Sorry we’ve deserted you today, readers. I’ve been dashing around the BBC Bath radio cupboard, the ITV West Country studio and BBC Broadcasting House in Bristol talking mainly about the Clare Lally business, which the No campaign is throwing everything at. You’re going to have a hard time avoiding my big stupid face on the telly tonight.
The three appearances were very different in nature. On BBC Radio Scotland I had a very civilised discussion with host John Beattie and fellow guest Hamish Macdonell (of various publications), where everyone got to say their piece without us interrupting each other, while at Broadcasting House for, I think, Scotland 2014, I got pretty aggressively grilled but in a perfectly proper and professional journalistic manner. No complaints there – pending, of course, what makes the edit.
The ITV gig for Scotland Tonight was something else.
I was on with Susan Dalgety, a former Labour councillor and civil servant whose exact occupation seems a bit vague but seems to be some sort of media adviser/consultant kind of thing. While I sat politely and respectfully through her bizarre straw-man rants only tangentially related to the subject, she didn’t show the same courtesy and repeatedly tried to shout me down and talk over me.
She seemed very angry that anyone (where “anyone” means “Yes supporters”) should say anything even mildly challenging to or about political opponents. Which is a bit rich in the context of this:
“A top civil servant who once compared the SNP to the Omagh bombers has quit weeks after the Nationalists’ win in the Holyrood election.
Susan Dalgety, one of the key officials in charge of the Scottish Executive’s Malawi initiative, has walked away after Labour’s defeat last month.
She has refused to comment on whether her departure is linked to her describing the SNP as being full of ‘oddballs’ and ‘out-and-out racists’.
Dalgety was a high-profile civil servant who joined the Executive after Jack McConnell became first minister.
A one-time Labour councillor, she became one of McConnell’s press aides and acquired a reputation for being one of his closest confidantes.
She was then rewarded with the plum post of international communications manager, which involved her working on the Executive’s policy of sending aid to Malawi.
However, she was said to be ‘gutted’ after the SNP won last month’s Holyrood election and was unsure whether she had a future under the Nationalist administration.
Her Labour loyalties and queasy attitude towards the SNP are said to have informed her decision to quit last week. The Sunday Herald understands her resignation was made around the same time her new bosses were reminded about a column she wrote before joining the Executive.
Written in 1998, when she was a Labour councillor, Dalgety stated: ‘I detest the Scottish National Party and everything it stands for.’
She continued: ‘Scratch below the almost acceptable surface of Smarmy Alex Salmond and his small band of MPs and his barmy army is exposed as an assortment of oddballs, extremists and out-and-out racists.’
Dalgety then compared the SNP to the IRA: ‘We need to look no further than the butchery of Omagh to see for ourselves what happens when nationalism gets out of control. Innocent children die.’
She concluded: ‘Readers might find my gut reaction to the SNP overdramatic, but I love Scotland too much to stand by and watch it succumb to the intolerant, adolescent demands of bigots.'”
Compared to that, we’re not sure that suggesting someone MIGHT be related to a prominent and much-admired Labour politician with the same surname is the worst thing that’s ever been said in Scottish politics, but maybe that’s just our bias showing.
Its the feckin media to blame here pandering to Labour in Scotland and the No campaign as always.
Bad, Bad cybernats …
Good Britnats …
Pathetic mince : just where is Scottish jounalism ?
Seriously where is it ??
Oh you are awfully biased but I like you
The woman is suffering severe projection.
Scottish journalism?
So Susan Dalgety is just your average Scottish Labour careerist then.
Let us NOT forget!
In the meantime AD manages to keep his eyebrows below the blood and soil trenches.
That (attack)by STV for that’s all I can call it was an utter disgrace,
It was nothing more than a cynical bear trap lad for the Rev and the SNP to fall into.
“Dalgety then compared the SNP to the IRA: ‘We need to look no further than the butchery of Omagh to see for ourselves what happens when nationalism gets out of control. Innocent children die.’”
Oh God, think of the chirrens before you vote!
It would be nice if someone out there could do a flowchart of every current TV/radio presenter/journalist in Scotland of their connections to the political world. I am sure it would be an eye-opener to the nation.
I applaud your admirable calmness, Rev. The media today are really going to town with the nasty cybernats theme.
They’re trying to shame us into voting No. Whether it’s the unsaid but obvious accusations of insulting all the people who died for “king and country” on D-Day or in WWI by voting Yes we have the one-sided reporting of poor Ms Rowling’s sensitivities.
It will all backfire on Project Fear.
Stay thrawn; vote Yes.
Stu,I think it is safe to say you are now on THE LIST.What pious flummery this woman disguises herself with as she extolls her “love of the Union.”(Unite?)
The media have their fuel for the next few days.
A pity the MSM didn’t do any journalism at the BT event by highlighting the facts on “simple members of the public”
Susan Dalgety is typical of the Labour group that hates the SNP, YES is the same in her world, so much that they would rather work with the Tories.
It would be nice if just once the people of Scotland and their future came BEFORE the Labour Party.
Just got to love all this hype being given to an e-mail from one of the First Minister’s aides who apparently mistook this Lally woman to be related to Pat Lally a former Labour Lord Provost of Glasgow. THIS is why she is so upset with the aide! All the nasty tweets and comments etc have absolutely NOTHING to do with Campbell Gunn he made one wee error in assuming she was related to a former Lord Provost THAT was it!
I heard on BBC (Dis)reporting Scotland that Campbell Gunn had offered his apology to her directly and also offered to speak to her face to face to apologise but guess what she has refused to accept his apology! Now I wonder what possible reason she could have for doing that!
In the mean time there is next to nothing being said about the personal abuse from Alistair Darling about Alex Salmond and the S.N.P., funny that!
Personally I like to hear of them being this bitter in public.
Perhaps she helped a few don’t knows into the ‘Yes’ fold?
Thank you Susan.
BBC Does Its Bit for the British Government
“JK Rowling subjected to online Abuse!”
Abuse from whom?
They do not say.
By implication, it has to be weirdo cybernats.
No need to think further, dear listeners and viewers.
The wholly muddled, uneducated rationale of Rowling toward autonomy is of far greater import than all the protests from all the people in all the land demanding genuine democracy. The rest of us are as one lumpen proletariat, unemployable losers: we, the extremists, separatists, bullies, racists, and demented tartan nationalists.
The campaign of manufacturing consent by the BBC continues unabated, a public corporation accountable to no one.
Just give them enough rope. They know what to do with it.
I’m sure that’s the first time I’ve heard ‘Bawbag’ mentioned on the BBC….
Of course we can all again see exactly why broadcasting was never ever considered as part of a Scottish devolution settlement by Westminster!
Glad to have you on the YES side Stu. Hopefully as many people as possible can be reminded of her crazy and libellous rantings. I await to see what the MSM do with the edit facility with regards to your TV time.
Heard the John Beattie bit – well done you, I’d say.
It was a mistake, but it was hardly abuse. She has rejected the apology offered to her, a political calculation, I thought. Certainly Gunn’s comments could in no way be construed as abuse (unlike attempts to smear SNP as Nazis, a truly disgusting episode passed on by the MSM).
That this young woman was subjected to abuse on social media I have no doubt and – if any of you are reading this page – really, time to screw the nut. Venting your spleen online does nothing to heklp the cause. I know Britnats smear the Weirs, threaten Nicola Sturgeon and from the MSM… barely a peep. Still, only 98 days…
Thanks for your efforts today, Stuart.
Will make a point of catching said STV ‘gig.’
What’s next? Chatty Man or Graham Norton Show?
Just joshing.
