The Great Terror
I am greatly honoured to have been targeted for censorship in the same weekend as two great artists as rightly esteemed as Salman Rushdie and Jerry Sadowitz. (Though thankful to have not yet been violently physically attacked for my views, as both have.)
To be honest, I was amazed my most recent Twitter account lasted three months. I set it up in May for the sole purpose of a throwaway rude reply to Darren “Loki” McGarvey and Kenny Farquharson of The Times, expecting it to be banned within hours, then somehow it had thousands of followers and I figured I might as well have a bit of fun with it for however long it lasted against the barrage of shrieking outrage and mass organised complaints from the SNP Twitler Youth.
Which turned out to be until Saturday night.
Twitter has declined to identify who I supposedly incited the harassment of, or to offer any examples of the offending tweets. Obviously I did no such thing, but it’s good to know that “in order to ensure that people feel safe expressing diverse opinions and beliefs on our platform”, only some opinions and beliefs may be expressed.
The abject, hysterical terror of the psychotically intolerant neo-fascists who currently pass for the country’s left wing that people might ever want or be allowed to hear voices and views other than those they deem acceptable tells you exactly how weak the permitted views are, and how rotten, feeble and fragile the self-proclaimed “woke” know their ideology to be.
The slightest scrutiny, the slightest dissent, the merest sliver of sunlight and it crumbles instantly to dust like a vampire, so all other opinion must be silenced, because there are no good arguments against reality.
Perhaps, though, the problem is that despite paying the idea lip service, people don’t actually like free speech at all, as laid out in this excellent article today by Will Lloyd of Unherd. I remember the Rushdie affair from the first time round, and even then there were an alarming number of cringing cowards not prepared to speak up for him, and the world is a vastly less tolerant place for dissent now than it was then.
At the same time as Rushdie was being attacked and the Pleasance was cancelling Jerry Sadowitz’s show, this was happening – a multiple rape victim being aggressively and extensively harassed and browbeaten in her own home by a Police Community Support Officer over a feminist sticker on her front door, even though two actual police officers had already visited her (seemingly at the behest of the PCSO) and agreed that it did not represent any sort of crime.
(It has of course been comprehensively established in law by the Maya Forstater case that holding and expressing gender-critical beliefs is a lawful activity protected under human rights, but perhaps, like Twitter, the police only uphold that protection as long as you keep such views strictly to yourself.)
When challenged on telling gender-critical people that they weren’t welcome in the British Transport Police last week, the force issued a statement saying they definitely hadn’t meant the thing they’d just very clearly and unambiguously said.
It was a piece of doublespeak uncannily similar to that issued by The Pleasance over the cancelling of Jerry Sadowitz, in which the venue explained that because it was such a big supporter of free speech and opponent of censorship, it was censoring Sadowitz and not allowing him to speak.
“We do not censor comedians’ material”, they said, before going on to explain why they were censoring a comedian’s material and, what’s more, why every other venue at the Fringe should too.
Both comments, of course, closely echo Twitter’s assertion that in order to protect diversity of opinion, only a limited range of opinions may be expressed.
Wings is neither as talented nor as important as Salman Rushdie or Jerry Sadowitz – a comedian I’ve been to see around 30 times and who is widely recognised within the business as a bona-fide genius of at least two crafts – standup comedy and close-up magic. His work is so layered and nuanced and intelligent that perhaps expecting the unsaveably brainless cretins who make up most of Twitter’s userbase to grasp it was a big ask even at the best of times, and these are not the best of times.
But we take enormous pride in the fact that the junior stormtroopers of intolerance hate us as much as they hate them, and are as pathologically determined to silence us.
Boooooo….
That is all…
I was getting Stephen Kerr’s tweets everyday. I don’t follow him but because of my ‘interests’ Twitter thinks I would like to see his tweets. Sometimes I would reply. Usually to ask about his sanity or stupidity. Of course he’s just a wind up merchant. I’ve now blocked him. He won’t mind I’m sure. I don’t have to listen to him. However, why is it Ok for extremists to actively work to cancel people they don’t like. Their actions are abominable. Scarily, these people have the ear of our First Minister.
Fear of being questioned is a very great fear, indeed.
To be honest I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did although it was obvious the suspension was coming, all I want to know is how long until you’re next account becomes available?
I’m telling on you screams the cliterati, Why oh why (in points of view parlance) can’t they just accept that other people might not kow tow to their ideas ??
If it has a penis, it’s a man.
If it has a vagina and ovaries, it’s a woman.
What’s so hard to understand ??
Fear of saying something that you know is questionable, but you spout it anyway so to appear on tv and in newspapers is narcissism.
On the same night as Jerry Sadowitz ! * Unrelated * ? Superficially , yes , but very much related to the Big Tech enforced Cancel Culture which dimwits of various hues insist is not happening .An insistence reflective of the fact that they NEVER say anything remotely * controversial * or against the New Puritan religion of ” No Offence Allowed ” ( unless WE are doing the offending ) . Some racket they’ve got going
Of course it was good of you to take the lead and show an example by never abusing or blocking anyone you disagreed with.
Oh, wait…
Last time I looked (about a year ago) the SNP were bleeding cash as demonstrated by them begging members to pay their dues months in advance. Anyone know if that’s still going on? I can only assume that they are racking up huge debts but since the last set of accounts are more than 19 months old we don’t know. Any sign that they’re getting desperate, such as laying off HQ staff? Or maybe Pete Murrell taking a pay cut? (fat chance!)
Farquerson and McGarvey: they both know where their-bread-is-buttered. Inconsequential drudges, the two of them.
“Anyone know if that’s still going on?”
I’d imagine the SNP are quite financially comfortable right now. No election to fight, heaps of UK government money coming in and membership fees on top. It’s only in election years they usually make losses.
hello
as if twitter suspensions are life ending eh? I’m surprised you got to stay so long too Stu. I’ve lost 2 accounts to those trolls. However it is sinister. The yoof patrol could do with being educated in the dangers of promoting and enabling propaganda and fascism. Come back Stu…just for the hell of it. The Thorn in their side. lol
You should know by now Stu that the trannies are a protected species and they’ll report you for the slightest butthurt every time – and get you banned.
By the way, did you know someone who got a previous account of yours banned just happens to work for a certain Glasgow law firm?
?
I’ve had a strange thought in relation to the transcult and their misappropriation and debasement of language. Why don’t we turn the tables and play them at their own game? It occurs to me that the word “woman” can be ambiguous because, by attaching a prefix to the word “man”, it implies that a woman is somehow an appendage of man – Eve created from the rib of Adam for instance. However, I believe the opposite is true, that the feminine is the epitome of the divine and the central pillar of that divinity is motherhood. To put the cat amongst the (trans)pigeons, we should spell the word “woman” as “womban” and “women” as “womben”. Using these spellings there can be no ambiguity as to the definition of a womban i.e. someone with a womb. And it would be interesting to see what would happen in a legal context if we spelt the word thus!
On another subject, regarding the extortionate rise in energy prices, it seems to be apparent to everyone except the politicians that we will reach a critical mass this winter. I always try to visualise things, and if we imagine a graph with the rise in prices due to inflation coupled with rising energy costs on the one hand, and the average household income on the other, then it is obvious that we will soon reach a point when outcome exceeds income by some margin for the vast majority of people. What then? And the whole of society will be affected and at risk of collapse since everything is dependent on energy: from manufacturing to transportation to farming to individual businesses to the heating and running of hospices, hospitals, schools and swimming pools etc. etc. Europe is plunging head first into a new dark ages and the worst thing of all is that it has been entirely self-induced by our politicians who have lost all sense of reality.
“By the way, did you know someone who got a previous account of yours banned just happens to work for a certain Glasgow law firm?”
I did not?
Wow. Twitter is like a phone service in the old days when you had an Operator, except you must be a Stepford Wife or they won’t put your call through.
Or porn hub where you’re reprimanded for wanting to see nudity.
But most of all it’s like spoiled brat school children given a prefect’s badge and a daily quota of criminals to irritate.
I feel sure if we checked the hidden archives deeply enough, we’d find a black and white episode of The Avengers with Steed and Mrs Peel, and some dastardly evil bastard getting a karate chop to the bollocks for inventing Twitter and threatening to ruin a perfectly good society.
Craig Murray post some good stuff on his Twitter, however unlike the Rev, Twitter has ghost banned him, resulting in a 90% decrease in traffic to his site from that site.
Great the mystery has been solved!
Good to see your “refreshed” piece back, and all the more powerful. Absolutely on the money as usual. Went for a walk through central Edinburgh yesterday before the rain came on and thinking about the Sadowitz case really turned me off wanting to support anything to do with the Festival.
I’d like to think others appearing at the Festival – particularly other comedians – are speaking up in support of Sadowitz, but I have my doubts many are or will. I know they all have livings to make, others to support, contracts etc. but if pieces of work like the Pleasance management get their way, we are indeed lost.
People supporting the action taken by the Pleasance’s management are as you say the kind of “trimmers” who failed to support Rushdie back in the day, who fail to support J.K Rowling and Joanna Cherry from the TRA extremism now. Only by voting with out feet and cash will they understand. Boycott the Pleasance as a venue, tell them if you’re an artist you won’t appear there, express your support for Sadowitz publicly even if you disagree with him or don’t think he’s funny.
These people have to be stopped.
All these things that are happening are pretty scary!
What can we do?
“only certain opinions and beliefs may be expressed” – Therein lies the problem – Because all the people who determine opinions, acceptable to the transcult, are ultra sturgeonite whammeees.
I think Scotland should adopt “Die gedanken sind frei” as our national anthem. And this will be fine as long as you don’t write anything down.
“Arbeit macht frei” as we will probably have to learn to say.
Can you imagine actually saying you can see the Emperor’s backside
as he wears his special robe intended for intellectuals only?
Twitter will shut you down, the Daily Hail will mark you as a stupid subversive deserved of a long holiday in Rwanda.
The Tories will just ignore you as attention seeking.
Yes you can’t beat being in a free speech democracy and I’d like to try living in one before
I shrug off this mortal coil.
Assumed it was the mock up of the exam question “indicate which is the bigger number”, with the childishly drawn rainbow what got you suspended. I laughed my fucking head off at that one.
Speaking as someone who used to be an account holder on twatter….well several accounts actually, sone were complained about by KH of the Pet Shop fame and my personal account for calling sone Perth MSP a “lying TORY c***” repeatedly.
Have I wished to return to the fray? Nope.
Is it worth it? Nope.
Is it an echo-chamber for the worst elements of human behaviour? Yep.
The SNP youth are the same as the Labour youth and LD youth. They literally seem unable to think critically. They do not want discourse, nor dissent. They certainly do not want anything that challenges their narrative. They are like spoilt brats, told they can’t have a sweetie.
“the Daily Hail will mark you as a stupid subversive deserved of a long holiday in Rwanda.”
The Daily Mail have actually been very supportive of women’s rights v the trans cult. I’m sure they have their own reasons…
“Wings is neither as talented nor as important as Salman Rushdie or Jerry Sadowitz.
Oh I don’t know its certainly important to those who want to keep informed on the machinations of Scottish politicians and the wokies.
