Playing with fire
Earlier today we highlighted two pieces of disgraceful, mendacious smearing by The Scotsman, in conjunction with an “anonymous” Labour MP. The articles coincided with a wider campaign of demonisation across most of the Scottish and UK media against supporters of independence, backed up by elected Labour representatives on social media in what might easily be seen as a co-ordinated attack.
The tweets above are from the account of semi-literate Labour councillor for East Kilbride, James Docherty. They follow a week in which the Edinburgh South MP Ian Murray described the placing of one or more small “Yes 2014” stickers on his constituency office windows as an “out of control” escalation of intimidation and Alistair Darling accused some people objecting to a businessman sending a document full of scaremongering lies to 500 employees of his company as “shaming Scotland”.
These hysterical smears would be laughable were it not for the consequences they may yet bring about. We highlight some of those consequences below.
The video above, depicting an unhinged man ranting at some heroically calm Yes activists in the Wester Hailes area of Edinburgh, was taken and uploaded to YouTube by a man calling himself “Kev Milne”, who appears to be a supporter/member of the Scottish Defence League and has also uploaded other similar clips.
When this site and others brought the films to wider attention yesterday they were deleted by the user, but not before we’d downloaded copies.
We must make clear that we have no idea whether “Kev Milne” is a keen follower of the words of Alistair Darling, Ian Murray or James Docherty. But the atmosphere being whipped up by the wildly exaggerated claims of the No campaign, and Labour in particular, is a poisonous one which can only inflame such sentiments.
The only recorded violent incident of the independence campaign so far is that of an 80-year-old man being brutally attacked in broad daylight on an Edinburgh street by a middle-aged woman who took such offence at his Yes placard that she broke his wrist and inflicted other injuries before running off. She has yet to be apprehended.
But as an increasingly-desperate No campaign issues ever more shrill and incendiary allegations – the former Labour MP George Galloway is currently touring Scotland telling theatre audiences for his “Just Say Naw” show that independence will bring a sectarian war and anti-Catholic “ethnic cleansing” to Scotland, a tactic well-worn in Labour circles for decades – we fear it can only be a matter of time until the likes of “Kev Milne” are driven into such a froth of hatred that they no longer stop at merely haranguing opponents and cross a line.
Yes supporters have been subjected to all manner of intimidation as they lawfully campaign for a democratic vote for independence. At least one frail, elderly man has been viciously assaulted. Yet as their arguments crumble and they clutch at straws as the polls turn against them, Unionists and the media continue to irresponsibly incite anger among groups of people with a track record of nationalist violence.
This site salutes the restraint shown by the Yes campaigners in the video on this page, and urges all those in the Yes movement to emulate it, no matter what the provocation. Only one side will win if the No camp is allowed to turn the most peaceful independence campaign in world history into a civil war.
We’ve predicted since the start that the dirty tricks of the UK establishment would increase in intensity as the vote neared, especially if the polls were a bit too close for comfort. We’ve been surprised more than once at how early the escalations have arrived. But there can surely be no doubt that we’re in the middle of another one.
With no small measure of grim, dark irony, we call on all independence campaigners to turn the other cheek, to keep calm and to carry on.
The unionists can smell defeat now they want to stop the referendum completely. Call the ref this isnae fair we wur supposed to win this without trying! What I find really odd is how someone can find a sticker with the flag of their own country on it so offensive. These people are twisted!
I always find tweeting hilarious – one’s profounest thoughts and observations constrained to one or two syllable words in a single sentence.
Even funnier reading hairy chested Docherty’s ravings – seeing his ranting split into silly fractured slices by Tweeting.
(And what a bloody stupid, infantile word as a brand name!)
I meant to add. The level of intelligence and investigation on Wings is second to none. You would think these eejits would know what they are up against by now. Every lie is forensically challenged by Wings and disproven before the ink is dry on the story.Shooting fish in a barrel?
Hats off to those Yes supporters in the video clip. Calm and collected. The argument is on our side.
To be fair that letter Bill Munro sent to his employee is “Scotland’s shame”, just not the way Alastsir Darling intended.
To be fair that letter Bill Munro sent to his employees is “Scotland’s shame”, just not the way Alastsir Darling intended.
Hmm, think it’s time I started carrying my camera around with me more often, just in case.
Probably not much chance of No campaigners actually being prosecuted for attacking Yes campaigners, since they probably set up a loophole or something. (Or maybe it’s like a hunting season for the toffs. Like we’re the new foxes to them!)
Still, if I get any footage of stuff like that, I can always send it in here.
Probably not much point sending it to the newspapers…
Docherty is a councillor??
Labour need to reign these elected representatives in.
What’s Milliband doing about it?
During the Indy Rally last year, I stopped off on the royal mile to buy a couple of Saltires (I’d left mine in the car, and it being edinburgh, didn’t fancy the mile trek back to the carpark to fetch it).
Popped into one of the Tourist tat shops, and the staff were a bit gawky at the huge crowd of people outside… and the one serving me chirps up; “is that that independence lot?”
“Yeah, there’s a few thousand of us out there” says I.
“I should have brought a gun in and shot the lot of them” – and keeps smiling.
“That is bang out of order. just because you disagree with someone’s politics, you think it’s okay to talk about shooting them?”
She shrugged, the other assistants looks embarrassed.
I went outside and told the folks I was with about what had happened… and we got on with our day, shaking our heads at how someone could be so narrow minded.
Puts the whole whining of labour MPs, journalists etc into perspective. We are told gleefully that we should all be shot in the street, that’s just ‘debate’; someone sticks a Yes Sticker on a window, and it’s communist-era oppression.
Well said Stu and great advice. What we are beginning to see now is the act of avery desperate opponent.
To be honest the best defence is to ignore them. Again they will run out of steam. They want to personify all yes supporters as nutters. So that’s half the Scottish population then!
Theo they love Britain but hate Scotland…pure and simple!
Galloway stood for Holyrood in Glasgow 2011 on exact same sectarian “hail hail” stuff but he lost really badly. Wiki says he got 3.3% of the vote which says it all about an old chancer like Galloway and modern Scotland too.
You know that Kate Higgins was calling that guy a victim on Twitter last night. She was there apparently, not sure of the circumstances but said he was being bated by remarks from the crowd. But if that’s the case, why didn’t he capture it himself on his video? It’s not like he was chased off. If he does have mental health issues I hope he gets the help he needs. But if not…(insert intemperate language here).
Batemans blog now has an article suggesting that this is just the start. Hold on to you hats, and share these articles far and wide to inform folks as to what is going on, and more importantly, who is behind it!
Big Jock.
There’s a reason that the No campaign have trained their activists to shut down at the mention of places like WoS, NNS and BfS. If you can get them to dismiss the source as “biased and not worth listening to” then quoting it at them just bounces off them without them having to read it and actually be exposed to the fraud and lies within their own camp.
It would be interesting to know what time of day (or night) Councillor Docherty did his tweeting. I don’t know the man, so I couldn’t say, and wouldn’t suggest he had had one port too many after dinner.
“Kev Milne” has since edited some of his threats out of the video and reuploaded it with some 1940s anti-SNP rhetoric.
link to youtube.com
Just listened to the rantings on the video above. The thing that sticks out like a sore thumb is that none of the Unionists dont seem to want a debate full stop. Whilst the Unionist media control the microphone over the airwaves and in the printed press, it means they can skew, misinform and propagandise the debate in their favour. The deluded Unionist in the video is using the same tactics. He thinks if he shouts loud enough then he drowns out the other side. He is sticking his fingers in his ears and going lalala ah’m no listening as he fears the truth in return.
