The rank outsider
Posted on
October 24, 2018 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
And we do mean rank. It’s been quite a week already for super-hapless Labour MP Hugh Gaffney, but he excelled himself today when joining in with Scottish Labour’s campaign to resist building a new hospital in Gartcosh (which is the recommendation of an independent NHS panel), rather than on the site of the current one in Monklands.
(And yes, that is the same one Labour wanted to shut down in 2007.)
Because it wasn’t terribly long ago that he took a rather different view.
He didn’t even think to delete the previous tweet, let alone actually give any reasons for the sudden change of heart. And here at Wings, we believe that standout political talent like that deserves recognition.
Is his full name Hugh Hypocrisy Gaffney?
Kinda reminds of the Bain Principle from ex MP Wullie a while ago.
You’ve put a shift in today Rev.. go watch some Bullseye darts.
Has Hugh even heard of this interwebby thing where your past utterances do not go unrecorded?
….he definitely supports the last thing he was tweeted. In true goldfish mode when a camera is pointed at him.
Voters why? Why? did you think it was a good idea to elect him? An empty cardboard box would have been a better choice!
Well he would have been right, if Monklands had been selected then Labour would have been campaigning for Gartcosh.
Over the last wee while, I really feel as though I have stepped into the Twilight Zone.
“Rank Rotten-Shug Gaffe-Prone Nobody”, at it again
The Red Rosetted Turd pops his head out the cludgie once again.
Before the internet this sorry shower of SH*TE got away with this daily, without challenge.
Gaff for short and principles for short.
Gafney by name gaff by nature. He seems to be trying to challenge the tories for the thick of the week award or the day.
I’m convinced that British Labour in Scotland (Branch office and Northern Dominoes League) are actually here in Scotland from an alternate dimension with a timeline where they are in charge at Holyrood.
It’s the only explanation there can be!
Leave wee Shug alone he is not a bad man, incredibly thick I mean really really thick, wouldn’t trust him to put the rubbish out.
He is fully paid up Scottish Labour so he is in the right place.
We need more Labour politicians like this. Off the scale thickos quite a party Labour now.
Do they actually have a recruitment issue for full time politicians?
Huge Gaff is the bloated face of brainless Labour. No wonder the britnat media loves him.
The difference between them and us …. they try to choose a different past, we want to choose a different future.
@galamcennalath 7.53 pm
I love that line. Should be on posters.
@ Clootie says: 24 October, 2018 at 7:23 pm:
” … An empty cardboard box would have been a better choice!”
As long as i’s n0 ane o thae yaised SNPBAAAD! Flammable baby boaxes, Clootie
The sad fact is that these lies will go unchallenged by the MSM in Scotland.
As a result a large % of our population (who rely on the TV and printed press for their news) are unaware of the hypocrisy of British Labour in Scotland, their Trades Union Placemen and Placewomen like Dick Leonard.
Now apparently the Greens and the EIS are joining the EssEnnPeeBaaad “BritNat Scottish National Strike”.
BritNats now aiming to cause maximum damage via propaganda because either a ‘snap’ GE is on the cards or the knowledge that IndyRef2 is going to be a YES landslide.
Hopefully some mercenary wee no win-no fee lawyer will bankrupt the GMB and BritNat Labour in Scotland in a class action via the Civil Litigation (Expenses and Group Proceedings) (Scotland) Act 2018 with legal fees, damages and compensation.
I wonder if you apply a blowtorch to Labours con trick policy of creating strikes out of situations they created
would it burn
or do they just store them up next to Ed Milibands big slab of lies
Labour’s in full lemming mode this week.
Of course Labour oppose anything the SNP put forward. No matter how useful or pratical or money saving it is.
Labour don’t care about the people of Scotland, they’re a bunch of self serving hypocritical bastards.
Breaking Scottish Parliament Committee. 5 hours ago:-
link to youtube.com
When people ask in 20 years why Labour became redundant in Scotland we just need to show them our Wings archives,
They will never believe it.
Where does this political calamity end? I mean, all the Labour hypocrisy and Tory mindf’kery, – if it was a ship you’d scuttle it. If it was a horse you’d shoot it. If it was a limb, you’d amputate.
A recent tweet from Alan Smith:
Alyn Smith MEP
@AlynSmith
Awful from Tory leader in #EPlenary quipping that Nazis were “National Socialists” (speaking to Socialist Group leader). After Foreign Secretary “Soviet” jibe, grossly offensive, real upset around the Chamber. These chancers are trashing the UK’s image. Not in Scotland’s name.
That’s right, the Tory Leader in the middle of an EU Parliamentary debate about Britain’s exit from Europe is comparing European Socialist MEP’s to the Nazis. What the hell are these crazed Tory lunatics thinking?
I can think of no historic parallel for this unfolding political “British” idiocy. When, throughout history, has there ever been a Nation so hellbent on dismantling its own integrity and leaving itself disgraced and open to unanswerable ridicule?
The Westminster Government is breaking new ground and taking the UK into thoroughly uncharted territory, and has lost all reason and objective perspective.
They are talking about a vote of confidence in May, but what possible difference does a change of personality at the top make to sands of time running out in the Brexit Egg timer? That is quite literally rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. They are ALL OF THEM unfit for office.
For the love of God, PLEASE get Scotland out of this insanity while Scotland at least has some small degree of integrity left.
We have more than enough of Politico thickos in Scotland we should enter into the export market , there again maybe not .
[…] Wings Over Scotland The rank outsider And we do mean rank. It’s been quite a week already for super-hapless Labour MP Hugh […]
Expect fireworks at FMQ’s tomorrow. A veritable horror show for Labour. Again.
And then there’s the blue torys really putting hypocrisy all over the place frist pmqs may basically in a nutshell says the torture and killing is wrong but won’t stop the arms sales to Blackfords question then in Holyrood Michelle ballantyne defends the two children tax limit and attacks the unemployed with extreme verbal prejudice.
The Gaff or Guff is just the typical representation of the britnat twats that are prevalent in Holyrood and that other place , what really makes me sooooo angry is that we are forced to pay stupid amounts of money for just stupids
C;mon Dick pull Nicola up about your equal pay clusterf**k at FMQ;s and give us and SENSIBLE Scots a good laugh
Yup,that’s short arse Gaffney in full Cocky Baine mode.
What a wonderful british sight to behold.
Alluring to watch in a kind of sadistic way.
Top notch journalism Stuart.
O/T Re- the EIS pay claim for teachers.
What’s going on with the EIS pay claim of 10%? Is this reasonable, even feasible, at this time? How does it square with what follows?
This from England, from a media release from the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and the National Education Union (NEU) dated Tuesday 24 July 2018:
“Joint union response on teachers’ pay
Three education unions today welcomed the announcement of a 3.5% pay increase for classroom teachers on the main pay range and the Department for Education’s commitment to funding part of this pay award. This shows that the penny may have dropped in terms of the government recognising the scale of the teacher recruitment and retention crisis.”
Source: link to neu.org.uk
And then I found this dated July 2018:
“The pay scales for qualified teachers are split into main and upper pay ranges – after entering at the NQT/probationary starting point, teachers are promoted up the scales in line with excellent performance. These ranges, from the main rate to the highest upper rate, differ between countries across the UK:
England (excluding London) and Wales – £23,720 to £35,008
London – £24,859 to £41,268 (fringes), £27,596 to £43,348 (outer), £29,664 to £47,751 (inner)
Scotland – £27,438 to £44,727
Northern Ireland – £22,243 to £37,870.”
Source: link to prospects.ac.uk
Something must surely be wrong with some of this info: how else is the EIS claim for a 10% pay rise even reasonable at this time? Can anyone with sector knowledge that I don’t have shed any light on all this?
PMQ# today was yes we supply ammunition to Saudi to bomb Yemen, but we also give the Yemen money and aid to ease their suffering. How thoughtful.
Somewhere in the states they elected a donkey to their local council.
I bet Gaffney is glad it wasn’t standing against him last election.
Looks like the BritNat establishment (aided by its useful idiots, the red tories) are trying hard to kick off a winter of discontent against the Scottish government before a GE and/or Indyref2 kicks off.
Nip this in the bud, Nicola.
The Lignum Vitae Trophy
#ThanTwoShortPlanks
Rev, I hope you have sent this to Sky’s James Matthews in order that he can out the hypocrisy of this man who also made such a fool of him (that’s giving him the benefit of the doubt) live on telly the other day.
“Expect fireworks at FMQ’s tomorrow. A veritable horror show for Labour. Again.”
Aye you are probably right @Q. says at 9:02 pm
Unfortunately this is not what the BritNat Propagandists at the BBC or STV ‘News’ will report using strategic editing and their ‘reporter’ telling the viewers what the FM said rather than letting them hear her responses.
Yesterday pretending to be a worker for GCC in order to dis snp and today unable to remember what he said previously about the site of the new hospital-in the same camp as Jackieb saying one thing to constituents and another to parliament.
Labour have been lying to us for so long they simply cannot get out of the habit. They still have the msm and bbc covering for them but more and more of us can see them for what they are, and I think even the bbc is embarrassed by them.
Twat.
Twat of the first water, and as thick as pigshit.
Oh dear, he made a right gaff there.
Gaffney and Leonard are both hypocrites
As far as I am aware it’s been Alex Niel M.S.P and Niel Gray M.P who have been campaigning to keep Monklands Hospital in Monklands .
Niel Grey even has a post on F.B about it just now
Man of the moment, Hugh Gaffney, pleads to retain decaying Monklands Hospital in defiance of the former Hugh Gaffney.
Maybe Nicola should just say OK then. The money saved could pay for the equal pay settlement which Hugh Gaffney demands should be paid forthwith.
Meantime, another peasants’ revolt is brewing with Scottish teachers, the relatively well paid, demanding an inflation busting 10% pay rise. Good luck with that then.
What does Hugh Gaffney advise?
It does look like a co-ordinated campaign of defiance against the SNP Scottish Government. I suspect Neil Findlay is masterminding the operation. It has all the hallmarks of a Lothians Peoples Front pincer movement.
Oh god I hate the Britnat Labour party and their accounting branch office in Scotland more and more as each minute passes. These lying, scheming troughers are for sure a dangerous lot.
Thing is at least part of the Labour/Tory/British Nationalists agenda is to bring the Scottish parliament down, with their lies and their scheming. There is definitely something afoot. A GE, or a new poll that indicates massive support for Scotland’s independence given the totally dystopian nightmare that awaits after the rUK Brexit is done and dusted.
O/T
Not sure whether to bother but poised to comment on Kenny MacAskill’s article in the National today, it’s all better together even if you and your kids and family are really starving because we need to look after ‘England’!
WTF.
The National today had a front page that could have been just from the Scotsman.
Scotland is really up against it. Today a nurse I saw complained that the Scottish gov got ‘the numbers wrong for the flu jab, huh!’. If she’s not careful there won’t be a ‘Scottish gov’ to get it wrong, or a SNHS!
Scary times, with Scotland having no powers ( blocked by Westminster at every turn) to having their own broadcast media, it’s an uphill struggle.
Sharing articles like this one and the previous one is essential to democracy!
Amateur etymologists could be forgiven for jumping straight to ‘Guffy’ here.
stewartb at 9.11 pm
This from Larry Flanagan’s wiki entry:-
“Larry Flanagan (born 1955 or 1956) is a Scottish trade union leader and former politician.
Flanagan attended the University of Stirling before becoming a teacher at Blantyre High School. He also became active in the Militant Tendency and in the Labour Party.
He was elected to Glasgow City Council, where he called or the party to oppose the Poll Tax with a campaign of non-payment.
He hoped to stand in the Glasgow Govan by-election, 1988, but was not considered as a candidate due to his involvement with Militant.
Early in the 1990s, Flanagan was suspended from the Labour group on the council due to disagreements about strategy with relation to the Poll Tax.
He instead focused on his teaching career, at Penilee High School in Paisley and then Hillhead High School in Glasgow.
He also became increasingly prominent in the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) trade union, being elected to its council and convening its education committee.
In 2012, he was elected as the union’s general secretary He also represents the union on the General Council of the Trades Union Congress, and the General Council of the Scottish Trades Union Congress.”
Some may say, but not I, that he is a dyed in the wool old style Commie Militant agitator, on £135,000 a year plus expenses, who will lead the teachers by the nose into striking over a ridiculous 10% increase in a pay range currently at £27,438 to £44,727 pa plus index linked final salary benefits described golden lifetime pensions, with 12 weeks paid holiday a year.
Some may also observe, but not I, that these evil Commies and Militants ‘sleepers’ have insinuated themselves into the very fabric of our society and have have lain dormant for decades, and activated by the English Oligarchy in response to the Rise of Independence Movement and are instructed to destroy Scotland’s civic society for the greater good of their London Masters, and blame the SNP for it.
Labour in Scotland candidate selection process revealed.
link to youtube.com
Labour in Scotland candidate selection process revealed if would be candidate is a postman
link to youtube.com
Both myself and my wife work full time, we have three children and claim tax benefits so please, go fuck yourself Michelle Ballantyne and your next steps Eugenics.
Looks like May will decide whether to declare a No Deal situation in Mid November.
This does probably coincide with the last date the EU can agree a Withdrawal Agreement and have it ratified by each of the EU27.
link to archive.li
Clootie says:
24 October, 2018 at 7:23 pm
….he definitely supports the last thing he was tweeted. In true goldfish mode when a camera is pointed at him.
If you look it up you’ll find that internal strife in the SNP in North Lanarkshire played a big part in the election of Hugh Gaffney. Some of us won’t let it happen again.
Both my MP & my MSP are an embarrassment to their parties. Sadly the MSP is from the SNP.
Re Michelle Ballantyne
What seems amazing here is that she doesn’t seem to understand why her views are totally unacceptable! To her, she probably believes she is just expressing ‘a normal Tory’ opinion.
The nasty party still lives up to its image!
If either of us lost our job we could lose everything you callous, Nazi bitch or is it only the rich that are going to be allowed to have children.
Rather than share some of the wealth of the 1%ers to give us a decent enough wage to not rely on state hand-outs you would prefer us to die out through not being able to procreate.
As can be testified, many poorer families have provided some of the worlds keenest minds and inbred scum like you would deny that scenario ever happening.
@galamcennalath
This has hit home like a kick in the balls; these bastards think they and their ilk have some inherent right to life and those of us on the periphery should just die out.
Modern day clearances, stop the poor of Scotland breeding, that’ll sort them.
Apologies o/t
In case anyone not seen this and wants to sign it.
I did it via link on Lesley Riddoch’s twitter account.
“David & Alison Telfer are sheep farmers in Galloway, brave enough to shop Duke of Buccleuch’s “trees for tenants” wheeze.
Now their tenancy isn’t being renewed despite pleas by @ScottishLandCom & @JoanMcAlpine MSP. Please show u care, sign petition & share”.
I don’t think it would do the SNP any harm at all if they just told the teachers to fuck off (and I’m an ex teacher).
Even better would be to deal in exactly the same way with Ross Greer.
The teachers are being encouraged by the EIS to ‘push the envelope’, may they realise that Scotland truely runs on a limited budget and there is only so much to go around until we are Independent and in charge of our own finances.
May they also realise that they are being used by those Unions allied to ‘London Labour in Scotland’ who’s only goal is to preserve the Union at all costs, truely wierd that Scotland is one of the only countries in the world to run what is more or less a household budget, choice between fish fingers or beefy fucking bites for tea…
@ DMH – agreed. And also they could publicise pay rates. People who are relatively well paid should be more sensitive to the plight of the majority.
Average wage is approx £24,000. Anyone earning more than that is privileged.
Income should be made public and easily available, as I think it is in Switzerland through an online search. Also, how much tax people pay.
Regarding the child cap; there are people in the same situation as myself that are agreeing with if they can’t afford them they shouldn’t have them; think like me at what you would do if you lost your job, what the fuck would you do then….
Labour = farcical
Labour, riding the Westminster gravy-train these past 80 years, aided and abetted by their partners in corruption, the Unions. Red Tories to the core.
Boy, the Scottish electorate were so gullible, so naieve, and above all, so totally brainwashed.
Artyhetty @ 9.52pm
You might want to show the nurse this article from the Guardian on 21st Oct. It is about flu vaccine shortages in NHS England.
link to archive.is
Yet a couple of weeks ago the papers up here were full of stories of how the SG had made a mess of ordering the flu vaccine resulting in shortages. If any mention was made of the situation down south it was to the effect that everything was Ok and they had got the ordering spot on.
This article shows that is not the case and they were caught out just like the SG and NHS Scotland
@ Jim – here are a great many people in that situation, probably the majority. There’s even a name for us “the precariat”.
The low paid, disabled, unemployed, underemployed, zero contracts, students, retired, immigrants. Probably more we don’t know much about e.g. artist, writers, craftsmen and women, married women looking after children or elderly parents.
We’ve fallen a long way down from the post war Beveridge welfare state.
Teachers’ pay scales
Pay for teachers on the unpromoted or maingrade scale goes from a Probationer, point 0, at £22,866 up to the top of the scale, point 6, at £36,480.
Chartered teachers scale goes from £37,611 to £44,727.
Full pay scales are here:
link to eis.org.uk
@Capella
I am welling up, maybe I need to stop posting when upset.
In Gaffney we have all the Pie-faced Low-flying Jimmies poured into one. It’s like the Hoods, Donohoes, Roys and Hamiltons have been re-formed into this new concoction of sub-mediocrity. “Oaf” doesn’t do him justice.
” … Average wage is approx £24,000. Anyone earning more than that is privileged.”
The SG could always bring them into line with the average Kingdom of England rates. In an effort to normalise the profession’s rates right across the whole Union.
Do you think they would fail to welcome being paid as much as their English Kingdom counterparts?
You know what I feel like, Capella.
I grew up poor, my parents were made redundant at the same time and where we lived jobs were few and far behind.
I spent some time on the dole, managed to get a job with my partner who has worked all her life and so, so very hard-working and I feel that my children are not much better off than I was, living hand to mouth but, I have a mortgage and a car so must be a step ahead!!!
So the MP has a problem, a choice between two mutually exclusive options. He’s simply adopting a critical rationalist approach to scientific inquiry, seeking truth through trial and error. Obvs. 🙂
@ Jim – keep on posting. We’re all in the same boat. We all want a fair society. Only the Tories, whether red, blue or yellow, want privileges. The rest of us just want to get with our lives in peace and harmony.
Forget the Millenials, I and many like me are the bastard children of the Tories, ‘the working poor’!
@ Dave McEwan Hill & Capella
Glad I’m not the only one thinking that! My understanding is that the offer to teachers is a 3 year deal, 3% each year. Plenty would bite your hand off for that.
————-
Can I ask Wingers to consider signing this petition to Scotgov about the revolting trophy hunting of semi tame goats and sheep on Islay.
link to change.org
@Valerie
As I have said, there is only so much money to go around due to the constrictions of a budget/pocket money, given to us by Westminster.
A husband gives enough for a tin of Campbell’s meatballs, (other brands are available), but tells you he wants steak and Onion for dinner, that sort of thing.
Congratulations to Hugh Gaffney for his attempt to be the greatest Labour plonker despite stiff competition. Jackie Baillie, Dugdale, Leonard must be furious.
I hope printed copies of Gaffney’s preference for Gartcosh are delivered locally. Surely we should help him get his message across that he really is a rank hypocrite.
Incidentally does he donate his MP & councillors salary to the working poor?
@Hamish100
These must be printed and distributed to all in the area.
Poorer people spend what money they have straight back into the economy, they have no choice, supermarkets cafes local shops takeaways toy stores baby goods are all funded by poorer people
The only people who are bad for the economy are rich people who keep their money out of the economy ceasing its circulation thereby causing more poverty among the poor, and the more money that’s kept out of circulation, the poorer the majority become
Conclusion: Without the majority of population who are poor to middle income there is no economy
One more thing, these children who the Tories claim are unwanted could end up being their carers or nurses or doctors or indeed if we’re fortunate funeral undertakers who might refuse to bury Tories and just let them rot in refuse bins for landfill
Too harsh? Nah!
Maybe it is them that have the goldfish memories.
@ Jim – well you are well ahead if you have a mortgage. I don’t own a house. I have a vast number of books, which, in this digital age, are worth SFA. But no debt. Apparently, that’s a bad thing in modern society.
But I can contribute to various crowdfunders, blogs, streaming services and news providers so I feel involved in something a bit more rewarding than the mind numbing Great British propaganda fest which dominates the daily zietgeist.
