in the Herald today:
Professor James Mitchell is one of the nation’s leading expert on the constitution, devolution, the Scottish Parliament and Government. He’s seriously worried about the state of our democracy. In a no-holds-barred conservation with our Writer at Large, he lays it on the line about independence, the SNP, Westminster and systemic political failure IF you want to diagnose the health of Scottish democracy, there is only one man to turn to: Professor James Mitchell from Edinburgh University, a leading authority on Scottish politics. He has spent a lifetime dissecting the constitution, devolution, and the workings of the Scottish Government.
https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/20800885.neil-mackays-big-read-scotlands-top-political-scientist-diagnoses-scottish-democracy-verdict-patient-serious-trouble/
First and quickly, James Mitchell, then Neil Mackay, OK?
Mitchell is a long-time critic of the SNP, Labour supporter, with a clear Unionist agenda making him far from ‘top political scientist.’
See:
Take the issue of independence out of Scotland’s election and the SNP would be struggling: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/may/03/take-independence-out-scotland-elections-snp-struggling
and
SNP’s independent Scotland would be a ‘little Britain’ as expert tears into ‘dismal’ second Indyref2 paper: https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/snps-independent-scotland-would-little-27509049
Try searching for Scottish political scientists and Mitchell does not pop up by himself. Prof Sir Curtice at Strathclyde, for all his faults, has a far great profile and the far more evidence-based methods, as opposed to the largely opinion-peddling of Mitchell, of Prof Henderson at Edinburgh, are at the top, if there is such a thing in research.
Henderson, of course, is too honest to suit the MSM agenda, saying things like this on the Conservative hold in Galloway and West Dumfries, in the BBC election coverage last year, she said:
Labour voters have already tucked themselves up behind the Conservatives to prop up the Conservatives in a way. There is a smaller swing between Labour and the Conservatives because that swing happened last time. We are seeing smaller swings in the seats already held by Unionist parties. That is an example of that in Galloway and West Dumfries.
Sarwar to Cook: Get her off!
I agree with Mitchell that Scotland’s democracy can be improved but our electoral system allows a voice for minority parties, such as the Greens recently, and Scottish Socialists in the recent past, unheard of at Westminster and rare elsewhere, making it far more inclusive than most.
As for Mackay, well sensationalist, scare-mongering drivel based on SFA peer-review standards:
Talking-up Scotland 
”Scottish Democracy ” IS in danger – but from Unionist meddling , from the likes of Liz disTruss and Richi Cynic .
Mackay and Mitchell are well aware of this but cannot see beyond their own inherently undemocratic Labour leanings .
Anything which damages the SNP , in their eyes , must be good regardless of what the Scottish electorate want .
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The Herald is in trouble. ‘Journalists’ going on strike. They won’t be missed spewing out nonsense. Getting by on advertising. The readership declining. Trying hard with Clickbait. Not succeeding. 75% of declining readership support Independence.
Under FPTP, one person, one vote, the SNP would sweep the board above the lot of them. There would be no opposition. The SNP already sweeps the board with restriction put in place by unionists to always let 3rd useless unionists in. D’Hondt. A quota. A million votes go in the bin to let 3rd unionists in. The electorate encouraged to vote for several candidates that voters do not want and cannot stand. Ranking disliked candidate and parties irrationally. The electorate can’t stand most of them but have to participate in a propaganda process to ensure some unionists get in. To gang together and prevent the electorate first choice administration wanted. Not democracy. Just a shambles imposed by unionists to defy the electorate’s wishes. Contrived.
Council STV the same. Giving 3rd unionist candidates two bites of the cherry. Then ganging together in an illegal alliance to keep the favoured political party out. An absolute scandal. Gerrymandering. Candidates crossing the floor and betray all credentials as soon as they are elected. Illegal gerrymandering. Black monies coming illegally. Purdah being broken. Lying and cheating. The unionists way. Absolute fraud and corruption. Destroying any sense of democracy for illegal gains. Imposed by unionist parties on the electorate with no choice. They did not vote for it. AV was rejected by the voters big time but PR was imposed on Scotland by unionists parties. To give them unfair advantage against the electorate wishes,
Polling companies break electoral rules and law to influence the vote. Hedge funds betting on the influenced results. Polling companies illegal methodology and data. Collected illegally or marketed using illegal methods. To influence the vote. Illegally targeting people, using an illegally gained profile.
The Polling companies censured and fined many times. The protagonists becoming £Millionaires wasting public and private money. Betting on the outcome. The chancer Chancellor. YouGov made £Millions. Now ripping off the public purse on illegal PPE unscrutinised contract in the wife’s name. The Tory unionist way. Tax evaders setting the tax for others. To ensure they are free of tax. An absolute scandal. The UK the most unequal place in the world.
Tory Party funded by tax evading bankers and hedge funds. Labour funded by Trade Unions. Then Labour supporting Tory policies not working people. The Greens often irrational. LibDem charlatans supporting any unionist political parties for money and harming the economy. The UK the most unequal place in the world. Tax evaders heaven ruining the world economy and killing people. Cheating and lying.
