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Wings Over Scotland


The politics of hope

Posted on April 11, 2015 by

Ladies and gentlemen, the Scottish Liberal Democrat manifesto 2015:

libdemsmanifesto

I voted for this pathetic shower of useless snivellers for 23 years, folks. I’ve learned my lesson. Once again, I can only hang my head and beg forgiveness.

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gordoz

Ours is a broad church Rev – all who come to their senses are forgiven 🙂

DeilTakTheHindmaist

Poor Sponge Bob.

morag martin

Is Alex Salmond standing in more than one seat? News to me…& him I imagine!

Mae Carson

We all make mistakes, but to be fair to you, the party has vastly changed over the years. They are now neoliberal like the other unionist parties. They no longer have respected statesmen of the calibre of Jo Grimmond.

Betty Boop

Policy, what policy?

thomaspotter2014

Think we can safely say you’re forgiven Rev.

Don’t be too hard on yourself-you’re a a living legend!

Dinnatouch

Uncannily similar, they must have read each other’s minds.

Bawheid Bragg

SpongeBob’s a Lib Dem? Who knew?

No no no...Yes

Ah, cut and paste at its very best. Just a perfect example of another wannabee “Scottish” party that is a mere branch office. They really are “too wee and too poor” to finance their own leaflets.

I see that wee Willie Rennie is getting increasingly sidelined by that big WM beast
Sir Malcolm Bruce. His rants about the SNP are more fanatical by the day. His blood pressure must be getting dangerously high. Calm down Malcolm your MP pension is safe.

MD

When are the Unionists going to get over their obsession with Alex Salmond?

Alan Mackintosh

Hey Stu, at least they managed to fill in all their spaces in the form mass-mailing. Saw a couple on Twitter from Kippers and Labour with the “insert text here…” on the final printrun. Although maybe the libdums ppc’s aren’t trusted enough to fill in too many blanks.

Les Wilson

Well do we expect anything else from unprincipled people like these. They are a slimey untrustworthy crew, not very revelent in Scotland, destined to be even less so.

Just reward I would say.

wee folding bike

Mr Salmond isn’t even in charge of the SNP. How is he supposed to run the UK?

And why are the horses different colours?

les Wilson

Well we expect this kind of stuff from these unprincipled people. Not very relevent in Scotland, destined to be even less so, soon.

gordoz

They Lib Dems are absolutely terrified about the former leader of the SNP though dont they. (Its bit like the fear of ‘Obi Wan’ in Star Wars – ‘He will come back more powerful than you could possibly imagine’ Talk about taking your eye off the ball ?
What bad advice they have taken.

That clown Malcolm Bruce (Sir – aye sure?) should fade away into the background pronto, a more bitter & twisted, vitriolic unionist heading for the House of Lords would be hard to find. Always available for a negative vox pop though; about the diabolical SNP

They would be better coming clean as a unit, purging their sorry block of MP’s – re grouping nearer to the views and aspirations of modern Scotland and focusing less on their Westminster dreams to be masters and king makers; then eventually our kids may find it in their hearts to forgive them.

It would take that long though.

AnneDon

Don’t worry, Rev. The LibDems have long relied on being all things to all men (and women).

Thanks to social media and their brief stint in power, their “nice party” image has been torn off like the villainous caretaker in a Scooby Doo episode.

Scottish voters showed what they thought of the LibDems in 2011, when they lost most of their MSPs. It appears likely they will suffer a similar fate at Westminster next month.

frazer allan whyte

Does a country that elects quantities of such as this even deserve to be independent?

It’s not a case of too poor – too weak – too stupid but a case of too self-loathing. This last is what colonialism inculcates – to the point that it is self-induced and self-perpetuating.

Asking nicely for independence accomplishes nothing – the question remains what the Proclaimers asked “Why do you let someone else rule your land … cap in hand?”

When the colonized start to rattle their chains then the colonizer strikes back – usually using “fellow travellers” amongst the colonized – Burns’ “parcel of rogues”. It is amazing how little a pat on the head the colonizer’s pets need to start barking and baring their yellow teeth.

In a month or so Scots will show some backbone or be relegated to their designated destiny as folkloric footnotes to history.

Nuada

Ego te absolvo, Stu. Go and sin no more.

Rod

You are forgiven! Just don’t let it happen again 😉

gordoz

Exactly the same letter in Argyll & Bute from MP Reid.

Is Mr Salmond allowed to fight in all these constituencies ?

Doesn’t seem fair to the rest really – or am I getting LibDem logic wrong ?

george

+1 to “poor spongebob”.

Kevin Evans

Yup love the personal touch – it’s a bit like that film Brazil. Imagine they get a name wrong on there machine.

Westminster view us as there drones. We’re all the same to them. Just a name or number.

gordoz

They must be pretty ‘Lib-Dim’ as’ Im sure such a successful politician as Mr Salmond already pointed out its not very smart to put your opponents on campaign material – if they’d only listened they may have learned something. Clocks ticking guys !

Moose

Who in the name of sweet fornication writes this bollox for these idiots? That “p.s” at the end is excruciatingly infantile.

The Lib Dems are just awful.

jock wishart

Don’t beat yourself up Rev. You did not have much choice part from moving to Scotland.

When you can’t bring yourself to vote for the Tories, a party of self interest but basically honest about it, stab you in the front party.

Or

The Labour party the party of lying, deceitful, brown envelope collecting thugs, the stab you in the back party. A vote for the Lib Dems was an honest vote UNTIL NOW.

K1

How did this party ever get anywhere near any position of ‘influence’?

This is just the same tribal shit stirring nonsense that Labour have been doing with the SNP for years.

Libdems you showed your colours throughout the past 5 years in coalition with the tories. You’ve made it perfectly clear that ‘power’ is where your true motivations stem from. Not caring about your constituents who overwhelmingly voted for you the last time to prevent an outright tory or labour government.

Your ‘natural’ allies where Labour as I recall at that time. And because you couldn’t get rid of Gordy you lay with the tories instead; the most toxic party in Britain. By deed, by word, by intimate association: You are the Yellow Tories.

So voting for you would be essentially the same as voting Tory.

So you are encouraging the very epitome of what Scotland’s electorate has overwhelmingly rejected for decades?

Not only are you stupid. You obviously think people in Scotland are stupid too.

These craven letters are despicable and the lowest form of procurement for votes I have had the misfortune to read.

Vote SNP 2015
Vote Anything but RED, YELLOW or BLUE 2016
“”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””” 2017

bjsalba

Their message comes from the heart.

bob sinclair

Stu,

I think you have more than atoned for your sins. We’ve all done daft things in our past.

In the spirit of openness can I beg forgiveness foe actually once voting for Tom Harris (who incidentally, after responding to say he’d attend a local event today didn’t bother his arse turning up. I solemnly promise that I will NEVER give these people my vote again.

fred blogger

i normally voted labour, generations of my family have.
i voted lib dems 2010, because like many i was fed up with labour. they betrayed me and stole/used my vote without my consent.
i would have never voted tory in a million yrs, yet i found i defacto had, with much disgust.
i am not ashamed that i wanted the change that they claimed to offer, they ought to be.

Walter Scott

We all do things we come to regret at some stage in our lives. I myself voted labour in three elections & I feel like a right eejit. We are all useful idiots ’til we learn through experience & disappointment to change our outlook on life. I know I’ll never vote Labour again & here in the Borders the Liberals hold sway, Michael Moore being my mp. Previously it was the equally useless Archie Kirkwood who I think is a lord now. We shouldn’t beat ourselves up over who we’ve voted for in the past. Just let these undemocratic chancers know you won’t support them again. Ever. The tactics being used by the unionist parties are exactly the same as #snpout, a loyalist hate mob with dubious aims but their solution to rid the country of snp by ganging up against the snp is nothing less than gerrymandering of the ugliest kind. Who would have thought that the lovely Jo Swinson would ally herself with undesirables with tattooed necks just to keep a democratic party & its voters out of office. Next she’ll be telling us to vote for the extremist Jim Murphy to stop Sturgeon.

John Sellars

Forgiven! Of course.

crazycat

I do hope Jo Swinson has told the Labour Party they can’t win in East Dunbartonshire.

It was one of their target seats to gain, when they still had such things, and there was a least one projection, very recently, which showed Labour holding only two seats in Scotland: Glasgow North East and East Dunbartonshire. This was definitely not a mix up with West Dunbartonshire, which was projected to be an SNP gain in the same forecast.

CRAIGthePICT

Very lame that their main local message is based on a national template of scaremongering about Salmond. It’s an own goal. I have no doubt whatsoever that Mr. Salmond, as the UK’s finest political mind is held in high esteem as a man of integrity and one capable of instigating positive change for the country.

They have fell into their own trap as the only ones to believe their own smears and lies and that letter will find it’s way to most bins as soon as the laughter stops.

I’m not sure what your voting alternatives would have been in Bath which I guess is something that is becoming more of a problem England wide.

heedtracker

Where is Mr Salmond standing again? I like their sneaky creepy PS

PS. Don’t forget, the election here in North East FifeBartonshireford is between me and Alex Salmond and if he beats me to become an MP in Westminster, it really will be Democalypse 2015 because he’ll be in charge at Westminster. Is that what you want, is it. Just don’t ask me why though. Its a LibDem pledge.

Davy

Perhaps you should start a collection Stu, how about everyone checking out the libdem mail from your local candidate and see if they are the same and send it on to Stu.

As for yerself Stu, voting for that shite for 23 years, phew, just keep taking the tablets ok.

desimond

Rants about concentrating on a Two horse race from the party who talk about changing voting systems.

Spongebob a lib dem…soaks up all it can and gives up all held dear with one simple squeeze..sounds ideal for Lib Dems.

Malcolm Bruce..hes still wanting to change Holyrood voting after his scheming with Donald Dewar didnt work out to always keep a SNP majority from happening

Andrew Scott

What’s with the Alex Salmond preoccupation? He will “only” be (hopefully) one of the set of SNP MPs at Westminster. He doesn’t lead the party either.

msean

Well,Tories will be comfortable voting for LibDems,they are after all,the Tories helpers.

Andy-B

I’m sorry Rev,the Libdems,haven’t lived up to your expectations, but they’ll reap just what they’ve,sown,which is nothing.

The electorate will punish them.

Andrew smith

I’ve been receiving much of the same shit from Edinburgh West’s lib-dim mike cock-up. “Only lib-dims can stop SNP ”
They even have a poster in their constituency window pointing to SNP one next door saying more of the same.

bjsalba

Cloned drones moans.

Roland Smith

Anyone with any spare change there are still a couple of SNP constituencies who are trying to raise money to fund the campaign.

link to crowdfunder.co.uk

Robert Louis

Liberal democrats, what has become of you? You used to be the ‘thinking man’s party, now your candidates send letters out almost begging to be voted for.

As for Jo Swinson, her letter is so full of utter lying bull, it beggars belief, such as “If the SNP win here, you risk putting Alex Salmond in charge at Westminster” Really Jo??? Is Salmond standing for Prime Minister? Really??

