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Posted on October 17, 2012 by

There’s been a large depression hanging over the area around Wings Over Scotland Mansions since last night, exacerbated by the fact that Craig Levein STILL hasn’t resigned or been fired. We’ve also not quite shaken off our cold yet, and the overall result is that we just can’t summon the strength to write anything today. In an attempt to lift the gloom, here’s a picture of Metal Mickey in the meantime.

Normal service should be resumed tomorrow. Chat amongst yourselves until then in the comments. Anything we should be talking about? Any good jokes? Let us know.

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Norman

It’s pishing it doon, and bettertogether can’t do simple maths AGAIN!! Or……

mogabee

Metal Mickey for President !                       Sorry you’re feeling below par Rev.

panda paws

Take a lemsip and prepare for Question Time tomorrow from Easterhouse with Nicola Sturgeon, Margaret Curren, Ruth Davidson and old Cochers himself. If that doesn’t provide you with a page or two to blog nothing will!
 
 

McHaggis

An investigation has started today into the disappearance of a large Northern English city…

Police are said to be looking for leads.

Badumtish! 

Macart

So Wullie Rennie and Ming Campbell walk into a pub………………….

McHaggis

Special bomb disposal experts today defused a device hidden inside a can of Heinz Alphabetti Spaghetti in a supermarket in Edinburgh…

A spokesman said “if it had gone off, it could have spelled disaster…”

ayethankyou… 

Seasick Dave

My son wanted an Airfix model of an ocean liner for his birthday so I phoned up the model shop.

When they said that they only had an Italian one, I asked them to put it on one side for me.

Norman

Talking about wee Willie I thought I saw him with a flat tyre at blackhall this morning…

Arbroath 1320

Sorry to spoil all the humour here but what’s folks thoughts on Charley and his scribblings to Westminster?
link to newsnetscotland.com

CJCairns

Drove up through the pouring rain here to Skye today and found that – only five months after asking for one – BT have managed to put a phone and internet line in the hoose!
So now I can tell you I plan an evening with Dr Talisker and Nurse Lemsip in front of a roaring log fire. Something to think about Rev …

muttley79

@panda paws
 
Please tell me that is the not the BBC’s idea of a ‘balanced’ panel for a debate on independence (I know there will be other questions) or are they just extracting the urine again……..

peter

murmering within the libdems that they may champion home rule for scotland. expected to be ratified in libdem conference in 2097.

James Morton

I have started playing XCOM – Enemy unknown – Until I have finished I will now be referred to as Commander Straker

KBW

So Wullie Rennie and Ming Campbell walk into a pub………in Govan, carrying a set of jump leads, the barman say’s “dinnae you two be starting anything in here noo.”

KBW

I thought panda paws was ripping the pee he’s no they really are………..link to bbc.co.uk
 
The BBC are at it big time.

muttley79

@KBW
 
According to your link there will be 5 panelists tomorrow.  Out of this number only 1, Nicola Sturgeon, will be there to argue for independence.  Out of the 4, Davidson, Curran, Cochrane are diehard unionists and are guaranteed to be rude, aggressive, obnoxious, and speak over Sturgeon.  What are the BBC thinking about?  5 is a odd number, so there probably is going to be someone else, but even then, impartial it ain’t.  Hopefully somebody like Canavan will be included.

ronald alexander mcdonald

Did Ming tell us which planet he intends to implement his federal arrangement?

I can exclusively reveal that the SFA have approached Wullie Rennie to relace Craig Levein.  Another useless prick, but they can blame Alex Salmond for crap results.  

Arbroath 1320

Ming the Merciless might be thinking of one of these first ronald,Forest Kingdom of Arboria, Ice Kingdom of Frigia or Jungle Kingdom of Tropica. 😀

TYRAN

– Scots abroad could also be put at greater risk of “child abduction, forced marriage or crime” through the loss of the UK’s consular assistance.
link to telegraph.co.uk

Whatever next…

Davy

Aye they have fairly loaded the panel, with old David D himself it will be 5 to 1 in favour of the unionist’s, lets thank the BBBC for ensuring a fair fight. At least Nicola has one thing in her favour the rest of them will only spout the same unionist scare story crap we have been hearing for years, so she should batter the shite out of them with it.
  

wullie

What’s the difference between a bagpipe and an onion?
A. No one cries when you chop up a bagpipe.

wullie

Q. If you were lost in the woods, who would you trust for directions: an in-tune
bagpipe player, an out-of-tune bagpipe player, or Santa Claus?
A. The out-of-tune bagpipe player. The other two indicate you have been
hallucinating.

wullie

Q. What’s the difference between a dead bagpiper in the road and a dead country
singer in the road?
A. The country singer may have been on the way to a recording session.
hope these cheer you up Rev

Macart

KBW

T’ quote the great McHaggis…………..

