On a wet Saturday

It wasn’t just any wet Saturday, for it was round 3 of the Scottish Junior Cup.  Meadow were at home to Talbot, and much more importantly Pollok were taking the road and the miles to Dundee, hosted by the local Violet.  Nervous days, cup days.  But we weren’t going, and those days are even more nervous when you’re not there, don’t know what’s happening.  Instead I had the hottest ticket in town.

The Hydro in Glasgow has had some big events since opening earlier in the year.  There have been Commonwealth Games medals, and a few singers.  But Saturday was different, and the tickets went quicker than Kylie’s, or Beyonce’s.  For this was Nicola’s day, at the end of Nicola’s week, and the start of our next chapter.

On the way out a wag was heard commenting that the only way Cameron could draw a crowd like that was if he was being hanged.  On a Glasgow Saturday afternoon 12,000 people gathered to listen to speeches, to engage in politics.  12,000 people; politics.  Have you ever heard the like before?

Eddi Reader and Lou Hickey set the mood – I love No voters, said Eddi, I’d love to give them a country.  The it was ramped up big style.  A ten-man ensemble took to the stage, unusual beat combo.  Lead and base guitars, keyboards and drums, then the brass section, trumpet, ‘bone and sax.  But centre stage, the big noise, was reserved for….  three pipers.  These were the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, and live, in the Hydro, with 12,000 gathered, they are pretty immense.

They sent the warm-up on next, a chap called Salmond, you may have heard of him; you will again.  Standing ovation, just for being there.  Then he spoke, roused the rabble.  It was a real privilege to witness the address of a colossus.  The new Deputy Leader, Stewart Hosie, proved to me I was right to give him my first preference.

Then The Boss arrived.  To ensure we sat down again she had to threaten to sing.  Engaging politics, in Glasgow, on a wet Saturday, that crowd.  Our country has changed.  Even as we gathered, trending no. 2 on twitter, worldwide, the party membership surged again – more than 2,000 new members since the bunfight started.  Over 92,000 now.  The previous week, the party conference weekend, it was a mere 85,000.  The movement continues. You don’t have to vote labour to save Scotland from the tories, she said, we’ll do that for you. Besides the voting labour route has been tried and failed time and time again. Never again.

And Scotland looks forward, like never before, to a Westminster election in a few short months.  The SNP will back non-member candidates.  The Leader is talking of alliances beyond, with Plaid Cymru and England’s Greens, all incidentally, led by girlies and all opposed to Trident. All too excluded from TV debates, at the moment.  There is a real likelihood of a hung parliament, as UKIP takes votes from The Establishment; and Scotland says goodbye, and good riddance, to Labour, forgetting not their alliance with their Tory comrades.  I fancy a minority government, having to fight for votes on an issue by issue basis from the minor parties, can only be good for the four nations, all of them.

Even the BBC gave mention of the gathering.  One of the most important short addresses of the day came from the floor, from Richard Walker, editor of the Sunday Herald.  From Monday his team will bring us a daily paper, The National, with the same pro-independence slant.  But, and there is a very big but, he has consent only for a five day pilot.  Five Days.  At 50p per day, and 30p download subscription, [text aye and email address to 80360] we need to make sure his 50,000 print run sells out.  We know from experience the value of the press, and the damage of the propaganda.  Then there’s pur broadcasters, but one step at a time.

So having been in the Hydro, part of the crowd; having listened to those speeches, I’m utterly convinced that our nation has changed for the better, with no going back.  Westminster next May will change too.

And we had Dougie MacLean with his Caledonia, bringing the house down as the whole cast gathered, and as the audience sang.  An impromptu Flower of Scotland sent all homewards, hearts lifted, eyes misted, full of hope; no fear.

And over in Dundee it was a 5-0 away win.  Round 4 beckons, the winning run and the shut-outs continue.  Boy Urchin’s team had won in the morning, before he saw the Scottish rugby team win too, at his first international thanks to Favourite Uncle.  So a good day was had by all.  And a nation goes forward.  Don’t forget your copy of The National every day this week.

