The Paper Teapot
As Twitter followers will have noticed, we’ve been busy this week with an extensive remodelling of Wings HQ, which involved the main computer being out of commission for several days while the office was basically torn down and rebuilt from scratch. (It seemed a good time to do it, given that there’s nothing remotely of interest happening in Scottish politics.)
Unfortunately the lack of activity on the site caused the comments on the last post to degenerate into the most wretched playground shrieking match, so let’s see if we can’t distract the children and talk about something else for a bit.
Particularly alert observers will have noted that Kezia Dugdale, the most spectacularly inept and unsuccessful Scottish political leader in history, this week demitted her role as Director of the John Smith Centre, which she was handed as an incentive to quit Scottish Labour after dragging it to 14% in the opinion polls.
And we wondered how anyone would be able to tell.
Because we’ve never been able to work out what the “job” actually involved. The John Smith Centre’s stated goal is “making the positive case for politics and public service”, and on taking up the position five year’s ago Dugdale’s declared aim was to “rebuild faith and trust in politics”.
We’re not unbiased, but we don’t think it’s too contentious to say that five years later trust and faith in politics, particularly in Scotland, is at an all-time low. The SNP have shed 50,000 members, are essentially bankrupt, and are embroiled in countless police investigations, personal scandals and policy catastrophes that have seen their support plummet 20 points, yet Labour are still struggling to scrape up the tiniest of leads in polling, so dismally uninspiring is the alternative they offer.
(Although they have at least risen 150% from where they were when Dugdale quit.)
Dugdale’s mission, then, has been as big a flop as everything else she’s ever turned her hand to – with the exception of filling her own pockets by debasing her position, sometimes at the expense of her dead best friend’s charity.
But what did she actually try? For the last five years we’ve barely noticed the JSC doing anything at all in pursuit of its supposed goals. The last event mentioned on its website was six months ago, when it hosted a talk in August 2023 about “disagreeing agreeably”.
Readers might detect a certain amount of irony in that, since Dugdale is most famous for being found to have disagreed by grossly defaming a member of the public and journalist who’d held her to account [waves] by using a disgusting and false slur accusing them baselessly of bigotry, but escaping punishment on the grounds of extreme stupidity.
Perhaps understandably, Dugdale didn’t take part in the event. But we’re still none the wiser as to what she DID do for 35 hours a week for five years, while also holding down an equally mysterious and doubtless lucrative position as *cough* Professor of Practice (whatever that might mean) at Glasgow University and writing regular columns for the Times and her old pal Davie Clegg at the Courier.
Her bio on the site is no help, saying she “leads and oversees the Centre, and is responsible for all aspects of strategic development”, and “plans and drives the work of the Centre, encompassing all its activities and programmes”. But while those are all words, they convey no information.
So we’re putting out a call. Have YOU seen Kezia Dugdale in the last five years, readers? Did you watch her speak at an event? Did she come to your school and explain how to forge a career in politics with no discernible talents or abilities? Did she host an online seminar that led to you becoming CEO of a Fortune 500 investment bank? We want to know, because if it doesn’t sound too challenging we might apply for the job. We’re pretty bored.
And Jesus, if Kezia Dugdale can do it, how hard can it possibly be?
please apply; I have the reference already prepared.
I wouldn’t bother, the John Smith centre looks like a retirement home for failed yoons. So, you have no chance.
I imagine Blackford has already applied, or is Glasgow too near to his wife in the humble croft ?
She’s been making the positive case for politics & public service by keeping quiet.
Don’t know who is more immature and incompetent; her, or her partner..
Heads or tails?
Politico full time troughers the pair of them.
I would like to know who funds the JSC and WTAF they do, all I can interpret is the Smith family troughing legacy where nothing is done or appears to be done to benefit Scotland it is all about ensuring the smith family are kept in comfort
The whole lot of them are disgusting unionists who care NOTHING for Scots or Scotland
Don’t worry folks, I’m sure Dan will be along any minute now to explain to all us dummies exactly how a heat pump works…
Something I’m sure you are all desperate to know.
Dugdale is a chancer.
link to en.wikipedia.org
I felt the arch hypocrisy of Dugdale being so angry about Brexit she voted SNP was maybe worth a mention.
Breeks, she probably voted SNP over Brexit as a sop to her vapid bird so they could get over some domestic row and go on making stupid manhating sexual apartheid plans like female-only train carriages. It all deserves nothing but mockery.
Much like the upcoming Hate Crime Bill, laughed at in the link below through the admittedly left-field medium of comedic hardcore porn rap and (cough) ‘poetry.’ Ivor Cutler would have been proud. Or maybe not. 🙂
link to scottishculturalcringe.bandcamp.com
Is a position at the Institute not just a financial cushion kindly provided to offer a subsidised transition for troughers (of the correct political views of course) from one publicly funded post to their next as chairperson or member of a quango or similar.
Brian Doonthetoon @ 05.20
Off Topic, just nice to see you posting again BDtT, hope all goes well.
I liked the AHP link, too.
“Disagreeing agreeably” – that’s Peter McColl on the right, Maggie Chapman’s squeeze.
Surely another of the huge positives of independence is that no-marks like Dugdale will lose access to such sinecures….or at least be easier to hold to account for their massive lack of any appreciable achievements?
British nationalist exceptionalism makes it too easy for mediocrity to rise to the top. Dugdale isn’t the only example of yoons who have risen without a trace of course, merely one of the least palatable.
As Scott observed: “When we had a king, and a chancellor, and parliament-men o’ our ain, we could aye peeble them wi’ stanes when they werena gude bairns. But naebody’s nails can reach the length o’ Lunnon”
@Rev Stu
I thought you had already applied to become somebody’s speech writer? How did that go BTW?
But dinna fash. Holding down multiple jobs is the way to go in Scottish political life.
As you’ve just pointed out, nobody is looking for tangible results.
I spotted that quine on Maryhill Road one morning with a suite on looking like she had just been papped oot a taxi for speaking mare shite than the taxi driver! I shouted ‘”Bam” at her. Fair cheered myself up.
[waves back] . Lol
“rebuild faith and trust in politics”
The way things stand that would be a very difficult job. Impossible even.
Well who’s daft? She got a cushy number and loadsa dosh – no wonder she is grinning inanely!
Karen, Maggie Chapman has a ‘squeeze’????
Unfortunately the lack of activity on the site caused the comments on the last post to degenerate into the most wretched playground shrieking match, so let’s see if we can’t distract the children and talk about something else for a bit.
Don’t you go blaming yourself for what you describe as ‘the most wretched playground shrieking match’ it had nothing absolutely to do with your lack of activity or anyone’s immaturity.
Have you given any thought to the idea of just allowing posters to let rip and get stuck in? What harm?
You can see from Harry’s post
link to wingsoverscotland.com
He’s ready to get stuck into Dan.
The * mysterious * rise of vacuous cartoonish characters like Kez ( the Bez of Scot Pols , minus the maracas n eccied-up * vibes * + the gorm-free facial expressions ) can – at least partly – be understood in the context of the rise of the New LGBtralala Aristocracy .
Where actual ability , along with once deemed important aspects like real life experience , intelligence and character are of negligible relevance .
* Identity * is the key that opens the treasure chest .
Not just sexual orientation , of course : in Nu Scotland Politics people can be elevated & rewarded for having ( claiming to have ) a * disability * ; coming from a non-Caucasian ethnic group ; being ” no right in the heid ” ; having difficulty locating and identifying one’s own genitals ; having ” I Stand With Blah D Blah ” on your Social Media profile . Having exotically hued hair can also be a career-booster .
In the case of the likes of Pee Wishart , having no discernible admirable qualities whatsoever , but possessing the ineffable capacity to make ANYONE look better by comparison is a sure-fire winner .
Bad form from Harry at 3:25 am in the morning attempting to drag comments off topic so early in the thread with a lame personal jibe.
Interestingly it appears Harry has no thoughts or insight to add to the subject of the article itself, or about “making the positive case for politics and public service” and “rebuilding faith and trust in politics”, which is mentioned in this article.
I’ve proffered the proposal for years (and on the last thread) about standing decent, honest, local, non-party affiliated candidates to genuinely represent their wards or constituencies because it has been clear for some time that Party politics has become a skipfire.
That would do more to restore faith in and improve Scottish politics than anything Kezia or the John Smith Centre has produced, and I came up with that proposal free of charge without taking any remuneration or expenses for my effort.
Wow. Over 1300 comments on the last thread. Whilst I only read about a third of them, I wholeheartedly agree with Stu’s observation that they really were not up to the standard you would expect from knowledgeable adults. Unfortunately that seems to be the case in every thread.
I do not buy newspapers or watch TV news therefore only learned yesterday, from my golfing mates, that our gracious King is suffering from cancer. I expect our media were all over it, with compassion and concern. However, I suspect Wings readers were not so charitable. Personally I could not care less.
Ms Dugdale has shown her complete lack of ability for years and I am surprised that she has not joined the ranks of the SNP where her lack of any talent would fit in very well with the troughers, grifters and shysters. Maybe no one has asked her…………yet!
How long on this thread before our ‘heroes’ jump in with the 300 year old guff, Colonialism, Sovereignty etc and bore us all to death?
I generally avoid reading anything on here from our resident experts on world affairs. Do they really think that their scribblings are going to influence anybody, anywhere?
A few months ago I was talking with one of my sons on the state of Scotland, the UK and the world in general. I asked him if he ever read Wings over Scotland, He admitted that he had never heard of it and promised to investigate. I recently asked him if he had. ‘Yes’ he said. ‘I found that articles produced to be very informative and realistic but the comments section leave a lot to be desired as half of the posts are from nutters’. I admit that I took exception to this remark and politely advised that 50% was ridiculous. The true figure was 90%.
All is not well in Scotland but the golf was good yesterday so not all bad. Some people need to get out more.
so let’s see if we can’t distract the children and talk about something else for a bit.
Talking as one who I suspect you are describing as a child I can tell you you are going to need something a bit more interesting than a story about Kezia ‘fuckin’ Dugdale to distract me for more than 10 minutes.
I’m off to do some colouring in and have juice from my sippy cup.
Kezia Dugdale Meh!
Ding! Ding!
Here’s another one of these posts worthy of a quote from ‘Nobody Home’
I got a thousand posts of shit on this forum to choose from. says Chas
My response to Chas:
I’ve got electric light
And I’ve got second sight
I got amazing powers of observation
And that is how I know
When I try to get through
On the telephone to you
There’ll be nobody home
See Stu folk just want to get stuck in.
Go to Google
type in kezia dugdale podcast
Look at even just the first 3 returns
Attempt to sew your sides back up before you die laughing
I am surprised that someone is still with us on Wings.
Tick tock.
Politics is awash with these deluded individuals who think they’re talented enough to govern the rest of us, when in reality they were simply dumb enough to agree to having their name added to a list of candidates simply to enable the party faithful in a particular patch to “have the opportunity to vote for the party” come the next election and then by some cruel twist of fate they get elected!!!
Their evident stupidity continues to manifest itself throughout their political ‘career’ by taking on all the shit jobs that nobody else wants, including, ultimately, that of party leader.
So many Dugdales, so little time.
I assumed Kez’ job was to read the papers on Radio Scotland. That’s the only time I’ve heard anything from her since she set out to improve faith in politics in Scotland.
Although perhaps it’s up to politicians to start telling the truth and carrying out their promises. I’m sure that would improve peoples’ view of them.
I note the John Smith Institute receives much of its funding from the Scottish Govt, such is the solidarity of the political class.
@Chas
Apropos your comment relating to being surprised Dugdale hadn’t tried to pedal her limited abilities to the SNP, I’ve long been convinced that one of the reasons the SNP had imploded in such a spectacular fashion is that it was intellectually and organisationally captured by an influx of former Labour (or worse NuLabour) types.
Some of those would have been former members and supporters with an eye for the main chance, who jumped ship when they realised the days of weighing Labour votes in Scotland rather than counting them were over, when irrespective of ability or lack thereof any slavishly loyal red rosetted no mark could find a cosy, well paid and virtually permanent sinecure. Others, the younger ones never had any past in the Labour Party or movement, but exhibited most of the same traits, including a fondness for sophomoric wedge issue politics and policies with negligible popular support such as trans rights.
Independence aside, there is actually very little to separate Sturgeon from Dugdale.
It is earnestly to be hoped that both will end up in the dustbin of Scottish political history, if for different reasons. I’d like to think that Sturgeon’s future will not comprise of elevation to some cushy NGO or pretendy academic think tank or university position…..but given the inexplicable ability of Dugdale to rise without a trace of any appreciable achievements, I won’t be holding my breath.
@ Dan says: 8 February, 2024 at 9:15 am
I’ve proffered the proposal for years (and on the last thread) about standing decent, honest, local, non-party affiliated candidates to genuinely represent their wards or constituencies
Seconded.
I’m thinking you’ve already got the guts of your manifesto pledge too:
Decent, honest, local, non-party affiliated candidate
Passes the T-shirt test as well.
As I’ve pointed out before, it only needs 50 good and true Scots thinking like this to blow Scottish politics right open.
As I’ve also pointed out before, this kind of non-establishment entryism is exactly what is happening in countries all over Europe, so why not here?
And, as we all know, this is an election year, so if not now, when is there going to be a better time?
I thought I would edit your post just to make things clearer for everyone.
So many Dugdales, so little time.
I like that one Robert. 🙂
‘Golfing with Chas is a good walk, sp0iled.’
Mark Twain?
