The Only Game In Town
Posted on
November 14, 2017 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
This documentary starts a little slowly, but becomes an eye-opening case study of how Labour steamrollered through crippling PFI contracts to build public infrastructure on the never-never when they ran the Scottish Executive from 1999-2007.
We highly recommend giving it a watch.
Somewhere, over the rainbow, BBC Libor will broadcast this.
Trouble is, the “Great British Public”, always forget how Labour screwed them in office and get fed up with the official Tories after a while.
It is up to all of us to make sure they never forget.
Anyone know when it’s being broadcast on BBC Scotland?
Tammany Hall 2
We need a US style Prosecution Service designed to trawl through cases like this, totally separate from Local Gov and political interference with the ability to offer immunity to key people. Just like is happening in the USA today with the FIFA investigation and prosecutions.
Well done, brilliant exposure, hope it gets picked up by MSM
Interestingly the Skye bridge was the UKs first ever PFI project.
Ended up costing the tax payer a fortune. Government had to buy the contracts back from American bank at double the original price (after locals rebelled over the cost of tolls they were being charged).
The Bridge Rising (2013) is a great short film.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2907644/
Just watched it. Beyond belief.
Can the reporter not resubmit the evidence?
hmm.
This is clearly an appalling coverup. They ALL must be made to reveal what they know. How the hell can Nawrot of Mayfair just disappear completely?
Somehow the media in Scotland miss these stories.
Meanwhile they have submitted an FOI requesting how many people with one leg are missing appointments by not being able to hop to the appointment.
whats the chances of the bbc in jockland giving this an airing ?.
well fairs fair now they gave Rory the Tory a full hour, 45 min isnt to much to ask now is it .
Maybe RT will show a wee clip ha ha just to get up the loons .
Real information, I’m sure the people’s paper, the Daily Record, will be so shocked by this they will rush to inform the people of Scotland.
Off Topic – But important regarding Brexit and the fate of devolution for both our countries. The debate is today, Tuesday, in the House of Commons.
_________
Dear Friend,
Brexit: We need your help
#GiveWalesASay
Tomorrow, the British Government will bring the EU (Withdrawal) Bill back to the House of Commons and try to force it through to the next stage.
The Bill is a threat to Wales’s nationhood and, if passed, will enable the British Government to meddle in devolved fields such as agriculture, the environment and transport – areas that are devolved thanks to the two devolution referendums of 1997 and 2011.
Not only is the British Government attempting to enable the UK Parliament to snatch back control over domestic Welsh affairs, it is attempting to give British Government Ministers the power to amend or repeal Welsh legislation as they please, without the need of even a vote in Westminster or Cardiff.
Plaid Cymru has warned from the beginning that this Bill is being used as a vehicle for Westminster to grab power back from Wales and reinstate Westminster-rule over our country.
On Tuesday, MPs will consider the first batch of amendments. These will include Plaid Cymru’s amendment number 79 – to make this Bill contingent on gaining the consent of the national parliaments, including our Parliament – the National Assembly.
Our Brexit spokesperson, Hywel Williams, will lead the debate for us in Westminster and we fully intend on forcing the House of Commons to vote on it.
HOW YOU CAN HELP US
Show your support for Plaid Cymru’s #GiveWalesASay amendment 79 to the EU Withdrawal Bill, and pressure your MP to support it too.
Contact your MP, Tweet them, Facebook them and spread the message as far as you can on social media using the hashtag #GiveWalesASay.
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“Dear [INSERT LOCAL MP’s NAME HERE] please support @Plaid_Cymru’s #GiveWalesASay amendment to the #Withdrawal Bill”
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The more public pressure we can put on Labour and Tory MPs, the more likely it is that they will support us.
The British Government is weak and this is a major opportunity to make Wales matter in Westminster.
Thank you for your continued support.
For Wales – Dros Gymru,
Liz Saville Roberts
Leader, Plaid Cymru Westminster Group
No broadcaster will touch it with a bargepole, unless of course it was the SNP who had been responsible.
These characters think it is their moral duty to save the Union, despite all the evidence that the Union has been injurious to Scotland. I have news for them. You are only prolonging the subservience of a nation ,and holding your own people back from creating something much more akin to a free and equal and democratic society than we would ever attain as part of the ever increasingly Fascist UK.
What’s the betting that this story is the same for every single local authority throughout the UK.
I was involved in bidding for Local Authority contracts from 2005-16 in London & was aware that some weren’t kosher, bids got chucked out or councils were sued for breach of EU procurement regulations & the competitions had to be rerun at enormous cost to the council & potential bidders.
As an ex-police officer, I find this film shocking in it’s blatant disregard for transparency, the very clear fraud that has been perpetrated on the people of North Ayrshire & the sheer dismissal of an investigation by police. I didn’t think anything shocked me anymore but I was wrong.
An independent unit needs to be set up reporting directly to the First Minister because right now if this story is replicated throughout every town & city:
1. Some people have serious questions to answer in a court of law if necessary.
2. Proof of fraudulent bidding & awarding of contracts could be used as a means to break those contracts.
3. Fraudulent contracts cannot be considered a binding contract in law as all contracts bear a section stating that they comply with the legal requirements of EU & UK legislation. This North Ayrshire contract clearly doesn’t in any way , shape or form.
If I was a former council leader, councillor, union rep, police officer, member of council’s legal unit, fiscal etc from those years I would be expecting a knock on my door.
This can’t be allowed to be swept under the carpet.Cue shredders working overtime at NAC.
Kudos to the producers of the film. Nail head firmly hit.
If I had the money, I would put a DVD of this through every home in North Ayrshire Council. The residents should be made fully aware of how they were scammed and how they will pay and suffer for it for years to come.
Labour should never be allowed in power again until every penny of this debt is repaid and we should never tire of telling everyone who complains about cut backs in services how much this debt is costing local authorities.
Has anyone ever heard a labour person sincerely apologise for this terrible legacy of debt or try to make amends. All they seem to do is blame snp for any cut backs. The pish taking JB should never be allowed to forget the debt left in North Ayrshire. We will be lucky too if any of these buildings last for 30 years and more of them don’t fall down.
Tip of the iceberg?
N. Ayrshire Council was not the only local authority using PPP to build infrastructure and I am not suggesting that any other LA would have used the same methodology, but, if even a small percentage across the country succumbed to the pressure to build it would equate to Billions over decades.
Win win for Slabour, off sheet renewal of infrastructure and the impoverishment of Scottish society for the long term.
Private investment profit by impoverishing public finances, a microcosm of Tory austerity policy and an incompetent takeover of the public purse.
All of these type of contracts should be investigated thoroughly and brought into the light!
Every single demand from unionist parties for money for this or that should be met with the same response , Nicola simply hold up an invoice that shows how much interest we are paying on something we will never Own .
Then name the culprits and the party involved , do this every time and make sure the pubic realise what a bloody shambles the SNP are having to deal with on their behalf .
As a local authority Chartered Surveyor in the industry at the time I have to say that’s the most comprehensive analytical study I have seen of this subject anywhere to date. (The bulk of LA staff were always kept well away from the projects via arms length mini oversight design quangos of 3 staff at the time / 1 Head QS / 1 QS & 1 Arch was normal – Councillors loved that).
Very Well done to those who persevered with this research.
Its a sad reflection on how duped the authorities (largely Labour run) and the voters (largely Labour voters at the time) were ‘sold a pup’ from the start. It kinda sums up Scotland’s plight over the decades in microcosm.
Now working within academia I have to say it is very vague corrupt area that still ‘touches a nerve’ in the industry, but that few want to revisit because of the connotations.
Its not just the corrupt contracts; its the very poor quality in many cases of the resultant buildings and the assoc’ maintenance costs & repairs; largely footed by the clients (the LA’s / you and me) and of the rife cutting of corners that resulted through the unheard of at the time ‘self regulation’.
Thank you to all concerned; long overdue.
The BBC will never give this the coverage it deserves, sadly – RT via Alex Salmond ?
All of these type of contracts should be investigated thoroughly and brought into the light!
There is a lot of UKOK hackdom work going on the uncover etc, its just that they’re clearly looking to smear the SNP, damage Scottish democracy, get the SLab crew back in to Holyrood… well we know the rest.
https://wingsoverscotland.com/the-pish-gallop/
This to me has always been a scam.
It wasn’t ‘a conveniet way’ to build public properties but a way of transferring public cash into hedge funds etc.
Why was more cash wasted on Scotland’s PPI/PPP schemes than the rUK?
As they say,follow the money.
Scotland had cash but was returned to WM by Lord Mcconnell.
This has got the most greedy incompetent ex PM’s paws all over it.
Mcconnell should be hauled up before Holyrood to explain
Illustrates the corporate coup that has taken over the political system in the UK. Every local authority will have these skeletons hidden in the cupboard. But there is little chance of thi bing prosecuted. there’s just too much money at stake.
Well done the film makers for exposing this. The MSM will turn a blind eye. But maybe RT will take it up. Afshin Rattansi’s “Going Underground” would be the ideal outlet.
Theresa May’s “Lord Mayor’s Banquet” ! speech blames Russia for destabilising the West. I think she means destabilising the corruption of The City.
https://www.rt.com/uk/409784-russia-threat-uk-security/
It’s high time the corruption was destabilised. Films like this provide the ammo.
That period when New Labour ruled in London and the Lib/Labs ruled at Holyrood and in councils across the Central Belt they seem to have acted like the Mafia.
thanks for showing this Rev. If a formal investigation was carried out and it was shown that the EU procurement process was not followed, surely that would be grounds for terminating the PPI contract?
@Bob Mack says: 14 November, 2017 at 11:13 am:
“These characters think it is their moral duty to save the Union, …!
Very true, Bob Mack.
” … despite all the evidence that the Union has been injurious to Scotland.”
Also very true, Bob Mack.
” … I have news for them. You are only prolonging the subservience of a nation, and holding your own people back.”
Ah! There is it – the flaw in your argument. You, first of all, do not make clear that the terms country, nation and The Union all refer to what may be quite different things. Finally this bit, “and holding your own people back”, is completely wrong.
Their, “People”, belong to what is NOT a country nor is it a nation. It is essentially a bipartite kingdom that contains four countries that are also nations in their own right.
Yet these people think of, “The United Kingdom”, not as a Royal Realm composed of a union of two equally sovereign Kingdoms but as a single unified country and thus, “Their People”, are the inhabitants of a non-existent fictitious, “country”, they call the United KINGDOM.
cirsium @ 11:53 am
That’s an interesting point. If corruption and/or criminality have taken place in North Ayrshire, surely the contract is null and void.
More investigations are needed into this shady area. It reminds us that successive Labour administrations have been just as grubby and money-mad as the official Tories.
No way will BBC or any other MSM will show this and as someone else said if fraud was involved the contract scrapped and how many more contracts could be involved in schemes like this one.
Bastards the whole lot of them
I wouldnt trust them to run a
jumble sale for the deaf dumb and blind.
Nothing but hate for the whole lot of them
and for those who continue to vote for
them knowing full well what they have done past
wise.
Number 1 rules for yoons look after thyself
Number 2 F–k the rest of you .
@Brian Powell says: 14 November, 2017 at 11:09 am:
“Real information, I’m sure the people’s paper, the Daily Record, will be so shocked by this they will rush to inform the people of Scotland”.
I’ve news for you Brian. The Daily Wrecker is NOT published for the people of the country, (or the kingdom), of Scotland.
It is aimed squarely at the people of a totally fictitious country called the UK a.k.a. The United KINGDOM.
Which UK is factually not a country but is a bipartite KINGDOM, as its name plainly describes it.
It is factually a bipartite Kingdom that has only two equally sovereign kingdom partners but does thus contain four distinct countries. Three of which comprise the Kingdom of England that also is not a country but is, as its name describes it, a kingdom that contains three distinct countries.
Newsflash : Labour Council involved in corrupt practices .
Police Scotland ( unaffected by political corruption ) investigate and give Council clean bill of health .
A good book that also looks into PFI/PPP’s is Down the Tube. Although mainly about the London Underground it does highlight general points about PFI/PPP’s.
One point that stuck out for me was how PFI/PPP’s were such a financial windfall for the consultants, bankers and lawyers that were necessary within the PFI/PPP deals to manage the complexity of the financial side of the contracts. It appears that even just the final signing of a PFI/PPP contract, which may have involved around 100 documents and almost as many financial consultants and lawyers, was estimated to have cost around £20,000 per hour in financial and legal services fees.
Jaw droppingly shocking.
Very possibly the tip of the iceberg. No wonder some Labour MPs are sitting in the HoL’s.
Will read comments later on today. Quite frankly, this is truly sickening, to know that this has been so covered up when it should be of the utmost public interest.
Well done those who made this film.
Contracts obtained through lies and falsehoods cannot be valid, and no obligations follow from no contract. Stop all payments and let them sue…
IMHO, PFI was a critical instrament of New Labour’s entrenchment of Anglo-American neo-liberalism into British public life, and indicated their commitment to “govermentality” as an approach to
nationalUKOK government.https://academic.oup.com/ser/article/6/4/703/1739555/What-is-neo-liberalism
http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/5170/1/Byrne14PhD.pdf
http://www.dmiller.info/images/docs/Miller_Neoliberalism-Politics-and-Institutional-Corruption_Against-the-Institutional-Malaise-Hypothesis.pdf
Neo-liberalism is neither conservative, prudent or sustainable.
Click on this YouTube link and it leads to a general explanation of the PFI/PPP finance schemes. If you watch it through it should then lead on to other PPP/PFI video links:-
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=+Private+Finance+Initiative
I served on a Health Board when this was happening.
In our area we were told to do the calculations of public vs private finance and report back which was most cost effective. The were then quietly (no paper audit trail) told ‘if you find that public funding is more cost effective then you will not get your hospital’.
We did the sums. The rates of return that private investors were expecting were broadly comparable with credit card borrowing rates and the land would belong to the private company at the end of the term (the original hospital had been build by public donation at the end of the First World War). .
We desperately needed a new hospital but l am glad that we told the truth.
The cost of paying for it with PPP would have been crippling for day to day services (staffing would have had to be cut).
No hospital was built at the time, we made do with some renovation.
My term as a board member was terminated.
A new hospital is now finally being built with public money.
PFI was very dishonest on many levels.
Well,I always figured PPI was a scam, and a very big one.
This video is excellent in showing how Slab and it’s UK masters have sucked the blood out of our councils and our social and health services to name but two.
In my opinion it is too big to ignore and the Scottish Government should instigate a serious investigation in to this debacle, for which there is abundant evidence of fraud. Subsequently extended to all of Scotland’s PPI schemes. People should be charged and held responsible for these actions against Scottish interests.
Contracts involved that have any discrepancy should be annulled if they are anything like this one.
We need to open this can, no matter how full of worms it may be, the rats will be running for cover. I would not be surprised if
if some evidence pointed to the Labour chiefs in place at the time. In both Scotland and England it was a policy to suit their purposes whatever that was.Scotland screwed again.
England will have similar issues, but they can look after themselves.
An excellent film which BBC shortbread would never show, but they are showing Scotland’s Paradise Papers this week, so it must contain some look a squirrel or SNPbad. Well done Campbell Martin.
The company being investigated was of course never intended to win the contract. It was a paper bid from a shell company which had no expectation of gaining the contract. I wonder if the subtext could have been a bit clearer.
As the programme says, more than one bid was needed for the contract to be awarded. If that second bid hadn’t existed, the contract could not have been awarded without going through the tendering process again and soliciting further bids.
The beneficiary here was the company who was awarded the contract with no actual competition. No matter how big a rip-off it proposed, it was going to get that contract. So in addition to the questions posed at the end of the film (which are important), I want to know two more things.
I want to know about who was behind the winning bid, the bid which was protected from competition by this fraud. Who were the people who benefited from having an absolutely unobstructed run at a £300 million contract? And how were other credible bidders kept out of the race? Where there really and truly no other companies interested in this contract, so a shell company with a straw bid had to be invented to allow the project to go ahead? Or was there a deeper conspiracy at work to freeze out all but the preferred bidder and the shell company so that the preferred bidder could charge what it liked?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Follow the money,who is still receiving finances from these contracts, OT the civelien population of of Scotland were not asked for there X or sigitures or a vote to join the treaty of the union in 1707.it was a business arrangement between business men both sides of the border.no matter which way this supposed treaty of union is viewed,wether by Robert pheffers(whom I think has a intelligent accessment of the real situation)it was not legally binding on the people of Scotland or their country.the men whom signed that treaty are the only people legally bound.the country of Scotland and its people were not theirs to sell and the population of Scotland were against at the time.for many reasons there is no legal treaty.
Corruption at every level of PPI/PFI contracts , the initiators of PPI/PFI TONY BLAIR/GORDON BROWN/JACK MC CONNELL should be hauled into the Scottish High Court as with all those Chief Executives of Scottish Councils/ Health Boards . NO more TaxPayers money should be payed towards PPI/PFI contracts until there has been a thorougher examination in Law .
I well remember questioning the siting of Wishaw General Hosp & the traffic chaos , every road is a bottle neck for Emergency Vehicles & the attempted closure of Monklands Dist Hosp to service Wishaw with more patients .
Morag
You are right, still more questions need asked, and as the reporter highlighted, who had the power to control the Police and the prosecutor Fiscal? None but the very top I would suggest.
Re. neo-liberal governmentality.
http://lchc.ucsd.edu/cogn_150/Readings/brown.pdf
https://www.theoryculturesociety.org/terry-flew-on-foucault-weber-and-neoliberal-governmentality/
http://www.ejls.eu/3/46UK.htm
As an ex shop steward in the Clyde shipyards I always argued that the real enemies of the working .people were the Labour Party not the tories as we all knew the tories had no time for us but labour who claimed to care about us stabbed us in the back every time they got in as an old man told me years ago yer ain kinds the worst how true ,,,
@ Morag missed you on Sat night I had thought you would be at the Wings do .
The ongoing Trams fiasco is another example of these companies writing their own contracts & charging what they want .
Those charged in negotiations of those PFI/PPI were negligent in their duties to the Public & if found guilty should be surcharged , as said in the video there was a Fraud committed & that Fraud was on a massive scale Nth & Sth .
@ Cameron B Good read Cameron , noo where’s ma commas ah asked fur lol.
Where there really and truly no other companies interested in this contract, so a shell company with a straw bid had to be invented to allow the project to go ahead? Or was there a deeper conspiracy at work to freeze out all but the preferred bidder and the shell company so that the preferred bidder could charge what it liked?
Inquiring minds want to know.”
One of the underlying drivers behind PFI, was, they say, that they could not get anyone to build big public sector projects, too much risk, prohibitive maintenance costs, which are massive, unfair risk sharing itself, were all too much for private construction firms, so they came up with PFI.
Ideally PFI was meant to be sharing construction cost risk between contractor, us, and builders, improved build quality, with the PFI contractor responsible for minimum 30 year maintenance costs and above all, value of money.
Clearly its become a cash cow under SLabour, who have royally fcuked it all up. But risk sharing modified PFI is being used by SNP Scots gov, for projects that fit the actual contracts?
Having watched this and while I agree with others of this disgraceful borderline fraud item , it raises the question, why has it taken local people to discover in the case of north Ayrshire the facts uncovered and then being blocked, this is criminal behaviour nothing less, so who continues to obstruct investigations, I wouldn’t trust the legal or police services to continue investigations into any of this , a outside agency have to be engaged immediately, has the Scottish government been made aware of this information .
Did the BBC in Scotland not do a documentary about pfi or ppp without implicating or even mentioning the labour party in it?
Guid laddie Campbell.
One of the first to support Independence First back in the day.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/vdzoixw0m1nlz7v/poster1wee.jpg?dl=0
Brilliant deconstruction of the myth that Labour are on the side of working people.
A must share as widely as possible.
One wonders what would be said if RT were to broadcast this story, would it then be a big lie
I also wonder if the Scottish government had the cash and applied for a broadcasting licence would it be denied as Scotland is a bigger enemy of the British State than Russia’s RT who got a licence nae bother
Also in order to watch RT if I want, I have to pay the BBC who say RT is Baad, to do it
No cynical me eh! Must be the ability to reason and question hasn’t been crushed out of me, unlike the thick Yoonworlds blind obedience crossed fingers belligerent to others approach
“Or was there a deeper conspiracy at work to freeze out all but the preferred bidder and the shell company so that the preferred bidder could charge what it liked?”
And all kickbacks from the company with the ‘winning’ bid fell into the right SLabour hands, of course? The tip of the SLab-berg?
Yes indeed–inquiring minds would like a thorough and properly conducted investigation into this.
Much kudos to the film-makers.
Could this be the key to cancelling some of these contracts where criminality has taken place? The Scottish government should instigate an investigation into this. Not least to weed out much of the corruption that exists in this country. And I include the crown prosecution service in that. The corrupt Labour councillors and their media chums should not escape the wrath of voters over their part either.
ronnie anderson 😉
This seems to me to have the appearance of Masonic influence. I was targeted by a boss who tried to manipulate me into joining. Masons are not supposed to invite anyone to join. One has to go as a “Poor darkened seeker after light” and apply to join. When I researched and gained information about the Masons, I refused to join. I then experienced the tentacles of that organisation reaching out in attempts to have me excluded from prospective employment. In each case my respective employer told me about the phone call they received to prevent me getting the position. Those employers were people of integrity and refused to be influenced.
My experience is quite different from what has been revealed in the video. The spread of the tentacles, however, seems familiar.
That is just the tip of the iceberg. The illegal wars, financial fraud, tax evasion are costing £Trns.
Westminster are wasting £Billions. Costing Scotland £20Billion a year.
The Tories are borrowing and spending £100Billion on Hinkley Point. It will cost double and be years late. A disaster waiting to happen. The last nuclear station built in Finland was 7 years late and cost double. Two tidal barrages (Humber) would have cost £20Million and produced more renewable, safe, cheaper energy. HS2 will cost another £50Billion plus. Trident £100Billion. Another disaster. Heathrow. All a complete waste of money with more credible, cheaper safer alternatives. Wasting £Billions. The Tories and their associates embezzling public money. On consultancies, remuneration, charges, banking , fees etc. Cameron, Carrington etc making £Millions out of it. A British- Chinese consortium. All a total waste of tax payers money. It is an absolute scandal.
The illegal wars have cost £Trns caused the worst migration crisis since the 11WW. Costing other countries £Billions/Trillion and destroying the world economy. The Banking fraud. The tax evasion. Killing and starving their own citizens and people the world over.
The Tories have cut Education £6Billion a year. The NHS £4Billion a year and welfare benefits £3Billion a year. Total £13Billion. Cutting essential services. They are spending over £30Billion a year on grotesque projects of no value. There are cheaper, safer alternative. Costing less and less dangerous.
The sooner the Tories are gone the better. The sooner Scotland is Independent the better. Now Brexit another total waste of money. Causing hardship. The Tories will negotiate less for more. Higher contributions for less rights and decision making. Do they can continue to tax evade. That is why they want out of the EU. Just a disgrace.
Every time time a Labour politician, such as as Alex Rowley, Anas Sarwar bleat about the lack of resources for the NHS or Local Government
They should be reminded about the billions of pounds of tax payers money which should be being spent on the NHS and council services.
But instead thanks to Labours PFI/PPP scam is ending up in the pockets of private share holders and in off shore tax havens.
Proud Cybernat says:
14 November, 2017 at 2:50 pm
“Or was there a deeper conspiracy at work to freeze out all but the preferred bidder and the shell company so that the preferred bidder could charge what it liked?”
And all kickbacks from the company with the ‘winning’ bid fell into the right SLabour hands, of course? The tip of the SLab-berg?
Yes indeed–inquiring minds would like a thorough and properly conducted investigation into this.
Yes, and criminally implicated “Factors” in Glasgow do it all the time also, penny shaving and illegal charges but we are rebuffed by the authorities who are paid to protect us!
From 12.05 – “The decision to embark on a multi million pound schools construction project was taken following a procurement exercise governed by strict European procurement regulations”. No mention that I saw in the report of following this up by an appeal to a higher court such as the EU. Clearly little point in following through with this within the UK.
http://www.europeanlawmonitor.org/eu-legal-principles/eu-law-does-european-law-override-national-law.html
From 12.05 – “The decision to embark on a multi million pound schools construction project was taken following a procurement exercise governed by strict European procurement regulations”. No mention that I saw in the report of following this up by an appeal to a higher court such as the EU. Clearly little point in following through with this within the UK. Could add another aspect to brexit?
http://www.europeanlawmonitor.org/eu-legal-principles/eu-law-does-european-law-override-national-law.html
Glasgow council under slab should be investigated also.
Dodgy property deals, council contracts of all descriptions,
PFI dealings, sure to be more.
