The Big-Stats Quiz Of The Year
So called because doing it makes our traffic figures get larger 😉
JANUARY
A “Top SNP MP” was accused of moonlighting as a £500-a-day NHS surgeon at which hospital?
a) Ninewells, Dundee
b) Crosshouse, Kilmarnock
c) Borders General, Melrose
d) Raigmore, Inverness
According to the Scottish Parliament Information centre, Holyrood would soon be:
a) The third most powerful devolved parliament in the world
b) The most powerful devolved parliament in the world
c) The fifth most powerful devolved parliament in the world
d) One of the least powerful devolved parliaments in the world
FEBRUARY
Which one of these newspapers saw its circulation drop the most in percentage terms between 2015 and 2016?
a) The Daily Record
b) Scottish Daily Express
c) The Scotsman
d) The Press and Journal
According to the Scottish press, what did 4 x £12 million equal?
a) £200 million
b) £300 million
c) £600 million
d) £12 million
MARCH
What is the date of the (postponed) Scottish independence day?
a) 10th March
b) 15th March
c) 25th March
d) 24th March
The Scotsman ran an article headlined “Thousands sign petition opposing a second indyref”. How many people had done so?
a) 12,000
b) 2,000
c) 26,000
d) 5,000
APRIL
Which of these phrases appeared in a version of the Scottish Labour Manifesto?
a) “Hi-de-hi”
b) “Hello here Hello there”
c) “And it’s goodnight from us”
d) “That’s all folks”
Arguments raged throughout this month about the merits of tactical voting for smaller parties on the list to ensure the greatest possible number of pro-independence MSPs. When the dust eventually settled on the election, after a 50% increase in the Greens’ vote share, how many pro-indy MSPs were there compared to 2011?
a) Five more
b) Three more
c) The same number
d) Three fewer
MAY
Which Conservative constituency candidate became an MSP despite the fact that only 2,062 people voted Conservative in that constituency?
a) Edward Mountain
b) Alison Harris
c) Murdo Fraser
d) Annie Wells
Who claimed, after the SNP made another clean sweep of Holyrood constituencies in Scotland’s biggest city to match its 2015 clean sweep of Westminster seats there, that the SNP didn’t “get” Glasgow?
a) Kezia Dugdale
b) Ruth Davidson
c) Johann Lamont
d) Willie Rennie
JUNE
Who said, “In less than four hours’ time, Scotland and London will have saved the UK” [from Brexit]?
a) John McTernan
b) Ruth Davidson
c) David Cameron
d) Willie Rennie
What was the name of the motor launch that John Bull took beloved Wings mascot Hamish the lion for a ride in?
a) The ‘I’m All Right, Jack’
b) ‘Britannia’
c) ‘The Jolly Brexiteer’
d) ‘Titanic II’
JULY
During his one-man sit-down protest, which bridge did Twitter celebrity @A_LordDarling mistakenly think was the Forth Road Bridge?
a) The Erskine Bridge
b) The Tay Road Bridge
c) The Kessock Bridge
d) The Skye Bridge
In 2016, the BBC took in £320 million from Scottish viewers’ licence fees. How much of it did they spend on genuinely Scottish programmes (as opposed to ‘network content’ produced in Scotland)?
a) £98 million
b) £135 million
c) £226 million
d) £274 million
AUGUST
In the run-up to the Labour leadership election, who said: “I don’t think Jeremy (Corbyn) can unite our party and lead us into government”?
a) Kezia Dugdale
b) Tom Harris
c) Duncan Hothersall
d) Lord Foulkes
A Wings article sighed “We look forward to seeing it again the next time the Press & Journal’s staff have been in the pub all night and can’t be bothered coming up with any actual news.” What oft-repeated story had the P&J reported?
a) “Blow for Sturgeon as oil price falls again”
b) “Aberdeenshire Farmers use copies of P&J to dry out leaky wellies”
c) “Bypass plans in chaos: SNP must answer”
d) “Gaelic signs could cost you millions”
SEPTEMBER
Who said: “I believe that Jeremy Corbyn can unite the Labour party and win a general election” (hint – you might want to check your answer to the August question)
a) Kezia Dugdale
b) Tom Harris
c) Duncan Hothersall
d) Lord Foulkes
Who said, back in the day: “Let May 2007 be the time when Scotland turns its back, once and for all, on the backward, damaging deception that is Scottish separatism”?
a) Tony Blair
b) Gordon Brown
c) David Cameron
d) Jack McConnell
OCTOBER
Which of these politicians described the UK as an ‘equal partnership’?
a) Ruth Davidson
b) Alistair Darling
c) Theresa May
d) All of the above
According to Scottish Labour, what can’t countries do with independence?
a) Nationalise the railways
b) Tackle poverty and inequality
c) Have your own currency
d) Decide your own immigration policy
NOVEMBER
How much (excluding court costs) did popular website editor Stuart Campbell claim from Jonah-esque TV pundit John McTernan as a gambling debt over the election of Donald Trump as US President?
a) £70
b) £76
c) £83
d) £96
A Professor of Public Policy and Governance in Scotland said “it would be polite to describe” the comments of opposition politicians as “duplicitous”. To what so-called scandal was he referring?
a) The failure of NHS Scotland
b) The closure of the Forth Road Bridge
c) The failure of Scotrail
d) The failure to raise the tax rate on top earners
DECEMBER
“With Home Rule coming to Scotland, we can make our country the fairest on Earth”. Which political party’s website did this headline appear on in early 2016?
a) Scottish Green Party
b) Scottish Conservative Party
c) Scottish Labour Party
d) Scottish Liberal Democrats
How did the BBC first respond to the news that overall teacher numbers in Scotland had increased?
a) “Teacher numbers in Scotland increase”
b) “Scottish schools achieve below-average rating”
c) “Teacher numbers drop in 12 Council areas”
d) “Swinney has questions to answer”
Post your scores in the comments. No cheating, now. We’ll know.
Andra, you no got better hings tae dae? 😉
Hope Santa was nice to you and that the NY brings us a much better year.
Wow. I got 16/24. Slow start (tax season), scored well for the summer months (nothing going on at work) and slowed down later in the year (Geology course in college).
That was fun. Compliments of the season to all here who keep me sane, if a little homesick.
BBAADBABA ON AND ON AND SNP BAAD!Sorry, I just couldn’t go on..
Amazing how you forget how totally stupid we are…NOT 🙂
Oh dear! 15/24 could do better!. thanks for a fun quiz.
16/24
I may have been recovering from a state of shock induced by news overload for a few months.
Supplemental Question
Q Who puts Scotland first?
1. Wullie Rennie
2. Tank Commander Davidson
3. Kez the Dugdale
4. Gordon the Bruin
5. McAveety- (I know- have a laugh)
6. Murdo Fraser
7. Smith of the British State Broadcaster fame
8. None of the above
I don’t think the crass stupidity mixed with self loathing, from the yoonerati, will decrease in 2017.
Oh Sugar got as far as March then it all started coming back , the scary memories aahhhhh , not an other bloody year of this S***t ma heeds burstin, Help ,Help .
[…] Wings Over Scotland The Big-Stats Quiz Of The Year So called because doing it makes our traffic figures get larger ? JANUARY A “Top […]
To quote Del Shannon;
“Don’t ask me a mountain of questions
When there is only one answer to it all”
INDEPENDENCE
🙂
Peace Always
Thanks Rev. I enjoyed that. Much more fun than listening to any kind of news in the U.K. where there is only death, those that have died and the dying!
Interesting that my staunch Labour relatives didn’t seem to be so staunch over Christmas! It got me quite happy.
Got 17 right which is quite good I think! Shows how much time I spend on Wings! Well done for keeping up the click rate.
Actually, looking back on these articles shows how high the standard of reporting is on Wings.
17/24.
Better to save my blushes and be a watcher after having a quick dry-run and realising 4-5 from 24 is not going to get me invited on to “Sunday Politics”. 🙁
20/24 – oh dear. Must improve next year. 🙂
It brings back all the negative press the Yes side has to get past but we will.
Fun. Still a major creep out watching 12 months of yoon culture in Scotland though. BBC Scotland really makes the skin crawl with its corruption.
link to wingsoverscotland.com
Wow signal!
Graf Midgehunter:
Graf, the only thing that will stop you getting invited on to “Sunday Politics” is the fact that you CAN answer 4-5 questions.
🙂
Peace Always
All this shows desperation on steroids from Unionists.
Also shows the work you have put in Stu, Kudos.
O/T
I picked up a National today, it is really good with lots of positive stuff to read. Worth a read if you can get one.