Badumtish! 😀 

Arbroath 1320

I;ve just posted this over on Scottish Independence but thought it might help fore warn a few on here as well.
Deputy First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon MSP
leader of the Scottish Conservative Party Ruth Davidson MSP
Shadow Scottish Secretary Margaret Curran MP
Daily Telegraph Scottish Editor Alan Cochrane
Mark Serwotka, General Secretary of the PCS trade union.

Now I don’t know about any one else but from where I’m sitting this looks like a heavily doctored panel in favour of the union. one person, Niclola Stugeon, three against Ruth Davidson, Margaret Curran, Alan Cochrane. The only person on the panel I have no idea about is Mark Serwotka. At this point in time I’m uncertain as to whether he is for the union or for Scottish Independence. From the very occasional snippet I’ve heard in the past I think he may be a neutral with slight Independence sympathies. Only time will tell. Make sure you have nothing easily to hand that can be thrown at your T.V. and also make sure you have your heart and blood pressure pills to hand.
 
You have been warned.

albaman

Rev,
I dare not look at question-time, my t/v would not last the length of the
programme!!. says a lot for Nicola Sturgeon when she knows what she
is about to face,and yet I bet that she is undaunted by the thought.

   

Arbroath 1320

Tyran, I also think the fourth paragraph from the end also explains quite a lot. The MOD claiming that the £3.5 Billion cost of building the Faslane submarine Trident base would be surpassed by relocating the Trident subs to England.

Franklin

usual TV debate or interview con for politics where three unionists/ Tories gang up on one snp /independence supporter. MSM bias at its best. so common it is taken for granted or assumes an air of acceptability or normality. Roll on 2014!

Morag

I’d like to see Nicola, Blair Jenkins, Patrick Harvie and Ian Bell against, say, Alistair Campbell.  That would be worth the licence fee….

Aplinal

In Govan last night someone broke into the police station and stole all the toilet seats.  The Chief Constable told the press that they have nothing to go on.  Boom Boom!
Three politicians walk into an Edinburgh pub, one Labour, one Conservative, and one Lib dem.  The pub empties.
(OK not funny, but it’s my dream that FINALLY we will wake up to the numpties)

Bill C

Morag that kind of sums it up. If the BBC are allowed to get away with this sort of blatant bias we might as well pack up and go home now! Something has to be done about this sort of partizan progamming.

Franklin

Would only be fair for the Indy crowd to Have a turn at it and outnumber the Britnats for a change. let them sweat and force them into real debate instead of jeering and shouting down the snp or yes vote rep. their lazy and privalleged attitude would not prepare them for it or let them fare well during the debate. They’d never agree to it as they are cowards. same as the rest too scared to debate with Eck.

Keith B

I’m betting the BBC’s argument will be that until the 16 week pre-referendum period is reached any rules about impartiality re panels do not apply.

Franklin

More and more it feels like Pravda or similar bad old state media.

Arbroath 1320

Hell Morag I’d even consider restarting paying my T.V. licence for that show! 😀

Dcanmore

@Arbroath

I think it will take at least ten years to build a new facility, so it will cost probably around £12 billion figuring in government delays, red tape, fudgings, indecisions, u-turns, incompetence and private contractors inflated profit margin. Also they have to find a suitable place for the storage of the warheads in the first place before building. I doubt the South coast is suitable because of population centres are too near, also I don’t think the French will be to happy having a foreign country’s entire nuclear arsenal less than 80 miles from their seaside towns and busy ferry routes.

