The China Crisis
Even seasoned and cynical observers of the Scottish opposition and press such as ourselves, readers, have been rubbing our eyes in startled disbelief this week at the spectacular about-face performed by the aforementioned parties with regard to the Scottish Government’s £10bn Chinese investment “deal” that was never an actual deal, and which may or may not have collapsed.
But today’s Times just about boggled our minds completely.
Well, who could disagree with that? Who would suggest otherwise?
After all, corruption is completely endemic in China. Trying to find a Chinese company wholly untouched by corruption to deal with would be like trying to find a Catholic in an Orange Lodge, and it rarely bothers other governments, such as the UK’s.
The thing is, the paper’s call for thoughts of corruption being sensibly put aside in the interests of Scotland might be just a smidgen more credible if the Times hadn’t been the newspaper that had run at least FOURTEEN previous articles savaging the SNP over one of the Chinese companies being possibly engaged in corrupt practices.
We thought we should pop them on the record for easy reference.
Sturgeon signed China deal without full check on corruption claims
Watchdog presses Sturgeon on China deal
China’s ethics not as black and white as its pandas
Sturgeon’s lips sealed on Chinese whispers
Sturgeon under pressure over China deal
SNP denies secret deal with China involving party donor
Help the SNP out and forget the £10 billion China investment deal
Sturgeon is open to further trade deals with China
Souter revealed as go-between in Sturgeon’s Chinese deal
Chinese fury at ‘shambolic’ Scots
Chinese slam ‘Scottish shambles’ as secret deal is scrapped
Collapsed China deal shows SNP’s true colours
We wish we could be confident there wouldn’t be more to add in coming days.
What I want to know however is why the MSM are not saying the same about the Chinese deals sealed in parts of England by Westminster. It seems to be only if a deal is in Scotland that there is a problem. Same with BBC, when Cameron meeting with very same company as Scotland met with it was hailed as wonderful but BBC Scotland went into overdrive about how bad it was. I know MSM and BBC hate Scotland and will stoop to any lengths but they have reached a new low. (What they are really saying is we cannot do without you -we have no-one else to rip off and nowhere else to go and play) Thankfully we Scots know what they are doing and just get stronger and more convinced Indy2 cannot come soon enough.
Vintage faux outrage and concern trolling from the Britnat Times’ Linklater there.
Hypocrisy definitely has to be the Brits most treasured value.
I used to be a regular reader of the Times. Gave up for the reasons you have highlighted. Only read the National now. Rest lie to often.
This clarifies the hypocrisy of the press. But the bigger issue here is we have in he SNP government, people who are trying in a corrupt world, to forge a path for Scotland. In this journey I believe the have the country and its people at the heart of any deal. So who do we try to trade within these troubled times. European funding for Scotland has dried up and Chinese have funds to invest in foreign ventures. It seemed sensible to want to invest with them.
But when Theresa May signs a deal with China after Scottish deal falls through. It must be noted there is no out cry from UK press about this. It would seem she is acting in best interests for UK.
This smacks of further hypocrisy and leads to conclusion SNP just bad.
People here will wake up and my hope is independence by evolution like New Zealand achieved.
If Denmark can thrive at the north end of biggest production country in Europe then Scotland definitely can as we have resources of oil, agriculture,fisheries and whisky.
I’ve lost count of British and European companies who pay up on request to Chinese ‘inspectors’ of their factories, Rolls Royce and every car manufacturer you can think of. They pay up or get the electricity to their factory turned off.
They knew the culture before they relocated to China to sell their goods and increase their profit and pay packets. They prepared for the bribes in ‘contingency’ funds.
Mr Linklater is another carpetbagger uncertain of his own abilities but keen to be seen as Renaissance man. The screenplay he gave me was trash.
The level of hypocrisy and corruption with the UK media is absolutely stunning.
They seem so happy and content that most of their readers
will swallow these fantasy headlines and be upset with anything Scottish, before turning to the reason they bought the paper in the first place, the TV guide.
Please God that there is only a very small proportion of their readers who are oh so gullible as to not notice how they distort the truth and attempt to alter history, when they completely contradict themselves.
I treat UK newspapers with the same respect that I have for a piece of pre-war Nazi propaganda.
I can’t listen or watch BBC Westminster propaganda broadcasts as it is all just too pathetic and distorted to even be considered.
Every day they become more disenfranchised form ordinary working class people and from the Scottish nation in general.
I wonder if this is not another excellent example of a poor bottom rung lackey thinking “I think we’ve over done it with the Sherry in all this anti SNP stuff of late might be good idea to re-dress the balance here.” 😀
No? 😉
Ach it was only a passing thought, I’ll try not to have another one today then … I’ll return to my normal Saturday fixture of counting flying pigs then. 😀
I signed a petition against Westminster attempting to take Scotland out of the EU against our wishes, and our votes.
Please see the ill-informed and ignorant reply below.
They don’t want to recognise that more than 5% of No voters did so after Scaremongering threats that an independent Scotland would be ejected from the EU.
They refuse to accept that the Brexit vote for Scotland to remain within the EU is current and trumps the older and now corrupt Indy Ref vote.
The reply comes of course from a Tory Westminster government, of which Scotland has consistently voted against for over 60 years.
Could a No voter oblige and tell me where Scotland’s priorities and preferences matter a jot to the Westminster Bully Boys?
The Government has responded to the petition you signed – “A referendum to Vote Scotland out of the U.K.”.
Government responded:
The Government is committed to making a success of leaving the EU, together as one United Kingdom. In 2014 people in Scotland voted to remain part of the UK and that result should be respected.
The United Kingdom will in due course be leaving the European Union and the UK Government is committed to making a success of this, together as one United Kingdom.
In 2014, the Scottish people decided in a legal, fair and decisive referendum to remain a strong part of the UK. The Edinburgh Agreement of 2012 committed both the UK and Scottish Governments to respecting the outcome of the Scottish referendum.
The Prime Minister has made clear her commitment to the United Kingdom and that she leads a government of the whole UK. The UK Government believes that the arguments for Scotland remaining a part of the UK are just as compelling as they have always been – for both Scotland and the rest of the UK. Our focus now should be on working together to secure the best deal for the whole of the UK.
Scotland Office
Click this link to view the response online:
link to petition.parliament.uk
The Petitions Committee will take a look at this petition and its response. They can press the government for action and gather evidence. If this petition reaches 100,000 signatures, the Committee will consider it for a debate.
The Committee is made up of 11 MPs, from political parties in government and in opposition. It is entirely independent of the Government. Find out more about the Committee: link to petition.parliament.uk
Thanks,
The Petitions team
UK Government and Parliament
[…] Wings Over Scotland The China Crisis Even seasoned and cynical observers of the Scottish opposition and press such as […]
Roosevelt though Hitler could be persuaded, and Mussolini was a nice chap.
Therefore, it’s only sensible to suck up to Trump and join in appeasement: link to wp.me
What Eric Linklater is saying is that Nicola Sturgeon should just shut up and kow tow to vulgar bullies around the world. I do hope she completely ignores his advice.
Just as well hardly any one reads the Times in Scotland. Times complete and utter nonsense. Murdoch – ex Chinese wife who tried to break Sky etc into the Chinese market. Failed because of trade barriers. Times complete and utter nonsense. Murdoch tax evading Non Dom. Might find problems in the US now. No walking in and out of the White House? Encouraging illegal wars etc. Trying to employ bias to influence US policy.
A multimillionaire with various interests. Tries to influence Govs policies by direct and indirect means. Phone hacking and breaking inter net personal privacy rules. Murdoch Organisation was responsible for Tommy Sheridan’s prison sentence in Scotland because of a Murdoch employee lying and committing perjury in court and getting away with it in. Coulson – Cameron/Tory/ConDem Press officer.
Murdoch had to become a US citizen in 1985, after living there since 1973, in order to make TV/Press acquisitions Criminally bribing public officials in the UK. A criminal offence in the US. In the US it is a criminal offence for any US company to bribe public officials, anywhere in the world. Ex first wife Ann from Glasgow with connection to Scotland. Now married to Jerry Hall. Mick Jagger’s ex wife/partner. The circles some tax evading non Dom move in.
To have business interest in the US folk have to be US citizens. Unlike Tax evading Non Doms in the UK. Special status courtesy of the UK Gov who refuse to enforce the UK/EU tax Laws.
The UK Gov unfairly tax the Oil and Gas industry at 40% (when the price had fallen) Losing thousand of jobs and £Billions in Scotland. Creating unemployment. No MSM Press report about that total lack of equality and business acumen by the UK Gov – Tories. Osbourne in particular. Damaging the Scottish economy. Just a superficial report of UK honour for failure. Increasing the North/South divide, chronic congestion in the south and damaging the UK/Scottish economy. Making people’s lives harder.
The suggested compensation for Scotland is Brexit and a few hundred fishing jobs for migrants. The stocks are low because fishers overfished the sea, throwing back more catches, than was landed. There has to be conservation. What a dire situation.
The Times biased and inaccurate reporting that is the norm for the Times/Murdoch Press. Compulsive biased liars,
Vote SNP/SNP May 2017. Vote for Independence.
Jesus wept…grow up and welcome to being a party of government. Challenging the SNP on doing potentail deals with corrupt businesses and then challenging them on letting a deal they were so keen on persuing despite that fall through for farcical reasons are not mutually exclusive.
It is the opposition’s job to oppose (clues in the name moron) and I think the SNP are the last ones who should be preaching about hypocrisy by a party of opposition…for example saying they wont vote on English laws in Westminster…and then doing just that
@Grouse beater,
Chaimberlain———piece of paper——— peace in our time——Give Donald a chance?
All good reasons as to why “Journalists” and newspapers don’t want to be actual politicians because they do have to answer at some point for what they said whereas nespapers never do
Much easier to interfere and attempt to dictate politics by using the media to say what they like because they never put themselves up for election yet still demand to be heeded
When the common voter uses social media to express his or her opinion the media discount this as valueless or have the bare faced temerity to accuse that section of society of lying
The hypocricy of the media in all it’s forms is staggeringly wilful and yet in order to preserve itself supports the worst offenders of the perpetration of this modern day crime, a crime they have been accused of many times, found guilty many times yet here we are again bemoaning the criminal activities of, in particular the print media who let’s face it in some other countries would be at the very least imprisoned and in some others worse
Freedom of speech they would squeal except when it comes to real freedom then they oppose it like it was a disease and call it unpleasant names used to describe something from the past folk used to find distasteful
The media has been accused of being an Organ of the state which they always deny yet our TVs are awash with war documentaries of how the media was used to attempt brainwashing and the spreading of disinformation upon the enemies of that state
The media answer “We don’t do it now though” huff puff blaw harrumph
Anybody who believes anything written in a newspaper is either mentally irregular or has had a frontal lobotomy in their sleep and didn’t notice
Even their own kind laugh at the crap they get away with printing yet still they demand we pay attention to their witterings, and if we don’t they’ll think up another bad name to label us with which is totally unacceptable to the previous mentally irregular brain dead who will see it as their Unionly duty to heaven and Britlyness to agree with them
Even when they don’t
Magnus Linklater should try and give accurate account. It just might sell more papers and keep him in a job. Instead of critising successful people doing an excellent job. Take a leave out of his own book. Improve his performance before even more of the MSM Press goes to the gutter. Try to be more professional, instead of destroying his own industry and the privileges to be held in account it ensures.
Not that any arrogant and ignorant unprofessional hack is likely to take some free advise or believe in bias.
Vote SNP/SNP May. Vote for Independence.
Sorry – Magnus Linklater, Eric’s son!
Right on cue we have another troll who didnae pay attention at the big school #awalkoff
Obviously got a severe bump on the head, affecting his/her ability to read let alone understand. Must have got Thrawn aff a bus. Eejit troll.
Sorry OT.
Willie who Rennie is supposed to say at his we band on Robert the Bruce.
“Perhaps we should be inspired by his relationship with that famous spider. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again. This is a Robert the Bruce moment for us.
The next time he shouts about our FM speaking about another referendum she should throw this back in his face.
They truly are bottom feeders and Brexit has them running about like headless bloody chickens.
A few short months ago the very idea of the Scottish Government attracting inward investment from the dastardly Chinese, the faux shock and horror was splashed across every title and broadcast over airwaves and through yer telly screens on a daily basis. So desperate are central government for trade of any description now, that their cackhanded monstering of the SG and frightening off of overseas investment has to be blamed on someone. That’ll be the Scottish Government then.
So tell me, what happened to partnership, respect, leading from the front? What happened to working together to bring unity going forward? What happened to ‘better together’?
The reality of the Scottish Government’s and the Scottish electorate’s treatment by the Westminster parliament and the UK media of the past two years doesn’t seem to bear out any of the above sound bite now does it.
In fact their approach to ‘better togetherness’ in the past two years has been nothing short of entirely hypocritical and shameful.
