Running terrified
The egos of the SNP’s tiny band of six Westminster MPs must be swelling by the day. For weeks we’ve been recording Labour’s standard, decades-old mantra of how Scots mustn’t vote SNP or the Tories will get in. In today’s Herald, meanwhile, no less a figure than the Prime Minister warns that if we vote SNP, Labour will get in.
And the Lib Dems? The Lib Dems have completely lost their minds.
The image above is a leaflet being delivered in the constituency of Sir Malcolm Bruce, which seems certain to be contested next year by former First Minister Alex Salmond. It’s a startling piece of work, including a “send ’em all back home” pledge on immigrants that may still have the capacity to shock the party’s remaining supporters.
But almost the entire leaflet focuses on something that’s somewhat bewildering in the context of a Westminster election – stopping the SNP.
“Only Christine Jardine can beat the SNP here.”
“Help us beat Alex Salmond and the SNP.”
“The only way to stop Alex Salmond is to back Christine Jardine.”
“The SNP have let down the North East.”
“We need a strong MP like Christine holding the SNP to account.”
“The SNP is spending vital transport money in the Central Belt instead of investing here in transport in the North East.”
(Um, just while we’re here, isn’t most of that vital Central Belt transport expenditure accounted for by the Edinburgh trams, which the SNP opposed but which were forced through by the opposition parties, including the Lib Dems, who were actually in charge of Edinburgh City Council at the time? But we digress.)
And on and on it goes. But electing Christine Jardine won’t do anything about any of the SNP actions that the leaflet rages against, because of course all those matters are controlled by the Scottish Parliament, so it’s extremely strange to be calling for tactical votes against the Nats on those grounds. The impression created is rather that all three Unionist parties are simply terrified of the SNP, which currently has less than 1% of Westminster seats.
And it explicitly is a call for tactical voting – the leaflet uses a wildly-dishonest type of bar chart that’s been a feature of Lib Dem literature across the entire UK for years.
The reality of the 2010 result in Gordon is somewhat different.
After the Lib Dems’ runaway first place the seat was essentially a three-way tie. As it happens Labour have chosen a no-hoper candidate, (although so have the Lib Dems – Christine Jardine has contested two by-elections for the party in the north of Scotland before and never managed to gather more than 3800 votes), but they and the Tories are starting no more than 1,716 votes behind the SNP. Either one should be perfectly capable of beating them, especially in a tactical-voting situation.
It’s a remarkable tribute to the SNP that three parties with a combined 621 seats at Westminster (and 53 in Scotland) are issuing panicked calls for their supporters to unite against a party with just six, which isn’t standing in 90% of Westminster constituencies and has no designs – even theoretical ones – on 10 Downing Street.
By ganging up 100-to-1 on the SNP, the Unionist parties are sending a message that any Nat MPs elected to speak solely in the interests of Scotland, with no obligation to UK party whips, will hold massively disproportionate levels of influence in the House Of Commons. We can’t help wondering if that’s a prospect that the people of Scotland might not mind too much.
One big fat lie there from the Lib-Dems – there’s a huge amount of money being spent on transport infrastructure in the North East right now: Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route; A96 updrades; dualling the A9 between Perth and Inverness; the Third Don Crossing in Aberdeen; Haudagain roundabout in Aberdeen; Elgin by-pass; possible rail upgrades north of Aberdeen; Inverness Western Link Road… there are probably more.
They seem to be having difficulty putting the politics of division behind them … They’re making it a neverendum …. It’s time they got over it and moved on …
Also, Transport and Health are devolved issues so not relevant in General Election.
Only a sextet of SNP members and the rest of the parties have ‘concerns!’
Have ‘Project Fear’ now become – “Project Fearful”
Well said Stu. God forbid that we should have representation that actually represents us!
@ MajorBloodnok
The Libdems have never let facts get in the way of a good lie before, why should they start now? 😉
You’d save yourself a lot of time and research if you simply posted an article stating that the ConDemLab’s election strategy is to lie and/or mispresent things so that the low information voter gets the message that “SNP is BAD”.
Seriously we know that half truths and untruths will be the weapon to attack the SNP – they’ll ignore the other Yes parties. What the pro-yes parties have to do is ensure that they counteract these manipulations on the doorstep because MSM certainly ain’t going to do it.
“The SNP is spending vital transport money in the Central Belt instead of investing here in transport in the North East.”
I believe that’s called “pooling and sharing resources”. Wasn’t that meant to be the reason for voting No in September…?
Almost exactly the same nonsense I received from Sir Robert Smith in West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine. The electorate is much more informed now. They won’t get away with outright lies.
Another Angry Voice has posted on Facebook of Cameron and Osborne’s economic illiteracy as regards their statements which confuse the Deficit with the Debt.
To those economic illiterates must be added Christine Jardine, who states that ‘The Lib Dems will finish balancing the books by 2018, bringing down Britain’s debt.’
If you seriously expect to win against Alex Salmond, then a good staring point would be to learn the difference between the Deficit and the Debt.
Balancing the books by 2018 can, at best, only mean that you slow the rate of increase of the Debt. Even when, in 2018, the books are balanced and the Deficit is removed there is no effect on the Debt. The books needs to generate a surplus before the Debt can be reduced.
That first bar chart is a beauty. Possibly the only time a Unionist party has ever exaggerated SNP support UP the way?
Dirty lying bastards.
We need to the SNP to win the constituency, while were at it we should eat into the Labour heartlands.
Actually, fuck it. Lets get all the 59 seats to be occupied by SNP or Green MPs.
Would be nice if this article appeared in the National
The SNP might want to issue bar charts with the 2011 Holyrood election results on them.
They are bombarding us with crap leaflets, on cheap paper. So far this week I’ve received three and one survey.
My son received three. One had a picture of a grinning Willie Rennie and another of John Thurso gardening.
Telling us how much they have done for us and will continue to do. Yeah yeah right!
I told my postie I don’t want any more of their rubbish and he said a lot of people on his route have said the same but he has to deliver them.
Maybe its this which had them running sacred?
http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/conlist_scot.html
Extremely entertaining read, just spent a couple of hours playing with it.
I’m lost. How can the Torys, with one seat in Scotland, say a vote for the SNP will allow Labour in by the back door?
Did we win the referendum?
You’d think so with this all out ‘attack strategy’ that the three parties are adopting 5 months out from the GE. My are they terrified. I think their secret polling must be showing a much larger percentage of Scotland’s voters sending a large contigent of SNP members to Westminster; not unlike their previous secret polling showing that Yes was well ahead…just before the previous ‘attack strategy’ was employed then.
Is this Groundhog day?
Nice to see the red/blue/orange tories uniting at last.
Vote for us and keep Scotland in its place, well we don’t pool and share influence do we?
With stuff today from Mark Mardell on Murphy and Simon Jenkins on Westminster, the SNP don’t need to make big waves at the moment.
Malcolm Bruce’s hatered of the S.N.P. Is only matched by that of the Labour Party , and I cannot understand Nicola Steurgeon’s consecial approach to the other parties at F.M.Q., Labour will NEVER agree on a consecial discussion, and the S.N.P. Got into today’s position by going for the jugular !!, and so it should continue, F.M.Q.’s is watched by thousands, and I don’t think that they will be very impressed when Labour gets a more or less a free run, I much prefere Alex Salmond’s “get them by the throat ” approach, in short Nicola’s got to sharpen up, and quickly!, what say you all?.
If we all cut out her wee ‘beat Alex Salmond’ coupon and post it back without a stamp, would she need to pay the postage? just asking like not that I would advocate doing that
What a wonderful message by the LibDems. Vote for us (not because we’re any good-in fact we’re fuckin useless) because we hate the SNP and in particular Alex Salmond.
They’re not known as the “LieDem” Party for nothing you know!
They always remind me of that wee insignificant loser you always see cowering behind the protection of the bully whilst egging the bully on. The bully gets taken out of the picture and the wee coward quickly finds a new partner-in-crime to hide behind.
our Charlie Kennedy & his lib dems, according to his leaflet ” have a proud record or supporting home Rule,..” which is the most astounding piece of doublespeak i have heard in a whiley! they’ve all gone mad.
It might be a Westminster election next May but North British Labour will spend more time attacking the SNP and Scottish government record rather than the Tories and UK coalition whilst Ed Miliband will not feature on Labour literature.