Is the dust settling?

Seems a long time ago now, 18th September, doesn’t it?  The day Scotland said No.  It’s not a day I’ll forget.

But it’s been a fast-moving environment since then.  We’ll have a new First Minister in a week or two.  The outgoing Alex Salmond is relishing his last few weeks in office, and his final FMQs this coming Thursday will be one not to miss, if this week’s warm up is anything to go by.  On a whimper he will not be going out.  Then we’ll have Salmond Unleashed; unshackled from the chains of office.  That could be fun.

Meantime The Vow is coming under scrutiny, with the Daily Record on the defensive, (you could read the previous posts on Wings on the same subject too), and watching sales plummet.  The Smith Commission are holding meetings, and presumably sifting through 14,000 submissions.  Those submissions will range from simple emails of a few paragraphs, like mine, to a superb document from Common Weal and others, to name just a few, from the Scottish Police Federation and Yes Clydesdale.

But my expectations are low.  Whatever Smith proposes is perhaps unlikely to reach the statute book, requiring as it does a government to be elected in the first instance, and then approval from both their houses.  Remote.

Meanwhile Labour are imploding.  As I type there is pressure on Miliband it seems.  And locally the Scottish scene has been lurching to the left.  JoLa’s left; Darlings’s left; Sarwar’s left; in fact there’s nothing left, as was said elsewhere.  And they’re trying to elect new leaders.  Murphy has benefited from enormous publicity, having had his Westminster career put on hold.  But the unions aren’t happy at his right wing leanings, and lust for war and weaponry.

I’ll leave comment on Labour’s Scottish ills to Robin McAlpine, he of the Common Weal, and an excellent summary piece in Bella Caledonia.  But it might change again, if the Westminster leader goes too.

Our media has been organising.  New on my daily reading list is the Scottish Statesman.  Here’s a fine recent article, originally for Danish press, which gives you the flavour of the changes in recent weeks.  And I see the Statesman is going to produce a monthly magazine, an addition to the web-based paper. I’ll be very interested in seeing how that develops.

There’s been more polling too, you may have noticed.  It’s all about to change.  Westminster voting intentions are shifting, significantly.  No longer will Scotland send red-rosetted lobby-fodder south, at least not in the quantity of past years.  The signs for Labour are very ominous indeed, no matter what Murphy, Miliband or whoever yanks the strings might like to say.  Those days are well and truly gone.

And so the possible shape of the new Westminster government is something for intense speculation.  How many seats will UKIP take, and who from?  And many will the SNP occupy, possibly to coalesce with no one, and vote on an issue by issue basis?  Speculation, speculation.

There’s another poll about to announce.  You can’t keep Stu Campbell down; he’s now teasing us with releasing findings from his latest Panelbase poll.  Wings Over Scotland is still the number one online source for the growing Yes movement.  And it is growing.  Polls suggest if the vote were held again today the result would be different.  I’m hearing the same in discussions with a variety of people.  In short Cameron’s statement on the morning of the 19th shifted the goalposts.

So the losers battle on; and the winners collapse.  The media are under real pressure – the Daily Record from spiralling sales; the BBC from realisations.  When the time comes again, as it will, we will all be older, and a good bit wiser.  Interesting times.  And then there’s Europe…

Here we go again

I know, I know, but it is important.  The English Vote.  We’re told we’re all doomed.

For those southerners who reside in these parts and have a vote are going to scupper the whole project.  It’s not what I hear on the streets, but it is peddled by our wonderful media.

We’ve read before some fine words from Mark Frankland.  Here’s his latest piece.  It’s really quite illuminating.  For it touches on the differences in society in different parts; and it does so with the help of a young immigrant, whilst using his own long experience of being an Englishman in Scotland.  Read it and weep.

