The ugly stepchild
Posted on
April 25, 2015 by
Chris Cairns
The world's most-read Scottish politics website
-
About
Wings Over Scotland is a (mainly) Scottish political media digest and monitor, which also offers its own commentary. (More)
-
Recent Posts
- 11-12
- 11-09
- 11-06
- 11-04
- 11-03
- 11-02
- 10-29
- 10-26
- 10-26
- 10-21
- 10-19
- 10-16
- 10-13
- 10-11
- 10-10
- 10-07
- 10-06
- 10-05
- 09-28
- 09-26
A tall tale
Wee Books
Video
Probably a robbery
Transphobia
Look behind you! (in a pantomime chorus)
Brilliant Chris – you got Deputy Dug in one.
Nice likeness of Ian Smart Chris 🙂
Yup, that about covers it
Don’t know who said “there are none so blind as those who will not see”
It was true when he/she said it and it’s true now.
I never ever believed in state controll of the MSM but I’m starting to lean that way after the recent one sided shit.
Well, I suppose they had to find one eventually…I wonder where it lives? Under the Forth Road Bridge?
Look out, he’s behind you.
LOL 🙂 Thanks, Chris.
btw, Who was the troll modelled on?
The face is familiar but i just can’t place it.
🙂
Excellent depiction of a troll. Who’s that in the background?
1/3 troll enquiry will last longer than chilcot
That sums it up nicely. Great stuff Chris!
It’s apt! But let us learn from others mistakes, I know passion car run high, and the stamens said by our opponents can make the blood boil, but if we are not careful the same accusations could be thrown back at us, I should say it’s a bit hypocritical of me as last night I called thatcher a bastard, no actually that’s ok!
I would like a signed copy of that print! And a couple of others, come to think about it.
Wulls
State control of the media? In the dysfunctional state in which we live, the state may not “control” the media in a strict sense, but the media and the state are well aligned. What we need are truly free media, free thinking and independent.
How do you think Wings would get on in a state which controlled the media?
Another belter Chris, good way to start the day, with a smile.
O/T the Guardian has an article by Freedland with a headline calling Scots seperatists and implying they own us.
If anyone feels like it get over there and give them pelters. I can’t as I’ve been barred;-)
Which one’s the troll?
😉
Didn’t have my glasses on at first and asssumed it was an unfortunate big steaming pile of dogshit sitting behind Ms Dugdale.
Turns out I was right after all 🙂
Like wulls, I’m now of the opinion that the media is very much WM-establishment controlled, and it looks like it’s beginning to gain some traction.
Those of us who follow sites like this can see the plan, but many of the population still trust the BBC and their ‘daily paper’. Hope we don’t let ourselves be cowed – again!!!
Great cartoon, but I’m sure she has more than one ‘Troll’ on her side. Wee smiley facey thingy.
For those who have not seen the film Trollhunter, what is needed to counter trolls is pure light which neutralises them and turns them to stone.
Wings illuminates these creatures and provides no hiding place for them. Well done Chris for your skill and Stu for providing the platform.
Great work Chris.You’ve put a smile on everyone’s face this morning.Even Kezias.And that’s my only criticism.
Dugdale even had the gall to tell Holyrood parliament FMQ’s she didn’t who their troll is either and Sturgeon should discuss it with her after PMQ’s, in private too. Not a very convincing con artist really.
Its not like BBC and STV don’t know Ian Smart who is, currently monstering the 20 year old candidate that could well replace Doug Alexander. All he has? Her teenage tweets.
Desperate creepy old SLabour
A tad flattering to Mr Smart, but that’s artistic licence.
Great toon.
I just found out recently the Ian Smart was Alan Smart’s brother.
How strange…
Was surprised to find this WGD piece from a year ago on similar topic. The comments are interesting too. Nothing much changes in SLabour land!
link to weegingerdug.wordpress.com
Wulls and others
state control of the MSM.
Are you sure it isn’t the other way round?
Spot on, simply brilliant.
Chris congratulations on getting the colour of the troll spot on. It reminds me of a colour option for a British Leyland car from the 1970s. That or Hearing-aid Beige. You could buy your Morris Marina in either colour.
