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The Broadcasting Bourbons

Posted on April 22, 2021 by

Below is a press release from the Alba Party.

The BBC’s coverage of the Scottish election campaign and what has been described as its “virtual blackout” of ALBA will be the subject of special Ofcom election Committee hearing on Friday 23rd April.

ALBA leader Alex Salmond said:

“The BBC’s record as a public service broadcaster in Scotland is lamentable and there is no better illustration than their conduct during this Scottish election.

However, they are no longer a law unto themselves and I am grateful to Ofcom for convening an emergency meeting of their Election Committee to consider BBC coverage or more accurately, lack of coverage of ALBA.

It is much appreciated that Ofcom have responded so quickly in fulfilling their responsibilities to ensure fair and balanced coverage of the Scottish campaign.

The exclusion of ALBA from the leadership election debates is deplorable but even worse is the blackout from the news on a daily basis.

On the odd occasion when they deign to interview ALBA representatives, the tone of the interviews has been unremittingly hostile.

Aggressive questioning is perfectly acceptable if part of a range of coverage. However, inaccurate smearing is quite another when it dominates the few interviews BBC apparatchiks deign to grant ALBA.

The BBC even allow smearing of ALBA by the other party representatives who are covered every day in every election programming with not even attempts by the interviewers to maintain any semblance of balance.

Given that the BBC has some fine journalists and producers still working for them, we can only conclude that this is now the official house style to denigrate ALBA and the quest for Scottish independence.

Indeed it is obvious that some journalists are asking questions to editorial direction.

BBC outlets dominate broadcasting coverage and that means they dominate the election campaign during a pandemic. They have ample time and opportunity to show fairness to new parties emerging onto the political scene.

The fact that they have so blatantly and so arrogantly failed to do so, shows that they are now a de facto state broadcaster rather than a public service one.

The day that Greg Dyke was effectively sacked as Director General in 2004 is the day that the rot set in to the BBC and it has been downhill ever since.

The BBC disgraced themselves in their coverage of the 2014 referendum and like the Bourbons they have learnt nothing.

Every other broadcaster regulated by Ofcom have at least made some attempt at balance in their coverage and are not the subject of complaint by ALBA.

STV for example did not (wrongly in ALBA’s view) include ALBA in their leader’s debate but did interview an ALBA MP immediately afterwards. Other radio and television outlets have all included ALBA in their round of leadership interviews and on a reasonably fair basis with the other parties.

Ironically one of the BBC’s many personal attacks on me is that I co-host a political programme which is broadcast on RT. That programme, produced independently by a Scottish company, is a model of fairness and balance compared with anything the BBC now seem remotely capable of.

ALBA are now calling time on the BBC exactly in the interests of political fairness and balance.”

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202 to “The Broadcasting Bourbons”

  1. BuggerlePanda
    Ignored
    says:

    Is Paul Dacre not head of Ofcom?

    I am lost

  2. Thomas Potter
    Ignored
    says:

    Smell the Fear.

  3. Gaelstorm
    Ignored
    says:

    Like the Bourbon comment; so apposite.

  4. Ken
    Ignored
    says:

    Good!!!

    Triggered by this morning’s attack on Salmond during the GMS interview of McCaskil?

    Gary Robertson was “robust” and “challenging” re Alba, but then for no genuine reason shoehorned in a blatant attack on Salmond’s reputation. Blatant smear. Appalling.

  5. Morag Frame
    Ignored
    says:

    Well said, Alba! Go for them.

  6. AYRSHIRE ROB
    Ignored
    says:

    Get in aboot them Alba.

    Msm are a disgrace. There is also no coverage or questions at all on SNP and Greens with regards to Gender reform act or Hate crime bill and what it means to the general public IN public spaces and their own homes especially. When they do find out it will damage indy preparations immensely.

  7. John Moss
    Ignored
    says:

    About time too

  8. AYRSHIRE ROB
    Ignored
    says:

    Ffs even Galloway on Stv now spouting pish with a party political broadcast if you could call it that.

    Fecking disgrace this.

  9. Jason Smoothpiece
    Ignored
    says:

    BBC Very biased someone should do a book about them….wait they have.

  10. AYRSHIRE ROB
    Ignored
    says:

    He is still using the RAF logo too. How the hell does he get away with this?

  11. Cenchos
    Ignored
    says:

    Capetian, my Capetian.

  12. Doug
    Ignored
    says:

    Well done, Alex Salmond. Compare his words with the gutless SNP leadership’s fear of the britnat media.

  13. Ian McCubbin
    Ignored
    says:

    Time this happened ?

  14. Republicofscotland
    Ignored
    says:

    Its not just the BBC, STV news, (when its not bumming up the Greens or as tonight SLABs branch manager) when it does give a minute or two to the ALBA party (which isn’t very often) begins by asking Alex Salmond about his trial, its a disgraceful state of affairs from as supposedly Scottish channel.

    As for the state propaganda machine the BBC, they’re petrified of the ALBA party because its the only real party for Scottish independence, and that terrifies the BBC chiefs. So as little as possible coverage of the ALBA party is the BBCs agenda.

    The BBC/ITV/STV are hostile to Scottish independence the UK terrestrial channels are gaming the system by excluding the ALBA party from debates.

  15. Dave M
    Ignored
    says:

    Good to see Alex say exactly what he thinks of the BBC.

  16. Ottomanboi
    Ignored
    says:

    Someone said «devolution will kill nationalism stone dead».
    Actually it seems to be doing a pretty good job of weakening the desire for independence.
    So why abolish the Edinburgh talking shop.https://www.abolishholyrood.org/ when it’s keeping what remains of the old empire appropriately supine?
    Hard to believe that the SNP once had 50% of the Westminster vote and all but three of the mps enough to set independence rolling under the old dispensation
    Carpe diem, and all that hot blooded «extremist» nonsense. .
    The system is closing in. .

  17. Republicofscotland
    Ignored
    says:

    Do you know what, it wouldn’t surprise me if the party leaders, Sturgeon, Rennie, Sarwar, Harvie and Ross, said to the BBC/STV, if you include the ALBA party in the televised Scottish debates we won’t be taking part in them, a united front against ALBA.

  18. GMP
    Ignored
    says:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/scotland/scotland_politics

    Current BBC Scotland politics home page.

    Does ALBA exist in BBC land?

  19. TheSNPLeftMe
    Ignored
    says:

    For far too long the Independence Parties have accepted the bias and insults of the BBC.

    No more!

  20. Republicofscotland
    Ignored
    says:

    Lets put a stop to nukes being driven through our Scottish cities.

    “THE Alba Party has declared war on nuclear weapons in Scotland, with every one of its candidates joining a disarmament push.”

    https://archive.is/VfpEb

  21. Ottomanboi
    Ignored
    says:

    Mr Salmond is among the most defiant guardians of Scotland’s interests.
    That defiance should extend to the streets.
    Boris Johnson’s hero Winston Churchill might well agree with that sentiment.

  22. Luigi
    Ignored
    says:

    They will probably get a slap on the wrist (“could have been better”) but hey ho by then it’s only a week to go till polling.

    Job done.

  23. Scot Finlayson
    Ignored
    says:

    The BBC is a weapon of the Brutish State as much as torture assassination,bombing,False Flag operations,misinformation,propoganda,blackmail, political and judicial corruption…

    Lord Reith complained of Brutish State interference in the BBC in 1926,

    https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/research/editorial-independence/general-strike

  24. Kcor
    Ignored
    says:

    There are only two persons in the whole of the UK who can take on the powers that be – Alex Salmond and the Rev. Stuart Campbell.

    All regulators in the UK are not only toothless, they are also extremely biased in favour of the establishment, the rich and the powerful.

    It will be most interesting to see the outcome of ALBA’s complaint to Ofcom.

    Nevertheless it is extremely delightful to see the BBC’s blatant bias being challenged in such an open manner.

    I have no doubt whatsoever that if Alex Salmond had been First Minister when the UK voted for Brexit, Scotland would have been celebrating its second anniversary of independence this year.

  25. ALANM
    Ignored
    says:

    Sad to see that Les McKeown of Bay City Rollers fame has died aged 65. It has to be said that he did more to put Scotland on the map than Nicola Sturgeon has ever done.

    Related to this is the fact that Alba Leader, Alex Salmond has to his credit raised the issue of pensions (which is something no politician ever wants to talk about). Maybe during this campaign questions will start to be asked about just how many Scotsmen actually live long enough to receive their state pensions and just how poor these pensions are in comparison with other nations.

  26. Michael B
    Ignored
    says:

    Could there be a less than subtle reason for George Galloway asking us to vote for his party on the ‘orange’ ballot paper? Peach = orange, suddenly?

  27. Don
    Ignored
    says:

    @Cenchos says:
    22 April, 2021 at 6:33 pm

    “Capetian, my Capetian.”

    ???????? https://www.dictionary.com/browse/capetian

  28. Mia
    Ignored
    says:

    I think for the last 4 years we have been witnessing the most desperate and fierce fight of the british state for survival without resourcing to violence.

    The amount of WW2 nostalgia, Union Jackery, propaganda and deliberate disinformation by silencing news we have been subjected to is ridiculous.

    After spectacularly failing to push Mr Salmond away, after investing millions of pounds of our taxpayers’ money trying to keep him away to preserve the status quo, now they have to take the next level: silencing him.

    What they are doing with ALBA is another form of propaganda: disinformation by suppressing information, just like they suppressed the evidence that should have seen Sturgeon, Evans, the crown agent and the Lord Advocate ejected from their posts and facing prosecution.

    I expected the propaganda. I expected the broken record no referendum coming from DRoss’ mouth or whatever useful idiot the England tories found to front their Scottish branch. I expected the nonsense coming from Labour and Rennie. I expected a serious attempt to trash a pro indy majority in Holyrod. I have been waiting for it to happen for 5 years and more intensely as I watched the political fraud procrastinating and grabbing every excuse she could get hold of to delay indyref or to undermine our popular sovereignty, powers and rights.

    But never in a million years I expected to see the political fraud and Harvie openly joining ranks with the British state to deny Scotland our right to self determination and to help them forcing down our throats psyops to terrify the bejesus out of us so we don’t vote for pro indy parties. It is disgusting. It is insulting.

    With all this, one thing has become crystal clear: the last 6 years of total inaction by Sturgeon were no by accident but rather by design. The political conspiracy against Mr Salmond was no accident either. They have been fearing him coming back to Holyrood and put fire under the political fraud’s arse since 2017. There has only ever been a real pro independence leader, only one person that genuinely wanted Scotland to become independent, only one person the British state really fears and that is Salmond. It seems to me they had the measure of STurgeon in 2015, if not sooner.

    The proof? The way the British state apparatus fires its reactors to melting point every time Salmond opens his mouth and mutters the word “independence”.

    It is a fitting career end for a political fraud when their last mission is to alienate voters without the luxury of being ableto even do it subtly.

    Well, I do not have intention of giving her the pleasure. I don’t want her being given the easy way out. I want to see the betraying coward forced to resign because she cannot take the heat and the pressure for independence any longer.

    SNP1 ALBA2.

  29. Andy Ellis
    Ignored
    says:

    It’s not as if Ofcom exactly has a great reputation in terms of its remit, but it’s really hard to see how they can do anything else but find against the BBC (and indeed others) if they are to retain any credibility at all. The exclusion of Alba at this election and the inclusion of UKIP at the last election is merely the most egregious example of bias.

    The question is what will Ofcom do if they find there has been bias, and what do we do if they bottle it….?

  30. Scot Finlayson
    Ignored
    says:

    Why`s She/Her no on BBCQT tonight.

  31. Captain Yossarian
    Ignored
    says:

    “The way the British state apparatus fires its reactors to melting point every time Salmond opens his mouth” – Absolute mince, Mia.

    There’s a Secretary of State for Scotland and I haven’t heard him speak for weeks. He’s certainly not at melting point.

    I respect your committment of course but this SNP1, ALBA2 is becoming tiresome. No-one believes it any longer.

    By all means vote for Salmond and you know what you are getting with him. But, the SNP are committing political suicide and are not worth anyone’s vote.

  32. Beaker
    Ignored
    says:

    As for Ofcom, I think Alba is on a hiding to nothing.