Now what this says is that social attitudes change; some parts of the country different to others.  And it leads us on to folk choosing to settle in Scotland for any number of reasons, finding a different society and opting to stay.  And that leads on to the future and our hopes; our quest to make it better yet, far better.

So what do you think Mark and young Temi will do, and why?  I know my views.

Since setting these words down we’ve all been out to vote, or some of us have.  Hereabouts only one cross has been required; European elections.  But further south some of the local councils have been up for grabs, and that brings the most honoured guest on Question Time, the odious Mr Farage with his racist bile, to the fore, after endless publicity funded by you and I and brought to you by the state-sponsored broadcaster.

And as results filter through I’ve been astonished to find the BBC – oh them, anything but astonished then – taking local council results in parts of England and using them as the basis for how the entirety of these isles will return the next government to Westminster less than a year from now.  There are other options in other parts you know, and those other options take serious proportions of the vote.

In terms of the council results themselves Craig Murray spots the BBC tactics here, and elaborates.

In the next few days the European results will come in, and that may be more of an indicator than council results in one region.  Mind you we’ll have to wait until Monday to find out how UKIP have fared north of the Border.  For there is no count on Sundays in the Western Isles, and the whole of secular Europe will have to wait for the Wee Free enclave.  Oh well.  Still I’ll be doing a bit of graft at the local count on Sunday evening, hopefully returning at an hour reasonable enough to allow me to enjoy a planned wee trip on Monday.  Of which more later.

Number Crunching

Firstly another five minute movie for you. You know you can spare a few, and it’s very worthwhile.

The man in question is John Jappy. Having penned a few articles for some of the political blogs he’s now set up his own outlet – Scotland Own Two Feet, bookmark it now, or follow if you’re the following kind.

John Jappy, in his previous life, may well have had an interest in these two chaps, though no doubt he’d have treated them both alike:

And whilst John’s going through the numbers of the past let’s have a look at some more recent figures. It’s those folks over at Vote No Borders under the spotlight again. Craig Murray’s been doing a bit of googling.

Just a pity that the BBC’s squads of investigative journalists couldn’t spend a couple of minutes doing the same before adding more of our money to VNB’s publicity stunts.

One of the comments I come often come across when blethering about our future is a certain antipathy, or loathing even, towards our First Minister and his Deputy, if not both.  But of course electing a government is something we’re not doing this year.  We’re getting the powers to re-shape our society, to pave the way for a better future.

And in May 2016 we set about electing the first government of an independent Scotland, voting for the candidates and the party of your choosing and knowing the powers that will be available.  The likelihood is that we’ll elect a coalition government, with the leading parties deciding who holds the top posts.  A majority administration probably will not happen again – remember it wasn’t supposed to be possible with our hybrid FPTP and PR voting system.

But thankfully it did, otherwise the collective naysayers would have continued to deny us the right to have our say at all, as they did when the previous session was administered in minority.  So the vote in four months time is a one off opportunity to say definitively whether we believe Scotland should or shouldn’t be an independent country.  Remember that the other parties didn’t want you to have the opportunity to express an opinion, which is why collectively we railed against them and broke the voting system, electing a government in majority that could give us that right.

It’s future powers that we need at the moment, definitive ones, total ones, not hope that we might be ‘granted’ something that remains unspecified and that can be changed as easily as the occupant of the No 10.  They tried that in 1979, and of new powers there came precisely none.  Don’t make that mistake again.  The office bearers don’t come into it.  Remember that please.

Oh before you go, let’s finish off with another truth exposed by Mr Jappy, a scary one this time, beyond the finacials.

 

I make no apologies

… for returning once again to referendum matters.  With a little over four months to go before we all make our final decisions, it’s a reasonable time to compare and contrast the campaigns thus far.  The following short film does just that:

And that really mirrors what I have been finding in discussions; discussions through day to day life as well as on those rare occasions I have been able to free up time away from family commitments to join the campaign trail.

