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The dog too big to see

Posted on September 14, 2017 by

This was Scottish Tory uberdunce Jamie Greene a few weeks ago, bitterly attacking the SNP for spending £22,000 on consulting the public over a policy on which the party won a landslide victory in the 2016 Holyrood election.

You might think that a government pursuing the manifesto policies it was elected on was a pretty legitimate thing to do, especially when it was asking voters for their views in order to shape that policy. Perhaps Greene was confused because the Tories have been acting as if they, not the SNP, won the election. But that raises another question.

Because if he’s so concerned about elections and public expenditure, you’d think he’d have something pretty strong to say about this:

£140m is a little bit over 6,360 times as much money as £22,000. (If you include the £1.5bn bung to the DUP that the election cost taxpayers, it’s almost 75,000 times as much.) And the Tories’ 2015 election manifesto certainly didn’t mention anything about having another completely unnecessary election two years later.

We’ve been scouring the papers and the internet all morning, but we haven’t found any comment from Jamie Greene about this utterly pointless waste of taxpayers’ funds  by his party. We’re sure he’s furious, though, so we’ll bring it to you as soon as we do.

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Betty Boop

They can’t see anything, especially hypocrisy, because they are spinning too fast.

Desimond

Do as we say
Not as we do

Proud Cybernat

Tories – all spin and nae brain. They seem to live in a pre-digital age where they could get away with such risible pish.

John Russell

£140,000,000 for an election is against the pale as far as I am concerned. It was Theresa May who called this election believing that she would win it. She and her two pals who were wrongly advising her should contribute to towards the £140m not the taxpayer.

Get rid of this woman before she ruins the country. She was not good as Home Secretary and she is worse as Prime Minister

Doug Daniel

£22,000 is about £3,000 less than it cost to hold the Fortissat by-election in North Lanarkshire that was caused by a Tory refusing to take his seat on the council.

By a stunning coincidence, £3,000 is also how much Ruth Davidson got paid to write that article about how fantastic capitalism is.

Maybe Jamie could have a word with her and get her to make up the difference?

Alex Clark

By Jamie Green’s figures the cost of the Scottish Government indyref2 consultation to the Scottish electorate was less than 0.5p per person.

The cost to the UK electorate of an unneeded election was £3.06 per person excluding the necessary DUP bung to keep the Tories in power which would bring the total cost to £35.83 per person.

Valua for money? Who is Jamie Green accusing of wasting taxpayers money? Oh yes the SNP and not the real wasters.

Macart

Same shit, different day from the Tories. They’re so damn ignorant and arrogant at this point they’re not even pretending anymore.

Ricey

Bullseye Macart. These people will stop at nothing to bulldoze through their agenda. They believe they are untouchable. Lies and arrogance make a dangerous mixture. Every falsehood, every lie, every devious plan from this idiotic bunch of chancers needs exposing every time.

Robert Graham

A real unacceptable waste of money are all the Tory List msps ,who very few people voted for and we can’t get rid of ,sitting on their arses in a parliament they don’t and never wanted .
It’s not as if they contribute to the running of the parliament, their only contribution is moan moan moan, some of their statements and questions are at best childish at worst downright idiotic, it seems apart from being the most vocal this ,habit of desk top thumping in unison appears to be the only thing they have mastered, just following the lead from the clowns at Westminster, who really treat the whole thing as some kind of jolly game .

galamcennalath

The Rev says

Tories’ 2015 election manifesto certainly didn’t say anything about having another completely unnecessary election two years later.

However, on the EU the 2015 Conservative Election Manifesto, page 74 did say ….

“We are clear about what we want from Europe. We say: yes to the Single Market.“

… quite explicit. Still, when did the Tories ever keep a promise? Opportunist scumbags who will say anything to garner votes.

Abulhaq

A gentle reminder of North Sea oil, Westminster governments’ clueless handling of, Mr Green?

mogabee

He’ll be livid. Sure they’ll all be livid.

Meanwhile, we can all agree that Jamie is a plonker…

Street Andrew

I think Theresa May will have to produce a better bung to the police forces PDQ or they might just stop dragging their feet on the Tory election expenses (alleged) malpractice.

