Scotland’s Changing
Posted on
March 09, 2015 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
The world's most-read Scottish politics website
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Wings Over Scotland is a (mainly) Scottish political media digest and monitor, which also offers its own commentary. (More)
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A tall tale
Wee Books
Video
Probably a robbery
Transphobia
Thank goodness … nae bug-eyes!
Just a pile of taxpayer funded propaganda (factor in the extensive radio ad campaign up here too)
I wonder how much of the Scottish office budget went into this.
… and you think I fell for a spoof. Hah!
Bare faced, blatant election propaganda from The Scottish Office. Carmichael’s last hurrah. *Funded by UK Government*. Delivered by privatised Royal Mail. Wrap a brick in it and send it back FREEPOST.
Jim Thomson
Err….Jim, it’s a spoof. At least I think it is. 🙂
Propaganda. I got mine delivered today. Straight in the paper bin.
You missed off the Vote Unionist Party and the BBC logo as well. I think the chickens are going somewhere…and it isn’t across the road…
Is this a parody being sent round by activists? Because honestly it wouldn’t me if some of the labour pr guys decided to put these out in the spirit of “humor” or whatever they think of as humor really.
@Cameron I know, I was failing (again) at being too clever – happens a lot btw 🙁
We will get this bile everyday,on all media, and not a word will be said.
Opps, hook,line, and…..
Maybe I’m missing something here but who is sending these out?
FoI sent this evening;
scotland_office_strategy_branch_mailbox@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
RE: freedom of information request on Scotland’s Changing
Dear Sir or Madam
I am requesting as an FoI on
1. What was the cost of producing the publication ‘Scotland’s Changing’
2. What is the cost of distributing it to the 2.5 million households advised on your website
3. What is the address of the printing press printing this leaflet
4. What is the name and address of the company who won the contract to manage this production for you.
5. What is the cost of the extensive multi-media campaign associated with the ‘Scotland’s Changing’
Cllr Cadogan Enright
this was for basic data – I am following it up with more
Even spoofs can true. Labour are bunch of Brit spoofs anyway.
Don’t know if this is the case elsewhere but Labour definetly used the Post Office to deliver a confusing mixed devolved and reserved sweetie offering in Aberdeen. They are throwing a lot of money on this campaign.
The SNP in Aberdeen are crowd funding so if you have a spare bob or two can I recommend a donation. Aberdeen North and Aberdeen South need your support.
New powers are coming to Scotland!
First up, a completely NOT new power, already devolved, fcuk all to do with England, except Scotland gets called the scrounger region.
“Parliament is already responsible for Scotland’s NHS and Scotland’s education
system. This will not change.”
FoI sent tonight
Dear Sir or Madam
I am requesting as an FoI on
1. What was the cost of producing the publication ‘Scotland’s Changing’
2. What is the cost of distributing it to the 2.5 million households advised on your website
3. What is the address of the printing press printing this leaflet
4. What is the name and address of the company who won the contract to manage this production for you.
5. What is the cost of the media campaign associated with the ‘Scotland’s Changing’
Cllr Cadogan Enright
this is for basic information – I am working on a second one for deeper information
Heard this getting punted on the radio the past week, guessed it was a product of the Scottish Office. Very fortuitous timing I thought, what with the general election coming up.
Christ almighty, second up
“WORK AND FAMILY LIFE.
The single UK jobs market means Scottish workers can move around the UK, safe in the knowledge that their pension entitlements, work benefits and national insurance will move with
them.”
Just like everyone else in the 350+ million European Community can and do everyday, except Scotland has to now endure being reigned over by a red and blue tory boy England and their out of EU referendum.
WOW!
This leaflet tells the TRUTH whilst we wait for the imminent delivery of Alistair Carmichael’s wee leaflet of TRUTH! Oh no wait a minute Carmichael doesn’t know TRUTH he only knows LIES!
These new powers have been agreed and guaranteed by all five of Scotland’s major political parties.
They’ll make Holyrood one of the most powerful devolved parliaments in the world.
Is this guy for REAL?
What universe has he beamed down from?
What part of “these powers have to be AGREED by Westminster does he NOT understand?
Hell he could tell us all that we are to receive FREE flights to Mars but that means squiddly squat. Why? Simply because unless WM agrees to these powers, flights etc then we get NOTHING!
How on earth can we have one of the most powerful devolved parliament’s in the world when we can not even get rid of Trident, properly help the poor, have full financial control over ALL of our needs?
Oh look folks he even uses good old Darling the Starling’s favourite line:
Whatever your age and wherever you live, being part of the United Kingdom means we pool and share our resources.>/i>
Pool and share resources huh?
Aye that’ll be right WE have the resourses and Westminster pools them all around London!
Right I’ll cease fire here otherwise I’d be here all night. 😀
Cadogan Enright says: Exactly what I thought.
I had a good look at it and as others have mentioned it is just a state sponsored piece of propaganda sh*te.
I do not need a distant, don’t care less about me, shower telling me how Scotland is changing. I can see it with my own eyes. Town centers boarded up. Even charity shops closing!!! People shuffling around with looks of despair in their eyes.
Empty shops. No industry. What do we make anymore?
I still think the Scottish Government should deliver their own leaflet.
They have a right to have a say also on the new powers.
And what more is required.
I got a leaflet through the door today that looked awfy like a better together leaflet from the referendum (pooling and sharing etc) – did anybody else get the same one?
“One of the most powerful devolved parliaments in the world” it says – twice.
Did I miss something here? I thought the referendum was last year and we ended up with a ragbag of inconsequential meaningless “powers” that are as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike?
“Our United Future. Built To Last”
Eh, dinnae think so…
Reading the actual propaganda (linked by the Rev. as “new leaflet”), it’s as if we’re still stuck in the indyref. Half truths, baseless assertions and vacuous guff.
Why can’t Unionist just move on?
Perhaps they also doubt the nature of their ‘victory’?
Following the link to the real leaflets, they offer it in a range of languages, including ‘Hindu’ (which is a religion, not a language (unlike Hindi, which is a language).
It has a strange url.
http://ourunitedfuture.tumblr.com
Here is the website(not to mention full page ads in local papers)paid for by the tax payers.
link to ourunitedfuture.tumblr.com
Full of Government propaganda that would make Goebbels drool!
I welcome the leaflet
People will read it,and think I smell shate
If you click on the blue leaflet link on first line on the above article it will take you to HM Gov web site and scroll down to bottom of the page it asks you
Is there anything wrong with this page?
Its tempting!
