The SNP party conference is due to start in Aberdeen on Sunday, nevertheless that didn’t stop a reporter on Sky News as the Labour conference came to a close this week remarking that the end of the Labour conference brought the party conference season to a close. The SNP is still by far the third largest party in terms of representation at Westminster but seemingly it still doesn’t count as far as the British media is concerned. That speaks volumes about the true place of Scotland within this so called United Kingdom.
The Labour conference ended on Tuesday with a speech from Keir Starmer which naturally gave several minutes to triumphalist gloating about Labour’s victory in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by election the previous week. As he stood on a stage in front of a massive British flag in an auditorium bedecked with more flags than you’d see at a Coronation party in an Orange Lodge, and unveiled a new party membership card which has a British flag replacing Labour’s traditional red rose on one side and bears the legend “putting country first” on the other, Starmer proclaimed that the Labour party had defeated “nationalism”. It’s official now, Keir Starmer hasn’t just broken most of his previous promises, he has broken the irony meter as well.
The party’s new membership card is not merely a blatant and overt proclamation of Labour’s full hearted espousal of Anglo-British nationalism, it is also a document which as recently as a few years ago would have unambiguously marked you out as a member of a far right party. In fact Paul Golding, the leader of the extreme right wing party Britain First, has praised Labour’s redesigned membership card saying: “Labour Party membership cards are looking very ‘Britain First’.”
I have often commented that a defining characteristic of Anglo-British nationalism is it’s refusal to admit that it is indeed a form of nationalism, but with the recent Labour party conference we were treated to a display of obvious and naked nationalism yet Starmer proclaimed that this self-evidently Anglo-British nationalist party has “defeated nationalism”. That is not merely delusional, it is positively pathological.
Labour insists that it is open to Scotland’s independence supporters, but what it really means is that it expects Yes supporters to abandon their dreams and hopes and get behind Starmer’s brand of muscular unionism, the Labour party has absolutely no intention of meeting them half way, far less acknowledging that people in Scotland have voted repeatedly in favour of having an opportunity to revisit the question of independence in a referendum. All that supporting Labour offers Scottish independence supporters is to give Keir Starmer the opportunity to proclaim that he has defeated nationalism while he wraps himself in a British flag, refuses to set out a democratic route to another independence referendum, and continues the task of undermining the devolution settlement which was begun by the Conservatives.
During the Conference Anas Sarwar, the branch manager of the Optional Identity Mark said that he was open to the idea of introducing English style elected regional mayors to Scotland. Responsibility for local government in Scotland is devolved to the Scottish Parliament so the only way in which Sarwar can get his wish is either for the Scottish Parliament to agree to it, or for a future Labour government in Westminster to impose it on Scotland in yet another outright assault on an already tattered and torn devolution settlement.
However the real reason that Labour in Scotland is now in favour of greater powers for new regional authorities in Scotland is simple. It’s for the same self-serving and transactional reasons that a reluctant Tony Blair was persuaded to support a Scottish Parliament in the 1990s. Blair was persuaded to give his backing to a Scottish Parliament because he was assured that it could provide an alternative power base for the Labour party in Scotland when the Conservatives were in power in Westminster. Sarwar wants powerful directly elected regional ‘mayors’ in Scotland, even though Scotland’s towns and cities have never had mayors, they’ve had provosts and lord provosts, because he wants to establish alternative power bases for the Labour party since Labour cannot be certain of holding power at Holyrood. In the 1990s as now it has never been about what the Labour party can do for Scotland but rather what Scotland can do for the Labour party. The repeated electoral kickings that voters in Scotland have been giving the Labour party for the best part of a decade have taught Labour precisely nothing. The moment that Labour gets a whiff of success at the ballot box its old sense of entitlement comes raging back undiminished.
Meanwhile hours before she was due to be deselected by a local constituency party that was thoroughly fed up with her, East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow MP Lisa Cameron made the bizarre announcement that she is defecting to the Tories. She released a statement complaining that she had been bullied by the rest of the SNP Westminster group. One SNP MP speaking to the Scotsman said that her decision was ‘malicious’ and that it came as no surprise as she had always been a Tory. If that’s the case then the SNP group should have forced her out a long time ago. There can be no place in the SNP for a Conservative politician who tells the Daily Mail that Scottish independence is divisive and who praises Rishi Sunak. The Tories are heading for a thrashing at the next election, what we have here is a rare instance of a rat jumping onto a sinking ship.
It’s a move which smacks of vindictiveness. If she was merely unhappy with the SNP in general or its Westminster group in particular she could have resigned the party whip and continued to sit as an independent or defected to Alba. Then she could have made a case that she was still upholding the core principles on which she was elected. However she jumped to a party which defines itself by its opposition to Scottish independence, its naked hostility to the devolution settlement, and its support for the concept of a single British nation and a unitary British state.
There may also be a large dose of ego and self interest involved too. It has been reported that Cameron’s defection was orchestrated by Sunak himself and there is speculation that part of the deal was the offer of a peerage. It must be stressed that this is only speculation on social media without reliable sources, but should this prove to be true it will merely provide further confirmation of the moral and political bankruptcy of the Westminster system Lisa Cameron now seeks to uphold.
Lisa Cameron was perhaps best known at Westminster as chair of the Crypto and Digital Assets All-Party Parliamentary Group, now she can pivot from promoting cryptocurrencies and digital assets as an SNP MP to promoting cryptocurrencies and digital assets as a Conservative, in Lisa Cameron’s case NFT stands for non-fungible Tory.
After the news of her defection broke, Cameron insisted to a pro-Alba website that she still believes in Scottish independence but has “grave misgivings” about it being achieved by the SNP. So instead she has joined a party that loathes the very idea of Scotland as a nation with the right to self-determination, constantly undermines the devolution settlement and relentlessly pursues the absolute supremacy of Westminster. If you can follow that logic you can win an NFT of a bored ape wearing a vote Tory for Scottish independence t-shirt.
Despite her protestations and complaints, Lisa Cameron is not the victim here, the real victims are the voters of her constituency who elected a supposedly pro-independence pro-EU, anti-austerity MP who have now been landed with a woman who sings the praises of Rishi Sunak and now represents a right wing Anglo-British nationalist party which opposes Scottish independence and seeks to undermine the devolution settlement. The real victims are the local party members who expended their party time and effort to chap doors in all weathers and to canvass and campaign to get her elected only for her to turn around and stab them in the back. She has ended her career and destroyed what credibility she once had.
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Perhaps there’ll be a new devolution settlement, one where Scottish independence supporters go to *settle* maybe behind eh a wall? away from the real British people who care about England’s British union of eh, what do we call this all now?
Scotistine? Northern something? but behind a wall for sure, they must drive out this democracy infection, it’s not good for the “UNITY of our UNION” deafening isn’t it
You’re supposed to have a choice if you’re in a union, Godfather Starmer’s Labour are making the offer we can’t refuse
Adam Fleming said the very same about the conferences not half an hour ago. I yelled at him but I doubt if he heard me. He did mention the SNP one at the end of the programme so he could recount the party’s woes.
Sent from my iPad
I had to look up NFT. It’s a Non Fungible Token and there are some in the Bored Ape Yacht Club which seems appropriate for Token Tories. But mostly they are worth two cents, also appropriate.
All politics atm feels like something happening in a far away foreign country. Even if it is happening in Scotland, if it is from one of those foreign political parties it feels like it has nothing to do with us.
The Lisa Cameron soap opera and now the Deena Tissera hissy fit are like PR stunts designed in some remote metropolis to smear the SNP in the run up to the party conference. Perhaps they hope to overturn the decision to make the next GE a de facto referendum. Expect the hysteria to boil over this weekend.
The smearing has been going on for a long time, from without and within our country
We know that the British Establishment are renowned for their dirty tactics in protecting their own, and destroying any groups that stand up to them – so we should not be surprised at the latest happenings!
It is going to get worse as the next GE approaches, these are merely overtures to the main events. We must just hope that enough of us are seeing the truth of what is going on.
”There is no loyalty in the heart of a traitor ,
only the false act of appearing trustworthy !”
Extract ( allegedly ) from Lisa Cameron’s letter of resignation to the SNP electors of East Kilbride .
Reckon she was a tory ploy and well paid for it too. She should be repaying all the money she earned from her role to the people of the constituency who took time to get her elected.
What a farcical arse of an absolute arse.
If there’s one thing you can say about Labour’s Ian Murray he’s honest on how he feels about Scottish devolution, he never wanted it, he doesn’t want it now, and he’d end it the first chance he gets
Meanwhile his menial Scottish branch manager Anas Sarwar is shouting as loudly as he can that Labour will devolve more powwahrs to Scotland, and devolution will be even more betterer than ever it was ever in the life of all of the Scotland history of colony being honest it will
Now we know that both of these men are mahoosive liars, but which one has more to lose than the other when the lies are exposed? you don’t need postcards to send in the answer to that one
BBC have broadcast Humza Yousaf’s plea to the international community to intervene and stop the collective punishment in Gaza.
What chance of that when officials from the US, UK and EU traipse to Israel and pledge unconditional support for military retaliation and flagrant breaches of international law. France has banned pro Palestinian protest. EU has warned Elon Musk not to spread pro Palestinian “disinformation”. Braverman threatens to arrest people demonstrating with the wrong flag. Once again “diplomacy” appears to be a foreign concept to the morons in Westminster.
Humza Yousaf would be safer if Scotland had our own diplomatic service and representation on international bodies such as the UN.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-67100374
While Tory policy has always been to circumvent and avoid the Scotland question of democracy, the Labour party are actively engaged in finding a way to ban the SNP as a political party altogether
Labour does understand Scotland, that’s why they are so wracked with fear about what the SNP are about to propose then present to the people for their decision at the next general election
The sooner we put a vast gulf between ourselves and those psychopaths in Westminster the better. Dmitri Medvedev described Grant Shapps as a “freshly minted cretin” and I can’t argue with that. He sends the British Navy to the Middle East to do exactly what? Hand out water bottles and baby milk?
You might think so but no that’s not why the Americans and British are going to Israel, they’re there for two reasons, first this is a warning to Putin that his involving his chums in Iran against Israel in his proxy war against Ukraine will be smashed right there, and second, Israel has nuclear weapons and we’re all pals together, so what we’ll do to Hamas Hezbollah and anybody else that involves themselves in this is nothing compared to what we’re prepared to do to you, so watch and learn what happens when all of us warry pals get together Vladimir old boy
Putin is playing war games with the world and the west is telling him it’s a no go we know what you’re up to
First rule of diplomacy – never start a war with Russia. Second rule of diplomacy – never bluff the Chinese, they will always call it.
Of course, the UK doesn’t do diplomacy.
When James VI arrived in London the court were amazed at the vast number of diplomats that accompanied him. Where were they going to accommodate them? England employs an army of spies and gunships, Scotland has diplomats.
Don’t be TOO diverted by what is happening in Israel/Gaza, horrendous though that is, nor indeed pay over-concern to a one-way egotistical plant who obviously had no interest in Scottish democracy or independence in the first place.
I therefore place before you the latest from the Public Inquiry into Covid 19 -the (mis)management by HMG and the Johnsonian rabble:
https://nation.cymru/news/covid-inquiry-whatsapp-message-said-the-real-person-in-charge-is-carrie/
Covid inquiry WhatsApp message said ‘the real person in charge is Carrie’
13 Oct 2023 2 minute read
______________________________
Timing it nicely with that TV programme earlier this week which I’m grateful to Capella and others for watching on my (our) behalf.
The UK Covid Enquiry has a Youtube channel but the videos are all so long, 4hrs or so, that I haven’t got the stamina to sit through them. So thx for posting a wee peek into one aspect.
http://www.youtube.com/@UKCovid-19Inquiry
And do watch the C4 film “Partygate” which is quite an insight into posh people getting drunk at work, barfing in the cabinet office and having amorous encounters on the cabinet secretary’s couch.