K1 says:
18 December, 2014 at 1:03 pm
Did we win the referendum?
I’m really beginning to think we did.
Imagine, just one national party in Scotland is a cure for all the unionist parties constipation.
I think this might be the ‘bayoneting the wounded’ stage, but instead of a bayonet they are trying to do it with a raw sausage.
@ K1
Yes we did win the referendum! They cooked the books and they’re terrified we’ll wake up to it. Sadly, I see no sign from the Scottish government of them doing anything about it. The SNP are going to lose badly in May if we don’t do something.
This is the beginning of the end of Scotland.
There is a danger this actually works in some seats.
All the ganging up and tactical voting calls.
It brings it down to the London parties versus the Scottish party.
Getting that message out would seem to be the way to play this.
Vote for the only party they are ALL scared off.. one that will put Scotland’s interest first.
Danny Alexander’s leaflet is much in the same vein – one half of the leaflet showing what the Lib Dems will do under the tagline “standing up for the highlands since 2005” whilst showing the SNP ‘failings’ on the other half under the tagline “failing in the highlands after 7 years of government”.
My favourite bits from it are:
1. It twice mentions income tax breaks on the Lib Dem side – I may have slight amnesia, but isn’t that going to be devolved to the Scottish Parliament?
2. The first item under the SNP side is “Demanding another Scottish referendum”. I need to pay way more attention, when did that happen?!
The rest is the same blah as in Stu’s post.
A great article on Jim Murphy
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30502149
The SNP message on the doorsteps to Lib Dem voters is vote SNP to get a hung Parliament and the best deal for Scotland.
Christine Jardine is not a very pleasant person. She is someone quite comfortable with dirty tactics.(Probably the BBC training)
Malcolm Bruce is a typical career politician. He advertises his surgeries in the local paper but anyone who knows the area can tell you
a) You would need a racing car to meet the schedule
b) He seldom turns up.
Malcolm has one objective in mind, to be “Lord Bruce” and therefore the path was clear:
1. Become Deputy Leader of the LibDems (Lords CV)
2. Stand down as a successful MP. He knew the seat was lost before Alex said he would stand.
3. Suck up to the Tories to ensure their support
The LibDems deserve to pay a heavy price for enabling the worst impact of the welfare cuts to fall on those who can least bear it.
If the PO is delivering election mail for the LDs, where is the money coming from?
In East Ren, I’ve already been asked to deliver SNP material for the GE, so it’s activists who will be doing this for free.
I’ve already said I think we should wait until after the holiday season as I think only the politically motivated won’t be annoyed at getting election material through their door over Christmas/ New Year.
The red, blue and orange tories are better together: it makes it more obvious to everyone that they are all tarred with the same brush.
@Nana Smith 12:54
Here’s how to opt out from those leaflets …
http://www.royalmail.com/personal/help-and-support/how-do-I-stop-receiving-any-leaflets-or-unaddressed-promotional-material
So the Tories say if a vote for the SNP will bring us a Labour government and Labour say a vote for the SNP will give us a Tory government,
Aren’t they really just admitting now that they are both the same thing, red and blue tories together?
Otherwise both can’t be true?
sorry, intelligent comment evades me in preference for MWUAHAHAHAHAHA! then my reallystupidgland kicks in and i think…it doesn’t matter which of them get in, does it? It has absolutely no effect on what is going to happen in Scotland in the next five years because they are just the same as each other. in what way will there being a different westminster party in power change the inevitable movement towards Independence?
The leaflet helpfully gives a return address, what an easy way to recycle all those Christmas cards in a couple of weeks’ time.
@Nana Smith 12:54
and then I spotted this gem in the third para
Seems they must run separate deliveries in that case!
If the Conservative unionist voters and the Labour unionists support Jardine as a tactical anti-SNP vote they could actually hold this seat.
SNP might hope to gain 30% of disaffected Labour voters and 20% Lib Dem voters who now have their eyes open, but that still won’t be enough to carry the day, especially if, as I very strongly suspect, Cameron and Miliband will throw all their resources at this seat to keep Salmond out.
It really will depend on a high turnout. This is war. There can be no complacency here. It’s not any old seat.
I would love it if the Scottish people – who show a massive preference for devo max over the status quo – decided that the best way of getting it was by voting SNP at Westminster. (After all, if they still aren’t convinced by independence, they know they can reject it in any future referendum.)
Given the referendum result, then the massive upswing in reported SNP 2015 voting intention, it’s almost like the electorate had this plan from the start.
@Jim Thomson
Never mind Jim, I’m planning on sending them back in unstamped envelopes. Each leaflet separately should do nicely.
K1 & Luigi says
‘Did we win the referendum’
Not quite but you did put the frighteners on the Establishment-they have lost face publicly. The remnants of empire have been significantly diminished by those pesky Scots with almost half the population telling Westminster & Madge what they think of them.
The rest of the world is viewing UK completely differently now & the Scots have shown that WM is not invincible. Other countries may not have publicly supported Scotland but believe me they know exactly what happened throughout the referendum & is happening now.
Scotland is writing the history books as I write this & GE2015 is but the next chapter.
The red, blue, yellow & purple tories are worried & they are right to be so. They have been proved time & time again to be liars & only interested in lining their own pockets whilst failing to protect the interests of Scotland.
Even they know now that the electorate is very likely to show them the door in May. They can’t put together an acceptable argument for being allowed to stay without lieing because they know deep down that they deserve it.
It’s just a matter of time folks but you will get there in the end. You have to because I want to live in a socially democratic country which also happens to be independent just as you all do.
Going on my previous estimate of 30% Labour plus 20% LD moving over to SNP, that would give them 17,250 votes to 14,000 LD votes… but if the Red and Blue Tories combine to vote tactically to shore up Jardine, they could easily increase the 17,500 for LD last time and defeat Salmond. Labour figures are already telling their voters to back Jardine to keep out Salmond. Somebody posted a tweet about it last week. All hands on deck in Gordon.
O/T – and I’m confused (situation “normal” then)
the BBC News website has contrived to have “Scottish Parliament” as the top “read” story in the wee panel on the left under all the other gubbins when you open a random story.
My Cynical Gene(tm) has kicked into overdrive. What are they playing at?
“MajorBloodnok says:
One big fat lie there from the Lib-Dems – there’s a huge amount of money being spent on transport infrastructure in the North East right now: he A96 updrades; dualling the A9 between Perth and Inverness; the Third Don Crossing in Aberdeen; Haudagain roundabout in Aberdeen; Elgin by-pass; possible rail upgrades north of Aberdeen; Inverness Western Link Road… there are probably more.”
As a former Aberdeen resident, I know that there are some (very belated) efforts being made to upgrade transport infrastructure in the NE, but the roads are still crap especially with the NE being the economic engine of the country. You don’t help your case by inflating and conflating your evidence of change. The Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route is years away from completion, and the Haudagain roundabout changes will not begin until AFTER completion of said bypass. Also, as far as I recall, the A9 is NOT in the NE.
Ask anyone in Aberdeen and they will tell you that the Central Belt gets all the good stuff.
Just saying…..
@ liz.
I fully agree, and i’m non-religious, that we should not be bothering people with political stuff at this time of year. Those who want to read about politics will, like us, seek it out. Then come Monday 5th January we should go at it hell-for-leather.
Also, i’ve already received election guff from Michael Moore’s LieDem Hawick office in the Borders – part survey part blowing his own trumpet. And a stamped addressed envelope to return it. Straight to the bin it went.
I have also contacted Royal Snail and applied for their “opt-out” service to stop all their unaddressed junk mail coming through my door for the next 2 years.
Sorted and ready to go…i think!
🙂
The rainbow unionist alliance, should be “running scared”, in fact; they should be bloody terrified.
Popcorn anyone?
It really is excellent news that the unionists feel the need to start getting involved in a unionist alliance.They are polarising the debate and turning it into a re run of the referendum.They are deepening the divide.Very dangerous.
“The SNP message on the doorsteps to Lib Dem voters is vote SNP to get a hung Parliament and the best deal for Scotland.”
This makes sense, but the London parties will try to re-run the referendum in areas that voted No.
Perhaps tactically, Nicola should put independence on the back-burner in 2015, so that No voters can choose the SNP as the best way to get Devo-max.