What utter desperate lying tosh – the kind of thing we have now come to expect from Libdems and their red and blue tory friends.

Capella

To err is human, to forgive divine.
(Pope -Alexander)

I voted Labour for decades.

Alastair

On the up side. Listening to some amazing Scottish music in the sun. Erik Satie Gymnopedies and other piano works. A great Auld Alliance – Father French mother Scottish. Life is good.

Martin

Jo Swinson, when was she actually last in East Dunbartonshire? MIA for about 2 years

Red squirrel

LibDems – the party of copy and paste politics.

Similar junk from Beaker in today’s post – loving the “two horse race” logo, just in case we’re too stupid to get the picture.

I can see one picture very clearly – P45s all round on May 8th.

John Sm.

We received a similar letter a couple of days back from Lib Dem. Sir Robert Smith.

Apparently it’s a two horse race between the SNP and Lib Dems in West Aberdeen & Kincardineshire. Strange ‘cos Tory candidate Alexander Burnett sez it’s only the Tories who can stop the SNP here.

I would post scans of the letter but it’s now buried along with others received in my “End of the Union time capsule” at the bottom of the garden for the benefit of future generations of independent Scots…

heedtracker

Paddy Pantsdown was on BBC r4 any questions today and fair enough he is probably barking mad by now but its worth listening to him answer “who exactly are we going nuke with Trident?”

Pantsdown says Trident will be fired at ISl in Iraq if they get nukes too and the Russians will get incinerated teamGB style, if they do stuff like invade other countries, but not Ukraine though, but one country invaded by Putin will be one too many and then they’ll launch the equivalent of thousands of Hiroshima nuke strikes killing millions of people and because that will really sort them out and also the Russians wont know where on earth all those nukes raining down on them are being fired from, because they’ll be fired from giant submarines that noone knows where they are, sometimes even the Trident sub crews don’t know either, but especially the Russian’s or the terrible ISL in Iraq and because of all those great British reasons, Trident 2.0 will keep you even safer than now and teamGB will once again rule the waves.

Wee Jonny

We all make mistakes Rev. I used to support Dundee F.C.

Sandra

Don’t feel too bad, Stu. The Liberals were once a well respected party. Politics isn’t the same these days. It’s no longer about ideas, only profit. And the Libdems will be consigned to history after this election.

I saw a quote from (of all people) Margaret Thatcher on FB this morning and for once I agree with her:
“If they attack one personally, it means they have not a single political argument left.”

Mike Harland

I certainly can’t blame you, Stu: as a previous true Labour voter, I thought Jo Swinson would save us from a new Tory government and dampen any further mad policies by the Blairites and Broonies; little did I foresee that this foolish dabbling with tactical voting would misfire so badly.

Interesting to see how unoriginal she is and how tied she is to the career politics of hobnobbing with the top OrangeBookers and their private funded leaflet spin. As my Westminster representative I put many questions to her on key UK questions and whether she would vote according to Liberal principles: all answers were late as she was too busy being a minister, all answers skirted round the issue or gave the excuse that coalition meant having to lose some arguments. As I already knew from being subscribed to TheyWorkForYou, she voted in line with the government against her principles in the majority of cases. Her skills in losing three women members of the LibDems while being their representative also spoke volumes about her experience, even criticised by her own party’s enquiry.

What I fail to see is how anybody can be voting for the LibDems locally when they will have so little influence after the election and virtually none at a constituency level – Jo Swinson consistently confuses local authority and devolved Holyrood issues with her role as a Westminster MP/minister representing us at the UK and business level.

Thank god I saw the light and voted Yes at the referendum and joined the SNP as the only people’s party left in Scotland (apart from the Greens), despite some of its old traditionalist baggage, and the only way towards a genuine independent democracy in Scotland, whichever way people want to vote.

thedogphilosopher

I was lucky, my old man, who died a few years ago, was SNP from his youth. He worked with Wendy Wood and Oliver Brown, daubing walls and bridges, and speechified on street corners. Crucially for him it was not only about Scotland under English rule, but about being aware of the whole bloody history of the Brit Empire and its subjugation of many nations, particularly its treatment of Ireland for hundreds of years.

He lived through the lean years of the Independence struggle and would be amazed at the pace of things today.

So it goes.

Robert Louis

As regards the article above, we all make mistakes. I, for example, used to think the Labour party was a socialist party.

Iain Gray's Subway Lament

Is “dirty tricks” Carmichael still hiding under a rock or is he chumming about with the yellow tories Lord Rennard in an effort to impress women voters?

Jeannie

Saw John Swinson a few weeks ago canvassing round the doors – seemed to be completely on her own and was at my door last week when I was out. My son saw her wandering up the street, again on her own. You’d think a UK government minister would have one or two supporters with her but they seem a bit thin on the ground. I think most of her stuff has come through the post.

HandandShrimp

I have voted Labour both here and in England when I lived down south. At the time I was happy to do so. I was still happy to do so in 97 and 01…I was an Iraq war burn off. The Liberals, the Conservatives and Labour have all swung to the right. It is as if it is the only game in town

Robert Louis

Alastair,

I had no idea Satie was half Scots. The things you learn on wings.

Linda McFarlane

Just how many cloned replicas of Alex Salmond have we got?

Dr Jim

Sad to say Jo Swinson is my MP and when i say fireguard and chocolate you’ll get my meaning

Good to say however, is that our Candidate is John Nocholson, who if many of you who saw Nocola’s world tour of Scotland would recognise as the guy who did all the introductions and who was also involved in our esteemed former first ministers Referendum campaign

A couple of weeks ago Jo Swinson was scheduled to debate with John Nicholson here and didn’t turn up, giving the excuse of being somewhere else with Cleggie
But we know better

Her ability to debate is legend though, she takes on primary school children and beats them with ease
it’s when they get above about 14years she has difficulty
I myself have met her on a few occasions and can testify that she does know an awful lot about phoning a friend or asking somebody else
anybody else in fact

She’s going down, and she knows it

[…] The politics of hope […]

Now's thw Hour

Waiting for some TV politics show host to ask the LibDims (or any other unionists for that matter) why the obsession with Eck. Homoeroticism? Fear? Why are they so besotted with a ‘mere’ Holyrood backbencher and parliamentary candidate? As they taught you in the school debating society, always stress the strength of your own position, never mention your opponent.

26 sleeps to go tick tock

Socrates MacSporran

Watching the Grand National on TV just now, I noticed, they had a children’s choir from Liverpool singing GSTQ before the horses went to post.

Later today, we have the Boat Race – funny how it’s Oxford and Cambridge who compete every year!!

I just get the feeling, all the nasty nationalism in the UK these days is coming from the Unionists, in their desperation to do down the SNP.

Dan

Exactly the same letter as Robert Smith in West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine is sending out.
Also hear that he has 2 men and a dug helping him with some backing from Labour members.

Malcolm

I live in Cape Town and follow the WOS. Just been watching Dateline London on the BBC World Service and it is so biased they talk about Scotland would be non existant now due to the oil price. They don’t mention that if Scotland would have won the referendum it would have still been under Westminster control until 2016 !!

scottieDog

Rev
I too was taken in by lib dems most of my voting life. Like labour they were swallowed up by the establishment.

galamcennalath

“Risk” of giving power to the SNP at WM, how dare they! These are the people who gave power to the Tories for five years!

The “risk” in these constituencies would be returning LibDem who would have no qualms about giving Cameron another five years if arithmetic allowed it.

Goodbye and enjoy the rest of your non-political lives!

HandandShrimp

In my constituency only the SNP and Labour have put out any leaflets. I haven’t seen hide or hair of the others.

KennyG

“Everyone knows”

Sounds eerily familiar to the language used by another party about to be (or already has been) decimated in Scotland.

Just for the record, I voted Lib Dem at the last GE because I genuinely liked Nick Clegg and what he had to say. I even thought he could’ve been PM one day. Never again.

I feel sorry for the people of England who are as disillusioned as us with the main parties but who feel as if they have no real alternatives. If I lived in England I’d be voting green.

Imagine a huge surge for the greens in England and a three way coalition between Greens, SNP and plaid.

Dal Riata

I have here right in front of me now in its pre-binning state the same tripe almost word-for-word from Argyll & Bute’s present Westminster trougher, the Lib Dem’s Alan Reid.

I also have a leaflet thingy which is full of comedy gold statements of which the following is particularly enchanting:

“A leaked Conservative list has revealed that the Conservatives know they can’t win in Argyll & Bute. They classed the constituency as a “non-target” on their official website.

They know that the only two contenders are popular local LibDem MP Alan Reid and the SNP.

More Conservative voters than ever are switching to support Alan Reid and the Lib Dems this time to stop the SNP.”

So there we have a story of political intrigue and subterfuge talking about leaked Conservative lists; a fairytale that Lib Dem MP Alan Reid is “popular” (ROFL!); and best of all, that Reid and his party are super-happy that Conservatives are voting for him/them – not for their policies, oh no, but “to stop the SNP”…

Coming up to 14 years(!) now this Reid snout-in-the-trough has been Argyll & Bute’s MP in Westminster where in all that time he has done less than bugger-all for the constituency, its infrastructure, economy and, most importantly of all, the people who call Argyll & Bute home.

Alan Reid and his Lib Dems deserve to get completely trashed by the voters on 7th May, voters who desperately need MPs and a party to actually represent and work for them in the Westminster cesspit. The SNP will do that. Only three weeks to go before the political deadwood is cleared from Scotland.

Alastair

#Robert Louis
Now doing my Saturday Chopin.
Back to politics Monday.
( I have a mentor of how to take political breaks. )
However I think Wingers should suggest suitable penance for The Rev for being one so wayward.
It’s only fair.
Having to read the Tory, Lab, Con manifestos from cover to cover. Read the Gordon Brown’s Bio.
Deliver 100 Labour you’ll lose your pension leaflets.
Come on you can be more sadistic and satiristic than me!!!

Have a fine day Wingers

Anne

I also had the Brett letter, as I live in NE Fife. I must say I am looking forward to him arriving on my doorstep so that I can tell him in person why I will never vote Lib Dem again. Tellingly many of the hitherto Lib Dem activists here feel the same way.

Muscleguy

@Gordoz
An excellent and apposite analogy there, Obi-Eck Salmondi comes back stronger backed by 44 new SNP MPs. As the most able parliamentarian of his generation, his knowledge of the rules and archanities of Westminster is almost unparalleled. He knows where the holes are, where the weft and warp can be pulled to unravel things.

I think the SNP could do a lot worse than make him Chief SNP Whip (they will need a Whip’s office with 50 MPs). A sort of avuncular, advisory Whip, not a stern, menacing one. To guide the new MPs and show them how best to create useful mayhem.

Be afraid unionists, be very afraid.

Luigi

Five years of propping up a Tory government. Five years of back-stabbing and broken promises. The people have not forgotten.

Four weeks to go until payback time.

