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Wings Over Scotland


The angry cheerleaders

Posted on April 18, 2015 by

In the wake of the latest Ashcroft polls, the only line being deployed by Scottish Labour is that the projected outcome of an SNP landslide would be great news for the Conservatives and lead to David Cameron returning in triumph to Downing Street. One would presume, then, that the Tory press is delighted by the prospect.

So let’s check out some stories from today’s Daily Mail and Scottish Daily Mail.

daillymailmarbles

“Perhaps, after this week, the time may have come to shelve the mantra: ‘It’s the economy, stupid.’ Because this General Election is rapidly turning into a freak show in which the old rules no longer apply — with potentially ruinous consequences for us all.

For here in Scotland, it’s not the economy; it’s the Saltire, stupid. National prosperity is almost an irrelevance in an election driven by synthetic grievance and down-right fantasy.

Though the atmosphere is not (yet) as menacing as it was during the referendum, the vitriol is mounting on the internet and on the streets. 

One hotelier whispers that he fears an orchestrated savaging of his hotel on TripAdvisor if he voices any anti-SNP sentiment. Labour candidates complain of being followed by SNP activists with cameras, looking out for footage to exploit.”

(UK edition)

platell

“We can sense that under the newly softened bob and carefully feminised makeover lies the worst kind of politician, whatever their sex: one who hungers for power for power’s sake, and will seize it by whatever means they can. 

She has the arrogance to believe she has the right to determine the future of 64 million Britons and is vowing to break up the United Kingdom. Should she succeed, it will be the greatest democratic injustice to befall our entire nation.

A career politician who only briefly practised as a lawyer, she has none of the life experience of Margaret Thatcher, none of the common sense, none of the understanding of what makes ordinary working families and mothers tick. Heavens, she even makes Hillary Clinton look human!

So while far too many men on both sides of the border salute her performance, it is beholden on us women to bring her down.

The most successful female politician of her generation? No, Sturgeon’s just the most cynical and dangerous.”

(UK edition)

sandbrook

“There was a telling moment at the end of Thursday night’s ludicrous non-debate. Four of the five speakers – Ed Miliband, Nicola Sturgeon, Plaid Cymru’s Leanne Wood and the Greens’ Natalie Bennett – moved into a little huddle of smirking self-congratulation. Meanwhile, on the right, Nigel Farage stood alone, exiled to the edge of the stage.

That image symbolised perhaps the most powerful and the most dangerous force in British politics today – a new brand of Left-wing populism that peddles a message of class resentment, seeks to profit from a rhetoric of division, and holds up a fantastic, fairytale vision in which, if only the rich are properly squeezed, the government can splash money around to its heart’s content.”

(Both editions)

salmondsocks

“I don’t feel that the battle against the separatists has eased one iota since September (which is their choice). Sturgeon might yet pledge to hold a second referendum in her manifesto for the 2016 devolved election, an election in which she could win another SNP overall majority. ‘Settled’ isn’t even close: it’s an ongoing scrap for the UK’s survival. Let’s not be complacent.”

(Scottish edition)

All those are just today. We must say, they’re hiding their glee well.

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[…] In the wake of the latest Ashcroft polls, the only line being deployed by Scottish Labour is that the projected outcome of an SNP landslide would be great news for the Conservatives and lead to David Cameron returning in triumph to Downing Street. One would presume, then, that the Tory press is delighted by the prospect.  […]

Tackety Beets

Nae love bombing us noo !

And still they do not get it ?

Restlessnative

“‘Settled’ isn’t even close”

The only four factual words in that entire assemblage of viperous pish.

carjamtic

When cheerleaders get this angry,I think we are annoying them,might be doing something right…..good 🙂

link to google.co.uk

rosa alba macdonald

Far-Left….

I will show them far left (brushes off Marxist Liberation Theology Credentials).

I do not recognise this country or this leader of ours in these pieces.

I found the only bitter and hateful people in indyref were my own mother (Grannie Labour) and her ilk; some fearful Unionists worried about dissension. Nothing has changed….the only agitators and aggressors the fear-ridden Unionists, not so much because of Union but because of bases of power.

This is what they fear: the old order, patriarchal and oligarchic, and capitalist being shaken. And not for communism, but consensus politics which redistributes wealth a little. Just a little.

Clootie

…here we go again!!!!

RogueCoder

The vitriol in the copy is unbelievable. They really, really hate the fact that the SNP is daring to come to Westminster in force. They fear the end of the Great Gravy Train.

1971Thistle

To be fair, I don’t think you should lump Sandbrook’s bit with the that fuckwit Platell.

I don’t agree with Sandbrook, but he at least makes an argument. (and his books are actually pretty good. In Seasons in the Sun, he makes it clear that 79 was was nothing to do with the SNP).

Platell, on the other hand….

Martin

They have gone completely batshit mental.

manandboy

Independence form? – where do I sign.

Calgacus

Fuck’em all. Pure propaganda pish.

jimnarlene

There’s a fair amount of Sooners, masquerading as journalists.
How many “careerists politicians are in Labour or the tories? FFS.

desimond

Freakshow..stay classy!

jimnarlene

Zoomers not Sooners, damn you autocorrect.

Stoops

Half price mushrooms at Lidl though!

call me dave

Ooooft! as Macart would say.

That’s not a bunch of sour grapes that’s a tree full of SOUR PLUMS… Suck it up!

But our votes are just as good as their’s, one each use it.

