The Future In Numbers
We’ve been thinking about this again.
Because we’re still more than two years out from the next Holyrood election, and it’s really hard to see how it’s going to pan out. So let’s throw some figures around.
The Scottish Parliament has 129 MSPs, which means you need 65 in order for the ruling administration – whether it be a single party or a formal or informal coalition – to have a majority. Its history so far runs like this:
1999: Labour/Lib Dem coalition with 73 seats
2003: Labour/Lib Dem coalition with 67 seats
2007: SNP minority government with 47 seats
2011: SNP majority government with 69 seats
2016: SNP minority government with 63 seats
2021: SNP/Green coalition with 72 seats
So far, the Tories are the only major party never to have been any part of a Scottish Government. Could that change in 2026? Despite the party’s current woes we wouldn’t rule anything out, but we have our doubts.
What we can say is that none of the previous alignments look like they’ve got much chance of working out next time around.
LABOUR/LIB DEM COALITION
Labour and the Lib Dems currently have just 26 seats between them. (Even combined they have fewer than the Tories.) So to form a viable administration they’d need to gain 40, and that’s an incredibly tall order under the Scottish electoral system.
The Lib Dems are going nowhere in the polls, and the most seats ANY party has ever gained in a single Holyrood election is 23 (the SNP in 2011), so it seems wildly implausible that Labour could pick up that many when they’re currently struggling to consistently establish even a single-point lead. (The SNP were 15 points ahead in 2011.)
SNP MINORITY
From a Unionist perspective the SNP probably shouldn’t have been allowed to form a government in 2007. The sitting Lab/Lib coalition won 60 seats to the SNP’s 47 and would only have required a Tory abstention to stay in power.
But the Unionist parties made a disastrous (for them) miscalculation that a minority government so far short of a majority would quickly fail catastrophically and fatally damage the SNP, and the Tories also cleverly took advantage of an unprecedented period of leverage in Scotland to extract a few concessions in return for passing the SNP’s budgets.
It seems reasonable to assert that this scenario would not be repeated 19 years later, for all kinds of extremely obvious reasons.
SNP MAJORITY
As the young people say, “LOL J/K”.
SNP/GREEN COALITION
It seems highly unlikely that the SNP and Greens will be able to reach 65 next time round. It would only require the SNP to lose seven seats, and not even the most diehard of the party’s supporters are seriously projecting a performance anywhere near that good.
So the chances are we’re going to see something new. An alternative pro-indy majority looks like a very long shot indeed – Alba are stuck at around 2% in polling, and an alliance featuring both them and the Greens is inconceivable in any case. So what about the alternatives?
LABOUR/TORY COALITION
There are all sort of problems here. For a start, those two parties only currently command 53 votes, and couldn’t get over the line even with the Lib Dems on board. And while Labour look set to make significant gains, the Tories are likely to lose seats to offset that. It’s not impossible that they could reach 65, but it’s far from guaranteed.
The ideological difficulties are also obvious, although of course we know that in Scotland the two parties are happy to work together when need be, such as in the “Better Together” campaign.
But it still doesn’t seem likely that a victorious Labour would want to be seen putting the Tories into government in Scotland for the first time in 70 years, especially if the Tories had just had their worst thrashing in a generation.
LABOUR/LIB DEM/GREEN COALITION
While we’re sure that the Greens would dump independence in a heartbeat to stay in power, as noted above the size of the task for Labour to reach a working majority with any combination of the smaller parties is probably too big.
LABOUR MINORITY
What if Labour tried to replicate the 2007 SNP minority administration? They’d still need either the SNP or Tories to pass a budget, and we can’t really see what’s in that for either of those parties. Both would likely be at long-time lows, so neither would have anything to lose from bringing down the government and forcing another election.
(In 2007 the Unionist parties were scared that toppling an SNP government that had just won an election, albeit very narrowly, would be seen as sour grapes and unfair play and lead to the SNP making gains in any new vote, and the 2011 result suggests that those fears were well founded.)
If the SNP gave Labour a confidence-and-supply deal, or even ad-hoc vote-by-vote support as the Tories did with the SNP between 2007-11, they’d simply be strengthening Labour’s credibility and helping them to win outright in 2031.
All of which leads us back to the elephant in the room.
LABOUR/SNP COALITION
Viewed neutrally from outside, this makes all kinds of obvious sense. Labour and the SNP are both centre-left neo/liberal parties with very few major policy differences outside the constitution. Most SNP voters are former Labour voters. Even on the constitution, a noticeable minority of SNP voters oppose independence and an even larger minority of Labour ones support it.
In combination the two parties would likely have a thumping majority – at present it’d be 86 seats, by far the biggest ruling group in Holyrood’s history, and since most seats that change hands in 2026 are likely to be between the two, the total probably wouldn’t change much. (If the Tories do badly it could even pass 90, and the two governing partners would probably be very broadly similar in size so it’d be quite well-balanced.)
And 86 is a significant number – it’s only one short of a two-thirds majority, which brings with it some worthwhile political benefits under the Parliament’s rules. It would be a seductively powerful bloc for both parties to be part of.
And while such a deal would be unpopular with the more tribal elements of both parties’ memberships, both would still have the Tory bogeyman to distract their supporters with – “We didn’t get a majority, what can we do? Would you rather we’d let the Tories in?”
Both parties are subtly positioning themselves in this direction already. Anas Sarwar is constantly making loud public appeals to independence supporters, while offering them absolutely nothing in the way of concessions. (Thereby incurring no cost with his own base.)
Meanwhile Humza Yousaf plays down the differences between himself and Sarwar:
The pair seem to be co-ordinating their speeches:
And this site has for many months been documenting the SNP’s steady softening-up of its supporters to abandon any meaningful pursuit of independence for the forseeable future and focus instead on what can be achieved within the bounds of devolution.
And in such circumstances, all the real obstacles to an SNP/Labour deal are gone. Both share broadly the same political outlook already – the divisions between the left/right wings of Labour and the left/right wings of the SNP are bigger than those between Labour and the SNP – and if they both agree to focus on devolved powers then frankly they’d be as well just merging into a single party (“Scottish National Labour”?) and having done with it.
A mere coalition would certainly present no great challenges.
Sarwar is pushing at an open door with the SNP’s voters, who are variously disgruntled with the party over lack of progress on indy, gender madness, domestic misgovernance or taxation, but as yet seem unwilling to migrate to Alba after Nicola Sturgeon’s team-up with the Unionist media to destroy her predecessor’s reputation.
But Yousaf doesn’t face much of a task persuading his troops either, most of whom seem to have resigned themselves to the fact that independence is no longer a pressing issue in Scottish politics.
So if you’re a betting fan, Wings still advises you to get your money on a Labour/SNP administration for 2026-31, with Yousaf and Sarwar as FM and deputy FM, the order depending on which is the largest party.
(This does of course require Yousaf to last that long as SNP leader, but the scenario is identical if he’s supplanted by Stephen Flynn, who we still suspect is more likely to succeed him than Kate Forbes. But even if she got the job, she’d face the same dilemma: stay in power by dealing with Labour or be cast onto the sidelines for a decade. And politicians do love power, and the extra pay and perks that come with it.)
We’d be the first to admit it isn’t a tantalising prospect we’re selling you there, but it’s the reality and you might as well at least have a few quid in your pocket.
If Labour offered a few extra devo powers and, crucially, agreed to drop the gender madness, I think it would be a slam dunk for them, especially with women voters. As it is, because they remain tied to the gender idiocy, I’m afraid it looks like I’ll still be spoiling my ballot. I do long for the SNP grifters to lose every deposit though.
As Humza and his predecessor don’t like the word ‘National’ they could easily replace that with ‘Devolution’.
It would be more honest.
Plus you would have The ‘SDLP’ just like in Northern Ireland. (I know they achieved nothing too).
If the only independence supporting candidate in my area is the NuSNP then I’ll be spoiling my ballot.
I can’t argue with the above, Yousaf and Sarwar have been cosying up, they’ve probably already made the deal behind closed doors if the numbers are right in 2026, both men are still pushing though to see which party comes out top in Scotland.
As we know independence is all over with regards to this current SNP.
It would interesting to see the breakdown on voting for both men/parties by the Muslim community, which one do they prefer?
The next two years are crucial. If more existing SNP supporters don’t finally see the game’s a bogey and switch to Alba, ISP or other pro independence parties, then the chances are that even a pro-independence popular majority won’t lead anywhere, because unless the SNP undergoes a sea change, they aren’t going to push for meaningful change post the 2026 election, never mind make the elections themselves plebiscitary.
Milady is right: if “Scottish” Labour had any political nouse they’d push for “real” home rule, control of immigration, drugs policy, advocate for higher taxes and spending, and bury gender woo.
They won’t though.
They are just as infected as the SNP. Rev Stu is right: functionally there is now little to choose between the SNP and Labour. Only the constitutional issue separates them. Both Labour and Tories in Scotland have utterly failed to maximise their potential to be the tail that wags the British unionist dog in the past. As recently as the Brexit omnishambles, if “Ruth Davidson’s Conservatives” had held a gun to Westminster’s head, Scotland could have had the same deal as Northern Ireland, which most Scots would have welcomed.
Scottish unionists lack the courage or the vision to bring about a German style CDU/CSU type of relationship though.
We may be in for 2 years of nothing much happen. Perhaps lumpen Scottish indy voters need to be given it good and hard before they finally wake up and do something.
We can dream, right….?
I was wondering where you were going with the switch of emphasis. Of course, this has no doubt been gamed extensively by others behind the scenes.
I can only imagine that other scenarios along very similarly lines have been and are being contemplated too — and I think the UK election is likely to play an overarching part in pulling the SNP and Labour together, more than anything made in Scotland.
I wouldn’t rule out some sort of deal being struck before the next Scottish elections, rather than after.
My personal conviction is the the biggest error made by the conservative party in 2007 was not to take into account that the SNP were led by perhaps the most astute and able politician of his generation.
Mr Salmond, where are you when we need you now.
This is all deeply depressing. SNP given up on escaping the Union because they are too feeble/stupid/greedy. What a betrayal.
Like what for example?
I’m all ears!
Curse Nicola and her chums for killing Scotland’s chances of independence for the foreseeable future.
Curse Nicola and her Alphabet ladies for the stitch up of Alex Salmond that has severely handicapped Alexs political career.
Curse Nicola and her media cronies for ensuring ALBA get next to zero voice within the political arena.
Cures Nicolo and her loyal followers for being blind to what was happening around them.
Fuck Scottish politics, I’m scunnered with them all.
It’s a well argued article, but if a week is a long time in politics, what’s 2+ years?
2+ years ago from today, nobody could imagine our current situation, either in Scotland, or in the wider world. So 2+ years into the future? Nae chance.
Worth pointing out, yet again, that over in Europe, complete nobodies form new political parties, and 2+ years later, they are near or already in power.
Given the often repeated statement of how much Indy support there is supposed to be in Scotland, alert readers have to wonder why no person and no party is forming to front that support.
Are we so exceptional that we can’t do what most other European countries can easily do?
I reckon the Tories will drop the ‘gender madness’ long before Labour do.
I presume you mean repeal the ‘GRA 2004’ when you say drop the gender madness.
Must be great being a Yoon.
Do nothing yet see all your wishes realised thanks to the rancid shit-show that is the SNP.
What’s that saying about never interrupting your enemy when they’re making a mistake? The SNP have spent a decade making a catalogue of mistakes that’ll take twice as long to remedy.
The only thing to look forward to where the next election is concerned is the ability to roast anyone who knocks on the door wearing an SNP rosette.
It would be very ironic that the party founded to deliver independence ushers back the ultra-yoon labour party.
The only thing that might stop this happening is integrity. And Sturgeon burned integrity out of the nuSNP some time ago.
link to crowdjustice.com
Hard to argue with anything in the article Stu but I wonder how much it would change if the truth or at least most of it was revealed about the Salmond accusations and trials.
The Stormont solution.
No Government gets formed. The Secretary of State assumes power over the Civil Service. Budget priorities remain is stasis. Budget increments annually with inflation.
All the MSPs get paid for NOT doing their jobs for a couple of years ‘till the SoS threatens to reduce their salaries at which point something happens.
Ruby: I do wish you would drop the ‘ignored’ label. Other people have the right to their view although it may not chime with yours. Otherwise, I agree, Labour will not give up on the gender rubbish. Every mainstream party apart from the Tories, and even they have their devotees, is steeped up to the eyeballs in this ordure. Who knew we had so many deviants in politics and in the country, in general? Well, somebody’s pushing this bilge water.
Labour, in England, will try to push it all through, women and/or girls will die and be sexually assaulted and the country will throw up its collective arms and ask: how did this happen? – when it is all too late. Cowardice, more than any other form of human failing, causes the greatest harm, not vicious c***s in frocks who could be stopped tomorrow, not gullible wee lassies with their mastectomy scars, not idiot politicians who flap in the wind of power for the least effort.
A very brave lady, Kellie-Jay Keen Minshull, across the border, is the very epitome of not being cowardly, but of standing up for truth and reality and more women up here will be doing the same in there Supreme Court very soon. I’ll put my neck on the line, Rev, and say that, if we do not defeat this scourge, the UK will fall anyway, closely followed by Europe because the UK is the only part of the Western world that is opposing this stuff seriously, and we will all be ripe pickings for those who know what a woman is – but, hey, what do I know?
Sorry to go O/T.
But this is a biggy.
Plastic isn’t really recyclable in any real way, we’ve been lied to for over thirty years that it is.
link to theguardian.com
I don’t think Scotland will stomach a Pakocracy.
A depressing read but all good for the abstentionist camp – the prospect of these two belters occupying the top positions will be the final straw for many.
God, that’s fucking depressing.
The ignore label doesn’t mean anything. It just automatically appears in every post quoted.
Obviously I am not ignoring those I respond to.
If there is no talk of independence there will be no expectation of receiving my vote.
@Andy Ellis 3:00 pm
Here in Scotland we already have the highest taxes in the UK. Have you noticed just how well that is working out?
SLab is already on course for a great result. The last thing they want to do is feck it up by calling for yet higher taxes.
Ruby: okay. No problem. Your comments are always to the point.
Lorna Campbell
Ignored says:
18 February, 2024 at 4:26 pm
” Ruby: I do wish you would drop the ‘ignored’ label. ”
Lorna , it’s possible Ruby didn’t use that ” ignored ” button ; it seems to just happen automatically . I noticed when replying to a comment by the poster Mac that the ” ignored ” label was included in it when I know I never used it – as it happens I’ve yet to see a comment by him I disagree with and consider him one of the better voices on here .
Given the various possibilities , I reckon yours is the most likely . As you point-out – as myself and others have been doing for a while now – there is so little difference between them ( they are both fckn useless wastes of space ) they are virtually indistinguishable ; even more so now that SNP have more or less abandoned the pursuit of Independence , other than as a cynical attempt to * buy * votes when elections are pending .
The dismal lack of support for ALBA is a real disappointment , but , it may have to start asking hard questions why that might be . My own sense is that – again , no offence intended – is that Alex Salmond as leader may be more of a handicap than an advantage . However much many of us respect him and wish he could regain his former prominence , electorally , he may never do so . Possibly he’s perceived – consciously or otherwise – as the guy who nearly led Scotland to Independence , but didn’t , and will also forever be associated with political trash like Sturgeon : bitterly ironic as that idea is .
I think we need a host of new faces , new ideas and a complete rejection of the utterly futile * strategy * of conceding ultimate authority to W.M .
What we actually need is the Independence equivalent of the Lisbon Lions . A group of people from the same or similar backgrounds and locations , not necessarily as small as 30 mile radius that produced the LLs , but roughly the same and crucially that this group STILL live in the communties they grew-up in .
What characterised and brought such success to that team – in addition to their individual skills – was their solidarity as a group , the superb management of Jock Stein and , above all , their absolute fearlessness . Anyone remember Jimmy Johnson psyching-oot the Inter Milan player who would be trying to defend against him , as they walked through the tunnel onto the park ? Priceless 🙂
Different times , different people ? sure , of course : are we as Scots no longer capable of producing such a phenomena ? No .
With the right components there’s no insurmountable reason why Scotland couldn’t roar like those Lions of Lisbon .
@Molesworth 4:33
Are you sure?
I was reading Lorna Campbell’s 4:26 pm post and thinking how remarkable it is that nobody ever links the growth in the sidelining of women with the growth in the percentage of our population who believe that women are second class people by divine decree.
Correlation is not causation, of course, but it would be innarestin to compare graphs of the rise in the two phenomena and see how they compare.
Within the wider UK, and indeed Europe, we have tolerated the de facto restitution of blasphemy laws, and there are a number of people in hiding because of that right now. None in Scotland that I know of, but anybody believing we are somehow exempt is welcome to put it to the test.
I’d recommend you don’t though.
“The ignore label doesn’t mean anything. It just automatically appears in every post quoted.”
Hi Lorna Campbell.
It doesn’t just automatically appears in every post quoted. It appears in the text box and it takes seconds to highlight it and delete. Somebody just can’t be bothered tidying up their comment before submitting.
Not pooh-poohing your hard work, Rev, by the way. Very depressing, but, equally, very likely if neither gets a majority. They would work together to push through the gender woo woo first and foremost as a joint kick in the teeth for all females, and the rot will be unstoppable in every part of the UK – unless Posie makes headway. She is a veritable colossus, but the big guns will be lined up against her as never before. So few people see the global corporate moneymen-cum-demigods at the back of this movement who could not care less about any of us, whichever part of the UK we are from. They are financing this bilge for a reason and I doubt that it has anything whatsoever to do with helping the poor and downtrodden and/or giving us our independence. The cowards and the terminally stupid will see this pushed through at any cost.
Reform might pick up a seat or two as well. Right wingers in Scotland are fed up with the Tories and would never vote e for Yousaff or Sarwar. I’m calling it now
I’m somebody now, makes a change I suppose from ‘some folk’, or ‘usual suspect’.
Would somebody not be better suggesting to Stu that he ditch the ignore button which serves no purpose.
When some folk decide to delete the ‘ignored’ would they not be better to also delete the X? What does that mean next to a user name? It would also be very help if the date and time of post were included.
BTW if you do choose to ignore someone and you press the little X the get a red ignored sign then you cannot copy & paste that post.
The Scottish Parliament is a waste of space. Look at what is delivering.. nothing!
And will it get any better with a Labour/ SNP coalition. Of course not!
And the voters know that. All circa 55% who support independence.
Of course with the current complexion Hollyrood could collapse itself and convene a plebiscite.
55% support is more than SNP support and reflect a percentage that is not reflected by the party political landscape.
..
Off Topic @ Robert Hughes: “Plastic isn’t really recyclable.”
Coincidentally I have been thinking about whether plastic is recyclable or not, and concluding that it can’t be.
My solution to environmental damage is for governments to say that nothing may be manufactured for sale until it is proven to be recyclable or essential for the public good.
For example, look at the proliferation of cars since the 1950’s. The world went on perfectly well with a relative handful of cars. What good has mass production done? More and larger roads. More conspicuous consumption. More pollution. More deaths and injuries.
Sorry, Republicofscotland, not Robert Hughes re plastic.
That was very interesting and makes sobering reading.
Robert Hughes,
Whilst I understand your concern about Alba polling I would point out that it is notoriously difficult for new parties to find success.
It took the SNP decades before they got anyone elected but Alba already have representatives across every area of government.
I think, unfortunately, it takes time for people to switch to smaller parties and one wonders how long will independence supporters wait before realising that only Alba are genuinely seeking independence.
I would think, that eventually, that message will get through but it might take years of campaigning. Electorates can be stubborn and apathetic and let’s not forget how the people who never usually vote were abandoned by the SNP. Those people are notoriously difficult to get out to vote.
Nevertheless, I think it would not be a bad idea for Alba to opinion poll independence supporters about why exactly they won’t vote Alba. That could be very useful information.
I’d bet a fish supper and can of ba broo that the SNP and Labour are ABSOLUTELY discussing this. The SNP ceased to be any kind of political threat to the status quo when Sturgeon sat in the chair. It’s been theatre ever since.
Sarah,
Low grade difficult to recycle plastic is already recycled at big supermarkets where it is turned into new carrier bags.
It is just not profitable hence why new strong carrier bags made from recycled plastic cost £1 and upwards. That’s also why supermarkets do it because they also make so many cheaper weaker carrier bags that recyclable plastics is actually useful for them even if not profitable.
Are Alba not capable of looking around and seeing what the big issues are?
Alba are just another Man’s party.
RepublicofScotland,
It depends on what you mean by recycling. Plastic waste is often recycled one or two times but can be repeatedly recycled at supermarkets into other low grade plastics such as plastic bags.
For example, a cola bottle is recycled into a plastic bag and the plastic bag is repeatedly recycled into more plastic bags.
In other cases, some plastics are incinerated and this in turn generates energy as the incineration plants use the heat from the burnt waste to create energy which often Goe into the national grid.
So whilst that unfortunately produces carbon, it is one method of recycling plastic also. Keeping in mind that oil when not used for plastic is used for producing various energy.
So ultimately it comes down to what recycling is desirable and achievable that is down to government policy. Personally I think waste incinerators that produce energy are a good thing.
In other cases,
@ Jamie
Yes , I understand the difficulties any new Party faces in growing support , particularly difficult in ALBA’s case given the many * forces * arrayed against Independence generally , not to mention the damage done to Alex’s public image by the Chamber of Horrors ie the Sturgeon Cabal .
The problem , as I see it , is time ; I don’t think we have the luxury to wait 10/15/20 years for ALBA to gain sufficient support ; our opponents will not be sitting idly by in the interim , we can be certain of that . There is also the fact that as more people from * elsewhere * move to Scotland , though we can’t assume they would all be hostile to Independence , the experience of 2014 tells us most of them probably would be . Not impossible they could be persuaded , at least , enough could , but there are so many variables that would influence that possibility .
It’s also possible ALBA could gain the requisite increase in support in a shorter time , but , that leads me back to the point made earlier …..is ALex Salmond the optimum front man to bring about that increase ? I honestly don’t know , but , reluctantly , on balance , my impression is that he’s not .
There are many different plastic types.
Plastics have a very similar calorific value to the oil it is derived from. A litre of oil is expensive, yet a kilo of plastic is thrown away…
Plastic can be returned to fuel through a process of pyrolysis, but serious investment would be required to build industrial scale pyrolysis plant and all the necessary infrastructure to collect and transport waste plastic to be processed. Overall this may not be a viable system.
However there are now quite a lot of industrial scale energy from waste plants operating which burn general waste in a highly emission controlled manner to create steam to drive turbine generators to produce electricity which is fed into the leccy grid.
That being the case the feedstock for these plants to operate and generate the contractual return of investments of the many millions of pound they cost to build, requires that the general waste has inherent calorific value.
And just for information to compare. Edinburgh airport in summer gets through approximately 1 million litres of Jet A1 fuel for aircraft refueling. Edinburgh airport, like Glasgow and Newcastle currently get that fuel from Grangemouth.
Re. Edinburgh airport fuel usage, that’s one million litres of Jet A1 fuel a day.
I only need to think of two things
Jim *fundamundaly* Murphy
B-Liar *project fear* McDougall
To know I’ll never vote Labour again. Ever.
Any Yessers falling back to that yawnfest of nothingness is a complete mug. First thing they’ll do is change the devolution settlement & Bambie eyes Dumbza would go right along with it.
@John Main 5.46
Here in Scotland we already have the highest taxes in the UK. Have you noticed just how well that is working out?
SLab is already on course for a great result. The last thing they want to do is feck it up by calling for yet higher taxes.
If people want decent services, they have to accept that taxes might need to be higher. Low taxes and years of squeezing local government by not increasing the Council Tax, means our local services get hollowed out, our library and swimming pools close, and care for the disadvantaged becomes progressively worse.
Of course central government takes a large part of the blame: if they short change local government by reducing block grants, and fail to adequately tax the super rich, corporations and property, then society becomes more and more unequal, health and education outcomes worsen and even life expectancy decreases.
If you want Scandinavian style services and a more equal society, you need to vote for parties promoting a Scandinavian style social contract: higher taxes, better public services for all, better outcomes for all.
The alternative is a US style race to the bottom: obviously that’s what the Tory right and those flying round Trumpism/MAGA like moths round a flame actually want. A small state, low taxes, trickle down economics, health insurance, dismantling of the NHS and the safety net. It’s a view, just not one many in Scotland tend to share.
Time to put up or shut up for ordinary Scots.
So far it’s not looking encouraging.
Buckle up folks!
Does anybody else remember this chummy wee exchange from March last year? Speaking is Humbaw Yousaf. As George Carlin put it: “It’s a big club, and you ain’t in it.”
“I remind Anas Sarwar that I have his father’s number on speed dial so, if he is not nice to me, I will be having words”
link to parliament.scot
YouTube the Rodger Livermore emails.
