Then your children will be next
So-called “puberty blockers” – the class of drugs that were used to “chemically castrate” computing pioneer Alan Turing for being homosexual (a crime in the UK in the 1950s), which is believed to have led to his suicide by cyanide poisoning at the age of 41 are extremely dangerous.
The most common one nowadays is Lupron, which is used as a treatment/alternative punishment on rapists and paedophiles to reduce their offending by destroying their sexual function. It has not been tested for use on “transgender” children and nobody knows how much permanent damage it could do (although the likely answer is “a lot”), which is why the High Court in England ruled last year that children under the age of 16 were not medically competent to consent to such treatment.
Scotland’s only gender clinic, the Sandyford, had to apologise just a few months ago for having concealed the very serious hazards posed by the drugs. But it has no plans to stop prescribing them to under-16s.
And the Scottish Government refuses to intervene in the matter.
But there ARE some substances it won’t allow your children to have.
So just to recap: as far as the Scottish Government is concerned it’s fine to feed your children powerful drugs normally used to castrate adult rapists – which will cause them health problems for their whole lives and probably sterilise them before they’re even old enough to have sex – but a couple of spoonfuls of custard or ice cream are out.
Be very clear on what you’re voting for next month, readers.
Well and truly through the looking glass.
The Cheshire Cat doesn’t appear to be smiling though.
and have you seen her latest video on youtube, she/hur has totally lost the plot.. as you say, getting harder and harder to stomach an SNP Constituency vote, almost impossible.
The kind of lunatocracy we are seeing unfold before our eyes cannot simply be an accident. Somebody must want this kind of madness to happen, have the clout to pull some pretty powerful strings in order to make it happen, and see some future benefit accruing to them once it has happened.
They say there’s two sides to every story, if so, what’s the positive spin on this one?
Why won’t the SNP & Greens defend this policy in public, rather than just pretending it doesn’t exist, and quietly setting their Twitter Nazis on anyone who objects?
They know the general public would be horrified by this if there were a proper debate, hence their silence. Otherwise it would be all over their leaflets, right?
The media’s complicity is also to blame in enabling this nightmare.
Remember folks, women under 30 who suffer every four weeks from horrendous cramps, horrendous blood loss and hormonal mood swings which often wreck relationships and careers are routinely REFUSED hysterectomies – in case they change their minds and want to get pregnant.
If that kind of gate keeping is good enough for young women…then it damn well should be put in place for children who want puberty blockers.
You are correct Charles Hodgeson at 10.46am.
It’s national gas lighting, where our political parties and our MSM are implicit in keeping the effect of the Trans Gender Cult on the down-lo.
The Nazi’s did a similar thing with the ‘Jewish problem’.
How do we beat that kind of feckery..?
Has Nicola done any sort of maths on how this will make voters more/less likely to vote SNP. Does she really believe that the gains will outweigh the losses? Is there nobody brave enough to whisper in her ear, “I think you’ve got it wrong on this Nicola?” I despair.
she/her creating lots of unrest lately
like an unhinged bracket
SNP1 looking awfy unlikely from me
Very bizarre. The more you think about it the more difficult it is to justify.
Strange bunch the SNP Government are, very strange.
The question has to be asked where would we be under English Labour or the English liberals.
Tories don’t seem to be fans of this nonsense they are more a send the children up chimneys and give them all a good spanking sort of crowd.
Downside with the Tories is they are evil and you will go to hell if you vote for them.
Maybe somebody should politically castrate the Murrels.
A very odd, but dangerous, couple altogether. And no doubt in time just how odd will emerge. They’re certainly not mom’s home cooking and apple pie.
Chemical castration at 11 years of age.
Absolutely foul, the nightmare unfolds from a freak show SNP and an even freakier Green side act.
“It may be helpful for me to explain that the role of the Scottish Government is to provide strategic direction, policies, frameworks and resources to NHS Boards in order that they can provide high quality healthcare services.
“The issues you have raised are entirely a matter for ( insert name of health board here ) and it would therefore not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to become involved.”
This is the cut and paste stock answer you get from the SNP Scottish Government if you complain about human rights abuses by a Scottish NHS Health Board.
It’s another way of saying: We don’t care. We’re not interested.
The company that makes puberty blockers (Lupron) donates money to the Libdems and the Green Party, hence these parties’ keen promotion of transgenderist ideology. I wonder if the SNP are also receiving financial donations from these companies? Transgenderism is big business – think of the medical costs for a lifetime of synthetic hormones and surgery. Apparently puberty blockers are particularly expensive, hence the big push of the myth of the ‘transgender child’.
“Be very clear on what you’re voting for next month, readers.”
I’m clear! I’m voting SNP 1 Alba 2
Well it took them more than a year to admit they got it wrong over Care Homes. I wonder how long it will take them to admit they are wrong on this. God help our children.
” I’m clear! I’m voting SNP 1 Alba 2”
That’s HOW you’re voting. It’s not WHAT you’re voting FOR.
Leaving heart and head at home and voting with principle and conscience..
ALBA2 on the list X
The same John Swinney who agreed that LGBT Youth help prepare school guidance for ‘trans’ and LGB teens & children which included recommended reading of Beyond Magenta a book about Transmen & transwomen. One chapter features a transwoman discussing having sex and oral with adult men when they were a six year old boy and enjoying it. This is in your childrens schools now.
When the Scottish Family Party tried to ask him about it at a public meeting, Swinney dismissed concerns and tried to hush up the questioner.
The SNP are helping paedophiles as well as encouraging children to be trans and stop their puberty. It is sick beyond belief. They ignore the football child abuse scandal particularly at Celtic as well as some other clubs.
They help to fund LGBT Youth whose founder James Rennie raped a baby boy and fantasised about raping and killing a downs syndrome child. Other members of LGBT Youth have been caught in sting operations trying to meet a 12 year old boy.
This is the party of Derek Mackay who groomed a 15 year old boy. How many more in the SNP are like that?
We know there are many misogynists such as Alyn Smith, former Director of LGBT Youth, John Nicolson, Stewart McDonald, as well as Handmaidens like Mhairi Black, Mhairi Hunter, Rhiannon Spear, Kirsty Blackman etc.
Nicola Sturgeon & Peter Murrell fail to act so must be fully aware of their party paedophile connections.
Every single SNP vote for Constituency or List is a vote for paedophiles, perverts, misogynists or their accomplices.
I say everyone voting for them knowing this, is also a danger to women and children. There can be no excuses, no wheesht for Indy. If you tolerate this, your children and grandchildren will be next. They are coming for them NOW.
Elizabeth Hagan,
Saying Sorry, (one year on) cuts it, she’ll get off with everything, as did Blair.
There is no care for our children.
We all need to be on the watch.
She must be trying to throw the election, making the SNP1 vote unpalatable.
IF YOU’RE AN “SNP WANNER”,
THEN YOU’RE A FUCKIN SPANNER!!!
DON’T VOTE SNP!!!
Meanwhile a man in Canada has been jailed for 6 months for trying to protect his biological teenage daughter from making an irreversible decision.
link to archive.is
place the snp on the subs benches for the next 5 yrs.its time to start all over again.i”ve noticed in my area a distinct lack of snp advertising boards & window stickers.even a house that is festooned with “yes” has shifted from snp to a big alba sign.i really hope the snp are removed from governing scotland.
Scotland – the people that lived in darkness since 1707 have seen a great light.
Well, some of them have, while others like the SNP, have become part of the darkness itself.
It certainly appears that way. Let’s hope it’s not true.
Sent my postal vote off yesterday.
I was originally going to give SNP my first vote after Alba came on the scene. After much deliberation I spoilt my constituency ballot.
No going back for me now, and I’ll sleep much better knowing I’m not enabling she / her to fuck with children’s minds and bodies or treat women as second class citizens.
They’re self-justified and they’re ancient
And they drive an ice cream ban
The Rev has spelled it out, in easy to read bite size chunks.
Sturgeon and her Party have lost the plot.
If you vote SNP 1, then you are as guilty as Sturgeon in the implamentation of her Gender Bending, life changing policies.
Be it in your own head.
SHAME ON YOU.
DON’T BE AN SNP WANNER.
DON’T VOTE SNP.
@Fergus
“If you vote SNP 1, then you are as guilty as Sturgeon in the implamentation of her Gender Bending, life changing policies.”
Psst. Not all SNP MSPs agree with it. Case in point, Mason, Forbes, McAlpine, among others. It doesn’t take much work to find out who is on the enemy list of the Twitler Triumvirs.
I think we have gone well past the point when ‘being kind’ is any help to anyone. I think we have gone well past the point when a handful of body dysphoric people did require help and recognition and equality under the law and in civil society, to be replaced by a horde of paraphiliacs.
I think we have gone well past the point when we should have been asking: cui bono? I think we have reached the point when it is legitimate and democratic to start digging into just who is behind this stuff. Big Business and predatory capitalism, almost certainly, but that doesn’t explain it all.
The tsunami-like power of the trans lobby is backed by people. Apart from the gullible and suggestible and downright insane, who are the foot soldiers of this movement and utterly lacking in empathy for the women they are supposed to be, the massive numbers of paraphiliacs, the enablers of child abuse – and that is what it is – who are at the top? Who are they?
Who are the generals, those who direct the operations against basic tenets of humanity and human rights in the name of trans human rights (which they already have, incidentally)? Who are they and what are their motivations, if not purely monetary? Who are they, these people of influence and power who can drive forward this stuff, through parliaments and into the laws of the land?
We need to stop being kind and start looking at this as we would the invasion of the body snatchers. Foucault’s philosophy might be the enabling philosophy for transgenderism and queer theory, but he also warned of the consequences of having no prohibitions whatsoever, and who would pay the price at the end of the line – children, women, the disabled, the weak of all kinds, whose consent will be usurped and abused by the strong and selfish.
I would recommend the reading of Sheila Jeffey’s 2018 essay, entitled: “Enforcing Men’s Sexual Rights in International Human Rights Law”, with the very obvious proviso that she is not talking about all men, but the enablers of this stuff. It will give voice to the real reasons we are being subjected, all of us, to this hellish nightmare. Of the females who support this human rights abuse, what is there to say except that there will always be women who are willing to sacrifice their own sex and their children?
What I’m not clear about is what the current law is vis a vis Gender recognition and what the main differences are between that in what is being proposed by the Greens & the SNP.
I’m assuming the Greens & the SNP want to follow the ‘The Yogyakarta Principles’ to the letter.
I would think no matter what age a person is taking heavy duty drugs ie testosterone & HRT etc over a very long period of time would be problematic not just for the person taking the drugs but also for the NHS.
Then there are the major operations ie hysterectomies, mastectomies & having your balls & penis cut off (sorry I don’t know the medical term for that.) nor do I know the term for having balls & penis attached to where you vagina used to be.
Surely in this day and age science could come up with a better solution to gender dysphoria than this barbaric treatment.
I have a great deal of sympathy for people suffering from gender dysphoria it must be pretty awful but surely there must be a better solution for them than this.
Utter madness: formerly the preference of Christian fundamentalists, home schooling is looking more attractive. This pernicious nonsense is being promulgated in schools. Pure brainwashing of juveniles.
I think the message is getting through.
If I was an SNP Msp I’d be awfy worried. Although they deserve all they are going to get.
Hopefully some will break ranks and point out they oppose the GRA and Humza bill. However by then I think it will be too late.
P.S. Anyone employed by newspapers or Tv – you’re a disgrace to humanity for being too cowardly to report on this subject.
I might not have another five years. There are still lots of good people in the SNP though I am no linger one of them. Member ,that is,I still try to be a good person.
The plan is not for SNP to win outright but for Alba to hold the balance and so force the stable cleansing AND get us independence.
The SNP have to carry the constituency vote for the plan to work. If they do not carry the constituency,arithmetically the SNP default to winning the list and so edge Alba out.
AND Unionists hold the balance, almost said “balls”
So following Alba plan it must be SNP con Alba list!
Rev. Stuart Campbell says:
19 April, 2021 at 11:07 am
” I’m clear! I’m voting SNP 1 Alba 2”
That’s HOW you’re voting. It’s not WHAT you’re voting FOR.
Reply
Do we ever really know what we are voting for?
Jason,
You don’t need the Tories to take you to hell. You’re already there.
” So just to recap: as far as the Scottish Government is concerned it’s fine to feed your children powerful drugs normally used to castrate adult rapists – which will cause them health problems for their whole lives and probably sterilise them before they’re even old enough to have sex – but a couple of spoonfuls of custard or ice cream are out. ”
Ditto issues like cannabis legislation . I know it may not be a top concern for most people in Scotland , though a sizeable % partake of the noble weed.
Here in Catalonia they have a totally sensible , adult policy of personal – legal , allowance , ” Cannabis Associations ” where you can buy a large range of ” wares ” in a relaxed atmosphere with no hassle .
Not however in ” Progressive ” Scotland , where you can still be criminalised for smoking a joint , even in your own home : the SNPG , like all previous ScotGovs , too terrified of tabloid and MSM faux-outrage to countenance such a simple , logical move as legalising cannabis .
Seems clear to me this civilised acceptance of a popular choice of recreational substance is one big reason why you rarely see drunken aggression or disturbance here , in the decade I’ve lived here I’ve seen no more than a couple of such incidents .
With the policies the current high heid yins in the SNP are pushing, it is getting harder for me to resolve to hold my nose and give them my constituency vote.
One of my daughters knows the SNP camdidate for the constituency, Elena Whitham. Never met the lady, but, she seems ok. So, at the moment, it is still SNP 1, ALBA 2.
But, much more rubbish from the top of the Party and that first vote could go awry.
‘Why the ‘preparation’ of Scottish Government witnesses could be a crime’ – Alistair Bonnington, The Scotsman
Makes you wonder how this managed to evade the scutiny of our Lord Advocate and his Honest-John legal officers, doesn’t it?
This condition is very rare, according to the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). So why are the Woke brigade so engaged? Gateway to allow age of consent changes?
The DSM-5 estimates that about 0.005% to 0.014% of people assigned male at birth and 0.002% to 0.003% of people assigned female at birth are diagnosable with gender dysphoria. According to Black’s Medical Dictionary, gender dysphoria “occurs in one in 30,000 male births and one in 100,000 female births.”
For me to know exactly what I’m voting for I would have to start by reading all this
link to legislation.gov.uk
I lot of the existing law seems pretty problematic so even if I didn’t vote for SNP/Green the above would still be law.
I’m a bit less concerned about the politics in this than the medics. Who are these guys? They keep on coming like in Butch Cassidy. Relentless.
Should they not be asked to publish their evidence and research that justifies this. Is there a regulator we can contact? Who runs this Sandyhill place?
Maybe Jeanne Freeman could help, as she’s bailing out.
Remember folks, if the Britnats cannot stop Alba/Alex, then they have got to get Nicla to spike the SNP vote.
Anything to stop the Indy Supermajority.
Every time Nicla speaks, or give an interview, from now to 6th May.
Ask yourself – who is that aimed at? And is it designed to encourage people to vote SNP? or discourage them.
What you will see, is its aimed – not at possible No voters, its aimed at the Indy movement, and its designed to scunner them so much that they don’t turn out to vote, or if they do, they don’t vote SNP on the Constituency.
If you are an SNP Constituency Candidate, if you are genuine about wanting Indy for Scotland, and if you can appreciate the concerns people have regarding HCB, GRA – enough to put in on hold and ensure proper, fair debate…. then you’ve got 17 days to put some VERY CLEAR BLUE WATER between yourself and the current SNP Policy.
Or you will be out, and trust me when I say this, Scots have long memories, you won’t get back in again with a new script, once the weather turns fair for Indy.
Best find your moral compass, and your backbones now. Indy voters are watching, and at the moment you are sadly lacking.
OT – Hey Ruby – so glad to hear your voting for Alba. Best wishes.
i see a few people still saying they are voting for the
Sturgeons Nonce Peadophile party because Indy is all that matters to the beainwashed Sturgeon & Salmond cults. Scotland needs to be build some new prisons to house you all in.
I also think those voting SNP1 to supply Lupron to children should be made to take it themselves first.
In New Zealand these puberty blockers are legal and are quoted by the Ministry of Health as being a safe and fully reversible medicine. Kids as young as 11 are being given this stuff.
16.000 pounds per year per patient.
if we don’t get SNP in again who do we get/vote for? and what would be the point to voting Alba (which I plan to do) if there’s not going to be a “yes” (supposedly) majority.
Just when i had persuaded myself that my vote for SNP1 was a vote for Joanna Cherry and all those members who hate this crap and voted against it in the NEC.
In this video she appears to be saying the Keira Bell v Tavistock was the wrong verdict?
Famous
Stop spreading lies about this “you must vote SNP so ALBA can win more seats.
That’s a Sturgeon trick, your hero.
Read this folks,
Paul Cockshott says:
15 April, 2021 at 11:29 pm
There is a misaprehension that failure to vote SNP 1 will affect the number of Alba seats. It will not. The number of Alba seats depends only on the percentage of votes Alba gets on the list. Failure to vote SNP 1 just alters the number of SNP Tory or Labour constituency seats.
If Sturgeon loses to Sarwar then that does not affect Albas number of seats, provided Alba gets some 6% or more on the list. If the divisor for the SNP falls by 1 that for Labour rises by 1 in compensation.
The voting system is cleverly designed to give proportionality in a way that is independent of which parties win in the constituencies
Rev. Stuart Campbell says:
19 April, 2021 at 11:07 am
” I’m clear! I’m voting SNP 1 Alba 2”
That’s HOW you’re voting. It’s not WHAT you’re voting FOR.
I want independence & I’ve wrestled with voting SNP1, but I can’t, in good conscience, vote for a party that are sexual deviant. Sturgeon would use my vote to enact what’s closest to her heart – Identity politics. Really scunnered.
Just visited the Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board web site for the Sandyford clinic.which says it is ‘ the specialist Sexual Health Service for Greater Glasgow and Clyde ‘
First thing to notice about our new SS Health Service is that as a government service it is approved and carries the logo of ‘LGBT charter – Gold ‘ So from the outset folks are being told this is a public service mandated and approved by a Gay Rights campaign group. Yep that’s it, medical treatment approved by LGBT charter, not health authorities.
And of the services provided, in among abortion, is Gender Identity Service where gender is identified as how you feel whereas sex is how you were constructed – at least until the gender re-assigners get started on you.
All fabulous and incredible stuff. from the so called SEXUAL HEALTH SERVICE – charter gold. Well done Nicola and we look forward insanely to the diversion of resources to build another 18 similar such clinics.
A much better focus than on cancer waiting lists do I hear you say. Well if so, then vote Nicola and the SNP.
I’m voting to STOP Unionists winning Constituencies or getting Regional MSPs.
I’m voting YES/YES
SNP/ALBA
I’m voting for Independence as soon as possible.
With Custard and Jelly being banned, could it be that Nicola is a Trifle Deaf to the serious dangers drugging Children.
Common sense and views shared by the vast majority of the public
and muted SNP members, appear to have been banned from discussion.
They must surely be running as low on stupidity as they are on Indy Ref 2 funds.
Perhaps we need to propose SNP Insanity 1 and Alba X.
Que lazy unionist churnalists to prepare vote loser headlines before the election.
Perhaps the drug should be put under very strict control so that it cannot be prescribed under normal conditions and does not enter the normal distribution channels. My concern is for the children secretly subjected to abuse, originally through family or friends of family who groom young children for sex and later, once they are broken-in, so to speak, introduce them to ‘holidays’ or ‘parties’ where they are subject to wider victimisation. Very few people know which adults are practising these abuses, or in what professions they can access children, surely Jimmy Saville taught us that. Keeping such children pre-pubescent would be a useful way to keep them viable, much as castration was used to keep young boys with beautiful pre-pubescent voices immature and singing soprano. Such drugs as these, available for use, really need to be extremely carefully controlled. The prevalence of sexual abuse of children is far greater than many parents would ever want to believe, and the effects are long-term and brutal. Adolescence is not the time for people to take such life-altering drugs, although many adolescents would absolutely disagree that they are not ready to take such decisions. We don’t deliberately allow adolescents to decide to lawfully absorb cannabis et al, and we should be willing to tackle the distribution of such opportunities for change until a person has completed the changes from child to adulthood. I think probably moths and butterflies may have evolution right, get into a chrysalis until its sorted, then emerge in all whatever glory is yours… But meanwhile, the drug and it’s use needs to be treated with nitro-glycerine caution and available only under the strictest of scrutiny, which Ms. Sturgeon seems currently unwilling to provide.
Famous, Ruby, Mia, Breeks, Al Stuart, AYRSHIRE ROB, and many more SNP WANNERS don’t give a shit what they inject into our children, or not give a shit about who enters our children’s changing rooms, but many others do.
We are willing to put Indy on hold until we clear this scum out of Scottish Politics for good.
All you SNP WANNERS, hang your heads in shame.