Very good.
It’s a slap in the face for the small group-culture of manipulators ..
Lobbyists, above and below politics, who still think that the people are too stupid to be trusted with the truth..
It’s a shameful display of the Scottish opposition’s UK/US style of slanderous deception.
I find the proposals to tighten up voting procedures interesting.
While photo-id as on Passports and Driving Licenses can positively identify that the correct person is voting I fail to see how presentation of such as a Utility Bill without photo can satisfactorily prevent personation at the Polling Station.
Postal Voting remains the weak point and today’s proposals do nothing to prevent fraudulent practices in that area.
It will still be possible to create false records on the Electoral Roll and I maintain that falsification of The Roll is the most vulnerable part of the system.
With the changeover to Individual Voter Registration I thought that the inclusion of NI Nos. was a step in the right direction to avoid duplicate entries for individuals.
However, I am still on the Roll and nobody has asked me for my NI No.
My favourite was the labour manifesto – “Hello here hello there.”
The branch office’s I.T. Department is obviously staffed with the “crème de la crème.”
Scoosh case! Thought Yesser Val McDermid was excellent on University Challenge, Paxo was toung-tied trying to pronounce “Oor Wullie!” even if his grandparents lived in Oatlands…….. Fanny.
That should of course be “tongue-tied!” 🙂
O/T
Am I alone in finding the sloppy updating procedures of those on-line blats which operate a Rolling News policy.
Items frequently weeks old are left to languish on these sites often with no attempt to delete them when the relevant situation changes.
The worst offenders are The Scotsman and EEN closely followed by The Herald.
We can still see items speculating on the chances of a White Christmas although Christmas was 2 days ago and the number of Drunk Driving Arrests has remained at 388 since last week..
One has to try to remember whether one has already read an item and it is difficult to remember if one has done so which really gets on one’s ti-s when some old story flashes up on the screen.
I got 11/24. It was Jan – May that let me down with only 2 correct, but I played a blinder in the latter part of the year…
🙂
#QuizOfTwoHalfs
Free Scotland 1:05
Correction – surely they are staffed by the ‘scum of the dross’ and not Jean Brodies finest as you suggest!
Lunchtime, Graun style…
From,
“Corbyn hits back after Obama suggests Labour is disintegrating
Labour leader’s spokesman says he stands for what most people want after outgoing US president’s ‘fact and reality’ remarks”
To,
“Economics
What is productivity and why is the UK’s so poor?
Productivity has barely grown in the UK since the financial crisis, and now lags 35% behind Germany and 30% behind the US”
We work every hour torygod sends, to make the UK rich beyond their wildest greed, even beyond JK Rowling levels, and its still not enough for the great and the good of teamGB.
Work harder damn you, in the UK.
@Gus1940, 1:04pm
Th move to tighten up the voters roll indeed is welcomed – but there is one simple almost foolproof method to ID a voter.
National ID cards would make it all but impossible to impersonate or cheat the system.
For some reason every time that a Yoon government introduce the idea, it is soundly trashed in the press to such an extent that the plan is quietly shelved again.
Before you dismiss it out of hand, next time you see someone from the EU pass through passport control in front of you – chances are that they have used an ID card rather than a passport to enter Brexit Britain.
Can we trust the police and security services not to abuse the system? Probably not but I feel it would have more benefits than drawbacks.
I mean, I can walk into a mobile phone company out here in Saudi with my ID card and sign up to a 12 month contract – no questions asked. No other form of ID, no passport and certainly not 2 utility bills requested. They take my Iqama and fingerprint – Job done. All I need to do afterwards is pay the bill monthly. Miss a payment and they cut me off till I pay it.
Certainly no trashing of my credit record either as has happened to many, many people in Britain over a mobile contract.
@ smallaxe “Guardian of the Borders”
“Graf, the only thing that will stop you getting invited on to “Sunday Politics” is the fact that you CAN answer 4-5 questions.” ?
You got me there – thank goodness I’d already swallowed the coffee.. 🙂 🙂
Free Scotland says:
My favourite was the labour manifesto – “Hello here hello there.”
They forgot the third one, ” hello, is Anyone there?”
O/T
It has been reported that Trump is considering cancelling the Multi-billion F35 aircraft and its various versions replacing them with updated F18s.
While updated F18s may satisfy to an extent the requirements of The USAF and USN it will certainly not be OK for The US Marines and our Own RN and its requirement for the V/STOL F35Bs.
Never in a million years can the F18 be converted into a V/STOL aircraft.
If Trump goes ahead with the cancellation it will be brown trousers and cycle clips time at The MOD as they ponder the future of the 2 White Elephant Multi Billion Carriers under construction at Rosyth.
These 2 vessels were originally going to have Cat & Trap facilities which would allow them to handle a variety of Navalised aircraft such as The US Sea Viking, On Board Delivery and Radar Picket plus F18s and Super F18s.
Indeed it was earlier proposed that The UK could share one of the vessels with The French Navy who could operate their Navalised Rafales from it but without Cat & Trap that proposal didn’t last long.
Even if the F35Bs are not cancelled the carriers are supposed to have a projected life of 50 years which raises the question of what happens when the F35Bs require replacement due to attrition or airframe expiry and the production line has long since been shut down – will there still be anybody producing suitable S/VTOL aircraft.
The answer, of course, is that the removal of Cat & Trap from the spec should never have happened leaving the following options in the event of F35B cancellation:-
F18s – both current versions.
French Navalised Rafale
Create our own homegrown navalised version of The Typhoon which is very similar to the Rafale.
The cost of reinstating Cat & Trap would no doubt cost hundreds of millions which would result in a severe case of Egg On Face at The MOD leaving the only option to avoid that outcome as the resumption of Sea Harrier production and that aircraft is virtually obsolete.
It looks as if the once mighty RN may be left with the most expensive Helicopter Carriers ever built.
And we all thought that Labour’s Edinburgh Tram Vanity Fiasco led the field.
gus1940 says:
Yes it is a Lulu, but they have a long history of cocking up defense needs.As Scotland can identify with.
White Elephant Multi Billion Carriers under construction at Rosyth.
These carriers are for attack not defence. Even Russia only has one. Why does teamGB want two, and almost all what’s left of the RN is needed to protect them in any battle scenario.
Consider the death and destruction these carriers are going to rain down on the towns and cities what UK gov decides is the new enemy? Or the psychopathology of Blair/Brown’s Westminster what voted for the Iraq invasion, launching $1.5 million cruise missiles into downtown Baghdad, just to kick it all off, for example. And all based on their spectacular WMD lies. If we had an actual democracy…
Why does team GB want two?
Guess – one for the Gulf and one for Asia/Pacific. To protect oligarchs’ investments. To drain tax payers’ money into the coffers of BAe Systems.
Re: Aircraft Carrier’s, and other assorted hardware. Mrs May will simply go to Westminster’s Cashline Machine/ATM, aka Scotland, and make a withdrawal from Scotland’s oil&gas account.
Did not too bad 20points… Looking back through the archives came across this wee gem I’d forgotten about..
Dr No gets his arse handed to him by AS..
link to archive.is
Voter ID
Utility bills are useless for this purpose. No photo and easily forged by anyone with a modicum of computer skills.
But most importantly using utility bills for this purpose discriminates against married women. The bills are likely to be in their husband’s name therefore the women in this situation cannot use them as proof of identity or address since their name does not appear on the bill. I have been caught in this sort of Catch-22 situation on occasion and told the company/bank in no uncertain terms what I thought of them.
Another problem with presenting such bills is that a lot of people get billed electronically and not everyone has access to a printer.
0/2 after checking the Jan answers and scoring nil I couldn’t be arsed with the rest. Great article though Rev and if you publish it again say sometime in June next year the I’ll have another go.
Meantime, I’m heading for a kip.
Croompenstein says:
27 December, 2016 at 2:58 pm
Did not too bad 20points… Looking back through the archives came across this wee gem I’d forgotten about..
Dr No gets his arse handed to him by AS..
That’s a year ago. Good old Dr No!
On facebook, Dr No! is the height of sanity, but he’s interesting to watch as he’s standing for the SLab SEC. Dont know what the SLab SEC actually does, important things no doubt. What it does seem to do, is get you a lot of airtime on BBC Scotland etc, to rage away SNP bad. And without having to go anywhere near standing for election too, in the UK zone as it currently stands.
What’s interesting about that is that Dr No! has only been a SLabour member for a year or so, and he says he’s got the backing of SLab greats like Kez, Ian Murray and WoS botherer of the year 2016, Duncan Hothersal.
