The rise and fall of The SNP.

[Konrad von Carstein]

18 minutes ago, manaliveits105 said:

That’s separatists for you though champagne socialists 

[Japan Jambo]

Alex calling out Nicola again, big weekend ahead for him given how little traction he has achieved so far. I do think he has the advantage though in that he actually wants independence and not just power for power's sake.

 

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/alex-salmond-brands-nicola-sturgeon-26552716

[Lord Montpelier]

4 minutes ago, Japan Jambo said:

Alex calling out Nicola again, big weekend ahead for him given how little traction he has achieved so far. I do think he has the advantage though in that he actually wants independence and not just power for power's sake.

 

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/alex-salmond-brands-nicola-sturgeon-26552716

I could see some support shifting to Alba from Nationalists not happy with Sturgeons uber woke policy nonsence. 

[manaliveits105]

Good work comrade Salmond 

[jack D and coke]

3 minutes ago, Lord Montpelier said:

I could see some support shifting to Alba from Nationalists not happy with Sturgeons uber woke policy nonsence. 

Salmond a real marmite character but I felt much more for his SNP and vision for indy than I do with the current one. I have doubts the current one even wants it. 
This SNP administration is turning a lot of people off. 
 

[Lord Montpelier]

Just now, jack D and coke said:

Salmond a real marmite character but I felt much more for his SNP and vision for indy than I do with the current one. I have doubts the current one even wants it. 
This SNP administration is turning a lot of people off. 
 

Always remember the laugh Salmond gave me and others when some wee airplane dispatcher at London City Airport bollocked him for using his phone on the way to the plane. Tbf he did as he was told  . 

 

But yes I can see how the current administration turns people off. 

[Don Dan]

Is this for real? 

 

 

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10655551/Scottish-pupils-taught-Loch-Ness-Monster-symbol-Englands-domination-Scotland.html
 

Scottish pupils will be taught the Loch Ness monster is anti-Scottish because its legend was a creation of the British class system that portrayed Scotland as 'primitive' 
 

To many, it’s a fun fairytale to lure tourists; to others, it’s a genuine mystery – or just a silly hoax. 

But to woke education chiefs, the Loch Ness Monster is a potent symbol of England’s domination of Scotland – a theory which will now be taught in schools. 

Pupils north of the border are to be told how the mythical beast reinforces negative stereotypes and ingrains bias about the Scots. 

Schoolchildren will be taught how the class structure had a role in the creation of the legend, and how stories surrounding the creature relate to debate on Scottish Independence and even the Cold War. 
 

But campaigners last night criticised the classes as ‘nationalist, anti-British propaganda’ aimed at ‘brainwashing’ pupils. 
 

Though the earliest reports date from the 6th Century, the Nessie phenomenon exploded in the 1930s with a flurry of alleged sightings and photographs. 

And the first film about Nessie was 1934’s low-budget horror romp The Secret Of The Loch. 

The lesson plan says the movie monster ‘shows the somewhat ambivalent position that Scotland holds in the Union… the very idea of a prehistoric monster in a loch affirms the stereotypical idea that Scotland – by contrast to England – is a rural wilderness, perhaps one bypassed by progress. 

‘The monster’s depiction suggests that although there was a “primitive” wilderness in Scotland before the state of Britain, the modern state has the ability to control it using advanced knowledge and technologies.’

The document goes on to describe how the Nessie legend was ‘indicative of the development of the modern state of Britain’, and that the creature’s depiction ‘reveals a lot about Scotland’s position within the Union… the supposedly unified national community to which people could “imagine a sense of belonging”.’ 

It adds that ‘cinematic depictions of Nessie enabled Britain to imagine itself as a modern and unified state’.

 

 

Also placed under scrutiny are the 1996 family drama Loch Ness, starring Ted Danson and Joely Richardson, and the 1983 short The Loch Ness Monster Movie, in which a cheaply animated claymation Nessie rampages through Edinburgh. 

 
September 2021 shows a mysterious black shape on the banks of the lake in Scotland, thought to be Nessie 

The teaching aid says: ‘This monstrous destruction of the nation’s capital questions whether Scotland may be dragged into the dangerous arena of the Cold War due to its relationship with England… and indeed, Britain’s “special relationship” with the USA. 

In this movie, Nessie is a Scottish monster, questioning whether, in the circumstances it finds itself in, it should reconsider its position in Britain in order to find a different place in the world.’ 

Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, slammed the material, saying: ‘There is no question about it presenting anti-British bias. It seeks to brainwash pupils into believing that Scotland is the victim of a wicked conspiracy to subvert and infantilise its identity.

‘The nationalist cause must be in desperate trouble if it has to resort to such propaganda tactics with young people. My advice to teachers is to use the Nessie Plan itself as an example of how “bias” is used by educators.’

