The most popular policy in the world
Just before we (thankfully) stop talking about this insanity entirely, one last thing.
This month, just for fun and a bit of a change, we’ve commissioned a Panelbase poll NOT of voters in Scotland, but our neighbours to the south. English folk are always complaining that in a world of UK devolution nobody speaks for them and them alone – Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own Parliaments, but not England.
So we polled 1020 English people (and we do mean English – we restricted responses to people who were both resident in England and were born there) about all kinds of things. Many were related to England’s relationship with Scotland and the rest of the UK, but while we were there we figured we might as well ask some other stuff too.
And as the UK parliament hotly debates Leveson 2 and press freedom in general, it seemed a pertinent time to re-ask a question which in polling invariably unites people of every colour, creed, class and persuasion across the entire UK, and which might be the only political policy anywhere in the UK which comes even close to matching the mass popularity of Scotland’s now-repealed Offensive Behaviour (Football) Act.
It’s this one:
English people love the Queen, but not as much as they love this idea. Men, women, young, old, rich, poor, Tory, Labour, homeowner, tenant, worker, student, it makes no difference. Overwhelming majorities of every single demographic support putting an end to the ridiculous situation that newspapers can get away with blaring an untrue story all over the front page (and pages 2, 3, 4 and 5) in gigantic screaming type, and then print the correction in a microscopic corner of page 23 two months later.
It’s just about the only thing that totally unites Remain and Leave voters – our poll found identical responses (79% for, 5% against) among those who want Brexit and those who want to stay in the EU.
It’s simple, practical and costs nothing. We can’t for the life of us work out why nobody is prepared to offer it to the nation. If any party wants to actually win the next election, we’d suggest sticking it on the front of the manifesto and preparing for a landslide.
As soon as David “I’m right, you’re wrong!” Leask is finished rewriting history, he’ll be all over it, right?
Absolutely.
As for the meeja themselves? They want to earn trust back? That’d be a start.
Perhaps there were 12 journalists, editors, or press owners in the 1020!
Because, who else could possibly strongly disagree with this very sensible and just proposal?
Question seventeen.
Aye… aye strongly agree.
They should.
Ahn ahm frae Glasgow like.
Burping.
Unfortunately successive UK government ministers and the British establishment have shown consistently that they are more afraid of the press than they are of the electorate.
…of course Leask would support this. After all he is never wrong so there would never be any need for a correction.
Obviously a correction should be given the same visibility and prominence as the slur. The only problem for the Scottish media would be the lack of space for the next piece of propaganda after one edition filled with corrections!
Was it not Monica Lennon who first proposed this? Where is Monica BTW?
But if newspapers started producing apologies like this for every slur, inaccuracy and item of anti-Scots and anti-Welsh sentiment it churned out, there would hardly be anything else in the paper to read.
Other than fitba (if the paper was aimed at a Scottish readership) and rugby union (if aimed at a Welsh readership), I guess. (Nice photos, though.)
We all ken fine what would happen if the papers had to do this.
They’d have to start doing ‘real’ journalism. That stuff when questions are asked and answers are pushed for, when each journo disnae become the story!
Truth would break out all over the shop…
Nah, me neither.
Yes, I totally support this policy.
And if they had any inegrity at all, so would the media.
The sales of toilet paper would quadruple throughout the media industry if that idea ever became law.
Inclinations are excellent.
Did it again on the 17.
II / V / MMXVIII.
Look up, look in.
Always do.
Dang, cowboy correction…
II / VI / MMXVIII.
Print yer errs.
Aye.
Because every politician is scared shitless of the papers.
“Nice badge, aye say”
To err is human, to admit it takes an already free’d soul.
Gonna take a gap, wait achwhile…
“Awwwwwe”, said Brian.
Ahm a Family Guy.
This morning Radio 4 news reported on the lack of consent from Edinburgh.
They quoted The National and felt they should say that the paper supported self governing Scotland. Then the went on to quote from the Scotsman but didn’t seem to feel any need to mention that it was a British Nationalist publication.
@Cactus
Wake up easy, stars in my eyes
Try not telling too many lies
…
This Family?
Print corrections ? The newspaper would be as thick as the Oxford dictionary–and all for 20.
Love how these champions of morality and truth practice neither.