Play the ball, not the man or woman. Report comments by clicking the flag in the top right of a comment. Keep it civil.
A yellow card beside your name is a warning.
Why can’t Wings be a better site and do this?
Try it in your re-building the site?
Andy Ellis @ 8:01 am
“British nationalist exceptionalism makes it too easy for mediocrity to rise to the top.”
Indeed. In discussing the surprising shortcomings of the hierarchy placed in charge of a colony, it is unfortunately also the case that “the most mediocre colonialist often remain for their whole life”, according to Albert Memmi.
Memmi further noted that: “The promotion of mediocre personnel is not a temporary error but a lasting catastrophe from which the colony never recovers”.
Which gives us a more accurate explanatory perspective as to why we see so many ‘policy’ failings within a colonial society, and why our institutions are indeed ‘mediocre’.
Scotland’s universities are another aspect of this, and with Scots now making up barely one tenth of academic staff numbers in many departments, a colonial legacy seems evident. Hence these bricht mynds, maist o thaim fae ootside Scotland, like to think that colonialism is only to do with far off places in the Americas, Africa and Asia, despite the fact it has surrounded oor ain ivory towers since before the rest of the world was plundered, and aye surrounds them yet.
Dugdale is living legend!
A woman ahead of her time.
This woman you insult single handedly brought Wokism to Scotland.
You should all take a leaf from her toilet roll.
They should build a statue to this political powerhouse.
Your are all jealous, especially the Rev
THE JOB, an exciting one apparently, youth and all that, comes with this link to gla.ac.uk
As a young person, well versed in skepticism and cynicism owing to brushes with politics, politicians and their works I might apply.
Tho still in the process of academia I may be jumping too soon. However it is gratifying to know that if were to lose my mental marbles, or go trans, or whatever there would be a cozy home for me.
Floreat Glasgua!
Between October 2020 and May 2022 the John Smith Centre received £470,000 direct funding from the Scottish Government ostensibly for the Ethic Minority Emerging Leaders programme.
The criteria for the Director post are semiotically «pregnant».
link to my.corehr.com
and merit word-by-word textual exegesis.
A holy text?
English is a wonderful language for this sort of NuSpeak.
MICHAEL Matheson has resigned as Scotland’s health secretary.
The labour party is the left cheek of the British Establishment’s arse.
The JSC is there to provide a money sump, hiding in plain sight, in order to reward the good (and incredibly useless) little unionist soldiers.
Other think tanks (I use the term loosely) do the same, in addition to carrying out the double edged research to shaft the plebs.
University Professorships are now an additional means of rewarding failure in plain sight.
Some ‘charities’ likewise.
And last but not least is the Leading Politicians official ‘biography’ read by no-one but the poor suffering critics, but a great way of rewarding them with a bung as they exit central stage.
Its not mishap, or irony, its deliberately built in for this reason.
Breaking news. The Morrocan Fondler and Worst Dad of the year has resigned. Honey I shopped the kids.
Honey, I shopped the kids. Ahaha. Wayway. He’s gone! Fantastic news. Absolutely brilliant!
I suppose it would only be fair of me to tell Stu what would distract this child for more than ten minutes.
Currently I am interested in:
1. Racism + Multi-culturalism + Humza’s very serious nervous breakdown.
See my post link to wingsoverscotland.com
2. On what was said in Holyrood & Westminster in 2013 re the badger.
badger = franchise.
3. Also interested in all ‘Scottish True Crime stories’. Sadly they are currently what might be described as a very ‘slow burn’ or is it ‘slow burner’
Obviously Stu can’t write about any of that yet.
4. Very interested in knowing ‘What is a woman’ and everything related to ‘Men changing sex’
Yes Kemi & Rishi UK law allows men to change sex. Although all that has been done to death yet no definitive answer. Yes I know some SNP bloke said yesterday that Isla Bryson was a woman. I would need a lobotomy/brain transplant to accept that.
5. Mr Idul Wadhwa. Is he or isn’t he a Sissy./ Also Beth.
6. A trip down memory lane. Stories from 2011 – 2014
Videos from UK Parliament TV would be good. During that time there was so much going on it was impossible to keep up with everything that was said. Anyone remember the discussion about dual Scottish-British nationality for example. The one thing I remember about that discussion was the Labour guy whatshis face ‘you’ve had a doing’ having nightmares at the idea of people in iScotland with dual nationality being paid a heating allowance by the RUK Gov. It was an interesting discussion. An Irish lawyer (might have been Michael Foran) talked about what happened in Ireland vis a vis dual nationality. I believe Theresa May hinted there would be no dual Scottish-British nationality.
(Obviously it wasn’t in Better Together’s interest to say otherwise)
7. Finally is it true that everything currently being posted BTL is absolute shit?
Has he got a job at The John Smith Centre?
I knew a couple of people who knew John Smith. One lived across the road from him and liked him – good humoured, relaxed, gossipy, …
I told the second: he said “He must have known him before he became Party Leader. After that he was impossibly pompous”.
The revelation that Dugdale voted SNP which appeared in the past couple of days and now her resignation is probably not a coincidence. Expect her to be back in the Holyrood ring once more. Who can tell on which side it will be.
“The voter outside looked from SNP to Labour, and from Labour to SNP, and from SNP to Labour again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”
Poor old Kez.
Beavering away, but, inevitably, producing nothing.
Will Humza give the job to Kate Forbes to gut the “deep recesses of management” within the NHS. Such as abolishing and amalgamating the health boards?
I highly doubt it. That would be to sensible for the cartel running Scotland’s public institutions and all of their non executive directors.
They couldn’t stomach following Michael Matheson out the door now, could they?
It’s time for the Alba Party to take over from the SNP and let the adults take charge.
Michael Matheson can stop pretending now. He will be able to put on his Celtic top and gold crucifix.
@ Mark Beggan says: 8 February, 2024 at 10:43 am
take a leaf from her toilet roll
Gonna memorise that one for re-use!
Looks like Matheson stayed in post just long enough to repay his phone bill.
Who’s gonna be keeping me healthy now?
You would need quite a sophisticated system for that to work.
Folk who didn’t like you would be giving you a yellow card. I would probably have at least four before the end of the morning.
Sometimes I wonder about sexism on this forum. Should I change my moniker to something more macho?
I prefer the idea of just letting people rip. ‘A Karen’s Diner’ type forum.
I think it’s what posters really want. What harm? You know what they say about ‘sticks & stones’
Stuart MacKay @ 11.32
The ever prescient Eric Arthur Blair (the honest Blair) got it so correct again.
I so often feel these days that our current bunch of career politicos view his 1984 opus as a guidance manual, rather than satire.
Oh how I would vote for an independent, honest, working candidate.
yet Labour are still struggling to scrape up the tiniest of leads in polling, so dismally uninspiring is the alternative they offer.
You would think Scots would jump at the chance to vote for a completely different woke, Muslim-led, LGBTQ-obsessed political party full of crooks, racists and chancers.
Are they bigits or are they homeopathic against Oor Anas?
A couple of funders of the JSC.
“Between 1 October 2020 – 31 May 2022 Scottish Government paid £470,000 in grant funding to the John Smith Centre in connection with the Minority Ethnic Emerging Leaders’ Programme. The breakdown of the payments was as follows:”
link to gov.scot.
And here also.
link to johnsmithcentre.com
Just for the watchful proof readers amongst us, I am aware that the original quote was from “Animal Farm”, though I am referencing 1984.
Not, of course, that we have any critical posters amongst our number.
Further to my suggestions to Stu on how to distract the children.
Uploading a story from the archives would be perfectly acceptable the next time he is bogged down with makeovers or even when he isn’t.
Repeats are fine by me. There are a lot of ‘goldfish’ amongst us ‘usual suspects’.
There are even some/many who didn’t get around to reading the articles first time around.
Also old comments are interesting if only to compare and contrast if the claim that everything being posted now is absolute shite compared to ‘the good old days’ when ‘Wingers were Wingers’ and ‘Cybernats were Cybernats’
It’s important to know history. We don’t want to be on the wrong side.
Sorry if this makes you feel ancient but I saw a book set in the 60’s being described as an ‘Historical Novel.’
Ach well I suppose if you live long enough you will be history!
Not a chance Matheson’s been watching football in Morroco. More like gentleman’s special interest entertainment. In a dark room. Alone. With a bottle of sunscreen while his wife and children are down at the pool.
Hopefully his marriage breaks up after this.
Matheson will have more alone time in the days and weeks ahead. I look forward to the findings of the inquiry into his admitted fraud. And Morrocan fondling. While his wife and children were downstairs sunbathing.
Isn’t he really pathetic? Ahahaha. If only Humza Yousaf sacked him. Now he’s going to look like an absolute tosser. Just like Matheson of Morroco.
Today is a good day. I am smiling. I am laughing.
Puzzle for the clever Trevor’s
500,000 paper clips and 10,000 paper clips boxes each able to hold 33 paper clips per box are delivered to the Murrells.
How long would it take Nicola to fill the boxes correctly?
@Ruby
It’s not readers who give the yellow card. It is the host of the site.
Slugger O’Toole, a better site than here imo, adopted this system.
People can complain about being “played” to the host and if the complaint is upheld a yellow card is issued. Presumably followed by a red card if necessary.
Adopting such a system might involve Stu in more effort than he would want. Although, if such a system existed, its necessity might decrease.
Slugger also has volunteers who have offered to moderate comments that are posted and they have the power to post their own admonitions.
It is a system that seems to work fairly well there.
I know what they say about sticks and stones. Don’t believe it.
@John Main 10.18am
It struck me earlier that your recent calls for 50 or so “brave souls and true” may be an option in future, even if it is an idea whose time has not yet come.
Until recently I always thought (hoped?) that the fastest and most secure route to independence after the SNP’s meltdown and the Supreme Court decision, was to either to destroy the SNP or ensure that a hopefully reformed SNP could be harnessed in to a broader movement to fight plebiscitary elections. I’m still hopeful that could happen, though the SNP faithful are proving worryingly immune to change.
However, it may be that absent the kind of change many of us want to see happening in a reasonable timescale, that even #HR2026 elections may not work as an “off ramp” to indy. Perhaps the idea of “the movement” reasserting ownership of the cause is what is needed? The Catalans have a Committee for the defence of the Republic, organisations like Omnium and several pro independence parties.
Maybe the way forward is for “the movement” to field non-party “well kent faces” to fight plebiscitary elections on a non party basis? Worth a try surely. I’m honestly not sure hitching the wagon of the independence movement to the SNP bandwagon (or indeed any one party’s wagon) is a good thing.
The fact the pro independence share of the vote continues to rise as toe SNPs share declines suggests that we have to decouple the two things. The SNP are, as many including WoS have been saying for some time, more of a barrier to independence than a motor for achieving it. They either have to be converted to the benefits of promoting plebiscitary elections to take advantage of the majority for independence, or electorally destroyed as the IPP was in Ireland in 1918.
Events sometimes come at you quickly in politics as Alex Salmond has said in the past, but we can’t assume the SNP are going to change or be swept aside quickly: we can certainly look forward to the day however!
David there is a very smooth olive oil available in Morocco it’s pretty cheap and doesn’t contain any chemicals or irritants. It’s organic! Yes! Yes! Yes!
They also do a very nice ‘Vin Gris’ but you would have to go there to taste it. Wine experts tell me it doesn’t travel well.
Morocco is the only Muslim country I have spent any length of time in.
I was amazed at the difference between Spain and Morocco considering it was only a 12 kilometre boat trip across the Strait of Gibraltar.
I always want to say Straits of Gibraltar for some reason.
Totally off topic so I expect that will be another yellow card.
If only I knew something about football I would know what a yellow card meant.
Talking about football and the badger. Way back in 2013 when they discussed the franchise at Westminster the topic of Sir Alex Ferguson came up and whether he should have a vote in the IndyRef even if he lived in England.
Did you know that? Do you know what was decided?
Sven there are many critical posters on this forum and that is a good thing. Who needs to edit when you have many CPs?
The obvious reason a university would lavish unwarranted honourifics and a lottery win salary requiring no effort other than the very occasional appearance at a presser, is that she is married to the Education and Skills minister for the ruling nat-duping junta.
I’m sure they know what they are doing and consider it value for money.
Stu – just a thought..
Dunno how viable it is but can you not start an off topic/current affairs section that people can chatter on?
Yoons are doing their Yoon thing by disrupting the flow & interjecting with some flame throwing bait then have the audacity to complain they don’t like the response it receives & how bored they are.
Just a suggestion. It’d keep traffic to your site while not cluttering yer new articles. Dunno if you’re monetized.
Failing that I’d lock the replies after the article.
Maybe one of us could start a free forum to congregate there instead if it’s just a hassle for you..
Resigned but not really though is it. It wasn’t his failure in health that caused it, it was his honesty as a politician.Fucker should be gone completely. Fucking ‘resigned’
Keziagonish
Yesterday evening upon the stair
I saw a pol who wasn’t there
I shrieked. They said, “Don’t make a racket”
“I’m just in to get my pay packet.”
@sam 12.23am
Slugger O’Toole, a better site than here imo, adopted this system.
A sound idea. Whether it would work here or not I don’t know: maybe Rev Stu doesn’t have the bandwidth (or desire?)to police it, or maybe WordPress can’t do it.
Perhaps a way can be found to make the “ignore” function work properly. I suspect menay would settle for a simple block function à la X/twitter?
?The John Smith Centre has never published accounts. It hides under the umbrella of respectability, fiscal probity and corporate governance offered by the University of Glasgow.