The corruption abounds,and needs to be exposed with all names involved highlighted. Court appearances and charges should ensue.
Just how Slab Scots was taking the piss out of fellow Scots.
We will have to build another jail!
Labour were raising £600Billion in taxes. Borrowing £120Billion – £720Billion
The Tories are raising £533Billion. Borrowing £100Billion? Seven years later.
Scotland raises £54Billion+ ncreased £4Billion a year. (£10Billion more pro rata than the rest of the UK). The Scottish budget has been cut 10% a year since 2010. Now cut £3Billion a year.
Unionist councils are still at it. ACC have constructed a grotesque project. Hotels and shops. Leased back over 30 years. £200Million, £300Million for a non mandated Conference Centre. With no business case. The present one is used on average once a month, subsidised £26Million. Cutting and not funding essential services.
The City was illegally sold off on the stock exchange. £1.2Billion in debt. The UTG Project, supported by the majority, would have cost £20Million with a £80Million donation. Claimed to be too expensive. It would have predestrianised the City Centre.
The Art Gallery will be shut for years. A total waste of money. A two job Tory councillor/MSP is keeping this unionist cabel in power. The PJ/EE unionist owner from Dundee backs this regime. Spending the profits on a bankrupt football club. Dundee is being renovated successfully by a SNP council.
PPI estate has to be returned after 30 years in pristine condition. If that happens. There would be yearly maintenance charge for public premises etc.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is the independent public prosecution service for Scotland, and is a Ministerial Department of the Scottish Government.
So someone in the Labour Government threatened the PF.
@Morag says: 14 November, 2017 at 1:44 pm:
“The company being investigated was of course never intended to win the contract … Inquiring minds want to know.”
Indeed we do, Morag, but there are two more wee question you missed out. How many brown envelopes changed hands and who were the Councillors with bulging hip pockets or very wide handbags?
Who were the councillors that had family members buying shares at that time.
Robert Graham says:
whats the chances of the bbc in jockland giving this an airing ?.
well fairs fair now they gave Rory the Tory a full hour, 45 min isnt to much to ask now is it .
Maybe RT will show a wee clip ha ha just to get up the loons .
——————————————-
Maybe alex can see if RT can show the whole thing ?
Having a check on RT, still see nothing for the “Alex Salmond Show” on listings?
@Proud Cybernat says: 14 November, 2017 at 2:50 pm:
“And all kickbacks from the company with the ‘winning’ bid fell into the right SLabour hands, of course? The tip of the SLab-berg?
This problem is endemic among the political classes, Proud Cybernat. Anyway, I’ve been laughing all day at the BBC text News item that says Theresa claims Moscow is guilty of, “Planting fake stories”, to, “Sow discord in the West”.
That’s one very big pot with one very black arse and a slightly scorched kettle.
Westminster has been inventing fake news since before Jesus was a bairn and re-writing history ever since there was written history.
I don’t know where the Sunday Herald journo on this absolutely stunning video (soon to be shown on a TV set near you =cough=) was coming from, because I happened to be on the board of a local school when its enlargement (and merger) was being done by PFI, and it was transparently clear to us back then that this was an utterly false economy. Snake-oil economics. So no hindsight needed, thanks very much!
It was also transparently clear to us then that PFI was going to happen whether we (as representatives of the parents) agreed to it or not. Forced through by a Labour-run local authority who were told to make it happen by a Labour “Scottish Executive” who were told to make it happen by the Labour finance machine in London run by El Gordo.
Young idealistic people now may have no notion of wht we went through, but 20 years back we really thought with the Labour win that we were entering a hopeful new era, and instead we just got an amplification of what had gone before, not least over PFI. A lot of people were trampled over to make that happen, so enormous credit to Campbell Martin & Co for sticking with this vile business so tenaciously and for so long.
Not least because, besides the obvious one of the “cost cuckoo” in the public finance “nest”, one of the lesser-known but more-pernicious aspects of PFI is the almost total lack of transparency involved. “Commercial confidentiality”, y’know. Private business, private matter. Read the contract fine print, nothing else you need to know.
Whereas actually not a penny of public finance – let alone billions of pounds – should be spent without full public knowledge of where its going and what it’s for.
But that’s not all, it seems, bad enough as PFI was (and remains). Even worse is the real likelihood here of a politically-motivated cover-up of criminal practice. This must be investigated now. To do nothing would be to collude in what appears to be a flagrant abuse of public office.
This issue has also starkly revealed to me just why NorthBritLab (and maybe the LieDems too) are so vehemently opposed to Scottish independence. Not because of some pathetic adherence to a threadbare failing Union, but because of a visceral fear of just what skeletons will tumble out of what cupboards afterwards…
Surely if suitable questions are asked at FMQs it would start the ball rolling on a full investigation of both North Ayrshire PFI schemes but also those all over Scotland.
If it is brought up at Holyrood it would be difficult for the media to ignore it.
The most damning thing I can say is, it is as expected.
Times it by 500 or 1000 and we’ll get the total extent UK wide.
Unfortunately the majority of Scottish voters prefer it to any alternatives.
I only watched the video for first few minutes. As far as I was concerned, that was rediscovering America.
It must be at least some 15 years ago that I voiced my grave concerns about the very thing (admittedly informally) to my then MP Malcolm Chisholm.
He kind of agreed with me, and said it is all due to Gordon Brown, who was very keen on PFI.
Indeed vlad! Gordo Broon was very keen on PFI. There must be a few theses on psycoanalysing why. What sick perverted intellect would want to lumber future citizens with that sort of debt? I don’t think it’s just about the money and looking good politically in the short term. There must be a deeper cause.
Any thoughts Wingers?
Well done to those doggedly trying to investigate this scandal. I would like to see similar investigations in Edinburgh at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
A building that has never been fit for purpose with parking fees extortionate for visitors and staff.
Sick of telling some of my Labour supporting family in Edinburgh about this scandal of PFI.
A debate-‘This House Believes That Government Has Failed Britain’s Youth’ (and Scotland will be leaving this god-awful United Kingdom)
‘What happens to you when you leave and going to go out and have to pay rent? So that somebody like me can buy a buy-to-let home and guarantee that my pension will be even better in my old age so that I can have five cruises a year, because that is who your landlords are. And what is going to happen when you have to pay back the Private Finance Initiative deals that we have taken out? All of the loans that we have taken out when we mortgaged your future because, to be honest, people of my age want a nice retirement for our generation?
We haven’t just failed you. We completely took the Micky. And the interesting thing, the thing that gives me hope, is that we have taken the Micky so much that it isn’t just poor children, and it isn’t just average children, its children who go on to became young adults at Oxford and Cambridge who are going to enter a world in which their own life chances have been so altered by our belief that only a few great people should rise to the top and the rest can just struggle that we think it is fine if you are going to have to pay these high rents, if you pay £100,000 back for your student loans. On the incomes that you are going to get in your jobs, you’ll be paying back £100,000 pounds for having borrowed £27,000.
Other countries don’t do this. Other countries: Germany, Denmark, … {Interruption from the audience – “Question Do more people go to university in this country or in Germany and Denmark?”} Answer – more people go in the USA and there will be huge numbers going in this country in future – £9000 a time – we will let them in! And of course they are going to come, but the US have even more and their graduates are often in deeper poverty and vote Trump.
You can get as many people to university as you like if you have for-profit universities. In the US for-profit universities spend more on advertising about how ‘good’ their courses are than they spend on their on teaching. It is no achievement getting the number of people into university up. That is dead easy. All you have got to do is allow universities to charge people £9000 a year and give those students the right to borrow money. It’s dead easy. And that is why enrolment in Scotland is lower because Scotland doesn’t do that. Which is why Scotland does it better. Which is why – in the poorest parts of Scotland children are better educated than in the poorest parts of England. Scottish society has a degree of solidarity and people care about each other, which is why Scotland is talking about leaving this god-awful United Kingdom’
http://www.dannydorling.org/?p=5755
PFI- corruption on multiple levels- perhaps the services of forensic accountants would be helpful in unpicking the financial dealings/racketeering.
‘the United Kingdom’s private finance initiative (PFI) – a species of ‘public private partnership’ (PPP) whose operations and effects we explore in what follows – can be treated as an example of ‘corruption’. Through an examination of associations between practice, process and context in the implementation of PFI, we focus on the role of the state and new forms of governmental arrangement in establishing contexts in which corruption, understood in different ways, can flourish’
Mair, Michael & Jones, Paul. (2015). Politics, Government and Corruption: The Case of the Private Finance Initiative. 124-134. 10.2307/j.ctt183p7g4.14.
The First Minister was welcomed to Number 10 by the Prime Minister who was wearing what looked like an auld kilt jaiket! One awaits with bated breath what our resident fashionista Big Murdina Fraser will make of this sartorial tour de force whateffer!
Shocking, vile, corrupt, fraudulent, crooked money making scheme to pretend that Labour was the answer to all our prayers.
Having all the evidence in full view like this brings it home how rotten politicians make rotten choices.
Now we need this to get out to the public before any more local council elections.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nigel-farage-hope-not-hate-anti-fascist-court-case-undemocratic-violent-ukip-lose-withdraw-statement-a8054276.html
My nite just got brighter lol.
PFI was a scam from the outset. It was a deliberate attempt to have money spent without it having to appear on th books.
The base line was deliberately skewed away from traditional forms of procurement in favour of PFI so it was the only game in town. PPP was no different.
Finance Officers at the time knew very well the true cost but were railroaded into accepting it by the Labour run Scottish Executive. It was this or nothing.
Well done to the makers of this documentary, it should shame Labour, but it won’t.
Sickening.
Ian at 12:43 mentions a book “Down the Tube” about another PFI/PPP scandal that cost the taxpayer billions.
This all came about because the clunking fist Brown insisted that the London Underground after years of neglect could only be upgraded under a PFI deal, there was to be no public money.
Gordon Brown’s ill-fated determination to impose a public-private partnership agreement on the London Underground will cost the taxpayer £2bn.
https://archive.is/vki18
This was in 2003, however only 5 years later the company Metronet went belly up, a second company Tube Lines also involved was to fail just 2 years later in 2010 with once again the taxpayer footing the bill. From the Torygraph of all places.
The underachievement is easily explained. Under the PPP, leaks have shown, taxpayers paid £144,000 a year for the lowest grade of manual labourer. Routine meetings were held on chartered riverboats, with us paying the bar tab. Golf days were organised – with a DVD player, bought by the taxpayer, handed out at each hole for the staff member who landed closest.
Ah, but that (the PPP’s defenders might say) was all Metronet, the evil twin of the two-contractor scheme, which collapsed in 2007. Yet Tube Lines is following Metronet along the path of excess – it has, we learn, charged £240 million in “secondment fees” for as few as 50 secondees – and into the pit of meltdown.
https://archive.is/HFvDO
A fool and their money are easily parted. We, the public are the politicians fools.
That PFI was a scam accounting trick none of us will dispute.
However, we must also consider the timing of “Peak PFI” – Election years when Labour were basically buying the working class vote by providing employment on ‘tick.
They certainly were the public spending equivalent of wonga.com.
WANTED: Scottish politicians elected by Scots to make decisions on behalf of Scots. We accept their decisions or we sack them.
No longer should we allow Westminster to make decisions for Scots. These people are not interested in the affairs of Scotland, only interested in themselves.
Rid Scotland of corrupt politicians and their equally corrupt media. Enough is enough and I am heartily sick of the stench.
Cordial and Constructive , diplomatic speak for Hee Haw happened how in the name of the wee man could May give any insight to Brexit given the shambles up to now.
Forty bloody minutes meeting a total waste of Nicola’s time & what happened to all future meetings with FM would be conducted with Mundell , that was short lived .
This was a twitter link back when PFI was examined here – with some startling revelations – last year.
https://wingsoverscotland.com/one-day-wed-like-to-be-surprised/
https://twitter.com/dmccafferty49/status/719241895617118208
Oh, and read and weep.
http://archive.is/rvfNu
Wildly O/T
Anagram fun:
In this time of heroes and villains, Alexander Salmond *Demands Real Snax* as he watches his health for the next push at indy on TV, much to the chagrin of Paisley’s shame Andrew Neil, the *Denier-In-Law*, and cringing wee Neil Oliver *In Evil Role*.
*In Our Scots Angel* Nicola Sturgeon we trust to lead us to the *Lost Unicorn Age*, but her *Lie Count Groans* dealing with the like of *Mr Arse Or Fud* Murdo Fraser and *Ass Ran A War* and *Back Lie IE Jail* in the continuing saga of Good vs Evil; of Davide e Golia. At least our Nicola is the *Scunner To Golia* or indeed *Scunner o’ Goliat* if you prefer a different classic reference, and in that we can take some comfort.
Excellent video. I came across Campbell Martin’s blog before indyref, but haven’t checked him out much since. (to my shame)
A wee glance at the shenanigans of the British Establishment at the G8 (Gleneagles)
http://campbellmartin.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/the-brutality-of-state-forces.html
Let’s all not lose sight of the fact that this was all started by the Tories – Skye Bridge!!!
There were ex services personnel in kilts all over London at remembrance services. At the Scottish Church etc. 80% of the military were from Scotland, because of higher unemployment. Yet Ian Blackford is criticised for wearing a kilt.
Alex Salmond on RT will be broadcast all over the world. Putting Scotland further on the map. They watch it all over the States. Preferring it to Fox News, SKy, CNN and the BBC.
Presumably any police investigation would have also looked at potential collusion between the 2 bidding companies. A look at the directors’ bank statements would be interesting. Would also be interesting to know what CES and its directors have done since that time.
Well done for continuing to delve into this, I guess there must be a good few people squirming in North Ayrshire.
Re PFI and legal action.
While the efficacy of PFI re the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary was being questioned as far back as 2003 much to the chagrin of McConnell
http://archive.is/DkgMs
in 2010 the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary contract itself was causing deep concern.
http://archive.is/KlWf3
Five years later there was serious talk of legal action.
http://archive.is/rSK7V
Anybody know what happened re the idea of annulling a PFI contract because it fails to deliver.
Fred
I thought T May was wearing trousers to prevent a re-run of the ‘Legs comparison’ that greeted the PM and FM when they met the last time.
Just listening to the Parliament discussion.
For those interested – Stephen Gethins made a brilliant speech this afternoon. Roasted the Leave campaign and used Ruth Davidson’s own words to point out the ‘lack of veracity’ in the leave promises. His speech was later complimented by Frank Field ( a senior MP).
http://parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/03696a47-12d1-486e-864d-8994e508c932
listen from 16.30.
Who should hold an enquiry ?
who is not tainted ?
the Iraq (Chilcot) inquiry took 7 years and cost £13,000,000
and Tony & Gordon are still swanning around after 400,000 avoidable deaths, “The case for war was deficient” it said.
don`t know what you do but there will NEVER be justice done.
Habib Steele at 3.23pm
I agree I thought I could smell a whiff of masonry.
Excellent piece, of course MSM won’t go near it.
Good old Scottish Labour consistently dodgy.
Independent enquiry now needed time for some people to go to jail.
Those with satellite receivers can watch RT, along with other news channels. Owners may have noticed, or maybe not, that Fox News disappeared a couple of months ago. No loss TBH.
http://archive.is/oDZ7a
However, those who say that RT is biased, clearly have never seen Fox. Astonishing right wing agenda. And anyone who thinks that Jackie Bird can be a bit sneery in her reporting of anything Indy/SNP, hasn’t watched the horrendous sneering and scarcasm displayed by Fox presenters!
The YoonVision we have to put up with is bad, Fox is/was ten times worse within its own interest sphere. News reporting, it was not.
RT may have an agenda, but as far as I can see, it’s presenters display basic manners.
Nobody see Mr Snow’s “interview” with Alex on CH4 news ? Incredible, SNo was ready to explode as Alex was calmness personified.
It astounds me that Unison or the GMB can still support Labour, who effectively handcuffed local councils to these punitive contracts.
Ken Clarke gets a long round of applause – v.unusual in the chamber
Why should the speaker allow this,oh,sorry its not the SNP.
Christmas shopping tips:
If you have to shop online and they send you back the *any questions* or *comments* click on the reply and rewrite your address replacing the words United Kingdom with Scotland pointing out politely it may help the postal service to be more accurate given that the United Kingdom is four countries within Britain and even more accurately Scotland is the one they’re sending the item to
Ever yours
The customer
https://archive.fo/84JUu
Comprehensive Estate Services LTD, Director & Secretary – Richard John Nawrot. (it’s on page 2)
There’s also an entry for a company called Americum Developments.
https://archive.fo/Sn9Jo
“Labour lord’s associates in fraud probe”
See any familiar names in that article?
Sure, it might all be circumstancial and there’s no mention of whether any legal proceedings went any further.
Joanna Cherry speaking now on the parliament channel on the EU withdrawal Bill.
Yeah,saw the Jon Snow joke interview-Alex was Alex as per usual,glad to say!
Re: Catalonia
I have received a reply from the EU Commission, which I print in full:
Dear Mr Alexander,
Thank you for your message of 1 October 2017, which expresses personal views, to President Juncker which he has passed on to me for a response.
Let me start by saying that as the Commission has publicly stated on 2 October 2017, beyond the purely legal aspects of this matter, we believe that these are times for unity and stability, not divisiveness and fragmentation.
In the same statement the Commission called on all relevant players to now move very swiftly from confrontation to dialogue. Violence can never be an instrument in politics. We expressed our trust in the leadership of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to manage this difficult process in full respect of the Spanish Constitution and of the fundamental rights of citizens enshrined therein.
The position of the Commission on this issue was echoed by First Vice-President Timmermans in his intervention in the Plenary Session of the European Parliament on 4 October 2017.
Last 11 October, the Commission again reiterated its earlier call for the full respect of the Spanish Constitutional order and its trust in the Spanish Institutions and all political forces who are working towards a solution within the framework of the Spanish Constitution.
Pursuant to the law of the European Union, it is exclusively up to the Member States to ensure that they comply with their obligations regarding fundamental rights which result from international agreements and from their national Constitution. The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union only applies in the context of the implementation of EU law.
Yours sincerely,
Henning KLAUS
Head of Unit
European Commission
Secretariat-General
Unit B.2 “Institutional Affairs”
BERL 5/332
B-1049 Brussels/Belgium
O/t . . . Scotland U21’s are playing at St. Mirren’s stadium Tonight. . . Only heard this on BBC Radio Shortbread’s footy show at 7.40,pm . .(too late to go to the match, good way to keep the crowd numbers down) .the reporter told listeners that Flower of Scotland was being played Then talked right through the Anthem.
Richard Gordon talked over Flower of Scotland during Scotlands last (or 2nd last) game under Gordon Strachan. Then they aired the competitions Anthem uninterrupted.
Whether you like FoS or not, what right has BBC Shortbread to so openly disrespect our Anthem.
O/t . . . Scotland U21’s are playing at St. Mirren’s stadium Tonight. . . Only heard this on BBC Radio Shortbread’s footy show at 7.40,pm . .(too late to go to the match, good way to keep the crowd numbers down) .the reporter told listeners that Flower of Scotland was being played Then talked right through the Anthem.
Richard Gordon talked over Flower of Scotland during Scotlands last (or 2nd last) game under Gordon Strachan. Then they aired the competitions Anthem uninterrupted.
Whether you like FoS or not, Are you happy with these Yoons dissing our Anthem .
I remember having PFI explained to me at the time and thinking it was such a massive, avoidable waste of public money, and that only people who couldn’t understand basic arithmetic would champion the idea. And yet nobody in public life or the press seemed bothered. It is like new Labour hypnotized the country.
O/T If like me you missed the C4 interview with Alex Salmond by Jon Snow because you don’t watch live telly then here it is in full.
https://www.channel4.com/news/alex-salmond-is-this-russian-propaganda-no-its-my-view
Bob Mack,
“No broadcaster will touch it with a bargepole, unless of course it was the SNP who had been responsible.”
What about the “independence supporting” The National?
Craig P @ 21:53,
There was one who did, Craig: Prof. Allyson Pollock, an expert on hospital resourcing who called out this scam right from the very start. She bravely stood up to one scurrilous verbal attack by some NorthBritLab “Scottish Executive” thug on BBC Scotland one evening, presided over by Gordon Brewer, I seem to recall.
You could say that it’s a pity that we didn’t have more people with the calibre of Prof Pollock, whom I admire greatly for what she did, since lots more people knew exactly what was going on. Some kept their heads down to protect their careers, but BBC Scotland weren’t exactly busting a gut (shall we say) to put PFI critics on the TV anyway. Even Prof Pollock hardly got a look in.
BBC and the Scottish press were (and probably still are) filled with NorthBritLab supporters and placemen, so no great wonder that they kept schtum.
Gawn yersel Alex on RT. Can’t wait.
To paraphrase a certain Corporal Jones. “They don’t like it Put in them!”
Jon Snow with Alec Salmond, what an arse. The underlying message is that your show is not being pick up by the UK media and how dare you go elsewhere. He almost dropped into Lord Foulkes mode at one point
The UK has decided that the SNP is to be denied the oxygen of publicity (they would refer to it as censorship elsewhere), unless it’s of course to be invited on to be ridiculed (circa This Week).
The bad news for the media is that the population of Scotland can see the results of the SNP being in power, and it doesn’t gel with what is reported. They can’t fool all the people all of the time.
colin alexander,
(Quoting letter from the European Commission)
“Let me start by saying that as the Commission has publicly stated on 2 October 2017, beyond the purely legal aspects of this matter, we believe that these are times for unity and stability, not divisiveness and fragmentation.”
Yours sincerely,
Henning KLAUS
Head of Unit
European Commission
Secretariat-General
Unit B.2 “Institutional Affairs”
BERL 5/332
B-1049 Brussels/Belgium”
If that clueless pompous armchair pundit Dave McEwan Hill is still looking for “evidence”, there it is in black and white.
Rock (1st November – “Playing by Madrid Rules”):
“The EU and powerful leaders of EU members have made it perfectly clear that the referendum was illegal and that Catalonia is not welcome in the EU.”
Dave McEwan Hill,
“Provide some evidence for this statement.
The EU has pointed out that the Spanish Government judges the referendum illegal and the EU has made no statement that Catalonia is not welcome in the EU. The notion that the EU would prevent an independent Catalonia being a member is absurd.”
re;Alex Clark@10.02
Interview? I would call it interrogation. Jon Snow did his utmost to paint a picture of collusion, wrongdoing and control by a TV station which as Alex Salmond pointed out, is legitimately broadcasting to the world.
This is big. I was told that Scotland is ‘small and of no interest on the world stage’ by some, prior to 2014 referendum. Now we have an ex FM of Scotland, being taken to task for exercising his civil right to make a tv programme. Did Channel4 offer Alex Salmond a one hour, or even one minute slot per week?
What next, will the UKGov attempt to cull the programme and even accuse Salmond of colluding with an enemy, not like our dodgy friends eh. I think we all know who the enemies of Scotland are, and they are not the ex SNP First Minister of Scotland. Looking at the film today, about the dodgy dealings of the Labour/Libdem lot when in power at Holyrood, it’s clear we have a whole lot more to be investigating. Serious fraud, serious breach of the law, yet, Ch4 are arguing with A.Salmond about a tv show!
Come on Jon Snow, why not show the film that we have all watched in disgust, today, about obvious dodgy dealings, and a huge injustice reigned on Scotland as a result. As a result huge debt for the people of Scotland, for a very long time to come. Great, is that really going to be brushed under the huge, dirty minging UKok carpet. Yep, it will not be an issue nor see the light of day in the daily rags or UKok state run media. Akin to any tin pot regime in reality, truly sickening.
Where is the outrage?
The issue is buried by our MSM. It never happened. Another article which highlights the almost total control of information communicated to the general public.
Forgive me! I get depressed at the level of control exercised by the system in regard to the investigation into Labours abuse of our financial system for Party interest.
The Skye Bridge ripoff was the early awakening for many people of what PFI was really about…. a brass plate on a lawyer’s office, millions of pounds siphoned out of the country and many ordinary Scots criminalised.
Gordon Brown and his glove puppet ‘lord’ McConnel slab mate saw a quick way of buying votes by smoke and mirrors via shoddy schools and hospitals with 30 year leases and places of work where workers couldn’t even put pictures up without incurring charges for damaging the fabric of the walls.
Corrupt and weak Scottish legal sysytem hand in hand with even more corrupt, stupid and venal slab, created the mess we see today with a billion in interest charges to speculators and buidings not fit for purpose. Yet..the complicit Britpack media point the finger of blame at SNPBAD.