Some people like him are sadly a lost cause and wont be won round but they are now panicking as the day is nearing when the democratic wishes of the Scottish people will be recognised and enshirined in a constitution. It also struck me how the msm brainwashing has done a hatchet job on people like him. All he could defend was England and all things English, yet his concern for Scotland was absent. So glad im on the yes side.
I think the best response is to be super polite and reasonable, which will have the pleasing effect of annoying them even more
Well done to the yes team. To remain calm and not rise to this guys attempt to bait them can only be congratulated
Where were Edinburgh’s finest when this race hate crime was being carried out?
Nazis !
The Scottish / english defence league nkow more about Nazis than any of us
..then they come to fight you, and then you win never seemed more apt.
The saddest end to all this will of course be someone (else) getting hurt and at that point you can expect Mr Darling and frends to be on every channel and in every paper saying “We warned that this would end in tears” conveniently forgetting they have been fanning the flames.
Speaking of pain, nice to see the ever so caring Jim Murphy continue his Scotish political regeneration by going on a jolly with Sunday mail. Jim went to Qatar to comeback and slam the terrible working conditions involved for the World Cup. I cant help but wonder if Qatar was ever on his extensive Arms-Trade junket list…hmmm?
Well said Rev.
They’ve been clutching at so many straws that our cattle will soon be hungry.
That guy is no unionist. He’s a British nationalist with a hatred of others. Pure and simple.
Alistair Darling et al must think about what they are actually achieving because what they are attempting to achieve is loathed by most Scots.
I’m a Celtic supporter, Roman Catholic and independence campaigner. Yes is on the way due to idiots like him!
Perhaps Kev Milne and James Docherty know each other – they certainly use the same language.
Was this Docherty guy sober when he posted this nonsense?
The tactics of BT seem to get ever closer to the WW1 press coverage of Germans eating Belgian babies.
When I moved here in 2005 from the states, it was the start of GW Bush’s second term. The right wing uber Christian Republicans were in full flourish. My hubby and I are lefty pagan liberal socialist hippies. Not a good fit, you can imagine. I remember going shopping at a big box store and passing a car in the lot with a bumper sticker with the word ‘Liberal’ in the middle of a gun sight. It was completely unnerving. Remember, many many people carry concealed handguns there. Then we went to a concert to see ZZ Top. Ted Nugent (right wing nut job, NRA spokesman and patriot extraordinaire) was the opening act. He appeared onstage in camo in front of a huge American flag, spouting his views. The crowd couldn’t get enough. We were seriously afraid for our safety. At one point Ted shot a flaming arrow into an effigy of Osama Bin Laden. Scary? Oh hell yes.
So I’ve seen some of this behaviour and that was when ‘they’ had won – and were lording it over the rest of us. We left for the UK not long after, thinking we would never experience that kind of intimidation here. Then we joined the SNP and became active and high profile members. We’ve worked hard and feel like we’ve made a positive contribution not just to politics but to Scotland. This is my home now. But, when I see this stuff ramping up, I can’t help but remember my experience in the states. We have big Yes signs in our car windows, and we wear badges and wristbands, but I sometimes feel like I have a target painted on my back. I really hope I’m wrong.
It strikes me that guys like the poor deluded soul frothing at the “anti-English” Yes campaign must be frustrated to the max by the inclusive, broad, reasoned and calm Yes campaign and its non racism. They would love nothing more than for their smears to contain substance.
Every yes campaigner and supporter I have met and the comments I have read on this much maligned website suggest a campaign that goes to great lengths to be as inclusive as possible. And on the odd occasion I have read anything that crosses a line, by God everyone comes down on the merest hint of abusive language. It’s this discipline that confounds BT and the no camp. It brings to mind a biblical proverb about pointing out a speck in someone’s eye but ignoring the plank in one’s own eye. Or words to that effect.
As for the tweets- they are beneath contempt. But then I must be one of those communist, extremist, evil cybernats who is desperate to take up arms. What pish
James Docherty…. so much anger from this man, it’s really quite unhealthy.
I hope the authorities are monitoring this guy.
That is disgraceful language from – I can hardly believe it – a councillor.
I think this has to be reported to the police – it sounds like an incitement to riot – surely there is some twitter law against that.
These folk are beyond my understanding – they are projecting their own feelings and ideas on to the indy movement.
Just what goes on in their minds???
The problem for ‘Better Together’ is that the vast majority of us on the Yes side are refusing to follow the script they have written for us. This, however, doesn’t deter them from perpetuating the lie that we are hate-filled, bile-spewing, anti-English extremists intent on tearing our society apart.
Excuse me?
It’s increasingly evident in this campaign that the relaxed, positive attitudes, the humour and the friendliness are here in bucket-loads on the Yes side; while the barely controlled anger, the shouting and the enraged faces (including Alistair Darling’s own) are increasingly visible characteristics of the No team. They really do have a problem.
Earlier in the campaign, certain unionist commentators gleefully predicted that the Yes vote would be driven back down to its supposed core level of less than 20%. It’s now fairly evident that is not going to happen; in fact I like to imagine the opposite outcome. How satisfying it will be if the shrunken No vote ends up in the hands of nothing more than a small knot of blinkered bigots, while the rest of us get down to building a country.
When it comes down to the SLABs inciting their supporters to commit violence against democratic and progressive forces like ourselves they have lost the argument once and for all. There are no words left in any language that can express my disgust at the Labour Party. Darling is obviously insane and should be locked away for the good of humanity. Surely there must be at least a few democrats left in that party who could provide us with the long awaited positive case for the union. Ah’m no haudin ma breath, mind ye. The behaviour of the SLABs is an affront to democracy.
I was reading those tweets and thought OK, so some Tory nit wit, reds under the bed, type is going off on one….not exactly news. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I read he was a Labour MSP.
Dear Lord! I despair.
Sorry, councillor not MSP…probably why I have never heard of him.
” independence will bring a sectarian war and anti-Catholic “ethnic cleansing” to Scotland, a tactic well-worn in Labour circles for decades”
Don’t forget tis equally evil twin circling protestant labour circles that the SNP are Jacobites plotting the return to Scotland of the Stuarts and the one “true” church.
What we we are up against a mancy faced lie.
Is there some site somewhere where we could catalogue the various smears, insults, threats and comparisons to Yes supporters that the temperate and warm-hearted unionists deliver? Fill it up with screenshots of Tweets, BTL comments and video clips of Anas Sarwar and Alistair Darling so that we’ve got something to show people every time we hear about the SNP and its vile cybernat army. Also, I strongly recommend that EVERYONE grabs a screenshot of anything nasty from the No side and forwards it to the police. it’s astonishing – REALLY astonishing, not JoLa astonishing – that they can’t see themselves what they’re doing. I guess irony is as foreign to them as decency, dignity and Scotland.
How can one take anything seriously from someone who declines to wear a shirt.
We all knew that this was never going to be easy, we just have to keep the heid, carry on as before. We should though report any intimidation by the other side to the Police, and stop this before anyone gets hurt. Right now those in the (my shorthand to cover all the opposition) Establishment will stop at nothing to get their way, we just must not let them.
I was curious to know what this new “buzz word” meant so I looked it up….
monster
?m?nst?/Submit
verbBRIT.informal
gerund or present participle: monstering
1.
criticize or reprimand severely.
“my mum used to monster me for coming home so late”
We don’t fit the mould they would cast for us – they call us racist, but the movement is full of English and minority supporters; they call us intolerant when we are almost reasonable to a fault (admittedly there will always be exceptions); they accuse us of violence and vandalism and threats, which are never ever substantiated.
This is Freudian projection pure and simple.they are telling us what they’re going to do.
