To round off the visit of the Eton Toff prime minister to Scotland, the people in Dundee’s Stobswell cast their votes on Friday at the
Courier’s Referendum Roadshow. Given that it is a true blue Conservative supporting paper, this is quite something. This is how they reported it. (Thanks to my mum for bringing this to my attention.)
The large turnout delivered a majority for the Yes vote with
56% while there were 44% votes for No.
Yes voter Robert Milne, 70 said he had been a No voter when
the campaign began but had since changed his mind.
He said: “I have listened to so much tripe from the Better
Together campaign I changed my vote. There has been a lot of negativity and
scaremongering about building a new Hadrian’s Wall with no valid arguments.
“They sound worried about it so there must be something to
gain.”
Local business owner Graham Angus, 55, said he was against
independence for Scotland but would like to have a referendum on Europe as he
felt the global political system was getting a bit like George Orwell’s 1984.
The former young Conservative said he was disillusioned with
politics and has since changed his vote to UKIP.
He said: “The wee man has no say on what’s going on in his
life. I am totally disillusioned by it all. Alex Salmond has not put a strong
enough case for it and has been a bit fluffy on the issues.
“What I don’t understand is why he wants to get rid of the
UK government, but I think better the devil you know.”
Retired taxi driver, John Gibson, 73, of Whitfield said he
would also be voting No.
He said: “I’m a Labour man and I think Labour will get in again
– probably at the next election.”
Mavis Kerr, 76, said she would be voting Yes as she was sick
of the political slagging matches taking place at Westminster and wanted to
make a chance for the younger generation.
She said: “I’ve got grand-children and great-grandchildren
and I think we’ve got to have a better country for the young people. I don’t
see the Conservatives doing it.
“We never should have gone to war in Iraq.
“I think we need a change and that’s why I’m voting Yes.
Life is uncertain but sometimes change is for the better.
Retired teacher Edith Constable, 71, said she will also be
voting Yes because she is against the current government’s policies.
She said: “The one main reason I am voting is is because I
am sick to death with Westminster policies, the expenses scandal, the Iraq War,
plans to renew Trident at a huge cost to the taxpayer.
“The No campaign have been very negative and seem to use the
fear factor a lot in their campaign. I have got every confidence Scotland will
cope economically.”
Since it appears the only people he met were soldiers inside barracks and nursery age children and I almost forgot about the sycophants at the BBC He didn't put himself about much did he?
ReplyDeleteWell, he doesn't want to go around getting close to people who are likely to express an opinion.
DeleteArmy barracks are very safe places for prime ministers, even horrifically unpopular ones.
They can be ordered to be polite, and they have no choice but to obey.
A squaddie, with redundancy hanging over him, and no prospects of a job, is hardly likely to button hole him and tell him a few home truths about Tory misrule.
Can you imagine the carpeting he would get if he sounded off in front of his officers?
And of course the papers can always swell it as Cameron supporting "our brave boys".
Nursery children are likewise an "awwwwww" for the papers. Cameron pretending that he feels at home with children of all classes (although they will doubtless have kept him from the unwashed) will make a brilliant photo-opportunity, and he can always have a shower and a change of Armani as soon as he gets back to his hotel.
The BBC, of course, know who decides if the Crapita licence tax can be increased or not, so they know that upsetting him is probably a bad idea.
I'd love to see him meet with some unpolished people that their publicity is so fond of quoting.
Not gonna happen though, is it?
He won't meet with anyone that's going to talk back, or whom he can't understand, because they don't speak Eton English.
And most specifically he won't meet Alex Salmond or Nicola Sturgeon because they would make him look a fool.
The Courier was good enough to point out (while still spinning the result of its poll for all it was worth) that some 60% of the voters were over 55, and 56% were male. Top marks for balanced sampling, then.
ReplyDeleteLOL... you can't have it all ways with the Courier. We are lucky they haven't simply ignored the existence of the poll and told us that the Tory government is doing a fine job.
DeleteIt's sad for Dundee but D C Thomson is going the same way as the pother Js ..Jute has disappeared, Jam has too now, and we are left with a shell of what used to be a fair sized part of Scottish journalism.