BuckieBraes

I saw Malcolm Bruce – a man I have never liked – on Scotland Tonight the other evening, in full rant mode.

Via the remote link, he frothed about how the SNP ‘does not speak for the whole of Scotland, only a large minority.’

I really wanted Derek Mackay to turn round and say, ‘Yes, and it’s a considerably larger minority than you speak for, Sir Malcolm.’

But he didn’t, unfortunately.

Wulls

My parents live in Argyll and the wobbler my dad threw when a similar letter came through his door was epic.
Incidentally he is a UKIP voter 🙂
He does not see any difference between wanting the UK out of Europe and wanting Scotland out the UK.
All he knows is the Lib Dems gave us Cameron therefore should be eradicated.
I think his wish will come true.

galamcennalath

My mother knew, and discussed politics with, the late Jo Grimmond. When he was leader they were simply the Liberals (though they did sound a fairly democratic lot). This would be the early 60s when they held a single figure number of seats.

Grimmond was keen on Scottish Home Rule and the UK to not have nukes.

My mother often reminded me of something Grimmond said in regard to full Scottish Independence. He said that he doubted if the Scots could unite behind the idea because too many felt British rather than Scottish. He is still to be proven wrong.

Paula Rose

@Muscleguy

If there’s any whipping needed…

liz

Someone on twitter saying they were so disgusted by the ‘cancer’ lie that they have sent a huge donation to their local SNP candidate.

I hope no OAPs are falling for the pension scare this time from Murphy et al.

Milliband can never again claim any high ground for supporting that lie

Dorothy Devine

And this drivel is printed in London – some super brain in the Lib Dems thought” way to go – I don’t like him and that’s the way we’ll go ,make it about a dislike of one man”

Are these people pathetic or just thick?

Someone should remind them that they are seen as ” bed hoppers” having chummied their way into Holyrood with the Labour party and then buried their principles in the Conservative coalition.

Tell them where to go.

Tackety Beets

Ach , Rev dinnae beat yersel up.
In my lifetime,I have Voted Cons often , Libdums ( Beaker at that),and Greens,and naturally SNP mostly, NEVER Labour tho’.
I suppose I did vote tactically on occasions.
I have ,since my teens supported Independence and the Dons.

My eyes are open and ears are listening now , much of the credit goes to you REV ,and all the great posters here.
My thanks can never be expressed fully.

Not defending her , but was Jo Swinson off on maternity for a good while ?

Liz

I’ve had one of these for NEFife already. The latest mailshot goes on about NHS, education and the police. Sick of telling them that these are all devolved issues. Loved the fact though that they quote that great factual paper the ‘record!

Quotes in the leaflet:
“Only the liberal democrats have the commitment to deliver more powers to Scotland”
“Lib dems back home rule”
“Only voting lib dem will put an end to the SNPs NHS failure”

Gavin

Anne says:
11 April, 2015 at 4:44 pm
I also had the Brett letter, as I live in NE Fife. I must say I am looking forward

——–
I also live in NE Fife. My blood pressure goes through the roof when Brett’s lying shite comes through the letter box. Needless to say, I file it under B.I.N.

Its the negative campaigning I hate the most. Encouraging people to vote tactically is wrong. First past the post should have been scrapped long ago. PR allows you to vote positively, for what you believe in. I believe in an independent Scotland, so I’m voting SNP.

ronnie anderson

@ Rev I would think you,ve made up for your mistake a 1000 + fold,you,ve opened many a persons eyes

DerekM

lol dont beat yourself up about it Stu we all make mistakes hell i used to be in the labour party.
And who would have thought the lib dems would have become what they have.
An old friend who is still in the labour party used to say to me those lib dems were just the tories trying to appeal to the left to steal labour votes ,i used to think he was nuts but now im not so sure lol

Harry McAye

Socrates MacSporran – and Sportscene Results nowhere this evening to accommodate the bloody Boat Race. What a fekin country, who else in the world would put up with it?

hopper69

We should be ok.People in Scotland are now very aware that if you vote Lib-dem you get Tory.

HandandShrimp

I suppose these leaflets and similar noises from other party activists demonstrate that they have totally given up trying to sell their own policies and are now desperately re-running Indy Ref fear smears and begging people to vote for then even they despise every policy they have.

Integrity free politics brought to by the Lib Dems and friends.

Camz

I never voted for them. Ner!

Martin McDonald

Have never really minded Jo Swinson, but that letter alone is beyond shameful and I will be delighted should she now lose her seat.

Robert Peffers

@Betty Boop says: 11 April, 2015 at 3:19 pm:

Policy, what policy?

Oh, Betty Boop, didn’t you recognize they have the exact same policy as all the other Unionist Establishment parties?

Dinna vote for SNP – SNP BAD – vote for ME – ME GOOD.

Saltire

The Liberal Democrats, the party that portrayed itself as the guardian of democracy, advocating proportional representation where every vote counts is whoring itself in an attempt to make sure that no SNP vote counts? Some mistake surely?

I hope they are wiped off the electoral map of Scotland on the 7th of May.

It is my democratic right to support independence for Scotland. How dare LibDem nonentities demonize me for that. I’ve studied hard, worked hard, paid my taxes and respected democracy, they should do the same.

ErinT

@wee folding bike

“And why are the horses different colours?”

I think the grey horse is the default colour that is supposed to be changed depending on who the Lib Dems think they are in a two horse race with even though polls and forecast sites predict the Lib Dems in third or fourth position in a lot of constituencies where these leaflets are being mailed.

The Lib Dems actually having a manifesto is pointless. They will throw it away as soon as they get the first sniff of retaining any power.

Have never really minded Jo Swinson, but that letter alone is beyond shameful and I will be delighted should she now lose her seat.

She’s had a few others that are even worse. The one I found most insulting was the one designed like a tabloid, picture of Swinson with some child on the front (apparently not her own) and the caption “Talk of the Town” with all of the stuff she has apparently done for East Dunbartonshire (she has actually done very, very little of any good) but no mention of her voting record in Westminster which is completely shameful. I am very glad that John Nicolson has pulled her up on that in the latest SNP leaflet for East Dunbartonshire.

And unlike the Lib Dem material, what we have had through from the SNP has not been copy and pasted (aside from design elements of course!).

craig murray

Me too, Stuart. I was a member for over thirty years. On the other hand, there is more joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, so with two of us, there must be a damn good party up there just now.

Aos

Pathetic that they can’t even write their own letters, and obsessing about Salmond! How 2014 of them.

heedtracker

Is there a lot of #UnitedAgainstvoting SNP going out there? If you wander around after them online they leave behind quite a lot of loyal Brit, Scotland doesnt exist, my country is teamGB, Sturgeon is evil and the Scots accent is stupid bleh but this is good from Bliar MacDougal last year and how Project Fear 2 is now in action

McThunderbutt and co must have been waiting to see if creepy Morphy could pull polls back, so its going to be interesting to see if same con artist can terrify enough voters to vote SLabour, tactically or otherwise.

link to buzzfeed.com

MANCHESTER – The head of the successful Better Together campaign today suggested Scotland might have voted for independence in last week’s referendum if his campaign had made a positive case for the union, rather than “scaremongering” about economic risks.

Critics of the anti-independence campaign repeatedly called on it to make a more positive case for Scotland to remain part of the UK. But Blair McDougall referred to polling that showed that 40% of Scottish voters would base their vote on an emotional case to keep the UK as it is anyway.

He told a meeting at the Labour party conference in Manchester: “It would have made people feel nice but it would have made the 40% who already agree with us feel nice.”

When asked how he will make a living now the referendum is over and he is out of a job, McDougall said: “I will work for food.”

Burp.

Grouse Beater

Yup – got one of those ludicrously argued fliers in my letterbox. It is now in shreds in the construction skip. The Liberal party used to offer sensible, wise policies.

Can’t wait to see how the public take their revenge on them for cosying up to Tory shock economics.

And while on the subject of revenge, here’s a film on that subject you should not miss:

link to grousebeater.wordpress.com

Brotyboy

‘You can change your wife, your house, your car, but you can never change your team…’ Dundee United chairman Eddie Thomson.

Did you stay until the final whistle on Wednesday Jonny?

Macart

Jayzus fecking wept!

That’s it? That’s a reason to vote Lib Dem? Basically they don’t like Alex Salmond?

These enablers sold their souls to one of the most socially destructive and economically inept governments since Thatcher was in power and they consider Alex Salmond and the SNP a bad thing (Barney Bear face slap).

I’d vote for Alex, NIcola and the SNP every bloody day of the week and twice on a Sunday rather than waste it on either of the two Tory parties and their little enablers. And I’m a natural Green vote!

Been in Ayr all day and the High Street made me smile big time. From Tam O Shanter’s down to the Arch in this order were Conservative leafleters whom no one wanted to talk to at all. Next came a couple of Labour bods passing out leaflets many of which littered the street two seconds after being received. Then lastly there was an exceptionally busy SNP/Common Weal group up to their bums in bods whilst handing out leaflets, badges and stuff. Had a short chin wag with the guys on land reform from Common Weal.

The difference in public engagement between the three groups couldn’t be more stark. From purely bloody miserable and unwanted at one end of the street, to happy, smiling, chatty and busy down at the arch.

Well done folks if you’re reading. 🙂

Marie clark

Sad, that this is what they’ve come to. Same letter a’ ower the country, only the name changes, not to protect the innocent, but to show up the guilty.

These unionists really need to get over themselves. Alex Salmond is not the leader of the SNP, nor will he be the leader at Westminster, if elected. That is and will be Angus Robertson. Maybe Angus is jist no scary enough fur them. Pathetic people.

O/T wee ginger dug has come up with a new measurement for us:
MILIBAWRPH – unit of measurement of sickened revulsion. I must be at about 100 milibawrphs by now.

mumsyhugs

Stu don’t beat yourself up – looking at the responses on here it seems a lot of us have already been there and got the T-shirt, myself included! I suspect a goodly number of non-posters but readers on here are the same. But you’ve more than made up for it – don’t look back, look forward and take comfort from how much you’ve helped so many others to see through the lies and misinformation the MSM etc keep spouting. 🙂

platinum

Aye right, the last person in the world you want in charge of the public purse strings is Tim Brett, forced to resign from NHS Tayside after multi-million pounds overspend.

link to scotsman.com

By March 2001 the debts had reached 15.9m, the biggest NHS deficit in Scotland. The report by the Scottish parliament’s powerful audit committee found they had mismanaged public funds and were responsible for a “loss of financial control”.

“Public money was not being properly managed and those responsible were not being properly held to account,” the report concluded.

Commenting on Brett’s role, the MSPs said they found some of his actions “difficult to believe”.

Kenfitlike McKell

I used to live in Sedgefield constituency in Co. Durham. I too voted LibDem against the sitting MP, one Tony Blair. Do I also need forgiveness? What was I to do, or should I not have bothered voting at all?

Graham MacLure

Hello, my name is Graham I was a Liberal voter and even voted for “The Invisible Man” wee Malky Bruce but just the wance.
Thirty seven years and what did he do for his constituency?

