The sixth stage of grief
Our alert readers will probably be aware of the psychological phenomenon commonly known as the five stages of grief. If not, there’s a rather good piece by Andrew Nicoll in today’s Scottish Sun about it in the context of Scottish Labour.
But while perceptive, Nicoll is a little behind the times, because it appears that the party’s branch office manager Jim Murphy has invented a sixth.
Welcome, viewers, to the new final stage of grief: delusion.
The article, which leads today’s Herald website, contains some spectacular claims.
Let’s just ponder that for a moment. Current polls suggest that Jim Murphy will in fact lose his seat in May, but at best he’s going to be a backbench MP in a minority government. Nevertheless he still asserts that he’ll be able to deliver £800m to Holyrood in the current financial year – an impressive achievement in itself, given how long it’ll take to pass the three separate manifesto pledges the promise is based on and collect the money.
But what then? Labour could either deliver the £800m to Holyrood or not. Its influence stops there. The SNP Scottish Government could then choose to spend it on what Labour wants, or it could spend it on something else entirely. It could spend the cash elsewhere in the NHS, or somewhere completely different. It could use it to offset the cuts Ed Miliband and Ed Balls have told us are coming to Scotland (slapping down Murphy’s denials as they did so).
UK Labour could of course attempt to impose conditions on the “grant” and ring-fence it, but it would be seen as trying to run Holyrood from London, riding roughshod over devolved areas, which would be unlikely to be popular, to put it mildly. Scotland has a democratically-elected government in charge of its spending, and it isn’t Labour.
(Fair-minded readers might briefly wonder if this wasn’t a bit like the SNP attempting to wield influence at Westminster, but there’s a very big difference between voting honestly in a minority parliament and hoping to carry the day, and over-ruling a majority Scottish government from England.)
We understand that Jim Murphy must be feeling a lot of stress at the moment. But acting like an imperial Governor-General of an uppity colony probably isn’t the way to deal with his pain.
Pretty close to paranoia now
James Franny Murphy really needs to lay off the glue.
If Murphy is behaving like this now, I hate to think what state he will be for the final debate on 3rd May with Sturgeon and co.
Jim is even holding big rallies that are attended by huge numbers of imaginary friends.
Hysterical
Now showing – “Look back in Anger” starring Jim Murphy.
Dim Jim invents new, additional points on the compass!
The Sun
Trevor Kavanagh
The Scottish National Party doesn’t fight by gentlemanly Queensberry Rules.
It has introduced thuggish intimidation into political debate, with opponents shouted down at close range.
Daily Mail
Dominic Lawson
Scottish Nasty Party
Poor Jim,
He has already been slapped down over having his own spending plans by Balls and here he is again touting them as something that he can deliver. I can’t believe how desperate he has become.
As Stu says, the money from these measures will hardly flow instantly unless they are proposing to borrow against future receipts which I suspect Balls is not prepared to do. This means that any such proposals in Holyrood will not be funded. Of course after the election there will be no such proposals. They will be packaged for a 2016 manifesto.
Dear Jim, why did you and your party hold a rally at 7am on the Buchanan gallery steps last week? Afraid of another egg getting chucked or worse? Not very popular, Wonder why?
The way to deal with his pain is for voters to put him out of his misery and vote SNP. He will be free to get a job in the Lords.
I hope the SNP manifesto makes reference to abolishing the Lords as it would be well received here and in the north of England. We could then get Jim out a job twice!
Clearly a gift to the SNP on manifesto release day.
Lets see if they sieze on it as Stu has.
Surly the Labour London HQ must see that 1 of the northern branch leaders has lost the plot and remove him forthwith as he is not doing their cause any justice but in fact helping every other party to gain votes.
muttley79 at 9.4` am:
With respect: Might I suggest, you made a typing mistake in the second word of your post – you had a letter “r” in there which probably shouldn’t have been there.
He is actually waging war against himself now.It seems Jim has decided there is nothing to lose and has pressed the self destruct button,hoping to take someone with him when he goes.Big gesture,small impact Jim.
I prescribe rest
You are forgetting his last minute masterstroke – Steiner will counterattack and victory will be his!
It’s going to take a lot more than £800 million to force the SNP to employ 1,000 more nurses than the SNP. That’s what we computer programmers call an “infinite loop”, and it’s a pretty sure sign you’ve completely ballsed up your logic.
Murphy’s Twitter feed is now looking like a parody account. I think the man is close to breakdown.
Sheesh.. Jim’s been at the ‘Jam’ again..
Saw this story in the Herald, and some commentators were defending it, but its utter insanity. Jim has no position from which to demand, negotiate or even cajole any of the things in his ‘manifesto’. He is as likely to deliver this under a Tory government as a Labour government as Jim is not even in shadow cabinet. And the Labour Party has already published its manifesto.
I am genuinely puzzled by this.
I have tried to think about what it might look like from a Labour perspective; what they are trying to achieve in making these claims. I cannot think of one single advantage to them of saying it.
