In his Smirk to the Union address on the bunting channel last night, the performance artiste with the stage name Boris Johnson warned that the threat from the coronavirus was not over, and that “complacency could be our undoing.” That would be the complacency with which a certain Conservative government reacted in the early spring when the UK had advance warning of the pandemic and the British Government did nothing. It would be the complacency of a British government which just a few short weeks ago was urging people to get back on crowded trains and buses and back into the office in order to shore up the share price of Pret a Manger, despite England and Wales not having a track and trace app and the testing regime in those countries was in a state of collapse. Or perhaps he meant the complacency of a Prime Minister who was told in August by his chief medical adviser Chris Whitty that the UK had reached the limit of what could safely remain open and that to open schools without risk of a resurgence of the virus he may need to close the pubs.
But no. He meant none of that. This is a Prime Minister who has utterly and dismally failed to keep the public safe. But far from displaying even the barest smidgeon of contrition, the slightest glimmer of contrition, any awareness at all that he even grasps the concept of humility, or the faintest hint of remorse for the lethal catastrophe that his and his government’s incompetence, greed, arrogance, self-entitlement, and sloth have inflicted on us all, instead he smirked and chose to blame the public for failing him. It’s our fault, not his. Never his. It’s our fault for not obeying the rules that he fails to explain. It’s our fault for imagining that we can behave like Dominic Cummings. It’s our fault for expecting him to have at least the basic ability to do the job that he’s so single mindedly pursued for years – back-stabbing, lying, deceiving, and trampling over the bodies of all those who got in his way as he tried to get it.
“We are a freedom loving people,” said Johnson. He means that he’s free from accepting responsibility. He means that fellow smirker Dominic Cummings is free from any integrity. He means that smugness personified Michael Gove is free from the truth. He means freedom for people like them to break the rules that they impose on the rest of us. No state can possibly call itself freedom loving when it wallows in nostalgia for a war that was won 75 years ago because it was the last time, the only time, that the UK was actually the good guys – and even then it was only because it was up against your actual Nazis. Nowhere can call itself freedom loving while the rich get richer and the landed aristocracy get an exemption from the rules that prevent the rest of us from seeing our mothers and grandmothers so that the fnaugh fnaughers and the rich can shoot up wildlife. You can only have fifteen people present at your wedding or your granny’s funeral, but if you give everyone a shotgun and release a flock of pheasants you can have as many in attendance as you like.
It was a speech which sought to turn up the dial on the gaslight past breaking point as it turned the screws on ordinary people. “There is nothing more frustrating for the vast majority, the law-abiding majority that do comply than the sight of a few brazenly defying the rules,” said the shambling shaven shag carpet of a man who is the British Prime Minister, uttered with as straight a face as is possible when your mouth is permanently twisted into the rictus smirk of a walking moral vacuum.
And then he added, “As for that minority who continue to flaunt the rules, we will enforce those rules, with more police and the army if necessary.” Is that what you told Dominic Cummings then before you rewrote the rules so that they no longer included him? Is that what you told your dad when he defied the lockdown to go on holiday abroad?
Leading by example isn’t exactly your strong suit, Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson. You’ve barely managed to turn up for work. So it’s a bit rich of him to demand discipline and resolve from the rest of us. Those are two things that he’s never come within spaffing distance of. He’s been working tirelessly, his apologists like Tory MP Lucy Allan say, on behalf of us all, they say, when he’s spent all summer pissing off on one holiday after another while he complains that he can’t make ends meet on £150,000 a year. When he’s had to be shamed and shouted at to show up at a Cobra meeting. When he says one thing one week and the opposite the next. Get back to work, he said. Get back to the pubs, he said. Get back on the crowded buses and trains. And now he tells us that the resurgence of the virus is our fault. This lying sasquatch dressed in a charity shop suit is good for one thing only, and that’s pursuing his own interests. He has no compunction at all about lying, cheating, and deceiving in order to fulfil them.
And now he’s threatening to bring in the army to keep order in Tesco as the panic buying hordes seek out the last roll of toilet paper. Is this the world beating they promised us, the punching above our weight turns out to be a fist fight in a supermarket aisle over a tin of tomatoes. Scotland deserves so much better than this.
You may disagree with the Scottish Government about certain things, even about many things, but the yawning chasm between Nicola Sturgeon and Boris Johnson in terms of leadership and communication, clarity and compassion, has never been more evident. You can see it from space. In tackling this health crisis public trust is vital. Johnson has squandered it, trashed it, traduced it. Nicola Sturgeon has done her utmost to reach out across political divides in order to nuture it.
Meanwhile the clock is ticking on his no deal Brexit just as furlough payments come to an end. This is what happens when a privileged performance artiste is elected as Prime Minister, a narcissistic sociopath whose sole motivating force is his entitlement, in a state without proper checks and balances on the limits of his power. You get lies, you get deflection, you get a willingness to trash conventions and break the laws. You get promises that are broken and a devolution settlement that is undermined. You get a prime minister who blames everyone else for his own failures. And you get a public which hears his tired old excuse shifting and thought, “We’ve heard your bullshit too many times now and we’re not buying your schtick anymore.” We deserve better. We can do better. We are better.
The dial has just shifted a few more notches on Scotland’s independenceometer.
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Wee Ginger Dug 
I do hate that smirk ….it’s chilling
Damn straight!
Ace, Paul.
BBC Scotland now referring to our Government as one of the three ‘devolved administrations’.
By mid October, it is all going to get very Brexit indeed.
All Smirk and Mirrors
[…] Wee Ginger Dug Johnson’s smirk of the union address In his Smirk to the Union address on the bunting channel last night, the performance […]
I know that it is not easy to remain silent when faced with the unprecedented incompetence and downright criminality displayed by this Tory abomination of a Government – but would it be possible for us to refuse to accept the existence of LBJ and his cronies by not naming them EVER but simply referring to them as THE GITS !
🤣🤪😷🤣🤪😷
Love It!
or “lizard illuminati” ? 🙂
Another brilliant article Paul. You don’t miss and hit the wall. Tbh, I’m really worried about what’s coming next. You can see that many of the 55 million plus people living in England don’t trust the Johnson cabal and more so have no idea as to what they should be doing now. Between one thing and another I don’t see Westminster getting on top of the CV19 crisis at all rather it just spiralling right out of control adding to the 70,000 dead already. Horrendous 😭.
Winter is looming and let’s not forget the scenes of patients lined up on stretchers, or stuck in ambulances in hospital car parks, in a normal NHS winter south of the border. Add to that the loss of EU medics, nurses and carers, millions more poverty stricken due to the unemployment rate rising followed by being hit with Brexit. Then riots?