It provides a list of supporters; The Sir Victor Blank Charitable Trust, The Marshall Family, Tom McGuffog, David Nicholson, William C Phillips, The Robertson Trust, The Ryvoan Trust, The Scottish Government & The Sneader Family.
“In-kind supporters” are listed as; Charlotte Street Partners (colour me shocked) & Message House.
Without numerated financial contributions these are meaningless.
The JSC was incorporated as a charity in 2015 as the John Smith Centre for Public Service. It lay dormant ‘till 2019 when Dugdale was employed.
Who exactly funds this political influencing exercise?
One speculative answer could be inferred from the accounts of the John Smith Trust. Formed in 1996, the JST had a steady registered income basically consisting of UK Government grants of £1m pa, up to year end Sept 2019. At this point, its revenue drops precipitously to £250k pa by end financial year 2021 (with most of the decline taking place in 2020).
The JST is a political influencing operation focused on “former countries of the Soviet Union”. Basically, it’s an “off-book”, covert, outlet of Vauxhall Cross with ex senior MI6 officer Elizabeth Smith acting as custodian / front.
Notionally therefore, the JSC is funded by the British SIS, with Elizabeth Smith’s “block grant” being diverted from the international to the domestic.
Kezia Dugdale. I had completely forgotten about her. All I do remember about her is that she encouraged voters in tactical voting to defeat the SNP. And her with an SNP girlfriend too. Oh, and I remember her wee girl sing song voice.
As far as the misbehaving children on this site are concerned. I know that you are a man of great patience who believes in free speech. Nevertheless, I think the time is coming when even your patience will run out. Children beware!
Republicofscotland @ 12:01 pm
“Between 1 October 2020 – 31 May 2022 Scottish Government paid £470,000 in grant funding to the John Smith Centre”
Still on the UK-Scot-Gov ‘department’ payroll then?
link to parliamentlive.tv
Starts at
12.46.06
Here you go here’s the debate about the franchise. I watched it way back in 2013.
On quickly scanning through it today I was struck by just how many yellow cards would be given out for ‘playing the man’.
That seems to me what politics at both Westminster & Holyrood is all about.
The difference between BTL comments and here is they are able to jeer & laugh without being censored.
With regard to shadowy organisations such as the John Smith Institute and the WEF, there is/was something called the World Festival Of Youth And Students which was held in Communist bloc countries. It was seen as a means for mentoring and giving instructions to people who had been groomed for politics in Western nations and three people who attended this were Peter Mandelson, Charles Clark and Jack Straw.
No surprise that the demands for tighter moderation BTL are coming from those who are quick to play the race card. Others just provoke hoping for a reaction then call for bans.
Chas
“I am surprised that someone is still with us on Wings.
Tick tock.”
I’d put you out yer misery first. You continually being bored & all that. He’d be doing you a favour.
Did you tell her son you are at least responsible for 100 of those posts informing us all how bored you are & you really don’t know why you come here.
That’d free up some bandwidth LOL
John H.
Ignored
says:
8 February, 2024 at 12:59 pm
Who are these children? You should name names. If you name me as one of the ‘children’ I promise you I will be gone. Just say the word and I’m off.
I’m wondering if it’s not a little childish to state that you remember ‘her wee girl sing song voice’
Being really picky is the reference to her girlfriend not a tad homophobic.
Is this whole topic not playing the man or in this case the woman?
I’m sensing a lot of hypocrisy from posters on this site also sexism.
Is Andy Ellis someone you would also describe as a child? Just sayin’
Don’t get me wrong I have no problem with Stu or yourself playing the woman nor people being childish on this forum.
I’m all for a free for all and posters saying what they think.
I just can’t stand the hypocrisy & being told ‘do as I say but not as I do’
Dugdale
Achievements = nil.
Disruption = off the scale.
Holyrood turned into a playground on everything from he said, she said, Wings beamed around the world for upsetting one of her *siblings* to not knowing what councils Labour held who’d deliberately withheld SNP childcare out of spite.
To her & the wee Harvie trying to incite the pampers brigade outside Holyrood to storm the parliament (Trump style) cause SNP bowed to pressure over the absolute are of a public consultation.
I agree with someone up there who suggested it was a reward for being an annoying twat in politics for the yoons. No way should we be paying for a centre for life’s failures to advise anyone.
*Burn it* as Wallace would say. Or strip it of funding. Let the family fund it.
An innarestin article in the Guardian Online today about the future of the west. I reckon that includes Scotland too. Here’s a wee weather-related quote:
“Storms in the ME, a hurricane in 404. The Covid Spreaders are climate change”.
I wonder if we will be flooded, desiccated, or just blown away.
Ruby 1.17
Excellent find, thanks!
Vivian oblivion 12:58
Excellent investigative deep dive, wow!
@Anton Decadent
“No surprise that the demands for tighter moderation BTL are coming from those who are quick to play the race card. Others just provoke hoping for a reaction then call for bans.”
To whom are you referring about playing the race card? is it me?
Who has called for bans and bans for whom?
John H
‘her wee girl sing song voice’
Careful there or she’ll have you in court lol. The sound of someone’s voice is homophobic in Dugdales world LOL.
If all that’s true about the JSC being a front for UK Security Services, it begs the question what it’s roll would have been had Scotland gone Independent; hiding in plain sight, nominally a “Scottish” Legacy, but actually anything but.
The most extreme example of ‘playing the man’ was Alex Salmond finding himself in the High Court.
No Yellow cards have been issued so far.
The ‘playing of the man’ vis a vis Alex Salmond continues to this day all over the internet, even on this site, in our two parliaments & beyond.
Oh but that’s different ‘cos it’s no me that is being hurt by personal abuse.
As I said the only piece of personal abuse that hurt me was being called a ‘schemie’ for reasons that I explained earlier. Also I was hurt on behalf of all the people who are currently being dismissed as ‘schemies’ It’s one of the ugliest things I’ve seen written on this site.
That wasn’t childish that was vicious.
I don’t care if someone calls me a fringe nutter, foul mouthed harridan, uneducated, moonhowling usual suspect in need of a lot of plaster etc what annoys me most is when these same posters cry foul when you return like for like.
It’s not easy to turn the other cheek which seems to be what is expected here.
I would think either this forum is totally moderated or not moderated at all.
I’m going for the free for all option.
Alba Party’s Electiongate scandal
The Alba Party constitution that says National Conference (that was held on last weekend of October 2023) is responsible for electing the NEC 8 Ordinary Members (OM). But, I am told, it was announced at Conference the NEC OM election would be held at a later date.
There was an online vote around 2 December 2023 which was open to any member who registered for National Conference by buying a £20 online ticket – but there was no requirement to have been a part of the Conference. So, in reality, Conference did not elect the 8 Ordinary Members for the NEC, it was online registrants. The election was conducted online by Single Transferable Vote.
Despite it being one vote per member, Screenshots on Twitter purport to show 288 registrants RSVPd for National Conference. However, figures released by one candidate shows 308 votes were cast in their vote in the NEC OM election.
Another Tweet alleges 288 registered for Conference and that that was supposed to be the number of voters but the number of potential voters was increased to 393 registered voters by the time of the NEC OM elections in December.
So people are asking: How were 288 Conference registrants able to cast 308 votes ?
Alba Party did not release the full voting figures for the 8 NEC Ordinary Members; it was just announced who were the successful candidates. A member of the NEC resigned and spoke out over concerns of election-rigging that the party had failed to address.
Alex Salmond later issued a response to members that Alba couldn’t publish the full election figures as they had failed to obtain prior consent from election candidates to do so. Alex gave no basis for this judgment, such as Information Commissioner GDPR guidance, legal advice etc. Members were just assured they can take his word for it that all is fine with the election.
The party released partial figures to rival candidates about each others votes, so that appears to contradict the excuse that individual candidates’ data could not be shared due to privacy concerns.
Prior to the NEC Ordinary Member election, there had been complaints about the Office Bearers election. Alex Salmond said though that vote was conducted properly, it would be re-run to allay any concerns.
However, the concerns about the NEC OM vote is much worse. It’s an issue that’s been going on for weeks and has not gone away. Another NEC member subsequently resigned privately but was outed on Twitter as having resigned. So, he explained his resignation was at least in part influenced by how the party had treated the person who had complained of election rigging.
The NEC of Alba have huge powers, for example in the Constitution, it says: “13.1 The NEC has full control over all monies, funds, property, investments and securities of any kind belonging to the Party”.
Since Alex Salmond’s response saying they couldn’t release the full voting figures, the party appears to have gone silent on the issue. There is a huge stench hanging over the party regarding the allegations of corruption, and also the party’s, and Alex Salmond’s, handling of the issues.
The failure to publish full voting figures for an election stinks. The excuse given by Alex Salmond for the failure to release the full voting figures stinks. The party’s failure to fully address reasonable and genuinely held concerns stinks. The attacks by senior members of the party on people who speak out about the concerns stinks.
The stench of corruption has been hanging over the Alba Party for weeks now and the Party’s attitude of burying its head in the sand or conducting ad hominem attacks on anyone who raises the issue will do nothing to clear the air and will surely lead to comparisons with the Murrells’ running of the SNP.
Colin Alexander @ 14.25.
Aww sugar, Colin, thanks for the (Depressing) inside info. Appreciated.
How rotten is all this, really does underline the commonsense suggestions made previousy re independent local candidates standing for election.
First the SNP, now the murky questions about Alba.
People post all these accusations of being childish,making rubbish posts etc etc but they never name names so nobody knows if they are the ones being got at. Usual suspects doesn’t cut, nor does ‘someone’ as in Chas’ post ‘I am surprised that someone is still with us on Wings’
Obviously I got a clue who Stu considered childish when he quoted one of my posts. That then gave the impression to Ellis, Chas & Main that they were clear and the only guilty person was me.
I didn’t notice you playing the race card Sam why do you think someone might accuse you of that?
Why is a so called nationalist government playing along?
There’s absolutely nothing racist on this bottom line forum. Its time for Humza Yousaf to pack is prayer Matt. And fuck off back in the direction of Dundee. And pray to Mecca from there. You know the area where Nadirs drug addled brother in law is allegedly throwing people out of tall buildings?
Dear Kate Forbes. Don’t go anywhere near Humza Yousaf’s cabinet. Do not take the poisoned chalice health secretary position.
Kate Forbes. I agree with lots of what she is saying. She wants to gut the management of the NHS. The 500 managers that have never had a pair of blue gloves on in their lives. I support that massively.
Because it’s the management of the NHS that is failing the staff.
It’s time we had an honest decent hard working Christian mother in charge of the SNP. That’s how I feel.
I heard Humza Yousaf spouting pish about this Brianna Ghey murder. Well as tragic as that was. I can’t stand all your gender shite anymore.
Pack your prayer matt and fuck off.
Freedom of speech. Kate Forbes. Hounded for her Christian faith and Christian values.
Yousaf on day 1 gets the prayer matt and mocks every one of us.
He’s lost every by election. He’s had many cabinet ministers resigning in disgrace.
He’s a fanny. That’s a liar. A cheat at home. Giving our money away to Africa and the false green agenda. Then grandstanding about our morals and wanting a Scotland First Minister.
He defends corruption. He defends Nicola. He hates our country. He hates white people.
He’s cut £200 million from the housing budget. Yet wants to give all the homes to Gaza.
It’s a disgrace. Nothing will change unless we fucking rise up and stand up against the snp.
There’s absolutely nothing racist on this bottom line forum. Its time for Humza Yousaf to pack is prayer Matt. …..
……It’s time we had an honest decent hard working Christian mother in charge of the SNP. That’s how I feel……
……Pack your prayer matt and fuck off.
Anyone else thinking what I’m thinking?
I have no idea what you are thinking Andy.
Perhaps you are confusing racism with bigotry.
It happens often. People often consider Islam a race.
Andy Ellis @ 15.17
That “matt” is more usually spelt with just one T in this context ?
@Sven
I suspect it is too much to expect orthographic exactitude from contributions which appear to emanate from the BTL equivalent of Rab C. Nesbitt after a few too many bottles of Buckfast?
We can safely assume we won’t be troubled with references to the works of Eric Blair from the gutter some of the contributions appear to lie in.
Unless this “Matt” has some interesting stories to tell us about shenanigans at the Bute House pray-ins?
There’s little that would surprise us these days in Scottish politics I fear!
Isabel Hardman Spectator wrote an article some years ago about the cost of standing as an MP. There was a suggestion of a bursary for Independent Candidates as they were being essentially excluded by the financial resource of the mainstream political parties. If you can take a personal financial hit of up to 15k (Inflation Adjusted) then you can stand. Otherwise lobby for a system of grant aided support for Independent Candidates and a cap on spending for political parties per constituency. So after the Colin Alexander post is it worth my while to attend my first Alba Branch meeting?
It was inevitable the wasters would follow Salmond.
They’ll see the back of him one way or another.
A good sex scandal failed. Now to try something else..Zzzzz
Colour me shocked.
David Hannah
It was ironic eh? The pampers brigade shitting their nappies that a Christian country with Christian values (Whether practising or not) would become First Minister of Scotland for fear our already Christian values would influence policy & shed have no time for church.
& First thing Dumbza does is roll out his prayer mat three times a day & influence policy by making us all conform to treating women & girls as 2nd class citizens who should shut up.
