Quotes Of The Year #3
From March 2013. (Catch up with January and February.)
“We believe that the only way forward for workers in Scotland is to ensure a Yes vote in the referendum.” – statement from postal workers’ union the CWU.
We probably need more than one quote, right?
“On jobs, though – the part of the economy that matters most to most households – the economists forecast a rise this year and next. The better news: it doesn’t look as steep a rise as previously feared.” – the BBC’s Douglas Fraser warns against the jobs menace.
“Just once, just for a change, let’s hear something positive about why Scotland would be better staying part of the United Kingdom. Because frankly, the scare stories are wearing a bit thin.” – the Scottish Sun’s editorial leader column pleads in vain.
“Former Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher will have a statue erected in her honour in her home town of Grantham in Lincolnshire. Labour councillors had called for a town centre statue after the Conservative-majority authority voted against the move last week.” – no, you’re not reading the BBC website wrong.
“If the Royal Navy is forced to move as a result of a Yes to the Independence vote and subsequent implementation, HMG could make clear that Scotland must lose the protection afforded by Trident’s nuclear umbrella. Any first strike on Scottish soil would therefore not constitute grounds for WMD retaliation by the rest of Great Britain.” – bad news in a report from the UK Defence Forum: if Scotland gets nuked to ashes by North Korea, millions of North Koreans won’t also die. (As long as they ONLY nuked Scotland, of course.)
“The next Conservative government will scrap the Human Rights Act, and it’s why we should also consider very carefully our relationship with the European Court of Human Rights and the Convention it enforces.” – Home Secretary Theresa May.
“Two thirds of the North Sea and west of Shetland reserves are in Shetland’s coastal waters.” – Lib Dem MSP Tavish Scott gets his international law a little muddled.
“The precedent is a terrifying threat to civil liberty, and because the UK has no codified constitution, it’s entirely within Parliament’s prerogative. If government can simply rule on actions ‘ex post facto’ (after the event) then nothing is sacred. You could be walking your dog in Doncaster, completely legally, on Monday, and on Tuesday find that your perambulation was illegal and carries a life sentence.” – liberal thinktank Civitas expresses concern over the coalition government’s retrospective “workfare” legislation, supported by Labour.
“There’ll be many people who voted SNP but don’t believe in independence who will breathe a sigh of relief, like me.” – a surprise admission from Scottish Labour “leader” Johann Lamont.
“The Labour Party have managed to prove themselves to be just as sleazy and horrible as we all know the Conservatives are. There’s nothing left to vote for any more.” – Noel Gallagher of Oasis laments not living in Scotland.
– interesting use of the word “remember” from the former Tory MYSP, there.
“Scotland would have been abandoned to the Germans in the event of a Second World War invasion, according to new research. Military commanders in London were prepared to ignore ‘screams from Scotland’ in order to give England ‘total priority’.” – the Scottish Daily Express reveals the true meaning of “better together”.
“A parliament with little responsibility for raising the money it spends will never be properly accountable to the people of Scotland. It can never have the proper incentive to cut the size and cost of government, or to reduce tax bills. So that means in future a far greater share of the money spent by the Scottish Parliament should be raised by it.” – while Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson similarly lets the cat out of the bag about “more powers”.
“Faced with pressure to tackle both the East Lothian Question (Scottish MPs voting on England-only laws) and the Barnett Formula (for working out Scotland’s block grant), the idea of tearing up the latter and introducing a system of self-funding for Scotland looks most attractive.” – and Magnus Gardham in the Herald gives the game away about Barnett, with a comedy clanger thrown in for distraction.
“Horsemeat in school dinners,14 year old raped in City bus & Orkney firm in administration yet all we hear from SNP Govt. is more on Indyref!” – stay classy, Baron George Foulkes.
“The SNP have done a great job in explicitly not being xenophobic. I sighed when I saw the copy, but it was too late by then. I entirely agree that this will give an impression in these ‘interesting times’ that I said something that I didn’t. While I did make a comment on anti-English sentiment generally, particularly in relation to the 2006 world cup, I most certainly did not refer to the SNP government, which came out with statements condemning the actions of those few.” – historian Dr Fiona Watson reacts to some creative editing of an article she wrote for the Radio Times.
Tune in soon for more 2013 larks!
You’re working hard there Stu.
I’m not sure I will be able to stand much more of this though, my sides are aching as it is and we’re only into March! 😆
Another NINE month’s to go how will I survive? :P:
Oh dear, trams and the SNP. Nothing to do with Tie, whose great success the SAK line is now having to be redone as they also managed to get that wrong. Now whose creature was Tie?
Alan Grant @ complete and utter BritNat liar ?
3rd yr PPE student – Programme must be very proud
Well done Dr Watson !
CWU – the only union worth their fees
Always very enjoyable points provided one of my favourite reads keep up the great work power to the pen! keyboard!
It is terrifying that so much absolute pish was uttered before the daffodils were even out. To catalogue an entire year’s worth is a monumental task.
