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Wings Over Scotland


The father of the thought

Posted on January 01, 2018 by

In the Guardian today:

If only we had some data on that oh wait of course we do.

Our latest Panelbase poll, fieldwork 15-20 December 2017:

Labour voters are in fact split almost exactly evenly across age groups, while the youth vote is massively SNP, with more than twice Labour’s support. Sorry, grandad.

In fairness, though, we should acknowledge that he’s not entirely wrong about young people supporting genuinely radical policies.

We’re sure he’ll be chuffed.

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Jon Drummond

Brilliant.

Shot down in flames within the hour!

Jason Smoothpiece

Straight to work this morning Stu I like that.

Does anyone listen to Labour any more?

Their credibility is almost as trashed as SiU.

Helena Brown

Come on the bairns, I may be a pensioner but the SNP have always had my support. Maybe I have never been rich enough or secure enough to worry about losing anything, or maybe those like me can only see disaster sticking in this union.

rigmac7

More than twice Labour’s support with 51% (106) to 26% (54)? You got a hangover mannie?

winifred mccartney

No New Years resolution for labour then just more of the same tired old labour lies, lies, lies – it is what they are best at and they can even do it with a straight face.

You may not remember but we do and we are not about to forget.

Fro

Future is looking bright for the Lib Dems! Ha ha

Ken500

Priceless

The toadie gets it wrong again. Lies every time he opens his mouth. What a useless incompetent. Thanks to Labour for another failure.

Geoff Huijer

The annoying thing here is that the paper just quoted him with no thought.

‘Scottish Labour seen as rulers* by young people, new leader says’

Substitute * for anything: rascals, radiators, romantics, radge etc

Gerry Gribbons

This guy does not seem not to learn by his 2017 mistakes and intends to continue as before…sooner Labour voters enmasse learn we are headed over the cliff edge with brexit and their respond to a YES vote the better

stu mac

I went to that page and as I expected no BTL comments allowed as yet. Even if they appear later that will give plenty of time for folk to be conned before anyone who knows better is able to post the truth: you know the line, get your lie in first and it will stick with a lot of people even when they hear the truth later.

heedtracker

Another dose of Scottish reality for SLabour.

And just another boost from stinky olde The Graun tories too, read by about zero Scots today.

That new SLab dude has been very disappointing, rising without trace, totally out of his UKOK depth. Where on earth do they get these guys, he’d be fine as a parkie maybe, with a clipboard and big set of keys.

Although, SLabour also thought millionaires like Anas, who’s company refuses flat out to pay a living wage, would make a great socialist worker SLabour leader too.

CmonIndy

Saw this article. Surely false. Came here to check. False with proof. QED.

galamcennalath

Young people understand what radical means. Labour haven’t been radical since the 1940s. You are going to have to be 95+ to have for a radical Labour government!

Want radical, here’s radical …

” SNP linking of second independence vote to Brexit “

…. that was a manefesto promise. The electorate gave a majority to parties with that policy. They elected a government with a mandate. So democracy has and will take its course. All quite alien concepts for Labour.

stu mac

@Helena Brown says:
1 January, 2018 at 12:58 pm
Come on the bairns, I may be a pensioner but the SNP have always had my support. Maybe I have never been rich enough or secure enough to worry about losing anything, or maybe those like me can only see disaster sticking in this union

I too am a pensioner but one was a labour supporter (seems long ago now but was a long part of my life). However I will say this: I always thought Scotland could manage on its own and later was very keen on devolution – and wanted more once it arrived. Now SNP and likely to remain so since it’s been proved promises of more powers just can’t be trusted.

I suppose it could be said I’m an example of an older person being able to change their mind. Though of course it could also be said I haven’t changed much – just that the parties (Labour/Liberal) I might have supported when young have moved far from me and independence seems the only way of getting a proper, democratic system back in this country.

Jason Smoothpiece

I have some younger types sons and daughter.

I listen to them and their friends. They are not heavily into politics except when winding me up.

The chat is they like the Independence idea, they like the SNP. Some of them have met Alex Salmond and Nicola.

They have the selfies to prove it.

They regard Labour as off limits a party for people who missed the change in Labour on the arrival of Blair.

Once pro independence I think it’s unlikely that the young folk will turn back to a English Nationalist party.

In rare political conversations when they are not at the wind up they express the view that Labour was a party that their grandfather voted for until grand dad, a former miner moved to the SNP following the arrival of Blair.

They are all rabidly anti royal it appears to be the case across their whole social group.

Labour not cool Royal not cool. Don’t start them on the Tories.

Sal Clynder

More worried by the 55+ figure. Still, I’m 55 later this year so hopefully the Tory support continues to go down as those of us who suffered under Thatcher move up the age bands!!

Blair Paterson

In all honesty what has labour got to offer Scotland ??? Nothing that the SNP has not already delivered if any of the unionist parties got into power in Scotland they would take away the things the SNP have given us and bring us back into to line with England remember J.,Lamonts something for nothing society ??? Well that certainly applies to the rich who labour are careful not to offend a real Labour Party would do away with all tax loopholes off shore havens etc., and the House of Lords but they are adding to it ??? Also trident and spend all the money saved on the people they have the gall to say they represent pass the sick bag please

PictAtRandom

“Leonard also said that treating Scotland differently as Nicola Sturgeon demanded because it voted to remain in the EU would be like cordoning off Glasgow because the city voted yes to independence.”

So, there you are, Scotland is a muckle cooncil.

Doesn’t one of Glasgow’s boundaries cut across Hampden Park? Maybe some lines on a map are more ‘accidental’ than others, eh Dickie?

Macart

You’d think Mr Leonard would get tired of facepalming in public… but apparently not. Then again you’d also think the journalists of these titles might do some fact checking on latest poll data to verify the statements of the folk they’re giving a platform to. (shrugs)

Ken500

Another dose of the appalling MSM. Printing absolute lies. The Guardian declaring £Millions of loss. With a £Billion in reserve. Tax dodge, offshored? Pleading poverty and getting mugs to subscribe These Oxbridge hypocrites certainly know how to make mugs out of some ignorant folk. The ‘moral’ high ground. They are party to starving citizens to death, Along with Labour naturally. It is in their DNA. Pycho bastards. The Scottish electoral system illegally mucked to accommodate these useless bastards.Trying to do Scotland down. The MSM based elsewhere with low readership. Thank goodness.

Jim Wands

I always get the impression from Leonard that a small engineering works is missing a shop steward.keep it up Mr Cambell your doing a great job on these idiots.

Capella

It’s the Guardian’s job to promote neoliberal Labour in Scotland because, well, at least they are neoliberal.
A jounalist would surely have checked the figures.

Ottomanboi

Yeah! Just look in the mirror Mr Leonard, your ‘youth’ is fast slipping away.
Join ‘Scottish Labour’ and enter our super competition for a mega cool Twingo!

Chris Kilby

The fact former Airdrie-Shotts MP, Pamela Nash, is Scotland in Union’s current figurehead/sock puppet tells us everything we need to know about where Richard Leonard’s “radical” Labour Party’s true loyalties lie. Like anyone needs reminding…

HandandShrimp

I don’t think Labour fully realise how much the young are concerned about losing their EU citizenship. They are playing a very dangerous card in their support for Brexit.

Jockanese Wind Talker

Tricky Dicky Leontard

BriitNat Labour in Scotland Branch Manager.

GMB BritNat Union Representative.

Offers Scottish voters nothing but subservience to London.

#PlantationOwners

Andy-B

Time I think, to open a fact-check page on Richard Leonard, like his predecessor Kezia Dugdale, Leonard’s utterings aren’t laced with much veracity at all.

Lochside

Another empty, lying, self promoting SLAB branch ‘manager’…without an ounce of honesty or shame. More of the same then!

galamcennalath

if any of the unionist parties got into power in Scotland they would … bring us back into to line with England

Exactly. That’s what devolution, the Scottish Parliament, and the North British branch offices of Unionist parties are SUPPOSED to be for. Keep Scotland in line, and definitely don’t allow it to take a significantly different course. It was all intended to be a veneer of fake democracy.

The Unionist solution to the democratic deficit of Westminster rule and Scottish constitutional issues is ….. Scots need to stop being different!

All the problems would go away overnight if only we would just do as the English do, on every matter.

Things have gone far too far for that to ever happen now!

Their game’s a bogey, an’ the ba’s oan the slates.

Andy Anderson

Thanks Stu for kicking the lies from Leonard in to the long grass.

Bob Mack

There can be no dispute that Scottish Labour put forward very radical policies— prior to elections that is.

However in my many years experience there is inevitably a failure to carry them out. I can be as radical as I wish when not in control. I can promise you the moon on a plate, until I get elected.

This particular Rumpelstiltskin will take your straw and turn it into —-straw.

Experience teaches us many things, but none more valuable than the old adage “Fool me once ,shame on you, Fool me twice, shame on me”.

Stuart Colligan

MSM propaganda wing, would appear to be preparing Ruth Davidson for “elevation” to westminster, and Mr. Leonard (westminster spy in Holyrood camp) as leader in training for “betterthegither2”.
In a recent speech, Leonard was even promoting himsel to “Honourary Scottish staus”, when saying he (and the labour branch office) now strongly believed in a federal Scotland within the UK, he was phrasing this as “we” shouldn’t have a parliament that is just a talking shop, “we” should have a parliament with powers to make decisions that affect “us”…..

Now whit Scot in a sane state of mind is going to listen tae HIM proclaiming himself not to be just Scottish, but as someone we should listen to as “leader of Scots!”

How deluded, and how far removed from reality, can these “beings” actually get?

heedtracker

Nice display of red tory in its Scotland region doublespeak, which The Graun ligger dutifully swallows to the very last drop. Whatever became of the 80’s Grauniad, now stuffed to the gunnels with sneaky creepy blue tories.

“I do not consider myself to be a Corbynista. The similarities between myself and Jeremy Corbyn are about our approach to politics. I’ve been a longstanding member of the Labour party, and my views have been pretty consistent. That’s meant I’ve been off-message and out of step from time to time, but I do think that the result of the leadership election signifies that maybe I am now in step and I do represent the direction that members of the Scottish Labour party want the party to go in.”

Vote for radical SLabour young Scots! what with their all new exciting, “We’ve been out of step from time to time,” placards.

frogesque

Father of the thought?

Further from the truth!

Meanwhile: Independence, the dream that never sleeps.

2018 Indy or bust!

Croompenstein

Does he feel out of step with the view of Scottish people, given that 62% voted to remain in the EU in 2016? “I feel comfortable and in step with my own democratic principles. The franchise for the 2016 referendum was the UK and you can’t try and change the goalposts afterwards. It’s like saying in 2014 Glasgow voted yes, Dundee voted yes, therefore they should be cordoned off. It doesn’t work like that.”

Someone needs to explain the difference between cities and countries to this complete nugget..

