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With less than two months of the year left to go, the 2025 Scot Goes Pop fundraiser is still short of its target figure. If you'd like to help keep the lights on during the several months it will take me to find out whether an alternative funding model is viable (realistically it could be a wait of around four months or more), card donations are welcome HERE. Or, if you prefer, direct donations can be made via PayPal. My PayPal email address is: jkellysta@yahoo.co.uk
Many thanks to everyone who has donated so far.
There are no genuine polls on Scottish independence because it's not in the interests of the British government to publish such things, better to keep the population arguing with itself by inventing 50/50 answers leading to the Yes side giving up and the No side remaining bitter about the whole idea
ReplyDeleteIf YES is winning then Britain is over, but if NO is winning that won't stop the argument
Keep the misery alive and stop the Scots looking at us
I see Starmer is auditioning for a bit part as one of Trump's secret service detail.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.heraldscotland.com/resources/images/19922703.jpg?type=mds-article-962
Good to see Panorama last night stepping up to the plate and delivering the USA point of view on China. That should appease Trump a bit and maybe shave a few dollars off the $5,000 million the BBC taxpayers might have to pay him for the BBC forgetting its role and not toeing the USA's line.
DeleteHow do these surveys work? Is it just the same people being surveyed week after week after week? Is there never a good redd oot, replaced with a fresh bunch? I work in a Kilmarnock office (sad, I know) with 57 others, and I don't know of a single person who has ever been surveyed by any company. Being stuck on 50:50 for ever more seems too convenient to be true.
ReplyDeleteWell, I can certainly answer these points. There's no question of being "stuck on 50:50" because there actually seems to have been quite a sharp swing to Yes recently. With Norstat, that's seen a small No lead being replaced with a sizeable Yes lead. With YouGov it's seen a sizeable No lead being more or less wiped out.
DeleteAs for the old chestnut of "I don't know anyone who has been polled", by and large you won't get polled unless you join a volunteer online polling panel. But if you do join a panel, you'll be polled quite a bit.
I am in a polling panel but haven't been contacted for nearly three years
DeleteCould it be because I support Scottish independence and Sir John never sees any change in my answers?
I think so
The only polls you can trust are none of them because they're commissioned by interested companies and not interested populations
Polls are tools to be used on us, not for us
Which polling panel is it?
DeleteIn 2013 I wrote to Professor Sir John Pollster and offered to advertise his polling company by walking up and down Argyle Street dressed as the Duchess of Nottinghamshire shouting "Poll me". I'm hoping to hear back soon.
DeleteGood news as far as it goes.
ReplyDeleteCan't help thinking that, just maybe, the Swinney leadership is playing a clever hand. If these numbers play out then the SNP tops are off the hook, in their own minds, in seeking independence but get another few years at the salary and pension trough. Job done.
That’s the strategy, yes. Reach for a magical majority, heroically fail, then settle in with delightful Alex Cole Hamilton and his merry Brits for another coalition. Pad those pensions, pals.
DeleteWhat exactly happens when Farage comes to power in 2029 and turns his eyes north to us, remains less well thought out.
Indeed. Perhaps SNP careerist self delusion is so strong that they've convinced themselves that Farage would play nicely.
DeleteWe'd have to be very, very lucky for him to be such a total arse that he would be content to just fill his pockets with plunder during the years of an incompetent 'Reform' UK government.
Havny a clu sounds like IFS. Who pays the underminers?
Delete“ Who pays the underminers” asks the troll at 2.54pm. Answer - that would be the SNP members who support the devolutionist leadership .
DeleteLiberals (very much including the SNP) seem to be adjusting their expectations of the alt right again, now that Trump seems past his peak of popularity. The mood music in democrat / Guardian circles seems to be that these diddies are simply so self-destructive there's just not that much to ultimately be worried about. Put your hands on your hips and tell them where to go, Kamala. That'll show them.
DeleteThe moral arc of the universe is long but curves towards self delusion, alright.
What's Farage to the SNP leadership? Another few seats next spring. They see him yet refuse to see him coming.
the UK is now on DOUBLE SECRET PROBATION
ReplyDeletegrab the union bulls by the balls and kick those punks off campus
Delete"Scottish minister slams '20-year then goodbye' UK asylum plan"
ReplyDeleteWith Grangemouth lost and becoming a big bomb perhaps, and a chemical factory closing down - and a timber business going out of - business - wouldn't you think there's more important things to spend time on in Scotland by the Scottish Government?
The simple answer to that question is no. These are some of the most vulnerable people in the world, and you're talking as if it's a matter of trivia.
DeleteThe empathy bypass from some alleged yessers on here is despicable.
DeleteThe Yes movement was founded on exactly that, among other ideals for an indeoendent Scotland.
Makes me sick to my stomach to see those open-hearted principles being binned by sone folk who are now an embarrassment to our movement.
He could, of course, have just said "get on with the day job" or "now is not the time".
Deleteafrica has infinity africans and Scotland will need them ALL for theconomy an growth
Deletewe're all jock tamsons bairns
short sighted economic illiteracy - these asylum seekers could well setup new petrochemical refining plants and AI datacentres, for growunthuconomy
Delete@Yesindy, Join IFS and the other clowns then and become a dead Alba complainer, or vote Tory or Reform because you and them are useless for anything else
DeleteHere's the article in the National that forms the background:
Deletehttps://archive.is/KNyhq
Here's a good comment btl:
"Time for the SG to start legislating as if we were independent and counter this racist pandering to the foul Starmer regime. There is a real imperative for intention of valuing incomers and putting that on record and into law."
