The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


The quantum of bias

Posted on July 20, 2016 by

“Bias” is a word we hate. Other than in the article you’re about to read, you’ll almost never find it used on this site, for a string of reasons. It’s one of those words that – regardless of context or literal justification – simply makes people switch off instantly and dismiss your arguments. (See also: “Zionist”, “Quisling”, “fascist”, “Liebore”.)

It’s also largely irrelevant, because there are very few people or organisations who have any duty NOT to be biased. When it comes to Scottish independence we’re as biased as all heck, and there’s no legitimate reason to expect the Daily Record or Scotsman or Daily Mail to be any more impartial than we are. They’re privately-owned businesses and entitled to take any position they like.

(The difference, of course, is that unlike them we’re committed to still telling the truth when we’re being biased, and to always providing linked original sources so you can judge our biased interpretation of facts and events for yourself.)

bbcscotinside

But there’s one exception to that rule.

The BBC is a publicly-funded body and is committed by its charter to impartiality. It’s supposed to present a balanced and accurate picture, and to give a fair voice to all sides. It fails in that duty in a great many ways, but rarely more conspicuously than in its coverage of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.

A subset of Yes supporters on social media are regrettably fond of personalising that failure in attacks on individual presenters and journalists, who in many (although not all) cases are simply doing their jobs and asking tough questions where they should properly be asked.

But the root of the BBC’s bias is something much more empirical and measurable than the personal views (whether real or alleged) of this or that isolated employee. And the publication of geographically-separated financial accounts for the first time this year finally enables a definitive number to be put on it.

bbcscotlandfinancial

Above is a page (p.99 to be precise) from the BBC’s Full Financial Statements for 2015/16, which can be found on the BBC website. It details what the BBC received from, and spent in, Scotland in the past year. And it’s a damning set of figures.

The Corporation took in £320m from Scotland last year, and spent just £176m (a whopping £27m, or 13%, down on 2015) on TV and radio programmes either made IN Scotland or made FOR Scotland. That, alert readers will have noted, is a hefty £144m subsidy from Scotland to the rest of the UK. But even that isn’t the real story.

Because the “network content” produced in Scotland is just a veneer to make the numbers look better. There’s no actual reason for Question Time, say, to be made in Scotland (which it notionally is), other than to disguise how little money the BBC spends north of the border.

If we take out the network content, just £98m of Scottish viewers’ £320m is spent on actual Scottish programming. And what that means is that if Scotland were to be independent, the BBC would suddenly have a £222m hole in its budget. The loss of Scottish licence fees would take a 6% bite out of the broadcaster’s coffers, at a time when its finances are already under severe pressure. (The licence fee hasn’t increased since 2010.)

bbccuts

The rest of the UK would still expect Question Time and Newsnight and The Weakest Link and all the other shows currently “made” in Scotland to be produced and broadcast in the event of Scottish independence, so that would be a very real loss.

(The actual size of it would be slightly smaller than £222m, as Scotland would very likely want to buy in BBC programming. But we know that the market cost of that is more in the region of £20m, still leaving a £200m shortfall.)

And what that means is that the BBC has a large and direct vested interest in Scotland staying in the UK. The Corporation wouldn’t allow someone with a £200m interest in anything to appear onscreen as a neutral voice, but it pretends that it’s doing exactly that itself.

The vested interest manifests itself in numerous ways, of which the most obvious is perhaps the endless setting of the news agenda – all the way across the Corporation’s TV, radio and website coverage – by reference to the newspapers, which are overwhelmingly right-wing across the UK and also overwhelmingly anti-independence.

thepapers

There’s no reason for this to be the case in 2016. There’s no justification whatsoever for exclusively referencing printed media, when online outlets which could balance the papers’ bias often have considerably bigger readerships. But it enables the BBC to present an enormously skewed picture while keeping its own hands clean.

(In its final days Newsnight Scotland started citing some pro-indy websites, including this one, in its nightly media round-up, but the practice didn’t survive the move to Scotland 2014 for reasons which were never explained. And shortly BBC Scotland won’t even have a nightly Scottish current-affairs show at all.)

Targeting individual presenters, journalists and reporters is often both unfair and counter-productive, and can look like intimidation. Abuse just provides opponents with ammunition. But there can be no sensible dispute that the BBC as an institution is biased, and that that bias is both real and measurable (and indeed rational, if seen from the BBC’s viewpoint).

There are remedies available. The Corporation’s news output needs a wider range of voices, and to reflect views not aired in the print media. Abusive attacks on individuals provide the BBC with both a get-out clause and a grievance, and with a reason to deliberately provoke.

With a second referendum likely on the horizon, Yes supporters should already be focusing on far more constructive ways to air their legitimate complaints. Forcing the state broadcaster to acknowledge its financial interest, and therefore the need to do something to counter it, would be a start.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

4 Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. 20 07 16 14:56

    The quantum of bias | speymouth
    Ignored

  2. 21 07 16 06:38

    The quantum of bias | IB English Language and L...
    Ignored

  3. 21 07 16 08:03

    What They Do When They’re Scared | A Wilderness of Peace
    Ignored

  4. 21 07 16 14:14

    The quantum of bias | Stuff from the Internet |...
    Ignored

723 to “The quantum of bias”

  1. harry mcaye
    Ignored
    says:

    “A subset of Yes supporters on social media are regrettably fond of personalising that failure in attacks on individual presenters and journalists, who in many (although not all) cases are simply doing their jobs and asking tough questions where they should properly be asked.”

    —-
    Just what I was saying yesterday about Kaye Adams quite rightly being forceful with Kirsten Oswald for failing to answer a question properly and I got shot down on here for it.

  2. Macbeda
    Ignored
    says:

    Excellent article as usual, my congratulations.

    Yes we do need to stop personal attacks on presenters and just concentrate on the Corporation.

    We also need to make sure that real balance is provided in the “experts” brought in to discuss things Scottish, be it politics or the arts.

  3. mealer
    Ignored
    says:

    This is hugely important.We need to be clever about how we tackle this issue.

  4. Mick McGurn
    Ignored
    says:

    The best reply to the bias is to refuse to fund it. While the tax take has increased UK wide you can see from the table above it has decreased in Scotland.

    At the start of the year I cancelled my TV license and now no longer watch any live tv (or any BBC programming) and I’m personally delighted I no longer help fund such an enormous boondoggle.

  5. Sharney Dubs
    Ignored
    says:

    Right on the money as usual Rev.

    What we need is an alternative outlet. Oh wait we have WOS ?

  6. Joemcg
    Ignored
    says:

    The most alarming figure above is the 13% decrease in spending on Scottish broadcasting in just ONE year after the vote. Is this going to keep occurring to keep us in our place and drown out a Scottish voice? Worrying to say the least.

  7. gordoz
    Ignored
    says:

    Rev – for edit

    (The difference, of course, is that unlike them we’re committed to still telling the truth when we’re being biased, and to always providing linked original sources so you can judge our biased interpretation of facts and events for yourself.)

    🙂

  8. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    McQuarrie was moved for bully and intimidating staff. Gary Smith and McQuarrie are placemen, like out of the Ark. No wonder BBC Scotland is such an intolerable mess. No audience. The programmes are dire. No one listens anymore. They are bring their own demise. People are fed up paying for it. Regurgitated nonsense.

  9. Effijy
    Ignored
    says:

    Wonderful piece of real Journalism Rev. Well Done!

    The BBC have been encouraged by how easily Westminster can fool and Rob Scotland, so they have up the anti on Blatant Biased Corruption.

    The petition below shows that 89,300 people can’t be wrong
    in calling for a Public Enquiry into their crimes.

    Please sign up and reach the 100,000 signatures required.

    This along with Scotland’s wishes on EU Membership and Trident Renewal all strengthens the Scottish Government’s
    negotiations for Independence.

    https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/independent-enquiry-into-bbc-bias-regards-scottish-independence-referendum

  10. jimnarlene
    Ignored
    says:

    That’s a lot of pooling, not so much sharing though.

  11. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    The figure showing as ‘income’ from Scotland is an estimate.

    It’s an estimate because the BBC will not divulge how many households are not paying the licence fee.

    Unless and until they are honest about that income and the extent of non-payment, there’s no reason why ‘Yes supporters’ should bite their tongues when calling out individual presenters/producers as outright propagandists.

    Different story for representatives of Yes-supporting parties, aye, but the attraction of the broader grass-roots indy movement was, and remains, a freedom to call-out the individuals who knowingly peddle fear out of sheer self-interest. Many of them either work for – or flog their lies via – the BBC. This debate has been going on long enough for all the main players to know exactly what they’re involved in – if they don’t want a hard time, they should change jobs, or stop the scaremongering and lies.

  12. unchillfiltered
    Ignored
    says:

    A fairness index quickly calculated for every political broadcast, using a pool/panel of academics. Crowdfunded. The direct scrutiny would surely keep the bias in check.

  13. Juteman
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Ian Brotherhood.
    Spot on.

  14. Desimond
    Ignored
    says:

    “Let Nation speak unto Nation* ( *Exceptions apply)” – that’s the Motto updated for them.

    Didn’t a spokesperson say “There is no obligation for the BBC to be impartial?” a few years back when question was raised?

    The first B is in the name BBC explains why we can expect some bias, the figures above now explain why we receive so much bias.

    Thanks for yet another knowledge bullet loaded into the argument pistol.

  15. Artyhetty
    Ignored
    says:

    Excellent article. Many people in Scotland have simply given up on the bbc, they should have had a choice, the bias, takes having a choice away, even no voters can see through it.

    People do like paying for a second rate service, nor for a non existent service. Shame on those orchestrating this outright bias. It is almost as if it is state controlled. 🙂

  16. Ross Lowe
    Ignored
    says:

    Totally agree Rev: Although it is unfair to single out certain presenters and programmes, it is the editors that seem to be driving a different agenda. I recently wrote an email to BBC News asking them to correct a political editor (who’s first name is Laura) to stop referring to the United Kingdom as ‘the whole country’ but with no reply. I wonder what the BBC Wales breakdown of figures are?
    It will be so important in the coming months that the BBC show impartiality and the regulator should be more informed and visible as well.

  17. Rev. Stuart Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    “Unless and until they are honest about that income and the extent of non-payment, there’s no reason why ‘Yes supporters’ should bite their tongues when calling out individual presenters/producers as outright propagandists.”

    I don’t see the connection between those two things.

  18. Albert Herring
    Ignored
    says:

    Q for poll: “Have you cancelled your TV license because of BBC bias”

  19. Artyhetty
    Ignored
    says:

    Argh! I meant people do NOT like paying for second rate service etc. Well, most at least. 🙂

  20. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    Prior to Ww2 the BBC was very neutral in reporting. The conflict itself ,and the involvement of the BBC in transmitting radar beams to help the RAF , inevitably meant it was drawn into the mechanisms of State influence and control.
    Politicians became more aware of the influence of radio and television to project their message and this has flourished through time,if you look at the sheer plethora of politically slanted programming.

    It has become an organ of the UK State ,bought for the price of TV licences.

  21. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    This lot are probably not that concerned about 10% of their money. BBC is one of the fundamental bases for English cultural and socio-economic domination of their three “nations” and they’re only going to get more and more UKOK aggressive.

    Individually, BBC Scotland’s real power is not just open deception and smear, its their massive non reporting of anything Scottish, especially politics and economics but SNP Westminster in particular. You certainly never see an SNP MP on BBC politics output now.

    Solutions include WoS and all the other pro Scottish democracy online blogs, and dont watch BBC Scotland. Although where they spend twenty two point million squid on Radio Scotland, is a real mystery.

  22. chic
    Ignored
    says:

    I just noticed ‘Bugger the Panda’s idea elsewhere that we (Scotland) should buy C4 and resite it at Pacific Quay.

    Looking at those numbers it suddenly looks do-able.

  23. Vestas
    Ignored
    says:

    I understand Stu’s viewpoint and acknowledge its probably the right way to go, however I cannot & will not condemn anyone who wishes to target individual “presenters” over bias.

    While non-payment of the TV tax remains a criminal offence it is extremely naive to expect people who have to pay for the propaganda which attacks them daily to remain silent.

    “Presenters” & “journalists” have a choice over who they work for & the ones at BBC Scotland made their choice long ago. They swapped their pension rights for propaganda.

    We (the non-viewers) have no choice other than go to jail if we don’t wish to fund their lies so I think many of the overtly unionist presenters are fair game.

    YMMV of course…..

  24. Ross Lowe
    Ignored
    says:

    The BBC has to be impartial as specified in the Royal Charter.

    REGULATORY OBLIGATIONS ON THE UK PUBLIC
    SERVICES

    44. Accuracy and impartiality
    (1) The BBC must do all it can to ensure that controversial subjects are treated with due
    accuracy and impartiality in all relevant output.

  25. Macart
    Ignored
    says:

    Ooft!

    That’s not pocket change and a helluva motive for their actions to boot.

  26. Clootie
    Ignored
    says:

    …yes, the individual journalists at the BBC should ask difficult questions.

    However they should be consistent and apply that practise to all politicians.
    They should use FOI in a consistent manner and not go on a trawling mission with hundreds of requests when an SNP government is in power and have a “lighter touch” when others are accountable.
    We should not cut them slack because the big bad boss will remove then from our screens. A true journalist would reject such coercion but even more importantly other journalist would make that the story.

    The BBC is biased and the individuals within the organisation who go along with that policy are just as guilty.

    “…all good men need do to let evil prosper is nothing”

    Journalism is supposed to be more than a job. Where are the men of integrity when the lies are being told and the propaganda is being beamed into our homes.

  27. blackhack
    Ignored
    says:

    [quote]£98m of Scottish viewers’ £320m is spent on actual Scottish programming. [/quote]

    Although this money is allegedly spent by BBC Scotland in Scotland, A lot of it is farmed out / Sub contracted to English production teams, and this money is spent south of the border but comes out of the Scottish budget.

  28. Desimond
    Ignored
    says:

    Ross Lowe says:

    20 July, 2016 at 1:07 pm

    The BBC has to be impartial as specified in the Royal Charter.

    REGULATORY OBLIGATIONS ON THE UK PUBLIC
    SERVICES

    44. Accuracy and impartiality
    (1) The BBC must do all it can to ensure that controversial subjects are treated with due


    Hahahaha…Royal…impartiality…say no more!

  29. Geoff Huijer
    Ignored
    says:

    Excellent article.

    I still think the media in general & the BBC in particular are the biggest obstacle to independence. I still know many people who watch the BBC as a default for news.

    In terms of being impartial versus biased I remember Christopher Hitchens using scientists as an example – he suggested they were ‘biased’ beacause they wanted their theory to be correct, for example, but displayed (and had to) ‘impartiality’ by trying to disprove their theory first before accepting its validity. Like mentioned in the article above you can actually hold views that are ‘biased’ one way but not allow them to interfere with quest for truth. Wings success, for me, is in the Rev’s willingness to use links (from varied sources, incl Unionist ones) to back up a view; I can then make my mind up based on the evidence if the conclusion is valid or not.

  30. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    Almost makes me think of the GERS figures. On first glance they can claim we have equal programming but under the surface they are making a hell of a lot of money from their Northern Branch,
    They are a corrupt organ of a corrupt state. Why else do so many ex politicians find themselves places on the board, like Chris Patton.

  31. Paul
    Ignored
    says:

    I try not to hate anyone or anything in life but once my eyes were opened during the indy ref there is one thing I truly HATE with every fibre and that is this thing called the BBC!

    I can’t help but view it as a constant live reminder of everything that is wrong with the UK, it’s establishment and the total disservice it ‘provides’ to Scotland.

    I sincerely hope independence brings the BBC to it’s knees, maybe at that point the rUK’s perpetual Tory government can do something constructive for once and chop it’s head off!

  32. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Journalism is supposed to be more than a job. Where are the men of integrity when the lies are being told and the propaganda is being beamed into our homes.

    Clearly a lot of BBC staff will not want to work in the independent Scotland they’ve worked so hard to stop. Or maybe they will suddenly flip to being unbiased. They’re working to keep themselves in very high paid jobs, basically.

    You can watch all BBC tv channels broadcast across Republic of Ireland but there’s no actual BBC coverage of anything Ireland either. They cant get BBC online but there’s still hefty transmission costs and no licence fee. Lucky sods.

  33. tartanfever
    Ignored
    says:

    Speaking from experience working for the BBC I would say that the network figure could pretty much be dropped from Scotland’s spend entirely.

    Those programmes for which BBC Scotland pay out of it’s budget are mostly produced and filmed elsewhere – they do not employ Scottish talent in the main.

    Again, the classic example over recent years is Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Wallander’ – paid for by BBC Scotland, pre and post produced in London, filmed in Sweden and a cast of 100% non-Scots. The budget for the final series alone was @£10m.

    Yet the BBC and others, namely the Scottish Tories, tell us that we are lucky to be part of such a organisation.

    What is required is a breakdown of which programmes constitute Scotland’s network contribution and from that you will be able to see, as in the case of Wallander, just exactly how much is spent north of the border. Of course, the BBC will not divulge that information.

  34. yerkitbreeks
    Ignored
    says:

    I’m not sure if lead presenters should be let off so lightly.

    It’s years since they not so much reported the news, but became the news ( cf which underpants Jeremy Paxman bought ) and if you are the news you must develop an opinion.

    I was an ex pat in Kent for many years and can see exactly where the likes of James Naughtie was coming from 2014. Not his fault entirely – you have to change to fit in. Unlike the “whinging pom” who harped on about how much better things were back in Blighty.

    You become the old block rather than a chip off it.

  35. brewsed
    Ignored
    says:

    Last summer I climbed on the roof, removed the TV aerial, descended then cancelled my TV licence. What triggered the action was a growing irritation within the household (it was joint decision) that the BBC was not providing the expected level of service.

    With regards to political coverage, the BBC claims to be ‘impartial’ which is not necessarily the same as ‘balanced’ or even ‘(un)biased’ but this is impossible; the camera, microphone, reporter has to be somewhere pointing at something it cannot be nowhere (see link below – the view from nowhere). The result of this so-called impartiality is to retreat from analysis and treat news as entertainment; it is a ‘show’ with ‘packages’. Readers of this web site will be well aware of the analysis deficit during both the Scottish independence referendum and the more recent EU one where, for entertainment value, scare stories were presented without being subjected to analysis, but maybe less aware that this lack of analysis extends to other, perhaps most, complex areas such as science and technology. Take, for example, the presentation of the science of climate change where, typically, a scientist with excellent technical abilities but whose presentation skills may be less than perfect states something about how, perhaps, one of the fundamental laws of physics is that there cannot be any action without there being some reaction and, to preserve so called impartiality, the friend of the father of the celebratory chef Nigella, whose closest encounter with a science degree would be Fahrenheit, is allowed to uncritically deride on what was said.

    It is unfortunate that the BBC in Scotland (it is in but not of) has abdicated its responsibilities because there are some seriously nice, competent people working there. But please, stop following the political agenda driven by press who, as Stu notes, do not have the remit of impartiality, stop retreating from critical analysis, and top failing the licence payer.

    http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2015/10/19/the-view-from-nowhere-impartiality-objectivity-bias-and-the-bbc/

    https://theconversation.com/how-the-bbcs-obsession-with-balance-took-labour-off-air-ahead-of-brexit-62393

  36. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Rancid The Graun were on it back in 2012.

    https://archive.is/sxOL5

    The general UK government position is that it has no interest in debating or discussing how UK resources could be split up after independence because it has no expectation that Scotland will vote for independence.

    Telt.

  37. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    @Rev –

    ‘I don’t see the connection between those two things.’

    Fair enough.

    But some do.

    BBC Scotland has a shiny garrison on the Clyde which is highly visible to anyone visiting Glasgow. It conveys the impression that the BBC is a modern, prestigious organisation occupying a central role in our society.

    Central to the power of that image, and the BBC’s reputation generally, is that ‘we pay for it’.

    Really?

    Well, how many of us DO stump-up the £146 or whatever it is? It’s not as if we have a ‘choice’ in the matter, so there’s a clear issue of civil disobedience at play here. But it doesn’t ‘officially’ exist as a protest unless the figures are openly available for analysis.

    A previous article on WOS (if memory serves) was called ‘The Untouchables’, and it was about BBC Scotland. Boothman, McQuarrie and their buddies had to be ordered by Chris Patten to appear before the SG Culture committee after repeatedly refusing to appear. McQuarrie was asked directly to provide stats about non-payers and declined to do so. When asked for details about complaints he claimed that records are not kept.

    Are we to imagine that senior BBC staff/presenters are unaware of their own bosses disgraceful, condescending obstructive behaviour? Are we to absolve them of any responsibility in maintaining such a charade?

    No matter how scrupulously fair and balanced this site has been, it (and you, Rev, personally) have been subjected to years of near-hysterical ‘abuse’. The only significant protests against the BBC were organised by, among many others, posters in this place. In return, we were portrayed as a baying mob of neo-nazis hunting for Nick Robinson’s head.

    There is no level playing-field here Rev. There is nothing to be gained by anyone claiming moral high ground because that will always remain under command of whoever’s in charge. And that’s the Beeb. For as long as msm has existed they’ve been the main player in this country and they don’t know how to accommodate any other voices.

    We need to know how many Scots have had enough of their pish, and are demonstrating as much by withholding licence-fee payment. There’s a reason why they won’t release that information, and it doesn’t take a genius to work it out.

  38. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    When a BBC “journalist” presenter stands in the lobby of my parliament that I paid for and makes to tear up a document live on air, produced for my country’s benefit at my expense while pocketing my so called licence fee and no action is taken against that person by his employers the BBC

    I think I’ve got every right to say whatever the hell I like about that person and others who behave in the same way

    If I buy faulty goods I have consumer rights to a refund
    When the BBC is found to have sold us the same equivalent they dismiss all complaints against themselves and the perpetrators of those complaints
    No company in the history of the world NEVER apologises for it’s mistakes or misdemeanours but the BBC gets away with that very thing

    It’s all very well to say you can switch it off, well I paid for it so that argument is crap because I’m being insulted and lied to in my living room but being taxed to pay for it or not have any TV at all

    There are BBC presenters who display their dislike of all things Independence and especially the hatred of the SNP by their tone their facial expressions and even to to huffing and puffing about certain news articles

    That’s passive aggressive bullying and probably most of us has experienced that in our lives and where it ultimately leads, so WHY should the BBC get away with that

    In court they call it provocation (which may not justify but explain)
    Don’t rise to the bait they’ll say
    I even paid for the Fkn bait

  39. manandboy
    Ignored
    says:

    One of the Establishment’s most successful strategies is to allow the individuals who make the decisions to hide in anonymity behind a corporate title. Hence the reason why very few people could name more than one or two heads of department in the BBC.

    At BBC Scotland, it is right to avoid abusing the presenters for the reasons Stu gives, but Ken McQuarrie is a different kettle of fish. As head of BBC Scotland, he leads the Scottish branch of the British Establishment’s propaganda output and as such constitutes the biggest single reason why IndyRef14 failed to produce Independence for Scotland. The BBC in Scotland/Ken McQuarrie is Public Enemy No.1 and should be treated accordingly.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/corporate2/insidethebbc/managementstructure/biographies/macquarrie_ken

  40. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    “The Corporation took in £320m from Scotland last year, and spent just £176m”

    A quick question. Taking figures from England, Wales, Northerh Ireland and any licence-paying places, do they with the Scotland figure, add up to the UK total of £3,742 million, or is there any “UK overall” figure which could be justified in any way? For instance, cost of providing actual transmission coverage e.g. aerials, masts, which the BBC pay for (£800 million??), etc.

  41. mr thms
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T

    During PMQT, Theresa May told Angus Robertson that Scotland would have had to leave the EU if it had voted Yes. I don’t think she realised the monumental gaff she was making in giving Parliament her opinion. She has now equated the No vote with Scotland voting to remain in the EU.

  42. Haggishunter
    Ignored
    says:

    The BBC is at the heart of the government and establishment.
    They are protecting British interests, which includes keeping Scotland in their union.

    Their handling of Saville, and the government’s handling of its own criminals show they protect one another and only let their criminals be prosecuted when they are dead. They are corrupt as each other.

    While England is revealing herself to be far more to the left than Scotland ever knew about, Scotland is keeping a steady course to a modern European society, I reckon this is the main reason for Independence on the horison.

  43. Valerie
    Ignored
    says:

    I have never wanted BBC Scotland to fail, or disappeared. However, that does not mean I’m not angry at the lack of standards, in terms of reporting, content etc.

    Complaints seem a waste of time, as evidenced by all the facts presented by Prof Robertson and others like Ponsonby.

    Why can’t we approach this on a more professional level. I’m thinking like a supporters club. To open dialogue, to try and present ideas that are relevant to Scotland? Not to say it will be taken on, but we don’t have an official conduit.

    I’m going to take the liberty of naming names like Grousebeater, Foster and Devoy as the Secretary of a supporters club, because they know the business. Fully acknowledge these folk may have no time or interest, but just to illustrate how I’m thinking.

    You could have affiliated sub groups for politics, arts etc that thrash and feed ideas up.

    We could pay the Secretary, same as Rev. Work out mutually agreed hours etc.

    I’m wittering on, but surely we are in a new era? I want these jobs in Scotland, and I want the broadcasts influenced by Scots.

  44. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    All television journalists carry a certain amount of cultural bias. Some don’t realise they do it, some certainly do, in particular those with a political agenda who moonlight for MI5 or MI6.

    Too many have no experience or expertise to offer viewers others than a second class degree in journalism from a two-bit English university.

    They are tutored to deliver news as if heightened drama, with a forthright delivery, emphatic, an urgency, to convey tension and conflict.

    Separating the honest from the dishonest is impossible, therefore all are fair targets.

  45. Joemcg
    Ignored
    says:

    Tartan-that wallander story probably encapsulates every single way money is claimed to be spent in Scotland but it’s not really from Trident jobs to the Barnett formula to those GERS figures. We are being hoodwinked on every level.

  46. crazycat
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Vestas at 1.06

    You said:

    While non-payment of the TV tax remains a criminal offence

    and

    We (the non-viewers) have no choice other than go to jail if we don’t wish to fund their lies

    If you are a “non-viewer”, you do not have to pay anything. I have never had a TV licence because I have never owned a TV (and now that I do have a computer, I don’t ever use it to watch live broadcasts).

    The criminal offence (which is of course ridiculous) is only committed if someone watches live TV on equipment not covered by a licence.

  47. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    Hi Chic.

    RE: Channel 4. I posted this on the previous page yesterday at 2.15pm.
    —————————————————

    Hi Neil Cook.

    You mentioned,
    “New TV channel dedicated to Scottish news”

    This idea came to me last night, while watching Channel 4 News. BBC Scotland is under the umbrella of the BBC, a public service broadcaster. Channel 4, which also runs S4C in Wales, is a public service broadcaster.

    “Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA),[1] the station is now owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation, a public corporation of the Department for Culture, Media & Sport,[2] which was established in 1990 and came into operation in 1993. With the conversion of the Wenvoe transmitter group in Wales to digital on 31 March 2010, Channel 4 became a UK-wide TV channel for the first time.”

    That’s from:-
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_4

    So, why could “Channel 4 Scotland” not be set up, with its own management, to decide which programming is taken from Channel 4 and which is locally produced? That could give an outlet for a “Scottish 6”, without any reference to the BBC. It could buy in programmes from wherever, if it was thought advertisers would pay for slots (Outlander?).

    Daft idea?

  48. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    I think I’ve got every right to say whatever the hell I like about that person and others who behave in the same way

    But then they use that to attack Scottish democracy and freedom of speech. They have no scruples, as likes of Jim Murphy, Flipper Darling etc showed 2014, with their SNP rent a mob and bullying of broadcasters stuff showed us and all of it combined with their full on monstering of Scots democracy and SNP Holyrood.

  49. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    Quick correction, that figure is wildly over the top, it might represent the total figure including BT, independent, mobile, the lot, with the BBC quotient being a lot less, factor of 10 even.

  50. Vestas
    Ignored
    says:

    @crazycat : “The criminal offence (which is of course ridiculous) is only committed if someone watches live TV on equipment not covered by a licence.”

    Indeed so if you wish to watch any of the other myriad stations “live” you have to pay the BBC tax or face jail.

    The magistrates in England(!) have been lobbying to remove the BBC tax from the criminal statue books since (IIRC) 1989.

    Says something that NO govt has ever given any serious consideration to that in the best part of 30 years…..

    Someone has to fund the state propaganda agency & there’s a certain perverse elegance in locking them up if they refuse to do so.

    I’d agree with previous comments that the BBC is the #1 enemy we have to deal with for indyref2.

  51. DerekM
    Ignored
    says:

    And today on the BBC news how we rob Scotland blind and why we will try to stop you getting your freedom.

    Independence from the BBC

  52. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Anyone who just watched Reporting Scotland a few moments ago whether Scottish Independence supporter or not couldn’t fail to see what was just pumped into our living rooms and passed off as news, plus the relish with which it was presented, but more importantly what was left out

    Can anyone name a country that gained it’s Independence from the UK without anger leading to that Independence

    If someone spoke to me like that in my own home I’d heave them out
    I’m not heaving my telly out just for a couple of bad channels who force payment to the UK Government for having them STV, 4, 5, plus I have SKY because I like movies, these guys don’t charge me anything because I can mute adverts, they don’t denigrate my country

    As long as folk behave badly and get away with it they’ll keep it up, and if there’s no redress, they’ll do it more

    It’s human nature + they’ll say nobody ever complained, we didnae know we were upsetting anyone Ooh uh!

  53. crazycat
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Vestas

    Yes, it’s quite wrong that the BBC gets paid for people to watch other providers, but the tax still isn’t compulsory – yet.

    There was an outrageous suggestion, presumably in response to falling numbers of licences, that the fee would be added to the Council Tax or similar, and then it really would be inflicted on non-viewers.

