Thrown to the wolves
Before we start, let’s make this plain: we will NOT be submitting any sort of complaint to any healthcare body regarding what we’re about to discuss, and we ask readers not to either. When push comes to shove, we don’t want nurses losing their jobs.
We just wish Scottish Labour felt the same way.
Earlier today we ran a piece exploring a theme we’ve covered several times on Wings – the unique freedom of political parties to lie with impunity. By way of example we showed a Scottish Labour election leaflet depicting an NHS nurse, who we suggested might been posed by an actress, for several reasons outlined in the article.
The broad point having been made, we were happy to leave it at that. But this afternoon Scottish Labour’s shadow health minister, Dr Richard Simpson, posted the above tweet, angrily insisting that the woman in the leaflet WAS a real Scottish NHS nurse. A number of alert readers tracked her down on several “Better Together” leaflets, and it became apparent that her full name was Suzanne Duncan.
Ms Duncan was an active participant in the No campaign. She even appeared in her own blog on the “Better Together” website, talking about the NHS and how it was devolved to Scotland.
This clear understanding of the principles of devolution makes it slightly odd that Suzanne is also to be seen on an election leaflet, saying that she’ll be voting for Scottish Labour in a WESTMINSTER election “because they’re the only party who can get rid of the Tories and pull our NHS back from the brink”.
She also appeared in a BT leaflet alongside the claim that a No vote would “secure the future of the NHS” – though we should note that those words aren’t attributed to her directly – and in several others from the No camp.
But all this is by the by. Suzanne Duncan is perfectly entitled to believe and campaign for whatever political ends she likes, no matter how confused. She is, after all, hardly alone in Labour when it comes to telling Scots that the NHS was totally safe as long as Scotland stayed in the Union, then suddenly deciding that, having won that No vote, it was in deadly peril after all.
Hurray! Scotland voted No! The NHS is safe, right?
Oh. But as we say, that’s all fine. Lying, as we established in this morning’s piece, is something political parties are allowed to do. But for NHS employees to campaign for political parties in identifiable NHS uniforms, not so much.
That, we presume, is why all the “Better Together” material featuring Nurse Duncan was very careful to cover up the NHS Scotland logo on her tunic. Scottish Labour, however, aren’t that competent or conscientious.
None of which would have mattered if Richard Simpson had been able to keep his mouth shut. Anyone who saw our article would have come away thinking she was probably an actress and leaving it at that. But by compounding Labour’s ineptitude in leaving the logo on the leaflet, by insisting on shouting all over the internet that in fact she’s a real nurse, Simpson (and his equally brainless parliamentary assistant Craig Miller) have dropped poor Suzanne Duncan right in it.
Once again, we reiterate: we will not be submitting any complaints and we urge readers not to either. But contrary to Unionist and media assertion, this site does NOT control every angry cybernat in Scotland. These leaflets have been put through untold thousands of doors and disseminated widely online. The information is already out there and there’s nothing we can do to stop it.
We hope – sincerely – that nobody is bitter and poisoned enough to act maliciously. But if they do, the responsibility for it will lie squarely with the hate-blinded, tribal idiots of Scottish Labour, and with Dr Richard Simpson. When your crazed loathing of the SNP has driven you so demented you start risking the livelihoods of young Scottish nurses, perhaps it’s time you stopped and had a long hard look at yourself in a mirror.
She will be put down as collateral damage in the “greater good” of the party…They wont really care if she gets sacked or not, as there will be another thousand of them after the election….That’s if you believe Murphy….??
I dont think it will matter to her Health Board. They are all still packed with the placepeople of the Lab-Lib Coalition from pre-2007. Even with the abysmal postal vote for the elected Fife Health Board it was all Labs and Libs that got elected. It makes you wonder why they can’t get their act together with the Lab Fife Council to stop the bed blocking
I’m not even sure the versions with the logo removed were acceptable. She’s a nurse, she says so, and her Christian name is there and apparently correct, and her smiling photo is clear to see. I’d hazard a guess that even this much exposure is a breach of the code of conduct.
Jings, if I’d allowed recognisable photos of me, in our official fleece, with “Morag, Veterinary Investigation Officer says” followed by a load of pro-Yes statements, I don’t think photoshopping the logo out of the fleece would have saved me from a very awkward interview.
Quite apart from which, as their own rhetoric shows, other than Barnett consequentials the 7th May election has the square root of Rockall to do with the NHS in Scotland.
All this tosh is to do with heeding Labour’s London HQ’s call to “Weaponize the NHS”.
A pity if a misguided, but plainly rule breaking young nurse has been sacrificed on an utterly pointless altar.
Can’t help thinking the Labour party drop this girl at a moments notice and given that she HAS made a mistake by associating with a political party it is a pity she didn’t know her contract and by using her as a mouth piece and trying to build an association between NHS and Labour they’ve stepped some more into the realms of immorality.
BUT what else should we expect.
Power at all costs.
Collateral damage etc. just a pity the neoliberal dream has so much of this kind of thing as its signature.
Yuo collateral damage right enough.
Well lass, if you flee wi the craws, you get shot wi the rest o’ them.
Labour eh! Sheesh, whit a way to treat your own supporter on the alter of more power.
This poor girl probably had no idea what she was letting her self in for. She was probably told that she was a bonny lass, and could we use her photo.
I have first hand knowledge of someone in the NHS that followed Union advice and lost their job. The corrupt Labour Cosa Nostra doesn’t care who sleeps with the fishes.
Don’t blame her, please.
i think complaining about this would be daft, personally. this is just someone speaking their mind.
i also find it interesting that “better together” did a better job keeping her right than her own bloody “scottish labour” did.
This could be a British Labour / BBC, set up.
The displaying of the NHS logo is unlikely to be an oversight. More likely it’s an attempt to reel SNP/Yes types in (and WoS has, to some extent, accepted the bait). Cue headlines:
“SNP supporters in attempt to silence hard working nurses”
“My A&E cybernat hell”
“Nurses must be free to speak out against SNP bullies” by Torcuil Crichton
I have always been made aware that it is not acceptable in public service to use your position in support of a political party. How could this nurse not know that?
i’ll be a bit more emphatic. LIKE STU SAID i think it would be a truly f%&king awful idea for anyone associated with this site to get this nurse in trouble for speaking her mind. let labour spin away like tops if they want to. the truth is here to see.
Suzanne can always change her surname to Rifkind, that way she’ll get off with any misdemeanour and may even get an honour out of it,
One article of yours I’ve disapproved of.
If you dont want this women fired, then you should not include her name in the article.
Is it just me or is anyone else thinking on a Ladybird Book titled:
“Scottish Labour and the Big Boy Done it and Ran Away”
They are happy to post lies through peoples doors, but when it comes to people highlighting the truth, through some process of Reasonable Logical Thought (which Scottish Labour seems incapable of doing themselves), they shout “Traitor”, “Cybernat”. Or any other avoidance tactic phrase they wish to pin on those that are not fooled by the daily pish.
Whether it was a Nurse or any other person in public service employment contained in a Political Party Leaflet etc, there are guidelines that cover that with their employers. I’m sure the Police, Fire Brigade, Civil Service, Teachers etc have guidelines too. “Sacrificial Leaflet Quoter” I think Labour call them. Quick, pass me another one.. we’ve been rumbled on this one.. She’ll be fine on the Dole, or Tesco in Kirkaldy, Gordon’s saving it..
But Labour forget (through any sense of logical thought that they are devoid of) that although they are allowed to lie through their teeth in these leaflets etc (as covered on Wings before: ‘how politicians are licenced to lie’ & ‘business as usual’ for starters), that by including REAL people with REAL jobs on their Leaflets/Online etc, they are in effect dropping that person right in it – deliberately or by accident is not for me to say – simply for political point scoring.
It doesn’t take a genius to see the fall out which can occur in doing this. Once your face is out there, its out there, and there is nothing you can do about it – especially when you have been chosen to appear in your work uniform which just happens to be an NHS Uniform – an emotive subject for all voters I’m sure.
You could take this to the n-th degree and ask if quality of care would be compromised dependent on what party you vote for?
Now there’s something I don’t see Eleanor covering on her daily ‘NHS is Keich’ blog that passes for a story on the BBC.
If she’s happy enough to be photographed in her NHS nurses’ uniform to support a political organisation, despite possibly breaching infection control regulations, then she must accept the consequences. Not that I will be reporting her.
FFS The lassie made an error of judgement and all Stu did was point it out how the fuck is that bullying. If they’ve got the cheek to push this pish through our doors then they will have to deal wth the consequences when questions are legitimately asked.
Slab please don’t wheel this lassie oot on to the telly with tears streaming doon her face a la Lalley it will only make it worse.
Likewise I have no axe to grind regarding people supporting whatever political party they like, be it actress or a nurse and I certainly would not want her to lose her job over the matter.
However for someone to be so active in politics in such a high profile way it is fair game to question what they are saying. Indeed it is what democracy is all about.
The two messages regarding the Scottish NHS for Better Together and Labour are quite different and there is a fundamental disconnect between the two. Of course this is hardly surprising. The Tories heavily funded Better Together and the Tories and Liberals were hardly going to “dis” their own health policies and were also keen to point out that the Scottish NHS is a separate entity anyway.