I think the bigger problem is this is part of the continuing drive to sanitise politics, so all we get is bland numpties , it’s this drive that UKIP have played to their advantage,. Mr Hay, was too quick to apologise so comprehensively, I am sure everyone knows something or something that could damage someone else, but we don’t go round gossiping! But we expect politicians to be without life experience, the thing about life experience is sometimes in life we get it wrong, not out of malice but inexperience. I would rather have a political who has a past life full of experience because mostly he or she won’t be pontificating on high political theory, but working day by day to help his constituents. Look at some of our hardest areas to take, they generally have a great MP who has worked hard all his life to represent and help his constituents. Like Tom Clark, I hope he loses his seat, but I won’t celebrate when that happens.
O/T Is anyone else astonished at the sheer naivety of people showing on Twitter how they have already sent off their postal vote (usually for the SNP)?
Why on earth would ANYONE trust something as valuable as an election vote to be delivered by a third party???
The fact that the FM of Scotland had to face questions in our parliament about f*in twitter and facebook tells you all you need to know about these halfwits.
Wills: That saying is from the film Butterflies are Free.
John 🙂
[…] The ugly stepchild […]
O/T.
Nick Clegg has said that he won’t do a deal with Labour if they are willing to work with the SNP. Labour have said that they won’t go into a coalition with the SNP. So, after all that love that they threw at us during the referendum the unionists are now planning to freeze out the democratically elected SNP contingent.
One lie follows another with these people, proved by the ridiculous promises of that pathetic ex politician Gordon Brown. The more SNP MP’s we send to Westminster the better. If nothing else, their presence will show the people of Scotland how little they are thought of by the “elite”
Brilliant cartoon Chris as always. It shows the true nature of New Labour exactly. An ugly beast.
O/T
Posted on previous thread so for anyone who missed it…
Livestream with Nicola 11am
link to livestream.com
Great cartoon as always Chris!
Yeah! Nailed it, Chris.
Oh! and nailed her too, but why is Dugdale green?
Nailed……
If things come to pass in the election, I think it will be very interesting to see how the Scottish Labour MSP’s at Holyrood will react.
When Kezia began with her first question on Thursday, it was noted just how many Labour MSP’s didn’t clap. I think they can see the looming dark clouds on the horizon. What must be infuriating some of them, is that they are listening to a puppet who speaks for their party, and is controlled by 3 of the most insidious characters in Murphy, McTernan and McDougall. How they must sit and wonder what will become of them in a years time.
It would not surprise me to see some form of dissent in the ranks. Whether it would lead to anyone jumping ship, I doubt it. But I can see some serious flare-ups in the back rooms.
Murphy’s Mouthpiece & Macerator
Sorry O/T
Starting soon
Live Independence livestreaming “I’m with Nicola” to launch the SNP women’s pledge.
link to tinyurl.com
What I don’t get is the likes of Bella Caledonia characterising the nats’ furious response to this on twitter as “Bitter Twitter”. This is politics, not a game, and it’s all well and good calling out others’ tu quoque arguments elsewhere in life but this hypocrisy simply HAS to be called out. If left to the media this would simply have been a story of yet another “vile cybernat outrage” which would both dent ‘our’ morale and at the same time increase the electoral chances of the very people who have gone out of their way to manufacture the outrage. It’s all very well and good saying independence supporters need to have an endlessly positive message, but it’s a known fact that in bitterly contested campaigns negativity works, and unfortunately you sometimes have to stoop to the level of those who would employ it to tackle it.
Bravo to Chris though – if I’d known he was going to come up with this belter I would’ve happily kept my powder dry.
Slightly O/T but not entirely. Labour have apparently suspended their candidate in Banff and Buchan, ostensibly because he has a court case coming up these days. My guess is that their intention is to withdraw him from the election altogether. Labour will hope to make several gains from such an action.
First, they lose nothing by doing it, because Labour has no chance of ever winning Banff and Buchan. The Labour candidate there is a dead duck before he even starts. His situation is therefore in no way similar to that of the SNP candidate in Edinburgh South, who could very well win that seat from Labour.