TYRAN

This Leonard guy looks like someone who wrongly links arms at the start of “Auld Lang Syne” rather than at the end upon being instructed to do so in the lyrics.

Ian

“Fool me once ,shame on you, Fool me twice, shame on me”.

Exactly. So why do so many of the oldies (my age group) who have lived through seemingly endless lies/incompetence/greed from the UK parties continue to support them. Baffles me beyond belief.

Az

CmonIndy says:
1 January, 2018 at 1:09 pm

Saw this article. Surely false. Came here to check. False with proof. QED.

I love this! It rings so true for many I’m sure. Wings is probably one of the best resources available to us.

Happy New Year to all x

paul gerard mccormack

Like everyone else, i just can’t be bothered with these insulting dingbats anymore whatsoever.

Argo.

Az

Ouch! Apologies – I intended to say:

“Wings is probably the best resource available to us”

Calum McKay

Leonard is not a leader and never will be!

He has no history, profile or passion!

He is a temporary placeman because as he worships at the altar of another who is also not a leader.

As a proposition to a young person:

“Do you wish Scots to run Scotland or are you happy for English tories to run Scotland?”

Normski

From the Guardian article: “I’ve been a member of the Labour party for 35 years, I’ve never been in a faction…”

So basically his radical credentials are that he has done nothing out of the ordinary. Ever.

HandandShrimp

So basically his radical credentials are that he has done nothing out of the ordinary. Ever.

Well I had never heard of him prior to his leadership contest. Maybe that is all that is left for Labour.

Clootie

…Rev, you are not playing to Labour rules. They make wild assertions and it is accepted…after all this is how it works with the MSM!

Jason Smoothpiece

OT sort of

I see on Twitter there is a crisis in several hospitals darn sarf.

Some are over capacity and unable to unload Ambulances.

Several folk including, allegedly, Doctors are in despair and the Tories are getting the blame, rightly for the mess.

But what do folk in England do? Vote Labour?

Labour run the health service in Wales, how’s that going just now?

English folk have nowhere to go a choice between Labour and Tories, think about that. No wonder folk are coming North in decent numbers to escape the mess that is failed England.

Still they can always call out the Red Cross, again.

Ken500

Another 3rd reject embarrassment to the Electorate in Scotland.

1 person six votes to vote out voter’s own preference. On an electoral system. Many voters do not understand. No one wants. More unionist fraud and corruption.

Corbyn stayed for forty? years a Party of whom every major policy he disagreed. How ineffectual is that. Troughing. Instead of having some principles and going off and doing something useful. Now betraying every principle and the people who voted for him. He and his Party could have brought May down by now. Instead of being in collusion. Same old, same old useless unionists political bastards. Liars every one.

The Tory Party will died out. The members are on average 70 year old males.

Bob Mack

@ Ian,

“So why do so many oldies– continue to support them ? “.

Why do people stay in abusive relationships? The answer to leave seems simple enough,but is not often taken. The strange but accurate answer is that people find an excuse to mitigate for such things. They talk about better the devil you know, how it is too late to change, lack of alternatives, reduction in security no matter what tenuous it may already seem to the onlooker.

Custom and habit through family traditions, expectations, even social class all play a part. Call it programming if you will, but we have been taught ,as I was myself that Labour was the party of the working class.

We have to break that link, primarily now created by the trade union movement who still evolve and revolve around Labour party financing and policy.

It can be done.

farrochie

If Wings wasn’t doing this, who would be? Thanks, Stu.

Jason Smoothpiece

Bob Mack @ 2.57

Bob you are right about the influence of the union’s very often a recruiting ground for Labour and almost always uncritical of Labour.

There needs to be a change in the way workers organise I have said before not sure what the best way forward is but I think a new Union for pro independence workers I think it would be a great boost to the campaign and would serve the workers better.

There has been little or no outcry from the Unions over anything recently, Catalonia, SiU scandal, the plan to murder the Irish PM.

Silence as their loyalty is towards the establishment the UKOK comes first for the Unions.

Some branches don’t even advertise branch meetings, keeps the proles away stops difficult questions being asked.

galamcennalath

Mhairi Hunter makes a good point, from WoS Twitter …

“Labour’s problem remains how to reconcile an appeal to young left leaning voters, who are predominantly Yes leaning voters too, with the unionist base Scottish Labour actually targeted in the election with their vote no to indyref chat, who are predominantly older & socially conservative.”

I think the point is, that’s impossible.

They could offer both radical and small ‘c’ conservative policies at the same time, even if mutually exclusive. All they need is a good dose of deceit. Thus fudge their way through to a broad church. If ever elected they wouldn’t carry out the promises. That’s the formula used to date.

However, when it comes to Union versus Independence the fudge become very difficult. OK, so there’s ‘Vowing’, and federating, and pretence to a middle ground of more devolution. But they’ve well and truly blown that approach!

The big chasm in Scottish politics is Indy versus London rule. They can only be on one side. Labour cannot appeal to the youth and to older traditional Labour Unionists.

Also, the Tories with they main base among over 55s, are much better at doing the Unionist thing.

If Labour want a niche, they need to become at least soft on independence.

Perhaps Catalonia is a model. There are pro Indy parties, pro Spanish parties, and there is also those who support a referendum and will go along with the will of the people rather than actively campaign on Indy. Labour needs to think along these lines or be squeezed into irrelevance.

stu mac

@Croompenstein says:
1 January, 2018 at 2:12 pm
Does he feel out of step with the view of Scottish people, given that 62% voted to remain in the EU in 2016?
====================

It’s more than just that. The Referendum on EU membership was open-ended (too much so you might say). So even though the leavers won, there was nothing in the referendum question that suggested it should be the hardest of Brexits. It was in fact a discretionary vote, the government didn’t have to do anything (though perhaps moral pressure to do something).

That means – and it was a narrow win for leavers so this should be even more so – that the strongest case is for the mildest of Brexits. And a case for areas like Scotland to have their own version of Brexit – after all they’re saying they’ll keep Ireland border-less (though how much they can be believed?). But because May is appeasing the hardliners we’re going for the worst of all options.

stu mac

@Ken500 says:
1 January, 2018 at 2:54 pm
The Tory Party will die out. The members are on average 70 year old males.
=====================================

I think it will last for a good while yet. They already depend heavily on the super-wealthy to bankroll them and as their numbers die out, more money will pour in from these guys to keep it going. It may of course happen that party prospects end up being picked by cabals of these rich donors with the actual party being an empty shell.

What will happen – and we see it happening already – is that the actual talent available for them will shrink to nothing. You could pick a random Tory minister at any time recently and you’ll see an example of this. To a lesser extent the same’s been happening with the other parties – except the SNP (and Greens who are too new) where I think the limited genuine political talent in Scotland has moved.

Bob Mack

@Jason Smoothpiece,

The problem with starting a new Union is simply this. You can gain membership but there is no guarantee or certainty that the workplace will recognise their role. I believe that nurses in Scotland tried such a move several years ago with a new union called IFON. The Health boards did not recognise them but still listened to Unison etc who opposed IFON at every turn.

Considering the opposition that would be created by National Unions and indeed Westminster who control workers rights, it may be problematic

Arbroath1320

I don’t know what it is that he is smoking but that is some HEAVY shit man!

Can I have some please? 😀

admiral

Re the Grauniad, this article is just another of their attempts to build up the latest branch office assistant manager as the political genius who’s going to stick it to the SNP. Anent Wendy Alexander, Iain Gray, Johanna Lamont, Jim Murphy, Kez Dugdale…

Libby and Sev get money for jam, ‘cos every few months they’ve just got to dig out the original article and change the names. LOL!

Walking On Sunshine

Good to see the 55+ group are the least likely to vote Labour. If the over 55s have finally given up on Labour, and the 15-34 group are voting SNP in large numbers it augurs badly for Leonard and his crew.

With the Tories in third place in the polls, the young voting SNP, and the elderly turning their backs on Labour it looks good for a second referendum and Scottish independence at last.

The stats show Leonard has no idea what he’s blabbering about, and more than likely will be sacked by the end of the year. His jaicket is on a shoogly nail already.

Arbroath1320

Sorry for going O/T so early peeps.

As a lot of us know the good old BBC have announced that they are going to fund “local” reporters around the UK. These “local” reporters will actually be coming from the local newspapers which are by and large owned by THREE newspaper groups namely Trinity Mirror, Newsquest and Johnston Press.

Here is a full breakdown of how many reporters are being used by BBC in each identified region.

NOTE!

Keep a sharp lookout for the number of reporters across Scotland, there are a few surprises there. 😉

link to archive.is

Phronesis

Radical politics will only rectify decades of financial mismanagement and erosion of democracy for the majority if the WM political system is radically altered. One possibility is voting for Scotland to have complete control of the economic and political levers that would be regarded as normal for a nation state.

‘In November 2011, the High Pay Commission reported that the pay of the chief executives of the 100 largest companies on the London stock exchange had risen by 49 per cent during the previous year, compared with average increases of less than 3 per cent for their employees. As 2012 began, each chief executive could, on average, expect to receive around £4.2 million, 145 times the average pay of their employees and some 162 times the British average wage…The rise in inequality during the Tony Blair years was rapid. As Blair came to power, the best-off one-thousandth (0.1 per cent) of the population received an income 61 times what the 90 per cent at the bottom received; by 2007 this ratio had risen to 95 times…

Austerity for the rich could prove popular…as the richest 1 per cent took more and more pay for themselves . As they took more pay for themselves their share of direct taxation also increased so that it is now well over 25 per cent of all income tax. That share did not rise because the top tax rates were reduced to 40 per cent in 1988 by Nigel Lawson. Had Lawson not reduced top taxes in 1988 the rich might have been less encouraged to become so greedy.

link to dannydorling.org

Dr Jim

Schoolboy British Nationalist errors again from Ricky Bobby Leonard
Scotland is past the whole idea that we need “rulers” Scotland needs government and that means involvement by the people for the people

Oooh, that’s what the SNP do

Boom!!! mike dropped!!!

Fred

Another pile of ordure from the school of wishful thinking!

heedtracker

Keep a sharp lookout for the number of reporters across Scotland, there are a few surprises there.”

BBC pumping stacks more cash into Press and Journal style local neo fascism for local neo fascists.

Scotland’s hard core tory hackdom gets a lot more BBC money than any other region in their UK is probably not that surprising is it, millions of quid just sitting there, waiting to be thrown at tories. Very UKOK.

Makes a lot of sense though, for the beeb attack propagandists to inject millions into local rags in Scotland ofcourse.

As newspaper sales plummet in their BBC Scotland region, its a pretty slick means of boosting them all up a bit, for a while at least.

Certainly with indy ref2 coming, beeb gimp network is really going to be stretched trying to terrorise Scots into keeping this shithead union in charge, again.

All tory hands to pumps, red and blue, have some of our beeb gimp licence money, Mr Thomson.