And I look forward to the day when we will be free of it and able to build the kind of society which we all want.
@ Chick McGregor 11.42 pm
I take exception to that slur on goldfish. Goldfish can be trained and do not have a 3 second memory. I agree that SLab may do though and goldfish are cleverer.
Hugh Gaffney, the gaff that keeps on gaffing!
@Capella
Still got 25 years so not too far ahaead.
@Chick McGregor @remo
A post on Wings by jdman pre 2014 that I’ve never forgotten 🙂
link to youtube.com
Oh look! Pork barrel politics. Monklands revealed.
link to twitter.com
I heard a bit on the radio tonight.
Alex Neil explained why he voted with the Scot Govt that keeping the Monklands site was not a good idea. Basically, the site will have to be suitable for 60 years or more and the site isn’t suitable long-term, in his opinion.
However, he was also very opposed to the health board’s choice of Gartcosh.
I believe he said the “independent” panel was anything but and stuffed full of NHS Lanarkshire managers etc with only 1 patient from the Health Board area on that panel.
It seems he just stopped short of calling the Health Board liars and cheats and used the phrase “stitch-up” several times. It’s the most damning criticism I’ve ever heard from an SNP MSP.
As I’ve repeatedly warned, Health Boards are allowed to get away with the most serious of misdeeds and the Scot Govt brush it under the carpet. It happened under Robison, it’s happening under Freeman. This could damage the indy cause.
There is a lack of scrutiny and accountability by govt or others. Thank goodness for people like Alex Neil, a former SNP health secretary, who are willing to speak out.
Something must be done to make health boards open to public scrutiny and accountability. NOW.
Deranged Labour politician Prof. Dr. Cll Scott Arthur goes off on another one. like his colleague Gaffney above he needs to be sent to “diversity training”.
link to twitter.com
Re: Legerwood@11.03
Thanks Lw, will take a look and pass it on…
re: Capella@11.05
Not to mention unpaid carers.
I believe what we are witnessing here is the first observed occurrence (thanks, Stu!) of a Schroedingers’ politician. Each time the individual is interacted with, his complex wave functions collapse into a different eigenstate, which produces a literally unpredictable result.
Because all possibilities are latent in the configuration, each instantiation is quite unaware of the behaviour ensuing from preceding instantiations.
It’s remarkable. A genuine scientific curiosity that should be preserved for the nation, nay, the whole world. We may learn much from studying this unique opportunity.
In the meantime everyone (especially media) is advised to carefully observe but never interact with this phenomenon, since one just cannot know what instantiation will appear next. It could get messy.
@RJS – I believe the mere act of observing alters the dynamic, so that Hugh Gaffney may even cease to exist if we divert our attention elsewhere.
Furthermore, entities approaching a black hole become spaghettified. A terrible fate we would not wish on our worst enemy. But for Hugh, it would be a mercy.
Here we go, that Scottish “expendable” fishing sorted.
Spain to get access. This is no doubt the price of that Gibraltar deal.
link to twitter.com
He’s obviously realised that it’s the work of the devil ie SNP…
I’m in the Monklands catchment. With apologies to the staff, it’s a shithole, anything would be better.
If I were ill, I’d rather take my recovery at the landfill site.
The new site has been consulted on, and there is public support for the Gartgosh site, and it makes sense to put it on a new campus site, where another public service building is.
@ Thepnr 12.01am
I’ve reported that racist filth.
Tend to agree with “ Jockanese wind talker @ 2006 and “ @Luigi @ 2124 “, it’s beginning to look like we are moving into the “ end game” on Brexit . If it’s “ No deal” and “Chequers” is rejected by the EU then surely May has to resign. A general election with a Corbyn government ( with establishment “ plants” Starmer & Thornberry in the vanguard ) could be the “ Establishment choice” to thwart Scottish Independence. The latest Britnat Labour “union agitation “ in Scotland would certainly make sense as the “ propaganda channels” mantra in Scotland for the GE campaign will certainly be “ vote Labour in Scotland to save the country from a Tory hard Brexit” ( naturally no mention of saving the RUK from Scottish Independence). Make no mistake saving “ the precious precious union “ is the “ end game” for the “ Britnat Westminster Establishment”. If the Tories can’t get away with their goal of a hard Brexit and “ keeping Scotland chained “ then the soft Brexit compromise “ via the Establishment “ reserve Britnat government “ will be deployed. Stand by in this scenario for a “ propaganda blitz” on behalf of “ Scottish Labour” if this comes to pass. .The current agitation by the Britnat unions in Scotland could well be the forerunner . There is little doubt in my opinion that there is “ collusion” at a very high level within the “ Britnat Westminster establishment “ to deny Scottish Independence, ( whatever it takes) , this could very well include coordination between Tories, Labour & unions to degrade the SNP government in Scotland. In these circumstances does the SNP contest this GE on Independence ? against the Britnat Labour proposition of “ soft Brexit / super Devo Federal max jam tomorrow for Scotland” ? ( of course backed to the hilt by the Britnat media in Scotland).
Hopefully our wonderful FM “ has the plan” to free our country. She has “ played it so well so far” . In Nicola we trust.
Councillor scott Arthur show BLiS attitudes well with his latest tweet link to mobile.twitter.com
@RJS
@Capella
so what yir sayin is
Hugh Gaffney interferes with himself and collapses in a state?
chortle – physics “autism”, nice – keep it coming
I see references to –
quantum mechanics / copenhagen interpretation
black hole information paradox
?loop quantum gravity – jaysus that is obscure
This is from EPR –
Labour Policies are entangled with SNP – as soon as an SNP policy is measured, then immediately all other Labour policies become the OPPOSITE
The offending racist Tweet by Labours Scott Arthur has been reported to Police Scotland by several people, more by the minute by the looks of it
Labour the gift that keeps on giving Dr Jim
Well, he appears to be testing the limit of my theory previously espoused regarding the memory retention period of the politically unaware.
However, yer average Joe won’t have been paying attention to the media (any) in June or now unless they live in the affected communities and probably more interested in celeb guff or sport. Only us anoraks care.
I swing between optimism & a deep pessimism regarding our chances of Independence.
The lies and hypocrisy an incessant stream. The utter brokenness of the UK obvious, but how many of our countrymen are actually paying attention?
–
My, it seems Prof/Doc/councilor or whatever, Scott is also testing the limit this evening. What a racist fool.
Well the day is not out (well not here Stateside anyway) and the Rev has another contender for cretin of the day.
Cllr Prof Scott Arthur (see the Revs twitter feed) doesn’t deserve to be a councillor or a professor. Is he actualy a professor? If employed his employers need to have a rethink. Not to mention his council.
I’m going to put a few items together when back in DDD and send them to Ben Bradshaw and ask him why I should ever vote Labour again. His partner is Scottish so the reply should be interesting.
I cringe every time I see Hugh Gaffney speak in parliament. He is the Scottish cringe personified. He also replaced a very capable and soft-spoken SNP MP who was an absolute gentleman, Phil Boswell. Can’t understand the people who voted him in.
North Lanarkshire did vote Yes.
Valerie, I too am in the Monklands area. To call Monklands Hospital ‘a shit hole’ is gutter talk. Most people don’t live in the gutter.
I regularly visit Monklands Hospital and each time I do, I am very impressed by the quality of care I receive.
‘would rather take my recovery at a land-fill site’, this is absurd – and more gutter talk.
The consultation on the proposed site of Gartcosh has been very limited as well as being selected by the Health Board. At the busy meeting I went to in Airdrie Town Hall, there was virtually no support for Gartcosh.
Gartcosh is hopeless for the Monklands. It is in the wrong place pure and simple, for a host of reasons.
It’s a set-up by the RedBlueTory alliance in Lanarkshire Council and their business associates. Taxpayers money, they can’t get enough of it.
A Schroedingers’ politician or imaginary politician? Apparently there is no reality until we observe it, at least on the quantum level. Here’s one for the quantum physicists. 😉
Wheeler’s delayed-choice gedanken experiment with a single atom
link to nature.com
@Dr Jim
Dear lord. That tweet’s appalling.
I didn’t want to say anything about the tweet, in case folk think I’m overly focused on race relations. I think it does suggest a problem though.
There is no bigger hypocrite than a Tory hypocrite. This video is just unbelievable, unfortunately though it’s all to believable with this shower in our parliament.
link to twitter.com
Then SNP MSP Tom Arthur hit back and she takes a good skelping!
link to twitter.com
link to thenational.scot
I’ve just been reading the BBC Scotland news text service and every department and think tank that gets a say in anything in Scotland is attacking the Scottish government on everything from NHS collapse to a failure to succeed on fairness and equality and how the SNP have missed all the targets and everything’s worse than ever and nothing’s been achieved and also the opposition and police and god knows who else all want to bring back Booze to football
It makes for dreadful reading so I guess the BBC will be hoping everyone in Coatbridge reads that before they go out to vote seeing as how Richard Leonard probably stayed up late to make sure he got it all on the telly
They’re throwing everything at us at the moment, let’s hope Mr and Mrs Coatbridge and the rest of the country don’t fall for this tripe and do something silly they’ll regret
Back O/T. Is it nature or nuture? A bit of both? The study of epigenetics is adding to our understanding of the social and environment influences on human potential.
link to nature.com
This is Brexit for 5 year olds as told by the BBC. Shameless.
link to bbc.co.uk
I truly hope that Labour get flattened in the by-election today. In fact I truly hope they get flattened in every by-election and election from now until doomsday!
Dirty, corrupt, 2 faced lying bastards. Vote “Yes” and you will lose your pension said former councillor Sam Love and his cohorts in Wishaw. I still see him from time to time when I am home – he looks a broken man. A man who from the age of 26 represented Coltness ward as a councillor, but I feel zero sympathy for someone who knowingly lied to pensioners to do his paymasters bidding.
O/T – Veterans Today is tearing Liam Fox a new ass hole over the “aircraft carrier with no aircraft”. It seems that it and RN sailors are being used for a trade convention in New York.
link to veteranstoday.com
Al,
Stand-out paragraph from VT report,
‘Captain Jerry Kyd revealed that his aircraft carrier stopped just yards from where Admiral Lord Nelson used to anchor his ships in New York, back in the century when that meant something. For me it’s hard to imagine Lord Nelson inviting a delegation of business leaders aboard HMS Victory for a finger buffet and short slideshow on post-Brexit business opportunities.’
This is what we are paying for, folks.
‘SNP MP calls for action as Tommy Robinson dines in House of Lords.’
link to thenational.scot
…………………………………
‘Former Donald Trump advisor says Scotland needs a hard border with England to keep out criminals.’
link to thoughtcontrolscotland.com
………………………..
Ben Sheppard and Kate Garraway.
Watch video: ‘ITV gets its knuckles rapped over Nicola Sturgeon interview.’
link to thenational.scot
……………….
Kate Garraway:
‘Ludo Thierry on ITV’s Labour connections.’
link to thoughtcontrolscotland.com
@Dr Jim says: 25 October, 2018 at 1:02 am:
” … The offending racist Tweet by Labours Scott Arthur has been reported to Police Scotland by several people, more by the minute by the looks of it.
The tweet has been deleted – Ooops!
Gone but not forgotten.
Well worth a read. ..”We must not forget that Glasgow’s museums, libraries, archives and art galleries are now run by a quango (Glasgow Life) headed up by Bridget McConnell.’’
………………
Long Letter in the National by Michael Donnelly, Glasgow:
”Once again the People’s Palace Museum and Winter Gardens (one not two institutions) is under attack as a result of the carelessness and mendacity of the Labour Party.
I understand that Richard Leonard has approved, and general secretary Brian Roy has issued, an online petition blaming the current crisis on the SNP.
Let no-one be in any doubt that the two re-glazing projects of the 1980s and 90s were carried out under the Labour Party. The disastrous changes carried out to the Palace under Julian Spalding and Mark O’Neill were sanctioned by Pat Lally and Frank McAveety.
Lally is gone and unlamented but McAveety is still in office, and as convenor tolerated the destruction of most of the museum’s most popular exhibits. He also permitted the reduction of the museum’s central role as the museum of Glasgow’s social history by confining its exhibits to post-1750.
This decision meant Lally and he were able to facilitate and justify the asset-stripping of the museum collections, thereby avoiding and eliminating such awkward subjects as the War of Independence, the 16th- and 17th-century witch hunts, the Scottish Reformation and the Union of 1707.
What remains of the pre-1991 presentations is an anodyne collection of disjointed artefacts which obscure rather than interpret the role of Glasgow as a great imperial city.
The hard-won and carefully restored room settings of the Stockwell Mansion with their rare marbled decoration were simply torn apart and dumped, as I witnessed at the time. The carefully restored effigy of Robert Wishart, the patriot bishop of Glasgow and stalwart supporter of Wallace and Bruce, was as badly stored and damaged. This gross mismanagement did not only affect the pre-1750 display but extended to the very rare printing press of John Mennons of the Glasgow Advertiser, precursor of the Glasgow Herald, when it was moved from its panelled room setting rescued from the last Palladian mansion of Robert Dreghorn. It was later seen by me in the Mitchell Library in a dismantled condition.
Of the 19th-century displays, the collections of Glasgow and Scottish stained glass were removed entirely, also the displays on cast iron and the Togneri Cafe from Duke Street, now dead and unloved in the Riverside Museum. The Victorian bathroom from Blythswood Square was likewise exited, as were the flanking busts of RB Cunninghame Graham and James Keir Hardie. In a recent crisis McAveety had Hardie resurrected, but Graham – being a nationalist as well as a socialist – remains in purdah, as does Matt McGinn.
The picture collection including the historic works of Crimea Simpson and John Knox, and the contemporary works of Alastair Gray, Peter Howson, Andrew Hay, Alexander Guy, Avril Paton and Virginia Colley are conspicuous by their absence.The historically important mural cycle of Ken Currie is atrociously lit and hidden by a clutter of irrelevant hangings. Currie’s other major works on War and Peace have not been on show since 1990.
This museum was once capable of attracting more than half a million visitors a year, long before the current refurbishment and use of the Green for concerts and events.
I fear that not only the fate of the building but the restitution of its deliberately scattered collections will depend on the goodwill and determined support of the SNP if the glory days are ever to return. We must not forget that Glasgow’s museums, libraries, archives and art galleries are now run by a quango (Glasgow Life) headed up by Bridget McConnell.”
Robert Peffers says:
25 October, 2018 at 7:08 am
@Dr Jim says: 25 October, 2018 at 1:02 am:
” … The offending racist Tweet by Labours Scott Arthur has been reported to Police Scotland by several people, more by the minute by the looks of it.
The tweet has been deleted – Ooops!
Gone but not forgotten.
Ah yes, the nasty Dr Arthur who calls himself scot. He has been close to the edge for a while. He may just have taken one step over the cliff with this one.
Hopefully someone made a screen capture copy. 🙂
What a hypocrite!!
Carolyn Leckie: ”Brian Wilson’s diatribes against the SNP leave a bad taste.
..”But one thing that does rile me about Brian Wilson is the personal animosity he feels obliged to parade. Over this past week or so, he has sneered at the SNP MSP Christina McKelvie, railed against Nicola Sturgeon and hit out at Jeane Freeman, whom he has nicknamed, not for the first time, the SNP’s Quango Queen.”..
..”Soon after that Wilson was piling up the outside jobs. In the House of Commons Register of Members’ Interests for 2005, he is recorded as earning fees – of “up to £5,000 in each case” – for writing articles for The Telegraph, The Times, The Guardian, Observer, The Scotsman and The Herald.
While sitting in Parliament – and picking up a lavish salary by most people’s standards – Wilson became a paid director of the Aberdeen-based oil and gas company Core Technical Services Ltd. And a paid adviser to Windsave Ltd. And to Scottish Biopower Ltd and Pipsa Energy. And Renewable Technology Ventures Ltd. And Englefield Capital (Renewables Fund). These, you will no doubt have worked out by now, are energy companies one and all. Brian certainly made the most of his fleeting two-year stint as energy minister. And there’s more. After leaving Parliament, he became a non-executive director for the multinational nuclear power giant Amec Foster Wheeler. And the UK chair of Airtricity, in which capacity he oversaw the development of the 49-turbine Braes of Doune wind farm, near Dunblane, generating an estimated income of £2 million a year for 30 years for the landowner, the Earl of Moray.
And while working in renewables, he also became the chairman of Flying Matters, a front organisation for the airline industry. Under his chairmanship, the organisation tried, unsuccessfully to take what it called the “Mother of All Injunctions’ against the Camp for Climate Action at Heathrow Airport. Flying Matters also opposed the UK Climate Change Bill of 2008, which committed Britain to slashing carbon emissions by 80% by 2050.
Wilson later went on to become the founding chairman of Havana Energy, which develops biomass in Cuba. Some on the left might approve – and I personally I have sympathy with the achievements of the Caribbean island over many decades in the teeth of a US blockade. I have less sympathy that Brian Wilson’s company has its main headquarters, not in Cuba, but in Guernsey – an offshore tax haven.”..
link to thenational.scot
…………………………
Compare with the dregs of humanity working as so-called journalists in Scotland.
David Pratt: ‘Journalists in the line of fire epitomise what this profession can be.’
link to thenational.scot
A politician who celebrates jobs and services being moved from his own backyard to a place closer to Glasgow?
Pooling and sharing right enough.
Professor John Robertson – ‘Talking Up Scotland.’
‘Edinburgh alone has 14% of the UK’s top tech companies.’
link to thoughtcontrolscotland.com
……………………………………
Michelle Ballantyne …”people on benefits should not be able to have as many children as they like”..
link to twitter.com
..”In 1990 Michelle and her husband decided to move to the Scottish Borders in order to set up their manufacturing company and raise their six children, establishing their business in Walkerburn and settling near Selkirk.”..
link to michelleballantyne.org.uk
”Shortly after she joined the Scottish Parliament, Ballantyne was appointed to the role of spokesperson for Childcare and Early Years.”….
link to en.wikipedia.org
………………….
@ Valerie says at 11:26 pm … ”Can I ask Wingers to consider signing this petition to Scotgov about the revolting trophy hunting of semi tame goats and sheep on Islay.”
link to change.org
I see that one of my posts is awaiting moderation.
”Your comment is awaiting moderation.”
That’s a first for me on here. Has anyone else experienced this?
It is getting to be laughable now.
The Scottish Auditor General has just made a great case for Scottish Independence. Mind you that was not her intention but that is the true effect.
The SNP BAAAD! Mantra of all Unionists, and their tame Scottish SMS, has overplayed their hand to the extent the only sane answer to it is independence.
If the purse strings remain with the Her Majesty’s Treasury and vital services are curtailed, not by incompetent, but by lack of finance.
Yet as Scotland is the only United Kingdom country that exports more than it imports then the only sensible thing is to end this corrupt United Kingdom that treats the union as a four country union when the United Kingdom is legally a two partner kingdom.
The exact same solution applies to the British/English harping at the underfunded Scottish services of Police, Education and every other cash strapped Scottish function that these idiots claim as being the fault of a the absolutely best performing legislature in the entire United Kingdom and that includes the shambolic mess that is Westminster which, without doubt, is absolutely the worst performing one of all.
Now I might be wrong but my feelings are that even if your average voter in Scotland takes little interest in the nitty-gritty parts of politics they subconsciously are becoming aware that this relentless SNP BAAAAD! mantra of the unionist propagandists.
BBC is going at it with a much overblown tirade by the BBC and their obviously well chosen (Cough!), experts and pundits. One on right now being interviewed by Garry.
What was the content of the Scott Arthur tweet?
Ihope I’m not being too optimistic – but I’m looking forward to FMQs today, hoping that Nicola is on her best form and rips some ar$eholes (particularly Dickie Who?).
Valerie at 11.26pm
I have signed
Consultation on Fracking
link to consult.gov.scot
link to facebook.com
Getting telt
link to twitter.com
link to weegingerdug.wordpress.com
Speaking with @Feorlean about the outrage caused by Larysa Switlyk shooting goats on Islay. He’s raised the issue with the Scottish Government
link to twitter.com
link to change.org?
link to randompublicjournal.com
A powerful and important point of order in the Commons by @StewartMcDonald on Tommy Robinson. We cannot let these poisonous attitudes become normalised.
link to twitter.com
Giving Goose , whatever it was it must have been very bad as it has vanished into the ether. – I am assuming that an alert reader will have captured it and the police are now knocking on his door.