It’s clear that Scotland only gets more powers when the SNP does well.
There is a danger with an all or nothing approach that we get nothing.
Maximum devolution postpones independence, but makes it more likely.
We can’t just ignore the falling oil price either.
If the Scottish parliament has more control over the economy, there are far more ways to diversify and boost growth in other areas.
The Lib Dems have form for this here in Cardiff; they published a leaflet like that in the run-up to the 2010 GE stating “Only the Lib Dems can beat Labour here!”, using a very similar (and similarly misleadingly-proportioned) bar graph (“Plaid/Tories CAN’T WIN HERE”) from… a local council ward election, two years previously.
I’ve lived in the Gordon constituency for 21 years, only ever seen LD canvassers twice, yes twice for any sort of election, seen Bruce twice at remembrance parades taking the salute alongside the Lord whatever and the rest of the dignitaries. This weeks leaflet stated they won the referendum 2 to 1 !! and the rest was an anti-SNP fest.
The trouble with Gordon is it includes too many areas that are minted and the divide between the haves and have nots is getting wider. Too many right wing landowners/farmers, I’m alright Jacks, who dont give a shit about the bigger picture beyond their dyke.
I can see the postal vote getting targeted here by the unionists to keep out AS if we’re not careful.
Devorgilla says:
18 December, 2014 at 1:45 pm
Cameron and Miliband will throw all their resources at this seat to keep Salmond out.
Mmmmm, there’s a bigger picture (for them). I think that Cameron and Milliband will be far more concerned about the battles in certain key marginals in middle England, than to bother much about whether or not Salmond wins some remote LibDem seat in far-off Scotchland. There’s no point in keeping Salmond out if they end up losing the whole election. I know some of his SLABBERs may think otherwise, but Milliband is after the top job.
Alastair Ewan
In the boom years, before the 2008 crash, Over its two Holyrood administrations from 1999, Labour had managed to under-spend the Scottish block grant to the collective tune of £1.5bn – money which was returned to the Treasury at Westminster because, incredibly, Donald Dewar, Henry McLeish and Jack McConnell just couldn’t think of anything to spend it on.
£1.5bn would have been enough in 2006 to build the Aberdeen by pass and upgrade the entire A9 to dual-carriageway.
Then the unionists voted in 2007 to spend £500m on Edinburgh Trams rather than in the North East or Highlands or Borders etc.
Although most attention is on the car crash known as the Labour Party in Scotland or the hapless Tory “Oh pooey, that’s another muddle I’ve stepped into”, it’s worth wondering who the wackiest Liberal is: Danny Sunshine Alexander, Expenses Supremo Mr Thurso, the Lord of West Aberdeenshire, Hockey-sticks Swinson or good old Charlie Bottle? Labour might lack charisma but the Liberals seem to lack sense and the Tories just lack…
If this ganging up nonsense works in some seats, you’d think they’d deserve all of what Westminster is about to unload on them. The last thing many would want to hear from such seats is a plea to Holyrood to protect them or subsidise/offset their closures and loss of services.
If you were the sitting SG and knowing a particular seat to have firstly rejected independence and then follow that up with rejecting a strong pro Scottish interests group at Westminster, just what would your motivation be to aid such seats? Ordinary human nature would suggest, yeah, they do deserve it, put them well down the to do list.
The fact is the current Scottish government really would go out of its way to help regardless. Its what we put them there to do, serve without fear or favour. That’s what makes them a government and that’s what makes them fit to serve and the rest…
… not so much.
@jimnarlene
More for butterkist or choccy raisins, but what flavour you got? 🙂
Mealer says:
18 December, 2014 at 2:03 pm
It really is excellent news that the unionists feel the need to start getting involved in a unionist alliance.They are polarising the debate and turning it into a re run of the referendum.They are deepening the divide.Very dangerous.
Indeed – they are desperate for a grand unionist alliance against the SNP, but they cannot possibly admit it. To do so would be an automatic death sentence for the Red Tories in particular. The debate is definitely polarising, and the unionist vote splits three ways (possibly four, if UKIP hold up), so they are on to a hiding to nothing. In an ideal unionist world, all NO voters would vote tactically to keep the SNP out. But they just ain’t going to do that, such is their deep hatred and mistrust for each other.
Besides, there’s no immediate threat of another referendum, and the SNP are supporting the popular devomax option, so many Labour NO voters will take this chance to remind the UK that they will not be taken for granted. For the proud scotch blue tories? Well, they have a very painful choice to make – SNP or Ed Milliband. It will be interesting to see how that one goes. And finally, the LibDEm voters? Well, I don’t think there are enough of them left to make much of a difference, to be honest.
Labour polling at 2010 level at UK level in the latest MORI poll but way down in Scotland;
https://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/3495/Vote-shares-for-main-parties-unchanged-but-Green-vote-hits-record-high.aspx
I want to complain!
All yous loverly folks getting loverly General Election materiel from those loverly Lieberal Demowhatsits and I’ve had NOTHING! Oh wait a minute I don’t have a Lieberal Demowhatsit as my M.P. I have Scotland’s very own pet Tory. 😛
I wonder if I’ll be receiving something in my mail shortly from our pet Tory telling me to vote Tory to keep the S.N.P. out, they came FOURTH in 2010 by the way despite a huge rise in their votes.
With all this useless muttering from the “Clown of Westminster” a.k.a. Cameron about voting S.N.P. letting in Labour by the back door shite I wonder if he has actually ever talked to our pet Tory. If he had then he would be fully aware that by voting S.N.P. HE, Cameron, would be MORE assured of returning to number 10 as Labour will LOSE seats in May whilst, unfortunately, it is looking unlikely at present that our pet Tory will lose his seat. We are currently working on a series of plans to try and change this by the way. 😉
If a butterfly flaps its wings……
Seems to me The Terrified Bully is struggling to sleep at night!
Stoker says:
18 December, 2014 at 2:02 pm
@ liz.
I fully agree, and i’m non-religious, that we should not be bothering people with political stuff at this time of year. Those who want to read about politics will, like us, seek it out. Then come Monday 5th January we should go at it hell-for-leather. .
I couldn’t agree more – leave them to it. The LibDems will only succeed in annoying people before Christmas. This is the worst time of year to start canvassing/begging/ bothering people with politics. To do so, a full six months before the GE implies gross stupidity or sheer panic and desperation (or a bit of both).
Leave them to it.
Tactics so old it’s pathetic. Demonize Alex Salmond and the SNP. Instal fear in the minds of the voters. Would you buy a used car from this man.
Quite insulting to voters who are well able to see the deadwood from the trees in these enlightened times
A vote for the SNP will let the Tories in
A vote for the SNP will let Labour in
A vote for the Tories or Labour will let the SNP in
A vote for the Liberals might let the Liberals in
The only solution Vote Monster Raving Looney…like the Unionists!
How helpful for the Tories to add a bit of confusion into the mix:
“Vote SNP get Tory,” No! Wait! “Vote SNP get Labour!”
LOL 🙂
Sorry this is O/T,
I think if this blows (which looks very likely)David Cameron and his comrades in the tory party are going to have other worries in 2015.
Detectives are investigating three alleged murders as part of an inquiry into historical child abuse involving prominent people, as they appeal for information about an apartment block in London.
Is it just me or are BBC Scotland still behaving like they are in a pre-referendum campaign? On GMS this morning they trotted out the old scare story about companies pulling out of Scotland. Not due to independence, but now due to the prospect of Scotland ever having another referendum .We have a splash on their website saying North Sea oil is about to collapse. What in heavens name do they want. I think they want the SNP to resign and every member of Scotland to sign a declaration, saying they never want a referendum or independence.
But here is the truth. Everything is going belly up after Scotland voted no, and things are worse than before. So they need someone to deflect blame from themselves as no supporters and union proppers.
Here’s a thought:
Since “Project Fear” was developed, enthusiastically, by the unionist alliance known as Better Together, now that they have started fighting each other again, will the red, blue and yellow tories each tailor and develop their own little “Project Fears” against each other in time for the GE?
It will be fun to see how this pans out – popcorn time again, folks!
@ Sinky,
Don’t forget about the thousands of square miles of North Sea area which was Scottish waters that were diverted to English by Dewar, McLeish and Blair on the eve of the recreation of the Scottish Parliament. That was never discussed before hand at Westminster and kept from other interested parties too.