Will JK Trolling be donating another million or so into BetterTogether 2.0.

There’s your headline.

Thepnr

The first line of that article in the Guardian is a belter.

Young people now see Labour as the radicals in Scotland, according to the party’s new leader, Richard Leonard.

Is this how “news” is produced by our MSM nowadays? Totally ridiculous. According to me Leonard talks a load of manure.

Leon

Blimey! Leonard’s as ditsy as Dugdale. The public suicide of SLAB continues unabated.

David Caledonia

Its amazing how many yorkshire men seem to appear in scottish politics, i cannot remenber when a local lad last appeared in my own area, ofc i never voted for any of them, to me they where just here for the safe seat, and to this very day the labour party keep putting these morons up for election
And the people keep voting for them, never mind, death will change that farce eventually Alba Gu snooker loopy!

David Caledonia

Oh death where is thy sting !

heedtracker

David Caledonia says:
1 January, 2018 at 4:08 pm
Oh death where is thy sting !

On your feet soldier. You’re not dead til I say so.

That’s in Hamlet too:D

Dan Huil

British nationalists in England parrot British nationalists in Scotland. Both groups haven’t a clue.

Arbroath1320

I’m still trying to figure out which half of the reporters from Orkney, Shetland and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar the BBC is funding Heed. Is it:

a) three bottom halves
b) three top halves
c) two bottom halves and one top half
d) two top halves and one bottom half

If it is option c or d where are the respective top and bottom halves based?

a) bottom half Shetland …Bottom half Orkney … top half Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
b) bottom half Orkney … bottom half Comhairle nan Eilean Siar … top half Shetland
c) bottom half Shetland … bottom half Comhairle nan Eilean Siar … top half Orkney
d) top half Shetland …top half Orkney … bottom half Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
e) top half Orkney … top half Comhairle nan Eilean Siar … bottom half Shetland
f) top half Shetland … top half Comhairle nan Eilean Siar … bottom half Orkney

jk.scobie

Bob Mack…
You are correct, at present I have a cousin in an abusive relationship, when we asked her why she was not leaving him she replied , because I dont know what will happen if I do, I replied , but you know what will happen if you stay. Same as Scotland’s situation so why can’t more of Scotlands people see this and go for change instead of staying with the same old tories of all their colours

gus1940

Is Kez’s gag still in place?

yesindyref2

I think it’s a closed mentality, where the views of a few vocal people such as bloggers and activists – incuding their own activists – are the only ones getting through to Labour. And also that perhaps they’re being a bit blind-sided by looking at people who have moved to YES and are making their views known about radical policies. But by far the most people put politics very much second to, well, pretty much anything basically, accomodation, finances, drink, food, transport including a car, holidays, did I say drink?

Jason Smoothpiece

Bob Mack

Indeed a difficult task which is a shame as the trade unions are a break on progress for Scotland.

The Union’s are very much in decline they are not engaging with members who in turn don’t engage with the Union.

They are capable of raising decent sums to pay the salaries of Union brass and of course pour very considerable sums into Labour.

An issue for someone further up the food chain than me.

Jason Smoothpiece

Brake

heedtracker

Arbroath1320 says:
1 January, 2018 at 4:17 pm
I’m still trying to figure out which half of the reporters from Orkney, Shetland and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar the BBC is funding Heed. Is it:

They’ve got stacks of cash alrighty but they clearly worked that they just do not have all the airtime reach in to the Scottish voters brain.

This is the same propaganda crew that refuses to publish view figures.

If beeb Scotland figures were any good, they’d be rammed down our throats, the local tory rags like the extreme tory Press and Journal could sink or swim, beeb gimps would bat an eye lid.

THis is why they’ve never been sold off by any tory UK gov, red and blue. They crush all and any commercial opposition. Look at how empty STV is, other than their yoon rage.

And now they desperately need tory propaganda in newsprint Scotland, they come to them with loads of public taxation money. How very teamGB tory capitalist of them.

BBC can pump god only knows how many millions into their local UKOK tory hack networks in their Scotland region, but exact same liggers flat out refuse to show any Scotland football internationals.

No wonder they’ve got us all down as mugs but this is just one way the beeb liggers are going about their all out attack on Scottish democracy.

And ofcourse they call it, “helping local Scottish democracy.”

Charlatans don’t come any more charlatany.

Phdaux

Another great post.

The thing is, Mr.Leonard, is that our young people can see right through the total utter mince on offer from the Labour Party in Scotland.Our young people were given the opportunity to explore the ideas of those who have thought in different and more profound ways about how to live in this world of ours…in a way that connects with the passions and preoccupations inside their heads.

They see things newly and differently. You never did bother your arses to listen to them because to do so runs the risk of having to change the way you see the world. Nothing radical about the fact that your deid and mingin party was rejected by most of them. Go figure.

Lochside

Arbroath 1320….’As a lot of us know the good old BBC have announced that they are going to fund “local” reporters around the UK. These “local” reporters will actually be coming from the local newspapers which are by and large owned by THREE newspaper groups namely Trinity Mirror, Newsquest and Johnston Press’.

Who’s funding this? The BBC or both ? And who is behind it? I dont pay the BBC Tax anyway, but how do those who are pro-Indy, but still pay it, feel about a State organ openly combining with private press barons to ‘cover the news’?

North chiel

Richard Leonard just another “ Labour establishment stooge” . He knows ( as does his London boss) that the unionist Labour Party ( including the Scottish regional branch office) have to bow to the U.K. establishment to maintain their status as the “ reserve government” . To have any chance therefore of the keys to No. 10 the “ 2nd eleven” have to virtually showdown the “ May Tory Junta” on all major aspects of policy including trident , the constitution , the Exit from the EU, continued austerity , cosying up to the US, worshipping the Royals etc. Etc.
Richard Leonard thinks that this signals “ radical policies” to young voters in Scotland?? I am quite sure that our younger generation in Scotland are not going to be “ conned” by “ Scottish Labour” and their “ media lackies “ ( pathetic Quay or London owned “ Scottish” newspapers). These youngsters are too savvy to fall for this blatant “ Fake news reverse state propaganda “.

North chiel

“ showdown” should read “ shadow “, apologies for not “ proof reading”

Arbroath1320

I’m pretty sure I saw over on Twitter someone suggesting that the good old BBC was looking at making “donations” to one or two of the Commercial TV channels in the UK. I don’t know how true this was but if so I’d be questioning them about why their TV tax is so high if they can afford to do that AND pay for “local” reporters from local newspapers to do the local reporting for them. Fortunately, for the BBC, I do not pay their ridiculous tax so I’ll not be asking any pertanent questions of them … this time at least.

It’s the BBC who are funding this idea Lochside.

Isn’t it amazing … BBC keep on about how they struggle to get by with all the TV tax the government rakes in and yet here they are funding local newspaper reporters to be their (BBC’s) local reporters and apparently also possibly making donations tothe likes of Channel 4, channel 5, and ITV.

Robert Graham

Happy new year to all the usual suspects who keep this site updated .

o/t Slightly but political so that counts I suppose.

The empire never sleeps , never loses its grip , on what’s allowed in the media .

With this new year only hours old , anyone who thinks this year is going to be any different from all the other stage managed years we have seen are going to be very disappointed .

The Wizard of OZ was showing on ITV 3 earlier and I was just glancing at it while I was doing something else , the end credits started to roll and I thought something odd here , something missing , so I rewound it , twice yep ” ding dong the witch is dead ” was cut out, disappeared gone , the thought had crossed my mind when it started , I wonder if the offending song that the Tory party tried to ban well they did eventually stop the BBC playing it , will be played .

How f/n Bloody Petty , Censorship worthy of the most despotic states in action in 2018 , the whole idea of 1984 and the ministry of truth is not a novel it’s acutely here and operating at full Throttle .

Phydaux

Another great post.

The thing is, Mr Leonard, that our young people can see right through the total utter mince on offer from the Labour Party in Scotland. Our young people were given the opportunity to explore the ideas of those who have thought in different and more profound ways about how to live in this world of ours…in a way that connects with the passions and preoccupations inside their heads.They see things newly and differently. You never did bother your collective arses to listen to them because to do so runs the risk of having to change the way you see the world

Nothing radical about the fact that your deid and mingin party was rejected by most of them. Go figure.

boris

Broadband roll-out compromised by the Tory Westminster Government who through their nodding dog Scottish MP’s attempt to pass the buck onto the Scottish Government. But it was a blatant attempt to justify the centralization of powers with the Tory Party who would be able to allocate 5G networking finance to selected group’s of Scottish MP’s (obviously Tory)by-passing the Scottish Government. Just as they are intent on doing with farming and fisheries. And they will not stop there. The new Tory mantra is “devolution is dead” power must rest with Westminster.

link to caltonjock.com

Maria F

Happy New Year Stu and all WoS contributors/readers!!

Oh how I laughed with the last developments re -SiU! What a fantastic end of the year

How can you say it was a boring year in politics, Stu when 2017 had us witnessing the disintegration of SiU, T May placing the noose around her neck by triggering A50 without Scotland’s consent, we had resignation after resignation in the Tory cabinet, we saw the tories losing their majority in Westminster and failing spectacularly to reduce the SNP seats to less than half even with the 3 britnat parties in Scotland working together, we had the theatrics of the tory conference with TMay’s coughing, P45 and the disintegrating stage, Johnson’s semi-permanently holding his foot in the mouth in his current job, we had Kezia Dugdale leaving the leadership of the branch and then choosing to eat kangaroo testicles and other revolting ‘delicacies’ rather than doing her job and the best ever: an indyref in the horizon.

And what better way to start the new year than with an opportunity like this? The chance to transform the frustration of not being able to comment on a riddled with bullsht article of Leonard into raucous laughter after reading your destroying of the man’s wildest fantasy.

Brilliant!

gus1940

The Green Ink Brigade strikes again in the form of a letter from Martin Redfern in today’s Independent the contents of which come as no surprise.

wull2

Always post what you think, some people might disagree but other might not, if nothing else it gets it off your chest, its good to talk or in this case post.
YES

K.A.Mylchreest

At least Kezia was mildly entertaining and had a wee hint of personality. This new fellow, whits-hiz-face? is little more than a cipher. Didn’t they call John Major “the Grey Man”? This new New Lab. nonentity makes JM look like sparkling technicolour …

Bob Mack

To the number of posters who cannot understand why people cannot move on from Unionism, I would simply say Maslow.

His hierarchy of needs explains it quite simply, and in over 40 years of clinical practise it never let me down.

Stage 1 is the basic, intrinsic need for water,food ,shelter,air, and clothing. It is non negotiable because without any of these things our very survival is at risk.

Stage 2 is Security, such as in personal security, job security etc. These allow us to maintain the needs at stage 1.

Only when we have attained these basic and necessary levels can we move on to establishing proper relationships and then begin to achieve self esteem I. E. Feeling good about ourselves.

