Is there any depth to which this British Government might descend which would lead the Scottish Conservatives to stand up for Scotland’s rights and interests? That’s a rhetorical question, because we already know the answer. The Scottish branch office of the English Nationalist Brexit Party exists solely in order to keep Scotland subject to the decisions of a Conservative Prime Minister which Scotland didn’t elect, and therefore it is constitutionally and psychologically incapable of ever admitting that the lying liar who sits in Number 10 might actually be, you know, a lying liar.
This is a government which is damaging the interests of Scotland, damaging Scotland’s economy, damaging Scotland’s prospects, and the Scottish Conservatives clap deliriously. Yet this is the party which tells us that it seeks a strong Scotland within a strong UK. Any sensible definition of that would mean that the job of a self-declared unionist party would be to ensure that Scotland’s interests are protected within this so-called union, and to speak up for Scotland at the UK level. The Tories in Scotland don’t do that. Instead they see their job as being to resist calls for another independence referendum by any means necessary. They’re not interested in any collateral damage.
We learned this week that Tim Leunig, a government advisor in the Treasury who is close to Dominic Cummings and who has the ear of Chancellor Rishi Sunak, has said that the UK’s farming and fishing industries are not important to the British economy. Food, eh? Who needs it. Leunig said that the food sector is not “criticially important”, and the agriculture and fisheries sector “certainly isn’t”. Scotland exports approximately £5 billion worth of food and drink products annually. The sector makes up a much larger proportion of the Scottish economy than it does of the UK economy. Influential figures within the British Government are quite sanguine about the prospect of selling out the Scottish food and drink industry in return for advantages for other sectors of the UK economy which have far less importance in Scotland. Presumably that’s one of those union benefits that we keep hearing about.
The Tories like to bang on about how they will defend the Scottish fishing industry, as though it were the only industry in the whole of Scotland. The truth is that the Tories speak in the interests of the handful of large fishing owners who dominate the industry. They don’t speak for the smaller fishing boats which operate in inshore waters. It’s estimated that as many as three fourths of Scotland’s approximately 2000 fishing vessels operate primarily in inshore waters, within 12 miles of the coast. Many of these are based in the economically fragile west coast and island communities with relatively few other sources of employment and specialise in fishing for the shellfish for which there’s a lucrative market in the EU. This large and important part of the Scottish fishing industry depends upon seamless overnight trade with Europe. Two thirds of the crabs, lobsters, langoustines, and other shellfish caught by Scottish fishing communities are sold to the EU.
This is a trade which only exists because of the EU single market. It’s all very well for the Tories to tell fishing communities that the UK will be a free coastal state in charge of its own waters, but if the products of the sea don’t have a market, there’s not going to be much of a fishing industry. The EU for its part insists that if there is no agreement on continued access for EU fishing boats in the UK fishing grounds – which are largely Scottish – then there will be no favourable trade deal for the UK. What we’re seeing this weekend are the first signs that the Tories are preparing the political and media ground for another of their great betrayals.
The Scottish fishing industry is also under threat from the Conservatives’ new immigration rules which will come into effect next year. As many as 70% of workers in fish factories in the North East come from EU countries where they are employed to fillet and gut fish in readiness for the market. This is a job which can’t be adequately carried out by machines, and no amount of IT is going to make it any more efficient. The industry relies upon low paid labour.
Prominent figures from across various industries in Scotland have spoken out against the Conservatives’ changes to immigration rules. Donald Macaskill, the chief executive of Scottish Care, said that the plans showed that Conservative ministers were “in cloud cuckoo land” with respect to how the changes would affect Scotland. The Scottish Tourism Alliance has called the plans “the biggest threat to Scotland’s tourism industry”. Meanwhile Jackson Carlaw has said that the changes are a “work in progress” and said that he’ll
Where are the Tories speaking out for the interests of Scotland? They’re silent. Anything that Boris Johnson does, no matter how disastrous for Scottish interests, must be defended. The Tories are so terrified of the prospect of another independence referendum that they are unwilling to speak up for Scotland within the UK. They are failing Scotland even on their own terms.
The SNP has proposed a Scottish Visa as a way of ensuring that Scotland’s need for continuing immigration is not lost in the Conservatives’ English driven political imperative to restrict immigration at all costs. In order to get a Scottish Visa, a potential migrant would have to reside in Scotland and maintain a Scottish tax code. It’s a relatively simple scheme which could easily be implemented. Other states allow self-governing countries or provinces within them to control aspects of immigration policy. Quebec in Canada, or the self governing Portuguese provinces of the Azores and Madeira for example. There is no reason at all why the UK could not do the same for Scotland. Yet you won’t hear anyone from the Scottish Conservatives talking about it, except to say no. Naturally the British Government has ruled it out. And when Boris Johnson rules out making any substantial changes to the immigration rules in order to accommodate Scotland’s needs, Jackson Carlaw will not speak out against it.