We were meant to be partners. A ‘family’ of nations.
Do you treat partners or family the way the UK media and their chain tuggers treat us?
Personally, I didn’t expect it to be anything else post indy vote and I dare say most regular readers of this site any many another indy site could say exactly the same. However, if you are a new reader. If you voted no last time out. If you were torn and simply hoped for a better settlement that never occurred. How do you like today’s UK? Austery and Brexit all rolled into one and Westminster politics in full on train wreck mode. A society massively divided along multiple lines and heading for an intolerant right wing nightmare. A political class set to remove your human rights and replace them ones a bit more favourable to … a few.
With the treatment the Scottish public and their representation have received at the hands of Westminster and the UK media over the past two years, do you honestly expect matters to improve whilst our parliaments and politics are in union?
The media and political parties of the UK will continue to treat the Scottish government and the Scottish electorate in this fashion regardless. One of the very few things left you can safely rely on right there. Along with, of course, that its not going to ‘get better’ without your intervention.
If you’ve had enough by this point, the the YES movement could use a wee bit of help in setting the matter straight. Scotland’s government can’t make this stop without your help or your say so and your ‘say so’ WILL make the difference.
As someone said yesterday—SNP need to sharpen up their pencils a bit in response to this sort of stuff. If press won’t print their response then Take out adverts in press and the radio. It was not good enough for them to have no one on radio Scotland yesterday to challenge the Tory who had a free run at this subject. (Assisted by the BBC air head who was interviewing.
This really makes me realise that we are on a one way trip to independence. I don’t mean that in some triumphalist sense as I think it’s going to be gruelling with many casualties on the way (in the metaphirocal sense)
It wouldn’t matter if the SNP embraced neoliberalism. As long as a pro-independence party is in power in Scotland the MSM will seek to destroy Scotland. Elite Britain faces losing its energy security and it will fight dirty
I am not sure I am clear as to what Magnus is wanting Nicola to do. Is it that trade takes precedence over the behaviour of a country’s leader? Well OK that is fine, there any number of disreputable leaders out there that we could trade with but that doesn’t mean Merkel or May or Nicola should zip it if Trump grabs them by the pussy (or anyone else for that matter). One can trade and be critical of a politician.
As it stands, Nicola was not as abusive as Ruth, Kezia or Boris about Trump prior to his election and consequently she is much better placed to continue with the line she has already taken. Boris and Ruth are in a different place.
Traditional journalism is dead. Where previously we might have expected unbiased and balanced reporting, that is obviously no longer the case.
I don’t know if it’s the newspaper barons, lobbyists on behalf of corporate interests or political spin doctors working on behalf of the government to blame, it’s most likely a mix of them all.
Look at the absolute hounding of immigrants and scroungers given massive prominence in both newspapers and television over the last few years. The headlines are HYSTERICAL as seen in the Express front page almost everyday. They even make entire television series about the scroungers.
It’s all about control, they want the majority to despise the minority so as to introduce change to society. Change that will benefit them, only them and their right wing agenda. The media is used to soften up the peasants and the peasants fall for it, not even realising that they are transferring their freedoms and wealth to the elite.
Scotland’s right to self determination is under attack constantly for the self same reason.
The reason being simply that “they” can’t afford an Independent Scotland to upset their apple cart and expose their lies about…
Everything really.
Dark forces with fingers everywhere are pulling out all the stops to damage the SG/SNP/Nicola.
They will use any story they can, or just make up one!
They will fail because it’s not actually about the SG/SNP/Nicola, for more and more Scots it’s about who rules Scotland and what is its place in the world. SG/SNP/Nicola will facilitate the constitutional rearrangement, if we so desire, because they are a means not the end.
The main problem is our home grown Brits. They know they aren’t real Englishmen/women, so they go the extra mile in doing down their part of North Britain to prove their loyalty.
Look massa! Me know my place, boss! Can I lick your boots, boss?
@Juteman
No the real problem is with pseudo-trumpian crypto-fascist fanationalists who see any criticism of thier beloved party and sainted leader as treason and as not “truly” scottish as per their own purity standards
And Im sure the comments below won’t prove my point on this at all…
Complete ignoral. It’ll get bored and go away.
Dear 2014 No Voter,
A possible £10 billion trade deal between Scotland and China was bitterly and stupidly attacked by every Unionist party in the Scottish Parliament. Such a deal, were it to have come about, could have provided you and your children with work and put food on your table, a roof over your head.
As a result of the faux hostility demonstrated by the Unionist parties in Holyrood, the Chinese, it would seem, have pulled out of the deal (this may or may not change).
Now what we find this week is that every Unionist party in the Scottish Parliament (along with their compliant Unionist Media) complain to the SNP Government about the (supposed) collapse of the £10 billion investment trade deal with China–the very same deal they moaned about and attacked in the first place.
That is what YOU are up against, 2014 No Voter. These Unionist parties who proclaim that we are “Better Together” are actively and deliberately seeking to undermine Scotland’s prospects at every turn, to take potential work from YOU and YOUR family, the food from YOUR table, the roof from over YOUR head. The Unionists are seeking to deliberately harm, not just Scotland, but YOU.
The YES voters have known of the damage the Unionist parties are prepared to inflict upon Scotland–to inflict upon YOU in order to curry favour from their bosees in London. We have known this for a long time now and is precisely why many of us are YES voters. However, remove London from the picture and the Uninists in Holyrood will have no one to pander to–they will be forced into working for the better good of Scotland, of YOU.
A NO vote in IndyRef#2 is a vote to allow these Unionists to continue to damage Scotland and, therefor, to damage YOU and YOUR children.
IndyRef#2 – Vote YES to end the scorched earth madness of those Unionists who much prefer to harm YOU and YOUR family in their personal quest for an ermine cloak in London.
A YES vote supports your NEED.
A NO vote supports their GREED.
The Home Wreckers
link to imgur.com
Indyref#2: Vote YES
This troll is fishing, DON’T TAKE THE BAIT.
Linklater’s poor mother, a lifelong Nationalist, will be squirming in her grave over all the drivel her wayward son Magnus continually spouts. Magnus just opens his mouth and lets his belly rumble.
Auld Rock
Capella: “Sorry – Magnus Linklater, Eric’s son!”
Ha, ha! Didn’t think anybody would have heard of his Welsh-born dad. (He claimed he was Orcadian.) His children’s fantasy novel The Wind on the Moon is a superior read to JK’s stuff, dated as Eric’s work is these days.
Was buying book gifts yestreen for the wee yins I care about and, checking JK’s shelves in Waterston’s, I heard a handsome woman behind me whisper, “Walk away. She’s got enough money and power as it is.”
Good advice.
@Thrawn.
I mentioned no party.
Get back under Waterloo Bridge.
It sounds like Westminster and their minions are in full destroy the Scottish economy mode
Expect the conservatives to do everything to remove money and investment in scotland
THE HERALD and associated papers will provide supporting cover as required
He’s just following the new Tory post-Brexit party line. UKOK needs Chinese money to keep on the road. If that can be promoted with a dunt to Nicola on the side, so be it, and to h*ll with consistency.
This is not about news, it’s about HMG’s agenda. Orchestrated? You betcha!
But it goes to prove how scared they are of Nicola, who is head and shoulders better than any of these Tory blunderers, who are staggering around in a darkness of their own making.
@ Grouse Beater – Eric Linklater is quite famous and widely regarded as Scottish.
link to en.wikipedia.org
Sadly, I haven’t read any of his writing but am encouraged to do that after reading the wiki entry.
Oh for a Scottish broadcaster who could tell us about our own cultural heritage!
Pity his son is such a pedant.
Corruption is not just confined to China. Corruption of journalists and politicians here in the UK is rife. Phone hacking scandal with police officers jailed for taking money from journalists who worked for Murdoch owner of the Times.
Politicians accepting cash from lobbyists to ask questions that benefited some enterprise or other. Tony Blair taking vast sums of money from other corrupt dictators and Gordon Browns charity benefiting who exactly? What about Two Jags or Flipper Darling hmm?
Mark Thatcher son of Maggie, remember him? From the Mirror this year.
We may never learn the truth about “corrupt” deals involving Margaret Thatcher and her son Mark after another “establishment cover-up”.
The National Archives are releasing hundreds of government records and notes of Cabinet meetings under the 30-year-rule, covering 1986 to 1988, the middle of Margaret Thatcher’s reign at No10.
But two entitled “Cementation contract: Mark Thatcher and the Omanis” covering the period from 1981 to 1988 are listed as being “retained” for 65 years – meaning they will not be released until 2053 when Sir Mark would be aged 99.
link to archive.is
This is just the short end of the stick, most we will never hear about. The UK is corrupt and rotten to the core.
It has been alleged that Murdoch’s ex Chinese wife has secret meeting (an affair) with Tony Blair,a close associate. Tony Blair is the god father of one of Murdoch children. Murdoch ex son in law is a prominent Tory. Oh what we weave etc. To deceive.
Murdoch accomodates employees going to prison to take the rapp for the Companies illegal practices. Employees take the fall for fall guy Murdoch. A close associate of Brexit Tories, Farague, Gove etc. Contributes to their campaign. other UK Unionists politicians who hold his back for any criminal activities.
They want to extend their tax evading activities with impunity. The reason many want to leave the EU. With catastrophic fall out for the UK and the world economy.
Like me. I’m sure most folk tried to teach their kids not to lie or there would be consequences for it
It’s a bad thing to lie we taught them, we sent them to school where they were taught the same thing
Don’t lie it’s bad and leads to a bad way of life
But now when the press lie or politicians lie we’re told to grow up and accept that’s the way things are
Almost in every instance we’re told this crap it comes from the people who lie the most, and being “grown up” is a justification for doing it
So not only do the liars try to force us to accept and buy their lies they then patronise us by telling us we’re behaving like children when we don’t reject the teachings of our childhood to accept their abhorrant behaviour
If we lie to the courts and get caught we get punished in various ways, so it would appear that what Unionists want is a seperate set of regulations to apply to them and them only but the rest of us children should be seen and not heard
Or maybe not even seen
There’s one other thing and it’s this, if Unionists think all the crap in the world they can throw at us will work they’re wrong, nothing they can say or do now will change that and because of that I will vote SNP till the end of time to stop them winning anything because that’s the power I’ve got and I’ll use it till hell freezes over
And that’s no lie
A pseudo-trumpian crypto-fascist fanationalists walked into a bar one day.
“A pint of Creme de Menth, barman”, he said. “And please accept these WoS lapel buttons in payment.”
“You must be on of those crypto-fascist fanationalists” said the barman, adding “Your drink is on the house”, and proceeded to point the fanationalist to the rain filled gutters on the roof.
Capella: “Pity his son is such a pedant.”
Out-classed and eclipsed by his dad, who was in his day out-classed and out-clipsed (my word) by Compton MacKenzie.
Incidentally, some idiot gave some other idiot a load of money to remake the classic “Whisky Galore” this year. It tanked at the box office, withdrawn after three days. The director has nil sense of humour, timing, or drama. Why remake an Ealing classic?
An opposition is just fine. It is when the opposition is criticising you for doing something whilst doing it themselves that is problematic. Then again maybe you can stretch your principles more than the average Joe.
History of corrupt son of Maggie, not Dave or Tony but real son Mark.
1971: Leaves Harrow with three O-levels before getting a job in The City. Quits after flunking his accountancy exams three times.
1982: Lost for six days in the Sahara during the Paris-Dakar rally.
1984: Moves to US after Omani scandal.
1985: Row over claims he made fortune on arms deal signed by mother.
2005: Given four-year suspended jail term for his involvement in a failed coup in Equatorial Guinea.
2008: Weds Sarah Jane Russell, Viscountess Rothermere. They split time between Marbella and luxury £3.2million villa in Barbados.
Chip off the old block. What.
Maybe we have slipped into a parallel universe where the signing of the MoU was never actually criticised by Davidson, Dugdale, Rennie or the unionist press. Then again, maybe if my auntie had had balls she would have been my uncle.
Exactly Rev, startled disbelief. I wish the whole of scotland could see this.
@ Grouse Beater – I’ve just bought “Magnus Merriman” Kindle edition. I’ll give it a try – seems quite autobiographical, including standing for the National Party in East Fife.
Might have been a better contemporary film than Whiskey Galore!
Pity his son is prig as well as a pedant.
Not going to provide link to ‘her’ blog, but if you go to WOS Twitter and scroll down a wee bit (to approx 2 hours ago) you’ll find what is quite possibly the most revolting tweet ever written by ‘Effie Deans’.
Ponder the mind-set required to write such filth.
We’re dealing with actual sociopaths here…
🙁
Juteman says:
…that ellusive quest of every Scottish BritNat, to be one of the metropolitan elite, to be acceptable and accepted.
They are like the uncool kid who is desperate to be one of the cool kids.