A major plank of the Labour 2015 election campaign is how shit the Tory health policies are. By extension they want to expand this to Scotland, despite the fact that the two health services are separate and the policies of Westminster and Holyrood quite different. Ms Duncan (although she probably wrote little of this) seeks to conflate the wide scale privatisation of services where the English NHS must now buy in with the non-recurring purchase of bed space by the SNHS from private hospitals. The former is an outsourcing that may never come back in house whereas the latter is simply an ad hoc arrangement without commitment that the NHS in all parts of the UK has always used as an option if things are busy.
In short, honesty is still in short supply from Labour but are we surprised any more?
@george – and therein lies the rub. You are right it is just someone speaking their mind.
BUT – I know lots of pro-Indy NHS workers who would have loved to go public and shout out how a NO vote would jeopardise the NHS (i.e. – regarding austerity cuts that will impact on Barnett) They had to keep quiet because of their contracts.
Labour knows this and so, on the leaflets, used the example of a Nurse – because a Nurse is an authority figure, much loved and respected. This adds ‘weight’ and credibility to their BS claims and statistics.
After all – if a Nurse – who is on the front line – says things are bad then it must be so.
I am sure – and in fact I KNOW – that there are plenty of Nurses who are extremely proud and supportive of the Scots NHS and think it does a bloody good job, despite the restrictions imposed by those bloody idiots down in Westminster.
Stu , i think you seriously need to think about extra staff to assist you.
this blizzard of shite coming from J Murphy’s camp is not good for the blood pressure.
Jim Capaldi and his script writers must be seriously looking at the state of play here in Scotland and drafting a new series of “The Thick of It”.
The Labour Shadow Minister for Public Health Dr Richard Simpson has betrayed one of the cornerstone doctrines of the health service “first, do no harm.”
Another way to state it is that, “given an existing problem, it may be better not to do something, or even to do nothing, than to risk causing more harm than good.”
Could MSP Richard Simpson be the person orchestrating all the negativity about the NHS coming from the Red Torys.
Well whatever happens, I hope she keeps her job – I may disagree with her politically, but we need nurses and I have no doubt she’s a good one.
But I wonder if she stops to think, if they can’t get the basic campaigning rules correct, what else are they going to get badly and dangerously wrong
This is clearly professional misconduct. Whats the point of rules if they’re flouted like this. Each of NHS medic profession has its own specific body that maintains codes of conduct, usually with pretty strict rules. If the nursing one even sees their Vote SLab stuff, Ms Duncan has a serious problem.
@J ..6.53
Her name has been all over Facebook already today … so don’t blame Stu.
“Never quite actionable” comedy gold! After putting a nurses livelihood in jeopardy.
With respect Stu. The NMC code of conduct states:
“You must not use your professional status to promote political or campaigning activity that is outside health care”
I spent two years being very careful not to politicise my professional role.
Labour and this individual run right over this.
As a fellow professional I will be making a complaint
Frankly this nurse is an adult. She took part in a lie that, IMO has a detrimental impact on my family and myself, on the run up to the referendum, and now further endorsing another lie designed to make the SNP look bad, which again if they/she is successful will have more of a detrimental impact on my family and me.
So to hell with her. I do not care if people do complain about her. I won’t personally, due to an inbred principle ”don’t snitch”.
If she does face disciplinary action maybe that will deter others.
She must have known what lies Labour were telling, and that she was implicated.
I am certain, her professional body, The General Nursing council will take a very dim view of this behaviour, nurses have been struck off the register for less.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and hands up if I am wrong, but I have used photoshop before and I have viewed several copies of the image of different quality, with and without the logo, and I am convinced the logo has been added rather than taken away.
Do as the Rev says – save your (f)ire, there’ll be much more where that came from.
Stu said: “…the responsibility for it will lie squarely with the hate-blinded, tribal idiots of Scottish Labour … perhaps it’s time you stopped and had a long hard look at yourself in a mirror.”
I would urge Jim Murphy to do so, but for the fact he has no reflection.
The cynic in me says the lassie has political ambitions out with her profession.
What a bunch of feckless cretins. Blinded by hate for anything to do with the SNP or independence, they post their sneering hate online without thinking about the consequences for people on their own side. And they ask us to trust them to run the country? There’s the exit, pal – don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.
Shame really.She may get a reprimand from her Health Board,but her biggest problem will be with her governing body,the Nursing And Midwifery Council who are quite strict on this sort of exposure.
James-when you put it like that I agree.She DID take part in pulling the wool over Scottish voters eyes and ruined my families future. Disciplinary action merited methinks.
I think this article is brilliant.
It’s not us who have put her in the firing line, after all did anyone complain when she was on the BT pamphlet?
Remember these people, not her, are trying to destroy the Scottish NHS and are lying all over the place.
They will pull out all the stops to prevent SNP MPs and will have a bad effect of people’s lives in Scotland, austerity, Trident, Ukraine.
This is serious folks.
Sorry but very O/T
Who was the UKIP woman we were talking about on here a couple of days ago? The one who’d asked google to forget her. Does anyone remember? I’ve looked at previous posts for the last week but can’t find it.
Vote “No” to save the NHS, quickly followed by the NHS is in crisis and therefore vote Labour to save the NHS gets me angry.
It’s effectively Labour undermining the NHS.
They have ceased to have any interest in the provision of health. They merely see it as a political tool. A weapon if you like.
I also believe that Dr Simpson also worked at Forth Valley.
Regardless of the badge she is prevented from using her professional status etc. If she was simply expressing a concern in an interview that would have been one thing. Even adding her opinion to a blog etc. But using her name and image, identifying her means they left her wide open, even in the first one. She must’ve known this herself but Labour are so keen they’ve exposed her to the risk of losing her career.
Problem solved darlings –
ronnie anderson suggested a good solution on a previous thread.
Using the kind services of Dunkie Hasoneball, I have provided the Slabs
with pictures of moi in the required uniform.
In future any pic of a nurse on their literature will be me unless it states otherwise.
I’m doing it for free btw, as a service to all.
Well, sorry folks but i do blame her
I am a member of the SNP and proud to be so, if this young lady is proud to represent her beliefs then as her leader (Jim Murphy would say) she’s big and ugly enough to take responsibility for her actions
This nurse must surely have been fully aware of a code of conduct as laid down by her employers who incidentally are “US”
If i were to be informed by my party that i was was bringing it in to disrepute by my actions i would either stop doing whatever it was or leave the party
If your choice is to open your mouth publicly or have your image used to further a cause in which you believe then by those actions you accept the consequences that accompany such a decision
That may be a decision Dr Simpson dislikes but as a member of the aforementioned Labour Party he is a Unionist and should understand full well if the rules are there then they must be adhered to
So on this occasion perhaps …….
Scotland might Wave the Rules……
If anyone thinks this is too Cybernaty..name and email are supplied i am not a secret night time wee typer
As I find myself saying so often, if self-governance is not about raising standards in all ways, in all walks of life, not only ethics and honesty, then it’s about nothing at all.
While we have a Labour party ready and willing to lie – yes, an exaggeration is also a lie – to grasp power, it does not deserve anybody’s respect.
And that includes those duped by the flattery of Labour staff attention. Where does it end?
Dear Nurse,
Thank you for allowing us to write your script for our fliers. Just so you understand and can agree if ever interviewed, you now believe that immigrants should not receive health care in any form unless in work for at least a year.
link to bbc.co.uk My sister, a nurse, attended this rally against cuts to maternity services in the Welsh NHS run by Labour. All nursing staff were told by management not to talk to media and not to wear uniforms. Funny same doesn’t apply to lies told by Labour…
Fraid it is too late Rev, a couple of posters mentioned in the comments of the earlier article that they had already complained to the Health Board.
I sincerely hope she does not get into trouble, but perhaps she might learn a valuable lesson.
I believe NHS forth Valley will have to act. If you want a direct comparison have a look at NHS4YES pictures and figure out how many of them wore a uniform.
I was at the photo op at the Victoria and very careful not to display any work attire. There were some staff with uniforms but always under a jacket etc. If I and everyone else present knew this why on earth doesn’t she?
Beyond the fact that the policies of the organisation forbid its use. It is very important that the NHS uniform is not politicised (likewise for Fire Brigade, Police etc)as it can lead to a situation were a patient questions if they are being treated fairly
@revstu – it might be worth speaking to Dr Willie Wilson who organised NHS4YES. I would imagine he would be pretty up on the rules
@Lollysmum
Was it Caroline Santos? I’ve seen some nasty comments from her.
I have a great deal of sympathy for Nurse Pauline Cafferkey.
I have absolutely none for Nurse Suzanne Duncan.
Forgot to mention
If it were left to Labour this nurse would not have a hospital to have a job in
If the girl cared to inform herself properly she would be on her knees thanking the Scottish Government for her employment that is unless she’s a “private nurse” then maybe the scenario may be looked at differently…maybe she’s dreading not enough privatisation
Will Labour’s branch office (Scotland) write apologising to the nurse for either insisting she be photographed in her nurses uniform, or, if yet another crass error, apologise for not knowing the strict rules of the nursing profession.
And if she’s called to account, reprimanded, will they defend her, ask that she be excused and not sanctioned?
Will they hell.
Either way, their ‘saving the NHS from the SNP’ stinks to high heaven. What a despicable, disreputable cowpat of a comic political party.
Roboscot,
Did you not read the article? Do not complain and cost someone their job and interfere in their right to free expression. You may not agree with her politics, neither do I but, to brand her a ("Tractor" - Ed) is a step too far.