BTW, not a fan of Forbes. She’d have been slow torture to the SNPs demise. Plus she’s a Tory. She’s not an independence supporter & she lacks political courage. Choosing to hide over GRR instead of doing what women all over the world do on a daily basis, find a babysitter. She managed it just fine during the leadership challenge.
Johnlm
What do you think is better for your physical and mental well being
a) A round of golf, in the fresh air, with good company and a drink and a blether after the game
b) Sitting alone, on your fat erse, typing shite on a computer keyboard
It is fairly obvious which you prefer.
@George Ferguson
“Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.“
Vivian Oblivian @12.38pm.
Have a wee look at this, many of the names mentioned have links to the JSC.
“Dorril says that politicians including Dewar, John Smith, Gordon Brown, George Foulkes, George Robertson and Robin Cook were precisely the types the intelligence services longed to see take control of the Labour party and he believes that contemporaries and acquaintances of these leading Scottish Labour figures took active roles in organisations sponsored and endorsed by MI6 and the CIA.
“Elizabeth Smith (John Smith’s widow) was approached.”
link to wikispooks.com
Colin Alexander, don’t you think it’s a bit premature to be making the sort of judgements you and others seems to have made with regards to Alba’s election?
For all you or anyone knows it was was an honest mistake, someone screwed up with a spreadsheet or something. Another possibility is that the process was in some way infiltrated in order to discredit Alba and Salmond.
Salmond has done enough in this world to be given the benefit of the doubt. Let’s see what happens and get to the bottom of it before rushing to judgement.
Is this your sneaky way of trying to avoid accusations of ‘playing the man/childish playground bitching/name calling?
The above is pretty vicious nothing childish about it.
It didn’t take me long to figure out you meant David Hannah.
Sven helped.
Typing matt instead of mat could be a spelling error or could be a typo.
What’s the big deal? Have neither you nor Sven ever made a typo or spelling error?
Is Rab C Nesbitt your new word for schemie?
@Rev
Professor of Practice???
I wonder what research journal she publishes her work in?…
Geri @ 15.48
Ms Forbes failure to vote on the GRR Bill was even more depressing when Conservative Meghan Gallacher, also on maternity leave, managed to take part in the debate and vote against it from home.
What sort of state is Holyrood in when it’s a Conservative MSP (and the majority of their MSPs) who votes for women, whilst a female would be leader of the SNP dives for cover.
OMFG. People, you are in for a treat. I promise this is the funniest thing you will read anywhere today…
Ellis: I’ve long been convinced that one of the reasons the SNP had imploded in such a spectacular fashion is that it was intellectually and organisationally captured by an influx of former Labour (or worse NuLabour) types.”
Do you think he means the type that doesn’t mind bombing defenceless Middle Easterners for oil?
Crackers.
Ah I see he’s a ‘pick n mix’ Muslim.
That explains a lot.
He should be on that matt & giving himself a good wash five times a day.
The five fingered hand of Fatima might be to remind him it’s five and not three. I’m taking a chance posting that cos I know someone will correct me.
link to tinyurl.com
I think it also keeps away evil spirits.
@Ruby
Just checkin.
The parameters are wanting tighter moderation and playing the race card.
Which race? The 2.30 at Sandown. I tipped
Mary to back Roman Warrior @ 10/1 (Scottish nag) and she won. Jumped up and down.
Or when I went through the race card at Cheltenham, place only, in the bookies.
Anybody seen “Heat Pump Dan” in their travels?
Maybe he’s sprung a leak.
Best post goes to Viv Obiv.
Worst – a tie.
@sam, in internet parlance someone who feigns confusion and innocence is known as a hatchling. With regard to people being banned you posted this earlier in the thread
“People can complain about being “played” to the host and if the complaint is upheld a yellow card is issued. Presumably followed by a red card if necessary.”
With regard to the race card you have previously claimed on here that people are dying of despair in England because there are not enough immigrants in their area. You also claimed that black males are statistically more likely than any other section of the demographic to commit murder and other violent crimes because they are, what was it you said, I think it was “disrespected”.
“Harry
Ignored says:
8 February, 2024 at 4:24 pm
Anybody seen “Heat Pump Dan” in their travels?
Maybe he’s sprung a leak.”
I really don’t believe it was the lack of activity on the site that caused the playground activity.
It was because there ain’t no moderation – anywhere.
Tied for worst.
@ Harry
Aye, I seen him earlier this morning you un-alert reader.
link to wingsoverscotland.com
Have you actually got anything to add relevant to the article or are you just a trolling twat that clearly hasn’t taken on board what Stu has asked of the btl commenters.
Do you want an oldskool square go, would that help sort out the issue you have with me.
@Hatuey 4:00pm
I would always give Alex Salmond the benefit of the doubt. He has absolutely nothing to prove to me. For us second time rounders (SNP) we are more cautious of political parties. But I will attend my branch meeting and find out for myself. Alba are the party that my views are most aligned with, gave or take.
Hatuey
It’s now two months since concerns were raised about the Alba Party NEC OM election.
The only official response given, citing privacy preventing publication of voting figures with the election result still standing, is not credible or acceptable.
If it were a genuine mistake, it could have been easily rectified, as we all make mistakes.
Members don’t demand or expect perfection but they deserve honesty and transparency.
@Anton Decadent
Think you have played the wrong man.
I have never commented on immigration as far as I can remember, except perhaps some long time ago that it could be beneficial in some cases. Happy to be corrected if you can provide the evidence.
Pretty sure I’ve said nothing about black violence either and its causes.Evidence?
Foul play, I think.
The site seems to have that sort of culture to it. I’m sure there have been other cases where the wrong person has been played.
Whatever your point was, it was lost on me. Maybe someone could explain it to me? Feel free to chuck in some insults while you’re at it, I don’t mind 🙂
Feck me I thought the John Smith centre was an economic think tank dedicated to John Smith the economist. Apparently it is dedicated to the guy they killed to pave the way for Tony Neocon Blair.
Hillwalking sure is a dangerous pastime for those opposing them.
You must apply and quote a relevant disability thus entitling you to an interview.
You must have a splinter in your finger at some point causing you to lose the full movement of a finger on the key board
Rev Stu I think there are more attempts to cause disruption and enmity to your desperately needed site, funnily enough Harry has just appeared out of nowhere and without reason or cause decided to demean Dan for his posts , similar to Chas of the boring cunt anthology or Mark of the shite site belief, I had always presumed that you were the arbiter and moderator of comments but it appears these ahem commenters are not interested in your articles they just want to deride and disrupt the interest btl
Neil Grays degree will come in handy with his new job. That’s the NHS sorted with this top geezer on it.
@Colin Alexander 4.55pm
The response from Alex Salmond seemed (at least at the time from what I can remember) fairly reasonable. If the privacy/GDPR reason given for not publishing is spurious, it would seem an odd thing for him to have come out with.
I’d certainly have thought the party, containing as it does a number of lawyers within its ranks as well as (I’d imagine?) a fair few folk with considerable experience of such matters from their time in other parties, would have gone out of its way to check whether the stated reason held any water.
If you don’t think it’s credible or acceptable, what’s your evidence? It’s one thing to allege that foul play was used, but quite another to prove it.
I’ve seen some comings and going on X/Twitter about it involving people on both sides, and it doesn’t seem the easiest thing to follow for those not au fait with the minutiae of party political processes and voting.
As you say, members don’t demand or expect perfection, particularly from a relatively new party which is still finding its feet. I certainly think there’s room for improvement and have said as much publicly and in private to fellow party members. For us to accept that something nefarious has happened, a lot more evidence is going to be needed.
I do hope the party takes on board how bad this has looked and will learn the lessons. Going forward it would seem to reinforce the need for such posts to be elected by the whole membership: that’s the way to ensure openness and transparency.
@ Hatuey says: 8 February, 2024 at 4:12 pm
the type that doesn’t mind bombing defenceless Middle Easterners for oil
Hoo boy, it doesn’t take long for posters to jump on their imaginary grievance hobby horses these days.
Care to give us an example of “defenceless Middle Easterners” being “bombed for oil”, Hats?
I mean, you wouldn’t just have posted that sort of claim for fun would you?
Truth is, the world is hoaching with oil. We have not even reached peak oil yet. There’s a world war on and I just filled up with diesel at £1.47 per liter.
It’s far cheaper to buy the stuff than it is to bomb anybody for it. Here in Scotland, we’re planning on leaving most of ours in the ground.
Well iPad man and health secretary Michael Matheson has stood down from his position, he will be replaced by Neil Gray, Gray was Yousaf’s campaign manager in the SNP leadership “Campaign”. Gray was also the Minister for folk coming to Scotland from that Eastern European country, an unheard of position that’s never been replicated for any other group of folk coming to Scotland.
Some other no gooders have been shuffled in Yousaf cabinet
@ George Ferguson says: 8 February, 2024 at 3:45 pm
If you can take a personal financial hit of up to 15k (Inflation Adjusted) then you can stand
That doesn’t seem so much to me, George. If I drive anywhere for 10 miles, I’ll see dozens of people in motors costing 2, 3 or 4 times that.
Maybes I’ve been colonised.
Back in the days when Labour came from nowhere, local communities clubbed together to fund one of their number to stand for office.
£15K needs 150 people to put up £100 each. And it doesn’t have to be all at once either.
If the support, or demand, for Indy is as high as is claimed on here regularly, I wouldn’t see the financial barrier as much of an obstacle at all.
After all, post-Indy, won’t we all be coining it in?
Speculate in order to accumulate!
Besides, a successful candidate will make that £15K and more back in the first few months. What’s stopping a “subscription funded candidate” from promising to pay everybody back? After all, the entire idea of the popular, independent candidates should be that they’re not in it to get rich.
Another for the archive from Genocide John;
admitting he doesn’t understand how petrocurrencies function.
Good grief
Is it insults you want! Big fan of Karen’s Diner?
I can tell just from reading your posts you’re a vegan,a tea drinker,a fake
a liar, a transphobe and you haven’t a single tooth left in your gob.
I hate fuckin’ tea drinks especially when everyone else is having coffee. I expect you’d demand Earl Grey, Camomille or Syrup of Figs fruit tea. Vegan FFS. Get a life.
All soft food I expect due to your badly fitting false teeth not being able to handle anything other than pureed porridge & cheesy Smash.
What’s with the daft moniker are you trying to kid us on that you know what went on in the Balmoral Hotel’s Suite soixante neuf on on Le jour de St Valentin’2020? Pretentious fake.
Obviously if you were ‘The Flying Iron of Doom’ you would know a thing or two about the French kissing & crime passionelle that happened on that fateful day of love back in 2020.
But no you have offered us zero info about that event.
You can’t tell us zip because you are pretending to be something you ain’t. Fake!
You are probably pretty useless as a non flying iron too.
You probably can’t even iron your own underpants or put those razor sharp creases you just love in your jeans.
Only a transphobe would come on here and not post their pronouns. Bigot
I think if this forum became more like ‘Karen’s Diner’ folk would be flocking here in their droves to get insulted. What do you think Iron Boy? Well I don’t know if you are a boy a girl or half & half ‘cos no pronouns.
PS. Do you steam?
PPS I don’t know what Hautey is on about. He has this love-ate relationship with an Englishman.
It was supposed to be love-hate but I accidentally typed ate so I went with it.
I’m having a love-ate relationship with a chocolate brownie at the moment.
Any time you want to be insulted again just ask. 🙂
@sam, it must have been another sam or possibly a Sam then and if that is indeed the case I sincerely apologise.
That’s fine. Thank you.
Hope it’s a hash brownie.
Deputy Dug is soooo typical of this century. Said as an old before his time, come in pieces from the last century, type.
This is the 25th year of the 21st century I keep reminding myself. Is it though? What if we’re going back since 2000 and it’s 1976 now !
Heat Pump Dan.
I don’t think there is a poster on here who goes off topic more than you.
Ruby 4:22
It is indeed five.
I skipped two because his working day won’t include dawn & bedtime. Tho I’m sure if we gave him the stage to drone on long enough he’d claim he never sleeps thinking about his very important job. What exactly that job entails is as elusive as Dugdales. It’s certainly not related to what he was actually elected to do.
Sven
Correct. When Brexit was going through parliament MPs were forced out of their hospital beds to attend the vote. Wheelchairs & sick buckets provided. New mothers even strapped their babies on. There was no excuse for Forbes missing every single vote on GRR. You’re right, she ran away but not for the first time either- she threw Ash (letter) under a bus & then threw Ash under the bus again over the membership saga. A coward who would have been a disaster.She was super fast at handing over aid to 404 too out of a devolved administrations budget & caving over Free ports too. She was also no better than Dumbza with the well trotted out section 30 rubbish.
I don’t think there is anyone in the SNP who could save the SNP.
Oh dear two posters with the same moniker. That is one of the problems with insisting on real names. The Herald insisted on real names when they had a free for all forum. The three John MacLeods were accusing one another of identity theft. It was fun.
Not everyone in Scotland has a unique name. Just ask the Reverend Stuart Campbell. He had to self-id as a member of the clergy to be a unique well maybe only a group of twenty or so.
Johnlm 6:56
LOL!
@Harry
An attack on Dan, the third (maybe more), is certainly off topic.
You ducked Dan’s question about a square go- metaphorical or otherwise.
Why not use Dan’s moniker? Hoary?
Heat pump Dan 4.46pm
A Square go???
I would say that is definitely off topic.
LOL
Colin Alexander subitted and extremely well-written ‘comment’. This is the final paragraph:
“The stench of corruption has been hanging over the Alba Party for weeks now and the Party’s attitude of burying its head in the sand or conducting ad hominem attacks on anyone who raises the issue will do nothing to clear the air and will surely lead to comparisons with the Murrells’ running of the SNP.”