Handclapping says
“Oh you are awfully biased but I like you”
Ooh Handclapping, I didn’t know you cared.
link to youtube.com
Innocent children die.
– This reminded me of the great wee W.H. Auden poem “Epitaph on a tyrant”.
And when they voted YES the little children died in the street.
I take it the 4 eurofighters flew low over Edinburgh too 20 minutes ago.
They came from that direction towards Fife.
Had the desired effect!
Can anyone confirm this?
Will be looking out for your interviews tonight, heard the John Beattie one on radio and it sounded very reasonable and even handed. Clare Lally was on Scotland Tonight looking every inch the hard done by stay at home mom so good luck with Scotland 2014 if they run that again. As for Susan Dalgety sounds like she will be seen for what she is. Big fundraising push on today from Yes and SNP, am holding back on SNP ’til I am sure they don’t cave in on Campbell Gunn.
Saw your lovely wee face on the telly .
It was a relief because we had been treated to Screeching Curran and thon wifie , not to mention a wonderful wee actress telling us just how horrid we all are and how hurt she is.
I am filled with anger over the coverage by the MSM ,to a point where I would be delighted to see the whole shebang sink into the waters of the Clyde never to be seen or heard again.
Glad you managed to get a taxi in the end
Enjoyed your Radio Scotland piece, looking forward to the TV content. Also look forward to the inevitable readership bump this is going to give Wings!
FFs and folk on here say im biased and contradictory lol
WHO are these proud Scots who keep shouting NAZI at their fellow Democratic Scots?
I heard your interview with John Beattie this afternoon. I thought it quite even, with JB apologizing for running out of time. Looking forward to the 22:30 slots tonight. which one to watch first?
I say to all those bt. People who are complaining about the so called abuse they claim to receive how do you no it is not your own side who are doing this to make us patriots look bad your side has used these tactics in the past but I would remind you ,you reap what you sow vote yes
link to express.co.uk
‘I’ll govern like Tory leader Margaret Thatcher,’ says Ed Miliband Feb 11 2014
I wonder what all the BBC’s ‘go-to’ Labour people said about Ed’s statement above.
STV did everything possible to annihilate WoS Reverend. They edited you down to saying no three times to questions I cant remember. Text book tv media attack on democracy, totally protected bettertogether and Lally, monstered cybernats with no actual proof of Lally abuse. Good shots of outraged Lamont calling for national inquiry into cybernats but not once Lally Labour Shadow cabinet membership even mentioned.
STV have been taking classes at BBC School of stopping Scotland voting for independence.
remember folks all this is deflection and distraction to prevent the real issues concerning Scotland being given oxygen.
Have you seen Mags Curran’s ridiculous twitter spat with Iain Macwhirter?
link to facebook.com
Criticising everyone is misogynist, according to Mags, because everyone includes women.
This is an MP. Apparently wired to the moon, but an MP all the same.
Hope I posted that link properly… never done it on this site before.
It is quite clear what is going on here.
What we are witnessing is the no campaign’s last throw of the dice.
It has been shown that women are the most likely to vote no. Just last week was it we had a poll showing very low support for independence amongst women.
So today’s J K Rowling story and the “Clare Lally Business” as Stu says are all about turning women off independence.
We will see a lot more of this in the coming weeks.
Sorry, of course, that was clearly off topic, but since you were talking about people with no idea how daft they’re making themselves look anyway I must have been distracted for a moment.
Rev Stu must be able to halt time or something. How does he fit all this in?
Just remember that the British State is a master of infiltration and disruption.
Seeing a big uptick in apparent Yes supporters hurling abuse. Predictable and difficult to combat
Aye Rev, it’ll be good to see the latest page traffic information, there’s been a lot of Wings promotion going on.
Dan Huil
I haven’t watched any of the coverage and like a good chunk of Scotland these days they don’t see or read about it either. I just get the feeling that this is an orchestrated thing to try and put seeds of doubt about getting information off the internet rather than mainstream news. It might make them more curious rather than putting them off.
Susan Dalgety is clearly a raging British nationalist, she fits so well with Margaret Curran, Johann Lamont, Darling, John Reid, Murphy and Alexander. Like so many at the top of SLAB, Dalgety oozes hatred of the SNP. These people are losing control of themselves. Expect it to get much worse from here to 18th of September. Their rhetoric is getting out of hand.
We need to keep cool because they, and their MSM buddies, will do everything they can do provoke, and intimidate us. The Yes side and independence supporters need to be aware of the rhetoric we use, don’t use aggressive language.
Keep calm and stay positive!
Sorry I should have said how do you know rather than no
Susan suffers from a common aliment agmongst some labour types. The fact the SNP get elected twice and are implementing the policies they can only dream off implementing strikes at the very sense of self entitlement people like her have. Indy is a threat to their very living and self interest. This disconnect between what made them go into politics and living with the compromises they’ve made isn’t conducive to good humour.
“She concluded: ….. I love Scotland”
What Scotland would that be? I just can’t get my head round why people like her think the Union is acceptable.
If she said ‘Britain’, and felt British, I get it. I understand why people with a British mindset want to keep the UK intact.
But, how can they persist with the notion that they put Scotland first, yet believe London rule in the UK is best for Scotland.
They report your very sensible words on the bbc news online too. As an afterthought to a very one sided article with no attempt at fact checking, right enough. Typical BBC”illusion of balance” stuff
Cannot see where the abuse was caused by Campbell Gunn to Mrs Lally. Surely a misunderstanding of relation connections and he has apologised and is willing to apologise to her face. I can only think she has a hidden agenda for not accepting the apology as any reasonable person would accept it.
I see from Peter Curran’s twitter that HMQ is a bit more intelligent not to fall for David Cameron’s political games as reported in Private Eye.
link to twitter.com
@Peter Macbeastie
And just to reiterate my point, your post comes along and confirms what I have said.
Mags Curran, playing the misogynist card.
We’ve got 100 days of “exposing cybernat misogyny” to look forward to peeps.
So outraged at all this spin today I donated to both the official Yes campaign and Women for Independence!
Just donated more to YesScotland.
Take that, scumbag BBC/STV!
Anything they can do……
@muttley79
Clearly into the ‘fight you’ stage now and it will get much worse.
September 19 ‘and then we win’.
Vote ‘Yes’.
Oh NO, not again. NO lying again.
Stu, your famous. A wee Star : – ). At this Wings, Bateman & Bella etc are taking over the Media.
Might be watching for a change. Even though it puts the viewer figures up.
@Truth 19:09
I think you are bang on the money. This is the real story.
It’s a timely reminder of the BT UKOK NT game plan from now til the referendum: set up a scenario – hope that a rogue ‘cybernat’ bites – use it as a stick to beat the Yes side all over the media. This fits well with their rebranding as No Thanks too.
We really do have to screw the nut. Don’t give these bams any ammunition at all. We can strongly and robustly make our case over and over – but don’t take their poisoned bait, here or on any other forum.
Easier said than done with some of the No wallopers out there. But easy to spot a genuine seeker among the trolls. Genuine people will get our respectful response – muppets should be ignored.
Rev Stu, I know you have been very busy today. There has been an article posted on the BBC’s site today about Rowling’s donation. It appears to be completely biased to the No campaign. Here it is (I have highlighted parts which appear to be dodgy):
ANALYSIS – Scotland Correspondent, BBC News
JK Rowling’s “magic million” to conjure up a vote against independence is not a great surprise.
She is friends with former PM Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah, has previously donated money to the Labour Party, and told the BBC two years ago that she had reservations about independence.