You are feeding the lie that Rev Stu and everyone else, on Wings, are crazy cybernats. Go and calm down and think before you post, or complain.
Do remember – this is precisely why McTernan was hired.
John McTernan’s talent is to fight dirty, really dirty.
He does NOT do clean fair and straightforward campaigning
His team are all the same.
Brought in and paid for by the Westminster Government to protect the Union.
Next please.
[…] Thrown to the wolves […]
i’d just like to note: herein lies one of the fundamental questions of our human existence, that of whether it’s better to seek truth or honesty, law or justice.
#zing
It is quite clear in the leaflet, which appears to have distributed throughout Scotland, that this woman is expressing a political opinion not as a concerned member of the public but in her professional capacity right down to the uniform and logo.
She has been astonishingly foolish. It will be sad if she is a capable and effective individual in her professional role, and effects her career by stupidity. Whatever was she thinking about!?
As for the Labour Party. Did no one see what was obviously completely unacceptable about using her image like that? Or, as suggested, sacrificing this foolhardy individual is acceptable in Labour’s anything goes strategy?
I hope this nurse is allowed to get on with her work, and learns to separate her professional status with her private political views.
As for Labour …. May GE and you lot definitely do deserve to lose your jobs!
@jimnarlene – I have read all the comments and did not see ANYONE call her a ("Tractor" - Ed).
All the comments have said she is perfectly entitled to her opinion but NOT wearing an NHS uniform.
Now someone else mentioned that they thought the NHS logo had been photo-shopped on, if that is the case, it was the people who organised the pamphlet who did that – if so why?
O/T
WGD on this subject
link to weegingerdug.wordpress.com
Suzanne Duncan has let her profession down, she has let the NHS down, she has let her colleagues down, she has let her patients down. Labour may portray her a victim but she has done this with her eyes wide open and as such she is no better than a fifth columnist.
Nana you star you 🙂
It was actually her daughter’s name I was looking for but you’ve given me a starting point now. Thanks
AWWWWWWWWWWWWWW come on, someone out there reading this must have a spare million pounds to get the contents of this website out to the masses, to those whom dont know wings or dont have access.
WINGS OVER SCOTLAND HAS THE POTENTIAL TO SAVE SCOTLAND
WE MUST TELL THE PEOPLE THE TRUTH AND PUT THESE DAM POLITICIANS IN THEIR PLACE.
So much bogus and pretended problems associated with the NHS. Someone mentioned that the majority of Board members are still Tory/ Labour/ Libdem and that is important to know.
However I see the Murphy Party Political broadcast continues with the corrected 1000 more nurses and not the absurd 1000 more than the SNP but that is what I wish to take issue.
What medical management analysis produced this tidy round figure?
None? So just another useless deceitful sound bite.
My bloody piles do not need a sound bite,the need just one doctor. They may need a share of a nurse to change the dressing but a thousand may be too many OR too few!
Roboscot,
Totally agree with all the comments from jimnarlene. Please think and calm down.
Wings is such a vital part of our news story -please don’t play into the hands of those who are against us by using such emotive language as ("Tractor" - Ed) -and the rest!
Also the comments from manandboy -you are so right and it is our responsibility not to get provoked by such an obvious trap.
It looks like the nurse in question has broken rules which are in place for good and important reasons.If that’s the case she should,of course,be spoken to but I do hope her employers and professional body will show leniency.I don’t think dismissal or suspension are appropriate in this situation.A reminder about why the rule is there and the importance of observing it should suffice.Suzanne can then put this episode behind her and get on with doing a job which is so vitally important to all of us.
The Labour Party need to take a lot more care.Theyre playing fast and loose with the reputation of the NHS.
Liz-someone DID call her a ("Tractor" - Ed) on this thread but I think the post was tongue in cheek TBH.
I don’t think that Ms Duncan will lose her job and nor should she, but I would hope that in future she would be more mindful of her own situation as a public employee and understand her position as a nurse was being underscored by wearing of an NHS uniform in that photograph. It is incumbent on political parties to be especially careful about using members of the public on campaign literature.
Labour are careless and incompetent because they don’t have to worry about their mistakes. Putting a young and photogenic nurse on their pamphlets was uppermost in their minds as being more persuasive than the same young woman in mufti. When it is being pointed out that NHS personnel should not wear their identifiable work wear in campaign material then they just jump on these attacks as personal.
Unfortunately, their MSM henchmen will join in, with the Claire Lally episode in mind, painting it as purely “monstering” an innocent member of the public. So please, as the Rev has stated, let’s not hear any more about this young woman being sacked or complaints to her (possible) employers. (Though most people on this site have blamed Labour and not Ms Duncan.)
She might be misguided in her opinions on the NHS and in her trust in Labour but let’s remember that this is sloppy and manipulative Labour at fault, not the members of the public they make use of.
Next time, though, perhaps Ms Duncan should guard her own position and when appearing in further Labour literature, might be advised to consult with her employers about protocol or just have a similarly attractive photo printed, this time in civvies?
All nurses who practise in the UK must be on the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register.
There are currently 3 nurses called Suzanne Duncan registered.
1 in Surrey and Sussex 1 in Northern Ireland and 1 in Argyll & Clyde. No one of that name is currently registered as working in Forth Valley.
Me thinks that Rev may have been right and the ‘nurse is an actress and Labour and Dr Simpson are telling porkys
OK must have missed that.
We should not use language like that because it will be used against us but she deserves little sympathy
In a previous thread, a number of posters were threatening to report a unionist who posts on Wings to his employers and get him sacked for wasting time at work. Might have been Captain Caveman who was the target but I’m not sure.
I was appalled to see absolutely nobody come into the conversation and protest at that frankly horrible suggestion.
This is far worse than posting the occasional blog comment from work. Which I suspect a lot of us do. So if we’re going to be all kid-glovvy with Miss Duncan, lay off the threats to other people on Wings too.
One_Scot 7:05pm
I’m inclined to agree with you; it does look suspiciously like the logo has been added. All the pictures look like they are the same, just with different croppings and when you zoom in, the logo doesn’t seem to lie correctly. Rather fittingly one might argue.
I actually have no difficulty with Suzanne wearing her NHS logo’d nurse’s uniform in the leaflet photo. It arrived through my door earlier this week and went straight in the bin faster than a SLAB policy reversal.
But if Suzanne puts herself in the public spotlight in such a high profile manner, she has to take the consequences and justify her position. She could start by explaining (to her NHS colleagues in particular) the flat out lie she publicly espoused last year and continues to propagate : how the NHS was only ‘safe’ if Scotland voted No on 18th September, but then was at risk on 19th September.
Still think this employee has abused her position especially seeing as she was and is presently fronting a campaign of corruption,dishonesty,lies,scaremongering and deceitfulness.
Brilliant article Rev and I applaud your call not to complain and jeopardise this young nurse’s job.
On Labour’s NHS assertions: they’ve now reversed their NO campaign rhetoric and stolen the YES campaign’s statements, i.e. saying English NHS privatisation would reduce Scotland’s NHS budget.
If Labour loves the SNP policies so much, why don’t they disband their party and tell their members to join the SNP?
Did no alarm bells ring when labour members/officials approached her and asked that she attend a photo shoot in uniform?
As already stated most of us had to be very careful during the Referendum to keep apart our political and professional lives.
I regret that it may risk her career. However she is misrepresenting the status of the NHS for political reasons and that is unacceptable.
She has been used by Labour but in the end appears a very willing victim.
Did she give permission for an old photograph to be used on this leaflet?
If so
Did she approve the statement alongside it?
I will echo some of the previous sentiments.
I’m one of them who has made an enquiry demanding clarification on this matter.
As an SNHS employee she works for us and NOT the Labour Party.
She is not some dumb wee lassie, she is an adult.
There are very clear and defined rules regarding individuals working in the SNHS (and many other fields) with regards to abusing or using your position to further political causes.
She will be VERY aware of these rules, i know several SNHS employees and they are ALL aware.
You can bet your last that had she been promoting a SNP or Independence angle, whilst in her uniform, her feet would not have touched the ground. And the media would be all over it like a rash for months on end. A certain cretinous Ellenor Bradford would have thought all her Xmas’ had come at once.
We did not put this “nurse” in that position, she put herself in the spotlight and The Labour Party moved her over into the line of fire. As someone pointed out, collateral.
This site is all about exposing and debunking Unionist lies and corruption, not sitting back and simply accepting the crap they throw at us.
If she gets the sack, which i doubt, don’t go blaming us or this site, she only has herself and her Labour cronies to blame.
And if she is sacked that creates an opening for someone else.
First they use dodgy figures – now they use a dodgy nurse.
The Red Tory ("Tractor" - Ed)s should be apologising, not us.
Roboscot says:
Thanks for the info. I’ll be making a formal complaint against the ("Tractor" - Ed) Duncan. People like her should not be allowed anywhere near decent patriotic Scots in need of medical care.executed for treason
jimnarlene says:
Roboscot,
Did you not read the article? Do not complain and cost someone their job and interfere in their right to free expression. You may not agree with her politics, neither do I but, to brand her a ("Tractor" - Ed) is a step too far.
You are feeding the lie that Rev Stu and everyone else, on Wings, are crazy cybernats. Go and calm down and think before you post, or complain.
And this, children, is why irony does not work on the internet.
Totally agree with jimnarlene.
