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Sick and tired

Posted on December 20, 2020 by

Oh just shut up you useless waste of space.

He DOESN’T CARE WHAT YOU THINK. You can bleat at him for a thousand years and he won’t listen. You gave him his election and he has a majority and England has chosen its fate and there’s not a damn thing we can do to stop them dragging us down with them because you’ve wasted the last four years whining about it instead of doing the thing we elected you to do, which is put us in charge of our own future forever.

Now either get off your worthless coward’s arse and do the only thing that’s actually in your power – a plebiscitary election – instead of grandstanding around the world stage achieving absolutely sod-all except getting your face in the press again, or get out of our damn way and let someone who can do the job take over.

(PS that also includes the job of handling the pandemic, which you’re making a pig’s arse of too, but gosh, doesn’t everyone love how telegenically you’re presenting the thousands of needless deaths? New Zealand has had just TWENTY-FIVE with near enough the same population, because their leader had the courage to make the tough calls you failed to because the Selfie Queen can’t bear to be unpopular.)

And no, we haven’t been drinking. Not a drop. We’ve just had enough.

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  1. 20 12 20 23:56

    Sick and tired | speymouth
    Ignored

  2. 22 12 20 19:21

    Back in the days – politics-99.com
    Ignored

  3. 22 12 20 19:22

    Sick and tired – politics-99.com
    Ignored

253 to “Sick and tired”

  1. P
    Ignored
    says:

    Well said

  2. aulbea1
    Ignored
    says:

    Yeah – 110% – yeah.

  3. Den Cairns
    Ignored
    says:

    She must have a PLAN ffs!!!

  4. Rev. Stuart Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    She’s got fuck-all.

  5. Dave Beveridge
    Ignored
    says:

    NEW Covid strain? Well that’s the next excuse for doing SFA sorted!

  6. Scotspine
    Ignored
    says:

    This!

  7. Rev. Stuart Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    “NEW Covid strain? Well that’s the next excuse for doing SFA sorted!”

    Another indefinite delay to the day when she can stop using Brexit as an excuse. How very convenient.

  8. Intractable Potsherd
    Ignored
    says:

    The plan is not to have an election in May.

  9. dakk
    Ignored
    says:

    “And no, we haven’t been drinking. Not a drop.”

    Sounds like you could do with one though.

  10. Grey Gull
    Ignored
    says:

    I’m so depressed I do need a drink.

  11. Tartanpigsy
    Ignored
    says:

    Just as angry as the article, fkn complete dereliction of duty.

  12. M_Alc
    Ignored
    says:

    New page view record as accessed from Holyrood terminals incoming.

  13. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    Launch Secret Plan B. (puts pencil up nose ,underpants on head, and says weeble weeble).

    Cunning stuff !!

  14. 100%Yes
    Ignored
    says:

    11 days to the 31.12.20 and Sturgeon has decided that Brexit or the lack of a deal requires the UK attention, when she personally has ignored 6 mandate she and her party have been given to protect Scotland place in the EU, two faced liar she never given a stuff about Scotland or our place in the EU.

  15. Polly
    Ignored
    says:

    Must confess I share the irritation but with an added dose of heart sickness since I used to admire the woman. However listening continually to the same soundtrack for years and years without ANY type of action means lots of the irritation is just wearing down too now and more bile is left. I notice some folk say lay off her until new year and then we’ll find out why. Whether that implies she’ll come good or depart they don’t say. Either way it all feels almost too late.

    Intractable Potsherd says:
    20 December, 2020 at 10:48 pm
    ‘The plan is not to have an election in May.’

    Yes seems likely.

  16. James Horace
    Ignored
    says:

    We had all better hope and pray that the Salmond Inquiry unearths far more than it has done so far.

    There are a lot of claims on here that there is already a smoking gun, and that her days are numbered.

    To me, this looks miles and miles away from the truth. She still looks very safe. And unless there is some fairly extreme new evidence we dont know about yet, she will hang on in power fairly easily. Then will probably win a majority in May, and will be with us for many years to come.

    It’s a sad state of affairs. But it’s where we are.

  17. Morag
    Ignored
    says:

    Don’t hold back Stu, say what you really think…

  18. Betsy
    Ignored
    says:

    Open minded on whether there will be an election in May but assuming there is, the entire campaign will be “cast iron mandate” blah blah. Then post election win, it will be unconscionable to hold a referendum until we’ve recovered from the covid crisis. New leader (Angus Roberson) installed for the 2025 election- and it all starts again. New cast iron mandate, new excuses.

  19. Jill Sharpe
    Ignored
    says:

    As usual you are the sharpest knife in the drawer –
    Regards – Paula Rose xx

  20. Grey Gull
    Ignored
    says:

    Bob Mack @10.55
    It’s worth a shot. There’s fuck all else!

  21. MWS
    Ignored
    says:

    Aye. I can’t even be arsed posting anything else. Just Aye.

  22. Jason Smoothpiece
    Ignored
    says:

    I would say my sentiments exactly.

  23. Dave Beveridge
    Ignored
    says:

    She’s Tony Blair in a skirt. All image, surrounded by sycophants who gaze at her adoringly. Seen her referred to as “our wee tartan superhero” the other day and damn near threw up!

  24. Astonished
    Ignored
    says:

    She has stolen our hope. She is a disgrace.

    Her and her husband are utterly useless. She must resign.

  25. Ellie
    Ignored
    says:

    She’s allegedly given covid her 100% attention since March for all the good it seems to have done.

  26. Kenny
    Ignored
    says:

    Bang-on, Stuart.

    I watched that nonsensical Covid statement she made last night – first one I’ve watched – and felt it was chock-full of inconsistency and recklessness:
    “.. assuming we are confident we have the virus under control we”..
    We will continue to send kids to school and y’all can just have a 24 hour party on the 25th cuz the virus (new, Super virus only place on the planet with) is having a break?

    Regardless of what you think of the virus, she’s having a laugh, and no wonder she was too ashamed to look at the camera last night.
    Get out, you bam-stick.

  27. Heaver
    Ignored
    says:

    Scotland has been propping up the british empire since forever.

    England: it’s over. You’re on your own.

  28. James S
    Ignored
    says:

    I’ve contributed to every fundraiser for your site.

    But this vendetta is pathetic.

    Fuck you Stuart.

  29. Rev. Stuart Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    “There are a lot of claims on here that there is already a smoking gun, and that her days are numbered.

    To me, this looks miles and miles away from the truth. She still looks very safe. And unless there is some fairly extreme new evidence we dont know about yet, she will hang on in power fairly easily.”

    There has 100% been a smoking gun. The only way she can dodge it is to stall the inquiries until May. That’s a very big ask.

  30. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    I forgot to mention the underpants must of course be tartan .For that patriotic look that goes down so well.

  31. Lennie
    Ignored
    says:

    Hahaha before I read the last sentence I thought to myself “Rev’s been on the sauce”:

  32. Ross
    Ignored
    says:

    You don’t like it but she is heard by the rUK media and is able to add to the pressure.

    What she is saying is absolutely correct here. This is an angry little note from you.

    There’s valid criticism but not about this.

    A plebiscitary referendum right now is absolute lunacy. Would be slaughtered for suggesting it during covid. The fact you’re unable to even consider this is unbelievable.

  33. Ross
    Ignored
    says:

    Despite paragraphs and paragraphs the smoking gun is a meeting was possibly not recorded as govt business. Woopty fuckking doo.

    Imagine trying to explain that to someone down the pub. I’m sure they’d be wide eyed with horror.

  34. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    @Ross,

    Do you believe the elections will go forward in May.? If they do what is the problem with making it a plebiscite for Indy rather than just a routine election?

    Same process as far as I’m aware.

  35. Graham McBotski
    Ignored
    says:

    So basically angling for votes that you won’t turn into action, and fuck all else.
    We don’t want a shaky claim to the moral high ground, we want independence. A competition between two fuckwitted authoritarians wasn’t really what I expected this year, but here we are.
    None of your last-minute, panicky half-arsed “solutions” have made a blind bit of difference to handling this outbreak (probably due to forgetting that schools & colleges are the predictable incubators of every flu season); instead we have to put up with more and more crap restrictions with a side order of hoping for at least one day’s favourable press that achieves fuck all.
    Was there ever a more incredibly stupid generation of politicians anywhere than, given that we are a wee bit advanced scientifically than at any other time in history, the current one?
    History tells us that being wedded to an agenda and ignoring reality rarely ends well. Hell slap it into ye.

  36. Grey gull
    Ignored
    says:

    Bob Mack@11.06.
    But of course. However, that is an image I’d rather not have. Maybe I need more drink.

  37. Christian Schmidt
    Ignored
    says:

    NS plan is clearly that Johnson’s NO won’t be sustainable if the SNP win the 2021 election (and in the meanwhile she’s taking pot shots, which is not really surprising).

    As I understand it the idea is that after the election public opinion *in England* may see the Tories as unreasonable and undemocratic if they continue to say no, and this would threaten their chances of victory at the next UK election. And while this may only be a theory, I think it is clear that it is not just NS’s idea but is shared by many people in London too. I mean Cameron didn’t just agree to the 1st referendum because he was a jolly nice chap, but because he thought the alternative was worse. May didn’t thought she could get away with a straight no but had to settle on ‘not now’. So I have no idea whether the NS strategy will work, but I don’t think it is ridiculous…

  38. Kenny
    Ignored
    says:

    Fuck you, James S.
    There. That’s better.

  39. stonefree
    Ignored
    says:

    Her popularity is supposed to be high, there is no real proof that is the case, she has been treading water for months and still she is .
    And when she loses in may, we’re the ones that look like arses.
    She have the crap bills passed.
    Not a thing is gone to move until mid to late January, and she’ll still be on the fucking tele
    On Saturday the National had fourteen bloody photos of her (on-line edition)

  40. Ross
    Ignored
    says:

    @bob mack

    Because to bounce an Indy vote on our people at this stage , at the end of a parliamentary term would rightly be seen as rushed and a disgrace. That’s before the fact covid needs the people and all govt’s full attention.

    But let’s ask the people. Seen as wings is so sure it’s the right thing to do im sure he has lots of data to suggest the people would welcome an indy vote in 5 months. Must be breeming with it as there’s not even a shadow of doubt in his mind.

  41. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    Cameron agreed to a Referendum because YES was consistently hovering around 28%. Period.

  42. Polly
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Ross

    ‘A plebiscitary referendum right now is absolute lunacy. Would be slaughtered for suggesting it during covid. The fact you’re unable to even consider this is unbelievable.’

    So you’re saying we should not be able to vote for a new parliament during a pandemic and they should be able to stay in power indefinitely until the virus is completely eliminated? Would you say the same if it was a UK general election with Boris in power for goodness knows how long? How have other countries managed to have elections during corona virus? Would that be Scottish exceptionalism or Scottish cringe which makes us different?

  43. James Horace
    Ignored
    says:

    Ross,

    “Despite paragraphs and paragraphs the smoking gun is a meeting was possibly not recorded as govt business. Woopty fuckking doo.

    Imagine trying to explain that to someone down the pub. I’m sure they’d be wide eyed with horror.”

    I agree with you entirely. And unless Stu has some more info he hasn’t told us about yet, I am not anywhere close to his level of optimism.

    To fowk like us who have been following the granular detail of this case and inquiry from the start, it may well look like a smoking gun.

    But to Joe public on either side of the Yes/No divide, this counts for hee haw. They simply dont care. I reckon most fowk in Scotland wont even know there is an inquiry happening. They will see her chat about covid and moan about Boris each day, and thats about it.

    And her wild popularity will sadly outweigh anything that us and a few Tory MSP’s correctly deem to be a serious set of events.

    She will survive, half of Scotland wont even realise she was so close to being caught out too. They will still be too busy lapping up her daily covid updates.

    She will survive, and she will make it look easy.

  44. Dave Beveridge
    Ignored
    says:

    @Christian Schmidt

    Cameron agreed to an independence referendum cos Yes was around 28% in the polls.

    The Tories couldn’t give a rat’s arse at being thought of as unreasonable and undemocratic. Remember, these are folk that aren’t too put out at the thought of bairns starving.

    Also, you’re putting too much faith in the opinions of the English public who regard us as little more than an appendage somewhere up in the frozen wastelands and who can’t understand why we’d no longer want to be generously subsidised by them. The last thing they’re concerned about is us being denied democracy. See the EU 62/38 vote for a recent example. Have you heard much clamouring down south for our wishes to be respected?

  45. Ross
    Ignored
    says:

    @polly

    No Polly . That’s not what I’m saying. By plebiscitary vote he means a consultative indy vote. The Scottish people will expect an election of a new parliament at the earliest.

  46. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    @Ross,

    That really is showing the same mentality as Nicola. We are bouncing ghem after 6 years? Really?

    People would vote as they sznt on the issue

    At a time when the UK is effectively ruled by

    incompetents,what better moment to strike?

    Fear never won anything except a prolonged existence. Nicola displays the same fear you do.

  47. DaveL
    Ignored
    says:

    I’m beginning to wonder who’s hanging onto who the hardest. In as much as if BJ had a hammer forcefully implanted in his head and told Scotland “You’re free, I declare you an independent nation” Sturgeon would be screaming “No! no! Give us the section 30, we will not go, we demand that section 30”
    Mrs Miss Ms Mx Sturgeon, just go. Oh, and take your dancing bearded lady men with you.

  48. Polly
    Ignored
    says:

    Ross

    ‘By plebiscitary vote he means a consultative indy vote. The Scottish people will expect an election of a new parliament at the earliest.’

    Yes, he meant, I believe, to turn the election into a plebiscite. At least that’s what I took him to mean. Why did you think he thought to have it now?

    Yes you’re correct we do expect a new parliament at the earliest, hopefully on time whether there is or is not a virus going about. But my question to you now is – what difference is there between an election in May and turning that election into a plebiscite?

  49. Hatuey
    Ignored
    says:

    Sturgeon has failed across the board on everything. I can’t even take her seriously as a politician. On top of failing, the Salmond scandal reveals her to be a really unpleasant person. She’s a busted flush, it’s just a matter of time before people see it.

    Her most recent TV performance on Coronavirus was full of the usual spin. They knew about the new ultra-infectious strain of covid in September and did nothing – her SAGE representative would have briefed her on that. Now she’s talking about acting early and learning lessons from March when it looks like she has made the exact same mistake again by failing to act early enough.

    The thousands of deaths we have experienced so far are a direct consequence of her cowardly pandering to London when it comes to coronavirus strategy. All she ever cared about was getting in front of the camera and selling herself. If this new strain is as out of control as it would appear to be, we are going to pay a hefty price for all this.