Mealer

I think they hate Nicola because they know she’ll always put Scotland first.Thats why she’s so very popular in Scotland.Her policies and her passion for them make her very popular among a large section of Labour voters in England and Wales too.They like her more than Miliband.

Donald Urquhart

Who helped Chris Deerin count up to two?

Elchupacabraj

Sometimes you just have to laugh, especially when they have the gall to include “Margaret Thatcher” and “understanding of what makes ordinary working families and mothers tick” in the same sentence.

Unfortunately I can’t laugh because I’m aware that some plebs actually read and agree with this tripe.

AnneDon

there’s also a Matthew Parris piece in The Times, which Bonnie Greer highlighted as bigotry.

Fiona

I think that in the London bubble there is a fairly complete concensus as to the economic necessities and the inherent value of the union. Journalists and such are very well paid people, for the most part, and they have no experience whatsoever of the imposition of policies which have an adverse effect on their own lives. It is many years since society was becoming more equal, with a concomitant, slight, reduction in their standards of living: it has all gone the other way since about 1980.

I have the impression that they are like many young people nowadays: they have simply never heard anyone who has a reasoned disagreement with their certainties. As is often the case, facing such a case they simply leap to the conclusion that anyone who holds such views is insane: after all, all their friends and acquaintances do not entertain such notions for a minute. None of their sources of information do, either. And the false narrative has easy soundbites which have worn a comfy groove in their brains by dint of endless repetition.

In that situation making an alternative case is hard: you have to keep peeling back layers of unquestioned assumptions and often that looks like playing language games, since they see it as an obstinate refusal to accept self-evident facts. Demonstrating they are not facts takes time and patience, but it also distracts always from the point you are trying to get to. It is an exercise in frustration for both sides. But the elite have no incentive to listen and engage: for they are fine. We are none of us very good at imagining that what advantages ourselves can be disastrous for those in different circumstances, and they pretend to themselves that all else is much as it was.

I think that is what infuriates such people most: it is not that they fear independence, and not that they think that their privilege is under threat: it is rather that they are forced out of their comfort zone when principles and argument they convinced themselves were long dead, disproved by events and the characterisation of political decisions as immutable laws akin to the law of gravity, emerge as seriously worthy of consideration and taken seriously by a large and growing number of people who are coming to reject their narrative.

I do not think they are frightened: I think they are outraged. Spluttering with rage, and indignation, and bluster.

Iain

Christ, how many British historians seem to be turning into Yookay fanboys and/or reactionary frothers? Schama, Snow, Holland, Starkey, Roberts and now Sandbrook? It’s like that nutty Historywoman person has become the rule rather than the exception.

Clootie

“I cannot say whether things will get better if we change; what I can say is that they must change if they are to get better.”
? Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

Croompenstein

The arrogance of Platell is breathtaking, does she believe she is speaking for all women? I do believe that Nicola is very popular with both men and women so she is talking shite

Sandra

You’d never think the Mail is owned by a non-dom billionaire, would you? Nicola’s got them running scared. It’s quite funny really.

thedogphilosopher

After all that I need a re-assuring cuddle from Dan Snow and Fiona Phillips.

ErinT

Wow. Platell must be swimming in misogyny and hatred of women that don’t meet her own ideals. From my experience Sturgeon is appealing more to women. Polls would agree but that wouldn’t align with Platell’s woman hating misogyny and veiled misandry towards those weak men that “salute her performance”. Nice subtle hint there as well.

The Daily Mail begins to seem more and more like a newspaper for raving right-wing nutjob types – the ones that want to gun down immigrants like Katie Hopkins suggests – the more it lets Sandbrook write in it. I also doubt he would know a member of the far left if they took him out for a charming dinner and didn’t call him back.

Anyway the rich should be squeezed since they can actually afford to be squeezed. I guess Sandbrook would rather take money from those that can’t afford it.

Aos

The smears didn’t work, so now on to character assassination from the tame journos. Comically awful, no wonder printed press sales has declined so much last few years; majority of writers have no personal integrity.

Proud Cybernat

Angry, selfish and utterly effing clueless–every last effing one of them.

ErinT

“It’s like that nutty Historywoman person has become the rule rather than the exception.”

Probably because they have spent so much time studying and living in the past that they long for those good old days where pesky queers weren’t getting married and there was none of this minimum wage stuff and women knew their place.

I also doubt that people with a liberal leaning are interested in dwelling in the past rather than trying to make the future a better place.

ClanDonald

Wow, you can’t help but get the impression that the people writing these words aren’t very nice. Nasty is as nasty does.

When did you ever hear Nicola Sturgeon say a bad thing about anyone?

george

i think i just broke my zoomer klaxon

john sands

“A new brand of left wing populism that peddles a message of class resentment”. Too right. There should be no such thing as class, we are all supposed to be equal. The liebour party are just as bad, every time they refer to the working man, or the working class, they are pigeon holing us.

Grouse Beater

The endless belittling of an entire nation, its culture, and its right to full democracy, and yet they wonder still why Scotland continues to hope it can throw off all their corruption and crapology.

galamcennalath

Why did they and cheat to keep us in their Union?

Truth is, they didn’t do it keep we Scots. They did it mainly for reasons of status and prestige. And, then thee is the economic bonus of keeping Scotland.

But they do have we politically charged and aware Scots in the Union! And they had better get used to it.

Scooter

Journalism is the profession with the 6th most psychopaths:

link to disinfo.com

Joe macfarlane

Ain’t it great to be loved and wanted.

desimond

The crowd cheered the ongoing procession.
Suddenly a brave little girl said “The Austerity Emperor has no clothes!”
The crowd turned as one and screamed “Burn The Witch!”

