The BBC doesn’t exactly have a great reputation in Scotland for fairness and a lack of bias. Trust in the Corporation in Scotland is low, and you’ll be more likely to find someone who thinks that Creationist website demonstrates a proper understanding of the theory of evolution than you’ll find an independence supporter who believes that the public service broadcaster – which we all pay for – gives a fair hearing to the indy movement. Given that, you’d think that the BBC would tread extra carefully in its dealings with the independence movement, and would be particularly careful not to alienate even further that half of the Scottish population which views it with deep suspicion as the propaganda arm of the British state. But no. Instead the BBC has decided to trash its chances of reassuring the half of the people of Scotland who support independence.
Stu Campbell of Wings Over Scotland, and Peter Curran who curates the YouTube channel Moridura, both do invaluable work in holding the overwhelmingly anti-independence Scottish media to account. An important part of that work consists of putting online clips from BBC politics programmes, clips which highlight the mendacity of the British nationalist parties, their failure to uphold the promises and commitments that they have made to the people of Scotland, and their undermining of the devolution settlement. Putting these clips online is perfectly legal and falls under the “fair use” clause of copyright law. It is vital to the proper functioning of a democracy that people are able to discuss, view and comment on political developments – many of which are broadcast on the BBC. On Saturday, the BBC launched a series of copyright claims against both Stu Campbell and Peter Curran, resulting in their entire YouTube channels being taken down.
What has made it even worse is that at least one of those affected has not received any formal notification from the BBC or YouTube of which clips have been deemed to break copyright rules, meaning that attempts to complain about the shutdown are mired in a Kafkaesque nightmare. Stu Campbell of Wings Over Scotland has not been told which clips are supposedly in breach of copyright rules, although YouTube demands details of the affected clips before it will take any action. It’s impossible to complain about something when you are not being told what it is that you need to complain about.
The effect of the shutdown is that the BBC is claiming that statements made by politicians are the legal property of the BBC just because the BBC happened to broadcast them first. The BBC is taking it upon itself to decide how a politician’s words are to be framed, when and where they can be seen, and how they can be interpreted. That’s a chilling development in a democracy and a direct attack on free speech. It would be bad enough in any democracy, but in a Scotland where the print media is overwhelmingly biased against a constitutional view held by almost half the population, it represents a direct and immediate threat to Scottish democracy. Making this development even worse is fact that BBC Scotland, uniquely amongst the BBC “regions”, prohibits comments from the public on its own website. The BBC is giving a very good impression of a public service broadcaster which wants to shut down and control public debate and discussion.
However what makes this latest development in the BBC’s war on Scottish public debate even more alarming, and suggests that it is politically motivated, is the fact that the Corporation has left untouched all those clips being used by anti-independence parties, individuals, and organisations. BBC clips are still appearing on the YouTube channels of the Scottish Conservatives, the Labour party, and certain anti-independence campaigners. It seems that it’s fine to use BBC clips to portray the Scottish government and the SNP in a bad light, but don’t dare imagine that you can use them to criticise the British state or the BBC. If you wanted an illustration of the double standards which underpin media coverage of the Scottish constitutional debate you couldn’t find a clearer one.
You shouldn’t have to be a supporter of Scottish independence to be concerned by what appears, on the face of it, to be a politically motivated attack by our public service broadcaster on alternative media outlets which support independence for Scotland.
Naturally our searching and probing Scottish media has reacted to this alarming development with the same outrage with which it reacted to the non-silencing of Stephen Daisley by the SNP. Poor Stephen was so silenced that him and his pals had to write all about it in article after article in the British nationalist press. The pages of our fearless Scottish media are exactly like that today, stoutly defending the right of pro-indy activists to the fair use of clips from BBC programmes which those self-same independence activists have themselves have helped to pay for. There are dozens of editorials highlighting the hypocrisy of a Corporation which has only targetted one side in Scotland’s constitutional debate.
Well, at least there are in an alternative universe where Scotland has a media that is representative of the range of opinions and views found in the country and isn’t just a fanclub for Ruth Davidson, colluding with her in her attempts to hide from difficult questions. We’re still waiting on answers about the dark money and dodge donations to the Scottish Tories, and we’ll be waiting until well after doomsday if we’re relying on the Scottish press to get them for us. Doomsday is actually happening in March next year, that’s also thanks to the Tories.