Placing a number of oil Wells in What were then so called English waters. All to Scotland’s detriment.
Given Christine Jardines concern for spending perhaps she should tell us why the LibDums yesterday cost Scotland £50m when her party voted to retain the bedroom tax, Including her mate Malcolm Bruce.
This is the amount the Scottish taxpayer is paying to mitigate this cruel tax. As she rightly states that money could have been better spent on other projects, including enhancing the infrastructure.
Right folks.
Let’s assume that the unionists work as one to deny AS the Gordon WMGE seat.
What then? Let’s discus this and plan for the eventuality.
Maximum effort to win the Scottish Election in 2016 totally for SNP/Green/SSP/independents and let the world know what and why.
Ideas?
The LD’s did the same in 2011 in the former Gordon Holyrood constituency and we know how that went for them.
Sorry replace 2011 with 2007.
Isn’t it true that Labour Party membership forbids you from promoting a vote for any other party on pain of your membership being withdrawn ?
Surely Ed or Jim Murphy will make sure everyone who does so will be thrown out for breaking the rules !
Weeks ago, I and others pointed out that one problem with a Yes Alliance was that a great many voters would feel manipulated. I think the same applies to a Unionist Alliance, official or unofficial through asking for tactical voting.
Tactical voting will happen in FPTP, it’s inevitable. However, openly asking for it will offend, and backfire.
If you are the supporter of a no hope candidate, you have choices – tactically vote for best fit, don’t bother voting, or register you backing for the party you believe in. Many people, I believe, take this third option knowing their candidate and party won’t win. They will not like being told to throw aside their principles.
I wonder if Slab will bring up the buses full of canvassers
from down south again?
Well, this is important to ALL sides of the Better together mismash so it is probably likely. If so it needs to be pointed out to Scottish voters, who I think will take the hump this time.
You see quite a lot of postings from disgusted LibDem voters round and about in Scotland. Most of them YES supporters but not all. They’re as savage about the loss of principles of the party many of them voted for all their lives, as ex-Labour voters and members.
With lies like that bar chart, they won’t be in a hurry to getting back to voting LibDem.
Its the Unionist alliance.
LabServative ConDems
Apart from the inevitable ‘SNP bad’, the leaflet is full of ‘we will’.
The LibDems are in power NOW, and have been for a while – why haven’t they already done these things?
What they seem to be saying is, although the much revered Sir Malky, despite having been you MP since God was a boy, hasn’t delivered any of these things (concentrating instead on the much more important business of Nat-bashing and cut-facilitating), elect us again and we will see you alright THIS time – honest.
I’m a politician – would I lie to you?
Les Wilson
Labour will not have the luxury of importing large number of canvassers as their UK poll ratings are rather dire for an opposition party so close to the general election. Lord Ashcroft’s polls issued today for some Labour seats in England show UKIP breathing down their necks. They will need them there.
http://lordashcroftpolls.com/2014/12/moderate-tory-cheer-fright-labour-final-marginals-poll-2014/
Ah bugger. Looks like Willie Bain still going to be my MP. Still, before I double checked I had feared it was Margaret the lying cow Curran, so that’s something.
Albaman
Having read the comments in the Herald during the Ref campaign, posters from both sides thought the opposition was dismal, and many posters preferred the concensual style previously and would like to see it come back again – as well as effective opposition.
Sturgeon is apparently trying her best to get the concesual style back, and is perhaps also trying her best to make the opposition become effective – whether Labour want to or not!
That sort of style also makes it very plain where any fault lies – Unionists complained about Salmond being a bully, they won’t be able to do the same about Sturgeon. It also shows that Sturgeon is moving on after the Referendum, something that’s important to win the hearts and minds of NO voters – and their votes!
According to electoral calculus, the Libdems would be getting the grand total of 13 votes.
I guess that’s family and not very many friends!
(in my constituency, North Ayrshire)
Sinky
I’m not entirely clear on how devolved budgets are managed, but I doubt such expenditure could have been justified under treasury rules. Scotland simply doesn’t have the traffic volumes, in comparison to England. Historically, scheme benefits have largely been attributed to user benefits, such as journey-time saved, etc., so investment tends to be directed at the most densely populated parts of the Yeuky.
NS is no mug and I would expect her to make it clear to everyone that the GE is not a referendum re-run. I would expect her to reassure voters that the SNP will represent all of Scotland, that the SNP is Scotland’s national party, the only party that will put Scotland’s interests first. I would expect her to make it clear as well that she will not lead Scotland into independence against the wishes of the Scottish people. She will I think promote devomax as her aspiration for Scotland at this point in time and the election of a solid block of SNP MP’S as the route to get it. We need a leader who can bring the majority of Scots together behind the SNP at this time. The rest of us have the right to be as bolshie as we wish. She has to represent the whole country and I believe she will seek to do just that.
The Ipsos Mori Scottish subsample which in fairness is way too small (89 weighted voters) shows CON 12%, LAB 18%, LIB 10% (way too high) and NAT 49% for a grand total on EC of 56 NAT seats and 3 LibDems – none of which is Gordon! Curiously the 3 LibDem seats are ones they’re likely to hold because of personal votes thugh apparently Charles Kennedy isn’t so popular these days.
Just a wee theory as to explain all this madness – maybe, just maybe we did win the refurendum. Maybe that postal vote was messed about with and the unionist know the real number of votes yes got during it and they know if ya translate that vote into GE terms it’s a landslide.
Marcia says:
18 December, 2014 at 3:21 pm
Les Wilson
Labour will not have the luxury of importing large number of canvassers as their UK poll ratings are rather dire for an opposition party so close to the general election. Lord Ashcroft’s polls issued today for some Labour seats in England show UKIP breathing down their necks. They will need them there.
http://lordashcroftpolls.com/2014/12/moderate-tory-cheer-fright-labour-final-marginals-poll-2014/
Aye, out imperial masters will be very busy elsewhere. That is why they have left Commander Jim Murphy in charge of the Red Death Star, hovering over Scotland.
Re; The Oil,
We’re still swimming in the stuff, this fall is a temporary thing to do with America, Opec and Putin. I don’t think much more than 8 months and then back to normal, of course if Osborne reduced the ridiculous amount of taxation on the business and let them get on with it there would be no worry, why not bring the tax down? makes you think eh? It was’nt so long ago GBUK was trying to convince Scotland SNP policy was all based on OIL and now it’s gone and we’re all doomed if we try for Independence again, makes you think eh? or am i a conspiracy theorist, makes me think eh?…I am Alex Salmond..i think..
Sounds like Cameron is more concerned with the SNP’s impact on Westminster, should it win more seats, than beating liebour.
In fact, much of Scotland’s road infrastructure fails to meet Treasury rules. It is necessary though, to keep Scotland’s taxes flowing south. I would love to give more detail, but I am probably still bound by the Official Secrets Act.
All my life I’ve been interested in politics – but not any more.
Now, I’m only interested in the politics of Independence.
And I’m not alone it appears, as the Three Unionist parties seem to have extended their Indy alliance to create a united front here in Scotland for the GE15 campaign.
As has been said on here already, the Independence movement is the biggest threat BY FAR to the Unionist Establishment in these islands.
The 3 Westminster parties cannot afford to disengage from the battle with the SNP for one second.
The entire Establishment knows that until the independence issue goes stone cold,
then their whole way of life is insecure and indeed liable to a very serious downgrading.
Politics in the UK will NEVER be the same again. So we all must start thinking in that light.
SECOND POINT
Since Indy Ref, the 3 Westminster parties and their leaders have engaged in a huge campaign of black lies against Scotland and the SNP.
My hunch is that these people have their heads so stuffed full of lies, that they are unable to think straight.
I also think that knowing that they ‘stole’ Indy means that they CANNOT act the part as if they didn’t – and that knowledge will break out, beginning with little Freudian slips, and give the game away.
The thinking world already knows the Indy result was manufactured.
Soon, we’ll have the evidence. That is a pressure on all those who were a party to the Indyheist. Something will crack.
You can’t fool all the people all the time.
Cameron, Clegg and Milliband really ought to have paid more attention in school.
Did we win the Referendum ?
The British Establishment seem to think so.
Me too.
@ yesindyref2.
