The media and Unionist politicians (we really need to come up with a word to describe that single entity), when not concocting hysterical frothing diatribes against Michelle Thomson or complaining about the Scottish Government giving money to T In The Park – a position we must confess we find ourselves in some sympathy with – have recently been loudly protesting about last year’s “underspend” in the Holyrood budget.
There’s an extremely good article here by Dr Craig Dalzell of the Scottish Greens dealing with the broader issue of why such complaints are idiotic, so rather than go over the ground again we thought we’d look at another angle.
We apologise for another post on the subject of The Wright House, everyone, but we do love getting our teeth into a puzzle, especially when it comes with a side order of lots of juicy evidence of the Scottish media telling people outright lies.
This should be the last one for the forseeable future, and we’ve actually got some solid info to impart this time rather than just a confused expression, so buckle up.
Even the alertest readers will probably already be confused by the baffling tale of Douglas and Jacqueline Wright, who sold their home to Edinburgh West MP Michelle Thomson. We certainly were last night, but on delving a little more into the media coverage of their story, things got a whole lot worse.
Older readers may remember an ITV show called The Krypton Factor, which had an “observation round” section in which contestants were shown a short video clip and then asked a series of questions about it.
The newspaper is a fantastic concept. A cheap, accessible product, it’s a brilliant way of keeping yourself broadly abreast of current affairs. You turn a page and are presented with a diverse selection of interesting stories, often on subjects you’d never have thought to go and seek out in the self-refining echo chamber of the internet.
(Theoretically links on websites serve the same purpose, but dodging “sponsored” advertorial, gutter-level clickbait, pop-ups, autoplay video and pages that judder and leap around so much while loading all this rubbish that you’re about 50/50 to have an epileptic fit before you can read the story, has made clicking on one into a game of Russian Roulette fewer and fewer people are willing to take a chance on.)
This site has never believed that the ongoing steep decline in newspaper sales is a fundamental problem with the format. Rather, the truth is that people stop buying papers because they’re full of garbage.
Most of Scotland’s news outlets, including the Times, Herald, Daily Record, Daily Mail, Express and the BBC, run today with the story that one in three Police Scotland officers intend to leave the force in the next three years, according to a recent survey for the Scottish Police Authority.
(The print edition of the Scotsman makes it the front-page splash, although the article has mysteriously vanished from its website.)
But a couple of pieces of important information are inexplicably missing.
You might have thought that the publication of the “Project Fear” book last month was an embarrassment for the motley collection of highly-paid but hapless Labour and Tory apparatchiks who ran “Better Together”, but it turns out there was worse to come.
Politics Home today reports what sounds like some alarming news:
TURABDIN on Anything But That: “King America, the immature, paranoid & seriously deep in debt boss of «the west» https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16106615/ANDREW-NEIL-25-years-911-America-terror-war.html#newcomment” Sep 5, 15:07
Mark Beggan on Anything But That: “” Into the jaws of death rode the six hundred” and not a horse in sight!” Sep 5, 14:59
Mark Beggan on Anything But That: “Wearing a mask in this country should be instant arrest. A thug is a thug.” Sep 5, 14:41
Mark Beggan on Anything But That: ““Rape crisis Scotland” Enough said.” Sep 5, 14:35
agentx on Anything But That: ““Dover protest ‘disgraceful’, says Jenrick Speaking to reporters at the Reform national conference, the party’s Treasury spokesperson said: I’m sick…” Sep 5, 14:30
Mark Beggan on Anything But That: ““Women Against the Far-Right Scotland.” Only 600? More people sign a ‘Stop Dog Fouling’ campaign on a wet Tuesday afternoon.…” Sep 5, 14:29
agentx on Anything But That: “‘STUC general secretary Roz Foyer and actor Kate Dickie have both signed Sturgeons open letter 600 women and groups’. ——————————————————–…” Sep 5, 13:54
Xaracen on Anything But That: “@Aidan; Recognising that courts cannot validate an act that was void ab initio is not a rejection of the rule…” Sep 5, 13:54
Hatey McHateface on Anything But That: “The port of Dover appears to be blocked by reportedly 300 men claiming to be English and asserting that England…” Sep 5, 13:41
Hatey Mchateface on Anything But That: “We need an investigation to find out how many intact blokes are hiding in plain sight within the Muslim Women’s…” Sep 5, 13:26
Hatey McHateface on Anything But That: ““Britain colonised the world” If only, eh? “they would kill hear were it not for their rigging of the political…” Sep 5, 13:20
Mark Beggan on Anything But That: ““So yes, it will take international intervention to help bring about independence.” So you have just admitted that you are…” Sep 5, 13:19
Mark Beggan on Anything But That: “Can anyone else smell the fear?” Sep 5, 13:08
Mark Beggan on Anything But That: “‘STUC general secretary Roz Foyer and actor Kate Dickie have both signed Sturgeons open letter 600 women and groups’. Can…” Sep 5, 12:58
willie on Anything But That: “Hear hear Alf. The rigged political system will never allow Scotland and its people to choose independence. The process is…” Sep 5, 12:53
Hatey McHateface on Anything But That: “Mark, I think that comment crosses a red line. I enjoy many of your “alternative POV” posts on here. You…” Sep 5, 12:49
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: ““hypermasculine posturing” Cheers, Northy, but with great respect, you’d be better sticking with Trump for now. “classic threat rhetoric” Jeezo.…” Sep 5, 12:40
Hatey McHateface on Anything But That: ““the only game in toun” Naw. I’m wi Ash Regan. She explained how a plebiscitary party could arrange things to…” Sep 5, 12:19
Mark Beggan on Anything But That: “That must sound great in your head. Repeating something just waters it down. Like inbreeding. If you keep using the…” Sep 5, 12:19
James Che on Anything But That: “Alf. Adding the two positions of a Scotland Colony under the parliament of England or a 1707 treaty of union…” Sep 5, 12:08
Aidan on Anything But That: “Of course that is a wholesale rejection of the rule of law in society. What you appear to be proposing…” Sep 5, 12:01
Mark Beggan on Anything But That: “Can your cock touch your arse? yes? Go fuck yerself ya parasite.” Sep 5, 11:56
Mark Beggan on Anything But That: “Do you really hate the Rev that much. Maybe you think you are getting at us but you insult the…” Sep 5, 11:41
Northcode on The Shortest Day: ““… a political and economic union is not a marriage in any literal sense.” But such a union could certainly…” Sep 5, 11:40
Xaracen on Anything But That: “@Aidan; Rejecting the idea that courts can validate an act that was void ab initio is not rejecting the authority…” Sep 5, 11:34
James Che on Anything But That: “As mentioned it is not the parliament of Great Britain or the parliament f the UK that Scotland has a…” Sep 5, 11:25
Alf Baird on Anything But That: ““We know Andy Burnham won’t give him a referendum and we now know he won’t accept one from Nigel Farage,…” Sep 5, 11:03
James Che on Anything But That: “This tecnology is on its last legs, it pleases itself, no doubt I will at some time have to update…” Sep 5, 11:02
Aidan on Anything But That: ““not obliged to pay taxes” “ not obliged to follow the pretendy devolved parliaments and SNP back door laws” That’s…” Sep 5, 10:47
factchecker on Anything But That: “In claiming historic ‘reparations”, presumably James Che would also agree that Scotland would have to repay rUK the £billions due…” Sep 5, 10:29