The BBC’s lack of balance during the first independence referendum campaign, its blatant support for British nationalists in Scotland, its studied refusal to allow a proper airing of the pro-independence side, have all been well documentated. It seems that the BBC has learned nothing about the need to build bridges and restore trust amongst viewers in Scotland, and is gearing up to approach the second Scottish independence referendum campaign in the same biased and overtly British nationalist way. That makes it all the more important that as independence campaigners we get organised, we marshall our resources, and we work to develop our own alternative media.
The British state knows that it has destroyed all the arguments that it deployed against us in 2014. This latest travesty in what passes for British democracy in Scotland is just another sign that they’re very scared indeed.
I had planned to write an update to the fundraiser today, but this alarming attack by the BBC on freedom of speech and discussion in Scotland is far more important. I’ll do the fundraiser update tomorrow.
WEE GINGER FUNDRAISER
It’s that time of year again. It’s been a year since I last did a fundraiser. This year is going to be a particularly expensive one for me personally. There’s a wedding to pay for, and I need to ensure that my earnings are sufficient to prove to the Home Office that I am able to import my American spouse into Scotland to live here permanently. As well as the need to demonstrate a minimum level of annual income, £18,600, there are also hefty legal and visa fees to pay.
I really don’t like doing fundraisers, and I really don’t like to blow my own trumpet, but I work my wee socks off for the independence movement. I publish this blog, and I do talks to local indy groups all over Scotland without asking for a fee. Don’t get me wrong, I greatly enjoy it. It’s a huge privilege to meet all the wonderful, talented, and committed people who make the Scottish independence movement something really special. However it takes up a lot of time and energy to keep blogging and doing public talks, time and energy that I could be using to generate an income to prove to the Home Office that I am able to support my American spouse.
The truth is that if every regular reader of this blog gave just one pound a year, I’d be pulling in well over £100,000 annually. Unfortunately it doesn’t work like that. Publishing and selling books and maps helps, as does selling t-shirts, but it’s pretty hit and miss. I do get paid by The National for my twice weekly articles, but that doesn’t pay anything like as much as you might think it would. In order to be confident that I can meet the minimum income requirements demanded by the Home Office, cover the cost of a wedding on both sides of the Atlantic, and cover the fees required to pay the visas and associated legal costs, I need to do a fundraiser for £10,000.
Any help you can give would be immensely appreciated. Help me to keep campaiging, and help me to show that Scotland is a welcoming place for migrants – at least one special migrant in particular, the man I’m going to marry in October.
You can donate by clicking the following link and donating on my Gofundme page.
https://www.gofundme.com/wee-ginger-fundraiser
Alternatively you can donate by clicking on the Paypal “Donate” button on this page, or by logging in to www.paypal.com and making a payment to me at weegingerbook@yahoo.com If you would prefer to donate by some other method, cash, cheque, or bank transfer, please contact me at weegingerbook@yahoo.com for details.
Many thanks for all your support. You’ve no idea how much it means to me.
You can help to support this blog with a Paypal donation. Please log into Paypal.com and send a payment to the email address weegingerbook@yahoo.com. Or alternatively click the donate button. If you don’t have a Paypal account, just select “donate with card” after clicking the button.
If you have trouble using the button, or you prefer not to use Paypal, you can donate or purchase a t-shirt or map by making a payment directly into my bank account, or by sending a cheque or postal order. If you’d like to donate by one of these methods, please email me at weegingerbook@yahoo.com and I will send the necessary information. Please also use this email address if you would like the dug and me to come along to your local group for a talk.
Wee Ginger Dug 
Reblogged this on Ramblings of a 50+ Female.
It certainly reeked of partisan censorship and that should worry everyone regardless of their constitutional standpoint in Scotland.
As for our new media? As I’ve said before, you use it or you lose it. Nothing would make the mainstream happier than to see its critics disappear from view and that can’t be allowed to happen.
Democracy needs many voices if its any kind of democracy at all.
“Independence; a constitutional view held by almost half the population”
With this move by the UK State, I would remove the word ‘almost’ and replace it with ‘more than’ Paul… That would explain things a lot.
Exactly. EXACTLY. It’s no 2014 ony mair.
The bbc is blatantly anti-Scottish. Don’t give the bbc your money. Give the money to sites like WGD, Wings, scotgoespop etc
Don’t own a telly for a REASON.
[…] Wee Ginger Dug Free speech, except for viewers in Scotland The BBC doesn’t exactly have a great reputation in Scotland for fairness and a lack […]
The problem seems to be that it believes it’s own propaganda. It seems to believe that the Indy movement is in decline and that there is not a desire for another referendum. If that is the case, as they appear to think, then they are not alienating nearly half the Scottish electorate, but a small proportion that they don’t want/need anyway.