Keepin’ it cool since 2013.
Keepin’ us cool.
Scotland.
WOS.
TX.
Like it jfngw…
My achwhile is indefinite.
Can you FEEL the confidence in Scotland?
Stuey knows.
Good song with ra guitar ra now Radio Shortbread.
Fair play.
Good tune.
Amusing.
The English haven’t had anything like the same basic education Scots have had in the sheer trustworthiness of the print (especially the print) media but they still don’t trust them, or their snide method of printing apologies an inch high buried on page ‘you never read that far’ when the main bullshit was in inch high letters splashed across the front page.
Amazing how that works.
Imagine if they’d been through an independence campaign if they’re pissed off with them now.
Ohh interesting, so people do like a kind of democracy, and honest reporting in old blighty. Problem is they still buy the daily rags and continue to pay the UKGov’s BBCTv tax, though we know that one is almost impossible to not pay due to pain of being put into the gulags forever and ever if you don’t pay up!
Look forward to joining a mass demo and signing a huge petition to bring this to legislation lol!
All’s fair in love and war, and all’s fair when the media is at war with the people, it’s been going on for centuries.
Labour and Tory supporting newspapers dominate. Mostly Tory of course. Their voters read different papers and they want to spread their “alternative facts” to those voters without interference. They certainly don’t want their voters knowing they’ve been lied to
Thus like proportional representation it does not serve those politicians so they will generally not support the change. Even if their back-benchers see it differently.
O/T Remember how Labour sabotaged Scottish Six.
It has emerged that senior Scottish figures in the Labour party had fought against the plan for a Scottish Six. One of those was Blair McDougall, a Labour party special adviser who would later go on to become campaign director of the anti-independence group Better Together.
In November 2007 McDougall sent an internal memo to the then Secretary of State for Scotland Des Browne warning against allowing BBC Scotland to create an evening news programme that would have presented events home and abroad from a Scottish perspective.
Labour party opposition to the ‘Scottish Six’ had been confirmed by former BBC Director General John Birt who admitted in his own memoirs that he “worked hand in glove” with Tony Blair in 1998 to stop the creation of a Scottish Six main evening news bulletin.
Birt revealed he had made a direct approach to the Labour Prime Minister, Tony Blair, to keep the powerful cohort of Scottish Labour MPs on side. A Scottish Six would “encourage separatist tendencies”, Birt argued. Blair agreed, and asked Peter Mandelson to marshal Labour’s forces; later James Purnell, then an adviser at No 10, and now the BBC’s director of strategy and digital, took on the task.
In ‘The Harder Path’, Mr Birt’s memoirs, he claimed that Blair agreed to ‘fight’ against a ‘Scottish Six’ for political reasons – even though the proposal carried broad support in terms of improving the BBC’s output in Scotland, including the support of the Broadcasting Council for Scotland.”
(‘LONDON CALLING: How the BBC stole the Referendum’, by GA Ponsonby, pp 6,7)
Imagine the feeling upon Yes and the sounds of Scotland previous non voters, be part of the good…
All errs should be printed in FULL aye.
Scotland’s most popular policy should be independence.
Ah tried to wait achwhile…
Buttah couldnae.
All yours.
Thing is, re the SC case, under usual process the new uk bill would override the (currently competent) scotgov bill and alter the powers of Holyrood – making counter measures incompetent – so there is no need for a court case, in that context.
This is not about process.
Some other plot is afoot.
But whatever, just by raising this matter the uk fails to respect or protect Scottish identity. The union has failed as a guarantor of Scottish identity.
Taking back control was supposed to be about Brussels not Edinburgh.
Oh bbc Alba – Gothenburg 83 !
Magic.
BBC Alba- Gothenburg 83
Just caught a bit of “Police Under Pressure” on BBC. It reports that budgets for the police in England and Wales have been hugely slashed since 2010 and there are almost 20,000 fewer officers on the beat – with Scotland with about 1,000 extra officers and recorded crime at a 43 year low but all we get from the Scottish media is Scottish police in meltdown.
What is happening is that the distortions on BBC Scotland are being exposed by the BBC in England. More and more Scots now know they are being lied to and once you insult or abuse someone by lying to him or her you lose that person forever.
