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The clanging chimes of doom 193

Posted on March 29, 2018 by

There’s an interesting article on the Holyrood Magazine website today with some fascinating background details about how Scottish (and Welsh) devolution came into being almost 20 years ago, so we thought you might like to see this piece from the time, not least because we suspect it might also be the first recorded citation of the nonsensical concept of the “UK single market”.

(Click for readable size.)

It’s remarkable how seamlessly much of it, especially the last section (from the giant “D”) would still work today with the word “devolution” replaced with the word “independence”. But we find it hard to disagree with Sir John’s conclusion:

“Nor would devolution truly give more powers to the Scottish people. Only independence would do that.”

Preach, brother.

Tags:
Category history, scottish politics, uk politics

New World Irony Champion 128

Posted on November 16, 2015 by

bmnf

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Tags:
Category comment, scottish politics

The magic number 205

Posted on June 15, 2015 by

For the last month or so, the Unionist parties have briefly enjoyed the opportunity to taunt the SNP in the Commons over Full Fiscal Autonomy, challenging the party to bring forward proposals and accusing it of being afraid of the policy it campaigned and won on in the election. The Nats called the bluff, and today got the unsurprising result.

bbcffa

The reason given by Secretary of State David Mundell – who declined to appear on today’s edition of “Good Morning Scotland” to defend or explain the decision – was that FFA “would cost every family in Scotland £5,000”.

And we thought that figure had a rather familiar ring to it.

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Tags:
Category apocalypse, history, scottish politics, video

Polishing all the truth out 226

Posted on August 28, 2014 by

There’s something fascinating about the latest “No Thanks” leaflet that’s slithering its way through letterboxes in Scotland this week, and it’s not the empty sloganising it deploys in lieu of an argument. (“We’re better together because best of both worlds!”)

oilpensions1

It’s this graph.

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Tags:
Category analysis, investigation, scottish politics

The ultimate Britishness fail 355

Posted on August 19, 2014 by

The Times of London (to give it its full title) has been the newspaper of record for the British establishment for 226 years. It was practically the only facet of British life that survived in the dystopian future of George Orwell’s “1984”. Even though it’s now owned by an Australian/American, the brand remains one of the most recognised and iconic symbols of Her Majesty’s United Kingdom, revered across the globe.

(It even created the “Times Roman” font which is the default standard typeface of the English-speaking world, and which these words you’re reading now are displayed in.)

natoqueue

Which means there’s absolutely no excuse for this sort of cobblers.

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Tags:
Category debunks, media, scottish politics, world, wtf

True fear 79

Posted on August 16, 2014 by

hamishboo

Tags:
Category pictures, scottish politics

When you’re happy and you know it 173

Posted on July 29, 2014 by

Alert readers will of course remember a few short weeks ago in April, when “Better Together” attracted much great hoopla in the press for its relaunched, “more positive” campaign strategy which would dazzle Scots with the feelgood benefits of the Union.

fearwatch

We thought it’d be worth checking in and seeing how that was going.

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Tags:
Category comment, media, scottish politics

Remember, YOU WILL DIE 101

Posted on July 21, 2014 by

We telephoned Organ Donation Scotland on Friday for their reaction to the despicable scare stories being put around by a teenage Labour activist from Liverpool bussed up to Scotland last week by the No campaign.

harrydoyle

We’re still waiting for them to get back to us with a quote. But in the meantime, it’s been predictable – but no less disgraceful – to see senior Labour figures repeating the lie. It all seems to be part of a major Unionist offensive on health, doubtless sparked by fears that privatisation of the English NHS will lead to a significant reduction in the Scottish block grant and corresponding damage to the Scottish health service.

The No camp, unsurprisingly, has chosen to fight fear with fear.

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Tags:
Category comment, investigation, scottish politics

They will hurt us if we dare 97

Posted on July 07, 2014 by

Scottish playwright Peter Arnott on his blog last month:

“The very core of the fear in ‘Project Fear’ is fear of English vengeance.  All the stuff about trade barriers and borders and passports and no one ever buying whisky again are predicated on the same thing: on the apparently inevitable consequence that they will hurt us if we dare.  

This expectation which informs all the dire prognostications of economic boycotts and general administrative bloody mindedness, even of proper fisticuffs over the assets – is based on an image of the English as petty, spiteful, nasty and vengeful.

The No campaign seem certain that the majority stakeholders in the ‘greatest multinational family’ in history will react like vindictive children.”

Cheers to Wings contributor Simon Varwell for the tip-off.

Tags:
Category comment, scottish politics, uk politics

Voting for Christmas 137

Posted on July 05, 2014 by

There’s a curious piece in today’s Guardian about the Scotstoun area of Glasgow, home to the shipbuilding yard of BAE Systems. It typifies what’s perhaps the most successful and consistent strategy that the No campaign has managed to deploy in the entire independence debate. Let’s listen in.

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Tags:
Category comment, culture, scottish politics

The wall 224

Posted on June 28, 2014 by

Our secret agent in the No camp’s taken a real risk to bring you this one, readers. Smuggled out under cover of dusk, we’ve managed to get hold of the early rushes of the first ever combined referendum TV and cinema broadcast on behalf of the Unionist parties and the main campaigning organisations.

As you can see, they’re turning up the fear. Don’t have nightmares.

Tags:
Category leaks, scottish politics, video

Outbreak 2016 89

Posted on June 27, 2014 by

We think this is how Ed actually sees it.

Because remember, readers, nationalism is a virus.

Tags:
Category culture, scottish politics, video

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