In fact, the BBC is probably fully well aware of the true nature of support for independece in Scotland. The possibility of an independent Scotland in Europe has probably never been greater. The recent actions of the British State Broadcaster are not those of a State confident of winnng its argument.
Exactly, Pietro.
an interesting developement indeed
glad i dont fund the fokkers any more
are we in the end game
sure hope so
The Scottish Government should pass a law making it illegal for a political party to put up candidates for election to the Scottish Parliament unless it is registered in Scotland and must return all income and expenditure accounts to said Parliament.
William Purves
I think that the Electoral Rules are “surprise surprise” a reserved matter!
Electoral Law was devolved to the Scottish Parliament by the Scotland Act 2016. However any change requires to be approved by a supermajority of 2/3 of MSPs. Which is actually a sensible safeguard.
The likely forthcoming Electoral Reform Bill will do things which have wide support – like extend the franchise to all legal residents of Scotland (which would give EU citizens the vote, irrespective of Brexit). I’d hope that it would, for the first time, clearly set out that to be registered to vote in Scotland a voter must have their Only or Principal Home here, and clearly define how that must be established. Hopefully registration will be reduced to only one address per person.
It won’t do things that 2/3 of MSPs will not vote for.
Reblogged this on scottishmomus.
Yes Peter Curran has proof that it was the BBC who complained about copyright infringement, The Rev. Has had no notification from Youtube other than “multiple complaints of copyright infringement”. So whilst it would appear that the BBC are behind YouTube pulling The Wings YT Channell. . . . . There currently is no proof.
BBC has now confirmed it was them in a reply to a question from the National.
Oddly enough, if the BBC had issued take downs on every site/account that is using BBC material I probably wouldn’t have a problem with it.
The problem is that when you only send take downs to sites representing the same, one point of view then it’s nothing but censorship
Can’t agree there, nijinski.
As Paul observes,
“The effect of the shutdown is that the BBC is claiming that statements made by politicians are the legal property of the BBC just because the BBC happened to broadcast them first. The BBC is taking it upon itself to decide how a politician’s words are to be framed, when and where they can be seen, and how they can be interpreted. That’s a chilling development in a democracy and a direct attack on free speech.”
We OWN the BBC ; we pay their wages through Taxes and TV licences.
I mooted recently that the Scottish Government should now refuse point blank to appear on any Brit Nat Broadcasters SNP BAD put up jobs now.
Let Ruth and that Dick leonard and Wullie sit with Gordon Brewer for half an hour humming Scotland is Shite, The SNP are shittier, and Nicola Sturgeon is the bastard child of the Krankies.
We are being rounded up and herded into a padded soundproof room.
Rather, that’s what the Blair McDougalls, Alistair Darlings and Gordon Browns of this world, with the vast resources and personnel of the English Establishment’s Propaganda Wing at their beck and call tried during Indyref 1.
You may recall that they successfully blocked STV from repeating Ian MacWhirter’s excellent 3 part ‘The Road to the Referendum’ series before Indyref 1.
‘ The truth? You couldn’t handle the truth.’
It worked in fuelling Project Fear I.
Pensioners were terrified that their State Pension would stop because Gordon Brown said so.
Not one newspaper or broadcaster refuted this blatant lie and bullying of our elderly.
They know that England is in flames, a powder keg waiting to explode.
They will have to deal with the 48% who voted Remain very soon now when No Deal emerges and insulin and toilet paper is rationed, and Japanese, Indian, French and German car manufactures leave taking 100,000’s of ‘British’ jobs with them.
The last thing they need is we Scots joining the EU as member No 28.
They’d have to deal with us as a member of the biggest trading bloc in the Free World.
Boy, am I looking forward to that scenario.
Paul, like, Stu, look to your own personal safety.
They close you down over our collective dead body.
Well said Jack. You know, we only need to convert another 6% of Scots to vote Yes, if the 45 stand firm. That works out at 1 in 10 No voters. With the apocalyptic disaster of Brexit coming our way, that should be far from impossible.
Marlon, I firmly believe that we have already convinced enough soft Nos and new adults to achieve a significant YES vote this time.
Some of you may have noticed a little perpetual motion porcelain cat in Chinese restaurants on the counter beside the till nodding hypnotically as you settle the bill.