    Apart from all that, yeah, she’s doing pretty good. Go SNP.

  50. Ronald Fraser
    Ignored
    says:

    Cameron agreed to a Referendum in 2012 because the Polls were sitting at 70/30 in favour of staying in the Union.

    I think Cameron’s answer would have been different if the Polls were 60/40 in favour of Indy.

    That is why Sturgeon has to think of another route to Indy.

    The English have broken so many laws in the Treaty of Union, that going through the Courts would be a stone wall way to go.

    Sturgeon knows this of course, but wants to grandstand her way to her favoured job at the UN.

  51. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    Effectively Nicola’s supporters do not believe the current Indy support polls. They also believe the electorate is too stupid to know they are voting for Indy or not.

    The mindset of winners ? Not really.

  52. Ross
    Ignored
    says:

    @bob

    It’s not fear, it’s reality. Blame whoever you want for where we are right now but unless youve at least considered, measured, strategized whether the Scottish people want a consultative vote in 5 months get real.

    No evidence they do.

  53. Big Jock
    Ignored
    says:

    Her tweet would suggest she has already got a delay lined up. Covid 2. Then the impact of Covid 2. Then the impact of the impact of Covid 2.

  54. Hatuey
    Ignored
    says:

    Asswipe: “A plebiscitary referendum right now is absolute lunacy. Would be slaughtered for suggesting it during covid. The fact you’re unable to even consider this is unbelievable.”

    Nobody suggested “right now”. Most data and science suggests the vaccine roll-out will go a long way towards ending the covid crisis by May.

    Nobody has asked the people if they want to make the election double as a plebiscite on indyref2, just as nobody asked them if they didn’t want to. And nobody would need to ask them – the idea of asking them is stupid. The acid test of their approval would be the election itself.

    Stop being a fuckwit, whoever you are.

  55. Ross
    Ignored
    says:

    @polly

    To answer you directly. Nothing and everything.

    My view is the electorate won’t take kindly to having an effective indy vote foisted on them at this stage and in this situation. You’re free to disagree with me.

  56. Mr C M Howie
    Ignored
    says:

    Completey agree except a plebiscitary election just wouldn’t work. It will have to go to court, there’s no other way.

    What they should have done is anticipate this, hire the best legal team money can buy, then the morning after May said ‘now is not the time’ they should have held a press conference saying we have initiated legal proceedings against the UK govt.

    That was four and a half years ago, imagine where we could have been now.

  57. Ronald Fraser
    Ignored
    says:

    Let’s hope Joanna Cherry has a secret Plan.

    With lots of secret meetings taking place over the holiday period.

    Then, out of the blue, Sturgeon resigns due to being an evil wee bastard.

    Her conscience couldn’t handle it.

    Something surely has to be happening in the background.

    Wings can’t be the only place where Sturgeon is being questioned.

    This is hopefully happening in many forums around Scotland.

  58. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    @Ross,

    Its been measured for months. Indy over 50%. You fail to answer the question. What is different about Scots that makes them unable to understand that a vote in an election will lead to Indeodndence. Whats to lose, because you can bet your bottom dollar Independence will AGAIN be the subject matter of the SNP manifesto and people will have to choose that option. Jt makes no sense.

  59. Ross
    Ignored
    says:

    @hatuey

    Asswipe. Wow haha I’ll no sleep tonight.

  60. wee monkey
    Ignored
    says:

    Bob Mack says:
    20 December, 2020 at 11:44 pm
    “Effectively Nicola’s supporters do not believe the current Indy support polls. They also believe the electorate is too stupid to know they are voting for Indy or not.”

    Who was that eminent academic that told them to sell stories because the they couldn’t sell the truth?

    He was right.

  61. Polly
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Ross

    ‘My view is the electorate won’t take kindly to having an effective indy vote foisted on them at this stage and in this situation. You’re free to disagree with me.’

    Of course we’re free to disagree, but it’s good to try to listen to the opposing view in case they have some relevant info we lack. It seems you’ve changed your position though, since at first you were only mentioning no referendum ‘right now’ because of covid but you’re now saying we shouldn’t have an Indy vote at all until covid is eliminated – by that argument you’ve proved you do think Scotland can be held indefinitely without a vote as I first suggested. It means we’re stuck with a government we didn’t vote for and do t want indefinitely just as much as if you believe we should stick with Boris if he refused to have a general election when it was due.

    If you feel we can have normal elections during covid – considering the huge import of brexit and bad handling of covid by Boris and co., your position is holding us within the union without any means of changing our situation every bit as much as if you say we can’t have an election and must stick with those already in charge messing things up even more and causing more pain.

    I don’t understand your position at all.

  62. The Dissident
    Ignored
    says:

    @James Horace

    Public opinion has nothing to do with it.

    If it can be proved she has knowingly misled Parliament then the Ministerial Code says she must resign.

    Maybe you’ll remember that Henry McLeish had to resign because his constituency office sub-lets were a mess; a rather trivial matter in comparison.

    It would not be a surprise if you don’t remember because the public gave precisely no fucks about that at all as it was all a political bubble technicality relentlessly pursued by a certain Nicola Sturgeon (among others) for no purpose other than to hound an imperfect individual out of office.

    The point is that it is not tenable for a First Minister whose job it is to enforce the Code of Conduct to ignore it. Where does that lead exactly?

    If she doesn’t go voluntarily she WOULD lose a vote of no confidence. This would not simply be a matter of party loyalty, this would be a matter of having to give someone who knowingly lied to you a vote of confidence.

    In my experience, SNP politicians don’t like being misled any more than any other politician and I’m not sure it is any more acceptable because the person that lied to you happens to be your party leader.

    There may be some numbskulls on the SNP benches who would back her in a vote of confidence if told to do so, but I have my doubts that anyone who wanted themselves or their party to be taken seriously by anyone ever again would do that.

    The only question is how likely is it to be proved that she misled parliament knowingly. The committee does have evidence that it has been unable to make public yet (AC-H stupidly alluded to it in chamber) and remember that it has not yet interviewed anyone involved in this who was not actually working on behalf of the government at the time.

  63. A Person
    Ignored
    says:

    -Dave Beveridge-

    “Tony Blair in a skirt” is a belter of a description.

    -Ross-

    If the 2021 election is made a plebiscite, and most Scots vote against independence supporting parties, then, seeing as that will be the only realistic opportunity we have in the next decade to have an indyref, that will show that most Scots don’t want independence, in which case the matter will at least be resolved, albeit in a bad way. If a voter supports independence, they will vote for it in a plebiscitary election, and not get too fussed about the nature of it. Has the pandemic dampened Leave voters’ enthusiasm for Brexit? Not a bit.

  64. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    I can only assume that the SNP are going to omit the subject of Independence from their manifesto given their supporters find it so problematic to give to the voting public.

    Shame about that. I rather liked the idea.

  65. Johnny
    Ignored
    says:

    Ross and pals:

    I wonder if you can explain how it is anyone is getting “bounced” into anything given that the Scottish electorate will be aware that the SNP has collected multiple mandates to pursue independence and Douglas Ross raises the “spectre” (as he sees it) every effing day.

    If anyone professed surprise at moves towards independence, I’d have to assume they had either been asleep for five years or lying.

    Stop raising fantasy straw men who’d be “stunned” and “bounced into” things you charlatan.

  66. Lenny Hartley
    Ignored
    says:

    Kevin Pringle on Twitter!
    Yes. Though, extraordinarily, Westminster legislated to prohibit any extension beyond 31/12/20; so presumably seeking this now would require a parliamentary recall and emergency measure of some kind . .
    Will they recall Parliament to legislate? I doubt it.

  67. Colin Alexander
    Ignored
    says:

    “18 March 2020

    Dear Michael (Gove)

    I note that it was confirmed yesterday that there will be no negotiating round this week on the future relationship between the UK and the EU and that consideration is being given to other
    ways to establish contact and exchange during the Coronavirus crisis.
    Because of the crisis, the Scottish Government has paused work on preparing for an independence referendum this year. We have also written to the Electoral Commission to make clear we do not expect it to undertake testing of a referendum question until public
    health circumstances permit such activity (while also urging the commission to reject the UK Government’s objections to testing). That will allow us to focus all available resource on
    current and future demands in what is an unprecedented set of circumstances.

    It follows from this that a referendum will not take place this year.

    We would now strongly suggest to the UK Government that the time has come for an equivalent action by you with regard to the Brexit process, and would ask you to institute a pause to EU/UK negotiations for at least six months.

    It would seem impossible for business and others to cope with the enormous challenge of Coronavirus while at the same time preparing for a completely new relationship with the EU in nine months’ time.
    A pause is also necessary given the inevitable lack of parliamentary and public scrutiny of the negotiations and their progress over that period, when all attention and effort will be focused
    on our collective actions to tackle and defeat the Coronavirus .

    It will also be difficult for the JMC (EN) to meet during that time and therefore there will be no opportunity for the UK’s four governments to “provide oversight of the negotiations” as set out
    in the its terms of reference…

    Michael Russell MSP”

  68. A Person
    Ignored
    says:

    The National today had a picture of Sturgeon with “Tough Love” as its headline. The idolatry is just plain weird.

    It seems that putting on your serious face while saying that “I. Will not hesitate. To take necessary. Decisions” can convince a hell of a lot of people that you’re an effective leader.

    I am sick of seeing pictures of her grandstanding just as I am sick of unionist papers doing similar with the thing that lives in Downing Street.

    Politicians are such egomaniacs and those that worship them are gullible fools.

  69. MaggieC
    Ignored
    says:

    Well said Rev Stuart ,

    When I saw that tweet from Nicola Sturgeon earlier I was so bloody angry and my exact words ” Oh For FFS .

    If they hadn’t wasted time since 2016 instead of regaining our Independence we wouldn’t be in this situation now .

  70. Livionian
    Ignored
    says:

    Let’s all just wait for Keir Starmer’s ‘fresh and tangible’ new devolution offer presented by Gordon Brown that will be released tomorrow. That will give us a laugh to cheer us up

  71. Kenny
    Ignored
    says:

    Re. the “smoking gun” – the evidence is already clear that she misled Parliament. If she refuses to resign, the other parties WILL remove her with a Vote Of No Confidence, shortly before the election. It’s hard to see how that doesn’t do damage to the SNP’s prospects. So much of their support is built on her personal “brand” that it’s bound to have an effect, especially if the new leader (or interim leader) doesn’t connect with folk VERY quickly and effectively.

    There’s more that may come out of the two inquiries going on now. Certainly, the Scottish Government and the SNP look terrible to anyone who’s paying attention. It’s hard to see how she gets out of most of it though. There’s ample evidence already that her SpAds have lied to the Committee and Swinney’s continued refusal to release the legal advice looks very much like guilt. She’s going to be gone before the election, unless, as Stu suggests, she can stall it out until then. She’s lucky Covid happened, because the stink on her by now would be irremovable if this were normal times.

  72. ScottieDog
    Ignored
    says:

    I think about food just now and our arterial supply – via the south east. It could have been so different if they had enacted an actual land policy in 2015 when they had their slam dunk election.
    Instead they’ve cosied up to big landowners and real estate companies to screw us over.

  73. Beaker
    Ignored
    says:

    @Betsy says:
    20 December, 2020 at 10:58 pm
    “New leader (Angus Roberson) installed for the 2025 election- and it all starts again. New cast iron mandate, new excuses.”

    He needs to get elected first. Given his tweet regarding all the older No voters dying off being a good thing, he might be in for a rough ride.

  74. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    What we have here folks is SNP members prioritising making sure their chosen party representatives have a job for the next five years. That is their priority. No risks to being elected.

    Independence comes later perhaps.

    That is not my priority. Mine is voting fkr people who put Indy first and last above all else.

  75. Doreen A Milne
    Ignored
    says:

    Sick to my stomach and totally agree with the feebleness this Party and government. Catastrophic mess.

  76. Doreen A Milne
    Ignored
    says:

    Totally agree. Sick to my stomach and disgusted with the feebleness of this Party and government.

  77. James Horace
    Ignored
    says:

    To all those who keep saying she broke the ministerial code – so will have to go. She wont. Not a chance.

    Priti Patel broke the ministerial code. And her gaffer decided this wasn’t too big a problem, so she stayed.

    Nicola Sturgeon doesn’t have a gaffer, apart from maybe her husband. She also has the benefit of record approval ratings. She is also aided by the fact that 99% of the Scottish general public do not care about this inquiry.

    Brexit, Covid, and Strictly Come Dancing are all far more important in their eyes.

    There is absolutely no way in hell she will resign, as things stand. And there’s no way she will be punted by the party or parliament either.

    Unless Stu/Salmond/Other have some new and explosive information they are waiting to reveal, Sturgeon will stay.

  78. Rev. Stuart Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    ““Despite paragraphs and paragraphs the smoking gun is a meeting was possibly not recorded as govt business. Woopty fuckking doo.

    Imagine trying to explain that to someone down the pub. I’m sure they’d be wide eyed with horror.””

    For the thousandth time: IT DOESN’T MATTER A FUCK WHAT JIMMY AND SENGA DOWN THE PUB THINK. Nobody’s saying it would change their vote. The point is if you break the Ministerial Code by lying to Parliament YOU HAVE TO FUCKING RESIGN. Public opinion doesn’t come into it. STFU about public opinion.

    And for the two-thousandth time, if she doesn’t resign there’ll be a vote of no confidence and she’ll lose it because unlike Priti Patel and Boris Johnson she doesn’t have a fucking majority.

    I am done explaining this. If people keep making the same dumb arguments they’ll get deleted.

  79. holymacmoses
    Ignored
    says:

    It is very tiring for me and I do fuck all to help – so it must be exhausting for you. I do think Sturgeon will have to resign, what I hope is that we can get enough people standing for an alternative ‘Yes’ party to push through a referendum OR that the court case wins through – that would be the best option of course.
    I hope that the committee don’t lose heart and patience and that Mr Salmond takes the whole set of devious dastards to the cleaners.
    The EU move on the ports might knock a bit of common sense into the greed machine down south – but who knows? .

  80. Ross
    Ignored
    says:

    “Public opinion doesnt come into it.”

    The great sage. Well, it does matter.

    The Major government dealt with the IRA and Johnson sends money to his pals in contracts but Sturgeon must resign because of fucking admin.

  81. Jimmy The Pict
    Ignored
    says:

    James Horace says:
    21 December, 2020 at 12:35 am
    To all those who keep saying she broke the ministerial code – so will have to go. She wont. Not a chance.

    As far as I understand it :

    Big difference, Tories in Westminster have a majority and 4 years till next election

    SNP in Holyrood are a minority and 5 months till next election.