Education Scotland said last night: ‘Through the study of films, the resource encourages students to debate, to analyse bias and understand the role film has played in shaping the global view of Scotland. 

‘It also seeks to support pupils in learning about the importance of respecting the heritage and identity of others.’

 

[Roxy Hearts]

On 25/03/2022 at 16:24, jack D and coke said:

Salmond a real marmite character but I felt much more for his SNP and vision for indy than I do with the current one. I have doubts the current one even wants it. 
This SNP administration is turning a lot of people off. 
 

I vote SNP and Alba. Can't bring myself to vote for anyone else.

[manaliveits105]

Just watching the documentary on bbc2  about the Danube apparently sturgeon is the most endangered species on the planet - who knew 

[Japan Jambo]

On 25/03/2022 at 17:23, jonesy said:

Salmond wants the power to bring independence. Sturgeon wants power.

 

Sturgeon and her clique were terrified Salmond would come back for a third shot, hence the attempt to discredit him. He did himself no favours with the RT show, though. 

 

Neither of them will budge their ego out of the way enough to allow for the two parties to work together. 

 

As arguably the two most effective Scottish politicians of their generation(s) (who remained focused on Scottish, rather than UK politics), the fact that they cannot work together to achieve their goal is a worrying insight into how petty, tribal and ineffective Scottish politics would continue to be post-independence. Those expecting a massive change and improvement are in a for a real shock.

 

 

 

Great post Jonesy - not my politics (as some may have guessed) but two very capable individuals. 

[Japan Jambo]

58 minutes ago, manaliveits105 said:

Just watching the documentary on bbc2  about the Danube apparently sturgeon is the most endangered species on the planet - who knew 

 

are they getting damaged by ferries?

[OTT]

On 25/03/2022 at 16:12, Japan Jambo said:

Alex calling out Nicola again, big weekend ahead for him given how little traction he has achieved so far. I do think he has the advantage though in that he actually wants independence and not just power for power's sake.

 

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/alex-salmond-brands-nicola-sturgeon-26552716

 

He's spot on. If anyone seriously believes there will be a referendum in 2023, I have some magic beans to sell them. Sturgeon has no appetite for actually getting on with Independence, and there is always going to be another reason why it can't happen. Sophie Raworth (BBC!!!) got her absolutely tuned about her failure to actually get on with it. If even the BBC are laughing at her inability to bring about a referendum, does that not speak volumes about the likelihood of ever seeing one in her tenure?

 

I really hope fellow indy supporters give Alba a chance here to prove themselves. Its a great opportunity to begin building credibility with voters.

[manaliveits105]

15 minutes ago, Japan Jambo said:

 

are they getting damaged by ferries?

[jack D and coke]

15 hours ago, Boy Daniel said:

Is this for real? 

 

 

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10655551/Scottish-pupils-taught-Loch-Ness-Monster-symbol-Englands-domination-Scotland.html
 

Scottish pupils will be taught the Loch Ness monster is anti-Scottish because its legend was a creation of the British class system that portrayed Scotland as 'primitive' 
 

To many, it’s a fun fairytale to lure tourists; to others, it’s a genuine mystery – or just a silly hoax. 

But to woke education chiefs, the Loch Ness Monster is a potent symbol of England’s domination of Scotland – a theory which will now be taught in schools. 

Pupils north of the border are to be told how the mythical beast reinforces negative stereotypes and ingrains bias about the Scots. 

Schoolchildren will be taught how the class structure had a role in the creation of the legend, and how stories surrounding the creature relate to debate on Scottish Independence and even the Cold War. 
 

But campaigners last night criticised the classes as ‘nationalist, anti-British propaganda’ aimed at ‘brainwashing’ pupils. 
 

Though the earliest reports date from the 6th Century, the Nessie phenomenon exploded in the 1930s with a flurry of alleged sightings and photographs. 

And the first film about Nessie was 1934’s low-budget horror romp The Secret Of The Loch. 

The lesson plan says the movie monster ‘shows the somewhat ambivalent position that Scotland holds in the Union… the very idea of a prehistoric monster in a loch affirms the stereotypical idea that Scotland – by contrast to England – is a rural wilderness, perhaps one bypassed by progress. 

‘The monster’s depiction suggests that although there was a “primitive” wilderness in Scotland before the state of Britain, the modern state has the ability to control it using advanced knowledge and technologies.’

The document goes on to describe how the Nessie legend was ‘indicative of the development of the modern state of Britain’, and that the creature’s depiction ‘reveals a lot about Scotland’s position within the Union… the supposedly unified national community to which people could “imagine a sense of belonging”.’ 

It adds that ‘cinematic depictions of Nessie enabled Britain to imagine itself as a modern and unified state’.

 

 

Also placed under scrutiny are the 1996 family drama Loch Ness, starring Ted Danson and Joely Richardson, and the 1983 short The Loch Ness Monster Movie, in which a cheaply animated claymation Nessie rampages through Edinburgh. 