  54. Tamas Marcuis
    Ignored
    says:

    Sorry Mr Campbell I can not see this your way that journalist are not responsible. In the USSR we all knew the state media was Party controlled. But journalist could deliver factual reports giving us a chance to work out the truth between the lines. It went like this – Journalist lists facts – then – Journalist states what the state officials say and what was said by state news agency. From this format the people could work out what was going on in Afghanistan.

    You do not get this. What you get is blatant lies. Here there is masking the facts or manufacturing complete falsehood. That take willingness and effort.

    It is sad to say these “journalists” are worse than most in the Soviet Union.

  55. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Sorry just one more thing

    I’m not Fkn Amish or a Quaker, my cheek is not for turning

    Ireland blew the bastirts up

    Funnily enough they’re Independent

  56. crazycat
    Ignored
    says:

    @ mr thms

    She has now equated the No vote with Scotland voting to remain in the EU.

    I don’t think that’s true:

    Yes wins = Scotland has to leave EU (debatable, but that was her assertion)

    No wins = Scotland might or might not have to leave, depending on whether there is (now in the past tense, of course) a referendum, and what its outcome is

    Unless she actually said that a No vote guaranteed staying in the EU (which most people apart from Ruth D were careful not to say), she’s left herself wiggle room.

    She’s presumably saying that Angus shouldn’t complain, because the current situation is what he would have got if Yes had won as he wanted.

    It’s a similar distinction to that between “not blocking” IndyRef2 and “supporting” it.

    (second attempt at posting after getting the slow down message – apologies if ends up being a duplicate)

  57. Vestas
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Dr Jim : “Can anyone name a country that gained it’s Independence from the UK without anger leading to that Independence”

    I think Scotland will be the first example of secession/independence from the British(English) empire without widespread violence/resistance.

    Not sure about some of the small Carribean islands but pretty much everywhere else Britain has been went up in flames before they got indy.

  58. Grant
    Ignored
    says:

    BBC Editorial Guidelines
    Section 15:
    Conflicts of Interest

    15.2.2

    There must never be any suggestion that commercial, financial or other interests have influenced BBC editorial judgements. Those involved in the production of BBC content must have no significant connection with products, businesses or other organisations featured in that content.

    Wonder how they square this with reporting on matters that could affect BBC finances?

  59. Martin Richmond
    Ignored
    says:

    This is a very elaborate theory but it seems to lack credibility in its fundamental proposition, i.e. that the BBC rigged its referendum coverage due to a pecuniary interest in the outcome.

    Do you really think the BBC would go to such extreme lengths and risk their worldwide reputation for such a small sum of money? A very small cut in expenditure (probably less than 3%), paired with a long overdue and similarly insignificant increase in the licence fee, would eradicate this deficit instantly.

  60. Wee Grumpy
    Ignored
    says:

    Bob Mack says:
    20 July, 2016 at 1:01 pm

    “Prior to Ww2 the BBC was very neutral in reporting”

    John Pilger Disagrees…

    “Lord Reith wrote anti-union speeches for the Tory Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin and broadcast them to the nation, while refusing to allow the labor leaders to put their side until the strike was over.”

    As did Lord Reith in his private diaries.
    “The Cabinet decision is really a negative one. They want to be able to say that they did not commandeer us, but they know they can trust us not to be really impartial.”

    Both refering to the General Strike of 1926.

    G.

  61. Vestas
    Ignored
    says:

    @ crazycat

    Its quite likely that the license fee is going to change in the next 10 years & will become (like Germany IIRC) a monthly tax on your internet connection. At least in Germany the result isn’t state propaganda 24/7/365 but here? Heh….

    Its utterly farcical that the BBC claim they are technically unable to operate a pay-per-view system even for overseas viewers. The truth is they view that as the thin edge of the wedge.

  62. Jack Murphy
    Ignored
    says:

    From Main Article:
    “And shortly BBC Scotland won’t even have a nightly Scottish current-affairs show at all.)”

    Wings should have added a Health Warning to that Link.

    This is what’s embedded in the Link:
    “The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) welcomed the plans, describing them as a “real step in the right direction” that will improve trust in BBC Scotland among journalists and audiences alike.” !!!!!!

    Who are they trying to kid?—–maybe themselves and those at Pacific Quay sickened to their back teeth.

  63. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Do you really think the BBC would go to such extreme lengths and risk their worldwide reputation for such a small sum of money?

    BBC employee greed is well documented Martin, mostly by usual far right press like the Daily Heil. So lodsamoney is just part of the incentives for BBC Scotland delights of UKOKness.

    They do get rewarded. Laura Bicker and this non entity really put everything BBC into their coverage of Scottish democracy, they won and they get top BBC in the US. Funny that Martin

    https://twitter.com/BBCLBicker

    https://twitter.com/BBCJamesCook

    Cook’s coverage of the great Jim Murphy riots of 2014 were text book attack propaganda Martin. Here’s C4 creeps putting the UKOK boot in. C4 seem to get a free pass but they are also UK state funded and owned and as equally anti Scottish democracy as any Pacific Quay ligger

    http://blogs.channel4.com/alex-thomsons-view/scotland-labour-jim-murphy-eddie-izzard-scottish-national-party/9501

    “And that is why what Jim Murphy did today is maybe one of the most effective single pieces of campaigning of the entire British election.”

    “Because free speech was unquestionably denied on Buchanan Street today. It was ugly and it was perpetrated by people who say they will vote SNP.”

    There were 4 protesters.

  64. Valerie
    Ignored
    says:

    I have RT on right now, watching Ken Loach chatting to Afshin Rattansi (think he is ex BBC) on Going Underground.

    It’s so refreshing, and I do look for Russian bias, but I don’t really see it. They covered the doping scandal extensively yesterday, which hardly covers Russia in glory.

    I like Cross Talk, and some of Larry King too.

  65. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    @Martin,

    Try research. The BBC is currently having to trim 700 million of its budget. Bit of an incentive perhaps ?

  66. Dan Huil
    Ignored
    says:

    The bbc in Scotland, like all britnat media, thought the 2014 Ref was a one-off occasion hence their deliberate prejudice against the Yes campaign because they thought once it was all over the people of Scotland would supinely accept Westminter rule and the britnat media which goes along with it. In other words, the bbc burned its britnat boats in their desperation to keep the so-called united kingdom together. It is now facing a situation where, to defend its stance, it must continue with more of the same prejudiced pro-union broadcasting. It is a vicious britnat circle.

    I do not pay the bbc tax. I’d be a fool to help finanace an organization which deliberately broadcasts prejudicial programmes which denigrate the independence movement in Scotland.

    Let britnats pay for britnat propaganda.

  67. shug
    Ignored
    says:

    If staff at the BBC were being instructed to present bias information do you not think a whistle blower might have exposed it by now. We have to ask why no evidence has ever appeared

    If there is no corporate instruction then presenters must only be appointed if it is known they can be relied upon to ‘toe the line’ hence individual presenters are entirely responsible for what goes out in their name.

    If Call Kaye is selecting or excluding callers quite a few people will know about it, including Kaye. If they are a true reflection, then we need to take note of the independence concerns being expressed by callers. Having said that you can almost point to the newspaper that provided callers with their view, as the often just repeat what they have been told and as we know in the UK press truth is no barrier to a good headline.

    Where is the anti NHS Bradford person recently

  68. Fm
    Ignored
    says:

    Stuart Cosgrove, a well known YES supporter, works at the BBC. It must have been difficult to have put himself out there against his employers. He remains a critic of the BBC.

  69. Dan Huil
    Ignored
    says:

    The Holyrood government should pass a law saying nobody in Scotland will be prosecuted if they refuse to pay the bbc tax.

  70. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Martin Richmond says:
    20 July, 2016 at 2:21 pm
    This is a very elaborate theory but it seems to lack credibility in its fundamental proposition, i.e. that the BBC rigged its referendum coverage due to a pecuniary interest in the outcome.

    So in a parallet universe Martin, James Cook was fired and is now working for SKY or ITV. Do you see what the point is Martin? Perfect attack propaganda, blasted across the BBC network’s, the dudes now got a ring side seat for the BBC in one of the most historic era’s of US and world democracy. And he’s nothing but a shitty little fraud.

    James CookVerified account
    ?@BBCJamesCook
    Absolute chaos on the streets of Glasgow as Jim Murphy and Eddie Izzard try to be heard over protestors. #ge2015

  71. Stoker
    Ignored
    says:

    Good article inspiring lots of debate on Scotland’s public enemy No1.

    Some related facts:
    (1)-You only need a TV Licence to watch programmes as they are being shown (this doesn’t necessarily mean “live”) and that means on any device or station (not just the BBC).
    (2)-You do not currently need a TV Licence to listen to radio and that includes any BBC stations.
    (3)-You need a TV Licence if you watch the BBC iplayer. Previously you didn’t need one but they’ve just changed that rule.
    (4)-You are under no obligation whatsoever to talk to any BBC reps turning up at your door enquiring if you need a licence, just firmly but politely point them to your ‘No Cold Callers’ sign and close your door.
    (5)-The BBC also use companies such as G4S (who come round reading lecky meters) to observe/investigate if any signal receiving devices are in use within certain households. If, like me, you run on a pre-pay meter (and your lecky company will know this information) then be very suspicious if one of these goons turn up asking to “read” your meter. You don’t have to let them in either, just politely but firmly tell them you’re on a pre-pay meter and it doesn’t require reading then close your door.

    http://www.snp.org/scraptrident

  72. Fred
    Ignored
    says:

    Anent these so-called personalities, Buchanan lied through his teeth & was fun-oot & huckled out the back door. We can’t just excuse his complicity & blame his faceless superiors for this scandalous behaviour. The ensuing furore worked & the bastard vanished. No doubt this has been an example to the rest & they watch their step somewhat, Isobel Fraser was disappeared for allegedly showing SNP bias.

  73. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    What no SNP milk and honey to look forward to and my auntie shortbread is really a misunderstood uncle… FGS!

    Anyhoo! That’s a pretty good article just the same and shows that auntie’s probably robbing my nice Scots uncle Pete to pay that bad uncle Paul darn Sarf!

    The joy of DAB radio this morning no signal, no GMS but plenty lightning and thunder also no wifi & no electronic papers to read. 🙁

    PS:
    Labour stops crowd-funding bid to help supporters pay for vote

    http://archive.is/psgJA

  74. CameronB Brodie
    Ignored
    says:

    PEDANT ALERT! 🙂

    Most famously, the BBC’s founding father, John Reith, refused to broadcast a message from the Archbishop of Canterbury, who unlike his Roman Catholic counterpart – the Archbishop of Westminster, whose statement was broadcast – chose not to condemn the strike as a sin against God, adopting instead a somewhat more conciliatory tone. Even more significant than such questionable editorial judgments though, is the fact that BBC news was routinely shaped in accordance with a partial political agenda. This in part reflected the precarious position in which the BBC found itself. It was left officially independent on the understanding that it would continue to broadly serve the political objectives of the Government and the interests it represented. As the historian A.J.P. Taylor wryly remarked, Reith had

    “managed to preserve the technical independence of the B.B.C… by suppressing news which the government did not want published. This set a pattern for the future: the vaunted independence of the B.B.C, was secure so long as it was not exercised.”

    https://www.opendemocracy.net/ourbeeb/tom-mills/general-strike-to-corbyn-90-years-of-bbc-establishment-bias

  75. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    “In Scotland” lolz

    James Cook ?@BBCJamesCook 13h13 hours ago Shaker Heights, OH
    James Cook Retweeted
    I just reported a guy making a speech in a public square! In Scotland, we would call you a “daftie”

  76. Dan Huil
    Ignored
    says:

    Aye, I’m going to be personal here, but only the most blinkered britnat would disagree that Nick Robinson’s infamous misrepresentation of Alex Salmond’s press conference [as truthfully recorded on YouTube] is an unforgivable and unforgettable example of bbc prejudice.

  77. rog_rocks
    Ignored
    says:

    The easy way to get rid of them is for everyone to stop paying them.

    There is no need for a TV license in my home!

    If you don’t watch or record broadcast TV as it is broadcast there is no need for a TV license, personaly I use mine as a PC monitor. However you can set the TV up to receive radio, and still no license is required 🙂

    The only way they can catch me having no TV license is if they were to catch me watching broadcast TV as it is broadcast, which they can’t… or if I am stupid enough to to allow one of their TV licensing henchman to intimidate me at the door into signing a confession that I watch broadcast TV without a license, haha, well they’ll not be doing that either, in fact I’ll be looking forward to seeing them at my door with my camera 🙂

    No need to worry about detector vans either as they don’t have them.

    Given that, after 6 years license free I feel quite secure in my non-payment and would recommend it to all.

    I have now saved approx £870 which is far better in my pocket than theirs!

    There is no need for a TV license!

    My personal view is we should get organised in that regard.

    If we all did it…

  78. Dan Huil
    Ignored
    says:

    When we remember the sacrifices made by men and women in the past in order to keep Scotland independent can we really be so worried about the consequences of refusing to pay the britnat bbc tax? What are we afraid of? What the neighbours might think? For god’s sake we must take action!

  79. Wulls
    Ignored
    says:

    I’m on the fence on this one.
    Yes the BBC are duty bound by charter to remain unbiased.
    But their title is the giveaway.
    Brittish. Not Scottish, not regional.
    An idealist would expect the organisation to appreciate and celebrate the regional differences.
    However the BBC is not staffed by idealists. They are staffed by career media managers whose primary function is to safeguard the existence and prosperity of the organisation.
    They ain’t gonna do that by sacrificing £200 million.
    Ergo they ain’t gonna support Scottish independence.
    We can shout and stamp our feet but the bottom line is they are on safe ground as long as the charter says British Broadcasting Corporation.

  80. Neil Cook
    Ignored
    says:

    In regards to the license fee I truly believe that the Westminster government will introduce a internet levy on each household so that they can fund the loss in earnings from non payment !!

    To counteract the bias on the BBC I truly believe that the SNP appoint a chief Officer to answer all questions with the main answer ( I will get back to you) in the interim they can use their own website or youtube to broadcast what they are doing in Government. No more interviews with UK based media,no newpaper articles, no panel shows. Dont give msm the time of day as they are going to badmouth the SNP anyway.
    The main response to questions will be to check the SNP website for a response in due time and this will give no ammunition to the dirty trick brigade. When faced with no comment or I will get back to you should ensure the rattles leave the pram !

  81. Cadogan Enright
    Ignored
    says:

    The Republic of Ireland has a licence fee that for 1/3 of what the BBC collects in Scotland provides for 3 National TV stations, multiple National and local radio stations , orchestras, a national archive of song, music, folklore etc etc .

    They have roughly the same population as Scotland too.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_licensing_in_the_Republic_of_Ireland

  82. Desimond
    Ignored
    says:

    The Right Honourable Sarah Smith

    Defence rests.

    My daughter has just got her first flat. She asked about license fee and then followed up discussion with “I’d be happy to see the back of it, I don’t mind adverts so if it goes, good riddance!”

    I’d miss Only Connect mind!

  83. carjamtic
    Ignored
    says:

    As a world traveller,like so many from Scotland,I have viewed news broadcasts,from many international broadcasters and from many different locations.

    In this context alone (parking to one side Indyre1) I have formed an opinion of BBC Scotland…

    My disappointment in BBC Scotland knows no bounds….

    Add in Indyref1,swap disappointment in to loathing for…

    The presenters/employees ? I am generously,ambivalent.

  84. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    This financial aspect is a good solid indisputable measurement of bias.

    It’s the bias which says the centre of the empire is more important and the fringes should always contribute wealth towards that centre. Think Rome. The BBC is the UK in terms of broadcasting.

    It’s the same attitude that sucks wealth to London which is spend on major infrastructure projects nearby. No significant infrastructure investment happens elsewhere now.

    All praise the great God London.

    A suggestion. But first I want to say that Indy is what I actually want, however ….

    Nicola is exploring all options to stay in the EU and UK. Perhaps a Norway solution would be acceptable where we seem to get most of the benefits. How about throwing into the negotiations that broadcasting and our proportion of the BBC be handed over to Holyrood as part of staying in the EU+UK?

    The reality is none of that would be Brexit enough for WM. However, it gets the financial bias of the BBC out in the open and being discussed!

  85. Iain More
    Ignored
    says:

    Speaking loosely about bias and having to watch the brutal English Brit Nat Brainwashing Corp today at lunch time as it sank into full drooling sycophantic May adoration. It is the downside of being a 24/7 carer in that sometimes I cant avoid it.

    The only compensation I get is that I don’t pay the TV Tax so I am not propping up that nauseating drivel.

    Thatcher mark 2 has well truly arrived and this one is even nastier. I think anybody that doesn’t see that the EBBC doesn’t have a pecuniary interest in fawning to an extreme Right Wing Tory Govt really needs to remove their heads from their arses.

  86. Dan Huil
    Ignored
    says:

    mr thms says:
    20 July, 2016 at 1:40 pm

    O/T

    “During PMQT, Theresa May told Angus Robertson that Scotland would have had to leave the EU if it had voted Yes. I don’t think she realised the monumental gaff she was making in giving Parliament her opinion. She has now equated the No vote with Scotland voting to remain in the EU.”

    She has also forgot about Davidson et al who repeatedly telt us that only by voting No could Scotland safeguard their EU membership. More evidence that May and Westminter haven’t a clue. But wait, the bbc in Scotland gleefully reports it as a [palpable] hit for the britnats. Unbelievable. Don’t pay the bbc tax!

  87. Stoker
    Ignored
    says:

    I would never verbally attack anyone for giving someone a hard time with some tough questions, the harder the better makes our side the real deal when we answer those questions confidently and accurately, but i firmly draw the line at lies, deception, manipulation, deliberate imbalance and secrecy etc from the so-called public broadcaster.

    I reserve the right to challenge all and any participants in any acts of the aforementioned, in any way i see fit. If the cap fits! It’s their career choice! If they can’t stand the heat etc! Nobody is forcing those people to participate in the “spin”.

  88. McDuff
    Ignored
    says:

    Good article rev.
    The BBC Radio Times (Birmingham copy)in 1967 showed there was 4 networked series made in Scotland with a Scottish content, The White Heather Club, Hootenanny, Dr Findlay`s Casebook and a private detective series set in Glasgow starring Roddy MacMillan.
    These days there is practically nothing Scottish networked across the UK, every comedy show, soap, football coverage, panel game show, cookery show, documentary, historical documentary, hospital, police, school and social dramas etc,etc are English. If positions were reversed there would be outrage in England. The BBC would rather show programs from Scandinavia and the recent lunchtime Rep of Ireland police drama than anything Scottish.
    This has all been part of Anglising Scotland along with the deliberate dismantling of our manufacturing base.
    Enough is enough.

  89. bjsalba
    Ignored
    says:

    @Martin Richmond

    Yes.

  90. Phil Robertson
    Ignored
    says:

    “The Corporation took in £320m from Scotland last year, and spent just £176m (a whopping £27m, or 13%, decrease on 2015) on TV and radio programmes either made IN Scotland or made FOR Scotland. ”

    This is a hopelessly naive and misleading conclusion.

    It makes the very wrong assumption that nothing else produced by the BBC was “FOR Scotland”. That is Scottish licence payers should not make any contribution to large projects such as The Night Manager, coverage of the Olympics and Wimbledon or ancillary services such as iPlayer.

  91. Jack Murphy
    Ignored
    says:

    Dan Huil said at 3:24 pm
    AND mr thms said at 1:40 pm

    O/T
    Dan:- “During PMQT, Theresa May told Angus Robertson that Scotland would have had to leave the EU if it had voted Yes.

    I don’t think she realised the monumental gaff she was making in giving Parliament her opinion.

    She has now equated the No vote with Scotland voting to remain in the EU.”

    Mr thms:- “She has also forgot about Davidson et al who repeatedly telt us that only by voting No could Scotland safeguard their EU membership. More evidence that May and Westminster haven’t a clue……………..”

    Two excellent points made there by both.Thanks. 🙂

  92. Jack Murphy
    Ignored
    says:

    Sorry about my post at 3:49pm.
    I seem to have mixed Dan and Mr thms quotations around the wrong way!
    Into the corner. 🙁

  93. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    OT
    Ooops. Yet another BT threat and promise becoming unstuck even more, from rancid the Grun:

    http://archive.is/EJVTr

    A new fleet of frigates, described as “global combat ships” designed to play crucial roles, has been delayed indefinitely, the Ministry of Defence has said in testy exchanges with MPs over huge financial and technical problems facing the navy’s surface vessels.

    Delays in building the Type 26 frigates – a project promised by David Cameron before the 2014 Scottish independence referendum – is threatening shipbuilding jobs on the Clyde in Scotland.

    Admiral Sir Philip Jones, first sea lord and head of the navy, told the MPs that one problem was the cost of designing quiet ships. Asked if the navy could manage with fewer surface ships than the current planned total of 19, he told MPs that it would have to tailor the number to the tasks that could be carried out. His predecessors have described even the 19 figure as “totally inadequate”.

    The Cold War designed Type 23s currently in service actually have limited hull lives, that can be extended, but only by so much. Without them there’s limited anti-sub and general purpose, including carrier protection. The Type 45 destroyers are excellent anti-air, able to track and target up to 2,000 individual targets apparently, but that’s it really.

    And those 5 “light frigates”? They’re to be built around the GCS (T26) design.

    What an incredibly stupid country the UK is, an island state. But I think this and Brexit increases the chance of deals outside the UK for buying and building.

  94. Iain More
    Ignored
    says:

    I see that we have at least two sycophantic English/ Brit Nat trolls with their heads stuck up their arses here today. Brit Nat apologists for the TV Tax deserve every bit of shit they get flung at them.

  95. Camz
    Ignored
    says:

    The BBC in Scotland seems to be stuck in a limbo of ‘less propaganda’ or ‘more propaganda’.

    News is not news if it is not factual. It is fiction. A nightly ‘BBC fiction’ would be a great program in an Indy Scotland, as we could give the good folk of Scotland a laugh every evening as to what we would be told, if we were still part of the UK.

    Fingers crossed for 2018.

  96. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    @Phil Robertson
    Phil, lad, let me help you. From the figures: “Total network spend £72.9 million.

    There you go.

  97. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    The Tories. The party which just keeps on giving …. reasons for Indy.

    “Crucial fleet of global-combat frigates is indefinitely delayed

    Type 26 navy frigates do not have go-ahead, MoD says amid budget pressures, technical problems and jobs fears”

    http://archive.is/xOYKn

  98. Silver19
    Ignored
    says:

    OT: Looks like those Frigates ships are indefinitely delayed i.e. never to be built :- http://archive.is/EJVTr

    I wonder how those shipyard No Voters that were used by Better Together feel today.

  99. Silver19
    Ignored
    says:

    @galamcennalath

    🙂

  100. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    “TV (inc. Sport and Childrens)* £65.7 million”

    Mmm, I wonder if the Sport bit includes infinite re-runs of World Cup 1966 and the exploits of Roger Moore, John Hurst, Ian Banks, Bobby Stiles, Billy Charlton and his brother Jack Charlton [1], ummm,

    [1] Well, he did become Ireland’s mamanger and achieve great fame as in “Give it a lash Jack” as Ireland got through to the quarter-finals of the World Cup in 1990, the most popular Englishman ever!

  101. Dorothy Devine
    Ignored
    says:

    What is with wordpress posting too quickly message?

  102. schrodingers cat
    Ignored
    says:

    phil r
    perhaps, but if this was produced in scotland for the ruk, then this would be a solution. eg like bbc wales producing dr who 4 entire uk,

    but this doesnt happen

  103. David
    Ignored
    says:

    Rev, are you purposely leaving out info from the BBC Financial Report, as a sort of test for your readers?
    To see if we have learned to look at source material for ourselves, and find interesting items that has been buried/ hidden/ not reported by MSM?

    Stuff like – the BBC spent more in Wales than it did in Scotland last year: (Pages 94 & 99.)

    BBC’s expenditure in Wales (pop’n 3.1m) during 2015/16 was £177.7 million.
    BBC’s expenditure in Scotland (pop’n 5.3m) during 2015/16 was £176.5 million.
    ———

    Or that BBC employs 1,394 people in Wales (page 95) and only 1,230 in Scotland. (Page 100)
    ———

    Or that BBC Worldwide (DVDs & licencing formats, etc) makes only about 14% profit, £134m, on sales of £1.029 Billion. Page 7.
    ———

    That last one I find especially dodgy, looks like the profit figure is being kept artificially low. I mean, sales of Dr Who merchandise alone must be worth more. 😉
    £653.3 of “Other operating costs”? Aye right! (page 34)
    ———
    And finally, Wales, Scotland, and N. Ireland all pay in more than they receive back. (Pages 94,99, 104) So that means that it is England that is the scrounger nation, to the amount of £182m last year alone…

    Keep up the good work, Rev. I think we have a busy year coming up.

  104. schrodingers cat
    Ignored
    says:

    phil r

    scotland therefore subsidises MOTD for england

  105. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    “It’s half-time at this unimportant World Cup final, and we go over to the England camp for their vital friendly match against Stuttgart Kickers.”

  106. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    Scotland “went out of fashion”. In 2014 of all years. So said Alan Clements to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee meeting in Glasgow.
    This was his response to the Chairman’s surprise that there are no dramas set in Scotland and haven’t been for years.

    I don’t have the tech to upload a clip but the transcript is here:
    http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/culture-media-and-sport-committee/bbc-charter-review/oral/35086.html

    “Nigel Huddleston: Just for the record and to be clear, because I do not think I was previously, the imbalance in funding here for Scotland, the average spend by the BBC per licence fee-paying household is £89. That contrasts with £103 in Northern Ireland, £122 in Wales, £80 in the north, a miserable £12 in the West Midlands, which I mentioned earlier, but an incredible £757 in London. The imbalance is really huge, and I think something needs to be done about that. Would you agree?

    Alan Clements: You are constantly fighting against the pull of London, whether that is for talent, producers or for the spending pounds because all commissioning decisions by and large, or 95% of the commissioning decisions, are based out of London. It is a lot easier to walk into Soho and commission a colleague or a friend than it is to come to Birmingham or Nottingham or Glasgow and do the same.

    Q553 Chair: Just on that, it must be very frustrating to you, Mr Clements, to have to spend your entire time on a plane to London if you want to get commissioned to produce a new work.

    Alan Clements: Yes, it is.

    Chair: What percentage of the work that you are doing gets commissioned out of London versus out of Scotland?

    Alan Clements: Currently we make no productions for our host broadcaster, and we do two or three productions for BBC Scotland, but almost all of those are nations to network, so they play out of the network. I would say almost 100%.

    Q554 Chair: You are in a situation where as a production house you are 100% dependent on commissions from London, although this country is notionally moving towards greater autonomy, greater production, greater commissioning from the nations of the UK. Is that right?

    Alan Clements: That is correct.

    Q556 Ian C. Lucas: Why is it, do you think, that there is not a nationally-recognised Scottish drama at the present time?

    Alan Clements: It is hard to say. I think Scotland slightly went out of fashion. At the time of the referendum there was certainly a sense of, “Would we commission a Scottish-based drama out of a country that may be a foreign country in six or nine months’ time?” There was certainly some of that. That is slightly fashion-driven. The process is more structural, because a lot of the writers are in London, the agents of the writers are in London, and it is very difficult. This is not unique to Scotland. This is true in Wales and even more so in Northern Ireland”.

  107. Legerwood
    Ignored
    says:

    The BBC Annual report also shows that:

    Wales gets around 95% of its licence fee back and Northern Ireland gets around 72%, Scotland gets a mere 55%.

    So there!

    By the way does the BBC still make the Weakest Link?

  108. handclapping
    Ignored
    says:

    As a non licence fee payer, the thing that gets my goat about the BBC is it is so impartial that all advertising is banned.

    Except for newspapers, you know those propaganda organs of tax avoiding overseas plutocrats that we have to spend money to acquire their opinions. TV actually transmits at its own cost complete programs dedicated to promoting the efforts of journalists other than their own and then wonders why they end up with dead beats like Daisley as opposed to the cutting edge of Fraser Nelson or our own dear Rev.

    Sorry Stu to have put you and Daisley in the same sentence 🙁

  109. Paula Rose
    Ignored
    says:

    @Dorothy Devine 4:10 – that message pops up when the comments are coming in thick and fast , it is addressed to ‘you’ in the plural not ‘you’ personally.

  110. Phil Robertson
    Ignored
    says:

    yesindyref2 says:
    20 July, 2016 at 4:03 pm
    @Phil Robertson
    Phil, lad, let me help you. From the figures: “Total network spend £72.9 million.”

    I think this is the figure spent in Scotland on productions. That has no bearing at all on the point that I was making.

  111. Ben
    Ignored
    says:

    Judging by some of the comments, the “subset” mentioned above STILL don’t seem to get it.

    Nowhere in this article does it call into question our ‘right’ to say/tweet whatever we want to BBC journalists. Nor does it show a lack of understanding towards our anger and frustration.

    The point is – and this is pretty basic stuff which was covered extensively during indyref1 – if your ultimate goal is independence, you’re really not helping!

    To illustrate the point, we all have the ‘right’ to follow Gary Robertson* around with a megaphone, screaming about Westminster and calling him a ("Tractor" - Ed), but I don’t think it would play too well among those all-important undecided and soft No voters (not to mention the jackals in the unionist meeja). And I’m fairly certain it wouldn’t make Gary more sympathetic to the cause…

    Worth keeping in mind for indyref2.

    *other ("Quizmaster" - Ed)s are available (that was a joke. I’m JOKING.)

  112. Tattie-boggle
    Ignored
    says:

    OT It’s kicking of on Twitter Nicola giving Ruth it mega tight brilliant stuff

  113. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    @Paula Rose –

    🙂

    Yeah, it should read:

    ‘Youse are posting comments too fast. FFS, slow down, eh?’

  114. Clootie
    Ignored
    says:

    Way off topic:

    Oil trading/transaction are carried out in dollars. Reviewing our figures since Brexit for my platform our income is up 10 percent due to the pound/dollar exchange rate – this equates to a 3million pound increase in sales for one installation in a few weeks.