But the author’s argument will resonate with many Scots: attracted by a “romantic” ideal of a “fairer, greener, richer and more equal society”, but in the end not quite prepared to accept the associated risks.
A second theme of Ms Rowling’s web post will also resonate with many: concern about the nature of the debate.
She writes about a “fringe of nationalists” demonising anyone not “blindly and unquestionably pro-independence”.
Indeed, she has herself received abuse on social media, something senior Yes campaign strategists realise does not help their cause.
Just today First Minister Alex Salmond ordered a special adviser to apologise for briefing against a pro-union mother-of-two who had been attacked online as a “("Tractor" - Ed)” to her country.
Mr Salmond points out that pro-independence supporters, in particular Lottery winners Chris and Colin Weir, have suffered online abuse too and called for it to stop.
It would be lovely to think that everyone could come to the same conclusion and debate with civility and grace.
Sadly, such dreams probably belong in the realms of romantic fiction.
This is almost propaganda imo. Notice no mention of Darling’s Nazi remarks about the SNP, or the abuse of Salmond. No mention that Lally is a prominent SLAB activist either.
BBC Scotland has really gone full whack on this. Never saw them go at it qyite the same when the Weirs we being called lardys and pigs.
P. Philip supported Independence for Scotland in 1968, according to the Benn Diaries. Eliza is half Scottish.
Stu on the telly? I almost wish I hadn’t cancelled my direct debit for the telly tax now…
In other news, had the shopping delivered earlier and Sainsbury’s mannie had obviously clocked the Yes and Wings stickers on the back of the Cars and asked where he could get some. So I gave him half a dozen Yes ones. Made my evening, that!
STV AND BBC both leading on the Rowling and Lally stories (so very predictable), obviously the “Westminster state broadcaster” will run with this “non story” for the forseeable future. No doubt the” Scottish labour leader ” and her ” unionist coalition colleagues “will make the most of this in the Scottish Parliament .I DO HOPE THAT WIDELY UNREPORTED ( by BBC and STV ),DESPICABLE REMARKS OF A SO-CALLED FORMER “RIGHT HONORABLE ” STATESMAN, LINKING OUR DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED FIRST MINISTER TO HITLER, is brought up also and CATEGORICALLY CONDEMMED by all present in the chamber .Thereafter perhaps we can scrutinize the early evening
news coverage tomorrow .Perhaps professor Robertson should
delay his early evening meal again until 7pm
Bloody hell, that’s quite a rant, isn’t it? A perfect example of the way the Scottish Labour unionist mind works, as seen previously from Ian Davidson, Ian Smart and Alistair Darling, among many, many others. Oh, and let’s not forget Torcuil Critchton – or whoever it may have been who wrote his article the other day…
I don’t know why idiots like this are treated with any respect by the chattering classes on Twitter, which she seemingly is. People get accused of being drooling Cybernats for less when directed the other way. I notice that of her recent tweets, one is a retweet of a tiresome Ian Smart blog post about Arthur Donaldson, so it’s not like she could even pretend that she’s grown out of such opinions.
Her Twitter profile says “Strong opinions, always professional”. Well, at least the first half’s right…
@squarego
I am afraid it is much more complicated than just asking Yes supporters to screw the nut. There will be dirty tricks, you can be sure of that. How and why do you think John Reid, Murphy, Alexander, Curran, Lamont etc reached the political level they have done?
link to m.stv.tv
What is this you say, a bigot attacking a Yes “nazi” ?
That must be enough to eclipse a wee drama queen you would think…
And so the shit trundles on at least the three unionist mainstream parties have common cause intermittently.
When there’s money involved .
When the trough is endangered.
In case some clown tells the truth.
They’ll all tell the same lie to protect their system. BETTER TOGETHER. they are vile people abusing a vile system
I noticed on the news that Ms Lally has refused an apology -even a face to face one – from the FM’s adviser.I reckon that Lamont is pulling her strings on this and advising her to take that course of action so she,Lamont, can milk it for what it’s worth. We know now what’s coming on FMQ time tomorrow. I’m sure the FM will have his answers ready.
That’s why John Swinney, etc. don’t rise to the bait of explicitly condemning the BBC of bias….god knows how many times they’ve tried!
Well done John for keeping schtum.
The media would be all over it like flies around fresh shit.
The BBC would try and sue…and how do you PROVE their bias?
They would continue to deny it anyway, even if you could!
These conniving gits are well versed in laying traps, people……beware, stay calm….we’ve come this far and it’s only another 3 months.
A lot more roman candles to be ignited between now and then, from BOTH sides.
Tell me again exactly which side is being abused!
link to theguardian.com
In a poll for the Scottish Sunday Express conducted in March, it was found that 21% of those planning to vote Yes have received abuse or threats compared to 8% of those planning to vote No.
Bit late to suggest Stu, but if you’d had a recorder running in your pocket during the interviews, it might have clarified any subsequent irregularities in the ‘editing’ process.
all this noise meant Darling and Brown slipped under the radar.
How come the BT camp and their supporters can lie and abuse the Yes campaign, Alex Salmond and the Weirs daily and there is no mention of it on the BBC or STV new channels, but when a Yes supporter says one thing out of turn it is headline news on every channel, and is to be dragged out as long as possible by every side in the No camp according the Ponsonby.
Who was it that said, ‘be under no illusion we now live in a unionist media controlled state’, oh that was actually me.
Anyone wanting to see Dalgety in action might want to have a look at this.
Personally I found it difficult to watch and listen to the end. McTernan and Dalgety were very heavy going.
That this young woman was subjected to abuse on social media I have no doubt and – if any of you are reading this page – really, time to screw the nut. Venting your spleen online does nothing to heklp the cause.
Agreed.
And if I have managed to read Twitter correctly, the Rev has said as much;
link to twitter.com
The mad thing is the SNP was full of crackpots and loonies 25years ago in my Village, i would have never of voted for them. Unfortunatley New Labour turned out to be 10x worse and the constant hatred of the SNP and m15 destruction of the SSP was leaving me short of partys, then i started to listen to Alex Salmond when he was at Westminster and descovered what a Statesman and wee gem that he was and hey when the sun published that painting of Nicola that was it SNP for me, dont get me wrong ive always supported Independance FREEDOM
Where was the BBC when the Weirs were monstered. The Weirs kept their dignity by not making political points or attacks and left it at that.
The double standards are shocking.
Bunter said: Where was the BBC when the Weirs were monstered.
The entire movement for full democracy is monstered!
I cannot say how upset I am about J K Rowling. She is a brilliant writer – all my kids,my wife and I have adored reading all the Harry Potter books. What she has done for children’s literacy alone takes your breath away. I have also really appreciated her subsequent books, The Casual Vacancy and The Cuckoo’s Calling. For The Casual Vacancy she gave some heart-rending interviews about how the young main female character of the novel is misunderstood and condemned by blinkered self-interested people in power. I simply cannot reconcile her admirable views with support for the No campaign. How can someone so caring support the end of free university tuition, no more free elderly care, no more free prescriptions, the privatisation of the NHS, food banks, the rich getting richer and the poor..etc., not to mention the obscenity of nuclear weapons in her adopted country?
It is such a kick in the stomach – it feels even worse than UKIP getting a seat in Scotland.
I am not angry; the last thing I want to do is abuse her actions or even criticise her. It just destroys some of my faith in human goodness.
I wish she could understand. I can only swallow my extreme disappointment and resolve to work heart and soul for a Yes victory to avoid the consequences of her sponsorship of No.
Part of me has died.
@John Boyes
OMG that’s who Susan Dalgety is!