From uni ivory tower, Dr NO! vaults over his ungrateful electorate, and into Pacific Quay. We’re doomed.
Voting. Yes, it needs tightening up. However there always has, and probably always will be some cheating.
On the face of it, if low level and fairly random, it should even out.
So, let’s cut to the chase here! We only see voting loop holes as a serious issue because we know from negative attitudes, tendency to lie, making false claims, fear mongering, and greater predisposition to violence, that it is the Unionist side who are likely to cheat! We make the assumption anyone on the Unionist side is not to be trusted and voting needs tightening up because of that.
That in itself is a sad state for Scotland to have reached. We need out of their Union and the floor swept clean.
When talking about vote rigging just remember Ruth the Mooth has a high level ex UK spy working for her. Apparently he was here for Indy1 too.
Suggests he is not here for his won good.
Sorry typo last post “his OWN good”
Voting fraud:
Tower Hamlets 2015
link to bbc.co.uk
Electoral Commission Report of voting fraud 2014
link to electoralcommission.org.uk
Interestingly it would appear from the report that photo ID has been required at Northern Ireland elections since 2002.
It may be that it is not widespread but if the perception is otherwise then the results of elections or referenda will be called into question.
Even if as is claimed it is not widespread – define ‘widespread’ – is any fraud acceptable in these cases?
…I couldn’t go through this again. It was bad enough the first time around 🙁
Les Wilson
Who is the guy
Can’t believe there is only one
Money on Ruth has seen the snp survey results before Nicola
Ditto Clootie, ah cannae take it agin capn!
Consider we have more of this to come…’17 isn’t gonnae be any better, just mair o’ the same…made no doubt worse by Trump. We’ll see what the Supreme Courts ruling is and that will set the tone I’m sure, but May, the month thereof is our next big push, while I agree Labour are flattened, until we clear the councils the job’s not finished in Scotland. Then yes it’s a straight battle between us and the Tories…I relish this next fight for this will be the real fight for Scotland’s soul. The phoney war is over.
Vote rigging begins with motivation. The British Establishment is currently fighting for its very survival, providing it with extremely high levels of motivation. At this level, electoral law is immaterial. Where Scotland is concerned, there is no effective legal restriction on the Westminster Government.
The Westminster Government will justify any illegality on grounds of National Security.
The rest is down to propaganda and existing levels of brainwashing among the electorate.
Anyone who sincerely thinks that the British Establishment is going to allow a fair and free referendum in Scotland, with the future of the Establishment at stake, and stand by while the Scots take sovereign ownership of all Scotland’s oil and gas reserves , probably worth 10 to 20 trillion pounds, has been brainwashed completely. No one could be that stupid or gullible.
Too ashamed to publish a (just into double figures) score.
Well done though Stu, you clickbait whore you.
25 clicks from me.
“How much of it did they spend on genuinely Scottish programmes?”
———-
Watching Christmas TV and it’s striking just how few Scottish accents we hear outside the local news bulletins and river city.
Talking about general entertainment. No-one is asking for 100% Scottish shows, but it seems like maybe 1 voice in 100 is local.
If the SNP could do ONE thing that could help to reduce the impression of Scotland as a minor region, it would be to fund more Scottish broadcasting and a separate Scottish TV channel out of general taxation.
Maybe adapting BBC Alba as a platform at first. There isn’t enough Gaelic content to fill the channel anyway.
Once content is available, there is more pressure to reform the licence fee and more pressure on the broadcasting authority to make way for a real Scottish HD channel on freeview.
Re xmas telly-tinfoil hat time but did anyone watch that TinTin movie? A Scottish character portrayed as a drunk of course wearing blue was sword fighting a English guy in red portrayed as the obligatory bad guy, the Scot said to him “get off my ship!” The English cad said “I don’t need permission to board your ship!!” Spat my mulled wine oot!
25/24.
Je suis un sovereign Scotsman.
Bestive festive wishes.
My passion for Scotland override imminent..
@Al Dossary says: 27 December, 2016 at 1:27 pm:
” … Certainly no trashing of my credit record either as has happened to many, many people in Britain over a mobile contract.”
Tell you a better one in respect to mobile phones. I have severe Tinnitus and also industrial deafness that blanks out certain sound frequencies so cannot decipher audio over a phone. However, as I’m also disabled I keep a pay-as-you-go mobile for emergency text messages.
I usually maintain around £30 in the account although I really only make very occasional texts to family members to let them know I’m o/k.
Several times now o2 have deactivated my phone if I haven’t made calls often enough. I informed them I was disabled and lived alone and the texts were a vital link and they agreed not to deactivate the phone as long as I kept a fair sum on the machine.
They deactivated the phone just before Christmas but I needed to buy a new phone battery so went to the o2 shop and had them reactivate it. Before I could order the new battery they deactivated it again and when they do they do NOT reinstate the money that was in the phone.
This is nothing short of deliberate theft and if someone on the street was to relieve me of around 30 quid they police would arrest them and charge them with theft.
I think this time I’ll report them to the police as thieves. Does being big business exempt them from being guilty of stealing from disable OAPs?
15/24 who reads Wings anyway? (sulk)
May the force be with you Carrie x
voter ID
How about all those brexiters living abroad and complaining about foreigners. Make them turn up to RUK or Scotland to vote.
Then we have the tories touring around care homes getting 90% of the votes I understand by being proxy’s. Shouldnt the declare who they are?
@Les Wilson says: 27 December, 2016 at 2:12 pm:
“gus1940 says:
Yes it is a Lulu, but they have a long history of cocking up defence needs. As Scotland can identify with”
It is a little known fact that the testing and development of the original carrier steam catapult was carried out at Rosyth Dockyard.
They had the thing set-up in the non-tidal basin and catapulted very large and heavy hardwood blocks across the yard onto the Parade Square.
I’m not telling you on the grounds you’ld be jealous but I got 6/12 on the BBC internet quiz of the year and I don’t even have a telly! [ buffs nails and smirks ]
Gus1940 @ 1.59. Shove the 1% richest in the world on the Carriers. Mobile homes on the Helicopter Carriers with Personal ocean sea views. Sheesh whit a mess!
Bloody hell, carrie Fisher noo.. 🙁
Great enjoyed the quiz, but only managed to get 15/24. 🙁
Shocking though to see these articles again, with the incessant lies being spouted by the britnats about Scotland and the SNP. What criminals indeed, these britnat troughers really are.
I watched the 2016 film update about the new Forth road bridge, it’s on youtube, excellent! At the beginning it says something about it being the only/major infrastructure being built in Scotland, for a generation. Yep, a generation. I won’t repeat what I was saying to myself about the britnats and even the Greens, who all said we shouldn’t build it.
When it opens around May 2017, I somehow doubt that the unionists and their media will happen to mention that this has been paid for out of Scotland’s coffers, though that as we know is begrudgingly awarded as a ‘grant’ from UKOK, out of Scotland’s own revenues.
Unbelievable unless you are actually involved and aware of just exactly what the UK treasury have been up to, in stealing Scotland’s resources, turfing out her people, using and abusing the land and sea, parking their nukes here. All while ensuring that anyone and everyone possible, believes that we are too poor, too stupid and too small.
Clootie says:
27 December, 2016 at 5:08 pm
…I couldn’t go through this again. It was bad enough the first time around
For Scotland it’s been 300 years of another country’s shit rammed down our throats. Then 20 years of reconvened Scots Parliament Holyrood, a ba hair from full on Scottish independence 2014…
No one ever said it was going to be easy, or this quick.
O/T
I wanted to ask if anyone is having problems with the electoral role. My daughter who voted in the brexit ref has found out that she is no longer on it when applying for credit.
I know that has been an issue but didn’t realise it was still going on.
Hope everyone had a good christmas and best wishes for 2017.
Robert Peffers
O/T
There is a device for tinnitus German made very good results only available privately. I have the same problem and I am contacting the health minister to see if it is or will be available on our NHS
Robert Peffers says:
Never knew that one Robert, live and learn I guess.
Awww No! Carrie Fisher has passed.
Really, REALLY heart sick of 2016 at this point.
RIP Carrie.
