The veteran BBC presenter Andrew Marr has spoken out against Scottish independence, claiming that it would be “rotten” for ordinary working people and would cause an “angry, rancorous” separation from the rest of the UK. If you are at all surprised that one of the BBC’s former senior political editors was a dyed in the wool unionist who parrots the tropes of the British nationalist parties, just wait until you find out that the Pope believes in god and that bright orange is not actually Donald Trump’s natural skin colour.
Of course Marr is a unionist. The BBC, where he had a very long and successful career, is an institutionally British nationalist organisation which thinks it is not political to force feed us a diet of royalist sycophancy and whose idea of balance when the topic of Scottish independence is being discussed is to have one person from the SNP against one each from the Tories, Labour and the Lib Dems, and that SNP representative is all too often not physically present, but appearing via a shonky video link from Dundee, a city which according to an infamous edition of Question Time broadcast from the city, is predominantly inhabited by Brexit supporting Tories with posh English accents.
For the BBC framing the independence debate in this way achieves a number of anti-independence goals while still allowing the BBC to claim that it is unbiased. By featuring representatives from the four main parties it ensures that pro-independence voices are outnumbered three to one in what is essentially a binary debate. It also frames the debate as a party political debate and not as a Scottish national debate. It identifies the cause of independence as the cause of the SNP, while portraying opposition to independence as a cross-party cause. This plays into the British nationalist narrative of the issue of independence being divisive, and encourages the mistaken belief that support for independence equates to support for the SNP. It conveniently sidelines and marginalises those in Scotland who believe in independence but who for one reason or another do not support the SNP.
The BBC is very much aware of itself as the last major publicly owned British institution, after the Conservative privatisations of the 1980s and 1990s, apart from the Westminster Parliament itself the BBC is one third of the unholy trinity of the armed services and the monarchy which are the only institutional forces that remain to create and foster a sense of a British identity. You are not going to have the career that Marr had at the BBC if you do not fully subscribe to the British nationalism which infuses and defines the Corporation.
This is not Marr’s first intervention on the side of opposition to independence. In2013, during the run up to the first referendum in 2014, Marr told an audience at the Edinburgh Book Festival that he was very worried by the “tone” of the Scottish independence debate, claiming that it was defined by a toxic anglophobia, saying : “There is very strong anti-English feeling and everybody knows it, there always has been.” All this told us, other than Marr’s instinctive British nationalism, is that his understanding of the Scottish independence debate is mired in the 1970s. Judging from his most recent comments, that is pretty much still where it remains. Admittedly there has been some progress of sorts. Marr admits that he understands the anger and frustration that so many people in Scotland feel, saying : “I do get that people in Scotland are outraged. Nobody here voted for Boris Johnson or for Dominic Raab or Liz Truss, or that lot. You didn’t vote for Brexit. So things have been imposed on Scotland and I can absolutely understand the annoyance.”
However he remains unconvinced by the case for independence so essentially he is giving Scotland the exact same message as the arrogantly patrician Conservative Governor General Alister Jack, it doesn’t really matter if Scotland doesn’t like what the Conservatives are imposing on it, you can suck it up.
Back in 2013 when Marr made his remarks about Scotland’s supposedly toxic anglophobia, many people in Scotland were still prepared to give the BBC and the British media in general the benefit of the doubt and hope that they would treat the Scottish independence debate impartially and fairly. Those hopes were well and truly smashed during the 2014 campaign and by everything that has happened since.
It is now beyond any doubt that the BBC will not be an impartial observer of and reporter on the independence campaign in this second referendum which lies ahead but rather, along with the explicitly anti-independence print media, it will be an active and enthusiastic participant in the independence campaign on the anti-independence side. The BBC is going to behave in this second campaign exactly as it behaved the first time around. It is clear that it has already dusted off the BBC British nationalist playbook from 2014. Following the publication of the first in the Scottish government’s series of papers making a fresh case for an independent Scotland, the BBC has focused almost exclusively on the lawfulness of another referendum should Johnson withhold a Section 30 order. It has paid very little attention to the substance of the paper, comparing Scotland’s performance as a part of the UK with that of a range of similar Northern European nations, a comparison which proves that Westminster is holding Scotland back and preventing it from achieving its full potential. The agenda of the BBC in response to the publication of the paper is very much that of the anti-independence parties.
What the BBC has carefully avoided is any discussion of what it would mean for the character and nature of this supposed union and for democracy in Scotland if the anti-independence parties resort to the courts or to appeals to Boris Johnson in order to veto the democratic right of the people of Scotland to determine for themselves the form of government best suited to their needs.
The BBC is not a reporter on Scotland’s constitutional debate but a participant in it. An organisation whose charter dictates that its role is to “contribute to the social cohesion and well being of the United Kingdom” is institutionally incapable of reporting objectively and fairly on a debate in which a part of the United Kingdom weighs up whether it wishes to continue being a part of the United Kingdom.
As we enter a second independence referendum campaign it is vital that the independence movement develops and builds upon its alternative means of reaching out to the people of this country. The British nationalists will not be as complacent this time around as they were in the early stages of the 2014 campaign. This time they know that they could lose, and they know that they have destroyed most of their strongest arguments and claims from the first referendum campaign. Our job is to make sure that the people of Scotland know it too. We need to be our own media, the media that we need. As yer maw always telt ye, if ye want something done, ye need tae dae it yersel.
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Reblogged this on Ramblings of a now 60+ Female.
“The veteran BBC presenter Andrew Marr has spoken out against Scottish independence”
Yes I noticed in passing, and good, at last, about time, why?
Because those of the 4.1 million voters of Scotland who might have had some lingering fond notion that the Ajuntie BBC was and is impartial, will know that, at least in his case, it never was true – he always was biased.
And the Truth Shall Set Them – and US – Free
I’m really not sure what the current viewing and listening figures are for the BBC in Scotland. I suspect not nearly as high as they were in 2014.
Marr, together with the other pseudo Unionist intellectuals, seems to think that he speaks for all of Scotland. He , and they, don’t. His influence is grossly exaggerated and his own sense of self importance hugely inflated. Together with Wark, Campbell, Massie et al he caters to an increasingly diminishing demographic whose voice is greatly amplified by a complicit media. His listeners are the middle class of Morningside and Newton Mearns. I live in Newton Mearns. I know the type. Conservative with a small c and sometimes with a large C. A sense of entitlement and fear of change if it affects them personally while pretending that they actually care. Marr is their comfort blanket. He makes them feel good about their ” im alright Jock ” Outlook. They cannot accept that BBC could possibly be impartial no more than they cannot accept that Independence is the ONLY way to improve Scotland as a nation. But then it’s not in their interest to do so. Crocodile tears and faux outrage at the levels of poverty and inequality make them feel like they’re doing their bit.They are not the working class. They don’t know the working class, unless of course its the cleaners and gardners who come round to attend to their properties. But when push comes to shove they bottle it, whether it is increasing taxes to help the poor or buying a smaller car to help the environment or voting Yes.They don’t care. Marr and his associates are to be pitied, not feared. I really feel sorry for them. They are scared. And they are losing. The Union is dying by a thousand cuts and the intellectual band aids provided by the BBC and Marr provide some temporary pain relief. Those pseudo Scots are like prison guards. They watch over the chattering classes and feed them intellectual gruel. If ever there was an example of mass Stockholm Syndrome then Unionist and No voting Scots must be it. With at least 50% of Scots looking for a way out there is simply no way the Union can be sustained. Don’t give Andrew Marr and his fellow conspirators so much credit. They are intellectually and creatively a busted flush. But hey someone has to pay for their foreign holidays and increasing fuel bills
It is little wonder that many Scots feel agrieved and hostile towards the English establishment when they treat us as a colony.
No surprises likewise that England will feel agrieved when they “lose” us.
We are a possession and get only what England allows.
Crackin’ piece Paul.
Pacific Quay demo soon…. or keep our powder dry for when Auntie goes full tonto!?
and would cause an “angry, rancorous” separation from the rest of the UK
Is this because England isn’t a nice country? Is that what Marr is saying? Is he arguing England can’t be trusted to keep to ‘divorce’ / trade deals it make with other countries maybe?
Is it not the case that partners who care for and respect each other, but just want to move on, have amicable break-ups, but where one partner is dominating and controlling, the breakup can be ‘angry / rancorous’ due to them?
Asking for all the countries in the EU/EEA. And Scots.
As usual, a spot on blog Paul.
All very true, Paul, but the truth is that Marr left the BBC some time ago. It really does not help the cause to pillory a now minor figure on LBC and the New Statesman. I do agree that the BBC is rubbish,
Very well expressed indeed Paul, the media we have is NOT the media we need – Despite the HMS title change from Sarah Smith to James “We’ve seen the emails FM” Cook, the pattern of dishonesty just keeps on coming…..
I’d observed early doors on the BBC/Scotland lead article by Mr Sleight (seriously how appropriate) that his elongated and heavily graphed and stuffed article on the increase of 3 per million drownings in Scotland “Scotland has highest accidental drowning rate in UK” was too bizarre to be other than deflection.
Sure enough there as lead article on the BBC/UK webpage was “UK inflation rises at fastest rate for 40 years as food costs jump”. Deflection ?
12 hours later ?
The Sleight of hand drowning diversion on HMS James Cook made way at some stage for fresh flash news BBC Scotland – “Covid cases increase by more than 30% in Scotland”.
Yes, absolutely unbelievable…
The prime story on the UK webpage was updated ca 10am with comments open on the exact same subject “UK inflation rises at fastest rate for 40 years as food costs jump”, 6,374 comments and as a random sample proved not one of which claimed “nicola ate my hamster”, but perhaps explains HMS James Cook’s preference Scots not discuss a cost of living crisis..
There is a score to settle with Scotland’s media once we’re done settling an older score with Westminster..
Meanwhile Pacific Quay might arrange onward transport via one of the numerous banana boats on the Clyde they believe Scots came in on.
PS, banana boats are always looking for a a good cook, but I’m sure James could wing it despite the prerequisites….
Herald: “Scots rail services face second day of crippling strikes as union accused by transport secretary of lies”
Eh? Oh, riught, for some odd reason they didn’t put “UK” in the headline.
“Scots rail services face second day of crippling strikes as union accused by UK transport secretary of lies”
Ah, now I understand. It’s “the UK-wide Network Rail dispute broke down in a bitter new turn” and guess what? Network Rail is NOT DEVOLVED.
Now amended to “accused by Grant Shapps”, which I guess is a step in the right direction
Had a wee look at Mr Marr´s Wikipedia page and this caught my eye (pasted and copied)……………..
Politics
Marr has written about the need to remain impartial and “studiously neutral” whilst delivering news reports and “convey fact, and nothing more”
Aye right!
This references p.279 of Marr’s book – “My Trade: A short history of British Journalism”.
However, I’ve scoured the page in detail and so no mention of any “need” for journos to “remain impartial” when delivering news reports.
Yes, “they are employed … to be studiously neutral” (and in the subsequent paragraphs Marr demonstrates questions * in the past * [My emphasis] when such journalists were not. But being “employed … to be studiously neutral” is very different from *actually* [again, My emphasis] being “studiously neutral”.
Dontcha think?
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/My_Trade/wyaQlpG7awUC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22My+Trade:+A+short+history+of+British+Journalism%22&printsec=frontcover (see p.279)
I think that what we saw back in 2014 was the mask of “impartiality” slipping, as the fear of losing IR1 steadily mounted. It was fine for Marr, like Massie Jnr. in his way, to present himself to the public via the BBC as a fount of impartiality, but when the chips went down, that pretence went straight out of the window in the interests of defending their Union. Hence, for example, that notorious interview with Barroso, where Marr set off with a gratuitous overtly-partisan statement of non-fact as a lead-in to what followed, all of it journalistically contaminated.
It was the same with the Civil Service in London. Supposedly neutral, existing only to serve the public (we taxpayers in Scotland included), yet afterwards that Treasury lot openly congratulated themselves on how they had “saved the Union”. IIRC, even received some award for unashamedly violating their conditions of service.