Anyway brilliantly put, you’re a victim of discrimination from a social platform that doesn’t do erm…discrimination, and all because you inconveniently (for them wokies/politicians) point out the truth in matters that concern them.
Also the Britnats in Scotland including the SNP want to shut you up, they don’t want their lies and machinations pulled apart and analysed and the truth laid bare for all to see.
I say f*ck them all.
When I see rainbow flags which I did very recently on a newly open restaurant/bar on Holyrood Road. The place was covered in these flags. It was way over the top.
Firstly I though it’s a gay bar then I thought no it’s a bar where ‘terfs’ are not welcome.
The rainbow flag has a whole new meaning for me especially the ones on the police cars.
Did something equally sinister not happen with the English flag not that long ago.
Saffron Robe.
14 August 2:55pn.
I had an even stranger thought regards misappropriation of words,
Suppose long ago the very same scenario had happened when writing the bible.
If you look at the word woman it appears to be a complete word rather than a pre- fixed word,
But the word ” man” is an abbreviation of wo”man”.
Suppose Adam and eve names were switched, just like woman and man, after all this nonsense is all based on conjecture of someone else’s writings. Not gods or Jesus’s,
To day we see names like Evelyn Jones, english cricketer, with Eve in the first part of his name ” Eve”, lyn Jones. The last part of his christian name “lyn refers to water or small waterfall from what I have read up on,
However even today in many instances we find names that, both men and women share, such as the following ambiguous names,
Vivian,
Leigh,
Frances
Jessie
Alex.
Robin,
Leslie,
Ashley
Terry,
Lindsey,
Jean,
Along a similar vein and train of thoughts of your own, perhaps but there is evidence in Archaeology of past cultures through artifacts that man was not the being that was worshipped, or placed first in society amongst cultures pre- bibical writings,
There are many statues in museums around the world that held women as the mother of creation,
This switch of ” Belief” , Has happened previously purely by introducing a new “belief” and new writings,
The First time was woman, then the second time was man, now the new ideology is to combine the two,
This push and pull between genders, regardless of fairness worked, due to still having female and male,
The new ideological ” Belief” however reduces the future of mankind as a possibility in the future,
As women regardless of the first two belief systems were the child bearers,
Now we are entering a phase where governments will decide where and how children will or will not be in or on the future of this planet,
Population control will be from a test tube and “labour”tory , and will be judged by how many Workers are required to keep the system going for top elite in comfort,
Beehive technology.
Andy Ellis says:
15 August, 2022 at 1:37 pm
Went for a walk through central Edinburgh yesterday before the rain came on
Ruby says:
15 August, 2022 at 2:29 pm
When I see rainbow flags which I did very recently on a newly open restaurant/bar on Holyrood Road. The place was covered in these flags. It was way over the top.
Firstly I though it’s a gay bar
—
Did you see Ruby, and/or that gay bar on Holyrood Road on your walk, and were you dripping wet by the time you got home, Andy?
This was on social media yesterday, and someone had written this wonderful and true sentence next to it.
One’s a British puppet the other is Basil Brush.
https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1559050757759975424/MbnreyV7?format=jpg&name=small
Andrew says:
15 August, 2022 at 2:03 pm
…. They are like spoilt brats…
Like? 😉
Mark Boyle
My request is on the last thread so you might not see it, but can you send me the contact details you think you have found for Wilson Finnie.
I was aware of the circumstances of his leaving Edinburgh University. That wasn’t the mystery. I am slightly sceptical you have found him so easily because the person who spoke to me about it has been looking for him for years.
It was a daft idea to think it was a gay bar.
I don’t think there are any gay bars anymore.
The rainbow flag has nothing to do with being gay.
It has a whole new meaning.
@Craig
With respect, I sent them to the email address you specified much earlier. I suggest you check your spam folder.
So it appears that it OK for the wokemeister Fatima Joji to have “Stu Campbell is Toxic” on her twitter profile and that does not break their rules which are
Abuse/harassment: You may not engage in the targeted harassment of someone, or incite other people to do so. This includes wishing or hoping that someone experiences physical harm.
Or maybe enough people just need to point out this to twitter and they will cancel her 🙂
Some hope though
Now they are coming for our water.
https://twitter.com/Grouse_Beater/status/1557882861864341505
Republicofscotland says:
15 August, 2022 at 3:43 pm
Now they are coming for our water.
—
No they urny.
Ruby.
“It no longer has the same meaning”
because WE are meant to become intergrated as one sex gender, one race culture through mass migrations and immigration of countries, one colour, which is the purpose blm +wlm, A no nation, no sovereignty, all without energy,
And not natural to us travel sources, no natural water supplies, or family units, no community spirit nor educated the three Rs as basics.
Not natural mothers and fathers,
With ID cards for track and trace behaviour.
You will be banned from entering society if you do not comply your bank accounts will be frozen to bring you back in line,
Hence own economies and one money source for all people from governments around the world
Universal credits and furloughs,
Conspirarcy or actually in the process?
Sturgeon the betrayer of Scots will need to up her £3 million quid of Scottish taxpayers cash that she’s already given to the Britnat press.
“JOURNALISTS working across two companies in Scotland, on titles which include The Scotsman, Daily Record and Sunday Mail, will be taking strike action on Friday August 26.
Staff on Reach plc titles, including the Perthshire Advertiser, Stirling Observer, Dumfries and Galloway Standards and the Live Websites along with the Daily Record, have voted for strike action and action short of a strike.
This comes due to the company’s failure to improve its pay deal of 3%. ”
https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenational.scot%2Fnews%2F20658896.daily-record-scotsman-journalists-amongst-going-strike-pay-dispute%2F
Rev. Stuart Campbell says:
14 August, 2022 at 2:24 pm
(In reply to StuartM’s earlier post above)
I’d imagine the SNP are quite financially comfortable right now. No election to fight, heaps of UK government money coming in and membership fees on top. It’s only in election years they usually make losses.
*****************************
Well let’s remember that as of 31/12/2019 SNP HQ were ONE YEAR behind in paying the branches their share of the members subs and as of 31/12/2020 they had slipped even further behind. Plus in 2021 they were hoovering up 2022’s subs to meet 2021’s expenses (and falsely recording it as 2021 revenue). That’s robbing Peter to pay Paul with a vengeance and all it does is leave a shortfall in 2022’s revenue.
Also Note 7 to the 2020 accounts lodged with the Electoral Commission shows a Parliamentary Levy income of Pds304,100 and the explanation given is “The parliamentary levy is an annual charge imposed on all SNP MSPs and MPs where all proceeds are ring-fenced for national campaign purposes”. There were no elections in 2020 (not even by-elections apparently) yet the cash at bank is only Pds260,565 and 200,000 of that is represented by an increase in the Amounts Owing to Accounting Units (Note 21) ie the 25% of members’ subs that HO is in arrears paying to the branches. So basically this 304K of “ring-fenced” funds is nowhere to be seen and has been used to pay the day-to-day expenses of Head Office just like the “ring-fenced” independence referendum donations.
Also once again the mysterious Prepayments and Accrued Income (Note 20) has increased by 290,000 from 879K to 1,169K. As a qualified accountant I am mystified as to what these could possibly be. Prepayments are things that you pay in advance, such as fire and car insurance or a week or two of office rent if it falls due mid-month, and those should only be a few 10s of ‘000s at the very most, not 1 million. Office Rent & Rates was 70K for the year so the maximum that prepaid rent could be is one month or 6K, and that’s assuming it’s payable on the last day of the month, which is unlikely. Insurance was 31K, so assuming it all falls due on 31st December (unlikely) that’d bring it up to 37K. If we round it off to 40K to allow for a few odd minor items that leaves us with the balance of approx 1,130,000 as accrued income.
It is difficult to imagine what the accrued income could possibly be – member’s subs are accounted for when they’re received in the SNP’s bank account so it’s not any of that. Income other than members’subs totalled just under 2 million Pounds, so the 1,130,000 accrued income is more than 50% of the other income. Since only 75% of the 2,430,100 of members subs actually belongs to Head Office* the actual total revenue of HO is 3,820,000 and the accrued income is more than one-third of SNP HO’s total annual income. This looks distinctly suspect – under what circumstances could one-third of the SNP’s income be receivable in the following 12 months? I can’t think of any.
Even if as the Rev suggests they are (just) managing to cover the day-to-day running costs of their bloated Head Office in the absence of an election, that’s hardly a reason for complacency. A prudent management would be limiting the running costs of Head Office to within the ongoing revenues of the Party ie the membership subscriptions and government grant and put any one-off windfall gains such as large donations or legacies into a fighting fund for elections and an independence referendum. Far from doing that they are spending the very sums that are supposedly “ring-fenced” for elections eg the parliamentary levy. And instead of restraining expenses they are increasing them: employees went from 21 to 24 (no doubt more jobs for Sturrell pals) and the wages bill increased by 14%. It’s obvious why Sturgeon isn’t anxious to have a referendum any time soon – the SNP hasn’t got the money to pay for the campaign because they’ve already spent it all.
* This is just one of the many examples where the SNP’s accounts are drafted to obfuscate the facts rather than inform the membership. Another example is that the 1,169K of Prepayments and Accrued Income make up 99% of Total Debtors and 81% of Current Assets yet are not broken down into separate line items or given an adequate description of what makes them up, yet the trivial sum of 600 Pounds of Trade Debtors is shown as a separate line item! And once again we are more than halfway through 2022 and nobody has yet seen 2021’s accounts. That’s unacceptable.
In my professional opinion the accounts have inadequate disclosure and are a disgrace. Just as with Murrell’s refusal to open the books to the elected National Treasurer and the Finance Committee (as he was legally required to do) you have to ask – what are they trying to hide?
@Skip_NC – if you’re reading this, I’d appreciate your input.
Hi Pleasance Theatre Booking Manager speaking..
Oh hi, I’m looking to put on a show..
Oh good, whats its about?
Oh right, well its a comedy musical
Hmm..
And its actually about these 2 guys who want to put on a show
Hmm A show about a show..Go On..
And the twist is..they want their show to fail!
Hmm Go on
Well its hilarious as they do all they can to have a big flop!
And..
Of course, nothing turns out like they planned!
Sounds interesting, how long you needing, timewise
Its 2 hour show, maybe a 2 week run?
So 2 weeks, at 2 hours..you need the full 2 hours?
Well yeah, some of the songs do go on, I mean Springtime for
Hitler has 8 verses and 2 full sets of swastika and stormtrooper dancing
‘There are no good arguments against reality’
Very true. But sadly many people in Scotland live in their own artificial reality. Weak minded and gullible people, enchanted by the Scottish Pied Piper and led away to wander in a parallel universe.
At least they may have a semblance of an excuse.
But what about the nodding donkeys who sit behind the Piper in Holyrood? If they are so weak and vulnerable they shouldn’t be there in the first place.
And if they’re not, why have they betrayed the Scottish people by going along with it and not taking action to stop it?
If you don’t give the Piper what (s)he deserves, disaster follows. The Hamelin Piper deserved his money. The Scottish Piper deserves the bums rush, and payment is long overdue.