“Scotland reliant on the broad shoulders of the UK?” You couldnae make it up. There’s surely going to come a point in time when Nicola Sturgeon is going to have to close the border to save lives and when that happens we’ll see the BritNats out in full force putting the Union first. That’ll be another eyeopener for the “undecideds”, which will hopefully help us to drag ourselves out of this hellhole.
Meanwhile this eejit, Broon, has just emerged from his cave again in an attempt to keep us ensconced in the hellhole. Poverty, deprivation, injustice and inequality? Is he trying to tell us that remaining in the Union will resolve these issues when we know that the Tories, Labourites and Libdems at Westminster have actually created this situation and it’s only going to get worse. I’m actually beginning to think that the man hates the Scots. https://mobile.twitter.com/martinmccluskey/status/1308448552004333574?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
I think you meant “…emerged from his crypt” not cave. The evil undead sums him up.
You’re right. Thanks for the correction Julia 😀.
Has Brown cleaned up the radio active waste in Dalgety Bay yet? Didn’t think so. This man contributed to the deaths of one million innocent Iraq men women and children.
Fuck of, Brown.
Sorry, but I have nothing but disgust for this wretched man.
The sad thing is, he genuinely believes that he is still a player.
Close the border, please.
Thanks for an excellent synopsis, it saves my having to listen to this “walking moral vacuum”, even if the media will plaster it everywhere as a “tour de force” for at least the next week.
The inexorable shift in Scotland’s politics has the Tories in panic. Despite shoeing in DRoss and the Baroness with her media connections, their (and PQ’s) campaigning has been a damp squib, as Scots Tories cannot sell the London regime as competent even among themselves.
The manipulators may have to replace the buffoon earlier than January for any chance of influence on the Scottish election, but consider which of the remaining circus troupe in London as replacement. Gove has an enviable selection of cutlery, but is despised in Scotland even more than the rest.
However, I don’t hold to the notion that the calamity in England is down to one man, any more than Scotland’s condition is down to the FM alone, but there is no doubt which is more impressive and relatable by a country mile, even in England.
Who heads a government should not matter when it’s a well oiled machine, what England has experienced is spanners being thrown in the works deliberately to maximise distress and distraction while Tory benefactors get thick brown envelopes.
“The dial has just shifted a few more notches on Scotland’s independenceometer”, and it will continue to do so, it has become unstoppable.
Heh, heh. Folk on here can certainly turn out a phrase. As of course can our host. It certainly brightens up what can otherwise at times be a weary wait.
I confess it was pinched from the master wordsmith Terry Pratchett in reference to members of the guild of assassins, so it seemed entirely appropriate….
I do wish you would stop holding back and tell us what you really think Paul! 😂😂😂😂
Yet another brilliant blog which hits the nail slap bang on the head. I’m very afraid of what is going to happen next on the ‘broad shoulders of the UK’. Scotland needs out of this mess at the very first moment possible. 🏴🏴
Anne Martin,
I agree, Paul is far too restrained!
I have no idea how he keeps turning out ‘must read’ posts of such quality.
It seems it might be just you and me who have had this insight into who BoJo and his Tory cronies really are! I asked my dear Irish neighbour in his 80’s how he felt about his Tory government now and he said, oh Boris is alright! What! I asked my small business one man band hard working and very funny friend what he thought of his Tory government now in case lockdown was revived without furlough so my daughter for example working in a hospital presumably wouldn’t get paid? He said, well who’s going to pay for it all, we can’t afford it, the taxpayer will have to pay as usual!!!! I really could have cried.
I feel your pain Janice. I know people who delcare “But we need the rich”, withour a second thought as to how those who have it got their wealth. I often wonder just how low down these people would need to fall before the scales dropped from their eyes.
I get the sense that you don’t really like Mr Johnson personally, quite apart from his incompetence and venality in office. His manifest failures and hypocrisies may well be visible from space to those with a mind to see them, but for those who think the sun shines out of his arse, this too is visible from space and his detractors just a bunch of petulant silly Billys. I understand that UK government stupidity and rapaciousness is not popular in Scotland, but I do not understand, given the current state of the constitutional crisis (what crisis?), how this shifts notches on the independenceometer. Without any credible electoral expression of revulsion at the PM and Westminster that will not be subverted by the usual propaganda, how are these notches to be turned into actual independence? You and many other fine bloggers do stalwart work of writing every day to expose the lies and entitlement of power, but when does all this have any effect other than to make us readers feel that we are not alone in our personal disdain for the idiots in charge? We will not become an independent nation by waiting for them to grant it.
.
Independence, independence, independence. It’s all they talk about now 😀.
‘Boris Johnson’s Policies Have Bolstered Scotland’s Nationalists.’
.”While the 96-mile border may be largely invisible, this is a different country, where the legal and educational systems, health service, some taxation, and—most prominently as infections spread again—the handling of coronavirus all diverge from England’s. The two nations that joined together politically in 1707 to form Great Britain feel more like a socially distant couple still cohabiting in the same household.”..
http://www.bloombergquint.com/businessweek/boris-johnson-brexit-and-covid-19-are-moving-scots-closer-to-leaving-the-u-k
……………………………………..
‘Brexit Might Break Britain. What Will Scotland Do?’
..“Scotland very much sits in the European mainstream about how we see ourselves in the world,” Gethins said. “If you are a state the size of Scotland, you don’t see yourself as having nuclear missiles and sitting in the U.N. Security Council, but you do see yourself sharing sovereignty with other states—that is where your strengths lie.”
As soon as I saw Leask’s name, I knew that it would be the usual too wee too stupid SNP nonsense.
We won’t be leasing Faslane to England…
We shall be a moderate independent state, and the citizens of Scotland will determine our foreign defence and financial policies through the ballot box, not ‘patriot’ Keir Starmer, a foreigner with absolutely no say in free Scotland’s future path.
Can you imagine a repeat of the 2014 Sermon on The Pound, with Sunak Up Her with the castle as background announcing that he refuses to ‘let’ Scotland use the pound?
Can you imagine dozens of English Labour MP’s arriving at Glasgow Central and waddling awkwardly up Union(sic) Street buzzed by Rickshaw Man to the strains of Star Wars next time?
We will not be bowing down to our Imperial Masters who will still berth their gun boats in our waters.
There are no degrees of ‘independence’.
There will be mass gatherings this time as they try to sneak Englsih Politicians into Scotland for fake ‘rallies’.
I doubt that they would dare drag out Brown and set up another Clunking Fist event in Clydebank Town Hall this time.
The Saltire flutters proudly above the clock tower in Clydebank these days.
NO more secret ‘rallies’ with the Fifth Column Fourth Estate in attendance, and dutifully reported on TV and in their Dead Tree Scrolls.