Let us say that there were good proposals in the labour manifesto, and let us say that labour had a majority at Westminster so that they can raise the fabulous amounts of money they claim to fund those policies. And let us say that they can do so before the 2016 election. And let us say they put motions down to have those proposals passed at Holyrood. And let us say that they were such good proposals that the SG decided to pass them, rather then doing something else. What benefit is that to labour? They will not have passed those proposals, the SG will have. It is an intrinsic part of the SNP approach that they seek cooperation where they can find it, for the benefit of the people. Does Mr Murphy imagine they will get no credit for that?
Course his own party subscribes to the view that it is the function of an opposition to “oppose”, and there are political theorists who would agree with that. SLAB votes against anything proposed by the SNP just because that is where it comes from, and regardless of what they think about the issue. Does Mr Murphy believe that has done them good? Is he so wedded to adversarial politics that he thinks that anything resembling consensus is seen as “weak” or something?
I am lost. What on earth is he doing?
Sounds like one of Baldrick’s cunning plans.
If Michael Dobbs, author of the brilliant House of Cards, were to use the UK’s main political parties’ antics in a book, it would be dismissed as unrealistic and just not credible; yet, here we are.
Everyday is like a trip through the looking glass; Kezia says the SNP want another referendum just after Stewart Hosie rules one out, Jim Murphy tries to sell policies that are the sole purview of the Scottish Government, David Cameron tells us he loves us then wants to treat us as 2nd class citizens, on and on it goes.
The panic coming from Westminster is palpable and all because a slightly built woman from the West coast of Scotland wants to make this country fairer for the majority of its citizens.
“But acting like an imperial Governor-General of an uppity colony probably isn’t the way to deal with his pain.”
This is exactly how Labour see Scotland – as part of the empire, a colony, an occupied territory. And how dare the locals rise up and want to determine their own future. The only real shame is that when given the chance to do so the majority of Scots saw themselves in exactly the same way – part of an empire, a colony and a territory incapable of independent thought.
Jesus Christ, the man has lost the plot.
‘Dare them to vote us down’
I guess they are planning on making a big deal about the SNP voting with tories, as they will inevitably be against such motions….even though the SNP don’t need their support, looks like SLab are basing their 2016 strategy around making the SNP out to be tartan tories…you know, like they do every election….see how that one plays out.
Anyone see the scottish daily mail today? All out for the tactical vote.
Socrates McSporran – No, it’s ok. Muttley 79 is using the Scottish “r” which is silent and unpronounced.
There’s only one possible reason for this latest lunacy from Eggman Murphy. The infighting is well underway in ‘scottish’ Labour and he’s trying to stake a claim for remaining leader.
Hence the delusional nonsense about what he would do as leader going into 2016.
Hopefully he does remain leader but it’s inconceivable there won’t be chaos and feuds breaking out on May 8th as Murphy has quite obviously managed to make things far worse for a ‘scottish’ Labour party collapsing about their ears.
The factions will be lining up for the coming fight with the “I told you so” group led by Lamont, Dugdale’s little band and Murphy’s bunch of Blairites ready to dig their heels in and claim all he needs is a few more months to turn it all around. (Sure ye do! LOL 😉 )
If nothing else it promises to be even more entertaining than when Murphy and Curran stuck the knife into Lamont. 😀
There are voters in Scotland who will actually believe this tosh is credible. Many won’t understand the difference between devolved and reserved issues and the roles of each parliament.
Murphy could be completely off his rocker (and with good reason), but he may also be appealing to that 25% still willing to vote Labour.
Hands to the pumps, noses to the grind stone … We need to get out and counter this stuff. I’m off leafleting this morning.
This idiot is determined that he’s not going to stop digging!
If Westminster were to attempt to override the Scottish Parliament all hell would let loose not just in Scotland but in the Welsh Assembly too.
I see that as a ‘change in circumstances’ that would bring on a 2nd indyref at great speed.
As the Alt Text summarises, there is no such party called “Scottish Labour” that is registered with the Electoral Commission (www.electoralcommission.org.uk/)
It is in fact, a north British Accounting Unit (AU) of the Labour Party which is registered in London. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_Parties,_Elections_and_Referendums_Act_2000)
Since Scottish Labour isn’t registered as a separate official political party, it cannot then publish a manifesto in which it will pledge to deliver anything over & above that which is contained in the manifesto belonging to the superior Labour Party.
Furthermore, Jim Murphy may retain his seat & Labour may manage to cobble together a loose coalition but unless he is given a position in the Cabinet or handed the whip, he is in no more of an influential position than anyone else on the backbenches.
Meanwhile, no one in Labour at Westminster will have any influence at all in Holyrood, because they won’t have a majority there either unless a miracle happens in the 2016 Scottish Election.
To muddle matters, Murphy isn’t even an MSP, despite behaving like a leader of a party which by any reasonable examination, doesn’t actually exist.
It is no wonder that Murphy is watching Labour support evaporate. He is making promises from within a party that doesn’t exist which will somehow overcome a party that does while having no authority to do anything in London or in Edinburgh except perhaps to file his expense claims on time.
I am beginning to understand Jim Murphy’s statement, in which he said he was surprised how poor the SNP opposition had been since he became leader of Labour in Scotland.
I would imagine Nicola would have sent out a memo (a genuine one) to everyone in the SNP, to not oppose Jim Murphy…let him get on with whatever he’s getting on with, because the guy is a one man recruiting agent for the SNP.