All of the above means that the following isn’t a joke, it’s a genuine observation of a Scottish political reality: How many Scottish Tories does it take to screw in a lightbulb? None. Boris Johnson will lie that the lightbulb has been fixed and they’ll sit in the dark and applaud.
The real problem for the Scottish Conservatives and their increasingly desperate attempts to stave off independence is that more and more people across Scotland are having lightbulb moments of their own, and realising that Scotland will be a far better place if it’s in control of its own destiny.
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Wee Ginger Dug 
Spot on per usual . It’s Rampant Lying versus the Lion Rampant .
Jackson Carlaw says that he’ll …………..what?
He hasn’t phoned Boris yet to ask if he’s allowed to say what he’ll do…
since Carlaw will not do anything I think the blank space in the rest of the line works 🙂
The only thing Jackass Carlaw will do is go into hiding just like Davidson used to do.
Reblogged this on Ramblings of a 50+ Female.
Bravo….
Colour me surprised!
If Westminster can’t rule it,they wreck it,on the way out.
They have realised Scotland is ending their control and income from our resources, and they can see that it is inevitable.
They will deliberately and ruthlessly destroy as much of Scotland’s economy as they possibly can before we go.
They will do this to stymie any competition for London.
While nasty it’s clearly the obvious thing to do and what I’d do if I were them.
Scotland is a competition for London that none of the other exiting colonies ever presented and London’s economic activities are all they have left.
Their job is to act in the establishments best interest and that has always ment London’s best interests.
It is no accident they target the backbone of the Scottish economy.
They will begger us if they can and they have their eye on our West coast for their military…..so nice and ” cleared ” of Scots and any economic activities by us is just how they’d like it.!
We need to end this Union and soon!
All Britnats speak with forked tongues. The Tories have the forkest tongues of them all.
The forking Tories would push their granny aff a bus for a few bob. That includes the forking Tory who writes for the National.
Ha Ha a fine mov to avoid the sin bin Cubby well played . Reminds me of Fork Andles , a right load of forking nonsense that was as well ha ha .
Aye the Two Ronnies – “four candles”😂😂😂😂
The fact that Scots keep allowing ourselves to be used and abused by the British state amazes me. Yet when we understand that we are too busy attacking each other based upon support of football teams , it’s not surprising.
We have a history of self abuse and until we recognise that we are being abused by the British state, we will never change the outcome.
It’s by saying NO that we turn the tide, NO is our shield, we need to tell the British NO. We will not allow this to continue and we will not obey or implement any of your laws. Not one not ever . Only laws passed by Holyrood are legal and legitimate will of the Scottish people.
Just say NO and then see them squeal and wriggle like the snakes they are.
Until we do we will continues to be abused.
We need our political leaders to do that now. Not later or when we feel brave . If our politely leaders won’t do that, then we need to change them.
The Tory who writes for the National supports Independence.
Aye but he is a forking Tory. Forking Tories speak with forked tongues. Never trust a forking Tory.
The Middlesboro’ audience on Thursday’s Question Time looked and spoke like a beaten people.
Fooled by a media demonising Corbyn, pushing antisemitism, and sloganising – Oven Ready, Get Brexit Done – they voted the Tories in and now are stuck with the Tories for 5 long years.
Scotland must press for independence before the UK exits the EU to free us from Westminster.
Aye Velofello 5 if their lucky but the bettings on 10 it will be interesting to see the reaction when they find out they have been well and truly rodgered , it won’t be pretty .
Aye a fine example of acceptable collateral damage.
The Tory party in Scotland will cheer on any damage to the SNP and the fallout won’t bother them in the least ,
The whole point is destroy the threat to their precious bloody Union , it may have escaped their notice but here’s the thing the English don’t bloody want them either , how sad never mind .
We did notice the absence of their present leader during his tour to drum up support , now it’s bad when even your own party tells you to piss off is that not what you inferred Ruth or was it another misspoke that was not attributable to you .
The Tories and their good Establishment friends are not known for leaving their colonies in good condition…..Ireland and India being two of the many who suffered the very real hatred of these people.
Their greatest degradation is the impoverishment of children historically and now.
Thanks WGD for your all your efforts in calling out these people.