So the questions would be: where will the subs and warheads go in storage for years before the new facility is built? and … Where will this (effectively a new port) facility will be built in the first instance? A major headache I would think. If rUK insist on keeping nuclear weapons and subs after Scottish Independence then I would happily rent them out the current facilities at Faslane and Coulport at £30m a day (about the cost of a modest war), over ten years that’s about £110b into the sovereign wealth fund 🙂 If they have a problem keeping up with payments then I’m sure the USA will help out with a loan considering they want the UK to buy their Trident replacement.

Morag

Just copying this over from a comment on CiF.
 
Just consider that Westminster could very easily make it clear exactly how much Scotland puts into the Union, and exactly how much we get back in return. After all, it’s Westminster which collects all the money and allocates where it goes. We can assume they know who pays what and who gets what.
If Scotland was indeed hopelessly dependent on UK handouts, Westminster would publish all the figures in glorious technicolour and upload videos to YouTube, and there would be a 10 part BBC documentary all about them. This would pretty much kill the independence debate stone dead, as Scots would be able to quantify those so-called Union benefits in precise detail. But instead finding out how much Scotland pays into the Union and how much we get back takes a crack squad of industrial strength accountants on amphetamines. So it’s a safe bet that we’re not dependent on subsidies from Westminster after all.

Ian Brotherhood

Visual joke…

A lobster with a hangover goes into his local and asks for a pint of lager.
Barman: No chance. You’re barred.
Lobster: Whit? That’s pure pish man. What am I barred for? 
Barman: See? Canny even remember. Ye were in here last night, giving it all that… 

Bill C

I have just emailed YES Scotland asking if there is anything that can we done about this continual bias of the BBC i.e. using tomorrow nights Question Time as a case in point.
Also mentioned the fact that that my wife was out with a number of friends for lunch and the conversation drifted on to the subject of independence. Not one of them knew that come independence they would be able to vote for whoever they like in the Scottish General Election in 2016. They all thought Big Eck would be in charge ’till he pops his clogs (God forbid).  Personally I would be very happy with that scenario, however I think this illustrates that a lot of folk out there who are not really that interested in politics need a lot more information. 

Tearlach

You bugger Stu – you have given me your cold, and I have to catch a ferry to Orkney tomorrow, and the forecast is not that great…… Warm tody needed tonight.

Anyway – one of my faves – When I go I want to go like Grandad, quietly and in my sleep….

Not screaming like his passengers…..   
 

 

Arbroath 1320

I agree with what you say Dcanmore. I think the real problem for Westminster is that they never in a month of Sunday’s thought that they would ever reach a point where we here in Scotland would be getting the chance to vote for Independence. Naturally because of this unionist “head in the sand” approach they are now in the situation where Scottish Independence is a real possibility and they are now all running around like headless chickens desperate searching for a location for their beloved Trident subs and accompanying nukes.
 
Your assessment of the costings is, in my view, not too exaggerated. I think if you look at any new government build over the last decade or so then you can take any announced costings, double it and then double it again, only then will you get any where close to the true cost of the new build. The recent Olympics is only the latest example of such a costings approach.
 
I can just imagine the furore and outrage across the Channel should Westminster try and re position their Trident subs on the South coast. Perhaps Westminster should enter into negotiations with their “best buddies” the U.S.A. with a view to “renting” space at Norfolk Naval yard in Virginia. At least the Westminster nuclear subs would be in the correct location to receive the launch codes should they ever be needed. There would also be no need to worry about upsetting the locals on the South coast of England nor would they be upsetting the French.

Morag

Big Eck has tried to step down once before, and was only dragged back kicking and screaming because a delegation lined up and did a Kitchener on him.
 
Mrs. Moira Big Eck must be about 75 by now, and although she scarcely looks it and is definitely up for whatever it takes, I imagine the couple would like a bit of a retirement together.
 
I certainly don’t think he’ll stay more than one term after independence, if that.

DougtheDug

24 years after the party was formed, 13 years after the Scottish Parliament was created, 5 years after the SNP formed a minority government, a year and a half after the SNP formed a majority government and two days after devo-something as an option on the ballot paper was ruled out, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Scottish Lib-Dems have come up with that second option.