Scottish Tories demonstrating their humanity , likeability and concern for humanity again I see , delighted with the rage expressed by the young SNP MSP. Time someone really BIT back.
link to peterabell.blog
SNP’s Ian Blackford presses PM on Saudi Arabia
link to twitter.com
Ellie Waugh, chief executive of the charity @HumanityTorbay, breaks Tory gagging order on the effects of #UniversalCredit – “I’m speaking out because I’ve actually been threatened. I’ve been told to keep my mouth shut”
link to youtube.com
link to irishtimes.com
link to politico.eu
link to lexcomm.co.uk
Greedy web giants are threatening to slash post-Brexit investment if we force them to pay more tax.
link to archive.is
NAO report on No Deal preparedness is terrible.
Every HMRC border system readiness for No Deal rated either Red or Red-amber – “successful delivery of the project appears unachievable”
link to twitter.com
link to theintercept.com
Contemptible Caroline Noakes
link to twitter.com
EU rules still ‘essential’ for UK’s farmers after Brexit
link to archive.is
link to mlexmarketinsight.com
“The rage people should feel for Iain Duncan-Smith and the people who sat round the cabinet table and voted for it (benefit sanctions).”
link to twitter.com
Theresa May does little to reassure her Brexit critics at crunch backbenchers meeting
link to archive.is
No more time to prepare for no deal
link to archive.is
Thread by @tconnellyRTE: “Here are some sobering observations from NI business groups when asked at DexEU committee what they would say to those calling for @theresa_
link to threadreaderapp.com
link to thecanary.co
Debenhams to close up to 50 stores in further blow to high streets
link to archive.is
Long-serving MEPs to be eligible for six-figure transition payments
link to archive.is
Translation ‘3 weeks before Skripal “poisoning”, the British Marines conducted a Toxic Dagger chemical exercise in Salisbury (!!!), imitating chemical weapons poisoning and performing actions to rescue the poisoned. There are no such coincidences!’
link to twitter.com
Brexit: the inevitable consequence will be chaos
link to eureferendum.com
link to bloomberg.com
link to wired.co.uk
Sharp falls wipe out Wall Street’s 2018 gains
link to archive.is
@Giving Goose
link to twitter.com
On Labour Church Elder Cllr. Prof Scott Arthur’s rascist tweet.
Ever since Indy Ref debates and local hustings he has always come accross as an agressive bully.
Since becoming a Councillor, playing the Unionist card with Tory voters, he has used the local paper letters pages to attack his coaltion colleagues on almost a daily basis.
Bur now called out.
link to edinburghnews.scotsman.com
@Nana
Thanks Nana and yes, it’s a two cup morning right enough. The ordure seems to be coming at folk from everywhere and all at the same time. Labour’s hypocrisy and naked manipulation exposed and as one poster over on WGD rightly notes, Ms Ballantyne’s attitude reeks of nothing short of demographic eugenics.
These are scary people, with even scarier attitudes. Happily there is something they’re afraid of though. People taking away their access and their wealth. People just voting them out of their lives. That terrifies the bejeebus out of them. 😎
Morning Macart, someone in twitter reported the hypocrite Tory woman has herself received tax credits for her 6 children.
My loathing for labour grows with each passing day, rage is bad for my BP.
Re the racist tweet from Arthur, folks can complain
link to standardscommissionscotland.org.uk
@Valerie 12:35am
Ta for the link.
If wasn’t the airport, it had to be the fishing.
Which kinda brings me back to the EU needing Spain sweet to complete Brexit & help asset strip a weak government.
I wonder if there are any other valuable assets up for grabs?
No, I can’t think of a single thing.
No support to be had for Scotland from the EU pre Brexit that’s for sure.
On our own as ever.
Thanks for the links Nana. If only we could get this information, the data in your links, into every household in Scotland. If only!
How on earth did it ever get to be as bad as this? Millions of people REALLY suffering in the UK. People being threatened if they speak out about it. Nazi Germany comes to mind and no one seems to be in a position to help, not even the UN.
It just beggars belief that this Government would consider leaving the EU when this country (England) is in such a bl**dy mess. It’s akin to bedlam now. Every solitary area that you can think of from housing, policing, social care, education, the prison service, NHS, etc, etc, etc is so shambolic that you wonder if it can ever be turned around again.
Meanwhile Nicola Sturgeon continues to do an amazing job in Scotland against ALL odds. Let’s help her to get us out of this. Continue to get the truth out there via this site, other online Independence supporting sites, via the National and to the men / women on the streets. Join the SNP and / or donate today. PLEASE.
link to snp.org
……………………..
@ Nana .. ”Ellie Waugh, chief executive of the charity @HumanityTorbay, breaks Tory gagging order on the effects of #UniversalCredit – “I’m speaking out because I’ve actually been threatened. I’ve been told to keep my mouth shut”
link to youtube.com
………………………….
@ Nana … “The rage people should feel for Iain Duncan-Smith and the people who sat round the cabinet table and voted for it (benefit sanctions).”
link to twitter.com
‘Comments waiting to go into moderation’ Gremlins in the system. It can post with the ‘awaiting moderation’ comment on it. The poster sees it but no one else does on the posted comment, which can have posted right away. Longer posts can take time to post because they have to approved in some way. Name check or something else. It just takes a bit of patience.
Gordon McIntrye Kemp Thursday October 25th. Tonight 7.30 New Inn at the Park. Coming to Aberdeen
Dr Philippa Whitford The New Inn at the Park Saturday October 27 2-4pm. Aberdeen.
(It was advertised as Queens Cross Church). It might be better to check. Or could someone give clarity. Changed to a bigger hall? There is a phone number on the website, The locations are not miles apart. Quite accessible.
Tickets Eventbrite. Or at the location? There are still tickets left on the website,
They have been killing goats, deer, rabbits and other animals for years, The Highlands would be overrun if there was not a cull. Rabbits often develop disease and cull themselves.
The stagnation of the Scottish population is due to Westminster unionist mismanagement for years. Iraq, Dunblane and Lockerbie kept secret for 100 years. Under the Official Secrets Act.
Since 1928 and before. Scotland’s resources and revenues were illegal and secretly taken to fund London S/E and pay for illegal wars, financial fraud and tax evasion by criminals at Westminster. Criminal and illegal political parties breaking every vow and oath that they make. Breaking International Law with impunity. Coarse, greedy, nasty self serving bastards. Of all description. Freaks out of touch with humanity. An absolute disgrace
@ Ken500 says at 8:51 am … ”They have been killing goats, deer, rabbits and other animals for years, The Highlands would be overrun if there was not a cull. Rabbits often develop disease and cull themselves.”..
Eh! So that makes it alright then? Alright for everyone and their granny to come from all around the World and turn Scotland into a hunting safari?
”Several tourism companies offer the chance to stalk and shoot wild goats in Islay, Dumfries and Galloway and other parts of the UK.”
Get the Law changed, ASAP, FGS.
link to bbc.co.uk
@Petra
Daily I see the most ridiculous arguments for leaving the EU, people have swallowed every bit of tripe the media have reported about the ‘big bad EU’ while covering up for the worst politicians in living memory.
They have succeeded in getting the people to hate the very people and institutions that are on their side.
This Westminster government has wrought havoc in every which way, yet somehow is still standing! I’m at a loss to understand how.
I don’t know whether Brexit will actually happen, but I am seriously worried about our future and hoping that Scots really have had enough of Westminster.
This is why the Tories want to leave the EU. Money is their God.
link to ec.europa.eu
Nana
Thanks for the link.
What a nasty person Scott Arthur is.
What is wrong with these people?
Nana says
This is a VERY interesting article.
It imagines a deal has been agreed with the EU for a Withdrawal Agreement.
It highlight the hurdles May faces in actually getting a Withdrawal Bill though Westminster. The two greatest problems seem to be time left, and the potential for amendments to be made which makes the Bill actually incompatible with what had been agreed with the EU!
“… prospect of amendments being passed by the UK Parliament that would undermine any agreement reached with the EU and pose a serious threat to ratification ….. invalidating it against the agreement struck with Brussels”
In parallel, the WA has to be ratified in 27 other EU parliaments.
Having missed the ‘deadline’ to get a Withdrawal Agreement a few weeks ago, there may not be enough time to agree and ratify one now. Sobering.
Jeremy Vine. Ban shooting Scotland?
Ban meat eating?
Slagging off Scotland?
Ban all shooting or killing of animals? Ban all farming etc.
More veggies/vegans. Many people are changing. Are you?
Another excuse to slag off Scotland and the Scottish Gov. As usual
OT It looks as though NATO – the USA to you and me and of course their best uncritical, hingin’ on the their coattails pal , that’s us) are working on their next war on Russia’s borders.
“Just military exercises’ ; Big bang coming!
Nana and Petra, great if disturbing links.
I attended the same public meeting that manandboy reports above. It was styled as a ‘consultation’ but it was abundantly clear that the decision had been made to use Gartcosh, in spite of the offer by a local business to sell them the necessary ground at another (more convenient) site for £1.
There is strong local feeling against the Gartcosh site for a number of reasons, chiefly the difficulty of access from Airdrie and Coatbridge. The steamrolling methods of the NHS reps at the meeting did nothing to improve the mood.
At present my elderly sister is in Monklands Hospital. I brought her there from her home in the Borders as I felt the health service there was neglecting her. Monklands reacted at once and had a diagnosis in hours for a problem that had gone on for many months untreated. She has nothing but praise for the staff there.
Yes, of course Labour and the disgusting Gaffney are jumping on the bandwagon of local anger, but in this particular case they may have a point.
Luigi says:
25 October, 2018 at 7:12 am
Robert Peffers says:
25 October, 2018 at 7:08 am
@Dr Jim says: 25 October, 2018 at 1:02 am:
” … The offending racist Tweet by Labours Scott Arthur has been reported to Police Scotland by several people, more by the minute by the looks of it.
The tweet has been deleted – Ooops!
Gone but not forgotten.
Ah yes, the nasty Dr Arthur who calls himself scot. He has been close to the edge for a while. He may just have taken one step over the cliff with this one.
Hopefully someone made a screen capture
I did Luigi and sure plenty others have as well, Labour, Scotland’s shame
link to irishtimes.com
British finance watchdog to quiz polling firms over hedge fund clients
link to archive.is
link to brexitcentral.com
link to theecologist.org
That’s all for now and I’m betting you will all be relieved.
BBC Podlitical
Political LIES told by young people
I’ve not had time to read through all the posts so apologies if someone has already posted something similar.
This situation reminds me a bit of the advise of a good friend who was promoted in the field to Captain during 4 years of WW2 (hospitalized 3 times).
He said there were times you do not want to puss your luck with your troops, one of these was when the cigarette ration did not come through. Any other time it was always humbling what men would do when asked.
I think we are in a similar situation now. With the troubles of the time, the general population is on a short fuse. They are pissed off, disenfranchised, in some cases just plain hungry, cynical and angry.
I think this strike has less to do with details of who did what when, but rather a reaction to the deterioration of the present situation.
Of course there are always the b*****ds who do not mind exploiting that condition. Hell mend them.
Philosophical question: if Hugh Gaffney falls over in the forest and no-one is around to hear it, is he still a split-tongued stumer?
Asking for my friend Jean-Paul.
That link re fracking, Nana, reminded me that I don’t recall hearing about this on Radio 4. Maybe I’ve just missed it, of course, and its wonderful reporters will be beavering away doing an in-depth report.
I was slow off-the-mark and missed Arthur’s now-deleted tweet but I do hope someone has preserved it for posterity. Couple that with the nice Tory Lady’s objectionable eugenical views, and the perpetual Tory war on the poor and disabled while they cosy up to Steve Bannon, and you realise this is probably what living in 1930s Germany was like for the average well-meaning and decent citizen.
It’s like being the lulled lobster in what starts off as the pleasantly-warm water of the pot: by the time it becomes even dimly aware what’s really going on, it’s already too late.
The only answer is becoming independent again but it’s now going to be a lot harder to escape the quick-sands of the Union than in 2014 because of WM’s desperation to keep the Golden Goose.
Macart’s perennial question is the important one: What kind of a country do you want to live in?
I feel, re Hugh Gaffney, we should in future, just as we always put the letters WATP after the name of Mad Murdo Fraser WATP, MSP. put the letters LFJ (Low-Flying Jimmy) after the Hon. Hugh Gaffney LFJ, MP.
I mean, the guy has worked hard for the title, we must use it.
Stu, ya beauty!
@CameronB Brodie
We have to be careful not to treat transgenerational epigenetics as deterministic as genetics is sometimes seen. Epigenetics is more about how nurture impacts than a deterministic thing and it is clear that while it exists nurture and lifestyle can override it. Just like bad genetics can in some situations be overcome.
It is also clear that epigenetic effects are weaker than genetic effects and remember, X and Y genes apart, the epigenetic tags on DNA vary in the different copies.
So while it is interesting we need to be careful not to jump on a bandwagon and start thinking it is seriously meaningful.
Monkland Hospital is an old hospital built around the late 1980s. It is inadequate for the growing needs of the population it serves,currently around 240,000.
It’s services on site are not integrated as required by modern health provision. Facilities such as surgery take place in separate buildings ,leading to staff being inflexible for management.
Annually it is becoming more expensive to keep in a state of repair. Around 5 million I believe.
Choosing a new site also has complications as there are numerous underground mines permeating the area,
I had two operations in Monklands ,but being involved in health care myself ,I realise the limitations of the facilities it can currently offer.
And so Scottish teachers via the EIS demonstration are up next on the 29th of October.
My wife is a teacher and has worked in a secondary school for 20+ years now. She is not a ‘political’ person. I had to explain to her that I didn’t think the teachers would get much public support for their 10% pay claim, (probably based largely on media misrepresentation etc.), though I for one (and i may well be just the one) support the teachers.
Anyway, in the public domain, the usual ‘canard’ of holidays come up as a stick to beat teachers with. My wife argues that teachers need these holidays due to the very real emotional stress on their working lives day in and day out (dealing with the twin pressures of schoolkids and pernicious, clueless management). I would have to agree. I don’t know how they do it. It IS unlike other occupations. She IS exhausted. I know.
Marking homework at 11pm at night and on Saturday mornings and Sunday nights? How many other jobs do this? Working 24 hrs a day and in your REM sleep?
Also, I was told that they had been offered 6% which the EIS did not accept. Without knowing the facts or history of this dispute, its obvious that it goes way back many years (8 years or so?) and that the union is trying to catch up with the 10% claim. Even if 10% is a bargaining ploy for maybe an eventual 8%, I still don’t think the public will look upon this with any support. Probably, politically, they should’ve settled with the previous offer.
– And then it occurred to me with reference to the GMB, is there mileage in the view that the unionist unions (of which the EIS are affiliated with?) are at ‘war’ with the SG in order to undermine the whole independence movement? What about that angle?
Lastly, my wife informed me that the lowest teacher pay rate is less than that of a baby sitter (no disrespect to baby sitters) . If so, (and i have no reason to disbelieve this as the days of £5/ph are long gone), the question then becomes for Scottish society, how much do we value education, our childrens’ futures, or do we want to just employ teachers as babysitters, or as agents of social control, or prepare them solely for the workplace, rather than have them educate our kids in the truest sense of the word, ‘educate’. Again, as is said, what kind of society do we want to live in?
I don’t think this is easy at all and recognise that many will have engrained views – so be it. But I post this purely for discursive purposes and for my own education, so i’d appreciate no personal pelters! 🙂
Monkland should have read (been built around late 1960s not 80s)
Socrates MacSporran
How about “British Nationalist”….after all that is what he is. And that description applies to al unionist politicians.
It is entirely accurate.
“That” tweet…
link to thenational.scot
O/T
@nana
Greedy web giants are threatening to slash post-Brexit investment if we force them to pay more tax.
link to archive.is
Well, that might not work so well because of this:
link to cbc.ca
It is an interesting read especially if you disregard some of the dismissive commentary and read between the lines.
If there had not been illegal wars, financial fraud and tax evasion. Everyone including public servants, pensioners and children could have been better funded,
The Westminster Unionists have imposed austerity totally unnecessaryily and are sanctioning and stsrving people to death and trying to destroy the world economy.
Why does it matter if the new hospital is in monklands rather than gartcosh ? They are only five miles apart ….
@Frank Gillougley: excellent, thoughtful post, doubly welcome because it is from an outsider looking in.
The main contributing factor to teachers’ stress and unhappiness imo is actually the inability of the unions (and the EIS is by far the biggest union) to defend its members’ interests against the authoritarian and mad management tendencies of both the Inspectorate and the Scottish Qualifications Authority which have added to the already considerable workload burden on teachers, particularly in planning and assessment.
The EIS went along with the worst excesses of the Curriculum for Excellence reforms (which began life as a Labour project) despite an avalanche of teacher concerns, so a cynic might think that its actions now may just be part of a general BLiS______d attempt to attack and undermine the SG, especially since they knocked back 3% already (not great but the SG has to balance its budget).
I doubt whether, once teachers have had their march, a majority will vote for strike action. An odd strike day here and there will just lose them money and public support, given so many people are suffering under Tory (and Labour-enabled) austerity but I suppose Mr Flanagan can lead them gloriously to the barricades with his red beret on and make things difficult for Honest John Swinney, whose only weakness I think is his tendency to believe what the HMI and SQA tell him is good for pupils and teachers.
Eventbrite
Coming to Aberdeen
Gordon McIntyre Kemp 7.30 pm October 25 Tonight
Dr Philippa Whitford Saturday 27 October 2-4pm
Re: brexit negotiations [for want of a better word]
Britnat DRaab:
“We have made good progress. We are close to agreeing a deal,” Raab said. “There certainly is a risk of a no deal especially if the European Union engage in a deliberately intransigent approach.”
Getting in his anti-EU accuse early.It’s all Johnny Foreigner’s fault!
Arthur says his tweet was a ‘mistake’
link to drscottarthur.scot
@bjsalba
Thanks for that, I will read it later.
From a gender-critical perspective of international political economy, Brexit has been described as a tad problematic.
Brexit as a scandal: gender and global trumpism
link to tandfonline.com
Most teachers are too intelligent to be used for political purposes by their Tunion reps but it will be seen. Most teachers are too bright to cut off their nose to spite their face even in the present of Tunion aggressive agitation. Stirring.
It is the unionists councils who try to lob of allocated education funding for any nonsense they perceive. Keeping class sizes too high and schools overcrowded deliberately. Using the statute limit (30) as the norm. Instead of keeping class sizes down and helping the teachers. Or investing in additional needs provision.
Consternation in Airdrie as folk might have to travel all of 15 minutes to new a state of the art hospital in Gartcosh! In Caithness folk are 100 miles from a main hospital!!! Diddums!
The Gartcosh site is right on the motorway, right next to a station & has acres of space for parking cars. Glasgow’s superb new hospital is miles out of the city centre & we manage! As for old pits, the whole of the Monklands is undermined. An added bonus is not only its closeness to the Polis & the Gartcosh club! It will also upset some Slab arseholes & Alex Neil!
Bringing the meat issue into the Islay billy-goat business is ludicrous. This beast was shot for its head only & would be rank & inedible! as standing down-wind of one will confirm!
@Fred
Caithness, Pah!
Try the Western Isles to Raigmore for anything major – 5 hours from home via Ferry and Bus or a flight, if you can afford it.
Also accommodation if accompanying a sick relative or just visiting.
Slightly O/T:
Quite often some smart arse politician or other professionals, try to make normal folks seem stupid or wrong by taking things out of context.
However, some such out of context things are not what they seem.
I found this humorous example on YouTube:-
link to youtube.com
Frank gillougly
Sorry but I don’t agree with you.
Teachers get so many holidays it really is a huge advantage and clearly has to affect how much pay they get.
As for sitting up til late at night checking homework I’m sure that is not something teachers have to do all the time, if it were ,it would be in their contract and therefore in their pay.
Everyone working for public services needs a 10% pay rise they have all been held to 1% pay rises and sometimes zero pay rises for two decades now, sure a tiny number of staff get performance bonuses often more to do with who you know than what you do so it’s a mess for all in the public sector.
It’s about time percentage pay rises were replaced with set amounts of money which would end the widening gap between those at the top and the rest.
Of course the reason public sector employees are treated badly is because the rich get wing governments Tory and Labour and Lib Dem use this to show private sector employees who get low pay that there are people who get paid worse than them this allows private sector employers to pay low and make more profits for themselves.
The advantage public sector employees have is that generally they have a long term job albeit one where promises of promotion abound but are in most instances a myth.