I know a number of Labour (and others) people read Wings on a daily basis, so let me let you into a wee secret:
The one thing that all these recent polls, have taught anyone with even a tiny brain, is this:
The Scottish electorate will not return to any party, because they have told a big enough lie. Scots wont be deceived into backing Labour, we don’t trust you enough any more, and in order to deceive people, they have to have a certain amount of trust in you.
If say, a man from your area called ‘Jimmy the Teef’, sold you a TV, and it ends up being stolen, and it gets you into a lot of trouble, At some considerable cost to yourself, you eventually manage to clear your name.
You meet Jimmy the Teef again and he offers to sell you a car, promising that the TV incident was a huge mistake and he has learned lessons…
You believe him and the car seems a great deal, but after a few weeks the police stop you and tell you the car is stolen, and you get arrested and taken to court!
What would you do if Jimmy the Teef, tries to sell you a CD player? will you listen to how reliable the CD player is, will you be impressed with how good a sound it has?
Will you be tempted because of how cheap Jimmy is selling it for?
If you are an honest person, the answer will be ‘sod off Jimmy, I don’t trust you’
If you are a teef yourself, you might buy it, otherwise…
So, Sod of Labour, your offers are meaningless, because I don’t trust you.
Creepy Jim’s going out in a blaze of WTF is he on about now. What will he do after politics though? He’s so out of touch and so creepy, English tory boy world will never forgive him now.
What about targeting the criminals who caused illegal wars in the Middle East and caused the migration to Europe. Westminster.
This basically confirms that Unionist parties are actively trying to circumvent the Scottish Parliament as they canny win there.Seems they want to rule like dictators that which they can’t win democratically.
Radio Jockland giving a step by step guide on tactical voting to stop the SNP.
Disgraceful.
Heart of Darkess, seems to be a an apt comparison for Mr Kurtz, sorry Lord Jim
Maybe that’s why they’re sending Yappy Dugdale out to bat on the TV these days. Voters might be put off by the strait jacket.
@galamcennalath
How does that help SLAB, or make people vote labour? Those who still believe that voting SNP will “let the tories in” are not going to change their minds: but most do not believe that, so far as I can tell. So with the prospect of a labour government, supported by SNP etc, according to Mr Murphy he can get the good bits of his manifest through at holyrood anyway. And the SNP are seeking to ensure there are no further spending cuts. So we can have both if we vote SNP. Why would folk vote labour in those circumstances: it is tosh, of course: but if you believed him, it is surely the best of both worlds?
Its all part of the plan to get rid of the steps. Nobody will want to be near them after that manky ghoulish cunt been slabbering all over them.
Sky and BBC news full of anticipation about SNP manifesto release, they are in a frenzy. One guy even said, we never usually bother with this manifesto!
Leaks indicate mention of trying to get investment attracted to the north of England!
This is going to be very interesting.
On Smurph, one of the Yes FB pages posted the vid of the alleged rally at 7am, very funny, only folk in Labour t shirts, and all shot at close range, no shoppers whatsoever around, it’s very obvious, they planned it not to attract any unwanted attention.
What a contrast to the ease at which the SNP just turn up, crowds congregate etc.
Scottish Labour are in meltdown.
They’ve tried getting even but it didn’t work; now they’re going to try getting angry.
I am so looking forward to watching the likes of Tom Harris, Margaret Curran, and Jim Murphy losing their seats at Westminster.
I’ll be honest, though. I don’t think there’s anything they could do to stem the tidal flow to SNP away from Labour. It’s quite beautiful. The more they try to address the problem, the worse the problem gets.
If Scottish Labour broke away from UK Labour and announced it was now in favour of independence, that might work. The problem is nobody would believe them or trust them though, and it would be viewed as a ploy like the Vow.
John Henry
Works just as well without the adjective, adjective, offensive noun.
Only useful for James Francis to cite as vile abuse from cybernattery to scare the grannies.
This captures beautifully what Murphy and ilk think and have always thought, about the Scottish Parliament – It’s just a pretendy wee parliament and the real authority lies in Westminster, which is where the big boys and girls are. So, the big boys just tell the wee boys and girls what to do and they’ve got to do it.
On yer bike, as they say!
Is there a Mrs Murphy?
The poor woman must be demented with her mans behaviour
and he really aught to get a grip
She’s got to go out to the shops where folk will see her
Her friends will be hiding behind their hands whispering
You can just hear it ” Oh, that’s that puir wee Murphy Wummin ye feel heart sorry fur her, aw that munny disnae make ye happy eh”
Murphy looks like a fool, but he knows that if he hangs in there and keeps repeating nonsense the magic Late Swing will take place on the night of 7th May. On the 8th, when the results come out and are not as bad as expected, Murphy will smile and say “I won, the Union is saved….I did it”
But what’s the real purpose behind Murphy’s latest gambit? Is it perhaps that they know full well they have minimal clout in Holyrood and will later clai that Holyrood is out of control, spending the money in places it wasn’t eant to be spent? What next? They’ll simply bypass Holyrood and give the oney direct to their local fiefdoms since Holyrood “can’t be trusted”.
You heard it here first.
Just wow! 😮
What kind of arrogance does that take?