Has anybody seen THIS? I don’t know htf they’v done this, but somebody needs to let FOWings know (I’m not on twitter)
https://mobile.twitter.com/FOWingsScot/status/1558781977028923394
When all government around the world are a failing, when wars are rife, when countries allow their peoples free speech to come under control of corporations outwith our taxes control, when one glove fits all humans in mass vaccination, mass control or finances and resources
Look for the peace keepers to enter with the solution of one world government plans.
After they have created the problems.
Sturgeon the betrayer of Scots and thwarter of Scottish independence, congratulates India on its 75th independence day.
https://twitter.com/NicolaSturgeon/status/1559087298209267712?cxt=HHwWgICy-eTo_qIrAAAA
Whilst her fellow unionist and BLiS branch manger Anas Sarwar congratulates Pakistan on its 75th independence day.
STFUP Scotland they’ll be no independence day for you to celebrate, possibly the thoughts of both these unionists when airing their congrats to other countries via social media.
https://twitter.com/AnasSarwar/status/1558795658609442816
That an actual branch of the British police employ social media flacks who talk in passive aggressive Gen Z meme-speak like, “You love to see it “, “.. thanks ” and so on is the most terrifying thing of all. How long before these brainless, raised-on-Reddit idiots comprise the judiciary?
Stuart
I am far from being an accountant, but how does financing and finances for the likes of Stonewall, bill Gates funding etc fit into the Scottish governments accounts?
Its time this place in Glasgow (Sandyford Clinic) went the same way as the Tavistock (To close) and is shut down for good these morons are only damaging our kids and young adults bodies and minds.
https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thetimes.co.uk%2Farticle%2F876da8f0-1c1b-11ed-add4-d333562d46fb%3FshareToken%3D4705089ba43e02afaac8bda3bda94897
The betrayer of Scots had this to say at the Fringe.
“Speaking at a panel event at the Edinburgh Fringe on Saturday afternoon, Ms Sturgeon had strong words for the outgoing prime minister.
She said: “I disagreed with David Cameron, I disagreed with Theresa May, I disagreed with Boris Johnson, but he’s the only one who’s actually disgraced the office of prime minister.
“The sooner he’s gone, the better.””
Many of us who support independence (unlike yourself) think you are a disgrace as FM and for us the sooner you are gone the better it will be for not just the indy movement but for Scotland as a whole.
Do us all a favour and go now.
The betrayer added.
“Parties themselves are bad enough, but it was the lying, frankly, and the constant attempt to shift the goalposts and the narrative.
“He was a disgrace, let’s be honest.”
Parties indeed and none more so than yours, a party bursting with spineless and gutless troughing MPs and MSPs who are too craven and self serving to speak up on what’s going on within the SNP.
“Honest” you wouldn’t know what the word meant if it was tattooed on your forehead, you’re the disgrace, you’ve sold Scotland out.
https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.independent.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fuk%2Fnicola-sturgeon-first-minister-boris-johnson-theresa-may-prime-minister-b2144572.html
StuartM, that’s a thorough analysis. I have a set of annual accounts to get out today and six months’ worth of financials for my largest client by midweek. I’ll try to find time to look at the 2020 accounts but, from memory, you have hit on all the major points.
I’ve always felt that Prepayments & Accruals is a convenient place to put stuff to shore up the balance sheet and if those numbers are high compared to what is on the Profit & Loss, any and all questions are legitimate.
Stu your eloquence in exposing the Insane creed of these cretins is is sans pareil. As a former railwayman I find the transport police even more of a joke now that they have started trying to recruit rainbow wallopers. No doubt our shit train service will be enhanced by the inclusion of some wokists in uniform. I’d like to see the Barney on the last train to Greenock when big beardy PC Plums accuses a buckled bam of insulting her as a woman.
Republicofscotland says:
15 August, 2022 at 4:12 pm
Sturgeon the betrayer of Scots and thwarter of Scottish independence, congratulates India on its 75th independence day.
https://twitter.com/NicolaSturgeon/status/1559087298209267712?cxt=HHwWgICy-eTo_qIrAAAA
Whilst her fellow unionist and BLiS branch manger Anas Sarwar congratulates Pakistan on its 75th independence day.
STFUP Scotland they’ll be no independence day for you to celebrate, possibly the thoughts of both these unionists when airing their congrats to other countries via social media.
https://twitter.com/AnasSarwar/status/1558795658609442816
———
Tom Devine (according to the National) has defended Anas Sarwar. Tom Devine knows that Scotland is NOT a colony, and only fringe nutters hold that view.
Who to believe? Tom Devine or a driving instructor from Partick? Tom Devine or the host of ‘Through A Scottish Prism’? Hmmmmmm…
OK, at the risk of fkn repeating myself!
Has anybody seen THIS? I don’t know htf they’v done this, but somebody needs to let FOWings know (I’m not on twitter)
https://mobile.twitter.com/FOWingsScot/status/1558781977028923394
Brrrrrrrrnnnnng Brrrrrrrrrrrrrnnnng
British Transport Police, how can we help?
I’d like to make a report, please, I just saw some boys playing on the railway line…
How do you know they were boys, did they reveal their pronouns?
Ehhhhhhhh.. their what? Forget it.
Ca-Click! Dooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…
@Saffron Robe says:14 August, 2022 at 2:55 pm
‘we should spell the word “woman” as “womban” and “women” as “womben”’
I think that is an absolutely brilliant idea.
A person, or people, born with the innate genetic capability to develop a womb when they grow to maturity.
I know we all like to behave like a herd of cats on here, but will it be too much to ask that we attempt to develop a critical mass of usage for these new terms? A meme like this, if successful, spreads like wildfire.
As Saffron writes, when the enemies of truth weaponise language, the defenders of reality have to use similar weapons in self defence.
@ Skip_NC says:15 August, 2022 at 4:46 pm
Confident I have spotted the missing ring-fenced cash. Open the link and scroll down to the fourth picture:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/aug/13/nicola-sturgeon-feminism-independence-life-after-politics?CMP=twt_b-gdnsaturday
It’s got to be in the wee urn behind the FM.
Then again, maybes that’s the ashes of the Scottish Indy movement.
Mark Boyle
Many Thanks – but hasn’t come through and not in spam folder. Do you use protonmail by any chance? Mail.ru blocks it.
Roger says:
15 August, 2022 at 4:51 pm
OK, at the risk of fkn repeating myself!
Has anybody seen THIS? I don’t know htf they’v done this, but somebody needs to let FOWings know (I’m not on twitter)
Done what?
All I see is a “yer Maw” post from talent vacuum Bonnie Prince Bob with reflex guffaws from pretend newspaper Bella Caledonia inbetween agreeing with anything Cat Boyd says because the only thing they pay attention about her in truth is her … well, that question was answered a few threads back!
@ Roger
The FOW twitter account is legit. I suspect the confusion is arising because they are linking to a tweet thread where the now suspended GhostedWings account’s response to Bella is no longer visible.
It was probably to do with site viewing stats and Wings still having considerably more than Bella, even though Stu is in retirement.
Awaits being corrected if this is wrong…
@craig Murray
Craig, I assume that the .ru suffix in mail.ru means your mail server is based in Russia (not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with that). I’m curious as to why you would use them and if there’s a good reason the rest of us ought to as well!
Here’s the archived link for John Main’s direct link to Guardian article.
https://archive.ph/LTQE1
@Craig
No, it wasn’t Protonmail, but doesn’t the fact mail.ru blocks Protonmail anyway tell you something pretty damn obvious about your choice of email provider?
Don’t you have another, because to be honest I am REALLY not happy about sending any info to that provider, let alone that of a third party, especially someone in your position of getting themselves into repeated hot water and going the Full Hagrid over some pretty dubious characters.
Boyley, can you CC me… teamarmageddon@allahu-akbar.iran
😐
“Tom Devine (according to the National) has defended Anas Sarwar. Tom Devine knows that Scotland is NOT a colony”
Pike.
I see you don’t like sausages, (afraid of links).
Tell me Pike, what position would you say Scotland is in, with a foreign country denying the Scottish people the democratic right to chose whether to stay or leave this onesided union via a referendum which has had multiple mandates given to its government by the people?
@James Che
I’m not sure whether you’re asking your question of me or the Rev Stu.
My analysis is of the SNP’s published accounts which is a separate entity from the Scottish Government. I’ve not looked at the Scottish Government’s finances, however I very much doubt that either Stonewall or Bill Gates pays any money to the SG nor that they receive any money from the SG, so the impact on the SG’s finances is indirect – they are lobbying the SG to adopt certain policies which if implemented will involve expenditure (or perhaps foregone revenue) by the SG.
As I understand it from comments on here Stonewall is bankrolled by a pharmaceutical company that stands to make squillions from turning impressionable teenagers into lifelong customers for its very expensive gender-altering hormone treatments and ruining their lives in the process. Bill Gates is of course spending his own money on some of his hobby horses and probably hoping to improve his public image in the process.
For the record I don’t see Bill Gates as a force for evil. He’s been prepared to put his money into malaria research when western governments have ignored it and if that results in a vaccine for malaria it will save millions of lives in the Third World. That will undoubtedly be a good thing. I don’t see Rupert Murdoch, the Koch brothers or other billionaires doing anything comparable. If it’s a vanity project for Bill, at least it’s more socially useful than buying a Premier League soccer team, racing maxi-yachts or owning racehorses.
@ Dan says:15 August, 2022 at 5:22 pm
Here’s the archived link for John Main’s direct link to Guardian article.
https://archive.ph/LTQE1
Thanks, Dan. What do YOU reckon is in the wee urn?
StuartM.
The Scottish government has provided funding to Stonewall Scotland, and that it is this organisation that the information below refers.
2014-15: £100,000
2015-16: £100,000
2017-18: £90,000
I’m sure I read a chart on Twitter a few months back that the S&G is still funding Stonewall Scotland right up to this year.
https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-18-00320/#:~:text=The%20answer%20to%20your%20question%20is%20set%20out,is%20this%20organisation%20that%20the%20information%20below%20refers.
StuartM.
A wee bit more recent funding to Stonewall by the S&G
The organisation has also been awarded funding in connection with the National Partnership Agreement between NHS Scotland and Stonewall Scotland to promote best practice on LGBT inclusion:
For the financial year 2018 – 2019 (01/11/2018 to 31/10/2019) NHS Scotland awarded Stonewall £46,000 for the National Partnership Agreement. This was payable over the 2018 – 2019 and 2019 – 2020 financial years.
https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202100205113/
For the financial year 2019 – 2020 (01/11/2019 to 31/10/2020) NHS Scotland awarded Stonewall £47,380 for the National Partnership Agreement. This was payable over the 2019 – 2020 and 2020 – 2021 financial years.
Quite often I think I might be gifted with the sight.
Honestly I knew Craig Murray would never receive Mark Boyle’s email.
It’s spooky!
@Skip_NC
Thanks for the compliment, but I really only had time to have a quick look at the 2020 accounts, nothing thorough about it! Just the few points that jumped out at me, I’m sure a more thorough look would uncover more questionable items.
How the SNP’s auditor signs off on these accounts I don’t understand, they’re so bad. The best you can say of them is that they’re (probably) arithmetically correct but a “true and fair view” of the SNP’s financial position it ain’t.
Where the hell is that creep Main going with his questions about ‘what’s in the wee urn’?
StuartM.