 
September 2021 shows a mysterious black shape on the banks of the lake in Scotland, thought to be Nessie 

The teaching aid says: ‘This monstrous destruction of the nation’s capital questions whether Scotland may be dragged into the dangerous arena of the Cold War due to its relationship with England… and indeed, Britain’s “special relationship” with the USA. 

In this movie, Nessie is a Scottish monster, questioning whether, in the circumstances it finds itself in, it should reconsider its position in Britain in order to find a different place in the world.’ 

Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, slammed the material, saying: ‘There is no question about it presenting anti-British bias. It seeks to brainwash pupils into believing that Scotland is the victim of a wicked conspiracy to subvert and infantilise its identity.

‘The nationalist cause must be in desperate trouble if it has to resort to such propaganda tactics with young people. My advice to teachers is to use the Nessie Plan itself as an example of how “bias” is used by educators.’

Education Scotland said last night: ‘Through the study of films, the resource encourages students to debate, to analyse bias and understand the role film has played in shaping the global view of Scotland. 

‘It also seeks to support pupils in learning about the importance of respecting the heritage and identity of others.’

 

 

[Alex Kintner]

16 hours ago, Boy Daniel said:

Is this for real? 

 

 

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10655551/Scottish-pupils-taught-Loch-Ness-Monster-symbol-Englands-domination-Scotland.html
 

Scottish pupils will be taught the Loch Ness monster is anti-Scottish because its legend was a creation of the British class system that portrayed Scotland as 'primitive' 
 

To many, it’s a fun fairytale to lure tourists; to others, it’s a genuine mystery – or just a silly hoax. 

But to woke education chiefs, the Loch Ness Monster is a potent symbol of England’s domination of Scotland – a theory which will now be taught in schools. 

Pupils north of the border are to be told how the mythical beast reinforces negative stereotypes and ingrains bias about the Scots. 

Schoolchildren will be taught how the class structure had a role in the creation of the legend, and how stories surrounding the creature relate to debate on Scottish Independence and even the Cold War. 
 

But campaigners last night criticised the classes as ‘nationalist, anti-British propaganda’ aimed at ‘brainwashing’ pupils. 
 

Though the earliest reports date from the 6th Century, the Nessie phenomenon exploded in the 1930s with a flurry of alleged sightings and photographs. 

And the first film about Nessie was 1934’s low-budget horror romp The Secret Of The Loch. 

The lesson plan says the movie monster ‘shows the somewhat ambivalent position that Scotland holds in the Union… the very idea of a prehistoric monster in a loch affirms the stereotypical idea that Scotland – by contrast to England – is a rural wilderness, perhaps one bypassed by progress. 

‘The monster’s depiction suggests that although there was a “primitive” wilderness in Scotland before the state of Britain, the modern state has the ability to control it using advanced knowledge and technologies.’

The document goes on to describe how the Nessie legend was ‘indicative of the development of the modern state of Britain’, and that the creature’s depiction ‘reveals a lot about Scotland’s position within the Union… the supposedly unified national community to which people could “imagine a sense of belonging”.’ 

It adds that ‘cinematic depictions of Nessie enabled Britain to imagine itself as a modern and unified state’.

 

 

Also placed under scrutiny are the 1996 family drama Loch Ness, starring Ted Danson and Joely Richardson, and the 1983 short The Loch Ness Monster Movie, in which a cheaply animated claymation Nessie rampages through Edinburgh. 

 
September 2021 shows a mysterious black shape on the banks of the lake in Scotland, thought to be Nessie 

The teaching aid says: ‘This monstrous destruction of the nation’s capital questions whether Scotland may be dragged into the dangerous arena of the Cold War due to its relationship with England… and indeed, Britain’s “special relationship” with the USA. 

In this movie, Nessie is a Scottish monster, questioning whether, in the circumstances it finds itself in, it should reconsider its position in Britain in order to find a different place in the world.’ 

Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, slammed the material, saying: ‘There is no question about it presenting anti-British bias. It seeks to brainwash pupils into believing that Scotland is the victim of a wicked conspiracy to subvert and infantilise its identity.

‘The nationalist cause must be in desperate trouble if it has to resort to such propaganda tactics with young people. My advice to teachers is to use the Nessie Plan itself as an example of how “bias” is used by educators.’

Education Scotland said last night: ‘Through the study of films, the resource encourages students to debate, to analyse bias and understand the role film has played in shaping the global view of Scotland. 

‘It also seeks to support pupils in learning about the importance of respecting the heritage and identity of others.’

 

The article is for real, the lesson plan is for real and the quotes from it are real. You can also really imagine the parts of the lesson plan the Daily Mail has chosen to omit. 

