Scottish Politics Thread

[JuniorBod]

For those who want to see it.
Salmond being questioned by the Holyrood Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints is on today at 12.30 - scottishparliament.tv

Curse the purple robed one who persuaded me to tell them to shove their licence up their arrse...

Not...

JB

 

[Auld-Yin]

Can I assume that anyone who does not vote the 'correct' way at THE election, will have to wear a UJ patch on their clothes/ tattooed on their forehead so the 'chosen ones' can pick them out in crowds, and spout more frothy rabid cr4p in their faces etc? As in we wun, we wun,, ehh but, now what do we do to save us 'from the road to hell?

Also, did I not read somewhere that no other footie team will play the SNP MSP team, as when the opposition comes close to scoring....... they move the 'gaelposts'! Mind you little Fatty would make a good keeper perhaps?

I would be happy to wear a Union Jack on my jacket etc when outdoors. Not too keen on the tattoo though

 

[Dafty duck]

I would be happy to wear a Union Jack on my jacket etc when outdoors. Not too keen on the tattoo though

I have my morning coffee out a mug just like this most mornings. Sets me up nicely for the day.

 

[Seadog]

Lest a anyone missed it, in his opening statement, Alex Salmond seemed to have picked up on Sturgeon's blurting out: AS's acquital doesn't doesn't mean it didn't happen.
(I paraphrased).

If Eck puts that into the mix, it is surely game over for Sturgeon.

 

[Emcon Ecomcon]

Lest a anyone missed it, in his opening statement, Alex Salmond seemed to have picked up on Sturgeon's blurting out: AS's acquital doesn't doesn't mean it didn't happen.
(I paraphrased).

If Eck puts that into the mix, it is surely game over for Sturgeon.

Salmond comes across as calm, measured and persuasive and the man is reminding people what a formidable character he really was in politics. Makes a nice contrast to the supposed perfect leader and Sturgeons inability to handle any pressure, without coming across as blustering and shrill.

 

[Murphy_Slaw]

Salmond comes across as calm, measured and persuasive and the man is reminding people what a formidable character he really was in politics. Makes a nice contrast to the supposed perfect leader and Sturgeons inability to handle any pressure, without coming across as blustering and shrill.

I am not and never have been a Salmond fan, but he is head and shoulders above Sturgeon as a politician. Thank goodness he resigned after the referendum, otherwise we would be looking at the very real possibility of independence in the very near future.

 

[Civvy Scum]

It seems clear that one of them is lying.
Sorry, my mistake.
It seems clear that at least one of them is lying.

Sweaty "independence" is a failure, time to wrap things up at Holyrood and run the place from Westminster?

 

[AsterixTG]

Sweaty "independence" is a failure, time to wrap things up at Holyrood and run the place from Westminster?

Boris needed to un-volve devolvement at the worst of the pandemic (assuming that's passed...)'for the good of the country' under special measures.

 

[Gabion Groyne]

I am not and never have been a Salmond fan, but he is head and shoulders above Sturgeon as a politician. Thank goodness he resigned after the referendum, otherwise we would be looking at the very real possibility of independence in the very near future.

I agree with your first sentence, but the powerful reasons against independence don't depend on who is in charge in Holyrood.

 

[AsterixTG]

I agree with your first sentence, but the powerful reasons against independence don't depend on who is in charge in Holyrood.

I don't think 'reason' actually counts for much over feelings nowadays.

 

[Democritus]

Salmond comes across as calm, measured and persuasive and the man is reminding people what a formidable character he really was in politics. Makes a nice contrast to the supposed perfect leader and Sturgeons inability to handle any pressure, without coming across as blustering and shrill.

His unpleasant character flaws aside, I said in this forum some years ago that Salmond was, in my view, one of the most intelligent, competent and shrewd politicians in the UK. He could have been a real asset (albeit a morally dubious one) to either of the two main parties, and conceivably even have made it to Downing St. That he chose a different path has had deeply regrettable consequences for the UK as a whole and Scotland in particular. Nevertheless, he is usually worth listening to; a debate between him and George Galloway, another flawed but formidable speaker, would make for choice viewing.

 

[Old and Grumpy]

Boris needed to un-volve devolvement at the worst of the pandemic (assuming that's passed...)'for the good of the country' under special measures.

An Independent Scotland - Can't be much better than this:

 

[Cloth bomber]

Odd place is Carlisle and I mean odd in the sense of the Habsburgs, or an episode of the walking dead.

Dad always said the populace of Carlisle was what you got with it being a railway town and a garrison town. Ie 150 years of railwaymens daughters put up the duff by squaddies.
The noticeable characteristic of Carlisle women is normal length bodies but short legs ( i Kid you not) this was backed up by a conversation my wife had with a buyer for M&S Carlisle ( women’s clothes).
however they look normal when compared to the lardys and odbods from Dumfries you see doing their weekly shop at ASDA on Kingstown. Eeek!

