Not just recent years, she was a candidate for the SDP I think, so presumably split from Labour then.Quote:
Originally Posted by hibsbollah
Not just recent years, she was a candidate for the SDP I think, so presumably split from Labour then.Quote:
Originally Posted by hibsbollah
I remember my dad liking her articles in The Guardian as far back as the early 80s, far too centrist for my taste but she’s always been consistent in her views and is big on increased public spending and higher taxes.Quote:
Originally Posted by JeMeSouviens
There are plenty of times when the government acts unlawfully, the justice secretary has admitted, but “getting something wrong is not the same as deliberately flouting the law”.
What mattered, said Robert Buckland, was that the government did not break the same law twice.
= rotational fouling.
Lest we forget...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/...Qytlg7pAmE.jpg
vile corrupt tory hancock will be getting mentioned in court again
‘Benefiting NHS Patients or Big Tech?’: Matt Hancock Faces New Legal Challenge Over NHS Palantir Contract – Byline Times
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock is to face a new legal challenge over the awarding of a £23 million contract to Palantir Technologies – giving its Donald Trump-supporting American billionaire owner Peter Thiel enormous access to data held by the NHS and Whitehall.
tory ****
BBC will be all over this :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by cabbageandribs1875
There could be another 9/11 happening right now and the BBC would still dedicate more column inches to Salmond and Sturgeon on the website.Quote:
Originally Posted by JimBHibees
I was actually surprised at the lack of front page reporting on this, it's almost as if they realise it's a damp squib.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lendo
I noticed yesterday that despite their prominent position of the story on their website it only ranked 3rd in the most read bit. Its not even in that now.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lendo
Is it normal for governments to pay for positive news articles in newspapers?
https://twitter.com/IanDunt/status/1...814347777?s=19
If you search for Hancock on the bbc news the first ten articles seem to be about his role in Britain being #1 for genome sequencing, telling the public to behave themselves, and reporting his updates in a neutral way. You wouldn’t have a clue he’d just broken the law, been censured by two separate committees and awarded contracts to his mates and Tory donors.Quote:
Originally Posted by JimBHibees
There is no way this is an accident or an oversight on the bbcs part. We have zero justification for mocking Fox News, it’s the same level of deception practiced in a more subtle way. And some folk think the bbc is of the left :faf:
From the outside looking in, I agree 100% with you.Quote:
Originally Posted by hibsbollah
You might laugh but I know quite a few (let's call them staunch) Tory supporters down here who say the BBC are left wing and biased towards labour.[emoji16]Quote:
Originally Posted by hibsbollah
Always thought Bozo's pet interviewer Keunsberg was a Marxist just biding her time.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JimBHibees
just the day after that court decision the BBC didn't have one article about it anywhere on their front page, not one article
it's almost as if it didn't happen
https://twitter.com/rachael_swindon/...629923331?s=21
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meanwhile...
Watchdog criticises how UK government appointed Covid ‘tsars’ | Civil service | The Guardian
Criticism of how four Covid-19 “tsars” were put in place has been voiced by an independent watchdog, as a new spotlight also fell on appointments of as many as 19 Tory-linked figures over the past 12 months.
“Greater clarity” about the terms on which the four were appointed in areas such as PPE and vaccine procurement “might have helped”, said the head of the public appointments watchdog, who recently expressed concern that the government was presiding over a new wave of political cronyism.
'kin stinks and it wont stop
Meanwhile Nicolas Sarkozy, our favourite French tory, has been jailed for a year with another 2 suspended.
At least in France it looks like they could teach us a thing or two about jailing corrupt politicians.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peevemor
Seems harsh, It's not as if he's given the owner of his local Barre a £30m contract for supplying PPE of unknown value
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Does that mean that France is a failed state like Scotland? Seems to be the new line taken by unionists these days.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peevemor
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:agree: République bananièreQuote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
He'd get a peerage here and be able to rub shoulders with Auld pishy breeks, and the Russian oligarchsQuote:
Originally Posted by Peevemor
Sounds like a joke but many a true word is said in jest.Quote:
Originally Posted by ronaldo7
[QUOTE=cabbageandribs1875;6481890]meanwhile...
https://www.theguardian.com/politics...ar/01/watchdog
Such a major story. But even the Guardian has hidden that story in the civil service section of the website. You’re not going to find that without putting a ‘Hancock’ search in. There’s no doubt in my mind the editorial policy across all the MSM is not to rock the boat at the moment, national crisis etc. So they get off the hook.