    You cannot go into an election supporting a FM who broke ministerial code, so Greens will not support her. Unlike Westminster the FM post is voted for in parliament. No confidence vote if supported fires her effectively. Or opposition let it fester for five months with MSM harping on about it all that time.

    SNP cannot support her because they would get hammered in the election.

    So she has to resign or get ousted as soon as possible if found guilty of breaking code.

  82. Iain More
    Ignored
    says:

    She still isn’t getting the message. The SNP isn’t getting the message. It is Indy First, Indy Second, Indy Third and Indy last and Indy without conditions attached.

    To those who voted naw allegedly in 2014 – hell mend them. Blood on their hands now. For those that have failed to promote Indy the last 6 years and also failed to deliver another Referendum – hell mend them as well. Blood on their hands as well.

    I heard their were folk standing and sitting in the aisles on the trains last night coming up to Aberdeen from London. The border should have been closed

  83. A Person
    Ignored
    says:

    But Ross, how does public opinion come into the vote **in Holyrood**?

    The Tories, Labour, Liberals aren’t going to vote against a motion of no confidence because Sturgeon is getting good polling numbers.

    The Greens maybe, but that may be influenced by various factors.

    Besides which if they vote no confidence and she resigns she’s badly hampered while a new leader takes over.

  84. A Person
    Ignored
    says:

    And it’s not “admin” is it, it’s not like she used the wrong photocopier. She is accused of lying to parliament about a court case where her predecessor faced the possibility of imprisonment for the rest of his life on charges which appear, ahem, not to have been entirely based on the truth or to have been made by entirely truthful or disinterested people.

  85. Ross
    Ignored
    says:

    It surely matters the severity of the “breach.”

    Unless you can prove maleficence rather than admin error why would you allow a popular leader to fall instead of supporting them through til they have a majority?

    You’ve yet to prove any badness and I’ve been completely open to hearing it and changing opinion. If English people can vote for priti Patel , Scots can vote for Sturgeon. They can deem the punishment necessary in an election.

  86. BLMac
    Ignored
    says:

    In my family the women think Alex Salmond got off with it.
    They are not interested in reading the court proceedings.

    As far as they are concerned the accusation is enough.

    And that’s one of the problems with white male privilege, it’s very fragile. You don’t have to actually do anything, just be accused of it, and suddenly you’re in the same category as Jeffry Epstein.

    So Nicola doesn’t stink as far as they are concerned, and I suspect that would also be the case with a lot of other women.

    I think Sturgeon therefore has to stay, and we have to vote SNP 1 while holding our nose, but give our list vote to another independence party.

    That would ensure we at least eliminate English controlled parties from Holyrood and have an opposition that actually cared about Scotland and able to hold the red hot iron of independence to the feet of the SNP.

    Unless Salmond joins another independence party, although we care about the injustice done to him, we’ll simply have to regard him as collateral damage.

    Independence is more important than any individual, or the squabbles within the SNP.

    Or maybe, just maybe, the new NEC will instigate a coup and we’ll have a new leader. I can’t see that being done in time to get sufficient credibility for a new leader by the election.

  87. Ross
    Ignored
    says:

    A person. You seem reasonable. I could easily see the greens and snp voting to allow sturgeon to stay . I can equally imagine the Scottish people subsequently voting for her.

    Reason being : the charge, even if technically a breach, isn’t bad enough to be fatal. We’ve all been waiting for something better than a badly recorded meeting and it hasn’t come.

  88. A Person
    Ignored
    says:

    -Ross-

    Thank you I do try to be calm!

    The breach may or may not be minor but it can still be used to remove Sturgeon.

    The three unionist parties will vote for any motion of no confidence and that brings you near the threshold itself.

    It is up to Green and SNP MPs to decide how much her breach matters.

    Yes they may vote for her but that would be appalling.

    As regards her popularity with the public in an election that remains to be seen; I have said on earlier threads that I think it a mile wide and an inch deep. But either way, if she lost a confidence motion in say January and had to be replaced as FM by someone like Somerville or Russell, that would as and of itself immediately drain her authority.

    Now I’m afraid I must be off as I must get some ?!!

  89. A Person
    Ignored
    says:

    *some sleep!

  90. Ross
    Ignored
    says:

    A person. No troubles. Never expected to be up at this time myself !

    I would consider voting for her to be appalling if it was proved to me that what she had done was appalling. Sincerely, to me, it hasn’t been. I’ve been waiting for it to proven to me and it hasn’t come.

    Cheers
    Ross

  91. Denise
    Ignored
    says:

    If she doesn’t go then the unionists will have a field day.
    The media have built her up, put her on a pedestal, got her high approval ratings, she is the face of the SNP and of independence. the media have done a fantastic job, Independence is all about Nicola.

    They’ve created a single point of failure, destroy NS and you destroy the SNP and independence. The enquiry is continuing into next year, the media until now has been very quiet and passive about the enquiry but by February they will switch. They will paint NS as untrustworthy, a liar and a fake. Which will be reasonably straightforward to do as the truth is usually an easy sell.

    So even if she clings on she is the independence movements biggest weakness in the run up to the May election.

    We may already be too late as it stands I can only see this ….

    NS decides the manifesto so it will be weasel words
    The media start the NS character assasination, backed up with GRA and Hate Crimes wedge issues.
    Indy movement Is demotivated by weak manifesto so the result is similar to 2016
    Followed by destruction of our economy and Holyrood stripped of powers

    I just hope someone has some ideas to get us out of this mess

  92. mr thms
    Ignored
    says:

    If there is ‘No Deal’ after the transitional arrangements end on the 31st December 2020 it will mark the start of the next phase, the end of the current constitution of the UK.

    Keir Starmer is giving his delayed speech later today which will reveal what Labour have been up to since they were last in power.

    Michael Gove is due to give a speech in January about changes the UK Government intend to make to the constitution of the UK.

    I am certain the Conservative, Labour and Lib-Dems thoughts about what a future UK will look like will be in sync.

    If they have opted for federalism, the House of Lords will go, and perhaps the Monarchy.

    I am sure the list of new powers promised for Scotland will be jaw dropping from a Unionist perspective, but it will probably take the length of a new Scottish Parliament to introduce.

    When the manifestos are published for the elections to the Scottish Parliament it will become a choice between independence and various forms of Home Rule (Full Fiscal Autonomy, Devo Max, and Federalism) and should the SNP win by a landslide, and gain a majority, the request for a Section 30 will follow..

  93. Frazerio
    Ignored
    says:

    Notable that 9 times out of 10 trolls post with just a forename eg ‘Ross’. Remarkable that people engage with them at all in any way, shape or form.

    Regarding Sturgeon.

    The Rev posted something a couple of weeks ago that summed her up when she chased good headlines by ‘allowing’ Christmas by easing restrictions during a pandemic. The screeching of brakes and u-turn we’ve seen this weekend was wholly predictable. She puts her own popularity ahead of public health. Maybe not unique for a politician, but worthy of contempt whatever her political leanings may or may not be. There is a horribly long list now of her failures as SNP leader. Any, many or most of which are enough for people to hit her with. Pandering for a moment to her fanboys & girls, supposing she didnt lie to parliament, didnt collude to stitch-up Salmond, didnt pander to tabloid headlines by easing Christmas restrictions etc, there is one single issue that is clear, undeniable and above all else the single most important example of her catastrophic failure of leadership.

    In 2016, the SNP asked for and were resoundingly given as clear an electoral mandate as you can ever hope to get. They were given it in good faith by people who simply think the people of Scotland should get to decide Scotlands future. The SNP said Scotland would get a referendum only if there was a material change of circumstances from 2014, with one clearly spelled out change in circumstances being; ‘Scotland being taken out of the EU despite voting to remain in the EU in any future UK-wide EU referendum’. The clear democratic mandate was given by the Scottish electorate to the SNP, led by Nicola Sturgeon. This mandate shall expire soon. In reality it already has. There is effectively zero prospect of the mandate being fulfilled before the next Holyrood elections. When this parliamentary term ends, the SNP will have undeniably failed the Scottish people. Nicola Sturgeon will have undeniably failed the Scottish people. Forgetting everything else, Sturgeons failure to deliver on that mandate is catastrophic, unforgiveable and a betrayal. For this and this alone, she cannot remain, she must go.

    It doesnt make me happy to say that. It doesnt make me pro-Wings or anti-WGD or part of any faction of convenience. It is just fact. You can accept it and move forward or deny it and I’ve got a lovely bridge for sale. We’ll get our Indy, I have no doubt, just not with a leader who couldnt hit a barn door with a shovel.

  94. Hatuey
    Ignored
    says:

    “We’ve all been waiting for something better than a badly recorded meeting and it hasn’t come.”

    Yet.

    Of course, we will never know if it was badly recorded; it seems to have been rubbed out before anyone had a chance to make an assessment.

    But, leaving that rancid issue aside, the best argument for regime change is that she’s rock-bottom terrible. My fingers would bleed if I went through the record of her disastrous policy failures again.

  95. twathater
    Ignored
    says:

    I note the apologists are out in numbers tonight , Nikla must be bricking it Stu , she has sent her best servants out to convince you and the other rebels that she will not be moved

    ALL I ask Mr. Campbell is that you keep the heid wi them as their arguments are NOT convincing anyone , us rebels and the general public are just stupid bastirts who don’t realise that the sainted one has been sent among us by the entity and we should worship accordingly
    BTW I never got my Nikla christmas card have I been bad

  96. Clwyd Griffiths
    Ignored
    says:

    Dear Rev,

    1 New Zealand is an indy country that closed it’s border early on, Scotland couldn’t do that, and if she Nicola had tried, do you think the opposition parties and the media would have been supportive? They would have slaughtered her for daring even to suggest it “There’s no border between Scotland & England” we’ve heard time and again.

    2 SNP look set to win with a majority, a majority for indy has been consistent now for 17 polls in a row. So she must be doing something right.

    3 She’s right, Scotland and rUk are facing the triple whammy of covid19, brexit and a deep recession. They have to extended the Brexit transition.

    4 Direct your fire towards anti-indy crew. Let’s face it they have all the money & media on their side. Stu, let’s unite under Nicola’s leadership and win for Scotland.

  97. Willie
    Ignored
    says:

    The Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Italy, Ireland and France have all now closed their borders to us.

    Is it something we have said or is it something tsar Nicola the Grate has done wrong. I for one don’t understand this since Tsar Nicola has been on the telly just about every day telly us how COVID 19 was being managed to keep us safe.

    Something doesn’t gel. Could the brazen one be telling lies. Well let’s hear what he’s got to say next as the food and medicine supplies start to run out.

    Me, like others, I’ve bought my Brexit Fridge and have filled it whilst I can. This is going to get rough between Brexit and Covid.

  98. David Holden
    Ignored
    says:

    With France closing the border for at least 48 hours a lot of high end shellfish on route from this part of the world is about to perish and with boats due to land this morning it is a bloody mess. Our MP is doing a Nicola and is up on his hind legs moaning about it after doing the square root of bugger all for the last six years to prevent this happening. Here in the islands we are at the far end of a long supply chain and we are about to see what is due next year as the channel ports are closed. Still at least Nicola is popular so that will ease the pain no end.

  99. Scozzie
    Ignored
    says:

    Clywd Griffiths @ 3.16am
    But hasn’t NS closed the border to the rest of the uk? So if she could do it at Christmas why couldn’t she do it months ago? And if she had done it and it caused all sorts of wailing and gnashing of teeth in WM / Boris – so what! She should have said ‘what u gonna do about it, take Scotland to court if you must but the border is staying closed’. Now that would’ve shown real leadership – you know that thing you expect leaders to do – to lead and do whatever it takes to protect their people in a pandemic or an economic cliff edge such as brexit. In both counts she has been a monumental failure.

  100. susanXX
    Ignored
    says:

    Good article Stu.

    NS is a useless article and should go now. She is holding back independence and her govt is acting in an authoritarian manner.

  101. Ronald Fraser
    Ignored
    says:

    Why can’t the Forth river be used to get Scottish goods shipped to the EU???

    And should there be a complete ban on english lorries entering Scotland???

    Should a border be constructed NOW between Scotland and Engerland???

    I would work on the construction of a border between Scotland and Engerland for Free.

    Anything that can keep these contaminated bastards out has to be a good thing.

    And if you are looking to blame anyone for all this shit, then look no further than Sturgeon inaction AND all those bastards who voted NO in 2014.

  102. John Main
    Ignored
    says:

    Most certainly, a clarion call for action, not words!

    I have a question. Assuming a plebiscitary election was to happen in May, is there any appetite, either within the SNP, or BTL here, for being honest with Scottish voters? It seems to be settled beyond discussion that a Yes vote will effectively transfer the WM MPs to Brussels. Scotland will embrace its new status as country 17 or so (ranked by population) of the 28 whose destinies are effectively decided by the disproportionate heft of Germany and France.

    Nothing wrong with that if that is what the voters want. But I can’t help thinking that your average politically naive voter expects a Yes for “independence” to mean just that. The world contains lots of independent countries, the EU contains none.

    Maybe we need 3 options, roughly corresponding to “no change”, “colonial rule from Brussels”, and “freedom”. Put like that, option 2 loses its appeal, to me at least.

  103. Robert Louis
    Ignored
    says:

    I agree with every word and sentiment in this article, with bells on. Well said, Rev STU, very well said.

    Sick and tired of her grandstanding, playing a ‘leader’ yet sitting back watching Scotland burn, under England’s jackboot. The power is in HER hands and she CHOOSES to do sweet f all.

    Mandate after mandate after mandate to get us out of this cursed one-sided, undemocratic ‘union’ with bully boy Engerland, yet still she dithers. She claims she needs England’s permission for an indyref, yet this is simply untrue. No country has ever achieved independence by asking permission.

    I cheered her on when she first became leader, and my god, what a terrible waste of space she has become. How can it be, that we have a supposedly pro independence party in government in Scotland, with the very worst ever Prime Minister in England, and 17 freaking polls in a row showing majority support for independence, and STIL, this SNP government is too timid and feart to act. Do they even actually want independence????

    People are sick and tired of waiting.

    We want independence, not a ‘nice’ brexit. We don’t want to re-join the EU, we want to stay IN. Which part of that do you not understand, Nicola? Every single Scot is about to be forcibly stripped of thier EU citizenship against their wishes, and The English government has now legislated to end devolution on January 1st 2021, yet still you witter on about your latest book, or some other nonsense.

    Now is not a time for fearties, now is the time for decisive action. For heaven’s sake, SNP, what more of an opportunity do you want?? Any other country seeking independence, would be doing it now. In fact, they would have done it in 2016.