You are all complicit in the abuse of our people.
DON’T BE AN SNP WANNER.
DON’T VOTE SNP.
Mitchell. 12.41
Excellent Post.
I like the “SNP WANNER”
If only I had thought of that LoL
Let them eat puberty blockers… the politicians, I mean, not the kids.
On a related note, Somerled points out: “I see a few people still saying they are voting for the Sturgeons Nonce Peadophile party because Indy is all that matters…”
Of course, Somerled, they aren’t getting Indy anyway. It’s all a rip-off, as you know.
There’s actually no good reason to vote SNP. Not one.
The only reason the SNP can afford to crap all over its core support (you) is because they have BBC Scotland providing all sorts of cover, allowing them to appeal to the unthinking masses.
Thus, the apparent popularity of the SNP is down to two things; hiding the truth of things like the Salmond stitch-up from the masses and, most importantly, the commitment to the section 30 process which equates to surrendering on independence.
It’s very difficult to know exactly what you are voting for.
For example I haven’t much of a clue about puberty blockers and why anyone should be prescribed them.
I have a vague idea what puberty is. My understanding of puberty is that it starts around 11 and finishes around 16.
I can understand the reasoning behind giving 11 year olds puberty blockers if as the name suggests it stops puberty but of what benefit would they be to a 16 year old who has already gone through puberty? The scant bit of knowledge I have of puberty blockers is that they can’t reverse puberty.
Anyone know if any party that opposes prescribing puberty blockers to everyone whether they are 11 or 16?
If you can’t help me with that then I’m sticking with SNP 1 Alba 2.
Lorna Campbell
I was reading in the The Atlantic Monthly (bourgeois, middle-class, wanker – yes, Bonnie Prince Bob, I know) about the decline of religiosity in the USA in the past two decades. The argument is that Wokeism is the new religion for a lot of people – based original sin, atonement, ex-communication and ritual. It’s why there can be no argument with it and you can’t reason with it and that’s no accident. Everything is based on the true path and faith.
So there does not need to be anybody behind it, though I’m pretty sure that the Pharma companies have looked the declining sperm rates in western countries, seen the effects of endocrine disruptors, run some numbers and concluded there are piles of money to be made “helping” others.
Fundamentalism is hard to beat wherever you find it. It’s just getting started here.
This is disgraceful, children do not have the proper mentality to agree to such drastic life changing measures, Sturgeon and her government surely must know this.
But then again under Sturgeons tenure the SNP/Scottish government have increasingly if not promoted allowed this to happen, and by the unanswered attacks on SNP/MSPs/MPs (women) who have spoken out about such matter, clearly see nothing wrong with destroying Scottish children’s futures and lives, for make no mistake, if this is allowed to continue in years to come there will be an explosion in mental health issues and suicides due to this.
Unsurprisingly the ultra genderwoowoo Greens see nothing wrong with this. We cannot stop the SNP from being voted in on May 6th, however we can remove as many Greens candidates as possible by voting for the ALBA party. By doing this we remove Sturgeons enablers, and the ALBA party if Sturgeon sought their approval on this would never agree, so lets remove the gender obsessed Greens and replace them with the ALBA party, for our women and children’s sakes.
Also the Lib/Dems have taken huge amounts of cash from the puberty blocking companies, so they’ll promote this not shoot it down, thankfully we can remove most of them on the list vote by also giving the ALBA party our list vote.
Lets get it done.
I’ll take
N. Holmes at 10:58 am –
Wondered the same thing myself. Are the SNP getting backhanders from Big Pharma? Following the money is the only way for this madness to make sense.
I sent my postal vote off this morning. I am so glad I spoiled my constituency paper. When these children face the inevitable awful consequences in a few months or years, I’ll know I didn’t vote to inflict this hell on them.
@Lorna Campbell (11.35) –
Thanks for that reference. Hadn’t read it before.
Here’s a link for others who haven’t –
link to drradfem.org
Not a fan of the MSP or her party ,
Jenny Marra ( Labour) put a question to Nicola Sturgeon in Holyrood days after the English court ruling regarding these puberty blockers , she specifically asked the First Minister to intervene and stop this practice being carried out in a Glasgow Clinic ,because of the English court ruling.
Princess Nicola our dear First Minister gave some kind of garbled reply neither saying yes or no it was a non answer , I can’t remember the exact answer given but I remember the look on Marras face it was of total bewilderment almost like ” what kind of fkn answer was that I just heard ” excuse the french but I bet that’s what she was thinking ,
I wished Jenny Marra had pushed it further but I believe the Presiding Officer again Labour proceeded with the next question from a different MSP so the point was lost .
I wonder why the MSM are letting her off with this Deflection tactic she constantly uses to avoid real searching and uncomfortable questions it’s becoming a stage act now it’s automatically used .
I see the lying criminal Nicola Sturgeon has started announcing her preferred pronouns in party political broadcasts… ties in nicely with this utter insanity.
Meanwhile the SNP1/Sturgeonite goons are still declaring their love for the party and stamping their approval on giving these dangerous drugs to children who don’t even know what they want for tea tonight let alone whether they want to be male or female. In my view these drugs should be banned for everyone under the age of 25 and even then you should have to undergo a detailed psychological assessment and various other safeguards before the treatment is allowed.
Anyway SNP1 crowd, keep voting for this and pat yourselves on the back once again.
My take on NS going full woke, is probably cos she realises her annointed one may not get voted in.
Not only is Angus R and his horrendous wife toxic, but more info is emerging over Sparling the drag queen by night, the ex campaign manager by day.
Sparling has been charged with taking cock shots of a man without his permission.
There is also some alleged dubiety about fund money, where have we heard that before, being ‘lost from an HIV charity run until recently by said drag queen
Sparling now works for Jennifer Dempsie, make of that what you will.
Anyway to get back to my point, if she goes, she’s bringing the house of cards down with her.
She is advertising herself, IMO, as available for some job with the other gender nutters.
Also today, picked up some Alba leaflets for delivery and met two ex SNP members that I used to campaign with for NS.
Other comments from people there, can’t believe I campaigned for that….
Just for accuracy’s sake, Alan Turing would not have been given puberty blockers (strictly GnRH analogues) in the 1950s, as they were not developed until the 1970s/80s. What he would have got would have been oestrogen (cross-sex hormone). Also they are not typically used to castrate male rapists; they are typically used to treat hormone sensitive cancers, specifically prostate and breast.
The main point that starting children on these drugs is the first step on the road to infertility, lifelong drug treatment and mutilating surgery still stands.
What a position to be in when you know the last thing you want to do is give the SNP a vote yet if we want to get Alba MSPs into Holyrood as well as at least having a chance of ever seeing independence I’m going to have to grit my teeth and vote SNP1 ALBA2.
Sturgeon will take these votes as an acceptance of her mad policies, I hope before the election the polls are looking more favourable than they are right now for Alba.
A Freedom of Information request to Police Scotland confirms ” Male born Rape suspects are recorded as Female where requested ,regardless of legal status ”
Humza Yousaf the Justice Minister said in a question from Johann Lamont, A person born Male would have to have a full gender recognition certificate for that person to be recorded as being Female .
Both statements can’t be true because they are totally contradictory who should we believe eh mm Thinking I wonder who’s attempting to deceive , make up your own mind .
Sturgeon is a thing filled with jealousy & hatred, all of which she and she alone has chosen to be. She hates women, she hates straight women because most chose to share their life with men and raise families and she hates lesbian women because they chose to share their lives with women which is what she should be doing imo. Nobody forced her to live a lie, to pretend she is sharing her life with a husband, what’s the point of it? Self imposed rules on herself = her hatred on us. Never ever should a childless woman be permitted a leading role over future generations. Sturgeon is no better or worse than a paedophile or rapist. Would the tossers holding their nose for indi give their votes to the latter?
Latest from last week’s War on Women from Glinner (a few Scottish ones in there).
link to grahamlinehan.substack.com
But all is right in the world as NS has shared her pronouns, praise be to the Scottish Narcissist Party!!!!!
@Helen Yates
Pat yourself in the back there for your strong endorsement of these insane policies. I hope some confused child in your family doesn’t get put on these drugs by some woke social worker who doesn’t even tell the parents.
SNP 1 to ruin kids lives
Mr Shocked . In this instance I agree with you – about age restrictions on dispensing PBs etc : don’t know if you’re just being deliberately obtuse or what but it has been stated innumerable times here that people are – maybe – going to vote SNP 1 , even if it’s morally repellent for them to do so , for one single reason …..to max the YES vote .
You may argue there can be no justification for doing that and people are clearly in something of a moral quandary over it – I’m relieved I personally don’t have to wrestle with it , not being eligible to vote . On the other hand , why should people who have campaigned for Independence for large parts of their lives allow idiots like Sturgeon to make the fulfilment of that aspiration become even more difficult , which it unquestionably will if the Unionists take Holyrood ?
As has also been stated here many times – a tactical vote for the SNP is emphatically NOT an endorsement of Sturgeon or her lunatic policies .
Sooner or later , one way or another , she’ll be gone and the sooner the better .
However , when she has gone we don’t want to find ourselves in the situation of Unionist control of our Parliament if it is at all possible to prevent such a dreadful scenario .
Meantime more and more Scottish children (I in 4) are living in poverty. This has risen year in year out and set to rise further due to Brexit, all happening under Nicola Sturgeon’s tenure as First Minister of Scotland!
Nicola Sturgeon – High priestess of the transpocalypse.
AWhiteLife says:
19 April, 2021 at 1:31 pm
” Never ever should a childless woman be permitted a leading role over future generations.”
What about a childless man?
For some it isn’t through choice and not all childless people disregard the needs of children.
Out of curiosity…. has the media hit NS with the Jo Swinson question yet – ‘What is a woman?’
Seems only fair that NS is asked the same simple question as JS was at the last GE.
The voting public deserve to hear her definition. And if she doesn’t clearly define what a woman is, then every broadcaster needs to zone in on this during interviews with her. C,mon broadcasters do your job, ask the question.
Mr Shocked
Did Sarwar vote for or against GRA or HCB ?
So who are the goodies and who are the baddies in all this gender woo stuff. Cos I’ve no clue.
Yourself and those those other pseudonyms Kcor,Fergus ,Andy, Mitchel and the rest (cos they change daily) say the baddies are those who don’t vote a unionist in the form of Sarwar who does not want independence ! Also Sarwar at the first opportunity he gets will be off to Pakistan when his daddy finds him the right plum job.
So who are the goodies and who are the baddies? Many people have not got a clue anymore.
Spoil is the only option for folk who can’t follow the Alex line of SNP 1 .So bit of a catch 22.
Voting yoon is not an option on the first vote.
@robert Hughes
There is no justification for voting SNP at all. The SNP are dead and buried and what we’ve got now is a criminal gang called the New SNP led by sturgeon and Murrell.
I can’t be bothered to list all the bad things sturgeon has done, in anycase the sturgeonites know exactly what she has done and they don’t care because they are in on it. Sturgeon and the rest are unfit for office and need to see a jail cell.
There will be no referendum in the next 5 years, for any number of reasons including that it would be lost. People need to wake the hell up and start again and put down their experiment with sturgeon as one of life’s lessons, never trust a liar.
Lorna Campbell says:
19 April, 2021 at 11:35 am
” Of the females who support this human rights abuse, what is there to say except that there will always be women who are willing to sacrifice their own sex and their children?”
The handmaidens of the transpocalypse.
@ayrshire rob
The baddies are the New SNP and rev Stu has been telling you why for months and years now… but you just can’t see it. Doesn’t fit your belief structure. Hey ho.
Big Pharma rules!
link to pdfdrive.com
Governments are now legit. drug dealers.
Careful whom you vote for.
You never answered the question. Is Sarwar a goodie or a baddie?
I know what NS is. Don’t fecking tell me like I’m some sort of imbecile.
Sarwar or any other yoon is not the answer to getting anywhere near independence either. 5 years, behave ,more like 10 when there’s feck all left and our assets are buried so deep in foreign corporate structures we won’t be able to function independently. Our time is now, follow the plan and set about removing them one by one. If Alex plan succeeds then you bet they’ll crumble. Vote yoons in and there’s no chance.
Thems the choices
N. Holmes @ 10.58
Have you (or anyone else) got a link to confirmation about the Scottish Greens being funded by a “puberty blocker” manufacturer? I knew about the LibDems, and have suspected the Greens and SNP were fishing for the same, but evidence is important and would be a big help.
@Ayrshire Rob
So you know what sturgeon is but you’re going to vote for anyway. Aye on then. Are you going to scrawl, “vote given with nose held” to hold her to account? Lol!
Taking the SNP leadership out will ensure that Holyrood returns to a coalition as it was always meant to be and it means the more extreme policies of the SNP/Greens (which you clearly support) won’t get through.
Indy ref 2 is dead, it wouldn’t be won, just as it wouldn’t have been won in the last 7 years, and it won’t be won until a clear case for top level efficient government is made. Voting SNP won’t achieve that.
Republicofscotland said at 12:51 pm:
“… We cannot stop the SNP from being voted in on May 6th, however we can remove as many Greens candidates as possible by voting for the ALBA party. By doing this we remove Sturgeons enablers,…”
I absolutely agree with that—the Greens are not an Independence Party—-they are currently the Enablers in the Scottish Parliament.
In May’s election I’ll be voting for two Parties:
The Scottish National Party on the Constituency Ballot Paper, reluctantly
AND the ALBA PARTY on the List Ballot Paper.
Shocked says:
19 April, 2021 at 2:35 pm
“Taking the SNP leadership out will ensure that Holyrood returns to a coalition as it was always meant to be…”
Spoken like a true Unionist.
Meanwhile, vote SNP1 and ALBA2 to give Holyrood a pro-Indy supermajority it was never meant to get, and watch the desperate Unionist trolls going into meltdown as their Union circles the drain…
@ Socrates MacSporran at 11.53
I also know Elena Whitham, and I would have said she is very much ok, and would make a good MSP.
Nevertheless, it bothers me that she is prepared to be a candidate standing on such a manifesto, and that she is not really answering awkward questions on twitter etc. (That of course is because she is basically ok, and doesn’t agree with the idiocy, but has put herself in a position where she dare not say so!)
I haven’t had a leaflet from her – only the generic one – so I don’t know if she’ll mention independence, or whether I can bring myself to vote for her.
@breeks
Aye the sturgeonite Breeks stays down there on his knees. Unable to have a single original thought for himself. Completely devoid of self respect . Have you written to nicola yet to thank her for lying to you for 7 years and stealing your donation to the indy ref fund?
Shocked
Look sonny . I haven’t said I’d vote SNP in this election. If you bothered to read from the start of this charade I said am spoiling 1st vote. You’re other cronies don’t read either and can’t grasp it. Voting yoon for me is not an option ,tactically or otherwise.
If other folk here want to vote SNP that’s up to them, their vote.
I don’t believe you or those other fannies Kcor, Andy,Fergus Mitchel are Alba either- you’re full of shit.
I don’t agree with GRA or HCB or gender woo stuff so that’s another pack of crap you yoon lot try and instill in here. I ‘ve actually not seen any poster in over a year in here who has said they agree with it.You’re in the wrong forum.
link to twitter.com
Check out the ratio of comments beneath this political suicide note.
Shocked
When does your shift end?
I’m curious. Do you get a theme for the day or do you freelance on topics?
Shocked says:
19 April, 2021 at 2:49 pm
@breeks
Aye the sturgeonite Breeks stays down there on his knees. Unable to have a single original thought for himself. Completely devoid of self respect . Have you written to nicola yet to thank her for lying to you for 7 years and stealing your donation to the indy ref fund?
Meltdown? A ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!. Can hear the sizzlin’ from here. Lol.
I think the tide is turning against Sturgeon and Murrell.
It’s bad having a warped colonial administrator govt: giving power to equally warped British Imperial parties would be self-destructive.
It would be handing complete control to the London puppet masters of the England/ Gt Britain Imperial parties: Tories, Labour, LibDems etc.
I think, given time, Alba can be a game changer.
I feel uneasy about it, and I can’t say for certain that I am doing the right thing, but:
I am backing:
SNP (constituency) Alba ( List).
(It’s votes for Scotland’s sovereignty, not for Sturgeon).
Elite groups are fond of deviant srxual practices. One rule for them and another for us. St leadt that’s how it used to be.
They are now openly trying to turn us into deviants like them.
link to nytimes.com
The SNP is a deal fkd but I want to lock the Brits out of parliament : SNP 1 / Alba 2
Glad to see I’ve triggered the sturgeonites. Nice of them to show who agrees with shovelling dangerous drugs down the necks of confused children. Anything to keep the dear leader Nicola Sturgeon happy. They must go through a hell of a pairs of breeks when they wear the knees out with all the kneeling they do. At least I’ve got a clear conscience.
o/t
I used to view Source Direct as a reasonable voice in the appraisal of the current state of the Indy movement , The recently received blurb could have been written by Princess Nicola herself for all I know might just well be true .
This constant attention and the attacks on Alex Salmond referring to his unsuitably for leadership of a political party or in fact his suitability to be allowed to walk around without people protecting anyone who comes within half a mile of him , is fkn disgusting and disgraceful.
As we all know Alex was framed set up and it turned out to be the biggest fk up in Scottish political history there has never been anything remotely close to this scandal that should have a Judge led public inquiry with no fkn redacted papers allowed and every witness swearing on oath under threat of serious jail time if found to be lying ,
Also memory loss will be regarded as knowledge or complicity in illegal actions so every witness would be advised that they better drop the I don’t remember shite it simply won’t wash that’s including princess fkn Nicola who sounded like she was suffering from early on set dementia .
Breeks says:
19 April, 2021 at 2:54 pm
link to twitter.com
” Check out the ratio of comments beneath this political suicide note. ”
I did , and , yes , the replies are very revealing : could this be the shortest suicide note in history ?
It could simply be the case that she’s knows she’s on the way out and all this garbage is really a self-advertisement for the attention of the global ” Gender ” mob , of which she clearly longs to be a part .
Easy to imagine her fantasies of being ” Nicola Sturgeon U.N Special Adviser on Gender Gobbledegook ” , strutting and fretting her hours upon the global stage , eventually being admitted to the pantheon on female emancipators such as Lucretia Borgia , Lady Macbeth , Kirsty Wark , Susan Calman et al
The triumph of mediocrity indeed .
In 1999/2000 Wendy Alexander pushed through in the Scottish Parliament(against the will of the people) a bill which removed the rule that homosexuality could not be promoted in school. A young Muslim family man in Glasgow formed a multi-faith group to protest against this which was made up of people of all faiths and no faiths.
It was not an attack on homosexuals, it wasn’t about bigotry, intolerance and all the other adjectives which are hurled about today. They simply did not want their children with unformed minds and hormones in flux to be subject to homosexual propaganda which was transparently obvious in their advocacy groups.
The big fear was that this would be the door opener for even worse attacks on children in the future.
Wendy Alexander pressed ahead and with the support of the MSP’s you now have what see unfolding today and with even worse to come.
Thank you for this. As a gender dysphoric person who’s learned to live with it without transition I’m horrified at what is being done to kids right now. GD itself is very rare (and nothing like it’s currently being characterised: it has little to do with gender stereotypes, for example and does not inevitably lead to suicide and misery). It’s also life long – rapid onset at puberty gender dysphoria is just FUCKING PUBERTY! It’s what every kid goes through as their body changes from child to adult, and it’s especially traumatising and difficult for girls and those who are gender non conforming.
Even as someone with life long, actual gender dysphoria, the idea of robbing kids of their ability to make a rational, informed choice about what might be the best course for them is criminal. I was lucky that, while teens and 20s were hell, I was able to research transition and weigh up the pros and cons as an adult, with understanding of myself, what I wanted from life more generally, my own sexuality, and with a more adult grasp of relationships and how the adult world works. I did this in libraries and by hanging out with and speaking to people in real life. Transition is not the only way, and puberty is critical to know what is.
There are a whole load of troubling health issues with Lupron beyond its use as a chemical castration and gay conversion drug. But even that latter alone should be enough. If I’d told any of my gay pals a few years ago they’d be actively campaigning for gay kids to be given the kind of drug Alan Turing was just before puberty they, quite rightly, wouldn’t have believed me. Yet here we are. How can supposedly decent and rational adults be doing this? I have a strange feeling some of the real screaming madness from the TRAs may be coming from “progressive” parents who went along with this and can’t face up to the reality of what they’ve done.
Brave New World meets 1984.
The kind of thing that passes for being educated.
link to nytimes.com
Sorry double post.
link to othersociologist.com
The kind of rubbish commonly taught in places of education.
O/T.
Keir Starmer chased out of a pub in Bath by a furious landlord, I wonder which pub it was.
For ALBA anyone wanting to help the cause check your junk mail courtesy of microsoft in my case, for lots of information which I had no idea was available.