[QUOTE=hibsbollah;6482190]Never mind. There will be "large scale" enquiry, with "far reaching" powers headed by Lady Suchandsuch. It'll start around 2025 and Lord Hancock will have to give "evidence" of how great he was during the pandemic, then Lady Suchandsuch will resign from the enquiry around 2029 to be replaced by Lord Soandso and the findings will published around 2032 and nowt will happen.Quote:
Originally Posted by cabbageandribs1875
[QUOTE=Kato;6482197]As long as it’s a ‘belt and braces approach’ that’s the main thing.Quote:
Originally Posted by hibsbollah
I would actually shoot in the head whoever invented that phrase.
[QUOTE=hibsbollah;6482204]Use a gun and a crossbow just in case.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kato
ok, who mucked up the quotes :greengrin
anyways, catchy wee tune by Captain Ska titled- blood on your hands
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pV9...JK0XOeevcdRMMM
[QUOTE=hibsbollah;6482190]The article seems to have disappeared? :confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by cabbageandribs1875
[QUOTE=1875godsgift;6482335]https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/mar/01/watchdog-criticises-how-uk-government-appointed-covid-tsarsQuote:
Originally Posted by hibsbollah
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1875godsgift
Stop messing with the quotes, you two!Quote:
Originally Posted by hibsbollah
Here we go with the budget. I hope I get ‘And it is right to do so’ in the Sunak Billionaire bull**** bingo
Mark Gino Francois - 5ft 4inches
Priti Patel - 5ft 3inches
Rishi Sunack - 5ft 6inches
They’re a troupe of midgets!!
Just need another 4 dwarfs!!
I'll throw in Baron Moynihan.Quote:
Originally Posted by Colr
Rishi Sunak channelling his inner John McDonnell. Universal credit gets the £20 extra uplift for another 7 months. With the tax rises and public spending increases this is effectively a Momentum budget.
Meanwhile, Labour OPPOSES the Corporation Tax increase to 28%, which puts them to the right of the Tories fiscally, and also to the right of Joe Biden, who is also increasing CT to 28%. Apparently because corporation tax increases (on profits, remember, not turnover) will ‘force businesses to the wall’.
Other policies include a new Poll Tax, invading the Isle of Man and bulldozing all allotments in the borough of Islington to the ground.
It’s a confusing time :faf:
Good call. You probably could throw him, actually.Quote:
Originally Posted by lapsedhibee
Johnson is only 5ft 8.
With his hair he might have to be Snow White.
Are we casting for Billy Liar and the Seven Dwarves?Quote:
Originally Posted by Colr
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:faf: clever.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bostonhibby
Quote:
Originally Posted by hibsbollah
Spending unleashed and a promise to use tax rises to pay for it afterwards, Keynes must be partying like it's 1936 :greengrin
https://twitter.com/deidrebrock/stat...423505933?s=21
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so, after a FOI by Martin Keatings, Johnson's jaunt to our country during lockdown cost up to £8,500, mostly for police overtime
Police pay the price for Boris Johnson’s jaunt north in January | The National
“On that basis I can confirm that the total recorded cost to Police Scotland for the Prime Minister visit on January 28, 2021 is £8497.55, of which £8431.25 relates to officer overtime.
“You should however bear in mind that this figure may not be final as other costs could still be added to the relevant cost code.”
SnakeQuote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
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Did somebody say breached ministerial code?
https://www.theguardian.com/politics...-philip-rutnam
Furore akin to tumbleweed from the BBC and tabloids on this one.Quote:
Originally Posted by JeMeSouviens
It’s not even just daily resigning matters from the Tories now, it’s two or three a day.Quote:
Originally Posted by JeMeSouviens
Ross and Davidson will be on TV tonight demanding to see the legal advice on this.[emoji106]Quote:
Originally Posted by JeMeSouviens
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You have all got that wrong. I heard Murdo Fraser explain this morning that she hasn't actualy broken the ministerial code because and I quite. " Boris Johnson is the final arbiter of what the code is and he deemed her not to have broken it" unbe****inlievable when youbsee and her that compared to what has gone on in Scotland
Johnson was quite right not to sack Patel, because if he had it might have undermined public confidence in the office of Home Secretary. He did it for us, see?Quote:
Originally Posted by weecounty hibby
He is a great leader!Quote:
Originally Posted by lapsedhibee
Government don't accept liability but end up paying up a six figure sum, good one. Absolutely laughable. Corrupt off the scale. As you say the press and particularly BBC will be all over this for sure. Maybe get Sarah Smith or Laura K on the case.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kato
This might be a bit left-field, but could an opposition MP in Westminster raise the matter?Quote:
Originally Posted by JimBHibees
You mean a Labour MP? [emoji23]Quote:
Originally Posted by ballengeich
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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...35fc83733d.jpg
A wee reminder that people in England are very happy with the way things are going. If we want something different then we have to vote for independence.
