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The Fantasists

Posted on January 22, 2018 by

We thought it might be worth going through this in a bit more detail.

The phrase “out of control” is in quote marks in the Herald’s front-page headline, leading readers to believe someone has said it, but who? Let’s investigate.

Certainly not from Oxfam, whose report it does not appear anywhere in.

Let’s see what else isn’t there.

“The gulf between the haves and have nots in Scotland is deepening”

Is it? We’re offered no evidence to support this proposition, other than a supposed report from Oxfam that we know doesn’t mention Scotland at all.

“amid claims that the nation’s wealth inequality crisis is now out of control.”

The phrase “inequality crisis” appears 11 times in the report but none of them make reference to any particular nation, let alone Scotland. (There’s one reference to the “GLOBAL inequality crisis”.)

“A new report from Oxfam reveals that in Scotland, the richest one per cent has more wealth than the bottom 50 per cent combined.”

No it doesn’t. It doesn’t mention Scotland at all. That’s a lie.

“It is now urging governments around the world, including Holyrood, to rethink economic and tax policies to help tighten the gap.”

No it isn’t. Oxfam’s report doesn’t mention – or indirectly refer to – Scotland, the Scottish Government or Holyrood anywhere in the document. That’s a lie.

“In Scotland, the 10 richest families or individuals were last year estimated to have a combined wealth of £14.7bn.”

Were they? Estimated by who? Not Oxfam, certainly, and nobody else is identified as the source. It may or may not be a lie, there’s simply no way of knowing.

“Oxfam has just published a report that seeks to expose the extent of the gap and its effects in Scotland.”

No it hasn’t. We already know that Scotland isn’t mentioned at all. That’s a lie.

“The gap between the rich and the poor is not a faraway crisis, says the charity; it is right here in Scotland and it is getting worse.”

No it doesn’t. It doesn’t say any such thing. That’s a lie.

“Oxfam’s report says the top one per cent in Scotland own more wealth than the bottom 50 per cent put together”

No it doesn’t. That’s a lie.

“it is a crisis of inequality, says the charity”

No it doesn’t. That’s a lie.

“and it is out of control”

No, it doesn’t say that, even though you’ve said it three times now. That line, on which the Herald appears to have hung its entire big splash, is eventually attributed to a Dr Katherine Trebeck, an Australian academic who does do research for Oxfam but whose name also appears nowhere in the document and who is not listed as either one of its three authors or the 30 assistants and experts who helped in some way.

The report’s methodology notes say that it conducted research into “PERCEPTIONS of inequality” (our caps) in 10 countries, which included Nigeria, Morocco, Mexico, South Africa and the UK but not Scotland.

(Stunningly the survey found that people were against inequality.)

Now, don’t get us wrong. While this story appears to be a shameful fabrication based on no identifiable facts about Scotland and with no relation whatsoever to today’s Oxfam report, we’re quite certain that there is indeed a vast amount of inequality in the world. We also have no quibbles whatsoever with Dr Trebeck’s assessment of the global economic structure, and we’re sure that inequality does also affect Scotland.

What’s more, we’ve also had a pretty hot tip about the Pope’s religious affiliations and where might be a good place to look for some bear dung for the roses in our garden.

We look forward to seeing both of those as exclusives in tomorrow’s Herald.

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  1. 22 01 18 19:56

    The Fantasists | speymouth
    Ignored

  2. 24 01 18 10:00

    Bella Caledonia Scotland's 5th Estate
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136 to “The Fantasists”

  1. Andy-B
    Ignored
    says:

    Yes BBC shortbread broadcasting now that the Oxfarm report is global.

  2. The Tree of Liberty
    Ignored
    says:

    Torn up fir arse paper!

  3. Donald anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    Does this mean the Herald will campaign against capitalism?

  4. handclapping
    Ignored
    says:

    Is it the journalists or is it the editors?
    The Herald used to be known for top journalism so prima facie its the editors that have sunk it.

  5. stuckdoonhame
    Ignored
    says:

    Hmm… Guess what’s just been on Misreporting Scotland?

  6. Brian Powell
    Ignored
    says:

    I couldn’t make out the name of the ‘journalist’ in that article, but perhaps Dr Katherine Trebeck will require a retraction from the them and the Herald for lies connected with her work.

  7. David Mooney
    Ignored
    says:

    FFS Missreporting Scotland-is-shite have just used this story as another SG essennpee baaaaad story.

  8. ClanDonald
    Ignored
    says:

    Increasing inequality was one of the reasons I voted yes in the indyref.

    But unfortunately media outlets like the Herald campaigned to keep us governed by a far-right tory government that continues to implement a neo-liberal economic model that enables corporate tax avoidance and the transfer of wealth to the top.

    And now the Herald has the nerve to whine about it whilst, on a daily basis, blaming the Scottish Government for our economic predicament.

    Get to F**k, Herald, you’re irrelevant. You’d choose to have Scotland run by the tories forever rather than support independence.

  9. RogueCoder
    Ignored
    says:

    THIS. This is why we will always need Wings Over Scotland. Nobody else does this – certainly not to the the forensic quality that Wings does. The media in most countries are fundamentally dishonest, but the British media have raised dishonesty to an art form. We need Wings to show us where the poison really comes from, to show us where the bones of truth were deliberately broken in order to misdirect us.

    Remember this.

  10. Ian McCubbin
    Ignored
    says:

    Again well found out about the lying uninist press.
    I hope many of us tweet this and put it on facebook, reddit and other media outlets.

  11. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    It’s a sad day for any country when the biggest news stories of the day are actually the transgressions of the mainstream news media itself!

  12. Legerwood
    Ignored
    says:

    This is the link to the Oxfam/Fraser of Allander report issued in April 2017. Links to the actual report in the article:

    https://www.oxfam.org.uk/scotland/blog/2017/04/scotlandinequalitycommission

    Or straight to the page dealing with the report here

    https://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/building-a-more-equal-scotland-designing-scotlands-poverty-and-inequality-commi-620264

    It was released to coincide with the New Poverty and Inequality Commission

  13. cirsium
    Ignored
    says:

    A neat filleting of a piece of misinformation – thanks Rev.

  14. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    Herald … then the BBC and STV pile in repeating the story.

    Does anyone still believe this isn’t full blown organised and coordinated propaganda?

    It’s not shoddy journalism inadvertently propagated by lazy plagiarism. It has to be planned as part of ongoing Projects Scotland-is-Shite & SNPBaaad.

  15. Artyhetty
    Ignored
    says:

    So if the Britnats are determined to portray Scotland as somehow unique and more unequal than anywhere else, and all with an SNP government working their butts off for the last 10 years to try to REPAIR THE DAMAGE of the previous 300+ years.

    What the heck would the Britnats be saying if we went back just, what, say, 20, 30 years. Go back further in Scotland and the scene would be of destitution, poverty, drug abuse, housing definitely not ‘fit for human habitation’ as well as a disgraceful record on life expectancy! With few if any prospects, with few job opportunities, dreadfully inadequate housing, almost non existent infrastructure, other than getting people to the factories and industries and some new roads to the highlands to get to the lairds hunting grounds and castles.

    Scotland was a mess and it wasn’t so long ago, within living memory for many people. Not to mention the exodus of many young people, to escape the poverty and lack of opportunity all while on the watch of the so called union. An utter utter disgrace. There were some vanity projects, some faux stuff like the garden fest, but really, what has the ‘union’ the UK, ever done for the ordinary people or Scotland. Bugger all.

    ‘Scotland’s s***e’, it’s what a couple, no, more than a couple of yoon pals pretty much said, in the run up to 2014 independence referendum, and that really opened my eyes to the legacy of the disgusting ‘union’.

  16. One_Scot
    Ignored
    says:

    I know I have said it many times before, but I believe Reporting Scotland and STV News are the biggest obstacle to Scotlands Independence.

    I believe their lies and manipulation of facts are costing us 10 to 15% in Yes votes.

  17. Scott
    Ignored
    says:

    I have taken this from what she said to much to hope that RS would mention this I wonder what the author thinks of RS.

