Quotes Of The Year #6
No point stopping now. (January, February, March, April, May.)
“More than 30 million people ‘suffering some degree of financial insecurity”’; close to 12 million ‘too poor to engage in common social activities’; around four million children and adults who are not properly fed; around 2.5 million children in damp homes; around 1.5 million children ‘in households that cannot afford to heat their home’.” – Poverty and Social Exclusion on the current state of the United Kingdom.
And let’s just recap one from January again:
“No campaigners must publicise the fact that this is as good as it gets […] With a No win little is going to change. Right here, right now you can see the kind of country we are going to be living in.” – Michael Kelly in The Scotsman.
Quite the offer, isn’t it?
“Scots could get welfare benefits at lower rates than people in wealthy parts of England under plans being worked on by Labour. Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls yesterday raised the idea of a regional cap on welfare, opening the door to variations in a range of social security benefits.” – the Daily Record trails in just a few weeks behind this site in realising what Labour plans for Scotland after a No vote.
“When we come back in 2015, we need to be honest with people and say we can’t do everything Labour would want to do, because public expenditure will be in a very different situation, but we’re signalling now that there are things we really have to get tough about and that’s what we’re doing.” – Margaret Curran tells Andrew Neil that it’s pretty much a waste of time voting Labour in 2015.
“[Ed Miliband] will pledge to restore the ‘contributory principle’ to jobseeker’s allowance, so that only people who have paid in ‘for significantly longer’ than the current minimum of two years will be eligible.” – BBC News reports that unemployed young people are going to have to live on air under Labour.
“People’s faith in the system has been shaken by a system that appears to give a minority of people something for nothing.” – the aforementioned Ed Miliband, or possibly David Cameron, or maybe Iain Duncan Smith, or Boris Johnson, or George Osborne. How could you tell?
“Until this week, the hope was that a Labour government at Westminster would respond with a cure. Now Ed Miliband and Ed Balls have disclosed Labour’s response to austerity: more austerity.” – Labour Party member Cailean Gallacher writing in the Herald.
“Despite the joint campaign with Labour and the Liberal Democrats against independence, Mr Gove said a No vote would represent a Tory victory.” – STV report on the Scottish Conservatives conference.
“Speaking as the leader of the Better Together campaign, Darling was cheered and thanked profusely by around 200 delegates after defending the Union at a packed meeting on the fringe of the Tory conference in Stirling.” – the Herald at the same gathering.
“The National Health Service is a United Kingdom institution, it was created by United Kingdom people.” – Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie describes the four completely separate and independent entities which provide state healthcare to the citizens of the component countries of the UK, and which have never in their entire history been a single institution.
“Will everything be, you know, flowing with whisky and oil and will everything be perfect? No, it won’t all be perfect [and I] daresay we’ll make a few mistakes along the way. But that combination of these natural resources and the human talent and ingenuity of our people should give people confidence that they and their families will be better off.” – the First Minister, apparently promising Scots a flawless, fantastical “land of milk and honey”, according to every Unionist who heard him.
“I think Alex Salmond is offering something in terms of independence, whether you like it or not. The Unionists are not offering, in my view, anything.” – Henry McLeish, one of Mr Salmond’s predecessors in Scotland’s highest office.
“Travelling from Afghanistan to Brazil, and from Canada to Australia, I encounter bafflement that anyone would try to break up a union that has been so resilient, so successful and so admired as ours.” – William Hague, who presumably must be equally bewildered that Canada and Australia chose independence from the UK too.
“Across Europe, across the Americas, across Africa even, they’re trying to come together because they recognise that there’s strength in numbers, and because they recognise that we’re stronger when we work together with other people.” – we’re genuinely not sure which European, American or African countries Blair McDougall’s been visiting that are putting together UK-style sovereignty unions.
“Privately, some inside Better Together even refer to the organisation as Project Fear.” – credit to Tom Gordon of the Herald for one of the year’s most explosive lines as he interviewed McDougall back at home.
“Organisers hope [David Beckham] will add his firepower to a recreation of the England-Germany match in no man’s land.” – the Sunday Times gets a bit confused about who the sides in WW1 were.