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Absolutely incredible stats, when you think about Boris' very low satisfaction ratings over his handling of the pandemic.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
Difficult to see how the gap between the Tories and Labour is going to narrow. The Starmer bounce just ain't happening and the UK Labour party looks like following the demise of Scottish Labour. Although not a Labour voter, I find this quite sad, as the UK needs a strong opposition to hold the nasty party to account.
It's more Zeitgeist than politics at play. UK politics has taken a massive lurch to the right in the last decade, it's almost as if being right wing has become some kind of fashion statement and academia together with humanitarian values have been replaced with greed, ignorance and hate as virtuosities.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Harp Awakes
I look at polls like that and really have to question why anyone living in Scotland and Wales wouldn't want independence, at the very least just so we aren't governed by a right wing and going further right party for the foreseeable future.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
Is that not the reason they are there?Quote:
Originally Posted by ballengeich
I agree with you. Looking at Scotland specifically, if your politics are liberal/left of centre (probably ~80% of the electorate) then you'd have thought independence must be an attractive option.Quote:
Originally Posted by weecounty hibby
There are 2 main obstacles though (1) There is a significant number of that 80% who are working class/have left of centre views, but who are still wedded to royalty/the union - the Rangers minded element if you like. They will never vote for independence even if politically it would benefit them, and (2) Some people are naturally scared of change.
The good news for the independence movement is that there has been a steady increase in the Yes support from ~29% in early 2014 to 50%+ today. I think with the positivity of an indyref2 campaign the Yes lead will increase further.
As has been well recognised, Boris being in power in Westminster has had a galvanising effect on support for independence. The further ahead he gets in the polls the more Scots will turn to independence.
As we head into the May Scottish elections though, the SNP are going to face an onslaught from the unionist parties and right wing media. To obtain a majority at Holyrood they will need to re-group, be united and stay strong throughout the campaign.
I'm pretty sure if Boris Johnson, Prince of Thieves and the torys more generally were properly exposed by the media for what they've done and continue to do then their ratings wouldn't be so high.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Harp Awakes
Bozo is completely out his depth when more than a 3 word slogan is required.
Lie or mistake? Both worrying but doubt he or his supporters will bother unless they are directly affected.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...a274c71a23.jpg
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I tend to agree with this but the GLP may have deliberately chosen to word that way, they have been pretty smart at outmanouvering the snakes so far but the BBC is not shy about calling a lie a lie elsewhere when it is consistent with government policy.Quote:
Originally Posted by lapsedhibee
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Wake the **** up Scotland. Grow some bollocks and get the **** out of the ****ed up mess that is BritainQuote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
So Boris misled Parliament on the whole COVID contracts being on record for the public to see.
I expect we'll have Douglas Ross and Ruth Davidson along any moment now demanding Boris resigns.
:I'm waiti
There is nothing on the Guardian or the BBC front pages about the exclusive. Don’t know about The Mirror. Starmer and Rayner are now getting fired in about the Tories on nurses pay to be fair to them, but evident deviousness of this sort about alleged corruption on the part of the PM is a massive prize for an opposition 13 points behind in the polls. What did he say about Hancock resigning? ‘The public don’t want to see that kind of thing’. I don’t know what the **** they’re playing at.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryan91
It is literally impossible for people not interested in politics to find out about this stuff. Truth is becoming marginalised.
Tory voters have zero skin in game regarding any lies or financial corruption from their chosen party. They literally do not care one jot about it. Some cheer from the sidelines when the stories do get some oxygen.Quote:
Originally Posted by hibsbollah
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I have distant relatives in England who are posting on social media about the nhs underfunding being the fault of too much immigration, and money being spent on foreign aid instead of on pensioners and nurses :dunno:Quote:
Originally Posted by Kato
Try calling them out for their evident racism though, they run away crying in a big explosion of snowflakery.