Roboscot needs to calm down. Talk of ("Tractor" - Ed)s -and the rest-ignores the first two rules of Wings. It does not look good to undecided voters and is definitely not playing the ball but is playing the woman.
Take the advice for manandboy – Tiernan wants to provoke. Let’s not fall for it.
Wings too important for posts that play into the hands of the opposition.
Political parties can be utterly unscrupulous in the way they will exploit public support.
I recall undertaking a location recce in Dumfries and Galloway. The sitting Tory MP discovered I was arriving and, intercepting, offered to meet me and take me around some sights that might be suitable to film in. It seemed an innocent, friendly offer, so I accepted.
When I arrived he had four photographers and a brace of reporters waiting, he ready to glad-hand as if the Tory party and himself had invited me there, and funded the film.
In time I learned how to keep political freeloaders at bay, and how to state my support for politics in the way I wanted.
The nurse in question is naïve – she will not have known how she would be exploited.
Nobody should try to get the young lass sacked.
Many of us work in professions where we can’t express our political views in any kind of association with our employing organisations.
Reluctantly I think the youngster has to take responsibility for her actions, but surely the Labour party needs to take a long hard look at itself for putting her up to this, if that’s what happened.
Rather than punish the nurse, is there nothing that can be done to punish the New Labour party? It was they, after all, who put a picture of her on the leaflet complete with NHS uniform & logo: surely they must claim responsibility? It isn’t as if Suzanne herself put out thousands of these leaflets off her own back.
She should have known better as a New Labour activist – but New Labour should have known better as a political party. I’d much rather New Labour took all responsibility for this.
Watched the “Scottish” Labour Party Broadcast (I don’t think they have figured out devolution yet).
Having watched the outline of their policies I am now better informed but still have no f@#*ing clue.
@ Morag
It wasn’t the captain troglodyte.
I did chastise those who were being beastly.
Slightly o/t, but why is Dr Simpson using an NHS England logo on his twitter page?
Richard Simpsons fake concern for public sector workers did not prevent him calling fire fighters fascists ,when they voted for a strike when he was a minister at Holyrood
“The Best of Both Worlds”
I take it that maens not just a corrupt sleazebag like Jack Straw, but Jack Straw AND Malcolm Rifkind.
“Better Together” indeed. 😛
She’s probably hoping to be selected as a Labour MSP candidate in future.
Gee Whizz!
A nurse gets her photo taken in her uniform and it is platered on to a Labour leaflet. People start to question whether she did the right thing by getting photographed in her uniform and Labour … erm … lose the plot! 😛
Apparently we, the people of Scotland are now lo longer permitted to question anything including the photographs of nurses in uniform on political literature which by all accounts flies in the face of nursing rules. Oops I forgot this all happened on a LABOUR leaflet so everything is ok nothing to see here move along please!
Perhaps she should have a wee listen to my local S.N.P. candidate who is a Nursing teacher and has had years of nursing experience, might put her right on the “right’s and wrong’s” of being photographed for political literature.
I think the bottom line here though is that Labour are treating the people of Scotland as complete imbeciles. Why else would they have a nurse in her uniform on their flyers. There is only one reason that I can think of and that is that we are all too thick to realise that if someone says they are a nurse we won’t believe them unless we see them in their uniform. aye right! 😉
Young lass? Youngster? She’s not elderly, but I can’t really guess her age with any degree of precision from that photo.
A lot of people seem intent on infantilising her in order to “go easy” on the transgression. She’s a grown-up. She’s a politically active grown-up. Many of us (me included) would have loved to do what she did, and use our professional cachet in propaganda for our side. (Since farmers were openly calling for my employer to tell them which way to vote in the referendum, it could have been quite influential.) We didn’t do it because we knew it was a breach of our code of conduct.
Suzanne Duncan has used her position in a way we didn’t do, and she (and/or her party) has gained advantage from that which we weren’t able to gain. I’m not calling for her to be sacked, and I think it’s unlikely she will be, but hell, let her employer find out and let her take the consequences whatever they may be.
Of course, we may discover that supporting Labour is just the normal way things are and saying so is entirely acceptable, while supporting the SNP is in effect supporting rebels, extremists and enemies of the British State, don’t bother clearing your locker we’ll have your things sent on to you.
Dr Simpson insults firefighters
link to news.bbc.co.uk
Croompenstein says:
FFS The lassie made an error of judgement and all Stu did was point it out how the fuck is that bullying. If they’ve got the cheek to push this pish through our doors then they will have to deal wth the consequences when questions are legitimately asked.
Actually Stu didn’t even do that because he clearly though that SLab had used either a stock shot or had something mocked up with an actor. I don’t think he imagined that there actually was a real nurse called Suzanne. Though why he thought there was a real actress called Suzanne is another matter (and as I said in the previous thread I reckon he owes here a small apology).
However what SLab seem to have done here is treat the photos she did for the No campaign as if there were stock shots. You wonder if Labour actually checked with nurse Suzanne as to whether she was happy with them using that photo. Whether one of the images was photoshopped or if it came from the same session, the fact they made an effort to obscure any identifying logo in the one used first suggests they were aware of the problems it might cause her.
Of course you also wonder just how responsible she was for the words as well, but presumably even they wouldn’t be so daft as to not check those with her. Would they?
There are three nurses registered with the NMC with the name ‘Suzanne Duncan’.
You can search the NMC register here:
link to nmc-uk.org
According to the register one is based in Surrey and Sussex, one is based in Northern Ireland and one is based in Argyll and Clyde.
So, all you have established is that SLAB is even more inept than the No campaign.
Still, I think you should apologize to Ms Duncan: “I made an mistake because I didn’t believe SLAB was that stupid.” And while that’s a mistake that most of us can make, I think it is somewhat embarrassing from someone who writes the leading blog detailing the No campaigns and SLAB’s senselessness…
What a silly girl she is.
Btw, Paula Rose, re the picture of you in a nurse’s uniform; my husband says he’s fair moist at the prospect – but I say, Gonnae no dae that?
Perhaps she should have a wee listen to my local S.N.P. candidate who is a Nursing teacher and has had years of nursing experience, might put her right on the “right’s and wrong’s” of being photographed for political literature.
I tweeted this to Emma last night, and she favourited the tweet but hasn’t said any more about it. I’ve never seen Emma in a nurse’s uniform, or a photo of her either.
Watched the “Scottish” Labour Party Broadcast
The Reverend I. M. Jolly is still with us! 😉
Man, I’ve seen second-hand coffins sold in a livelier manner.
Anyway,
Some very encouraging polls out today again showing Scotlands party looking strong.
Call me an old cynic, but with McTernan driving the Labour bus, I wouldn’t be surprised if he suggested that the nurse be named – hoping that the usual idiots would react, and allowing Ballie&co, the media, and most of Westminster to condemn ‘the Nats’ for whatever follows.
I agree the picture with the logo is the one that looks photoshopped, but I don’t think you can really tell and I think it’s very unlikely that has been done.
All I can say is that the version without the logo has been very WELL photoshopped, if it has been removed. But the planet is crawling with people who have extremely good photoshop skills, so why not?
Bear in mind when looking at the one with the logo that the thick machine embroidery used to make these logos distorts the fabric it’s sewn into. That’s going to make the logo version look photoshopped even if it isn’t. The distortion would be removed with the logo if that was photoshopped out.
She will be fully aware what the Nmc rules are and she has broken them….its that simple!
She should be disciplined…..
Wings Cybernats Bad. Labour W O S Cybernat watchers Spaceheids. Dr Simpson Physician heal thyself.
Anyone who may have jumped the gun with a complaint, please withdraw it.
Slightly o/t, but why is Dr Simpson using an NHS England logo on his twitter page?
De Valera
because he is Unionist and hates anything Scottish?
All quiet on the Murphy front , yip he has been beaten to another first !
His advanced plans to establish Scotland’s first ” Tool Library ” have been foiled .
Mr Murphy is reported to have exclaimed in his creepy quiet tone .
“The Labour Party are well placed to be recognised as the Major player in the TOOL Library market . Only the very best Tools are available from the Scottish Labour Party ! ”
Ssshhheeessht .
Good luck to you Chris and all involved with your project in Edinburgh .
Roger Mexico Well said, I hope she gets sacked, I would never put any political party before my country end off, I bet she was laughing her head off when we lost this referendum. She a adult not a child she has to be resposible for her actions.
I tweeted this to Emma last night, and she favourited the tweet but hasn’t said any more about it. I’ve never seen Emma in a nurse’s uniform, or a photo of her either.
To be fair Morag neither have I but I heard her state this at the hustings in Annan and of course it is repeated here. 😉
link to peeblesshirenews.com
From what I have heard of her so far when she is on stage against Mundell as she certainly will be at one stage there is one thing for sure … we won’t need to worry about medical aid being required cause it will already be present! 😀
Firstly, there is no evidence to suggest that this nurse knew that the NHS logo would be used. It’s possible that she understood it would be blocked out like previous ads and the error was down to the Labour Party press department.
Secondly, plenty folk who are employed by the NHS campaign for political parties all the time (quite rightly too) including for the SNP. What about our Westminster candidates, Philippa Whitford and Emma Harper? I’d be delighted to see more in office, rather than many of the career politicians we have now.
So it’s entirely possible that the nurse has done nothing wrong and instead SLab are to blame. Not that they’d admit it. Therefore no-one should be reporting her. We should point the finger at the Labour press machine for forgetting to block out the logo therefore getting her into trouble.