Cameron headline:”I will not allow Holyrood to do harm to England” . Oh the irony!
well they have nothing left to lose.
they’re all set up for life, but always feel entitled to more.
it’s their sense of entitlement that has brought them to where they are.
sing ‘oh lord it’s hard to be humble and perfect in every way.’
Doug Daniel “infinite loop” is that a precursor to going round in ever decreasing circles?
John Henry “?*/!” tsk tsk.
Prof. Curtis on radio jocko saying tactical voting is a waste of time as the SNP are too far ahead:-D
Mustering all their energy to resist it, the Unionists cannot see the end of an era, as the National sentiment shifts.
The English MSM and “national” BBC seem to have discovered Scotland again big time. Just like they did in the last couple of weeks of the IndyRef.
Most biased bit was BBC admitting SNP could be 3rd largest party in Westminster then only interviewing / promoting Tory and Labour points of view. No input deemed necessary from the party they built the news item around.
Worried? I know they are.
Fiona says:
“How does that help SLAB, or make people vote labour?”
I really don’t know why it looks like 25% are still willing to vote Labour. I think Murphy is appealing directly to them and any don’t knows who might still vote Labour. I can only assume that at this stage Murphy is attempting to hang on to some of the harder to crack seats.
Murphy is saying he will spend an extra £800m in Scotland. If you don’t have a clue about devolved versus reserved responsibilities, then that probably sounds like a good offer.
As I understand it, a lot of Scots still think the NHS is UK wide, when it never was. If that money was destined go to the NHS, then presumably it seems straightforward in many people’s minds that WM could achieve this. The reality of devolved responsibility will simply never occur to anyone who doesn’t understand the setup.
We have been served very poorly over the decades by the media failing to report Scottish affairs in any detail. We have been more likely to hear about English matters! Is it any surprise ignorance persists? It it any surprise Labour try to capitalise on people’s lack of understanding?
Let’s try to be objective with this assertion from JM (hard though that is to do but bear with me).
So Jim is saying that if Labour, by whatever means, holds the purse strings at Westminster come 8th May there will be the potential for an additional £800 million for Scotland, spread over 5 years (so that’s £160 million per year).
That amounts to just over a 1% increase in the Scottish NHS budget if all that money was spent on NHSS.
But that is by-the-by.
What Jim is actually saying is profoundly undemocratic. He is offering £800 million on condition that the Scottish Government agrees to spend it on that which Labour decrees.
So we have a party which, according to the polls, will have no democratic mandate in Scotland trying to impose its will on the democratically-elected government of Scotland.
And that approach is supposed to win friends and influence people? Is that the “cunning plan”? I am surprised he isn’t offering us 800 million turnips…
So from one out of touch panic stricken red tory nutcase to a blue one this time.
Rancid Graun lovingly cut n paste London Mayor Boris Johnson’s thoughts about teamGB democracy, the one red and blue tory world begged, threatened and lied about to keep us all in teamGB.
Also, I don’t know of any SNP Scots.gov policy that has cost one single life, unlike the Westminster hell hole it really is.
Here comes teamGB democracy boom boom Boris style-
“You wouldn’t get Herod to run a baby farm, would you? It would not normally occur to you to interview a convicted jewel thief for the post of custodian of the Tower of London.
You would not dream of asking a fox to look after the henhouse or a temperance campaigner to run a brewery or Attila the Hun to work as a doorkeeper for the Roman senate – and no one in their right mind would enter into a contract with a bunch of voracious weevils to protect the lovely old timbers in the tower of the local church. Would they?
Any such course of action would be totally nuts. So can someone tell me why in the name of all that is holy there are some apparently rational people who are even contemplating the elevation of the Scottish Nationalist Party to a position of effective dominance in the government of the United Kingdom – an entity that they are sworn to destroy?
It is therefore obvious to every serious political analyst that [Ed Miliband] would be in many ways the plaything of the SNP. Unless he has the support of that 40-plus bloc of Scottish secessionists, he will be stymied. If Miliband somehow manages to form a minority government, he will be peeping from Alec Salmond’s sporran like a baffled baby kangaroo. He would be the vacillating Macbeth, pushed hither and yon by Lady Macbeth, in the form of Nicola Sturgeon.
Did you see her the other night, telling him to man up, to screw his courage to the sticking place – to do what she told him to do because “you are not strong enough on your own”? The awful truth is that she is right. Without her help and her say-so, and without the support of Salmond and his troops in the Commons, there is not a single bill that Labour could get through.”
Thanks again proud Scot buts.
How dare you question our glorious leader Jim Jog-on. This is the man who has easily outwitted the SNP, hired a thousand more nurse than there are nurses in existence, personally stormed every mansion in London to collect money for Scotland, saved the union single handed, and invented Irn Bru. You will be laughing on the other side of your face when Scottish Labour win all 2,500 seats in Scotland on May the 5th.
😛
BBC coverage cut off the SNP manifesto launch applause for Nicola Sturgeon. Most be embarrassing that someone is much more popular than Cameron Clegg or Miliband.
“I will implement my manifesto after May 7th”
Interesting. So it’s all Jim’s own work, nothing to do with the party, huh? Not even anything to do with the rest of the SLAB leadership team? Does Kezia know this?
Just wondering if it is shipping up to be a Lab-Lib coalition with the SNP on a supply basis?