“Just think how we will feel if there is a No vote; if in 2015 we get another government we didn’t vote for; if in 2016 we’re taken out of the European Union against our own expressed wishes; if in 2017 there are new welfare changes that introduce a lower rate of payment for people in Scotland; or if in 2018 we are still wasting £250 million a year on nuclear weapons.” – the SNP’s Stephen Noon in the Scotsman.
“Mobile phone users could incur roaming charges while still in the UK if Scotland gains independence, ministers have warned.” – the moment when Project Fear jumped the shark.
“David Cameron got himself into all sorts of trouble when he told an excitable backbencher to ‘calm down, dear’ but that’s precisely the instruction that he and Alistair Darling should be issuing to those who’re running the anti-separatist campaign. Not to put too fine a point on it, they appear to have taken leave of their senses.” – because when you’re too negative for Alan Cochrane in the Telegraph, you know something’s going wrong.
Frankly, readers, that’s enough quotes for one day.
Morning Stu .. only 6 to go 😛
Happy Hogmanay to you Stu and all the Wingers.
The New Year is close. The year of years for us all.
“Frankly, readers, that’s enough quotes for one day.”
Now I know why you get quite negative from time to time. Handling all this concentrated toxic waste day in day out would drive anybody to despair.
‘Scot’s could get welfare benefits’
They’ve gone all yankee on us now. Really, this attitude could be more accurately termed Westminsterish – they take our money, return a smidgeon of it then dress it up as their benevolent handout.
Then they wonder why they’re doomed.
Will you be doing 12 follow ups on YES campaign releases which made the headlines?…
… RUN, HE’S GONNA BLOW. 😉
Last day of 2013 and all these extraordinarily cretinous quotes!
Marvellous!
Happy new year to one and all when it comes and particularly the Rev !
…and the moral of the story is:
For 2014, create “monthly” files and copy all the obtuse, illogical and idiotic quotes from Unionist luminaries into them.
They can be published as monthly “best howler” articles, or released one by one mid-August in an “inanity of the year to date” series of articles.
This is called “being a smartarse after the event”.
Happy Hogmanay Rev Stu.
The Labour Party couldn’t get its activists to go out and campaign for Better Together.So they started their own campaign.Can anyone remember what it’s called?Or know how it’s getting on?Ive heard that NO campaigners are switching to YES once they become immersed in the debate.
Some of those comments were worth saving.
Happy New Year to you all when it comes
New documentary on BT
link to twitter.com
Well done, Rev Stu. More power to your elbow!
Have a good New Year!
“People’s faith in the system has been shaken by a system that appears to give a minority of people something for nothing.”
Was it Johann 🙂
These quotes are a great idea, reminds you in a succinct fashion what we’re up against, and just how empty the positive case is. With the added bonus of documenting of or easy reference all the unionists who have admitted there will be no status quo either.
Have a Good New Year and thanks for being here and doing this at this moment in time.
Mealer –
Is that the Gordy Broon show ??? The mighty, now defunct, former PM fronted United with Labour – never lampooned by yhe press as of yet; which has smashed nothing and er done nothing and attracted er no one ?
Its a ‘nowegian blue’ of a website. It is manned the former crew of Flannan Isle
0 hits inlast 2 mths. Had hoped the REV would lampoon it in some way at some point
Amazing how much negativity has been plastered over the media. It’s gratifying to look back and see that, in the main, it has been debunked by common sense and giving the correct information on sites like this.
Happy New Year to all contributing to WoS.
Sweet and sour in the Herald today.
link to archive.is
Well, the Sun is over the yardarm, at a certain angle from the floor so, I am going to pass on my New Year wishes to all of you on here and in here. I hope this is not bumped into Quarantine. Inciidentally my predictive texting a few secs ago turned bumped into bumPedro initially.
So here is video you you all. And for Scotland in 2014. I think this is already a “hit” in the virtual charts so, you’ll be sick of it pretty soon. Strike when the iron is hot, is my motto.
Http//:m.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM
O/T
Has any website covered Labour in Scotlands ‘DeLorean like’ disaster that is ‘United with Labour’ yet. Gordon Browns flagship splinter group from BT to drive Labours Devo Max agenda ?