On the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
“The way the BMGF finances these actives at the same time creates door openers for big corporations, like Big Pharma, privatized healthcare and education, big technology companies, chemical companies or GM-food. Thereby the philanthropy buys or forces open new profitable markets for the multinational corporations the Gates have their fortune invested in.”
Just a few of the bodies they sponsor.
” Clinton Health Inc, Rand Corporation, The Guardian, Robert Koch Institute, Die Zeit, Spiegel, BBC, Council for a Strong America, Solutions Journalism, Brookings Institution”
And of course they have their hooks into the UK as well.
https://nickcorbishley.com/2021/08/27/why-is-the-gates-foundation-funding-the-uks-medicines-regulator/#:~:text=The%20answer%20was%20yes%3A%20We%20do%20receive%20funding,work%20to%20strengthen%20regulatory%20systems%20in%20other%20countries%E2%80%A6
@RepublicofScotland
I did say that I hadn’t looked at the SG’s finances, but thanks for the info. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that Sturgeon is wasting public money with those chancers, God knows she wastes it on everything else. Nevertheless, while 100K a year would be a nice addition to your or my bank account, it’s probably a small proportion of Stonewall Scotland’s expenditure. Still 100K a year too much in my opinion.
Republicofscotland says:
15 August, 2022 at 5:50 pm
“Tom Devine (according to the National) has defended Anas Sarwar. Tom Devine knows that Scotland is NOT a colony”
Pike.
I see you don’t like sausages, (afraid of links).
Tell me Pike, what position would you say Scotland is in, with a foreign country denying the Scottish people the democratic right to chose whether to stay or leave this onesided union via a referendum which has had multiple mandates given to its government by the people?
————-
Scotland and England have not existed as separate, sovereign states for 315 years. As far as the international community is concerned, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the sovereign state. Legally, Scotland and England are not separate states – there is no ‘foreign’ country denying the Scottish people their democratic rights.
I agree that the Scottish Government has a mandate, but that mandate would be stronger if a majority of Scots supported independence, which is simply not the case (Mr Campbell has demonstrated that support for independence has flatlined at 47%). The only people preventing Scotland from becoming an independent nation, are the 55% of Scots who said “No”.
Rose Anne Schwab @ 6.13
Could you use your skills to forsee when Sturgeon is going?
Willing to cross your palm with silver. For some reason I think 13 pieces is about the right amount.
I would expect Mr Sadowitz to have his audiences multiplied after this.
@Merganser 6:42pm
Saw what you did there. Hopefully Sturgeon will be gone very soon. Another example of broadcasting bias tonight. On STV a report about the Procurator Fiscal ordering an investigation into what happened at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Friday. Not mentioned on BBC Scotland. A tragedy but predictable if you know what’s going on. And will happen again at a Hospital near you.
Merganser says:
15 August, 2022 at 6:42 pm
Rose Anne Schwab @ 6.13
Could you use your skills to forsee when Sturgeon is going?
Willing to cross your palm with silver. For some reason I think 13 pieces is about the right amount.
Oh she’s going alright! I haven’t got the exact date yet it’s still a bit hazy. 6.5 pieces of silver will do for now.
She is going to have a very freaky accident which will prevent her continuing with her modelling, photography, influencing & part time politicing career.
The weirdest thing is she is going to be hit by a Morphy Richards steam iron
when leaving the Ballmoral Hotel.
Hell hath no fury!
Disclaimer
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, events and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
holymacmoses says:
15 August, 2022 at 6:53 pm
I would expect Mr Sadowitz to have his audiences multiplied after this.
Streisand effect?
“I agree that the Scottish Government has a mandate, but that mandate would be stronger if a majority of Scots supported independence,”
Pike.
There is constantly a majority of independence minded MSPs at Holyrood and MPs Westminster and it been that way for a while now, who do think is voting these majorities into office?
I take it Pike by not addressing Westminster denying Scots their democratic right to dissolve or stay in this onesided union, that you think the denying of democracy to Scots is okay?
And you still haven’t answered the question of Scotland’s position that I posed to you @5.50pm.
Also Pike whilst you are quoting precentages Johnson on garnered around 43.6% of the vote.
For the benefit of the resident special needs individual (ie. they are needy of constant attention and think they are special) on here 24/7 under various alias, I am still awaiting Craig to get his finger out.
If he thinks I’m going to jump through hoops to find an email provider his “poor misunderstood” totalitarian state’s puppet allows (ie. has s**t security protocols), he is sadly mistaken.
Everyone else in the world has umpteen email addresses according to need – he can provide another, FFS how long does it take to set up a disposible 10 minute email account for example?
John Main says: at 6:08 pm
“What do YOU reckon is in the wee urn?”
Crushed up sim cards from burner phones used for Whatsapping, and a fistful of mandate ashes…
StuartM.
It looks like Sturgeon had a one-to-one with Bill gates in 2018.
“The minutes of the meeting between Nicola Sturgeon and Bill Gates in January 2018. I would also like to know how much money Bill Gates, The Bill and Melinda Foundation and ANY of his affiiated companies, charities etc have given the Scottish Government/SNP, and what this money has been used for? I would also like to know how much funding the Scottish Government has had from any companies associated with the production of vaccines and if these companies “lobby” the Scottish Parliament.”
The response in part is a bit cagey in my opinion.
https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202100156917/
And there’s this as well.
https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202100266727/
The BMGF is already funding Scottish Uni’s.
https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenational.scot%2Fnews%2F19854531.scottish-university-receives-3-67-million-bill-melinda-gates-foundation%2F
https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.heraldscotland.com%2Fnews%2F17261826.bill-gates-donates-720k-scots-university-research-male-contraceptive-pill%2F
Dan says:
15 August, 2022 at 5:17 pm
@ Roger
The FOW twitter account is legit. I suspect the confusion is arising because they are linking to a tweet thread where the now suspended GhostedWings account’s response to Bella is no longer visible.
It was probably to do with site viewing stats and Wings still having considerably more than Bella, even though Stu is in retirement.
Awaits being corrected if this is wrong…
Thanks, Dan. I know FOW is legit – that’s why I mentioned it. It appeared as if his link had been somehow sabotaged so that it linked to prince bob’s mocking post instead of Stu’s delete post (or rather a sign saying ‘this tweet is from suspended account’, etc) – I don’t know why that doesn’t happen. It might be an idea for FOW to delete that post now as it doesn’t link to what it was supposed to link to…
Someone posted this in here about a week ago, in my opinion it sums up Sturgeon and her party on what they’ve become.
“The SNP leadership have played a central role in disciplining that movement, at the same time as strengthening the influence and reach of the corporate lobby over government. I argue this has excelled and accelerated under the leadership of Nicola Sturgeon like no other government since devolution.
In part this is simply because machine politicians tend to fall back onto prevailing orthodoxies, rather than providing a challenge to them. It is about retaining power, for the sake of power. That could be said not just for the First Minister, but the coterie of ministers and MSPs who are largely sycophantic to a leadership model based on the centralisation of power around the party leader and Chief Executive. But another process, much more strategic, also took place after 2014.
The SNP leadership had to ensure that the mass working class movement that arose during the independence campaign could be managed, lest it make demands too radical of them. Control had to be exerted, aided by the context of the 2014 defeat which bred a high degree of organic passivity towards the SNP leadership. The movement had to be exploited for votes, funds, and activism – but it should never have any political clout over the direction of the party.”
Independence doesn’t matter anymore retaining power and enabling the corporations and the rich, whilst appearing to be a indy minded party, which pretends to support the people and independence is the game that Sturgeon and her clique are playing.
https://jonathonshafi.substack.com/p/the-snp-and-the-corporate-lobby
We know that the head of the Civil service Sir Nicolas MacPherson (now working for Sturgeon) actively worked against Scottish independence in 2014, he told us so.
We also know that others in the supposedly neutral Civil service also worked against Scottish independence in 2014, because they too told us so.
https://twitter.com/JennyWr58639923/status/1536250430967119873?cxt=HHwWgoCw_ZTo7dEqAAAA
We know what kind of person Leslie Evans is, and she was head of the Civil service in Scotland, one of her quotes sums her up. “We may have lost the battle but we will win the war.”
Does anyone actually think that when another indyref comes around, that the civil service will then somehow turn into a paragon of parity and not be bias against Scottish independence in anyway?
If you do I have a bridge to sell you.
Christopher Pike @ 6:42 pm
“Tom Devine knows that Scotland is NOT a colony”
Pakistan and India are no longer run by another country’s parliament or by civil servants sent from London. Scotland is.
Why do you think ‘a people’ seek independence, or why the UN describes self-determination independence as Decolonization?
@Ruby says:15 August, 2022 at 6:22 pm
“Where the hell is that creep Main going with his questions about ‘what’s in the wee urn’?”
Just a creep now, Ruby?
FFS, I can remember when your insults had some bite to them. Whatever happened to you? Besides, one letter too many.
Did you not read Mark Boyle’s post at 7:19? You could get back to your old-style, potty-mouth “best”, and even if Rev Stu bans you, you could be back here in about 10 minutes with a new email address, and a new online, anonymous nickname.
What about Jade? Four letters – just made for you.
You’re welcome.
John Main says:
Did you not read Mark Boyle’s post at 7:19?
Yes I did. So?
I haven’t a scooby who is talking about is it you?
With all the fuss and tantrums about this article being taken down temporarily you would think that now that it’s up there would be more folk commenting.
Even Scott’s flamebait has gone unanswered. Now that is v. strange.
I can hardly be accused of disrupting the flow of the debate with my goobledegook when there is no debate.
It’s usually busier than this perhaps folk are horrified by being asked what they think is in a ‘wee white urn’
It’s a bit sick!
I wonder if Scott knows there are quite a few webcams in Central Edinburgh.
O/T: to refresh your spirit, look at Wings posts in late September 2014 and the btl comments. E.g. “Some rest for the wicked” on 25th September 2014. Bright, positive, friendly, energetic.
It reminds us of what we were and need to be again.
@Alf Baird
Why do you think ‘a people’ seek independence, or why the UN describes self-determination independence as Decolonization?
Not invariably. If the UN thought Scotland’s case was one of decolonisation it would have said so and included Scotland in the list of Non Self Governing Territories. Neither is the simplistic view that “self determination independence” is invariably decolonisation accepted theoretically.
More to the point if it were so self evident or likely that the movement already accepted (or was moving towards) the “Scotland as colony” narrative wouldn’t we see more evidence? Sadly for you and others who believe it, that just isn’t the case.
Mark Boyle,
I used to live in St Petersburg. Simple as that. You can also get me on craigmurray1710 at btinternet.com but that address gets hundreds of emails a day so I usually give people the mail.ru one for anything I want to be sure to get.
The best Scottish journalist and the best Scottish comedian cancelled, in Scotland!
Republicofscotland says:
15 August, 2022 at 7:15 pm
“I agree that the Scottish Government has a mandate, but that mandate would be stronger if a majority of Scots supported independence,”
Pike.
There is constantly a majority of independence minded MSPs at Holyrood and MPs Westminster and it been that way for a while now, who do think is voting these majorities into office?
I take it Pike by not addressing Westminster denying Scots their democratic right to dissolve or stay in this onesided union, that you think the denying of democracy to Scots is okay?