Wullie and Mr Peffers: Allow me,
link to tinnitracks.com
Peace Always
I’m really getting sick of being threatened by Unionists
Cameron and co at least tried to pretend they were warnings
this current crop of (sweary words) just don’t care and openly invent complete and total lies and then proceed to spit them out as the punishments they will inflict upon us should we dare to make any decisions for ourselves
The slimyest of these threateners are Mundell and Davidson of the so called Scottish branch and lately I’ve been detecting a rising anger at these two bullying toads amongst the normally level headed folk
So I suppose we’ve just got to hope they keep it up, it seems to be working for our side more than theirs
Can you threaten us some more please….but louder
Sorry O/T
Smallaxe
Many thanks
Strangely it’s not the ears where the problem is, it’s been discovered that a persons brain has picked up one or multiple frequencies.I always presumed it was industrial damage tae ma lugs. personally I fancy the device .
And so now it´s Carrie Fisher
“Help Us, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re Our Only Hope”
Wullie:
You are not O/T as far as Wings is concerned, I, as you may already know have had the full force of compassionate Wingers giving me wonderful support when I needed it.We are a community and if we can help one of our own we will, with bells on.
If you find that these devices are not available on the SNHS, I’m sure that we could crowd-fund for Mr Peffers and yourself, I will certainly be happy to contribute if that becomes necessary.
Peace Always my friend (Peace from an irritating noise also)
Since the next referendum has already been mentioned. A former friend (no more) emailed me two days before the first referendum to tell me not to sit up on the night of the ref. waiting for the result since No had won. He is a tory party member.
Dr Jim @ 8-55pm
” I’ve been detecting a rising anger at these two bullying toads amongst the normally level headed folk”
I noticed that our local ‘free’ paper (Dumfries Courier), which invariably has Mundell in numerous photo opportunities, and his Tory friends filling the letters page, had a distinctly unusual letter this week.
A writer compared Fluffy & son to Mike and Bernie Winters at the Glasgow Empire and the infamous shout from the audience of “Good God there’s two of the buggers”.
Fair cheered me up!
The Wind beneath my Wings Smallaxe?
Smallaxe @ 9.28
For Wullie & Robert.. I’m in.
Like your self we need them match fit…
We might jist probably, potentially on the off chance be getting Scotland her freedom soon,all hands on deck..Nae excuses…. Whatever it takes.
Seriously though Smallaxe just tell us where and when…We know how.
For the weary, and those in doubt…
When our parliament reconvened I stated that our route to Independence was now a one way street, only of indeterminate length.
I have yet to hear a reasoned, realistic rebuttal.
Got a fairly respectable 16/24. To be fair you could easily attribute some answers to more than one or all of the options.
As others have said, this is the sh*t* we will have to put up with next year, and possibly, until we are independent.
We need to brace ourselves and stay focused and determined. We will prevail.
Hi Fred,
Wings and Wingers have shown me great kindness, it has shown me the Scotland that I want my grandchildren to grow and flourish in.I have said before now, that I believe that there are more good people than bad in this world and I know from personal experience that there is an abundance of good people commenting on and reading Wings, hence my previous post.
Remember Fred, if you walk in another mans shoes, make sure that your a mile away before he finds out that his shoes are missing. 🙂
Peace Always my Friend
liz g:
I would not know how to begin but I know that there are others on Wings that do know how to start a crowd-fund.I will happily be the first to contribute.I think we had better find out first if these devices are available on the SNHS, if not I am certain that we could then help.
Thank you, liz, and please let any of our other “lassies” know that I left a message for them on O/T.on my post to Marie Clark.
Peace Always my Dear Friend
Smallaxe @ 11.10
Appreciate your comments on O/T re the lassies. Well said.
Still Positive.
My heart was in my words, Thank You.
Peace and Love to You and to Those whom You Love
O/T – Remember, Wingers can congregate on 26th March. See info at this link:-
link to wingsoverscotland.com
There’s only one answer.
Independence.
All the best,SB.
Smallaxe @ 11.34.
I know that. That is why I was so appreciative of your comments.
My late husband shared your name and also many of your ideals.
Peace and love from a child of the Sixties – now in her 60s!
Still Positive:
From one old Hippy to another, the Dream lives on.
Peace and Love xx
O/T
Can I recommend this video on you tube.
‘Queensferry Crossing review of 2016.’ It’s stunning.
I’ve tried to post the link 4 times since 6pm but no joy.
Meg Merrilees @ 12.08
Will check it out tomorrow when I come back from visiting my newest grand-daughter and her big sister in Broughty Ferry.
A major operation as we live near Dumbarton. It is actually easier and quicker to fly to Gatwick to see oldest son and family.
Meg merrilees:
I this the right one Meg?
link to youtube.com
Peace Always
Simply brilliant, Stu.
During indy ref 1 did the BBC break purdah rules by broadcasting the infamous vow and was it technically illegal to do so?
Talking of crowdfunders I’d like to see us crowdfund for a statue of John Maclean and James Connolly for George Square (to be of course renamed Maclean Square).
Yes, that’s the one Smallaxe – thank you.
I checked with the Rev’s instructions and wondered if maybe I’d left the ‘ http’ part of the link attached… but i notice you’ve posted it with the http present? Curious!
Anyway, it’s an AMAZING video ( music maybe a bit loud at times), and to think that we are too poor, too stupid and too wee to achieve anything of greatness…
Incidentally, I notice there is a new head of BBC Scotland Donalda Mc Kinnon. Interviewed in the National – she thinks that BBC Scotland is impartial and would like to see more of the Scottish licence fee money spent on programme making here. Interesting interview…
Dave McEwan Hill:
I’ll second that Dave, there’s also a few statues around that need pulling down
Peace Always
Meg merrilees says:
28 December, 2016 at 1:06 am
“Yes, that’s the one Smallaxe – thank you”
No problem, Meg, your welcome.
Just take away everything up to www, and when you post it, it comes back up with http on it automatically.
Peace Always
Good morning everybody.
Just a wee reminder that we’re engaged in the struggle for our countries independence.Keep up those little conversations.Drop those subtle little comments into everyday chats.
I see that BBC North Britain Radio is having a go at Education in Scotland today. It was NHS Scotlands turn yesterday. No doubt the Police or some other public body tomorrow.
This is teeing up to be a smear merry go round for 2017.
Never mind, Donalda (look, I have a REALLY, REALLY Scottish name) will make sure there is balance….cough..bullshit..cough.
@scotspine
Don’t know much about Ms MacKinnon, her mindset or intentions tbh. She may very well mean what she says. I don’t know. I do know she hasn’t a snowball’s chance of succeeding regardless.
I saw the piece in the National. Whilst it was unusual to hear someone from the BBC admit there has been a ‘loss of trust’, I don’t think anything will be done about it. Not where it matters.
The BBCs bias isn’t a conspiracy, its far worse than that. Its institutional bias. They simply aren’t capable of representing the views of half a nation partner, when their foundation is based upon the promotion of the UK. The thought that they could then reflect the views, culture, history and societal mindset of the whole nation of Scotland is therefore laughable. Ms MacKinnon can’t even ensure an equitable spend in Scotland from fees received.
Conspiracies can be exposed or dismantled, whereas an institutionalised mindset is the norm. Its the company’s very reason for being. The state supported, public broadcaster. The state is the UK state ergo… it is, what it is, what it is. A branch office which reflects the editorial purview of the head office.
So no, the trust lost, will remain lost until a Scottish parliament has the power to control its own broadcasting policy and the Scottish electorate have the power to create their own broadcast output.
Ms MacKinnon is ontae plums.
re the national interview with donalda, they should either stick it to the bbc big time, or not at all.
it has been said that rubbishing the bbc is counter productive, im not sure about that but if you are going to put the boot in, you should do it properly, it is not as if there are not enough clear exaples of bias
festive tidings btw
19/24! Or as reported in the BBC “Blow for Sturgeon as Fairliered fails to answer over 20% of questions correctly in cybernat quiz”.
And you wonder why ?
Indy is an existential threat to BBC Shortbread.
Simples. All else flows from there.
@ Macart
Re Donalda. Its simply window dressing for the gullible in North Britain. Nothing more.
Donalda MacKinnon in the National …. “ …. trust was the foundation of the BBC and she was proud that the majority of viewers and listeners did trust it.”
Therein lies the problem. A majority still trust the BBC. When a majority have opened their eyes and are aware of the bias, we have taken a big step on the road to independence.
It doesn’t really matter how much is institutional bias and how much is conspiracy to undermine democracy, it’s a problem.
The BBC isn’t going to change. Perhaps it’s actually better they continue their bias BUT more people are aware of it. That may actually help our cause!
48% don’t trust the BBC. That’s a lot of mistrust.
Many probably don’t know how little of the Licence is spent in Scotland, so I suspect a lot more wouldn’t be happy if they did.
The problem remains, no trust in the news and on the whim of the new director we are supposed to be grateful that they are gracious enough to spend the money here (maybe). Another Head can change it again.