    We have Oil price increasing and steady around 45 to 50 dollars a barrel. This increase is not getting the same focus as the fall ALSO the media is not reporting that all operating companies have significantly reduced their operating costs (lifting cost) OR that the exchange rate has given a 10 percent boost to income

    …I wonder why the so called “business journalists” ignore this!

  115. deewal
    Ignored
    says:

    Could someone point me to the Excellent article which was on Wings giving a step by step guide of how to legally stop paying the Extortion fee ?
    I think the Rev wrote it but i’m not sure.
    Thanks

  116. clan rossy
    Ignored
    says:

    no matter what i say or anyone on here says
    the bbc will never be defeated . it is there duty
    to undermine everything that happens in scotland
    at any cost to the benefit of wastemonster.

    it is just a facist run conglumerate it deliberately
    hides the truth at all costs. it does not matter who
    or what it discriminates against. it is just a thorn in our side
    and always will be detrimental.

    to the people of scotland .

  117. mike cassidy
    Ignored
    says:

    This was only back in November.

    http://archive.is/VApNp

    “Although the government is directing the areas it wants the BBC to broadcast to, editorial control will remain firmly with the BBC.”

    Aye, right, pal!

    On the other hand –

    http://archive.is/moS05

  118. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    @Phil Roberston
    D’ya think? “Network spend” means “Network spend”. From the BBC itself:

    “Regional production

    In 2008 the BBC set the following commitments to growing regional production for BBC Network from outside of London:

    50% of network spend will be made outside London by 2016.
    17% of network spend will come from the Nations by 2016 and in the interim 12% of spend will come from the Nations by 2012.
    A proportion of network spend would be made in Scotland, equivalent to Scotland’s share of the UK population, with a comparable approach in relation to Wales and Northern Ireland”

    As you can see from that, “network spend” is the whole BBC network, of which some is spent in the “regions”. For the BBC, “network” means the whole UK-wide network. £72.9 million is that attributed to Scotland.

    Oh, and even from their own target, London with a population of 8.7 million, just 13.6% of the UK population, gets to spend 50% of the spending. Well, that’s fair, but not in my eyes.

  119. Macart
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T but who knew?

    Frigate order on Clyde delayed indefinitely.

    Better Togetherness strikes again.

  120. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @jimnarlene says: 20 July, 2016 at 12:50 pm:

    “That’s a lot of pooling, not so much sharing though.”

    Ye spelled, ” Pulling”, wrongly, jimnarlene.

    “Pulling and Sharing”, is how the Westminster Establishment describe how they pull money out of Scotland and share it around, mainly in London, and the rest of England. We help pay for all those, “National”, gallaries, museums, orchestras, ballets and even the English National Bard.

    It doesn’t stop there, though, for we also pay for such as Heathrow and the London bus and rail terminals, HS rail, London Sewerage systems, Cross-rail and both the Chunnel and its road and rail infrastructure.

    Not forgetting Whitehall and such things as the Royal Observatory & Museum at Greenwitch.

  121. Albaman
    Ignored
    says:

    I agree with Rev’s article, and most if not all of the comments, ( did not have time to read them all),
    Slightly O/T but one of the situations which grips me, is when, on the main news, the news caster says “our Scotland corespondent Lorna Gordon”, and duly she speaks about a situation somewhere in Scotland, then when Reporting Scotland comes on, bugger me one of B.B.C. Scotland reporters reports on the SAME story, invariably from the very SAME spot that the “Scotland correspondent ” had done.
    Which department pays for what?.

  122. crazycat
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Dan Huil / Jack Murphy

    To repeat what I said at 2.15, I agree that Davidson explicitly equated a No victory with staying in the EU, but other people including May did not; they said that Yes meant Leave, but that does not address what happens after No, which was left vague.

    Of course people were allowed to think there was a guarantee, but No chose their words carefully, to leave open the possibility (erroneously presented as a certainty by David Dimbleby among others) of an EU referendum with the associated risk of leaving.

    The statements about the shipyards were much more committal; they really did assert that voting No would save the naval contracts.

    I think we need to be as careful as they are, to avoid giving them ammunition. For instance, I saw a tweet describing Alex Rowley as “pro-indy”. When I investigated, all he said was that he thought the SNP would be right to call a referendum based on “material change”, and he would not oppose it, but he was still going on about federal solutions. He hasn’t made the full transition.

  123. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    I see no ships saga latest!

    Aye Nelson was right but worry not, all will be well it all depends on 60% fixity design getting nearer 100%. FGS! 🙁

    http://archive.is/TUxaU#selection-2285.44-2285.69

    https://twitter.com/wingsscotland?lang=en-gb

    We could have been building our own by this time.

    https://twitter.com/actonsheep/status/755788204956119040?lang=en-gb

  124. mike cassidy
    Ignored
    says:

    Capella 4.21

    Thanks for that.

    I mean, that there London is so far away!

    Mind you, time to repost this startling revelation

    http://archive.is/puKAx

    in order to show that the problems are not just down there.

  125. Effijy
    Ignored
    says:

    Now let me see if I’ve got this right?

    At Indy Ref 1 Westminster PROMISED US:

    1, You will get Home Rule, a Near Federate State. LIE !

    2, A No Vote is the Only way Scotland can stay in the EU !
    Now we are being taken out of the EU, in-spite of voting in.

    3, 3,000 HMRC jobs in Scotland can only remain safe, if you vote NO ! All job relocated to England.

    4, Scottish Steel Jobs depend on being in the UK.
    Steel jobs lost and recovered by only by SNP.

    5, Scottish Banks will relocate out of Scotland in we leave the UK !
    UK Banks now looking to relocate their HQs abroad.

    6, B & Q threatened to close branches in an Independent Scotland. You guessed it, B & Q Close Scottish Branches.

    7, Gordon Brown threatened that there would be no pensions in an Independent Scotland!
    After Indy Ref 1, confirmation that pensions were guaranteed.

    8, Clunker Broon again, threatened no Transplants or Blood Transfusions in an Independent Scotland?
    Confirmation after Indy Ref 1 that no truth behind threats.

    9, England Loves you Scotland>
    Yes enough to try and cheat us out of an extra £7 Billion when negotiating minimal new powers for Scotland.

    10, Some 13 New Frigates Promised for the Clyde, if we vote No, with work to begin in Summer of 2016 to avoid skills gap.
    Frigate Reduced to 8 after Indy Ref 1, and reduced to Zero.

    Please note that Wee Ruthie Krankie PROMISED only a couple of weeks ago that this order would be placed on Schedule, but did not confirm the revised number of 8.

    In her mind she told the truth to Scotland. The order has been announced on time, but the number of ships and jobs is a Big Fat Boab Zero!

    How I look forward to the BBC grilling her on her own, and her party’s lies and deception to the Scottish people! NOT!

    You just have to laugh at BBC- Balanced and Impartial?? lol

  126. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    OT
    Starting to use the wee black book now as a quick way of answering in MSM the 55% NO, respect the vote, NO means NO. Very handy, it means putting together in a minute such as:

    Yeah, by the looks of it, it means NO EU, NO devolution as near to federalism as you can get, NO mobility cars for the disabled, NO Labour in Power at Westminster, NO meaningful reforms in the Scotland Act, NO protection for pensioners as they got cuts, NO support for 65,000 lost jobs in the North Sea, NO to tax offices in Scotland moved to Croydon in England with a loss of 2,300 jobs, NO to protection of defence industry jobs as forces slashed, NO to renewables subsidies and NO to a fair price to supply electricty to the Grid, NO to CCS prizes for Peterhead or Longannet, and it seems now there’s a chance of NO Type 26 being built on the Clyde.

    Yes indeedy, NO means NO to Scotland.

  127. Stevie
    Ignored
    says:

    You mentioned indyref2 is ‘likely’ – do you think it IS likely in reality?

  128. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    One of your very best articles Rev and much appreciated.

    I don’t think there can be much doubt among Wings readers that the biggest obstacle to Scottish Independence is the government mouthpiece that is the BBC.

    The BBC will be defeated in Scotland when the people decide to do so. You can make a start by not paying their license and not letting their propaganda into your living room where the Au Paire may be watching.

    Revolt against Britnat propaganda!

  129. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    @Stevie,

    I think it is unavoidable. Not if ,but when

  130. crazycat
    Ignored
    says:

    @ me, above (5.23)

    Typically, having advised care, I then said “the SNP” when I should have said “the Scottish Parliament”. Own wrist duly slapped.

  131. Stoker
    Ignored
    says:

    Ben wrote:
    “To illustrate the point, we all have the ‘right’ to follow Gary Robertson* around with a megaphone, screaming about Westminster and calling him a (“Tractor” – Ed), but I don’t think it would play too well among those all-important undecided and soft No voters (not to mention the jackals in the unionist meeja). And I’m fairly certain it wouldn’t make Gary more sympathetic to the cause…”

    To raise a point – Do we? Technically that could be classed as stalking or harassment so do we really have a “right” to do as your illustrated point states?

    Secondly, and most importantly, i can only answer for myself and state factually that if i’m included in that “subset” you mention then you are completely wrong in your suggestion. In my post @ 3:28pm i made it very clear that i’d never verbally abuse anyone for asking tough questions etc and at what point i draw the line. I fully understood the Rev’s valid points and i agree with him, up to a point!

    Thirdly, you state it wouldn’t make ‘Gary’ sympathetic to the cause. Are you for real? He works for the BBC so he’ll do what his bosses tell him just like all the rest and he’ll obey just like all the rest, sympathetic or not, or he’d be out of a job.

    Now, i don’t follow any of ‘Gary’s’ work/shows/whatever and i couldn’t tell you what sort of a presenter he is but i have, on occasion, read tweets from the Rev praising his efforts but i’ve also read negative tweets/posts from an assortment of people.

    I still wouldn’t run around hurling abuse at him either and i am also very aware of how to project myself in different settings.I can be as coarse as ye olde mariner or as nice as pie, depending on the situation i’m in and i believe that to be true for a great many Wingers. So please give us a bit of credit, eh!

  132. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    Hi crazycat.

    “Better Together” tweeted on 2nd September 2014, that a YES result would see Scots lose our EU citizenship.

    https://wildernessofpeace.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/bettertogethereu-1.jpg?w=474&h=194

  133. Proud Cybernat
    Ignored
    says:

    And yet, for all that is pointed out about the inadequacies of the BBC in Scotland, it just washes over them and gets ignored. They control the airwaves and that is all that matters to them. They have the power to brainwash a majority of Scots into funding them and getting not much back in return. But they don’t give a hee-haw.

    How dumb are we?

  134. R-type Grunt
    Ignored
    says:

    Great article Stu & a fair point about not getting personal with the journalists themselves but didn’t Nuremberg establish the fact that “..only following orders” is no excuse for complicity?

  135. Desimond
    Ignored
    says:

    regards Indyref2

    In truth I thought we had let a little momentum slip after Brexit…then came Trident along with Tory shuffle rightwards and now latest Labour stramash and I see more and more the pieces continue to fall into place…I never was that good at Tetris but now I see the lines a-forming!

    Soon it will fall!

  136. CameronB Brodie
    Ignored
    says:

    crazycat
    I didn’t want to get the rep for being picky, so left it to someone else. Nice that it was yourself. 🙂

  137. Truth
    Ignored
    says:

    So what you are saying Rev, is that, the more of us that stop paying the tax, the less reason the BBC has to want to keep us?

    Not sure that holds true. In any event I’ve not paid the TV tax for years now just in case the above hypothesis is correct.

  138. ronnie anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Ian Brotherhood Im in agreement with you , the jounalist/presenters know full well what they’re doing & saying & has a impact on the viewers viewpoint,if we dont bring the Bbc & they’re presenter’s down pre Ref2 ,we are just going suffer the Lies & Bias again.

    Rev I made a suggestion BILLBOARDS calling the Bbc out on they’re Bias ( but on a individual named person basis ) as the person making the alligations & responsible for said Billboard , they’re is plenty evidence available on they’re bias .

    Im willing to put my name on a Billboards & hopefully the Bbc will take me to Court ( as they havent done in 3yrs of NonPayment) , either way the Billboards are making a statement,needless to say this can only be acheived by a Wings Crowdfunder ( remember what was acheived with the Subway placards ).

    What say you Wingers.

  139. scotspine
    Ignored
    says:

    Come on folks, get the message out regards the SNP Scrap Trident Petition.

    100000 plus members and only 20000 have signed.

    What’s wrong with folks?

  140. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Bettertogether RN frigates gone and other UKOK mega whoppers that you wont see reported on BBC Vote NO again Scotland.

    https://archive.is/vm3aA

    Treasury cut to carbon capture will cost UK £30bn, says watchdog
    Government says carbon storage technology not cost-efficient, while critics say U-turn will double cost of tackling climate change”

    This started out as a billion quid investment UKOK/toryboy promise for Peterhead but that’s not deemed relevant by rancid The Graun.

  141. crazycat
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Brian Doonthetoon

    I’m not disputing that!!

    I’m pointing out that telling people what will happen after a Yes vote is not asserting anything at all about what will happen after a No vote.

    Cameron B Brodie gets it.

    If I hit my boss over the head with a shovel, I’ll be sacked (and probably arrested).

    If I don’t hit him, that doesn’t guarantee me a job for life.

    I also mentioned other instances where BT did talk about what would happen after a No vote (and have been wrong). That doesn’t alter the argument with respect to their EU pronouncements.

  142. punklin
    Ignored
    says:

    This is so difficult to find a way forward. I so agree that this is an institutional issue though it is almost impossible to be unemotional about the bbc bias as you experience it. But trying to rise above that, how can we/the Scottish govt put in place structural changes to begin to tackle the inevitable pro-London establishment systematic support?

    Something has to give. I think Scottish independence is impossible if the bbc stays as it is.

  143. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    Personally I wish the SNP would concentrate on Indy Ref 2, and the EU, rather than Trident. All the anti-Trident people will already be YES voters as Indy is absolutely the only way it will be got rid, so what’s the point of keeping on and on about it? It won’t get one single solitary (my expression of the week) more YES voters on board, in fact it could even piss off soft YESsers, as for them, it’s not as important as getting through the week on a fiver after all the essential spending is budgetted.

    But here’s a thing for those who really are anti-Trident. The reason for the “indefinite delay” to the GCS Type 26 is making it “quiet” enough, and that’s even more important for 1 single solitary CASD boat. Yet we have no news about the design of Successor, so the question is, will it ever reach Main Gate?

    Which brings us to Stealth, and it was reported the Chinese had radar that could pick up stealth fighters from 100 miles away. So, what if they have undersea sonar tech just as advanced?

  144. Paula Rose
    Ignored
    says:

    @ronnie anderson just a few adverts on the Glasgow tube should do the trick – just saying like.

  145. Glamaig
    Ignored
    says:

    Somehow in Scotland we must have the resources to set up a media monitoring unit to do what Ponsonby and Prof Robertson do, but systematically and on a bigger scale, to get cast-iron evidence. It could be voluntary, but for credibility would need professional and academic guidance and backing.

    If we don’t do this, we are just seen to be whingeing about ‘bias’ but with no actual proof.

  146. Naina Tal
    Ignored
    says:

    Haven’t trusted BBC since 1970s. I used to restore valve wirelesses for fun. Most of them had shortwave and I used to do a bit of globetrotting listening to english speaking broadcasts.

    It was through listening to Radio Moscow I realised just what a set up the BBC is Pretty much the same as radio Moscow actually. State propaganda totally biased.

    I used to believe the truth could be found somewhere between the two. Here’s the thing though: I noticed that the Russians covered more news than the BBC. Things the government of the day didn’t want us to hear just weren’t reported. International and uk items just left out by the BBC.

    That’s when I realised that the Westminster government have total control.

    The propaganda manufactory in Glasgow. That has been infiltrated top to bottom by creatures of the Labour party although Westminster is Tory. How does that work anyone know? Do the political masters allow the infiltration in the Scottish branch as a means of keeping independencistas out?

    or is it just Blairite Labour=Tory??

  147. louis.b.argyll
    Ignored
    says:

    BBC in Scotland.
    .Aberdeen economic issues described without actually saying anything..
    .. by two non representative representatives..

    Why not interview a local plumber, shop worker?
    ..ask them what’s needed.

  148. mike cassidy
    Ignored
    says:

    Paula 6.30

    Billboards saying –

    Are you voting ‘yes’ – or bending over for the BBC again?

    That should do it!

  149. Eppy
    Ignored
    says:

    To be fair to the BBC, there is one programme which I would thoroughly recommend. Tucked away on Radio Scotland at 6.30 am to 8 am on a Saturday morning is “Out of Doors” The presenters have a love of Scotland that is reflected in their programme and act as a showcase for all the best that Scotland has to offer. People from around the world are able to tune in to their podcasts and quite a few seem to be inspired by the programme to visit.

    They cover topics such as land reform and community buy-outs and the commonweal got a bit about them a few weeks back. In a sea of negative “too wee, too poor< to stupid" coverage, the positivity of this programme stands out.

    It would be great if the Rev could highlight this one delight, but I am sort of afraid that this programme is almost operating "below the radar" and that if the bosses find out about it, it may be quietly axed.

  150. louis.b.argyll
    Ignored
    says:

    BBC in Scotland..

    ‘LOOK- A PUDDLE’

  151. Glamaig
    Ignored
    says:

    Paula Rose says:
    20 July, 2016 at 6:30 pm
    @ronnie anderson just a few adverts on the Glasgow tube should do the trick – just saying like.

    Yes! those posters were what got me actually paying attention to what was going on. I know they were removed because someone complained, was it because the Indyref campaign was in full swing? Are they allowed outside an official campaign?

    The same kind of poster would be fine… no need to directly attack the BBC, just wake a few more people up to the general imbalance in the media.

  152. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Eppy says:
    20 July, 2016 at 6:43 pm
    To be fair to the BBC, there is one programme which I would thoroughly recommend. Tucked away on Radio Scotland at 6.30 am to 8 am on a Saturday morning is “Out of Doors” The presenters have a love of Scotland that is reflected in their programme and act as a showcase for all the best that Scotland has to offer.

    Nice, but the proud Scotbuts in Pacific Quay will no doubt say the love Scotland too, just not a Scotland that actually runs Scotland. They love a Scotland that’s run by England, but they wouldn’t say that either and on and on it UKOK goes, at BBC Vote NO Again Scotland.

  153. Effijy
    Ignored
    says:

    Some degree of apology from me here, in advance, but I intended to pester any new or infrequent visitor to WoS
    with both the petition on BBC Bias and the First Minister’s Ant-Trident Petition.

    WE MUST see these 2 campaigns reach 100,000 signatures!
    With 100,000 SNP Members and 100’s of Thousands visiting WoS, this should be achievable from a population of 5,000,000

    The BBC have been encouraged by how easily Westminster can fool and Rob Scotland, so they have up the anti on Blatant Biased Corruption.

    The petition below shows that 89,300 people can’t be wrong
    in calling for a Public Enquiry into their crimes.

    Please sign up and reach the 100,000 signatures required.

    This along with Scotland’s wishes on EU Membership and Trident Renewal all strengthens the Scottish Government’s
    negotiations for Independence.

    https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/independent-enquiry-into-bbc-bias-regards-scottish-independence-referendum

    Nicola’s Anti-Trident petition will soon have 21,000 signatures in its first 24 hours.

    http://www.snp.org/scraptrident?mc_cid=7822341808&mc_eid=2ca6f3edb9

  154. Mike d
    Ignored
    says:

    Martin Richmond 2.21pm. ” an elaborate theory ???”. I think I know what my own eyes and ears are telling me.

  155. DerekM
    Ignored
    says:

    As an old CND ban the bomber i can tell you that petitions regarding trident or anything nuclear are ignored its sad but a fact.

    You can jump up and down scream your head off padlock yourself to the gates,fight with the police get beaten up by the police dragged away and arrested,then find yourself in front of a judge breach of the peace fined next.

    It will not change a thing the only way to get rid of trident is through independence as it gives us the most valuable tool the ability to decide for ourselves,without that and shackled to the UK we will always be a nuke missile base unless by some miracle the UK decides not to bother with them.

  156. ephemeraldeception
    Ignored
    says:

    I agree with the article that the focus should be on the corporation, but actions of reporters should also be a fair target in any democracy, more so a state broadcaster.

    Where I disagree though is the remedy. Getting the BBC to open up its financial interests is a) unlikely to happen b) anything will be too late to impact a referendum just round the corner.

    The bbc needs a constant critcal feedback from various sources…but which is happening only on the web, really.
    I strongly believe a much better way, maybe the only was is for SNP ministers, call out the bbc live on air. They need exposed for eg. unbalanced debate panels, factually incorrect statements and headlines etc etc.

    The BBC has had no payback for their referendum broadcasting. They have not been held to account, so are free to rinse and repeat. The BBC needs exposed otherwise expected more of the same. Who can expose them? The Scottish government needs to grow a pair.

  157. Quentin Quale
    Ignored
    says:

    It’s also what isn’t reported that allows accusations of bias to hit the BBC. If the Guardian can run a story about the frigates on the Clyde being delayed ‘indefinitely’ why would this not feature in tonight’s Reporting Scotland with a segment on Scotland’s economy? By any journalistic standard this is surely ‘news’ but the ‘gatekeeper’ has chosen not to allow it into the programme. Shameful.

  158. Col
    Ignored
    says:

    How much damage has BBC Scotland done to Scottish sport. Football especially. They should be locked up for what they have done to our cultural bodies over the years. All quite deliberately I’d say too.

  159. Effijy
    Ignored
    says:

    DerekM says:

    20 July, 2016 at 7:06 pm

    As an old CND ban the bomber i can tell you that petitions regarding trident or anything nuclear are ignored its sad but a fact.

    Derek, we cannot do nothing!
    I have more faith in Nicola Sturgeon than every Westminster Politician that I have come across in my lifetime. If she asks us to back her en masse that back her we must.

    It gives her yet another strong card to play when we next
    vote on our Independence.

    Thank you for the courage of your past convictions!

  160. Daisy Walker
    Ignored
    says:

    Northern Ireland won the shoot for Game of Thrones, it estimates it earns about 45 million a year from the shoot and subsequent tourism generated.

    GofT wanted to film in Scotland, but there wasn’t a suitable studio at the time.

    £144 investment, in one year, with no change to our current tax burden, could have achieved a studio and so much more. And a studio based near the centre, would be an hour from the coast, an hour from the hills, an hour from the city.

    But, then so many films and tv programs rely on computer generated special effects, surely Scotland is too wee, too poor, too stupid… No it’s not, a Dundee crew invented the worlds best selling computer game, grand theft auto… And now they’ve moved to… Edinburgh.

    And just think a film crew needs feeding and accommodation. A film set needs joiners and sparkies and hairdressers, and make up artists, and extras… How many kids and students would be inspired, plus make some pocket money, being an extra on a film set.

    And think of the buzz a community would get with all that going on in its area.

    No-one can tell me that with £144 million, in one year, we couldn’t do that. No-one except the greedy, greedy, lying, asset stripping barstwards, currently lining their pockets.

    Sorry for the rant. I’ve used the above example with some undecideds, and it gets them thinking.

    I truly hate what the BBC has become. I doubt it was ever perfect, but the lows it has reached are despicable. Despicable BEEB. I take on board what the Rev says about not making it personal and giving the yoons ammo… But that doesn’t mean it’s easy, and it’s not so long ago when I would have been the first to defend the BBC. Never again, it’s a truly busted flush, like the Labour Party.

  161. Black Joan
    Ignored
    says:

    Eppy@ 6.43pm
    Completely agree about Out of Doors. Discovered it recently. Outstanding. No sign of too wee, too poor, too stupid. Much to be proud of. Intelligent, sensible, wise.

  162. Andrew McLean
    Ignored
    says:

    Effigy
    Done.

  163. Cadogan Enright
    Ignored
    says:

    My donation gone to Scotcoin http://scotcoinproject.com

    Does the Rev accept donations in Scotcoin?

    Off to get smartphone so I can down load the App

  164. Alba46
    Ignored
    says:

    I no longer watch any BBC news or current affairs programmes. They do not report the news, they manufacture the news in favour of the state. Subtlety and balance are not their strong points.

    They make a point in highlighting any so called failure on behalf of the SNP government and any good news by the same government goes unreported. Reporting (not) by omission.

    In the 60’s I was a soldier serving in Berlin at the height of the cold war. We were subject every night to the East German propaganda machine in the form of “Magdeburg Annie” on the radio. Pure unadulterated state propaganda sponsored by the security police the Stasi. Their output was very similar to what Pacific Quay pump out on a daily basis. Difficult to tell the difference between the two.

    If as reported on this site that the BBC are breaching their charter is this not a case for legal a challenge and take them to court?. Surely lawyers for Independence could through some light on this.

    As a closing thought, in a lot of countries throughout the world the population would not tolerate this abuse of power and blatant bias in the reporting/manufacturing of the news.

  165. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    With T26 having an “indefinite delay” and the design just 60% complete, here’s something else I dug up, (sorry laziness, just used my posting as is in the Herald):

    From elsewhere (Jan 16) : “After almost six years’ of planning, 70 per cent of Successor’s design will be finalised by the time production begins, possibly this autumn, says BAE. No part of the boat — to be built and fitted out in vertical modules to cut costs — will enter production unless 100 per cent of its design has been agreed.”

    So basically it looks like Successor (Trident) is in the same boat. Fair enough about design though, apparently Astute was started building with only 20% of the design done, with large cost over-runs.

    But it makes yo wonder if yesterday’s vote in Parliament of renewal was worth the Speaker turning up for.

    Oh, it was the FT by the way.

  166. Cuilean
    Ignored
    says:

    I suspect the BBC only released data geographically, as they never expected a second Scottish Indy Referendum to be in the offing quite so quickly.

    Would a Freedom of Information request to the BBC for greater details work? (to see just how little money is spent in Scotland, programme by programme)?

    Excellent journalistic work. Hacks who are enthralled to their political Yoon masters, must envy your freedom.

  167. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Black Joan says:
    20 July, 2016 at 7:23 pm
    Eppy@ 6.43pm
    Completely agree about Out of Doors. Discovered it recently. Outstanding. No sign of too wee, too poor, too stupid. Much to be proud of. Intelligent, sensible, wise.

    What’s with the sales pitch?

  168. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    @Eppy

    ‘Out of Doors’ radio shortbread.

    A wee gem indeed and well worth a listen. 🙂

    Heard the fishing discussion last time ‘were all reasonable people’ (etc etc)

    Also the farming and who owns the land in Scotland and Norway a few weeks ago as examples.

    Hurmmp!

    Footie just starting:

    http://neolive.net/

    Don’t need a licence for any of that that though.

  169. Sassenach
    Ignored
    says:

    Sometimes I get very down when we talk about the BBC Scotland attitude to ‘fairness’, because I know that independence will never likely be achieved until this state propaganda service is shown for what it is.

    But as it is already thought, by many to be ‘Auntie’, who is to be believed at all times, I fail to see how to get round the problem. We have all been ‘weaned’ on their output and they have more than enough cash to continue the propaganda. They have an immense ‘platform’ compared to us, then add in BUM and it’s frightening.

    Whilst agreeing withholding licence fees is a tactic, it will do little good as government will ensure the BBC never go bankrupt.

    It’s just very depressing.

  170. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    Makes you think though. The NO vote in Indy Ref 1, largely because of risk and uncertainty as a lot of NO voters I talked to like the idea of Indy Scotland, but not the risks and uncertainties. So Scotland has been sat waiting looking admiringly and expectantly up to Westminster for our next meal.

    But instead of kippers for Brekkers, they’ve given us Brexit for ‘kippers.

  171. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    @Quentin Quale

    You are absolutely right. Omissions of news affecting Scotland are just as important as the news that is reported.

    In the case of the Type 26 frigates even more so. That’s why it’s not reported. The BBC is not impartial when it comes to Scottish news. It is positively ruthless in selecting the news it chooses to voice. It is a Liars voice.

  172. George Wood
    Ignored
    says:

    Cuilean says:
    20 July, 2016 at 7:39 pm

    “I suspect the BBC only released data geographically, as they never expected a second Scottish Indy Referendum to be in the offing quite so quickly.

    Would a Freedom of Information request to the BBC for greater details work? (to see just how little money is spent in Scotland, programme by programme)?”

    Isn’t the BBC exempt from nearly all FoI requests?

    I read an article about it somewhere, but unfortunately I don’t remember where.

  173. Chris Darroch
    Ignored
    says:

    Yes. I am also for calling out individuals too.

    Fair game. They know what they are peddling.

    Also, the very passion which, it could be argued drives this movement, has many forms of expression, and though mockery, public opprobrium, derision, satire etc, directed at individuals, may rankle some, it may still serve an important purpose in this movement for others.

    Folk tend to settle on their own preferred forms of expression and I think it incorrect to consider the forms I mentioned as necessarily any less effective,appropriate or acceptable.

    Many have been concerned about the papers reporting us, as cybernats, for doing this or saying that. I say to hell with them and lets express our passion and let those journalists who want to present themselves on social media, take the opprobrium that comes with their job and that we hold them to account right there.

    This appeal is reminiscent of those arguments related to concentration camp guards who were only doing their jobs.

    The idea that somehow folk screaming on Twitter really influences anything is a mistaken one in my view. Same with the cybernat stories in the press. I think that folk going online, who enter this debate, have already decided on a side or do so, very quickly and that the Yes/No balance online favours Yes quite heavily. Once online, folk generally choose Yes, if they join the debate at all.