Anybody who thought that this wasn’t going to get messy is living in cloud cuckoo land. There is no way that the Brit Establishment will give up on controlling Scotland without a fight.
If we vote YES they are screwed without the Billions we subsidise them with every year, the Billions we contribute to the balance of payments (The currency union will be history after several years are our economies diverge – Scotland getting stronger, rUK getting weaker) The Nukes,
Water, Oil, Gas, Renewables, Trillions of tonnes of coal under the North Sea, 300 years of UK Consumption of Gas (Fire Ice) Pensions – Remember Pensions are paid out of current taxation, there is no pension pot, therefore they will have to borrow Billions to honour their commitment to existing and future Scottish pensioners who have paid the minimum 35 years into the UK National Insurance (It is really general taxation but that’s what they call it) and the bit they will miss the most – lording over another nation.
Off course they can manage without all that just fine, they just need to drop their delusional imperialistic ambitions.
Hang onto your seats folks, stay calm and take it on the chin, we must not rise to the bait.
Sounds like the ranting of someone who knows that they have lost the argument, are on the losing side and have nothing to lose from going absolutely mental.
It might also be the case that he has some psychological issues.
Somebody needs to notify James of Howard Zinn‘s infamous speech about Civil Disobedience.
“Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience. Our problem is that people all over the world have obeyed the dictates of leaders…and millions have been killed because of this obedience…Our problem is that people are obedient all over the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war, and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves… (and) the grand thieves are running the country. That’s our problem.”
And in short, that’s why I’m for independence.
As a first-hand witness to this, I can categorically state that ALL the provocation, the ranting, the swearing and the vitriol came from the SDL supporter himself and he even kicked over one of the street stall displays. He started off shouting about the campaigners being “SNP Nazis”, citing evidence of anti-english graffiti he had taken a picture of on his phone. You didn’t have to be Sherlock to realise where that graffiti had come from. His words were abusive and his behaviour was clearly intended to be disorderly, and he and was duly and calmly read the Public Order Act (1986), which is the paper that he refused to take. As can be seen in the video, the YES Scotland campaigners stayed calm throughout. The crazy thing about this is that he not only took the video that condemns his own behaviour, he then posted it and “liked” it himself.
I wear a Yes badge and bracelet at work.
Last week one of my colleagues whether in jest or not I have no idea, told me to take the badge off as I was causing disagreement or words to that effect.
However I stated that there was no way that I would remove them as I was not breaking any laws and as I live in a free and democratic county I can express my views freely whether it agrees with their views or not.
I was at that rally too when the ranting man appeared. He left because two police officers (who told me that they were there to police the event)were moving towards him.
They spoke to him further out from the crowd (Large crowd)of Yes folk. At one point one office was holding onto the man’s arm, I guess because of his threatening gesticulations.
Rage is now the default position of the BT campaigner, whether it be the the poor deluded sap in the video, the incoherent Labour councillor, the twitching Darling or the frothing MSM journalist.
A growing and fulminating rage at the fact their beloved UK is ending..
“the vast majority of us on the Yes side are refusing to follow the script they have written for us.”
So they’ll write one for us they prefer and make sure it’s acted out.
“Alistair Darling et al must think about what they are actually achieving because what they are attempting to achieve is loathed by most Scots.”
Darling and Better Together have set their path. They’re not changing course. They act in the full knowledge of what they’re doing. The people who need to think about it are those decent unionists who’d be horrified by what they’re attempting, and those in Labour, the Tories, the Lib Dems and non-aligned people in positions of leadership within Scotland who may have some chance of cooling the flames but are currently on that side of the debate.
Desperate British nationalists are now playing their last card: incitement to violence. Once we’ve trumped that one, by staying cool and collected, the result will be clear: independence.
Calm down dears! In some countries many people are killed during Referendum campaigning. I doubt if the nasty stuff on the ground in Scotland will go beyond aggressive shouting; the Police will step in smartly if it does. And the fear, smear, sneer campaign isn’t working so NO is going to have to think again about its tactics. It can’t become any nastier than it is now so it will probably become softer and THAT could be bad for YES.
Also, we don’t need the MSM when we have all the numerous excellent on-line bloggers for YES. I bet they are now reaching far more readers than the MSM. And the huge number of YES people on the ground are also showing folk what YESSERS are really like. And the minute some fools try the smear and or aggressive tactics they are found out and disparaged immediately.
Further, I’ve detected a change in the TV coverage now. There is definitely less bias towards No in what I see. And it will become even better when BBC and STV are forced to be more impartial after 30 May.
I suppose another way to look at these events could be that the No camp have now come to realise that they cannot win the case using facts and debate, and that the only way they have any chance is to drag the who thing into the gutter.
The problem with this strategy is that it would only have some effect if both sides moved in that direction, and given I do not believe that will happen, this will only reflect poorly on the No campaign.
The Yes folk in that video really do show heroic restraint. I felt like lamping the guy, and I’m just watching a video of him, never mind having him screaming in your face. I was sure he was about to kick off at one point.
But that’s exactly what his type want. He shouts and swears because he needs to goad you into trying to give him a little shove, so he can use that as justification for hitting you, or for rolling on the ground going “arrgh, arrgh, he hit me!” like a footballer.
I’d have been tempted to call the police. He was certainly disturbing the peace there.
Love the way he accuses them of anti-English abuse while simultaneously moaning about immigrants, though…
Use reason, use humour and leave the other guff to people like Mr Docherty.
What we’re doing, what we’re voting for is positive and empowering. They can’t beat it, they can’t match it and they can’t argue against it. They are consequently left with trying to tarnish the very idea of independence.
Margo hit the nail on the head in her 2012 rally speech. The day after that vote, win or lose, we all have to live together.
I now call The Scotsman,The Nawman @ least 3 articles a day trashing Scotland.
Anyone can see that these attacks are planned to halt the progress of independence by picking out the SNP/AS as the only people who want it. Perhaps all the other Parties/groups which support independece need to take a more prominent role outside YES Scotland to demonstrate that this is not the case. A joint letter from Patrick Harvie etc to all the MSM would be a start–some rags might not print it but others might see the point. I’m not forgetting YES Scotland which to my mind is not pushy enough in these circumstances. Doing great at local levels, but please also go after the big beasts which publish this crap.
Does mr Docherty’s political party condone this behaviour? They must have some selection process to end up with this guy, or are they all out the same box, is this their preferred type of representative.
Hope mr Milne is on the authorities radar as that was quite frightening, that a person in such an obviously distressed state should be walking the streets, very worrying.
I can’t see the video yet as I’m on my works computer and its got restrictions, but to be honest with you I dont think anybody should back away from them at “bitter together”.
They have spent years getting their own way through the MSM, where only their voice was allowed to be heard and only their type of politics was allowed, but now its changed and because they are not getting a free ride to the referendum they can’t take it. Well tough.
They want to lie we use the truth, they use snide comments we use humour, they want to intimidate we have the numbers.
If they want to use bullying, dirty tactics, then we need to take them face on through every medium we can. To stand back from a pathitic bully just encourages them, and Scotland and its future generations deserve more than that from us.
Margo said “you know it’s great to be on the side of the angels”, we are fighting the good fight, we are the good guys and I will not back away, If the NO campaign can’t take it, GOOD.
I was actually rather appalled (if not surprised) by those tweets from Docherty. So much so that I have asked Councillor MacAvoy for his comments on them (which I attached). All done using my very own words so that I (hope) I don’t get the “Feck OFF” type of reply I got from Michael McCann MP.
I’ll let you know what happens…
Perma-rage is the default setting. It seems to have spread from the south of Glasgow to encompass all followers and lovers of the butcher’s apron.