    However, I believe that all political parties are entitled to fair televised opportunities. Too much of BBC and STV coverage has been focused on the SNP. Only very recently have the other parties had a shout.

    What I really want to know is why Keith Brown is appearing on QT tonight? Is it because he is a relative unknown?

  33. TNS2019
    Ignored
    says:

    Actually, it is all quite simple.
    We could get that 60% vote by simply being a better nation to live in than England. We could inspire a sense of national identity that goes beyond a hatred of the English by demonstrating a genuine commitment to justice and the rule of law.
    We could build a distinct economy and foster enterprise in both the public and private sectors.
    Under the SNP we are doing sh*t because they are clueless morons parading their credentials under an indy flag.
    Just cuckoos.
    The only leadership appears to be coming from AS.

  34. Garrion
    Ignored
    says:

    ech. They’ll find against the BBC, of course, but that’s about as much use, as they say, as a marzipan dildo, and they know it. Ofcom is paid for by the British Govt., so there’s not a chance in hell that they’ll spook the horses.

    The deed (such as it was) is done, so let’s see if the power of alternative media is worth it’s salt.

  35. Breeks
    Ignored
    says:

    Good for ALBA.

    Don’t have any faith in Ofcom, but if they don’t play fair, then we surely have a case to instigate truly Scottish Broadcasting which the UK monopoly and Government broadcasting has wilfully failed to deliver.

    And please ALBA, don’t be bought off or mollified by ad hoc peace offerings or bribes passed off as interviews. Make them squirm.

  36. Heaver
    Ignored
    says:

    That reference to the Bourbons really takes the biscuit.

  37. Josef Ó Luain
    Ignored
    says:

    Some trougher somewhere in that benighted organisation is bound to pick-up on the Bourbon reference, and denounce Salmond as being a dangerous Marxist ideologue.

    Excellent news, for a change, though. Let’s hope Ofcom plays-the-game and doesn’t get leaned-on to delay its findings.

  38. Stephen
    Ignored
    says:

    The Broadcasting Bourbons
    /
    Nice heading linking Aunty with a line of authoritarian hereditary monarchs.

    Sadly I don’t think Alba will get much change out of Offcom.
    Have a look at their board.
    It’s full of establishment stooges.

  39. Don
    Ignored
    says:

    @ALANM 22 April, 2021 at 7:03 pm

    “Maybe during this campaign questions will start to be asked about just how many Scotsmen actually live long enough to receive their state pensions and just how poor these pensions are in comparison with other nations”

    I used something called Google. https://fullfact.org/europe/pensioners-eu-uk/

  40. Liz
    Ignored
    says:

    Tell you what, I’m glad we have only a couple of weeks to go.

    I don’t think I could take much more of the constant lying from the MSM but also some in the SNP.

    If it goes badly for Alba, it may well do, Maybe when no indy ref happens again, all women’s rights are removed, Holyrood emasculated, do you think even then, the Sturgeonistas will see through her or do you think AS will get the blame.

    Going by a lot of chat on SM, the Scots voting public are either thick, disinterested or full of trolls.

  41. 100%Yes
    Ignored
    says:

    The damage has already been done to the Alba Party, the shocker isn’t the BBC blackout of the ALba Party because they where always going to do that, the British broadcaster doesn’t like Scottish nationalist or the idea of Scotland wanting to leave this union because it’ll affect London cashpot from Scotland. Why didn’t the other two supposedly Independence parties speak up on Alba Party behalf or refuse to take part in these debates? The answer to that is simple they don’t want Independence for Scotland now or in the future there happy with London holding the power and blaming the Tories for all the problem in the UK.

  42. Andy Ellis
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Heaver

    I suspect the establishment response may be “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche”. 🙂

  43. Normski
    Ignored
    says:

    #TVLicenceFree here.

  44. Stephen
    Ignored
    says:

    Liz
    People are easily led and ripe for manipulation just like Othello “that thinks men honest that but seem to be so. And will as tenderly be led by the nose as asses are.”

  45. Mist001
    Ignored
    says:

    I find i surprising that Alex Salmond has only now woken up to the fact that the BBC is a state broadcaster. It’s been that for as long as I can remember.

    It’s anything but a public service broadcaster.

  46. North chiel
    Ignored
    says:

    As regards “supposed” BBC “Scotland” , it’s surely a case of “ a leopard doesn’t change its spots “ . Following the most outrageous bias and Britnat propaganda blitz in the run up to September 18th 2014 does anyone on here expect our Colonial broadcaster to give ALBA( “A REAL INDEPENDENCE PARTY” ) a fair crack of the whip ??

  47. Ian Mac
    Ignored
    says:

    I have no doubt that the other parties, but particularly the incumbent dictator and her apparatchiks have leaned very heavily on the media bosses, with all manner of threats and demands. That has become par for the course, especially since they made them dependent on favour with a covid grant.

    But I thought the BBC was under some kind of charter obligation, and its own rules, that during an election they had to be scrupulously fair and even handed to all parties. They bent over backwards to attempt to fulfill that brief in GE’s, carefully counting the minutes allocated, the representation on panel shows etc.

    It is a disgrace, and surely actionable, that they have thrown any pretence of balance or objectivity under the Sturgeon bus. What exactly are they afraid of? An innocent man calmly and without personal rancour, unlike the bossy madam, explaining and arguing his political points. Woeful, but worse, highly undemocratic. It used to be that the BBC valued its own reputation for balance and fairness, now it apparently couldn’t care less, as it favours the sitting government, and mindlessly repeats its pathetic smearing and sniping, as if it were somehow uncontested fact.

  48. Robert Graham
    Ignored
    says:

    This comment by Alex just shows you how bloody useless this SNP is they should have criticising them Since 2104 they should criticise them in every broadcast they pull the Unionist card ,

    Every slight on Scotland and it’s people should jumped on from a great height ,

    Their interviewers should be shit scared of interviewing a SNP rep , and this constant interrupting should be nailed and the SNP rep leave the studio ,

    The interviewer should be personally attacked as to their personal political views and allegiances ,

    If you don’t retaliate people will walk All over you , if they are not sure they tread very carefully

    At least we at last have someone with the guts to tell the BBC where to go after years of the SNP being bloody silent, well done Alex .

  49. Luigi
    Ignored
    says:

    Mist001 says:
    22 April, 2021 at 7:42 pm
    I find i surprising that Alex Salmond has only now woken up to the fact that the BBC is a state broadcaster.

    I think Alex Salmond has been saying words to that effect for a long long time. Didn’t he coin the phrase “British Brainwashing Corporation” quite a few years ago?

  50. Don
    Ignored
    says:

    @Mia 22 April, 2021 at 7:09 pm

    “I think for the last 4 years we have been witnessing the most desperate and fierce fight of the british state for survival without resourcing to violence.
    After spectacularly failing to push Mr Salmond away, after investing millions of pounds of our taxpayers’ money trying to keep him away to preserve the status quo, now they have to take the next level: silencing him.
    What they are doing with ALBA is another form of propaganda: disinformation by suppressing information, just like they suppressed the evidence that should have seen Sturgeon, Evans, the crown agent and the Lord Advocate ejected from their posts and facing prosecution.

    I expected the propaganda. I expected the broken record no referendum coming from DRoss’ mouth or whatever useful idiot the England tories found to front their Scottish branch. I expected the nonsense coming from Labour and Rennie. I expected a serious attempt to trash a pro indy majority in Holyrod. I have been waiting for it to happen for 5 years and more intensely as I watched the political fraud procrastinating and grabbing every excuse she could get hold of to delay indyref or to undermine our popular sovereignty, powers and rights.

    But never in a million years I expected to see the political fraud and Harvie openly joining ranks with the British state to deny Scotland our right to self determination and to help them forcing down our throats psyops to terrify the bejesus out of us so we don’t vote for pro indy parties. It is disgusting. It is insulting.

    With all this, one thing has become crystal clear: the last 6 years of total inaction by Sturgeon were no by accident but rather by design. The political conspiracy against Mr Salmond was no accident either. They have been fearing him coming back to Holyrood and put fire under the political fraud’s arse since 2017. There has only ever been a real pro independence leader, only one person that genuinely wanted Scotland to become independent, only one person the British state really fears and that is Salmond. It seems to me they had the measure of STurgeon in 2015, if not sooner.

    The proof? The way the British state apparatus fires its reactors to melting point every time Salmond opens his mouth and mutters the word “independence”.

    It is a fitting career end for a political fraud when their last mission is to alienate voters without the luxury of being ableto even do it subtly.

    Well, I do not have intention of giving her the pleasure. I don’t want her being given the easy way out. I want to see the betraying coward forced to resign because she cannot take the heat and the pressure for independence any longer.”

    Wow Mia thats some rant, I see contacts are now available for MI5, so why not write to them direct and make your accusations that Sturgeon, Evans, the crown agent, the Lord Advocate, Dross , the Labour Party, Willie Rennie, Uncle Tom Cobley and all are all Agents of the British State direct to the @mi5official Organ Grinder ? https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/instagram-goes-inside-mi5-spies-post-first-picture-on-social-media/ar-BB1fWgZg?ocid=msedgntp

  51. PaulaJ
    Ignored
    says:

    “Current BBC Scotland politics home page.”

    I took a look at that page and it’s a disgrace. ‘A Simple Guide to’ …… anyone but ALBA, it seems.

    Good old Blatant Bias Corporation!

  52. Captain Yossarian
    Ignored
    says:

    I remember when I started reading these pages in mid-January, the Rev stated that he reckoned that it was a roughly 80% liklihood that Sturgeon would be forced from office due to the Fabiani Inquiry.

    What we witnessed at that Inquiry should, I suspect, embarrass most of us. Wolffe and Sturgeon smiling at us in the knowledge that we couldn’t touch them. A groteque fandango.

    Page upon page of redactions by Swinney and two VoNC in Swinney which were both inexplicably defeated.

    Now is the time to rid Scotland of the SNP/Green coalition. By all means take as many of Alex Salmond’s Alba Party as Holyrood will allow, but Parliament needs to be re-set or it will be closed down.

  53. Ian Mac
    Ignored
    says:

    When you see the concerted and apparently co-ordinated coverage of Alex Salmond, both in his court case, where the evidence which proved how dishonest the witnesses were was never seriously covered, and in his current political campaign, it is hard to disagree with the notion that it is all by design. A deliberate and long running campaign to trash and discredit him.

    What other explanation is there for their massive dereliction of the most basic standards of reporting and interviewing? And why isn’t the same ‘rigour’ applied to Sturgeon, who has far more serious questions to answer on her deplorable conduct, the corruption under her watch and the appalling waste of taxpayers money on personal vendettas and harebrained, economically illiterate schemes?

  54. PacMan
    Ignored
    says:

    Alex Salmond has quoted many times about what the BBC is as it explains itself entirely in it’s name – BRITISH Broadcasting Corporation.

  55. ian murray
    Ignored
    says:

    Another tactically astute move by Alex

    1/ Reinforce the Alba underdog image
    2/ Get Alba’s name out there, through the complaint
    3/ Big bad Westminster screwing with Scotland through their state owned Media division

  56. red sunset
    Ignored
    says:


    Beaker says:
    22 April, 2021 at 7:21 pm

    What I really want to know is why Keith Brown is appearing on QT tonight? Is it because he is a relative unknown?

    It’s so he can get torn apart by the others.
    Keith Brown is not in the same clique as Robertson, Daddy Bear, and others.
    Brown has to be put in his place.

  57. Schug
    Ignored
    says:

    There is no pro-Salmond commentator in MSM,print or tv, Scottish or UK- I have only read about the conspiracy on-line via bloggers. Is it because of defamation/libel laws? I find this remarkable…

  58. Cadogan Enright
    Ignored
    says:

    FROM SCOT GOES POP Thursday, April 22, 2021
    A plea to all independence supporters: don’t put the pro-independence majority at risk by mucking around on the constituency ballot. It’s essential to vote SNP.
    As stated in the previous post, there’s a complete contradiction between today’s new Scottish Parliament polls, with one showing the pro-indy camp surging to a huge majority and the SNP also winning a single-party majority, and with the other showing the SNP falling short of a majority and the pro-indy majority looking a bit too tight for comfort. I have no idea which of the two is more accurate, but in this sort of situation it’s always wise to assume the worst and act accordingly. That means no mucking around on the constituency ballot. Voting for Green constituency candidates, or for Bonnie Prince Bob in Edinburgh Central, or even abstaining as a protest against GRA reform or the Hate Crime Bill, is a luxury we simply cannot afford at the moment. If the wheels truly come off and we lose the pro-indy majority, it’ll be on the constituency ballot that the real damage is done. We must ensure that doesn’t happen, and that means voting for SNP constituency candidates across the board.