The Scottish government should arrange for one of these little marvels to represent them on every TV politics show during Indyref 2.
Davidson, Leonard and Rennie, who actually have no power or authority to represent their Englsih masters, but somehow were allowed all over the media bullying threatening lying, and promising Federal Status unchallenged by Campbell Brewer Wark Taylor Bird and the tea lady, can rage at the little China Moggie about how Bad The SNP is, and how dangerous Nicola Sturgeon will be when Scotland becomes the 28th member of the rejuvenated EU.
I have a sense that the nodding pussy would win the viewers’ vote on who cam out on top in the debate.
I just watched ‘London Calling’ again.
Since then we have had Trump May Brexit Boris and Jacob….
We won’t be fooled again.
Ah agree, Jack. The use ay 2014 figures is counterproductive n self-defeating. Wir well past they numbers noo. Yaising them jist makes it seem like we’ve hud nae momentum in the last four chaotic years, which, quite clearly, isnae the case it aw. Hings like Stu being censored widnae be happening if we hud jist stagnatit, n indy-voting numbers dropped.
Agreed Jack. I wouldn’t be able to watch Nicola Sturgeon being caught out again, by walking into the incredibly obvious traps, set up by the BBC and the rest .The SNP shouldn’t give legitimisation to the BBC and should stop defending them. This is virtually a life or death situation now and the gloves must come off.
A radical change in the SNP is required. They have to make the still No voters understand, that the BBC have been lying through their teeth. If they take part in BBC debates, then they legitimise the BBC’s previous lies.
Also, if they feel they must take part in these debates then it must be with Westminster Tories. Both red and blue. Davidson and Lenoard are nothing. They are the leaders of nothing. And the presenter of these debates cannot be anti independence. That rules out many. Including the odious Campbell and Smith. If the SNP follows the Unionists agenda ,as they did in the General Election, we can still lose.
Well said, as always, Jack.
Thanks paul.
Things have definitely taken on a sinister turn. Many more people in Scotland are actually seeing how dreadful England’s Brexit will be for them and their kids and so they intend voting for independence next time, having been no voters last time. Looks like the Brutish state has something to worry about, and they know what the outcome will be. Unless they find ways to stop it of course, this is just the start.
Have a read of this. In another universe where the UK would be an actual democracy, anyone might believe they are protecting ‘democracy’. This looks like the opposite imo.
Hope the link works.
https://phys.org/news/2018-07-uk-lawmakers-tougher-facebook.html?utm_source=menu&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=item-menu
Yet HMG Ministers can allegedly access porn on the office PC, hettyforindy?
There is no ‘reading between the lines’.
We are, and some may argue always have been, kept in the dark by Governments of all hues.
McCrone, Dunblane, Dr Kelly, and so on.
I assume that we are still bombing the feck out of the Middle East to support our US ‘allies’?
Read all about it?
Not if the Oligrachs have their way.
What it must be to clock in at BBC Pacific Quay every day, if you are a Yes supporter.
Always thought that there would be no independence supporters working at Propaganda Quay. If you do work there then get the hell out.
I am reliably informed that there are quite a few pro-indy people within BBC Scotland. Our problem is not with ordinary BBC workers and staff, it’s with BBC management and the structure of the organisation.
Wouldnae talk aboot the royal ‘we’ when talking aboot bombing the Middle East, Jack. England’s scum government ur daeing that, no us here in Scotland.
I am aware of that, scotsmanic.
Until we are independent once again, then ‘we’ are lumped in with he Bellicose zealots Down There.
‘We’ would be accused of being anti English, if we told it how it is.
85% will always outvote our 8.5% but drag us into culpability for everything from the Slave Trade to the Iraq insurgency, for illegal brutal mass murdering ‘insurgency’ it surely was.
Shock and Awe. Bomb the feck out of Baghdad, indiscriminately killing tens of thousands of men women and children, the elderly, the infirm, the innocent, those who suffered under Saddam’s brutal tyranny.
‘We’ slaughtered them to free them from tyranny and introduce FPTP Western ‘democracy’.
‘We’ destroyed Iraq, then ‘our’ multinationals moved in to rebuild, and charged the vanquished for restoring their electricity, water and hospitals.
There are plenty of ProudScotsBut who remind us that many Scots raped and pillaged for the Empire, the logic being that in modern times, we should just shut up about the UK’s obscene past and glory in the prospect of Empire 2 following Brexit.