By God, if we Scots ever get to reclaim our own country it will be quite a feat indeed.
We have the BBC openly canvassing for democratic subversion via tactical voting against the SNP – Prof John Curtice indeed has broken his silent period to explain the how, why and what-if, about it all. Many thanks Kay(e), as expected of course.
We then have Cameron going off his rocker to demon-ise the Scots officially to an increasingly agitated and chronically mis-informed English nation, that we are just about to eat their children.
We have, what Craig Murray calls government sponsored postal vote fraud through the Electoral Commission, where incredible high-jinks are permitted with our voting system – all to be used against the direct democratic will of the Scottish people. Read it and weep, it’s not as if we haven’t already experienced very strange goings-on over the referendum polling process to ring more alarm bells.
There’s a proactive campaign led by the Electoral Commission to denude the voting register of almost 800,000 voters in Scotland the new registration system – ‘on-line’ only; a system which has reduced the voting population in the UK by 7,000,000, effective from the imminent registration closing. What’s that about in risk analysis?
And this doesn’t mention a rabid press with it’s gaggle of UK-ist liars trading as journalists, but all singing so closely from the one MI5/MI6 song-sheet. Nor, does it countenance the effect of the back-room workings of the once-neutral civil service which has taken on the mantle of (UK/England/Establishment/One-Country Britain) ‘nation-protector’ through Sir Nick Macpherson and Co.
A truly Herculean task lies before us – be ready.
James Francis Murphy
or
JF Murphy
or
J. Francis Murphy
Frank or Frankie for short
It reminds me of someone..
Frankie goes to Hollyrood perhaps?
I think Jim Murphy needs to strap himself onto that “Hoodrum Hadron Collider” it may be the only thing that can keep up with the labour ‘car-crashes’.
Vote SNP get SNP.
@ think again says:
20 April, 2015 at 10:45 am
“Doug Daniel “infinite loop” is that a precursor to going round in ever decreasing circles?”
I think of Labour more as a Klein Bottle, right up their rectum, out their mouth and round again, ad infinitum.
http://giphy.com/gifs/upvote-see-bottle-9FmIwJfvPa5YA
@Doug Daniel
Its a Boolean condition and Labour are always FALSE.
http://caltonjock.com/2014/08/28/afghanistan-policy-in-the-field-of-war-decided-by-labour-politicians-british-army-suffered-horrendous-casualties-four-times-greater-than-the-americans-why/
Someone please put Murphy away in a wee home. I can’t stand watching someone going through the motions. It’s a bit like a football team knowing they are relegated saying:” it’s not over yet we still have games to play.”
Incidently the BBC were in the borders this morning. Apologies to anyone from the borders on here. But what the ferk are you guys on Crack! Can you no see that that the Tories and Libs have done nothing for you for 50 years, and you are still not sure!
BtP @11.17 “Just wondering if it is shipping up to be a Lab-Lib coalition with the SNP on a supply basis?”
The possible permutations are certainly numerous and this makes some kind of sense, unless you vote SNP. That said I read somewhere in last couple of days that the Tory and Labour parties have been “advised” not to approach Her Majesty unless they are confident of forming “a stable Government.” With the polls stacking up as they do this looks like being a difficult thing to achieve.
All the more reason for a strong representation in Westminster and to get out tonight with the next batch of leaflets.
Jim Murphy seriously wants to get tae fuck!
In other news, my Dad died this morning at 08:02. I hold every single No voter personally responsible for depriving an old kind man of his one dream last September.
To the ball-less & the greedy. I will never forget it.
Well well James Francis, thon money seems tae hae elastic sides wi awe the things yer gon tae dae wae it.
Problem is James Francis, you are not, and will not be in any position to offer anything, and that is allowing for the fact that you might keep your seat. For Westminster to try and dictate how Holyrood is run and how we spend the money, would, in my opinion, be a very grave mistake.
Labour North British accounting branch will be in total disarray after 7th May. The infighting will be horrific, but hell mend them. I really don’t wish to see the like of James Francis or Magrit, or old bayonnete the wounded anywhere near Holyrood.
As for Boris doon bye in London, he can’t even get the name of the party right. It is not The Scottish Nationalist party ya numptie, it is The Scottish National party, spot the difference Boris. Naw, I thought not. Eejit.
When we lost the referendum I was so down in the dumps it was unreal.. Now, well the fun has come back into politics. I’ve never know a general election that was so much fun.
My GOAD, they’re feart, really, really feart. Good.
Yeah its all very well for the SNP to have the biggest numer of mmembers; but just how many floating voters were at the manifesto launch ? 🙂
Labour at least invited the public along to Jims big event at the Royal concert hall steps … ok nobody turned up .. but just saying.
Remember the Indyref and the ‘spectre’ of the silent majority.
This winter wasn’t that cold, so there will still be plenty of the silent majority about 😉
Keep hitting the streets right up to the night of the 7th.
It will take that much effort to beat the dark forces of the ‘big machine’ that is team UK. (AKA Lab/Tory/Lib)
Ach it’s the Red Tory way:
Promise something, anything before the election and three months later deny it. It was either a silly joke, a complete misunderstanding or a nasty SNP lie. The BBC have their backs and are always willing to spin what was said (or not) favourably.