OMG, “pooling and sharing” on the first page. They’re *still* spouting that shit…
FoI request
Dear Sir or Madam,
1. What was the legal advice the Scottish Office received regarding the need for neutrality in its publication ‘Scotland’s Changing’ ahead of a Westminster Election.
2. What consideration was given by senior civil servants and the to not having an information campaign at this time, so as not to interfere with the upcoming election
3. Given the self-evident bias in the publication towards the 3 main Unionist Parties operating in Scotland, has the Scotland Office registered with the Electoral Commission as it is spending more than £10,000 in the run up to a General Election in this manner?
4. Does the Scotland Office accept that there is no obligation on the incoming government to honour any aspect of ‘Scotland’s Changing’?
5. Did the Scotland Office take cognisance of opinion polls showing that a majority of voters in Scotland felt that the Smith Commission proposals were inadequate before proceeding with this campaign?
6. What role did the Secretary of State Alistair Carmichael play in the above?
Councillor Cadogan Enright
any other ideas the FoI email address is scotland_office_strategy_branch_mailbox@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Made it to the end. It really is just spot the lie, isn’t it?
@ Onwards says:
A crowd funded wee blue leaflet would be the best riposte
The civil servants in the ‘Scotland Office’ (sic) responsible for producing/commissioning this have to take a good hard at themselves, and perhaps start wondering what might happen to their civil servant careers in the future.
Stating that there are ‘changes that will happen’ is risky, sensitive and usually ‘out of bounds’ territory for civil servants. They are not politicians able to make nor publicise (politicians’) promises.
Providing government ministers with information, opinion and advice, along with beavering away to implement agreed government policy founded on enacted parliamentary legislation are the major parts of their role/jobs. When it comes to dealing/communicating with the public/electorate there are clear, (normally) strict boundaries to what civil servants can say/how they can engage. Promises/predictions of what a future government will enact are not something that civil servants can legitimately do.
So proactively publishing and distributing material which state that things that have not yet been voted on/enacted by Parliament, and are the preserve of a future elected legislature, will happen puts them in a legally exposed position.
That convention and the Civil Service Code are being thrown out the window by Scotland Office officials is an indication that they feel that they, like BBC Scotchland managers, journalists and presenters, are ‘untouchables’, above the law.
Whilst at the moment that may be true, a civil service career is a long time in politics….
Cadogan
Who authorised the Royal Mail to deliver it inside the latest expensive “Scottish” Labour leaflet printed and posted in Essex?
Labour and Tory still Better Together
They had to get this out sharpish before the 6 week moratorium kicks in for the GE.
Another cynical waste of money from a government that keeps claiming poverty.
Oops seems I posted the website just as you did
cynicalHighlander and I agree it is a strange ulr
I copied and pasted it from a post I had put on FB and it included more information. A well meaning person commenting on scot2scot pointed out that this ourunitedfuture site may be linked to the “dark opps” dept of the UK gov and we maybe should be careful not to engage with it. Paranoia? I don’t know but i would not put anything past “them”.
and by “this” I really mean the one dropping onto doormats.
It really is turning into a dystopian society. Have we fallen into an alternative universe since 18 September 2014? It becomes more and more surreal every day.
In reality both blue & red tories are terrified of a large cohort of SNP MPs at Westminster, irrespective of how England votes.
[…] Scotland’s Changing […]
I got mine sent from a tory candidate, needless to say its winging its way back to them with some very choice words written on it from me.
Its a pamphlet of utter deceit and barefaced lies. You wont fool us again unionists your time is just about up.
Scotland 2015 and Scotland To-night with wall to wall politicians slagging off the SNP. Great balance again from our broadcasters
@ CameronB Brodie, “as if we’re still stuck in the indyref.”is a terrific point. Even if you’re buying into this one huge UKOK con alone, you’re still going to vote SNP for an actual Scottish voice in Westminster that’s really working for Scotland, no mater how hard the whole vote SLab 2015 propaganda pours out of Pacific Quay.
During indy ref, Holyrood was their UKOK pretendy parliament but look at what’s been achieved so far by the most powerful parliament in the known galaxy and beyond.
Apparently it cost £1.5 million.
FOI requests are all well and good, but will change nothing.
Apparently there is demand for information on the new powers.
If this is the case, why can’t Scots hear from our own Government ?
Oh dear – they asked for feedback at bottom of page…
Is there anything wrong with this page?
Yes!
What were you doing?
I was reading it – unfortunately.
What went wrong?
Alistair Carmicheal has used my taxes to insult my country with complete propaganda prior to a general election. He is a disgrace and the Lib-dem will be wiped out come May 8th.
My local paper, the Banffshire Herald, that I get every Friday, was polluted by a full page ad for this drivel. I am glad they got they money for the ad. Pity I had to pay for it twice.
@Roland Smith says: 9 March, 2015 at 10:00 pm:
” … They are throwing a lot of money on this campaign.”
You can say that again, Roland, I got the one from the United Kingdom Government wrapped up in a four page A4, very red, Leaflet from the London Labour Party, (Scottish Region).
Yet there were no strangers involved in delivering it for the wee Papillon didn’t bark. So it must have been the Posty for she doesn’t bark at those she knows
Scotland tonight.
Pathetic, amateurish CRAP.
two interviews where labour were given free reign and no SNP representative.
Trying to silence the SNP now, the establishment’s worried, really worried.
Loadae hollow,meaningless shite.
I see pish like this in terms of the confluence of communications,PR,propaganda and advertising taking place of Govt responsibility to fulfil its role of acting on the citizens behalf,fulfilling the wishes of them.
Why bother actually doing anything to satisfy them when you can send out a leaflet with a load of meaningless slogans wrapped up in pictures of babies?
Sorry,this pish is emblematic of the failure of modern Govt in satisfying the population by actions and replacing it with symbolic action and rhetoric.
They’re selling a message,controlling dissent and drawing a veil over the fact they’ve done nothing,do nothing and plan to do nothing.
Getting really pissed off with Scotland 2015. So much bias. So much spin. So little fact.
Surprised they didn’t get Jack Straw and Malcolm Rifkind on the front of it. 😉 They might as well have since obvious and inept westminster propaganda has never been viewed with more hostility and distrust from the scottish public than it is right now.
Hence all the polling and all the westminster party leaders laughably dire personal ratings in scotland.
Link to Aberdeen SNP crowd funding site.
link to crowdfunder.co.uk
If you look at that link you can see all local SNP crowd funding campaigns. There may be others using the guys the Rev uses but I have not seen any.