I don’t know what to say.
https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2023/10/12/photos-show-scale-of-the-destruction-of-israeli-air-attacks-on-gaza
Photos show scale of the destruction of Israel air attacks on Gaza
The Tories love a war, now Rishi’s got two
General Election? This is not the time, any minute now
Yousaf had this right as far back as the 10th:
https://www.gov.scot/publications/israel-gaza-first-minister-letter-to-uk-government/
“The Scottish Government and I unequivocally condemn the abhorrent terrorist actions of Hamas. Israel – like any other country – has a right to protect itself and its citizens from terror.”
but also (about the “siege”):
“Collective punishment of innocent civilians cannot be justified and will do nothing to set the conditions for peace in the region.”
but returning to this: “Israel – like any other country – has a right to protect itself and its citizens from terror.”
would need the prevention of supply of rockets and potentially far worse to Hamas, as well as potential escalation as called for by Hamas by, fort instance, the likes of Lebanon to the north of Israel, with Russia supported Syria not far away.
Hence P8s: “to identify potential disruptions to regional stability, particularly the transfer of weapons to terrorist groups.”
But also:
“two vessels (RFA Lyme Bay and RFA Argus)” – that’s RFA – Royal Fleet Auxilliaries manned by civilian merchant sailors, used for supplies, military but also humanitarian. Plus three Merlin helicopters, and a company of Royal Marines.
NO fighters, NO bombers, NO aircraft carriers, NO destroyers, and presumably NO frigates so far. So no, the UK is NOT invading the Gaza Strip with Hellfire and Brimstone.
First rule of (avoiding) warfare is prevent escalation.
I should have mentioned Hezbollah, not currently so popular in Lebanon, but supported by Syria and Iran. Hezbollah and Hamas, to put it mildly, don’t want a 2 state solution to the West Bank, Israel and Gaza Strip (i.e. Israel and Palestine), they want a one state one – Palestine only.
And at the last election 15 years ago Palestinians with independent observers from all over the world including the EU – voted a majority for Hamas – and the one state solution.
The “Middle East” has not been simple since it became British after the Ottoman Empire, and then the British split it up according to a lot of broken promises and often arbitrary borders.
It’s the British way – partition – if you have to leave, leave a mess of ethnic or religious division that will guarantee death and destruction for generations to come. India and Pakistan are one example, Northern Ireland is another. Palestine is the worst. But there have been others.
Indeed.
A cynic would say that if the “Arabs” had been allowed to unite, then they’d control the “Middle East”. Also that with nuclear weapons preventing any sort of meaningful conventional war between the big two or three, plus the minor players, the arms race weapons had to be tested out in “neutral” ground like – the Middle East. Or indeed British arms and forces kept in a state of readiness in Northern Ireland.
I couldn’t possibly comment.
Anyone remember parsing? I don’t know if teachers still teach parsing any longer but here’s a good example of a pejorative laden article from Chris Mason, Political Editor of the BBC.
SNP leader Humza Yousaf struggling in political headwind
etc etc
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-67106806
I think hatred of the SNP has broken the media in Scotland, with few exceptions they see nothing wrong in constantly attacking the SNP and Scottish government even with outright lying because they know that no one will ever pull them up about it.
One day people like Mason will regret their lies and propaganda on behalf of a failed government at Westminster packed out with crooks and even more liars.
Yes – remember Paul Mason? After the 2014 referendum he revealed that the BBC had been on a wartime footing during the campaign, a battle stations situation.
Sadly, he has since been outed as a MI5 troll hoping to stand for the Labour Party at the next election if we could just all forget about his deviousness.
And on a more positive parsing note – The National looks ahead to the SNP conference.
Humza Yousaf backs independence strategy based on majority of seats
https://archive.ph/ImOvN
I remember that Jim “Eggie” Murphy also wanted elected mayors in our cities. He was another delusional right-wing branch manager. Labour seem to really go for that type of District Commissioner.
Incredible – James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary fails to respond to requests for help for British citizens trapped in Gaza. If this doesn’t condemn the failure of Westminster’s diplomacy then what would?
Humza Yousaf says he is ‘powerless’ to help family trapped in Gaza
https://archive.ph/EJBqz#selection-1669.3-1687.72
Asking for a say in an English version of “democracy” isn’t going to bring us independence.
The USA threw them out by force, India used civil disobedience. When will people living in Scotland wake up and realise that this isn’t as good as it gets but getting anything better will require more than the wishy washy leadership we currently have begging for a say in our own country.
Don’t ask for what you can’t take, because you’ll never be given it is 100% correct
Scotland’s real people are like the Indian nations of America, the Aborigines of Australia, pick a minority people from anywhere in the world and Scots can be compared to that
If we don’t find a way to free our nation from England they will have had total success in their absorbtion of Scotland into their England non cultural mindlessness of Big brother Gogglebox The only way is England entertainment show for morons, these are the distractions invented to prevent people looking at what the government is doing instead of making comedy shows making fools of ourselves over our acceptance of English government dictatorship
Can you believe we the population tolerate comedians laughing at ourselves accepting England’s ridiculous politicians forcing us to do things we don’t want and didn’t vote for then passing that off as democracy, and we laugh?
We’re laughing at ourselves being conned stupid
‘Scotland’s real people are like the Indian nations of America, the Aborigines of Australia, pick a minority people from anywhere in the world and Scots can be compared to that’
Exactly Dr Jim.
Wipe out Indigenous populations because they don’t conform to ‘British standards’.
Sticks like the proverbial. And still it continues.
Patriarchal, capitalist gain.
What makes you think that a majority of people living in Scotland want Independence? Should Unionists just have to suck it up and accept it as the will of the people?
Until a majority of the population get behind Independence supporting parties and prove there is an unequivocal majority in favour of Independence then what you propose is a non-starter.
Of course you’re correct Alex, it should be as you say, but now circumstances have changed and Scotland has been ordered into accepting and legitimising the politics of taking and keeping because you’re more powerful than whoever you take over, then arguing from that position that you are right because of that position
The question of freedom to choose is now even more important than the question of whether or not to choose independence or to remain not so
England’s supreme court decision made that clear, that’s why Nicola Sturgeon wanted that judgement so the people of Scotland could understand the conditions England has now imposed upon Scotland
England removed the human right of Scotland’s people’s freedom to choose, it amazes me still that so many people haven’t noticed that
(To be fair the media made sure they never pointed that out to the people)
The government Scotland elects has been disallowed to ask the people that elected them a question in the internationally accepted and recognised method of a democratic legitimate referendum
When the English government used their court system to do that they delegitimized their pretence of a democratic union of countries and declared Scotland a property of England
We live in a country now where the media openly asks the SNP politicians we elect what they are going to do when England says NO without pausing for one second that they are legitimizing and normalising England’s dictatorship
I used to be all about most of the people have most of the say, that’s democracy at work, but now we’re not even allowed to ask the people that question
I would support a policy of civil disobedience and other tactics such as the withdrawal of all MP’s from Westminster, boycott of the media ect ect.
Before that will have any impact at all we will need a majority of people clearly backing such action. I beleive it’s vital that first the people of Scotland know without doubt that there is majority support for Independence and that the right to be governed by who we choose is being denied us.
The other nations of the UK also need it shown to them that Scotland wants to be Independent as well as the rest of the world. It doesn’t take much to prove that. We need to persuade a majority of people to go out and vote for parties that have Independence as their only policy.
Once that is clear beyond doubt there will be no stopping Independence and that’s why the UK state is fighting so hard to break apart the SNP and destroy any possible means of the people being able to prove that Independence is what they want.
Until Independence supporters realise that and continue to attack the SNP and/or attack the Greens they will be working against their own best interests if that is Scotland becoming an Independent country.
I agree with these two statements:
(i) ‘Until a majority of the population get behind Independence supporting parties and prove there is an UNEQUIVOCAL MAJORITY in favour of Independence then what you propose is a non-starter’ – I would have hoped this to be self-evident but candidly, it can seem that some ‘theories of change’ proposed for achieving independence under-play that basic and challenging democratic requirement.
(The presence of what is perceived to be an ‘unequivocal majority’ is sort of what is implied in the Good Friday Agreement, the trigger for the Secretary of State to sanction a border poll.)
(ii) ‘The question of FREEDOM TO CHOOSE IS NOW EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE QUESTION OF WHETHER OR NOT TO CHOOSE INDEPENDENCE or to remain not so.’ (my emphasis) – it may well be that this issue – bound with a fundamental right to self-determination, especially in a (supposed) voluntary Union – would have more potency with voters right now!
Achieving the right of the electorate in Scotland, expressed through the Holyrood Parliament, to have agency (in perpetuity – for as long as required) over the holding of an electoral test on dissolving the Union would be a huge advance. It would be a game changer, even though it’s an intermediate outcome on the path to the final outcome of independence.
There was ‘pondering’ on such matters on Talking up Scotland recently: ‘Shifting stubbornly fixed views – are insights from the USA relevant here?’ (https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2023/10/12/shifting-stubbornly-fixed-views-are-insights-from-the-usa-relevant-here/ )
Not long to wait to find out what the SNP decides at conference tomorrow is its favoured way ahead.
“Until a majority of the population get behind Independence supporting parties”
Never forget 1979 and the fix of 40% of population. Majority of population is a massive trap for elections and referendums.
GE turnout 2019 – 68.1%. Majority of population would mean 50.1% from 68.1%, so 73.6% would have to vote for indy supporting parties.
HE turnout 2021 – 63.5%. Majority of population would mean 50.1% from 63.5%, so 78.9% would have to vote for indy supporting parties.
Never going to happen.
The only reason that the USA and India gained their Independence when they did was because it was clear that an overwhelming majority of the population of those countries were in support of Independence and an end to British rule.
the ‘wishy washy’ leadership legislated for an independence referendum to take place next week but were blocked by an imperialist undemocratic uk court.
With folk like you spouting about the ‘wishy washy’ leadership we are never going to winy any vote at all, have a word with yourself.
It is only the Scottish people who can get us out of the union by getting off their arses and voting for it. Will you vote for the only legitimate party who can achieve our aims or gripe at them and cause folk to give up.
Do you think it’s right that people who don’t even live here, should have a vote that affects the futures of those of us who do?
Oh, and a second question.
Do you think people who don’t live here and don’t have a vote, should tell those of us who do live here, are affected by the policies, and have a vote, what we should do with our vote?
Lisa Cameron has upped the ante – says she has been “forced into hiding” following a torrent of abuse. I can’t say I can summon up much sympathy for her. She could do the decent thing and resign her seat rather than insult her constituents further.
But if she does have any evidence of abuse then she can call the police. They can surely spare some time from their campervan inquiries to follow it up.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-67108282
It’s not surprising how people feel. Stealing the votes of Scottish SNP 2019 voters and giving these to the English Tories is abhorrent. People died fighting for the vote, and Cameron just robs them of that basic human right for personal gain.
She’s no different to the English government; neither are friends of the Scottish people.
Well she has enough houses to hide in – she owns six I believe.
It’s such good news that she’s no longer part of the SNP.
Clearly doing a truss, may, johnson thing. Toys, pram, mememe
She needs to repay the salary she has been paid to the constituents who voted for her.
Reckon the police are still being ‘too busy’ with their handcuffs tied to the British-state met branch of wigged, nodding heads.
An awful lot of underhand nastiness. Nothing’s changed over the centuries.
That’s quite funny. There have been several defections by elected councillors to the SNP over the years and I was about to make a snarky comment about double standards but instead I found this:
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14290715.glasgow-labour-councillor-defects-snp/
“Ms Aitken said: “He [Russell Robertson] and I spoke. He said he’d made the decision (to defect). I told him to think very hard about it and that he needed to be absolutely clear that this was definitely what he wanted.”
Good for her. Oh well, back to my tea.
Worth also noting that STV is a PR system, but it only properly gives voters the councillors they want when the wider council electorate is going to the polls. By-elections are a mess and may not be representative. Parties can lose a seat simply due to method, rather than any change in what the electorate desires. PR becomes better the more people that are voting. It falls down for very small electorates for obvious mathematical reasons. If only one seat is on offer, how can that be proportionally representative! So by-elections for a council under STV could readily give voters a council they didn’t vote for.
Westminster FPTP isn’t PR though, and can only ever deliver the correct candidate based on how it works. Hence Cameron has zero mandate now, while you cannot conclude the same with councillors moving parties under STV. If they triggered by-elections, it might make things less representative!
Yadda yadda yadda
I am happy to be corrected if you think there was something factually incorrect in my post.