This time we make headlines that even James Cook can’t hide.
Of course the Hacks and broadcasters will cut and paste ‘will say’ brit Nat fascist nonsense because that’s what they are paid to do; sell out Scotland to a foreign country, England.
I am fighting mad, but in a good satisfying way.
Leask is a Brit mouthpiece.
WE have a nation ready, free, and more than capable of taking part in the world once more.
Too wee , too stupid.
Project Fear’s Greatest Hits reproduced in a box set.
Expect a lot more of this circumlocution, culminating in too wee too poor too stupid.
I love the description of the 2014 result as ‘close-run’ rather than ‘overwhelming’
Well, we know why they have changed their tune, raineach.
The latest polls indicate a reversal of fortune; 55% Yes, 45% No, and teetering towards 60%, and beyond on the 15th October when the EU 27 finally close Europe to England all together.
Hence ‘overwhelming’ is rewritten as a ‘close run’ race.
Ah, Leask, the 77th Brigade’s consultant Jock.
Gibraltar and its wee band of Brits, who have been kept hidden by the Hacks Up Here, have opted to close the borders with England in the event of a No Deal.
I suspect Norn Ireland will do the same.
Scotland will be independent before the last truck in the 7000 mile traffic jam in Kent clears customs at the Chunnel at this rate.
It is about to get very hairy indeed.
Indeed Jack, Gib and Spain had extensive discussions and came to a common understanding long before this fiasco blew up so the Deputy Chief Minister is playing games. The DUP are already on life-support with this Brexit nonsense, the people of NI will not suffer it much longer… Had to laugh at DRoss praising NI as welcoming the IM Bill while the NI Assembly rejected it, the gift that keeps giving…
As to the building anti-indy propaganda, turning up the volume and tying themselves in knots is impressing none north of the border save Jack & Co., baws on the slates….
This stupid wee man was running about the pitch at Parkhead on Saturday while the crisis w
worsens.
He is either a fool, or a mere mouthpiece regurgitating the ‘line to take’ garbage concocted by the backroom spinners down there in England.
We had May running naughtily through fields of corn. Now this wee Linesman is running in fields doing his real ‘day job’ hoovering up money anywhere he can.
It is roughly 81 years since the start of WWII.
Can you imagine a BBC Scotland news bulletin in September 1939?
Adolf Hitler’s army moved in to Poland today, prompting the British Government to declare war on the Third Reich.
‘Critics’ say that the rush to war is premature, and that the PM should have arranged to meet Herr Hitler and express his strongest objections to the insurgence into Polish Territory.
Willie Rennie attacked Nikla Sturgeon for dragging her heels in the run up to this ‘red line’ ultimatum by the British Government, arguing that the Scottish Government’ backing of WM was ‘too little too late’. Baroness Davidson of Rape Clause, and Richard Lennon added their weight to Rennie’s call for the Scottish Government to ‘wait and see’ before plunging Scotland into a war that would weaken the economy and cost jobs, and, oh yes, thousands of Scottish lives.
We are at war with this terrible virus, but Rennie, Lennon, Baroness Rape Clause and Green Johnstone harangue our Government with ‘test and trace’ shambles’ and ‘ha,ha, your lockdown failed, and you are putting Scotland into lockdown again, and it’s all your fault, Sturgeon’ nonsense.
I 1939 they would be branded traitors.
Jersey is thinking about sticking with the EU
https://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/2020/09/22/island-may-seek-own-eu-deal-if-unhappy-with-uks/
‘SNP hits 60% support in latest poll.’
”It’s only a sub-poll, from Ipsos MORI, based on 18+ only, for 11th to 18th September, but to my knowledge the first time the SNP has hit 60% in any poll.”
……………………………………
‘The politicising of health but only in Scotland,’
..”The report does not mention Matt Hancock, the Minister. Why would it? He can’t be expected to deal with every detail of the NHS in England can he?
But it’s not the same in Scotland. The case of one suicide which may have been triggered by non-admission to a mental health centre, in 2018, was exploited by the Labour leader, Richard Leonard and repeatedly broadcast by BBC Scotland as part of a wider witch-hunt aimed at unseating the then Health Secretary in a desperate attempt to score a point over the SNP Government. She did resign, citing personal problems, though only after a long period of harassment by the opposition in collusion with the Scottish media.”..
Good news on the poll, their problem is they think if they try and force Britishness, it is actually Englishness, down our throats we will just succumb to their will. It has the opposite the effect on me, the more union flags I see the more Scottish I feel and the more I want to escape their jingoism.
You should always be very wary of the results from subsamples in polls. Polls are weighted in order to ensure that the polling panel is demographically representative, however the subsample is not always so. As long as the poll as a whole is demographically representative the subsample doesn’t have to be. So take this result with a big pinch of salt.
Nobody agree with them? 🤣🤣🤣
Phantom Power:- ”Oh dear, the Internal Market Bill @douglas4moray described as a safety net to protect peace in N Ireland has just been rejected by the Northern Ireland Assembly on grounds it undermines the GFA, breaches international law & compromises the entire devolved settlement
@scottorie.” https://mobile.twitter.com/PhantomPower14/status/1308466964478734337
……………………………………..
LabourLordsUK:- ”BREAKING: Govt defeated 307-212 on @UKLabour @LabourDefra John Grantchester-led, cross-party backed amendt (89ZA) to #AgricultureBill on future trade deals and animal health & welfare, environmental, food safety & plant health standards.” https://mobile.twitter.com/LabourLordsUK/status/1308459789488476160
”Oops. Gibraltar erects border with UK.” https://mobile.twitter.com/castlvillageman/status/1308413962908848139
……………………………………
‘Is Boris Johnson Risking Another Constitutional Conflict with the Queen?’
..”If both Houses of Parliament vote in favour of it, the Queen will need to sign the Internal Market Bill in order for it to become law.
She will effectively be asked to sign a piece of legislation that gives the Government power to break its international obligations – putting her Government above the law and undermining the balance of the Constitution.”..
Aw naw no another Tory U-turn.
”England is likely to have to follow Scotland in imposing a ban on visiting between households, Boris Johnson has been told by his chief medical officer.” https://mobile.twitter.com/KieranPAndrews/status/1308652787891347457
…………………………….
Please check out Ann’s latest links on the Indyref2 site.
https://indyref2.space/forum/topic/links-23-september-2020/
They called the FMs decisions Draconian because of the house meeting ban but what they didn’t mention are the reasons for it, they waffled on about how can going down the pub be safer than your own home without telling people why it actually is, and one of the reasons why is, people don’t smoke or vape inside pubs inhaling and blowing out aerosol particles in all directions and the surfaces are disinfected regularly and glasses washed because they care about being closed down, that doesn’t happen with a gathering inside your house, but the FM can’t say that because they’ll accuse her of forcing people to stop smoking or vaping and not keeping their houses clean
A couple of things I noticed on the UK Government channel last night.
