Quoted For Truth Extra
Better Together co-ordinator defects to Labour For Independence
With just over four months to go until the referendum, a disillusioned Better Together campaign co-ordinator has defected to Labour For Independence and declared his support for a Yes vote on September 18th.
Gary Wilson, a Labour Party member, was for six months the local “Better Together” co-ordinator within the Edinburgh East Labour Party.
In explaining his conversion, Gary said
“I had to step down from my role as I gradually realised that we are not in fact ‘better together’. I have listened to all of the arguments whether economic, social or emotional and I am now convinced that independence is the right thing for Scotland.
My decision to vote and campaign for a Yes vote came as I was sitting in a room in a large house discussing Better Together strategy with representatives from parties I have nothing in common with, which represent privilege, greed and the status quo – notions completely at odds with my Labour background.
I am deeply passionate about fairness and equality and have been saddened by the Tories’ attempt to dismantle our welfare state by attacking the most vulnerable in society. I have come to believe that independence is the only vehicle available for change, hope and to rid Scotland of neoliberal politics.
I feel uncomfortable with the party line on independence and have never liked being told what to think, with this I am letting my conscience guide my actions. I have struggled for some time supporting Labour’s Better Together stance on campaigning alongside Tories and this is my time to speak out.
I am voting Yes for change, Yes for a socialist Scotland and Yes for an independent Scottish Labour Party.
I have joined Labour For Independence as I see the organisation as a real vehicle for change, campaigning to change Scotland for the better and return the Labour Party to its roots as an inclusive party, a party of the people and a party recognisable to them as representative of their aspirations.
I urge all Labour Party members and supporters both new and old to vote Yes and reclaim what is rightfully ours.”
Gary Wilson (pictured above) is just the latest in a growing line of Labour members who have declared their support for an independent Scotland, recently and most notably former Chair of the Scottish Labour Party, Bob Thomson, who welcomed Mr Wilson’s move. He said:
“Gary Wilson’s remarks chime with those I have heard from many Labour Party activists. They are appalled by the Labour leadership’s collaboration in Better Together with the Tories and Lib Dems who as the government are attacking the rights and living standards of most families and promising more austerity, also they are concerned at the lack of debate in Labour on the pros and cons of independence.
Gary’s realisation that independence is the way forward for a fairer, better Scotland is one that I know is held by many in the Scottish Labour Party, hopefully his ‘coming out’ will encourage others to do likewise and send a message to Labour supporters in Scotland that a Yes vote is in keeping with radical Labour tradition.“
That’s very heartening and I imagine it must have been hard for Mr Wilson to make the move. I hope many more Labour supporters will join him and create a Scottish Labour Party.
We need more like Gary to break rank and speak out. Unfortunately I very much doubt this will be commented on by the msm.
Surely this speaks volumes to those who support BT?!
Fantastic news of yet another Labour member supporting independence.
Sorry o/t I think but something else to think about why voting no would be a very bad idea, check this out (and the comments too, surprising really)
link to telegraph.co.uk
Being a Hibby that has cheered me up.
I wonder if the MSM will bother to mention it. Perhaps we should all make them aware of it?
Oooft! Game changer. Get the leaflets printed now please, LFI, with this chap on the front.
The drip,drip of higher ranking Labour members going over to YES will soon become a cascade.
Well done that young man. How many more Labour activists have the same doubt about BT? I am sure he is not alone.
Welcome Gary, lots to do, and the more the merrier.
Get along to some of the Wing’s do’s if you can, you’ll be made very welcome.
Its activists like this that make the party tick over, these are the hearts and minds that need changing. The likes of Murphy, Darling, Gray, Johan, Anus etc can hide in their ivory towers but when hardworking activists who do the real work like Gary Wilson say enough’s enough other people take more notice.
There are some old Labour Stalwarts I would like to see come over as I think with them they’d bring large numbers but as long as we have people like Gary Wilson making the change we are on the right track.
That takes guts and a conscience. Kudos.
Well done that man, a person who has been on the inside and seen the futility of a NO vote is worth their weight in gold.
The local YES groups must approach him and get the message amplified.
The saddest thing about our referendum has been watching Lamont’s Labour back the Con/Dem’s. All Libdem’s like Alexander and Carmichael did, was show us they were Tories all along. If they didn’t own the media, where would they be?
Our family is getting bigger and better!
Welcome to the positive side Gary. 🙂
And Alex Lunn, a Labour Cooncillor in the same branch, defected to the SNP just before Christmas.
Proof that honesty and decency will always beat lies and deceit.
Welcome onboard Gary.
Well done that man! Here’s a coconut:
link to spscoconuts.com
Well done Gary, independent of mind and independent of nature. Hold you head high and spread the word.
The “Scottish Labour Party” will not survive in its current form after the 18th September, regardless of the outcome. The abandonment of its founding principles and consequent betrayal of the working people of Scotland will NOT be forgiven.
It takes a brave man to make such a public change. Well done Gary Wilson
Well done that man.
No doubt you’ll be next in line to be smeared, ride it out as you know you made the right choice.
link to newsnetscotland.com sums up Milliband’s Labour in Scotland.
Repent and be saved from the rope 😉 well done Mr Wilson
BT is holed below the water line again.
In time the pin pricks will coalesce into a mighty torpedo and HMS BT will turn turtle and sink straight down.
The Labour Party, as it currently built is unsalavageable and a new boat will need by people like Gary. Scotland needs a real Labour Party, just it will need a real Scottish right of centre Party.
Personally, I am all for a Scandinavian style mosaic of political parties, all of which must work for the betterment of Scotland and not themselves.
Welcome into the sunlight and fresh air.
I am deeply passionate about fairness and equality and have been saddened by the Tories’ attempt to dismantle our welfare state by attacking the most vulnerable in society.
– Good on you Gary.
Labour for Independence are the best!
ps
Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland –
A 56 year old claimant was sanctioned for missing one appointment (he admits the error). As a result of the sanction the claimant had no money to travel 14 miles each way to sign on for his hardship payment. The jobcentre advisor moved his appointment to the middle of the day so he would have time to walk the 28 mile round trip in daylight.
link to cpag.org.uk
If his is not an uncommon belief, it would explain the lack of drive in the BT campaign.
It also gives me hope that party supporters will not simply tow the line in an independent Scotland, and will instead force the evolution politics requires in order to work for the people over a sustained period of time.
One man making a move means nothing. I suspect he wasn’t bright before and isn’t any brighter now.
Well done Gary. Welcome onboard. In the words of Robert Burn’s (A Man’s a Man for a’ that).
The man o’ independent mind
He looks an’ laughs at a’ that.
Well done that man.
This is excellent news – it takes a brave person to admit to such a change of heart.
Well done Gary , I nearly said in an earlier tweet that a new labour will emerge ,
I should have said another labour will emerge
there are those of us who think it already has
Well done, Gary. I especially liked the part where you say you don’t like being told what to think. Welcome aboard.
REAL Labour Party people can’t bring themselves to work with the Tories against the interests of their own people. I’ve long said there is little enthusiasm for the union within the party rank and file. BT wanted Labour to do the heavy lifting in this campaign, but it’s becoming clear that they will struggle to carry even their own membership. Another brick out of BT’s dam wall, each one brings closer the moment of the inevitable collapse. Well said Gary Wilson!
If i were a member of a party that had the likes of Johann Lamont and Anas Sarwar at the helm i too would be true to my conscience and principles and totally reject their leadership. Well done Mr Wilson, i doff my cap to ya 🙂
Do I hear distant cries of ‘Timber?’