You can do PR if multiple seats are up for grabs. It’s impossible if only one is being contested. STV is a preferential system, but giving that option doesn’t solve the problem for a single seat, it only softens the blow. I can want SNP, put green second, hold my nose and put Lab 3rd simply because I’d puke at a Tory. So I end up with e.g. Lab. I am not being represented; I didn’t want the lab.
So an SNP councillor could move to Lab, and if they triggered a by election, a Tory gets the seat. PR just can’t work with a single seat. I understand you have followed Scot Goes Pop, so will know all this; Kelly has explained it every time there’s been a council election.
So a councillor could swap parties and this is actually supported by the electorate under PR, but it falls down under an STV by-election. The move from e.g. SNP to Lab could be not supported at all, and the electorate wish a new Green councillor, but the by-election delivers a Tory. Only when all the seats are up for grabs does PR correct things.
It’s for this reason that I don’t believe I’ve ever demanded by-elections when a councillor has moved parties. It’s not going to achieve fairness most likely.
FPTP – how Cameron was elected – does what it does though. It can’t fail. It’s basically almost never representative, but if you leave a party, any mandate you have under that system instantly vanishes.
Anyhoo, I will end by saying ‘Yadda yadda yadda’ to save you the trouble in response to another factual post on an important subject for people to understand.
But this is a Tory! How despicable is that, specially this Tory den of thieves and liars. There really is no excuse.
Done for effect. Maybe Reform UK wouldn’t take her?
The R&HW by-election outcome told us Scots are sick of the UK and want out.
If you want to understand how things are going in England, this is the one to watch.
https://archive.ph/fFuvH
Starmer warned Tories could sneak ‘shot in the arm’ by-election win in red wall battle
The most significant word in that article is “IF”. Like the film, a fantasy of violent posh boys.
Bastirt 😦
That was the rugby by the way 😦
Ach, it was only Argentina. And there are plenty of my compatriots in Patagonia.
It’s not as if we lost to England … 😉
Sir Kid Starver was telling Nick Ferrari and The Times 3 days ago that Israel does have the right to cut off electricity and water to Gaza.
Sir Kid Starver advocating breaking International Law. Should we be surprised ?
Blair has taught him well.
Now in his latest U-turn in the last couple of hours after seeing which way the wind is blowing he has put out a statement that includes what he should have been saying in the first place.
“We call on all parties to act in line with international law, including allowing humanitarian access of food, water, electricity and medicines to Gaza and ensuring safe humanitarian corridors in Gaza for those fleeing violence.”
This man is a hypocrite of the highest order, he’s right up there with the pathetic Johnson and making him Prime Minister will be a massive mistake.
About time, Kid Starver at his best.
Boilerplate – probably after a focus group meeting conducted by SPADS. Hopeless charlatan.
Yes, and that’s exactly the way he will behave as Prime Minister. He will be a laughing stock with the rest of the international community.
He is someone who can never make his mind up and a con-man who will about turn and head in the opposite direction at the drop of a hat.
He is a fake and unfit to run a raffle never mind a government.
You can understand why people in Gaza, including Scots such as our FM’s family, don’t want to leave their homes. They could be slaughtered at point blank range by Israeli militants:
https://archive.ph/Zs7t0
Gaza civilians afraid to leave home after bombing of ‘safe routes’
Analysis of aerial photos and social media posts confirms attack on road identified as safe by Israeli army…
…Video and pictures of the aftermath of the attack show 12 dead bodies, most of whom are women and children, the youngest about two years old, and several damaged vehicles.
Starmer is like a big plate of boiled rice with no flavour , nobody’s going to eat that unless they’re desperately hungry
Starmers whole existence and hope for election is the failure of the Tories to recover, that’s not a political strategy, that’s just a ghoul hoping for somebody to die to get himself a meal, and the Tories are always a long way from dead in England
Incredibly there are folk who still believe the Kid Starver is only playing to the gallery and once he is in number 10 he will rescind all the right wing rhetoric and be everything the socialist left hope a Labour Govt will be.
I’m sorry but anyone who believes this charlatan will change tack if elected is in for a shock. Know them by their deeds and this affront to socialism is not fit to lead anyone . He is a pied piper and a fraud.
The entire “Labour” party is a giant fraud.
This is the voice of the “Labour” party.
Thornberry twisting and turning , attempting to avoid a straight answer – because she KNOWS that the response of Israel in Palestine is wrong .
This is the same Emily Thornberry who was one of the 6 original sponsors in Westminster of ‘The Friends of Palestine and the Middle East ‘ in 2009 !
She is also a member of the ‘Labour Friends of Israel ‘ .
People are entitled to support whatever it is they want to support but I just cannot understand why so many members of a foreign parliament would feel the need to express support for another parliament some place far away.
There is much hypocrisy in the stated aims of the Labour Friends of Israel who claim to support a “peaceful two-state solution” when you hear them talk now on TV. Both Thornberry and Starmer are members.
Read their website it says this:
We promote a vision of peace founded on coexistence, cooperation, and mutual respect and recognition between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples. We support political, economic and civic society initiatives to further the cause of peace and a two-state solution. We advocate for peacebuilders in both Israel and Palestine in their work to achieve these vital goals.
Those claims have rung rather hollow these past few days.
LFI PARLIAMENTARY SUPPORTERS
LFI is proud to be supported by Labour parliamentarians in the UK Parliament, Scottish Parliament, Welsh Senedd and local government who support our values and aims in working towards a peaceful two-state solution with a secure Israel and an independent, viable and democratic Palestinian state.
See below for a full list of LFI officers and parliamentary supporters:
LFI Officers:
Steve McCabe MP, LFI Chair
Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale, LFI Lords Chair
Chris Evans MP, LFI vice-chair
Sharon Hodgson MP, LFI vice-chair
Dame Diana Johnson MP, LFI vice-chair
Lord Kennedy of Southwark, LFI vice-chair
Peter Kyle MP, LFI vice-chair
Rt. Hon Pat McFadden MP, LFI vice-chair
Conor McGinn MP, LFI vice-chair
Catherine McKinnell MP, LFI vice-chair
Rachel Reeves MP, LFI vice-chair
Jonathan Reynolds MP, LFI vice-chair
Rt. Hon John Spellar MP, LFI vice-chair
LFI Parliamentary Supporters:
Mike Amesbury MP
Fleur Anderson MP
Rt. Hon Hilary Benn MP
Chris Bryant MP
Rt. Hon Liam Byrne MP
Bambos Charalambous MP
Feryal Clark MP
Rt. Hon Yvette Cooper MP
Neil Coyle MP
Jon Cruddas MP
Janet Daby MP
Hefin David MS
Wayne David MP
Thangam Debbonaire MP
Rosie Duffield MP
Dame Angela Eagle MP
Maria Eagle MP
Chris Elmore MP
Florence Eshalomi MP
Barry Gardiner MP
Preet Gill MP
Mary Glindon MP
Lilian Greenwood MP
Mark Griffin MSP
Nia Griffith MP
Andrew Gwynne MP
Fabian Hamilton MP
Carolyn Harris MP
Rt. Hon Dame Margaret Hodge MP
Sir George Howarth MP
Dan Jarvis MP
Daniel Johnson MSP
Darren Jones MP
Kevan Jones MP
Mike Kane MP
Liz Kendall MP
Rt. Hon David Lammy MP
Kim Leadbeater MP
Siobhain McDonagh MP
Alison McGovern MP
Stephen Morgan MP
Alex Norris MP
Paul O’Kane MSP
Abena Oppong-Asare MP
Taiwo Owatemi MP
Toby Perkins MP
Jess Phillips MP
Bridget Phillipson MP
Lucy Powell MP
Ellie Reeves MP
Virendra Sharma MP
Barry Sheerman MP
Jeff Smith MP
Karin Smyth MP
Rt. Hon. Sir Keir Starmer MP
Wes Streeting MP
Graham Stringer MP
Gareth Thomas MP
Emily Thornberry MP
Karl Turner MP
Derek Twigg MP
Christian Wakeford MP
Catherine West MP
Martin Whitfield MSP
Rt. Hon Dame Rosie Winterton MP
Rt Hon Lord Anderson of Swansea
Rt Hon Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top
Lord Blunkett
Rt Hon Lord Boateng
Lord Clarke of Hampstead CBE
Lord Collins of Highbury
Baroness Crawley
Lord Donoughue
Rt Hon Lord Foulkes of Cumnock
Baroness Gale
Lord Grantchester
Rt Hon Lord Hain
Lord Harrison
Lord Haskel
Dr Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town
Rt Hon Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
Baroness Kennedy of Cradley
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
Lord Levy
Rt Hon Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke
Lord Livermore
Lord Maxton
Baroness Merron
Lord Mitchell
Lord Murphy of Torfaen
Lord Rooker
Lord Tomlinson
Rt Hon Lord Touhig
Lord Turnberg Kt
Lord Watson
Lord Watts
Lord Winston
Lord Wood of Anfield
Lord Young of Norwood Green
https://www.lfi.org.uk/lfi-parliamentary-supporters/
“We promote a vision…” would have sufficed…
The “two state solution” could have been achieved any time in the last 30 years, but for the intransigence of some in political power in Israel determined to prevent it.
Deliberately provoking palestinians at every opportunity under threat of the gun was not written into the Oslo accords.
Friend of Palestine, Jeremy Corbyn, kicked out of the Labour Party.
Latest Savanta (which is not known to favour Yes/SNP due to non-industry standard 2014 weighting) has 49(nc)% ready to vote for independence first thing tomorrow.
If there were a referendum on Scottish independence tomorrow with the question, ‘Should Scotland be an independent country?’, how would you vote?
Just give these people a ballot paper. No need for any white papers on indy. No need to explain how the border with our unfriendly neighbour might work. Euro would be fine for them if that’s the plan. They don’t mind how long it might take to get in the EU; a few weeks to many years – whatever is all fine. They are already sold on the indy economy being as good as or better. Just give them a way to clearly say they want out of this Brexit British s**tshow and they will do it tomorrow.
Anyhow, this latest poll continues to support baseline Yes hitting 50% on October 5th; the day Scots began to cross the Rubicon. That’s why almost nobody turned out for the British union jack knees up in Rutherglen and Hamilton West. Bizarrely, the British parties celebrated this.
I note that CTV in the poll for the indyref (69%) is considerably higher than for a UKGE (63%). Scots interested in Scotland politically, not England/Britain.
Starmer has a Jewish family. Half of Israel do not agree with their government. The PM is corrupt on criminal charges. 4 elections in a year. Total collapse.
Labour really need to win the Tamworth by-election comfortably like they when they too the seat in the 1999, 2001 and 2005 UKGE’s under Blair. It was Labour’s for 11 years with an average double digit lead.
It’s not a safe Tory seat, but a swing seat, as the English state broadcaster notes:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-67105681
Historically Tamworth has flipped between the two main parties, often in line with the national mood.
And I hope they do win it as a Labour government is better than a Tory one for indy. It was a decade of New Labour that catapulted the SNP to power in 2007/2011, leading to iref1. We should all be hoping for their return to jog people’s memories. Right-wing rule. Private sector money in the NHS, schools etc. ‘British jobs for British workers’ (not for Scots, Welsh, Irish no, but for Brits), illegal wars and economic ruin. This time they are now English nationalist pro-brexit, anti-devolution and anti-Scottish (no iref2).
So folks, cross your fingers for a high turnout and a solid Labour win to take us another good few steps across the Rubicon.
UK lost £100Billion because of Brexit. Increased prices etc. The EU contribution cost £4Billion net. Scotland has lost £10Billion. CAP payments, loans and grants, shared Defence costs lost.
UK raises £731Billion in taxes and revenues. Westminster spends £1090Billion. 2020/21. Scotland raises £87Billion. Spends £54Billion. Westminster spends the rest.
2019/20 UK raised £817Billion. UK Gov whole accounts.
UK Gov spends £125Billion on NHS a year, since 2015. Not increased it. Scotland has to mitigate it.
UK Gov spends £100Billion on Education. Cut £6Billion a year since 2015. £48Billion. £250Billion on pensions/benefits. Not increased. The administration costs nearly as much as the pay out. Increasing the payout would
cut cost.
Wasting monies on HS2, Trident, Hickley Point etc. £Billions wasted. £13Billion a year on decommissioning nuclear. Over £130Billion. More later. Wasting £Billion on redundant weaponry. Illegal weapon sales and illegal wars.