Second, despite the dissimilarity of the two cases, Labour and their minions in the media will hype up the comparison as if they are comparing like with like. Labour will say: ‘Look, when one of our candidates was found to be an unsuitable candidate – because he has charges pending against him (though nothing has yet been proven) – we immediately withdrew him. Why doesn’t the SNP do the same thing with their (supposedly) unsuitable candidate in Edinburgh South?
Third, Labour strategists will see this as a win-win situation for them, and that in three ways:
a) In terms of public perception, they will be able to present Labour as the Party of principle and moral righteousness against an SNP that wants to win at all costs, even if it means sending clearly (we would say supposedly) unsuitable candidates to Westminster.
b) In terms of actually winning seats, it could cause a backlash against the SNP candidate in Edinburgh South, and might just help Labour retain that seat when, according to the polls, such an outcome was looking increasingly unlikely. From a Labour strategist’s perspective, nothing would be lost in Banff and Buchan, but something could be gained in Edinburgh South.
c) Even in terms of Banff and Buchan, Labour will see this as a way of encouraging – indeed, ensuring – an equivalent of tactical voting. Labour voters there will have to vote for someone else, since they will no longer have a Labour candidate to vote for. The strategists will presume that they will now turn to whichever Party has the biggest chance of keeping the SNP out. Instead of ‘wasted votes’ on a Labour candidate who can’t win, Banff and Buchan Labour supporters will be able to use their vote to prevent the SNP from winning the seat.
d) In terms of general momentum throughout Scotland, Labour strategists will be hoping that this will be the issue through which they will turn everything around. The turning-point of the campaign. They think they can puncture the SNP with this one, and that Labour from now on will start eating into the lead the SNP have built up in the polls.
I expect all this has been planned in advance, and is not happening entirely by accident. Labour will have no difficulty in convincing their no-hoper candidate in Banff and Buchan to fall on his sword. He was not going to become an MP anyway; this he already knew. So the best thing he will ever be able to do for the cause is, simply, to give up! I am sure his grateful friends in the Party won’t forget him afterwards.
There are real dangers in all of this for the SNP. The mainline media are likely to make the story run and run, and they will never present it fairly. Nicola Sturgeon will have to be at her most alert to counteract its effects. Highlighting the grotesque opinions of Ian Smart may be a good start, but is unlikely to be enough – he is not a candidate. To get leverage, she may need more than that …
The weak point in the Labour strategy concerns timing. On the one hand, the strategists will be congratulating themselves on having timed the (basically false and invented) ‘issue’ well, bringing it out in the final days before the vote.
On the other hand, their candidate’s case relates to driving offences that he allegedly committed last year, so it is not something new or unforeseen. Labour presumably knew about these charges all along. So, if it is such a big issue for them, why did they select him as their candidate in the first place?
And if they claim they did not know about these charges at the time they adopted him, is that not further evidence of their plain incompetence?
According to the Aberdeen Press & Journal (so it must be true), the Labour candidate for Banff & Buchan was arrested for allegedly drunk driving his MASERATI.
Nice to see the party of the working class are still in touch with their roots.
All Chris’s cartoons are brilliant but this one seems to capture this week’s mood extra specially well – and with the simplicity that befits a really good political cartoon.
I am one of those people who only woke up politically in the run up to the referendum. Given that I (I am now ashamed to say) did not previously pay nearly so much attention to the exchanges of politicians and the reporting of same in the press, I find myself constantly wondering if the corruption and bias manifest in the MSM was always thus, and that I was simply oblivious to it through lack of political engagement.
I suspect it was, but it seems undeniable that a new and very, very dangerous level has been reached as a consequence of the perceived threat of Scottish independence and I am finding this a real cause for despair. I only hope and trust that a majority of Scots are alert to what is really going on here and vote thoughtfully on 7 May.
Folks, I see an English barrister, who hasn’t sat the Scotttish bar examination, has been refused permission to appear on behalf of a client at the Court of Session, something that has never happened in 500 years. I only mention this rebuff as the barrister concerned in the case is the delightfully monickered Ms Pippa Whipple QC. 🙂
It’s behind you, Kezia… and waiting to be fed on your Twitter feed!