I was at this debate. She was frankly a disgrace. More partisan and slippery a figure, you’d be hard to find. Well, if you forget McTernan sitting next to her.
She was continually patronising the audience and outright lying. I am the person shouting “Barnet consequentials” at her when she “informs” the audience that the NHS in Scotland is controlled here and won’t be privatised like in England.
This article brings a whole new light now.
Cvbernats are evil nasty people. British Unionists are nice ordinary people. That is the spin BT aided by the msm are putting out. Keep the heid and carry on.
I am Cybernatacus.
Did Gordon Broon no say he wiz gonna get Dalgety cleaned up
anither failure then Gordy.
I’m bemused at the daily rants about broadcasting MSM which is paid for by viewers who complain ?
The power of TV will win this referendum.
On sunday i went to collect my sunday herald and watched many old people get thier sunday paper then totter off to watch TV getting only propaganda, no surprise then some people will not listen to debate or an alternative viewpoint.
No surprise then SG not getting powers over *broadcast media*
If telly says vote for mickey mouse that’s what they will do, it’s easy.
link to wingsoverscotland.com Its pretty incredible that this bettertogether mega blast came from the above barely 24 hours ago. Assuming BBC, STV, Blair, Flipper, Labour etc are working very closely together with press backing them up, why did it make them react so violently or is the trigger they were waiting for to take down WoS/all YES vote online opinion.
Just listened to Sillars being interviewed on BBC and he started off clearly saying that this woman was not an ordinary member of the public, and went on to explain her links to Slab.
However he said it was wrong for YES supporters to make personal attacks, calling people liars, ("Quizmaster" - Ed)s and bad mothers, and they should stop. (cant mean us surely).
He said YES should concentrate on the force of the argument and that is the way we will win.
It ended interestingly when he said that it was on record that back in 1979, the CIA were known to be involved and that we will never be sure who is behind these personal attacks given that we also have MI5, and their duty is the preservation of the British State. Would be niave to assume that they are not all over the place, but I guess we knew that already.
I suppose we need to be smiley smiley, positive positive all the way to September, so its gonna be a long 3 months!
JK Rowling say Scots are remarkable people, but in the next sentence says we cannae manage. So not as remarkable as Norwegians, Danes, Swedes or any number of other small countries in Europe who manage just fine. Utter guff.
Susan Dalgety is part of that Labour circle who just can’t forgive the SNP for winning elections!
The way devolution was supposed to work is Labour would form governments forever more in Edinburgh. They believe Labour has a divine right to rule. The fact that they don’t do it very well, are too subservient to London and don’t work in Scotland’s interests doesn’t seem to matter to them. It’s power and ruling which matters.
For them, the Yes No debate is just an excuse to continue their war with the SNP.
Thing is, a lot of ordinary Labour voters do realise this is all about much more than just party politics.
5 live– 5 mins ago—I kid u not
JK Rowlings has been called a ("Tractor" - Ed) for giving a donation to NO campaign
must of picked someone off Internet–anybody
could be a plant by no side
@Muttley
Worth adding that the ‘analysis’ you quote from the BBC was attributed to a ‘Scotland correspondent’, almost certainly one of the imports from BBC London drafted in to ‘augment’ Pacific Quay’s coverage of the referendum. The ‘analysis’ is probably the single most biased piece of coverage to date in the campaign – and it’s up against some pretty stiff competition.
As for Call Kaye tomorrow, my money’s on ‘Have YOU been abused online by cybernats’?
Give ’em hell, Stu, give ’em hell.
‘He’s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy’ – Well done Rev I caught you on John Beattie!
Listened to your interview with John Beattie and totally agree with your comments. Although I thought the “neutral” one became a little less neutral when faced with the facts. Look forward to tonight’s performances. Hope you were as good as you were on radio.
@bunter
I listened to the Sillars interview. I agree with most of what he said. Jim is right about Yes supporters not using language such as ("Tractor" - Ed)s and ("Quizmaster" - Ed)s; this does us no good at all. However, I cannot agree with him about not calling people liars when they lie. How many times does Jackie Baillie come out with lies? To many times to mention! Why should Baillie, as a elected public representative (sadly :D), get away with her mindless dishonesty, and not be called out on it?
Sillars mentioned the CIA’s involvement in 1979. Has anybody heard this before (I have not anyway)?
“Listened to your interview with John Beattie and totally agree with your comments. Although I thought the “neutral” one became a little less neutral when faced with the facts.”
I’ve been very impressed with John Beattie for a while. To be absolutely fair, I think he was talking about a specific viewpoint being “neutral” in the case of Hamish Macdonell. Later he identified the two of us as being in opposite camps.
I’d have liked to have had a brief moment to challenge the Telegraph’s alleged quote, and I was annoyed with myself for not mentioning Darling, but there has to be a cutoff point somewhere and I thought the whole thing was a model of the ideal radio discussion – people arguing, but respectfully, and people listening to each other’s points and not being interrupted by each other or the host.
Does Mags Curran know any ordinary people every time she
refers to somebody of the BT celebrity elete, as Respected,
Very Well Respected & naw Mags J K Rowlings no in every home
in the UK,& certainly no in mine , am no intae fairy stories
fae hur, or F*nn*y stories fae you.
As Jim Sillars said on radio beware of agent provocateurs now that Better Together have a team of full time bloggers who could just as easily posted some abusive remarks against Ms Lally or JK Rowling then sit back and watch the sparks fly.
@NODROG
Although I thought the “neutral” one became a little less neutral when faced with the facts.
Yeah I picked that up as well, he was giving it the whole ordinary person storyline regarding Clare Lally but when the Rev listed the whole host of positions and contributions she makes to the Labour Party he had absolutely nowhere to go but back down. Unfortunately the Rev isn’t always around to bring down MSM spin with actual facts.
@Training Day
It feels like we indy supporters are starring in a Western film, and thousands of injuns are about to come swarming over the hill, and are going to try and whack and scalp us!..
Could someone please, please tell me what was so bad about the tweet about Ms Lally? Apart from ONE inaccurate bit, there were no insults, and everything else was the truth.
She appeared on TV claiming that she had been subjected to a tirade of abuse and threats…such as?? I fail to see how a tweet claiming that someone was being misleading by playing down any sort of special interest, (like being directly involved with the Scottish Labour shadow cabinet, and being a long time Labour activist), and pretending to be “Josephine Average”
If somebody is a ("Tractor" - Ed) then they must be called a ("Tractor" - Ed). To do otherwise is just appeasement and that never ends well.
People who take money to betray their country are what, if not ("Tractor" - Ed)s and ("Quizmaster" - Ed)s?
I have been canvassing and the most common replies I am now getting are; I want to vote yes, but I don’t like Salmond. I am finding people who say that are easy converts, and the majority are beginning to see what the media is up to, as soon as I point out that nearly all of our media, and especially the BBC are politically run from London, I can hear the penny dropping
I had a wumman in the checkoot say “I can hardly wait to vote Yes to get rid of Salmond” and couldn’t persuade her how much we needed him to get the vote and sustain the negotiating and settling in period. I am afraid that SOME of the Yes camp spend more time attacking the SNP and Alex Salmond than making a case for Independence.
Dennis Canavan is the opposite, although pining for an Auld Labour that never existed he does acknowledge that there would be no recognition of where we are without Alex Salmond and the SNP. Some of the Yes can’t stop demonising Alex Salmond and partly responsible for the Unionist coalition that keep calling for resignations and points of order. No way should he yield to their demands today
Sinky
Yes, we will have to try and spot the No side’s agent provocateurs on the internet. Tracing people back to these abusive remarks might be fruitful but alas we would need a lot of people to track them all down. Just don’t engage anyone on either side who do abusive comments.