How does anyone think they will get independence voting Labour unionist? Disillusioned.
We want England to vote Labour. This will get Scots to vote for indy.
Geissler came across as a tired grizzled faced old Brit Has- Been as he attempted to bully the fresh faced 30 year old Mairi McAllen on his ‘show’. not ‘programme’, this morning.
It is a ‘show’, of course. It is the Laugh-In that keeps giving for the onlooking Jack Ross Murray Sarwar Cole Hamilton Baillie audience lots to be happy about as Geissler churns out their Better Together nonsense like a good little attack puppy.
He,like Derbyshire before him when she interviewed HY, managed to get in all the Brit Better Together Project smear bullet points, attempting to and failing pathetically to shout down this clearly lucid calm young politician by hurling the By election ‘thumping’ in her face, Cameron’s defection, the bullying Bad SNP WM, the polls, and of course, the hoary old chestnut, ‘but WM will just say No, and what will you do then?’ mantra, used by every fecking Brit Jock Hack for a ‘generation’ now.
McAllen is of course the next generation of Independence politicians.
Geissler, a tired old man hanging on to his fee paying Brit BBC privileged job for the boys sinecure by his chewed fingernails.
The Daily Record has given up his Clydeside Brit stockade and is now sharing a floor in a suite of offices in Douglas Street with other Brit Rags…doubtless ‘savings’ imposed by their masters in London.
It can’t be long before the last helicopter takes off from the rooftop of BBC Jockland’s Plantation Quay stockade with Magnusson Geissler Kaye Robertson and Campbell hanging on to the rope ladder as it is pulled up into the safety of the fleeing Brit Escape Pod.
What a sad dejected figure Geissler now cuts.
What a great description of the “Show”, Guisser(?) is truly a bitter old man – Mhairi was great, a good youthful look and sound about her.
The Brit Hacks will be rummaging through her (7?) dustbins looking for dirt as I type, barpe.
Mightily impressive handling of the tired old bully by the a leading light of the ‘next generation’ of independence supporters.
How many dog whistle Brits watch this gunge any more?
Of course we are not alowed to know audience numbers, as it is ‘commercial in confidence’?
England will pump millions into BBC in Jockland….as long as they keep telling us all that Scotland is a basket case.
Don’t know if this will play. It’s a tik tok clip about how water has been rationed for Palestinians for decades. They are banned from digging wells and any means of collecting even rain water destroyed. If this is true how have the international community tolerated it?
Unprovoked?
https://tinyurl.com/2p8xrkb9
I would not trust X formerly known as twatter, Lifehacker aka face book, or TikTok aka chinese state run tool.
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/tiktok-data-privacy
Some facts will be there but majority is a load o shite
I prefer to go to horses mooth or a mair trusted media source.
But guardian had this a year ago.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/17/how-israel-uses-water-to-control-west-bank-palestine
And on UN site
https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/matter-life-and-death-water-runs-out-2-million-people-gaza
A long read but has full details on water..
https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-197919/
I did check the document he quoted from i.e. Amnesty International on Israeli military order 158.
Checks out so looks genuine to me
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2017/11/the-occupation-of-water/#:~:text=In%20November%201967%20the%20Israeli,permit%20from%20the%20Israeli%20army.
Maybe Gaza and the West Bank would have access to water without depending in Israel if they’d spent the money on utilities, hospitals, schools etc instead of weapons to destroy Israel/Jews with
“The Palestinians have been the recipients of an estimated $40 billion in foreign aid since 1994—some of the largest per capita support of any group globally. Yet the economies in both Gaza and the West Bank are in shambles—effectively bankrupt—due largely to rampant corruption and the costs of fighting Israel rather than developing their economic foundations. ”
https://www.jns.org/why-do-radicals-support-palestinians-seeking-to-destroy-israel-and-kill-jews/
Sorry to burst your bubble, but the Jewish News Syndicate are a platform for propaganda which would make even HMS James Cook appear honest…
Every red cent of foreign aid has been meticulously and independently accounted for, and verified by both donors and the Israeli Government as going nowhere near “the bad guys” for a good many years.
A long read, and a few years old, but many anti Israeli/Jew myths countered with facts
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/myths-and-facts-human-rights-in-israel-and-the-territories
Palestinians are not the perfect people, do you all remember them celebrating 9/11?
I think we can conclude that Jewish and Palestinian people are as good / bad as each other.
There is of course a well known term for those that argue one people are superior the other; it begins with an r and applies to those on both sides who are the root cause of all the strife we are witnessing.
Leaders of jewish/palestinian people are as bad as each other.
Both sides need to compromise.
But both have wrong people in charge on one side a right wing war mongering no compromise government.
On the other a babaric terrorist group equally barbaric to its own people and israeli civilians alike , who unlike the PLO will not compromise.
All we can wish for is minimal civilian casulalties on both sides
And maybe a peace deal can eventually be done.
“This former Israeli politician believes peace is still possible”
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/yossi-beilin-hamas-israel-war-1.6991612
Big takes from small, if small doesn’t do anything about it big always wins
The international community hand wrings pearl clutches and even condemns from time to time but they’re big too
What is it worth to those that can interfere and how do you make them do it?
Ukraine is the easy obvious answer, a potential powerful buffer to keep Russia at bay, so helping them helps the big
What can Scotland offer to help the big? well absolutely massively everything
Why don’t the big help Scotland then? well we don’t appear to want any help do we, we make no fuss, we accept, we allow the English media to paint the story they want to paint, and Scotland being denied media of our own we cannot paint our own story
So who and what’s in the way of Scotland showing the big what’s happening here?
A primary rule of occupation of a country: Take control of communications and promote your own propaganda
A primary requirement of ousting a foreign occupier: Destroy their communications
It’s 2023 in the digital modern world, wax on wax off, we have the power to rebuild you, switch you on or off, up or down Yes or No, In or Out, never take your eyes off your opponent, it’s TV Kung Fu
BBC Scotland at who’s service is it ?
Imagine if the Jewish declaration of an Israeli state had failed, and instead the Palestinians had defeated them in the related war, forcing the Palestinian Jewish population to flee their homes / lands en masse for refugee camps in Gaza and the West Bank.
Not content with controlling the bulk of Palestine, the Palestinians then occupied the West Bank and proceeded to build new settlements there, further displacing the native Jewish population.
We’d be now witnessing identical events, but the opposite way around. The Jewish people would be the ‘militants’ with groups like the first-century AD Jewish Sicarii sect conducting suicide bombings against Palestinians. Meanwhile the latter would be bombing them from above, massing troops at the border for an invasion of Gaza.
“But here’s something that puzzles me: is not victim-blaming counted among the worst of crimes wherever courses on faith and diversity, race and ethnicity, feminist philosophy and so on are taught. Or is victim-blaming an academic luxury not afforded to Jews? Israelis, do I mean? I understand the distinction. The separation between Israel and Jews is fundamental to anti-Zionist discourse. Anti-Semitic, I am assured repeatedly, is the last thing anti-Zionists are.”
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/15/victim-blaming-is-a-crime-to-so-many-progressives-except-when-it-comes-to-jews
I don’t understand your post. In my example, people from both sides are killing each other, but just the roles are reversed so they are now using the method the other current uses. No victim shaming was made to either side.
I am aware of the wide spectrum from Jewish person through to Zionist. I would not try to group these into two. You have peaceful Zionists that believe in a two state solution for example.
I do not that see to lump all Palestinians together into one are not the perfect people,
…that posted before I was finished. Above you grouped all Palestinians, including Muslims, Christians non-Zionist Jews etc etc into one group:
https://tinyurl.com/5kzww9jw
Palestinians are not the perfect people
And made a generalisation about them all. I have not tarred any single people, nor done any victim blaming. Both the Isreali and Palestinian people are victims of the conflict. My post above was just an exercise in showing how we are all Jock Tamson’s bairns. The average Palestinian is the same as the average Israeli. Neither is inherently better/worse than the other. All have evil people in their populations. Racists, imperialists, religious extremists… the long running conflict brings them to the fore.
If Scots were trapped in enclaves after England had taken most of their land, we’d be fighting back any way we could too. Reverse things and English people would be doing the same thing. The nasty folk on both sides would love it as they prey on hatred and division to further themselves.
Amendment A has passed so a majority of seats in the next GE will be seen as a mandate for the powers to hold an Independence Referendum ( a section 30 order):
A: TRANSFER OF POWERS Insert at end of resolution: Conference further agrees that the SNP manifesto for the next Westminster election will demand the permanent transfer of legal power to the Scottish Parliament to determine how Scotland is governed, including the transfer of power to enable it to legislate for a referendum
Conference further agrees that should an incoming UK Government continue to refuse the demands of the Scottish people to decide their own future, consideration should be given to fighting the next Scottish Parliament election in 2026 as a de facto referendum on independence; and that a majority at that election for the SNP – or the SNP and any other party with which we have reached a pro-independence agreement – will be considered a mandate to negotiate independence.
I am in support of this, a Holyrood election where 16 year olds and EU citizens can vote is my preference for a de-facto referendum. We can be pretty certain that no matter who constitutes the next UK government a Section 30 if asked for would be refused.
I think even more certain is a refusal to pass the power for the decision to hold a referendum to Holyrood. That’s never going to happen but we might as well get that made official by the incoming government and show that whether it is Tory or Labour in power there is no difference when it comes to the Westminster attitude towards democracy in Scotland.
The Scottish people should have the right to choose their own destiny, no one else.
I don’t disagree.
Sensible plan. Will Labour grant the S30 mandate of Holyrood 2021 +/- UK2024, allowing Scots to freely chose life under an English Labour UK government? Or will they be identical to the Tories, refusing this, showing Scots that there is no alternative to the Tories at all… That this was all a myth… That the illegal warmongers are back, now are behind brexit and on right-wing steroids?
As Blairism delivered us SNP wins in 2007 and 2011, breaking the back of Labour in Scotland, I’d be pretty confident of a Yes to indy in Holyrood 2026. And that was with New Labour granting devo, not attacking it as they plan! A majority voted for Yes parties in 2021 on a record turnout and baseline Yes has been growing by 0.5% a year since. And the great thing for Yousaf is, that due to PR, the Yes vote could split and still win. In Catalonia, the Yes party vote is split into multiple parties, but still wins elections as it’s PR.
I really, really hope that Labour win England. There’s no chance they’ll get a majority of the vote here, so we can be confident they won’t have any mandate for rule of Scotland. They will become the ‘Right-wing Labour government Scots didn’t vote for’. A first I believe, and what breaks the UK. They seem stuck on ~70% of Scots opposing English Labour rule from London. That’s as hated as the Tories. It would be such a great irony given Labour were the ones to coin the phrase of ‘Scots getting a London government they didn’t vote for’.
Even if we had a 2010 moment, their support shot up into the 40’s and they won the most seats, they’d still have no mandate to refuse iref2, as that comes from Holyrood 2021. A unionist victory under PR in 2026 would be required to undo that for a few years until the next UKGE, next Holyrood GE…
It’s the disadvantage the union has. It’s not for life, but indy is. The union can end, but indy won’t.
Fingers crossed for a big turnout and Labour win in Tamworth! ‘Mon Starver the kid Starver!
Your misreading this, the transfer of powers is constitutional and will include which is to ( specific purpose) the power to legislate for a referendum. All permanent.
Golfnut
Yes, sorry, what’s proposed isn’t a single section 30 order, but a permanent one.
Which should be the case in a democracy where England is a country friendly to Scotland within the UK union.
No its the removal of the constitutional superiority of westminster.
Yes, absolutely. I just employed a simple way of explaining to make it understandable to all potential readers. Instead of the right being temporarily bestowed ‘legally’, it becomes permanently so.
Which is how it should be.
I used inverted commas because this is England forcing it’s laws on Scots.
FFS admit you fucked up some times.
You really are a pretty unpleasant person. You should really admit this sometimes.
I quote myself:
Yes, sorry, what’s proposed isn’t a single section 30 order
You have energy andenthusiasm, but you compltely waste that by never admittting (like now) you made a mistake, and waffling on far too much. Criticism are for your benefit, it makes no odds to me personally.
Saying:
Yes, sorry, what’s proposed isn’t a single section 30 order
Isn’t admitting you made a mistake and apologising for that.