However, while the SNP remain in supine mode in face of the attacks, vainly trying to demonstrate to the ‘world’ ( as if it gives a fuck) how damned decent it is in face of the scurvy Brit State ( how many brave speeches in the HOC matter a shit?)..we are faced with an avalanche of distraction by said corrupt media.
0/T re. the kilt and our losses in ww1. There are 147,000 named Scots in the war dead ledgers housed in Edinburgh Castle, who died in that complete charnel house….bad enough, but I have since discovered that 53,000 Scots also died in ww2.
Again twice our ratio of population to RUK and 1/5 of the ‘British’million combined war dead of world wars 1&2 ..maybe the whining unionist scum like Murdo McLeod so blinded by their selfloathing should ponder for a moment on all those bloodstained kilts and the young Scots lives shrouded therein that were thrown away by ‘Mother England’.
MANY Councils had huge reserves at the time of the PFI deals, enough to pay a slice up front to get favourable loan terms. The allocated savings would have restored the reserves many times over, by now.
It was LAZY INEPTITUDE from COUNCILLORS AND OFFICIALS that got us into massive debt.
And now, we’re less than halfway through the mortgage/journey to buying back our own schools.
It’s not councillors we need, it’s contract managers, since the Tory / Unionist councils have privatised everything not protected by the SCOTGOV.
Dispatches from Walmington-on-Sea….
https://imgur.com/a/6vtFU
@ Alex Clark Thanks for the link to ch4 . Alex Salmond must be laughing at all the free advertisement for his show, as I told him on Sat he’s Marmite a lot of people don’t like the taste but it still sells & Alex will sell Scotland to the World , tourism will increase lol.
Lochside, with respect, I read contrary stats to yours re ratio of war dead. Sure there were pockets of male clearances in many rural areas but the difference overall was slim.
I’ll check it out though.
@Alex Clark,
As above cheers for the link: did you notice snow getting agitated and playing with his masters earpiece?. These barstewards are rattled ,well done Alec Salmond , cannae wait for yer show.
The SNP are doing a highly competent job in government, DESPITE;-
Financial crisis/excuses for UK austerity.
PFI hobbling the public sector.
Inability to borrow/offset/invest freely.
Hatred from the mainstream media.
PC, LOL. Ta.
The Snowflake of ch4 is no match for Alex Salmond I thought he was going to have a heart attack .
Nuclear war is like David and Goliath
without the twist.
Where those with one vote are killed by those corrupted by absolute power.
Now that humans have voted for Trump and Brexit, it’s just a matter of time.
Things get more surreal by the day. McCarthyism is alive and well and I can see it being used during indyref2. Just think Mr Leask has given Ruth Davidson her next campaign slogan for a general election. Instead of ‘No Indy ref’, it will be ‘Denounce RT!’.
@ ronnie anderson,
None of them twats are a match fer Oor Alec. It’ll all come oot in the wash. 😉
@ronnie anderson
Yes, pure panic written all over Snows face. I remember writing my name in the Snow as a wee boy. That’s what Salmond did tonight.
I’m disappointed that Alex Salmond didn’t make it to Jolly’s on Saturday night as he was in Dundee and is definitely a Winger.
Never mind, I still hope he’ll turn up at the Wingers party on Independence day 🙂
I can understand why some people object to Alex Salmond appearing on a television channel which is state controlled and therefore has its own agenda.
However we should not accept the blatant hypocrisy, the faux outrage, of other politicians when they or some of their own party colleagues have also appeared on Question Time.
The irony of #scotnight on Monday, there’s auld Erchie blabbing about nae money for Scottish football on the very channel that shows England games & his former employer at EBC spends literally hunners of millions on English football and 30bob on our own game.
Thing is, folk like him genuinely believe they have our country’s interests at heart. He’s retired, he has no reason to be dishonest, he really must believe it.
@ Alex Clark,
Are you saying Alec Salmond “jackie baillie’d” all over Snow? OOH AHH. lol
Sorry to be so off topic, but BBC4 are still punting Rory Stewart, Tory MP’s show based on a Tolkein or Jakey Rowling view of ‘history’ – Swallows and Amazons BC. I might do a show on the history of chocolate buttons as part of the construction of the Hoover Dam. Mental? Yep!
@Big Phil
I’ll just say this, Alex Salmond won’t be walked over. He’ll get his point across and more and more of our elected politicians are starting to do that.
That pleases me, we need people to stand up for Scotland. I’ve changed myself in the last few years, I didn’t say enough to those close to me as I could have in the run up to 2014. All change, we can’t afford to be wilting violets any longer, we all have a voice and must use it.
This government ignores those without a voice, our job is to give them one. Independence doesn’t come easy and it will take all you can give. It’ll be worth it to speak up.
Don’t be shy any longer.
That was not an interview with Alex Salmond it was a verbal assault. Snow should be reprimanded for that ‘interview’ What is the point of asking a question and then shouting over the guest as they attempt to answer and talking them down???
It might have been better if Alex had just said … ok , off you go, say everything you want and then it’ll be my turn to speak – uninterrupted.
Look on the bright side – hardly anyone left in Britain who hasn’t heard that Alex Salmond has a new show starting on RT… streuth, even my sister had heard about it and she has never heard of RT.
Sad state of affairs that AS – frequent winner of Politician of the Year, is shown such disrespect.
On an even sadder note, why did Labour fail to vote tonight on any of the amendments resulting from the Great Withdrawal Bill debate in WM tonight???
Scott @ 8.47
I thought it was good that Ken Clarke got ‘an unusual’ round of applause after his speech tonight in WM. At least he speaks honestly. No-one was brought to order for the applause- however, Stephen Gethins who followed him commented that it was good to hear Ken Clarke’s speech being rightly applauded.
Has anyone seen the front page of the ‘Daily Telegraph’. Talk about bullying!!!
Pictures of the Tory MP’s who are trying to derail Brexit, describing them as ‘The Brexit Mutineers’.
So the Mail described Remainers as Saboteurs; Express called Judges, ‘the enemy of the people ‘ and now MP’s standing up for their principles are described as ‘Mutineers’.
Who’s causing bullying, lack of respect and division in the UK?
Big Phil
Various posters have provided the link. This is the Channel 4 Alex Salmond interview for those who don’t have a tv.
https://www.channel4.com/news/alex-salmond-is-this-russian-propaganda-no-its-my-view
Fucking hell. I thought our last Labour council were bad, taking “gifts” of houses from companies they then awarded public contracts too.
This sure as hell blows that out of the water.
Robert Kerr
I wouldn’t want to guess at the cause of El Gordo’s disposition Robert, but I’d suggest the outcome is an overly confident, reductionist world view.
http://www.jayhanson.org/page130.htm
With what is happening tonight in Westminster on Brexit, with the Tories defeating amendments and Labour MPs reportedly (according to Twitter) abstaining, its worth remembering what UK democracy means for the many in Scotland:
1) we in Scotland rejected in a General Election Cameron’s manifesto that committed his government to an EU referendum
2) Scottish MPs overwhelmingly voted in Westminster against the legislation to establish an EU referendum
3) a Scottish Government was elected on a mandate to hold a second IndyRef if Scotland was taken out of the EU against our democratic wishes
4) by a large majority, voters in Scotland chose to remain within the EU
5) a majority in the Scottish Parliament voted for the mandate to hold a second IndyRef – rejected out of hand by Westminster
6) a proposition submitted by the Scottish Government for a way for Scotland to stay in the Single Market – ignored by Westminster
7) a majority of Scottish MPs voted against enacting Article 50
8) the Supreme Court ruled that the Sewell Convention has no weight in law
9) claims of a ‘power grab’ over devolved matters – rejected by the Tories and possibly not stoppable if Westminster so chooses
10) obfuscation and confusion over whether or not the Westminster Government has assessed the impact of Brexit on Scotland or not (or even cares) – with Scotland ‘represented’ in the UK Cabinet by our ‘Governor General’
and now
11) a Plaid amendment for the devolved administrations to have a role in giving consent to the terms of EU withdrawal rejected – and who would hold out the prospect of any SNP amendment to protect Scotland’s interests getting approval?
Recalling all these steps just shows how far away we in Scotland now are from any meaningful democratic influence or power over crucial matters that will affect our children and grandchildren – and that’s not even adding into the account the Vow and then the rejection of all SNP amendments to the subsequent Scotland Bill.
And yet even with this level of sustained insult to the democracy of our Kingdom within this (laughably termed) Union, there are still many amongst us that both know all of this and yet still bow the knee and touch the forelock to our ‘imperial masters’ in Westminster! It beggars belief.
It will be important to scrutinise how Labour and LibDem MPs from Scotland vote on all these Brexit amendments and call them out on how they act on Scotland’s interests and the majority views within their constituencies.
BBC Reporting a discussion in USA today between Senators as to whether the US is safe if Trump alone can give the order to fire a nuclear weapon.
Jitters all round.
The final sentence says that a decision has been taken to modify the nuclear arsenal just in case…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41977120
However, while the SNP remain in supine mode in face of the attacks, vainly trying to demonstrate to the ‘world’ ( as if it gives a fuck) how damned decent it is in face of the scurvy Brit State ( how many brave speeches in the HOC matter a shit?)..we are faced with an avalanche of distraction by said corrupt media.
Why not fund a new SNP newspaper chum? The SNP News of the SNP Who Are Really Great, editor Lochside.
You can even have your own dilettante prick spotting section:D
Alex Salmond went fishing for fools and they all took the bait. 🙂
Self-reset.
Ahm comin’ HOME.
X.
Scotland needs her own status.
Let’s be aye!
Diggity.
Neo-liberalism is, crudely put, a simple update of 18th century liberal political philosophy. As an ideology, it constitutes an authoritarian, economistic transformation of human liberty, to one that is removed of all agency other than economic. It privileges wealth and demands/produces social inequality.
Or to put it another way, an updated and weaponised version of old-skool, colonial, structural violence.
http://ndpr.nd.edu/news/foucault-politics-and-violence/
https://faculty.isi.org/blog/post/view/id/648/
https://www.oecd.org/mena/governance/35521740.pdf
Morning excellent buddy CameronB.. we good.
Cameron, I believe ‘previous no voters’ do not have an emotional love of or for Scotland.
Could you help to explain the emotional love..?
In bold is the key word.
Yet to watch the video.
Believe in goodness.
What’s ur number?
Cactus
Morning mate. Not sure about that but let me have a look.
They’re whining like air raid sirens because the Scots are speaking without them having the power to stop us
Maybe they’ll ask president Rajoy to arrest us all, they seem to like that in good old morally bankrupt England,
How loudly they squeal when they’re shown up for what they are
No UK government controlled media would buy Alex Salmonds show because they’re too afraid of government retribution, plus they demand editorial control which Alex Salmond wasn’t going to give them
RT simply bought the former FMs show in it’s complete and unedited form and they never asked for editorial control nor did they insist on control of content for the show
So the shouty English hypocrites are only angry because they couldn’t stop him speaking his mind, oh and as Alex says
Thanks for the publicity, and it’s a YES from me and good luck with the show boss and thanks to the new boss Nicola Sturgeon for her and Alex’s crafty wind up of the British Nationalist lying media who were too stupid to see they were set up by better minds than theirs
Lurking British Nationalists, do your homework and maybe you’ll learn something instead of what the BBC and the Daily Mail tell you to dribble out of your mouths
Emotional LOVE should be there somewhere hopefullies, mibbies ah made it up, it should exist, who knows…
That was an excellent Saturday night at Jolly’s dude!
Ahm just like Alex Clark.. yet to come down…
B still… why go down when you can go up 😉
All we need is each other, that’s the ONLY game in town.
Scotland.
Hey to you Dr Jim! 🙂
Cactus
Here’s a quick selection but that’s a huge question mate. It really needs a team of professionals analysts with up-to-date insight.
However, Marxist and neo-liberal outlooks tend to be a tad mechanistic and materialistic in nature.
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/emotions-17th18th/#PhiIssTheEmo
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228091197_Theory_of_Attachment_and_Place_Attachment
http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674503809&content=reviews
“Come along Scotland’s next referendum of our own choice…”
Ye beginnin’ tae see what we’re saying.
Hello 21st Century iScotland!
How do?
Ahm going for it, cheers for the truth on off-topic William Wallace.
Scotland X.
Hell yeah CameronB Brodie! ~
To learn, that’s the…
Soon bro 🙂
Mon then…
Cheers Chris Cairns for Cairnstoon, excellent as always. Yes bar.
See how there was “The Priti Boys”
Whom are ‘The Cheeky Girls?’
Ruth & Theresa May.
Watch RT News.
Go Alex!
Le soir.
9pm.
Mon pardon.
The “Alex Salmond Show”, goes and shows and starts tomorrow.
Not wiki-wiki wednesday one five..
See ye there.
Thoisday.
R’morra.
9pm.
Ride on ye Wingers yeah!
Right here, right now.
2017.
Be.
PLAY A GAME OF YOUR CHOICE…
It’s 5.
Excellent for an encore.
Caledonia be SO cool.
No less no more.
Scotland X.
This is Def Leppard and ahm always Excitable:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-4MSiPdkQ8
Just like you.
@Mr Snow ~ you douche. seasons greetings, not.
Channel 4 sucks.
RTYes soon.
Emotional love of and for Scotland.
Cheers.
Well done Alex Salmond, Jon Snow was very aggressive but to no avail. Look forward to Alex’s show on RT tomorrow.
Alec Rowley has stood down as Deputy Leader, looks like more fun from the abstention party
Alex Rowley….steps down!
History repeating its self.
@Old Pete
Mr Snow appeared pretty uninformed on a number of issues, not least the fact that there is no Scottish broadcaster or broadcasting service. As for Mr Salmond being held in some respect past tense?
Over several decades I haven’t noticed any respect given to Mr Salmond as an individual, a party leader or First Minister by any of his political opponents and most certainly not the mainstream media. Basically, they kept that quiet. His opponents and said media spent most of that time attempting to destroy the man’s career, his reputation and smear his name.
As I’ve said previously, they got their wish at the last GE and now he’s a private individual. (shrugs)
He owes his opponents from his old profession nothing and most certainly a media which has been nigh-on universally antagonistic toward him zero explanation. No broadcaster across the planet is exactly my cuppa char. You couldn’t put a fag paper between them so far as I’m concerned. Politics or corporate interest. Or politics AND corporate interests. The basis for most media motivation. That aside, as a private individual with his skill set, he’s perfectly entitled to make the best of that skill set however he chooses. (shrugs again)
£49Billion in interest charges on the rest of the UK debt. They do not even raise enough to pay their bills. Scotland has to pay in average £4Billion on loan repayments in money not borrowed or spent in Scotland,
The Tories have been illegally taxing the Scottish Oil & Gas sector at 40%, since Jan 2016. Ruined the Scottish Oil & Gas sector. Stopping more exploration and production since 2010. Taxing it at 62% when the price had fallen 75%. Losing 120,000 jobs in Scotland and £Billions. Spending £Billions importing fracked Gas from the US and Gas from Norway. Putting up the balance of payments deficit and the debt. Without enough credible, feasible alternatives yet.
The Scottish Gov could start buying back Oil/Gas assets when they come in to the market. Scotland having to buy back it’s own assets because of Westminster mismanagement. Just as the SNP Scottish Gov is setting up an energy company which will provide cheaper fuel and energy.
The Scottish Oil & Gas sector is taxed at 40% by Westminster. Fracked Gas in the rest of the UK pays no tax. It is tax free.. No corporation tax? Etc. Higher Oil prices do not help anyone. It puts up the price of goods and services throughout the world. . There are cheaper alternatives being developed and introduced. Renewables etc, Westminster Tories banned wind turbines and cut investment in solar. They are spending £Billions more on nuclear which will always be subsidised and dangerous. Nuclear waste is being flown around the world. It was dumped in Scotland without permission. Trident is still there for now. Gone with Brexit.
Scotland pays more for fuel and energy because it is colder. Despite being 25% in surplus and nearer the source. A tax on the whole Scottish economy. Unit price should be 10% less in Scotland for parity
Scotland loses £1Billion a year on Trident. £1Billion on no minimum pricing. To improve Scotland’s health. A decision will come any time soon. It has been held up by the Whisky Association. Some Whisky companies make vast profits and tax evade. Nothing to do with the EU who agree matters to improve health are matters for the Gov and legal system of the member State. Other countries have improved health with restrictions on cheap alcohol and improved diet. Finland etc had a poor health record. Improved diet now the best in the world. With improved health outcomes.
Scotland has lost £Billions in illegal wars, tax evasion and financial fraud under Westminster governance. Thatcher illegally and secretly took the equivalent of £Billions out of Scotland. Off shored it and kept it secret under the Officials Secret Act left Scotland in poverty. Used it to build up London S/E. Canary Wharf and Tilbury Docks etc. Subsidising ‘loads of money’ Bankers. Destroying the banking sector and donating to the Tories. Labour/Unionists did the same, The McCrone Report. Manipulating Libor rates. Set in London affecting rates around the world. Changing world banking Laws of 25% reserves. Leverage down to 13% The LibDems backed them up. The Condem alliance caused Brexit. Clegg got voted out.
Unionist politicians who opposed Scottish Independence last about two years. The poison chalice. Now Brexit that will further damage the Scottish economy. The Tories must be gone soon. Independence can’t come soon enough. To save the world economy and make Scotland a better, more equal prosperous society. Without decisions thrust upon by politicians not voted for in Scotland.
The Tories are spending £Billions on grotesque projects of no value. Hinkley Point. HS2, Heathrow and Trident. All disasters waiting to happen. Spending £30Billion+ a year. Just a waste of public money. There are cheaper, safer more credible alternatives. Half the cost. The Tories and their associates are embezzling public funds and lining their pockets. Tax evading.
The Tories have cut £Billions from essential services. Education, NHS and welfare. £13Billion a year. They are starving vulnerable people and have caused the worst migration crisis in Europe since 11WW. If Scotland was Independent with better policies. Increasing prosperity and expanding growth in the economy. Scotland would be bettter off. So would the rest of the UK. The useless Labour abstainers. They could bring May down but collude with the Tories. What a shower of misfits. Totally out of touch. A bunch of scheming greedy liars. Starving vulnerable people.
Jon Snow great grandfather Lloyd George who partitioned Ireland and agree to the Balfour Agreement between Balfour and Lord Rothschild. A Jewish State on Arab lands, Apartheid State. US/UK supporting absolute despot monarchies and apartheid States. These policies would not be accepted in the YS or UK. Total hypocrites. Nepotism and elitism in the British broadcasting service, Dan Snow married to the sister of the richest man in Britain. Westminster Major tax evaders. What a shower.
Alex Salmond to broadcast around the world. Beating them at their own propaganda game. Putting Scotland even more on the map. They don’t like that.
Russia won’t let them in to squander all their assets. So they apply illegal sanctions. Merkel refused Ukraine a loan. A President who stole the country’s assets was installed. £Billiions. The US gave a loan which then paid for Russian supplies of gas for the Ukraine economy. Russia supplies Germany and the whole of Europe with gas. A pipeline was built under the Baltic Sea.
Agree with a lot of the above. Used to have a lot of respect for Snow (C4 used to be my go to for TV news which I saw as more reliable than BBC and most other TV news) but with age he seems to be losing it a bit – as is the case with C4 these days. Still a bit better than BBC/ITV/Sky though that’s faint praise these days.
Though I’d just post this
http://www.thenational.scot/news/15661041.Last_minute_retraction_of_report_claiming_500_000_Scots_have_bigger_tax_bills/
Meg merrilees says:
15 November, 2017 at 12:21 am
“”…On an even sadder note, why did Labour fail to vote tonight on any of the amendments resulting from the Great Withdrawal Bill debate in WM tonight???””
Labour abstained because they agree with everything that the Tories are doing with regards to this bill but do not want to actually vote with the Tories. Labour think that abstaining gets them off the hook but abstaining is just another way of supporting the Tories. But Labour is too dim to see that. Unfortunately so are a lot of other people many of whom may vote for Labour.
‘Labour abstained because they agree with everything that the Tories are doing with regards to this bill but do not want to actually vote with the Tories. Labour think that abstaining gets them off the hook but abstaining is just another way of supporting the Tories. But Labour is too dim to see that. Unfortunately so are a lot of other people many of whom may vote for Labour.’
Excellent.
Thx to those above who posterd the link to the Jon Snow harangue of Alex Salmond. I thought Alex did very well to get through the constant interruptions. I noticed a backdrop of Mr Putin smiling benignly down at Alex – surely not a deliberate attempt at a subliminal message?
Unfortunately it crashed just near the end as my browser doesn’t support some of the features in the broadcast. I wonder which ones.
Well done Alex, our expert in filleting the supercilious British media and exposing their rank hypocrisy.
louis.b.argyll says:
14 November, 2017 at 10:53 pm
It was LAZY INEPTITUDE from COUNCILLORS AND OFFICIALS that got us into massive debt.
I don’t disagree at all, but I would add there was also a great deal of complacency about Council ineptitude’s and corruption, and that unholy trinity of ineptitude, corruption, and complacency is still alive and well in many of Scotland’s Councils today.
If you are stupid enough to contest it and rattle a cage or two, I promise you that you will find no purchase or support whatsoever. Local government in Scotland is a grubby embarrassment, and certainly in my locality, has a major detrimental effect upon commercial competition and prosperity. Nobody cares though. It’s “aye been”. And that’s bollocks for a start.
PFI was criminal, but underlines a bigger problem, summed up in the expression, “all that is required for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing”.
When I look around Scotland, there are many things I see that raise my spirits and encourage faith in my fellow Scots. I would use the word “pride”, but the word seems fickle these days, purloined by Unionists, so let them keep it. I’ll find another word. We have good people, with stoic tolerance for hardships they don’t deserve, and a great many people with a good heart. But everywhere I go in Scotland I also see under performance and under achievement. Villages and wee towns are often stagnant and sterile, when they could really be buzzing with activity and social vitality. We judge life by the money in our pocket, and seem blind to other riches, growth and nourishment for the soul.
Even when Scotland’s industry was thriving, it was a very narrow prosperity if you know what I mean. People had more money in their pockets, but once the money was gone, there wasn’t much legacy left behind. Economic prosperity is all about the money, and the prevalence of that attitude is what “primed” us all to accept NeoLiberal principles, and see it as inevitable that our culture, crafts, skills and expertise across an infinite spectrum of activities was doomed to obsolescence because modern method could and would do it all quicker, cheaper, and better.
I’m not saying Scotland should emulate France with outdoor street cafés where grandkids play boules with their grandfathers, – it’s too bloody cold and wet usually, but there is a cultural deadness about Scotland. Take away the money, take away the drink, take away smoking, and so many Scots don’t really know what to do with ourselves. Life is too much of a trial for far too many of us, and it just does not have to be this way.
Our Councils are rotten, peppered with rogues, and bloated with indifferent mediocrity. Honesty? Don’t make me laugh. What chance has any greater politics when it has to survive trial by local government cesspit just get established? Our law courts aren’t much better.
Scotland is door and lifeless like a blinkered pit pony, and Scottish Independence will set it free to see the sky and colourful landscape above ground for the very first time. But it’s gonna be a culture shock, and it will take a while to get our heads round it.
I want to see a Scotland where a lying rogue like Carmichael wouldn’t have the nerve to show his face. Where a crook is shunned for actually being a crook.
After Independence, I would like to see all manner of things happening; maybe Gaels from the Hebrides coming to the Borders to teach lowlanders the Gaelic, and how to sing with Gaelic choirs. Maybe in return, the Gaels are shown what it’s like to gallop across the hills with 200 other horsemen. Maybe our inner city folks spending time in Scotland’s wilderness, perhaps even with community events and workshops to reestablish Scotland’s Great Caledonian Pine Forest. Maybe local communities can work with the Edinburgh Festival and have inter-regional Scottish events and fun competitions, Mods, singing, art and poetry, crafts… I say the word competition, but I don’t mean it in a competitive sense, but just that people want to do it for the joy of it.
Maybe we should look at why we don’t use our outdoors. We all enjoy our Victorian parks and public spaces. Why don’t we stop and rethink the plan? Maybe Scotland can blaze a new trail in covered open spaces where it is possible to sit outside and have a blether with your neighbours? Paris has all those tremendous Guimard Metro stations, what if Scotland developed a genre of its own outdoor covered spaces for general purpose use? Let bands play, traders trade, make the place a stimulating refuge from the rain…. I don’t mean Victorian band stands, but modern, maybe canopied structures more like the Dynamic Earth centre, but smaller scale of course. Places with toilets, decent WiFi, friendly and welcoming ambiance… a seat out of the rain.
Oh shite. We’d need planning permission, getting the right palms greased and egos flattered, and the usual rogues getting rich building it… As you were everybody. The parasites are still in control…
Just a thought. How can MPs who wish to retain the status quo with the EU be termed ‘the rebels’?