I give you the Report of the Home Rule and Community Rule Commission of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.

link to scotlibdems.org.uk

Read it.
You’ll laugh, Barnett Formula funding, you’ll cry, no oil revenues and you’ll boggle with amazement as Ming lays out his vision of a Federal UK in the hope the UK Lib-Dem party doesn’t leg it for the exits when they read Federal and England in the same sentence.

You’ve seen the Tavish the Viking in a strop, you’ve heard Wulllie Rennie in his full pomposity but you’ve never read anything like this.

Get it now while it’s still unstreaked with tears of laughter.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s Ming’s Report! (Aged 71 and a 1/4)

KBW

A polar bear walks in to the same Govan pub as Willie Rennie and Ming and says, “Gies a pint o ………………………………………………………………eh heavy eh?
 
Barman: “Why the big pause.”
 
Polar Bear, lookin at his feet. ” Ah dinnae ken ah’ve always had them.”
 
 
Tehn Jesue walked in. The barman says to him. “Haw big man wee Tam’s got a bad back gonnae gies wan o thae miracles fur him.” Jesus turned to wee Tam to bless his back and lay his hands on, when we Tam turned nasty. “Get yer sel tae F big man ah’ve got ma invalidity giro tae think of.”

Steven of Songnam

Honestly, the Rev asks what’s on our minds and you all start saying Ming this, Salmond that. It’s like you’re all into politics or something 😉 Well, since there’s always something bizarre and/or offensive coming out of the unionist camp (it’s in that nice cave on Mars everyone is always talking about, by the way) I’m going to offer some alternative topics, just in case anyone wants a change of pace. Until we start that petition to get a new manager, that is.
 
Has anyone been watching the new season of Red Dwarf? Any opinions?
Has anyone started their Christmas shopping yet?
Been anywhere nice recently?
 
😀

Keith B

Haven’t read this yet so don’t know if it’s up to much – an argument for Scottish independence on conservativehome.

link to conservativehome.blogs.com

Quick edit – just to say I found it on Reddit, honest.

Morag

Don’t, please.  I literally turned the radio off this morning rather than have my actual home polluted by Ming Campbell’s voice.
 
I met him once, at the Book Festival, during and after a Lockerbie discussion.  Rude, arrogant, ignorant, unintelligent, dogmatic, elitist – oh, and wrong.
 
My favourite part was when a member of the audience said that no Scottish jury would have returned a guilty verdict on Megrahi on the basis of that evidence.  He said that was why lawyers were important because juries were ignorant and didn’t understand what they were doing.  He, of course, as a lawyer, could see that Megrahi was guilty in a way denied to us mere research scientists and so on.
 
The main speaker admitted he hadn’t read the appeal judgement as carefully as he might have done.  Ming then blew him off.  I stuck my hand up and said I had read it quite carefully actually, and quoted what it said about the point at issue (which is a complete brain-fart as it happens).  Ming just snapped “that’s not true” and went on to the next question.
 
Charmless git.

Keith B

Have now read the article I linked and can only say sorry – that Andrew Lilico seems to be a bit of a merchant banker. Anyhow, the comments are enlightening.

panda paws

To KBW
Panda paws – he? What man would pick that for an online handle! I’m one of those wummin for independence.
Morag – I’d love that episode of QT. Pity it will never happen.

DougtheDug

Morag:
I always remember listening to Ming Campbell on the TV when he was foreign affairs spokesperson for the Lib-Dems.
He could talk authoritatively and at length on any subject and at the end you would be no wiser than you were before.
I’ve never known someone who could talk so much and for so long and still leave you wondering at the end if he actually had an opinion on the subject.

Arbroath 1320

Doug, I think that is the whole point about being a Lib/Dem M.P./M.S.P. You must have the ability to talk endlessly and leave the listener non the wiser at the end of your “speech. Heaven forbid that a Lib/Dem actually say something of substance. Hell if they did that people might actually take them to task on that.  Oops they already have over their “promise” about tuition fees haven’t they? 😀

Morag

Oh, we knew where he was on Lockerbie all right.  The event was a lecture by a well-known author (James Robertson), who put forward a lucid and factual explanation of why Megrahi’s conviction was a crock of nonsense.  Ming was the chairman.  After the talk, he sneered and accused the main speaker of “polemic”.  He then explained that he himself was a lawyer, so he knew best, and nobody else was able to hold a valid opinion.
 
