Surreal Scotland. Monday, 24 November 2014 17:08 By Derek Bateman Have we become Irish? I ask because there is such a hilariously contradictory mood around that it could be St Patrick’s Day. ‘Happy? Of course we’re happy. We lost our independence and our living standards are going backwards but isn’t the party grand?’ Makes you wonder just what we would be doing if we’d won the referendum… ‘Cabinet members arrived for their first meeting dressed in assorted onesies. Thousands of Yes Scots, many with no previous political history, clapping and stomping as political speeches are mixed with music represents a new and surreal Scotland. I haven’t seen anything like it and with an awareness back to the days of Harold Wilson in government, my view is governed by grim experience. The only real change in my 50 years of politics-watching has been the rise of the SNP because it, uniquely, threatens total change by forcing the disintegration of the British state. So why shouldn’t they be right now?
PS. Lamont quits, let us bid farewell. Friday, 24 October 2014 20:37 Johann Lamont is to stand down as leader of the Labour Party in Scotland after a lacklustre referendum campaign and amid claims of London interference". Derek Bateman reflects on the crisis facing Labour and argues that Lamont's biggest mistake was taking on the leadership job in the first place... Commentary by Derek Bateman No sooner do the Labour apparatchiks bemoan the hollow victory in the indyref than their glorious leader resigns complaining of interference from London and no internal support.
Another day for Labour to ask themselves: Who really won? This will be a big event in the life on Johann Lamont because stepping aside from a key position will be a personal blow and will feel life-changing. But we as electors are also entitled to make our own judgments and I believed her to be a mistake from the outset with two things only going for her.
I spoke to a key figure in the Labour movement - by no means her enemy. The succession should be fun for all. Ed has yet to realise that Scotland has moved on. Friday, 05 September 2014 18:54 By Lesley Riddoch So was that it? Was Ed Miliband’s stiff, arrogant and highly contentious appeal to Labour voters the ultimate weapon in Better Together’s armoury? If so, it was a blunderbuss that backfired spectacularly. Earlier this week, Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson surprised viewers by suggesting that David Cameron might find re-election difficult -- a move clearly designed to persuade Scottish voters that Labour might still be in with a shout. Rather than let that seep gently into the public consciousness however, Comrade Ed couldn't resist making political capital. The history-defying arrogance behind that weary exhortation to trust Labour “one more time” prompted assertive challenge from STV and BBC presenters.
For one thing, if the Tories are starting to look unelectable in 2015, it’s got more to do with UKIP’s challenge and the prospect of losing Scotland than any Labour assault from the left. So why did Ed make his foray north? Momentum. BBC facing calls to resign from CBI as dinner deemed an official No campaign event. General Wednesday, 27 August 2014 16:11 By G.A.Ponsonby The BBC is tonight facing calls to end its relationship with a London based pro-Union lobbying group after it emerged the organisation is to hold a dinner that will promote the No campaign.
In an announcement tonight the CBI has confirmed Prime Minister David Cameron will attend an event in support of Better Together campaign. The move has prompted the Electoral Commission to issue a statement confirming that the dinner will be viewed as an official event in support of the anti-independence campaign. An Electoral Commission spokesperson said: "We are of the view that the CBI’s dinner does constitute campaigning and as a result we have sought detailed assurances from them and their suppliers about the cost of this event, including with comparison to previous years. The announcement is acutely embarrassing for the electoral watchdog after it controversially nullified a registration application from the CBI earlier this year. Fresh doubts over more powers pledge as Lib Dems rule out different UK tax rates. General Monday, 11 August 2014 22:11 By Martin Kelly A pledge by pro-Union parties that Scotland will receive new tax raising powers in the event of a No vote have been further called into question after it emerged the Lib Dems have ruled out variable tax rates across the UK.
In a letter to Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander has confirmed that the policy of the UK Government was to prevent parts of the UK from setting independent tax rates in each band to prevent one part of the UK benefitting "at the expense of the UK as a whole". The emergence of the letter which rules out allowing parts of the UK being to set independent tax rates in each band, contradicts recent comments from Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg in which he said that he supports the full recommendations of the Silk Commission on devolution in Wales.