Almannysbunnet

And from Charles Moore over at the Telegraph, yes the TELEGRAPH, under the headline;
The most terrifying thing about Nicola Sturgeon is that she may be – sort of – right. and later in the article,

“But one must calm down and consider soberly a horrifying possibility – that Nicola Sturgeon may be, sort of, right.”

Charles Moore is an old Etonian, Thatcher biographer and as far right as they come. If Nicola Sturgeon has this effect on him then just WOW!

Don’t you just love Nicla 🙂

Almannysbunnet

Surely that Cameron headline should read:
“Whenever I’d met Salmond I had to count my sweaty socks in case he’d pinched one of them.”
So “Ruth’s oomph makes his heart sing.” I thing she is going to have to put on the nursie uniform for him.

Brian Powell

3rd most psychopathic profession-media (TV). Fits.

Fiona

Is there an archive link to that piece, Almannysbunnet? I am intrigued as to what he thinks she may be right about

BOB Mooney

First they ignore you etc.

Almost there. ????????????????????????????????????

Valerie

I have never been able to stomach Thatcher wannabe Platell. Not very intelligent, and very bitchy, the kind of woman that is always undermining other women, so does nothing for her own gender. In that article, she e goes on to bitch about Kim Sears wedding dress, so she is nothing, if not consistent, full of bile.

Yeah, just one long bitchfest about Scotland. Please stay, but you have to sit in the corner, wait for scraps, and keep your gob shut. How can we be so ungrateful?

shiregirl

I can not stand thatcherite Amanda Platell nor the Daily Mail . Her haverings show how insecure she and many others in England are about Scotland or any Scot having a say in Westminster. She just doesn’t get the Scottish perspective and I’m not sure if this is because of ignorance or lack of knowledge surrounding issues that affects us (scots, english and many other multicultures) here in Scotland. Is Platell et al feeling a little vulnerable that their beloved Tory government is about to exit stage left?

If Nicola were English and standing for an English National Party, would Platell’s thoughts be the same, I wonder? Or is it because there are some who are worried and almost outraged Scots dare to rise and push for change. And Nicola dangerous? Seriously? This is unoriginal, second hand scaremongering and poor journalism at best.

Go Nicola. I was so proud the other night watching the debate to support a party who stood in another league when compared to Labour and Farage’s Ukip – and many English people, given the chance would love a ‘Nicola’ to vote for.

Taxi for Platell.

YESGUY

That lot are a racist bunch of morons.

For all you “keep the heed or we’ll get tarred nazi’s” Is this why we have to stay silent.

This country is being systematically abused and it’s peoples lied too. They happy bastards take our oil. our whisky, our people and treat us like shit on the soles of their shoes.

They can call us anything but we must answer their lies. Shout the bastards down if we have to.

What next ?? Troops on Scottish soil.

Moronic behaviour by the establishment is ignored while our country and it’s representatives are shat on.

Fuckin Nawbags LOOK WHAT YOU HAVE REDUCED YOUR COUNTRY TOO .

a BITCH FOR THE Eton toffs. You sicken me.

Johnny

It was notable that Hardman was screaming about how Scottish people were allegedly not choosing who to vote for with the ‘proper’ reasoning, i.e. with the economy in mind. Q

call me dave

Sturgeon -kinda right!

link to archive.today

Bob Mack

It must be difficult to accept that when you try to manipulate a population ,as you have managed to do for many years, that they are now not listening. They used to create public opinion through their articles
In my experience this is the anger of the journalists allowed , and encouraged, to overflow into the public domain.It is indicative of their impotence to control those that they have always controlled.
It is also a clear sign we are winning big time.Expect much more vitriol and charmless pieces by these insightless keyboard warriors.

Lesley-Anne

When we reach the point that we have now reached whereby the London centric media start attacking the individual right down to being exremely personal with their attacks we know that WE have won. 😉

If we, and more succinctly Nicola Sturgeon, were not doing things right then the media would not notice us and barely give us a mention. The fact that they can not shut up about us proves that we are doing everything right and that THEY are extremely nervous and TERRIFIED!

When they have nothing left to use against us because all their previous attempts have failed they have only one avenue left open to them … personal attacks. What they are unaware of is that we expect the personal attacks and are ready to fend them off. Just as well none of them read Wings or they’d see this piece from a Certain Mr. Ghandi that Stu has on the page. 😀

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they come to fight you, and then you win.” (MK Gandhi)

maureen

I have a lot of respect and belief in Nicola Sturgeon, and nothing written in newspapers or spouted on the msm is going to change that.
Don’t believe a word of it, women don’t like Nicola?
Is thon journo havin a laugh.

Johnny

Sorry, hit enter by accident on one above – feel free to delete!

It was notable that Hardman was screaming about how Scottish people were allegedly not choosing who to vote for with the ‘proper’ reasoning, i.e. with the economy in mind.

Quite apart from the fact that that is demonstrable nonsense (since a good many people will be voting SNP precisely because they think Scotland gets taken for a ride and ripped off financially), I am not sure why he think it’s his job to decide the criteria upon which people must make their voting choices.

You wouldn’t basically be shouting ‘do what you’re told now!!’, would you Robert?

Sooz

Joe MacFarlane – it just makes you feel so warm and fuzzy inside, doesn’t it, all this love. It just never stops. Day after day, week after week, constant declarations of how valued we are, how loved, how wanted, and how much they want us to take them at their word when they say we are equal and respected partners. Look! Cameron is even trying to cry again! Oh wait, hang on. No, he’s just sweating heavily.