And it was pretty much an irrelevant point to my argument anyway, which was about Labour also trying to block an iref in every way and the effects of that.
Oki doki.
And if you decide to venture out into the rough world of the likes of BTL on the DT, DM, Record, Scotsman, you need to toughen up.
Name calling and swearing at people from the anonymous safety of your laptop is the total opposite of being tough.
From the resolution: “will demand the permanent transfer of legal power ”
That’s not actually an S30 Order, which is a temporary override. A permanent change would be the removal of the Union as a reserved power, or an insertion to allow the ScotGov to do a referendum. It’s an important difference.
Sample wording for that change to the Scotland Act (now 2016) was in the December 2019 Scotland’s Choice paper or some such date and title. The UK Gov and parliament of course just ignored that, and Brexit actually happened to change things yet again.
https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-right-choose-putting-scotlands-future-scotlands-hands/
Annex B: draft legislation
https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/corporate-report/2019/12/scotlands-right-choose-putting-scotlands-future-scotlands-hands/documents/scotlands-right-to-choose-putting-scotlands-future-in-scotlands-hands/scotlands-right-to-choose-putting-scotlands-future-in-scotlands-hands/govscot%3Adocument/scotlands-right-choose-putting-scotlands-future-scotlands-hands. pdf (remove space)
jings a ridiculously long URI
The BBC have reported on the SNP conference vote backing Humza Yousaf’s plan for independence. No videos of this historic event so the BBC maybe couldn’t get their cameras all the way up to Aberdeen. But luckily Angus Cochrane made it with his smart phone and took a photo.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-67116489
The SNP video of conference can be viewed here – includes address to conference by proponents of both Israel and Palestine (Nadia El Nakla):
The way it should be. So proud Scotland wouldn’t treat my wife the way England/Britain has.
Betcha loads of proud brits who insist they are not Scots, old or new, but ‘British Citizens in Scotland’ would take this up, particularly if it means an EFTA/EEA/EU passport in due course.
The North of Ireland is now stuffed with brexit voting ‘loyalists’ so loyal to the UK they have an Irish passport.
https://archive.ph/klXNS
SNP: Everyone living in Scotland on independence day will get citizenship
I wonder if the Indy movement will get behind this latest from the SNP conference, and if support for the SNP will rise again?
On the one hand putting Indy front and centre might antagonise non-indy voters, but on the other hand not making 2024 a de facto referendum might not be enough for the septics. (or is it sceptics!). That would be the worse of both worlds for the SNP who could dive down to 6 MPs or even less – a disaster for them and Indy, possibly regardless of the 2026 result.
I actually reserve judgement. And my vote, which is mine and belongs to me, nobody else, not even our cat.
Personally, I am not focussed on the SNP gaining power. I am interested in indy. Seems Scots feel the same. I like that they had to form a coalition with the Greens in 2021. This means consensus policy so progress. I think some Green policy is not remotely evidenced based, so I would not vote for them as it stands, but they are 10% of Scots now. These should have their influence.
Good thing is that if Scots want indy, it can’t be stopped in a defacto election iref. It’s even very difficult to stop Yes parties getting a majority on the back of it. If they top 50% under PR, it’s nearly impossible for them not to also get a majority of seats. Major splits wouldn’t even stop this.
We could have the SNP on 25%, the Greens on 15%, ISP on 5%, Alba on 5%, and the Scottish libertarians on 0.01% in a defacto Holyrood 2026 and that’s it, independence. Libertarians would have no seats, but the rest would. Labour could make big FPTP constituency gains, yet that just means the Yes parties get more seats on the list, so still win.
The beauty of PR.
If Scots want indy, there’s no stopping it. It’s so ironic that the system Labour gave Holyrood to stop the SNP is the one that will deliver indy because Scots back that proportionally.
It’s this type of comment from elsewhere that destroys the credibility of the one making it, and makes any kind of debate totally polarised with no hope of meaningful conclusions:
“The SNP has 44 MPs now, and has not managed to enter independence negotiations.”
It wasn’t in the 2019 manifesto (or any other), and they weren’t mandated to do so. QEFD.
“or any other”
in the last 10 or 20 years, as apparently it was in 20th century ones.
Another example and just the start. Do you remember the protest marches against English Labour in Scotland the last time they were in power? That was against a relatively moderate centre-right Blarism warmongering party. This time it will be far, far bigger.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-67115741
Stroud councillor quits Labour over Starmer comments
A Labour councillor has resigned from the party over comments made by Sir Keir Starmer about the Israel Gaza war.
Jessie Hoskin, a councillor for Cainscross ward on Stroud District Council, posted on Facebook she was unhappy about his remarks “supporting war crimes against Palestinian people”.
In a recent LBC interview, Mr Starmer said “Israel has the right” to withhold power and water from the Gaza Strip.
“All targeting of civilian life should be condemned,” said Ms Hoskin.
Labour winning the next election in England is still far from a done deal
Tories only need to *put a smell on them* of distrust over Brexit and it’s over, plus Jeremy Corbyn hasn’t been weaponised by the media against Starmer yet
The afternoon discussion from the SNP Conference with the debate on independence strategy. It takes 6 mins to get to the start:
Scotland have qualified for the Euro finals in 2024 with two games still to play which is their best ever result in the qualification stage for a major tournament. You wouldn’t know it though if you had to rely on UK state TV as not one of their qualifying games was shown live and yet every England and Wales game was.
Scotland are on on their way and are the first UK nation to do so.
Will they show it if Scotland win?
Yes they will show all the games of the UEFA European Championships after the qualification stage. This tournament is one of the “Catagory A” events as stipulated by Westminster and overseen by Ofcom that must be shown live on council telly.
When the law that protects certain sports was first brought in all Home Nation International matches were to be protected but that didn’t go through in the final draft. Even so, since then I believe all of England’s matches have been available on free-to-view and barely any of Scotland’s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ofcom_Code_on_Sports_and_Other_Listed_and_Designated_Events
I think the SNP should add another amendment to their strategy – about broadcasting and football. 😂
Congratulations to Scotland – and following our own result tonight: hoping to join you soon in Deutschland!
(And to independence as well, of course, big bro!)
In 2015 the Tories won the General Election with just 36.9% of the vote, on a 66.2% turnout. They got an overall majority of the seats – 331 against 319,
According to UK Westminster convention, this gave the Conservatives the mandate to hold the Brexit referendum. No questions asked, no moans, nobody saying: “But but but that means that 63.1% were against the Brexit referendum.”.
Now there are those saying that if the SNP won a majority of the seats but with 36.9% of the vote, they wouldn’t have a mandate for the first entry in their manifesto – Independence.
Get a brain, or as the yanks would say “Blow it …..”
Colonial assets of the English empire have no legal rights to such things as mandates
Freedom can only be bought or granted by the owners of Scotland’s population
The English media in Scotland will still ask “what will you do when they say NO?”
And there will still be Scots who will not understand what England is saying
From the Herald about the SNP complaints etc:
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23856507.snp-complaints-system-caused-injustice-harm-party-admits/
It identifies “pressure caused by a huge increase in membership in 2014/15 and a failure to match this with the structural change needed to serve a mass member organisation.
“In recent years the party has developed, what at times can appear to be a top-down culture, which whilst producing very effective campaigns and electoral victories, has failed to meet members’ expectations and needs and, increasingly, failed to measure up to contemporary best practice governance.”
The references to “top-down culture” and a lack of best practice appear to be about the dominance of Ms Sturgeon and her husband Peter Murrell, the former SNP chief executive.”
I’m in the unusual position of feeling a need to defend that.
It was incredibly obvious to me and others of course, that this was indeed the position. But the thing is with the unique situation of having the leader and chief exec married, there were obvious huge advantages in keeping that top-down structure, with the CE able to use all resources to cover the back of the leader (to me there were very visible and indeed invisible signs of that happening), and 2015 GE was an example. But to get Indy Ref 2 – and win it, it could be argued that keeping the control at the top would optimise protection from attacks on the leader, and hence the figurehead of Independence.
That’s enough about that, there are obvious huge disadvantages in terms of party to compensate for the advantages in terms of trying to get Indy; for me indy before party always wins of course, but the situation has changed, and perhaps the SNP needs to revert to its previous fully democratic former self, and perhaps with all haste.
Usual biased article from the Herald a paper I don’t normally read as a matter of principle . The comments and upticks were informative of their readership too. It is clear better vetting of Snp candidates is a good idea and a clearer complaints process too but I struggle to have sympathy for Lisa Cameron other she may be suffering from mental health problems and not making rational decisions. Complaints about bullying within the Snp pale in comparison to the Tories and in my opinion Labour as well
The Herald is quite interesting, They and the Daily Record campaigned strongly for Devo, and both seem to be quite concerned that Devo is being destroyed by the Tories. The Herald criticises the SNP, but also the Tories, perhaps giving Labour an easy ride in the hope they’d be better in Government for Devo.
Below the line there, during Indy Ref 1 indy supporters were the winners I’d say, with Unionist comments being quite easy to destroy (like OBE). Afterwards the unionists paid more attention as the Herald was quite close to coming out for Indy (I think), in the end it nailed its colours for Devo in a very strong editorial.
Now the Unionists are the best posters btl, only one or two sensible Indy posters, and one or two, well, not very good. It needs more Indy supporters to pay the subs to post there, when it’s time. Not me I’m afraid, I did my bit and normal life has resumed. Same for DDM, an AG, PC, MB, and others. Like PP 🙂
Just to add to that when it appears, it was about keeping momentum. including after the UKSC S34.
I wake up to discover Scotland is heading to Europe in 2024.
Hopefully in more ways that one.
Anyone else notice that Scotland started Qualifying for the Euros again after brexit? Like our country is saying something? 🙂
I raise you one World Cup, S_S 😉
However, as I said previously, seems we’re following in your slip-stream, too. Can’t help feeling pleased (makes up a little for the rugby, in any case.)
And who would have thunk it that the Afghans defeated the Englanders in another ball game over the weekend?
I guess the ideal outcome for the UKGE would actually be a relatively narrow Labour win in England, giving them a slim majority. They also fail in Scotland to get more than the 30% apparently ceiling share they are polling. Ideally less. Being rejected more than the (to quote labour) ‘Hated Tories’ (29% in 2017) would be perfect.
In England, they maybe get something in the mid to upper 30’s due to vote splitting to the Lib Dems driven by all anti-migrant talk, staying away from the EU, the retention of the HoL again etc. This means they have no real mandate anywhere, but do have a majority of MPs, so could pass into law that Holyrood can legislate for a referendum at any time; a transfer of powers previously done via a Section 30, but on a permanent basis. This would not just reflect an SNP win (fingers crossed), but the iref2 mandate that already exists.
So a narrow win for Labour in Tamworth would be good. That or they come extremely close. Either would indicate a tighter full GE outcome, just as the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election, and, importantly, the English local elections did.
The narrowest of win for Labour ( or the Tories ) at the GE is all it needs for The Kid Starver and his apparatchiks to continue with the unionist mantra re. Scotland – ”Now is not the time !”.
As Yesindyref2 says above , Cameron got a narrow win in 2015 but despite an almost total wipe-out of Tory/Labour in Scotland , and a vote against Brexit , we were completely ignored .
Theresa May got an even narrower ” victory” in 2017 but continued relentlessly with ‘Now is not the time !” while Scotland elected a clear majority of Independence MPs .
Ditto the completely reprehensible Johnson , Truss and Sarwar .
Listening to every utterance of The Kid Starver on the rare occasions he deigns to consider Scotland , he has shown NO indication whatsoever of accepting the democratic vote of the Scottishvoters . A ONE seat victory for him in Westminster is carte blanche to treat Scotland with the same contempt as the other Tories have been doing for the last 13 years .
But the key is a Labour government. We don’t need England’s permission for independence, but we need it to be the clear will of Scots. We need Scots to decide they want indy and it’s clear to them that this is what their fellow countryfolk want. We don’t need to convince London we want indy, but Scots themselves. When that happens, its all over. England resists that and Yes could rise to the 3/4 seen in 1997 devo.
As you say, the British parties hate Scottish people and our own political parties. Even if they knew that 60% of Scots wanted indy, if they thought Scots themselves were not sure this was the case, they’d continue to just ignore us. Their whole approach is based on Scots not being sure Scots want indy; that’s the only way they can get away with what they are currently doing.