This Tory government is getting to be really expensive. particularly since it has no idea which way is up.

galamcennalath

The Tories really are ignorant and arrogant. Jacob Rees-Mogg in an LBC phone-in this morning ….

” To have charitable support given by people voluntarily to support their fellow-citizens I think is rather uplifting and shows what a good, compassionate country we are.

Inevitably, the state can’t do everything, so I think that there is good within food banks.

The real reason for the rise in numbers is that people know that they are there and Labour deliberately didn’t tell them. “

Laugh? Cry? Or punch the wall?

Dr Jim

Yeah but is he worse than Annie Wells or about the same

Postcards?

PhilM

Only £22k?!! For a national consultation!
These people are amateurs!
Someone needs to speak to John Lamont Office Supplies or the gastronome John Lamont or perhaps John Lamont Holy Land Travel Group or John Lamont Printing Services or John Lamont Gold-Plated Paperclip Co. or John Lamont Taxis or…you get my drift…

It’s funny how much Tories hate how others “waste” public money but love to spend it themselves…in very creative ways it has to be said!

Sinky

Ruth Davidson repeating claim that Scottish Government cut 4000 teacher jobs when it was in mainly Labour held council areas.

Macart

@galamcennalath

I know what I’d rather punch. If I’m going to break my hand, it’ll be doing something worthwhile for everyone.

Robert Graham

Given the information passed around on this site by some very good contributors, I bet most people supporting this site could run rings round every one of these Tory clowns, we know at best every one of them are chancers , I used to come across the same clowns in business, especially in the hospitality line restaurants etc , they were great at running their business using other people’s money, trades that enabled them to trade in the first place were often the last two be paid, the amount of time wasted chasing them was really bloody annoying, and a lot of them took great offence being asked for surety before work commenced, it was nothing personal just the actions of a certain type of let’s call them business men or women , or by their more appropriate name Chancers .

dakk

Good to know you are still on this useless little runt’s case Stu.

Keep up the good work.

There’s plenty more where he comes from.

euan0709

Hi Guys…Although this comment is Off Topic, I think its something the Wingers should know about.
Yesterday the BBC Shortbread web site allowed comments on John Masons Skye Bridge statement.
I commented that
” While I agree that it was a silly thing for anyone to say. Why do BBC Shortbread not allow comments on more important. Is this because it was an SNP MSP making a silly comment? I would have thought that BBC Shortbread would have covered the attacks on Democracy in Catalonia by the Spanish. But then I remembered that London would not like it..
A few hours later I received an E-Mail from the BBC telling me that “I had broken the House Rules”

HandandShrimp

The fact that May paid £140m to smack her own face with a rake handle has to go down as one of the political ironies of the 21st century (although American working class heroes voting Trump and the UK voting to leave the EU are strong contenders).

HandandShrimp

Euan

Criticising BBC Scotland is verboten. You are lucky they didn’t send someone round to shoot you in the face.

The senior management team in the newsroom determine what is news and what is not. SNPbaaad is always top billing, no matter how lame or contrived the spin to make it look SNPbaaad.

However, we shouldn’t be blind to the fact that this sort of news management affects all aspects of news information and just about everything we read has been spun, manipulated and lied about…throw into the mix incompetence and lazy journalism and it is amazing that the day of the week is correct (although sometimes that may be wrong too).

Robert Peffers

Here we go again, Colonel Bogie is on her feet accusing the SG as responsible for the shortage of teachers of mathematics.

Does the daft dumpling not realise the SG doesn’t employ teachers? It is the local council education boards who employ teachers. The councils with shortages are almost always under Labour, Tory or, ludicrously, joint Labour/Tory control.

She must imagine voters are unaware where the faults really lie. The voters have elected an SNP Scottish Government for quite a considerable time over more recent years.

Now we have Roweley now wanting Scotland to install sprinklers in high rise buildings based upon reports relevant to England. Does he not know that Scottish High rise buildings are compelled to install high pressure hydrants at each level in high buildings and that is the main problem in the English higher buildings. It is not the absence of sprinklers it is the absence of water pressure.