Next time, none of that. We need an international supervisory team with the remit to immediately call out any attempt at such formally-prohibited jiggery-pokery.
And since the BBC has an explicit duty to support the cohesion of the Union, and is thus is inherently and unavoidably parti-pris (Old Uncle Campbell and all), it must be prevented from providing any of its own “contributions” to the coverage. By an advance court injunction if necessary. Open access only.
Many of us remember the classic interview of young Andrew Marr with Naom Chomsky. The full version is worth hearing but this 3 minute clip captures the jist.
Marr’s face is a picture – of a dog being shown a card trick:
Hadn’t seen that before. As a scientist, I find Chomsky’s analysis excellent. I have found the same in my so far (22 year) professional scientific career. People accept what is accepted, and are either nervous to question it, or just don’t ever think to as well, it’s accepted. It’s damaging for science when that happens as well, we’re wrong a quite often, or just didn’t quite get it right. This is not badly intended, it just is. However, the next step to corruption is knowing something does not add up / is wrong, but saying that is maybe going to hurt the next grant because it threatens other people’s grants. This happens, and I see it, often in the supposed ‘high fliers’.
In Marr’s case, he’s done really well out of being a journalist just pushing what he’s paid to push. He’s convinced himself he’s a people’s hero while not championing anyone but himself. By giving a PM a hard time, he thinks he’s a hero. But then he actually champions much of what they do and probably voted for them, enabling all they are doing wrongly.
Marr ‘s reference to an ” angry, rancorous separation ” isn’t likely to be referring to the General population of England, many of whom will either be glad to see the back of us or will just plain wish us well. No, Marr’s prediction is more about how the English state is likely to react to Scotland leaving the union. They don’t do nice and neither should we.
Listening to the BBC world service interview the EU ambassador today, I noted his complete calm and logic. By contrast, the BBC interviewer was very aggressive, attacking all 28 member states for their wish that international treaties be respected, with unilateral breaches not the done thing. England was maybe right, 28+ counties clearly wrong.
I had hoped that the EU ambassador would mention that the people of NI have just massively endorsed the protocol by a free and fair vote, but he seemed too polite and reluctant to take sides in the delicate assembly situation.
An impressive performance from Mick Lynch of the RMT calling out a Tory MP for lying – repeatedly. Kirsty Wark, however, does her BBC best to let the Tory carry o telling his lies without challenge:
The anti English line boringly trotted out by the unionists is the cleverest way they have of doing two things, attempting to belittle the Scot into appearing petty and small while creating the English nationality as a fine and decent thing thus proving the first point
What’s wrong with being anti something anyway? the whole world is pro and anti all sorts of things so why is nationality so different? unless the attempt is to make being English an exceptionalist nationality they themselves believe it to be, therefor how on earth could anyone but a nasty person be anti that fine and wonderful nation, indeed if you are anti English it surely must follow that you are a bad person and by extension all Scottish nationalists must be bad, as is everything they stand for
England is the master class in nation tricksters creating itself as victim and benevolent conqueror simultaneously, one minute they’re Glasgow Rangers *Nobody likes us we don’t care* the next charmingly speaking warmly of their global partners
Even the English themselves haven’t figured out how they have been indoctrinated to accept government after government using their extraordinarily powerful media to convince them that governance means rule, their media panic every time there’s an election over whether the *ruling party* has a majority to *rule* because without such there can only be chaos, a situation that strikes terror into the hearts of all true Englishmen, be afraid because England will grind to a standstill, an impasse, a Mexican standoff, gridlock and horror
The rest of the civilised world seems to understand very well that governance and rule are not the same thing, governance is about the people electing other people to serve the country by creating the ability to put into practice what the people of that country want and need to achieve as near as possible a happy healthy population, in England government means rule because it’s the only means of understanding they have of how to govern, passed down from a monarchial system of dictatorship, it’s why they keep the Royal family on tap to appear benign and give the appearance of a Walt Disney version of happiness, and God forbid any Royal who makes a mistake and the mask slips to reveal them as just *people*, that powerful media will strike at them red in tooth and claw to bring them straight back into line, or in some cases get rid of them altogether by any means
Anti English? those folks are so confused they’re anti themselves and don’t even know it
Don’t forget that being part of ‘a verminous race’ or a citizen of a country which speaks an indecipherable language and is over-friendly with sheep is supposed to be accepted as banter.
But when you start making jokes about pin-stripe suits, bowler hats and inedible cuisine (the English for ‘Bon appetit’ is ‘Good luck!’), then you are being racist, small-minded and obviously have a chip on your shoulder (ideally one on each – that’s what makes you so balanced, dontchaknow?)
Ach you’re just another nasty troublemaking separatist hating England because of your inferiority complex instead of learning from your betters the English master race on how to be a contributor within their great country, you must learn to be English, you know it’s the only way, submit to England and underverse come
Another Nasty Troublemaking Separatist.
__________
I’m a fully paid up member of the ANTS – and proud of it! 😀
(ANTS also being an anagram of NATS)
“they’re anti themselves and don’t even know it”
Indeed .
Took Mick Lynch, an Irish Trade Unionist, to openly call the Tories liars.
Not Sir Keir Starmer, English head of the Labour Party
OT, today billy in waiting unvieled a statue to the Windrush arrivals who helped rebuild services after the war.
Wonder when he will do the leaving statue for patel.
The marr statement, yes it’s important to state that your policy is to be un-biased but it’s tempororily suspended as he did his master’s bidding.
Just reading that 10,000 new build houses in the uk will need to apply for planning permisssion, of course that applies to englandland and not the whole of the uk as stated in the article.
The philips boy didn’t even have a red face and neither did wark, surely she should have asked Mick to explain himself or leave, no place for a workers’s representative in the EBC.
Talking about windrush I see there is a wish to commemorate the whole little englander needs workers (post WW2) from the West Indies. No issue about that.
Please remind me because I may have forgotten or was never told this when I was at school – absolute certainty actually.
When will royalty stand up an apologise to Scotland for the killing times? Being executed or at best deported to Australia for holding beliefs different from the head bummer king?
Being hung for sedition for saying having no rights was wrong.
Highland clearances- the forced deportation of our people to foreign lands as sheep were deemed more important.
The profits supporting some of our so called betters currently owning land in Scotland who also profited no doubt from slavery. Where’s the recompense?
At home workers were effectively neutered by long hours , back breaking work, hunger, supported by the churches. No votes, no rights -unless you were of the right type, right sex, right age.
So when are the public apologies coming? Before or during the referendum or will the unionists and House jocks keep their mouths and wallets shut?
“Sheep were deemed more important”
And now the people are the sheep
Andrew Marr …another in a long long line of ” Proud Scots but …”
Aye, sums him up exactly. Proud Scots are forever pretending that they support an independent Scotland in principle, but in reality, under the charade they love being Britidh and everything else comes second. Give up their Britishness? Ain’t going to happen, no matter how attractive an independent Scotland becomes. Those dyed in the wool types – you can spot em a mile away.
[…] Source […]
Two reasons not to be surprised by Andrew Marr’s views:
1. Most FPs of Scottish private schools are Britnats;
2. Most BBC presenters who have built careers there are Britnats.
Yes, but that’s natural. As state as reminder occasionally, the BBC is not the national broadcaster of Scottish people are most of these are not British in national identity (2011 census). It is the national broadcaster only of those who nationally identify either party or wholly as British / English.
Scots, Welsh, Cornish, Irish/N. Irish… peoples in the UK are all natives to their land, but have no national broadcaster. They instead must pay under threat of fines/jail for the British/English one.
I am just Scottish and Irish as my wife is just French (and now a bit Scottish in the latest census!). The closest thing I have to a national broadcaster is RTE.
The BBC is to me as Russian State TV is to Ukrainians.
This morning GB news reports that it’s *independence day* for Britain in which they say that over 70 million Britons voted for our freedom from Europe with the Brexit vote (70 million) yes you read it right and they said it
If we were teaching primary school children what are some of the things many we might say about this ridiculous statement from a ridiculous TV channel and the IQ level of anyone who believes anything that spews from it
Surely he meant 17 million? Easy to get mixed up if yo’re British I know
Oh I think GB news knows exactly what they do when they conflate issues and invent numbers to fit their narrative
Isn’t it amazing that Scotlalnd isn’t *allowed* to have it’s own broadcaster but have this sort of rabid English nationalism inflicted upon our population whether we like it or not
I believe their sole “Scorrish” viewer using the pseudonym “Turdo” has declined to comment…
Does anyone else think that Scotland needs to declare the Treaty of Union is over now! Because the next year is going to be a non-stop hate fest from both the media and Westminster.
No.
No.
Just cancelled my TV license – So glad and well overdue.
👍 You won’t regret it Indybelle. I get most of my information form online sources that I trust. There’s so much out there you really won’t be bored. Now I don’t even trust the BBC weather forecast. If they told me it was raining I’d go to the window and check.
The BBC no longer source their weather forecasts from the Met Office Capella.
Their ‘weather’ source now is Meteo Group (Dutch I believe).
Oh, their weather forecast has long been for the sooth only…
I think it a company in the Netherlands that provides the weather forecasts to the BBC
There seems to be a consensus from many people who rightly choose to…THINK….as in actually USE their brains…..that the media are desperate to portray Mick Lynch and the RMT as the ‘Baddies’ and thus the ‘ONLY’ ones who are at the root of all of the current woes….
It is being presented by the media, via Tory politicians, as they, the Rail workers, are ‘SELFISH’ with their so called demands at a time when the country , their UK, is weak and thus they the RMT Union and their leader is causing all of the disruption and chaos that currently exists in their UK …..
While the Tory UK government are presented, by the media, as if they are those who speak for the majority of people in their UK and supposedly recognise that the unions are the sole cause and effect of all that fails their country aka the UK at this time …while the Tory government are presented as ‘victims’ in all of this……and Network rail, owned by UK Govt., also not being scrutinised re the profits and demands by that same media….and railway company bosses take home excessive amounts with no sign that they will downsize THEIR pay and bonuses to help offset anything….indeed as Mick Lynch highlighted profits made are not being reinvested in the Railways but instead are syphoned into the pockets of those who seek their own personal profit to be increased……and encouraged by the Tories to do so…..
Mick Lynch has wiped the floor with all media and Tory politicians in interviews ….they, the media and Tories, have blamed him and his union for people being unable to travel to work, go to exams, and go to hospital appointments which is presented by the media as life threatening……so as they attack him , Mick Lynch ,then he has to be presented as being on the defensive (similar to our FM via ANY interviews and position she has on ANYTHING)…the media’s position is always from the perspective of one that defends the UK government’s position (and the bosses) thus it attacks anyone that seeks to undermine or ‘destroy’ them……that is …in England
Now compare and contrast the media here in Scotland which comes from a totally different position where workers Union leaders together with the Labour party are ALLOWED to orchestrate disruption and where THEIR, the workers Union’s, opposition to the Scottish government is , by the media, the favoured narrative that is promoted……
Take the prominence given to Gary Smith of GMB in the 2014 Independence Referendum….his input was welcomed and promoted….to help WIN the campaign for the NO side….suddenly then the media were willing bedfellows with a worker’s Union……and opposed to the government here in Scotland….or any of us who supported independence in Scotland.
THEN…in COP26 the alliance between Anas Sarwar and the worker’s Union leader via the bin strike….a strike chosen to occur at a time when it would cause maximum embarrassment to the Scottish government and let’s be honest Scotland too….the media THEN in Scotland were only too willing to take the workers Union’s side and present THEIR case……they were not , as a workers Union, presented in the same way as the leader of the RMT and their members are just now being presented and chastised….as in then they , the media here, did not present the worker’s Union as holding the Scottish government to ransom with unreasonable demands and pay increases and in their strike at the time causing disruption to the public AND indeed to others, as in visitors, at a time when a MAJOR World event was taking place in Glasgow….no……the media here in Scotland presented the Scottish government and SNP Glasgow council as the BADDIES and the workers Union (GMB surprise surprise), with Sarwar’s help, as those with an honest and justified claim to have a strike and Sarwar to support it ( encouraging it really)….and timing , disruption and Union demands was not presented , by the media, as a root and cause problem THEN…….as this was AGAINST a government (and Council) the media is and was (always) also fighting against….as in both SNP.