The problem we have is that the mass media and all political parties outwith the SNP , try to convince people that we cannot get past level 2 which is our security. They tell everybody that our jobs will go and as a consequence we will end up poor.

This directly influences people and whether we like it or not, it directly affects human basic instinct over which we have little control. Try stopping yourself getting angry, or letting someone prevent you from having food or a drink.

The SNP have yet to convince many older voters that they will be safe financially under their rule rather than the status quo.

Do not think for one moment that these unionist attacks are merely arbitrary. They are designed to frighten and scare especially older and working people at a basic instinctive level, and it worked.

The SNP have a job on their hands counteracting this, but it can be done Sorry for the long post.

Thepnr

@Robert Graham

“Ding dong the witch is dead” censured from The Wizard of OZ.

Hahaha that is so fecking funny. How desperate can they get 🙂

Andy-B

Some of the extortion racket TV licence fees that you pay, are to go to unionist newspapers, (local journalists, if you can call them that). Who will in turn feed you back the appropriate propaganda.

More so in Scotland where bias reporting against the SNP and the Scottish government will see a inevitable increase, and you’ll be funding it through the TV licence extortion ring.

link to archive.is

K.A.Mylchreest

@ Bob Mack
It sounds to me that you really know what you’re talking about (which makes a change — ha-ha!) So folks, listen to the expert and take heed. 🙂

Thepnr

Don’t pay the propaganda tax known as the TV license, do it right and it’s hassle free. One letter I’ve had from them since 2014 asking if my “circumstances had changed”.

No they haven’t I won’t pay for your pathetic propaganda to be beamed into my living room. Spend you savings on the license on Netflix or Amazon Prime. More choice and propaganda free.

stewartb

Bob Mack at 5:49 pm

Writes: “To the number of posters who cannot understand why people cannot move on from Unionism, I would simply say Maslow.”

I agree. This is a topic that we should return to again and again, both to examine in detail its significance and to learn from it when devising campaigning strategies and tactics.

And when getting to the actions and framing the messages, may I strongly recommend the work of George Lakoff as I have done before here.

This from a Guardian article in Feb 2014:

“One of Lakoff’s engagements in London was at the TUC, where they proudly showed him a video they had made about welfare, and it fell into all these Wisconsin pitfalls** – restating Cameron’s case in order to dispute it, but in reality falling into the trap of trying to dispel welfare “myths”, instead of talking about a social security system of which we should be proud. He took it apart at the seams.”

** Regarding this Wisconsin pitfall, the Guardian article explained: “A classic liberal pitfall is the idea that by repeating one of the opposition’s ridiculous lines, you make it look even more absurd. “There was an election in Wisconsin,” Lakoff says, “there was a horrible governor there, and the Democrats were so stupid that they put up billboards all over the state with a picture of him smiling. They had his name in large letters next to the picture, and it says, ‘Why is this man smiling?’ And then in smaller type, it has a list of his positions, all from his point of view. As if everybody will recognise that this is a horrible man. Instead, it is a billboard in his favour. It’s about time progressives got out there and said what’s true about themselves, as well as what’s true of the other side. If you have a strong position, let’s hear it.”

Taking Lakoff’s advice and, in context, addressing each key point in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs would not be a bad way to begin the structuring of a compelling case and winning strategy for an IndyRef2 campaign.

Ken500

How long will he last. Give it Year. To cap it all the other creep is now trying to blame Nicola because the useless incompetent did not ‘win’ the poison chalice. These people appear to live in a bubble. Totally delusional. They are taking the taxpayers for mugs. The poor mugs who have to pay for these appalling conmen.

The Tories are so despised. They have to drag people off the street to stand. That is why they are so dire and appallingly awful 3rd rate rejects. They haven’t got a clue. Habitual on the take liars. Bigots racists and perverts. Despicable. Responsible for illegally killing and maining vulnerable people. A total embarrassing disgrace.

K1

Just another dodgy branch manager standing in front of a camera asking Scotland oot on a date claiming Labour are ‘the one’…but but but…Richard, look…Scotland’s already taken…youse were papped years ago cause youse ur a shite snog.

yesindyref2

@Bob Mack
Precisely.

Number 1 is what society replaces for “hunter-gatherers”, or at least SHOULD replace. That’s why some basic welfare is not just a benevolent part of society, it’s an aboslutely essential part. If you have “ownership” and don’t allow people to roam the land picking berries, hunting animals and chopping down trees, society MUST make sure these are available to all, regardless of circumstances.

Which means Number 2 is dependent on number 1, because if you have enough people who can’t eat, drink, breathe, stay warm and sheltered, then you have a disturbed society, and potentially a violent and “lawless” one.

What YES should consider doing is taking your 1 and 2 and putting them on the campaign material, they’re short enough to drive home the message, and it would strike a note with many people, even the Just Getting By people, and even thost who are comfortably off. Then the message has a chance to get through to all, of what is needed to be done and the best way of doing it – Union with austerity and constant cuts to state and welfare, putting not just the less fortunate at risk, but those at the better off end, or Indy which can provide the basics while enabling the “luxuries”.

Andy-B

Why is the BBC using licence payers monies to fund journalists of failing newspapers?

This is the first “stage” whatever that means (probably a lot more journalists will be paid for by the BBC) in which 144 new journalist spread over several newspaper groups will be employed with financial aid from the BBC licence fee payer.

Are these new journalists agenda to dole out British propaganda, extolling the virtues and greatness of Britannia? Whilst putting down via the press anything that threatens the union?

It’s more than likely these new journalists many be coming to Scotland to work for the unionist press, will spend most of their time attacking the SNP and the Scottish government, and you’re paying for it.

In my opinion the BBC, a ardent British government mouthpiece, has set a dangerous precedent, openly funding the national press.

Cgeybee

OT It is 6:30pm on ne’ers day and I have fallen out with my younger brothers who only arrived t 3:30. They tell me it Ok to be right wingers and that trident is great is saves putin or kim jon attacking us. the european fishing fleet are stealing all our fish, the death penalty should be brought back , SNP really bad, we should just put up prices to all foreigners and extradite all sharia law believers and the police cannot attack child molesters/female genital mutilationists because of “PC gone mad” I am sitting quietly typing this thinking I will never get through to them and that depresses me on Jan 1

Legerwood

Local democracy reporters

Here is a link to the job advert for these posts. This one is in Bathgate

link to indeed.co.uk

The wording and intention of these posts and the way they are being funded seems less than democratic and more directed to manipulating and undermining local democracy.

What is the betting that, in Scotland anyway, it will be SNP led Local Authorities who come under the most scrutiny

Clive Scott

For anyone is looking for a New Year resolution, if you have not already done so please cancel the BBC licence fee.

starlaw

Labour will not listen to young people. It is Labour policy to tell them what they must do on Labour Party orders.

colin alexander

Knowing the sheer incompetence of the SNP I bet they will want indyref2 in 2018 around 11 November, slap bang at the time of the centenary of the Armistice of WW1.

So the UK Establishment can wheel out Brown and co, to spout the mince about our ancestors died for freedom on the fields of Flanders so that’s why people in 2018 should back the Union.

Even if they don’t pick that date, it’s gonnae be Union Jack year, more than ever, with the centenary used as an excuse to promote the Union at every opportunity.

Though the SNP can want all they want, the UK Govt don’t recognise any right for devolved administrations of WM Govt to demand anything of WM.

heedtracker

In my opinion the BBC, a ardent British government mouthpiece, has set a dangerous precedent, openly funding the national press.”

It’s merely an extension of how UK media works and probably always has done. UKOK hacks start on the local rag, virtually all of them, and there’s thousands. All “cub” hacks hope to eventually to make it to either the beeb trough, or the Fleet street giants.

If you’re private school Oxbridge, you will almost certainly vault over that heaving mass of journos in to the top beeb slots. Just like they do in all other UK estates. Beeb don’t necessarily choose private school boys and girls, lets say 70% though. Look at their current greats like tory arse licker Andrew Neil, a staggering shit like Mike Gove, or even gorgeous pouting Colonel Ruth. Is there even a glimpse of a lefty in there at all? no way.

So ofcourse you have to be the right sort to join the beeb gimp network,

ie. not working class. They tried that in the 60’s and 70’s and they will never make that mistake again.

One of the main reasons the beeb gimp network is no longer an entertainment media corp, is essentially a story of Thatcherite teamGB, nepotism rotting it out from within.

Why, because being white middle and upper class, from very comfortable tory backgrounds, does not actually mean that you are gifted tv and radio dramatist, comedy writer, creative thingajig, no matter how hard you are told it really does.

The beeb gets away with it for a number of reasons, its a staggering tory propaganda outfit ofcourse but also, its because middle and upper class England just loves the sound of middle and upper class England, and ofcourse everyone else should too.

Gordon Brown’s Labour crew understood all of that. That’s why Crash OKed the almost unimaginable giant spending spree that went into their giant and horrific new BBC studio network across teamGB, instead of making great tv.

It may have been only a few years licence fee income but that’s not what the beeb is for today and we are about to have our vile sep arses handed to us, by the western world’s most powerful and corrupt state broadcaster. Its also why they sit in their giant BBC boxes of tory shite, too scared to tell its public its actual viewing numbers.

Its not democracy, its not fair but who ever said life in teamGB was fair.

Scotspatriot

Don’t often post on here ,but tonight I make an exception. The Boys Alexander is either a plant or he has a mental illness! That’s all folks….have a good one.

colin alexander

Scotspatriot

We’ll see. 2018 will be the year of the Union Jack. Probably the most shameful episode of UK history, the mass slaughter of it’s young men by the millions for inches of soil, will be turned into a huge reason to celebrate and worship the Union.

yesindyref2

Incidentally, and brutally honest. Time is short and I scan and don’t read everything. When I saw “. . . Maslow.
His hierarchy of needs . . .
” never heard of Maslow so I passed on until I saw K.A.Mylchreest “It sounds to me that you really know what you’re talking about” and went back and read it, shows the value of people highlighting some posts.

ScotsRenewables

Scotspatriot says:
1 January, 2018 at 7:55 pm
Don’t often post on here ,but tonight I make an exception. The Boys Alexander is either a plant or he has a mental illness!

False flag troll energy sapping twat – best ignored. Or – best blocked (Stu?)

Andy-B

All very true Heedtracker, I’m wondering if it’s even legal for the BBC go ahead with this. The news organisations will receive funding from the BBC to cover employment costs of the reporters.

Free Scotland

Reading or hearing anything spouted by Dick Leonard or his dwindling little gang makes me think of the lyrics of a song by Free from the Seventies:

“You’ve always got something to hide, something you just can’t tell, And the only time that you’re satisfied is when your feet’s in the wishing well.”

Dream on, Dick.