Dorothy Bain is covering up covid deaths. And 2,000 premature baby deaths.
She’s a disgrace of a woman. She’s no mother that’s for sure. Scotland’s Watergate, the Rodger Livermore emails.
Rodger Livermore, former Lord Advocate saying Bain should be prosecuted and that she’s running Scotland like 1930s Germany.
Good to see Sturgeon also being reported to the London Met Police today.
Dorothy Bain. Let’s call her for what she is – Sturgeon’s protector, and baby death cover upper. Dorothy Stain, of the clown office of clowns. Running Scotland like 1930s Nazi Germany. Rodger Livermore’s words.
Prosecute the shipman sisters and Dorothy Bain. L
Correction* Rodger Livermore. A former crown prosecutor not former Lord Advocate.
They’re covering up the covid deaths.
Dorothy Bain. Chief cover upper. Get him on the blog.
My guess on why Alba isn’t polling is because we’ve already done the Westminster bullshit. We’ve played nice. Even bought the t-shirt. Ain’t it going anywhere & everyone knows it.
Scotland is treated like shit the moment they swear their oath to a foreign sovereign – rendering their own absolutely meaningless & that where their story ends & to pretend otherwise just isn’t going to gain traction. It’s freebies & a life of Riley after they take that oath – living it large on our dime.
Alba need to wise up. Sturgeon killed any notion they’d work for Scotland the moment they got there. They didn’t. Not even when endless opportunity to do so fell at their feet. All they succeeded at doing was making a complete joke of themselves turning up to be humiliated & jeered at our expense & whine on & on.
If they don’t demonstrate Scots are a sovereign people, in an internationally recognised equal partnership, then of course they’ll win hee-haw & it’s another five years down the drain provided they haven’t locked us in by then.
People aren’t buying the WM route any longer, imo.
The main picture says it all, Muslim brotherhood running Scotland.
Geri, I agree 100%. I think it would be better if we went down the mass movement route to independence, rather than the parliamentary politics route, and better that we played on terms that suited us as a mass movement instead of the rigged deck we call elections. And it is rigged because no matter how Scotland votes, there’s nothing to stop Westminster just saying “fuck off”, as they have akready demonstrated.
Proof of the pudding is right in front of us; 50% of the population want independence but no party is in a position to offer a means of achieving it. We should always bear in mind when we discuss those sort of numbers that support would be significantly higher if we had an honest media — another rigged deck.
I’m sick of hoping politicians are honest and sincere and that they’ll keep basic promises. If we’ve learned anything over the last few years it is that almost none of them are.
If Alba is honest and sincere, it should address the lack of trust ordinary people have in politicians and politics head on. Replacing one bunch of self-serving careerist losers with another isn’t hugely appealing to me as a voter right now.
Galvanise independence supporters and you have the power to go over the heads of politicians and politics itself. Real sovereign power and authority always lies with the majority, regardless of Claims of Right, any other ancient documents, or ancient stones.
The basic principle and fact of majority rule is the essence of democracy. We have that majority now.
Ellis: “If you want Scandinavian style services and a more equal society, you need to vote for parties promoting a Scandinavian style social contract: higher taxes, better public services for all, better outcomes for all.”
They call that “textbook stuff”, and it is. It’s what the textbooks tell you. And like almost everything else the textbooks tell you about the world, it’s bullshit.
Instead of raising taxes, we could simply stop taking billions of pounds from ordinary people and giving it to arms manufacturers. Yes, it would hamper our ability to wage war in poverty stricken countries like Yemen, but demilitarisation is an option. And, of course, we could keep out of stupid arrangements like NATO.
In short, we could be in the heady position of the spouse that decided to walk, rather than the spouse that stayed. Ireland isn’t a NATO member, nobody is threatening to invade (that’s all bullshit), and their economy is booming, with poor people much better off there than here, average earnings about 40% higher than here, and a growing government surplus…
Those textbooks eh…
Dewar has been proved right after all.
Independence is stone dead.
At least until 2640 AD anyway IMHO.
Unless the new Messiah appears in Scotland before then.
@Hats 10:29
Don’t tell us.
Tell the Irish citizens that were rioting recently over their cost of living crisis and the unavailability/unaffordability of housing.
Textbooks, eh? Wasn’t it you who boasted you’d thrown all your textbooks away?
You were supposed to read and understand them first.
There’s 45 million people who could put you right about your defence “bullshit” too, but I’m confident you give them a wide steer these days. Or maybes you lie through your teeth, when face to face, like you do on here, when safely behind your keyboard.
The future in numbers.
Numbers add up to nothing.
Genocide John
How much does the UK spend on defence?
How much is Scotland paying for defence & we’ve fck all to show for it – not even a row boat.
& If YOU listen to military in the know – Fck all works. It’s outdated pish. It’s not fit for purpose in modern warfare. 404 don’t even want it for free. So someone is on the take eh? X 4 Nations.
And as for Ireland rioting. That was mainly over the new censorship laws that just so happened to attract other eejits. Irelands biggest refugees are from 404 – oh dear, see what warmongering gets you? A host of immigrants & a housing crisis. Well done you & the EU.
Now multiply that by all the others that’s been invaded & left to rubble.
Moral of the tale, leave other countries alone. They’re really not interested in the world police. If they want regime change they’ll manage it just fine themselves.
“Viewed neutrally from outside, this makes all kinds of obvious sense. Labour and the SNP are both centre-left neo/liberal parties with very few major policy differences outside the constitution.”
I think if you delete centre-left from this sentence I agree.
Craig
Ignored says:
18 February, 2024 at 3:06 pm
Curse Nicola and her chums for killing Scotland’s chances of independence for the foreseeable future….
I loathe Sturgeon, but Independence is not dead. It you think it is, it is their fruit ripening in your head.
It drives me mad that Scotland has this fixation about a devolved assembly codified by Westminster’s Scotland Act, which features the Claim of Right woven through its definition, but immediately becomes an absurd paradox which cannot properly exist because it sets Westiminster as it’s head. You cannot acknowledge that Scotland’s constitutional sovereignty rests with the Community of the Realm, and in the next breath, concede the supremacy of Westminster rule. It is a nonsense masquerading as legitimacy, and it always has been since 1707.
That realisation coming of age has a domino effect. If the Scotland Act is a contraction that is irreconcilable with the popular sovereignty of the Scottish people, then the Scotland Act cannot then be sound in Scots Law. It cannot exist. The people are sovereign, NOT the Monarch, nor the Monarch’s subordinate Government in Westminster.
Scotland’s Constitution remains extant, and has NEVER been altered or extinguished by the Treaty of Union because nobody party to the Treaty of Union had any legitimacy to concede any authority which was never theirs to concede. The truth about that obstinate reality was gagged and buried under a veritable tsunami of bluster and disinformation about an Act of Union boasting constitutional credentials it has NEVER possessed.
The people of Scotland are SOVEREIGN and NOTHING has altered that Constitutional reality, yet we suffer a Monarch who has only paid lip service to the Claim of Right, and a foreign government usurping authority to subjugate our Nation. Enough is enough Scotland. If you don’t see these tossers wrecking our nation then wake the fk up and open your eyes.
We have 96% of the “UK’s” oil, where the UK has 5 Refineries, while the only oil Refinery in Scotland is shut down. Do the fkg maths people. They are looting our nation like we’re already a corpse and they don’t give a shit about the outrage.
If the Scotland Act assumes authority it doesn’t have, then the Scotland Act is ultra vires, and thus there is no Scotland Act in force, there is no Westminster supremacy in Scotland, there is no Vichy Parliament in Edinburgh serving as a bridgehead for the invasive doctrine of Westminster’s parliamentary sovereignty.
No Scotland Act means no Vichy Holyrood, no “First Minister” Gauleiter, no obligation or commitment conceded by Holyrood which is binding on the Scottish people.
Constitutional legitimacy, the Claim of Right, in other words the “right” of sovereign ascendancy and the peoples’ right to lay “claim” to that power, can sweep away the whole unconstitutional mess which blights the political landscape of Scotland and empowers a foreign government to bleed our nation of its resources.
Yes, Sturgeon was a rat who betrayed Scotland and Alex Salmond, but please, all of Scotland, DO NOT concede the principle that Westminster’s Vichy Gauleiter, in an official capacity designed and codified my Westminster, had the constitutional authority to surrender Scotland’s interests.
Scotland has NO government right now.
Scotland’s Government only exists as the Free French Government existed in WW2; displaced, dispossessed of power and exiled from their nation, while France itself suffered a Vichy Government installed by a foreign invader, which promoted and rewarded those French citizens willing to kneel and collaborate with alien rule.
In Scotland today, we vex ourselves over who should be our next Vichy Gauleiter, because the last one wouldn’t progress our path to Independence. Why wouldn’t they? Why would they??? Don’t you see the pattern emerging yet?
Scotland’s salvation lies in expelling Westminster’s influence and interference in the Realm of Scotland; NOT playing parlour games in their parlour, governed by their rules and imposed doctrines.
Impeach Holyrood, expel the whole invasive and colonial affront to Scotland’s constitutional sovereignty, and take Scotland back under Scottish control, lock, stock and barrel.
Then of course, we Scots must be far more assiduous in our choice of political leaders than the procession of imbeciles and cretins currently at large in Holyrood. If you think my plans for Holyrood are radical, you’d best not ask me how I’d deal with these Sturgeon types…
On the subject of “Sturgeon” types, for the last 3 centuries those “Court of Session / Faculty of Advocate” types haven’t exactly excelled themselves defending Scotland’s interests in law.
We can’t change this with a tweak or two to the system. Scotland needs the convulsions of a defibrillator to escape this creeping destruction of all that we are.
Ruby,
What’s your solution or alternative then to the “man’s” party that’s the only party standing for independence and women’s rights.
Robert Hughes,
I think sadly, time is what it will take. We are starting again, there’s no getting away from that. Only campaigning for Alba can change it or speed the process up I think.
Dan,
Good points on plastic recycling there.
The most depressing but potentially true thing I’ve read in a while. I’ve been telling folk for years that the SNP were morphing into Labour. There’s gonna be a Lot of spoiled ballot papers however if Alba aren’t on there in folks constituencies, I think you’re slightly underestimating just how well they might do especially in the Hollyrood elections.
Ex-Snp members for example will on the main Never vote for a unionist party, never have, never will. To people saying the Snp had better put Independence back on the agenda..they won’t, plain and simple, we have no option but to build Alba up. The way I think about it is it might take a decade but with the Snp it’ll Never happen.
@Hatuey 10.29pm
The Irish rely on the RAF to protect their airspace and their navy only has 1 ship capable of putting to sea at present due to lack of personnel and money. No country is truly independent when it can’t even provide for its own defence. The Danes, Norwegians and Dutch were all convinced in 1939 that nobody had any interest in invading them: sometimes history comes at you fast.
It is doubtless true that the fact the Irish spend a negligible amount on defence and security allows them to devote the funds to “other things”, but even leaving aside the moral argument about them free riding on the efforts of others to protect them, there are plenty of countries richer and more successful than Ireland which spend much more on defence. The two things aren’t mutually exclusive.
Ireland is now very much an outlier with respect to not being in NATO, and its position looks even less tenable now that Sweden and Finland have decided to join. However much aw the wee the vatniks and SWP types in here rage against it, there’s absolutely no evidence that the majority of Scots would be clamouring to follow the Irish example.
Look at how much our Scandinavian neighbours spend on defence, particularly after Vlad’s Special Military Operation, and then look at what spending those kind of figure in Scotland would look like with the money spent here, on systems that actually supported our defence and provided jobs and investment here. We’d still be spending less than we contribute now to the bloated UK defence budget, be able to have WMD’s removed from our territory like most other NATO members, and be more secure and better defended.
The %’s you’re talking about devoted to defence, whether it’s 1% or 2% aren’t going to significantly alter the societal issues with poverty you’re howling at the moon about.
No great change there.
It’s endlessly fascinating to see how this place has been captured by a coterie of self appointed experts on Scottish constitutional matters who assure us that the only way forward is via non-parliamentary means. Evidence come there nane, other than their own constantly regurgitated *reasons*.
There’s never any back up that hold any water: no links to third party sources, to neutral observers who back their hot takes on why the British nationalist project is going to collapse like a house of cards because Salvo, or some self taught constitutional expert has suddenly discovered a silver bullet that will allow us to declare independence next Tuesday without bothering with any of that pesky democracy stuff.
Delusional fools to a man (and woman). Now they’re talking about administering the “convulsions of a defibrillator” to the Scots body politic, and seriously advocating the mass movement route to independence. Did this WoS nutter collective not see the last turnout for an AUOB march? La Diada is sure as hell wasn’t! Now they’re criticising Alba for even participating in a bent game, in the sure and certain hope that they – who represent an even smaller popular constituency than Alba – are somehow going to front a mass non-party, extra parliamentary movement that wafts us to the sunny uplands of independence.
I’m not sure what it is these folks are on, but the new supplies from their dealers must be a stronger batch. In the meantime, ordinary Scots will no doubt treat their prognostications with all the seriousness they deserve and which befits their intellectual hinter ground.
The big takeaway from this and the previous article is that Yousless and Sarwank are clearly coordinating their racist fulminations.
The chance of both of these guys delivering almost the same racist screed word for word is ZERO.
One Hutchy racist boy has decided to back up the other racist Hutchy boy. Indian and Pakistanis are some of the most racist people / societies in the world. Yet here they are slagging of Scotland and Scots.
Why does no one ask that two faced prick about the caste system in India and does he support it. Or ask the other how are women’s right in Pakistan? Are there any white faces in their respective governments?
I’d say this (I’m a racist too speech by Sarwar) is probably the biggest giveaway that they are and will be working together. One racist hand washing the other racist hand.
Two fulminating racists lecturing a country that is 96% white that it has a lot of white people doing jobs.
Fuck the pair of them.
A racist is a scum bag no matter how they say it. Just like like a liar is a scumbag. Sturgeon revealed herself as wildly unfit for public office during her early tenure (and so it proves to be the case).
Yousless does the same here. These comments should disbar him from ever holding public office but in Scotland the scum most certainly floats to the top.
It staggers me that we have two fulminating racists as the main choices… what a fucked up country Scotland has become under the rat.
Is there a reason why a unionist (Labour Tory Lid Dem) coalition hasn’t been considered in this article? Stranger things have happened
@Andy Ellis
Two good posts, but I’m going to again take issue with your statement that Scotland’s future is nuke-free.
Just this weekend past, the Orcs were once again rattling their nuclear sabre and publishing a list of the European cities they say they will nuke if they get turfed out of 404.
We all need to get real here. Nobody is unilaterally disarming in the face of threats like that.
That goes whether we remain in the U.K., or abandon our sovereignty to the EU. The EU won’t be prepared to leave all its nuclear eggs in the French basket, and there were reports last week that cooperation to that effect has already started.
I think the anti-white racism that sits at the heart of woke ideology now really needs to be confronted directly and unapologetically.
This racism is worse than anything I ever witnessed growing up in the 70’s and 80’s.
This is like N@zi level shit we are seeing here.
It is anti-white racism which in a very premeditated, very careful way has been sewn into a poisonous and seductive ideology.
It should be met with the same level of response as someone inciting violence against you as that is exactly what it amounts to.
But the really hilarious thing in all of the hate peddling is that the astonishing levels of anti-white racism seen on campuses especially in the US was never a problem for the supporters / donors… until the ‘wokees / useful idiots’ unexpectedly backed the Palestinians. Then apparently all the money dried up faster than a witches tit, lol.
Candace Owens (amongst others) talked about this at the time… for a decades these ‘woke’ donors were totally cool with anti-white racist ideologies being peddled to generations of young people but as soon they supported the Palestinians, P00F! the money is gone!
As I say… hilarious but also very revealing.
White people are so beaten down they can’t even raise a word to defend themselves… just look at the two racist idiots above openly fulminating without a care in the world, doubling down on it. Smug.
Andrew Ellis
Ignored says:
19 February, 2024 at 8:10 am
It’s endlessly fascinating to see how this place has been captured by a coterie of self appointed experts on Scottish constitutional matters who assure us that the only way forward is via non-parliamentary means…
Spoken like a true colonialist.
As for “expert”, you’re setting the bar very low when your appreciation of “expertise” is merely knowledge of truth versus disinformation, and of course, what the word sovereignty actually means.
@Breeks 6:05
You’re calling for somebody else to impeach Holyrood, in a post claiming that you, as a Sovereign Scot, are already empowered to impeach HR.
Why don’t you publish the date and time of your Impeachment Rally on here? I suggest you start at The Castle, march down the Royal Mile, and allow two hours for the march.
When you reach HR, leave the bulk of your supporters outside, surrounding the parliament building, while you and a selected cadre of trusted lieutenants, go in and arrest the Vichy Regime.
BTW, I am not taking the piss here – I am deadly serious. By all means come up with a completely different plan to impeach HR, but if you truly have the confidence and courage of your convictions, just get started.
Run this up the flagpole, see who salutes.
I’m with Geri & Hatuey re non-Party energy driving the Independence Movement forward – it may be more accurate to say ….pulling the Independence Movement out of the ditch it’s stuck in currently and getting it back on the road , facing in the right direction .
If anyone wants reminded of the , let’s say ….limitations of Political Parties look no further than the stupidity that has – so quickly – engulfed the ” great white hope ” ie ALBA . FFS , what a mess .
Read this , and weep … link to yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com
I’m not involved in any of this , so have no ” side ” to defend , but what struck me reading this , and related commentary elsewhere , is the confirmation of what I feared might occur when ALBA formed , and was clearly going to follow the same predictable , unimaginative template as all the other existing PPs .
The tedious forming and dispensing of * Names * ….
all the , unnecessary Offices , Officers , Office Bearers ,Conveners , NEC .. blah n blah – and the same top-down hierarchy as all the rest .
All that shit just blocks the arteries of any group , provides endless sources of resentment , disunity and , eventually , outright internal warfare .
ALBA are looking like a classic example of how NOT to form a pro-Independence * vehicle * and what I find most * depressing * is that they formed in reaction to the complete FUBAR of the SNP and don’t seemed to have learned a thing from witnessing how that Party lost it’s raison d’etre , it’s way , it’s soul .
Better sort itself out , rapido , if not , irrelevance awaits
Woke ideology is weapon. It is a poison pill that has been administered to generations of kids across the ‘West’.
They dumbed these kids down for a reason. Woke ideologies are designed to appeal to people who don’t tend to think too deeply, or for themselves, people who like to instead virtue signal and be part of the ‘righteous’ herd.
People who are easily manipulated and who will be attracted to ‘good causes’ (woke ideology) on a superficial level, when the true intentions are far from good.
In short they are the ‘Useful Idiots’. They are also people who are much more prone to resorting violence and intimidation due to their lack of thinking / intellect. This is a large part of what makes makes them ‘useful’.
Like a violent toy you can wind them up and set them on your enemies. I’d don’t think it is a coincidence they have especially focused on the ‘trans’ demographic in this regard…
The parallels here in the 21st century West with what the Bolsheviks did to their ‘own’ people is truly remarkable. Indeed Vl@dP himself has pointed this out and he would know…
” Astonished
says:
18 February, 2024 at 3:35 pm
It would be very ironic that the party founded to deliver independence ushers back the ultra-yoon labour party.”
Precisely. An astute observation which hints at an option not yet considered.
Which is that if all the party’s in Scotland are occupying the political space which precludes independence what is the actual point of a devolved assembly in Scotland?
The notion that the Labour Party run by the present heirs to Blair’s NewLabour who preferred to go into opposition in Westminster in 2010 rather than do any kind of deal with the Lib-Dems would sanction a formal arrangement with anyone else is a longshot. Particularly when they are currently falling over backwards to follow and support every daft Tory/neoliberal/neo
conservative policy you could name.
Assuming a Westminster General Election actually occurs within the next twelve months and the very obvious Establishment shoe in Herr Starmer and his second eleven section of the Uni-party take their promised turn in Westminster it is a large assumption to make that a devolved Scottish Assembly will still exist in two years time to have an election.
They aren’t offering anything that the Tories aren’t offering on women’s rights.
Alternative – The Party for Women.
What about saying:
In an independent Scotland we can decide if we want a Gender Recognition Act or not. Alba believe that the GRA 2004 was a huge mistake. With an act that allows for men to become women then women’s rights can never be protected.
How’s that?
Then they could start asking if parties led by Muslims could ever be expected to protect women’s rights.
We are being well and truly brainwashed into thinking men can change sex and become women. Even John Lewis is in on the act.
I’m looking back and asking if anything like this has been done to us before and I’m coming to the conclusion that yes it has. We have been brainwashed into believing that ‘racism’ is a bad thing just in the same way as we are now expected to believe ‘transphobia’ is a very bad thing.
How long is this ‘anti-racism’ campaign being going on? A very long time and yet there are still complaints about racism. I reckon that is because the PC Brigade weren’t successful in convincing people that ‘multi-culturalism’ was what we wanted. People just pretended so as not to be branded ‘racist’
Could be Brexit came about because of people being forced to accept ‘multi-culturalism’ whether they liked it or not.
Now we have the same thing with ‘gender identity’ once again people are just pretending. Anything for a quiet life.
Not much we can do now about ‘multi-culturalism’ except maybe once again be aware that you have been duped.
Everyone wants to come to the UK because the UK isn’t a foreign country for anyone in the world. Everyone in the world will find their community here.
The UK is a home from home for all.
That doesn’t work for anyone.
Next innovation for the devolved administration to consider introducing in the new trans friendly Scotland ?
The Medical Director of University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundations Trust has, in a leaked letter, defended the practise of of prescribing drugs such as progestin & domperidone to biological males identifying as women in order to induce lactation and enable them to breast feed.
I need to go and lie down, my brain hurts !
It now seems that every criminal prosecution and conviction in Scotland since June 30th 1999 can be deemed as unlawful and unsafe. It is understood that since this date we in Scotland did not have an independent judicial system instead it seems what we did have was a tyrannical dictatorship where I understand it was the Scottish government prosecuting and convicting.
@RogerLivermore.
Ellis
How has your preferred parliamentary democracy worked out so far?
Oh that’s right, it hasn’t.
& Nothing wrong with self taught. It’s not rocket science. The treaty of Union was no grander than a trade deal & those can end at any time. It doesn’t need bells & whistles. The English elevated it way beyond it’s original purpose – that’s their problem.
No territory was ever given. No lifetime lock in. No Sovereignty ever extinguished.
Your problem is you are English & therefore automatically assume you are our superior. Yer not.
& Lest you forget – it was self taught ordinary members who delivered devolution to begin with. It should never have been accepted but like everything else Britnat it doesn’t take them long to back track & bastardise it way beyond what was originally intended for. Now it’s just a neutered talking shop full of failed unionists whose only there to be thwarting.
What are you scared of? Britnats don’t like Scottish people talking eh? Cause then they’ll hatch plans..
Unless you can provide receipts of where Scotland gave up her Sovereignty & territory to become northern England then shut yer face about other people’s groups.
Westminster is dead.
Holyrood is dead.
Plastic politicians is dead.
Genuine democracy is dead.
Go back to yer wee NATO soldiers & gies peace.
Sven
They’ve been doing that in America.
It’s absolutely gross & that isn’t life sustaining milk they’re extreting. It’s gunk. Ewwwwww
They’re off their heads & it’s child abuse. Why would a male even want to do that? Well, we can all guess!
So, the appointment panel for the next Chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission includes Maggie Chapman MSP and, wait for it…(drum roll)….Nicola Sturgeon MSP.
And there are those who maintain that Scottish civic society has not been captured.
I had to read a few of these articles to find what I was looking for.
Over 60% of voters abstain.
Could be even more in Scotland in the GE.
link to archive.is
Labour can celebrate byelection wins, but low turnout is cause for concern
Just 37% of voters turned out in Kingswood, and 38% in Wellingborough – below the mid-40s seen in recent byelections in Mid Bedfordshire, Somerton and Frome, and Selby and Ainsty.
@Mac, as well as being anti white woke ideology is also aimed at destabilising white family structures via encouraging the women to breed with non whites and the children not to breed. The sad irony is that this is coming from very tribal sources which engage in cultures of nepotism.
With regard to the Bolsheviks, one of them, Israel Epstein, took part in both the Russian and Chinese revolutions and was a citizen of neither. I have met a lot of people like this via my personal life, education and work and it is what completely changed my worldview, they are the most casually genocidal people it has ever been my misfortune to encounter, they literally hate us and want us gone for good. I advise people to read up on the death tolls under Communist regimes and look at the excuses which are peddled, the numbers are exaggerated, the vast majority killed were Nazis or that no one went to a gulag who did not deserve to be there and that they would be a good thing in the present day, one of the people who I saw footage of making the last claim there was campaigning for Bernie Sanders at the time.
Every single person who has preached Black History Month at me in both my work and social environments has been basically an Al Jolson as in from a certain group which uses black victimhood for their own gain both personal and ideological. The same people also weaponise the Roma for the same reasons, anything which can damage the host culture via pathological guilt/tolerance.