The media communicate on behalf of those in power who seek to undermine …..our democracy, human rights, freedom to speak, freedom to challenge, quality of life and choices WE make in who we prefer to govern us and how we prefer , via a majority, to be governed as an independent country……if, as a citizen, in Scotland, you do not see, hear or realise that yet…then you as a citizen have not been watching, listening or sourcing reliable information that will ultimately result in the continued destruction of YOUR (and our) way of life in a UK that the media are so desperate to ensure you as a citizen in Scotland remain a part of …….the media are not providers of REAL news but merely messengers of propaganda for those sources who defend the (non) Union….propaganda that is altered dependent on who or what challenges the (non) Union and the UK government so very desperate to retain it …….thus why a constant attack by the media against the SNP and at times the Green Party too….in order to maintain the Union they need to try to destroy those parties who seek to achieve independence for Scotland.
I can get behind Mick Lynch and the RMT…but never get behind Gary Smith and the GMB……as once you, as a workers Union, are infiltrated by a Unionist political party then your allegiance becomes tainted and corrupted to support the political party over the workers you are meant to represent……also as an example the women’s equal pay dispute in Glasgow where the GMB and Labour acted as one…..AGAINST…the women in Glasgow…..and only when an SNP council was elected did the GMB ACT (act being the operative word) as a worker’s Union but only in a sham way to try to embarrass and destroy the SNP and present them , as an SNP council, as THE ones who instigated the situation and also who were failing to resolve it……
In May of this year it was reported that :
Just three companies (Rupert Murdoch’s News UK, Jonathan Harmsworth’s Daily Mail Group, & Reach) dominate 90% of the UK national newspaper market (up from 71% in 2015).
When online readers are included, these three companies dominate 80% of the UK market.
Now THAT together with televised media who are ALL against the SNP, independence and us in Scotland who support both is a mighty force and an unfair advantage to them and their biased argument in favour of their (non) Union….. and thus they are a media who regularly favour promoting individuals from dubious Pro Union Think tanks, ex Brexit MEP’s, NON Scottish based political commentators, non entities like say Darren Grimes, Sophie Corcoran etc and unelected Lords and baronesses to FIGHT for their Union….while ALL we have on our side is ONE newspaper The National, two Pro Indy political parties, some prominent individuals like say Lesley Riddoch who as an articulate and well informed individual but who is never given an equal invitation onto TV compared to anti independence political commentators.
AND finally us the PEOPLE who LIVE in Scotland and vote for the SNP and the Green party via a majority ….who , I would say, are the ones who REALLY matter in ALL OF THIS…yet WE, the people, as far as the Unionist media , politicians and their supporters are concerned, are incidental and inconsequential, that in a nutshell is the reality of their so called (non) Union and their UK…..and thus at the centre of that Nutshell is their so called media who REPRESENT the so called (non) Union and Unionist political parties ALL of the time but who do NOT support ALL of the People (who live in Scotland) who support independence EVER…. instead they favour those people in Scotland who vote and support parties who NEVER win elections in Scotland…..no we never ever matter…..so if they , media and Unionist politicians, do not represent us then why should we ever watch, listen or ever believe them……simples not complicated…..tis only they who complicate it for THEIR (non) Union and for THEIR benefit……and they are doing it deliberately too…..
How could I…missed out , on my list, the excellent online blogs who also support OUR side, Independence, like this one WGD…..though perhaps assumed that was a given but still should have been worthy of a special mention as VERY important to YES campaign…..the alternate online media for independence being the REAL source of truth that the MSM fails (deliberately) to report on…..as in the UNIONIST MSM…..also too those diligent and well informed twitter sources as well…mind you the Unionists have a foot in that camp too but they only repeat what MSM and Unionist politicians preach….so tis but a duplication their version of supposed but NOT ‘alternate’ online news.
Great comment. Don’t forget Broadcasting Scotland, they do an excellent news channel weekdays, ‘Scotland at seven’ and a Sunday lunchtime programme. Also Independence Live, I like their programmes, like Scotonomics. All can be watched via YouTube. Broadcasting Scotland need financial support to keep going and to pay for their studio in Glasgow.
The English government knew what they were doing when they made sure that broadcasting was not devolved to Scotland. Those who control the media have money and that means power. The English don’t intend to give up power, their ‘rule’ over Scotland, they have far too much to lose.
Indeed….”Those who control the media”…..can and do get away with anything….and Rupert Murdoch has his BIG media finger in manipulating the minds of some voters in them, as voters, (wrongly) deciding to vote for WHO does and WHO does NOT get into power in their UK……so too those ‘others’ who control other sham media outfits who under the guise of ‘media’ are mere propagandists for their favoured political party to win power and retain it….NOT a country or a government I want to continue to be a citizen of or (over) ruled by via a government I did not elect……some voters here in Scotland can either choose to continue to sleepwalk to oversee their own demise or wake up to the reality as is….and then and only then strive to try and make a better country, i.e. an independent Scotland, that rejects this kind of media and too the type of government that they currently as a corrupt media support and try to manipulate us to vote for……
Have a nice day
🙂
Very well said NMRN. I’m amused to see that Twitter is awash with Mick Lynch’s Greatest Hits – compilations of his many pithy rebuttals of Tory and media critics. Social media gets the message out, and that includes this blog.
Aye indeed Capella…..they , the media, all seem to be singing from the same Tory Hymn sheet.
Mick Lynch is on BBC QT tonight…as is…wait for it…..Ben Habib ex Brexit MEP ( he is actually a TORY)…NO SNP present as per….God forbid….the BBC pre Brexit and post Brexit ensuring right wing self serving Idiots STILL given a platform to manipulate, present false arguments and thus in constantly having these individuals like Habib and t’others as panel members they thwart any consistent balance being given to those with alternate opinions NOT Pro Brexit or Pro right wing (or Pro Tory)….so obvious it is embarrassing.( labour politicians included in pro Brexit mob too)….
Next week they are in Inverness……will we see Neil Oliver guesting as they just seem to LOVE Tory channel GB NEWS presenters as pro Brexit, Pro right wing guests and for Scotland…the anti independence representation of the panel via a MAJORITY…..so many Unionist plants in their audience now tis akin to a NURSERY…in more ways than one…..
Have a nice day Capella
🙂
Latest from home:
https://nation.cymru/news/welsh-independence-poll/
Support for Welsh independence nudges upwards in latest poll before Wrexham march
23 Jun 2022 3 minute Read
Support for Welsh independence has nudged upwards before next week’s march in Wrexham, a YouGov poll suggests.
25% said they would vote for Welsh independence, a rise of four percentage points compared with 21% in March.
With don’t knows removed, 32% would vote for independence and 68% against.
The poll by YouGov / ITV Wales had a sample size of 1020 adults in Wales and was conducted between 12 and 16 June.
[…]
Onwards and upwards! / Ymlaen!
Bravo, and to be fair to Welsh Labour, they have not stood in the way….
Steady progress Sion.
Scotlands FM is investigating ways in which second home owners in Scotland do not benefit from the electricity uplift grant handed out to those second home owners who are not resident in Scotland
I hope she goes after the free prescription tourists as well, many of whom are the same second home owners
There is yet ANOTHER new Think Tank called ‘The New Culture Forum’ founded by ex UKipper Peter Whittle….we are literally drowning in Think Tanks in this dysfunctional Disunited Kingdom….
Guess what THIS Think Tank supports and is against…sure I need not have to list….as tis usual checklist the majority of them seem to ALL be in alliance with….and thus ANOTHER addition to a growing amount of these dubiously funded yet blatantly transparent ,as to their purpose ,Tanks which seem to offer as Tanks a storage facility for those individuals willing to sell their souls for financial gain from those financial backers who fund them… who themselves hope to gain financially too…as in a lot of so called Think tanks hope to muddy the waters further by their interventions to keep support for Brexit and the Tories….waters which without THEIR skewed input might just be a lot clearer for a lot more people……it’s like an Army is being recruited/formed in the formation of these Think Tanks solely to back up Brexit and all that goes with that which could benefit individuals who want to see LESS human rights and MORE RELAXED rights for Bosses and LESS for the workers ….many wealthy bosses who prefer to outsource their wealth in offshore funds as opposed to reinvesting in their supposed beloved Brexit UK……deregulation to maximise profit for large corporations…. and also those Tory politicians who lobby on behalf of those wealthy funders (bosses of sorts ) who support it as a policy and thus are determined it , as a policy, for THEIR UK, is not reversed or damaged….how much do Private Equity companies own now in their Brexit UK.
As they say…every little helps…..funnily enough tis many of these so called Think TANKS that are aiding in the UK TANKING as a country……that is something they do NOT want you to THINK about.
See if you form a Think Tank then that amazingly enough allows the MSM (false) justification to give you as an individual from that Think Tank a platform to spout propaganda and thus an appearance on MSM is supposed to give you and your Think Tank some credence……but only to those gullible voters and others who seek your Think Tank’s interference in their UK’s politics…..
To be opposed to (Right Wing) THINK TANKS is NOT a bad thing……what they bring to the table in the way of debate is that they stifle and suppress any debate that alternates from theirs and do so while complaining their freedom is curtailed to speak on what THEY deem is important but to us all tis not…basically they infest debate with trivia and non existent issues to deflect attention away from REAL issues that actually DO impact us all…….THEY SPEAK ONLY FOR THOSE WHO FUND THEM AND NEED THEIR GROWING INPUT VIA MSM INTO A COUNTRY IN ORDER TO GAIN FINANCIALLY FROM ALL OF THE CHAOS THAT ENSUES……
Don’t know, with my past record, if this is going to transfer over.
The reason the guys are actually striking.
Just take a minute to read the post below, from a Rail Worker, that gives a different perspective to the hyperbole being flung out by HMG’s client journalists…
Three years ago we accepted a 0% pay rise, two years ago we accepted a 0% pay rise. But this year they came to us with a 0% pay rise plus over 2500 redundancies, changes to terms and conditions. An increase from 28 weeks of nights to 39 weeks of nights. An increase from 32 weekends worked to 39 weekends worked. Currently for a night shift we get time and a quarter, for a weekend turn we get time and a half. They wish to cut both of these to time and a tenth. So that’s a 15% pay cut on every night shift and a 40% pay cut on every weekend turn. But they want us to work more of them. This is their modernisation they talk about. Not technology, we embrace technology and have seen more and more of it in recent years. They also wish to fire and re-hire the operative grades and bring them back under a new job title but on £9000 a year less. They also want them to use their own vehicles to get to work sites, this when fuel is at its highest. They will also be pooled when currently they are part of the team. The press are painting this to be about pay above all else. It is not. But now we’ve said sod them we are going to demand better. I wish everyone could see past the government controlled media smear.
I believe every single word of the rail worker’s post. This strike has been manufactured by this Tory government to serve their own ends.
No doubt, but also worth spelling out what HMG are doing is pissing all over the people responsible for delivering safe rail services while at the same time with the help of a corrupt right wing media pissing up the public’s leg in a misinformation war. Are they not also planning cuts of 90,000 civil service jobs.
“Are they not also planning cuts of 90,000 civil service jobs.”
Yes they are, this is Jacob Rees-Moggs big idea in his new role as the grandly titled “Minister of State for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency”, no sniggering at the back there.
As exected, his big idea has gone down like a lead balloon with the civil service trade union, the PCS who are also now threatening strike action.
https://archive.ph/OMl5W
This government is well on the way to coming a cropper and it can’t come quick enough as far as I’m concerned. By the time the next huge increase in energy costs hits the public this coming winter, there will likely be hell to pay with even their own voters, especially in the so called red wall seats. Get the popcorn in and watch as this government implodes around Xmas LOL
“Minister of State for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency”, no sniggering at the back there.