Surely the rebels would the ones trying overturn the accepted order and herald in chaos?
In other words, a rebel faction of Brexiteers has grabbed power.
BREAKING from Pravda Quay
with Jackie Kim Ono
https://imgur.com/a/W9hXH
louis.b.argyll: “Nuclear war is like David and Goliath without the twist.”
😛
Thanks for the various links to Saint Jon’s performance: he was obviously being told by The Fat Controller at the other end of his ear-piece to shut Alex up. Thought AS was excellent, when I would have just brought out the old banjo. No temperament, me.
Quite an eye-opener for anyone who thought C4 is any different from the BBC and ITV. I happened to see Matt Frei’s interview and report on Catalonia a few weeks ago and it was worthy of the State Propagandist itself.
MSM getting increasingly desperate, and it shows more and more.
Which is nice.
@Capella
Of course it is a subliminal message, the Newsnight intro into their Russian interference story (funny how many channels are suddenly onto this, May even made a comment) used pictures of a Yes gathering.
The story is now changing, Salmond is giving legitimacy to RT, hence Russia, by hosting a show, whereas all the other MP’s were merely being interviewed to give the UK point of view. Snow decided to ignore the Salmond point that a current leader of UK party had a one hour show earlier this year, it didn’t fit the Snow & UK media agenda.
@Chick McGregor says: 14 November, 2017 at 11:44 pm:
“However we should not accept the blatant hypocrisy, the faux outrage, of other politicians when they or some of their own party colleagues have also appeared on Question Time.”
Perhaps not, Chick but to me the highlight of the Salmond interview was that after Snow’s totally unacceptable bully boy tactics had failed to cow Alex Salmond, (who, wisely, let Snow attempt to interrupt, bluster and bully his way through the entire openly hostile process), saw Snow reduced to accusing Alex of attempting to be the presenter.
Now correct me if I’m wrong but was that not an admission that he, (Snow), had failed to bully Salmond into submission?
The entire, laughingly claimed, “interview”, was one of the very best examples of how not to conduct an interview and only total morons could fail to see that was so.
When the so called interviewer resorts to asking questions but fails to allow the guest to answer without interruption it indicates the interviewer has *failed* to interview the guest.
An interview is supposed to be a conversation to examine the guest’s views. If the interviewer prevents guest answering the audience is getting the interviewer’s opinions. That is not the object of interviewing a guest.
It is just a further example of how the media are now failing to be of any relevance to the public. We now have supposed reporters who, instead of reporting the news attempt, and fail, to make the news.
We now have interviewers who instead of interviewing a guest attempt, and fail, to browbeat the interviewee that the audience were expecting to hear express their views.
What we actually get is an audience, who probably already know the interviewer’s views, failing to learn the guest’s views because the
guestvictim wasn’t allowed to express their views.What we got was Snow’s opinion of what Alex Salmond’s show would be and no information whatsoever of what the show would be about. So really the result was we, the audience, got to know John Snow’s extremely uninformed and biased opinion that it was all right for any unionist political figure to appear on RT but all wrong if the political figure was not a unionist.
That, sure as hell, was how I found the so called interview went.
Just watched that nonsense from John Snow – one cannot call that an interview merely a definite attempt at smearing.
Constant interruption doth not an interview make – time to learn from the Dutch fellow who interviewed the arrogant Mr Paxman.
Now THAT was an interview!
Mr Snow I gave up on Channel 4 news in 2014 and get my news from other sources , RT being one – I find them well informed and worldly wise.
Jeez, just watched the Snow/Salmond interview. Jon looks to be really kacking his pants for some reason.
Maybe he’s worried that his family barbecues with his little buddy Dan and Co in their 96000 acre Scottish garden will be under threat. Lol.
That John Snow interview with Alex Salmond last night was a hatchet job.
But then did we really expect anything else from Snow, he had no interest in whether Cameron had tried to persuade Putin to interfere in the Scottish independence referendum.
MUP!
Never mind the years lost as the SWA trawled the courts, let’s not forget the years lost to opposition and obfuscation before the majority government could vote it through. Remember the caffeine claims, amongst many others?
Five years late..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-41981909
“Supreme Court backs Scottish minimum alcohol pricing”
Minimum pricing is OK says UK court of appeal. 🙂
Five years late..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-41981909
“Supreme Court backs Scottish minimum alcohol pricing”
BREAKING: UK Supreme Court upholds minimum pricing for alcohol.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGJ_IyFwieY
Jackie’s in charge , who cares who the next Slab leader is lol.
Any idea if the SWA have to pay Scots Govt costs now that “Supreme Court backs Scottish minimum alcohol pricing”??
Great decision. Minimum pricing.
Council should be supporting total abstinence drink/drug proper counselling rehab. Cheaper than prison. To help get rid of drink/drug abuse and aid public health. Instead of squandering public money on grotesque projects of no value. No one wants. Spend money on health, education and essential services. That is allocated.
Tinto
For me, C4’s cover re the Scottish colony was already well and truly blown with Jon Snow’s missions North of’t Wall during indyref1.
Wuildnae suprise me if G. R. R. Martin didnae yaze some o Dan Snow’s histories for his fantasy piece.
RT press release about The Alex Samond Show ….
http://archive.is/wxvmO
At the IndyRef Jon Snow got it. One of the only one. Now seems to have changed his tune. To conform to the Establishment view. Got criticised at the Grenfell tower disaster. Booed and jeered. Admittted the MSM were an out of touch elite. Preston has admitted the same. Preston gives out all the leaks. No longer with the BBC. Still establishment controlled by Westminster Press Office. A few calls to the editors.
If you enjoyed watching Alex Salmond getting shat on by Channel 4 toryboys, later in the evening beeb r4 gimps farted Dougie Alexander into the ether, again, in a very odd display of loyal Scotch cringe, tory bleh etc. Fair enough BBC is just the torygraph on the airwaves, even so,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09dxz1b
Also this week, on the great Beeb r4 tory gimp network, more very rewarded loyalty to planet toryboy. Marvel at the gibberish from just this one loyal brit socialist worker, beloved and funded by likes of JK Trolling, on Glasgow poverty. Note how no jobs/slave wages is studiously dodged by just another of beeb r4’s tame Scottish pets,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09drjb7
“Anger pervades Darren McGarvey’s book, Poverty Safari, as he takes the reader on a journey into Britain’s deprived communities to give voice to people who feel misunderstood and unheard. He explores how stress pervades the streets where he was brought up,”
It not mass unemployment in this shithead union what does it to Glasgow, but stress.
Bob and Dorothy
I’m sure he was but I do hope Alex was joking when he said he was learning interviewing technique from Jon Snow.
He would be far better following the technique of RT interviewers.
Sophie Shevardnadze is a case in point. She is lethal.
She allows the interviewee to fully make their point but if they are talking nonsense then her next calmly delivered question makes that clear to the viewer and usually to the interviewee as well their consequential squirming a source of great amusement to the viewer.
And, when all is said and done, Peter Lavelle does pretty much the same on Cross Talk.
pbs.twimg.com/media/DOn5hmMXUAUvNWK.jpg
Abstentions are Labours stock & trade .
Here’s RT’s UK website link:-
https://www.rt.com/uk/
O/T.
I bet some stupid twat at PMQs today will raise Alex Salmond RT program,my favourite would be Jamie Stone he who has made a lot of money from public office.
Walked passed news agents. The i paper front page says Downing street wants oor Eck to stop his RT programme. Whit are they feart o?
Whit are they feart o?
Its just “look a squirrel” stuff from planet toryboy media creeps. Scots like Salmond are excellent whipping boys for assorted English newsrooms, working on decades of BBC anti SNP smear campaigning down there.
Its just one of the myriad reasons England really weally wuvs us:D
Lol, would be great if Alex could on his first show reveal something dodgy about the UK. That would really put the Yoons into meltdown mode.
Tesco style bottled piss/hooch wont be cheaper than water in the Scotland region now, meanwhile in toryboy teamGB, City slickers get to keep their EU passports.
http://www.ft.com
Davis promises City of London special post-Brexit travel regime
Government seeks to reassure bankers and other professionals with free movement
Bankers and other professionals have been promised a special post-Brexit travel regime to allow them to move freely across Europe, as the British government sought to reassure the City of London its future was safe.
David Davis, Brexit secretary, told about 700 investors, financiers and regulators on Tuesday that Britain would also seek to reach an agreement in principle with the EU on a transition deal lasting “around two years” by January 2018 at the latest.”
On the bus to work of a morn here in Glesga, a bloke sucks on a half of bottle of buckie, at 7.50am, as I listen to beeb r4’s gimpy Thought for the day, in the grand old teamGB of tory rule, on my noise cancelling headphones. Wish they were toryboy noise cancelling:D
galamcennalath says:
15 November, 2017 at 10:44 am
RT press release about The Alex Samond Show ….
http://archive.is/wxvmO
The article says Salmond is on at 7-30am, 6-30pm and 11-30pm?
I thought it was to be 9pm – anyone know for sure?
heed tracker
I would think city types response to Davis promising they would get free travel would be “Yeah right”.
When I looked yesterday, the film had had about 400 views. When I checked a few minutes ago, it was over 4,300.
Brian Powell says:
15 November, 2017 at 11:50 am
heed tracker
City slickers get anything they want. There’s quite a lot retired to second home Royal Deeside and they are extremely er, forthright in what they want to happen. And it always does too. Money talks in teamGB.
O/T
I sent a couple of requests about the too many trails on the K with an e show.
I think they have increased them since then!
Why the repetitive trails to the same captive audience?
GMS: John Beattie etc. Wearying.
LOLZ on Darren McGarvey’s book. Labour in control of Scotland 70years, industry destroyed, resources plundered, whole communities abandoned. No need for him to tell us.
However he is anti-SNP therefore will be on every MSM programme, and got some funding from JK Rowlers, so multiple orgasms in the studios of BBC and in ‘Scottish’ newspapers.
Brian Powell
He’s the kind of Scottish hero the tories love, never done a day’s work in his life, welcome to the world of the great Scotch cringer.
Because he got out of the underground on Byres road, looked at everyone around him and thought hey, I must get myself on a course, get trained up, get a job, earn some money, pay my way? nah, he decided it was all stress, had a drink and then battered some c_nt.
So as one of JK Trolling’s loyal pets wandered up and down Byres Road suffering from stress, trying to flog a crappy book also,
Theresa May?Verified account
@theresa_may
19h19 hours ago
The UK and Scotland must continue to work together to ensure businesses and consumers have the certainty they need as we leave the EU:
Yoons raging at ScotGov winning Supreme Court case on minimum alcohol pricing. Why? Is it because they realise when we all sober up, we’ll see the fecking mess they’ve made of Scotland over the last 300 years and demand change?
A starnge lot for sure – raging that the NHS is in crisis and slamming a victory by the ScotGov that could, in time, help relieve some of the pressure on the NHS.
Clueless bampots.
heedtracker says:
15 November, 2017 at 11:33 am
Davis promises City of London special post-Brexit travel regime
Government seeks to reassure bankers and other professionals with free movement
Sounds great, except like all the soft Brexit options, it lies beyond the UK’s capacity to deliver.
Europe isn’t going to compromise. Their four freedoms are indivisible, and it’s all or nothing. If the UK is unhappy about it, the UK should have thought about it before deciding to leave. It isn’t exactly complicated, but yet it still seems beyond Westminster’s capacity to grasp.
“No cherry picking”.
“What about a deal on air traffic?”
“No cherry picking”.
“What about a customs deal?”
“No cherry picking”.
“What about bank passporting Deal?”
“No cherry picking”.
“What about a deal on cars? Look! Audi! BMW! Mercedes! Renault! Peugeot!”.
“No cherry picking”.
“What about Fishing?”
“No cherry picking”.
“What about a deal for the City of London?”
“….sigh”.
“AHA! Is that sigh a sigh of EU flexibility?”
@Chick McGregor says: 15 November, 2017 at 11:03 am:
“I’m sure he was but I do hope Alex was joking when he said he was learning interviewing technique from Jon Snow.”
No. Chick, Alex was not joking. He just didn’t say he was learning which techniques to avoid using.
As I pointed out in other comments Snow does not have an interviewing technique.
An interview is a means to encourage the interviewee to state, and thus learn, what their points of view are. You cannot do that if you ask a question only to immediately interrupt the
interviewee’svictims answers by interjecting what is essentially only your own points of view.When you do this there is no interview. It has then become not only a personal argument but is usually quite a nasty verbal assault upon the subject who has now become a victim of your bullying and bad manners.
These victims are, after all, described by the interviewer as their, “guests”. An invited guest deserves to be treated with your respect.
Let me put it this way, if you ran a Guest House in, for example, Blackpool you would get very few word of mouth recommendations and no repeat bookings by you treated your paying guests with such bad manners.
You site the techniques of RT interviewers who actually do treat their guests with whatever respect they deserve. Thus, if such guests find themselves being contradicted it will, of necessity, be for views the guest was allowed to actually express and not just because the interviewer holds alternative views or is pushing the views of their employer.
@Dan Huil says: 15 November, 2017 at 11:12 am:
“Walked passed news agents. The i paper front page says Downing street wants oor Eck to stop his RT programme. Whit are they feart o?”
Eh!
You mean you actually don’t know?
I hear that RT America is having to register as a foreign agent , so I have no doubt that puerile speech at the Lord mayors shindig was preparing the way for Treeza to copy the infantile action of the country which boasts Fox news as a harbinger of truth , integrity and Momma’s apple pie.
Having watched a section of the committee interviewing Twitter/ Google / Facebook and being totally horrified by the blatant ordure emanating from the ‘inquisitors’ , my sympathy for the citizens of the USA has increased one hundredfold.
I thought we had idiots in charge at Westminster but if these examples are anything to go by the USA is in deep shit.
Europe isn’t going to compromise. Their four freedoms are indivisible, and it’s all or nothing. If the UK is unhappy about it, the UK should have thought about it before deciding to leave. It isn’t exactly complicated, but yet it still seems beyond Westminster’s capacity to grasp.
They may, its unlikely but they might. There was a thing on beeb r4 10 pm news Monday maybe about how the crashed pound means Brits are already buying a lot less EU produce, obvs. And this is ofcourse having a huge economic impact on EU countries that export here, like the £800+ million a year Dutch flower producers export to the UK.
There is so much economic damage already because of Brexit and its not even really begun. Ideally EU or Brussels politicos might be thinking about soft Brexit deals or even be under pressure from member states that export to the UK.
And all because of planet toryboy power struggles. Thanks again proudScot buts.
Got round to watching the J. Snow interrogation of Alec Salmond. The BBC are the most politically twisted programme on the planet. I just dismiss any thing I hear on their news broadcasts with a mibby it wiz and mibby it wiznae attitude, Once you spot the first lie or half truth … you spot or distrust the rest.
sassenach says:
Just checked RT schedule on satellite (Freesat, non Sky), nothing showing for tomorrow.
I don’t receive ‘big city’ terrestrial Freeview. No RT. Anyone else who can check this?
Online…
https://www.rt.com/schedule/uk/
… Only seems to show today. I will be checking this page first thing tomorrow. Perhaps then it might show.
The moral seems to be, RT are pretty crap about distributing their coming schedules!
I’m sure you are right Robert, Alex knows what’s what.
Far more effective to let the interviewee make their point fully, then ask another question which exposes the last answer.
TBF to the MSM in the UK, that trick is a hard one to pull off when the interviewee actually makes sense and the interviewers take on things does not.
And given that that is the scenario they are faced with, perhaps trashing the chess board is their best available option.
REUTERS.
Today.
Alcohol minimum pricing.
HEADER:
“Scotland becomes minimum alcohol price trailblazer in bid to boost public health”. 🙂
“Trailblazer”! State Television won’t like that at all or the sheets of paper that pass as newspapers in Scotland.
Breeks says:
Exactly! The Tories divide into three camps. Some see the reality, a lot don’t seem to.
I) a few who are willing to stand up and say they don’t want Brexit
2) the Cherry Pickers who fantasise about having all the yummy bits and leaving the stuff they don’t want, like spoilt kids.
3) the Jumpers who want to go off the cliff and dream of landing safely in a wondrous über neo liberal utopia.
The Jumpers, IMO, are in control backed by the loony right media. They want the ‘no’ single market at all option. They won’t allow serious negotiation but will try to blame the EU.
The Cherry Pickers won’t accept that a bespoke trade deal will take 5-7 years and has to acceptable to all EU27. No transition will not be long enough to allow these talks, so the whole plan is flawed.
The Jumpers might accept a transition period to appease business.
Sane Brexiteers would opt of a Norway solution. This is the ‘all’ single market option. It seems doubtful that amount of sanity exists in the Tory party.
… and that is exactly how we got into this mess. Cameron allowed an undocumented, unplanned, un-everything, option on the ballot. Leave meant what each individual thought it meant and that situation what gross negligence.
Of course if the reality had been spelt out, Leave wouldn’t have won!
Off topic but topical:
Is there anyone in the Labour Party in Scotland who hasn’t been leader?
“Trailblazer”! State Television won’t like that at all or the sheets of paper that pass as newspapers in Scotland.
Piss artist Scotland culture has been changing for years, its just not reported by assorted UKOK hackdom. Pub’s are closing down, massed piss artist get togethers are a thing of the past, nearly. The stinking drunk staggering about our streets is slowly but surely fading away.
And its not good, for your average toryboy ligger, because Scots are heavy drinkers right? Its our thing, getting hammered. Unlike England, who drink responsibly.
Banning fags in pubs has certainly changed piss artistry in the Scotland region.
I understand that RT broadcasts different content to different countries.
Does any body know which countries will be receiving Eck’s program?
Re RT schedule probably need to check this page tomorrow morning.
https://www.rt.com/schedule/uk/
re alex and RT
it is nothing more than a warning to anyone who thinks about appearing as one of alex’s guests
o/t – a wee bit on Ecks Third degree and for the want of a better word Let’s call it an interview ,
A bit confused with Jon Snow and channel 4 in this interview he seems to be facing both ways here, he knows without a doubt all our media project the views of the government of the day if they didn’t they would be jumped on from a great height,
He knows the BBC are the propaganda arm of Downing Street, and yet his efforts to demonise RT who are more than happy to promote anything John Pillger presents, when was the last time he appeared on the BBC , answer he doesn’t he is to hot to handle , he is too embarrassing to the British establishment ,
The only thing I can imagine is it’s either a commercial decision when RT are viewed as a rival and channel 4 missed the boat by either not making the effort to bid for Alex’s show , or possibly the more likely one pressure, pressure brought to bare from well connected outside influences .
This lot will and have went to any lengths to shut us up , just wait till the usual suspects start making it very awkward for RT & Sputnik to operate in this country, RT have previously been denied banking services, I believe the reason given was technical glitches, Aye ok we believe you .
Given the hysteria about Alex Salmond on RT, it is easy to judge just how entrenched the UK establishment is about keeping control of the broadcast narrative. People like Alex Salmond can be given airtime, but only provided it’s in a bear pit, complete with hostile interviewer, am angry mob, or a rigged panel, or as often the case, all three at the same time. And Purdah rules are a joke for UK Broadcasters quite obviously…
Assuming Mr Salmond is still broadcasting further down the line, then Scotland might have at least one terrestrial TV channel putting Scotland’s case at the top of its agenda during the next referendum. And how bizarre, that a spokesman for Scottish Independence has to go to a Russian Channel just to air his beliefs.
Shame on you BBC, and STV, but very well played Alex Salmond.
OT… Also a bit curious….
Has RT played a bit of blinder itself to get access to UK Broadcasting? Sputnik too. What process did it go through? Could a European “Scotland friendly” channel ever hope to do likewise? Wings TV Europe? Got a bit of a ring to it… Fancy a job as a media mogul RevStu?
I am actually serious by the way. An Independent Scotland will be requiring an original independent broadcasting network, and I don’t want a minime BBC like Holyrood is to some extent a minime Westminster. I want a broadcaster with Scottish DNA.Thats not a blood and soil prerequisite, what I mean is a broadcaster Scotland can trust…
Dear Europe, would you like to find a TV station in “some” of the U.K.? If they can meet the criteria for a Broadcasting licence, like RT and Sputnik, then surely it could happen no?
A comedian once exclaimed ‘Let’s nuke Russia’ at a Conservative and Unionist party gathering, to histerical approbation apparently. Psychotic BritState seems to be gearing up to refresh the notion. London would sorely miss those high spending oligarchs.
Again on Eck – I think some bod has dropped an almighty clanger here, the torrent of abuse directed at him from the media has inadvertently had the polar effect from what it was designed to accomplish , instead of trying to make this go away these mugs have given his show unimaginable publicly, and by sheer coincidence Mrs Mayhem has added to this publicly,
Steps will be taken to neuter RT ,revocation of Licence is the preferred method of choice .
The State must control everything that’s broadcast, and above all Scottish independence must never be allowed to happen, they will do anything and I mean anything, Willie McRae being one example . The state are scared and like a cornered beast will resort to anything to survive .
A classic example of what a Brown envelope deal looks like.
If other investigation of this magnitude were conducted over every Labour council during the PFI PPP procurement period we would no doubt have seen many more examples.
The people of Scotland were badly ripped off by Labour during their tenure in charge. Allowing these crooks back in will result in Scotland being ripped off again.
Andy-B said at 1:55 pm:
“Re RT schedule probably need to check this page tomorrow morning.
https://www.rt.com/schedule/uk/ ”
The second showing is 6:30pm tea-time Thursday.
Same time as Reporting Scotland. 🙂
Decisions. Decisions.
Perhaps the journalist of the UK and USA should remind themselves of Pastor Niemoller ,
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
And then they came for free speech and freedom…..
North Korea is now capable of firing a big scabby Nukey bomb at Europe now and what’s the first words coming out of the chambers of the powers that be?
They could hit London!
Now given that Michael Fallon said very clearly that just by having Nuclear weapons North Korea made itself a target
Where are Britains Nuclear weapons based?
Oh it’s OK they’re in Scotland, Phew! That’ll give London some breathing space thank goodness
God save the Queen then
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
“But I’ll be a’right cus am a proddy and I obey my queen. Won’t I?”
Getting cynical in my old age but has The Scotch Whisky Association taken one for BritNat Team UKOK??
Today.
UK Supreme Court agrees with Scot Govt on alcohol minimum pricing
Tomorrow (or the near future)
UK Supreme Court agrees with Westminster Govt that Indy Ref 2 is Illegal (or something to that effect think Catalunya)
Howls of ‘Hypocrisy’ at SNP about only recognising ‘legitimacy’ of UK Supreme Court when they agree with its rulings.
SWA know a Tory First Minister will revoke Alcohol MUP if one ever gets in anyway.
This so called supreme court has no place in Scottish Law and the Quicker we see the back of it the better.
@Chic 11.03: I still watch RT on-line and I agree with you about Sophie Shevardadze and her style.
At first I thought she looked terminally bored and impassive and barely interested in what the politician was saying and then she would skewer him with a very polite but clever question which often caught him out: SSCMonkee.
The groovy guy with the shiny shoes on Going Underground asks questions and then actually listens politely to the answer before teasing out anything of interest to him. Lavelle on Crosstalk is more combative and deliberately controversial but gives his three talking heads plenty of time to develop their responses.
This kind of professional journalism really has to stop, surely (and indeed has stopped in the MSM)?
HTS I don’t watch Sputnik because I find Gorgeous George a Grade A plank and hypocrite out of the Brian Wilson stable.
“Freedom and Democracy for the long-suffering Peoples of The World!” (not for viewers in Scotland).
Neo-liberalism has managed to colonise just about every aspect of contemporary public life. Some aspects of neo-liberalism are positive, the vast majority are harmful to social well-being. It’s effects on educational theory and practice are probably the most worrying.
The negatives can be addressed but it will require political will.
https://ir.canterbury.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10092/4719/12623584_Neoliberalism%E2%80%99s%20Fate%20ANZCIES%20Paper.pdf;jsessionid=F60A1D473B06B8256C20BCC9446E0E47?sequence=1
Breeks @ 14:10:
Indeed. My reaction also.
I’m no fan of state broadcasters from countries where plurality of opinion is heavily suppressed, so I have mixed feelings myself. But having caught the end of Jon Snow’s little harangue yesterday, I was left with nothing but disgust at C4’s English liberal media hypocrisy.