Where do the ‘Scottish Human Rights Commission’ get their money.
Maybe the same place as ‘The Rape Crisis’ centre.
link to archive.is
Most Scots aren’t ‘supportive towards human rights’
If you can’t define what a woman is there’s not much chance of you protecting woman’s rights.
Is it a ‘woman’s’ right to breast feed his baby?
Robert Hughes 9:05
Thanks for the link.
Jeez, what a mess. Could it possibly be the fault of the software? Tho the dossier crap is a huge red flag wtf?! That stunt would immediately sow mistrust & wondering if yer name was in there & for what crime..jeez. It’s very childish.
@John Main 8.39am
Like the majority of Scots, I’m broadly multilateralist and Atlanticist. I know it triggers a lot of the sub Wolfie Smith / SLA / Siol Na Gaidheal and vatnik types in here but there next to zero chance of a post indy Scottish electorate opting for splendid isolation and chumming up to Uncle Vlad, President Xi and their North Korean, Syrian and Eritrean friends.
Negotiating the exit of British nationalist WMD’s is a great negotiating card for post indy Scotland. It can’t happen overnight because Westminster will need to spend a shed load of money finding an alternative home for them. They may even decide the games not worth the candle, but given the sunk costs, they’re more likely to persevere with their folly to retain SLBM’s and their “seat at the top table”, even if it does cripple the rest of the armed forces in the process.
Nobody sane is advocating for unilateral nuclear disarmament of NATO: it just won’t happen. NATO is and will remain a nuclear alliance. The French aren’t going to give up their nuclear deterrent, neither will the brits. The only real reason for the 2 supposedly “independent” nuclear deterrents was a worry on the part of both countries during the Cold War that the US and Russia might cosy up in times of crisis and cut a deal to sacrifice some or all of Europe in return for peace. Having the ability to provoke MAD was a way to keep the Yanks honest and stop us being the victims of nuclear blackmail, or of a US decision to sell us out. The poor folks of country 404 are evidence enough of what happens if you give Muscovites the benefit of the doubt.
In the future, if the EU does develop more of a defence/security aspect, or even fully replaces NATO if the Donald and his successors do the isolationist thing, the EU may find itself relying on French and or British nuclear guarantees to avoid Uncle Vlad and/or his successors threatening us with nuclear blackmail.
@Geri 11.30am
I’m Scottish, not English. Like the vast majority of Scots, I don’t accept woo-woo non-parliamentary cunning plans for indy. They have no basis, no popular support and even less chance of coming to fruition. Those advocating for them are a fringe of a fringe. They have no coherent plan, no constitutional, academic or legal support, no political hinterland and no serious politicians advancing their cause.
None of that would matter of course if y’all had a mass movement behind you prepared to – as John Main rightly pointed out above- march down the Royal Mile and turf those you think are pretenders out of Holyrood and declare UDI. The sad truth is, you just don’t and never will. This isn’t Ireland in 1918. Folk aren’t going to man the barricades, nor indeed do they have to.
All that has to happen is for the independence movement to make a better case than the opposition, and for enough Scots to have the balls to put an “X” on a wee bit paper.
Let’s be having you, as a well known cookery writer once said.
Why is Sturgeon still in parliament?
Isn’t it usual for them to be suspended while an ongoing investigation is going on?
What a farce. Swanning around like fck all is happening in her world.
No need to answer. She’s just another Yoon in that place.
@Breeks 8.47am
No Breeks, spoken like a realist. You ought to try it sometime.
Scottish folk still aren’t buying the Alf Baird patent “we’re a puir wee colony, so we are” snake oil. Accepting the principle that it’s the Scottish people who are sovereign rather accepting that parliament is sovereign as in England isn’t going to magically deliver independence.
However much bloviating is done about Claims of Right, the Treaties of Union, Salvo, colonial oppression and the rest of it, there’s no short cut or silver bullet to deliver independence other than a clear Yes vote in a referendum or a victory for pr-independence parties standing on a plebiscitary platform in General Elections.
Anyone telling you otherwise is a charlatan. Anyone who believes such people is a fantasist.
So wur futures is aw gettin’ sorted oot in ra Mosques. AYE RIGHT!!!
AYE MAYBE!!!
link to archive.is
Islamism is exploiting Britain’s political vacuum Our leaders have allowed fanaticism to thrive
Both Humza & Anas are 100% behind Gender Identity.
Could it be Islam is 100% behind Gender Identity in a way of ensuring the eradication of ‘Woman’s Rights’ or is that a crazy idea.
I am just horrified by the idea of these two Muslim men being in charge of anything to do with ‘Women’s Rights’
Folk getting upset by the idea of Scotland being a colony.
If Scotland isn’t a colony then what is it?
If people believe that an S30 is the only way to gain independence and there is no way Westminster will give us an S30 why are they bothering with Independence?
What about these ‘International Bodies’ that won’t accept us unless Independence is done through an S30 referendum why are they not speaking out about Westminster not allowing us an S30.
These ‘International Bodies’ sound like a load of BritNat supporters.
The vast majority of the Scottish electorate know this stuff about these ‘International Bodies’ is
just more ‘Better Together’ bullshit.
It’s probably easier for Muslim families to accept that their son is not gay. But is attracted to a transwoman.
Islam is probably behind gender ideology. To trans away the gay. It makes sense. That’s why Humza likes transgenders so much but dodged the gay marriage vote, due to pressure from the Mosque.
Andrew Ellis
Ignored says:
19 February, 2024 at 12:58 pm
……there’s no short cut or silver bullet to deliver independence other than a clear Yes vote in a referendum or a victory for pr-independence parties standing on a plebiscitary platform in General Elections.
Roll up! Roll up! Get your wonderful UK Democracy here. A clear vote in a referendum is what you want.
Just like a 62.5% Brexit Remain mandate.Of course we’ll respect the result…UK unconstitutional democracy good, Scottish sovereign democracy baaaaaad. Know your place Scotland. How lucky we are to have so many colonialists on hand to keep us right. 😉
The political system now serves the same essential purpose as the economic system in Scotland; with the Scottish people and their interests defined in both spheres as irrelevant.
The propaganda system makes sure we never know that a majority of people wants independence, just as it makes sure we never know that the majority of people (in an energy rich country) are struggling to get by.
The idea that another party might solve the situation in politics is dumb as the suggestion that taxing people more might help the economic situation.
If I was to give any young person advice today, it would be to get out of Scotland. Maybe it’s about time that we all admitted what that the real problem in this country is; a large section of the population is cap-doffing idiots and they definitely aren’t immigrants.
I don’t want a Muslim leader in charge of Scotland. Not after their racist remarks about white men. Us whiteys are under attack.
Meanwhile, the Scottish police are quite happy with Humza Yousaf’s brother in law, allegedly throwing people out of tall buildings and dealing crack cocaine in Dundee.
They want Nadir to illegally bring a fake brother from Gaza to Bute House.
They put up business rates. Close the Scottish pubs. Don’t give the tax relief to hospitality.
I absolutely hate the SNP. They’ve stopped building houses. Yet give all the money to Zelensky and housing their refugees. And now Gaza is about to be obliterated and well have to give them houses.
Fuck off. Humza out. HAMAS HUMZA OUT NOW.
Andrew Ellis
Ignored says:
19 February, 2024 at 12:58 pm
….there’s no short cut or silver bullet to deliver independence other than a clear Yes vote in a referendum….
Can we have a Referendum?
No.
Funny how there always seems to be a “silver bullet” on hand to stop Scottish Democracy in its tracks.
Sturgeon is protected by Dorothy Bain. And the built in corruption into the Scotland Act 1998.
They are running an organised crime agency. Sturgeon should be in jail. For many many reasons. She is evil. A black hole of hate. That sucks in everything good and destroys it.
@Hatuey, could you please inform us where the fifty million New Scots, that is the number you gave, a tenfold increase in the current population, are going to live? How will the power be generated to keep them supplied with light and heat? How will the transport and health systems accommodate them? How will they be fed? Your post above advising our own young people to get out of Scotland whilst you lobby for their replacements to come in en masse is the quiet part out loud, again.
@everyone else, a motion at the Labour party conference in Glasgow to recognise that a woman is an adult, human female was voted down, I will quote from the glinner email “The motion fell because 77% of affiliate votes – which include those from trade unions, socialist societies and so-called equality groups – were against it.”
A reminder that folk need to understand that “the vast majority of Scots…” are incredibly ignorant on a great many subjects as a result of endless streams of indoctrinating propaganda, or due to the plain willful omission of proper education on numerous matters.
Evidenced by a few examples:
A million 2nd votes pissed away in last Holyrood election due to Both Votes SNP bollox.
Still a supposed approximate 50/50 split of residents in Scotland for returning to self-governance or sticking with whatever shade of Tory Scots haven’t wanted for longer than most Scots have been alive.
If you ask an average Scot in the street about sovereignty a decent amount would probably think you are talking about those big muckle gold rings folk wear.
It’s a shite state of affairs to be in, and all the hot air waffled by political activists on sites that the majority of society don’t read won’t make any difference…
Far too many fucking Scottish imbeciles denser than the densest element on the periodic table return poll results that state the cost of living, the economy & jobs, and Health & NHS are their biggest concerns rather than Independence; When none of those aspects they are so concerned about can realistically be sorted by retaining London Rule. That’s the same London Rule that has had governments Scots have rejected for decades holding all the major powers and steering policies that got us into this very situation.
Meanwhile ALBA seem to be using the GERS numerical equivalent of accuracy and opaqueness in their internal Party #ThatsNumberwang voting system…
“Scottish folk still aren’t buying the Alf Baird patent “we’re a puir wee colony, so we are” snake oil. Accepting the principle that it’s the Scottish people who are sovereign rather accepting that parliament is sovereign as in England isn’t going to magically deliver independence.”
As if you had any idea what Scots want, you and Main spend your time attacking Professor Alf Baird’s comments, of course Alf has got it spot on just as Salvo has, and it frightens the establishment that their info is in the public domain, and that its gathering support.
Andy Ellis.
As for Ireland needing RAF cover, (which I think is utter madness especially looking back on what Perfidious Albion did in Ireland) things might be about to change a bit.
“Ireland will no longer solely rely on the British Royal Air Forces to monitor and defend its airspace following its decision to purchase a primary surveillance radar system, a capability that Ireland did not previously possess.
Investment in modern radar systems was advised as part of the Irish Parliamentary Commission on the Defence Forces (CODF) report released in February 2022.
“The Commission believes that the development of a primary radar capability should be an immediate and top priority for the Air Corps,” the report outlined.
The primary radar system, which will track suspicious aircraft and drones across the Irish airspace, is projected to cost around €300 million, The Journal reported.
While the type of military radar has not been confirmed, The Journal noted that the Irish Defence Forces aims to purchase a new generation system with at least 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) of detection range. The radar system would also require at least three location facilities. These surveillance systems are typically located on control towers or other strategic locations. ”
link to aerotime.aero
@Breeks
A referendum isn’t the only route to independence though. It’s fair to characterise the British nationalists refusal to honour the Edinburgh Agreement precedent for #indyref2 as profoundly in democratic, but the fact remains there is a simple alternative: plebiscitary elections. There’s little point in holding a “non-consensual” referendum as our Catalan friends found out to their cost.
The international community would for the most part ignore a referendum result that wasn’t accepted by Westminster. From memory, Salmond made noises pre 2014 that he’d have held a “wildcat” referendum if Cameron hadn’t caved in a granted #indyref1. He may have been serious, but given the recent Supreme Court case, the result of any such contested referendum wouldn’t have been conclusive: it would more likely have been used as ammunition to provoke a constitutional crisis, perhaps force repatriation of the power to hold referendums to Holyrood rather than allow Westminster to dictate terms, or it would simply have been used as evidence that Westminster was acting in bad faith, so the Scottish people had no alternative but to use alternate methods like plebiscitary elections, or even in extremis UDI to attain their right of self determination.
International recognition will only happen if the majority of UN members accept that we’ve achieved it consensually via good faith negotiation and a clear and fair vote, or failing that where we can evidence bad faith on the part of Westminster, or if they used violence or repression. All the britnats have to do at present is say: “We’re not saying you can never have a referendum, just that you can’t have one whenever you like and on any terms Holyrood dictates”. There’s no way the international community would seek to override that.
If Scots want to change the current constitutional settlement, we either do it by negotiation and “repatriate” more powers to Holyrood such that it can’t be overruled by Westminster and/or the Supreme Court, or we assert such rights with no agreement and throw ourselves on the mercy of international opinion and hope they recognise such unilateral action as legitimate due to intransigence on the part of the British nationalists. There’s no certainty that would work, it’s a high risk strategy and there’s very little chance most Scots would support such a course.
The safest, most likely and most direct route is using plebiscitary elections, as they are not subject to the same kind of argument about “legality” as a referendum or unilateral non-parliamentary cunning plans. None of this is rocket science.
“Like the majority of Scots, I’m broadly multilateralist and Atlanticist. I know it triggers a lot of the sub Wolfie Smith / SLA / Siol Na Gaidheal and vatnik types in here but there next to zero chance of a post indy Scottish electorate opting for splendid isolation and chumming up to Uncle Vlad, President Xi and their North Korean, Syrian and Eritrean friends.”
Andy Ellis.
Why not none of those countries are the enemy of Scotland, you being an Atlanticist might not know about this, its up for renew and it allows the Great Satan (US) to have a tight grip over the UK. Many MPs don’t even know about it as it hasn’t faced parliamentary scrutiny, it must be voted down this year.
England has utterly capitulated to the US, Washington is even placing nukes back into England after an absence of fifteen years at RAF Lakenheath.
An indy Scotland must stay out of Nato, and keep open and good relations with ALL countries.
link to declassifieduk.org
“That relationship is also responsible for the development of the UK’s nuclear arsenal and its continued possession of these weapons of mass destruction.
The special nuclear relationship is facilitated by the US-UK Mutual Defence Agreement (MDA) – the world’s most extensive nuclear sharing agreement.
Even though it comes up for renewal in parliament every ten years, few seem to know of its existence.
Neither do many know the extent to which it makes us dependent on the US – or indeed that it underpins the wider relationship between the US and UK.”
@ RoS 2.40pm
What’s the point in a snazzy new radar if all it does is allows you to detect the things that are infringing your airspace more quickly but you still have no air force to protect yourself or even planes capable of investigating what the potential threat might be? It’s all very well for Irish nationalists to feel queasy about relying on RAF Typhoons to police their skies, but in the end either they’re happy to be effectively defenceless or they have to rely on others with the capability to protect them.
No country can snap its fingers and suddenly magic a functional are defence or naval defence in to existence in times of crisis. The Irish may feel that there is no immediate threat to their economic and physiological security but who knows how things will look in 5 years time, or 10…? Ireland is unlike to be able to remain in splendid isolation in some future conflict just because it asserts its neutrality. At least Finland and Sweden maintained their own adequate defences prior to joining NATO.
Lorna Campbell
Hi Lorna, I have a new website called endtheunion.scot and I need some help with something that I’m pretty sure you can help with. Would you mind dropping me an email and I can explain? My email address is on the website
Thanks
David Heriot
@ Breeks says: 19 February, 2024 at 1:46 pm
Can we have a Referendum?
No.
OK, fine, we’ll have a plebiscitary election instead, and we won’t ask for anybody’s permission, we’ll just go right ahead and do it cos we can.
And it’s 2024, a WM GE year, and Indy support is at 55%, so we’re having that plebiscitary election this year!
I said …
We’re having that plebiscitary election this year, 2024!
[dying echo]
Hello?
Anybody there?
[tumbleweed]
OK, now I’m angry. See them WM bastards, they’re holding us back so they are. They won’t give us permission for a referendum. Anybody there now?
[thousands respond] AYE!!!
[repeat for the next 10 years]
In terms of Stus betting proposition I will keep the cash in my pocket for now. The SNP have some way to fall yet. None of the criminal investigations, misfeasance legal challenge or even the Alphabetties case have broken yet. Last year during a local election I noted the number of Labour activists on the ground and their enthusiastic demeanour. In sharp contrast the SNP were posted missing. Having disenfranchised most of their activists. Because of disillusionment with Holyrood in general I expect a more fragmented composition of MSPs in 2026 opening the way for minor parties to gain some MSPs via the list system. Perhaps a Labour minority Government and/or in coalition with one or two minor parties. The SNP need a period of opposition to sort out who they are now and have an internal rammy for once.
Scotland doesn’t need to worry about troops parachuting in or storming up beachheads. Fifth-columnists in government however are definitely a clear and present danger…
@RoS 2.36pm
Why are you any more in tune with what Scots think than me? Where’s your evidence? A few thousand folk supporting Salvo and using it as the engine for some proposed mass movement leading to independence via a non parliamentary route are two very different things.
Using extraordinary novel methods requires extraordinary events or crises to bring enough people on to the streets or to make current routes to independence pointless. We’re not even close to that, and I very much doubt most folk hope we ever see such circumstances either. You don’t have the requisite political, legal and academic support for non parliamentary routes, but much more importantly you done have the numbers. You’re a fringe of a fringe.
“Why are you any more in tune with what Scots think than me? Where’s your evidence? A few thousand folk supporting Salvo”
ellis.
Is that so, then why did GCHQ create a fake Salvo website to thwart people signing up to the real one, your lot are petrified of Salvo.
@ Republicofscotland says: 19 February, 2024 at 2:53 pm
Only a few days since Moscow was listing the European cities it intends to nuke.
Bad news for your hypothesis, RoS, the list contains both nuclear and non-nuclear countries.
I prefer to be guided by historical facts. Admittedly, it’s a small sample size, but so far, nukes have only ever been used against countries that don’t possess them.
That alone convinces me of the necessity for having them.
Don’t worry though, nobody expects you to be able to wrap one of your trademark logical pretzels around these simple facts.
But you’re welcome to try. Go down the list of Moscow’s nuclear targets. For each city and it’s country, explain what it must do to avoid getting nuked. Bear in mind that for non-nuclear countries, nuclear disarmament is obviously off the table.
@RoS 3.22pm
So what? If Salvo is so popular and is instilling the fear in the dastardly British nationalist establishment, doubtless it can survive some amateur hour deflection like setting up a dummy site for dummy’s to get distracted by?
If there’s such an appetite for what Salvo, Alf Baird and others are pitching then surely there’s no issue: all they need to do is mobilise the masses to either eject the current incumbents in Holyrood and replace them with a Convention of the Estates or simply do to the existing political parties what Sinn Féinn did to the IPP in 1918 and declare UDI.
Go do!
I don’t think there is any longer a need for opinion polls .
Anyone or any * body * wanting to know the public’s opinion on ANY issue should just ASK ANDY .
Let’s try one ….Andy , what is Mrs MacDonald from Ecclefechan’s opinion on Alf Baird’s interpretation of Post Colonial Theory as it applies to the Scottish Liberation Movement ?
I think you are spot on. Did you also notice that the inexplically appointed lawyer for the Scottish Covid Bereaved, Aamer Anwar gave a mild kicking to the SNP after his appearance at the enquiry. He also gave a HEAVY kicking to Wm/BJ/Toaries as well. Totally gratuitous as the Scottish end of the enquiry was about the actions of the devolved government, not Wm/BJ/Toaries. I thought then he is can see the way the wind is blowing and being besties with Yusaf & Nicola is not enough to keep close to power. He is ovioulsy sooking up to Scottish Labour. I am waiting for his selfies with his new besties Anas S & Jackie B. The Vicar of Bray has nothing on AA.
@Robert Hughes
Just more deflection from the congenitally low information section of the movement then. By all means Bob, show us the money. I mean, if I’m wrong about the majority of Scots being broadly pro NATO, Atlanticist, pro EU, unimpressed with “cunning plans” for indy, doubtless you have some evidence or slam dunk arguments to prove me wrong.
We’ll wait……
How much influence does Murray Foote [Daily Record’s Vow] have over Yousaf and the other gutless wonders in the SNP?
Abstain at the coming general election. Get rid of Yousaf. Get rid of Foote.
Robert Hughes 4:15:
No use wasting (virtual) ink. Andy knows everything Just like others unmentionable who plague this space.
Dunning-Kruger rules supreme in those who think that way. (Or rather can’t think!)
Graduates of the “University of Life”.
That is: no learning, no credentials, no doubts, no curiosity, no real knowledge, no credibility.
Only unshakable opinions and status way above the rest of humanity (in their ain heids)
Utterly assured – in their fathomless ignorance – that they are correct in all things.
Don’t know what they don’t know!
Always right-wing, and almost always Yoons or pretend-Indy supporters.
I was going to add “they know who they are” – but sadly – devoid of self-knowledge and incapable of self-reflection – they probably don’t!
@Garavelli Princip 4.43pm
Oh, I dunno Garavelli, sounds like a bit of projection on your part. I’ve never claimed to know everything, unlike some of the usual suspects in here, who seem to just know in their water that their fringe opinions and decidedly minority worldviews somehow have any appreciable support in the movement, still less amongst Scots in general.
They never can come up with any actual evidence: no polling data, no evidence or electoral support, no academic papers backing up their analyses, no significant elected politicians lending their support. It’s a bit strange that from a movement which is apparently going to lead us to independence, son’t you think?
I’m actually a graduate of 2 universities, not that some of the stupidest people I’ve ever known didn’t have PhD’s, but it’s a bit of a stretch to say with a straight face that I have no learning, no credentials, no doubts, no curiosity, no real knowledge. As for credibility, I suppose that’s in the eye of the beholder in relation to many of the issues being argued about BTL here, but absent the evidence called for above of the popularity of your views, and those of others of the usual suspects who infect BTL discourse here, I’ll happily wager my credibility against yours and theirs any day of the week.
I’ve never been right wing. It’s invariably the sign of a weak intellect and a lack of real argument to mis-label those you disagree with as right-wing. It’s all a bit Tooting Liberation Front bud, which granted is par for the course amongst all too many in here!
#AskAndy
Would and should I prefer tatties or rice with my pork chop and veg for tonight’s dinner?
For consideration and assessment in any decision furnished by Andy who speaketh on behalf of Scots, and said answer being deemed as acceptable by the wider international community, I’ll add the following pertinent information to assist in reaching a decision…
The chop in question was carved off the carcass of a locally grown pig and procured from a local butcher, the tatties and veg are homegrown.
But my concerns is that rice is imported and thus brings an additional carbon footprint into the mix caused by the transportation required to shift rice across continents.
Is the negative effect on the environment of using imported carbohydrate for this evening’s meal balanced out by the positive socioeconomic benefits rice production gives to foreign countries and the companies involved in transporting said produce to our shores.
Is it deemed selfish and effectively anti-multiculturalism and racist of me to only eat locally sourced, seasonally produced Scottish stuff from Scottish businesses. Is blood (and veg) foodstuff grown from our own soil too nativist…
Natch in days gone by the environmental factors would be different when pioneers like A Scot Abroad’s granda moved rice around the world using sail ships powered by natural winds.
#AskAndy
Would and should I prefer tatties or rice with my pork chop and veg for tonight’s dinner?
For consideration and assessment in any decision furnished by Andy who speaketh on behalf of Scots, and said answer being deemed as acceptable by the wider international community, I’ll add the following pertinent information to assist in reaching a decision…
The chop in question was carved off the carcass of a locally grown pig and procured from a local butcher, the tatties and veg are homegrown.
But my concerns is that rice is imported and thus brings an additional carbon footprint into the mix caused by the transportation required to shift rice across continents.
Is the negative effect on the environment of using imported carbohydrate for this evening’s meal balanced out by the positive socioeconomic benefits rice production gives to foreign countries and the companies involved in transporting said produce to our shores.
Is it deemed selfish and effectively anti-multiculturalism and racist of me to only eat locally sourced, seasonally produced Scottish stuff from Scottish businesses. Is blood (and veg) foodstuff grown from our own soil considered too nativist…
Natch in days gone by the environmental factors would be different when pioneers like A Scot Abroad’s granda moved rice around the world using sail ships powered by natural winds.
Both Labour and the SNP engage in a war against adult human females, I.e. women. I just wonder, how many female to male transexuals wish to compete in men’s sport competitions? Do they dominate, as for example male to female transexuals now dominate, where permitted in female sports. Another question, how many female to male transexuals sre placed in male prisons? I would bet none.
Did Moscow list it’s top European nuclear targets a few days ago?
I missed that.
Maybe it only happened in Genocide John’s fevered imagination.
@ Dan .
Lolsville , D 🙂
Coincidentally , I had thought to ASK ANDY if his incredible knowledge has a culinary dimension with a view to enquiring the best way to cook pig’s ears . He’s bound to know .
#AskAndy
What happens when a vampire and a werewolf attack each other?
Anton: “@Hatuey, could you please inform us where the fifty million New Scots, that is the number you gave, a tenfold increase in the current population, are going to live?”