Yup, women are being exploited here, add in anonymous abuse but tied to YES campaign accusations and the ramping up of Union Jackery, then we have the god-awful trinity of what the next three months is going to be like.
Maintain the union at all costs.
My real worry will be the possibility of agent provocateurs ramping up cyber-abuse linking in the YES campaign. It is difficult to prove otherwise and is the touch paper that provides headlines for the BBC/MSM. The Rowling and Lally stories is the testing ground to see how far and long lasting these stories can be maintained in the public eye.
Also the National Collective website has suddenly gained loads of NO voter comments. They’ve suddenly appeared since yesterday.
O/T
Notice that one of the main gripes Ms Rowling had with Scottish Independence was her assertion of a ‘severe loss of funding’ that would benefit ‘Scottish medical research’ in future.
Seems such funding took a big hit today, by means of Ms Rowling’s choice to fund the NO campaign to the tune of £1,000,000 (passionate beleif or not), instead of furnishing such research with the said sum.
No one else find a contradiction in her statement. I know she’s not a politician but … a wee bit of a gaff ?
I know she probably donates loads elswhere, but to fund a political campaign to the tune of a £1m and then bleat about an asserted research funding issue ?
@Rev. Stuart Campbell
I was annoyed with myself for not mentioning Darling
Beattie claimed during that interview that the discussion between politicians had been perfectly civiised. That was your moment Rev to mention AD. But that’s just nit picking on what must’ve been a hectic day for you.
@Peter
They don’t believe that by voting No they are betraying their country and may in fact see the Yes supporter as guilty of betrayal.
The use of ("Quizmaster" - Ed) and ("Tractor" - Ed) in the context of a democratic referendum which has two completely opposing views is not appropriate.
link to bbc.co.uk
A woman has refused to accept an apology from a special advisor to Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond who made false claims about her.
Mother-of-two Clare Lally spoke at an event organised by pro-Union campaign Better Together on Monday.
Adviser Campbell Gunn contacted the Daily Telegraph newspaper to complain about her description as an “ordinary mum”.
Mr Gunn issued an unreserved apology for any offence caused to Ms Lally.
The adviser, a former journalist who was previously political editor of The Sunday Post, was ordered to say sorry by Mr Salmond.
Continue reading the main story
image of Brian Taylor Analysis Brian Taylor Political editor, Scotland
Campbell Gunn is a former political editor (with the Sunday Post) of very long standing.
The most charitable interpretation is that he forgot for a moment that his relationship with the Holyrood press is now on a completely different footing from the days when he was a senior member of the pack.
However, that is emphatically not the interpretation placed upon the matter by the three opposition party leaders at Holyrood.
They say that Mr Gunn is responsible for stirring up abuse and should quit.
Indeed, they suggest further that such abuse may have been orchestrated.
That is resolutely denied by both Mr Gunn and the first minister.
Read more from Brian
Mr Gunn had wrongly claimed in an email to a Telegraph journalist that Ms Lally was the daughter-in-law of Pat Lally, a former Labour Lord Provost of Glasgow.
“Nothing in the email I sent was intended in any way to be a personal slight on Ms Lally or question her absolute right to express her views, and I apologise unreservedly for the upset and offence that has been caused to her and her family,” said Mr Gunn.
Ms Lally told BBC Scotland she had been subjected to “disgraceful, shocking and disgusting” abuse by what she described as “keyboard warriors” on Twitter after a suggestion that she was linked to the former provost appeared on a pro-independence website Wings Over Scotland.
She added: “The comments were really bad, things about me being a mum, about me being a carer, about the work I do, the campaigning I’m involved in. Just really nasty, nasty things, very personal and very upsetting.
“People think this is ok behaviour, that if we don’t agree with one side then we have to be shot down, we have to be publicly ridiculed, we have to be belittled, we have to be discredited for anything that we do.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
Are they trying to silence people? Are they trying to put them off speaking out?”
Clare Lally
“What is abnormal about wanting to speak out and be a part of the campaign that everybody wants to be a part of? It is one of the biggest decisions that is going to happen. Why am I not a nice person simply because of my beliefs?
Ms Lally said she would like Mr Gunn to define what he believed an “ordinary mum” was, and said she did not accept his apology.
However, she said it was not for her to say whether or not Mr Gunn should lose his job.
Jump media player
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Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.
Campbell Gunn was a political journalist before becoming a special adviser to First Minister Alex Salmond
BBC Scotland has found several tweets attacking Ms Lally over her links to the Labour Party as well as some more abusive examples, including one accusing her of using her daughter’s health conditions to scaremonger about the NHS.
In response to the Tweets directed at Ms Lally, Mr Gunn said: “I deplore online abuse directed against Ms Lally or anyone else – from whichever side in the referendum debate – and the assertion by the ‘No’ campaign that I had any involvement in the co-ordination of such activity is completely untrue.
“I sent one email to one journalist which in no way was intended to form the basis of a story. I am genuinely sorry I did so, and the first minister had no knowledge of it.
“The first minister has previously met Ms Lally, as is also reported today, and holds her in the highest possible regard.”
The leaders of Scottish Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives said the first minister must sack Mr Gunn.
Ms Lally, who is from Clydebank, told the Better Together event on Monday: “I’m just a normal person but I want to do something extraordinary. I want to do my bit to help keep people together.”
‘Estimable person’
She told how she was grateful for the care health workers had given her seven-year-old twin girls, one of whom has cerebral palsy, and wanted to “make sure our NHS remains the best in the world”.
Mr Salmond told the BBC he had met Ms Lally several times and she was “perfectly entitled to her view”.
He said the claim about Ms Lally was a “mistake”, but added that it was not an insult because Pat Lally was an “estimable” person.
The first minister said: “I’ve instructed the special adviser to apologise for any offence that’s been caused by that – but she’s not Pat Lally’s daughter-in-law, she is an ordinary mother and she’s absolutely entitled to express a view, as indeed every other person in Scotland is.”
Asked whether the first minister’s staff should be briefing against people who express a view on independence, Mr Salmond replied: “It was a misunderstanding.
“Saying that somebody thought somebody was somebody’s daughter-in-law is not a grievous insult and shouldn’t be taken as such.
“But, just to make sure, an apology will be on its way to underline the point.”
The first minister was also asked to respond to claims from Ms Lally that she was targeted by abusive comments on social media.
He said: “I’ve always condemned anything that’s said untoward on social media.
“We’re conducting a great debate in Scotland at the present moment – a debate that has to be conducted at the highest level, and I would ask everybody on social media, and any media, to conduct it in that term.”
Stuart Campbell, from the Wings Over Scotland, said it had only ever suggested Clare Lally “might” be related to Pat Lally, and that its main point was that she was not an “ordinary mother”.
He said: “She is not elected but she is in Scottish Labour’s shadow cabinet.
“She’s in UK Labour’s national policy forum, I believe she is the secretary of a constituency Labour Pary. She’s involved in formulating Labour policy. I think that pretty much counts as being a politician.”
The referendum on Scottish independence will take place on 18 September.
Is Stu on the new BBC2 1030pm slot?
all this noise meant Darling and Brown slipped under the radar.
That was clearly the intention, all along.
Luigi
Correct, diversion tactics.
link to bbc.co.uk
You’ll notice that in quite a long article Lally’s connection to the Labour Party isn’t mentioned until the bottom two paragraphs, and then only as quotes from the Rev, this is so they can come across as claims and not facts.
Question: why are no Unionists ever held to account for the abuse of Salmond by the MSM?