1. An abysmal interview with Jason Leitch, not so much an interview but a continuous attack dog technique. Followed up by an interview with D.Ross who was allowed to answer his questions virtually uninterrupted.
2. Jeremy Hunt on Newsnight, that useless MP, former minister and tree hider now regularly punted on the BBC as some voice of knowledge, telling us we should be following Westminster’s rules. Not only Scotland but all the devolved parliaments, but he rounded particularly on Nicola Sturgeon along with the interviewer. The arrogance we should follow the country with possibly worst record in the world. It’s that mentality again, we may be the worst but we are still the best.
3. Newsnight again and Alan Johnson showing his ignorance again, he was once punted as being a possible Labour leader but anyone watching him when he appeared on This Week could see he had no real intellectual depth. He decided to rant about the rules in Scotland but obviously had not read them or knew the recent changes here. Same attitude as Hunt, we know best.
If we can all see it so clearly! WHY are Scottish Labour Branch so determined to keep us under London Rule? It is now obvious that decades of Tory Rule are ahead of us and at best followed by Tory Lite “Patriotic” Red Tories trying to win back the bigots in the Red Wall.
The Labour values sound more and more like a Tommy Robinson supporters chant.
Sir Keir Stammer backs the idea of the internal market Bill.
He is adamant he will oppose any proposal to rejoin the EU.
He is rigid in his opposition to a democratic Scottish Referendum.
He full supports a Trident Replacement.
Their current leader,Reticent Liposuction, screams that the Scottish Government needs to “do more” and yet opposes more powers such as the ability to borrow to finance such endeavours.
He bounces in demand for Trade Union recognition in every area yet opposes the democratic desire of the majority of Scots for a Referendum.
We have 3 colours of Tories fighting for the dwindling Unionist vote.
I switched the smirk over, it was surreal.
Then this morning, radio shortbread, giving its utmost to demonise the FM and the Scottish Government.
My concern, regular folks are getting mightily fed up with confinement, and there are many virus-disbelievers flouting what has been asked of them.
Maybe the FM could put aside the biased media coverage, the uk gov hold and simply say, this is my country, I am in charge, the people of Scotland voted for this government, to hell with the press, the bbc et al, the border is closed, brexit is not for Scotland, lockdown is implemented again and the EU will help us out…aye right.
It’s a mess delivered by the uk gov.
An aside, I believe there was a suggestion that Shetland, with its fish farms and laboratories offered their laboratory-route for testing, as the Faroe Isles under their own governance have been doing, but somewhere along the line this suggestion was vetoed. The general thought there was the Scottish Government had shelved this, I suggested otherwise. Anyone know anything to the contrary?
Ta.
Between a rock and a hard place with this one I think. The testing ran by SERCO is financed by the UK government and the budget for it is not devolved, just allocated for GERS. If the Scotgov decided to replace SERCO in Scotland they would need to find the money and then be accused of miss spending their budget on something already being supplied by the UK Gov. So all the Scotgov can do is have a mop up exercise.
I suspect the testing labs are financed the same way.
The Brutnat parties have used this whole virus as a political point scoring exercise whilst we are banned from discussing independence by them.
Reblogged this on Ramblings of a now 60+ Female.
The UK representatives spit out the word Scotland with total disdain and even venom, Scotland and Scotland’s people are stupid because they vote SNP, and they’re bad, Scotland is too stupid to know whether it wants Independence because the SNP have mislead us, the only thing that would ever be good about Scotland would be the lack of its people, and on it goes
Then we come to the target of their ire the elected and most popular politician in these islands and maybe most other places if she stood for election FM Nicola Sturgeon, and they watch her like ravenous raptors waiting to swoop, because if she even hints at using the word England she’s instantly evil incarnate in her political machinations
So how does Scotland’s FM get around this invisible ban on saying the word England or worse English, because these words are sacred to the English and should never be uttered by any person of the foul Scotch tongue much less the evil Sturgeon, so what does she do, well every time she makes a speech or reference to England or the English she has to use the words *The rest of the UK* or indeed on many occasions she’s now been reduced to the word *Elsewhere* in order to avoid incurring their wrath and immediate faux or not outrage on the charge of *politicising* everything
The FM can name Wales or Northern Ireland and other countries names without any worry whatsoever that the people of those countries will take personal offence but when it comes to England those people have a world beating SUPERIOR INFERIORITY COMPLEX
Ahh yes Dr Jim but Nicola Sturgeon is not the only one
who won’t say “England “ or “ the English people”
The whole of the media do it in the U.K. even the pro independence media in Scotland do it
Ireland don’t
Ireland are quite happy to refer to England as England ( the south of Ireland that is )
Mind you what you get whenever you say anything negative about England or the English is accusations of racism
Well I for one am not a racist but I am not afraid to say that England and English people on the whole have no respect for Scotland and I’m not just talking about now , I lived in several places in England over many years and seen it often .
You often hear about their arrogance and recently the dislike of foreigners they’re not new either
I think it’s the way people are brought up ,not so much that people from other countries are inferior but more that England is superior , it’s sounds daft I know but there is a difference .
You see it on the tv programmes you hear it on the radio and MPs and many many people in England talk about it that way often in a joking kind of way with a wee laugh but make no mistake it’s a statement of superiority that they truly believe they have.
O/T but a few days ago I scribbled that Johnson would attempt to involve the British army throughout the preciousss, now that he has Police Scotland have immediately reacted and said NO and used several big words to say not in Scotland pal, because they know that we know what Johnson’s up to
Police Scotland are not even the most senior Police Force in Scotland, so I’m afraid if you are looking to them to protect you from the British Army, I fear you may be sadly disappointed.
For instance – why do you think the unionist establishment fought tooth and nail to stop the BTP from being absorbed by Police Scotland?
Police Scotland advise the FM on what they need or don’t, if they say they do not want the British army in Scotland the FM will reflect this so that were the British army to be deployed in Scotland it would be against the express wishes of the elected government and an illegal act breaking the terms of the Act of Union, at this moment in time BTP in Scotland are under direction from Police Scotland although employed by the British government they have no direct locus in general policing
At no time did I mention protection from or by anyone
I am sorry that I mis-interpreted the meaning of your post.
“Police Scotland are not even the most senior Police Force in Scotland” – that’s a very odd statement to make. I know there are other specialist police forces, such as the nuclear lot, but their purview is strictly limited, so I don’t see whence comes your notion of “seniority”. Care to expand on that?
My late husband was a police officer. He told me that different police forces in the UK are not ranked according to “seniority”.
