tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post771377061858523624..comments2024-01-12T01:56:21.933-08:00Comments on chokka blog: The Fabulously Absolute SNPKevin Haguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14587343060415859159noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-87576299029220259232015-12-31T12:29:16.136-08:002015-12-31T12:29:16.136-08:00The SNP’s support for a phoney “independence” is b...The SNP’s support for a phoney “independence” is based on its desire to lurch leftwards in a way that is impossible while still in a union with England. England is very patriotic and right-wing whilst Scotland is almost exclusively leftwing and socialist.<br /><br />The SNP freely admit that if they achieve sovereignty for Scotland, they will simply transfer it to the EU based in Brussels – genuine independence is not an SNP policy.<br /><br />Alex Salmond, in effect still the main boss of the SNP, was a student communist with hard-line leftwing views.<br /><br />One factor about the SNP that is well hidden is its support for radical Islam.<br /><br />One of the most powerful individuals within the SNP is Humza Yousaf (pictured below), a Muslim SNP member of the Scottish Parliament.<br /><br />Prior to his election to the Scottish Parliament in 2011, Yousaf had been a media spokesman for “Islamic Relief”, a charity that has been accused on a number of occasions of being a front group for radical Islamism.<br /><br />Yousaf was also heavily involved in a community radio station for over a decade and helped organise food parcels for asylum seekers.<br /><br />His cousin is Osama Saeed, a former Muslim Brotherhood spokesman.<br /><br />Saeed’s group, the Scottish Islamic Foundation, has been accused in the past of having extremist links.<br /><br />Yousaf himself is married to Gail Lythgoe, a red-headed Muslim convert.<br /><br />He recently called for Scotland to take in Palestinian refugees and urged a full arms embargo of the State of Israel.<br /><br />Given that less than 1% of the Scottish population is Muslim, they are receiving an astonishingly high proportion (around 60%) of Scottish government “equality” grants.<br /><br />Almost 60 per cent of all grants given out by the “Equality Unit” has gone to just five Muslim groups.<br /><br />The groups were awarded £1.5 million of public money, dwarfing the £137,500 given to Christian charities and the £110,000 given to Jewish organisations.<br /><br />web-news71When Conservative MP Philip Hollobone first proposed a law to ban the wearing of burkas in Britain, Alex Salmond was quick to denounce the plan.<br /><br />In February 2010 it emerged that Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s Deputy First Minister, had written a letter of support on behalf of Abdul Rauf, a Muslim on trial for benefits fraud.<br /><br />Rauf had defrauded the taxpayer of £80,000 by claiming benefits under false pretenses.<br /><br />He had previously been convicted, and served jail time, for a similar offence.<br /><br />Sturgeon, whose job involves appointing all sheriffs and judges in Scotland, asked the judge to consider a non-custodial sentence for Rauf.<br /><br />With so many signs of pro-Muslim bias in the SNP, it’s worth asking whether the decision to release Megrahi, who was convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, could have been influenced by this.<br /><br />Osama Saeed, the SNP’s Muslim extremist candidate and close personal friend of Alex Salmond, supported Megrahi’s release on his blog, arguing: “If he had died in Scotland from cancer it would have done irreparable damage to our reputation not just in Libya and the Muslim world, but beyond.”<br /><br />Since forming a government in 2007, the SNP has been rocked by four major scandals: the Abdul Rauf affair, Lunchgate, the release of the Lockerbie bomber and the Scottish Islamic Foundation affair.<br /><br />All four scandals have involved Muslims.<br /><br />The SNP is equally as repellent on the subject of immigration.<br /><br />Record numbers of immigrants and asylum seekers have seen Scotland’s population grow to its highest level for three decades, but an SNP spokesman commended Scotland’s soaring immigration numbers, saying: “These are excellent figures.”<br /><br />It is time the people of Scotland realised the danger in their midst in the form of the SNP, a party that will destroy Scotland forever if it has the chance.<br /><br />This pernicious danger is wrapping itself in the cloak of patriotism in order to dupe the Scottish people into supporting it.<br /><br />Few are aware of its true nature as a political movement.Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14583106630185493488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-26214397714938876452015-11-15T02:14:52.280-08:002015-11-15T02:14:52.280-08:00One of the most madcap of populist nationalist the...One of the most madcap of populist nationalist themes is that once upon a time 'Scots' not English was the language of lowland Scotland. This even features as part of the Dept of Education's website. The trouble is the alleged history is little better than a fairytale. The whole story was exposed as a romantic fantasy as far back as the 1870s by Scottish academic James Murray (founding Ed OED) in his definitive work The Dialect of the southern counties of Scotland. It can be read on-line at <br />http://archive.org/details/cu31924026538938 Today the idea that 'Scots' was once language distinct from English is yet another silly unhistorical political hobby horse which has been allowed to run wild - to the great disadvantage of Scottish schoolchildren.