@TD says: 25 April, 2015 at 9:42 am:
” … In the dysfunctional state in which we live, the state may not “control” the media in a strict sense, but the media and the state are well aligned”.
Perhaps the state does not control the dead tree part of the media but it sure as hell controls the State Broadcaster. It is a widely held fallacy that the TV Licence Fee directly funds the BBC. This is not the truth, however.
In fact the BBC collects the Licence Fee on behalf of the UK Parliament. It is, after all, a Licence to receive any broadcast video from any source, including even Satellite Broadcasts from outside the United Kingdom.
The UK Government is charging the Licence Holder for giving the holder permission to receive video Broadcasts. Then the UK Government make an annual grant to the BBC for services rendered to the Government. The Grant is not dependent upon the actual sum received in Licence Fees. These services include much more than them making and transmitting Soap Operas of the typical lives of the, “Ordinary Lives”, of East End Londoners. They do much, much more.
Incidentally BBC Soaps have an interesting history –
So believe me the BBC are actually the Establishment’s Propaganda wing.
Poor Kezia
People in glass houses and all that.
@Robert Peffer
n fact the BBC collects the Licence Fee on behalf of the UK Parliament.
It is not even that good: Capita collects the licence fee and makes a tidy profit in doing so.
[…] Visit the post for more. […]
And then the big bad troll gobbled her up for breakfast! He winced and squirmed so badly, the spoilt little girl tasted fowl, that’ll show you said the big bad first minister of jockland, the end.
Neatly done sir. 😀
@Capella says: 25 April, 2015 at 10:00 am:
“Was surprised to find this WGD piece from a year ago on similar topic.”
I don’t know just how much you know, Capella, but there is a whole litany of actually convicted abusive Britnats.
Mr Salmond, when still FM, had his car run off the road and the guy who did it was convicted. Nicola, when deputy, got death threats but made no official police complaint. An old Yes activist had his wrist broken and a pregnant Yes Supporter was kicked in the stomach by an English Britnat councillor. At present there is a Labour candidate just been suspended : –
link to pressreader.com
The whole British system is ugly.
@Kenny says: 25 April, 2015 at 10:20 am:
” … Why on earth would ANYONE trust something as valuable as an election vote to be delivered by a third party???”.
Are you for real? Have you any idea how many sick, disabled and old people who live alone and have no option there are?
Here’s a fact, Kenny, I’m disabled – I awoke this morning and it took me 1.5 hours just to get up and dressed, (and it wasn’t for lack of trying).
@jethro says: 25 April, 2015 at 11:06 am:
“According to the Aberdeen Press & Journal (so it must be true), the Labour candidate for Banff & Buchan was arrested for allegedly drunk driving his MASERATI.”
Well, Jethro, if I’m reading this correctly, it wasn’t even his Masarati. The charges go from causing an obstruction, No M.O.T. , without a licence, drunk in charge and withholding information from the police as to who was driving the vehicle. Oh! and it seems the event took place in May last year.
Is it not strange that the far bigger crime of alleged bad tweets seems to be more important to our newshound numpties?
Especially as the bad tweets are available to read on-line and show the only wrong thing about the reports are the reporters being unable to understand the English language.
How on Earth can professional journalists fail to understand basic English? Unless of course they set out to mislead their readership. Mind you that readership seem quite unable to discern that the reporters are quite unsuitable to be reporters.
Only idiots could prevaricate such idiocy from such a story and concoct such a pack lies from such a, “story”.
Kenny@ 10.20
I am a school janitor and I often work from 7am until the back of 10pm so I always use a postal vote .
After reading about the postal vote fiddles I don’t like using the P.V but it’s the only way I can ensure I can vote .
@Fred says: 25 April, 2015 at 11:19 am:
“Folks, I see an English barrister, who hasn’t sat the Scotttish bar examination, has been refused permission to appear on behalf of a client at the Court of Session, something that has never happened in 500 years. I only mention this rebuff as the barrister concerned in the case is the delightfully monickered Ms Pippa Whipple QC.
Actually, Fred, this seems a much bigger story. It isn’t at the Court of Session but the UK Supreme Court. This was a very controversial law reform that really was taking away the independence of the Scottish Legal system. The House of Lords was the English Legal system’s Supreme Court but the Kingdom of England’s legal system includes Wales & N.I.
