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Showing content with the highest reputation on 01/10/21 in all areas

  1. From the Spectator Online today: It can be a difficult task picking out the most incompetent minister in the Scottish government. There's Sturgeon's deputy John Swinney, the man who faced two votes of confidence in seven months. There's Shona Robison, resurrected in May having been forced to resign in 2018 amid near-universal criticism of her management of the health brief. And of course there's Transport minister Michael Matheson, a man with no discernible achievements to his name, now knee-deep in the ferries scandal. But of all the SNP's top talent surely no man has blundered more regularly than Humza Yousaf. In the decade since his election to Holyrood he has established himself as the Forrest Gump of Scottish politics, popping up at a department every time it is bedevilled by controversy, misfortune or error. The botched launch of the much-vaunted Covid app is just the latest in a series of scandals which have stalked Yousaf through his years of public life. Below is Steerpike's guide to six of the worst Humza howlers... Elected in 2011, Yousaf's first government gig was Minister for Europe and International Development – a post he left just 36 days before, er, the UK voted to leave the EU. Named Minister for Transport in 2016, Yousaf swiftly made a name for himself. There was the continuing embarrassment over 'ScotFail' and its poor service times which saw trains skip stations as routine policy. There was the exodus of rail passengers over overcrowding and train cancellations. And of course there was the ongoing ferries saga – the longest-running farce north of the West End. To top it all off, in December 2016 Yousaf was slapped with a £300 fine and six penalty points on his driving licence after being caught by police for driving a friend's car without insurance. After two error-strewn years at Transport, Nicola Sturgeon decided there was only one thing to do with Yousaf: promote him. As reward for a job well done, Humza was (ironically) named as Justice Secretary – at the time the only such minister in Europe without a law degree. In this capacity he spent most of his time desperately trying to pass the notorious Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill. The legislation aimed to introduce a new offence of 'stirring up hatred' was described by SNP veteran Jim Sillars as 'one of the most pernicious and dangerous pieces of legislation ever produced by any government in modern times in any part of the United Kingdom.' It managed the dubious feat of alienating the Catholic Church, the National Secular Society, the BBC, the Scottish Police Federation and the Faculty of Advocates and was only passed after successive amendments. Yousaf did his bit with a headline-grabbing Holyrood committee session in which he insisted that conversations over the dinner table which incite hatred must be prosecuted too, with theatre directors and journalists also held to be liable. Other lowlights from his time at Justice include being forced to apologise for the vaginal mesh scandal and his lamentable performance at a Holyrood committee grilling at which he could not answer questions about his government's 'chaotic' quarantine scheme. And let's not forget the Dundee police station where the ceiling collapsed just hours after Yousaf labelled criticisms of the force’s buildings conditions as 'hyperbole.' Whether it's in-person or online, Yousaf is equally at home in making gaffes. His social media shenanigans got him into several scrapes when he was Justice Secretary. In May he rushed to slam Rangers football players on Twitter for being filmed supposedly making sectarian chants – a video which was subsequently shown to be a fake, for which Yousaf refused to apologise. The rush to judgement which was all the more troubling in light of his responsibility for the Scottish prosecution service. It came after previous incidents in which the minister had mourned the death of an infamous Glaswegian gangster in a (hastily-deleted) tweet and another post in which he mocked Tory leader Douglas Ross for falling over at a football game – something which resurfaced last month after Yousaf moaned about being filmed tripping up in Holyrood. After three years at Justice, Nicola Sturgeon decided there was only one thing to do with Yousaf: promote him (again). Handed the high-profile brief of Health Secretary in May, the newly-appointed minister has thus far managed to live down to expectations in his five months in the job. Less than three weeks in he had to apologise for his 'appallingly misleading' press statements after claiming young children had been hospitalised 'because of Covid.' Then there was the refusal to meet NHS Tayside dosing scandal patients, the row over his trip to Harry Potter World and the pandemic failings which saw Scotland dubbed the 'Covid capital of Europe' in July, with Scottish health boards named among the continent's top ten worst-hit regions. The month was rounded off with Scotland again achieving Europe’s highest per capita rate of drug deaths, at 25.2 fatalities per 100,000 people – more than three-and-a-half times higher than the rest of the UK. September meanwhile saw Yousaf confirm that the state of emergency within the Scottish NHS will be extended