CameronB Brodie

Wibble.

Fiona

@ Bob Mack
But…but.. journalists and the media do not make public opinion, you know: they only reflect it. They have told us so many many times: and I know from my own circle that nobody at all is ever influenced by the press. They are all too smart for that. No really, loads of people have told me that, and there is no reason to lie and they can’t be wrong. Can they?

Dr Jim

We used to vote for Dinosaurs with red rosettes or Posh folk with blue rosettes and then something amazing happened

We got our own actual politicians who are people, and we know where they live, we can talk to them in the street, they send us emails about what’s happening,

They even ask us what we think!!!

I suppose none of this should be allowed really, i mean politics shouldn’t be for everybody should it

easwald

Je Suis Nicola – let’s shout it all over the Internet

heedtracker

Great news for tory boys? “Vote SLabour for a fairer Scotland” is their slogan now but after 70 years of long to reign over you and they’re pleading for hard line tory votes to save their job for life troughers in 2015…

So polls are wrong, they save some or even all SLabour MP’s May 8 and then they all head back down to Westminster in excited triumph, like after 18th Sept 2014 and knowing full well they only clung to those tasty slots at the trough for another five years because BBC ProjectFeared the krap out of everyone and tactical voting by the Tories, organised by far right newspapers like the Torygraph and even weirder unionist spacecadets online, got them over the border and back to Cameron’s expenses London good life, does not make for happy and gloriousness.

Fiona

Och Maureen, Amanda Platell doesn’t like Ms Sturgeon: so obviously women don’t like her. Ms Platell is absolutely typical of “women”. Course, she doesn’t seem to like any women, but then that just reinforces the point, doesn’t it? After all, women are bitchy. I thought you would have known that! 😉

rongorongo

Interesting piece about political filter bubbles in social media on BBC R4’s “Campaign Sidebar“. They interview (about 22 minutes in) a researcher Ed Fieldhouse who cites the SNP referendum and claims:-

“…The SNP supporters had a much higher number of people who they discussed politics with … not only has this had a mobilising effect but it has underlined and strengthened the resolve of people who supported independence and that has had a feedback effect on the SNP vote. It is no coincidence that the SNP vote share is now somewhere in the same region as the Yes vote was back in September”.

This implies that it is the very tendency of SNP and Yes people to keep talking about political issues with all and sundry that is helping spread the ideas. By contrast those were rather ashamed to vote No last September – or who try to camouflage their lack of ideas with bluster – are suffering. QED as per the linked articles here.

What we are starting to see is what happens when the quality and volume of conversations triggered by social media comes to eclipse that started by print and broadcast.

orri

When the whole articles starts with “we can sense” then you know that it’s nothing more than an opinion masquerading as fact. not sure how working for 7 years in law count’s as brief but let’s let that slide.

The worst bit about the article from the bint at the Mail, who used to be William Hague’s press secretary, is the sly reference to childlessness.

[…] The angry cheerleaders […]

Fiona

Don’t think that is fair, orri. Ms Platell is herself childfree, I believe.

But the oddest bit for me was there too: reference to that stupid swivel eyed loon, thatcher’s “common sense” etc.

Happily it made me laugh out loud 😀

KennyG

“Newspaper reporters, with their irksome habit of raising difficult issues”

I actually laughed out loud when I read that.

Iain Gray's Subway Lament

The tory twit who claims to speak for all women, LOL 😀 used to be Hague’s public relations gonk. She was hilariously useless at that and she obviously hasn’t improved. You get the lowest IQ clickbait at the Mail as that out of touch hysterical nonsense clearly demonstrates.

Taranaich

That image symbolised perhaps the most powerful and the most dangerous force in British politics today – a new brand of Left-wing populism that peddles a message of class resentment, seeks to profit from a rhetoric of division, and holds up a fantastic, fairytale vision in which, if only the rich are properly squeezed, the government can splash money around to its heart’s content.”

These people need some reality slapped into them.

The UK’s debt is at £1.5 trillion. The UK has lost its AAA credit rating. The UK oil industry is on the verge of collapse as a direct result of this government’s actions. The UK has the worst pensions, some of the worst cancer survival rates, some of the lowest-performing schools, third lowest producer of renewables, and among the lowest wages in the EU. Over 10,000 people have died within six months of losing their support as a result of benefits “reforms.” Hundreds of thousands have had to resort to food banks in order to feed themselves. Hundreds of thousands more face fuel poverty.

All while the rich have become richer, the House of Lords has its amenities upgraded, the richest enjoy a lovely tax cut, and investigations into monstrous crimes are suppressed.

And they say it’s “Left-wing populism” that threatens to destroy the country?

Richardinho

“Labour candidates complain of being followed by SNP activists with cameras, looking out for footage to exploit.”

..erm a media organization is criticising people for doing this?

Fiona

@ Taranaich: Sshusssh.

We are supposed to believe there is no such thing as class, and that the elite are not fighting and winning a class war. Don’t you know the argument has been reframed?

CameronB Brodie

Fiona
I’m not disagreeing with your general point, but I’d place the right-wing coupe and the beginning of end for British Labour, a few years earlier.

Dennis Healey had just borrowed £2.3bn from the IMF, before telling the left-wing that they were now history, at Labour’s 1976 conference.