No doubt that sprinklers do the job but sprinklers also have drawbacks. The main one being that in the event of a fire in one apartment the sprinklers in at least the whole number of flats on that whole level come on and thus destroy the furnishings and fittings of at least one entire level.

Rennie seems to have been briefed by his leader – Colonel Bogie.

Robert Peffers

Rennie seems to have been briefed by his leader – Colonel Bogie for FMQs.

Ian McCubbin

The total hypocrisy of Tories is unending. I put it down to sheer propaganda.

ronnie anderson

He should be grateful for his seat in Holyrood cause he’d be lost in the backdrop of his Green and pleasant land .

Garve

Remember, a short time after calling this elections Theresa May told a nurse that “there is no magic money tree”.

galamcennalath

Ian McCubbin says:

The total hypocrisy of Tories is unending. I put it down to sheer propaganda.

They live in a wee elitist world and put up a facade of being normal folks. It’s all smoke and mirrors. And as they move further and further to the right the disconnect between the respectable outward appearance and the inner nutter seems to increase.

Some of them are better than others at keeping up their guard and hiding their true nature, opinions, and attitudes. Some don’t seem to care, like Rees-Mogg, and yet still get away with it all.

[…] Wings Over Scotland The dog too big to see This was Scottish Tory uberdunce Jamie Greene a few weeks ago, bitterly attacking the […]

Proud Cybernat

It’s a curious thing to see what we are experiencing with MSM propaganda here in Scotland is not unique. A perspective from the US:

“Clearly the only valuable part of MSM media sites is in the comments section which debunks 90% of the articles published. Popular Science was so overwhelmed by people bringing facts into many of their articles that the site shut off its comments section.”

Remind you of anything?

link to dollarvigilante.com

Jack Murphy

OT. I see Ruth Davidson is on about teachers in Scotland at First Minister’s Questions.

Here’s some interesting facts for her in The Guardian about teachers this year down in England:

“…..In a separate report on Tuesday, the government’s spending watchdog, the National Audit Office, said secondary schools in England were struggling to recruit enough teachers to keep up with retiring staff and rising pupil numbers.

Tens of thousands of teachers left England’s schools before reaching retirement age last year, and headteachers are finding it difficult to fill posts with good quality candidates……….”

link to archive.is

Undeadshuan

Sorry for being offtopic

But bank of England purchased £435 billion in Government bonds and £10 billion in corporate bonds.

Scotlands share if taken at 8% would be £54 billion.

link to bankofengland.co.uk

Street Andrew

The danger with clowns like Rees-Mogg is that everybody laughs at them then suddenly they are in the White House.

Gary45%

Tory= FU*KWIT.
No surprise.

Dr Jim

FMs questions Where Nicola Sturgeon was wrong footed everywhere on everything (Bryan Taylor and Chums say)

But let’s not talk about that too much because Ruth Davidson won all that, let’s talk about the election of the party who came in third’s new shiny leader says Toodle ooh the Noo because he’s going to be the First Minister claims the supporters of both of these failed politicians, and let’s spin it out till November for maximum Telly and press coverage

What we don’t want to talk about is anything substantive like the Tories wrecking the, well everything really and undermining the Scottish parliament

That would never do

Petra

This guy, Jamie Green, is making a right fool of himself. It would take from now to doomsday, even using the over 1000 Civil Servants involved in the Brexit money wasting fiasco, to list the money that Westminster parties have squandered over time. Suffice to say it must run into hundreds of trillions of pounds.

And on the subject of the numbers of (Brexit) Civil Servants being employed, as per Tommy Sheppard’s recent report, it would be interesting to ascertain Scotland’s share of the Civil Service bill in pounds, shillings and pence; not percentage of. The Brexit that we Scots, in the main, didn’t vote for. And then there’s Scotland’s share of the divorce bill …….!!

……………

@ Street Andrew at 11:37am …. “I think Theresa May will have to produce a better bung to the Police Forces..”

I read somewhere that she won’t be ‘bunging’ them anything at all SA, that they’ve been told to find the money from their own budgets. That’s the Police Forces across England that have had to cut over 20,000 jobs already.