Commenting on the apparent contradictions within the No campaign, SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson said: Electoral Commission 'neutral' guidance booklet contains partisan referendum claims. Monday, 11 August 2014 00:16 By Martin Kelly A referendum voting guide, published by the Electoral Commission and set to be delivered to every household in Scotland, contains partisan messages from both sides in the independence debate. The guide - The 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum Voting Guide - is designed to inform voters on the steps they need to take in order to be certain they can vote in September’s referendum.
The voting guide, being sent to over 2.5 million households, contains factual information on how to register to vote and the different ways of casting a referendum vote. However Newsnet Scotland can reveal that the taxpayer funded pamphlet also contains messages from both campaigns. The Yes message was broadly positive, with generic visions of a Yes vote. A No vote means a future stifled by the repeated failures of Westminster governments, governments we didn't even vote for. In the booklet Better Together says: We don’t need to choose between the two. Electoral Commission finds 'deleted' CBI emails. General Saturday, 02 August 2014 22:12 By Anne-Marie O'Donnell Newsnet Scotland has received 'lost' emails which show the top tier of CBI Scotland was involved in talks with the Electoral Commission before the organisation registered as a No campaigner.
The emails – which the Electoral Commission last month claimed had been deleted – show that a meeting was set up between the Commission and CBI Scotland director Iain McMillan and assistant director David Lonsdale after the Commission identified the CBI as a potential No campaigner. The development sheds serious doubt on CBI chief John Cridland's previous claims that the CBI's registration with the Commission as a No campaigner was the result of an error by a lone junior official. Rather, the emails show that senior level meetings took place months before the registration was submitted. The email was sent on 18 September 2013, and Lonsdale responded less than an hour later saying: "Thanks.
You must be logged-in in order to post a comment. A new Scotland ... A new media. Saturday, 12 July 2014 07:12 By G.A.PonsonbyOn Sunday I went along to an event in Glasgow organised by the Common Weal. It was ostensibly a Yes supporting event but there were discussions and performances that wandered into other related areas. One such was the media. Head of the Common Weal, Robin McAlpine, gave an impassioned speech about the need for a Yes vote. He also gave the audience a glimpse of what a new media could look like post referendum. His vision of a newspaper far removed from the current traditional titles was something we at Newsnet Scotland could share. He also outlined a blueprint for a broadcasting vehicle providing daily news bulletins.
McAlpine has energy, bags of it, and an enthusiasm that is infectious, and God knows we need something to provide an alternative to the daily churn of establishment press releases we currently have to endure. In his talk, Richard Walker explained the reasoning behind the decision to back Yes. Oh, and I almost forgot. The media has helped to create a Scottish Labour monster. Tuesday, 01 July 2014 23:49 By G.A.Ponsonby So a Scottish Labour candidate for Westminster has been forced to resign just one day after being selected to stand for her party.
Kathy Wiles, who would have been bidding to become Labour MP for Angus, posted an image of German youngsters gathered under a Nazi banner. The tweet was one of many from Labour party activists who were reacting to a peaceful protest by Yes supporters that took place in Glasgow on Sunday. In pictures and videos posted of the event there was one of five Scots youngsters standing beneath a banner depicting a well-known website. It led to some quite unsavoury comments from the anti-independence online Labour activists. The intention was clear, to suggest the youngsters at the pro-Yes event were being indoctrinated in a similar manner to that which led to the creation of the Hitler Youth movement in Nazi Germany. Wiles resigned yesterday around mid-day, after publicly apologising. But where does this end? One rule for Yes and none for No. Thursday, 19 June 2014 06:01 By G.A.Ponsonby Better Together are in a mess.
As I write that sentence I have to double check to see what they are really called, are they still Better Together or are they No Thanks? There have been so many rebrands and re-launches I’m not even sure any more. To be honest it doesn't matter what they call themselves, they've never really had a campaign to brand. Better Together's strategy has been to flood the compliant Scottish media machine with claim after claim.