Scotland tonight spending full programme on Slab and Unionist tactical voting discussion/advert with no balance, opposite view apRt from 8second clip from SNP.
Disgusting frankly. Severin now naming targeted seats and tactics.
Shocking.
Just noticed Sinkys comment. My Labour postie delivered dross came the same day as the Scottish Office waste paper as well. Can’t remember if one was inside the other or not.
Anyone else had them delivered same day by the post office.
#two message
I spotted an ad, on facebook, advertising this very leaflet, it was from the ‘Scotland Office’ and I deleted it, so they are also paying for ads for this on facebook, money money money…
Got mine today. It’s not even subliminal electioneering in the guise of ‘information’, but pure unadulterated propaganda. Basically a re-hashed Better Together leaflet. The prior radio ads were in the same vain. Example (after puffing up the new ‘powers’) : “pensions, passport and currency are safe”. Why even mention them? We’re not getting any ‘powers’ over them. “Safe” from what or whom? Why would they not be “safe” if we did have the power? Etc etc etc.
It’s not dissimilar to the type of centralised Communist propaganda that was pumped to the citizens of Eastern Europe pre-1989. And they accuse the ‘nats’/ Scot Govt/ the SNP/ Yessers [delete as applicable] of being ‘totalitarian’. Oh, the irony….
On the same theme:
link to grousebeater.wordpress.com
Of course the biased broadcasters are going to bend over backwards to try and save ‘scottish’ Labour. We already knew that.
We will talk to the scottish public on the street and on the doorsteps as well as outside the westminter establishment media through Facebook and social media. We already know how to do it and do it well. So it’s just a question of getting on with it.
If the unionist media want to go down in flames with ‘scottish’ Labour then that’s their funeral. They will get no brownie points from a bunch of bitter ex-Labour MPs and with fairly close to 50% of scots voting SNP they are burning their bridges along with what little trust remains in them.
Guess who this is “are you for Scotland or against Scotland? Thousands were persuaded that a yes vote was the only way to show themselves to be patriotic Scots.” Its Crash Gordon in the Guardian that told us this morn Scots are incestous folk dancers in kilts but even so.
This new UKOK thing says Scottish pensions are safe in the UK, well ok but thanks to Crash, its also nearly the lowest of all Western economies. Crash also puts the boot in to Farage for attacking foreigners tonight and
“More alarming, Ukip has made economic insecurity the starting point of a “culture war” that blames foreigners, targets immigrants, engenders a siege mentality against the outsider and says that Britain is barely recognisable to those who believe in it.”
This from Crash Gordon who’s campaign slogan 2010 was his British jobs for British workers crappola. Breath taking liars, crooks or just plain old insane even by then.
Aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!
Scotland Tonight – Discuss..
Love the first pic. Mummy UK keeping baby Scotland safe and warm.
Is that one of the incestuous babies the cartoon referred to?
OT Wow, can’t wait to see Prof. Robertson’s score for the SLAB PPB that was Scotland Tonight. Even Davidson’s wildest rantings went unchallenged.
Best leaflet:
Vote Labour, get Labour.
Vote Conservative, get Conservative.
Vote SNP, get self respect.
Just watched Scotland tonight,two obnoxious bullies in particular ian Davidson,the propaganda war is upon us.truly shocking .I presume it was the same on BBC labour ,with Sarah smith.
R-type grunt,
What’s to discuss? THEY are using THEIR media to best advantage.I seriously hope WE’RE all chapping enough doors.
After Scotland Tonights dire tactic vote spiel..
What is it about Scotland that so appeals to pro unionists who spent years in South Africa?
link to linkedin.com
Tell me they’re real, send them to me, i’ll start distribution immediately
If the opposition can have organisations informing folk on how to vote tactically we can put stuff like this through doors
Funny how the opposition claim it’s us doing a referendum re-run, yet they advocate, along with the Media exactly that very proposition right down to giving these people airtime and publicity on the telly
Can you really believe it, interviewing an organisation who are openly attempting to subvert the so called Democratic voting system,yet they call the SNP the bad guys
So Absolute shame on you STV
It will not be forgotten, you might hope the general public didn’t notice what you did tonight
WE DID!!!
Scotland Tonight.
O you,s vile o the vilestest cybernats cawin Davidson & Labour Red Tory,s,he’ll tell his mammy oan you’s.
Not so bad, they only used 26 UK’s over a sparsely worded 6 page leaflet saying virtually nothing (except UK, UK, UK) – Talk about re-branding, sheesh…
Was a wee but bemused at the addition of the Scots Parlie here and there for tokenistic balance, otherwise, why bother?
Scotland Tonight was something else. What possessed them to court the wrath of Prof John Robertson after all his comparitive fairness reports against the no-holds-barred, unionist approach of the Scottish branch of the BBC?
Swiching over to BBC was no better.
For the price of a stamp:
Might send mine back to the Scot Office stating “election propaganda unwelcome here”.
I don’t recognise the mountain in the wastemonster blurb, does anybody know where it is ???????
Unfortunately there does not seem to be a return address so they can get it back with comments. However if you select the html version there are links to ask questions although I wouldn’t hold out much hope for an honest reply.
There is also a link near the bottom ‘Is there anything wrong with this page?’ which opens up an opportunity for comments and maybe a bit of mischief-making.
Look on the upside. We must be doing really, really well when this amount of money and MSM media focus is being used.
Think about the infighting in Labour ranks at present. All those greedy MP’s trying to get support focus to save their particular seat.
Don’t get angry – sit back and watch them implode.
…more popcorn anyone?
Wall to wall Labour propagandists on Stv & Bbc,who pressed the panic button again.
Bbc was 100% one sided , again. Like last night and…you get the drift. Not even an attempt at balance.
This unionist appeal for tactical voting to keep the SNP out assumes that NO is still in the lead.Polling suggests otherwise.
At the risk of being crude { never stopped me before } this leaflet should be treated the same as the nice card I got on my 50th a couple of months ago from the bowel cancer screening campaign. In other words drop a bit of poo on it and return to sender.
Desimond at 11.21pm
I see Ms Kane was educated at Fettes Colledge – that would be the same colledge Blair went to then?
Pity spelling isn’t high on her academic achievements – what a great advert.
I thought she was very inarticulate on what she was trying to achieve with her tactical voting set-up. It angers me that this was even given air time, because it undermines the seriousness of political policy and voting.
But what can we expect?
straight into the bin, no good even for lighting the braai (bbq), it might taint the boerewors (farmers sausages)
link to bellacaledonia.org.uk
brilliant bit of work 😉
Clootie,
Sitting back and eating popcorn is only appropriate AFTER you’ve done your share of campaigning.
