I'm indebted to Doug the Dog for drawing my attention to this video, and to the fact that there is a serious question here which Alistair Darling refused to answer. Where is the No Campaign (sorry "no" is negative, so they very cleverly called it Better Together...although as we are together at the moment, I'm not sure how it's going to get better if we stay together...more likely by far to get worse) getting it's money from?
The Yes Campaign got most of its money from a couple of multi-million pound lottery winners, and from the recently deceased Makar, although there have been many thousands of individual donations; the No campaign appears to have been funded largely by the Tories, but Alistair refused to answer the question and just said that they would comply with every law about declaring finances, later.
So it appears that the campaign is to be fronted by a Labour man (given the lack of popularity of the Tories, and more recently the Liberal Democrats in Scotland, either of them would do well to keep their heads well down...) and funded by a Tory donor. Clearly Alistair did not want to talk too much about this.
As far as the "ordinary" people that they "flooded the stage with" in comparison to the "celebrities" who joined the Yes campaign, I'm inclined to agree with them. I'm not that interested what "celebrities" think, specially ones who chose to live in the Bahamas and in California.
But Labour have been happy enough in the past to employ the services of "celebrities" including, if I recall rightly, Billy Connelly, as much a stranger to Scotland as Sean Connery any day, and the Tories, when they can find a celebrity that isn't ashamed to admit his/her Tory allegiance (given how many of his/her fans it might put off) are happy to be seen with the likes of Cilla Black and Gary Barlow, so there is an element of hypocrisy there.
I wonder if they simply couldn't find anyone prepared to get involved?
I think they're mostly funded by the taxpayer via the tv tax.
ReplyDelete24/7 anti SNP bias by BBC Scotland would cost the 'bitter together' campaign millions if they had to pay for it on the open market.
Ditto free publicity and marketing from the daily rangers (in admin), the hootsman, dundee courier, glesga herald et al.
I wondered about that too, that they couldn't find anyone to speak for them. After all, Labour have had David Tennant and Richard Wilson front PPBs in the past, so it doesn't ring true for them to suddenly think celebrities shouldn't be used to make their case. I believe Ewan MacGregor is a bit of a unionist, but possibly not enough that they could rely on him to be a spokesperson. Same with The Big Yin - he may be a bit of a Donkey With Red Rosette Labour voter, but I can't see him aligning himself with Tories.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course, there's that Hollywood actor who once fronted a Labour campaign. What IS Brian Cox doing these days? Anyone seen him...?
ARE THE SNP YES CAMPAIGN FUNDED BY NATIONALIST EXTREMISTS.............WELL..'YES'
ReplyDeleteTHEN TO ENSURE SCOTLAND REMAINS FREE FROM NATIONALIST TYRANNY
THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY IS MY FRIEND..
BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY TO DEFEAT THE SNP...
And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire
Well, you've certainly got a point there, Monty. I hope that the positive announcement of the independence referendum falls to Jackie Bird to make on BBC Scotland as it is laughingly known. It is sure to choke her, and wouldn't that be a mercy!
ReplyDeleteIncidentally is Bird not one of these BBC "performers that is paid into a company, although she clearly works for them and has for the last 30 and more years... so one I wonder why she doesn't just get a salary like anyone else...
I'm going to try to pick up on some of the out and out lies they tell in future posts. But the sly way they report, with cuts is a dereliction of their duty to be impartial.
However, as they are on the side of the people who set the licence fee, and their chairman person is a Tory lord, I guess they feel safe enough doing that.
Ahhhh Brian Cox, Doug.
ReplyDeleteI think he's the one they don't talk about, and who doesn't get invited for tea any more.
labour has always been fond of advertising its connections with the glitteratti. I recall that a certain Tony Blair desperately courted the rich and famous, the kewl and the not so cool!
Wasn't he rather proud of being seen with the Gallachers?
But you make a good point there. Even if Labour doesn't care that they are presently being funded by a Tory rich boy, who probably thinks he will get a seat in the Lords for his troubles, there are a lot of "celebs" who wouldn't want to be seen dead on the same stage as Ruth Davidson or Annabel Goldie, much much less old Mental Micky Forsythe.
(Wouldn't it be interesting if he or she had his/her dosh in an offshore account, just the same as Jimmy Carr's)
OH dear Niko. Typing in uppercase and quoting passages from the bible in a demented fashion on a Saturday morning are not good signs.
ReplyDeleteI'd ask the doctor about upping the dosage if I were you.
And, a friendly word of warning re supping with the devil, particularly in Scotland. It's not just celebrities that it will put off. Having aligned himself with Forsyth and Cameron, Darling will have a bit of a problem shaking off that image, as will the likes of Lamont.
Additionally, the Tories might be all palsy walsy at the moment. They need you to do their dirty work (let's face it, if Forsyth or Fluffy headed the campaign it would certainly be doomed in advance), but the minute that they no longer need you, they will cut you up and feed you to their pet piranhas for amusement...
Remember they hate you possibly even more than they hate us, as we will never form the UK government and put them off the important seat... you might one day, if you get yourself a leader.
According to Alistair we will find out soon enough how much the Tories have contributed to the No campaign...something to look forward to then! I read in the Dundee Courier today that despite Crystal Tips and Alistair’s best efforts to con the public into thinking its not a negative campaign by dubbing it “better together”, the papers are still referring to it as the No campaign. Oh Dear.