……………

@ Robert P at 12.21pm ……. “She (Davidson) must imagine voters are unaware of where the faults really lie.”

Well you know Robert I reckon that Davidson (et al) is spot on with this and uses it to great effect, because in my experience most people, the VAST majority of people that I’ve come across in my travels, don’t have a clue in Scotland when it comes to knowing about how much control over powers (and which ones) Westminster has versus Holyrood and Holyrood has versus the Local Councils. And if I’m correct this is one of the first things that has to be dealt with because it contributes greatly, IMO, to the MSM getting away with their continual SNP Baad stories / lies on a daily basis and people believing them.

Capella

I thought Ruth Davidson sounded hysterical in FMQs and Nicola dealt with her very deftly. Alex Rowely was as lugubrious as ever. Willie Rennie tried to summon up some faux outrage like Ruth but couldn’t really keep it up. Can’t remember what the Green’s point was.

So no doubt that Nicola was well on top of her brief and fit for all of them. Brian Taylor must have been reading from a pre-written script.

Legerwood

O/T
But I thought you might like this.
Polly Toynbee in the Guardian saying the BBC’s political influence is weak.

link to archive.is

Dr Jim

Andrew Tickell is a well educated clever man and we know this because he goes to great lengths to inform us of that fact every single solitary day, and will likely keep on doing it till the end of time until we understand fully that when he talks pish at least it’s educated pish

So pay attention and bow down to his pishy superiority plebs

New book: How to talk Pish while saying nothing

Brian Powell

Capella

Brian Taylor always does, it’s his brief and has been since 2006.

galamcennalath

Capella says:

Brian Taylor must have been reading from a pre-written script.

The BBC report/response to FM QT will be compiled on the afternoon before. After all, they will know all the opposition questions in advance and can fill in the blanks with some SNPBaaad guff.

Petra

Isn’t it amazing how the system works in Scotland now. A Head of School in Scotland writes to parents in an attempt to employ teacher assistants (strange, eh, with so many on the dole?). Someone then invites the BBC to visit the school. The BBC ‘twist’ the story by saying that the Head of School wrote to parents seeking to employ them to teach math in classrooms. Additionally used two school pupils (Head not interviewed) to complain (well rehearsed) about the shortage of math teachers right across the country. It’s then reported in newspapers, such as the Scotsman, and becomes a key subject for debate in Holyrood / FMQs.

We’ve seen it all before of course with politicians such as Dugdale using individual NHS patients complaints whilst advertising for people who have a gripe against the SNHS to get in touch with them, with many newspapers following suit.

This is what we’re paying for folks. A bunch of lazy, conniving politicians sitting on their backsides at Holyrood doing not one whit for the betterment of the Scots / Scotland. Sitting cawing from the sidelines trying to undermine everything that the SNP attempt to do whilst offering nought constructive to deal with genuine challenges. It’s high time they bucked up or got out.

orri

This is the same bullshit Cameron used when justifying the Fixed Term Parliament Act. There’s already rumours about extending the current Westminster term well beyond 5 years. Perhaps this is part of the groundwork.

Consulting the people costs money. Generally those moaning about the cost don’t want an answer they don’t like, or the answer they got. £140 million is cheap to hold an election. The cost of the 2014 independence referendum cost less per head in Scotland.

More to the point the “waste” of money seems not to have dampened the resolve to hold another referendum.

Ken500

All politicians should retire at the Official retirement age, except in exceptional circumstance. One Rule /Law for the population/taxpayers, Another one for Westminster ignorant incompetents above the Law that they make, which is not being unforced. Not used as a retirement subsidy.

The House of Lords absolutely no power, just to delay should be abolished.

Robert Graham

Right on Cue , BBC in Scotland lunchtime propaganda bit, schools first, then the catastrophic health situation, day and daily taking on the role of opposition .
Maybe as they seem so confused and concerned about the governance of Scotland, the BBC should run the country, Yes maybe just once they might highlight the restrictions and restraints the Scottish government operate under, possibly they’ll pass on the true situation to their audience .

And and pigs will fly over Pacific heights ,once hell freezes over, real easy to carp when you don’t actually have to do anything, like run a country for an ungrateful bunch of bloody moaners . Daily fed junk to assist more bloody moans . And so the cycle goes on one feeding the other .