    For goodness sake, SNP, wake the f*** up.

  104. Hatuey
    Ignored
    says:

    As a bear minimum we should be stopping infected people coming here from England like every other country in the world is doing. That means border posts and everything else.

    Thousands of lives in Scotland could depend on this being done and it needs to be done today.

  105. Ken McColl
    Ignored
    says:

    Five months to HR2021 and I reckon there is time to get the idea of a plebiscite on Indy into the public’s mind. One month of shit from Brexit becomes two, then three, idea taking hold, four and election plans laid out, then five? It is doable if the willingness to push it from SNP leadership is there.

    If it isn’t then short term (up to the election) Sturgeon is presenting a consistent, and seemingly trusted, face to the public. And public opinion on whether she SHOULD resign or not might be neither here nor there, but it doesn’t seem to be a hot topic. Maybe that will change as HR2021 approaches and the media get into gear. Otherwise, given that, I’d be content to have the change in leadership after the election.

    Polling for HR2021 is a majority for SNP, and in theory Yes. If we get over THAT line then that’s a platform until the next HR election for the party – including an Indyref pledge, and the leadership can be changed. Sturgeon resigns as FM/gets a special post in the UN or a committee but is moved out of the frontline and no longer damaging to Yes. We get a change in leadership and emphasis on Indy, and Indyref sooner (2021!) rather than later.

    Might not be the morally correct result (rule breaking politician sneaks off consequence free) but pragmatic? Future consequences can affect her personally, but when she’s gone from SNP leadership the wider Yes movement wouldn’t get burnt as much.

    In my head I see that Orc running with the torch to blow up Helmsdeep, people are shouting “Bring it down! Bring it down!” but it only needs to make it to the line. BOOM! Objective achieved; just get to the line.

    It just a mess and Covid is the melting block of ice sheet obscuring and holding back an overdue shift in tectonic plates. Maybe Covid20 will kill us all and we can stop worrying about it.

  106. Willie
    Ignored
    says:

    We can only but wonder what that useless fuckwit First Minister will trot out at her floor show today.

    This is an economic, social and health catastrophe in process.

    Fucking floor show after floor show – and now closed off on all sides.

    But hey she was going to keep us in the EU, and now was not the time for indy.

    Utterly sold down the river.

  107. Ronald Fraser
    Ignored
    says:

    Scotland AND England being led by Donkeys.

    It’s as if we saw the, “Quick sand, keep off” sign, and just kept on walking.

    No we are up to our necks in it.

  108. Tony O'Neill
    Ignored
    says:

    I can only think that her secret plan is let Scotland burn because of brexit,and she’s probably hoping that when the well off, as well as the poor working class start to suffer finacialy then all of Scotland will be united for independence.

  109. Lulu Bells
    Ignored
    says:

    Excellent article. I feel your pain, believe me!

  110. James Horace
    Ignored
    says:

    Hi Stu,

    Thank you for replying personally again. For some reason you think my last comment was foolish. You still seem to believe that this jumped up admin error is enough for her to DEFINITELY lose a vote of no confidence.

    I beg to differ.

    Unless there is more evidence of definite wrongdoing, or another seperate hit to the reputation of Sturgeon’s competence, I can see the Greens saving her. They have no spine, and if there is something in it for them, they will do as they please. They would much rather retain Sturgeon in power than have a leader emerge from the Cherry/Salmond camp.

    I dont think this is an outlandish theory, and I dont think it is a stupid comment. If you do, feel free to delete me. But remember, ultimately we are both wanting the same thing. We both badly want Sturgeon gone.

  111. Contrary
    Ignored
    says:

    I have to agree with this article, 100% how I feel about her and the situation she’s landed us in.

    Every time I hear her or her ministers do more hand-wringing bleating and whining I think – there IS something you can do about it, the only thing you can do, and that is to make independence happen.

    I watched a channel 4 extended interview with Devi Sridhar, and she talked about some of the things she learnt through this year; one was the powerlessness of Scotland to deviate by any extent while the uk (England, but shhh we mustn’t mention the name of that country) has fiscal control. ‘We are one country’ she said. She was also surprised to note, funding by (uk) government IS available, in spades, when necessary. She may not make any constitutional or political opinion known, but those two realisations lead naturally to the question, why DOESN’T Scotland have independence and full fiscal control to do its own thing?!

    I’m very sure that if NS can’t delay the enquiries long enough (how many do people need before they realise something is wrong?!) she will try her best to delay the Holyrood election. Well, next year is a new year, I’m going to spend time until then to recharge my batteries ready for the shitstorms to come.

  112. Effijy
    Ignored
    says:

    I had hoped this Brexit nonsense would be over by last night?

    How pathetic are the EU continuing to extend and extend and extend
    negotiations.

    I wanted Scotland to remain in Europe and now I have second thoughts.
    They are dealing with a pathological liar, a man who signs international
    agreements he brakes because he didn’t understand it, a man who was
    Willing to brake UK and International law.
    The Tories even rejected 2 offers of PPE from the EU when Doctors were
    dying for the lack of it.

    How could you give chance after chance to people like this?
    They really need to say F off and never darken our door, ever again.

    I want a No Deal Brexit, I want to see our fish being added to our oil that
    is stolen by Westminster, the unemployment and food shortages it will generate.

    Surely that will ignite the Scottish desire to off load the corruption that is Westminster.

    10 days remain and no relevant preparations in place before a major disaster.

  113. Kevin Evans
    Ignored
    says:

    ???????????? Super thumbs up from me

  114. H Scott
    Ignored
    says:

    Wha will be a ("Tractor" - Ed) knave?
    Wha will fill a coward’s grave?

    Nicola Sturgeon.

  115. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    It is indeed an enigma. We have the main party of Independence probably going to offer such as a part of their manifesto, but whose strategy relies solely on the goodwill of a much larger neighbour who does not want us to have that option.

    It is hoped they will give up that opposition because it is undemocratic. A party who passed legislation which they know is illegal,and who have UNICEF chapping their door because people are hungry. A party with a majority of 80.

    We rely on that party to offer us the chance of Independence, and remember that Democracy with a majority of 80 is what you say it is.

    Such is our fate. Our last hope lies in the hands of Martin Keatings, who we the people funded ,whilst OUR Scottish representatives in Holyrood opposed his case.

    Thats where we are.

  116. Socrates MacSporran
    Ignored
    says:

    Wee Nicola reminds me of Ronnie Corbett – answering the question before last on Mastermind.

    Brexit was done and dusted once the Tories got their majority. All they are doing now is arguing about the colour of the gift wrapping.

    The next queston is the important one – Independence, yes or no. The way the Murrells and the ruling Junta at the top of the SNP are going, they will stall and stall, giving the English establishment time to head them off at the pass.

    We will either end up with a multi-choice question, designed to preserve the Union on a vague promise of federalism – Vow 1.5 if you like, or, they will go full-on, dissolve Holyrood and “in the national interest,” restore full governance from Westminster.

    Meanwhile, Nicola swans off to a nice well-paid job in New York or Geneva.

    We’re doomed – doomed Ah tell ye.

  117. robertknight
    Ignored
    says:

    First thoughts on seeing the headline…”Oh, shut the f*** up. You could’ve stopped this when you had the chance”.

    Seems I wasn’t the only one.

  118. Johnny
    Ignored
    says:

    No Clywyd Griffiths @ 3:16pm:

    Good polling numbers do not prove she’s “doing something right”.

    Labour had good numbers for decades in Scotland and did nothing right. It took people ages to cotton on but you’d barely find anyone now to say there were doing anything right in those years. This shows that how it looks in the moment may not be how it looks with hindsight (which remember provides the 20/20 view of things).

    Secondly, folk want Indy and the SNP are the political beneficiaries of that. Now there’s a split of sorts because some people are prepared to put up with no end of bad behaviour to get independence and others aren’t (and there’s a third group of folk too busy with life to be following all the nuances). If course doesn’t change, eventually (might take a loooong time going by the Labour example) you’ll not find many prepared to say the SNP were doing “something right” now either.

  119. Ian
    Ignored
    says:

    From July –

    ‘Nicola Sturgeon says she remains “100% committed” to tackling the Covid-19 pandemic’

    ‘She said: “At no point during this have I weighed my decisions on political basis or a constitutional basis but… at a time when I and the SNP have not been talking about independence all the time but getting on with the job of autonomous decision making and trying to get the right decisions to get the county through a crisis’

    https://news.stv.tv/politics/sturgeon-100-focused-on-covid-amid-growing-indy-support?top

    Autonomous? No need for independence then.

    As for the 100% focus on Covid –

    Excess deaths per million as at Dec 20

    England – 1,212
    Scotland – 1,164
    Wales – 1,071

    https://www.travellingtabby.com/uk-coronavirus-tracker/deaths

    Now with a pathetically weak response to prevent a new Covid variant spreading from it’s source area, as our European neighbours have already done, the above figures are likely to increase in parallel. So much for autonomy and a 100% focus on Covid.

  120. Ottomanboi
    Ignored
    says:

    English government and the almighty Ferguson algorithm say NO!
    Oh what a litter of wee sleikkit courin timeros beisties Mrs Murrell.

  121. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    If the only people interested in the ins and outs of politics are anoraks like ourselves ,how did Labour ever lose its majority?

    If nobody apart from us on this site cared, the SNP would never have been elected.

    Nobody cares. Really?

  122. Helen Yates
    Ignored
    says:

    Wow, I’m glad to know someone else is as angry as I am right now, when I saw that tweet from her last night I honestly thought I was going to have a heart attack, more of this please,
    hopefully the Nicola appreciation society might start to remove their heads from the sand.

    It is absolutely unforgivable that we find ourselves in this position and still the priority for her is Stopping Brexit, without an announcement very soon on a plebiscitary election we are well and truly screwed.

  123. McDuff
    Ignored
    says:

    Totally agree rev, needs said.
    What I can`t still get my head around is why she has now taken an anti independence position, its like BoJo turning socialist and embracing the unions and nationalisation. Its as weird as that.

  124. Breeks
    Ignored
    says:

    Sturgeon is taking the piss.

    Two hours before her dire “imperative” tweet, she was tweeting about all the books she was reading… but before the acolytes start comparing this to Francis Drake playing bowls before taking on the Spanish Armada, contain yourselves a moment…

    https://twitter.com/NicolaSturgeon/status/1340735033292845056

    Look at the titles she’s been reading. Actress. Still Life. Scabby Queen. The Golden Rule. A song for the Dark Times…

    That’s not a reading list, it’s top notch trolling as far as I can see. True to form, she’s sitting there having a laugh at Scotland’s expense.. literally. (Pun intended). She thinks she’s oh so clever, while playing us all for mugs.

    How I ache to see the back of this nobody. The only book I care about is the one that’s eventually thrown at her.

  125. Gregory Beekman
    Ignored
    says:

    To stop a pandemic, you stop people moving – including international travel. Not view it “like a currency we can spend” which is what she said in one briefing, ie if we’ve got 100 hospital beds free, we can open pubs or football stadiums but not both, and we’ll have the beds for those that fall ill when we do whichever one of those we choose.

    Awful approach.

    Maybe now with this new super variant, the world will put us into the quarantine we should have been in at the outset.

  126. Fran
    Ignored
    says:

    She is parroting the unionist line with covid and independence. We cant do it just now cos another thing is happening.

  127. Ottomanboi
    Ignored
    says:

    The woman in the tartan muzzle will not be content until she has destroyed every vestige of hope.
    Be thankful for small mercies, this hurts me more than it hurts you, the typical method and mindset of the martinet.
    For whom is she working?

  128. Scot Finlayson
    Ignored
    says:

    This new `English strain` is probably all those infected by the undertested vacccine that fricken Nero/Boris rushed out so he can grab some `Britain Great` headlines.

    Seems offi coincidental that a week after they start infecting everyone with the vaccine a new strain starts up.

  129. Gregory Beekman
    Ignored
    says:

    What we need is yet another celebrity to record a song to cheer us up.

    I don’t know about the rest of you, but crap Zoom songs from air-heads that think the world’s sat there just waiting on air-heads like them to do something just lifts my spirits no end.

  130. Gregory Beekman
    Ignored
    says:

    LOL!
    I want to see Trump talk about the English strain of the China virus!

  131. Gregory Beekman
    Ignored
    says:

    Come on Rev, get the guitar out and give us a Zoom song!

    (You know you want to!)

  132. A Person
    Ignored
    says:

    -Breeks-

    Her taste in books is dire. It’s the reading list of someone desperately trying to prove that they’re clever and trendy. Confident, secure personalities don’t especially care what is fashionable.

  133. Patricia Spencer
    Ignored
    says:

    Let’s face it we have all been played to perfection. So much for ‘we will protect Scotland’!!!

  134. Wee Chid
    Ignored
    says:

    Well f*****g said Rev – just what I needed on the shortest day of the year. I’m also sick of trying to explain to well meaning friends why I’m not in the cult of Nicola. This needed said.

  135. NellG
    Ignored
    says:

    We really needed Salmond in front of the inquiry before Brexit, now I am less confident Woko Ono can be ousted in time to save Scotland from what’s coming. The media have been bought and Bojo will be delighted his last line of defence and defender of North Britain remains in power for the great takeover. I can’t see her staying on to fight the next election but she doesn’t have to, her role has been executed to perfection. On the surface it appears as unbelievable incompetence but Nicola is no fool, she know’s exactly what she’s doing and it’s not what we put her there for. Still the fools will follow.

    Scotland will be asset stripped over the next few years making real Independence nearly impossible. I’m not sure who I’m more angry with, Sturgeon or those who have remained silent throughout this farce and opted for self-preservation over country. Scotland will not forget. That is a promise.

  136. Ottomanboi
    Ignored
    says:

    New super variant?….keep stoking the fear factor guys.
    The amount of popular ignorance is staggering.
    Drifts in seasonal flu type strains are normal. Shifts are rare.
    There is much debate as to whether Covid-19 is even a novel pathogen.
    Algorithms used by government treat it as if it were.
    Algorithms are prejudices and opinions embedded in mathematical models. They are not « neutral »
    Do you honestly wish to have a model running your life?
    Do you value your humanity so little?
    Independence begins in the head.

  137. John H.
    Ignored
    says:

    Going by the news headlines abroad, the rest of the world has “great expectations” of Scotland. So maybe she’ll be forced to act. I’m not optimistic though.