He’s patronising, self-satisfied, elitist, and completely incapable of joined-up thinking.

Turnip_Ghost

I tweeted Scotland tonight about them doing their own version of QT once a week but every week has the leader of each party in Scotland answering questions being put to them directly from the public. I think it would be a winner.

ronald alexander mcdonald

Apparantly Flash Gordon thinks Mings off his heid.  

Ming’s shrink told him he’s insane. Ming demanded a second opinion. He said ok, you’re ugly too!  

Frederick Caledonia

OK, on a weather topic, check out this forecast model for Dec-Jan-Feb. … NW europe in the freezer. Just one of many models and many different forecasts – but stick a baltic winter into a period of austerity and rising energy prices…nasty…
link to jamstec.go.jp

Morag

Oh fabulous.  Can I move to Iceland?
 
I may have to sort out my house a bit.  It has a small sitting room which is easy to heat, which was my mother’s sitting room for obvious reasons.  She died last year, and it still has all her belongings in it.  Including the new CD player I bought her while she was in hospital, but she never got home to listen to it.  It’s more or less as it was the evening she was taken to hospital.
 
Last winter was mild and I lived in the big living room and pretended I didn’t have to think about anything else.  If it’s going to be very cold, I need to bite the bullet and sort out the room that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to heat.

Arbroath 1320

Welfare reforms are having no effect on the lives of those deemed fit to work
Oh Yeah?
 
link to manchestergazette.co.uk
 
Tell that to the families who have lost a loved one through Westminster’s “hatred” of the ill, infirm, elderly etc.

Bill C

Something to cheer you up Rev. Stirrings down Govan way. Craig and Charlie (and I’m not talking about the Proclaimers) busy on Scotland Tonight and Newsnicht trying to counter each others story about the other. If that makes sense?
Something must be on the cards, to use one of Craig’s analogies, another train must be coming down the tracks!

Doug Daniel

Can I just say, I can think of no other blog where a post can go up effectively saying “amuse yourselves”, and it receives 58 comments (and counting).

It’s a testament to how vital this blog has become to so many of us, I think. Get better soon Stu, your audience awaits!

Doug Daniel

Oh, and James Cook from the BBC has been utterly pathetic on Twitter tonight.

Until yesterday, everyone thought Craig Whyte was a shyster, and not to be trusted. But he opens his gob to say Salmond spoke to HMRC for Rangers, and suddenly he’s a beacon of truth. Anyway, we ALL knew that Salmond talked to HMRC earlier in the year – it was well publicised, as was the fall-out from BOTH sets of OF fans over the heads of it – but James Cook has been tweeting all kinds of “nudge nudge, wink wink” rubbish.

If Cook has only found out now what the rest of us knew in February, why is he getting paid money as a journalist? Surely he should be a historian?

The guy’s nothing more than a bad imitation of Raymond “I’m only repeating what someone said, I’m not trying to imply anything, honest” Buchanan…

douglas clark

What Doug Daniel said two above. It also says a lot about the quality of the people that post here. It is remarkable that Stu has so many witty and intelligent commentators btl. Or maybe not. Like attracts like….

Arbroath 1320

Just done my usual trawl of the on line Independence polls and I casn only say that I am shocked.
No truly I am.
The Independence poll on the Scotsman’s site has gone. I don’t mean gone and replaced by another poll I mean gone as in gone like there is no other poll there.
 
Don’t tell me the “good” people at the Scotsman have gotten a wee bit upset that their poll was not showing the result that they had all predicted?

Bill C

Doug Daniel – Hi Doug I watched Whyte tonight and what he said was that Alex had spoken to HMRC on behalf of Rangers “as he would for any high profile Scottish company”.  Your information on what Cook is tweeting is interesting and I would contend that he going beyond the norms of impartial journalism.  As I said earlier on here, we really need to bring the BBC to account on its anti-independence bias. At the moment it would seem that certain BBC journalists think they are untouchable, shades of Savile methinks.

Bill C

Morag – You are not alone in looking to cut your heating bills.  My wife and I (both retired) are also in the process of investigating cheaper methods of heating our home.  It is a disgrace that in the 21st century, after 305 years of British Union, in energy rich Scotland, Scots worry about their heating bills! Roll on independence.