And you still haven’t answered the question of Scotland’s position that I posed to you @5.50pm.
Also Pike whilst you are quoting precentages Johnson on garnered around 43.6% of the vote.
————
I did answer it. Whether we like it or not, Scotland is a constituent part of the UK and it’s the UK that’s internationally recognised as the sovereign nation-state. The international community does not view Scotland and England as separate nations, nor does it view Scotland as a colony.
I quoted percentages because I was discussing the referendum results (55% NO). In referenda, the winner is determined by vote share, in elections it’s by the number of seats won. The Scottish Government does have a democratic mandate for an independence referendum, I’ve never disputed that. The matter of Scottish independence can only be achieved politically (even Cherry admits there is no magical legal route to independence).
I would be open to voting for independence, if I didn’t think it would be an identity politics obsessed nightmare pandering to (quote YouTube’s The Critical Drinker) “THE MESSAGE”. I follow this site because the author stands up against “woke” culture, not because I support independence.
Ellis,
The UN wouldn’t include Scotland in any colonised countries list if it first wasn’t asked to determine the case of Scotland being a colonised country.
Has Scotland appealed to the UN on a debate and determination of this?
I simply don’t know but I would certainly be interested in the answer if they ever did debate this and the conclusion that they came to.
If they have never countenanced this then I believe you may have jumped the gun and are firing blanks.
My apologies if I’m wrong.
Isn’t that Peter Hitchens (less talented brother of the late Christopher) on Question Time?
Craig Murray,
I think you may find that anybody sending emails to Russia are treasonous individuals and in line for the firing squad or perhaps the comfy chair.
@Craig Murray
Re-sent!
A similar story from Ireland:
http://www.infowars.com/posts/twitter-bans-women-who-complained-about-transgender-rugby-player-competing-against-16-year-old-girls/
And coming to a changing room near you soon:
http://www.infowars.com/posts/80-year-old-woman-speaks-out-against-ymca-allowing-men-in-female-dressing-rooms/
`Meet the Dundee man leading the period poverty fight – and find out how to get free products near you,
We speak to Jason Grant, newly appointed period dignity officer for the Tay region – the first role of its kind in Scotland.`
Martina Navratilova twitter
@Martina
And this is just fucking ridiculous…
Scot Finlayson,
I was laughing at your imagined scenario until I thought that maybe you weren’t joking.
Oh dear, is all I can say.
Please email us with the new Twitter account address. You are still on FaceBook.
Mark Boyle
This is peculiar – nothing has come through on either email address. I have checked spam too.
Andy Ellis @ 10:00 pm
“the “Scotland as colony” narrative wouldn’t we see more evidence?”
You mean like all that energy just conveniently making its way south, awfu cheaply, just like oil&gas? Enforced Brexit? Disrespected mandates? 2014 Vow? Scots Language Act? Scotland Act? Holyrood? Colonial administration? Foreign owned media? Concentrated land ownership? foreign/offshore ownership of utilities? EBC? Whitehall civil service? Stitch-ups? Demographics? GDP? Poverty? zero control over Borders? Under-developed Infrastructure? Cultural/ethnic Division of Labour? Lack of Economic ‘growth’? National Independence/Liberation Movement? Local Government franchise for a ‘national’ parliament or referendum? Crown ‘forces’?
@Scot Finlayson 10:41pm
It was ever thus about Dundee. 5 elected SNP politicians living in the City including oor Humza hiding in Broughty Ferry. They have done nothing for the City. All living on the back of Gordon Wilson. A City that doesn’t recognise there is a connection between SNP power and failure. We have never been happier since the day we moved out of Dundee.
“if it were so self evident or likely that the movement already accepted (or was moving towards) the “Scotland as colony” narrative wouldn’t we see more evidence?” (Ellis)
You should explain to us why you are complex sentence structures like that, conflating suppositions about what some unspecified person considers “self evident” with what “the movement” is assumed by you to think…
You’re all over the place and when educated people do that they are usually doing it intentionally.
Based on evidence, rather than bullshit, it’s very common for people not to realise or admit to themselves that they are in abusive and exploitative relationships. I’m sure you don’t need examples.
People are complicated herd animals, full of confusion and uncertainty. Throw in a powerful propaganda machine (like the BBC) and you can more or less con them into believing anything.
Alf, you fell into his little linguistic trap… he doesn’t want to hear reasons for thinking Scotland is a colony and he will ignore them. We’ve been up and down this hill a few times with Ellis.
Likewise, he will never define what a colony is. All he has is some nebulous superstitious idea that he knows what “the movement” or “the people” think on the subject, despite the fact that it has never really been discussed.
Well, guess what… if you brainwash people from an early age into thinking they are living in a free democratic country, that they ought to be proud and grateful for their British citizenship, Britain is greatest country ever, Scotland is really poor and Scottish people are inferior, etc., etc., some people will believe it, or at least unquestioningly accept it as truth.
FFS, this shit isn’t all that hard.
“an area over which a foreign nation or state extends or maintains control”
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colony
The UN decolonisers have their own list, which seems to be some narrow and quite arbitrary technical definition; it is mostly ex British and French places, quite small and insignificant.
– how you get on the list is not stated; do you need to apply? Or do they make it up themselves. Of course the SNP is never going to fill in that form.
There may also be a form of “reverse racism” going on here – i.e. “white” countries do not count, because (reasons) – it was whitey wot dun it, all white devils are the same. But America was a colony, and the Irish too.
This committee got formed early on with the creation of the UN, so its historical sweep and purpose is quite specific – its about the rollback of the exhausted French and British empires post war, probably to make it easier for US corporate interests to move in (nothing really to do with “lets be nice to the ethnics”)
Personally, the more I learned the more I thought using expressions like
– “like a colony”
– “a de-facto colony”
then one day you just drop the prefix.
C24 might not be the appropriate tool, but it is worth a try; and this is the things with shills – anything, any move which might produce a positive result – its always DONT DO THAT …
you could go along to C24 and make the point, the empire began when “the celtic periphery was subdued” and we, as “patient zero” are both the first and last colony, but pressganged into complicity.
There is nothing to lose by having a go, is there? Perhaps we could send them copies of Doun Hauden?
It would, at least, be a major loss of face for the UK. Which is good.
and BTW If Scotland is NOT a “colony” (failing on some mere technicality) – it fucking will be soon! When you have yearly droughts down the South East, then its either a national water grid, or the middle class exodus begins. One other solution is a large number of desalination plants on the south coast, which would probably need to be nuclear powered – or, the privatised water companies could plug the leaks, but that would affect the profits – the city won’t like it.
– this is speculation, and much of it depends on HS2 and just how far you can get from central London in 90 minutes; but none of the possibilities are good for us.
Confused says:
the things with shills – anything, any move which might produce a positive result – its always DONT DO THAT …
AND
none of the possibilities are good for us.
—
Ignoring Gibraltar as a colony, and dismissing all those on the UN list as “quite small and insignificant” anyway, while trying to advocate for Scotland’s doomed-to-fail inclusion, presumably because the UN don’t take applications via telepathy(?), is some mental gymnastics.
That aside, is it Charlie or Billy helping compose your thoughts this morning?
@Andy Ellis says:15 August, 2022 at 10:00 pm
You may as well give up, Andy. “Scotland as colony” is flavour of the month on here. Like all of the short-lived enthusiasms, it will burn itself out soon enough. You have the great Hatuey backing up this position when he writes:
“People are complicated herd animals”.
Anything to deflect from the inability of the Indy movement to convince Scots that they need to vote Yes. Something, that on the face of it, should not be all that difficult.
See that list from Alf Baird at 11:08 pm? It is fun to go down it and work out how many of these evidences apply to, say, Alabama, or Alaska. Can’t wait for somebody to pop up to claim these states, which entered freely into a federal arrangement, are just colonies too.
Still, ironic to see Brexit on that list. Any Greeks reading BTL here? How does the idea of Greece as EU colony, mismanaged, exploited, with its people impoverished and oppressed under foreign diktat, play out?
@Scott says:16 August, 2022 at 3:04 am
“anything, any move which might produce a positive result – its always DONT DO THAT …”
Naw, Scott, you’re seeing things that aren’t there.
Just produce evidenced, rational, easy-to-understand, real-world facts proving to ordinary, politically-ambivalent, Scottish voters that they will individually and personally be better off post-Indy.
Then stand back, and get out of the fucking way to avoid being trampled in the rush.
@”Scott” 3.04 am
Ignoring Gibraltar as a colony,
Not ignoring it at all. Gibraltar is a colony. HTH!
…and dismissing all those on the UN list as “quite small and insignificant” anyway,
That’s just your standard intellectually dishonest way of presenting the argument you *wished* people had made, rather than the argument they *actually* made. The reason the examples you constantly try to shoe horn in to the discussion to bolster what passes for your argument don’t apply or help your case isn’t to do with their size or significance, it’s because they aren’t comparable. It’s really not rocket science: Scotland is not New Caledonia or Gibraltar. Even Father Dougal would be able to figure out the difference.
…while trying to advocate for Scotland’s doomed-to-fail inclusion, presumably because the UN don’t take applications via telepathy(?), is some mental gymnastics.
I doubt the UN entertains applications from anonymous washed up nativist former international footballers “Scott”, but since you’re so confident in the justice of your case and our colonial status, fill your boots and see how far you get. you might want to try and get some reinforcements from well respected figures who are subject matter experts and show how you represent the majority of the independence movement. Should be a cinch, right….? 🙂
@Alf Baird 11.08 pm
You mean like….
Your extensive list isn’t an answer to my question, however cathartic you found putting it together. Even if your list was accurate and all of them were taken as slam dunk proof of colonial status, the question posed to you was that if – as you and others insist – Scotland is a colony and that it is obviously so, there would be more evidence of the movement as a whole accepting your claim and supporting it.
Indeed, to have the remotest chance of being accepted by the UN as qualifying for colonial status or being recognised as a Non Self Governing Territory and included in the list of such entities, you’d need to be able to demonstrate that the status was widely even if not universally accepted by the people of Scotland.
How’s that going?
craig murray says:
15 August, 2022 at 10:57 pm
Mark Boyle
This is peculiar – nothing has come through on either email address. I have checked spam too.
That’s it I’m defo getting myself a crystal ball, a set of tarot cards, a scarf with dangling coins and a credit card reader (silver not accepted)
Oneliner says:
15 August, 2022 at 10:22 pm
Isn’t that Peter Hitchens (less talented brother of the late Christopher) on Question Time?
Interesting guy
https://tinyurl.com/2rjcyr6u
https://tinyurl.com/2rjcyr6u
FF to 12.27
Alex Salmond most intelligent guy in British politics Nicola Sturgeon clichéd banal figure
John Main,
There will be no rush.
No matter how much the Yes movement explains to people that they will be better off in an independent Scotland, there is a powerful propaganda machine to tell them they will be poorer.
There are people like ex MP Jim Hood who stated that he didn’t care if Scotland would be better off, he would still vote No.
Jim is not alone in this way of thinking, there are many like him.
Logic and comparison dictate that Scotland will be better off with self determination but unfortunately for most of the population, they don’t do logic.
