In the Herald today, Neil Mackay’s ‘big read’ exclusive on the breakup of the far-right group Patriotic Union (PA), leads with this claim:
Today, The Herald on Sunday’s exclusive investigation carried out by our Writer At Large exposes extremists linked to the Scottish Conservatives and SNP
https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/23505742.uk-far-right-extremists-shattered-scottish-rebellion/
What is the evidence for these links? See this in the Herald article:
Taking the second case first, a former Conservative candidate attends PA rallies – fair enough, a link.
First, though, a PA member ‘works as a cameraman’ at SNP conferences and Cop26? Really? Is that all you have Neil?
Is the SNP responsible for checking the records of employees of whichever company filmed their conference?
If they were at COP26, why are they not ‘linked’ to the Greens, the UK Government or the UN?
We’ve had a lot of shoddy journalism from Mackay but this tops everything.
Talking-up Scotland 
WHO THE F
WOULD LISTEN TO OR TRUST ANYTHING THIS CHARACTER SAYS
A COMPULSIVE LIAR
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More NI’sh nonsense from fat fuzz face Nellie Mackay…
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Dear god that’s desperate…….
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Its not journalism, its desperation from a failing paper.
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COP26. Hosted by the UK government with, if I remember correctly, some suggestion that the Scottish Government had no part in it, it just happened to be located in Glasgow. Nicola Sturgeon attended as the representative of the Scottish Government who are keen to pursue measures which combat climate change, but, again, if I remember correctly, there were hints from the UK gov that COP26 had nothing to do with the Scottish Government. A cameraman, employed by, presumably, the UK gov to film aspects of COP26 is somehow the responsibility of the SNP/ScottishGov/BAD/BAD/BAD.
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Having read the whole Herald article, this is a less than subtle attempt to frame a story in a way that implies a connection with the SNP that close reading of the same article reveals doesn’t actually exist. There is no more of a link to the SNP than there is to the UN or the Westminster Government as organisers of COP26.
Towards the end of the piece there is a sub-heading – ‘SNP’ – which is a clear attempt to give prominence to the implied but non-existent link to the party. But under this same sub-heading we learn: ‘ a former Scottish Conservative Party candidate was filmed attending a PA demonstration in Scotland earlier this year’. So an actual, albeit limited, link to the Tories is evidenced.
Why does the Herald choose to use ‘SNP’ as a sub-heading within the article when there is NO ACTUAL LINK rather than use ‘Scottish Conservative Party’ as the sub-heading when, arguably, THERE ACTUALLY IS ONE?
Based on the opening lines of the article – viz. ‘The Herald on Sunday’s exclusive investigation carried out by our Writer At Large exposes extremists linked to the Scottish Conservatives and SNP’ – there is a deliberate and, based on the subsequent content of the article, a wholly unwarranted attempt to smear the SNP.
It is good that a light is being shone on the activities of the far right. But the way the article opting to frame references to the SNP is self-evident. Is this what ‘bad faith’ journalism looks like – conducted in a way designed to deceive?
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It’s shoddy, biased journalism like this, and a number of other regular Opinion writers, which led me to stop reading the Herald after 60 years. I’m happy to read well-written, well-researched and factually accurate opinion pieces reflecting both sides of the independence debate before coming to my own conclusions, but it was pieces like this which convinced me that the Herald had lost the plot and become a waste of time and money. Arnold Kemp must be spinning in his grave.
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People who are alcoholics need total abstinence proper rehab facilities. They have health problems and die young. Alcoholics tell total lies and cannot cope with live. They make bad decisions and muck up theirs lives and cause distress to others.
‘Journalists’ consume too much alcohol and drugs. Not a pretty sight. They print a load of rubbish aided by their tax evading non Dom criminal owners. The gutter Press. Going down the drain. No one believes it any more.
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