Bulldozer Healey tramples on left
Mr Healey’s onslaught on the Labour Left was followed less than half an hour later by a stark warning from the Prime Minister that the failure and collapse of the Labour Government could lead to its replacement by a totalitarian regime, either of Left or Right. Interviewed on BBC television, he said he was convinced that no other Government could succeed in coping with the present crisis. “That is why we are fighting hard to make this Government succeed.”

link to tinyurl.com

Fiona

Difficult to pinpoint it, CameronB Brodie. Labour always had a right wing, certainly. But I do not think the left were extinguished then, though the right wing press and the tories were already trying to make the rules for the Labour party. I don’t think they had wholly surrendered then, though I could be wrong. Kinnock, on the other hand, was overtly an enthusiast for the right wing narrative.

Nothing hangs on this, however: tis a matter of a few years only. The real point is it was decades ago: and it has taken people this long to notice. That puzzles me, but so long as they do realise now, that is what counts. Speed the day they notice it in england, as well

katherine hamilton

“Scotland has lost its marbles” What a dreadful thing to say about Ruthie and her cohort, Danny, Michael, and all the Labour types.
That kind of demonising does not add to the debate so leave them alone.
I think that’s what he meant.

heedtracker

link to youtube.com

Kevin McKenna explaining the how and why to Gavin Estler, the big beast BBC shill that made his own “dramatic” referendum intervention with his whole BBC day of VoteNOborders.com and all funded by loaded City spivs.

Estler’s frightened that once in a generation refs may not be but McKenna gets going 7mins in.

frankieboy

The English Press hate Scotland, Scots and democracy.

Capella

I feel quite unclean after reading that bile. They are ugly and will get uglier. We must just keep calm and carry on.

Robert Graham

Thanks for letting us have a look at what the nutjobs over the wall are up to ,Septembers love bombing is over I guess normal service resumed then ? With a twist this time bile heaped with hatred now ,I just wonder how much more hatred can be heaped by so many on so few a churchian moment there ha ha well you have got to laugh let’s really wind these b/stds up by telling them we are going to run their F/n empire oops they don’t have one anymore sad that isn’t it

JGedd

Erin T and Fiona

Couldn’t agree more.

What we are seeing in its crudest expression in the columns of the Daily Mail is the age-old fury when an elite group feels threatened. They have felt comfortable for more than a generation since the Labour Party was transformed into the tawdry pretence of an opposition which it now is. Through the idea of “austerity” the wealthy elite are busily rolling back the welfare state with ruthless deliberation.

Something Fiona referred to on another thread regarding house ownership, triggered a memory from the past. I recall in the late 1970s coming across reference to a major academic report done by an American university into Brazil, its political situation, economy etc., In summary what they concluded was that the same political revolutionary movements which had broken out in other Latin American countries had not, until that time, manifested themselves strongly in Brazil. They pointed to a real life metaphor in the favelas of Rio, which on the hills of the city, could see the luxury apartments of the rich around the bay. Yet instead of social upheaval they had Carnival.

The conclusion was that the poor, living in scratch-built hovels, practically on top of one another, were in intense daily competition with their neighbours for any means of existence. There was therefore no growth of consensus or solidarity such as might be found in urban centres where workers might be involved in large scale employment in factories. ( Ship building and mining come to mind. )

Interestingly I came across reference to this study around the time that the Chicago School’s supposed luminaries were coming to the fore and shortly before the advent of Thatcher as Prime Minister. Thatcher and her acolytes set about changing the dynamics of British society, bringing in right-to-buy which enlisted a whole section of the working class into Tory voters, and then set about taking on the unions and the big industries (like mining) where they had their power bases. The unions were demonised in the public mind with the aid of the press and media. The print unions were also crushed.

I am not suggesting that this was a strategy carefully worked out in advance or that they had pored over that particular study in order to set about destroying those social structures which supported worker solidarity. They were and are simply opportunists who know that they cannot allow a dangerous consensus to challenge their narrative. The rich are comfortable enough to take risks and they were often just lucky.( People often forget how often luck plays a part in moments of history and funnily enough, it’s usually those in the comfortable elite who scoff at the idea of luck playing any part. It’s always put down, retrospectively, to superior intelligence and planning.)

By the way, Germany seems to manage perfectly well with a very low level of house ownership. Makes for a flexible work force who are able to re-locate easily I was told by a German employer once. Angela Merkel also criticised the “Anglo-Saxon real estate obsession” as being responsible for Spain’s economic woes. This Anglo Saxon obsession with house ownership is regarded in this country as an unalloyed virtue. I think it has increased social divisiveness, but that’s another story and I think I might already have stretched the patience of most by now.

Finis. ( Honest )

CameronB Brodie

Fiona
As you say, it matters not.

Ronnie Leitch

YESGUY says:

18 April, 2015 at 2:20 pm

That lot are a racist bunch of morons.

For all you “keep the heed or we’ll get tarred nazi’s” Is this why we have to stay silent.

This country is being systematically abused and it’s peoples lied too. They happy bastards take our oil. our whisky, our people and treat us like shit on the soles of their shoes.

They can call us anything but we must answer their lies. Shout the bastards down if we have to.

What next ?? Troops on Scottish soil.

Moronic behaviour by the establishment is ignored while our country and it’s representatives are shat on.

Fuckin Nawbags LOOK WHAT YOU HAVE REDUCED YOUR COUNTRY TOO .

a BITCH FOR THE Eton toffs. You sicken me.

I feel your pain Brother.

Robert Peffers

The acrid aroma of London Establishment abject fear and loathing of a morning that emanates from the Englander Dailies is the perfect start to any day.