There is no longer any doubt that the Britnats are are in full panic mode re Indyref2 judging by the revving up in the number of SNPbad attacks over the last 2 weeks.
First we had a ludicrous renewal of the attacks on the BabyBoxes.
This was followed by the NE BSE case which was all over the media for days with the subliminal suggestion that somehow The SNP was responsible. No mention was made, of course, that there had been 10 or so case in E & W over the last few years which miraculously were never shouted from the rooftops – I can’t remember them being reported at all in the media.
Then on Monday the media storm broke with nationwide TV and MSM going hysterical on the Glasgow Equal Pay strike. However, this one backfired on them when the true situation became clear that The SNP council were doing there best to sort out the scandalous shambles created by the previous Labour council and the unions.
At this point and from yesterday they have hilariously run for their lives to ignore this matter to the extent that it has dropped off the media horizon completely as they realised that instead of it being an SNPbad scandal it was a Labour/GMB scandal.
Next up we have the Auditor General’s report on the Scottish NHS which has allowed the Bad Bad Guys to recover their breath and go into another hysterical SBPbad rant.
However, nobody- not the Aud. Gen. or Britnat shower have suggested just where will the money come from to sort out the alleged shortcomings contained in the report.
@Vronsky says: 25 October, 2018 at 9:43 am:
” … I attended the same public meeting that manandboy reports above. It was styled as a ‘consultation’ but it was abundantly clear that the decision had been made to use Gartcosh, in spite of the offer by a local business to sell them the necessary ground at another (more convenient) site for £1.”
You are making a basic error in logic in your comment. No one is criticising your intentions but your thinking is just plain wrong.
You confuse the care and dedication of the staff in the old and out of date hospital with the old and out of date hospital and it’s equipment.
If your sister had been treated by the same dedicated staff in a bang new up to date, and newly equipped with the latest diagnostic & treatment, in far better and new environment the care she received would most certainly have been as dedicated.
It would have probably been even quicker, more efficient and more relaxed by the same staff with far better facilities and a more relaxed and satisfied staff working less hard under stress in better working conditions.
In other words you are confusing the care given with the environment it is given in.
Not to mention the fact that in all probability a good deal of cash has already been spent on assessing and planning the best solution already and may even exceed the possible gains of re-planning for that £1 cost of land offer.
Frank Gillougly
Further to my post about teachers pay, I thought of another important point which is an advantage teachers have, so many of our young people cannot get a home because so many older people have used the purchase of and renting of flats as a means to ensure they have retirement income these people often cashed in the pension pot they had accrued with past employers so they could live it up a bit, the rush to do this has led to ever increasing rent costs because at the same time as this was encouraged by right wing governments Tory Labour Lib Dem, the governments ceased to build council houses leaving young people with no option other than to continue living with mum dad or gran and grandad etc or pay huge rent for old run down flats which from the low pay paid to young people is difficult, the low pay prevents them from getting a mortgage or saving a deposit to improve their chances of getting a mortgage.
Teachers having long term jobs have no such worries and can get a mortgage and have the long term prospects of improving their lives.
Young people generally do not.
Teachers are well down the pecking order for improvement in wages .
We need to double social security payments and double the minimum wage and give pay increases each year of ten or twenty or thirty pounds a week…to EVERYONE…what you would find is that huge numbers of people would be better off but the headlines in the poisonous British press would still be the squealing of the fat little piggies earning fifty a hundred ,two hundred thousand a year and more just like we did when the SNP Scottish government reduced income tax for the majority but increased it for the minority.
I’m not saying teachers should not get a good payrise, they should, but in the context of the misery experienced by millions in this country others have to get first.
So teachers…..back off…wait your turn.
To Robert puffers
There is just five miles between gartcosh and monklands why is one place any better than the other to build a new hospital what difference does it make when it’s five miles down the road
@ Petra 7.10 – just read your comment on the Long Letter in the National by Michael Donnelly, Glasgow.
What a long litany of cultural vandalism by Labour councillors. Appalling. Should be broadcast far and wide. To have Bridget McConnell presiding over the Glasgow Museums, Libraries and Art Galleries adds insult to injury.
link to wingsoverscotland.com
Hugh Gaff-prone
So wee Arthur Poll-Scot embarks on another damage limitation exercise.
Always thought he was a bit of a weasel. 🙂
gus1940 @ 11:52
Gus I would have said it started with an earlier manufactured “event” in the claimed SNP Civil War.
All the MSM and BBC tried to big it up and all they got back was a big Scottish Piss take. Brian Taylor downgrading to “Turmoil” on air was hilarious.
FMQs was yet another example of what poor politicians the SNP Government are.
Had British Labour (Head Office Division rather than the Scottish Branch Office), scored the own goal Small Dick Leonard, Hugh Gaffney LFJ, MP, and their Trade Union camp followers produced with their ridiculous 48-hour strike, you could have put money on back-bench Tory MPs queuing-up to lob easy balls at the Maybot, for her to blast back at Jeremy Corbyn & Co.
But, not one SNP MSP got up to offer-up the same ammunition to Nicola.
See this getting on with the day job malarkey, laudable, but, just occasionally, there is a time to put the boot in, and the SNP let Labour, and in particular Small Dick, off the hook there.
Breaknng news 1 hour ago:-
link to youtube.com
I had forgotten about the SNP Civil War – it was so desperately ridiculous, shortlived and universally declaimed as total nonsense.
Brexit is like the Titanic’s maiden voyage and we all know what happened there, 95% completed.
@Terence callachan says: 25 October, 2018 at 12:05 pm.
” … There is just five miles between gartcosh and monklands why is one place any better than the other to build a new hospital what difference does it make when it’s five miles down the road?
I wouldn’t know, Terence. The only thing I could think of is the access to the existing road/rail networks but new access roads would be included in the site plans I expect.
For heaven’s sake Edinburgh council mover Edinburgh royal from a site within walking distance of Waverley Station and central city bus routes out to Little France.
Didn’t see any unionist party protests about that.
Socrates MacSporran says:
25 October, 2018 at 12:53 pm
FMQs was yet another example of what poor politicians the SNP Government are.
There’s a reason it is called “First Minister’s Questions” and not “Irrelevant Questions about Opposition Parties”.
It’s a pity that Tories at Westminster waste their questions to the PM at “Prime Minister’s Questions” and demean the meaning of democratic accountability, so that they can make puerile comments about parties not responsible for running the governmewnt. That must mean they are not poor politicians in wee Sporran’s estimation.
@ Terrence Callaghan, Gartcosh is in “Monklands” & the hospital will be about two & a half miles from the centre of Coatbridge, which of course adjoins Airdrie last time I looked!
Gartcosh is not the Yukon. A song & dance about f’all. Most folks would be over the moon at getting a new hospital! See parochialism!!!
Teachers action 29th October
Thank you Ken 500, Tinto Chiel and Terence Callachan for your varied, interesting and well-informed views on this not straightforward subject. I also heard the FMs response today on the subject of teachers understandably aligning herself with the bottom-up approach for public sector workers, which i would have to ultimately agree with. I think as the FM suggested, compromise would be the way forward ie so much over so many years etc.
One thing did strike me in this though, and that is the sheer number of vested and competing interests at play in all of this so much so that the teachers are well and truly at the bottom of the delivery of education (in no particular order):
There are the EIS interests and agendas
There are LA interests and agendas
There are SG interests and agendas
There are the SQA interests and agendas
There are educational reforms’ interests and agendas
There are school Senior Managements’ interests and agendas
There are the wider public interests and agendas
there are private sector/public sector interests and agendas and
lastly there are teachers interests.
and so I think that is the real picture and context in which the teachers are in, after all everyone is an expert. Yeah?
Yes, as TC pointed out there are financial advantages re a pension and mortgages etc to be had, but on balance I wouldn’t do the job for all the tea in China. I would have been well dead by now from stress and probably before the age of 50. Not much good a pension to you then? (by the way I have a pension of a black bin bag)
So, no doubt this figure of 10% will lose its contextual narrative in the weeks to come and that holidays will be mentioned ad nauseum, but i for one wouldn’t be in their pig in the middle shoes – not one bit, so i just hope they settle and get the hell out of dodge city, try and keep their morale up (if they have any left) and move on with their lives.
May accelerating preparations for a no deal brexit,
“Ministers are set to suspend usual Commons business from 12 November and introduce the legislation required to ensure EU-related laws are replaced after Brexit day on 29 March. It is estimated that between 800 and 1,000 pieces of secondary legislation need to be rushed through to ensure the statute book continues to function following the UK’s departure.”
inews.co.uk/news/brexit/theresa-may-accelerates-preparations-for-a-no-deal-brexit-with-rush-of-legislation/
@ Frank Gillougley at 10.13: Absolutely right. I have several teachers in my family – teaching in different types of school, and for different ages of pupil. They ALL find that they need to work in evenings/weekends and “holidays”. And the younger the pupil the harder the job is because the teacher is having to train them in social behaviour as well as learning.
I helped out with a school project locally – just for a day with the pupils. I was preparing up to midnight the day before and was shattered at the end of the day itself. And I only had two well-behaved and co-operative young lads to deal with!
Terence Callachan – I submit respectfully that there’s more to teaching than you realise.
Do people have to get their brains removed to join SiU. Both SiU and Force for Good seem to be the preserve of reactionary twits, racists, military fetishists and general loons.
Frank Gillougley says:
25 October, 2018 at 1:13 pm
There are the EIS interests and agendas
There are LA interests and agendas
There are SG interests and agendas
There are the SQA interests and agendas
There are educational reforms’ interests and agendas
There are school Senior Managements’ interests and agendas
There are the wider public interests and agendas
there are private sector/public sector interests and agendas and
lastly there are teachers interests…
Missed a couple Frank… Don’t forget the interests and agendas of both the BritNats and Propagandists who wish to agitate disruption in a Devolved Portfolio with the specific objective of discrediting the SNP Government.
Wings is getting rather like the Westminster parliament.
We have half the Wingers espousing a policy of open arms to even quite obvious Britnats who show even the most false, feint and transparent signs in favour of indy. Even if, like Connolly, they openly state that if it would mean no Brexit it MIGHT be the way for Scots to go. That is there is no commitment to indy but only to it prevents Westminster BREXITing.
The other half want the SG/SNP to sink the boot in heavily when even the dogs in the street know the Unionists are making arses of themselves. Point being if the Scots voters cannot see what the dogs know then they are unlikely to even notice the arses the unionists are making of themselves.
I believe Nicola handled the Dick Leonard idiotic question just about right. As she did every other question asked. I most certainly was not among those Wingers licking their lips and getting the pop corn ready.
I’ll put it another way – if anyone watching FMQs could not figure out for themselves how stupid the opposition questions really are and how correct the FMs answers usually are they have already made their minds up. I will also state that anyone needing Nicola to get heavy handed has also already made their mind up.
What’s the point of reinforcing already fixed minds? However, if anyone works out for themselves, as most Wingers have, how the cookie crumbles then these are the ones we read who comment, “I used to always vote Labour but will never vote for them ever again.
Now consider this swiftly deleted tweet episode. Voters will mainly immediately have adopted one of two views. They either endorse it immediately or they reject it out of hand.
However, there will be a tiny percentage who swither and then decide. These are the potential converts – and converts towards both views.
At the moment the trend seems to favour moves to indy but make no mistakes – there will be movement in both directions and that is where not being too heavy handed or too willing to welcome are bad for the cause of independence.
Nicola is a very smart cookie and always takes the correct action. I’d even bet it is a great strain on the FM to exercise such restraint. The temptation to lash out must be great.
FMQs – Interestingly enough, am I alone in watching the hapless Richard Leonard and thinking that he fits the description once beloved of Glaswegians, of being a Balloon?
I then looked the definition up on Wikipedia and it fitted perfectly!
Richard Leonard is a flexible bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, air or water. Richard Leonard can be made of many different materials and can come in many different colours. Richard Leonard was initially created out of dried animal bladders. Richard Leonard can be used for decorative purposes or entertaining purposes. Richard Leonard’s properties, including his low density and low cost, have led to a wide range of applications, though none of these have any practicality.
Ther ye’s go – a balloon!
Better get on with the housework now or i’ll be for the high jump.
Monklands Hospital. Couple of points after scanning some of the posts. Firstly, Monklands Hospital became fully operational in 1977 not the 1980s as some have said.
Secondly, it was the A&E department that was threatened with closure in 2007 not the entire hospital.
Teachers’ pay. I posted some details of their pay last night and a link to their full pay scales but here are the details again since some people seem to have much idea about teachers’ pay
Pay for teachers on the unpromoted or maingrade scale goes from a Probationer, point 0, at £22,866 up to the top of the scale, point 6, at £36,480.
Chartered teachers scale goes from £37,611 to £44,727.
Within 7 years of starting and without any further qualifications a teacher can be earning £36,480.
Full pay scales are here:
link to eis.org.uk
For context: nurses start at £22,128 on Band 5 rising to £28,746 The recent pay awards have still to be added.
Junior doctors in Scotland start on £23,672 in Foundation year 1.
@Al dossary (4.37am), cearc (6.12am)
At the Euronaval defence exhibition on 22 October in Paris, Steve Allen, assistant chief of staff, carrier strike aviation with the Royal Navy, referred to the UK’s sole aircraft carrier as “65,000 tonnes of diplomacy”. I guess this must be the F.U.K.U.S. definition of diplomacy.
I missed FMQ’s but heard Toodleoothenoo at the end. He (or someone he was interviewing) said that they couldn’t understand Patrick Harvie harping on about 10% for teachers right across the board. This would mean that Head Teachers who earn £65,000 would get 10% as would the lowest earners. Nicola wants the lowest earners to get a better deal and something was said about pay rises on offer ranging from 5% to 11%.
And as per comments from previous posters, I also take on board the workload that teachers are having to deal with, as I was in the same position once upon a time. On top of the regular pile of paperwork that teachers have to deal with, many dedicated teachers rack their brains constantly trying to find novel ways to enhance learning, come up with ideas and try to follow through with them which often necessitates producing their own materials. This then adds to their workload. It’s like a vicious circle with the teacher being left with the feeling that they’re not doing enough and a sense of dissatisfaction and frustration. There’s no real answer to this, however there’s no doubt that the holidays make a massive positive difference. How do the general public overall view this (a 10% pay / holidays)? Well I reckon that most people don’t have a great deal of sympathy for teachers, due to the fact that many individuals are working in stressful situations and are totally bogged down with paperwork: Nurses being a good example. I’m sure that they would have loved to have been awarded a 10% pay rise and around 12 weeks paid holidays per annum too. Flanagan is pushing his luck (being ridiculous) and his agenda is more about contributing, with other Labourites, in bringing this SNP government down, imo.
………………………
@ Robert at 12:54pm ….. “Verhofstadt.’
He’s on the ball like most other normal people. It doesn’t matter if the Brexit deal is 95% or even 99% resolved. If the Irish issue isn’t resolved the deal stands at 0%.
Maybe Trades Unions have had their day. They may have done some good in the past, but now…
Gordon Ross in fine form today.
link to youtube.com
Cirsium 1.57 pm. Aye and its amazing what one exocet missile could do to 65.000 tonnes of uk diplomacy.
Terence callachan, 12.00,
‘… and give pay increases each year of ten or twenty or thirty pounds a week…to EVERYONE…’
I absolutely agree with that and have been of the opinion for years that the trade unions have fuelled the widening income gap by always going for across the board percentage increases.
Tinto and others,
Earthquakes in the last 50 days.,
link to earthquakes.bgs.ac.uk
As with the earlier fracking around the Nottingham area. Lots of small earthquakes possibly exacerbated by the ground being full of holes and tunnels from earlier mining.
admiral @1.08pm
Please, engage brain before posting. I know it’s called FMQs, because they are: “Questions to the First Minister.”
Thus, in formulating their very-often peurile questions, the likes of the pregnant tank commander, Small Dick Leonard and Wee Willie Rennie, not forgetting the Green around the gills Harvie, are seeking to score political points against the FM and the SNP government.
In Westminster, the same situation applies. So, to get back at the opposition parties, the government can arrange for back benchesr to lob questions at the PM or FM to fire back at the Opposition.
The Tories at Westminster do this rather well, with ridiculous questions getting asked, which allow the PM to look good, and which cut down on the embarrassing questions the Opposition parties could ask.
The SNP ought to have had somebody asking Nicola today something like: “Does the FM think the 48-hour strike by Glasgow DC workers was a disgraceful stunt organsied by the Labour Party and the Unions?”
Nicola could then have reitterated her support for the women’s cause; then praised the efforts of Susan Aitken and the SNP administration in George Square to solve a problem left them by decades of Labour maladministration, aided and abetted by a bad deal which Richard Leonard had brokered, etc.
This would have gone out live on TV, Tooraloothenoo and his “journalistic chums” such as the obnoxious Katrine Bussey would have had no chance to put their own spin on this, and the filtered, Unionist-spun stories put out would have been countered.
It’s not rocket science, it’s politics, and, if the Opposition – including the Unionist media – are going to play dirty – play dirty back, HARDER.
admiral – An SNP MSP could easily have tabled a question for the FM, a set up question if you like, which we see all the time, for Nicola to whack out the park. Something like:
“Does the FM not find it a bit hypocritical of Richard Leonard to be so scathing of Glasgow City Council’s position on the equal pay issue when he himself was a research officer for the GMB union when they tried to get the women employees to settle for far less pay than they were going to be due”.
Maybe worded a bit better than that but you get the idea!
@
Socrates MacSporran says:
25 October, 2018 at 2:56 pm
” … It’s not rocket science, it’s politics, and, if the Opposition – including the Unionist media – are going to play dirty – play dirty back, HARDER.”
Yeah! And all that would do is make the still large percentage of numpties we meet on doorsteps retort to any and every point say, “See aw yon politicians? Thir aw the same.”
What do you then say to change those people’s closed minds that they are not all the same?
Socrates MacSporran @ 1.08
Well said, the SNP miss this open goal week after week, they badly need to sharpen up. The Tories in Westminster are experts at this. taking the pressure off the PM and giving her a free reign with an easy question, an almost party political broadcast.
Dear Socrates and Mr. Peffers
I can understand both of your views, however I do think that our First Minister comes across very well by rising above the obvious open goals and playing a different game.
I do believe that the SNP have to be seen to be different and avoid degenerating into the usual tit-for-tat party politics which is a guaranteed vote loser. Folk just turn off. Yeh, you might get vengeance and be vindicated, but have you converted any dunno’s? Doubt it.
Nicola Sturgeon always accentuates the positive. And what a difference today with the ‘other’ one not there.
Yeh it is difficult to rise above stating the obvious. But is that not what the media are there for ??? !!! Oh well, I’ll get mah coat then…
Robert Peffers, Frank Gillougley
I can accept your point of view, However, when you are playing to the Marquess of Queensbury’s rules, while the guy you are takingon is playing to the Marquess of Donnybrook’s rules – you’re going to lose.
The SNP, unlike the Unionist parties, does GOVERNMENT very well, but, I don’t think they do the darker arts of POLITICS as well.
There is a difference, point that out.
If the media will not play fair, the SNP has to find a way of getting their case across that takes them out of the equation, “loaded” questions at FMQs, which is broadcast live, is one way of doing this.
Nicola Sturgeon – FMQ’s.
Why did one of her backbenchers not mention the Equal Pay strike?
There could be any number of reasons that we aren’t aware of, such as the issue could have been referred to GCC / Holyrood legal team. Maybe the SNP controlled Council have dragged their heels in paying out, or there’s another issue she didn’t want aired. Maybe she didn’t want to open a can of worms and in the process alienate the strikers further. I don’t know but be rest assured that Nicola Sturgeon would have weighed up the pros and cons before opening her mouth, because it’s not rocket science, it IS politics and we won’t have a clue about what’s going on behind the scenes. Just like the preparations being made for independence, the Civil Service paperwork, that the Tories are desperate to get their claws on.
Socrates MacSporran @ 15:40,
I agree. It doesn’t have to be done in a cynical obvious-patsy way as in WM. After all, the GCC equal-pay debacle is a matter of genuine public interest, so a question can be put fairly, and it gives the FM an opportunity to set the record straight in a way that can get through the media that otherwise connives to suppress it.
How she handles the question is up to her. She can play softball or hardball as she thinks best. But if she is never asked in the first place, she obviously can’t say a word.
FMQs today.