“Scotland – the people that lived in darkness since 1707 have seen a great light.”
Is this really the mirror universe ScotNats live in? Scotland strode the world throughout the 19th century and filled the British the political and administrative elites until the 20th century when devolution and the SNP fucked education enough to ensured that for better or for worse there would never again be a “Caledonian Mafia”, and reinvented us as a bleating, self-deranging, self-marginalising pseudominority. It’s as though, come 1800, the Prussians had spontaneously become self-pitying hermits.
Also what does this concern anyway? If this blog maintains that Scotland is now a constitutional dog’s breakfast, no semblance of or interest in separation of powers, and politically in the gutter too, with rape suspects able to choose their gender for prisons, and Turing pills for tots, fake history in schools etc — then what exactly are you trying to rescue Scotland FROM that the UK people collectively would not club together to solve?
Stop the nonsense, scrap Holyrood, and be the nation again.
Jack Murphy @2.44pm.
Yeah, I think the Greens give Sturgeon the numbers to push through unpopular gender policies. If we can reduce the Greens as much as possible on the list vote, then Sturgeon would need to do deals with other parties other than the Greens, and in the process she would find it far more difficult to push through genderwoowoo policies, policies that the Greens themselves might have proposed.
Removing the Greens is in my opinion a key issue.
Who would vote for a party which proposes a policy like this?
It is quite clearly child abuse.
It is a serious assault to give an 11 year old child a drug which will radically alter his/her development and will lead to significant physical and psychological impairment.
The child is too young to be able to make an informed choice and the parents are not informed.
In this way Scotland will become like North Korea.
Voicing the SNP 1 Alba 2 mantra doesn’t cut it.
Such a mantra is an abnegation of a parent’s duty.
I should add that not only do the Greens cover Sturgeons back, they also vote with the SNP MSPs, on matters such as saving John Swinney’s lying neck on two occasions in VONC votes.
The key to isolating Sturgeon, I think is to remove the Greens, get them out on the list vote by voting for the ALBA party.
Castrating the future of the Scottish population, hidden eugenics for population control. Mmm whose follows and pumps money into that tin hat bampot ideology.
Now that was a theory of bill gates, the same gentleman that has patents pending for vaccines of the world population,
And as a by line has been pumping money into geo engineering the sky to see if it has any effect on the sun,
Personally I would suggest that all these patents might have more effect on the produce of food supplies in the future of the world along with depopulation of humans.
Of corse he is seen photographed along side NS here on wings,
Yep we need to change our politics here in Scotland big time and a new Scottish party with ethics with large doses of humanity. We need control of Scotland, we will pretty quickly be rid of NS and her cabal if AS gets in,
The tories have not put a stop to this in the last six years nor have labour and greens, yet they are receiving Scottish tax payers money in wages for being in the Scottish Parliament just as The snp does.
Let’s shut the door behind them on their way out, by voting strategically for snp 1 alba 2, I believe AS will achieve more with sincerity and love of his country than all of them put together.
This is an excellent article from Iain Lawson, on just how skint the SNP really are all their elections promises are basically pie in the sky.
link to yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com
@republicofscotland
The key is to vote sturgeon and the New SNP leadership cabal out, make her face justice as a private citizen with no bent Lord advocate and justice minister to protect her. 10-15 years in cornton vale will certainly focus her mind. However many votes go to the SNP make no difference to Alba as they aren’t the same party.
Mighty S on 19 April, 2021 at 10:47 am:
“Remember folks, women under 30 who suffer every four weeks from horrendous cramps, horrendous blood loss and hormonal mood swings which often wreck relationships and careers are routinely REFUSED hysterectomies – in case they change their minds and want to get pregnant. If that kind of gate keeping is good enough for young women…then it damn well should be put in place for children who want puberty blockers.”
One of the best comments i have ever read during this campaign. Very well said! No superlatives good enough, Mighty S.
__________
Along similar lines, folks, note how Sturgeon is making all these decisions to promote issues not a single SNP candidate stood on. Issues that were supposedly “parked” to enable her to “focus on the pandemic.” None of them would be in a job if they did open up to the public on these matters. It often crosses my mind if Sturgeon’s seriously questionable actions towards *OUR* children would be any different if she actually had children of her own? I guess we will never know.
Was out leafletting today, and there seems to be a lot of folk out there completely fed up with the politicians we have up here, words to the effect of always finding money for obscure or niche causes and nothing for anything your average person might actually care about.
Only a small snapshot of the world outside, but Sarwar’s leaflet with his smug sneery face along with the Greens one saying “This election is all about the Climate Change Emergency!” had been shoved through the doors as the standard postal drop, and they were going down like a lead balloon with everyone.
Seems there’s plenty to play for, all for the price of an effort.
Hmmm. This might get interesting.
link to scotsman.com
Yes Mark Boyle Alba is the only party to have leafletted me by hand, all the others were via the mail. Alba has my vote.
Onlooker says:
19 April, 2021 at 4:27 pm
Hmmm. This might get interesting.
Reply
Looks interesting.
I’ve archived it.
link to archive.is
10-15 years in cornton vale will certainly focus her mind
In a cell with “Big Sharon” the sex offender who was called Kevin before “her” crime but it would now be an extra 18 months onto the sentence to point this out under Humza’s hate crime bill. That has overtones of Alan B’startd’s gallows to it…
I agree with your views on this, but can’t we concentrate on getting as many pro independence Alba members as possible right now?
Folks, try not click on the direct link to The Hootsman, as posted by the BritNat twat at 4:27pm calling itself “Onlooker” (just one of its accounts). Only thick fuckwits like that fall for clickbait. The archived version by Ruby at 4:37pm deprives them of any benefit.
Donald Raymond @ 4.45pm: i think the point is to get as many anti gender woowoo pro indy supporters, in order to stop this unscientific nonsense as well.
Stuart Mackay: indeed, you are right. It is like a religion – a medieval one. However, let’s not forget the squllions that organized religion has made for itself or the probable sexual deviancy associated with the witch finders in every country in Europe. Even at the time, some thought that at least some of them were motivated by misogyny, sexual sadism and opportunism as much as by the purse they stood to gain for each witch. Same went for the Inquisition, where all three elements were present: greed; blatant misogyny, sexual sadism and opportunity; and religious fervour. This stuff is benefiting more than the foots soldiers – and that could be the state or powerful elements within, and of, the state.
With apologies to anyone who may find any of the coming questions offensive. What is happening in front of our eyes (and noses) is potentially terrifying. It’s not a prize, but a nightmare. We have to open our eyes, and be extra-vigilant. As mentioned, here are the questions that spring to mind:
Is this a re-run of the Final Solution?
Have the high-heid-yins in the SNP finally put the ‘E’ before the ‘S’? Has the SNP transmogrified into the ESNP? And before anyone jumps to false conclusions, that ‘E’ is not for ‘English’, ‘England’ or ‘England’s’.
It is for ‘Extermination’.
As in the ‘Extermination of the Scottish Nation Party.’
Adolf Hitler could not understand how these nice pure-bred Aryans across the English Channel from him could oppose his oh-so-nice pro-Aryan politics. I am told that at one point he found out why and how this strange phenomenon had occurred. And he had quite a solution for it. Here’s what he discovered.
The pure-breds across the Channel, with their blue eyes and blonde hair, had been infiltrated, and that was what was causing the whole problem. Who by? Well – who else, but – by these awful Scots… And guess who he thought these terrible infiltrating all-destroying anti-Aryan Scots really were?
That’s right – you guessed it – the lost tribe of Israel!
And what was he going to do to them if he won? Well done – right again. If he had crossed the Channel, invaded, and taken over, he would have rid old England’s shores (by which he understood the whole of the UK) of that unwanted race once and for all.
He would have done his damnedest – and that was surely very damned indeed! – to make sure there was nothing left of us. Not in Scotland, not in Britain, not anywhere! The man had a penchant for ‘solutions’ that would be truly ‘final’, outcomes that could never be undone.
So, does that mean we can be glad that we avoided that bullet? Lucky we dodged it? Not really. Maybe it’s still whizzing towards us, if only we would wake from our slumbers, and see it.
Hasn’t he come back – that terrible, demonic wee man – to haunt us? And not just us, but along with us, the whole wide world? At the moment, we just happen to be a particularly juicy and enticing bridgehead for him. Much desired. Who’s winning the war now? Scotland too wee to matter, and so insignificant? To the contrary, we, and our country, are crucial. Far more important to others than we dare to imagine. By a long way.
Who’s winning the war now. Not the Second World one, no – except in the sense that it never ended. When evil seems licked for a moment, or even a while, it doesn’t die out – it just goes into hiding. Becomes less evident (to many, at least) but not less present, or less ready to pounce when opportunity arises. Somebody on a previous post, citing Mark Twain, reminded us that although history does not repeat itself, it does rhyme. So, beware! Vigilance is always required!
Hitler and his pals seem to have won – or are winning – the eugenics war. This is a front on which, I am told, he and Churchill did not substantially disagree. So, it’s hardly surprising.
It may b coming at us from a different angle, and many of us might not even notice it as it approaches, or even when it comes up our close or breaches our porch and comes flying straight into our living-room, but it is still substantially the same thing. Our cards may be seriously marked once again – far, far more than we imagine – and our number all but up.
Come in, all you pesky Scots – your time is up! Or else we’ll sink your rowing boat…
I seem to remember our own wee Nicola being asked about our disastrous birth rate, and what would she do about it. The quick answer to which was something like ‘No problem – we’ll just get more immigrants to come here’.
Aye, that’s richt – come here to help us? Or come here, to replace us?
Not quite ethnic cleansing, you might say, but hardly different in its effects. No need to kill them, these pesky Scots. There are other, more sophisticated ways of carrying out an extermination programme.
Call it a government-assisted, NHS-sponsored, self-chosen fertility programme – or, rather, infertility programme. Same difference. Suicide is just the same in its effects as any other kind of death, isn’t it? So, ‘suicide by infertility is OK then, isn’t it? Even if we don’t call it that out loud, in case some people get upset.
Back to our state-sponsored infertility – sorry, I meant to say ‘fertility’ – programme. How do we go about it? Make it available for free from the youngest possible age! Get it started before they are old enough to know what it really means, and what its outcomes will be! Promote it in the name of justice and human rights, and all good things that everyone obviously approves! How dare anyone speak against such a beneficial, philanthropic undertaking? Carry it out in opposition to all forms of discrimination. And in opposition to all opposition, which will just have to be crushed, under the jackboot (for want of any other, more subtle means).
Let the Scots die out.
Let them be replaced by other people.
And let them not complain. After all, they’ll be doing it voluntarily, of their own free will. And freedom is what it is all about. Isn’t it?
The ESNP fights in the cause of freedom, and always has done. ‘Free Scotland from the Scots!’ What a mighty slogan!
‘Infertility for Freedom!’ What a wonderful ESNP battle-cry!
‘Everything’s for free, With the ESNP’. What a fantastic rhyme – that will really rally the troops!
And by the way, anyone who opposes the new ‘Freedom from Children Act’ will be guilty-in-advance of a Hate Crime. They will be taken to court by the Director of Malicious Prosecutions. And they will be condemned to a minimum 77-year sentence by one of his minions in a Trial Without Jury which will be guaranteed to reach the right verdict, so that justice is done.
True, that’s not written in our SNP/ESNP manifesto, but it doesn’t have to be. Self-evident truths can be presumed, and taken for granted. They’re so obvious that, quite obviously (!), they don’t need to be spelled out in a manifesto. These things are simple justice. A respectable political Party like ours is always on the side of justice, and always opposed to injustice. The voters know that – so – obviously – we don’t have to tell them. It’s all self-evident, of itself.
‘Behold’ cried the great leader to thunderous applause at her official coronation, inaugurating her 1,000 year reign, ‘I make all things new!’ The applause gets still louder and greater, and the hands are held still higher towards the sky … ‘The new SNP (that is, our Sex Neutralisation Policies) of the ESNP (that is, our ‘Exterminate the Scottish Nation Party’) will Finally, – I said, FINALLY, and at long last – solve the GREAT PROBLEM, cross the WIDE stream, REALISE the long-cherished DREAM with a FINAL SOLUTION that will be DECISIVE, EVERLASTING, IRREFUTABLE and IRREVERSIBLE. So – my dear, demented, doomed and duped people – raise your crystall glasses and drink with me all nacht as we smash, smash smash, smash up a’ things in a blood-fest celebration … as we set all Scotland Free! Free for once and for always … Free, Free … Free from all Scots … Everlastingly FREE FROM all future generations…
And on and on she goes…! Nuremburg had nothing to match this…
‘Raise your glasses’, cries she, as the crescendo reaches fever-pitch, ‘And drink with me the blood of the last of the Scots! Even if there are but a hundred of them left, we will still put them all to the sword! And our stilleto-heeled bright red bayonets are ready to hand for the wounded among them! On! Charge! Smash! Break! Destroy! And never let them rise again! Here’s to the demise of the exterminated nation!
And then the slogans fill the air, as the torch-light procession, in awe of its great leader, Red Queen of the Scarlet Dressers, puts a torch to everything and lays waste all before it. The ‘its’ (as they call themselves) have ‘it’. The ‘he’s and she’s’ have gone, scattered to the wind, lying dead in the gutters of the Former Scotland, the one that is no more. With all its sovereign people slain and slaughtered, vanquished and undone, reduced to silence, dead ears forced to listen to the joyless victors’ off-tune incantations as they drone on and on with their meaningless
‘Vote for SNP – Sex Neuterisation Policies – and get to Exterminate the Scottish Nation, all ye Party-poopers! Vote SNP 1, ESNP 2!’
From SNP to ESNP? That certainly looks like the inevitable trajectory, the direction in which the juggernaut is currently heading. Almost as sure as night follows day: both votes SNP means ‘Get SNP on May 6th’ and then ‘Get ESNP on May 7th’. Or, at least, within a week, as soon as the votes are counted and the seats at Holyrood are quickly and greedily taken.
What a future! No thanks! No way! No Puritanism like the Secular Pure! No autocracy so autocratic as is theirs, and nothing so unfounded and inane! The abolition of sexual difference is the abolition of joy! And of friendship, good sense and good humour. What a dull place that would be. Who would want to live there? The SNP have sounded death-knell of everything, and of sanity itself.
Nevertheless, such insanity and sheer inanity contains within itself the seed of its – and their – own destruction. The crystall nachts and torchlight pseudo-triumphs of the 1930s already announced, unbeknown to the participants in these terrible things, the bunker of despair in which they would end themselves a few short years later, with everything in ruins around them.
We should not be afraid of such nonsense. We should not be cowed by it. We should not let the deluded terrorise us, or anyone else. No matter how madly and violently they seek to overrun reality, imposing their evil fantasies on everyone by force, they can’t finally win.
We should not let them persecute common sense or overturn simple decency. Whatever transient victories they might score in that regard will be short-lived. Common sense and decency will not be denied, and will overcome. But we should be vigilant. Very much so, because transient victories for evil illusions can still be massively damaging, for the short while they last.
We should oppose at every turn the virus in our midst. We should not let Scotland be razed and suffocated by the joyless agents of these destructive ideologies. Her sovereign people will not allow her to be extinguished or eliminated in these ways.
Hi, I’m Skip_NC and my chosen pronouns are She, He, It, They, usually all at once.
I wish I could find the FOI answer discussed in the Scotsman column. The only one I could find is that Liz Lloyd’s legal fees amounted to about GBP6,000 plus VAT. I have always believed in following the money as that is what I do for a living. I’d be curious to see if the FOI broke down the invoices into dates rendered or even the dates services were rendered. The latter one is perhaps too much to hope for. does anyone have a link to the FOI answer (if that’s the correct terminology)?
Talking of slogans, and granted not everyone here or elsewhere is going to agree on everything (even genuine indy supporters), how about this 6-word jingle, as a minimum:
‘Whatever you do, Vote Alba 2!’
‘Stoker says:
19 April, 2021 at 4:50 pm
Folks, try not click on the direct link to The Hootsman, as posted by the BritNat twat calling itself “Onlooker” (just one of its accounts).’
Go fuck yourself ya dick.
“So the Procurator Fiscal’s office and Police Scotland are well aware of all the facts set out above. There must now be a police investigation. The result of that investigation could well be prosecutions”.
What I found surprising about the Scotsman article is that Scotgov employ 140no lawyers. That, together with ‘partnering law firms’, who probably account for another 100-plus, is the reason the SNP have a stranglehold on the legal trade in this country.
Justice for the man in the street has never been further away. The legal trade in Scotland disgraces all of us.
Thanks for this Ruby : link to archive.is
It appears the wheels are coming aff sturgeon’s bogey.
Can lord woolfe keep this out of the courts ? Will police Scotland drag their heels again ? How much longer must we wait for trials regarding perverting the course of justice ?
And the genderwoowoo are very much on the back foot. No child should receive untested medicine to appease a faddish cult.
And shouldn’t nicola’s pronouns be ‘the inept’ or even ‘the untried’.
All in all – a good week.
@Wull 5.07 inaccurate and will confuse non-activist voters
What about “for Indy to exist, put Alba X on the list”
And if anyone on here is listening to Alex Salmond it should be “the SNP’s deficiency gives X only in constituency – for Indy to exist put Alba X on the list”
Also got mail from Alba saying
Hello,
Just a reminder that there are a few items remaining in the online auction (which closes at 7 pm tonight) – please have a look and submit your bids soonest. link to airauctioneer.com
NEW ITEM
One additional item has been added this afternoon: Dinner for 4 people at the Champany Inn (Linlithgow), with Alex Salmond to take place later in the year, once feasible regarding restrictions – that item closes at 10 pm tonight, giving everyone an opportunity to bid. link to airauctioneer.com
Many thanks,
Can’t for the life of me get why the UKers and Yoons posting here think their history of bestiality and necrophiliacs will draw folk away from voting SNP.
The PROBLEM is that the SNP are approaching the deviant levels of your UKer and Yoon parties , though they do not yet have near as many years experience.
Over in ROI the Minister for Children was a childless lesbian until she was caught fiddling her travel expenses and returned to USA to work on Joe Bidens campaign. In ROI she was replaced in the role of Minister of Children by a childless gay man who is a member of the Green Party and who has ties to Peter Tatchell and Stonewall.
Are people starting to notice a pattern?
Did mention the UKer and Yoon parties regarding paedophilic activities as I believe most understood that to a given learned at many of their favoured schools.
Or what about a bit of polysemy in Gaelic along the same lines?
“Cuir ‘X’ air SNP san roinn-phàrlamaid ach sàbhail Alba leis an liosta”
or is that a homonym?
Oh dear Starmer saying ‘Could be a Yes to IndyRef2″
Sarwar not happy!
Landlord in Bath not happy!
Get out of my pub!
link to tinyurl.com
How did Starmer get a hold of the landlord’s phone?
Some of the posters on here and either trolling or as sanctimonious virtue signallers.
The Tories have openly declared just to vote Tory as their second vote. Unofficially it is Labour 1 Tory 2 but lets not kid ourselves, given how bad the Tories have been as the opposition, the reason for this is to stop the SNP getting a majority and the independence movement a super-majority. It’s fair to say that Tory voters are voting SNP 1 Tory 2.
They are doing this not because they are voting for the SNP or for any of their policies but because they Holyrood electoral system penalises parties who are successful on the constituency vote. They are voting SNP as part of tactical voting.
If the posters feel so strongly about the policies of the SNP then the best way to stop them is to deny them a majority and elect a real opposition party who will oppose these policies. The only way to do is that to vote SNP 1 Alba 2.
Re the article from the shitrag aka the Hootsman, has Bonnington just awoken from some kind of Rip Van Winkle torpor, the Rev highlighted that info a millennium ago.
Typical of BritNat so called journalist, slow and stupid.
Anton Decadent says: 19 April, 2021 at 5:41 pm
Have you considered that it may be only childless gay people who are able to devote the time to these types of senior roles that require long working hours and little or no chance for a decent private life?
Maybe if adequate child care was provided and the ability to balance work and private lives that so many of us enjoy that possible heterosexual individuals with children will want to do these roles as well?
I see someone smashed a window at the branch office of the Lib/Dems in Scotland, a culprit was apprehended. I’m sure with the mega donations the Lib/Dems received from the puberty blocking companies, that they’ll be able to afford to replace the broken window with a more expensive stained glass one.
It certainly seems that gender politics is more important than independence politics to today’s SNP. Have they forgotten the lessons of 2017 or don’t they care
link to angryweegie.wordpress.com
Yessers are legion – vote Alba for the region!
See how deep it runs. No words required! link to twitter.com
@Wull at 19 April, 2021 at 4:56 pm
I reckon you’ve OD-ed.
Can’t be PBs, must be Magic Mushrooms.
24 hours in a darkened room with both thumbs in yer mooth and you’ll be grand.