We cannot assert, ‘never in our name again’, until we are a Free Nation once more .
God help us all if we let March 29th 2019 come and go without starting an Indyref 2 campaign.
On the 30th March 2019 we shall be out of the EU, England, and I do mean ‘England’ in the form of the WM Parliament, will ‘take back control’, and Scotland will be reduced to colony status by force of numbers, of that there is no doubt.
The spectacle of 500 odd English MP’s lampooning our Scottish represaentatives in the HoC like braying overprivileged public school boys must surely resonate with my fellow citizens now.
I will no longer put up with rule by England.
They are killing our fellow Scots by English Parliament edict.
They are taking away my European citizenship by force.
No more; not in our name.
If , as you say, there are a number of pro Independence workers at Propaganda Quay then they need to examine their consciences. The BBC and all the other shameful anti Scotland media is not a new development. The old “I was just following orders” cannot be accepted as an excuse. If they can find another decent job then I repeat they should get themselves out of there. There is no pride in working for the British states version of Pravda. Just shame.
Is the time not right to consider whether or not we need or indeed want such an anti Scottish media as the BBC this side of the border. Should we not make our feelings known to the powers that be in London that we are not going to tolerate this bias and anti Scottish attitude any longer and withdraw from paying for a television licence en mass which most definitely is not fit for our purpose
Just donated a tenner. Missed you at the Inverness March but the news about the BBC vetoing free speech is out of order. Keep up the good work
To be brutally frank Google/Facebook social media (or anything hosted on their sites) is vulnerable to state intimidation and always has been. Ask people in repressive regimes like the gulf states if you doubt this.
Google (Youtube is a subsidiary of Google) is getting hammered by EU fines (there’s more potentially on the way), Facebook is in political deep shit in many countries & I rather suspect that both are very open to “ameliorating the situation” by shutting down whatever that state wants.
Prominent pro-indy bloggers need to have a “what if?” meeting and plan for being shutdown at critical moments – no doubt apologies will arrive after that critical period as usual 😉
Plenty of bulletproof servers out there and plenty of techy indyref2 supporters who you guys PERSONALLY know (that’s important). Its not rocket science & a fundraiser done on wings specifically for this resilence in the pro-indy’s comms would break records.
You guys (WGD/Stu/etc) need to start talking to each other in terms of shared (or shareable) technical infrastructure for the moment when HMG, for example, pressure WordPress into taking the WGD pages offline in the last month of the indyref/GE/ScotParl campaigns.
tl;dr stop depending SOLELY on third-party publishing/hosting tools; jointly rent a shared server infrastructure where, via your domain zonefile you can rapidly move all your resources. Plan for the worst. Its coming.
This is very much the case.
Listen to Vestas, he, she or it (?!) is talking very good sense indeed. Prepare now, and be grateful the The Powers That Be have shown their hand early. Sometimes a ‘bunker mentality’ really is appropriate, unfortunately.
There’s lots of “bulletproof” servers – by that I mean ones located in countries that don’t usually do much about USA/UK/EU/etc warrants and have local ISPs in their pocket.
Problem is they’re also used by the same scammers who flood your email inbox year after year so are blocked/blacklisted a lot.
You can pay for “clean IP space” and a dedicated server but that’s expensive – probably too expensive as a “last resort” solution for a single site to maintain. Together? Depends who still talks to who in some cases 😉
Anyway I don’t personally know any of the pro-indy bloggers/etc personally, talked to RevStu via email a couple of times & that’s it. Needs someone technical at least one of them has known for years.
For some time we have have been waiting for moves like this latest one from the BBC. Facebook is another area open to regulated government attack. Many of rely on it for communication through group pages such as Over 60s for Independence. We desperately need an alternative, independent and bombproof alternative to FB.
To those tech-savvy people out there – help!
I posted THIS over on WOS earlier.
I am spitting teeth.
“The Nazi book burning in 1933 comes to mind.
Ostensibly led by Hitler’s ‘students’, any literature hostile to Naziism, was to be destroyed by fire.
It was doubtless in Ray Bradbury’s mind when he wrote ‘Fahrenheit 451’, which is the temperature at which paper burns.
Montag is the main protagonist, a professional ‘fireman’, a civil servant, whose job it is to hunt down and burn printed books, which are forbidden in Bradbury’s version of dystopia.
Montag becomes disillusioned with his job, holds on to some books and starts to read.
He escapes and joins s resistance movement, each member of which has memorised a classic book, and acts as storyteller to the young, ensuring that ideas, freedom of thought and action, and creativity of mind continues.