For the union to survive, it needs Scots to back either Lab or Con for Westminster. We never back Con since thatcher, but the idea that if Labour get in we’ll be happy can still be sold. If Labour get in and we’re not happy – which will be the case – it’s all over.
We have not had a ‘hated English Labour government in London Scots didn’t vote for before’. It looks like we are about to, and that changes everything IMO. A Labour win in England but loss in Scotland would be seismic.
There were 5829 words in Sir Keir Starmer’s conference speech last week and none of them was ‘Wales’ or ‘Cymru’ or ‘Mark’ or ‘Drakeford’.
https://nation.cymru/opinion/ghosted-there-were-5829-words-in-sir-keir-starmers-conference-speech-last-week-and-none-of-them-was-wales/
I’m sure that the SFA will be writing to EUFA demanding that they ban YES Saltires from grounds during Scotland’s matches next summer.
I note the headline in the National (whose ‘Sports’ articles are merely a cut and paste of fitba’ Ranjers and Sellik bumph from the Brit Rag Herald, that Scotland qualified ‘by default’ thanks to a Gavi goal for Spain in Norway.
The bitter sour grapes of the Fitba’ hacks at the Herald/Record/ Scotsman knows no bounds.
They’re at it already.
The thought of Germany being flooded with tens of thousands of kilt wearing saltire waving Scots (whether ‘New’ or ‘Old’ Scots) in the middle of an election year has the Brits spitting teeth in rage..
Scotland (we) qualified because we took 15 points from our first five games, beating Norway and Spain on the way.
Spain had no part in our success.
We qualified with two games to spare.
I don’t subscribe to the National, because of this Brit Rangers Sports crap.
Scotland is the Gaza of these isles.
We are ‘allowed’ that which England ‘permit us to have.
The SNP Conference ‘strategy’ appears to be the same old same old.
It will keep HY and the continuity gang in a job for 110 or 20 years, as they once more adopt the Cap in Hand ‘strategy’ of hoping for a majority yet again, then setting up a constitutional convention, not no caps, (Douglas Alexander was touting this obfuscating meaningless crap during the 2014 Referendum) and inviting any old politician and civic bigwig to the hall to spend even more of my precious time (76 years young) talking about how unfair it all is that England says No.
I caught Mairi McAllen on Guissler’s Brexit Sunday show.
She and her ilk are the Present, not the Future.
If the SNP / Green win the most seats/votes next year, England will still say No.
The only option then is Civil War in Linesman 4 Jobs Ross’ divided Scotland?
Asking for a friend.
Discuss on one side of an A4.
HY is not the person for the job.
He is a makeweight, shoe horned in as continuity’ seat warmer, so that the SNP machine can trundle along for a decade or so more, and Wishart and Co collect their pensions and Alister Jack is anointed Baron Dumfries and Galloway.
I find it pointless even commenting on this constantly recurring idiocy.
56 out of 59 seats in 2015 wasn’t a mandate?
Give me peace.
’10 years’; Oops.
A footnote:- You can’t ‘do’ a Strategy.
I am beyond listening to this guff any more.
Like say, 2 million of my fellow Free scots, I want action, a plan, a timetable, not more of the same demeaning begging bowl guff.
HY and the Gang are playing England’s imperial game.
I’m not.
How could you declare independence in 2015, even with 56 seats, if the declaration wasn’t in the manifesto and the majority had voted NO in 2014? Don’t you think the international community would have considered that invalid?
Perhaps changing SNP policy from a majority of seats being the deciding factor to a referendum being the deciding factor was a mistake. But that was a long time ago and I’m not sure whether it was during Alex Salmond’s leadership.
Bottom line is that democracy matters and the majority of Scots have to vote for it one way or the other.
And so the carousel of madness keeps whirring around and around, Capella, getting nowhere, but returning to the same spot time after time.
We play the English Empire’s game, they win we lose.
There is no way out?
That way is madness.
They rape our country, on a 43% Blue Tory win in 2019, despite 3 unelected PMs and a slew of Brit sex greed and racist scandals.
This is the ‘democracy to which we should adhere?
What will it take for people to realise that we are held fast by England’s might and a Scotia Nostra Up Here, who are more that happy to be England’s little helpers and distort the truth?
There is no ‘democracy’ on these isles, Capella.
The Oligarchs own the Armed Forces, we still have the ridiculous Grand Duchy of Fenwick monarch as ‘Head of State’, and our money wealth and natural resources are stolen by Covid Profiteers, unimpeded by the 5 million or so of us who have absolutely no rights or power to prevent this Grand 300 year Old Larceny continuing.
I noted that the Irish rugby supporters have taken to chanting the Cranberries’ ‘Zombies’ chorus (It’s not me, it’s not my family’) at matches, much to the consternation of the IRA/Sinn Fein Rent a Mouths.
The Irish rugby fans are accused of being ‘West Brits’, (Like Scotland, Ireland’s rugby players are from middle class fee paying school backgrounds in the main) a term from the turn of the 20th century when Irish Nationalism was about to fester into violence and Civil War while the Dublin merchants and Bankers were agin such nonsense, ‘West Brits’.
Well Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and the Scottish shires are full of West Brits, the Scotia Nostra, who are the ral power in Scotland.
They laugh at the notion of democracy, of an hue, FPTP or PR.
Will it take an ‘Uprising’ to get England to the table?
AS I say, discuss.
I agree that belief in democracy brands you a naive idiot in this cynical oligarchy. But I have to confess I do believe that democracy is the only reasonable option.
In 1905 the Norwegians voted for independence from Sweden by a huge majority. Their parliament voted for it in June. They held a plebiscite in August (99.95% of the electorate which was men only) after which King Oscar renounced his reign over Norway in October thus ending the United Kingdom. Then in November Prince Carl became King of Norway and changed his name to Haakon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolution_of_the_union_between_Norway_and_Sweden
I’m not saying we would need 99% of the vote.
Capella, to ’empty my head’ I on Occasion sift through an illustrated dictionary or Book of Quotes…or watch an old cowboy piucture.
Oops, not finished yet.
Capella, to ’empty my head’ I on occasion sift through an illustrated dictionary or Book of Quotes…or watch an old cowboy picture.
More and more I find myself retreating from the madness of Merry Go Round Scottish Politics and seek the calm and solitude of the wisdom of those who have come before us.
The hackneyed old Einstein quote about repeating the same mistakes has been flogged to death.
However here are a few which appear apposite and ominous in equal measure.
A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything. Malcolm X
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable. – John Fitzgerald Kennedy
When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorises it and a moral code that glorifies it. – Frederic Bastiat
A man who chases two rabbits catches neither. Chinese saying
The Independence Movement appears rudderless, flaying about helplessly, repeating the same tired old dirge….
I have lost interest on what they have to say at yet another croissants and coffee Beano.
There is no ‘democracy’ ,Capella.
There is no ‘peaceful revolution’ . We are on England’s hamster’s wheel.
How about “If at first you don’t succeed try try try again”?
Remember Bruce and the spider?
Nobody ever achieved democracy by being democratic
Democracy only happens after the winner decides it will
Like Iraq being bombed into Balir’s Freedom and Democracy, Dr J?
Is the Ukraine war over/
What’s happening in Sudan?
Drop the Dead Donkey. Israel is this week’s horror show.
forget fuel bills, foodbanks, and the like.
It could be worse, doncha know?
Or Sisyphus, Prometheus, Tantalus, Capella?
We roll the Independence boulder to the top of the hill, only to have it crash down again, and begin rolling it up the hill again ad infinitum, like Sisyphus’ punishment from ‘the gods’ for cheating death twice.
It recalls Ian Davidson’s triumphal No threat to ‘bayonet the (YES) wounded’.
The naughty Greek god Prometheus who gave mortals fire knowledge, and society was punished by his fellow gods by being pinned to a rock and have his liver eaten by an Eagle (Zeus) only to have the organ revitalised overnight, and eaten again the next and every subsequent day.
Or poor old Tantalus, who had the temerity to personally serve his son at a banquet to the outrage of the gods yet again. He was immersed up to his neck in water and a bunch of grapes dangled just out of reach of his parched mouth for eternity.
For ‘the gods’, substitute ‘The English Oligarchy’.
Myths are what you make of them, C.
We are being royally screwed by England.
It has to be stopped, now.
Reframe Jack! Think Bruce and the spider and other positive myths to live by.
My tired old frame is ‘way past any reshaping, Capella.
For a lamb to be so innocent as to believe that if it acts decently to a lion, then the lion won’t eat it, is futile.
(From memory, this is a quote too, not an original Collatin pearl of wisdom.)
One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter?
As the inhuman events over the last week have shown, I don’t think so.
How about :
You can fool all the people all of the time ! ”
or …”Won’t get fooled again , and again and again …”
or …”Now is never the time !”
How about a Sunak Quote, millsjames1949?
-from the Independent (sic):-
“Rishi Sunak said his post-Brexit deal meant Northern Ireland was the world’s “most exciting economic zone” with access to both EU and UK markets.
Critics online were swift to point out that the entire UK had full access to the EU’s “exciting” single market before Brexit.
On a visit to Lisburn’s Coca-Cola factory, the PM said: “Northern Ireland is in the unbelievably special position, a unique position in the entire world, European continent.”
He said the province was now had “privileged access, not just to the UK home market, which is enormous, but also the EU single market”.
Mr Sunak told the audience of workers: “Nobody else has that. No one. Only you guys – only here, and that is the prize.”
But several commentators pointed out that the PM was pointing out the disadvantages of Brexit, since Great Britain had lost access to the single market by quitting the EU.”
The best of both worlds, but not you, Jockland.
Coca Cola factory? He’ll be applying for his Green Card soon.
‘
Good to read your rants Jack. I think the next opinion polls will tell how the public take the SNP Conference about Indy, and unusually I’m keeping an open mind.
If a majority of SNP MPs specifically charged with the duty of trying to force Westminster to comply, fails, then if the SNP stick to a de facto referendum in 2026, 16 and 17 year olds and EU citizens (I think) will be able to vote.
The downside is it’s a longer game, more steps to fail, and the likes of me won’t be wasting our energy on it, trying to push the SNP to be more dynamic and strong. Their die is cast, for the now.
‘trying to force’, YIR2.
How will that happen?
We march on London?
Perhaps with a completely clear and concise written manifesto for the 2026 HE election, with
“This is a de facto referendum for Independence and if the SNP win a majority of seats we will declare UDI”.
Sned copies to the UN, ECHR, NATO, the world bank, EU, IMF, everybody.That might set the cat amongst the pigeons.
Coo!
Why wait until 2026, YIR2?
The UKGE is next year…2024.
Why not roll up your sleeves now and attack the corrupt little system from now on in.
My supermarket goods are plastered with the Butcher’s apron.
Meat is being ferried to Scotland from Union Jack Land and stuffed onto the brit comapnies’ supermarket shelves Up Here, while our superior scottish produce is shipped to england.
Sixteen wheelers pass each other by at the border, every single day.
Scotland is an net exporter of food and drink…true. Then why do English suppliers dump their sub standard rubbish on us, given take it or leave it Hobson’s Choice.
I cannot get celery anywhere which is not wrapped in the Jack, for example.
What environmental damage is being caused by this dodgy to-ing and fro-ing from England to Scotland and vice versa?
Where’s David Mundell these days. He’s sunk without treace. yet he was hailed as the Blue tories’ Trade envoy to New Zealand.
WE are bringing frozen lamb half way round the globe, to undercut suppliers in his own constituency?
I could go on, but I won’t.
We get bogged down in bottle deposit schemes, buffer zones, and Trans issues.
Worthy battles to fight but used by the Brits to grind us down.
Eye on the prize. Independence.
I’m actually hoping the SNP will be even that strong, I hae ma doots.
Whether what they’ve come up with so far will regain support, who knows?
Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU, and they more or less still are
Northern Ireland can vote to reunite with the republic if they so choose, even though Kier Starmer is spouting this nonsense about not allowing it
Why do we think Northern Ireland gets these options but Scotland does not?