And another domino falls. 🙂
It takes a brave man to do what Gary Wilson has done, make no mistake. A relative of mine is an office bearer in L.F.I, and believe me the abuse they have to suffer for their beliefs is horrendous. I’m sure this is what will happen to Gary, and I just hope he is strong enough to withstand what’s coming his way.
May the force be with you, Gary!
ive voted labour all my life, im now 52 & will never ever vote for labour ever again,the labour party i voted for all my life no longer exists,what has happened to looking after those less fortunate than ourselves, what has happened to our caring society it has disappeared,destroyed by money grabbing tories/libdems,
scot-labour need to break away from Westminster once & for all before more do as ive done,
Right on!
I dare say the more virulent Better Together peeps will now be trashing Gary’s name. However, it is a fact that a great many rank and file Labour people don’t view this as a party political issue and are very comfortable being a Yes voter and a Labour voter.
i agree with the comment above regarding anyone being in a party with sarwar and lamont as their leaders should have a good think to themselves, is this the standard of human being i want to lead me?
This would be a nice front page for the Sunday Herald.
Good on you Gary wilson, cheered me up no end 🙂
A decision as brave as it is welcome. Excellent news and I’m sure as an experienced activist he’ll be a great asset to Labour for Independence and the wider Yes campaign.
I was posted this little movie on Facebook. It’s powerful, as well as emotional, as Dennis Curran from the group Loaves and Fishes tells the Scottish Parliament Committee as to what is happening to the very poorest in Scotland. Some of you might have already seen it, but Wings seems a good place to play it. For those who are still sitting on the fence on independence, well …here is a very powerful argument for it.
Seriously, once I heard this …all those other things like currency union, pensions, passports …they really, really didn’t matter in the greater scheme of things.
This is why we fight for an independent Scotland.
link to michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com
Another one bites the dust for BT! Well done that man, brave move.
I bet there will also be other labour, libdem and even tory party members that will be voting yes, probably just too scared to come out the closet and make that move to campaign for yes for fear of falling out with colleagues and/or being ridiculed.
Welcome to yes.
And Gary Wilson. Well, that takes real courage. Hopefully, his old friends and colleagues at Better Together can understand his viewpoint, and not condemn him for it. Hopefully, some of them may even cross over too. If so, you are more than welcome.
Heard from a good source today that there are some Labour MSP’s waiting to see how the wind is blowing before coming out for YES.
I came across something by accident. It is from the election of the Speaker of the HoC in 1992. One person who is closely within the sanctum of BT that stated that Scotland was ‘taken over’ should make this statement. Go to 14 min 32 secs.
link to youtube.com
Any true Labour supporter can see that it is just not appropriate for Labour to be in cahoots with the Tories. I can stretch it to the Liberals and Greens, but not the Tories who represent Capital and all that goes with it. Traditional Labour folk, like Nye Bevan would never have done that. Well done my man. Join Canavan, a true Labour man.
@ JLT, i saw that vid this morning and reposted it on facebook. A selfless and commendable individual who spoke from the heart with no hidden agenda. We should all nominate him for the STV real hero thing, not only because he fully deserves it but for the publicity it would generate that certainly wouldnt be forthcoming from the BBC and the press.
O,n my way back from Dundee, had a great night with all the
other Wingers at the Ferry> Thanks Thepnr & John King &
Irene King doing a sterling job with the raffle, to many
beautiful people to mention, looking forward to the next
bash in Emburgh, Morag, Cactus, CameronB, get the skates on.
Further to my report of the Super Saturday in Annan earlier today I have now found out who the abusive rider was.
He is Simon Millar of Tartan Carriages in Annan and also just happens to be the Standard Bearer for the Annan Riding of the Marches this year. I feel a couple of letters to the local newspaper and Riding of the Marches Committee are in the offing. 😛
Good to see this and it prompts my first comment, well, question. How many politicians who have stated they will vote Yes have changed their mind? I don’t recall seeing any jumping to the No camp, but please correct me if I’m wrong.
So having just done a little search, it seems that this is still only being covered here and on Inagist. Imagine it was the local head of the Yes campaign!
I especially like where Gary says: “I have listened to all of the arguments whether economic, social or emotional and am now convinced that independence is the right thing for Scotland”. The good positive case such as being promoted by the Yes Campaign is indeed changing open minds. Well done, Gary!
testing
I’m a bit concerned by “and reclaim what is rightfully ours.”
Hopefully what he means is the sovereignty of the Scottish people and not the god given right of the labour party to be in charge of everything.
I think he means the Labour Party. It is or was after all the party of the people but hasnt really been that for quite a few years now.
Well done Gary Wilson.
It’s not easy to leave a political party – people find their friendships, social life, and identity bound up in the organisation, and many stay and just become passive.
It takes all the more courage to do this so publicly. I’m sure we’ll soon have many claiming he was never “really” in the party.
Can I suggest the real worry for the Labour leadership in Scotland is the clear belief among Labour For Indy supporters that they can reclaim the party after independence? In fact, the leadership should hope this is the case. Otherwise, their hollowed-out party will hardly exist post-indy.
Soda,
I’m sure quite a few folk in the Scottish Labour Party, would find sitting through that video quite harrowing, knowing that each day, they are helping to further the Tory cause.
To know that they would be pushing EVEN greater austerity measures on to us come 2015 should Scotland vote ‘No’, and the Tories win the 2015 election, must make some of them ill at the very thought.
Will any of them jump to the ‘Yes’ cause. Well, that’s the big question. Who knows?
“…..some Labour MSPs waiting to see how the wind is blowing before coming out for Yes”.
Then they need to show true leadership and declare themselves now, otherwise they will be regarded as careerists concerned only with being on the winning side!
@JLT
Powerful and heartbreaking stuff from Mr Curran. If there is a being called God I hope he makes sure the ConDem bastards rot in Hell.
I have always believed that people guilty of evil should pay for their crimes before they die. Here’s hoping.
@ Sebastien Horsefall
Having tge presence of mind to join the winning team would suggest that Gary is a very smart person.
Kudos to you though Seb, you probably get the BT prize for first attempt to smear him. Pretty sad attempt.
@ Marcia
Well done and it deserves to be distributed far and wide.
When that little twerp, Wallace of the Ermnine and Cheap Bars, appears anywhere he needs to be reminded of it
Foreign oligarchs are Better Together with the Westminster neoliberal elite when it comes to the lower class social cleansing of native Londoners from lucrative parts of London. The bar chart graph on page 6 has to be seen to be believed –
A1 : Cumulative total number of households capped from 15 April 2013 and March 2014, by region
link to gov.uk
@Horsefall – One man making a move means nothing. I suspect he wasn’t bright before and isn’t any brighter now
I guess you would say the same if it was someone moving the other way oh wait..no one moves the other way!
Well done Gary it must have taken a lot of guts to publicly make the move.
Sebastien Horsefall’s post at 3.24 is enlightening.
If this is the sort of pathetic oaf that runs with BT then Gary Wilson is well out of it.
Banksy could decorate their living room wall and they wouldn’t see it.
@Liquid Lenny – Heard from a good source today that there are some Labour MSP’s waiting to see how the wind is blowing before coming out for YES
Now that would be a real game changer but is their one of them with a spine to carry the weight of their convictions?
Can I also add my congratulations to Gary Wilson. I know it can not have been easy for you to make such a momentous decision but you had the courage and belief that you were doing the right thing. You will not be disappointed, I am convinced of that! 🙂
So tempted to send this to Katy Clark.