    Dr Katherine Trebeck: Fair play to the SNP – their ideas could cut gap between have and have-nots

    Scotland has taken some of the first steps to prioritise wellbeing and is laying the foundations for a fairer society. There is a lot that visitors to Scotland on Friday can learn. Here’s How To Fear Less And Achieve More How to fear less and achieve more Read More Promotional Feature From American Express® A Poverty and Inequality Commission is in place with measures to ensure it operates independently of government being pursued. The goal of reducing inequality also sits at the heart of the Scottish Government’s economic strategy and both the Fairer Scotland Action Plan and the Fair Work Convention point towards Scotland’s progressive future. In addition, wider measures of success, beyond GDP, are embedded within the National Performance Framework.

  18. Artyhetty
    Ignored
    says:

    re;galamcennalath@7.25

    Yep absolutely, propaganda out of control, as always and now being jumped up to levels so high, but not still a way to go yet.

    If people think Scotland is s***e, still, what do they think the UK did to ever make things more equal for Scotland, because maths isn’t my strong point, but er, 300+ years is more than 10 years. Of course the meedya hate anyone saying it was the fault of gov before, but in Scotland it is justified, it is the fault of 300+ yrs of a Britnat, England centric, bullying government rule that went before. It’s why democracy is dead in the UK.

  19. Macart
    Ignored
    says:

    The Herald really has fallen a very long way. Tomorrows headline – Bus spotted on moon and there’s a guy works down the chip shop claims he’s … etc

    FFS!

  20. Malky
    Ignored
    says:

    You’re on fire, Sir.

  21. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    I saw this Herald headline after I saw the Oxfam headline that 1% have 82% of the wealth. I thought “Oh well. At least we’re doing better than average.”

    Does anyone know what the actual figure is for Scotland?

  22. Alison Rollo
    Ignored
    says:

    You don’t have a like button but just to say I for one appreciate every post. Please never stop till we’re free. You will have a place in our roll of honour of our Scots that never stopped fighting to get us out of this toxic union. Well done!!!!

  23. Hamish100
    Ignored
    says:

    Just read this after hearing BBC Radio Scotland news directly implicating Scotland. Didn’t sound right on the radio but now I know it was lies. What about those persons who don’t read WoS?

    So the Herald sets the ball rolling bbc Scotland follows up. Collusion?

    ot – the other day I mentioned the possibility of a bridge between Ireland and Scotland and hey ho its in the National. Coincidence no doubt but it got me thinking. If Ireland and Scotland had a land bridge it would undermine borders, brexit and restricting free movement. No chance of it happening.

  24. Eddie
    Ignored
    says:

    Great job. Keep exposing these lying, cheating bastards.

  25. Orri
    Ignored
    says:

    This is all a meaningless piece of bullshit. Even if we took as true that the wealth distribution in Scotland was identical to that in the UK as a whole then it tells us nothing at all about how the figures have changed recently. Nor does it tell us anything about the poverty levels of the poorest.

    Out of control is also highly subjective as it implies it should be controlled. Personally I’d need far more evidence than a single context free data point before making any such judgement. A suspicious mind might wonder whether this is a deliberate attempt to distract attention away from more meaningful statistics such as poverty and deprivation.

  26. Petra
    Ignored
    says:

    Where are all of these LIES coming from? The EXACT SAME lies that is, as this guff is now being reported on STV News. Just going backwards and forwards between newspapers / broadcasting Media and vice versa.

    I read somewhere that there is some sort of news ‘hub’ that they all seem to be getting their news from now. Does anyone know if that’s correct? And if so who’s behind it all? The source?

    Oh and well done Stu for, once AGAIN, calling the LIARS out. God only knows what we’d do without you!

  27. G Sutherland
    Ignored
    says:

    I think this is the report these figures are from:

    https://oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/oxfam/bitstream/10546/620264/1/rr-building-more-equal-scotland-270417-en.pdf

    It’s from last April though. It does however state that Scotland’s top 2% own 13% of the wealth in chart 7. Slightly at odds with the 1% owning 50% of the wealth as quoted in the Herald. This quote is taken out of context and is actually a global figure. So comparatively Scotland is doing rather well in the equality front!

    All for tackling global inequality but this is just unnecessary Scotland bashing. The mainstream press’s appetite for self flagellation never ceases to surprise me.

  28. Bill Hume
    Ignored
    says:

    Calm people. Peace and love…….this is the only ammunition these unionists have in their locker. Lies, deceit and twisting of facts. More and more of the people of Scotland are seeing through their lies and deceit. We just need to keep pushing the truth out there…..and getting out on the streets to let people know the truth. Let’s face it, the MSM are not going to do it for us.

  29. Legerwood
    Ignored
    says:

    Petra @ 8.29pm
    “”Where are all these lies coming from?””

    ………….

    At a guess, Scotland in Union or similar. Just because some of their shenanigans have been uncovered does not mean they have gone away – or stopped writing letters to the newspapers or making below the line comments.

  30. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Stinky olde The Graun not running this latest fraud from UKOK hackdom but whatever you say about UK tory journos, they’ve got very large well polished brass necks.

    http://archive.is/NtgMJ

    Facebook
    Facebook: we were too slow to recognise our ‘corrosive’ effect on democracy
    Social network hiring 10,000 more staff to combat spread of fake news, and harassment use of Facebook as a weapon in ‘cyberwar’

    Whereas, massed ranks of beeb gimps alone are lovely and nice. What a bunch.

  31. Legerwood
    Ignored
    says:

    The Herald appears to have removed this story from its on-line edition.

    Most of the comments -10 at last sight – on the Leader column about poverty and inequality comment on the factual innacuracy of the front page article based on the Oxfam Report published today.

  32. Fred
    Ignored
    says:

    To think I bought this shite paper for 30 years!

  33. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    is the BBC not providing the news hub? Manufacture rubbish, push it to newspapers, then comment on air about the newspaper articles. Only costing millions a year of licence payers money.

  34. McDuff
    Ignored
    says:

    The problem is these lies and others are being read by a lot of people who believe them and coupled with a bias state broadcaster it will have an effect on voting intentions.
    At the moment, apart from the Rev there is no mainstream outlet to expose this daily diet of crap.
    If the National is its own man then IT should expose the Herald`s lies.
    Unless…..

  35. John from Fife
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T Surely it’s time for the Scot Govt. to ask Westminster for responsibility for broadcasting in Scotland. I know it won’t happen but it would bring the current situation into the public spotlight.

  36. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    Don’t know if this is o/t but I feel it should be widely disseminated. A couple of quotes from the link at the end…

    “Yet it is English nationalism or British nationalism that has been the earthquake. It is interesting that England and Wales had the confidence to make a massive change and step into the unknown. Even if I think it a mistake they were willing to take a chance.

    By comparison people living in Scotland seem overly cautious. The Scot ref was not about immigration but the chance to self-govern. Anyone resident in Scotland could vote including EU nationals.

    It was about the future of the residents of Scotland, collectively, regardless of country of origin. Had the Yes side won I doubt many people would have felt they had to pack their bags and leave Scotland. The EU referendum however has upturned lives. EU nationals are leaving the UK over it and Brits returning from the EU. EU nationals who pay tax in the UK were denied a say. The intention behind and the narrative of the two referendums were different totally.”

    and

    “Supporters of independence need to talk to friends on the other side of the question in ways, and at times, that are supportive and not evangelical.

    I know that there are people who could say I am now supporting independence because it suits, but that’s not so. There will be a solution for us. I support independence because I think that Scotland has much potential to be unlocked. It is not about converting people it is about gaining a deeper understanding about what people need, and what is holding them back.”

