’s exhaustingly aggressive and I suspect potentially physically dangerous. I really don’t know how you get through it all Stuart.…” Apr 23, 14:35
Aidan on The Pit Of Vipers: “Tbh I don’t respond for “James” and Geri. I know there is nothing anyone can say or do at the…” Apr 23, 14:30
James on The Pit Of Vipers: “Geri; Well….that’s one way of describing the pair of them…..” Apr 23, 14:24
Aidan on How To Get Away With Crimes: “It is in theory a possibility Rob, however: – as a private citizen RevStu lacks the statutory powers to gather…” Apr 23, 13:07
Captain Caveman on The Pit Of Vipers: ““WE WUZ ROBBED!!1111!!!” Yawn. It really is pointless trying to explain anything to you tinfoil hatters, albeit kudos to the…” Apr 23, 12:57
Alf Baird on The Pit Of Vipers: “‘The Propaganda Blitz’ by David Edwards and David Cromwell tells a similar story about how the British media operates and…” Apr 23, 12:51
Captain Caveman on The Pit Of Vipers: “There’s nowt “little” about Fatso, I’d wager. (Certainly not according to his inebriated-tramp-on-park-bench mugshot avatar) The guy’s likely to have…” Apr 23, 12:51
sarah on How To Get Away With Crimes: “Good idea, robertknight. I’m in for a crowdfunder. Though I’d understand if the Rev doesn’t want several more years of…” Apr 23, 12:36
Geri on The Pit Of Vipers: “They don’t even live in Scotland so what would they know? Absolutely nothing. They’re just nosepoking trolls.” Apr 23, 12:22
Aidan on The Pit Of Vipers: “What a great comeback, that’s me telt ? Sad little man.” Apr 23, 12:03
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Pit Of Vipers: “I imagine the DVD version you mention has become the following YouTube. However punchy and immediate, it remains but a…” Apr 23, 12:01
Geri on The Pit Of Vipers: ““material change in circumstances” Brexshit was the material change. Nawbags cried their remain vote didn’t count. The UK is not…” Apr 23, 11:59
James on The Pit Of Vipers: “But…..but….”Adrian & Wilma” say everything was fine, none of that happened; nothing to see here…..who should we believe???” Apr 23, 11:36
James on The Pit Of Vipers: “LOL Making it up as they go along now as usual. Typical Yoon behaviour. What a pair of numpties. (Adrian;…” Apr 23, 11:31
Geri on The Pit Of Vipers: “I have it on DVD so an excellent watch too. I think it came free with iScot magazine at the…” Apr 23, 11:30
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on How To Get Away With Crimes: “The parents of the “botched circumcision” child were advised by tragically misguided psychologist John Money, whose story features from about…” Apr 23, 11:28
Aidan on The Pit Of Vipers: ““R” observers – lol, tell us more. The SNP did not stand on an IndyRef 2 ticket in 2015 though…” Apr 23, 11:20
Aidan on The Pit Of Vipers: “Lol Geri – to be called thick by someone like you, just wow! The idea that you can’t make “new…” Apr 23, 11:07
Nicky T Naquetti on How To Get Away With Crimes: ““Spitfire Cannon”, huh… Does this dude/dudette even have his cannon anymore, never its spitting function?” Apr 23, 10:51
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Pit Of Vipers: “The opening paragraphs of G.A. PONSONBY’s book: « Chapter 1 – TURNING YES INTO NO « The 2014 independence referendum…” Apr 23, 10:39
Geri on The Pit Of Vipers: “Jeez you’re as thick as pigs shit. It doesn’t allow you to introduce new offers. Devo Max & the vow…” Apr 23, 10:30
robertkknight on How To Get Away With Crimes: ““It is possible to bring a private prosecution for harassment in England and Wales under Section 6(1) of the Prosecution…” Apr 23, 10:26
Geri on The Pit Of Vipers: “Scotland was so pro Union do you know what they did? They returned 56 Nationalist MPs for the 1st time…” Apr 23, 10:25
Alf Baird on The Pit Of Vipers: “Aye, if only we had nationalists instead of colonialists leading the national party, we wad be hame and dry lang…” Apr 23, 09:53
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Pit Of Vipers: “And fulsome tribute still to G.A. PONSONBY for his watershed achievement in meticulously compiling irrefutable evidence of the BBC’s default…” Apr 23, 09:49
Aidan on The Pit Of Vipers: “Purdah rules restrict the use of official government functions like official communications channels or the civil service to announce major…” Apr 23, 09:40
TURABDIN on The Pit Of Vipers: “«SCOTTISH NATIONALISM» the love that dare not speak its name without a paroxysm of cringe.” Apr 23, 09:27
100%Yes on How To Get Away With Crimes: “Seats projection for Holyrood election in latest poll. SNP 59 down Greens 23 up Reform UK 17 up Liberal Democrats…” Apr 23, 09:21
Geri on The Pit Of Vipers: “The broke the rules, continually. The broke rules on Purdah. They continually abused the state mafia TV who were not…” Apr 23, 09:07