The fact that they didn’t want the Transport Police in Scotland to come under the remit of Police Scotland had nothing to do with seniority and everything to do with ensuring that the powers of the Scottish Parliament are as limited as possible. Police forces in the UK are not ranked according to seniority. A BTP officer or an MOD Police officer cannot come into your street and start to tell local police officers what to do about matters which are not already within the agreed areas of competence of those police forces.
The British Transport Police do not “outrank” Police Scotland. Neither do the MOD Police. Both operate in Scotland according to a protocol which is agreed with Police Scotland which delimits the respective areas of authority of each police force.
I respect the special insight you had due to the factor you outlined above.
I don’t doubt that you have laid out the protocol and arrangements accurately.
It would be interesting nevertheless to see how these arrangements would function if they came under any kind of stress, Stress such as the Scottish Government carrying out any action which the UK Government might regard as illegal in their view, perhaps with regard to a referendum or a plebiscite election.
I don’t really understand what the point of this kind of fearful doom-mongering is, actually. “No matter what we try to do, the great big scary UK will always prevail.” It’s almost masochistic.
Firstly, the great big scary UK is tottering like never before. It’s a hollowed-out shell, not a fearsome monster, and is led by the biggest bunch of incompetents ever, and it shows. It constantly hearkens back to a glorious past, WW2, Spitfires and all, because what we have now is history replayed as farce. Given that added now to the other stupid stuff is a virus that can’t be gaslighted, it’s become a deadly farce. One that is exposing harsh realities that all the BBC bias in the world can’t hide. Who is head-and-shoulders better at managing our own affairs.
Secondly, never ever lose sight that it’s “we the people” who ultimately prevail, not the powers-that-be. In the end, it’s we who decide, whether formally in an election or informally in what we will or won’t accept in our lives. Which is why it’s hugely important to believe in ourselves, since if we don’t, who else will? If you keep thinking “we’re doooooomed”, that everything we attempt can somehow be neutralised, you might as well curl up in a blanket and never come out.
Twat from the Telegraph: “What’s gone wrong with your elimination strategy?”
FM: “What’s gone wrong? I haven’t singlehandedly found a cure for Covid.”
There are deliberate misunderstanders and serial misleaders and they employ these tactics so that others of their tribe can amplify their behaviour, the Twat from the Telegraph is another in the long line of them, if they weren’t lucky enough to be employed as *journalists* they’d be full time internet trolls
I noticed the pause before she said that. I think he should be thankful he got the “moderate” version.
Just like Johnson, here’s Gove blaming everyone but the government for the shambles that is Brexit and that will cause untold damage to the UK. In the immediate aftermath of the end of the transition period without a deal, the damage will be very substantial.
Might be an idea to start thinking of buying extra supplies of bogroll now.
https://archive.vn/BdLMp
WATO discussing the new UK Covid19 app which launches today. Of course, Scotland and NI already have their app so the UK is launching a similar simple app like theirs which will just do one thing i.e. alert the user without collecting personal data. Already a quarter of the Scottish population have downloaded their app. Tremendous!
About half way through the discussion they were obliged to refer to the English app as carrying on with “UK” became so obviously ridiculous. How demeaning.
My takeaway was that the English app was all-singing-and-dancing, with all sorts of wonderful bells-and-whistles, unlike the “simple” Irish and now Scottish ones, which do just one thing. That is, the one thing they actually need to do, and do it right. (Oh, and if it’s as mooted previously, the English system gathers all sorts of personal data centrally, unlike the others, where data stays with the users. Kind of reflects the different governmental attitudes right there!)
But their guest expert was very appreciative of the fast and widespread takeup in Scotland. Too often it seems it takes others to recognise that we’re good. Better than, even.
I believe the UK Guv want their app to do two things, help with Covid then be data collectable for future election propaganda, they never stop looking for an angle to justify spending money on just helping folk, there’s always got to be financial reward in it for somebody
Yes – they hinted that the snoopy English app put people off and they wouldn’t install it, as we knew from comments at the time. I read that £250m had been handed to a pal of Dom Cummings to develop that. But it didn’t work.
What amused me was the impossibility of carrying on calling England “The UK” in this type of discussion. I hope the FM can engineer many more instances where reality has to intrude.
Correct
BBC under fire for last nights aggressive questioning bordering on the bullying of clinical director Professor Jason Leitch by apprentice BBC journalist Rebecca Curran on its *The nine* flagship news programme where they regularly talk about their own *journalism* but don’t seem to understand the difference between a SNP politician and a Professor of Clinical medicine and adviser to the government
That’s always been the BBCs problem when questioning anyone who appears to be agreeing or assisting the Scottish government on any subject, the so called BBC journalists turn themselves into bad actors playing their part in some Unionist stage play and attack the interviewee instead of doing the actual work and research of journalism, It’s Television trolling of the cheapest kind
Funnily enough my youngest daughter sent me a text enquiring as to why some ‘twat of a journalist’ was attacking her favourite prof in such an aggressive manner. I merely responded that that was all we had in Scotland – twat journalists and especially twattish on the BBBC ,STV and ITV.
Clocked that interview. Does make you wonder about some folk. 🙄 I don’t think yer average meeja type or policy gonk have quite understood the situation.
Covid 19 is new. It’s a virus. It will either kill you or make you seriously ill with the possibility of life long health issues. It has no vaccine (as yet). It doesn’t care about borders, who you are or what the political agenda du jour is.
Might be folk should hold the meeja more to account rather than the bods at the pointy end of trying to save their lives.
Liar and coward Johnson demands Scotland accepts the dangerous consequences of incompetent british nationalism. Traitors like Brown and the bbc support Johnson’s pollution of Scotland. I am seriously sick of all the anti-Scottish propaganda. Please, SNP/SG, get radical. Attack is the best form of defence. .
Doug,
Having read this entire thread I can only agree with your final two sentences:
“Please, SNP/SG, get radical. Attack is the best form of defence. .”
We, the electorate, should be taking responsibility for our own thoughts. We either own this idea, outwith party politics,or we do not. I think it needs to be tested at the earliest opportunity, which is probably the May Hollyrood election.
Is this an example of the electorate being ahead of the politicians?
I am of the view that the people are ready.
As this is so important, I would welcome alternative views.
It’s great that you , Doug and douglasclark both think that
SNP/SG, get radical. Attack is the best form of defence. .”
When we have enough people thinking that way independence will underway
Many many people don’t like to show that they support Scottish independence , they have voted Labour or Conservative or Lib Dem all their life but once a majority show support as they are now and over a long period of time , say 6 months or so , the support continues , those who previously couldn’t see past Labour Conservative Lib Dem will know the writing is on the wall and they will come over , come out , clear and loud in support of Scottish independence
Terence.