Jack Collatin

Jackson Carlaw laughing his fat fucking face off again today at Holyrood. Davidson at his side finding it all so hysterically funny. Brian Taylor Toodle OO-ing in harmony to the Brit Nat tune. Don’t mention Brexit or Blue Tory Austerity Cuts. It’s all Nicola Sturgeon’s fault, the mismanagement of Health, Education, Law and Order.
The thousands of overpaid Local Authority civil servants, councillors, Health Board members, University Chancellors, EIS shop stewards, have no accountability for poor succession planning in teaching, providing joined up care of our elderly, mental health issues.

It’s all Nicola Sturgeon’s fault because Wullie Rennie and the Rotund Baillie say so, and the BBC Unionist Commentariat confirm on a daily basis.
The SNP are shite, time for Queen Ruth to take over.

Education shortages. It’s NS ‘fault, not COSLA’s, not the 32 LA Directors of Education on footballers’ wages (most of whom are Unionist appointments) it’s not the Teacher Trainer colleges fault, not our Universities, nor our teachers’ Unions, or the Red Blue and Yellow Tory WM cuts to Education, Health, and so on.
It’s Nicola Sturgeon’s fault.
Carlaw fresh from 9 weeks doing nothing but collecting £1400 a week in wages, tweets his grievance that the SNP are always in search of a grievance.
This man and the List of Unionist Brit Nat hangers on, are a waste of oxygen.
Now’s the time. We must declare Independence now, and flush this load of disruptive malicious lying Brit Nat mouthpieces down the toilet.

Proud Cybernat

Happy, smiley Ruth’s mask slips (yet again):

link to imgur.com

She is one nasty, nasty piece of work.

Capella

Watch Nicola Sturgeon being “wrong footed” ( says Brian Taylor) today at FMQs.
Ignore the mendacious BBC.

link to scottishparliament.tv

Robert Graham

Tory mp admonished after being found out failing to register an interest in the area he had just asked two written Questions on , the excuse given was it was an honest mistake by a new member of staff,
Aye try the same trick at any job centre, of course they will be very helpful and only suspend payment of what ever benefits being claimed , for four weeks instead of the usual eight , as anyone can’t use ignorance of the law as a defence , what makes this Tory any different .
Answers on a stamp, and don’t expect a reply .

Scott

euan0709 says:

14 September, 2017 at 12:12 pm

Hi Guys…Although this comment is Off Topic, I think its something the Wingers should know about.
Yesterday the BBC Shortbread web site allowed comments on John Masons Skye Bridge statement.

Funny how we are not allowed comments on this.

Tory MSP Alexander Burnett admonished by standards committee

Euan you and the rest might be interested from BBC Head of Public Policy & Corporate Affairs

Asked about restoring the trust in BBC Scotland this is the reply I got.

Thank your note, as below, which has been passed to me for my attention. I’m sorry you continue to feel that BBC is inaccurately reflecting the work of the SNP/Scottish Government. However I’m afraid that I cannot agree with you on this point. It is the responsibility of the BBC to report fairly and without favour, holding to account, on behalf of viewers and listeners, those who hold the reins of power and make decisions which affect all of our lives. That was – and continues to be – the principle which underpins our journalism.

ScottishPsyche

It is really all about the sense of perspective. For Tories, they cannot see what the fuss is about regarding a power grab or democratic deficiency. Everything is about plebs having to do the penny-pinching and the UK government is allowed to maintain the sense of order they believe to be correct and unassailable.

Grievance, as we all know, can be more than justified but the word has been hijacked to mean an unjustified complaint by Unionists. No one is allowed to point out the unfairness of the system because we are seen to be complaining about a system that is fine because it works for them.

Lack of empathy is what is always at the core of any Tory and it pervades every area of their being. For Tories, no one should not be able to cope or not manage, it is just personal weakness at the core of failure and failure is always defined by levels of wealth or power.

If you complain against those who have power over you it is grievance mongering.

colin alexander

Time will tell if it was a waste of money.

Autumn 2018 is the date when an announcement of indyref2 is meant to happen.