After the debate in Irvine during the May Day Rally trying to put up a fight for the losing side, I’d imagine she’s not too far off abandoning BT’s sinking ship too…
JLT
Thanks for that link, a moving account of what real people have to suffer in what is fast becoming a Dickensian society in its attitudes to the poor.
Congratulations to Gary Wilson for making his move and recognizing the awful truth of what it means to be promoting the case for the Union.
Having made the move from voting Labour two decades ago because of their accelerating shift to the right I couldn’t understand anyone professing to be a socialist and still within its ranks so tended to think that those who were still part of Labour must be content with the New Labour trajectory.
However I have been pleasantly surprised to hear of those like Gary Wilson who have at last seen the light about Labour. Better late than never.
Liquid Lenny says:
“Heard from a good source today that there are some Labour MSP’s waiting to see how the wind is blowing before coming out for YES.”
Sort of sums them up and I think I’d rather they stayed where they are if it’s not something they want because it’s the right thing to do rather than helpful to their job prospects. Doesn’t sound like there’s many Gary Wilsons among that lot.
@Liquid Lenny says 4:04 pm says:
“Heard from a good source today that there are some Labour MSP’s waiting to see how the wind is blowing before coming out for YES.”
I was about to post, that when the polls show Yes leading we will get the Labour MSP’s walking across the floor and defacto support the Yes campaign.
You have confirmed my thoughts.
Excellent
rab_the_doubter says:
10 May, 2014 at 3:08 pm
”Proof that honesty and decency will always beat lies and deceit.”
Welcome onboard Gary.
A couple of things occur to me on seeing this posting.
1) What will Iain Smart’s excuse be this time. He keeps saying that LFI are all SNP plants.
2) After watching a recording of the latest Scottish Questions in the ‘Mother of Parliaments’ I was appalled to hear all the Scottish Labour types dig the hole a bit deeper. They must be so insulated from what is happening in the real world up here that they are oblivious to how small minded they look as they trot out the same old scare stories. It is not working you clowns! We all know that what drives you is your personal interest and aggrandisment.
3) One more. Anybody listening to Brian’s Big Debate on Friday might have been struck, like me, about Michael McMahon’s sudden conversion to rational argument. Does he sense a change in the air?
@JLT at 3.56 pm ref Micheal Greenwell
Yes viewed this earlier. Heartbreaking. The Scottish Labour Party (and Labour MPs)should hang their heads in shame on this.
@Sebastien Horsefall
Trouble is there’s been far more than one man ‘seeing the light’ of working with Tories and making the sensible move from Labour to the fellow socialists of Yes and sounds like more to come, petted lip.
Gordoz
I suppose Sebastian might be a Tory and consequently thinks Gary is foolish for just being in Labour much less moving over to the Yes side.
For undecided voters who like cats. Let the kittens campaign:
link to twitter.com
@HandandShrimp
Im pretty sure Sebastien is just in a huff with Gary.
He’ll get over it and switch to YES nearer the time too.
To thine self be true. Welcome Garry we will create a modern SLP that mclean, kierhardie, would be happy to join.
Congratulations, comrade Gary. You’re a fine fellow. You’ve missed the internecine struggles between left and right that we had.
The SS Better together is slowly sinking. Lets all help their members on board the great life raft. There is plenty of space and ample life jackets
Gary – You have chosen a rough & ‘just’ road with LFI; but then nothing worth doing is ever easy.
Many within YES see LFI as the ‘vaccine’ that will ultimately save Labour in Scotland from the terminal madness of siding with the Tories against Scotland.
All who put Scotland 1st are welcome within the YES umbrella, but LFI have a particularly special place due to the commando like, backs to the wall requirements of trying to convert from within a very sick organization.
More power to you and all in LFI
Excellent! Great to see someone put principle before party.
Most Labour voters are still No backers, following their leadership’s line. Ideally, many more activists will come out as Yes. Then perhaps lots of ordinary Lab voters will ‘see the light’ too!
Would it not be amazing if a Lab MSP or MP were to come out as Yes!? Or several!
OT I was in Stirling today. Yes canvassers doing steady trade. Good high profile!
Welcome – I don’t care what party any YES supporter aligns with. The important thing is to gain independence and then build a better Scotland together. I look forward to a new type of politics in Scotland after a YES vote.
A better, fairer Scotland is something to look forward too!
Re “Heard from a good source today that there are some Labour MSP’s waiting to see how the wind is blowing before coming out for YES.”
I thought during the week it was very odd to see Anas Sarwar – Yes I know he’s an MP – beaming away holding a LFI flag and the LFI folk said it was not photo-shopped and Anas took it in good spirit.
It makes you wonder what the polls are really saying as it has been mentioned that a few polls that have been taken have yet to see the light of day.
I’d just like to add my voice to the big welcome we’re all giving to Gary Wilson. Well done that man!
As penance for your earlier misdeeds I think you need to get out there and work to undo what you did before, and then some.
Welcome Gary, our argument is the right one,
The video with Dennis Curran really defeats all of BTs scare stories,
it reminds us we need to be decent human beings first,we cant be thwarted by the Tory’s & the Slab ("Quizmaster" - Ed)s if we want to change anything & escape austerity & doom we’ve got to vote YES.
Big heads up to the guys on the Yes stand at Ayr County Show today, giving up their time and trying to make the difference. You’ll never guess..there wasn’t an equivalent BT stand…they don’t have to give up their time as they have the MSM to spread the dirty word..
Gary is our Local Hero!
Well done Gary, on taking the moral stance, and opposing the greed and lies of Westminster, and after a YES vote is returned on September 18th, the job can begin to build a new Scottish Labour,albeit with a few present Labour politicians needing demoted if not removed,in order for the party to make progress.
I have a sneaking feeling that many of your Labour party members may also vote YES, but just haven’t come out and said so.
Welcome to YES Gary! It’s on the brighter side of life!
i hope there will be a exclusive in the sunday herald tomorrow.
@Sebastien Horsefall.
Sounds like sour grapes Mr, men like Gary show the courage of their convictions by being smart enough to know, a just cause when they see one.
BTW I’ve got my YOU YES YET? Poster in the window and have distributed a few to family and friends!
Well done Gary, it takes guts to stand up and be counted the way you have. And welcome to the light side!
Well done Gary Wilson, and welcome aboard.
Hopefully more and more Labour voters will come to realise that Better Together’s only reason for maintaining the status quo is purely for the benefit of the rich, the privileged and the London establishment.
Maybe we’ll read about Gary’s Damascene conversion in the all new pro-independence Sunday Herald?
The SS Better together is slowly sinking.
Hey, quit with the smearing by association there 😉
@Croompenstein
Youngest daughter was at show today and phoned to say there was a Yes stand.
Think she was bringing home some items. Said stand seemed too be well attended.
I think that many Labour supporters have to be made to understand that Independence is not about support for the SNP as I believe its their ingrained opposition to the SNP party that is holding them back from their own realisation that their party is no longer their party but was highjacked long ago by Tony Blair and those who followed.
If we can make Labour supporters in Scotland realise that the future for the party they believe in can only be reconstructed within an Independent Scottish Parliament then the trickle will become an unstoppable flood.
@Ekindy – Yeh it was good the guys know their stuff and they were giving away freebies, badges,wristbands, stickers etc. As I said no equivalent BT stand, actions speak louder than words!
Well done and welcome aboard.