Think it would make a good start to the New Year. Looking for info
Happy New Year when it comes Rev, Thank you for a year of explosive stories, and getting the right info out there! I take my hat off to you sir (well if I was wearing one I would) CHEERS
@call me dave
the FUD activity is becoming ever more subtle. Create a high and slam it down with a sentence or two. Sunday times in Scotland did the same thing with a front page headline about Tories being worried about a yes vote. Article split over 2 pages. On 2nd page, Europe was raised again in an unfeasibly large headline Next to second section of article.
how many weeks until the campaigning starts?
Ah yes, who could forget A. Darling getting cheered to the rafters… at a Tory party convention!
And the outing of “Project Fear”, what a scoop that was for Tom Gordon. It left no-one in doubt of what “Better Together!” really meant: ie Better Together aka Bitter Together aka Project Fear. Who knows, maybe 2014 will bring yet another new and improved monikor to Project Fear? Although, to be honest, that title will take some beating!
@gordoz
just watched the United with labour video. The second speaker says “a home you can’t be chucked out of” !!!
comments include “putting forward a Scottish Labour… Shurely shome mishstake!
A good new year to everyone on Wings when it comes.
Rev?
Cracking year, look forward to the run in. All the very best for 2014.
Over the next 48 hours Il’ll meet an awful lot of friends old and new.I certainly won’t be bombarding them with the YES message.But I will be subtely sowing a lot of seeds in a lot of people’s minds.I find,when I do so,that more and more people want to quiz me about the whole thing.People who showed no interest or treated the whole idea of independence with scorn or ridicule a few months ago now want to discuss the possibilities.Remember,the majority of Scots want what YES offers,but currently a lot of them FEAR it isn’t possible.Its up to us to reassure them that a wealthy country like Scotland can manage fine without London grabbing our money.
BBC Radio Scotland GMS last political interview of 2013 was with the director of CBI in Scotland Ian MacMillan.
You really must listen to this, because it sums up how shallow and pathetic the NO campaign scaremongering has become. Real Project Fear stuff.
It is followed by Business for Scotland rep Tony Banks, who gives a more balanced and realistic reply.
Link below:- Starts 2.33 mins.
link to bbc.co.uk
My other favourite from June was UK Culture Sec Maria Miller on the Today programme justifying the WW1 commencement ‘Celebrations’: “At that point in Britain’s history,” she said, “it was important that there was a war that ensured that Europe could continue to be a set of countries which were strong and which could be working together.”
Not much to add to all the comments, except well done Rev for all the hard work and information.
I am saving up for the crowd funding in February.
Happy Hogmanay to all and see you next year.
@ Gordoz – I had a look at the United with Labour facebook page. It shows 47 likes, no activity since October and nobody talking about it. In contrast, the Labour for Independence facebook page has 3861 likes, daily activity and anything from 800-2000 people talking about it.
There’s an easy story here for a lazy journalist at the Herald or Scotsman…..
“I had a look at the United with Labour facebook page. It shows 47 likes, no activity since October and nobody talking about it.”
You might want to look a little closer at that page…
scotchwoman
I know why is everyone avoiding this ??
Is it cause it was Broons baby and there all mates ??
BBC Radio Scotland GMS last political interview of 2013 was with the director of CBI in Scotland Ian MacMillan.
Just heard Real Radio on their 11am news read out that businesses are concerned about currency, Europe blah blah claptrap and cbi head Ian Macmillian trotted out. Thankfully they spared us from his negative droneathon. They tried to lend credence to him and his organisation by subtle suggestion that he was the spokesman for most businesses in Scotland when in fact there was a list a while back, compiled by Calumn Cashley i think (?), that proved that assertion wrong and in actual fact showed that his organisation represents only a miniscule of businesses in Scotland. Apologies as cant recall the exact figure in percentage terms.
The funny thing with the above radio broadcast was that hot on his heels was Alex Salmond our fm with his New Year message saying that the best people to make decisions for Scotland are the people in Scotland. Positivity winning over negativity in action. MacMillan must be raging! What a dinasour he is. The countdown begins til we are rid of his ilk.
