Scotsman censors itself...

 

Was alerted to an amusing story of Johann Lamont's woes today in Govan. However, the link to the negative 'off the no-message' story in the Scotsman was... not there. Instead, would be voyeurs got this:

So, the Scotsman is now censoring its own stories?! Fortunately, some evil hackers swiftly organised by Alex Salmond himself on behalf of Yes Scotland's IT squadron were able to access an archived copy. Archived after 3 hours? Wonder why....? After all, it was billed as a 'top story'.

Whose ass is on the line for this one then - the author or the sub-editor? Even worse, they let slip that working-class Govan, home of The Rangers no less, is now an 'SNP heartland'. Expect a call from Darling sometime soon.

SCOTTISH Labour leader Johann Lamont got the wrong No vote today when she took to the SNP heartland -- and was met with closed doors.

The MSP for Glasgow Pollok made a ‘behind enemy lines’ visit to Govan, in deputy leader Nicola Sturgeon’s Govan constituency, to argue the pro-Union case with voters.

But despite an army of Labour supporters knocking doors, only three residents engaged in conversation with her - while several even came outside to return the leaflets pushed through their letter boxes.

The weak response from SNP voters got worse when a pensioner refused to even discuss with Lamont how she would be voting on the 18th.

But Lamont later insisted it had been a successful exercise and not a waste of her time.

She said: “I’m very positive about the response that we got. It’s reflected the response that we’ve got across the country in Labour areas.

“Labour people are committing to vote No whilst the SNP’s supporters are committing to vote No as well, because they recognise they can get the benefits of devolution.”

But she claimed she did not see the local residents only come outside to give back the Labour leaflets.

She said: “Well I didn’t see that.

“Everywhere you go you’re going to have some people who are not going to be happy to see you, but right across the country I’m getting a very warm response on the doors because people know that for us this is not about what our party is saying, it’s what’s in the best interest of the people of Scotland.”

The Scottish Labour leader also said she was not concerned about an increasing number of women Labour voters apparently moving towards independence.

She said: “It’s not what I’m finding on the doors. I think particularly women are recognising that actually you wouldn’t put your family’s future at risk.

“They’d be expected to deal with a £6 billion black hole from day one and we know that’s a real problem and women recognise that.”

Source here.
Headline image from this excellent blog.

Advantage Herald and where next for the Hootsmon's HQ?

 

 

Interesting times in Scotland's auld print media. Today's Sunday Herald announcement that it will back a Yes vote in the referendum has gained it acres of coverage on social media, many inches in the print of other papers as well as a few minutes on telly.

It is welcome though it is also probably a shrewd marketing move as well. If polls are correct, currently a pretty solid 40% of us are pro-indy with another 15 to 20% undecided. As the auld guard of what passes for journalism these days regurgitates the same auld scare-stories, it is a wonder that more of these dying organs don't twig that they're basically shitting on the intelligence of some 60% of their potential readership.

The Scotsman - now famous for its 'SNP accused...' and 'independence fears' headlines - is now 'downsizing' its HQ from the expensive but central location next to the Scots Parliament to a bog standard and ugly office block out of the town centre. 

It has also lost a significant number of staff over the years including the man who designed its once reputable and reliable website. Now, it's website is not very user friendly, the content mostly patronising shit while the print newspapers in the Scotsman stable come across as the boring bastard children of the Daily Mail and Reader's Digest. Even their one decent sports reporter, Tom English, has recently jumped from the stinking ship. It's nemesis, the 'CyberNat' media on the other hand is going from strength to strength. Wings Over Scotland's has a larger readership than the Scotsman's print version if not the online content too.

As the Scotsman's vague and reticent owners seek to save more dough while also trying to stem the hemorrhage of readers, it's fair to ask 'Where's the next stop for the Scotsman as it travels the tramline to oblivion?'

A ruined sheiling on Mòinteach Bharbhais? The back room of the Diggers in Gorgie? The 'Scotch' MPs' quarters in Westminster post-independence?

Hugh Reilly. Bigot.

 

Hugh Reilly is an everyman. Particularly, he's an auldman. While women may become crabbit with age, many men unfortunately morph into something quite different. And unpalatable.

Some men develop this rather nasty syndrome - some call it the EDL years - during adolescence and it never clears up. For others though, the salad days of radicalism and rebellious but progressive politics disappears with their libido sometime between the ages of 40 and 50.