B&$t&rd$ – they have dropped control over road signs.
No mention of it at all in Carmicheal’s propaganda.
Back tracking already!
@James Barr Gardner
“I don’t recognise the mountain in the wastemonster blurb, does anybody know where it is ???????”
Stob Ban
link to gettyimages.co.uk
What if we’re not stupid!
link to bellacaledonia.org.uk
What’s new Ronnie. The TWO main television stations in Scotland are full of Scottish Labour sympathisers.
Otherwise known as “Red Tories”.
The is a Referendum re-run.
Start watchin “Bonanza Bonanza” Ronnie, a wee bit of West Ireland Country Music. lol
It’s a lot better for your health.
Hoss Mackintosh says:
B&$t&rd$ – they have dropped control over road signs.
No mention of it at all in Carmicheal’s propaganda.
Back tracking already!
WHIT?
We’re no longer going to get control over road signs! … but … but … but they promised! Lord whatshisface in his flippy floppy report thingy said we could do our own road signs.
DAMN!
So I guess we’ll no longer be able to have roads signs like: 😉
All visitors welcome
except David Cameron
Ed Milliband
Nick Clegg
Welcome to Scotland
Land of the FREE
You are about to enter Engerland
Land of the oppressed
Please ensure you have the correct currency when travelling in Scotland
We do NOT accept currency from Bank of Engerland
😀
I don’t get it. Who sent this stuff out? SNP? Bit OTT for them, but I can’t see who else would come out with the ‘Bend over and think of England’ line. Labour shooting itself in the foot? Tories likewise?
A spoof leaflet for a spoof union.
That’s BBC Scotland and now STV, openly giving out information about,
“how to defeat your local SNP Westminster candidate”.
Put it in an old envelope and address it to the Lib/Dems HQ at 4 Clifton Terr, Edinburgh, EH12-5DR, without a stamp of course. While I’m writing can I push out our begging bowl for our soon to be launched Indiegogo Campaign to help us to dislodge The Secretary of State for Portsmouth AKA, Alistair Carmichael. So please watch out for it and help if you can, thank you all in advance.
Auld Rock
Taken from the Hope over Fear FB page, and shared from a Twitter feed – brilliant!
Well, i can only be amazed at ordinary single mother Felicity Kane being the next fall person for the Labour Party
Helping all who desire to know exactly how they should vote in the General Election as long as it’s against the SNP
Of course we all remember ordinary mother Claire Lally and the more recent wee Nurse Suzanne (who was not an actress)
Now we have another one Fettes College Educated same as Tony Blair (that’s a coincidence isn’t it) seemingly ex South African Director of a company called “Deus” who are really a bit vague about what they actually do, but lets say something akin to Advertising Promotion and Media
Now i am in no way saying that this particular woman is yet another plant in yet another long list of Labour plants
I’ll leave that to others to make up their own minds
which is more than this womans intentions are
Coz she’a going to make your mind up for you
Stob Ban is in the Mamores range – behind Loch Leven, well known to Munro baggers.
Sorry for O/T here but this about a new *ahem* organisation called Scotland in Union, co founded by Felicity Kane, who is NOT involved in any way with politics folks! 😉 , that apparently plans to help people with opinion poll information and research to help them vote tactically against the S.N.P. 😀
link to twitter.com
Their leaflets might be shite to most of the readers here but the sad fact is that their message worked last September. People swallowed it. They are not appealing to the WoS voter but to the sheeple and they lap this stuff up or don’t bother voting. Either way it suits them in a ballot.
@Barbara McKenzie
Hi Barbara
Gentle nudge read the first few posts! 😉
Grit teeth and bear it folks…all this love bombing!
I was on YouTube the night and kept getting this nice old guy with a lovely Scots brogue purring about our fancy new powers that are guaranteed…
All courtesy of our helpful Scottish office and their department of Keeping us in the Box.
Aye – guaranteed if you ignore running the house of lords gauntlet, the whim of the next government, and their completely elastic timescale.
They are spending some proper dough on pushing this ‘you’ve never had it so good pish.
English , Welsh and Northern Irish folk should be royally hacked off with this appalling abuse of public funds. 1.5 million quid sounds a lot – but does that include the YouTube advertising, the newspaper advertising and the debt interest on whatever is spent (as it Is paid for by further debt)?.
How many twats like me have to graft for a year soley to stump up income tax to pay for this pure propaganda.
Absolutely disgusting. May will bring a hard rain for Westminster. I hate all this defeatist crap about Carmichael being the only lib dem left – he should be the first one out on his arse.
@ Dr Jim
She (Felicity Kane of Scotland in Union) didn’t strike me as being Labour, came across as more of a Tory – of course nowadays impossible to tell. But why is STV giving time to this anti-democratic nonsense? Seems their (SIU) prime agenda is to block AS in Gordon. But there was no-one on to defend against this or Bayonet Davidson’s tirade beforehand.
Kane came across as a complete airhead. Nothing to say, only to infer: SNP BAD. Like that whole programme.
#scotnight
in union women
I’m not advocating tactical voting
Then asks who would you vote for in gordon?
then guy from guardian calls SNP the ENEMY
wtf
Rev Stu,
hope you do not mind a plug for GA Ponsonby’s new book out shortly….
“London Calling – how the BBC stole the referendum”
new website…
http://londoncallingbook.com
Do not bother complaining to the BBC – a waste of time and effort.
Buy the book and get it into the best sellers lists.
Let’s make sure it is a world wide smash hit!
Anyone interested in this Felicity Kane who is NOT involved in any way with politics can read some information here:
link to companydirectorcheck.com
link to companieslist.co.uk
I just wonder what this Scotland in Union garbage will look like when it *ahem* launches on Friday. 😀
I see Joan Mc Alpine is putting in a complaint re a broadcast she took part in ….8 minutes long and 7 minutes and 42 seconds went to the unionists and her contribution got all of 18 seconds .
Bias at it’ s best !
We really , desperately need our own broadcasting company .
As soon as I saw Davidson I started to blaspheme. The missus had to calm me down and advised me to switch channels, From the comments above, I’m kinda glad I did. I really can’t afford a new telly just now.
Perhaps we should put it to the English people to hold a referendum to boot us out of the union. What would the tossers at WM and their media friends think of that. Might be a bit tricky for them to give us another love in.
Perhaps some of our English readers could set the ball rolling for us.