Sure, Govanhill…. Obviously.
If anyone complains about overcrowding, schools, or hospitals, we can set up community groups to encourage cultural diversity, celebrate our differences, etc., maybe we can throw a few bucks in to hire a hall or something, ask the kids to take part in a logo drawing competition. It’s all good.
You know how it works. Most people that aren’t racists will get behind it.
The end of the road for Scotland, in numbers:
James Cleverly has told Scotland and Wales to house more asylum seekers.
In letters to Humza Yousaf and Mark Drakeford, the Home Secretary said Scotland and Wales give homes to around half as many migrants as England.
He said that while England houses 16 asylum seekers for every 10,000 people, Scotland takes just eight and Wales nine.
Feb 18th
All new NHS building projects in Scotland put on hold
Plans to build new hospitals, surgeries and a network of treatment centres in Scotland have been put on hold.
At least a dozen NHS construction projects across Scotland have been delayed or paused for up to two years as a result of budget pressures.
Health boards were told by the Scottish government that no money was currently available for the building schemes.
Feb 19th
Scottish total fertility rate: 1.31
Tfr required to sustain the existing number of Scots: 2.1
Number of additional migrants the UK expects to receive by 2048, optimistically assuming immigration numbers stay flat: 16,000,000
Amount of spare cash the government has to hire more doctors, dentists, teachers, policemen and lollipop ladies for all the newcomers: £0
Number of Scottish politicians willing to talk about our nation’s rapid demographic decline and transformation at the hands of UK government policy: 0
“not that some of the stupidest people I’ve ever known didn’t have PhD’s”
If they have PhDs and (presumably) you don’t, what is the basis for assessing them “stupid”.
Whence such assured superiority?
“Utterly assured that they are correct in all things”.
QED
If not right-wing then “Yoons or pretend-Indy supporters”.
The mark of true learning begins with the realisation of how little one knows.
This is particularly pertinent to the observer of those who betray the opposite (with invincible assurance) in everything they say or write.
Humility in the face of the ineffable vastness of what lies beyond is the mark of true learning.
Lack of humility suggests something else among the preachers here.
RoS: “As for Ireland needing RAF cover…”
Note that Ellis didn’t tell us who might invade Irish airspace or attack Ireland. If Scotland was independent, the possibility of someone attacking us would be equally ridiculous.
Per capita GDP in Ireland is more than twice that of Britain. Interesting that all the people that tell Britain to fuck off end up rich, isn’t it… it’s almost as if letting English toffs own vast tracts of your land, manage your economy, and set tax and spend policy, somehow results in the economy going to fuck…
Arghh! I’ve probably caused an international incident now.
Tatties – WHITE!
Rice – WHITE!*
The fat on a chop – WHITE!
*Aye, I ken there’s brown rice bit it takes longer to cook and the environmentalist will give me grief for excess use of energy to cook it.
But due to delay in posts appearing (apologies for double post but site is as responsive and fast as a stoned tortoise) I couldn’t wait for #AskAndy response and went with the rice option.
Racist foodie snob!
What’s wrong with golden brown chips?
Illegal powdered drug sold by scumbag drug dealers WHITE!
I’ve been keeping an eye on the Tory media, both in print and on TV. The impression I get from both is that many Tory voters and commentators are resigned them losing at the election this year.
Just my opinion but the picture that is being painted by these individuals is that the current Tory party is conservative only in name and that the individual Westminster politicians have been parachuted in by Conservative Campaign Headquarters and don’t represent the views of the local constituencies.
A previous poster included an article that suggested that Tory voters will act differently in a UK election than they do in by-elections. Most Tory voters only put a cross on voters slips for somebody who has Conservative party after their name but will they do it this time for candidates who do represent the core values of their party?
Given that there is no difference between the economic policies between Labour and Tories and at least Labour are upfront with their woke social policies as opposed to the Tories who try to deflect with nonsense like bound by EHCR or the left wing press, it is hard not to see that if Labour doesn’t win the next UK Election then they only have themselves to blame.
It’ll be interesting to see the extent of how much of a fall the SNP takes in the UK election.
They have boxed themselves in a corner with mimicking the Labour rhetoric of blaming everything on the Tories that with Labour now looking capable of winning at Westminster, why people, particularly ex-Labour voters who seem to be making up much of the SNP’s voting base now, will not desert them for Labour.
Andy Ellis :3.18pm.
There’s more than a couple of thousand members, and its all about getting the message out there.
Consider this that the entire foreign MSM in Scotland is a against independence so it comes as no surprise that many, many Scots are unaware of Salvo, but Salvo’s message is slowly but surely getting through.
Many folk who read the Rev’s blog will have clicked on Salvo’s blog looking for info, when the time is right a move will be made, those that have clicked on the Salvo blog and read it will be aware that the union is a lie, and when the call comes to deploy they will be ready, until then its a waiting game.
Yip. Pretty much correct. It will be laboursnp next time around.
In my opinion, the deal was agreed some time ago, and any public ‘spats’ or antagonism is mere shadow boxing, a performance for the gullible.
THIS is what happens when the supposed party of independence, decides it likes being in power, no matter what. Independence? Nah, but they will offer some lovely devomax, no doubt brought to us by the ‘saviour of the union’, Gordon Britin, britin, britin, Brown.
The whole damn lot can just get tae f***.
I would rather vote Tory than let those lying sh*tes in the SNP stay in office. Tractors, every last one of them.
Humza and Anas, two wealthy old chums from their private school days.
@ Hatuey
FFS, it’s common knowledge that without UK air defence cover, Ireland would be invaded by aliens with the male aliens getting shitfaced on all the Guinness whilst the female aliens shagged all the leprechauns.
We can thank our lucky stars for the UK forces without whom we wouldn’t be able to slurp a tasty pint of Guinness (Mostly dark brown with only 10% temporary WHITE! head so deemed politically okay to drink).
Hopefully there are some reasonable looking Irish lasses left who’ll take this Scottish un-vacinnated refugee away from this Scottish hellhole.
I reckon I could fashion a modern day coracle out of a now frowned upon and probably soon to be banned oil central heating system fuel tank. And with a decent wind I should be able to traverse the Irish Sea nae bother…
And on mention of sea travel…
#AskAndy
Seeing as your pronoun sporting daughter has an interest in medieval maritime trading, could you envisage her working with Alf Baird so together those great minds could collaborate and produce a viable modern day equivalent melding all that past historical knowledge on how things were successfully done back in the day with modern day technology and infrastructures.
@ Hatuey says: 19 February, 2024 at 5:53 pm
If Scotland was independent, the possibility of someone attacking us would be equally ridiculous
Loving that reply, Hats. It’s solid platinum.
You’re one of the ones forever banging on about all the countries that get “bombed flat”, and it’s always for the same reason, according to you:
Oil & Gas.
So what you claiming now, Hats? On the day we get Indy, all our oil & gas will evaporate?
Or are you claiming we won’t get Indy until the day after every last barrel and cubic meter has been extracted?
Or are you just brain farting as per usual.
Never mind replying. Let’s just look at our role model, Norway. Uh-oh, strong military, high spending, record pro rata support for 404, national service.
“I prefer to be guided by historical facts.”
John Main’ 3.28pm.
No credible link, lets me guess then you saw it an “inntrestin”link as you say on Unherd lol.
Historical facts, lets see which countries has actually used nukes, ah the Great Satan (US) has used them on civilians in Japan on two occasions.
(MAD) Mutually Assured Destruction stops any launching in anger of nukes in the modern day.
If Labour get into power will this more devo that is being talked about give Scotland the right to pass the GRR Bill?
#AskAndy. Should women in Scotland vote Tory?
“Note that Ellis didn’t tell us who might invade Irish airspace or attack Ireland. If Scotland was independent, the possibility of someone attacking us would be equally ridiculous.”
Hatuey.
Well we know who it won’t be, it won’t be the RF, or North Korea or Iran, or Venezuela, or Nicaragua or Cuba.
As Henry Kissinger once said:
To be the USA’s enemy is dangerous, to be its ally is fatal.
@Robert Hughes
I’d have thought flogging a dead horse would be more your forte…?
“US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has said countries that do not meet NATO’s spending criteria should be expelled from the bloc, echoing ex-President Donald Trump’s recent remarks.
Graham said he agrees with Trump, who says that all “NATO nations” should pay “their bills,” otherwise they will lose protection.”
Protection from whom, who is actually attacking Nato countries right now?
On the contrary Nato countries are currently backing the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza. The Great Satan (US) has all but encircled China and the RF with bases, yet both nations haven’t attacked any Nato country.
Nato “North Atlantic” Treaty Organisation, has extended it so called remit to the South China seas, Why? it has no remit there.
Nato is an an aggressive offensive body of nations and not a defensive one as it makes itself out to be.
@Hatuey, so, patronising non answer as expected.
@Garavelli Princip 5.44pm
You presume wrong. doubtless its a condition you’re pretty familiar with.
People can be stupid for all sorts of reasons. I know folk with doctorates who had no common sense and who I couldn’t have trusted to boil water, however brilliant they were in their chosen filed. Similarly some of the most successful people I’ve known had no formal education. Such is life.
You patently don’t understand what QED means…so you’re certainly proving a point.
Where is the list of cities Vladamir wants to nuke?
Is Glasgow on there?
John Main.
Another instance of sabre rattling but as I said (MAD) brings them to their senses.
“Joe Biden ready to use nuclear weapons first”
link to telegraph.co.uk
@Hatuey 5.53pm
Presumably the Irish government must have some concerns, otherwise why would they bother to go to the trouble of having any armed forces at all? Or for that matter why would they have an arrangement with the UK for the RAF to provide them with air cover? I doubt the scenario of a full scale invasion of the beaches of Donegal is that likely right enough, but there are lots of possible other scenarios. Of course you and others are free to argue that the best policy is to have zero armed forces, but it’s hardly the usual policy is it?
Most countries want to have the ability to protect themselves, even if just from people running drugs, or fishing illegally or polluting their seas, or preventing illegal immigration or people trafficking. Ireland may find itself subject to terrorist attack, or people trying to blackmail them. Just because you and/or others lack the imagination to foresee what might happen in the future doesn’t make it a rational argument for being totally defenceless.
If the international situation changes for the (even) worse in 5 to 10 years time, it’ll be too late for Dublin to suddenly decide it might have been nice to have a navy or an air force. Most people keen to be independent, or to maintain that independence once gained, think defence spending is not just a normal but essential part of being a sovereign nation.
What applies to Ireland applies to a future independent Scotland. No sane folk in Denmark, Norway, Sweden or Finland think they are invulnerable or should disarm. Those advocating it as a policy are just the nutter fringe. Go figure.
Humza Yousaf talking oil and gas.
he DOESN’T want to windfall tax the big foreign oil companies stealing all our oil.
HE’s a fucking twat and he won’t be saving grangemouth.
I wish someone would take him out politically and remove him from office.
Humza Yousaf. Pretending to be a friend of oil. While letting Grangemouth die. What an arsehole.
Why did we let him back in, when he went to Quatar to talk with Hamas. When will MI5 remove him from office?
Scotland. The only country in the world that doesn’t benefit from the oil.
@RoS 6.27pm
The media were against the movement between 2012-14, but it didn’t stop the pro indy vote going from the high 20’s % to 45%. It’s a crap argument that gets no more convincing for constant repetition by “we wiz robbed” dunderheids.
So how many members are we talking about? Enough to bring about a slam dunk change in a mass movement from parliamentary methods to non-parliamentary methods? You really expect the ordinary folk you’ve already said are too busy (or too uninterested?) to inform themselves about Salvo and it’s prospectus are suddenly going to get animated enough to take to the streets to remove Holyrood, or have the time to participate in a Convention of the Estates?
It’s all very well advocating for these things but how many “ordinary” Scots will actually participate, or will it be stuffed full of the kind of folk the usual suspects in here would denigrate for not being Scottish enough, or pure enough.
Every country on the planet should avoid little England.
They’re the fcking grim reaper.
Ireland has the EU. EU has toys far bigger & better than the RAF. Ireland should tell them to do one. They’re no longer in the EU. Stick to being a taxi for Arlene.
“The media were against the movement between 2012-14, but it didn’t stop the pro indy vote going from the high 20’s % to 45%”
Yes, but back then we had an army of folk out convincing folk that independence was the way forward as it is today, as it always will be, and it paid off a majority of Scots voted yes to independence, and we had a government that actually wanted to dissolve this putrid union in power.
@ Republicofscotland says: 19 February, 2024 at 6:57 pm
genocide
Haven’t heard that one in a while, thought you’d got bored with it all, or maybes just bought yourself a dictionary.
But as you bring it up, Israel giving Hamas 3 weeks to return the hostages. Seems more than fair to me.
Alert readers will note that Israel once again is doing everything in its power to minimise civilian casualties, whilst Hamas continues to hide behind its human shields.
The Great Satan (US) has all but encircled China and the RF with bases
Zat so, RoS? I recommend you invest in an atlas too. That will clarify for you just what a ludicrous claim you make.
ROS @ 6.57
” Graham said he agrees with Trump, who says that all “NATO nations” should pay “their bills,” otherwise they will lose protection.”
That’s because the whole thing is a Protection Racket .
Invent an * enemy * , or , as is more often the case , deliberately provoke to create * enemies * , then tell yr ever-obedient sub-national ” allies ” these * enemies * are right bastards intent on doing them GBH on an epic scale – the morra ( you’ve already got the entire MSM in yr pocket ,they’ll follow n amplify the script n disorientating white noise ) so they better cough-up the dough to the ” Goodfellas ” , the ” Made Men ” of Cosa Demockracy .
Yo ! U.S Gangsta Paradise . M.I.C Crew keeping it surreal , uh huh
In depth Irish Times article about Ireland’s reliance on the auld enemy to protect its airspace.
“Who protects Irish skies? The secret air defence deal that dates back to the Cold War”
link to irishtimes.com
Hutchie boys do it with halal pigs.
@ David Hannah says: 19 February, 2024 at 7:25 pm
I wish someone would take him out politically and remove him from office
Aren’t you a Sovereign Scot, David?
You are empowered to impeach him yourself.
Breeks was going to do it earlier, but seems to have gone AWOL.
Anyhoo, David, you announce the date and time and we’ll be there. Just buy yourself a single ticket through to Edinburgh. We’ll all approve a Ministerial Car to take you home afterwards.
Dinna you go doing a Breeks on us now – claiming to be a Sovereign Scot with the right to remove any government you disapprove off, but then expecting some other Sovereign Scot to do the dirty work.
Sovereign Scots do their own deeds, as otherwise they can’t be Sovereign.
Ellis
Give us a laugh.
What’s yer big plan when Indy wins a plebasite election when little Engurlund refuses to accept it?
BTW, I know you are a bad actor. You’d absolutely love it when they told Scotland to fck off…but I’ll play along for the LOLz..
Go…
Cause you fail to accept that:
A. Scotland is a sovereign nation.
B. Sovereign Nations need fck all permission to end a trade treaty.
C. Sovereign Nations are recognised by other sovereign nations – not permission slips granted by little Engurlund, the worlds coloniser.
D. Sovereign Nations don’t give a shiny shite for the losers in elections. (Naw voters)
E. Scotland never gave an inch of territory so there is absolutely nothing binding us but your imagination.
You continually think you speak for Scotland. You don’t.
You continually deride Salvo/Liberation. What is your problem with them? You can’t nose poke into it’s business?
” I recommend you invest in an atlas too. That will clarify for you just what a ludicrous claim you make.”
John Main.
Really?
link to ips-dc.org
“In depth Irish Times article about Ireland’s reliance on the auld enemy to protect its airspace.”
That was pish, apparently.
The ministry of defence said they don’t rely on the UK. Other countries take part too & there is strict rules they’ve not to be armed or carrying weapons/explosives.
Robert Hughes 19 February, 2024 at 7:56 pm
Case in point, the Plaza Accord in the eighties which some commentators said contributed to the later eighties Asset price bubble in Japan which wrecked Japans economy at the time and even now, they haven’t fully recovered from it.
I wonder if Japan didn’t need to rely on American military protection, what would their global economic position be now?
Andrew Ellis Andy Ellis
Same poster with two accounts?
Genocide John Main is disgusting.
1.4 million to be moved to area with no houses
link to twitter.com
Human sheilds
link to imeu.org
The babies left to starve in Al Nast hospital in November are still there.
link to twitter.com
Hostages and cease fires have been offered regularly and rebuffed by israehell.
@Geri 8.06 pm
I don’t accept you’re a good faith actor either Geri, but like you I’ll play along because others might find you getting your arse handed to you in debate diverting, and your intellectual dishonesty cries out for an answer.
Firstly, I don’t necessarily accept that it likely that the UK would refuse to accept the result of a plebiscitary election, any more than they would have refused to accept a Yes vote in 2014 if Scots had had the balls to vote for it. Even if Westminster refused to accept the outcome, it’s entirely a matter for Scots to decide how to proceed: either we ignore them and proceed with state building measures and securing international recognition, or we slink away with our tails between our legs. I’ll be doing the former.
Not sure about how some of the blow hards in here would react. Whether the British nationalists use force or not would remain to be seen, or whether in the event of a conflict about the outcome Scots would resort to civil disobedience is also something none of now can predict.
I accept that the Scottish people are sovereign. Scotland is not however a sovereign state. The whole point of campaigning for independence is to re-establish Scotland as a sovereign state, rather than it being part of the UK. You clearly don’t understand what sovereignty means or entails in modern international relations, or you’re being deliberately disingenuous. There are any number of resources which can explain the difference between sovereign states and popular sovereignty.
We don’t need anyone’s permission to exercise our right to self determination, but the jus cogens nature of that right is neither automatic or unlimited. UDI isn’t prohibited under international law, but neither is it encouraged: rather the reverse in fact as history has repeatedly shown: as Kosovars, Biafrans, Eat Timorese, Turkish Cypriots, Chechens, South Sudanese and lots of other “peoples”.
I’ve never claimed to speak for Scotland: you just made that up because you’re a bad faith actor. I pointed out that the sophomoric marxism and belief in Brigadoon fantasies of “cunning plans for indy” are beliefs held by a fringe within a fringe in Scotland. You and others have zero evidence of any significant level of support for your woo-woo views, so routinely label those who point out the paucity of their political hinterland as yoons, or *tractors, or not really Scottish. It’s desperate, playground stuff. Yet you have the front to accuse me of asserting I claim to speak for all Scots. Prove that my views don’t chime with those of the majority. If it’s not true, you must have evidence surely? Otherwise your assertion is just that: no more, no less.
We know the figure for support for NATO, for EU membership, for existing parties. We have polling evidence, the Scottish Social Attitudes survey figures, the platforms of the parties the overwhelming majority of Scots support. What do you have? A few thousand folk signing up for Salvo? Gies peace!
My problem with Salvo is I think it’s half baked and unnecessary. Independence will be gained by the ballot box, not novel non-parliamentary means that simply won’t work. There’s a reason Salvo isn’t making headway, it’s because it won’t work. I’ve no desire to poke my nose in to its business. I think it’s unnecessary and will more likely delay independence than hasten it. If others want to flog that dead horse it’s up to them, they can fill their boots.
Robert Hughes on the money: “Invent an * enemy * , or , as is more often the case , deliberately provoke to create * enemies * , then tell yr ever-obedient sub-national ” allies ” these * enemies * are right bastards intent on doing them GBH on an epic scale…”
Not to be confused with military doctrine, of course, as it’s intrinsic and fundamental to the US economy as a whole. Basically Keynesian stimulation for arms manufacturers and their tech partners…
Everything hinges on selling bogeyman stories to US taxpayers but that’s basically a science today rather than the form of art it used to be.
@Ruby
Different devices, same person Ruby. the joys of Safari on 1 device and Brave on another. Can’t be arsed changing the autofill.
#AskAndy
Chicken or egg? What’s your view.
Can I have 500 words by 10pm.
Thanks
Interesting one person can have two user names maybe even more.
@ Hatuey says: 19 February, 2024 at 8:52 pm
tell yr ever-obedient sub-national ” allies ” these * enemies * are right bastards intent on doing them GBH on an epic scale…
Oh Hats, you’re a tonic!!!
Is that what the Yanks are doing with 404 – telling them the Orcs are right bastards intent on doing them GBH on an epic scale?
What the feck is wrong with you?
OK, never mind. What’s the date you set for your “Turkish boots on the ground” prediction? First of March was it?
@ Andrew Ellis says: 19 February, 2024 at 8:49 pm
Not sure about how some of the blow hards in here would react. Whether the British nationalists use force or not would remain to be seen
Innarestin point.
I do recall at least one poster volunteering to pick up a rifle and shoot any English he sees. Let’s call him Opinion A.
I also recall a number of posters claiming that when a breakaway, free, independent nation is re-invaded by its former imperialist coloniser, that the people of the Indy nation “had it coming”. So logically, these posters would be cheering on our forced re-assimilation back into the UK. Let’s call them Opinion B.
I’m looking on the bright side. Maybes if the Great Satan was to arm both lots (A & B), they could mutually wipe each other out.
Andy Ellis said;
“If Scots want to change the current constitutional settlement, we either do it by negotiation and “repatriate” more powers to Holyrood such that it can’t be overruled by Westminster and/or the Supreme Court, or we assert such rights with no agreement and throw ourselves on the mercy of international opinion and hope they recognise such unilateral action as legitimate due to intransigence on the part of the British nationalists. There’s no certainty that would work, it’s a high risk strategy and there’s very little chance most Scots would support such a course.”
If Scots want to change the current constitutional settlement, we do it by having our MPs refuse absolutely to permit ANY majority vote by England’s MPs to pass any Amendment, Bill, or Motion in the House of Commons if it overturned a refusal by majority votes of the Scots MPs.
Your ‘current constitutional settlement’ is an outright fraud, which employs a majoritarian scam enforced explicitly by England’s establishment to cripple Scotland’s representation by simply flat-out denying the sovereignty of the kingdom they formally represent, resulting in a bogus governance arrangement that does not reflect the true formal constitutional basis of the Union.
Not only does it violate Scotland’s sovereignty, it almost completely deprives Scotland’s MPs of the ability to carry out their jobs as formal representatives of their kingdom, because they simply cannot defend Scotland’s interests if England’s MPs are allowed to constantly outvote them about those very interests! It is patently unfair, undemocratic, and deeply unconstitutional, and demonstrably abusive to Scotland.
England’s MPs have NO legitimate formal right at all to outvote the Scots MPs on any matter of the governance of the UK. Their numbers are irrelevant since however many they are, any vote they come up with will always be an English Yes or No vote; they can’t ever provide a Union Yes vote on their own because they just do not represent the Union at all; they represent only the English half of the Union.
For exactly the same reason, Scotland’s MP numbers are also irrelevant since however few they are, any vote they come up with will always be a Scottish Yes or No vote; they can’t ever provide a Union Yes vote on their own, any more than England’s MPs can, because they do not represent the Union either; they represent only the Scottish half of the Union.
Yes, the SCOTTISH HALF of the Union! There are only two sovereign partners in the Union, those being the two kingdoms which founded it, and founded its shared parliament. Both being equally sovereign, neither has any formal authority over the other, therefore neither is obliged to submit to the other, and that also applies in full to their MP representatives.
Neither body of MPs is obliged to accept the majority decisions of the MPs of a completely different foreign sovereign country. Therefore all Union decisions must be jointly agreed, with both partners’ MP bodies voting Yes independently of each other for any matter to pass as a Union decision, and not just an English one.
Don’t like that description, or restriction? Tough, that’s the true formal constitutional basis of the Union.
A Union Yes vote can only BE a Union Yes vote if its two sovereign members BOTH vote Yes, otherwise the Union’s parliament has no Yes majority to pass whatever matter the vote is about.
The Union wasn’t founded by 650 non-sovereign constituencies, it was founded by two sovereign kingdoms, and they are the only key voters in the Unions’ parliament, their MPs debating and then voting on their behalf. That is why their relative MP numbers must be completely irrelevant to the vote.
@ Republicofscotland says: 19 February, 2024 at 8:17 pm
You persist with your pish.
I pointed out before that China and Russia share approx 2,600 miles of border.
So, unless the US has bases in Russia, or China, or both, then the US can’t have surrounded Russia and China.
What the feck is wrong with you, get a fecking grip, man.
@ Xaracen says: 19 February, 2024 at 10:19 pm
Woo hoo, I’m loving it and if only it were valid, as in relevant in the real world.
But tell me true, Xaracen.
If Scotland is Sovereign and that Sovereignty is forever vested in us Sovereign Scots, never to be given up, bartered away or watered down, in any manner whatsoever, for ever and ever, passed down undiminished through the generations as an irrevocable right, does that mean an iScotland can never agree to submit to EU domination through majority voting?
I’m thinking your view of our Sovereignty, if consistently applied, will rule out EU membership or any other international arrangement that will allow us to be outvoted. Anything that will impugn any aspect of our Sovereignty, in the slightest, is categorically off the table.