The Isolator

Important to remember of course that the Liberal Party were dragged into their own poisonous coalition having been joined by ex Labour party” Social Democrat’s”.

Aye that went well for them right enough.

Made their bed,no sympathy.

Graham MacQueen

In all honesty Rev, it makes no difference what you or anybody else voted for in the past. We have all been hoodwinked to some extent and for too long! Some were able to see through the lies and deceit before others; so be it!

It matters now that we all continue to remove the hoods of those who continue to don them in the dignified, respectful manner in which we do and to politely point out their inaccuracies and deceitfulness at every given opportunity.

You have certainly played a major role in bringing the shortcomings of the Unionists and their parties into the limelight. For that, I thank you no end!

Valerie

Thanks for posting these, they are hilarious. How many unionist heads does Mr Salmond live in, rent free? It’s a helluva lot!

At Heedtracker, sounds like Pantsdown has went full tonto mode! Add to that Malcolm Bruce bursting a blood vessel every time he is on screen, these Fib dems know full well they are staring into the abyss.

Hahaha

Elaine Colliar

Thank you to the Ayrshire Winger who spotted the “Royal Visit” by wee Ruthie to her wee Blue pal Huw Bell in Cupar High St today.

He was so incensed that he marked into our hub and stuffed £100 in one of our buckets …. so I gave him my special silver SNP badge in thanks.

First time I have ever benefitted financially from a Tory I can tell you 🙂

jock mc X

On the day the music died and it was clear that labour were
finished in england,i remember someone asking me what i
thought would happen.

I remember saying that i thought people would turn to the lib dems and we would see the rise of that party again.

I still find it hard to believe that people thought New
labour was the labour party and gave them thier vote.

Although i have always been an snp voter,i feel guilty that
that i have never done enough to support the independence
cause.

My respect for people like Alex salmond and Nic sturgeon
is immense…..i am not worthy.

Robert Peffers

@Robert Louis says: 11 April, 2015 at 4:08 pm:

“Liberal democrats, what has become of you?”

There’s two things I just love to awake to in the morning. The aroma of freshly ground coffee and the pungent stench of Establishment abject terror.

I’m getting old and have seen most political moods that have affected Westminster. I never have seen this wall to wall panic, terror, apparent helplessness and hopelessness, sweeping right across Westminster in a peacetime situation.

Can anyone else ever remember the entire establishment fighting against a single enemy when it was neither hot or cold war against some great World class Power?

Not even in the darkest WWII days and nights of the Blitz were the Westminster collective spirits at such a low, low ebb.

Harry Shanks

As a strong believer that we should all do our bit to promote recycling, it would pain me to simply trash the valuable paper Lib Dems are pushing through my door, so I managed to find this:

City of London Liberal Democrats,
Freepost RLZU-UJKH-SBUC,
London,
W2 6DG

Oh, and this recycling address for red leaflets:

Scottish Labour,
Freepost GW4863,
290 Bath Street,
Glasgow,
G2 4RE

Freepost means of course that THEY pay to receive your mail.

Just saying like.

dakk

You’ve probably done more than anyone to awaken the masses from political slumber Stuart,so you need forgiveness from no one.

If the results go in our favour on 7th May,then we are looking at a mini enlightenment, and you will have played a huge part in leading people from the darkness.

We’re not there yet though.Going out to post some SNP candidate posters now,every little helps hopefully.

old mother b

23 years is nothing. When I first voted for them they were Liberals and someone called Frank Byers was MP for North Dorset! Apart from several elections in Wales
( Plaid) I’ve voted for them ever since. Never again. No SNP here. Thank god for the Greens

gordoz

Rev – Why no SNPout nast nazi stuff on Zoomer patrol ?? 🙁

Bill Hume

I should like to make it clear, before I begin, that I’ve just made my first pot of Cullen skink. It takes some time to cook and meanwhiles, I have inbibed a fair amount of Scotlands traditional drink.

Now, these Lib Demmie people are expecting folks to elect them to Westminster. Is it so much to ask that, before sending their personal message to people, they actually make it PERSONAL.
Jesus H. Christ, it would take, at most, a couple of hours.

If I was applying for a job that paid as well as being an MP, I’d be effing sure that I wasn’t simply using cut’n paste and the same graphics as someone else.

Still, they probably think ‘If it’s good enough for Labour………….

p.s. The soup was good but needs a bit more work….may need to invest in another bottle of Scotlands national drink.

Bob Mack

These letters are just wrong on so many levels.I have watched in amazement as Labour became quasi Tory,and dropped the disadvantaged members of Society,and the lib Dems worked quite happily with a larger Party who espoused everything they used to fight against.
Now the Election has become a battleground to play out prejudice and fear,in an attempt to disenfranchise a Nation,and keep it subjugated to a larger neighbour permanently.
The world is turning faster than I can keep up sometimes,but clearly everything I have known during my lifetime is irrevocably changing,but not for the better.

Connor McEwen

Has anyone from Age Concern and Help The Aged complained to their MP’s about the mental cruelty being inflicted on Scottish Pensioners from Westminster

Connor McEwen

Rev.got a recycling address for tory bumph aka Harry Shanks

John H.

I’ve always voted SNP, except once. In 1979 I voted Labour in a desperate attempt to keep Margaret Thatcher out. That worked well didn’t it? There was no point then in voting SNP though, as only Labour had any chance of beating her.

I have regretted it ever since, and would advise anyone to always vote according to their beliefs. That is the most important thing of all.

G4jeepers

At least we know they’re not fence-sitters anymore, they jumped off to the right as soon as Clegg dropped his tongue down the back of Camerons troosers.

They can make all the promises and pledges in the world, it wont make any difference.

Malcolm Bruce shames the name.

Harry Shanks

@ Connor McEwen

The Conservative Party
FREEPOST RSBB-XRZT-ZTXE,
30 Millbank,
LONDON
SW1P
4DP

UKIP
FREEPOST RLSU-HZ-BG-UBBG
DEVON
TQ12 6UT

Robert Peffers

@thedogphilosopher says: 11 April, 2015 at 4:17 pm:

” … He lived through the lean years of the Independence struggle and would be amazed at the pace of things today”

Wow! thedogphilosopher, I probably bumped into your Old Dad. Wendy wood and co. were boyhood heros and, although my whole family were Labour, from boyhood I was out and out SNP. I was always the odd one out in my family and from a very early age I made my own mind up.

If not for the old ones there would have been no SNP and the lean years were hard on the emotions. Yet few of the old hands were ever too downhearted.

Gary

So um, don’t they have any policies? No, wait, of course they have, its just they’re all Tory policies..

Robert Peffers

@Robert Louis says: 11 April, 2015 at 4:18 pm:

“As regards the article above, we all make mistakes. I, for example, used to think the Labour party was a socialist party”.

Funny that, Robert Louis, The Labour Party still thinks its a Socialist Party. They also think it’s the voters that have changed and who are wrong.

Robert Peffers

@Dan says: 11 April, 2015 at 4:36 pm

” … Also hear that he has 2 men and a dug helping him with some backing from Labour members.”

Aye! Dan and the word is the dug’s the most effective member of the team.

michael boyd

Timmy Brett – former NHS Tayside CEO who resigned amidst a financial scandal in 2001 for mismanaging public funds. Good luck N E Five.

Ian Brotherhood

‘Apparently a ‘senior Tory’ told LibDem Coalition Minister Danny Alexander: “You take care of the workers and we’ll take care of the bosses”.’

From Richie Venton’s latest blog article:

richieventon.blogspot.co.uk

Glamaig

Hey LibDems- what about federalism now? Not hearing much about that. Thought the referendum, or even the Smith Commission would have been your big chance.

Heard Ming Campbell very eloquent on the subject on QT a few weeks back – strange I never heard a peep about that policy for years before, or since.

Hoss Mackintosh

I used to think the Liberals were ok (Joe Grimmond retired a long time ago) but I have never voted for them Rev Stu.

Not anymore – I think they should be wiped out completely as they are a despicable party.

Just like the National Liberals in the sixties who got so close to the Tories they eventually merged with them. Heseltine was one of the National Liberals btw.

No policies, No principles and No politicians who are worth a damn.

Vote SNP and consign them to the dustbin of history for ever.

Connor McEwen

Found a FREEPOST address for Cons.

Freepost RSBB-XRZT-ZTXE
Conservative Party Foundation
30, Millbank,London
SW1P 4DP

There is a lot of recycling to be done

Gary45%

No no no… Yes @ 3.22pm,
The Lib Dums might be cutting and pasting,
but up here in the highlands a certain Mr Alexander,
is receiving some VERY large donations for the election campaign. The Lib Dums are not to poor up here.
Gary

Kevin Meina

Don’t know if will help or not but Catholic Church have given a letter out at this weekends mass basically telling Catholics to vote for a party that opposes nuclear weapons.

Vince

Sadly, all three “main ” parties have put us 1.5 trillion pounds in debt and they have no fix for this except further austerity for the poor and the ordinary working man.

They have nothing to sell to the public because of this, so they have invented a bogey man, who additionally they think in their worst nightmares might manage to walk away with a disproportionate share of the kingdom’s wealth re oil, renewable energy,land and water. They demonise him often in the shape of the ogre Salmond.

It is their failure but they are shameless in suggesting that support for the SNP is illogical and destructive in order to deflect from the shambolic record of looking after this Kingdom and Scotland in particular.

Nothing would be better than to see them being run out of town in May.

De Valera

You have more than atoned for your sins by exposing the unionist lies and pro indy truths these last few years.

it is incredibly heartening to see so many of us on here have come to our senses after voting for the three Tory parties.

Robert Peffers

@Malcolm says: 11 April, 2015 at 4:37 pm :

” … Just been watching Dateline London on the BBC World Service and it is so biased they talk about Scotland would be non existant now due to the oil price.”

Total balderdash from them, Malcolm. In the first place Scotland’s entire income comes via the Scottish Block grant and the level of that Block Grant has no dependency upon oil – no matter what the price of oil is. The reasons being that the United Kingdom Treasury grabs the entire oil & gas revenues, claiming they come from, “Extra-Regio-Territory”, and that territory is United Kingdom territory. Not one halfpenny comes to Scotland.

As to the Block Grant it is the much misunderstood Barnett Formula that decides what the Scottish Block Grant will be. The basic idea is that an average per capita sum is decided, by reference to what Westminster terms the average per capita value of services provided to the Country of England by the Westminster Ministries such as the English NHS, DEFRA and so on. This gives a per capita baseline for the Barnett Formula.

The Formula then estimates the per capita value of the many ministerial provided and funded functions the English get by not having any devolved functions and this is then added, on a per capita basis, to the block grants of the three devolved administrations.

Note therefore that, as each devolved administration has different devolved functions, their per capita fundings are all correctly at different per capita levels. With, of course, England’s per capita estimate being lowest as they have NO devolved functions whatsoever and there are Several, “Arms Length”, functions Like Transport for London too.