Croompenstein

Though the SNP can want all they want, the UK Govt don’t recognise any right for devolved administrations of WM Govt to demand anything of WM

The administration isn’t demanding anything you fucking dolt, the electorate voted on a manifesto promise and the administration will fulfill that promise

Robert Peffers

@PictAtRandom says: 1 January, 2018 at 1:25 pm:

“So, there you are, Scotland is a muckle cooncil.
Doesn’t one of Glasgow’s boundaries cut across Hampden Park? Maybe some lines on a map are more ‘accidental’ than others, eh Dickie?”

I think you may have misjudged the Labour Mind-set there, PictAtRandom. As I see it, like all the Unionist parties and they, of course , are just a little bit of the entire Westminster Establishment that includes at least the top brass in the Union Armed Forces, the top strata of the Education system, the Police Force, Security Forces, The Civil Service, the Education system and the Bank of England – not to forget the largest non-elected legislative body in the entire World, The House of Lords.

The mind-set I speak about is that The United Kingdom is NOT a bipartite union of only two equally sovereign former independent kingdoms but the old Kingdom of England that was renamed as The United Kingdom and, anyway it is just one country and that country is England.

It most certainly is run in that manned as there are Scottish, N.Irish and Weslsh elected legislations but since 1st May 1707 there has not been an elected Parliament of England and Westminster legislates, with English Law, and runs England directly, even funding it directly as the United Kingdom, while Westminster devolves, what thus can only be their assumed sovereign power of the country of England, to the other three countries of Scotland, N.I. and Wales.

If there is any remaining doubt then that is dispelled by their use of EVEL to enforce the sovereignty of England upon the rest of the United Kingdom.

Then there is their spurious claim that Westminster is, “THE”, British Parliament, and the army, Navy and ir Force are the British Armed Forces.

If that were true can anyone explain for us what this is:-

link to coastmonkey.ie

Ken500

Illegally using taxpayers money to fund private enterprise of MSM corruption. All that will happen is more people will refuse to pay the licence fee. The biased MSM will lose even more money as even more people refuse to buy or read their nonsense. Another lose, lose for the tainted unionists politicians, and the corrupt media. More people will support Wings the SNP and Independence.

Indulging in even more of the pathetic MSM lies, bias and misreporting. It will just turn off even more people. Reduce their revenues flow. Annoy and anger even more people. They will switch off. Another deluded unionists squander and waste of public money that will backfire. Shameful doesn’t even come into it. The majority have had enough of it.

The Guardian Oxbridge creeps. £1Billion in reserves. They have the nerve to be claiming poverty and taking money from empoverished people to fund their gross salary and expenses. In the name of ‘freedom of the Press’. Claiming they are supporting injustice. There cannot be nothing more underhand and despicable than that. Morals of the gutter. The gutter press. No wonder hardly anyone reads it.

Thank goodness for the internet.

yesindyref2

@ScotsRenewables
I think it’s reverse psychology and he’s really Nicola Sturgeon, Rock is Callum Baird and sensibledave is Mike Russel.

heedtracker

Andy-B says:
1 January, 2018 at 8:07 pm
All very true Heedtracker, I’m wondering if it’s even legal for the BBC go ahead with this.

UK press is already massively subsidised by both UK and Scots gov with a huge ad budget. No idea how much it was say last year but previous years its several hundred million quid.

Ask Alexa, “how much does UK gov spend on ads?”

“Do you mean PR”

Both Alexa,

There’s nothing much out there at all. Most google hits stop at 2014. Shurely some mistake.

link to news.bbc.co.uk

Page last updated at 09:07 GMT, Sunday, 14 February 2010

Government advertising spending ‘rises by 40%’
Government swine flu poster
The government advertises to warn over issues like heath and road safety

Government spending on advertising and marketing has risen by almost 40% to £253m in the past year, the BBC’s Politics Show has learned.”

ULtra toryboy David Cameron was a PR ligger. Mike Hesseltine got him a start with a big PR corp, started on £70+k a year plus expenses. Its what Eton and Oxbridge is there for.

I UKOK shit you not. If there’s one thing our BBC masters know how to do, its shower themselves with wads and wads of cash.

Reluctant Nationalist

Yesindyref @ 6.54pm
———————-
Well said.

Al Dossary

Re the privately educated media gimps,

About 3 years back I had the prospectus for Gordonstoun school of all places. Upon reading the offending document, I could reach only one conclusion.

The school was nothing other than a prep school for those children of the rich and famous who were not quite clever enough to get into any of the top private schools such as Eton etc.

The reason for my conclusion was that some 64% of alumni find work in arts, the performing arts” or media industry. Amazing the strings that daddy can pull to better one’s career.

To really see how far the BBC has fallen you only have to look at the likes of “play for today” in the 1970s & 1980s to see the cutting edge, controversial programming that they once put out. I guess that is the leftie leaning types they are trying to expunge.

However even then they were wary of repeating certain episodes. The episode “United Kingdom” was aired one time, never to be seen again. If I recall correctly it included in its cast Ricky Tomlinson and centred around 2 councillors who refused to apply the cuts.

If ever you want to read first hand the British state at its worst, Ricky Tomlinsons biography “Ricky” is a brilliant read. 18 months he spent in prison on nonsensical charges before they ruined his life by blacklisting him from the building trade. His crime – to be on of the organisers involved with the 1974 building trades strikes.

Aired one time and then buried.

Ken500

The mainstream media printing presses print UK Gov literature and polical Parties literature, Lucrative business. They all bid for. Newsquest. JP, Thomson? Newquest (US company) main business worldwide is printing literature for private education.

The piper calls the tune once again with public money. More UK Gov and MSM corruption. Hand in hand as usual.

heedtracker

Aired one time and then buried.

Only Fools and Horses was written by a BBC stage or studio prop hand.

Last week BBC r4 Today show was all about Prince Harry and other aristos, beeb arse licking at max but they also had a beeb “debate” about how pussy grabber Orange Hitler was doing. Not with nice but dim Prince H ofcourse. He interviewed Obama, a lovely way to rub some of that first ever black Presidential progressive liberal sheen and luster, on to our royals creepshow, beeb gimp style.

John Humphries is clearly just working out his pension now but for his Orange Hitler beeb gimp debate, they matched up Simon Schama and Neil Ferguson.

Schama’s just another simpering Britnat tory beeb ligger but Ferguson is as close to regular beeb fascist explainer and apologist guest as its gets. Not even Ligger Neil goes as far right as Glasgow posh boy Ferguson.

Trump’s doing ok, they tory “argued” together, probs yes, but otherwise Orange Hitler and Trump America is just fine.

That’s world famous balanced and unbiased BBC, 2018, £3.5+bn a year, and we’re next.

ScottieDog

@Bob Mack
“To the number of posters who cannot understand why people cannot move on from Unionism, I would simply say Maslow.

His hierarchy of needs explains it quite simply, and in over 40 years of clinical practise it never let me down.

Stage 1 is the basic, intrinsic need for water,food ,shelter,air, and clothing. It is non negotiable because without any of these things our very survival is at risk.

Stage 2 is Security, such as in personal security, job security etc. These allow us to maintain the needs at stage 1.”

This reminds me of how effectIve mainstream economics has been at pulling the wool over people’s eyes as to what forms the basis of an economy.

If you ask the person in the street what the basis of an economy is, they will no doubt tell you it is money. This is entirely wrong.

Energy underpins the economy. Society is a heat machine runnnig on electrons. Money is a human construct used to move resources and is created by double entry book keeping. That’s it really.

Incredibly we didn’t even question yoon logic about the oil price over the last two years. It was never about the price of oil but ALL about energy sovereignty.
Imagine you have an acre out the back and grow firewood. Who cares how much a cord of wood fetches. The main thing is, you can heat your home!

sassenach

I realise it would make people feel good, but not paying the TV licence does nothing to hinder BBC finances.

The TV licence fees go directly to central government, and the BBC then gets it’s allocated cash from the government. The UK government would still fund the BBC even if nobody paid their licence.

I believe it is setup, financially, in this manner so as to protect the BBC from funds ever drying up by boycotts. We will never bring down the BBC by refusal to pay TV licences – I only wish I knew what other way there could be to bring that shower of ‘baskets’ down.

wull2

My suggestion for 2018, don’t repeat what some clown has said, it just gives them more oxygen.
Answer if you want just don’t copy what they have said, a lot of us just skip over certain names to keep the BP down.

Thepnr

@sassenach

Sure, not paying your TV license will not stop the government funding them and they will continue to broadcast.

Refusing to watch their shite though because you can’t legally do so if you don’t pay your license just might make a difference.

Fewer viewers then less influence. Paying a TV license fee is a waste of money. I’m sure we could all find better things to spend it on. They’ll never get another bean from me, that’s a fact.

Moonlight

Michael Keating ?

Still waiting for http://www.forwardas.one to come alive.

Perhaps it might have been wiser to fire the gun at the appropriate moment, rather than announce the intention to all and sundry.

Should we be trolling through the news for a fatal car crash (in or out of a tunnel), or perhaps an awful house fire.

Just thinking.

Bob Mack

@Scottie Dog,

That is perfectly correct. You cannot heat yourself with a bar of gold, but you can with a log of wood. It only becomes an issue if wood is scarce.

An example of indy ref 1 was pensions. The SNP and the indy movement spent an inordinate amount of time trying to reassure pensioners that their pensions would be paid. The doubt was then sown by the Unionist media and also social media that Westminster may or may not be responsible for such payment. For many , their pension is their prime source of income

The Rev did an article on it, but not all pensioners read Wings. There was doubt sown and that doubt was enough to influence people to remain with the assured payment from Westminster rather than take a chance that the Scottish government would pay in full. This is an area that needs to have gold plated guarantees in place.

As I stated before, Maslow second step was called into question. It may sound strange to us, but people were programmed and sure of their Westminster payment regardless if the amount was variable.

These are areas we must firm up

Kangaroo

Since you are now OT
In Trumpland things are simmering along in the background. I have been following this story for quite some time and while it seems far fetched I can assure you it’s real. Too many sources can’t all be wrong.

link to m.youtube.com

Won’t be long until TSHTF bigtime.

wull2

Moonlight, Try, it works for me.

link to facebook.com

Ken500

Not watching BBC as much as possible would help bring them down. Fewer viewer figures (especially in Scotland) could not justify the BBC Scotland programmes. Many people are already outraged by the £3.7Billion that they get. They were being required to reduce their budget. By £100Million? or more by the Tory Gov.

Their charter has a requirement for impartiality etc not being met. Plus the funding for Scotland that is supposed to come under the Charter being ignored. The Scottish Gov has constantly been complaining about that. There were supposed to be improvement made re funding. If they keep on producing programme with extremely low figures not being watched and not value for money. Many programmes are/have been pulled because of that. Not recommisioned. Including News programmes. On commercial channels as well.