Once again, the only hint of change came because of Indy folk, the Unionsts would have let it roll on, but will now try to claim credit for change. They can fuck off.
Hope everyone has had a good Christmas.
Links
Here’s BBC Scotland chief Donalda Mackinnon speaking on Dec 10th.
link to indyref2.scot …
‘Deeply troubling’: Now Scotland hits out over Macquarie Bank deal
link to archive.is
Warning, photo may put you off your breakfast!
SNP fury as Scotland Office spending rockets
link to archive.is
thoughtcontrolscotland.com
link to archive.is
Donalda McKinnon must think we all “came up the Clyde on a banana boat” – past Pacific Quay. (never quite understood the provenance of this old saying – hope it wasn’t meant to be racist! Help from Robert P.welcome!). Donalda has clearly been listening to the same old guff from BBC worthies about how impartial, decent and honest they are. We, and increasingly the world, see the BBC for what it is – British propaganda! Their coverage of Syria has been disgusting and the panic over Russian ships sailing on the high seas defines them as very British – hypocritical juveniles!
link to holyrood.com
State to seek automatic EU entry for NI in event of unification
link to archive.is
link to tompride.wordpress.com
Don’t know if this has been posted
link to informscotland.com
Donalda’s all new and exciting beeb starts today,
link to bbc.co.uk
BMA head monsters, well everything, Scottish NHS, SNP Scots.gov, you, me and everybody really, what dares to not believe in Britishness.
As per, sneaky creepy BBC gimps slide in SNP rebuttal in at the bottom.
Thanks Donalda.
Donaldo is much more fun though.
Dr No! piles on. Dr No! also a union big cheese, so Donaldo will no doubt have Dr No! warns uni’s in Scotland ‘struggling to cope’ in her all new, exciting and trusted beeb, tomorrow.
Scott Arthur ?@DrScottThinks 13h13 hours ago
Scott Arthur Retweeted Child of Alba
SCOTLAND: BMA Chair Dr Peter Bennie raises concerns about how the SNP is running our NHS – Nats say he’s “one idiot with an agenda”.
Heedtracker – “Donalda is much more fun” – well she is a comedian isn’t she. Whatever, I suspect she will not last long at PQ – she has a bit of a tendency to telling the truth about somethings!
Bill McLean says:
28 December, 2016 at 10:01 am
Heedtracker – “Donalda is much more fun” – well she is a comedian isn’t she. Whatever, I suspect she will not last long at PQ – she has a bit of a tendency to telling the truth about somethings!
Cant see how Donaldo will change anything at all. She’s probably got next gen Rab C Nesbit lined up, written by Richard Curtiss, us sweaties have a wonderful sense of self deprecation don’t we, starring Ray Winstone and Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch CBE.
On Herald story about Scotland Office departmental budget has rising by almost 20 per cent in the last five years when the Scottish Government’s budget has been cut by the Treasury, what the … does excluding so-called “non-voted election expenditure” mean as this would surely add to the propaganda total.
Heedtracker – enjoyed you comment – still chuckling. Yes, Rab C, could string us along for a few years too! We must have “self-deprecation” our betters have told us to be so and I believe them!
For a Quiz bonus point, what were the number of days on which “Ordinary Man” Think Again Keith Howell and Martin Redfern did NOT write anti SNP letters to numerous newspapers?
Heedtracker.. Dr No Scott Arthur is currently raising his letter writing profile ahead of his Labour career advancement in 2017.
For a character reference see here
link to wingsoverscotland.com
AND
link to wingsoverscotland.com
Nana says:
The SO annual budget is now about £10million. Not a fortune. However, what does it actually do for Scotland?
Wiki, “ The office is responsible for the representation of Scotland and Scottish affairs in HM Government, facilitating the smooth operation of devolution, liaising between the UK Government and the Scottish Government at Edinburgh and the administering of certain reserved matters of government relating to Scotland.
Or, is most of that £10m effectively just a propaganda budget for WM in Scotland?
@ Bill McLean 0947
The ‘banana boats’ (Shieldhall etc) carried sludge from sewage treatment works and dumped it at sea.
The BBC is a state sponsored radio & television broadcaster based in London which is in the heart of the Home Counties of England. London was a favourite place of work for Jimmy Saville, Stuart Hall & Max Clifford.
London is also where the UK parliament meets, inside the Palace of Westminster. It is attended by a large number of Tory & Labour Lords & MPs. They can claim a lot of expenses & their food & drink is heavily subsidised but for some of them, that wasn’t enough so a lot of them ended up serving jail time for various offences including theft, fraud, arson & perverting the course of justice.
Over 800 of them are unelected but they still consider themselves a democratically elected government. If they show up for work at the House of Lords for at least 45 mins/day, they can get over £300 in expenses. During that time, they can vote to reduce the amount of money poor people can claim if they find themselves unemployed & unable to feed themselves or their family.
This is an example of British values.
London is also where the Queen & her extended family of hard working ribbon cutters live. Despite fabulous wealth, their big house at the end of Pall Mall is starting to look a bit shite so the UK Government has agreed to give them hundreds of millions of pounds collected from poor people to pay for new plumbing, new carpets, wi-fi & better wallpaper.
This is an example of British values.
The BBC collects over £5 billion from TV license fee payers & from selling programs to countries like America where most of the joke references in Top Gear about Gypsies, gays & Jocks is edited out.
To maintain its dominance, it sends threatening letters of menace in an attempt to force law abiding members of the public to fund the propaganda produced by its north British branch offices “BBC Shortbread” & “BBC Radio Shortbread”.
This is an example of British values.
There are many more examples but I can’t think of any at the moment because the anti nausea pills I just took are beginning to make me feel sleepy.
Ron Maclean – thanks Ron. Was it something to do with the shape of the boats?
More on the ubiquitous letter writer Keith Howell can be found here.
link to wingsoverscotland.com
AND
link to beta.companieshouse.gov.uk
Another Union Dividend
Heedtracker.. Dr No Scott Arthur is currently raising his letter writing profile ahead of his Labour career advancement in 2017.
He’s a SLab rising star to watch 2017, until he gets near the ballot box. Although D’Hondt PR has enabled a surprising number of unelectable yoons to vault their way over our vile separatist heads.
My Slovene girlfriend’s one for example. Although its meant his cutting back on his BetterTogether Slovenia says NO rage btl, on Graun’s ever thinning Scotland region of greater England coverage.
link to twitter.com
Quite miss being called a deluded fascist monster, all the way from Ljubljana:D
@Smallaxe and @Wullie says:
27 December, 2016 at 9:06 pm
Strangely it’s not the ears where the problem is, it’s been discovered that a persons brain has picked up one or multiple frequencies.
In my own particular scientific branch of electronics, and radiation detection and protection I already had much of the information about these hearing problems and did quite a bit of research into the problems involved.
Although I didn’t use music I tried almost exactly the same system. Beginning with electronically generated white noise to mask out the Tinnitus generated inner ear noises. There were small gains but while this helped some others it was only tiny help to myself.
BTW: It isn’t just Tinnitus in my case but Memiere’s Disease, (actually not a disease but inner ear damage), and it also causes Vertigo, (which is NOT a fear of heights it is a very real spinning sensation). The inner ear also governs our balance.
In one way I’m lucky as I get at least a 20 minute warning that these Vertigo attacks are imminent and can thus do things that I could not attempt if I had no warnings.
My hearing problems cannot really be helped by the Music thingy because the Tinnitus is never a settled frequency. It changes all the time and is often different in each ear at the same time, (a most disconcerting, and disorientating, experience).
Neither is it just a high pitched hiss, (white noise), but everything from hisses to tones to crashes and bangs.
The only relief I get is in the vertigo part of the trouble and that is from Betahistine tablets. I still do listen to very low volume music while attempting to get to sleep.
” … and I always presumed it was industrial damage tae ma lugs.”
You are probably correct in that assumption although being subjected to overloud music over prolonged periods does cause Tinnitus too, and other hearing damage.
Rock, Heavy Metal and percussionist musicians are very prone to hearing loss and Tinnitus as are those Groupies you see stuck up against the stage during gigs but just listening to over loud music damages the inner ear.
Last Rant for 2016.
Last night I heard Radio Shortbread news report on a contrived Tory headline that the SNP have let the SNHS
deteriorate over the last 9 years?
No response allowed by the SNP Government, and no BBC journalist willing to question such an absurd claim?