O/T about Nicola on the Q&A at the Manifesto Launch..
Ohh, she’s good. Dealing with some, albeit predictable questions very well.
As red tory boy Murphy heads for the UKOK loonie bin, BetterTogether Cameron would not sit next Sturgeon yesterday in BBC studio
This is cut n paste from rancid Graun and their misspelling too
“Strugeon says she has been told that Cameron would not sit on the sofa with her at the end of the Andrew Marr show yesterday.
And
James Cooke of BBC Vote Tactical Scotland or Else, got booed at SNP manifesto question time just the now.
lol:D
Jeez – just watched a vid Rev has on twitter about Gordon Brown from Indyref.
What an apologist for an individual. Shameful clown of a man. Tlak about ‘Too wee, too poor, too stupit’!
Honestly – how is this guy considered a motivator ?
Anything Scotland or Scottish people have ever done or achieved was only made possible by the benevolence of our southern neighbour – ‘from his mouth’ … just so you know folks.
Anyhting that has been invented or achieved by a Scot was made better by association with our southern neighbour.
And the crowd appluad ????
Panda and Think Again
Re the possibility of Lab/Lib coalition plus SNP on a supply basis, I believe this is highly likely.
It all comes down to cash, and if the Lib Dems aren’t in coalition with someone, they are going to struggle to keep their Westminster party machine running.
Have a look at this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_Money
The Lib Dems have been getting handsome financial support, currently as a member of the government, but previously via the “Short Money” as the third largest party in Westminster. This has been running for decades.
If the Lib Dems come out of government, it looks like they will be only the fourth largest party, so it will be a bit like dropping out of the Premier League straight down to the sub-basement with no compensation payments.
Hence my view that they are desperate to be in government. They’ll find a way to team up with whoever can put a majority together to get a Queen’s Speech passed and on current poll figures that looks like Labour. There will be lots of ‘doing it for the good of the nation’ etc etc, but the reality is that if they don’t do it, the Lib Dems may find themselves in serious financial difficulties with lots of SpAd, admin, research and other support jobs at risk.
The Lib Dems need to be in a formal coalition with Ministerial positions. The SNP don’t.
It’s been said before. A false impression was painted of Smurphy’s supposed successful Irn Brooo Crate tour, during the referendum.
The media made him believe it was a success. The leaders believed it and so a myth was born, that Murphy was a motivator, and ideas man. The truth is that the anger all came from the fear of him losing his job and nothing else. It wasn’t passion for the union.
The irony is that he and his cronies, thought all they had to do was crush the rebellious Scots! Then Scotland would revert to type as a slavish Labour voting nation. The nats would cry in their beer and drift away.
It’s not quite worked out that way has it Jim. Had you not sided with the Tories. Slabour could have been reborn as a Scottish party. Instead you signed your party’s own death warrant!
A bit O/T
Just reading and hearing total guff from Cameron
whoo is spouting that if the Scottish Government reduces APD that it will impact on England’s airports as they would be at a disadvantage
What a lot of people may or may not be aware of is the fact that Scottish airports HAVE been at a disadvantage since the end of the second world war!
The then, post war air ministry set up a form of cabotage for air fares in that all air fares were based on flights from and to London Airport. This was to protect the new London airport, built at Heathrow.
So if an airline started a service from say either Glasgow or Edinburgh, the air fare was not based on direct route miles, but the route mile cost from Scotland to London then onto the final destination. This is the reason that air fares from Scotland were that bit more expensive to north america than from London.
This was the prime reason that air travel stagnated in Scotland for such a long time. Its also the reason why the air fares have been such a complicated mess .
So when Cameron spouts guff about placing English airports at such a ‘disadvantage’ remember what Ive stated
my manifesto?
so it was you Jim who made it up without any help from your party i see,so now you are a one man band are you ,and the rest of your party dont matter.
Jim a bit off advice give it up ,go on holiday ,take a break and most important go see a psychiatrist as i am worried about your sanity.
There’s just one tiny snag with your plan Jimbo. It’s bollocks.
Graeme Borthwick @10.41
Is this “Late Swing” you mention going to be a Royal Mail delivery?
Apologies for going off-topic, but, having read the word bites from Boris Johnston’s Daily Telegraph column, I decided to read the whole piece.
Boris does make one very valid point, when he warns against the SNP “decapitating Britannia”. Now, this is worrying, without all those Scottish brains, what is left of “Britannia” will be running around like headless chickens.
This is worrying.
We have a serious choice to make, do we continue to be a sort of Nanny McPhee, keeping England sensible, or at least trying to, or, do we simply bugger off and leave them to stew in their own juices of their class-ridden Old Boys political act.
Decisions, decisions.
Dugdale about to be on Daily Politics. Where’s Murphy?
Ear plugs at the ready. She can speak quicker than I can listen.
More zooming by me on this:
https://cybernatdotorg.wordpress.com/2015/04/18/it-wasnt-supposed-to-be-like-this-where-did-it-all-go-wrong/
Denial is only the first of the Kübler-Ross five stages of grief.
One for the connoisseurs is the Herald’s use of the word “rally” to describe the “event” that took place, I understand, in a room of Labour trusties and the media.