We’re now seeing people turn their attention to life after, to what happens from 19th September.  There are announcements imminent of those invited to join the negotiating team, from all sides; and proposals to heal our fractured society as the debate divides.  But this excellent article from Newsnet Scotland gives a much better picture of what lies in store, and what needs to be fixed.  I whole-heartedly agree.

We’re at a time too where campaign funding is scrutinised, shortly before the regulated period begins at the end of this month.  We’ve had the nonsense over the CBI’s campaign strategy, and the continuing furore over the role of CBI member, the BBC.

On funding Rev Stu gave us a superb summary of the grassroots impact beyond the official campaigns, all those hundreds of thousands raised through crowdfunding for various causes.  Note also the not-totally-tongue-in-cheek and astute Doug Daniel commenting on the funding we all are forced to give the No campaign – the BBC license fee.

But there’s a long way to go.  Last week I had grand blether with a friend, firmly in the No camp.  He recounted tales of naval service, India pre-partition, British not Scottish.  But it’s not about our identity, it’s about how to better shape our society for our future generations.  It matters not that Jim may detest both Mr Salmond and Ms Sturgeon, for we’re not voting in a government; and in 2016 when we do we’re not going to have the freak result that gave us a majority in parliament that evolved last time and paved the way for the opportunity we have now.

And of course in Bombay in 1947 what may have been grand in the last days of the Raj was the start of a new dawn, and both India and Pakistan were ‘granted’ then what we seek for Scotland today – the right to manage their own affairs and shape their societies in the direction they wished rather than the one Westminster required.  Scottish or British does not come into it; neither does fondness, or otherwise, for any one politician or other.

We can, and must do better.  The prize, as the Sunday Herald put it, is a better country.  It’s as simple as that.

See the things you find

if you look to other broadcasters.

Here’s Russia Today, with American journalists broadcasting from London, talking Scotland, Royal Mail, red and blue tories and much more:

 

Whaddya mean you still watch the BBC?

Oh, and this is brilliant, after last weekend’s Sunday Herald. Great tune too:

For those of you

who haven’t yet tuned in to the various sources of information and news on the links aside, here’s a couple of recent articles that may be of interest.  I’ve deliberately kept posts of this type to a minimum of late.

Also absent for some time have been a few of those pictures that Munguin puts up on slow Sundays, so I’ve broken the narrative with some recent gems.

With Rev Stu’s audience soaring and the BBC being CBId there shouldn’t be any need for me to add more, but, here we go…

First up is that bit of chit-chat between Blair’s former spin guru and our FM, and reference to a certain Mr Putin.  Here’s the full interview with GQ magazine presented for you at Wings Over Scotland.  As always the comments from Stu’s readers, Below The Line, add to the experience.  Now tell me, was the media storm justified?

Next up is Lesley Riddoch, with her latest article at Newsnet Scotland, tearing her hair out at the quality of debate put forward by the BBC.  Remember, if you haven’t already done so, to read her Blossom.

And finally, as someone once said, here’s how National Collective responded to that report from Gavin Esler on the Vote No Borders, grassroots campaigning, take on things.

Just another day closer to September 18th.

PS  And one very interesting piece I meant to include was Jon Snow’s recent blog at Channel 4.  It’s well worth a read, and an interesting fresh insight.

 

It’s your license fee

That got your attention, whodathunkit?

It’s no surprise to some of us that the BBC in Scotland find themselves in the eye of the referendum storm.  They’ve just published their own guidelines for that part of the campaign leading up to the vote where they have to be absolutely impartial, as if they didn’t have to be at all times.

Never mind that frightening prospect.

Of late we’ve seen McQuarrie and Boothman, BBC Scotland’s finest decision makers, summonsed to Holyrood to answer questions from the relevant committee.  It was a session I watched live, following the one with Prof Robertson of UWS who was speaking to his report; the one that confirmed bias in the output of our state-funded impartial broadcaster.