    There are quite a few independence supporters on social media who seem to actively want Angus Robertson to lose in Edinburgh Central, even though that probably means losing to the Tories. I was half-tempted to run a Twitter poll asking people whether they would prefer to have Robertson losing or an independent Scotland. That would have lacked subtlety but it may turn out to be the nature of the choice.

    As for the special case of Glasgow Kelvin where the Greens start from second place: even there, it’s not impossible to imagine the pro-indy vote splitting in a way that allows a unionist candidate (ie. Labour) to come through the middle and win. It’s just not worth the risk. Even in Glasgow Kelvin, the SNP are the safe option

  59. Heaver
    Ignored
    says:

    “ALBA are now calling time on the BBC ” says Alex.

    Meaning, if you are part of the anti-Indy media bias, don’t expect to find paid employment in journalism in Scotland, starting very soon.

  60. red sunset
    Ignored
    says:

    I remember seeing Alex Salmond with a BBC Bias badge, red of course.
    Years ago.

  61. Cadogan Enright
    Ignored
    says:

    I have made so many complaints to Ofcom I have lost count

    Even straight factual errors not corrected by the BBC in their complaints procedure are ignored by OFCOM

    I tried raising the £25k needed for a judicial review through Inform Scotland.

    I concentrate now on campaigning for people to stop paying the TV licence pointing out they can still get Netflixx, Utube etc.

    Have dozens of people not paying now

  62. Cadogan Enright
    Ignored
    says:

    Don 7.09, would you not consider archiving links to the Dialy Mail before posting them?

  63. Alf Baird
    Ignored
    says:

    Breeks @ 7:24

    “we surely have a case to instigate truly Scottish Broadcasting”

    Unlikely under imperial rule. The most Scotland gets is the Gaelic BBC ALBA which very few Scots speak, understand, or have any consciousness of. Why do we think Scotland was allowed a Gaelic Language Channel but not a Scots Language Channel? Why a Gaelic Language Act but not a Scots Language Act? Its because too many of us still speak the Scots language (1.6m says the last census) and that is what determines what remains of our Scottish culture, identity, and national consciousness, which is the essential ingredient for a people to seek national independence.

  64. Wee Willie
    Ignored
    says:

    Sturgeon is going nowhere. Pure fantasy from those who think Alba will make an impact. The MSM are ignoring the Alba Party because it’s not cutting through. Unfortunately for Scotland the voters are going to put Sturgeon back in.

  65. Richard McIntosh
    Ignored
    says:

    Just had a friend asking if I’d heard anything about Nicola resigning at the weekend, I asked why would she resign now, he said no reason but it was a rumour going around. Has any body else heard anything about this???

  66. Andy Ellis
    Ignored
    says:

    @Cadogan Enright 8.19 pm

    James Kelly is an idiot, who has had to eat his words about what is happening now having spent months rubbishing splittists, he now disingenuously claims he was right all along, because he only meant splittist parties without Alex Salmond. Rev Stu was and is right about Kelly: he should stick to analysing polls and bean counting and leave strategising to people with a clue.

    I live in Edinburgh Central. I will not vote for Angus Robertson under any circumstances. I’ll vote for Bonnie Prince Bob because I’d love to see him gain enough votes to deprive carpetbagger Robertson.

    The fainthearts need to stop this bullshit that not voting SNP1 will lead to a unionist majority, or the sky falling down. What we see of the current SNP and Green parties doesn’t give me a feeling that I trust them in power for the next 5 years. Anyone who argues against trying to deprive them of an absolute majority is not only a coward, but deserves everything such a deeply dysfunctional, illiberal and misogynistic regime will put in place if given the opportunity.

    The political decapitation of the SNP by voting out e.g. Sturgeon, Swinney, McKelvie and stopping Robertson would be a good thing.

    An SNP or SNP/Green majority is NOT going to deliver a referendum, still less independence. When will Kelly and other hard of thinking SNP hand lickers finally get that?

  67. Big Jock
    Ignored
    says:

    I see no purpose in an SNP/Green indy majority. We have had that for 5 years, and not one move has been made for independence.

    We had 18 months of positive yes polls. They just assumed that yes would only grow, without a campaign. They were wrong. We are back at 2014 on 45%.

    We have the worst pm in history, Brexit, the Covid shambles. A majority in Holywood and WM. 4 mandates. But absolutely nothing has moved independence any closer.

    The SNP getting another 5 years will achieve nothing. An SNP actual majority will achieve nothing. I really can’t be arsed with any of this anymore.

    Everything is utter shite. Scotland is funked.

  68. Shocked
    Ignored
    says:

    Alex Salmond together with his successor Queen Nicola Sturgeon to harass BBC Scotland into being little more than a SNP mouthpiece, he therefore shouldn’t be surprised that they are now refusing to give him airtime due to the threat he presents to the corrupt and broken New SNP. Reaping what he has sown, just as he reaped what he had sown when Nicola Sturgeon turned the Scottish civil service and legal system on him that he had spent years bending to the will of the SNP.

    They are fighting dirty and he should have done the same and gone for the jugular.

  69. Dan Hardy
    Ignored
    says:

    Mia says:

    I think for the last 4 years…
    _________________________________________________________________

    Seriously, who care’s what you think.
    You made several lengthy conspiracy laden post on the trans video piece also, because you haven’t got the brain cells to understand it wasn’t an actual PPB.

    Some weirdo America or Canadian prancing around on Tik Tok (which has nothing at all to do with the election or even Scotland) is all it took to trigger you.

    Get back on your meds and hide under your duvet.

  70. Mia
    Ignored
    says:

    ” so why not write to them direct and make your accusations?”

    What for? So they can paint the strings in the rainbow colours?

  71. Mist001
    Ignored
    says:

    I’m starting to see more stuff on FB from ALBA but that’s only because I joined their page. Nobody’s talking about them, there are no sponsored ads and what have you. They really need to raise their profile because they’re just looking like a parochial, Alex Salmond party.

  72. Shocked
    Ignored
    says:

    @big jock

    It’s just been revealed that Angus Robertson has ( as I suspected) been rigging these polls to bury bad news about Nicola Sturgeon, it seems that yes was never in front. This is the problem, instead of winning hearts and minds and making the case for independence the New SNP have been lying to people in order to try and manipulate the agenda in their favour… and before the New SNP 1 crowd start that is not independence, it is Nicola Sturgeon getting away with blatant corruption and holding onto power.

  73. TheSNPLeftMe
    Ignored
    says:

    Shocked – you can be amusing sometimes. I don’t think that was your intention but it was funny.

  74. Shocked
    Ignored
    says:

    @TheSNPLeftMe

    Away and polish your bedside portrait of Queen Nicola.

  75. K Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    I Have first minster in waiting, wee Katie Forbes as my SNP candidate. What truly irks me, is that, despite her good clean upbringing, she has not come out against the many policies that hurt people ( HCB, GRA, Pblockers etc etc etc)or stood up for JC JmcA etc when they were obviously bullied and silenced, but then to be fair to her she hasn’t said anything.
    I get the maths i.e. max the indy vote BUT my region is not really an snp stronghold is it. Choices are limited, either labour, tory, lib dem or wee katie.
    I don’t want to damage the yes vote,crikey we’re even writing VOTE ALBA on the cars (they need a clean, but not til after the election lol) but principles are preventing me from holding my nose and trying to swallow down the boak.
    Do any of my learned friends here think that a none of the above/Alba2 will hurt the campaign in my area?

  76. Mia
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Dan

    Are you so embarrassed by the weakness of your own argument that to give it some sort of boost you feel the need to shower others in ad hominem? What a man.

    But please go on, fill your boots. Because nothing reveals better the argument of an opponent as being a pile of empty bllcks shooting blanks than watching them showering the opponent in ad hominem to shut down the discussion. Just like the blanks (threats) being shot by the empty bllcks (pronouns) in that video.

  77. Shocked
    Ignored
    says:

    I see Queen Nicola has refused to appear on question time and instead she has sent her (number 5?) Keith brown to hold the fort. There are also rumours on twitter that all is not well and of course we had the meltdown on the zoom debate.

    Is there trouble afoot? Is Queen Nicola about to get her collar felt for theft? Is some scandal about to break? There must be some explanation for the strange behaviour of the SNP1 crowd.

  78. John Main
    Ignored
    says:

    Is there anybody who is so annoyed about the blatant BBC bias against Scottish Independence since 2014 who has binned their TV and stopped paying their license?

    Anybody at all?

    Because if you continue to support the BBC, whilst griping and whinging, then you are a hypocrite and you should shut up.

    The BBC will respond to loss of revenue, just like every other cash-strapped organisation. If you want it to change, stop paying for it until it changes.

    And yes, I saw the BBC for what it is and stopped paying for it long before 2014.

  79. Effigy
    Ignored
    says:

    The BBC are as biased and corrupt as North Korean TV
    But just a little more supple with it.

    Remember this petition about them being biased well not even
    100,000 Scots could be bothered to sign it.

    Sits at 93,000 all these years later.

    https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/independent-enquiry-into-bbc-bias-regards-scottish-independence-referendum

  80. K Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    btw, i thought Private eye had some kind of scoop that was due to be released, but then Phillip died? just saying

  81. Robert Graham
    Ignored
    says:

    Just watched a interview with Alex on the TNT show with John Drummond the loss to Scottish politics is immeasurable Alex could beat princess Sturgeon with his eyes closed and in handcuffs he would beat her on misses alone there is no comparison , he has single handily caused more interest in the last few weeks it’s been on the scene than Sturgeon has done in the whole of her time being leader of this fake version of the SNP because that’s what it is it’s not the SNP I recognise the SNP I supported died when Alex resigned .

  82. Tannadice Boy
    Ignored
    says:

    True I have written many times on the inadequacy of the fairness the BBC. There complaint procedure is designed to thwart you. A Woke organisation unrepresentative of the population. Today they talked about Bame people being denied Commonwealth grave status. Agreed that needs to be corrected. Service is service irrespective of colour. But how about talking about my Grandfather. Born in 1898 he was old enough to serve in WWI which he did and survived medals and all. Therefore was also young enough to serve in WWII. He committed suicide in 1939 didn’t want to go back. Buried as a pauper in Balgay Cemetery Dundee. Apparently that happened a lot. I had discussions with a research student from New Zealand who was analysing the data. I have lost touch with him. Forget about asking the BBC or MOD.

  83. Gordon
    Ignored
    says:

    John Main. 9.45pm

    Yes I cancelled my license fee on 19th September 2014.

    But there are other programmes that are worth watching other than BBC programmes so I will continue to watch tv.

    But keep that under your bunnet, that’s between you and me.

  84. Gordon
    Ignored
    says:

    Shocked 9.42pm

    Jesus Shocked, could you not have been a little more subtle when posting that breaking news.

    I could hear the SNP 1 crowd howling in tears from here.

    How could we ever win our Independence without Queen NIKLA?

  85. Mia
    Ignored
    says:

    “Absolute mince”

    Is it? Well, you seem at melting point. Every time I say something against the british state you immediately jump to their defence.

    “There’s a Secretary of State for Scotland”
    Is there? I think you mean a secretary of state IN Scotland and AGAINST Scotland.

    “I haven’t heard him speak for weeks”
    I don’t ever recall the individual saying anything worth listening to. Just the same old patronising colonialist script.

    “He’s certainly not at melting point”
    How do you know if you haven’t heard him speak for weeks? he may have already melted.

    “I respect your committment of course”
    Am I expected to fall on my knees with the weight of my gratitude?

    “but this SNP1, ALBA2 is becoming tiresome”
    For you and all those desperate to trash the supermajority? Sure thing. Not for me though. I am not even started.