    These quotes are from:-

    https://theorkneynews.scot/2018/01/22/how-is-scotlands-political-situation-viewed-in-germany-2nd-interview/

  37. Phronesis
    Ignored
    says:

    ‘Wealth is also unevenly spread across Great Britain. An average household in the South East has almost twice (183%) the amount of wealth of an average household in Scotland…

    Compared to other developed countries the UK has a very unequal distribution of income. Out of the 30 OECD countries in the LIS data set, the UK is the seventh most unequal, and within this data set it is the fourth most unequal in Europe’

    https://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/scale-economic-inequality-uk

    ‘Research from the Resolution Foundation found that while the top 1% of households in UK have fully recovered from the financial crisis, the rest of the British population is still struggling
    An LSE review of 61 childhood studies confirmed that household income plays a crucial role in determining a child’s prospects.
    Half of children needing summer food bank support are in primary school, according to worrying new research from the Trussell Trust.
    Low-income families are becoming less able to achieve a decent living standard’ according to worrying research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
    The UK is one of the top two countries acting as conduits to tax havens, according to research carried out by the University of Amsterdam’

    https://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/latest-research

    An excellent study of ‘lay’ understanding of inequality and people with lived in experience of poverty in their own words;

    ‘When large-scale employers closed, participants reflected that this triggered a breakdown of social connections and the emergence of a collective sense of hopelessness. The resulting worklessness reduced community wealth, increased stress and lowered living standards. At a more individual level, participants who had lost jobs reported feeling that they had experienced a consequential decline in their perceived social status,‘daily mean-ing’ and structure, as well as material income…Many of the participants and study authors attributed this situation to the political and eco-nomic decisions of local and national policy actors and this then contributed to a sense that these communities were being treated unfairly, to the benefit of others’

    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-9566.12629/epdf

    Time for Scotland to take charge of its whole economic and political future.

  38. Bob
    Ignored
    says:

    This is a link to the Oxfam blog with the relevant quotes:
    https://www.oxfam.org.uk/scotland/blog/2018/01/davosscotland

  39. Iain mhor
    Ignored
    says:

    Deary me. This is so bad, risibly bad.
    I never read the papers even online.
    However, I do get various newsfeeds. I had already seen and read the actual Oxfam report directly from their feed and seen it reported verbatim in other alternative media – So to just tune in here and see this bollocks as the Heralds front page… Well it’s just stunningly awful.
    There are so many people who will already have read the original news item (as I did) thinking WTF? If they see the Herald or hear the kiddy-on Scottish news.
    The disparity is so big, the lie so ludicrously at odds with the original story, that I believe it was suicidal for the Herald to run it never mind “Scottish” telly to repeat it.

    Good. That’s desperation right there.

  40. jfngw
    Ignored
    says:

    @Capella

    The headlines are misleading, the 82% is the increase in wealth accumulated by the top 1% in Q2 of 2017. The share seems to be 50.1% of the total wealth is owned by top 1%.

    In Scotland the top 2% own 15% of the wealth as reported in 2017, I couldn’t find a 1% figure but I may just have missed it.

  41. Craig P
    Ignored
    says:

    I’m with ClanDonald. The Herald campaigned *for* inequality in the indyref – at least as far as a No vote would guarantee us conservative governments at least half the time.

  42. jfngw
    Ignored
    says:

    @Capella

    Just to add if I have read this correctly in means in world terms the top 1% have more wealth than the bottom 99% combined. So Scotland’s 1% having more wealth than the bottom 50% is certainly better. Don’t know what the average is or how you even quantify that.

  43. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    @jfngw – thx. I just skimmed the headlines – but 2% owning 15% sounds a great deal better than the Herald’s claims.
    I get the impression the press and broadcasters are becoming seriously hysterical. Is there something happening we don’t know about?

  44. Graeme Mccormick
    Ignored
    says:

    According to an international report in the Irish Times today issued before the Davos Summit: “Norway has topped the list of the worlds’ most inclusive advanced economies, followed by Iceland, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Denmark. The UK came in 22nd and the US 23rd, with Italy, Portugal and Greece taking the bottom three slots on the list of 29 countries.”

    Ireland was 8th.

    All these poor wee countries

  45. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    jfngw says:

    Don’t know what the average is or how you even quantify that.

    I pòsted this on the last thread. How it’s worked out, is a bit heavy. But the basic number seems a good measure of wealth distribution within a country.

    ++++++

    The Gini Coefficient is a measure of inequality. The lower the better.

    South Africa 63, US 41, Germany 31, Netherlands 29, Norway 27, Iceland 26

    Scotland is typically 30-34 in recent years

    http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/03/2213/5

    The UK as a whole inc Scotland, 34-36

    In 1979 the UK was 25. Wonder what happened after that? One guess!

    https://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/how-has-inequality-changed

  46. Iona
    Ignored
    says:

    Hi, Stu. I went in search of the report R Outram referenced in the first comment. He is right. She (Trebeck) is quoted in a report in Jan 2017 mentioning Scotland. In fact I thought her comments were positive in that she recognised that Scotland was ‘awake’ to these problems and developing strategies. It seemed to make the piece in the Herald even more disingenuous.

  47. jfngw
    Ignored
    says:

    @galamcennalath

    My problem with an average of this is we are averaging wildly different countries worldwide with a wide variation in population.

    It might be ok looking at the European average to compare ourselves otherwise I’m not convinced it gives any meaningful comparison.

  48. indy2
    Ignored
    says:

    When BBC Scotland and STV hold all the cards regarding what they want viewers see and hear, there is very little you or I can do.

    They do to us because they can,,simple as that.

    How do we stop it???

    The only immediate ammunition we have is our Political leaders, over to you Nicola and Co.

  49. louis.b.argyll
    Ignored
    says:

    The Herald,
    caught red-handed,
    trying to smear Scotland,
    for no constructive reason,
    other than reinforcing their
    ‘Scotland’s-shite-because-of-the-SNP’ message.

  50. David McCann
    Ignored
    says:

    Just sent the Herald this message.
    “Suggest you employ some quality journalists to enable them to tell fact from fiction, with a link to this page!
    Await response with anticipation!

  51. ScotsRenewables
    Ignored
    says:

    Maybe it’s about time we organised some mass purchasing of the Herald followed by very public burning ??

  52. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    jfngw says:

    It might be ok looking at the European average to compare ourselves otherwise I’m not convinced it gives any meaningful comparison.

    Yes. It seems intuitive that comparisons between similar developed countries is most valid. Very poor third world countries might have similar mathematically derived distributions but when GDP and average incomes are so low, comparison with first world countries seems pointless.

    Another measure seems to be to take the ratio of the poorest 10% relative to the richest 10% (or 20%).

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_income_equality

    [ love how this presents the CIA as a benign provider of economic stats! ]

  53. geeo
    Ignored
    says:

    @rob outram.

    Actually, NO, it is not.

    The Herald are claiming these things from the LATEST Oxfam report, NOT any previous one.

    Comprehension of English language not your strong point huh ?

  54. colin alexander
    Ignored
    says:

    ScotsRenewables

    I thought I’m supposed to be the one, according to the numpties on here, that’s supposed to be anti-Snp, anti-indy.

    Your idiotic suggestion of a mass burning of the Herald Paper would be like the 1933 book burning by the Nazis in Germany.

    It would totally discredit independists.

    It would play into the hands of the Unionists who try to portray all independists as Nazi bullies and thugs.

    When in reality the bullies such as you find on WoS are just the small minority of aggressive loudmouths who pollute the site with threats and obscene insults.

  55. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    It was the Scottish Governments own report on Wealth and Inequality published in Feb 2017, 2 months before the Oxfam/Fraser one that stated

    “The wealthiest 1% alone owned more wealth than the bottom 50%.”

    From the executive summary of the SG report:

    Scotland – like the rest of Great Britain – faces stark inequalities in wealth, with the wealthiest 10 per cent owning 43% of all private wealth, 67% of financial wealth, 54% of pension wealth, and 43% of all property wealth. The wealthiest 1% alone owned more wealth than the bottom 50%.

    http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/02/6032

    Fraser of Allender Institute used it with references and now the Herald try to turn it against the SG. What’s the score?

    Well I think we know the answer to that question. House slaves.

  56. mr thms
    Ignored
    says:

    First time I have heard that the EU Withdrawal Bill would not apply to Scotland without legislative consent motion..

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-42606930

    “The main card Scottish ministers have to play on this front is legislative consent, with two Westminster Brexit bills already in Holyrood limbo with the government refusing to put them forward for consent votes.

    This couldn’t actually derail the legislation – ultimately it could just go ahead without applying to Scotland, leaving MSPs with the job of filling the gap in the law.”

    The gap in the law is a Scottish ‘EU Continuity Bill’

    Can’t help thinking the UK is preparing for dissolution.