It may be argued that the BBC is indulging in a selective form of ‘book burning’.
Wild eyed Brit Nats and liars can still access the BBC back catalogue, but not WoS, and presumably through time while there is not a Parliament in session to stop them, all Pro Scottish Independence and anti-Brexit sites will be muffled.
Well, taking a non-combustible leaf out of Bradbury’s oeuvre, I intend to ‘do a Montag’.
From now on in until WoS regains access to publicly owned archives, I intend to relay verbatim Brewer’s, Taylor’s, and Campbell’s broadcasts, and SNP Badness, with comments, and hopefully post it on sites on the ether.
They are a totalitarian state now; an Iron Heel Oligarchy which demands, through its Anglo Scots mercenaries, our subservience as a conquered colonised grouse moor.
I wonder, should Stu join the NUJ?
You don’t get me I’m part of the Union?
He certainly needs to look at his personal safety.
I expect that JK Rowling and other word peddlers will be outraged by this State censorship of Free Speech and will take to Facebook big time in Stu’s defence.
That will be shinin’ bright.
There is no doubt the the Anglo Establishment knows that Scotland will be Free, and well on the way to being EU member 28, replacing Merrie England, by April 2019.
Tomorrow morning, I’ll start with the 2 ½ minutes of News Where You Are on the fatuous little 3 ½ hours of hegemony from England at Breakfast time.
On the question of sending troop North to quell the rebellious Scots.
No need. They’re already here.
As I write, they are expanding Faslane to berth RN’s entire submarine fleet.
It is planned to barrack 5000 submariners, build a brand spanking new Submariners College, and doubtless garrison thousands more marines to secure the beefed up WMD complex in the ‘relatively remote’ lump of rock 500 odd miles from London.
If we Scots try anything they’d be speeding up the Clyde in gunboats at the drop of Boris’ hat.
Someone mentioned that Stu’s Muffling reminded them of the BBC ‘Scotch On The Rocks’ series.
It comes as no surprise that this BBC series, based on a novel co-written by Douglas Hurd, yes THAT Douglas Hurd, Maggie’s Foreign Secretary, fires the neurons and synapses in your Long Term Memory.
Set in the ‘Seventies, the SNP is emerging as a serious political force(threat even) and a ‘Scottish Liberation Army’ rises up and takes Fort William.
The BBC showed it once, to uproar. It might give the Sweaties ideas, doncha know?
Although they have subsequently denied it, BBC destroyed the tapes, ‘burnt’ them, if you like.
I observed a few weeks ago that WM and the Brit Establishment are going on to a ‘war’ footing.
The BBC is, was, and always will be the Propaganda Wing of the Brit Establishment
Well, it’s time we left the English to get on with it.
We’ll need to build a big wall at Gretna across to North Berwick.
We’re on our way, we’re on our way, to happiness uh-uh.”
On “Fahrenheit 451”, I recently read a book written in a similar vein. “The Last Librarian” by Brandt Legg. All books were to be destroyed because they represented a “hard copy” of written books which could not be altered. All books were to be in digital form only so that editing could be done to change actual events and any subversive writings could be controlled and deleted.
Andy, it is happening now.
Check out Wiki entries for some of our prominent neo Fascist politicians.
Regardless of your views on Scottish Independence this is a very sinister development.
When the puppet of the State can act in this manner AND major International companies roll over immediately then it is obvious that a powerful controlling mind is at work.
This is the slippery slope to an Orwellian world.
The other tool about to be deployed is to use fake news to legislate that only official news is acceptable.
“The chocolate ration has gone up” despite the evidence of your own eyes.
I saw some coverage in the past week in The News (re. the Brexit Continuity Bill submissions) on Day 1 in the Supreme Court proceedings but nothing re. Day 2 anywhere on the BBC or elsewhere)- the ‘News’ advised us, and taking up most of ‘The News’ , that it was a very hot day, apparently in some parts of the country, but really we can learn about meteorological events at the end of the News (in ‘The Weather’)…… we really should be getting ‘News’ form our News corporations (even if it is to tell us the session Day 2 was held in camera (was it held camera?)
The UK Government’s submissions were principally on Day 1,my understanding, Day 2 I belive was primary for the Lord Advocate of Scotland’s submissions – I saw a lot on BBC Scotland (Day 1) implying that the UK Government’s legal submission had been made …. but nothing on Scotland’s submissions by the The Lord Advocate principlally Day 2).