As soon as I saw Davidson I started to blaspheme. The missus had to calm me down and advised me to switch channels, From the comments above, I’m kinda glad I did. I really can’t afford a new telly just now.
Perhaps we should put it to the English people to hold a referendum to boot us out of the union. What would the tossers at WM and their media friends think of that. Might be a bit tricky for them to give us another love in.
Perhaps some of our English readers could set the ball rolling for us. Two can play at this game.
Any Postal Workers,
Fed up with Slabber leaflets, already, If they were marked Wrong Address, Return to Sender and posted once again. Would they go to source or PO bin.
shades of NO BORDERS about MS FELICITY ANN KANE & Tactical voting mob.
I just watched a YouTube ad saying exactly the same thing as their poxy leaflet, it’s the referendum all over again and the lying has started in earnest.
The Tories (HM Government) know Scotland won’t vote for them, so is this latest round of propaganda aimed at making us vote Labour?
They really have no morality whatsoever.
Yeah OK, gotcha! Didn’t see the original …
Dues Agency Limited
Is it a shell company
noun
a non-trading company used as a vehicle for various financial manoeuvres or kept dormant for future use in some other capacity.
REV needs a look
Felicity Kane organised the big No event in Edinburgh just before the referendum. There was a big write up about it in the Scotsman. She was described as a Stockbridge mum if two. I think the address given for Deus is probably her home address. Educated at Fettes, fifteen years in South Africa, came to Edinburgh in 2011. Been living here three years.
They’ll make Holyrood one of the most powerful devolved parliaments in the world.
Hahahaha. Seoul City government has more power in their left pinky than the Scottish parliament with all the Smith powers (few of which will actually make it through the lords anyway)
Bit dense, isn’t Carmichael? He, like labour, seems to have forgotten that the internet exists and people can actually fact check this bull excrement on their own, without having to listen to a biased media network that twists facts for those in power.
@Wrinkleyreborn
Fed up with Slabber leaflets, already, If they were marked Wrong Address, Return to Sender and posted once again. Would they go to source or PO bin.
freepost it back to their designated freepost address.
If they don’t get the message, then at least you can be safe in the knowledge that you are eroding their campaigning funds as payment for them wasting your time.
The English actually had some fun with the UKIP freepost address last year, though if you were to replicate what they did you would have to check the legality of it under scots law.
LOL …that woke me up as I have my morning coffee!
Very good who ever designed this!
Felicity Kane will be remunerated with taxpayers money. Was she recruited? by BT. Is there any connection to Blair? There was once a Unionist poster on the Scotsman (before it disintergrated) who spent time in SA – half the year. Dual passport.
Scotland is certainly changing. The majority don’t believe the nonsense, anymore. They can see right through it. Thanks to folk like Rev Stu.
Binned it along with Labour’s latest release from Essex (10 reasons) as soon as they hit the carpet yesterday. I’m done listening to anything they have to say. I see no point in giving any of my time over to people who peddle hate fuelled propaganda through the media.
If they wish to marginalise me and people like me, I reserve the right to to treat their propaganda with the contempt it deserves. Besides recycling is good for the planet.
Am testing this short link:
link to wp.me
And it looks like Ms Kanes current business partner at Deus is a bit of a rogue landlord;
link to bbc.co.uk
I am astonished by this. It is blatant electioneering on behalf of the unionist parties funded by the public.
@ peekay says: Ms Kane went to Fettes as did Tony Blair!
@Cadogan Enright
Please send your magnificent FOI to the Electoral Commission and every Media news desk email you can find. I’ll be doing the same – I know it might be useless but we have to try!
Might just find some purchase somewhere – maybe we all need to do it !
@Rev
Have you considered donating any excess Fundraising in £1000 block to every constituency in Scotland?
Or actually making your version of the postcard and getting it deliver to every home
BBC Scotland stirring up the racism card again. They are trying to portray Scotland as some sort of County in the South coast of England.
Jumping on the UKIP bandwagon.
All designed to have another dig at SNP policy of trying to attract skilled workers from abroad.
The first people who I would through out of Scotland would be the bastards who work at BBC Scotland.
Scotland’s population has hardly grown in the last one hundred years, but that suits the Establishment, who don’t want the Scottish economy to grow.
The SNP don’t want an open door policy, it would be controlled immigration.
The English Establishment (including BBC Scotland) have other ideas.
Keep them wee, stupid and poor.
Twitter users … please add hashtag #ShutUpScotland
Get it trending!
Good to see STV finally dropping all pretence at impartiality last night.
Many of us have long considered them to be just as biased, just as controlled, and just as corrupt as the BBC.
Last night’s Scotland Tonight closed the case.
I don’t get the tories. That Ashcroft poll had Cons 272 Labour 272. Why would the blue tories not want SNP to take 50 seats, as the alternative would be Cons 272 Labour 322.
Heard some Labour guy on TV last night talking about Tories millions and SNP largesse to throw at the General Election but failed to mention that at Royal Mail costs of 60p per 1000 it must have cost London Labour some £300,000 just to deliver their two recent leaflets. Add to that Made in Essex printing costs of circa £200,000.
Murphy in Herald on about Scotland’s £6 billion deficit if we got full fiscal powers.
Its time the SNP fought back on this
Archive not loading at the moment.
link to thecourier.co.uk
FOI request sent asking for the league table of devolution powers.
Do they have one?
Are they making it up as they go along?
Are you all feart yet!
link to archive.today
Taken my tablets already and going to tune in to ‘Morning Call’ we need a much stronger armed force presence in Europe to counter Russian adventurism,says the BBC & friends. I’ll see how it goes. 🙂
Ian MacWhirter writes…
A general election campaign that is turning into a vile witchhunt
link to archive.today
O/T
This is for all the Scottish Labour MPs who follow this site.
The Sunday Herald
“SCOTTISH Labour’s bid to hold on to its Westminster contingent is being hampered amid claims that too much of the party’s energy is being used to save one Glasgow MP.”
link to heraldscotland.com
Why are all your funds going on saving Glasgow’s Labour MPs (especially Curran and Murphy). If you are not a high profile Scottish Labour MP then it looks like you are not going to get much backing from Head Office. You are on your own.
And the rest of us can watch Scottish Labour implode, when it suddenly dawns on them that they will be unemployed on May 8th.
The title of this piece inspires me.
With a few changes “The times they are a-changin’ would make an excellent song for protests – especially ones at PQ.
One change could be “times” to “Scots”.
A pair of cymbals that can be worn as outsize tin hats would also be good. The second verse could definitely be sung with gusto.