Now we come to what are known as , “Barnett Consequentials”. These can be either positive and add to the devolved administrations Block Grant or Negative which subtract from the grants. These are due to funding changes in English ministries during the financial period. However, these are not paid out or extracted as they happen but are totally and adjustments made to the total of the next years Block Grants.

So now you know why all this bullshit about the Scots being subsidised by England and the Welsh claiming, in spite of having less devolved functions, parity with Scottish per capita funding. You also know that as the Treasury takes all the oil & gas revenues it has no effect upon Scottish income.

The most ignorant people in the United Kingdom of how the system works seems to be the elected Members of Parliaments both Westminster and devolved.

Hoss Mackintosh

Never mind Rev Stu – we have found someone for you to vote for in Bath…

They are not as good as the SNP but they have principles and a sense of humour!

link to youtube.com

Cadogan Enright

I thought this was well done and worth sharing; link to twitter.com

Louis B Argyll

Yes, the Liberals had respected characters in the past.

Their influence has receded with time, their goodwill abused by career Lib Dems playing the media game and pointing their fingers.

If they now treat their own party as a tool and not an idea they now reap only whatever sad support is left..along with some confused Tories.

Davy

My thanks to “Harry Shanks” for those useful addresses, I have just recieved some buff from the labour party I wish to return it to them at no cost to myself.

And when you talk to a libdem please remind them it is only due to them that Scotland had to suffer under a tory Westminster government for the past five years.

muttley79

I see the Guardian are carrying a story about the Nazi symbol being daubed on the Aberdeen offices of the Tories. A quote from the Tory candidate saying it is the dark side of nationalism, presumably Scottish not British. I don’t recall the Guardian covering the story in regards to Yes hubs being vandalised in the exact same manner during the referendum. I believe the MSM will try and blame it on the SNP. No doubt they will try and get Salmond to comment on it.

MikeH

mutley79 – yes, Craig Murray also sees it as an increasing secret service ploy to defend the Union by blaming violence on SNP activists – I am inclined to believe this from my past experience of their influence over 50 years.

Joemcg

Proud to say I have voted SNP since I was eligible to vote. Now in my forties never thought this day would come where we are looking at 40 or 50 odd WM seats. It truly is unbelievable .

Joemcg

Muttley-Aye it’s all over FB. Ever heard of innocent until proven guilty Brit Nats?

Robert Peffers

@Graham MacLure says: 11 April, 2015 at 6:09 pm:

“Hello, my name is Graham I was a Liberal voter … “.

I nearly wet myself laughing at that, Graham.

It reminded me of just about every wee screen depiction of an AA meeting.

Glamaig

In the 70s I loved the SNP for their obviously grassroots and homegrown nature and the ‘Its Scotlands Oil’ campaign.

By the time I was old enough to vote, Thatcher was in. I voted Labour throughout the 80s before I realised that Scotlands votes made no difference whatsoever. In 1992 I switched to SNP where my heart lay and never changed since.

Gavin

Hoss Mackintosh says:
11 April, 2015 at 8:18 pm
Never mind Rev Stu – we have found someone for you to vote for in Bath…

They are not a

————-
Brilliant, best party election broadcast I have seen for a long time. They should release it as a single. Could be No 1 by Election Day.

I hope the English greens pick up a few more seats. They are the only alternative for those down south.

Edward

When returning unwanted mail
remember to remove your address to maintain anonymity

Don’t hesitate to also add additional material from opposing political parties so you are ‘pooling and sharing’

😀

frogesque

The problem with the LibDems is, like a lady of the night they are prone (pun intended) to the highest bidder.

Or as the wonderful late Terry Pratchet would have it, of negotiable affection

Rock

The polls look very promising for the SNP but let us not become over optimistic as we did pre 18th September last year.

They have many ways to cheat us of victory.

We might be laughing at them now but never forget who had the last laugh on 19th September last year.

Are Patrick Harvie and Colin Fox still insisting on their supporters to vote Green and Socialist respectively? I hope their supporters ignore them and vote SNP.

Marcia

I saw this video in twitter tonight;

link to youtube.com

well worth watching.

heedtracker

Grafiti on Conservative and Scottish office in Aberdeen is exact same shit BetterTogether pulled in the run up to 18th Sept. ProjectFear 2 kicks in harder than ever but it worked last time so why not have another blanket UKOK media attack MacDougal/Ternan. Murphy’s going to egged again next week.

The big glaring difference this time UKOK? You polled majorities throughout vote NO Project Fear. This time no one believes a word you say or whatever pathetic smear campaigning stunts you try and repeat.

Same Bliar MacBoomboom shit, different campaign.

Joemcg

Rock-curious,if the polls stay steady up until the 7th but on the 8th we only win 20 odd seats how are the unionists gonna explain that away? surely something dodgy has occurred?

Donald Urquhart

Stu

I once had a pair of fawn oxford bags, high waistband and flared bottoms wider than my shoes… still not as embarrassing as voting Lib Dem, though!

Robert Peffers

Yeah! I just went out to walk the wee dog and popped into my pals house. He has BBC Parliament Channel on and the Miliband, Balls, Murphy press conference in Edinburgh on.

It really is hilarious. Balls blethering pish. He claims Labour will increase spending on the NHS but the Tories won’t. Truth being that all three unionist parties have pledged more money to the English NHS and that means they have no option but to increase Scottish Spending but none of them can target where the Barnett Consequentials are spent.

They certainly can increase the Block Grant but have no control over how a Scottish Government cares to spend it. Buggers don’t even know the rules they created. Now Murphs on about this mansion tax there isn’t a hope in hell the English de facto parliament will pass that tax and even less the HOL.

I’m awa hame noo I’ve had my laugh for the evening.

Lesley-Anne

Don’t beat yourself up about voting for the Lib Dems Stu … someone had to and you unfortunately drew the short straw. 😉

On a brighter note I’ve just heard that Fluffy apparently has had his wee writie slapped. He has apparently been told thathe must include the word Conservative in all his literature. 😀

Way to go Tories.

How to win lose freinds and FAIL to influence people in one easy lesson. Is it just me or have Tory Central office just made our job down here a tad easier? 😀

schrodingers cat

@Cadogan Enright
great stuff cadogan

em. any chance you could give us a run down on the state of play in ni? especially the sdlp seats?

i think the small parties are going to be important in may, info on any marginals would be interesting, i havent seen any polls from ni

Nana Smith

Good grief, can labour sink any lower?

link to twitter.com

Mealer

Donald Urquhart 9.42
I’ll be the judge of that.Now show us the photos.

Broch Landers

You are forgiven.

We all have our peccadilloes.

I actually like a couple of Phil Collins songs, for instance.

schrodingers cat

@Graham MacLure
“Hello, my name is Graham I was a Liberal voter and even voted for “The Invisible Man” wee Malky Bruce but just the wance”

lol

Robert Peffers

Fallon’s effort on defence included the phrase, “and the Royal Navy protecting our shores”. This just after telling us the army were protecting us by being deployed in over forty foreign lands. How can they be protecting us by invading 50 foreign countries?

Louis B Argyll

Something wrong with the text on that image of their late leader, r.i.p. a fairminded mp like many were.

cearc

link to exaronews.com

‘The government defeated the amendment proposed by John Mann, labour MP in a night-time vote in February that went unreported.’

Only 3 Libs and 8 Cons, honourably voted for the amendment.

Charlie Kennedy, who has rarely voted in this last parliament, considered preventing this important enough for him to turn up and vote against offering this protection to potential witnesses.

Full voting list at:

link to exaronews.com

TJenny

Nana Smith – what does that even mean? ‘we will deliver more powers for the Scotland’??? Not for Scotland or for the Scottish people/parliament, but the Scotland! Another empty statement which means nothing. 🙁

ronnie anderson

@ Nana is there ah seance at Iona LoL

Conan_the_Librarian

I used to vote for Donald Gorrie, to keep the Tories out.

Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa…

shiregirl

Evening all 🙂
I received a leaflet through the post today from the Labour candidate Sean Morton. Usual stuff on it – at least £8 an hour minimum wage, mansion tax for 1000 nurses, blah blah. Being a nurse, I am eager for him to tell me more about this and how this would work. Interestingly, his mother (who was/is the vice chair of the moray labour branch) hit the news last year when she went on social media to call yes voters fascists. Mr Morton leapt to her defence stating she had been misunderstood….

oh well, that’s ok then, eh?

link to scotsman.com

Cadogan Enright

@schrodingers cat 9.49
Well Cameron flew in for a few hours this week to support the 16 Torys running in NI. 11 of these have never set foot in N.Ireland and they will be unlikely to gain even 1% of the vote.
Scandalously the Tories are cooperating in a sectarian head-count in 2 constituencies, supporting an orange-order approved single unionist candidate in North Belfast and Fermanagh/South Tyrone and of course this has not been picked up by the MSM. Trying to keep the Shinners out.
I’m not a fan of the SDLP – believing them to be Green Torys and propped up by the colonial NI Office.
In my opinion the SDLP MP in my area will survive a SF challenge with a reduced majority – probably take another election before she is gone(no thanks to me campaigning in Scotland), their candidate in South Belfast might squeak in, and I can’t say about Derry.
I can’t imagine they would be much help to the SNP project as they are inveterate cap-doffers.
If someone got rid of Westminster Oath of allegence, SF might be a lot more help.

Conan_the_Librarian

@Marcia

Guid stuff.

call me dave

@Nana Smith

That is very unsavoury indeed. labour best limbo dancers in UK.

PS: On topic:

I voted for the first time in the 1970 GE (no SNP candidate) as I just missed the 1966 GE by being under 21 at that time. Unfortunately Ted beat Harold.

Most opinion polls prior to the election had indicated a comfortable Labour victory and had put Labour up to 12.4% ahead of the Conservatives. On election day, however, a late swing gave the Conservatives a 3.4% lead and ended almost six years of Labour government.

A warning that it is never in the bag until the fat lady sings!

I have never voted other than SNP since then. 🙂

Graeme Doig

Nana

Desperados indeed. Can they sink any lower? Of course they can. A drowning man will try and grab hold of anything.
I was young at the time but remember having respect for John Smith which is much more than his Labout party seem to.
Disgraceful.

Shuggy

Raised in a Labour voting family, I voted Liberal from the first GE after I came of age and continued to do so after their ‘coalescence’ with the Social Democrats.

I remember Charlie Kennedy becoming leader and his almost single-handed dragging of the party from one which had hitherto been the subject of scornful dismissal (a la Spitting Image) to a credible alternative to the two main parties. More than anything, his plain speaking, common sense approch seemed to appeal to the average punter.

Just as they appeared to be on the cusp of real respect, the news broke that Charlie had been ousted. I was horrified to watch soundbite after soundbite on the TV involving the same characters – I particularly recall Sarah Teather’s incessant appearances – explaining that Charles was damaging the party.

I remember the reaction from fellow LibDem voters I knew, which echoed my own: “I’d take Charlie drunk any day over any one of those careerist troughers”.