Andrew Tickell in The National provided the only reasonable (and amusing) reporting on it.
I have said before I am scared for my country , I am also scared for you and the Rev Stu .
Take care , for I’m sure that there are many troublemakers about.
I’m so angry. The lying C****.
Anyone who says our media is not British State propaganda is either a British Nationalist or an idiot.
Or both, cubby.
Yes forgot that possibility.
Good to see the BBC reduced to this. If this is how desperate they are, as a major arm of public control, the British nationalist state must be really worried.
When the truth comes out, a junior executive in charge of Stationery requisition at Salford will be blamed and ‘disciplined’.
This is clearly an open and shut case of Totalitarian censorship.
I seem to recall that the CBI took a junior executive out into the car park and executed him for trying to hide support and finance for the Better together campaign.
This is Donalda’s work.
I suspect the BBC are doing this due to a high level group in MI5 or elsewhere in the ‘establishment’ making the request. Never thought I would ever think such thoughts.
Or it could be sheer childish petulance and a because we can attitude Andy. Never underestimate just how small a big corporation can be when someone or something keeps raining on its parade. The yes movement rains on that parade on a daily basis.
So far as I know, no other YT sites associated with Scottish political debate and particularly those with pro Westminster leanings, has been subjected to these actions and until that happens? This will look like what it is, partisan censorship.
NOT a good look for the beeb.
Probably best to let the action speak for itself really. 😉
Wings has just posted that there is only one video that the BBC complained about, it was the interview with Stu a few months ago. Paging Franz Kafka…
‘It seems that the BBC has learned nothing about the need to build bridges and restore trust amongst viewers in Scotland…’
They blatantly now dinnae care. The irony ay it is, if they hud left that channel n they videos alane thir woulday been nae stooshie n they coulday looked a bit better cred-wise, cos the signal-tae-noise ratio ay information-tae-disinformation oot there is overwhelming. Only the convertit, really, if wir being honest, watch that channel. So they’ve jist shot thirsel in the foot. Thankfully.
‘…would be particularly careful not to alienate even further that half of the Scottish population which views it with deep suspicion as the propaganda arm of the British state.’
No quite gitting this communication strategy, Paul/readers, ah admit. Yaising 2014 numbers tae comment on how many folk supposedly dinnae believe the BBC is jist plain wrong. We dinnae ken whit they numbers are, cos the indyref results n the numbers ay folk here disbelieving ay Englander Pravduh ur twae different hings tae me. N ah personally widnae even yaise the 2014 numbers in ony wey whitsoivir; we huv shairly progressed upwards numbers-wise intae indyland since then. Or is the idea ay a second indyref, despite the above incontrovertible evidence ay the English state cracking doon, jist becoming a contemporary comfort blanket myth tae us?
You tell me. Seriously.
“public service broadcaster – which we all pay for”…………….No we don’t.
Yes ,all taxpayers pay for the BBC.its funded by government grant NOT the so called tv licence….but they dont want you to know that.
Me again.
Serco, a property company charged with housing refugees who await the outcome of their claim to remain in the UK , is to issue Seven Day notices in Glasgow on some 300 asylum seekers and will be changing the locks and effectively making 300 very vulnerable people homeless.
Serco claim that since these unfortunates have been refused Leave to Remain, they have been meeting their rent and rates, and heating bills out of the Company’s own pocket, because the UK Government will not meet the rent and rates, or indeed provide money for food, clothing etc.
In David Cameron’s ‘Big Society’ charities and stretched LA Social Work Departments have been keeping these poor wretches alive.
Serco argue that they have been working with the UK Government and Glasgow City Council for months to resolve the issue, and now have no alternative but to force evictions and change the locks.
Glasgow ‘officials’ claim that they have been ‘blindsided’, by Serco, and were unaware that these mass evictions were going ahead.
‘He said, she said’.
It wisnae us, it was them.
A Big Boy did it and ran away. The ‘Big Boy’ being the UK Government.
T
he Hostile Environment of the English Parliament’s Homeland Security, the Purgers of Furriners.
There are reportedly ‘thousands’ in Glasgow in the same refugee ‘boat’, if you’ll pardon the metaphor.
This is BBC Scotland’s Breakfast TV version of this quite alarming story.
‘Moves’ to change the locks housing asylum seekers refused refugee status in Glasgow are ‘set to begin’.
Up to 300 people could be affected as the landlord Serco starts to issue seven day notices .