[theshed]

2 hours ago, Japan Jambo said:

 

are they getting damaged by ferries?

https://twitter.com/crossgatecentre/status/1508018014058385409?s=21&t=iQGv2Kcg11pf9zTQnPEORA

[Lord Montpelier]

2 hours ago, jack D and coke said:

 

You could probably mock something similar up for the SNP propaganda paper 'the National'

 

Except change millions to hundreds given its circulation levels

[jack D and coke]

2 hours ago, Lord Montpelier said:

You could probably mock something similar up for the SNP propaganda paper 'the National'

 

Except change millions to hundreds given its circulation levels

You couldn’t really. If you can show me something though?
I don’t read it but the national makes no bones about what it stands for. It’s the only paper or indeed media that supports Indy. 
For something that around half the nation wants. 
Not really similar in the slightest for me. 

[A Boy Named Crow]

9 hours ago, jack D and coke said:

You couldn’t really. If you can show me something though?
I don’t read it but the national makes no bones about what it stands for. It’s the only paper or indeed media that supports Indy. 
For something that around half the nation wants. 
Not really similar in the slightest for me. 

The pro-union slanted reporting you get from basically every outlet other than the National has kept support for independence floating around the 50% mark. If the media were balanced in their reporting, the union would be eviscerated within months, if not weeks. 

[Lord Montpelier]

2 hours ago, A Boy Named Crow said:

The pro-union slanted reporting you get from basically every outlet other than the National has kept support for independence floating around the 50% mark. If the media were balanced in their reporting, the union would be eviscerated within months, if not weeks. 

I think we've found one of the several hundred National readers. Ironically what you've written is what you would expect to find on the front page of that propaganda rag. 

[Don Dan]

Nicola Sturgeon likened to Donald Trump after journalists 'excluded' from campaign launch

Critics have likened Nicola Sturgeon to Donald Trump and accused the First Minister of being “out of touch” ahead of the SNP’s launch of their local election campaign.

The SNP leader, who will launch her party’s manifesto for the council elections at a cost-of-living photo-opportunity in Glasgow today, said the election will be a judgement of Boris Johnson’s response to the cost of living crisis.

The cost-of-living photo opportunity is not a typical campaign launch, the SNP said, with limited numbers and only broadcasters such as the BBC and STV getting an invite.

Critics said the decision to bar print journalists from the event was an example of “cowardice” and “arrogance” by Ms Sturgeon.

It comes as the First Minister urges Scots to vote SNP at May’s local elections in order to “send a message” to the Prime Minister as people are “terrified” to open their bills.

Speaking prior to the event, she said: “These elections come at a time when families are facing a Tory-made cost of living crisis, unlike anything most of us have seen in our lifetimes. People are struggling to pay for their shopping and are terrified to open their bills.

“The SNP Scottish Government is already doing what we can to ease the burden on hard-pressed families and, if elected, SNP councillors will prioritise the cost of living crisis in Scotland’s council chambers - but we cannot let the Tories away with disgraceful inaction while households are forced into poverty.”

However, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Alex Cole-Hamilton, likened the SNP leader to Donald Trump.

However, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Alex Cole-Hamilton, likened the SNP leader to Donald Trump.

He said: "This is a remarkable display of both arrogance and cowardice from the First Minister. It feels more like the scrutiny dodging antics of Donald Trump than the actions of a leader at ease with her government’s record.

"Then again if I had spent five years cutting local authority budgets then perhaps I wouldn't want to face media scrutiny either.”

Miles Briggs, local government spokesperson for the Scottish Conservatives, said Ms Sturgeon’s attacks were a “broken record” and said the SNP had not used their “huge powers” over benefits to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.

He said: “I don’t know how Nicola Sturgeon can say with a straight face that people should vote SNP to protect local services when her government has presided over year after year of savage cuts to local authority funding.

“If she wants to know who’s to blame for the £251m cuts facing councils across Scotland she should look in the mirror.

“And it shows how out of touch Nicola Sturgeon is that she won’t even allow the press along to the SNP’s campaign launch to question her on these absurd comments.”

Neil Bibby, the Scottish Labour business manager, said Ms Sturgeon and the SNP was “bereft of ideas”.

He said: “It’s no wonder Nicola Sturgeon is trying to dodge scrutiny while she bungles her response to the worst cost of living crisis in decades.

“It is utterly shameless for the SNP to talk about the cost of living crisis while they refuse to use the litany of powers at their disposal to help Scots.

“The truth is they don’t want to be asked any questions because they don’t have any answers.

“We deserve transparency and openness from our politicians, and we need real solutions to the cost of living crisis.”

An SNP spokesman said the event was not a “typical launch event” and that there would be the opportunity throughout the campaign for journalists to ask questions of the party leader.