  138. Shug
    Ignored
    says:

    Stu might be right but events are strange. How much is or can be planned??
    I tend to believe you have to pick a leader and follow regardless otherwise you will not move forward. You have to hope the leader and the main team pick the correct path and so far nicola has turned the soft no voters. I doubt you will turn enough to exceed 60 % but I have no background to this.
    If she has been compromised we will know soon enough
    Post the new virus if it is used as a delay Westminster may have abolished holyrood
    Pulling her down now will certainly not help in any event
    Stay cool stu we do need you to monitor the msm. You opened my eyes to there cotrol

  139. cynicalHighlander
    Ignored
    says:

    The only woman in the world who can’t multitask.

  140. BLMac
    Ignored
    says:

    We need to face the reality that Sturgeon is a politician not the saintly leader of a cause, and like many a politician she has her weaknesses.

    Some politicians have a history of sexual or other indiscretions, but it doesn’t mean they ran their portfolio ineffectively.

    Sturgeon’s weakness is being too deeply involved with deeply misandrist feminist and wokerati ideology and placing that before the purpose of the SNP.

    It doesn’t mean she’s doing a bad job of running Scotland otherwise.

    I can understand the CoVid problems, we don’t have the powers to act like NZ, and she’s quite straightforward about admitting to mistakes.

    I don’t condemn her for that.

    I dislike her for the way the Salmond stitch up was conducted, and I no longer trust her motives after watching the stitch up to prevent Joanne Cherry getting a Holyrood seat.

    I condemn her for missing the several open goals that have presented themselves for independence so far.

    There may of course, be a cunning secret plan, but if so, the time for that to be exposed is 1st January because any time after that is too late.

    Let us hope there’s a coup over Xmas.

    Regardless, I’ll still give the SNP my primary vote come the election. It may smell like a turd, but at least it’s our turd and better that the other turds.

    That election is likely to be the SNP’s high point unless we get independence as a result. If we don’t get independence, then watch them follow the trajectory of the Labour party as new independence parties gain strength.

  141. G H Graham
    Ignored
    says:

    The ONLY time public opinion matters is during an election. After that, politicians can do pretty much what they want.

    Their biggest fear isn’t you or me, it’s parliament which is, (unless they have committed a criminal act & therefore of interest to the police & the Crown) the only body that have any of them removed through for example, a vote of no confidence.

    Sturgeon or indeed any of them couldn’t give a shit what Senga thinks at the bingo hall or why wee, mental Davie from Larkhall wants her strung from the balcony at Bute House, unless there’s an election coming.

    Once they have been elected & directed to their bench warming position they can do or say whatever they want including bare faced lying.

    However, if you do not command a majority then you are on shaky ground if the rest of the parliament thinks it’s time for you to pack your bags & piss off.

    Johnson, Patel, et al, are still there, bullshitting because their party commands a decent majority. With that, they can conduct all manner of grubby activities including siphoning millions towards their chums in return for votes & lobby money.

    Sturgeon has no such luxury. So she’s invested in her public image during this pandemic in an attempt to make it unpalatable for parliament to have her arse on a plate. She’s banking on the electorate giving her the benefit of the doubt in return for her public persona & faux sadness despite the comparatively lousy covid performance compared to places like NZ.

    But there’s no hiding, if it can be proven that she lied & misled parliament on at least two occasions.

    If the inquiry into her administration concludes that she did indeed mislead parliament, then there is a high probability that a vote of no confidence will be called. And there are only two options; lose the vote because she does not command a majority or resign in advance. There is no 3rd option.

    The only variable then, is timing because as we all know, there’s an election in 5 months. Forcing your opposition leader to resign in disgrace just weeks away from an election may not win you any votes but it certainly won’t benefit the SNP.

    So it remains to be seen if there’s anyone in Holyrood with enough intelligence to think carefully about how this important decision is taken & at which point in time.

    But the bar is set so low, I wouldn’t be surprised if this entire sordid affair just melts away because useless, opposition bench warmers will put their own interests in front of all else as the 2021 election looms ever closer.

    As I said earlier, Sturgeon chose to stand on that podium every single day for a reason & it wasn’t cos she’s worried what you think. She’s hedging her bets that no one in the opposition benches wants to be known as the person who pulled the trigger.

    You have to hand it to her, she might be a rubbish leader but she’s bloody good at those fake conjuring tricks.

    “This is the self preservation society,
    This is the self preservation society”

    -Quincy Jones (1969)

    Politicians, eh?

  142. robert Hughes
    Ignored
    says:

    Spot-on Stuart . Your opening sentence is almost exacty my own when I seen this yesterday , and yes , as others are saying , the alacrity with which she has latched onto the ” New Variant ” narrative indicates she intends to flog it for all it’s worth to avoid doing ” what we elected her to do ” . Useless indeed , to us ,very useful however for the Sturgeon Stasis and it’s wilfully blind advocates

  143. Christian Schmidt
    Ignored
    says:

    @Dave Beveridge

    I am sorry but your comments about EU 62/38 is missing the point. Ignoring that is not causing the Tories any electoral problems in England because England voted for Brexit.

    I would agree that hoping for a change of opinion in England does not look impressive as a Plan A, but I just disagree that it hopeless. In fact as you rightly say there are already lots of people that do not care about Scotland, to the degree that they have no issues with Scottish independence. The views are there, it is just the saliance that is missing.

    And in this context, while I agree that NS has lied to parliament, and that her Corona-measures are barely better than Johnson’s (and worse than Wales’, where I now live), I find it interesting that she is seen as much more reasonable & trustworthy *in England*.

    Remember when the Tories showed Miliband in Salmond’s pocket, which worked because Salmond was so distrusted in England? NS assumes that after winning the 2021 election she will be able to make Scotland’s case to voters *in England*, and given that she’s clearly the most popular Scot down south since, well, Blair, while I am unsure if it will work, I wouldn’t dismiss it off hand either.

    But anyway, we will only have a 1/2 to wait, then the rubber will meet the road and we will see. And yes I do believe that she’ll still be FM then, mainly because Salmond & his friends value independence more than their own career. And they have not, and will not, pull the plug on her while there is an opportunity to get independence. Or to put in another way, in my view Salmond soft gloves on NS show that he thinks her strategy may work…

  144. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    @Shug,

    I remember Lord Haig . They stuck by him as leader in the First World War through thick and thin. Didnt go too well.

  145. Willie
    Ignored
    says:

    Just heard that there are huge queues outside Costco in Glasgow.

    People know what’s coming. They know there is going to be a shortage of food and medicine as the world shuts its borders to the uk. Scarcity and plague in a so called first world country, it beggars belief as the world turns against us.

    But we have no one to blame but ourselves. We voted for this disaster. We, and no one else but ourselves. And now the holocaust begins with not just food shortages but the cull of all those who are going to die because curable cancers and other illnesses will not be able to be dealt with in the coming onslaught which is forecast now to max in February.

    And there we were only a week ago rattling and threatening Royal Navy gun boats. Tells you exactly why we are where we are!

  146. Glortard
    Ignored
    says:

    I despise Nicola Sturgeon and have voted for the SNP for close to 30 years. The party has changed beyond all recognition from the one I have supported since my teens. Ever since NS came to power all that has erupted from her mouth has been grievance politics and how this is the most important election blah blah blah. Seeing her inept handling of the virus has reinforced my viewpoint that the last 14 years has simply given us another layer of inept government in Scotland along with a bloated public/third sector. We have very few genuine star politicians in the party rather they are all simply people that have put in the hours and kissed the right arses to get where they are today.

  147. Alf Baird
    Ignored
    says:

    Sovereignty + National Party Majority of MP’s = Independence. Scotland is already de facto independent. The breached Treaty which is now rendered invalid, is a bonus. Treaties are ended when they are no longer in the national interest.

    Unfortunately, Scotland’s National Party pampered elite have decided to make their own accommodation with, rather than break the back of colonialism. So instead of one oppressive dictatorial government we now have two.

  148. Daisy Walker
    Ignored
    says:

    There is another very good reason for a plebiscite election on Indy.

    It would highlight the absolute stupidity of trying to block any S30 order – any attempt would be seen as futile (and a waste of their tax payers money) by England.

    The campaign for a plebiscite election would highlight – in view of Brexit – that the UK means England First, and always has.

    One could speculate that this would cause the English powers to caw canny and hold back a little – but history shows that is not their pattern, and they will accelerate with their take over.
    Pin responsiblity for Brexshit to the English now (and since they voted for Boris, and for Brexit – for once I’m sticking to calling it the English, rather than Westminster).

    Get that through to the Scottish voters now, and at the next GE, as their jobs have gone, their NHS sold and large numbers of English have come up to Scotland to escape covid and enjoy the view – then you have done a great deal of the work already.

    And the next GE we win.

    And lastly, while Referendums are ‘once in a generation’ elections are every 4 – 5 years. We have nothing to lose.

    Sadly – we have a bottleneck with the SNP in its present format.

  149. Ross
    Ignored
    says:

    I use my name because i’m not a delinquent Frazerrioo. My views are sincerely held; just because you don’t like them doesn’t make people a troll. Bet you’re a joy to deal with.

    @GH Graham. There is a third way. You’ve even alluded to it in your note. She has the support of a majority of MSPs, if it ever gets that far. Can’t see the Greens voting her out over what we’ve been dished up so far.

    Hatuey says:
    21 December, 2020 at 2:47 am
    “We’ve all been waiting for something better than a badly recorded meeting and it hasn’t come.”

    Yet.

    This “Yet” has been doing a lot of work for a long time. I suspected the meeting error was the tip of the iceberg, never expecting it to be actually be the whole basis of the innuendo. I’ve actually been ridiculed elsewhere for giving credence to this expecting more. It hasn’t arrived. Would be amazed if she doesn’t ride this out.

  150. Daisy Walker
    Ignored
    says:

    Craig Murray tweeted last week that he’s been informed NS is putting out feelers trying to get a UN job, and from his knowledge, those jobs are only given to those with full approval of the leader of said country/block – i.e. Boris.

    Unfortunately, I’d put money on it, that if she gets such a job, the cult of Nicla brigade will coo delightedly, and be so proud of St Nicla on the world stage, and refuse absolutely to see the price tag attached.

  151. Johnny
    Ignored
    says:

    I see James Kelly is arguing, in effect, that you should only do the right thing if you’ll succeed.

    https://mobile.twitter.com/JamesKelly/status/1340965804909670403

  152. Daisy Walker
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Bob Mack, re ‘ I remember Lord Haig’

    He died before 1918…. just how old are you Bob;) Impressive powers of recollection for a man your age I’d say.

  153. Republicofscotland
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T.

    LBC news.

    The French have closed the border with the UK due to the new Covid variant, delivers in and out of the continent will be affected, LBC stating that there might be a shortage of fruit and veg in the coming days, and the Brexit tailbacks at Kent haven’t even taken hold yet.

  154. Republicofscotland
    Ignored
    says:

    There’s a lot of truth in what you’ve said there Rev, I just hope its not too late.

  155. Shug
    Ignored
    says:

    Bob mack
    Indeed it did not but he did eventually win or at least not lose
    What we do not know is, has nicola been compromised?
    Was the salmond thing a struggle for power or spooks doing their thing because of his rt show?
    All I am saying is for the moment the die is cast and we need to watch what happens.. I personally think the sg elections should be the referendum and the mps return. Not quite udi but close and with an election. But will there be an election????

  156. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    @Daisy Walker,

    You’ve never heard of reincarnation ?

  157. Shug
    Ignored
    says:

    How many here are telling 2014 no voters this mess is their fault

  158. ScotsRenewables
    Ignored
    says:

    I mentioned this article to my partner this morning. She said she thought Nicola had said this not with the faintest hope of Boris listening, rather with the intention of pointing up yet again the utter cockwombling idiocy of being tied to a government of morons.

    In which case it is a perfectly valid move.

    Others are saying Johnson has engineered this situation deliberately as a Brexit no-deal taster.

  159. Dunadd
    Ignored
    says:

    Great news!
    Starmer is promising “the boldest devolution project” in a generation.

    This once in a generation offer is even better than the 6 year old undelivered “vow” from the lying son of the manse.

    Rejoice, Rejoice, Rejoice. He truly is the Messiah
    Any idea which planet he has arrived from?

  160. Johnny
    Ignored
    says:

    Shug @ 10:44am:

    But this stage of things is not 2014 No voters fault.

    The result in 2014 did mean we were still in the U.K. to go through the Brexit ref and aftermath of course.

    But it isn’t the No voters fault that mandates to get away from that have not been used. You’re looking for someone else for that.

  161. Republicofscotland
    Ignored
    says:

    AUOB has cancelled it planned demo outside Holyrood today due to the Covid variant, AUOB were planning to have a silent demo to try and force Sturgeon’s to act on her fine words on independence to be matched with action.

  162. Breeks
    Ignored
    says:

    BLMac says:
    21 December, 2020 at 10:17 am

    “….It doesn’t mean she’s doing a bad job of running Scotland otherwise…”

    I respectfully disagree BLMac.

    She has handed the UK Prime Minister a veto over the sovereign will of the Scottish people, something which Westminster has repeatedly tried to secure since 1707, but has been unsuccessful due to the robust idiosyncrasies of the Scottish Constitution and popular sovereignty.

    Sturgeon’s response to Brexit was to announce she would be doing nothing until she knew the final details of Brexit, thereby paralysing Scotland’s capacity to argue or dispute Brexit until it was all over and the deal was done, while simultaneously awarding Theresa May a completely free hand to negotiate whatever kind of Brexit she liked, knowing she would not face any Scottish Referendum or Constitutional Challenge until after Brexit was decided.

    Sturgeon even had the Irish leading the way and pioneering a Constitutional Backstop, whereby the UK Government would be bound to respect the International Peace Treaty of the Good Friday Agreement. A strategy so successful, Northern Ireland is still to all intents and purposes part of Europe. Where was Scotland’s Backstop, with Westminster breaching “our” International Treaty of Union? Sold out without so much as an argument by the strategic genius of Nicola Sturgeon who arbitrarily decides we should impose Scotland’s will on the English electorate instead.

    Sturgeon’s strategic “prowess” is also revealed by her putting herself in charge of COVID and suspending everybody else from doing anything until “she” has dealt with COVID. COVID should properly have been delegated to Jean Freeman, and Scotland’s unconstitutional subjugation should have been front and centre throughout. Instead, Sturgeon couldn’t kick it into the long grass fast enough, and yet again, Scotland is painted into a corner from the outset.

    Sturgeon’s ineptitude and dismal strategic planning has been a dream ticket for the Tories, allowing them to get away with their nonsense, including the subjugation of Scottish Sovereignty, completely unchallenged. Leadership? She’s an absolute disgrace.

    I could go on BLMac, but it is my considered opinion that Sturgeon’s tenure as First Minister has been as close to a full blown disaster as makes no difference. Instead of fighting Scotland’s corner and contesting every inch of our Brexit subjugation, Sturgeon has led the way with Scotland’s capitulation and humiliating submission.