We are now approaching the stage where even if they tell the truth they won’t be believed.
Ahm only ‘fuck’ when ahm not angry like…
Green bin bags.
Outwith that, ahm passionate.
Just like you.
Scotland.
I have always despised the press for printing apologies in font size 4 on page 46 in a corner under personal ads for horse manure.
Just looking at some Herald headlines from the main page, and rewriting them neutrally.
“SNP government criticised in M&S ‘Union Jackery’ row”
= “Tories criticise SNP Government over M&S ‘Union Jackery'”.
—
“Holyrood defiant over fight to retain devolved powers”
article headline itself “SNP leadership to directly challenge Theresa May over Brexit ‘power grab'”
= “SNP Westminster Leader to directly challenge Theresa May over Brexit ‘power grab'”
—
from the other side:
“Theresa May told to ‘respect the will of the Scottish Parliament’ over Brexit”
= “Blackford tells Theresa May to ‘respect the will of the Scottish Parliament’ over Brexit”
—
“Edinburgh to London train service to come under state ownership”
= “Edinburgh to London train service to come under UK state ownership”
—
“May to publish Brexit White Paper on Britain’s future relationship with EU”
= “May to publish Brexit White Paper on UK‘s future relationship with EU”
—
“MSPs accused of ‘fundamentally misunderstanding’ key Brexit legislation”
= “Mundell accuses MSPs of ‘fundamentally misunderstanding’ key Brexit legislation”
—
“Scottish Government urged to ‘think again’ over Eu Withdrawal Bill”
= “Lidington urges Scottish Government to ‘think again’ over EU Withdrawal Bill”
—
That’s if we had honest headlines. Perhaps this sort of thing could be done every day?
If the newspapers had to print corrections the same size and give them the same prominence of the original lie then there would be no room left for news.
There’s not a single UK paper that you could not find a lie in on any day of the week. Liepapers is what they are and nothing to do with news. They’re on the way out and that’s why the bleating has become so loud recently.
17% neither agree nor disagree.
Make yer mind up for fuck sake.
Okay then, agree to disagree.
Normalizing fuck.
Cactus
I’ve made my mind up.
Profanity adds nothing to the human knowledge of mankind nor to the cause of independence
Aye concur Hamish100, when it’s in It’s place.
Profanity has a purpose.
Cheers.
Fuck is just a word.
Interesting findings coming at a time where STV are closing down STV2 to save money to re invest in programming instead of news coverage yet the BBC are about to expand their news coverage with a new channel with 15 times the budget of STV and to follow probably the sale of STV to ITV meaning all news will be English motivated agenda with a kilt on it just for us Jockys
I think rather than hoping for a media to be fair and balanced or let’s face it even truthful isn’t going to happen and more likely than not we’re going to get wall to wall *Better together* with adverts for shortbread in between
Corrections, apologies, oversight, not a chance!
And remember Broadcasting is a *Power* and it’s a *Power* Westminster will never devolve to a Scottish parliament because the *Power* of free speech must be controlled by those who say only they can allow free speech
That’s democracy England style
R U Luvvin it
Capella @ 8.54pm
WHO is Monica Lennon?
@Dr Jim
Yup, yoon fest.
Re; DrJim@12.06
Ah but is it just England style democracy, or is there something even more sinister behind it all, probably. It’s chilling indeed.
You have to laugh or you’d cry, as my old mam used to say! bless her cotton working class nylon socks, always poor even though Labour pretended to be socialists and got their votes all the time. Grrrr.
SO FUCK IT!
Lookin’ out for ye geeo.
Upon independence.
Cheers.
Another “Who?!” – Secretary of State for Scotland, Des Browne.
Seriously, Des Browne… Secretary of State for Scotland… WHO? When?
BBC News reminds us it’s an anniversary of the Dambusters.
Thanks, Beeb.
Next?
@ Greannach
If that is a serious question, Des Browne was SoS from 28.06.2007 to 03.10.2008, during which time he was also Secretary of State for Defence (from 05.05.2006) – shows how seriously they took the job – and. alas, my MP.
Needless to say, I never voted for him, though he did send me Christmas cards, first from the Treasury while he was Chief Secretary, and then from the MoD.
He’s now in the Lords.