Absolutely no way it can happen, ever.
What say you, Xaracen?
Ruby “Same poster with two accounts?”
Two accounts of the same arse…
Andrew Ellis
Ignored says:
19 February, 2024 at 12:58 pm
……there’s no short cut or silver bullet to deliver independence other than a clear Yes vote in a referendum….
Andy Ellis
Ignored says:
19 February, 2024 at 2:48 pm
@Breeks
A referendum isn’t the only route to independence though…..
You put your left leg in,
You put your left leg out,
In, out, in, out,
Shake it all about…
You do the hokey-cokey and you turn around,
That’s what you’re all about. Isn’t it Mr Ellis?
Maybe we’ll chat again some day, but I really doubt it. 😉
Back on topic!
Dirty Filthy Labour
Plan A:
Blame everything on Sturgeon!
Plan B:
Blame everything on Sturgeon!
link to archive.is
I see these obnoxious wankers are back invading Scotland’s airspace. Again. Yawn.
Happy to trail red and white smoke over Malta to celebrate independence, but too bigoted and uppity to trail blue and white smoke over Scotland on the 700th anniversary of Bannockburn.
Woo-hoo… Fly about trailing smoke. I can hardly contain my excitement. Incidentally, have you seen the spectacular air show the Chinese can put on, and just using these swarming drone things too… I know, I know, it will never catch on…err… Just imagine what the Chinese could do if they could afford a fleet of (mostly) airworthy 1970’s Starsky & Hutch throwbacks…
Wish Scotland had a “nuclear deterrent” to shoot ‘em down… (Not the drones, silly), but yet nuclear annihilation seems such a terribly disproportionate response to half a dozen flying relics from the 1970’s blowing smoke out their arses, when they’re no particular threat to anybody and just being a bit of a nuisance.
Besides, I’m sure we can get a better air defence on the dark web, because apparently there are squillions of dollars of nearly new NATO weapons up for sale at knock down prices. Nobody wants them apparently. Can’t shift ‘em.
There’s also an instructional video about blowing up an undersea pipeline full of oil and gas. Now I know that’s not a right neighbourly thing to do to your friends and allies, and it’s also a bit “situational” as a defence strategy, but the notion has a certain bespoke appeal when they’re stealing the stuff…
Oh well, Breeks, at least if they’re here they’re not somewhere else dropping bombs on people. My only real concern is the chemtrails…
Maybe we should be glad they’re protecting us… from… ehhhhh… bad people?
Aye, me too – what are they doing spraying all of that hydrogen hydroxide up there? Who’s behind it and for what purpose? I’ll bet it’s the Order of the Eastern Star or something. They’re out of control that lot, I’m telling you 🙂
Searching ‘Chemtrails’ on google will take you to sites rubbishing the issue.
Try typing ‘Stratospheric Aerosol Injection’
@ The Flying Iron of Doom says: 20 February, 2024 at 5:19 am
spraying all of that hydrogen hydroxide up there
Help m’boab, fit a waste o guid internal combustion engine fuel.
Nae wonder Breeks is sae exercised – that’s the stuff he puts in his ain horseless carriage tae mak it gang.
Or maybes nae.
Wow, the babies they left to starve in the incubators are still there are they Johnlm… words fail me.
I learned during the Salmond stitch-up that a large chunk of the general population will go along with anything if they think it suits them, anything. And we are sure seeing it now, proved unequivocally.
I feel like I am surrounded by these doe-eyed monsters. Nodding dogs at a genocide and mass ethnic cleansing. All of this is a lesson.
Strangely it is often the independence supporters who will endlessly warn you about the lies of the ‘yoon’ media who are the exact same ones who buy into everything the exact same yoon media tell them on Russi@, Ukr@ine, P@lestine, Isr@el.
And I do mean everything… it is the most bizarre thing I have ever seen. Take away the Scottish context and they snap back into their programmed conformity like a whip cracking. It does not seem to occur to them ‘ well if they lied about this maybe they are lying about other things, or maybe even every thing’.
(I’ll save you the time checking, the answer is every thing.)
Anton,
Once you click that globalism is just a code word for communism 2.0 (or whatever failed iteration it is now) then it all slots into place relatively easily and quickly.
It sounded far fetched but they are doing exactly what the Bolsheviks tried to do… trying to erasing human identity, the identity of the father, the mother, the man, the woman, to kill of religion (box ticked on that one), to break down the family unit…
The enemies of the communists are historically the nationalists.
Who are the leading nationalist countries in the world right now. Ru$$ia and Chin@.
And who are the sworn enemies of the West, the ‘globalists’?
Erm, would it be Ru$$ia and Chin@.
Who is trying to mutilate their children and make boys in girls and vice versa in some Frankenstein level shit?
No one voted for this shit folks.
Breeks @2:42
To mix & extend your 70s metaphor slightly, a lesser detective than the lt Colombo of Scottish politics might see an Archduke Ferdinand type motive behind this startling bit news of an event occurring just before the i-soon leaks re aggressive “Chinese” cyber security:
link to world-today-news.com
Hopefully regular readers will think its far more likely that Zelensky (a former comedian & much loved tv personality, lest we forget) was, at worst, simply following orders after some of the more unbalanced stalwarts exaggerated back chatter along the lines of Macron having had it coming ever since calling NATO brain dead*, and adjust their indy minded positions accordingly.
* An observation that, in itself, was as likely to be part of a mostly harmless public pissing contest (in a less genocidal age) directed at the billionaire playboy, former Scottish ambassador & (lest we forget) much loved tv personality who became POTUS, as anything he was at liberty to substantiate contemporaneously.
@ Mac says: 20 February, 2024 at 7:25 am
if they lied about this maybe they are lying about other things, or maybe even every thing
Sure, you just need to be guided by the sages of Wings BTL.
Hatuey, a few weeks back, proved conclusively that in wars, all tales of dead babies and weans are propaganda, constructed to ensnare the gullible and foolish. Don’t you be that dupe, Mac.
Geri followed up by claiming that concern for dead babies and weans is the protective colouration adopted by nonces. So just don’t go there at all, Mac.
Bottom line, you’re being manipulated. Stick with what we all “know” to be true; the evil of Sturgeon, the twisted malevolence of WM, and the Satanic rites of the various Satans.
Bored by that? Then there’s endless Ancient Guff to rake over.
This is where what is going on right now in the wider world and Scottish politics become the same thing.
Scottish independence is obviously a nationalist movement, it is the exact polar opposite of what the globalists desire.
We completely horrified them in 2014 when they realized what was about to happen, they were ‘asleep at the wheel’.
What they did post 2014 to effectively destroy the Scottish independence movement is all well documented on here. And it only confirms their horror in 2014.
The 2014 vote was very likely rigged using postal votes. The same modus operandi was used in the 2020 US elections.
Scotland was never going top be allowed our independence. We are right in the heart of the globalist empire. We have no idea how much we horrified them (and still do). Our wishes are irrelevant to them and were snuffed out ruthlessly.
So this is where the situation in Scotland converges with the wider war being waged in the world right now between the globalists versus the nationalists.
The conclusion, as strange as it is, is that Scotland will only stand a chance of being independent, if the globalists lose the wider war. Then there might be a chance…
We are in the middle of a fight for our lives and yet in Scotland it feels like we are in the eye of the hurricane. And maybe we are.
Mac @ 8:16 am
“fulminating racists lecturing a country that is 96% white that it has a lot of white people doing jobs.”
It might be a concern if such people were ever to get control of, say, lawmaking and justice in that country!?!
@ Mac says: 20 February, 2024 at 8:17 am
That’s an innarestin slant and one I have a small amount of sneaky sympathy with …
But then the facts intervene.
Right now, millions of people are on the move, often carrying everything they own on their person.
And almost unilaterally, they are heading one way – away from the nationalists you mention, and towards the globalists you mention.
So we can all see that when people are forced to make a choice, they choose the globalists.
What these people are telling me by their own personal examples is that if iScotland sides with the nationalists, we will become the kind of totalitarian prison come dump that many Scots will aspire to get the feck out of. If they can.
That’s a long way removed from the promises of 2014, eh?
@ Alf Baird says: 20 February, 2024 at 8:28 am
I am just as concerned at the imbalance between non-whites holding down jobs and paying taxes and whites not in employment and in receipt of benefits of all kinds.
Think about it. Immigrants are brought in specifically to do the jobs the indigenous can’t or won’t do, often because of age or infirmity. Theoretically then, the percentage of immigrants receiving state benefits is lower than the percentage of indigenous inhabitants. Much lower, and when adjusted for age-related costs, very much lower in absolute value.
It’s an obvious flaw in the “import New Scots to work and pay taxes to support the NHS, pensions, etc” model. And it makes it bleedin obvious that increasing the tax burden on working people even more becomes a non-starter.
Every immigrant New Scot will be asking herself just why she should be fleeced to pay for people of a different (and often hostile) race to sit about (however deservedly) doing SFA.
The “inter-generational unfairness” you often hear about has some correlation with “inter-racial unfairness” too. And that’s not sustainable, despite what we are told.
@Mac
Globalism and nationalism are antipathetic.
But globalism is made up of many actors, many who hate one another.
Thus we have billionaires, Zionists, religious groups and secret societies all fighting like rats in a sack and creating mayhem.
They are the cause of migration rather than Main’s childish explanation.
@ Breeks
Aye, when I went to town yesterday I noticed lots of cars badly parked along the rural road with small groups of people looking up to the sky.
I stopped to ask what was occurring in case there was an impending missile strike and mushroom cloud expected, because I would definitely buy more drink and less food if that was the case.
An English voice responded telling me it was the red arrows flying over… I drove on shaking my head and muttering woo fucking hoo to myself, and questioning why if energy is so expensive that many folks are struggling to heat their homes and our emissions are to be reduced to save the planet, then how come it’s totes cool to burn shitloads of jet fuel in some display planes.
In retrospect I think a missile strike or at least a good napalming along that rural road full of twats would have done us a favour. The road has been a broken up and potholed mess for years now so doubt anyone would even notice an additional crater.
Indeed Alf. And now it seems they have closed the circle.
Sarwar repeating the racist speech from Yousless word for word almost is as clear a signal as you can get…
‘We are the same’
And they are.
Both rotten to the core. Normal service has been resumed.
There is a huge amount of political ground in between globalism and nationalism. Ignoring this is the problem with extremist thinking. An equal problem is exemplified by simply asserting the US elections and 2014 referendum were ‘very likely’ rigged via postal votes. It is very easy to sink into these kinds of delusions when you are a zealot who doesn’t get the results you want. Desperation about the malaise around the independence cause is leading to irrationality and paranoia.
Immigrants, globalisation isn’t it fuckin awful. Should be banned in Scotland!!!
Alastair Moffat wrote this.
“Men have two small pieces of DNA that are very informative about ancestry. From my mother, I inherited mitochondrial or mt DNA and her marker originated a long way from Hawick, her birthplace. It arose in the Indus Valley in Pakistan about 30,000 years ago. My Y chromosome marker from my Dad is much younger and it originated in Scandinavia about 2,000 years ago. Viking raider meets the civilisation of Mohenjo-Daro! Women carry only mtDNA, but it can also trace motherlines deep into the past and trace the journeys of their foremothers across the face of the earth to reach Scotland.
Sometimes these discoveries are strangely moving, and always revelatory.
Since we launched ScotlandsDNA in partnership with The Scotsman in late 2011, almost 8,000 Scots have taken tests. All carry mtDNA and it was striking that most, over 50%, came from the south, from the Ice Age Refuges on either side of the Pyrenees where our ancestors overwintered for millennia in the famous painted caves of South West France and Northern Spain. After the great ice dome over Ben Lomond groaned, cracked and splintered, the first men and women to see Scotland’s big skies walked from the south and the south-east, crossing dryland to the great prehistoric peninsula of Britain.”
@ Dan says: 20 February, 2024 at 9:10 am
Sorry to hear you’re afflicted with the same joylessness and general resentment of anything spectacular and talented as the rest of the usual suspects.
It jars with your frequent claims of being a petrol head, but never mind that. Maybes somebody will one day investigate the links between legacy Wee Free narrow mindedness, self-inflicted, self-pitying misery, and Indy.
in case there was an impending missile strike and mushroom cloud expected, because I would definitely buy more drink and less food if that was the case
Defo you’re not thinking that one through. In that scenario, you would take whatever you wanted, flattening anybody standing in your way.
And be prepared to shoot to kill on the way home, as otherwise you might lose your booze, food and car. Maybes your footwear too.
@ Mac
They can’t be exactly the same or Doug Thomson wouldn’t have left SNP for Labour.
Mind you, he stated he no longer wants Scotland to return to self-governing status, so guess Scotland’s best interests were never that much of a concern to him if he now thinks staying in the Union and enduring governments we don’t want is more beneficial to us than regaining control and management of all our assets and resources.
@ Mac
Excellent posts ( got daft wee Johnny Mainline buzzing about them like a particularly irritating fly , don’t need to read them to know they’ll be full of the shite that form his staple diet )
This stands-out…..
” So this is where the situation in Scotland converges with the wider war being waged in the world right now between the globalists versus the nationalists.
The conclusion, as strange as it is, is that Scotland will only stand a chance of being independent, if the globalists lose the wider war. Then there might be a chance… ” .
I said as much myself recently ..ie Scotland’s * case * can’t be seen in isolation from the wider National/International dynamic
I’d only perhaps question whether what’s going-on globally – or , at least , the * West * , can be characterised as ” Communism ” .
What I think it shares with that failed ideology is it’s Totalitarian/Authoritarian aspect .Which is really an iteration of the – alas – perennial desire of one group of people to impose their will on everyone else . The names change , but the impulse is the same – total domination .
The difference in our time is the immense reach of those who wish to control and dominate , their capacity to warp * reality * and create a facsimile ;though it seems currently they don’t even bother going to much lengths to camouflage their malign intent , possibly because they have all the * right people * in all the right , most powerful/influential positions – Herr Schwab boasts constantly about his * success * in this strategy
As a simple illustration of the degree of control the Ubermensch of Power Capital have over the Political Class witness the fact that today see’s what could possibly signal end of anything that could be considered true investigative journalism eg the capacity/will to investigate/expose criminality within our political systems , with the trial and * last chance * appeal of Julian Assange and NOT A SINGLE UK POLITICIAN has said a word in their respective Parliaments about this abomination , or the unspeakably cruel treatment Julian Assange has suffered in the hands of * our * supposedly democratic , humane Government .
NOT A SINGLE ONE .
Where the fuck are ALBA on this ? mute , like the rest of them
This is the kind of issue ALBA should be all over ; not only because of the disgusting affront to justice it represents , also because of the things that JA exposed – the unbelievable bad faith of our * leaders * , their venality , narcissism , corruption , their psychopathic disregard for the lives of others- are the things that Party should themselves be shouting about and exposing .
You’re also correct in this , Mac ( and again , I’ve been saying the same for a while ) …..the enemy ( as they see it ) of Globalism is the individual Nation State , more specifically , strong National Identity : the latter is our only remaining defence against the homogenising intent to turn us all into identikit consumers .
Hence the weaponising of ” Immigration ” . What more effective method to dilute and eventually erase National/Cultural Identity than by flooding every country with 1000s – in the case of the US currently , literally millions – of people from * alien * cultures ?
The attempt to turn language itself into a minefield of potential criminality – erasing the capacity to protest , or even disagree .
The attack on our hitherto consensual understanding of basic realities like what constitutes Man & Woman and the tolerance of assault on and denigration of REAL biological women by Female Impersonators – that’s what in essence they are – that follows from that lunacy .
They’re coming next for the Internet itself : under the pretext of ” Protection ” ( again ! ) of eg Children , Minorities and the ever-expanding gaggle of * Identities * it will become even more difficult to challenge whatever narrative/agenda is being advanced by Power .
Apart from all that ……everything is simple wonderful , in’t it ?
Whit?
What happens if you use Firefox?
Thanks, Sam, that’s interesting. It’s the sort of thing that I was talking about yesterday — celebrating our differences rather than letting them divide us.
The collective benefits in all sort of ways from diversity; culturally, genetically, economically, you name it. I’ve always loved the concept of dialectics and when you apply it to migration and people, sparks fly.
When you think of great historical civilisations like Rome, they were really celebrations of different cultures. The narrow-minded civilisations, those that insisted on racial and cultural purity, they never really amounted to much — flashes in the pan really, when you look into it.
I am excited by what we are watching in places like Govanhill. For all we know we are witnessing the birth of a new civilisation there, one that will go on to dominate the UK, Europe, and even the world.
SPQG. Imperial Govanhill…
People get bogged down in trifling details about public services and petty crime. They’re not really racists, just garden variety doubters. They aren’t team players.
John Main said;
“If Scotland is Sovereign and that Sovereignty is forever vested in us Sovereign Scots, never to be given up, bartered away or watered down, in any manner whatsoever, for ever and ever, passed down undiminished through the generations as an irrevocable right, does that mean an iScotland can never agree to submit to EU domination through majority voting?”
No! It does not mean any such thing, as I have no doubt at all you know perfectly well.
You are just being silly, and doing your usual thing of dishonestly framing a scenario to pre-empt a particular answer.
Sovereignty means we are entitled to choose whether or not to accept an obligation. We would only agree an obligation if we expect to derive significant benefits from it worth the sacrifice of a specific subset of our sovereignty.
Doing so needn’t be permanent, because our sovereignty means we can change our minds later if any particular agreement goes sour, as has clearly happened with the Union of 1707, not that we agreed it inthe first place.
“I’m thinking your view of our Sovereignty, if consistently applied, will rule out EU membership or any other international arrangement that will allow us to be outvoted. Anything that will impugn any aspect of our Sovereignty, in the slightest, is categorically off the table.
Absolutely no way it can happen, ever.
What say you, Xaracen?”
I say ‘Behave yourself!’ You know perfectly well how sovereignty works; it is by no means as rigid and inflexible as you pretend above, and nothing I’ve said justifies your assertion.
Mike Benz explains how foreign colour revolutions have now been turned against their own western populations.
The dinosaur media (read only by JM) was superseded by the internet to foment revolutions abroad.
These tactics were turned on our host populations to bias elections and opinion.
Unfortunately, the host populations are waking up and using the internet in unapproved ways,
and dissemination of truth must now be made unlawful.
Bitchute-
FORMER STATE DEPT. CYBERSECURITY OFFICIAL MIKE BENZ TELLS TUCKER CARLSON ABOUT US DEEPSTATE CRIMES
Alistair Moffat has a troubled history with his many DNA companies which have now all ceased operation.
Do not sent your DNA to strangers.
link to reddit.com
Robert Hughes “ I’d only perhaps question whether what’s going-on globally – or , at least , the * West * , can be characterised as ” Communism ” ”
Yeah, that part made me laugh. I think he was using the word “communist” the way Americans use it — meaning anybody deemed to be evil, or something…
The biggest totalitarian state when you define it properly in terms of total infiltration and control of peoples’ lives was probably The Holy Roman Empire. It ticked a good few of the required boxes. The only other organisation in history that actually comes close is Facebook.
Facebook, with its insistence on knowing your friends, birthdays, births, anniversaries, etc., is basically doing what all religions try to do, trying to worm into and take ownership of the fabric of people’s lives. It’s very creepy.
Ellis
“Firstly, I don’t necessarily accept that it likely that the UK would refuse to accept the result of a plebiscitary election, any more than they would have refused to accept a Yes vote in 2014 if Scots had had the balls to vote for it.”
Scots DID vote for it. Why do you continually deride Scots as being too stupid to vote for their own country? It’s a well documented FACT that outsiders swung our CONSTITUTIONAL vote.
I have my doubts they’d have recognised it. The Edinburgh agreement only said they’d recognise the result – not that they’d actually implement it. Whether it would have been legally binding was up for debate. Showing they have absolutely no regard for a Sovereign Nations referendum & that they disregard Scotlands Sovereignty – a clear violation of the treaty.
UDI will come because England is a bad actor & will always be a bad actor until our resources run dry.
It’s absolutely preposterous that a Sovereign Nation not only stands idly by watching the theft of its own resources but also can’t hold a proxy opinion poll of its OWN citizens.
Sturgeon was a cunt but England is a bigger one. You are stupid if you think a pretendy parliament will deliver independence. It wouldn’t matter if Scots all voted 100% to leave. They, & you, already seen Scotland as a possession & that won’t continue on into the next generation. Young people don’t give a shiny shite about warmongering or sectarianism & the GRR won’t work either the moment the polling booths open.
In other news, Russia has basically found a cure for cancer…
link to independent.co.uk
Bet you’re glad we didn’t nuke them now.
HATUEY
It was wryly said by Voltaire of the «Holy Roman Empire» that it was neither Holy nor Roman nor an empire just a miscellaneous collection of largely German speaking states and statelets.
Labels, labels, labels….bit like the «United Kingdom», the «United States», the «United Arab Republic» the «United Nations» and so forth.
link to socratic-method.com
Under Annabelle Goldie there was an alleged at least quid pro quo arrangement wasn’t there? e.g. 1000 more police officers etc.
@ Xaracen says: 20 February, 2024 at 10:34 am
Magic stuff this Sovereignty.
It allows us to do whatever we want: make agreements, break agreements, enter into alliances, leave alliances, raise two fingers at anybody daring to tell us what to do, do only whatever anybody will permit us to do.
Sadly, the magic evaporates on contact with reality, just like the unicorn it rode in on. Not one Sovereign Scot could legally flout the Covid lockdowns, to give but one example.
Anyway, Xaracen, I’m being silly as you say, although I think my folly lies in trying to debate this with you. Sovereignty seemingly allows every one of us to descend on HR and impeach those within, for not following the will of us Sovereign Scots.
And yet another day is passing, and not one Sovereign Scot has levered himself out from behind his keyboard and got on the bus to HR.
Maybes it’s raining oot.
Oops, sorry Stuart, posted before I had read down enough.
Pay attention to how this time next week sam would flat out deny making those posts above if you quoted them, he did that with me last week. Also pay attention to how the Holy Roman Empire is also now coming up, across the internet you will see this mentioned along with the Tsar and Hitler by people who applaud cities and countries being turned into white minorities. There is a pattern.
@Geri 11.03am
The issue is not enough Scots voted Yes. The franchise was what it was and conformed with the norms of other self determination referendums. This is old ground: nativists won’t improve the chances of achieving independence and international recognition by disenfranchising swathes of Scots on the spurious grounds that they aren’t ethnically pure enough. I don’t believe Scots are stupid (despite evidence to the contrary daily here) and that’s not what I’ve said: I said they lacked the political balls to take the risk. It’s an unexceptional observatIon even if you disagree with it.
The results of plebiscitary elections are far harder for British nationalists to query. As for recognition, in the end that comes down to whether the Scottish people, having voted for independence, are prepared to take rather than ask.
UDI might come: it’s a path open to any people if it’s the only option they can see forward. It’s not an easy path though: anyone who thinks it is just isn’t being honest or has no awareness of history. Scotland isn’t a sovereign nation. Your constant misuse of the concept doesn’t make it any more true. The sovereignty of the Scottish people is a different thing. They can exercise that sovereignty via a referendum, is plebiscitary elections, via non-participation / abstentionism and asserting the primacy of our own parliament or Constituent Assembly of some sort leading to UDI, or even in extremis by the use of force.
I assume you’re not advocating the use of violence? Of the other alternatives, if you and others advocate for direct non-parliament means and UDI you’re going to need solid support from the pro indy majority and the acquiescence of the minority.
I don’t regard Scotland as a possession of the UK. As I’ve frequently pointed out, self determination is a peremptory norm in international law. That doesn’t make the exercise of that right automatic or unlimited however. You can assert your faulty understanding as loudly and as often as you like, but it won’t bring Independence Day a scintilla closer.
@ Hatuey says: 20 February, 2024 at 10:24 am
The collective benefits in all sort of ways from diversity; culturally, genetically, economically, you name it
Why don’t you name it, Hats?
There are two things that are bleedin obvious to everybody who ever strolls along their local High Street: 1) In your face diversity. 2) In your face deterioration and decay.
As we all know, correlation is not causation, but we can turn this on its head.
If the collective benefits of diversity are that great, it’s truly remarkable that not one of them is visible on an everyday High Street stroll.
Cue something about takeaways no doubt.
#AskAndy.
Is there a cure for dandruff?
#BadgerKlaxon
@Johnlm
There’s no cure for your mental dandruff, soz.
I’d advocate reading more to help clear it up, but in particularly serious cases like yours the intellectual equivalent of a bathtub full of Head & Shoulders probably wouldn’t help.
HTH! 🙂
Given the genetic presence in Scottish genes of genetic markers from Pakistan it may be possible to speculate that John Main’s genetic origins are Pakistani.