If they could so callously bite the hand that led them to better feeding grounds, what would they do to the populace? I never voted for them again.

Nodrog

Stuart I suspect I am marginally older than you as I am 73 but I did on a couple of occasions vote for the Liberals when David Steele was involved. I was impressed with Jo when she first came on the scene but what you have displayed above disappoints me immensely she has diminished in my estimation almost to the level of Alistair Carmichael. If this is the core of the Scottish Liberals then we are best rid of them. Spent some time today with Pete Wishart and was heartily impressed with how we ,SNP, are moving forward. But as we say take nothing for granted win by example not by sound bites, fear or smear. I am proud that the SNP will not deal in character assassination or personalized attacks. Some of your contributors would do well to take this to heart, including me sometimes as I know it is difficult to quell ones emotions when faced with absolute garbage from the Better Together mob.

pIXL

This amateurish bilge is almost identical to the Liberal eve of poll leaflets I fished out of letterboxes during the Govan bye-election in which Jim Sillars was successful against…wait for it…. Bernard Ponsonby ????

According to these pathetic liars, they were neck and neck with the SNP then too.
Yeah…that really worked out well…..they achieved 1.5% versus 50% for SNP/Sillars.
I suspect history is about to repeat itself.

If any of you were candidates, wouldn’t you be ashamed to be associated with anything so crassly amateurish as these leaflets ?!?!?
I know I would.

Marie clark

@ Nana 9.49. Michty me, that is appalling. How low can they go right enough.

Wonder which twat thought that this was a good idea. Might have checked the sentence construct before they released it. The Scotland. Bloody hell. They must have been having a few drams, it’s the only thing that makes sense.

dakk

Only ever voted anything other than SNP once,but it was a stoater

I voted for one Anthony Charles Lynton Blair to become PM in 97.

Labour backing for a Scottish Parliament and an ‘ethical foreign policy’ was my rationale.

I reckon anyone who voted Labour after Iraq war is a war crime appeaser.I still do believe this.

Capella

Craig Murray post on False Flag ops. Needs to be widely circulated.

link to craigmurray.org.uk

Morag

They do this “two horse race” thing practically everywhere, even where they’re lying third or worse. Last time the LibDem candidate here (David Steel’s daughter) actually brought out a horsebox (OK a pony trailer) and parked it by their stall in Peebles High Street with the “two horse race” emblazoned on it.

I stood by the SNP stall across the road wondering first of all how they could afford helium for the balloons they were giving away, and secondly, which were the two horses because as far as I could see Labour were probably second behind the Tories.

They were, too. The highlight of the count was the gradual drooping of all the wee faces sitting on top of “I agree with Nick” t-shirts.

Catriona isn’t standing this year. I’m reliably informed she only stands for election if she thinks she has a chance of winning.

boris
Cag-does-thinking

BBC at it again. Notoriously the BBC doesn’t put anything on it’s Scottish website after about 10 am on a Saturday till Monday morning, presumably so the job experience journalist can have the weekend off but damn and blast that pesky Andy murray got married so while they were there they added the story of the Tory and Labour offices being vandalised kindly provided by one of said tories.

Have to defend the union of course. All other news will have to wait till Monday.

I expect Murphy will get egged imminently and the SNP will be a proscribed organisation by the time of the election….

Marcia

Sunday Herald front page;

link to twitter.com

Ian Brotherhood

Saturday Night Quiz:

Who wrote this?

‘…nationalism is never completely benign. It is always polarising, and it always needs an enemy.’

Rev linked to it on Twitter, about half an hour ago. The identity of the author may raise an eyebrow, but when you get a good look at what he’s written? Michty me…

The guy is talking about you. And me. He’s describing us to the rest of the world. Aye. So go ahead, read it, and see if you recognise yourself, friends and family.

Utterly shameful stuff by someone who should know – more than most – what the British State, and the BBC in particular, are all about.

archive.today/vtIls

Capella

@ Ian Brotherhood
Just read it. Not surprised. They are obviously concentrating on the “nazi” meme to see whether it will get any traction. It’s what Craig’s post is about. Create an “incident” then report it ad nauseum as a smear on the SNP. We can expect much more of this in the next few weeks. Despicable.

gordoz

In case there are any left who doubt the BBC bias against Scottish emancipation ….

link to bbc.co.uk

Cadogan Enright

@Macart could you email me at cadogan@enright.ie

Donald Urquhart

LIB DEM NEWS…

Attempts to make witnesses exempt from the Official Secrets Act, should they give evidence to Child Sex Abuse Enquiry, was voted down in Westminster recently.

Under the Official Secrets Act, any witnesses could have their pensions frozen or removed, which will greatly lessen the chances of witnesses coming forward.

You good folks in Orkney and Shetland might want to ask CARMICHAEL why he voted against the amendment, which offered protection to potential witnesses…

link to exaronews.com

boris
Ian Brotherhood

Apologies for duff link above – try this instead:

link to archive.today

Capella

Should be ad nauseam , of course, (above) i.e till we are all sick of it.
Best cure is a massive SNP win on 7th May then these Unionist shills will have something more important to think about.

Joemcg

gordoz-interesting. Are they starting to prepare the ground for a shock? Postal vote fraud anyone?

james westland

Re that grafitti business in Aberdeen. 2 years ago something almost identical happened, and the “Q” then was drawn exactly the same way in this latest incident

link to news.stv.tv

Casper1066

Some of us voted Labour for far longer, so all is forgiven, you have seen the error in your ways now….lol

Joemcg

Notice prof.curtice is claiming SNP will be “irrelevant” after analysing the poll of polls as there will be a Lab/Lib coalition.

Stoker

Rev wrote:
“I voted for this pathetic shower of useless snivellers for 23 years, folks. I’ve learned my lesson. Once again, I can only hang my head and beg forgiveness.”

You need to beg for nothing.
Let me tell you a wee story and no, i’m not Max Bygraves.

You have done more than most for our cause and for the name Campbell.

This might sound pathetic but before i discovered WOS i hated the very mention of that name, i don’t know why because i wasn’t around way back in the days of Glencoe.

Just one of those Scottish things i suppose but i can assure you, my blood no longer boils when i hear the name Campbell being mentioned.

So your very existence does far more than you’ll ever know.

Take care and thank you for all that you do.

boris
heedtracker

link to blog.whatscotlandthinks.org

“Tactical voting may help deny the SNP a few seats, but in truth it seems incapable of recreating on May 7 the unionist coalition that succeeded in defeating independence last September.”

Interesting. All kinds of UKOK BBC vote Slab or else shit going down now but, Scottish Conservatives voting Scottish Labour in their Scotland region? I’m an ex SLabour vote/dumbass and I even if I still was, I’d be a bit puzzled why the Scottish tories are voting Labour and creepy Morphy May 7.

Just saying.

Just saying as I am an actual fcuking socialist, not so future Lord Jim Morphy of Scotlandshire.

boris
themightysquirrel

Dammit…I’m just so disappointed in Jo Swinson.

She was just starting out on her career when I was a baby journo and she was one of my first ‘big’ political interviews (second only to John Swinney!).

I was SO proud of her, given we were the same age, both entering historically male-dominated fields etc and I genuinely thought she was one of the good ‘uns.

I’m not angry, per se, just…sad.

For what it’s worth, I voted Lib Dem in 2010, too.

*shrugs*

You do what you can with what you’re given, don’t beat yourself up about it. Just, you know – never again.

thoughtsofascot

And I, for 10 years. Never again. The Lib Dems can burn in hell for eternity. Few other parties deserve it. Sniveling, backstabbing scoundrels that get their rocks off on putting fear into people and would do anything for power.

john king

My dad asked me why (even though it was clear the SNP wouldn’t win in central Fife nor even hold their deposit on occasion) did I vote SNP?

I replied “they have to know someone cares enough to vote for them or they will give up”
I think although my father strongly opposed my choice of party he respected my support of them when it wasn’t fashionable to do so,

I was 18 when I went round doors in Hamilton in 1974 in support of Winnie Ewing and couldn’t quite understand the jibe “yer aw tartan Tories” at some doors, I didn’t feel like a Tory
I have never voted for anyone else my whole life,
It felt right then and it feels right now.

Now my kids are asking me for direction when it comes to who to vote for and I asked them to go and look at what the parties offer and make their own choice not just vote my way because that’s the way their faither voted, so they did and guess what, all of them have decided to vote SNP and that is in spite of one of them being in banking and was opposed to independence fearing for her job.

I am proud of my kids.

john king

Capella @ 11.10
I looked at that Murray post and a couple of things about it bothered me
1st the swastika being back to front kinda like a kid would draw it and the Q on the door, now I don’t know too many kids of today’s generation who would even know what a swastika was and as far as Q for “Quisling” well that’s a stretch at best, so what we have is an adult who (deliberately)? drew the Swastika back to front to make it appear like someone of limited intelligence but not so stupid as to be aware of Quisling and the history of the phrase,

On balance I agree it is a false flag.
whether its the security services is however a bit of a stretch.

scottieDog

I see the hootsman is Talking about lib-lab coalition making snp ‘irrelevant’.
Well I guess their right wing policies match up.

IAB

Alex Salmond will go down in history as the game changing politician of the century. Let them try the postal vote scam again, there will be a revolution.

@john king – I voted Green after Blair took over Labour knowing they had no chance but as a way of letting them know that support was out there. Everything helps.

Ken500

So an SNP Scottish majority is once again going to be outvoted by a Westminster 10 to 1 majority Scotland, didn’t vote for. Time for another Referendum. This time Independence will win. Get Trident out of Scotland and end sanctioning the most vulnerable and starving them to death. Worldwide.

The Official Secrets Act to hide the abuse of children. Westminster are despicable lowlives. Can they sink any lower?

Honestly do not know what we would do without Wings. Rev Stu you are the best. We all have our guilty secrets having been misled for years. The only way to keep the Tories out, until they got in bed with them. Deceitful charlatans.(Sir) Malcolm Bruce in the landowners pocket.

Robert Louis

Looks like this weekend, people such as myself who support Scottish independence, are being smeared as racists by the media.

In the Scotsman/Scotland on Sunday, there is a made up story purporting to show racism against the SKY political journalist Faisal Islam, at an SNP event. Of course the story is baloney and lies of the very worst kind. It turns out the “racist abuse” Faisal received, was being asked the perfectly reasonable question, ‘why didn’t sky use a Scottish journalist’, as in why send someone all the way from London, when SKY has many people in Scotland. A perfectly reasonable question, and not racist in any way.

Just a reminder, as others have pointed out folks, watch out for agents provocateurs, trying to stir things up, and others purporting to be on our side, yet deliberately trying to damage things – online and at meetings.

link to archive.today

Looks like we are now into smear and far part 2, by the British state.

bookie from hell

telegraph

Andrew Gilligan

” A Labour canvasser in Renfrewshire was threatened with a chainsaw by an SNP supporter”

Robert Louis

If I saw the letter Q daubed on a door, I genuinely would not think ‘oh, that must mean Q for ("Quizmaster" - Ed)’. Most people rarely use the word – despite what the British nationalist newspapers and BBC tell us all. Seriously, who dreams this rubbish up.