_________
AKA “Minister of State for BOG Eff..”
Is it any wonder we’re sniggering at the back?
So, according to the alistair jack chappie today on radio shortbread, egged on by glenny, the people of Scotland have no say in what they have voted for…it’s all down to toryminster and his discussions with boris the tosser 😂
Thomas Galloway Dunlop du Roy de Blicguy Galbraith 2nd Baron Strathclyde CH PC Conservative politician and former leader of the House of Lords reckons that devolution needs more time to *bed in* “It’s only been less than 25 years” he says, and hey ho the Bishop of Blackburn the Rt Rev Julian Henderson figures the rest of the UK ought to get a vote on Scottish Independence because it affects them too, the Rt Rev says he “knows this is controversial, but to be fair”
Everybody in England seems to agree that Scottish people should not be *allowed* to have an opinion on anything let alone make decisions for ourselves
The full(er) story:
https://nation.cymru/news/next-scottish-independence-referendum-all-four-uk-nations-wales-england-ireland/
Future Scottish independence referendum ‘should be put to all four UK nations’ peer argues
23 Jun 2022 4 minute Read
A future Scottish independence referendum should include all four nations, peers have heard.
The Bishop of Blackburn Rt Rev Julian Henderson suggested a referendum on the union, such as a Scottish independence vote, could include all four nations as peers debated the stresses upon the union of the United Kingdom.
Several peers also expressed concerns that stresses on the Union are becoming worse.
[…]
Like the BBC the Electoral Commission is no longer a reputable Independent body but is now completely under the control of the Westminster government.
I do not believe that with Gove as the ultimate arbiter of all that the Electoral Commission does that they can be trusted to oversee the Independence referendum with due impartiality. The Scottish government should request Independent observers from the EU and/or UN to oversee the running of the referendum and the now partisan Electoral Commission booted into touch.
The Tories can’t be trusted to allow a fair and free referendum and neither then can any outfit over which they have complete control.
My view also, as expressed upthread, but now usefully expanded. Your additional point about the Electoral Commission especially, for exactly the reason you give. (Maybe London though has overplayed its hand on that one by putting its tool Gove in charge, since previously the EC was always something of a “toothless lion”, but now is visibly tainted.)
It was your earlier post that prompted mine, I really wanted to make the point about the electoral commission because in 2012 all the Unionists parties were pushing the case for the EC to oversee the referendum so it was not a done deal back then as to how oversight would be conducted.
Here’s Mags Curran seeking that assurance from SoS for Scotland, Michael Moore, in his reply, he also stated his wish was also that the EC be used to provide oversight of the referendum.
Absolutely pathetic that tonight’s bbc Scotland lead with Nicola Sturgeon ‘apology’ over the sexual harassment of a young staffer
It fails to say she apologised to him quite some time ago!
Story completely twisted to suit their anti SNP agenda
Then onto Alistair Jack,at the royal highland show – to refute that there will be another referendum
Then onto police Scotland- yet again SNP bad- and we are only halfway through the premier evening programme
Perhaps we will get a SNP positive story? I’m not holding my breath!
Farmers up next – all struggling – snp fault- no mention of brexits impact on farming
Drug deaths- SNP fault-Despite it being a retained matter!,
Role on the referendum!🏴🏴🏴🏴
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-61912959
He [SoS Alister Jack] also said he does not consider the pro-independence majority formed by the SNP and Greens at Holyrood as a mandate for another referendum because “less than a third of the electorate” voted for Ms Sturgeon’s party.
Hmm…
31.9% = % of Scots electorate that vote pro-indy on the PR list in 2021
31.1% = % of Scots electorate that vote pro-indy on the constituency in 2021
30.8% = % of UK electorate that voted Labour in the 1997 landslide
30.3% = % of Scots electorate that voted SNP on the constituency in 2021
29.3 = % of UK electorate that voted Tory in 2019
2021 was one of the biggest mandates in UK electoral history. In 2011, only 22.9% of the electorate voted for the SNP under Salmond (constituency), and that delivered 45% Yes on iref day.
Once again as we’ve all seen before the media in Scotland move up the gears to convince the voters in Scotland that voting for Independence for their own country means the SNP and the immortal never to retire or die of old age Nicola Sturgeons perpetual rule for all time until hell freezes over or we all die of poverty, whichever comes soonest
Whenever the media in Scotland use this tactic as their main strategic tool to convince voters that UK good Scotland bad you know and they know they’re in trouble on the tactics front so what’s the best they’ve got? an attempt to imply that because a male MP for the SNP made a mistaken advance towards another man in an alcohol fueled environment, for which he was sanctioned by the House of Commons as a punishment it follows that the SNP are a political party chock full of sexual predators who are protected by a secret society of the chosen and any future Independent Scotland would be a massive enlargement of all this debauchery under the control of the filthy SNP
The media in Scotland imply all this because it’s the chosen line of attack from the opposition party *The Union Party* because make no mistake Scotland the three supposedly different political parties of opposition in our country and the media are one and the same and directed and controlled by one overall force, and that is the government of the UK, or as I like to call them the country of opposition to the freedom of Scotland
Any future Independence of our country of Scotland is not based upon FM Nicola Sturgeon nor her health longevity or indeed her aforementioned immortality, the future of an Independent Scotland is wide open to all political stripes and leanings and only a matter that can be decided upon by those of us who live here, that’s the point of having the freedom to choose without another country Vladimir Putin style imposing whatever their will might be at any given time
If Scotland wants capitalism or socialism or any other kind of ism the voters here will decide that and vote or not vote for such propositions, we know that as a country we don’t like nuclear for example but if we stay within the UK sooner or later it’ll happen whether we like it or not because if England decides devolution is over then that is what we shall have, we’ll go to war when England tells us, we’ll get laws we don’t agree with, we’ll have no protests against these things because that’s the law coming from England, because no matter what anyone in Scotland supports or does not support you will have no say in the matter if we stay within this union which by the way will soon cease to exist and become not just UK the mini collection of countries but UK the country led by and governed by England
We are a nation of 5.4 million and have made no difference for 55 years in who is elected to be the government of the UK, neither has Wales or Northern Ireland, if England votes Labour that’s what we get, if they vote Tory it’s the same thing, if England voted for Nigel Farage and a *sink all the refugee boats* party that’s what Scotland would get
Scotlands voters must understand that the style of our future is dependent totally upon the whims of the voters in England, and it doesn’t matter whether you like or don’t like those folks, it doesn’t matter whether they’re all genius’s or complete morons, it doesn’t even matter as in my case that half my family are English, they and they alone outvote every single one of us in Scotland by a factor of ten to one so they will always rule govern be in charge run our lives forever, call it what you will, so it all boils down to this, remain within this union and every single Scottish person lives by the will of ten English people, do you find this acceptable? over 60 other countries who rid themselves of Englands rule didn’t, so why on earth should you
Nigel Farage cliams on the 6th anniversary of Brexit that Britain is standing taller on the world stage because of leaving the EU. He then lists a host of things that are failures.
Taller, Bigger, Mightier, more Global, wider, England isn’t a country, it’s an adjective
Anybody who believes UKIP was NOT the ultimate Conservative construct as the enemy they could control, please pick up your free one way ticket to Rwanda
Early indications from Sky News is that the Tories will lose both by-elections tonight, the Lib Dems overturning a 24,000 majority In Tiverton where there the Tories have been the representatives of the constituency for 200 years.
Early days though, the result is expected around 06:00 later this morning.
Tory vote has “collapsed” in Wakefield according to Sky as well.
So, from the Herald, about the Grady / Teenager / Blackford stramash:
“Asked by journalists about the incident, Ms Sturgeon said that it was important “we don’t defend things that shouldn’t be defended”. “.
And from the National:
“THE Scottish Government’s bullying and harassment complaints procedure for ministers and former ministers will be rewritten just months after its implementation, Nicola Sturgeon has announced.
The First Minister said the current system would be changed following criticism from opposition parties that the scheme was excessively secretive.”
This is vital, though it still needs respect for individual privacy, and if it results in a review of openness and accountability in Government, and also shows the willingness of Government to listen to sensible Opposition, then it addresses one of my reasons for supporting Independence, a more representative and inclusive Parliament. And also that I could walk to Holyrood to protest in a couple of days, well, maybe 3. Whereas it would take 2 or 3 weeks to walk to Westminster to do so.
It would be interesting to know the average distance in Scotland to Westminster, and the average to Holyrood.
A strong positive for Independence is accountability of Government, Ministers and MSPs / MPs, rather than the near total lack of influence we have over Westminster.
It’s perplexing that they haven’t expelled Patrick Grady from the party. Doing it even at this point would at least cut their losses. Instead, Ian Blackford babbles impotently when asked what should be the easiest question in the world, about whether a sex pest should be an MP. How long are they going to let this continue? And for what?
The complainant in this debacle is completely dodgy 2 complaints against 2 different Snp Mps of different sexes allegedly sexually harassing him. After reading in The National yesterday what he accussed Mp Patricia Gibson of saying to him that she was completely cleared of, I think this man is completely delusional or a Unionist plant or after a payoff from the Snp and I say this as someone who was sexually harassed at work.
I’ll leave this here for you and others to reflect upon. It’s from the official judgement of the Westminster independent expert panel which investigated the complaint against Mr Grady:
Sources: https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/standards-and-financial-interests/independent-expert-panel/reports/
‘Para 3.26 ‘We also record our conclusion that the respondent (i.e. Mr Grady) was not merely disturbed and embarrassed by this whole turn of events, and regretful of the consequences for his political career, but GENUINELY REMORSEFUL.
‘Sitting as we do, dealing with respondents facing what may be serious sanctions, we are alive to the risk of “crocodile tears” from those addressing us. We are used to listening attentively to learn whether respondents are thinking only of themselves, or whether they are genuinely alive to the impact on others.
‘HERE WE ARE CLEAR THAT THERE HAS BEEN A GENUINE COMING TO TERMS WITH WHAT WENT WRONG AND ITS IMPACT ON THE COMPLAINANT, AND A GENUINE CONCLUSION THAT CONDUCT WILL BE DIFFERENT IN THE FUTURE.’
In common with the judgment by the same process into complaints against SNP MP Patricia Gibson, both panels expressed serious concerns about breaches of confidentiality by complainant/s.
In the Grady case report:
Para 3.17 ‘In this case THE COMPLAINANT BREACHED CONFIDENTIALITY REPEATEDLY IN THE PERIOD BEFORE THE DECISION OF THE COMMISSIONER. THERE HAVE BEEN FURTHER BREACHES SINCE. We do not intend to recite those breaches, for the obvious reason that to do so might merely exacerbate the problem in this case.
‘The Commissioner herself analysed them fully, and her conclusion was expressed as follows: “I DEPRECATE THE SERIOUS BREACHES OF CONFIDENTIALITY COMMITTED BY THE COMPLAINANT in February and March 2022 […] and I regret the significant impact that this has had on Mr Grady. I CONSIDER THE COMPLAINANT’S CONDUCT TO BE A BREACH OF PARLIAMENT’S BEHAVIOUR CODE AND A BREACH OF THE RULES THAT ARE INTENDED TO UNDERPIN THE FAIRNESS, CONFIDENTIALITY, AND INTEGRITY OF PARLIAMENT’S ICGS PROCESSES. I ALSO CONSIDER HIS CONDUCT TO BE A DELIBERATE ATTEMPT TO PUBLICLY DISCREDIT MR GRADY.”’
3.18 ‘The Commissioner also noted that the respondent had observed confidentiality, in the face of breaches by the complainant, for which she thanked him.’
Well done Stewart – There has been far too much nonsense circulated as fact on the Grady incident, the report excerpts are a welcome breath of fresh air….
I second that. The circumstances surrounding the complainant (and not only re PG, it would appear) might themselves merit some concern, as the Commissioner herself seems to be aware. I’ll leave it at that.