BoJo is a vindictive childish individual who holds a grudge against Jimmie Krankie and will use every opportunity to stick it to Scotland as a consequence.
Governance based on petty strops is going nowhere in the ‘trust me I am a politician’ stakes.
Any trust and respect for Britishness in Ireland and Scotland is now taking a nose dive from which it is never likely to recover.
How many lightbulbs does it take to change a Tory?
Depends how crisp you want them.
Jimmy krankie? Yip childish and pathetic comment. R the krankies not tories residing in Australia these days?
The Scots Tories – The party that stood by and watched Thatcher dismantle industrial Scotland. the party that thought the “poll tax” would win them votes. The party that had land owners march against devolution. The party that thought sending us back the Stone of Scone, would them win them votes. The party that supported austerity. The party that thought kicking 14 year old children out of the education system, would win them votes. The party that stood against brexit. The party that stood for in the end because May told them it would win them votes.
They’re the party that plotted Boris Johnson’s downfall and called it operation arsehole. Now, they’re a party that has its head so far up Johnson’s backside, they can kiss his tonsils.
They’re the party that asks for permission to stab their boss in the back. But only if their boss doesn’t sack them.
They’re a party of creeps, gropers, gammon and roasters. Of tax dodgers, tank molesters and old codgers.
They’re like cotton wool rubbed against your teeth. Nails drawn down a blackboard. They fair give you the heebie jeebies and I have personally stood in dog shit that has more character and moral fibre than them.
I think Johnson will be to this breed of tory what Thatcher was to the last generation. Pure poison.
Even if they had the wit to see it. They’d quaff it down cheering.
Operation arsehole has morphed in to operation suck up to the arsehole.
These Tories have no self respect. It comes natural to Britnats whose whole existence is dedicated to bowing to their masters in Westminster.
You have to give them their due, for goodness sake. They have their principles. Ooops, one that is and they’ve adopted it, the McBain, from another bunch of losers.
Carlaw has one remit only. Delay, damage and otherwise derail Scottish self government at any cost. Other than that? He’d be lucky if they remember his name south of Gretna.
You’d think that’d sting their collective pride, their self worth? Disposable assets(?).
Apparently it doesn’t. Takes all sorts I suppose. (shrugs)
How many Scottish Tories does it take to screw in a lightbulb? None. Boris Johnson will lie that the lightbulb has been fixed and they’ll sit in the dark and applaud.
________
How many Scottish Tories does it take to screw us? Any one of them.
Once again Scotland and the Scots matter not. https://mobile.twitter.com/Hyvast/status/1234037650996256768
Taken from the indyref2 site. Check out today’s links.
https://indyref2.space/forum/topic/links-monday-2-march-2020/#postid-1343
This is our ‘let my people go’ moment, Duggers.
On Leap Day, Saturday 29th February when fair maidens everywhere were free to ask any Young Turk that took their fancy to marry them, we, the Rat Pack (Clydebank Lodge) were in our usual watering hole, shootin’ the breeze and preaching insurrection.
A lot of uisge-beatha has flown under the bridge since we were in our first flush, we are long past the age when we were ‘eligible’ ‘young’ or ‘bachelors’, So there was no fear of being propositioned or having to give a spurned young lady a fur coat or perform a juggling trick when we knocked them back. (Irish Trad.?)
Politics, fitba’, and karaoke. We were giving ‘My Way’ laldy, arguing about independence. the fall of Labour, and watching the tail end of St Mirren v Aberdeen in the Cup Quarter battling it out silently on a wee tv screen in the snug.
One of the fathers of sons in our gang brought up the biggest patsy since Lee Harvey Oswald, a young 23 year old Colombian footballer, with little or no English, let alone Parliamo Glasgow, who seemed to be taking the blame for his team Ranjurs being knocked out of the Cup earlier in the day by the Mighty Jambos.
A 23 year old lad, with no English, and a young wife 8 months pregnant, had apparently returned a day late from an emergency trip back home on a family matter, was left out of the team on discipline grounds, and was therefore responsible for The Ranjurs season crashing and burning.
There were apparently a ‘spine’ of players, goalie, holding midfielder and forward who are all in their late thirties in the team which actually played, and got soundly beaten, but that wouldn’t have happened if this young,clearly troubled lad, had played?
Aye, right.
The manager, a 39 England Superstar, and our reliable hacks and broadcasters, joined in kicking the young father to be when he was down.
The blame culture.
We were as one; if it had been our son who was being treated so badly by his club and the media, we’d have been on the next plane, and have had a few words to say to his employers and press.