James Morton

Getting back on track though – banal unionism now for the first time being asked to justify it’s existence has really pulled out all the stops.
link to telegraph.co.uk
 
this is pretty sick stuff – two years of this remember – smell that? I smell panic

Arbroath 1320

Here’s the latest news over on NNS.
It concerns what the European Commission Vice President Viviane Reding said or didn’t say in an interview with a Spanish journalist. The Diario de Sevilla article put to bed, or so you would have thought, that Scotland and Catalonia would have to re apply to join the E.U.
 
Only problem is that it would appear that Madrid has brought pressure to bear on the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Durão Barroso.As a result of this Federico Fonseca Morillo, the E.U.’s representative in Spain has apparently gone on a media blitz in an effort to try and reverse the implcations of what Ms Reding did or didn’t say.
 
Unfortunately for Madrid and Messers Barroso and Morillo NNS also have a copy of the relevant part of Ms. Reding’s interview. I think, listening to it you are left in no doubt that there would be no requirement for Catalonia, and by extrapolation Scotland, to re apply for E.U. membership. I wonder how long it will be beforew Westminster tries to carry out the same trick or something similar?
 
newsnetscotland.com/index.php/scottish-news/6071-exclusive-european-commission-changes-vice-presidents-catalonia-remarks-after-pressure-from-madrid

charlie

-is that a doughut or a meringue? sais ‘ming’ cavassing in a baker’s
-no ye’re right,ye fuckin limdeb bas that we’re a bored a, it’s a doughnut. and tell ya fuckin tory pals tae fuck aff as well

stanley baxter classic word for word 😉

charlie

[enter Johann stage right] make sure someone pays for those donuts

Arbroath 1320

I’m beginning to come to the conclusion James that a lot of the fear and panic that Westminster fire in our direction is actually caused by their own internal fear and trepidation of losing. I don’t just mean losing Scotland but losing their seat at the “top table”, influence around the world etc.
 
Westminster is terrified. They have never been this terrified before. They have always looked at themselves as one of the “world order.” Now that we are on the verge of Scottish Independence becoming a reality they are beginning to waken up to the reality that they are soon going to lose all that they cherish so dear.

Bill C

@ James Morton – Just looked at some of the comments on your Telegraph link James. Pretty vindictive stuff.  Your are right, article smells of panic and comments smell of fear.

Morag

How many SNP MPs does it take to change a light bulb?
 
Only one, but he has to get his wife to show him how to do it first.
 
(The old ones are the best….)

Morag

I’ve got BBC News 24 on just now, and I just heard the words “and led his country to independence” said by the presenter with a warm smile in her voice.
 
Not talking about us, then….

Dcanmore

@Arbroath

Not terrified since 1974, when old Harold Wilson was believed to be a Soviet agent by the CIA hence MI5 bugging Wilson’s office.

From wiki … “it was claimed there were threats of a coup d’état against the Wilson government, which was corroborated by leading figures of the time on both the left and the right. Wilson told two BBC journalists, Roger Courtiour and Barrie Penrose, that he feared he was being undermined by MI5 … after a coal miners’ strike Edward Heath decided to hold an election to renew his mandate to govern in February 1974 but lost narrowly to Wilson. There was talk of a military coup, with rumours of Lord Mountbatten as head of an interregnal administration after Wilson had been deposed. In 1974 the Army occupied Heathrow Airport on the grounds of training for possible IRA terrorist action there … the government itself was not informed of such an exercise based around a key point in the nation’s infrastructure.” Source BBC2 documentary The Plot Against Harold Wilson, 2006.