But the BBC’s heid-bummers were squirmingly awful in defending the indefensible.  And the fall out continues.  Now we find that Sunday morning’s Headlines programme on the wireless is to be axed, seemingly not biased enough for the overlords – Ken MacDonald, as successor to the departed Derek Bateman at that particular helm, was, in reviewing what had been in the media that week, prone to including the web in his review, and that of course is where the Yes campaign has it’s audience, the same audience largely ignored by the broadcast and newsprint media.  So Headlines has to go.

Bateman’s off the air, MacDonald has his show closed, Isobel Fraser is off our screens after her Ian Davidson spat.  The BBC Trust has slapped wrists after the appalling take on the Irish foreign minister’s comments; the UWS report is damning, and not reported by the BBC; the bosses are grilled in parliamentary committee.  And now there’s Andrew Marr.

I didn’t see the interview with the FM yesterday, listening to Headlines at the same time as I was, but have seen the footage.  And David Miller, another gone after one fine interview.  But I digress.  The flawed Barrosso analysis on the EU membership is at the heart of the current stooshiet, part it seems of the retiring Barrosso’s aim of getting the nod from Cameron for his Nato pitch, and Marr is happy to take it all as read, without question, Scotland akin to Kosovo, Barrosso says so.  But there’s more to it than that, much more.

And don’t just take my word for it, others do it all so much better; so here’s some current reading on the subject.  Firstly Newsnet, and the Marr’s Attack.  Then the said Dr Bateman, always trying hard to look towards incompetent management of reducing resources rather than a deliberate policy outlook, and always a fine read.  But it’s best to lighten it up a bit with this summary.

And as PS to all that, a fine piece from Lesley Riddoch today on the same subject

And talking of lightening it up, let’s have a look at the blue tories Scottish conference, Rev Stu of course, in fine form, though I preferred this withering summary of the written press recently.  And finally, a few snapshots, from Munguin and others, to brighten up a very dull day:

Another Busy Week

Leaving aside that frenetic and euphoric crowd-funder, it’s been another week of media frenzy; and true to form it needs to be disseminated.

You might be forgiven for thinking that, in these parts, we’re on a quest to secure a better life, dis-satisfied with the standard life, but it’s Standard Life in the news this week.  Here’s Rev Stu with a summary of how it was all reported in our press.

Indeed that continues yet, mis-reporting.  As I see it SL have simply included in their Annual Report – we’re into formalities of Companies House obligations here, and accounting requirements – a statement of an issue that affects their strategy.  And I read it as more of a statement to Westminster to sort out; a request, nay demand, for stability, for currency union.  Just what the Scottish Government has been demanding, Westminster refusing.  Clarity will come, but not until 19 September, for that’s when Scotland’s Tories have said they will be making those same demands.

Business for Scotland have an excellent article, de-bunking the media’s myths on the Standard Life statement.  Now read that; contrast and compare to those headlines in the Wings article, the features in your morning paper, the bulletins on the radio.  Happier now?  Thought so.

And Derek Bateman’s on the case too, not pulling his punches on the role of our state-funded broadcaster, amongst other things.  It’s a fine read.  So too Craig Murray – (I’m going to read his Murder in Samarkand soon).

So again, we note the dire newsprint circulation figures; we despair at the stance of the BBC; and we wonder why people rely on the old media in this modern age.  As mentioned the other day the internet is where it’s at.  We need facts, is the common refrain, information.  Well it’s out there, but you have to look for it.  If you wait to be spoon fed from your morning paper habit – that’s all it is, the crossword, Sudoku, TV listings and all over a cup of coffee – habit; if you listen to the news on the box, it’s all skewed, untrustworthy.

More facts, information – go seek.  Open your mind.

And there’s a couple of other points of interest.  Curling again.  I see that we’re to get a National Centre, in Stirling.  Fantastic news.  But catch the bit, BBC again, that says our curling medal winners were ‘predominantly’ from Scotland.  Eh?