They’ve got their fall guy. They are still Ra Peeple.
Who are Johnson, serial Monogamist and Father of many, Carjack Lawson, and the Scots Media Tent going to blame when the EU does not blink and we are forced out of Europe by the English in June or December on a No Deal Eurmageddon,which was the Right Wing Iron Heel Oligarchy’s intention from the get go?
Somebody in the Pack compared the English Government’s absolute refusal to ‘allow’ a second Referendum to pharaoh’s refusal to ‘let my people go’ in Old Testament times.
Moses beseeched the Almighty to punish the Egyptians for holding the Twelve Tribes in bondage.
Plagues and pestilence, contaminated water, a plague of locusts, darkness over the land, a plague of frogs, death of the first born…eventually pharaoh gave in, and let Moses and his tribes leave, then had second thoughts, chased the Israelites, but drowned with his army in the Red Sea as the miraculously parted waters closed behind Moses and his followers.
Well, we’ve had floods and houses contaminated with sewage, farms and crops devastated, and coronavirus has reached these shores.
Global warming (not the ridiculous euphemism ‘climate change’ doubtless the brain child of Big Oil spin doctors.) may bring a heatwave summer, drought, hosepipe bans, crop failures, and food shortages as No Deal Brexit bites, and the price of imported food and drink goes through the roof.
Who will be the ‘patsy’?
You can bet ‘rebellious Scots’ who keep banging on about independence while England boils and starves will be up there. The Alfredo Morelos of these troubled isles; that’s Scotland.
Has the Almighty intervened in the cause of Scotland’s Road to Independence?
I doubt it.
Paul’s excellent piece describes the boneheaded subservience of all Brit Nat politicians of any colour to the will of their Masters in England.
They would see their country destroyed to protect England.
A plague on all their houses.
One for my little archive! A must read, imo, on PISA keeping in mind that schools in England focus on preparing students to perform well in line with this form of testing which in turn discourages thinking outside of the box.
yes, pPetra, I watched the cartoon cut out Gordon ‘Yes But’ Brewer’s wee piece on PISA on Sunday but have resolved never to give this tawdry wee Brit Nat propaganda show any more oxygen of publicity.
He had Jamie Green and Dan Johnson of the Blue and Red Tories on talking nonsense. They clearly did not have a notion about the mechanics of PISA or the Curriculum of Excellence. Brewer interviewed this guy Curran, whom he allowed to spout out the lies and SNP Baddery condemned in Prof John’s excellent PISA rebuttal.
Brewer is a paid lackey afraid for his job if he knows the actual significance of PISA data but chooses to chair a half hour of lies, just to belittle his country, Scotland, and its children.
From the report:-
•No reform of any consequence should ignore the important role of non-educational factors, among which a nation’s socio-economic inequality is paramount.”
Green and Johnson, the Brit Nat Austerity neo liberals who foisted austerity, tax cuts for the rich, welfare cuts for the poor, on Scotland, where 1/3 of a million of our children live below the poverty line in Carjack Lawson’s Tory UK wondering why there is still an attainment gap?
Idiots or malicious uncaring robots..
Brewer, you have no shame nor decency.
But if it keeps you in a job. The Eichmann principle.
Over and above the dodgy PISA testing technique, I would imagine that setting off to school exhausted, frozen, starving and anxious must have an impact on learning, Jack. The Tory austerity ideology, which they now admit didn’t work, has a lot to answer for, however that won’t prevent Jackass Carbuncle, of the callous brass neck brigade, berating the SNP on educational results, nor Brewer from backing them up by pumping propaganda into Scottish households.
Another brilliant innovation invented by the stupid Scots.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-51696369
Another abject British (English) regulatory failure which will be absolutely catastrophic for Scotland.
http://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/Search/Registrations?currentPage=1&rows=30&sort=RegulatedEntityName&order=asc&open=filter&et=pp&et=ppm®ister=gb®Status=registered&inScotland=true&optCols=EntityStatusName
OT/ please help. Talk in some of the blogs and twitters-sphere that wings has formed a political party. Is this correct or merely some delusional dream of a pretendy religious disciples?
@ Jack Collatin: The Rangers manager, Gerrard failed the management leadership test – the application of empathy and flexibility when addressing your team’s individual problems. Kissing and hugging as they leave the pitch counts for nothing.
Indeed, Velo, rather like Better Together’s ‘Please stay’ charm offensive in 2014.
The kiss of death.
Just found this web site. For some reason it brought to mind the story of Shoichi Yokoi, sergeant in the Imperial Japanese Army.
Keep it up guys, you’ve made my day.