That is why SLab continue with the delusion. It’s facilitated by the mainstream media, and they hope that the voter will never come into contact with the reality.
James Francis Murphy. Keep on sniffing son.
You reap what you sow.
Keep on pushing folks. Foot to the floor till May 8th.
Maximum attack.
x
yeah but, no but, that’s all have to add on topic.
but i know have a card sent from nicola personally to me and several million others, which i promptly deny.
it’s going into to a frame and every day i shall salute it and sing freedom come all ye @ the top of my voice.
🙂
£Billions of Public money has been invested in Heathrow. BA slots were subsidised. Terminal 5 is the BA base. How much Public money was spent on that? It takes a day (and a night) to get through Heathrow and the congestion in London.
Andrew Neil is such a lying Tory. Thatcher’s henchman.
The Council tax was frozen in the rest of the UK.
@r type grunt, I’m very sorry for your loss. Please remember some people voted No out of fear.
I absolutely detest Boris Johnson, and seriously don’t know why this posh old Etonian Bullingdon boy gets away with that scaremongering, racist shit.
Cameron is trying his best to get his UKIP supporters turned over back to Conservative.
I think it’ll work.
@chalks says: 20 April, 2015 at 10:14 am:
“Jesus Christ, the man has lost the plot.”
But, Chalks, How can Jim lose the plot when Jim has never had the plot?
Creepy Morphy not required to respond to SNP manifesto today, so very angry Andrew Neil and his full on Daily Politics interview with John Swinney, the Ligger’s not pulling his punches, SNP not progressive at all in all kinds of policy, so shadap you etc
All usual BBC #SNPout stuff, except Kezia Dugdale got interviewed by the Ligger’s side kick and Kezia allowed to waffle uninterrupted on and on and on and on, SNP bad, nothing else.
If it isn’t progressive then what is the mainstream media afraid of?
I am a staunch SNP supporter, and I have donated to your recent fund collection. I read all the articles I can (Wings, Wee Ginger Dug, Bateman, Common Space, CommentIsntFree, etc). Again and again I admire the way you expose lies and half-truths and show up the dreadful media. But I have noticed recently that most of you are obsessed by “Scottish” Labour, and poke and prod at any minute piece of ordure left by them, almost to the exclusion of other news. The likelyhood is that SNP will not get 50+ MPs but a lot fewer, and S Labour will get a lot more than the predicted 4 seats.
Lets have a bit more realism, and less glee in bashing a down and out party.
Sorry to hear your news R type grunt. I hope this difficult time passes quickly for you.
OT. Just read an article ref the 1816 call for a strike in Glasgow. There was high unemployment and wages were being reduced while food prices rose.
The people were exhorted “to show the world that we are not that lawless, sanguinary rabble that our oppressors would persuade the higher circles we are, but a brave and generous people determined to be free.”
Not a great deal of change then.
@ Roy Macleod
I think you have a good point: too many saying they prefer tories because at least they are honest and stuff like that. But the fact is that the main opposition here is SLAB, and they are who we have to beat. Serious campaigning means serious addressing of their lies: but here we have a secondary purpose which is to enjoy ourselves in like minded company. That is not trivial, because the spiral of silence has meant that people who have views not represented in the MSM can feel quite isolated. It is the breaking of that perception, more than any other single thing, which has turned a pro independence stance from a fringe position to a mainstream one. Don’t knock it
R-Type, my condolances. Very sorry to hear your news.
@R-type Grunt says: 20 April, 2015 at 11:38 am:
“In other news, my Dad died this morning at 08:02. I hold every single No voter personally responsible for depriving an old kind man of his one dream last September.
So sorry, R-Type Grunt, That comes from one attempting to hang on for just the same reason. I really have little else to look forward to and my ever decreasing ill-health and disability probably means the lost referendum will see me buried in a still not free Scotland.
I am sorry for your loss, R-Type Grunt. From what you say, he must at least have taken comfort from the fact that independence is now mainstream and attainable for the first time. I hope he could share in the optimism, despite September’s disappointment. And I hope that you can take comfort from carrying on his work to a successful conclusion: no matter that he did not live to see it, his generation carried it on when things were much darker: they expect no less from us
O/T, but it’s arrived. A letter from Gordon Brown, telling me why I must vote Labour. Printed in Essex of course. On behalf of an organisation which doesn’t exist.
Why am I getting these–I haven’t voted Labour for over 40 years.
Must send it back to him at the address given i.e.Gordon Brown, Kirkcaldy, Fife, although he’s not an MP for Kirkcaldy any more.
PS Letter says Scotland Bad.
@Marie clark says: 20 April, 2015 at 11:38 am:
” … My GOAD, they’re feart, really, really feart. Good.
I’ve seen them feart afore, Marie. I’ve even seen them afu, afu feart. Thing is this time they are in abject terror and, what is more, they just do not know what to do about it.
To paraphrase : –
Miliband :
“I want the men around me to be fat, healthy-looking men who sleep at night. That Murpyus over there has a lean and hungry look. He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous”.
@Alastair says: 20 April, 2015 at 12:22 pm:
” … She can speak quicker than I can listen”.
Classic comment, Alastair. My sudden laughter drove the wee Papillon behind the settee in a flash, (and, believe me, it really takes quite something to frighten her).