I think the ‘tipping point’ of support for Scottish Independence is round and about now. I kinda see this the same way you do.
Thanks for your comment.
Hope so douglasclark, tell you what, if it is and everyone starts talking about it being so , I’m gonna jump and shout for joy I just can’t wait I can’t wait I’m looking forward to Scotland being independent more than anything else in my life
Jacinda Ardern and Nichola are said to be best mates. Frankly, in a ‘hero / heroine of the year award I’d have to split my vote!
At least Jacinda has a better partner in Clarke Gayford than Nicola has in the odious Murrell. Clarke is a an ardent fisherman with his own fishing programme on tv, but Murrell”s got him beaten when it comes to telling fishy tales. It’s time for him to be thrown out of the party.
I’m pretty sure Johnson hasn’t banned folk visiting other folks in their homes, a big mistake I think, as Sturgeon deferred to the medical experts on the virus who said this is where most of the infections are arising from.
Meanwhile our man in Westminster, (who’s really Westminster’s man in Scotland) Alister Jack has flipped his lid and decried Sturgeon for banning household visits. Its obvious to me at least, that Jack wants to see Scotland perform much worse on the dealing with the virus than the rest of the UK.
The staging post that is the Scotland Office, is really the enemy within, independence will cure that particular problem.
https://www.thenational.scot/news/18741822.alister-jack-blasts-scottish-governments-household-visit-ban/
Correct
Meanwhile I’m also confident that Police Scotland has made the right decision in rejecting 500 troops from the British army being deployed in Scotland to help with the virus. England I think does need the intervention of the army due to Johnsons terrible handling of the virus, and he’d be hoping that Scotland would want the troops on the ground North of the border as well, to take the bad look off of them needing to be used South of the border.
Johnson though could be helpful to Police Scotland, by giving them the £75 million quid he stole from them via VAT.
https://www.thenational.scot/news/18740337.police-scotland-set-reject-boris-johnsons-offer-military-help/
BoZo’s getting more like a mini-me Trump every day.
Fun fact : The anus of the blue whale can stretch to a diameter of 1.6 metres. Which makes it the second biggest arsehole on the planet after Boris Johnson.
We are conceived, and the anus is literally one of the first things to develop, hence the saying we are all arseholes its just that some of us get bigger.
https://unrealfacts.com/anus-develop-fetus-first-basically/
Might I ask if you know why the whale can stretch its anus that far ? Does it have exceptionally big problems with constipation?
So that Michael Gove could get out.
In which case I want the whale to remain extremely constipated for life.
😀
Third – you forgot Donald
Lesson number one
Never let british or USA troops be stationed on your soil
when they offer temporary assistance they always find a reason to keep them there
That’s what would happen with this 500
I’d kinda agree, but I think I’d be right in saying that the UK already has an aweful lot of troops already on our soil? Frankly we don’t need any of them.
Good point
It looks like the Chancellor of the Exchequer might have come to his senses, and realised that axing the furlough scheme next month might actually do more harm than good.
Blackford did give a half decent speech on it in the HoC.
https://www.thenational.scot/news/18742646.rishi-sunak-furlough-announcement-coming-tomorrow-afternoon/
Do I detect an element of glee in the MSM and unionist parties that the virus is on the increase in Scotland, they seem to be elated.
Elimination was never really viable unless we were independent and could control all aspects of containment in Scotland. The idea it is not possible is plainly nonsense, other countries have pretty much achieved it, but it is a continuing battle until it can be eradicated worldwide. It could never happen here whilst we are still in the UK with Westminster having the main control levers.
jfngw….at least one reporter did say to NIcola Sturgeon today
Now that infection rates have risen
What went wrong with your plan ?
Her reply was
I’ve not had the power as one female to come up with a way of overcoming covid19 all on my own
These reporters are at it
NS is polite to them way beyond what most of us would manage
But that’s clever
They are trying to. BAIT her with silly questions
Trying to catch her out with comparisons
As they did today trying to pick on the difference of words used by NS and other staff to then claim they are not in agreement about the way forward
But NS puts them right
She’s clever
‘Rebecca’, clearly an ingenue who must have wandered off Sunnybrook Farm in the past few days, blurted out that ‘people weren’t stupid, though’ as she tried to shout down Jason Leitch last night.
Not only are people stupid, Ms Curran, many are selfish bastards, and some well off sons of the elite, hiding from the police in cupboards at a house party.
The Scots media are on the side of the law breakers. They interview a man with no mask in a convenience store who boasted his defiance of the law, the voice over describing him as one of the ‘growing number’ who are ‘fed up obeying FACT.
I wonder did they report this selfish asshole to the police.
Professor Burns tore Geissler a new bum hole.
Masks are essential, as are house lockdowns.
But what does a surgeon know compared with Guissler the Hack?
These are evil people manipulating health warnings in an attempt to ensure that Scotland suffers, IMHO.
Hi Terence, do keep up! (grin)
As Julia said, he got the polite version. And it was stingy enough, prefaced as it was by some self-deprecation. But she must be getting weary of being the media’s fairy godmother/wicked stepmother all rolled into one.
xx trying to but this old head isn’t as sharp as it once was
Meanwhile, No 10 invited Sweden’s chief epidemiologist Anders Tegnell to give his input into England’s Covid-19 strategy, He believed that herd immunity was the way to go and while Swedens number of deaths per capita is lower than the UK’s it really is nothing to boast about in comparison with it’s Scandinavian neighbours.
Also invited by No 10 to give their views were Professors Oxford University’s Carl Heneghan and Sunetra Gupta. Both are Covid sceptics and highly critical of lockdown because of the damage it will do to the economy. Professor Gupta released a now discredited paper back at the beginning of lockdown that argued 50% of the UK population had already caught the virus and we did not need to go into lockdown.
Of course we know that to be untrue as even now the estimate is that just 8% of the UK population have caught the virus to date and it was much lower than that back in March. She also welcomed children returning to school and said “if anything… would benefit from being exposed to this and other seasonal coronaviruses”.
Prof Heneghan is cut from the same cloth and has been getting a lot of media exposure in recent days. Just google either of them for dozens of articles on their controversial views.
What interests me most about this though is that it is clear that the leading members of SAGE no longer believe in government strategy to tackle the virus, even Chris Whitty has said today that the UK government will have to follow Scotland in banning visits to other households sooner rather than later.
What it looks like they are doing to me is that if the science you hear is not to your liking then get advice from scientists who say what you want to hear, At least that way you can still claim to be “following the science”.
https://archive.vn/b701I
The Swedes had prior to covid, better healthcare, better housing, better GDP, younger populace, population density lower and yet is not the best.