Kenny
“Is there some site somewhere where we could catalogue the various smears, insults, threats and comparisons to Yes supporters that the temperate and warm-hearted unionists”
We don’t need that. Wings et al already do it. Just take copies or screenshots of what you see and go to Twitter and tweet. Better still stick them in a reply to a Unionist’s tweet. And put your copies on any appropriate blog site to spread the info around. That is how we have reached the point we are at now.
Does this constitute breach of the peace? It certainly frightens me to see this kind if thing.
Can anyone confirm tha this Docherty is the East Kilbride self lover who is in the EK news every other week bumping his Kitchener moustach about the bad bad SNP?
Hen, as a denizen of EK I can confirm that. Have to say that the EK News keeps a reasonably balanced output for a local paper.
Rev –
All the serious baiting & threat come from the NO side fringe activists. Folks visit NO Scotland / Vote No SDL etc on Youtube if you can stomach such mince & bile.
I really wish journos(?) would do their homework not just spout on behalf of the state machine.
Really think the NO side are being very very wreckless over this as its all assertion from them as some sort of cunning plan smear (ie Ian Murray backfire), and other frankly toxic idiots on the No campaign. I am sure yes have their own clowns but at least they have broadcast that its contrary to YES side vision and tactics and will not be tolerated in any form.
To date I dont think No admit to it because it is endemic and cultural to their own campaign and dont know how to get such terraces culture & intimidation tactics (with the threat of violence ) eradicated, but do it they must, as its now clearly getting out of hand.
As YES is a popular populist campaign it is quashed where it emerges. No are absolutely in denial and they should take great care.
It really is not the smartest hand to play; but desperate measure & all that.
Undecided please watch the video above – if you can all the way through.
I think we will genuinely struggle to get much media coverage of this sort of thing. There’s such an overt pro unionist agenda in almost all media output that the country is going to be fed constant “yes campaigners involved in antics.” And any reporting of no campaign supporters getting truly “out of control” will be dressed up as apolitical as per the poor 80 year old “Canadian gospel singer.”
Whilst we can all take comfort from the polls and the increasing desperation from BT let’s not rest on our laurels- there are many people who will believe the “YES=SNP=NAZI” line that the irresponsible politicians are spouting. We cannot afford to give them any even pseudo evidence that they’re right, because unlike beating a pensioner up, that WOULD make headline news.
Robert, in that case he has form. His millionaire life style is at odds with his humble status in life. A quick Google shows he rubs shoulders with the Keans of EK fame who seem to have an incredible amount of power exercised on their behlf in the planning process. They seem to own most of the village and surrounding farms.
It seems to me that Councillor Docherty is bringing the Council into disrepute, if it could become any more disreputable that is.
Stop worrying, be happy. Enjoy the moment. This is a marvellous time to be living and debating in Scotland. And to top it all we will likely be INDEPENDENT after 18 Sep.
And don’t let ANYONE intimidate you against YES.
All I can really say is you called it a long time ago Rev with the quote you have on this very page, first they ignored us, then they laughed at us, now they’re starting to fight us (and the video above from the No person is the early evidence of that) and if we keep calm as we so far have, we’ll win.
My only concern is the poison that will be left in the well once the No campaign is finished, but I’m sure we’ll deal with that as calmly and as positively as everything else.
a Supporter
good point !
To quote Yoda: “Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering.”
Many people are genuinely fearful, and it’s no surprise given the propaganda that’s been spewed out by the msm. Remembering that aggression or verbal abuse probably has its roots in fear stemming from propaganda and misinformation is an important thing I think.
The fear of change has to be countered before an individual can consider an alternative Yes viewpoint.
But hope is much more powerful than fear. Hope will win.
Now that they are losing ground the tactics from the Brit Government will get dirty.
They also have a history of using agent provocatuers in Scotland!
The truth is that the MSM/No campaign are using these snide tactics because they see the polls moving in the direction of the Yes campaign. Last week the independence movement lost Margo MacDonald. Remember what she was, what she stood for and represented. Keep being positive about independence because they have no answer to it. Don’t react to their provocations, that is exactly what they want us to do.
It really does look like the BT new tactic is not to be positive but to actually up the ante of the “I’m being repressed” line. The question is why are they suddenly sounding so desperate? What are their private polls or the ones they decide not to publish telling them?
Also, what is all this civil war violence thing all about? All the Yes people I know are relaxed and in good humour. I will abide by the result on the day. I will be disappointed if we don’t win but I am not going to start a civil war. Is Mr Docherty saying he will if they don’t win? If not then what is he talking about. Go to any Yes public meeting and there are a lot of them, unlike Secret Together, and you won’t here any of this nonsense from Yes people.
Hi Rev there was a professional TV crew at the YES event and they tried to interview the guy in the video but he refused but gave them permission to use the footage. Can you find out who they were and where this footage is likely to turn up?
This comes as no surprise, I have been expecting contrived violence in the style of phoney letter bomb claims against SNP supporters splashed across the front pages of our national rags and thats just for starters.A lot of people have a lot to lose and will fight to the last food bank.
Was the sad video recorded by the screaming boy’s pal, since it studiously leaves out his face, and was the whole episode contrived to put on FaceBook? Imagine if this was a BT stall under siege. The police would be called and the media would be full of it. The horrible attacker would be in jail with his face plastered all over the papers.
Great control and concern shown by stall volunteers. I hope this incident doesn’t frighten them and stop them working for YES. Well done you guys.
In one sense there is actually nothing new here, the geriatrics among us well remember that when unionists started getting nasty during an election, that it was a sure sign that they were worried about a result.
And given the news in today’s record about Labour rounding up the old crew, Helen Liddle etc to join in, there is every chance these things will get worse
It’s the same old thing, yes we need to keep our discipline, but folk like the guy in the clip and those tweeting don’t seem to realise that nowadays it’s they who are in the minority.
We just keep steady and keep working!
A neighbour of mine that I consider to be fairly intelligent
is absolutely (it seems) convinced of the following:
‘The referendum is all about the Cathlic Church taking over Scotland and that the Pope is behind it all with a view to taking over.’
I’m paraphrasing of course but that’s the gist; suffice to say I have not had a converstaion with him about it. I mean, what’s the point? Absolute madness!
He occasionally comments ‘shite’ or ‘pish’ to any Wings, Newsnet, Bus for Scotland links I put on Facebook. There is no argument, dissection, or offering of any facts. It just tells me that this type of blinkered view will never be changed. So I haven’t tried.
Online it always seems to be the BritNat bunch that get all ‘ersey’ resorting to insults etc rather than any ‘sane’ argument. Hence I avoid The Scotsman, Herald etc
As I have said before on here a number of times, Perfidious Albion will use every dirty trick in the book and then some to save the union. A few of us who post here have been campaigning for a YES vote for more than 40 years and have personal experience of the tactics the British State will eagerly apply to thwart a YES vote. My advice is carry on working as hard as ever, but be aware that we are challenging the right of the British State to exist and it does not play by the rules.
The whole cybernat moniker is used to discredit anyone having the balls to question what the better together crowd say.. The real threats are coming from no voters.. Particularly against the fm. If this video was of a yes voter threatening a better together activist it’d be on the news all day.. With an interview with the shaken victim…
Something similar happened to me at the WoS gathering at the Counting House on Friday. I was standing outside having a fag with a couple of the other smoking social lepers, when a drunk guy comes up and aggressively shouts “Are you bigots? Do you hate the English?” I said “No, I don’t hate the English. I’m married to an Englishman.” And since I’m a beardy man he was taken aback.
“You’re married to an English … man?” he asked, confused.
“Aye. A man.” I replied, “Why? Are you a bigot?”