until April 2020. While much of the blame for Scotland's creaking healthcare system lies with Yousaf's mediocre predecessors, the recent ambulance saga was largely his own creation. With the average vehicle taking some six hours to arrive, Yousaf last month caused a media storm after telling the BBC that people should think twice about phoning 999 – comments which prompted accusations that Yousaf was putting lives at risk. The crisis, combined with problems with the accident and emergency waiting times, has now forced the humiliated Health Secretary to call in the British Army – a luxury which the ardent nationalist would be denied if he achieves his dream of an independent Scotland. To compound all this, an interview by Yousaf to the Daily Record blindsided government officials after he revealed plans to ease pressure on the ambulance services before releasing them to Holyrood. It earned him a rebuke from Alison Johnstone, the presiding officer, for speaking to the press before the parliament amid accusations that he had breached the ministerial code. All this came just after his poorly-received NHS Recovery Plan – which stretched to a mere 28 pages – and the decision of Yousaf and his wife to sue a local nursery for discrimination; something which Sturgeon only discovered after she read it in the paper. Awkward. Sadly for Humza, October doesn't look to get much better for him. The Scottish government's new Covid app launched yesterday but has already been widely panned as a disaster – despite it being essential to the SNP's controversial vaccine passport scheme. Social media users have bombarded government accounts to complain the app could not find their vaccination record. Instead a message now shows 'Something went wrong. We're working on it.' Rather appropriate for a Yousaf-led department eh?
    3 points
  2. Boxing might be in bother then. Running wrecks your legs, so that should be looked at. The dangers faced in extreme sports, like mountain climbing...etc. I think taking heading out of youth football might be an idea. Once you become an adult (that's a debate for another day) you should be able to decide whether you want to header the ball. Calvin Bassey seemed to be ahead of the curve last night and has decided to opt out of headers before any rulings are made.
    3 points
  3. People who vote for him and his pals are madder than Mel Gibson. He's a total joke of a man, before you even consider him representing others.
    2 points
  4. Its actually frightening to think some of our fans actually vote that way too
    2 points
  5. Not in my case I got what others have voted for.
    2 points
  6. You get what you vote for. In Scotland's case, it's a bunch of incompetent, authoritarian chancers.
    2 points
  7. Come, come; credit where credit is due. They 'won' the first ten minutes of each half (according to BBC Scotland last night), and that is a glorious, brave, whole two-ninths of a match.
    2 points
  8. I haven’t checked the latest container prices for moving goods from China to the UK but it ballooned up to circa £12-13k last year and held at that level for quite some time. The normal cost would be circa £2-3k. For reference, the reasons for that were more down to the pandemic and the restrictions on air travel. Whereas normally there would be tranches of goods moving in the hold of commercial aircraft, this was no longer an option and thus drove up the cost of sea freight. There were also massive problems at ports where containers were taking much much longer to be recycled due to the additional safety protocols required to manage covid risk. So the spike in demand and the lack of available containers mostly led to that situation.
    2 points
  9. My report on tonight's U18 game. https://rfcyouths.wordpress.com/2021/10/01/under-18s-defeat-league-leaders/
    1 point
  10. After further engagement with the Scottish government, we can confirm that although we are being encouraged to use this game as a “test event”, no supporter will be refused entry. "Kinda Funny now though" YUP
    1 point
  11. Well I'd never had guessed it is 31 years old. Great album.
    1 point
  12. Should that happen then I foresee many many fans being lost to the game.
    1 point
  13. The La's one and only album was released 31 years ago today. It's a great album...
    1 point
  14. I'm slightly disappointed that the lunacy of this SNP nonsense won't now be exposed on Sunday. I still think it will never be fully implemented.
    1 point
  15. And now it seems we have indeed followed suit and there will be no requirement for Covid passports for Sunday.
    1 point
  16. I see Aberdeen have stuck both fingers up at Scotgov and told them that due to their utter incompetence they are not going to bother with Covid passport checks at Sunday’s game v bheasts. Cant do the imbedding article stuff but i came across it on Twitter and it linked to dolly’s website. A very powerful statement. I wonder if our club will follow suit?
    1 point
  17. Gerrard’s tetchy response to in the pre-match presser on Wednesday, when asked about this season’s form compared to last, I think was an indicator of his own frustration. Big game v Hibs on Sunday it has to be said. Games where we flatter to deceive in both boxes will catch up with us soon. Perhaps the international break comes at a good time on this occasion?