    “No-one believes it any longer”
    The british state certainly does believe it, otherwise they would not be desperate to stop the supermajority.

    “By all means vote for Salmond”
    Well thank you master for your generosity and condescendence. And that was me thinking I did not need anybody’s permission.

    “and you know what you are getting with him”
    And so does the British state, which is why they are so desperate to stop Alba entering Holyrood.

    “But, the SNP are committing political suicide”
    And you have to wonder why. The most obvious explanation: because the political fraud that is at the front of the party is compromised and is fighting against the supermajority to stop the union disintegrating.

    “and are not worth anyone’s vote”
    Labour, Tories and Libdems are worth even less, anyone’s vote. At least the SNP are perceived in the eyes of the world as pro independence. A pro independence seat is worth much more in my eyes than all the unionist MSPs put together.

  86. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    John Main (9:45) –

    ‘Is there anybody who is so annoyed about the blatant BBC bias against Scottish Independence since 2014 who has binned their TV and stopped paying their license?

    Anybody at all?’

    The demos outside BBC HQ at Plantation Quay in Glasgow started when Ronnie Anderson, one of the original contributors to this place, took all of his angry letters from TV Licensing to the front door and delivered a statement before either tearing them up or burning them.

    That was a long time ago, maybe 2013?

    Some of the most powerful imagery to emerge from the whole indy campaign was from the demos/gatherings which grew from that initial action.

    So, the answer to your question is yes, but the BBC is so afraid of the non-payers that it refuses to release data on how many of us there are. (And even if no household in Scotland paid their ‘tax’, do you really beliIeve the lies and propaganda would suddenly stop?)

  87. Robert Graham
    Ignored
    says:

    Reading some comments some strange interlopers around tonight , oh well if it keeps them off the streets I suppose scrolling past them isn’t too much of a problem .
    Keep it up chaps I say chaps because ladies wouldn’t do that sort of stuff would they ?

  88. kapelmeister
    Ignored
    says:

    The best put down of the BBC ever. Eck’s choice of words in that statement was perfect.

  89. boris
    Ignored
    says:

    BBC bias is well capable of swinging an election or referendum

    The BBC is an immensely powerful organisation and the way it presents news significantly impacts election/referendum results. In 2017 economists of the Columbia Business School, analysed 18 countries’ news media markets and developed a “power index”.

    Across all countries, the UK had the most concentrated media sector, mainly due to the BBC. Over all mediums, the BBC influences 81% of people who consume news and has the most power to affect public opinion of any news organisation worldwide.

    https://caltonjock.com/2021/04/14/bbc-scotland-news-current-affairs-reporting-is-vetted-from-london-and-heavily-biased-against-scottish-best-interests/

  90. Gordon
    Ignored
    says:

    Wings is even breaking into factions before our very eyes.

    The most vocal and deluded are the notorious shower of hypocritical nutcases, the infamous, “SNP 1 crowd”.

    The are just fuckin crazy.

  91. Westviews
    Ignored
    says:

    John Main @9.45pm
    A lot of folk have cancelled their licences from before and after 2014.
    The BBC have been really worried about how many folk have stopped supporting their propaganda. I will never watch, listen or pay for their propaganda ever again.
    #TheGreatScottishSwitchOff

  92. sarah
    Ignored
    says:

    @ John Main: the BBC doesn’t rely on our licence fees. The BBC is state funded!!

  93. Big Jock
    Ignored
    says:

    The most tragic part of this over hyped election. Is that it is an utter damp squib.

    There is no point to it. Nicola will get re elected. And it will be as if it never happened.

    We can only hope that the police will do the job the enquiry couldn’t. And that Salmond sues the arse off every member of Nicola’s inner circle.

  94. Wee Willie
    Ignored
    says:

    @Big Jock
    Absolutely true. Why on earth can’t others see this?

  95. Captain Yossarian
    Ignored
    says:

    Mia…..’Scotland is a banana republic without the bananas’ – The Daily Mail said that about us at the end of the Fabiani Inquiry. Remember?

    That’s what 20-years of Holyrood has done. Do you call that a success? Where do you think we will be in another 20-years?

    Holyrood employs 140No bent Scottish lawyers full time and it is awash with crime and corruption.

    I’ll bet that some of it comes out before the election. What little I am aware of will shock you.

  96. sarah
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Big Jock: I am postponing being unhappy about this election until the result is known. I too am worried but am determined to just do what I can to help Alba and hope for the best.

  97. Stephen
    Ignored
    says:

    Wee Willie
    Why can’t others see this
    /
    They can.
    Sturgeon gets in with unionist votes.
    They know she will never push independence.

  98. Angus F Macleod
    Ignored
    says:

    Jesus, I saw a comment on BBCQT above and sat for a few minutes trying to figure out what the latest sexual deviant abbreviation meant. That’s the result of all the crap from the SNP. They have driven me mad. No way I can do SNP1.

  99. Famous15
    Ignored
    says:

    You do know what a PLAN is?

    SNP1 Alba2 is not rocket science.

    If your answer to that plan is “wibble,wibble,wibble” with two pencils up your nostrils then join the eejit in the hat,perhaps you are the eejit in the hat with the Spitfire roundels?

    Do not wait another 30 years cos I will come back and haunt you.

  100. Doug
    Ignored
    says:

    Sarah 10:20pm

    All the more reason for not paying it.

  101. Doug
    Ignored
    says:

    SNP/Alba in the north east

  102. Gary45%
    Ignored
    says:

    I would love to say decency, democracy will prevail, but it’s the “genuine” Indy party vs the establishment, so absolutely no chance of that happening.
    As for the BBC , “it’s not worth wasting oxygen”, they kiss the erse of the clown in No10 who is guilty of so much corruption and the deaths of thousands due to his shambles over Covid.
    North Korea, Russia, they are “YTS” compared to the “time served English empire” establishment.
    Give ALBA your vote, also follow Alex advice on the first vote, yes its getting even more difficult by the day, but he genuinely speaks for Scottish Independence.

  103. Gary45%
    Ignored
    says:

    I didn’ want to fall into this but hey ho, anyone casting Scotland as a banana republic, take your head out your erse and look at the “Empire”

  104. mel
    Ignored
    says:

    fairly certain I have never seen Screaming Lord Sutch’s party political broadcast on TV. What are the rules?

  105. sarah
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Doug at 10.38: agreed – and I don’t pay the licence. Can’t say that I miss it.

  106. Tannadice Boy
    Ignored
    says:

    @Captain Yossarian 10:26pm
    Stay your hand I have. The people will get the Government they deserve. Nobody I have spoken to is happy with the SG or their record. My daughter was asking about the report today of mortgage lenders insisting on repayment in Sterling. She is about to upgrade. I apologise to Stu leaving is now on the agenda. I said I was staying. I have to protect my family. That is my priority. But we have a nutter in charge of the levers. Don’t ask the wife what she thinks. A straightforward Highland lassie rather that abomination you put up earlier today.

  107. Stuart
    Ignored
    says:

    Hysterical… have you ever heard of #Defund the BBC. Search it out can absolutely guarantee you won’t like it though!

    In the real world BBC bias during and since the EU referendum has been demonstrated in spades, just not in the way you appear to think. Ask anyone south of the border if they perceive anything about the BBC that isn’t anti-British and theyll laugh at you. This of course does not deny the bias against Alba its just not for the reasons Mia and her gang believe. Again critical thinking is the key!

    And AS using Greg Dyke as an example, laughable he’s just a big part of the North London luvvie circle who don’t believe us oiks deserve a say in anything. Get real ffs

  108. John Main
    Ignored
    says:

    @Sarah

    Online info states that the BBC rakes in just short of 5 billion pounds each year and approx. 70% of that comes from the license fee.

    Let me repeat that. 5 billion pounds. Each and every year.

    For that sort of money I would expect the most accurate and most comprehensive news and current affairs coverage of anywhere in the entire world.

  109. Fred
    Ignored
    says:

    Gary45% says:
    22 April, 2021 at 10:52 pm
    I didn’ want to fall into this but hey ho, anyone casting Scotland as a banana republic, take your head out your erse and look at the “Empire”

    Not sure I understand what you mean Gary. Obviously I know what a Banana Republic is – but I’m not getting how that compares to the “Empire” – which was rich in (plundered) resources.

  110. Alastair Naughton
    Ignored
    says:

    Unfortunately this brainwashing also extends to the National, a supposedly pro-independence newspaper -the only one in existence. It has absolutely BRAZENLY excluded ALBA from ALL the election coverage, reports on the fact that Sturgeon is considering a coalition with the Greens without for one minute

    1: raising an eyebrow that the SNP has categorically ruled out working with ALBA, who are independence to the core, and

    2: The Greens are at best open to the idea of independence if it fits in with their other priorities.

    3: ALBA raised the idea first joint party co-operation first anyway.

    Furthermore, The National does not see it necessary to question this AT ALL. Today we had Lesley Riddoch bemoaning the dullness of this election, and how it was in the shadow of the constitutional question (and everybody knew it), but did not see it necessary for ONE MINUTE to question why ALBA was being left out of the coverage. It is an absolute DISGRACE. I am now going to cancel my subscription as soon as I find other news outlets.

  111. Papko
    Ignored
    says:

    That reads to me as if Salmond is getting his excuses in early, and no doubt Gordon Brown’s pending speech on the eve of the election will kill the dream stone dead once again.

    There was never a proper post-mortem amongst the SNP and wider YES movement as to the failure of the ’14.

    In a sense the discussion is happening now with the most prominent bloggers united in denouncing the sham.

  112. Robert Graham
    Ignored
    says:

    Papko aye right

    Anyone with any sense will drop the ko when reading your stuff ie PAP from start to finish

  113. Kevin Cargill
    Ignored
    says:

    The BBC are corrupt to the core. It would not surprise me if their masters suddenly say we can see Alex Salmond as often as we like so long as his words are voiced by an actor as they did at Thatcher’s behest to Gerry Adam’s!

  114. Mark Boyle
    Ignored
    says:

    @mel says:
    22 April, 2021 at 10:56 pm

    fairly certain I have never seen Screaming Lord Sutch’s party political broadcast on TV. What are the rules?

    The Official Monster Raving Loony Party had their only PPB on 13th April 2016, but it was only broadcast in Wales, as they’d stood enough candidates for the Welsh Assembly elections to qualify.

    Stormont elections usually have a ludicrous number of PPBs because of the relative ease of meeting the criteria for getting one

  115. t42
    Ignored
    says:

    BBC pushing Greens 24/7. Smell the fear.

  116. StuartM
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Andy Ellis

    “I live in Edinburgh Central. I will not vote for Angus Robertson under any circumstances. I’ll vote for Bonnie Prince Bob because I’d love to see him gain enough votes to deprive carpetbagger Robertson.

    (Snip) ………

    The political decapitation of the SNP by voting out e.g. Sturgeon, Swinney, McKelvie and stopping Robertson would be a good thing.”

    ===============================================

    On the morning after the election would you regret the decision to vote for BPB if Robertson just scrapes in? Better to hold your nose and vote for whatever candidate has the best chance to defeat Robertson – I think that’s the Tories in EC? Anyway AFAICS BPB is just another chancer interested only in the pay and perks like Graeme Campbell.

    I strongly object to your last sentence – you left out Humza & Shirley Anne Sommerville! I haven’t run the numbers but I think that Alba isn’t likely to lose any seats if the SNP was to lose 1 constituency seat in each region to a unionist party. Remember that by winning that one seat the Unionist party’s regional vote is now effectively halved so reducing their List seats. If Alba can hoover up enough votes they needn’t sacrifice any seats at all. Even if one or two of the SNP’s Woke chancers sneak in on the List it’d be a small price to pay to be rid of Sturgeon and her enablers.

    I’ll offer an election message for Alba:

    “Don’t waste your second vote – Vote Alba for Independence!”