Good find. This young person seems to have an issue with people with the initials PG. Curious
It’s unsurprising that a Westminster panel would deem that the victim is at fault for being too vocal about his experience, and that he shouldn’t have had such a grudge against his harasser. I’m not sure why that should have any bearing on the question of whether PG should be expelled.
Keep trying, 3 posts so far looking for sackings. Is the MP who had an allegation made against them by the same individual be called a victim. Should the person making the false complaint be disciplined?
The so called victim managed to damage his own case by breaching confidentiality repeatedly. Cases like this have to be seen to be dealt with fairly It is not normal or advantageous thing for a complainant to do if you don’t understand I despair.I don’t think what Patrick Grady accepted responsibility for warrants being expelled from the Snp and I doubt I am the only who thinks that either. I should point out I am not a member of any political party and never will be
@keaton: there’s an article in the Herald by Neil Mackay
“If Ian Blackford doesn’t resign, Nicola Sturgeon should sack him”
It shows his ignorance, as Blackford was ELECTED leader by his peers – the SNP MP group. “Two other SNP MPs, Joanna Cherry and Drew Hendy, contested the Westminster leader position. A fourth candidate, Edinburgh East MP Tommy Sheppard, withdrew from the contest on Tuesday, saying it was clear he did not have enough support to win.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-40266166
Blackford made mistakes, but this idea that people have to resign because they make mistakes would mean nobody keeping a position for more than about 3 hours and 5 minutes, but more importantly, nobody would learn from their mistakes.
Sturgeon has it right, effectively people should own up to mistakes, and see about changing procedures so those mistakes won’t happen in the future. Others will of course!
For some reason I don’t like Blackford (though he speaks highly of me), so perhaps my opinion counts double 🙂
Blackford made himself a hostage to fortune by going out of his way to state that his Westminster group would have “zero tolerance for harassment”. In this case, he appears to have had (and continues to have, to address your point about rectifying mistakes) quite a large amount of tolerance for it.
You can’t help but keep trying to squeeze a drop out of this dry pip, can you? Read the comprehensive comment from stewartb upthread, and give us a rest from your incessant sh*t-stirring.
No official result in for Tiverton yet, but the LibDems there have just declared a “clear win” for themselves, so they must be pretty sure. The Tories there all look downcast.
From the DT: “Boris Johnson braces for defeat as Wakefield and Tiverton results due”
He’s probably not even awake.
The Lib Dems have won Tiverton with a 30% swing, Labour win Wakefield as well.
Johnson hiding out in Rawanda to dodge the flak.
Pretty limp result in Wakefield, though. The Labour majority is much lower than the turnout drop from 2019. They probably can’t rely on every Tory MP being a convicted nonce at the next GE.
Just throwing this in here. From a Herald article:
“… naval gazing …”
I see no ships.
Wakefield:
LAB GAIN
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-61896693
Tiverton
LIB DEM GAIN
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-61918899
And in other news:
https://nation.cymru/news/charles-prince-of-wales-republic/
Countries can ditch monarchy and become republics ‘calmly and without rancour’ says Prince of Wales
24 Jun 2022 2 minute Read
Countries should be able to ditch the monarchy and become republics “calmly and without rancour” should they choose to do so, the Prince of Wales is expected to say today.
Charles’ comments are due to be delivered during the opening ceremony of a summit of Commonwealth prime ministers and presidents in Rwanda- the Queen at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm).
He expected to say that the decision as to whether keeping the the Queen, or himself after she dies, as head of state or become a republic are “a matter for each member country to decide”.
[…]
Good to have Charles supporting commonwealth country Scotland ditching the monarchy and becoming an independent republic ‘calmly and without’ rancour if that’s what Scots want.
That only applies to where they are, definitely not where we are
Jings! did he miss out the “apart from viewer’s in Scotland” again, what’s he like!
Or his own Principality [sic.]
Or, ‘sick Principality’, if you prefer.
Wales is a commonwealth country, so you are fine to be a republic calmly and without rancour.
Polling experts say that Labour can win the next General election even though they predict 40 seats short of a majority, then comes what they call the *messy* bit as Labour would need the SNP to shore them up in some sort of deal, but voters in England have in the past refused to back this option because they don’t want the Scottish party having a hand in running *their* country, or as they now refer to it *pulling Labours strings*
So there you have it Scotland, England is very happy to run our country and imbed their politicians in it, proving that it’s they who are anti Scottish and not the other way round
To add to that, when the Tiverton result was still pending last night but promising very good for the LibDems, somebody on the telly was happily pontificating that at the next GE they could take enough seats from the Tories to give Labour + LibDems together in England a clear majority, so as to “not need the SNP”. The evident relief at the thought and the unspoken conclusion being just what you say.
But as is wisely said, be careful of what you wish for. We here in Scotland might well finally conclude that we don’t need England either.
God comment Dr Jim….yes and Sarwar will bask in the by election ‘glory’ darn sarf (backlash against Boris J) and the media here will ramp up the ‘Labour will win next GE so no need for Independence’ as they still DO NOT understand independence (supposedly)…unfortunately for the media Labour are now a Brexit party so good luck media selling that one to Scots and t’others who CHOOSE to live here…….
“So there you have it Scotland, England is very happy to run our country and imbed their politicians in it, proving that it’s they who are anti Scottish and not the other way round”
Yes it appears that HQ parties in their UK ARE the ones who are indeed ‘in charge’ in their UK when elected as the UK government…..yet many complain that they, England, do not have a parliament….Lol…..so who makes the decisions for England …oh that would be the ‘UK’ government…..like in Covid who made the rules for England….that would be the UK government…
What they really mean is that they do not agree or like the fact that Scotland, Wales and NI have any separate powers via devolution but as they do that should be sufficient in appeasing them thus the UK and it’s governance is OFF LIMITS to the SNP …..and thus that leads to the skewed reasoning that as THEY (us) have devolution they should then never be ‘allowed’ any input WHILE STILL IN THE UK on running THEIR , Unionists, UK…..irrespective of reserved powers impacting ALL countries within their UK….only England should decide via politicians that the English people elect….
I remember a few years ago a woman in England on QT saying to an SNP MP….why are you in the UK parliament ?……the MP advised her, that for now, Scotland was still IN the UK and that with the reserved powers of the UK government decisions made by them impact Scotland so SNP MP’s elected in Scotland still have a right to have an input/place in WM.
The blank expression on her face to that response exemplified how clueless and brainwashed some people are who live in England ….Reserved powers what’s that ????? (mind you there are some in Scotland, including Unionist MSP’s, who confuse devolved and reserved powers (deliberately)…..just to try and protect their (non) Union).
This also exemplifies how much propaganda and drivel some people consume via trash newspapers…..newspapers whose job it is to hide truth by publishing lies and falsehoods…..all those people who simply perceive that truth is what they are told, by the media, to believe is the truth… but these same people never actually take the time to investigate/research what’s what…..instead they lazily rely on a narrative (biased) that promotes what suits them to believe is the case on pretty much EVERYTHING…..
I’m not the sharpest tool in the box but even I check out anything and everything irrespective of who is the source……so you either want to be informed or you just want to be told what to believe is the truth…..one puts you in the category of ‘Fool’ and being in that category is akin to Turkey’s voting for Xmas, Sh*oting yourself in the foot and willingly complicit in your own downfall…and obvs the ‘Fool’ category tis the one where you believe everything you hear and read as being the gospel truth and accept without question…via the likes of Unionist politicians, Unionist media and t’other dubious sources whose own self interest dictates what they spew out via MSM….to brainwash those who are all accepting and who lap up any old …you know what.
For the stats nerds:
Results of Wakefield byelection in full
Simon Lightwood (Lab) 13,166 (47.94%, +8.13%)
Nadeem Ahmed (C) 8,241 (30.00%, -17.26%)
Akef Akbar (Ind) 2,090 (7.61%, +6.60%)
David Herdson (Yorkshire) 1,182 (4.30%, +2.38%)
Ashley Routh (Green) 587 (2.14%)
Chris Walsh (Reform) 513 (1.87%)
Jamie Needle (LD) 508 (1.85%, -2.09%)
Ashlea Simon (Britain 1st) 311 (1.13%)
Mick Dodgson (FA) 187 (0.68%)
Sir Archibald Stanton Earl ‘Eaton (Loony) 171 (0.62%)
Paul Bickerdike (CPA) 144 (0.52%)
Therese Hirst (Eng Dem) 135 (0.49%)
Jordan Gaskell (UKIP) 124 (0.45%)
Christopher Jones (NIP) 84 (0.31%)
Jayda Fransen (Ind) 23 (0.08%)
Lab maj 4,925 (17.93%)
12.69% swing C to Lab
Electorate 69,601; Turnout 27,466 (39.46%, -24.69%)
___________________________
Results of the Tiverton and Honiton byelection in full.
Richard Foord (LD) 22,537 (52.91%, +38.14%)
Helen Hurford (C) 16,393 (38.49%, -21.72%)
Liz Pole (Lab) 1,562 (3.67%, -15.88%)
Gill Westcott (Green) 1,064 (2.50%, -1.34%)
Andy Foan (Reform) 481 (1.13%)
Ben Walker (UKIP) 241 (0.57%, -1.06%)
Jordan Donoghue-Morgan (Heritage) 167 (0.39%)
Frankie Rufolo (FB) 146 (0.34%)
LD maj 6,144 (14.43%)
29.93% swing C to LD
Electorate 81,661; Turnout 42,591 (52.16%, -19.71%)
Did the Wakefield candidates include that Jayda Fransen? The {ahem} “independent”? Coming in a pitiful last. {grin}
Millions of voters were conned into voting for Brexit because of these liars. Hard to believe now.
Pretty much same for some of people who voted NO in Independence Referendum……because of LIARS for the (non) Union.
I see the new Lib Dem MP Richard Foord elected last night stated “The people of Tiverton and Honiton have spoken for Britain… it’s time for Boris Johnson to go – and go now.”
Yeh “the people of Tiverton and Honiton have spoken for Britain”…meanwhile here in Scotland the people of Scotland have been speaking (and voting) about this very thing Pre it happening and from the get go when it DID happen….also speaking and voting that Tories should also GO….but no one in HIS Britain including very much the Lib Dems have been listening to us or CARE….
Same goes for Richard’s party the Lib Dems…we don’t really want them, in Scotland , to have any power either hence why they have a MINOR representation via Scotland both in WM and Holyrood….
But hey OUR votes and voices do not count in Richard and his party’s ( or other Unionist parties) Britain……
Pretty much WHY independence is the ONLY way to make our votes counts and our voices to be heard…..simples.
“It’s time for Boris Johnson to go – and go now.”
If it’s time for him to go, doesn’t that by definition mean now? “It’s time for him to go – and in two years” doesn’t make much sense.
Indeed …..but Richard thinks he is making a statement that has MORE impact by adding “and go now”……bleeding nonsense from a nonsense party…or as I am led to believe by Emma walker ex Lib Dem member a NONCE-sense party….
A deeply insightful comment, k. Thanks for sharing, but don’t know why you bother, really. (In general, even.)
Just to let everyone know. I had a physiotherapy appointment this morning which I had forgotten about. I am wiped out now, and need to recuperate, so the next new blog piece will be on Monday.
Sorry about that, but take care of yourself and get back when you can. You’ve been on fire though recently!
Sorry to hear that…you take care Paul…..
Paul you take all the time you need then add another 40%
The margin that hopefully win Indy2 in 23! 🏴🏴🏴🏴
Labour branch manager in Scotland millionaire Anas Sarwar says that the Tories losing in Wakefield, which is in England means that will psychologically make him a winner in Scotland
I have a degree in psychology, and sorry Anas Sarwar but it doesn’t mean that at all, maybe in dentist world or cash n carry land, but nope, not in Scot land
Swings to opposition parties in by-elections mid-term are the norm. It’s supposed to ‘send a message’ to the Party in power that the voters are not happy. In actuality, it very often doesn’t add up to a hill of beans when the next GE takes place, but it’s always good for a laugh when the by-election winners immediately jump on the ‘we will form the next Government’ bandwagon. Poor Anas Sarwar, he hasn’t been paying attention. As for the LibDems, when they win a seat in a by-election, how often do they keep it at the next GE?