cont. “Peter Wright (author: Spycatcher) claimed that he was confronted by two of his MI5 colleagues and that they said to him: “Wilson’s a bloody menace and it’s about time the public knew the truth”, and “We’ll have him out, this time we’ll have him out”. Wright alleged that there was a plan to leak damaging information about Wilson and that this had been approved by ‘up to thirty officers’. As the 1974 election approached, the plan went, MI5 would leak selective details of the intelligence about Labour leaders, especially Wilson, to ‘sympathetic’ journalists. According to Wright MI5 would use their contacts in the press and the trade unions to spread around the idea that Wilson was considered a security risk. The matter was to be raised in Parliament for ‘maximum effect’. However Wright declined to let them see the files on Wilson and the plan was never carried out but Wright does claim it was a ‘carbon copy’ of the Zinoviev Letter which had helped destabilise the first Labour Government in 1924. On March 22, 1987 former MI5 officer James Miller claimed that the Ulster Workers Council Strike of 1974 had been promoted by MI5 in order to help destabilise Wilson’s government.”Curiously Wilson resigned in March 1976 claiming ill health. James Callaghan took over and, upon receiving information, ordered the MI5 bugs removed from No.10 … “There is evidence that Wilson was bullied out of office by ‘the establishment’, security services and military.” Source: David Leigh (1988). The Wilson Plot: How the Spycatchers and Their American Allies Tried to Overthrow the British Government.

It’s all fascinating stuff but the point is never underestimate what the British State is capable of doing.

 

Arbroath 1320

Totally agree Dcanmore.
 
No one in Westminster can be trusted with anything. As you have pointed out they are capable of attempting anything to undermine asny one be they politicians or private citizen. We all have to be on our guard 24/7 from now until we win in 2014. Even a win in 2014 will not stop these groups, individuals from continuing their underhand attacks on A.S., Scotland and her people!
 
Looks like some one has let Michael Kelly out of his cage again folks.
Gird your loins well any who choose to read this garbage!
 
link to scotsman.com

Adrian B

If anyone has Terry Kelly’s rantings on his blog, then check out some of the comments. His blog is starting to attract people asking questions about his version of things.  
Terry is doing his best to smear the SNP councillors within the same council. I would be very annoyed if I had someone like TK as a local councillor. 

He claims to be a socialist – begs the question, why is he a member of the Labour Party?  

Arbroath 1320

Just a wee aside/ update.
 
I’ve just found the daily vote over on that most Pro Scottish of MSM newspapers the Daily Mail. Their question is about Cameron being able to keep Britain together.
NO 38%
YES 62%
 
So I guess the straw poll conviction in believing in Scottish Independence continues.

James McLaren

A propos Ming the dumb, he was my local MP  when I lived in Scotland and within the Advocate fraternity he is, seemingly, viewed as a bit of a joke.
 
He visited a local cricket club, and during the visit took out his cheque book to make a donation. Guess who paid for that and does anyone think it was Ming.
 
Remember Cameron’s first visit to Scotland and meet AS, facing the constituency map of Scotland?
 
Before the meeting Cameron visited Scott’s Oats factory in Cupar, where Ming had his main constituency office. I wonder who set that up for Cameron?
 
Ming studied at Oxford as did Cameron, Osborne, Boris etc.
 
Ming is an anglicised Scot who would be a Tory if they were not so toxic and he couldn’t get elected. He was central to refusing to allow Tavish to have anything to do with the SNP in 2007 and was central to setting up Calman.
 
His constituency includes St Andrew’s, which is arguably an English university planked in Scotland
 
 

Adam Davidson

Re the various comments on dirty tricks from down south. There is absolutely no way that the ‘establishment’ will sit back and leave it to chance over the referendum. England has too much to lose with an Independent Scotland. The damaging slant from the media will be the least of our worries.

I have absolutely no doubt that with a level playing field we would romp a yes vote but we cannot under estimate just how much we will have to overcome. As the vote gets closer every publication and politician will be freely hammering home the no message. So many experts with vested interests will be sharing their ‘opinions’. Government departments will add a slant to every report just to save their bacon.

I can even see dirty tricks from foreign governments e.g. under pressure from the very powerful weapons manufacturers lobby to protect their income stream from the UK.

All sound very paranoid but do any of us really doubt just how dirty this is going to get and we will have no way to get out an alternative message. We need to up our game but how to counteract all this BS, I have no idea.

Juteman

Call Kaye using the latest unemployment figures to try and blame the Scottish govt.
I really detest that woman. 

MajorBloodnok

Did you hear that Usain Bolt has been shot with a starting pistol?

Yes, apparently it was race related.

Juteman

And now she is manufacturing an arguement on Gaelic funding! Grrrrr!

Elizabeth

A Chic Murray joke for to cheer up Stu (and positively my very last mention of the Olympics!)