Welcome, not only to Gary, but also to all those who have made the journey from No to Yes or even to Don’t Know.
We are a family here with all the squables that that implies, but the Rev is mostly a voice of reason with reasons in blue.
Just don’t forget your line feeds 🙂
Truth
Did you find anything on that act of parliament to through insolvent Scot’s out of England?
Think one of my pals kept the Herald cutting, will phone him to see if he still has it.
Sorry I cant spell throw, brain fade!!!
I’ve seen plenty of discussion about the possible impact of differential turn-out, mainly on the lines that Yes supporters are more likely to turn up and vote than No supporters. But I can’t recall seeing much about the possibility of deliberate abstention.
I can’t imagine many SNP, Green or SSP members and activists failing to turn out. But what about Labour members and activists? It’s not hard to imagine some politically committed individuals deliberately abstaining. They can’t bring themselves to go the whole way like Gary Wilson and vote Yes, but neither can they vote alongside the Tories and/or against Scottish self-determination. So they may just choose to stay at home.
O/T
prob been posted but this really is vile bile via @Hyvast That is just awful. She forgot to mention Cybernats eat your babies – raw. link to archive.today
PUT DOWN drinkies/food/weans before reading
Sebastien Horsfall says
“One man making a move means nothing. I suspect he wasn’t bright before and isn’t any brighter now.”
No doubt he would have been a genius if he had stayed where he was eh SEB?
Dennis, ah canny talk fir the rest o’ the punters, but I’ll crawl over broken gless on ma hans an knees to vote on the 18th.
Welcome to the happy camp Gary Wilson 😀
Got another Yes sign up today and another 10 ready to go – And Rev Stu found another one in a flowerbed :O
link to twitter.com
Those nasty nats are getting everywhere!
@X_Sticks
Hi X_Sticks. Caught up with everyone on livestream last night at the Ferry. Caught up with you during Skype. Keep up the good work. You will be rewarded for all your endeavours.
PS I like hats too. I have a few in my cupboard, but not as snazzy as yours last night.
@X_Sticks – WTF was Rev Stu doing in a flowerbed? mind you been caught short many a time and flowerbeds come to the rescue. Excellent signs btw
For all of you saying this story would be great in the Sunday Herald tomorrow, BE AWARE, I wrote up the press release for LFI and my first point of contact WAS the Sunday Herald… THEY WEREN’T INTERESTED… apparently Gary isn’t a big enough ‘name’ for them to run the story, so PLEASE by all means tweet them, email them and get on their facebook page and tell them you want to see it either in tomorrow’s Sunday Herald or in the week day edition!
Iclare
It was Jenny Hjul’s turn to write the anti-cybernat diatribe while Cochers does the dishes.
What a strange household that must be.
Just a general observation on reading various anti-Indiependence bloggers, tweeters, journalists and politicians and that is the almost exclusive concentration on what they think might be going to happen.
This is completely at odds at what is happening. I’m constantly surprised and fascinated, not in a good, way, by the scenarios they create.
I’m not sure if they are consumed by some feeling of failure and fear which drives them to such despairing presentation of the Referendum.
Having been to many meetings and debates and a few rallies, what I see are normal, ordinary people putting together their ideas, feelings and political hopes for Independence in Scotland.
It’s like two universes in parallel.
Part of my own theory about some of the journalist and politicians, is that their authority figure status has been lost, and they are trying to find a way to force people to get back to seeing them as important as they see themselves.
Otherwise it would be hard to explain some the ‘questions’ articles I’ve read in the broadsheet newspapers recently. I would guess most of here have seen them.
I guess for many it must be hard to have been plugging away at some idea of a better society and getting nowhere, then in a couple of years the Independence movement produces working plans, a draft written constitution in reality, the coming together of social constructs with a Government putting it into practise.
AS for some bloggers and tweeters, some sound completely fake, and for some, God knows where they are inside their heads. Nowhere normal, ordinary people are.
Welcome and thank you Gary Wilson for having the courage of your convictions – don’t worry about any smears – we’ve all got your back – now spill the beans 🙂
Ronnie Anderson says @ 4.14pm
What Ronnie Anderson omits to point out that it was in no small part due to him (for the second evening we’ve been involved with)that my wife had something to raffle and we owe thanks to the kindness of Ronnie for his selfless donations to permit a raffle in the first place,
Not forgetting Thpnr’s wonderful framed poster advert for “Scotland Yet”
And the surprise addition of a certain authors PUBLISHED work Stand up Mr Ian Brotherhood. 🙂
O/T – Who have we got in the Eurovision? are we better together?
Hopefully the trickle will turn into a flood.
Anyone follow Rhona Middler on Twitter? Seems we may have another very unexpected convert. Two in one day?
Re- Raffle Prizes
I can donate a few 🙂
@iclare
Maybe you would like to come to the next Wings night and bring your raffle prizes my wife will be happy to run a raffle 🙂
Hi Harry.
It would be good if you could provide a link to her twitter account for those of us who are not up to speed with twitter. 😉
Watched the WoS2 livestream from Dundee good work Kevin, but you need to case the joint there was a subliminal bitter’s poster behind you ‘Stay With Us’ aye right…loved BtP’s shirt excellent but does naebuddy play any musical instruments? Watch Eurovision and be inspired people..
Wasn’t sure if this was the done thing but here you go!
link to twitter.com
They are booing Russia, aw naw that b*stirt Alicsammin loves them!
Cheers Harry, yes you can link here no problem.
Doesn’t “seems ” she is a definite YES.
Now if I only knew who she is? Sorry for my ignorance. 😉
Wishing you the best from the USA. Hope we’ll be celebrating Scottish Independence this September!
Tick Tock by Ukraine, ding dong Maryia, tick tock till September 18th can’t wait..
Hiya John King
Would love to – get me on @iclare1 Any dates Glasgow/Ayrshire?
John K,
Tell us more about the PUBLISHED work.
That is the broad smile of a man who no longer has to defend the indefensible. Congruence. Good, innit. Welcome to the light, Gary
We have a trapeze 🙂 OOer Azerbaijan
So many nationalists on Eurovision proudly waving their flags. Bad bad bad.
So there’s many Labour/Better Together activists out there unhappy with their current stance against independence. We’ll they’re cutting it fine, but they still have time to make the shift.
I still don’t get the whole ‘re-invent Labour’ scenario. That party is rotten to the core, whether it’s Scottish MSP’s or Westminster MP’s. Can any Labour supporters honestly tell me that after a Yes vote they’re going to support a party with Johann Lamont in it, or Jackie Baillie, or Richard Baker, or Gordon Matheson or the other bent, deluded, bigoted politicians, councillors and activists that fill their plague ridden ranks ? These politicians are not going away after a Yes vote, they’ll still be here, but added to with the likes of Darling, Curran, Sarwar and Davidson on retreat from London. I wouldn’t touch this lot with a barge-pole.
Surely it would be easier and healthier to start a brand new party, with brand new goals, a brand new structure and strategy that has a positive outlook that only a new start can give you ?
alexicon says:
Cheers Harry, yes you can link here no problem.
Doesn’t “seems ” she is a definite YES.
Now if I only knew who she is? Sorry for my ignorance
Read down her timeline a bit, a guy who was debating against her today says he is now probably a Yes.
O/T Think I will get myself a wos banner
link to facebook.com
WTF the lead singer oot the Mavericks is singing for Norway..He’ll still get oor Lesley R’s vote
Having just watched the video of Mr Curran, I can echo the previous comments. How can human brings treat their fellows in such a dreadful manner? I know a Yes vote won’t cure all our ills overnight, but surely it must be better than what we are subjecting our people too now? What mystifies me is why, according to the polls, about half of the Scottish electorate think we should continue to be governed by Westminster. Are they daft?