Perhaps we can assist both anti=Scottish bodies by reminding them that Ruth Jong-in, Tory leader of deceit in Scotland had read out a damning report on the state of the NHS, and all the missed targets, only to be advised that the reports damning and shaming figures all related to Tory Governed NHS England Hospitals.
The BBC seem incapable of retaining such current information, nor the daily reports of other NHS England disasters we hear of on an almost daily basis.
They also seem to have forgotten the Thousands and thousands of important operations that were cancelled in England as the Tories try to destroy the lives of English based junior Doctors, forcing most to strike and others to leave the UK before they are deported by Brexit.
Can I also remind fellow Wingers that there is a petition on BBC Bias on the go that is just short of 92,000 signatures. It would be nice to ask the new head of BBC Propaganda in Scotland why such a number would leave any doubt about their blatant bias, especially when backed up by Prof Robertson and G A Ponsanby, who have totally and undeniably nailed them.
I’ve seen resent Charity adverts on TV that cause me concern. One claims that growing numbers of Children in the North East of England don’t have winter clothing and go to school and bed hungry?
I’ve just seen another where we need to give £3.00 for an Ait Ambulance dedicated to sick children?
Why wouldn’t the 5th richest economy in the world, according to the Tories, have their own government funded Air Ambulances for anyone who is in a serious health condition?
Is this the prelude to having a charity that would fund
a road vehicle to take sick kids to hospital?
We all must engage with as many people as possible to make them aware of how Westminster really operates and of the corruption that is the UK Media.
Kindest Regards to all for the holidays.
@ Nana – good link to Prof John Robertson’s article on Dr Peter Bennie, BMA Chairman, who was quoted widely in the media criticising the NHS.
A presumably competent doctor but definitely a trades union guy with an ‘axe to grind’ is allowed to distort the reality of NHS Scotland and to malign the SNP Government’s management of it.
link to archive.is
(Knew you’d be back with links soon!)
Wow! Czech composer too. Leaver yoons o the Scotland region, look away now.
link to youtube.com
17 out of 24, not bad for a lurker. 😉
Re BBC, I recall a programme in the seventies called, ‘Nationwide’, fronted by cuddly uncle Michael Barratt. A sort of teatime magazine programme, it once felt it necessary to rubbish Scottish ‘claims’ to tartan, whisky, bagpipes, etc.
I clearly remember the snide glee displayed by the presenters as they used the history of each modern Scottish icon to undermine our culture.
The question arose in my mind as to why the BBC would take such an editorial line on what was a lightweight programme? If memory serves, it was broadcast in the late seventies, which coincided with a rise in SNP fortunes.
It was the first time I suspected the BBC’s credentials as an impartial, trustworthy entity.
Now I distrust all of the BBC’s output, a direct result of their behaviour during the independence referendum campaign.
The new director may change the window dressing, but as has already been pointed out, this goes deeper than editorial decisions. They are the actions of an institution with an inbuilt sense of cultural superiority, reflecting the establishment it serves.
Thankfully we live in an internet age, with the likes of Wings to inform us. Much of the material I use when challenging the historical orthodoxy employed in order to keep us in ‘our place’ comes from sites such as this.
So thank you all. Not just the Rev, but all the regulars, with comments and links which provide much needed ammunition to challenge and inform.
@ Bill McLean
I think it was more imagery.
RE: ‘British values’
Since well before 2014 something the independence movement has had more than its fair share of first hand experience in.
Since the Brexit vote?
Something those from other points of origin, who by this point had considered themselves ‘British’, are now experiencing.
For ‘British values’ see under class system, isolation, protectionism, imperialism, intolerance and hatred of the other, the stranger, the furriner.
It could be summed up as:- If you don’t think like us, you’re one of them. Do as you’re told. Be a good serf. Insert casual bigoted slur and call it banter. If you can’t take the ‘joke’ or worse, take offence, then you don’t understand the humour. Must be your foreign sensibilities. See how generous we are by subsidising your existence and be grateful that we don’t simply cut you off even as we rake in the taxes and abuse the resources and good will of your population.
There was a time you could, perhaps, have been proud of ‘British values’. ‘Course you had to buy into the ‘one nation’ narrative, but so long as the balance was socially and societally positive, it was accepted by the majority.
I look around me today and I see little to be proud of in UK society. I see a society divided by its own politicians and its media. A narrative of fear, suspicion, greed, envy and outright hatred fostered by both in pursuit of their own selfish political and corporate ends. And way, way too many people who buy into that narrative.
People neither need or want hatred or fear to rule their lives. No one should wish to live in fear of their government, their media, their neighbour and no one should need to.
Those ‘British values’ are looking pretty threadbare and stained at this point.
Scotland’s population has an out from this madness… if it wants it.
Meg,
‘I checked with the Rev’s instructions and wondered if maybe I’d left the ‘ http’ part of the link attached… but i notice you’ve posted it with the http present? Curious!’
When putting up links to youtube vids, the http/www are automatically added by the Rev’s filter system, that’s why we have to delete them in the comments box first, it’s to stop the video embedding on the btl page, which means the vid would display the whole screen of the video rather than just the link. Rev did this a couple of years ago as we were all posting so many vids that many felt it interrupted the ‘flow’ of comments. Ergo you’ve noticed the http/www on the link as it is added ‘after’ removing the http/www ‘before’ it was posted.
Hope that helps.
WTF is all the hysteria about Russian subs? Apparently we are surrounded right now.
Just read the Hoots piece on it, and its no wonder the paper is going down the shitter, it’s the only place for it.
I accidentally caught Stig Abell on Sky last night screeching about Putin toying with us. I feel sorry for his kids having a big wet nappy like him for a Da. Thought he was going to cry, as he gasped ‘this is what happens when you don’t spend enough on defence’
Don’t know why he’s blubbering, we are the ones with a target on our back.
Would love for these London elite to face someone like the Rev.
@Smallaxe says: 27 December, 2016 at 9:28 pm:
” … If you find that these devices are not available on the SNHS, I’m sure that we could crowd-fund for Mr Peffers and yourself, I will certainly be happy to contribute if that becomes necessary.”
That is a really very touching post, smallaxe. but in my case it would be a waste of time and money. As I posted up thread, the device would not help my own condition but I too would contribute to aid others.
If the condition is only Tinnitus the device will most likely help but if the Tinnitus is just part of full-blown Meniere’s the gains made is very small, if any, and as the inner ear generated sounds keep changing it only helps a very temporary and tiny portion of the time.
The very worst sensation is when you get two alternating tones in your ears and the two tones in each ear get out of sync with each other. There is a warbling sound that gets out of sync in opposing ears.
The result is very like sea-sickness, (Motion sickness), and you start to throw-up and fall down. Then, if the attack is prolonged, you get dehydrated but due to being dizzy and disorientated you cannot really get yourself anything to drink to help the dehydration.
These attacks can be a few minutes or several hours long and longer attacks are life threatening. So Tinnitus alone can be helped now but Meniere’s Disease is quite another matter. In fact to date the only operation that cured the Meniere’s worst effects was to totally remove parts of the inner ear and thus totally deafen the sufferer.
However, more recent research indicates that there are some Meniere’s sufferers who can be helped by surgery.
Just for information Vertigo is an actual spinning sensation but the general public still think it is fear of heights. Fear of heights is actually called “Acrophobia”.
Acrophobia (from the Greek: ?????, ákron. It is an extreme, or irrational, fear or phobia of heights.
Especially when the sufferer is not particularly high up.
For some unknown reason the film, “Vertigo”, seems to have given the general public the idea that Vertigo is a fear of heights. Yet in fact the film itself begins by telling the viewers that Vertigo is an actual dizziness and not a fear of anything.
If anything the character played by Jimmy Stewart proves to be anything but frightened by height as he overcomes his dizziness while on high during the course of the film.
@Meg merrilees says: 28 December, 2016 at 12:08 am:
” … I’ve tried to post the link 4 times since 6pm but no.”
Here you go, Meg :-
link to youtube.com
@Capella I spotted a tweet yesterday stating the BMA fellow was trotted out last year with the same doom & gloom message. Hope you had a nice Christmas.
A few more links
link to indyref2.scot
link to welfareweekly.com
Pm-may-could-face-new-legal-challenge-
link to archive.is
Brexit Tory Michael Gove attacked for refusing to let his claims about ‘experts’ go
link to archive.is
Ochone, ochone! I think Donalda’s come up the Clyde on a watter-biscuit, with a set of blinkers affixed firmly to her napper!
@Meg merrilees says: 28 December, 2016 at 1:06 am:
“I checked with the Rev’s instructions and wondered if maybe I’d left the ‘ http’ part of the link attached… but i notice you’ve posted it with the http present? Curious!”