    1 point
  18. Never again. I honestly couldn't imagine a more embarrassing, and stupid, recommendation. At least I have a better understanding of why you can't make a coherent argument.
    1 point
  19. 1 point
  20. Yeah agree. Bassey cant head the ball which is strange for a big fella. He had two attempts at one point last night and the ball travelled about 5 yards in total!!
    1 point
  21. A performance perhaps best described as 'wet': feeble, inept, pussillanimous, timorous, soft, spineless, and wimpish. The team displayed no drive, no power, no aggression, no coherence, and there was no leadership. These failings have been evident, to greater or lesser degree, in most matches this season. Result trumps performance, I am told, consistently, and persistently, to which I respond that a team cannot continually play badly , and continually get away with it. The abject outcome of Europa games, so far, results matching performances, illustrates the point. Gawd help these lambs on Sunday against a vigorous opponent, which smells blood. (Is all that a bit strong?)
    1 point
  22. We seen the best of aribo in a forward position last night and then moved back into the midfield when hagi came on. Id have left aribo where he was and put hagi in the central midfield position where i think he belongs.
    1 point
  23. If Goldson doesn't make it he will be a big miss as going by last nights performance Bassey is not a make shift centre back.
    1 point
  24. While injuries, Covid, etc have certainly inhibited his options, I think the challenge for Gerrard is to replace the 2 or 3 players whose poor current form is compromising team performance, even though those players might have been at the heart of our success last season. For example, it's inconceivable to me that Nathan Patterson and Scott Wright are sitting on the bench and that Scott Arfield can't get a game while our midfield misfires game after game.
    1 point
  25. Nah, he's already shown he's far better than O'Halloran.
    1 point
  26. 1 point
  27. 1 point
  28. So had many others past and present but when defense/midfield can't give the necessary service speed is a waste of time.
    1 point
  29. Who gives a toss what they say the hooped horrors are as bad as us right now fucking clueless.
    1 point
  30. Imagine the headline if that was us. Rangers outclassed by ruthless Germans or something along those lines
    1 point
  31. It's a new world, we live amongst the worst generation ever to walk the planet!
    1 point
  32. Correct. The forward players are isolated and toothless because the midfield is pedestrian and one or both fullbacks have been misfiring for weeks.
    1 point
  33. If we are short by 100k then the significance of our glorious departure is very low. Clearly something much bigger going on. Very recently I was reading about the massive increase in the cost of container shipping from Shanghai to Los Angeles. The charts are mind boggling. I read that this was driven by increased demand for goods in the U.S.A. since March 2020. I wonder if this driver shortage is also driven by increased demand for delivered goods in the U.K. Either way I hope people see sense and let the market sort itself out. The feeble minded calls for planning are too painful to stand for long.
    1 point
  34. 1 point
  35. That's what I'm saying mate, we carry no attacking threat, none!
    1 point
  36. We did it for whole halves (sometimes more) last season. This season, we struggle to make it last for 15 minutes. It's very frustrating.
    1 point
  37. Never a red card but we cannot keep approaching games with such a passive, pedestrian mentality. The disconnect and obvious gap between our midfield and attack seems to get bigger with every game. We literally have next to nothing to offer in terms of creativity if Tav or Barisic (as has been the case for too long now) are not on their game. I had hoped by now the management team would have an alternative strategy in mind if Plan A isn't working but, I guess, even they can't perform miracles with so many players well off form.