Nicola gives a detailed explanation of the addiction funding which had not been taken into account by the report into NHS funding. The opposition couldn’t touch her…but not a problem for them. The BBC via toodleoo the noo made sure the final impression left to viewers was of a funding gap.
It appears that the debate at Holyrood is pointless…Brian will tell you what to think.
Aaarrrrrggggghhhhhhhh!
Re FMQs.
The Unionist cabal were waiting on an attack today.
When you don’t play their game it fucks their heads up!
What will the SNP do next?
Petra @ 3.56 pm
Again, fair points.
This whole business stems from Labour/Trade Union duplicity and lying, and I dare say, as her team starts to go through the records and get stuck into the many bad issues they have inherited, I reckon we may see Susan Aitken’s hair turn white before our eyes.
Sorting-out the wreckage the SNP in Glasgow has inherited, while at the same time trying to run a minority administration, will prove a thankless and long-running task.
On the equal pay: I accept he is, in many ways “an ambulance chaser,” but, Stefan Cross QC, who we have to probably accept as the expert on this unequal pay issue, has not been entirely complimentary on how the SNP has handled this matter since they were landed with it.
I kind of get the impression, the SNP members inside the City Chambers, faced with enemies inside the chamber, and a body of paid workers, mostly union members, who were perhaps very comfortable and looked after by Labour, don’t have their problems to seek.
Let’s hope, outnumbered and harassed though the are, they end up more Rorke’s Drift than the Alamo.
Kind of agree with both sides re the FM not getting into Leonard and his role in the equal pay stramash. However, look at the numbers of new members the SNP attracted by the walk out at Westminster. Tricky choice. Glad I don’t have to decide!
It’s that time of year again, ‘lest we forget’.
Check out this tweet via Grouse Beater:
link to twitter.com
Socrates MacSporran @ 12.53pm.
Methinks you were only looking for amusement/entertainment @ FMQ today.
So was I. However, there are enough buffoons in the Scottish branches of the unionist parties to dig holes for themselves. Subtle amusement for knowledgable true Scots.
@Socrates MacSporran says:25 October, 2018 at 3:40 pm:
” … can accept your point of view, However, when you are playing to the Marquess of Queensbury’s rules, while the guy you are takingon is playing to the Marquess of Donnybrook’s rules – you’re going to lose.”
There’s a couple of thing wrong with that analogy, Socrates.
You have assumed the sport of Westminster politics and that of Holyrood are one and the same – but they are not.
That’s a bit like attempting a match up in the ring by the rules of Catch as Catch Can Wrestling the opponents being a Wrestler versus a Boxer.
The Wrestler is going to win unless, just by luck, the boxer gets in a knock out punch before the Wrestler applies the Boston Crab and gets a submission from the boxing opponent. Even a simple Arm Lock renders the boxer impotent.
First of all Westminster is set-up as basically a two party system with a well defined Government and a well defined opposition party. The Lib-Dems are either an irrelevance or throw in their hat to suit their party best. They will enter a coalition with either main party for any sniff of power.
Holyrood was supposed to work by consensus and is designed not to have any party, (and particularly not the SNP), as a majority led government. This worked well for UK/England as long as a unionist party had the most MSPs but not enough to have a big majority.
However, it very quickly descended into a quite different set-up upon, against all the odds, the SNP became the main party for then the real set-up by Westminster became apparent.
There has long been a virtual two party system in operation with the only The Greens showing ever more willingness to fill the role of the irrelevant and, “anybody’s for a price party”, of Holyrood.
The actual two main parties at Holyrood are the SNP and the Unionists with the Greens seeming more and more the, “Onybody’s fir a sniff of power Party”.
You cannot fight Holyrood by Westminster’s rules. The opposition at Holyrood are like some grotesque, conjoined, triplets where, even if one triplet did decide to oppose their conjoined siblings, they will be dragged into the fight as a unionist anyway.
So neither Catch as Catch can or Marquis of Queensferry, (sic), rules can apply.
In essence the list system is stacked against the SNP and that mainly because a fairy large section of the voters have absolutely no idea of what their second vote is meant to do, (and believe me I’ve tried very hard to explain it to much more than a few).
@Petra says: 25 October, 2018 at 3:56 pm
” … Why did one of her backbenchers not mention the Equal Pay strike?”
I think Nicola did mention a reason but did not elaborate upon it.
If you can be bothered, and I can’t ATM, you can watch FMQs on YouTube here:-
link to youtube.com
By the way, watch Nicolas’s face when Jackson makes his debut remarks.
re. reactionary twits, racists, military fetishists, general loons, SiU and the nature of Scotland’s social character. Scotland’s civil society is under threat of contagion from reactionary, right-wing, xenophobia that has been warmly embraced in England, by many of those who support Brexit. If you let this filth control Scotland’s schools, then the game’s a boggy.
Mediating racism
The role of the media in the reproduction of racism
link to citeseerx.ist.psu.edu
Beyond the ‘Race’ Concept: The Reproduction of Racism in England
link to citeseerx.ist.psu.edu
Right-wing authoritarianism and stereotype-driven expectations interact in shaping intergroup trust in one-shot vs multiple-round social interactions
link to journals.plos.org
@Bill McLean says: 25 October, 2018 at 4:26 pm:
” … However, look at the numbers of new members the SNP attracted by the walk out at Westminster.”
Ah! Bill! There you make a mistake. See my post on the matter in reply to Socrates.
Westminster plays under Westminster rules where such tactics are in the rules. Holyrood plays under different rules because Holyrood is not a virtual two party system and the MSPs are elected under two different voting systems.
NS has a hard earned aura of integrity that is worth it’s weight in gold in politics.
By not addressing the strike issue at FMQs she’s effectively dismissed it as a Labour stunt. Others simply couldn’t get away with that without appearing evasive or aloof.
Real name Huge Gaffe-struck, obviously.
Pretty piss-poor piece of reporting on Sky News when wee Shuggy forgot to mention he is a Labour MP in the midst of his SNP baaadery. Mind you, he should have been jarred about that.
Another ‘Scottish’ Labour numpty. But tick, tock, tick, tock – goodbye ‘Scottish’ Labour. The lies, deceit, and unfairness don’t work any more.
We’re ontae ye…
@Clootie says: 25 October, 2018 at 4:19 pm:
… It appears that the debate at Holyrood is pointless…Brian will tell you what to think.
Aaarrrrrggggghhhhhhhh!”
Indeed so, Clootie, and Brian usually does so even before FMQ’s begins. Seems the Press/Broadcasters get a press release before things begin. So Brian tells you what to thing before the show, interrupts the FM during the show and tells you what to think again after it ends.
Which is why I watch FMQs on Holyrood TV:-
link to scottishparliament.tv
Or on the Holyrood YouTube Channel afterwards. It is usually on YouTube within minutes after ending. It is quite east to subscribe to the Holyrood Channel on YouTube and that way you get the whole lot in the chamber and all committee meetings if and when you want them.
It must be a terrible shock to the labour party functaries that their previous “job for life ” environment has fundamentally changed.
No longer a safe seat where the votes were weighed rather than counted.
Their jobs in a safe not challenging union with the option to move over to a nice wee seat on the council are all gone.
All I have to say is “get it right up you “.
You reap what you sow.
Re an open goal at FM questions.
You shoot and you score.
Robert Peffers and others
I am not comparing Westminster rules with Holyrood Rules. When it comes to FMQs and PMQs, the (unwritten) rules are exactly the same:
If you’re in an opposition party – it’s yor chance to raise a subject which you think can embarrass/hurt the government.
If you’re in government, you are forced to defend yourself, but, if you get a chance you can hit back.
I simply do not field the SNP has been as good as it should be in hitting back. The way to hit back is by a “loaded” question from one of your own back benchers, to allow the FM or PM to granstand and have a go at the opposition party.
With a hostile pro-Unionist media, the SNP struggles to get their message out to the non-political anoraks – the vast majority of the electorate.
If you knew nothing about politics and got the iimited information you did have from the BBC or the pro-Unionist media, you might think the unequal pay strike and march was all the fault of the SNP.
The SNP, trying to get the truth – that this is a long-running Labour/Trade Union fuck-up which they are being left to sort-out – is well-nigh impossible, thanks to the fact the pro-Unionist media, including the BBC edits the story and pictures to suit their narrative.
But, they cannot edit live broadats, so, you get a back bencher to ask a loaded question on the matter, then you get the truth across in your response, having a go at Labour/the Unions and Richard Leonard in the process.
You have by-passed the media and safely got your point over. Tooralooraloothenoo, David Dimbleby, Jackie Bird or Gordon Brewer are not there to interrupt you and lead you away from your point.
The tlme when the SNP MPs walked out of the U.K. Parliament the SNP membership went up by thousands they were seeing the SNP do something positive at last they have done nothing since then to rally the troops and anytime someone blogs on here about their lack of action the usual posters come on to defend their lack of action I will not name them because you all know who they are just to say some of the most patriotic of people turned out to be ("Tractor" - Ed)s ???
To get folk to listen to their propaganda tonight Glen Campbell and Shareen Nandjiani have a male stripper . . . .
Unfortunately I’ve pencilled in washing my feet!
@Ian Brotherhood: “It’s that time of year again, ‘lest we forget’”
Yes, Ian, the season of poppy fascism approaches. The way things are going, soon folk’ll be getting a white feather from deranged Britnats in the street for venturing out without the requisite buttonhole.
I can’t forget Margaret Thatcher and her appalling death-dealing policies so maybe we could have a competition designing a suitable commemoration for her?
A wee badge of Munch’s “The Scream” could be a runner.
Did you hear Jackson Carlaw at FMQ’s ‘unforgivable to my party’…’I quite like the FM’. Would he have said that to a male FM – Is NS supposed to be grateful? Her face did not think so.
I think this is intimidating, misogynistic and a disgrace but of course he is a conservative what else can we expect.
Socrates MacSporran
Totally agree about FMQs and asking ‘loaded questions’.
Anything but live output can be (and is!!) manipulated by the media. Why we are not making the case, when we have the ‘live’ opportunity, about Labour and the GCC strike completely astounds me.
FMQ’s
Yep, everyone staring at the elephant hoping it wouldn’t drop a really big smelly turd on them.
On balance I think Nicola played it right and left the animal alone. Let SLabbers wallow in their own duplicity and watch the hole get deeper. Lying and cheating on women is never a good long term prospect.
O/T.
Watching the STV news, and how almost gleefully they reported that our NHS is in trouble, even though investment outstripped inflation. Or how terrible our education system is thanks to John Sweeney, one could be forgiven if they thought the SNP government were infact Labour in disguise, and were as they are, hellbent on destroying Scotland.
The only good news it seems that STV news could muster up about Scotland was that Rangers FC are top of their group.
Andy B , I agree with you – utter ordure form the usual suspects and – whoopee doo – we have the Help me Rhona person discussing it further in the appalling programme they tag on at the end of the news, Scotland Tonight.
I wonder , if they did a bit of investigative journalism of the ENHS or the WNHS where they would place the blame for their horrendous failings.
Question According to post on facebook on this day George 3 was crowned King of the United Kingdom, all the stuff I have googled backs this up!
I was always told Queen/King of England sovereign Quenn/King of Scots – People sovereign
Also lizzie 1st came up to Scotland to be coronated albeit not in a grand way but the went through the procedure, why if both crowns joined by act of union as several different searches on google suggest what do we still say lizzie is queen of Scots?
My comments re Monklands.
I DID exclude the staff from my disparaging comments. I have experience of that hospital, which I don’t want to further malign all staff, but suffice to say, they were VERY serious complaints.
Monklands is badly delapidated. It’s not fair to staff, or patients. Everyone wants to magic up a shiny new hospital on the existing (tight) site.
Gartgosh not handy for Airdrie folk? A wee shame. It’s not that handy for lots even further away.
Some of understand you just cant have every regional facility at the end of your street. A new site eradicates the need for a temporary move, and enables getting it right, getting ample time for design and input by staff, then a phased move into the new facility.
My MSP Jamie Hepburn, said that tentatively, Gartgosh seems to be in the lead. So he must be in on the stitch up.
To those making a case for the FM ‘attacking’ using set up questions during FMQ’s as it is live, i have a question.
How many people watch it live at 12 noon on a Thursday ?
Do you really think that the MSM will show such cutting rebukes at 6pm and 6.30pm on their Scottish news charades ?
If you think that, i respectfully suggest you may want to pay more attention to how the media operates.
The REAL useful thing to the cause, which happened today, was not at FMQ’s, but at the later debate over P1 testing and was broadcast by the media without them even realising what hypocracy they had just exposed.
I noticed it immediately, did anyone else ?
……
Unionists lined up to condemn the Scotsgov for “Denying the will of this Parliament” over P1 testing on STV news at 6pm.
Liz Smith : “Does the Cabinet Secretary STILL believe the Will of this parliament is paramount” ?
Iain Gray : “What on earth gives HIM the right to defy this Parliament” ?
……..
Wait, what ?
“No to indyref2, ever”, say Labour, the tories and the lib dems.
But hold on……Isn’t it the will of THIS PARLIAMENT (by 69 votes to 60) to HOLD INDYREF 2, supporting the mandate given by the Electorate in 2016 ?
Oh wait, thats ‘different’ right ?
For me, THAT is the money shot today, which we can use to highlight the unionist hypocracy on show at Holyrood.
Everyone knows labour are talking crap over the Equal pay dispute, calling them out at FMQ’s allows them to act like they have a legitimate claim, otherwise, why would the SNP/Scotsgov be so defensive about the subject, and suddenly you have unionist confirmation bias in action.
No comment removes the oxygen from the fire labour were hoping to ignite, now people are more likely to think “the SNP dont seem bothered by the labour claims about the strike action, why not…hmm…is there something i am missing here” ?
Nicola plays it spot on. Election results prove it.
Sometimes you don’t need words to express your contempt for the mainstream.
link to twitter.com
O/T
Latest on Brexit
Michael Russell statement
link to youtube.com
@ winifred mccartney
I found that Carlaw statement very odd too. Not sure my first thought was misogyny, but it certainly jarred.
I think it was unprofessional, perhaps trying to say – it’s not personal?
Nicola was not amused by it, right enough.
There has to be some way for indy supporters en masse to communicate to the SNP, privately and politely, serious concerns and questions about why it is that they keep missing opportunities during whatever short window they may have in the media (as outlined by Socrates above) to show up the britnats for who and what they really are.
Action, or at least some kind of explanation, is fast becoming an imperative. It’s up to indy supporters whether members or not to let them know that rather than just complaining about it on here and elsewhere.
Robert peffers
Having all the differing views here on wings is fantastic isn’t it, really what we are seeing is AUOB being played out right before our eyes, long may it continue.We just have to remember that we are all aiming for Scottish independence and should remind ourselves that when we get someone on here who also supports Scottish independence but has a different opinion about something else we should be tolerant and polite and accepting of their alternate views, accepting them doesn’t mean you have to agree with them .
Here’s another Tory tw@ at it in Europe,
link to thecanary.co
Anent the Gartcosh site, it will be extremely convenient to the good people of Cumbernauld who can hop on a train there, hop off two stations down the line & walk straight into the hospital. Cumbernauld by the way has a greater & expanding, population than either Airdrie or Coatbridge. It’s a fine site, Seven Lochs Nature Reserve S & W, local park to the N. Polis HQ & helipad right next door & direct trains to Edinburgh planned in the new year. What’s not to like?
MSM almost orgasmic with Audit Scotland report. The head of this unit seems a bit too keen to be on TV for my liking, appears after nearly every report. I prefer my civil servants to be more invisible, if not then having a headline grabbing report gives them exposure I’m sure they don’t want?
Noticed the BBC didn’t bother reporting the FM’s FMQ’s answers to financing, I wonder why?
As for Monklands, building it on the same site would presumably be more expensive as some contingency plan would be needed as it was demolished and rebuilt. Also the site looks fairly small from overhead satellite images, pretty much restricted with the size of the new hospital and not much parking space available.
Seems like the same logic as the opposition to the new bridge over the Forth. It could be repaired was the complaint, but the disruption and repair costs would have been higher.
I don’t know if Gartcosh is the correct location but using the same site looks like wasting valuable money for no benefit. Is the SNHS not cash strapped, and Labour wants to waste more money, of course they do, that’s the Labour way. Maybe if they were promised a new flagpole at Gartcosh it would change their minds.
@Big Bill 7.19: thanks for that. Gruesome stuff but not at all surprising considering how things are going ablaw the dyke.
I wonder who still views or listens to government broadcasts, I have stopped for quite a while.
I feel no less informed and I have eliminated a whole avenue of stress and anger from my life.
I would urge any readers of this blog to take this course and live a happier life.
The best thing about the decision is that the bbc and the msm play no part in my life and my blood pressure is really low.
jfngw says:
25 October, 2018 at 8:11 pm
“”MSM almost orgasmic with Audit Scotland report. The head of this unit seems a bit too keen to be on TV for my liking, appears after nearly every report””
.……………….
Snap. I have thought the same thing for some time and in fact remarked on it to my husband this evening during the news report on the Audit Office report. Her predecessor as far as I remember was practically invisible. She on the other hand seems to be more ‘political’
Valerie @ 6.53pm.
Re: Carlaw. Smarmy is the word I think your after.
Would you buy a used car from him. No, you & many more.
Thank you Nana for the link to Mike Russell’s statement, have just watched the whole thing. For everyone champing at the bit, it seems to me and OH that in his last few sentences, about halfway through the video, the hat was being thrown in the ring and that the starting pistol is being loaded. We rewound that bit, and are definitely under the impression that things are moving very fast.
SNP support went down from 50% to 37% at the last election, with loss of half a million voters and more than 20 of the 56 MPs.
Can any of the usual suspects explain why that happened?
Hugh Gaffney was elected a Labour MP from Scotland because of the SNP’s failure.
Rock (28th October 2014 – “And still there were none”):
“Scotland’s enemy number 2 is the Labour party, enemy number 1 being the BBC.”
re SNP MSPs planting pointed questions during FMQs – I believe they do that from time to time and it is quite noticeable. They take the same format as the Westminster planted questions:
“Does the FM agree with me that ….(the opposition is rubbish)?”
The only answer to that is “Yes.”
Possibly that is the reason why they don’t employ that trick too often.
Ditto walking out of Westminster as a demonstration of solidarity. If they did it every week it would have no effect.
Robert Peffers says:
25 October, 2018 at 1:49 pm
“Nicola is a very smart cookie and always takes the correct action.”
I beg to disagree.
Rock (27th August 2017 – “Underneath the Goodyear blimp”):
“Scotland was on the verge of independence immediately after the Brexit vote.
The unionist parties were without leaders and completely lost, the SNP had 56 out of 59 MPs and 50% of the vote, the EU’s eyes were (favourably) on Scotland.
But Nicola squandered a once in a 1000 years golden opportunity by wasting more than a year flogging a dead horse – a separate deal for Scotland which was never going to happen.
The result: Nicola outsmarted by the collusion between Saints Theresa and Ruth on one hand, and Corbyn on the other, fall in SNP support from 50% to 37%.
It is my prediction that there will be a “snap” Brexit and the SNP will be caught napping and unable to hold a second independence referendum.
Or another “snap” Westminster election with the SNP again losing support.
Despite the pretendy “sovereignty” and boasting of the clueless pompous armchair pundits posting here, Scotland is again as far away from independence as ever.
If they succeed in neutralising the Rev. Stuart Campbell and WOS, independence will be “stone dead” for at least 620 years.”
Challenge to the usual suspects:
Does a single one of you have the guts to go on the record and state that there will definitely be an independence referendum before Brexit has been completed?
Robert Peffers says:
25 October, 2018 at 1:49 pm
“Nicola is a very smart cookie and always takes the correct action.”
I beg to disagree.
Nicola stood “shoulder to shoulder” with “Tory scum” Saint Theresa and the “ghastly” Boris Johnson as they declared war on Russia after a false flag operation.
This was a reserved matter and she should have kept her mouth well shut.
Robert Peffers says:
25 October, 2018 at 1:49 pm
“Nicola is a very smart cookie and always takes the correct action.”
I beg to disagree.
Nicola and her government is defending the shameless and dishonest Westminster civil servant who is trying to destroy Alex Salmond.
they declared war on Russia after a false flag operation.
Rocks’ being reading the Express again
@Rock,
OK I give in. All I need from you is a link to the loads of opinion polls since 2014 which show we would win indy. Any time your ready. I’m waiting. I probably only have 10 more years to live so the sooner you put up those polls the better.