The 1/2-1 hour politic/news programme broadcast at 10.30 pm nightly (in Scotland) was pulled because of hardly anyone watched it. The usual propaganda. On the commercial channels less advertisers will advertise on low viewing programmes. Their income depends on reasonable viewing figures. Losing viewers costs them money. PR and marketing.

twathater

2018 just the same jackie baillie spouted by the new new new leader of the RED tolies , and just the same pish and lies spouted by red tory leaders of LIEBOUR ad infinitum .

Do us a favour dick change the record , and for a start apologise to previous Scottish liebour voters for the lies and corruption inflicted on them by your faux socialist parasites , most of whom are now ensconced in the auld gravy train hoose of LARDS

As a previous long term liebour voter i was and am sickened and disgusted at their deliberate attempt to con young people into believing and voting for their sorry arses

A word of advice for young people looking to vote for these self serving parasites , please take a look at their previous record of non achievements and their deliberate selling out of Scotland and Scottish people , handing back 1.5 billion to wastemonster because they couldn’t think of anything worthwhile to spend it on in Scotland , the Hollyrood parliament debacle , the Edinburgh TRAM fiasco , the PFI shitstorm ,voting with the tories to sabotage any amendments to the powers after the indy ref , abstaining en masse to the return of devolved powers , suppressing the McCrone report ,do any of these fcuckups indicate a party that works for the benefit of Scotland or the Scottish people I’ll leave you to make up your own minds

Ken500

If people stop,paying the TV licence the U.K. Gov loses money. Same logic just a different agency loses revenues. How can they justify their vast tax evaded salaries. The £3.7 Billion budget when their programmes have fewer and fewer viewers. It’s a nonsense. Half of their vast budget goes on their real estate. Not programmes. Their over inflated salaries, being hidden, for programmes with lower and lower viewing figures. Now being made public knowledge. Will make viewers turn off the programmes in disgust. Just as their condescending attitudes etc. They were all tax evading, (illegal?) and getting their wages paid as contractor, as a business. That is suppose to have been stopped.

Capella

@ Alba woman – if your around – just watched “Another Time Another Place” which was written by Jessie Kesson and produced by Channel 4 in 1983. It’s in Amazon Prime.
Well worth it for the fantastic scene with the Italian prisoners of war dancing and singing their own folk music. There were Italian prisoners of war near the Culter area. Jessie Kesson was brought up in an orphanage near Skene.

Made 34 years ago but a good Scottish film.

Thepnr

@Ken500

The BBC don’t even bother with Scottish football now either, Scotland v Anybody forget it unless it’s England.

You want to watch the highlights of the Premier League well here’s the English one best in the world on Saturday night the sweaties can wait until Sunday.

Second class citizens of the Great UK is how they see us. Fuck em!

heedtracker

Just not watching BBC stuff is their great threat.

No matter how much they want to brainwash us into mute UK tory underlings, that fear change, work for peanuts and worship the rich, its not going to be any use if fewer and fewer eyeballs give a shit.

Question is, can their relentless BBC psyops war on Scotland really block our developing Scottish mindset, from broke wee cringer region, to nation state Scots citizens, by say 2028.

Look at how they all monstered a fine new bridge over the Forth, just last year. Or how they just no longer show Scotland international football anymore. Unthinkable in any other country, but seems to have been accepted in Scotland, or has it. Not punishment, just britnat beeb propaganda logic.

So for another decade at least, beeb gimps themselves have to believe they are blocking change in Scotland, that they can hold Scots collective national psyche down and then kill it off, by getting the SNP out. Just ask our resident SNP bad man Colin A, or the bizarro clusterfuck world of SiU green ink weirdos, like Dr Scott Thinks.

A decade might seem a long time but that’s how far ahead they all look, where they plan their Scotland region will be.

Are non countries Scotland like people though? “Human beings are works in progress that mistakenly think they are finished.” But, “The one constant in our life is change.”

So all new Richard Nobody is the new change:D

link to ted.com

Ken500

The SNP Scottish Gov saved money by a campaign of putting more information on line and stopping having to print so much literature.

It is possible sometime soon the BBC (Scotland) viewing figures could be leaked. If unionists activists are now leaking to Wingers. Anything is possible. That could put cat among the pigeons.

Andrew

I know SLAB has a problem with accuracy but 51 to 26 must be obvious even for them.

Ken500

Any propaganda campaign is certainly not working. SNP are still winning major victories. In control. That doesn’t look like to change any time soon. SNP/Independence support is still increasing. At the last Indy Ref the support increased from 27%? to 45%. Nearly 20%. It is now at 49%. More than highly likely to increase the majority by a significant amount as soon as another campaign gets started.

Moonlight

wull2 @0955

Thanks, works for my wife who does facebook, I get blocked with a request to subscribe.

There is a link to You Tube link to youtube.com

Gary45%

Thepnr@9.38.
As posted before on previous posts, we stopped paying the TV licence in 2014. NEVER LOOKED BACK.
Its now become a source of entertainment when staying in UK hotels, me and the missus now click through the TV channels trying to find anything worth watching, usually sweet F A. (we take our portable DVD player for entertainment)
At the time it was a concern to us, “the usual are we breaking the law?” etc. Received the demanding letters, etc. At home we NEVER watch live TV, so they can go and “Do One”
We will NEVER pay for another TV licence.
The Matrix exists cut yourselves free.

Slabs Rick Lennon is just another trumpet in the wind section.

CameronB Brodie

Does he feel out of step with the view of Scottish people, given that 62% voted to remain in the EU in 2016? “I feel comfortable and in step with my own democratic principles. The franchise for the 2016 referendum was the UK and you can’t try and change the goalposts afterwards. It’s like saying in 2014 Glasgow voted yes, Dundee voted yes, therefore they should be cordoned off. It doesn’t work like that.”

Someone needs to explain the difference between cities and countries to this complete nugget..

He might be a nugget but he is employing discursive psychology and a message steeped in traditional class division, to beguile the unwary. Who the feck does this branch manager think he is? He has zero autonomy from London so he will only ever be as radical as London allows.

A total charlatan and a complete waste of time, IMHO. He’s a BritNat i.e. English nationalist, need more evidence?

Capella

Anyone concerned about the stream of right wing propaganda pouring from the BBC would benefit from reading Dr Tom Mills book “The BBC: Myth of a Public Service” which Jason Smoothpiece mentioned on an earlier thread.

Explains that the BBC has always been a tool of the government in Westminster, run by public school Oxbridge educated Establishment types. The John Birt era made the neoliberal agenda dominant.

So we are now confronted by the likes of Nick Robinson and Andrew Neil poisoning the well of information.

It’s a wealth of inside information on the Establishment roots of the corporation.

The kindle version is available now but there is a new paperback edition due out in February.
link to tinyurl.com

Dr Jim

If newspapers like the Scottish Daily Mail, The Scotsman and so on were actually in reality commercial businesses like say ToysRus or say ANother Bank they’d be closed down and not be kept subsidised to the detriment of their shareholders profit margins

I find it strange that in this day and age when RBS can close branches all over the place and Theresa May says she can’t get involved in commercial decisions even though the public owns over 70% of that business that right wing Tory supporting newspapers can stay afloat clearly with a failed business model in Scotland

So who’s subsidising these papers and through what mechanism are they still able to justify failed sales yet remain afloat

It’s like Mafia Genco Olive oil without the oil
Mibbees Derek McKay should be looking at their tax receipts
and if he doesn’t have the power to stop them he could at least make their losses public knowledge so’s folk would at least start to wonder why they keep pumping out stuff the public isn’t paying for and on whose behalf they’re doing it

Molly

Do you know what worries me about Richard Leonard ? Len Mcluskey .

Who did Len Mcluskey back in the Labour contest?

Why ?

What does he want in return?

There will always only ever be one UK Labour Party and it doesn’t matter if it’s Richard Leonard or Len Mcluskey really, they need Scotlands numbers to have control at Westminster.

I still have a screenshot where L Mcluskey tweeted devolution is dead or some such guff (said the man who doesn’t live with devolution)

Sad really I do believe in the need for strong trade unions unfortunately they’re about as rare as an honest Tory MP

Cactus

Very encouraging results from the 16 to 34 year old Scottish voters.

Another positive reminder is that Scotland’s twelve, thirteen, fourteen and fifteen year olds who were not previously eligible to vote Yes back in ’14… will be able to NOW, when the time comes. Their demographic alone could be well above 80% Yes.

‘Mon the Youth of Scotland 2018, win it for all of us!

pssst, Richard, yer nuthin’ but a wisp.

Dave McEwan Hill

colin alexander at 7.35

Do you actually believe today’s generation of Scots hold any reverence for the obscenity of WW1? It is very easy to get any Scot really angry about the cannon fodder that their grandparents became as they were sacrificed in the greatest idiocy the world ever saw. If they play WW1 it will have the opposite effect to their intention.

As I said already you understand nothing. You seem to think that if Westminster is stupid enough to refuse us a Section 30 for a referendum (and they won’t) we will just roll over and go away.
I can’t think of anything they would try to do that would be of more benefit to us.

Why don’t you visit that local laundry and get your brain cleaned out.

Macart

Y’know, it occurs to me that Labour are incapable of self reflection. They are incapable of apology. They are incapable of taking responsibility. Which is pretty ironic considering responsibility for our lives is the very thing they desire most.

They’ve never apologised for illegal wars. They’ve never apologised for cash for access, patronage, PFI schemes, council ALEOs, their part in sinking the first devolution referendum, stabbing Callaghan in the back, their treatment of Scotland’s electorate during the indyref and so much more. A fib to the press on their popularity?

A mere bagatelle.

To the yoonitariat and their chain tuggers? I’m not seeing much of a reason to trust Mr Leonard. TBF, I’m not seeing much of a reason to trust Labour, you or the status quo in general. Near as I can see and from well detailed historical record. You’re nothing more than thieving, murdering, fibbing bastirts.

Or is the public record of the past fifty years or so wrong?

heedtracker

Explains that the BBC has always been a tool of the government in Westminster, run by public school Oxbridge educated Establishment types. The John Birt era made the neoliberal agenda dominant.

John Birt merely took over the tory beeb reign, just one more red tory britnat. BBC destroyed the miners, Scargill, well the whole of the UK heavy industry was wiped out in a couple of years basically.

Scargill was the BBC’s devil on earth in BBC tory propaganda but probably the last great battle of the UK class war. Thatcher’s beeb kept them all in power, right through the whole transition for industry to services and the Saville era horrors, all hushed up by beeb tory corruption.

Scotland was really just a sideshow battle back then, heavy industry already dying at different rates of pace. Thatcher’s BBC just delivered the tory coup de grace. Slabour helpful little soldiers as ever, for the UK and the Lords trough rewards.

What’s coming UKOK next? Thatcherite tories created the great UK service industry economic miracle integrated in the EU but services cant be exported. If Brexit’s even remotely hard, its going to get very tetchy in Pacific Quay.

Losing control of Scotland is just not going to happen as far as they’re concerned. Imagine the heat under whatsherface DG Mackinnon.