 

https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/nicola-sturgeon-likened-to-donald-trump-after-journalists-excluded-from-campaign-launch-3645723

 

 

[Dazo]

Sounds about right for the SNP. Forget about how they can make our City’s and towns better. Headline policy, send a message to Boris. 😂😂😂

[Roxy Hearts]

47 minutes ago, Imaman said:

Nicola Sturgeon likened to Donald Trump after journalists 'excluded' from campaign launch

Critics have likened Nicola Sturgeon to Donald Trump and accused the First Minister of being “out of touch” ahead of the SNP’s launch of their local election campaign.

The SNP leader, who will launch her party’s manifesto for the council elections at a cost-of-living photo-opportunity in Glasgow today, said the election will be a judgement of Boris Johnson’s response to the cost of living crisis.

The cost-of-living photo opportunity is not a typical campaign launch, the SNP said, with limited numbers and only broadcasters such as the BBC and STV getting an invite.

Critics said the decision to bar print journalists from the event was an example of “cowardice” and “arrogance” by Ms Sturgeon.

It comes as the First Minister urges Scots to vote SNP at May’s local elections in order to “send a message” to the Prime Minister as people are “terrified” to open their bills.

Speaking prior to the event, she said: “These elections come at a time when families are facing a Tory-made cost of living crisis, unlike anything most of us have seen in our lifetimes. People are struggling to pay for their shopping and are terrified to open their bills.

“The SNP Scottish Government is already doing what we can to ease the burden on hard-pressed families and, if elected, SNP councillors will prioritise the cost of living crisis in Scotland’s council chambers - but we cannot let the Tories away with disgraceful inaction while households are forced into poverty.”

However, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Alex Cole-Hamilton, likened the SNP leader to Donald Trump.

However, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Alex Cole-Hamilton, likened the SNP leader to Donald Trump.

He said: "This is a remarkable display of both arrogance and cowardice from the First Minister. It feels more like the scrutiny dodging antics of Donald Trump than the actions of a leader at ease with her government’s record.

"Then again if I had spent five years cutting local authority budgets then perhaps I wouldn't want to face media scrutiny either.”

Miles Briggs, local government spokesperson for the Scottish Conservatives, said Ms Sturgeon’s attacks were a “broken record” and said the SNP had not used their “huge powers” over benefits to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.

He said: “I don’t know how Nicola Sturgeon can say with a straight face that people should vote SNP to protect local services when her government has presided over year after year of savage cuts to local authority funding.

“If she wants to know who’s to blame for the £251m cuts facing councils across Scotland she should look in the mirror.

“And it shows how out of touch Nicola Sturgeon is that she won’t even allow the press along to the SNP’s campaign launch to question her on these absurd comments.”

Neil Bibby, the Scottish Labour business manager, said Ms Sturgeon and the SNP was “bereft of ideas”.

He said: “It’s no wonder Nicola Sturgeon is trying to dodge scrutiny while she bungles her response to the worst cost of living crisis in decades.

“It is utterly shameless for the SNP to talk about the cost of living crisis while they refuse to use the litany of powers at their disposal to help Scots.

“The truth is they don’t want to be asked any questions because they don’t have any answers.

“We deserve transparency and openness from our politicians, and we need real solutions to the cost of living crisis.”

An SNP spokesman said the event was not a “typical launch event” and that there would be the opportunity throughout the campaign for journalists to ask questions of the party leader.

 

https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/nicola-sturgeon-likened-to-donald-trump-after-journalists-excluded-from-campaign-launch-3645723

 

 

Are their journalists in the UK?

[pablo]

As Westminster grapples with the P&O scandal, a very different farce over ferries has been playing out in Scotland. In the run-up to the 2014 independence referendum, a Glasgow shipbuilder went bust and was rescued by a Scottish National party adviser. It was later awarded a £97 million government contract to build two ferries. Neither emerged. The cost now stands at £240 million and last month Scots learned that there will be another eight-month delay to the boats. What happened? Why did so much public money change hands? Was the taxpayer swindled?

 

Those trying to get to the bottom of these questions have hit a problem common to Nicola Sturgeon’s Scotland: much of the relevant documentary evidence has vanished. Jim McColl, the businessman who funded the original bailout, now says the deal was ‘for political capital’, but no one has been able to prove anything. This is not a one-off. Poor planning, wilful waste and absence of accountability have characterised so many episodes in the SNP’s 15 years in power.

 

Under first Alex Salmond and now Sturgeon, Holyrood has become one of the most centralised and opaque regimes in the democratic world. The power devolved to Edinburgh in 1999 has been hoarded by a party and a government – it’s hard to tell where one stops and the other starts – that specialises in dodging accountability. The SNP’s record of failure on public services is matched only by its ability to conceal the extent of that failure.

 

All major decisions are expected to be signed off by Sturgeon’s office; even junior officials talk of referring decisions to her apparatchiks for final approval. The Scottish government’s 175 communications staff dwarf the BBC’s 34 reporters, meaning that even the publicly funded broadcasters have one person asking questions for every five who answer them. Remarkably, the bill for Holyrood’s press officers and special advisers has increased by 50 per cent since 2018, despite newspaper sales halving since the SNP came to power. Is it any wonder that important questions go unanswered when there is an excess of gatekeepers and a dearth of interrogators?