I think also you will find the Civil Service in Scotland and the Scottish Government are two different things. One lot works for Nicola, and the other advises her Which one do you think is persecuting Mr Salmond? Have a guess.
Hannah Bardell on bbcqt 10.45.
One of the issues raised in the National Audit report on the NHS released today was the state of the buildings in the NHS something also mentioned in the by Douglas Fraser in Reporting Scotland tonight. A few days ago the Herald carried a report about £900 million needing to be spent on the crumbling NHS estate.
One of the places they mentioned was Orkney where apparently 25% of the buildings were in a poor state. What they failed to mention is that Orkney is getting a new hospital which is due to open next year. It will bring all of the services under one roof and extend and upgrade existing services. They also failed to mention that the hospital had been shortlisted for an International award and had won silver! See below for details:
“”NHS Orkney’s new healthcare facility has been hailed as among the world’s best at a leading award ceremony.
“”The Balfour, as the facility will be known when it opens in 2019, has won silver in the best healthcare project category at the Partnership Awards in London.
“”There were six finalists from all over the world with the Orkney facility pipped to the post by the Gaziantep IHC PPP Project, Turkey.
“”Robertson is working with NHS Orkney to deliver a £64m investment in island-based healthcare services located in Kirkwall, serving the residents of the Orkney Islands. “”
link to ohb.scot.nhs.uk
Funny that did not make the front pages of the MSM. Orkney, of course, is not the only place getting a new hospital. Haddington is another example.
On the subject of Monklands.
It is now just over 40 years old and in that time there have been huge changes in the the provision of care and the requirements necessary to provide that care and the technology associated with it from labs to operating theatres to restaurant/cafeteria facilities and more besides. For example, NHS Scotland policy is that patients should be in single rooms. There is a limit to how far you can configure an existing hospital to meet these new requirements and Monklands, given its age, has probably reached that limit.
Building a new hospital on an existing site while trying to keep disruption to a minimum is likely to delay delivery of the new building. The noise during construction is also likely to affect patients and the dust and dirt generated during the build may infiltrate the existing building causing contamination problems in wards and theatres. Therefore a new site is probably the best option.
That it may be slightly further away from some centres than the existing hospital is something that just has to be accepted but the effects can be mitigated by putting in place better transport links etc.
Eck used to kick ass big style on his Thursday lunchtime show.
Apparently he wisnae popular wi everybody for doing that, mibbe just me that loved seeing it. Pure therapy I thought. Loved every single minute of those 7 1/2 years.
Anyway Wee Nic, I must confess, appeals more widely. So that’ll do fine.
Tic Toc.
re FMQ’s – think Nicola was excellent today (and believe me I’m not her biggest fan).
Noticed disgraced Peter Chapman rearing his ugly head again.
As for Patrick Harvie, I have always defended him as being a good guy, today I saw him as nothing more than a vote harvester.
Jackson, first day on the job, what an arse he made of himself. Richard, as always, didn’t disappoint (in making an arse of himself). Switched off before Willie got his 30 seconds of prime time, doubt if I missed much.
PS Well worth watching Mike Russell on the link above.(Nana @ 6.50pm)
Bob Mack says:
25 October, 2018 at 9:54 pm
“@Rock,
“I think also you will find the Civil Service in Scotland and the Scottish Government are two different things. One lot works for Nicola, and the other advises her Which one do you think is persecuting Mr Salmond? Have a guess.”
Nicola is on the record saying that her (SNP) government is going to vigorously defend the Head of the Civil Service in Scotland who is trying to destroy Scotland.
As Ottomanboi rightly said on another thread: “The rose-tinted specs, worn by many on here, need to be discarded.”
Rock @ 9.18 pm.
Made the mistake of reading your diatribe.
I note that the lady you allude to is a highly educated person with a high degree of common sense & nous, something that you appear to lack. Go on, prove us wrong. By us, I mean quite many of us on this blog.
Your impetuosity knows no bounds. Bet you’ve made some disastrous decisions in your lifetime.
Patience is a virtue. Try not to forget to take your medication.
Muscleguy
re. Epigenetics. Totally agree, as did the linked article, I was introducing a concept more than anything else.
Audit Scotland woman is a Labour plant. Can’t count or read a balance sheet. Always gets it wrong.
With all those PPI hospital deals. The Hospital estate has to be handed back after 30 years in prime condition. What could go wrong? It’s crumbling to bits already according to the BBC misinformation unit.
BBC costs £3.7Billion. They should cut half of it’s budget to relieve poverty and fund the NHS. Intended cuts £20Billion. From 2015 to 2020. £4Bilion a year.
Hammond in the process of funding NHS England with £Billions extra with no Barnett Consequentials for Scotland.
A bit of topic I know troops, but so what about a yank lass killing a ram on isla?
its a 150 million boost to our economy, feral deer,goats and sheep keep our countryside a desolate landscape.
every day we bolt gun hundreds of animals in slaughterhouses, take our kids to mickey d and say how awful those bloodthirsty tourists are.
if theres a zombie apocalypse I hope blondies next to me.
Muscleguy
I was talking from the perspective of anthropology, pointing to the impact of inter-generational health inequalities, to be specific.
link to hrcak.srce.hr
Genes, Behavior, and the Social Environment: Moving Beyond the Nature/Nurture Debate.
2The Impact of Social and Cultural Environment on Health
link to ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
The impact of political, economic, socio-cultural, environmental and other external influences
Understanding Organisations: The impact of political, economic, socio-cultural, environmental and other external influences
link to healthknowledge.org.uk
Ciatbridge council by – election:
LAB: 42.2% (+12.6)
SNP: 41.8% (-0.9)
So Lab hold. Lab’s strike shenanigans paying off?
Coatbridge – the brainwashed capital of Scotland.
I see Rock is back on night shift tonight, still spouting the same shite he’s been using for years.
Do his masters think this is still working, or are they stupid?
Mew script and script writer needed. We’re becoming bored with the same old, same old Rock old boy.
Expect more strikes. Elect more Gaffney.
I really don’t know why people are getting agitated about the Audit Scotland Report on the SNHS. It is measured and fair.
There is no doubt that the combination of increased need and slashed austerity budgets are contributing to a stressed SNHS though Scotland is doing far better than the UK as a whole.
I suspect that the SNHS in its present form in the longer term is not sustainable as changed circumstance and higher expectation means a long look at it and how it is run and and funded has to be taken.
I see no real hope of radical change until we are independent but in Ms Freeman we have a hugely able Health Minister and the writing off of Health Board debts gives us an opportunity to look at things differently.
My model would have well appointed and well staffed area health centres staffed by publicly salaried doctors rather than the present practices system sharing facilities and many services taking the pressure off our overworked hospitals (with traffic provided to them).
And I would insist that any person training to be a doctor in Scotland should do at least five years in SHNS as a condition of their training.
Many people I talk too believe the SNHS is grossly and incompetently over managed. It has more people in management and administration than it has in medical service.
Watched FMQ for first time in ages. Farking-awful to suffer that.
Made some rough notes as I watched.
Jackson Carlaw / Spammy McSpamHead is fishing for some point of purchase re: MESH implants
“SNP RIPS WOMENS FANNIES”
then denies them a blue badge
apologise apologise apologise
Tricky Dicky – NHS is failing – it is unsustainable
– the only meaningful metrics here are the comparisons to England and Wales
Nikki
– we’re already on it, bud
– argues logic, with substantive argument, following the thread
– full and detailed answer
– these other dicks just pump the soundbite
– Dicky could come in with a riposte – but flogs the same point over and over
– hes trying to produce that “angry 5 seconds” that BBC Scotland will run with
tory woman – some constituent getting booted out
– good nikki answer but – this is a London thing
– tell her the email for the Home Office
Labour guy on about a gunshop
– isnt that a decision for local planning
– firearms is UK
– licensing a Police matter
Harvey the talking egg
– teachers march for a payrise
– money and powers
Nikki
– we had it in the budget you agreed
Wille Rennie is doing his Eeyore impersonation
– heffalumps are attacking the NHS
– SNP BREAKING THE LAW – should go to jail
I admire her patience
– the idea the FM is resonsible for every dog that shits in the street … come on
SNP attacked on … climate change?!
– Scotland pop 5M
– China 1.5B
– India 1B
– Africe ? 1B
If everyone in Scotland used open fires for cooking and burned tyres for heating, it would make NO DIFFERENCE
Jackie the Baillie
– illegal foreigners working on wind farm construction?
– wtf?
– maybe shes thinking of the chinese working on the railroad, in that film she fell asleep to
tory wummin
– somebody didnt get the NEW FLU JAB – fucksake
daylight saving time?
– going to school in the dark, road accidents
never understood this, why not
– in winter, schools start at 10.00am – sorted, next question
SNP/SG not blamed for the war in Syria, but who knows
A lot of these questions are faux outrage – TECHNICAL BREACH of some arbitrary metric … the hor .. urr
A man buys two lottery tickets, wins the jackpot on one, but then looks sad
– what will I do with this other ticket
Living in Scotland under SNP rule – you won the lottery – and just wait for independence, the swiss and norweegies will envy our living standards
– enough.
Tell me Nikki – what is your greatest strength?
– I suffer fools gladly.
Somehow I don’t see Brexit supporting the recent improvements in Scotland’s health inequality stats, the exact opposite, in fact. Policy that undermines good public health, can not be considered morally justified. Certainly not when it’s imposed by one nation on another.
Social & Cultural Factors Related to Health Part A: Recognizing the Impact
link to cugh.org
Health Inequalities Action Framework
link to elearning.healthscotland.com
Brexit and Europe’s Public Health
link to bma.org.uk
Thanks @TJenny
I’ll await James Kelly’s analysis.
No, not the standing ruddy-faced-nitwit, the numerate one.
On Question Time tonight the journalist from the Financial times says the conservatives have reduced National debt from 10% of GDP to 2% of GDP. Well done the Tories – EXCEPT IT IS NOT TRUE – National debt is about 87% of GDP.
I assume he was talking about the annual deficit as a percentage of GDP. This of course is not the national debt. So a journalist from the FINANCIAL TIMES got this simple economic statement wrong. Is this the standard of FT journalists these days or is it blatant misrepresentation of the truth to support the Tories.
Is the guy a total diddy or is he just another propagandist masquerading as a journalist? I think he is both.
The truth of the UK National debt is that the Tories took it over in 2010 it was £1trillion it is now £1.7 Trillion. So under the Tories we have had both austerity and national debt on its way to being DOUBLED.
A great Tory myth that they have got debt under control. But as usual with the Tories just keep telling the lie and people believe it.
Jock McDonnell – got it from Britain Elects twitter, which states ‘first preferences:
LAB: 42.2% (+12.6) SNP: 41.8% (-0.9)’, so SNP only lost a wee bit but Lab up 12.6% – it was a Lab hold as it was one of theirs who haad died, but still – what are folk thinking?
I know let’s invent a programme that makes the people believe they’re involved in the politics of their country said the BBC fat man
Do you think they’ll fall for it said the weedy looking newspaper man, of course they will said the BBC fat man we’ve been conning them for years anyway so why wouldn’t that continue said the BBC fat man
What would we call such a programme said the weedy newspaper man, well said the BBC fat man how about Question time like the Prime Minister Question time but without the Prime Minister bit that should fool them into thinking it must be important
So we get politicians and journalists on who mostly support whatever agenda we want to push but make the people think it’s their idea because we’ll ask a load of unimportant questions that the public can do nothing about with answers that solve nothing but make them sound serious and grave and pay ourselves with the peoples own tax paying money
Brilliant said the weedy newspaper man, isn’t it said the BBC fat man, and they laughed and laughed and went to the massively subsidised restaurant in the House of Lords for lunch because well they are both Lords aren’t they
On the tax payers money of course
Total votes for Lab = 1355, SNP = 1343, so only 12 votes in it, but it was enough. Sigh.
@TJenny
The Coatbridge election: a summary
My da voted Labour my granda voted Labour my dug would vote Labour if he could and aw ma pigeons vote Labour, I tell my wife and weans tae vote Labour so why dae a need tae think aboot complicated things like politics when they’re aw the same nuthin ever changes
And if they ever get Labour back in you know what they’ll say
They Labour Bastirts never change
Better than they SNP Bastirts though they just keep wantin tae change things
@TJenny
SGP has it as the SNP vote held up but “the big increase in Labour’s vote may have come almost entirely from people who voted for independents in May 2017”
link to scotgoespop.blogspot.com
which is backed up by the stages last time
link to northlanarkshire.gov.uk
and there seem to have been no independents this time:
link to northlanarkshire.gov.uk
Dr Jim – I’d thought that attitude was dying out and hopefully it will, eventually, athough maybe some help from their Tory voters came into play.
@TJenny
Council elections have become more party political the last few Indy years, but there’s still a bit of a “fairness” takes place as well I think. It was a Lab councillor that died, people are more reluctant to vote for another party like SNP, and others are more likely to vote for the same party. I’ve seen it a few times, one was for an SNP to SNP. It’s almost totally “anecdotal”, I don’t think anyone’s actually made a statistical study of it. I guess that means if it had been SNP, an SNP would have been more likley to have been elected as a replacement. Who knows?
FFS, so disappointed in Coatbridge. Another red Tory for the cesspit of Northlan Council.
I really do wonder what’s wrong with voters, as I can’t fathom the apathy.
yesindyref2 – thanks for that. So, according to James Kelly it’s ’cause most of the so called indies, whose votes transferred to Slab, were really Slabbers in disguise.
@TJenny
It was very close, and that seems encouraging to me. On the face of it I’d have expected a bigger Labour hold.
yesindyref2 – OK, I’ll try to be encouraged too. 🙂 But why can’t SNP get their voters out the way the yoons do?
TJenny
Fear is the strongest motivator, and the yoonyawn is under great threat. There’s more motivational biology going on inside yoons, compared to your normal punter. Conservatives also like to keep things as they are, so are keen to vote. Tories are simply diseased dogs with only a concern for themselves, but are also keen to vote. Hope that helps. 😉
CameronB Brodie – OK, but why are SNP voters not just as scared of no change, given that NL cooncil is allegedly a mess of corrption and incompetence?
TJenny
Sorry, you’d be better asking a local.
TJenny @ 01:24,
So-called “indies” are usually disguised Tories, so could this possibly be anti-SNP tactical voting of Blue Tories in support of Red Tories…?
CameronB Brodie – Och I suppose so, (don’t think I know anyone though).
Anyway, thanks peeps for the discussion, it’s time for bed so I’ll say night, night to you all and ‘see’ you tomorrow. 🙂
Robert J. Sutherland – OK, as I’m still here, according to James Kelly, the previous indy candidates were disgruntled former slab cooncillors who didn’t stand this time – there were no indy candidates.
So probably just slabbers reverting to type.
Maybe there’s some Tories in Coatbridge who got their voters to vote Labour
I’ve heard better together do that sort of thing from time to time
We could ask Kezia she’ll know
Dr Jim – aye, maybe 😉 In the end slabbers are gonna slab. But 13 votes! Sigh.
TJenny says:
26 October, 2018 at 1:35 am
yesindyref2 – OK, I’ll try to be encouraged too. ? But why can’t SNP get their voters out the way the yoons do?
For the simple reason the BritNat Establishment has the BBC selling its narrative, while the SNP government, and indeed the whole YES movement pretty much relies on Gordon Ross and his Indy Car broadcasts on YouTube to sell theirs and redress the imbalance.
Please don’t interpret that as negative comment about Gordon Ross, but one man and his car is no match for the multi billion leviathan of the State Propaganda channels, but the uncomfortable truth is one man and his car has a more cohesive and adroit interface to communicate what is going on than the Scottish Government has.
I’ll save the usual suspects the trouble of slagging me off for essenpeebad, and confirm that yes, I think the SNP is being totally out played by the UK media, DESPITE everybody knowing that media is rotten to the core.
I hope to God the SNP defence mechanism is true and it’s all a cunning plan to wrong foot the BritNats, but honestly, I think there is a worrying amount of people telling themselves the same thing and praying that it’s true… but the scary thing is the SNP seems blind to the growing alarm and anxiety.
The SNP has to “turn up” and start winning this. The criticism is not what they’re doing, but what they’re NOT doing. You said it yourself beautifully TJenny, you’ll try to be encouraged… I see that as a timely and valuable plea for more action and initiative from our leaders. The SNP will interpret it as criticism. There is a dangerous gulf opening up between these different comprehensions which could easily see Scotland once again clutching defeat from the jaws of victory.
The SNP do get their voters out. They keep on winning,
On a system that was designed for them to fail. STV and D’Hond’t.
It is just a pity that the opposition are such blantant cheats and liars. Some people believe them. The unionists break the electoral code, electoral expenses. Tell total lies. Time after time after time. Nearly every word they utter is a lie. Liars always get found out. The Laws are not enforced and the unionists keep it secret under the Official Secrets Act.
Iraq, Dunnlane and Lockerbie kept secret for 100 years.
Support for the SNP and Independence is increasing.
It is the ‘opposition’ which is a complete and utter shambles. Absolutely appalling. The Tories are on the way out, They will implode. Labour and rest are totally useless. Clueless. They SNP are providing the best governance Scotland has ever had, Ever. Since 1928 and before. Scotland will vote for Independence soon.
@ TJenny @RJS – In my experience, Independents are Tories who know that Tory is toxic but “Independent” suggests good old Tory values in disguise.
By not standing, the anti-SNP vote is concentrated on SLab. Better Together.
Expect more “Independent” candidates to disappear in similar constituencies.
Only 12 votes in it!
How people who support Independence think that voting unionist or being in a unionists Party is ever going to get them Independence is a mystery. These Parties are absolutely adamantly against it. They are funded from London HQ’s. Many don’t even know where Scotland is and care even less. Dugdale was illegally telling people to vote Tory. Robbing her Party of increased majority. . What a loser.
‘Mike Russell vows Holyrood will get vote on UK’s Brexit deal.’
link to thenational.scot
………………………….
Some facts on the SNHS from Professor John Robertson:
link to thoughtcontrolscotland.com
…………………………
@ Breeks at 6:12am ……. “The scary thing is the SNP seems blind to the growing anxiety and alarm.”
The scary thing for me is that you seem to think that you have a talent for reading minds. How do you know what the “SNP” think or are aware of or not? Imo, it’s people like you that are constantly creating anxiety and alarm, on a par with and as depressing as the STV and BBC news.
@Socrates MacSporran says: 25 October, 2018 at 5:41 pm:
” … But, they cannot edit live broadats, so, you get a back bencher to ask a loaded question on the matter, then you get the truth across in your response, having a go at Labour/the Unions and Richard Leonard in the process.”
The Broadcasters broadcast nothing they cannot, “edit”. Albeit to edit in a limited fashion. Note how they, “beep”, our a swear word from, “live broadcasts”. Now just which human being could do that as it happens?
If the broadcast is really, “Live”, the word is out of the person’s mouth before the production staff hear it. Even with the swiftest of reactions, pressing a button after hearing the word already spoken is just not possible.
Even way back when the first reel to reel tape machines became available to the general public. Recording and film hobbyist could cope with the hazard of such swear words.
We used an endless belt loop of tape that first recorded live sound – sent it round the tape loop – giving a delay – and then playing the sound back from a separate playback head. This became ultra easy when later machines began to use twin track tape.
So the live sound was delayed long enough for the operator to bleep out or, blank out, the offensive word. Today, like Photoshop for pictures/video, sound is digitised and such delay is handled by the electronics and the delay is variable in length digitally.
alastair x – Every day we bolt gun hundreds of thousands of animals in slaughterhouses. And where we don’t do that we slit their throats while they are fully conscious. I was one of the ones that piled on against that American hunter but the hypocrisy of others was quite breath taking, one guy on twitter with “bacon” in his bio FFS! The film Land of Hope and Glory on YouTube was a real eye opener for me and changed my eating habits overnight. All recent footage filmed not just in UK slaughterhouses but also on UK farms.
On Coatbridge, I think some folk are a lost cause and they are not on twitter, don’t read Wings but watch the TV news and see the incessant digs at the SNP. Even the minimum pricing on alcohol might have been enough to swing it, with only twelve votes in it.
@Blair Paterson says: 25 October, 2018 at 5:50 pm:
” … the usual posters come on to defend their lack of action I will not name them because you all know who they are just to say some of the most patriotic of people turned out to be (“Tractor” – Ed)s ???”
Yes indeed, Blair, but then, you, as one of the worst offenders at posting SNP BAAAD! criticisms – would say that, wouldn’t you? (and I, unlike you, have no qualms naming names but then, I’m not sneaky.
