tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post3536641679667363320..comments2024-03-29T08:35:23.400+00:00Comments on SCOT goes POP!: More damning evidence that the independence referendum was not fairly conducted : The Guardian reports that the "politically neutral" Queen was asked by the No campaign to interfere, and freely agreed to do soJames Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01516007141763230886noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-70589962796629181252014-12-18T21:56:01.960+00:002014-12-18T21:56:01.960+00:00essentially all your arguments are short termism.....essentially all your arguments are short termism.....Flockers is a stir!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-82737827756685012642014-12-18T10:20:30.509+00:002014-12-18T10:20:30.509+00:00You may have regard it as paranoid to point out th...You may have regard it as paranoid to point out the possible collusion at the time, but not everyone did. I seem to recall the journalists who witnesses the incident reported that they were surprised to have been invited by the local constabulary to move closer to the Queen. Normally, they would not have been within earshot, and so would not have directly witnessed the Queen's comments. Their usual approach would have been to seek out the woman who spoke to the Queen and ask her to recount what was said. Scott Borthwicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-87896356476536127492014-12-17T21:07:58.562+00:002014-12-17T21:07:58.562+00:00The traditional Scottish unionist position is expl...The traditional Scottish unionist position is explained here:<br />http://ukscblog.com/judges-politicians-and-the-contested-constitution/<br />http://www.scottishreview.net/DennisSmith138.shtml<br /><br />People claiming that the UK is a unitary state, or "an enlarged and renamed England" or claiming that England is the "rUK" (sic) are not expressing a Scottish unionist position. They are expressing a view that was traditionally only expressed by Englishmen arguing that England had a superior position in the union or Scottish nationalists arguing that Scotland was oppressed. <br /><br />Either way, this is an English supremacist view of the union. <br /><br />Believing that a constitutional position inferior to that of a colony is "what is best for Scotland" is an odd view for anyone claiming to be both a Scot and a unionist.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-61952783369402121752014-12-17T19:27:40.230+00:002014-12-17T19:27:40.230+00:00For those unaware the Royals are going to have som...For those unaware the Royals are going to have some very big problems of their own soon enough as it's all but an open secret that a great many tabloids have been sitting on piles of stuff waiting for Liz to pop her clogs or the heat to recede from the trials.<br /><br />If you don't know why look back at the precise cause of the first phone hacking jailings and the testimony from the new ones including Cameron's jailbird best friend and spindoctor Coulson. Kate and Wills were targeted some 170 times which, even for those doing it, was anything but routine and seems to confirm the rumours that the extraordinary intense interest was because of testimony like this, <i>"the witness explained that Fawcett was a former valet to the Prince of Wales but asked that he not be pressed for details as the story he was researching was "a matter of extreme delicacy for all concerned"."</i><br /><br />They weren't just on fishing expeditions, (far too risky for that) they were after something in particular, several things in fact.<br /><br /><br />http://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2014/05/14/phone-hacking-trial-william-and-kate-phones-hacked-170-times-clive-goodman-tells<br /><br />So it's going to be another tabloid feeding frenzy at the expense of the Royals. (they really <i>have</i> missed Diana and are still very glum that the new ones just aren't up to much and are light-years away from the banker that she was) A frenzy which Charlie boy in particular is somewhat unlikely to enjoy as the tablolids will not sit back and let foreign newspapers and websites scoop them this time while they say next to nothing.<br /><br /><br /><br />On the subject of hilariously out of touch tory twits bumptiously trying to lecture those who worked for years on the streets of scotland campaigning on it... there were plenty of clueless tory twits congratulating themselves after the first Devolution referendum certain the same thing would happen again. There were indeed many famous ones in the tory party who arrogantly and stupidly insisted in 97 that yet more scaremongering would scupper the second Devolution referendum. Nope! <b>LOL</b><br /><br />Take the witless rantings of westminster bubble tories for the comedy gold it so clearly is as anyone who thinks more of the same will work simply doesn't have the brainpower to understand what approaching 100,000 SNP members and all the current polling means.