 

The Scottish parliament is supposed to hold government to account. The original idea was for a unicameral system to create huge efficiency, with no House of Lords to slow things down. But this system means there is little scrutiny. During the Alex Salmond trial, where his evidence against Sturgeon was redacted, members of the Scottish parliament were warned that they did not have protected speech as MPs do in Westminster: they can be prosecuted by Sturgeon’s lawyers if they speak out of turn. Such a threat would never and could never be made to MPs.

 

The First Minister’s latest idea is to dispense with even the pretence of parliamentary approval and, as part of a future pandemic law, to ‘modify or amend’ any act of parliament without a vote. Unusually for a democracy, the legislature and the executive would be merged. In her defence, one can argue that this has, in effect, already been the case for years.

 

Even businesses have been warned that dissent is not welcome. Jack Perry, the former head of Scottish Enterprise, last year explained how Scottish companies ‘get shot down instantly and boycotted’ if they cause trouble for the SNP. ‘It’s very slick,’ he said. ‘Tunnock’s [teacakes] got berated for promoting a British identity in export markets rather than Scottish. They subtly changed branding – and suddenly there were boycott calls.’ A 2018 newspaper investigation revealed that companies working for the Scottish government risk having their contracts terminated if they are disobliging about the SNP.

 

After 15 years of power, the boundaries between party and state have become increasingly blurred. The Salmond inquiry last year showed the lack of distinction between the SNP, its government, supposedly impartial civil servants and legal officers. This merger is embodied in Bute House, the residence of the First Minister which she shares with Peter Murrell, her husband – who is the SNP’s chief executive. Leslie Evans, the recently departed head of the civil service, is married to a prominent SNP activist.

In Westminster, political parties are internal coalitions with lively debates. But inside the SNP, parliamentarians are forbidden from criticising their leadership. Joanna Cherry, for example, was an SNP home affairs spokesman and a rising star until she demurred from the party line on trans rights. She has spoken about the ‘abuse, threats, bullying and smears’ she receives from her own side now she’s on the backbenches – a warning to others who may be tempted to challenge Sturgeon.

 

Intimidation and fear have been hallmarks of the wider regime. Charities have been subject to ‘gagging orders’ that prevent them from criticising SNP policies or backing rival campaigns to qualify for state funding. Quangos are now so concerned about political interference that they include it on their formal risk assessments. Universities, too, are on notice. When Louise Richardson was principal of St Andrews, she warned that Scottish independence might hurt research funding. She was subjected to a ten-minute ‘loud and heated’ phone call from Salmond.

The SNP hasn’t grabbed power just from Westminster, but from local government too. ‘Scotland is one of the most centralised countries in Europe,’ reported Cosla, the country’s association of local councils, in 2014. Since then, ambulances, schools and social care have all come under increased central control.

 

Council tax freezes further erode local authority autonomy. Elected mayors have become commonplace in England but in Scotland, the man in Holyrood still knows best.

In England, the Crown Prosecution Service is independent of the government. In Scotland, the chief prosecutor – the Lord Advocate – sits in Sturgeon’s cabinet. This came in handy when she was facing accusations by Salmond that she conspired to put him in prison on false charges to remove him as a political threat.

 

Information has become increasingly hard to obtain from the state. Even before the pandemic, the country’s Information Commissioner warned that the Scottish public sector’s obsession with secrecy was a problem, with ‘serious systematic’ failures in the handling of freedom of information requests. These are routinely vetted, in spite of a legal requirement for them to be ‘applicant blind’. One was recently rejected on the grounds that it ‘would prejudice’ Scotland’s global relations if a critical report on the SNP’s school reforms – ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ – was published in full.

 

Good luck to anyone trying to assess how Scottish pupils are doing. The SNP specialise in hiding poor performance by ‘data divergence’: changing the metrics so it’s impossible to compare with England. Scotland’s schools have now been pulled out of inter-national league tables. Having withdrawn from TIMSS and PIRLS, PISA is the only international education survey in which Scotland still participates. Ministers have even debated quitting that: unsurprising, given its most recent damning findings.

 

Some problems are too big to conceal. Under the SNP, drug deaths have tripled to become the highest in the developed world by some margin. Numerous metrics point to the conclusion that Scotland has the worst health service within the UK. Yet the Health Foundation said in 2014 that it was impossible to compare health outcomes across the four nations, because Scotland had changed the way it collected the data since devolution.

 

During Covid, Sturgeon’s system clam-med up even more. But it now appears that ministers tried to cover up Scotland’s first major Covid outbreak in February 2020: the Health Secretary said the discovery of cases in an Edinburgh hotel should have been made public, but this was overruled. Ministers were also later found to have kept second-wave death and case predictions secret, in defiance of the law. Emails sent to and from special advisers about Sturgeon’s Covid briefings have been deleted.