Rev. Stuart Campbell says,
“Be very clear on what you’re voting for next month, readers.”
The Ruby/Mia/AYRSHIRE ROB/Al-Stuart/Breeks Sturgeonist brigade says,
“Vote SNP 1/ ALBA 2 in the Glasgow Southside constituency”
Kcor/Andy/Fergus/Brian Doonthetoon say,
“Vote Labour 1 / ALBA 2 in the Glasgow Southside constituency to get Sturgeon out of parliament”.
To paraphrase Johann Lamont: the vast majority of Scots are not genetically programmed to make rational voting decisions.
No doubt all you clever folks voting SNP1 / ALBA2 are looking forward to more freely available puberty blockers and other such nice things in the next five years.
@J 19 April, 2021 at 12:57 pm am –
“Wondered the same thing myself. Are the SNP getting backhanders from Big Pharma? Following the money is the only way for this madness to make sense.”
More likely getting backhanders from Yankee Defence Companies they pay better link to express.co.uk
“There is a misaprehension that failure to vote SNP 1 will affect the number of Alba seats”
Indeed there is and there should be.
“It will not”
Nonsense. Of course it will.
If Mr Salmond’s plan of SNP1 + ALBA2 worked and all yes supporters voted that way, it would mean that ALBA would waltz in clearing out a significant number of unionists from Holyrood and the toxic Greens with their genderwoowoo. That is our ideal scenario.
But that scenario is not the reality no matter how much we wish it to be. There are still a lot of yes supporters that will vote SNP in the list. Even if ALBA gets the list vote of 25% SNP voters, the SNP would still have huge numbers of votes in the list. I don’t think it would be out of place to predict that the SNP might still remain as the party with the highest numbers of list votes.
For ALBA to stand a chance at simultaneously getting list seats and increasing the yes majority, the SNP must be locked in the constituencies.
The unionists and Greens got lots of list seats last time, not because the percentage of their vote was high, but because the party that had the biggest numbers of list vote by far was too successful in the constituencies and therefore was locked out of the list seats. That party was the SNP.
ALBA will not be in the same boat as the SNP in terms of number of votes. It will be in the same boat as the unionists or even the Greens, with low numbers of votes by comparison to the SNP.
ALBA was designed to compete against the unionists
for the list seats, not against the SNP and the SNP list vote numbers. Therefore for this plan to work, the SNP needs to be locked again in the constituencies, leaving its huge list vote numbers out of the equation.
The aim of yes is to increase the yes presence in Holyrood, not to decrease it by letting in more unionists or by letting them to keep the seat numbers by swapping their list seats by constituency ones, which incidentally is what I think you are trying to do.
I believe you are deliberately attempting to mislead us to get us to vote for unionists in the constituency seats so they don’t lose presence in Holyrood. It is clear as day they are about to lose seats due to ALBA so now they are aiming for the constituency seats to stop being vanished from Holyrood.
The supermajority strategy is designed so the SNP is locked in the constituency while ALBA competes with the unionist for list seats, to increase the pro-yes majority. Your game however is to maintain the fight for the
seats in the list, but to move the unionist parties away from that fight to the security of the constituency seats
leaving ALBA and the SNP to compete for the same seats in the list. The competition between the SNP and ALBA for list seats will have a dual effect:
a. due to the list vote numbers the SNp is likely to get, it will reduce the number of seats Alba will be able to secure
b. if the SNP and AlBA are competing for the same seats, then there will be less seats for ALBA and therefore no chance of yes supermajority.
I think this dual result is precisely what you, Fergus, Kcor, Andy,,, Shocked and I would not be surprised if Sturgeon and her unionist handlers too are after. I think these names have been so relentlessly attempting to get yes supporters to not vote for the SNP on the constituency letting the door open for the unionists to secure alternative seats that would otherwise lose in numbers.
For as long as the SNP gets a good number of list votes, failure to vote SNP 1 will decrease the number of ALBA seats and you know this as well as I do. The only way it would not decrease is if ALBA was to get a number of votes in the list equivalent to the number of votes the SNP got in the list in 2016. But that is unrealistic.
In the unlikely scenario that Alba had such huge number of list votes and the unionists had taken the constituency ones, it would still be competing with the SNP for the list seats, kiboshing the pro indy supermajority.
Alba’s strategy is for the SNP to take the constituency seats and Alba the list seats from the unionists. The aim is not to take seats from the SNP reducing the yes majority so the unionist wnkrs can retain presence in Holyrood pontificating about how Scotland does not want independence.
“The number of Alba seats depends only on the percentage of votes Alba gets on the list”
As explained above this assertion is deliberately incomplete. The number of ALBA seats will depend on both, the percentage of votes it gets in the list AND the percentage of votes THE OTHER parties get in the list too, particularly the ones that do not win the constituency seats.
The thing your assertion does not mention at all is that if you move the unionists to the constituency seats then you will have the SNP and ALBA competing for the exact same list seats instead of taking the unionist seats, trashing the chance of a supermajority. I believe this is what the unionists are gunning for.
The only thing the unionists are good at is denying indyref and independence. They are no longer even a functional opposition. So why should we keep them in Holyrood?
If what you want is both, a yes supermajority and a real opposition to the SNP, then SnP1 + ALBA2 is the way to get it.
Kcor/Fergus/Andy/Mitchel/Legion
Am I not getting a mentioned as a Sturgeonist brigade?
Ruby/Mia/AYRSHIRE ROB/Al-Stuart/Breeks Sturgeonist brigade says:
19 April, 2021 at 12:45 pm
“It’s very difficult to know exactly what you are voting for.”
You know exactly what you are voting for, and you are doing your damnest to fool others into voting for what you want:
Sturgeon re-elected with an SNP-Green majority.
No independence referendum in the next five years.
Free access to trans perverts like Mridul Wadhwa to vulnerable women and girls anywhere.
Complete destruction of women’s rights.
Making all critical thinking a crime.
Abolition of juries so political opponents can be easily jailed on false rape and other charges.
Ruby/Mia/AYRSHIRE ROB/Al-Stuart/Breeks/Famous15 Sturgeonist brigade, you know exactly what you are voting for and you know exactly what you will get.
SNP1 ALBA 2
“You know exactly what you are voting for”
If you vote for Sarwar, indeed you know what you are voting for:
a. totally meaningless opposition to toxic bills and policies
b. Cowardly abstentions when what you need is a robust vote against
c. visceral, undemocratic opposition to independence and indyref even if it is the democratic will of the people.
Do I want in Holyrood an undemocratic anti indy party that does not even know or want how to act as an opposition?
No. At least a seat for the SNP will count as a pro indy seat in the eyes of the world.
Kcor/Fergus/Andy/Mitchel/Legion
Care to look into your crystal ball and give me next weeks lottery numbers?
There are an awful lot of sick cowardly bastards at the top of the SNP SG!
Hi Mia.
There are quite a number of us that see reducing the SNP number of constituency seats, in the constituencies where we want rid of the individuals, could be beneficial for the Pro-Indy campaign.
It could cause a minority SNP government, looking for support from another party.
The Greens have betrayed their Pro-Indy credentials in the last few days so, really, no Yessers should be voting Green – either in the constituencies or regions.
We tactically get rid of five SNP constituency MSPs, vote for Alba – not Green – in the regional votes and we could see a political/constitutional game-changer on 7th May.
BTW: saw my first Alba ‘garden board’ in the wild today, on a wall just up Blackness Road from the Glamis Road oval (it, normally, would be a ‘circle’ in Dundee but it’s the wrong shape).
See what I’ve typed previously about “the 5” targets, at the links at this link:-
link to wingsoverscotland.com
Another good article about this madness.
link to karadansky.com
IF YOU’RE AN “SNP WANNER”
THEN YOU’RE A FUCKIN SPANNER!!!
DON’T VOTE SNP!!!
And of corse the tories could be calling one big bluff when they say they will vote snp in the hope we think snp are covered and guaranteed to get in, so therefore independence voters don’t have to bother voting for them,
Could anyone see tories voting for a supposed Independence Party, not in a million years, they would be feart just in case real independence grassroots took over the snp again.
Their calling a bluff that is full of hot air.
Mitchell says: 18 April, 2021 at 10:14 pm
Mia/Breeks
I can also post neverending meaningless shite. LoL
“Everybody seems to listen to audiobooks these days. As a recent marketing campaign put it, “Listening is the new reading.”1 What was once a niche entertainment has grown into a billion-dollar industry thanks to the emergence of digital media, smartphones, and an online marketplace that makes it simple to download just about any title you want. Listening to a book is not the hassle it once was. (Take it from someone who remembers fumbling with cassette tapes while trying to steer a car.) The mainstreaming of audiobooks has been one of the twenty-first-century publishing industry’s greatest success stories.
That success would have come as no surprise to the audiobook’s pioneers, who had always imagined a future in which audiences would read books with their ears instead of their eyes. Fans have been predicting the audiobook’s ascendance ever since it became possible to record books. But when exactly was that? The audiobook’s origins can be traced back further than most people realize. Some historians credit Books on Tape, Recorded Books, and other mail-order libraries that arose in the 1970s to entertain commuters stuck in traffic. Others point toward the 1950s, when Caedmon Records released an album featuring the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas reading his beloved tale “A Child’s Christmas in Wales.” Still others link the audiobook’s origins to discs made by the Library of Congress in 1934 for people who were blind and partially sighted. But the audiobook’s origins predate the twentieth century. In fact, the audiobook turns out to be as old as sound-recording technology itself.
PHONOGRAPHIC BOOKS
There was no way to preserve sounds before the nineteenth century. Speeches, songs, and soliloquies all vanished moments after leaving the lips. That situation changed in 1877, when Thomas Edison began working on a machine that could mechanically reproduce the human voice. Edison’s team successfully assembled a device on which Edison recorded “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” a nursery rhyme that would become the first words ever spoken by the phonograph.2 Depending on how you define the term, Edison’s inaugural recording of verse might be considered the world’s first audiobook.
Thomas Edison reciting “Mary Had a Little Lamb” on 12 August 1927 to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the invention of the phonograph. The original 1877 recording was no longer extant. Courtesy National Park Service.
The spoken word featured prominently at public demonstrations of Edison’s tinfoil phonograph throughout the United States and Europe. Although no recordings were made of these exhibitions, press reports enable us to reconstruct what took place.3 A typical demonstration began with an explanation of how the machine worked, followed by displays of recording and playback. The program opened with a greeting from the phonograph (“The phonograph presents its compliments to the audience”) before moving on to recitations, songs, music, and random noises. Members of the audience were sometimes given a chance to speak into the phonograph before leaving with torn-off slips from the tinfoil recording sheet as souvenirs.
“New Jersey.—Professor Edison exhibiting the phonograph to visitors, at his laboratory, Menlo Park.” From Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, 30 March 1878.
A witness to one of the initial phonograph demonstrations posed the question on every reader’s mind: “Are we to have a new kind of books?”4 Unfortunately, that wish was years ahead of the technology. There was little hope of recording an entire novel in 1878 since tinfoil cylinders could only play for a few minutes and were extremely difficult to reproduce.5 The first recordings that might be thought of as literary were not made until a decade later, when Edison’s improved phonograph made it possible to record longer works. Alfred Tennyson and Robert Browning were both recorded reading their poems, but full-length books would have to wait until the 1930s.6 It would be a mistake, however, to think that the phonograph’s limitations in its own time constrained speculation about its future. Even if the inaugural recordings consisted of nursery rhymes and snippets of verse, the advent of sound-recording technology made it possible to conceive of recorded books fifty years in advance of one actually being made.
Wax cylinder recording of Alfred Tennyson reading “The Charge of the Light Brigade” in 1890.
BOTTLED AUTHORS
Long before the phonograph’s invention, there was already a rich tradition of speculating about how new forms of technology would affect reading habits. The fantasy of a mechanical talking book predated sound-recording technology by at least two centuries. Cyrano de Bergerac’s Histoire comique en voyage dans la lune, a seventeenth-century tale about a rocket trip to the moon, includes an eyewitness report of a “Book made wholly for the Ears and not the Eyes” that hangs from the auditor’s ears like a pair of pendants.7
The press began to speculate about the impact sound recording would have on the book even before the phonograph’s completion. The New York Times used an unlikely analogy to explain the invention to an audience unfamiliar with how the technology worked: the preservation of speech on tinfoil was comparable to that of wine by the bottle. When it comes to sound, the paper explained, the phonograph “bottles it up” for future use. The editors went on to make the following tongue-in-cheek prediction about the phonograph’s impact on the novel:
Why should we print a speech when it can be bottled, and why should we learn to read when, if some skillful elocutionist merely repeats one of “George Eliot’s” novels aloud in the presence of a phonograph, we can subsequently listen to it without taking the slightest trouble? We shall be able to buy Dickens and Thackeray by the single bottle or by the dozen, and rural families can lay in a hogshead of “Timothy Titcomb” every Fall for consumption during the Winter. Instead of libraries filled with combustible books, we shall have vast storehouses of bottled authors, and though students in college may be required to learn the use of books, just as they now learn the dead languages, they will not be expected to make any practical use of the study.8
From books to bottles: it was an audacious claim to make about a machine that had yet to utter a word. The humor magazine Punch responded to the conceit with a cartoon showing a cellar full of bottled opera to be uncorked on special occasions.
Cellar full of bottled music. From Punch’s Almanack for 1878, 14 December 1877.
It has often been pointed out that Edison failed to grasp the phonograph’s entertainment potential owing to his interest in developing it as a dictation device for use by businesses. But Edison did in fact identify other uses for it: playing music, writing letters, teaching elocution, recording courtroom testimony, and making clocks that announced the time. He also proposed using the machine to make “phonographic books”:
Books may be read by the charitably-inclined professional reader, or by such readers especially employed for that purpose, and the record of [each] book used in the asylums of the blind, hospitals, the sick-chamber, or even with great profit and amusement by the lady or gentleman whose eyes and hands may be otherwise employed; or, again, because of the greater enjoyment to be had from a book when read by an elocutionist than when read by the average reader.9
One advantage to using the phonograph as a reading machine was its accessibility to a blind readership; tactile alphabets for people with vision impairments required training, whereas anyone could listen to a book, including the many blind people who could not read braille. But it is important to note that Edison never imagined recorded books to be for blind people alone. From the outset, the hypothetical audience for recorded books reached beyond those with disabilities to “the average reader” lacking either the time, or perhaps the inclination, to hold a book. Crucially, Edison’s statement is among the first made by the recorded book industry to characterize reading as a secondary activity intended to accompany other pursuits.
DICKENS ON TINFOIL
Efforts to promote the phonograph as an improved version of the book express how conventional the initial attempts were to figure out what to do with the machine. Despite calls for a new kind of book, the books proposed in these accounts adhered closely to traditional formats. Most people used the phonograph to record existing print genres (novels, lectures, sermons, letters, advertisements) instead of new forms of speech devised specifically for it. As Marshall McLuhan famously pointed out, new media take their content from the media they replace.10 In fact, few attempts were made to produce an art form distinct from print until the following century. Far more enticing was the prospect of listening to established authors like Dickens.
Dickens’s reputation as a performer made him a popular choice with which to illustrate the phonograph’s value as a reading machine. Discussions of sound recording frequently cited Dickens’s name despite the inconvenient fact that the phonograph was incapable of recording his novels since the standard cylinder had a maximum playing time of a little over three minutes. (This did not dissuade Edison from memorably boasting in 1888 that he could record Nicholas Nickleby in its entirety on four eight-inch cylinders.)11 The author was nonetheless a shrewd choice since the name of Dickens was shorthand for the novel itself. Plus, he was among the most theatrical of novelists, famed for his reading tours in the United States and Britain.12 At a time when the technical limitations of the phonograph prevented the recitation of more than a few lines of verse, it made sense to pitch the conversation toward the ideal rather than the disappointing reality.
Charles Dickens photographed by Herbert Watkins, St. Martin’s Hall, London, 29 April 1858. The year marked the beginning of Dickens’s fame as a public reader of his own works.
Edison intended to capitalize on the demand for recorded books by opening a publishing house in New York. But first it was necessary to domesticate the phonograph if it was ever to become a household consumer good. A key marketing strategy through which the Edison Speaking Phonograph Company ushered in the new era of recorded sound was by linking it to older forms of entertainment that had preceded the phonograph. The use of nostalgia to promote the technology diverted attention away from the potential threat it posed to traditions of reading aloud. This is apparent in a Daily Graphic cartoon portraying Edison’s idealized domestic scene alongside the caption, “The phonograph at home reading out a novel.” The scene is reminiscent of the archetypal Victorian image of family entertainment, with the crucial substitution of the phonograph for family members, who no longer needed to serve as “human audiobooks” now that a machine could do the reading for them.13
“The phonograph at home reading out a novel.” Detail from illustration accompanying “The Papa of the Phonograph,” Daily Graphic (New York), 2 April 1878.
Edison’s publishing house never managed to record a novel. Still, the press looked ahead to an environment unimpeded by technological limitations. Nearly everyone who responded to Edison’s overambitious claims foresaw a time when it would be viable to record entire books—even Dickens’s. In the words of one starry-eyed journalist, “The library of the future will be one which any man can carry under his arm.”14 Not a bad prediction for 1878.
THE METAL AUTOMATIC BOOK OF THE FUTURE
The long gap between the phonograph’s debut and the first literary recordings of note did little to dampen people’s optimism. An eccentric essay written in 1883 by University of Minnesota professor Evert Nymanover, for instance, called for printed books to be replaced by “whispering machines” lodged in people’s hats. Such contraptions would allow them to continue reading while doing other activities: “Everyone while sitting in the cars, walking in the streets, reclining on beds and sofas, could be perpetually listening to Adam Smith’s moral sentiments, Draper’s intellectual development, etc., and yet be at the same time talking, resting, working at a carpenter’s bench, dressing, promenading, practicing finger-exercises on the piano, or other instruments, and so forth.”15 Nymanover’s vision reveals lofty expectations for a format that has since come to be associated with distraction. What might sound perfectly reasonable to a modern audience acquainted with portable listening devices such as iPods and smartphones, however, sounded far-fetched to Nymanover’s contemporaries.
Nothing more was heard about whispering machines until 1885, when R. Balmer of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France published an essay in defense of them. While acknowledging the original proposal’s eccentricity, Balmer defended its core idea: the development of a portable mechanism for reading aloud. Phonographs could be used to imprint entire books on miniature metal cylinders embedded inside an automaton, he insisted, then inserted into a person’s hat and connected to the ear by wires. The tiny reading machine represented what he called the “metal automatic book of the future.”16 Nearly a century ahead of the Walkman, the portable device promised to entertain urban commuters who were unable to read in crowded public spaces. One magazine observed that “a man might take a walk along a busy street, and have the book of the season read to him.”17
Nymanover’s device represented the first of a sequence of hypothetical reading machines proposed over the next quarter century by disability activists, engineers, futurists, utopianists, and, of course, novelists. Utopian writers paid especially close attention to mechanized forms of reading since it was difficult to imagine an ideal society in which books did not play a prominent role. Edward Bellamy was one such writer to rethink the book in the context of new sound-recording technologies. Bellamy’s best-known work, Looking Backward: 2000–1887, a science fiction novel about the transformation of the United States into a socialist utopia, has oddly little to say about the book. But he returned to the topic a year later in the short story “With the Eyes Shut,” a radical rethinking of the book written after the author attended a phonograph demonstration. For Bellamy, the phonograph raised the question: Why go through the trouble of sounding out the words on the page when you could hear them read aloud?
“With the Eyes Shut” reflects Bellamy’s interest in harnessing technology to relieve the burdens of labor at a time when the United States was becoming an increasingly industrialized nation.18 Like its predecessor, the framed narrative begins with a man who wakes up in a futuristic society transformed by technology. That society’s citizens have little need to read for themselves since they are read to by an “indispensable,” Bellamy’s term for the portable phonographic device used to play spoken word recordings of everything from letters to literature.19 (The name suggests that our dependency on technology was apparent even in its utopian representations.) The premise captures the enthusiasm readers felt toward the ease of listening to recorded books. In other words, a crucial part of their appeal was the very passivity for which audiobooks are criticized today.
We see this in the story’s first scene, which involves an unnamed narrator who listens to “phonographed books” using a “two-pronged ear-trumpet” plugged into the railway carriage. Here’s how Bellamy’s narrator describes the pleasures of reading with the eyes shut:
A good story is highly entertaining even when we have to get at it by the roundabout means of spelling out the signs that stand for the words, and imagining them uttered, and then imagining what they would mean if uttered. What then shall be said of the delight of sitting at one’s ease, with closed eyes, listening to the same story poured into one’s ears in the strong, sweet, musical tones of a perfect mistress of the art of story-telling, and of the expression and excitation by means of the voice of every emotion?20
Whereas modern critics have singled out “seduction” as the principal hazard of listening to recorded books, Bellamy welcomed being seduced. And yet the passage’s erotic language does anticipate the way the technology would be received over the next century by intimating the potential danger in having a book read to you.21 The most enduring critique of the recorded book turned out to be less that it is an ineffective way of delivering the text than that it is too powerful.