The hair evaporates, the jowls creep south, the gut expands and the wedding tackle down below goes into early retirement. Worse, if you're in a profession that's notorious for alcohol abuse, then the poor battered braincells just don't function like they used to. Bitterness takes over.

In the case of Hugh Reilly, most of the above is undoubtedly correct. Except, he used to be a teacher. Teachers have a duty not to be hateful. They have a duty to teach regardless of their pupil's colour of skin, cultural background, language or creed. Just why Hugh Reilly is not a teacher anymore is not known. However, leaving behind a noble profession to write hate speech in the Northern Daily Mail/ Scotsman is not widely regarded as a smart career move.

Hugh Reilly clones take to the streets...

Due to his professional past, Reilly may labour under the illusion that he's different to the proles who attend EDL rallies or march with the Orange Order. He's not. He may choose to spread his hate while sitting in a Byres Road cafe but he's still a bigot. It's probably fair to assume that he harbours hatreds of other peoples too. He's wise enough to know that expressing these hatreds in the Hootsmon would land himself in very hot water. Substitute Gaels or Gaelic for another culture though and that's what you have. Illogical, base hatred.

He says:

BBC Alba, a channel whereby one can watch football with the annoying Gaelic commentary turned down and await the half-time analysis in English by monolingual pundits.

Would he write something along the lines of, 'I like a curry but can't stand the annoying Asians talking in Urdu and can't wait to get home to my ane white folk'?

He further talks about Gaelic being stuck in the past and plays the number game. Namely that just under 60000 can still speak the Scottish tongue. Given that the Scotsman's ethos, ideology and world-view has barely shifted since the days of the Highland Clearances when it was known as the 'Daily Liar' and that it's circulation has plummeted in recent years, Gaelic has a lot more going for it than Hugh Reilly and his right-wing conservative rag.

Amazing, wee rotund Hugh also places the 'class card' saying that only the more affluent in Glaswegian society say 'slàinte mhath' when raising a dram. This says more about his social circle than anyone elses. As someone who once worked in a squad of gardeners in the 'Corporation' I can attest to the richness of the daily language used - Scots English as well as 'slàinte' when in the pub.

In fact, I'm willing to bet that could Hugh have joined us to share his fantasies and prejudices with us, then before long, his erse would've been knitting socks.

Indeed, most Gaels I know as well as non-Gaelic speaking parents of kids in Gaelic medium are more progressive, more outward looking and more accepting of multi-culturalism than 'monoglot English speakers' like Hugh Reilly.

Hugh's world-view is a race to the bottom. And, in a race to the bottom, only bottom-feeders come out smelling of roses.

More here:
An Sionnach Fionn
Arthur Cormack

Numbers

No, not the book of the Old Testament much favoured by many latter-day cherry picking Christians, but the number of people who took to the streets to march for Scotland's independence.

As someone who was present on the march with another family enjoying the chance to support the 'Yes' cause in the Edinburgh sunshine, I feel more than qualified to pour cold water on the bitter reports of the occasion in 'our' press. The Scotsman has long been at odds with Scottish society - it earned the nickname of 'Daily Liar' by Highlanders in the late 1800s due the papers support for the landlords in the Highland Clearances. Even an exhibition by Edvard 'The Scream' Munch in 1932 Edinburgh was disapproved of.  These days its not uncommon for the Scotsman to reprint 'news' from the Daily Mail - this article appeared in the Mail on Sunday last week before making it into a gleeful Scotsman the following day.

Sadly, the Herald also joined in snide-fest.

The march itself was a superb occasion. Regarding the numbers, I'd estimate at least 9000. Bella Caledonia deals with issue in more depth.

I did note the predictable comments of Scottish Labour which also bizarrely mentioned that the indy march was but a dwarf in comparison to the 80000 who demonstrated against the Iraq War. That would be the demonstration against.... er, Labour who took us into that illegal war.

On the other hand, it was by far the biggest demonstration in favour of Scottish independence ever. Who would bet against the next one being bigger still?

Numbers are only part of the story though. Myself and other marchers, including some from the continent, were pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming positive attitude on display. Despite people of all ages, of various nationalities and from different political backgrounds turning out, there was a convincing atmosphere of standing together for a common cause. Almost a smug satisfaction that you and your neighbour were participating in a historic act for the common good.