  57. Robert J. Sutherland
    Ignored
    says:

    As I lately wrote in the previous thread, this is just yer typical Labourite smear tactic by insinuation. Orchestrated by some NorthBritLab script, I expect. Concern trolling in print that is then amped up by the usual media outlets. Nothing new there then.

    All smokescreen to distract from those who really are responsible: the shambles of a gang who hang out in Downing St. in London.

    Thank heavens for the internet in general and WoS in particular. Keeps the air fresh and clear!

  58. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    @jfngw

    Regards the 1% v 50% and 2% v 15% I tried to provide an explanation on the last thread as I see it, you can read it here.

    https://wingsoverscotland.com/taking-things-personally/#comment-2333790

  59. X_Sticks
    Ignored
    says:

    Sorry O/T

    Indycar Gordon Ross “Is there a coup being plotted by David Mundell?”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QVCotC2stw

    Gordon thinking exactly what I’ve been thinking for a while now and it does worry me.

    I strongly suspect we are being set up by the british establishment for them to regain control of Holyrood. They do intend a coup and all the signs are there.

    I sincerely hope the SNP are on to this and have a counter plan or we are going to get fkd.

  60. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Nothing about their Scotland region but still a huge news deal. Should be interesting watching our chums in the UK press in Scotland, sell this to Scotland. “Its an historic Great Brit triumph, rejoice.”

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-latest-updates-uk-leave-eu-norway-transition-terms-parliament-theresa-may-a8173076.html

  61. crazycat
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Iona at 10.24

    Katherine Trebeck spoke at a RIC event I went to before the referendum, and again (via a video presentation) at the SIC meeting in the Usher Hall last year.

    On both occasions she was very positive about the prospects for an independent Scotland. So I’m not surprised she has given credit where it’s due.

  62. jfngw
    Ignored
    says:

    @tThepnr

    My comment on the previous thread was incorrect, initially I misinterpreted it as the 1% owned 50% of the wealth. It was the mixing of the 82% of wealth quoted that I was registering, I should have read it properly before posting a comment.

    It was pretty straightforward, the bottom 50% have £9.xbn (can’t remember the exact no.) and the top 1% have somewhere between £9.x and £15bn.

    The original SG document is pretty long and full of numbers, didn’t have time to read it all.

    It would be interesting to see the spread of wealth with the top 2% excluded. There will always be those who no matter how much wealth they have it still won’t be enough.

  63. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    It is possible in any society for 1% of the population to have more “wealth” than 50% yet at the same time for 2% of the population to “own” 15% of all wealth.

    What it means is that 98% of the population own between them just 85% of the wealth. This is NOT distributed across the board so it is perfectly feasible for the bottom 50% to have almost no wealth at all.

    The majority in that 50% have no savings, no pensions, no equity, nothing but the clothes on their backs. That’s what’s wrong that’s where the injustice is.

    That’s what we have to change.

  64. mike cassidy
    Ignored
    says:

    As pointed out on the previous thread, the author of the article is a media arsehole for hire.

    http://archive.is/2JTi1

    eg

    “Should you be facing potentially damaging media interest, I can limit its impact and even turn a negative situation into a positive one.

    So Sandra Dick’s fabrication should not come as a surprise.

    But its still sweet to see it so beautifully dissected.

  65. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    Casino bound…

    Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck…

    Love Scotland.

  66. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    RID SCOTLAND OF POVERTY. WE CAN DO IT. VOTE YES. STOP!

  67. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    Seriously we can rid Scotland of poverty, you just have to believe that we are one of the richest and most blessed countries in the world.

    Not just just with natural resources such as oil and wind but with talent and the strength of our education sector where we have more Universities in the world per head in the top 200.

    We as an Independent country wouldn’t behave like Westminster does, we don’t need Trident, two new aircraft carriers without planes or a high speed railway that comes nowhere near Scotland.

    We can do things differently and a whole lot better, fuck PFI and the new replacement, take essential utilities and transport back into public ownership.

    What’s wrong with that? Nothing some of the best run transport services and utilities in Europe are still state owned. In fact they are branching out and coming over and buying ours!

    Let’s “take back control” of our services and our purse. Vote YES.

  68. Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    Buy the fake “independence supporting” The National to keep its elder sister The Herald alive.

  69. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    LOVE SCOTLAND.

    Aye do Yes.

    Do U?

  70. Big Phil
    Ignored
    says:

    And here endeth a great btl.

  71. Chick McGregor
    Ignored
    says:

    Legerwood
    ‘This is the link to the Oxfam/Fraser of Allander report issued in April 2017’

    I had a look at that report and they concluded that the top 2% of Scotland’s earners owned 15% of the wealth which is considerably different to the top 1% owning 50%.

    If they were using that report they are even more wrong.

  72. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    Rock or Craig as his friends know him has just posted the exact same words as above on the last thread too 5 minutes earlier.

    Anyone who engages with the well known trolls has to have their head examined. I know I’m mentioning it but it is not engagement.

    These people will only go away if NOBODY engages them. Until the Rev bans them then their stinky smell will hang around every article.

    Hold your nose and ignore them else believe me the thread is dead.

  73. Big Phil
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Thepnr.
    Totally agree ,I was catching up and really was pissed at wot fannybaws said,the comments and links today have been brilliant.
    The link earlier about mundells coup has got me angry.. worth watching.

  74. Chick McGregor
    Ignored
    says:

    Oops! misread the quote. 1% owning more than the bottom 50% is possible.

  75. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    @Chick McGregor

    See post from me at 11:38pm also earlier for a plausible explanation.

  76. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    Love ra Love.

    Yesindyref2 & heedtracker.

    Go fot it.

    In amongst it y’all.

    Hi cearc.

    Love.

    That is all.

    Nuthin more nuthin less.

    Love yer Wings y’all.

  77. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    My father died in 2005 in sheltered housing with nothing more than the clothes on his back and the furniture in his house not even a car.

    My brother died in 2015 with nothing more than the clothes on his back and the furniture in his house and not even a car.

    Neither did either of them have any Insurance, they left it for others to pick up the tab. Not their fault they had fuck all for a variety of reasons, they were part of the 50% that makes up these numbers.

    The inequality we see is something we should all be ashamed of.

  78. Scottish Steve
    Ignored
    says:

    I think the Scottish media might have a severe case of schizophrenia. When the SNP increased income tax for the better off, weren’t the media and unionists in general screeching like demented banshees that the SNP were harming hardworking and successful Scots? Now it seems they want the SNP to fix this supposed wealth gap that Scotland is suffering from by changing its tax policies.

    Which is it? The SNP is damned if they do and damned if they don’t. I’ve often joked that if Nicola Sturgeon found the cure for cancer, her opposition and the media would accuse her of making cancer research scientists unemployed. The sad thing is that joke would probably become reality if that happened.

  79. Petra
    Ignored
    says:

    @ X_Sticks at 11:26pm …… “Gordon Ross video – David Mundell.”

    Thanks for that link X_Sticks. Very interesting indeed, as I posted something along the lines of being suspicious of Mundell / the Scotland Office yesterday and was wondering who exactly is working for him now. Staff risen from 5 to 71 with a massive increase in spending. Why would you need such numbers when we have our own Parliament now? And it just makes you wonder, that with at least 66 extra staff members, they ‘forgot’ to tell Holyrood about the Brexit White paper (for all that was worth – nought) last year. And of course the rest of the skullduggery that we’ll never know about.

    What I have found out is that they seemingly don’t employ anyone, rather individuals are seconded or loaned from other Civil Service bodies. Handy don’t you think, especially if you wanted to hide names, numbers, their ‘expertise’ and where they come from.

    I had a look at their Scotland Office and Office of the Advocate General for Scotland Annual Report 2016-2017. Skimmed through it because of the time and the fact that there’s 100 pages to get through (will take a closer look at it later today). It mentions that of the 71 ’employees’ 54% are based at Melville Crescent in Edinburgh and 46% at Dover House in London and with the 50 ’employees’ re. the AGS broken down into 88% in Edinburgh and 12% in London. Strange don’t you think using percentages instead of numbers and of course there’s no names. Some people get paid, such as Keith Cochrane, £300 per meeting whilst others get paid £200. No names, no numbers, no percentages and no mention of how often this happens.

