The broken telescope
An alert reader spotted this today:
Because with Scottish Labour, lying is for life, not just Christmas.
The bit that particularly caught our spotter’s eye was the claim – attributed to Shelter and accompanied by a blink-and-you’ll miss it graph that’s onscreen for less than a second – that “As Tories pose at foodbanks and homelessness rises under the SNP, our communities are forced to step up”.
And as our reader recalled from a piece we ran back in the summer, there’s a reason Labour didn’t want anyone looking too closely at that graph for too long. Because the blue line we’ve drawn marks the point when Scottish Labour took over responsibility for homelessness, and the yellow one marks the point when the SNP did.
Those respective directions of travel are striking, aren’t they?
Because while homelessness did indeed rise by a tiny amount last year, the reality is that having skyrocketed during the entirety of Labour’s eight years in control of Holyrood, even with last year’s small rise it’s fallen by over 40% since the SNP came to power. Indeed, it’s lower than it’s been at almost any other time for quarter of a century, and substantially lower than it was at ANY time during Labour control.
In the strictest technical sense Labour can of course get away with claiming that “homelessness has risen under the SNP”, so long as you measure it on a REALLY short scale. But despite a decade of global recession and UK austerity, the problem has in fact been almost halved in Scotland, whereas in England it’s been rising for the last seven years and is now almost exactly where it was in 2007.
(And we should probably recall – for contrast – that Labour also ran Holyrood during an unbroken economic boom, when its budget from a friendly Labour administration at Westminster rose every year, whereas the SNP’s has been slashed by the Tories.)
So the next time Scottish Labour try to whizz something past you, we advise having your finger ready on the pause button.
Be ye up fur the marnin’ William…?
Ah’ve put George n Co back on replay with different settings to previous.
Come and join us confident marnin’ people…
Tis almost new page time again.
The broken telescope is about to be double-downed uponst.
Indeed Thpnr… it’s three liners atta timers
SO let’s see what the readers say to THIS in the morning…
One day ah’ll do 100 comments on a single thread.
Aussi recognise the CHOSEN difference.
With Love X.
@ Cactus 6:30
Eh’m trying but utterly ruined
Cactus – Happy New Year Pal, I sense you had fun.
For my family, hopefully the way 2018 ended is a portent for 2019. My third daughter saw in the New Year in the waiting room in Ayr Hospital A&E, having had to rush there with her awfy nice English boy friend, who was losing blood at both ends and not at all well.
However, thanks to the excellent care of the Scottish NHS staff, he has been stabilised and she has been able to come home.
Let’s hope Scotland can get away from its sick English partner in 2019 and we can prosper.
It’s coming, I can feel it. Let’s make this a very special year – with FREEDOM.
Happy New Year Stu, Cactus and all Wingers. May 2019 be a great year and be the “bonnie beginning” of Independence
Prior to the 1997 referendum William Hague stated:
“the official position of the UK government is to retain a “right to reverse” any or all aspects of powers that might be devolved to a Scottish parliament.”
The Scottish nation should heed the warnings of history.
link to caltonjock.com
Thank goodness for the SNHS, the education system and the caring professions. To everybody who contributes to making a better society. Heroes without wasteful ‘honours’.
Down with illegal wars, taxation fraud and colossal waste of Scottish funds by the Westminster grotesque undemocratic monstrosity of habitual uncaring unionist lying hypocrites. Most of them should be in jail. Down with the unionists Westminster politicians manipulating lying hypocrites. Down with Westminster. The cause of damage to the world.
They illegally refused a Westminster Parliamentary vote to spoil Christmas and New Year for far too many folk. They are gross hypocrites. May and the Tories being voted down would have been the best Christmas present ever and would lead to a bright hopeful New Year. The Tory/unionists down and out. How cool would that have been. They are even incapable of that. Lazing rotten, dozy, incompetent, slavering bastards.
Still havering rubbish being blasted around the world. Evil incompetents. Trying the world with their evil intentions. The BBC the most biased, undemocratic corporation in the world. £3.7Billion for that biased Westminster control rubbish, with nothing vaguely worth watching. A loop of inferior repeats. No wonder viewing and listening figures are so low, they have to hide them.
Thank goodness for the Internet, Thanks a £Billion Rev Stu, Nana and the SNP Gov. Where would we be without them even further up the creek?
Here’s to the future. The Westminster Tories bring voted down soon. Just about every word they utter is a lie. That awful person May and the rest out of the loop. That’s worth a toast. Everything to look forward to. Those that can eat enjoy the meal. Onwards and upwards to a brighter New Year.Here’s to friends, family and migrants. That’s what make the world go round.
Happy new year, benchods. Keep following that carrot on a stick – you’re almost there.
Interesting raft of cabinet papers released today relating to the Labour-LibDem coalition in Holyrood.
Happy New Year.