You make a very good point with your last sentence in your post at 3.23pm – Re: Sturgeon moving on from referendum.
Salmond stated the exact same point just a few weeks ago and i can’t for the life of me remember what programme it was on – one of the Sunday politics or Scotland 2014 programmes i think.
As we know, the opposition are going to gang up to try and keep the SNP from advancing the issues which matter to Scotland and one ploy in their armoury is to perpetuate the myth that this is all about bad loser Nats wanting another referendum etc.
We must make it about facts & issues and avoid any mention of wanting another referendum. They must not be allowed to derail any of this campaign away from their own failings.
This is a general election and we must make it clear that it’s all about putting MPs in WM who will put Scotland’s interests first and who will not have to consult with or answer to a Westminster master to do so.
The most surefire solid way of achieving that is to vote SNP.
btw, indyref, if you are entering into debate on other sites with the same name you might want to change your name for the duration of the campaign. It might not look too clever if you’re reminding people that its not about a/the referendum and your username is ‘yesindyref2’. Just a wee observation which made me laugh
😉
What is that horseshit in Christine Jardine’s leaflet – her pledge that the lib dems will finish balancing the books by 2018 ‘bringing down Britain’s debt’?
Nothing I have seen suggests the lib dems will play any part of the next Westminster government, nor have they a record of balancing the books. And even if they are in government in May, if the austerity agenda started to work and the economy magically improves, reducing the deficit to zero is not the same thing as reducing the UK’s debt. Are we repaying it now rather than simply servicing the debt?
It strikes me as disingenuous to suggest the debt will be reduced by 2018 even if they manage to balance the books by then.
These leaflets often deal in insulting generalities like this. “Christine Jardine’s role in reducing the UK’S national debt” is a phrase I alone have uttered, and if this universe lasts a billion years it seems unlikely to ever be uttered again.
The entire unionist block are still in a state of shock at the 45% who didn’t buy into their brand of ‘too wee, too poor, too stupid’ B-S.
The dismantling of “The Vow” by English MPs will also give them sleepless nights as they’ll have nothing to sell other than the same tired old mantra of ‘don’t vote SNP or the guys you least want will get in’.
I just hope that Scotland’s electorate aren’t stupid enough to get caught out twice in the space of 8 months. Fool me once…
Hopefully the majority of the people of Scotland will be sensible to see through the lies and deceit.
A labour government with North Britain members bowing under the UK whip is not going to help Scotland.
But one with every decision being questioned, challenged and modified by a cohort of MP’s looking out for the best interests of Scotland is clearly the best option.
There’s only one party can deliver.
Kevin Evans
The postal votes were sent individually, not to one single address, but to 32 unitary authorities, some of which are SNP controlled. That’s apart from the ones handed into any polling station within the authority’s boundaries.
Apparently the moon is made of green cheese.
@Stoker
Good point about the name. Other places it’s dadsarmy or Peter Parker on the Herald, so yes, I’ll do something about that, and keep yesindyref2 for the next time.
I did it to boost morale, but there seems to be very little need for that any longer. Morale seems to be very high.
As someone who now lives in this constituency, I cannot wait to vote SNP.
And also can’t get wait to tell any canvassing Unionists to do one!
The Media, especially the BBC are drumming up a veritable Perfect Storm with “Scotland as Public Enemy Number 1, the SNP the new Nazi Party and Salmond as the Fuhrer”. It’s hysterical nonsense but it’s dangerous nonsense. And it’s going to work. It’s the “Battle of Britain Spirit” all over again. Unite against a common enemy. Distracting people from the real issues and putting any thoughts of voting for anything other than Tory on to the back burner. The “threat” of Scotland is going to be Cameron’s Falklands.
Mean time, in Scotland, Murphy will be keeping quiet about the coming cuts to Barnett whilst baying that only by voting Labour can our Pensions and Clydeside/Faslane jobs be saved. He’s already drivelling on that he’s going to “kill the hated bedroom Tax”. Project Fear Take 2.
And don’t think they can’t spin different agendas North and South because of ‘Social Media’. They did it in the Referendum, didn’t they? There’s only 11% of people in Scotland were getting their ‘news’ from sites like this.
Malcolm Bruce stood up during Prime Minister’s questions yesterday and had a rant at the SNP government and NHS spending under Alex Salmond’s leadership.His abuse was supported by Cameron in true coalition chums together style.Sickening to watch, as it was all choreographed for use in the Gordon campaign.
All unionist parties are scared by GE2015 with good reason.Politics and people’s awareness has changed. Labour supporters that hate the SNP and thinking of voting tactically for the Tories have the moral dilemma of that quantum leap and some will baulk at the idea. Libdems have been used by the Tories but are too power crazed to realise voters do not forgive easily. Labour and Libdem voters also have to realise that Cameron shafted them all the morning after the referendum. Once all Better Together,now all torn apart.Be careful of the company you keep indeed.
The SNP will undoubtedly gain seats, but care is required with polls being so high, that we don’t get overly confident. Keep expectations realistic and then over deliver.
The dirty tricks campaigners continue their single minded targetting of Scotland in pursuit of the removal from UK financial services of any risk to the Bank of England and Westminster. It now appears that Scottish banks are intent upon relocating their headquarters to London despite getting the, “no” vote they vociferously advocated, assisted by Sir Jeremy Heywood and his dirty tricks team in HM Treasury. A kick in the teeth for those that fell for the hype.
Also included is a summary of Bank of England measures in place in regard to sterling if and when Scotland decides to remain with the EU and the Euro should a referendum outcome indicate Westminster decides to leave the EU
http://caltonjock.com/2014/12/18/bank-of-england-financial-policy-and-relocation-of-banking-headquarters-to-england/
The one thing everyone seems to be forgetting is that poll from Scotgoespop 12th Dec that had the question about independence showing 48% Yes 45% No
This has them badly worried because it’s showing that their support is falling off & indy’s is increasing. This is why they are out early knocking doors. They aren’t just worried-they are ‘bricking it’ 🙂
http://scotgoespop.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/scotland-swings-decisively-behind-snp.html
O/T
From Stu’s twitter timeline
A new prince to strengthen the union
https://archive.today/Wz7Zi
O/T
I’ve been trying to contact the SNP for a couple of weeks now, phoning the number on the letter that came with my new membership card. Always get a recorded message saying they are experiencing high volume of calls, I can leave a message if I wish etc. Except after she finishes the “One Great Thing” tune comes on and goes on and on…they want to get their finger out, it’s a shambles. I call at various times during the day, always the same message. I wanted to ask where my member handbook was, as it’s mentioned in the letter, as all I received was my card and nothing else. I thought I was also going to be sent an SNP window sticker. Did anyone else just receive a membership card?
If everyone who voted Tory in Scotland in 2010 had in fact voted SNP, the Tories would have one MP less (Mundell) and so would Labour (Banks in Ochil and Perthshire). Not exactly letting Labour in the back door (though clearly we have a different situation in 2015).
This morning BBC Radio 4 gave the garrulous betrayer Alistair Darling all the time in the world to faff and waffle all his old lies, fears and louche reasons why it was better Scotland remained subservient.
I listened very, very carefully.
Nothing he said made sense. Sentences were not joined up, he rarely finished a complete one before another intruded, and there was no summation to his unchallenged flimflam.
Being BBC the interviewer was soooo-polite, not forgetting to say thank you to dear Darling for giving us some of his precious time.
@Lollysmum.
And we haven’t even started on them yet.
🙂
It is undeniable that SNP has neglected the North East, and indeed this neglect extends beyond transport. Education and the NHS here haven’t benefitted in any way from SNP rule. We must also remember how integral agriculture is to life here in the North East and the FM’s latest reforms only seek to prove the SNP can do nothing for rural farming communities.
I just realised something fellow Indy wanters – on the 6th of April 2015 will be the 30 year anneversity of willie mc’s murder. After 30 years all official secret docs are opened to the public – just intime for the GE2015. 5-6 weeks before the vote if there was anything linking willies death to the union it would kill any loyalty remaining in any soft no voter.
@Harry McAye
I got two membership packs. One for HQ and one for London. Both with stickers.
I guess where I am in Ireland is equidistant to both.
I wonder if Mr Salmond is actually goading the London parties to “unite” in Gordon to try to keep him out.