Then we had as civilised a conversation as you can have with a raving drunk guy outside a Glesga pub. Don’t think I persuaded him to vote yes though.
The point is however, that other people might have been intimidated by him. Don’t be intimidated, go on the attack, and turn the tables on them.
Is this the same Cllr Docherty who was allegedly involved in possible alleged shady deals with an alleged local landowner (and developer?)?
Also, calm down folks, too much hysteria above, just playing into their hands, stay cool and we win.
@ Helena, re shirtless foto, it’s definitely not the alleged Docherty.
When I see things like this, I keep getting this horrible feeling that this won’t be the bloodless independence that we all hoped it would be. The tone is becoming more sinister every week. I can actually see them using violence, or at least overt threats of violence to cow Scots into submission as a last ditch attempt to defeat us.
I have a gut feeling that they’re going to try and pull a Crimea on us too with either Faslane or the Islands. They language of extremism being used by the no side is deeply chilling. Its an affront to civilized society.
I think at this point there’s no question that we will win. We’ll never submit to Britain again after this, and its even less likely that we’ll submit if they subject us to that kind of abuse. We’re better than Westminster and its imperial pretensions. So is England too. I do hope they declare their own independence of sorts from the Westminster cretins.
On another note, When I first moved over to this side of the world, I happily referred to myself as British. I still did right up until last year. No more. The No side and Westminster have poisoned the well so much that I refuse to ever let myself be called British again.
James Docherty, Labour, East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire council … here’s something tasty, accusations of corruption no less:
link to bbc.co.uk
Doug Daniel says:
Well said Doug,there is problem with animals like this, I wish I could have seen his face so I could have judged a rough background from him. He is an extremist who gets his views from somewhere, I would like to have known where.
It is something that at least some of us expected, something similar was started even involving the police back in 79.
However, the media are deeply at fault, and should be accountable for whipping up hysteria in desperate people.
I view it really as a call to remind ourselves what WE stand for and WE want for our country. Westminster will be happy about it though, as anything that MIGHT help to turn the tide will be ok with them, sick as that is.
We should turn away ( I would have found it difficult ) but it is the right thing to do, as to do anything else would be spun to death by our MSM. Utter shame on them, they are the true problem in Scotland.
After a YES, when they are looking for new jobs, I hope they will be happy anywhere else but Scotland.
@Cath
“So they’ll write one for us they prefer and make sure it’s acted out.”
That’s definitely a possibility. Since Yes campaigners aren’t rising to their bait and being the monsters they desperately need to portray us as, it won’t be long till they start with the “False Flag” tactics.
Starting riots while holding Yes banners, smashing windows and sticking Yes stickers on the doors, basically doing everything they can, assisted by a wide-reaching propaganda machine in the form of the MSM, this is the sort of thing we’ll need to defend ourselves against as the 18th draws closer and BT get more and more desperate.
The scary thing is that there are still a lot of people out there who’ll believe it and try to convince others to believe it too.
Not everyone reads Wings either, I’ve recommended it to a few people who seem completely uninterested. Not even counting the ones who believe the MSM smears about this site…
I’d definitely go along with the idea of quoting every BT attempt to incite hatred right back at them at every opportunity. Most people I’ve met aren’t even aware of this whole “cold war of words” going on behind the scenes. I think if more of the undecided folks realised what sort of dirty tactics Westminster was using to keep its power, it would make them less likely to support the union.
@Tommy
There are a few independent media producers covering events, but the only ones I can recall off the top of my head right now are “Clan Destiny”. They have a channel on YouTube if I remember rightly.
Uncanny
link to sharonascherslp.wordpress.com
link to southlanarkshire.gov.uk
Last time I encountered people like this, they were being thrown out of Princes Street Gardens, after assaulting a student who took down a Union Jack that had been erected over the 2012 rally which they erected to en-flame tempers.
We should be asking Blair McDougal if BT agree with the twitter postings of Docherty and the whole of the MSM scare stories that are creeping out of the woodwork.Does he really see this tactic as one they want to associate with?
One of Docherty’s tweets tells a remarkable truth, although I don’t think he meant it that way. He says that the referendum should never have been called, and concludes that it ‘destroyed us’.
I hope that by ‘us’ he means the Labour Party.
Have you seen the Daily Record story about “Labour legends” being drafted in to bolster the No Campaign.
Lord Foulkes has been invited by Anas Sarwar to coordinate the fightback.
“The whole of Team Scottish Labour – the youth team, first team and legends – are coming together to make sure we run the biggest and most effective campaign we have ever done.” – Anas Sarwar
Hilarious.
I have been meaning to ask.
What is a fascist-socialist-communist?
Anyone know?
Helena Brown says:
Helena if you see the real photo of him, you may conclude as I did, that he is a fantasist he certainly looks nothing like his alter ego!
Apologies, initially put this on the Cornered Rats thread, but meant to put it it here, where it is more applicable to the challenges Yes people are confronted with:
A tweet from Pat Kane on link to thoughtland.info
link to twitter.com
Shocking stuff.
Labour’s Dream Team (4-4-2)
Manager – Johann Lamont
Coach – Anas Sarwar
Gk – Jackie Baillie
Back Four – Lord Foulkes, Lord Reid, Lord McConnell, Lord Robertson
Mid-field – Baroness Liddell, Ian Davidson, Ian Murray, Jim Murphy
Front-two – Alistair Darling, Gordon Brown
Subs – Iain Gray, Paul Martin, Richard Baker, Douglas Alexander.
As some have already said, FFS, calm down. By all means report, dismiss and ridicule these ‘reports’, tweets etc but surely to take them seriously at this stage is to risk stoking up the distrust, perhaps even hatred, that they are so blatantly designed to foster. The suggestions of some sort of upcoming “black ops” campaign to discredit the SNP/nationalists are best kept to yourselves unless there is serious and compelling evidence to the contrary. To do otherwise will just turn off the very people we’re trying to attract to WoS, as reading these sorts of comments they’ll probably be apt to dismiss the site as full of nut job, ultra nationalist, conspiracy theory nut jobs!
Who’s the ref?
“Gillie says:
7 April, 2014 at 2:13 pm
I have been meaning to ask.
What is a fascist-socialist-communist?
Anyone know?”
Not sure, but interesting to note that an elected Labour Councillor believes Socialism is a pejorative thing
twitter—then tags laugable Scotsman piece
link to scotsman.com
Belle Ecosse ?@BelleEcosse · 35 mins
The comments astound me. Once upon a time we would all have denounced any death threats amd towards anyone.
Is it any wonder the unionists are starting to play dirty, the money is going on YES! link to www1.politicalbetting.com
@ Ravelin
Calm down. By all means report, dismiss and ridicule these ‘reports’
I can’t see anybody doing more than that on this site.
Tommy, that would be us at Clan Destiny. We’re in the above video at one point. We’ll be making a positive video of the day (when we get time – out shooting today and tomorrow). Not sure how we’ll handle young Kev. Probably a separate piece. I offered to interview him but he was too busy ranting. Pity. I’d have liked to find out what’s driving him, but he was too shouty.
Or it might have been BBC2 who were there too, but I don’t think at that point.
What a confusing and depressing video. This guy does actually appear to have given the issue some thought bit it’s confusing that he seems to have added 2+2 and come up with 537! How has he managed to survive for so long? I wonder if gravity also perplexes him.
Vote Yes to build a better, fairer & more equitable education system so as best to avoid knuckle draggers such as this in future.