Ms Lally was milking it and greetin’ oan the telly. Whit about the mess Blair left, upset the Middle East and the whole planet leading to the bank crash and over a million deaths? Nothing to greet aboot there. Whether she was related to Pat Lally or no’ she is a liar and misogynist.
Yes supporter over on Stuart’s Twitter page has just reported that he’s been physically assaulted for displaying a Yes sticker.
Independence supporters are threatened and abused every single day, whether it is online or in the street, yet the press and TV won’t cover it.
Highlight a Better Together blatant lie though or an underhand bit of stage management and the Unionists are all over the story screaming “abuse by Cybernats”.
The hatred and physical abuse by the Unionists has to be stopped, I hope Johann Lamont raises this at FMQ’s tomorrow and calls on her supporters to stop.
Wasn’t Johnnie Beattie a supporter of the No campaign in 1979, if its’ the same Beattie oan Riverside?
Is that the Hamish MacDonnell Brit spy who writes porkies for the Hootsmon?
@Donald Anderson
John Beattie is a former Scottish international rugby player. I think you are getting him mixed up with someone else.
Thanks. Wrong Jo0hnnie Beattie. Most of the River City cast are supporting the Yes campaign. Don’t know if the auld yin has changed his mind. His character is suffering from memory loss, just like the Labour party.
Actually it is quite laughable that the wee Shadow Labour Cabinet member finds it is so insulting to be thought of as related to a former Scottish Labour Lord Provost of Glasgow.
Who would have thought it so insulting to a Scottish Labour Party Shadow Cabinet member to have a Scottish Labour Lord Party Lord Provost in the family?
Did anyone else think it was insulting to be related to a Scottish Labour Party Lord Provost? Makes one wonder what she finds so insulting about it.
@ Wullie B – Wullie the fact that you linked the bbc Scotland page means you don’t have to type or copy everything that was said – it will save you time
The NO camp want to take this debate into the gutter.To turn people off.To keep the turn out low.To stop people debating the real issues about Scotland’s future.We must keep up the positive message.Dont get drawn into a slanging match.
@twenty14 I know but it also saves on footfall over there for people who dont want to use BBC website and there are quite a few
I was pounding streets today delivering my 200 YES newspapers in my beautiful sunny Aberdeen in my full WoS TShirt(front & BACK) + my WoS kaki baseball cap along with my YES regalia wristband, buttonbadge and lanyard. Like a real dill. No problemo.
Had my FM radio headfones on.
Stopped in my track, BBC Radio Scotland JohnBeattie JokeShow had oor Rev STU on LIVE, and no BBC interruptions. STU good performance. LORD(my arse) John Reid UK Labour top psycho will not be happy.
Good news. I’m noticing YES window/car stickers on all my streets.
Also had positive approval fae a fellow Winger on the streets o Aberdeen.
Last week got toots fae YES cars. Rock and roll.
ps. Everyone knows UK Labour’s ‘Lally’ story is non story, with usual faux outrage. Even BBC/BBC Scotland know it and still broadcast!
Its UK Labour’s modus operandi(method of operation).
That’s how they operate and behave. no integrity.
Never mind the economy UK labour lead with ‘Lally’ story, a non story. This is our future if we vote NO. NEVER.
think we’re about to see the start of the real dirty war on here, Bella, Newsnet etc . This is the place that BT have to fight as these sites are were the truths are revealed. Please be wary how we respond to anyone on these discussions and sometimes sit back and look at the trail they leave through their threads. We are going to be discredited at every opportunity and it will all be planned. Good for JK. R speaking her mind – it will allow other high profiles the opportunity to do likewise
I get your point Wullie B –
Hey Rev – just seen your pic. You Can’t be Rev Stu Campbell – Rev Stu Campbell is 6ft tall, and consumes journalists with with fireballs from his eyes, and bolts of lightning from his arse. _ oops
Rev,
This seems a bit out of the blue with you doing interview after interview in one day. Is this unusual, as in out of the blue.
My first initial thought was that the media have decided to somehow take you on, and see if they can ‘debunk’ you. Hopefully, all went well. Might be the start of things!
Just read while checking something else out, a Yes supporter has just been physically assaulted and threatened to have his windows put in for displaying yes stickers on his car, and apparently there is CCTV of this and the police are involved! Will be interesting to see if this gets any media coverage seeing as ‘ordinary mum targeted by vile cybernats’ has caused such a shitstorm even though I have searched everywhere and found not a trace of abuse!
In fact I myself have, whilst correcting false statements from the no camp, came under plenty of abuse, threatened, told to ‘drop dead scottish bastard!’ Comments on the internet were hardly going to bother me but I’m now wondering if I should have contacted the papers and broken down in tears recounting the vicious nature of the vile britnats!
I don’t think this story will have any effect on how people vote. Something tells me that if those behind it keep exhibiting it at every opportunity it will turn any sympathy vote the other way. People aren’t daft and can eventually smell a rat.
I’m sure that like all the other big dramas created by BT it will eventually bite it on the ass.
I have see a few posts mentioning BT hiring teams of full time bloggers.
Anyone got any links to any statements or articles confirming this?
Jings! Whit a fuss! But truth to tell, some of us are a wee bit quick to jump at the fly and end up with a hook in our mouths.
Watch ’em folks. Start to think like your enemy and you will be able to predict his moves. Ask yourself what would YOU do if you were a No supporter and prepared to lie.
You may be surprised at some of the awful ideas you will come up with.
The NO camp want to take this debate into the gutter.
That’s for sure, we won’t fall for that. No doubt there will be abuse from the No side at the No side, pretending to be us. Let’s not worry about that.
Keep taking the positive reason for a Yes to your friends and neighbours. That is how we win.
I thought John Beattie did well in the circumstances. Obviously his producer had set him up for the cybernat war of the BBC’s imagination. Stu brought it back to earth and said it was a minority occupation of both sides. I thought Hamish was shown up for the amateur he is. He doesn’t know his subject and Stu demonstrated that. Hamish the neutral -LOL
If ever there was mountain out of a molehill issue it is this one. How on earth anyone can be upset about being mistakenly called a relative of Pat Lally – particularly when her surname is Lally and she is a prominent member of the Labour Party is beyond me. Pat Lally in his day was a political icon in the Glasgow Labour Party. Anyone who wants to see abusive cyber insults need only access some of the Scottish football websites. All that I can say is that a lot of those poor souls in the No camp must be very thin skinned.
Jim Sillars on BBC Newsdrive reminded listeners that: 1. Much of the online abuse is anonymous 2.The abusers claiming to be from the YES side may well be Agent Provocateurs. 3. MI5 were active in the 1979 Referendum campaign and that MI5’s job is to maintain the British State and they would not be doing their job if they were not actively working against Scottish self determination.
Some of us on here have warned for many months that the security forces of Perfidious Albion would not give up Scotland without a fight. Those warnings were based on bitter personal experience. My guess is that the UK dirty tricks brigade are now active.
Poor wee stupid lying Labour/Unionists
Susan’s shame
Lie after lie after lie.
Having absorbed the events of the day, I don’t think people should get too downhearted. The BT campaign on health has been spiked somewhat, because once again their attempt to provide an “ordinary person” view has been exposed as astroturfing.
They have also revealed one of their main campaign fronts for the run-in: a desperate play of the misogynist card to try to stop female voters switching to Yes in their droves, just like they switched to the SNP in April/May 2011. It’s notable how almost all the prominent players for the No campaign today were women: Lally, Lamont, Baillie…even Rowling.
My gut feeling is that such a tactic will backfire on them massively. If there’s one thing women don’t like, it’s being patronised. If there’s one thing women like even less than being patronised, it’s being lied to. BT’s tactic of presenting Lally as “just another ordinary mum” was a patronising lie.