Every single day the English controlled media refers to the UK and Scotland or Scotland and the UK as though we actually are separate entities, then they talk about the *whole country” meaning all four of the countries within the British isles as though they *own* us
No French or German or Greek person when talking about the European union ever refers to the country next door as theirs just because they’re in a union
England has conned millions of people into referring to themselves as not being from the country they were born in except when it suits them
The UK according to England is 4 great nations one minute and one country the next
Why did England allow and encourage its population to multiply by a factor of ten yet Scotland and Wales remain more or less the same throughout the centuries?
Scotland and Wales have always been refused immigration powers, why not? what was and is England afraid of? easy question isn’t it
English propaganda wording has been embedded within the psyche of the people of these islands, and the *news wherever we are* propagates it day after day
Respect is an English prerogative that Scotland and Wales are denied
The national news in England announced last week that conference season was over
The SNP third largest party in the UK conference had not even begun yet
See how that respect thing works yet?
Our televisions were 24 hour wall to wall English Tory and Labour party conference yadda yadda with every little nobody anybody ever heard of in Scotland so called journalists pontificating about how these parties would rule the English united kingdom
And now they’re done, it’s decided, over, England shall be King
Scotland and the SNP? not the slightest flicker of interest, except for one of the English parties celebrating winning a seat from the SNP in the country where we are so they can use that result to impress the English electorate into voting them into office in their country
One ring to rule them all
You can’t keep asking England to take part in democracy when they had their own court tell us quite clearly Scotland isn’t entitled to democracy unless England says so
You also can’t keep demanding the SNP *gets* or *takes* Scotland’s democracy when they’re a political party not some sort of rebel alliance army
No political entity within Scotland can claim to *get* Scotland independence with new and never before used magic words, England does not do democracy, they’re an imperialist regime who took their power and properties by force of arms, so unless there’s a way to hurt England they’re not giving up their properties willingly, they never have before now
Here’s an interesting factoid, when Disney Pixar came to Scotland in 2014 to film the movie Brave, the Disney company was instructed by the UK government not to mention ask questions of the public or talk to actors about Scottish independence as the *wrong* answers could encourage or influence the population to vote Yes to the proposition
Now what’s wrong with that is the UK government’s instruction did not consider the opposite effect was possible, why not?
Brave was released in 2012
Aye. Production began back in 2008 following the 2007 SNP win. In 2011, it was confirmed that Kelly MacDonald – of trainspotting fame – would do the voice of Merida after Reese Witherspoon apparently couldn’t manage the accent. That’s when ‘Scotland’ really became involved in the production. Obviously a rather significant year politically, but a bit earlier than 2014!
This was a big headline at the time, which is maybe what Dr Jim has remembered.
Brave creator urges Scots to back Yes vote
17th April 2014
The creator of Brave, the Disney Pixar animation set in Scotland, has backed independence – and said a sequel to the popular film is inevitable.
https://archive.ph/BDilZ
She was no longer working for Pixar by this time I understand.
Nice photo:
Countries friendly to each other.
His conference speech was good and well received. There was another photo op on the stage afterwards.
So it turns out a very narrow majority of North British members of English Labour Party supporting Union Unison have rejected the COSLA pay deal.
51% of eligible members voted for it.
Passes the legal mark to go ahead, but not by a lot. Half of members not willing to back the approach.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-67121886
Why is it that those that wish to protest don’t do so outside No 10? This is who is cutting their salaries. It’s not COSLA. It’s how they would make more of an impact and really target those responsible. English politicians are cutting their wages, not Scots; the latter are just left with trying to work out who gets the most rations.
And even if the SNP were intentionally slashing council worker salaries, Alastair jack could step in with direct London funding to e.g. double these. But Westminster stands back and does nothing. What exactly is the point of having a UK government if it simply ‘devolves and forgets’? We’d be better with independence.
You just can’t help yourself can you?
The turnout was 57.27 %, and 89.92 % voted to reject the offer.
That’s 89.92% of those that voted, NOT “a very narrow majority” as you twisted it.
That’s 89.2% FOR, just 10.8% AGAINST.
As a percentage of the total membership those figures equate to 51.497% of the total membership
Well said, it was blatantly obvious what Skier meant but the usual poster has to make a big deal out of nothing as usual..
89/100*57 = 51%
That’s the % of the Scottish Branch of the British union Unison members that backed continued action. It unquestionably passes the 50% turnout threshold as I stated, but it’s only just over half the members actually pushing for more strike action.
We can’t be selective about low turnouts, picking and choosing when it suits. 57% is not bad, but it looks a lot like Rutherglen and Hamilton West; those that hate the Scottish government turned out to oppose, but those that were sick and tired of the UK government but feel that they can’t see a way to change things right now did not. If you wanted better deal but knew the only way was indy, what would you do; give the BBC a way to bash the Scottish government take the deal like 2/3 of unions look to be doing? If we had 3/3 unions or even 2/3 backing more strikes, that would be a different story. But we have half the members of one openly English Labour backing union standing alone in taking strike action while 2/3 of unions seek a negotiated route. We can only conclude that most know who is the source of the problem and are willing to help those that are trying to help them; this being COSLA and the Scottish government.
I might ask what Indy supporting Unison members would do? I suspect not turning out… Hence we end up with half not doing so? That might well explain the numbers.
They voted with their feet. That’s the normal procedure when faced with an impossible choice.
Yes, this is the way I see it:
Sage advice from a previous BTL post on this blog. Link:
https://tinyurl.com/ypbrrcex
Turnout is important to understand the message a vote gives. We just spent days talking about this. And governmental elections are free, but still 20% pretty much always don’t bother to take part.
In this union ballot, members are paying to be balloted. They pay a monthly fee to be consulted. They are often on low incomes, yet are paying money each month for this. They had the papers sent to their homes with a pre-paid return envelope. 43% didn’t return these. I would like to understand why.
The fact the result is so skewed one way on a lowish turnout suggests the result should not be taken at face value. A comparison would be Yes getting 100% on a 50% turnout; Scotland overwhelmingly for indy or a divided electorate with some sort of boycott?
Here is a real example with almost identical numbers to the Unison ballot:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Northern_Ireland_border_poll
On a voter turnout of 58.7 percent, 98.9 percent voted to remain in the United Kingdom.
The message here was definitely not 99% of the people of the N. of Ireland backed the UK. The story was in the number of votes, not the percentages.
Wow.
George Cunningham of Labour who, with his 40% rule denied Scotland of Devolution for 18 long Maggie Thatcher years, in spite of a 51.6% YES vote in the 1979 Devolution Referendum, would have been so proud of those who insist sick, absent, dead and even non-existent voters would have voted against.
If half of Unison’s membership are sick, absent, dead or non-existent then they need to seriously update their member database.
Not to mention the union hating Tories who brought in measures to curb the usefulness of worker representative unions in their Draconian Trade Union Act 2016
https://www.ier.org.uk/resources/trade-union-act-2016-what-says-what-it-means/
So sad seeing people hating unions. Perhaps some of you should read this:
https://www.gmbscotland.org.uk/newsroom/gmb-scotland-school-staff-suffer-daily-violence
I know of many attacks, most from kids, including primary kids, even as young as P1 and P2.
I’m totally disgusted and disown the lot of you.
What again! Don’t let the door hit your arse on the way out.
I’ll supply the wid for that door, anybody got a lock?
Would you like to abolish unions Alex so that low paid workers would be at the total mercy of their employers?
You really have become a real bore who takes great delight in picking holes in other people’s posts rather than post something of your own that might actually help encourage others to support Independence.
I doubt I’m talking for myself when I say your posts are a huge turn off, either being laced with negativity or an attack on someone else.
You’re now more Victor Meldrew than Peter Piper.
Misinformation, disinformation, spin and outright lies at times, are NOT the friends of the YES movement.
Nobody should support them in any way at all.
Yawn…
In my time posting in the Herald I spent hours each day for nearly 2 years sussing out what distortion, misinformation, disinformation, and even lies, the MSM was going to come out with next, getting my analysis ready, to post immediately after 4 in the morning when an article was published.
Now there’s as much distortion and spin by some YES supporters.
Do you think the 50% of the electorate who don’t support Indy yet like being lied to?
Do you think the 585,000 union members in Scotland are going to like being treated as slaves by the likes of you? Just because their union might support labour who you hate?
Do you think that helps the cause of Independence, to attack those whose votes for YES you should be trying to win?
You sound like you were a really lonely sad person back then. It doesn’t look like much has changed.
Wife, kids, cat and happy as Larry.
And you?
BBC News tell lies to the British people on behalf of the government in order to push their propaganda. Now who would believe that?
Well of course for them Hamas and the Palestinian people are one and the same. Irresponsible.
“Poorly phrased” ? 🤣
Most of us who lived through the Sinn Fein/IRA period became well acquainted with the BBC’s “poor phrasing”…
At least the apology for the deliberate false propaganda wasn’t delivered by Twitter at stupid o’clock in the morning as was Sarah Smith’s MO in her stint at BBC Scotland…
This government have come to the end of their reign and left the UK in a right state. Record inflation, record taxes, record NHS waiting lists, record child poverty and the list goes on.
Prisons in England are overflowing so foreign prisoners are being deported (likely straight to freedom) violent prisoners who are near the end of their sentences are being released early to make way for new those who have just been sentenced.
Victorian diseases affecting children like rickets and scurvy are on the increase, over 1000 people are being hospitalised in England every month because of malnutrition.
Labour only offer more of the same, there will be no change under a Tory leader like Starmer, for real change Scotland needs to be Independent, that is the only way.
Since nobody has the humanity to be remotely interested in facts, here they are (Sep 1 2023):
“School staff reveal rising tide of violence before crisis talks
Support staff have exposed a daily onslaught of physical violence and verbal abuse in Scotland’s schools before an emergency summit to discuss the crisis.
A GMB Scotland survey has revealed one in six non-teaching staff suffers violence on a daily basis while one in three is assaulted every week.
Meanwhile, half of all workers suffer verbal abuse every week, according to the survey, while 68% say the crisis has worsened since Covid.
Almost 800 workers, including janitors, caterers, admin staff, cleaners and classroom assistants working from early years to high schools, detailed the physical and verbal abuse suffered at work in the poll.
Only one in four workers feel completely safe at work and reveal a widespread belief that not enough is being done to protect them, according to the union which has more than 8000 members in Scotland’s schools.
Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland senior organiser in public services, said the Scottish Government must ensure a forthcoming summit ordered by education secretary Jenny Gilruth finds ways of ensuring staff are properly protected.
“This survey reveals the sheer scale of the violence and abuse faced by our members working in Scotland’s schools.
“That is bad enough but the failure of management to protect staff, reassure them this crisis is being taken seriously and deliver effective training and reporting procedures is equally alarming.
“If these incidents are not even being reported, they cannot be investigated and nothing will change.
“No one should go to work expecting to be punched, kicked, bit, and spat on. No one should go to work expecting to suffer verbal abuse.
“It is shocking that so many staff in our schools are being subject to this abusive behaviour on a daily basis and just as shocking that their managers are failing to properly record these incidents never mind investigate them. It cannot go on.
“This summit must be more than a talking shop. Staff need to know that every possible measure will be taken to protect them from violence and that, if it still occurs, the most robust reporting and investigative procedures are in place to ensure effective action.
“This is a national emergency and the authorities must take emergency action.”
The survey reveals almost half, 47%, of the support staff taking part do not believe managers take the issue of violence against workers seriously while 63% have had no training in defusing potentially violent situations.
It suggests two thirds of incidents are never recorded while three out of four say they receive no feedback if they do report an incident.
A third have suffered physical injury, one in five have had to take time off work because of violence while 40% of victims needed medical assistance.
Some have been attacked by parents but 93% have been targeted by pupils.
Many of support staff are among the lowest paid workers in Scotland’s councils and are among those working in schools and early years preparing to take strike action next month after rejecting a pay offer which, they say, does not come close to inflation.”
“punched, kicked, bit, and spat on”
and have chairs thrown at them, and other objects as well. Teachers get this as well, which is why EIS supported the strike actions. Not surprisingly mental health suffers as well.
Post armed security guards in every school..bring back the tawse…issue teachers with a free Lochgelly belt… impose sine die expulsions on the little scrotes…fine their parents…Give the poor Unison members a 15% raise..I blame Nikla…for feck’s sake, YIR2, we all know a Brit ‘get the SNP’ kafuffle when we see it.
Got ten minutes at the head of Distorting Scotland last night..says it all..