One does not need to look too far back from the start of the Murrells’ Era of running the SNP, to discover who was their predecesssor, and from whom, probably, they learned the art of politics in the Scottish National Party. The Murrels gratefully adopted what they inherited, then took to it whole new levels of lies, secrecy, deception, outlandish even insane policies, and suspicions of gross dihonesty and financial jiggery-pokery. of which any self-respecting
@Ruby
What’s a Transphobe?
Neil Gray looks a bit wet behind the ears. I fear for the NHS. Especially with this former journalist and Dumza’s campaign manager in charge. He’ll probably be a bully. He looks the type. A bouncer type pen pusher.
I hope the doctors and nurses tell him where to go.
Colin Alexander subitted an extremely well-written ‘comment’. This is his final paragraph:
“The stench of corruption has been hanging over the Alba Party for weeks now and the Party’s attitude of burying its head in the sand or conducting ad hominem attacks on anyone who raises the issue will do nothing to clear the air and will surely lead to comparisons with the Murrells’ running of the SNP.”
One does not need to look too far back from the start of the Murrells’ era of running the SNP, to discover who was their predecesssor, and from whom, probably, they learned the art of politics as operated in the Scottish National Party. The Murrels gratefully adopted what they inherited, then took to it whole new levels of lies, secrecy, deception, outlandish even insane policies, and accusations of gross dishonesty and financial jiggery-pokery.
Which brings me to the point – is there any reason why any of us should think that Mr Salmond today, is a different Mr Salmond from his per 2014 time as leader of the SNP?
Mark Beggan
Ignored says:
8 February, 2024 at 7:59 pm
@Ruby
What’s a Transphobe?
Bait
I think the NHS is going downhill. The SNP are going totally woke. They are flooding the health service with African and other foreign nurses.
Instead of paying the British, Scots and Europeans already in the health service the wages they deserve for the responsibility of the role.
There is massive scale fraud taking place in the healthcare work visas.
I support the UK Government plans to crack down on fake nurses bringing their families and getting the free houses. As per NMC website. The 77 Nigerian nurses who are fraudsters, discovered to have cheated on their CBT test.
Shocking. But not surprising. It’s the SNP way.
Africa first. Scotland last. It’s not racist to say it. It’s fact.
@ Republicofscotland says: 8 February, 2024 at 6:46 pm
Minister for folk coming to Scotland from that Eastern European country, an unheard of position that’s never been replicated for any other group of folk coming to Scotland
Seems simple enough to me, RoS.
The country that irks you so much is in a situation, unique so far, in the time period during which the SNP has been in power.
Whether that situation remains unique will depend on whether any other Eastern European countries get invaded, terrorised, bombarded, etc. etc.
Maybes ScotGov will need separate ministers for each one – maybes a single portfolio will suffice. Maybes it will depend on the numbers of refugees; thousands, hundreds of thousands, or millions.
To touch on yesterday’s topic, I don’t want New Scots in any significant numbers, but given a free choice, these are the kind of New Scots I would choose. And Hats is onboard too – immigrants bring nowt but blessings, according to him.
Ah well, I told you in the last week of February 2022 that everything had changed. You didn’t believe me then. Probably you won’t believe me now.
But you will, one day.
What do you say, then, Ros, enough grown up stuff for one night? Hows about some cunt calling to get the posts flowing in? It’s all about the clicks!
link to nursingtimes.net
SNP. Giving all of the social housing and accommodation to international nurses.
They can bring their families. Get the houses before the Scottish men.
It’s not right. I’m sure they’re nice caring people. You’d have to be. But I don’t like the way the NHS has been going under the woke SNP. The LGBT lobby and the transgender care pathway. All very chilling.
Time for Kate Forbes to step up and abolish the 15 different health boards and the selfish self serving managers of the corrupt NHS.
It’s time to gut the NHS and put the pen pushers to work. They are destroying it. And putting our families at risk. That’s what’s happening.
@Ruby
Have you seen anyone else called sam or capital Sam here? I haven’t noticed him/her /cat.
@ Mark Beggan says: 8 February, 2024 at 7:59 pm
What’s a Transphobe?
Somebody who insists their valve amp gives better tone.
Probably still playing vinyl too.
There’s a small but highly respectable niche subgroup who never play their vinyl after they buy it, cos every play degrades it.
They never play their vinyl through their valve amp always, insisting the sound they hear in their heid is superior to anything “modern”.
If you have to buy a semi, these people make superb neighbours!
@ sam says: 8 February, 2024 at 8:07 pm
Bait
One word, four letters, encapsulating the Scottish Cringe in all its pathetic, futile, uselessness.
Dinna tak the challenge! It’s a trap I tell ye!
Gregory Beekman (8 February, 2024 at 4:03 pm)
Ignored says:
@Rev
Professor of Practice???
I wonder what research journal she publishes her work in?
‘The Journal of Studies’
Dippy Dugdale- Barking Mad!
Too dumb to be found guilty.
I remember her on TV demanding her statement was accurate while not making sense.
She demanded you can check it out on Google.
That was correct you could and Google advised so was talking nonsense.
Lastly, She was on the doors before an election and Labour are set to win 42 Scottish seats.
They won ONE.
She should join Jedward and make a trio of no talent buffoons making cash while being a
Bizarre joke that they can’t see.
@John Main
Take a powder
@John Main 6:53pm
15k is a lot of money to most Scots people and remember your likely to lose your deposit of £500 if you poll below the 5% threshold. And that won’t be grant refundable. In intellectual and philosophical terms Independent Candidates are appropriate. I can’t tell you if Alba are fielding a candidate in my Constituency they are resource constrained as well. Part of me wants to stand but my wife tells me I am too honest. Who do I vote for in the coming GE if Alba don’t stand a candidate. On fundraising I have never taken a pound from a fellow Independence supporter so I won’t start now.
Andy Ellis
We all know what a fantastic communicator Alex Salmond is. He’s so capable of concisely pinpointing and addressing issues better than most people.
Yet, his response on this matter is waffling. He hints at maybe it would help enemies or rivals to publish the full figures. He hints at privacy concerns by discussing a failure to obtain consent to share. He backs the decision not to reveal the voting figures but avoids saying how that decision was reached.
When an intelligent, highly-skilled user of language like Salmond or Sturgeon, is imprecise, hinting at an answer that leaves people working out their own answer that they think the politician meant, that sets my alarm bells ringing.
When a politician decides it’s better to keep secrets, that sets my alarm bells ringing.
When ANY politicians then makes it a matter of taking their word for something, my alarm bells explode off the wall.
All this talk of Dugdale makes me nostalgic for the golden age of Scottish politics when all three main parties were led by lesbians.
David Hannah
There’s a strand of Critical Race Theory (CRT) that asserts that the best candidate (as in highest qualified, most experienced, or most competent) should never be accepted for any job vacancy.
Why?
Because it is only by taking advantage of entrenched, hidden racism, privilege or elitism that a candidate can become the best in the first place.
Being second rate is a badge of authentic, oppressed victimhood, and these victims are due payback. So one of the victims should get the job – it’s only fair!
I don’t know how far this idea has infiltrated into everyday life. The recent revelations about the lack of competence and plagiarism at American universities shows it is present in academia.
It may be present in our NHS too. Rational people would think that nobody wants the runner up brain surgeon who applied for the job operating on their child. But the sort of irrational people who might make that hiring decision probably go private.
@Colin Alexander 8:52pm
You lost me on that one. Are we going to turn Alba into a party of internal machinations and process? So SNP. So last decade. We are looking for ideas and the way forward. I will decide for myself if Alba infiltration is beyond redemption. The power of critical and independent thought. BTW Kenny McAskill is chairing the meeting himself. That’s worthy of a visit to the Branch meeting itself.
This post is an eyeopener. Dugdale was recruited to the dark side by George Foukes himself (CIA/MI? for many years) very early in her political career. She is protected long term.
link to caltonjock.com
link to caltonjock.com
link to caltonjock.com
link to caltonjock.com
link to caltonjock.com
link to caltonjock.com
George Ferguson
Of course, members should make up their own minds, not just go with what I or Alex or anyone else tells them.
I think there is a clear way forward for Alba: Ash Regan as the new leader and a new General Secretary. Also, one member one vote for all party elections conducted with full transparency in accordance with the constitution.
I would also like to see an abstentionist policy adopted (refusing to take an oath to England’s King and his heirs so MPs would be able to represent constituents but prevented from taking seats at WM) in line with Alba’s statement that it’s the people of Scotland who are sovereign (not England’s monarchy or England’s parliament).
It would also be in accordance with Alba’s pro-republican policy.
Anyone who is a member or thinking of joining Alba, I would encourage you to be a member and push for reforms at your LACU (branch) to make Alba transparent, accountable to its members, and not like another SNP gravy train for those wanting British political careers.
I can see Albas point on not wishing to give the likes of Pushy Pete anything more to gloat over.
But they should just bite the bullet & declare all. Membership does not mean voters. SNP was only at a few thousand before indyref.
I’m not a member of Alba (once bitten twice shy with SNP) but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t vote for them at the ballot box.
Alba needs to be wary of spoilers tho (no idea the backstory or who is an OM) Once trust is lost its the kiss of death to any venture. Especially a new one.
I dunno what that Muppet Charles (not the R one) is blabbering on about. The SNP under Salmond was the most democratic in the UK before Emelda took over & Robertson started to give the Murrell’s absolute control.
Piss off & go look up any Yoon party if you want a masterclass in corruption. From Ruskie donors to cash for honours.
lol “If you have to buy a semi, these people make superb neighbours!”
I really think that little chat we had has helped already, John, that comment as a whole @8.17 was quite funny…
Anyone got a link to the Tucker interview?
@Colin Alexander 10:35 pm
So a differentiated stance already. It’s not up to you to declare the Head of State or whether the people of Scotland want a constitional monarch or not. Post Independence the people will decide the Head of State arrangements in a referendum. Give or take 12000 members of a political party don’t get to decide Scotlands constitutional future. I am all for an integrative stance. The only way to secure Scottish Independence. But nobody is listening.
Anton Decadent
Ignored
says:
8 February, 2024 at 1:25 pm
‘With regard to shadowy ….’
I had not heard of that. That is interesting.
Scots shouldn’t be made to take an oath to a foreign king.
They are elected to parliament to serve Scotland.
He isn’t our monarch.
& TBH, the Royals crucified themselves because the chances of them staying on as Head of State is remote. He could have & should have advised *His Prime Minister & his government* it wasn’t democratic to deny us Scots a referendum. It was a democratic vote. We vote voted for a referendum. Now he can have a referendum all of his own now too..lol
Scottish independence is already secured.
I’d argue it’s been secured since the 19th of September 2014 when Cameron put the boot in to Naw voters on the steps of Dowdy street.
Also when Devo Max took a powder along with extensive new powers & the strongest Scottish parliament in the whole wide world – as they proceeded to row back, strip it & now it’s up on bricks..
Also the Smith Commission – the wheels soon fell off that eh?
Also Brexshit.
We can also add up all their secret bullshit covertly working on intelligence that they know their arse is over the window..
Also refusing a ref is what seals it. They wouldn’t keep refusing if they were confident they’d win..
& Finally the poll on the absolute cluster fuck state of the union that they refused to publish on the grounds it was a matter of national security.
All Scotland needs is someone to bring it home who won’t throw it away for a tin gong & a ermine cloak..
Watching Anas Sarwar ape the SNP on the 2 child benefit rape clause. None of my children are in receipt of child allowance. Because there on over 50k. We got family allowance as it was then when we were young. I see no difference between the SNP narrative and Scottish Labour. Both parties are lying about child benefit arrangements. It’s not a rape clause but an anti ambition clause. Progressive means their is no room for ambition in Scotland.
What? The shiny new Scottish Labour MP hasn’t scrapped the two child cap yet? He promised he would..
That benefit is reserved to Westminster. I think it comes under Universal credit.
The SNP can’t fix it & Sarwar has been told by Starmer to STFU about it (His Rutherglen spiel) cause he has absolutely no plans to reverse it if he gets into power.
It’s not a family allowance. It’s a benefit to top up low income families.
Anything that alleviates poverty is reserved.
Paying people a real living wage would far more progressive & it would get rid of the stigma of people thinking they’re scroungers. They’re not. They’re paid shit wages & that’s if they can even get some hours in. But employment law is reserved too.
& The SNP shouldn’t keep mitigating against Tory shit. Eventually our budget will be down to pennies to spare at this rate.
The only way to fix anything is independence. Not continually fixing Yoon policies to keep the status quo & our budget dwindling. The Tories were described as lower than vermin over 70 years ago & they’ve not only gotten worse but now we’ve a matching pair with Labour.
Hatuey
Ignored says:
8 February, 2024 at 11:10 pm
Anyone got a link to the Tucker interview….
link to bitchute.com
Bit of a slow burner to begin with, but Mr P is setting the context of today against the historical background in much the same way as Scotland’s history is an essential component of where we are today.
Think about it… If we Independentists wanted to brief the Ruskians about Scottish Independence, wouldn’t it be necessary, and indeed politic, to include the seminal events of the 13th – 14th Century? It’s a big mouthful, but a necessary one.
Granted, it’s quite rare to get this historic preamble in a political interview designed for “glib” television, but personally, I found it refreshing and I really get where Mr P is coming from.