There is the possibility of the new Channel 4 HQ coming to Glasgow, there will be new STV productions following channel revamps, and last but not least a new Scotland channel from the BBC. Now would be a good time to devolve broadcasting to Holyrood.
O/T Not sure what this actually means. Not much I’d guess.
Ireland set to back UK customs proposal
link to archive.li
Oh look….what a surprise…
“John Bercow saved as MPs block bullying inquiry into Commons speaker”
link to archive.is
The reason the UK Government and the individual MPs are scared to implement that policy is that the Press have the dirt on all of them ready to wave under their noses if the don’t do the Press’s bidding.
Sort of latent blackmail.
@Bugger (the Panda),
Dirt ??? Agreed. There are many,many instances where there must be skeletons hidden in the closet.
Saville at the BBC, Heat with his yacht n the channel Islands, Leon Brittan, Grenville Janer, Kincora children’s, home, Elm guest house and Dolphin Square to name but a few.
And how exactly did Mayhem manage to “lose” all the paperwork about the Westminster kiddy fiddling ring.
Cameron and “PigGate” – that was just a warning shot IMHO for him to fall into line. Moss ad are the world experts in subterfuge and blackmail, although probably our own MI5 /MI6 and Special Branch are up there with them.
The Press are right wing. Thatcher saw to that when she illegally handed control to Murdoch. She lied about it. Broke the ministerial code. Westminster are supposed to ensure a free and balanced Press, without a free and balanced Press there is no democracy. The Press in the UK Is owned by tax evading non Doms.
Murdoch is now selling up. More recent revelations of employees lying in Court, Milliions of e-mails destroyed. Reports James Murdoch not taking over. The company to be only US based. It is illegal to bribe public officials anywhere in the world under US business Law. The Press are criminals illegally hacking phones, bribing public officials and surveilling people.
The lies they tell is a disgrace. The Tories have just ditched the second stage of Leveson and the recommendation have not been put in place. The Ecpress has been sold/merged. JP has £Millions of debts to reconstruct next year. Ashley Highfield CO has just left. Re organisastion. Going on.
Another Tory at it. The only reason they join the Tory Party is to line their own pockets. Mundell is illegally using public money to get himself re elected. Wasting £Millions at the Scottish Office. The 3rd rate rejects, They even changed the voting system so unionists could gang up against the SNP and keep them out of Office. Thousands of SNP first preference votes thrown in the bin. Aberdeenshire Tories just ditched plans to diversify to a new, cheaper HQ. The HQ cost £Billion. So local landowners can scoff half priced sandwiches. May’s mate can ruin the local Education system.
In Scotland 1/2Million people did not come out and vote. They let the Tories in. Incoherent Tomkins now trying to run the show. Brexit. The Tories could not make a bigger mess. Spending £Millions on a wedding and sanctioning and starving people. Trident costing £Billions. Cutting NHS/Education spending. Westminster are a disgrace.
A Tory wants to spend the same on Defence as the NHS. That’s £110Billion. Defence average of £40Billion. On 80,000 personnel. Most spent on redundant weaponry that never gets delivered. £533Billion raised in UK in tax revenues. Less than the £600Billion raised in 2009. Low growth and stagnation.
Scotland raises £54Billion (without Oil revenues) . Pro rata more (1/12 pop). The rest of the UK borrows and spends more. Hinkley Point and HS2. A total waste of money with better alternatives. Scottish Gov having to mitigate Westminster cuts. Illegal wars financial fraud and tax evasion have cost Scotland £Billions. Tory illegal high taxes have ruined the Oil sector in Scotland. Losing £Billions and thousands of jobs. Brexit is putting up prices and will ruin the Scottish economy.
Links
link to news.gov.scot
link to snp.org
Article from 2007
The Union and the law
link to journalonline.co.uk
link to peterabell.blog
Scotland had to reject the EU withdrawal bill. It was a power grab
link to archive.is
link to scottishlegal.com
We really ought to be able to bin this guy
link to archive.is
Who could it possibly be?