@R-type Grunt
Sorry to hear that. It’s hard right now, and it sounds like a platitude but time does help to make it easier. I agree with the comments above.
You have to remember that many No voters were fooled by the relentless propaganda. I have a couple of friends who voted that way and I personally know they were torn about it.
A strong SNP vote at these Westminster elections is a way for many to make amends.. to redress their conscience or seek a kind of consolation prize.
We have to accept that not everyone was convinced by independence, or more often than not – independence at this time.
But that vast majority of people in Scotland do want far more powers for Scotland and this is why tactical voting pleas may not work. Many of these folks just don’t want to go back to business as usual.
It’s encouraging that a recent Edinburgh university survey showed that around 70% of Scots think that we will become independent eventually.
@ Everyone
Many, many thanks.
@ Robert Peffers
My dad lives on in me. As Fiona says, it’s your generation who did all the hard work, before the internet and perhaps feeling most of all like a lone voice in the darkness.
But you’re not alone now, and your hard work has provided this generation with a wide open goal. We thank you and yours for the effort. Truly.
Be well pal, and if you can’t be well at least try to be happy in the knowledge you did your best. That’s all anyone can reasonably ask.
Gordon.
@Valerie says: 20 April, 2015 at 12:48 pm
“I absolutely detest Boris Johnson, and seriously don’t know why this posh old Etonian Bullingdon boy gets away with that scaremongering, racist shit.”
I do, Valeries called the, “Bullingdon Club”.
R-type grunt, so sorry your Dad didn’t get his dream and so sorry for the rest of us too.
I am clocking up the years and I hope – can’t pray – that I live long enough to see a free Scotland for my and everyones , children and grandchildren.
Mr Peffers , hang in there and we oldies can maybe celebrate together!
The more I read and discover the less I like or trust the establishment and its lackies.
“The idea that you have to wait until 2016 to implement the manifesto is not true.”
It’s not really true or false is it though? It’s just a basic convention. Does this mean Labour’s manifesto for the previous Scottish parliament election is invalid? Can we expect them to introduce new manifestos at any time?
I think I see what Murphy is doing here and it’s similar to TLPAFTG: Talk basically a load of mince so that the opposition will be too shocked to refute you. If anyone manages to regain their senses and points out calmly and clearly why you’re talking mince, simply shout as loud as you can, and if all else fails put your hands over your ears and sing ‘lalalalalalalallal!’
This has so far been a winning strategy for the Scottish Labour Party.
It makes you wonder…
The Unionists were freaking out 10 days before the Referendum.
What the hell are they going to be like going into the last week before the GE as they wonder if the SNP are really going to have their hands on the reins of power, and in all of the places that they least suspected …Westminster!
I half expect our Scottish newsreaders to be snarling at the TV at teatime, threatening Scots NOT to vote for the SNP as all our houses will collapse into the deepest pits of hell! God knows what the papers down south will be churning out. Somehow …niceties won’t be on the front pages.
And then one only wonders what Murphy will be like. It really will be the wrong week to have given up the glue!
Yep… payback is a bitch!
Sounds very much like his “I have walked on the killing fields of Cambodia” moment.
Eggzit stage right.
The seventh stage is resignation.
Has anyone done a Jim Murphy mash-up of that mad Hitler rant in Downfall yet?
Does anyone need to?
“Herr Branch Manager? Der voters you speak of sveaping us to power on ein tidal vave of der anti-SNP adulation exist only in your mind…”
@ McBoxheid:
“James Francis Murphy
or
JF Murphy
or
J. Francis Murphy
Frank or Frankie for short
It reminds me of someone..
Frankie goes to Hollyrood perhaps?”
RP McMurphy?
(Jim Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest!)
This is just ‘word salad’ from Jim. It’s so obviously untrue that I think he should take a break.
I dislike his politics but don’t wish him ill, on a personal level.
I think the pressure is too much.
The only GRIEF I can see is that which Labour and Conservative-LibDems are giving the most vulnerable in society.
The cheek of Jim Murphy to say he is going to do something about the ATOS welfare reforms when his Tony Blair pal Labour welfare minister James Purnell brought it in is hypocrisy of the first order.
R-type Grunt,
Sad to hear about the death of your independence supporting dad.
Jimbo “I took an egg for my country” Murphanoid.
What a Bell*nd.
Gary
R-Type Grunt,
Sorry to hear about your dad,
I am sure when Independence comes, he will be looking down and celebrating in spirit.
Gary
soon to be released, the sequel to Jim Murphy’s Don’t Look Back In Anger, Jim Murphy’s Welcome to the House of Fun aka the House of Lords, it’s a surrealist Brit film which the pay for the cast will be good, but not even going straight to video, straight to the parliament channel. Apparently the star has contacts in America. The right wing bit of America.
Is it just me thinks Jim Murphy looks like a werewolf?
Its something about his nose, think.
Spending on Health in Scotland (under an SNP government): Up 8.1%
Spending on Health in England (under a tory government): Up 11.7%
Spending on Schools in Scotland: Down 3.8%
Spending on Schools in England: Up 6%
How the SNP get away with their hypocrisy and lies astounds me, and more than half of Scotland.