By the way, where are the STV and Borders TV offices?
O/T
Buried News!
link to nuclearinfo.org
Good article…
link to atrueindependentscotland.com
It looks like Glasgow Man has been overtaken by Essex man.
Regarding STV and their anti-SNP stance.
I have been on their case ever since the Referendum Campaign started. There is no difference between them and BBC Scotland, full of Scottish Labour Party sympathisers.
I am glad to see a lot more of you are starting to see this.
Welcome aboard.
@ Nana
Good link to the MacWhirter piece Nana. Mr MacWhirter doesn’t go nearly far enough, good article though it is. The press witch hunt of the SNP voter and the wider independence movement began some time ago. The denigration of Scotland in general by the establishment and establishment press has been going on for decades.
At first it was tiresome, now its merely dangerous and beyond reckless. People deliberately manufacturing hatred to further political agenda amongst their own electorate, viewers and readership. Basically peddling hatred for profit is what it boils down to.
I don’t think there is any other word to describe these acts than simply evil.
“But she said the position was worse, saying: “It is clearly the case that the UK Government is including the SNP in political attacks prepared at taxpayers’ expense while continuing to exclude us from the pre-election access to civil servants. ”
This inconsistency reeks of hypocrisy,” she declared, “as well as a Treasury which has become transparently party political.”
Good Sturgeon precis on corrupt teamGB Treasury attacking Scottish democracy at our expense.
Have they stopped them or are we going to have the same postal ballot opening sessions on front of red and blue tories again?
How come nothing came of Ruth Davidson stating in public she knew the ref result long before it was announced, or another day in this farce union.
caz-m says:
“Why are all your funds going on saving Glasgow’s Labour MPs ”
I suppose that’s what happens when you don’t have a significant grassroots base and have to pay for on-the-street electioneering.
It poses a wider question about what democratic politics should be. I believe it should always be driven by ordinary people. When you turn that completely on its head and attempt to exercise political power by astroturfing, like VNBs did, it should ring huge alarm bells.
And what of Labour? They may retain a historical loyal vote, but where are their hordes of activists? IMO They have will have no place in politics without roots.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing when watching the English news last night at 6. The Tories have a mega huge digital poster picture of Alex Salmond with Ed Milliband in his jacket pocket. At the side if Vote Labour and Get SNP. Bet the Unionist parties thought the show was over on the 19 September for the SNP. Not by a long chalk. I laughed myself silly.
Meant to say the poster has been put up in a prominent place in centre of London, think the Strand.
Wings, have you thought of actually printing some of these and sending them out in certain areas? In all seriousness it might make some people think again before they vote.
Who in the STV chain thought that promoting a spurious fringe group for so long was even remotely fair and balanced. The propaganda machine shows that fear of an SNP victory is palpable that you can smell it and taste it.
Shoddy stuff from STV and I hope it backfires on them on them.
The Scottish Office leaflet went in the bin unread. We will be rewriting that after the 7th 🙂
Its someone ‘avin a giraffe init!
Aww, I’m jealous!
I didnae get one as I live abroad.
But seriously, what do they think it will achieve?
Somebody in the “Scotland” Office, not Scottish Office? obviously wants the population of Scotland to rebel and vote SNP.
Trouble is, according to the polls in recent months, that’s exactly what they are doing anyway.
The message I see is “You lost, so get back in your box and accept that England Rule!”.
The immediate knee jerk reaction is “on yer bike ye mash bastard”, but a few seconds of thought tells me this must be either a very clever spoofy bit of deception by someone that has way to much spare cash and wants the SNP to succeed or that someone in the “Scotland Office” is eating way too many pulses, so many in fact that the brain farts are continuous.
@Macart
Absolutely agree. A lot more could and should have been said. The fact that the vile stuff is printed for English readers makes it a clear case of hate and xenophobia.
The daily star was calling us ginger rats with a headline screeching ‘invasion of the ginger rats. Would any other country stand for this.
My goodness we need clear heads right now. Dreading each day which is a truly bad situation.
Hopefully the world is watching and seeing the last days of empire, can’t come soon enough.
I’ve submitted a complaint to STV, I’m furiius that such an anti democratic group could be given a public platform.
Are they trying to kill politics? Their website is garbage, and contains some opinion pieces, that are outright lies about the SNP.
I want to know why a news programme thinks it’s a good idea to promote tactical voting.
That’s exactly what its going to take Nana ‘clear heads’. Even under the most extreme provocation we must not retaliate with hatred. Take the piss, point it out, belittle their efforts, laugh in their faces, effectively lance the boil.
Is it me or is this a different picture from last night? I could have sworn the BT Lady was above and to the right of the ‘you voted no’ text yesterday.
galamcennalath 9.34am
“And what of Labour? They may retain a historical loyal vote, but where are their hordes of activists?”
They have very few grassroots activists now.
Years ago they would even use work places to push their Labour Party views, using Union Reps etc, but even that line has dried up.
Now we have people like Tony Blair throwing in his blood money to prop up candidates.
And as for the way Scottish Labour Party funds are dished out, well it’s quite easy, Mags Curran gets £10,000 and the wee ordinary Glasgow MP gets a fiver for a rosette.
Sounds fair to me, not.
C’mon all you “wee” Scottish Labour MPs, start fighting back.
UKOK fear and loathing everywhere in England now. This is quite creepy even for creepy old Indy. The Independent explaining to parents of girls how to raise them proper like.
First thing, tell them looks don’t matter. Next, photo line up of influential women today and they use a photo of Sturgeon looking a bit daft to say the least, along with-
“Nicola Sturgeon (UK)
The Queen? No, the person whose political career has been built on a commitment to tear apart the union who (at this moment) holds the actual power. With the SNP likely to sweep Scotland in the forthcoming general election, it will be Sturgeon who will have the greatest say over Britain’s future.”
link to archive.today
Oh well. At least the Independent’s not going on about Scottish incest and folk dancing yet.
O/T
Corri Wilson, SNP candiate for Ayr. Carrick and Cumnock’s campaign fundraiser closes today at 6pm. Not even half way there to complete its funding!
We need as many SNP candidates in Westminster as possible and therefore need to support them as much as we can to ensure they have the best chance of getting there.
Vote SNP, Get Scotland outta the madness.
Oops…link:
link to crowdfunder.co.uk
I would help crowd fund the above leaflet. It would be hilarious.
For once Scotland might get proper representation at Westminster and they want their baw back.
Westminster has never been about democracy that’s why there’s an unelected chamber and a remembrancer
Yeah. I got one of those yesterday. On the very day the civil service purdah supposedly began. Sound familiar at all…?