    The report highlights that Francesca Osowska was Director of the Scotland Office last year, however she ‘moved on’ last October to become Chief Executive of Scottish Natural Heritage. As Mundell takes on more staff he ‘loses’ Francesca. I wonder if the fact that she used to be Alex Salmond’s private secretary had anything to do with the ‘move’? Additionally there’s no mention of who’s replaced her.

    I reckon we should all be taking a closer look at what’s going on. We know now that Keith Cochrane, Carillion, is working for Mundell. His name is mentioned in the Report however I wonder why as I’d read somewhere that he’d only joined them last year. I’ll have to double check that one. We also know that former MEP Ian Duncan was knighted to ensure that he got a job in the Scotland Office and I’ve heard that some Unionist newspaper reporters are also linked to the SO. And of course 2,900 Civil servants will be taking up posts at New Waverley Edinburgh by 2020. I wonder where they’ll be coming from? More than anything I wonder what’s going on between one thing and another. Is the Scotland Office the BBC’s ‘hub’ for news in Scotland and the source of thousands of annual SG FoI requests? We know that Mundell is Whitehall’s man (patsy) in Scotland. What orders is he taking from them right now?

  80. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    Sailing ships will pass you, sailing ships will pass you…

    Whitesnake aye.

  81. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    Sailing ships will pass you, sailing ships will pass you by.

    Vote Yes.

    Good morning.

  82. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    Everywhere aye go, aye keep losing mon harmonicas.

    Think aye must’ve left my G harp inda Clutha bar.

    S’cool.

    We’re livin’ n a crisis of inequalty… NOT!

  83. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    And we are within the out of control.

    Do not you know.

    Where’s ma G?

    Be free.

    Now.

  84. Cactus
    Ignored
    says:

    HOME.

    X.

  85. North chiel
    Ignored
    says:

    “Petra@ 0237 & sticks @ 1126 “, is this all linked to the “Westminster post Brexit powergrab”? Is it the case that “ powers” which should be returned to Holyrood ( fishing ,farming etc.), which Teresa May intends to “ grab” will be then passed to the “ Governer general” Mundell who will “ administer these via a new “ Tory/unionist civil service fiefdom” under the direct control of the “ Scottish Office” . I would imagine that all the top civil service jobs ( perhaps all) will be seconded from Whitehall ( the London -Edinburgh flights should be busy Mon-Fri) . Thus Mundell can “ set up” a rival “ colonial government “ in Edinburgh with the objective to be to undermine the “ democratically elected” Holyrood government at every opportunity ( Obviously Mundell would already have control also of “ broadcasting” in all but name ). Of course if the unionists win control of Holyrood at the next election , and “ colonel Ruth” is appointed FM then the “ coup” is complete and the Tories will have “ full control” of their Scotland “ region” . Job done! I now see that is vital that these powers are under control of our democratically elected Holyrood government , if not then an independence referendum has to be called .

  86. Street Andrew
    Ignored
    says:

    More good work, Rev.

    Sad that anybody out there might need such utter bollox to be denied let alone refuted.

    But I know they do.

  87. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    What caused the inequality in Scotland. Tory/unionists rule. £Billions going out of Scotland. Illegally and secretly by Westminster criminals and crooks. Illegally taking £Billions out of Scotland to waste. Illegal wars,financial fraud and tax evasion by Westminster criminals and mass murderers. Deliberately leaving people in Scotland in ooverty and deprivation. The biggest confidence trick ever imposed on a people. The illegal Barnett Formula. An absolute disgrace.

    Illegal wars causing poverty and death throughout the world. The bastard pychopaths in Westminster getting away with murder. Keeping their crimes under the Official Secrets Act, Iraq, Lockerbie and Dunblane kept secret for 100 years,

    The Westminster fraudsters are getting away with murder, They are using £20Billion milked from Scotland to do it. They intend increasing it £10Billiin a year. Brexit. That is £30Billiin year being mismanaged and misappropriated from Scotland.

    Scotland could have been and could be be one of the wealthiest, more equal prosperous countries in the world. That is why the McCrone Report was hidden for over thirty years by the Westminster shower of criminals. The illegal wars causing the worst migration crisis since 11WW. Financial fraud and tax evasion,

    The state of the Scottish Tories having Burns Supper with the lying Hedge fund manager. The last supper. Supping with the evil psychopath, Ever word they utter is a lie. Along with the lying sychophant Press. The lies in the Press are criminal. Tax evading Non Dom owners. A bunch of greedy criminals. Breaking the Law at every opportunity. Most of them should be in jail.

    Scotland has one of the best Education and SNHS systems in the world. The unionists even changed the electoral system in Scotland to give them unfair advantage. They are despicable low lives. .

    The Tory unionists can do nothing to Scotland. Just keep on voting SNP/SNP. Vote for Independence and EU membership. Leave the unionists to wallow in their sty at Westminster.

  88. clan rossy
    Ignored
    says:

    Petra says:
    23 January, 2018 at 2:37 am

    @ X_Sticks at 11:26pm …… “Gordon Ross video – David Mundell.”

    Im afraid to say if they try that there will definitely be
    a civil war in scotland.

    and maybe thats what they want, i for one dont but if its gonna happen it will happen.

    and believe it sooner rather than later something big is a coming our way.

    and theres sweet f/a we can do about it, because no ones gonna help us we will have to do it ourselves.

  89. Petra
    Ignored
    says:

    Stu I see that some others have posted this OXFAM Scotland report on here previously. Is this the report that you’re referring too?

    ‘..Dr. Katherine Trebeck, Oxfam’s Glasgow-based Senior Researcher, said that people in Scotland were also feeling the strain of yawning inequality, with the wealthiest 1% in the country owning more than wealth than the bottom 50% put together.

    Dr. Trebeck said: “It’s grimly apparent that the inequality crisis is out of control. The economic system is set up in a way that enables a wealthy elite to accumulate vast wealth at the expense of hundreds of millions of people who are scraping a living on poverty pay.

    “This isn’t a faraway crisis. We know that in Scotland, having a job doesn’t always mean escaping poverty: the vast majority of working age people living in poverty here live in a home where someone’s got a job…”

    http://www.oxfam.org.uk/scotland/blog/2018/01/davosscotland

  90. Nana
    Ignored
    says:

    Business leaders push for new campaign to reverse Brexit
    http://archive.is/eO1AR

    https://www.dezeen.com/2017/02/27/paris-la-defense-business-district-seven-new-skyscrapers-brexit-france/

    City accuses government of leaving it in the dark over negotiating position on trade
    https://www.ft.com/content/783a0840-ff71-11e7-9650-9c0ad2d7c5b5

    BRIEFING PAPER: THE GOVERNMENT’S PROPOSED LEGISLATION FOR TRADE REMEDIES
    https://uktradeforum.net/2018/01/22/418/

  91. gordoz
    Ignored
    says:

    The very best of deconstructions’ in these 2 works regarding the Heralds complicit lying activity which should in fact finally place it alongside ‘The National Inquirer’ as a title of stature.
    Where is the Editors thinking on this to publish such distortion of facts to create a ‘story’?

  92. Nana
    Ignored
    says:

    Posted four further links which have yet to appear. Check back later as there may have been a banned word.
    Don’t want to post again in case I get hammered!

  93. Petra
    Ignored
    says:

    @ North chiel says at 5:00 am and clan rossy 7:26am … ”Is this all linked to the “Westminster post Brexit powergrab”? Is it the case that “ powers” which should be returned to Holyrood ( fishing ,farming etc.), which Teresa May intends to “ grab” will be then passed to the “ Governer general” Mundell who will “ administer these via a new “ Tory/unionist civil service fiefdom” under the direct …..

    I don’t know what’s going on, but it seems strange that Mundell requires so many members of staff when we have our own Parliament now and since when has Westminster given a damn about ensuring that anything is ”strengthened in Scotland”?

    ”This hub (deal being overseen by the UK Property Unit) will continue to strengthen the government’s commitment to building a strong Civil Service outside London.”