They believe if they mimic the behaviour of the cool kids, they will be accepted into the cool group. The uncool kid takes it a stage further and exaggerates the behaviour in an attempt to be truly worthy of acceptance.
The uncool kid will even hand over their pocket money in the hope of buying favour.
The group of cool kids see the uncool kid as just a fool and pathetic hanger on. They will never be one of their special circle.
However, that doesn’t stop them making use of the uncool kid to run errands, do their dirty work and generally be the flunky.
The sad thing is, the uncool kid doesn’t realise what’s really going on around them.
And that is the way of the Scottish BritNat!
Capella: “Pity his son is prig as well as a pedant.”
🙂
Enjoy Linklater’s ‘Merriman’.
Ach, good for Magnus man splaining to the FM how to do her job.
It would be so much more difficult for her without this level of condescension from Magnus.
How do you think she got to where she is, and recognised as one of the most popular leaders of recent years, without this type of advice?
Here’s some advice for Magnus – GTF.
Sickening hypocrisy, yet clearly strategic. Yoon rejects only have to ask a question in Holyrood, without fear of the truthful answer ever hitting the ebc or scum. I was boiling at ebc news’ selective coverage of this, intentionally failing to show the full answer.
Same with the “Scottish Shambles” Chinese thing. Yoon loonies asking me at work about SNP’s bad governance. Sometimes I’m too angry – or plain baffled at the stupidity of some “Scots” – to argue.
I’ve now adopted the default response; why doesn’t england have its own referendum, question “Do you think england should stand on its own two feet?”
@Ian Brotherhood.
Yes I saw it Ian. A woman who has obviously never read any of the poems of Wilfred Owen. She actually believes these young men did not care they were killed or mutilated. Now she tries to blame the SNP for people living longer and worrying about dying. Utter madness in script.
Such levels of hate are not unusual however in Effie land. British to the core.
The outsider looking in could only draw conclusions if they were to compare this site with the Effie blog. She is beyond help but people still actually sometimes agree with her. I do not think this time though she has an accepting audience.
Last one on the Thatchers but it emphasises my point about UK corruption.
Mark Thatcher became Sir Mark Thatcher, 2nd Baronet on the death of his father Denis who was bestowed an hereditary Baron title in 1990 despite the creation of hereditary Barons lapsing in 1964.
Why was that? It was simply the corruption of power.
“The creation of baronetcies lapsed in 1964; in 1990 the Conservative Government announced that this honour would be given to Denis Thatcher, but there have been no further creations.”
Do you have any idea what a Baronet is? Neither did I until today.
Baronets, as distinct from barons, are neither members of the peerage nor of the knightage (these titles are conferred by The Crown for life only). They constitute an entirely separate dignity of their own, the Baronetage.
As holders of a hereditary dignity, their place in the table of general precedence is below the sons of Lords of Appeal in Ordinary (judges who are always barons) and above Knights of the Garter.
link to archive.is
Don’t you just love the UK.
Stick in at school son, get three O levels and you too can be a Baron.
@Ian Brotherhood
Yeah, saw something of that earlier.
On just the small sample posted, you can only conclude that particular blog author is clearly, and I do mean clearly, disturbed.
@Thrawn says: 12 November, 2016 at 2:11 pm:
“Jesus wept”, Aye Thrawn, and see where that got him he was executed.
Executed.
“…grow up and welcome to being a party of government.”
Oh! We grew up many years ago. You call yourself thrawn, and that you indeed are – and I do NOT mean ill natured I mean it in the real lowland Scots sense of being twisted.
“It is the opposition’s job to oppose”
Indeed it is to oppose, Thrawn, but that opposition presumes the opposition should oppose only what they perceive to be bad legislation and furthermore that with the opposition comes alternative proposals.
I thus believe that the far more moronic posting here stems from you.
” … and I think the SNP are the last ones who should be preaching about hypocrisy by a party of opposition …for example saying they wont vote on English laws in Westminster…and then doing just that.”
Which, of course, depends on what are defined as, “English Laws”, and in a legal sense there are no such things under Westminster’s remit.
To be English law supposes it only applies, and only affects, the Country of England. However, as there is no such thing as a Parliament of England then Westminster perforce legally represents the entire United Kingdom.
As England also has no block grant funding but is funded, directly, by revenues collected from the entire United Kingdom then every English matter is funded by the taxpayers, and voters, of the entire United Kingdom and thus everything English concerns everyone in the United Kingdom.
Now, Thrawn, correct me if I’m wrong, (but I suspect you may attempt to correct me even when I’m right), is not the legal title of the legislative organisation of the Westminster Parliament, “Her Magesty’s Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland”?
That is it is NOT a country and it legally represents the only two Kingdoms in the union that signed the Treaty of Union which gave birth to that legislative organ at Westminster.
It is thus legally a legislator for a bipartite union of two kingdoms and that Treaty of union has not a single reference to country or countries in the entire document.
There is no such legal legislation in the entire United Kingdom , never mind in Britain or Great Britain as the Parliament of England.
Am I wrong?
May I suggest, Thrawn, that you confine your efforts at trolling to something more like Labour Hame where your intellectual capability is more in tune with the other commenters?
O/T but time’s marching on and there’s been nothing (that I’ve seen) since the crowdfund reached its target about what’s happening with the bbc billboards.
Anyone know? I can only assume that the likes of Prof Robertson, G. Ponsonby, C. Enright and the rest won’t have left finding a company willing to put them up until AFTER the funds were raised? That would have been getting it assbackwards. They’d surely have known that you need to find a company willing to do it FIRST before even starting the funding campaign.
So what’s the score?
….2016 and we still continue with social ranking I.e. Baronets etc. even worse we have a pecking order within these invented positions. It is some form of madness – a real asylum with people wearing the pelts of dead animals while a referee declares the order of relative rank.
A land with a leader decreed by birth conferring privelege on others or accepting the corrupt intervention of other club members creating other titles which are then neatly inserted into the gaps between the current band of posers.
A raft of idiots posturing amongst themselves like the cast of a Mad Max movie.
However the real madness is our ongoing acceptance of this nonsense which enables an elite group to control us by passing the reins only to those who “play the game”.
Should reward not be civic and aimed at those who GIVE to society instead of TAKING.
…Independence has so much to offer.
Alex Salmond was accused by the ‘opposition’ in the Scottish Parliament of ‘lying’ on at least three or more occasions. He was found not guilty subsequently after facing Gov. committees on these ‘Trumped’ up allegations. Why do the SNP not do the same with the revolting BBC plant Davidson?
With that kind of situation, even the stinking and corrupt ‘media’ could not hide it, and she could not possibly survive without being found guilty as charged. Public humiliation as a proven liar is urgently needed for ‘Ruthless’.
Robert Peffers @ 4.42pm:
Another excellent post Robert. You set me thinking.
Back, half a century ago, when I left school, I remember having learned that, one of the causes of the American War of Independence was, the American settlers’ belief they were being screwed by the Parliament of England.
“No taxation without representation” was the cry of the American independence movement. It just struck me, EVEL is nothing less than taxation without representation for Scotland – yet we have all those Proud Scots but, who support the Unionists; quite happy to have their taxes spent in England, but with no say as to on-what.
Also, I have always understood, after the Act of Union in 1707, the Parliament of England was abolished, while the Parliament of Scotland merely went into suspension.
Three hundred years on and, the Parliament of the UK is still a de facto Parliament of England.
Only in the UK.
it says here
link to informscotland.com
the billboards will be up in January
@Clootie
However the real madness is our ongoing acceptance of this nonsense which enables an elite group to control us by passing the reins only to those who “play the game”.
Exactly.
Lord this, Baron that, King, Queen and Prince who?
It’s the biggest load of crap ever and this lot are real spongers, I mean Sir Mark Thatcher, 2nd Baronet marries Sarah Jane Russell, Viscountess Rothermere.
Then they split time between Marbella and luxury £3.2million villa in Barbados.
Whoop do woo, this corrupt halfwit has three O levels FFS. How many more live off their titles and power bestowed on them because of their titles?
Lady Mone, Lord Darling. Who are the mugs?
Loch side I complained to my Msp after Ruthie Buffalo rider lied about the NHS and asked that she be called to account and apologise to Parliament for misleading it. I was told that the SNP had made a press statement. I then responded by saying so I take it there is no mechanism to make her apologise and was told correct. I will be taking it further next surgery.
Another stunning er, run down of just how ghastly UKOK hackdom really is. It just beggars belief that these guys are not a collective national laughing stock.
Oh wait, they are.
Also, isnt Magnus Linklater the Scottish haha tory spokes berk? or is that the Herald’s ex twerp in residence.
But they’ll still all be sitting in Pacific Quay’s mausoleum of UKOK rules the waves, waffling their tory shite like its gospel.
Quell surprise, Mrs Linklater’s a House of Lords Baroness. No matter how we don’t want this crew anywhere near power, it makes no odds.
This is the self preservation society…
link to parliament.uk
Beginning to lose the will for this fight. Twenty years or so ago I would never have believed that UK Govt, the media and now the English people (Ref QT on Thursday) could treat us so abominably. And that is even knowing more about English and British empire history than most English folk I know. My English wife, who believes in and is committed to our independence, read Proud Cybernat’s post to NO voters and she commented – “fine but how many NOs will read it?”. Hope she’s wrong (how dare I) but I often wonder if we are talking to each other in a bubble. Robert P yesterday said a number of time that support is growing for independence and Nicola (not sure if those are his exact words but along those lines) – where does that come from? I really need some hope.I need to see our Govt and the SNP showing some sign of resistance! Clocking on now and need something other than the nasty negativity thrown at us by the media and UK govt every day.
The real hypocrisy about the China deal is the contrast between the SNP demands that the UK government shows great openness in the Brexit negotiations while they, as a government, negotiate and sign a trade agreement which spent most of its life cycle under wraps.
Herald,
The toff at the top
27 Jun 1998
Baroness Linklater of Butterstone
THERE are those who were surprised that Veronica Linklater only became a baroness in August of last year: they had been giving her a title for years. ”The Lady Veronica” has not been the only name she has been known by, either. In the sixties she was immortalised as ”Veronique”, and at the Perth by-
@Thepnr says: 12 November, 2016 at 3:31 pm:
“This is just the short end of the stick, most we will never hear about. The UK is corrupt and rotten to the core.”
The United Kingdom began with a forced and underhanded combined military and coercion fuelled treaty.
The true story is there to read in our history if you look beyond that history wrongly taught in our school system. It is very foolish to believe such a deal wrought in such a manner could ever result in anything other than a continued con-trick by Westminster.
The stark truth is that the end of the union will see the England kingdom’s place in the World ended and England’s financial structure returning to that in existence at the time the treaty of Union was engineered by them.
Here are the facts laid bare. William Patterson began a subscription scheme to bail out the English Parliament from bankruptcy as they had massive National debts run up due to the wars they engaged in due to the English, “Navigation Acts”.
link to ncpedia.org
These acts were applied to Scotland and also led to the American War of Independence as well as the European and South American conflicts.
It was these acts and the subsequent disastrous Darien Expedition, also instigated by William Patterson, that bankrupted the wealthy landowners who were also the Scottish parliamentarians. Those they could not buy with English money they blackmailed and threatened into submission.
Not only that but the English army was massed at the Scottish Border and the English fleet hove too off the Firth of Forth. The very fact that this is not taught in our Scottish schools should be clear enough that it was a forced marriage from the beginning.
When we Scots get access to the books of the UK I’m sure there will be breath-taking revelations that will stand, “British”, history on its head.
We cannot blame the English for this for they were fighting for their country’s future. It was the Paircel o Rogues as identified by Robert Burns, William Patterson was a London Scot and a close friend of the author, Daniel Defoe, a known English undercover agent. Both men were in the pay of Sir Robert Harley, the politician and English spymaster. These did the most damage and to this day it is still the London leaning Scots who continue to sell Scotland’s birth right for their own ends. Those ends are sometimes no more than a just a skunk skin tipped robe, a title and attendance money from the House of Lords.
Phil – you may have read my post just above yours and how I’m beginning to feel about the treatment that is being thrown at us daily.
I don’t mean you any personal affront to you but THERE WAS NO DEAL signed, only a memorandum of understanding, which was attacked almost immediately by the unionist parties in Scotland whose aim in life is to destroy the Scottish economy on behalf of their masters at Westminster. If you fail to see the hypocrisy by the Unionist parties complaints but no complaint by them about UK deals that WERE SIGNED with China then you are no kind of person that I would wish to associate with.
O/T I know we’ve all been donating to so many great fundraisers but there’s only 2 days left for the Brain family – target £36000 due to despicable UK government’s inequitable behaviour, and only 13% raised so far.
Ian Brotherhood @ 4.05
Read the tweet from Auffil Effin…
See what he meant by a corrupted mind.