  117. Robert Graham
    Ignored
    says:

    Sturgeon appears to be the next guest speaker on George Drummond show Indy livestream that should be fun I wonder it the comments will have to be censored or to coin her favourite term
    Redacted ****** Redacted ******Redacted

  118. Ann Rayner
    Ignored
    says:

    I have not actually cancelled my TV licence as I used to qualify for a free one as I’m over 80. I just haven’t started paying again. I have an old TV which does not always work so watch occasionally if it works to check what BBC are up to.
    I agree with Alf Baird that we need a Scottish broadcaster immediately after declaring independence and that it should include programmes in Scots as well as in Gaelic. More people speak Scots and we should reclaim our own language as a part of our culture. I can speak, understand and read Scots but was never taught to write in it so I am not confident to do that. Being illiterate in my own language is really sad.

  119. Ruglonian
    Ignored
    says:

    I posted this on the previous article but I’m putting it here so more folk can see it:

    It’s so sad to hear that our dear friend Pete has died.
    He will be sorely missed by all who knew him. His place at the Wings stall will be marked with a toast at the first event the stall goes to when we’re out of this current situation.
    Unfortunately Pete won’t be the only friend we’ll be missing when we all finally meet up again.

    Personally, I found Pete to be one of the most generous and kind activists I’ve ever come across in all my years in the indy movement.
    He freely offered me his time and his knowledge so that I could take it to my local Yes group and get them started in badge production. Yes Rutherglen & Cambuslang would never have had the confidence to start fundraising this way without Pete’s guidance. We’ve since used those funds to help countless other groups in our movement.
    YR&C have put out tens of thousands of badges now and I know that Pete, with Brian’s help, have done the same. He told me that the fundraising is an added bonus. That what a badge is firstly is a wee advert for independence! Spoken like a true activist.
    RIP Pete.

  120. The Oui Coupar
    Ignored
    says:

    It’s been a great day to be alive out in the hills in Scotland. Altitude gives clarity.
    Alex Salmond is not the be all and end all. I shall vote for him and support the activities of Alba as long as they represent my interest and beliefs.
    I shall not support SNP with a vote, as long as they continue to do neither. Hell mend them.

  121. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    Well said Ruglonian, to Pete x

  122. crazycat
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Ruglonian at 12.18

    That’s a real shame; I have several of his badges and will think of him when I wear them.

  123. Hatuey
    Ignored
    says:

    “I can speak, understand and read Scots but was never taught to write in it so I am not confident to do that. Being illiterate in my own language is really sad.”

    My God. The shit that’s going on on the world and you feel sad because you weren’t taught to write in slang…

  124. Salmond dindunuffin
    Ignored
    says:

    The only figure who has been as monstered on the telly in politics as Salmond recently has was Jeremy Corbyn. That says everything. If only the idiot box was thoroughly obsolete, unfortunately plenty of people are still in-hoc to it, and we still have to worry about what it’s doing to their brains. But oh well.

  125. Career Politician
    Ignored
    says:

    I wouldn’t hold my breath in hope that the BBC will ever be held accountable by OFCOM, but glad to see them being called out again.

    I must admit I do still read BBC news website – i noticed a few days ago they did a whole big feature on the SNP and Sturgeon. Add that to the daily briefing Sturgeon is still privileged to receive in the name of COVID

    It’s really interesting – even telling – that the BBC seems to have developed a soft spot for Sturgeons SNP…

  126. Career Politician
    Ignored
    says:

    Tannadice Boy, 10:59.

    I’m with you pal; Leaving Scotland altogether is something we’ve considered a lot over the years. If it weren’t for elderly parents we’d be away in a heartbeat. To be honest I wish I’d gone to NZ 10 years ago when I had the chance.

    But at this rate, even a bed in Carlisle seems a bit more stable than Sturgeons woke Venezuela.

  127. Clavie Cheil
    Ignored
    says:

    I would be shocked if it wasn’t anther case of nothing to see here peasants, move along.

  128. Willie
    Ignored
    says:

    So why did Nicola not appear on Question Time.

    Previous commentator suggests something in the background about to break.

    There have certainly been rumours circulating about there being things in Sturgeon’s background.

    Maybe something is about to break. Maybe she is compromised big time. Maybe the dark establishment is going to leak a murky secret.

    What the Gods create they destroy.

  129. Stuart MacKay
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T – well the previous thread.

    Anybody know where the “You will not refer to me” video came from? I spent a while searching for it elsewhere and the only place it shows is on the Wings site.

    I have to agree with Mia, it’s psy-ops. It’s too well polished and pushes too many buttons but I can’t decide whether it’s anti-Woke or anti-tiktok / anti-china. I’m leaning towards the latter, because of the eye make-up – yes that’s crude but it’s likely the real message is not staring you in the face. Fascinating stuff all the same.

  130. Tom Kane
    Ignored
    says:

    SNP 1. ALBA 2.

    I don’t see any other chance. I don’t care what may come out in the next fortnight about NS. I don’t want to see the SNP destroyed. As Iain Lawson has said, the SNP has not being allowed to pursue member-developed policy. But when it is, it creates great policy.

    There are brilliant people in the SNP and they are about to take their party back. The greens, and their apologists, such as Bella Caledonia, have been handling out the heebiejeebees for a decade or more.

    As for the BBC, my contempt for them is now insurmountable.

    Sorry Stu… Am too lazy to rephrase this… Just copying in a post I put up on yoursforscotland…

    The Tories gave the BBC a super kicking long before they dealt so attriciously with Greg Dyke. What Thatcher did to Alistair Milne as a consequence of the Zircon spy satellite Panorama programme was really the clenched fist of the Tory party shattering the desk of the director general at the BBC.

    That’s when the BBC were given their new British role… Worth a reminding… https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alasdair_Milne

    My BBC was made by those great broadcasters pre-Marmaduke Hussey. A time of grousebeater, the BBC micro, the real Open University, the real Panorama, Alan Bleasedale, Dennis Potter, and journalists questioning the state apparatus and supporting democracy.

    Damage has been done to ALBA and to Scottish Democracy by the referee, but the game still has 10 minutes on the clock and there is an opportunity today to have a strict word with the referee so that we can have a decent and fair end-game.

    Otherwise, it is all Scottish political journalism that just took the Marmaduke Hussey shilling during the most important election campaign in Scotland’s history.

    What an unforgettable experience this election is turning out to be. Welcome back, Alex. And deep gratitude.

    The Tories gave the BBC a super kicking long before they dealt so attriciously with Greg Dyke. What Thatcher did to Alistair Milne as a consequence of the Zircon spy satellite Panorama programme was really the clenched fist of the Tory party shattering the desk of the director general at the BBC.

    That’s when the BBC were given their new British role… Worth a reminding… https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alasdair_Milne

    My BBC was made by those great broadcasters pre-Marmaduke Hussey. A time of grousebeater, the BBC micro, the real Open University, the real Panorama, Alan Bleasedale, Dennis Potter, and journalists questioning the state apparatus and supporting democracy.

    Damage has been done to ALBA and to Scottish Democracy by the referee, but the game still has 10 minutes on the clock and there is an opportunity today to have a strict word with the referee so that we can have a decent and fair end-game.

    Otherwise, it is all Scottish political journalism that just took the Marmaduke Hussey shilling during the most important election campaign in Scotland’s history.

    What an unforgettable experience this election is turning out to be. Welcome back, Alex. And deep gratitude.

    Tannadyce boy… Your grandfather’s story… A story of Scotland… You bear it’s testimony with brilliance. Respect.

  131. Tom Kane
    Ignored
    says:

    Sorry Stu… That one needs editing.

  132. highseastim
    Ignored
    says:

    Talk about wasted votes, the latest opinion poll shows no seats for the Alba party, along with George Galloway yesterday’s men!!

  133. Captain Yossarian
    Ignored
    says:

    I would bet on a bad news story about to break. Something involving Swinney, Sturgeon, a bent Scottish lawyer and a dozen bent civil-servants.

  134. Robert Louis
    Ignored
    says:

    If there are still fair-minded ‘journalists’ in the bbc, then there is NOTHING stopping them from talking about ALBA, especially in live broadcasts, such as debates. We can only assume they are cowards.

    No, the rot in the BBC is endemic. It is a London-rule propagandist mouthpiece, no more no less. The hypocrisy in all of this, however, beggars belief. They bemoan RT, and their journalists bemoan the locking up of political opposition leaders in Russia, yet those same people barely mention the innocent political journalist Julian Assange, currently languishing in a maximum security solitary confinement prison cell in an English jail. A political prisoner languishing in a high security English jail. You won’t hear the biased, lying BBC so-called ‘journalists’ tell you that.

    But more to the point, what could be more of a ‘juicy’ political story than a former FM versus a current FM, for all kinds of journalistic reasons. So, it is blindingly obvious that the BBC are blatantly biased against Scotland, the ALBA party and Scotland’s legitimate democratic interests.

    The BBC in Scotland, delivering English state propaganda, hypocrisy and prejudice into your home, 24/7. They are indeed, the bourbons. Time for a revolution.

  135. Effigy
    Ignored
    says:

    The BBC are a complete shower of corrupt Btards
    Scottish news stating a million Scots living in poverty
    and we are not using the powers we have?

    Who says so, some unnamed academics.
    Is that today’s work for a Tory think tank?

    No need to drill into Westminster cutting £2.5 Billion
    from our budget or widespread poverty across the U.K.
    after 12 years of Tory Austerity and then their Fock up
    of Covid having reduced most people’s income and so
    far losing 900,000 jobs.

    The Tories have Scotland’s fortunes in their pocket and they
    have put their own men in every public body.
    If OFCOM wasn’t in that pack, what could they do other than threaten
    the board with closure, major pay rises, bigger jobs, Betty Gongs, maybe
    even a nice blank cheque PPE Contract.

    Scotland’s wealth has over 50 years built a Westminster web of crime, corruption
    and deceit out with any laws.
    They have more powers than any other Mafia could ever dream of.

  136. Wee Chid
    Ignored
    says:

    Hatuey says:
    23 April, 2021 at 1:22 am
    ““I can speak, understand and read Scots but was never taught to write in it so I am not confident to do that. Being illiterate in my own language is really sad.”

    My God. The shit that’s going on on the world and you feel sad because you weren’t taught to write in slang”

    Scots isn’t slang and treating it as such has led to many Scots being made to feel like 2nd class citizens and given them a sense of inferiority – no wonder many don’t feel confident about being independent. National language is important.

    The Scots language is older than modern day English. the English language underwent “great vowel change”. Scots words were used by England too until this change took place. “Gan” was used, “ken” is used in other languages as well as Scots and, of course “Aye” is still used, even in parliament.

  137. kapelmeister
    Ignored
    says:

    I smell a rat about the Comres poll. Alba’s average in polls must be about 4% considering some, including a recent one, had them on 6%. As we know, in polling, a lot depends on the series of questions that precede the one about who you will vote for.

    A coincidence that this 1% poll appeared when it did? Just as Alba got leafletting and also launched the manifesto. A manifesto launch the BBC virtually ignored and then the next day they gave an ocean of coverage to Labour and their launch.

  138. Captain Yossarian
    Ignored
    says:

    “maybe even a nice blank cheque PPE Contract.” The only folk in the UK handing out PPE contracts are the SNP. That has been the case for the last 4-years.

  139. Luigi
    Ignored
    says:

    RE: BBC Question Time

    Nicola of all people shunning the spotlight? Aye right!

    Something serious is going on in the shadows me thinks.

  140. Effigy
    Ignored
    says:

    Geo Galloway and Farage stood side by side on
    Brexit and English rule over Scotland at Indy Ref

    It seems that in only 10 months DRoss has claimed
    £150,000 in expenses.
    Is that instead of a lucrative PPE contract from Boris?

    Wonder if he gets free lunch money from Russia like
    Baroness Ruth?

    https://mobile.twitter.com/andrewgardner58?lang=en

  141. kapelmeister
    Ignored
    says:

    The only poll for several months to show No in the lead in an indyref was a Comres poll for the Sunday Times about seven weeks ago.

  142. Mac
    Ignored
    says:

    Greg Dyke was taken out in the same way that Piers Morgan was taken out from the Daily Mirror.

    Both were challenging Phony Tony’s neocon narrative about Iraq and both were victims of the ‘security’ services and then a thoroughly bogus ‘Inquiry’ from the joke ‘Lord’ Hutton.

    (I use the term ‘Lord’ here in the same manner as I Use ‘Lady’ in Lady Dorrian, i’e’ with utter contempt.)