CoViD has a lot of secrets to be discovered.
Yes they did start from a much better position than most countries, but it is also false to claim that Sweden didn’t have a lockdown at all, they did, but it was a mostly voluntary lockdown and people stuck to the social distancing guidelines better than most. This is from the Spectator yesterday, they are not normally used to promote what some would claim to be left wing views or opinion.
The truth about Sweden’s voluntary lockdown
https://archive.vn/RaGly
Indeed, Tegnell was invited as a headline name for propaganda purposes as were the others, what they say versus what the media links are told they said will be yet another smokescreen, perceptions are Johnson knows or cares about…
Watch Starmer’s face get redder and redder as he waffles, waffles and waffles on Independence LOL
Well done the journalist for not allowing herself to be diverted, a rarity in these times…
Getting the answer is secondary to demonstrating the hypocrisy, no chance of Johnson accepting an invite with so much material to call on 🤣
And she didn’t feel the need to shout at him as though he was her enemy, she just did her job calmly
Oh. So he does say it’s a matter for Scotland. Eventually. So that must be official Labour Party policy. The leader has spoken.
Labour party policy today, Oops! for the next ten minutes, right I’m out the door now so definitely not Labour party policy, phew!
Just watched the Scottish Labour Party political broadcast following the STV news.
It was obviously a generic production led by Kier Starmer in which he mentioned Scotland once, in Wales he’ll say Wales, in N. Ireland he’ll say N. Ireland etc.
This is the Scottish Labour Party political broadcast in Scotland with not a single MSP or even union flag Murray in sight never mind heard.( Well at least they got that right)
This is a complete affront to the intelligence of scots and shows the arrogance apparent of Starmer. Red Tory through and through.
They honestly think that they are more intelligent than the the public, but to be honest, these people are thick as mince.
And no mention of Brexit.
Starmer treats us as fools…
Well it does confirm one thing, a Scottish Labour Party broadcast fronted by the head of the English Labour Party. It’s hard for them to now claim they are effectively independent of their London masters, they are not even allowed to front their own broadcasts.
Good point
Having seen Dick Leopard fronting a labour PPB , I think perhaps so has Lord Stymie.
Headlines.
Uk prime minister, has discovered there is money to be made from world pandemic virus crises.
Simply up the coffers of England’s government and police force by extorting exaggerated fines on the averaged low paid unemployed person on the street.
Loads of hand rubbing,
First person to make large financial gains from crises Britain,
Reblogged this on The Dairy of Samuel Peeps and commented:
Very true words.
So the newest New New New Labour Godfather prevaricates, just like the last plonker. How surprising. Another mealy mouthed Brit who is clearly frustrated by the fact of what he sees as the Scottish sideshow.
It looks like the Brits are going to go on being obsessed with talking about the independence that they say they don’t want to talk about. What is a Brit to do?
Frankly, I don’t care what they do, or think, or say, or believe or dream about. They are a shower of despicable, lying sociopaths. I have to admit that it makes my day to imagine Nicola Sturgeon announcing that to the world – but fortunately she isn’t as daft as I am emotional.
It is a privilege to watch her eviscerating the British dopes who insist on asking loaded questions at the Covid updates. The way she does it day after day is an exercise in spectacular competence. “Competence” a compliment so often used to damn her with faint praise – by incompetent, egotistical nobodies.
“Competence”, defined as “the ability to do something well” isn’t enough for some people. Where’s the all singing, all dancing extrovert stuff that characterised Mandela and Ghandi? Where’s the smart one liners of Merkel?
Nicola Sturgeon’s competence is more than enough for me. In fact, I find it amazing and inspiring. Little wonder that our numbers are growing.
Competence gets you a 147 at snooker or a 180 at darts it’s the description used about Lewis Hamilton motor racing champion of the world, maybe the folk who decry competence or consistency or perseverance or determination are short of these qualities themselves and prefer the Alex Higgins style of not winning because he couldn’t beat the competence and consistency of Steve Davis
The truth is that the English press and TV will tell you what you should think of another countries leaders. Mandela and Ghandi were both terrorists and traitors until they weren’t.
There were plenty of Tories during the 1980s who insisted that Nelson Mandela was a terrorist. Teddy Taylor, who was tipped as the Scottish Secretary for the Tories were it not for the fact he lost his Cathcart seat in the 1979 GE, called for Mandela to be shot.
Indeed, at university in England the late 1980’s, I came across ‘Hang Mandela T-shirts’, stickers and songs, all echoing similar sentiments.
The work of Young Tories of the time … Where are they now?
Well …
One of the lead Tories was, Neil ‘brown envelopes’ Hamilton; now UKIP Leader and Member of Senedd Cymru,
Cameron, former UK PM was another, probably a number of the bullington club were also advocates.
Someone always worth listening to. We have many excellent female politicians from Scotland and none of them are Tories 🙂
https://www.channel4.com/news/this-idea-that-its-either-you-choose-public-health-or-you-choose-the-economy-its-a-false-dichotomy-snp-mp-philippa-whitford
So the Tories at Holyrood brought forward a motion to prevent the SNP including Scottish Independence in it’s manifesto for the next election and that motion was defeated so the Tories then accused the SNP of obsessing about Independence rather than Covid 19
There are practically no words
I’m all for the SNP bringing forward a motion to prevent the Tories. Let’s face it, they wouldn’t be missed. Neither would the rest of the unionists, but in the interests of democracy I suppose we have to put up with them until something far superior comes along to call itself ‘competent opposition worthy of a 21st century nation with aspirations for the future’. Which means not being chained to a Dodo until the end of time.
Ach, if its any consolation, an initiative-bereft retread of their strategy of 3 years ago is just going to make them look even more like they have lost the plot. (Like their London masters.) People are long past this self-defeating attempt to politicise or divert from the pandemic. (Thanks media guys and gals for the unintended awareness-raising exercise!)
Oh, wake up doubters, this is yet another sign that they are [censored] pants. They know that Nemesis is just lurking around the corner for them, so they console themselves with displacement activity, while Scotland looks on in puzzlement and ever-increasing disgust.
The tories in Holyrood are bonkers , what a bunch of wasters
Tory motion at Holyrood to block an independence referendum bill defeated. Scottish branch office Tory bawbag Jamie Greene put forward the motion.
https://www.thenational.scot/news/18743261.indyref2-scottish-tory-motion-block-independence-vote-defeated/
RoS I noticed that you got involved in a discussion about Colin Weir recently. Can I tell you that the Weirs and I have a mutual friend and I know that he supported the SNP and Nicola Sturgeon until the day he died. His wife in fact chose Nicola Sturgeon and her husband to stand at her side at his funeral (cremation). I could say more but won’t due to breaching confidentiality. I just wanted to mention this to point out that you can’t believe everything that you read online.