THE END OF BOOKS?
Utopian fantasies of a mechanical reading machine reflect the era’s optimism toward uninterrupted scientific progress. In this context, the printed book’s evolution into a new format was welcomed along with other technological advances meant to improve people’s quality of life. The fin-de-siècle French futurists Octave Uzanne and Albert Robida followed Bellamy’s lead in imagining how new media would remake the book. In 1894, their tale “The End of Books” posed a conventional science fiction question: What would society look like a hundred years from now? A group of intellectuals who meet in London to address the question foresee the replacement of the book as a bound object made of paper and ink by the machinery of a post-Gutenberg age. As the narrator concludes, “Phonography will probably be the destruction of printing.”22
In the tale’s imagined future, books continue to circulate through audiovisual media. The reading machine envisioned by Uzanne and Robida consists of a miniature phonograph strapped to a person’s shoulder and connected to the ears by a set of flexible tubes—an uncanny harbinger of the modern-day Walkman. By means of wide distribution channels and a variety of phonographic machinery, the spoken word was to reach a mass audience via free listening stations in public squares, vending machines selling Dickens recordings for a nickel, and even a Pullman Circulating Library for the entertainment of railway passengers. Modern-day troubadours could promote their phonographic books by taking them from one apartment building to the next, where residents could listen through elongated tubes stretching up to their windowsills. And, more than a century before the existence of streaming service providers, consumers could be seen subscribing to a bibliothèque universelle phonographique (“universal phonographic library”) capable of playing novels, poetry, history, and philosophy in the comfort of one’s home.
From Octave Uzanne and Albert Robida, “La Fin des livres,” in Contes pour les bibliophiles (Paris: Quantin, 1895). Courtesy Houghton Library, Harvard University.
We are now living in the sonic future imagined by the audiobook pioneers of the nineteenth century. Digital media have made recorded books even more accessible than Uzanne and his contemporaries predicted. Whereas Edison once dreamed of being able to play an entire Dickens novel, today’s “universal phonographic library” fits on a smartphone. Writers who used the advent of sound-recording technology as an opportunity to speculate about what form books might take in the future were right to insist that recorded ones were inevitable. But predictions of “the end of books” were premature since printed books hardly disappeared after audiobooks became a reality. People continue to read books on paper or on screens, even though digital audiobooks are now a viable alternative. In fact, some readers still view the format with skepticism, calling into question whether listening to books requires the same degree of concentration, imagination, and effort as reading them—in short, whether “listening” counts as “reading” at all.23 Technological progress by itself is not enough to win over book lovers. As we now know, the audiobook revolution of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries would also require a change in attitudes toward what it means to read a book in the first place.
:-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-)
:-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-)
Stuart – thank you for highlighting this. It’s disturbing how many people just don’t want to know what’s being done to children, or refuse to acknowledge what’s going on out of cowardice.
This is one of those things we can’t afford to turn a blind eye to, because the rights of children to grow up in dignity and health should be non-negotiable. Should be, but aren’t.
The early days of a better nation, eh?
I was reading one of Graham Linehan’s articles recently, about the personal and professional price he’s paid for speaking out on this. He was asked if he had considered giving in to the transcult to spare himself the bother. Glinner’s reply is important:
What Helen doesn’t understand is there’s no forgiveness from these activists. Once you’ve committed some sin, that’s you done forever.
There’s no middle ground on “transgender” “rights”. No reasonable accommodation. Can’t go to Gender Jonestown and negotiate a truce.
Hi Fergus at 7:44 pm
You pasted and typed,
“I can also post neverending meaningless shite. LoL”
What was your point, and motive, of pasting another Winger’s comment?
Conehead Brain freeze?
Brian Doonthetoon says: 19 April, 2021 at 7:55 pm
Kcor/Fergus/Andy/Mitchel/Shocked etc are most probably AI chatroom bots.
Have fun with them 🙂
What Helen doesn’t understand is there’s no forgiveness from these activists. Once you’ve committed some sin, that’s you done forever.
You also can’t ever win with them. Once you give an inch they will take a mile. You can pander to them as much as you want, but the second you stop you’re in their crosshairs and probably even more despised than those who stood up to them. These people are not idealists campaigning for something worthwhile: they are power-hungry, vicious, spiteful people who want to take others down. Much like Sturgeon’s inner circle, come to think of it. Like any cult, all they want is you to be totally subservient to their demands.
This isn’t anything like the normal fight for equalities – women’s rights, legalising being gay, gay marriage, disability rights. All of these were, and sadly remain, critical rights to fight for. This current “trans rights” crap is bugger all to do with gender dysphoria or transsexualism. It’s using and abusing those and DSDs for a campaign of bullying and intimidation. Maybe now Sturgeon’s gone along with them she’s just too scared to stop? Or maybe they’re all she has left. Who knows? But she demeans herself with every video pandering to them.
Brian Toon
After what I read about what you and your partner in crime got up to, I would not have had the brass neck to show my face on here ever again.
But I have principles, unlike you.
Scroll past me in the future please.
The SNP and their supporters are a right vipers nest of Crooks.
All well suited to each other.
@Brian Doonthetoon
I fear Mia and those who agree with her approach will never accept that there is a rational alternative to SNP 1 / ALBA 2. The idea that a supermajority – even one in which the Alba MSPs don’t hold the balance of power – will somehow magically produce results, because *reasons*.
Theirs is essentially a faith based position, every bit as misguided in its own way as the Sturgeonista Loyal’s assurances that the Brirish nationalists will just give us #indyref2 because *mandate*, and/or somehow change their spots post May election and co-operate with Alba or others to do what…? The kind of thing they’ve spent the past 6 years doing nothing about….?
In reality Alba only have a shot at achieving what we want them to achieve if they hold the balance of power. It’s pretty unlikely that’s going to happen if the SNP sweep the boards in constituencies, the Greens pick up seats and Alba win a handful.
It almost seems to me that some of the SNP 1 / ALBA 2 zealots are about as keen on actually achieving progress on independence as Sturgeon and her posse. Why might that be? I mean, I recognise it’s mebbe a long shot to engineer a result which means Alba hold the balance, but isn’t it at least worth a shot? If it doesn’t work, then it doesn’t work….but in the end we’re no worse off for trying.
Aren’t we supposed to be pushing for something a bit more…ambitious than that?
The Rev has spelled it out, in easy to read bite size chunks.
Sturgeon and her Party have lost the plot.
If you vote SNP 1, then you are as guilty as Sturgeon in the implamentation of her Gender Bending, life changing policies.
Be it in your own head.
SHAME ON YOU
DON’T BE AN SNP WANNER.
DON’T VOTE SNP.
These crazy policies need to be ditched and for this to happen the SNP need to be given a bloody nose at the election.
If the SNP emerge intact there is no way that a majority of the Scottish electorate will vote for independence thereby giving full powers to Sturgeon and her crew.
Mitchell says:19 April, 2021 at 12:29 pm
Famous
Stop spreading lies about this “you must vote SNP so ALBA can win more seats.
That’s a Sturgeon trick, your hero.
Read this folks.
Paul Cockshott says:
15 April, 2021 at 11:29 pm
There is a misaprehension that failure to vote SNP 1 will affect the number of Alba seats. It will not. The number of Alba seats depends only on the percentage of votes Alba gets on the list. Failure to vote SNP 1 just alters the number of SNP Tory or Labour constituency seats.
If Sturgeon loses to Sarwar then that does not affect Albas number of seats, provided Alba gets some 6% or more on the list. If the divisor for the SNP falls by 1 that for Labour rises by 1 in compensation.
The voting system is cleverly designed to give proportionality in a way that is independent of which parties win in the constituencies
Look Fergus…gonny just wrap it!
Pathetic.
How to teach the SNP a lesson and still Max the yes.
Select a few niche seats – you know them. Humza and co. They lose so 2021 returns slightly less snp than 2016. Meanwhile Alba picks up seats. Potential mutiny in the ranks at snp. Let’s face it the ref funds, the court of session coming up etc. Snp politicos demand new leadership or they’re defecting to Alba. This pressurising the ditching of the murrells and major change in the party.
Could work? Also if Angus loses massively that’s another message they could be sent.
Well said Margaret Lynch.
link to thetimes.co.uk
Stephen says:
19 April, 2021 at 8:19 pm
These crazy policies need to be ditched and for this to happen the SNP need to be given a bloody nose at the election.
Reply
Which crazy policies are you referring to? Which party has promised to ditch these crazy policies that you are referring to.
Which crazy policies
/
Well why not address the one Stu has introduced in this thread.
The hypocrite Pete Wishart saying we must ditch Westminster, this from a man who longed to be Speaker of the House, and has spent decades troughing in the HoC what a twisted bar steward.
link to thenational.scot
Stephen says:
19 April, 2021 at 8:27 pm
Which crazy policies
/
Well why not address the one Stu has introduced in this thread.
Reply
I did that earlier I was just wondering which ones you were referring to.
Fergus/Clyde/Ronald Fraser/Ross Kilbride/Glasgow racer/Lawrence/Craig Jones/D Thompson/Samuel/Frank Ness/George Rutherford/ – gie us a break!
We’ve all got you sussed! You’re wasting your time here. Maybe try commenting here:-
link to weegingerdug.wordpress.com
Ruby
I mentioned it earlier
/
So did I. You’ll see my opinion further up the thread.
Andy Ellis says:
19 April, 2021 at 8:13 pm
I fear Mia and those who agree with her approach will never accept that there is a rational alternative to SNP 1 / ALBA 2.
Reply
Interesting! Tell me more about this rational alternative.
Brian Toon
Weeshit for Buckets
LoL
You’ve actually got a load of strangers names stored on your hard drive?
You SNP WANNERS ARE A WEIRD SHOWER.
Re SNP 1 ALBA 2, how the hell do we convince a majority of Scots to vote for Independence in a referendum shackled to “The Murrells”?
Don’t you think all the Unionist Parties in Scotland and England will think it’s Christmas?
We are even more divided than the Tories and Labour and need to expose what the SNP really stand for….. Power at any cost and LOSING the referendum. Simples!……Yes you are!
There is a really good discussion with Neale Hanvey on Barrhead Boy’s “Through a Scottish Prism ” Give it a listen.
Every time I go on Wings over Scotland(Over Bath?) The attacks are against the Scottish Government,the S.N.P Sturgeon,No attacks on London Parties, WHY??? Are you for freedom or subservience. A better future for Scotland,or retreating into the dark ages of 300 years. To enjoy Brexit.The corruption of a Westminster Dictatorship,offshore accounts, and NO N.H.S.
Republicofscotland says:
19 April, 2021 at 4:02 pm
Quote:-
“This is an excellent article from Iain Lawson, on just how skint the SNP really are all their elections promises are basically pie in the sky.
link to yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com”
+
Social Carers still waiting their £500 [minus tax] too.
—–
“Sturgeons Nonce Peadophile party” sounds like an accurate Self Identifier…
Scotland is in one hell of a political mess. When things get as bad as they now are there is only one sensible course of action. Take the brave step and ditch the SNP. Let a sort of chaos reign whilst a new beginning emerges. It might be the Alba Party or it might not. If Sturgeon is put back in power then forget independence.
If She/Her and the Green Goblin can`t form a majority could She/Her get she/her`s arse booted from the FM chair,
if Alba can help form a pro Indy majority could the booting out of She/Her,who won`t work with Alba,be the best way forward for everyone,
She/Her really needs stood down for the sake of the woman and children of Scotland.
These puberty blockers have been used in the UK since 1980 it was only last year that England decided not to prescribe them to children under 16.
Is this what you are looking for Fergus?
The reason I’m interested in this is because I used to throw money into those Wings Buckets.
Very similar to Sturgeon taking the indyRef2 Money.
Juan says: 17 April, 2021 at 11:24 pm
Brian Toon
I found out what the “one to you,,,one to me” means.
It is alleged that you and your partner in crime (not Sturgeon), used to collect all the money at the Wings Stall at big rallies.
It is also alleged that you and some guy called Anderson, don’t know his second name, used to take these buckets full of money back to his place and you two shared out 50/50. Allegedly.
Many hundreds of pounds were collected at these rallies and there were multiple events, so for a few years you two would globe trot round Scotland making a wee fortune.
Even holidays abroad,,,all done in the name of Wings Over Scotland.
Perra Chancers.
Allegedly.
Bigger crooks than Murrell and Sturgeon.
So now we all know.
No wonder your sidekick is too embarrassed to show his face on here.
And from what I have heard, you should do like wise.
What a brass neck you have sunshine.
Now I’ll leave you alone with your memories.
Do me a favour and scroll past me as well Mr Bucket, or whatever
@Ruby 8.42 pm
It’s been pretty widely discussed on here surely? Surgically remove a selected handful of Sturgeonista Loyal. Abstaining / spoling ballots might work for some who won’t or can’t vote tactically, or voting for candidates like Bonnie Prince Bob in Edinburgh Central as I intend to do.
@Robert Galloway 8.51 pm
Because we don’t expect anything else or anything better from British nationalist parties, and because they aren’t going to win in May’s elections. The pro-independence side are going to win, but the reason the current SNP and Scottish Greens are getting pelters is both because many of us no longer believe they are committed to achieving independence in any realistic timescale, nor do we trust them with respect to their political agendas, their positions on GRA/HCB and in the SNPs case their recent behaviour.
The SNP or SNP/Greens are’t going to deliver you from the dangers you cite, because they’re not going to deliver a referendum, still less actual independence without being forced by a new force like Alba, or there being a “palace revolution” within the party which overthrows Sturgeon and her unsavoury cabal.
@Robert Galloway says:
19 April, 2021 at 8:51 pm
“Every time I go on Wings over Scotland(Over Bath?) The attacks are against the Scottish Government,the S.N.P Sturgeon,No attacks on London Parties, WHY??? Are you for freedom or subservience.”
Because the problems caused are down to the SNP, not Westminster. The Scottish Government has a lot of responsibilities, and therefore it is perfectly acceptable to criticise them.
The old “oh it’s Westminster’s fault”, or “look at England” excuses are wearing so thin they are transparent. People are getting fed up with excuses.
Now the hospitality sector is facing an impossible situation. Everyone has to be 1 metre apart in their premises. How the hell is that going to work?
Even if Scotland doesn’t gain independence, the country and its people still have a future and you have to take that into consideration when you’re casting your vote.
It’s all very well Alex Salmond saying SNP1 ALBA2, he’s clearly working to his own agenda since he stated recently at the Holyrood Enquiry that Scotland hasn’t failed but its leadership has. Him telling people to vote SNP1 is him telling people to vote for a failed leadership. His words, not mine.
Ask yourself what THAT’S all about.
If anyone votes SNP in the forthcoming election, then they are complicit in present and future policies conjured up by the SNP and as illustrated on this board, they’re not things to look forward to. People on this board who vote SNP will have no right whatsoever to come on here and moan and complain about the Murrells or SNP ever again.
I live in France and have three overseas voting rights remaining and I’m not 100% sure if the Holyrood elections are included in that and whether I’ll be able to vote but if I am, I will not be voting SNP because I have a conscience and I have integrity.
Things that the Murrels and the SNP are clearly lacking.
The Yes Movement is split into two camps now.
Those with morals
And those without morals.
It’s take your pick time.
With morals and you wouldn’t touch the SNP with a barge pole.
Without morals and you are the kind who would sell their granny to the Devil, just as long as you can have a Referendum.
Andy Ellis says:
19 April, 2021 at 9:04 pm
@Ruby 8.42 pm
It’s been pretty widely discussed on here surely? Surgically remove a selected handful of Sturgeonista Loyal. Abstaining / spoling ballots might work for some who won’t or can’t vote tactically, or voting for candidates like Bonnie Prince Bob in Edinburgh Central as I intend to do.
Reply
Is that it? You got me all excited about nothing.
Just read that Police Scotland have confirmed their gender policy that a male rapist would be logged as a female if he tells the police that he identifies as a woman.
Welcome to wacky Scotland and to the undermining of what previously had been considered a horrible crime. Not so horrible when it can be so easily recorded as being a woman on woman crime.
A bit like a paedophile saying he thought he was fourteen and the twelve year old girl eighteen and Plod says that’s all right then. The girls the paedophile then.
Its all got me beat. I just want Sturgeon and her freak show clique out.
Brian Doonthetoon 8.35
Ignore the Twat o’ many names Brian those that matter don’t believe him and those that believe him don’t matter… they never really have it’s why they’re angry 🙂
@Patrick Jones, 9.01. pm
I don’t post on here very often, but by Jove I am moved to do so tonight, because you’re talking sh*te, mate.
The people to whom you are referring are as honest as the day is long and are well-known and loved, of long-standing, to many Wingers on this site….including everyone involved with the stall and those who visit it.
You are a liar, a stirrer, and a bullsh*tter, Mr Jones.
Hope this link works okay…
Must-read from Graham Linehan.
link to grahamlinehan.substack.com
“We tactically get rid of five SNP constituency MSPs, vote for Alba – not Green – in the regional votes and we could see a political/constitutional game-changer on 7th May”
You will not hear me advocating for the Greens ever again, neither in the constituency nor in the list. As far as I am concerned they are politically toxic, even more genderwoowoo and anti women than Sturgeon. I wasn’t impressed by Wightman’s performance in the committee either. I would be happy to see them all losing their seats to ALBA.
Tempting as chucking Sturgeon, Swinney, Sommerville, Yousaf and specially Robertson is, in all honesty I fail to see how losing 5 pro indy seats will work to our advantage. All I can see is that to get rid of those 5 you have to preserve 5 unionist seats that should have been shown the exit door from our parliament and replaced with yes seats. I am extremely uncomfortable with the idea of helping unionists to get in, which you know will use their seats against you, and then claim that it will help independence. Sorry, I do not see how that is a good move when what we want is the world to see we desperately want independence.
For some time now, I see this election as Yes vs No to independence, therefore the number of yes seats is all what I can think about.
If you are going to give Sturgeon, Swinney, etc the boot, and in order to do that you are prepared to lose yes seats, at the very least you need to bring in someone better, something that is going to help you to progress independence because if you don’t, what have you won? I fail to see how someone like Sarwar, a satellite of Starmer – the biggest establishment tool Labour has ever seen, a staunch unionist and a coward that rather abstains and enables than voting against toxic policies, is going to be a better option for the yes movement than Sturgeon, when useless as she is, at the very list is perceived as pro indy (There is no way Sturgeon will last the 5 years. I give here 2 tops).
I don’t see either how someone like Murdo Fraser is going to be a better option than Swinney either. Again, Swinney may be useless too but he would be seen as a pro indy seat. I don’t see at all how losing yes seats and handing them to staunch unionists can advance our cause.
I have not seen anything to suggest that the list vote for the SNP is going to decrease to the levels the cons, labour or libdems had in 2016. As far as I can see, that is the kind of levels you would need for the list vote of the SNP to not affect ALBA’s chances. And that is without taking into account that if you have the SNP fighting Alba for list seats, means you have already handed over to unionists 5 pro indy constituency seats for free.
For as long as the SNP list vote remains disproportionally high in the list, unless you lock it in the constituency, it is going to compete with ALBA, leaving Alba, with more modest numbers of votes, at a big disadvantage.
Patrick Jones says:
19 April, 2021 at 9:09 pm
The Yes Movement is split into two camps now.
Those with morals
And those without morals.
That statement is beyond laughable in it’s naivety. Go back under a rock, the grown ups are talking.
Fergus says:
19 April, 2021 at 8:15 pm
The Rev has spelled it out, in easy to read bite size chunks.
Sturgeon and her Party have lost the plot.
If you vote SNP 1, then you are as guilty as Sturgeon in the implamentation of her Gender Bending, life changing policies.
Be it in your own head.
SHAME ON YOU
DON’T BE AN SNP WANNER.
DON’T VOTE SNP.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Alternatively:
Someone online has just posted a bunch of stuff. Now, go do your own homework, and come to a decision on who to vote for based on your own findings, and your own personal choice on what’s best for the country. Don’t ever let anyone bully you into voting for someone you’re not comfortable with, or not voting for someone you have faith in.
Mia says:
19 April, 2021 at 7:02 pm
“… I don’t think it would be out of place to predict that the SNP might still remain as the party with the highest numbers of list votes…”
That’s correct Mia, but if the SNP dominates in the Constituency seats, most of those ‘many’ votes for SNP in List seats are going to be wasted. They will be votes for seats the SNP cannot win. Turning those SNP votes into seats will be an uphill struggle because of the deHonte system trying to limit a runaway majority.
But ALBA will not be penalised for doing well in Constituency Seats, because it isn’t on the Constitutional ballot, so a vote for Alba will be much more efficient turning List votes into seats.