Some Unionists adopt an Islamist approach.

Which we were, to be frank.

This attitude needs to be maintained. The Unionists have nothing to offer but negativity and scaremongering. Their cause is bankrupt. I've yet to here one serious argument for retaining the Union. Have heard various vague mutterings about 'a family of nations' but as everyone knows, any young person flies the coop as soon as they can. I love my auld dear. She's still family. But from my late teens, I've very much enjoyed relating to her as an independent adult.

While its obvious that not all Unionists may share all their views, the only ugly faces to show up on the day came from a small group of BNP or EDL 'football boys' who hung Union Jacks on a tree. Once again the Union Jack represents insularity, ignorance and hate. Just keep taking the rope boys.

Whyte & MacLie - lets drink to the death of the press

The scent of an election has our 'free' press scraping every last barrel for a story that they can spin into propaganda, chiefly for one of London's two ugly sisters. Hitherto, things have being going swimmingly for the Tories. After months of tickling the evil Rupert Murdoch's chocolate starfish with his nose, David Cameron sees the bulk of the News Corporation behind his collection of rosy cheeked and rotund old Etonians.

The Daily Mail is in schwein heaven with the thought that a bunch of Bullingdon boys could soon be in power. The DM would seriously love to throw its weight behind the heidbangers of UKIP (am i dyslexic, or do i really read 'PUKE' when i see that written?) but so far, the PUKE are pretty much unelectable, save for one or two seats at the EU level. The DM would love to support the BNP in a throwback to the 30s when it supported Mosely and the Blackshirts and the DM proudly saw some of it's text find its way into official Nazi propaganda. But, i guess that the official BritNats are still too dodgy and too liable to implode due to the volatile mix of out and out racist knuckledraggers, private school toffs, closet homosexuals and now... blecks that makes up its membership.

Whatever. The press continues to play the fear card. The DM continues to foam at the mouth about the usual targets: immigrants, the BBC, single mothers, gays, Islamists, foreigners, the EU, Gaelic telly, asylum seekers and... hell, even atheists and scientists are in their firing line now! Needless to say, statistics and evidence is in short supply. For more info on the DM and its misuse of statistics or sheer downright evilness, check out the Straight Statistics blog and the straight to the point Daily Mail Watch.

In Scotland, we have our own Daily Mail which goes under the name of the Scotsman. Joking aside, it is actually quite similar. Not least in the skeletons it has in its dowdy conservative New Town cupboard. Whereas the DM supported Fascism in the 30s, the Hootsmon supported the Highland Clearances in the 19th century. This support for loony landlordism earned it the title of 'Daily Liar' in the Gaidhealtachd. To its credit, it has printed weekly Gaelic columns for decades. However, its pro-Labour and ludicrous anti-SNP scaremongering has reached new depths in recent years. "SNP accused..." is a favourite starter. This week saw it trumpet Whyte and Mackays announcement that it would pull out of Scotland if the SNP's plans for minimum pricing on alcohol went through. The next day though saw W&M claim that its protestations had been misunderstood and that only UK-wide, and hence non-SNP inspired, legislation would force its hand.

Predicament for da Hootsmon. With no press-releases forthcoming from Labour HQ, the story disappeared quicker than a Labour MPs principles. Hootsmon 'journalists' such as David Maddox are now so hated that no comments are allowed on his articles. I hasten to use the word 'journalist' here, for this guy is certainly no John Pilger. We do have a 'Scotsman Watch' in the shape of the aforementioned Pseudepigrapha. One can understand that i was more than chuffed to see that the Hootsmon's owners are losing money quicker than Carol Vorderman can embarrass herself on Question Time. See the BBC for more info at 'Johnston Press profits fall sharply'.

The press makes much of its declining sales and makes pleas for tax payer handouts. Aye right... if i want to read partisan rants and propaganda, i need only read some blogs for free. Do the likes of Murdoch, the Daily Mail and the Scotsman think we will pay to have our intelligence insulted? I look forward to an independent Scotland, not because of a pro-SNP bias or a love for Alex Salmond but because the London government is backward, corrupt and expensive. Its a layer of government that we don't need. Time to clear the scum from our pond, starting with the tabloid press.