Dave McEwan Hill

O/T

Is it just me or are other people wondering why what we see on the telly is called English football/ I looked at the team lists that came up the other night and Noticed that one of the teams had ONE English player on the park. Which brings me to my main point.
I am a lifelong Celtic supporter. I want to see a Celtic team on the park of Scottish players – you know liker the one that won the European Cup with an all Scottish team. In fact Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen won European tournaments with all Scottish teams -and they played football the way we were good at it -not all this fannying about in the middle of the park with a lone and lonely striker while we give the ball away deep in our own half withe other side all onside and able to pop in goals.

Sorry -went really off topic

Cactus

Almost a gorgeous ‘super wolf’ full moon outside:

link to timeanddate.com
link to timeanddate.com
link to timeanddate.com

Yer Guardian interview is a howler grandad, aooooow!

Scot Finlayson

The BBC is not the problem,

it`s those that corrupt and misuse it that are the problem,

the BBC was set up by Lord Reith to entertain,educate and inform free from outside influence,

but wasn`t long before the State started influencing the content (esp during 1926 General Strike),

like in all things the establishment infiltrated took over and brought in their own kind,mostly the brainwashed Oxbridge club,

now the BBC is the opposite of what Lord Reith envisioned,instead of educate,inform,entertain it`s fake news,propaganda and misinformation.

louis.b.argyll

That may be Cactus, but it’s raining hard out West.

cearc

The north-west is mainly clear and the moon is very handsome here, shining over my bedroom windae (velux) right now. Don’t really feel quite up to go outside to have a wee howl though.

Thepnr

@cearc

Howling at the moon is good for the soul. No harm trying 🙂

Ken500

The only thing the jungle revealed was that Dugdale was one of the most boring 3rd rare reject ‘leaders’ Labour has ever had. Until this guy came along. What bugs the majority of Scottish taxpayers that they are the mugs paying for it. Really, really, really annoys some of them. They will definitely, hopefully, show it by their vote. Unless they have given up on the whole disgraceful Westminster farce and politics. Hopefully enough of them will turn out again to trough the losers out.

Greannach

When Henry McLeish became branch manager I thought, give the guy a chance, he seems decent enough.

Then Jack McConnell appeared – an obedient, rather unimaginative county councillor a bit out of his depth and dazzled by his fame, but at least he’d be allowed to do the valet parking at G7 at Gleneagles.

Wendy Alexander – student politician following the usual west central route to public life. Not a principles-led politician but those expenses and pension need someone’s name on them.

Iain Gray – Labour activist school teacher. Politics’ loss was education’s gain. We tend to forget he was in the post.

Johann Lamont (or Johann La Mont – “Johann” as in German – as reported by Sky News) – not sure who she was. Thank god for Google. Member of a Labour expenses family.

Jim Murphy -Are you effing kidding?! The branch is dying.

Anas Sarwar – Temporary posting. Well, why not? Everybody else has been leader. Why not a private education enthusiast who doesn’t believe in the minimum wage? Labour values.

Kezia Dugdale – The branch is dead.

Richard Leonard – The branch is undead.

Cactus

Here’s a video of a massive moon from oor capital city:
link to youtube.com

Plus seagull.

Brian Doonthetoon

My first post on WOS of 2018.

I hope his vileness Rev Stu and all the contributors and lurkers here had as fine a Hogmanay and aftermath as I had. I wish you all, for 2018, the kind of year we’ve been slavering for, since 2014.

Onnyhoo, I’ve spent the last couple of hours catching up with all the comments on the 8 (recent pages) WOS tabs I have live in Firefox, with Queen from the Hammersmith Odeon in 1975 as my aural wallpaper. Now a documentary about The Clash is assaulting my lugs.

Hi stu mac at 1:12 pm.

You typed,
“I suppose it could be said I’m an example of an older person being able to change their mind. Though of course it could also be said I haven’t changed much – just that the parties (Labour/Liberal) I might have supported when young have moved far from me and independence seems the only way of getting a proper, democratic system back in this country.

That reminded me of an incident back in 2015, just after the general election. There had been a pro-indy rally in George Square and me, Ronnie Anderson, Paula Rose, Pete the Camera and other reprobates, had retired to The Vale (now closed) across from the entrance to Queen Street Station.

Of course, we were covered in YES and pro-indy badges. At a point in the evening, a rather drunk, reasonably well-dressed, gentleman approached our table and accused Ronnie A of being an intellectual (we were discussing ice ages and soil remineralisation at the time).

He wasn’t in the least threatening, being at that stage of being a drunk philosopher. Onnyhoo, one of his three-piece-suited mates came to our table and shood the drunk one away.

We got into conversation with him. Turned out that there was a bunch of them, representing various amateur football clubs, who had been at a meeting of the SAFA in Glasgow that day.

He was the guy who uttered the phrase that I had only, previously, heard reported by others. He said to us,
“I’ve been Labour all my life so it was with a heavy heart that I voted SNP in the election. I’ve never left the Labour Party – the Labour Party has left me.”

——————————————–

Hi Molly at 11:33 pm.

You typed,
“There will always only ever be one UK Labour Party and it doesn’t matter if it’s Richard Leonard or Len Mcluskey really, they need Scotlands numbers to have control at Westminster.”

You obviously don’t know but you have been assimilated by Labour propaganda. Rev Stu did an article about this some time ago (possibly before you started reading WOS). It was summarised in “The Wee Blue Book”. Here’s a couple of quotes:-

“Scots have voted for Labour at every Westminster election since 1955, but by the time of the 2015 election will have had Conservative governments they didn’t want for 38 of the last 68 years.”

“Q: “But won’t we be abandoning the people of the rest of the UK to permanent Conservative rule?”

A: No. Scottish votes almost never make any difference to the outcome of UK elections, and when they do it’s a very small and short-lived one. Scottish independence will NOT condemn the rest of the UK to permanent Conservative governments – almost every Labour government since WW2 would still have had a comfortable majority without any Scottish votes.”

Labour need the ENGLISH electorate to vote for them; the Scottish vote is just a wee bonus.

——————————————————–

Hi Greannach at 12:53 am.

You typed,
“Jim Murphy -Are you effing kidding?! The branch is dying.”

link to youtube.com

8=)

Thepnr

@Cactus

Not quite oor Capital city, but a big moon worth howling at 🙂

Brian Doonthetoon

Hi Molly.

Forgot to paste in the “Wee Blue Book” link.

link to theweebluebook.com

CameronB Brodie

What is the rational of BLiS___d being led by an exponent of empty rhetoric? To win back their traditional support, simples. However, BLiS___d are a prosthetic of the British nationalist ideology, an expansionist form of English nationalism, so appear happy to see Scotland harmed by an English culture poisoned by narrow, nationalistic and misguided utilitarianism.

Anthropology, Brexit and Xenophobia in Europe

The decision of people in Britain to leave the European Union has come as a surprise, even a shock to most of my friends and colleagues who work in academia here in England. While the EU’s neoliberal tendencies and never-ending crises in banking, sovereign debt and migration made the deficiencies of the organisation clearly evident over the past years, most of us had not expected that a majority of people in England and Wales would consider a drift back into nationalism to be the appropriate response. Sure, it is not usually our job to deal in short-term predictions of social trends, and anthropologists have famously missed the rise of important political currents in the past.[1] But to many of us, the extent to which we have misread the mood of people in large parts of Britain today feels highly unsettling.

This surprise is partially grounded in the fact that the economic case for leaving the EU was unconvincing. Economic analysts inside and outside of Britain had made clear that the net weekly savings of £350m promised by the leave campaign were a myth, that abandoning the EU was likely to cost Britain far more than its actual weekly contributions, and that the British economy substantially increased its risk of recession as a result of Brexit. Michael Gove, the Conservative Justice Secretary and a key figure in the leave campaign famously countered these arguments by declaring that the people of Britain “have had enough of experts […] saying that they know what is best and getting it consistently wrong.” Today, it seems, that voters in the referendum may have tired of economic reasoning altogether. The leave vote turned out to be strongest in those parts of the country that are most economically dependent on the EU.

….Moreover, we should acknowledge that the EU referendum has been orchestrated by political elites from the start. Far from being a natural result of widespread economic inequality, this political process was instigated by the Prime Minister David Cameron to ensure the continuous support of Conservative party members. His equally privileged rival Boris Johnson pushed the economic case for saving EU membership fees and fuelled anti-bureaucratic sentiments against Brussels, while former commodities trader, lobbyist and right-wing figurehead Nigel Farage successfully equated Britain’s EU membership with a lack of control over immigration.

Their attempts at heightening and using “integralist” sentiments of romantic collective belonging, cultural difference and alienation from modern society[4] failed in Scotland and large parts of Northern Ireland. In England and Wales, however, the absence of a strong opposition allowed their triumvirate of political incompetence, an empty will to power and anti-intellectualist xenophobia to win the popular vote. It turned what could have been a measured re-assessment of political allegiances into yet another exercise in escalating tensions along national and religious lines within Europe[5]. So while the referendum has surely been shaped by economic inequality and deprivation, it has also been an illustration of right-wing elites capturing the public discourse so as to to steer public grievances toward ethnic and racial “others” – and away from their own austerity policies….

link to politicalandlegalanthro.org

Robert Peffers

@Croompenstein says:1 January, 2018 at 2:12 pm:

“Someone needs to explain the difference between cities and countries to this complete nugget.”

Well no, Croompenstein, what someone needs to teach the numptie is the difference between cities and Kingdoms.

While the United Kingdom does contain four distinct countries the United Kingdom is not a union of countries – it is, as its title tells the World, a union of kingdoms. What is more and there are only two kingdoms in the United Kingdom and the Treaty of Union only has two signatory kingdoms and both are equally sovereign partner kingdoms.

There is no, elected as such, parliament of England. Why then is Westminster running only the country of England directly while treating everyone else they claim to be United Kingdom Citizens as if subservient to what has now become the de facto parliament of the country of England

Yet no one has voted for anyone as a member of a Parliament of the country of England. So just what is EVEL if not a statement that Westminster is the master and that master is England.

It is the con job to end all con jobs. They are devolving the legal powers of English Law upon the United Kingdom’s four countries but not a single voter has voted for a single Member of the Parliament of the country of England and Westminster runs England. No devolved powers to England is there?

Robert Peffers

@TYRAN says: 1 January, 2018 at 2:13 pm:

“This Leonard guy looks like someone who wrongly links arms at the start of “Auld Lang Syne” rather than at the end upon being instructed to do so in the lyrics.”

Nah! ‘Course he doesn’t ‘cos he sings, “Old Lang zine”, like the rest of the people of England.

Cactus

Indeed Thepnr, Edinburgh will only become a normal independent AND international Capital city when everyone chooses to say Yes to being iScotland.

Good mornin’ and 2nd day to you louis.b.argyll and cearc.

Remember this one from recent:
link to youtube.com

Sandra Bullock made it HOME.