Can we get back to the really important issues, like, what to do with my jar of belly fluff?
We need a bigger door
It wasn’t me who posted a totally distorted report of a properly and legally held vote by Unison, in which the members who voted, voted by almost 9 to 1 to reject the pay offer and support continued strike action (89.92%).
Do you think the workers should be forced to work against their will?
It’s him Mammy it’s him!
If there’s anyone around who wants to see the actual figures for the ballot of members by Unison, here it is:
https://unison-scotland.org/unison-announces-rolling-strikes-in-scottish-schools-after-pay-offer-rejected/
“A consultative ballot of all local government workers closed today (Monday) with 89.92 % voting to reject the offer. There was a turnout of 57.27 %./b>”
As per my earlier comment, remarkably similar numbers here, and very pertinent to this blog:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Northern_Ireland_border_poll
On a voter turnout of 58.7 percent, 98.9 percent voted to remain in the United Kingdom.
Unionists said the result was a whopping endorsement of the union: 99%! Sensible heads knew ‘the story was in the number of votes, not the percentages’.
We’re all very concerned about the lack of training cleaners get in defusing potentially violent situations. Those of us who worked in education will have used our own common sense when dealing with stroppy teenagers.
But this is a blog about independence. I suggest leaving pay negotiations to the unions and COSLA.
Call Kaye is conducting her anti SNP again. Hospital waiting times again.
I confess to deep suspicions over the motives for this piece by Jenny Rees, it only makes a difference when comparisons with figures beyond Wales are to be made, so the optional “stop the clock” for specific circumstances shouldn’t really affect much.
Given the Tories have been up to all sorts of tricks over ‘performance’ figures in England, this looks to be a distraction piece.
The Welsh Tories have been trying to stir up “waiting times” arguments in the Senedd, on one occasion getting pelters when they made Mark Drakeford uncharacteristically blow a gasket.
I think most of us have heard of the RECM’s correlation between waiting times and deaths, pounced on by Scotland’s media and opposition to make quite outrageous claims, so I’d be chary of treating their announcements with other than extreme caution.
As to ‘Call Kaye’, does anybody pay such dross much attention ?
Yes you’re right, the BBC hits Labour in Wales and SNP in Scotland. What are waiting times in England and how are they counted?
Ah but you see, the Ministry only collates the information sent in from the Trusts, etc., the good old “add layers to distance yourself from responsibility” game.
Consider the calibre of Ministers in this last iteration of HMG Minister for Health from Wikipedia, although I frankly remember nothing of the first –
Andrew Lansley
Jeremy “Rhyming-Slang” Hunt
Jeremy “Rhyming-Slang and an even bigger” Hunt
Matt “baby-face” Hancock
Matt “baby-face” Hancock Mk2 probing the help
Sajid “The Hood” Javid
Steve “Daz commercial guy” Barclay
Therese “I want all rivers turned to..” Coffey
Steve “Daz commercial guy” again.
You won’t get any straight answers from these people because they believe beyond election they are unanswerable to any until the next election.
When they are trying to make such a big thing over Welsh A&E performance, it suggests to me the Covid Inquiry is not going so well as the chief suspects would have liked in that tragedy, hence petulance…
Al the Tories know is smoke and mirrors…
Tsk, tsk, Bob your standards are slipping.
If you don’t remember Lansley, then here’s something to remind you.* It was he who started this ‘salami-slicing privatisation’ of the English NHS and introduced the ‘internal market’ into same.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Lansley
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_and_Social_Care_Act_2012
*As Mrs sionees/W_S works as a public facing employee in a ‘Cinderella profession’ (i.e. ‘expendable as it doesn’t make money) of NHS England, this household has a vested interest to know what the Tories are up to in their dealings with ‘the nation’s’ (i.e. England’s) health.
So in the past few of days, England’s national broadcaster has stated that the SNP ‘are embroiled in a court case over their finances’ while people marching in support of innocent Palestinians are ‘voicing their backing for Hamas’.
https://archive.ph/36VmD
https://archive.ph/3UrrG
They are not even trying to be impartial now, but a full on right-wing English regime mouthpiece.
Last night I had the misfortune to see part of the press preview newspaper review on Sky News where there were two obnoxious journalists reporting on the Snp conference- basically having a go at it. Never caught the names of these two but the male who worked for the Sun newspaper stated I wonder how embarrassing it was that Nicola Sturgeon turned up at the conference. NS is an Msp a member of the party and has been charged with no criminal offence. She has nothing to be embarrassed about nor does the party re her being there. If this is the quality of journalists the Sun has no wonder the paper is losing readers. This man is obviously a bigot. Having already listened to both journalists evident support for the Israeli government attacks on Palestinian civilians in response to the horrible Hamas attacks I switched off that point. Then had a look at an article in The National about NS appearance at the conference. The article was positive unfortunately the BTL comments not so much. One comment stated why doesn’t NS shut her mouth and was clearly anti Snp in other parts. That and other comments were upticked to a ridiculous extent a common problem on the site and embarrassment for the paper. The comment could have been written by a unionist of course That mans comment does not help the Indy cause one bit. Nor does some individuals here constant carping when others do not agree with him
it doesn’t matter if we buy the papers or not, we get our dose of right wing shite with their ‘what the papers say’ programmes across the TV News channels.
Usually their is at least one right wing numpty to add his/her tuppence worth to the highlighted article.
Nicola was given a standing ovation, so apparently not embarrassing at all.
She seems pretty popular with this lot as well.
There’s no excuse for this.
ITV presenter Richard Madeley is facing calls to apologise or be taken off air after he asked a senior Liberal Democrat MP if she knew Hamas was planning to kill innocent Israelis.
The Good Morning Britain host was accused of “appalling” behaviour by asking Layla Moran – who is of Palestinian descent – if she was aware in advance of the terrorist attack which saw more than 1,400 murdered.
Full story in the Independent.
https://archive.ph/BlRzB
Next they’ll be asking Humza Yousaf if he gets advance notice of Hamas attacks through his in-laws.
It seems the British media are stuffed with racists. How did it come to this?
Finally got around to reading James Cook’s take on the SNP Conference from a day ago on the BBC Scotland page, his choice of headline “Can the SNP’s independence plan change the union’s future?” https://archive.ph/cx1Qg about as bizarre as they come.
As England comes to terms with it’s political hegemony, realising even the colour of tie doesn’t no longer makes a blind bit of difference to the deteriorating condition of the many, the “Union” or to use it’s stand-in title “United Kingdom”, has revealed itself to be a squalid political mafia on the take whilst pleading poverty of the public purse, selling “jam tomorrow” and “sunny uplands” to a disbelieving crowd.
Yet Cook is unperturbed – Labour really will make a comeback in Scotland, honest, the runes tell me so, and after all, none in Labour have been “arrested”.
James signs off with “Whether or not the party can do so successfully may determine the future of the United Kingdom itself”, presumes somebody might give a toss about HIS version of the “United Kingdom”, the gravy train.
The “Union” or “United Kingdom” has been going downhill for the last 50 years, increasing momentum over the last ten under a string of extraordinary charlatans – Scots are jumping off his gravy train before the derailment, party or no party.
If wee James Cook would just show us his copy of that famous email that he and only he in the entire world saw that showed Nicola Sturgeon told lies to us all then I’ll volunteer to be first in heartily condemning the SNP
But he wont, because he can’t because he was a liar then and he’s a liar now
No coming back from it Jamesy boy, you’re a little liar
I like it
The more the forces of darkness rubbish and denigrate the SNP the more they misunderstand the psyche of the Scottish voter
I’m old enough to remember these sorts of efforts in the past that emanate from beyond the wall in the south, it’s how England does politics, if they rubbish the other party they win whoever it is, and it works, but I think perhaps not in Scotland
We know that each time the great English media and their minions in Scotland attack the SNP, like fairies another member joins and gets their wings
They rubbished the membership numbers, they instantly went up, they rubbished Nicola Sturgeon and up they went, same thing Humza Yousaf, the numbers climbed again, they insisted the SNP was over done kaput, more little plastic cards are being sent out to new and old members alike
So keep doing it England, and remember Scottish people watch your news too and they can see you’re doing absolutely great down there, excelling yourselves in fact
There are some matches on tonight, you can watch England v Italy live for free on Channel 4.
If you want to watch France v Scotland or Northern Ireland v Slovenia then you’d better stump up £15/month to Viaplay Sports.
So come on SNP, add another clause to the manifesto. A vote for us means we demand that broadcasting is devolved to the Scottish Parliament after which we will broadcast all our football matches free.
I don’t myself care about football but I know a lot of people do. Well why not add all sports. In fact, add news and current affairs, drama, documentary, music and the arts, local politics etc etc.
“Well why not add all sports. In fact, add news and current affairs, drama, documentary, music and the arts, local politics etc etc.”
Steady on, Capella. I mean football’s one thing, but that lot’s a bit radical. It’s beginning to sound like a proper broadcasting company, with real programmes and everything…
PS: For the avoidance of doubt /s
🤣
A neurodiverse pupil got overwhelm in the dinner hall. Primary. Anxious and upset. Too noisy and overwhelming causing a meltdown. Took a plastic knife. The untrained class room assistant called the police.
Pupils on the spectrum need a quiet calm place. A base. School staff need more training. Some still do not acknowledge the situation. Neurodiverse pupils can be upset and anxious. Not violent but misunderstood. Or less interaction of school.
That’s an intelligent reply, the only one so far.
Education isn’t anything like the same as it was 20 years ago, or even 10 years ago. And covid (starting just 5 years ago) has caused massive isolation problems for the youngest of kids, and their parents or carers.
You at least have said “Primary” which is a huge problem, whereas others sneer about stroppy teenagers – which starts at age 13. The age of criminal responsibility in Scotland is 12 – which is S1 or S2 generally.
Primary is hence under the age for criminal responsibility for children, and the only ultimate sanction is exclusion – which is a very difficult (rightly) thing to achieve. It also exacerbates that isolation.
From that GMB report which nobody bothered reading:
“Almost 800 workers, including janitors, caterers, admin staff, cleaners and classroom assistants working from early years to high schools, detailed the physical and verbal abuse suffered at work in the poll.”
“early years” – is from birth.
One of the problems is not enough classroom assistants, hence Unison’s worries that Cosla will just cut staff even further and make the problems even worse. Unfortunately schools are increasingly expected to act as social workers, and even nappy changers (yes, at primary school even), adding to the burdens of already over-stretched staff.
Anyways, time to move on. And no, I didn’t bring up this subject, it was the usual disinformation source who did.
There you go again Ken spouting stuff that you know absolutely zero about
I don’t have Dr in front of my name for sod all you know
If you must reply to this egotistical clown keep it to a subject you understand
You have a lot to learn about the present rather than the distant past. You could start with the Equalities Act 2010, and then search for what Scotland enacted for additional support for learning in schools.
Then you could maybe talk to some current teachers and classroom assistants here in Scotland to see if there is adequate trained additional support in schools here for pupils who are not neurotypical. Hint: there ain’t.
But here’s a thing you ought at least to know without bothering:
Inclusive Scotland tries hard to put pupils who are neurodivergent, and others with special needs, in mainstream schools in the community rather than special needs schools outside it.
And what does that require?
Yes, you guessed it – additional support.
The problem is that it is often one on one, rather than one teacher being able to teach up to 25 pupils.
Sorry, up to 33 pupils or even more. Not enough teachers or classrooms either.
Unite and GMB members have voted in a ballot to accept the COSLA pay offer and end the dispute with councils.
https://news.stv.tv/scotland/unite-and-gmb-unions-pull-threat-of-school-strikes-after-vote-to-accept-pay-deal
What you accidentally missed out from that article is this:
““Unite will also not tolerate any threats of cuts to services in order to fund this pay offer. Decent pay rises should not come at the expense of vital services being cut in other areas.””
and this similarly from GMB:
““We have been assured no council services or jobs will be cut to fund this pay offer and will continue to ensure those assurances are kept.””
which Unison also warned of the possibility of, and of course this which all three have said in different ways and times over the many many months:
“That it took the threat of strike action for COSLA to make an offer which could and should have been on the table months ago is frustrating and regrettable.”
“Pay negotiations do not have to be like this.”
Indeed.
Pathetic.
Having such a low opinion of yourself isn’t healthy.