Sorry I’m O/T here but it looks like Better Together, specifically our favourite Labour former Chancellor Alistair Darling is in hot water…AGAIN! 😛
link to tinyurl.com
Gillie at 2.25pm
Your football team selection is great. Can I add the following:
Head tactician- Ed Milliband
Sponsorship- Ed Izzard
In old fashioned footballing terminology, what about the left winger and right winger?
Nobody on the left wing, all of them on the right wing. Very unbalanced approach, this leaves the left wing open for others to benefit from.
The team are on a bonus if they win- guaranteed Lordships, and enhanced membership to the cronyism and nepotism club. Membership for life paid for by the public.
For additional advice on Agents Provocateur BT can always head over to Eastern Ukraine.
Yikes!!! Think I best order a Bullet Proof Vest for Aberdeen this coming weekend.
Just a word of thanks to all of you that put in your time and effort to deliver a Yes vote for those of us who really are too wee and too feart. I am very proud of you all. All I can do is try to deliver my ‘one other person’ for Margo.
In recent months I have had a number of private conversations with online friends who are Labour party members.
Most have been quietly positive about the referendum and privately supportive of a yes vote.
This includes those who hold positions within the party and represent constituencies.
However a matter of weeks ago those very same people started using social media to attack the yes campaign.
Nothing posted could be described as nasty in any sense, but the public face being shown does not reflect the previous private one that had been revealed to me.
I firmly believe that they have been told to reflect the party line and while I offer this up without any evidence I know what was said and it is enough for me to feel a very real sense of disappointment in how the debate is being conducted.
@geoffhuijer, you could merely point out to your neighbour that most of the Labour politicians in Scotland are of the catholic faith and they’ll be voting no.
Aren’t we forgetting the 2 better together activists (well) who have a restraining order out on them for harassing Nicola Sturgeon?
Time to get out the T-shirt from the Yes Scotland Shop
It says
Dinna Fash yersel and say aye.
This guy just sounded like the Rangers fan who said without the Queen we would all be on ten pound giros,the fact is he thinks everybody in Scotland is unemployed and he thinks thats all right and if England decide to start shit after independance i for one am willing to be a suicide bomber 😉
O/T re Devo Nano
Finally had a reply from my MP Fiona O’Donnell and it looks like the one which contradicts Jahann,
“· The Scottish Parliament could, using the powers of the Scotland Act 2012, and our extension to their scope, choose to lower income tax, below the UK level, across all income tax bands.
· Equally, it would be possible to use the same power to increase tax, above the UK level, across all bands.
· Alternatively, if the Scottish Parliament wished to exercise greater flexibility between bands, Labour’s proposals mean that it would be empowered to do so by applying Scottish Progressive Rates of Income Tax to increase either the higher or additional rates of tax.
Labour’s proposals for further tax powers are designed to enhance fiscal accountability and flexibility at a Scottish level, while preventing destructive income tax competition between Scotland and the rest of the UK.
We are in the right. We have the winning argument. Those people at Westerhailes from the YES campaign demonstrated exactly how to deal with such provocation – let them rant, film them. Do not respond or worse retaliate – because that is exactly what they want.
A few years ago, when the anti capitalism protests were taking place in London, some people may remember, a camp was set up near St.Pauls cathedral in London. There was much fretting by authorities (the city of London) as it was seen to look bad to evict peaceful demonstrators from the site. So, some way into the camp being present, the media started running with ‘concerns’ being expressed that many of those in the camp were drunks etc…. The next day, SKY news was broadcasting live in the area, talking about fears of drunks etc.. when surprise, surprise, two people (nobody else was around) both with drinks in their hands, feigned drunkenness badly, and walked into shot of the live broadcast, stood about a bit, whilst pretending to sway about, then walked away. To this day, as far as I am concerned both ‘drunks’ were paid stooges or police officers – who urgently needed acting lessons. That is how it is done.
As for Ian Murray and Darling, they and their unionista cabal really should know better. Nonsense such as seen and heard from them recently is firing up false resentment, division and hatred, and I’m pretty convinced at least some of them know just EXACTLY what they are doing.
I used to work beside people like this guy Docherty. One of them was a real pain in the backside and could never resist making remarks and comments towards me.
I thought about how to get my revenge on him…Should I batter him over the head with an iron bar?…then I did the following:
I went up to him one day and smiled, and asked him if he fancied going for a pint after work. His face went scarlet. He was absolutely speechless. Eventually he mumbled that he couldn’t. I never had any more trouble from that moron.
I’ll never forget the look of confusion on that idiot’s face. Priceless.
Perhaps we could invite Docherty and his wife (if he has one)in for a cup of tea at one of our social gatherings. If he says No, then he looks churlish and nothing has happened. If he says Yes and comes along we just be nice, give him his tea, and have lots of cameras ready if he starts any of his nonsense. Either way the idiot loses.
But he would never accept the invitation of course.
I keep a record of the online bile and vile the BritNats spew out on their regular basis online. It is interesting to see some BritNats pretend to be ScotNats and vomit their abuse; it’s also interesting to note that this last month or two one has seen a definite tone of aggression, menace and violence in their tone. Expect the poll situation is working them up.
Oh and yes, one did download a copy of this nasty video, just to keep as a reference for future use…
@thoughtsofascot
Please don’t scaremonger. There is no practical way to annex Faslane. There is one road in or out, narrow too. Far too easy to block as the protestors regularly try to do. It just takes the polis to let them according to our brand new constitution or some such. We can also decline to let them have electrickery or dihydrogen monoxide supplies and prevent comestibles entering.
In response to the loss of Sevastapol where much of their exports were shipped out the Ukrainians just need to make another port and bypass it then bang goes the Crimean economy.
Besides we want Faslane as the base for the Scottish Navy.
As for Shetland, the number of Shetland nationalists is literally tiny. The majority of Shetlanders would not stand for it. So that is not going to happen. Edinburgh may look a long way from Lerwick, just like London but they know which place will listen to them. Holyrood has already said it supports devolving powers to the Island Councils. Westminster is still ‘thinking about it’.
There will be more European money to subsidise transport links to the Islands after Independence too. Why rely on stingy Westminster?
@(I think) thoughtsofascot – what does “do a Crimea” mean (I am missing the refernce)?
@everyone: I think people must know who this unnamed Labour M(S)P is – and I think it should be out in the open. Anonymity leads to deniability and also false statement.
As a Catholic – I truly think religion is irrelevant (bizarrely) in this. It is has transgressed from a debate about Independence “of the auld script” to a (Margo-worthy) debate about what kind of society we, who reside in Scotland, want to live in, and what social justice values we want to embody, and (also now) whether we want to “go it alone” in a UK that is not part of Europe (and a puppet of our special friends the US), or be part of a bigger picture that is Europe.
Although -to return to religion- the values we are called to embody as Catholics or any Christians – values of respect for life, social justice, and dignity – are better served by aligning ourselves to a SNP vision of Scotland as a modern country in Europe. What is maybe hard is for the Catholic who grew up equating social justice values w. Maclean’s and the Red Clydesider stance (one which Cardinal Winning was born into): it is hard to accept that the Labour Party divorced itself from socialism.
I do think it is time for the voices from the pulpit – Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Sikh or Jewish – to speak up from this point of view.
Hi Wings.
YES is being ignored by the main press and TV.
YES should be in the main news daily now.
I want to jazz up the media, somehow!
I just trimmed your Wings symbol down a bit, to use less ink when printing. Still liking the Blue on White motif.
I’m kinda tecky geeky nerdy exnavy offshore engineer. I want simple inexpensive idea to get/print your WINGS logo + http://www.com on something eg.- (SandwichBoard/BillBoard/Jacket/TShirt/Cap/Sticker/Cardboard/Laminate)?
I can print on paper A4.