ReplyDeleteAs to Our Cilla and her ilk, there really is something nauseating about working class heroes like her, Gary Barlow and who could forget Kenny Everett signing up big time for the “I’m all right Jack, sod you!” crew.
Aye Munguin, it's very hard not to call it the 'no campaign', because that is what it is, no matter what Darling and his Tory friends call it.
ReplyDeleteBetter together was a silly idea, not least because immediately people were calling it 'bitter', 'butter', 'batter', bother, ... Most people wouldn't have considered 'no' in its negative terms... it is the obvious opposite to YES.
But the campaign is negative... he started off by saying that going it alone would be stepping iinto the unknown (or words to that effect) in a difficult and dangerous world and the usual crap about leaving this to our children and our children's children... yay and unto the 20th generation (well OK, I made that last bit up).
Well, we are heading into dangerous waters now with the UK, but instead of John Swinney and Alex Salmond, we have Osbam and Camernut at the helm, and they haven't the vaguest idea what they are doing.
In the UK we are roundly hated all over the world; in Scotland we would be loved.
There is no point in telling how it might be terrible on our own if what you are offering is more of the same crass incompetence, greed, ineptitude, corruption, privilege, class, and rule for the benefit of the south-east of England.
Still, it's better for him than being in parliament and representing his constituents, which is what he is paid for.
The Nats are funded by right wing funamentalist Christians knights, Archbishops and knights of the Church, billionaires, millionaires, and the dead poets society.
ReplyDeleteNot many ordinary people getting a look in.
I forgot to mention tax exiles from lalaland....sorry.
ReplyDeleteBravefart
ReplyDeleteThe one thing that you missed on your list Terry is the fact that they are all Scottish and want decisions about Scotland made in Scotland by Scots.
The yes to no campaign is funded by English tory money fronted by their Labour lackeys with the sole aim of keeping David Cameron Prime Minister of Scotland as well as the rest of the toxic union.
Keep supporting tory rule from Westminster Terry, after all Labour have voted with the torys often enough at Holyrood.
P.S. Did the last socialist put the lights out at John Smith house when they left? Only tory supporter left there now Terry. You know the ones bought and sold for Tory gold.
Anon
ReplyDeleteAh thought yese didnae hate the English any mair....
(note the reel Scoatish langwidge...genyouine...is it no'?)
Terry
ReplyDeleteIs that it? is that your only reply to the pretendy wee socialists showing their true colours by being their tory masters wee front men and women in their bid to keep Cameron Prime Minister.
I bet your proud that English torys think so much of their wee lap dugs (note the Scottish for dug Terry) that they pay for your campaign to try to keep Scotland under tory rule.
Has anybody in Scottish Labour ever met a socialist?
Anon
ReplyDeleteBraveheart is not Cooncillor Terry K.
Braveheart can spell and if of a balliwick just a tad south of Terryland.
Try Gallagherland.
And he is a member of the Labatory party Scottish branch who prefers tory rule to home rule as we wouldn't supply lardships or favouritism to the OO.
ReplyDeleteLupus
ReplyDeleteIts not comical Alex that got laughed off the Herald site is it?
Same question still applies though, has anyone still in Scottish labour ever met a socialist or knows what socialist means?
Braveheart I see the Tories still using the old 'you hate the English line' then.
ReplyDeleteYawn. We don't. You guys are paranoid about your English and Scots relationships with them. I like the English fine. Most reasonable Scots do (except when it comes to football).
Of course there are some of the less educated who can't stand any foreigner, but you get that everywhere. Fear of the unknown. Stupid people by and large, or insecure ones...
So in Scotland, as in England I've heard all about Poles going home, and British jobs for British workers... and all that sort of xenophobia, but the Scots aren't any better or worse than anyone else at it.
I don't really see race, or colour or religion, as important factors in life. None of them means anything much to me.
But although I don't see an individuals' nationalities as important...one of my close friends is Bulgarian, one Hungarian, one Malay, one Jerseyman, one American, and several French and English... I don't want them running my country, because with the best will in the world they won't make as good a job as we will.
I mean, Braveheart, you Tories have no real interest in Scotland, apart from the oil (and I suppose a good single malt, and a bit of grouse shooting or deer killing). So you don't really understand what we are about.
Try to understand. I realise that Tories don't always get things the first time, and that the finer points of arguments often float well above your heads, but do try.
Anon...CH... Wolfie...
ReplyDeleteThey've been bought and sold for Tory gold... sic a parcel o' rogues in a nation.
You're right. One of the things that they worry about is the chance of a seat in teh House of Lords.
I mean £300+ a day, good food (if you're a public school boy) and cheap wines and beers. No wonder they want to get in there.
Plus according to one of their kind, 80% of them are on the fiddle, so it's a wonderful life, the likes of which they will never find in Edinburgh.
They aren't doing it for the country; they are worried about not being Lord Darling; Baronesses Lamont and Ruth, Baron Spud...after a lifetime of service to the Tory Blur party and themselves.
The fact that our taxes go to London to be wasted by the Tories of whichever party on wars, killing hundreds of thousands of totally innocent people in the pursuit of WMDs they knew all along never existed. God they make me physically sick.
I don't hate the English... not for a minute, but I loathe the filthy scum war criminal excuse for a human being Scotsman who took us into that war. I hope I live to see him in front of a firing squad.
http://scotgoespop.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/important-message-from-real-brit.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+ScotGoesPop+(SCOT+goes+POP!)
ReplyDeleteThis is very clever (as are most of James' posts), and pertinent to the bollocks introduced into the post above.