Lollysmums point about recent opinion polls is also very important.The unionist MINORITY in Scotland are maybe shooting themselves in the foot if they pursue the “don’t vote SNP or they’ll call another referendum” line.
On listening to Mary Pitcaithly (electorial commission)today, there was a upsurge of proxy votes on the 18th Sept.
Whitch area,s did they occur, one for the Wings ferrets to get their teeth into.
How’s this for our GE2015 election statement:
A vote for the SNP let’s the SNP in!!!
Hurray
Could the SNP/Greens/SSP possibly send a few busloads of canvassers to other parts of the UK to help split the votes there?
Greens in England, Plaid in Wales?
Would be interesting…
Anyone else getting the feeling that, in light of the ongoing merger of the Unionist parties, the turnout for the ‘festival of democracy’ on the 18th September may not have been quite as high as we were instructed to believe?
The thing that worries me about the General Election in May is that I have heard persistent rumours that there are a lot of well-off English who own holiday homes in Scotland, and during the referendum they illegally registered to vote (“No”), and did so. Some have said they were the postal vote majority against independence, and others say they just went to the polls (or someone acting for them did) as if they were entitled to. Whether this was orchestrated by Westminster or not, I can’t say. However, what’s to stop them from voting tactically both in Scotland and in England during the GE? This might just be an urban myth….but what if it’s true?
@Heather: I think it is up to local activists (and surely we have legions) to assidously check this out, address by address, from the voters’ roll. There are other databases that can be used to check if those registered on the VR are also at an address elsewhere in the UK.
If you look at the latest IPSO-Mori poll of those certain to vote it makes truly awesome reading. Here’s the numbers crunched and why everyone is losing their minds.
http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/cgi-bin/usercode.pl?CON=13&LAB=15&LIB=8&NAT=52®ion=AllScotland&boundary=2010&seat=All+Scotland+seats+majority-sorted
Devorgilla,
Yep.Its important to remember that WE are the executive.We can’t sit back and expect THEM to do our work for us.
Anyone fancy designing a wee New Years card that we could all pop off in the post to the palace?
Post it up in off topic.
@ lollysmum 5.04 ah hope they didna leave a stain on Scottish Soil,britnat jounalists could,nt be more ridiculed if they tried & from the Star to lol am booking a ticket on the big red bus tae the moon.
O/T
Were we supposed to get a window sticker in SNP pack? I didn’t & now feel deprived because I can’t annoy the Lib Dems & Labour voters on my road 🙁
My earlier post about the next royal baby just seemed appropriate as we’ve been talking about the royals for much of the day. Just a little reminder that Madge wasn’t the only one who tried to influence the vote!
@ Gerry Parker easy, a card of the World Clock tic toc.
Are the libdems books balanced yet,do they not still have an
unpaid 8 hundred grand police bill to pay?
Ah could go overboard of Kezia,s performance at FMQs today but ma coricals no in the watter,when did she become a Oil expert she wudna know whit the Dipstick wiz.
@Ronnie Anderson
Oh I don’t know about the dug not knowing what a dipstick is after all is she not the deputy to a prize dipstick.
I’m beginning to wonder if the best SNP strategy for 2016 would be to make a manifesto pledge for full Devo Max, with a resulting referendum following a successful re-election.
Oh Stoker.
I like my name and know it really pisses off the unionists. if we YES type give up our names how are we gonna wind up the other lot. 🙂
I use my name Ricky Duncan on a few sites , but annoy the readers on the guardian etc with my comments. The name winds them up it;s such fun. One commeter said i wrote well enough but the YESGUY tag made his teeth grind , oh the joy 🙂
I was gonna change it to ReallyAngryYesguy but it takes to long to type. So although i see your point , it’s too much fun now. They really hate our guts you know ? We have miles of facts and the stuff being leaked makes their “small” victory seem hollow and full of Lies and scares.
Everyone should have a YES moniker. We are Scotlands true patriots. And most folk know that regardless of which way they voted.
Smurphy himself has gone all plastic tartan but WE KNOW BETTER
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
If you thought the dirty tricks from the BITTER Parties at the referendum were bad, just wait for the sh*t* they will come out with at next years election.
I hope the electorate remember the garbage that was spouted by westmonster, and lets give westmonster the message BRING IT ON WE WON’T GET FOOLED AGAIN.
The Natives have woken up.
Gary
I think lots of people have woke up , but if the unionist party’s are harping on about roads , the SNP and yes party’s should be pointing out that there are food banks while Osborne pledges £50 million to make the England football team better , and the Tories and lib dems are all for spending 100’s of billion building high speed rail links to and from London / Birmingham / Leeds and Manchester .. Nothing for Scotland though ..Money for foreign aid 100’s of millions for trident but nothing for the people of Scotland
Christine Jardine and her merry band of six campaigners will sink without trace.
Alex Salmond will walk it. Alex Salmond SNP the most popular politician in the North East.
Good riddance to Cameron. Ruined the Oil sector in Scotland. Increased the Oil tax revenue by 11% (£2Billion) in 2011. Losing Scotland £4Billion+ a year.
Thanks to the forward planning of Alex and Co any downturn in the Oil sector in the North East is more than covered by jobs in Construction, Health & Fishing sector. Full employment in the North East.
Dugdale didn’t have a clue what she is speaking about. North Sea workers still being paid more than she is. A useless, unelected article who has never had a job in her life. clueless.
If Ian Wood had any care about the Oil sector or Scotland, he should have voted YES. The Scottish Gov has absolutely no control the Scottish Oil sector, the power resides in Westminster. Westminster gets away with murder not enforcing UK Health & Safety Laws in the North Sea Oil sector.
If Labour/Unionists cared anything about the North East economy, they would have taken the £80Million+ offered by Ian Wood for the UTG Project to pedestrianise the City Centre. IInstead of spending £33Million vandalising the Art Gallery and putting the city in 30 times future debt, the vandalising Broad Street scheme. Leasing back for 30 years from Muse Construction.
Despite the intentional misprints in the gutter press, SNP stands for Scottish NATIONAL Party, not Scottish Nationalist Party. The SNP try at all times to be what the labels says, the national party of Scotland, for Scotland. Again, despite the offensive utterings of the MSM it’s not about blind nationalism, it’s about Scotland and what they believe is best for its people. I’m not making a party political broadcast, I just believe all the evidence is there to suggest that’s the simple truth.
This message needs to be pushed hard. A vote for the SNP is a vote for you, your family and your community. I’m open to challenges of having my rose tinted specs on, but I do believe that. A vote for ConLibLab is a vote for politicians to advance themselves, party before people, the old establishment, London elitism … and spewing from that, I would say, the dark side of nationalism, British nationalism.
Christine Jardine is a joke in the North East. Any challenge come from the Cons and that is
negligible. LibDems have also been appealing for funding for their ‘campaign’. No one would waste their money on these waste of space.
From the Largs YES shop facebook:
“Today the following Scottish Liberal Democrat MPs voted to keep the bedroom tax.
Alan Beith
Malcolm Bruce
Menzies Campbell
Michael Moore
Alan Reid
Jo Swinson…
and
John Thurso
In fairness it should noted 4 Scottish Lib Dem MPs did not support the Government. I assume Danny Alexander’s reasons for missing the vote were not moral ones……”
Also missing Alistair Carmichael.
Ah Transport
That would be the vital AWPR, starting now thanks to the SNP Scottish Gov, which the LibDems (Greens) in the North East voted against for ten years. A campaign funded by a Feudal Landowner who did not want the road passing by. LibDems in the pockets of feudal landowners against the public interest.
LibDem liars.
The Natives Are Restless Tonight 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abpm6brSE74
Andy White says:
“I’m beginning to wonder if the best SNP strategy for 2016 would be to make a manifesto pledge for full Devo Max, with a resulting referendum following a successful re-election.”
We can take independence anytime the democratic process allows, IMO. However, we have to be given more powers, right up to DevoMax. Even if we said we wanted DevoMax, WM doesn’t need to give us what we want.
However, your general strategy is right, I believe. For WM2015 the SNP should have manifesto commitments to try to extract a number of popular policies ie no more Trident, no more austerity, no EU pull out, and DevoMax. Things which everyone accepts two thirds of Scots want.
Their approach of currently saying, independence can come back on the agenda when the Scottish people want it, is a good one.