  143. Dan
    Ignored
    says:

    Stuart MacKay says: at 6:17 am

    Anybody know where the “You will not refer to me” video came from? I spent a while searching for it elsewhere and the only place it shows is on the Wings site.

    The vid source appeared to be linked to in the following post.
    I took a look yesterday and it was filled with numerous files all with the person’s face in various guises like a log of their development over time.
    Couldn’t be arsed clicking to watch any more though.
    Have checked the link again and it seems the account has been made private or deleted now.

    https://wingsoverscotland.com/nobody-said-it-was-easy/#comment-2651230

  144. Breeks
    Ignored
    says:

    Stuart MacKay says:
    23 April, 2021 at 6:17 am

    I have to agree with Mia, it’s psy-ops. It’s too well polished and pushes too many buttons but I can’t decide whether it’s anti-Woke or anti-tiktok / anti-china…

    I honestly can’t shake the 1970’s punk from my head.

    I don’t mean it’s a spontaneous revolution like Punk actually was, but it’s as if ‘somebody’ has studied the way in which Punk took they idea of being hyper radical, to be vulgar and delinquent, and deliberate in its intention to shock people out of their comfort zones.

    Punk made vast amounts of money for some people, spawned a revolution in music, design of clothes and cosmetics, and generally shook the place up. There were big changes and power shifts in the popular establishment.

    To me all this transgender garbage, I mean the whole thing, feels like a marketing company’s scam, probably funded by big American Pharma Companies set out to make big money, paid people to deconstruct and analyse the Punk movement of the 70’s, and they are now trying very hard to emulate the way Punk became a global phenomenon and lucrative money spinner for some.

    And if kids get hurt and damaged along the way, they become Transgender’s “lukewarm” equivalent of Sid Vicious, drugged out his mind, stabs his girlfriend to death probably without knowing it because he was out of his box at the time. Sid Vicious was genuinely out of control, as most punk was also genuine rebellion/ revolution, but with all the Transgender bullshit, the grinding catastrophe of it all seems orchestrated and manipulated.

    There’s nothing original about Transgenderism. The rage, the body piercings, the language, the swearing, the contempt, – all of it, it’s just a retro homage to punk rock, but with the volume turned down.

    Even their “revolution” about gender isn’t new. David Bowie was pioneering ambiguities about sex and gender back in the 70’s, and doing it with a lot more style, class and originality than these beardy blokes wearing dresses.

    All these transgender kiddies are being conned. They are being sold a pup; seduced by the tastiest components of the punk revolution which indulges their teenage angst and rebellious streak and encourages them to go out and shock people to get a reaction. We’ve all been there, done that, … but they haven’t. They are the naive and the misfits who are vulnerable.

    Transgender extremism is like a tribute act to punk, but it’s not spontaneous or original, it’s all just a stale and tame revisionism of punk, and the “shock factor” doesn’t work. To meet that “shock” criteria in the formula for success, the edginess and shock factor is coming from the threat to hurt people, and permanently damage our kids.

    It “feels” like the anarchy is being steered.

    It’s almost like we are waiting for the Transgender equivalent of Sid Vicious knifing his girlfriend to death. It feels like the worst that can happen will be the best that can happen. It can’t be shocking enough for the “controllers” counting the pennies rolling in.

    The real worry is, there is a mightily toxic and explosive mixture when you have mixed up vulnerable kids mixing with predatory pedophiles, serial abusers who can hide and manipulate their identities, and are essentially given a free pass to abuse people, and the whole “environment” is being bankrolled by the big pharmaceutical companies making billions from the wholly unnecessary use of drugs and surgery on otherwise healthy individuals. It’s nasty. Much nastier than punk ever was, with a very dark agenda, and the tendrils of that dark agenda are trying to reach into our schools and get to our developing adolescent kids.

    Well. There you go. That’s my tinfoil hat theory.

    I also don’t mean it in a derogatory way, but read back through the comments on the video, and ask yourself whether those comments resemble old and middle aged people being asked about punk rockers on Nationwide or Panorama back in the ‘70s.

    There is NOTHING spontaneous about transgenderism. It reeks of orchestrated exploitation with a well funded master plan driving it.

    Most governments will see it for what it is. Unfortunately Scotland has it’s Sturgeon with her pronouns signing up Scotland for the gig whether we like it or not, and we all have bear the cringing embarrassment until the Scottish government grows up, wises up, or gets the boot.

    Scottish Independence? They don’t give a fk about it. It’s for boomers.

  145. Shocked
    Ignored
    says:

    @kapelmeister

    We now know the polls showing yes in the lead were deliberately manipulated to show that. It appears that yes has never been in the lead and that Angus Robertson and his progress Scotland stooges have been playing the country to overshadow bad news about Nicola Sturgeon. 7 years of incompetence and wasted opportunities have brought us here, it’s time to tear the New SNP down and start again.

  146. Wee Chid
    Ignored
    says:

    John Main says:
    22 April, 2021 at 9:45 pm

    I think I last owned a TV in 1986. I moved out of the marital home and, because I was on a tight budget and couldn’t afford a licence, I never bought another one.

    With the advent of I player I watched the occasional drama programme until that began to require a licence, even for non live watching.

    Now, even if I could afford it, I would chose not to fund the BBC.

  147. Cudneycareless
    Ignored
    says:

    Alf Baird says:
    22 April, 2021 at 8:32 pm
    Breeks @ 7:24

    “we surely have a case to instigate truly Scottish Broadcasting”

    Schedule for the new broadcaster

    The White Feather Club ( a special version for Nocola not following the Independence dream), Take the High Road ( what people want the Murrells, Wisharts and Wolfes to do) , Taggart (there’s been a murder- they’ve killed my dreams)

  148. Socrates MacSporran
    Ignored
    says:

    These final two weeks of the election campaign are going to be very-interesting.

    It appears that part one of the Establishment’s grand plan is working. This has the mainstream media, led by the BBC, denying Alex Salmond and ALBA the oxygen of publicity.

    Eck will not go away, but, they are doing their best to ignore him and silence him.

    I feel, in these final two weeks, provided they can all but shut down Eck, the Establishment will turn their guns on Sturgeon and the SNP. All those stories they have hitherto ignored will come out, the aim, to deny them an overall majority.

    As I have said before, if Eck gets in on the List, and I think he will, nominating him as Presiding Officer just might be the only way they can neuter his influence and stop him thoroughly embarrassing Sturgeon every week at FMQs.

    Otherwise, Eck showing the Queen Bee up each week, will, I reckon, quickly see MSPs leaving the SNP to join ALBA.

    The Establishment has to stop Eck, by whatever means they can, and since the previous stitch-up failed, things are about to get really nasty.

  149. Sharny Dubs
    Ignored
    says:

    Wee Chid @7:46.
    It always fascinated me the similarities between “slang” Scots and Norwegian.

    Norwegian for child is Barne, name of a vaccine cleaner is a stoorsooker and of course there is Big a hoos and big a Kirk among others.

  150. Sharny Dubs
    Ignored
    says:

    *vacuum cleaner, bloody auto thingy

  151. kapelmeister
    Ignored
    says:

    Breeks @8:01

    Interesting theory. Big Pharma is certainly involved in a lot going on in the world and they are always on the lookout for profit making opportunities, which the current transgender mania is.

    And punk was a spontaneous working class movement. Wokeism is a contrived middle class one.

  152. kapelmeister
    Ignored
    says:

    Surgeon’s non-show at QT could simply be that she’s unravelling.

  153. Captain Yossarian
    Ignored
    says:

    They’ve gone and built a new school on top of mud and shifting sand. Some guy who was taught at the local university told them ‘this will never work’. Plenty of experts have told them too: ‘this will never work’.

    Some wee lawyer fae Glasgow told them it would be OK so they went straight ahead, but it hasn’t worked.

    They will know officially today, although they know unofficially already.

    What do we all do now?

  154. Mikey d
    Ignored
    says:

    We’ll soon know on may 6th if ‘Scotland the brave’ has the appetite for independence. Or will they climb back into the shortbread tin.

  155. Dorothy Devine
    Ignored
    says:

    Sharny Dubs – I liked the ‘vaccine cleaner’ very topical!

    To add we have ‘quine ‘ apparently related to Norse for girl.

  156. TNS2019
    Ignored
    says:

    Captain Yossarian says:
    23 April, 2021 at 8:23 am

    They’ve gone and built a new school on top of mud and shifting sand. Some guy who was taught at the local university told them ‘this will never work’. Plenty of experts have told them too: ‘this will never work’.

    Some wee lawyer fae Glasgow told them it would be OK so they went straight ahead, but it hasn’t worked.

    They will know officially today, although they know unofficially already.

    Good luck with your case, Sir. I admire your stamina and loyalty to your profession.
    Scotland is not a country sympathetic to whistle-blowers and it requires courage to do what is right.

  157. Dan
    Ignored
    says:

    @kapelmeister

    #IfGlaxoSmithKlineDidPunk

    I reckon Brian Molko has something to do with this when the world has become like every Placebo song ever.

  158. Ottomanboi
    Ignored
    says:

    WEE CHID 07:46
    As long as there are Hatueys roaming the universe Scots will never be totally free of that pathetic culture cringe.
    However, there are more pressing matters to engage the mind than a dying psycho-colonialism.

  159. robertknight
    Ignored
    says:

    BritNat Brainwashing Channel doing what it does best… treating the license fee payer in Scotland in the same manner as one would cultivate mushrooms.

  160. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    @Ruglonian (12.18) –

    Nice tribute to Pete there.

    Didn’t know the man well meself but we certainly rubbed shoulders often enough.

    Can’t help wondering how many more of us will have shuffled off before independence is secured?

    All the more reason to get it done asap so we have at least some time to actually enjoy it. And a big part of that will be the act of remembering everyone who helped get us there.

    So long Pete.

  161. gullaneno4
    Ignored
    says:

    Alba do not seem to be making headway, stuck at about 3 to 4 % when they need 6 to 7 % to win a seat.
    Lorna Slater has been impressive for the Greens and seems to be picking up second vote ditherers.

  162. Captain Yossarian
    Ignored
    says:

    TNS2019 – The preferred option for all at Holyrood is to ignore whistle-blowers.

    The profession in this instance is managed by the Institution of Civil Engineers.

    They were informed of this a fornight ago and have done more to get it resolved than Holyrood has in seven-years.

  163. Robert Hughes
    Ignored
    says:

    Breeks @ 8.01 .

    Quite brilliant post as per .

    Hasn’t Capitalism been appropriating , re-packaging , neutering ” Revolt ” and ” Rebellion ” since the early days of Rock n Roll ?

    Starting with the genuine subversion of anodyne white bread Pop by the Negro-culture loving Elvis Presley – famously only filmed ” above the waist ” by Yank TV , pretty rapidly divested of any shock value by Col Parker’s insistence on tying EP into stupid , Teen movie garbage and candyfloss balladry , all for the ” filthy lucre ” .

    If Transgenderism is Punk it’s more Toyah than X Ray Specs , middle class dafties trying-on a little Anarchy before the inevitable embrace of comfy careers and suburban living , with the twist , as you rightly identify , being the dark forces driving all this for reasons we can only speculate about at the moment but we can be sure are not about artistic expression or personal liberation .

    ” Cash from Chaos ” ?

  164. PacMan
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T

    Just noticed that there is talk of a British Super League that would involve the English clubs that tried to form the European Super League and the Old Firm.

    It will interesting if true if it will ever see the light of day but from the point of view of the top English clubs, it makes sense as it is another way to gain more control of the running of the league and in turn, a bigger slice of TV revenues. As to the Old Firms inclusion, they have a large global fan base but haven’t been able to make it profitable for them. For them being in this proposed British Super League would allow them to do that and of course benefit the big English clubs as well.

    In terms of independence if this does happen, would it kill indy dead in the water?

    Possibly but given how expensive top flight English football is to watch, whether in person at stadiums or subscription TV, it could be out of the reach a lot of people who would then turn to Scottish football instead.

  165. Mac
    Ignored
    says:

    Anyone who thinks they can call this election is tripping.

    Polls are not worth a fuck at the best of times. But this scenario is unforeseen and it is extremely difficult to predict the outcome.