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-77758674127710067792015-10-29T07:35:06.619-07:002015-10-29T07:35:06.619-07:00Anon from 10:19 yesterday, actually, Kevin can wri...Anon from 10:19 yesterday, actually, Kevin can write about whatever he damn well chooses. His focus on an area that obviously makes you uncomfortable to the exclusion of (almost) everything else doesn't invalidate his conclusions at all. If the SNP had put forward an honest case for independence, not spun the figures, and not sought to drown reality under the tide of nationalist grievance and victimhood they themselves whipped up, then there would have been no need for anyone to point out that their currency of lies, distortions, fallacies and wishful thinking was an unscrupulous betrayal of the Scottish people. As that was not the case, Kevin did the job and I for one am grateful to him. And as the clear will of the Scottish people apparently meant SFA to the SNP, and the referendum did not settle the matter, we are still just as much in need of someone like Kevin to keep pointing out why it was economic stupidity then and, until something substantial changes, remains just as stupid now. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-62678127192831126502015-10-28T11:14:49.013-07:002015-10-28T11:14:49.013-07:00Anonymous (of course, always with the "anonym...Anonymous (of course, always with the "anonymous") - please show me where I said (your quote marks) "Nats hacked my site"<br /><br />As for blocking - I block people if they are persistently and (in my opinion) intentionally obtuse, if they're simply abusive or if they simply refuse to (or are intellectually unable to) engage in a logically reasoned debate. As you're anonymous I've no idea which of these categories you fall in to.<br /><br />As for how I spend my time - I react to statements or pronouncements that I see as outrageous. That the SNP appear to be monopolising this at the moment is not something I can be held responsible for. Fwiw I think the Tory tax-credit / NLW policies are outrageous but (unlike the Scottish stuff I focus on) they have been widely and accurately attacked by many commentators - I feel I have little to add.Kevin Haguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14587343060415859159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-14184760968716708442015-10-28T10:19:41.637-07:002015-10-28T10:19:41.637-07:00As a nationalist who would take a hit for independ...As a nationalist who would take a hit for independence (something I'll not deny), I'd frankly take you more seriously if - as a neutral, like you claim - you'd spent half the time, a quarter of the time... even an eighth of the time you'd spent trawling through SNP or Yes Scotland predictions and figures to focus on the mis-deeds that occur outside of Holyrood. As someone you blocked for simply disagreeing with you on twitter (during your claims that 'nats hacked your site') I did express the same opinion as this and got very short shrift from you for it.<br /><br />To me, that's not the actions of a neutral who has approached the stats and analysed them, but more someone who started that way and once they started leaning towards No has become (and I hate to use the word as I feel it's far too strong for context) radicalised by the unfriendly opposition you faced.<br /><br />Either way, you're entrenched on one side now - whether you'll admit it or not, but that's not really anything to fuss over.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-1396390470363541382015-10-26T18:08:06.369-07:002015-10-26T18:08:06.369-07:00"...a concerted narrative that the SNP are li..."...a concerted narrative that the SNP are literally destroying the fabric of the country. I find this intellectually dishonest..."<br /><br />Hi CMac11, <br /><br />For intellectual dishonesty I present this quote from 1999:<br /><br />the SNP leader described the pound as "a millstone round Scotland's neck"<br /><br />And this from 2014:<br /><br />Alex Salmond declares "It is our pound and we're keeping it..."<br /><br />The SNP do demonstrate how effective their rhetoric can be and the other parties are just playing catchup.<br /><br />It is fair to say it is more than the usual adversarial battle over policy / ideas at stake and that is why such a dystopian theme can have traction. The perception of how the fabric hangs together has to be personal though.<br /><br />For example the SNP continue to busy themselves re-wiring that which links Scotland to the UK and inflating that which serves to distance the two, with what seems ideological zeal (such as changing a name from British to Scottish), so if a person believes themselves to be as much part of the UK as part of Scotland (no matter what the balance sheet says) I expect they would be sympathetic to this idea of part of their life being under siege, and less so otherwise. Would others view the loss of local control over certain public services as a significant change to their lives. Only they can say.