Hi Harry. Thanks for that.
Sorry I’m at work, offshore, and I have limited leisure time so I tend not to read to much. I didn’t read down too much.
Again thanks for the info, all good.
Double Wow, Romania magic tricks and circular pianos. Can’t wait till Scotland are in this…
Wish I had watched now seen Raul Malo at Celtic Connections in Skye a couple of years ago, brilliant voice and tunes.
Poland was interesting.
@Liquid Lenny – It wasn’t the real Raul Malo(I love him too) anyone who sings Bruce Springsteen All That Heaven Will Allow better than Bruce is someone special. He just had a passing resemblance but I can’t wait till Scotland are in this..Iceland winning so far
WTF Trampolines now for Greece! what could Scotland do to compete with this?
F*ck me David Walliams for Austria!
Is this the first hole in the wall of lies? Do you think sunlight will cleanse the whole stinking mess that is BT?
Maybe this is just the start, more seeing through the fog!
And once again it was a pleasure meeting all at Jollys last night.
Re Labour Party.
I was at a LfI meeting in Clydebank a couple of weeks ago and Alex Bell, Chairman of LfI, more or less said that the Labour Party would be reborn after a ‘Yes’ vote. He was backed up by Alex Mosson and Bob Thomson. He did say we need to join Labour Party in order to be able to vote for their candidates for 2016 Scottish Parliamentary election.
Rhona Middler On National Collective.
We’re on our way to happiness today…….many more to follow.
They are all so proud of their national flags, would love to see our own Saltire, the songs are a bit iffy but ho hum..
Croompenstein
For the first time in my life Im sorta watching the Eurovision, one of my mates is really into it and actually went to the finals a couple of years ago when they were somewhere in Scandanavia.
Anyways Im reading the Scots Independent at the same time and just thought I have never seen this great little indy supporting paper mentioned on Wings. Its well worth the 1.50 per month and has supported Independence since it started in November 1926.
Really good read as always this month all go out and buy a copy or if you cant afford it get your local library to order up a copy, maybe even if you buy one get the library to order one as well!!!
Its not in many paper shops you may have to order it up, I have seen it at the newsagents next door to the chippy at the entrance to Glasgow Central Station occasionally.
@Liquid Lenny – Amazing, I have never heard of the Scots Independent! thanks for info they have a site so will have a look after Eurovision..Malta on now, a wee bit country..
link to scotsindependent.org
Labour and the BBC have a lot in common these days. For one thing, if the Scottish sections of either organisation are to have any life after independence they will need a good clean out.
Molly gives it London Buses and unRoyal Mail for UK flag.. Better together ma erse let’s have the saltire in May 2016
In 1990 I began a long journey from unthinking unionist to pro-independence campaigner. Disgusted by Labour’s feeble stance on the poll tax I allowed my membership to lapse. In 1992 I voted Labour but that was my last ever vote for the “People’s Party”.
In 1994 Labour sold its soul to Tony Blair when they scrapped Clause 4, that inspirational founding principle that was printed on the membership card throughout the 1980s:
“To secure for the workers by hand or by brain the full fruits of their industry”
From a toothy-grinning pod a soulless plastic mannequin emerged calling itself “New Labour”… but its first uncertain Bambi-like steps soon gained a swagger and from there it was just eight short years before it was in lock-step with the bellicose and the neocons, screaming about phantom WMDs and kneeling in private prayer with George W. Bush. Funny what happens when you lose your soul.
After a decade of raising a family and more low-key community activism I marched with another 100,000 in Glasgow against the Iraq War. The following week I joined the Scottish Greens. And the more I thought about it – and I thought about it a lot – I saw that the trade unions, the Labour Party that was, all genuine opposition in fact, had been emasculated or subsumed by the nexus of the City and Parliament: The State of Westminster.
We live in subjugation to the State of Westminster, itself the local arm of what President Dwight Eisenhower called “the power of military-industrial complex”.
Gary and others like him are taking a truly gutsy decision, and I salute them. And it does take guts – you know you will be bullied, pilloried, persecuted, denounced and denied by your comrades in the great democratic tradition of the People’s Party.
But Gary, you will have something the naysayers can never, ever redeem.
Vote No in September and you are selling the souls of your forebears, your children’s birthright and, worse still, hope for the future.
Vote Yes – and give the future a fighting chance.
@Dr Ew – Vote No in September and you are selling the souls of your forebears, your children’s birthright and, worse still, hope for the future.
Vote Yes – and give the future a fighting chance.
Mega..should be on a billboard
Welcome Gary…
Isn’t it funny how some things don’t change –
Take a Time machine back to QT on Independence in 1992:
link to youtube.com
HMRC have been taking money from people’s bank accounts for years with impunity. They can do what they like, there is no redress for their mistakes, even for people who owe absolutely nothing in tax. They can seize property, passports from bank accounts, hound people and small businesses to death. Along with the Banks of course. There is no redress for their mistakes. Even people who sue are left with massive legal expenses and no redress. HMRC unfit for purpose.
Multinationals (foreign) can tax evade £Billions through the City of London protected by Westminster tax evaders and their associates. They are untouchable protected by Westminster from any sanction or retribution. Getting away with murder.
The most vulnerable in society are sanctioned and starved to death. It is beyond contempt. Dennis Curran magnificent.
They can take our freedom but they’ll never take our cheezy Europop.
Iceland..Finland..Netherlands for me, a few others ok but the tactical voting may come in to play..I would always vote for rUK after indy 🙂
Hi Folks … i am not a labour man nor a card carrying Nat, probably more conservative (small C), but what i love more than anything about this Referendum is the common ground being found by and with our natural “opponents”. We can re-imagine this country, not left v right nor rich v poor, but pragmaticly, how do you earn wealth, why and how do you distribute it, what works best for the long term. Asperation should be respected, as social work should be, we are not alone, wealth has to be created.. but not by impoverishing and demonising the “lower orders” (whoever the “f” they are ment to be). We are all, rich, poor; incomer,native; black, white; manager, union; in this together, let us vote for and create something better.
Vote yes and break down barriers, a fairer society at ease with itself!
Sunday Herald front page
link to t.co
@Marcia – nice one Marcia always first with the SH front page..I hope I get one tomorrow..
So do I. I just managed to get the last copy in the local newsagent.
As a fellow member of LFI I greatly welcome Garys decision to join us. He, like I has realised that we have been duped. The Labour party is no longer the voice of the people. It no longer represents their interests and in fact is unrecognisable from that it originally represented.
Gary, you are in no way on your own. Many will follow your example and come over to the “right side”. We will win this referendum, but we will still have to fight hard. And for you the fight begins today, no let up. Get in there with the head down.
@ Marcia 10May 2014 at 10.32 pm
Sunday Herald – Brilliant
Game on. Here we go. Here we go. Let the truth be heard.
Thanks Sunday Herald. Hope enough copies have been printed.
I wonder if UKIP supporters are boycotting the Eurovision Song Contest.
No BBC watching
The Rev is entrenched in the Eurovision on twitter – so anyone wanting to be naughty now’s the time – as steadily the UK entrant climbs slowly but surely down the leader board – God they hate us
I wonder how Eurovision will react to the first Indy Scotland entry to the contest in a couple of years time? I bet they’re very supportive
Yup never watched it before, quite enjoying the results, Ive got Russia in the pub sweep. Cant see them winning but its interesting to see all the little political alliances going on. Never seen Austria, but that lady could get a job in a circus anyday! or is that politically incorrect?