@Hatuey 11.16 pm
You should explain to us why you are [sic] complex sentence structures like that, conflating suppositions about what some unspecified person considers “self evident” with what “the movement” is assumed by you to think…
You’re all over the place and when educated people do that they are usually doing it intentionally.
You should read your input back before posting it to ensure it makes some sense. Any reasonably educated person will be able to follow the argument. I’m not dumbing it down for the hard of thinking, nor am I interested in trying to engage with those not arguing in good faith, or who ignore what I write and either misrepresent it, or just ignore it and answer their own point instead.
It is self evident that the movement as a whole does not currently support the “Scotland as colony” schtick. We don’t need detailed polling of the specifics to tell us. If it were widely accepted all the proponents would be shouting it from the rooftops, the pro-independence parties would all be clamouring for the UN, EU and ICJ to recognise it as such, and we’d be in a very different ball game.
Not only have the “Scotland as colony” snake oil sales people failed in their job, I doubt many of them actually believe that Scotland is actually in a colonial situation in the same sense actual colonies of the former imperial powers were. It’s a performative stance born out of their frustration to convince enough people to just vote for independence, and with the already available processes to achieve independence without trying to fashion a list of grievances and a lack of political balls in to a policy position.
Based on evidence, rather than bullshit,…. [two paragraphs of bullshit]
So show us the evidence! Answer came there none. No scholarly articles from subject matter experts showing why Scotland is or could be considered a colony. No reports from independent, neutral academics showing us evidence of why Scotland should be on the C26 list, no conferences being held here or elsewhere to promote the view that Scotland is a colony.
No political parties supporting the view.
No major political figures making the point that we’d be independent if it weren’t for our colonial masters and MSM making us “doun hauden”.
No support from other colonised entities supporting our cause and calling for Scotland to be de-colonised.
It’s a mystery right enough. There’s nane sae blind as them that winna see, as Alf might say.
The colony stuff is a hoot!
What a pantomime
Scotland is a colony
Oh no it isn’t
Oh yes it is.
Very weird that folk (a couple of posters) are getting so upset with the idea that Scotland is a colony. Fair getting their Union Jack knickers in a twist. I love it!
What the hell does it matter if Scotland is described as a colony?
If it looks like a colony, walks like a colony and quacks like a colony, then it just may be a colony.
I’m sticking with Alf.
What I’m wondering in light of recent events if we are going to go from men being very embarrassed to be shopping for tampons to seeing only men in the tampon aisle.
In the event of a woman straying into that aisle there will be a male assistant there to advise.
No jokes about this especially not at the Pleasance.
Got to keep reminding myself:
Rev. Stuart Campbell says:
6 July, 2022 at 12:48 pm
Andy Ellis, Ruby: if either of you ever mentions the other by name (including any “clever” ways of doing so indirectly) again in any context whatsoever you’re banned. Clear? Not comment deleted, not pre-moderation, banned.
I have HAD ENOUGH of this fucking playground shit.
I did ask if my time on the naughty step was up but I didn’t get a reply.
So I’d better just continue to be good!
Ach it’s not so bad really.
I’m sure code of conduct enforcers from AIM will have their sights focused on dealing with this.
https://twitter.com/AlbaPartyTime/status/1559304101875384327
Dan says:
16 August, 2022 at 8:56 am
I’m sure code of conduct enforcers from AIM will have their sights focused on dealing with this.
https://twitter.com/AlbaPartyTime/status/1559304101875384327
Very alert reader Dan is on the ball this morning.
Not got my crystal ball yet but I’m predicting no action whatsoever from AIM they believe any action would be transphobic.
Gotta go now! Y’all have a nice day.
I didn’t realise Scotland was a colony until people on here told me it wasn’t.
Seriously, though, it’s time for the Indy movement to stop playing games and stop worrying about upsetting people all the time.
You can’t make an egg without breaking an omlette.
Just before I go I just want to say that not only am a setting myself up as fortune teller extraordinaire and I am self-idying as a comedian.
Stuart would be laughed off the stage if he banned a comedian.
I think I’m safe.
Still I won’t go there.
Bye!
Potential for a Ruby and Andy date in central Edinburgh next month to celebrate their close alignment of views on genderwoowoo issues.
https://twitter.com/ForWomenScot/status/1559238497919070208
Dan @8.56am.
Thanks for the link Dan, this is the kind of people that the betrayer now values on the SNPs NEC.
Is there a camera which would indicate just how many of the 600 audience walked out of the Jerry Sadowitz show? Is there written evidence of the number of complaints received and who lodged these complaints? If the complaints all came from one source, would that nullify the complaints because the people had chosen to go to a show knowing that it would ‘offend’ them? Could Mr Sadowitz sue the Pleasance?
Alf Baird @11.08pm.
Well said Alf and undeniably true.
Breastplate @ 8:24 am
“No matter how much the Yes movement explains to people that they will be better off in an independent Scotland, there is a powerful propaganda machine to tell them they will be poorer.”
The barrier to changing ‘mindsets’ is arguably more than that. Colonialism inflicts on ‘a people’ a psychological condition – which is in addition to, and allows for, their economic plunder and external political control. Colonialism is also racism and at root fascism (Aime Cesaire). McDiarmid was talking of this lang syne – bourgeois (Anglo-Scots) elites ignored him, much as we see today, reflecting the fact that colonialism is always ‘a cooperative venture’ with native elites (Frantz Fanon).
Appropriated Racial Oppression is a key feature of the condition – we know it colloquially as the Scottish Cultural Cringe, some even laugh about it. The only cure for this condition is liberation and ‘self recovery’ of a people through independence (Albert Memmi). Which is why Frantz Fanon described independence/decolonisation as primarily “a fight for a national culture”, in which indigenous language remains pivotal.
What this implies is that a colony could very well be the wealthiest independent nation imaginable yet the native inflicted with a ‘colonial mindset’ and suffering significant levels of Appropriated Racial Oppression may still refuse his own liberation.
Irvine Welsh’s (search for)’Trainspotting Scottish Rant’ scene is informative in this regard, as is any more scientific analyses, of which there are gey few specifically on the Scottish colonial dimension due to the nature of the quite different dominant culture/values of most academics and elites enjoying ‘an easier life’ in ‘Scottish’ universities, e.g.:
https://cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/wp.towson.edu/dist/b/55/files/2022/05/The-Socio-Political-Determinants-of-Scottish-Independence.pdf
Looks like the Cost of living in the Union Crisis, has pushed up support for Scottish independence, Sturgeon the betrayer of Scots won’t like that at all.
https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenational.scot%2Fnews%2F20660805.scottish-independence-support-go-rishi-sunak-liz-truss-poll-finds%2F
Meanwhile the Cost of Living in the Union Crisis, sees wages fall faster than anytime since records began.
Scots can’t afford to be in this onesided union. Not that the betrayer gives a toss about them.
https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenational.scot%2Fnews%2F20661040.uk-wages-fall-record-rate-fuel-food-prices-soar%2F
Interesting polls, RoS.
I assume support for Independence would go up even higher if Sturgeon stepped down and the SNP elected a pro-independence leader.
Ruby says:
16 August, 2022 at 9:08 am
Dan says:
16 August, 2022 at 8:56 am
I’m sure code of conduct enforcers from AIM will have their sights focused on dealing with this…..
I know it’s too early for retrospectives, but I think the day will come when we will be grateful that these charlatans and carpet baggers are revealed to us. I’m going to include Blah Blah Blackford’s support for Freeports and Charter Cities and all the associated deregulation. More Brexit than Brexit, more Tory than the Tories. Who saw that one coming?
I know it really isn’t helpful when assembling our forces for another Independence Campaign, but at least we have a clearer understanding why NOTHING has been done to capitalise on opportunity after opportunity these past eight years.
I would rather the treachery and duplicity, (not to mention idiocy), was visible to us now, before we are gearing up our Nation for global interaction. It’s one thing to hamper a campaign through greed and self interest, but quite another sabotage a Nation existentially just when it’s trying to reassert it’s identity.
It’s very depressing to see just how many charlatans there are exploiting Scottish Independence as a flag of convenience. What a disgusting bunch of bottom feeders.
If that ratio is mirrored in the population, we may have a problem. But I just don’t think it is. I found myself talking to a random Indy Supporter a couple of weeks back. The liked Sturgeon because they reckoned she was good for Indy. This wasn’t a Rip Van Winkle who’d been asleep 20 years, just a working fella who didn’t do politics.
Where do you categorise such people? Fair weather Indy supporters who’ll turn up to vote YES on the day? Or dangerously ill informed loose cannons who’ll dig in to defend the false prophets?
Sturgeon’s creeps are all running on empty I feel, and I also feel there’s a reckoning coming. I naturally don’t trust the words in the Torygraph or the Mail, but the pictures didn’t lie, and Sturgeon’s Festival gig looked about 40% empty. It wasn’t a warm up pic either, because Sturgeon and Dale were clearly on stage.
The big question is how damaging that reckoning will be to the Independence cause. With luck and a following breeze however, between ALBA and SALVO, we won’t be derailed by the SNP’s inevitable implosion. Sound doesn’t carry in a vacuum.
RoS, Hatuey
All this “Tories Baaaad” rhetoric carries the implicit assumption that if a good Tory leader came along or if Labour took power then all the newly minted Yes voters could breathe a collective sigh of relief and return to the comfort zone of the Beloved Union and embrace being British once more. Not once do we read that maybe the cause of all our problems is the Union and not the colour of the politicians. It’s clearly a deliberate tactic by the SNP and the likes of The National. Why?
@ Breastplate says:16 August, 2022 at 8:24 am
“Logic and comparison dictate that Scotland will be better off with self determination but unfortunately for most of the population, they don’t do logic”
Careful Breastplate.
That’s the “too stupid” argument hiding in plain sight.
Luckily it’s not true. The number of Scots who are too stupid to embrace a clear, time-lined, facts-based, plausible, understandable, solidly persuasive explanation of how their personal prosperity will be better after Indy is too small to be significant.
Still, the polls are shifting and the “just have faith” brigade will no doubt be lining up to take the credit.
Incidentally, I am sure it’s an article of faith on here that people want Scotland to be better off. But how far does that resonate with Scottish voters? My guess is that Scots want to be better off.
Trying to sell Indy on the amorphous claim that Scotland will be better off is asking Scots to accept, unevidenced, that by the magic of trickle down, they will end up better off also.
Maybes Scots are not so stupid that they can’t see through that hogwash.
@Hatuey 10.07 am
Interesting polls, RoS.
I assume support for Independence would go up even higher if Sturgeon stepped down and the SNP elected a pro-independence leader.
You may be right that Sturgeon’s political defenestration would lead to an increase in support for independence. However….isn’t the concomitant of the deteriorating economic position, and the prospect of an independent Scotland doing better than the UK, a demonstration that the undecided Scots we have to convince are more likely to be swayed by demonstrating they’ll be better off?
Banging on about us being a colony, or being cheated out of indy by a biased MSM, or by furriners that shouldn’t be allowed to vote might make a minority feel better but how many people is it actually convincing to switch sides?
“I’m not dumbing it down for the hard of thinking, nor am I interested in trying to engage with those not arguing in good faith, or who ignore what I write and either misrepresent it, or just ignore it and answer their own point instead.