Unless it’s deferred again.

If it is, not only will the £22k have been a waste, so will years of voting SNP.

But, let’s not be negative. Maybe the SNP will change and start campaigning Scotland’s sovereignty to be exercised and respected.

Maybe they will start campaigning for independence and lead a better campaign than last time.

Maybe the majority will support independence next time.

Maybe.

Dr Jim

The BBC tells lies and we know this because the BBC have told us they do on many occasions at the command and request of the government of the day
The BBC have even made programmes of how skillfully they have lied and produced propaganda on behalf of the government of the day, whether it be broadcasting lies to a foreign “enemy” or even constructing leaflets to be dropped on foreign “enemies”

So when the BBC insist yes we’ve lied in the past but we’re not lying now and we’re certainly not being devious or underhanded honest to God they’ve got a huge cheek and it’s insulting

Robert Peffers

@
HandandShrimp says:
14 September, 2017 at 12:21 pm

“… news management affects all aspects of news information and just about everything we read has been spun, manipulated and lied about…throw into the mix incompetence and lazy journalism and it is amazing that the day of the week is correct (although sometimes that may be wrong too).”

It is stone cold fact that, in the main, the BBC and the MSM in general get their news from on-line news agencies. The news agencies are the seekers out and reporters of the World’s news. The BBC no longer employ foreign correspondents as they once did. Thus anyone can access the news agency websites direct and get the facts at the same time, or even before the Westminster Propaganda broadcasters and dead tree lie sheet producers.

Any one remember the one time BBC programme – “Letter From America”, that featured Alastair Cooke? Well get this:-

When the BBC launched its on-line archive of Alistair Cooke’s Letter from America programmes in 2012, Paddy O’Connell, presenter of Radio 4’s Broadcasting House, asked if any listeners might have missing recordings of the programme from the 1970s and 80s.

Unbelievably, two men, Roy Whittaker from Cornwall, and David Henderson from Warwickshire, came forward with over 600 programmes the BBC hadn’t saved. They’d recorded the 14 minute programmes week after week, and labelled the tapes with broadcast dates.

Highlights from their recordings will be heard for the first time since they were broadcast, in “Letter from America: the 1970s” on Radio 4extra on Sunday 30th March. And all the archive programmes will soon be available here.

There are already over 900 archive recordings and transcripts of Cooke’s broadcasts on bbc.co.uk. The BBC partnered with Boston University’s Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Centre to create a unique linked archive – so you can see how Cooke crafted his scripts while listening to the programmes. But this is the story of how the most recently discovered lost recordings, taped by listeners, made it back on air.

So without realising it the BCC are basically telling their audiences that they no longer have people like Cooke out gathering news and they are making a big thing out of the fact.

Just by chance I came across this news agency today:-

link to monteaths.com

It surprised even old sceptic me with its blatant rip-off such a well known News Agency as Reuters but it gives you a right eye-opener of how the so called, “Journalists”, of today are cynically ripping off their employers and the public who still pay to read the stuff they cut & paste from the genuine News agencies and even the genuine news agencies are probably no more that Web based bot crawlers that scour the web automatically and report what they find to the News Agency website owners.

Click the link to see what I’m getting at.
There is a tabbed index set out in categories for the likes of wee Weetabix Face to cut & paste whatever they want to distort to earn their corn, (or should that be wheat), and they don’t even need to get out of bed to do it.

Hamish100

Colin Alexander

“Let’s not be negative”

Well that will be a first eh Colin.

Clapper57

Jamie adheres to the ‘Do as I say not as I do’ belief as demonstrated by most of his ‘partners in grime’ who are clearly displaying they are indeed more driven , in their actions and words, by the constitutional question than actual policies.

Perhaps Jamie, or Ruth, or the newly elected Scottish Tory warriors or even Mundell could explain why, as has been recently reported, a bespoke Brexit deal is necessary for London but not Scotland when we in Scotland were told no such deal possible as ‘WE VOTED AS THE UK’ on Brexit.