The old drunk gets wheeled out to embarrass himself
link to twitter.com
Long read
link to medialens.org
link to politico.eu
Brexit: not even at the starting gate
link to eureferendum.com
link to thecanary.co
link to zelo-street.blogspot.co.uk
link to rt.com
Emperor Gove’s new clothes
link to markavery.info
link to politico.eu
link to opendemocracy.net
link to pulsetoday.co.uk
Red warnings for UK’s post-Brexit nuclear safeguards
link to archive.is
Outsourcing company Carillion savaged as ‘story of recklessness, hubris and greed’
link to archive.is
link to politics.co.uk
The campaign for justice for the 50s women denied their pensions has come home to the Department of Work and Pensions.
link to byline.com
Two Brexit campaign groups under investigation for potential collusion during the EU referendum used identical datasets to target potential adverts at Facebook users.
link to archive.is
link to middleeasteye.net
OT
I draw a certain amount of cheer from Ian Blackford challenging May at the dispatch box, but it still niggles me the issue is May respecting the will of the Scottish Parliament, – not the Scottish people.
May even countered by saying that the will of the Scottish people was to remain in the UK.
I still cannot shake the idea in my head that the SNP is not a Constitutionally sure-footed as it needs to be. Brexit can only happen in full defiance of the democratic will of the sovereign people of Scotland. At it’s ultimate centre, this is not about Holyrood, but the the subjugation of Scotland’s Sovereign people.
Funny thread to sing along to
link to twitter.com
Trump is a vile man
A New New Low—Trump during California sanctuary cities roundtable: “These aren’t people. These are animals.
link to twitter.com
This must be a generation thing as I do not buy or rarely look at printed press, except to make fun of the silly headlines in the shop and pass on, as I get my newsfix online, on my device for nothing.
The English press has a history of purple journalism, it was its usp in the imperialist days of Rothermere and Beverbrook. That it tells tall tales about things and people it doesn’t like is par for the course.
The conventional press is heading for the museum. No more dirty fingers. Just try creating a big banner headline on a phone!
We need a media revolution in Scotland. Time to send job cutting STV and new channel temporising BBC and the rest of Unionist colonialist junk to that great historic dustbin. Oppression certainly takes many forms in our ‘United Kingdom’.
Hi, I cant go to the Gathering as its to far and timing is not great. However I have bought two tickets from them to be used by anyone who wants to go but is short of funds. How I did this is copied below and how to get hold of them also. If anyone else can afford to do this great.
TICKET DONATIONS
To Donate tickets to ‘The Ticket Bank’, buy from http://nationalyesregistry.scot & fwd ticket receipt to orders@ayemail.scot with a message ‘For The Ticket Bank’ These will then be made available to those who want to attend but cannot cover the ticket costs. Please RT
TICKET BANK WITHDRAWALS
#WhatAmovement
All those that would like to come to the Gathering but cannot manage the ticket price, please DM me & use ‘Ticket Bank’ This is great for you & the Gathering! Courtesy of your fellow Yessers (1st Come 1st served) Thank U 1&All
Thank you Nana for excellent links again.
The ‘long read’ on groupthink by the corporate media was well worth the time.
I particularly liked the quote from Michael Parenti aimed at journalists who indignantly claim that no one tells them how to think “You say what you like because they like what you say.” Beautifully illustrates the blind spot that media giants have. Their distorted view of their own talent is the result of their inability to see how their success is mainly due to speaking the ‘right truth.’ It goes straight to the heart of the problem in the media. Power corrupts.
Can I also add a plea for Independence Live since these comments are largely about our unionist media’s bias. They are currently crowdfunding and are currently at 19%, 51 backers and 2 weeks to go.
link to tvl.ink #IndyLiveCrowdfunder
1000+ livestreams since 2013.
Get inspired, be involved #IndyRef2 #ScotRef #IndyLive
Good morning Highland Wifie
Took me quite a while to get to the end of the medialens article, in between answering calls and general household stuff going on but it was worth the ‘long read’
Here’s a couple more links for you
link to politico.eu
Dark factories: labour exploitation in Britain’s garment industry
link to amp.ft.com
FT link above is broken, try this one.
link to archive.is
“May even countered by saying that the will of the Scottish people was to remain in the UK.”
“it still niggles me the issue is May respecting the will of the Scottish Parliament, – not the Scottish people”.
Why doesn’t the Scottish Parliament hold a Scottish referendum asking the people on this matter of whether UK parliament should be allowed to overrule the Scottish Parliament on the devolution power grab?