Of course, if this nurse chooses to campaign for the Labour Party we are entitled to question her claims, just like the press and Labour questioned yes campaigner, Dr Philippa Whitford’s claims during the indyref. If the press or Labour disagree then they are utter hypocrites.
Given my recent unpleasant experience at the hands of someone making what i am now viewing as an ill advised malicious complaint (still to be resolved) I would say leave it.
DO NOT make a complaint which could damage her career. We may not agree with her politics but there’s a chance that she’s very good at her job. Losing a highly skilled health care professional is not a good thing.
I imagine that there are many on here and Twitter who abide by work contracts that state clearly that they should not be active participants in political activities because of their jobs.
For this reason real names are not used.
No points are scored by politicising public sector jobs.
it ain’t fear it’s respect.
What this is the opposite of respect.
someone should have known better
Quite sad
@ Natasha – too late all done and dusted.
And – J.Murphy has given me an 117% fee increase as long as I send a receipt to head office.
Oh, our copy of the offending flier came in with another flier about holidays or some such. I see someone said they got a Domino flier. I was at work when it arrived but did wonder if both fliers were delivered at once.
Did anyone see the fliers come through letterboxes? If they were in bundles with commercial ones then Labour must be paying for the deliveries. So far the SNP fliers have been put out by volunteers. Are Labour so short of volunteers that they have to pay to have literature delivered?
@Taranaich:
that’s pretty much the point of the Rev’s articles on this. Labour, and political parties, have far more leeway in what they put on a campaign leaflet than a private company or charity or public authority would have.
They can’t get away with everything: inciting racial hatred and the like will get them censured. However, blatant lies and misrepresentations are fair game.
It’s bizarre, really: those who are aspiring to govern a nation are held to lower standards of probity than people advertising a local coffee morning.
Better Together NHS in safe hands.
Five months later and a no vote in the bag NHS in deadly peril.
So which is it Labour?
Habitual liars and users. There isn’t a damn thing they could say now which I would believe or listen to.
They simply aren’t worth it.
I have no sympathy with this woman, if somebody chose to make a complaint and she got sacked, if you make public statements and then act surprised if you are called to justify your statements and they turn out to be untrue and if those statements are related to your job and wearing your uniform with corporate logo when making the statement, then you are publicly representing your employer and workmates. being a nurse does not make you a saint beyond criticism. If any other public employee stood up in uniform and told lies in public we would expect action from the relevant body. Maybe it is time to get clear rules banning all public employee’s from appearing in political campaigns in uniform, speak at rally’s or meetings out of uniform is fine but no appearing in uniform on websites, leaflets or print adverts. or maybe politicians could stop using others to spread their propaganda and tell the truth, no chance of that ever happening I suspect
Na,it’s a piss-take.
Imagine Labour are in power,why don’t i just get a job with the NHS and start issuing statements on behalf of the SNP talking about how,dirty,disorganised and unefficient they are purely for political capital for my party?
You can’t do that because it would be partisan and impartial.
Very sorry Stu but I disagree with you.
My wife worked for many years in the NHS and every employee knows the score with uniform protocol.
This lassie has fucked up big time. Either knowingly in which case she will get whatever disciplinary action FVHealth board deem appropriate.
Or Scot labour have used her photo without permission.
It seemed fairly innocuous to me for someone else to appear in a political add in their uniform until I considered my own job where I couldnt/wouldn’t wear a Yes badge in my workplace far less appear in a PPB wearing company logo.
It is specifically written into my contract to avoid conflict, tarnishing company reputation by association. It is mind boggling for me that someone would risk their career for a Scottish Labour ad.
In the unlikely event that slab have photoshopped the logo in then she would have grounds to sue them.
Anyway, I hope she is treated leniently by her employer and we return an SNP government in 2016 (the next election the Scottish NHS will be relevant) for her sake. If Suzanne thinks the SNHS would be in safer hands with Jenny Marra in charge then she should try GMS in the morning – chances are Jenny will be on and Suzanne can judge for herself.
I heard Jenny Marra in attack mode this morning on bed blocking. When Gary Robertson pointed out this was two thirds down on the figure when labour were in control she spraffed absolute keech. I was embarrassed for her. She probably thought the interview went well rather than being ashamed of her ineptitude.
The attacking Scottish Government handling of SNHS has become attacking SNHS and if SLAB think that is a vote winner they are in for a big shock in May.
@
De Valera
Well spotted.
`Slightly o/t, but why is Dr Simpson using an NHS England logo on his twitter page?`
Where do Labour find these people?
No way should the lassie be sacked, even if this all took place with her knowledge. She is clearly an enthusiastic Labour supporter, and no-one should ever be sacked for political expression.
If she has breached ‘house rules’ then of course, she may be subject to internal discipline of some kind, but that is a matter between her and her employers. Sacking would be entirely inappropriate.
My main concern is the photoshopping involved.
At best, it is the failure to remove a logo when it has already been demonstrated previously this was required.
Or worse, as I believe (see previous thread)
The NHS logo has been photoshopped IN to the new leaflet.
An altogether more cynical tactic.
Either way, it is those who sanctioned this usage who should be brought to book.
To be honest, I agree with Wulls.
If I wore my works polo shirt which has the company name and logo imprinted on it, and then I participated in a political pamphlet that is then sent to every household in Scotland, then seriously …my bosses would descend on me on mass (and that is including the ones from the Head Office). The fury that would erupt would be …well, I know a part of my anatomy would be about to be ground into dust.
I would be in such serious doo-doo, that I would probably be out of the door before my bosses even had their first cup of coffee. It would be as serious as that.
I hope this lass is either an actress / got one helluva permission to do this, but then that puts the NHS in hot water / or someone at Labour has borrowed a photo and used (and if they did, then surely the lass would come out screaming demanding to know how Labour got hold of her picture).
So far the now, it does seem to be all on the poor lassie’s shoulders.
@Juan P
According to the DR her surname is not Duncan but.
Suzanne Mary Hunter
Geographical locations:
Forth Valley
Apparently she is a nurse in Maternity – she is having a midwife crisis 🙂
I would like to see the SNP come out really strong on the scare stories about the NHS. Surely they must be able to put consultants and administrators forward who can present the truth.
I am not talking about speaking for the government. I am talking defending their boards and staff. The same way any organisation would if it’s authority and ability were challenged on a daily basis.
If the BBC can present daily spin and sometimes outright lies about the NHS. Surely a union for the NHS staff can put together a letter of complaint. Or make a statement on behalf of the staff and the hospitals.
I felt during the referendum. There were too many of these stories being left unchallenged.
Today I had lunch with a bunch of mostly No voting pensioners from a church that my friend goes to. Their local Minister joined the gathering and the topic went on to their ailments (a common thing in us oldies). Nothing but praise for the SHS for the treatment they get. I didn’t prompt, just listened to them and it was encouraging to find that the actual users of the service seemed pleased.
I am one of those people crawling the planet with exceptional photoshop skills (if do I say so myself!) – been using it professionally for 24 years since v.2.1, and coincidently just got one of these Labour leaflets today. Had a look at the offending logo and, without having the original image to check, I’d say the logo is present in the shot and has not been retouched in, there are some signs where the type follows the contours of the fabric, and light-and-shade, that you’d probably not bother doing if you were dropping the logo onto the blank overalls. I’d say Labour Central Office PR dept didn’t understand the implications of this when they emailed the file over from Brewers Green to their Essex printer.
I can’t read the words “Dr Richard Simpson” with thinking “Dr Richard Kimble”.
As predicted, rev
link to dailyrecord.co.uk
You just know this is going to be spun into some “vile cybernats hound poor hard-working nurse” deflective nonsense and milked incessantly for days.
Anyone know how far ‘ordinary mum’ Claire Lally has progressed within Scottish labour?
gman
If you link articles from papers like the Record you can use this site to make an archive of the article so they don’t get traffic to their website.
link to archive.is
LOLS –
Record View says the Wings Over Scotland website is fuelling a world of conspiracy theories, hatred and paranoia
I am away oot to burn some sheep the bastirts were lukin at me funny and dance roon a fire holy fuck I am full of hatred and paranoia….
link to archive.today
YeeHaa! I got a name check in the Rancid! What do I win?? Lol!
Wait, I thought she was an actress? Wasn’t that the whole point of the previous article? Now she’s real? Really real?
Tell you what, Dr Simpson – why don’t you go and fetch Ms Duncan, a member of the board from NHS Forth Valley and a UNISON rep to make sure Ms Duncan is not being bullied or harassed by her employer for her political views.
Then you can stand outside the closed A&E unit in Falkirk (because they’ve moved to Larbert), get a photo for the local paper and give us all a big smile and a thumbs up to SHOW THAT YOU’RE NOT TALKING OUT OF YOUR ARSE!
Or you can have your boss sack that clown McTernan for wasting all the money spent on hiring actors to play public servants in staged photoshoots. Who writes her blogs – Stephen Fry?
This is petty and distractive mudslinging, something that we all know BLABiS are well familiar with. Let’s just nail them to the wall for their lies and BS and not waste our effort on some ficitious nurse.
NEXT!
I’m not familiar with the implementation of NHS policy on individuals political activities but I’m not clear what the difference between this nurse choosing to appear on a leaflet promoting Labour because of her apparent belief that a Labour government is best for the NHS and the activities of those involved in NHS for Yes.