    The document mentions that the offices will be occupied by civil servants (2,900) from several UK Government departments, however no mention of what ‘departments’ other than HMRC.

    http://www.gov.uk/government/news/civil-service-hub-to-bring-growth-to-edinburgh

    ………………………….

    This is the report that I mentioned in my last post. I don’t have time to look through it right now, but will do so later.

    ‘Scotland Office and Office of the Advocate General for Scotland Annual Report and Accounts 2016-17.’

    http://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/633804/Scotland_Office_AR_2016-17_web__2_.pdf

  94. louis.b.argyll
    Ignored
    says:

    BREXIT is a TRAP.

  95. PictAtRandom
    Ignored
    says:

    Petra says:
    23 January, 2018 at 2:37 am

    @ X_Sticks at 11:26pm …… “Gordon Ross video – David Mundell.”

    Thanks for that link X_Sticks. Very interesting indeed, as I posted something along the lines of being suspicious of Mundell / the Scotland Office yesterday and was wondering who exactly is working for him now. Staff risen from 5 to 71 with a massive increase in spending. Why would you need such numbers when we have our own Parliament now?

    Seems that once an organisation is in being it goes looking for a purpose. And when was the last time that anyone campaigned for the Scotland Office / Scottish Office to exist? 1930? 1885?
    Maybe there should be a petition for its abolition. Which would at least get people talking about this particular dead cat. Against that, I suppose that any who backed the petition and spoke in its favour if it got as far as the HoC would be accused of trying to sabotage Brexit arrangements at “a key time in our nation’s history”.

  96. Baldeagle58
    Ignored
    says:

    Morning Nana.

    Thank you as always for your LINKS. Between yourself and Smallaxe you are doing a sterling job of keeping us Wingers informed.

  97. Les Wilson
    Ignored
    says:

    Petra says:
    Bringing 2900 civil service jobs to Edinburgh smells bad, if Scotland looks like winning Indy, is it impossible for Westminster to change laws to suit themselves? by outlawing referendums and imposing direct rule on Scotland. They believe in preparing, could these departments be involved in that, should it ever be imposed?

  98. Petra
    Ignored
    says:

    @ PictAtRandom says at 8:43 am … ”Seems that once an organisation is in being it goes looking for a purpose. And when was the last time that anyone campaigned for the Scotland Office / Scottish Office to exist? 1930? 1885? Maybe there should be a petition for its abolition. Which would at least get people talking about this particular dead cat. Against that, I suppose that any who backed the petition and spoke in its favour if it got as far as the HoC would be accused of trying to sabotage Brexit arrangements at “a key time in our nation’s history”.

    Brexit? That’s probably Mundell’s excuse for the rise in the number of ’employees’ and costs, PictatRandom, and yet what have they, more so what has he, done in relation to Brexit? Less than nought. He couldn’t even pass on information to Holyrood to the effect that Westminster had produced a Brexit White paper (DUD) last year.

    I don’t see anyone get a petition off of the ground for the abolition of the SO, but one thing for sure is that the place will be shut down and he’ll be out of a job in the very near future.

    ……………………………….

    Thanks for the links Nana. PDF relating to the Article 50 Case in Edinburgh. Taken from your prior post.

    ”Shortly before Christmas we filed our written case before the Court of Session in Edinburgh. You can read it here. The purpose of the case is to determine whether the Article 50 notice can be revoked unilaterally or we need the consent of the other 27 member states to revoke the notice.”

    http://www.dropbox.com/s/pb96yd2p57d8pt1/OurClaim.pdf?dl=0

  99. Petra
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Les Wilson says at 9:03 am …. ”Bringing 2900 civil service jobs to Edinburgh smells bad, if Scotland looks like winning Indy, is it impossible for Westminster to change laws to suit themselves? by outlawing referendums and imposing direct rule on Scotland. They believe in preparing, could these departments be involved in that, should it ever be imposed?”

    It does smell bad, Les. Fishy (smell) in fact, but I have no idea what they’re getting up to. They’d be crazy to think that they could shut down Holyrood and take over in the event of a majority of sovereign Scots indicating that they want an Independent Scotland, via polls or a referendum. On the otherhand Westminster is well known, notorious historically, for planning for any and every potential contingency well in advance. I just think that we should be keeping an eye on them, as the SNP Government seems to be doing, as per Gordon Ross.

    Gordon Ross video posted by X_Sticks last night.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QVCotC2stw

    ……………………………

    And let’s not forget Westminster’s prior ‘ historically notorious’ behaviour.

    A couple of interesting links taken from Nana’s Barrhead boy post.

    http://www.thesonsofscotland.co.uk/thehighlandclearances.htm

    http://www.irishcentral.com/news/top-british-journalist-shocked-to-discover-nations-guilt-over-irish-famine

  100. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    Just keep on voting against it. VoteSNP/SNP. Vote for Independence. Voted for EU membership. Vote the Tories and their sychophants out, Do not buy or read their Oress rubbish. Watch BBC etc as little as possible. Vote against them. They have been trying to destroy the Scottish economy for long enough. Do not let them. Just inform one other person. It is won. Do not be defeatist. Or act like an agent provocateur.

    It can be won. Just keep others informed. Just get them off their backsides and vote.

    Corbyn and Labour could have voted out May and her cronies on 12 Sept 2017. Evil. They just let her carrying on. Useless incompetents. Get a SNP majority in Holyrood. The SNP can change to FPTP. The majority favour. The lying 3rd reject will be gone from all their dirty work.

    Just vote SNP/SNP. Vote for Independence. Vote for EU membership.

    It could not be simpler.

  101. Abulhaq
    Ignored
    says:

    This from Wiki is rather apposite.
    7:84 was a Scottish left-wing agitprop theatre group. The name comes from a statistic, published in The Economist in 1966, that 7% of the population of the UK owned 84% of the country’s wealth (compare the Pareto principle).
    The group was founded by playwright John McGrath, his wife Elizabeth MacLennan and her brother David MacLennan in 1971, and operated throughout Great Britain. In 1973, it split into 7:84 (England) and 7:84 (Scotland). The English group folded in 1984, having lost its grant from the Arts Council of Great Britain. The Scottish group lost its funding from the Scottish Arts Council in 2006, though Artistic Director Lorenzo Mele successfully secured funding for a further year from April 2007.
    So in matters of inequality nothing new then!. The haves just keep getting more of the cake. However, we have chubby Elton John among the other fat cats in Davos to redeem us. The rich ought to be more ‘charitable’ to the poor it seems. Helps them to feel so much better about them selves as they gaze in the mirror in the morning.
    Ironic for a paper with unionist political leanings to be exercised by the concept of ‘inequality’ though.

  102. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    Nana says

    http://www.politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2018/01/22/the-threat-of-no-deal-still-hangs-over-us

    I never disagree with Ian Dunt’s analysis. He casts doubt on May’s ability to accept the probable transition deal which will be offered – in the face of the mad bad right.

    The transition deal will be business as usual including free movement and ECJ. These last two are being presented as red lines by the right because they think Brexitday should mean something.

    One problem is a transition without free movement and ECJ starts to look like the cherry picked free-access final deal some Tories fantasise they can achieve!

    The Tories spent many months doing nothing and achieving less during phase one. Now they have a bigger job on hand with transition and final deal framework. And less than a year to do it.

    Anyone actually believe they have the competence, will, or consensus to achieve a ‘good deal’?

  103. Les Wilson
    Ignored
    says:

    Here is the list of Theresa May’s Burns (cough) Supper guest list (heap of dung)for those interested.

    http://www.welovebarraandvatersay.com/index.php/88-welcome/9123-theresa-may-hosts-burns-supper-in-downing-street-tonight

  104. Les Wilson
    Ignored
    says:

    Here is the list of dung that were invited to T.May’s (cough) Burns supper for those interested.

    http://www.welovebarraandvatersay.com/index.php/88-welcome/9123-theresa-may-hosts-burns-supper-in-downing-street-tonight

  105. colin alexander
    Ignored
    says:

    Herald Comment:

    There’s no Austerity for politicians of any party. MSPs allowed to skive on TV. Then get promoted to the governing body of the Parliament. It’s taking the mickey out of the taxpayer and electorate.

