Firstly, there’s been a few changes around here. It’s time to say goodbye to some of the links on the right that appear now to be obsolete or that haven’t been updated in so long that I presume the owners must’ve given up. As always I’m happy to trade blog links with anyone not featured to help rebuild the list. You can never have too many pro-indy blogs! I’ll also willingly help anyone set their own blog up or let them use this one if they don’t think they can produce enough regular material of their own. Contact details are on the right.
For anyone who wants to add a comment to a post there is now a collection of super funky new smileys you can use, including a couple of special Ian Davidson ones -
As I said, the more pro-indy blogs the better as we need as many as possible to counteract the tsunami of bilge that’s been heading our way recently. This week’s title is in fact inspired by the Northbriton’s daily offering which plumbed new depths recently with their re-re-re-re-re-resurrection of the fable about an independent Scotland having to re-apply to join the EU. They were all there – “separate”, “a significant blow to the Nationalists”, “a further setback to the SNP”. You could almost make a bingo game out of it. The whole fairy story was taken apart by Newsnet Scotland of course.
I’ve got a few other offerings from them and some other “we cannaes” in my IE Favourites which I’ve been collecting and waiting for the chance to use. Not long after they gleefully jumped aboard the howl derisively bandwagon over the cost of the Ryder Cup trip, glossing over the benefits to Scotland that will result and of course failing to put forward any credible alternatives to how the trip should’ve been financed, they were on about what an outrage it is that the Scottish Government have struck a deal with easyJet that’ll cover all Scottish public sector staff. Although they’re a budget airline this won’t help meet greenhouse gas emission targets which leaves you wondering just what would satisfy that lot. Until there’s a way of efficiently harnessing the hot air emanating from the opposition benches at Holyrood then I guess we’re stuck with conventional fuels.
Talking about fuel, some 17 billion barrels are to be recovered from Scottish waters over the next 30 years. Incredibly this is a bad thing according to the Better Together mob as we’d face serious challenges through our “reliance on a single revenue stream”! Aye, I bet the Norwegians are gutted – “Oh no, Olaf! They’ve found more oil in our sector. We can’t even spend the £600 billion we’ve already got…” These folk must think we are absolutely stark raving mad.
What else did they have for us? Oh yes… the head of Aggreko was given space to spout some garbage about how independence would be bad for business and give rise to “serious disadvantages”. You might recognise the company name. They’re the same Aggreko that operate out of over 30 countries, and independent ones at that, around the globe. He also said that ”business leaders fear speaking out as it may attract rains of bile and ire from angry Nationalists.” Poor souls. If only they had a platform for their views eh? To be fair he’s not the only one living in fear from these pesky cybernats. According to Lord West, ex-first sea lord, a number of defence firms will be upping and offing in the event of a Yes vote. Did he name them? Of course not, but he assured us that there’s currently a “climate of fear” in Scotland! I don’t know about you but I’m not sure I want a bunch of wussies like that being responsible for defending me. I’m partly to blame for this though. I told Selex Galileo of Crewe Toll, Edinburgh that if they even thought about moving then I’d bought my last radar system from them. I actually worked there back in the good old days when it was Ferranti Defence Systems. One of the projects involved collaboration with people in Germany, Spain and Italy, i.e. foreigners. In other countries. I wonder how we ever managed it?
The Northbriton hasn’t been working alone of course. They’ve been aided and abetted by their counterparts in the Herald who ran with a quite incredible story about Better Together being smeared by having their organisation linked to far-right groups such as the National Front and the BNP, and even further-right ones such as the Tories and Labour. Seemingly a letter containing the various logos was sent to known unionists, causing one to venture, ”Someone’s obviously put a significant amount of time and effort into producing the letter, and I wonder what else they might be capable of. I’m sufficiently alarmed that I’ve discussed it with the police and will be making a formal complaint with them.” That’s just the spirit that seen us through two world wars. 
If he or anyone else needs advice on how to cope with smears or coordinated attacks then I’m sure one A. Salmond Esq. could help them out.
My favourite article over the past few days though was the Herald’s opinion piece on Nicola Sturgeon’s speech. Plenty of subtle digs in there – Braveheart, polls showing declining support and the Scottish economy forecast to grow at a slower rate than the rest of the UK, this last one of course being an utterly convincing argument for the union. Although they conceded that the speech was “forward-looking”, they’re also of the opinion that “she will have to provide a more detailed route map before voters have the confidence to take what is at present a leap into the unknown”. Here we go again – we need to know the price of bread right up until the day the sun becomes a red giant and sucks planet earth to its doom. How about we just sum it up like this:
When you find you’re on the Titanic the best thing you can do is take your chances on the lifeboat.
A Cybernat
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Looking at the latest plummeting Scottish newspaper figures, I can’t help thinking they can’t blame it all on the internet, more a case of readers fed up seeing in print the endless piles of scare story fantasy, outright lies, and fictitious smears of just about everything the Scottish government, or a representative of it does. It is ok to be pro union, if that is their want, but surely to be taken seriously a bit of balance in reporting, as well as a bit of truth, is required. I don’t know what circulation figures a national needs to be taken seriously, but I suspect pretty soon some of these rags will be relegated to the ‘funnies’ shelf and may even go the way of the Dandy. Of course, some or all could perhaps try and halt the decline, by printing some real news and facts for a change!