Nothing on the BBC evening news tonight about Boris lying to parliament as per the high court judgement. It can’t be true then, can it?
get this corrupt mop-headed adulterer tory tramp away tae......:greengrin
Petition · UK Parliament: Public vote of no confidence in this government and Boris Johnson. · Change.org
It's like we're living in Belarus or North Korea. The press and media rule the roost so nothing to see here.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stick
Your two categories of people who don’t support independence make sone sweeping assumptions.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Harp Awakes
I don’t fall into the rangers minded category and I also have no issue with change.
I don’t support independence for two main reasons
1) financially as a country we would be worse off with an impact on almost everyone.
2) I don’t believe the current government have done a good job and don’t relish the day they have full control. The alternatives also don’t give me any faith either.
None of the above means I support a try U.K. government though.
With so many things to legitimately criticise the Tories for, I wonder if there's a need to bring the appearance of individuals into it (unless it's actually relevant to how they do their job).
:tsk tsk: Nowadays no one seems in the slightest bit care for spelling.Quote:
Originally Posted by CropleyWasGod
Exactly.Quote:
Originally Posted by Future17
It’s lowest common denominator rubbish that we should be better than (I know, I know, “Jimmy Krankie” etc).
The Tories are a corrupt, incompetent open goal right now.
Maybe this is because I don’t mind Ruth Davidson that much? There are things I disagree with her on but there’s a lot I agree with her on.
Post-independence Scotland would be richer for someone eloquently carrying forward a centre right message against the grain of the public, even if only to make a fully informed choice to not vote for them. Davidson is capable of doing this, even if she’s been swallowed up by having to use little more than British nationalism in recent years.
There's a lot of things where everyone, everywhere has agreed with Ruth Davidson at some point, it's actually impossible for that not to be the case given the way she changes her views and standpoints.Quote:
Originally Posted by Smartie
Ruth Davidson is, for me, what is wrong with politics in that the only thing she is interested in in is Ruth Davidson. Principles, beliefs and policies are completely fluid as long as it gets her where she wants to be.
Agreed, it was a sweeping assumption. There are many reasons that people may be against Independence. Work, personal circumstances, financial investements, fear of one of many potential issues. Also just as many reasons that a lot of people are genuinely for Independence, not just flag waving “freedom” fighters.Quote:
Originally Posted by Skol
It is the job of either side to convince the other that their point of view is more valid and Scotland, and life, would be better in their scenario.
Firstly, I think you need to replace “would” with “could”.Quote:
Originally Posted by Skol
Scotland is a resource rich country, and whilst there “could” be short term financial losses, I personally have no doubt that we would be no worse off financially in the long term.
My main worry with staying is that the sort of government that runs us from London would have no qualms about running us dry and then ditching us when we became a burden. Look at the way they treat the northern areas of England, do you think Scotland would fair any better if there was no longer any oil? Currently they have created a “levelling up” fund to combat poverty, but instead of the funding going to Glasgow, where it’s most needed, it’s going to Tory held border areas. It’s exactly the same in England.
The “too small, too poor” train of thought doesn’t resonate with me, I genuinely believe we are big enough and rich enough to thrive.
Personally, when it comes to Independence, I compare how the two governments have performed in comparison to each other, rather than pick fault with either. Regardless of what policies you agree or disagree with, Independence is a straight choice between one or the other. Whilst there may be failings in some areas, I think it’s important to compare to decide whether one route or the other would provide a better outcome. It’s all well and good to say that the government has failed on this thing or that thing, but has the alternative faired any better under similar circumstances?Quote:
Originally Posted by Skol
If you say the Scottish Government has failed in the SNHS, has the UK government done any better? (And that’s putting aside the stealth privatisation of the NHS). Has it faired any worse in education? Has it faired any worse when dealing with this pandemic?
Yes governments make mistakes, they always have and they always will, but for me the Independence argument is not about how well a government is performing in its own right, it’s about how well it’s performing against the alternative.
I see people down south envious of things like free prescriptions, free education, no bedroom tax, and even the cost of water! Some of them even think that they are paying for these benefits!!
It’s possible that in the short term there could be financial restraints, and I may not get to see any benefits in my lifetime, but I’d like to see a progressive forward thinking Scotland being forged for/by my children and their children.