A lot of sense there. But the current situation has certainly got a lot of Tories panicking anyway. BoJo’s Teflon may be starting to peel…
“Go home and prepare for government” the Lib Dems chant just for getting their name in the paper, sure Willie Rennie’s won every election that’s ever taken place anywhere, it’s just that folk cannae see it
Away hame and prepare fir the backbenches.
Is more appropriate for the Libs. Does anyone know what they actually stand for? Do they support ending brexit, or are they now pro-brexit?
What about Labour? They are pro-brexit now right?
Both parties are currently passively pro-Brexit, because they accurately perceive that by being so they can win seats for WM that otherwise they wouldn’t. As just happened yesterday. So their strategy works for them (at least when they’re not actually in power). In England, that is. But that’s where all the action is as far as they’re concerned, and we’re irrelevant. We simply don’t feature. We don’t fit.
Our vital interests are continually being sacrificed for the English political greater good. Which is why we need out, soon as.
In fact, you might say that Labour and the LibDems have the same problem over Brexit in England that the SNP have had over independence in Scotland. They all must wait for the facts on the ground to properly register with the voting public, and thereby overcome all the deliberately-stoked distractional “noise”, before they can hope to effectively move forward. In that respect, the SNP is well ahead of the game.
The Lib Dems are the party of *here if you don’t want to vote Tory or if you’ve sod all else to do*
Meanwhile, in Russia, which is of course a multi-national/ethnic federation…
https://archive.ph/2jr6f
Russia’s republics, bled dry by Putin, begin to demand independence from his rule
While the overturning of Roe vs Wade is a symptom of the USA taking another step closer to breakup. A very divided union, with e.g. California a completely different country/state to Alabama…
So, basically speaking, the US Supreme Court has decided that men have the right to dictate what women do with their own bodies, and it’s back to the 19th century for the USMA – United States of Male America.
I agree, but it’s got nowt to do with our independence, does it?
Ordinarily, no, but it’s going to have an effect the next few months on the constitutional debate, and potentially afterwards as Scotland seeks recognition by States – with the US being potentially one of the first States to recognise us.
The good news is that Sturgen, BoJo and Biden have condemend the Supreme Court decision, but with half the states expected to bring in anti-abortion laws, the US will be split and it could make it more difficult.
It’s a factor, no more than that at the moment.
Yup. It’s now going to be the main focus of the midterms. It will also become a proxy over one of the big divisive issues between the Democrats and Republicans the role and reach of the Federal Government. Maybe it stops Bidden’s ratings from slumping, maybe it will be enough for the Democrats to keep control of the House.
Whether or not the Democrats keep the House decides whether or not Bidden becomes a lame-duck President or not and whether or not he is a lame-duck President or not will have a huge impact on who becomes the next President.
That’s when it becomes relevant to Scotland’s Independence. Who would you rather a newly Independent Scotland have to be making friends with, one with a socially moderate Democrat President or one with a socially Conservative Republican who would probably make Trump look Liberal
Yes, Biden has been a bit of a bonus for iScotland.
True, although I doubt he will be running for a second term. Equally, I doubt that Trump will be the Republican nominee, carries too much baggage.
It will probably be Ron DeSantis, young, Yale Educated, Military Service, Bronze Star, socially and economically conservative, basically ticks all the boxes Republicans would look for.
Plus he brings Florida and its 30 elecorial college votes and is seen by many in the party as Trump’s choice if he was not nominated or did not run.
The view of the US isn’t a deciding factor in Scottish indy. Scotland will become independent if Scots want that. That’s how every country has become independent unless the imperial state its trying to depart uses military force (ultimately) to stop it. Even then, this just buys time as keeping a people subjugated with force is a very costly business in terms of lives and money.
The USA already recognises Scotland as a country like all other countries do. Even England does. How could it not? If Scotland isn’t a country, then England isn’t one either.
https://www.11v11.com/teams/scotland/tab/opposingTeams/opposition/USA/
It’s the ‘British’ (primary national identity) that don’t actually see Scotland as a country, but a region of one.
Biden giving Scots a gift etc via their FM was for 2 purposes: (1) to annoy troublesome Brengland over the NI situation etc, and (2) in recognition that Scots may well chose independence and if they do, western liberal democracies are not going to stop that. Same applies for the Senate / HoR in interactions with Scotland and when it comes to Northern Ireland. The US/EU support for the GFA is not about ‘stopping the violence’, it’s about trying to fix the abomination that is a European country still occupying a large bit of another through relic imperialism. At least people in NI used to support being part of the UK. If most Scots want indy but Scotland is still occupied by England / Britain, the situation would be 10 times worse in the eyes of the world.
Scottish indy would just be Scotland joining a long list of countries which have departed British empire rule, including Ireland and of course the USA. Some of these countries are still in that process, opting to end having the Queen as head of state, and instead become republics. Canada, to the north of the USA, only became a fully sovereign state, independent of London rule, in 1982.The Queen is still head of state there. The US government know all this and don’t form their views from British press propaganda. Same for EU states and elsewhere.
If you read the news overseas, you will find Scotland is looked upon as Scotland, particularly in Europe. People in France won’t ask you if you are ‘British’ or come from Britain, they’ll ask if you are English / from England. When you say you are scots they will laugh and apologise. It was Scots in their kilts playing pipes (like Celtic Brittany) that fought alongside the French in two WWs. When picking up a bottle of whisky at Auchan, the French know which country a Speyside malt comes from. We even beat them at sports on rare occasions (Goal McFadden!).
If Scots vote Yes, Scotland will be independent no matter what anyone thinks. The Scottish government will have no choice but to start the process. If they don’t, they will likely be ousted in the next election by parties that will. If for some reason a referendum as legally blocked, the next UK or Scottish election can become a plebiscite one and Scots can legally vote for indy. It can’t be stopped unless you are prepared to stop Scots being able to vote freely and fairly at all.
If the British government refuses to accept the will of the Scottish people, UDI can be declared. It works every single time – have a look at the history of this. When countries do that, the world waits to see if the imperial power will send in troops to forcibly take control (like Spain). If it does not, then they will start recognising the new state. Even Taiwan operates as a prosperous independent state while not being recognised by major powers (it’s case is not the same as Scotland, which has always been its own country / nation / people).
In the US, lame duck presidents / senates / HoRs are the norm. Unless you hold all three houses, it’s difficult to get stuff done. If the US was multiparty, it would work much better due to alliances such as are the norm under PR. However, because it’s so polarised into two strongly opposing parties (a partial product of the voting system), stalemate and decline is a growing problem and may lead to disintegration.
The republicans have unwittingly just made states a little more independent by putting decision making on abortion in their hands. The less federal laws there are, the weaker the union. It’s like Johnson handing more and more power to the devolved parliaments to achieve what he wants in England.
It’s kinda odd that ‘pro-life’ people are very commonly ‘pro-death’ at the same time.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07418829800093771?journalCode=rjqy20
A passion to punish: Abortion opponents who favor the death penalty
Nut jobs. They say they are pro-life, but support killing of people, some of whom are innocent; an inevitable outcome of the death penalty. It will be wrongly applied sometimes.
I’ve always argued that for the death penalty, it should need majority support with the following caveat. Everyone supporting it must register that. When an innocent person is accidently put to death, X number of death penalty supporters are then randomly selected and put to death as punishment for supporting the killing of an innocent person. Seems fair to me.
It cost 1 1/2 d, the Magnet boys’ comic. ‘Billy Bunter’s Wheeze’ was the Jan 11th 1919 edition.
This was probably the last time the word ‘wheeze’ was used anywhere; until yesterday that is, when Alister ‘Union’ Jack’ uttered it, not once but several times during a put up job interview with Glenn Campbell, BBC Jockland’s newly appointed Sex and Sleaze reporter, at the Royal Highland Show .
The Governor General of the Scottish Colony is a farmer according to his wiki self penned? entry.
He was educated on the Solway, then Glenalmond College then Heriot Watt Uni.
We can only assume that it was part of Glenalmond’s curriculum to tutor their young charges in speaking in an Oxford RP accent…he has the ‘bools in the mooth’ accent as Lord Snooty Jacob Rees Mogg…
Where else would he acquire this ridiculous accent an turn of the 19th Century Boy’s Own English Public school vocabulary?
Rather like Sub Lieuteant (RN Failed) Andrew Bowie whose similarly risible accent may have been the only thing he acquired at Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth.
Alister Jack awaited Nicola sturgeon’s latest ‘wheeze’ in her attempt to hold Indyref 2.
Glen Campbell joined the long list of Jock Hacks to repeat the same old same old…via Jack’s mouth. The English Government won’t permit the Scots ‘plebs’ ( in common usage throughout the fee paying schools world of gentlefolk) .
Igliston wa celebrating 200 years of the event. Jack was interviewed against a background of coos, and bales of hay…
Campbell could have asked about the disaster that was Brexit…or the poisonous trade deal with Australia which threatens to destroy our cattle and sheep industries…
But no, BBC Jockland was there to repeat and repeat that the English Parliament will say no, and that’s it.The ancient Brit Empire language of the conqueror…Crikey, Yikes, ‘Roo.
Meanwhile, Dross, who may have shared a dining table in the WM subsidised canteen with a jailed sex fiend, and/or Porno Parish, who saw fit to watch filth on the benches of WM, was having a go at NS at FMQ over the SNP sex scandal….
Grubby little man on any level.
They are floundering around in a blind panic, bombarding our senses with unrelenting Scotland is Shite and it’s all Nicola Sturgeon’s Fault gunge this week…Crisis at Beatson…drug deaths you know the script.On and on and on…
The genie is out of the bottle.
There shall be a plebiscite OCT ’23.
We ,the people, are sovereign, Jack, Ross, and Bowie, are ephemeral public servants, there to do our bidding…has my hamper arrived from home yet? Bah-rooh !
BUTT Jack
There’s a war on.
Seems to be a war against the people.
Interested in the labour statement about representing the whole of the uk, england, Wales, Scotland and north south east and west england, of course Northern Ireland seems to have been discounted already.
There’s a war on so we ignore the libdems wee problem, the tory party protecting thomson who was removed from westmonster for some kind of inappropriate behavoir.
Human rights laws to be rewritten to remove ECHR decisions.
The Magnet ……paaaahhhh!
I was an Eagle…Boys Own chiel ..
(tin-hat on … INCOMING!!!)
Tam, Dan Dare ,Pilot of the Future?
davetewart, has Sub Lieutenant Bowie been called up as he so publicly rejoined the Naval Reserve to go fight the Ruskies?
A lass on Rdio 4 earlier, who is something in the City broke ranks.
The finacial chaos is because of the stupid decision to leave the EU, and businesses making obscene profits. Not the Ukraine war, and certainly not workers’ wage rises.
She pointed out that workers wages have been deliberately suppressed since 2010, so therefore are not factors in today’s rampant inflation. Far from it.
Johnson remains the idiot in charge because he was put there by the Oligarchy, to take the flak while they robbed us blind.
Privateers ahve spirited away hundreds of billions of our money during his 26 month ‘reign’.
‘Greed and capitalism’ Johnson called it.
Johnson is away for the rest of the week, while the Tory House of Cards collapses.
The big boy did it, and as usual, ran away.
Davidson and Dugdale were always posted missing when the sh1t hit the fan too.
Who paid for the First Lady (or is she the Third Lady?) to accompany him?
WE did of course.
By the cringe !
I awakened this morning shocked to hear on SKY news that there’d been a general election during the night as a Labour MP declared his party were winning in Scotland, imagine how surprised I wasn’t when I realised it must have been the Labour MP who had been dreaming, or is this a new Labour strategy based on Boris Johnsons psychopathy of lying about everything and it’ll all come true as long as you believe
So for Labour to win children you must cross your fingers turn around three times click your heels and you will be the winners
Nurse! nurse!