It’d be interesting to see to what extent the online revenues are compensating though, Stevie. Although I wouldn’t buy any of that drosss, am I actually worth more to them by visiting their sites? The way the figures are heading it’s surprising that there haven’t been more lay-offs so something is keeping them afloat.
Agreed though – a bit of balance would be nice.
Dave
According to this link, Dave, typically 10 percent or less of total revenues come from online operations. Although this is a US website, therefore US figures, the difference may not be so different in the UK, though in fact may be less considering the overall generally smaller circulation figures involved compared to the larger US. The smaller the circulation, the less advertisers would be willing to pay I would think.
I definitely don’t click on any link on any advert on an online newspaper I despise, so they may be able to use my visit among others as a total for selling advertising, but I suspect when advertisers find they get little, or any, response, they may spend their budget elsewhere in future.
Very interesting, Stevie. I never click on adverts either. As you say, less visits = less revenue and 0 clickthroughs = no point in advertising. You have to wonder then just why they’re all maintaining their editorial policies.
Of course we’re at the stage now where I just wouldn’t trust a Road to Damascus type conversion. I’d suspect that they were doing it to get the extra revenues from the Yes side before stating that “they’d looked at all the pros and cons but with a heavy heart they feel we’d indeed be better together” just before the vote. We’ve been down that road before with The Scum. I won’t get fooled again.
Dave
It’s funny that a minority of Scots buy into the myth of Britishness (only about 3% acocrding to polls). There is NO such thing as Britishness and never has been, it is just Englishness writ large.
Aye Dave, imagen having another 17 billion barrels of oil left in what is possibly an under-estimate of what is know to be in the north sea. I believe their also is quite a bit of the north sea and over on the west coast that is still to be tested/explored ? so there is possibly even more oil to be discovered yet. This ofcourse is going to badly affect the sleeping habits of the Scottish people from worry of having to much oil and may very well be a deciding factor in the yes / no campaigns, (oil -no sleep), (sleep – no oil). Take your pick !!!!!!!!!!!
You have nailed the unionist crap with this article, nice one.
Cheers
Cheers, Davy.
I must admit I had to read the Better Togetout guy’s comments at least 3 times as I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. I always wonder how nations of a similar size without oil manage to cope so well. We don’t need the stuff to run our economy better than Wasteminster but it’s one hell of a bonus.
Dave
You just have to love these unionists what with their version of economics and everything. So a downturn in oil price will badly affect Scotland’s economic future will it? Hmm so what happens with UK economics with this price downturn, oh that’s right the price downturn miraculously disappears. Funny that!
Talking of disappearing acts has anyone heard if the Hootsmon has managed to “find” the infamous non existant letter that they caused such a stir amongst the unionists with yet? I myself am not holding my breath on this “letter” appearing any time soon.
Now that the unionists have just about got over their spilt milk catastrphe regarding Alex Salmond’s visit to USA I wonder what sort of chaos they will create over Michael Moore’s visit to USA this week. WHIT’S that? They will NOT be creating a stir but shooreley this ish shome mishtake. After all Moore is, allegedly, the Secretary of State FOR Scotland does his salary not come out of Scotland’s “pocket money” Therefore his “trip” to USA will no doubt come out of OUR pocket money as well will it not?
Nice to that lovely Lord West carrying on with the whole Lies, Deceit, Incompetence, Misinformation line. Always nice to see these lovely Lords actually “working” for a change.
I wonder how the Hootsmon will run with THIS story from Auld Acquaintance.
http://www.auldacquaintance.wordpress.com/
Yet again Scotland becomes a testing ground for TORY ideas. A bit of Deja vu anyone?
Poll Tax protest Mark II anyone?
Finally on a personal note nice to read you worked at good old Ferranti. I too for my sins spent 19 years working for Ferranti Defence Systems or was it Ferranti International or was it GEC Ferranti or.
…… anyway nice to know there are still a few of the old guard out there fighting for what is right these days. 
LOVE the new Emoticons
Aye – I can see you love the new emoticons! Knock yourself out – that’s what they’re there for. They certainly add a wee bit of colour although it’s odd that I can’t use them when replying to a comment from the admin panel.
If you were in Ferranti for 19 years then our paths probably crossed at some point. I served my sentence in the lab block from Nov 84 to June 96 when the lure of self-employment became too strong. As far as the present incarnation of the company goes, I really can’t see any problem with it continuing to develop high-tech products in a global market. Some would have us believe that independence means going back to the Stone Age.
Dave
I must admit I do like the odd emoticon.
I spent my time in Ferranti’s based at the Gyle from May 1980 till December 1999. :Crazy2:
For the majority of my time I worked at various RAF bases at 2nd and 3rd line repair facilities working on Tornados,GR1′s then ADV’s.
Must admit I preferred my time away from the Gyle than any time I spent at the Gyle. Being a Field Service Engineer then Field Service Rep gave you the space to be your own person without bosses breathing down your neck.