Sorry, if already posted
link to youtube.com
posted.
@Dr Ew (10.00) –
What a great comment. More, please.
@Marcia –
Thanks, as ever, for the SH front-page, but please please please someone tell me they haven’t left that front page advert in the commemorative poster. Surely not…
Sadly they have
Apolgies to Conchita Wurst just read she is transgender.
Gaun yersel Hen!!!
@castle hills chavie –
Thanks for posting that – hadn’t seen it.
‘It’s important that people in London understand where the Scots are coming from.’
What a refreshment – just shows, the BBC can be fair and balanced when their guests choose to be.
@Twenty14
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
😀
From the Sunday Herald
‘In our indyref package -Lottery-winning Weirs donate £2.5m more to the Yes campaign – Exclusive by Tom Gordon’
And the votes from Edinburgh are as follows…sorry just fast forwarding to 2016. Don’t judge me, my girlfriend made me watch it.
more from the Sunday Herald
Kenyon Wright: Why I believe a Yes vote is the only way to create the new Scotland I want to see.
– re the Weirs – the Unionists are seething.
Thanks to the Weirs, you are special people and I for one
will always remember your generosity to Scotland.
James123
Nothing to be ashamed of. I’ve been watching the ESC since 1961. It was a bit more sedate then.
Re the Weirs. A statue for both of them should be erected or an existing landmark renamed in their honour. Splendid people the two them.
Julie Fowlis for Scotland in Eurovision 2016 !
More from the Sunday Herald:
Exclusive by Paul Hutcheon: YES emails were hacked:Police confirm a senior team member’s personal messages were accessed
Exclusive by Tom Gordon: The secret advice to Westminster in the 1970s:set up an oil fund to help Scotland.
Standing outside the Newsagents now… got my Thermos flask and sleeping bag for warmth… It’s now midnight, so only 7 hours till opening. I’m gonna get my Herald Print :o)
@alba4Eva – agree lets treat it like a Royal Wedding and sit it out in the pissin rain – more worthwhile me thinks 🙂
“Julie Fowlis for Scotland in Eurovision 2016 !”
link to i51.photobucket.com
link to heraldscotland.com
Just sayin’.
OT BTW congrats. to Austria winning the ESC, shades of Dana International. My Favourite was Finland because they reminded me of the Killers, although I liked the Swedish one as well.
I wonder what the obscene Tory MSP Alex Johnstone will have to say about Chris and Colin Weir this week now that Sunday Herald says they have given another £2.5 million to the YES campaign. Unfortunately he will not be alone, I’ve seen some utterly disgusting tweets on Twitter about this donation.
The whole abuse of the Weir’s makes me wonder why the bitter Better Together gang are so hateful of them. The only reason I can come up with is that someone at Better Together H.Q. has lost the contact phone number for Taylor to go begging on their knees for more money!
Twenty14, …an Alasdair Gray print is gonna be worth 1000’s times more than any Big Ears Charlie Mug any day. 🙂
…its a bit like I wish I had kept my Millenium Falcon and all my Star Wars figures in their packaging as a kid… I could have frickin retired by now!
God bless The Weirs’ and the SEETHE that it will reach to Unionists like Johnstone.
We’ve no had a poll for a good wee whiley. And that IPSOS-Mori mystery is no clearer..
OT, but as for Eurovision, could we send an entry next year? Or would it have to be until we are officially a ‘country’.
I seem to recall one of the SNP MEP’s trying to get us into it even before the landslide win in 2011.
Three cheers for the Weirs.
Wonderful people. What a way to answer the snide press that they have been getting.
Gary,
I’d like to echo everyone else’s comments & extend congratulations & a big welcome.
The Labour Party is now a pale imitation of what I was brought up to believe it stood for. Milliband talked the talk about departing from New Labour, but really, does his raft of policies differ fundamentally from Blair & Brown?
Only with independence can a genuine centre-left party emerge to provide social justice, as opposed to the continuing neo-liberal consensus at Westminster.
To the Weirs – we are Spartacus
The Weirs care. Big business doesn’t, and that’s why they hate it. Well done the Weirs and everybody that chips in a pound that they can afford to fight this evil.
O/T
Thanks ronnie for the wee badge. A wee gift fae a big man.
To the Weirs,
Thanks, and thanks again.
@Liquid Lenny
Unfortunately I didn’t find anything. I did post back in the other thread.
If you could get that cutting and post the details, it would be a great help.
@Arel
I can think of quite a few streets in the centre of Edinburgh that could do with being renamed.
Weir Street has a nice ring to it.
There is also a huge statue of top of a mountain in Sutherland that could also be “refurbished” and updated. The Weirs should go on top of that plinth. Some day…
@Arel
I can think of quite a few streets in the centre of Edinburgh that could do with being renamed.
Weir Street has a nice ring to it.
There is also a huge statue of top of a mountain in Sutherland that could also be “refurbished” and updated. The Weirs could go on top of that plinth. Some day…
oops.
@Dr JM Mackintosh –
It was well worth repeating.
I know Scotland has more than its share of excellent musicians and singers but might it not be an idea to signal our commitment to Europe and international friendship by asking these Belgian lads to sing our first ESC entry for us?
link to youtube.com
Apparently according to tomorrow’s Herald, the Orange Order are to stage a rally in Edinburgh in support of a no vote.
An extremely courageous move. Backs my own sentiment that knowledge of all the issues leads inexorably to a “yes” viewpoint. SNP & Tories were the only two parties with a mandate from members to take a stance on Indy. Labour should have left this vote to it’s members as a matter of conscience, their failure to do so, and the manipulation of unions to “support” the union has shot them, and BT, in the foot once more.
Marcia says
“‘In our indyref package -Lottery-winning Weirs donate £2.5m more to the Yes campaign – Exclusive by Tom Gordon’”
Snigger,
I imagine Ruth, Annabel, Murdo et al will be kicking the shit out of Alex Johnstone right about now, I wonder how much the Weirs need to donate before we see tory and Labour troughers jumping out of windows?
Man,just bought my first newspaper since 2006.
I cant possibly be the only person on the planet who thinks Stephen Dixon on Sky news is a total nob, can I?
Nah John – definitely not the only one, there’s me too!
May I give Gary a cheer too and he hope he is not the only one either!
And if I could I would give the Weirs a BIG HUG!
P.S When we are independent could we just not enter the ESC?
Please?
Pretty please?
It’s just dire and expensive if you win!
Gary Wilson and Mr and Mrs Weir are very brave people, in different ways. We all need to be brave now, in our different ways, and step out for independence.
Obviously, many here have already done so, but many have not done anything yet. Even if it means wearing that YES wrist band, sporting a sticker on your car window, delivering a few newspapers and/or talking to your friends and family about the referendum, it is now crucial that we all do our bit. Don’t worry about upsetting people, this is too important.
No more time for hesitation. If you believe in an independent Scotland, just go for it!
Rev, I think Kevin McKenna needs to go back into “Zany Comedy Relief” after this week’s effort in the Observer. It’s one of his “special pleading for Glasgow” efforts. There’s a lot of hilarious drivel in it generally, but the line “Glasgow’s able and charismatic council chief, Gordon Matheson” is the clincher.
I note comments were closed on the article pretty quickly, and haven’t been re-opened.