Unfortunately, of late, the once faint nebulous scent of terror has begun to overpower the bouquet of freshly ground morning coffee, back bacon and hot buttered toast.

I do so wish these apologies for good journalism would man up, adopt the old traditional English stiff upper lip, and show a little civilised decorum.

Aye!
Richt!

KennyG

I think they get confused sometimes when in one sentence they refer to the country, then in another they refer to the UK and then to Britain then the nation.

It seems to me as if they’re starting off consciously trying to act as if they are interested in the issues facing the UK as a whole but then the veil quickly slips and the UK becomes the nation, which to me, from an English perspective, means England.

If you mean England, why don’t you just say it? Why try and keep up this false pretence that you give a shit?

One thing that I often wonder about is, why, if we are such a burden on England, and us having a voice is seen as undemocratic and horrific, did they beg us to stay?

Strewth, you’d think the opposite would be true and that the English would be calling for a independence referendum to get away from us!

Almannysbunnet

@Fiona says:
18 April, 2015 at 2:11 pm
Is there an archive link to that piece,

link to tinyurl.com

Clarinda

Remembering how many of the European and other international press picked up on the Independence debate – how is the SNP continued surge and blossoming being regarded at the moment?

Fiona 1.35

Indeed their delusions embedded within superficial beliefs never before questioned with such challenging intent has rocked their sense of self, place and entitlement. Their very being is now examined and exposed rendering it vulnerable.

Incapable of bridging the gap between old redundant behaviour(and the traditional privileges it garnered)and having the courage to think and act in the interests of new possibilities (Miss Sturgeon refers to “progressive government”)- they naturally resort to the terminal political survival tactics (spite, anger, fear and intolerance) as to be seen to change or consider a new better way confirms their self-incriminating past and consequences.

It must be terrifying in having the English electorate, in particular, potentially finding the courage and energy to emulate what has happened to the Scottish electorate and our galvanised interest in politics. Interesting times indeed.

Valerie

@heedtracker, thanks for posting that link, it was a civilised discussion with some good observations, esp. The Bloomberg chap, who said in 30 years time, people will look back and see this as the time fissures opened up, and ‘ll that implies for ‘Great’ Britain.

We are indeed living in interesting times, it’s just that so many in power, want to cling to the comfortable past.

Robert Peffers

Tannoy Announcement : –

The 10:20 London Gravy train now standing at platforms 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 and 10, came in sideways.

All former Members of Parliament are requested to report to the Stationmaster’s Office as the Metropolitan Police have reported the theft of several House of Common’s objects, including the Mace, from the House of Commons.

Jim Mitchell

I wonder if these folk really do travel up to Scotland when writing these reports, for all there accuracy they could as well be back home!

Gary

It’s lucky we are getting this opportunity to see the true face of the chattering classes opinion.

Put in a situation that mirrors the experience of every Scot for the last 300 years they seem upset, no, angry! They are full of resentment and hate.

Here we can differentiate between government and the people. The unionist press has not done so, they hate us with every fibre.

ScottieDog

This used to get my back up. Now it’s just hilarious.

Dr Ew

To be fair to Cameron, his alarm about Salmond stealing his socks is the same reaction he has whenever someone with a working class accent is within 200 feet of him.

My guess is he saw ‘Scum’ on VHS at Eton and has never quite recovered.

Iain More

I am going for a shower. I feel like I have been ejaculated and vomited over after reading above bile.

HandandShrimp

Cracking weather and spent a fair bit of the day out on the streets handing out leaflets. A lot of happy SNP voters out there.One really nice old Tory chap stopped to chat and said he would always be a Tory but he did think that Nicola was lovely clear speaker. He could see why she was doing so well.

The Labour table was out today too but no sign of any of the others. This is just a straight two horse race. I think we are doing well and one could tell from a few negative scowls that some of the more committed Labour and Tory vote think so too. There must have been a dozen of us today on the stall.

Big Jock

Its the irony bypass that gets me. The English establishment complaining about the left wing politicians, who want to have a more equal society.

The establishment don’t want a more equal society. They want to keep it for the wealthy. Yet the people of Scotland are the vilains for saying they have had enough of greed!

The press in England complain about everything but don’t want anything to change! What the fuck?

manandboy

So Nick Clegg comes to Scotland to persuade Tory and LibDem supporters to vote Labour in order to reduce the number of SNP MP’s. These Unionists from the Establishment at Westminster are clearly wetting themselves. This will soon give way to the next stage which will be a little more embarrassing and a lot harder to disguise.

I’m reminded of that point in the film “The Shawshank Redemption”, when the prison Governor opens his safe and discovers his game is up. I suspect that Cameron, Clegg and Milliband – and a whole lot more – are feeling the same way.

Empire HQ is cracking and crumbling because the earth beneath it has moved ie. the voting public, who have had enough Establishment Bullshoite and Corruption.

‘Sell in May and go away’ might be good advice, beginning with Her Majesty.

De Valera

They just don’t get it do they? Each one of these articles is another nail in the coffin of a Union they profess to love. Mind you even a cynic like me was surprised by the level of bile in the Mail today.

galamcennalath

They display raw unbridled nationalism … something we are not used to seeing here in Scotland.

David Wallace

ErinT said “I also doubt that people with a liberal leaning are interested in dwelling in the past rather than trying to make the future a better place.”

Some of us are… Santayana wrote (in The Life of Reason, 1905) that: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

We do need to understand the past to ensure we do make a better future.

As Einstein so rightly commented “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”

Surely an SNP Election Poster “Jim & SLab are INSANE” would be fair comment… After all Einstein knew a thing or two.