<br /><br /><br />So when the tory party splits over the EU (and it is most assuredly WHEN not if) remember that the incompetent fop and his idiot cheerleaders were the ones who had their heads in the sand as their own MPs were jumping ship to the kipper poundshop racists. :-)<br /><br /><br />Mick Porknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-65866889601464851532014-12-17T18:52:10.428+00:002014-12-17T18:52:10.428+00:00Flockers is a Scotland hating racist. Proven by t...Flockers is a Scotland hating racist. Proven by their own words. It takes the view that Scotland can't exist. If Scotland doesn't exist then neither do Scots. Q, E and indeed, D! That would be genocide. Just because you're not using gas chambers doesn't change the intent.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-54184331422984265402014-12-17T17:59:59.123+00:002014-12-17T17:59:59.123+00:00Flockers, at some point you're going to have t...Flockers, at some point you're going to have to accept the overwhelming polling evidence that Osborne's currency shambles harmed the No campaign, not the Yes campaign. The electorate in general took an entirely different view to you as to which side was displaying arrogance in its currency stance. You're entitled to your own view, of course, just so long as you don't delude yourself that it's widely shared in Scotland, or that your preferred interpretation somehow helped No creep over the line.<br /><br /><i>"By and large we are a bunch of people who want what is best for Scotland"</i><br /><br />Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've never had the impression that you live in Scotland. Do you have any significant ties to the country? Because otherwise your choice of words is very odd - you sound like a proprietorial parent figure (rather like Mrs Thatcher used to). Do you want what's best for Denmark as well?James Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01516007141763230886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-31580314982342513152014-12-17T16:28:46.999+00:002014-12-17T16:28:46.999+00:00I wish now I could remember where I read it, but o...I wish now I could remember where I read it, but one journalist who was at Crathie that morning writes to support the interpretation that the whole thing was scripted.<br /><br />He said that the usual drill for the press is for them to be there but to maintain a respectful distance from Her Majesty, and not to get so close as to be in a position where they can overhear her conversation. However on that occasion this policy was reversed. Journalists were explicitly urged to get right up close the the queen and to listen out for what she was going to say.<br /><br />Says it all, really.Rolfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17849975010197698907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-81972224960143833192014-12-17T16:28:12.553+00:002014-12-17T16:28:12.553+00:00Anonymous at 1.03pm. Thank you for your response a...Anonymous at 1.03pm. Thank you for your response and for engaging with the arguments. I am at a loss as to how you can describe the points made about currency, EU membership, business flight and oil revenues as "not substantive". They are clearly substantive issues. <br /><br />The EU membership point is far from settled. I am of the view that Scotland would likely be able to rejoin, and that the objection of other nations concerned about seccessionist movements could be overcome, but it is far from certain that is the case, or that it could be achieved in the short-term, or that it could be achieved without Scotland joining the euro. It certainly is not the case that the balance of informed opinion was that this was a non issue; indeed a number of senior European politicians past and present raised significant concerns. That is a substantive point.<br /><br />The loss of soveriegnty in a currency union is also a substantive point. The point is not that France is not a sovereign nation, or that Scotland would somehow be less independent than it is today (neither true), but that Scotland could not hope to have anything like the fiscal and monetary freedom the yes campaign claimed would follow independence, if they are in a currency union with rUK. The painful lesson the EU has learned is that monetary union does not work without political and fiscal union. The yes campaign arrogantly assumed that a currency union would be agreed and glossed over the limitations Scotland would have to accept to make it possible. Again, these are substantive issues.<br /><br />The instability of oil revenues has just been demonstrated in capital letters and is beyond doubt. How you can say that Scotland's exposure to oil revenues is not a substantive issue is beyond me.<br /><br />This is not scaremongering. These are real issues. They were the issues that troubled a great many Scots I spoke to during the campaign, that alarmed businesses and resulted in many making contingency plans to relocate. I have no doubt that had yes won the immediate aftermath would have seen an exodus of jobs and investment that would have taken many years to replace. The yes campaign has two choices - it can either seek to address them or to continue to pretend that they aren't issues. The latter will only make independence less likely, and more painful for Scotland if it does happen. I don't want that.