2014
EdinScot
Real Radio are as balanced and unbiased as BBC Scotland.
They are owned by Global Radio Group (London) and their Chairman is “Baron Allen of Kensington” and I am not making that name up. That is his actual title.
So I think we can assume that Real Radio is very much a Pro Union, Better Together leaning radio station.
Roddy Macdonald, that’s a belter, I hadn’t heard that one before.
My deepest thanks, Rev, for stunning work over the past year; WoS is outright winner of my nomination for Site of the Year.
We need to keep fighting, it’s going to get even dirtier over the next 8 months. As the cliche goes, we ain’t seen nothing yet. Crystal clear that we have to win – the alternative is too horrific to even consider. Thanks to WoS and all contributors for making that less of an uphill schlepp.
Happy New Year to all. If you’re looking for a bet, try a double on Yes to win in 2014, Hibs to win the Premier League in 2014-15 🙂
Caption Comp
“And then we tell them that…”
“… they won’t get any West Coast oil either because it will be on Rockall’s continental shelf.”
“… Scotland will retain its identity if they vote No by officially becoming a northern serfdom of England.”
“… the wealth concent…, er, generated in the SE will start to trickle over the Border if they vote No.”
I always wondered what happened to United with Labour. Decided to Google them. Somebody has been a bit naughty on Wikipedia by the looks of things – link to en.wikipedia.org. 😉
“I think Alex Salmond is offering something in terms of independence, whether you like it or not. The Unionists are not offering, in my view, anything.” – Henry McLeish.
I like this one. How long till Henry jumps ship?
Unionist’s go to unusual lengths to claim they are ‘patriots’ but they are all really ‘Norwegian Blues’ i.e. dead patriots.. And they get the blues whenever Norway is mentioned. Boom boom.
Aw naww – no ‘United with Labour’ launch
Must be just me
Cheers Dave Beveridge – made my day !!!
Ah right Caz-m, so all is not what it seems eh… with Real Radio et al. Knew they were Union Jackers but thanks for the heads up re the Baron. Compained 3 months back to them why i was listening to solely English news, never did get a reply but funnily enough that very day Certain stories were dropped and they suddenly remembered that our Scotland footy team were also in action. Coincidence? Well we shall never know! Does show you what we’re up against with the British state. If we pull it off, it will be some win. Happy days!
An enlightening year thanks to wings. Many thanks Rev. and all those that contribute. “Slange” and all the very best for 2014. We live in interesting times! Here’s a few quotes from Robert F. Kennedy ;
“A revolution is coming — a revolution which will be peaceful if we are wise enough; compassionate if we care enough; successful if we are fortunate enough — But a revolution which is coming whether we will it or not. We can affect its character; we cannot alter its inevitability”.
“Just because we cannot see clearly the end of the road, that is no reason for not setting out on the essential journey. On the contrary, great change dominates the world, and unless we move with change we will become its victims”.
link to chinasprout.com
A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL!
I don’t know how anyone can pay attention to politics & vote no. People who vote for labour to keep out the tories must realise that this broken system (that they keep voting) for isn’t changing anything. It’s the same out of touch politicians running the country and now these politicians are working together to keep Scotland a part of this broken system.
One of my friends used to leaflet for the SNP in Glasgow, a lot of the residents of the really deprived areas would give him abuse for promoting the SNP. He was always astounded that they could not look around them and realise that voting Labour for decades had achieved nothing.
@scotchwoman
Rev was pointing out the facebook page is a fake, but the main real ‘United with Labour’ site has roughly the same viewing figures you have quoted.
Thats why Labour is keeping a low profile over this – it was the pet project of Gordon Brown / Anas Sarwar. However it sank without much trace and sadly very little ridicule.
@ gordoz / Rev – Oops, couldn’t face reading the content on the UnwitLab Facebook page, so didn’t realise it’s a fake!
That in itself only strengthens the argument that the campaign is lifeless – the have NO likes, NO posts and NO activity. NO, NO, NO….. just about sums the whole thing up.
@theycan’tbeserious
On the subject of RFK take a look at this video:
link to youtube.com