CameronB Brodie

The Palace of Westminster is a stranger to sanity and morality. Instead, it is the home of troughers, swindlers and kiddy fiddlers. Those who enter with a moral intent and purpose, soon loose their way or are eased out by their party hierarchy as they are not so easy to manipulate.

Politics in Britain is owned by the corporations, the mega-rich, the Zionist lobby and the depraved. I can think of a few who tick most if not all of these boxes.

Davy

59 seats from Scotland having a voice throughout the UK.

59 seats from the rest of the UK seeing & feeling the optimism that we do.

59 seats away from telling the bbc & MSM (RRRAAAZZZPPP)

Donald Urquhart

Forget the opinion polls, as this vitriolic crap continues it shows the gulf between us and the Unionists.

C’mon msm, keep it coming!

Macart

Oh dang! 😀

They must have an industrial sized case of pampers on order. They don’t appear too happy that we’re getting into the spirit of joining in are they?

You can feel the lurve and smell the wossiname from here. 😀

Perhaps we’re just not the right sort of Scot they want at Westminster? Perhaps they’re looking for a tamer, more biddable variety?

Strangely we appear to be rapidly running out of those, so they’ll have to put up with a partner that actually looks at the fine print when legislation is passed. These barbaric types may even decide to fight certain legislation through their complete lack of understanding of how things are meant to work.

Oh the humanity! 😀 LOL

Gary45%

This election is simple.
Vote SNP get SNP.

The troughers must have thought after the Referendum, Scotland would simply get back into line, and take the same sh*t we have been fed for generations.

Oops, nobody told us.
Gary.

John H.

We truly are a virus and we’re spreading southward. The establishment is in danger. Time for extreme action to halt our progress perhaps?

Croompenstein

If they’re not careful they could incite riots in England…

Folks going daft down in Bath #Englandriots

Kicked in the toosh in Ashby-de-la-Zouche #Englandriots

Booted in the stanes in…..Staines #Englandriots

Burnt tae the grun in Southampton #Englandriots

😀

woosie

Never mind cyber bullying, these articles are sent out to a receptive, thankful English audience who don’t know, or care about, anything that’s really happening in Scotland. They may not have noticed, but after the ebc debate, ONLY Nicola Sturgeon approached Nigel Farage and shook his hand. She clearly has no respect for his guided politics, but showed a humanity most politicians should heed; her honesty and humanity are the real reasons we flock to her – and her like-minded colleagues – in droves. Minute policy details, forecasts, etc, mean zilch to me, if I don’t trust the people producing them.

Cameron shouts out “coalition of chaos” without any substantiation, and it’s broadcast over ebc and sky. Utter panic sets in among the mail/express/record readers who never read between the front and back pages.

I happen to believe that UKIP are indirectly funded by the Establishment, told to express bizarre right-wing views in order to make the tories look middle-ground, and, by extension, labour look like lefties.

London based media are now just plain embarrassing, jumping on anything Scottish. If we’re that stupid and useless, cut the cord; that’ll learn us!

Casper1066

Pat-ill, its up to women to bring her down. How childish, some women would want to aspire to be her. Some very sad very sad humans. Nicola is kicking butt and they can do nothing about it. THATS what’s rocking their boat.

Casper1066

How stupid are they going to get. Pat-ill – sad woman, desperately sad

titchyboy85

Amanda Platell. One wonders how much people need to get paid to spew such vitriol. Under the cloak of feminism! For shame.

I once tabbed around houses trying to get people to switch their newspaper subscriptions to the Mail. It’s the dirtiest I have ever felt. Didn’t last long.

Robert Peffers

@Mealer says: 18 April, 2015 at 1:28 pm:

“I think they hate Nicola because they know she’ll always put Scotland first.”

Nah! I think you know as well as I do the reason they hate Nicola is pure unadulterated fear. Look at facts. The legal situation, (as opposed to how they see it in their minds), is that the title of the parliament is, “Her Majesty’s Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland”. It is legally the parliament of the whole United Kingdom and is legally a democratically elected parliament elected by every registered to vote citizen of the UK or subject of Her Majesty.

The fact, though, is the Establishment has engineered it into the de facto parliament of the country of England and only nominally the parliament of the UK. The London Establishment think it is theirs and not ours. We, the Welsh and Northern Irish are their vassals to do with what they wish.

The Tories don’t mind too much if Labour get in nor any mixture of Establishment parties and the other Establishment parties don’t mind too much if any other Establishment party/or parties gain power.

The SNP is NOT part of the Establishment and thus we evil Scots have no right to dare to have any undue influence at their parliament.

Furthermore they made that official in the document funded by the present party in office. It is entitled, “Annex A. –
Opinion: Referendum on the Independence of Scotland – International Law Aspects. Written by Professor James Crawford SC and Professor Alan Boyle.

It was from this document that David Mundell quoted the following, “The Treaty of Union Extinguished the Kingdom of Scotland and renamed the Kingdom of England as, The United Kingdom”.

There is actually no legal basis for this opinion but there it is, black upon white. The Westminster Parliament is, (in the Establishment’s opinion), the actual parliament of England.

Nicola, the SNP and every Scot on the planet is an outsider and their hate is because the fear her, and us, as foreign outsiders.

Calum McLean

What has Iain Davidson to say about labours”s plight in Scotland?

Iain has been very very quiet of late, most uncharacteristic, he is normally keenly aggressive at bullying his way to the front to enable him to dip his nose in the proverbial.