On the NHS for Yes site numerous NHS staff have signed a declaration for Yes using their names and professional titles with many even including the name of the heath board or service they are employed by. During the referendum campaign I attended meetings and watched footage of identifiable NHS staff advocate a yes vote.
Thankfully I’m not aware of these people being the subject of complaints or disciplinary action.To me, they were an important and welcome addition to the wider Yes campaign so I can hardly grumble when other NHS staff use their position to advance their views. Though I can of course challenge those views.
I hope the lassie does not lose her job for her misjudgement. It had to be reported, but our quarrel is not with the hard workers of the NHS.
What I would ask Richard Simpson is – if it was an NHS badge wearing employee supporting the SNP in a campaign leaflet, would the Labour party hesitate to have that person severely reprimanded?
@Arabs for Independence
I heard she worked in enterology – that place is full of s***!
I’ll get ma coat! 😀
The photo of oor Suzanne in the Record pit me in mind of this…
link to tinyurl.com
Looks very much like a poorly written revenge job by the Rancid for The Vow apology thing earlier in the week.
The Record’s editorial seems to be a bit paranoid.
“This is BBC Scotland, it’s ten o’clock and this BBC News”
Uhu …not quite. It’s BBC English news …
So – should not the SNP set out the parameters for the campaign and challenge the other contenders to abide by them?
@alan crerar
We will have to agree to disagree on that.
I do not think the letter distortion, while exaggerated, follows the underlying cloth folds. The N does, but the rest no. Particularly the H.
I have also compared to Google images of that type of Scottish NHS uniform.
Unless there are versions of uniform I did not see on Google, the logo on the leaflet is, apparently from comparison to body size, significantly bigger.
This, of course, could be explained by either the nurses on Google being extremely large or the one in question being extremely small. If however you scale on photoshop to make both logos similar in size, that results in either Google nurses being 7 foot + or this nurse being 3-4 feet tall.
There does remain the possibility that there exists a larger logo versions which are not depicted on Google images.
Also, the example in question is further from the horizontal seam than any I saw on Google and further to the left.
Also, the S seems to have been ‘enhanced’. In the photos of nurses on Google it is much tighter with the penannular spaces barely visible.
Also, the previous referendum version, san logo, while certainly not impossible to achieve, would require a less likely decent level of skill to do so.
I too have many years of experience using Photoshop and other art packages prior to that.
It is impossible to be 100% sure on this, as you are aware, but the weight of evidence for me is that it has been photoshopped in.
But even if, instead, it has not been photoshopped out answers as to why this was sanctioned by Labour have to be investigated.
Wee bit of revenge for this perhaps…
link to archive.today
Let’s be straight here. What we are presented with appears to be nurse, working in the Scottish NHS, who, by endorsing the Labour Party is, by extension a supporter of 20% child poverty, supports weapons of mass destruction being based on Scottish soil. This nurse also supports right wing economic and social policies that divide society and punish the vulnerable. What’s so controversial about that? It’s the Labour way.
The Daily Retard trying to take the moral high ground, I nearly pissed my pants.
Daily Record hysterical with rage again. This is really funny though. Its easy to mock most “journalists” for teamGB but this lot are uniquely self satirising.
So From THE VOW creep show that gave Scotland the greatest lie in Scottish history
“Newspapers are quite properly accountable – in public – for any mistakes they make. Indeed, we carry such a correction on our website’s home page today.” and we’d like to thank Wings over Scotland for giving us the opportunity to do so:D
Stu was mentioning recently about the latest fundraising initiative and up pops the Daily Record with what looks like a potentially actionable bit of Anti WoS reporting. Unleash the Lawyers, funding sorted for another year?
gman…archived copy, people do try to remember to archive…else their online versions get clicked and count toward their revenue stream. 🙂
link to archive.today
Funny how the Record can put a story like this together in a couple of hours but can’t tell us were the ‘Vow’ came from and can lie through it’s teeth to the people of Scotland that the ‘Vow’ is delivered and when found out by IPSO to be ‘significantly inaccurate’:
“As a consequence of the inaccuracy, the article significantly misrepresented the fiscal consequences of the Smith Commission’s recommendations. The article was therefore significantly inaccurate in a manner that required correction in accordance with Clause 1 (ii).”
link to wingsoverscotland.com
Can’t even bring itself to fully admit to its significant misrepresention of the ‘fiscal consequences of the Smith Commission’s recommendations”:
link to archive.today
And then thinks that anyone can take seriously anything they ever publish again.
The Record is a mouthpiece for the accounting unit of the Labour Party in Scotland. The only thing it’s got left to do is to become in name what it is in practice:
The Daily Liar.
Here, “gman”, send these tae yer Daily Rectum:
link to wingsoverscotland.com
link to wingsoverscotland.com
And ask them when they plan to stop lying to Scotland.
LOL
Labour have the Daily Useless on a dog whistle
“Help! Help! the nasty Wings people are being mean to us.”
As our youth might say Epic Win!
SCOOP.. I think i may have just found out Labour Accounting Unit in Scotland’s actual membership numbers..
It’s not scientific i grant you.. but i think it’s fair to say that we can link the amount of ‘shares’ the story from the Daily Record has to Scottish Labours Membership numbers..
link to dailyrecord.co.uk
So when i looked there were 441 shares so that must equal Labours Accounting Unit in Scotland membership numbers.. If the shares increase then that’s another member sharing it.
I work in distribution and wear a logo uniform. Every employee knows that if they bring the company into disrepute, while in uniform, it will be considered gross misconduct.
Slab are weaponising the NHS for political gain and this nurse ( if that turns out to be true ) has colluded with them. Therefore her NHS employers must discipline or they will be seen to be complicit with Slab.
We should have no sympathy for Suzanne whatshername after the DR story. Forth Valley NHS will have to take action now.
Nice one Croompenstein @ 10.06pm.
🙂
The Daily Rectum – Lying bastards – keeping Scotland subservient to London since 1895.
The red torys don’t care one bit about her or her job, the leaflet’s have already arrived on the door steps and done there job of misinformation.
O/T
Britannia breaks the rules again
UK government is putting out “an information pack” about more powers for Scotland prior to the General Election
These are only proposals from Smith Commission and is surely blatant electioneering by the Westminster establishment.
link to archive.today
As ye sow so shall ye reap.
Silly lassie.
I see the Daily Record have exposed and placed in the public domain the NHS Nurse used in the Labour Party Campaign
The whole point that is missed by the Daily Record is the fact that uniformed nurses in ALL NHS areas are not allowed to appear in support of any political party IN uniform
I’ve read the article in the Record, which is clearly written with the help of Labour (or written wholly by Labour). Its disgraceful in that it cherry picks to suite the Labour campaign.
In its zeal, it stated that the nurse has worked at Forth Valley Hospital for last 8 years – problem with that little factoid that the hospital only opened in 2010! the
I feel sorry for the nurse being used this way, but its down to Forth Valley to determine its own course of action regarding uniformed personnel taking part in political campaigning
So – why don’t we set out the rules for the GE in Scotland and see if the SNP will back our proposals?
gillie says:
25 February, 2015 at 10:22 pm
We should have no sympathy for Suzanne whatshername after the DR story. Forth Valley NHS will have to take action now.
The sensible thing for her would have been to lie low and let it all blow over. However, she seems to be just a bit too eager to play the victim and cry foul. I still hope she doesn’t get fired, but she certainly isn’t doing her self any favours by playing along with the Red Tory mouthpiece aka the Daily Record.
Don’t tell him your name, Pike!!!
I guess we’re gonna hear about The Nurse Hunter Hysteria for days on end now and how she was wronged by the evil extremists who read this site and support independence. Nothing in the Daily Record pro-Labour attack pieces about the questionable issue of her appearing in uniform to promote political causes. Nothing about the bullshit claims regarding the NHS made by Labour and put in her mouth. Nothing about why the devolved NHS is even an issue in this election.
I don’t give a shit about Nurse Hunter, Claire Lally and every other coward who spray their political agenda shit everywhere, but go running and crying when pulled up on it.
Sorry Devolution propaganda election leaflet story in Hootsman link here if it works
link to archive.today
@Sinky at 10:28 pm that link does not seem to work link to archive.today please send again
This “an information pack” might require the UK government to register with the electoral commission as a campaigner in this election link to electoralcommission.org.uk
@ K1 at 10:14 pm
“…archived copy, people do try to remember to archive…else their online versions get clicked and count toward their revenue stream.”
You know that never crossed my mind.. D’oh.. Every day is a school day.
If anyone ever sees me linking an MSM story that is not an archive has my permission to beat me over the head with a Vic & Bob style frying pan.
The archive to the story i linked earlier is link to archive.today Apologies for linking an actual link.. And to think the record would make money from the click count.. I feel dirty now, and I have to admit, slightly violated now..eurgh!
gillie says:
“We should have no sympathy for Suzanne whatshername after the DR story. Forth Valley NHS will have to take action now.”
______
Sounds as if The Rectum has now sealed this nurses fate.
Led to the gallows by Labour and hung by The Rectum, oh dear!
Well, if you lay down with dogs you get up with fleas.
Night night folks.
🙂
“(I had never heard of any Stuart Campbell) before this but I hear that this (website has done this kind of thing before.)”
McTernan set up,why would she say that,a refferance to Lally she,s no as green as she,s cabbage looking & Daily Retard waiting in the wings for the scoop.