  174. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    The only way we’re getting a divorce from this Union is the sneaky way, winning a referendum on it’s own won’t be enough and I believe the FM knows it
    That’s why she’s been making as many european contacts as possible and I’m quite sure a lot of secret stuff is going on right now

    Theresa May will grow more rabid Tory confident as time goes on and she will attempt to say no even if we win by a mile
    So Nicola Sturgeon has to plan for the nasty attitude she probably knows is coming after we win as well as for the revenge
    Her council of clever clogs was a good start and I’m sure there’ll be legal folk as well

    The FM has to wait until the right moment and place the knife between the shoulder blades when the Brits look the other way

    Anybody who’s had a bitter divorce will recognise how it works

  175. DerekM
    Ignored
    says:

    I am not saying we should not do anything Effijy lol or that we should not sign the petition all i am saying is the UK will ignore it like they always have.

    The key is independence it unlocks the trident problem and for the first time in decades there is a wee light at the end of the tunnel for us old ban the bombers a nuke free Scotland.

  176. Dorothy Devine
    Ignored
    says:

    Paula Rose , thanks for that.

    I had tried to post twice and got the message twice .I gave up after that since what I had wanted to say had been said much better by so many.

    While trying to post this , I got the irritating message again.

  177. Phronesis
    Ignored
    says:

    BARB is an organisation that publishes The UK Television Landscape Report -‘a new quarterly report from BARB that reviews population trends and changes in how people can watch television’

    http://www.barb.co.uk/trendspotting/tv-landscape-reports/

    The BBC can pour over its own stats but its % share of total viewing is declining e.g. 36.6% (2001),33.1% (2005),27.5%(2010).

  178. Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    The BBC is and has always deliberately been Scotland’s enemy number one.

    Scotland will not become independent until and unless the BBC in Scotland has been completely destroyed.

  179. Macca73
    Ignored
    says:

    Last time round the BBC used it’s “Balanced” view in many respects by having a statement from the Yes Campaign then someone speak about it then having it dismissed by the NO camp in a shit sandwich.

    The silver bullet was the currency question for them last time and the price fall in Oil. We have to show them that we CAN cope with anything thrown at us. Getting out there and talking about it worked to the tune of 45%. The message this time has to be a firm one. Remain in the EU means REMAIN if you want to leave you GO but we’ll stay and prosper and attract business you no longer want because of your lack of vision. That’s what needs to be sold here. Don’t let them turn it into a hate campaign against our First Minister and away from the faces in the YES campaign this time. We need to get messages out there very clearly choose our moments and stay firm and true to message. We have a larger upper hand this time after Brexit and should they start to get nasty we can point to people in power like Boris Johnson if needs be to ensure that even the most ardent of NO voter won’t want him to speak on their behalf.

  180. Vambomarbeleye
    Ignored
    says:

    Please every one. Can we call her Fanny May. If for no other reason than it makes me smile.
    I am told that during the troubles. The BBC didn’t collect much of the TV tax but kept very quiet about it.

  181. Breeks
    Ignored
    says:

    I wouldn’t want to comment on BBC output in the specific sense some nut-job would take it literally and set out with the deliberate intention of hurting somebody, but as a corporate entity, the BBC deserves nothing but scathing criticism.

    Yes, there is a time and a place for empirical data to document the extent of bias, but that is a akin to evidence in a trial. The evidence is dormant until there is a suspect apprehended and put on trial. We have shed loads of evidence of BBC misreporting, but the crime itself is ambiguous, and we have neither a criminal case to make stick, nor indeed any courtroom where we might put the BBC on trial.

    In many ways, bias is similar to fraud, in the sense it is very difficult to prove actual fraud but much easier to secure a lesser conviction of attempted fraud. So it is with bias. How do you begin to objectively quantify bias, when one of the biggest unquantifiable variables is the individual susceptibility of an audience to detect or fall for bias? If I am aware of the bias, does it still colour my judgement? It really is a minefield combined with attritional warfare.

    However, I think for many of us, the term “bias” is a coverall term to cover all the varied aspects of the ways in the BBC manipulates the broadcast media in Scotland.

    If we want to make progress, we need to be much more rigorous and streetwise. It is a nightmare to define bias and make a credible case for it, especially for someone trying to think on their feet during a debate or interview. It’s easy to shout the word “bias” , but the problem is finding time to squeeze in the War and Peace epic of supporting evidence.

    Frankly, I don’t think there is enough time to rout the BBC before the next Indyref, and it will use up a lot of resources which could be better spent. Leave the BBC to stew in its own juice. For one thing, I strongly suspect they are seeing a diminishing return on their efforts. Criticism of the BBC is now widespread and rarely contested. It wasn’t so very long ago that was certainly not the case.

    Success in Indyref 2 I believe has two big pre-requisites. The Scottish Government and Yes Campaign MUST find a viable channel for broadcasting. At worst this might be debates and discussions merely screened by the BBC, but debates where the format and agenda is not set by the broadcaster. The BBC gets no say on program content, and no editorial discretion.

    At best, we find some magic bullet to get around the reserved status of broadcasting, and secure some independent broadcasting bandwidth in the existing digital network. A big problem here is time, and Westminster’s cooperation.

    The second big prerequisite is having “something” as effective leverage, so that when Scotland makes a reasonable request, that request is respected and honoured. Given the brazen performance of the BBC, and indeed Westminster, that’s going to take a pretty big stick. For my part, I think the Scottish Government should have a summit with the various broadcasters, and set out some ground rules. There needs to a neutral observer monitoring output so that arbitrary judgements are neutral. (This is a European shaped hole for a European shaped peg in my opinion).

    But for the leverage to get these concessions, I think the SNP must seriously beef up the option of the UDI; you muck us about = UDI. You tell too many lies = UDI. You manipulate the agenda = UDI. You smear individuals = UDI.

    Yes, we will start out on the same journey, with our faith in democracy and positive campaigning, but this time, we will not forfeit the narrative as we did in 2013/14. If our neutral arbiter monitoring broadcasting sees enough bias/ distortion/ misinformation/ manipulation, they should have the power to declare the referendum process compromised, just like a trial that falls apart when the media interferes and compromises the chance of a fair verdict.

    There are no bars or hold over you BBC, but screw up the referendum discussions and progressive debates like you did last time, and you will void the referendum process before it ever goes to the vote and you, the BBC will be the ones directly responsible for compelling the Scottish Government to press the UDI button.

    This might sound a bit dramatic, but don’t forget, broadcasting is only one issue in a bundle where the Scottish Government might have to use the prospect of a UDI as a bargaining tool. Personally, I think a UDI could be more likely than a straight referendum. Things could change very quickly, and a referendum could be a luxury that time does not permit.

  182. Stoker
    Ignored
    says:

    Previously posted by Hoss Mackintosh on another BBC articles btl thread but needs posting again – very interesting read:

    University of Glasgow – School of Law
    TV licences and decriminalisation
    http://archive.is/ZE4lb

  183. tartanpigsy
    Ignored
    says:

    I’ve skipped to the end here but the quote from the BBC regarding balancing commentators /opinion pre indyref was sent out in an email to a complainant at the time.
    We used the key phrase in this banner for one of the Illuminate the Debate rallies.

    “We are not in an official referendum campaign and therefore do not have to balance it out between Yes and No”

    Truth is they never did, and never will do, it is not in Blighty’s interest.

    BTW The new Yes/EU flag fundraiser will pass the total the first fundraiser reached later tonight, hats off to Rogue Coder and his team 🙂

    https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/10-000-more-flags-for-yes#/

  184. mike cassidy
    Ignored
    says:

    OT –

    but another reason for putting a nail in the coffin of the UK

    This from Bella

    http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2016/07/19/the-rand-corporation-nuclear-weapons-war-torture-and-the-scottish-funding-council/

    “The present situation arises, however , due to an ambiguity of higher education devolution, where although Research is a matter reserved Westminster, due to historic dual funding obligations (known as dual funding), devolved funding councils retain an obligation to provide research infrastructure. Whitehall exploits this to impose its own research policy imperatives on the Scottish body – thereby undermining the devolved status of Higher Education.”

    Devolved isn’t even devolved when you think it is.

  185. louis.b.argyll
    Ignored
    says:

    Maybe..it’s like..

    They love Scotland, but not if it’s run by Scottish people..

    So they’d probably, presumably, wish that Scotland was better..

    But if Scotland needs England to help it be better..it’s not Scotland.

    And after 300 years of mismanagement..

    ..Oh I give up..
    ..

  186. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    Cassidy: “Devolved isn’t devolved when you think it is.

    I’ve heard SNP MPs talk of, and had to disabuse them of it, the erroneous notion Scottish education is ‘devolved.’ It has never ever been in the ownership of England to devolve, either in whole or in part of it.

  187. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    Take a look at the first photograph at the top of the article, BBC Pacific Quay interior.

    So you know what you’re looking at: the radio studios sit under the brown ashlar stone work, sarcophagus fashion, television departments and administration on all the open plan levels around. Out of shot are airport-like security cubicles in the atrium entrance.

    Now, hand on heart, BBC sign removed, can you see any clues that that building houses culture and creativity?

    Well, can you?

    There’s not even a half-dead house plant.

  188. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    Oh dear, Kevin Hague of doggy-choc self-fame appears to be having a problem with his blog, as I’m sure he’s not the Chappie to only allow butchers tripe from his Chum Felix, the one with the Whiskas. But for some odd reason my last posting didn’t appear, whereas one timed afterwards, did. Perhaps he’s regretting his visceral transfers which gives such nasty blog deficits.

    Gonna be busy, so here it is, luckily I kept a copy.

    ——————————-
    Kevin, even your reply is convoluted waffle and goes off at a tangent onto pro-forma financial statements in your attempts to hide your mistake. You’re really getting yourself in a lather.

    Here, let’s make it short and sweet, and show how you contradicted yourself, and at the same time thereby admitted you used the wrong term “fiscal transfer” in this article.

    You in this article: “Scotland currently receives an effective fiscal transfer from the rest of the UK of over £9bn pa”.

    Your reply later 17 July 2016 at 21:11: “we are currently continuing to run close to the £10bn underlying onshore deficit gap“.

    My reply 19 July 2016 at 01:20: “so from your reply, what you actually meant was “onshore deficit gap”, not fiscal transfer”.

    Your reply to that 19 July 2016 at 03:14: “No I didn’t mean the onshore deficit gap – I’d say that if I meant that.”

    But you just HAD said that in your reply 17 July 2016 at 21:11. Just admit it, you used the wrong term “fiscal transfer” in the first place, you should have said “deficit gap in cash terms“.

    Anyway, that’s enough free tutoring you get from me, if you want any more you’ll have to pay my delicious but exorbitantly high hourly rate (very good value for money though, if I can be bothered taking you under my wing which I doubt), and I estimate you’d need about 200 hours to get you up to entry level, which would put it way beyond your budget. But one last free piece of advice. Get your terminology right. And keep it consistent. That’s two last pieces of free advice 🙂

    Oh, and by the way, that’s not the part of SNAP I was referring to. Bye now.”
    ———————————

  189. scotspine
    Ignored
    says:

    Billboards folk. Crowdfund hard hitting billboards that show up BBC for what it is.

    Once the wider population see it stuck in front of them plain as day, they will start to question things for themselves.

    If we can’t broadcast by conventional means, big simple, punchy billboards will get the message out.

    The yoons will likely deface some of them, but a rolling programme hitting towns and cities will keep ahead of the game and spread the word.

    If crowdfunding can be done for flags, it can be done for billboards too.

  190. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    There’s not even a half-dead house plant.

    Nor a Saltire, anywhere. No Scotland flags anywhere is no surprise in a BBC bunker but their Oyster Bar looks a bit weird. Its BRITISH Oysters!

  191. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    Heedtracker: “There’s not even a half-dead house plant.”

    The sign doesn’t even say BBC Scotland

    The building could be anywhere, any city, any country.

  192. Tam Jardine
    Ignored
    says:

    BBC journalists are happy to drip poison in our ears at every opportunity- I see no problem with pulling them up on it. As Stu highlights in the link within the article Louise White is a good example but the list is a long one.

    Jim Naughtie, Jackie Bird, Eleanor Bradford, Nick Robinson, Sarah Smith, Kaye Adams, Glenn Campbell, Dimbleby and so forth and so on- all BBC essentially campaigning through their work against Scottish Independence.

    I have complained many times to the BBC about their conduct which is appropriate but the problem is the BBC do not consider complaints- they simply dismiss all criticism. I complained about have a 3-1 anti independence bias on the recent EU Brexit BBC discussion programme and they might as well have told me to piss off.

    I would not personally harass anyone and would urge Wingers to act with decorum and purpose at all times. The issue is- these are not reporters or presenters- these are players who have taken a side and people are rightly incandescent with rage. Stu challenges people within the BBC forcefully over their bias and I think that is the right and proper approach. Abuse is simply counter-productive, however understandable.

    I personally want the organisation hollowed out from the inside and then dismantled but in the mean time we need protests and a highly visible campaign against the BBC. And if that makes me sound mental to anyone I am OK with that.

    One aspect I find extremely disappointing is the criticism of anti-indy bias against broadcasters who I personally or anecdotally know to be sympathetic to Scottish Independence but who do not wear it on their sleeve. It is frustrating and not something it is easy to challenge without divulging political opinions of someone who prefers to appear neutral, impartial, professional.

    But I digress. I am challenged by people every day of my life over whether I am doing my job properly and I am criticised sometimes justly and sometimes unjustly. It can be over the phone, by email or in person and it can be hard to take. There are times when I will give no quarter and defend my corner to the last if I think I am in the right and there are times when I have to suck it up, to question my actions and take criticism on board.

    I only ever see the BBC giving no quarter and defending their corner- there is never reflection, never questioning of their actions and they never ever ever take criticism on board.

  193. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    Mmmm, in the picture of the BBC even the letters “BBC” show a bias to the right.

  194. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @deewal says: 20 July, 2016 at 5:03 pm

    ” … I think the Rev wrote it but i’m not sure.”

    It may have been the comment I made a while back, deewal.

    However, due to my hectic electrical rewiring and home renovations just now, I have not been keeping my usual tabs on things.

    I can though give you a brief few hints and tips.

    First of all these people are not the BBC but are an outside organisation – more or less a debt collecting agency.

    The first thing to bear in mind is that these people have no other information about your household than that there is an address that has no TV licence according to BBC records.

    You will note that all letters are addressed to, “The Occupier”, so if they do call your first tactic is to ask them who it is they wish to speak to. The will say, “The occupier”, and you demand they state which, “Occupier”, is it they want to contact. They won’t know. You have now wrong footed them and you are now in control.

    Now you can press your advantage. They will have already attempted to brow beat you with pseudo-legal letters and now with pseudo-legal language and you have put them in their place.

    Do not be fooled as they have no more legal rights than any other caller at your door. Their sole right is to enter your property to make their way by the marked pathways to your main entrance in order to establish contact with an unknown, “Occupier”. They have no rights to peep through windows or wander around, “Investigating”.

    To do so invades your legal right to privacy under Scots law. Tell them that you know this and, if you have a camera or camcorder handy, point it at them and tell them it is part of your evidence against them for attempting to illegally, “coerse”, (blackmail), you to buy a TV Licence that you do require.

    Tell them you will ask the police to investigate their stalking of you by sending you a constant stream of letters assuming you are a law breaker and assuming you are guilty of watching TV without a licence and they do not even know who you are or if you even own a TV.

    Now for the big one, they will have come mob handed, and, as they only have legal right to enter your property to make contact, this does not merit more than one person. You tell their most senior person they may remain to answer YOUR questions but the rest must retire outside your property and wait there.

    They will have referred to themselves as Officers so you might consider asking them what police force or other government, “Force”, they are officers of.

    This is just another of their pseudo-legal tricks they are officers of nothing more than any other office worker in a private company. In other words they have no legal powers outside their firms office.

    I would be surprised if matter get this far, though, as they will probably have exited your property long before this stage.

    Anyway, here is another fact. Even if you had previously replied to their requests, to state, (in reply to a letter from them), to inform them you do not watch live TV, they will only stop, “coersing”, you for a limited period of time.

    Then the whole bloody stupid process of coersing you to buy a licence will begin all over again from the start. Ad infinite.

    How do I know all this? I’m 80 on my birthday and could get a free licence just for the asking. I choose not to want one and I’m the only, “Occupier”, at this address since 1970.

    I did notify the BBC re-licence website that I did not want to renew the licence when I was 74 and as they have re-begun to coersing me to buy a licence several times since then it is obvious they do not know who occupies this address or that I’m over 75 and could get a licence for free.

    I’ve also gone through the visit of, “Officers”, several times since I decided I was not going to watch Westminster Propaganda. I find it quite amusing and I have a thick wad of threatening letters. if I could be bothered I would speak to the police and accuse the BBC debt collecters of blackmail attempts.

  195. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Grouse Beater

    It does on the outside south side, giant BBC Scotland, lit up like a very BIG BBC Scotland sign. It rises up at you as you head north over the M77 ramp onto the M8. What was once the industrial power house of Govan and the Clyde, its now a fake dead media park.

    The fact there’s no BBC studio in Edinburgh next to Holyrood is also a large up yours sign too. Cant think of a more symbolic UKOK gesture from our BBC chums than pumping several hundred million into a giant empty glass box of NO, and then all of our parliament’s MSP’s have to travel to it, when summoned. No other country does this and ah but youre not a country are you, we’re in charge of our Scotland region and we can destroy you just as easy as our colleagues in BBC England land are currently taking down JC. Bigger job, same principle, dont mess with Auntie, or we’ll launch our Jim Naughty weapon of mass destruction/waffle.

  196. Stoker
    Ignored
    says:

    Been on a wee quest to see if i could help with this request:

    deewal wrote:
    “Could someone point me to the Excellent article which was on Wings giving a step by step guide of how to legally stop paying the Extortion fee? I think the Rev wrote it but i’m not sure. Thanks”

    Sorry, deewal, no joy so far, but for some interesting and fun reading i came across this old article and its btl comments:
    The news is not news
    http://wingsoverscotland.com/the-news-is-not-news/#more-50383

  197. CameronB Brodie
    Ignored
    says:

    This is a European shaped hole for a European shaped peg in my opinion

    Indeed. There even appears to be existing legislation to that effect, i.e. sections 319(2)(c) and (d), 319(8) and section 320 of the Communications Act 2003, and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

    Why the fuck these are not being enacted with regard to news regarding Scotland and Scottish independence, is anyone’s guess.

    stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/broadcasting/broadcast-codes/broadcast-code/impartiality/

  198. Cal
    Ignored
    says:

    Gave up TV a couple of years ago and I don’t miss it one little bit. It’s been very good for my mental health. Kids don’t miss it either. I am now genuinely puzzled why so many people remain addicted to the TV.

    After May’s visit to Germany today, it looks like the EU and the UK government are going to try a Brexit-light fudge where everything will more or less stay the same i.e. free movement and free access to the single market. So far the Kippers seem pretty docile and happy to accept being kept in limbo land – delay, delay, fudge, fudge…. Meanwhile, whatever the Kippers do or do not do, damage is being done to the EU/UK economy. Politicians dance around the problems they have created, unable to make any decicion except to decide to do nothing. What a farce!

    The only positive for us is that once again the UK establishment has been shown to be dishonest, incompetent, arrogant and corrupt. Perhaps a few more Scottish eyes have been opened in the last month. Opinion polls will show to what extent this has happened – that is if we ever get another Scottish Independence poll. Seems everyone’s given up commissioning Scottish Indy polls.

  199. Fred
    Ignored
    says:

    Dan, I took Theresa,s gaffe equated the Yes vote with leaving the EU at that time?

  200. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    Heedtracker

    I agree.

    When BBC had a daily radio outlet cum festival base in Queen Street, Edinburgh, they promised big plans to open a large suite of offices and studios to coincide with the new seat of Scotland’s democracy, and on that promise were given a large swathe of land for a modest amount as an inducement (robbing the public purse) at the top of Leith Walk, now a cinema complex.

    Later, they deserted the idea but sold the land to private developers keeping the profit.

    City of Edinburgh Council nil, BBC Scotland £10 million.

  201. Dave McEwan Hill
    Ignored
    says:

    Great front page in tomorrow’s National

  202. Daisy Walker
    Ignored
    says:

    I’d love to see the Billboards idea take off, but it’s a big task to organise and crowdfund, and it’s expensive.

    In the mean time, if you have a home printer and a car, then you have a portable billboard, and indyposters has good material to be going on with.

    And if you have a garden facing onto the street, can you put up a home made billboard. That would be great.

    These are 2 things that can be done pretty much now I’d suggest. I’m up for doing the car/poster one anyway.

    Cheerie the noo folks. Keep on keeping on.

  203. Robert Louis
    Ignored
    says:

    Scotspine at 617pm,

    People are on holiday, that may partly explain the lack of response. Most people are not political anoraks like we find here.

  204. Ruby
    Ignored
    says:

    Sassenach says:
    20 July, 2016 at 7:45 pm

    Sometimes I get very down when we talk about the BBC Scotland

    Ruby replies

    Your shouldn’t get depressed just think even with the BBC having the immense platform & all that money 45% of the electorate voted YES.

    I can’t imagine any of the 45% will change their mind. Once you have seen the light there is no going back.

    I never get depressed or annoyed by the BBC probably because I almost never watch it and I do not buy a licence.

    I do occasionally watch a programme on the iplayer particularly if it is being discussed here on Wings.

    I have never listened to Call Kaye and from what people say about her programme I can’t imagine I ever will.

  205. Cadogan Enright
    Ignored
    says:

    Hi

    I need a better version of this to make a poster

    https://wildernessofpeace.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/bettertogethereu-1.jpg?w=474&h=194

    did they use any other formats for the EU message?

    can anyone help?

  206. Apollo
    Ignored
    says:

    The BBC on a number of subjects, a wide number of times has shown bias and not being impartial. In short, it is a public institution that is not functioning properly.

    The fact needs to be faced that there could be a referendum next year. I had hoped that it wouldn’t occur for a few years so that the Scottish government would have time to fix the public institutions, including the BBC, that works to the remit it has been given without political, institutional or any trendy ideological philosophy before the referendum.

    In regards to what I mean to the above comments with the BBC, I want a organisation that fully complies with it’s remit and free from government, both in Edinburgh and London, and in it’s reporting carries out full and thorough investigation of all current events. In terms of Scottish indy, a strong and independent media is nothing to be feared. In fact, exposing real flaws in the argument of independence rather than the usual FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) as well as the manipulation of truths helps rather than hinders. In fact, it helps make the arguments even more stronger.

    As much as we can wonder what could have happened if we had the time, the fact is that we aren’t in control of events and one of the consequences of that is we have to live with the biased BBC.

  207. Ruby
    Ignored
    says:

    I’ve had a number of different tradesmen doing work in my house and I noticed that they all had a radio and listen to it while they work.

    I hadn’t really given much thought to who might be listening to radio I suppose I thought radio didn’t have much of audience.

    Now I’m thinking there must be quite a large number of people who spend their entire working day listening to radio.

  208. Cherry
    Ignored
    says:

    @Cameron B Brodie

    Followed your link …did you see this small sentence.

    “This section of the Code does not apply to BBC services funded by the licence fee, which are regulated on these matters by the BBC Trust.”

    Have they covered all the bases and crossed all the T’s!!!

    This organisation is set up in such a way they are looking more and more like MI5-MI6. I read somewhere that specific films made in USA were actually written and produced by CIA I think JFK with Kevin Costner was one. We all know the “special relationship” crap, well it looks to me as tho they either learned from UK or they taught the uk.

    So does this then mean that if we complained to the EU about propaganda during our Indy they couldn’t help!!
    Jeez it’s like a nightmare that just keeps repeating.

  209. CameonB Brodie
    Ignored
    says:

    Why the #@&£ these are not being enacted with regard to news regarding Scotland and Scottish independence, is anyone’s guess.

    Respected or even enforced, rather than enacted. Sorry. Carry on. 🙂

  210. Ruby
    Ignored
    says:

    Dave McEwan Hill says:
    20 July, 2016 at 10:29 pm

    Great front page in tomorrow’s National

    Ruby replies

    Yes great front page!

    https://archive.is/26vg9

  211. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Naina Tal says: 20 July, 2016 at 6:40 pm:

    ” … I used to restore valve wirelesses for fun. Most of them had shortwave and I used to do a bit of globetrotting listening to english speaking broadcasts.”

    Aye! Naina Tal, me too and I also restored several ex-WD communications receivers. Not to mention I worked in Rosyth Dockyard Radar, Radio & Sonar Workshop.

    ” … That’s when I realised that the Westminster government have total control.”

    I’ve also explained why that is so to.

    The written recorded history of Britain began with the Romans and the Romans were the first elite ruling class based in Londinium. They were the very first Establishment of Britain. They left no real trace in our gene pool because the did not interbreed with the aboriginal Britons. However, the Roman’s ruled by Romanising the aboriginal Briton Leaders who ran Roman Britain for them.

    When the Romans left the Briton leaders had no experience of defence as the Romans had done that for several hundred years so the Romanised Briton Leaders invited the Germanic Anglo-Saxon tribes to come to Britain and defend South Britain but the Anglo-Saxons then replaced the Romans as The Establishment.

    It is not generally understood that the following Elite Leaders, all of who treated the aboriginal Britons as serfs, villeins or slaves, were variations of the Germanic Tribes as were the Anglo Saxons. That is such as the Norsemen, Vikings and Normans and sitting there in the modern House of Lords are still hereditary Peers descended from those same royals and aristocracy.

    The Westminster Establishment has always been a sham – at least since the English, “Glorious Revolution”, of 1688 when the then English

    Parliamentarians, threw out the Royalty they shared with the Kingdom of Scotland and imported King Billy & Queen Mary on condition they delegated their Royal veto over parliament.

    So that is the actual situation, “The Establishment”, of the South of England has been an unbroken line since Roman times and the more modern Westminster party system will always close ranks against any outsiders who are rash enough to challenge the might of, “The Establishment”.

    But guess what? The North Britons, and that is the Scots were not part of the Roman Empire and there has been an unbroken line of Scots who have never stopped fighting to get to hell out of that Westminster Establishment.

    Don’t you realise the present claims made by many Yessers that there are Red, Yellow and Blue Tories is just exactly saying these parties comprise, “The Establishment”, along with the other parts of that, “Establishment”, like the Church of England, The English Public Schools system, the MSM, upper level armed forces, Upper Level Civil Services, Security Services and so on.

    We are fighting against the Establishment and they will always close ranks when we pose them a threat.

  212. Gary45%
    Ignored
    says:

    I never thought I would thank the Empire Broadcasting Corp.
    So here goes.
    Many thanks for the years of balanced, unrivalled and honest TV.
    As your broadcasts were so honest, I decided in 2014 to stop paying for the licence which had allowed me to be overwhelmed daily.
    One of the many reasons for my gratitude to the BBC is I now have broken free from the Empire Matrix, and have found gems of programmes on the internet.
    If anyone else is of the same mind, I suggest watching Jonathon Pie on Yatube, I think there are about 50 short vids of this guy ,very funny.
    I noticed it mentioned earlier regarding the BBC Aye Players new criteria, so as from the 1st September I will be completely free from the Martix, as I normally skip through the pish on Reporting Shortbread at about 9.30 pm, each evening .
    No more QT on Thursdays with it weekly balanced panel, No more Brewery, No more Brillo etc.
    So once again thank you BBC for helping me break free from your quality service.
    Can you watch Amazon TV without the licence?

  213. Jack Collatin
    Ignored
    says:

    ‘Once again I would stress that I am guilty of having been obedient, having subordinated myself to my official duties and the obligations.’
    Adolf Eichman’s Defence at Nuremberg.

  214. CameronB Brodie
    Ignored
    says:

    Cherry
    I would suggest that ample evidence exists pointing to the BBC’s role as monkey to the British state (the organ grinder). It has been hidden in the open since it’s very inception but who will report it?

    Certainly not the BBC.

    http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-state-the-deep-state-and-the-wall-street-overworld/5372843

    https://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/anthony-barnett/is-there-uk-deep-state

  215. Lochside
    Ignored
    says:

    Sorry I don’t agree with this article. By saying that, I am not suggesting abuse or harassment of ‘journalists’. But to deny the right as an unwilling ‘taxed payer’ to criticise certain individuals who display outright partisan ‘reporting’ is ridiculous.

    As mentioned, Glen Campbell’s uncalled for and unprecedented ripping up of the SNP’s manifesto on the steps of Holyrood; Elanor Bradford’s inexplicable expenditure of public money in FOI requests in a blatant attempt to blacken the SNP; James Cook’s faux ‘riots’ reports around the blessed Murphy; the collusion by the presenters such as Jackie Byrd, Sarah Smith, Catriona Renton to attack the SG time after time; Kaye Adams’ silence in face of the constant personal insults made on her phone-ins about Alec Salmond and now Nicola Sturgeon; Cameron Buttle’s revisionist report of the George SQ. post Indy riot.

    It is a given that the BBC is a State organ of propaganda against Scottish self determination. Prof. Robertson and G.A. Ponsonby have produced the irrefutable evidence. So why should we give respect to this enemy institution in our midst openly opposing us undemocratically? And why should we respect and not criticise the paid pimps that promulgate its poisonous pish?

    Was Lord Haw Haw innocent? As I recall the Brits didn’t think so..despite being an Irishman from the Republic, they still hung him.I am not advocating hanging anyone or harming them physically. But their reputations deserve to be trashed in the same way that they have colluded to trash their country’s confidence and its reputation.

    The Pacific Quay pimps may think that they can mime being journalists in the meantime, but sooner or later the Big Hoose on the Quay..and the hairline fault-line of deceit running throughout its fabric will crack asunder under the weight of the Scottish people’s disgust with its perversion of the truth. When that day comes..where will these hollow men and women go>

  216. scotspine
    Ignored
    says:

    Robert @ 10:31

    I know, but I got notification of the petition by email (as an SNP member) and signed it immediately via my smartphone. What excuse have the party members who haven’t signed yet, holiday or not.

  217. Iain More
    Ignored
    says:

    @Lochside

    Well said.

  218. Calum McKay
    Ignored
    says:

    Clue is in the name bbc.