Do the world a favour keep the repeating lying New Year’s message off the telly. Give it a rest. It just makes folk sick,
@ Legerwood – happy new year to you too. Have you got a link to the released cabinet papers? I see the BBC are running the story of the Dunblane “cover up”.
link to bbc.co.uk
Happy New Year to all Wingers everywhere!
And to repeat the words of Rev Stu from the Book of Twitter … “This is the big one, folks. Let’s make it happen.”
I think I know what someone’s New Year resolution is, I wonder how long it will last.
Now get inside the Sun is up over Scotland.
I think I know what someone’s New Year resolution is, I wonder how long it will last.
Now get inside the Sun is up over Scotland.
From Politicshome.com …. “London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been accused of “politicising” the capital’s New Year celebrations after the London Eye was lit up like the EU flag in a pointed rebuke of Brexit.”
So, displaying a European Union flag in London is “politicising” but displaying a UK Union flag in Scotland at every possible opportunity (even on bags of tatties) isn’t a political act?
People in Britain felt perfectly happy being in the EU. Pop 65Million. 17Million voted to Leave. 48Million people were majority perfectly content. It was Tory malicious lie and deception which increased the Exit vote. Britain now out on a loop. With an intended worst deal which will cost more with less rights, which will damage the economy. The Tories manipulated the vote against people best interest. For that deceit they should go. Resign immediately.
May and her cronies are the most divisive people in UK politics. Always have been and always will be. Has beens. Illegals.
Wull2 , ssshhh! Cactus is sleeping!( I think I’ll re-name him Tigger!)
Galamcennalath. Ah but its all about taking back control of their own country England/britain Hows about it Scotland! Are you ready to take back control of YOUR country.
The list of territories that have gained independence from the UK,not necessarily at a single point in time. Some campaigns for independence required uprisings, civil disengagement ,organised non violent resistance and eventually prolonged diplomacy when it became clear that the legislation around human rights gifted to the territories under the protectorate could be used against the UK to establish independence.
The sun is setting on the empire – it is fitting that the last UK administration is lead by this particular PM who will transition from caretaker to undertaker of the U.K.
link to en.m.wikipedia.org
Capella @ 9.10am
Sorry but I do not have links because I got the stories from The Herald – paper copy. Do not think they have all of them in the online edition yet apart from the Dunblane one.
The items from the Archives reported in the Herald included:
Labour-LibDem Coalition running out of reserves in 2003 and the likelihood of budget cuts as a reserve.
Iraq War and the expectation it would be short and sweet.
Contaminated blood and the possibility it was knowingly supplied to people in the 70s and 80s.
Darling being a part-time Secretary of State for Scotland – he felt that his main job was Minister for Transport.
Spiralling cost of building Holyrood and the need for an inquiry.
Hedgehog cull and how it might impact on votes.
That shirt McConnell wore during tartan week.
That is it.
May is a great false PR actress, but fortunately not good enough.
@ Legerwood – thx
New Year Resolution – do more research!
The 2014 indyref campaign, like the 2016 EU-Ref campaign that followed, proves one thing: predictions and promises about the future are unreliable reasons for deciding anything.
I voted YES because I believe Scotland should run her own affairs and whatever the future brings that gives the people of Scotland the best opportunity to adapt to meet whatever the future brings.
I would vote YES again, based on the situation now: Scotland used to have 72 MPs and now has 59, in a House of Commons of 650 MPs, so Scotland’s people can never decide what’s best for Scotland.
UK Parliament: is Crown ( the UK Govt), Lords and Commons. Scotland can never elect a UK Govt, as Scotland can only elect 9% of MPs, so Scotland has little say in the Commons or Govt. As for the Lords, nobody elects them.
I did not vote YES based on an SNP White Paper wishlist of policies or economic predictions.
I would vote YES again because Scotland should have democratic freedom, not be treated like a colony of the UK, where our decisions are made for us. The EU ref being a clear example. Scotland voted Remain and we had our democratic decision overruled because England voted Leave.
The Supreme Court and Brexit has exposed devolution as the sham it always was. Our democratically elected MSPS of all parties ( minus the Tories) voted for the Continuity Bill only to find it blocked via legislation by the unelected House of Lords, because UK Parliament is sovereign, including those never elected by the people.
The devolution agreement has been ripped up with devolved powers now reserved powers if Brexit happens.
Scotland is treated as a colony. Scotland does not have democracy. Devolution to the max is what was promised. Apart from the fact that didn’t happen, devolution is worthless, as it can be taken away by unelected UK Parliament Lords.
If there is another indyref, please don’t vote YES or NO based on predictions of the future from either side of the campaigns. Base your vote on proven facts.
My view is that if you care about democracy, then you should vote YES. If you don’t care about democracy, should you be voting at all?
Happy New Year
Bliadhna Mhath Ur!
Happy New Year.