I doubt if any of the SNP’s shopping list will be agreed and delivered. Lab and Con would gang up to stop it! Sometime after 2016/7/8 would be the right time to declare that WM simply won’t deliver what most Scots believe in, and call IndyRef2. By then 60%+ will realise Independence is the only way to get what we need.
The vital AWPR is starting now thanks to the SNP Scottish Gov, blocked for ten years by LibDems (Greens) in Aberdeenshire. In a campaign funded and supported by Feudal Landowners who did not want the road passing by their door.
Spotted a slight typo.
[About LibDems ]…shock the party’s remaining supporters.
Should have read
…shock the party’s remaining supporter.
(I think the other one left last week)
The LibDem Party policies in the North East wasted £Millions of taxpayers money.
The Unionists seems to think the Referendum is still on and they are all part of one ‘big, happy’ group. Voters must realise that the Better Together group is actually admitting that there is no difference between them & it does not matter who you vote for, so long as it is not SNP! Plus they ARE in govt (LIBs) and what a car crash they have made of the economy so far! Better Together put THEMSELVES first; not the people of Scotland! They did it in the Referendum campaign with fear & lies, and they’re doing it again now. Vote SNP, Scotland, to protect us from these self-serving scallywags.
Lesley Anne says
“We are currently working on a series of plans to try and change this by the way. ;”
Does it include an exploding cigar? 🙂
@ Nana Smith ok Nana so she,s the sump-thing to the prize dipstick & baith o them have less power than ah two stroke engine. BTW Jock sends his Love.
Here’s what the Lib/Dems think of their promises to the public,, the Lib/Dems earlier on in the year promised to vote against the Bedroom tax, but when the time came to vote against it, they failed to turn up.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/liberal-democrats-scotch-bid-to-vote-down-bedroom-tax-9931679.html
There’s no difference between Tory and Lib/Dem.
NO voters could be postal voting from holiday homes illegally, but the numbers would not sufficient to make a great difference?
Unionist might have cheat and lied YES voters to NO, but they won’t frighten NO voters from voting SNP.
The LibDem/Labour/Tories or what’s left of them, will split the vote letting SNP through, difference from a Referendum. That’s is why the Unionists are squeaking like pigs.
In the Referendum 80% + turnout. NO got 47% of the the total electoral vote. In a lower turnout 60%? GE average Unionists (split) votes will be less.
Stoker wrote: “We must make it about facts & issues and avoid any mention of wanting another referendum … This is a general election and we must make it clear that it’s all about putting MPs in WM who will put Scotland’s interests first and who will not have to consult with or answer to a Westminster master to do so. ”
Worth reprising this. Independence movement’s message and vow to the electorate should be short and sweet.
“Who in Westminster can be trusted put Scotland first on all occasions and in all votes?” ONLY US.
“Which parties are not branch offices controlled from London?” ONLY OURS.
Labour/Unionists in Aberdeen City Council voted against the vital AWPR for thirty years.
@ronnie anderson
HAHAHA good analogy there Ronnie.
Nice of Jock to think of me, I will drop him a Christmas message soon.
Wishing you ‘Happy Xmas’ too!
Sorry O/T
Live Independence Broadcasing Nordic Horizons with Lesley Riddoch
Starting NOW
http://tinyurl.com/m2to898
john king says:
Lesley Anne says
“We are currently working on a series of plans to try and change this by the way. ;”
Does it include an exploding cigar? 🙂
Nah!
That’s far too obvious John. Down here we’re far more devious than that! 😛
Education/NHS has totally benefited in the North East and in Scotland from the SNP Scottish Gov. A new Dental School and extension to the Sick Children Hospital. Funding for the maternity Hospital improvements and £Millions of money to bring the necessary improvements to ARI. Funding for the Sports Village and the Olympic Pool/the University. The refurbishment of the local College (£Millions). Improve funding for Aberdeen/shire Councils. The most important funding for the vital AWPR (£Millions). The Unionists totally neglected the North East for years,
Red Tories: “Vote for SNP and let in the Blue Tories!”
Blue Tories: “Vote for SNP and let in the Red Tories!”
Meanwhile in England the Purple Uber-Tories rub their hands with glee as the Red & Blue Tories follow their lead…
@ Nana Smith and a Very Merry Christmas to You to Nana.
Nicola at FM Question time today should have made clear that power over the North Sea sector totally resides with Westminster not the Scottish Gov. Full fiscal powers would give the Scottish Gov power over the North Sea Oil sector and the tax regime.
You’d think that the WM parties are terrified by the SNP “surge”…
Of course they are, for two reasons:
– As The Rev shows in the next post, First Past The Post works in favour of the SNP.
Forget the 45% at the referendum and remember the 1.6+ million votes.
These are all individual votes that will return in droves at the GE in May ’15, against an expected turnout much, much lower than the referendum, and will go to a Yes party, alas the SNP.
I don’t want to to jinx it, but percentages for the SNP could become mahoosive, well and above 50%.
45% is a guarantee to win FPTP, 50%+ wins with ANY voting system.
– Nobody can say it officially, because it would mean we admit we didn’t keep things under the strict control we should have, but we won the referendum, by a large margin.
Only a large number of fiddles, fudges, manipulations, tricks and – of course – plain fraud, nudged progressively the result around the exact figures the fake polls were predicting.
No exit polls? Come on, do you really think we’re that thick?
The Chief Counting Officier for the Independence Referendum is the Chief Executive of Falkirk Council. Falkirk. Where Labour fiddled their internal elections to select the candidate for a by-election to WM in 2013. Where Blue and Red Tories are in government together to keep the SNP out. Come on. Really?
I’m under no illusion that WM knows the real result, and they’re TERRIFIED of the consequences. Because they will come, whatever is the fake result they sold us.
When the tide comes, you can’t stop it forever. it will find its way, breaking a levee in a weak point and flood everything.
Hold the rudder. It’ll be wavy.
Got to agree with a lot of posters above. The SNP manifesto for WM-2015 should have Devo-Max as it’s foundation. Everything else is secondary.
When asked on the door step about a second referendum the answer should be “We’ll call for a second referendum only when the people of Scotland ask us to”. i.e. democracy in action.
Once it becomes obvious that even with a large number of SNP members at WM Devo-Max is denied us, it won’t take long for the penny to drop to 20% of the NO voters we need, and the second referendum will be called..
The SNP Scottish Gov, as usual clearing up the mess left by useless Unionists in the North East. Unionist liars.
@Lollysmum 5.59
I got my car sticker and handbook ok. Hope you can sort out the problem and ensure yours arrive too. I don’t have room for many more stickers on the car – what with the 2 Yes stickers, the Aye for Alba, and now the SNP sticker 🙂
Running scared the Unionists may be, but as long as they are fully supported by the corrupt Scottish msm their success in the GE is still a dangerous possibility.
Tonight on STV: Kezia Dugdale’s inaugurable stumbling read out ‘attack’ on the SG’s failure to ‘forsee the oil crisis’. A reserved energy sector, beset by international pressures and UK tax burdens is somehow the SG’s responsibility?
Yet this spurious item is the lead, with contributions from Ian Wood, a man who has changed his estimates of both job numbers and oil reserves so radically in twelve months that any credibility he may have had is surely zero.
In addition, on site assessments of her ‘performance’ by pet Labour fans in the media..the Clyde Radio guy and the Daily Record Ulster Loyalist Clegg. Both gave ringing endorsements.
This was followed up with less than subliminal images of Murphy grinning in the Holyrood foyer; Murphy smiling fondly into Kezia’s eyes in some unidentified swanky magisterial boardroom (Glasgow city Council?). Instead of the ludicrous fact that the SLAB leader is unable to actually participate in Holyrood was never examined or analysed.
BBC ‘Scotland’ went heavy on the imminent collapse of the North Sea Oil industry with an Increase in ‘Decommissioning’ being ‘inevitable’ described by an ‘Explorer’…whatever he is or was. Project Fear in total action. Again , no analysis and no explanation of why how or who…..correction, the ‘who’ is always a tacit nod towards those NATS and their upsetting of the natural order, otherwise this would not be happening is the sub-text.
As pointed out eloquently on Bella Caledonia, Murphy and MacDougal engineered a tactical assault on the YES campaign that deliberately targeted the ‘ostrich’ (my word)vote…people who didn’t want to know (and still don’t) the truth of the deception being perpetrated by our fascist ruling state on them and us. As long as their lives are unaffected, they think, keep the status quo.