Ah! I’ll attempt to clarify that, Meg.
You must remove the Http bit first because the blog providers automatically replace it when it appears on the blog. So if you do not first remove it then the Http bit is printed twice and the link doesn’t work.
To sum up – when you post the, “http”,-less link the program puts the http bit back on again but if you do NOT remove it first when you post it then the program corrupts the link.
Hope that clears it up for you.
@Wullie
Re Tinnitus you are correct. Everyone at various times hears tones from their ears which are not from an outside source. The trick it seems is NOT to listen to them, to try and ignore them and tinnitus seems to result from listening to them becoming ingrained.
Injury, illness and ageing can make the occurrence of the tones more likely so there is a link but the individual still has some control. Modern therapies focus on training people in strategies to ignore the sounds, not easy I know but until we can for eg use that focussed magnetic field technique to turn neurons on and off without widefield drugs with collateral effects.
Research on which groups of neurons are overactive in tinnitus and it may be specific to every individual is ongoing. In the meantime practice ignoring it, stop yourself dwelling on it as much as possible. Again, I know easier said than done. I know I’m simply lucky not to be amongst you, yet.
Donalda has to get rid of the toxic BBC hacks and reporters like Kaye,Bird,Brewer,Smith,Cook,Brian Taylor and all their producers behind the scenes,
The two worst Kaye and Smith must be dumped, and made to apologise for all their lies and misinformation, by the BBC if it wants win back any trust with most Scots.
@ Nana – you’re on form today! Yes I had a great Xmas and looking forward now to a Happy Hogmanay. (in spite of everything going on).
Meantime, here’s Kevin McKenna’s great piss take on The Oath:
link to thenational.scot
Something to look forward to – not.
Robert Peffers:
Thank you, for your reply and detailed description of your condition sir, I was hoping that we could help in some small way, if there is anything that we can do to help please let us know but I have a sneaking feeling that you are the type of man who would dour it oot before you would admit to needing any help.
I hope that you have had a good time over the holiday, I have said before now, that I wish I’d had a teacher as knowledgeable as yourself when I was at school, your post on how the Party works was excellently explained.My daughter is the political education officer for our local branch and she has kept a copy on her phone for the education of some of the numpties that she encounters.
Finally sir, I would like to thank you for all of your very interesting and informative posts throughout the year, we have all learned from them I’m sure.
Peace Always
@Ron Maclean and Bill Mclean 10.33am
Regarding “The Banana Boat” also known as the S.S. Jobby Wheecher I can confirm the veracity of this explanation however have to disagree that the “cargo” was discharged out at sea but inform that it was in fact dumped much closer to home at a point in between the Wee Cumbre and the mainland.
I know this because by happenstance my mother worked for the catering company that had the concession to provide the purvey for the groups of tourists (true) that would accompany the boat on it´s sail “doon the water” and on which I spent a summer circa 1967/8 working as the galley boy. Contacts you see!
The agenda for the day was assembly at 7.30a.m in the canteen of the Shieldhall Works where we would provide a wee cup of tea and a couple of pieces of shortbread. Then on to the boat (previously loaded with it´s cargo) ready for embarcation at 8.00a.m. prompt.
Then a leisurely sail down the Clyde taking in the sights of all the busy and bustling shipyards and engineering works (sic) to a point midway between the mainland and The Wee Cumbre where the captain started the ship on a trajectory of a long slow u turn whilst the bowels (of the ship) were discharged which was our cue to bring the passengers inside to partake of the traditional Scottish lunch.
Tomato soup (tinned), steak pie (homemade to be fair) potatoes and two veg with apple pie and custard (tinned) to follow. All finished off with another wee cup of tea and this time an Empire biscuit.
Magic. The food of kings.
The bar was then opened and the passengers could enjoy a wee libation to the accompanying sound of traditional Scottish music. Jimmy Shand, Alexander brothers etc. as we made our way back to home port.
I never found out if the passengers were aware of the nature of our voyage or what explanation was given for the large brown wash followed the craft and for the thousand of seagulls who were feasting on same.
Happy days for me indeed.
A sail doon the water, a steak pie lunch and a ten shilling note in my hand at the end of the day.
I wouldn’t´t have called the King my cousin.
One of the best jobs I ever had which strangely I never included in my CV in my later years.
An omission which I now regret.
BBC tells it like this
Water lost in drain controversy under the SNP
Truth is: New drainage systems performing well
The Queensferry crossing, is a excellent video.
With one caveat, it should have said at the end,” brought to you on time and under budget by the SNP!”
Because and just wait for it, dear old madge will toddle up, smash a bottle of plonk on it and that another instance of British engineering is now open!” No hint about the SNP. Corrupt UKoK media, led by the corrupt BBC, will have a field day.
Pretty well what happened to the border railway.
uno mas – thanks. Great story!
@schrodingers cat says: 28 December, 2016 at 8:47 am:
” … if you are going to put the boot in, you should do it properly”
You mean like this :=
link to youtube.com
Les. Yes it was a good video. But to be fair, and as a mark of respect maybe they could have spared 10 seconds to count the human cost.
link to stv.tv
Re SS Shieldhall, she has been restored and is available to charter ! Sailing the waters of the Solent. link to ss-shieldhall.co.uk
One of my mates was on a Cal-Mac boat doing a tour of the clyde on a lovely summers day, He said there was near panic by the people outside as the sailed through the Brown Stain in the water. 🙂
@scotspine says: 28 December, 2016 at 9:13 am:
” … Its simply window dressing for the gullible in North Britain. Nothing more.”
As I posted some time ago Donalda is the new leader of the Biased Broadcasting Clique’s, (anti-Scottish Branch Office).
Her main stated aim is to spend an even larger proportion of the Scots raised Licence fee Money, in Scotland, to produce even more of the same anti-Scotland programmes that the BBC already produces, in Scotland, against Scotland, in future broadcasts to Scotland.
Mibbies See You Kaye, (wi wan e’e), micht bi extended bi an extra twa hours.
Ablins wi micht even get River City mair times every week and even mair Rangers an Celtic fitba discussion bi BBC Yoon Pundits, (bit nae mair live commentary ‘cos yon live commentary cost ower muckle o’ the BBC’s ain siller.
Ablins wi micht get a Scottish Sax, Seeven, an Aucht o. clock, Ingis Propaganda, news iz weel.
Bit a wee puckle mair truth frae, “The Biased Broadcastin Clique”? Nae bliddy chance ava.
uno mas:
It really is a small world, I took over the catering for what was termed at that time “The Sludge Boat” in the mid-70s and into the early 80s.You would, if you had been there during that time been served home made soup, steak pie or roast beef followed by a trifle.I also served drinks to our customers.
Once I had finished in the galley, I used to have a dram with the passengers, who were mainly OAPs the music was just about the same as you describe (Sidney Devine was included).
All in all, it was a great day out the only downside being the smell as you boarded the ship but that soon disappeared when we got underway.
Peace Always Shipmate 🙂
Who would have thought that there could be so many great wee stories about a ship dumping sewage at sea?
Only in Scotland I think 🙂
@Bill McLean says: 28 December, 2016 at 9:47 am:
Donalda McKinnon must think we all “came up the Clyde on a banana boat” – past Pacific Quay. (never quite understood the provenance of this old saying – hope it wasn’t meant to be racist! Help from Robert P.welcome!).
‘Fraid I’ve no ideas on that one, Bill.
Nor the many variations on that theme. I’m well versed in the Lallan’s tune o the Scots kintra leid. (I well know the Lowland dialect of the Country of Scotland’s language but not so good on, (what is essentially a dialect of English), the West of Scotland, “Scottish standard English”, as spoken from around Whitburn/Blackburn and westward.
To clarify all that. Lowland Scots is a language in its own right and shares it’s Germanic roots with Old English but because the two countries were constantly at war against each other they sourced their shared linguistic roots via different countries to which they were allied with at different times.
It is actually a fact that there are more distinct linguistic differences across the Scottish/English border than across any other border in Europe. You can walk across a bridge on our border and immediately discern a quite startling difference in both language and culture.
Thepnr says:
28 December, 2016 at 1:53 pm
“Who would have thought that there could be so many great wee stories about a ship dumping sewage at sea?”
“Only in Scotland I think ?”
If only we could get that ship back and make it evacuate it’s contents at PQ, where the rest of the shite emanates from.
🙂
Peace Always
@Bill McLean says: 28 December, 2016 at 10:37 am:
“Ron Maclean – thanks Ron. Was it something to do with the shape of the boats?”
