Scottish Referendum / Independence - Vol 10

[alangla]

Evercross said:

I'm sure that crosses a line in terms of equal representation. Can you imagine if the BBC or any other news outlet had given more prominence to a similar piece featuring Boris Johnson as the present incumbent PM in advance of the 2019 General Election?

The main Scotland page on the BBC News site - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/scotland is only showing the "Simple guide to the SNP" article and the Scotland Politics page https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/scotland/scotland_polit... shows the Simple Guide to the SNP as their main story (with picture) and the Simple guide to the Lib Dems/Labour/Conservatives as sub stories with only a headline - could they really not have produced an over-arching "Simple guide to the Scottish Election" article & linked to the others from there?

EDIT - just noticed the Simple guide to the Scottish Greens seems to be on the third row of the Politics page, with picture, rather than being a link from the SNP article like the others. Very odd bit of positioning.

Edited by alangla on Thursday 15th April 10:46

[Pastor Of Muppets]

I've heard a few folk saying the election results will be rigged, is it possible, how could rigging the vote be performed, are
they so answerable to nobody they can get away with ?

Watched Nagging Munchetty interviewing Swinney on Breakfast this morning, I have to say it didn't run how I expected,
he was given little mercy to be fair, although the questions could have been tougher.

[Evercross]

alangla said:

Could they really not have produced an over-arching "Simple guide to the Scottish Election" article & linked to the others from there?

Exactly that. It is strange indeed that basic thinking goes out the window when the MSM covers Scottish politics and treats the SNP like the accepted establishment rather than treating every election as a reset (which it is, and is what they are supposed to do).

But then, as has been said several times here the SNP offer a convenient proxy for anti-Conservatism/anti-Brexitism where such media outlets are so inclined (because being pro-Labour would be too obvious or not serve the purpose well enough).

Edited by Evercross on Thursday 15th April 11:02

[anonymous-user]

Pastor Of Muppets said:

I've heard a few folk saying the election results will be rigged

It doesn't need to be. SNP will genuinely win at a canter. The other parties have totally failed to drive any kind of narrative, possibly because the Westminster HOs see Scotland as a busted flush and not worth the ongoing effort, as it no longer holds any real power over who gets in at UK level. The SP election is just another victim of that mentality.

Enjoy another few years of Krankie.

[motco]

BBC obviously do not regard a 1% tax on all assets of over a million pounds and the total cessation of gas and oil extraction from the North Sea as key policies then.

[Roderick Spode]

Pastor Of Muppets said:

I've heard a few folk saying the election results will be rigged, is it possible, how could rigging the vote be performed, are
they so answerable to nobody they can get away with ?

Following the Labour example in the North of England - lots of postal votes from Jock McTavish (deceased) and Ignatius McLumpher (deceased). Both votes SNP, from beyond the veil. The media fully expect an SNP government after the May elections, so there will be zero scrutiny whatsoever of the voting demographics after the event.

[Evercross]

RonaldMcDonaldAteMyCat said:

It doesn't need to be. SNP will genuinely win at a canter. The other parties have totally failed to drive any kind of narrative, possibly because the Westminster HOs see Scotland as a busted flush and not worth the ongoing effort, as it no longer holds any real power over who gets in at UK level. The SP election is just another victim of that mentality.

Enjoy another few years of Krankie.

I thought Anas Sarwar had a chance of breaking through, even just in personality terms, but his campaigning to be 'in opposition' and a gaffe he posted on Facebook claiming the Conservatives had scrapped free TV licences for the over-75s has dented him a bit.

It really does look like the opposition are doing everything they can to lose.

[aparna]

I can’t find the labour or conservative manifesto online. Would be a good start. Perhaps not published yet?

SNP manifesto launch is live now.

[sherman]

aparna said:

I can’t find the labour or conservative manifesto online. Would be a good start. Perhaps not published yet?

SNP manifesto launch is live now.

So was it green yesterday
Snp today
Tomorrow we get labour
Next day conservative?

That way each party gets its day in the spotlight and answers question on their proposals. Just like always happens in every election.

[csd19]

motco said:

BBC obviously do not regard a 1% tax on all assets of over a million pounds and the total cessation of gas and oil extraction from the North Sea as key policies then.

I'd love to see where the money is going to come from for the decommissioning costs of all the rigs and pipelines in the North Sea, or will that be rUK's issue? Or the funds to make up the difference in income tax when the oil workers are out of a job and not paying 19%, 20%, 21% and 41% tax rates (and in a lot of cases, the additional 46%).


I've just completed my postal vote and away to place it in the hands of Royal Mail now.

One thing that struck me was I've still not received any arse paper from the SNP through the door - I've had stuff from Labour, Conservatives, LibDems and even the Scottish Family Party but nowt from Team Facepaint. I presume they think it's a nailed on victory here? (Angus).