Happy new year chums
Happy New Year folks. Let’s hope it’s a good one.
@10.34
looks like, new year, same bollocks.
Sorry man change the record.(SNP white paper wish list)
One party will bring Scottish Independence.
SNPx2.
Happy New Troops.
If Brexit does not happen, independence will be dead.
“Happy New Troops”???
Happy New Year Troops,
I’ve got the lurgy.
Phronesis 10.08
Thanks for that link interesting.
I only wish someone had warned these countries of the mistake they were making much better together with England providing for them.
I’m sure if they voted to return to English control England would have them back.
All of these countries were wrong to leave the precious union only Scotland made the correct decision to stay under English control.
Look where thats getting us.
With no National to enjoy this merning I made the mistake of buying a Herald.
I now fully understand why it is following the Scotsman to irrelevancy.
It is dominated by a double page spread coralled by Tom Gordon describing in massive headlines the Nicola Sturgeon’s and the SNP’s “annus horribilis”
You know – the party that has just become the second largest party in the whole UK,led by a figure that is considered right across the UK as the only coherent voice in the Brexit shambles and whose current poll ratings now puts it about 23 points ahead of its nearest rival with support higher than the support of the other three major parties in Scotland put together. They are obviously allowed an orderly collapse.
After I had read that – shall we call it “gordonesque” – and laughed out loud I turned for a little sanity perhaps to the readers’ letters.
Help ma boab as we say. There was six readers’ letters. One from Alex Gallacher, one from David Bone, one from Martin Redfern, one from Alexander McKay and one from Keith Howell. I thought for a moment I had been rendered senseless by New Year festivity and purchased a Daily Express. (There was another from the doughty Ruth Marr. Oh Yes. To provide balance. Ho ho ho)
Is the laughable readers’ letters an illustrative example of the readers of the Herald? If so that is instead a vivid illustration of how completley irrelevant the Herald now actually is.
And how little effect it now has on real political dialogue in Scotland.
They say Whisky is good for the Lurgy, it is worth a try.
wull2@1.56
Cheers, will try a wee malt later on.
@Colin Alexander
“If there is another indyref, please don’t vote YES or NO based on predictions of the future from either side of the campaigns. Base your vote on proven facts.”
Actually, that was precisely my line with people who were NO or soft NOes during Indy Ref 1. I found that to be acceptable to them, they were with me rather than hostile or aggressive, and the answer from them was that they thought Project Fear was absolutely dire, and Better Together about the same. But they also said that YES was too “it’ll be alright on the night”, and not pointing out the risks and negatives.
I got good responses to that line of “don’t trust either side”, and at least it starts to open minds, hopefully to get them to do their own research.
@Dave McEwan Hill
I’ve got to admit I like Tom Gordon’s articles. They’re thought provoking. And the thing is that in my Grun days back in 2012, Kevin McKenna was doing the same thing about the SNP (and still does), but his Labour party was deserting him (as was his religion and football team!). You could see his move over to YES, article by article. More Observer than Grun for his articles I seem to remember.
K McK still doesn’t like the SNP and people take that as being fake Indy. But it isn’t, you don’t have to like the SNP to support Independence, there are quite a few who really hate the SNP but are strong YES people. Tom Gordon just doesn’t like politicians, I think, doesn’t make him a bad person!
Are you joking Yesindyref2 ?
Tom Gordon articles drip with hatred and utter lying contempt for ONE political party, and only one, the SNP.
I simply cannot recall ANY TG article berating any other politicians outside the SNP.
if your a tom Gordon fan your a “closet” labour supporter. Gordon is fighting to outdo leask and co so he can be employed by another unionist paper when the Herald folds.
@geeo
The SNP are the government in Scotland. Not saying so much about the opposition in Holyrood is fairly standard. London based rags are largely the other way, they screw Corbyn to the wall. Guess why?
But Gordon doesn’t seem to like the Westminster Tories, or Labour. And when he reports the likes of the Continuity Bill, or the ECJ Brexit challenge, he accurately reports it’s supported by Labour (and Greens of course) and the LibDems (who dropped out of the ECJ case). Many other rags call it the SNP Bill, or the SNP ECJ challenge and hide the cross-party except Tories angle. Or even report the likes of the ECJ challenge as one done by MPs!
Anyways, liking Gordon’s articles doesn’t mean agreeing with them.
@Hamish100
I’m not a supporter of any party, and apart from joining the SNP after the Ref like 100,000 others but not renewing after 3 years, the only party I’d be a member of is the Independence Party, if this all goes tits up.
Articles need to be looked at with our own partisan feelings carefully put away, to properly evaluate them. That’s what I did with McKenna’s after a couple of months reading and ripping them apart back in 2012 same as other Indy supporters. But I saw his increasing uncertainty, his world being ripped apart. Who knows, maybe I helped Kevin make up his mind by being “fair” about them.