Oh how they fear W. O. S..
Not sure if you’re a non-party campaigner?
If you intend to spend more than £20,000 in England, or £10,000 in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland campaigning at the:
UK Parliamentary general election
European Parliamentary elections
Scottish Parliamentary elections
Welsh Assembly elections
Northern Ireland Assembly elections
you must register with us as a non-party campaigner.
Lollysmum,
if you still need that name, it’s Emily Santos (UKIP candidate in Gordon). I believe Caroline Santos is standing for them in Argyll and Bute (if UK Polling Report is correct, though they still had David Coburn down for Gordon when I looked yesterday).
If she campaigned for Better Together then she has heard of WoS.
Campbell did not respond to an email request for comment.
Oompf!
I wonder why they are so indignant about this after all Stu has regularly contacted them asking for the evidence about the VOW and guess what … NOTHING is forthcoming!
I’m thinking this is a good phrase to cover the DR and its faux indignance … “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander!”
And Campbell was widely criticised after he told Lynne Fox, sister of Hillsborough victim Thomas Fox: “If people stop when they get to a wall of human beings instead of ramming it, nobody dies.”
I thought Stu had sorted this one out yonks ago apparently the DR did not get the memo. I smell a lawasuit brewing up nicely on the stove over this one. 😉
If a lawsuit does appear might be an idea to sling in yet another *YAWN*
DEMANDrequest for the FULL information concerning who said what to who and when over the now INFAMOUS Vow! 😛Daft lassie, liebour/daily wrecker are playing her like a fiddle.
The BBC Scotland’s campaign against the Scottish Government continues apace tonight on Scotland 2015.
From the outset the goal is manufactured consent: THE SNHS IS IN CRISIS’ we are told again and again.
The agenda works in waves beginning first thing in the morning with GMS and flows right through to Scotland 2015 by which time the news supposition is unchallenged since it has been reinforced all day.
Watching Shona Robison it led me to think: if only the Scottish Government and local authorities could cooperate as effectively and work in unison the way BBC Scotland works in unison with the Scottish Labour AU and the Daily Record.
Gregg Mcclymont on Scotland Tonight moaning about losing the vote in the Commons over MPs having second job. But was Gregg Mcclymont in the Commons for the vote?
O/T
Nicola made a great speech tonight at the Hume Institute.
link to news.scotland.gov.uk
My employer has, among other policies a written social media policy. I am well aware that I am not allowed to refer to my employment when writing letters to local media, or publishing comment on social media.
I’m sure there are similar policies in the NHS, and I have no doubt that Ms Duncan will be aware of these. If she wasn’t I’m sure someone within the Labour Party (Scotland Branch) was and should have taken her interests into account when issuing this material.
This could cost this poor woman her job, and the blame will lie fairly with the unscrupulous people who put this leaflet together, with no regard for this womans employment.
I see that the Daily Risible is repeating the pish that only Labour can save the NHS when the Better Together and Browns’s story was that the Scottish NHS was perfectly safe from the Tories (which Labour people want us to vote for anyway to keep the nasty SNP out). So electing Labour will make no difference because they are not in power in Scotland.
So which is it Suzanne? You do remember that you work for the Scottish Health Service don’t you? Dr Simpson seems to have forgotten which health service actually provides a service here so perhaps you have too.
The Daily Mail gives her name as Suzanne Hunter, not Duncan. That could be a simple mistake, or it could mean she’s not a real person after all. But Daily Mail have said she was “subjected to a barrage of abuse” on this site, so I’d like them to show us quotes. I didn’t read all the way to the bottom of the comments section, but I didn’t see any abuse, mostly speculations about technicalities.
DR rant is epic,REV
think you upset them
“This brand of politics isn’t unique to Scotland, though it has no parallel in the rest of the UK. It has echoes of far-right US Republicanism that seeks to undermine anyone with an opposite view by inciting online mobs, hatred and vilification.”
REV time for Hugh Jackson Society crown funding Jim Murphy
Gold Membership – £350
All that is included in Silver
A free copy of all printed publications delivered straight to your door
An annual invitation to an exclusive dinner with a prominent speaker.
Judging by the SLAB campaign trail of rubbish thus far,
it is very hard to believe that John McTernan,
and his team of tea boys, Brian Roy, Blair McDougal
and Kieron Higgins, and perhaps one or two others,
are taking GE15 in Scotland seriously.
And yet they are.
It’s just that until now in the GE chess game,
McTernan has only been moving pawns, one of which is Jim Murphy.
Hence the reason why he’s been falling all over the place.
McTernans major pieces will start to move in due course,
as his strategy moves past these early skirmishes.
Timing is everything for McTernan
and for every political strategist.
Pawns first, then your main men move forward
to deliver the decisive moves.
Brown is sure to figure, with no one bigger.
Murphy won’t last, he hasn’t got it.
Milliband will just sit there like the King, protected.
But is that it? Is that all they’ve got?
It would seem so.
Could Darling re-emerge? – if so they would have to pay him dear,
for Darling and Brown are toxic together.
But in late Feb, it is too early, which is why not a lot is happening.
Patience is the game now.
We must wait to see how McTernan moves –
not Murphy, he’s the puppet.
Here is a link to the, what appears to be, up to date list of parlimentary candidates for May. 😉
link to ukgeneralelection2015.blogspot.co.uk
@DavidB
We haven’t had the flyer in question, yet. But we have had the SNP flyer (the one with the tartan Commons benches) and that definitely came separate to the mail so was delivered by volunteer.
From NHS Forth Valley social media policy:
“Do not use social media for whistle blowing or use Social Media to discuss work and work-related matters, issues and complaints. Any legitimate concerns should be addressed through the appropriate Board policies, for example the NHS Forth Valley Grievance, Whistle-blowing or Dignity at Work Policies.”
link to nhsforthvalley.com
I’m sitting at home in Clackmannanshire with my copy of this leaflet delivered to me today; Dr Richard Simpson’s name and details appear precisely nowhere on the leaflet; it is promoted by Brian Roy on behalf of the Scottish Labour Party and it is printed in Essex.
The entire leaflet is an exhortation to vote “Scottish Labour” and there are pledges from Jim Murphy to bring in 1000 extra nurses, paid for by the mansion tax, to reduce cancer waiting times and to end A&E waiting times.
The nurse’s tunic seems real, with an embroidered and not photo shopped logo; the real issue lies within the manipulated spin as to whether the NHS in Scotland is in crisis or otherwise; back in the real world it is known that the real and tangible risks to the quality of service provided by the NHS in Scotland come via the creeping privatisation preferred by Unionists and for proof of that pudding one need look no further than Monklands A&E.
I can also say, as a cancer patient, and an occasional user of emergency services that the service I have had since 2007 has been superlative and ever-improving. That this young lady elects to expose herself to public view and criticism, and is permitted by this political party to do so, speaks volumes about the motivation, priorities and principles of a party which abandoned its roots and its principles many moons ago.
@ Paula Rose Natasha,s husbands moistness aside Get that uniform on an take a selfy,u know the wan the Sister wan awe stiff n starched.
I hope she gets fired. Never mind that she’s supporting the Labour party, what wrankles is that she’s a bare-faced liar. It’s no surprise that the Record would support her as I suspect they’ve been involved from the get-go.
Slab throw her to the Wolves and the Vowers at the record vulture the scraps
O/T
The BBC opinion survey for their new site has a freeform box for you to comment on what they could do better – with no word limit.
Ah, that feels better.
gillie says:
Gregg Mcclymont on Scotland Tonight moaning about losing the vote in the Commons over MPs having second job. But was Gregg Mcclymont in the Commons for the vote?
Yes he did Gillie. You can see the full list of M.P.’s who voted here.
link to parliament.uk
The Noes won the vote by the way: Ayes 219, Noes 287.
Don’t know if somebody has already picked up that the Record has her name as Suzanne Hunter, not Duncan.
O/T; Expenses scandals just will not go away – Labour Party rents property To Labour MP’s who recover the cost of said rental from the taxpayer – monies received go back to labour, nice one, and we are talking millions annually. The SNP highlighted, in 2001 the hypocrisy of the practice. But Westminster continued with and expanded the activities. Adding insult to the abuse of the taxpayer LLP, the Labour Party company responsible failed to pay any form of tax in the last 8 years.
link to caltonjock.com
Annette
I don’t recall abuse directed at Suzanne and Stu has specifically requested that we refrain from directing any complaints to her employers which I think is a fair shout.
There was a shit load of abuse directed at Labour though perhaps the Mail has confused the two as being one entity 🙂
Wow, the Daily Record, is in total meltdown, smearing you, and wholly misrepresenting what you have written.
Seems like they are upset that you caled them out on their vow lies, by reporting them to the press standards association, and winning.
The Daily record really is a paper in serious trouble if their editorial standards are so low as to allow such petulant whining.
Never mind, it will ensure lots of new readers to wings over Scotland, so, so they can read the truth about the Daily record.
link to wingsoverscotland.com
Of course, the DR is happy with the distraction because the pamphlet with the smiling Suzanne is intending to fool the electorate with misinformation. Let’s get people to understand that this is what’s causing the outrage.
Whether Suzanne is, in fact, a nurse or had been an actress makes no difference, it’s the text attributed to her which is meant to mislead and is the reason why I screwed it up on receipt and binned it. She can say what she likes, but if she works in the NHS and believes what has been printed, it makes me despair.