(get this!)
‘The Labour MSP Mary Fee (Who?) says that it will force the most vulnerable in society on to the streets.
The Home Office say it’s right to prepare someone’s removal from the UK if they have no legal basis to stay’.
Who writes this meaningless shallow crapola?
Why the free publicity for a list labour MSP nobody?
The 150 seconds of News Where You Are on BBC Breakfast TV was introduced thus:-
‘Let’s get the local weather and news where you are.’ by a young man on the cycle track where the latest ‘ British’ cyclist to win the Tour De France began his career.
Scottish news is downgraded to ‘local news’ where you are once more.
The Pacific Quay Stockade in Glasgow headlined with the news that six alleged victims of historic child abuse are to sue the SFA.
Then the Serco lock changing refugee evictions; all 30 odd seconds of it.
Then with a gathering professional smile, Andy Murray our National treasure, is back in action in Washington or somewhere.
Then the Beano’s eightieth birthday.
Then the weather, traffic, and a wee preview of what’s on over on BBC Steam Radio.
A three hour phone in to discuss Thomson Holidays scrapping holidays which feature live animals as entertainment.
We were urged to phone in and talk about whales and things..For three feckin’ hours.
Of course as August approaches England is on holiday until at least the second week in September.
So the BBC is closed; well, all the Top Executives and ‘Stars’ are off to their beach huts in the Bahamas.
The UK is closed. There is therefore no news worth reporting in any depth.
For the life of me, why doesn’t Donalda just feature two or three minutes of the Potter’s Wheel interlude instead of this news ‘headlines’ garbage.
The headline surely is: The UK Government is starving refugees on to the street?
Paul, Stu, this is the ‘copyright content’ which they won’t let you comment on.
Well, I just did. Archive if you feel you might.
The fight is on. The fight never ended. When you have their resources, it is easy to keep up a policy of pressure on the people brave enough to stand up for their – and our, rights.
Who is the best organisation to push back against the BBC on our behalf – from a legal, rather than political viewpoint?
I nearly forgot.
‘New Information’ from ‘Scottish Labour’ suggests that young people who have been in care are ‘falling through the cracks’when they turn 18.
What does that even mean?
The ‘New Information’ reports that only 6% have been offered continuing care which allows them to be looked after (‘Looked after’? Whit !) until the age of 21.
Get this.
‘The policy was introduced by Scottish Government 4 years ago. Ministers say they will monitor how Local Authorities are coping’. SNP ergo BAD. Labour Good.
Who writes this crap? Labour to the rescue again?
You may understand why I ‘nearly forgot’ this 17 seconds of unsubstantiated garbage.
The reason why young people are ‘falling through the cracks’ when they turn 18 is that, recently, the age at which young people receive taxpayers’ support was raised from 18 to 21. This was a decision by the Tories in Westminster.
I used to vote Conservative until one day, in a previous Tory Westminster administration, when a small paragraph in the Herald said that a new refuge had been opened in Glasgow where young boy prostitutes could go when they were frightened. Yes, that is correct : young boy prostitutes.
When I investigated the background, I learned that young people can be turned out of their parents’ house, or out of a children’s home, etc., at 16 but they got no financial support until they became 18. So they turned to crime, begging or selling their bodies.
I ceased to vote Conservative on that day.
Hammond’s recent budget raised the age from 18 to 21.
Exactly, Les.
Our relative comfort is at the price of one million of our fellow Scots citizens living below the poverty line because of Mum 2B Davidson’s party’s deliberate attack on the poor and steady destruction of civic society.
I will not rest until the last food bank closes its doors, and there is true Independence, a Scottish parliament, voted for by the people in Scotland, accountable to the citizens of Scotland, and serving the people of Scotland.
On the 30th March next year, Scotland will be invaded by ‘take back control’ England.
No NMS, privatised GP Surgeries, Workers’ Rights smashed, PFI contracts, Carpetbaggers and snake Oil Salesmen heading North to divvi up the spoils.
I refuse to allow that to happen.
‘NHS’ even. You can tell I’m ragin’, Les.
Jack what a very useful thing you are doing….many thanks with a touch of compassion at
listening to the total crap ‘news’ from the disgraceful Pacific Quay.
I agree with you completely, Alba woman.
I used to think the BBC was pro free speech, but some of the YouTubes I’ve seen lately are really making me reconsider my opinion.
I don’t know much about the Scotch situation, so thanks for a thought-provoking post.