Also that Yousaf and Sarwar are true, proud Scots
Hatuey says People get bogged down in trifling details about public services and petty crime
We should stop being bogged down in trifling details about grooming gangs (SHHHHH!) and who stabbed who.
@Turabdin 11.17am
There’s a school of thought that the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation to give it its Sunday name actually had many positive aspects WRT to allowing the development of more freedoms and ultimately the Reformation which would have been less likely and considerably different if there had been a unified German kingdom and a few other larger entities rather than the gaudy patchwork the Empire became.
The EU could do worse than take the loose, confederal principle to heart in constructing a way to deal with a heterogeneous multi ethnic and multi lingual “membership”.
Should women in Scotland vote Tory.
Voting SNP or Labour means self-id.
I did ‘Ask Andy’ but he’s very selective in which questions he answers.
Who the fuck ‘Asked Andy’ about ‘Holy Roman Empire’?
I’m ‘Asking Andy’ if he watched Alex Salmond being interviewed by the Scottish Affairs Committee?
@ sam says: 20 February, 2024 at 12:26 pm
Given the genetic presence in Scottish genes of genetic markers from Pakistan it may be possible to speculate that John Main’s genetic origins are Pakistani
Cheers, sam. There is much to admire in the character and fortitude of the proud and patriotic people of Pakistan.
For starters, they would tear their capital city to pieces, along with their tractors of a ruling class, if that ruling class ever fraudulently placed a white, Christian over them.
Compare and contrast the character of the self-identifying “proud and patriotic” Sovereign Scots of the Scottish Indy movement.
That’s right, sam, not a fecking peep of protest over the fraudulently elected travesty that is oor ain FM, Humza Yousaf.
Who the fuck ‘Asked Andy’ about the ‘Holy Roman Empire’?
I’m ‘Asking Andy’ if he watched Alex Salmond being interviewed by the Scottish Affairs Committee?
I want to Ask Andy the following:
Sam quoted the above in this post:
link to wingsoverscotland.com
What do you suppose is meant by the term Scots?
I want to Ask Andy how many times does he reckon John Main has complained about:
not a fecking peep of protest over the fraudulently elected travesty that is oor ain FM, Humza Yousaf
Has it been every single day or maybe three times per day since Humza Yousaf took office.
Should we protest?
What kind of protest he thinks would be effective?
What protest to his knowledge has John Main made?
Will John Main just continue to post the same thing every day until Humza Yousaf is no longer in office?
Pulling your legs, John.I’ll ignore the rest.
This might be too hard a question for Ask Andy so I won’t blame him if he doesn’t answer but you never know:
If someone wrote that they had interviewed 8000 Scottish women would you be confident you knew what was meant?
Could everyone of these ‘8000 Scottish women’ be English men?
Andy still hasn’t answered my question regarding vampires and werewolves fighting.
His cure for dandruff is reading.
Yuooooooowsless !
@Ruby
Please,miss. Please,miss
Turabdin: “it was wryly said by Voltaire of the «Holy Roman Empire» that it was neither Holy nor Roman nor an empire…”
Everything he ever said was said wryly. But yeah, I see his point… a bit like Western Liberal Democracy.
I see Andy has interjected with one of his intellectual hammers. Time to back off before it escalates. We don’t want him reaching for one of his weapons of mass-turbation.
Red “We should stop being bogged down in trifling details about grooming gangs (SHHHHH!) and who stabbed who.”
You’ll never make the team because you aren’t a team player.
Off you go! Don’t forget to wash your hands.
link to medievalists.net
“The issue is not enough Scots voted Yes.”
Andy Ellis.
On the contrary, a majority of Scot DID vote yes in 2014, however 72.1% of folk from the rest of the UK, including those from abroad who lived or still do do live (mainly English the largest group) voted against Scottish independence.
We’ve been over this before, and if there wasn’t enfranchisement on that constitutional vote in 2014 for certain groups the result might have been very different indeed.
Looking back in my opinion I think Alex Salmond was a bit naive in that department, though it was our first attempt to dissolve this fetid union, but it won’t be our last, so live and learn as the saying goes.
There is one poster on here who seems to have an obsessively strong dislike of the USA, or the Great Satan, as he likes to name it.
He/she/it obviously does not watch movies where the USA has regularly saved the world from aliens, comets/meteors/asteroids, earthquakes, volcanoes, flooding, viruses, plagues, fire, heat, cold, zombies, won umpteen wars and are all round good guys with a sole interest in protecting the planet and all of us in it.
I know because I have personally watched the films. Not ALL of them, to be honest.
Some people should be more grateful.
RoS;
Don’t waste reading and keyboard time – he/she/it is here to push an agenda, possibly for payment. Best to scroll on by; I find it most rewarding.
“There’s a school of thought that the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation to give it its Sunday name actually had many positive aspects”
Andy Ellis.
Now look at Germany, moving on from Namibia, and WWII its government is now backing a third genocide, Scholz, and Ursula von der Leyen, are odious folk to say the least.
Indeed with Germany the main player in what is the EU, we can see that most of the EU nations governments (not all) back the Zionists genocide in Israel, and the continued supply of weapons to YouCraine which will only see more YouCranians die, in what is now the world’s MIC’s plan for never ending wars.
Germany is utterly captured by folk like you Atlanticists, people who have the Great Satan’s (US) interests at heart and not those of Germany or the wider EU, I say that knowing of the EU plan of crashing Hungary’s economy if it didn’t sign off on the multi-billion EU package for YouCraine.
The EU used to be something to be admired a co-operation of many nations aiding and helping each other bringing peace and stability, that ideology has long since been replaced and not in a good way.
MOre power to it.
“THE MOMENT WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!
In the coming weeks, Liberation Scotland will be holding national elections to its Committee. This is a truly exciting, and important moment. For the first time Scotland will have a movement that exists to challenge, directly, the legitimacy of the Anglo-British state in Scotland. ”
link to yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com
@RoS 2.43am
We have indeed been here before. You and a’ the other nativist bigots don’t get to disenfranchise some random % of Scots you don’t judge to be Scottish enough to try and make up for the gutless native born majority and their inability to turn out in the same numbers as in e.g. Quebec.
Alex Salmond was of course quite correct in his judgement that Scotland should use the same franchise as virtually every other self determination referendum since 1945. He and Tasmina went out of their way to pour cold water on the franchise restriction ranters because they know it’s a betrayal of civic nationalism and electoral poison.
Similarly none of the usual suspects had ever satisfactorily answered Rev Stu’s original and magisterial slap down of the deeply repugnant blut and boden tendency in the movement delivered in a twitter thread some time ago. So both Big Eck and Salmond, whose political antennae are usually lauded by the usual suspects are somehow wrong and a coterie of internet rando’s and sophomoric conspiracy theorists have somehow discerned the true path? Honestly, it is to laugh!
The franchise won’t be significantly changed: certainly not at the behest of the usual suspects on here who – like you – have views representative of a crank fringe within a regressive minority of bigoted ethnic nationalists that most of the movement and all right thinking people find deeply repugnant. Irrespective of your lack of visible popular support, the nativist zealots can’t stop themselves pushing their “we wuz robbed” snake oil.
Plus ça change…..
“THE MOMENT WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!
Another damp squid waste of time and effort. However it will keep the fantasists happy for a wee while.
Alex Salmond at today’s committee meeting, just click the play button.
link to parliamentlive.tv
Scottish United Nations Committee brought about the “gift” of the Holyrood parliament by bringing the issue of Scotland’s status to the attention of the UN.
Liberation.scot are following the same procedure in order to achieve an even bigger prize – restoration of full autonomy.
Why on earth any person would oppose a country regaining its rightful status I just don’t understand. I understand why a domineering neighbouring country would do so, but not an individual person.
I cannot wait for Scotland to regain normal status and for direct democracy to be restored so no politician can ever get away with lying, cheating or sheer incompetence.
So if you haven’t yet signed up to Liberation.scot, do so now. You will then be eligible to vote for the Committee that will be directing the steps to freedom. Voting will be open to ALL signatories. http://www.liberation.scot.
James @2.53pm.
James.
I know what Chas, Main and Ellis are on here for, as do most of us, the only real question is which of the security services do they work for.
Once you know this they are easy to deal with, Ellis and Main might actually be the same sock puppet.
Don’t know if any of you follow Tucker Carlson but he recently interviewed a guy called Mike Benz who is a censorship expert and the level of detail he provides, not just censorship but surveillance and other stuff too, is startling.
They’ve basically implemented a military government as far as free speech and social media is concerned… it’s global and a lot of what is discussed explains what we have experienced even here in backwater Scotland.
We think we are up against Westminster but are actually fighting The Pentagon.
RoS: “Ellis and Main might actually be the same sock puppet.”
If that’s true I’m impressed. Talk about method acting… Robert De Niro couldn’t pull a knuckle-dragger like Main off so convincingly.
So the Great Satan (US) wants to veto the UN vote (possibly today) on instigating a ceasefire in Gaza (well we know who’s doing the firing).
If the (US) does veto the ceasefire it will be the THIRD time it has done so. The US, which holds council veto power, has previously vetoed two drafts in October and December.
Great Satan indeed.
The millionaire knight of the realm Sir Keir Starmer and leader of the Labour party in ALL of the UK, (what an absurdity a millionaire knight leading a supposed party of the working people) has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Reports state that Starmer is desperately trying to head off of a possible revolt within the party over the lack of a ceasefire pushed by the leader.
If Starmer does call for a ceasefire this will vex his very wealthy Zionist donors who have backed Starmer’s current position of NOT calling for an immediate ceasefire.
Tammany Hall (aka Glasgow City Council) councillors want a big pay rise and a golden parachute payout if they are not re-elected.
These b*stards can go and take flying *&%$ to themselves, the state the city is in, and the widespread poverty and homelessness to go with it, these f*ckin clowns should be paying us for putting up with their ineptness and corruption.
link to archive.is
I’m glad the Nine is being shut down. They were in bed with the SNP. The Kelly Given effect. They never criticised Sturgeon. They let her away with MURDER.
I’m glad the Alba Party has outlasted the Nine. Remember when they didn’t let Alba on to discuss politics but let all the other parties on the channel?
Get yourself a firestick ladies and gents. Between £ 50-100 a year for all, the channels. 10,000 channels. IPTV.
A dodgy guy doon the barras will sell you one!
Don’t pay the licence fee. Not worth the money.
Remember the Kirsty Wark retrial?
Don’t pay the licence fee. You won’t see this on the BBC.
Not worth a monkeys curse!
If only the real journalists listened to Wings Over Scotland. Instead they’ve got that flamboyant clown James Cook and the rest of the Swats.
No class. No one like Brian Taylor or Bernard ponsonby left.
No Class in the BBC. Lacking in class.
Republicofscotland @ 16.20.
Dear Lord, I’m just coming to terms with biological males identifying as trans females being given drugs to breast feed, Ms Sturgeon being appointed to the lucrative sinesecure of a place on the board, now pay rises and goodbye handouts for councillors.
The general despair was unconfined.
Brian Taylor “class”?
Good God have mercy on their souls.
@ Republicofscotland says: 20 February, 2024 at 4:02 pm
ceasefire in Gaza (well we know who’s doing the firing)
Indeed we do, RoS, both sides are.
Which is why it will take both sides to cease fire.
But by all means, you continue with your pro-Palestinian line. It’s still a free country.
I could at least respect you though, if you had the honesty to call for the destruction of Israel.
But you don’t do truth. Which is why you are stuck on your farcical “genocide” trope.
Here’s the truth. There’s a war on between two sides who have each sworn to exterminate the other. Hamas has chosen to wage the war from behind human shields. Israel seeks to minimise innocent civilian casualties, because they harm its cause. Hamas seeks to maximise innocent civilian casualties because they help its cause.
It’s nasty and unpleasant for Hamas to be behaving the way they are, but it’s also standard textbook stuff for a terrorist organisation that sees no problems with bringing about the deaths of uncounted numbers of its own side for what they deem the greater good.
But you know all this stuff already, RoS, even if you will never admit it.
Regrettably I only caught a short exchange of Alex Salmonds evidence to the HoC Scottish Affairs Select Committee but it was an important exchange with Douglas Ross. What did I take from that exchange? The Scottish Parliament Committee needs reform. Universal agreement on that. The role of Lord Advocate in cabinet needs dissociated from the Prosecution function. Universal agreement on that. The role of the Scottish Office needs to be replaced with an Intra Governmental Role. Qualified agreement on that. For us that were jumping up and down with the Section 35 intervention on the GRRB we need to be convinced a new IG role will contain the excesses from daft Scottish Parliament leglisation. A unilateral Parliament needs checks and balance. Otherwise I thought Alex was back to SPL form. Good to see.
Republicofscotland
Ignored says:
20 February, 2024 at 3:27 pm
Alex Salmond at today’s committee meeting, just click the play button.
link to parliamentlive.tv
Thanks for that RoS.
Auld lang syne… more’s the pity.
There’s a good article on Unherd today about the ME war and how it will likely end. I’ll post a link because I see that RoS has escaped his handlers and locked himself in the Computer Lab.
link to unherd.com
Let me guess, RoS, you’ve swallowed the key again, eh?
The Nine is going and I read the comments – apparently it was an SNP fanzine style broadcast according to 90% of the comments .Where did they all got that idea ?
The BBBC brodcasting SNP/Green support ? I must have missed something the few times I watched!
Labour will never form a coalition with the SNP. They hate the SNP more than the Tories. They have formed coalitions throughout councils to stop the SNP. It is a Unionist coalition.
There will be no ‘lifeline’ for the Indy movement by letting them anywhere near government. Of course the SNP will prostrate themselves in front of Labour to work for continuity Devolution.
The Greens will show they are political wh**es, jumping into bed with anyone who’ll have them.
There is no scenario, other than a majority or Greens, that will have the SNP in power. The Alba party will hopefully come of age at the next Holyrood election and move from being a fringe party to being a contender.
However, I fear that the electorate are giving up on Indy political parties delivering and will, more and more, form people movements.
Genocide John thinks that Israehell is minimising innocent civilian casualties by using 2000 lb JDAM dumb bombs?
28 kg of explosives for every man, woman and child in Gaza.
link to twitter.com
Unhinged cope.
“There’s a war on between two sides who have each sworn to exterminate the other.”
John Main.
Everyone and their dog knows its not a WAR, Palestine has no army, the Zionists are committing genocide in occupied lands using the state of the art military equipment, and backed and supplied by war criminals such as Biden, Sunak, Scholz, Trudeau, von der Leyen and many other prominent politicians/military commanders who MUST be held to account once the dust settles.
Well the Great Satan (US) didn’t disappoint at UN vote on a immediate ceasefire in Gaza, it voted it down, the vote was 13 to 2, the second country the UK, abstained on the vote.
Remember the world looks on and sees the UK UN rep abstaining, here in Scotland most folk will find that disgusting, I know I do. The sooner this bucket of shit union is dissolved the better.
The Great Satan wants to have a temporary ceasefire on its terms which MUST include the release of the Israeli hostages. Meanwhile Genocide Joe Biden has said to the chief Zionist Netanyahu that he must protect the citizens of Rafah when his murderous forces enter Gaza’s most southern city.
So far the Zionists have murdered around 29,000 Palestinians most of them were women and children, the invasion of Rafah will only add to that number.
Broon’s recommendations for Scotland dating from 2022.
“Scotland
16.Enhanced Protection: Scottish devolution should be constitutionally protected
by strengthening the Sewel Convention and protecting it from amendment
through the new second chamber.
17.Enhanced status internationally in devolved areas: the Foreign Affairs
reservation should be amended to permit the Scottish Government, with the agreement of the Scottish Parliament, to enter into international agreements and join international bodies in relation to devolved matters.
18.Enhanced status for MSPs: Members of the Scottish Parliament should enjoy the same privileges and protections as Members of Parliament In relation to statements made in their proceedings.
19.Enhanced local control: there is a strong case for pushing power as close as possible to people in Scotland, and consideration should be given to establishing new forms of local and regional leadership, such as directly elected Mayors.
20.Enhanced opportunities for co-operation to mutual benefit: there should be not
only enhanced self-government for Scotland but strengthened cooperation with the UK Government to address the challenges Scotland faces today.
21.Enhanced access to economic resources for Scotland: the British Regional Investment Bank should maximise support for innovation and investment in Scotland, in conjunction with the Scottish National Investment Bank and the European Investment Bank.”
link to labour.org.uk
@RoS 6.41pm
It’s vanishingly unlikely you speak for most folk in Scotland. No great surprise there.
I’m sure many of us share the horror at the situation in Gaza and want an immediate ceasefire. I’m also sure there’s evidence that Scots (as well as those in some other parts of the country like London) have attitudes to the conflict which are different from the “national” average, but that doesn’t mean they buy you extremist Wolfie Smith “Great Satan” schtick.
Electorates don’t tend to vote on single issues, whether it’s Gaza, Afghanistan, Iraq or country 404. They may oppose government policy on specific issues but it won’t necessarily translate in to them changing their vote, or taking to the streets.
Plenty of folk take a “plague on both your houses” approach to Hamas and Netanyahu’s government. Attitudes to Israel are certainly hardening, but the general public don’t see talk of genocide as rational. There again anyone normal reading your output will see it as par for the course.
@ Republicofscotland says: 20 February, 2024 at 6:26 pm
Everyone and their dog knows its not a WAR, Palestine has no army, the Zionists are committing genocide
Aha, the brains of the outfit identified, yer dug.
You can’t give up, RoS, I understand your condition, you’ve too much invested in your years of lying to ever be able to withstand the psychic trauma of facing truth.
Yet still the fighting goes on.
Fierce, no quarter given fighting, but no war, and only one army, eh? Fighting their shadows are they?
Get help, RoS.
Oh, BTW, it’s still not genocide. Ask the Germans. Accepting the Hamas figures of around 30,000 dead since October 7th, the Germans will tell you that they would have been in trouble if they “genocided” as few as 30,000 in just one fecking day.
That’s genocide, RoS. Educate yourself.
But mostly, just get some help.
Some good news:
Foreign direct investment flows to China sank by 82% in 2023
• China’s direct investment liabilities totalled US$33bn in 2023, the lowest annual figure since 1993
• Drop in foreign investment reflects geopolitical tensions and nascent western de-risking strategies.
Looks like being an authoritarian hell hole doesn’t pay, huh?
link to twitter.com
I thought Alex Salmond being interviewed by the Scottish Affairs committee was very interesting.
It will always be available here:
link to parliamentlive.tv
There were many different topics covered. Everyone was very polite and asked interesting question except Douglas Ross who went right off topic and started playing politics. Anum Qaisar also off topic but polite enough. I cant remember what she asked.
There was a lot of talk about David Cameron and his letter to Humza.
Also talk about the Covid Enquiry and questions about whether it was correct about what Swinney said about being told to delete things way back in 2007
Also talk about why Sturgeon & Humza weren’t prepared to attend any of these Westminster Committees.
Talk about the post of SOS and lots more.
Well worth watching.
Alex Salmond as always was excellent.
I was surprised there wasn’t more discussion about it here on Wings.
I did AskAndy if he had watched it but he seemed to be more interested in posting repeats about the franchise & discussing The Holy Roman Empire.
The last couple of posts reminded me that Alex Salmond also spoke about his trade trip to China.
How Gordon Brown was very keen on devolution and the difference between his relationship between Gordon Brown and that of Tony Blair.
@ Republicofscotland says: 20 February, 2024 at 6:41 pm
here in Scotland most folk will find that disgusting
Certainly the noisy and often not very Scottish pro-Palestinian faction will find it disgusting. And the professional shit stirrers will feign their usual virtue signalling disgust. As for those folk kinda happy for Hamas and its cold-blooded, murderous, cowardly ilk to be destroyed, who can say? There’s something quite at odds with our traditional Highland Warrior code of conduct in the pictures of “fighters” hiding behind their women and kids.
temporary ceasefire on its terms which MUST include the release of the Israeli hostages
Sounds good to me. It’s not over until the hostages are all accounted for, dead or alive, so the quickest way to reduce the final body count is to cut to the required result.
So far the Zionists have murdered around 29,000 Palestinians most of them were women and children
Some 12,000 estimated dead Hamas fighters. Are we going to ignore them? Who’s been fighting with and killing the IDF? Sand devils?
the invasion of Rafah will only add to that number
Probably will. If only Hamas would negotiate a cease fire, eh? Then all this could be ended.
Oh but wait, the higher the innocent body count, the better the result in their eyes. So on it goes.
What is it you like to say, RoS? Hamas are content to keep fighting until the last Palestinian civilian lies dead.
What is all that? Is it Vow No 2?
Dross and PISA
In education PISA is not a useful measure. It is quantitative, not qualitative. The statistical methods used to compile scores have been criticised. Others scoff at the idea of trying to rank very diverse education systems.
One academic, Professor Zhao, said PISA results should be ignored entirely They fail to measure important aspects of education such as critical thinking and creativity. Other academics raise concerns that a”single, narrow, biased yardstick could…do irreparable harm to our schools and students.”
The system can be gamed. Latest PISA results in England were based on a very small cohort, 4.7% of schools (the best ones?) were used to put forward pupils for the test. In Scotland, 32.8% of schools were used, a much more representative group.
95.7 % of 2021/22 school leavers were in a positive initial destination. The proportions of children leaving schools with qualifications at Levels 5 and 6 has increased steadily since 2009/10. The numbers of children now going into further or higher education, is 72% in 2019/20.
Every one of Scotland’s 18 universities does research rated as “world leading” or 4* on the overall profile
“It’s vanishingly unlikely you speak for most folk in Scotland. No great surprise there.”
Andy Ellis.
No I don’t speak for them but I’m fairly confident that most want a ceasefire immediately, social media of which most people in Scotland check out, is awash with Zionist crimes against humanity in Gaza.
There have been several large demos in Scotland’s big cities supporting the Palestinians and calling for an immediate ceasefire, I’m no zeitgeist spotter but, its a no brainer that the majority of Scots oppose what the murdering Zionists are doing in Gaza.
Of course its your job to say otherwise.
‘ temporary ceasefire on its terms which MUST include the release of the Israeli hostages’
I think Dumbo Main thinks this refers to hostages held by H4MAS and not the thousands held in Israehell jails, many of them children, kidnapped, uncharged, held in ‘administrative detention’.
link to memopublishers.com
Otherwise, he’s way off his Zionist script.
@ Andrew Ellis says: 20 February, 2024 at 6:58 pm
nascent western de-risking strategies
I wonder where the hell all the jobs are going. I see little sign of them being created in Scotland.
Then again, stratospheric taxation, banana-republic moving fiscal goal posts (let’s have another windfall tax!) and industry-destroying net zero policies will explain that.
Plus having a devolved administration that can’t even organise the collection of empties for recycling.
Shame, really. Europe is desperately trying to ramp up industrial munitions production. It’s not particularly sexy or cutting edge – bullets, shells, that kind of thing, plus the raw steel that’s needed, and the chemical precursors for explosives – but it’s the kind of work that kept entire Scottish communities going in the past.
And we still have the coal to produce the energy for it. It’s gone nowhere in approx 70 million years. It’s still good for a few more.
I don’t often make predictions on here, but I’m going to stick my neck out and predict the resumption of Scottish coal mining by 2030. That’s how far I think things are going to regress.
@Sam 8:04pm
Sure a pity that Scottish based students can’t gain a University place because of an ever reducing cap on domestic numbers. A free tuition place is a falsehood for Scottish
students because the biggest expense of going to University in Scotland is the destruction of the grants based system and living costs. I would rather a system of priorisation of Scottish students than the money grabbing of Scottish Universities and foreign intakes fully resourced by themselves. Principals won’t receive their massive bonuses otherwise.
Good grief! What excuse does the Westminster government have for bloody abstaining?
And what excuse does the USA have for vetoing?
And what excuse does the BBBC have for every report stating that ‘Hamas has been designated a terrorist organisation by the UK’?
C’mon Iraq , Libya , Afghanistan, Syria ,Vietnam and many more,let’s hear your description of the UK and USA.
John Main @7.16pm.
So the wheel turns full circle as once oppressed become the oppressor. Watching in despair (The genocide will be televised, a variation of a older saying) as the Zionists do to the Palestinians what the Gnatzi’s of WWII done to the among other folk the Gewish people, reminded me of the poor Gewish folk trapped, hungry, frightened and cold in Gnatzi ghettos in Poland as the Gnatzi’s moved in to clean them out block by block, house by house and killed everyone, man, woman and child, no exceptions, this is what we are witnessing live in Gaza.
Like the poor Gewish folk in Poland during WWII, the Palestinians lands are also occupied by a violent military force that sees them as Untermensch, or in Netanyhau’s case, and his military generals and some Zionist politicians “Human Animals.”