Perhaps a tweet on this very point would be pertinent from ANY Unionist politician of Scottish descent….MP or MSP….either would suffice…….I await with abated breath as to how they will manage to sell this as not hypocritical and contradictory to stance they stated to Scotland….i.e. a country not a city….and more so how it will be justified by Scottish unionist politicians…..I know the great socialist messiah Jeremy C will justify it ….his patch….innit….though I do appreciate ‘The single market’ not his strong point in the knowledge stakes….a bit hokey cokey is he not….in…out…doesn’t know what he’s talking about…. etc etc

Robert Peffers

@Garve says: 14 September, 2017 at 12:46 pm:

“Remember, a short time after calling this elections Theresa May told a nurse that “there is no magic money tree”.”

May, of course was telling the truth for once. There is no, “Magic Money Tree”.

What they actually do have is the Royal Mint, The Bank of England and very brightly polished brass necks. The process is to print out some extra bank notes for The Bank of England to issue into the public domain.

They call this process, previously called, “Inflation”, by a new term invented for that very purpose, “Quantitative Easing”.

This is defined as:-

Quantitative easing is an unconventional monetary policy in which a central bank purchases government securities or other securities from the market in order to lower interest rates and increase the money supply.

Petra

@ colin alexander says at 2:52 pm …. ” …. But, let’s not be negative. Maybe the SNP will change and start campaigning Scotland’s sovereignty to be exercised and respected. Maybe they will start campaigning for independence and lead a better campaign than last time. Maybe the majority will support independence next time. Maybe.”

MAYBE you should get off of your backside and do something POSITIVE FOR the Independence movement instead of constantly running down the only political party that’s capable of doing that for us. As if you didn’t know.

bjsalba

@Robert Peffers at 12:21pm

Youn said “She must imagine voters are unaware where the faults really lie.”

Going round canvassing has made me aware that a large portion of the electorate is appallingly uninformed about which part of government does what.

When canvassing with the MP candidate, he was on more than one occasion berated for not fixing the potholes in the road outside the voters’ houses. One voter told me that the SNP MSP candidate would never get her vote as SNP had cut her son’s disability benefits. The local ward councillor was called out for not indicating what currency Scotland would use in the event of a YES vote for Independence.

Moreover, it is not just the voters. On one occasion, a (Labour) candidate for the Local authority said that he would abolish the Bedroom Tax.

And don’t get me started on what people know and don’t know about the EU.

So yes,
She knows that. She relies on that. She (and the MSM) work hard to keep it that way.

Robert Peffers

@Petra says: 14 September, 2017 at 1:21 pm:

( @ Robert P at 12.21pm ……. )

“Well you know Robert I reckon that Davidson (et al) is spot on with this and uses it to great effect, because in my experience most people, the VAST majority of people that I’ve come across in my travels, don’t have a clue in Scotland when it comes to knowing about how much control over powers (and which ones) Westminster has versus Holyrood and Holyrood has versus the Local Councils.”

Of course you are correct, Petra.

However, what I’ve been attempting to get across to Wingers, and in particular the those Wingers with their drip! Drip! Drip! of, “The SNP should ….”, and , “The SNP aren’t doing …”, mantras is that it is NOT the SG’s job to do so.

They are the Government and must thus stick by the rules that constrain them. Not only that but governments, per se, don’t do such things for that is what Civil Servants are employed to do – i.e. carry out the orders of their employers, (who are the government), but the SG is a devolved government and their civil service is paid by Westminster.

So the job of the education of the uninformed members of the public is the job, of the SNP as a political party, and the SNP is a bottom up party not a top down organisation.

In a broader sense it is the Job of the entire YES movement to carry the word to Joe & Josephine Public s the YES movement is not only much bigger but includes most, if not all SNP members.

That’s what I’ve been getting at for weeks now. Time for Wingers to stop their constant complains that the SG isn’t doing anything for the SNP website is full of good information that is the ammunition for the foot soldier’s weapons.

It is time for the foot soldiers to pick up their ammo and load their guns. Nicola and the elected members at Holyrood, Westminster and in Brussels are providing plenty ammo but the foot soldiers are still sitting in their billets or lazing in the NAFI and complaining.

I spent over 50 years working in the MOD, (Admiralty), and I can vouch for the fact that the Naval Ratings never stop complaining but when the chips were down they do not flinch to do their duty.