But it’s still quite obvious that she took her inspiration from the Braveheart scrip writers…..”All the day’s from that day to this ect”.
That’s the trouble with ignorance it picks up confidence on it journey!
Well it looks obvious to me…even with only three O levels.
(Aye I’m looking at you Thepnr)
Just go’s to show how sick mind’s will try to warp anything,but don’t worry cause she won’t morn.
Mainly because she canny.
@Phil Robertson
Seeing you are in the know,what items of trade does this “deal” actually cover ?
I’m sure we are all waiting with baited breath on your knowledge being revealed.
If there’s something strange in you neighbourhood
Who you gonna call? Trolljegeren!
If there’s something weird
And it don’t look good
Who you gonna call? Trolljegeren! 😉
It is interesting that a foreign governments (Westminster) press, can and does regularly attacks the Scottish government.
Yet they (the press) also trumpet the qualities of the union, double standards I think.
@Bill McLean
I hope that you never give up hope!
I don’t know how but the message is slowly getting through, I know this because just Thursday past my Mother in Law told my wife that she would be voting YES next time.
She is close to eighty years old and despite all my attempts at persuasion before the first referendum should would not budge from voting No.
Now that she has changed her mind is astonishing to me as she has came to that decision by herself, believe me things must be changing fast for that to have happened.
Brexit, Trump, May and Johnson are all visible. Even people that don’t read Wings can see this is not good. Many of those that voted No in the first referendum are teetering on the brink.
No Bill you can’t give up yet.
The BBC yes the BBC calling out the Herald for talking pish..
The Herald newspaper had quoted the Irish government’s international development minister as saying there would not be direct talks with Ms Sturgeon’s government over Brexit.
However, the first minister will meet President Michael Higgins and Charlie Flanagan, the minister for foreign affairs, during her visit to Dublin
link to bbc.co.uk
Magnus Linklater , prior to screwing up The Times, played a large part in wrecking
The Scotsman -Alasdair Dunnett and Harold Evans sadly missed!
My advice would be to avoid this phoney Brittish Establishment crawler.
Eric Linklater, although slightly dated, writes much better fiction than his son.
Magnus Merriman is good but Private Angelo is better.
Bob Mack says:
12 November, 2016 at 6:10 pm
@Phil Robertson
Seeing you are in the know,what items of trade does this “deal” actually cover ?
This kind of “deal” isnt about trade. China and Norway for example are minted, awash with big money. In the good old days they’d buy up or lend to governments, gilts and bonds, with their low interest and low risk goodness. Its part of City wheeling and dealing that makes so City slickers millionaires before they’re 40.
But UK.gov gilts and bonds for example pay virtually no interest now. They are very low risk, governments almost never default but it means that countries like cash rich China are under massive pressure to get a return on their cash mountains. Otherwise, inflation eats it all up.
All of which is why countries like China are saying to countries like ours, let us pay for your nuke power plants and railways. Then we all pay them back over our lifetimes and its why Chinese investment in Scotland’s not that bothered by upper class Scottish twits at the Times, long term.
Lenny Hartley…good luck mate. But following on from my post yesterday about supine SNP dealings with the ‘media’ Bill McLean you hit it on the head: we are in a bubble here, talking at each other.
Where is the evidence that the general Scottish public is reacting at all to the continuing onslaught of anti-Scottish abuse and anti-Scottish Indy rhetoric from the BBC and the rest?
I see and hear more from ordinary non political punters about Trump! Yes his election is important but the traducing of our democratic rights and even our identity is an ongoing disgrace and of immediate concern to all of us.
Many years ago Guinness managed a dishonest( at the very least) takeover of United Distillers. The Scottish Argyll group were outmaneuvered by amongst others the subsequently imprisoned Chairman Ernest Saunders, the only man to have experienced reversible dementia enabling him to get early release from jail. The end result was a huge Scottish public revulsion against Guinness and their lies about keeping Distillers HQ in Scotland. Guiness’ sales slumped for a long period of time.
Where is the public fight back now? The ‘Stop funding hate’ campaign against the mail and the express should have been run up here. What about targeting the BBC? It goes back to making our opposition direct and PUBLIC. Hence the billboards, WBB etc.
Hoping that the average punter staring at their phone, reading facebook or the ‘Metro’, or even watching Jackie Byrd/John Mackay believing their britnat slant, knows about the reality of the disinformation or suppression of information taking place, that we on here can access, is extremely optimistic or naive in the extreme.
If you don’t accept this, consider the power of the’VOW’ courtesy of the Daily Record and the BBC….enough to swing a close victory into a devastating near thing but ultimate defeat?
@Liz g
LOL regards the three O Levels, your not a Baroness or a Lady though are you? I don’t mean that literally 🙂
Macart also mentioned his lack of educational qualifications, doesn’t stop him being just about the best poster on Wings though does it :
FFS Stu whit kind of political blog are you running when you’re not covering the SLibDem conference.. 🙂
Looks like we missed a speech by some arsehole..
link to twitter.com
@Heedtracker,
I know that,but I want the twittering of the great cerebellum that is Phil. He is a classic example of one who knows the real facts but tries to make it something else.
He spoke definitively so let him answer definitively.
Over to you Phil.
As far as world corruption goes.
China/Russia are YTS.
the UK, USA, and Israel are time served.
Nuf said.
Croompenstein says:
12 November, 2016 at 6:14 pm
The BBC yes the BBC calling out the Herald for talking pish..
Not only were they talking pish but they used this headline on their billboards displayed outside newsagents up and down the land ‘Blow for Sturgeon… etc’
Why choose this non-story for the billboards with so much actually happening in the world?
@Lochside says: 12 November, 2016 at 5:00 pm:
“Alex Salmond was accused by the ‘opposition’ in the Scottish Parliament of ‘lying’ on at least three or more occasions. He was found not guilty subsequently after facing Gov. committees on these ‘Trumped’ up allegations.”
Indeed so, Lochside. It is a matter of record, though, that Alex Salmond had to actually refer himself to the Holyrood Standards Committee as none of his accusers had the gall to take their accusations to the committee.
Preferring instead to rely upon making their accusations stick by use of our, so unbiased, Scottish Media to accuse the then First Minister of being a liar.
It’s no big deal being aLibDem Baroness.
Apparently there are around 30 of them at present, mostly rejected politicians who have won positions of privilege and influence without the tedious business of referring to the electorate.
Glamaig 5.12
That’s great. For some reason never occurred to me to check their site first for info about it (few glasses been raised here today) hic
Hey Effigy @ 1:46 pm
For interest (fun!) I changed some of dem earlier WM gov quotes around for an alternative perspective. 🙂
———
That was then..
This is NOW..
The Scottish Government is committed to making a success of leaving the UK union, together as one United Scotland. In 2016 the people of Scotland voted to remain part of the EU and that result should be respected.
The South of Britain will in due course be leaving the European Union and the Westminster Government is committed to making a success of this, together as one United South of Britain.
In 2016, the Scottish people decided in a legal, fair and decisive referendum to remain a strong part of the EU.
How does that sound, any better?
Scotland.
X.
Ken McCOll: “Eric Linklater, although slightly dated, writes much better fiction than his son. Magnus Merriman is good but Private Angelo is better.”
I met Peter Ustinov and, reading your post, remembered this: Private Angelo is a 1949 British comedy war film directed by Michael Anderson and Peter Ustinov.
It starred Ustinov, Godfrey Tearle, Maria Denis and Marjorie Rhodes. It depicts the misadventures of a soldier in the Italian Army during the Second World War. It was adapted from the novel Private Angelo by Eric Linklater. The film’s costumes were designed by Ustinov’s mother Nadia Benois. A number of scenes in the film were filmed in the Italian village of Trequanda in the Province of Siena a story set in warm climates always an attraction to filmmakers!.
Thepnr -thanks for the response. I wont give up until my tootsies are pointing upwards permanently but I am becoming very dispirited. Although not a great fan of hers I was really really sickened by the behaviour of the QT audience to Tasmina on Thursday!
Bill McLean says:
12 November, 2016 at 6:06 pm
Phil – I don’t mean you any personal affront to you but THERE WAS NO DEAL signed, only a memorandum of understanding,
You may wish to play with words but my meaning of “deal” was “an agreement or understanding entered into by two or more parties for their mutual benefit, especially in a business or political context”
Now there must be unfairness elsewhere but that does not exempt the Scottish government from criticism.
Not only did it take a week for the existence of the MoU to be acknowledged, it was about three months late in acknowledging its collapse. More worrying it was the Chinese partners that pulled the plug despite the FM acknowledging that the government had not performed “due diligence” in negotiating the MoU.
Furthermore the SG’s blaming of Amnesty and Willie Rennie for the failure looks as if it comes straight out of the Chinese government manual.
Bubble? Since when was exchanging views with a diverse and far flung group of people a “bubble”? WoS commenteers come from all parts of Scotland, UK, Europe, N America, New Zealand and the Far East.
WoS has a wider readership than most newspapers.
Far from being a bubble, the Wings Community represents the brightest and best of political commentary in the UK. If the Vuelio Awards don’t reflect that then it is they who exist in a bubble.
Increasingly, the MSM journalists live in a bubble. We, on the other hand, are a diverse and perceptive bunch of political analysts.
Winnifred ? BBC hate Scotland ? You have proof of that I suppose, or is it that the BBC have to be impartial and, as a result, they sometimes say things that sound favourable to the SNP, and at other’s things that are not…Of course when you passionately believe in something, you can become very hostile to anything that appears to be a critizism of it . But, there you are you can have a broadcasting service which only says words of approval for the State, like Germany and Radion Moscow, of old, or you have one that is even handed . By far the safest way is to have a broadcasting service which, at times, does not reporesent your personal point of view
Phil – waken up! I was not playing with words.NO DEAL was signed – It WAS NOT A DEAL of the type that the Brit Govt did numbers of.It was simply a MOU. Please get up to speed. I do not ever exempt the SG from criticism. The Chinese have said yesterday that the MOU is still alive and that the hold up was due to hostile opposition in Scotland – you know who from! Please, you have been asked many times by many people to quote the facts – this you continually fail to do! I have little time to discusss non-facts with people like you but do sympathise as you probably get your facts from the DM, DE or worse if there is such a media output.
Perhaps Wee Ginger Dug’s best yet. Says what needs to be said.
He speaks of the Scotland I want to be part of. He also speaks of the UK I want to get away from and the groups who are trying to prevent that.
link to weegingerdug.wordpress.com
@Socrates MacSporran says: 12 November, 2016 at 5:03 pm
“You set me thinking.
Back, half a century ago, when I left school, I remember having learned that, one of the causes of the American War of Independence was, the American settlers’ belief they were being screwed by the Parliament of England.”
Quite so, Socrates, but that school history skipped over the real logic of what was going on.
“The English Navigation Acts”, decreed that all trade with the English colonies had to either be done by the English Mercantile Marine or, if a non-English merchant used his own or hired a non-English ship the crew of that ship had to be English.
Now in those days the mercantile Marine were not only the shipping company but were also the merchants doing the deals. That is they bought and sold the cargos rather than just transported them for other merchants.
Thus they could not only dictate the price paid to the producers of the goods but also demand whatever price the could get away with from those buying the importing goods. Also they gained from both the buyer and the seller, And that law was applied to Scotland by what was the same person who was the independent monarch of both kingdoms.
In those days, before the industrial revolution, the trade was mainly agricultural staples and such things as wines, alcohol, tobacco, clothes, building materials and exotic spices.
The Navigation Acts caused wars in Europe with, mainly the Dutch and French but the same double edged disadvantages suffered by the Scottish farmers and landowners in trading with the English Mercantile Marine were suffered in the Americas too. It also affected the inter trade of the then still individual countries of what eventually became United States in the North American colonies.
Fighting the wars the Navigation Acts caused was what led to the massive national debt of the Kingdom of England. It also saw the Scottish landowner/parliamentarians to suffer a loss of income and this was made worse by several years of failed harvests. Including the, “Year o the Short Corn”.
Not only was there the Navigation Acts but after Patterson started the scheme to bail out the English government he was instigating the Darien Scheme that saw those landowners facing bankruptcy when it failed and that failure was helped along by the crown ordering the Royal Navy not to aid the Scottish expedition and the Soldiers of the King at Darien not to aid the Scots at Darien.
Now remember that the excuse for a show of force being shown against Scotland was that the English feared the Auld Alliance with the French that England were fighting with over the Navigational Acts and you will begin to see the full importance that England saw in forcing the Treaty of Union.
Never forget also that they were still fighting the so called, “Jacobite Rebellion”, at Culloden in 1745 almost 40 years after that treaty of union being signed in 1707.
“No taxation without representation” was the cry of the American independence movement. It just struck me, EVEL is nothing less than taxation without representation for Scotland – yet we have all those Proud Scots but, who support the Unionists; quite happy to have their taxes spent in England, but with no say as to on-what.