    1 point
  38. There’s been a fragility to our defence with Goldson in it since the season began
    1 point
  39. The Return of Wullie. Margaret Thatcher achieved 'Milk Snatcher' status by decreeing children between the ages of seven and eleven were no longer eligible for their third of a pint of the white stuff after school morning break. Being young, being foolish and, being happy did not require a daily calcium injection. Talking of the Tams, the Atlanta four-piece harmony group took their name from their constant headwear, the Tam O'Shanter. Who knew Atlanta was in Ershur as 'Hey Girl don't Bother me' became Number One? The Rangers News middle double page spread declared, "One is Enough". Willie Waddell was utilising the new publication to manage fans' expectations. We were reminded of then recent forays in Europe had crumbled on fans demands for constant all out attack. Gornik Zabrze had epitomised the smart game a couple of years before. The Silesians had arrived at Ibrox after a home 3-1 victory and conceded early to a Jim Baxter goal. If Rangers had notched a second without conceding, they went through on away goals. Sixty thousand Bears demanded blood and thunder, Gornik grabbed three breakaway goals including a wonder strike from Lubanski. Manager Davie White was sacked after the match. Truthfully, the attitude and mentality of your average Rangers supporter had not changed. Forty thousand paying customers expected caution to be discarded, get on the front foot and, get steamed in for ninety minutes. As the teams emerged, there was one change from Saturday's 0-2 loss to the Dandies. Wullie Henderson had replaced Andy Penman. The teams were : McCloy, Jardine, Mathieson, Greig, McKinnon, Jackson, Henderson, Conn, Stein, MacDonald and, Johnston. The Bretons fielded : Aubour, Cosnard, Cardiet, Cedolin, Chlosta, Toublant, Terrier, Garcia, Keruzore, Betta and, Lenoir. An early ball into our box saw a determined Bomber Jackson go through Alfie Conn and Betta to effect a clearance. Commitment was the name of what transpired as a stop-start game. The crowd was restless with impatience, bugles were being blown but the charges were not happening. Keeping our shape and not allowing space for counter attacks were the focus. Henderson had a point to prove and he fashioned a sitter for Bud Johnston. The Keeper saved and a couple of minutes later dived at the feet of Wullie to keep the score all square. Rangers were in control, then on the half hour mark the heart stopping moment arrived. An intercepted pass and quick release, saw Lenoir in the clear. As Jim Parkinson of the Herald wrote, "he had all the time in the world to score but he wanted even more and the chance was lost". Those of us that remember Doddie playing, will remember his timing of late runs into the opposition box. Regularly, those runs bore fruit. Henderson stretched the Bretons and played in Johnston again. His shot was parried and MacDonald's run veered to the left to knock in the loose ball. Six minutes before the break but still the cry behind me in the Enclosure remained, "a quick second before half-time". The second never arrived before or after the break, Colin Stein rattled the bar and wee Wullie was denied a stonewaller in the dying minutes as Cosnard sent him flying. In between these two incidents there had been an episode of slow hand clapping. The game finished 1-0 Rangers and thus a 2-1 aggregate victory for the tie. Sandy Jardine declared, "it was a good one nil victory, we were the better team". The Bretons agreed, Rennes manager, Prouff was magnanimous, " Rangers played so much better tonight, Henderson and Johnston were the stars". The French press praised Wullie Henderson to the highest, Andre Mausson stated, "even if Rennes attack had functioned, what was the answer to Henderson"? A distinct contrast to the Scots fourth estate where Jim Blair at the Evening Times determined, "a lack of style and poise in the Rangers win". Further, he got after Waddell claiming, "modern football is about tactics but Rangers indulged in the big kick and boom-bang-a-bang". Returning from Ibrox on the Tannochside RSC bus, two arguments were on going. McCloy kept throwing the ball out to Jardine, he should have been kicking it(or rather BIG kicking it boom-bang-a-bang style). The other was a constant on the merit of Alex MacDonald's character; he was a true Ranger as opposed to a corner boy. One of the Committee was adamant Rangers had won through on away goals, he didn't recognise Doddies contribution. The same clown proposed the bus for Tynecastle on the following Saturday should leave at 11.30hrs. Thus, denying secondary schoolboys playing for the school the opportunity to follow follow. In terms of Scottish football it was quite a night. Rangers progressed as did Aberdeen, defeating Celta Vigo. St Johnstone won 3-0 against Hamburg and Dundee also progressed against a forgotten Danish outfit. Ra Sellik ran over Copenhagen 3-0, making it five Scots clubs qualifying for the second round of European competition. Many of you will know next up for Rangers in the ECWC was the Sporting Club de Portugal but, first another league crisis had to be tackled. We were marooned.
    1 point
  40. I went to Tesco yesterday, for groceries (such an interesting life), and they were queueing up for petrol. I went into the store and picked up a few things. At the checkout, the guy in front had: 3 cases of San Miguel 6 bottles of Rioja Several chorizos Sundry tortillas, tacos, and the like Ah, I thought......Hispanic buying
    1 point


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