It’s quite an achievement to have negative ratings when you are not even in power, but opposing one of the least popular PMs in recent history.
Independence supporter’s trying get the bus from Edinburgh to Stirling were refused access on the grounds that they weren’t taking independence supporters today.
Anyway on FB with video, don’t know if it will post.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/215556435841901/permalink/1129109757819893/
Watched video…terrible…..sure more will count out on this today……
Is this same position enforced for OTHER marches ……Hmm
* will count out…will COME out
I’d talk to my MSP about that, the bus driver should be hauled over the coals for refusing to carry a passenger unless they were breaking the bus company’s terms and conditions such as being drunk or aggressive.
Any company or their employees behaving that way towards half the population might find themselves short of more than a few customers in no time at all.
So Scots are being refused the right to travel on busses? Sounds like British holiday camps refusing bookings from Irish people or ‘no dogs, no blacks, no Irish’ in English guest house windows.
Discrimination on the grounds of race (nationality / identity) is illegal.
British busses for british people.
British values becoming more apparent by the day.
A lovely people the british.
Refusing to allow black people, Jewish people etc would have the papers in uproar.
But Scots? No, that’s fine.
And that’s what Yes supporters are; Scottish people. People who see Scotland as their country, and who don’t identify as British. They are not party-political as they come from across the political spectrum. Supporting independence is not a political choice, it is an existential one associate with the people of Scotland being that, and not British.
I support Scottish independence for one reason and one reason alone; I’m Scottish. That is the reason everyone across the world supports independence for their nation. French people don’t debate handing over control to Germany. Even if actually did make economic sense (which it never would) they wouldn’t do it because they’re French.
Oh and heaven forbit a Scots bus driver refused to let a load of English people waving St. Georges crosses / dressed in Morris dancing outfits etc on board.
Discriminating against people for nothing other than being a supporter of Independence is something the National and its readers might be interested in.
It’s not about a political allegiance (the group would have come from a range of party political support), but about their nationality. We can safely assume that the driver was British in nationality / identity. The discrimination was therefore on the basis of race*.
That or similar to religious identity, which likewise means support for indy is a protected characteristic:
https://archive.ph/VLuQ6
Tribunal judge: independence is a ‘philosophical’ belief similar to a religion
A judge has ruled that Scottish independence is a “philosophical belief” similar to a religion, in a legal case involving a former SNP depute leadership candidate.
Nationalist Councillor Christopher McEleny, who is accusing the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of discrimination, secured a victory last week after an employment tribunal decided his support for independence was “protected” under equality legislation.
Either way it was illegal and the police should be informed.
—-
*https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/equality-act/protected-characteristics#race
Refers to the protected characteristic of race. It refers to a group of people defined by their race, colour, and nationality (including citizenship) ethnic or national origins.
There seems to be no reports of the Stirling march in the National site, at all, this evening.
I find this a bit concerning, as they are supposed to be an Indy-supporting paper!
I’m having doubts.
There is now Barpe:
https://www.thenational.scot/news/20236202.thousands-turn-one-banner-independence-march-stirling/
Looks like a Mega Bus ( owned by Stagecoach)……
Steady on a wee bit everybody, maybe they were singing in the bus station while waiting, or something else that might cause this:
“Intending customers who, in the opinion of the driver or other company officer, appear likely to behave in an antisocial manner may not be allowed to travel.”
https://www.stagecoachbus.com/conditions-of-carriage
I was on a bus from Glasgow to Edinburgh for the march a few years back, and we were all allowed on no problem, but the groups were quiet and flags weren’t 12 foot tall!
There may be another side to this story, apart rom the refusal.
I’m unable to view the video as it’s too new a format for me.
Well, she appeared to be on her own and said she was disabled and using a bus pass so I’d be surprised if she was singing at that time of day 🙂
Mmm, fair enough 🙂
She should request a copy of the security video from the bus station and complain to the Police. Then the PF can decide if laws were broken.
Well, I saw this on another machine – 4 times. No other Indy supporters there, she was filming, the staff tried to block the filming and asked her to stop filming. The Clip doesn’t show her or anybody being refused, it does show the (or a) bus leaving. And then I found as I expected:
https://www.stagecoachgroup.com/media/faqs/faqs/organise-filming.aspx
“Q: I would like to organise filming for a news item. What should I do?
A: Permission is required for any filming on our buses and trains or on our premises. This includes bus depots, and bus or railway stations we operate. We normally require at least 24 hours notice and any requests should be made by email to media@…”
A quick look, and this is true not just for Stagecoach but other bus companies, and not just Edinburgh bus station but others. And from a privacy point of view, quite right too.
Fact check: not proven. It’s understandable, and an immediate reaction which likely most of us would make. Research would show the staff are completely within their rights.
It can happen to even top reporters – who can forget Ponsonby being swept past by Osborne and some time later – Fallon – and giving it laldy?
Same for Scotrail stations by the way:
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/about-scotrail/media-centre/filming-and-photography
Perhpas it looked like she was going to film ON the bus, and didn’t want to stow equipment in the luggage compartment.
So Ian Dunt …..one of the ‘prominent’ Remainers who has been constantly , in the past, tweeting relentlessly on Brexit and it’s many downsides…..but now….because Labour have embraced it he has tweeted this based on labour embarcing Brexit :
“you can’t blow your load demanding Labour campaign for the single market now. Telling voters you want to reopen the Brexit issue would be suicide”…..
So which voters is Ian referring to…..NOT US in Scotland for sure….NOPE…..as if.
His tweeted response to a Guardian article stating ‘Labour unveil plan to seek limited changes to Brexit deal’ :
“This is fine. It sucks, I hate it, almost certainly he does too, but it’s acceptable. I’d have thought most Remainers would think so too”.
No Ian this Remainer does NOT find it acceptable and yes it DOES suck and I hate it hence why one of the (many) reasons I would never vote Labour….it is a ploy for Starmer to win back Red Wall seats and gammon votes…so desperate for power is he that he is even willing to DESTROY his UK ( and us in Scotland too) by ADOPTING his version of a flawed and failed Tory Brexit policy…
See this is just yet another version of Union Jack’ aka Alister Jack’s ‘Suck it up Scotland’ from Labour HQ and most likely soon to be also via the branch office of the Labour party and their supporters…
Come Indy Ref 2 we, Scotland, are most definitely yet again ON OUR OWN….since 2016 prominent Remainers on Twitter like Dunt have ranted and raved about the lies told and the damage that will be done and now clearly has been done because of Brexit (this was pre Labour never having a really definitive strong anti position on it)…BUT now that Ian’s favoured party supports it….well it a case of ‘Let’s make the best of it as it’s done now so cannot be undone and Labour will make it work….and maybe in MANY years and ‘tears’ from now we can seek to rejoin the single market’…..Was Ian not one of those supportive of The People’s vote on holding a SECOND EU Ref on the Brexit deal ?…Hmm.
Ian in his desperate attempt to sway people to ACCEPT Labour and anything THEY do forgets that in his and them embarcing this, Brexit, then EVERYTHING he claimed that was bad in the past re Brexit is then cancelled out….as you then justify Brexit as a GOOD policy the Tories have implemented and that being the case then why should those same voters who voted for it and also voted for the Tories now decide to vote Labour ?????…………#AnotherLabourFail
Caroline Flint tried that….and she lost her seat for Labour as voters decided why have a pound shop Brexit Tory when they could have the real thing….
Labour should be highlighting ALL of the damage Brexit has caused and will still cause….as should their media mouthpieces, like Ian Dunt, who are given a platform and prominence on MSM…..BUT instead….yet again they choose the weak strategy of ‘If you can’t beat ’em…join ’em’.
The hypocrisy of it all………..almost as if you Ian and other like you, as political pundits are willing to blindly accept anything Labour say and do just to get them into power….and YOU Ian ARE well informed of all the information on the negative impact Brexit has done and will continue to do…….Brexit IS and will always BE a disaster NOTHING will make it WORK or BETTER…Labour, like the Tories, are LYING .
Cue Ian Murray shadowing (in many ways) Union Jack’s aka Alister Jack message ‘Suck it up Scotland’…..’We’re in charge and we are OUT of the EU…..accept it….and Eat your porridge…as England expects”
A parcel of political rogues pandering to uninformed xenophobic rogues via Brexit meanwhile those of us in Scotland who are well informed on Brexit as a flawed and failed policy and who are welcoming to other nationalities in our country Scotland…. are once more ignored, disregarded, do not matter, have no voice in THEIR UK, OUR votes/needs/wishes do NOT count ….yet AGAIN.
Independence is THE only way OUT…….or we lose our voice AND thus our votes in their UK mean NOTHING and cannot CHANGE anything………..as usual….that is NOT democracy for Scotland…it’s living in a dictatorship…….simples…and they are doing it deliberately too.
* embarcing…embracing….seems I cannot spell …on top of everything else I cannot do ….Lol
😉
Argghhhhhhh
Any questions. Disgraceful production by the bbc. Couldn’t hear the snp representative. Jackie Baillie heard quite clearly , Lord laa-mont heard clearly.
Baillie is embarrassed-let’s look at Portugal -wasn’t her old man Portuguese and she was brought up in a colonial mindset
SNP don’t accept 2nd or 3rd best.
Re any Questions Chris Mason has tweeted this :
“I’m sorry for Any Questions at lunchtime. The sound was terrible; Maree Todd’s contributions barely audible. For that, she and you, our listener, have my apologies. The programme sounded fine when broadcast live on Friday. There was a cock up in London which ruined the repeat”.
There must have been (many) complaints…..weird given you said other ‘contributors’ were audible….almost as if ……deliberate….as surely ALL would be “barely auduble” via “cock up in London” which actually ONLY “ruined” Maree’s contribution but NOT Baillie’s or Lamont’s…Hmm …..I have seen this before with the BBC where they had ‘technical problems’ with SNP representatives on Politics programmes……if they can’t beat us….they turn down the volume on those who represent us ………
Maree Todd was not present with the other panellists. Her plane could not land at Sumburgh and had to return to Inverness or Aberdeen, can’t remember which.nThis meant that she joined the programme remotely which may have affected the quality of the repeat broadcast.
However, you would have thought the BBC technical, and editorial, staff would have been up to the job of checking and fixing before broadcasting the repeat
“Maree Todd was not present with the other panellists”
Did not know that….I assumed, incorrectly again, via responding to Hamish100 comment all were present in same place for programme….saw Chris Mason’s tweet via another twitter account.
So actually now with context I think in this instance ……well….this would account for “affected quality”…..
Perhaps I , in this instance, was too keen to put a skewed spin on it ….with it being the BBC….fair’s fair….need to stop jumping to (wrong) conclusion just because of source.
That’ll teach me ……
🙂
I only knew that because I follow her on Twitter and she mentioned not being able to land at Sumburgh
The BBC these days seem to have a lot of technical problems, and I’m guessing that to pay the presenters their half a million up to 2 or 3 million a year each, they can only afford one sound engineer who is working with 15 year old kit that hasn’t had its regular 3 monthly checks because the one engineer is too busy correcting as many problems as possible between sleep on a strictly impromptu triage system – which naturally prioritises the 2 million pound a year presenter(s).
Ho hum.
Anyone thinking the international community would take England’s side on Scottish indy needs their head examined.
https://archive.ph/LdORM
EU drafting legislation to prepare for ‘doomsday’ Protocol legislation
…Fine Gael MEP for Ireland South Seán Kelly has been appointed lead author in finalising the draft legislation…
Mr Kelly said the UK under Boris Johnson has become “an unreliable diplomatic partner”, and that the EU needs the appropriate tools to protect itself.
“The UK is not coming to the table and they’re playing games for political reasons.
“They’re pretending they can solve everything and it’s no big deal, and they can break international law and it’s no big deal, and they can ignore the result of the Northern Ireland Assembly elections where a majority were in favour of the protocol and it’s no big deal.