O/T
Meanwhile over at the huff post that bastion of liberal thinking shirley williams thinks she can lecture the snp.
A woman who happily voted through austerity and I believe she was happy with privatising the nhs.
A woman who defended the lecherous Lord Lennard and most likely knew all about cyril smiths nasty habits feels she can vent her spleen against the snp and followers.
Give me strength.
O/T
link to news.scotland.gov.uk
“Scotland’s Changing”? You can fucking say that again!
(Incidentally, if the Tories are mad enough to stick that poster of Salmond with Mr Ed in his pocket up in Scotland, just how many SNP votes will it be worth, do you think? Or is that the general idea? Does that chinless wonder realise he’s playing Russian Roulette with the future of the UK for short-term electoral gain? Or does he just not care? Jaysus!)
Felicity is the second such “tactical voting” astorturf (like astroturf but with more money) roots movement to be heavily advertised in the last two days. I mentioned the one which got exposure in Politics Scotland on Sunday called Forward Together. The forward bit is a good idea because it will probably fit neatly over the Better Together posters in the fields of landowners in Perthshire
No coverage of any other political party except Labour makes you wonder about what Tory central office think of it.
I can’t imagine Danny Alexander will be too chuffed at the lack of coverage of the Liberals either.
I know it’s funny to watch Labour implode but folks must be wondering where the political pundits covering the forthcoming election are. They certainly aren’t out on the hustings covering the political parties. Have you noticed a curious lack of street vox pops of voters in this campaign too? It may be the most surprising election since the second world war but what is surprising in this 24/7 news age is just how little actual political coverage there is and how much spin from Australian election agents has taken over.
Oh jings! 😀
link to huffingtonpost.co.uk
Aye ruthie “lets not undo the hard work that’s been done”
[by my party and lib dumbers to cripple and demonise the poorest in society] this is the part she left out.
link to inverness-courier.co.uk
I’m popping mine in the nearest post box with ‘Return to Sender’ written on top.
It’s an elegant form of protest requiring no placards, no standing about in the rain and the cold and no risk of arrest.
I’ve already done this twice for the mail-shot from Kirkcaldy’s new London-appointed Labour candidate.
The Spanish translation (officially approved, presumably) doesn’t talk about devolved powers, it speaks literally of Holyrood as “among the parliaments with transferred competences with the most decision-making power in the world”.
Do people agree that having devolved competences gives you decision-making powers? I thought that the truth was “power devolved is power retained”. What are they telling the Spanish-speaking world!
The fundraiser is creeping towards the £96,000 mark. Let’s go for 6 figures.
link to indiegogo.com
Some of youse may remember that last year lots of nice people made extra donations that were clubbed together to buy a gold badge for Ronnie Anderson.
Well, this year Ronnie has nominated the famous, glamorous, unparalleled Paula Rose, for a crowd-funded gold badge.
Paula Rose has walked the streets and tottered around many a muddy and fishy venue, in her stilletos, to promote Wings over Scotland. Bringing Wings to places others might not reach.
If you want to contribute to this amazingly deserving cause. Just make another wee (or not so wee) donation to the fundraiser and put a post on the off-topic thread saying how much you sent.
link to wingsoverscotland.com
Just clicked on the links to the real leaflet.
“Around 150 babies are born every day into a Scotland where the Scottish Parliament is already responsible for Scotland’s NHS and Scotland’s education system. This will not change.”
LOL.
We must be the most unique country on earth. The ruling government are miles ahead In our parliament and in all the polls yet all media printed and visual are against it and fighting tooth and nail to oust it. It’s unbelievable.
I just love wings! This is where the real news is.
Great comments today guys, especially good links from Nana and Macart. Putting them to good use.
The huge intemperate assault on Scotland and the SNP in the English media is being used in parallel with suggestions that Labour is about to do a deal with the SNP to provide English largesse to the scrounging Scots.
This is transparently a tactic to produce a Tory win.
I suspect Labour cannot win a General Election in England. In years past dissatisfaction with the Tories would have led to a small movement to Labour (small movement are all you usually get – elections are more usually decided by disaffected who stay at home rather than lots of people changing sides) but this movement is going more to UKIP, blunting any possible Labour climb.
Very different in Scotland where a huge number of people appear to have changed sides. This is because the debate in Scotland has changed. It is no longer right against left. It is status quo against independence and will be until that issue is finally resolved.
The metropolitan political class and media and much of our unionist politcos haven’t quite got to grips with that yet and are still trying to fight a traditional election with, to date, much less success than they had expected.
link to heraldscotland.com
Good piece by McWhirter.
@Nana re your link to Aldermaston . To many people not qualified in making decisions & swimming in money who wants to stop that flow.
Nice find Nana one of this sites bestest ferrets,mair power to your keyboard xx.
Anent junkmail, don’t just write “return to sender” on it and post, it will be binned, put it in an envelope addressed to their HQ and post without a stamp.
BBC Scotland pushing the emigration issue, reason being the SNP has a relaxed view.
Big Nancy Davidson’s arse has collapsed and he’s now in full panic mode. The thought of presenting himself for useful work obviously lacks appeal. 🙂
It’s BetterTogether and Project Fear and VoteNoBorders by another name all over again. Well, perhaps it never went away.
In Scotland this election is becoming a continuation of the ‘cold war’ between Scottish aspirations and the British Establishment.
Holyrood 2016 is going to be particularly interesting because for the first time political events in a Scottish Election are likely to be of prime interest to London. That might well be seen by voters as external interference.
Yes Scotland is changing, she also has an opinion and it the opinion that the unionist don’t like.
Oh, BTW. My copy of the “SCOTLAND’S CHANGING” propaganda sheet came handily wrapped inside a great big red A4 election leaflet coquettishly titled: “TEN REASONS TO VOTE LABOUR”! An extraordinary coincidence, wouldn’t you say?
(What I want to know is: is Labour handing out HM Government leaflets or is HM Government handing out Labour leaflets? And who’s paying for it? Them? Or us?)
Fancy that:
“Scots mutant ginger rats invading England”
link to dailystar.co.uk
The story in itself in fairly innocuous, but there is an underlying theme is that the Scots have a problem and it may spread to England.
I’d be interested to establish if there is a rat infestation in Hawick, or is this a fantasy metaphor of the star’s political editor alluding Scots are vermin?