    Instead of finishing what we started in 2014, Sturgeon has wrecked the cohesion and confidence entire Indy movement, squandered all momentum, capitulated and abdicated Scotland’s Constitutional strengths, doomed Scotland to a Brexit it could easily have avoided and used to secure a dissolution of the United Kingdom.

    Steer Scotland towards Independence? Sturgeon steered us past the Indy turn-off in 2016.

    And I haven’t even begun to address the smearing of Alex Salmond, the neutering of Joanna Cherry’s Landmark legal victories, and calamitous infiltration of the Wokeratti.

  163. CameronB Brodie
    Ignored
    says:

    It must be obvious to anyone paying attention, that the FM hasn’t a clue about how to support the rule-of-law or democracy. Her politics are simply not compatible with international human rights law, or social democracy.

  164. Sharny Dubs
    Ignored
    says:

    If it looks like there is a chance the coming election will be made into a referendum they (whoever they are including the current SNP management) will make sure the election does not happen.

    My feeling is you can put money on that!

  165. Mist001
    Ignored
    says:

    Good one this morning. The reason why there has been a decrease in the number of cases of flu and colds being reported is because people are wearing face masks and social distancing. The reason there’s been an increase in Covid cases is because people are not wearing face masks and social distancing.

    Just a couple of months ago, Mrs. Murrell was on the Andrew Marr show who asked her why she didn’t just close the borders and she replied that she didn’t have the powers to do that.

    So why has it been reported yesterday that she has closed the border between England and Scotland? Who gave her the power to do that and when did she get this power?

    The other thing is where the fuck is the border? I’ve travelled between Scotland and England umpteen times and never seen a single checkpoint anywhere, so where is this mythical, closed border.

    And as for countries closing their borders to travellers from the UK, just a cursory glance at Flightradar24 will show you that it’s a lot of shite and we’re being lied to again.

    The Revs post is spot on but again, it’s just words on a website and as I’ve pointed out before, everyone agrees with him but nobody will do anything about it.

    Where are AUOB with their 100,000 marchers when you need them?

    The problem with Scottish independence is the supporters want independence handed to them on a fucking plate, without showing any fucking commitment other than whining online.

    GET THESE 100,000 AUOB MARCHERS INTO CHARLOTTE SQUARE. NOW.

    Otherwise they’re not worth a fuck.

  166. gullaneno4
    Ignored
    says:

    Some of the folk commenting on here seem to have little grasp of what happens the real world.
    Bile and spite piled on to someone who the VAST majority of Scots [including many Unionists] think is doing a good job in the present circumstances.
    These folk are doing their country no favours.

    And anyone who thinks that Salmond is the answer is sorely deluded.

  167. Sharny Dubs
    Ignored
    says:

    Breeks@11:00 am.

    Completely agree, but it’s so depressing to have her inadequacy so clearly stated.

    God help us.

  168. Garavelli Princip
    Ignored
    says:

    @Ross,

    “Do you believe the elections will go forward in May.? If they do what is the problem with making it a plebiscite for Indy rather than just a routine election?”

    The problem is either way wee Nic loses her sinecure and Big Cheese life!

    If she wins on a plebiscite election, she actually has to deliver – and that will mean a fight with WM for Independence. She has no stomach- nor the skills – for a fight (she’s at her best doing sneaky plotting with other wimmin);

    If she loses, she is not.

    Much better to string us all along for a non-existent Section 30 and keep up the pretence of wanting Independence , but Big Bad Boris want let her.

    She keeps her sinecure, her crooked man keeps his and – kerching – the money keeps rolling in, and she keeps on kidding on that she is a Word Leader – at least to herself.

    That is why – one way or another – she has to go long before May!

  169. Garavelli Princip
    Ignored
    says:

    Bloody predictive text. Should have read:

    If she wins on a plebiscite election, she actually has to deliver – and that will mean a fight with WM for Independence. She has no stomach- nor the skills – for a fight (she’s at her best doing sneaky plotting with other wimmin);

    If she loses, she is OOT.

    Much better to string us all along for a non-existent Section 30 and keep up the pretence of wanting Independence , but Big Bad Boris WONT let her.

  170. ScotsRenewables
    Ignored
    says:

    gullane04 @11.11

    Yep. There is some truth in the accusations levelled at the SNP that they could have done more, but the total bile levelled at the SNP and its leader every day on here by utter roasters is depressing.

    Nothing but good (in terms of indy support) can come from Nicola pointing up the utter stupidity of proceeding with Brexit in the current circumstances.

  171. Ottomanboi
    Ignored
    says:

    GULLANENO4
    Your comment has more than hint of the type of approval rating given to leaders in totalitarian states. In reality, seeming majority support from the masses is no indicator of authentic allegiance or trust in competence simply a sign of straw bending in the wind.
    The technical term for this is consensus trance.
    Not a healthy state.

  172. Sylvia
    Ignored
    says:

    To Rev. Stuart Campbell I wish more people were as honest as you.

  173. Ellie
    Ignored
    says:

    Quite a dilemma,hold your nose and vote SNP hoping they will remember independence is their raison d’etre or hold your nose and vote Tory and hope they protect woman’s rights? Currently the options for May elections (if they go ahead – excuses being lined up) are so dire a spoilt constituency paper is my only option. As for extending the transition period, what purpose would that achieve other than postponing the inevitable? Sturgeon needs to stop posturing on twitter and act to deliver indy otherwise she is a dangerous waste of space.

  174. Alec Lomax
    Ignored
    says:

    Mist sitting at home with his laptop/pc/smartphone orders the AUOB marchers to get out on ths treet!
    Priceless !

  175. Gregory Beekman
    Ignored
    says:

    You silly plebs!!

    The UK has the greatest genomic sequencing IN THE WORLD!!!

    So of course you can’t become independent. Only the broad genomic sequencing of the UK can stop a pandemic spiralling out of control. Oh, wait…

  176. J Galt
    Ignored
    says:

    Isn’t it funny how the “New Improved” wee coronaviruseses have arrived just in time to:

    1. Justify the destruction of Christmas, and:

    2. Obfuscate the effects of Brexit with the UK being quarantined?

  177. Spike
    Ignored
    says:

    To Rev Stuart Campbell

    Keep saying it as it is, keep the faith, I know I know and let’s hope the great conjunction tonight flips things our way.

  178. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    The question is simplicity itself.

    Does the SNP show any sign at all they will be holding an

    indyref next year 2021. Never mind proposals or Draft Bills.

    What have they done to make that possible?

    Has the public themselves done anything to make that possible?.

    Like funding a court case for a section 30 ?, despite being opposed and disrupted by tbe SNP.

    Who has therefore done more to make it happen?

    Answer that honestly.

  179. Socrates MacSporran
    Ignored
    says:

    ScotsRenewables

    My beef with the high heid yins in the SNP at the moment is not that they are doing badly, but, they are not doing enough to get us to where we want and need to be – an Independent nation.

    The English seem to want Brexit, hard, soft, or medium-rare. There is nothing we Scots can do to change this. There has been nothing we could have done since 2016, but, we have wasted four years trying to save an England which does not want to be saved from themselves.

    This has cost us time in gaining our primary aim, Independence. And, in the process, the SNP hierarchy has given the English Establishment time to plan how they can continue to keep us subservient.

    To quote Groundskeeper Willie – Damned Scots – they’ve ruined Scotland.

  180. Dunadd
    Ignored
    says:

    England is getting what it voted for…a world beating shambles.

    Come on England take your independence back.
    You shouldn’t have to rely on stealing from your neighbours.

  181. Daisy Walker
    Ignored
    says:

    @ ScotsRenwables re

    ‘Nothing but good (in terms of indy support) can come from Nicola pointing up the utter stupidity of proceeding with Brexit in the current circumstances.’

    Which is why so many of us are in despair at the wasted opportunity. We are 9 months into ‘covid’ ‘current circumstances’.

    And 12 months into Brexit is done.

    4 years since the Brexit vote.

    And in all that time, there has not been one single day, when the Unionists stopped campaigning.

    In that same time period, the SNP raised almost 1/2 million £’s – for the very purpose of being ready to go for IndyRef2 campaign. It was supposed to be ring fenced. Now it is not apparent on the books and admittedly ‘woven through’ the accounts.

    That is not preparation.

    In addition, there is no plan, for Indy, for Holyrood? No-one is working on it.

    We have 5 months to go before Holyrood, and with Covid restrictions, that means we will have to utilise different methods of campaigning to get any sort of message out – or do you want to rely on the MSM and the BBC? And it will take longer than normal. Another words, we should be doing it now.

    Do you see a plan? a budget? a script?

    There is so much common ground for campaigning about Indy – in both camps of the Nicla divide….

    One would think a proper leader would be keeping us all positively occupied with shoulders to the wheel on this.

    These are deep, deep failings, and we do the cause of Indy absolutely no service, if we pretend we can’t see them.

    Its always easier to shoot the messenger though, isn’t it.

  182. Mist001
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Alec Lomax

    Yeah? And the most constructive thing you can do is whine. Pricks like you don’t deserve independence because as I said, you all expect it handed to you on a plate.

    ‘Whine whine whine. We want independence. Whine whine whine’.

    AUOB bragging: ‘Oh, we had 100,000 marchers out today, aren’t we fucking great’

    Well, where the FUCK are AUOB and these people when they’re fucking needed?

    No fucking where, so what fucking use are they in a shitstorm?

    And what fucking use are YOU in a shitstorm? No fucking use.

    Priceless, indeed.

    Scotland. The only thing they’re good at is snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and you are made aware of that fact every fucking day when Mrs. Murrell appears on screen.

  183. Nation Libre
    Ignored
    says:

    Hi Stu

    I’ve been following WoS from the very early days when you could read through the comments in about a minute. I was awestruck at your forensic dissection of the Union BS. It was my first read every morning with my little Wings button the first on my toolbar. I met you (handshake) and received one of the first pin badges outside the Albanach if I remember correctly, at the first Edinburgh rally. I’ve donated to a few crowdfunders but not all. I’ve attended the major rallies, travelling from France and proudly dished out the WBB on the run up to the IndyRef

    I have to say now that it’s days between having a look as it’s the topics are invariably transgender or Nicola bad. Don’t shoot me down yet, it’s your blog and I agree with much of what your saying. The point is, I used to always point people to the Wings site to make them aware of the Union and media BS as you had debunked it way more comprehensively than I could ever do. I would print articles out and have them ready to give to people to enforce a point

    It’s now that I just thought to myself, how could you point someone to the WoS site to influence their thoughts on independence or voting for the SNP, it may just have the opposite affect

    I have no wish to offend you in any way and consider your work over the last 8 years to have had a huge effect on the current polling figures. I just wish that we could all get back on track of hammering the Union media rubbish

    OK, grenade launched I’ll run for cover!

  184. Gregory Beekman
    Ignored
    says:

    NOTE: @NicolaSturgeon should put in her manifesto not just a commitment to a new indyref but also to the timescale.

    That way, we are voting for both #indyref2 and the date of it.

    This will stop @BorisJohnson using the “this is not the time” excuse. And @Keir_Starmer etc

    Including Blair McDougall, who’s just been using that line on Twitter!!!

  185. Pixywine
    Ignored
    says:

    AUOB as useful as a fart in a diving suit.

  186. Gregory Beekman
    Ignored
    says:

    I have Tweeted this to a reply I got about it being there already.

    That’s not the same thing as putting in a manifesto both the indyref and the date of it. A wooly committment to “it’s Scotland’s right” is not enough.

    We need in the manifesto something like “indyref2 to be held on Thu 15th Sep 2022” so it’s clear we’re voting on the date too!!

    Here’s the tweet if you want to help push this idea. It also stops Sturgeon from delaying an indyref forever because of Brexit and Coronavirus – ie put your clear intentions in the manifesto for all to see!!

    https://mobile.twitter.com/GregoryBeekman/status/1340989359617699840

  187. Daisy Walker
    Ignored
    says:

    Mist100 re ‘Well, where the FUCK are AUOB and these people when they’re fucking needed?’

    If a rally such as this was to go ahead just now with Covid Restrictions – the bad press it would generate would be incredibly counter productive.

    One of the large voting demographics we need to win over – are the elderly. They are extremely worried about Covid, and very intolerant of public displays of defiance about the Covid rules.

    Any Campaigning will have to be done in a Covid safe manner.

    Vehicle Convoys,
    Bridges for Yes,
    Billboards,
    TV and Social Media Advertising,
    Posters, T shirts,
    Leaflet drops (done by persons wearing masks).
    And maybe that book through every door the SNP raised money for….

    It has to be highly visible.
    It has to get its message across instantly (which means picture posters).
    And it has to have an achievable goal – i.e. Plebiscite Indy Election. Otherwise its just student politics/bellyaching.

    But most of all it needs leadership from the only big Indy Party – with mandates – to lead.

  188. Josef Ó Luain
    Ignored
    says:

    The consequences of that overwhelming Tory majority, clearly hasn’t registered yet with our Sturgeonite “roasters”.

  189. Jockanese Wind Talker
    Ignored
    says:

    “He died before 1918….”

    He actually died in 1928 @ Daisy Walker says at 10:40 am

  190. Mist001
    Ignored
    says:

    OK. How many of these AUOB marchers have cars or transport? Take all them down to Charlotte Square and block the place off.

    The point I’m making is that AUOB were VERY quick to brag about the turnout to their marches but they’re fucking silent now when they’re fucking needed and that proves my point about it being a social organisation and NOT a political organisation.

    That woman in Bute House is NOT moving, regardless of whether she broke the ministerial code or not. She is fucking bullet proof.

    We all know her inaction over independence and her ceaseless drive to overturn the democratic result of a UK wide referendum.

    So either this place continues to be full of perpetual whiners who expect to wake up tomorrow morning and find that Scotland has become independent

    OR someone gets off their arses and actually takes direct action.

    It’s as clear as day that unless that happens, then nothing is going to change.

    Outside of the SNP, the ONLY other organisation that makes claims for big numbers is AUOB so why aren’t they doing anything? Even the anti-vaxxers got organised within about two months and actually physically marched on Bute House.

    Of course, once independence happens, then the reason for both the SNP and AUOB banner disappears, so it suits everyone to prevent independence.

    It appears you’re being scammed over Covid and scammed over independence and Scots aren’t bright enough to see it.

  191. Jockanese Wind Talker
    Ignored
    says:

    I see SCOTCH MIST001 has returned (21 December, 2020 at 11:50 am) to give us his wisdom BTL

    He will be regaling us about the elections he has voted in, in Scotland when not entitled to soon I suspect!