Are we to be treated on election by Iain giving us a Michael Portillo moment?

I’d do so hope so – chuckle

Robert Peffers

Valerie says: 18 April, 2015 at 2:19 pm :

“I have never been able to stomach Thatcher wannabe Platell. Not very intelligent, and very bitchy, the kind of woman that is always undermining other women, so does nothing for her own gender.”

More like she suffers from inferiority complex, Valerie, bitchiness towards other women is usually fuelled by jealousy.

yesindyref2

Good stuff, the more the merrier.

Fiona

Thanks, Almannysbunnet.

It is not a stupid article if you accept the stupid premises he founds on. More interesting than most of media stuff we see, anyway

CameronB Brodie

Robert Peffers
Not wanting to pick a fight, but didn’t you jump all over me for making what you thought was a sweeping generalization during the indyref? I have been deferential to you seniority, life experience and wit, but you do talk a load of pish some times, IMHO.

Lollysmum

Robert -you are probably right about Platell.

Her inferiority complex is telling her that Nicola is more astute, intelligent, attractive, honest,respected, admired,articulate etc etc. All qualities & abilities not normally seen in a politician of any stripe let alone a female one.

Platell just can’t handle it-having to write about a woman who is more successful than she is. What a bitch she is. She used to appear on BBCQT from time to time & invariably ended up being booed by the audience. I don’t think Nicola will lose any sleep over this bitch’s remarks. Anyone who knows her knows that none of this bile that passes for comment is true.

Gaun Nicola-you really have them worried. Keep it up.

#VoteSNPgetScotland

Albaman

Is it not Piers Morgan who is on line editor for “The Mail on line.”?.

Albaman

Reading the snippets you have highlighted Rev, fair makes the blood boil, if only the Scottish public at large could see them to!.

Jimbo

If votes for the SNP are so great for the Tories, why are Labour activists campaigning for the Tories in some parts of Scotland?

Fiona

Just helping the voters to cut out the middleman, I suppose: it is the “managerialist” way: efficiency, you know?

Iain

If we ever waver, we just need to read some of this disgusting, stupid garbage to remember what we need to get away from.

YESGUY

Ronnie Leitch Thank you . Bloody boiling.

I am so angry with the Nawbags. We had over two years of lies , spin and a host of World leaders telling us to stay with the Uk . What the hell do they know. A shower of two faced rats who would never bow down to another country, Hypocrites the lot.

I spent years working and living down south and am shocked that the “old Englander” is back. Everywhere i went abraod if asked where i came from. Scotland would be the reply and i was always made welcome.

Once they found out others where English they backed off. Many of my English mates knew this and we believed it was a minority.

Bullshit. The Arrogance and sheer snobbery puts EVERYONE OFF. The English are detested abroad. I can see why.

The MSM are a bunch of self serving shits but where do you draw the line ?? Every single line from these rags drip poison and the BTL comments tell us that they are not in the minority.

Ashamed again by the cowards of the country i love. No other nation in history has turned down independence . What a sad state we are. Are so many ashamed of Scotland ???

And the fucking subsidy junkies line is a disgrace. We are net contributers and have been since records started 35 years ago. Why is this outright lie allowed to stand ffs ??

I know there are many Good folk down south but they are few and far between. And far too many are pig ignorant.

rant over. Going out to get pissed.

Wuffing Dug

YESGUY

Bravo.

Toasting you with a beer.
Don’t get too pished now ????

Wuffing Dug

Those question marks were a smiley btw.

Nodrog

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they come to fight you, and then you win.” (MK Gandhi)

Hoss Mackintosh

Lost our marbles?

Yes – we should get our Elgin Marbles returned,

and then give them back to Greece where they belong.

ScottieDog

We have to remember that the views of people like platell express the views of the highest bidder.

Theredpill

Posted today and it hs disappeared,noticed also all posts are pro SNP,I am a pro
SNp supporter but find the mono dicussions interesting but would like a devils advocate
Opinion other wise we are speaking to the converted.

John Boyes

Watching Sky News reviewing the papers and it looks like Nicola and Scotland are getting stick big time in the south. Bonnie Greer, who I have a lot of time for, was cautioning against “Scotiaphobia”(a new word) saying that it was a dangerous road to go down. Stu will be seeing the English editions and will no doubt feature some of the headlines. Suffice to say they’re crapping themselves that we could wield any power over the rest of the UK.Interesting times!!

James Dow

Yes Guy reply As an ex patriot Scot who emigrated to Australia in the 50s, It was amusing Aussies whenever referring to the Eng

James Dow

Yes Guy reply. As an ex patriot Scot who emigrated to Australia in the 50s it was always amusing that whenever Aussies referred to the English it was always as Pommy bastards. Seems the colonials had a good handle on insight.

lawrenceab

Astounding !!!
I live in SE Asia. I don’t normally read any of the Brit tabloids. Perhaps if you do, it has a numbing effect and doesn’t seem so outrageous but from here… omigod, what has happened to the more or less reasonable country I left behind in the 90s ?! This is just way over the top.

She must be putting the fear of God into the Establishment, that wee Nicola. Well, God bless her and keep her safe and healthy.

IAB

I’m working abroad just now and I contribute to their forums. In the run up to the Referendum, I was regularly flagged and would receive thousands of red arrows. Now it’s 50/50 and people are gunning for these journos. The Daily Fail is home to the most right wing trolls I have ever seen but they are all UKIP. The Daily Fail has one viewpoint (Tory) and its readers another – its future is as a lads mag full of articles bought and paid for by the Kardashians


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