Your question though about opportunities reminded me of some recent correspondence in The National about Radio Luxembourg. For you young things, it was an international broadcaster from the Principality that began transmitting English-language programmes with commercials on the medium-wave band back in the 1930s, which it could legitimately do as a country with an internationally-agreed broadcast frequency allocation. The station rose to prominence in the late 50s and early 60s with evening programmes playing the pop music of the day that the ultra-stuffy BBC of the time largely ignored. It was later itself eclipsed by the offshore pirate senders, but that’s another big story all of its own. =grin=
Anyway, RTL (as it now is) has a commercial French-language TV channel, and most Belgian and Dutch TV channels are privately-operated these days as well (and mostly dross!), the consequence of a big switchover to cable some considerable time ago. But with the advent of cable, I’m not even sure there is any longer a need for some other country to host an indy-supporting English-language channel.
The real problem may lie elsewhere, most likely with funding. But if Alex Salmond can get someone interested in bankrolling a takeover of The Scotsman (a very interesting move in its own right), why not a Free Scotland Channel as well…?
Tinto
Yeah. She’s like a cobra just biding her time to strike.
Lavelle does have to inject some angst these days because the neolibs have virtually stopped putting forward debaters, the fact they usually lost may have something to do with that.
Alex may find a similar dearth of yoons and neolibs for his show but I hope not.
A lot of the arguements against AS using RT for his show is that he “legitimizes RT”. RT is broadcast on Freeview & Freesat and pays these platforms for the privilege.
I have yet to see any condemnation of these private companies for “accepting the Russian rouble” or legitimizing RT.
Freeview and Freesat are of course part owned by the BBC.
Future generations educated under contemporary UKOK education policy, will struggle to rationalise their position in the world. Their lack of emancipation will be hidden to them, as they will lack the necessary epistemological tools to think outside the neo-liberal bubble.
Those whole fail to compete will most probably internalise their failure as a reflection of self-worth and will be unable to challenge the dominant social power structures that have caused their marginalisation. They will almost definitely experience poor health and be more prone to early death.
https://www.sussex.ac.uk/webteam/gateway/file.php?name=acme-radice.pdf&site=41
Scotland’s choices affect all peoples of the world. A nation of neo-liberal UKOK serfs will undermine global security.
http://profile.nus.edu.sg/fass/polhaque/ipsr-sd.pdf
Nicola talking to the World (except in UK)
at the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) New York,
https://unfccc.cloud.streamworld.de/upcoming
at 5 o,clock (17.00 hrs) High-level Closing of Global Climate Action.
@Robert Graham says: 15 November, 2017 at 2:00 pm:
” … He knows the BBC are the propaganda arm of Downing Street, and yet his efforts to demonise RT who are more than happy to promote anything John Pillger presents, when was the last time he appeared on the BBC , answer he doesn’t … “
By chance I had just read an RT article about the UK/British press, and the Daily Mail in particular, before returning to Wings and reading your post.
Here is a link to the article I had just read:-
https://www.rt.com/uk/409939-daily-mail-rtuk-kremlin/
I found it quite amusing – but then I do have a well developed SOH but often it proves a bit complex to some other folks.
Anyway, it made me laugh and it may amuse you too.
@Robert Graham
“Again on Eck – I think some bod has dropped an almighty clanger here, the torrent of abuse directed at him from the media has inadvertently had the polar effect from what it was designed to accomplish , instead of trying to make this go away these mugs have given his show unimaginable publicly, and by sheer coincidence Mrs Mayhem has added to this publicly,”
Indeed. The smart thing to have done would have been to ridicule it for 30 secs and move on.
It has really taken me by surpirise, the ‘journalist’ reaction – esp Mr Leask.
It is strange. I have been watching RT for sometime- especially programmes which focus on economics. The narrator be is anti-neoliberalism, not anti-uk. the irony is here that a rejection of neoliberal economics in the U.K. Would actually improve the lives of everyone and if anything make it more cohesive.
Let’s face it, the Leasks of this world are the useful idiots- to the financial neoliberal elites who control the media and ultimately the United Kingdom.
Alex on RT.now on the listings
This is why I think Tory Fan-boy, David Torrance, is a total arse-wipe.
https://anthrobiopolitics.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/biopolitics-an-overview/
@ScottieDog
Leask is being a bit precious, Iain McWhirter was far more on the ball about journalists and journalism, quite encouraging.
I was a cold war follower, and you could get a reasonable idea of what was going on from the BBC itself. It was a curious mix in those days of the straight western propoganda channeling through news and current affairs programs, while other programs and documentaries put the other side of the picture. There was no RT, had there been I’d have watched it to get the other side, and then weighed up what was in common, and where differences lay. As it was I was enough interested I was able to get that from all sources, or at least I thought so.
But it is a certainty that the BBC was heavily biased in favour of the West who could do no wrong, and nothing’s changed there. In fact as far as propoganda is concerned, the BBC started probably soon after or even when it started broadcasting, and never stopped. Wartime it was propaganda, morale boost, secret messages to underground groups, as indeed it should have been. It was doing its bit for Britain at war. But it never stopped, even after the war.
So RT is the same, so what? The answer is to educate people from a young age into looking through propaganda, not swallowing it wholesale.
Alex on RT. On the listings now 18.30
Apologies if this *breaking news* has already been posted. 😉
Scotland has been confirmed as a FREE and INDEPENDENT country. This incredible news has been announced by none other than the GREATEST Prime Minister in British history … EVER! 😀
https://twitter.com/theresa_may/status/930490619855859712
I can only assume that all that is left to be done now is for the various Tory government departments to complete negotiations with the Scottish government.
Who would have thought that regaining our country’s independence would so easy as this?
Why didn’t Alex try this approach in 2014? 😀
Arbroath 1320 …
WELL SPOTTED! Get out of that one now Theresa!!!
—-
Re Alex on RT
I read that Bercow has pulled out after agreeing to be on the show following his interview in the E Festival. Apparently it’s because he didn’t realise it would be on RT.
Also, Nicola has said no Scottish Misiters will be allowed to be on the showw.
Other countries increase the price of alcohol and restrict it’s sales etc. In the US 21 is the drinking/driving age. Norway/Scandinavian countries have a higher price and restrict sales for health reasons. Continentals drink alcohol with a meal. Not to binge drink.
Alex Rowley suspended now.
The ‘London’ Supreme Court has to agree with Scottish Law or break the terms of the Act of Union. Scotland has a separate legal forever. It means people in Scotland can be denied appeal to the ECHR if denied by the Scottish courts. Denied their rights as EU citizens.
MSM getting a former alcoholic to condemn ‘minimum pricing’. Do they never learn.
@Arbroath1320
Wicked. Theresa May on Twitter:
“The UK and Scotland must continue to work together to ensure businesses and consumers have the certainty they need as we leave the EU”
Yay! She’s my hero 🙂
Snow now joins Nik Robinson and the others in my avoid list. That wasn’t an interview: it came over as a failed attempt at a hatchet job.
And back to the PPI film, with so much work already done, perhaps this example may serve as a test case.
@Meg merrilees
I think Sturgeon said something like “currently”.
If the BBC don’t want AS on RT then all they have to do is offer a nice contract to Alex ……. a bit like bake off but in reverse. I mean they have enough money to pay celebs £100000’s as they see fit.
They won’t of course.
Ot
Smiled that Labour Rowley issue is announced on the day of the min price issue in an attempt to hide their woes. What a bunch.
O/T .
Whats the big hoo haw about Alex Rowley being suspended , the focus should be on Slab for ignoring the allegations some 2 years ago .
Breeks says:
15 November, 2017 at 9:47 am
louis.b.argyll says:
14 November, 2017 at 10:53 pm
“Maybe we should look at why we don’t use our outdoors. We all enjoy our Victorian parks and public spaces. Why don’t we stop and rethink the plan? Maybe Scotland can blaze a new trail in covered open spaces where it is possible to sit outside and have a blether with your neighbours? Paris has all those tremendous Guimard Metro stations, what if Scotland developed a genre of its own outdoor covered spaces for general purpose use? Let bands play, traders trade, make the place a stimulating refuge from the rain…. I don’t mean Victorian band stands, but modern, maybe canopied structures more like the Dynamic Earth centre, but smaller scale of course. Places with toilets, decent WiFi, friendly and welcoming ambiance… a seat out of the rain.”
Sounds fantastic but if you want people to socialise and blether with their neighbours or anyone else then lose the WiFi in fact ban smartphones completely
BBC shortbread news, hinting that the chancellor might announce during his budget next week that the Scottish police force police Scotland will no longer pay VAT.
‘The UK and Scotland’. Did May really say that. What a fool. The UK is Scotland and England.
Scotland and England must work together with Scotland? Dumb or what? Trying to paper over the cracks. Scotland voted 63% to stay in the EU and could have another Referendum. They seem to be terrified by that. Can’t stand on their own. How long will May and this farce last. Hopefully not long.
Abulhaq 2.11
Lets Bomb Russia!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsokGIeQFFI
Totally off topic, but still relevant to Scotland’s plight. I was talking to someone about the UK Citizenship Test. I said it would be England biased.
Found a sample test online. First question ….
” What was the last battle between England and France?
The Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Hastings
Battle of Agincourt “
The obvious answer is Agincourt because it was the United Kingdom which fought the French at Waterloo and Trafalgar.
” A. Agincourt
Incorrect
In 1815, the French Wars ended with the defeat of the Emperor Napoleon by the Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo. “
Clearly, I’m not suitable material for English citizenship. Fair enough!
What about the 40% Oil & Gas tax since Jan 2016. Costing Scotland 120,000 jobs and £Billions. Fracked Gas in the rest of the UK is tax free. £4Billion on average Scotland pays on loans not borrowed or spent in Scotland. £3Billion in tax evasion. HMRC not fit for purpose. £1Billion on Trident illegally dumped on Scotland. Illegal cuts to the to the Scottish budget. 10% a year since 2010. Now £3Billion a year. Taxes raised in Scotland have gone up. Now £54Billion but the Budget has been cut.
Question 6 of the same test as above …
” What charity works to preserve important buildings, coastline and countryside in the UK?
Shelter
Age UK
Crisis
The National Trust “
No correct answer of course, because none do that for the UK.
Actually rather sad!
RT listings are saying Eck is on at 7:30am and 11:30pm tomorrow.
It will likely get shown later in the week too.
Andy-B re VAT.
It was so obvious at PMQs that (after years of SNP demanding this refund for Police & Fire) it will be given because she was ‘pressured’ by Roothie’s boys.
What a devious so-and-so that Maybot actually is! Get me out of this farce of a UK, ASAP.
OT why does the google link to Wings say ‘Wings over Scotland: Stooges to the Kremlin’? Just wondering.
Just checked RT’s page for tomorrow , Alec Salmond is on 6-30pm and 11-30 pm
mike cassidy
Inhouse BBC entertainment, showing an alarming sense of awareness. It’s not even funny. What a shower.
BBC XMAS TAPE, weather forecast.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4wQn8F-YDw
re Minimum Alcohol pricing – apologies for the long post.
I’m sure many of us know people whose lives are being destroyed by Alcohol and pray that they might change their ways – let’s hope this policy might just help.
If anyone dismisses it then please feel free to use any of the information below to try and convince people that it is being done to save the SNHS from excessive costs caused by the massive effects on health of too much alcohol.
Sadly, I have seen close up the damage that can be done by alcohol.
In 2011, I needed to have a liver transplant because I had advanced auto-immune hepatitis – this causes cirrhosis of the liver and is ultimately fatal without a transplant. It is genetic and is not caused by lifestyle.
I had absolutely NO symptoms prior to being diagnosed 5 years earlier, by which time, cirrhosis had already begun and I had developed varicose veins in my oesophagus which can burst at any time and you bleed to death.
I lived on the liver ward for 77 days pre-tranplant.
Life on the liver ward is horrendous!
As your liver begins to shrivel up many of it’s daily functions cease.
You have no energy because you cannot convert stored glucose into glycogen.
You bruise easily.
Your immune system begins to collapse.
Your red blood count crashes.
Your body starts to digest your muscles so your arms and legs look like little sticks. Digesting protein creates an increase in toxins within the body but your liver can no longer remove these waste products from your bloodstream so they continue to circulate around the body causing damage to the kidneys and especially to the brain which is quickly poisoned. People then start to hallucinate and have all sort of wild ideas.
One patient was convinced that the doctors were trying to kill her and shrieked loudly all night for the police to come and protect her. She made such a fuss that eventually her husband had to be called at 3 in the morning too come and sit with her. He had to come every night after that or she would shriek and scream and rip all the drips off her arm. Several times she tried to get up and leave.
Some nights I just took my pillow and blanket into the visitor’s waiting room and read a book.
Another patient was experiencing ‘cold turkey’ withdrawal symptoms and was very disruptive. It felt at times that I was in a ward for mentally ill people.
You hardly sleep at night when your liver is packing up so you are permanently tired.
A nurse told me that on the liver ward everyone is asleep by 8pm usually but by midnight they are awake again until about 4am. It’s always a really busy ward to have to work the night shift.
Your abdominal cavity begins to fill with liquid, ascites, because the liver/kidneys are unable to process things and quite quickly, you look like you are 9 months pregnant. You can’t breathe properly because you can’t actually exhale – there is no space for your diaphragm to relax down into; you can only move by waddling about and you can’t bend down to put on socks and shoes or pick something up and your centre of balance changes.
Once, after having 15 litres of fluid drained, I got up to go to the loo and promptly fell on the ground because my centre balance had changed, I was so much lighter and had moved too quickly – normal speed for most people but twice the speed a seriously ill liver patient can normally move at and so I overbalanced. The following morning my entire abdomen from side to side and ribs to pelvis had a bruise as black as an aubergine.
Doctors and nurses are very skilled at inserting a needle through the wall of your abdomen into the cavity and as a result, litres of fluid is drained from the body, allowing you to breathe properly again, but they can only do that if you are really bloated as they risk perforating the bladder otherwise.
The phlebotomist wakens you about 6.00 am every morning – assuming you have actually been able to sleep- to take a blood sample and you have a permanent canula in your arm ( which has to be changed every three days) to receive all the necessary fluid drips and medicines essential to keep your body hydrated and functioning.
By now your body doesn’t have very many red blood cells, so once they’ve done the blood test and removed the needle, it sometimes doesn’t stop bleeding for 5 or 10 minutes or more. Sometimes they can’t do it because you don’t have enough red blood cells to prevent a haemorrhage.
You get jaundice because your body cannot get rid of excess bilirubin – a blood waste product – so as well as turning yellow, high levels of this substance cause your body to itch all over and it is relentless. I used an entire bottle of calamine lotion in a couple of days for some short-lived relief
Your body doesn’t digest your food and it passes through the body in under 12 hours; as a result, they feed you through a tube up your nose and down into your stomach. I was on 6,000 calories every night as well as three big meals a day and was still losing weight.
An Asian woman on the ward, who had a 5 year old daughter, weighed under 6 stone and could not put on enough weight to have the transplant. She died.
Another patient from Barbuda, whose sister was a nurse in the hospital, was so skinny that she just looked like a head and shoulders in the blankets. She was permanently cold and her sister would climb into bed beside her to hold her and keep her warm. I heard the surgeon say to her ‘ Well, it’s Easter weekend – that means there are two Bank Holidays and lots of people will be driving. Maybe we’ll be lucky and get a liver for you” – (in other words – there might be a lot of accidents).
Your hands shake from the drugs, so much so that if the cup or mug is more than half full you’ll spill it everywhere; You can’t write; You have to make a will but your brain won’t work properly and you can’t make any decisions because that function is destroyed by all the toxins; You have endless scans, MRI’s, Ultrasound, computer tomography scans, x-rays, kidney function tests including swallowing radio-active liquid to show up certain functions, lung capacity tests.
Your immune system is compromised. I got home for a couple of days picked up an infection which caused my kidneys to pack up. I was in a coma in intensive care for the weekend and they had to try 17 antibiotics before they found one that would work.
Some of the patients I was with had disease and some of them were alcoholics in the later stages of alcohol-induced liver disease, but everyone had the same symptoms. I would not wish that on anyone.
Throughout this, I was nurtured by the nurses and doctors who are fantastic- they are friendly, reassuring, professional, expert and I’m still here THANKS to a kind donor.
If minimum pricing can contribute to even one person avoiding the ‘Liver Ward’ then it is well worth doing.
I’m proud to live in a country that puts people before profit unlike the Scottish Whisky Association.
Well done Scotland.
Again, apologies for the extra long post.
Hi fionan at 7:25 pm.
You asked,
“OT why does the google link to Wings say ‘Wings over Scotland: Stooges to the Kremlin’? Just wondering.”
Have a look at the Rev’s description at top left of the WOS Twitter page. (You don’t need a Twitter account to look.)
https://twitter.com/WingsScotland
Meg merrilees,
“I thought it was good that Ken Clarke got ‘an unusual’ round of applause after his speech tonight in WM. At least he speaks honestly.”
In my view, Clarke is one of the most dishonest UK politicians ever.
He made a mess of every single ministry he was in charge of under Thatcher and Major, and left his successors to sort out the mess.
He is not honest, he has always been slick and opportunist.
As he is no longer a minister, he has nothing to lose by saying something against the government.
He is as much a Tory bastard as any other, even more so.
Rock
“… at least he speaks honestly…. ON BREXIT” – obviously had to spell it out!
I’m not referring to any occasion other than last night and I did say it was ‘unusual”.
Plus I didn’t offer an opinion on whether or not I thought he was any less illegitimate than his colleagues.
Listen to the debate and you’ll understand where I was coming from – maybe.
Jockanese Wind Talker,
“Getting cynical in my old age but has The Scotch Whisky Association taken one for BritNat Team UKOK??
Today.
UK Supreme Court agrees with Scot Govt on alcohol minimum pricing
Tomorrow (or the near future)
UK Supreme Court agrees with Westminster Govt that Indy Ref 2 is Illegal (or something to that effect think Catalunya)
Howls of ‘Hypocrisy’ at SNP about only recognising ‘legitimacy’ of UK Supreme Court when they agree with its rulings.”
You are absolutely right.
This is a tactical political decision by the UK Supreme Court.
The Establishment will use any means possible to thwart Scottish independence, including bribes and acting nice.
But considering that the most stupid people on earth are in Scotland, a majority will be very easily duped.
O/T
BBC Reporting Scotland delivers on tonight a story of awful conditions in a puppy farm in NE Scotland. Terrible – throw the book at the people responsible.
But BBC Scotland, supposedly our country’s main public broadcaster, tells the people of Scotland nothing about what’s happening to children in Yemen. And with every respect to animal welfare, there is a major humanitarian crisis now in Yemen. In fact we get very little info on Yemen (even) on the ‘big’ news where ‘they are’. Why are people in Scotland left uninformed by the BBC on the tragedy that is Yemen today?
This post is prompted by appalling scenes of suffering children in Yemen shown on the C4 News tonight ( – and my own memories of two business visits years ago to the amazing Yemen capital city of Sana’a).
Yes there is a ‘complex’ war going on in Yemen but it is an unequal war given the power of UK-armed and assisted Saudi Arabia and the siege that the Saudis – one of the UK’s closest allies – have imposed to prevent humanitarian supplies reaching the Yemeni people.
The importance of this in human terms is obvious I hope but why is it also important to case-making for Scottish independence?
As well as the positive case for indy, it should be supplemented by exposing the actions of Westminster governments in foreign policy and warmongering. But the reality is that many in Scotland may have little awareness of what harm this UK has done and continues to do internationally.
At the very least, an independent Scotland would do no harm in the Middle East!
meg merrilees,
“Rock
“… at least he speaks honestly…. ON BREXIT” – obviously had to spell it out!
I’m not referring to any occasion other than last night and I did say it was ‘unusual”.”
Things must always be put in the proper context.
Or do you want unaware readers of this blog to read your post and come to the conclusion that this Tory bastard is an OK guy?
Rock,
Meg merrilees,
“I thought it was good that Ken Clarke got ‘an unusual’ round of applause after his speech tonight in WM. At least he speaks honestly.”
If you think it was good that this Tory bastard got a round of applause, you are unwittingly giving a positive view of him on this site.
“Unusual” here doesn’t make any sense, it could easily mean he is a nice guy who should have been getting more applauses.
I would choose my words very carefully if ever praising any Tory bastard.
From the WOS Twitter page – the UK establishment’s campaign against Corbyn exposed.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/jimwaterson/a-daily-express-journalist-accidentally-revealed-how-he-was
o/t – I wouldn’t bank on any Tory promises regarding Police Scotlands VAT conundrum , there seems only two ways this problem could have occurred ,
The Scottish Government were either promised exemption if they went ahead with the merging of all police services, and this later turned out to be a Tory promise ( not the same as a real promise ) Just another Tory Lie ,
Or they took a Flyer and tried to embarrass the Westminster government into backing down , I remember there were warnings given if the merger continued . Regarding the VAT application.
It would be interesting to learn the truth , someone knows .
Anglo-American neo-liberalism is an illiberal reincarnation. There are better ways to manage a government but they don’t necessarily enrich the 1%.
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2971326
Mr Martin’s investigation featured in “scottishleftreview” of March 2006. Here is the link:
http://www.scottishleftreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/slr-022-SLRI33.pdf
Is this stuff that Audit Scotland should have looked at already? If it has not done so, why not? This issue can and probably should be brought to the attention of Audit Scotland as an “issue of concern”. It might be useful to use the FOIA to explore what, if anything, Audit Scotland has done.
@ Meg merrilees
Thank you for sharing. What a hero you are, because that is one horror story.
I’m very proud Scotland is the first country in the world to try this,,because we have to try something different. Decades of alcohol destroying people and families.
My father was a severe alcoholic, and I have horrendous childhood memories of it. I’ve always been respectful of alcohol, and having worked on Glasgow Children’s Panel, saw much evidence of the damage there too.
I have zero time for the detractors. Idiots calling into Kate this morning, decrying it with nothing to suggest as a solution.
To them, I say, fuck off. You want your country’s people mired in this disease.
Meg Merrilees @ 7.46 pm.
Meg you have been through the mill and sounds like you suffered greatly.
I hope you are well now.
Your post was bang on I have also seen the terrible damage done by cheap alcohol it is usually the poor who suffer the most.
Moderate drinkers should be almost unaffected by the minimum pricing.
Shame on Labour who once again fail to protect ordinary folk.
Rock
More cold FUD? What do you know about international legal theory re. sovereignty. IMHO, the UK ‘Supreme Court’ would be taking a very bold step if they were to do as you suggest, as it would go against all international legal norms regarding self-determination. It would also invalidate the voluntary Acts of Union.
English law does not stand above Scots law!
Change the record please.
Meg merrilees at 7.46.
No need to apologise for your post about liver failure – it gave me an insight into my brother’s condition. Like you he has a genetic condition affecting the liver [the same as that lady who climbed Salisbury Crag in the indy ref – alpha1 antitrypsin deficiency.]
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Rock
Do you never listen to debates from WM Parliament?
If you did, you would realise that from some time ago, SNP MP’s have been admonished for applauding an SNP politician’s speech – as is the fashion at Holyrood. It is ‘out of order’ at WM.
Therefore it was ‘unusual’ for any MP to get applause after a speech, let alone a Tory MP but my ‘tongue-in-cheek’ use of the word ‘Unusual’ referred to the normal situation whereby SNP MP’s are called to order – to stop applauding – but surprisingly yesterday, Tory, Labour and whoever else applauded, was not called to order.
Re giving a positive view on this site:
I was referring to his speech…
… round of applause after his speech tonight
I do choose my words carefully but it’s just too subtle for you.
Go and annoy someone else now.
Has anybody made a complaint to the Police about lack of investigation last time and the alleged fraud with the project?
I guess anybody can go to their local police station and make a complaint, anybody know?
@galamcennalath says:
15 November, 2017 at 7:02 pm
Totally off topic, but still relevant to Scotland’s plight. I was talking to someone about the UK Citizenship Test. I said it would be England biased.
======================
To add to your point, the Duke of Wellington was an Irishman, born in Dublin.
@Valerie
@Meg merrilees
This whole opposition to min price is just like named person and baby boxes. All the health, social work, and relevant charities say they are good sound policies aimed at improving the lives of Scots.
Those who oppose these are in the main out to cry SNPBaad, again.
And, that opposition is morally indefensible because the issues and vastly greater than passing party politics.
Opposition to baby boxes is just mean spirited people and Unionists using anything for SNPBaad.
With named person we saw an unholy alliance of Unionist, über right, and ultra religion groups. Shame on them.
With min pricing it’s ‘the alcohol industry’ in unsavoury alliance. 50p a unit, like £4-£5 for wine. Exactly which part of ‘the industry’ produces and markets gut rot below that price?
It’s all about attacking the SNP directly and Scotland’s aspirations to be independent indirectly. However, the policy areas being used in these attacks should never have been chosen. It tells you all you need to know about the scum who put their pathetic agendas before the health and wellbeing of individuals.