<br /><br />However most reasonable people would know they would only have to spend a few hours in the wrong locations in a place like Syria to appreciate how little of the fabric of the land mass on the map known as Scotland was genuinely at risk.bucksboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08666422208089564579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-57861820244607313062015-10-26T11:19:20.984-07:002015-10-26T11:19:20.984-07:00"If, for example, Scotland would be better of..."If, for example, Scotland would be better off as a province of the People's Republic of China, the No voters would surely back it as it would be best for Scotland. That's real patriotism."<br /><br /><br />The NO voters would be pointing out the "White Paper" urging the union with the People's Reblic of China is a lot of Braveheat bollocks which was also <br />economically garbage and which would lead to us having the same standard of living<br />as a rural member of the People's Republic of China.<br /><br />Just like last time.<br /><br />Nialnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-27796109296322709132015-10-25T18:23:45.859-07:002015-10-25T18:23:45.859-07:00"CMac11 would you not concede the 'feedba..."CMac11 would you not concede the 'feedback' they are receiving is nothing more nor less than the normal cut and thrust of politics"<br /><br />Scrutiny is good. Far too many SNP acolytes are dismissive of it. However, as someone who could probably be described as a loose SNP voter what i'm detecting is the other parties and a number of media figures picking up on 2 or 3 very recent specific issues and running with a concerted narrative that the SNP are literally destroying the fabric of the country. I find this intellectually dishonest, given that the claims don't bear much scrutiny when you scratch below the surface and especially given the fact there is a paucity of alternative policy put forward and indeed many of their policies have been backed by the other parties. <br /><br />So all in all, yes this is just probably the normal cut and thrust but I'm merely pointing out that SNP are polling at 60% and not all of them, not even a majority probably, are died in the wool Yessers. The SNP (even more so since Nicola took over) have the trust of a lot of people on domestic issues and the reasons fot this are not simply brainwashing as many like to assume.CMac11https://www.blogger.com/profile/14495655746574921413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-57346166187913668922015-10-25T09:22:40.284-07:002015-10-25T09:22:40.284-07:00Didn't Alan Cumming notice that England legali...Didn't Alan Cumming notice that England legalised gay marriage slightly earlier than Holyrood?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-38666176080130101412015-10-25T08:44:31.714-07:002015-10-25T08:44:31.714-07:00Whilst I also dislike exceptionalism I have to dis...Whilst I also dislike exceptionalism I have to disagree with your view of how a YES vote would have been recieved on the world stage.<br /><br />I am a big Redditor, it's a very international with a huge number of users. Even the NO vote made big news and was a talking point for much of the week. I am in no doubt for the period of a YES vote, the eyes of the world would have indeed been upon Scotland. fork boyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08480560459501527212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-8628810196117902882015-10-25T04:31:45.883-07:002015-10-25T04:31:45.883-07:00"at least we could play our part on a wider s..."at least we could play our part on a wider stage and decide where our interests lay"... yes, but was that part constructive in any way?, or did it consist of intriguing against the English and desperately trying to make ourselves interesting to the French? Unfortunately, to my mind anyway, this was a dissipation of energies to no constructive gain. What 'use' was Scotland to France, other than as a wasp at England's picnic? (ie an insignificant irritation distracting from getting on with more important matters) To my mind, union with England gives us ALL a platform for engaging constructively on a world (or European, at least) stage.<br /><br />What were Scots doing during the Industrial Revolution, whining chippily about Bannockburn and Flodden, or setting up their factories and availing themselves of all the opportunities of the empire? FSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-31087285645197980622015-10-25T03:10:18.411-07:002015-10-25T03:10:18.411-07:00'Scottish exceptionalism' - indeed. The S...'Scottish exceptionalism' - indeed. The SNP seem to think that Scots (or in fact just people of any nationality who happen to be living in Scotland) are somehow God's chosen ones, uniquely qualified to run their economy perfectly (we wouldn't be like Greece or Spain or Portugal!).<br /><br />I remember reading that it wasn't a dreadful thing to be contemplating walking away from our share of the UK national debt because we had no moral responsibility for RBS in the first place - it would simply never have happened in an independent Scotland..<br /><br />All of the SNP's schtick is about being 'the best small nation'; it is ALL about a desire to lecture other people about how great we are (though precious little thought given to what would actually be so great about what we're doing).FS, Edinburghnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-22440034834706936572015-10-24T14:49:28.249-07:002015-10-24T14:49:28.249-07:00kininvie