I also discovered there is an Abolish the Scottish Parliament Party - "Abolish Scottish Parliament, Save £100,000,000 Yearly".

It's not that daft an idea, £100m is a lot of cash for a massively egotistical cooncil operation.

[sherman]

csd19 said:

One thing that struck me was I've still not received any arse paper from the SNP through the door - I've had stuff from Labour, Conservatives, LibDems and even the Scottish Family Party but nowt from Team Facepaint. I presume they think it's a nailed on victory here? (Angus).
.

Got the SNP arse paper here (Edinburgh south) today. Suprisingly no mention of independence on the leaflet. May just be coincedence but the other halfs postal vote also came in todays post.

[paulrockliffe]

csd19 said:

I'd love to see where the money is going to come from for the decommissioning costs of all the rigs and pipelines in the North Sea, or will that be rUK's issue? Or the funds to make up the difference in income tax when the oil workers are out of a job and not paying 19%, 20%, 21% and 41% tax rates (and in a lot of cases, the additional 46%).


I've just completed my postal vote and away to place it in the hands of Royal Mail now.

One thing that struck me was I've still not received any arse paper from the SNP through the door - I've had stuff from Labour, Conservatives, LibDems and even the Scottish Family Party but nowt from Team Facepaint. I presume they think it's a nailed on victory here? (Angus).

I also discovered there is an Abolish the Scottish Parliament Party - "Abolish Scottish Parliament, Save £100,000,000 Yearly".

It's not that daft an idea, £100m is a lot of cash for a massively egotistical cooncil operation.

Is North Sea oil and gas a devolved competency? I've not checked, but it seems unlikely. And doesn't devolution of taxation only extend to taxes that actually exist, not making up new ones?

[Klippie]

csd19 said:

I also discovered there is an Abolish the Scottish Parliament Party - "Abolish Scottish Parliament, Save £100,000,000 Yearly".

Now your talking...I voted years ago not to have a Scottish Parliament in the first place, it was plain for everyone to see it would end up a disaster...promoting jumped up driftwood councilors to MSP's and giving them free reign to do whatever they want...I'd flatten the place in a heartbeat and build a car park then at least the space will be used for something useful.

[Dinoboy]

Klippie said:

Now your talking...I voted years ago not to have a Scottish Parliament in the first place, it was plain for everyone to see it would end up a disaster...promoting jumped up driftwood councilors to MSP's and giving them free reign to do whatever they want...I'd flatten the place in a heartbeat and build a car park then at least the space will be used for something useful.

100% this.

[wobert]

Dinoboy said:

Klippie said:

Now your talking...I voted years ago not to have a Scottish Parliament in the first place, it was plain for everyone to see it would end up a disaster...promoting jumped up driftwood councilors to MSP's and giving them free reign to do whatever they want...I'd flatten the place in a heartbeat and build a car park then at least the space will be used for something useful.

100% this.

Same in Wales too....devolution is a failure imho

[Roderick Spode]

I'd happily abolish Holyrood in a heartbeat. It's a calamitous waste of time and money, a massively expensive building that's more or less falling apart, filled with Z list politicians and jumped up parish councillors playing at pretendy politics. I'd do the same to the nonsense in Cardiff Bay and Stormont. Devolution is only a stepping stone to federalism, and from there it's a mere skip to the break up of the UK. Abolish the lot and save us all a fortune.

[aparna]

Totally. Yes if there was a serious prospect of abolishing devolution I would consider voting for that.

What I have zero interest in, is voting for some Scottish wing of a Westminster based party whose sole ambition is to be opposition to a perpetual Indy campaign.

Take those out, and that leaves SNP and indies as my choice.

I read today rumours new union strategy is called project love. How will that square with ignoring refs etc I don’t know?

[irc]

Can the Scottish election result give the SNP a mandate for indyref 2?

"Stephen Daisley
@JournoStephen
'It is no more possible to obtain a mandate at a Holyrood election on a matter reserved to Westminster than it is for Wokingham Borough Council to obtain a mandate at the local elections for declaring war on Belgium.'"

[hiccy18]

Checking the links on the BBC website it appears there is considerable intention to scrap Not Proven verdicts which strikes me as a retrograde step.

Costing seems to be irrelevant, the SNP and Greens in particular are promising to spend billions and billions more than they're already overspending; I would have thought the Scotland Act would have required a balanced budget?

[motco]

paulrockliffe said:

Is North Sea oil and gas a devolved competency? I've not checked, but it seems unlikely. And doesn't devolution of taxation only extend to taxes that actually exist, not making up new ones?

No, nor are some other things they promise (can't recall which) but they know they have no chance of having to implement them so what the Hell?