The issue is not whether any MSM channel would broadcast this, they may not think in its current form it is balanced enough for them, fair enough. It is the fact that they will not even report that the issue has been raised.
Tweets are mainstream news, possible corruption is not really newsworthy to them.
Tories moving onto Lennon ground, claiming any VAT relief will be down to them despite it is the Tories that have been refusing for years to exclude VAT from Scottish services. Hold on the zip up my back has just come loose.
CameronB Brodie,
“Rock
UK Supreme Court agrees with Westminster Govt that Indy Ref 2 is Illegal (or something to that effect think Catalunya)”
Read things carefully.
Those are not my words. I was quoting someone and had put them under quotation marks.
meg merrilees,
“Rock
Do you never listen to debates from WM Parliament?”
I don’t need to to notice that you made a post welcoming applause for the Tory bastard Ken Clarke.
Can’t the likes of you never accept that you used misleading words?
I don’t want to enter into a useless debate with you.
Hi Rock at 9:22 pm.
You stated,
“I don’t want to enter into a useless debate with you.”
Fair enough – but WHY do you subject all the rest of us to your copying and pasting from your database, without any attempt to actually debate?
meg merrilees,
“I do choose my words carefully but it’s just too subtle for you.”
These are your exact words:
“I thought it was good that Ken Clarke got ‘an unusual’ round of applause after his speech tonight in WM. At least he speaks honestly.”
You think it was “good” that he got the applause.
You think he “speaks honestly”.
You think it was “an unusual” round of applause, which, combined with your other favourable statements about him, implies that you think he should be getting applauses more often.
You deliberately or unwittingly tried to make Ken Clarke sound like a good guy.
It seems your words are “too subtle” for you yourself to understand, let alone others.
I don’t use “subtle” words:
In my view, “unusual round of applause” or not, Ken Clarke is as much a Tory bastard as any other, even more so.
Brian Doonthetoon,
“Fair enough – but WHY do you subject all the rest of us to your copying and pasting from your database, without any attempt to actually debate?”
The likes of you are incapable of “debating” anything I post.
In your numerous meaningless responses to my posts, give me one example where you sought to “debate” what I had posted by posting a counter opinion.
In my view, Ken Clarke is as much a Tory bastard as any other, even more so.
What is your view on Ken Clarke?
jfngw,
“It is the fact that they will not even report that the issue has been raised.”
Is there any reason why the “independence supporting” The National should not splash this story on its front page?
Surely it would help the independence cause to bring this massive unionist corruption to the notice of the Scottish population?
o/t James Kelly has said the current investigation into one of their MSPs conduct will be open and transparent , aye ok Jimmy .
And it’s said burlesque and Vaudeville are dead.
Anyone tell Kelly yet .
The biggest joke is we contribute to these clowns lifestyles, my aren’t we f/n generous . And the best bit is most of these scabby cretins haven’t been voted in by anyone . Just placements .
All supporters of the De- bleedn haunt system, this and these people are the outcome, of that voting system not the supposedly academic numerically fair and well intended outcome , this is yer actual three Ring Circus in all its glory In Action Today . Can we change it, can we f/k .
Galamcennalath
Exactly!
And how much has it cost the Scottish Whisky Association to try and defeat the S.gov and defend their profits?
How much has it cost the Scottish government to defend this policy.
Will the S.Gov be awarded costs?
On the Colonial Broadcasting Corp. tonight they were pricing alcohol in a corner shop. Amazingly, a bottle of strong cider currently selling for £2.75 will now cost £11.00 because it contains 22 units of alcohol! That’s more units in one bottle than the current weekly recommended amount. The shopkeeper thought it would cause in increase in theft and crime. A bottle of whisky will cost a minimum of £14.00.
I hope he’s wrong. Just maybe it might stop some people from getting smashed up in domestic violence cases.
It’s only for 6 years initially and can be reviewed then.
Robert Graham,
“All supporters of the De- bleedn haunt system, this and these people are the outcome, of that voting system not the supposedly academic numerically fair and well intended outcome , this is yer actual three Ring Circus in all its glory In Action Today . Can we change it, can we f/k .”
I am 100% in favour of full proportional representation. If there are better ways of achieving it than the current system, I wouldn’t have a problem with that.
But if 25% of the voting Scottish public is stupid enough to vote for Scottish Labour, 25% of the MSPs in the Scottish parliament must represent that public.
We have no choice but to live with it.
I do not want in Scotland the undemocratic “first past the post system” which gave the Thatcher and Blair “landslides”.
@stu mac
The Duke of Wellington was a member of the Ascendancy; people otherwise known in Ireland as “West Brits” ~ this was / is a derogatory term.
He was none too proud of his country of birth & is reputed to have said “just because you’re born in a stable, doesn’t make you a horse”.
@Rock
The National circulation is around 10,000, hardly going to reach the Scottish Nation. They also are a bit limited on the broadcast side. Apart from that you are right on the nail, it’s a blunt one though.
Rock
And how exactly does reviewing past comments out of context and without attribution help anyone? What light were you attempting to shed?
@yesindyref2
Leask is being more than precious. He’s a fully indoctrinated arsehole. I have seen him hounding Prof Steve Keen’s timeline who wrote a rather amusing piece saying he’s been accused by the right, left and centrist of being a conspiracy theorist for the other party!
I too had it rammed home at school about the darn ruskies during the Cold War. It was hard to avoid. I also remember later, America’s James Baker’s statement about not venturing any further east after the wall came down. Bloody lie that was.
I’m worrying that we end up with what seems to be emerging in America – a Neo-mcCarthiest witch hunt. Any journalists, economists etc who disagree with status quo and speak their minds on the likes of RT/Al Jazeera (because they get no voice in the mainstream) are categorised an enemy of the state.
I can this sort of thing being weaponised and used in indyref2. They’ll cry ‘fake accounts’, ‘fake news’ , ‘Russian bot twitter account’ and of course some wee neds will use it as an excuse to put the boot in. Completely irresponsible output by the likes of Leask and Torrance.
Rock @ 21:58,
You are right there. It’s another case of blaming the messenger and ignoring the message.
I’m fairly sure we can devise a better PR electoral system than the AMS one we currently have. But there are always going to be idiots who will vote idiotically. Unsurprisingly, you might think. But there are others who just don’t seem to have any grasp of that basic reality. =sigh=
Meg merrilees says:
“Ehh” was my first reaction. But I’ve done some googling and that’s a two litre bottle with a strength of 7.5%. Yes, 22 units.
Also, regulations say that cider need only have 35% apple juice as it’s basis. Apple juice watered down and fermented will not achieve 7.5%. So basically the product is ethanol, water, sugar, and some genuine fermented apple juice just to allow it to be called cider!
Here we see the wicked side of capitalism, nothing else. Blatantly setting out to abuse a certain demographic for profit. Morally no better than mugging.
@Meg Merilees,
£11 for a bottle of cider can only be a 3 litre bottle of Frosty Jacks, White Lightning or the like – exactly the sort of gut-rot bum-juice that the minimum pricing is aimed at.
An average bottle of wine from the Supermarket will still be around £4 or £5, but I imagine the supermarkets will add a little extra profit on top now as they will want to keep a price differential between the different standards.
The only spirits that will be affected are the cheaper, own label bottles on the shelves. A single malt or even an average blend like Grouse or Whyte & Mackays already is priced above the £14 unit price for a 40% spirit. Again there will be some price creep across the board as supermarkets maintain their price differentials.
As a Lanarkshire boy, the good news us that the price if a bottle of “bucky” will not change – it should work out at around £5.50 minimum price for its 15% abv.
The simple fact behind it is that the average person only has a limited amount of disposable income. For the majority of people the minimum pricing will have no effect on their drinking habits, although it could be a boom time for the home-brew industry.
People will always spend money on alcohol or drugs, no matter the cost. Which reminds me, I need to sort some apple juice, sugar and yeast so that my cider is ready for Christmas / New Year.
@
Chang Sha says:
15 November, 2017 at 10:06 pm
@stu mac
The Duke of Wellington was a member of the Ascendancy; people otherwise known in Ireland as “West Brits” ~ this was / is a derogatory term.
============================
I was perfectly aware of that but nevertheless he was Irish. My point in replying to the comment re “English” battles was simply that he was not English just as many of the soldiers who fought under him were Scots, Welsh and Irish.
The young yins buy the Bucky when they could get a bottle of Port with more alcohol for less money. Mad on the Port at the weekend hasn’t the same cachet but!
Whoops sorry folks I thought I was going on to WOS but it’s some kind of Rock and Row show again
I must be pressing the wrong button or something
@ Dr JIm Just roll wie it jim cause there’s nae use appealing to Wingers to stop conversing with idebots .
@Ken500 says: 15 November, 2017 at 6:55 pm:
” … The UK is Scotland and England … “
Aye! Ken, you know that, I know that as does almost every other Scottish person and aa thir dugs, know that but the Yoons thing it is Britain
Even if Westminster has no legislative influence over The Bailiwick of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Isle of Man or the Republic of Ireland. They also thing that Kingdom, Country UK and England all mean exactly the same thing.
I blame the English Education system which also hasn’t got a clue about the real history of the British Isles.
They even think that Hadrian’s wall is the dividing line between Scotland & England and it was built to keep the Scots out of England. It comes as somewhat of a shock to the poor dears to learn it was built before England & Scotland existed.
O/T everyone. Please forgive!
I had just written a post about the underlying reasons for brexit and the UK’s attitude to the EU
https://eurofree3.wordpress.com/2017/11/15/the-dreary-steeples-of-westminster/
When I heard that Westminster had voted to not incorporate the belfast Agreement/Good friday Agreement into their Brexit Withdrawal Bill
This is an International treaty
Ireland North and South held referendums to approve the GFA –
The Republic even altered its Constitution to ensure it was passed
There’s no depths England will not stoop to as they over-ride other people’s rights.
https://eurofree3.wordpress.com/2017/11/15/warning-ireland/
Ben
I can’t believe that WM has been so crass as to vote down the GFAgreement!
This is a catastrophe.
They are just so, so, so stupid!!!
meg merilees earlier
I salute you for your very honest post on the realities of a failing liver for whatever reason.
When I moved into my previous house in 1982 our neighbour’s son had a genetic liver condition – he was about 4 years old then.
The last I heard of him, several years ago, is he is alive and well. Living in Holland but has a farm in Ayrshire.
No idea if he had a new liver or if drugs keep him alive.
Thank you, Meg, for that post.
Ben Madigan @ 11.41
That is shocking. The British state knows no bounds.
Al Dossary at 10.58
Lidl’s blackcurrent juice concentrate makes a lovely wine (Five gallons water,five bags sugar, 1 bottle of juice,fermentation tablet). Halt fermentation at 12%.
(Ribena nae use)
From The National’s TL, ‘Puigdemont is Alex Salmond’s first guest in his TV show later today.’
Ya dancer. 🙂
I hope the combined noise of yoon heads exploding doesn’t drown out the sound. But just in case, speakers set to malky. 🙂 🙂
Meg Merilees re your earlier post
Thank you for posting it was very brave of you and it was also an eye opener.
Its certainty makes ye think, I never knew just how horrendous it is.
I hope that you keep well now!
Thanks again.
@TJenny
Oh, that’ll leave a mark. 😀
In other news…
https://twitter.com/StewartMcDonald/status/930905015384002560
Who knew?
Macart – wont it just, You best get 2 packs of the choccy raisins to hand, ’cause it’s only on for half an hour. 🙂
I’d been cogitating as to who his guests would be and had hoped for Puigdemont, but thought he might not be able to owing to maybe legal restrictions.
And maybe:
Yanis Varoufakis
Frankie Boyle
Sam Heughan
Richard Murphy
Brian Cox
Gerry Adams
Who’d be on your wishlist?
@TJenny
Jings, that’s a toughie. So many folk and areas of interest right across the spectrum from politics to the arts.
Obvs some of the authors and commentators from our new media. I wouldn’t be fussed about who really. I have a fair amount of favourites.
On business, Mr McKee or Mr Kerevan, perhaps even Mr Stiglitz would grace the chair. The arts? I’d say Mr Cox would be a great choice for starters, but also David Hayman I reckon would be a good fit. Frankie Boyle would almost certainly set the heather on fire and provide a fair bit of edge t’boot.
In the world of politics? The world’s your lobster really, from both sides of the argument of the day. I’d reckon Mr Salmond could surprise a few folks with some of the names he’s got tucked away. Certainly if his first guest is any indication. 🙂
T jenny & Macart.
Emm….Stuart Campbell?
Macart – of course there’s one obvious person we’ve left out, and who says he’s going to record the show. Hmm. 🙂
Liz g – great minds and crossed posts.:-)
Liz g – great minds and crossed posts. 🙂
Twice, soz,
@ Meg Merilees 7.46pm
Thank you for that insight Meg it must have been harrowing for you and your family , hope all is well now as we need strong women to fight for oor indy , best of luck
@Dave Macewan Hill
No Aldi near me unfortunately – let’s just say that I live in a rather “dry” country where there is officially no booze or pork available.
100% apple juice, with enough sugar to take it to 8-9% makes a palatable if dry cider – especially with a grolsch top bottle and a teaspoon of sugar for secondary fermentation. Likewise with ginger beer – just mix it with a ginger beer chaser and it’s very drinkable.
Pomegranite, dates, sour cherry, apple and grape – all make a palatable drink if you have the patience to let them mature.
On topic again. My father was an alcoholic who refused a liver transplant. He knew deep down that within a few months of drying out he would have been back on the booze again – “let it go to someone who needs it more” was his attitude.
47 years old and dead to liver failure. The repeated story is that he was saved from deaths door in hospital, dried out and back on the booze within a month. Rinse and repeat, each time the body getting visibly closer to death.
Why do we allow alcohol, cigarettes – because there are taxes to be raised and money to be made. Yes people get ill become a burden on the state due to their lifestyle choices, but that burden is tolerated by government because the cost of that burden is less than if we were all fit and healthy, living to 85 years or more.
A couple of suggestions for Alex show
(1) Either of the Proclaimers (or both)
(2) Elaine C Smith
(3) Andy Murray
(4) Vladimer Putin
@TJenny –
Is that you been sneaking a look at yer crystal ball again?
Looks like you called it for the AS Show!
😉
@TJenny & Liz
Sorry. Nodded off. 😀
No. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if our host made an appearance and perhaps one or two others from Scotland’s new media.
Watching our man on RT right now – join me!
Meg Merrilees , that sounds horrendous and I do hope that all is well now.
I had a little experience of some of that when I was a young , slim red head all those years ago . I had a gall bladder problem but because I was not ‘ fair , fat and forty ‘ no-one seemed to notice. I lost 3 stone in 3 months and was reduced to an anorexic 6 stone. I turned an interesting shade of mucky yellow and was ‘nae weel’
Eventually a nice man with a knife removed the ulcerated mess and I recovered.
Lang may yer lum reek!
On ye go Eck !
Bold as ever.
Lol, I joked about Alex saying something doggy about the UK so as to send the Yoons into meltdown.
I think Carles Puigdemont ticks all the boxes.
The Hootsmon reporting that David Cameron told Alex to “Get stuffed” when asked to appear on his show.
Why would any serious newspaper report an ex Prime Minister using a playground comment instead of polite , adult refusal?
I so look forward to Alex Salmond becoming chairperson of the silly Scotsman and aiding and abetting its return to something resembling a newspaper.
RT showing clps of AS show to promote the TV program on later today.
A good article taken from RT about the UK media meltdown about the Alex Salmond show.
https://www.rt.com/uk/409762-alex-salmond-meltdown-bbc/
I think his show will fly.
I can also imagine hundreds of UK journos who will be taping the show, trying to find something, anything that they could spin as a negative. If they find nothing, as Alex is a wiley auld fox, then they will spin and twist to suit.
As reported in the Scotsman online.
A Conservative source told Politics Home: “It shows Salmond’s total lack of self awareness.
“There’s no way the former PM would do a Russia Today chat show with the nationalist leader, and Dave quite rightly told Alex to get stuffed.”
I know who I would tell to get stuffed and they usually wear blue (and red) rosettes.
🙂
@ Les Wilson
Thanks for the RT link. They don’t like it up them as someone used to say on a TV show.
Alex’s interview with Carles Puigdemont was excellent. A must see.
O/T. The eye watering hypocrisy of FOUR Scottish Conservative and Unionist new boys standing in an otherwise poorly attended Westminster debate yesterday, to bolster the Foreign Affairs Secretary (Boris Johnston), as he waffled in his usual vacuous fashion about the current plight of Zimbabwe. These same children offer NO support for the country of their birth. My heart sinks.
From Rev’s twitter feed,
Alex Salmond has offered Rajoy a right of reply on his show.
Ha Ha Ha, I seriously doubt that will be accepted.
Good play Alex!
Alex has also written to May requesting a reply by return over over a comment coming from a Westminster source that Alex should not do this. He has asked the PM if this is her official viewpoint. If it is, then it is a shaming position against free speech in this country.
Again, I do not anticipate a reply, but will be interesting if he gets one.
The state propaganda machine has had it’s first dent, lets hope it keeps up. With all the foaming at the mouth, they themselves are coming under the spotlight, they are not going to like that!
Great!
Cameron is too busy stuffing himself with embezzled public money from the British-Chinese consortium. With his associate Carrington. Bought another house costing £Millions. The pigs at the trough. Hinkley Point and HS2 an overpriced waste of money of no value. They will cost £Billions more than credible cheaper alternatives. Along with Trident and Heathrow. Wasting £30Billion a year PPI.
Cutting Education, NHS, Welfare essential services £13Billion a year. Starving vulnerable people.
Labour are abstaining and letting the Tories wreck the economy. When they could vote them out. People in Scotland voted Tory to ruin the Scottish economy.
Labour in Scotland? What a mess. Jackie Baillie internim leader. How can people vote for them?
Felt sure some newspaper was going to have a picture of Alex Salmond with Tasmina whispering in his ear
Daily Mail missed a trick there
The turd that just won’t flush away, Brexit. An interesting and plausible article suggesting the EU will offer a Canada style trade deal.
http://archive.is/tZ03l
The EU won’t accept a Cherry Picking deal, the Tories don’t want a Single Market deal, so a deal on tariff free goods trade makes sense.
The key point is that will include very little provision for services. A deal on services would require Cherry Picking or Single Market, neither likely.
The UK relies on ‘service industries’ operating overseas especially financial. The effects of this ‘good deal’ would still be pretty awful.
Hope Alex gets Rev Stu on, the most popular political blog in Scotland by a mile. Free from the political straight jacket I think that would be a very good choice for him and a big boost for wings, that could not be bad.
Ist question might be, Alex ” tell me Rev Stu if I may call you that, what do you think is the reason that Wings Over Scotland is proven to be so popular.” Rev to Alex, ” Simple I tell the truth and provide links to prove it”
Alex to the Rev, Well I can see how that would work given the rubbish emanating from the BBC, Westminster, and the non existent Scottish media!”
Clink of glasses as the show ends!
Overnight any attempt to google either RT or Russia Today now gets absolutely no results.
Yet the Westminster Establishment still claims it is not manipulating the media.
Here is the link for RT:-
https://www.rt.com/
And here is the UK version:-
https://www.rt.com/uk/
Robert Peffers says:
16 November, 2017 at 9:33 am
Overnight any attempt to google either RT or Russia Today now gets absolutely no results.
Google search works here in Glesga Rab!
Almost first up though, neo fascist fury of the Daily Heil, who are hysterical with rage at Salmond, as usual:D
“David Cameron SNUBS Alex Salmond’s invite to appear on the ex-SNP leader’s controversial new show on Kremlin-funded Russia Today
David Cameron has turned down a slot on Salmond’s new Russia Today show
Commons Speaker John Bercow and Brexit Secretary David Davis also said no
Salmond’s show is due to air on Russia Today for the first time tomorrow
Russia Today’s London bureau was under fire as a source of propaganda today
I realise that as a long time supporter of Scottish independence and an SNP party member I am prone to being over sensitive and even a bit paranoid about criticism from south of the border. Even so, I was getting really annoyed about people phoning in complaining about the new alcohol minimum pricing legislation on the Nick Ferrari show on LBC this morning.
Nanny state, we the English are paying for it, that sort of thing. Immediately followed by Nick Ferrari pointing out that the man who deliberately infected his gay lovers with HIV was born in Scotland. Is it usual to say where in the UK someone was born in such a case? By the time I switched off I felt somewhat like a second class citizen.
If we are such a dead weight on them, then why fight so hard to keep us?
Another link to today’s Salmond RT Show:-
https://www.rt.com/uk/410018-salmond-show-puigdemont-independence/
Sorry. I was just getting it off my chest there.
Second google RT search, Heil anti Salmond fury,
“Putin’s lying machine: Revealed, how Russia’s spewing out ruthless propaganda from a Moscow-funded TV station – right next to Westminster
A team of journalists sit at video mixing desks preparing bulletins ‘Kremlin-style’ in London’s Millbank Tower
State-of-the-art equipment allows for slick graphics that mimic the output of international news broadcasters
Russia Today is a direct mouthpiece for the government and its global operations are funded by the Kremlin”
On Heil pages 3 to 13, let’s all ogle little girls in their underpants, its a Daily Heil Special.
Someone on the Rev’s twitter feed posted that Jackie Baillie is in fact “Mrs Tumble” (wife of Justin Fletcher’s brilliant character from Ceebeebies). I had never thought of this before, but, the similarity is amazing.
I shall henceforth refer thus to JB. Scottish Labour, the gift that keeps on giving.
Thing is, Justin, for making our children and grand-children laugh for years, only got an MBE. “Mrs Tumble” could well end up as Baroness Baillie of Bonhill or somthing similar.
All this about Russian propaganda, while they probably learned the tricks from the BBC itself, oh the irony!
To make the point the BBC are now to broadcast in 40 more countries and in eleven languages, if that is not to push UK propaganda I do not know what is.
o/t back to Alex , looks like it is about Control the establishment cant Control RTs output , not content with 99.99% of the media in their pocket in scotland they must have it all , they never will have enough ,
The farce of these media puppets whose only contribution to society is talking ,and most of the time pure pish and uninformed comment, the indignity is beyond belief how dare he appear on a network where they cant interrupt and hurl abuse and sarcastic comments , the same commentators who have spent years trying to ruin his career , ha ha get it right up them .
Yes Alex Salmond. One of the most astute and gifted politicians of his time.
What a shame for the Westminster establishment that he is SNP and rightly stands up for the Scottish people unlike the SlabLabour, Tories and FibDems.
No wonder so many people (Yoons) were happy when the establishment got together to ensure he lost his seat in the GE.
They may think that Alex would disappear into oblivion but as Alex himself says Y’eve no heard the last o’ my bonnets and me.
The media furor over Alex will in itself guarantee success for the show. Many more people who may not have watched the show, will now watch it for curiosity and get hooked by it.
A self fulfilling legacy for the UK corrupt media of all colours.
As many have said, they do not like it up them, nor so frequently!
After watching Alex Salmond’s programme on RT, I hope I won’t be subtly propagandised into supporting all things Russian. I don’t like vodka and I don’t want to eat borsht…
..oh no, I feel I’m being drawn towards a jar of beetroot…
..aaargh, I’ve just poured myself a double smirnoff.
Someone tell the Daily Express!
“Look, you fools. You’re in danger. Can’t you see? They’re after you. They’re after all of us. Our wives, our children, everyone. They’re here already. YOU’RE NEXT!”
Movie quote or Leask tweet, hard to tell.
TheItalianJob says:
Yeah they are going to regret their combined hatchet job on Alex
in Gordon. In fact they already will realise their mistake.
Make them cry Alex, they deserve contempt across the board.
The English establishment and their Uncle Tams up here are trying to make appearing on RT as toxic as possible,
basically if you appear on RT you will see the full wrath of the Brutish State which has the power to f@ck up your business and your life,
be a brave antiestablishmentarian to go on the show.
Mariano Rajoy wont take up Alex Salmonds offer of a reply to Carles Puigemont as he doesn´t speak English.
Not one word, ni una palabra!!
No one needs alcohol to survive. Alcohol kills people. Causes depression. Less drinking will cut crime and abuse. Cut spending on NHS. More people will be in work. People will be healthier. Drink/drug abuse can lead to poverty and/or early death. People drunk less when the price of drink as a proportion of income was higher.
Public money should only be put into proper rehab counselling which advocates total abstinence. For addictive personality ‘sensible drinking’ or drinking wine at a meal is not an option. It can kill. Enough is never enough. Public money should be spent on essential services. Not grotesque PPl projects of no value. No one wants. When there are credible, cheaper feasible alternatives.
Ken500 says:
16 November, 2017 at 10:13 am
No one needs alcohol to survive. Alcohol kills people. Causes depression.
