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Showing content with the highest reputation on 13/12/19 in all areas

  1. We held a referendum on the independence of Scotland. It was a vote exclusively by people who live in Scotland. It was a vote on the single issue of independence, uncomplicated by the wide range of peripheral matters normally promoted in more broad elections. Under those specific and focussed conditions, on the basis that it was a once in a generation decision, the people of Scotland voted by a clear margin to remain in the Union. This is a matter of record and fact. Since then, we have had Holyrood election in 2016 that also dealt exclusively with Scottish matters and was decided by an exclusively Scottish electorate, where the SNP lost ground but remained in power as a minority government with Green Party support. Otherwise, we have had three UK votes - 2 UK general elections and an EU referendum - each conducted on a UK-wide basis, dealing with the full range of UK matters and addressing an electorate based in all parts of the UK. In each of these three votes there was clear and normal differentiation across the population and geographical territory, with some parts of the country voting one way while other voted in a completely different direction. Perhaps no more so than in London, where the great majority of people voted heavily on the losing side of each vote. This morning, yet again, I heard an SNP leader blustering about how it had won an election in Scotland, even though it wasn't a Scottish election and the fortunes of every party taking part were influenced by wider UK issues. This was projected as a clear mandate for another independence referendum, on the basis that Scotland was "different". Strangely, this apparently obsessive democrat made no such assertion on behalf of the people of London who, by the same measure, were now entitled to pursue their own independence. Nor that the people of the Northeast or the Northern Isles could reasonably claim to be different by the same token and demand their own self-determination. The truth of course is that no mandate can ever be claimed on a single issue when the votes it is based upon were cast on a wide range of other issues. If the SNP wants to display a "mandate" for independence it has to do so on the basis of a Scottish election with exclusively Scottish participation and based upon exclusively Scottish issues. The SNP has an ideal opportunity to do so in 2021, when it can genuinely make a credible assertion of a mandate from the people of Scotland. The reason the SNP is desperate to progress its independence claim before 2021 is simple enough. By that time, the UK will have left the EU and the electorate on both sides of the debate, but especially in Scotland, will acknowledge the sky hasn't fallen on their heads and will no longer have the same enthusiasm to see Scotland's future diverge from that of the UK. It's now or never for the SNP, on whatever basis can be contrived or imagined. After the EU referendum, I had thought Brexit would be done by the time of the next UK election and on that basis was sure the fortunes of the SNP would be waning badly. I still think the SNP will lose huge momentum once Brexit is done and that this lies behind the madness that is about to be wrought in Scotland over the next year or so. If Boris Johnson has any sense he will bring a very large hammer down on this issue as soon as possible to emphasis to all the futility of the posturing and moon-howling that forms the principal SNP tactic. Any credible mandate can only come in 2021 and that needs to be clearly asserted now.
    3 points
  2. There's also no mandate for the following 2 reasons; 1. A mandate would normally involve a the views of a majority. Nationalists 1,242,380 (45.8%) Unionists 1,468,248 (54.2%) so no mandate there. 2. A mandate would normally involve a significant policy. Around 2/3 of SNP candidates didn't mention independence or referendum in their election pamphlets posted to their constituents. The SNP's manifesto also didn't claim that this election would give a mandate for another referendum. They claimed that they already had one but didn't justify this spurious claim.
    3 points
  3. SNP got 1,242,000 votes. 45percent of vote. Less than the 1.5m they got at 2015GE & 1.7m 2014 referendum. No way will Westminster allow indyref2
    3 points
  4. Your pain is palpable ASIL. On the plus side, the Union was just saved and so, too, the economy probably
    3 points
  5. All in all, 12 December was a very good day's work. Corbyn is history and we may yet see people of integrity re-occupy the Labour Party. The great Brexit farce is coming to an end and some semblance of democracy is re-asserted. Despite the inevitable wailing from the SNP, the reality is the threat of a Corbyn-endorsed Indyref2 has been put to bed and rightly so. We also have a PM with a genuine mandate to govern and a majority to deliver his policies. Let's Go.
    3 points
  6. The SNP can fuck themselves. This was a UK election and will be won on a UK basis. When it’s a Scottish election, fought on purely Scottish issues, that will be the time to say they won “in Scoatlind”. The SNP will have a mandate when they win 50% + 1 of the Scottish electorate, not the less than 25% they usually get.