But it's more than that. Refugees and immigration are hot topics at the moment, and fuelling the rise of the far right. But look here on the SNP website: https://www.snp.org/ - the most recent article is right back to after the SNP conference. WHERE is an article, a good short article - on what Independent Scotland would do about refugees? Like seeing what their skills are, what retraining they might need, including making their skills specific to different ways of working in Scotland, and giving them the opportunity as soon as possible, rather than imprisoning them in barracks in the North-East of Scotland? Or sending them to Glasgow which already has a homelessness problem?
And here's another website, the Scottish Government's website: https://www.gov.scot/ and lo and behold for the sceptics, in very prominent position is this:
"A Fresh Start with Independence - https://www.gov.scot/publications/fresh-start-independence/
but where on the main page gov.scot is anything about "Refugees" - the very hot issue at the moment?
One comment below is correct - "You will never hear or read about it in the English controlled and owned media."
No. And sadly, as far as refugees are concerned, you won't get it from the websites the Scottish Government control - or the SNP one.
Refugees being dumped on Scotland ARE the day job. Too many without the means of contributing fully to the economy - and hence the Scottish consolidate fund - overload the housing, overload the schools, overload the NHS. Independence is the only answer, and yes, we do need to supplement a declining birth rate with immigration; but meanwhile we have to make the best of what we get - begrudged pocket money.
And that IS the day job of the Scottish Government. That and full and effective communication. They can't run away from issues. But neither can we.
Anon lowlife troll at 7.40pm spouting lies about me again. I am not a member of any political party so his comment re Alba and me is a deliberate lie. I post my very own independent opinions. This troll is a lowlife liar. But hey that’s what trolls do. They do not let facts and the truth interfere with their trolling.
Delete12:48 How do you know that the Scottish Government aren’t spending time on ‘more important things’? You will never hear or read about it in the English controlled and owned media. That media will never give our Scottish Government any kind of platform to expose, put down or attack their arrogant Westminster governments in London!!!
ReplyDeleteAgree. Alt Clut and IFS are just the same. Nothing positive to say or even less surprising any ideas to move independence forward. Seems to me they don't want it yet pretend they support independence.
DeleteWhat do we want? Independence.
DeleteWhat does the SNP want? Dependence.
It's no more complex than that. GTF on with it!
Just how many times are trolls like 2.57pm going to spout their same lies. I have been promoting my idea for independence since 2020 on SGP but this twat says about me : “ Nothing positive to say or even less surprising any ideas to move independence forward.”
DeleteThe reality is that his words describe his own posting on SGP.
Clearly you don't really pay attention. If you did you would know that I actively supported the opposition motion and ctte. candidates at SNP conference. Lazy 'knowitallism' simply helps to confuse and weaken our movement.
DeletePerhaps you could try to keep up in future?
Ifs and alt clut getting tetchy together. Just no ideas for independence. Easy to say no to everything
DeleteJust no ideas for independence. Easy to say no to everything
DeleteMost of the folk on here who don't support Swinney's plan would like the SNP to treat an election as a referendum. To me that seems like a better idea than trying to get a single-party majority primarily because it actually has democratic weight: if the SNP get a majority with fewer than 50% voting for Yes parties, it's very easy for Westminster - or any international body to whom we might want to appeal - to say that most people voted for No parties, so no desire for independence has been demonstrated.
And even in the absolute fantasy land where the SNP get 50% of the vote on their own, WM can still point out that their manifesto contained several items, so who's to say independence was the one that people were voting for?
Swinney's goal of a single-party majority is almost guaranteed not to be achieved, and even if it is achieved - even with room to spare - it's trivial for WM to shoot it down.
In contrast, if 50%+1 vote for parties who are running on the single issue of independence, there is a new reality: the people of Scotland have unambiguously voted for independence. In that situation, the only argument WM has left is "well, we're in charge, so shut up and eat your cereal".
Since you're an advocate of constructive discussion, let's imagine it's the day after the election and Swinney has won a majority of seats on 40% of the vote. He asks WM for independence, or a referendum. They say "Don't be daft, 60% of Scotland just voted against independence". What should be his reply to that?
You should just vote Tory or Reform like you want to since Alba's gone, left, a dead parrot
DeleteYou’re wasting your time Keaton. The party faithful think Swinney’s strategy is a good one. It beggars belief but it’s where we are. The only people who could think his strategy is good are unionists and long term devolution it’s. You will not get an answer to your question, but the usual “you’re anti SNP, you don’t support Indy. It’s dripping in irony as much as stupidity.
DeleteThe 1% think they dictate to the rest of us. You don't.
DeleteIf Swinney asked these anon numpties to kick their own arse they would keep trying until told to stop.
DeleteYouGov, Westminster voting intention, field work 16 - 17 Nov.
ReplyDeleteUK headlines; RefUK 8% lead, +1% week on week.
No data table available, but for 2nd week in a row, YouGov have Plaid Cymru on 2%. That’s three polls in a row with Plaid on 2%, that ain’t statistical noise.
Newsflash! 3% is less than Reform are polling. A lot less. Plaid Cymry aren't going to form a government on 2% of the vote. Do the math. Get real@
DeleteHey, Stew! Welcome. So what's the *real* story?
DeleteHow many anonymous's are IFS ? he keeps replying to himself, he must not know it's easy to check that he's doing it
ReplyDeleteYayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
ReplyDelete