Monday, March 2, 2015

Seriously, guys, what is your problem with freebies?

To all you vile Cybernats out there - I'm sorry to take a contrary view, but I have absolutely no problem with the UK government's plan to adorn projects they've funded with the Union Jack.  In fact, I think the proposed message is far too modest, because some people might still assume that the government are getting the money from Scottish taxpayers, or Scottish oil revenues, or some other equally improbable source.  It should really read - "Funded by the UK government with revenue direct from the Hackney platinum mine.  This isn't costing you a penny, folks!"

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The Daily Record are running a poll today asking "Is William Wallace a freedom fighter or a terrorist?"  Interesting use of the present tense there, but it gets even better, because the two possible answers are "Yes" and "No".  That hasn't deterred people from voting, and the current result is Yes 80%, No 20%.  Make of that what you will.

Today's Scot Goes Pop poll will hurt your head much less.  It's a genuine Yes/No question - "Is the Daily Record a good newspaper?"  You can find the voting form at the top of the sidebar, and multi-voting is enabled, so you can vote for as many answers as you like.

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Today's Scottish subsample from the GB-wide Ashcroft poll : SNP 40%, Conservatives 22%, Labour 21%, Greens 8%, Liberal Democrats 8%.  Farage's mob failed to trouble the scorer this time.

When Ashcroft's focus groups in England were asked to list the good things that the UK government have done over the last five years, apparently one of the suggestions offered was "managing to hold onto Scotland".  Doesn't it make you feel wonderful to be talked about like a trophy wife?  Perhaps not.

30 comments:

  1. did you miss the populus poll this morning, James?

    It`s only a sub-sample, but "Broken sleazy Nats on the slide" surely ;-)

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    1. Yeah, only an 18-point lead in that one. The dream has truly died.

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    2. Sorry Keaton, but you`re 9-points adrift.

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    3. Al Urquhar : You must be looking at the wrong crossbreak. Today's Scottish subsample from Populus is SNP 50%, Labour 23%, Conservatives 16%, Liberal Democrats 6%, UKIP 4%, Greens 1%.

      The only reason I didn't mention it is that I didn't want to lower your morale.

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    4. Struggling with sums James ? Not like you ;-)

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  2. I think Al meant there was 27% gap (as the figures indicate) and was basically saying keaton was 9% out in stating that there was an 18% gap. My reading of his post anyway.

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  3. Election Forecast have altered their estimate of the current position from SNP 44, Lab 31 to SNP 45, Lab 29.

    See "interpreting new polls" tab on http://electionforecast.co.uk/

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  4. "When Ashcroft's focus groups in England were asked to list the good things that the UK government have done over the last five years, apparently one of the suggestions offered was "managing to hold onto Scotland"."

    I think it's just lovely to be appreciated every once in a while and made to feel special.

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  5. If someone thought managing to hold on to Scotland was a good thing then at least some people in England are aware that they do not subsidize us.

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    1. I go to England on a semi-regular basis (Usually work related) and the reaction among people around the referendum period was more one of "The sky will fall in on us!" than a sense of "Ungrateful jock bastards". Admittedly the sample wasn't entirely representative (More politically engaged than average, perhaps), but one English gentleman said to me "We all dodged a bullet there" regarding the referendum result. Or as another Englishman put it before the referendum, slightly less elegantly addressing the prospect of Scottish independence, "We'll all be completely fucked".

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    2. My English colleagues (I am sometimes there for work) told me they wished us well and if we voted Yes they were moving to Scotland.

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    3. Stoat : So what did they mean by that? The sky would fall in on them without the oil revenue? They'd all be completely f***ed without a suitably distant nuclear weapons base?

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    4. It wasn't anything really specific, more a general sense of impending doom.

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  6. You haven't got a box for ROFL in your Dreary Record poll.

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  7. I agree that William Wallace was or wasn't a freedom fighter or terrorist!

    As for focus groups, they are complete horseshite. The laughable Tory Ashcroft does them for headlines.

    The "holding onto Scotland" comment was probably from a single blue-rinse and / or PB dwelling Rightwing fuckwit.

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  8. James, is that the Tories out-polling Labour in Scotland? Am I reading that right?

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    1. I think there have been more examples of sub-samples giving the Tories a greater share than Labour, than Labour a greater share than the SNP. This suggests that the gap between the SNP and Labour is greater than the gap between Labour and the Tories. This is supported by most of the national polls.

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  9. James, there's a new YouGov poll on voting intentions being done right now - although the SNP and Plaid are listed as an option in the question 'who would you consider voting for?' (still, neither is UKIP).

    John Bell

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    1. Sorry, that should have read '...aren't listed...'

      JB

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    2. That sounds like a standard YouGov poll of Great Britain, which are published five times a week (four in the Sun and one in the Sunday Times). If it was a Scotland-only poll then the SNP would have been prompted as one of the main parties. In GB polls the SNP are included within "other" parties.

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    3. James : Respondents who live in Scotland and Wales are prompted for the SNP and Plaid Cymru, even in GB-wide polls. But "who would you consider voting for?" is a supplementary question, and presumably they can't be bothered including the SNP in that.

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  10. James
    Could you give Calum Kerr's fundraiser a mention. He is three quarters of the way to his total with just 5 days left. Of the 3 Borders seats this is the one with the highest probability of an SNP win at 57%. The Tories are pouring money into Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk to back 3rd time Tory candidate John Lamont.
    https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-elect-a-real-borders-mp-calum-kerr

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  11. Various semi-reliable people tweeting that the Ashcroft constituency polls to be released on Wednesday afternoon will include Scottish seats.

    Today's YouGov cross-break is SNP 44, Lab 25, Con 22, LD 6. Presumably a Tory-friendly sub-sample, as the SNP down-weighting is much lower than normal.

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  12. It is snowing outside, my hip is hurting and I have work to do then I go onto Scot goes Pop and all is well with the world

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  13. They've now changed the question to 'Do you think William Wallace was a freedom fighter?'. Clearly, they're more sore being laughed at for this than their enormous lie about Scotland's budget doubling.

    What would the Green Brigade answer? The question on their banner didn't imply a definite answer...

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  14. My wife just pointed out that the answer is No. He's dead, therefore neither a terrorist or a freedom fighter!

    Clever girl ;-)

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