It’s not a question of List Seats going to either SNP or ALBA in direct competition. You don’t want the SNP to be in the room or running for List seats at all, – and it won’t be if the SNP stays dominant in the Constituency seats.
IF the SNP does find itself needing List seats, then it means the SNP has already lost Constituency seats to Unionist Parties, not ALBA, and is thus competing beside ALBA for List seats, not splitting the Indy vote for List seats, but squeezing ALBA by having less nett seats for Indy.
The stronger the SNP vote in the Constituency Seats, the less chance it has picking up List seats, and that helps ALBA in a straight fight with Unionist List votes. Your SNP1 is just as important as your ALBA2 if you want that magic supermajority. Not voting SNP1 forfeits Constituency seats to Unionists, with zero chance for ALBA to take up the slack.
What is REALLY needed is for Sturgeon to shut her whiny gob for five minutes and allow the adults in the SNP (those who are NOT having mental breakdowns), and ALBA Candidates to sit down and have a little mutual trust in each other, cooperate for 24 hours to give Scotland a fighting chance of freedom.
The fact Sturgeon’s going mental with her cringey wee pronouns carry on is just ridiculous. She’s taken the Office of Scottish First Minister and put it on a level with other “world leaders” like Eddie Izzard. God knows what is going on inside her head, but it isn’t Scottish Independence. She’s on a Kamikaze mission to wreck the SNP, and if she isn’t in the pocket of the Unionists then she must be in the pocket of some big Pharma Company. But never mind. She is political toast.
I said it last night and I’ll say it again. Listen in SNP voters.
In 2015, there was lots of debate about whether YES should politicise itself and become a List Party to augment the SNP vote and win big in Holyrood.
Well, That is exactly what has now happened. The spirit of YES 2015 now IS a List Party, it’s led by Alex Salmond, it’s pledged to augment the SNP majority in Holyrood, and it’s in perfect position to squeeze out the Unionists.
This ISN’T Alex Salmond on a ‘paybacks a bitch’ ego trip. The ALBA Part is actually that genius idea from 2015 becoming flesh, and urgently needing the backing and confidence of the whole Independence majority.
For chrissake SNP voters, take your head out your fat backside and get with the programme. After 6 years of Sturgeon’s mind numbing stalemate, YES has just come storming up the blind side, wrong footed everybody, and it’s now making a blistering sprint for the line. You should be on your feet, cheering til your lungs burst, and bringing the bloody house down.
SNP1 ALBA2 Victory for Scotland!
@Breeks –
And for the second time this very evening I do declare “Hear, hear!”
“I fear Mia and those who agree with her approach will never accept that there is a rational alternative to SNP 1 / ALBA 2”
That “rational” alternative involves handing over to staunch unionist parties 5 constituency seats for free. I am afraid I see nothing rational in that when we are desperate to be seen as wanting independence. I see that as throwing stones against our own roof, as a gamble that has more chances to go the wrong way than to favour.
There is only one seat where I would be comfortable not voting SNP1 and that is Edinburgh Central. I am not sure how much pro indy Bonnie Prince Bob is because in his video he said something about seeking sovereignty for Holyrood rather than independence for Scotland, so I am not quite sure in what side of the indy coin he is. But the Edinburgh Central was not a yes seat, so I would not be crying about losing it. My problem is if Robertson enters via the list because of the high SNP list vote. Because if he does, that would totally defeat the purpose and would end up costing ALBA one seat.
Well said Breeks
@Ruby 9.11 pm
Not sure what else you were expecting to be honest….?
Perhaps you’re just easily excited! 🙂
In the end it’s pretty simple: either Alba is in a position to hold the balance of power, or we accept 5 more years of Sturgeon and Harvie sitting on their arses doing SFA about indy and advancing their dystopian, misogynistic, men’s rights agenda.
@Mia 9.37 pm
Riddle me this Mia, would you prefer:
a) Alba to hold the balance of power in a Holyrood with a pro indy majority but minus Robertson, Sturgeon, Swinney, Yousaf and Sommerville; OR
b) A pro-indy supermajority with an SNP or SNP/Green administration but too few Alba MSPs to force any change?
Have you seen on the news yet another English Hospital found out
to have killed many by neglect including a new born who should never
have been in any danger.
This time in Kent and it can join the thousands lost in Mid-Staffordshire and
Shrewsbury.
This will be the last time you hear of this as several years ago a seriously ill
baby caught a bug from pigeon dropping from a badly designed new ventilation system.
Can you really blame Scot Gov or the NHS for an Architect’s error?
Vote Unionist and get the thousands of needless deaths they are responsible for on your doorstep.
@susanXX says: 19 April, 2021 at 4:31 pm
Yes Mark Boyle Alba is the only party to have leafletted me by hand, all the others were via the mail. Alba has my vote.
To clarify, I was NOT leafletting for ALBA, but for Andy Doig (standing under the Scotia Future banner – but it is essentially Andy Doig everyone’s voting for), being one of the few councillors in Renfrewshire people have actually heard of since he doesn’t just vanish into the Cotton Street Twilight Zone inbetween elections.
This was nothing to do with politics or “super majorities” or any of the rest of the rag tag and bobtail of tactics discussed on here, and everything to do with helping out someone that’s actually justified by their work ethic being given a fair chance at a decent vote.
For the record, I have saw no activity from ALBA in my area either, and with just over two weeks to go, this is not edifying.
It could be (and husbanding of resources would make this common sense), they are concentrating their efforts in the Inverclyde, Arran and Ardrossan plus Vale of Leven and Renton (not the football clubs!) where their sitting councillor candidates come from and where maximising the “personal” vote would make good tactical sense.
One of the things election candidates are quickly discovering these days is if they’ve not done a hand’s turn themselves in the years between elections, people are far less likely now to find the “time” to help them reapply for their job with the voters.
All the parties in my area now struggle for bodies to come out and help, even with so many still furloughed and thus the time on their hands – as a metaphor for the chasm between the political class and the rest of us, it’s telling. Or to give the TL/DR version, “you cannae be scunnered wi’ them, they cannae be scunnered wi’ you!”
Breeks @ 9.29 . Well , you had me * spiritually * on my feet cheering until my lungs burst .
For the debris intensely polluting this site recently , that post by Breeks , like those of Mia and the many other excellent commenters here is the quality of intelligence and passion you’re up against : your pathetic , amateur buffoonery hour is up . Fuck off back to your underground caverns
Mist001 says:
I live in France and have three overseas voting rights remaining and I’m not 100% sure if the Holyrood elections are included in that.
Sorry but no they aren’t, only general elections.
“Theirs is essentially a faith based position”
Actually no, it isn’t. It is based in evidence:
In 2016 the people of Scotland voted in a pro indy majority in to Holryood. The party with the biggest share of the vote, the SNP, had an impeccable mandate to hold indyref if there was a change in the circumstances of the 2014 vote. We had enough changes of circumstances to stop the earth spinning.
We had Davidson on record saying in 2011 that “all what democracy is about” in Scotland is about parties seeking allies in Holyrood to help them pass their policies. Indyref was no exception. She accepted at the time that a minority SNP could find allies in other pro indy parties to pass a vote for indyref.
Yet, rewind to 2016 and that argument suddenly morphed into having to be a SNP majority for indyref to be democratic. That argument remains today. In other words, unless there is a serious pro indy majority in Holyrood, with a minority party that is not prepared to swallow that crp like the Greens have done, the colonial parties will always twist reality to claim we don’t have a mandate and we don’t want independence.
Consequence: I seek to call their bluff. I seek the largest possible number of MSPs who are perceived as YES by the British state to show not only the colonial parties, but the world all over that Scotland is ready for independence.
Frankly, I do not see how handing over yes seats to unionists that will use them against you to deny you indyref and independence is nothing other than a “faith based position” that your gamble with yes seats, because that is what it is, is going to pay off. I do not like to gamble. I rather see a supermajority of yes seats in Holyrood that shows to the world and the wnkrs in WEstminster that Scotland wants independence.
Sturgeon is finished. You can see it in her face. Her speeches have become stale. She has nothing new, nothing fresh to say. It is always the same crap. She does not have credibility left. She is hanging by her fingernails, you can see that. She will not last a week of direct confrontations with Salmond and neither will Robertson. She can go to the backbenches when she is ready and the sooner the better. But her seat will always be seen as a yes seat.
I can no longer in conscience give the SNP or the Scottish Greens either of my votes now.
BBC Scotland this morning. “The Crown Office has passed us a report on care home deaths”
When did the crown office start passing reports to the bbc.
@Breeks at 9.37 pm
Breeks says:
The fact Sturgeon’s going mental with her cringey wee pronouns carry on is just ridiculous. She’s taken the Office of Scottish First Minister and put it on a level with other “world leaders” like Eddie Izzard. God knows what is going on inside her head, but it isn’t Scottish Independence. She’s on a Kamikaze mission to wreck the SNP, and if she isn’t in the pocket of the Unionists then she must be in the pocket of some big Pharma Company. But never mind. She is political toast.
Quinie says in reply:
I seem to remember when during the Biden Presidential campaign, Kamala Harris was very “performative” with her “she/her” pronouns.
That was very telling then.
And Nicola’s desperate need to “be seen to do the same”, is very telling now.
Whatever sinister, globalist, Atlantic vested interests are behind this, it’s clear that Nicola Sturgeon has signed up to it hook, line and sinker. And whatever her eventual “reward” is, or whatever blackmail/brainwashing she’s been subject to, she’s absolutely determined that we’re all going along with her whether we like it or not.
She must be thwarted in this dangerous nonsense that threatens women’s and children’s safeguarding rights worldwide.
“Riddle me this Mia, would you prefer:
a) Alba to hold the balance of power in a Holyrood with a pro indy majority but minus Robertson, Sturgeon, Swinney, Yousaf and Sommerville; OR
b) A pro-indy supermajority with an SNP or SNP/Green administration but too few Alba MSPs to force any change?”
Sorry but you have created an additional riddle there:
If locking the SNP in the constituencies renders very few ALBA MSPs to force any change, how on earth are you ever going to get sufficient ALBA MSPs to hold the balance of power in a) when you are handing over constituency seats to unionists getting the SNP, with a significantly higher number of list votes than ALBA, to compete against ALBA for the list seats? If the SNP loses constituency seats, its probability of getting list seats increases, decreasing those of ALBA. That is the part you are closing our eyes to with your gamble and expect me to close mine too.
Your riddle does not make sense. The only way ALBA can hold the balance of power is if it gets enough seats. The only way it can get enough seats is by locking the SNP in the constituency.
OT. For a bit of light relief, If anyone has 13 minutes to spare and wants a chuckle at a subtly politicised version of Trumpton that some of us oldies will remember.
link to youtube.com
Hope I have added the link correctly and don’t get killed by hammers.
@Mia 10.02 pm.
Sorry Mia, there’s just no reasoning with you. Yours IS a faith based position, however much you try to disavow the fact. A pro indy majority in Holyrood – whatever its make-up – doesn’t make an iota of difference if there’s no clear route to indy. The britnats don’t care how many pro-indy MSPs there are, because they won’t be elected on a plebiscitary mandate.
Your strategy – such as it is – makes such elections less likely.
Anyhoo…we’ll just have to agree to disagree: pointless arguing the toss with faith based positions.
Sturgeon certainly knows how to push all the right buttons.
The whole world despises her, except a few crazies here on Wings Over Scotland.
SCOTLAND’S night-time industry is “on the brink of collapse” with 24,000 jobs at risk in an “impending unemployment tsunsami” due to continuing restrictions as the Covid lockdown is eased.
link to heraldscotland.com
What the SNP leadership fears most is losing their Enablers, the Greens.
Vote Scottish National Party on the Constituency Ballot.
Vote the ALBA PARTY on the List Regional Ballot.
That WILL give the SNP Leadership sleepless, restless nights, plus a strong vibrant Independence Party in the Scottish Parliament with the added bonus of REDUCING the Unionist bums on seats.
There are a few crazy Sturgeon obsessed SNP WANNERS on here, who’s backs must be red raw at the end of their shift on here with all the back slapping that goes on between then.
They are part of Sturgeon’s Cult, and will follow here no matter what. Even if it means Young children being abused.
The SNP are a Cult.
Hi Mia.
You typed,
“Tempting as chucking Sturgeon, Swinney, Sommerville, Yousaf and specially Robertson is, in all honesty I fail to see how losing 5 pro indy seats will work to our advantage.”
Take Mid Scotland & Fife as an example. The Tory vote is SO strong, that Murdo Fraser always gets elected in the region.
If he won Swinney’s seat – Perthshire North – the Tories divisor in the regional vote would be increased, probably losing them one of the regional seats.
Checks and balances of the d’Hondt system.
As the unionist parties get most of their seats in the regions, every time they win a constituency seat, it lessens the chance of them getting one of their regional seats.
Checks and balances…
What a bunch of miserable moaning greeting-faced grippers there are on here these days.
Alex is back, Nasty Nicola is on a warning, cheer the fuck up.
From the (Relatively) safe distance of Wales I promised myself I would abandon this blog; however I have significant ties to Scotland and continue to be interested by all the arguments on here. Fair play to the Moderator, too.
Three things seem to me to be right;
1. The party that ‘you’ ( I generalise) have supported for years/decades has of recent years become a pile of steaming bat-guano infested by (Tiny) minority ‘spokespersons’ who use prejudice/minority/trans rights and any other credible ‘arguments’ available as battering-rams to force through extremist views way beyond any rational accommodation
2.They will be re-elected with a healthy majority
3.While many on here think that the party do not seek another referendum I believe that nothing would please the leadership more than to be the unassailable heads of a separate country-with control of all the levers of power, information and ‘funding’ (I cant accept that your legal world is so compromised)-it may be however that their polling suggests that it would cut up about the same as last time. Game over-at least for their ‘careers’- and a chance for another ‘Indy’ party to gain ground
Just a thought
I’ll get me coat
Cath says:
19 April, 2021 at 8:04 pm
I completely agree.
I also read what you said earlier about gender dysphoria, and you’re absolutely right.
I think it’s not uncommon for teenagers to be confused, which is not the same thing as a dysphoria – but they don’t know any better. Growing up is confusing. Most kids aren’t the effortlessly handsome captain of the school rugby team or the gorgeous alpha female type who easily makes friends. Most of us were spotty and awkward at that age. It’s not easy for a boy to become a man, or a girl to grow into womanhood.
I think there’s a lot going wrong at the same time in today’s society. It’s very, very easy for kids, and particularly girls, to get lured in by the transcult, which aggressively proselytises via social media with basically the same tactics Scientology uses – lovebombing and false promises of happiness through “Science”, but also fanatical hostility towards critics.
There’s a social contagion aspect to this that looks a lot like the anorexia outbreaks of yesteryear. Unlike anorexia, there are adults actively encouraging this – pornsick men who want to use children as human shields to obfuscate their ladyfeels fetishism, and Munchausen by Proxy mothers who’ve found a safer (to them) outlet for their pathology than the kiddy poisoners of old.
It’s absolutely toxic, the entire thing.
I don’t think the SNP’s embrace of this abusive insanity is at all unique, but that’s not an excuse or mitigation. A lot of people who should know better – and may very well know better – need to be held to account for the damage that’s being done to children. In its own way this is just as shameful as the official blind eyeism over Savile and the grooming gangs.
And Mia,
If I voted in Perthshire North, I would be voting Tory, to get rid of Swinney, and Alba in the region.
Anything wrong with that, tactically?
Been trying to think of the name of a show that was on when I was a young cheeky chappy.
The star of the show was a guy called Al Monday.
Then I suddenly remembered, the name of the show was:-
“IT TAKES A THIEF”
God knows what made me think of that.
Once again what a dilemma
Should I listen to the expertise of the Statesman Alex Salmond OR Patrick Jones the Wings pet troll—I think I’ll go with Alex!
SNP/ALBA as recommended by the boss. If HE can vote SNP I think we all can.
(Forgiveness granted for Bonnie Prince Bob)
Andy Ellis says,
“@Brian Doonthetoon
I fear Mia and those who agree with her approach will never accept that there is a rational alternative to SNP 1 / ALBA 2.”
The Ruby/Mia/AYRSHIRE ROB/Al-Stuart/Breeks/Famous15 Sturgeonist brigade belongs firmly to the WGD school of irrational Sturgeonist thought.
It is exploiting the SNP 1 / ALBA 2 mantra to get Sturgeon back in with an SNP majority.
It still has complete faith in Saint Nicola to deliver independence.
It doesn’t give a damn about ALBA.
The more gullible readers are being fooled by this brigade.
The more rational intelligent readers should think along the lines:
Best tactical vote 1 / ALBA 2
ALBA will only have positive influence if the SNP-Greens fail to get a majority AND the most obnoxious SNP candidates are voted out.
This is not the time for high principles which don’t achieve results. It is time to make the most of the given situation.
If I happened to be in Edinburgh Central, I would, for the first and probably the last time, vote for the Tory candidate in order to prevent Angus Dempsey-Robertson from winning.
This would not affect ALBA in any way – instead of competing with the Tories, it would be competing with the SNP for the list.
SNP1 is not necessary for ALBA’s success – don’t accept the lies of those who tell you otherwise.
An independence supermajority is great in theory, but knowing perfectly well what the SNP has become, it is best for ALBA to hold the balance of power.
Brian Doonthetoon, before you butt in, please remember that this is not your blog.
IF YOU ARE AN SNP WANNER
THEN YOU ARE A FUCKIN SPANNER.
DON’T VOTE SNP!!!
Brian Doonthetoon would vote Tory.
Think about that. He would actually vote Tory!
That tells me all I need to know about Brian.
A fine summation of what needs done Breeks.
The greater good.
Sleep easy after doing the necessary, the AS affair and the Woke buffoonery have exposed what we will need to change, after the war is won.
Fergus go back to Labourhame. It’s not working
Why would you expect me to butt in, Rock/Kcor, when you are supporting my tactical position?
Once again, you are trying to create division.
I am hearing that there has been a 50% increase in the number of postal votes cast compared to 2016. the stench of electoral fraud is making me cowk. Over a million PVs cast in a Nation the size of Scotland = A frikkin joke right?
By abstaining in Edinburgh Central or giving your vote to a candidate with little chance of winning, you are helping getting Angus Dempsey-Robertson elected.
What will hit your conscience more?
Having indirectly helped to get Angus Dempsey-Robertson elected or prevented him from getting elected by voting Tory?
Never forget that Angus Dempsey-Robertson played a key role in trying to get Alex Salmond jailed on false charges of rape.
The same applies for voting Labour in Glasgow Southside, whatever the Ruby/Mia/AYRSHIRE ROB/Al-Stuart/Breeks/Famous15 Sturgeonist brigade tells you.
Geoff Anderson – you obviously don’t understand the concept of ‘the bigger picture’.
One does what one has to do, to achieve a goal. If one must hold one’s nose to achieve it, one does.
Come back when you grow up and develop understanding of tactics, as a means to achieve the strategy of independence.
Over on Pop Goes Scot blogpost James Kelly explains in simple terms in his latest post that even some of the people above might understand why Alex Salmond is right in calling for constituency votes for the SNP and list vote for Alba.
“Yours IS a faith based position”
Faith? What does faith have to do with it? My position is based in NUMBERS. Numbers that you will only get if you lock the SNP in the constituency and give ALBA a free ride in the list.
“A pro indy majority in Holyrood – whatever its make-up – doesn’t make an iota of difference if there’s no clear route to indy”
That is where you and me sit in diametrically opposed sides. From where I am standing:
a) the make up of the pro indy majority makes 2 iotas and a half of difference. It is not the same to have a pro indy majority with Sturgeon’s SNP + Greens than a pro indy majority with STurgeons’ SNP + Salmond’s ALBA.
b) Mr Salmond was clear: a pro indy majority is a mandate as far as he is concerned to start discussing with Westminster that route for independence. He is open to everything, even court of law if required.
“The britnats don’t care how many pro-indy MSPs there are”
If they didn’t care we would not have Fergus, Kcor, Andy, Michelle, Shocked and the rest of the gang attempting to stop us voting SNP1. If they didn’t, DRoss would not be seeking a coalition with the Fibdems and Labour. If they didn’t, the broadcasters and MSM would not be imposing this vow of silence on ALBA. If they didn’t care they would not have the entire MSM attempting to smear Mr Salmond.
“because they won’t be elected on a plebiscitary mandate”
Mr Salmond has just made it a plebiscitary mandate. He is seeking a mandate for independence. The route can be an indyref or whatever. But what he is seeking a mandate for is independence. He said it very clear, if there is a majority of pro indy candidates soon after the election Holyrood should approach Westminster to start discussing the route to independence.
“pointless arguing the toss with faith based positions”
with faith based positions and numbers based positions, it seems, because as I said above, my position is based in numbers. Faith wasn’t anywhere near the equation.