    Scots will never get a square, transparent and fair deal from a british institution, someone in London will be getting their piece of the action first. We get crumbs from the table with the message you are lucky to get this, agitate and you’ll get nothing.

    Today leading wit a piece from brian wilson, talk about yesterday’s despised and out of touch man!

  219. Robert J. Sutherland
    Ignored
    says:

    Cuilean @ 19:39,

    Very curiously for an organisation specifically dedicated to the public dissemination of information, the BBC was specifically granted a non-trivial immunity to FOI requests.

    See, eg.:

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_Information_Act_2000

    This was intended to protect its journalistic activities from possible compromise. Which is fair enough. But the BBC consistently apply the exemption blanket-fashion, so eg. you can’t even get them to reveal the viewing figures for individual programmes!

  220. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    Hi peeps.
    I was moved to post this on my Facebook page (and other pages) tonight. Not about the BBC but it does concern “the media”.
    ————————————————
    In case anyone in Scotland is still in any doubt that stuff is made up and published to suit the agendas of journalists/reporters/hacks/unionist liars…
    There’s a story in The Herald today, headlined,
    “SNP moves away from ‘land of milk and honey’ vision of independence”.
    (Link below)
    Anyone reading that headline would assume that, at some point, the SNP had claimed that an independent Scotland would be a “land of milk and honey”.
    Total fabrication! Alex Salmond used that phrase in an interview with STV’s Bernard Ponsonby on 8th September 2014, where,

    “Mr Salmond said: “We are proposing, you mentioned austerity, to move out of austerity by having public spending at three per cent a year. That’s a lot better than the one per cent which is projected by the Tories and Liberals and agreed to by the Labour Party.
    “Public spending at three per cent a year is not a prince’s ransom. That is going to involve an allocation decision particularly as we defend the health service in that context, which will still mean money will be tight for a range of public services. We are not promising a land of milk and honey.””

    So Alex Salmond said, “We are not promising a land of milk and honey.”

    The people who turned that unequivocal statement on its head, were the likes of David McLetchie (TORY) in articles in both The Telegraph and The Guardian, where HE was quoted (in The Telegraph),
    ” But David McLetchie, the Scottish Tory constitution spokesman, said: “The SNP would be better advised to answer the important points made in the article about Scotland’s future.
    “Instead, they are manufacturing outrage aimed at anyone who dares to question their perspective that a separate Scotland would be a land of milk and honey, a line they are constantly pedalling about our future.” ”

    He was quoted in The Guardian,
    “But Scottish Conservative constitution spokesman David McLetchie said: “The SNP would be better advised to answer the important points made in the article about Scotland’s future. Instead, they are manufacturing outrage aimed at anyone who dares to question their perspective that a separate Scotland would be a land of milk and honey, a line they are constantly peddling about our future.””

    Quotes from an article in The Independent,
    “A Better Together spokesperson dismissed Mr Salmond’s remarks as “more misleading claims from the nationalists””
    “”This is embarrassing timing for Alex Salmond. Coming after one of the world’s leading oil and gas experts exposed the risks to funding for our schools and hospitals in an independent Scotland, nobody believes Alex Salmond’s claim that there is a land of milk and honey waiting for us if we vote Yes.””

    Finally, reinforcing the point of media (unintentional?) pro-unionist bias, the same “Better Together spokesperson” was also quoted in the Huffington Post.

    There are more examples available on the web but I think you’ll get the point. You have to read beyond the headlines and read between the lines.
    BTW: Magnus Gardham, Political Editor at The Herald, formerly worked for the pro-Labour, pro-unionist ‘Daily Record’.
    http://archive.is/6WfKY
    I’ll provide the links for the quotes in this post in my next comment.

  221. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    Well, that’s 15 minutes since I submitted the follow-up post with the links – 5 of them – and it hasn’t appeared. So I’ll resubmit in two parts – 3 links then 2 links.

    Here are the first 3 corroborating links:-

    http://stv.tv/news/politics/news/291330-alex-salmond-grilled-by-bernard-ponsonby-in-referendum-interview/

    David McLetchie-
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9203329/Alex-Salmond-manufacturing-outrage-over-Economist-Skintland-cover.html

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk/scotland-blog/2012/apr/13/alex-salmond-economist-skintland-scotland

  222. Lenny Hartley
    Ignored
    says:

    Loch side re Lord Haw Haw he held a British Passport so even though he was born in New York and raised in Ireland and a Informant to the British during the Irish Civil War and later became a German citizen they deemed him to be a grey fergie.

  223. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    Well, that’s 15 minutes since I submitted the follow-up post with the links – 5 of them – and it hasn’t appeared. So I’ll resubmit in two parts – 3 links then 2 links.

    And here are the other corroborating links:-

    Better Together spokespersons:-
    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/scottish-independence/scottish-independence-salmond-claims-scotland-would-be-wealthiest-country-in-the-world-to-become-9683319.html

    http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/08/20/salmond-says-yes-vote-would-make-scotland-wealthiest-country-in-the-world-to-declare-independence_n_5696711.html

  224. Graeme Doig
    Ignored
    says:

    Lochside

    Very well put mister. Everyone of those people are perfectly well aware of the anti Scotland propaganda they are asked to present.

    They are surely just as aware of the news items that don’t fit the establishment agenda and don’t feature.

    BTW Noticed tonight that we are still privileged to be told the weather forecast for England after reporting Scotland even although no one watching stays there.

    I was delighted to hear there would be highs of 25 degrees tomorrow then realised she was talking about southern England.

  225. Chic McGregor
    Ignored
    says:

    What is the chances of getting the verb – to beeb, established?

    For example if someone, for whatever reason, tries to bullshit you you could reply “Are you beebing me?”. If they ask “Beebing?” Explain what it means and say “Don’t beeb me man.”

    If it gained currency in vernacular language, that could have a powerful effect.

    Remember ‘the Archer’ meaning a bribe?

    No beebing.

  226. J R Tomlin
    Ignored
    says:

    “Yes supporters should already be focusing on far more constructive ways to air their legitimate complaints.”

    All very well and makes a certain amount of sense (although as usual I don’t totally agree with Stu) but he doesn’t mention a single practical way of doing so.

  227. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Britain is Booming say the media in the south
    Scotland is Doomed say the media in Scotland

    Nah! Can’t possibly be deliberate, they couldn’t be telling lies could they, The media just makes mistakes don’t they

    I’ve pointed this out before BBC Misreporting Scotland with it’s red white and blue set opens with a spinning union flagged graphic of a world which whirls and settles over a Union flagged Scotland set in a white sea

    Cue the newsreaders name and the names of other presenters in red white and blue graphic bars accross the bottom of our screens

    Now here is the unbiased news, Scotland is shit and everything in it, and getting worse by the minute “compared to” (I like this bit) the UK, and it’s all the fault of that Incompetent and terribly Baad SNP

    The SNP never did something good but the UK did
    So there you have it folks the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and you heard it from your very own truthful BBC ( press the blue button for the hard of thinking)

    Sport: For all Rangers supporters, although we the BBC hate the very sight of you, we hate the SNP more, so that’s not so bad eh

    Leslie Riddoch doesn’t want Indyref2 in case we lose
    Well,I don’t like flying in case the plane crashes but I still want to go somewhere
    I swear that woman talks such a load of herbal raffia shite
    at times I can smell the camomile tea from here

    One final note: In Bishopbriggs today all copies of the National newspaper were gone by 12 Noon
    Now I don’t know what that means, they could have not had many delivered or they could have all been stolen, but they were indeed not on the racks, if however, they were sold Hmmn (strokes chin)

    I admit to total bias on all things Independence and would cheerfully blow the BBC up. ( joke about the blowing up thing ) No it’s not…..Damn fingers, mind of their own

  228. Molly
    Ignored
    says:

    What is quite scary is that chart states 22.9m is spent on Radio Scotland. What are they spending it on?

    I’ve learned more and got a better understanding of foreign events by listening to David Pratt and other guests on ‘The Full Scottish Breakfast ‘ streamed from the Yes Bar on a Sunday morning, than I ever have from BBC Scotland.

    Isn’t it ridiculous that our national broadcaster is deemed incapable of understanding and reporting on events outside of Scotland.

  229. Robert J. Sutherland
    Ignored
    says:

    Dr Jim,

    On more than one occasion over a recent period, I have observed you coming troublingly close to flirting with violence (see eg. this thread @ 14:15, Wed.)

    Now (@ 00:45), you are dumping verbal ordure on Leslie Riddoch, who has probably done more to promote indy than your rants ever will, so WTF?

    If the Rev is right and it’s counterproductive to verbally abuse individuals in the unfriendly media, then it’s even more counterproductive to verbally abuse people who are most definitely on the same side!

    Unless you’re a agent provocateur, that is…

  230. James Barr Gardner
    Ignored
    says:

    HMS Ambush (Astute Class Royal Navy Submarine) in Gibraltar Harbour after bashing its conning tower off a merchant ship!

  231. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    OT, well there’s a surprise.

    Indy Ref 1 we had 3 Unionist parties solidly against us, and what surprised me was that none of the main politicians came over to us. Now we have Labour in disarray, potentially split over Indy ref 2, and where to stand on it. And the LibDems have gone very quiet. My feeling is that we should leave them alone to sort out their problems and hope the Force is with them. Be nice to them!

    But wheereas before we had what I at least would call a decent Conservative party not too far from the conservative voters we have in Scotland, it even supported a Remain in the EU vote, I think since the EU ref it’s moving more and more to the far right in tune with Westminster. But some MSPs and the decent voters won’t like that. So my feeling is we concentrate on that and, indeed, go for divide and conquer. What Scotland after a YES vote doesn’t need is a far right Conservative rump. It needs decent Conservatives!

    All brickbats please to R. Davidson, Scottish Tory House, c/o Westminster, W1 1AA.

  232. msean
    Ignored
    says:

    Remember seeing head of BBC at Westminster being questioned as to the circumstances of getting the job,there was something re a meeting with Mr Cameron.

    If the the Prime Minister (Tory or otherwise) has anything to do with okaying/selecting/interviewing the head of an organisation,it is going have a problem being believed when it claims impartiality,whether it actually is or not.

  233. Meg merrilees
    Ignored
    says:

    Re James Barr Gardner 1.13am

    Just done some quick research:-

    Ambush is the second of the Astute class, nuclear-powered subs. to be built at BAE, Barrow-in-Furness and was commissioned on March 1st 2013 at a cost in excess of £1 billion.

    The ‘Astute’ class has stowage for 38 weapons and would typically carry both Spearfish heavy torpedoes and Tomahawk Block IV cruise missiles, the latter costing £870,000 each.

    However, the good news is that this class of sub. is the first to give each member of the ship’s company their own bunk – that justifies the price tag, silly me!

    Good job Article 50 hasn’t been invoked yet – might not have got into Gibraltar Harbour!

  234. defo
    Ignored
    says:

    Bias. noun. Inclination or prejudice for or against one person or group, especially in a way considered to be unfair.
    Tick

    Quantum. In physics, a quantum (plural: quanta) is the minimum amount of any physical entity involved in an interaction.

    Has Brian Cox been wasting his time with you Stu ? 🙂
    ————-
    Is ‘War criminal’ on the meh list of words & phrases ?
    ————-

    And finally. Is Auntie being biased by burying the (illegal) Syrian ‘collateral’ story, given their trumpeting of similar, ( but legal) smaller scale Russian fuck ups, or just being economical with the actuality ?

  235. Clootie
    Ignored
    says:

    Pacific Quay is the modern Fort George. They are designed with the same purpose and located with the same intent.
    Guns have been replaced by propaganda but it is still using the principal of a garrison force of Scots led by “unionist officers” to subdue Scotland.

    Fort George (Gaelic: Dùn Deòrsa or An Gearastan, the latter meaning literally “the garrison”), is a large 18th-century fortress near Ardersier, to the north-east of Inverness in the Highland council area of Scotland. It was built to pacify the Scottish Highlands in the aftermath of the Jacobite rising of 1745,

  236. Skintybroko
    Ignored
    says:

    Biased Broadcasting Corporation supports Bullying Racist Egregious Xenophobic Intransigent Totalitarian regime.

  237. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    @ briandoonthetoon
    Just read that Simon Johnston article in the Telegraph you linked to. Written in April 2012, it shows how the anti-independence brigade were campaigning years before the vote. “Skintland” – It’s the default position in Westminster and always has been.
    Indyref1 shone a big light into that darkness.

  238. cearc
    Ignored
    says:

    Burying bad news, ‘Downing Street plotted to use baby Prince William against CND protest.’

    https://archive.is/FB3zc

    including, better to be shot by a Brit than a yank.

  239. scotspine
    Ignored
    says:

    Folks, BBC Fort George (thanks for that Clootie) online this morning. It’s the pinnacle of trolling.

    Not a mention of the Clyde Frigates being licked into the long heads, no siree!.

    What they do have front and centre is a “report” on how Alex Salmond PROMISED a swift inquiry into the Edinburgh Trams project, but it apparently has dragged on at a cost of 3.7 million. That would be the Teams project that the Labour Council utterly mismanaged.

    If this as any other country ( I’m not advocating this by the way, let’s be clear), Pacific Quay would have been occupied and gutted by now.

  240. MBC
    Ignored
    says:

    OT but we are falling asleep here! Conservative support now on 24% in Scotland.

    https://yougov.co.uk/news/2016/07/18/voting-intention-conservatives-lead-eleven/

    We need to geg our asses into gear.

  241. scotspine
    Ignored
    says:

    Typos owing to hasty with anger and not checking
    Predictive texting. Greer

    Read licked into the long heads as kicked into the long grass and Teams project as Trams project

  242. Robert Louis
    Ignored
    says:

    I can remember well (and I wish I had recorded it, watching the Tory Government minister Eric Pickles on the Daily politics show with Andrew Neil, maybe a year or so ago. At one point, Eric Pickles said to Neil, ‘Well I am your boss’, to which an astonished Neil said no you are not, and Eric Pickles responded with ‘well in an indirect way I am’. The conversation then moved swiftly on.

    I assume the BBC will have destroyed that particular episode. It happened maybe a year or so ago. Sadly, I was in a busy nightmarish situation at the time, so couldn’t communicate or record it etc..

    Fact is, the head of the BBC Trust is appointed by the Prime minister (technically the ‘Queen in counsel’). Make no mistake, as Eric Pickles rightly pointed out, The Westminster Government of the day are indeed the bosses of the BBC. All the spin about impartiality is just utter bullsh*t.

    You do not get to be on the BBC trust, unless you fit the Government agenda. That is how it is done. The Government appointed BBC trust then appoints the BBC director general, who then appoints and approves all other staff.

    The BBC, Pravda for the Western world.

    Link on BBC Trust : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Trust

  243. ScottieDog
    Ignored
    says:

    @capella
    “Just read that Simon Johnston article in the Telegraph you linked to. Written in April 2012, it shows how the anti-independence brigade were campaigning years before the vote. “Skintland” – It’s the default position in Westminster and always has been.
    Indyref1 shone a big light into that darkness.”

    ‘Skintland’.
    It’s funny, anyone actually understanding money and govt finances in the modern economy would read that as a damning indictment on Uk economic policy.
    A country with vast resources per capita but shorn of proper expenditure to unlock them. We see it around the world in countries such as Nigeria where there is a wealth of resources but the population is impoverished.

    The neoliberals such as the Tories and about 80% of the labour PLP still believe or want others to believe that we are on a gold standard where money is in short supply.

    Scotland needs a sovereign currency to unlock its potential.

  244. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    http://www.euractiv.com/section/uk-europe/news/may-warns-against-scottish-eu-hopes-ahead-of-merkel-talks/

    “May replied explicitly that some ideas coming out of Scotland are “impracticable”. ”

    … which means Scotland in EU & UK. She’s probably right.

    Next best situation would be a Norway Solution. However, this seems to be like being in the EU in all but name. For instance, Norway makes net contributions not unlike the UK’s. I think this would also be too much for Brexiteers.

    I would suggest more ‘severe’ Brexit should be unacceptable to SG. So that leaves IndyRef2.

  245. Scott
    Ignored
    says:

    All this about the BBC how about this one,papers released from Maggie time.

    Mr Thatcher wrote: “The extent and depth of political bias in the BBC is a matter of opinion, but this is a disgrace judged by any standard however low.

    We are all told there is no bias at the BBC that is the reply we all get in answer to our complaints from them.

  246. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    Lochside: “Glen Campbell’s uncalled for and unprecedented ripping up of the SNP’s manifesto on the steps of Holyrood.”

    I missed that one – what a stupid thing to do.

    We all recall and can’t forget Kirsty Wark’s aggression when the SNP were first elected, and she ‘tackled’ Alex Salmond then our First Minister as if he was a terrorist who had infiltrated the BBC. Though she subsequently apologised, she betrayed BBC Scotland’s attitude to our democratic rights and to the SNP in particular.

  247. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    On complaining to the BBC:
    My experience as a former BBC executive producer: http://wp.me/p4fd9j-15z

  248. Fred
    Ignored
    says:

    An excellent post from Lochside, high time the SNP employed a clued-up press officer to refute the constant pish-drip from the Scottish media. This is no job for well-meaning amateurs , we are dealing with well-paid bastards here & the stakes couldn’t be higher.

  249. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    OT
    So my posting never appeared on Kevin Hague’s blog, so I wonder if he’s chicken, likes to only put up posts that support him, or is too afraid to have a posting up on his blg which clearly proves him being very confused between “fiscal transfer” and “deficit gap in cash terms”.

    Poor keverage has zero credibility.

  250. Fred
    Ignored
    says:

    An excellent post this morning from Lochside, high time the SNP employed a clued-up press officer to refute the constant pish-drip from the Scottish media. This is no job for well-meaning amateurs , we are dealing with well-paid bastards here & the stakes couldn’t be higher.

  251. Muscleguy
    Ignored
    says:

    @Geoff Huijer

    One small correction, it is bad form to believe your hypothesis is true and the testing of it starts in experimental design so the test is a true one and the most difficult thing: that an appropriate control is used.

    The number of experiments we would like to do but can’t because no control is possible is vast. Like ‘do processed meats cause cancer?’ because you cannot put people in controlled situations where they eat defined diets and all else is controlled for decades.

    The closest that we can come to is twin studies. Except we now know that imprinting can differ between identical twins, making them less than identical.

  252. Gerry
    Ignored
    says:

    @Robert Louis = 0737

    Not sure if this is the show or not, http://subsaga.com/bbc/news/sunday-politics-west/2014/05/25.html
    “25 May 2014 – Andrew Neil is joined by communities secretary Eric Pickles, Labour MP Diane Abbott and Ukip’s Patrick O’Flynn to discuss the local and …”
    No video, but there is a transcript.

  253. gordoz
    Ignored
    says:

    Don’t know if anyone else has noticed the habit of P Quay and ‘flowery wee’ nothing stories like the weather on Tuesday.

    Reporters interview includes only ‘Scots accent voices’ / mainly younger folk; 10 or so, safe to avoid incomer accent or South of the border to highlight SNPBad, as no danger in a nothing story.

    So strange on all matters of some importance that affect Scot Gov, stories always include the voices other than Scots accents, (often dominate) and if Scots then always older voices likely to say less favourable things and lean towards SNPBad.

    If you doubt this then go back and look at the news reports of Tuesdays record weather.

    Funny that eh ? (No BBC manipulation going on … nooooohhh)

  254. Macart
    Ignored
    says:

    @galamcennalath

    Interesting wee piece that.

    So glad Ms. May made that particular statement. It’ll make things so much easier when the time comes. As for her other statement on how very important the union is to her?

    Yes, I’d say we’re well aware of why the union is important to the PM and it has nothing to do with any warm fuzzy feelings of fellowship or empathy. 🙂

  255. Effijy
    Ignored
    says:

    I have registered complaints with the Blatant Biased Corruption channel on previous occasions, but as all too many of us know, we get a bog standard condescending reply
    that avoids the undeniable facts and or the issues raised.

    The BBC deliberately avoiding the cancellation of 13 new Navy ships for the Clyde, in the name of Westminster propaganda is an affront to our Nation and Democracy.

    I sent the e-mail below to their Points of View programme
    as their normal complaints channel is devoid of integrity:

    There is a petition on the 38 Degrees web site, where just under 90,000 Scots have protested about BBC’s Bias against any information that would hold the Westminster government to account over lies and promises made previously made to the people of Scotland.

    The Tories Promised 13 new Navy Ships for the Clyde, as part of their campaign to secure a No vote in the Scottish Referendum.

    This was later downgraded to 8 Ships, but ships that would ensure there would be no gap in orders, or loss of Skills, due to an order gap.

    Despite Scottish Tory Leader Ruth Davidson’s Pledge of 2 weeks ago, where she promised the new ship orders would be placed, and within the agreed timescales, their promises were dashed on the rocks today.

    It was officially announced that No new ships will now be ordered, and there will be a gapping hole in the orders book, and specialist skills on the Clyde will be lost forever.

    Your Blatant Bias Corruption did not see fit to report this major story affecting Scotland and the Clyde’s most famous industry, but you did pad out your “news” bulletin by interviewing a Millionaire Famer in Aberdeenshire who has diversified to grow soft fruits??

    It is absolutely disgusting that you do not report on the biggest Story affecting Scotland for over a month, and an insult that you deem a nice chat about growing soft fruit to be significantly more important.

    It should come as no surprise to you that your viewing figures, and credibility, are dropping like a lead brick, and that more and more Scots are cancelling the Westminster Propaganda Tax, or License Fee as you like to call it.

    It has also been revealed today that the BBC Spends only 55% of Scottish
    Licence Fees on Scottish based programmes, some 13% less than last year, and as it turns out, less than the expenditure that you commit to Wales, although they have almost Half the population of Scotland.

    Your organisation is a subversive force against Democracy, Decency, Journalism, and the Truth.

    They have all of my contact details, and Points of View do cover some thorny complaints, so I am quite prepared to face the consequences of taking on the might of UK
    propaganda.

    This is little to ask when compared to what our Irish Cousins have sacrificed in the name of Freedom.

    Please sign the petition below or endure your second class citizenship in England’s largest colony, until you die.

    https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/independent-enquiry-into-bbc-bias-regards-scottish-independence-referendum

  256. Ruby
    Ignored
    says:

    https://archive.is/8exE9

    UK nuclear submarine collides with merchant vessel off Gibraltar

  257. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    Poor Duncan Mcphee union convener in the shipyard trying hard on radio shortbread, but unsuccessfully,to convince us that 13 ships which went to 8 and maybe soon to be 0 was all just part of the rough and tumble of contract negotiations.

    I thought I heard a hint that a SG might have started to build at least 5 equivilent vessels but…too risky!

    I am sure many workers voted ‘yes’ at the time but pressure from Davidson and Lamont citing loss of jobs if a ‘yes’ vote occured carried the day in most homes in and outside the shipyard.

    The contract will be dangling for a while longer by the Tories as an incentive to us all. 🙁

    PS
    Olympics ‘you must be jousting’ 🙂

  258. Bill
    Ignored
    says:

    Meg,

    Hot bunking was no joke! My first bunk was in the torpedo compt (fore ends) on a rack where a weapon had been removed. Used to wake up with my leg over a sub-harpoon!

    They deserve their own bunks.

    P.s they’re called boats not subs!

  259. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    Head of the BBC goes to Downing Street every week or more for a PM meeting for instructions. Head of BBC Scotland goes for a meeting every month or more for instructions. Thatcher broke the Ministrial code for a fair and balance Press. Gave Press ownership over to Murdoch (right wing) then denied it. It was in UK Gov papers released last year (under the thirty year rule Secret’s rule). The Times was a reputable paper before that. Harold Evans, the ex editor, did an article about it. Andrew Neil was Thatcher’s BBC man in Scotland. Lying BBC broadcasts. Still available. Covering up Thatcher’s corruption. Leopard’s never change their spots. Still Disreporting.
    .
    Westminster is rotten to the core. The Unionist members are disgusting. May is just another Tory liar. The way she comes across is insignificant. Play acting and devious. The Tories broke electoral rules to gain power. Another Tory set up. They will be gone before long. Labour will not be any better. The fear they exhibit when Scottish Ibdependence is mention is significant.

    BBC Scotland can prattle on but they are finished. The majority aren’t listening anymore but on the Internet. Researching and getting their own facts. Support for Independence is increasing. It spite of the BBC nonsense. The MSM is owned by tax evading Non Doms. They want to keep tax evading. If they have to sanction and starve the vulnerable, causing migration they will.

    The UK/US and France have caused the migration crisis by illegally bombing the Middle East to bits for years. Causing war and destruction. Illegally taken their resources and caused mayhem, death and destruction. They should be ashamed, Cut the Defence Bill and give Aid to regenerate what they have done. Scotland can stop this farce by voting for Independence. Break the chain for a more equal, prosperous society. Get rid of nuclear weapons. Build frigates to patrol the shore and stop tons of drugs destroying communities and the society.

  260. Breeks
    Ignored
    says:

    Perhaps the Scot Gov should plan ahead for a travelling roadshow for the next Indyref, but I mean REALLY go for it.

    Set up a series of 8 or 10 constitutional debates at different venues throughout Scotland, maybe a couple in Europe, but do the whole thing. Set up it’s own production, and essentially make a program of adequate quality to be broadcast on TV, but not made or administered by the broadcaster.

    Perhaps the Scotgov can persuade a big name from the wider world to chair the discussion, and support the format with mini bitesize programs which could introduce the issue which the panel is about to discuss.

    I am after all merely describing what a diligent news broadcaster would be doing in any normal part of the world. It’s a job which simply needs to be done, but we are saddled with wall to wall BBC which is incapable of doing it, and should not even be trusted to try.

    But I mean something “more”;, something a cut above the norm. A landmark quality event. You could call it the 12 pillars of Independence or something, with every edition focussed exclusively on one facet of the wider campaign.

    Episode 1. Scots Law and Constitution. Celebration of Globally significant declaration of Arbroath and relevance today. Too cheesy to hold it in Arbroath? I don’t think so.

    Episode 2. Scots languages and heritage in modern education.

    Episode 3. The Scots Roll in the Empire; from Darien to Basra via the killing grounds of the Somme.

    Episode 4. Scottish Education and Second Enlightenment. Where should Scotland be looking to move towards AFTER independence.

    Episode 5. Scottish Industry. Reindustialisation and a holistic plan for the Scottish economy, but not a fractious debate about GERS or statistics, instead a strategic “master plan” for the type of economy we aspire to have by the end of the 21st Century. We have kids alive now who will see that economy.

    Episode 6. Neoliberalism, and how it changes the values of a society.

    Episode 7. Europe. Scotland’s place at it’s heart.

    Episode 8. Oil. From McCrone to George Osborne, but the holistic view; the way a historian 50 years from now might summarise the benefits of Scotland’s history as an oil producing Nation. Again, not a fractious debate dwelling on oil prices or barrel counts, but objective audit and commentary.

    Episode 9. Democracy and manipulation of the Scottish Narrative. Broadcasting and social media.

    Episode 10. Infrastructure and population Growth and where Scotland lags behind. The Barnet formula and the story of where Scotland’s money goes and come from.

    Episode 11. Currency and Scottish wealth or deficits.

    Episode 12. Summary of issues 1 to 11 and ultimum debate about sovereignty.

    Scotland is unique in history. It is OUR Declaration of Arbroath. It’s a document of global significance still recognised after 7 centuries of existence and a foundation upon which many countries have founded their own constitutions. We have such bona fide wealth and depth to our history, heritage and culture, that we could at least attempt make an equally significant modern article of democracy and the foundation of a Nation. Let OUR debate and Nation building be a credit to us and a worthy yardstick for all.

    We all know the iconic World at War series form 1974, with Lawrence Olivier’s compelling narration. It is the benchmark against which all other war documentaries are judged. Why can’t we aim to produce a similar benchmark production for establishing a modern democracy which is as watchable for us as it might be for a Catalan, or Chinese, Iraqi, American, whatever… Something good enough and engaging enough to transcend controversies and opinion.

    Yes, perhaps it might be expensive, but sometimes things are expensive for a good reason. But never mind the cost, what other culture can open any book with the 1320 Declaration of Arbroath as its preface?

    There is nothing to stop us.

  261. Bill
    Ignored
    says:

    SG should consider buying the 3 offshore patrol boats for sale in Barrow, it’d send a message and start a precedence. Maritime patrol boats staffed by a mix civilian officers and Royal Navy staff seconded to the unit.

  262. Lollysmum
    Ignored
    says:

    Scotspine
    Re billboards- Scunnered was trying to set up a project to get billboards with indy messages but I’ve been out of touch lately so don’t know whether it’s a ‘thing’ yet.

    Cherry-do you know what happened with http://www.inform.scot ???

  263. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Today we’ll have a debate in the HOC instituted and secured by Scottish Labour’s new and improved Scottish Labour spokesperson Ian Murray on the Inclusion of the devolved administrations role in Brexit negotiations

    After the Scottish referendum Ian Murray completely dismissed the 45% of YES voters with a cursary attitude of they need to get over it accept the result and move on as a country
    Now that the EU vote in Scotland has a huge majority for Remain Ian Murray has become terribly concerned with the 38% of those who voted to leave the EU because in his words “Their wishes must be respected”

    Today in the Kingdom of Yoon we are about to witness a red and blue Tory stitch up attempt on the SNP, who must attend and take part or they look like they don’t care what a minority of Scots think thereby making them look like the only thing the SNP wants is Independence at any cost

    Now we know that’s pretty much true but the only people not allowed to say it are the SNP, so all day today will be a series of pre planned attacks on the motives of the SNP and not very much about the way forward which is what this pretence of a debate is supposed to be about

    In short Ian Murray and his Tory colleagues get to screech SNP Baad all day so that the BBC and others can report that the SNP are indeed Baad plus the Bonus Ball for Ian Murray is he gets back on to the front bench that he resigned from a couple of weeks ago, result, at the very least two to three days of Ian Murray back on the telly repeating the same shite he was talking before he resigned

    Some folk are suggesting Kezia promoting Muuray was a strategy she thought up out of her very own thick head whereas I would suggest viewers

    Did she flying F..k

  264. Ruby
    Ignored
    says:

    Tam Jardine

    I’ve been busy as you requested looking into ‘Extra Regio’ activity.
    Info about ‘ER’ is pretty scarce. I did find this:

    At present, Scotland’s economic statistics, as compiled by the Scottish Executive, do not even present the first of theses two approaches accurately. For example, Scotland’s current economic statistics exclude extra-regio.