I could walk up and down all day on Aberdeen’s Union Street with a Sandwich Board aiming for women and schoolchildren voters to see.
I could walk through Aberdeens shopping malls all day everyday.
I could walk past schools with SandwichBoard to catch young voters attention.
I could recreate Aberdeen’s Legendary Google HorseHead again and get on Grampian TV and BBCScotland! Just by dressing up somewhat, and walking about Aberdeen.
I see media stunts on Yahoo, MSN and Newspaper sites every day. They lap them up, to fill up their pages daily.
I’m just now OAP and am luckily fighting fit.
I’ve lots free time and a little money, from now till Voting day.
I’ve came late to the game, cos media are establishment using the usual secrecy and silence techniques.
I’ve now committed cash to the fight, I’m onboard till the
end. All ideas considered.
Come On Scotland. Come On All YES Voters. Every YES Voter Welcome. Cheeri
#AberdeenWingsOverScotland
@ Les Wilson 2.01pm
Can i just add that the same guy who put the Union Jack up at Princes Street gardens 18 months ago came and had a wee wander about amongst those waiting to leave on the march to the Tory party conference.
A friend and I both recognized him, he was with a pal, again. We just kept an eye on him, he knew we knew who he was, he was right next to us at one point.
The thing is what was his plan? and is it the same guy who posted this? I have a feeling it’s only a matter of time until the unionist extremists escalate things.
Their world is disappearing from them and they will lash out. I can only reiterate what Rev Stu and a number of others have said re keeping calm and carrying on.
On a completely different topic our Yes Saltire project for those not yet aware has had a good start on Indiegogo, 25% of target now reached.
Now the hard part, maintaining momentum and not sitting half funded, increasing my blood pressure for the next fortnight. If you haven’t seen it yet here’s the link. all donations of all sizes will be gratefully received.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/10-000-flags-for-yes–11/x/2353157
Labour Leg ends. What, like Michael Foot?
“Salmond has whipped the Nationalist into a frenzy”
Oh, there’s only one? Just need to find out who he/she is, give them a large dram & a doughnut, and say “Settle Petal!”
Muscleguy,
I agree re: Faslane. Besides the annexation of foreign territory is illegal, as we have seen recently in Crimea – unless EWNI want to be seen as a pariah state following Scottish independence.
As for the Shetland nonsense, let’s not forget, that were Shetland to ever want (they don’t) to become part of EWNI following Scottish independence, as islands they would only be entitled to exploit that part of the continental shelf which extends 12 miles from their shore (within which their are no oilfields). They would not, as some moronic commentators in England suggest, somehow inherit the entire extent of Scottish territorial waters, plus oil and gas fields.
However, as you point out, there is no great desire in Shetland for such a move, and their never has been – apart from Tavish Scott.
As you rightly point out, the SNP Government have been discussing new powers for Shetland/Orkney following Scottish independence in 2016.
@Muscleguy
Oh, I certainly don’t mean to scaremonger, but these new tactics currently being employed are straight out of the playbook of the old empire. That is what concerns me. Divide et impera. Historically, in places where Britain really didn’t want to leave, they broke bits off here and there, then left the inhabitants to sort out the mess they made.
Found this on a Twitter:
Reporting the Referendum
A Question of Morals
Module: Ethics and Society
Paper 1
Please answer all questions, giving reasons for your answers.
Question 1 (a)
You are asked by your elderly, housebound neighbour if you will get some messages for him and you agree. He hands you his shopping list. On it, you see that he has asked you, amongst other things, to go to the newsagent to collect a pornographic magazine for him. Do you agree to do so?
Question 1 (b)
On the way, he texts you and asks you also to get him a copy of the Scotsman. Do you agree to do so?
Question 1 (c)
On leaving the newsagent, which publication do you hide inside which?
The video of the very aggressive guy ranting against YES campaigners was taken at the Pentland YES Super Saturday at West Side Plaza Wester Hailes on Saturday 5 April.
Two Police Officers took him aside and spoke to him at some length after which he departed.
Geoff Huijer
“A neighbour of mine that I consider to be fairly intelligent is absolutely (it seems) convinced of the following:
‘The referendum is all about the Cathlic Church taking over Scotland and that the Pope is behind it all with a view to taking over.’”
Hey Geoff you really need to reconsider your neighbour’s intelligence!
“Salmond has whipped the Nationalist into a frenzy”
Oh, there’s only one?
Damn you Jamie. You’ve left me with a mental image that’s put me off my skittles now!
I also love the way the SNP started this!. By being elected. On a manifesto of holding a referendum. I shake my fist at Salmond and his filthy, wily ways. How dare he be elected and do what he said he’d do if elected. It’s so un-British.
You won’t read or see any unionist bad behaviour in the press or on tv, due the unionists owning the papers and tv stations. I must admit the YES supporters have been over the piece very well behaved, and if they hadn’t been you’d have seen the accusations all over the London and USA owned press and tv channels.
AS we get closer to the polling day, I expect more and more vile rants and slurs, and possibly even violence to a degree from the unionists, as they’re frustration at lagging in the polls boils over into a frenzy of blame. As for the foreign owned press, that calls itself Scottish, I expect them to follow suit, in casting dispersion’s, on the YES camp, when ever the opportunity arises.
James Docherty tweeted just after 4.00 a.m. on Sunday morning and was obviously not at his best! What is most revealing is his bitterness at what he admits in one of his tweets that the SNP has ‘destroyed us’ presumably meaning the Labour Party in Scotland.
Who is the real Docherty? I googled him and this photo of a fat bald person came up. Not like his picture in your who looked like someone out of ‘Baywatch’ so once more who is the real Docherty?
Well done to the team on that YES stall for keeping cool and letting him rant. He is a bigot from yesteryear and he was really describing himself.
You must live in the world you create. Who would want to live in his world.
@Les Wilson, somehow I rather thought so, and an egotist as well.
@Les Wilson, Just saw his actual self, definitely a bit of an egotist, more like Colonel Blimp.
I just clicked on the ‘james docherty’ in your piece and a picture of a portly, bald,fattish sort of guy with a handlebar mustache. It was not the image of the ‘Baywatch’ type in your article so who is the real james docherty
Folks, think back to the 2 indy marches and the reception we got from the police on both of those days….
They were very low key and friendly and saw us ‘vile cybernats’ for what we really were…
Honest, genuine, working class people, who had a laugh and joke with them and who want nothing else than to bring everyone along on our journey with us…
Another reason why this Britney propaganda will never wash….
*Britnat… although to be fair Britney works too 😉
Unfortunately the NO camp’s last card left to play involves violent acts of some sort, either to discredit or pull the UK together. I hope none of these come to fruition, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they did.
Iam a Protestant i do not like rangers or the orange order and I must congratulate the yes supporters for staying calm i am afraid i could not have took that from anyone but I am noted for my quick temper so well done to you for staying calm vote yes
These are the same network of people who sent celtic manager Lennon a bomb, if they will do that for bigoted reasons what else will they do….
I hope the police are keeping an eye on these dangerous people.
Really wishing I could watch that video with some of the comments I’m seeing about it! 🙂
Also the idea of “Britney propaganda” has left me with a rather confusing mental image.
Newspaper headline: “Evil Cybernats dress up in schoolgirl uniforms and defiantly invite BT campaigners to hit them one more time!”
I need to go and look up some pictures of cute fluffy bunnies now to get that image out of my head!
(O.o)
@Cath
Can I have those skittles if you don’t want them? 😀
Do we need to start videoing these things when we are out and about. Is it worth buying a couple of cameras (head or shoulder ones) and having these in play when delivering papers or when a stall is setup on a Saturday.