Mealer

The SNP has more English born members than any other party in Scotland.Hardly racist.

Dr Jim

Just watched a Union Political Broadcast on the telly as to how to go about defeating Alex Salmond in Gordon, led by the Liberal Democrats
It’s comforting to know that our Broadcasters hold total impartiality as fundamentally important and that the need to preserve honesty and truth is paramount

When you’re promoting Pish to the masses it’s definitely imperative to make sure you Pish on the masses from a great height

scottieDog

“David Cameron can’t tell you where a penny of the money is coming from for his NHS policy. You can’t fund the NHS from an IOU.”

Quoting a tweet from ed milliband. This guy was a treasury advisor ffs. What does he think government bonds are?

Tam Jardine

I have to give credit where credit is due. I received a leaflet (posted of course!) from Mark Lazarowizc, labour candidate and sitting MP for Edinburgh North and Leith. The contrast with the lib dem anti snp letters above could not be more stark.

The leaflet is all about Mark’s record and policy. I found one mention of the SNP in a very mild attack on college places. I suspect this is very deliberate and Mark is appalled at the nature of his party’s campaign.

He does reiterate the biggest party lie: “But labour will only be able to do that of it is the biggest party in parliament – because the biggest party will form the next government. Scotland, England and Wales all count (sic). Will you help Scotland play it’s part by electing me?” Poor old Northern Ireland.

The answer is no, I won’t help Mark. I hope you get swept away by the SNP tide. You should have resigned from labour years ago over Iraq. You seem like a reasonable guy but Deidre Brock is going to win and I back her 100%. Well done in rising above the negative campaigning though.

CameronB Brodie

OT. Re. John Prescott. Where do you start?

Zoooom. 🙁

Grouse Beater

Warning

The British smear machine is at full manufacturing speed.

Whenever faced by attempts to blacken character demand your opponent discuss policy instead and democratic structures. Avoid getting sucked into personality debate.

ronnie anderson

@ Robert Louis 7.57 I hope they SNP supporters dont ask the question of anyone ( what Planet do you live on ) thats the sort of comments that can start Intergalactic Wars ah la ( lordy John Robertson )lol.

Luigi

So, they are trying to make the GE a rerun of the referendum?

So be it. 45% for the SNP will do nicely.

By the way, this town ain’t big enough for three unionist parties. Something has to give. LibDems, you are the weakest link – Goodbye!

Luigi

Grouse Beater says:
12 April, 2015 at 8:45 am

Warning

The British smear machine is at full manufacturing speed.

It’s certainly started, but things are about to get a lot worse over the next two weeks. They are approaching the stage of “must try something, nothing to lose”.

Brace yourselves.

pussy nancy

Can I ask please why, if the abuse of postal voting is so suspect, is it allowed?
I noticed that many young people/ couples, perfectly able to get to the polling station (in some cases living around the corner from it) prefer a postal vote.
Why isn’t a postal vote only issued to those who genuinely cannot get to a polling station? Seems to me that this would greatly reduce the chances of fraud?

ronnie anderson

@ CameronB. John Prescot ( zoooom )is that a trick question,like whit Jag wiz he in at the time lol.

Its gonna be ah wet day in Dundee today, Pete TC knows when tae take ah weekend break Ha ha,BrianDTT & masel will hold the fort.

heedtracker

Rancid Graun, double zoom!

“Anyone but Salmond: campaign to stop former SNP leader gathers pace”

Guardian angry, Guardian no like you voting SNP stupid Scottish types.

“The message is not subtle. The electorate in the Aberdeenshire council area rejected independence by over six to four, and Jardine wants those people; the ones who do not like Salmond’s style of politics; and those who treasure an MP focused on the nitty-gritty of local issues rather than high politics, to lend her their support.

Treasury ConDem focused on nitty gritty local issues is very lame from Graun creeps. Gordon’s about 600 miles away from Westminster where LibDem’s like Alexander and Carmicheal do their thang. Or same distances from Westminster to Italy or Berlin.

boris
CameronB Brodie

Ronnie, I don’t get out much but I wasn’t aware this was going on. 0 – 90mph in under 3 seconds. Zoooom. ;(

link to tinyurl.com

Capella

@john king
yes it is suspicious and James Westland points out above at 12.33 a.m. that the same Q had been used 2 years ago. I wonder if the police got anywhere with their investigation?

But we can expect the nazi smear to escalate along with attempts to make the SNP seem irrelevant. Stu will be on overtime for the next few weeks!

Tackety Beets

As many have posted before .

All these Paid Proffessional TV employees / interviewers and commentators are yet again being shown up as having very little understanding ( that’s polite for thicko) of the mechanics of how the UK works and is structured !

Lesley Riddoch on Marr setting it straight after only 5 mins and they have to listen ’cause the others don’t have a clue hence are unable to retort !

Free Scotland

Did anyone have a look at Tim Brett’s website? There’s an interesting pic of a scary space monster about to chew the head off Ming the Merciless, and another one of Wee Willie Rennie, Tim and Ming about to enter the Procurator Fiscal’s office to pay their parking fines.

link to timbrett.org.uk

gerry parker

@ Nancy
“Can I ask please why, if the abuse of postal voting is so suspect, is it allowed?”

Because the parties that benefit from it are the ones who decide whether it is allowed or not. They will continue the system as long as they benefit from it. It’s just another weapon in the armory they have to manipulate the result.

Onwards

Tories inheritance tax plans are going to be a vote-winner in many marginal English seats.

caz-m

Nicola Sturgeon will be at Paisley Town Hall at 1.30pm today.

She will be appearing with Mhairi Black, our SNP candidate for Paisley South/Renfrewshire West.

If you are in the area, then come over to Paisley Town Hall and give Nicola and Mhairi your support.

Glamaig

@pussy nancy
someone posted this yesterday

link to bbc.co.uk

Electoral Commission is useless.

ScottieDog

O/t but Well worth a listen…
link to bbc.co.uk

Wayne

I live in a very middle class area of NE Fife and we have been getting bombarded with Lib Dem leaflets and propaganda, and even magazines which appear to be neutral to the untrained eye but have the smiling Tim Brett on the cover and take an editorial line denouncing the SNP, but without a hint they are official party documents. SNP leaflets have been far fewer and there has been no SNP canvassing where I live.

I am sure the SNP are trying very hard here, but from where I live it is all Lib Dem leaflets through the door. Labour are non-existent and the local Tory candidate must have spent all his budget at the start as after an initial run of leaflets and canvassing we have never heard anything more.

I am confident the SNP will win here (just) but in some of the more affluent areas of NE Fife they definitely don’t have the same impact on the ground as the Lib Dems.

The Man in the Jar

@pussy nancy
at 8:53am

Regarding the postal voting. I agree that there should need to be a good reason given to be allowed a postal vote. What annoys me is that if someone gets a postal vote once then thereafter a postal vote is issued automatically. I think that postal votes should be applied for one election at a time.

Mealer

I’ve only come across one UKIPer whilst canvassing.I asked him if he would consider voting SNP…”Na,that Salmond and Sturgeon are too bossy.” Then unsolicited “And I wouldn’t trust thon sleekit hoor Murphy as far as I could throw him”.
At all the hundreds of doors I’ve chapped that’s the first open criticism I’ve heard of Nicola.Sleekit hoor,on the other hand,is a common description of Mr Murphy.In fact,almost as common as “creepy”.Murphy has failed.Labour need a different figurehead.They have no one to turn to except Brown.Whats he got to offer? More powers? I think his credibility is too badly damaged with too many voters for him to make much of a difference.

caz-m

BBC Scotland telling us this morning that the SNP would devolve media powers to Holyrood. This would mean that BBC Scotland would become independent from BBC London.

It’s Pete Wishart who has been talking about it this morning but I can’t find a link for it.

If someone could put up a link to this story it would be very much appreciated.

Dr Jim

The SNP forces of hell are unleashed upon the streets of Scotland again with their racist chants and slogans attacking decent people of every other nationality, creed, and race

Never happens between elections or at any other time that i’ve ever seen, but hey, I only live here all the time and I never manage to be present when it happens to all the journalists, reporters, pundits, commentators DA Da Da Da

So where is all this bile and hatred i keep missing
Folk I know in the Chinese community don’t see it, folk I know in the Asian community don’t see it
I’m beginning to feel left out of this excitement that the media keep reporting is rife all over the place

I wonder if I could leave my phone number or email address so they could inform me when it’s happening
I’ll rush over there immediately, i’ve got a car so i can be there quick

I just had a thought, you Media folk could be having us dim Scots on again, Jings you’re such a bunch of Kidders aren’t you I nearly fell for that AGAIN coz i’m just an ordinary Jock who doesn’t understand much

So no point in talking to me on the doorstep about complicated things like Full Fiscal Autonomy then
Better just to tell me Scotland will be broke and leave it at that eh coz we don’t want an argument where i might disagree thus reinforcing your belief that i’m a SNP racist
That would be completely offensive of me wouldn’t it

Thank goodness we have the Yookay Guv and their little helpers the State Media to keep us all right ( Phew )
Don’t know where we’d be without you
Coz every time you open your big lying insulting mouths the holes you dig for yourselves get deeper and my desire to insert my foot in every orifice you have becomes more difficult to control

But i will and i do
Coz that would definitely make me a violent SNP racist if i did
Coz to argue with the State is Treasonable
So i humbly bow to your superior Everythingness Rightness and all that is Britiishness

Triumphalist Music Wells Up, UK Flag Flutters in the breeze

Ther ye are, coudnae be mer deferential could ah

Mealer

Wayne 9.34
Have you been in touch with your local branch to lend a hand? If not,I’m sure they would be glad to hear from you.And it’s not all chapping doors.Theres plenty other things people can do if they aren’t comfortable speaking face to face with folk.You don’t even have to be a member to lend a hand.

Anne

Wayne – ditto about the deluge of LIb Dem leaflets in NE Fife. I did have one SNP one though – rapidly recycled everything else – and a phone call from a Labour activist. Goodness knows how he got the phone number as it is not listed (a futile attempt to reduce cold calls ) and he also knew my name. Anyway he conceded that Jim M was a poor choice but tried to persuade me to come and listen to Gordon Brown speak in St. Andrews, to hear the ‘truth’. I haven’t seen any announcement of this talk, and have little appetite for it in any case. Don’t think it has happened yet. Will be interesting to see how publicized it is.

muttley79

@heedtracker

I just saw that Anyone but Salmond story in the Guardian, I have not read it yet. Christine Jardine is a diehard Brit nat, so it is hardly surprising the tactics the Lib Dems are using.

Calgacus

I have just heard that gimp Osborne state that Ed Miliband is trying to stab Britain in the back by being elected without the backing of the country but with the help of the SNP.