Betsy:
I’m not clear what the difference between this nurse choosing to appear on a leaflet promoting Labour because of her apparent belief that a Labour government is best for the NHS and the activities of those involved in NHS for Yes.
The former were non-partisan. They argued for Scotland and the public in general. They were not ‘NHS for independence’.
What this nurse does is partisan politics. She makes claims that appear truthful by adding her professional position to give them credence as if she speaks on behalf of the NHS. In addition, her endorsement is ubiquitous, appearing on other leaflets in the past arguing other issues. Clearly her vocation is not in nursing.
Just ran Suzanne Hunter through NMC register database and shows one Suzanne Mary Hunter at Forth Valley. Registered since 20/9/2007. So that makes it 6 and a half years, not the 8 or so that was claimed.
Suppose she may have have a maiden name of Duncan and recently became Hunter. Who knows…
In the good old days Suzanne would be up in front of matron! Oops doesn’t Jim Murphy pine for matron’s return to the ward.
@GrouseBeater,
But NHS for Yes did (rightly in my view) make claims that made use of their professional profiles. They were NHS for independence -what else did they mean by Yes?
I attended several meetings where NHS for Yes speakers clearly advocated a Yes vote to help/save the NHS. I’d be equally delighted to see them advocate an SNP vote or like Dr Phillipa Whitford join the SNP and campaign on their behalf and use their professional experience to support their arguments.
If disciplining Suzanne Hunter/Duncan sets a precedent and it will (if it happens), then people need to accept the silencing of pro-SNP and pro-Yes NHS staff. That isn’t a sacrifice I’m prepared to make.
Betsy:
I attended several meetings where NHS for Yes speakers clearly advocated a Yes vote to help/save the NHS.
They did not say, vote SNP.
Furthermore, their faces and employer’s name did not appear on SNP fliers.
There is a gargantuan difference.
Why are you blind to it?
Were they all wearing uniforms of various grades, and implying every other staffer felt the same in their ward, department, and hospital? Did they specify which hospital they worked in?
At any rate, I don’t recall ‘NHS for independence.’
Do you understand that this nurse does not understand she places her position in the NHS against the NHS in Scotland as if it’s England’s NHS?
An employer has a right to sanction an employee for making public their allegiance to a specific political party thus giving the erroneous impression they speak on behalf of that company.
I wish the opposite was true too, that every boss who spoke against self-determination got demoted because they implied they held sway over their employees.
The figures prove that the NHS is doing a marvellous job. On average 40,000 operations a month, with an average of 200 minor cancellations. An admirable record, especially with the Scottish bad winter and transport considerations. Brillant. A 95% record in A & E, when 10% of folk with minor complaints should not even be there.
Would not fancy bring on Suzanne’s ward, especially with the tweeting. Nurses should stick to nursing not try to bring their profession into disrepute and criticise their collegues. Unionist politicians and BBC journalists should stop lying and bring their profession into disrepute.
The £4Billion a year drop in Oil revenues was a direct result of Westminster increasing the Oil tax 10% (£2Billion) in the 2011 Budget – Osbourne/Alexander. Oil companies stopped exploration. Scotland has lost £16Billion because of that Westminster decision. Nurses are not supposed to give out false information.
Westminster is deliberately keeping the Oil taxes high to ruin the Scottish Oil industry. Westminster take 50% of production + 30% – 80%+. More than any other industry. Westminster allows tax evasion through the City of London. (Foreign) multinationals making vast profits pay no tax at all. A Scottish Gov could raise taxes when Oil prices are high and lower taxes when Oil prices are low.
Scotland as ever been in deficit, it is Westminster policies which have accumulated the debt. Illegal wars, banking fraud etc. 40 years of debt can’t be paid back in 4 years. ‘Austerity’ doesn’t work but harms the Health Service and the vulnerable. Cold, worried, hungry people, don’t sleep and get sick.
[…] Before we start, let’s make this plain: we will NOT be submitting any sort of complaint to any healthcare body regarding what we’re about to discuss, and we ask readers not to either. When push comes to shove, we don’t want nurses losing their jobs. […]
Dr Simpson is no longer in active clinical practice and has not been for a long time, so he may not be aware of how frightened NHS staff are of their regulatory bodies and how destructive a complaint to the NMC/GMC can be. By exposing this nurse’s identity and picturing her in uniform they have indeed put her at risk of disciplinary action. However, anyone who has experienced the way that the regulators and NHS Boards treat their staff would not subject a colleague to such an experience for all the tea in China (unless patient safety at risk of course). However…………..it is of more relevance to point out that Forth Valley Royal was the last and most costly PFI project in Scotland before the current Scottish Government put a stop to PFI, and that the black hole in Scotland’s NHS budgets might have something to do with the previous administration having built hospitals on Wonga loans that cost so much to run that we can’t afford any staff to put in them. Some NHS Boards are still struggling with massive levels of PFI debt (Lothian has *seven* PFI projects, NRIE being the largest and most expensive next to FVRH>) Labour have also yet to explain why, if the NHS “internal market” was such a good idea, they abolished it in Scotland when in government, but carried on with in down south when in office at Westminster…….
To bring some light relief to this seriousness.
@ MajorBloodnok. Can you confirm also that Murphy doesn’t cast a shadow?
However my view is that all adults must take responsibility for their actions or inactions.
The whole ‘Scottish NHS in trauma’ campaign is yet another way of Labour demeaning Scotland and its people in order to keep control.
How in hell do they expect to win support by telling people they, their institutions, and the country they live in are crap?
When I was a nurse it was considered unprofessional – to the point of being struck off the Register – if you used your qualifications/status in advertising.
It might have changed now, and might not apply to politics.
Just wondering…
Labour are idiots, but this girl is no victim. The piece you quote above re “Uphold the reputation of your profession” is from the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) Code of Pactice 2014. The NMC is the governing body for all nurses and, as such, every practitioner is bound to adhere to this professional code. I can’t imagine there is a nurse in the UK who isn’t aware of the code and what it expects of them.
Therefore, it seems to me, that, in consenting to appear on a political leaflet in nurses uniform, speaking on health issues as a nurse, she made a conscious decision to flout code point 59. She could, of course, have appeared as “Suzanne from Clackmannan” in civvies, but that wouldn’t have had the same impact, would it? Which is exactly why NMC Code point 59 exists – to prevent nurses from abusing their position in this way. I won’t be reporting her either, but I feel really annoyed that she has used her position to further Labour’s cause, while many code-abiding, SNP-supporting nurses have had to stay quiet. If she ends up in trouble, she only has herself to blame. And Labour really should be thinking twice about facilitating people getting into this position too.
@alan crerar
Apologies due. Looks like you were right and I was wrong going by the high res picture the Rev. has posted.
And I was about 80% sure too.
I am a student nurse at the moment, when i was on placement i had met several nurses who were against independence, i tended to keep my opinion between the nurse’s and i whilst on my placement. whilst in perth i was with the district nurse and we visited a family, on the way out the door one of the family members who was a definite no made a comment to the nurse i was with who he knew was also a no, in which she replied with “dont say that to him, he’s a yes” in which the man began to question why i was a yes, i put forward my view and listened to his side not forcing my opinion on him and not blatantly arguing.
i wasn’t going to just agree however due to it being my belief that scotland would be better off independent. once we left and were out of ear range i was told off by the nurse as if i had done something wrong, it was as if the nurse didnt want anything to do with it and her opinion was the only opinion, she said that when a nurse makes their political view apparent a patient may feel as though they would not get as good as care as someone with the same political view, (ironically after showing that she had made out she was a no to the family) and that the NHS has rules against voicing political views as a nurse.
this is not just with the uniform on, this is outwith work and without the uniform. its a double standard, ridiculed if you support independence in any way but support staying with the uk we will put you on a leaflet. there are multiple parts of the Nursing midwifery council that clearly says not to voice a political view yet only seems to be applicable to those supporting independence.
Strange. The Daily Record describes the comments on this article as ‘hate filled rants’. I have actually read through them. No hatred, no rants. Mostly criticism of Labour for putting her in this position, discussion over whether the logo is photo shopped IN or OUT, discussion of which regulation may have been broken AND, most importantly, a general sympathy for the young woman in question and a desire that she does not suffer any disciplinary action etc. Just another opportunity for Daily Record to express its own hatred I’m afraid. Its become ‘news-lite’ and ‘hate-heavy’. They couldn’t be annoyed about being found guilty of lying to the public over The Smith Commission, could they??
Received a reply from NHS Forth Valley just a minute ago. It reads as follows:
“Good afternoon Mr MyName
Please see the statement below
“All staff working in the NHS are obviously entitled to their own personal views and opinions and can support any political party of their choice. As the majority of NHS nursing staff in Scotland wear a national uniform which bears the NHS Scotland logo, staff should avoid wearing their uniform in any situation which could potentially align NHS Scotland with any political party or campaign. NHS staff should also follow organisational polices and relevant professional codes of conduct, which for nurses are set by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. We are aware of the leaflet and are work is underway to establish the facts and circumstances surrounding this issue”.”
I hate quoting a Tory but wasn’t it Churchill that said “a lie has travelled halfway around the world before the truth has time to even get it’s pants on”
[…] When your crazed loathing of the SNP has driven you so demented you start risking the livelihoods of young Scottish nurses, perhaps it’s time you stopped and had a long hard look at yourself in a mirror. link to wingsoverscotland.com […]