“‘I met this chap at the Olympics. I said to him, “Excuse me but are you a pole vaulter?” he replied,”No, I’m German, but how did you know my name was Walter?”‘ 

Luigi

Ach, I came on here for my daily fix, so I may as well contribute something to amuse. How about a little quiz, which of the following hilarious MSM statements is actually true?
1. Scotland doesn’t really want independence.
2. The level in support of independence has been stable at 30% for the past three hundred years (until it dropped like a stone during the 2012 Olympics).
3. David Cameron has completely out-maouvered Alex Salmond.
4. Alex Salmond wanted a second question, on fact he was depending on it.
5. 100,000 highly paid nuclear/defence jobs will be lost if Scotland votes yes.
6. Scotland can still qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 2014.

Craig P

Amazing stuff about Harold Wilson and the plot against him. I’ve also just recently read about it in a popular science book about the post war period, my jaw dropped and yet it is clearly information in the public domain. Unbelievable that state agents should plot against a democratically elected leader, but at least there were enough people disgusted at the concept of a coup that the idea was strangled at birth. I hope that is also the case with any plots against independence – mind you I do think the British state is a changed beast since the 1970s, when rogue elements were free to get up to some very dirty business in Northern Ireland and accountability was non existent. 
 
 
Anyway, what do you call a polar bear on a skateboard?
 
John. 
 
I love non-jokes 🙂

megabreath

Jokes?Well among some very bad efforts are LibDem policy on devolution,Douglas Alexander,Alistair Campbell as media celebrity,Television(all of it),10 billion shades of dulse(or grey ,apparently),whatever GERS report is at hand and whatever it was that Ian Davidson said at any time anywhere at all.
But anyway……
 
Noticing that her son gets up every morning looking very tired a concerned Mother asks her wee boy if there is anything wrong

“well,Mum,I just cant sleep”

Ohh Son,do you know why?I mean,is there anything wrong?”
“No Mum,I,m ok i just cant seem to sleep much but I have the perfect solution.”
“ohh and whats that?”

“well,if you turn my bedroom into a replica of a school classroom I,ll be able to fall asleep no problem at all.”
 
 

Ron

I still like;

Heard about the insomniac, agnostic, dyslexic who lies awake at night wondering if there really is a Dog?  

McHaggis

Teacher asks her class of 7 year olds if they can give her a sentence with the word ‘definitely’ in it…

Wee Suzy says “I am definitely going to Spain for my holiday”
“no” says the teacher, “anything could happen between now and then and you may not go”

Wee Amy puts her hand up and says “My daddy is definitely the best in the world”.
“no again, sorry Amy”, says the teacher, “I’m sure the rest of the class might have something to say about that”.

Wee johnny at the back of the class puts his hand up.
“Miss, have farts got lumps”? he asks…
The teacher replies, “well of course not Johnny but what has that got to do with the lesson”?
Johnny – “Well, I have definitely shat myself”… 

McHaggis

Elton John and Rod Stewart walking through a park when they hear screams for help…

Pushing through some bushes they find a stunning blond bent over double with her head stuck between the park railings.
Her skirt has ridden up and never one to miss an opportunity, Rod Stewart immediately starts banging her up the arse for all he is worth.

When finished, he turns to Elton John and says, “Do you want a turn”?,
to which Elton replies, “There’s no way I’d get my head between those railings…”

thankyouverymuch I will get my coat… 

Craig P

Now I think about it, the British state have already done their dirty tricks years ago. How many people nowadays still think that Scotland could not afford to be independent – after 30+ years of oil flowing? An incredibly large number. This is a result of a concerted effort by the state, media, and union loyalists to minimise, downplay and obfuscate the scale of the possible transformation oil would have made to an independent Scotland back in the 1970s.

Appleby

Seeing as the dirty tricks and plans against Wilson were mentioned…well worth watching:
 

 
Diomhair “The story of how successive British governments worked covertly to discredit the SNP.” – BBC description

 
I can only imagine the BBC slipped up with this one because it was in that “funny foreign jock babble” they couldn’t follow. Never saw it broadcast outside of the north of Scotland though, so someone either realised it was dynamite or Alba programming is simply left abandoned by Mother Beeb.


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