Where I part with the Bella conclusion, that NO won the battle tactically, but YES won the vision thing and therefore will win the War, is that I don’t believe that we are able to swing the G.E. FPTP majorities in sufficient numbers by (1) trying to sell commitment to a pathetic VOW being honoured and (2) allowing the msm to carry on with the bombardment of ‘Scottish Labour Gov. in embryo under Murphy’ being fabricated daily.
NO won by playing the man..Salmond, and using an iconic fraud: Brown to frighten people to the back of the bus.
We have to accept the gauntlet of a United NO front and fight for full Independence and attack Murphy and his useless cohorts on their political track records of corrupt abuse of public money and their blatant contradictory statements.
For instance: How can Murphy claim that the ‘Scottish’ Labour party can go its own way on any policy, when he is a WM Shadow Cabinet minister? He is bound by the Westminster whip and cannot and would not break party policy e.g. bedroom tax, welfare caps and Trident..so why is he not called out on this?
“we won the referendum, by a large margin”
No we didn’t, and please don’t go on about it or I’ll run out of patience very quickly. But the rest of your comment makes a sound point. However, remember that we thought differential turnout would work in the Yes vote’s favour, and in the end it didn’t – the places Yes won actually had lower turnouts. When it comes down to it, and especially if the press is hyping up the SNP’s chances, hatred of the Nats might well drive Unionist voters to the polling stations again.
@ YESGUY.
My dear friend, let me first of all make clear one very important point – i couldn’t care less what usernames people opt for, that is entirely their call.
I happen to know that ‘indyref’ likes to debate the finer points and get the message across rather than just wind people up and as you would have seen from my post we were talking about the important message both Sturgeon & Salmond have been trying to relay, so i pointed out a small but important factor, from that perspective, and ‘indyref’ obviously agreed.
If you want to just wind up the Unionists, that is your call to make and more power to you, i hope you’re good at it.
😉
IMO, i think your wasting valuable time and efforts when your focus should be on getting the truth across rather than hardening the resolve of the already committed. But as i said mate, that’s your call and not for me to dictate.
Can i just add 2 points to back up what i’ve just said?
(1)-Remember just after the referendum how angry and upset we all were? And at one point you were fuming about how let down you felt by Edinburgh voting ‘No’? I bet you’ve partly felt responsible for that Edinburgh outcome at some point, i know i have with my own area which voted ‘No’ and i’ve repeatedly questioned my own commitment – as in could i have given more? and i have identified one or two changes i can make which will help me give more, one of them being no more loitering with intent on certain newspaper threads wasting time winding up people who probably don’t even live in Scotland. Instead, i’ll be looking to do far more productive activities.
(2)-Think about your very own words here:
“One commenter said i wrote well enough but the YESGUY tag made his teeth grind.”
If your aim was to wind him up then big congrats buddy, it worked, but given the choice would you rather the outcome was a seriously funny wind up or another Yes vote in the bag? And if he was the type who was not for convincing then why are you even wasting your valuable time with him. How many new or different doors could you have leaflet dropped in the time you spent winding up a no-hoper or in what other way could you have made your valuable time more productive?
By all means, if winding up certain cretins is your bag, you go for it buddy but i’ll not be making the same mistake again. Our time and what’s at stake is far too valuable.
The time for games will be after the 7th.
Paaaaaaaarty games.
🙂
Just for information. The transfer of Scottish waters is U.K. legislation, designed to put oil fields in English Waters. It would not hold up under European or international law, as there is a Convention which states that a straight line would be drawn from the lowest Scottish town near the border to the opposite coast in event of Scotland being independent. .
When we all look at how we are going to fight this election, I would ask everyone to keep some things in mind.
The S.N.P, is led by some of the best politicians in the U.K. I am sure you will know who I mean. Their strategy and planning will have been carefully thought out to maximise their influence and tactics. The people I refer to are political masters, and as such, I bow to their superior ability in their chosen field of expertise .Our role as I see it, is to trust that judgement and follow through on it. We all have our own ideas on what is best,and many of us on this site are very able and competent ,with numerous inspirational insights. We are overly keen to be engaged with our opponents. Our ideas are an important part of our weaponry ,but, like any efficient fighting force, we must follow our Generals. We gave them that trust to lead, and now we must await our order of battle
Ken500 wrote: “Nicola at FM Question time today should have made clear that power over the North Sea sector totally resides with Westminster”
Yeah, kept waiting for her to say something – seemed like an open goal to me. May be missing something but I doubt Salmond would have eschewed that low-hanging fruit.
That omission aside, I thought she did very well given her now well practiced kinder-gentler demeanor.
Presumably when they focus-grouped it and it went down well with voters. Her message to the masses (well, to the couple of thousand anoraks who actually watch all FMQ) was:
“I’m the adult in the room. I’m inclusive, cooperative, and collegiate, but these bozos that comprise the opposition are not interested in Parliament coming together to solve the Nation’s problems, they just want to bay and bitch (which was precisely what they proceeded to do! Score one for the nippy sweetie! . . . Now covered in Cadbury’s chocolate).
Don’t forget that on the alternative side. The advantage lower oil prices bring to the Scottish economy, which can mitigate any downturn. Plus still the possibility of Oil fields on the West coast. The economic advantages of the SNP Scottish Gov forward thinking in the investment in Renewable energy, and possibly electric cars still markable cheaper to run.
Although the malicious attack on the Scottish Oil sector by the Westminster Unionists in increasing Oil tax by 11% (£2Billion) in 2011 Budget – oil tax now up to 90% (which cut production). It wa a deliberate act of appalling fiscal ignorance to sabotage the Scottish economy for no other reason than spite. Reminiscent of Thatcher. Or because of the SNP manifesto and impending possibility of an Independence Referendum, it was a deliberate attempt to sabotage the Scottish economy to influence the Referendum outcome.
Try to remember,there isn’t, or ever has been a Scottish Labour/Tory/Liberal party. These have always been English parties run by and for the benefit of Westminster.Try to forget the years of brainwashing passed down by our working class families, and free our minds to take care of our future.We wont get many more chances than this?.
It’s going to have to be all hands on deck for the SNP, with reasoned intelligent answers for the electorate about why the SNP are the best choice to represent Scotland at Westminster. No room for complacency.
http://may2015.com/featured/why-the-snp-could-struggle-to-win-more-than-20-labour-seats/
You can smell the stench of establishment abject fear all the way from Westminster to the Shetland Isles, and that stench of fear gets stronger every day nearer the GE. (Ablins it micht jist bi weel skittered breeks frae proud Scottish buts). (And no – I did not mean Scottish butts).
I hope that the Libs who voted in favour of the Bedroom Tax,
and Hen Broon Alexander, who couldn’t be arsed to turn up for the
vote, fully realise that over 80% of people badly affected by it are registered disabled!
Are these the compassionate elitists that you want to look after your future?
Imagine how much Malcolm Bruce has trousered 30 years at Westminster on salary and expenses, doing absolutely nothing for the North East but acting against it’s interest, backing an overnight sleeper route and colluding with the Tories -The final shame. Must be an unprincipled multi millionaire by now.
Totalling missing the point. Food banks exist because vulerable people are being santioned and receiving no benefits to which they are entitled. The safety net has been withdrawn. Supporting the ‘bedroom tax’ affecting the disabled and most vulnerable. Hang your head in shame, Sir.
That would be the local Police Force under LibDem administration, that arrested people illegally and put them in cells without authorisation, costing the public purse.
There has been boundary changes to the Gordon constituency. It is not exactly the same as the 2010 boundaries.
The number of Labour votes is surprising. At one time Labour didn’t even put up a candidate, so slim was their chance of winning. At the time, before Devolution, when Labour was the major Party in Scottish elections. I.e Fifty years of Labour. It was possibly a Conservative seat before LibDem.
We will have to beat them at their own game.
If we want to further the cause of independence, Green and Socialist voters will need to vote for the SNP in 2015.
In 2016 and after independence, everyone can vote for the party they support.
But every independence supporter should back the SNP in 2015.
Libdems = useless . Paint ball them with their own shite.
Question; where are the lib dems finding the money to pay for the Royal Mail to deliver these rubbish newsletters?