    3 points
  7. Living down here in Kent now, i think that is becoming the view of many, as they are now becoming more aware of the financial aspects of contributing to a part of the UK where a large proportion no longer want to be in the Union. But i think there are still enough that want to protect the Union, and importantly the combined vote of the Unionist parties yesterday was still larger than the SNP vote.
    2 points
  8. Can you take Lily Allen, Gary Lineker, Jamie Oliver and Steve Coogan with you? Oh wait, they all said they were fucking off after Brexit...and yet they are all still here moaning about democracy.
    2 points
  9. However, in the interests of fairness, I should point out that Nicola Sturgeon does know how to put on a pair of shoes correctly!
    2 points
  10. Being just a simple country loon, I listened to various clever political folk on the radio to get a better understanding of the result. What they’re telling me is: The working class have no right to decide for themselves who to vote for. The PM will find it very difficult to secure further agreements with Brussels. Scotland and NI are leaving the UK . So, not yet a day in power and Johnson is facing disaster. I think that’s the gist of it. I doubt if the PM is at all worried about what Brussels may or may not agree to and if it were me, I’d not worry about Scotland and NI buzzing off. Sooner the better. Conservatives guaranteed seven election victories out of every ten.
    2 points
  11. Regardless, a report was withheld for seemingly political reasons. That should be a concern for all of us. If it turns out to provide no evidence of interference then I am relieved, but then there would be no reason to have withheld it. Something stinks about it, just my spidey senses.
    2 points
  12. Lily Allen is apparently crying into her silver spoon.
    2 points
  13. True to form not one single ounce of contrition from Corbyn and his fellow travellers.
    2 points
  14. Piara Powar@PiaraPowar “Had enough. Going to bed now. Tomorrow I’ll think about leaving the country.” CHEERIO, CHEERIO, CHEERIO!
    2 points
  15. Don't forget, Duo Lipa and Hugh Grant voted for him too.
    2 points
  16. 59 seats down at the time of this post but at least Corbyn gets a huge turnout at rallies.
    2 points
  17. The SNP promised to force Labour to give them indyref2 as a condition to propping them up. Given Corbyn’s championing of the IRA and all things anti-British I would not have liked him to be our PM during this time.
    2 points
  18. A wee look at potential opponents from Monday's draw https://rfcyouths.wordpress.com/2019/12/12/possible-uefa-youth-league-opponents/
    2 points
  19. Glad I don't buy a licence
    2 points
  20. This is yet another lefty irony. They preach about unity and bringing communities together, then they lose and they realise they hate everyone and they want the real world to be a left wing safe space bubble just like their social media page.
    1 point
  21. That's the reason Corbyn hasnt done the honourable thing and resigned, he's staying to ensure the placemen are in place and Corbynism continues
    1 point
  22. It seems to be a popular misconception amongst many on the modern Left that immigrants are all Left wing too. Immigrants often come from more conservative cultures/backgrounds than those encountered in the UK. Responding to the GE result by calling BJ and Conservative voters racist is not going to work in their favour. Much like Trump and Brexit, it will only polarise the situation and turn more people against them. It's reactionary and childish.
    1 point
  23. It’s wonder if Swinton will revert to her Scottish accent now she doesn’t have to impress Hampstead man?
    1 point
  24. I'd like to wish Jo Swinton, Anna Soubry and Chuka Umunna best wishes for their new careers, working (against democracy) for The Guardian/BBC.
    1 point
  25. We're going to be underdogs regardless of who we draw, personally ,i'd like a shot at Arsenal or Man U.
    1 point
  26. What I noted on occasion last night is the lack of speed some showed when it was required, leaving Morelos alone up front facing a certain lack of options bar shooting himself from a tight angle. Maybe with the return of Jones we get that back, who is quick and direct. Jones, Morelos and Kent in an 4-3-3 build for counter-attacking games ... Ojo ... is IMHO too often "too green" (as we say), lacking a certain competitive edge in his game.
    1 point
  27. I’ll miss Skinner. Every parliament can afford a Skinner. Just one, mind.
    1 point
  28. It seems they've also become sick of the hassle of dealing with NI's issues - despite the loyalty the Unionists of Northern Ireland have shown to them.