If Boris Johnson had personally hushed up a Covid outbreak, there would have been a huge scandal and calls for his resignation. In Edinburgh, it’s 

business as usual, all part of Sturgeon’s secret state.

 

Devolution was supposed to allow the new government to be held accountable by a new form of scrutiny so that politicians were not in hock to ministers. Enoch Powell famously observed that ‘power devolved is power retained’. Sturgeon has made this the lesson of devolution.

 

 

 

 

 

[manaliveits105]

Cult Fearties 

[The Mighty Thor]

😂

 

The boys trying like bears over not one but two SNP threads. 

 

A cut copy and paste-athon of utter nonsense. 

 

Keep it up boys 👍

[Malinga the Swinga]

Reckon it's Labour for me. He is the only one making effort to come round and listen to voters.

Been a while since I voted for them, but happy to do so this time.

It's local elections so voting on local issues and in Edinburgh, the SNP and Greens have been horrific.

[Malinga the Swinga]

14 minutes ago, The Mighty Thor said:

😂

 

The boys trying like bears over not one but two SNP threads. 

 

A cut copy and paste-athon of utter nonsense. 

 

Keep it up boys 👍

Not as all over threads as the whataboutery boys, with their deflection tactics. 

Concentrate on local issues and no-one can honestly say the SNP/Green coalition has been good in Edinburgh.

[Lord Montpelier]

Sturgeon and her cult would implement North Korean style free speech if they could get away with it.

 

It's already apparent within their own party where dissent to the party line is never tolerated. 

[Jeffros Furios]

34 minutes ago, Malinga the Swinga said:

Reckon it's Labour for me. He is the only one making effort to come round and listen to voters.

Been a while since I voted for them, but happy to do so this time.

It's local elections so voting on local issues and in Edinburgh, the SNP and Greens have been horrific.

Nationally I hate the Tories and would never vote for them .

but the way SNP and Labour have and  are ruining Edinburgh I will probably end up voting Tory .

Edinburgh council has been disgrace for a long time and a change is needed. 

 

 

[indianajones]

Nicola Sturgeon is opening the door to Scotland having the youngest parliamentarians in the world by extending the right to stand for election to all those entitled to vote.

The plan to lower the age limit for candidacy from 18 to 16 is intended to deliver greater diversity in politics, with new opportunities for people already considered old enough to marry, join the armed forces and buy a lottery ticket.

 

 

Shes lost her mind. 

[Don Dan]

35 minutes ago, indianajones said:

The plan to lower the age limit for candidacy from 18 to 16 is intended to deliver greater diversity in politics, with new opportunities for people already considered old enough to marry, join the armed forces and buy a lottery ticket.

And very little life experience. Yes you can join the armed force but you don’t get a senior responsible position until you have trained, passed the relevant exams and shown you can do the job. Any numpty can by a lottery ticket and any numpty can get married too. Being able to do these things doesn’t show you are able to make responsible decisions that affect other peoples lives. 

Edited April 10, 2022 by Imaman

[Lord Montpelier]

43 minutes ago, indianajones said:

Nicola Sturgeon is opening the door to Scotland having the youngest parliamentarians in the world by extending the right to stand for election to all those entitled to vote.

The plan to lower the age limit for candidacy from 18 to 16 is intended to deliver greater diversity in politics, with new opportunities for people already considered old enough to marry, join the armed forces and buy a lottery ticket.

 

 

Shes lost her mind. 

Im not too sure she was sane in the first place. 

[Konrad von Carstein]

8 minutes ago, Imaman said:

And very little life experience. Yes you can join the armed force but you don’t get a senior responsible position until you have trained, passed the relevant exams and shown you can do the job. Any numpty can by a lottery ticket and any numpty can get married too. Being able to do these things doesn’t show you are able to make responsible decisions that affect other peoples lives. 

You can be put in the front line of a conflict at 16hoifh.

[manaliveits105]

8 minutes ago, Lord Montpelier said:

Im not too sure she was sane in the first place. 

Like her cult followers 

[Des Lynam]

On 08/04/2022 at 19:57, Jeffros Furios said:

Nationally I hate the Tories and would never vote for them .

but the way SNP and Labour have and  are ruining Edinburgh I will probably end up voting Tory .

Edinburgh council has been disgrace for a long time and a change is needed. 

 

 

 

On 08/04/2022 at 22:32, jonesy said:

In the same club, Jeff.

 

Local Tory councillor helped stymie an out-of-character development near me, while the Labour and SNP councillors were trying to push it through. 

 

Will be getting my vote in May.

 

Jason Rust will be getting my vote again in the council elections. The SNP/Labour coalition has been a disaster. 

