The BBC, Scotland’s public self-serving broadcaster

Wee Ginger Dug

Yesterday we witnessed another article appearing in the mainstream media to tell people who are not fairly represented in the mainstream media to stop complaining that they’re not fairly represented in the mainstream media, because the mainstream media is quite properly doing its job of not fairly representing people outside the media mainstream. And can I get a guest slot on Scotland 2016 now please?

The article was of course a defence of the BBC against the criticisms of independence supporters that our public service broadcaster isn’t properly serving the public of Scotland. 50 years ago there were many British institutions, the great nationalised companies such as British Coal, British Steel, British Rail, and British Telecom, but one by one they were broken up and sold off into private hands. It shouldn’t be a great surprise to anyone that as the institutions and organisations that belonged to the people of…

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Labour’s suicide pact

Wee Ginger Dug

Every time you think that the Labour party in Scotland might just possibly see that there’s a glimmer of a path to redemption, it ties a red white and blue flag over its eyes as a blindfold and preaches to Scotland about solidarity with people who never manage to demonstrate any solidarity with Scotland. Which would be bad enough, but the only solidarity that Labour in Scotland actually demonstrates itself is solidarity with the Conservatives. Despite the fact that Labour’s solidarity with the Tories in the Better Together campaign resulted in the near destruction on the party and the annihilation of its Westminster contingent, they’re about to repeat the same trick in a future independence referendum. As a party Labour has become addicted to self-harm.

During the last independence referendum, Labour vilified those of its supporters and members who came out in favour of independence. Labour for Independence was publicly…

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Self-determination starts with the determination to do things for yourself

Wee Ginger Dug

Self-determination starts with the self being determined. It begins with the personal decision of an individual to take action to determine the shape of their future, and not to sit passively while decisions are made on their behalf. There’s a lot of talk about when Scotland might have a second independence referendum, or rather, about when the Scottish Government might decide when to call one, but that doesn’t mean that the rest of us should sit back and wait for Holyrood to decide for us. We need to start campaigning right now, because this is our referendum, our future, and it will be decided by our own determination to do it ourselves.

I can understand why the Scottish Government doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to press the indyref2 button. It’s important that those who still cling on to the vain hope that Scotland can remain part of both…

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The real Spanish veto threat

I wasn’t going to blog today because I’ve got a bad case of manflu, which is like a regular cold only with additional histrionics, drama, and attention seeking. So very much like the La…

Source: The real Spanish veto threat

The real Spanish veto threat

Wee Ginger Dug

I wasn’t going to blog today because I’ve got a bad case of manflu, which is like a regular cold only with additional histrionics, drama, and attention seeking. So very much like the Labour leadership contest then. But there’s news from Spain which I thought worth sharing, mostly because it’s deeply discomfiting to those Unionists who keep claiming that Spain would veto the membership of an independent Scotland in the EU. And when you’ve got a severe dose of manflu, the one thing that cheers you up more than anything else is making people who annoy you really miserable.

Regular readers of this blog will know that the myth that Spain would veto an independent Scotland’s membership of the EU is just that, a myth without foundation. At no point has the Spanish government ever made a statement to that effect, and on those occasions when he has been asked…

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A Tale of Two Unions

Once upon a time way back in 1707 , 125 Lords and Commissioners outvoted 102 Lords and Commissioners to pass the Scottish Act of Union with England. the Duke of Queensberry was largely responsible …

Source: A Tale of Two Unions

A Tale of Two Unions

Auld Acquaintance

Once upon a time way back in 1707 , 125 Lords and Commissioners outvoted 102 Lords and Commissioners to pass the Scottish Act of Union with England.
the Duke of Queensberry was largely responsible for the successful passage of the Union act by the Scottish Parliament. In Scotland, he received much criticism from local residents, but in England he was cheered for his action. He had received around half of the funding awarded by the Westminster treasury for himself. In April 1707, he traveled to London to attend celebrations at the royal court, and was greeted by groups of noblemen and gentry lined along the road. From Barnet, the route was lined with crowds of cheering people, and once he reached London a huge crowd had formed. On 17 April, the Duke was gratefully received by the Queen at Kensington Palace.

In Scotland, some claimed that union would enable Scotland…

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We’re in the Scottish money

Wee Ginger Dug

We’re in the Scottish money. Or at least we’re going to be if Scotland becomes independent. The Sunday Herald is reporting that the Scottish Government is studying plans for a separate Scottish currency in the event of independence. This immediately removes the Westminster veto threat which blighted the last independence referendum, their insistence that Scotland would not be ‘allowed’ to use the pound sterling, and which reduced the debate to the utterly inane Unionist claim that Scotland would be the only country on the planet which was unable to have any sort of currency at all. Cue the usual sneers about the groat or the bawbee.

The truth is that there’s absolutely nothing to prevent Scotland from using the pound if that what we chose to do. It’s not like after independence the rUK government is going to be able to send squads of SAS to the checkout at Morrisons…

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My preciousssss…

Scotland and the rest of the UK are a very special Union, according to Theresa Dalamatian Shoes. It’s preciousssss, and in the same way that Gollum covets the ring and wants to hide it away f…

Source: My preciousssss…

My preciousssss…

Wee Ginger Dug

Scotland and the rest of the UK are a very special Union, according to Theresa Dalamatian Shoes. It’s preciousssss, and in the same way that Gollum covets the ring and wants to hide it away from the rest of the world, Theresa covets Scotland and wants to hide it away from the rest of the European Union. It’s a very very special special union. So very very special that Scotland has no say in what happens in it and can be overruled by the big boys and girls of the Westminster Parliament who are still struggling their way to a Brexit plan A. That’s pretty damn special. It’s a union that’s so special that it is indistinguishable from a colonial possession.

But rejoice, be glad, sing hip hip hooray, for it is indeed a glorious Union. Theresa won’t be stamping her feet on the Brexit button until there’s a “UK…

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