    ALBA could get nothing or they could do surprisingly well or something in-between, no-one knows, and anyone telling you they do know is a bullshit artist.

    The unionist media are doing their utmost to smother ALBA at birth, to save Sturgeon.

    ALBA also launched so close to May.

    That combined with a media black-out would make it some achievement if they did get a political toe-hold in May.

    Yet countering these disadvantages, ALBA is appealing to (many) already media-wise SNP voters and not unionist voters. The media treatment of ALBA will be a very familiar story to them as this is how the SNP used to be treated before they capitulated under Sturgeon.

    The only poll that will tell us is the one in May. Fingers crossed for ALBA.

    Hope for the best (and expect the worst 😀 ).

  166. Moira Girvan
    Ignored
    says:

    It’s been absolutely obvious (to anyone paying attention) that there’s been a news black out on ALBA. It’s intentional and it’s coordinated. There’s nothing coincidental about it. That the BBC is an agent of Unionism is undeniable. But I suspect this undemocratic and insidious strategy has been engineered by the SNP hierarchy. There’s been a new found love for the FM and the SNP across the Scottish MSM. Likewise with the Greens – particularly across the BBC. It was always going to be extremely difficult for any new party in Scotland to make a break through. But when that new party is deliberately ignored – it’s all the more difficult. If things don’t go well – the BBC will be the first to have a “Why did ALBA fail?” item top of all their so-called new output. They’re brazen. They’re acting in plain sight. They need to brought to account.

  167. John Martini
    Ignored
    says:

    The Alba voting base is shrinking due to covid. A third wave should finish it off.

    Young people will be trans pensioners by the time you get an indy vote.

  168. Andy Ellis
    Ignored
    says:

    As others have already pointed out, the election is difficult if not impossible to call. Those prophesying (or hoping?) that Alba will make no headway and/or gain few if any seats may be right of course. If that happens or if they only pick up a handful and can exert no real pressure on an SNP or SNP/Green administration then pro-indy opponents of the SNP are no worse off than we were before Alba was launched. At least we will have a core of “real” independence MSPs to build on and to show the gradualists up in Holyrood when they inevitably fail to deliver #indyref2.

    If we can’t stand up a “full fat” opposition party with clear water between us and the SNP and Greens over the next five years then the game’s a bogey for us anyway isn’t it? In that event we’d just have to accept that the gradualists and TRA extremists have won and will dictate the pace and content of the independence “offering” or give up for a real generation until the younger generations deliver independence. That would be a sad outcome for many of us who are in the over 55 age group as we’re unlike to see independence achieved, but if we can’t persuade enough of the sheeple that we can and should be doing better as a society given brexit, the current Tory government and the abject policy and governance failures both at Westminster and Holyrood attendant on the pandemic, then it’s pretty obvious that too many Scots at present revere their chains.

    In the end we can’t blame the BBC, the mainstream media generally or the supine gradualists in the SNP and Greens, or the TRA extremists parasitising the movement, for the collective lack of bottle of the generality of the Scots people. The aphorism that you get the representation you deserve resonates because it is true: Scots have very little excuse for tolerating the current political situation other than being happy to be dominated or held against their will because they lack the moral and political courage to bring about change: Jockholm Syndrome perhaps?

  169. Luigi
    Ignored
    says:

    Wow. There seems to be quite a few “Doom and Gloom” merchants and concern trolls online these days. Quite an effort. This, coupled with the MSM reminding us every day what a boring, non-event the Scottish election will be this time (wishful thinking?) and a dearth of opinion polls since Alba was launched – you would almost think that someone wants to discourage everyone and prevent us voting Alba.

    Sorry, Cheps – I posted my SNP 1 Alba 2 vote already. You will have to fiddle the postal votes again. I know it’s a drag, lots of angles to cover etc, but you can do it if necessary. 🙂

  170. PacMan
    Ignored
    says:

    I can only look at 70’s punk from what I read and listen to in interviews.

    The impression I get is that Punk was manufactured but was in the right place at the right time with a period where there was a large disquiet in the music scene and society at large. There was also a lot of luck where Queen pulled out of appearing in the Reg Grundy show and the rest was history.

    As to the Transgender movement being manufactured by Big Pharma in the same way as what happened with 70’s punk, there could be something in it.

    You just need to look at this stuff from the nineties and every noughties with this metrosexuality, men needing to get in touch with their feminine side and relentless attacks on so-called toxic masculinity to see how some young lads growing up now can be confused about how they are as individuals.

    This wasn’t due to big Pharma but because of the media and changing attitudes in society which is a separate subject and not really relevant to the one in hand. However, it’s hard not to see Big Pharma wanting to exploit this to their own ends by pushing Transgenderism.

    Another perspective is society has objectived woman throughout history as breeding vessels, now society is objectifying men, if they are daft enough, to be more feminine and now taking it to the next step, being woman through medical procedures.

    Again, this is just an opinion of mine and as I mentioned, I am not suggesting there is a conspiracy but commercial entities unethically exploiting a social problem in our society.

  171. Scot Finlayson
    Ignored
    says:

    RIP Pete, a true Scottish patriot.

  172. Mac
    Ignored
    says:

    If ALBA supporters went and protested outside BBC Scotland HQ at the media blackout over ALBA, an important new political party led by a former FM that had led to sitting M/SPs crossing over from the ruling party, then the BBC would run endless stories about nasty and aggressive ALBA supporters trying to bully their courageous and noble journalists from reporting the truth… blah blah blah (you can write it yourselves).

    And you know it is true.

    So we are not dealing with ‘journalists’ or a normal ‘media’ that you might find in an independent country, not by any stretch of the imagination.

    It is wall-to-wall in Scotland now. They even had to destroy the SNP from within to make doubly sure, a ‘belt and braces approach’ if you like in denying us democracy.

    And now they want to murder ALBA in its infancy. Gosh, I am so surprised.

    It is blanket propaganda now. Some of it state sponsored, some of it private sponsored. Look around, if it was not for a handful of places like this site where would you go? There is nothing…

    None of the media in Scotland is journalism. That all died a while ago. Much like how the BBC died around the time Dyke was set-up and fired, for telling the truth.

  173. Bartleby64
    Ignored
    says:

    I’ve said the before but it bears repeating. The number of people and groups that the BBC despises just keeps on growing. Most of Scotland, Wales, NI and yes, England. The rich, the poor. The upper class, the working class, anybody from the middle class who isn’t them. MPs except their chosen few, this would include trying to make life as difficult as possible for the unchosen. Lords, except the ones Princess Tony stuffed in there when he had the chance. Almost all Tories, most of Labour, a few Liberals. Some SNP, no Greens.
    People the BBC tolerate but usually patronise: BAME people, very poor people, disabled people, trans people.
    People the BBC do like; N. Sturgeon (and acolytes), T Blair, N. Clegg, G Brown, A Campbell, the Urban Elite of pseudo handwringing, pretend liberal (small L), bien pensant, mainly north London dwelling, over paid commentariat that populate the media in distressingly high numbers. People like them, in fact.
    AS is in good company out here with the rest of us. I give him kudos for not being part of the Animal Farm collective so beloved of the UK media.

  174. sarah
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Socrates MacSporran: surely nominating Alex Salmond as Presiding Officer doesn’t mean he has to accept, does it?

  175. Bartleby64
    Ignored
    says:

    Sarah @9.39 I hope not, that would be a terrible waste.

  176. Scot Finlayson
    Ignored
    says:

    Happy St George`s Day to all Wings English readers and commenters,

    God bless you all.

  177. Breeks
    Ignored
    says:

    Have any of those folks outraged at ALBA “gaming the system” been asked for comment about the Establishment Unionist media gaming the system?

    I don’t think ALBA has put a foot wrong, I’m not overly worried about the News blackout, because I think ALBA’s strength will come from the grassroots a lot like YES did. The only variable I feel is touch and go is the time that it takes to overcome inertia and turn it into momentum. That’s the bit causing a wee bit anxiety.

    I genuinely hoped the mainstream SNP would have isolated Sturgeon’s dismal leadership and warmed to the prospect of a Supermajority. That might still happen, but hope I think lies with the voters rather than the disappointing SNP MSP’s.

    Whatever happens, I thoroughly hope there is hell to pay for the likes of Sturgeon and Cozyfeet who’s rush into a transgender alliance with the Greens and shun an alliance with ALBA which would easily have delivered a Supermajority. In some ways, it tells you everything you need to know.

    How many times is Sturgeon allowed to fk up an open goal opportunity for Scotland before people realise she doesn’t want that ball in the net? Brexit, Subjugation, a Supermajority,… these are dynamic, maybe once in a lifetime chances in an ever-evolving scenario, and we cannot rely on getting second chances forever.

    In sporting terms, we need to turn the pressure and possession into goals.

  178. susanXX
    Ignored
    says:

    Skitters is also of Norwegian origin!

  179. David Caledonia
    Ignored
    says:

    Its good to have galloway and his new conservative pal up here supporting his unity party.
    I see that the hat is still on his bald heed, as vain as ever the gorgeous george.
    He even said he is living with his family here in scotland, is that permanent or just george giving out his usual crap to hoodwink people, does he have a vote, hope someone asks him that, then we will find out if his stay here is permanent.
    And does he still have his little place in portugal, where is this muppets permanent address, for goodness sake somebody ask him.

    Scots, wha ha wi’
    Wallace bled
    Scots, wham Bruce
    Has often led
    Welcome to your gory bed
    Or to victory !

  180. Stuart MacKay
    Ignored
    says:

    Breeks,

    Can’t disagree with that but for the Love of God why did they have to pick Punk – glam-rock or those pussies, the New Romantics would have been a better choice.

    But I guess, like the Hippies before them, the Punks have grown up and become Marketing Executives and so here we are.

    However I take some small comfort from the fact that the Punks I grew up with would have kicked the shit out of the trannies – metaphorically speaking, of course.

  181. Tom Kane
    Ignored
    says:

    Breeks, superb. As always.

    Sweat, genius, teamwork, playing the opposition, the opposing fans, and often the referee… getting up after having a man sent off and a dodgy penalty against… what wins those games is pizzazz. I have seen game-changing last minute goals in my time… And they are the joy of football. This is the game of our life.

    Respect.

  182. Mac
    Ignored
    says:

    There is something very manufactured about woke / progressive politics.

    Like the colour coded revolutions it seems designed, artificial, rather than an organic, grass roots movement.

    It has been quietly pumped into schools, colleges and universities for so long and so surreptitiously, that we now have a whole generation lost to its madness.

    Instead of bright young things, they are angry dull things. Someone has done a number on us it seems.

    I’d very interested in knowing who funded and pushed for it all.

    Why would any sane country inflict that lunacy upon it own young.

  183. Andrea
    Ignored
    says:

    Sorry for the OT.
    You know the she/her video?
    https://wingsoverscotland.com/so-tired-of-being-lied-to/
    where does that come from? I cannot find it ANYWHERE except the newly opened YT channel it has been taken from.
    I don’t think it is fake, but you would expect there would be a more “official” source.
    Does anyone know more about it?

  184. North chiel
    Ignored
    says:

    “ Susan xx says “ skitters is of Norwegian origin “ Yes and is still commonly used in the far North today . Also the Norwegian equivalent for hospital “ Sykehus “ I remember to be used by the “ old folks” in Caithness pronounced “ seekhoose”

  185. Alf Baird
    Ignored
    says:

    Cudneycareless @ 8:02 am

    Yes, I also think a Scots Language Channel wad bi a hoot. Maist importantly, nae need fer Scots fowk tae mimic the colonizer ony mair. That’s the hale pynt – tae express yer ain cultur an langage an cast oot thon cultural creenge fer guid (and with it the feeling of cultural inferiority and subordination which reflects a cultural division of labour which is at the root of inequality in our society).

    Independence is ‘a fight for national culture’ (Fanon). Without ‘national consciousness’, which is dependent on our (Scots) culture and language, there would be no motivation for independence.

  186. Stuart MacKay
    Ignored
    says:

    Mac

    Here’s a tl;dr; of all the points that have come up when this has been discussed before:

    1. Dating apps have destroyed the market for women in the US (and probably elsewhere too). Now 80% of the women are chasing 20% of the men, leaving a lot of unfulfilled desires in the 80% of men who don’t look like Patrick Dempsey. Also Silicon Valley is filled with male software developers with time and money on their hands but there are no women.