This sums up Davidson for me, her being that type of character and carrying that reputation around would normally be a big enough cross to bear. The sort of abuse we're seeing here isn't needed.Quote:
Originally Posted by degenerated
Seems to be a Farage type political figure needing the attention and trying to be relevant.
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You only have to look around us. The only two small European countries near us which are poorer are Wales and Northern Ireland. All the independent ones are richer and enjoy a higher standard of living. That surely can’t be a coincidence. And there is no plan from Westminster to change that. They really don’t care about it.Quote:
Originally Posted by StevieC
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Has Ruth davidson ever had a policy other that wrapping herself in a union flag for a photo shoot and angrily shouting at fmq’s?Quote:
Originally Posted by degenerated
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Yup. I, for one, revel in my ability to spell misogyny correctly.Quote:
Originally Posted by lapsedhibee
And that's twice this morning. **** you, predictive text.
Edit... just the once now. Admins deleted the first one. The pricks.
Do you have a source for this Ozzy?Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
https://www.prosperity.com/rankingsQuote:
Originally Posted by Hibrandenburg
Scotland doesn’t get its own ranking but surely we can assume we are below the level the UK is at. All our independent neighbours are above us. Not sure how they manage this without the broad shoulders of the UK though?
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OK thanks. Combined with the same type table of prosperity for individual UK countries within the UK, it's a pretty damning picture.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
How any unionist can possibly claim we are incapable of matching those countries is beyond me. Do they think so little of themselves? Are we genetically inferior? I really struggle to understand sometimes why there is such a lack of ambition for our country among some people?Quote:
Originally Posted by Hibrandenburg
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https://youtu.be/nBH55ZeZU4wQuote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
Easy to see why Labour are struggling so badly.[emoji23]Quote:
Originally Posted by degenerated
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Lamont's had a shocker there.Quote:
Originally Posted by degenerated
Part of the reason is inequality in Scotland.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
Level it all out and take the country as a whole and we’re struggling.
That doesn’t take into account how good life is here for some. There have always been a relatively small number of people doing very nicely under the status quo in Scotland. If you live in a huge house worth millions, can afford to bypass our health and education systems by paying privately... why would you vote for change? The Tories were considered to have been “wiped out” in Scotland, yet their vote has always held up at a solid 15% or so.
Then you have those somewhere in the middle who can be easily terrified into thinking that the only change available is to sink to the bottom of society. Scots are horrendous for tolerating stuff out of fear of it possibly being worse, so we have a decent number who can be easily frightened, especially older folk.
Some people’s position I can understand. Some I cannot fathom.
Gordon Strachan has really let himself go.Quote:
Originally Posted by degenerated
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...4ffb92df9b.jpg
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:hilarious:Quote:
Originally Posted by hibsbollah
https://www.fda.org.uk/home/Newsandm...C-members.aspxQuote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
No criticism of the union that got this pay settlement for its members, but maybe an indication of the type of deal that would have sat well with many.
You would have thought that a competent opposition leader would know about these things and at least put it up for comparison. There will always be calls that it is too little but the idea of your salary rising by an eighth over 3 years would satisfy many
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She simply couldn't handle it when Nic fired back at her on Friday inside the Parliament. Was a joy to watch her face.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bostonhibby
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BBC journalist goes off script, thoughts and prayers once the big boses find out,
https://twitter.com/ToryFibs/status/1368513604476080129
We owe it to ourselves? We're really all jambos? Hell, I was in favour of independence before but this has turbo boosted that!Quote:
Originally Posted by CloudSquall
Quote:
Originally Posted by Glory Lurker
Never mind that, I want to know how many World Cup stars the UK is buying and what Scotland's Barnett share of those is going to be.
On a more serious note, if we don't park this COVID related debt as VERY long term debt (50 to 100) years then we are out of our minds. Even with it we're not in a bad fiscal state. Our dry fiscal reputation and record means that we could announce we were going to restore the finances on that element over the longer term and the money markets would barely bat an eyelid as long as it was clear we were serious about it. Try that as Argentina or whatever and you're toast, do it as the UK and you're fine.
Its what all big countries do.Quote:
Originally Posted by Glory Lurker
They are Unions for Senior Civil Servants. Maybe easier to accept changes of terms and conditions when you are the boss. I don't like pay deals that take hard earned terms and conditions. They usually come along after a decade of pay restraint when workers are desperate and have no choice to vote for them. They very often regret it down the line as is the case with many of DWPQuote:
Originally Posted by Radium