If these threatening events can be highlighted on here and other sites, as well as passing them on to the police, then we may curb something before it even begins. It will put a spanner right into the Better Together’s darker side of the campaign.
Having watched that video I can’t understand why he hasn’t been charced with assault. Assault doesn’t need to be physical and he was definitely being intimidating.
God forbid that it should happen, but if any of us is assaulted we need to ensure that it is properly recorded and investigated by the Police.
Stu is 100% right though, difficult as it is we just need to turn the other cheek. Where possible don’t be alone.
That’s why I think another march in the weeks before the poll would be good. Unless there’s serious concern of agent provocateur disruption I suppose.
I wish it hadn’t been cancelled.
O/T – Scary sh*t.
link to news.stv.tv
There’s a simple answer to all this …… drop “Aye Right” leaflets through voters letterboxes. These leaflets list Fourteen Websites. Give the people access to information other than what the NO campaign want voters to stick to.
They are available at £66 for 10,000
The Mahatma Gandhi quote…
“First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then you win”
Seems like the Unionists are now fighting.
They’re resorting to violence and intimidation because they have lost the argument.
A Yes vote will be the result.
Yin Yang,ladies and gentlemen,Ying Yang.
The brighter our light,the darker their hearts.
Remember before they came to power the Nazi’s sent their thugs in to disrupt their rivals meetings.The no campaign will stop at nothing.
Jimmy Docherty will be accusing the SNP of contaminating his precious bodily fluids next.
Remember kids, when all else fails, call your opponents Hazis, or communists. Or Commie-Nazis.* Whatever.
*Not recommended for use in Germany or Russia.
Regarding the video:
At first I thought this guy was what he appears to be; a raving lunatic.
Thinking about it again, it seems obvious that his “idea” was to walk into a bunch of YES campaigners, throw around some (barely sentient) insults, and record the response.
He was hoping for a violent/abusive response so he could, edit, then get some publicity on youtube, or even sell his story to more than willing main stream media!
He is an irrelevance.
oh, and by the way, hats off to the angelically patient YES campaigners!
Is his photo for real? Does Docherty have a Magnum PI fantasy?
Achnababan
Naw,he has a “Putin” fixation.
Following Ian Mackay’s excellent comment above,
an elegant re-formulation of the Ghandi quote, regarding the various states a political campaigning passes through on its way to victory, was made by the German nineteenth philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer which is worth sharing –
All truth passes through three stages.
First, it is ridiculed.
Second, it is violently opposed.
Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
ps
Given WOS commenteers and supporters practice and uphold the highest standards in pursuit of truth, there seems to be a dispute about the authenticity of this quote on Wikiquote –
link to en.wikiquote.org
The unionists will try to whip up and appeal to the hard of thinking because no sane or intelligent person would align themselves with such their cause once they had heard the arguments and met the kind of people attached to BT.
Some posters are getting a bit edgy i notice. That’s what they want. They want to intimidate people into silence and make them afraid to campaign .
I’m really proud of of the effort of the pro independence movement, as we are where we are against all of the odds because we have great leadership and therefore haven’t put a foot wrong. Keep focused, keep motivated and keep going. We’re going to do this
I think they are trying to incite the hard core unionist hot heads to violence in the hope yes supporters retaliate,and then blame them for starting it.Am i the only one who is starting to sense the security services at work?.
tony o’neill
“.Am i the only one who is starting to sense the security services at work?.”
They’re not starting,they’re realising they’ve not allocated enough resources.
Tony.
I agree that this is almost certainly happening.
(Maybe not this moron though!)
Can somebody, or Stu, explain, in words of four syllables or less, why, when you submit a comment, it doesn’t appear for an indeterminate period?
And if you wait 25 minutes, refreshing the page every 5 minutes or so, then try to repost the same comment, you get a massage saying it’s a duplicate, even although your original isn’t displaying???
OK, just reread the “About us” link. Mea Culpa!
Last try…
—————————————————
I know who “Kev Milne” is!
Well, I knew his father. It’s obvious that young “Kev Milne” is rebelling against his father’s rants, as spawn does. It’s a ‘youngster’ thing.
Funny how the name “Docherty” should figure in both the story above and the clip.
Come back Jack! Scotland and Stoneybridge needs you!
link to youtube.com
Brian
Can somebody…
The site has been undergoing attack from spammers – hence posts can be artificially slowed down to check them.
And I’ll tell you, there’s nothing like “a massage saying it’s a duplicate”. You never know where that sort of massage can lead to….
Nah, it was my own fault. Forgot abot the h.t.t.p thingy.
And apart from that, I actually forgot ABOUT it!
8=)
Brian doonthetoon
Brian doonthetoon
Are you using a bbc tag?
I just replied to you and got a duplicate message.
As evidenced by the half finished post at 9:57
No’ got a clue what a bbc tag is – ah! Earth humour! Arf arf! “Mork to Orsen…”
Brian
You don’t find it strange that nobody gets one until they reply?
@Morag
I can’t agree that another independence rally would be a good idea this year. It takes up to much time, resources, when people could be doing mass canvassing and other campaigning. There is no way I trust the British state, particular their spooks, to act in a decent way at all. Your kidding yourself if you think they are going to do nothing.
Well, you may be right. It’s not my decision anyway, and it’s been made. I do trust the Yes Scotland tacticians. I also trust they have a Super Summer planned out for the troops.
Just emailed this to James Docherty:
Your conduct on twitter falls far short of what is to be expected of an elected representative. I’m sure your constituents will take a dim view of your ill thought out and petty ranting.
I will be forwarding the content of your twitter feed to my many friends in East Kilbride so they can make a reasoned judgement as to whether you are the type of person fit to hold office.
Good luck in the next council elections.
Regards (…)
@joe kane
While we’re throwing around quotes, I stumbled across this one not so long ago, part of a longer quote attributed to Nikola Tesla:
“…Perhaps it is better in this present world of ours that a revolutionary idea or invention, instead of being helped and patted, be hampered and ill-treated in its adolescence – by want of means, by selfish interest, pedantry, stupidity and ignorance, that it be attacked and stifled, that it pass through bitter trials and tribulations, through the strife of commercial existence. So do we get our light. So all that was great in the past, was ridiculed, condemned, combated, suppressed, only to emerge all the more powerfully, all the more triumphantly from the struggle.”
Inspiring thought for the day 🙂
I’m rather bemused by the tactics of the No campaign/supporters and Bettr Together in these actions and also in the linked story regarding other intimidation and obfuscating behaviour in public view.
People on the streets who observe this, if undecided, are left with a rather clear view of which side is behaving poorly and then question who they wish to be associated with.
Ultimately this behaviour is self-sabotaging for the No campaign, from trying to shut down stalls etc and objecting to leafletting, to the regretable shouting and horrible physical attacks.
Borderline NO voters and the undecided will look at this behavior and wonder why the no campaign are so threatened and insecure and if they really wish to continue living in a country run by this mindset.
I was worried about the vilification of the Yes campaign until I realised just who these people are. Jim Docherty for example, is not whiter than white by any stretch of the imagination. Just have a wee look into his past dealings and you’ll find another ‘man-mind-thy-self’ character who will no doubt be worrying about his share of the pie being taken away…
Seeing Councillor Docherty’s choice of Twitter picture then his current appearance, I can’t help thinking of the Gavin and Stacy episode where Dawn and Pete were trying to line up a threesome with a young guy.
Dawn: He said our pictures weren’t realistic.
Pam: Aw…
Dawn: I mean, Pammy, have I changed that much in 15 years!
Makes me wonder what Councillor Docherty’s idea was in choosing that pic. Does he realise Dawn and Pete are fictional characters?