NB no animals were harmed in the making of this movie.

Brian Doonthetoon

A couple of links from GA Ponsonby’s Twitter page:-

link to nurses.co.uk

link to thoughtcontrolscotland.com

Robert Peffers

@
Jason Smoothpiece says: 1 January, 2018 at 2:44 pm:

“English folk have nowhere to go a choice between Labour and Tories, think about that. No wonder folk are coming North in decent numbers to escape the mess that is failed England.
Still they can always call out the Red Cross, again.”

I’ve been saying it almost all my life – the Westminster Establishment is a farce and it always has been.

There never really has been any significant differences between the Westminster Establishment parties. What little differences there have been were only there to gull the electorate.

I wrote this a very long time ago when it was hard to tell the differences between the Labour and Tory leadership. So much so that the MSM were calling the two main party leaders, “Tweedledee and Tweedledum”, (Wilson & Heath). Then the LibDems formed themselves as an amalgamated or unified party:-

“There’s Tweedledee and Tweedledum and then there’s Tweedledem,

Ye canna shove a fag paper tween ony twa o them.

Since the people of Scotland have made the SNP a threat to Westminster with Scottish independence the three Westminster parties have united as a United Unionist Alliance and it is very obvious in Scotland’s parliament they work together as a team but it has always been that way.

What was the first thing that happened when WWII began and thus threatened Westminster rule?

A coalition Government of course. When Westminster rule is under threat they stand shoulder to shoulder against their common foe.

CameronB Brodie

I honestly don’t think empty rhetoric will protect Scotland’s civil society from the autocratic, neo-liberal, authoritarianism coming from London, given the right-wing populism that delivered Brexit. Which nation is this clown being a patriot too?

Anxiety and Politics

Abstract: The English version of this article was first published in 1957. The journal tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique republished it 60 years later in 2017. In this essay, Franz L. Neumann discusses the role of anxiety in politics. The article asks: How does it happen that the masses sell their souls to leaders and follow them blindly? On what does the power of attraction of leaders over masses rest? What are the historical situations in which this identification of leader and masses is successful, and what view of history do the men have who accept leaders? For answering these questions, the author suggests a combination of political economy, Freudian political psychology, and ideology critique. He sees anxiety in the context of alienation. Alienation is analysed as a multidimensional phenomenon consisting of economic, political, social and psychological alienation. Neumann introduces the notions of Caesaristic identification, institutionalised anxiety and persecutory anxiety. The essay shows that fascism remains an actual threat in capitalist societies.

link to triple-c.at

Robert Peffers

@colin alexander says: 1 January, 2018 at 7:35 pm:

“Knowing the sheer incompetence of the SNP I bet they will want indyref2 in 2018 around 11 November, slap bang at the time of the centenary of the Armistice of WW1.”

No comment from me is required in answer to that claim.

Robert Peffers

@Andy-B says: 1 January, 2018 at 8:07 pm:

“All very true Heedtracker, I’m wondering if it’s even legal for the BBC go ahead with this. The news organisations will receive funding from the BBC to cover employment costs of the reporters.”

If you had not realise long ago that the Westminster Establishment propaganda machine was a co-ordinated institution then it is long past time you did.

I’ve pointed it out often enough – It isn’t called, “The Establishment”, for nothing and when the chips are down they have always stood shoulder to shoulder against the common foe.

The party politics thing is only for the plebs – unionists are all the same and the way Labour and LibDems either vote with the Tories or abstain is easily seen as the whole unionist cabal working together.

A really free media would have never abided by such a scam as D Notices.

What are D Notices:-

“A D-Notice (also known as a DSMA-Notice or Defence and Security Media Advisory Notice) is an official request for news editors not to publish certain details of a story for reasons of national security.

D-Notices are issued by the Defence, Press and Broadcasting Advisory Committee, not, as some have claimed, the Home Office. The DPBAC is an independent body that is funded by and housed within the Ministry of Defence, but separate from the government.

D-Notices are voluntary for the media but aim to protect national security. Those responsible for issuing D-Notices say that any threat to national security must involve ‘grave danger to the State and/or individuals.'”

CameronB Brodie

Where is this branch manager coming from and where would he take Scotland? Nowhere good, IMHO.

“I couldn’t help noticing how all the best Marxist analyses are always analyses of a failure … Like, why did Paris Commune go wrong? Trotskyites. Why did the October Revolution go wrong? And so on … OK, we screwed it up, but we can give the best theory why it had to happen.”(Zizek, the “Elvis of cultural theory”.)

Critical Theory: Space, Society and Change
link to www2.clarku.edu

Ghillie

Well, I’m chuffed!

66% of 16 to 34 year old voters choose Independence for Scotland within the EU =)

But poor Mr Leonard is both delusional and useless at numbers!

Hey there! Happy happy New Year everyone =)

Ken500

Neil Oliver President of the National Trust. One way to end a very publicly funded career A loss of earning. Turn over or switch off. Another toadie. An insult to Democracy. So offensive in so many ways. Where to start.

Dr Jim

Won’t be long before Ricky Bobby Leonard does the usual Labour thing and blames the voters for not being fooled again

It’s thame Jeremy it’s thame, they SNPs they keep makin things better deliberately so’s we can’t win

Just tell them more lies Ricky baby, tried and tested and it works down here in “Britain” says Jezza

Ken500

National Trust. Another Charity? More tax evaders. Financed by public money? Over consumers.

Roddy

In a perfect world we would have politicians who would work for the people to deliver the best for all.

Unfortunately we do not, we live in a world where politicians will latch on to the latest ‘buzz word or phrase’, manipulate statistics and generally lie continuously about how they are ‘working’ for the people.
Everyday they execise their duplicity and every day it is swallowed whole by the gullible.

It takes people of Stuart’s ilk to expose this and bring to light their total failings in doing the ‘day job’ instead of lining their own pockets at the expense of others.

Keep up the good work!

stu mac

Cheers @ Brian Doonthetoon

and a belated Guid New Year to you.

Dave McEwan Hill

Cactus at 1.36am

As the voters in Edinburgh were too stupid to understand how independence would have massively advantaged Edinburgh I suggest Edinburgh is stripped of its status as capital city and the honour is given to Glasgow.

Tinto Chiel

@Robert Peffers 2.50 a.m.

Your mention of D-Notices reminded me that (if I remember correctly) the Dunblane Massacre has a 100-year restriction, the longest ever.

One can only imagine what damaging stuff is being supressed there.

Dave McEwan Hill

I have read somewhere that there are D notices on some of Tony Blair’s affairs. Does anybody else know anything? A recurring
feature in the careers of those who dance to the big money secret establishment that actually controls US/UK is that they have got something on them.

Hamish100

Dave McEwan Hill

Promoting Glasgow for the capital! Brings back the manipulation by Dewar and labour ensuring the old high school couldn’t be used- through out Stirling and other areas were ignored. As now an Argyll man surely Dunadd comes first?

Effijy

In 2018 we can still rely on not being able to rely on a word the Guardian or the UK Media pump out.

Fred

Anent Dunblane, George Robertson will be deid by then?

heedtracker

From yesterday’s The Graun’s march of triumph for radical SLab Richard Nobody, to a sneaky creepy Graun style slime all over Scottish not happening democracy. Westminster all the way. This SNP MP had maybe think about why she’s been elected in Scotland too.

link to archive.is

We kept her focused only on Westminster gropers, lechers and pervs but

“She is markedly less keen to talk about Scottish independence, the SNP’s founding principle. The slide in the party’s fortunes in June follows its leader Nicola Sturgeon’s political gamble of demanding a second independence referendum before the final Brexit deal is done.

She is markedly less keen to talk about Scottish independence, the SNP’s founding principle. The slide in the party’s fortunes in June follows its leader Nicola Sturgeon’s political gamble of demanding a second independence referendum before the final Brexit deal is done.”

and so on. Graun ligger says SNP are less “prominent” now too.

Considering The Graun has completely ghosted both Scotland and the SNP since 2014, welcome to the new new 2018 UKOK tory shyster hackdom, in their S____d region.

Meg merrilees

Heedtracker @ 11.59

Just had a sudden thought – you mentioned John Birt and his ‘leadership’ of the BBC.

I was working in the BBC, in London then, and lived through his regime.
It was a massive change from the previous way of working and one of the biggest changes he made was to introduce something called ‘Producer Choice’. This meant that any Producer of a programme could choose exactly whomsoever he/she wanted to create to his show.
Whilst this might seem a good idea on paper, it ultimately meant that if the Producer went outside of the BBC, then licence payers’ money was also going out of the BBC to pay for that product, whereas keeping the facility ‘in-house’ kept the money ‘in-house’ also. This almost broke the BBC financially and many of us did wonder at the time if Birt had been brought in deliberately to wind up the BBC – I now think he was brought in to ‘tame’ the BBC and bring it to heel. Read on..

Over the decades the BBC had built up a legendary ‘in house’ facility – be it costumes, scenery, lighting, musicians etc.. ( perhaps the only remaining area where the BBC is THE place to go is David Attenborough’s wildlife series which retain the ‘old’ BBC watermark of supreme quality.) I digress!

So, in the past if our Producer wanted to have a costume drama, he/she would go to the hugely impressive and legendary BBC Costumes department with a list but now he/she could go outside the BBC – if they so desired and book ANYBODY.

It has now dawned on me, as clearly as ‘eggs is eggs’ that this period, which coincides with a generally agreed drop in standards, increase in repeats, is the time when the BBC became reliant on Government ‘funding’ (Gov. controlling the increase of the licence fee income whilst BBC having lost overall control of outgoings) for its future survival and in so doing surrendered any shred of impartiality to ensure continuity.

Could it be that all this was a cover for the real reason of the Birt regime, to allow for perfect and unsuspected ‘infiltration’ into programme making as was deemed necessary by ‘The State’. Hmmm!

Sorry for the long post.

MARK ROBERTSON

True or Not i personally dont give a toss
Why would any party want to protray themselves as RADICAL and brag about it?
Imagine if the SNP for eg classed themselves as RADICAL to encourage RADICAL young voters ?what a field day for the yoon rags even though the tories support the DUP RADICALS
Brexit IS RADICAL ! so i suppose he has a point ! As labour dont oppose it so maybe this is his claim to being RADICAL !
Young voters who want to rule thier own country which is why most would vote snp IS NOT RADICAL ! It would just mean that they would like to be the same as the rest of the UNRADICAL democratic countries in the world ! Happy new year scotland ! Keep it real !

Graham Fae Fawkirk

Stop being so reactive, and be more proactive. Nobody cares about the debunking except the converted. Start preaching and reaching.

Molly

Briandoonthetoon

Actually Brian I meant numbers rather than votes such as Scottish numbers to bolster the Unions or the numbers of councils to back up the leadership.

Either way it’s all about the UK and what’s best for the Labour Party, first second and third.


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