[Don Dan]

13 minutes ago, Konrad von Carstein said:

You can be put in the front line of a conflict at 16hoifh.

What as a leader or someone directing a company or regiments of fighting men or planning an operation or assault on the battle field?

[Konrad von Carstein]

3 minutes ago, Imaman said:

What as a leader or someone directing a company or regiments of fighting men or planning an operation or assault on the battle field?

If you can be put in the front line in places like Iraq or Afghanistan you can, if you have the ability, sit in a parliament as an elected member.

 

IMO obv.

Edited April 10, 2022 by Konrad von Carstein

[indianajones]

6 minutes ago, Konrad von Carstein said:

If you can be put in the front line in places like Iraq or Afghanistan you can, if you have the ability, sit in a parliament as an elected member.

 

IMO obv.

 

Both are wrong.

 

 

[Konrad von Carstein]

1 minute ago, indianajones said:

 

Both are wrong.

 

 

I think there was a young man from Edinburgh who was in the local news as then youngest soldier to be on the front line in Afghanistan....and IF the law changes to allow 16yo to stand in elections I personally would not have a problem with that.

[Don Dan]

8 minutes ago, Konrad von Carstein said:

If you can be put in the front line in places like Iraq or Afghanistan you can, if you have the ability, sit in a parliament as an elected member.

 

IMO obv.

I doubt anyone at the age of 16 has the ability to make proper sensible decisions that would affect the nation. 

[Konrad von Carstein]

1 minute ago, Imaman said:

I doubt anyone at the age of 16 has the ability to make proper sensible decisions that would affect the nation. 

There decking hummers of arseholes in Westminster who fit that description!

[Don Dan]

21 minutes ago, Konrad von Carstein said:

There decking hummers of arseholes in Westminster who fit that description!

And some 

[dobmisterdobster]

2 hours ago, indianajones said:

Nicola Sturgeon is opening the door to Scotland having the youngest parliamentarians in the world by extending the right to stand for election to all those entitled to vote.

The plan to lower the age limit for candidacy from 18 to 16 is intended to deliver greater diversity in politics, with new opportunities for people already considered old enough to marry, join the armed forces and buy a lottery ticket.

 

 

Shes lost her mind. 

 

At the same time she wants everyone under the age of 25 to be tried as a minor in criminal cases.

 

What age does one become an adult? Make up your mind.

[The Mighty Thor]

8 hours ago, dobmisterdobster said:

 

At the same time she wants everyone under the age of 25 to be tried as a minor in criminal cases.

 

What age does one become an adult? Make up your mind.

Is this what you are talking about?

 

I've read it. Then read it again. 

 

Guess what? No Sturgeon says. Nowhere. Not once. 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-60137866

 

As ever morevthan happy for you to pop the link up for the Sturgeon says bit......

 

[dobmisterdobster]

22 minutes ago, The Mighty Thor said:

Is this what you are talking about?

 

I've read it. Then read it again. 

 

Guess what? No Sturgeon says. Nowhere. Not once. 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-60137866

 

As ever morevthan happy for you to pop the link up for the Sturgeon says bit......

 

 

Who is responsible for Scotland's criminal justice system? A certain government perhaps? A Scottish one? Maybe.

 

Victims of crime deserve better.

[The Mighty Thor]

3 hours ago, dobmisterdobster said:

 

Who is responsible for Scotland's criminal justice system? A certain government perhaps? A Scottish one? Maybe.

 

Victims of crime deserve better.

So Sturgeon never said what you alleged she said? Not a single word of it?

 

Shocked. 

[John Findlay]

In the article the Scottish sentencing Council claimed that the brain is not fully developed until the age of 25.

If the Scottish government have accepted this as an argument to change the sentencing for those upto the age of 25, then one could argue with alot of justification that the age of the eligibility to vote should be raised from 16 to 25, as surely you will only understand all the politicians arguments from the age of 25 onwards?

[manaliveits105]

38 minutes ago, John Findlay said:

In the article the Scottish sentencing Council claimed that the brain is not fully developed until the age of 25.

If the Scottish government have accepted this as an argument to change the sentencing for those upto the age of 25, then one could argue with alot of justification that the age of the eligibility to vote should be raised from 16 to 25, as surely you will only understand all the politicians arguments from the age of 25 onwards?

Seems logical which will confuse the SG and the cult 

[OTT]

2 hours ago, John Findlay said:

In the article the Scottish sentencing Council claimed that the brain is not fully developed until the age of 25.

If the Scottish government have accepted this as an argument to change the sentencing for those upto the age of 25, then one could argue with alot of justification that the age of the eligibility to vote should be raised from 16 to 25, as surely you will only understand all the politicians arguments from the age of 25 onwards?

👏 common sense here John. Big difference between voting and making laws. 
 

Baffled at what we’re seeing from Sturgeon. Seems like this shit doesn’t go through any sort of filter.