The unionists have turned every Poll/election in Scotland into an Independence Ref. even when it is not. At local election and Holyrood election. Local elections should be about local service provision are run. The Hoyrood elections are about how Scotland is run etc. The economy etc.
The Unionists have turned every election into an IndyRef because they think it will give them more votes. Under the illegally imposed STV and D’Hond’t. In order that the unionists can do their London masters biding. They can muck up the Scottish economy and send £Billions of Scottish revenues illegally to the Westminster Treasury. Not honouring what the electorate want in Scotland, In order that the unionists Parties in Scotland can line their pockets on deceit and lies.
The Coatbridge result reflects that. More voters will turn out to vote in an IndyRef.
Labour with the help of the media secure another victory.
This seems to be happening all over Scotland. The SNP need to get their act together and either go for another independence referendum very soon or make the next Scottish parliamentary elections a vote on independence. If they don’t go for independence soon then we might never get another chance.
@sassenach says: 25 October, 2018 at 6:22 pm:
” … Totally agree about FMQs and asking ‘loaded questions’.
Anything but live output can be (and is!!) manipulated by the media.”
“Live”, broadcasting is a myth. See my reply to Socrates explaining digital delay. There is a digital delay between the live action in the studio and what goes from the studio to the transmitter.
” … Why we are not making the case, when we have the ‘live’ opportunity, about Labour and the GCC strike completely astounds me.”
Live? perhaps on Holyrood live but which of the general public, other than political anoraks, watches Holyrood live?
On the tv and radio we get the likes of Brian Taylor telling their audience what they should think even before FMQs comes on air. Then he interrupts the, “live broadcast”, telling his audience what it is all about and thus talks over the live proceedings.
Now here’s a question for you. How many times on a doorstep have you been told by the occupier, “Aw they politicians ir the same”?
Thing is they very much are NOT the same and there is an ever growing number of the general public gaining more respect for the SNP elected political figures while simultaneously losing respect for the unionist parties.
So why would such as Nicola Sturgeon lower her high standards and proving those who believe that all politicians are corrupt liars. I can honestly say I cannot remember a time when the Independence movement did not have much loved and much trusted figures.
Winnie Ewing, Margo McDonald, Alex Salmond and the respect and love of Nicola Sturgeon is tangible. John Swinney is recognised as an honest political figure and that’s just a few. Conversely those are the very ones that the unionist Britnats choose to attack.
If you get down in the gutter with the dirty water you get wet and dirty along with what’s down there already.
@Andy-B says: 25 October, 2018 at 6:33 pm:
” … The only good news it seems that STV news could muster up about Scotland was that Rangers FC are top of their group.
Says it all really, Andy-B.
;-)) Made me laugh!
Steel yourself. It’s going to be a very difficult winter for a UK that will never be a global player again (the former is aligned with the latter).
‘the EU is largely perceived as a common market and customs union. But at its core, it is a political project based on a specific idea about the European system of states. This idea – not the economics of the matter – is what Brexit is really about. And it is why the UK’s decision to leave the EU – with or without an exit agreement – will have a profound impact on the twenty-first-century European order…The slim majority of Britons who voted for “Leave” in the 2016 referendum weren’t concerned with economic wealth, but with reclaiming full political sovereignty. They define sovereignty not in terms of objective facts about Britain’s present or future, but in terms of Britain’s past as a global power during the nineteenth century. Never mind that the UK is now a medium-size European power with little to no chance of ever becoming a global player again – be it inside or outside the EU…Yearning for a glorious past is the last thing that will help Europeans confront the challenge they face. The past, by its very nature, is over. With or without the UK, Europe must see to its future’
link to socialeurope.eu
‘Trusts are also facing rising workforce shortages, with NHS Improvement reporting a steep increase in vacancies at the end of Q1 and a 9% vacancy rate across the trust frontline, which is expected to increase throughout the rest of the year’
link to nhsproviders.org
Ken 500 @ 8.18, you are quite correct Ken, the Britnats are turning every local election into indyref 2. Down here ind Dumfries & Galloway there will be an election in the Dee & Glenkens ward as the Tory cooncelor has stepped down. Some reckon she has done this as she is likely to be announced as the new Lord Lieutenant of the county. Another post that needs to be done away with.
However, yesterday my husband received a letter from Rooth the Mooth for this by election. Same old story, we say NO to indyref 2. No policies or anything that actually should be there. The thing that I found more sinister was the enclosure of a postal voting form, what’s that all about? There was even a prepaid envelope addressed to the self same Rooth the Mooth in Edinburgh. I coulnd’t quite figure out what that was for, but I know what I’m going to do with it.
Here we go again …
BBC Radio Scotland. On the phone in hour from 9 today –
@StephenJardine wants your views on the big talking points:
– Lift the football booze ban?
link to twitter.com
They all get a relevant number of questions for each Party. Or they are supposed to?
FM questions is too long they should shorten it. It tends to ramble on irrelevance. Eventually.
It is for the opposition to decide what question on what topic. They can decide what to ask, The Gov side is supposed to be abswering the Question not asking it. The Party in powers leader, answers the question. They usually know the main (question) ones in advance. So they have the relevant details (statistics) etc to fully answer the question, Reseached. There is a laid down procedure.
There are also debates going on all the time in other matters, That ultimately get voted on.
There is a Parliamentary procedure. Rules etc surrounding debates. Time and date given. Who take part. Recognised speakers. Different portfolios.
It is usually Party in power that is in control of the agenda what topic to debate upon. The Parties can take foward different topics. It is up to the administration to find a space for them in the timetable. There is a lottery for a limited number of private members Bills. There is a draw. The winner/member can bring forward a Private members bill in their chosen subject which can change the Law. If it is not voted down.
.
The SNHS will improve. The SNP Gov has extended funds going tom training nurses. Brought in higher bursaries and increased child care. That will have an affect of increasing nurse placement and more nurses. It is already being done.
There is also an expansion of nursery workers under training now, The SNP have invested £Millions into it with increased funding. It is quite a lot. Look it up. Nicola spoke about in her speech at the Coference. Excellent speak. She laid everything down. It will go down in history.
Hammond is trying to increase NHS Funding by £Billions with no Barnett consequential funding for Scotland.
Links
link to news.gov.scot
link to businessinsider.com.au
@davidmartinmep @KirstyS_Hughes and Alyn Smith, event in central Edinburgh today, plenty to discuss
Will be livestreamed on facebook 12.30. See link here
link to twitter.com
link to macalbasite.wordpress.com
link to indyref2.scot
Watch as the architects and contractors responsible for the refurbishment of @GSofA Mackintosh building tell @SP_European that the ventilation ducts that accelerated the 2014 fire were still in place and unstopped at time of 2018 inferno
link to twitter.com
link to itisintruthnotforglory.wordpress.com
link to barrheadboy.com
Yesterday’s Alex show for anyone who missed it
link to rt.com
link to randompublicjournal.com
Podcast
link to lesleyriddoch.com
Talk by Kirsty Hughes in Perth on the 23rd Oct
Where is Brexit heading
link to youtube.com
Young people will lose as much as £108,000 in earnings by 2050 if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal
link to archive.is
We’re Headed for a Brexit Crashout
link to archive.is
The Bill giving ministers & officials quasi-direct rule powers in Northern Ireland is being rushed through all stages in the House of Lords next Tuesday, apparently with Labour’s front bench agreement. I’m uneasy. I see no good reason for it not to be subject to proper scrutiny
link to twitter.com
link to lloydslist.maritimeintelligence.informa.com
No-deal Brexit could raise price of mince by 50%, meat industry says
link to archive.is
link to farminguk.com
link to instituteforgovernment.org.uk
link to buzzfeed.com
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar claims parts of British establishment expected Ireland to ‘fall into line’ after Brexit referendum
link to archive.is
Haunting words from the first Vice President of the Commission, @TimmermansEU on #Brexit and the rhetoric of some British politicians.
link to europarl.europa.eu
Caught lying, cheating, committing fraud, fined a measly £500,000
link to archive.is
link to theneweuropean.co.uk
Sir Philip Green named as man at heart of ‘UK #MeToo scandal’
link to archive.is
Philp green named in parliament
video
link to twitter.com
UK signals failure of bid for quick Brexit transition at WTO
link to archive.is
link to rt.com
TJenny at 12.33am
That was a a good result for the SNP in Coatbridge. It was a cliff edge Labour hold, not a SNP lose. Despite constant monstering of the SNP in all the media for years the SNP vote hardly slipped at all.This is desperate last-stand unionist stuff.If we had got a result like that 10 years ago we would have been over the moon. The SNP has had serious internal troubles in that area for several years.
What was the turnout?
Brexit: the wages of misinformation
link to eureferendum.com
link to blogs.lse.ac.uk
link to bloomberg.com
link to scotgoespop.blogspot.com
The UK – the Propaganda State.
“Ofcom said the BBC was generally delivering on its remit, and audiences rated the BBC’s news output particularly highly for providing trustworthy and reliable news and current affairs material on TV, radio and online.”
link to theguardian.com
North Lanarkshire is a heavy council area. That is to say the civil service is a disproportionate ‘local’ employer with a deep reach (along with its member’s Unions) It is certainly not unique in that in Scotland, but it does mean there can be a stasis.
Much like any area where there is a single large employer for decades, it becomes a generational and family sinecure and stasis is security. If you were voting against incumbents you were potentially directly affecting family member’s employment and perks.
In saying that, the makeup of NLC has changed and changed enormously, if glacially, in the past 20 years. Labour no longer has a stranglehold on the council and though a heavy local employer, North Lanarkshire has become an equally heavy commuter belt. 50-50 results in any elections/ bye-elections is about par. The overall move is away from traditional Labour voting though, not towards it, commuters are no longer tied to the “toons” in the same way.
We shouldn’t forget 10 years is a heartbeat when changeing the politics of generations. Shame, because we really need it to speed up, but it’s coming. Where local elections can still be anchored to “Family” and the ‘Toon’, National choices can be entirely different.
Nana says
This is an excellent article. Well worth reading. Hits the nail firmly.
Two sections stood out …
” The negotiation now underway is not between the EU and the UK, but within the UK. The EU has made clear what options are available, and the UK is now in the process of deciding which one to select. “
… spot on! There appears to be far more agry bargy within the UK. Also …
” There will be a deal between the EU and the UK government, because it is easy enough to conclude something that kicks the can down the road. The only question is whether the British parliament will accept it. “
… again, hits the nail. Some sort of can kicking Blind Brexit has seemed inevitable for months. Whether it gets through WM, is the issue.
The choice will be can kick, or general election. That will focus most Tories to back May, so it will come down to what Labour will do,
Scottish viewers express dismay with BBC in new Ofcom report
link to archive.is
link to rte.ie
link to politico.eu
link to currencyuk.co.uk
OT But my postie has been and I have my badge , I have my badge – and my keyring and my wee blue notebook , but I have my badge ! yippee!
Thank you Rev and thank you Aye mail – I shall ignore my knees command and skip for the rest of the day!
@Nana,
Here is the complete session from Scot Parliament tv about the complete destruction by fire of the world famous Glasgow School of Art,
link to tinyurl.com
don`t know if Chair of the Board of Governors at Glasgow School of Art, Muriel Gray,is being investigated in the session.
Is it illegal to send out postal vote forms from someone in another constituency? Rep in another area. Breaking electoral and illegal expenses.
They can be supplied to voters who ask for them but sent out by someone in another Constituency outwith the area. Unsolicited. Breaking data protection Law. Using the electoral roll for unsolicited literature, breaking electoral,Law. The firms are supposed to be sent out by the Councils to verify details. Signatures etc. Could Davidson be breaking electoral Law again. Along with her mentor May. Breaking the Law with impunity.
Morning Scot,
Muriel Gray was not, just the three men mentioned in the video description.
Brian McQuade, Managing Director, Kier Scotland
David Page, Director, and David Paton, Head of Design Review, Page\Park Architects.
I would think there will be further investigations where she will be asked to appear, who knows?
There is still no mention of the 1st fire and lack of sprinklers which led to the second fire.
Date mentioned for GSA board members to appear is 19th of November. Session.
Dave McEwan Hill
The SNP has had serious internal troubles in that area for several years.
You are right there Dave North Lanarkshire is a rotten British Labour council there is a sulphurous stench coming from the council.
Unfortunately the SNP “troubles” have prevented firm victory over the British Nationalists.
The issues are well known and change is needed in North Lanarkshire SNP. Head office are aware but seem content to leave things as they are, its a pity.
Coatbridge to get a split new hospital, Airdrie aint! so they turn out for Slab. Shakes heid in wonder. “The Monklands Midden!” even John Smith couldn’t sort that oot!
Zuckerman could go to prison in the US, for illegal breaches,
In Glasgows Evening Times last night the GMB so called Trade Union
Took out a full page advert demanding equal pay now for its members.
The usual UK Media forces of course don’t advise their readers of
How Labour created this issue and fought against equal rights even
To the extent of forking out massive legal costs to do so.
I’d like to see SNP or Wings fund a full page
Advert to advise on who the villain of the piece is
And why the Union leaders only want to take action
Now that Labour have finally been kicked out of power.
Same situation with the EIS. Who on earth could dream of a 10%
Pay rise after 10 years of on going Austerity cuts from Westminster?
Where is the Media report showing Scottish teachers being paid more
Than their English counterparts already?
Teachers deserve a rise but so do so many others.
@Scot Finlayson
Re the scandalous and disastrous GSA fires, I suspect ‘the truth’ will never be forthcoming.
Ms Gray and friends appear to be fireproof.
Heads ought to roll but in Scotland’s small, clique-ridden pond somewhat unlikely.
Radio Scotland seem to be going big on the drink at football games thing. Its almost like somebody wants there to be more trouble at football.
Seems to be a trend of lessons learned the hard way in the past being ‘up for debate’. This is why we have fascists being given platforms all over again. I think if I had lost family in the holocaust I would not be best pleased, as I thought that ‘debate’ was settled in 1945 after the loss of 20m+ lives.
Effijy
Maybe we should crowd fund a page of truth???
Dave Mcewan Hill @ 11.54 pm
“”Many people I talk too believe the SNHS is grossly and incompetently over managed. It has more people in management and administration than it has in medical service.””
…….
That is completely untrue.
The largest group of health workers is nurses and midwives who make up 42.8% of the workforce. Add in doctors, dentists and other allied health professionals and that comes to 67%.
Admin staff make up 18%.
The figures quoted are from ISD Scotland Workforce report Dec 2017 and are based on WTE figures.
re the School of Art fire, I’m not quite sure why it isnt immediately the contractors responsibility as they were in charge of the site? And they were insured werent they, so the insurers should pay for the rebuild?
Glamaig says: 26 October, 2018 at 10:46 am
“re the School of Art fire, I’m not quite sure why it isnt immediately the contractors responsibility as they were in charge of the site? And they were insured werent they, so the insurers should pay for the rebuild?”
And for all the trauma surrounding the site.
There you go TJenny. QED.
Petra says:
26 October, 2018 at 7:21 am
@ Breeks at 6:12am ……. “The scary thing is the SNP seems blind to the growing anxiety and alarm.”
The scary thing for me is that you seem to think that you have a talent for reading minds. How do you know what the “SNP” think or are aware of or not? Imo, it’s people like you that are constantly creating anxiety and alarm, on a par with and as depressing as the STV and BBC news.
So everything is fine TJenny, your misgivings are groundless and you can go back to sleep and keep your legitimate criticism and dissent to yourself.
Here’s hoping we don’t lose Independence by 12 votes.
Everyone’s got something to hide except me and my monkey!
link to twitter.com
Re the Coatbridge result.
I’m quite comfortable about Labour winning council elections.
It allows us to witness their behaviour as councillors and running councils, then to turn it against them, to the advantage of Scotland.
Make no mistake, Labour are corrupt to the core. They will behave in various predictable ways at a council level.
They will work closely with other Tory parties, both Blue and Yellow.
They will mismanage public funds.
They will indulge in corrupt practices.
All those who share a pro-Scottish position need to do is sit back and wait for these die hard British Nationalists to slip up, then use this as evidence against them in building the Independence message.
link to irishtimes.com
link to theconversation.com
Woman ‘brutally punched’ during racist attack on Overground train to Canonbury
link to archive.is
link to in-pharmatechnologist.com
Apologies for late links this morning, having some bad wrist pain and not sleeping too well. I’m going to splint up and rest over the weekend so there will be no links. It will do us all some good to not read the doom and gloom.
Have a nice weekend folks.
Coatbridge
UKIP beat LibDems 14 to 13 🙂
Obviously given the small votes for others parties it could only be the Tory vote on later preferences that took Labour home. The Union comes first.
The DUP supports the Tories and the Tories support Labour – quite a club.
O/T Has anyone knowledge of the attempt to use blockchain in elections? IndyCar gave out clearpoll.com as a site trying this and for us to please sign up for the trial. Several comments stated codes could not be got – I could not get a code – so I wonder if this experiment is proceeding or is this another case of bluff over reality.
re Coatbridge,
Tory vote down by 158, most probably given to Labour in the first instance.
It appears at first examination to be tactical voting by the Tories support to put Labour in power.
The SNP VOTE held up pretty well only reducing by 32.
Nana:
This is scary stuff!
The Bill giving ministers & officials quasi-direct rule powers in Northern Ireland is being rushed through all stages in the House of Lords next Tuesday, apparently with Labour’s front bench agreement. I’m uneasy. I see no good reason for it not to be subject to proper scrutiny
link to twitter.com
This proposal was announced in the papers about a week ago – the same time as the Proposed New Act of Union.
The Tories are trying to get this Bill passed through the Lords ASAP. It is an underhand way of taking Direct Control of N.Ireland without it appearing as such. Then they can call all the shots and N. Ireland will be told why is going to happen to it.
Surely this contravenes the Good Friday Agreement where the WM and the Irish government have joint responsibilities for N. Ireland’s welfare.
The Tories are ‘Taking back Control’ of Remain voting N.Ireland before it gets dragged out of the EU – probably because the DUP wants that; probably the OO as well. N. Ireland has no dissenting voice in this, neither does Scotland because we have no SNP Lords.
This is an affront to Devolution. It could well be Scotland next. The Tories already make the decisions for Wales owing to Carwyn Jones standing down and that was obvious when Wales suddenly capitulated on the Withdrawal Bill and dropped accusations of a power grab.
If the Tories achieve this in N.Ireland then they only have Scotland left to defeat and then the mighty Empire of Little Britain can be created.
Very worrying departure.
The second fire at the Art school was supposed to be a flood, I’m sure Muriel Gray voted for that
Down here in God’s Orange County, we joke a lot about local rivalries, in particular that between Cumnock and Auchinleck. Truth is, Cumnock is Ayrshire’s equivalent of England: “the Common Enemy” whom everyone dislikes.
At least, in Ayrshire, we leave our local rivalries inside the fitba parks – nobody likes Cumnock, or Irvine Meadow, otherwise, Kilwinning, Kilbirnie and Beith are in a two out of three mutual hatred, with similar rivarlies elsewhere.
But, from what I have seen, in Lanarkshire, the village idiots appear to be in-charge, more-so in Monklands. There seems to be, looking-on from outside, a convention in that county, that only the dafties get elected. It even happens in fitba – where the “Lanarkshir Mafia” has been holding back Junior football for years – while, by a country mile the weakest link in the SRU’s management chain is a Lanarkshire man.
You see the embarrassments like Hugh Gaffney, an before him Helen Liddell and Tom Clarke, representing Monklands at Westminster. Why, even the SNP has had its problems in that part of the world.
I reckon it might be something in the water. The FM must do something!!!
OFF-TOPIC
A little light reading: from the Rev’s twitter feed.
That picture of the dumb blonde hunter with the peacock she shot clearly demonstrates – her arse looks huge in that camoflague suit.
If that doesn’t stop her, nothing will.
Legerwood at 10.43
Thanks. I got the “info” from somebody who works in the SNHS in this area. Obviously not correct.
Breeks at 10.52
If we lose an election in Coatbridge by only 12 votes I’m pretty sure we will sweep the board over most of Scotland. You obviously know little of that area.
And don’t forget it has been firmly established a very significant proportion of the Labour vote will vote YES.
…now this is spin
link to leftfootforward.org
@ Nana ..”Apologies for late links this morning, having some bad wrist pain and not sleeping too well. I’m going to splint up and rest over the weekend so there will be no links. It will do us all some good to not read the doom and gloom. Have a nice weekend folks.”