Forgot to add this link.
‘Colin Weir: Nicola Sturgeon to attend EuroMillions winner’s funeral.’
..”First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and other senior SNP figures are due to attend the funeral.”..
http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/colin-weir-nicola-sturgeon-to-attend-euromillions-winners-funeral/ar-BBYW2o2
Thank you Petra for that info, although I support independence 100% and know that the SNP are the only possibility for deliveirng it. It won’t stop me from commenting on topics where things don’t appear to be quite right.
I saw Philippa on Channel 4. As soon as I heard that she was our spokesperson I sat back to enjoy. She is a superb representative for Scotland.
As always she spoke with authority and cleared up any “misunderstandings”.
Can I ask for your opinions please
In Scotland it’s max six adults from max two different households
What would you do in these circumstances
You have family you wish to visit and they collectively number more than six adults and live in more than two different households
You can therefore within the rules visit them individually as long as there are never more than six adults from two different households
BUT…..what would you do
If you knew that some of the people you intend to visit are breaking the rules by visiting other people in gatherings of more than six adults who are from more than two households ?
Would you still visit them albeit within the rules
Or would you refuse to visit them because your risk factor is increased due to their rule breaking visits elsewhere ?
I would refuse to visit them. It’s got nothing to do with the rules really. It’s a simple matter of protecting yourself from increased risk.
You wouldn’t exactly hurry to visit a very drunk & excitable relative wielding a loaded revolver, would you? It’s the same thing, only quieter!
I’d talk to them if they were my family and remind them why the guidance is there, Since it’s for all our sakes I reckon they’d listen.
Safeguard yourself and your family. Nobody who genuinely cares about you would expect you to put yourself at risk in this way. Give it a miss.
I’d refuse to visit too. I’ve got a relative who’s been breaching the guidelines from day one. Not only do we not visit him (them) we can’t visit other relatives that he’s been visiting in case he’s contaminated them and that includes 2 elderly relatives aged over 85. We can’t have them visit us either. We have to stand at their doors or sit in the garden (previously and depending on the weather) and phone them every night. My husband has tried to talk to him but it’s a waste of time.
Peston programme:- Just showing a chart of the CV rise across regions of the UK. The regions by the way are all in England.
We used to rate region status, we’ve been downgraded
…to invisibility. (Except when we say “we’re offski”, of course. Then all of a sudden we’re indispensible. Funny that.)
‘Nicola Sturgeon pleas to Westminster for powers needed to fight coronavirus.’
”Nicola Sturgeon has written to Boris Johnson to request more economic powers for the Scottish Government. It comes amid fears her administration is “hamstrung” on introducing more far-reaching public health curbs as they could lead to major job losses.”..
http://www.thenational.scot/news/18743352.nicola-sturgeon-pleas-westminster-powers-needed-fight-coronavirus/
……………………………………..
Scotland’s block grant from Westminster cut by £309m.’
”The Scottish government will have £309m pounds deducted from the block grant it receives from Westminster next financial year. It is due to an over-estimate made two years ago in the amount Scots pay in income tax.”..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-54274054
‘New rules for MI5 and police to authorise crimes.’
”Undercover informants working for the police and MI5 are going to be explicitly permitted for the first time under British law to commit crimes. The unprecedented legislation to authorise and oversee crimes comes after years of unclear rules over when these agents can break the law. The law will not specify exactly which crimes can be committed.”..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54274605
…………………………..
‘BBC Scotland under fire for ‘aggressive’ questioning of Jason Leitch.’
http://www.thenational.scot/news/18742026.bbc-scotland-fire-aggressive-questioning-jason-leitch/
What is it about folk who HAVE to reply to trolling eejits in the papers?
I would ask them to abandon btl comments if all they can do is give silly responses to silly comments designed to wind them up.
Thanks for highlighting both points. The first one just confirms that the UK is heading quickly to a dictatorial state dressed up as democracy. And we need to get out Westminter’s clutches ASAP.
On the 2nd I think it was you who gave a link to hear Joanna Cherry in Parliament regarding her ammendment where at some point she rounded on the ” members opposite” after being mocked
saying keep mocking because the more you do it , it will increases the % of people in Scotland wanting Independence. In a similar way i think the treatment of Jason Leach in that “interview ” will only anger Scots and again will cause the opposite effect to what the BBC want and move more people to the YES side
The BBC think they have a licence to grill
Scotland loses £Billion a year to the illegal Barnett Formula. Introduced to rob Scotland illegally and secretly of the Oil revenues. £4Billion to tax evasion. UK tax laws not enforced by Westminster. Multinationals making vast profits not paying tax.
£6Billion that could be borrowed and invested in the economy. Pay for by growth. £4Billion paying for repayments on loans not borrowed or spent in Scotland. Scotland pays too much for the Military. Trident etc.
Scotland loses Billions paying for illegal, wars, tax evasion and financial fraud, Poor, bad Westminster mismanagement.
Scotland raises £66Billion in tax revenues. It could raise £80Billion, like Norway, without Westminster colossal mismanagement.
Brexit will cost Scotland dear. In CAP payments, shared Defence costs and loans and grants. Renewable investment. EU membership costs Scotland nothing and brings benefit, The nearest, biggest market.
More has been spent on Brexit than all the EU contributions ever made. £Billions wasted have been wasted by Westminster. Unscrutinised, illegal Gov contracts. HS2, Hickley Point and Trident etc. Civil servants now illegally not keeping account of it.
The Tory mess and shambles. Johnston will be gone. The Tories will be voted out. They had to get rid of Thatcher for closer ties with Europe. To aid the UK economy.
Scotland will be Independent. If people vote for it.
Another Westminster budget scrapped, (Autumn) and again the Scottish government won’t really know where it stands financially. Just one of the many drawbacks of being part of this shitty union.
https://www.thenational.scot/news/18743341.snp-blast-westminsters-deeply-worrying-decision-scrap-autumn-budget/
Now we have HAYS travel agency doing covid test and trace
And some company in France called Teleperformance !
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/revealed-travel-agent-lands-fresh-serco-test-and-trace-work-despite-staff-training-concerns/
Butlins Redcoats
Her Majesty the benefit recipient’s investments have taken a hit because of Covid 19 and she’s set to lose money to her already vast income, but don’t worry folks because the Tories have a plan so that she doesn’t lose a penny, we the taxpayers are going to make up the shortfall and bail her out, Phew! thank goodness for that eh we can’t have her Maj cutting back and only getting two rounds of Melba toast in the morning instead of three along with her son’s monkey shit coffee
Aye we’re all in it together except when it comes to who loses, and it’s never them is it