I’m not really a Tucker Carlson fan to be honest. It’s a Fox News prejudice perhaps, but I always see a man craving stardom and celebrity, and his delivery is too saccharine for my taste, but maybe I’m being too hard on old Tucker. He actually managed a few insightful questions which didn’t make my toes curl.
The down side is, half the people in the Independence Movement don’t get where I’m coming from, in the Constitutional sense, so I fear half of what Mr P is saying is going to fly over peoples’ heads. In the US, probably a lot more than half.
Still, people must draw their own interpretations.
For what it’s worth, I think Mr P is extremely intelligent, clearly well versed in Ruskian history, extremely shrewd, but he is also acutely aware of the West, and especially the CIA’s habitual duplicity. He is very suspicious of us.
Truth be known, I feel embarrassed by the West’s contribution to improved / normalised relations with Ruskia since the 90’s, and I fear the biggest loser is going to be the EU.
For me, the biggest success of the EU was never it becoming a trade powerhouse, but advancement of peace, reconciliation, and former, sometimes historic enemies finding common ground and turning animosity into camaraderie. Sadly, the EU has lost its way in recent years, and that fantastic experiment might now be in decline.
Maybe a point to ponder is whether the difference between Ruskia and the EU, is that the Ruskians under Pwtin have a discriminating and adept leadership suspicious of habitual American chicanery, whereas the EU has no such resistance to it.
The other “spectre” to investigate is this malevolence emanating from the USA. What is its source, and what is its composition? What is its objective? Is it really what it appears to be? Is it actually a malevolence that is from the USA, or instead, does its origin lie in either London, Tel Aviv, or perhaps it is an entirely stateless entity?
Whatever “it” is, it is currently eroding peace and stability in Europe, and we would all be wise to start paying attention.
Is it poor chance, sheer bad luck, or wilful design, that Scotland when it badly needs an adept and savvy leader like it’s own Mr P, is saddled with a freak show of useless, impotent whelks who care more about boys being girls and using the right pronouns than defending Scotland’s existential integrity?
Hands up anyone who thinks it’s accidental. Scotland takes its medication, but how I wish it didn’t.
I think me and Mr P want the same thing; Western leadership that is worthy of respect. I’d be happier in the first instance if we could manage that in Scotland. Doesn’t look promising though…
I don’t mind in talking about immigration. The SNP are cutting places for Scottish born scholars. Our children are being frozen out of University. Our children having their place at a Scottish institution of enlightenment. Given to Johnny Foreigner. All thanks to Humza Yousaf’s anti white gender politics.
“There is a “cap” on the amount for eligible Scottish students who get “funded places” at university with the money for this being supplied by the Scottish Government. Meanwhile, those coming from the rest of the UK need to pay up to £9,250 a year, and international students get charged much more.”
It’s a disgrace. Our NHS is becoming African. And our Universities are becoming Chinese.
What about the Scots I ask? This is nationalist blog.
No ifs. No buts. No education cuts!
Breeks @ 2.37
Superb commentary , B . The WOS Liliputian toy soldiers will be fulminating with white noise n impotent fury ; from the safety of their armchairs , natch .
I haven’t watched the actual interview yet but did catch TC’s preamble . He makes several pertinent points , one in particular which should be uncontroversial ..ie.. the American people are paying – exorbitantly – for this aberration , ergo have the absolute right to hear ALL sides of the argument .
Of course , all the great defenders of Democracy are apoplectic with rage that their carefully cultivated demonising of Mr P ( ” Mad V the Tyrant ” , who when not – according to the propaganda – planning his diabolical takeover of , well , the World , is dying from everything it’s possible to die from ; though it will prob be the bubonic plague that finally takes him out ; really ? aye , really , ask Hilary ) is in danger of being undermined by exposure to the reality . Talking about the latter , I see Hilarious is being wheeled-out to cast her incoherent , hypocritical venom on T.C . Oh , remind me , what was all that ” Russiagate ” stuff about , again ?
Utter made-up shite . Apologies , consequences for the fabricators ? Don’t be daft , of course not .
VP is a man tasked with defending his country , and is doing so with all the resolve and strategic nous he can summon . This , latest , horror show in ” the East ” is the direct fault of US interference and psychotic need to bully and intimidate in order to maintain it’s ( fast diminishing ) global dominance .It’s bad faith re post-Soviet R is clear for anyone honest enough to look dispassionately ; they lied , deceived , broke accords and treated R with arrogant disdain : not enough that the West ” won ” the Cold War , the ” losers ” had to be ground into dust . Look where such hubris has led – the precipice of total war , again , FFS .
Hopefully , when more American people see what has/is being done in their name , with their money , they’ll say ” Enough ” ; and the tragic waste of lives can end .
If only Scotland had a leader with a fraction of VP/Rusha’s fierce determination to protect their country from the ceaseless undermining/provocation of it’s enemies .
@ Breeks 9 February, 2024 at 2:37 am
I think me and Mr P want the same thing; Western leadership that is worthy of respect
I guess the west could earn his respect by nuking Moscow.
Right now, we are making him laugh by fighting him with one hand tied behind our backs. Just like with the Female Genital Mutilators (Iran).
Cue pelters, no doubt.
But I have to wonder. The Indy movement so-called “driving force”, Scotland as a nice, wee, cuddly, nice, non-aggressive, nice, friendly, nice country hoaching with nice people has got us absolutely nowhere.
Demonstrably, it’s been a total failure.
Yet still the calls for everybody to just be nice continue. Be nice the arguments go, and the sinister, murdering, despots of the world will be nice back. All they want is to be loved you see.
Nicer than nice, maybes, is the key to Indy, prosperity and peace on the world stage.
That’s an idea that looks like it is going to take a long time to die.
The nation state only exists between the ears.
To change the state you have to change what’s between those points.
@ Robert Hughes says: 9 February, 2024 at 7:23 am
VP/Rusha’s fierce determination to protect their country
404 is “their country” in much the same way that Scotland is “England’s country”.
Try to be consistent on an Indy site, Bob, and develop some ability to think things through.
Then you won’t have to post screeds of runny shite.
The “tragic waste of lives” is people freely getting out of their armchairs to defend their own country, nation, culture and language with their own fragile bodies. As an “armchair warrior”, I can but humbly acknowledge the bravery and commitment of these people as they do things I don’t believe I have the capacity to emulate.
For you, as a fellow “armchair warrior”, sniping, carping and nitpicking from thousands of miles away, I am proud and pleased to say you are beneath my contempt.
There is a serious discussion to be had, as the US hegemon cedes influence to the loose alliance of the Orcs, FGMs and Covid Spreaders, how that will play out for wee countries whose mostly peaceful existence for the past half century has been safely under the umbrella of the Pax Americana.
One ginormous elephant in the room is that when we look at the countries of the Orcs, FGMs and Covid Spreaders, there’s hardly a single fecking Scot who would choose to go there – in fact, the flows of people are mostly in the opposite direction.
As I said, that should be ringing alarm bells with any serious, rational observer, but dinna fash, Bob, you’re excused.
And so, another day of Genocide John’s carpet munching begins.
Pax Americana???
Robert Hughes
Ignored says:
9 February, 2024 at 7:23 am
…. The WOS Liliputian toy soldiers will be fulminating with white noise n impotent fury ; from the safety of their armchairs , natch .
As we all know, there are a number of these toy soldiers who dismiss Scotland’s history and Constitution as irrelevant, however it occurred to me that “Auld” Scotland presenting it’s Sovereign credentials to the UN would not only secure recognition, but positively resonate with global heavyweights like VP . It would ALL matter.
Not just Ruskia, but I believe the Chinese would also attach great solemnity to the Constitutional precedents. I cannot lie however, there is also a likely component of Schadenfreude or all out revenge, where certain parts of the world might revel in the instability and ultimately final demise of the British Empire.
Instead, when blessed with such a momentous opportunity to focus the world’s attention on the damage to Europe and Scotland’s unconstitutional subjugation, we presented the world with a slavering halfwit, cheerleading for a no fly zone and escalation of the war to be imposed.
Fk me. What unpardonable folly….
No mention on here, regarding the minimum alcohol price increase?The nanny state!,Punish the resposible drinker for the actions of those that cant control their intake,This will have little effect on the fat troughers who bring these laws in.They will continue the luxury lifestyle in London etc,whilst Scots working class and pensioners will pay much more for what little pleasure they have.Also these Holyrood troughers have NO concept of business,none of them,they can only waste/ spend money created by others,and have no regard for the wealth creating Scottish drinks producers.
Breeks
” …..we presented the world with a slavering halfwit, cheerleading for a no fly zone and escalation of the war to be imposed.
Fk me. What unpardonable folly… ”
Absolutely , B .
” a slavering halfwit ” . LOL 🙂 EXACTLY what she was/is .
So lacking in original thought/character and desperate for * VIP * approval she could only parrot her Queen ..ie ..the loathsome H Clinton , displaying her compliance and subservience to NeoCon dogma . Seeming not even fully aware that what she was advocating could have precipitated full-on War : rather than the proxy version the shitebag Yanks are using the blood of ‘krainians to wage . Those monstrous US Hawks even crowing about what great value their * investment * is generating .. ” Dead ‘ussians & MIC profit + jobs at home . Fantastic , eh ?
There is research to show the health benefits in raising the unit price of alcohol.It lowers risk of liver cirroshis, drink-driving and crimes of violence.
Why did Penny Mordaunt say in Parliament where they are protected that the SNP were under 22 different police investigations.
A country that knows the price but not the value.
link to archive.ph
Scotland couldn’t be more British.
Vivat Britannia!
Muriel «two fires» Gray….a friend of Sturgeon?
George Ferguson
You asked for the way forward, so I suggested a way forward, rather than repeating my previous statement. The way forward: A younger generation leading Alba: Ash Regan and an abstentionist policy that challenges the falsely asserted British sovereignty of English Crown in WM..
Alba say Scots are sovereign NOW, not dependent on independence. So, why should sovereign Scots swear fealty to England’s king / UK head of state? Doing so betrays the principle that Scots retained sovereignty although we lost independence.
Geri @ 12:05 am
“Scottish independence is already secured. I’d argue it’s been secured since the 19th of September 2014”
Yes, indeed Scotland is and has been de-facto independent since the first of three elected nationalist majorities of SNP MPs in 2015.
That ‘event’ comprised the most fundamental change in our national electoral politics since the 1707 union. Up until 2015 Scotland had always returned a majority of unionist MPs ostensibly to represent our interests. That complicit reality was fundamentally altered in 2015, and since.
It can also be argued that a majority of nationalist MPs in Scotland means that Scotland is de jure independent, i.e. Scotland is lawfully entitled to be independent any time these elected individuals do what they were elected to do.
Which implies that the only reason any UK parliament continues to legislate for Scotland is because of SNP MP’s ‘petrifaction’, and their ‘lack of courage to act at the decisive moment’ (Fanon). A richt paircel o rogues (Burns).
link to yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com
Sam @ 09.36
Having had a mum & dad who were both alcoholics (dad died early of liver disease) I know that the alcoholic will do without anything for themselves or their family to feed their addiction.
I may not be aware of the theoretical studies, however I do know the lived reality.
@ Breeks says: 9 February, 2024 at 8:29 am
I’m a believer in democracy, first and last. The least worst of all the ways to run a country.
Whether I agree with what the majority of the Scottish voters want is immaterial in the final analysis – the tyranny of the majority must win every time.
If you really believe the majority of Scots want alignment or help with Indy from the Orcs and Covid Spreaders, then make your case and get your popular movement on the streets.
Run it up the flagpole, see who salutes.
Get the Female Genital Mutilators (Iran) enthusiasts onside too. They’re a bit harsh on lippy and uppity females who don’t know their place, but if you truly believe that’s what we Scots want, then fill your boots.
I’m unimpressed by hordes of non-indigenous Scots on our streets chanting “Down with the Great Satan” and “Death to the Jews” myself, but maybes I’ve lost touch. Mobilise these sentiments through the ballot box and I’ll maybes learn to live with them.
Can’t say fairer than that, Breeks.
Thanks for the link, Breeks, I actually found it on YouTube.
Everybody knew that Russia would oppose NATO nuclear missiles on its Ukrainian border, just as the US opposed them in Cuba. People like John Mearsheimer have been talking about it since the mid 1990s. Using a bunch of neo-Nazis as a proxy for that was never going to be accepted by a country that lost over 20 million people to Nazis.
There’s important aspects to this that have yet to be fully investigated and brought to light, a major one being the corruption involved.
It looks like hundreds of millions of dollars changed hands before Russia invaded, which should ring alarm bells, and it looks like the Bidens and others in the administration were up to their eyeballs in it. If Trump gets into the Whitehouse again, we can hope that he will address this and use the full force of the law.
When you stand back and look at the evidence all at once, Ukraine, bio-weapons labs, covid and the suspicious vaccine deaths, the constant wars, the blatant lies and Stalinist control of the media, the corruption (facilitated by offshore banking), the attempted military coups in Pakistan and South America, Assange, etc., etc., etc., it looks like the US and Britain have been hijacked by a bunch of maniacs, dragging the collective West into the gutter with them.
We don’t seem able to stop them, they’ve got “democracy” well and truly stitched up, but it looks like the world has had enough. God help them if they ever face Nuremberg-style trials.
@ Alf Baird says: 9 February, 2024 at 10:11 am
It can also be argued that a majority of nationalist MPs in Scotland means that Scotland is de jure independent
So we’re “de facto” independent and “de jure” independent, except in the real world, where we’re “bleedin obviously” not.