I was still in harness when they brought home the damaged ships for repair.

I stood in the mess-deck of the warship where a missile came in through the hull, screamed through a crowded mess-deck with its rocket engine going like a blowtorch, and exited through the opposite side of the hull without its warhead exploding, (it would have been a mercy if it had triggered and killed them instantly).

So the SG are doing their job, the SNP party officials are doing their job but we are still sitting in the canteen complaining that no one is doing anything.

It has been said often and it is still true – if each YES supporter had converted just one unbeliever each Scotland would be independent now.

There is nothing more sure than the fact that we cannot expect the SMSM or the broadcasters to do the job for us for they are the enemy forces but there are more than enough of us to carry the news to the public.

Margo MacDonald said it often – if each of us convert just one voter each we will be a free country.

stu mac

@HandandShrimp says:
14 September, 2017 at 12:15 pm
The fact that May paid £140m to smack her own face with a rake handle has to go down as one of the political ironies of the 21st century (although American working class heroes voting Trump
==========================

Actually although a number of working class Yanks voted Trump he got his majority his big support came from lower middle class voters who are finding their wealth and position being eroded in modern US society. They have an education but never learned to think past prejudice. What also helped Trump was the large number or working class and black/Hispanic folk who just couldn’t bring themselves to vote for Clinton and for very good reasons. It’s the establishment “fix” that prevented a good candidate getting through to challenge Trump.

Alex Clark

@bjsalba

Keeping people ignorant of the facts about who is responsible for what is necessary for the UK Government in order to resist Indepndence.

It’s only by maintaining that ignorance that you can get away with bared faced lying of the reality of the situation.

If they keep people ignorant then they can continue to lie and more importantly get away with their lies. That’s the Westminster style of governance for you.

TheWasp

Colin Alexander. I called you a fud when you first appeared on this site, and my opinion hasn’t changed.

Ron Maclean

@ colin alexander 2.52pm

You seem to have upset the People’s Friend Tendency (Paramilitary Brigade) early today. Well done!

They flew with Braddock in 1707 you know.

Ian Brotherhood

@Jack Collatin (2.21) –

🙂 🙂 🙂

Soo-perb.

The day can’t be far off now.

May be an ancient manuscript somewhere, explaining that Scotland will regain her freedom when the jovial shamen who tells the people about all matters political appears in a nationwide vision as an actual spacehopper, his toty hands having vanished forever…

Alex Clark

@Ron Maclean

Never really liked the Rover nor Victor comics. The Commando wee books were just about readable.

I preferred the Dandy, Beano and the Beezer. As I matured I’d read Ritchie the Rich, Casper the Friendly Ghost eventually maturing further and reading Superman, Batman, Flash and now and again the Judy and Bunty if nothing else was available.

I don’t read comics anymore since I last bought a newspaper a few years ago now. Thanks for the memories though of days gone by. Well done!

Colin Alexander

Ron Maclean said:

@ colin alexander 2.52pm

You seem to have upset the People’s Friend Tendency (Paramilitary Brigade) early today. Well done!

They flew with Braddock in 1707 you know.”

Oh, they won’t like someone giving me praise, so thanks too. I do have respect for some of them with regard to their commitment to the independence cause, so usually try to avoid slagging them back.

Also, I was brought up to believe you should respect your elders, even if they are crabbit-faced cantankerous auld gets. Not that I am implying anyone on here fits that description.

Alex Clark

Auld gits Colin.

Colin Alexander

@TheWasp

If I cared what you or anyone else on here thought of me, do you think I’d be on here?

All I care about on here is whether people will stand up for Scotland’s sovereignty and support independence.

I believe the SNP have been failing to do that for the last three years and that has damaged the Scottish independence movement and the ability to exercise Scotland’s Scottish sovereignty.

Jockanese Wind Talker

Aye,aye Man at C&A says at 7:44 pm

“I do have respect for some of them with regard to their commitment to the independence cause,”

Thought you were Pro Indy and an SNP Voter (albeit one with an obsession with Parliamentary Sovereignty)???

Caught bonny.


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