    “The phrase ‘Scotch mist’ is used humorously to refer to something that is hard to find or doesn’t exist – something imagined.”

    Nothing humorous about you though Misty!

  192. bipod
    Ignored
    says:

    @Ottomanboi

    Quite right there is no evidence to suggest that this is a new mega covid. The government has not provided any evidence to prove that this variant is 70% more infectious than the old one, just some coincidental data that it seems to be more prevalent in London.

    What happened is that it is winter, the time of the year when the flu and all respiratory infections spread widely so the numbers are up and it is clear now that covid is a very seasonal virus. The restrictions and lockdowns which they have unshakable faith in have not controlled it so they are desperately searching for a reason why this could be, so now we have mega covid.

  193. AYRSHIRE ROB
    Ignored
    says:

    Mist001.

    Slagging off the Auob again I see.Fuck off ya twat.Do your French neighbour’s know you’re a twat slagging Scotland again? Guillotine for you wouldn’t be a bad outcome.

  194. Daisy Walker
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Jockanese Wind Talker

    Well spotted. I got him mixed up with Kitchener. Sorry.

  195. AYRSHIRE ROB
    Ignored
    says:

    Bipod and Ottomanboi

    Any chance you two clowns can give us the euromillions numbers for the mora and Friday seeing as you’re so good at predicting numbers?

  196. Astonished
    Ignored
    says:

    Nation Libre – I get your point. But it cannot just be the one side that must “wheesht for indy”.

    Drop the genderwoowoo bill and yusuf’s thought crime idiocy and have an advisory referendum or use May 2021 as the referendum.(I know they’ve said these are on the back burner but I no longer trust the SNP leadership.)

    This isn’t going to happen under the murrell’s.

    The first minister has never had any intention of holding a vote for independence. I have been conned, there is no plan, there was no planning, any ideas for independence strategies were ridiculed or not even discussed.

    Therefore the biggest obstacle to independence is the SNP leadership (i.e. giving 3.5 million quid to the anti-independence press). It is pointless promoting the leadership if they will not act in Scotland’s interests.

    And that is why they are the main news in Stu’s blog. Once the murrells are gone I am certain Stu will start writing regarding the next obstacle to independence.

  197. CameronB Brodie
    Ignored
    says:

    As I suggested the other day, it’s a very good thing that the cognitive sciences inform government. As our leaders don’t normally have the skills needed to support democracy. So here’s a look a “Avoiding Confirmation Bias in Decision Making”.

    https://erm.ncsu.edu/library/article/avoiding-confirmation-bias-in-decision-making

  198. Ken Harvey
    Ignored
    says:

    Insightful, well thought arguments and a deep analysis of recent events. Well done

  199. McDuff
    Ignored
    says:

    Nation Libra.
    WoS is the only serious outlet that promotes Indy.
    And are you seriously suggesting that the rev turns a blind eye to the maddness that is Sturgeon & co and her utter disinterest in independence. She is an inch away from being a unionist and anyone who now supports is the same.

  200. CameronB Brodie
    Ignored
    says:

    Whether the FM supports indy or not, it’s clear she’s not a particularly good judge of risk, and hasn’t a clue about constitutional law.

    Proactive Risk Management in a Dynamic Society
    https://www.msb.se/RibData/Filer/pdf/16252.pdf

  201. Alf Baird
    Ignored
    says:

    Nation Libre @ 11.54

    Post-colonial literature is perhaps useful in explaining and predicting the decolonisation process. Currently Scotland seems to be in what might be termed ‘the dominant National Party period’. Here an arrogant, narcissistic and intolerant leadership becomes increasingly evident. Fanon explains this more when he says that “the National Party and its pampered elite reaches an accommodation with colonialism”?

    The UK Government spending Department known to us as the devolved ‘Scottish Government’ which the FM and her cabinet superficially ‘runs’ has gone as far as they intend to. Since taking over she has turned her mind away from independence to numerous other matters which increasingly mystifies the people, and focusing on quelling and suppressing her own ‘radical’ elements and introducing laws to that effect.

    In this rather semi-colonial environment the people suffer from a double oppression, that is, on the one hand from the colonial mother country and also now from the dictatorial National Party elite.

    This soon gives rise to the creation of new national parties, as we now see happening, and as the people slowly come to realise the deceit.

    Hence Rev Stu’s focus is still concentrated on deep-rooted unionist and cultural opposition to independence, an opposition which has simply become embedded within the SNP elite power base and reflected in a ‘Scottish Government’ which remains a subordinate agency of the UK government, i.e. a colonial department.

  202. Republicofscotland
    Ignored
    says:

    Mist001. @12.27pm

    AUOB had a demo planned for today outside Holyrood the demo was meant to be a silent one to protest at the lack of movement from Sturgeon on the independence front. The new Covid variant forced them to cancel the demo.

    Sturgeon isn’t keen on AUOB, she can’t control them.

  203. McDuff
    Ignored
    says:

    CG 3.16
    You really don’t get the fact that Sturgeon is not interested in independence yet you want us to “rally” around her.
    ?????

  204. Polly
    Ignored
    says:

    Breeks

    ‘Two hours before her dire “imperative” tweet, she was tweeting about all the books she was reading… but before the acolytes start comparing this to Francis Drake playing bowls before taking on the Spanish Armada, contain yourselves a moment…’

    Yes indeed, shows how concerned she was before it. I now very much doubt she’s read many of the books she tweets about and as A Person says, the choices are deliberate and illuminate her ideology more than her intellect.

    @ Shug

    ‘Post the new virus if it is used as a delay Westminster may have abolished holyrood
    Pulling her down now will certainly not help in any event
    Stay cool stu we do need you to monitor the msm. You opened my eyes to there cotrol’

    He opened your eyes to MSM? Great! so now you have your own eyes to watch what they are doing you shouldn’t need him any longer to show all the snide little tricks of wording and propaganda.

    @ Nation Libre

    ‘just wish that we could all get back on track of hammering the Union media rubbish’

    Again, I’d say the same to you – you know now how MSM behave, do you really still need Wings to point it out to you?

    The imperative now is to save Scotland from Brexit and badly handled covid – that’s what he’s doing, calling out the failure of the party who said they’d ensure Scotland had a say before we left EU, ‘stronger for scotland’ and all other promises they made and haven’t fulfilled.

    So now here he is trying to open your eyes to the danger of the SNP leadership and their dereliction of duty in allowing brexit and covid to go as Westminster want while they do nothing? and now you want him to shut up? You’re not prepared to see the danger in front of you caused by Sturgeon’s leadership which is far worse than the MSM ever created. How many times has Wings been wrong on politics? And it’s not just him, many of us feel exactly the same, that she’s leading us down a cul-de-sac from which there will be no way out.

  205. Daisy Walker
    Ignored
    says:

    I don’t know any adult, in a full time, demanding job, with a proven track record of inability to delegate, who has time to read 1 book a week, never mind 1/2 dozens at a time.

    Not that they wouldn’t like to you understand, just knackered.

    Anyways, Christmas.

  206. Margie Davidson
    Ignored
    says:

    Spot on Stu and once again your blog is the first place I turn to for some sanity. Thank you.

  207. bipod
    Ignored
    says:

    @AYRSHIRE ROB

    Do you take everything that boris and nicola say at face value? You must still be waiting on those iraqi wmds.

    Interesting side note that it looks like mass testing of students at universities had a huge 42% false positive rate.

    https://twitter.com/deeksj/status/1340975390412685312

  208. Willie
    Ignored
    says:

    According to my pharmacist today it’s not the lack of fruit and veg that is worrying him but the shortage of medicines.

    Scotland needs to close the border with England and create direct supply lines into Europe. England has lost control of Covid and is at war is at war with Europe, whilst the rest of the world shuts its borders to the UK.

    We need a ‘ wartime ‘ cabinet formed out of individuals who can take strong action.Westminster is our mortal enemy every bit as much as Nazi Germany was in the 1930s. Now is the time to seize control. We have the Parliament, we have the mechanisms of administration and we have the mandate of the people.

    And let us also call to the international community to come to our aide.

  209. gullaneno4
    Ignored
    says:

    Ottomanboi@11.22

    Thank you for mansplaining my post to me.
    Is it not a strange way of saying that something that is very popular is, in your opinion not very popular at all.

    How does does that work with the likes of Tesco, MacDonalds, Man United etc etc.

  210. CameronB Brodie
    Ignored
    says:

    If the FM wasn’t reading so much, she might have more time to defend our rights, and Scots law might not be getting abused in the way it is.

    Indemnifying precaution: economic insights for regulation of a highly infectious disease
    https://academic.oup.com/jlb/article/7/1/lsaa032/5848134

    “Economic insights are powerful for understanding the challenge of managing a highly infectious disease, such as COVID-19, through behavioral precautions including social distancing. One problem is a form of moral hazard, which arises when some individuals face less personal risk of harm or bear greater personal costs of taking precautions.

    Without legal intervention, some individuals will see socially risky behaviors as personally less costly than socially beneficial behaviors, a balance that makes those beneficial behaviors unsustainable. For insights, we review health insurance moral hazard, agricultural infectious disease policy, and deterrence theory, but find that classic enforcement strategies of punishing noncompliant people are stymied.

    One mechanism is for policymakers to indemnify individuals for losses associated with taking those socially desirable behaviors to reduce the spread. We develop a coherent approach for doing so, based on conditional cash payments and precommitments by citizens, which may also be reinforced by social norms.”

  211. James
    Ignored
    says:

    “Alec Lomax says:
    21 December, 2020 at 11:30 am
    Mist sitting at home with his laptop/pc/smartphone orders the AUOB marchers to get out on the street!
    Priceless !”

    Yeah – hilarious! The guy is a unionist wanker.

  212. AYRSHIRE ROB
    Ignored
    says:

    Bipod

    Explain to me what is a false positive of near 70,000 UK deaths. At same time explain it to the 70k families.

  213. Mist001
    Ignored
    says:

    @ James

    And what exactly, the fuck are you doing for the cause of independence apart from whining on here and slagging me off, because I don’t see any fucking ideas coming from the likes of you and your ilk.

    You want it HANDED ON A FUCKING PLATE for you, you self entitled prick.

    Get off you fucking lard arse and do something because I can assure you that I fucking well have. If I can do it from France, then there’s no fucking excuse for the likes of you not being able to do anything on your own fucking doorstep.

    As I pointed out to you fuckwits the other night, The Rev can’t do all this on his own so do something constructive or shut the fuck up because people like you are a fucking hinderance to independence rather than a virtue.

    Fucking clowns. Wouldn’t want fuckers like you alongside me in the trenches, that’s for fucking sure.

  214. Willie
    Ignored
    says:

    Interestingly comments about complying or not complying with behaviours that minimise disease transmission from spreaders to receptors and vice versa.

    Legal intervention is the least preferable of options to ensure maximisation of protective behaviours. Encouraging people to want to the right thing is very much the key.

    Failing to provide income to support someone who needs to work to support themselves and family causes them to make a decision about potential viral spread versus essential income. Paying them a wage, or “ indemnifying them to develop a coherent approach for doing so based upon conditional cash payment “ is most certainly a sound policy. Unfortunately a policy disregarded by Chancellor Rishi Sunak when he refused to give furlough to the self employed.

    We reap what we sow.

  215. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    Its a strange thing but historically its always the bearer of bad news that gets” killed” rather than the idiot sho caused it to be bad in the first place.

    Stu has that undoubted dubious place in these events, as we see from some posters who cannot trace where the real blame lies

  216. AYRSHIRE ROB
    Ignored
    says:

    You do look like you have a long neck and arms and could chap a few doors all the way from France,aye.
    Scotland has enough elongated yoons thanks.

  217. Nosey
    Ignored
    says:

    200% ??

  218. Nosey
    Ignored
    says:

    Is there anyway at all we can get her out of holyrood? Anything, any means? Surely there is a way??

  219. Alec Lomax
    Ignored
    says:

    Mist wants a 100,000 AUOB marching through the streets – during a pandemic! To spread the virus amongst Indy supporters, presumably? What a cunning plan !

  220. Nation Libre
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Astonished, McDuff, Alf Baird, Polly

    Thanks for the response but just a couple of points I’d like to reiterate

    I acknowledged WoS’s massive input into the Indy cause and suggested it had a large part in advancing us to the current polling position

    I stated that I agreed with a lot of Stu’s comment on the transgender fiasco and the route to Indy (or lack of) of NS/SNP

    I don’t, and have never needed anyone to point out the media bias. Nor have I ever needed anyone to persuade me that Scotland should be an Independent country

    I’m also not asking Stu to shut up about anything, it’s all been his own efforts, he’s grown this site to the massive influence that it is, it’s his blog

    If I’ve not been clear in my initial post, I’ll have another go

    If you were to have a wavering don’t know and directed them to WoS for reference of how the Union/media/Westminster/Labour is working against Scotland’s interests, would they come away from the site enlighted/persuaded (assuming they never trawled back through the years)? Isn’t that the main purpose of WoS, to push NO and DKs to YES?

    Again, I accept that there are problems within the SNP and have no doubt Stu’s input over the last year helped to highlight and clear out a some of the problem in the NEC

    I don’t know the how you achieve the correct balance but consider yourself a DK or NO voter and ask yourself would you be swayed to YES by the content over the last year?

  221. Dan
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Nosey

    Re. Getting her oot o’ Holyrood. You could try putting a couple of adverts up on Gumtree to lure her oot then barricade the doors to stop re-entry.

    Free for uplift section.

    Ad 1 – Boxes of withered old Carrots – Not much good to eat but ideal for hanging in front of gullible electorate.

    Ad 2 – Box of Mandates – Ideal for enthusiastic collector.

  222. Jan cowan
    Ignored
    says:

    Wonderful! Cheered me up no end. Thank you for printing the absolute truth.

  223. Jan cowan
    Ignored
    says:

    Having read some of the comments, I Thought I’d best make it clear I was referring to Stu’s printed words.

  224. Daisy Walker
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Nation Libre re ‘Again, I accept that there are problems within the SNP and have no doubt Stu’s input over the last year helped to highlight and clear out a some of the problem in the NEC

    I don’t know the how you achieve the correct balance but consider yourself a DK or NO voter and ask yourself would you be swayed to YES by the content over the last year?’

    You ask a very interesting question. I’d suggest events and urgent priorities have overtaken the ‘role’ of this site to simply debunk the lies of the Unionists/MSM and make the case for Indy.

    And if, as it now appears that the current leadership is serving the Union – then debunking their hypocrisy – is not in fact, and change in direction, but a continuation of his previous works.