But I’m not here to have a go, Alf. I’m curious.
If or when the SNP majorities turn to minorities, say in 2024 (WM) and 2026 (HR), will we still be “de facto” independent and “de jure” independent? Surely democratic votes can’t just overturn our independence, when most likely, most Scottish voters won’t know that’s what they are voting for?
But if there are no pro-Indy majorities in one or other house, what do you reckon will be our status?
Will the history books record that Scotland became independent for 10 years or so, before reverting back to the Union, and during that time, hardly anybody noticed?
I wonder if this will secure Orkney’s long time energy needs and will Orcadians pay a reasonable price for their energy. I doubt the actual turbines will be built in Orkney.
The Scottish government has a track record of selling off our assets on the cheap, the last ScotWind sale by Sturgeon the Judas was a giveaway.
Scotland a country is teeming with energy sources yet Scots pay through the nose for energy, energy stolen by our foreign neighbour and sold back to us at a higher price, and our MSPs and MPs do nothing about it.
“COUNCILLORS in Orkney have backed plans for a multi-billion-pound offshore windfarm development.
Orkney Island Council’s development and infrastructure committee met on February 6 to consider the West of Orkney Windfarm plans, which would see the construction of up to 125 wind turbines 30 kilometres west of the Orkney mainland.
After considering the application, which was submitted to Scottish Government ministers in October, councillors decided to back the plans.
It is thought the project could represent more than £4 billion of investment.
Orkney Council is a statutory consultee. However, the final decision to grant offshore consent lies with the Scottish Government.”
link to archive.is
Only our colonial administration could do this, Matheson must be laughing up his sleeve at us.
“Michael Matheson will receive nearly £13,000 in ministerial severance pay after resigning as Health Secretary.
The SNP MSP will be given £12,712 for standing down from his Cabinet role.
Scottish Government ministers are entitled to three months of their final ministerial salary as a severance payment.”
Nae wonder oor MSPs don’t want independence, they already possess the Golden Goose.
Sam @ 09.36
As the child of 2 alcoholic parents I regretfully know that an alcoholic will go without anything for themselves, or family, to feed their addiction.
Increasing the unit price will do nothing to stop their consumption.
John Main @ 10:42 am
“Will the history books record that Scotland became independent for 10 years or so, before reverting back to the Union, and during that time, hardly anybody noticed?”
Independence and sovereignty must be asserted, that is what ‘nationalist’ leaders have to do, and are elected to do, but in our case refuse to do.
Scotland’s ‘nationalist’ leaders clearly have much to learn from the Irish and many other former colonies which decolonized. And from postcolonial theory too, which tells us about the national party leaders ‘petrifaction’ and their ‘lack of courage at the decisive moment’.
I expect history may show the current SNP leaders not to be ‘nationalists’. We already know they don’t wish to be ‘nationalists’. And they prove it every day. Their ‘progressive’ focus is on other priorities, and other minorities interests, but it is not on liberation of the Scots.
History should confirm this, unless it is written by a colonialist, as is much of the history of a colonized people.
@Colin Alexander 10:33am
Hopefully we will meet up perhaps at an Alba Conference and discuss further. Have a good weekend.
the full tucker/putin interview is on X/twitter, but it’s not all worth watching
In case anyone hasn’t seen any of it –
link to stateofthenation.co
random excerpts :
TUCKER: What is your opinion of President Biden?
PUTIN: We’re convinced HE IS NOT RUNNING THE COUNTRY. Let’s say we have good sources that confirm that but it’s plain for anyone to see for themselves. The US has now entered into a dark period. It has unaccountable leadership.
– the guy who writes the teleprompter is running america.
TUCKER: Do you think Joe Biden won fair and square?
PUTIN: I would rather not get into domestic American politics but will say my embassy reported your southern border was better run than that 2020 election. (chuckles)
– classic shitlording.
TUCKER: But isn’t Russia weaker and more vulnerable economically than the US?
PUTIN: When you look at the size of economies we are small. But few people take into account our VAST NATURAL RESOURCES. RUSSIA HAS OVER $80 TRILLION IN THE GROUND. NO COUNTRY EVEN COMES CLOSE TO US.
– wall st wants those resources, but for “cents on the dollar” – no profit in paying full whack for them. Break the country up, install strongmen and kleptocrats, have the shock doctrine mk2.
TUCKER: Let’s touch on climate change. It’s still being pushed in the United States and Europe. What’s your position?
PUTIN: Humanity is not even a TYPE 1 CIVILIZATION ON THE KARDASHEV SCALE. If we can’t harness the energy potential of the planet how can we control the climate?
– that he knows the kardashev scale, is something.
TUCKER: Are you at least concerned?
PUTIN: I’m more concerned with real issues. Climate change is not one of them. The Earth does a fairly good job of regulating itself. And IF SIBERIA GETS A LITTLE WARMER ALL THE BETTER. MORE FARMLAND FOR RUSSIA.
TUCKER: Along those lines, how do you see the transgender movement?
PUTIN: It’s interesting to me that all the things which use to be a target of blackmail are now badges of honor. In Russia there are no laws either way but we certainly do not force our children into it.
– vlad has a sense of humour.
TUCKER: Russia has been criticized for its ant gay laws and as being unfriendly to LGBTQ+.
PUTIN: We have LAWS WHICH PROTECT OUR CHILDREN. And we do not drape our embassies in rainbow flags. That’s correct. Otherwise we do not interfere in the private lives of adult citizens.
– exactly.
TUCKER: What do you think of American football?
PUTIN: It’s an interesting sport. But why do you call it football when the ball is almost always played with the hands? It also seems needlessly violent at times.
– the misnomer always grated with me. I think they should call it “helmet rugby”.
TUCKER: How do you think the 2024 election will go?
PUTIN: We are just observing. It’s our responsibility to be vigilant since it will impact the world. We are hoping the election is carried out in a way where the results can be believed. IN RUSSIA WE DO NOT HAVE MAIL IN BALLOTS.
– everybody, everywhere, is onto postal voting
It’s innarestin news that the Orcadians may shortly be getting a new wind farm to look at on clear days.
The provision of wind generation capacity has been outstripping the provision of the ability to transmit the generated power (or store it) for several years now. I can’t find a date for when that imbalance is likely to be corrected.
Here’s a link:
link to energylivenews.com
And a wee quote:
“A report by consultancy LCP found that over the last couple of years curtailing wind power added £806 million to customers’ energy bills”
Electricity customers are being hammered twice. First by having to pay for the construction of all this new generation capacity through their standing charges.
Secondly, by having to pay for the operators to switch off the new generation capacity when it can’t be utilised. Again through our standing charges.
I read recently that the generation curtailment sums are forecast to continue to increase for a few years yet, simply because it’s much easier and quicker to build offshore wind farms than it is to build hundreds of miles of transmission lines.
For any poorer customers not yet hammered, the electricity companies continue to extort the standing charge, even when your supply is off, for example, because your prepayment meter has run out of credit. Thus, if you can’t afford to top it up, or perhaps even decide to do without leccy for a few days, when you finally do top up, the backdated standing charges are taken before you can warm your first bowl of soup.
This appalling injustice was supposedly going to be fixed over a year ago. Guess what though?
Maybes it’s on Labours first 100 days priority list.
Breeks/Robert Hughes
I also watched the interview. Fascinating & educational (for me at least) to hear how they came to this point. I’d no idea 404 weren’t entitled to that territory.
I knew about all the double crossing stuff, NATO expansion & EU cooperation alliance before through previous press conferences & interviews.
Tucker let himself down, imo – by showing such arrogance & entitlement in asking V when he was going to contact the USA to arrange a talk (After he’d just given 90 minutes at least explaining they don’t want to) & To ask if he could take a spy charged with espionage home with him.
Tucker also wanted to move on very fast from the Nazi receiving a standing ovation in Canada. I agree with him on mixing with the wrong ppl changes attitudes. The old adage of sleep with dogs & you’ll catch fleas springs to mind. Every country has laws about Nazis except 404.
& BoJo FFS. Where to even start with that fcking car crash. Increasing tension & extending the fighting in defiance of deal ready to be signed. He’s prolonged the war just as he prolonged Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe prison sentence. What an eejit. He must be related to Genocide John & should stick to painting cardboard buses in a padded room somewhere. What a loose cannon he is.
Great interview tho & definitely one I’d watch a 2nd time.
Alf Baird.
The Colonial unionist pick, chose and Select the history they require from ancient history to apply as ” relevant” history to to prove their was a union between the two kingdoms of Scotland and England.
And de-select the rest of historical records between the two Countries as ancient guff that no longer applies because it is so old and in the past.
This is a case of trying to have your cake and eat it for unionists.
Recently having a conversation on here with a wings commentator it appears only selected information is allowed to penetrate their their limited intellect due to it not coming out roses for the other side down south politically.
This is the ancient Colonist mindset that Scotland and its people have to deal with in 2024. It is not a case for arguing with modern sanity, or to reason the historical records,
But the de- selection of history.
This group of modern mindset start history from todays date, anything else that comes under past history apparently does not count and is ancient guff, except the bits they want to keep that is of aid to their restricted point of view.
It is nigh impossible to help them mentally to include all historical records and recorded commentary if they twist history to suit their limited intelligence.
That is why Scotland is still having to deal with Westminsters Colonialism over Scotland today,
The years have moved on, but not the Colonial attitude,
Alf 11:32
Well said.
Sturgeon claimed she suffered from impostor syndrome. Nah, she was the real deal.
As for
‘lack of courage at the decisive moment’
She’d at least five of those opportunities & missed every single one. I mistakenly put it down to her being too nice & agreeable at the time – but nah, she was a Britnat deliberately putting the brakes on indy & stringing out her tenure for as long as she could.
I read on twitter the other day that SNP is predicted to win 40 seats..good gawd!
Selective history and selective propaganda to to make that selective history work for colonialism is as rampant today as it was 300 years ago,
Only the years on the Calendar move on, the propaganda rhetoric is still repeating like a struck record, and the ancient Crusades never ended.
Regards colonial attitude..
They defend the Union so much but when you ask them to actually name what’s so great about it they tuck tail & run.
I haven’t met one yet who can answer.
It’s the exact same over the Royals. What benefit are they to them personally? Again, can’t answer or say something about tourists LOL. Edinburgh castle still attracts those & there’s no royal resident inside.
They just want to argue for the sake of arguing. Take Genocide John up there moaning about the injustice over Scotlands energy. At least 2 yrs late with his news & energy is a reserved matter to his beloved country next door. MacAskill has been banging away in Westminster all this time over standing charges & injustice. He should tune in sometime – wait until he finds out foreigners are involved.
Britain and Britains old colonial Countries are still fighting the old Crusade against the eastern Countries as if yesteryears Crusades were todays.
Britain and its Colonies have not moved forward to present day mentally.
They still create the propaganda to justify their actions for the old crusade wars against the eastern countries to work and to excuse themselves as being the righteous ones through more than thousand years of history.
As in all self righteous wars it is the ordinary families on both side of the battle that die, while the generals and politicians sit back behind the lines in a save space.
BJ is a good example of this, as was Tony Blair and George Bush, and members of the EU today,
We all can see part of the puzzle. (Excepting Genocide John obs.)
link to corbettreport.com
It is inevitable that Scotland will have to ( SUSPEND ) the Treaty of Union whilst Scotlands peoples Convention investigates the breaches and Colonialism that the Westminster parliament in England has implemented and Colonised over the years.
@ Alf Baird says: 9 February, 2024 at 11:32 am
I don’t think you’ve answered my question, Alf.
I don’t think Scotland is either “de facto” independent or “de jure” independent.
I’m guessing the history books will record a majority vote for so-called Indy politicians, frustrated because the so-called Indy politicians they voted in lacked all competence to deliver on the Indy promise.
That’s not looking like propaganda to me, of any stamp. I reckon that’s the simple facts of the matter.
Here we are in an election year. All these so-called pro-Indy politicians are still in place, and entirely free to kick-start Indy yet again by standing on a plebiscitary re-election platform.
Tumbleweed so far though. My take is that all the years in office have still not allowed them to build or discover the competence they would need.
So they won’t even try.
Ukraine has not always been part of Russia as claimed by V lad.
Over the course of centuries, the area that is today Ukraine has been alternatingly swallowed up, controlled, or taken over by the Mongol Empire, later the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Russian Empire, while Crimea was at one point a client state of the Ottoman Empire. Between the World Wars, portions of western Ukraine were ruled by Poland, Romania, and Czechoslovakia.
War crimes against humanity, and the Nuremberg trials should be reinforced.
I thought the Tucker interview was a bit of a disappointment. They’re calling him all sorts and have apparently put him on some “hit list” for doing it, but it would have been much more damaging to their neo-nazi bio-weapons lab cause if he had interviewed Biden.
Biden and those pulling his strings caused the war, that’s the real enemy, so we should be interviewing and holding those people to account.
For the benefit of knuckle-draggers amongst us, I’m saying we are the bad guys here. I think we all know that. The West has been hijcked by maniacs. We used to say they had a disregard for human life, but not now; the oligarchs running the west and the propaganda wing we call the MSM seem to enjoy the “collateral damage”.
I don’t trust any aspect of our establishment today. Even the so-called health service seems to be involved in a conspiracy to kill us.
We used to complain about potholes. What happened?