    The Scottish Parliament is a disgrace. It’s main purpose is a pretence of Scottish democracy. Buying off the Scottish political class with cushy jobs but, the Brexit bill going through the unelected House of Lords shows where the real power lies.

    Westminster.

    We don’t have a House of Lords in Scotland. We don’t need one; we have the Holyrood politicians and their civil servants living like Lords, while the rest of us struggle to get by under Westminster and Holyrood imposed Austerity.

    Holyrood is just a WM branch office. It is not a sovereign parliament. But they act like a sovereign.

    “Let them eat cake” off a pallet, if they cannot afford bread or an £800 coffee table.

  106. Petra
    Ignored
    says:

    The latest news from the BBC.

    BBC English news – The Royal College of Paediatrics and Health Care is concerened about the health of children in England stating that they ”deserve better” and that England is lagging behind other European countries …. AND Scotland and Wales.

    BBC Scottish news: ”Child care in Scotland is amongst the worst in Western Europe.” They also had a doctor standing outside Aberdeen Children’s Hospital talking about standards dropping and muttering in such a way as to suggest that the situation is worse in Scotland than England. That was broadcast earlier. They’ve dropped him now and the Scottish news begins with ”the Scottish Government has been praised for what’s it’s doing but could do more.”

    …………………..

    Also complaining that the number of people suffering from having strokes in Scotland could be reduced. No mention of this on the English news and one wonders how their stats compare with Scotland?

    Article from January 2016.

    ”… Mortality rates for heart attacks and strokes are down According to new independent health statistics published yesterday, death rates from heart disease and strokes have both fallen by a third since 2007 when the SNP first took the reigns of government.

    Since then, mortality rates for coronary heart disease have dropped by 36 per cent and death rates from strokes have fallen 33 per cent over the same period.

    Incidence rates for coronary heart disease have also fallen by 25 per cent since 2006-07 while incidence of cerebrovascular disease (CVD), of which stroke is one of the most common types, has fallen by 13 per cent over the same period.

    Survival rates of people suffering their first emergency admission with a heart attack have increased over the last decade – by eight per cent overall, and by 14 per cent in people over 75 ….”

    http://www.thenational.scot/news/mortality-rates-for-heart-attacks-and-strokes-are-down.12926

  107. Gullane No4
    Ignored
    says:

    I saw this Wings story and waited for the SBBC news.

    The scriptwriters must have known the truth but still managed to write their report with such an inferred SNP BAD slant.

    Oor Jakie even seemed to report it with a mystical smile on her face.

    Reporting child poverty with a smug face, not a good look Jakie

  108. Luigi
    Ignored
    says:

    Folks,

    Don’t get me wrong – fake news rebuttal is good. In fact it is essential (and the good rev does a brilliant job). But fire-fighting ain’t enough. The SG have to move on from a defensive position and start setting the agenda. This is tricky but it can be done by being controversial and baiting the media. Set traps for them and trigger them into an SNP Bad mode and they will do the heavy lifting for you.

    When the SNP government first came into power, they were very careful to demonstrate competence and good governance. But Hello! That was 10 years ago and we have to move on folks.

    We need vision and (to manipulate the media) we need controversy. So what if they rubbish some of the ideas – the important thing is to get everybody talking about them and eventually people will make their own mind up. With the BREXIT catastrophe looming, the people need to see the light more than ever. The all powerful yoon media has a fatal weakness – predictability. Use it against them. We know what the triggers are. 🙂

    The SNP lost the initiative following BREXIT. Not their fault (events, dear boy) but they have a short space of time to regain the public imagination before the yoons get their act together and fool the people with another reborn Labour party. Will it lead to disappointment – yes of course, but why waste another decade? If you stay on the defensive you will loose eventually.

    Come on SNP – time to throw caution to the wind and speak up for yourself. Scotland is depending on you.

  109. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    Les Wilson says:

    Here is the list of dung that were invited to T.May’s (cough) Burns supper

    Anyone on there who isn’t a proud-butt, I wonder?

  110. mike cassidy
    Ignored
    says:

    Final word on Sandra Dick.

    Her next article for the Herald.

    Snow melts if the temperature rises.

    You think I’m kidding!

    http://archive.is/0IwY9

  111. Graf Midgehunter
    Ignored
    says:

    @Petra 8.21

    This whole Mundell thing looks like a though-out plan in Westminster to retake Scotland as a colony and eradicate the independence threat forever.

    When Brexit comes, all devolved powers will be retained to Westminster and run from there via the Scottish office.

    The Scottish Office sets up the necessary departments/ ministries with staff as heads and officials in them.
    Mundell as the Viceroy. Thus the necessary recruitment of personel, already happening.

    These departments will also set up offices in Scotland to run and administer the daily work.
    Recruitment: Ruth and the other unionists are methinks being set up for this. (AND in the know..!)

    This would mean that with NO devolved powers there’s no need for Holyrood ministers or an administration and thus less (no) money for it. Predestined to be abolished later as not needed any more. Scottish elections would have no meaning anymore.

    A parallel administration set up and run from London which circumvents the Scottish Parliament.

    This can only come about if Scotland loses the devoled powers.

    So,are we sovereign enough and have the guts to stand up on our hind legs and say loud and clear – NO, not with us.

  112. manandboy
    Ignored
    says:

    Why you can trust the BBC – by the BBC.

    The BBC is promoting itself as completely and utterly trustworthy in all matters of truth, accuracy and fairness. And so much more. It proclaims itself as whiter than white and cleaner than clean.

    It goes without saying that this campaign by the BBC is totally cynical in its barefaced untruthfulness. The question is, not ‘why’, but ‘why now’?.

  113. mr thms
    Ignored
    says:

    The 2013 Scotland White Paper is really useful.

    Seems to me the Scottish government has steadily been implementing it, with Brexit in mind.

    Scroll down to..

    http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2013/11/9348/14

    “The transition to independence”

    Aah! Now it makes sense…

  114. Petra
    Ignored
    says:

    Ha, ha, ha. Thanks for that Les.

    I see that Mundell, Boyd Tunnock (tea cakes), Ross Thompson MP, Kirstene Hair MP, Alberto (Uriah Heep) Costa MP, Merryn Somerset Webb and Ann Gloag? (sister of Brian Souter) were there. Nobody from the SNP? No even Mike Russell who was born in Kent?

    Michael Russell MSP tweeting that this event was: “final and conclusive proof of Hugh MacDiarmid’s contention that ‘mair nonsense has been uttered in his name (Burns) than ony other barrin’ liberty and Christ.”

    http://www.welovebarraandvatersay.com/index.php/88-welcome/9123-theresa-may-hosts-burns-supper-in-downing-street-tonight

    ……………………………….

    And what do you all make of this photograph? Pathetic or what? Tragic in fact.

    Posted by Nana earlier.

    https://munguin.wordpress.com/2018/01/22/oh-joy-unbounded/

  115. colin alexander
    Ignored
    says:

    Graf Midgehunter

    Devolution is Westminster. Is life in Scotland much different from England after 20 years of devolution, over 10 years of that under the SNP? No.

    You could argue the NHS and public services are slightly better thanks to the SNP which I would agree with.

    But the same inequality, same lack of opportunity for poorer people, the same gulf between the fat cats – even in the public funded sector which the Scottish Govt is in charge of or holds the purse strings of- and the lowest paid, is almost exactly the same in Scotland as in England.

  116. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    The question is, not ‘why’, but ‘why now’?.

    Because they nearly lost in 2014. And ofcourse, BBC Scotland are charged with both bringing down SNP Scots gov and blocking indyref2.

    Stakes are very high for everyone in Pacific Quay now.

    If they cant get the SNP out by 2021, but can block indref2, they probably will get to Carry on Shitting on Scotland. These are not exactly Herculean tasks are they, given our very confusing and weird variant of De Hondt proportional elections. They just need to get say Colonel Ruth’s crew a few more MSP’s and that is that for a generation.

    But if the beeb liggers cant block indyref2 and they lose this time, there are a lot of very high pay jobs for beeb Scotland lifers, all looking at very different career paths.

    If you thought beeb Scotland’s UKOK Project Fear hysterics in 2014 were a bit extreme, you ain’t seen nothing yet:D

  117. Iain_mhor
    Ignored
    says:

    @9:53

    Finally, there it is…
    Now I know what shoe it’s on, I can scrape it off.