Just watched the Scotland Tonight ‘interview’.
Well done Rev Stu – you did the joab!
Stu thanks for getting the point across even considering the strange Labour woman trying to kid on that Better Together are innocents.STV was not too bad?
What a laod of $h!†€!
The guy from London, John McTeirnan(?) said that WE are all co-ordinated by Al Icsammin and the SNP and are being orchestrated!!!
?$$ off…
Replace ‘laod’ with ‘load’.
Sarah Smith is in full ‘Defend the Union’ mode tonight. She allowed Ruth Davidson to get away with a couple of quite clear ‘misunderstandings’.
The Sunday Express man on Scotland2014 said you cannot believe everything you read on WOS or that Gunn says. Actionable?
Annabelle Ewing was ridiculously bad though Rab, like a deer caught in the headlights and made no useful points at all. They should make a decision right now to keep her off of any future TV confrontations.
Just seen the last half of Scotland 2014 – missed Stu, but caught the faux outrage. Quite sickening.
But there is going to be more of it. Us cyberbnats need to be squeaky clean and if there are some black pops going on we need to get to the bottom of it and expose it.
Ben Borland ‘I’d just like to add just goes to show you can’t believe everything you read on the website Wings Over Scotland’
LOL
It does my head in that we don’t get Scotland Tonight down here in Dumfriesshire, and the broadband connection is 30 seconds of buffering for every 5 seconds of viewing. Aaarggghhh.
Courtesy of Tivo, just saw the Rev on Scotland Tonight, bravo Rev (noticed the lack of the title though), the only voice pointing out that we are not attacking Ms Lally personally, but the lie of what she has been presented as.
Keep up the good work!
Have just seen the STV interview. She didn’t come across very well to say the least. Rev Stu was professional, calm and to the point. I think he actually got her to rip herself to shreds? THIS is the start of the debate, nice one!
It’s impossible to be squeaky clean as their are nutjobs on both sides of the debate, the problem arises where the MSM paint it to be a problem only for indy supporters, it is classic black ops.
Just watched Scotland Tonight – Susan Dalgety’s performance was atrocious; what an angry, rude and condescending woman.
Well done Stu – Points well made, hopefully to a wide audience. and you did not come across as a cybernat (nor a bawbag for that matter LOL)
Just watched Stuart on ScotNight, you talked too much sense Stu so we are unlikely to see you back on any time soon. Like Ivan and Gordon at BfS they were on and because they cut through the pish we don’t see them.
Well done though Stu you used your time well.
Well done Rev for keeping calm in the face of Susan Dalgety trying to shout over you on Scotland Tonight.
I’ve been a “lurker” for a year now,reading your excellent site, learning loads i didn’t know, never having the guts to post until now, but just have to add my tuppence worth tonight. Sick of shouting at the screen at the out and out lies of the “other side”.
Keep up the great work you are doing. More power to your elbow. x
Came across very well there Rev, Susan did not respond to a single point you put to her by my reckoning. And right enough she must be a crap person to go to the cinema with, all that background talking she was doing.
STV and Rhona Dougall 2300 hrs setting the tone for tomorrow with her “first of 5 things happening” “Alex Salmond facing a grilling ” at First Ministers questions .So there we have it IE. Johan Lamont and co. will be given MAXIMUM EXPOSURE and no doubt what the lead item will be on tomorrows “Scottish six” ( and 0630 ) .However, i somehow feel that the F.M. , with all his years of experience, performing “away from home” at Wembley oops Westminster,on behalf of his country , should comfortably “see off” these 2nd rate political players, with the “home advantage” in Edinburgh. A genuinely “international class* politician now thankfully based in Scotland and now being recognised by many of his countrymen and women as ” the man to lead us forward to an Independent future.
Having watched Susan Dalgety tonight it is easy to understand, with her acting as a Press Officer for SLAB, that they are in their present lowly position.
Nobody persuaded me to send in this comment!
I’m now watching my recording of “Scotland 2014”.
Jeez!
Ruth Davidson just uttered,
That Wings Over Scotland (by implication) “has a record of of abusing people online or whether they (the First Minister’s Office) were passing that information to the web site themselves…”
Desperation on the dark side is increasing. We should meet it all with wry smiles and guffaws – that’ll really get them $h!††in thir breeks!
Having followed this non event, I would simply ask why does anyone give a flying f**k about the charlatan Ms Lally? If she is happy to sell out NHS Scotland and Scotland to pursue SLAB’s agenda that is her lookout. Our job is to ensure a YES vote and wasting time over a waste of space such as her and the Dalgety liar is simply doing the NO side’s work for them. Can we now get back to the important issues – like all good independenistas should do (and that includes Rev Stu). Thank you.
Bloody hell Stu, next time you’re asked to debate with someone like Susan Dalgety, make sure they have a defibrillator standing by.
The poor anti-SNP-ist nearly keeled over and imploded everytime you were given a chance to put this whole blood and soil v Lally-gate thingmy into perspective.
Between her mock outrage and Darling being utterly stutterly, those two would make fantastic Spitting Image puppets.
You did well on Scotland Tonight Stu. Kudos. That Dalgety woman was so bad my wife actually commented on her attitude. Between her & that Labour apologist up against McWhorter (who was nearly incandescent with rage under the surface) it’s not hard to see why Labour have failed Scotland.
As depressed as I am at the nastiness our enemy has descended to I’m more convinced than ever that we are winning.
@AyeAlba (11.23) –
Welcome aboard – your lurking days are done.
Please tell us more, and often. Cheers!
I missed all of these, was watching NZ beat WI in Kingston. Records galore, including the second fastest 50 EVER in cricket by No10 Shane Shillingford for WI.
@Ian Brotherhood (12.19)
Thanks for your welcome message Ian, you put a big smile on my face, although we have been in contact before(in a roundabout way). I signed your petition over on change.org.
I am proud to say I am a woman whose dearest wish is for Scotland to be Independent. It burns in my soul.
I read the comments in MSM and can’t believe the venomous bile thrown at us for daring to want self determination yet we are accused of abuse, then I come on Wings and my heart soars and often laugh out loud.
Thank goodness for WoS.
This is some of the abuse I got today. But, of course, it is never reported.
“Definitely wee Eck’s bitch”
“How much is Alex and Nicola paying you as a matter of fact??”
“Oh and something else this is the NO to Scottish Independence FB page. Away and vent your spleen on the nationalist side and stop hijacking ours! Typical SNP! Let’s see who can shout the loudest!!!
And what did I say?
“I take it that you have no confidence in your own, and other Scots ability to run a better fairer society where the rich do not get ever richer at the expense of the poor. Or are you confused by the lies told in the British Press?”
Graham MacMurdie Al Stuart I do not align myself with ANY political party. I am a political atheist if you will. I believe that ALL politicians are crooks and would not trust one single one of them. I have been born and bred in Scotland as part of the UK and have no real complaints whilst I have been here. I genuinely fear for the aftermath of a yes vote. It is a HUGE upheaval to make and I sincerely hope if you get your way, it will not do our country any disservice.
11 hrs · Like · 3
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Graham MacMurdie Are the Scottish Press telling the truth then???
11 hrs · Like
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Al Stuart What “Scottish Press” would that be then?
11 hrs · Like · 1
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Graham MacMurdie Ok, so you are saying that EVERYTHING in the press in the UK is all lies then? Is that correct?
11 hrs · Like
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Al Stuart Yep Graham, got it in one, though of course the odd truth gets through inadvertently!.