All quiet on the state broadcaster on the huge McCrone 2 story and the YES hacking scandal, so far.
Quite a sore one for the Naws is this historical lying over oil, so here’s hoping that YES can exploit it and poke it for the next few days with lots of indignant press releases over Labours cover ups.
YES hacking is irrelevant. It is already in common domain. A disgruntled now ex- employee. The Police could not prosecute for lack of relevant evidence. A civil action was the only redress. A waste of time.
I admire his courage.
The Express running with headline of cover up by two Labour PM’s over oil fund advice.
Lots of questions to answer Labour!
My feeling is that a lot of Labour see no position for themselves as Scotland turns its back on them.
So they are hoping to create a space for themselves, where they can continue to feed from the trough.
Another yes voter is always a good thing though.
@ Alba4ever
Lucky you. Thatcher stole my Death Star.
Sally Magnusson couldn’t hide her bias this morning on Radio Scotland at 8.30 or so when she talked off the referendum debate in terms of “being Better Together or going it alone” rather than self determination or independence or standing on our on two feet.
Nice little Making History insert with the Sunday Herald.
scottish skier re- SS Nien, Diz iz richt
OT
Cracking livestream on Thu 15th at 7pm, with Jim Sillars and Tommy Sheridan.
More details at link to new.livestream.com
PS great event at Broughty Ferry. Next time let’s try using ooVoo instead of Skype as we can get up to 12 people live same time. Also, if you planning Wings event, check venue for good wifi and EE coverage to give us options on using internet.
Luigi says:
“step out for independence.. No more time for hesitation. If you believe in an independent Scotland, just go for it!”
Indeed Luigi, we will only win this if we all get out and do our bit. We have to use our determination and enthusiasm to bypass the media and get the message to the people.
Every little bit will count. If you can’t get out to leaflet or canvass your local Yes group will be thankful for just getting papers folded ready for delivery. Contact you local Yes group and let them know what you can do.
Guardian columnist K and Douglas Alexander spouting more drivel. Pathetic
Orange Order planning a massive march just before the Referendum vote on 18th Sept.
That should add a few more thousands to the YES vote.
link to heraldscotland.com
scottish skier re- SS Nien, Diz iz richt
LOL. Watch it. Nothing wrong with the Germans. One half of the couple who just put the below up near me is German. Makes my saltire in the garden and yes sticker in the window rather paltry by comparison.
Orange Lodge minority, irrelevant Organisation looks for cheap attention seeking publicity. Good way to lose members. Orange Lodge self combustion.
I wonder if many of the Orange marchers will manage to lay off the booze long enough to reach their destination. Maybe they could team up with UKIP and the BNP to swell numbers. Better Together!
O/T
Scot goes POP needing some cash to keep going.Worth a few quid, I think.
link to scotgoespop.blogspot.co.uk
Letter in todays Herald, chap says he is an Ipsos Mori employee and that a poll has been buried suggesting a surging YES vote?
Letter in todays Herald, chap says he is an Ipsos Mori employee and that a poll has been buried suggesting a surging YES vote?
Any link? Can’t see it on the online version (maybe I’m missing it). MORI are certainly overdue and I heard people saying they were polled by them back in mid April. Results would be very out of date now as we’re coming on a month later.
Douglas Alexander MP has plans for after a NO vote.
link to scotsman.com
scottish_skier
Did you hear about the poll in the Sunday Mail today that gives NO 54% and YES 34%.
The good Prof. says that this company usually leans towards a NO vote.
Can’t find a link.
It is great of the Weirs to donate more to the cause. They are clearly people of conviction, and willing to back it up. It seems scaremongering has not worried then too much.
Nevertheless, they are entitled to live their lives, however they wish to, and in that, they get our support, and our thanks.
Well Done the Weirs!!!
From an article in The Guardian yesterday:
“The yes campaign is led by the Scottish National party under first minister Alex Salmond but also includes the Greens, the Scottish Socialist party and the Radical Independence Campaign. The no campaign includes everyone else.”
Thanks again to the Weirs! Forever in your debt!
Listening to K McDonald. What’s all this about, reconciliation after the Referendum! They are mentioning Wings and the Herald but I can hear amazement and sneering in their voices when they talk about Yes! I’m sorry but the NOs have brought us to this place and I for one don’t feel any thoughts about reconciliation with both Alexander’s, Lamont , Davidson, Carmichael, Gray , Alex Johnston, R Davidson, W Rennie, Ming Campbell. I think that they are worried about their futures!
Ken MacDonald! Get some balance on your programme!
Flower of Scotland says:
Yes, I agree. I cannot imagine that people will want to share love with those who are the worst turds in the Scottish Political scene, Holyrood or Westminster, the Unionist parties are riddled with them. A disgrace to our country.
They would be exiled if it were up to me, we should not allow any of them to represent us in any way. They need to reap what they have sown.
Footsoldier says:
“The no campaign includes everyone else.”
Just a tad biased appraisal!
Could have read ….
“The no campaign comprises the also-rans.”
Saw that letter in the SunHer and had a wee chuckle; another one at the report of the blue tory yoof conference being cancelled due to lack of interest after selling only a dozen tickets.
And Ken’s guests claiming undecided status, aye right.
Off now to find the Yes Balloon fundraiser, another wee piece in today’s paper.
Did you hear about the poll in the Sunday Mail today that gives NO 54% and YES 34%.
Not a poll but a survey by a market research company who are not members of the British Polling Council so do not produce tables for scrutiny. Apparently use discredited 2010 weighting. Ergo, absolute numbers should be ignored.
Still, shows a direct 6 point swing from No to Yes closing the gap by 12 points which is in line with trends. Not good for BT at all.
All we are missing is a big swing in the other outlier that is MORI. Rumours are there is one but we’re not getting to see it.
These polls, and Yougov, are good for Yes as they give BT a straw to clutch at, encouraging them to maintain current tactics.
caz-m
Ken said on the last outing in November this poll gave Yes only 27% so that is a hefty narrowing in this poll.
I think the outliers like YouGov and this one (forget their name) are pulling their numbers in. This will, assuming the ones that show a higher Yes vote continue to show this, make the poll of polls even tighter than it already it is.
Flower of Scotland
I don’t mind Headlines. Ken is by far the most balanced reporter left on BBC Scotland. He does at least remind people that about matters like this polling company having a historically low Yes vote whereas others would pretend it is a drop in the Yes vote not a significant rise in this polling company’s trend line.
I see Scottish Skier got there before me 🙂
Was 29% or 27%. I thought Ken said 27% but his gap suggested 29%?
Flower of Scotland
Ken MacDonald does seem to have a patronising snigger when anything to do with YES is mentioned.
He is not taking this Referendum thing too serious, is he.
All a bit of a joke in Ken’s eyes.
I think the programme producers should have a quite word with oor Ken and tell him this Referendum thing is not a joke.
Don’t include links directly to The Scotsman, The Herald or indeed any of the scum “Scottish” newspapers. You’re only increasing the amount of advertising revenue they earn from click throughs.
Instead, if you insist on reading their propaganda, punish them by taking a snapshot using link to archive.today and post that link instead.
That way, you can share the pages with thousands of people without these comics ever earning a penny.
The word ‘reconciliation’ is normally paired up with ‘truth’.
Well-intentioned clergy might ask to see a toty bit of the latter from BT/UKOK before organising any group hugs.
H&S. From what I gather
34(+7)Y
52(-2)N
Excluding DK
39Y(+6)
61N(-6)
Gap closed by 12 points since November.