“I would hope and I almost believe that the UK would pull back from the brink.”
One would have hoped there were enough decent minded british or rather English people who wouldn’t have voted themselves to the brink.
Even the young seem too far gone to vote green in significant numbers.
“I can absolutely understand the annoyance.”
Annoyance is what you have when a midge flies into your living room. The man’s a fool.
If he can find a way to stop elections somehow, he will. He’s has all the characteristics of a dictator.
https://archive.ph/4WtNq
Boris Johnson wants to continue as Prime Minister until ‘mid-2030s’
Ross on bbc scotchland. No referendum. Not allowed, we voted in 2014, ignore Brexit, ignore getting removed from EU, energy price crisis, petrol and diesel crisis etc.
One question I would love unionists to be ask.
Are the people of Scotland sovereign. Yes or No.
Isn’t it funny how “Now is not the time” has turned into *No nay never No Surrender* from DRoss
Am I dreaming or did Martin Geissler just have a go at Ross on the Sunday show?
Like you, felt Guissler was a changed man after his initial election coverage and then sticking it to Dross – but he redeemed himself with his last ‘cosy’ five minutes with Kerr about all things SNP!!
The disappointment at not being allowed to fully attack over the ‘sex scandal’ was clearly evident – back to anti-SNP business, as usual.
Pathetic.
It was a change of direction for the short time it lasted, barpe
The BBCs Andrew Kerr on Scottish independence said “Maybe the UN ruling on the right to choose doesn’t apply to modern western developed democracies”
Something tells me Andrew Kerr shouldn’t bother ever applying for a job at the UN
Watch Martin Geissler’s expression when Kerr’s talking absolute guff.
The right to choose doesn’t apply in modern western developed democracies?
What a fecking idiot.
Then they segue in to the Devo Max referendum nonsense from Kerr.
Geissler has that glazed look of a man trying desperately not to burst out laughing at the crapola which he’s hearing on camera. ‘Gold standard’ got a wee mention for the 5000th time.
Dross got in the 2014 result earlie, for the 100,000th time too.
They keep on keeping on, with the same bitter message. We are to ‘suck it up’, we are to ‘live with it’? Or push back and drive them from our shores by voting for Self |Determination, our basic Human Right?
Dross is a sham of a man.
Geissler asked all the questions, but got the same old same old…and challenged none of it.
So what we got was a rerun of the Bitter Together dirge, unchallenged by Geissler.
They’re going after old Charlie now, on a suitcase full of Arab Cash from 10 years ago.
The English Oligarchy are rallying around Johnson, even to the extreme of attacking their future king.
Hitler exiled the German royalty too.
Like the 6 year old Grady story, which suddenly surfaces now, they save these ‘scandals’ up for times like these.
There shall be a Referendum on independence next October, and Johnson will fall soon.
Ross the ‘lightweight’ is like a raindrop in the Atlantic; who has no influence,
or power to stem the tides of change sweeping Scotland.
Dross, Scotland’s Canute.
Kerr and Geissler are mere tired jaded mouthpieces for the English broadcaster Up Here.
Will they survive the 10% cuts which Muriel Two Days a Week Gray will impose on the Brit Stockade on the Clyde?
Geissler and Kerr had a wee smirk at the Grady scandal of course. of course.
Grubby wee men sneering about a juicy sex story.
I shall dance a jig on Plantation Quay when the For Sale sign goes up on England’s Last broadcasting stockade in Scotland. It will be swift, it will be final.
But we can’t vote for Independence because of the behaviour of an MP at Westminster.
Aye right. That’s what I thought. No independence is possible ever. Funny the Unionists never believe that individual behaviours should mean that they should cancel Brexit or run Westminster.
Still the SNP and GREENS must recognise that the Brit nats will look at every issue by all means fair and foul.
It does show that the smearing by the “scotch” papers proves that they are worried. Let’s keep our eye on the ball. We are the best people to govern Scotland.
Incidentally never found out who was the journalist who allegedly dropped their trousers several years ago at a public event. Wonder if the Herald, Record/ Sunday Mail, Dundee courier, Hootsmon could tell us who? Asking for a police constable lol.
Hamish, we do know the identity of the journalist dead drunk passed out on the floor, exposing their manhood in Bute House during Salmondgate though, but, mind. He’s still SNP Badding to this day.
Surely a police matter .. indecent exposure? Of course not..he’s ‘one of us’.
I wonder if Boris Johnson has made unwanted advances in the past? Can the metropolitan police investigate. Remember to send a questionnaire Pc Plod.
Douglas Ross on the Sunday show tells Martin geisler that Scotland doesn’t want a referendum and that the SNP do not have a mandate because they never got a majority in Holyrood.
He then gives the positive case for the Union as “our vaccination scheme…because of the might of the United Kingdom”
A poor wee pathetic soul discarded and lost without direction from his bosses in London
Well, if there’s no majority for the iref bill, it won’t get through parliament, so Ross can relax.
As to vaccinations U.K. with over 180000 dead is worse than Germany, Italy, France….
Nicola Sturgeon kicks off her pre parliament statement with an attack on Tory austerity – which we didn’t vote for.
Nicola Sturgeon: Scottish independence ‘essential’ to halt UK Tory austerity
https://archive.ph/ARU1I
A National Assembly this summer for SNP members to participate in policy making for the referendum.
SNP members will have input on independence papers as party commits to national assembly
https://archive.ph/F5d5b
https://www.thenational.scot/news/20236421.patrick-grady-suspends-snp-membership-amid-met-police-investigation/?ref=suit
According to this article in The National just now the Met Investigation into the Patrick Grady incident has been launched because another person working at the Palace of Westminster complained to the Met. What is unclear from the article is this a separate incident involving another person/ victim or the same person. There is a pervading smell of sewage concerning this whole situation as well as a whiff of homophobia as well. Obviously the Met have to investigate if a complaint has been made but I very suspicious re the scum in the mainstream media that are milking this for all it is worth. Geissler etc couldn’t keep the delight of their faces when mentioning it on the Politics programme this morning
Just seen a tweet about Dross’s performance this morning on BBC Sunday show :
“Strange that this dullard can change his mind every 5 minutes, on whether or not his Boss should resign, but the Scottish electorate are bound by a vote based on lies 8 years ago” !
Nutshell….
Nail on head, there, NMRN.
Dross really is dross.
There are some other national articles of interest today. Firstly, a Welsh commission has found that the Union is at breaking point and can’t continue:
https://archive.ph/IRFWf#selection-1525.3-1537.77
Also, Andrew Tickell points out that Dominic Raab’s Bill of Rights will render the devolution settlement null and void.:
https://archive.ph/Myhgy
Good to know Douglas Ross won’t be voting in iref2. Will be one less vote for the union!
Are you sure he won’t change his mind – again?! {grin}
He has a mind? Where did he get it, Poundland? Batteries not included of course.
😂
Martin Geissler and Andrew Kerr’s review of the Sunday papers today was an absolute farce. They were attempting to make a mountain out of a molehill over a recommendation that SNP MP Patrick Grady be suspended for 2 days for making an “unwanted sexual advance” to a member of party staff at a work social event in a pub in 2016.
Kerr believes too that Ian Blackford and the FM have questions to answer over this.
Grady made a mistake by making advances toward someone 6 years ago and that was not appreciated. He went as far as stroking the victim’s hair and touching their back and neck.
Such behaviour is well out of order in any workplace including at social events where there is alcohol involved, however, it does happen when someone mistakenly believes that the attraction they feel toward another person might be being reciprocated.
This is something that is easy to get wrong and it shouldn’t take long to find out that you were indeed wrong to assume an attraction might be mutual only to find out that it wasn’t. So you say sorry and leave it at that.
Well, maybe there was more to it in this case and I don’t know the details, all I know is that the committee investigating it found fit to recommend that he be suspended from the HoC for 2 days, he accepts his punishment and regrets what happened.
The BBC and the rest of the media won’t move on though, this is too good a chance to demand the resignation of Ian Blackford and demand that the FM answers for the SNP’s failure to act.
I just wonder how many times in his life that philanderer Boris Johnson has had a knockback when trying his hand at chatting up one of his many conquests, I do wonder how many times he failed with his charm and was given a knockback? Should he resign if he once put his hand on the back of the neck of an attractive female in the pub but was then rebuffed?
The sexual harassment accusation against SNP MP Patricia Gibson was by the same complainant, she was cleared of any wrong doing
The media keep forgetting (omitting) to mention that, while constantly reminding viewers of the status of the complainants age by referring to him as *teenage*, he was in fact 19 years of age at the time, so a man and old enough to be many things in life, like oh say drinking with everyone else at an evening out at the pub for example, and working in politics which by any stretch of anyone’s imagination makes him at the very least *not naive* and most certainly *not vulnerable*
No crime was reported at the time, and if the complainant felt there was a crime against him his phone must have a very slow internet connection or he couldn’t remember the numbers 999 or
maybe the referendum just jogged his memory which might be the X factor in this
Like everyone else I don’t know anything of the facts in this case but I do know the workings of the opposition and the media when it comes to the SNP, and haven’t we seen this all before when the opposition’s in trouble
As far as the general public and I are concerned, people are innocent until proven guilty.
Likewise the actions of an individual are not the basis for deciding whether to vote for a party. Not unless the party puts them in charge and does not deal appropriately with them if they are found guilty of break the law. Like having lockdown parties for example.
Psychopath PM Boris Johnson now has two chances left to stay in power, either he provokes Vladimir Putin sufficiently to start a war against Britain or a much loved Royal (the Queen) bites the dust
Or he calls a snap GE in late summer before the rots really sets in…he might gamble that the Lib Dems will keep him in power, yet again, Dr J..
Why the heck is his wife traipsing all over the place by his side this week?
Nobody else brought their other half with them to the G7 meeting. What’s she doing there?
We are paying for this mini break?
He ‘s determined to take as many off the ledge with him when he finally jumps, that’s for sure.
BBC Scotland is now a sick joke.
Kerr and Geissler exceeded even this onlooker’s expectations today.
Grubby wee men hanging on like grim death to their wee sinecures.
Tick, tock.
What gets me about the reporting of the Patrick Grady story by the BBC and all the rest is the difference in how this is being treated by the media compared with other stories of sexual assault and much worse by MP’s who are not in the SNP.
How long ago does anyone think this story broke?
Scotland Yard said today: “A man was arrested on suspicion of indecent assault, sexual assault, rape, abuse of position of trust and misconduct in a public office.”
The unnamed MP is not being suspended by the party until detectives from the Central Specialist Crime unit conclude their probe. But Chief Whip Chris Heaton Harris has asked the MP to stay away from Parliament during the investigation.
https://archive.ph/MmpUM
Well it was just last month on 17th May and nothing has been heard since, this is just one of a number of Tory MP’s being investigated over sexual assault and other allegations of sexual misconduct.
A month earlier on 12th April another Tory MP, Imran Ahmad Khan after being found guilty of sexually assaulting an 15 year old boy after plying him with drink and dragging him upstairs, it wasn’t until he was found guilty that he was expelled from the Tory party and despite facing a trial he carried on working as an MP.
https://archive.ph/Wca4j
This is against a backdrop of 56 MP;s who have been reported to Parliamentary authorities over sex misconduct claims including 3 current cabinet ministers working right now for Johnson.
No doubt Andrew Kerr believes that Johnson has questions to answer over this?
This story is irrelevant. It will have the sum total of zero impact on indy as it is a domestic matter that will occur from time to time whether we are part of the UK or independent.
If the UK press focuses on it, it just annoys voters and makes them more supportive of indy.
Liz Truss declares her belief in “freedom and the right of all countries to self-determination” she also believes the UK can be a “bulwark against authoritarianism and fly the flag for freedom and democracy”
Does she know what a section 30 order is? Answers on a postcard to wee Ginger Dug.
Absolute airhead. She has no idea what she’s talking about. Everything’s a photo op for LT.