    1 point
  29. I meant that's what is displayed on the flag
    1 point
  30. 1 point
  31. 1 point
  32. Thankfully we don't need to now that Corbyn wont inhabit #10
    1 point
  33. It's not her country, it's everybody's country.
    1 point
  34. Barisic was outstanding last night, solid. I just remembered when he went to take that corner he was gesturing to the YB fans, not sure why? like he was asking them all for a square go ?
    1 point
  35. It's a convenient spin to put on it, and may be part of the reason but a larger part in my opinion is that Corbyn is unelectable. Any decent labour leader would have performed a lot better. It's Boris Johnson FFS!
    1 point
  36. I'm assuming Ojo, contractually, has to play a certain percentage of games/minutes because he doesn't deserve game time ahead of Stewart. We've just played three big matches, played very well for periods of all of them but haven't won one, which is worrying. Kent was poor again last night.
    1 point
  37. For the many and not the few. Thankfully only the few voted for them.
    1 point
  38. No. Too ancient to emigrate. But I’ll be keeping British citizenship even if by so doing I’ll be missing the privileges with which new scotland would endow me. Would you be in the first wave of immigrants to come in?
    1 point
  39. Everything considered, qualifying for European football on the other side of the New Year is quite some achievement. A tangible improvement and another incremental step upwards. Including a very welcome several million onto our revenue number for 19/20 (slight downside are late YB goals which have cost us about a million sterling). Two seasons of European football 30 games (minimum) Only 3 defeats Ibrox ...I think the term is fortress Back in the season we won the ECWC, we played a total of 9 games in so doing. To win the EL, it´ll be 23 games. ------------------------------- No hangover from the Cup Final last night but we´ll have to be wary of one now going into what appears to be a very difficult game on Sunday.
    1 point
  40. I fear for the Union after tonight I really do.
    1 point
  41. The exit poll results for Scotland are depressing.
    1 point
  42. So proud of them all. Many won’t continue far on this journey but they’ve taken us way beyond anyone’s expectations in Europe and we stand on the cusp of domestic success. I have nothing but optimism for the future of Rangers and it’s a hell of a long time since I could say that. Let’s go.
    1 point
  43. Glad we've made it through but the manager must do better with his subs. The game was crying out for a substitution that didn't come and the one he made was the wrong sub. He has his favourites and it is costing us.
    1 point
  44. That is utterly indefensible. If they want to apply the logic of "we're going off the air before it starts so it doesn't exist" then they can strike Manchester United and Wolves from that list as well. They kick off at exactly the same time as us. Damn right it's premeditated. And designed for one purpose. Let's hope we give them something more to cry about tonight after their precious Hoops got beat.
    1 point
  45. Maybe he shouldn't be too surprised but NOBODY deserves to have a close family member's death rubbed in their face. Everything I have heard about Scott Brown is that he is actually a very nice person privately. My son has met him a few times through Kevin Thomson and really likes him as a person.... hates him on the pitch right enough. Singing fuck the huns isn't that big of a deal IMO - we live in a perma-offended society. We all laughed at Bob Malcolm signing an autograph with FTP or Findlay singing the sash. I'm not going to get bent out of shape about a solitary word. Where my real frustration lies is in the inconsistency of its application.
    1 point
  46. From memory. It was in the immediate wake of the Villarreal - Rangers CL last sixteen game. BBC Scotland's Alex O'Henley was the FARE rep' in Spain. His report lead to UEFA fining the club. The usual suspects in the BBC stated that Rangers and Rangers supporters had no right to know our accusers. Ra Sellik were away at Tynecastle a few weeks later, and indulged in the full IRA song sheet. FARE received hundreds of complaints from Rangers supporters. FARE sat on the complaints, decided their remit was only European football. and husband and wife team, Piara Power and Aasmah Mir(Glasgow born Sellik supporter - current BBC Radio Five presenter) took the decision to send the complaints on to both the SFA(Stuart Regan) and ra Sellik(Peter Lawwell). Peter penned letters to all those complaining, stating the club did not encourage such chanting. It was a breac of the Data Protection Act, but again many of the usual suspects, particularly at BBC Scotland congratulated Lawwell for taking such a pro-active stance.
    1 point


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