    2. A bunch of the now Involuntary Celibates or Incels decided to take their revenge on the feminists who resist the idea of women becoming playthings for men.

    3. The radical left found this “make women more like men” idea, liked it and ran away with it. Pushing the narrative that if everybody all became androgynous, everybody could do it everybody and we’d all be the happier for it.

    4. The radical right found this “make women more like men” idea, realised they could weaponise it to stoke a “demand” for more traditional roles and so put these uppity feminists back in the place – the kitchen and so men could be manly and women could be womanly and we’d all be the happier for it.

    5. The Pharma, cosmetics and fashion companies, now run by those Punks who traded their safety pins for suits realised that a blurring of the differences between the sexes would result in one size fits all and make their lives a lot easier. At a stroke they could double their markets by selling hair removal and anti-aging products to men and we’d all be the happier for it.

    The rest, as they say, is history and here we are.

  187. Jontoscots21
    Ignored
    says:

    Can all the cynical slacktivists on here start doing something? Can they get off their kneees/ arses and do something positive? . Stop listening to polls, defy BBC bias by getting off the couch and being active. Alba need you to to deliver leaflets, contribute to discussion with people you need to convince, . Of course if you would rather pontificate about how right you are and how shite everything is that’s fine. Just don’t pretend you are actually trying to change things.

  188. Socrates MacSporran
    Ignored
    says:

    Sarah @ 9.39am

    Certainly, Alex would not be guaranteed to accept. I appreciate it is out of the box thinking, but, it would all depend on the final allocation of seats.

    I would presume, with his personal following, Alecx is ALBA’s best chance of getting a candidate elected. It is what happens next that will be interesting.

    As maybe the sole ALBA MSP – at first, (I would expect one or two SNP members, over the five years, to join a growing ALBA), Alex would be a thorn in Sturgeon’s and the Unionists’ side, so a wee cross-party conspiracy, which sees Eck unanimously nominated as Presiding Officer, would be something he would find very hard to turn down.

    Once in there, again, he will be THE dominant personality in the chamber; sure, they could not control him, but, they could hamper him.

    If he is at the head of a solid number of ALBA MSPs, however, that’s Sturgeon’s worst nightmare, as he and his colleagues, would hold the SNP’s feet to the fire on Independence.

    Either way, trying to get him to take the Chair would solve a huge problem for Sturgeon and her cronies.

  189. Lenny Hartley
    Ignored
    says:

    Ruglonian Sorry to hear about Pete, thoughts with his family.
    We will need to get another Wings Reunion when Covid allows to remember those we have lost.
    Sadly i dont think we will be celebrating progress towards Indy.

  190. Lenny Hartley
    Ignored
    says:

    Socrates MacSporran, im beginning to think going by the way she looks and is acting that Sturgeon wont be standing for FM if she is elected.
    She looks hellish, something has got to her, preferably to her detriment not the cause of Indy.

  191. David Caledonia
    Ignored
    says:

    Gorge Galloway has a baldy heed
    He always wears a hat
    He was on a show some time ago
    Acting as a cat

    But some may say, come what may
    Who really cares about that
    But have you seen, what I have seen
    A cat turn into a rat

  192. Sensible Dave
    Ignored
    says:

    Mia 7:09 pm

    You wrote “I think for the last 4 years we have been witnessing the most desperate and fierce fight of the british state for survival without resourcing to violence.

    The amount of WW2 nostalgia, Union Jackery, propaganda and deliberate disinformation by silencing news we have been subjected to is ridiculous.

    After spectacularly failing to push Mr Salmond away, after investing millions of pounds of our taxpayers’ money trying to keep him away to preserve the status quo, now they have to take the next level: silencing him.”

    Complete and utter tosh! Grow up. This situation is almost entirely created by Scots without any assistance from anyone else. The SNP, The folk that unwittingly voted for the SNP, the Scottish Government, the Scottish Judiciary and Scottish Police are those that have combined to make the s***show we are witnessing.

    I have taken so much c**p I have taken over the years trying to explain that folk in England are faced with two choices at a GE (ie. Corbyn or Johnson most recently) and that we hold our nose and pick the one we think is the least worst.

    Now, on this site, after everything that has been said about how awful NS is, how awful the SNP are, how they are proven liars, corrupt, self serving, etc, etc – …. the recommendation is to vote for them?!?!?

    Its hard not to feel a smidge of Schadenfreude.

  193. David Caledonia
    Ignored
    says:

    A wee woman went into a butchers shop
    She was bending down looking at the meat in the glass cabinet
    Just then the butcher came out of his big walk in freezer and
    went over to his little electric fire and stood with his hands
    behind his back warming himself up
    Is that yer ayrshire bacon she called out
    Naw missus the butcher said, am just warming ma huns up a bit

  194. David Caledonia
    Ignored
    says:

    Sorry I don’t post the long winded stuff
    I’m sure your as bored with it as I am

  195. Dan
    Ignored
    says:

    Sad news to hear of Pete’s passing, thoughts are with his family and friends.
    Only met him briefly at a couple of events but still have the badge he handed me many years ago.

    Latest article over on Barrheadboy

    https://www.barrheadboy.com/truth-or-wheesht/

  196. James Che.
    Ignored
    says:

    BBC or not, NS has funded some MSM outlets and gets air time,
    However NS has behaved in a manner over these past years as opposed to any opportunity or mandate she has been given to by Scottish voters for independence, now she says she won’t work with AS for the benefit of gaining independence for the Scottish people. She has also taken on global wokeratti policies, and a hate crime bill against the very people in her own country,
    No one is looking more like a unionist than NS and the remaining snp.
    So I have been asking myself what unionist parties should I NOT vote for if we want independence for Scotland.
    Tories, Snp, labour, Lib Dem’s, greens, Galloway,
    And what parties are for the independence of Scotland, there are very few, ALBA being the main one now.
    If I vote for Tories, I will have a Westminster ruling unionist party in Scotland, If I vote for labour I will have a Westminster based ruling unionist party in Scotland, the same applies to Galloway or Lib Dem’s and greens. And all of the above parties except Galloway have let all this shit of NS snp go through the Scottish parliament including mouthie Ruthie with the rape clause,
    If I vote for the Snp I will have a Scottish based unionist party,,
    However if this party gets in, they will more than likely have to contend with Alba,
    That is the Alex Salmond AlBA Party,
    The man that was set up by the snp, the man who proved there had been bias towards him from the Scottish government, the man that has the best party manifesto in Britain, the man that wants Scottish independence for the people, the man that wants common sense bought back into politics starting at the grassroots level by listening to ordinary people, a man that believes the lord advocate should not be involved in politics, sitting in a judgemental position in parliament,
    A man that wants to set a few things straight in Scottish politics,
    A man that is telling us after all he has been through with the snp and Scottish goverment to vote for the snp so he and his party can gain the list seats, get into the Scottish Parliament as opposition to these mad and unfair policies,
    By voting for the snp as well as alba we get a Scottish party inclusive run parliament, without so many Westminster parties in Scotland,
    I can see why the Tories, labour, snp and other unionist parties are panicking and trying to persuade us to vote for them first, and ignore alba
    How long will any of the present remaining unionist/snp last.
    If a unionist party gets in they think they will be able to handle the ALBA party on its own,
    but not AS and the SNP should Alex bring back the original SNP after cleaning out the deadwood,
    Which I believe he would like to do as a tour de force with the Alba party in Scotland,
    Voting snp 1 and alba 2 gives the Scottish people hope and a better voice

  197. ronmacdee
    Ignored
    says:

    Sharny Dubs @ 8:08am

    All the North Sea languages (including Scots) are derived from the West Germanic brought to the British Isles by Angles, Saxons and Danes (Jutes).

    So you are correct about the ongoing similarities between Scots and Old Norwegian (the latter still evident among older rural folk to the North) although Modern Norwegian (the one you get at school) is more akin to Danish.

    A Braw Bairn in Scotland is the same Braw Barne in Norway, variations in spelling aside.

    Vestiges of Old Germanic surround us. The present-day farmer in Kent has a Brown Cow, in Scotland and Holland a Broon Coo, in Germany a Braun Ka.

    The Scots Language evolved out of Old Middle English brought North by the 9th century Angles of Northumberland.

    By the end of the 10th century the Picts, the Scots, the Lothian Angles and the Strathclyde Britons collectively settled on a common allegiance to an Alban king, a happy confluence that led in turn to the modern polity we now call Scotland.

    So, in short, modern Scotland began as a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual country which it remains partly to this day albeit that our venerable Scots language (gifted to us by the Lothian Angles) is now all but eclipsed by Modern English (as spoken with a Scottish accent).

    On the bright side the latter has evolved to become more or less the World Language, and we Scots played a key role in that development in more ways than one.

  198. CushieDoo
    Ignored
    says:

    Breeks @ 9.46.

    It’s an interesting question.

    According to my newbie SNP candidate, a well respected local man, who will have my constituency vote, it’s because we need to be squeaky clean for the international recognition. Because it’s believed that the unionists would cry foul on a supermajority that includes multiple parties (not the Greens though?) ?, (That’s a Hmmm…) and sad to say, them’s the rules, made by them, like it or not.

    I can’t say that I feel satisfied by this explanation of why my regional vote should also be for the SNP, and I know that this guy is likely carrying some historical resentment of AS.

    Yes, the both votes SNP was a successful strategy when constituency victories were not certain, and once voters became confident that the SNP would gain a majority of those seats, some felt able to express more nuanced preferences. That was when the Scottish Green Party seemed to actually be what it said on the tin.

    The fear seems to be that it will be impossible to work with AS, he will be seen as an unsuitable person. And it will be necessary to have the cooperation of the British government! We must have a referendum. Eh… No. Them’s their rules. It seems very unlikely that our hopes will ever be realised if we stick to their rules. The EU stipulated that Scotland would be easily recognised as an independent state provided the transition to independence is managed by constitutional means. Weaselly or what? And the weaselly SNP seem to be interpreting that stipulation to mean that we must confirm to the wishes of the Westminster government in all things.

    I certainly don’t see AS as an unsuitable person. I believe he is exactly the right person for the job that’s needing done.

    I won’t finally decide until a week next Thursday when I go round to vote, but I do feel, like a lot of folk, quite disillusioned with the approach taken by NS, and I would like to feel that my regional list vote could help to swing the result the right way.

  199. crazycat
    Ignored
    says:

    @ gullaneno4 at 8.49

    Alba do not seem to be making headway, stuck at about 3 to 4 % when they need 6 to 7 % to win a seat.

    That would be true if Scotland were a single region, as it was for the European Parliament.

    But it isn’t; it’s 8 regions. So 3-4% on average could be 9% in one or two regions and <1% elsewhere. Or not.

    (I realize you have a vested interest in talking down Alba's chance, and you may turn out to be right.)

  200. crazycat
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Shocked at 8.02

    We now know the polls showing yes in the lead were deliberately manipulated to show that.

    Do you have a source for that assertion?

    The (more than 20) polls showing Yes with a (small) lead were conducted by at least 5 different polling companies, all members of the British Polling Council, and few if any of them will have been commissioned by Angus Robertson.

    One polling company has had to revise some of its earlier headline figures because of a calculation error (https://scotgoespop.blogspot.com/2021/04/new-evidence-that-yes-vote-didnt-dip-as.html).

    This affected only 3 polls, which had shown record support for Yes, and had been considered potential outliers at the time.

    Even after the correction they still showed a Yes lead, albeit smaller than the original one.

  201. Shocked
    Ignored
    says:

    @crazycat

    The polling organisations made a press release about it. Have a look on Twitter.

    There is no point clinging to polls that are wrong, the only person you’re kidding is yourself. There is a lot of heavy lifting still to do and that is what the SNP have been tying to hide.

  202. David A.
    Ignored
    says:

    The BBC can do what they like as there’s nothing to hold over them or threaten them with. Their money is secure. What will anyone do even if they got in trouble? Fine them a sum of money that will just be taken from the public to pay the fine?

    This is what happens when you get state broadcasters. They are the propaganda machines of those in power in the end. People have been warned about this for decades.



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