    This means sales from Scottish companies to the North Sea are not classed as exports – so exaggerating Scotland’s trade deficit.”

    https://archive.is/aorgi

  265. Ruby
    Ignored
    says:

    scotspine says:
    21 July, 2016 at 7:28 am

    Typos owing to hasty with anger and not checking
    Predictive texting.

    You are posting comments too quickly. Slow down.

    🙂

  266. Stoker
    Ignored
    says:

    Is the BBC biased?
    http://archive.is/rhpsT

  267. Valerie
    Ignored
    says:

    @Breeks

    I love that idea. A way of building knowledge, and creating anticipation to learn more.

  268. manandboy
    Ignored
    says:

    Right now, the sums for Independence still don’t add up.

    IndyRef2 + BBC Scotland = No

  269. Les Wilson
    Ignored
    says:

    Could not connect to Wings this morning, would not connect using “Chrome”, switching to Firefox connected no problems,
    strange.

  270. Ruby
    Ignored
    says:

    http://tinyurl.com/hbqnert

    ‘When will English politicians understand Scotland and the SNP?’

  271. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    After over 300 years in a union the people of Scotland still do not enjoy full civil rights, but hey, they do have a release for their frustrations with access to BBC Scotland’s phone in programmes, assuming they are selected and stick to the topic chose by the BBC.

  272. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Ruby
    Good article on GERS you linked to, keep digging!:

    “In addition, some important and sensitive government expenditure is allocated to Scotland, such as nuclear decommissioning, that ought to be charged to UK account.”

    Just another lie to add to the mountain from the House of Trolls
    https://archive.is/aorgi

  273. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Les Wilson
    I switched to Firefox recently after problems with Chrome freezing up. But Firefox has also developed problems. But it tells me that a “script is running” which is causing the problem, a shockwave flash script.

  274. Ken500
    Ignored
    says:

    The BBC makes people sick.

    Scotland already pays £4Billion a year for Defence. Yet no frigates to patrol the shores, to stop tons of drugs from destroying communities and society. Lossiemouth is being used to illegally bomb the Middle East and Trident is based outside Glasgow in Scotland against the majority wishes and the public interest. Vunerable people are being sanctioned and starved at home and abroad by the Westminster Unionist lying hypocrites.

  275. liz
    Ignored
    says:

    Don’t forget Outlander.

    I don’t know if I would like that prog but that’s irrelevant.

    It is a prog made in Scotland using Scottish talent and no doubt employs other folk who live here in production, extras etc.

    It has a worldwide audience and wins numerous awards.

    And here, it’s only available on Amazon.

    It should have been bought by the BBC but then we are a colonial outpost, can’t have the natives getting above themselves.

    I detest the BBC and would love to see it closed down

  276. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    They’ve got no studio’s near Holyrood but they do make fantastic grovellers. Its maybe just me but they kept showing this peak time, just before ref 1. The middle ages had nothing on 21st century BBC vote NO again Scotland.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0196tx6

    Elizabeth Queen of Scots

  277. Molly
    Ignored
    says:

    There’s a wee story in The National this morning reporting “The Community Channel has become the UKs first national TV station to be owned by the public after a successful fundraising campaign backed by Sir Lenny Henry”.

    “The channel raised more than £390,000 through crowd funding, exceeding the original £300,000 target and will become the first community – owned channel.

    Mm

  278. Robert Kerr
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T

    Another thought re BBC/SG.

    It is an affront to democracy and an insult to our parliamentarians to force them to travel to PQ from our Capital City to be in a British Broadcasting studio.

    All parliamentarians should refuse to do so.

    Funds should be made available to provide adequate studio facilities in our parliament and a high integrity link to the BBC for onward transmission. All output should be recorded at source and any subsequent editing by BBC highlighted to all.

    No more dodgy mikes and camera feeds.

    We can win this time.

  279. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Mm

    They wouldn’t give YESers a broadcast licence. To get a radio or tv broadcast licence looks relatively straight forward but its not legislative, its down to the decision of UK.gov. It looks legalisation but its not.

    http://licensing.ofcom.org.uk/tv-broadcast-licences/

    So without a UK.gov licence, youre not going to get anywhere. One the massive differences in real world freedom of speech perceptions and realities for all teamGBists really.

    In American, anyone can open a radio station but they have to be commercially viable. Here in the UK, the might of the BBC squishes almost all commercial radio station activity for obvious reasons but in this great capitalist UKOK land of ours, that’s all ok because as we know, the BBC is worth its weight in rule Britannia establishment gold, and they dont even have to pay for it either.

  280. Stoker
    Ignored
    says:

    The corrupt appointment of Rona Fairhead to the BBC
    http://archive.is/VUgIN

  281. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    @Ruby

    Our UK submarines are so secret they can’t be found
    Except when they run aground or bang into other boats

    Even when a Russian submarine sailed right up the Clyde they kept themselves so secret they didnae notice or do anything about it

    Makes you wonder how they’d manage to hit Moscow with a Trident missile when they can’t even give the Russians a row when they’re only a mile away

    Of course they could always fire a missile at Glasgow and blame it on the Russians, two birds with one stone there, get rid of the Scots and get a war going with Putin at the same time

    Must be money in that for somebody
    Would you put it past them?… I wouldn’t

  282. starlaw
    Ignored
    says:

    Ian Murray can be guaranteed to look after Ian Murray. If it becomes certain Scotland will leave the UK Ian Murray will be up front, declaring it was his idea all along.

  283. Luigi
    Ignored
    says:

    Dr Jim says:
    21 July, 2016 at 9:45 am

    Aye, I thought Ian Murray was being a tad anti-democratic this morning. “Oh wait, we must also respect the wishes of the 38% who voted out”. Talk about a switch of emphasis. Well, the red tories quickly forgot about the 1.6 million people who voted YES in 2014 (and boy did they pay the price for that lol). Sounds like yet another dirty, anti-democratic spoiler tactic by Labour, just to muddy the waters and sow confusion. There is no confusion Murray – just look at the bloody BREXIT map!

    I would have thought that Murray and Dugdale would be concerned about problems closer to “hame” than this great effort to muddy the waters. The people of Scotland are only too aware of what happened last month. The question is are they sufficiently outraged to go for it this time.

  284. Grouse Beater
    Ignored
    says:

    Molly
    How far is the transmission reach of a community channel?
    GB

  285. Luigi
    Ignored
    says:

    Apparently the Russians were very annoyed about that “state-of-the-art” British sub that ran aground on a sand bank off the west coast recently. All that effort to locate and track it after it left port – they could have saved so much money if they hadn’t bothered. 🙂

  286. schrodingers cat
    Ignored
    says:

    starlaw

    correct about ian murray

    if slab is to continue after indy, it will need to do so with all new faces, the old guard would need to be replaced.

  287. One_Scot
    Ignored
    says:

    I hear what people are saying about Independence being difficult until the BBC is overcome, and I agree.

    But that is only a fraction of the problem. It’s the whole Yoon British Establishment media that is the problem, from The BBC, STV, SKY, Channel 4 and the whole Yoon print media. They all have a vested interest in lying, misleading and maintaining power over Scotland.

    Until the SNP comes up with an answer to combat the State propaganda machine, we will always struggle.

  288. Stoker
    Ignored
    says:

    The Corruption Of The BBC
    http://archive.is/GcOCc

  289. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    BBC Scotland attack propaganda headline all channels, or nice display of how sometime anonymous liggers, sometimes not, go about their business, well its not business, its UKOK public service

    Cost of inquiry into Edinburgh tram project hits £3.7m

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-36826048

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-36854835

    Vattenfall to invest £300m in Aberdeen offshore wind farm

  290. Lenny Hartley
    Ignored
    says:

    Les Wilson guess u are with BT broadband then lots of their customers could not connect to websites this morning. Better now but still slow, guess it was a DNS issue as FB was working ok

  291. Moonlight
    Ignored
    says:

    I have noticed a sharp decline in the use of the words, “for England or for England and Wales” on recent BBC reporting. Were I an innocent listener I would believe that I now had a new Minister for Education, Health, Environment, Transport, etc,etc.

    It would seem that the BBC, even BBC Scotland, expects that it’s audience is either politically aware or lives in areas of the UK not covered by devolution.

    I have to admit to be bored stiff by listening to the posturing of newly appointed ministers for another country.

    It is of course symptomatic of the general attitude that there is a region in the north of greater England which is really not worth much if a mention other than to deplore the lack of gratitude to it’s betters who are saving us from the depravities of the EU.

    Time for a Scottish broadcaster, totally independent of London, not to be partisan, just to be accurate. Now I don’t know how to achieve this, but there must be a way.

    We can all complain, but perhaps those of us with knowledge, skills and contacts can put their minds to achieving this end. My contribution to this might be limited to a financial contribution, but it would be worthwhile.

    The key to bringing about Scottish exit from the UK and continued membership of the EU is to inform the people They are wise enough to make their own decisions, but only when they have easy access to accurate, unbiased information.

    Thinking caps on please.

  292. Chic McGregor
    Ignored
    says:

    “Don’t forget Outlander.

    I don’t know if I would like that prog but that’s irrelevant.”

    It might be a bit Barbara Cartland but it does convey the benefits of union experienced by the Highlands fairly well and last week had the rise of interest in independence in the 60s as a backdrop.

    I can see why it is blacklisted by the beeb.

    Just this instance had a flash for a T-shirt, how about:

    “I’m a Beeb Leaver.” ?

    Apologies to Justin Beiber fans,

  293. DaveL
    Ignored
    says:

    @liz 10.45am

    Outlander is free to view at

    123movies.com

  294. Molly
    Ignored
    says:

    Yes I understand that Grouse beater BUT we have yourself, L Riddoch , S Cosgrove and no doubt many many others who ‘ work ‘ in broadcasting that I’ve never heard of.

    jack Foster and the rest had to give up basically because of , lack of finance and a venue to operate out of.

    Surely once a station was set up , they all could broadcast from there.

    The ‘Full Scottish ‘ from what I understand, sets up every week to broadcast from the Yes bar and as generous as that is of the Yes bar , it is crazy that Scotland who takes the credit for the man who invented TV cannot provide an affordable studio, ensuring the monopoly of BBC and STV.

    I can get the community channel here in the central belt ( whether I’d watch it is another matter) but if half the country are interested in Independence, there would definitely be an audience.

    The one thing when you watch FSB that comes across ( whatever they are discussing) is that a Scottish perspective is normal. There is nothing bizarre or over ambitious about being interested , involved or responsible for events.

    We’re not wee kids that can only discuss what happens in Scotland , we are quite capable of understanding World events and how they impact.

    We don’t need a channel from London to filter it for us and I certainly don’t need BBC Scotlands agenda of what news ‘ they ‘ think I should receive.

  295. Stoker
    Ignored
    says:

    The stench of corruption at the heart of the BBC
    http://archive.is/pqV1O

  296. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @

  297. DaveL
    Ignored
    says:

    Oops, sorry I’m new to this. Re Outlander. The site is:

    123movies.to

    Not .com

  298. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    Hi DaveL.

    There’s nothing at “123movies.com”.

    But there is something here:-

    https://watchepisodes.immunicity.press/outlander

  299. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    BBC Politics lunchtime show, I can hear Grillo monstering a JC backer for an “unfair” Vote JC poster, is it fair, its not fair, its just not fair etc. Its a poster that says JC goes to anti war rallies and Owen goes to arms fairs.

    Next up, Fraser Nelson oozes out his JC v v bad now. Three BBC/red/blue tories v JC. Sound familiar. Near hysterical BBC liggers are really desperate to get shot of JC, shock. I mean why is far right toryboy Fraser Nelson involved in the BBC v JC monstering and why is it funny.

  300. Ruby
    Ignored
    says:

    Capella says:
    21 July, 2016 at 10:33 am

    @ Ruby
    Good article on GERS you linked to, keep digging!:
    https://archive.is/aorgi

    Ruby replies

    Here’s another article.

    https://archive.is/TfQad

    Massive spending error revealed

  301. ScottieDog
    Ignored
    says:

    Re billboards etc,
    I always notice these vans with billboards that sit on motorway flyovers. I’m not sure how expensive it is but maybe anyone with a van can help?

    Regarding the BBC,MSM etc, yes they are formidable but spent much of their amo in indyref1. So I would imagine they will be seen and called out for what they are. I know probrexiters I spoke to were disgusted at the BBC pro remain bias. I enjoyed puting the boot in about their coverage of indyref1 at that point.

  302. Ruby
    Ignored
    says:

    The following is part of a comment posted on The Herald. I thought it was very interesting and I do hope the person who left the comment doesn’t mind me posting it here.

    ‘I once worked in a leading high tech firm in Southern England. It employed outstanding EU graduates, who had superb English in addition to their professional ability. Once the UK has Brexited, it is likely that such youngsters will not work in England. Talented Scots will be recruited to replace them. If you are more loyal to the Union than to Scotland, you will be pleased at the opportunities that Brexit opens for Scots in the South. If you are trying to run a Scottish company, you will be severely dismayed – it is very difficult for Scottish companies to offer competitive salaries that will retain talented staff. Indeed, Brexit is set to send many highly intelligent & talented Scots southwards. This could be avoided by independence & full EU membership, which would stem the brain drain to England & give Scottish companies full access to top notch EU recruits. (N.B. Ms May has already stopped a programme that allowed Scottish academics to recruit such graduates, causing severe dismay.’

  303. Andrew McLean
    Ignored
    says:

    Interesting to see who sponsors the Community Chanel, http://www.communitychannel.org/ is that to ensure editorial control?

    But if even Motor home enthusiasts can have a channel why not the Yes Group? http://www.motorhomechannel.co.uk/

  304. DaveL
    Ignored
    says:

    @Brian Doonthetoon

    Yea, I got the address wrong and reposted but it has failed to appear. The correct address is:

    123movies.to

    Not .com hope this gets through…

  305. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    Whit!

    I just got the posting of the, “too fast”, message and then this little gem :-

    Error 503 Backend fetch failed

    Backend fetch failed

    Guru Meditation:

    XID: 1118090

    Varnish cache server

    What the hang is that all about?

    Who are, “Guru Meditation?

    What is the Varnish cache server?

    What the hell is a, “Backend fetch”?

    I think I had best do a couple of security scans.

  306. sinky
    Ignored
    says:

    BBC Radio Scotland spending last five minutes giving free publicity to English Heritage and jousting.

  307. Meg merrilees
    Ignored
    says:

    Re Bill @9.32 am

    Thanks for your info. I take my hat off to all submariners.
    Hot-bunking must be horrendous, no offence meant.
    Lifted material from ‘military.wikia.com’ – ‘ship’s company’ their phrase.

    Interesting interview on R4′ Today’ prog. this morning at 6.00am (about 17 minutes in)
    Tim Ripley, Lancaster Uni, voiced several concerns:

    25/30 years since UK designed a nuclear sub or carried out any nuclear explosion, so a generational lapse- basically the actual people to do this project and run it are just not there ( a bit like trade negotiators for Brexit?)

    BAE/Rolls Royce are expert builders but again 1980/90’s since major new nuclear sub. build.
    Previous design from MOD and RN Corps of Ship Constructors but that has been hollowed out and experience thin on the ground. ( more cutbacks)

    Many components involved, not just submarine build but also have to deal with nuclear missiles, warheads, support and maintenance thereof and all has to fit together and run smoothly.

    Barrow workforce reduced ( ironically through something called a Peace Dividend!!!) from 17,000 to 4,000, now about 7,000 but that has caused delays and cost over-runs on the ‘Astute’ programme, not running smoothly!.

    The magic word “Deterrent” is what makes this nuclear programme so sensitive, but if there is any delay, test failure or nuclear accident then that deterrent magic disappears, public support will go and potential enemies won’t be afraid. They have one chance to get it right and if that fails, there is a real risk that this assembly programme is a national humiliation.

    Amazed the EBC broadcast it!

  308. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    Theresa May isn’t as smart as folk think she is, or even as smart as she thinks she is
    This woman has a provocative style and nature about her, certainly not as she pretends, consensual
    This attitude will not sit well with us whingers up here north of the wall and might indeed add to our numbers

    I don’t believe it will be er long before Mrs May begins to strut her jackbooted stuff with her new found Tory arrogant power and the southerners will love the Thatcher comparisons the media will undoubtably portray as laudible

    I do feel those jackbooted heels might as well be shovels though for digging a bigger hole in Scotland that she won’t be able to get out of while Nicola Sturgeon is throwing the dirt back in on top of her with the Germans and the French lending us the tractors to do it with

    There’s only one way for this to end

    Nasty!

    And then we’ll get consensual

  309. Ruby
    Ignored
    says:

    Chic McGregor says:
    21 July, 2016 at 12:14 pm

    “Don’t forget Outlander.

    I don’t know if I would like that prog but that’s irrelevant.”

    It might be a bit Barbara Cartland

    Ruby replies

    Have you ever read Barbara Cartland?

    I have never read Barbara Cartland but I never imagined her novelettes to be anything like Outlander. I could be wrong.

    I haven’t watched any of the Outlander episodes but I did read all the books. The few previews I’ve seen of Outlander the scenery looks amazing and I might watch it one day but I think I might have overdosed on Outlander by reading books 1 -7.

  310. Breeks
    Ignored
    says:

    Valerie @ 10:05am

    If it was ever to happen, it would need started soon.

    But a discreet approach to our friends in Europe might help the funding package, but I think Europe would approve. Then I suppose it comes down to reputable safe hands in the TV production industry. Pro Indy TV initiatives seem to come and go like shooting stars, and it’s not my area of expertise or connection. Who is the “go see” person?

    You’d need the Scottish Government on board, Scottish academia, and a great narrator. Re-enactments always help, though paradoxically, The World at War was all archive footage. Might be stretching it to find footage of 14th century Scotland. Anybody mentions Braveheart they get a ding in the lug… Having said that, the difference post production can do to a movie is quite inspiring. Surely we have Scottish friendly bods in the movie word who can chuck in their lot?

    Script writers, graphic artists,… Massive project, and that’s before all the high tech equipment.

    Makes you wonder what latent talent we have out there in this country of ours, and whether it can be mobilised quickly.

    What do you reckon folks? Think the idea has legs?

  311. ScottieDog
    Ignored
    says:

    Really wish I could doodle like Mr Cairns so I could explain the following in a picture.

    The recent announcement by Teresa May talking about the government continuing to live within its means can give the SNP a huge amount of ammo. I don’t just mean in terms of trident but in terms of stating that the treasury has no understanding of the national accounts.

    Let me explain what’s going to unfold…
    The government continues its austerity drive which puts the rest of the economy into deficit (govt puts less in than it takes out).
    The rest of the economy can only increase its income in two ways
    1) through revenue from exports
    2) through increased borrowing from commercial banks.

    Option 1 isn’t available since the UK is a net importer.
    That leaves option 2.

    Teresa may is effectively saying we want you the population to increase your borrowing from the banks to stimulate the economy. Problem is Teresa, household debt alone is sitting just north of £1.5 trillion (that’s not total private debt which weighs in around £5 trillion). So household debt is on a par with the national debt (part of which is owned by the ‘independent’ Bank of England)

    Mark (I’m independent of govt – NOT!) carney is instructed to reduce capital requirements for banks in order to make it easier for people to increase their personal debt.

    The increase in private debt pushes us closer to the situation we found ourselves in at the end of 2007. Sales decrease because people are more indebted, hence have less disposable income and have less money to spend on goods – hey presto we are in recession. Unemployment rockets, banks become insolvent and the govt has to step in to prevent an economic China syndrome with another £500 BN of spending in corporate welfare for the city of London.

    Result – govt bastly increases its stock of debt.

    The SNP should be getting huge economic mileage out of this. Come on guys where are you!

    Sent from my iPad

  312. Chic McGregor
    Ignored
    says:

    You got me Ruby. Never read a Barbara Cartland.

    Was merely using it as shorthand for bodice-ripping historical romance novels, which I admit might be quite wrong in Barbara Cartland’s case but that is the image I have absorbed along life’s way.

    I swithered on using Mills and Boon instead, but am no more knowledgeable on those either.

  313. Ruby
    Ignored
    says:

    Outlander to me is more Philippa Gregory, Jean Plaidy (historical fiction) with a dash of sci-fi. The time travelling aspect of it made me laugh. Woman in 20th century knocked up by Scottish Lord living in the 18th century!
    The books were pretty enjoyable.

    The books were recommended to me a good few years ago by a group of American ladies who had come to Scotland to followed the Outlander Trail. They were big fans! I was intrigued so I decided to read the books.

    Diana Gabaldon has a fans all over the world and a lot of them flock to Scotland to follow the trail and buy their ‘Dinnae fash yersel sassenach’ tee shirts.

    It’s great for the tourist trade. Outlander is currently being shown in Japan.

  314. Stoker
    Ignored
    says:

    The BBC Is A Sinister Organisation:
    It Must Be Abolished, Not Reformed

    http://archive.is/Zb9tK

  315. Lenny Hartley
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T Manx GE in September, one aspiring MHK (same as Msp) says if Brexit happens we need to join with Ireland or another country. Scottish TT sounds good to me 🙂

  316. Valerie
    Ignored
    says:

    Remove heavy objects from reach before reading

    https://twitter.com/PeterGrantMP/status/756047964473266176

  317. Tam Jardine
    Ignored
    says:

    Another blow for Sturgeon as attorney general reinforces that only way for Scotland to stay in EU is independence.

    Don’t these anointed geniuses know this is the big driver for indy? And the ‘you’ll do as your told’ line is as repugnant to the electorate now as it was when George Osborne was telling us we couldn’t use the pound?

    Do they not know they are doing the running for the independence movement? Do they even try to imagine how their message is playing out?

    I imagine Nicola with a wee smile forming every time one of these belligerent fools lays down the law.

    Is this a trap or is there some higher strategy at play? They canny be that thick, can they?

  318. Ruby
    Ignored
    says:

    Chic McGregor says:
    21 July, 2016 at 1:22 pm

    You got me Ruby. Never read a Barbara Cartland.

    Was merely using it as shorthand for bodice-ripping historical romance novels

    Ruby replies

    bodice-ripping historical romance novels
    like these?

    http://tessadare.com/bookshelf/

    Outlander is a step up from these bodice rippers.
    I hate these books I would never have read seven of these I just look at the cover and it puts me right off.

    Regency romance/Georgette Hayer another author I don’t read.

  319. Valerie
    Ignored
    says:

    @Lenny Hartley

    Fascinating! I know the SG, Salmond etc have fostered relations there.

    It’s the Celtic nations coming together. I think Cornwall is of the ancient Celtic nation, and they already want out!

  320. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    This could be avoided by independence & full EU membership, which would stem the brain drain to England & give Scottish companies full access to top notch EU recruits. (N.B. Ms May has already stopped a programme that allowed Scottish academics to recruit such graduates, causing severe dismay.’

    Its everything EU in Scotland that’s gone to rat shit. Even Scottish academic archaeology is losing or has lost massive EU backing within 4 weeks

    This got BBC Scotland report but they left out the end bit. Its just one more reality behind UK tory propaganda, as dudes like Nigel Farage get lovely C4 Jon Snow peak time news chats in the US, or Douglas Carswell, the only UKIP MP in the UK, is never off BBC r4 news, saying stuff about anything. Endemic, tory BBC led media, corruption.

    http://www.orkneyjar.com/archaeology/nessofbrodgar/2016/07/dig-diary-wednesday-july-20-2016/

    “We now have grave concerns about what lies ahead as Britain’s current European relationships are readjusted – grants which we hoped to pursue may prove horribly elusive. We obviously push every possibility but to do that, we need to have time to do so and funds to pay the team of 1.5 people who basically make the thing happen.

    Nick is senior projects manager of ORCA, with a myriad of other projects to run, over and above the Ness; I do what hours the project can afford.

    And that’s how it is.

    It’s the same for archaeological research projects across the UK. We do our very best to make the Ness the best archaeological exploration we can, to raise Orkney’s world-wide profile and to give you the best experience of this amazing place. If we fall short, we apologise, but it’s that F word which trips us up.”

  321. Liz Rannoch
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Breeks, Molly, Robert Kerr & rest

    This is why I love this site. So many ideas bouncing off each other. Can I add mine?

    Anybody remember Radio Luxembourg? The darker it got the clearer the reception? Would that kind of thing still work today?

    Would the SG need a licence for their own studio in H/Rood?

    @ Breeks 9.35am

    Great idea – however, as somebody who was never interested in history (although now I realise I should have been) or economics – I’m more a geographyist – I would hope that while giving salient facts, it could be done with a ‘light’ touch to appeal to as many people as poss.
    Should not the Declaration of Arbroath be referred to as ‘The Declaration of Independence signed at Arbroath’ bit of a mouthful (which is probably why it was shortened) but would be nice if that could be used more often.
    Lastly, could we get Dougie Henshall to narrate? Pretty please?

  322. Art McGuinness
    Ignored
    says:

    How much of the money brought in by the BBC is spent on foreign productions whether from USA, Europe, Australia etc, and what would be Scotland’s share of that cost? How much would then be deducted from the £144m balance?

  323. Artyhetty
    Ignored
    says:

    Re;Capella@10.38am

    You can use, ‘Duck Duck Go’, instead of firefox, not perfect, but worth a try.

    Ruby, interesting to read that, regards brain drain from Scotland to england@ 12.41.

    It is a travesty that many of our young have to leave to go south for a decent living due to UKgov restrictions on programmes that would be attractive to them in Scotland. During our election, way back in May(!) standing outside on poll duty, a woman from a yoon party was talking about how her neice is going to be ‘joining teamgb’ and how great that is, hockey or something. I just said, hmm, more talent leaving Scotland, have to say she nodded at that.

    Whether it’s sport, academia, environmental, nursing, the arts(!) many just simply leave having studied in Scotland. It is also a disgrace that Scotland educates and trains people to be highly skilled, only to lose them, their taxes never staying in Scotland. Many will buy second homes here for their retirement, comparatively cheaply, eventually. Brexit might not be quite the golden nugget for england though, as many will want EU citizenship, so will stay in an independent Scotland.

  324. Luigi
    Ignored
    says:

    Tam Jardine says:

    21 July, 2016 at 1:35 pm

    They canny be that thick, can they?. 🙂

    🙂

  325. Valerie
    Ignored
    says:

    @Tam Jardine

    Your comment ties in with my link to Peter Grant.

    I think the answer is no, they don’t think. Not known for their self awareness, or empathy, which, if you REALLY care about people, you need.

    You read Dr Jim’s outline of Mays persona, and for those that don’t read people, it’s important.

    There are those that blunder on deliberately, like the AG, because when you are born to rule, lies and rhetoric are all part of the package. Then there’s May, who watch their language, but then do exactly what they want anyway.

    I found Mays acceptance speech outside Downing St quite chilling, because she has no intention of delivering anything good for the 99%.

  326. Macart
    Ignored
    says:

    @Tam Jardine

    Clocked that one Tam and had a bit of a laugh. It seems they’re making that choice awfy easy at this point.

  327. schrodingers cat
    Ignored
    says:

    agreed with Ruby

    i used to be very active in promoting the save rosslyn chapel campaign and once had the occasion to speak with the earl of rosslyn. i asked him about the da vinci code and the holy blood and the holy grail books, he answered, “look at the huge cover over the chapel, and the costs of of the conservation work !, dont you think if there was a hidden treasure here i wouldnt have dug it up already?. afterwords he did admit, that it wasnt the official history of rosslyn books that would save the building but pseudo history books

    a bit like saying, “im prepared to accept the world is round, im just happy the bit I live on is flat”

  328. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Another slice of UKOK propaganda rancid The Graun style, as usual, no questions like, how come Sweden’s got £300 million for a wind farm offshore Scotland, sorry offshore UK, how come rancid’s liggers fail to mention total reneging of UKOK.gov vote for Green teamGB begging/promises etc?

    https://archive.is/FFXM4

    Rancid Graun plonks a raging SLab yoon like Brian Wilson well above any SNP mention in this neat display of UKOK British propaganda works reasonably subtly this time. Wiki says socialist worker Brian Wilson was an energy minister 13 years ago for 2 years and now he’s holds directorships in a number of nuclear energy businesses.

    But

    “Groebler dismissed claims made on Wednesday by the former energy minister Brian Wilson that “offshore wind in Scotland is pretty much dead” after a court upheld a legal challenge against several projects over their impact on wildlife.”

  329. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Fred says: 21 July, 2016 at 9:03 am:

    ” … An excellent post this morning from Lochside, high time the SNP employed a clued-up press officer to refute the constant pish-drip from the Scottish media.”

    Oh! Cummon guys! Have a bit of thought before getting together as a group who are all yelling in unison, “SNP BAAD”. Just whose side are you all on?

    Consider what you are attempting to say – preferably before posting anti-SNP propaganda to help the Britnats.

    The first point is that, no matter how professional and competent an SNP appointed Press-Officer was, that SNP Press officer would get exactly the same treatment by the Westminster Establishment Propaganda Wing as did Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon and every other advocate of Scottish independence has had for as far back as I can remember. The Press Officer would also be ignored, lied about and either not-reported or mis-reported.

    If the Westminster Establishment can get away with derogating, ignoring and lying about the overwhelmingly voted for First Ministers of Scotland, whatever makes you imagine they would not also derogate, ignore, lie and mis-report an SNP, or even an SG appointed, Press Officer?

    The real problem is neither the BBC nor the general MSM, (Main Stream Media). The Problem is the lack of a proper Scottish Government instigated Scottish Media free of not only Westminster control but also of Scottish Government control.

