the scottish independence referendum

fair play

Yep

he was on the chapo trap house podcast a few weeks ago gigglingly acknowledging that he's knowingly fighting alongside child soldiers

Maybe Milo would win at St Andrews? Hell, when I was there they elected Donald Findlay

Milo >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Donald Findlay

let us not forget the tragicomic tale of ross kemp, rector

They're both shitty people. Although we ran tommy Sheridan against Finlay, which was maybe not the best idea.

Occasionally I'll see a report on some big murder trial in Scotland with Findlay defending and think, "God, is he still around?". Then you realize he was only born in 1851 1951.

WTF is all this chat that post-Indy Scotland might not try to join the EU? Surely the eurosceptic wing of the SNP isn't that strong, is it?

is it not rather to say that the aim of independence should not now simply be in order to try to be in the eu (although that frame may play better with a lot of your "uncertainty"-focused voters) ?

I don't really know, because this story has me confused
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15158935.Sturgeon_may_not_offer_to_reverse_Brexit_in_referendum__says_Salmond/?ref=twtrec

Events meanwhile, as May says no ref before Brexit.

blocking a referendum would seem to me to be literally (not abusing the word here for once) the worst course of action available to the government if they wish to prevent scottish independence

Yes, here's a good article on that very thing. http://www.politics.co.uk/blogs/2017/03/16/may-just-handed-nicola-sturgeon-the-greatest-gift

Can never really tell if Dunt is always OTM or if it's just that I agree with him all the time, but that piece OTM.

BBC and some others saying Tories have been focus-grouping the "not now" line for months and think it will play, but it still seems misguided -- perhaps some people could sell it, but not a nationalist English Prime Minister.

The thing that would really have defanged it, I think, would have been to say "of course have a referendum, but Brexit is hella risky and we can't risk the delicate balance of negotiations so can we negotiate on a date?". But saying Brexit is Risky is the great unsayable thing.

(Well, the thing that would really have defanged all this was actually treating Scotland as a peer; perhaps even putting their ideas to the EU, or at least considering them in hand, but that also was not to be. May is really, really bad at this stuff. Her poll numbers continue to be troubling.)

Dunt's articles are often OK but he is absolutely catastrophically wrong all the time on Twitter

"safe pair of hands at last" when May became PM, "thank god the grown-ups are back" when Blair piped up last time etc etc etc

even when he's right he's a terrible writer

both points also v. true

BBC and some others saying Tories have been focus-grouping the "not now" line for months

Is that ever obvious. Ditto Global Britain.

not looking forward to months and months of this stuff

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-43zI3aXu2wI/WMfH-VrOyZI/AAAAAAAAzQc/kR1yH8lKzMk8NK1lJjcqt47vLDxX1Zc3QCLcB/s320/Mail140317.png

It was a weirdly helpless Mail splash that; made Sturgeon seem like this amazingly powerful being who *could* put her hands on their Brexit; there was never any suggestion that the Enemies of the People could actually stop it, only that they would moan trying.

I guess it's partly about setting up Sturgeon/Scotland to take the blame when Brexit inevitably goes horribly wrong? perfidious alba

The Mail's been convinced of wee Nic's superpowers for some time.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CBsV6HIWMAE0HC1.jpg

That'd be entertaining to watch. "Aye, that was us, sorry, we'll be off then" xp

that benefit scroungers/immigrants/the PC police/militant unions/etc are amazingly powerful beings who can't be stopped, only moaned about is the heart of the Mail's worldview, I guess?

May makes a v strained expression, particularly in the pauses of her speechifying, that always makes me think "Look at the sex face on this tortoise"

deriving quite a lot of satisfaction from seeing the Mail hurl its vitriol at someone basically immune from it. the venn diagram of people Sturgeon needs to win over and Mail readers must be barely existent. I just imagine her cackling and saying OH WELL every time she sees headlines like that.

bc much as the Mail purports to represent the downtrodden people of Real England, its power all stems from attempting to instil fear into politicians, celebrities, even "judges" when they don't toe its line. Dacre must be spitting blood that Sturgeon has beyond reach.

*is

To Jed: her posture is lousy; she's got hunchy shoulders and that nose. Political cartoonists should draw her as a vulture wearing a statement necklace.

xxxp

I'd put money that she has that 'Most dangerous woman in Britain' cover framed in her office.

Angela Eagle on Question Time saying that Sturgeon's decision to call for a referendum is "mischievous", and complaining about "the politics of grievance at a time when we all need to come together", this does not seem like a winning strategy.

"the politics of grievance" is such nonsensical hackneyed drivel, but after previous performances it has become quite clear that she is almost tragically hollow and vacuous - even by a very low bar set by the PLP.

when will they give up the coming together shit

Not a single mention of Northern Ireland in any Brexit discussions: it was all 'England, Wales, Scotland'.

They don't want to think about it tbh.

come together come together come together come together come together come together come together come together come together come together come together come together

Over me.

I voted no last time and now I think just burn it down. Fuck them.

sturgeon's open invitation: "scotland isn't full"

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nicola-sturgeon-snp-conference-come-to-scotland-independence-brexit-a7637106.html

Paisley in the New York Times, wid ye credit it?

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/16/world/europe/scotland-independence-paisley.html

I really like how the photographer / photo editor for that story managed to find something in bright blue in every shot except the skyline

fake blues

Thanks for that article. Paisley can be pretty grim and I don't like having to go there sometimes.

i clicked on the link bcz my that-could-never-happen-ometer is broken and i thought tom was saying ian paisley jr was repping for scottish independence

Everywhere can be pretty grim but pretty lovely too. Lots of my favourite people live there and there's a lot of beautiful buildings in that town.

some very beautiful architecture. suffers even more than most places from the flight of retail from the high street with the proximity of both silverburn and braehead, which can make actually being in paisley town centre seem a little pointless other than to see the sights. some rough schemes, but you can say that about most places in the greater glasgow conurbation

also don't forget the importance of paisley in the history of tort law

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donoghue_v_Stevenson

Scotland breaking up UK is a much bigger deal than UK leaving EU in so many ways. Of course this is all Labour's fault, once again, as was Brexit vote. They've managed to sow seeds of internal division in 2 countries in the space of 10 years, quite an achievement.

I really like how the photographer / photo editor for that story managed to find something in bright blue in every shot except the skyline

Yeah, that is great. The panoramic shot of the whole town reminds me of one of the things I missed most when I moved to London, which was not being able to look up, into distance, and see hills and mountains - sometimes with snow on them.

Central Scotland really has that big sky. My Greek friend is obsessed with Glasgow sky. And yes tom, from my flat I can see hills south and north but I'm right in the city.