I’m not really up on the subject and just working on memory but after much protests by the Scottish Parliament and Law Society they seemed to have been beaten down and the Supreme Court made to include Scots Law.
So if these top judges have ruled against an English QC representing a client under Scottish Law it looks like a big step forward for Scottish Independence.
Great cartoon Chris,
You have Max Wall off to a tee.
Gary
Showed this to a Labour-supporting friend, Chris, but he couldn’t see it for the beam in his eye.
I loved it though.
Eckle fechan@9.25am.
I think you meant “Lookout it’s in front of you”
Gary
Stopped paying the EBC licence fee at the end of last November. Thanks to a Winger – found out that we were due a refund of the 6 months’ payment made in advance.
So after several letters and e-mails – just received a cheque for almost £75 – result !
£50 to local “Yes” shop, £25 to the GPHRC.
Much better use of our money !
Gary
@Fred
I read the judgement from a peatworrier link and not being a lawyer the reasoning was still comprehensible even though the references supporting were meaningless to me.
They refused her because:
She had not sat the bar exam for Scotland though accelerated procedures are now in place for foreign lawyers.
The court claimed it did not have the power requested, parliament does and parliament (Holyrood) has not seen fit to allow English advocates to be so admitted.
If she was so admitted ad hoc she would thus not be covered by various statutes protecting her, her clients and would escape being subject to the discipline of the Faculty of Advocates. Not a desirable situation.
Suitably qualified, experienced, specialised Scottish advocates are available.
These seem very sound and sensible grounds to this naive layman.
Do you think we could get that big guy into Holyrood – be better than Kez, and he might concentrate a few minds on the right and left.
Might cause the canteen a few problems mind you. Whit!! Naw, yer kiddin me, it’s a restaurant they’ve got! In a work? FFS.
@Fiona says: 25 April, 2015 at 11:34 am:
“It is not even that good: Capita collects the licence fee and makes a tidy profit in doing so.”
I may have got it wrong but I understood that the BBC just subcontracted out the collecting of the fee to Capita.
Now here’s something lots of folks won’t know. When Thatcher was selling off public owned things to the private sector one of those things was Rosyth Dockyard. Now the civilian workers were Industrial Civil Servants and had Civil Service Pensions.
These, as most pensions are, were contracts between the pensioner and pension fund owner – in this case the Civil Service. I was shop stewarding at the time so was on the negotiations. We were never directly told but going through the mountains of paperwork and tracing back through the documents, (not too much internet then), we discovered that the Civil Service were transferring our pension scheme to a little known company called CAPITA. Not content with that we dug deeper.
Eventually finding the leading light on the Capita board and the major shareholder, was none other than Dennis Thatcher.
The PM who was selling off the Dockyard had her wealthy Husband buying up the pension scheme of the workers. I wonder just how many other nice little earners she engineered for Dennis in that manner?
Guys, Lords Gill, Carloway & Menzies refused her application to appear in the highest civil court, the Court of Session, she specialises in VAT law which is the same in both jurisdictions but the rebuff is seen as a check to creeping Anglification. I should imagine that with a name like Pippa Whipple QC, a titter indeed ran through the court.
Chris
You are brilliant, catching the mood like this.
(Been out all day so just catching up)
hehe nice one Chris cheered me up no end after a long day ohh me poor feet ,its a wee dram and my feet in a basin of water for me tonight lol
@John H 10:36
Well if Clegg has made a promise you can safely assume with his track record that he will do the exact opposite. So Ed will be relieved that the LibDems are on board for the love train too.
Ta Ta Dave.
If the papers don’t report on it, it can’t really exist!
@silvertay 1.17pm
If you’re worried about the security of your postal vote, you could arrange for a trusted friend or family member to deliver it to the polling station in person on the day. This is perfectly within the rules; I did it on behalf of my daughter in the referendum. You can also apply for a proxy vote.
Hope this may be useful next time round if you’ve already sent away your postal vote.
Well, has she?
Has Kezia certainly looked into there being trolls on her side?
I won’t hold my breath.