    In other words the real solution is a media in Scotland that is run by people of integrity and uses real journalists who also have real integrity.

    What we have now is wall to wall biased chancers without a shred of integrity among them. Any honest journalist has been forced out years ago and the placeman/woman is chosen to be totally free of any semblance of professional pride and lack of integrity whatsoever.

    I’ll put that another way – You cannot buy true journalistic integrity — but you sure as hell can buy a biased, lying chancer.

  330. liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Chic & Ruby
    Outlander both books and program aren’t really romance in the most generally understood way.
    It’s more an Adventure story,using the relationship/marriage between the two main characters to tell the story.
    It’s a bit like the way the “romance” between Jack & Rose was used to tell the story of the sinking of the Titanic.
    The main thing is though that it is a Scottish story,made/written in a way that, as we have been discussing in this thread,is not subservient to the British narrative.
    If it’s nothing else it is certainly entertaining and different.
    The fact that it looks like it’s being quietly suppressed here should tell us all we need to know about how Scotland and the Scot’s are portrayed.

  331. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    I think Wingers can do anything they set their mind to. I also believe that there are those of Celtic persuasion on these islands who would want to be part of it.

    If our collective will is there ,we can do anything. There are many involved in broadcasting and reporting who either are directly or indirectly involved with the indy movement.

    We undoubtedly have the basics in terms of contributers writers etc. We probably need technical advice more than anything at the moment.

  332. scottieDog
    Ignored
    says:

    @Liz Rannoch
    Certainly ‘night effect’ or high pressure days improves the chances of duct propagation – a phenomenon which allows HF to travel over incredible distances.
    I’m a sado I know.

  333. Tackety Beets
    Ignored
    says:

    Call Me Dave

    I only caught GMS 7.30 to 8 ish this morning.

    It was interviews with 3 Unionists “proclamations”

    Yes folks it was 3 in a row.
    Like CMD I thought Clyde U Conveynor Mr D M will be a bit conciliatory considering their new found situation. i.e. NO WORK !

    Not a jot , he was still Pro Union , WM etc

    I hope this was his “Public Face” and within himself he knows better.

    Anyway 3 Yoons in less than 30 mins , where else but the balanced BB F****n C ****s

  334. Graeme
    Ignored
    says:

    Radio Carroline was started I believe to break the record companies monopoly on pop music broadcasting, no licence required because it broadcast from international waters.

    would a similar radio station work for news and current affairs

    just a thought

    Graeme

  335. bjsalba
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T

    http://nypost.com/2016/07/21/trump-i-might-not-help-nato-members-if-attacked-by-russians/

    I can just see the world with Boris the Bufoon and Trump the Chump in top positions.

    Probably cause mass suicides amongst diplomats!

  336. Liz Rannoch
    Ignored
    says:

    @ scottieDog

    Thank you, I am enlightened…. I think? lol

  337. Andrew McLean
    Ignored
    says:

    liz G
    correct as I said before why would the prime minster of any country waste his time discussing this with the CEO of Sony,
    it is’t the content its the overriding political narrative, Scotland a county oppressed by a foreign invader. Like the Burn’s poem “to a mouse” was about social injustice.

  338. carjamtic
    Ignored
    says:

    Our relationships,are no longer with the old news ‘service providers’ they have been consistently exposed as merely government propaganda outlets and establishment puppets.

    Yes they still battle to influence,where they can,to deflect parents,to scare grandchildren and grandparents,with their bad news,project fear type,twisted stories.

    In the end though they are in decline,most people today interface with the modern new media,like WoS,they are too smart now,to believe the propaganda of the old traditional outlets of doom and gloom,of the BBC/MSM,these old institutions have been left behind.

    We are living in an enlightened period of communication,the change you may think,is happening too slow,slower than you would wish,but the reality is…it is not gradual,it is happening a lot faster than you realise,more linear and as we all know…. the truth will always be the truth.

    🙂

  339. Dan Huil
    Ignored
    says:

    OT Britnat nuclear sub collides with boat near Gibraltar. Rule britannia ha ha ha.

  340. jcd
    Ignored
    says:

    Lollysmum 9.45

    Scotspine

    “Re billboards- Scunnered was trying to set up a project to get billboards with indy messages but I’ve been out of touch lately so don’t know whether it’s a ‘thing’ yet.

    Cherry-do you know what happened with http://www.inform.scot ???”

    That’s Scunterbunnet you’re thinking of. Inform-Scotland.org looked very promising but simply – or so it appears – sank without trace and without any explanation as to why, as far as I’m aware anyway.

    Signkick: Local Outdoor Advertising on Billboards and Bus Stops

    https://www.signkick.co.uk/ Proxy Highlight

    Billboards are a proven way to increase your local sales. Find the poster sites fitting your budget in just a few clicks. It is as easy as buying a book online.

    JCDecaux UK | No. 1 Outdoor Advertising Company

    http://www.jcdecaux.co.uk Proxy Highlight

    JCDecaux is the UK’s number one out-of-home advertising company, part of the world’s leading outdoor advertising company.

    Billboards | Clear Channel UK

    http://www.clearchannel.co.uk/our-products/billboards/ Proxy Highlight

    We have more than 4,000 billboards throughout the UK that give advertisers a big and beautiful platform to create stunning advertising, helping build brands and …

    Exterion Media | Local & National Outdoor Advertising Experts

    http://www.exterionmedia.com/uk/ Proxy Highlight

    We know your local audience. Exterion Media is the market leader in Outdoor Advertising on transport networks in all local markets throughout the UK.

  341. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    How come Pacific Quay gimps never mention what might going on in SLab in their scotland region, as Dugdale’s ghosted and JC gets monstered by BBC England. SLab goonery is involved but not BBC Vote SLab Scotland. Weirdos.

    Duncan Hothersall ?@dhothersall 41m41 minutes ago
    Corbyn called out for taking credit for things Labour colleagues have achieved *despite* him, not because of him.

  342. frogesque
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Dan Huil 2.57:

    Left hand down a bit!

  343. Cherry
    Ignored
    says:

    @Lollysmum

    We have been working to get it up and running. There is a huge amount of legal hurdles we have had to jump. Also the others (Cadogan, Simon and Colin)
    Have other jobs in the real world which put food on the table for their families. I don’t work and do wish I could do more but it’s not about us not doing anything it’s more filling forms and making sure we are LEGAL so we can’t just be shut down. Sorry not to be more help. It’s very frustrating for us all but getting it right is our aim, don’t want councils removing billboards as it will be all of our funds wasted and we do need money to make it work….so please hang in there…we are getting there … honest 😉

  344. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Far right teamGBists are not that keen on anything other than BBC, SKY, ITV, shock:D

    euan mccolm ?@euanmccolm 4h4 hours ago
    the misogynists’ voice.
    0 retweets 2 likes
    Reply Retweet
    Like 2
    More
    euan mccolm ?@euanmccolm 4h4 hours ago
    the antisemites’ voice.
    0 retweets 2 likes
    Reply Retweet
    Like 2
    More
    euan mccolm ?@euanmccolm 4h4 hours ago
    the imbeciles’ voice.
    1 retweet 5 likes
    Reply Retweet 1
    Like 5
    More
    euan mccolm ?@euanmccolm 4h4 hours ago
    the people’s voice: a deranged conspiracy theorist’s project. also david icke’s tv channel:

  345. Vambomarbeleye
    Ignored
    says:

    @Ruby
    I have also read the books. The series is worth watching.

    Heard some thing on the radio that a judge had ruled against any more wind farms. Case brought by RSPB ???

  346. Naina Tal
    Ignored
    says:

    Dan Huil
    Would that not be “boatie” collides with Britnat nuclear sub. Rule Britannia”. There fixed that for you.

    Hope Lizzie has third party insurance.

  347. Andrew McLean
    Ignored
    says:

    Dan Huil
    I don’t find it funny. They are our sailors as well, and despite what you think, Yes voters amongst them, men and women who hopefully will transfer to the Scottish Naval Defence Force.

  348. Freo Alcluith
    Ignored
    says:

    In reference to the need for our own voice in printed media, can I recommend a pro-Indy monthly magazine, iScot (the i stands for Independence) available in some shops or from pocketmag.com.
    Scots politics, Scots history, a whisky column, Scots film-making news and more.

  349. John Jones
    Ignored
    says:

    Maria Patrick on 38degrees has had her request for information from the BBC under the freedom of information act refused!
    Seems strange that a petition with 100,000 signatures is ignored.
    next step the broadcasting authority?
    I Don’t expect much of anything from them either.

  350. Naina Tal
    Ignored
    says:

    Graeme
    Would that we could set up a station. I was a frequent listener to Radio Caroline as well as the ORIGINAL Radio Scotland (242 metres).

    Reason they all closed was that Westminster changed the law to make such broadcasting illegal.

    Now what if a friendly European country was to operate a powerful transmitter beamed at Scotland?.

    Remembering another of my listening choices here- Radio Luxemburg. Under the blankets on a Sunday night to listen to Stuart Hendry..

  351. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Heard some thing on the radio that a judge had ruled against any more wind farms. Case brought by RSPB ???

    The only threats migrant birds face are habitat destruction and getting shot. EU environmental protection for migrant bird habitats is now gone and anyone with a shot gun can shoot as many geese as they like. Having stood and watched tweeted up toryboy’s blassting away at migrating ducks, waders and geese, its just another aspect of life for the toryboy’s on the UKOK bit of planet toryboy.

  352. Ruby
    Ignored
    says:

    Chic McGregor

    Why don’t you have a read of Outlander. I listened to some of the books on my i-pod. I had quite a spooky experience when I was walking up the Royal Mile listening to one of the books. I can’t remember which one it was but Jamie & Claire were in 18th century Edinburgh walking up the Royal Mile just as I reached The Worlds End Pub the characters in the book were also approaching the World End Pub! Spooky!

    Edinburgh Libraries has the Outlander series on CD. Or you can download MP3’s from One Click Digital using your library card.

    http://tinyurl.com/zyyl8v3

    I’m looking forward to hearing what you think! Enjoy! 🙂

  353. jcd
    Ignored
    says:

    Cherry 3.01

    Just tried (about 10 mins ago) to submit a post in which I said that inform-Scotland.org had basically disappeared without explanation b/c that’s how it looked to me, nothing about progress, updates etc.

    Also included in the now disappeared post url’s for billboard advertising companies.

    I’m really glad that something is actually happening because I’m sure you don’t need me to remind you of just how important this is.

    In future could you keep us posted with progress updates (if it’s safe to do so, no doubt some unionists watch things here) and when to expect upcoming crowdfunds to cover costs, I’m assuming that’s how costs for the actual hires will be covered.

  354. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    My Slovene girlfriend kicking some mean Brexit ass! with stuff what you’d never hear mentioned by Paciic Quay.

    Adam, lovey, if you’re out there, and we know you are an avid WoS reader, you’re on the wrong side dude.

    Why Theresa May should beware Angela Merkel’s honeyed words
    21 Jul 2016 14:01

    6 Recommend In response to RatuJone2
    the mood on the continent has hardened

    Exactly.

    See the results of the recent YouGov poll across six EU members (considering May’s current visits abroad, pay attention to what the people in France and Germany want):

    The UK has to respect freedom of movement, else no trade deal

    No generous deal and no favours for the UK

    And this elsewhere in the Guardian:

    According a poll published this week by the Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research, such views are widely spread not just in Bavaria but throughout Germany. A majority of medium-sized and large companies indicated support for the EU taking a hardline stance against Britain after the referendum, with 56% saying they were in favour of the advantages of EU membership being revoked for the UK.

    The Brits have majestically cornered themselves into an incredibly weak and desperate situation. They have to negotiate their relationship with the rest of the world while having zero convincing bargaining chips. Any bargaining chips that the UK may try to put on the negotiating table will be instantly annihilated by the UK’s weak desperate situation.

    The more the UK delays negotiations, the more hostility against the Brits grows in the EU-27. It is now politically impossible for the EU-27 leaders to give the UK any favourable conditions whatsoever – if they do such a thing, their voters will get rid of them immediately. Somehow I do not think that hundreds of politicians in the EU-27 (including the MPs in the 27 national parliaments) will all commit a political suicide just to appease the deranged blackmailing UK.

    View discussion

  355. theflagg
    Ignored
    says:

    Andrew McLean@3.10

    Exactly, well said sir

    Dan …. deary deary me.

  356. Naina Tal
    Ignored
    says:

    What Robert Peffers said!!

  357. ruby
    Ignored
    says:

    The judges rule covers the four offshore wind farms that were due for development in the Forth and Tay estuaries.

    RSPB went to court to stop the developments and I agree with them.

    The bird cities are just starting to recover from severe population declines over the last decade or so and any disruption to their migration, food sources could set the recoveries back.

  358. Chic McGregor
    Ignored
    says:

    Ruby,

    My wife has the books so I may tak a keek eventually but my reading list is pretty full at the mo.

    Re reading Le Guin, various graphic novels etc.

  359. Phil Robertson
    Ignored
    says:

    YesIndyRef2 says
    “even from their own target, London with a population of 8.7 million, just 13.6% of the UK population, gets to spend 50% of the spending. Well, that’s fair, but not in my eyes.”

    It would be unfair if only people in London were allowed to watch that content. But that is not the case. I think you would a similar imbalance in spending within Scotland between Glasgow/Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland. It simply reflects where things happen.

    In any event, the spend in Scotland does not include any charge/cost for the BBC’s investment in the vast bulk of UK network TV, radio and online content consumed by audiences in Scotland.

  360. Big Jock
    Ignored
    says:

    Ian Murray and his cronies will accept a watered down EU deal for Scotland. Essentially free trade. Scotland voted for full existing EU membership. Labour are already backsliding and going to accept the UK deal against Scotland’s clear mandate.

    The SNP must remain absolutely clear that remain means EU membership as it was before we voted. Change can come later in an Indi Scotland. There will be a referendum if Scotland’s vote is respected. If it’s not respected then there will not be a referendum. It’s up to our government to stand up for Scotland.

  361. Liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Andrew McLean @ 2.51
    It’s not just Cameron and his minions,that are trying to keep Outlander low key.
    Compare and contrast the reception of the MSM to a….
    Successful book series.
    Set in the UK.
    Filmed in the UK.
    Actors drawn from the UK.
    Internationally popular especially in the US.
    High production values definitely not low budget straight to DVD stuff.
    Has memorabilia,location tour’s and fan events.
    Instantly identifiable words and phrases.
    All of that can be said about both Harry Potter and Outlander,yet the reception to both these couldn’t be more different.
    Remember all the fuss that went on for years over all of print and broadcasting about Harry Potter?
    To the point it would be unusual for anyone not to know what was ment if you spoke about it,or if it were to be referenced in another TV show.
    Love it or loath it,it is portrayed as something “The British “should be proud of.
    We have seen none of that for Outlander….. can’t think why!!!!

  362. Iain More
    Ignored
    says:

    Chic McGregor says:
    21 July, 2016 at 3:56 pm
    Ruby,
    “My wife has the books so I may tak a keek eventually but my reading list is pretty full at the mo.
    Re reading Le Guin, various graphic novels etc”

    The Dispossessed by Le Guin is one of the truly great Sci-Fi Novels. I would recommend it to any fan of that genre.

  363. jcd
    Ignored
    says:

    o/t but this should really be plastered all over the place far and wide. (Lifted from a recent thread on WGD)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rPFvLUWkzs

  364. liz
    Ignored
    says:

    Hi thanks to those who said where Outlander can be seen but that was not my point.

    Had this been set in England with the same worldwide success it would be on prime time BBC1.

    It’s the attitude that is prevalent, close down anything which shows Scotland in a successful light.

  365. jcd
    Ignored
    says:

    No idea why I c & p’d as it was from the page but it’s not the right link (also removed http://)

    The vid I wanted to post was by a retired civil servant, I think he was, talking about his discovery of the facts about Scotland’s true wealth and Westminster’s cover up. He now runs a blog called Scotlandonitsowntwofeet – I think.

    It’s on a recent WGD thread, easily spotted, and should really be spread far and wide. Please get to it folks.

  366. schrodingers cat
    Ignored
    says:

    It simply reflects where things happen.

    no it doesnt, it reflects where the money is spent. the economy of london benefits from the huge amount of money spent there too.

    scotland subsidises the ebc

  367. Edward
    Ignored
    says:

    In case anyone is interested, the debate on the UK leaving the EU which was not shown on the BBC, but a recording is available here http://parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/ac503051-c9da-46f4-9906-c9a3a9ccd6b2

    This is the one Ian Murray arranged(?)

  368. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    . I think you would a similar imbalance in spending within Scotland between Glasgow/Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland. It simply reflects where things happen.

    Here we go. That kind of bleh Phil is merely a yoonster twist on your “what happens if Shetland wants to be independent of Scotland then, you horrid seps?”

  369. schrodingers cat
    Ignored
    says:

    Chic McGregor

    my reading list is pretty full at the mo. various graphic novels etc.

    Um… Outlander, a bodice ripping porridge western is… very graphic …

  370. Andrew McLean
    Ignored
    says:

    Liz
    Another point is that we have been complaining quite correctly about the political bias shown on most output from BBC pacific qua”calling Jock Land This is London Calling”.
    But the Outlander series shows the BBC clearly as a instrument of the state, the only serious look was on a BBC magazine format that basically rubbished it for being twaddle and a bodice ripper!! But correctly you mention Harry Potter, and that at least never claimed to be anything else but light reading for adolescents so why not anything other than fawning adoration?

  371. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    @ liz, I agree. It’s great to share sites where Outlander can be watched. But the State censorship is outrageous. It denies us the right to see our history and culture reflected in film. We can’t discuss it because most people haven’t seen it. We watch it individually in atomised little units.

    I sometimes feel I’m living in occupied Belguim. The State radio and TV is entertaining. Some of it is excellent quality. But it’s not ours. It depicts another country.

  372. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    It’s the attitude that is prevalent, close down anything which shows Scotland in a successful light.

    Aunties’ been a nasty old c_nt since ever.

    When I was a kid watching the 1978 Argentina World Cup, BBC gits rounded off their whole world cup coverage with a long photo montage of Ally Macleod looking various stages of crest fallen miserable, to a cheezee pop song. Ofcourse England didn’t even qualify that year, so it probably gave the BBC that extra frisson of sticking it to the sweaties thrills.

    Why Scotch cringers like that outfit is my teamGB mystery of the day. There must be just enough cringers in Scotland to keep the whole ridiculous shebang running.

    One of the great UKOK ironies today is that it was late 90’s Crash Gordon and the red tories that gave the BBC the go ahead to lash out at least £4bm, on all their new offices and studios like Pacific Quay. Shit progs about cakes don’t come free, in reverse.

    Pacific Quay is a huge PFI shyst but its nice to know that exact same over paid ultra toryboy BBC management wonks gave Crash Gordon barely 6 months as PM and then he was toast, UKOK toast, or the “most unpopular British Prime Minister ever/one eyed Scottish idiot”

    Poor old Crash. Lie with pigs…

  373. Andrew McLean
    Ignored
    says:

    It is clear both Politically and culturally that the BBC is incapable of any representation of the wishes of the Scottish Nation or truly reflecting its cultural identity, Thus should be treated with all the disdain and laughter that was shown to Hanoi Hanna.

  374. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Toryboy’s in love, the title of my new block buster, set in Slovenia, romance blossoms, because silly old Kevrage cant work out what the in the UKOK hell “fiscal transfer” actually means but he keeps using it, to impress his toryboy fans, and it works.

    David Torrance Retweeted
    Kevin Hague ?@kevverage 9h9 hours ago Gifford, Scotland
    … unless he’s suggesting that in 5 years we’d boost GDP productivity by 16% – I don’t think even Kerevan believes that’s possible
    12 retweets 12 likes
    Reply Retweet 12

    David Torrance Retweeted
    Kevin Hague ?@kevverage 9h9 hours ago Gifford, Scotland
    … and he’s not saying *only* 5 years of cuts – that’s just to get us “on the path” to closing fiscal gap to rUK

  375. bill stevenson (wull)
    Ignored
    says:

    What about a TV station on the internet, telling the truth from a Scottish point of view.
    This is the third time I have tried to post anything on this site.

  376. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Torrance RT’s this and it does reference the Spectators Horatio Nelson everything and everywhere yoonster tory. Christ these guys detest Scottish democracy. Horatio’s on the BBC more than freakin Eastenders.

    http://www.centreonconstitutionalchange.ac.uk/blog/are-scots-european

    There is, however, a puzzle. We had grown used to the conventional wisdom that there was little difference north and south of the border as regards attitudes to ‘Europe’. Here is Fraser Nelson in The Spectator (26th June 2015): “Sorry, SNP, but Scotland’s social attitudes are just the same as England’s”.

    More circumspectly, ScotCen’s Rachel Ormston explained to the Guardian: ‘It’s not a great surprise that Scots are a little more in favour of the EU [than rest of Britain], but not quite as dramatic a difference as the political narrative around the issue would suggest.’ (The Guardian 26th March 2015)

  377. Breeks
    Ignored
    says:

    Thing is too, if we can do it, and sponsor a mere 12 hours of broadcastable prime quality material, half of which would be live debate, even if we can’t get it broadcast, we can put it online without breaching broadcasting rules, but we could also burn copies onto DVD’s and organise a mass letter box drop, or give a free copy away the National.
    We need to reach people who don’t use the Internet. It think there is a good chance people would watch it.

    What can it cost to assemble 12 hours of high quality, well presented material?

  378. Mike d
    Ignored
    says:

    Agree with capella 4.55pm. Everytime i come up to visit my dear old mum, and i hear ebc Scotland shire in the background. All i can see / hear is cricket or the latest English premiership match,talk about f*****g indoctrination. I think I’m still down in deepest Hampshire.

  379. mike cassidy
    Ignored
    says:

    Pirate Radio was and is music radio – and even then it has terrified the establishment for over half a century.

    I am aware of the irony that it was that later scourge of the establishment and complainer of tightly controlled media, Tony Benn who masterminded the demise of the sixties pirates.

    http://archive.is/oQcID

    And nothing has changed.

    From July 2015

    http://archive.is/9NJGW

    and from Ofcom’s own orifice in November 2015.

    http://archive.is/7pGBc

    I think it is safe to presume that Pirate Radio broadcasting news and politics would induce heart attacks in the great and good.

    You could even argue that sites like this are the UK pirates of their day – disseminating widely what they would rather you do not learn and think about.

    And for those feeling nostalgic for those great days of Caroline and the rest.

    http://www.offshoreradio.co.uk/

  380. Graf Midgehunter
    Ignored
    says:

    Test – comments just disappearing…….

  381. Liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Breeks
    Replying with a dodgy memory but
    There are some rules even for the internet about what you can and can’t broadcast.
    I think it was a show called UK column that was ordered off line because it looked like it was being filmed in a “proper” TV studio and therefore people might think it was “proper”news and if it was presenting itself as “proper”news it fell under different rules.
    They got round this by broadcasting from a car.
    This might be why Chunky Mark does the same thing.
    Don’t actually watch the show just came across it so their claims could all be rubbish,or worth looking into before any effort is made to produce a programme.

  382. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    Radio Scotland 242

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_78qsRhdDDE

  383. Valerie
    Ignored
    says:

    Nice to read there are Le Guin fans here! I was reading her stuff 20 years ago, and felt captivated by the writing, and the ideas.

    So much of it also makes you think about ethics, moral dilemma etc. An author I do return to, and there aren’t many I do.

    Thanks to Heedtracker, who posted an Amazon link, I looked through some of the attached recommendations, and I’m revisiting some Celtic legends and mythology, but it’s the more academic side.

    Many regard it as fairytales, but it’s roots are in more scholarly tales told as a way of explaining the world, prior to the big religions coming along, and decrying the stories as pagan, and then they started turning it into Disney mush.

  384. Rex Nash (Cad)
    Ignored
    says:

    So, Kay Burley from SkyNews is to be part of Team GB at Rio. So what if she’s good at archery, I’ll bet lots of ordinary people are even better. Next thing we’ll have Prince Edward on the weightlifting team.

  385. mike cassidy
    Ignored
    says:

    Brian Doonthetoon 6.20

    Be prepared for nostalgia overload!

    http://www.offshoreradio.co.uk/scot.htm

  386. Ruby
    Ignored
    says:

    Chic McGregor says:
    21 July, 2016 at 3:56 pm

    Ruby,

    My wife has the books so I may tak a keek eventually but my reading list is pretty full at the mo.

    Ruby replies

    I’m interested in how you came to the conclusion that the Outlander series is a bodice ripping Barbara Cartlandesque sytle historical romance.

    Do you think your mind has been manipulated by the British MSM?

  387. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    Hi Mike.

    I have that bookmarked! There’s also a page for the Wings Technobods –

    http://www.offshoreradio.co.uk/odds34.htm

  388. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    Thanks for the links to Outlander series 1 and 2. Seems to work Ok.

    She’s well into the 2nd episode.

    Watched the Ian Murray motion. Earlier.om HoC Tv
    Chilling out now.

    PS:
    Footie:
    Aberdeen winning 1-0 (4-0) agg

    Hibs and Hearts on here very soon.

    http://neolive.net/

  389. Liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Briandoonthetoon @ 6.29
    Re The radio station do you know if we can receive it,and/or get anything broadcast on it?

  390. Big Jock
    Ignored
    says:

    If anyone has a Wii.You can download Amazon app and watch outlander. Assuming you have Amazon prime. I am on Series 2.

  391. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    The BBC could sell Pacific Quay and set set up completely in Holyrood, they’re already doing the job of Official opposition, they just need to change the name to Reporting Hoyrood

    The FM nor anyone else in the SNP ever mentioned the word Veto yet everyone else is misquoting away with it
    A wee point on the Attorney General with his misquoting as well, he’s another one who thinks the UK is a country
    where do they find these people

    BTW in Scotland the Attorney General is….. Mister

    I used to feel sorry for the Welsh I’m afraid not so much anymore, those guys are ridiculed belittled and laughed at regularly but they just seem to accept it as some kind of punishment for being born not English

    Backbone Welsh folk, wee bit of pride people, stop getting used to it

    Oh a wee message from Murphy the spy who doesn’t post for secret reasons, he says: “Blow the Bastirts up” so I’ve passed that on

  392. louis.b.argyll
    Ignored
    says:

    The world is a dangerous place.

    An independent Scotland could reverse that trend, along with many other ‘small’ countries.

    Funny, that ‘small’ word.
    When applied to a nation it’s the biggest misnomer possible. Size,population,GDP or literacy levels are merely economic factors.

    Is Sweden less or more of a nation than Switzerland.
    NO

    Is Scotland less of a nation than England?
    YES.

    If you’re OK with that.. Vote accordingly.

  393. Andrew McLean
    Ignored
    says:

    Dr Jim
    Agent provocateur, really? away and blow yourself!

  394. Dan Huil
    Ignored
    says:

    Tories 11 points ahead of Labour in England. Labour voters in Scotland please take note. Independence is the best hope for Labour in Scotland.

  395. Edward
    Ignored
    says:

    Dr Jim @ 7.06pm

    Actually the BBC don’t own Pacific Quay, its owned by a tax dodging offshore company, apparently

  396. defo
    Ignored
    says:

    It’s a shame there’s no edit function here, sometimes.
    😉

  397. Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    “individual presenters and journalists, who in many (although not all) cases are simply doing their jobs and asking tough questions where they should properly be asked.”

    They only ask tough questions to SNP politicians.

    Now that the Tories have taken over as the unionist leaders, they might also ask some tough questions to Scottish Labour politicians.

    They are not professional presenters or journalists.

    They are very knowingly following an agenda.

    They have no shame or honour.

  398. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    Dan Huil says:

    “Tories 11 points ahead of Labour in England. Labour voters in Scotland please take note. Independence is the best hope for Labour in Scotland.”

    Indeed.

    And, not just voters! North British Labour and LibDem politicians … fancy staying in politics? Are you YES yet?

    Smell the coffee. Read the writing on the wall. There will be two choices – Indy or isolationist xenophobic hard right Brexit.

  399. Graf Midgehunter
    Ignored
    says:

    Test

    Is there a problem with posting at the moment?

    Some posts just disappear up the spout. 🙁
    And I’m posting toooo quick.

    (Or am I neglecting the meds again??) (Probable..)

  400. shiregirl
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T here – and hoping the Rev’s gnashers are doing ok 🙂

    Seen the tweet on facebook with the animations of Hilda and Jim Bloggs from When the Wind Blows. I don’t do FB as there are total mentalists (typically yoons that have union jacks on their profile who love Roof’ and trolled me).

    I was a 12 year old made to watch this at school.

    It terrified the total crap out of the whole class.

    I remember having nightmares about this for months – as did my classmates.

    So, this is all bringing back the shitness of the eighties. The music of this era was, indeed class, but the politics when you were 12, were just a bit shit.

    hmm.

  401. louis.b.argyll
    Ignored
    says:

    Rock,
    I’m afraid they are professional..
    (TV presenters and journalists)..
    And it’s quite rewarding, professionally and renumerably.

  402. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    Hi Liz g.

    It’s on Short Wave. Check the web site for frequency.

    http://www.radioscotland.nl

    Here are the latest from the “reports” page at the web site.

    Patrick Travers, Sheffield, (UK) 20-12-2015, 10:58 h 6200khz 34443
    Staffan Crona,Gothenburg, (S) 10-01-2016, 11:25 h 6240khz 44444
    Rudolf Tacaks,Timisoara, (RO) 13-03-2016, 08:48 h 6262khz 34333
    Cristiano Crotti,Milano, (I) 27-03-2016, 09:00 h 6292khz 43433
    Renato Feuli,Valentano, (I) 27-03-2016, 10:30 h 6292khz R5 S3-5
    Staffan Crona, Hisings Backa, (S) 16-07-2016, 21:38 h 1620khz 44444

    Maybe you have to be a radio geek to understand that page but the frequencies are provided. Maybe they keep changing to avoid detection.