They say history repeats itself, well the most of the most notable Gnatzi’s, found themselves in the dock facing crimes against humanity, for the west to retain any credibility those that carried out the current genocide, and those that have backed it MUST also find themselves in the dock
@Sam 8:04pm
Sure a pity that Scottish based students can’t gain a University place because of an ever reducing cap on domestic numbers. A free tuition place is a falsehood for Scottish
students because the biggest expense of going to University in Scotland is the destruction of the grants based system and living costs. I would rather a system of priorisation of Scottish students than the money grabbing of Scottish Universities and foreign intakes fully resourced by themselves. Principals won’t receive their massive bonuses otherwise. Speaking as a parent of Scottish University students it was the hardest thing we have ever had to do.
A glimmer of hope for Assange, to buy more time, if the establishments fit up of him goes to plan.
“But while the UK legal system will then have been exhausted, Assange does have a further chance with the ECHR in Strasbourg.
If the High Court judges rule against Assange then his lawyers can apply to the ECHR for a Rule 39 injunction, which would halt the extradition until the European court had looked at the case.
The decisions are binding on member countries and there is no precedent for the UK not respecting a Rule 39 order on a proposed extradition.
Christophe Marchand is the Belgian lawyer instructed by Assange to coordinate and prepare the possible litigation at the ECHR.
“There is an internet platform for the European Court of Human Rights where you can introduce your Rule 39 application, and a decision can be rendered in a few hours,” Marchand tells me.
“After the decision is taken, the court then makes contact with the state saying that it has taken the decision and that the extradition must be halted.””
link to declassifieduk.org
@ Republicofscotland says: 20 February, 2024 at 8:12 pm
several large demos in Scotland’s big cities supporting the Palestinians and calling for an immediate ceasefire
Sure, RoS, pro-Palestinian demos.
Often mislabeled as pro-peace demos, at least in the early days, but always the same subtext – Israel to cease firing and Hamas to carry on as usual.
Rational people can clearly see why that’s not an option.
One further thing. No doubt you will write this off as “Zionist Propaganda” or somesuch, but a curious aspect of the televised coverage of these protests always innarests me.
Looking at the majority of the attendees, they would never be picked out of an identify parade as Scottish, English, British, etc. Would they, Ros?
Nuff said.
the majority of Scots oppose
I oppose the war and call for both sides to stop fighting permanently, exchange all hostages and prisoners, and guarantee safe passage for humanitarian aid to the innocents of Gaza. That’s been my exact position since October.
If that puts me in a minority of one, so be it, that’s still my position.
I listened to an hour of what Alex Salmond had to say, and he schooled them all.
I liked what he had to say about hiring the chief of the civil service. He chose his man, based on his age. Being 60, with the impression that he would give his all in his final role before retiring. Which was dedication to Scotland.
Where as the current guy is in his 40s. He’ll be wanting a job in Whitehall again soon. No loyalty to Scotland and the Scots.
Salmond is a genius. I love the man. Could listen to him all day. Sadly he’s not the leader of Scotland. Why can’t we bring him back?
The fact they all turned up to listen to Salmond today. Proves he’s still got so much to offer. They seemed to be in awe of his wisdom. At least it came across that way. You never see that. MPs working together constructively and with polite discourse.
It’s a rabble in Holyrood. It’s an embarrassment what goes on every week at false ministers questions. It’s so depressing.
We need Alex salmond back. Let’s bring him back?
Also just reading about Sir Alex Ferguson. Another Scottish hero selling his beautiful country home, following the death of his wife. That’s so sad. Thoughts are with him. A legend of Scotland.
@ Republicofscotland says: 20 February, 2024 at 8:27 pm
the Gnatzi’s moved in to clean them out block by block, house by house and killed everyone, man, woman and child, no exceptions, this is what we are witnessing live in Gaza
OFFS, playing the Jewish sympathiser card now, are you? You’re so full of shit your eyes must have turned brown.
Nobody in the ghetto had a Kalashnikov, RPG or explosives.
And nobody is killing everybody, “man, woman and child, no exceptions”.
Once again, get a fecking grip, man.
@RoS 8.12pm
I’m no zeitgeist spotter but,…
Out of the mouths of babes and infants indeed…!
For a ceasefire to work, Hamas has to give up the hostages, or those that haven’t already been murdered or died in bombings or due to mistreatment. I doubt many Scots agree with your sophomoric Great Sataning and conjuring of Zionist bogey men in virtually every post.
Mischaracterising the conflict as a genocide just exposes your intellectual dishonesty and lack of perspective. Again, no surprise at all to those familiar with your MO.
It’s always good to set the record straight: not a day job, just a moral obligation. We can’t have ordinary Scots who can still be persuaded about independence thinking that bigoted nativist extremists like you are representative of the broader movement, even if you and your posse have thoroughly infected this place.
So, because the Palestinians have been denied statehood, they are effectively denied any right to self defence. If they do make any attempt to defend themselves, they are magically transformed into terrorists.
The only way Palestinians can avoid being defined as terrorists, then, is to sit and watch as Israel murders them and takes more and more land.
There are people amongst us who think this sort of blatant bullshit is clever. I wonder how they’d respond to brutal invaders bulldozing their houses, killing their friends and family, and stealing their lands.
Maybe one of them would like to explain…
Max Headroom is demonstrating his trademark stuttering repetitive glitch.
He keeps repeating the word sophomoric in every post.
@Andy Ellis 9:06pm
Can we give matters we have no control over a rest?. You persuaded me to go to the Alba branch AGM. It’s this week I have a proposal to stop talking about pish. Words since 2014, no betterment for the Scottish People. My proposal action not words. A mechanism for returning Public Utilities to public ownership. On this evidence I will be given no quarter. But I will go. My last chance of making a difference. In amongst the protocol of electing office bearers real meaningful change will be lost. But let’s go for it.
@ Dorothy Devine says: 20 February, 2024 at 8:27 pm
what excuse does the BBBC have for every report stating that ‘Hamas has been designated a terrorist organisation by the UK’?
Ummm. Because it’s a fact.
Because Hamas would likely kill you as quick as look at you. Here’s a link to a list of the many nationalities affected by the October 7th attack:
link to france24.com
And no, they weren’t all Jews who “had it coming”.
Because people who think the same as Hamas have already killed plenty of people in this country, and tried to kill a lot more. And no, none of them “had it coming” either.
Honestly, DD, I sometimes lament that we don’t live in a perfect world, cos if we did, people like Hamas would exterminate the people who think that Hamas are great.
And then the rest of us could live in happy peace.
@ Hatuey says: 20 February, 2024 at 9:07 pm
I wonder how they’d respond to brutal invaders bulldozing their houses, killing their friends and family, and stealing their lands
Obvs, I’m with you, Hats.
Like you, I’d dig myself a big, deep hole, line it with several feet of concrete, arrange all of my extended family on the top if it, surround it with kids for good measure, then take their food, medicine and money whilst occasionally popping out to fire an RPG or two.
And if I could maybes get a teenage hostage to rape when I’m bored, all the better. Time drags when you’re in a big, deep hole. You’ll remember that from before.
And if anybody fired back at me, I’d greet about “genocide” and get some useful idiots to join in.
I think I’ve covered it, Hats, but do chip in if I’ve missed anything.
@George Ferguson 9.28pm
Looked to me like the Edinburgh LACU Agenda for tomorrow was just about electing office holders. Given recent events I reckon they might be in for a lively time, though I see Alex Torrance has slapped the malcontents grouching about the voting farrago down. Unsurprisingly Iain Lawson is one of the movers and shakers egging the malcontents on. There’s definitely something of the night about yon.
Alba may be imperfect, but I’m not sure I see any other vehicle for independence that doesn’t involve clowns at the driving seat.
ON the topic of Scotland’s future: Yours for Scotland blog post “The moment we’ve been waiting for” has a video – from 1 min 56 to 9 minutes Sara Salyers gives a good overview of the truth of Scotland’s constitutional position in law, and of how it would end the current problem we have of corrupt and/or criminal and/or incompetent politicians having a free hand for 5 years at a time to ruin our lives.
link to yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com
@ George Ferguson says: 20 February, 2024 at 9:28 pm
Can we give matters we have no control over a rest?
I can’t speak for Andy. I would happily never mention 404 or Gaza on here again, but there are a small number of regulars who can’t or won’t leave either subject alone.
Because their views are so far out of kilter with what I know about the subjects, I believe they have to be challenged.
If their views are as “normal” for the wider Scottish Indy movement as they maintain, then I believe it important that uninterested, politically disengaged Scots learn about the lunatics and nihilists infesting that movement.
It’s the future of Scotland we’re talking about here, and this is too important to be left to the lunatics and nihilists.
The sane, rational, mature Sovereign Scots are going to have to live in iScotland too. So we need to make sure iScotland follows our template, not theirs.
We just have to look around to see where the lunatics and nihilists of the Indy movement have taken us in the last 10 years. Enough.
More good news on people putting country before personal differences: Iain Lawson [of Liberation.scot and Salvo] is on Roddy Macdonald’s Through a Scottish Prism tomorrow Wednesday at noon. The topic will be about unity in the Yes movement and the best way forward.
It’s looking like we should expect another wave of refugees. Egypt has started building facilities on its side of the border and that can only mean one thing.
Palestinians who come to Glasgow can expect a warm welcome. If it was up to me, every one of them would come here. Let Israel have the dump.
We should be thinking of building more houses, lots more. It’s not like we are short of vacant land.
@Andy Ellis 9:44pm
Same for my branch. Election of Officials so SNP. Where are the ideas? Trundling along at 2% how do we take that to 8% in 2026. To get a few MSPs on board?. I have a proposal. Take back control of public utilities. A mechanism of how to do it. Will I get any time to articulate how to do that. I need 4 minutes.
I have just read your post:
link to wingsoverscotland.com
I don’t believe either you or Andy can in any way be described as sane, rational or mature.
@John Main 10:02pm
I am supportive of making a difference to the Scottish People. I need 4 minutes at my Alba Branch AGM Meeting to articulate how we do that. At least in terms of energy poverty. On Saturday I visit my dad ostensibly to watch the Scotland vs England Rugby in reality to put a £100 on his gas meter. In his nineties he thinks gas costs a shilling. And my brothers and sisters are doing the same.
They’d be bawling & bleating their eyes out of course. Shouting for NATO to help them. Hopefully NATO doesn’t come that day because it’s not in their interests at the present time.
Don’t worry, come November they’ll be flogging poppies & hailing the war dead & will be singing their wee hearts out at the one verse they know of God save the king & the Star Spangled Banner. God save the great Satan.
I see there’s to be a full enquiry into yet more antisemitism in Westminster…Zzzzz. someone must’ve said it wasn’t cool to massacre unarmed civilians – down with that sort of thing!
The end of the world is nigh. China is skint LMFAO!
Sarah
Re Scottish Prism
I hope Roddy learns some patience. He seemed to have a bee in his bonnet over Salvo. All very childish on twitter a few months back of why that group wasn’t sucking up to Alba. Patently obvious why not. They wished to remain apolitical & open to all. That was met with a great deal of hostility. Glad they’ve sorted themselves out. He claimed his show was open to all & then seemed to promptly ditch Sarah.
“Because Hamas would likely kill you as quick as look at you. Here’s a link to a list of the many nationalities affected by the October 7th attack:”
John Main.
And here’s a list of over 8,000 Palestinians illegally held by the Zionists, many women and children, one has to wonder how many more thousands have been held or even killed in custody since the Zionist began their evil persecution of the Palestinians post-1948.
link to theguardian.com
As for Hamas, one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter, Che Guevara, was designated a terrorist by the great Satan (US) whilst much of the civilised world saw him as a freedom fighter.
I’m sure the Gnatzi’s of WWII saw the French, Polish and other resistance groups as terrorists as well.
@Dorothy Devine
As an antidote to John Main’s rubbish,
The1400 deaths quoted in the article has since been revised down to 1139.
Of these approx 300 were Soldiers and the rest were designated as civilians (including cops and settler security I suppose.)
Israhell (like Main) is prone to making things up so it’s difficult to say.
Of the approx.650 ‘civilians’ many were killed by the Army under the H4nnibal Directive.
All the cars torched at the N0va festival have, mysteriously, been buried.
Also mysteriously, I am unable to post a Twitter link here.
Try searching for
“Before they launch missiles, they launch propaganda campaigns. Before they roll out tanks, they roll out narratives.”
You underestimate how much these parties hate each other. Labour/Lib Dem minority government with the Tories staying out of the way.
@Dorothy Devine
As an antidote to John Main’s drivel.
Try searching for :-
“Before they launch missiles, they launch propaganda campaigns. Before they roll out tanks, they roll out narratives.”
Do you enjoy your constant pissing contest with Ellis & Main?
People are asking if you can give matters we have no control over a rest.
People just want 4 minutes of forum time to discuss matters relevant to their lives in Scotland.
I though there was loads to discuss today about what was said at the Scottish Affairs committee. The newspapers all managed to get loads of different headlines about what Salmond said but here next to nothing here just more bloody spamming about Gaza.
What is wrong with you guys you seem obsessed.
Can you please just let John Main & Andy Ellis win.
Mandela was a terrorist too.
In fact – didn’t the Tories used to jeer & salivate at the notion of hanging him?
Anyone who says Boo to a Britnat is a terrorist. There are eejits who still fall for that shit LOL It’s like the age of the internet just sailed right on by them..
Explains why they want to shut it down.
I thought the 4 minutes of time was regards a meeting they’re attending where they hope to have the floor long enough to put forward their ideas. Nothing stopping them from posting it here if they wish.
As for the Scottish affairs committee – what will change & when or was it just another coffee morning?
link to archive.is
Maybe the blue touch paper was damp.
Between aircraft carriers that aren’t seaworthy, warships that go bump into other warships, and billion dollar missiles that go plop into the sea, the Royal Navy looks determined to pursue it’s strategy of lulling the Chinese and Ru$$ian Navies into a false sense of security.
@ Republicofscotland says: 20 February, 2024 at 11:01 pm
So if there’s 8000 Palestinians in Israeli jails, plus the thousands more you claim, it becomes even more inexplicable why Hamas won’t deal their approx 200 hostages in exchange, so that the greater good of the Palestinian people will be served. Inexplicable to rational people that is – you’re excused for obvious reasons.
That aside, thanks for explaining the connection between these prisoners and those unrelated and un-involved people from countries all around the world getting raped and killed. If only you had clarified it was “freedom fighting” earlier, eh?
And thanks for clarifying how small the jump from “freedom fighting” to “they had it coming” is. The survivors of the Manchester Arena bombing will be glad to be enlightened.
Anyways, RoS, I feel we’re doing good work here. As a vocal supporter of Scottish Indy, you’ve clarified how you believe the cause is well worth wading through lakes of blood and clambering over mounds of innocent corpses to achieve. And you support the idea that compromise short of your goal, even if it saves the lives of thousands of innocents, is not to be considered cos “freedom fighting” trumps all. This alert reader won’t be forgetting any of this any time soon.
Breeks
30 seconds of online research gives various prices for a Trident missile, but I am very confident it does not exceed $50 million. So, a long, long way short of the billion dollars you obviously pulled out of your erse.
When posting to make a point, it will help you considerably to do your own research first, if you want to avoid looking like a petty, points-scoring eejit.
Oh, and Trident missiles are not targeted at the navies of other nations, not even Russia and China. Again, take the time to understand what you are talking about before hitting “Submit Comment”.
“ When posting to make a point, it will help you considerably to do your own research first, …”
From Genocide John that’s priceless.
Genocide John’s greatest hits :-
There are no civilians dying in wars because of oil.
Petrocurrencies are a myth
404 peacekeepers blew up Nordstream using a rented yacht.
Rus tô invade Portugal.
Gaza Genocide is totally justified ‘cos Hamas will overrun Isntrael.
Geneva Convention should be ignored.
Iran and ISIS are allies.
There was an actual, real C*vid pandemic.
Chy-na wrecked the world economy.
Speed is the same thing as acceleration.
UK is a functioning democracy. (We just need a £500 deposit)
History is irrelevant. (anything that happened over 60 years ago is ancient guff)
The Wehrmacht were admirable people.
….
I’ll stop there.
@ Johmlm
And there’s wee Johnny Wean up wae the lark , ready for another busy day of being a minor irritation .
As the saying goes ” Rust never sleeps ” .
I clocked – in a post of Ruby’s , above – John The Human Fly had belched something about ” lunatics and nihilists ” – presumably in reference to his opponents on here – and I couldn’t help but be reminded of a previous statement by the wee guy expressing his desire to see *ussia ” wiped off the face of the Earth ” .
Now , forget the name – *ussia , what he’s actually desirous of is the horrific , agonising death of MILLIONS of men , women & children – human beings who never asked to born , never asked to be born in that country , have thoughts , emotions , suffer pain and experience happiness , lose loved ones , raise families etc : JUST LIKE PEOPLE EVERYWHERE .
These are all to be exterminated , according to John The Baptist , for the heinous crime of living in that area of the planet .
Don’t know about anyone else …..but I’d call that desire for mass extermination , the mentality of a Lunatic & Nihilist .
I’ll stop there.
We can but hope, tho’ a hae ma doots!
I think what rips the knitting of those promoting the nativist bigotry which infests BTL discourse here is the fact they know they have such vanishingly little support in the movement as a whole, and even less amongst the general population.
Unselfconsciously using the term Great Satan is always a dead give away of course, but there are many other “tells” obvious from the output of the usual suspects (c.f.: Zionist, colony, genocide, WEF, sovereign Scot, Claim of Right, Treaties of Union)
Couldn’t agree more with Breeks about the Royal Navy having a secret plan to lull the Russians and the Chinese ino a false sense of security.
I mean lets start with the multi billion pound nuclear submarine that ran aground on Skye for all the world to see.
Then lets consider the six billion pound a piece Type 45 destroyers that all had defective propulsion and engine systems that couldn’t operate due to overheating problems. With all six having to be taken out of service for millions of pounds of repair leaving the navy with all ships laid up was a bit of a coat trailer for all the world to see.
And then the broken aircraft carriers at around £3.2m a pop. Not one broken down but two. And with the floor show of them breaking down when they tried to leave port another floor show for all the world to see.
And as Breeks points out the two boats colliding with each other in Bahrain the other week rendering them in operable too for duties is without doubt another comedy floor show for all the world to see.
What of course these foreigners don’t realise is that the British Royal Navy is the best, the most efficient, the deadliest, most effective navy in the world. Anyone thinking it is a floor show of broken down technology is falling for the UK’s secret plan.
I suppose in many ways it’s like the economy where Britain would soar post Brexit, where bus loads of money would arrive every week to bolster our NHS. Declining incomes, declining economy, declining social services, underfunded infrastructure are no doubt further examples of the secret plan to hide the fact that the UK is an absolute economic behemoth striding the world stage.
Aye, we’re living in a soaring economic and military success story and only trying to hide our light under a bushel.
Johnlm, well that was depressing – before I got to your link I came across the disasters the RN have had losing bombs , running aground and general carelessness of the world.
Having watched the PBS programme and read and listened to your link I have come to the conclusion that we don’t need a nuclear war the world will probably be blown up ‘accidentally’by the US or the UK – mind you I don’t know how careless and/or stupid the other countries with nuclear weapons could be.
#AskAndy
Is the Max Headroom character glitching?
The words nativist, sophomoric, vanishingly little support, and bigotry appear to be coming up in every reply.
Try switching it off, for a week, and on again.
@ Johnlm
Mind that The Inchoate Screechers are playing Barrowlands next week. They are the supporting act to The Strongbow Soaked AUOB Malcontents. 😉
Just read that the Ukraine Parliament is considering denying high school and university education to the children of parents who are resisting being drafted into the military.
Quite incredible thinking to vicariously deny children an education. They are also considering freezing all access to cash.
Nice thinking eh? Forward thinking even?
In fairness to the RN, the Trident D5 missiles which are on the Vanguard boats do not belong to the UK but are leased from the US. Therefore if one of them fails to launch correctly due to a propulsion issue, despite having been ejected correctly from the boat, then Lockheed Martin will have questions to answer as to their $31M damp squib.
The last UK test failure was in 2016 involving HMS Vengeance when again the missile, as opposed to the launch vehicle itself, was at fault, this time due to data acquisition issues.
So it seems that the UK tax payer forks out billions for a submarine-launched ballistic missile system fitted out with less than reliable American made missiles.
Just don’t tell anyone at the UNSC in case questions are asked as to the permanency of the UK’s seat. Kind of hard to ‘punch above your weight’ when your boxing gloves keep coming apart at the seams…
The thing that would stop people posting it here is the impression that nobody is interested that posters here are only interested in what’s going on in the Middle East,discussing the franchise or just having a pissing contest.
You could ask the same question about all that. What will change & when or was it just another way to while away the day.
I thought George Ferguson was treated pretty shabbily.
The Scottish Affairs Committee was highly informative much more so than reading newspapers or watching the news whose journalists have watched the Scottish Affairs Committee and just cherry picked the parts they want to highlight.
What would change is people’s minds. It’s good to be informed good to know your enemy.
I take it you agree with Sturgeon & Yousaf that taking part in these committees is a waste of time. I found that quite shocking. WTF are SNP MPs doing at Westminster taking part in these committees & one even chairing the committee when their leaders are not prepared to.
PS The four minutes of time is whatever I decide to make it.
Willie
Ahhh..but whit aboot Ferries!
Ellis
Unless you’ve conducted a national campaign & conducted a poll at the end of it, you have absolutely no idea what Scotland thinks about any given subject. Whether that’s warmongering to our pretendy Constitution arrangements.
Linking to a wee britnat poll, when most of the population don’t even know what NATO is (that it’s political, that it has its own unelected hierarchy, that it only ever works for American interests & that they’ve colonised half the world) then pipe down.
Trident, that great deterrent that’s pocketing billions, doesn’t even work LMFAO! A tin cut out.
Didn’t the MOD advertise top jobs outwith the UK too? Smashing! A possible rogue nation at the helm. Possibly a tranny to match 404. Free surgery after yer mission ladies – tho probably not the sex changes yer signing up for LMAO!
It won’t stop the Chemical Ali on here declaring everything is fantastic.. nothing to see here..
I see The Vaccines have been sold out at the Barrowlands next week.
Hope it’s not another Houston Astroworld incident.
The French have passed the “Article Pfizer” Law To Ban mRNA Criticism
45 000 euro fine and 3 years gaol.,
Ruby
The chat is open to anyone. People don’t need to stick to a topic of your choosing. No need to run things past anyone to post.
Sturgeon & Dumbza don’t attend because they have no need to. They’re agents of the state & have a free pass. They wouldn’t want to blurt anything out now would they? Maybe Dumbza sent his mistress in his stead..I bet she was on fire with the thickos questions..
Those committees ARE a complete waste of time. Nothing changes. It’s just arseholes like Pete Wishart & co wanting to make themselves look busy & feel important.
They invited the EU to speak there during Brexshit. Scotland would be most welcome in the EU. They practically handed us an invite. Did that have any affect on Sturgeon? No. She still didn’t call a referendum or use it as leverage. Or what about the Waspi women? Fck all happens in WM. It’s a coffee morning to give Scottish eejits an air of importance. No one probably even knows their names.
link to wingsoverscotland.com
What changes are you expecting from the above?
I don’t know what the Scottish electorate are thinking not even the 40% who vote
(Possible less in the next General Election.)
but I can tell you what Andy Ellis thinks.
He thinks he is right and nothing could convince him otherwise same applies to John Main.
Nothing will change you are wasting your time you would be better off just having a nice coffee morning.
I’m off to do just that where I will discuss the possibility of women in Scotland voting Tory.
It’s either Tory or abstain.
Voting Tory is probably the best way to sock it to Labour & the SNP.
VOTE TORY LADIES YOU KNOW IT MAKES SENSE.
And so another floor show of defence incompetence.
Seems another attempt to fire a Trident D2 nuclear missile from HMS Vanguard has ended in disaster with the missile crashing into the sea a few miles from the submarine.
Good thing it was only armed with a dummy warhead else it could have landed on the dummies on the boat in the names of Grant Shapps and the First Sea Lord who were said to be on board.
Reports say that compressed air ejected the missile whereafter the rocket propulsion system failed to ignite. You couldn’t make it up and this was the second test firing gone belly up.
But no doubt all part of the continuing secret plan to hide Britain’s military BRILLIANCE and guile our enemies into a false sense of security.
“The Royal Navy was forced to advertise for a top job on social media in a move described as “utterly shameful” by military sources.
Navy chiefs posted the advertisement for the £150,000-a-year rear-admiral position on LinkedIn in December as it struggled to fill the role internally.
The chosen candidate would replace Rear-Admiral Simon Asquith as director of submarines and would be responsible for “elite operations” and the nation’s nuclear deterrent.”
Main/Ellis should apply. The Job is still open.
Ruby
I thought you were voting Posie?
As for Tories, nah. I’ll pass. They’ve allowed this to fester & have AGPs openly break the law. They even allow their police/border control to adorn their own uniforms with pride badges.