Also, I have always understood, after the Act of Union in 1707, the Parliament of England was abolished, while the Parliament of Scotland merely went into suspension.
Three hundred years on and, the Parliament of the UK is still a de facto Parliament of England.
Only in the UK.
Bob Mack says:
12 November, 2016 at 6:10 pm
@Phil Robertson
“what items of trade does this “deal” actually cover ?
To quote, “talks had suggested Scotland could benefit in areas such as affordable housing, communities, clean energy, industry and business parks and transportation infrastructure.”
Victor Young: ?”You are you can have a broadcasting service which only says words of approval for the State,”
It’s that kind of clap-trap that lowers the constitutional debate to pig ignorant level.
The issue is having a broadcaster that actually represents the culture, news, and diversity of a nation, domestically and internationally.
If you don’t understand that, you don’t understand the damn argument at all.
Thepnr @ 6.26
LOL….just couldn’t resist and thanks for being enough of a gentleman to not point out the terrible English in that post.
I was rushing to do my normal Mum’s Saturday night Taxi bit.
Well that’s ma excuse any way.
‘…talks had suggested Scotland could benefit in areas such as affordable housing, communities, clean energy, industry and business parks and transportation infrastructure.”
‘talks’?
I mean what does it take for you to acknowledge these were ‘talks’?
‘talks’ does not a ‘deal’ make?
It’s just mind bendingly twisted the way you are responding to Bill’s very simple points, this was not a ‘deal’, it’s not possible for you to be this obtuse is it?
Robert Peffers,
“The United Kingdom began with a forced and underhanded combined military and coercion fuelled treaty.”
How could this have possibly happened if the Scots were, as you insist, “sovereign”?
Because their “sovereignty” was not worth the paper it was written on.
The “plebs” of Scotland have never been “sovereign” and never will be until after independence with a written constitution giving them proper rights.
@Phil Robertson,
So firstly, you say there is a trade deal and the next you say they were talks. Which is it exactly? I could say a deal with USA would build all these things ,but until a trade deal is signed all the talks do not amount to a hill of beans.
Oh dear Chinese bad, don’t like Chinese say unusual people, Amnesty international, good, Amnesty international have been protesting to Westminster for years, Westminster never took Chinnese money unusual people say, Scotland what do you think you are doing talking to the Chinese government, Scotland bad unusual people say
Westminster good, Chinese government good, Westminster gets money, Chinese money, China good, Westminster good, unusual people say, amnesty international is good, Chinese are good, all good.
Scotland talks to Chinese, Westminster unhappy, Westminster puts all its guns in line, press unhappy, Westminster government unhappy trattoria knave unhappy, make Scotland bad place for good Chinese say trattoria knave. Media obliged, Westminster happy. Trattoria knave say
“The games afoot Follow your spirit, and upon this charge
Cry ‘God for Harry, England, and Saint George!’
Chinese not having that, no play game, let players know that they are big fuckng superpower, tell Chinese media run story tell Scotland, we remember them, tell them the truth.
Made it simple for fuckwit troll, games afoot, ”tis just the start my lads, just the start”
Bob Mack: “There is a trade deal and the next they were talks. Which is it?”
It’s an accord, called a ‘Heads of Agreement’ deal.
You agree to be partners in an identified venture or group of ventures, based on negotiated conditions, and at a later date meet up with concrete proposals to invest.
It binds the parties to each other – and by implication excludes interlopers – but doesn’t bind the main parties to any specific project or capital costs at that stage. Projects come later and are subject to intense discussion and negotiation.
To sum up – it’s a deal to deal where no money changes hands.
Here’s how it works: a producer goes to Sony Pictures with a slate of movies, none made. He shows evidence of scripts and actors attached. Sony likes the projects and agrees to distribute them worldwide offering investment up front … so long as the movies are made to a certain standard and deliver on time. That allows Sony to reject any they think crap. We exchange a Heads of Agreement itemising the relationship in ideal theory. Sony does the deal to stop MGM moving in. We all know who gets what when the projects get made.
We announce the deal jointly to the public.
For ‘films’ substitute locomotives, or tins of beans, or automobiles, or houses, or school jotters.
Amen, brother
Bill McLean
“The Chinese have said yesterday that the MOU is still alive and that the hold up was due to hostile opposition in Scotland – you know who from!”
And the FM said “the Government was made aware in August “that due to the political climate our partners in that memorandum of understanding felt that they could not proceed at this time”.” Maybe alive but in an induced coma.
“Please, you have been asked many times by many people to quote the facts – this you continually fail to do! I have little time to discusss non-facts with people like you but do sympathise as you probably get your facts from the DM, DE or worse if there is such a media output.”
Most of the following can be got from the SG sources. Care to tell which of these are not facts?
It took a week after its signing for the existence of the MoU to be acknowledged
The SG was about three months late in acknowledging its collapse.
It was the Chinese partners that pulled the plug.
The FM acknowledged that the government had not performed “due diligence” while negotiating the MoU.
Oh Phil
Having a bad day. The wheels are spinning fast on this game, you do need to catch up fast.
What if I told you a secret, would you promise not to tell!
@Phil Robertson
Just for you Phil.
With Labour and Conservative opponents of Sturgeon’s Scottish National Party blasting her government for its handling of the affair, by August, reports said the deal was dead.
However, SinoFortone managing director Peter Zhang told China Daily this week the group has not pulled out of the deal and said no agreement with Edinburgh has been cancelled.
“The deal is actually on hold,” Zhang said, citing a slowdown on the Scottish side as the reason.
link to ecns.cn
Phil Robertson: “The SG was about three months late in acknowledging its collapse”
There has been NO collapse, and you know it, you malicious thug. If you ask for evidence I’ll post it again – I’m dealing currently with a subsidiary Chinese company. So, please, no more chucking sand in our eyes.
You can’t ‘collapse’ a deal that doesn’t exist. However, you can delay the start of a deal if an accord to deal has been signed by both parties but the climate is not conducive to the project starting. Nevertheless, the accord remains intact for the duration of the relationship stated in it.
Capice?
@Phil Robertson,
You are either the most galactically stupid poster or deliberately obtuse. Which ?
You have in fact answered your own question.
Due diligence — investigations performed BEFORE signing a contract.
You know, like Rangers failed to do with Craig Whyte !!
Victor/Grousebeater
Re our state broadcaster .
All I know is I had to wait until Scotland was playing England before I could just switch on my telly ( itv ) and watch the game.
There are big questions for the SFA but where do we have that conversation at a national level – especially if your not on social media?
How do we expect our kids to play for their country if they can’t get access to watch it?
Now extend that question to health, education, standard of living, environment, fracking, Trident etc
The BBC and STV may fill our screens with ‘ content’ but they are in control of that content . Apart from Scotland Tonight which reads out some tweets , where do people who are not on social media get to hear other sides of the debate by ordinary people who live here?
We have ‘ news ‘ broadcast to us at short intervals throughout the day until the week end where obviously nothing happens in Scotland – anywhere.
There is no refelection of daily life broadcast by the BBC in Scotland.
The sad thing is, people no longer notice or seem to care.
Ouch. Times, Herald, you name them, they’re all very very toryboy.
Kevin McKenna: Of the Herald
12 hours ago.
When it comes to Trump, Nicola Sturgeon needs to grow up”
Not a believer in Scotland is old Mackenna but what toryboy is. Or, “Women, know your limits.” Same for their Scotland region of greater England.
Will we ever shake off planet toryboy Scotland? Yes!
There is no refelection of daily life broadcast by the BBC in Scotland.
The sad thing is, people no longer notice or seem to care.
What can we do though? My day is filled with Scottish life, voices, views, news, everything. In the evening, turn on telly, radio, papers, and everything is English. Its just another fact of life in teamGB.
If Scotland was to reject every deal with London based corporations and financiers because of misdemeanours reported or rumoured we have next to no trade with the English what so ever.
Ferranti transpired to be one of the biggest crooks in the aviation business when it was discovered to have over-charged the Ministry of Defence over 200% on defence electronics. The company went belly up when forced to pay back the overages.
Its headquarters was Crewe Toll, Edinburgh.
Let’s have no cant about crooked Chinese companies.
Kevin McKenna is increasingly becoming a waste of column inches. He needs to grow up and stop sitting on the fence.
For him the grass is always greener where the wages are coming from.
MollY: There is no refelection of [Scottish] daily life broadcast by the BBC in Scotland.
I agree. With severe cuts to BBC’s budget brought about by the phony austerity doctrine of Westminster it’s certain we won’t see any substantial change to BBC output from Scotland, bar some rearranging of the chairs.
BBC is irrelevant to Scotland’s progress, and has been for over 25 years. With the SNP in power it has retreated even more into its London shell.
@Grouse beater,
Add to that list polly peck, Northern Rock. Mg ,De L’Oréal and every other raga muffin “good standing” company who with British values at its core, screwed the taxpayer for hundreds of millions.
Chinese are novices in comparison.
Kevin McKenna needs to grow a backbone and start writing based on his his principles. As it is he flip flops from Yes to No back to front.
WHERE ARE THE PRINCIPLED JOURNALISTS? Surely some still survive?
I used to be,a somebody….
Someone please tell the BBC/MSM/Yoons it’s over….and to stop throwing punches at imaginary opponents,it’s not Scotland,it’s not all the other European countries,it’s not anyone else.
You have defeated yourself,no-one to blame only you…..so please just let go with some dignity and stop bad mouthing everyone.
Like some old prize fighter who cannot accept that,he will never appear in any of the top ten list’s again,but still angry,still looking for a fight,still muttering to himself.
The now aged model,who inside had nothing,she only got bye on outward appearances,that have long since faded,now drinks from the bottle,smells like a cat,her neighbours she sickens.
Yes,we all laughed at you,mocked you,but sadly even though,you actually know all this to be true,you continue looking for the imaginary enemies,still jumping at shadows,still angrily howling at the moon,all bitter,all twisted….we now just cross the road to avoid you.
Scotland Good does not equate to England Bad….it never has.
#getoveryourselves
When it comes to bring a journalist McKenna needs to shape up and start being a proper would-be ‘journalist’. Like doing one. A bit of proper research. Not some regurgitated spiteful, Unionist Party print out. Try and cross the line.
Not a pathetic baseless craven compulsive liar cub reporter. Every word that is utter is a lie. Nothing nonsense.
When it comes to bully boys McKenna, Murdoch and the rest of them come to the top of the list. The dregs supping with the Devils. Obama/Clinton.
Bob Mack: “Add to that list Polly Peck…”
I agree completely.
Phil Robertson carefully overlooks Sir Philip Green and the £400 million he removed from BHS. £400 secreted into his wife’s offshore tax evading account. Wonderfully honest country, the UK. Our businessmen are desperate to parade their clean ethics.
Thepnr says:
12 November, 2016 at 8:36 pm
Kevin McKenna is increasingly becoming a waste of column inches. He needs to grow up and stop sitting on the fence.
Its tory trolling, old school. How many women have to listen to dudes like this telling them to grow up. Women should be bare foot, pregnant and in the kitchen, for that generation of UKOK newsroom hackdom.
And then they wonder why they’re a laughing stock.
Hate was the wrong word to use for the BBC and Scotland, but I believe the BBC to be biased against Scotland and certainly it does undermine Scotland – all this is done to make sure we stay in the Union and never have the confidence and truth about Westminster to make the break. I would never say the Scottish Govt is not to be criticised but neither should Scotland be talked down and misrepresented they way it is by the BBC. You can lie by ommission as well as in fact or be selective in your news – all I want is fairness.
link to archive.is
O/T Lego stop advertising in the Daily Heil
See Scottish enterprise are advertising for a international senior executive China.
Guess this is related to the deal being on hold until a team is built up.
Check out the disgrace deal May signed with the Chinese. A rotten to the core deal over priced, and will be overtime – years late. Westminster Useless Tories screwed out by the Chinese for deals which are over priced by double and will be years over-time. The Westminster have been totally crewed for £Billions. It is HS2 and improvement to the Scottish direct line that they should be developing. To improve the economy. Scotland will be Independence and will not be paying the debt repayment for that piece of Kak – Hinkley Point and HS2. Or Heathrow £MultiMillions.
The Tory total useless incompetents have been screwed. Scotland will not be paying for any of that malicious contract. Or nearly £1Billion a year – (£10Billion a year in total) for a piece of useless, obsolete scrap Trident. They are already 6 empty shells sitting at Rosyth rotting the environment. Bankrupt Britain caused by Westminster/Unionist useless articles blowing the Middle East to bits for years.
Scotland will be Independent and have its Oil & Gas sector back up and running. Not screwed by the Tories illegal , unfair 40% tax/tarriffs (when the price has fallen) To destroy the Scottish economy, losing thousand of jobs and £Billion to the Scottish economy. Then Importing untaxed, fracked Gas and Oil from the US etc. Putting up the balance of payments deficit and the debt. Then Scotland having to pay repayments on it.