Drip, drip, drip…………
Heckie McPhail
Amazing isn’t it, FPTP was so fine while it enabled the unionists but now the snp are coming up fast and biting at their heels FPTP is such an abominable threat.
link to hereisthecity.com
Lets sell the Orkney and Shetland to the Russians as part of a deal to give Crimea back to ukraines.
Politics in England seems to be ‘rampant neo-liberal’ vs ‘rampant neo-liberal pretending to have a vestige of social conscience’ or as Russell Brand said ‘Wanker A vs Wanker B’.
They spent 35 years achieving that and they are terrified it might be upset by the arrival of the SNP 🙂
@Ronnie Anderson
I like ferrets, small and nippy!
Oh dear labour what now?
link to snp.org
Forgot to add anent returning junkmail in an unstamped envelope. No stamp means a surcharge on the recipient. Impossible to tell if it’s returned junk or some old bat sending a cheque and forgetting the stamp. 🙂
Fred, exactly what is going to happen to our leaflet when it arrives but I am sending it to Gordon Brown of Vow fame, he can pick up the tab, or at least it will be less in his “ahem” charity. I see no reason to penalise the Taxpayer again.
Is it true that the lack of exit poll in the referendum meant that the difference between postal and physical votes could not be confirmed?
@ nana Smith
This will be the John Mills who donated millions in shares to Labour so that the Party could indulge in tax avoidance.
link to bbc.co.uk
Many members of the shadow cabinet, as well as Edinburgh South MP Ian Murray, are currently using the services of a seconded member of staff from the accountancy giant PwC, each at an estimated cost of £45,000.
This at the very least suggests a conflict of interest, particularly as Margaret Hodge, the chairman of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, said it was ‘inappropriate’ to accept unpaid help from the firm accused by MPs of promoting tax avoidance schemes on an ‘industrial scale’.
Helena, I’m sure Gordon Brown, North Queensferry KY will get him fine, he’s not short of a few bob. He’ll be only too glad of the letter, probably think it’s fan-mail.
My “Scotland’s Changing” propaganda leaflet was inside a booklet from William Wallace & Son, offering funeral plans!
No doubt for the early death of the Union…
I’m a bit late here, but surely that leaflet HAS TO BE a spoof. They can’t be that stupid, can they?
@Brian Fleming
C’mon now Brian the British establishment don’t have any sense of humour. That’s pure Wings. Click on ‘leaflet’ in blue just above the spoof version. This takes you to the real thing. It’s funny too but not funny haha.
What are you all complaining about? I haven’t yet received the leaflet via the privatised postal service, but for sure the one shown here does remind me well of the Indyref campaign conducted by the No side.
Pooling and sharing, such a sweet euphonism for “Give us your income and we will decide how to distribute”.
I’m planning on returning the propaganda (Freepost), in a parcel along with a large Union Jack cushion and a message that it is for their sore behinds after Scotland has given them one hell of an ass kicking on May 7th.
This might as well be the leaflets. During the referendum it was The Great British [insert title] and wall-to-wall war films, they banned the Saltire from public display, wouldn’t allow The Proclaimers to be played despite reaching number one and used the press and BBC as political tools. If anything they now have less restraint, they’ve already gotten away with it once..
They must be afraid of another referendum…i got a leaflet from the UK Govt today all about how wonderful it is to be part of the UK and how we are all protected in Scotland and secure in an uncertain world! It’s exactly like a better together leaflet!
Felicity Kane (nee *Chalmers*) Fettes Colledge graduate will be launching the Scotland in Union stuff on Friday, let’s just say it is doomed to fail like her “friend’s” property career (See above).
We need to keep positive, everyone seems to be against the SNP apart from the majority of supporters “First they ignore you….”
link to heraldscotland.com (last line)
Or surely not linked to our Moderator? Probably Not but link to theguardian.com
Scotland changing might be due to the radioactivity leaking out of those old submarines?
Certainly there has been a deleterious effect on certain sections of society.
This might also explain why we have a readership for Daily Mail and Record?
PHD research opportunity here.
Now where’s that Geiger-Müller counter..
An academic by the name of Colin Kidd wrote in a book called Union and Unionisms, that the success of the union was its banality. Mr Kidd concluded that people simply accepted it. Didn’t question it. Simply got on with their lives.
So far so good right?
Well, no he wasn’t completely right. He was right about it being banal but it was the banality that came from folk who didn’t think they had a say in it, let alone a vote. There was no public space for this debate to happen. It happened behind closed doors or the occasional SNP mail shot. It was never debated seriously in public. It was never debated at all by the other parties.
The minute that debate did take place. People started to think about Scotland and who they were as Scots. They were thinking about this because they had been asked to make a decision. The choice was to be Scottish but have your affairs decided for you by a British parliament. Or to be Scottish and have your affairs handled in Scotland by Scots. In the end 45% of the electorate chose the latter. From that moment on Scottish politics had be irrevocably changed. From that moment on, the cozy and comfortable fiction that the people just accepted the union was busted.
The mistake for labour was to treat this an election. It was a referendum. A means of gauging public opinion. It was never about and should never have been about parties. This subject transcended the idea of political parties. This was about national identity. It was about national sovereignty. It was about who was best placed to make decisions about Scotland’s affairs. Labour needlessly and recklessly alienated so much of its support by behaving the way it did. It blurred the lines between themselves, the Tories and the lib dems, that many simply don’t know what they stand for. But for many who voted yes and had never voted SNP in their lives…labour simply no longer sounded like a party that could represent them. And so they shifted to the SNP with predictable results.
They lost Scotland. Just as the conservatives had done in 1997. Just as the lib dems had done back in the early 20th century
The result is that those who voted yes are no longer listening to the UK. It doesn’t matter what it now does. What astro turf campaign it engages. What tv spots it puts up. What the commentariat have to say. Or for that the matter the zoomers and concern trolls who haunt these and other forums. The union won’t be going forward with yes voters. There is no national unity. There never was any national unity in terms of Britain. One half may think themselves British. But the other half doesn’t.
They keep asking ourselves to get over it. We already did, but we also got over the notion of being British at the same time. They would like to reset the button, to get back to that time before. The time before we had the right to question the union. But you can’t reset time anymore than Canute could command the tides. The idea got out and nothing they can say or do will ever get it back in.
So the zoomers can zoom. The trolls can troll. The twats can tweet. The media can spin. The spinners can smear. But in the end its too late. Too late for love bombs. Too late for smears. Too late for zoomers. They cannot win any arguments here or anywhere else that yes voters congregate. They can carp, whine, bitch and curse.
They lost us. We left the room. We’re no longer taking them seriously.
We’re not British. get over it.