"the loss of Scotland's abilit...kininvie<br /><br /><br />"the loss of Scotland's ability to create policy in its own interest"<br /><br />So there is a sovereignty deficit?<br /><br /><br />Scotland has one of the most powerful devolved parliaments in the world, apparently.<br /><br />Scotland presently also has unfettered access to the UK parliament disproportionate to all other UK citizens.<br /><br />iScotland wants in to the EU club quick time as a new member, so after 'winning' its sovereignty one of the first priorities is to hand over a large slice to another union run even further away than big bad Westminster, one in which each Scottish voice vies with 99 other voices by population (rUK having over 10).<br /><br /><br />"forging some kind of new relationship with the rest of the UK"<br /><br />So after the EU has had its way with iScotland's sovereignty it will wield what remains to extract a 'good deal' with rUK?<br /><br />I have never see a tail wag a dog, so I suspect this would give iScotland another sovereignty haircut.<br /><br />By the time all the shenanigans are over how much sovereignty will be left?!<br /><br />Sort of leaves you wondering whether the Union's founding fathers in Scotland were actually onto something.bucksboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08666422208089564579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-22258584903138013362015-10-24T13:40:39.293-07:002015-10-24T13:40:39.293-07:00Well said that Well said that Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-5118377684101082702015-10-24T08:24:43.120-07:002015-10-24T08:24:43.120-07:00I think what underpins the 'absolute' comm...I think what underpins the 'absolute' committment to independence (at least from my point of view)is the loss of Scotland's ability to create policy in its own interest. I can look at Scotland's history as an independent sovereign state and think - it wasn't all roses by any means, but at least we could play our part on a wider stage and decide where our interests lay. The Union hasn't been all roses either, but contains the added downside that we've lost all ability to carve any distinctive role for ourselves, or indeed to follow policies where our interests may differ from those of Westminster. I cite you immigration in particular (our birth rate now only just exceeds our death rate, after years of being lower).<br /><br />I don't think you will find many nationalists who wouldn't acknowledge that an independent Scotland may well face hard times. Nothing is guaranteed. The fundamental question which drives Scottish Nationalism however is the question of sovereignty, not economics, and any conversation which does not address this is bound to break down...<br /><br />I'm utterly relaxed about forging some kind of new relationship with the rest of the UK, but (as Jo Grimond acknowledged) you can't do this without first of all having the power to do it. Lamentably, his clear understanding has been lost by his successors - which is why we are where we are now.<br /><br />kininviehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08585263702054126919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-41522423326624655662015-10-24T06:52:25.221-07:002015-10-24T06:52:25.221-07:00I very much like your blog and read it a lot. Your...I very much like your blog and read it a lot. Your encounter with the SNP MP is very revealing. You just can't have a rational debate about independence. All economic arguments are based on circumstances that are subject to change at any moment. Independence, however, is not reversible. So any economic case for independence can only be on shaky ground. You can only honestly believe that independence is a good thing if you don't want to share a government with England *no matter what*. <br />So a party committed to independence has to be absolute and has to posit independence as a non-negotiable tenet, rather than as a strategy for achieving any political aim (e.g. a fair and just society). In other words, you could read the change of the SNP constitution as a withdrawal from commitment to independence - maybe the MP hadn't yet noticed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-28279890937180535312015-10-24T04:14:44.111-07:002015-10-24T04:14:44.111-07:00@forkboy, I see you're trotting out the SNP...@forkboy, I see you're trotting out the SNP's new script on Kevin: "your figures are good, its your conclusions which need the work and this blog seems to be a lot of conclusions arrived at without any kind of careful thought at all." <br /><br />So you find no fault with the figures, that's a good start, thank you. Now, based on those good (= accurate, I assume) figures, will you point out exactly where Kevin's conclusions are arrived at without careful thought? Just one single example of a conclusion he's reached apparently at odds with the statistics will do, but please quote as many as you like. No, nothing? I thought not. <br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-87207257919972758322015-10-24T02:02:36.876-07:002015-10-24T02:02:36.876-07:00Gordon Brown