We are told it’s a major political crisis. Seems the right time for use of a referendum.
If the Supreme Court looks solely at the wording of the Scotland Act and is inclined to find in favour of the UK Govt, then the Scot Govt can argue the will of the sovereign people voted the SP should have the final say. Thus, the sovereign will of the people takes precedence over the UK parliament where they are in disagreement.
In this case it would be devolution decided. However, it would introduce the Scottish sovereignty argument and might force the UK court to address the issue of Scottish sovereignty.
If the court finds in favour of the Scot Govt, it could create the UK legal ruling of Scottish sovereignty within the UK. That would be Westminster snookered.
If the Court rules against Scottish Sovereignty, it’s laid out in black and white that Scotland’s role in the UK is servility and devolution is one big con.
Executive man from BBC says on BBC that Scotland is too wee for it’s own broacasting service
Executive man only missed out the too poor part
Iceland has a broadcasting service with a population of 330.000 Gosh! how dooo they manage?
Do we need to list the rest who manage just fine, I don’t think so
In other news.
Go gently on Welsh Sion, please.
I lost my mother-in-law yesterday and I’m 50 today.
I will resume activist duties anon.
Thanks.
@ Nana – that Medialens piece on A suffocating Groupthink: Sampling The Corporate Media On Isael, Iran, Syria and Russia is worth the time spent. Clarifies the appalling state of the media many people rely on i.e. those who don’t go online and visit sites such as WoS.
Interesting to read that Owen Jones has seen the light. Some light anyway. Sad that George Monbiot is toeing the corporate line. Wonder what happened to him.
Perhaps we need “rescue” missions for people who have been brainwashed by a “cult”. The cult of the warmongering moguls.
link to medialens.org
Brent crude oil heads towards $80 per barrel as Total threatens to quit Iran.
Remember Oil is bad in Scotland kids.
Unionists will be frothing with rage at the news.
Morning Capella, I too wonder at what happened to George Monbiot.
I don’t think the warmongering moguls want rescuing, too much money in it for them.
link to craigmurray.org.uk
Welsh Sion,
Rwy’n gobeithio y bydd eich cartref a’ch teulu yn cael eu llenwi â chariad ar y diwrnod hwn o deimladau gwrthdaro.
I hope that makes sense, my friend. I wish you and yours Peace and love at this difficult time.
@Capella says: 16 May, 2018 at 8:54 pm:
“Was it not Monica Lennon who first proposed this? Where is Monica BTW?”
Last I heard she was on the Communities an local planning committee and they are in the news today.
Smallaxe @ 10.29 a.m.
I thank you for your sentiment – it doesn’t matter about being too correct at this time.
PS Is this a new thing that the daily Google Doodle features you on your birthday? (Shades of Cambridge Analytica, eh?)
I’ve posted over on O/T interested to hear people’s thoughts.
Clearly from whats happening with the Continuity BIll, if the scot govt try to legislate for indyref2 it will be legally challenged by uk govt or uk govt stooges.
Or the uk govt will get an interim interdict the day before its due to be held, then mount an ultra vires legal challenge so its too late to hold an indyref and become indy before 2021.
Perhaps that would also suit those in the snp who favour postponement of indyref2.
The snp would have also tried to fulfil their indyref mandate and keep the indyref supporters happy.
However, it would also make it clear that the whole indyref policy is based on uk govt permission/cooperation and thats not how the uk state operates when it comes to scotland.
It would prove scotland can only become independent via electoral mandate via election of MPs or possibly MSPs followed by a vote and declaration by Scotlands MPs that the Union has been voided by the sovereign democratic mandate of the people of scotland.
Morning Nana,
You have been busy this morning! What a lot of LINKS.
Certainly two cups of coffee required to get through them today.
Don’t know how you do it, but so glad that you do!
Hi Baldeagle, you may have missed yesterday’s links, they start at 7.03am on the angry man thread.
I think it’s the most links I’ve ever posted, lol you will need two pots of coffee for those!
This is utterly fabulous.
Guess what?
“Accurate representation in communications” is not a reserved matter.
Perhaps it’s time to bring a new bill in our parliament…n’est ce pas?