  118. Petra
    Ignored
    says:

    @ mike cassidy says at 9:57 am …. ”Final word on Sandra Dick. Her next article for the Herald. Snow melts if the temperature rises. You think I’m kidding!

    http://archive.is/0IwY9

    FGS! The vast majority of people who post on here should be applying for a job with the Herald.

    ……………………..

    WGD: ‘Until Scotland is independent our loss on aviation is Ireland’s gain.’

    ‘….Flights originating in Northern Ireland already have an exemption from the tax, allowing them to compete with airlines in the Irish Republic……

    Thanks to investment and tax breaks from the Irish government, Dublin is a major European hub airport. Edinburgh is not. Yet like Ireland, Scotland is geographically the nearest part of Europe for airline services originating in North America, and is ideally situated to act as a major hub airport for flights between European destinations and North America. Ireland is able to take advantage of its geographical position, Scotland is not.

    Serving over 29 million passengers annually, Dublin is the 14th-busiest airport in Europe, offering direct flights to 19 destinations in the USA and Canada. Many of the passengers on transatlantic flights to Dublin are catching connecting flights to elsewhere in Europe. Despite serving a catchment area with a similar population, Edinburgh, Scotland’s busiest airport, is used by only 12.3m passengers a year, and after the loss of the Hartford flights offers direct services to just seven destinations in the US and Canada. Dublin also offers considerably more connecting flights to onward destinations, making transatlantic services to Dublin more attractive, especially to business users….’

    http://www.thenational.scot/news/15877978.Until_Scotland_is_independent_our_loss_on_aviation_is_Ireland_s_gain/

  119. Scot Finlayson
    Ignored
    says:

    Theresa`s Burns Night sums up the House Negro analogy to the Scottish Uncle Toms,

    “The house Negro usually lived close to his master. He dressed like his master. He wore his master’s second-hand clothes. He ate food that his master left on the table. And he lived in his master’s house–probably in the basement or the attic–but he still lived in the master’s house,

    When the house (Brutish Empire,UK) started burning down, that type of Negro would fight harder to put the master’s house out than the master himself would.”

  120. colin alexander
    Ignored
    says:

    For the cost of Holyrood over the last 18 years, we could’ve built another two Queen Elizabeth University Hospitals “Betty’s”.

    We could’ve trained almost eight thousand doctors.

    But Unionists will regard Holyrood as money well spent, as it’s helped keep Scotland under Westminster’s rule.

    It’s helped to blunt the SNP, as one eye is on Holyrood, with indi playing second fiddle, as the SNP now help administer WM’s power for them.

  121. Petra
    Ignored
    says:

    All well worth a read, imo.

    As George says ”we (Scotland) need to create a new banking system that is publicly owned and directed at supporting the genuine needs of individuals and local SMEs. Start now.”

    George Kerevan: ‘How the banks perpetrated the greatest robbery in British history.’

    http://www.thenational.scot/news/15887130.How_the_banks_perpetrated_the_greatest_robbery_in_British_history/

    …………………………………

    Professor Robertson: ‘More evidence of actual strength in Scottish economy ignored by Scottish mainstream media.’

    https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com/2018/01/23/more-evidence-of-actual-strength-in-scottish-economy-ignored-by-scottish-mainstream-media/

    …………………………………

    ‘Is 38 Degrees now part of the Unionist propaganda machine?’

    https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com/2018/01/20/is-38-degrees-now-part-of-the-unionist-propaganda-machine/

  122. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Professor Robertson: ‘More evidence of actual strength in Scottish economy ignored by Scottish mainstream media.’

    You could sell that T shirt all over Scotland. Coffee time hoohaa from stinky olde The Graun, as they charge about their Scotland region trying to stamp out Scottish democracy, by just not reporting anything about Scotland,

    http://archive.is/kGZVc

    “And so the Brexit rollercoaster continues its wild ride while the European left looks on in indifference. Surely defending social rights is part of countering populism? Of course, stopping Brexit is a job for the British – but has Labour even thought about sitting down with representatives of Spain’s Podemos or with Nordic or German social democrats to discuss how to do it?”

    Etc.

    So once SLabour have crushed the vile seps, taken back their Scotland region, which lets face it, they do own by birth right alone, then they can save the Brits from Brexit, with the Nordics, the Germans, Spain, the Klingons, Darth Vader…

    Easy peasy, just ask future Lady Sarah Smith.

  123. Liz Rannoch
    Ignored
    says:

    Sorry o/t but relevant to news that we get.
    EBC 2 News Channel -Tam Fry National Obesity Forum ‘that’s absurd the May plan is recognised by everybody as being a very inferior document indeed’. Dinnae hit & miss the wall Tam. Bigging up Scottish plan (& Wales) interviewer disnae like eh, but, hesitate – change tack – blame parents instead of government. Tam disagrees completely.
    Bet it’s not on The News where we are.

  124. louis.b.argyll
    Ignored
    says:

    Petra, ask maybe ask Effijy re 38 degrees, used to get linked to often, none now.

  125. geeo
    Ignored
    says:

    Apologies if this has already been posted up..just noticed it earlier…

    NHS England been fiddling the A&E figures apparently…

    http://archive.is/C4w6b

  126. Albaman
    Ignored
    says:

    Less Wilson @ 09:43hrs,
    There we have a list of some of the union supporting “influential” people, these are the same ones who’ll say, “naw it canna be done, yer no strong enough”.
    The battle lines are being drawn, that’s for sure, ( only surprised that “the vow” was not invited, keeping him as backup?).
    Condescending P.M., gives me the dry boake to even think of her saying that she values Scotland and the part it , Ach I’ll leave it there cause the only interest she has in Scotland, is the money’s it brings to the treasury.

  127. Ann
    Ignored
    says:

    Mrs May has created a department to seek out fake news.

    I wonder if they will look at all the fake news that is being cast against our government, doctors, nurses, transport in fact everything.

    I won’t hold my breathe.

  128. McBoxheid
    Ignored
    says:

    Back to the OP:

    As this “article” is about SCOTTISH poverty, you would have thought they would have at least changed the bit at the end where it states:

    “This isn’t a faraway crisis, she said”

    and concludes with

    “hundreds of millions of people who are scraping a living on poverty pay”

    Aye, they must be the immigrants that, in their eyes are ruining the economy.

  129. McBoxheid
    Ignored
    says:

    A new headline suggestion:

    “HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of Scots are living on poverty pay”

  130. Karmanaut
    Ignored
    says:

    As a follower of Scottish politics and indy supporter, this has been the last 7 days for me:

    Last week:
    Some prominent Yessers: “Nutty cybernats need to stop accusing the MSM of bias, because it makes us look stupid.”
    MSM: “Here here. Lol. Stupid conspiracy theorist nats.”

    Next couple of days:
    BBC falsely overstate Scottish A&E missed target figures by almost 100,000, damaging the SNP.
    BBC falsely understate England’s A&E missed target by nearly 300,000, luckily for the Conservative government.

    Jan 22nd:
    Herald front page = A lie that damages the SNP.

    Jan 23rd:
    BBC: Falsely suggest SNP are behind PFI catastrophe (triggering social media backlash from Unionists).
    BBC: Falsely suggest SNP are behind Edinburgh Tram catastrophe (triggering social media backlash from Unionists).

    Jan 24th:
    Scottish Daily Mail front page = A lie that damages the SNP.
    Scottish Daily Express front page = A lie that damages the SNP.
    Telegraph front Page = A lie that damages the SNP.
    BBC reports these front pages without comment online = Same lie, to a wider audience, damaging the SNP.

    So, all in all a pretty typical week of daft wee MSM errors that aren’t biased in any way.

  131. Rev. Stuart Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    “It’s from last April though. It does however state that Scotland’s top 2% own 13% of the wealth in chart 7. Slightly at odds with the 1% owning 50% of the wealth as quoted in the Herald.”

    Ah no, that’s just the bewildering array of different stats. The top 2 owning 13% of wealth is entirely compatible with the top 1% owning as much wealth as the bottom 50% of people, because they’re different measures.



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