September 2014
" rejecting se...<br />Gordon Brown <br /><br />September 2014<br /><br />" rejecting separation would quickly lead to a “new Union”.<br /><br />This week EVEL has passed thru commons faster than a greyhound 1st bend Shawfield <br /><br />In the meantime Scotland Bill being amended line by line ,month by month<br /><br />I vote SNP because I want Home Rule(federal union) not Independence<br /><br /><br /><br />waterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03242753707412340371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-31568015749762428212015-10-23T17:59:07.818-07:002015-10-23T17:59:07.818-07:00Brilliant. Everybody has to be objective about the...Brilliant. Everybody has to be objective about these things and be completely rational rather than spout such sentimental nonsense. If, for example, Scotland would be better off as a province of the People's Republic of China, the No voters would surely back it as it would be best for Scotland. That's real patriotism.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-91827507511876130292015-10-23T15:09:16.952-07:002015-10-23T15:09:16.952-07:00CMac11 would you not concede the 'feedback'...CMac11 would you not concede the 'feedback' they are receiving is nothing more nor less than the normal cut and thrust of politics, surely you're not asking they be given a doctors note as they sit atop that greasy pole? Furthermore I would have thought it better for an electorate to judge those elected to serve them on the basis of what they promised they would deliver rather cut them some slack for simply having performed 'average' and not having created an unmitigated disaster? True, they have not entirely messed things up, but the odds suggests they may be given a few more years yet to try.bucksboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08666422208089564579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-5519392118112858252015-10-23T14:55:16.887-07:002015-10-23T14:55:16.887-07:00I read truth is often the first casualty in battle...I read truth is often the first casualty in battles such as was had in 2014.bucksboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08666422208089564579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-32967422140132979292015-10-23T14:34:11.530-07:002015-10-23T14:34:11.530-07:00Thoughtful and insightful. So if the message in a ...Thoughtful and insightful. So if the message in a blog cannot be defeated then Mr SNP MSP tries to take the heat out of its 'attitude' with kind words. As the years pass by and the prospects for independence wane the more obfuscated and diluted the SNP independence rhetoric will have to become if they wish to remain relevant, for if they cannot deliver independence why put them into power at all. I have been branded a 'brit nat' many times. I don't have a Union flag in my house, have never owned one, and TBH the thought of waving any flag makes me feel slightly uncomfortable. The recent constitutional wrangling has I expect forced many to question what they want for themselves and any family they may have. For myself I simply want to live as part of a population that maximises opportunity, prosperity, and security for the widest number possible and believe a greater not lesser degree of sharing is a good way to achieve this. Far too many lives are blighted by what their postcode is, lets not add to the problem by building more fences. If that makes me a 'brit nat' in the eyes of some then I guess I can live with it.bucksboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08666422208089564579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-36857248785155873242015-10-23T13:02:16.539-07:002015-10-23T13:02:16.539-07:00Great blog Kevin. Clear. Concise as ever.
Keep it...Great blog Kevin. Clear. Concise as ever.<br /><br />Keep it up.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-61758331753641032072015-10-23T11:29:23.956-07:002015-10-23T11:29:23.956-07:00I know it changed because I was looking up comment...I know it changed because I was looking up comments that the SNP made previously about Labour's shameful use of PFI, which they of course have since adopted with enthusiasm under the lightly disguised pseudonym of NDP/Scottish Futures Trust. I thought at the time they were clearing out potential hostages.FFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16627719160178595437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603438996450817644.post-65476682893934410222015-10-23T11:20:46.761-07:002015-10-23T11:20:46.761-07:00I notice the "Nicola Signature Range" of...I notice the "Nicola Signature Range" of clothing is now on discount on the website store. So there you go. You may be absolutist, but it doesn't mean you don't have an eye for a bargain.FFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16627719160178595437noreply@blogger.com