BBC propaganda ruled by Westminster. Cost £5Billion in illegal payments. Without a fair and free press there is no democracy. MSM owned by tax evading non Doms. Ruining the economy for personal gain. The Westminster Gov wasting public monies spewing out rubbish and propaganda. Given over to the right wing press by patronising Westminster unionist politicians had in glove to try and fool the people. Or any one who watches it, rather than sharing and passing on information on the internet. 1990. Still all places and areas not covered.
Facebook tax evader Zuckerberg just settled a lawsuit (Cambridge Analytica) for £Billion rather than face a grilling from Senate committee. Facing criminal charges in the US. Fined a minor sum in the UK for similar offences. Getting away with it when they should have been jailed. That is the supposed penalty.
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Gordon
All par for the course as a Empire denies but deep down knows total collapse
Just around the corner
Sure fire signs
1.Massive unsolvable problems Why ? They ain’t
Got the access to massive amounts of credit that is required to tackle what must be enacted just to stabilise matters, far less apply long term solutions
2.Above then explains all the lying and corruption Etc.
3.You know the end is nigh
When the Likes of Boris
Spews out that better glorious days await
Such is for fools who can but only Hope, the bigger the Hope then bigger the fools
4.If you study the history of most former great Empires then when they reach the state the UK has
Now firmly locked into
Then ” Its Closing Time ”
5.When Empires wake up and come to terms with
Their loss of power, accept such and plan accordingly
A new path just as Hapsburg empire, Sweden
Denmark and a good few others , then success achieved
Those who go into denial
Always end up in one helluva Mess
often ending in civil
War and with smaller boundaries and lands from whence the Empire set out
From
And UK is now well down this path and perilously close to the cliff edge each
Severe economic shock,
Representative of giant last few strides to the precipice
Scotland departing pushes them over the edge and it is a swift long fall at speed
For r UK and one cataclysmic thump as they hit the landing spot
They well aware of this
Which explains their current behaviour
But be prepared for far worse to follow as the cliff edge follows accelarating
With no brake pedal to hit
Matters have reached Terminal velocity with
Bank crash, Covid and now
Energy/ cost of living crisis
Things are now sliding completely out of their control
And knowing such we in the Indy cause have a Home run but only if we play our Aces correctly and the best time to do so
They only hold a Joker in their hand, realise that, bluff then call them with our Royal Flush
Bye Bye UK
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‘there is no way we are not democratic’. Prof Mitchell. After going round the houses several times.
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Journalist ends interview, leaves, thinks: ‘what an engaging fellow – got so much material from him – glad I had the tape recorder – back to the office, get this transcribed’.
Later, journalist sits down and reads through the transcript, thinks: ‘what a lot of material – what a lot of ground covered – (pauses) – but he’s all over the place – no facts referred to; no evaluation evidence referred to; assertion after assertion spattered with non-sequiturs; ….. and federalism AGAIN!’
Still later, with publication deadline approaching, the journalist comes to a pragmatic decision: ‘Can’t make a coherent political analysis based on this stream of consciousness even if I had the time and inclination – I do have a deadline and I have to earn a crust – what if I just cut and paste quote after quote after quote from the interview, put them in a reasonably logical order – that would work – no need for any deep analysis, perspective, context from me – job done!’
Journalist sends off article, well chuffed, relaxes and wonders: ‘perhaps this is a model to be used again and again and again? – what luminary would be willing to talk down Scotland next? Academics are good for this – most readers will assume them to be apolitical – with a gloss of objectivity – just like this newspaper,’
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Sounds like their job description, you should get paid for that. 😉
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So, they failed on demonising the Scottish NHS, education system, transport, drugs, the FM, and, well everything really. Now they are going after Scotland’s democracy. JRSMUGG, ‘Scotland is a failed state’, which is weird because apparently the BritNatUK is all ‘one country’, all for one and one for none type of idea.
You just have to look at countries like Brazil where the democratically elected and very popular government were ousted (some even killed I think) they (the US) installed Bolsonaro, a rainforest destroyer, planet wrecking far right wing nasty puppet. The rich and powerful don’t like democracies, especially in countries where there is a lot of booty to take for gratis when the democratic will of the people is removed, in the words of Pritugly Patel, ‘once and for all’ yeah!
I guess Mackay and his masters are hoping to be able to render Scotland so ill, that they can (illegitimately) turn off life support, it’s for the best you know. RIP Scotland. Boo hoo, bring a tear tae a glass eye so it would.
Er no thanks, Scotland is not ill but the cabal at the helm in the country’s choice of government next door is attempting to drain the lifeblood out of our country, drip drip. They are parasites. Take this little cup of meds Scotland, and you will be in rude health once you have treated the condition of Britainist, colonialism, it’s very treatable given the right advice and a wee pen at the ballot box on October 2023.
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