Interestingly I had a carefully and politely worded post that was just a bit critical of Stu blocked by Wings a few minutes ago, but the most abusive trolls are being allowed to run amok on Wings by Stu in clear defiance of his warnings in the ‘About’ page on this website.
Lest anybody forget or wasn’t alive at the time. The anti Scottish Tory Party are a rabid Thacher Cult.
Brian Doonthetoon says:
19 April, 2021 at 10:59 pm
“Why would you expect me to butt in, Rock/Kcor, when you are supporting my tactical position?
Once again, you are trying to create division.”
Because of this comment of yours on the previous thread, Brian:
Brian Doonthetoon says (Game for a laugh):
17 April, 2021 at 9:21 pm
“Hi Rock/Kcor.
“I think most of readers here, have got the idea.”
“Please, if you and your mates feel the need to repeat that message, could you please limit it to one comment a week, until the election?”
Brian, it was my tactical position long before you copied it, and if we have the same position how does it help when you undermine the position by making comments like the one above?
If YOU stopped causing division, we could unite to expose the Sturgeonist agenda of the Ruby/Mia/AYRSHIRE ROB/Al-Stuart/Breeks/Famous15 Sturgeonist brigade.
“If he won Swinney’s seat – Perthshire North – the Tories divisor in the regional vote would be increased, probably losing them one of the regional seats”
What you do with that is to unleash the SNP on the list potentially giving it the seat the tories “lost”. In other words, all what you have achieved is simply to swap constituency and list seats between the SNP and the tories, not net gain of pro indy seats, not net gain for ALBA.
The idea of ALBA is to chuck unionist list seats out, not to swap them for constituency seats so ALBA cannot get at them.
It seems to me that your checks and balances are not working in the direction they should. Because if they did you should see a net gain in pro indy seats. I see no gain, just a swap of seats which incidentally will suit Sturgeon and the unionists.
Another reason for SNP constituency and ALBA on the list.
51% of people in England thinks Indyref2 should go ahead if SNP wins the election
link to thenational.scot
@Clavie Cheil 19 April, 2021 at 11:00 pm
“I am hearing that there has been a 50% increase in the number of postal votes cast compared to 2016. the stench of electoral fraud is making me cowk. Over a million PVs cast in a Nation the size of Scotland = A frikkin joke right?”
Crivvens, an increase in postal votes in the middle of one of the worst Pandemics in History ? 50% increase from 2016 with no Pandemic around , am shocked & stunned, I thought it would be higher after all those old folk and those previously shielding deciding that going to vote in person is something not worth the risk of coming into contact with the wrong person and paying for that with their lives. Aye probably a frikkin joke of some sort.
“ALBA will only have positive influence if the SNP-Greens fail to get a majority AND the most obnoxious SNP candidates are voted out”
ALBA will only have a positive influence on the progression to independence if they get enough seats. The only way they can get enough seats is by locking the SNP in the constituency.
What is the advantage of chucking Sturgeon or Swinney from Parliament if you are handing their yes seats to unionists?
It stands to the obvious that the tactical vote should be used against the Greens.
Rock/Kcor at 11:12 pm.
You typed,
it“Brian, it was my tactical position long before you copied”
I don’t think so. I’ve been saying this to my workmates for ages.
What I find alarming is that lovely young women are now being persuaded that ‘beauty’ entails slapping on pancakes of make-up and false eyelashes and posing for continuous selfies which portray them as Barbie Doll plastic toys. I’m sure this is being encouraged to bring the appearance of girls even closer to that of young boys in drag. And one day the boys will take over. The world seems set on making sexual parodies of all two-footed beings at the moment.
Andy Ellis says,
“@Ruby 8.42 pm
It’s been pretty widely discussed on here surely?”
Andy Ellis says,
“@Mia 10.02 pm.
Sorry Mia, there’s just no reasoning with you.”
Andy Ellis, the Ruby/Mia/AYRSHIRE ROB/Al-Stuart/Breeks/Famous15 Sturgeonist brigade has now been completed exposed itself as to what it is.
It is best to ignore it completely and not to respond to any of its comments.
You can see that its purpose is to disrupt every thread so that the Rev. Stuart Campbell’s eye opening articles get side lined.
The Rev. Stuart Campbell has alerted us today to the SNP’s disgraceful position on the availability of “puberty blockers” to children.
He has closed the article with the wise words:
“Be very clear on what you’re voting for next month, readers.”
It would make all decent folks think twice about giving the constituency vote.
And what do you get from the Ruby/Mia/AYRSHIRE ROB/Al-Stuart/Breeks/Famous15 Sturgeonist brigade?
SNP 1 / ALBA 2.
Yes, Alex Salmond advocated it, but even the Rev. Stuart Campbell does not blindly accept it.
Hi Mia at 11:17 pm.
You typed,
“What you do with that is to unleash the SNP on the list potentially giving it the seat the tories “lost”. In other words, all what you have achieved is simply to swap constituency and list seats between the SNP and the tories, not net gain of pro indy seats, not net gain for ALBA.”
As you type,
“The idea of ALBA is to chuck unionist list seats out, not to swap them for constituency seats so ALBA cannot get at them.”
But…
If we can persuade enough Yessers to vote for Alba in the regional votes, and the unionist votes are hit by the divisor, who knows?
@mia
You are missing a highly relevant point that Swinney is deputy to Nicola so removing him has repercussions to her status as leader no matter another SNP replaces him it weakens her position as leader. So waffle on about x,y or z weaken her status has more value.
Brian Doonthetoon says,
“I don’t think so. I’ve been saying this to my workmates for ages.”
You started posting it here long after I did. You can look up my comments.
The point is Brian, we are both advocating the same tactical position, and there are other posters who are posting anti SNP comments.
Our common enemy is the Ruby/Mia/AYRSHIRE ROB/Al-Stuart/Breeks/Famous15 Sturgeonist brigade.
If this brigade prevails, we will get Sturgeon and an SNP majority which the Rev. Stuart Campbell himself fears will put back the cause of independence at least 5 years if not much more.
If we want to prevail, we should completely ignore every comment from the irrational Sturgeonist brigade, make our point of preventing the SNP from getting a majority, and refrain from attacking posters who are posting anti SNP comments.
Never forget that it is the Sturgeon Murrell led SNP which tried to jail Alex Salmond on false charges of rape and that the SNP puppets in both the Scottish and UK parliaments have almost unanimously remained completely silent.
They do not deserve to be elected and they thoroughly deserve all the criticism they get.
Let us do our best to get a result which puts ALBA and Alex Salmond in the best possible position.
Independence is to the SNP as ornithology is to the birds…
I have no fucking idea what that means but I don’t see how a party committed to the colonial master’s Section 30 process could be called “pro-indy”.
By that standard, Labour are pro-socialist, America is pro-democracy, and I’m pro-slim-and-charming…
Does it really matter how many of them sit in Holyrood?
It isn’t paradoxical or clever to say that the best chance of achieving independence in the next 5 to 10 years depends on Sturgeon’s SNP having a truly terrible election. Whether you know it or not, that’s simply the truth. And it needs to be so bad that she immediately resigns.
I get the sense that everybody is really sick of Sturgeon. Not just us, ordinary people everywhere.
“If there was hope, it must lie in the proles, because only there, in those swarming disregarded masses […] could the force to destroy the Party ever be generated…” (1984)
The National
link to mobile.twitter.com
I noticed WGD gets front page billing on the National.
I wonder when the Rev will get a similar billing?
No chance.
Don says:
19 April, 2021 at 11:18 pm
@Clavie Cheil 19 April, 2021 at 11:00 pm
“I am hearing that there has been a 50% increase in the number of postal votes cast compared to 2016. the stench of electoral fraud is making me cowk. Over a million PVs cast in a Nation the size of Scotland = A frikkin joke right?”
Crivvens, an increase in postal votes in the middle of one of the worst Pandemics in History ? 50% increase from 2016 with no Pandemic around , am shocked & stunned, I thought it would be higher after all those old folk and those previously shielding deciding that going to vote in person is something not worth the risk of coming into contact with the wrong person and paying for that with their lives. Aye probably a frikkin joke of some sort.
————————————————-
I dont trust the PV system in crooked Tory Britannia especially three weeks before the actual election. 1 million plus PVs compares with the c 800,000 cast at the Indy Referendum. It was not beyond the Realms of the Imagination to make voting at Polling Stations a lot safer.
If it looks like a rat and moves like a rat and squeaks like a rat then it is probably Yoon or a Sturgeonite.
I predict a riot going forward. The only way of removing the muralls is a massive campaign of civil disobedience.
Is it still legal to protest in scotland?
.
Where’s Waldo?
AKA AndyWang?
Has Fungus Tge Bogusman aka Kcor aka Kcrap aka Rock aka PhilSwallyMitchell aka AnotherWhiteLie aka JuanJuanTheButchersApronMan all decided to mudddrrr Andy?
Andy has been AWOL for many days now. Not even a Union Jackboot Postcard.
He’s been away fae the regular sebaceous cysts who splatter their Unionist and SNP WANNER drivel all over Wings BTL. Must have been muddddreddd.
Newly promoted Lance Cadaver Putrid Jones Locker has started his assent up Gammon Mountain and Troll Peak. ALL of these Zoomer clones punting the same old needle-stuck-in-the-Unionist-record as permitted by their paymasters at 77th Batallion headquarters.
It would be reckless and negligent in the extreme if the British Establishement did NOTHING in the face of Wingers who support the Alba Party. Many of us SUPPORT Alex Salmond. If Alec can bear to vote SNP1 and Alba2 to save IndyRef2 then so can we.
At the foot of this post segment for any sane, Alba Party supporting Winger who is sick to the gills of all the OBVIOUS sock puppet accounts of the Unionist Zoomers. You know the ones. They change their name, but all use the same grammar, spelling, syntax, caps etc. They are bad soldiers and VERY LAZY.
Brigadier Twattington Smyth, please have a good old inspirational team talk with your 77th troops dear chap and get them to up their game. They are all making a colossal tit of themselves and you will never get that promotion old bean.
———————————–
AVOID THE MASTER BAITER 77TH TROLL BRIGADE..
Remember folks, trolls also win when they waste your time.
– their posts, often too many, of no substance, will “slide” good posts way upthread, where people will miss them
– new handle, lots of posting; reasonable at first, then arsey later on – diverting the discourse
– always asking questions that – have been answered many times, can be looked up, and when they get an answer, they go on to something else, or makeup bullshit hypotheticals
– if the Isle of Wight goes independent after the breakup of the UK, getting rich by charging transit fees for Le Manche.
Vote Saville’s Normalise Peadophilia party is not a good look.
NOTICE: On account of the prick who just won’t take the hint, ALL HOTMAIL AND OUTLOOK EMAIL ADDRESSES ARE NOW ON PRE-MODERATION.
This may result in your comment taking a long time to appear. The only solution is to get a proper email account.
I apologise for the inconvenience but I’ve been trying to block this tedious wank for months now and I’m really really tired of it.
Puberty blockers or ice cream – what’s the difference?
My name is Legion; for we are many..
Sturgeons online army wear many masks and will destroy this blog.
Lilybank’s lack of gender ID..shocking!
Lift those poor sod’s out of gender id poverty Nicky..YAY!
link to youtube.com
Lilybank?
Acht that’s nowt. That would be a posh “Bellsbank” in ma day.
“They come up that road at a snail’s gallop” was quite funny but.
There has definitely been a an attempt of late to disrupt and break down the BTL comments section.
First giveaway is volume. Endless comments that flood BTL on every article.
Second giveaway is the habit of continually trying to start up conflicts with other people BTL.
Either characteristic is a huge alarm bell and should just result in a ban.
Anyone with the combination of characteristics I would ban instantly and keep banning for eternity.
No coincidence they are going after the more thoughtful commenters either. They are trying to chase them off…
It is pretty damming that they cant even allow people freedom of discourse on one of the few places left where it happens in Scotland.
Even here, BTL, they have to try to chase people away and shut down the conversation. Says lot more about them than anything they ever post.
Al-Stuart – ‘Unionist Zoomers don’t support the Alba Party, only Wingers like me do’.
I’ll name you a few Unionist Zoomers, Al. Levy and McRae to defended Alex Salmond at great cost to Alex Salmond. Old Brillo-heid who defended Alex Salmond to his (old Brillo-heid’s) great cost. The Daily Mail who published an opinion on the Fabiani Inquiry case that no Scottish newspaper had the temerity to pubish.
‘Wingers’ will include many who do absolutley nothing for Alex Salmond. At least ‘Unionist Zoomers’ are holding Scotgov to account.
I just can’t believe the crap from the Tories regarding the formation
of a breakaway football league.
Gavin Williamson, the thickest man ever to have £100k spent on his education
is on Sky News now.
He thinks this move will break communities? A Tory saying that?
The game belongs to the people. Does that make it another thing
they can sell?
My favourite is the accusation that the founders are only about money?
Like the big clubs who want to break away from money grabbing and controlling FA and UEFA,
Didn’t the Tories break away from the EU with exactly the same story?
Some players are demanding £500,000 per week right now.
Do they join a club as they want to be part of the local community?
Did the club owners buy them not to make money and have others tell them
how they must run it.
Do you think Boris might buy the 6 English clubs and give them to the fans?
As they say ‘ Follow the money’.
Are you onto this Stu.
link to twitter.com
@Patrick Jones 19 April, 2021 at 10:17 pm
SCOTLAND’S night-time industry is “on the brink of collapse” with 24,000 jobs at risk in an “impending unemployment tsunami” due to continuing restrictions as the Covid lockdown is eased.
It’s OK, don’t worry.
I got a Green election flyer. They are going to create 100,000 new jobs.
If you go online, it’s even better. They are going to create 200,000 new jobs online. (Maybes the 100,000 new jobs are just in my constituency).
Also, they will have a Scottish Independence referendum and re-join the EU.
It’s all under control.
Follow the official Scottish Government line. SNP1 Green2. That way you will also get a 4-day week with your new job.
I must admit the current gaggle of trolls are becoming a bit of a bore. At least in the good old days as Cameron had his natty photo for an avatar it was no great effort to scroll down and ignore his boring drivel. With the constant shape shifters it takes a bit more effort to ignore them but that is that needs to be done. Please do not feed the trolls.
@ Effigy 7:24
I don’t bother with football much but looks like it is just a way of the bigger clubs of getting an even bigger splice of TV money from the current set-up. They’ll go through the motions of breaking away and at last minute the football associations will cave in to their demands.
Professional football at the highest level is now longer a sport but a corporate entity.
As to the Tories concerns of splitting communities, it sounds like they are trying to protect their Northern wall. The thing is that the Football teams survived without TV money and if this Super league did go ahead, they would survive as well.
Just on the hypothetical situation that the European Super league does happen, there was talk on previous threads about this having an effect on independence.
I would assume the assumption of this is that in that event, what was left of the English Premier league would be revamped into a British one with Rangers and Celtic being involved.
This is laughable, the Old Firm won’t be invited down. While both are too big for Scotland and have a worldwide fan presence, they just haven’t found a way of having that worldwide fan base financially positive to them and in that way, there is no way that the Old Firm would be attractive to the English league.
Andy Ellis says:
19 April, 2021 at 9:38 pm
@Ruby 9.11 pm
Not sure what else you were expecting to be honest….?
Perhaps you’re just easily excited! 🙂
In the end it’s pretty simple: either Alba is in a position to hold the balance of power, or we accept 5 more years of Sturgeon and Harvie sitting on their arses doing SFA about indy and advancing their dystopian, misogynistic, men’s rights agenda.
Reply
I got excited because I thought there was going to be a change of record not just a repeat of something that had
“been pretty widely discussed on here?” 🙂
John Martini says:
20 April, 2021 at 2:40 am
My name is Legion; for we are many..
Reply
My name is Legion to give the impression there are many when I am just one lonely ‘Sarwar fanboy’ with many accounts.
🙂
These puberty blockers have been used in the UK since 1980 it was only last year that England decided not to prescribe them to children under 16.
They were used in rare cases of precocious puberty, where it started too young for the child to cope with it. For a short time, to delay puberty a little. There are risks with any drug, but sometimes their benefits outweighs those. They were not used to prevent puberty altogether on the idiotic idea of not allowing a child to go through the “wrong” puberty because they’re in the “wrong body”. Holy hell, even writing that…I mean, I just can’t fathom what half way sane adult would think that sentence is OK, far less its application to children in reality. I hope people are fucking crippled by the court cases this will throw up later down the line.
Mia’s position has a number of distinct advantages. It’s simple, easily explained, unambiguous and most importantly, executable. As national strategy it’s perfect.
Sure it could be tweaked at the edges but every change means reduced clarity and increased uncertainty and hence doubt in the mind of the person who matters most – the voter.
Like it or not there are a number of significant unknowns heading into this election:
1. Alba is untested electorally. Everybody has high hopes and the signs are good but until the votes are counted it’s a faith-based proposition that they will do well.
2. We still don’t know what state the SNP are in. I think it’s reasonable to conclude that’s is currently occupied by opportunists hoping to capitalise on it’s earlier success.
3. We still don’t know what state the leadership of the SNP are in. Is it a junta ready to fall or does it have the backing of the party.
The only mission right now is to get Alba candidates elected. Defeat is simply not an option. Ideally the party would eclipse the Greens or at least temper their influence.
Everything changes when Alba candidates are sitting in Holyrood. We don’t know what effect that is going to have. Will having an alternative party finally split the SNP – it’s easy to say the people with conscience should stand up and be counted. That proposition is a lot easier if they don’t have to stand as independents (who never really survive for very long). Also, for the purposes of this point, ignore the fact that they should have shown some backbone before somebody came along to save them.
This election is only a stepping stone. It simply can’t be anything else. Until a beach head is established in Holyrood nothing else can happen.
Re the football, f the Englusj Premier League loses their Big6, they may be minded to invite Glasgow’s Big2 to replace them.
As an obsessive reader and occasional commenter there seems to have been a change in the character of the posts in the past month. Not as obvious as old Cameron (“..only through a close study of Anti-revisionary Marxism can you begin to understand independence. See the 400 page doc on this link and come back to class ready to answer questions mes eleves”) but still not comments designed to advance a debate but to simply provoke an emotional response. We call it Voight Kampff for short.
Ian says:
“Scotland strode the world throughout the 19th century and filled the British the political and administrative elites until the 20th century…”
And that happened during a period when most Scots didn’t benefit from a decent (or any) education. Imagine what could have been had things been fairer back then!
The dog-whistle/mob mentality/cancel culture of the Wokerati/trans-zealots persists…
link to rt.com
@Ruby 8.11 am & @Stuart MacKay 8.23 am
The problem we have now is that there is no silver bullet. We are now a few weeks away from the election and Alba is only a few weeks old. Whether the decision to wait until so late to stand the new party up was a deliberate plan, or just dictated by events is neither here nor there in the end.
When the idea of. A “new” pro indy party was first discussed many months ago – many of us then thinking it might be WoS based or involve Alex Salmond and perhaps a significant breakaway faction from the SNP, it was always assumed the aim was to be in a position to hold the balance of power. That involved persuading at least halt if the wasted SNP list voters to support the new party. Nothing else will really do if we want to see any significant progress toward independence in the next five years.
Up until Alba was formed a few weeks ago id more or less given up on the fight and resigned myself to working over the next five years to help engineer the circumstances to ensure plebiscitary elections could be held, and that a “full fat” new party would be available to challenge the (unreformed) SNP.
The formation of Alba gave me fresh hope, but in all honesty it’s an agonisingly small window of opportunity to bring about a situation where Alba holds the balance of power after the election. I concur that even the presence of a group of Alba MSPs could be transformative, and we don’t know what will happen with the SNP particularly if they fail to deliver on a referendum. The smart money has to be on the SNP or SNP/Greens having an outright majority, so I can see the logic in promoting the SNP 1 / Alba 2 strategy to hopefully maximise the number of Alba MSPs.
I suppose I’m just disappointed that we can’t achieve more, and that absent some political earthquake in the results it looks like we’re more or less back to where we were before Alba was announced: looking a 5 more years of gradualist stasis. The only plus is we may at least see a significant Alba group in Holyrood and be able to start building the “real” independence movement again.
Big Jock says:
“As they say ‘ Follow the money’.
Are you onto this Stu.”
Unless my memory’s really faulty, the £55,000 spend for witness coaching re Salmond is old news. Perhaps the ‘new’ news is that it’s now been confirmed by the FOI request?
Pre 20th century Scotland had a very advanced education system going back to the Reformation. The literacy drive was no doubt to encourage Bible reading but it expanded into numeracy for navigation, accountancy ,science, medicine etc.
It behoves me to wonder that under our voting system why more of our wonderful people cannot see the simple sense of voting SNP for constituency and Alba for list.
Voting Sarwar or Uncle Bob in Edinburgh Central is more stinky and requires a bigger nose peg.