Thanks for the links Nana and please take care of yourself. Pamper yourself. I hope you have a nice weekend too and get a half-decent night’s sleep X
…………………………..
Just to add to the complaints in the article. Has anyone else noticed that when there’s no negative news or a current murder they, STV and the BBC, find a way to dredge up a murder, riot or whatever from the past? In some cases digging up dismal news from up to 30 / 40 years ago? Their intention is to constantly drag the Scots down, imo.
@ Nana ..”Scottish viewers express dismay with BBC in new Ofcom report.”
link to archive.is
………………………………
‘How Scots are being targeted on social media.’
….”Of the 36.4 million tweets analysed, a potential maximum of 4.2m tweets could be malign.”..
link to thenational.scot
…………………………….
@ Phil says at 11:04 am …. ”Has anyone knowledge of the attempt to use blockchain in elections? IndyCar gave out clearpoll.com as a site trying this and for us to please sign up for the trial. Several comments stated codes could not be got – I could not get a code – so I wonder if this experiment is proceeding or is this another case of bluff over reality.”
You’ll find an explanation here Phil. From 5.00 mins in. It won’t work properly in Scotland because all of the data servers, bar one, are based in the South of England. Surprise, surprise.
‘Indycar Gordon Ross 24 10 18 Brexit No Deal Preparations and Clearpoll Problems.’
link to youtube.com
…………………………….
@ Breeks says at 10:52 am …. ”So everything is fine TJenny, your misgivings are groundless and you can go back to sleep and keep your legitimate criticism and dissent to yourself. Here’s hoping we don’t lose Independence by 12 votes.”
Your (and others) continual, note the word continual, ”legitimate criticism and dissent” of the SNP, the ONLY political party in the position to help us to gain our Independence, could cost us more than losing by just 12 votes.
You never post any informative data or links, rather just ”bang on” about the SNP on a practically daily basis. Now why would that be coming from a man who constantly tells us that ”sovereignty” is the key? Knowing full well that we’ll win our Independence when a majority of ”sovereign” Scots support it. Antithetical don’t you think?
To simplify:
Supporting the SNP = Gaining our Independence.
Slurring the SNP = Remaining in the Union.
I think all the plants and trolls on this site should go back to their handlers and get some new plans and tactics.
It’s all getting very boring.
Legerwood @ 10:43,
Dave McEwan Hill @ 23.54 (25.Oct), 11:56,
There is perception and there is reality. In a way you could both be right.
Politics is much about managing perception, unfortunately. (Brexit being the most egregious example of how badly off-road that can go.)
Hence Breeks’ point upthread. The earnesstness and dedication of the SG is palpable, but that doesn’t reach and convince everyone, more’s the pity. (And not just the irredeemably purblind either.)
Dave McEwan Hill says:
26 October, 2018 at 11:56 am
Legerwood at 10.43
“”Thanks. I got the “info” from somebody who works in the SNHS in this area. Obviously not correct.””
It’s Ok. It is a persistent myth about the number of admin staff and managers being too numerous. Given the complexity of modern medicine even a medium sized hospital takes some organising to meek sure there is food, toilet rolls etc to say nothing of patients attending at the right time.
For example, there are 4.2 to 4.5 Million out patient appointments per year of which 1.4-1.5 Million are first time appointments. Who sends out all those letters? Who, when it is a second or third appointment involving tests etc makes sure the letters, instructions are sent out along with any materials the patient has to take beforehand?
The admin staff of course.
You might be justified in criticism of the very top most level of management but bear in mind they are administering a set up that employs hundreds of thousands of people and dealing with the public and politicians not all of whom have the best interests of the NHS in mind.
Sorry gone on a bit but a lifetime working one way or another in the NHS tends to do that to you. Not blind to its faults but not going to allow it to be kicked around either.
@Phil says: 26 October, 2018 at 11:04 am
I installed the Clearpoll app on my phone and voted. It took me 5 minutes to figure out which poll was the correct one.
I clicked YES but got no feedback / confirmation, so I have no idea if my vote was registered or if it was the right poll.
I gave this feedback to YESDAYSCOTLAND on twitter and the one word reply – LIAR, he then blocked me.
How to win friends and influence people – not. I have uninstalled the app.
me @ 12:12,
That should of course be “earnestness”. (=ahem= Stuck key there.)
For folks on Twitter
Alyn Smith has got this funded, and up and running! It’s a Bot checker!!!
http://www.scotorbot.scot
@Valerie
I’ve just been listening to BBC radio explanerising that very thing with the guy who came up with the idea to come to the conclusion that Scotland kinda doesn’t want Independence as much as it thinks it does because the Russians are making us think we do
Well 4% of them that is, who aren’t real or something but we can’t tell because all they want to do is disrupt R precious Union so that England doesn’t get Scotlands oil anymore or take away our whisky
Well I hope this guy didn’t cost a lot of money because I thought we all kinda knew that stuff without anybody secretly *roboting* us
At least WOS has @Rock to keep us all robotically up to date
John Beattie and the Russian Bots there on the car radio!
“It’s all a fig leaf of our imagination” as Hylda Baker says.
Aye John we hear you. All that Oil and Trident etc etc 🙂
Labour in Scotland’s new stategy seems to be politicians are all the same so vote for us to be guaranteed nothing
The guy on John Beattie interview re Russian Bots must be as fit as a fiddle – he was constantly jumping to conclusions.
@Phil says: 26 October, 2018 at 11:04 am
I installed the Clearpoll app on my phone and voted. It took me 5 minutes to figure out which poll was the correct one.
I clicked YES but got no feedback / confirmation, so I have no idea if my vote was registered or if it was the right poll.
I gave this feedback to YESDAYSCOTLAND on twitter and the one word reply – LIAR, he then blocked me.
How to win friends and influence people – not. I have uninstalled the app.
Hugh is everything that resulted in Labour being wiped out in 2015.
Robert J. Sutherland says:
26 October, 2018 at 12:12 pm
Legerwood @ 10:43,
Dave McEwan Hill @ 23.54 (25.Oct), 11:56,
“”There is perception and there is reality. In a way you could both be right.””
I think you will have to explain that statement since I quoted actual workforce figures as opposed to ‘perception’
Linkies
Jonathan Hall, NFU Scotland, describes how EU CAP money destined for Scotland was withheld by Westminster.
link to twitter.com
Aitor Esteban (Basque MP in Madrid) explained today in the Spanish Congress that if the Scottish People had known about Brexit Scotland would have voted for independence
link to twitter.com
ot Politics Live bbc 2 . 4 folk from England including English Historian Sharkey, some Tory MP all discussing the killing of the Goat on Islay. Assisted by a hunter beamed in live from Wales. (looks like Scotland on occasions I presume!!)
Criticism over Nicola Sturgeon. Yip all true
This is the Freedom of the Press/ News Media BBC Style.
This camouflage thing when shooting peacocks and sheep…is it really needed?
You could walk up to them in a dayglo track suit and they widnae run away.
….if only they could shoot back,sigh!
Valerie @ 12:22,
And a very good thing, too. Always good to know who (or what) is trying to influence you. There is an article on that very subject in The National today:
link to thenational.scot
Now doesn’t that latter remind you of one or two people (“people”?) who regularly appear on here? =grin=
Re NHS staffing been unwell with the lurgy for nearly a week, cleared up midweed but came back last night, so I decided to call the Medical practice this morning. I went online and when navigating about the site noticed on Arran for just over 5 thousand permanent residents we have 11 doctors. When I was a boy around 50 years ago for around 4000 permanent residents we had one Doctor
Who incidently also filled in at the Hospital when required. We had a surgeon at the Hospital and I cannot remember an anaesthetist, in fact If I remember correctly the Surgeon doubled up on that as when I was getting a minor procedure as a boy I remember him kidding on that the anaesthestic was not working and when I started panicking he picked up a wooden mallet and dunted me on the head with it!! (gently) so for around a 15% increase in permament residents we have a over a 400% increase in Doctors if you include the Surgeon. Aint checked but probably same for Nurses.
Sorry l have been out so I have just read Mr., Peffers reply he says iambic sneaky for just telling things the way I see them I was just trying to be polite bY not naming Mr.Peffers who seems to be a very rude man who questions everyone’s opinions he does not agree with as I have said to him before I think thou does protest to much ???
re twitter bot report –
here is JJ Patricks article on the subject
link to byline.com
I havent found a link to the actual report yet, please someone post it if they do.
They say a picture paints a thousand words and that the camera never lies, which must be why our useless corrupt media and all the finger-pointers are so studiously ignoring the photo which shows the O2 completely ablaze with the GSA still untouched by fire as they propagate the lie that the Art School set the O2 ablaze instead of vice versa. I’m no fan of the opinionated Nawbag Muriel Grey, but blaming the GSA board for what cynics like me consider to be an insurance job on the O2, is as ridiculous as blaming the equal pay dispute on the new SNP Council in Glasgow.
Legerwood says:
26 October, 2018 at 12:16 pm
My wife works as admin in a GP’s surgery. If she didn’t do the paperwork the GPs would have to. Their time is better served seeing patients than filling out request forms, requestion slips and typing up notes, updating medical records and all that other tedious stuff that needs to be done to make sure that (amongst other things) A: patients’ needs are seen to, and B: there is never another case like the Harold Shipman disaster.
Hi Legerwood at 12:16 pm.
You typed,
It’s Ok. It is a persistent myth about the number of admin staff and managers being too numerous. Given the complexity of modern medicine even a medium sized hospital takes some organising to meek sure there is food, toilet rolls etc to say nothing of patients attending at the right time.
That reminded me of the classic Yes Minister story about the “empty” hospital…
link to youtube.com
@Legerwood says: 25 October, 2018 at 10:00 pm:
” … What they failed to mention is that Orkney is getting a new hospital which is due to open next year. It will bring all of the services under one roof and extend and upgrade existing services. They also failed to mention that the hospital had been shortlisted for an International award and had won silver! See below for details:”
Yes, Legerwood, but that media omission should be getting corrected by such as Tavish Scot or that, always truthful, Carmichael chappie as they are bound to know the truth. I expect they will call upon that, always unbiased, Presiding Officer chappie, who is always so even handed and fair to everyone to put the matter right.
I mean, we all know the Westminster funded BBC carry out the Westminster policies. So on the matter of the new hospitals, “They just don’t want you to know that.” But I’m sure the Northern Island political people are so honest and truthful they will make sure we get to know the truth.
Aye!
Richt!
I demand that the First Minister apologise to me for Scotland having deeply damaging *British* governments in the past
This seems to be another new found tactic in the *British* party’s arsenal at the moment, getting the FM to apologise for things not of her or her governments making
What’s next Brits, the Plague?
Link to the troll report.
link to drive.google.com
Glamaig 1.24
Read Alyn Smith’s thing in the National earlier about social media, bots etc. Would have been better if he’d also mentioned that FB, Twitter are now routinely banning anyone who speaks out against war and government crimes. Paul Craig Roberts, who eloquently describes the lurch to censorship and fascism in the US and elsewhere, has just had his Twitter account banned/suspended.
This is the kind of thing they banned him for. Check it out –
link to paulcraigroberts.org
Here’s the story on ZH about the ban –
link to zerohedge.com
@Dave McEwan Hill says: 25 October, 2018 at 11:54 pm:
! … I really don’t know why people are getting agitated about the Audit Scotland Report on the SNHS. It is measured and fair.”
Well! That’s one opinion, I suppose. As such you are entitled to it. However, The FM at FMQs, pointed out there were omitted figures in the report and Legerwood’s comment @ 10:00 pm shows the report was far from fair.
Congratulations are due.
Maybe her empathy gene will kick in now. 😉
@Iain says: 25 October, 2018 at 8:12 pm:
… I wonder who still views or listens to government broadcasts, I have stopped for quite a while.
I feel no less informed and I have eliminated a whole avenue of stress and anger from my life.”
Yes Iain, but it depends upon what you class as, “Government Broadcasts”. There are those they make via their Propaganda wing but there are also, “Parliament TV”, from Westminster and Holyrood TV from The Holyrood Parliament.
Finn’s a lucky lad. He is going to grow up in an independent Scotland.
Fergus Green
You dont honestly expect Ruthie to let Finn grow up in an Independent Scotland
She will scuttle off away down to England or over to Ulster as fast as her little legs will carry her
To be fair to the Colonel, that picture of her, Finn and her partner is the most-natural one of her I have ever seen.
Roothie might, after all, be Scottish – is he perhaps named after Finn Russell?
Dont know if Nana posted this on a link this morning but WTOhave said no to UKjoining that Organisation with same trade agreement as Europe. Amongst those who have concerns are The USA, Australia and New Zealand. No link as i cant be bothered archiving as rough as, but google it and you will see.
Legerwood @ 22:00 (25.Oct),
Robert Peffers @ 15:14,
Picking up on a closing comment in that posting of yesterday, the question of public transport to any centralised medical facility is crucial, and has been given far less attention than it deserves, since it can have a wholly disproportionate effect on public perception of the provision.
Here’s a case in point. When the new Glasgow Southern opened, it killed off the old Western Infirmary (of fond memory, even if the facilities there were mixed and likewise aging). Initially an excellent bus service was instituted (by private operator Stagecoach) which transported people from the Western’s old catchment area down to Govan. It was inexpensive, fairly direct (if slowish) and very convenient, the drivers were friendly, and they even gave change. It was also under-utilised – have no idea why – and in fairly short order was withdrawn as being uneconomic. Privatisation has no place for social need, and presumably the then GCC did not wish or feel able to plug the gap.
Nowadays those folk without their own motor yet needing to get to the Southern have to take a time-consuming series of buses or (more likely) a taxi, the latter costing a tenner each way. So it can easily cost £20 just to visit a friend or relative in hospital, whereas previously you could sometimes just walk it.
Now that is in no way the SG’s fault, it’s a collision between concentrated medical services (as preferred by medics) and privatised transport services which do not – and cannot – recognise social need. But it does illustrate that you can’t successfully have the former without arranging proper access from a fairly extensive area.
Besides SLab troublemaking, it is that underlying issue which I suspect may be driving genuine public concern.
‘Finn’
Ruth seems happy to draw on the ancient folk tradition of the country that she wants to prevent taking its place amongst the worlds nations
On topic/off topic
Because I was nosey I started to follow Twitter feeds related to Ruth’s baby. It’s very illuminating, particularly when you look at the demographic that appears to be rabid British Nationalists (I’m not going to refer to them as Unionists, it’s less accurate as a term – so British Nationalist it is).
After looking at a fair number of the profiles of British Nationalist twitter users it starts to look like these people share a certain characteristic.
Have a go yourselves, but it appears that being an “Alpha male” is a prerequisite.
So if you’re into pumping iron, sculpting muscles, doing macho pursuits and fantasising about warfare, big trucks and cars with long bonnets then you’re a shoe in for a rabid, Scottish hating, anti SNP, British Nationalist. Throw in a smattering of red poppies and xenophobic jingoism and you qualify for a Union Jack star on your Made in Britain school jotter.
Freud would be able to have a field day with them.
Am undone LoL.
link to m.facebook.com
Some people should stay away from strong beverages lol , that’ll be ah big surprise fur Kezia tho lol .
Who the h*ll is that Ronnie? Do you know him, lol?
…………………….
Nicola wishing wee Finn well. Nice (civilised) as ever.
Too bad it didn’t happen for her. I reckon that she would have made a brilliant mother.
link to mobile.twitter.com
Ha ha ha! I just noticed one of the comments on Nicola’s tweet …. Finn …. in homage to Sturgeon and Salmond.
That’s a Beta (max) you’re describing there GG, Alphas ‘useful idiots’.
Sorry but to carry on Giving Goose’s OT.
link to is.muni.cz
National Attitudes and Ethic Exclusionism in a Comparative Perspective
An Empirical Study of Attitudes Towards the Country and Ethnic Immigrants in 22 Countries
link to dspace.library.uu.nl
link to courses.lumenlearning.com
I’m determined we’ll be as tooled-up as possible, this time. 🙂
Petra Dean Halliday former Indycamper , no worth challenging him as he’s needing help for the his Alcohol problem , but will be getting wound up by Auob idiots to get him to react like that .
What’s on telly tonight?
Government broadcasts.
Do something better.
Life is too short.
Well STV news doesn’t disappoint, tonight the Mesh Implant scandal, the blame was all but laid at the door of the SNP government, even though they cannot ban the Mesh Implants altogether, the ability to do so lies with Westminster.
However STV news never once mentioned that.
@Blair Paterson says: 26 October, 2018 at 1:24 pm:
” … Sorry l have been out so I have just read Mr., Peffers reply he says iambic sneaky for just telling things the way I see them I was just trying to be polite bY not naming Mr.Peffers
Bloody hilarious!
Here you go telling folks you were , “just being polite”, by not naming me. The sneaky thing is that’s nothing like being polite.
It was so obvious you were having a sneaky dig at me. Now you go on to confirm that you were indeed targeting me but had not the honesty to say so – and that is what’s sneaky.
” … who seems to be a very rude man who questions everyone’s opinions he does not agree with as I have said to him before I think thou does protest to much ???”
So here you are, and butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth, questioning my opinion and disagreeing with me because my opinions don’t agree with your opinions and you have the sheer sneaky hard neck to admit, ” … as I have said to him before”.
Bloody hilarious!
In case you hadn’t noticed this is an open forum to debate and discus and you cannot debate if everyone agrees with each other.
I can see it now – Rev Stu publishes an article and it is followed by thousands of comments of, “Me too”. Is that perhaps your not so hidden agenda?
You are a serial critic of the SNP, Nicola Sturgeon and the SG. It is rare if you post anything else – except sneaky sideswipes at those who have the temerity to challenge you directly but that’s all right because it’s you – but, of course, you are not a very rude man – just anyone else is who you disagree with.
Get over yourself and speak your mind, but in an honest and open manner.
@ Ronnie at 5:56pm… “Mr Halliday.”
It’s a shame to see someone behave like that Ronnie. Worst still that someone (a friend?!) filmed him in that state.
To be honest I thought that he was a BritNat, lol.
You won’t see this on the gruesome twosome tonight.
Queensferry Crossing scoops top engineering award, just over a year after opening
Transport heads have said the bridge is considerably more reliable than its predecessor
link to edinburghlive.co.uk
Lenny Hartley @ 4:01 pm
You wrote: “… WTO have said no to UK joining that Organisation with same trade agreement as Europe.”
Thanks for the alert on this important information – haven’t heard anything on this from MSM.
For others interested see this for starters:
link to uk.reuters.com
As a resident in Nlc I personally don’t think it was a good result for snp, 1) the shite about Gaffney 2) the total crap the Labour party spout daily
I honestly think people are either not interested or not on the internet
How else can you not vote for snp
@John rae
A main reason is the disarray of the local SNP party, factions, the rest of it. People say SNP HQ should intervene, but since it’s a branch upwards party, they can’t really do that. Apparently the new constitution is to empower members more, good idea.
@Legerwood
You are right about the problems rebuilding on the same site. I used to work in the medical research part of Ninewells here in Dundee. The labs on the level above us were being redone and much dust was generated. This was triggering the smoke alarms and they work throughout the hospital and the research part abuts the nurse’s changing rooms and the short term assessment unit (handy when my wife was admitted) which means a fire alarm in our area caused disruption in neighbouring areas, there are rules about that, different alarms etc.
So, the contractors in the area put latex gloves over the smoke alarms which looked quite comical but was very practical and easy to remove, non damaging etc. as well as being commonly to hand in research areas (I’m a medium).
Back home in Dunedin NZ (adopted home, born in Kilmarnock) they are going to take advantage of the calamity of Kraft taking the Cadbury’s factory which had been there for generations away to build the new hospital on the site (no other room close by). But Kraft has applied to make the frontage, with the Cadbury’s logo of course listed. Bugger that.
When we were back for the youngest’s wedding in May everywhere we went displays of Cadbury’s stuff was always on special offer. A local producer of ‘peanut slabs’, Wittakers, reacted to the earlier adulteration of the cadbury’s choc with other than cow juice, the textured vegetable protein much used here which makes it waxy and non creamy. Wittakers make proper choc and expanded into bars and have taken the middle of the market. Anyone who can afford it buys Wittakers. I bought big bars as gits for my sister and the youngest for having me and they were well received. Though the youngest’s got put away, she still had to fit in the wedding dress. I expect it’s all gone now.
It shows what adulteration does to your market position. Unionists take note.