They've a new vehicle now to go with their rebrand in the shape of Scotland 2014. The media strategy though isn't working and, devoid of the boots on the ground that make up Yes Scotland's optimistic army, they are left with the sobering thought that the debate is lost. If you are losing the debate then the only thing left is to close it down. Lally rally That's what happened last week when an innocuous but politically damaging email was sent to a reporter. Keep your eyes on the prize. Thursday, 19 June 2014 15:08 By Mark McNaught The furious imbroglios which have recently erupted in the independence debate certainly indicate one thing: Scots actually matter for once to Westminster and the foreign-owned and London-based media.
Before, they could completely ignore and revile Scots, because they were completely irrelevant to them. Now, they are plying their vile trade in Scotland by remote control from London. Don’t expect the ‘scandals’ and the ridiculing of Scottish national pride to let up before the referendum. Just tune them out, and keep on keeping on. It’s just the epileptic convulsions of Westminster and the unionist media facing the demise of the United Kingdom, that’s all. The Telegraph cooked up ‘Lallygate’ à la Fox News, then the howitzer shills were blasted out by the unionist media.
Meanwhile the ‘Scotsman’ insults Scots further by calling Alex Salmond waving a Saltire at Wimbledon a ‘stunt’, and Gordon Brown stating that it made Scotland look ‘small’. Nordic Numptie. Thursday, 05 June 2014 05:59 By Derek Bateman Just when we thought our Nordic neighbours would be waiting their moment to congratulate Scotland on joining them as a small independent North Atlantic nation, we get their version of Project Fear shoved in our face.
Martin Lidegaard of Denmark was first with his claim that there could be no fast track into full EU membership and a full entry process would be required. Then we have Sweden’s Carl Bildt warning that our nationhood would Balkanise Britain, a phrase straight from the George Robertson playbook and deeply insulting to Scots since Bildt was an envoy to the former Yugoslavia. His remarks in the Financial Times link the Scottish independence movement with the racial conflict between Serbs and Croats, implying some equivalence which, coming from the man who was the EU’s special envoy at the time of the Srebrenica massacre, is breathtaking. These are perplexing questions. Is this your image of our movement? Is this the Yes campaign? Another indy scare undermined as Alexander confirms no border checks. Sunday, 18 May 2014 19:48 By Anne-Marie O’Donnell Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander has confirmed there will be no border patrols in an independent Scotland in a direct contradiction to recent claims made by Home Secretary Theresa May.
The latest development adds to a series of blunders in the No campaign which have led to a string of contradictions between senior figures on key issues. Despite Ms May telling the Scottish Conservative party conference in March that a Yes vote for Scottish independence would lead to a “literal and figurative border”, Mr Alexander said in a speech to the Road Haulage Association on Thursday: “Now, you probably wouldn’t have to drive through international check points every time you entered an independent Scotland.” The slip follows a series of similar incidents from figures in the No campaign who have directly contradicted the self-styled ‘Project Fear’ party line.
You must be logged-in in order to post a comment. Robertson's call for NATO Putin invite "insulting" says UK's biggest Ukrainian group. General Tuesday, 29 April 2014 21:54 By Martin Kelly Calls by a Labour peer for Vladimir Putin to be invited to join NATO have been condemned as "ill-advised" and "insulting" by a UK based Ukrainian organisation. Zenko Lastowiecki was responding to comments made by Lord George Robertson after the former head of NATO and leading NO campaigner, said the organisation "has to include Russia".
Robertson made the comments in an interview earlier this month, given on the 65th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. The former NATO Secretary General said: "There's no security in Europe, unless there's an eventual perspective of an organisation that says: We stand for values, stand for liberal values, and that has to include Russia. "Whether under the present or a future leadership, because the previous leadership, when Mr Putin was first president, believed in exactly that objective.