Ex Scottish Executive chief was criticising having another Independence Ref but praising up Brexit, for which Scotland did not vote. They don’t believe in Democracy or freedom of choice.
It’s a rare talent that can unite the establishment right and the left in vehement hatred of it, but the SNP managed it, not for governing Scotland well, which it most certainly does, but merely for governing Scotland.
How can a donation be sent to the Brains family by cheque or direct bank over the counter contribution. Where can that information be found. Where are the details?
@ It is HS3. The UK Gov should be developing linking the Northern Cities. Their rail connections are deplorable. Victorian, An absolute disgrace. Chronically neglected for years. Holding up rail journeys throughout Britain. Not HS2 feeding into the never decreasing, exhausting congestion pollution of unavoidable London S/E connection. Affectively slowing up the economy and creating health issues.
@Ken500
Re the Brain family crowdfunder, I forgot to say it is on Justgiving “crowdfunding to assist the Brain family”.
A “bubble” (of Yes supporters?) was mentioned one or three times up above.
I attended the showing of “London Calling”, the documentary based on GA Ponsonby’s book about BBC bias, at the Steps Theatre in Dundee, a week or so ago.
A question I requested be asked at the Q&A session after the showing, was, “Be honest – put your hand up if you voted NO or didn’t vote at the 2014 referendum.”
Out of an audience of 100-150, TWO people put their hands up. The organiser admitted her husband had voted NO but had left after the showing.
Now, maybe I’m wrong but I would surmise that the vast majority of the audience already knew about what was detailed in the documentary, having read GAP’s book.
It would have been more useful if a greater proportion of the audience didn’t know about what was in the film. It may have caused them to go away and speak to others about what they had learned.
It was mentioned that a sub-titled version is to be uploaded to YouTube in the next few weeks. That could be the chance to share the link with soft No’s, to get the message spread further than our “bubble”.
@Rock says: 12 November, 2016 at 7:46 pm:
“How could this have possibly happened if the Scots were, as you insist, “sovereign”?
Because, Rock, the common people were largely mainly uneducated and thus unaware they were sovereign.
Then there were the deliberately pig ignorant arses, just like you, who knew that they were sovereign but decided an English parliament have sovereignty and thus the legal right and entitlement to do as they liked with the people of Scotland – no matter what the law of Scotland actually was and still is.
Like you these people would rather it stayed that way.
@Phil Robertson
21st March 2016 – MoU signed with a confidentiality clause
23rd March 2016 – Purdah for Scottish Parliamentary elections began at midnight
link to gov.scot
“10. During the election period, the Scottish Government retains its responsibility to govern and Ministers remain Ministers and in charge of their portfolios. Essential business must be carried on (see Note 1 below for a definition of ‘essential business’). However, you can expect Ministers to observe discretion in initiating any new action of a continuing or long?term character.
11. Decisions on matters of policy on which the next administration might wish to take a different view from the current administration are expected to be postponed until after the election, provided that such postponement would not be detrimental to Scotland’s interest or wasteful of public resources. You can also expect Ministers to be largely engaged in the election campaign and therefore not want to be asked to make decisions on issues during the election period unless it is essential that they should do so. “
So, do you think
1). The Scottish Gvoernment should have announced the MoU contrary to the confidentiality clause in the MoU during the 2 days before Purdah began?
or 2). Do you think the Scottish Government should have broken purdah?
Well, do you?
Thepnr says:
12 November, 2016 at 8:42 pm
“”Kevin McKenna needs to grow a backbone and start writing based on his his principles. As it is he flip flops from Yes to No back to front.””
……….
I do not think Mr McKenna has any principles other than the one that says he will write whatever will please who pays him.
In his column in today’s Herald it is noticeable that very few women have posted any comments on his article, at least that was the case the last time I looked. What you had was a lot of men the majority of whom were having a go at Ms Sturgeon.
@Phil Robertson
It took a week after its signing for the existence of the MoU to be acknowledged
Covered above – the Scottish Gvoernment were in the election purdah period.
The SG was about three months late in acknowledging its collapse.
It hasn’t collapsed.
It was the Chinese partners that pulled the plug.
The plug hasn’t been pulled.
The FM acknowledged that the government had not performed “due diligence” while negotiating the MoU.
There was no deal, just a MoU to explore the possibilities and exchange confidential informtion. No money changed hands. No contracts were signed. No “due diligence” required.
Next.
@Victor Young
==============
I’m not going to bother researching to find the many, many examples that could be shown but off the top of my head: Nick Robinson claiming Salmond refused to answer a question several times and then YouTube evidence appeared showing he did answer the question (and the BBC edited their footage to make it appear he’d not answered); that is well beyond mere misrepresentation. I also recall many years ago (when I still voted Labour in UK elections) Nicola Sturgeon being interviewed and was constantly interrupted as she tried to answer questions (by the interviewer who didn’t seem interested in getting a proper answer – at one point I think he interrupted her several times in the same sentence); then when the interviewer switched to a Labour man he was allowed to talk uninterrupted for several minutes.
It’s not just the BBC being anti-SNP mind you; they give the same treatment to anyone who doesn’t follow the accepted line. The idea that the BBC is still the unbiased dispenser of truth of the past is no more than a myth. Years of Birtism and pressure from the tabloids and various governments did away with that long ago.
I saw a picture of some proud Scot dick with a half Scotland half England shirt on before the game it gave me the boak.
It could have been Phil Robertson or Colin Ripley.
Can Phil and Colin not see that no one from England would wear a shirt like that because they don’t give an actual fuck about anyone but their own country and guys that country isn’t Scotland. You are just useful idiots who will be dropped like a stone when they have no use for you. Come on England end the union as it looks like only you will…
@Legerwood
I agree mostly with Kevin McKenna’s article. Sturgeon had no place trying to interfere in the election by “backing Clinton”, same as Dugdale had no place actually campaigning over there, the Herald in supporting Clinton, Davidson in making her comments, a whole load of others who should know better. It was open season on Trump, and everybody ignored Clinton’s shortcomings. Except the US electorate.
And after the election you have Harvie in his ridiculous comments, Sturgeon in maintaining her attitude, most of the press of the UK if not all of it, having a go at Trump who is shortly to be the President.
Most if not all countries are not perfect when it comes to human rights – is the UK perfect? McKenna is right. Sturgeon needs to grow up.
Robert Peffers @ 9.54
You could also add that the Army backed up with force the subjugation of the sovereign people of Scotland.
There were no peaceful routes open to asserting our Soverenty until relatively recently.
yesindyref2 says:
So, do you think
1). The Scottish Gvoernment should have announced the MoU contrary to the confidentiality clause in the MoU during the 2 days before Purdah began?
There is no reason why it shouldn’t. As for confidentiality, the MoU includes a clause that says ” The whole MOU may be subject to release in the event of a request for information made under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002″
(You contradict yourself in the later post that claims that “the Scottish Gvoernment were in the election purdah period.”)
or 2). Do you think the Scottish Government should have broken purdah?
As it happens, the SG did release the details during the purdah period. Which it could avoided by releasing details when the agreement was signed.
GB@9:14
Ah GB nails it in a sentence.. 🙂
This is what sticks in Robertson and Ripley’s craw..
but the SNP managed it, not for governing Scotland well, which it most certainly does
Superb GB
Cactus 1 Westminster Tory Boys 0
A few people have mentioned talking in a bubble, while others have talked of increasing support. I tend to agree with Thepnr and his experience with his mother-in-law. You do not change a No to Yes by continually haranguing them with questions and your views. They have to decide for themselves!
Currently the country is in a mess and the messages being poured out in the media are also a mess. There is growing uncertainty about the security of the status quo and people are beginning to look for other opinions in their news sources of choice in the Media.
They are noticing that those alternative voices are being drowned out and are hard to hear. The Media says one thing one day and contradicts itself the next. And always the tone of the Media on these issues is very confrontational, angry and full of contempt and hate.
Most of these people are not themselves full of hate and are getting tired of having it blasted at them all the time.
My Aunt, just turned 95, in full possession of her mental faculties, and stuck in front of the TV all day as her eyes are not good enough to read, tells me with passion that she hates Ruth Davidson, she is really dreadful and the others are no better. Willie Rennie does not fare much better, though she has to think who Kezia Dugdale is as she does not register at all (maybe in USA that week).
She wants independence and does not rage at Nicola Sturgeon, though she does not agree with everything she says. Nicola is talking calmly and sensibly and NOT raging at the opposition and avoiding being confrontational. So in all this chaos people listen.
I believe that more people, in their own time in the quiet of their own homes, are moving from No to Yes. I think that the Media and Westminster are the biggest recruiters for Yes at the moment as they cannot help themselves.
The Yes movement has not really started campaigning at the moment. As some one put it previously, we are still in that ‘Braveheart’ moment of HOLD before the battle commences, and that is working very well.
@Phil Robertson
Nice try, but I’m used to people quoting parts selectively to try to fluff their dodgy argument. Try this which comes immediately before the bit you selectively quoted:
link to gov.scot
“Each Party may make public reference to the existence of this MOU as it thinks relevant and appropriate, provided that each party will obtain the approval of the other parties for the contents of any press release relating to the termms of this MOU prior to issue of such press relaease.”
You’ll note that says “press release” which doesn’t explicitly preclude parliamentary release, however, since CR3 and Sono-Fortone have shareholders, it would be customary to allow them to inform their shareholders. 2 days isn’t enough.
And no, I didn’t contradict myself, another failed tactic those with a weak or non-existent argument such as yours try to use. I had already covered the purdah period commencement in the posting you had clearly read.
No cigar for you.
Ah keep trying to find the word that describes this mind bendingly twisted obtuseness…he’s a
cu…cun…cunto…contortionist.Ealasaid- I agree that people need to come to yes,themselves. I don’t bother with the haters and bigots in my work anymore. I would rather have conversations with open minded people. There are times I want to scream at ill unformed MSM sponges. But I found out during indi ref 1. That they only want a conversation that ends with them being right. They end up ganging up on anyone with a divergent opinion.
Their beliefs are not based on logic or knowledge. They are in fact ingrained attitudes that come from a lifetime of believing Scotland is a failure and indi supporters ate like the IRA.
So don’t waste your time on terminally stupid people. After all the information is all over the place. Logic will lead an intelligent person to Yes. The dim witted bigots couldn’t see a light in forest full of fireflies.
Like I said on previous article, Yoon neurons are now in some new weird quantum state that defies even the suspension of conventional logic which Schrodinger’s Cat does (the hypothecation, not our learned contributor).
For the sake of argument, let’s call it a ‘duperposition’.
Och chic let’s called it ‘stupidposition’ 😉
Stupid does what stupid does! Ask Wullie Ronnie!
Stupid does what stupid does! Ask Wullie Rennie!
Bloody spell check n all!
The NPR,
I noticed the link you posted has changed again, that is why it’s best to archive.
Gone is the rather emotive language, instead we have “Scotland is open for business despite stalled deal” updated yesterday 9:30
Phil is in the unenviable position of trying to obscure the fact that information is coming to light of “state actors” have been involved in dissuading the Chinese government to invest in Scotland.
So he concerns himself with the minutiae of Holyrood protocols and unionists spin. the dusgst he should have towards those who seek to damage his country is subjugated by decades of being told he is a snivelling jock, and not good enough to lick his masters boots, like the poor mistreated unworldly fool, pity not anger, is what he invokes.
A lot of posts over the last few days on wings have made people realise that nothing makes sense in this story, not one article in the press. Nothing fits, nothing lines up, I wonder if this will be the catalyst that finally pushes the Scottish population to realise they are being played for fools by Whitehall. Because we all know this stinking edifice will fall, this disunited union, it just needs one outrage, and maybe the machinations from the world of the dark, are being witnessed in the world of the light.
Hasn’t Linklater got very close ties to the lib dems including Rennie, Carmichael and co.
Part of the establishment against Scotland’s freedom.
@Phil Roberson
I forgot this bit from you: “As it happens, the SG did release the details during the purdah period.”
Only after someone in CR3 leaked it to the Chinese press, and the SNP-hostile newspapers and the opposition parties at Holyrood were crawling all over it trying to get political capital out of it, with no regard whatsoever of the posssible value of £10 billion of investment to Scotland – cheap capital as others have pointed out due to the low returns on government gilts. A return that is so low, some are looking to park capital at a negative rate of return, with Ireland managing to borrow £1 billion over 50 years at an interest of 0.33% in August this year.
That’s £10 billion of investment that could, and still can, go into Scotland’s infrastucture. Which the opposition parties still don’t care about, as all they care about is trying to do down the SNP, not a care in the world of what harm that might do to Scotland.
Do you like the opposition parties in Scotland Phil? With their don’t give a stuff attitude to Scotland?