And weather maps.  How do you view them?  Tilted, stilted, biased.  Oh, that’ll be the BBC then.  I enjoyed this piece over at Bella.  Start from the northern point of the country and head south.  Stop.  Where are you?  Still in Scotland chummy, that’s where.  Can you believe that, after nearly a decade of those maps?

Oh and iScotland’s AAA credit rating, the one Darling said we couldn’t get just he was losing the UKs.  Oh yes we can.  Here’s Newsnet.

So that’s a quick romp through a few recent issues.  I think you’ll agree, t’internet’s the place.  I know there’s a number of links for the interested, but some eyes have still to be opened.  Go on, you know you want to.

That’s probably enough for now.  I’ll spare you another performance from that labour wumman at FMQs.  I’m not even going to mention it.  Oh OK, if you’ve got this far…

One Man And His Blog

At precisely 9pm on a dreich Wednesday night I raised a glass.  Old Pulteney, 12yo, large one – honey, with cream; salty with spicy note.  And at the same time across the land and beyond a thousand other glasses and more were raised.  One thousand silent toasts rang out, one thousand nods to the same place.  Bath.  For that is where he resides.  Which means a vote on 18 September is not his to cast, not yet anyway.

On that day many more than a thousand drams will rise.  And many glances will again be cast in the direction of Bath.  For one man has raised an army, and brought together a rag-tag mob, the cyber-warriors as the Daily Mail may cast them, detested.  And I sit here type-cast, late at night, hammering at the keyboard, another dram at the side.

But it is a night of celebration, and the toast is Reverend Stuart Campbell, Wings Over Scotland.

Earlier in the day, at ten of the clock, he launched his appeal.  Twelve months previously he did the same, pledging to work for the cause full time, but needing funding for a year.  Over the month of the appeal more than £33,000 was raised, and Stu’s services secured.  Since then he has carved a place in the history that is being made.

In a recent Scotpulse poll it was confirmed that the internet is the place to go for referendum information, and that Wings was the one.  The site stats are nothing short of astonishing.  I’ll not bore you with the numbers, but I am not alone.  Nearly a quarter of a million unique visitors last month alone.

So when he launched this year’s appeal many of us were primed and waiting.  But his plans are ambitious; more polling, more hours, more for other contributorss.  And a Wee Blue Book, a print version of all that we look to Wings to provide.  But it would cost, £53,000 in total, his own services at minimum wage rates, everything costed.  He gave us until 31 March.

And as I raised my glass at the appointed hour, with a thousand others, we watched as the donations meter ticked round, heading for an astonishing £75,000, in less than 12 hours.  Through the day funds came in at more than £100 per minute.  Wee things, as they say, a pound or two here, a tenner there.  There’s a crowd-funding facility, with Indiegogo, and beyond that a separate donate facility.

Some of us chipped in with some of the money we no longer spend on newsprint; some paid for the year’s papers.  A whopping single donation of ten grand, wow, off site so to speak, not part of the Indiegogo fund; a sign of what it means; a sign of how we value our man in Bath.

So as glasses are charged once again, and we look ahead to that date in September ringed in the calendar, the only thing left to say is Thank You Stu, and Keep Up The Fantastic Work.  Scotland Needs You.

Ironic isn’t it, that this positive sign, this faith in the fight for our future, comes on the same day the regional newspaper circulation figures are announced.  More double-digit plummeting for the quality press that once featured in the monthly figures, as nationals, the demise now revealed only twice a year.  The printed media is dying, and Wings readers know why.  And it just goes to show that if you give us what we want to read, the truth, then we’ll gladly pay.  Wonder if the print boys will take note?

Slainte Stu.

Links as always on the sidebar, but here’s another, straight to the crowd-funder, for those of you with any of those spare bawbees we’ll be using in the years ahead.  Sterling work, as someone said.