<br /><br />Your pet theory that unionists are English supremicists is just laughable. By and large we are a bunch of people who want what is best for Scotland and happen to take a different view from you as to how it can be achieved. Flockersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-34431878534709201012014-12-17T16:21:36.365+00:002014-12-17T16:21:36.365+00:00Wonder how many % King Charles the Tampon might be...Wonder how many % King Charles the Tampon might be worth to Yes. Sean McNultyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17417132693074694333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-59570194252530555732014-12-17T16:08:19.403+00:002014-12-17T16:08:19.403+00:00"I well recall the festival atmosphere on her...<i>"I well recall the festival atmosphere on here as the polls tightened - there were no complaints then."</i><br /><br />That's a blatant lie, Flockers, and you damn well know it. I had two pieces published during referendum week (one in the IBTimes, the other in Fair Observer), pointing out the breathtaking bias in the London-based broadcast media. I linked to both articles from here.James Kellynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-51217816778279270142014-12-17T15:32:48.979+00:002014-12-17T15:32:48.979+00:00Shock and Awe II and the dirty tricks in general w...Shock and Awe II and the dirty tricks in general will be far worse for iref2, because No will most likely start any campaign well behind in the polls. So the campaign has to be as short as possible, and ideally overshadowed mediawise by something like an EUref. <br /><br />This is a massively unfair contest, there's no getting away from that (unless you're in Denial Super Max like Flockers). But such has always been the case with truly significant social movements. We're not just trying to save Scotland's arse here. We're trying to inspire and educate other MSM-hated liberation movements, no? Sean McNultyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17417132693074694333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-77490205076113343072014-12-17T15:01:14.354+00:002014-12-17T15:01:14.354+00:00I think the whole piece is very Westminster-centri...I think the whole piece is very Westminster-centric. It's based on the premise that large swings in one jump are extremely unlikely, while ignoring the elephant in the room of a Holyrood landslide for the SNP that occurred since the last Westminster election.James Kellynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-5269792329403215742014-12-17T14:31:16.933+00:002014-12-17T14:31:16.933+00:00From the same Guardian piece:
"Because of th...From the same Guardian piece:<br /><br />"Because of the unprecedented threat posed by independence to the future of the UK and the state, the Cabinet Office commissioned more than £537,000 worth of extremely detailed but unpublished polling from Ipsos Mori between May 2013 and the end of the campaign – at one stage paying up to £100,000 a month for these surveys, in what is believed to be a record sum spent by Whitehall tracking one political event."<br /><br />My mate at Mori told me throughout this period that these questionnaires were largely taken up with loaded questions about pensions, currency, "security concerns" and so on. So Scottish taxpayers were literally paying Mori to be used as a propaganda wing of BT.<br /><br />We can complain about the unfairness of all this bullshit, but the chances are it will be way, way worse for iref2.The SNP won't kick off another iref until Yes is well ahead in the polls, which could mean the next Shock and Awe propaganda barrage won't last for weeks but months. <br /><br />Which is why right after the EU referendum might be the best time for iref2, when all wings of the Establishment are still too distracted by the repercussions of the Europe vote to inflict Shock and Awe II (And Then Some). We may not get a chance like that again. Sean McNultyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17417132693074694333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-13134719776931514382014-12-17T14:22:03.160+00:002014-12-17T14:22:03.160+00:00Not bad. Still find it odd that people look 2 elec...Not bad. Still find it odd that people look 2 elections ago (2010) when wondering what will happen at the next. Better focus on 2011 results for comparable constituencies as a starting point. This one jumps out:<br /><br />Glasgow East (18.4%)<br /><br />This is marked as 'unlikely', yet the SNP took it in the 2008 by-election with a 26% swing well before 2011, the referendum, the post iref poll shift. It should really be 'tricky' at best.<br /><br />The main failing with the analysis is it assumes people <i>supported</i> Labour in e.g. 2010 and ignores a massive tactical anti-tory vote. Party support in 2010 was much better reflected by eventual 2011 result, barring a top-up of 5% from actual lib supporters who went to SNP rather than tactical 2010 libs.Scottish_Skiernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-1036878952163913542014-12-17T14:09:06.977+00:002014-12-17T14:09:06.977+00:00There are thousands of women who suffer morning si...There are thousands of women who suffer morning sickness but don't announce their pregnancies so early. What's wrong with an "upset stomach" if you need a reason to miss work or appointments? It's not a lie after all.