11 hrs · Like · 5
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Graham MacMurdie You really are something else Al Stuart!!!
11 hrs · Like · 1
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Graham MacMurdie Definitely wee Eck’s bitch ;-))
11 hrs · Like · 1
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Graham MacMurdie How much is Alex and Nicola paying you as a matter of fact??
11 hrs · Like · 1
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Graham MacMurdie Oh and something else Al Stuart, this is the NO to Scottish Independence FB page. Away and vent your spleen on the nationalist side and stop hijacking ours! Typical SNP! Let’s see who can shout the loudest!!!
11 hrs · Like · 2
Ben Borland of the Sunday Suppress managed to keep a straight face when he said you can’t believe all you read in the WOS, Every day his paper has Salmon headlines eating Hamsters.
I posted last night and was moderated for the first time in 2-3 years. Was it because I wasn’t fulsome in my praise of the Rev Stu and his handling of this issue in the first place?
I made it clear that I believe that the Unionist msm were waiting for a slip like this to blot out Darling etc. and that their reaction was grotesque in its self righteous ferocity and hypocrisy, but I felt it was an error of judgement by Rev Stu.
No big deal..but to have my comment deleted echoes treatment meted out on Newsnet Scotland for criticising SNP gaffes in the past.
I know you are under attack by trolls every day, but honest disagreement by loyal contributors should not be treated similarly.
The reason for this is that the SNP has challenged successfully Labour’s divine right to rule
Lochside said: I posted last night and was moderated for the first time in 2-3 years.
The site is under surveillance from spooks. The most innocuous posts disappear, one of mine yesterday, two this morning.
To the issues that matter:
I notice people are refusing to take at face value what politicians say and are instead seeking out the facts and historical precedent for themselves.
They are becoming their own experts.
This is a good development. It means they have a better chance of making a rational decision and not, like Rowling, the irrational one unionists hope we will make.
@Lochside
The site is under constant cyber attack (from the other side) and occasionally posts do disappear. It’s not peronsal (unless they know where you live) and not related to your expressed opinion.
I seem to recall that the dodgy dossier and the subsequent illegal war in Iraq that killed hundreds of thousands of wholly innocent people was entirely the actions of New Labour in Govt. at Westminster.
(Reminder to Susan Dalgety).
Omagh pales into the dark when ranting New Labour toadies like Susan Dalgety refuse to recognise their more recent War Crimes versus Humanity in Iraq (and Afghanistan).
The current Hell that is Iraq where ISIS is heading from Mozil and Tikrit to Baghdad is a direct result of New Labour`s despicable intervention in their Illegal war in Iraq.
Scots will take zero lessons from Susan Dalgety.
War crimes in Iraq were opposed by SNP – NOT BY HER?
Does Brown and Darling support her views when every Scot “KNOWS” they will never be allowed to hold high political office at Westminster or anywhere.
Where is McConnell, whose silence lends support to this gangrenous Scottish Sister of the Scottish (?) Labour Party that is now controlled solely by Johann Lamont whose silence is also a signal.
Confoundingly, we taxpayers paid Dalgety to serve McConnell.
When we cannot defeat Muppets like Susan Dalgety we will really be in trouble.
Belfast-man Eamonn Holmes on Sky News has never once mentioned the fact that British Passports in Scotland are Processed in Belfast because that subject will highlight another inequality versus Scots.
In 2007 Brown spitefully chose to punish fellow Scots for having the temerity to elect an SNP Minority Govt. by transferring ” PASSPORT PROCESSING ” from Glasgow to Belfast on the 300th Anniversary of the Act of Union of 1707.
187 x workers made redundant by Brown and Darling in Glasgow Passport Office.
Our Ancient Rights removed by Brown and Darling.
His History Degree wasn`t wasted as he garners his MP`s salary in abstentia.
Better Together – my reply – No Thanks.
Wanton Wampum, I would have been very upset when in 1999 I had to travel to the Canary Islands over a weekend and not having a passport had at least only to travel to Glasgow to obtain it, where the staff pulled out all the stops for me. My Mother was dying in a hospital there and I had been advised to get there right away. So for all of those who today just might face a similar situation I have nothing but sympathy. Let us hope we ALL see sense and vote YES in September and we no longer face this iniquity.
Rev. Stu I take your point about not using the word which defines someone who takes preferment or money from another country on here and will no longer use it. I will still think it. I am as many people here must be, upset at amount of opprobrium with regard to the so called abuse that the poor NO campaigners say they are receiving, I think most of us would like to see an apology from the main stream media for the amount of abuse given to the Weirs, that would at least address a little of the balance.
Why do we not take the heat away from the Union attacks on what they cannot control by listing the worst of the comments of prominent Union Politicians, and leading journalists, even BBC and STV.
These people are not cybernats,but can be every bit as bad as what comes from both side of the divide.
The big difference is that these people are Unionist politicians of all parties,Union officials, civil servants, Newspaper Editors etc. These people SHOULD know better, but don’t.
They cannot help themselves and will indulge in name calling and insults to try and protect their Union.
Yet, they blame everything on “Cybernats”, which is blatantly not true. We need to expose their hidden side of nastiness that none report.
EMERGENCY PASSPORT QUESTIONS (now)
Ayrshire Central Labour MP Brian Donohoe had the cheek to ask the Home Office Minister WHY his constituents may need to go to Durham or Belfast to get a passport?
After he voted along with every Scottish New Labour MP in 2007 to shift Passport Processing from Glasgow to Belfast where 1.8 million Ulster people control the passports of 5.3 million Scots
In 2011 not to be outdone the ConDems shifted Border Control HQ over our Ancient Borders – to Belfast.
“Freedom`s just another word – for nothing left to lose”.
For Pete Wishart and other MP`s of SNP –
187 x workers were made redundant in 2007 by Brown and Darling in the Glasgow Passport Office (not 150)
187 Made redundant on the 300th Anniversary of the Act of Union of 1707
Better Together (No thanks) with Brown and Darling whom history records – removed the Ancient Rights of Scots.
Despicable ("Tractor" - Ed)ous Muppets. Donohoe has a short memory span or on-set dementia.
Predicted the ‘misogyny’ tactic about a month back Reprehensible of course, but an obvious fit with unionist M.O.
The most recent post I couldn’t get on this site, yesterday, was quite supportive of JKR. I presumed it was prevented by a DOS of some kind. Gave up after a couple of attempts.
JK. And Ordinary Mum….I just donated to the Yes campaign….????
The Brits own, or don’t need to own, the media in Scotland with their abusive headlies every day, non stop. With the invention of cyber space we can answer back and they don’t like it one but. As Dad’s arny commented, “They don’t like cold steel up ’em”.
Having read the mad rantings of Dalgety & just watched the wretched Johanne Lamont at FMQ’s it seems the Labour party has a very deep & poisonous well to draw from. Irony doesn’t seem to go well with them either. They say the most outrageous things against the SNP with their snarling, braying bitterness then hold up hands in exaggerated horror when someone points out that an ordinary mum is actually a labour activist. Similarly. JK Rowland’s shock about online abuse looked weirdly pre planned. All Lamont has done since becoming Leader of Labour is attack Salmond. God forbid this nasty little woman ever becomes FM. She is an embarrassment who will use a child’s disability or a constituent’s illness in her hate filled assaults on Salmond. I’m not sure he fully understands how much he is Hated by Labour. Is it partly because Labour’s natural place is in power & the Snp are in their chair?
In light of the media going over the top with so called ‘cybernats’ and all this online abuse. One has to ask the question, why is there no reporting of the abuse that can be found here ?
link to twitter.com