Hey! I’ve discovered an episode of Father Ted I’ve never seen before.
That’s brightened up the day, and it’s approaching midnight.
@GB –
🙂
I hope it’s a good one.
You will report back, eh?
Nigel Farage arrives at Trump Tower in New York.
Nigel Farage arrives at Trump Tower in New York. Photograph: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
Edward Helmore and Martin Pengelly in New York with Sally Desmond and agencies
Saturday 12 November 2016 21.37 GMT
Nigel Farage discusses ‘freedom and winning’ in meeting with Donald Trump
Ukip leader who played key role in Brexit vote seen at Trump Tower
Senior adviser to US president-elect confirms meeting”
All Graun excitement tonight.
Oswald Mosley keeps bobbing up like vomit.
@Andrew Mclean
I archive 99% of the time, there are occasions such as this one that I deliberately chose not to archive. I wanted readers to see that the link was from a Chinese source not a corrupt UK newspaper one.
I’ll keep in mind though that it is useful to archive anyway just in case the content changes. Cheers.
Yesindyref2: “Sturgeon needs to grow up.”
Well, that’s you in my bad books.
Appeasement.
Just like that. Flick of a switch. No problemo. Political honesty, ethics? Who cares?
Tell you what, Mr Hitler. Oor Ramsay MacDonald will see sense. Just gie him an okay oan a wee flap o paper, an’ things will look fine in the mornin’. He jist needs to grow up, ye ken.
link to wp.me
Ian Brotherhood: “I hope it’s a good one.”
It was not quite up to par. This time he and Dougal got lost in ancient tourist caves, rather like the episode lost in the brassiere section, Ladies Department of a store, but not so funny. He bumps into “I don’t believe it” Richard Wilson. (An actor I saw on the Citizen’s stage getting bollocked for not knowing his lines one day before first night.) But any Father Ted is a good Ted, and I enjoyed the novelty of seeing it fresh.
John Pilger!
link to youtube.com
Peace Always
Sturgeon needs to grow up? WTF!
There you have the Major League Yoon argument in a sentence
It’s OK to tell the truth until the other guy wins then you suck up his Arse while simultaneously ditching your every principle only to be vilified for doing that, and if that’s not enough become exactly the untrustworthy crap you opposed in the first place
Genious!
Everything about this photo just oozes how fucked up this world is.
link to twitter.com
Here you go, MSM sanctifying fascism:
“Farage first major UK politician to visit Trump.”
“Not a hair’s breadth separates Front National from Ukip” – Marine Le Pen.
Have a nice Sunday, ya’all.
WATCH JOHN PILGER HERE
The Coming War on China (link to thecomingwarmovie.com) is John Pilger’s 60th film for ITV. Pilger reveals what the news doesn’t – that the world’s greatest military power, the United States, and the world’s second economic power, China, both nuclear-armed, are on the road to war. Pilger’s film is a warning and an inspiring story of resistance.
Peace Always
@ indyref2 ” McKenna was right. Sturgeon needs to grow up” – like you and Kevin?
@K1
@K1
‘Och chic let’s called it ‘stupidposition’ ‘
Ha ha.
Let’s comprimise on ‘stuperposition’.
Thepnr
You should use the one from the global times of China. That has some amazing allegations, that I noticed have not been changed, so either someone hasn’t noticed, or if they have tried to have it removed it’s been unsuccessful. It’s immaterial anyway, it’s copied and distributed worldwide now.
Anyway back to Westminster.
Did you guys know At 12:20, on November 9th in London, Ma Kai, China’s Vice Premier and Baroness Neville Rolfe, UK’s Minister of State for energy and intellectual property unveiled the board for UK-China Nuclear Joint Research and Innovation Centre(JRIC). It is China’s first joint Research and Innovation Center with a western developed country in nuclear energy area, which ushers in a new era based on the investment to nuclear power. UK and China will have a more comprehensive and deeper cooperation in scientific research, technology, and in the whole nuclear industrial supply chain.
Funking lucky it wasn’t in Scotland, the press and opposition whodunnits would have shit themselves.
link to archive.is
Aye chic, what about ‘stupourposition’ as the final ‘state’ 😉
Oops, hit return early there. Also should have been ‘compromise’.
sans second ‘u’ (bloody fingers think they can spell…better than me! Huh!)
Grouse Beater says:
13 November, 2016 at 12:11 am
Here you go, MSM sanctifying fascism:
“Farage first major UK politician to visit Trump.”
“Not a hair’s breadth separates Front National from Ukip” – Marine Le Pen.
Rancid The Graun thing says Farage is the UKIP leader. He’s not. He’s the interim, a temp. And he’s a temp because UKIP fascists beat each other badly enough to be hospitalised, the European parliament.
It took two UK broadsheet liggers to leave out the fact that Farage is a temp and its not by chance.
Imagine a US Pres candidate calling a western nation like the UK rapists and murderers ? Mexico and Mexicans were American long before European colonists showed and built walls across their lands.
You can do this all night. UK media is fascist, from newsroom to the filthy rich tax dodging owners.
Trump brags about how he sexually assaulted women. He wants to ban all Muslims from the US. If our First Minster had not spoken out against this fascist areswipe and his great British Mosely style fascist ambassadors like Farage, she’d have lost my vote.
@Grouse Beater
Kevin McKenna didn’t actually say that, neither did the original article which was on the opinion section, not news on the Herald. The original headline was “Sturgeon should take lessons in grown-up statecraft when it comes to Trump”. She does indeed need to learn some more statecraft. She’s genuine, but that’s not always good enough, not in foreign relations.
But “Grow up” as a headline might get some attention, a short sharp shock, and Sturgeon should pay attention. Her duty is to Scotland, not her own personal crusades. Even Salmond says Trump should be given a chance, and Salmond now is a backbencher though also the Westminster spokesperson on foreign affairs.
Utlimately Trump as most people “know” him, is through the eyes of an anti-Trump media, and pro-establishment like Clinton, who had all the establishment figures behind her, or even if Republican, not supporting Trump.
I think Trump knew a long time ago, with much less money behind him, that he had no chance of winning against Clinton, so he wound her up and the establishment, so she lost. He also built up his public profile through Apprentice USA.
Talking about establishment and media, I’m very surprised that doesn’t ring a huge warning bell with all Indy supporters, who suddenly believe all they read or see or hear in the media, when they don’t believe it about Indy. Remember that Salmond was demonised by the media when he was FM, and after a time of “honeymoon”, the knives are well and truly out now for Sturgeon too.
So here’s a question: do you believe what the media tells you about Trump?
“Fear is the enemy, the real enemy”
Commander Riker Series 1 Episode 3 Star Trek Next Generation
🙂 🙂
Watching Netflix, now has every series of Star Trek, couldn’t resist that. LOL
@yesindyref2
Doesn’t matter whether or not McKenna said it, you did.
“McKenna is right. Sturgeon needs to grow up.”
Your coming across as a Trump supporter and that’s fine by me, but to to have the cheek tell Scotland’s FM to grow up is beyond the pale.
Your aving a larf!
We watched the ‘actual’ rally’s yesindyref2, ah have no recollection of Alex Salmond standing up saying ‘we’re going to build a wall’ to keep the English out, I have no recollection of any ‘reality’ tv person called Alex Salmon saying ‘I just grab them by the pussy…’. We don’t need the ‘media’ for interpretation of what we can view with our own eyes and listen to with our own ears.
The comparison you are utilising to make whatever point you think you are is a very poor one at the least and a rather cobbled together rationalisation for your own rather big ‘beef’ about Nicola answering a question which she chose to reply to truthfully.
Are you seriously suggesting the continuous footage of the litany of hateful and utterly divisive language and tone of Trump is ‘false’. Does the mean you doubt the rise of the protests that are increasingly growing across the States. Did they not hear or see any of this from Trump either?
Trolling Splitters be amongst us.
That is all.
@Thepnr
Well, it got attention – a short sharp shock. Provocative.
I didn’t support Trump, I didn’t support Clinton. My interest is Scotland. That’s what I focus on.
@K1
That’s what Trump did too, I think. He went out of his way to provoke Clinton and bring out the worst in her, and he succeeded. “Nasty woman”, as he said in the one debate I watched. She then prove him right. The best the media could do to be balanced was to say that it was the nastiest election on record, and the worst two candidates.
I think Trump didn’t win, I don’t think he expected to win, but I think he expected to be able to make Clinton lose, and he did. Simple as that, an easy game plan for a game player.
Did you know anything about Pence his running mate? He has just been put in charge of Trumps ‘transition’ team, and in interviews from a couple of month ago Trump specifically stated he would be leaving much of his foreign and domestic policy to be run by Pence.
If Trump gets impeached/or has an accident you do know who the POTUS automatically falls to?
link to en.wikipedia.org
He ‘did’ win. In Clinton ‘losing’, he ‘won’.
So what exactly do ‘you’ think of Trump, it would appear you are suggesting as the culprits are the media who have ‘twisted’ this when it comes to ‘our’ view of him, there is another Trump that we don’t ‘know’ anything’ about?
What is your unique take on him and his ‘agenda’ now that he has ‘actually won’ yesindyref2?
@yesindyref2
You might like to be provocative, I prefer inclusive.
Yesindyref2 @ 12.37
It’s no so much the MSM and what they say about Trump.
It’s the alternative right wing media from a couple of years back.
At that point that was where he first started doing interviews and floating the idea of running for President.
They were pretty friendly to him and a lot of the stuff attributed to him was from his own mouth,build a wall ect.
Who knows if he really means it or not but he was saying it.
Thepnr,
Well said, I personally find it a very grown up trait, being inclusive and all!
😉
Has anyone got the link for the brain Family crowd funding. I don’t seem to be able to find it and only two days left, Thanks.
@yesindyref2
K1 says it all at 12.53am, we saw the goddamn footage of what he said! Unless, that stuff was a mock up. He has numerous lawsuits outstanding against him, causing some to comment, one of them might cut him off at the knees.
Really disagree with your comment about Nicola and foreign policy. She came to global attention immediately post EU ref.
for her very assured handling of our position in Europe.
Scotland is now regarded as a separate place from England, with a very different set of politicians, culture and priorities, in the eyes of EU.
I always had reservations about wearing the red poppy–mainly because of its association with the Haig fund. Haig that idiot donkey that sent millions of young men over the top to their deaths.
Why should I wear something that memorialises that arsehole’s name?
Don’t–I mean DON’T–misunderstand what I am saying here. I profoundly respect those men and women who fought and died to protect and preserve my freedom. Our freedom. That is an absolute given.
What I simply cannot abide is the despicable politicisation of their sacrafice by the British state. Wear a black armband with a poppy to show your respect. Wear it not and you will demonstrate disrespect.
No. Again–no. Those men and women who died in all of those wars died to PRESERVE OUR FREEDOM; to preserve our right to object to and reject the British state’s politicisation of their ultimate sacrafice.
I reject that–utterly. I will wear a poppy (most likely a white poppy) to honour those who fought and died to give me the freedom to have an opinion of my own. They did not fight and die in order for us to be TOLD what to do and how to act by the British state. I will NEVER wear a poppy because the British state simply expects it of me for that is the complete antithesis of what the ultimate sacrifice of thse who died foe us actually meant.
Wearing of the poppy does not equte to demonstrating your Britishness and it never should. But that is where the British state is taking it and is supported in that endeavour by the BBC.
They are trying to equate the wearing of the poppy with your Britishness and thus you are compelled to demonstrate your Britishness by wearing the red poppy. Well sorry to disappoint but I will wear a poppy (a white poppy) to commemorate those who fought and died for me but it will have absolutely FUCK ALL to do with Britishness.
‘Cause I am Scottish. And I resent British imperialist wars killing our people.
Just sayin’.
Look I don’t want the thread to be ‘hijacked’ by this. The issue I have wi Trump is much like the same issue that has happened with Brexit, to bring this back into our context.
Trumps ‘game’ has opened the door to allowing extreme ‘right’ wingers of the Republican party into the forefront of US politics. In exactly the same way that Cameron by allowing himself to be ‘pushed’ into giving us the EU ref because of the Tory internecine war over Europe that has dominated their party for decades, allowed Brexit to happen in the UK context. May is UKIP lite at the moment, but the more this ‘hard/soft’ Brexit issue gets cooked the more emboldened the likes of Farage and his mirror counterparts in the Tory party are going to become.
We ‘are’ fortunate in Scotland. We have what I term the ‘thin Saltire line’ protecting us from the worst excesses of the incumbent Tory UK gov. Nicola is attempting a path to secure our EU citizenship and to do that she is sending out clear and unequivocal signals of where Scotland’s polity sits within the political spectrum. It would have been an act of ‘phoniness’ on her part if she had not answered a direct question ‘truthfully’.