Best to just waste yer ballot if you don’t have anyone representing you on the ballot.
Have you thought about standing? Posie was recruiting.
Geri
link to wingsoverscotland.com
Well I know the chat is open to everyone even me. Any reason why I shouldn’t criticise what people are chatting about?
I wasn’t aware you considered Alex Salmond a Scottish eejit. You learn something new everyday.
I’m off to my coffee morning where I will promote the idea that
Women in Scotland should vote Tory
Police Scotland has requested to re-interview SNP staff as part of their probe into the party’s finances.
A source told the paper that the move was being directed by the Crown Office. A spokesman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: “Senior professional prosecutors from COPFS and an advocate depute are working with police on this ongoing investigation.
link to heraldscotland.com
Archived link to above Herald article to save giving unionist rags page hits.
link to archive.is
“People are asking if you can give matters we have no control over a rest.”
Ruby.
Interesting words there, there’s a genocide of a people going on that have been persecuted for around 75 years, and it coming to it climax, with the killing of them as the supposedly civilised world backs and supplies the Zionists doing the killing.
Go onto social media Ruby and see what’s happening if you are not affected by some of the images of pregnant women blown to bits or injured children lying in the road unable to move shot by an IDF sniper to lure someone else out to shoot them as well, or images of folk have limbs amputated without anything to numb the pain, then you really are in trouble.
Also there’s the small matter of the death of REAL journalism, which is very close, if Julian Assange is extradited to the USA, the Rev will have an inkling about that, these are current affairs that are important, yes Scottish affairs and independence are also important, but we’re not currently being blown to bits (Palestinians), or facing extradition to the US and certain death for telling the truth like Assange is.
Ruby
There’s a huge difference between criticism & trying to impose a self appointed gag order.
As for Salmond – why is he there exactly? He has zero control over the current Scottish government or it’s relations with the UK government. I’m surprised they didn’t all walk out the room when he entered as they are so fond of doing.
Enjoy yer coffee. I’m sure it’ll be more productive.
As for Salmond being an eejit.
I think I’ve been pretty clear what I think about that place. He still gives it legitimacy. I do not. Come back in a few months & let us know what was actually achieved. Then I might change my mind. I’ve watched plenty of these committees on who can piss the highest & slagging off each other – then they all fck off to the bar.
What’s happening in Gaza is related to Scotland.
There’s our neighbours breaking international law, standing & watching a genocide, wanting to remove an entire population from the area & pretending they’re a military force to back up their gob almighty..
& These folks are going to recognise our vote in parliament?
LOL!!
Republicofscotland
link to wingsoverscotland.com
What can I do about any of that?
How do I know the images of pregnant women being blown to bits are authentic?
Geri
Ruby
There’s a huge difference between criticism & trying to impose a self appointed gag order.
What is the difference?
You are beginning to sound like Ellis. I believe he may have used the term ‘to impose a self appointed gag order’ or something very similar.
Do you envisage zero contact with Westminster in the event of Scotland becoming independent?
Ruby
“What can I do about any of that?”
The exact same as you can do about the relations an administration has with the Unelected Sunak/UK government – fck all.
What’s new?
OK then why don’t we talk about the price of mince or does that sound too much like me imposing a self appointed gagging order?
And with the mention of mince the discussion naturally returns to Ellis and Main.
Synchronicity.
“What can I do about any of that?
How do I know the images of pregnant women being blown to bits are authentic?”
Ruby.
You can make your voice heard on social media that you oppose the genocide as millions upon millions of folk are currently doing.
As for your second point don’t take my word on the war crimes of the Zionists.
link to amnesty.org
link to hrw.org
link to msf.org.uk
Alternatively you can watch the genocide unfold on Al Jazeera tv, channel 235 (freeview)
Oh what fears! Discord in the ranks of the usual suspects.
It was inevitable in the end I suppose: extremists always end up eating each other. All kicking off in People’s Front versus Popular Front World, and still neither is remotely relevant.
In the meantime, outside the nutter fringe, ordinary folk just reach for the popcorn and laugh at a’ that. 🙂
#MinceTalk
To acknowledge and embrace the melding of multiculturalism and ethnic diversity in Scotland, and more importantly for the “international community” not to view and deem Scots as racist bigots; Should Halal meat now be incorporated intae oor Scotch Pies and Bridies.
What’s the latest on Posie Parkers party?
What have they been rejected for?
Anti Trans? Seems odd considering there is at least three anti immigration parties. None of them rejected.
Democracy eh? Only granted to some it seems.
We can’t do anything about the price of mince either, btw.
Looks like we’re all out of convo..lol
Events in Gaza in the next few days are very like to affect Scotland. Egypt is building facilities in its side of the border and that can only mean one thing — another wave of refugees for Govanhill.
Govanhill should have a seat at the ICJ and UN.
I would happily welcome a million of them. Palestinians are highly educated and impressively determined… we will learn a lot from them.
Indyfada!
Anyway, I believe there’s a vote on a ceasefire today in The Commons. SNP politicians are going out on a limb, pretending they care about something other than their wages. Expect some very carefully worded bullshit.
It’s a pity the fat controller isn’t there to defend “the people of Gaza” just as he defended us. I mean a pity for Israel, of course.
link to wingsoverscotland.com
Did we not do all that stuff during the Iraq war?
I’ve noticed you haven’t suggested I spam ‘Wings Over Scotland’ with posts about the genocide.
No I won’t be doing any of the things you have suggested.
Those choices of the same butt, are not our only choices,
As long as the UK parliament has proclaimed that Scots were never invited into the Union. Which they have done.
Its in writing, do ever not forget that precious information they broadcast to the world.
Ruby: “You are beginning to sound like Ellis”
Jesus, that escalated fast.
In here that’s the equivalent of a hydrogen bomb.
Sean Clerkin must be pulling his hair out as the Keystone Cops (aka Police Scotland) decide to call folk back in again and interview them again with regards to Operation Branchform.
By the time our Scottish Inspector Clouseau’s get the interviews done, we’ll be nearing the third year of this investigation.
Mind you the poor souls are stretched to the limit, they’re too busy spying on HR lawyer Aamer Anwar and the Bayoh family.
link to archive.is
You call yourself ordinary? You are quite extra-ordinary who else could know what ordinary people are doing? Are you sure they are reaching for the pop-corn and laughing at people being slaughtered in Gaza? Could you maybe re-check your crystal balls?
Mince must be very cheap ‘chez toi’. You certainly seem to spread a fair amount of it all over this forum.
PS Your jokes are even mince.
He’s back to Andy today. He must have logged in on Safari.
Using Brave it’s Andrew. I wonder what it is if he logs in on Firefox.
“Should Halal meat now be incorporated intae oor Scotch Pies and Bridies.”
LOL…
In a hospital “restaurant” yesterday whilst visiting a relative and two likely lads in the queue ask if the food is halal.
Where the f*** do you think you are boys???
Didn’t think chips and macaroni cheese needed to be Halal, but WTF do I know.
Perhaps Humza can instruct the Secretary of State for Health to sort out the ethnic and religious discrimination going on in the NHS. Down with this sort of thing!
#MinceTalk
Pity we don’t have all that Scottish census data as we could have ascertained the regional information pertaining to the demography of ethnic and multiculturalism diversity and dispersal across Scotland.
With this information it would have allowed us to know the percentages relating to the indigenous native Scots and outlanders, and that would have facilitated mince blend ratios to be developed with proportional types of meat shares allocated to accurately represent and satisfy the requirements of the specific demographic make up of each region.
For clarity and distinction in hashtag usage:
#MinceTalk to be used for meat chatter. And should not be confused with the similar but very different #TalkingMince
Is everyone posting a link to the story about the SNP staff being re-interviewed
Here’s mine. It’s from The Times.
link to archive.is
All articles are probably all the same. It might be fun to compare & contrast.
Since then, Murrell has all but disappeared from view, with even those in Sturgeon’s inner circle unclear about his whereabouts or how he has occupied his time in the ten months since his arrest.
Where’s Pete? Any sightings?
Which poster is it that lives in Portugal. Sorry I’ve forgotten your name.
Maybe he can nip over to ‘Pete’s Portugal pad’ and see if he’s there. I bet you could get a few bob from the media for a photo of Pete where ever he is.
Hatuey
“Jesus, that escalated fast.”
Aye it did. Another wanting to control btl comments.
I didn’t know Stu had advertised for a milk monitor.
I’m hoping for a series of ‘Where’s Pete’ memes.
Anyone spotted any?
I would do one of Pete outside the ‘Balmoral’ being knocked unconscious by the ‘Flying Iron of Doom’ with his magpies circling overhead with their beaks full of diamond rings, ruby necklaces and lots of other sparkling things stolen from the Balmoral penthouse suites.
Lots of other detail could be added. ie a police van, a van from the RSPB anambulance & maybe even a campervan.
Ooops it’s getting pretty busy it might need to be one of these photo joiner thingys.
Milk monitor?
That’s a bit of a damp squib compared to my hydrogen bomb!
BOOM!
So Westminster’s phallic symbol Trident flops yet again (Viagra needed I think) as another missile (no warhead attached) plunges into the sea after launch.
This comes off the back of the two sitting ducks, sorry I meant aircraft carriers breaking down and unable to attend Nato military exercise.
You’d think that a country (England) that thinks its still a world power in the military field (wake up call, it isn’t) and throws it weight about around the globe making mostly idle threats would have the might to back it up.
Of course the UK’s military is fast becoming similar to that of Australia’s which cannot deploy without the back up of US forces.
The Mutual Defence Agreement (MDA) all but cements the UK’s military to that of the USA.
“It’s just not possible for the UK to have an independent foreign policy, or defence and security policies, if it remains attached at the hip to the US nuclear programme.
The UK government’s claim that its submarine-based Trident nuclear weapons system is independent is false. It is technically and politically dependent on the US, largely due to the MDA.
Due to the MDA, the UK relies on the US for many aspects of Trident. The UK’s nuclear warhead is a copy of the US one, with some components directly bought from the US.
With the UK’s warheads expected to be non-operational by the late 2030s, a decision on their replacement will be intrinsically linked to the work taking place as part of the MDA.
The UK leases from the US the Trident II D5 missiles it uses and British submarines must regularly visit the US base in Kings Bay, Georgia, for the maintenance and replacement of these missiles.
By having such direct involvement in Britain’s nuclear weapons technology, the US exercises significant leverage over the UK’s foreign and defence policy.”
link to declassifieduk.org
A wee bump for those with an interest in energy.
Scotland using approximately 3.3GW of leccy and still managing to generate way more than we are using and currently transferring over 6GW of leccy to England.
link to extranet.nationalgrid.com
I can’t view twitter other than linked to tweets now and not signing up to join that skipfire.
Could someone who is on twitter have a look at the following account to see if they have posted monthly leccy transfer figures for January.
link to twitter.com
US supplied and maintained missile suffers ignition failure after successfull launch from RN sub.
Time to dust off the old “Blue Streak” blueprints and see if it can be retooled into a sub launched sea to ground weapons system ?
Erm, maybe not.
Was there not a missile system that they lost the plans for and had to back engineer at huge cost for parts?
I thought it was Poseidon but can find no links
For any new readers to ‘Wings’ I thought that it might be a good idea and helpful to categorise the various ‘posters’ in the comments section.
1)The Dreamers and the Fantasists-Currently about 5% of the electorate in Scotland fall into this category however they make up 80% of the posters on here. In their minds anybody who does not agree with their clever and cunning plans is a troll, a Unionist, an MI5 or MI6 plant or whatever derogatory term suits. The ability to abuse other posters comes naturally to them. Are only interested in their own views, no matter how daft they are.
2)The Historians/Droners-Are happy to regurgitate the same mince day, after day, after day. Favourite subjects are 300 year old guff and examples of Colonialism. Will never be deterred in posting their bile.
3) The Experts-Irrespective of the subject, be it Wars, Politics, Vaccines, Climate Change, the Media, Trans/Gender indeed everything you can name there will be a poster who has the definitive answer. Unfortunately, he/she/it is often alone in their thoughts but that will not stop them in airing their ‘expertise’……………continuously.
4)The Watchers-Individuals who read everything but are very reluctant to post anything themselves. It is unknown if this is due to ignorance or lack of confidence in their ability to present any coherent thoughts. If they are ever drawn out of their shell it is generally only to abuse.
5)The Agitators/Haters-‘Life’ has not been too successful for them and there only recourse they see is to attempt to belittle others, in a pathetic attempt to make them feel better about themselves. Nobody pays much attention to them and rightly so.
6)The Terminally Thick-Not much in the way of explanation here. Any new reader will spot them a mile away.
7)The Realists and Pragmatists-Have a realistic, balanced view of Scotland, the UK, the World. Unfortunately, they spend a lot of time and effort in trying to counter the scribblings from the posters in the categories above in an attempt to redress the balance. Whilst very few in percentage terms on Wings, overall they account for 40/50% of the Scottish electorate.
Of course, there is some overlap in the placing of individuals into one distinct category. Some can easily fit into numerous fields, with the exception of category 7).
Those in category 7) will only occupy one other category at most.
I trust new readers will find the above of interest. It may require you to read the comments below a few of Stu’s well researched, accurate and informative articles to get a full understanding. Hours of fun to be had in placing posters into their correct category/categories. Before long, you will see a Posters name and instantly know where they fit in……….even if it is worthwhile reading their comment.
Happy hunting.
@Sven
The first stage of the cancelled Blue Streak ICBM was subsequently used by ELDO, the precursor to ESA, and formed an important part of the Ariane rocket. Another great example of the brits throwing money at something, then cancelling it and watching someone else reap the rewards.
Dan
GB grid from last 3 years posted five days ago.
If the UK doesn’t own the Nukes then wtf are we paying for someone else’s weapons?
Andy Ellis @ 14.36
I well recall events unfolding at the time.
The list of countries that continue to withhold funds to the UNRWA, even though the Zionist haven’t produced one shred of evidence that any of its staff have been involved in the Oct 7th event.
Australia
Austria
Canada
Estonia
Finland
Germany
Iceland
Italy
Japan
Latvia
Lithuania
The Netherlands
New Zealand
Romania
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
United States
The UNRWA is the Gazans’ main lifeline.
Meanwhile a Canadian MP lets the truth slip out.
“This is incredible. Rob Oliphant, whose job is to defend Canada’s foreign policy in Parliament, got recorded in a private phone call admitting how disgusting Canada’s de-funding of UNRWA is, and that he does believe Israel is committing genocide.
cbc.ca/news/politics/rob-oli…
Here what he said on the leaked recording of the call:
“When I read that we were pausing money to UNRWA — I’m going to be very clear — it was political. And I don’t just mean domestic politics. It has to do with our allies. I thought it was the wrong decision.”
In short: nothing to do with the allegations against UNRWA (which to this day are still unproven), everything to do with the US pressuring Canada to de-fund it.
Oliphant also said on the call that, even if the Israeli allegation is true, he doesn’t agree with the Trudeau government’s response: “You don’t stop aid to Gaza because of 12 or 13 employees out of 13,000. It drives me crazy. It is opportunistic, it is unfair, and it is maligning the operation of a UN organization that is doing, not perfect work — there’s no organization that’s made of human beings that’s perfect, UNRWA has its faults. But it is the best we have for education, for medical care, for food, all of those things.
My heart falls down in my body. My heart hurts, because the only way to get that aid there is UNRWA.
We can’t have 200 trucks a day. We need 800 trucks a day. We need more entry points. We need water access from the Mediterranean. And we need to push on those points. But we also need UNRWA, which is the only body that has the infrastructure to deliver the aid.”
Oliphant said that any decision to divert UNRWA aid to other channels likely would be symbolic, because “the reality is that UNICEF or World Food Program or other agencies are going to have to use the same people that work for UNRWA. It’s political and it’s driving me crazy.”
He added: “I will defend UNRWA forever. Their work in Lebanon, their work in Jordan, I’ve been there, I’ve been to the refugee camps. I’ve examined the curriculum that people have gone crazy about, saying it’s antisemitic. I don’t believe it is. I think UNRWA is maligned every day.”
On the call he also said he does believe Israel is committing “genocidal activity”: “Do I believe there’s genocidal activity on the part of Israel? Probably yes, from what I have seen.”
He says Netanyahu is hurting not only Gaza but Israel too: “Netanyahu is hurting Israel. Not only killing Gazans, but hurting Israel. So for the love of Israel, tell him to stop.”
Lastly he said that Israel — not other countries — should be made to pay the cost of the war: “Israel needs to pay for rebuilding the country it destroyed. I don’t want to pay for that,” he said, before acknowledging that Canada likely will be called on to contribute something, along with Gulf Arab nations…”
link to nitter.unixfox.eu
SNP MPs working alongside the tories in Westminster to oust the Speaker. I suppose it was only a matter of time before the likes of Flynn showed their true red, white and blue colours.
UNRWA is the keeper of the Palestinian displacement information and ‘right to return’ policy as per the UN resolution 194.
The Israehellis have long tried to dismantle UNRWA and replace it with the UNHCR whose remit is just to house refugees.
Ex-Knesset member Einat Wilf explains
link to twitter.com
Fun fact
Wilf’s husband is Richard Gurjahr who just happened to be the guy with the camera who filmed the Nice truck attack, and then the Munich Mall Attack a week later.
Nothing suspicious I’m sure.
Andy, nobody wants to play ICBM Top Trumps.
@ Geri at 2.38 pm
Could you possibly post a link to the transfer information. IIRC it may be a tweet or two down from the initial tweet in that thread.
I can only view direct links to a specific tweet on twitter now. And nitter doesn’t work for me either and don’t know a workaround to view stuff…
TBH it’s kind of a blessing not being sucked into the vortex of pish on twitter, but I do miss the leccy data on that UK Imports account.
There were some interesting things raised in the evidence of Alec salmond to the Scottish affairs Committee.
1 It is clear Salmond thinks an effective government in Scotland is an important element in achieving independence. To have that effective government requires the co-operation of Westminster.
2 Brexit and the Internal Market have harmed Scotland’s interests and caused inter- government relations to worsen.
3 There should be an agreed mechanism by which the Scottish people can achieve independence.
4 The post Smith Commission fiscal settlement has potential to disadvantage and harm Scotland and should never have been accepted by SNP.
5 Alec Salmond denies that he ever had a policy to delete messages relating to covid while dodging the question of whether Sturgeon and Swinney may have lied on oath that such a policy existed.
I’m sure there’s more
“If the UK doesn’t own the Nukes then wtf are we paying for someone else’s weapons?”
The UK owns the “nukes”.
The UK does not however own the Trident D5 missiles to which the nukes are attached – they are leased from the US from a general stockpile shared by both the USN and RN.
The UK can determine it’s own targets independent of the US, however the guidance system in Trident is reliant upon US technology and US satellites in order to get the warheads on target.
Therefore the UK is not able to use the weapon in anger except with the approval and cooperation of the US DoD; effectively the Vanguard Class boats of the RN are in time of war USN assets flying the White Ensign – targeting will of course be coordinated to avoid needlessly vaporising the same place twice.
All the UK gets from spending our money on a nuclear deterrent, which is neither truly independent nor apparently fit for purpose where the warhead delivery part of the system is concerned, is a permanent seat on the UNSC.
What in reality the UK tax payer gets out of that dubious privilege God only knows.
lol @ Johnlm
That is a fun fact. Don’t suppose he was anywhere near a roof in NY on Sept 11, 2001?
I attempted to listen to the Ceasefire debate. I lasted about 3 minutes. Everything the pro-Israel lobby says about Hamas actually serves as a pretty accurate description of what Israel is doing; indiscriminate killing, terrorism, human shields, hostages, you name it.
I was thinking as a gesture we should offer the Palestinians an island. Within 5 years it would be a bustling and highly productive Tiger economy. Most of those islands are sitting pretty derelict anyway.
@hautey
Pandering to the bad guy’s wishes is never a good idea.
Sam @ 4.07
Re point 3, Salmond said he thought that not having regular method of trying to gain independence had allowed distraction on to other issues. And, I guess, division of the electorate along different axes. Could he have been referring to the gender obsession? Maybe now that’s morphed into a ‘race’ debate.
Now that Sir Lindsey Hoyle has changed the precedent in the SNP Palestinian debate, much to Labour delight (and keeping himself in favour with a potential Labour government) could we view a Conservative/SNP alliance. (There’s not really that much difference after all).
And will a certain Mr Wishfart be rekindling hopes of his chances as Mr Speaker.
Interesting times.
@Mary B
Mary, I thought Alec was talking more of inter- government relations and how dissatisfaction with the absence of a clear road to independence added fuel to bad relations on other grounds.
One other thing. I felt Alec saw the advantage of both maturity and experience in Scottish civil servants. He himself demonstrated and remarked upon the advantages of experience within HoC in getting things done to Scotland’s advantage.
Not sure I agree completely with this. I can’t see any reason for the SNP accepting the dreadful Smith Commission fiscal settlement. Jim Cuthbert has noted this too on his blog.
Dan 3:56pm
Sorry I’d nipped out.
Is it this? There isn’t any replies other than the usual Yoon bs
This was shared 1st of January
GB Grid: Last Year’s Interconnector and Transfer Totals
Interconnectors:
France: 10.33TWh
Northern Ireland: -1.68TWh
Netherlands: 2.25TWh
Ireland: -1.37TWh
Belgium: 2.23TWh
Norway: 7.58TWh
System Transfers:
Scot->Eng: 13.27TWh
10:20 AM · Jan 1, 2024
·
10.5K
Views
twitter.com/UK_Imports/status/1741766345107046874
The 16th Feb tweet is graphs:
x.com/UK_Imports/status/1758451310318248370?s=20
Robert Knight
Cheers. That makes sense now.
The USA has played a blinder. No one’s weapons work without them LOL
Ruskies did mention that. Especially the space satellites.
I see they’re claiming a huge chunk of Poland now for a super intelligence & military training ground. There goes more free real estate.
The French have their own nuclear deterrent independent of US supplied Trident missiles
@ Hatuey says: 21 February, 2024 at 4:16 pm
I was thinking as a gesture we should offer the Palestinians an island. Within 5 years it would be a bustling and highly productive Tiger economy
Me too, Hats, I had the same idea!
Not to the Palestinians, obvs, but to the other side.
Let’s face facts. 70 years and nobody wants the Palestinians, not even their fellow Muslim and Arab brethren. There must be a good reason, eh?
And just how many world famous, scientists and Nobel prize winning Palestinians can you name?
Nae looking up Google noo!
John Main truly is a bit of a dick.
@robertkknight says: 21 February, 2024 at 12:59 pm
Where the f*** do you think you are boys???
I am disappointed but not surprised to discover you are unaware that the norm in the UK is for meals served in institutional establishments (schools, hospitals, canteens, etc) to be halal.
This is hardly news. It’s been the case for decades, not just for years.
I mean, seriously, what do you expect? Do you think a substantial proportion of UK citizens don’t eat school meals, go into hospital, or work in factories, etc?
The information about it is all available online. I suggest you do some research.
Bottom line. One group of Brits cares about the religious aspects of their diet, and will riot and murder unbelievers if they don’t get what they want.
The other group couldn’t care less about anything.
Join the dots, Bob. Which group do you think the authorities are going to pander to?
I think he’s referring to kosher
Genocide John
“Let’s face facts. 70 years and nobody wants the Palestinians, not even their fellow Muslim and Arab brethren. There must be a good reason, eh?”
Got that wrong. No one wants the other side. That’s why they were given land that didn’t belong to them. EU, Australia, USA,UK all flocked there to pick a free house – so many that there’s no longer any room & think they’ll expand their free real estate.
Why didn’t the UN give them a huge chunk of America instead? It’s not too late to relocate them elsewhere is it? Vast areas of America untouched. Plenty of room.
Geri @ 10:51 pm.
“Why didn’t the UN give them a huge chunk of America instead? It’s not too late to relocate them elsewhere is it? Vast areas of America untouched. Plenty of room.”
Oh yeah, America. Mentioned in the Bible.
Well if you want to bring the bible into it their God told them they’d be nomads, dispersed throughout the world never to return. Jewish diaspora.
When was the EU, Australia & USA mentioned in the Bible? LOL!
The ppl living in I*real aren’t entitled to live there. They don’t have ownership papers.
I believe there was a plan to “give” them Uganda in 1902… I forget what happened. I’m pretty sure nobody asked the Ugandans if they were up for it.
Israel is the historic home of the Jews as mentioned in the Old Testament and New it was natural they would want to return to their place of origin and the only nation they could ensure they were the majority on earth after the holocaust. Even the US has had anti Semitism from the Klan etc.Just work towards a two state solution
Israel is the historic home of the Jews and has been since Biblical times so naturally they would want to return there. After the Holocaust it is the only nation they are ensured of a majority. Even the US has had anti Semitism instances with the Klan etc. The long term solution must be a 2 state solution though
T1, did it say anything at all on the back of that cereal box about the Palestinians?