<br /><br />No, the only reason to announce this pregnancy was to give a wee boost to TeamGB. <br /><br />I hope the royal family realise that their cynical interference in Scotland's so called democratic process has left a large chunk of the Scottish population disgusted with them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-19458149899179443172014-12-17T14:02:24.560+00:002014-12-17T14:02:24.560+00:00The currency the evidence would suggest. In my abo...The currency the evidence would suggest. In my above post showing the poll of polls from Prof C, you can see No is 60%+ until currencygate, then it starts to lose support steadily, never to return to this level as the unionist arguments unwind.Scottish_Skiernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-73857111588131773612014-12-17T13:58:38.974+00:002014-12-17T13:58:38.974+00:00I've found an interesting analysis of SNP-Labo...I've found an interesting analysis of SNP-Labour battle seats, it's worth a read I think.<br />http://ukgeneralelection.com/2014/12/15/labour-v-snp-a-guide-to-the-battleground/ Calumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18298701198248993553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-52516904050271767072014-12-17T13:46:44.408+00:002014-12-17T13:46:44.408+00:00I don't see aiming to win next year's gene...I don't see aiming to win next year's general election and thereby secure a degree of broadcasting devolution as "howling at the moon", so we'll just have to agree to differ. <br /><br />And if you want a practical benefit to "banging on" about collusion between the No campaign and the monarchy, it's this - it makes it that much harder for the same trick to be attempted in future, because people will be wiser to it.James Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01516007141763230886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-71083992718769755782014-12-17T13:41:43.160+00:002014-12-17T13:41:43.160+00:00Isn't her Scottish property (Balmoral) owned b...Isn't her Scottish property (Balmoral) owned by an offshore trust which will fall foul of the new legislation going through Holyrood?<br />Not surprised she is hostile to Scottish self determination.<br />bringitonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10712089398887269381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-69577209837597985942014-12-17T13:38:05.434+00:002014-12-17T13:38:05.434+00:00Grim, I'm not disagreeing with you, I'm si...Grim, I'm not disagreeing with you, I'm simply stating that the approach and psychology was wrong. If you frame the argument in the way I outlined, you have the same (real) aims, but a better outcome. It's all about who's court the ball ends up in.Wee Jock Elliothttps://twitter.com/WeeJockElliotnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-9411145238609002772014-12-17T13:37:24.513+00:002014-12-17T13:37:24.513+00:00No, I just think we should focus on the things tha...No, I just think we should focus on the things that we control and can improve on, instead of howling at the moon.Jamesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-20760705997402308042014-12-17T13:30:09.286+00:002014-12-17T13:30:09.286+00:00Lizzie has form for this kind of a stunt. She did...Lizzie has form for this kind of a stunt. She did the same in the late 1970s when the SNP's vote was rising, and was hence a threat to the British establishment. It does not take a dolt to see the connections and similarities. I thought at the time that this was not an innocent incident. We should not be surprised given that the monarchy and indeed the BBC are at the heart of the British state. muttley79noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-52537157422423541912014-12-17T13:29:55.529+00:002014-12-17T13:29:55.529+00:00I'm afraid you could only get away with sneeri...I'm afraid you could only get away with sneering like that UNTIL the point that the Royal Family were caught out playing political games. Now, you're just the boy (or girl) who cried wolf, and no-one's listening anymore.James Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01516007141763230886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-54529189643526146342014-12-17T13:22:49.394+00:002014-12-17T13:22:49.394+00:00What's the alternative, James? To cower in fe...What's the alternative, James? To cower in fear and never speak out because the forces ranged against us are too mighty? No, I don't like that plan.James Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01516007141763230886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-930120922627919768.post-82627902127653191152014-12-17T13:19:12.464+00:002014-12-17T13:19:12.464+00:00Anon at 11.34 - why not be even more 'hilariou...Anon at 11.34 - why not be even more 'hilarious' and specify the questions that I haven't answered (either above or below). If you can.James Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01516007141763230886noreply@blogger.com