I’m pretty sure Rev you’ll have many more quotes to come afterall theres still nine months to go, till the big day.
You’ve only just reached March, incidently up until the year 1600 in Scotland, the 25th of March was new years day,known as Lady Day, England didn’t change from this date until the year 1752, from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calender.
link to adsb.co.uk
Particulary funny is the “If you (Scotland) get nuked we the (rUk) won’t nuke back to defend you”.
As if it would make one iota of difference to Scots, because there wouldn’t be enough of us left after getting nuked to give a damn, and of course the Westminster acolytes would be pointing their fingers, fervently whilst saying “We told you so, and you didn’t listen. As I say its hilarious, just contemplating, the pomposity of it all.
My favourite came from the Herald’s “Donald Dewar Debater of the Year” and ‘Scottish Labour leader’, Johann Lamont.
“There’ll be many people who voted SNP but don’t believe in independence who will breathe a sigh of relief, like me.”
🙂 🙂 🙂
Oh dear, I didn’t remember it was this bad (and laughable, though this is a serious issue), with some rare sparks of truth and/or common sense…
The truth is that for all of 2013, Project Fear were already recycling their fears, jeers and smears so it’s become annoying background noise. People tune out but maybe get this nagging feeling that they should find out more…
A couple of years ago almost all of my Scottish friends were indifferent politically/constitutionally, so kind of default NO voters. In 2013 many of them became more engaged, partly because of all the BBC/MSM scare and fearmongering. It seemed to them that something didn’t add up… And I’ve been able to point them to WoS and other pro-indy sites.
Now most of them are don’t knows or even yessers. I even spotted a couple of them in the crowd photos from the indy rally in September linked from here on WoS!
I have a good, positive feel about this. The polls don’t show it (yet) but there’s a seismic shift happening in the grassroots. Many posters here on WoS are reporting similar experiences.
People previously automatically NO asking questions and requesting info from known Yes-supporters. Yes events well attended, their stands at community events being quite popular… (Unlike that poor UKOK woman… Though we at WoS kind of like her and her tenacity to turn up in the most unexpected places ;-D )
The BBC and MSM in Scotland really aren’t covering themselves in any glory in this. My journalist friends at YLE (Finnish national broadcaster) are now casting a more critical eye over the BBC. The costume dramas and nature documentaries are still great but the news and current affairs output… hmmm…
Anyway, thank you, Rev Stu for WoS and all the hard work you put in to deconstruct and debunk BT guff, and the informative articles from yourself and other contributors.
And a big thank you to all the BTL commenters on WoS. So much information on so many things, and so much good banter and laughs – I suppose another thanks has to go to Rev Stu for his relaxed moderation policy.
Language in WoS BTL can be a bit “robust” (meaning sweary words) at times but why the WoS community hasn’t descended into the usual bigoted, nasty internet commentary morass is a mystery. Are we really so much “nicer” or more mature or whatever, or does the Rev secretly employ an army of moderators? ;-D
Anyway, thanks for 2013, everybody, and let’s soar even higher in 2014 – the year Scotland will regain its independence!
Rev do you have any quotes concerning the Better Together Rallies (or do UK fans just do Orange order marches or sit in Directors box at Parkhead) ?
Surely there must be something about their rallies ? No; oh thats right that would involve grass roots support.
Do they have the same kind of grass roots / nematode problem as Murrayfield or is their low-life problem purely down to the likes of Messrs Smart, Davidson, McColm …
Don’t worry,I’m sure Scottish troops will help deliver aid if ruk got attacked for sticking its nose into foreign conflicts again.As members of nato,it would be our duty to help them.They just don’t get it.NOBODY is going to nuke an independent Scotland ffs.
@msean
The former glorious leader ‘Kim Yung bawbag’ (A Tavish Scott) and the mighty viking army of Shetland might !
He hates all things Scottish clearly
Great stuff and plz don’t miss out Ian Grays hilarious quote on the proposed oil fund lol. Come 2014, you can count on as much cash as I can spare from my paltry minimum wage to help fund the site and its cause. Happy new year when it comes Rev.
Just in case any one missed the great economic mind that is Ian Grey asking THAT question in Holyrood! 😆
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uC4hwVd47FE&feature=youtu.be
With independence we would lose the ‘protection afforded by Trident’s nuclear umbrella’? Oh deary me. How will we cope?
With independence we would also lose those two aircraftless aircarft-carriers. I’m sure we would learn to cope without a pair of very large barges in the Forth.
Arbroath 1320
His Family must be proud (?)
This is brilliant – just tonight I was speaking to an ‘undecided’ and pointed her towards Wings!
These ‘monthlies’ are great! It’s like a trip down memory lane. “Oh I remember that pile of shite, and it smells as bad now as it did then! Christ, was that all of ten months ago. Just seems like yesterday.” And etc.
Ahhhh… the nostalgia!