I care about gay rights. I care about those with sexual dysphoria,I care about all our rights . “ After all,I am human”
Andy Ellis,
The very existence of Alba has changed the game. The existence of Alba in Holyrood will do the same. Being in a position to broker deals would be awesome but there’s so much that can be achieved simply by having a foot in the door.
Don’t lose sight of how far we’ve come in just a couple of months. May 6th is the start of the race, we’re just getting warmed up now.
@ PaulaJ
That money spent was in relation to the Holyrood Inquiry.
Similarly, if I recall correctly (I think it was mentioned in a Craig Murray article) there were also characteristics to the form of responses given by the accusers in the court case, which hints that coaching in preparation may also have been given with all that entails.
Though I guess any similarities in wording or narrative may have just manifested from the lingo used in the group’s whatsapp messages…
I would like to know how Ms H could state what she did without having prior communications with some serious legal players to establish and have confidence in what she told others.
link to twitter.com
The polls have gone very quiet over the past couple of weeks. I can’t help feeling of Alba was doing really badly we’d have seen a fair few. Are they not going the way the establishment want?
Cath says:
They were not used to prevent puberty altogether on the idiotic idea of not allowing a child to go through the “wrong” puberty because they’re in the “wrong body”. Holy hell, even writing that…I mean, I just can’t fathom what half way sane adult would think that sentence is OK, far less its application to children in reality. I hope people are fucking crippled by the court cases this will throw up later down the line.
Reply
Thank you Cath you are well informed about these matters I on the other hand am just trying to make sense of it all.
I am getting the impression that making sense of it all is going to be an impossible task.
Andy Ellis says:
20 April, 2021 at 8:43 am
@Ruby 8.11 am & @Stuart MacKay 8.23 am
The problem we have now is that there is no silver bullet.
Reply
Enough! My head is spinning! 🙂
It’s SNP 1 Alba 2 from me.
There is a new generation of people who have grown up with access to hard core porn, and all its deviant variety. They are in politics. They think its normal and, who knows, maybe for them it is.
@Dan
Thanks. Yes; I omitted to add the word ‘Inquiry’ after Salmond (since he was the real subject of that farce).
Ice cream in delight at the prospect of she / her being taken into custardy.
Cath, i took part in a you gov poll last week, Angus Robertson tweeted two of its findings yesterday, he has not tweeted the Scots or Westminster voting intentions, indyref2 voting intention or party leader satisfaction rating, incidentally Mr Salmond was not included in that question.
A couple of observations:
“being homosexual” was never a crime.
Also it’s amazing watching the secessionist meltdown, as they realise that for the SNP, and if truth be told (as they themselves probably realise, deep, deep down) that of Alex’s Last Big Adventure, it’s the pursuit of independence, rather than the achievement of it, that’s the driving force.
Let it go guys, the experiment has failed.
Regarding the idea that unionists will not vote Alba.
Perhaps not, where the union is the most important thing to them.
But unionists who are also aghast at some of the SNP’s policies, to the extent that they are more of an issue for them than the question of independence, may do so. Probably not in huge numbers, mind.
What I mean is that some will have identified that that Nicola Sturgeon finds it very easy to bat off the Tories, Lab and Lib Dem criticism of any kind as ‘just Yoons’.
This becomes more difficult to achieve – with some people at least – if it’s an avowedly Yes party making the criticisms.
You might say that they wouldn’t want to risk a Yes majority, especially with Alba also shouting for a new referendum/other route to independence to be held/found quickly.
But some unionists will have identified that it will be hard for Alba to *make* the SNP do anything in the short-term and may be willing to take the risk of voting for them to oppose other SNP policies that they don’t like.
If the SNP are damaged and Alba becomes ascendant, these folk can go back to opposing them on the basis of the main independence question.
As I say, the numbers actually thinking like this are probably minimal and certainly won’t include anyone who thinks Sturgeon will go for independence. But some out there will know she is unlikely to and that their preferred opposition just isn’t very good at the job and so *may* consider voting Alba.
‘ Transformational’ an interesting word in the language of today and rather worrying.
I notice that the pro-SNP faction aren’t even trying to defend the use of these puberty blockers on 11 year olds.
What the faction does do though is continue to say that you must vote SNP.
You can’t ignore child abuse.
To slightly alter Stu’s excellent header –
You’re children could be next,
@Johnny Martin 20 April, 2021 at 10:07 am
“Regarding the idea that unionists will not vote Alba.
Perhaps not, where the union is the most important thing to them.
But unionists who are also aghast at some of the SNP’s policies, to the extent that they are more of an issue for them than the question of independence, may do so. Probably not in huge numbers, mind.”
Not in any numbers, Zero , Ziltch , None. In what sort of imaginary World do you live in that you think a Unionist of any shade would Vote for Alba just to harm the SNP , you are completely delusional now go and sit in the dark somewhere until your brain becomes unfuddled and starts working peoperly again.
‘Not voting SNP1 forfeits Constituency seats to Unionists, with zero chance for ALBA to take up the slack.’
Exactly this.
John McNab says:
20 April, 2021 at 10:01 am
A couple of observations:
Those aren’t observations, they’re hallucinations.
If the Indy dream was dead, be in no doubt whatsoever, the Unionists would be screaming for a referendum they know they would win, but instead they flee in wide eyed terror at the mere prospect of holding another referendum, and pull every string trying to prevent another referendum happening. I wouldn’t describe that as a vote of confidence in either the Union or fundamental faith in democracy.
We also wouldn’t be force fed Unionist indoctrination via the propagandists on our TV screens, but instead Scotland would be watching objective appraisals, argument and counter argument, quantifying the merits or demerits of Independence with a degree of neutral objectivity. And here we go again, the arguments are arguments which Unionism cannot win, so the Unionist game is to suppress discussion and manipulate the narrative. I wouldn’t describe that as vote of confidence in either the strength of Unionist arguments or impartial discussion.
The experiment currently in it’s death throes is the Union, now so terribly weak and threadbare it wouldn’t dare subject itself to objective scrutiny, so it relies on subverting and evading all such scrutiny, like a vampire trying to hide itself from sunbeams it cannot endure.
O/T
Article from the Times about the role of Labour in the 70s in suppressing the claim of Scotland for its oil. I, like many, thought for a while that John Smith was one of the good guys but as the years have gone on all I see is the architect of Blairism. Anyway, nothing has changed with Labour.
link to archive.is
An excellent article by Chris Hanlon, on Iain’s blog.
“I fear it is too late for the SNP and until it gets new leadership in all departments it is doomed to cataclysmic collapse after the election as it will no longer be possible to hide the financial meltdown. It is of course not just the financial plight that looms, politically the potential for more splits and widespread resignations are massive.”
link to yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com
This is really worth a read. Women are voting with their feet. These are women that have campaigned on the poll tax, apartheid and other issues.
Here they are using imaginative ways to challenge the Hate Crime Bill. link to womenvotingwithourfeet.wordpress.com
Andy Ellis,
I think many people are asking a lot from Alba if not too much.
You are correct that there is very little time to make the impact we all want but what we want is indeed a tall order.
I’m happy to think that the formation of the Alba party is in good time for the 2026 elections and any progress in this coming election should be considered a bonus, this is just stage 1 and there is no deus ex machina in Scottish politics. We have to do the work, it’s as simple as that, I believe and we may have to stretch our patience.
But all in all, we are in a better place politically than we were a month ago.
Also, I’ve mentioned this before, the US will celebrate their semiquincentennial in 2026 and the backdrop leading up to a massive celebration of independence can only be good news for Scotland.
@Johnny Martin – I’m with you there. It’s Labour/Alba for me.
“NEWLY published documents from the 1970s reveal Labour ministers discussed bringing North Sea oil into “English waters” in an effort to undermine Scottish independence support.
Papers opened at the National Archives in Kew show James Callaghan’s government launched a secretive “publicity and propaganda” unit to deal with the SNP amid fears around the party’s campaigning on the issue.”
Later they moved the sea boundaries to steal 6000 Sq miles of Scottish waters to incorporate oil wells.
link to archive.is
Wow, the Richard Dawkins news is fun.
The poor guy has been found guilty of heresy by an aetheist organisation.
That’s some cancellation.
Apologies, forgot to post the Dawkin’s link
link to twitter.com
A wiman,
That is an accurate and witty summary of the situation.
Don says:
20 April, 2021 at 10:18 am
@Johnny Martin 20 April, 2021 at 10:07 am
“Regarding the idea that unionists will not vote Alba…
Just to tweak the perspective of your argument, I don’t think ALBA would appeal to Unionists, but I think there is a very similar dynamic where you have voters sympathetic to Independence but put off by the SNP.
One example might be Labour supporters who have a tribal antithesis to all things SNP, (remember Allan Grogan and Labour for Independence?) but who might find it much easier to vote ALBA. You’re thus in a grey area where those Labour voters might vote Unionist, but ALBA gives them a new option.
I think the argument is credible, but the numbers I suspect would be small and a bit niche.
I’m going to keep drumming the message that ALBA in 2021 is actual embodiment of a YES List Party mooted in 2015/6 which many people believe should have happened five years ago. The big idea then was to form a Holyrood List Party, but a List Party which was a “catchall” Party to provide a home for disgruntled Indy voters who had issues with the SNP.
All those logical and sensible arguments from 2015 have their ends met in our 2021 ALBA party.
If a YES List Party made any sense at all to you back in 2015, then backing the ALBA Party in 2021, under the leadership of Alex Salmond no less, should be an absolute no brainer.
People need to remember the confidence, optimism and momentum of YES back in 2015/16, and support ALBA, hopefully YES level numbers and commitment.
After the election in May I confidently expect Alba to be a major force in Scottish politics.
The establishment may have tried hard to destroy Alba through trying to discredit them immediately after they had announced their emergence. They may have played hard too in keeping Alba off the televised media, May have disadvantaged them through Sturgeon encouraging postal votes that she know will be cast before Alba can get its message out in the remaining three weeks of the campaign.
Yes these are the dirty rotten tricks of Nicola Sturgeon and the establishment. Goodness even the Electoral Commission would not approve Alba’s ballot logo whereas it approved a change to the SNP logo submitted after the Alba application.
But it will be no avail. People do not like election rigging. Just like SNP party members don’t like election rigging to the NEC either.
Alba Will despite the barriers take many seats in May and make no mistake, together with other decent SNP MSPs they will be a force to be reckoned with.
As for Sturgeon and Murrell. They’re gone. Gone soon after the election, just like their coterie of control. Things are going to change.
I see Wishat is getting into a tizzy about Alex’s plan for Alba to go down the EFTA route. Doesn’t seem to be a problem for Sweden Iceland Switzerland etc.
It seems a wise route to me considering a third of old SNP voters voted out. It gives us access to EU markets , exactly what we want and need and no forced requirement to join Euro and some of the dodgy EU policies.
Win win as far as I’m concerned and a vote winner.
What’s not to like cushy?
@K1 10.24 am
If the concomitant of handing a few seats to yoons like Sarwar (odious as he undoubtedly is) is that we politically decapitate the SNP by stopping Sturgeon, Robertson, Swinney etc getting elected I’m all for it. The worst outcome would of course be a unionist majority, but we know that’s not going to happen. The second worst outcome is an SNP or SNP/Green outright majority. That looks quite likely and isn’t something we should be enabling.
Reducing the number of SNP constituency seats and hopefully depriving the Greens of list seats makes it more likely Alba can hold the balance of power, but only if enough people vote Alba on the list. If you’d rather have more Alba MSPs but an SNP or SNP/Green outright majority than have fewer Alba MSPs but they hold the balance of power, I don’t really know what to say to you.
Meant Norway not Sweden !!!
Do fuck off ellis, I’ve nothing to say to you, you’re one of the most up yer own arse non entities to have ever graced these pages,
@Breeks 11.02
Alba as a list party as a catch all for Indy supporters including those put off by the SNP
/
That’s it.
But then you can’t expect those put off by the SNP’s policies, such as the one which is the subject of this thread, to vote SNP1
“Wally Jumblatt says:
20 April, 2021 at 8:27 am
Re the football, f the Englusj Premier League loses their Big6, they may be minded to invite Glasgow’s Big2 to replace them.”
Comedy Gold!
@Don 10:18
Tories for Alba
link to mobile.twitter.com
It is estimated that around 15% of Tories are in favour of independence
@K1 11.12 am
I’m sure folk will give your response and your scintillating contributions here all the consideration it they deserve. With friends like you etc….
I have noticed the tide is turning AGAINST this SNP1 idea.
Who, with an ounce of dignity could ever bring themselves to vote for such an evil twisted woman like Sturgeon and her backers.
The New SNP is starting to remind me of the Nazi Party, where the would try out new medical experiments on human beings.
Ayrshire Rob @11.06am.
Yeah I read that article, it seems to me to be a reasonable plan, allowing Scotland to access both the EU market and the UK markets to maximize our economy. Salmond suggests that unlike full EU membership which could take years EFTA would only take months, and Scotland on voting for independence could set in motion negotiations with Westminster and Brussels simultaneously.
Salmond goes on to say that the four EFTA countries are all in the top twenty of countries of wealth per head.
Rob.
The article which is a sensible approach in my opinion is here, unfortunately its behind a paywall, but if you can get past it its worth a read.
link to thenational.scot
Hudson doing the sweeping big think global thing …
link to counterpunch.org
Nearly half a millennium ago Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince described three options … the third is to permit them to live under their own laws, drawing a tribute, and establishing within it an oligarchy which will keep it friendly to you.
“same as it ever was, same as it ever was …”
– it might still seem, given circumstances, like a long way off, but we have to have a good plan for doing great things once we get to indy; it’s not the finish line, it’s the start line, and if we screw it up at the beginning, we can end up little better off.
To begin with, our infrastructure is crap (- when the sun shines, there is not even enough car parking!), the trade links to europe, single track roads up north, ferries (which we somehow fucked up) rather than bridges and tunnels – that has been starved; the power grid, broadband too. Our planning laws are also a joke, we do have plenty of land, but all we are allowed is to live in little rabbit hutches, all pressed up against each other. (This is what the Hudson piece is all about … how you finance this, and for what purpose)
– if all you do is replace grouse moors with anglo toffs with yank businessmen who want it all to become “brigadoon golf resort”, it’s not going forward.
Breeks says:
20 April, 2021 at 11:02 am
Don says:
20 April, 2021 at 10:18 am
@Johnny Martin 20 April, 2021 at 10:07 am
“Regarding the idea that unionists will not vote Alba…
One example might be Labour supporters who have a tribal antithesis to all things SNP, (remember Allan Grogan and Labour for Independence?) but who might find it much easier to vote ALBA. You’re thus in a grey area where those Labour voters might vote Unionist, but ALBA gives them a new option.
I remember remember Allan Grogan well in Sept 2014. He was heartbroken he had to tell his young son Scotland hadn’t achieved independence.
I have the utmost respect for Allan & though no longer in the forefront of any political party. I hope is doing well & still fighting for Independence. He’s a truly good guy. I hope he joins ALBA.
Breeks at 10.29am
You dismiss both my observations as “hallucinations”. You then completely fail to refute either of them, not even addressing the first one, which is correct and going off on a complete tangent as regards the second one, completely unrelated to what I wrote.
Hmmm.
I am hoping stu that you take this like a grown up from and on behalf of your readers and contributors, The unionists on Here are so thick and plentiful in attacking anyone who believes in independence you could make a carpet out of them,
Stu you seem to have given up the ghost on your Scottish site as your not happy with AS recommendation, while your own main aim was to eliminate the snp,
This is something that yourself and Alex should have a conversation about soon, as meanwhile all your loyal supports are being accosted on this site that has the main aim of Scottish independence.
All those same independence people besides suppling moral support to yourself, also provided financial support as well through some hard times for you stu.
We all hope that you will have our back when we need you most. I am sorry to be so blunt stu.
.
Andy @ 8.43am,
Thankyou for that incisive ray of sanity. A decent post. You mirror what I reckon a lot of us feel. By that I mean Wingers who support the Alba Party and (with your own honourable exception as an SNP ballot spoil heartfelt decision), we will be voting a very painful first part…
SNP X (Constituency)
Alba X (List)
I’d respectfully suggest, for the avoidance of doubt we phrase it that way and drop the SNP1/ALBA2 as that nomenclature will result in spoilt ballots.
I hope and pray this works as even with JUST ONE Alba Party MSP Alex Salmond In Holyrood spit roasting Nicola Sturgeon for 5 years will keep me going for what time is left or until Alba become “full fat” firmly established as you phrase it Andy.
But I also remember Alex Salmond’s interview in 2014 when YES were at 52% a week before the 18th September 2014.
Alex said…
“We peaked too soon”
You could see the frustration and despair in his eyes. IndyRef1 was lost by a cruel margin of swing 5%.
Andy, anyone who knows Alex understands he very very rarely makes the same mistake twice. I bet you £100 that Alex Salmond has some goodies tucked up his sleeve for release between now and 6th May 2021.
Whatever’s else, whilst we were all debating BTL here at Wings with many pleading for Alex to join ISP etc., he had a turbo-charged version in the works with laser focus. If you or I were to posit the thesis 6 months ago, that Alex Salmond would be campaigning SNP1, we’d be carted off by the hospital staff in white coats.
Yet the man is a genius with lateral thinking and he has fathered a fully formed political party with all the right building blocks in place. Unlike Sturgeon’s beige stage platform backdrop messages saying “Hope” etc., Alec is the real deal. We do have hope now. YES it is on a knife edge, but there IS a game changer announcement between now and 4th May (YES the 4th no typo there). He knows with absolute certainty that once the majority of the Scottish electorate find out what Nicola, Murrell, Blackford, Wishart and Robertson have been up to, then…
The Alba Party will naturally replace the parochially named SNP as the party of government in Scotland.
That removal of SNP and replacement with Alba IS a five year effort. But for now we are walking before running. Objective one to disinfect Bute ahouse after the current ASBOs have been evicted.
Andy, I reckon there are a couple of ticking announcements yet and Alec will not peak too soon with Alba. I am hoping for 20 ALBA MSPs. After all we did get 56 SNP MPs a while ago. But 6 Alba MSPs will be enough to crack open the Sturgeonite sebaceous cyst of pustulant smelly cheese poison of Wokeism and bent finances spurting out like one of those morbidly addictive YouTube videos by Dr Pimple Popper 🙂
P.S. Stuart, my apologies for having a crap email account. How you keep your sanity amazes me.
Stuart Campbell, you do know that the British Establishment really are spending over a million pounds on deploying assets against you. So the prick or rather battalion of pricks with Tourette syndrome frequency in creating all manner of hotmail and outlook emails sock puppet accounts are actually paying you a compliment. There is a direct correlation to the number of new 77th Hotmail email Wing applicants to the fecal incontinence in Whitehall 🙂
Stuart, you scare the shit out of them. Gaun yersel ya beautiful Bath Superman and squirrel nature fan. I am no’ of that persuasion, but I and many here love you and are in awe of what you do.
Thanks Stu.
Message for Dan – the garage we both frequent had left your number at home.
Hope to get it later today and give you a call. In case you were wondering.
@Al-Stuart says: 20 April, 2021 at 12:49 pm
Stuart Campbell, you do know that the British Establishment really are spending over a million pounds on deploying assets against you. So the prick or rather battalion of pricks with Tourette syndrome frequency in creating all manner of hotmail and outlook emails sock puppet accounts are actually paying you a compliment. There is a direct correlation to the number of new 77th Hotmail email Wing applicants to the fecal incontinence in Whitehall ?
It’s not a “conspiracy” – Andy/Fergus/Shocked/Kcor, etc is just a common or garden tedious trolling little shit of the sort that can be found on any website with a thriving comments section. The more “bites” they get, the more they do it – which is why I simply ignored he/she/it after making it clear once I knew where they were at.
@Al 12.49 am
Thanks you. Nice to know my efforts are appreciated. I hope you are right and that Eck has some surprises in store. I’m hoping that even if there aren’t any more big defections from the SNP, or any political fireworks in the net few weeks, that the voters themselves might deliver a bit of a kicking to the SNP.
Time will tell.
In the end, we are still in a better place than in the immediate period before Alba was announced: at least now we have something to build on for 2026. I’m more confident now that I was then that something can be done to shake things up so we can enter the 2026 campaign with confidence that things will change.
AWhiteLife says:
19 April, 2021 at 1:31 pm
” Never ever should a childless woman be permitted a leading role over future generations.”
What is this nonsense you wrote? I am a childfree by choice woman and just as enraged and sick worried about these puberty blockers and all the madness the radical trans lobby wants to inflict on the children of Scotland as any other person.
One can be childfree and at the same time care deeply about the wellbeing of children.
Your comment is misogynistic and ignorant.
Maybe the SNP can get the blockers put into the custard to keep everyone happy?
link to thelondoneconomic.com