It is self evident that the movement as a whole does not currently support the “Scotland as colony” schtick…”
Okay, Ellis, in good faith, are you arguing that there’s simply no grounds for arguing that Scotland is in a colonial relationship?
If so, we have a big bunch of things to say about that, starting with the origins of the Union, right through the ethnic cleansing of the Culloden era, and into the present where we are being denied democracy.
Or, maybe you are only concerned with what people think of the idea that we are in a colonial relationship? As you point out, there’s no real evidence in polls, etc.
We are happy to discuss that too. It’s a story about the suppression of ideas and the methods by which inconvenient truths are kept out of the public mind.
Go down this road and you will need to explain the impact things like schools have in terms of bludgeoning pro-British/imperialist values into the minds of children, the role of British culture, reinforced through things like TV, and of course the role politicians and the MSM play in making sure certain things don’t get attention (i.e. The McCrone Report).
Since there’s much that could be said on both sides of the debate with respect of the above, I am not sure you are approaching this in “good faith” when you refer to those you might engage with as “snake oil sales people”.
Unionist must love to see you traduce fellow independence supporters the way you do…
Stuart MacKay says:
16 August, 2022 at 10:29 am
RoS, Hatuey
All this “Tories Baaaad” rhetoric carries the implicit assumption that if a good Tory leader came along or if Labour took power then all the newly minted Yes voters could breathe a collective sigh of relief…
On the principle a broken clock is right twice a day, I noted Liz Truss was threatening to bring in legislation to hold MSP’s to account. Of course, I immediately thought Truss must have been shocked by the Fabiani “Inquiry” and Sturgeon’s evasion and redacted evidence. She wasn’t of course.
I think Truss is an over promoted narcissist in the same mould as Sturgeon herself, and has no radar mechanism whatsoever that is capable of spotting an open goal.
Christopher Pike said at 15 August 2022 at 6.42 pm;
“Scotland and England have not existed as separate, sovereign states for 315 years. As far as the international community is concerned, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the sovereign state. Legally, Scotland and England are not separate states – there is no ‘foreign’ country denying the Scottish people their democratic rights.”
The ‘foreign country denying the Scottish people their democratic rights’ is the country of England, doing so via their representation in the joint parliament of the two countries, exercising their Parliament’s English ‘unlimited sovereignty’ by a simple majority voting system that completely ignores the guaranteed sovereignty of Scotland every time they overturn a majority vote of the Scottish representation on any matter involving Scotland or its people.
Your basic mistake is confusing ‘states’ with ‘countries’. These are not the same entities, neither Scotland nor England are states, but both are still countries, each with their own legal systems, constitutions, differing types of sovereignty, and even their own crowns and state religion. The UK’s population is not a single undifferentiated population, as Scotland’s people own the sovereignty of Scotland under its constitution, while England’s people have no sovereignty at all under theirs. For exactly the same reason, Westminster’s MPs are not a single undifferentiated body of UK MPs, as only Scotland’s MPs can speak for the sovereign people of Scotland, and only Scotland’s MPs may embody that sovereignty in Parliament.
Legally, the UK has two constitutions, the English one nominally owned by the English parliament which ceased to exist, and the Scottish one owned by its people who certainly did not cease to exist. The continuing force of the Scottish one is guaranteed under the Treaty, and Westminster hasn’t the authority to set that guarantee or the Scottish constitution aside for any reason, and any attempt to modify or abolish it is illegal under Scots law. (The correct word isn’t ‘illegal’ it is ‘tr—-n’, a word which I think gets a post removed here, or worse.)
Westminster’s assertion of ‘unlimited sovereignty’ is by no means as well-founded as it pretends given that it belonged to the now dead English parliament which at no point bequeathed its sovereignty to the brand new Parliament of Great Britain, and it certainly doesn’t cover Scotland given the Treaty guarantee. The only sovereignty that Westminster may employ over Scotland is Scotland’s own sovereignty, currently devolved or loaned to Westminster in the form of our Scots MPs who alone can speak for Scotland in that place. And even that sovereignty is subsidiary to the real thing still owned by us Scots.
It is democratic, legal, and constitutional nonsense to pretend that any or all of England’s MPs should have any authority at all over Scotland, if Scotland’s own MPs vote against them.
Scotland’s MPs are not just a group of UK MPs with funny accents, they are Scotland’s ambassadors representing the interests of the Scottish partner in the joint governance of both countries, and neither body of MPs representing the two partners has any legitimate authority over the other. That representation was required to mean something for both groups, but Westminster’s bad faith has a very long history, one that predates the Union, and every abuse of Scotland has its roots in that bad faith.
Ellis, you are confused and you seem to assume the people are dumb. They aren’t.
Explaining that Scotland is in a relationship that restricts its ability to develop, prosper, and evolve (i.e. colonial), isn’t at odds with the argument for independence, it is the argument for independence.
What possible harm could it do to describe Scotland’s lack of control over its economy in those terms? It’s in the area of economics that we are most colonised.
Take a close look at the way taxation is controlled, borrowing, eceonomic development and investment, the money supply, resources, fishing, interest rates, trade and our trading relations with say Europe, and just about every other potential lever on the economy.
In essence our whole economy is controlled by London. If I was to put a figure on it, it would be around 98%.
Everybody but everybody knows that the essential purpose of colonialism is economic — unless you buy that “white man’s burden” pish which, even if you did, has no place here — well, there it is right in front of you… your whole economy is being controlled by London.
I don’t think it is in the least bit controversial to describe all of that as colonial. And I think if you explain it in those terms, people will understand it and find it compelling.
What I suspect is really going on is that you are frightened of upsetting “the man” too much and you want some cuddly, softly-softly, “we can still be friends” approach to independence.
As I said, you can’t make an egg without breaking omlettes.
I`ve always been unhappy with the term independence as we are not a colony or a province like Quebec for example. Scotland is an ancient country and despite the outrage of its people joined the country of England to form ” a United Kingdom “, two independent countries coming together not “dependencies”.
So i prefer the term that we wish to “revert” back to our original status. Does anyone seriously think that if England wished to “revert” that it would seek a s30 or go through a court process or take any notice if Scotland refused to agree to a referendum. Of course they wouldn`t, they would just leave, such is the nature of that particular animal.
To every force there’s an equal and opposite reaction. So they say, but not quite.
There are more straight people than LBGTQI people. That said most people do not concern themselves with other folks sexuality. Who cares if one is straight or bent. What folks do in private is their business.
However when society is turned upside down, where a minority seek to impose their ways on everybody else, where free expression is restricted, then there is a backlash. And that backlash, that resistance is coming.
These odious fascist gender warriors have pushed things, have imposed things and now ordinary people are fighting back.And the losers, that will most certainly be the decent ordinary homosexual folks who will be caught up and tarred along with the Trans zealots, biology deniers. Tolerance only lasts so long.
And in a gender war, I know who will win. No one. But rest assured, a minority, will not impose their lifestyle, their values on others.
Does that ” Support will rise if Tweedledum or Tweedledumber becomes PM ” wishful thinking not have a familiar ring to it ?
Remember how Johnson as PM was supposedly going to do the same thing ? It didn’t make the slightest difference .
What will ( surely ? ) make a difference , irrespective of which puppet/muppet is chosen as Prime Monkey , is the in-yr-face reality of a drastic downturn in people’s standard of living .
IF , as has been said previously , it can be turned against Scotland’s continuing subjugated position within Union : and not just as another opportunistic ” Tory Bad – Vote SNP gies another mandate ” piece of sleight-of-hand at the next UKGE
@Hatuey 10.35 am
Okay, Ellis, in good faith, are you arguing that there’s simply no grounds for arguing that Scotland is in a colonial relationship?
No I’m not arguing that. You and others are free to make any argument you want. You can argue the relationship is a colonial one indistinguishable from any others, or you can argue the relationship has elements of colonialism and exploitation, or that it isn’t really the same category at all. You can even argue that it’s a pretty monstrous comparison to make and belittles the experience of “real” colonies, particularly in Africa and Asia. Perhaps you might even compare Scotland and Ireland’s experiences and history, and ask Irish people what they thought of the equivalence.
Of course, having such personal subjective discussions is one thing. Valuable and enlightening as they might be they’re just limited interactions amongst small numbers of people. To demonstrate convincingly before international public opinion that the proposition “Scotland’s position vis-a-vis the UK is colonial just like any other imperial possession” requires something more however. I’ve personally never met an Irish person yet that accepts the argument Scotland is or was a colony in the same sense as Ireland: they’re either incredulous or actual insulted at the comparison.
What we’re talking about – and I believe you and others are studiously ignoring – is demonstrating evidence, intellectual and academic back up and popular support for the concept. That’s hardly exceptional, nor should it be a big ask of those who are putting forward the argument. Nobody is stopping you making the case, or shutting you down. They’re questioning whether the things on your list, or Alf’s or anyone else’s amount to evidence supporting the case, or if they apply at all or can be seen as demonstrating colonial status, or something else short of colonial status or not colonial at all, even if they are exploitative.
Some time ago, when this issue began to gain traction amongst some in the movement I made the comparison with the words of Frederick Douglass who took issue with those making what he saw as a false equivalence between chattel slavery in the American South or in Latin America, and the conditions of the poor in Europe. I’ve seen nothing since to convince me that the proponents of the “Scotland as colony” narrative aren’t guilty of the same kind of category error as those Douglass upbraided a century and a half ago.
Perhaps you and others find if the colonisation narrative are offended at it being called a snake oil pitch. Tough! It’s no different to you and your mates in here routinely othering those that disagree with them as doing the unionists work for them, or straight out calling us yoons, or 77th Brigade or Sturgeonite stooges or whatever else they think fits. It’s the same kind of othering tactics we saw yoons deploying in the past, and hardly supports those doing it arguing in good faith.
I might think quite a few in here are moonhowlers or nasty pieces of work, but unlike them I don’t conclude and then broadcast that they must as a result be working for the opposition.
For me the rainbow flag always bring to mind a new definition of Bungling.
@Hatuey 10.54am
I don’t think it is in the least bit controversial to describe all of that as colonial. And I think if you explain it in those terms, people will understand it and find it compelling.
You’re quite free to think and argue it isn’t controversial. Others are free to argue it’s hyperbolic posturing that is an insult to the experience of real colonies. That “if statement” is doing a lot of heavy lifting there huh? If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.
I don’t see how me asserting that the majority don’t accept the “Scotland as colony” schtick is different to you asserting that if only you and your mates could explain your workings out, everyone would accept the collected works of Alf and the gospels of the post colonial theory.
” It is dangerous to be right in matters where the estblished authorities are wrong” Voltaire.
You are finding that out to your cost Stu.
Great article. Even has a reference to Scotland.
As often the case with Unherd, the comments are just about as illuminating as the article itself [hint for some posters here]
https://unherd.com/2022/08/britains-elites-have-lost-control/?tl_inbound=1&tl_groups%5B0%5D=18743&tl_period_type=3&mc_cid=4d207a4df9&mc_eid=f46ebc9cad
Robert Hughes says:
16 August, 2022 at 11:04 am
What will ( surely ? ) make a difference , irrespective of which puppet/muppet is chosen as Prime Monkey , is the in-yr-face reality of a drastic downturn in people’s standard of living .