Does anyone read the Sunday Post or the Weekly News? How many copies does the Tele sell? Are there any comics or women's papers any more? The People's Journal, Dundee Extra, and Sporting Post, Red Letter, Red Star, Secrets, The Beezer, Dandy, Beano, Topper, Warlord....etc?
Sadly the Courier, P&J and Sunday Post all sell much more than the Herald or Sunday Herald. Post is the second biggest Sunday paper in Scotland. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_newspapers_in_Scotland#Daily_newspapers
DeleteMust admit getting more smile than frowns whilst wearing the YES badge, mind the Pug gets more.
ReplyDeleteI went out delivering YES newspapers yesterday in the sunshine with another Scot and a Hungarian student friend of mine. Will be doing more next week with my Bulgarian student friend.
DeleteWe had quite a few people saying yes... and could they have another card to register membership of the YES group? And one grumpy old man who said he wouldn't be voting and he didn't want any rubbish through his door.
Overwhelming YES response though from friendly people.
I meant to say I saw this report I think on Twitter, I was lurking, but I had not seen the results of the polls, good, very pleased. I could whisper my reason for the retired Taxi Driver voting no, but he may change his mind by September if Mr Miliband's record is anything to go by, that is if his reason for voting no is correct.
ReplyDeleteMay I also say that where else is an ex young Conservative to go, but to Ukip, can't get more right wing than that. Alicsammin could promise him the earth and he would still be fluffy to him.
What was pleasing in this sample was that the two women were for YES.
OK. Clearly the businessman is a right wing person, who finds even Mr Cameron to be too lefty for him. He's never going to want the kind of country that Scotland would be. He is obviously happier with mr Farage's right wing.
ReplyDeleteOur retired taxi driver is whistling for the moon there. Labour aren't likely to get in in England, partly because no one seems to like him, and they don;t trust him on the economy. The English (or at least the ones that count in the south east, may not like Cameron, but they trust him to not waste their hard earned taxes on sick and unemployed people.
And there is a reasonable chance that they will get rid of him and have Boris anyway. He's be right wing enough for them.
As for Labour getting in in Scotland... Hmmm, I don't think so. Does anyone seriously see Lamont as a leader?
Does anyone seriously see her as our First Minister, standing up for Scotland's interests against Cameron or Boris? Does anyone see Anas Sarwar in the role of Nicola Sturgeon?
Thought not.
I see that the Forfar result was the opposite of the Hilltown one. I trust the newspaper does not think these are an 100% accurate test of public opinion as the demographics of those reported voting show it skewed to the more mature voter which is quite encouraging for Yes. These event take place during the midweek when most are working and according to proper polls if there is such a thing the age groups that favour a Yes votes will not be reflected in these roadshows.
ReplyDeleteYou can never tell with the Courier.
DeleteI hadn't seen the Forfar one. But you are right, of course, they are skewed by the fact that people out and about on the streets midweek, during the day, are not totally representative of the population.
Delighted with the news on Dundee. And fair play to them as they show the Bitter Together for what it is ...... Lies and scares. Scotland is waking up and smelling the coffee .
ReplyDeleteFaith thats all we need folks we will win independence. Its going to get better each week . This BT lot said "ok project fear isn't working so change tactics"......... and wow they spout the same old sh*t again . Unbelievable and these cretin actually run our country ????
Roll on the 18th Sept "and we will rise now and be a nation again"
YESGUY
Actually the same old sh*t is less sickening than the love bombing which is so obviously insincere.
DeleteBut I'm with you. We must, absolutely must win this. The alternative is too horrible to imagine.
Eh? The former YC shopkeeper who has shifted from Con to UKIP says "I think better the devil you know". Even more opaquely, he's done it because he's "disillusioned with politics".
ReplyDeleteAnd whit's a retired taxi driver fae Whitfield daein at a meeting in Stobbie? Widnae hae liked tae hiv got in his cab.
LOL It's a bit jumbles isn't it.
DeleteWhy has he changed to Ukip, if it's better the devil you know.
I mean, most of the Tories could easily be mistaken for the devil.
I've got an ex-taxi driver living in my block of flats, and he's got YES stickers all over his car!