People like Farage, Trump, May et al are the real bullshitters, just as you outlined yesindyref2. They can say anything they ‘like’ cause it’s a ‘game’ for them. Well it’s not a game for her as far as I can see. She responded in an appropriate manner that befits her own political credentials. If she had come out with some disingenuous pish…then it really is the same old same old that we are ‘backing’ here in Scotland.
Let’s agree to differ and let this be an end to this moaning about what she coulda/shoulda/mibbee/if only ‘had’ said/not said.
@ Proud Cybernat says, 13 November, 2016 at 1:29 am
Up to you dude they died for your freedom of expression, which most would have appreciated your imagurs 🙂
Wear a poppy (Red one or a White one) or don’t wear one.
Wear yer ribbons and tin or don’t.
Bottom line is how you commemorate those who fought and died for you and the rest o’us has absolutely f*ck all to do with any one else but you.
Long as you made it count for you and yours mate, that’s all that matters.
Each to their own.
I choose not to believe in religion, I choose not to wear a poppy, I choose to ignore my betters in the media, I choose to ignore the advice of politicians that lie.
Therein lies freedom. I choose Independence.
I choose to believe in your right of expression @ Thepnr says at 2:05 am
I believe in your personal freedom.
I also choose Independence.
Sorry, bit maudlin’ been drinkin’
Meg Merrilees @ 1.23
Sarah @ 9.43 farther up the thread is saying that the link to the Brain family is on just giving crowdfunder.
@Jockanese Wind Talker
Who husnae. 🙂
I’ll leave you with this. Independence will only be won by converting some that voted No last time.
Obvious eh! That’s our job, no more no less. Have a good kip.
@ Thepnr says at 2:31 am
The fact your Outlaw has changed from NO to YES gives hope more have/will change.
Polls appear to be rigged but we must be at least 55% YES right now 🙂
Trump called Mexico 3rd I believe in the list of countries Egypt, Ireland, Mexico, Israel, Turkey, India, Japan, Australia and South Korea – then the UK. I kind of doubt it was to ask Mexico for a down-payment on the wall. My guess is to say something like “It was all election rhetoric”, but time will tell. Nobody knows.
EU – yes, she was superb in the EU, but the visits weren’t made to interfere in their elections – or endorse one candidate over another. A very poor mistake to make.
@Thepnr – provocative used in the context (Cambridge Dictionary) “causing thought about interesting subjects: [e.g.] The programme will take a detailed and provocative look at the problem of homelessness.”
Inclusive is good.
@K1
I have as little idea of what Trump will do in office as the media does – or any of us. He’s not in office yet. Hopefully he’s less likely to cause a Third World War leading to hundreds of millions of deaths, disease, starvation and poverty (a lot more than now) than Clinton would have been.
Anyway, there’s another article now, from Paul Hutchoen of all people. He mentions Sturgeon, Dugdale, Davidson and the “£3.9bn worth of goods were exported to US, Scotland’s biggest market outside the UK.” in 2014. He also suggests “Sturgeon will have to walk a fine line between principle and realpolitik”. I agree. With Paul Hutcheon of all people. And Phillips O’Brien. And John Peterson. At last people are speaking out, hopefully in time to avoid permanent damage to Scottish-US relations, so that’s all from me about this!
link to archive.is
@yesindyref
Do you stand by your own words. “Sturgeon needs to grow up” If you do please tell me in what way she should grow up.
I’m all ears.
Paul Sturrock ?
I’m with Nicola on this one. Yes, ok, there’s the why back Clinton side to answer, but….
What message would it send to world if Nicola had ignored and Trump’s racism, misogyny, outright ignorance and arrogance, and said nothing about his rank unsuitability as a potential US President? The guy is a nutter who wants the Mexicans to build a wall to keep their own illegal immigrants from entering the US. He wants to ban Muslims from entering America, and join forces with Russia to flatten the Middle East. You really think a Scottish First Minister should turn a blind eye, keep mum just in case the nutter gets lucky and wins?
I want Scotland to be one of the few countries in the world to do what is right, not merely expedient. It fills me with delight that the prick Farage was given the thoroughly frosty reception he richly deserved when he tried to peddle his filthy xenophobic agitation here in Scotland. Well done Scotland. But even then the BBC slimeball manipulators saw Coburn elected to shame Scotland in Europe.
Farage and Trump are both hedonist con men who thrive on their capacity to get what they want unhindered by any qualms about morality or conscience. If the UK and US media had a fraction of the true grit and integrity of Scotland’s FM, Farage would be a forgotten nobody noisily pickling his bitter liver in obscurity, Trump would have thrown his money down the drain even trying to become a Presidential nominee, and the two fuckwit countries of England and US would not be skipping down the road to ruin egged on and emboldened by one another’s blythe stupidity.
Come to think of it, more rigorous scrutiny from the media, the likes of John Pilger for example, and perhaps Clinton would also have missed the cut too, different blend of unsuitability, but still too toxic for the Whitehouse.
The world might draw small comfort from the fact this “special” relationship between the US and UK for now seems curiously intent on self harm this time around, rather than their usual Pressing desire for bombing the shit out of some other country, but be in no doubt, these are dangerous lunatics are running the asylum. They are comfortable and at ease with rank stupidity.
If the US and UK want to get a room and pursue the antisocial isolationism of joint pariah status, then Hell mend them. I want no part of it. I want to stay in Europe, open, inclusive, and progressive. Not Noddyland, blinkered, hate fuelled, ignorant and xenophobic.
When they go, I hope they take their rancid corrupt media circus with them. It is a disease on progressive society and I want Europe cured of it.
Links
link to thelachatupdate.com
Want and need to hear more like this
link to facebook.com
link to politico.eu
link to zelo-street.blogspot.co.uk
link to euobserver.com
link to davidhencke.com
link to ibtimes.co.uk
link to theintercept.com
Nana:
Good Morning Nana,nice and early this morning,thank you.Kettle’s on.
Breeks
Everything you want requires the respect of human rights. Sustainable, enabling solutions can be found.
There is no template for life, no ideology of truth. The future can be what you shape it to be but only if you have access to the means of articulating that ambition.
link to un.org
US2016 election so exceptional that FM had to stand up against a toxic tide.
If maintaining SCOT-US relations means rolling over & allowing the proto fascist agenda to flourish then count me out. Do you really want the new prez supporting Indyref2?
Rumoured new US cabinet looking like a Moodie cartoon.
On Remembrance Sunday the bbc Marr show plan to show a pre-recorded interview with fascist Le Pen. How sickening.
Why are people paying a licence fee for the bbc to push their anti EU hate agenda and why aren’t politicians condemning them.
Is there anyone in Scotland prepared to call for a boycott.
Respect of human rights is fundamentally and intrinsically linked to the protection of environmental quality and the achievement of sustainable solutions to real-world needs and requirements.
link to un.org
I despair. Nana.
Give me break folks, these are from memory and I’m still note sure I nailed it here. This is social science theory man. And woman Reg. 🙂
…………..
link to un.org
Winstone Churchill was not a very nice man.
He’s up there with Henry VIII.
Already have Nana : )
It’s funny, I have felt for some time that there are posters on here that the jury is still out on, nothing has changed to make me think any different.
Yesindyref2; ““Sturgeon should take lessons in grown-up statecraft when it comes to Trump”. She does indeed need to learn some more statecraft. She’s genuine, but that’s not always good enough, not in foreign relations.”
I have no idea what it is your are trying to uphold, nor, I suspect, do you for it’s not you doing the thinking but McKenna doing it for you.
The remark is childish, insulting, calculated to demean.
Appeasement is appeasement. There are no shades of grey.
The MSM will always support the most powerful in society. They have already begun to elevate Marine Le Pen and talk of Farage as a ‘major’ UK politician. It is not that Farage is bold or clever, it is that Cameron and the Labour party were weak and ineffectual.
‘The Crown’ looks SHIT.
Pile of extra posh luvvies piling in on the propaganda, fictional re-write of the THE WORLDS RICHEST CULT.
@louis.b.argyll,
I would go much, much further than to say Churchill was not a nice man. When you look at his wiki page, it seems to have espunged his involvement with the disaster that was Gallipoli.
The mere fact that he felt that he needed another £500 a year ON TOP OF his £300 a year salary as a second Lieutenant just to maintain the equivalent lifestyle of his fellow officers just epitomises the “Lions led by donkeys” opinion of the officer class back around the turn of the century.
Much to my regret, we never in these British Isles managed to get rid of the ruling elite in the manner of the French.
Well said, GB @ 9.43.
I would be affronted to say I agree with Paul Hutcheon.
No coincidence these A holes are all demeaning the FM on the same theme, and advocating rolling out the red carpet for Trump.
Fascists on TV before the Cenotaph? (the ultimate non political moment)
F.ck you Andrew Marr and f.ck your producer and f.ck the BBC Trust.
I can’t take it any more.
My reserve is crumbling, respect should be earned..the opposite is being pushed in our faces.
Resisting hatred without anger is tricky.
The BBC IS THE MODERN GESTAPO.
It’s funny, I have felt for some time that there are posters on here that the jury is still out on, nothing has changed to make me think any different.
Stu has always advocated an open comments policy. Provided they stick to the rules, Unionists have always been allowed to comment here too, It’s just that, with a few exceptions from time to time, they choose not to.
One_scot 9:23
The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.
Pithy, but true, question everything and everyone, including me, that is why you have a brain.
If there is a global swing to the right, as seems likely..why has it accelerated?
Greed, one of the seven deadly sins, has been normalised by capitalism.
Fear of losing face, pride, is being used by RACIST MODERATES never mind the far right.
There is no glory in winning a war, just sidelined, paused, hatred and misery..kept warm FOR THE NEXT WAR.
The British Army is a f.cking disgrace.
One Scot,
So have you two placed yourself on this jury, as bad as anything you fear.
Who’s judging..
Trump is incapable of empathy
That is the classic warning sign of his pathology.
There are Americans against him rioting in the streets and we here suggest our democratically elected representative should use grown up language in foreign affairs?
Here it is: Trump is a fascist. He will encourage other fascists to share power with him. Your rights are in danger of disappearing altogether. He has adherents and admirers in power in the UK.
Trump told us all of that we need to know during his election. An election is where a candidate shows his hand and his character. Proven dangerous and an ass, his term of office is not another period in which he is given time to show his hand and character, and we all hope it might be the opposite to what we have seen and heard
He is what he has proved to be.
Richard Dannatt, ex British Commander-in Chief on Marr this morning pushing his new book, revealed that since the second world war Britain has been in conflict every year except one. British troops have died every year except 1968.
He also stated that if Trump weakens NATO this will be an “opportunity” for Britain to take the lead in Europe. Defence spending will have to be raised, which of course will cost money. With falling revenues due to Brexit, where will the money come from? Who will pay the bill? I think we already know the answer.
louis.b.argyll
The Anglo/American pact has been moving to the right for decades mate, in a planned fashion. The steering wheel might have just come loose though.
John H: “Richard Dannatt, ex British Commander-in Chief on Marr”
If peace was to break out across the globe we can be certain generals will make a plea for more spending on weapons of war, just to be on the safe side.
To return to the article for a second, then we can get back to navel gazing, looks like Scottish government have a gentleman in their midst whom, to put it politely may not be fully supportive of the aim of the understanding, rather he is more interested in playing silly games.
Tick tick, Tocqueville, as they say in China.
We must stand-fast in our rejection of hatred.
We must stand-up for minorities in our communities.
Otherwise we ALL LOSE.
CameronB Brodie says 10:33 am
louis.b.argyll
The Anglo/American pact has been moving to the right for decades mate, in a planned fashion. The steering wheel might have just come loose though.
Rudderless fascism is a terrifying reality, matched in effectiveness by complicit media and markets.
Ed Balls – the duff puff pastry Labour shadow chancellor who told Scotland to go to hell – cavorts to Gangnam style on Strictly Ballroom.
Nobody will convince me we are a civilised nation.
It saddens me to read this very long trail of condemnation of a piece in the Times .Now let me be plain that most of the comments regarding the hypocrisy of the paper involved and the hypocrisy of both the opposition in Holyrood and indeed the British government are in the main well deserved. However the one thing missing from all this vehement condemnation ( and I admit I haven’t read all of it)is actual comment on the substance of the piece ,which was comment on the advisability of a head of state making the comments that Nicola made.
Now let me be very clear that at no time during the American election process did I support Donald Trump and anyone who had read my blogs on the subject will have seen that and I in fact said much the same as Nicola did. (and probably a lot more)The difference is of couse that I am a private individual and Nicola is the elected leader of the Scottish people.
I have a great many American friends including some who are very close to the American political scene and indeed many who are republicans. I have had many debates with them regarding the suitability of Donald Trump as a candidate to the most powerful position on the planet. I predicted that if Trump became the candidate he would be humiliated and the republican movement would be virtually destroyed as a consequence.</