Trend is all that matters as PSO absolute numbers can be best surmised as:
link to perouinc.com
Anyone got Conan the Librarian’s email? See link to wingsoverscotland.com
HandandShrimp
I admire your support for Ken MacDonald, but he does seem to do a lot of sniggering whenever YES is mentioned.
Or am I imagining it.
Sorry, that should be
34(+7)Y
54(-2)N
Excluding DK
39Y(+6)
61N(-6)
Barney Thomson
Brilliant, yep they would be great entry for Scotland in the ESC.
A couple of years ago there was a Belgium Rock Band here on Arran recording a video, I seen them in the pub and had a few beers with them later, one of the players came from Ayrshire, I wonder if the Black Tartan Clan has similar connections. I visit Belgium regularly so will look out for them next time Im over in July.
On the subject of polls, I completed a YouGov poll a couple of days ago which asked the Referendum question. It also asked where I got information, who I trusted etc and finished by asking specifically about whether I could be tempted to subscribe to the Sun online.
I mention the last as a possible indication that the Sun may have commissioned the poll and may use it to guide the way they will jump re referendum coverage.
If it gets published at all, that will be the exception for Referendum polls I’ve done recently for YouGov – which is in itself interesting I think.
Yes I saw the letter in the Sunday Herald from the Ipsos Mori person – very interesting.
BTW was up early this morning – unusually as had to drop someone at the Run and got my SH at the local newsagents at 0910 and there were 2/3 left.
A wee old smiley lady – 85ish- bought one just before me
On the subject of polls, I completed a YouGov poll a couple of days ago which asked the Referendum question. It also asked where I got information, who I trusted etc and finished by asking specifically about whether I could be tempted to subscribe to the Sun online.
I mention the last as a possible indication that the Sun may have commissioned the poll and may use it to guide the way they will jump re referendum coverage.
If it gets published at all, that will be the exception for Referendum polls I’ve done recently for YouGov – which is in itself interesting I think.
(Apologies if this appears twice)
Flower of Scotland
Headlines is a fairly light hearted tour through the papers. He has taken the mickey out of BT just as much as if not more…he was hardly complimentary about Simon Callow’s intervention and he did broadcast Stu’s tweet about waiting to see what Keith Lemon thinks.
We are passionate about independence and can get overly touchy (fairly sometimes) but Ken’s show is where we probably get the fairest hearing on the BBC and he does include the blog sites like Wings and Bella in his round up….you wouldn’t want Kay with an E to take his place would you 😉
Anyway, I must stop gassing or there will no Heralds left.
Ian
It is the Largs Yes shop formal opening next Saturday morning. The one thing it doesn’t have is any SSP indy leaflets (already got indy Labour and Green). You couldn’t help out on that front could you?
@H&S –
Cheers for the heads up. I’ll get on it richt noo.
Sorry O/T
James Kelly of ScotGoesPop is looking to raise some funds to help him continue his excellent analysis of the polls.
link to indiegogo.com
Website:
link to scotgoespop.blogspot.co.uk
It would be good to hear from Conan.
He was going to go to the CH do but cancelled just before as he had an hospital appointment that day.
So a bit worrying that he doesn’t seem to have been around since then.
As others have already said, a very interesting letter from Kelly Brown in the Sunday Herald. The letters page is very entertaining, covering both sides of their readership, those elated at the Herald coming out for YES and those disgusted and chucking their toys out the pram.
In a way, I wish they’d sat on it for a few more weeks as they have seemingly, if the letters are anything to go by, lost a lot of regular readers who will now not read articles like today’s new Gavin McCrone revelations.
As for Eurovision, I can honestly say I’ve never watched it all the way through but some years I’ve watched the voting, which for some reason I find quite entertaining. I would definitely watch the first Eurovision featuring a Scottish act. Might I suggest Karine Polwart? Och, even Sydney Devine playing the spoons would be bound to get more points than the hated UK.
ESC
Runrig
Walkover
Are the Naws resorting to using unofficial pollsters to produce figures to suggest all is well with good ship GeeBee. There may be twitchy city of London spiv types needing reassurance methinks.
The Gary defection is on the SH online
link to heraldscotland.com
Enjoy
PS Well done Gary.
@Caz
link to facebook.com
So the Beeb is spending all this money to give us the best reporting of the referendum and even with their thousands of cub reporters cannot get this story or the Weir’s onto their internet “news” pages.
There is such a thing as lying by omission.
According to Boris we are mutilators
link to tinyurl.com
Other than the negative campaign of BetTog uponst Scotland, maybe people like Gary and other politicians realise they don’t want to be on the losing side of our vote? They make their public declaration to YES, smile, then look to the future, Scotland’s Future. Do we ever hear of a politician going from no to dinny-no.. didnae think so.
The key in general is encouraging no & dinny-no to be ‘open for change’.
The Scottish people who vote no to their homeland will (after the vote) be down in the PITS (aka, seeking help from Post Independence Therapy Scotland).
Vote X
Close call this morning. We got the second last Sunday Herald and the person behind got the last one.
Re Kelly Brown’s Letter in he Sunday Herald I talked recently to another young woman working for Ipsos Mori who was very surprised by the volume of support she was registering for YES in places where she didn’t expect it and by the fact in some parts the YES voter was higher among English voters than it was among native Scots.
Sunday Herald and a packet of jelly babies please! Used to be Sunday Times and 20 Bensons but gave up 6 years ago which is how long ago I stopped buying teamGB garbage newspapers. That’s progress.
What about the Guardian vote no creep show link to archive.today
“Statistics here don’t arrive in the national ABC bundle, but the Scotsman, in particular, has long been a bit of a disaster – and, while a Herald sale in the upper 30,000s is still a force, there’s no disguising the fact that fighting for freedom doesn’t help circulation one jot: absolutely the reverse.”
They used to be the “nice” Tories and now they have Severin Carrell bullshitting for the union.
The resurrectionists in the labour party are clutching at straws when they harp back to people, like John Smith, who might, or maybe, could have saved the union.
If they dig too far back they might discover ‘home rule’ and ‘independence’ was labour party policy, and that wouldn’t do would it. Just play with the team you’ve got and….Oh! I see what they mean, Robin Cook next week.
Bunch of chancers.
The Sunday Herald wiki page states:
“The Sunday Herald is the only Scottish newspaper to have increased its circulation in 2014”
Although that seems to be based only on an assertion on a Channel 4 article, one made without numerical quantification, I have no reason to doubt it.
Time will tell. 6 monthly report for Sundays isn’t it?
[…] doubt the SNP could (and should) be able to work happily with real Labour people like Gary Wilson, but as for the trough-feeders this just about sums them […]
Hi Gary Wilson here. Firstly thank you for all the wonderful supportive comments you have made. It was a very tough decision for me to turn my back on Better Together. I have just done an interview with Channel 4 for an online web discussion on why people change their minds in the referendum debate and it was hard to pick out one reason for my change of heart. I worked with homeless men who were all avid Yes voters (partly due to the terrible welfare reforms which are really a veiled attack on the poor)and they helped change my mind, so did the bullying of the press and the ridiculous stories they print on an Independent Scotland, also the threats that are issued from Westminster do not sit well with me and feel like an attempt to bully. I took the decision that I could not continue to campaign for Better together. I am not an MP nor do I hold any position where i need to be elected so this was not a consideration for me. To the person who said I need to campaign to make up for my previous support of Better Together you are right and I will. Here’s to the future of a fairer more equal independent Scotland