There you have it folks, we are no longer part of the country, seemingly. Our vote is not democratic enough for the likes of the Tories.

Albaman

For me the Lib/Dems are largely summed up with that bitter odious man Malcolm Bruce, just look at his eyes when he’s talking about the S.N.P., they are wide and scary, and full of hate, all at the same time!.
He has a pathological hatered of the S.N.P., and when A Salmond wins in his former seat, will be his worst day everyday———-comeuppance I would say,and the same goes for the rest of that mob!.

Robert Peffers

@

pussy nancy

Thanks to all respondents re my question on postal voting.

My goodness this is so worrying. The longer this is allowed to continue, then the more adept the fraudsters will become.
Can the Scottish Government change this here or is it a Central Government Issue?
People need to look seriously at this possibility and forget about postal voting if they can get to a polling station. They must know that after the debacle and questions re the Referendum votes last year that this Election will likely raise the same issues. The fraudsters have had a good few months practice to increase their success rates.
If we go under yet again this year, at least it won’t be self inflicted!

Capella

I wonder if the Labour surge, which has obviously annoyed Osborne, could be because voters down south quite like the idea of a Labour government kept honest by the SNP. One way to get progressive policies which none of the Unionist parties are offering.

If that’s the case, Osborne us shooting himself in the foot reminding everyone of the attractive prospect!

Grouse Beater

Dr Jim: no point in talking to me on the doorstep about complicated things like Full Fiscal Autonomy

Street meetings Need Discipline

Parked my car to have a chat ‘n observe at an SNP street table yesterday in Embra. No names cos I am going to criticise…

Noticed all three of the volunteers tackle a pleasant but querulous potential Green supporter at once, which left the poor lady not knowing who to listen to.

Each eager SNP devotee was intent in being the one to ‘turn’ a ‘Greenie’ into a Cadmium Yellow. The result was verbal confusion.

One at a time, please, and listen to what the other person is asking, give them time to express their uncertainties, and ask questions of them too, rather than launch into a prepared list of “Best of SNP ripostes”.

When it came to the economic points the unbeliever wanted to discuss, points she made with great clarity, cross firing answers rendered convincing impossible.

One passionate SNP supporter, a woman, started shouting at the non-believer soon as she heard the English accent and spotted the Telegraph tucked under her arm.

Must say, I thought it courageous of anybody to approach an SNP table armed with an Oxbridge accent and the Telegraph – its front page decrying the SNP – and hope to have a convivial conversation about how to vote.

Might I suggest we don’t surround the uncertain, harangue them with love and wisdom, but instead allocate one SNP per person!

If after all effort you can’t convince them you will have shown you are a reasonable, sane, educated person – and ask them to pop by again!

HandandShrimp

Muttley

Read the story and commented that Jardine is demonstrating that the three Westminster parties are all the same beast. She thinks that the differences are so small the votes are interchangeable. She epitomises Britnat sense of entitlement and anger that this has been challenged.

Tackety Beets

Is this real ?

This is a link to a Mr Gordon Bowden referring to Establishment corruption on a massive scale (£Trillions , arms, nuclear) , Rifkin etc etc and a wee bit about Dr David Kelly .

I have my own view of Dr Kelly.

This video is a real shocker.

link to atrueindependentscotland.com

Robert Peffers

@heedtracker says: 12 April, 2015 at 1:20 am:

“ … I’m an ex SLabour vote/dumbass and I even if I still was, I’d be a bit puzzled why the Scottish tories are voting Labour and creepy Morphy May 7.”

Well no, heedtracker, what you really are is an example of the now switched-on, better informed, Scottish electorate.

“Just saying as I am an actual fcuking socialist, not so future Lord Jim Morphy of Scotlandshire.”

Exactly, Heedtracker, and so are the vast majority of former voters of the Establishment parties. Which parties are now leaking voters like the proverbial sieve leaks water.

So here’s my own humble assessment of what the good Prof Curtice wibbles on about but totally misses the real point as usual.

The now switched on to politics Scottish electorate are not going to be fooled by this BBC/Establishment, (none too subtle), propaganda exercise to get them to vote against the SNP by tactical,(SIC), voting. This move will backfire just as the Project Fear backfired.

Even if it does secure a temporary stay of execution for the Establishment Unionist parties the overall result will again lead to an even more rapid move BY THE ELECTORATE for full independence post election.

The Establishment just don’t get the Scottish psyche. They badly misread the likely reaction in the wake of the referendum and they are making the same error with the GE.

Tactical voting and its results will see a further rise in the strength of the several independence parties and another giant step towards full independence.

Grouse Beater

For your Sunday delectation:
link to grousebeater.wordpress.com

Pam McMahon

Up here in the Far Beyond, we keep getting Lib Dem election crap shovelled through the door until we’re all going quietly mad down the recycling depot with our bulging bags of Political Fantasies For the Very Dim. I might open a coffee bar down there, if I can persuade Highland Council to throw some money at me to support an (okay, short-lived) investment opportunity.

Apparently the Lib Dems are currently saying that they did not prop-up the Tories for the last 5 years, but were only supplying the electorate with “stable government”.
They seem to be locking the stable government door, after the electorate has bolted.

Billy

OT. I can’t believe i once had some respect for this guy. But as you can see from the comments on the piece, no-one has any respect left for him.
link to mirror.co.uk

caz-m

Albaman 10.14 am.
“For me the Lib/Dems are largely summed up with that bitter odious man Malcolm Bruce, just look at his eyes when he’s talking about the S.N.P.”

He really does lose the plot when he is talking about the SNP, doesn’t he.

He’s at the foaming at the mouth stage now.

Won’t be long before the straight jacket is slapped on and he is dragged off camera, screaming, “I hate Alex Salmond, I really hate Alex Salmond”.

gerry parker

@ Nancy.
Electoral matters are reserved to Westminster.

Louis B Argyll

Maybe we should pause all policy announcements and arguments ( nothing for msm to attack ) and spend 10 days reminding the electorate the meanings of the words we need to use.
Immoral.
Unethical.
Unfairness.
Democracy
Propoganda.
Complicity.

steviep

@ Albaman 10:14

Looks like Mr Salmond is quite confident. From the horse’s mouth:

Leaning in, Salmond added with a half-smile: “The Liberal Democrats will get hammered in this constituency. Hammered.”

🙂

Louis B Argyll

Not so much..withdrawing our labour..but withdraw our intelligence from the debate..people can only be dumbed down so much..can’t they….

Dr Jim

@Grouse Beater

Ah, if only life were as convivial, it’s a nice thought when before or after excitement occurs, we all of us are reasonable headed individuals but unfortunately, or maybe not sometimes, our big mouths gallop in front of us with our brains trailing in the wind (Guilty as charged on that one sometimes) and then like the Roadrunner our our legs birling backwards attempting to catch the Acme Dynamite before it goes “BANG”

We’ve done it, we said it, we can’t stop now , shutup, Aargh
Like Wiley Coyote strapped to the front of the train that’s always heading for the really shoogly bridge it’s too late
till next weeks episode

And then we say “Damn” Shoulda Woulda Coulda

Once again, big sigh i must do better next time
But will I?

Louis B Argyll

Re the anger being shown in the eyes of the at risk leaders…
Funnily enough.. Been watching clips of old Pink Panth of ther movies.

Malcolm Bruce is acting like the (now) criminally insane fmr Chief inspector Dreyfuss.

“He pulled the wrong tooth..ha ha..only one man could pull the wrong tooth..ha ha..its Clouseau (Salmond) ha ha…kill him…”

Fireproofjim

Disgusting BBC interview on Sunday Politics.
Murphy, Davidson and Rennie plus Gordon Brewer all ganging up on Nicola. Typical BBC “balance”.
Murphy is particularly shouty and sneery, and Brewer is useless at moderating, but Nicola gets the better of Murphy.

Robert Peffers

@scottieDog says: 12 April, 2015 at 8:18 am:

” … You can’t fund the NHS from an IOU.” : Quoting a tweet from ed milliband. This guy was a treasury advisor ffs. What does he think government bonds are?”

This is the kind of thing I’ve been trying to highlight for some time. The tactic of switching on the light in the electorate’s darkness. Most voters just don’t have a clue what or how the government works. Mention Gilts or Government Bonds and most of the electorate don’t have a clue what it means.

Likewise such terms as, “Barnett Consequentials”, “indirect Taxation”, “Disposable Income”, “Per Capita GDP”, and even such seemingly innoxious terms as, “Disposable Income”, and, “Full Fiscal Autonomy”, fly way over a great number of wee pointy heads.

The reason is these terms are all quasi-political/economics jargon and that word, “Jargon”, itself may have gone way over those wee pointy heads. Let’s define it for them – Jargon = The specialised or technical vocabulary of a science, profession, etc. obscure and usually pretentious language.

The thing is that if they were to explain in plain English, or even plain Scots, then it is as if the teller of the plain language had suddenly switched on a light.

Knowledge is strength and all jargon is smoke screen and mirrors. If you combine the insider knowledge with jargon you lead the outsider around by the nose.

So here’s a thought for you. If the independence political people are speaking the same jargon as the Establishment they are not speaking the language of the electorate.

Oh! Jesus wept!

Three Unionist, Proud Scots buts, on BBC now shouting down Nicola. Brewer’s joining in to help them do so. Worse still my pal, (I’m in his house),is out shouting all of them. I’m awa hame tae ma ain hoose wi a sair heed. Anyway this computer can, only just connect, with my homenet from here.

crazycat

@ The Man in the Jar at 9.36

What annoys me is that if someone gets a postal vote once then thereafter a postal vote is issued automatically. I think that postal votes should be applied for one election at a time.

That’s not quite true; the application forms for postal votes have tick boxes to choose between receiving one for a specific election only, or for the long term.

It’s not continued automatically.

Michael McCabe

My Mum used to get a postal vote. Not any more. A nice young man has agreed to be her proxy vote. And I am looking forward to doing it for her.

Rock

Joemcg,

“Rock-curious,if the polls stay steady up until the 7th but on the 8th we only win 20 odd seats how are the unionists gonna explain that away? surely something dodgy has occurred?”

Easy.

In the final days of the campaign, Gordon Brown and The Record will make a ‘vow’ to the people of Scotland.

We will be told on the 8th that this explains the last minute surge in Labour support which prevented an SNP landslide.

Together with tactical voting by the unionists – we are already being prepared for this.

Tom Platt

The Rev’s 23 years is certainly nothing to be ashamed of compared to my own stint with LibDems and the Liberals before them of over double that 23. Mae made the point that I was looking for though…the difference compared to Jo Grimond’s time. They seemed to have principles in those days. Home Rule, in particular, was still as proposed by Gladstone. It became apparent to everyone though in the last few years that the new Orange book LibDems in the South had forgotten about Home Rule and the Scottish branch clearly didn’t want to rock the boat. They, and I, should have been stronger. A wasted half century for me!

Will Podmore

It’s taken the Rev 23 years to see through the Liberals?! I didn’t think he was that slow. How long will it take him to see through the SNP?


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