    Likewise, to keep quiet, or publish support for a false Indy party with no intention of delivering Indy – does not make the case for Indy – it puts it further away.

    It might not make for easy reading for existing Yessers, but from the former No’s point of view – the possibility exists – even as they travel, grudgingly, to Yes, that they will be able to read the dirt on the current leaders of SNP and go, ‘see, told you so, all as bad as one another.’

    As always, the case for Indy is so much bigger than one party, one opinion, one website. But we dig very uncomfortable holes for ourselves if we start hiding uncomfortable facts to suit our purpose. Particularly if we hide them from our own support base.

  225. Polly
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Nation Libre

    ‘Isn’t that the main purpose of WoS, to push NO and DKs to YES?’

    You make some very valid and reasonable points. I too believe the purpose of this website is to encourage support for independence. And you’re probably correct that criticism of the SNP while supporting independence is (for some) antithetical – but since there are major problems within the SNP which you acknowledge, and there have been for a long while now, which have gone unaddressed by the leadership and especially since we’re at the end game of brexit and possibly of devolution with all the disaster that brings, isn’t the right approach to get the SNP to ‘be better’ as so many of their woke lot say? As you say, some of the changes for the better that have begun to happen is down to what has been written on Wings. I would argue, perhaps he should have spoken out and warned us sooner, or spoken out even louder than he did, since perhaps more people would have been alerted.

    I agree, it won’t look great to those unsure of independence – but do you really think all the self defeating policy mishaps and bad decisions of the last few years look good to them? It won’t to most. These problems would be there and be written about whether or not Wings covered them. Do you really expect him, when he’s made a good reputation for himself as being clear sighted and honest voiced to keep silent on the many problems? For me that would have put paid to any trust I had placed in his assessment of politics and I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels like that. The SNP has lost trust because of promises Sturgeon made and didn’t try to deliver. The reason Wings is trusted is because he tells it as he sees it, and his voice often coincides with the majority. In the last two years it’s not been a case of converting DKs to yes, but a concern not to lose any more Yesser who support SNP to looking for another Indy party because of some of their policies. Keeping the membership/voters they have is also a priority or the No to Yes, will be cancelled out in the other direction.

  226. twathater
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Nation Libre 4.22pm well according to many of NS apologists and sycophants Nicla has achieved 58% of the independence vote by herself so obviously there is no requirement for Stu to do anything , he could just go on that long awaited holiday and leave it all to Nicla , so next year when we VOTE for Nicla we will automatically be GRANTED independence because Nicla says bozo will relent and we will have an indy ref next year even though she will ONLY present a DRAFT bill to the SP with NO DATE AFFIRMED, OH sorry she said she would LIKE to have the indy ref sometime in the early part of her next 5 years

    So no worries Nicla gets a massive vote to rule next year , i’m sure the 51% of our womenfolk will be delighted and will not object to chicks with dicks congregating in their toilets and changing rooms , and they won’t be concerned that the tent pole edifice at the front of their dresses or trousers is anything to complain about , but no worries Nicla has that covered too , if you want to make a complaint against your sisters with big tent poles they will just charge YOU with a hate crime because that’s what you voted for

    SO STUART I am surprised that you cannot see that you are just causing the sainted one problems and are creating division in the YES movement , the undecideds will just have to realise it is WM causing unease and they will eventually learn to trust that Nicla is gifted and is doing magnificent things for them

    Stuart when will you realise that people don’t want to hear the TRUTH they are happy with Nicla’s lies and corruption we don’t really need independence anyway just Nicccccllllaaa

  227. Brian
    Ignored
    says:

    Agreed Stu.

    What is she scared off?

  228. Mia
    Ignored
    says:

    This woman has been completely useless at progressing Scotland’s autonomy – she has in fact regressed our autonomy.

    This woman has been completely useless at democracy – she has failed to deliver a single democratic mandate of the many we have given her party. Now is deliberately letting our 2016 mandate to expire so she can ask for another one.

    This woman has been completely useless at upholding our popular sovereignty – she could not run faster to adopt WEstminster’s sovereignty so brexit could be forced on us, the S30 could become credible and the withdrawal bill passed.

    This woman has been completely useless at protecting our powers and assets – she has lost us more powers in 4 years than all the previous FMs, unionists included, lost us in 20 years of devolution.

    This woman has been completely useless at strategy – only somebody who wishes to completely derail independence and trash the chances of the SNP to win an election could device a strategy that was so bogus and condemned to tank since the word go.

    This woman has been completely useless at given the yes movement a sense of direction, credence and the tools to work – without a deadline, the grassroots have been left with their wheels spinning on the air wasting energy but going nowhere. Without her presence in not a single pro indy march but then running to London for a pro “meaningful vote” march, she was making clear where her priorities were. In other words, she has been setting the grassroots to fail from day one.

    This woman has been completely useless at confronting Westminster’s assaults on our rights and the treaty of union – instead of fighting tooth and nail, she seems to rejoice at our rights and the treaty of union to be trashed so Scotland can be subjugated.

    This woman has been useless at ensuring the best possible candidates have access to Holyrood seats – under her stewardship, the best candidates have been deliberately blocked by the so called “democratic” structures of the party.

    This woman has been useless at ensuring the money is where it needs to be – under her stewardship we appear to have missing over half a million pounds in ring-fenced donations for indyref.

    This woman has been useless at keeping unity in the party – because of her aims to force on us unpopular policies that may alienate half of the voters, she has been risking fractures in the party and risking a majority that seemed a shoe in. How many members has the SNP lost under her leadership?

    This woman has been useless at abiding herself and getting her husband to abide by the same standards she demands from everybody else in the party. Here we are in a position where her government has become the centre of a parliamentary inquiry where evidence is being withhold by her government to stop that inquiry progressing, where suspicions of her breach of the ministerial code are emerging, where what could be gross misconduct and abuse of power from civil servants is looking likely, and there she is, holding on to the seat instead of doing the dignifying thing that would be resigning and that she would be the first demanding from anybody else. She is aware, like everybody else is, that the longer she remains in her seat, the bigger the damage for the SNP.

    So, realistically speaking, is it credible that somebody who has been allegedly since she was a teenager fighting for independence, somebody who has been a member of the SNP since she was 16, somebody who is familiar how politics works, somebody who is astute and educated to a law degree and has worked on the shadow of the best pro independence leader and strategist Scotland have ever had, be this useless and absurdly incompetent or is it more credible that this person has been working for the other side for the last 5 years?

    I know what option I choose.

  229. Annie 621
    Ignored
    says:

    She(knows) that he won’t give her a section 30, he knows that he won’t give her a section 30, we know, the whole world knows..and I know a lying arse when I see and hear one.

    Sick and tired..Gimme Some Truth Now, Lennon.

  230. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    Hi Mia.

    Well put – and I type as an SNP member…

  231. Nation Libre
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Daisy Walker, Polly

    I certainly see your points, food for thought

    @ twathater, I hold no-one and no party on a pedestal although I am an SNP member. I am no NS apologist or sycophant. If that’s your interpretation of my comment, I suggest you have difficulty with comprehension

  232. Boaby
    Ignored
    says:

    Lots of people on here saying a plebiscitary election wont work and its to soon for the scottish people blah blah blah. Why not? Its 100% legal and democratic, and here’s an idea, instead of surmising if the scottish people are ready and what they want. Hows about letting THEM decide our fate as a nation next may.

  233. Boaby
    Ignored
    says:

    Mia 7.08pm i couldnt have put it better myself mia , exactly what a lot of us are now thinking. Its got to be a plebiscite election or i wont be voting snp for the first time ever.

  234. Astonished
    Ignored
    says:

    Mia @7.08pm

    I wish I’d said that.

    I have been duped by Nicola Sturgeon. I have been an SNP member for over thirty years. I am heartsore at the betrayal.

    I used to think she had a masterplan until january 2020 . I used to think she was surrounded by incompetent plotters (including her husband) until recently. I now have reached the same, inescapable conclusion as Mia.

    I acknowledge the work MI5 , MI6 and the 77th brigade have done. And remind Scots that we pay more than a fair share of their wages.

    I will now pick myself up, dust myself down and start all over again. THE DREAM WILL NEVER DIE.

    AND VICTORY WILL BE ALL THE SWEETER.

  235. Astonished
    Ignored
    says:

    Nation Libre :

    I get your point but if the person you’ve put all your effort into is NEVER going to deliver, has NEVER considered a plan to achieve what you want in 6 years. Not criticizing her is an act of unpardonable folly.

    I suggest a new leader – one who wants independence.

  236. Alex Stone
    Ignored
    says:

    The only way anyone will get her out of the FM chair is with a tractor and chain. She’ll do anything to keep the power she has, including selling Scotland slowly down the river.

    All those supporting her take the blinkers off for the moment. In everything she’s said and said, is there any indication we are yet to reach first base with independence?
    After all these years and multiple mandates?
    And when was the last time she seriously campaigned for Independence?

    If ever?

    We have but one recourse left to mitigate the worst effects of brexit, and keep our chance of independence, before WM simply shut Holyrood and throw out OUR government.

    Dissolve The Union before Jan 1st.

  237. twathater
    Ignored
    says:

    Nation Libra I have no trouble with comprehension , in my response to your post which infers that Stuart maybe over egging the situation re NS and the SNP which stops people like yourself recommending his site for information relating to MSM lies and misinformation

    I was not referring to you personally but I AM pointing out the thankless task that Stu has undertaken personally in an attempt to keep independence a viable proposition

    You unlike others have chosen a more diplomatic approach in asking Stuart to divert from his truthful exposures of Sturgeon’s woefully incompetent approach to gaining independence ( or is it deliberate
    )
    You are entitled to your comments as is everyone else but judging by the supportive comments from the majority of posters to Stu’s exposures , I would like to think that people prefer the truth be told rather than enabling a lying despot to gain control of what could be a small country governed responsibly and competently for the GOOD of its people rather than a crowd of sexual deviants

  238. wee monkey
    Ignored
    says:

    https://twitter.com/barrendero/status/1340855675065397250

    EHRC finds Scottish government breached human rights of elderly. MWC says dementia patients illegally secured. Untested and positive sent to care homes. DNRs issued without discussion.

    How can any sane person continue to support this government?

  239. James
    Ignored
    says:

    “Alec Lomax says:
    21 December, 2020 at 11:30 am
    Mist sitting at home with his laptop/pc/smartphone orders the AUOB marchers to get out on the street!
    Priceless !”

    Yeah – hilarious! The guy is a unionist wanker.

  240. stonefree
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T
    I recorded a film Death of Stalin,
    I thought it was about the Russian fella and history.
    But No for the first 5 or 10 minutes I thought this strange, I then realised It was about Sturgeon’s SNP
    Simon Russell Beale played Blackford

  241. Mike Chisholm
    Ignored
    says:

    but she’s progressive, woke and taking the big decisions and having an open dialogue and listening and leaving no stone unturned and inclusive to all and a strong female leader and supporter of minorities and doesn’t like BoJo or Brexit and didn’t want to cancel Christmas and of course is a life long campaigner for Indy.

    I’m so F’ing tired & bored of this woman now – the SNP badly needs a new leader.

  242. Sarah
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Mike Chisholm: you can see it. I, the Rev and others see it.

    But even on the Followers of the Return of Alex Salmond facebook there are some who get hysterical in support of the sainted Nicola.

  243. Cuilean
    Ignored
    says:

    Well said Stu. Mrs Murrell is a lawyer with very little expertise or experience. She worked for less than one year for a Stirling firm and, leaving so quickly, that was obviously ‘not a good fit’ for either, moving to a law centre, not a competitive environment at all. Her legal knowledge and grounding is, therefore, very limited, to say the least. No wonder an actual legal heavy weight such as Q.C. Ms Joanna Cherry is seen by the control freakish Murrells as a genuine threat. So much of a threat that the Murrells re-wrote the rule book for their SNP fiefdom, just to keep Ms Cherry out of the Murrells’ sphere of influence.

    Can hardly stomach watching Mrs Murrell and this is from someone who has voted SNP for over 40 years! They need to go. And as for John Swinney? He’s just their hired goon!

  244. Scozzie
    Ignored
    says:

    Wishing all wingers as best a Christmas as possible and hope you can all get to see your loved ones at least on Christmas Day. Keep your chin up and get through it all with all the Scottish wit and banter you can muster. Eat well, drink well, laugh a lot and tell your family you love them. I hope everyone digs deep in the New Year to make progress in pushing for the SNP to listen to the Yes movement and make the next election an Indy plebiscite election – we can but dream. Take care everyone and stay safe xxx

  245. Sweep
    Ignored
    says:

    Just a thought – Do you think that, even if she were to stun us all by announcing that the election in May would be a plebiscite on independence, and even if we were to be joyously celebrating the majority Yes vote, that Sturgeon, evoking the spirit of Labour during the Devolution agreement, wouldn’t then give away all of Scotland’s assets as part of any withdrawal negotiations? Just a thought…

    Sweet dreams. And Happy Christmas.

  246. Robert Moore
    Ignored
    says:

    Comment did get through moderation. Says it all.
    Confirmation bias of readers is common place.
    Confirmation bias by the author smacks of a lack of self belief.
    Don’t you think?

  247. Rev. Stuart Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    “Comment did get through moderation. Says it all.
    Confirmation bias of readers is common place.
    Confirmation bias by the author smacks of a lack of self belief.
    Don’t you think?”

    Listen up, you dopey fucker – EVERYONE’s first comment gets moderated to make sure they’re not a spambot. It clearly says so on the About page. So the first one can take a while to get through, because I don’t sit watching the comments filter all day.

    And this second clutch met the same fate because you’ve changed your name from Roy to Robert, so WordPress thinks you’re a new person. Now take your paranoid snark and ram it up your (“Christmas tree” – Ed)

  248. Brian Nicholson
    Ignored
    says:

    Speaking of having had enough. I have sent you funds. I have touted your site. I have defended you when you have been attacked. I have supported your legal appeals. However, no more. This post has broken the back and I now regret having helped you expand your base. Your personal attacks are not worthy of any who wish to comment on independence. You are a sleekit wee man with nothing but bile to offer. In your own words, had enough.

  249. Robert Moore
    Ignored
    says:

    And a Very Happy Christmas, Prosperous & Peaceful New Year to you.

    I’m afraid you can no longer be treated seriously.
    Btw, my name is Robert, but I’ve been called Roy since birth. “Robert” when filling in the name field is simply a consequence of autofill.
    Noted that you attacked me, as opposed to my points.
    Exactly as you commonly do with The First Minister.
    Did you come up with that idea all by yourself? Or are you simply following Jacob Rees-Mogg’s plan of attack on Unicef.



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