"The fact he has tried to distance himself from his comments regarding Russia speaks volumes. Increasingly desperate Unionists. Wednesday, 16 April 2014 21:39 By Campbell Martin The British Unionists are losing....and they know it. Just over five-months from the Independence Referendum, most polls still give the Unionists a small lead but the direction of travel is unmistakeably from ‘No’ to ‘YES’. With such momentum likely to continue, the British Unionists now know they are facing defeat in the real poll on September 18th. It is for this reason that the already fear-stoked message of the Unionist coalition – Tory, Labour, Lib Dem, UKIP – has recently taken-on an air of total desperation.
Last week, former Labour MP George Roberston had his audience squirming – he was speaking to a liberal-centrist American think tank – when he claimed Scotland re-taking the status of a normal independent nation would be “cataclysmic in geo-political terms”. Like everyone else involved in the anti-independence campaign, Mr Robertson was incapable of articulating a positive case for Scotland remaining within the British Union. Credit Agency confirms Indy Scotland set for Triple-A credit rating. 'You know it's great to be on the side of the Angels …' Referendum on knife edge as Yes closes gap to five points. Quick! Before it’s too late… Shock as Labour MP launches foul-mouthed tirade in House of Commons. Massive increase in 'British' themed TV shows on BBC since SNP came to power.
Labour MP calls for independence supporters to be barred from debates. Row breaks out after Lamont labels Trident and Iraq War 'wee things' Why did Better Together silence itself? Be afraid, be very afraid ... Duggy Dug - The Scottish Pound. The Scottish media and the poll that never was. Yes Scotland is doing just fine. Scottish Unionism, British Nationalism and their creeping fascist tendencies. The Scottish media and the poll that never was. Why do the majority of Scotland's artists support independence? Can Scotland trust its own media? The McCrone Report - A Thirty Year Secret. Defending the Union with fascist smears is a dangerous game. Dr Who is Frances Barber? BBC Scotland refuses to disclose political guest info as concerns grow over balance. The Scottish media and its fear of the internet. 'Cracks showing' in Labour's anti-independence campaign after just 2 days.
Public massively in favour of Salmond v Cameron referendum head to head. No campaign left with nuclear 'headache' after Cameron's visit. The death of Scottish Unionism … and a watershed moment for Scottish journalism. Humiliating climbdown as Westminster admits 14000 treaties claim false. Historic bill will give 16 and 17 year olds a say in Scotland’s future. Westminster stance on independence risks damaging Scotland-rUK relations for generations. BBC Scotland 'hard core' on war footing as the battle for minds heats up. Cameron accused of 'running scared' of independence debate. Ruth Davidson's 'line in the sand' vanishes as she U-turns on more powers. Decision day: 18 September 2014. Oh Dear! New Labour’s Control of BBC Scotland Must Be Curbed. The Echo Chamber – Lies and the lying liars. New poll shows massive swing to SNP for Westminster election. No Campaign challenged to square 'Scotland Extinguished' position with Claim of Right.
A Turning Point in the Debate over Independence? Darling credibility blow as taxpayer set to lose billions over bank buyout. “Foolish” Curran makes basic Barnet blunder over 4G auction. A provoked reponse to Ian Davidson's remarks about the Referendum. Scottish Labour health spokesperon calls for an end to free prescriptions.
Anti-independence parties plot to expel independent Scotland from the EU. Referendum poker - who has won? Polling woes worsen for Nick Clegg as party trail SNP ... in England. Scots unhappiest with Westminster and Unionist parties as approval ratings drop. Soon I will be dead. But, oh, to be alive at this moment in Scotland. Conservatives at war over Cameron’s referendum date climbdown. Questions for Labour as Tory domination of No campaign is laid bare. Man behind poll tax is Cameron's adviser on Scotland. News Scotland | News - Scottish, Politics, Economy and Culture. 2014 should be a year of Scottish stamps.
Too poor, too wee and too energy rich. Dramatic drop for Labour as new poll gives SNP 26 point lead. ‘If Salmond run down by bus – I wouldn’t ask who did it’ says Labour MP. Scottish Labour to join Tories in seeking end to free education. Lamont silence slammed as Glasgow Labour accused of bullying and bowing to London. Would an independent Scotland be financially sound?