IF , as has been said previously , it can be turned against Scotland’s continuing subjugated position within Union : and not just as another opportunistic ” Tory Bad – Vote SNP gies another mandate ” piece of sleight-of-hand at the next UKGE
The increasingly annoying problem is that no matter what opportunity drops into Sturgeon’s lap, she has proven spectacularly unable to capitalise on the opportunity it presents.
I mean, when you have something as catastrophically epic as Brexit forced upon you, sweeping aside the emphatic will of the people and brazenly overruling Scotland’s Constitutional sovereignty, and you have 27 neighbouring nations willing your Nation to go for it, but yet you still can’t even scratch the paintwork on the Brexit bus, it rather begs the question how apocalyptically bad do things need to be before you see some opportunity presenting itself?
When you cannot turn Brexit to your advantage, what difference is a new Tory gobshite going to make? The Tories could elect Worzal Gummidge to the top job and still run rings around Sturgeon.
The problem of defective and dysfunctional leadership is bad enough, but Sturgeon the Useless “still” retains the privilege of office and first refusal options over any and all emerging initiatives. All that work by SSRG and SALVO and Sturgeon does her best to wreck it with her “50% vote share” brainwave. She’s a liability in everything she touches.
By the time we see the back of her, all we’ll be able to do is mourn the litany of squandered opportunities and years of open goals which Sturgeon and her wrecking crew fucked up for all of us.
Well that’s not all we can do. When we see the back of Sturgeon we can have a bigger party and public celebration than when we saw the back of Thatcher.
Ellis is deranged too.
Whether Scotland is/is not a “colony” depends on who writes the definition and how narrow you want it to be – maybe to some people “real-colonisation” only depends on melanin levels? Bit racist! The dictionary seems quite clear though, and that’s good enough for me.
– one attractive spinoff of the “constitutional lawfare” proposed which focusses on the rights we already have under the treaty, the nature of our own sovereignty, breaches of treaty etc, is that it shines a light on many murky constitutional matters;
– if we are a colony, then we go UN deolonisation
– if not a colony, then we are “equal partners” in a union and our elected representatives can simply dissolve the treaty
either way, you win, or at least have a positive course of action to pursue. Our enemies do not want these matters looked into, which is why you should be doing it. It is the ambiguity of the situation which fails us – our unwritten constitution allows the powerful to make it up as they go along, as it suits and citing false precedents or denying valid ones. This way the situation becomes plain.
My own view – the union was an “abduction-r4pe” cleverly written-up to look like a “marriage” (- the “history” systematically falsified by highly professional, credentialed, cheerleaders for empire). The criminal violence and fraud of the origin has been “normalised” over time …
“BUT YOU CAME TOO, BABY!”
but the Scots have been having “flashbacks” for a while now.
If you polled most English people THEY would say Scotland IS a colony – “a conquered nation(?) they defeated and their possession”. Those with a little education know how crass this is (to say it, thinking it is fine), but that is middle england, the tory voter.
– this level of disrespect alone should be enough to convert to independence anyone with the merest sense of pride.
Andy Ellis @ 11:41 am
“post colonial theory”
Its there, so you might wish to read it at some point. It might be enlightening for you.
As others have noted, colonialism primarily involves plundering the native’s resources, which is the theft aspect (Fanon; Memmi; Said etc).
However, colonialism primarily depends on debasing the colonized, his culture, language and his very abilities (Memmi), which is the racist aspect (Cesaire; Fanon; Said etc).
It is not therefore so surprising that it is mainly working class Scots speakers who best understand colonial oppression, as it is they who have to face it and its consequences every day, including the ‘internalized racism’ aspects.
Conversely, the mainly bourgeois Anglo-Scots are a co-opted part of colonialism and mainly anti-independence; indeed, postcolonial theory terms this group ‘the watchdogs of colonialism’, its protectors in other words.
This is why ‘a people’ seek independence, which is always based on the solidarity of an oppressed ‘ethnic’ group, and which the UN defines as ‘decolonization’ and necessary to bring an end to ‘the scourge of colonialism’.
ROBERT HUGHES.
«Scotland wadna thole Brexit»
Iuppiter tonans! It has.
Scotland’s case may make sense perceived via Chaos Theory.
https://fadeyev.net/political-systems-through-the-lens-of-chaos-theory/
John Main says:
16 August, 2022 at 12:42 pm
Great article. Even has a reference to Scotland.
As often the case with Unherd, the comments are just about as illuminating as the article itself…
Meh. It’s not illuminating for anybody who lived through the Thatcher years, where the insatiable greed of the few destroyed lives and traditions spanning multiple generations. Those were the arseholes who gave politics a bad name and detestation by the public, which probably accounts for why there are so very few modern politicians blessed with substance and integrity, while spivs and tosspots only face competition for advancement from lesser spivs and tosspots. Or should that be greater ones?
After Thatcher, most “decent” people bar a few exceptions didn’t want anything to do with politics, and the greedy wee shits who did get into politics were ripe plumbs for the Lobbyists and shady dark-money types who got the corrupt wee shits hooked on steroids.
And as for ” “Rather than opening up areas of policy to democratic scrutiny, the Brexit vote seems to have pushed the government in the opposite direction, a determination to avoid democratic scrutiny as much as possible,” notes academic Tara McCormack.” – when the hell was Brexit EVER about opening up democratic scrutiny? Must have missed that bit. Lol
People were corralled into voting for Brexit with having a clue what it meant. Brexit was typified by endless gaslighting unfettered by ANY scrutiny.
Pushed the government in the opposite direction has it? Ok I’m confused now, are we now pointing away from more scrutiny or towards it?
Sorry to report your article is just waffle occasionally dipping it’s toe into gaslighting Mr Main.
C-. Must try harder.
Regarding Scotland and its current status, there are few, native and certainly foreign, who would not see the country’s relationship with England as other than a form of dependency arising from political annexation and cultural «osmosis».
The conquest of Scotland, Wales and Ireland is thematic in English history.
The processes of colonization begin with conquest.
“People were corralled into voting for Brexit with having a clue what it meant”
Hmmmm. In what way is that different from “vote for Indy, but don’t ask questions, just have faith”?
Breeks says:
16 August, 2022 at 1:50 pm
Meh. It’s not illuminating for anybody who lived through the Thatcher years, where the insatiable greed of the few destroyed lives and traditions spanning multiple generations.
—
Heriot-Watt Student Union, Fresher’s week, 1987:
‘the hole in your culture’, in two acts.
‘Loadsamoney, et al’ (Harry Enfield) went down like a lead balloon; Bing Hitler (Craig Ferguson) came on and wiped the floor with him.
The most compelling evidence of colonialism is staring us all in the face. Look at the poverty black spots, the growing prison population, the drug problems, the violence, the number of people thrown on the scrap-heaps, I could go on and on and on.
But we aren’t allowed to join those dots — apparently it’ll offend someone if we call it colonial, someone in London, or someone in the “real” colonies.
Fuck all that. I’m sick of tiptoeing.
Poverty is the shadow cast on Scottish society by the Union. In a country with the resources we have, that’s a fucking shameful situation and it’s going to get a lot worse.
Call it what the fuck you want.
Ottomanboi @ 1.38
Thanks for the link to that excellent article . This really leapt out ; it was what I was trying to communicate in my exchange with Hatuey . This does is much better than I managed ……
” Another thing to consider: if political systems keep changing, what remains constant? The answer is the indivisible unit from which they are composed: the citizen. Political work, if it is to have a lasting impact, must focus on that constant, must focus on developing, strengthening, and enlightening human minds and souls. Science, philosophy, literature, art—the tools for the expansion of one’s mind and the enlargement of one’s soul, and, furthermore, the tools for the projection of human soul through time—i.e. for the creation of a culture that will nourish those born into it with its ideas and its art, replicating itself in their minds and in turn letting them extend it forward into the future. “
“Of course it was good of you to take the lead and show an example by never abusing or blocking anyone you disagreed with.
Oh, wait…”
For the 50,000th time for the terminally fucking stupid: being blocked only means ONE person chose to stop listening to you. It is nowhere within a million fucking miles of EVERYONE being denied the opportunity to listen to you, you thick wanker.
Dan says:
16 August, 2022 at 9:34 am
Potential for a Ruby and Andy date in central Edinburgh next month to celebrate their close alignment of views on genderwoowoo issues.
https://twitter.com/ForWomenScot/status/1559238497919070208
If you are looking to set yourself up as a matchmaker my advice is
‘Don’t give up the day job!’
According to my ouija board that gentleman already has a date. Ouija board spelled out ‘Scot travelling far for rendez-vous with date. Be alert take Rottie. Rainbow flag spells danger” Much trouble at Holyrood.”
Actions speak louder than words.
I have ordered my copy of Satanic Verses and I will make a point of attending the next Jerry Sadowitz show.
You can always beat the mad ones.
I read it and thought who the hell said that.
It was
Jimmy Chipmunk-14 August, 2022 at 2:02 pm
He’s new!
Dear Sir
I have a question re periods.
Do tampons & sanitary pads have a best before date?
Just askin’ cos I saw two massive clear poly bin bags jam packed full of new tampons & sanitary pads out on the pavement waiting to be collected by the bin men.
Quite a mystery why they were being chucked out.
Would they be safe to burn when it gets v. cold in october?
https://tinyurl.com/ypp7h3sk
Interesting.
If you don’t fancy listening to it all
FF 13.18. to hear about Douglas Mackey
his crime just too popular on Twitter – a threat to democracy.
OMG it looks as if I have not just stopped the flow of debate with my gobbledygook I have stopped the debate stone dead!
Ach who cares all the talk about colonialism was b o r i n g especially because of the many repeats.
Who wants to read the SSDD?
The things that are happening to Douglas Mackey v. interesting.
PS Scotland is a colony end of.
I see what’s happened.
There’s a new thread opened.
Ruby re Festival & Twitter..
What can we do?’
Boycott both.
The fringe is about as Scottish as BoJo. Imported
Overpriced English shite that should go back South.
Twitter – over zealous imported American censorship.
Vote with yer feet. It’s the best cure.
Wings – regards your suspension – all the more reason to keep your site active & for you to get back in the saddle full time. I bet those tossers hang on your every word here. Those types don’t like being ignored. Once they’ve bannished everyone that site will go the exact same way as the forums before then.
Folk who have had pets in their life will be all too familiar with the indications that their much loved and cared for companion is reaching the point where euthanasia is required – well, it’s a bit like Scotland’s relationship with the SNP. We’ve loved and cared for it through it’s many manifestations (did I just say ‘man’ – fuck, that’s me done for) over the years and we’ve learned to forgive it plenty, but now it’s lost its marbles and is shitting all over the carpet – it’s time to bring the SNP to the vet and go out and get a vibrant and enthusiastic Party to replace it with, okay it’ll need house-trained, one that isn’t festooned with pronouns or hellbent on chix with dix having entitlement to whatever the hell they please… You know, normal. Let’s make ‘normal’ the new normal. In the meantime I hope that Adamson gets the free medical help that he couldn’t avail of in England.
So Craig Murray has a ruSSian mail server.
It would be interesting what else he thinks that pox ridden nation has to offer.
Free speech it seems.