Is all this warmongering not ‘fuckin’ playground shit’ of the mostly deadly kind? People get killed, maimed, driven insane, raped, imprisoned, their homes destroyed, they become refugees and all the rest. Shit! Me calling someone a cunt is small potatoes compared to all of that.
These ‘children’ unfortunately cannot be pacified with a bag of Jelly Tots, some juice from a sippy cup or being told if they don’t behave they will be sent away to their room forever. You have been warned children.
I haven’t a clue if what Putin is saying is propaganda or not propaganda. I don’t speak Russian so being able to get a sense if what he’s saying is genuine or not is missing.
What I do know that even if he claims to be a Christian he has sent his army to kill people. I guess like Humza he chooses the ‘pick n mix option’ of his religion.
Same applies to the children on the other side of the ‘playground shit’. The only thing is when I listen to Boris Johnson unlike with Putin I can tell he’s an idiot. Likewise Humza, Biden and all the rest of the children.
That’s all I have to say on the ‘International Fuckin’ Playground Shit’ as for the FPS here on Wings I’m off to do some colouring in, eat my Jelly Tots and do a nice big poo in my new potty. Then I will stick it on my head and play with the squiggy stuff. I do this a lot that is why I am such a good potter.
You’ll be spared any ‘fuckin’ playground shit’ for the rest of the morning!
Oh My Love!
link to youtube.com
Bloody hell! Caught again!
Take 2
Ruby
Ignored
says:
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
9 February, 2024 at 2:14 pm
Is all this warmongering not ‘fuckin’ playground shit’ of the mostly deadly kind? People get killed, maimed, driven insane, raped, imprisoned, their homes destroyed, they become refugees and all the rest. Shit! Me calling someone a cunt is small potatoes compared to all of that.
These ‘children’ unfortunately cannot be pacified with a bag of Jelly Tots, some juice from a sippy cup or being told if they don’t behave they will be sent away to their room forever. You have been warned children.
I haven’t a clue if what Pu********tin is saying is propaganda or not propaganda. I don’t speak Russian so being able to get a sense if what he’s saying is genuine or not is missing.
What I do know that even if he claims to be a Christian he has sent his army to kill people. I guess like Humza he chooses the ‘pick n mix option’ of his religion.
Same applies to the children on the other side of the ‘playground shit’. The only thing is when I listen to Boris Johnson unlike with Pu******tin I can tell he’s an idiot. Likewise Humza, Biden and all the rest of the children.
That’s all I have to say on the ‘International Fuckin’ Playground Shit’ as for the FPS here on Wings I’m off to do some colouring in, eat my Jelly Tots and do a nice big poo in my new potty. Then I will stick it on my head and play with the squiggy stuff. I do this a lot that is why I am such a good potter.
You’ll be spared any ‘fuckin’ playground shit’ for the rest of the morning I’m busy with the shit!
Oh My Love!
link to youtube.com
Genocide John
That’s because once Sturgeon took over she closed down all working groups, policy advisors, conference debates..& it was the Sturgeon show. & ONLY the Sturgeon show.
Which bit are you struggling with? We know there has been absolutely nothing done. Welcome to the fckin conversation lol yer at least eight years too late. We’ve noticed this since 2017. Why do you think she lost 21 seats & a vibrant membership who she also closed down from participating in party democracy & policy. She also trashed the party by removing talent & replacing it with fckwits.
Do you think you are informing this sites owner, or wingers, some new revelation? LMAO!
Get with the program eh or go back to yer dominos ..
Biden has forgotten he started it & who V is LOL
I think the interview did what it set out to do – set the record straight, straight from the horse’s mouth. He was asked about propaganda & he was absolutely right – what would be the point they’d only ignore it & write something else because they own all the media.
I think there’ll be a lot of yanks asking why they’re blowing trillions on a foreign policy in its quest to dominate & rule the world . For whose benefit? No one is threatening them. They need to stop wasting their money on war.
Suspending the Treaty of Union while investigating any breaches that may have taken place is the way forward for Scotland.
The burgh’s.
The poll tax,
The dissolution of the Scottish parliament and therefore all its members and constituents.
The continuence of Englands old parliament in the House of Lords, unelected into the British parliament,
The Westminster parliament creating the Anglo- Irish treaty in 1800.
The Westminster parliament creating The Anglo- American trade deal.
The Bank of England Corporation never becoming the Bank of Great Britain. And how that effects the national debt of Britain.
The Scots acknowledged as not being in the treaty of union by Westminster in 2024.
Pre-union Scots laws being deleted.
Colonial Stocks in Scotland.
The Scots “Claim of right”; not being included in the British modern Constitution as is the English Bill of Rights.that were both set out in the treaty.
And the breaches of only “One Parliament of Great – Britain hereafter” with there now being four, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England.
And the Colonisation by Westminster parliament in England of the named union of two Kingdoms being under the treaty of union.
Just a few on the list that would warrant Scotlands temporary and legal suspension of the treaty of union and its articles whilst under investigation of Breaches of that treaty of union,
I am sure the rest of you can add to this list of breaches to the treaty of union by Westminster parliament that I have missed.
when the books are written about this awful period in our history, we will discover some very uncomfortable and dark events perpitrated by those in the ‘Scottish’ establishment.
I did not think it was great interview by Tucker Carlson. I think the immense pressure he has come under since it became public knowledge he was doing the interview took a toll on his tone and line of questioning.
He got off to a bad start as well by misquoting Vl@dP. Did not seem very well prepared either, bizarrely thinking he was ‘filibustering’. Not sure he picked up on the humour when Vl@dP was teasing him about not getting his desired job in the CIA.
Overall it was still miles better than a slimeball like Christiane Amanpour (or whatever her name is) or any of those other CNN turds but I honestly think I could have done a better job. Bit of a missed opportunity.
Geri,
They need to stop wasting our tax payers money on ancient war Crusades here in Britain too.
That JSC list of supporters is opaque.
* The Sir Victor Blank Charitable Trust; very wealthy, Director of RBS 1985 – 1993, appointed Chair of Lloyd’s TSB 2006, heavily criticised for role in 2008 credit crisis, faced calls to be stripped of Knighthood as per Fred Goodwin, noted philanthropist & Zionist, usually associated with Tories, Tony Blair & Gordon Brown.
* The Marshall Family; probably reference to one of most wealthy families in US, Forbes rated at $18.5b in 2020, associated with Koch Industries.
* Tom McGuffog, Prof. at University of Glasgow, private individual, unlikely to be significant financial benefactor.
* David Nicholson; unclear who this refers to.
* William C Phillips; unclear who this refers to.
* The Robertson Trust; legit philanthropic concern, founded 1961, origin in whisky industry (Edrington).
* The Ryvoan Trust; small, legit philanthropic concern based in Edinburgh.
* The Scottish Government; no comment required.
* The Sneader Family; reference to Kevin Sneader, brought up in Glasgow & educated at UoG, high up in Goldman Sachs.
* Charlotte Street Partners; no comment required.
* Message House; Market Research company based in Hertfordshire.
In short I think Tucker bottled it. But I can see why… some people were seriously trying to line him up as a t.r.a.i.t.o.r for doing this and I did think about Jane Fonda’s trip to Vietnam and how the US media could go after him…
So I think he was very worried about seeming too ‘sympathetic’ and that in turn really stunted his questioning.
For example he did not seem to listen to the answers to his initial questions and build them into his latter questions. It could be that Carlson was just out of depth here… and that is no shame either.
@ Rev Stu
Can I ask why you have over recent months stated that there is nothing / not much going on with regard to Scottish politics?
I ask because the notion being floated that there isn’t much if anything going on is wrong and will promote political disengagement and a lack of scrutiny of events.
Surely the perceived silence should actually be a trigger sounding big alarm bells, because it seems a lot is going on under the radar which one might expect politicians and political commenters to be more vocal about.
EG:
link to commonweal.scot
Lothianlad.
Indeed we will.
I remember Alex Salmond discussing the many breaches of the treaty of union with my Spouse and I years ago
In fact it was he, that mentioned along with many other sets of circumstances, the elimination of the Burgh’s of Scotland that breached the treaty of union to us, which we were unaware of until then.
One wonders how hard it actually is to enable Scotland to immediately become independent when Scottish politicians we think are on our side sit on their hands hiding information and knowledge from the Scots that is relevant to them in persuit of independence,
It is difficult to define who the Scottish establishment is.
Why take the long route to Scottish independence when you have all the information you require to make that happen from Westminster library itself which you had access while you were first minister.
For that is when and where he said he had obtained these many pieces of valuable information.
I agree with you we will one day uncover some dark and uncomfortable perpertations against us by the Scottish establishment..
NS and the SNP are obvious to us now, with their Labour and Green agenda policies, but what about those others still loitering behind the cover of the other infiltrated Scottish independence parties in the Scottish establishment.
Trust a politician, no thanks.
Trust the people, that garners a bigger vote from myself.
“I think the immense pressure he has come under since it became public knowledge he was doing the interview took a toll on his tone and line of questioning.”
Mac.
Carlson has come under attack from many in the USA for doing the interview, yet not one US MSM outlet has come under attack for constantly giving a platform to Netanyahu who is currently heading up the genocide of the Palestinian people.
Here’s a good example of the madness that’s infected the USA over Carlson and that interview.
link to consortiumnews.com
There’s some talk on the Carlson interview in here, for fairness and to let folk make their own minds up what they think of it, here it is.
link to tuckercarlson.com
Mac @ 3:23 pm
“Carlson was just out of depth here… and that is no shame either.
Yes, it was quickly apparent that he was interviewing someone here who is clearly an intellectual with an extremely high level of knowledge and insight about his subject.
This was totally unlike interviewing a typical western political puppet or machine/career politician. Politicians in the west are not intellectuals. That is why we could never imagine such high quality discourse with the likes of Biden, Obama, Clinton, Johnson or Sunak, or even Blair, never mind Sturgeon or Yousaf.
Western political discourse of our political ‘actors’ quickly reverts to soundbites and tedious, mostly meaningless narrative, principally because that’s all our politicians know. Their knowledge is limited and they are not intellectuals: they are ‘charlatans and tricksters, dealers in gobbledygook’.
I thought it funny at the beginning when VP asked Carlson if he wanted the short type interview or the full story type interview. I think Carlson thought it was lightweight banter / small talk, – do you want a proper discussion or just a few sound bites? VP was actually asking the question quite literally.
Carlson said he wanted the proper interview, (of course he did), so suddenly he was transported to 12th Century Ruskia for half hour long crash course in Ruskian history.
I actually smiled… Ruskian “deep” culture meets American superficial culture, right there in a nutshell. Quite poetic really.
Alf @4.06pm.
Alf good points, I’d say that Alex Salmond has a very good working knowledge of our ain history, and he often reveals snippets of it when giving interviews.
The rest as you say are nothing more than machine politicians who are programmed to give measured responses.
In the past Uke Rain as a country has either been swallowed,controlled or taken over by the Mongol Empire, later the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Russ1an Empire, while Crimea was at one point a client state of the Ottoman Empire. Between the World W4rs, portions of western Uke Rain were ruled by Poland, Romania, and Czechoslovakia.
UKe Rain as a state did not exist until about 1918. Before that, despite the changes within its territory and who controlled it, people spoke the Uke Rain language, the language that binds people then and now.
Uke rain is a very corrupt country, one of the most corrupt. Some of that stems from a legacy of corruption within the USSR. For although Uke rain is corrupt, only two are more corrupt – Russ1a and Afghanistan.
Seems that our ex SNP House of Commons leader Iain Blackford has dumped his wife and that his wife of 24 years is distraught.
Seems however that this is not the only thing that Mr Blackford has dumped.
In an article in the Daily Mail about how Blackford dumped his wife, and how he had set up a secret live nest the paper also revealed that a friend had revealed how Mr Blackford is now property hunting in London in case he gets into the Lords and is also looking for a new home in Glasgow that he and his girlfriend can use as a base if he is nominated by the SNP to stand at the next Holyrood election.
Now whilst there are many who would play away from home and later dump the wife, the reports of the humble crofter planning to buy a home in London should he get elected to the Lords whilst also planning to buy a love nest in Glasgow to base himself and his lover should he secure a nomination to stand for Hollyrood shows exactly the utter lack of principles that attach to Iain Blackford.
They guy is an out and out two timing trougher and crypto unionist he is.
James Che 2:55
I don’t think they can. They’ve an arrogance, an imperialist mindset & a need to dominate others. It must be in their genes.
link to bbc.co.uk
This is the BBC headline
“Tucker Carlson interview: Fact-checking Put !n’s ‘nonsense’ history”
It does not matter much to me what version of history Russ1a claims. Invading a country that claimed its independence, targeting the civilian population, committing t0rture and w4r crimes is not justifiable on any grounds.
Willie @ 16.48
I’m sure that it was only in 2021 that the self confessed “humble crofter” bought a luxury home in Glasgow’s west end for a reported £420,000. Indeed one of the Blackford’s top of the range two Range Rovers has been viewed in the local Anniesland Cross area.
This is the East Renfrewshire Tory MSP that the BBC in Scotland news programme rolls out every time they want a Scottish NHS bad story on air.
Should Mr Gulhane go the same way that iPad man went and resign/stand down? I say yes.
“A wealthy Tory MSP billed the taxpayer nearly £3,000 for “vanity” photographs during a cost of living crisis.
Sandesh Gulhane got the public to foot the bill for pictures of him walking about Glasgow – but the glossy snaps are no longer available online.”
link to archive.is
It’s that time of the year.
The 7th Dino awards.
link to rumble.com