Gets me over the hump Wednesday.
Fact is, real costs of booze kick in with heavy drinkers over 45 to 50. The damage to health drink causes begin about there and we can see this in a lot of different ways.
Graun says stuff like, for example,
“Harmful drinking among middle-class over-50s is a ‘hidden phenomenon’
People over 50 who are healthy and highly educated are more at risk of harmful drinking than less well-off peers, says research”
I knew some extraordinary people who drank themselves in to an early grave. Who wants to live forever, still greatly missed though, greatly.
Get em young. Just look at the all booze brands on supermarket shelves that look like coca cola. Whisky co’s are no different from drug cartels.
How about giving some publicity to the companies who produce the gut rot ‘cider’ and the other disgusting products which are the main targets of the legislation.
A little bit of naming and shaming wouldn’t go amiss and while we are at it can the supermarkets not be shamed into stopping the sale of said products.
Re the wish list of Alex’s guests (humorous version) should at some point include Barbra Streisand, just by way of a thank you. 😉
Just watched the above PFI video – very well done. What a disgrace. I wonder if they ever found the smoking gun/link between the paper company and the one that got the contract. There was no point in it otherwise.
All the council operatives names will be traceable, likewise the PF, and the Police ‘Investigators’. They should be bricking it.
Dear SNP – can this be raised in Holyrood and a new investigation carried out. That’s what your there for.
Also just watched the AS show. Not bad for a first attempt. bit clunky. He missed an open goal to show all the you tube footage of the Catalan Police violence when interviewing Catalans President. Picture speaks a thousand words and all that – and the beeb, etc made sure they never showed that footage for their own ‘good’ reason.
Peace and love to all
Masterstroke from Alex there.
Is that the first actual, in depth interview with Puigdemont that has been broadcast in the UK and Scotland?
Maybe he’ll go to Sinn Fein next?
Surprisingly, they reported it on BBC, showing a photo of him with Puigdemont and they included the re-broadcast times.
Betcha Theresa will have it on record! plus, Betcha Bercow is kicking himself now.. once pat of the Establishment, you have to play by their rules. Cameron was too feart to go on!
justrosa.co.uk/2017/11/15/my-official-cause-complaint-to-the-labour-party-and-jeremy-corbyn/amp/
One for the new Slab leader to tackle . Nth Lanarkshire’s internal investigation system is a total sham , whoever conducts a internal investigation gets promotion ( never mind the wet floor notices in the Civic Centre .Mind the Hump in the Carpet ) .
gus1940 says:
Exactly why are the Scotch Whisky Association so aggressively resisting minimum pricing?
One unit equals 10ml alcohol. So 40% whisky is 25ml per unit. 28units for 700ml bottle. Minimum price £14.
Very little whisky sells below £14. Google tells me the best price for Grouse is £15 a bottle.
I fail to see, on the face of it, why the SWA object.
There is another possibility. Cider only has to contain 35% apple juice. So what’s in the dirt cheap stuff to get It up to 7.5%? Where do they source the alcohol which ‘tops it up’? Just wondering.
Why has the MSM not picked on Crispin Blunt MP ( Conservative) for appearing on the Alex Salmond show being broadcast on RT? 6.30 and 11.30 tonight.
Can’t waIt to hear the derision on QT tonight… will one brave person stand up for it? not holding my breath, but I bet they all swear they didn’t watch it but really they did, or they will after QT is over.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-42010449
I expect Blunt will be shown in a photo on the front page of the Daily Smell or the Torygraph under the title ‘Saboteur, Mutineer, Tractor!’
Come on now, standards!!!
https://www.rt.com/uk/410018-salmond-show-puigdemont-independence/
https://www.rt.com/uk/
Reposting Robert Peffer’s links.
Did the SWA take up the cudgel against MPu on behalf of the U.K. State . . . to delay / prevent the SNP gaining brownie points for implementing MPU . . .
gus1940 says:
16 November, 2017 at 10:30 am
How about giving some publicity to the companies who produce the gut rot ‘cider’ and the other disgusting products which are the main targets of the legislation.
What aboutery Buckfast.
Brewed by men of God, in a mega rich monastery, worth a visit, made of solid gold it feels like, very happy monks float around in capes, being godly, or christly. Jesus wants you to drink our piss responsibly. Amen, glug, glug, glug…
https://www.buckfast.org.uk/
Alex Salmond Show in full …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HebTh85rWkA
Hi Galamcennalach,
It will be predominately ethanol, chemicals. Apple juice put in to legitimise it. Gut rot, basically. (At least I think it’s that.)
Of course the Alex Salmond RT programme hasn´t just stirred up the brown stuff in the UK but remember also that RT is available in Spain..
https://actualidad.rt.com/actualidad/255313-puigdemont-rt-debemos-tener-confianza
Where the prog. has been seen by millions and has given Carles Puidgemont the platform denied him by the Spanish media and of course from our point of view has added gravitas to Mr Salmond and further publicised our own fight for independence.
Interesting to watch the BTL comments pile in to the article and to observe that the Catalans suffer from Los Trolls as we do.
I believe you can translate the comments if you highlight and then right click.
Think so!
galamcennalath at 10:49 am
Exactly why are the Scotch Whisky Association so aggressively resisting minimum pricing?
Dr Eric Carlin nailed it on Scotland Tonight on Tuesday evening and again on GMS yesterday. The SWA are only the mouthpiece for the global alcohol industry since they are terrified of a domino effect that minimum pricing in Scotland is likely to initiate.
Meg merrilees at 10:52
Val McDermid is on QT tonight from Newcastle and she can stand her ground against the usual unequal odds. (I can’t watch it though, bad for the BP). Probably depends on how many Kippers and Little englanders the BBC has drafted in to the audience.
Heavy drinking hits people in their 40 and 50’s. It is a chronic build up. A progression. Eventually there is not much that can be done about it. In extreme cases. Stopping drinking or drinking less can help health recovery. The liver can regenerate. Limit damage. Some people have already suffered damage to health and end up not being able to work. Alcoholic/drug abuse is scary and traumatic to all involved. The whole society. Tragic. It crosses all society.
Addiction can be helped by proper total abstinence counselling. Sometimes limited by cost. It has to be privately funded. Councils are supposed to provide essential services. They would rather waste funds on grotesque monstrosities. No one wants than fund essential services. Education, additional needs and social services. Proper funded essential services saves money. Less needs to be spent on NHS, mental health, prison police, fire etc.
It is reported the young are drinking less overall. Paying attention to health calls.
More pubs are closing but more gyms are opening. Social activities. Pubs alone do not make profits. The profits are made in the meals. More people dine out at restaurants. When people were not so prosperous. They were healthier? Women drunk less. The drink/drug abuse increased in the 1980’s.
Excessive drinking alcohol and obesity are reported to have stalled longevity. It is reported under the Tories 120,000 more people have died because austerity.
Will the Whisky Association benefit from higher prices? Some not paying any tax on vast profits.
@ Bob Peffers, Spasibo Bolshoi for the Salmond link, excellent! When will Rock be appearing one wonders?
Ken500 says:
16 November, 2017 at 11:18 am
Will the Whisky Association benefit from higher prices? Some not paying any tax on vast profits.
Its a very tory outfit. But it makes tories wealthy, look at the lovely villas of Keith for example.
Tory outfits are purely there to preserve their wealth and privilege.
Last night’s C4 vote tory news had a very odd thing about how Grimsby, big fish industry, now wants to become a “free port,” not only Remaining within the EU free trade zone but effectively becoming a separate state from the great UKOK zone. And Grimsby’s one of many English port’s now campaigning for this “free port” status.
Wtf aside, “Grimsby boasted the biggest fishing fleet in the world in the middle of the … of the biggest supporters of Brexit, with a 70% vote for leave last June.”
Thanks again, proud Scots buts. No wonder we need a drink.
Interesting watching Glesga Herald ed going ape shit at WoS blogger, in Bath, meanwhile in toryboy meeja world owned by billionaires, that look like shaved scrotums,
https://archive.is/GeiuH
In response to a question about the company potentially purchasing more newspapers, the 86-year-old News Corp executive chairman said: “Not really. No. Our hands are pretty full making our existing papers viable.
“I think the big three successes we have are the three big national papers: the Wall Street Journal, the Times in London and the Australian.
“The other papers, a lot of them are still very viable, but they are struggling.”
Heedtracker…he did turn water into wine. 😉
Not saying that our newsstands are like drunkard ranting thugs now, in Scotland, as you try to avoid making eye contact, with Scottish newsstands when you go into the shops but if they are all filling their kecks because they can’t make any money, boo hoo:D
https://archive.is/GoxLq
Maybe its because of stuff like the above.
Thanks for the link to Alex’s show , still waiting on the Sky falling and the very fabric of society breaking down .
I wonder if Alex’s good friend Robertson will be on the show remember him ?, wee hint NATO ,christ imagine him being the head of anything ,He predicted a great cataclysmic event if scotland voted yes ,
well George we are about to witness an event thats unparalleled in our lifetime a re-alignment of everything we believe was fair and just , the tories assisted by labour are about to shred every safeguard that has been gained over years of hard work by a lot of people .
Snode1965 says:
16 November, 2017 at 11:56 am
Heedtracker…he did turn water into wine.
It is worth a visit to Buckfast abbey, just to see how very rich outfits spend their dosh, and if you’re in anyway familiar with what for example, a buckieboy is, you can then vomit in their mega plush public bathrooms.
Its quite difficult to not say to at least one of the monks that you’d like to wipe that smug git look off their faces, but then you’d probably get struck down too. Jesus H Christ works in mysterious ways, but he is British.
Many thanks @ galamcennalath for the link to Alex Salmond show.
Absolutely cracking first show with a good mix of topics. Loved how he insisted on giving Puigdemont his proper title of President of Catalonia.
Only slight disappointment was he didn’t point out how our media whitewashed the whole appalling reaction of the Spanish state and has seen fit to smear a democratically elected government ever since.
katherine hamilton at 11.06
Exactly
RT UK broadcasts from our London Studio
are very slick. How come beeb gimp online network runs like a donkey, for only £3,500 million a year too.
USA has https://www.npr.org/
Balanced, interesting, funny, hated by USA planet toryboy and not a rest home for retired toryboy propagandists, like say Jim Naughty or Nic “honesty” Robinson.
Heedtracker…lol, been there, done that 30 years ago. Totally commercial even back then. Dread to think what it’s like nowadays.
Les Wilson said at 8:54 am
“A good article taken from RT about the UK media meltdown about the Alex Salmond show.
https://www.rt.com/uk/409762-alex-salmond-meltdown-bbc/
I think his show will fly……….”
For those in a hurry with an interest in Catalonia,Mr Salmond speaks to the President of the Government of Catalonia Carles Puigdemont—–just scroll along to 13:30. 🙂
FMQs:
Wee Willy R states that our Ex FM Mr Salmond is not a fit and proper person to run a newspaper like the Scotsman. He’s spoiling Scotland’s reputation. 🙂
What a plonker!
OOPS. Here’s the direct link to the President Carles Puigdemont interview:
http://tinyurl.com/y7k7xogt
” Theresa May’s Britain Is Headed for a Brexit Train Wreck “
Nothing new in this Time Magazine article, however it does highlight how the wider world views the UK’s slow motion suicide attempt.
http://time.com/5027066/theresa-may-britain-headed-for-brexit-train-wreck/
@call me dave
Wee Willie Wossiname said that did he? So as a party leader, MP, MSP and First Minister, Mr Salmond had direct responsibility for people’s representation, popular democratic mandate and life choices. He gave the citizenry of his country a voice and the opportunity to use that voice and be heard.
Yet spookily, as a private citizen, Mr Salmond has somehow become unfit…. Uh Huh!
Mr Rennie, the Telegraph’s goto rentaquote during the Frenchgate stitch up, yes? And this is the fella who decides who’s fit for what. Perhaps Mr Rennie needs reminding that we certainly haven’t forgotten Frenchgate, his party’s part in that entire debacle and more particularly his.
Buckfast tonic wine only became ‘a problem’ when Labour was running Scotland. The so-called Buckie triangle of Aidrie, Coatbridge and Cumbernauld being particularly susceptible to the pick me up qualities of the brew and the handy assault weaponry provided by the bottle. There must be a connexion.
The propagators of the notion that Scotland suffers more from alcoholism, aggressive or otherwise, than rUK have evidently never been to Nottingham or Cardiff or Manchester or Newcastle or heavens! to London especially when the drones of capitalism leave their hives of an evening.
The supposed evils of the Buckfast product, alcohol and caffeine, does offer a holier than thou opportunity for non-Catholics to proclaim a papist plot to subversively debauch the flower of the nation’s citizenry. All we need now is a nice Putin link.
Alex Salmond is to perform with the Bolshoi Ballet Company on his radio show noo thats tutu much & in Alex’s case is ah fourfour he’ll need .
Rub it intae them Alex .
The supposed evils of the Buckfast product, alcohol and caffeine, does offer a holier than thou opportunity for non-Catholics to proclaim a papist plot to subversively debauch the flower of the nation’s citizenry. All we need now is a nice Putin link.
Tis God’s will you see, you brew sweet tasting semi cheap piss, flog it up in your Scotland region, to kids what love sweeties, then you invest the profits in another part of teamGB.
Jesus Christ works in not so mysterious ways.
It reminds me a lot of what native Americans suffered and suffer today from, cheap piss, and countless untold ruined lives, but so what, its just them, not the nice people, in capes, who do do good works, for Jesus etc.
BBC Shortbread now hounding Mark MacDonald confronting him at work, shameful.
The most incredible scandals going on with resignations, sackings and tragically a suicide coupled with ongoing car crash that is Brexit and troubling economic rumblings yet what do we get? Constant squawking over a TV show 🙂
It has bee a determined effort to try and derail the show, once that fails they will of course go back into their box.
Callers on R2 Jeremy Vine show that this MUP policy will result in Scots white vans over the border into England, loading up with cheap cider and selling it on in Scotland. Saying it will also have an adverse impact on shops in borders towns where people will nip over the border for cheaper booze and do their regular shopping there too.
I think there will be many decent politicians from all parties,
(there must be some surely), that will look at the Alex Salmond show and think, ‘you what, I wouldn’t mind getting the chance to air my views without being heckled, shouted over, and allowed to finish my answers.
Definitely a better style of show to watch rather that the usual confrontational Yoon ones.
One_Scot says:
16 November, 2017 at 1:43 pm
I think there will be many decent politicians from all parties,
(there must be some surely), that will look at the Alex Salmond show and think, ‘you what, I wouldn’t mind getting the chance to air my views without being heckled, shouted over, and allowed to finish my answers.
There’s a simple fix, in the UKOK zone, just be a tory. It must be lovely floating around BBC tv and radio studios, chatting with fellow tories on air.
proud cybernate says
yi meam like English white van man nipping over tae calais fur the cheep booze tae sell oan in engerland hypocrites
call me dave @12.51: och, We Willie Wonky’s just jealous, dave.
He’s got a mobile.
He’s got a number.
The rest is silence.
Scottish Parliament TV News & Media Centre.
TODAY. FIRST MINISTER’S QUESTIONS.
Recently Archived and available here:
http://tinyurl.com/ybl58l9s
Rab C Nesbit rips Buckfast Abbey a new one.
From 2.40
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szGNXMAxgs4
On the day some arsehole paid $450 million for a painting…only the UKOK zone?
http://www.cumbriacrack.com/2017/11/14/homeless-carlisle-man-admits-begging-street/
Also, that painting carries the auction house buyers premium of 22%, about $100 million more really.
Bloody hell every time you look into the yoon stream! Who will be Jackies interim replacement though, when they look in her closet?
BBC Andrew Kerr?Verified account
@BBCandrewkerr
Follow Follow @BBCandrewkerr
.@jackiebmsp has been officially appointed as interim Scottish Labour leader.
8:30 am – 15 Nov 2017
@TJenny says: 16 November, 2017 at 1:20 am:
“From The National’s TL, ‘Puigdemont is Alex Salmond’s first guest in his TV show later today.’
Ya dancer. ?
I hope the combined noise of yoon heads exploding doesn’t drown out the sound. But just in case, speakers set to malky.”
I had a notion of how Alex’s mind works. I had guessed he had it all figured out and he could have predicted exactly how things would work out.
I thought of it like this :-
If Alex gets berated by the YoonYoonist media for going to a Russian Broadcaster, (and he most certainly has been), the most likely outcome will be for the Hecht Heid Ains, (High Head ones), of the establishment to immediately boycott The Alex Salmond Show, and jump upon the bandwagon of virulent abuse begun by the toxic UK government controlled media and it did go that way.
Then. I thought, Alex will pull a rabbit out of the hat and his first batch of guests will cause the idiots who would have already claimed to never appear on, “The Alex Salmond Show”, at any price and in any circumstance.
Only to then find out that Alex then had carte Blanch to invite guests that would not only be anti-Westminster Establishment but able to make a great case against the UK system of Government and they couldn’t counter the claims as they had sworn never to appear on the show.
But I never, in my wildest dreams thought Alex’s Rabbit pulled from the hat would be Catalan President Carles Puigdemont.
Now bear in mind that RT is not just broadcast in the UK but it goes out throughout the World and it is quite obvious Oor Eck has played a blinder and several very prominent, present and past, unionist Hecht Heid Ains have begun the match by scoring a series of own goals.
Who then will be the first, “Refusenik”, to sheepishly then appear on the Alex Salmond Show after swearing to not do so?
They have a stark choice – let Salmond trot out a series of anti-Westminster guests or have prominent unionist figures put their heads voluntarily on the chopping block for, “The Ecksecutioner”, to wield his axe.
Alex has always been a great tactician and a fly old bird.
A very British sense of detachment from the EU
‘British attitudes can be summarised in terms of general dislike combined with profound disinterest…the campaign to leave the EU was a long time in the making.Anti-European arguments have long provided the background hum of political discourse at Westminster…the euro sceptic cause was significantly abetted by divisions inside the Conservative party…
Eurosceptic MPs were able to hold the government to ransom…so attuned was the PM to the delicate sensitivities of the Tory right that he even resorted to rewriting history to placate them’
The Leave voters were concerned mostly with immigration and sovereignty a coalition of 3 main groups – affluent eurosceptics,the older working class and a smaller group of economically disadvantaged anti – immigration voters.The remain voters were concerned with economic consequences of Brexit,employment and social rights’
Of course ‘sovereignty’ and immigration are qualitative terms when one is reduced to the status of an isolated inward looking country that no- one is particularly compelled to trade with in an era of globalisation and e- communication and commerce.
Mr Gove’s argument for Brexit is a tad ironic following the Paradise papers ‘the decisions which govern all our lives,the laws we must all obey and the taxes we must pay should be decided by people we chose and who we can throw out if we want change’
Indeed, one assumes that edict includes those who direct toxic media campaigns that influence our societal decisions and evade paying their taxes – can they be thrown out too?Propaganda in abundance ,visible everywhere in deeply offensive headlines and nothing to do with covert tweets from external governments.
Evans & Menon. (2017).Brexit and British Politics
An excellent analysis of the preposterously misleading Leave campaign and the insipid Remain campaign all prompted by the internal divisions of a political party that’s at war with itself and dragging everyone else along.Scotland didn’t vote for this grand folly and should no longer put up with a skewed political system that views Scotland’s unmet needs through the lens of predatory WM wants.
Propaganda in abundance ,visible everywhere in deeply offensive headlines and nothing to do with covert tweets from external governments.”
For gawds sake, the Majesty in HMRC tax dodges. That nutter doesn’t want to pay for the state she heads, and she’s just one of thousands of scrotes who clearly detest this country.
All of them are protected and propped up by their beeb gimp network, look at Priti Pattell, in any other democracy, she’d now be in jail awaiting trial for treason, for trying to get UK tax payers, our money to fund another nations military, in the middle east, yet she just waltzes off into the sunset/next tory git job.
We need a revolution and we can have one, indy ref2, now.
They’re mocking us.
http://uk.businessinsider.com/paradise-papers-philip-mays-capital-group-2017-11
Ref Buckfast
When I worked many years ago pipe fitting on the pipe farms of the Grangemouth refinery, there was a high contingent of Glaswegians who were bused through, many ex ship builders. We got paid on a thursday, and to see the buses unloading on the Friday morning was something to behold.
Very many were smelling of drink, many actually drunk.
The job included setting up the oil pipes and preparing them for the welders. Each section had a ” supervisor”, there was no rat-ing on each other so very often, the supervisor would send people including the welders to the “elephant”, which was a little cabin where they could sleep it off. Generally after the canteen had been visited around 10 am.
Anyway, their poison then,and many staggered off the buses to clock in with a bottle of lanliq (that may not be the right spelling) they called it Lani. It was rife and it was a problem
while Buckfast would have been around then but possibly dearer than the Lani.
It certainly took it’s hold at that time. It seemed to be a real problem back then, Buckfast was probably a Friday treat!
( supervisors where usually allotted from interview, but as this was a community of workers who regularly moved to jobs in pipelines over the UK, the supervisors were really one of the boys. They never knew who would be their supervisor on another site. They would not dare shop anyone for that reason. They may have meet them somewhere else.)
One thing I can honestly say, the crack was very very good, Glasgow humour at it’s best.
Willie Rennie pissing into the wind again, asking about devolved powers over newspaper ownership.
If plans for The Hootsmon go ahead then it will continue to be owned by Johnson Press, with the Norwegian having a major stake. But Mr Salmond will not be the ‘owner’ of the paper, simply appointed as CEO on the board.
Get a Grip, Rennie.
Back to Alex, I think he has played the establishment very well.
They have given him a big lift with their myriad of comments akin to hysteria.
They have unwittingly boosted his profile and that of his show.
Brilliant!, actually he thanked them him self.
Kudos.
Oh f/k Wullie rennie giving us his wee contribution on RT , I could be wrong but I believe I saw recently the selfsame Wullie punting himself for a spot on RT indeed he was reminded in Parliament his leader Mr Cable was featured on a RT ,
So what’s yer f/n point Wullie, infact exactly what is the point of Wullie, what does he contribute to Scotland apart from hot air and total waffle, taking money under false pretences, a drain on Scottish finances with not even a hint of embarrassment , brass neck that’s Wullie .
@ Les Wilson
Aaah, the memories of Lani. Lanliq. I knew of it, even in Paisley, growing up. It was known as the real jakey’s drink, so those guys had a real problem.
Can just imagine the culture of no grassing up.
@ Les Wilson, Bucky was for invalids in thae days!
Valerie 3.38
Lanliq + hairspray?
Tell me that at least is an urban drinking myth.
Or will hairspray need minimum pricing too!
It’s unfortunate that during FMQs John Swinney didn’t have the BMJ research to hand, the research that shows 120,000 people have died as a result of Tory austerity cuts.
It is something that should be jammed down Tory throats at every occasion.
Rennie is a sad, pathetic little man. Not fit to wipe Alec Salmond’s shoes.
You can see why Willie Rennie & Co were howling about Alex Salmond’s new TV show. Finally, we have an interviewer that treats their interviewee with genuine respect, listens carefully to what they have to say, and doesn’t interrupt them when they’re just about to make a telling point.
So what’s stopping Willie launching “The Wee Willie Rennie Show”?
Razor sharp political banter between Willie and his guest whilst two pigs go hard at it behind the studio sofa. Other features could include “How to Repair Your Panzer Tank” with Colonel Ruth, and surefire ratings winner “The Latest Jackie Baillie Pish” with, er, Jackie Baillie. TV gold!
BBC and inappropriate texting.
Do you think they are a tadge bias? Concerning this issue and even more serious complaints elsewhere their fixation on the MSP in Aberdeen is almost stalking
BBC shortbread’s top story is Mark McDonald hasn’t resigned as an MSP. McDonald has not been accused of anything criminal and has stepped down as a Minister because he accepts that he could have conducted the way he interacted verbally with female colleagues with more decorum.
Have any of the other MSPs and MPs with far more disturbing allegations been doorstepped yet?
They wonder why we don’t care that Alex’s show is on RT? They can wonder on.
Good grief 🙁
Just made a comment on The National on the Scotland the Brand article, about how with or without the Saltire, Made in Scotland was still a brand and realised – there’s no effing Saltire on my products 🙁 Hasn’t been for years, must have got missed off in a label redesign years ago and not noticed. Probably actually cost some sales as well.
What a pathetic plonker 🙁
My wife just said “why not?”. Well, there effing is now.
You’re all welcome to abuse me as much as you like, I totally deserve it.
@Jack Murphy says: 16 November, 2017 at 2:16 pm:
“Scottish Parliament TV News & Media Centre.
TODAY. FIRST MINISTER’S QUESTIONS.