There is something about it here, Bill :-
@http://seakayakphoto.blogspot.co.uk/2008/03/clyde-bananas.html
The song of the SS Shieldhall:
link to youtube.com
Peace Always
The story of the SS Shieldhall:15min VID.
link to youtube.com
Peace Always
@Smallaxe
That song by a relative of Santa Claus gave me a good laugh 🙂
I think up the Clyde on a banana boat pre-dates the Shite Flotilla!
Thepnr:
Thats Santa’s brother Chanty Claus.
I’ll get ma jaikit!
Peace Always
Banana boat (ship)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Banana boat was a term, a descriptive nickname, given to fast ships also called banana carriers engaged in the banana trade designed to transport easily spoiled bananas rapidly from tropical growing areas to northern markets that often carried passengers as well as fruit.[1][2] During the first half of the Twentieth Century the refrigerated ships, such as SS Antigua and SS Contessa, engaged in the Central America to United States trade also operated as luxurious passenger vessels. Surplus naval vessels were converted in some cases in the search for speed with Standard Fruit converting four U.S. Navy destroyer hulls, without machinery, to the banana carriers Masaya, Matagalpa, Tabasco and Teapa in 1932. Transfers to naval service served as transports and particularly chilled stores ships such as USS Mizar, the United Fruit passenger and banana carrier Quirigua, and the lead ship of a group that were known as the Mizar class of stores ships. Modern banana boats tend to be reefer ships or other refrigerated ships that carry cooled bananas on one leg of a voyage, then general cargo on the return leg.
The large fruit companies such as Standard Fruit Company, United Fruit Company in the United States and Elders & Fyffes Shipping, which itself came under control of the United Fruit Company in 1910, in the banana trade acquired or built ships for the purpose, some strictly banana carriers and others with passenger accommodations.
United Fruit operated a large fleet, advertised as The Great White Fleet, for over a century until its successor Chiquita Brands International sold the last ships in a sale with leaseback in 2007 of eight refrigerated and four container ships that transported approximately 70% of the company’s bananas to North America and Europe.[7][8] At one time the fleet consisted of 100 refrigerated ships and was the world’s largest private fleet with some being lent to the Central Intelligence Agency to support the attempted overthrow of the Castro regime in the Bay of Pigs landing.[9]
In modern usage the term has been associated with a derogatory term for immigrants. As the main produce of the West Indies was bananas they were also used as a form of cheap transportation and the English cricket team that toured the West Indies in 1959–1960 used banana boats to travel across the Atlantic and between the islands.[citation needed] They were better known for bringing West Indian immigrants to Great Britain, and to say that someone ‘came off a banana boat’ was a derogatory phase used by those who objected to their arrival. It fell out of use in the 1980s as by then most of the British African-Caribbean community had been born in the UK. During this century It has been used to express how you feel if you are taken for a fool Quote: Do you think I have just arrived on the Banana Boat. Answers:I am not stupid, Do you think I am Green, I was not born yesterday, I am not wet behind the ears, come on I am not falling for that, Come on the other one has bells on it, these are all non-racial connotations of the original sentence.
The term “banana boat” is perhaps best known today in the context of Harry Belafonte’s 1956 song The Banana Boat Song (Day-O).
@Smallaxe says: 28 December, 2016 at 12:15 pm:
” … I have a sneaking feeling that you are the type of man who would dour it oot before you would admit to needing any help.”
Well no, Smallaxe, At around 11 years old the group I ran with began a, “Drama Group”, at our local Community Centre, (A wooden building paid for by crowd funding). We did eventually get a council grant to help out. This was, though, in the lean years just after WWII.
From this we put on concerts, and all sorts of shows, to raise funds – initially to support the Community Centre and pay for equipment.
Before we knew it this grew till we were doing shows, organising dances, Bingo sessions and then we were starting clubs for all sorts of groups. We would then hand over these to the people we were helping to get something going. All this was completely non-political and non-denominational
To cut a long story shorter I have spent my life doing volunteer work for those less fortunate than myself. So I am not adverse to asking help if I really need help but will desist from doing so if there are others, more needy cases, than my own.
” … your post on how the Party works was excellently explained.”
No more than the truth, Smallaxe.
” … My daughter is the political education officer for our local branch and she has kept a copy on her phone for the education of some of the numpties that she encounters”.
It has been a long time since I last looked but there used to be a wee SNP rulebook that probably explains it all much better than I have. In these days of computer websites it may be included on the Members section of their website.
Incidentally this was demonstrated very well when the televised SNP National Conference showed the debate and vote on NATO membership. The motion had been opposed and several amendments were also put forward by different SNP branches.
In the debate the cases were put by delegates from the branches and an eventual vote decided that the party would change its policy towards NATO. Yet in the aftermath around three elected to office SNP members left the party in protest.
To my mind that was very bad form. The Party is a democracy and I would expect these, mainly local councillors, to accept the majority decision. However, during the debate it was clear that the membership were making party policy and the cameras often focused upon Alex Salmond and the TV presenter did make the point that Alex just had one vote like every other member.
Thing is that when you watch other party conferences they are not democratic. Party Policy may well be debated but it is proposed by the cabinet, shadow cabinet or party hierarchy. In the Labour case there are Trade Union Block Votes and few if any Trade Union ever polls its membership. What is more the Block Votes are more important to them than any other.
I believe we indy supporters are the future of Scotland and I have no doubt we are mainly a democratic bunch. This is why Scotland’s future is bright and the far from democratic Westminster Establishment is doomed to die.
When people actually understand democracy they eventually get it. The problem, historically, is that they then democratically elect to office those who do not believe in democracy who then grab power for themselves.
Fred:
I think your probably right on that one
Peace Always
on tw just now
Barrhead Boy ?@Scotpol1314
Hey Donalda @BBCScotland . if you are serious Air GA Ponsoby’s London Calling and then have a studio discussion after it is shown
Robert Peffers:
I truly agree with you sir, with all that you say. I have come across many charlatans masquerading as politicians, as you no doubt have. The SNP are I believe the most honest and democratic Party that I have seen in my lifetime and I am certain that when Independence is finally ours, that it will be in no small way because of the Party’s tireless efforts to secure that dream and bring it to reality.
I hope sir that we will both live to celebrate that great day. I thank you once again sir, for another informative post.
Peace Always
link to youtube.com
Re the above video of the Queensferry crossing – I notice the BBC Scotland website has managed to pick 40 seconds ( out a 12 minute video), also, the least ‘sexy’ 40 seconds of the bridge construction and leaves us with the negative message that the bridge, which should have been open this month will not be open until May 2017…
…but BBC Scotland is really impartial isn’t it Donalda??? Must be a case of SNP baad!!!
Ah, but wait a wee minute there, I seem to remember that there would be NO bridge without the SNP/John Swinney making the decision to go ahead!
Shame on you.
PS thank you all for your advice on posting you tube links. Received with thanks.
@ Meg 4:10
I read somewhere that the completion date for the bridge has reverted to the original schedule and is not a delay as such because the date was brought forward last year when it was ahead of schedule.
Even the National is reporting it as a delay – bad show!
@rp
revisionist history gaining ground,
the linga franca of the bronze age was a q-celtic type language stretching across europe as far as italy, cf equus (L) with -epos (GR) with – each (SG)
see cruithne
P-celtic and germanic(freisian/flemish/german) languages are the iron age linga franca coming into britain from circa 600 bce onwards, how integrated germanic was with p-celtic by the time of the romans is unclear, (see prydain and briton) but the one of the first roman forts beyond hadrians wall, in dunfries (selgovae) was called blato belgium, just south of glen Ae. cf Dunbar with Barton, the same name, but toon/ton/town (doon/dun) is peculiar to germanic speaking britain.
It maybe that some of the germanic (lowland scots) words date from a time much further back in time than previously thought
Just want to say thanks to everyone who took the time to respond to my electoral roll question, much appreciated…..
The odour of the ordure must have been orrible! Thanks to all with those great stories and great memories. We over here in the far east wouldn’t be too familiar with such goings on. The better off in Edinburgh wouldn’t ear of it!
Interesting Cannot open the latest post get a “forbidden” post from my server Virgin. This after you disappeared from my search list on google Drop down. Never guess who replaced you… the BBC.
link to theguardian.com
Not just in Scotland all over the UK. To me it looks like there is institutional racism and xenophobia right throughout the Home Office.
@schrodingers cat 4.53 (28th)
What sources do you get all that from? Sounds like an uninformed muddle to me.