  403. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    @Andrew McLean

    Have a sense of humour man and don’t get bent out of shape

  404. Naina Tal
    Ignored
    says:

    link to Manx Radio. Bit less partisan than our wireless from the shortbread tin on Pacific Quay.

    http://www.manxradio.com/news/uk-news/spain-demands-answers-over-uk-sub-collision/

  405. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    @Edward

    That’s almost like no fixed abode, whit a cheek they’ve got

  406. X_Sticks
    Ignored
    says:

    @Dr Jim

    Good article on Pacific Quay financing on newsnet

    http://newsnet.scot/archive/bbc-funding-doubts-and-who-owns-bbc-scotland-hq/

  407. gus1940
    Ignored
    says:

    Re the delay in starting work on the Type 26s is it possible that behind yesterday’s smokescreen work is going on at a frantic pace upgrading Portsmouth Shipyard to make it capable of building the latest warships.

    Of course, when this exercise is completed our pals in the south will give 2 fingers to Govan and Scotstoun.

  408. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    @Dr Jim

    “Have a sense of humour man and don’t get bent out of shape”

    You are the one whose posts are bent. You frequently refer to violence as the solution. If you believe that then your a fucking idiot.

    Not just me Dr Jim but many other regular readers of Wings have noticed your posts about “shooting” blowing up” and all sorts of other shite related to making this democratic deficit violent.

    Well unless you want a punch in the puss just shut it about shooting and bombing you arsehole.

    This site will not be shut down by crazy dudes like you the 77th brigade.

  409. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    @X Sticks

    That’s fabulous, the BBCs on a PFI deal it’s no wonder they didn’t want to make a big fuss over Labours Schools deals
    it’d be like telling on themselves

  410. louis.b.argyll
    Ignored
    says:

    There are many real people with fine values working with the BBC.

    The trouble is only with those who lie, whether to others, or to themselves.

  411. shiregirl
    Ignored
    says:

    Naina Tal:

    I lived on the Isle of Man for years. My Dad worked across the sea at Sellafield as a rigger and it was nearer than Leith!

    My time on ‘Man was mixed. I was there as a teen in the late eighties. The people were uncertain about Scots. They had no clue as to the Education system and I went from Leith to a grammar school so found it…challenging.

    On the bright side, I loved the TT and learned lots about bikes and beer. I also learned some Swedish 🙂 Not so good for school, but hey, all fun.

    I have been back and visited close friends – they have no clue as to what we are up against. They have little in common with the English, but more with the Irish and Welsh, I feel.

    Slaynt vie!

  412. starlaw
    Ignored
    says:

    Gus 1940
    you may well be right about Portsmouth, it is being upgraded to handle the two new carriers. What else would this new yard be capable off.

  413. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    I’ll just say this for the folk with no sense of humour or faux outrage this is a public site and if anyone was actually serious about inferring any of the crap that @thepnr or others think they’re about to indulge in accusing me of what kind of an eedjit would be doing that nonsense if it were for real

    And actually Murphy the spy is a harmless real bloke who lives with his dad and isn’t quite right and folk round our way know it so before you get started just don’t

    BTW I believe you’re the one who just did the threatening but I’ll forgive the outburst of exuberance and imagination if you’ll calm down or like my mum used to say I’ll kill you

    Do you see what happens when you read things a different way and not jump to the wrong conclusions because somebody else started you off

  414. Rock
    Ignored
    says:

    louis.b.argyll,

    “Rock,
    I’m afraid they are professional..
    (TV presenters and journalists)..
    And it’s quite rewarding, professionally and renumerably.”

    Professional? I guess you are being sarcastic.

    They have no credibility, no integrity, no shame, no honour.

    Says much about the “professional” body that has them as members.

    Yes, it is rewarding renumerably. That is the only thing that matters to them.

    To us “plebs”, they are scum and rotten to the core.

  415. Thepnr
    Ignored
    says:

    @Dr Jim

    I’ve always found your posts entertaining and you have been around awhile. However many of your post usually end with an incitement to some kind of action. A violent action.

    This would be wrong in so many ways, Independence is within our grasp right now, we must argue our case and argue forcefully when necessary and that is the right thing to do.

    Independence will be won peacefully, I’m certain of that now.

    Let the people decide in a democratic vote, it’s the only way in my view and despite the bias of the BBC we will get there soon.

  416. CameronB Brodie
    Ignored
    says:

    Might I suggest this is nothing more than a class in sensibility. 😉

  417. CameronB Brodie
    Ignored
    says:

    “clash”

    I’m never fast enough. ;(

  418. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    Iraq Families fundraiser has now taken in £105,000:

    https://www.crowdjustice.co.uk/case/chilcot/

  419. Scott
    Ignored
    says:

    Do any of you know what has happened to Marie Rimmer and her court case.

  420. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    I see Rock has surfaced from between a hard place and, coincidentally, this page has become a tad longish and the content is starting to go awry…

    KEEP CALM
    …..AND
    .PROSPER

  421. ronnie anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    How much more of this nonsence have we to endure.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/scotland

    Cmon Rev billboards/placards/leaflets, smoke signals/sky writing, anything to challenge the Bbc & get the public informed.

    We cant keep greeting about the Bbc & not attempt to do anything to combat them, there are plenty Yes groups who would contribute funds & deliver leaflets put up posters ect, we need to put the gears in motion now.

  422. munron
    Ignored
    says:

    Brian Doonthetoon says:
    21 July, 2016 at 8:02 pm

    Maybe you have to be a radio geek to understand that page but the frequencies are provided. Maybe they keep changing to avoid detection.

    Straight from Wekipedia:
    SINPO, acronym for Signal, Interference, Noise, Propagation, and Overall, is a Signal Reporting Codes used to describe the quality of radio transmissions, especially in reception reports written by shortwave listeners. Rating in each category is zero to five.

  423. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    The problem with any violent talk is it’s as thick as two short planks, it encourages others to be more aggressive, and it doesn’t matter if the perpetrator thinks it funny, only some will think it’s funny, therefore it isn’t funny at all, it’s just dumb, stupid, moronic, idiotic, thick and highly counter-productive for the cause of Independence.

  424. ronnie anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Scott 9.04. Mitch Kilbride (scot2.scot Glasgow region) is checking court records for Rimmer + Lord Turnbulls ( Indycamp decision). I will post up when he gets back to me.

    Mary Elizabeth Rimmer SCS/2015-111901 GE 14018101.

  425. ScottieDog
    Ignored
    says:

    Member of scotgov council of economic advisors, Mariana Mazzucato, has edited a new book out called ‘Rethinking Capitalism’. Getting positive remarks from progressive economists.
    Wonder if SNP will consult her on currency?

    Here’s a link..
    http://marianamazzucato.com/rethinking-capitalism/

    Might be worth the indylive folks doing an interview.

  426. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    @Ronnie Anderson –

    With ye mister.

    Total frustration.

    Perhaps we could have pow-wow following rally on 30th, get something sorted?

    Incidentally, it would be good to see a rough idea of numbers planning to attend in Glasgow, especially fresh faces who may not be familiar with our favoured assembly point, so…

    Any Wingers who haven’t yet been at a get-the-gither in Glasgow, but fancy going Saturday 30th, please go to O/T and make yourself known, eh?

    Hoots! 🙂

  427. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    @Scott

    Naw still no news where we are! Just this from some days ago.

    http://archive.is/0hXnf

  428. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    @Ruby
    Great work. What’s sad is that’s dated 2007, and yet 9 years further on, with the SNP pushing for better data from the Treasury, the same problems are still there.

    @Phil
    Did you actually read that thing from the BBC I posted for you? Where is says “Network spending”? Network, as in programs that go out all over the “Network”, all over the UK? Like breakfast TV, kids programs, “national” news, “question time”. The BBC’s TARGET was to have 50% of the “Network spend” outside London.

    Spending is jobs, additions to the local economy, and attributable gdp. See how London gets 50% of the “Network Spend”? We’re all paying for it, and that’s money that doesn’t go into our economies.

  429. Arabs for Independence
    Ignored
    says:

    Rex Nash @ 6.28 pm

    “Next thing we’ll have Prince Edward on the weightlifting team”

    Maybe the shirt-lifting team?

  430. Dr Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    It’s impossible to legislate for the way everyone percieves a thing so perhaps choosing words more carefully is a good way to go, but then by doing so do you lose the essence of your meaning contained, by over sanitising it’s content

    What does a word or phrase mean to you when you hear it at first, what picture springs to mind , do you read again to make sure you were correct in your initial thoughts, do you empathise with the writer if you know him(her) or do you decide this guy’s not an author but I get it

    When I say Boom! I see Wile e Coyote with Acme co. stuff
    I don’t see horror, because I’ve seen that and it’s not funny at all so I prefer to see Tom and Jerry, Laurel and Hardy or hear somebody like Kevin Bridges

    But maybe because I can see Kevin Bridges I get the humour more easily so I can understand the written word can be seen in different ways by different folk and it’s easy to forget that on this particular site where many of us have been posting our musings for a long time that we don’t actually see each other but feel like we do

    Ian Brotherhood I think organises get togethers every now and again and it sounds great but it’s not always possible for all to go, much as we’d like, but if there’s something in or around Glasgow next time I’ll make a point of getting myself there and bring along my Acme kit

    See, I did it again, too much time in the entertainment biz

  431. ann
    Ignored
    says:

    Ruby,

    Re Wind farms.

    The court ruling covers the four off shore wind farms that are / were planned for the Forth and Tay Estuaries.

    It is a decision that I agree with as the bird colonies are just starting to recover from dramatic losses and any disruptions during the construction and running of these farms could set that recovery back.

  432. shiregirl
    Ignored
    says:

    Just wonderin’… are there any Wings events in the North of Scotland (Moray/Shire)? The only events I hear of are in Glasgow.

    Would be good?

  433. Naina Tal
    Ignored
    says:

    Shiregirl
    I might have been in the Isle of Man many years ago before I was born.(Well mum and dad honeymooned there!)

    They seem to have relatively untainted broadcasting there. And big transmitters. Just saying!

    What’s the population relative to Scotland? And all we get is Haw Haw broadcasting…..

  434. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    @Dr Jim
    If the likes of Tom & Jerry weren’t aimed at kids, they’d be X-rated, 18 and over only.

  435. shiregirl
    Ignored
    says:

    Naina Tel

    I think the population is about 85,000 in IoM. GDP ($) is about 50,000 per capita as opposed to $16,944 in Scotland…

    Why in $?? Not sure about that…

    All I know is that when I lived there, the social life was fab but living there was like being back in the 50’s – no joke. I lived with family who escaped from Northern Rhodesia and lived there.

    I guess they thought it was good compared to that.

  436. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    Sorry to paste in a direct link but the poll at the bottom of this Tom Harris (vomit…) Telegraph article has Nicola trailing. VOTE NICOLA!

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/21/while-nicola-sturgeon-fiddles-scotland-burns-or-at-least-smoulde/

    ———————————-

    Hi Shiregirl.

    The Wings get-togethers are organised by Wingers IN THEIR OWN AREAS. We’ve had umpteen in Glasgow, a couple in Edinburgh, a handful in Dundee/Invergowrie, one in Aberdeen, one in Helensburgh – but they’re all organised LOCALLY.

    Wetherspoons is handy if you have one. They’re easily taken over by Wingers. It’s up to you…

    ———————————-

    Hi Arabs for Independence.

    Good to see you posting again! Would 6 goals have anything to do with it?

    8=)

  437. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    @shiregirl
    There’s a YES bar in Inverness and that may have been a Wings do, I forget. Gellions, though that’s not the way they pronounce it 🙂

  438. ronnie anderson
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Scott re Rimmer trail will resume before Sherriff Kenneth Hogg (July),will phone Criminal dept tomorrow for date as no date has been set s yet on court rolls.

  439. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    SLab failure Harris and the Telegraph make great bed fellows. The Sturgeon Bad poll is oddly balanced for this crew and their delightful readership.

    https://archive.is/KXa4p

  440. shiregirl
    Ignored
    says:

    ok…thanks yesindyref2 / Brian doonthetoon

    Up near Elgin. Wetherspoons in sight:-)

    Do you have a whip ’round for the need (Rev’s teeth)

    😀

    Would love to have one here. And have the braveheart lookalikely from the Yes shop in Elgin 2014 come along!

  441. Still Positive.
    Ignored
    says:

    Just posted in off-topic re Saturday.

  442. Vambomarbeleye
    Ignored
    says:

    http://parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/cb083c53-3998-4f3a-8eca-e114e3dbdf0b

    Finally got a link to the program on the parliament Chanel with Prof Dougan.
    Please take the time to watch it. Nearly two and a half hours. Repost and generally pass it to any one with a email address etc.

  443. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    OT
    That’s very sad. Quick look at keverages blot, and there’s a twit from AProudScot which quotes the IFS report March 2016 with figures calling them “Projected Fiscal Transfers from the UK to Scotland”,

    Well, blow me down with a feather, if you can find the phrase “fiscal transfer” in the genuine IFS report, I’ll buy that for a dollar. It calls it “cash-terms difference”.

    http://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/8218

    So even his supporters make it up as they go along in their efforts to save his blushes.

  444. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    Another display of rancid The Graun’s rule Britannia means England only.

    https://archive.is/YS6Bm

    Its pretty weak but it really should be,

    Jousting is back – and nine other reasons to love Brexit England.
    Stephen Moss

  445. yesindyref2
    Ignored
    says:

    Sorry, forgot the archive of that bit of average’s timeline:

    http://archive.is/SC8xc

  446. Paula Rose
    Ignored
    says:

    Behave Dears and keep the noise down otherwise pop over to Off-topic and make a noise in the garage.

  447. Joe of the Coutts
    Ignored
    says:

    From the BBC – still misinformation about the stairwell window. Not her office window.
    “Last week a window was smashed at Ms Eagle’s constituency office building after she announced her intention to run against Labour leader Mr Jeremy Corbyn.”

  448. Alan Mackintosh
    Ignored
    says:

    yesindy ref2, yep, the Gellions (pron. Gellins) is definitely the Yes Bar in town. Luckily it was close to the Yes shop when it was open. Not the only Yes bar though, Johnny Foxes and the Market Bar out for Yes too.

    Had a wee look over to the telegraph, Nicla at 47%, need a few more Wingers to head over to give it a boost.
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/21/while-nicola-sturgeon-fiddles-scotland-burns-or-at-least-smoulde/

  449. Cherry
    Ignored
    says:

    Dr Jim

    I always have a chuckle at your musings. I get you! I know it’s tongue in cheek and especially like Murphy the spy lol.

    Shiregirl

    I lived in IOM in the 70’s had a daughter there. I loved the Island and the Manx people of whom I had many friends. I left at the end of that decade never to return…but I will one day. Oh how I loved the smells in the harbour, the nets drying in the Sun the screeching of the gulls above. You could park your car in the winter in the middle of the tram lines, leave it unlocked do your shopping have a hot chocolate and a bap in the harbour cafe come back and your car would be sitting waiting…never locked my door of my house either. Another world and I hope it has remained the same.

    The reason for the $ is a lot of land was sold off to big American companies, they were going to turn it into a little Las Vegas…happily that didn’t happen but still a lot of American investment plus it is a bit of a tax haven although that’s not why I love the Island or it’s people.

  450. Stephen McKenzie
    Ignored
    says:

    Just saw the BBC Scotland weather lady advise that on Friday night it is going to be hot and muggy in the South East” – ah Edinburgh south, maybe down towards Kelso perhaps.. better open a bedroom window.

    Nope her hand was waving over the English Channel

  451. Effijy
    Ignored
    says:

    Some degree of apology from me here, in advance, but I intended to pester any new or infrequent visitor to WoS
    with both the petition on BBC Bias and the First Minister’s Ant-Trident Petition.
    WE MUST see these 2 campaigns reach 100,000 signatures!
    With 100,000 SNP Members and 100’s of Thousands visiting WoS, this should be achievable from a population of 5,000,000
    The BBC have been encouraged by how easily Westminster can fool and Rob Scotland, so they have up the anti on Blatant Biased Corruption.
    The petition below shows that 89,480 people can’t be wrong
    in calling for a Public Enquiry into their crimes.
    Please sign up and reach the 100,000 signatures required.
    This along with Scotland’s wishes on EU Membership and Trident Renewal all strengthens the Scottish Government’s
    negotiations for Independence.

    https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/independent-enquiry-into-bbc-bias-regards-scottish-independence-referendum
    Nicola’s Anti-Trident petition will soon have 21,600 signatures.

    http://www.snp.org/scraptrident?mc_cid=7822341808&mc_eid=2ca6f3edb9

  452. Clydebuilt
    Ignored
    says:

    This is the first time I’ve managed to get onto Wings all day…….. Anyone else had problems?

  453. Mike Williams
    Ignored
    says:

    Why no mention of the indefinite delay of the crucial fleet of global-combat figures which were due to be built on the Clyde and which were dangled before voters as a reason to remain before the 2014 referendum.

  454. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    @ heedtracker, Tom Harris in that Telegraph article is a semantic riddle. He says the Scottish Government are so excited because they wanted:

    “a different outcome north of the Border to that across the whole of the UK”

    What could that possibly mean?

  455. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    Hi Clydebuilt.

    No unusual problems – just the usual non-appearance of posts for around 10-15 minutes, no matter how often you refresh the tab.

    Of course, Murphy’s Law also has some comments appearing as soon as you hit the “Submit” button. There’s no rhyme or reason.

    WordPress has a LOT to answer for.

  456. Lenny Hartley
    Ignored
    says:

    Clyde built if your on BT they have had issues with web access, non web has been ok

  457. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    That 11.25 post of mine took two minutes to appear after two ‘reloads”.

  458. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    “a different outcome north of the Border to that across the whole of the UK”

    What could that possibly mean?

    I do not have a clue Capella. Telegraph pays BojO £250k a year so there’s loadsamoney out there for toryboy wordsmiths, especially a drip like Harris.

    Speaking of hacks that will say anything for the toryboy dollar, MacWhirter of the Herald want independence now!

    Or rather he wants YES 2 up and running Now!

    Someone should tell MacWhirter types that England said Leave barely 4 weeks ago.

    https://archive.is/686hC

  459. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    And then after reloading the tab every couple of minutes, I got nothing new til my reload at 11.47 – and the latest post showing was heedtracker’s at 11.37. So why had heedtracker’s post shown up on the many reloads I did after 11.37?

  460. Lenny Hartley
    Ignored
    says:

    Re Manx Radio it’s my station of choice since I gave up on the telly and bbc radio. Not perfect by any means and they tend to repeat what the English MSM says. Their non local news is supplied by Sky so basically crap, but you don’t get wall to wall yoonery. On talk shows they generally will read out my emails and once when they were discussing our referendum, the host told his listeners about the wee blue book and told them about wings after I had emailed him.

    i go there at least once a year for the bike racing have done since 1974 so have been many many times. Most folk haven’t a clue, although their Chief Minister Bell is a pal of Salmonds.
    The Past chairman of the Celtic Leage Bernard Moffat is Manx and a Manx Nationalist so he gets his pennies worth in now and again,quite like him despite the pish he spouts about the TT which he wants banned.

    Somebody asked about population just over 85000 and they were screwed out of millions by Osborne for vat rebates so are struggling financially. Don’t think they will ever break the very strong link they have with England as large English minority live there about 35% of the population about 50% are Manx born, Scots make up about 3% of the population.

    Great place locals very friendly well worth a visit even if there is no bike racing on.

  461. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    So why had heedtracker’s NOT post shown up on the many reloads I did after 11.37? Apologies.

    I long for the days when you typed stuff in the text box, you hit ‘Submit’, the page refreshed itself and you saw your latest comment, in the right place, immediately.

    It all went wrong for me when I upgraded from Firefox 35. Is it a Firefox problem or a WordPress problem? Possibly RogueCoder could know.

  462. Graeme Doig
    Ignored
    says:

    Stephen McKenzie

    Aye but did you not get that warm fuzzy better together ukok union feeling.

    It fair makes you forget all the daft reasons you ever thought Scotland needed independence …

  463. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    @Liz Rannoch says: 21 July, 2016 at 1:49 pm:

    ” … Should not the Declaration of Arbroath be referred to as ‘The Declaration of Independence signed at Arbroath’ “

    Well no, Liz. The reason being that the Declaration of Arbroath did more, much, much more than just declare that Scotland was an independent Kingdom.

    The main importance, though, was that in 1320 the international authority was the Pope as head of all Christendom. (No sectarianism then- that came later but it did play a major part in the subsequent events.

    The whole historic story began when the Maid of Norway died and left Scotland without a monarch. Those appointed to run Scotland made a rather big mistake by inviting the King of the Kingdom of England to arbitrate as he was recognised as an authority in such matters.

    He was also, like the rest of the English monarchy, a arrogant, empire building bully and a thoroughly bad lot. He saw his main chance and grabbed it in both hands By choosing the King of Scots.

    Balliol only lasted a short time and thus began the feud between the Bruce and Comyn contenders for the throne – ending when the Bruce Killed the Comyn on the alter steps of Dumfries High Kirk. Now no one will ever know the truth for the two claimants for the throne were alone in the Kirk so it could well have been a case of the Bruce defending himself from an attack by the Red Comyn.

    However, the English King had the ear of the Pope at that time and persuaded the Pope to excommunicate The Bruce. Thing was in those days the general rule of law was The Divine Right of Kings and, under this law, kings were sovereign and owned their entire kingdoms and every one of their subjects.

    In fact there was an order from Rome that every church service in England should begin by cursing Scotland. This was the background of the Declaration of Arbroath being drawn up and sent to the Pope. Meanwhile the King of England was falling out with the Pope by attempting to set himself up as the head of the church in England & Wales.

    Thus, when the declaration arrived the Pope accepted it and thus so did all Christendom. The first thing it claimed was that Scotland was an independent Kingdom and that Bruce was its rightful king. To get round the ex-communication thing the declaration had to also prove that in Scotland, neither the people nor the whole kingdom belonged to the monarchy.

    This was why the declaration claimed that Scottish Monarchs were not sovereign, (that is NOT appointed by God to represent God on Earth). The declaration declared that under Scottish Law the people appointed their leader and that leaders job was to protect the people’s sovereignty and, furthermore if the monarch did not do his/her job well the people could, and would, drive the monarch out as an enemy. As usual, Scotland was way ahead of the rest of the World with good ideas.

    Scottish law is based upon the premise that the people are sovereign while it took England until 1688, with their Glorious Revolution to make a right pig’s lug of changing from The Divine Right of Kings.

    It is written into English Law that sovereigns, just by being sovereign, cannot give up their sovereignty. That is – as they are appointed by God, to do so would be to go against God’s will.

    So when they deposed the King that also wore the still independent crown of Scotland they, the English Parliament, were going against Gods will so that is why they didn’t just make their kingdom a republic.

    Instead they side-stepped the issue by offering the English Kingdom’s crown to King Billy & Queen Mary of Orange on condition they delegated their royal sovereignty to Parliament. And thus made ONLY the Kingdom of England a Constitutional Monarchy.

    So legally the whole kingdom of England still belongs to Her Majesty and everyone in it are Her Majesty’s subjects. Thing is that kicked off what the English call the Jacobite Rebellion but the Scots couldn’t be rebelling against a monarch not their own. That Jacobite, “rebellion”, was still being fought over in 1745 nearly 40 years after the 1706/7 Treaty of Union was signed.

    As a matter of interest the old Scottish Parliament’s Sovereignty Act of 1633 has never been repealed and the Treaty of Union had to keep the two kingdom’s legal systems independent because they were incompatible with each other on the matter of sovereignty.

    If the law of England is that a sovereign, just by being sovereign, cannot give away their sovereignty then as a sovereign people the Scots cannot give up their sovereignty. That means the parliament of England exercises the Queen’s sovereignty on her behalf in the Kingdom of England but they exercise the sovereignty of the people of Scotland only as long as the people of Scotland allow them to do so and the people of Scotland cannot give up their legal sovereignty under English law.

    Sorry about the long explanation but it really is the only way to explain the real legal situation. The Westminster claim of sovereignty is bogus and the English Kingdom really is owned by their monarch and Scotland is legally owned by the people. It is not called Her Majesty’s Government for nothing.

  464. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    So I was immediately reloading the tab since my post at 11.51. Lenny’s post of 11.55 eventually appeared at 00.02.

    I continued to reload the tab, as soon as it settled, then at 00.10 Graeme’s post of 00.08 appeared.

    This is not user-friendly.

  465. Capella
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Brian Doonthetoon, the posts are erratic. Some show up right away, others take up to 20 mins. Sometimes they disappear for a wee while then reappear! Very disconcerting.

    It seems that Unionists are very confused about what The UK actually is. Mostly they talk as if The UK = England. If only some of the under-employed scribblers in the quality press would inform people that the United Kingdom refers to the union of Scotland and England, as Mr Peffers has so often pointed out.

    Then nonsense such as Tom Harris writes would never see the light of day.

  466. Paula Rose
    Ignored
    says:

    Brian Dear – it’s cos you do them too fast.

  467. Hoss Mackintosh
    Ignored
    says:

    Somone was asking what has happened to Eleanor Bradford, the extremely biased BBC Scotland Health correspondent.

    (Remember the false £400 million NHS story two days before the indyref? And lots of others – too many to list).

    Well some good news – she has left the BBC! 🙂

    http://dailybusinessgroup.co.uk/2016/06/uni-calls-as-bradford-heads-to-aberdeen/

    Hopefully the first of many – there will not be much demand for Unionist reporters in an independent Scotland.

    Sad day for Aberdeen though? 🙁

  468. Still Positive.
    Ignored
    says:

    No posts since 12.23. So where are you all? Not all on Off-topic.

  469. liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Still Positive @12.23
    Nope not on off topic either.
    I’m still here so it can’t be a Trident malfunction!

  470. Michael McCabe
    Ignored
    says:

    I am posting this at 1-32am

  471. Hamish100
    Ignored
    says:

    Hoss

    Re Ex BBC Eleanor Bradford. Aberdeen uni has plenty of Tories with influence there. Prof Pennington for starters. Remember during the Indy debates him sitting in the middle of the audience of a BBC Debate at the uni.Guess what- who got to ask a question or rather just make a statement that independence is bad. A few known brexiters there too.

  472. liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Huloooo…..

    Are you lot away up in Edinburgh declaring UDI
    And didny tell me?

  473. liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Has Ronnie Anderson got a new shed and having a shed warming?

  474. Liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Has the Rev lost an emergency kitten and yir aw oot looking?

  475. Liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Is Robert Peffers running a Constutional night school?

  476. liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Paula Rose if you’re responsible for this…
    Let Them Out…. RIGHT NOW!!!!

  477. Liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Well all I kin say is if Theresa May rips up the Act of the Union in the next couple of hours
    Ye will all be sorry ye missed it.

  478. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    Hi Liz g.

    Eh huv jiss woke up wie the hait so eh’m hae’in a coolin’ whusky an’ iron brew, wie Donny Trumpton spoutin’ it oot on the TV.

  479. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    That post appeared as soon as I clicked on ‘Submit Comment’.

  480. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    But the next one at 4.32 didn’t. Clicking on ‘Submit Comment’ just took me back to the top of the page. This post: 4.34.

  481. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    So I’m now continually reloading the tab, to see when the last two posts appear. My last two appeared at 4.37.

  482. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    That 4.38 post didn’t appear (after multiple reloads) until .

  483. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    That 4.38 post didn’t appear (after multiple reloads) until around 4.42.

  484. cearc
    Ignored
    says:

    ‘Morning all.

    Liz g, maybe they all went to sleep?

    Anyhows, ‘Parliament was misled six times over Saudi Arabia forces use of UK-made cluster bombs during incursion into Yemen’

    https://archive.is/W8ZWX

    Ah, nothing like a good ole war to boost British exports, don’tcha know. (I thought cluster bombs had been made illegal?)

  485. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    Rooster up early this morning, cearc?

    8=)

  486. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    BTW: with reloads every 10 minutes or so, then a couple at 5.42, it took until 5.42 for my 5.10 comment to appear.

  487. Al Dossary
    Ignored
    says:

    Re the Isle of Man – when I lived / worked there 1999/2000, the island economy was booming to an extent you would not believe. The Island re-invented itself as a financial centre after the Tourism industry imploded in the 1970’s

    The population then was around 75,000 (75,000 alcoholics clinging to a rock in the middle of the Irish sea as the like to describe themselves). On the whole the Manx are a pretty friendly bunch, although they did sometimes get a bit fiesty about “Comeovers” taking their jobs”.

    My first weekend there, the local paper had a headline of “Lowest ever unemployment stats in the IoM”. There were 198 people unemployed on the island, giving an unemployment rate of less than 0.5%, most of whom they reckoned were voluntarily between jobs. The Manx government top up the UK state pension by a considerable sum (currently £67 if single, £105 for a couple). Their base rate of tax is currently 10%, the upper rate is 20% (I may be wrong, but I also think their maximul personal tax payable per individual was £100k).

    Newspapers are comical, when the headline in the local weekly paper could be about a cat being lost in Onchan, or 6 cars being scratched by vandals in Peel.

    I loved the place, and seriously considered renting a place there a few years ago as a pseudo UK base when I did my first stint in the Middle East.

  488. liz g
    Ignored
    says:

    Hi Brian & cearc
    Phew glad sumbody responsible is up and around.
    Had the whole blog all to myself for hour’s and nearly started trolling ma self.
    Was really creepy though even went and checked the BBC to see if anything major had happened,thats how bad it got.
    Anyway just so you’re sure ….we are still in the Union.



Comment - please read this page for comment rules. HTML tags like <i> and <b> are permitted. Use paragraph breaks in long comments. DO NOT SIGN YOUR COMMENTS, either with a name or a slogan. If your comment does not appear immediately, DO NOT REPOST IT. Ignore these rules and I WILL KILL YOU WITH HAMMERS.




↑ Top