Recently Archived and available here:”
http://tinyurl.com/ybl58l9s
I thought John Swinney did exceptionally well but also had another thought – are all Tories born with a sneer on their faces and special lung capacity for overly loud voices?
Oh! Aye! and, “Wullie who”?
@ Brian Powell
That is absolutely shocking and appalling. I did not realise that the figure was so high. What an utter disgrace. How can these people still hold office ffs? It’s criminal.
I don’t currently have a BMJ membership and wondered if anyone that does could possibly share the full report. I would really like to read it.
Hard to see where the LibDems fit in in Scotland between the Red and Blue Tories, even using Venn diagrams.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/tc8zm41a456z4eo/PowerOfVenn.jpg?dl=0
@Robert Peffers: “are all Tories born with a sneer on their faces and special lung capacity for overly loud voices”
What I found early on in life is that those “born with the silver spoon” have confidence, self-confidence, perhaps an excess of it, speak out quite loud, assertive and sure of themselves. I used to be jealous.
I found myself that if you speak too quietly you lose confidence in what you’re saying, whereas if you can force yourself to speak louder you gain self-confidence. Working in Germany solved that problem for me – he or she who talked louder at meetings, won the point. In the end, I won them all (slight exaggeration!).
Just a thought.
Meanwhile I’m back to beating myself up over the missing Saltire, probably cost me thousands and since I do all my own design, nobody to blame but me.
@David McDowell 4:21pm
Brilliant.
o/t
Anyone who has tried complaining to the BBC will have discovered the futility of the exercise (though it can be cathartic), but this is quite interesting:
https://archive.is/8jeFO
I suspect that time and money were not their only concerns. The bit I’ve emboldened is both tempting and potentially revealing, though no doubt they’ll find a way of wriggling out of doing it properly.
@ Mike Cassidy
Not an urban myth, any solvent was fair game for experimental cocktails during 70s/80s. You could tell the glue sniffers from the inflammation and acne around the mouth/nose.
mike Cassidy@3.51.
Do you put the Lanliq on yer bunnet and sniff the hairspray?
could make a classic TV advert. There’s a couple of belters on EBC Shortbread who could do the advert.
“Its me wi the hair” Oliver,
perfect.
I thought the FMQ session with John Swinney standing in was very good. Jackie Baillie came across as an MSP genuinely speaking on behalf of her constituents. A refreshing change.
Ruth Davidson and Willie Rennie were, of course, diabolical with their cheap shots about Alex Salmond on RT. JS reply about the “stink of hypocricy” was spot on.
I listened to the John Beattie Media review (R Scotland lunchtime) where they discussed Alex on RT. Oh dear, poor dears are quite unable to see that they are sitting in the studio of a “state financed” broadcaster with a duty to uphold said state. Stuart Cosgove’s attempts to introduce a bit of impartiality wee quickly squashed.
Anna Burnside’s furious condemnation of the Alex Salmond show – his suit, his style, his guests etc etc all awful – is hilarious.
Once you’ve seen Alex’s show on RT, take some time out to watch the Keiser Report. This week they talk about the international oligarchs stashing their trillions in tax havens. Part 2 covers the hysteria of “Russiagate” which our press has bought into too.
https://www.rt.com/shows/keiser-report/410012-episode-max-keiser-1150/
‘Not an urban myth, any solvent was fair game for experimental cocktails during 70s/80s’
Sad but true.
Even former UK Government Defence Secretaries such as a guy called Jim Murphy were right into it.
BREAKING from Pravda Quay
with Jackie Kim Ono
https://imgur.com/a/3Efnd
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1245410/Dont-blame-monks-drunks-It-looks-like-gravy-tastes-like-Benylin-kick-chorus-line–brush-Buckfast.html
Since we seem to be promoting Buckfast today this article in the Mail from 2010 offers a more informed and balanced view and might just help propel Buckie onto the dinner tables of the middle classes – but I doubt it. When they want caffeine they don’t reach for the green bottle with Buckfast Abbey on the label.
One thing’s for sure, one man’s tonic wine is another man’s gut rot – it all depends on the marketing. One man’s independence supporter is another man’s separatist, and one man’s truth is another man’s propaganda.
Ten minutes into Wee Eck’s first RT programme and I have worked-out why he is on there and not on the BBC.
He allows the person he is interviewing to say his or her piece without interruption. No, he would never do for the BBC with that approach.
manandboy says @ 16 November, 2017 at 6:05 pm
Buckfast is a tonic wine and as such should only be drunk in moderation. It should only be drunk as an occasional glass for a pick me up when suffering from a cold, much in the same way as the older generation would fondly remembering of taking a hot toddy when they suffered from cold in yesteryears.
IMHO, the notoriety of Buckfast and the Eldorado is due to it’s easy concealment, especially as a half-bottle, and getting a right good hit from it when binge-drinking.
From what I can gather these products are not affected by minimal pricing. As previously mentioned it seems to be only a problem in certain areas so I assume the problems that arise from them can be solved by enforcing existing laws as well as education.
Watched the Alex show and enjoyed it, looking forward to future shows to see who will be on. I particularly liked the longer format interview with Puigdemont.
Criticism, the interview room is a bit stark could do with a bit of greenery.
@ HandandShrimp
If the interview room was really at a “secret location in Brussels”, it is presumably not the one he will be using for future shows. Though of course he might use other temporary settings.
You could always email him your interior design suggestions 🙂
Buckfast is a tonic wine and as such should only be drunk in moderation.
There is no such a thing. Alcohol for when your sick is from another era and time.
Buckie’s piss sweetened, sold by the most disgusting hypocrites who care only about how much money they can make from their holy pisswater, certainly not the carnage it causes.
So pleased The Alex Salmond Show is on youtube already – thanks for the links.
Anyone know if TM has responded to his letter?
She’s not fit to lick his boots.
Watched Alex show only niggle why did a left camera show him speaking to the camera looked stage. Look forward to a discussion on new media representative our Rev v Andy Nicoll David Torrance et al
TheItalianJob @ 8:55am, today
Re. Conservative sources and self awareness. It’s possible the two might meet at some point in space, through the practice of being self-centered doesn’t generally involve much self-reflection, frankly. 🙂
http://www.iep.utm.edu/phen-con/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-human-beast/201210/why-liberal-hearts-bleed-and-conservatives-dont
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2011/09/07/your-brain-on-politics-the-cognitive-neuroscience-of-liberals-and-conservatives/
Crash Gordo’s been doing the rounds explaining how he would stop tax dodgers but reality is not like what Gordo says, as usual
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/paradise-papers-italian-journalists-register-company-a8058201.html
“Describing the stunt as a “provocation”, the newspaper said “there is nothing easier than creating ghost companies that can hide illegal activities or recycle money” under Britain’s liberalised corporate registration system.”
Shows just easy it is for that Nawrot of Mayfair bloke to just disappear. He’s probably not hiding in his Mayfair attic.
@ Capella
I caught today’s Keiser report, it is an interesting one. He sometimes loses me with his daft rants, but I get the impression he’s a clever guy, that suffers from type of issue with focus, and Stacey keeps him on subject.
I thought Alex’s first RT show was great. A good mix of guests, ending with a serious interview with Puigdemont.
No one in their right mind with any sense of fairness could find fault, but I’m sure they will anyway.
Herald really struggling, comparing Salmond to either an American comedian or a light entertainment talk show host. Such sour grapes from a publication that the Catalan President would likely not give the time of day to.
UK politicians may decide to not appear but that just opens the door to more international guests with a Scotland perspective. I suspect if the viewing figures hold up then the resolve of MP’s who are ignored by the MSM may crumble.
I can only read the first three paragraphs off course, not worth the effort getting round their block (adverts blocked naturally).
He needs to lose the ‘brownish’ suit, wear blue Alex…ffs 🙂
Sanatogen thats ma 1st & last word an the subject .
Bugger the Panda knows mair than aw the rest of yous aboot wines/spirits he wiz ah taster ( an no through ah shitty cloot ) ok Tammy’s oan .
Robert Peffers says
In my experience, Tories have only two facial expressions – the sneer and the scowl.
The sneer when they think they are ahead, the scowl when they feel beaten or their world threatened.
TBH, I see far more scowls than sneers these days.
My daughter said an interesting thing to me the other day. She was commenting on the appearance of right wing Spanish nationalists. She said they look just like Tories, UKIP, DUP, US Trumpists. They look the same everywhere, the hard right.
Personally, I don’t think it’s the people, it’s the facial expressions, mannerisms,and behaviour.
I sometimes wonder if the human race is divided in two. Those who are fundamentally self centred ‘I’m all right Jack’ types favouring extremist politics, and those who have empathy with others and favour a more caring society with centrist/moderate left politics.
Why? And that raises your question about “born with a sneer”. Are the uncaring self centred folks born like that, is it genetic? Or is it learnt behaviour from family and peer group?
Whatever it is, it’s hard to change!
I’m gonna go with learnt behaviour / conditioning.
I thought the choice of the very highly respected Dame Helena Kennedy QC, previously a Labour big beast,was the most interesting aspect of Alex’s show.
CameronB Brodie,
“Rock
And how exactly does reviewing past comments out of context and without attribution help anyone? What light were you attempting to shed?”
You didn’t notice the context because you did not read it carefully.
At least you could have noticed that something under quotation marks is a quotation and not my words.
I’m on Alex S’ side, but I thought the first show was a bit clunky and scripted. That’s not the usual Alex. He was a bit more relaxed with the longer interview.
Brown suit? He looks brisker with a tweedy jacket.
I expect the show will relax as it settles.
I agree that it looked a bit stark: shadows or uplights would help, but who am I?
@mike cassidy says:
16 November, 2017 at 3:51 pm
Valerie 3.38
Lanliq + hairspray?
Tell me that at least is an urban drinking myth.
==========================
Don’t know of my own knowledge but a guy I knew ages ago did social work trying to help out alcoholics – the down and out kind, I suppose called “Jakies”. Told me that Lanny and hairspray was the most popular “hit” at the time. Apparently it gave a terrific “hit”.
Also told me it could cause serious brain damage – something to do with the chemicals in the hairspray but even though a lot of them knew this was a danger they still drank it.
Les Wilson,
“Hope Alex gets Rev Stu on”
That would be playing right into the unionists’ hands.
Interviewing Puigdemont and then inviting Rajoy to reply is a masterstroke.
Rajoy will of course refuse to appear, which will expose him as the fascist bully and coward he is.
Next interview Barnier and then invite Saint Theresa to respond.
It is going to be fun.
@CameronB Brodie at 7.42pm
Thanks for your usual detailed analysis of neoliberalism and how all three Unionist parties are united in the same beliefs and political theories.
@heedtracker says: 16 November, 2017 at 3:19 pm:
“They’re mocking us.
http://uk.businessinsider.com/paradise-papers-philip-mays-capital-group-2017-11
Nothing new in that story, heedtracker.
When the Tory Government was, led by Maggie Thatcher, her Husband, Dennis, was a major shareholder in companies involved with the main company, Babcock International that bought out Rosyth Dockyard. (It would have been too obvious if he had been part of Babcock International”, but it was one of the these associated companies that took over the running of the Dockyard Worker’s Pension scheme.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12073002.Deal_for_privatisation_of_Rosyth_dockyard_confirmed_by_Portillo/
Note that at that time also the then leader of Fife Council, a certain Alex Rowley, “Welcomed”, the finalisation of the deal. Kelty was well represented by Dockyard employees and that faction had been greatly increased after the Coal Board was privatised and the government assisted the re-employment of many Fife Miners in other Government departments that they obviously had plans to also privatise.
That same company that got the running of the pensions scheme has its fingers in several other scams from former nationalised organisations but it went largely unreported in the Media.
Ken500,
“No one needs alcohol to survive. Alcohol kills people. Causes depression. Less drinking will cut crime and abuse.”
The Establishment needs to keep the “plebs” drunk and not in their senses so as to easily manipulate, exploit and impoverish them.
galamcennalath @ 8.34pm
“I sometimes wonder if the human race is divided in two. Those who are fundamentally self centred ‘I’m all right Jack’ types favouring extremist politics, and those who have empathy with others and favour a more caring society with centrist/moderate left politics.”
You’re spot on there. I’m of the empathy type and the majority of Scots are also IMO. Hence I’m surprised we are not Independent now as the former type are the ones we have to battle against to get the majority over the line to vote for Independence.
heedtracker,
“Gets me over the hump Wednesday.”
Guardian reader with a Slovene (ex-)girlfriend, if reading the lying, warmongering British Nationalist The Guardian helps you keep sane, then I have no problem with it.
Rock
I may have misquoted but you’ve not responded to my question. What’s your game?
heedtracker,
“Interesting watching Glesga Herald ed going ape shit at WoS blogger, in Bath”
Buy the fake “independence supporting” The National to keep its venomously anti-independence elder sister The Herald alive.
Dave McEwan Hill (1st November – “Tory Idiot Of The Week”):
“The Metro belongs to the Daily Mail group so is most certainly not our friend.”
Rock (1st November – “Tory Idiot Of The Week”):
“The National belongs to the Quest group and is the younger sister of the venomously anti-independence The Herald so is most certainly not our friend.”
CameronB Brodie,
“Rock
I may have misquoted but you’ve not responded to my question. What’s your game?”
I would suggest you read my comment again and try to understand it. It will help you know my “game”.
I quoted Jockanese Wind Talker and then posted my comment. It was not rocket science to understand.
Jockanese Wind Talker:
“Getting cynical in my old age but has The Scotch Whisky Association taken one for BritNat Team UKOK??
Today.
UK Supreme Court agrees with Scot Govt on alcohol minimum pricing
Tomorrow (or the near future)
UK Supreme Court agrees with Westminster Govt that Indy Ref 2 is Illegal (or something to that effect think Catalunya)
Howls of ‘Hypocrisy’ at SNP about only recognising ‘legitimacy’ of UK Supreme Court when they agree with its rulings.”
Rock:
“You are absolutely right.
This is a tactical political decision by the UK Supreme Court.
The Establishment will use any means possible to thwart Scottish independence, including bribes and acting nice.
But considering that the most stupid people on earth are in Scotland, a majority will be very easily duped.”
My comment above was my “game”. If you have any counter point to make, do so.
Instead of challenging me about another poster’s comment.
Two birds with the one show… Sothern Spain suffers the same as we do.
TheItalianJob,
“I’m of the empathy type and the majority of Scots are also IMO.”
You might be but IMO the majority of Scots are not.
A majority voted No for their own selfishness.
The British Nationalist elderly who voted against a better future for their children and grandchildren, the vast majority of the middle classes and the English.
@Valerie says: 16 November, 2017 at 3:38 pm:
“Aaah, the memories of Lani. Lanliq. I knew of it, even in Paisley, growing up. It was known as the real jakey’s drink, so those guys had a real problem.”
Nothing new there either, Valerie, in my youth the drink of choice in the West of Scotland was referred to as, “The Rid Biddie”, or, “Rid Biddy”, (a home made mix of cheap red wine and methylated Spirits). This was the (cough!), unanimous choice of drink of the alcoholic fraternity.
There was, though, an even cheaper beverage when the bottom of the pile was almost reached. In those days our cities had coal gas powered street lamps. These, due to the much poorer light levels, were not too tall.
So the alcoholics would nick a bottle of milk from a doorstep and climb the gas lamp post, remove the gas mantle and affix a length of red rubber tubing to the gas jet then, by inserting the other end of the rubber tube into the milk in the bottle, trickle the coal gas through the milk.
Then, of course, there was the alkies’ last stand – Brasso.
More on the conservative mentality, which we all share to varying degrees. IMHO, this plays a significant role in Scotland’s political inertia.
https://www.unc.edu/~ujanel/PCPC.pdf
@ Robert
Red Biddy!! I know that name from the past, but not the mix!
Brasso is a new one on me though.
It’s so, so sad to think you are in such depths, you try to find oblivion in any type of chemical to get that release.
I never judge alcoholics or addicts, you don’t know their story, how they got there. We must try and give them the pathways, in various ways, to help them.
Yes, they will fail umpteen times, many will die before they succeed,,but every now and again one has an incredible turn around.
Robert Peffers – When I was wee, I remember seeing lots of old looking men (maybe they weren’t that old after all) who had purple noses and faces lying around the Grassmarket outside the model. When I asked why they were purple I was told they’d been drinking milk infused with the gas from the gas mantles that lit the tenement stairs. Much easier to reach, as none of them looked too athletic.
Robert Peffers
The connoisseur’s way with Brasso was to filter it through a loaf of bread, thus, according to the bon viveur, removing the more corrosive elements and leaving the finer liqueur.
This was appparently invented in the wartime Navy, where booze was scarce and brass was abundant. ( and, no doubt, men were men, but with dodgy livers).
Rock
You speak directly when more nuance is required, IMHO.
“Any fool can criticize, complain, and condemn—and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.” ? Dale Carnegie
Just watched the Alex Salmond show.
Good start and will be watching to see who the guests will be in the coming weeks.
Well done the MSM and the tv stations great giving the show such great publicity.
Just watched the Alex Salmond Show… Democracy will and must prevail. (thumbs up emoticon)
The Salmond Show is such a winner with the frothing Unionists. If they say anything like “Kremlin stooge”, we can answer “Did you watch it?”. If they say no, then “how can you comment on it?”, and if they say yes then “what are you doing watching a Russian propaganda channel!”.
Their only other way out is to say they read about it in the media to which the obvious reply is …
Scotland is in the main is full of great caring people. Much of the same of what I encountered when working in Norway.
We will prevail in the lake long term as Robert a Peffers keeps on telling us.
I have a dream like all on here who wish and will see an Independent Scotland.
re the gas/milk story, I remember hearing that The Sarry Heid near The Barras had a set-up behind the bar to deliver that particular cocktail.
Maybe just an urban legend, but plausible all the same. Just like Buckfast on draught (Nice ‘N Sleazy’s on Sauchiehall St)
Wildest one I’ve witnessed in recent years was a local roaster in the wee corner shop, buying a bottle of *cheap* vodka at 9.30-ish in the morning: ‘Goes fuckin crackin wi the bleach, fifty-fifty man!’
Vodka & bleach?
No idea if he was just winding everyone up, but if the total state of him was anything to go by? one would suspect not.
🙁
Scotland is in the main is full of great caring people. Much of the same of what I encountered when working in Norway.
We will prevail in the long term as Robert Peffers keeps on telling us.
I have a dream like all on here who wish and will see an Independent Scotland.
Great posts from all on here today. Everyone committed to our cause and pushing for the final outcome.
Our Independence.
Ujn
Thanks to all.
Keep up the good work .
Ian Brotherhood, I visited the Saracens Head one evening , did not see Gas/Milk on tap, but they had that finest vintage fortified wine Lanliq or Lannie as it was known, said to make a great cocktail mixed with a little hairspray . Talking about wierd drinks, I know a guy that worked on the Rigs from Wick. He awoke one morning urgently requiring a hair of the dog, but nothing left after the party the night before, he came across a bottle of Blue Stratos aftershave and scoffed that, he said he had perfumed farts for days.
@Ian Brotherhood
Oh my what a concoction. Surely not. Bleach is highly toxic and will kill you.
Not a Vodka man myself. More a Whisky man and neat.
Here’s to us. 🙂
@ Robert Peffers “Then of course, there was the alkies’ last stand – Brasso.”
Prison innovation lol.
Robert Peffers when I was a wee boy in the sixties my much older brother had a share in a Catamaran called the Red Biddy, I had no idea it was named after a cocktail until now 🙂
@Valerie says: 16 November, 2017 at 9:49 pm:
“Red Biddy!! I know that name from the past, but not the mix!”
Red Biddy/Biddie was actually debated in the Westminster Parliament several times according to Hansard; see:-
http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1937/feb/02/red-biddy
As to the Brasso. My teenage group of friends in Edinburgh/Leith way back in the late 1940s/early 1950s did volunteer work all around The Capital. We were mainly based in The RC Sacred Heart Church Hall in Lauriston Place:-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Heart,_Edinburgh
We were not associated with any particular religious group, political group or indeed nationality. Just a group of like minded teens appalled by the poverty and misery around us.
From the locality of the Sacred Heart hall you can see we were very close to the lower levels of the Old Town that were very much virtually slum areas then.
BTW: I delivered newspapers around the nearby Tollcross/Fountainbridge area and used to meet a big fellow who delivered milk every morning. We called him Big Tam – (Sean Connery). I wonder what happened to him?
Our other base was in the Kirkgate in Leith so you will realise, as Leith was the biggest port in Scotland back then, that we saw much depravation, misery and met a very cosmopolitan section of the city as we also did much work with Uni foreign students.
We sure as hell saw life in the raw though.
“Brasso is a new one on me though.”
It was quite common at one time.
“Yes, they will fail umpteen times, many will die before they succeed,,but every now and again one has an incredible turn around.”
Tell you one thing doing such volunteer work teaches you – never look down your nose at another human being. For some of them are sure to surprise you in one way or another.
I believe I have only met one 100% evil person in my life and he got himself hung, (but that’s another story).
Reporting Scotland starts the evening news report with an attack on Mark McDonald and his suspension by the SNP.
Usual stuff from propaganda RS. Not worth the money spent on it.
Programme was followed by a Sarah Smith piece on the Labour Party leadership race. She managed to find a young girl who claimed she was a former SNP supporter who was now fully behind Labour. Sarah Smith is a paid mouthpiece for the biased BBC who is an ignorant news reporter not worth listening to. I don’t as I mute or switch over whenever she appears either on TV or radio. Best ignored like ScotsLab.
@TJenny says: 16 November, 2017 at 9:49 pm:
” … When I asked why they were purple I was told they’d been drinking milk infused with the gas from the gas mantles that lit the tenement stairs. Much easier to reach, as none of them looked too athletic.”
If you knew the old Grass Market you would know that many of the steep streets had sharp turns and usually at the peak of the turn would be a gas streetlight but as the turn changed direction to kind of level out the steep climb the street leading up made the corner street light accessible fairly easily.
Tenement dwellers tended to lock the street doors at nights as they had been getting the gas mantles broken and the stairs used as public toilets and sleeping quarters at night.
CameronB Brodie,
“Rock
You speak directly when more nuance is required, IMHO.
“Any fool can criticize, complain, and condemn—and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.” ? Dale Carnegie”
I am sorry to say, but you acted like a fool in criticizing me for another poster’s comment without reading properly.
But in line with my “character and self-control”, I forgive you.
Especially as I do not consider you to be one of the usual suspects who attack me because they are incapable of countering the points I make.
@Fireproofjim says: 16 November, 2017 at 9:49 pm:
“This was appparently invented in the wartime Navy, where booze was scarce and brass was abundant. ( and, no doubt, men were men, but with dodgy livers).”
Aye! So now you know why the RN crews got issued with tots of rum.
See:-
http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1970/jan/28/royal-navy-rum-ration
@ Valerie – I think Max Keiser was a trader on the New York stock exchange so he knows the business from the inside. Yes he does go into a rant, but always extending the metaphor IMO. Stacey keeps him on message.
I don’t watch every show but those I do watch usually spread a little light in our darkness.
Point is, RT has a lot more depth and relevance than the BBC in its coverage of international news. All that’s missing is some drama and arts.
I click on the BBC website and just sigh. Nothing of any importance is ever drawn to their attention nowadays. A Scottish Six couldn’t possibly be more parochial than the dross the BBC now propagates.
I feel it is incumbent upon us to accept that, on this “forum”, we will have a pet pessimist. We all know the username of this pessimism. We accept his/her pessimism and carry on regardless.
We will prevail, despite the pessimism.
Point is, RT has a lot more depth and relevance than the BBC in its coverage of international news. All that’s missing is some drama and arts.
They should show actual Russian tv, dramas and stuff. There must a Russian David Attenboroughski, a Russian Game of Thrones…
@Heed
The Kremlin buys BBC productions, and as a major customer probably has editorial control over the BBC. 😏 😈 😂 😎
yesindyref2 says:
16 November, 2017 at 11:40 pm
@Heed
The Kremlin buys BBC productions, and as a major customer probably has editorial control over the BBC
Which explains why its all so ballaching boring. Beeb gimps like Scandinavian noir crime, or is it C4 but it would good to see some actual Russia arts and drama, cold war is over now. Although once again, planet toryboy here is certainly trying to get us all to NOT watch RT.
OT – Finland is celebrating 100 years of independence “dream hard, dream strong, dream more”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=L4DxP0irRy8
Jings, seven hours later and I’m still not halfway through putting a saltire on everything. If I don’t see another saltire till tomorrow it’ll be soon enough.
Re. neo-liberal governmentality. I hope the Grenfell Tower Inquiry isn’t bent. I don’t hold out much hope though.