 

[buggrit]

Boris needed to un-volve devolvement at the worst of the pandemic (assuming that's passed...)'for the good of the country' under special measures.

This, in my humble opinion, was one of the biggest mistakes made at the beginning of the pandemic. Boris should have closed down any dealings with with the issue of the pandemic to main government only. The devolved assemblies should have been told to wind their necks in and do as they are told right from the start. It would have saved all this ridiculous bullcrap from Sturgeon.

 

[giatttt]

Boris needed to un-volve devolvement at the worst of the pandemic (assuming that's passed...)'for the good of the country' under special measures.

He's let it stew for a bit, fed Nicola enough rope to let her thoroughly poison her own well.

 

[Emcon Ecomcon]

I agree with your first sentence, but the powerful reasons against independence don't depend on who is in charge in Holyrood.

I couldn't disagree with you more (though I still respect the opinion and choose not to downvote it out of that respect). The Case for Scottish Independence was long ago settled in scotland. The wealthy scots decided life was better under shared rule, as it made them more wealthy. Yet so many people in scotland with wealth have fled to the nationalists?

Salmond was able to sell the argument that the wealth came from empire and so a diminished england and the decline in the nation is no longer good business and a direct relationship with europe would be more beneficial... That case was unassailable, so long as we were inside europe and the drift to the SNP started long before the european referendum and only accelerated afterwards, because of project fear having the effect of magnifying the SNP argument.

The case to stay in the United Kingdom can only be made in Holyrood and I think Boris finally gets that and why he tries to avoid at all costs any conflict.

 

[buggrit]

Wait! What??? Has he switched sides now??

 

[HCL]

Latest Ipsos Mori polling, released yesterday.

Support for Scottish independence falls back

But support for the SNP nonetheless remains at very high levels ahead of the May 2021 Scottish Parliament elections.

www.ipsos.com

• 52% say they are likely to vote for the SNP in the constituency vote, while 23% will vote for the Scottish Conservatives and 15% for Scottish Labour;
• 52% would vote Yes in an independence referendum, slipping slightly from 56% in November - while 48% would vote No;
• Scottish independence is seen as the most important issue in helping people decide which party to vote for (44%), followed by education (32%), healthcare/ NHS (25%) and coronavirus (20%).
• Over a third of Scots (36%) say the Holyrood inquiry into the Scottish Government’s handling of the accusations against Alex Salmond has made them less favourable towards the SNP, although most (58%) say it has made no difference to their view of the party

Technical note

Ipsos MORI interviewed a representative sample of 1,031 adults aged 16+ across Scotland. Interviews were conducted by telephone 15-21 February 2020. Data are weighted to the profile of the population.​

Scottish Parliament voting intention figures are based on all expressing a voting intention and saying they would be at least 9/10 likely to vote in a Scottish Parliament election.​

Where results do not sum to 100%, this may be due to computer rounding, multiple responses, or the exclusion of “don’t know” categories.​

All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error. On the basis of the historical record of the polls at recent general elections, there is a 9 in 10 chance that the true value of a party’s support lies within 4 points of the estimates provided by this poll, and a 2 in 3 chance that they lie within 2 points.​

 

[shellbackmac]

Can I assume that anyone who does not vote the 'correct' way at THE election, will have to wear a UJ patch on their clothes/ tattooed on their forehead so the 'chosen ones' can pick them out in crowds, and spout more frothy rabid cr4p in their faces etc? As in we wun, we wun,, ehh but, now what do we do to save us 'from the road to hell?

Also, did I not read somewhere that no other footie team will play the SNP MSP team, as when the opposition comes close to scoring....... they move the 'gaelposts'! Mind you little Fatty would make a good keeper perhaps?

Pre-referendum I wouldn't have worn any badge or waved a flag save putting on a Scotland top to go to Hampden. I tend to wear a wee badge (below) on my jacket nowadays which is far as I will go with public displays of how I feel with regard to my allegiance. I do (or did when we were allowed in to Hampden!) get fed up of how the saltire has been hi-jacked as a nationalist symbol by quite a few of the Tartan Army with 45/YES emblazoned. Being a communicator by trade, I wind them up by telling them they are actually waving international signal flag MIKE....."My vessel is stopped"

 

[Mick9abf]

Salmond has just played an absolute blinder. He was asked if he wanted to make a closing statement and by feck he did; he has offered the committee all the information which the government are withholding from his solicitors which is apparently legal under some part of the Scotland Act - Brilliant!!

“It’s up to you whether you want it and you will have to deliberate it but you’ll have it by Monday before you interview the next witness on Monday I think”....... ice cold!!

I hope he has legally blindsided the SG in which case I would be confident Sturgeon is toast - but they need to agree to ask for it!!

He was very careful not to openly throw Sturgeon under the bus - I don’t like him but he is still the excellent orator he always was.