
Two days ago, former National and Sunday Herald editor, Richard Walker, took unfair advantage of his connections to present himself as the candidate for Central Ayrshire, at the imminent General Election.
Only at the very bottom of the report, do we see:
Walker will battle against two other SNP candidates – activists Scott McFarlane and Annie McIndoe have also put themselves forward for nomination.
https://www.thenational.scot/news/23841877.national-founding-editor-richard-walker-seeks-central-ayrshire-s/
Left out entirely is the fourth candidate, Julie Dettbarn and, significantly, the frankly greater credibility of the other candidates.
Dettbarn is an experienced South Ayrshire councillor with particular experience in Community Justice.
McFarlane is an energetic and experienced SNP and community activist.
McIndoe is an experienced constituency case worker for two SNP MPs in Ayrshire and a determined SNP and community activist.
Walker has no meaningful experience in local or national politics
It would have been so easy for the National to have offered more balanced reporting of this.
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I sometimes wonder if the National is really a supporter of the SNP and Independence.
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It undeniably supports independence. But it’s the only pro-Indy paper in Scotland, and doesn’t want to be seen as a mouthpiece of one party (the SNP), so it also accommodates for the Greens, ALBA, and the rest of the Indy movement. Look at their articles about AUOB marches.
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Far as I have seen and I used to subscribe, ‘The National’ is anti SNP, and promotes Labour, they very often have Labour politicians on their front pages. They push pull wit independence, and I have wondered if it’s a trojan horse. They certainly make money out of independence folk,
I don’t trust them, their front pages sometimes akin to BritNat propaganda…
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I agree entirely.
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It’s the Herald with a threadbare Saltire wrapped around its website.
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How did he take advantage, Prof? Is he still the editor? No, he is not. That looks to me like an editorial decision by the newspaper. You may not like their supporting their former editor, but they have every right to do so. And it is not ‘unfair’ when they support him. Newpapers regularly support one candidate over others. However, if they did not mention that he is the former editor, then they should have.
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I won’t be renewing my subscription to The National. I’ve been with it since 2014, off and on. I left last time because it was more a Labour leaflet than a serious independent progressive supporter. If you look at the number of photographs for elected unionists even today, you should be annoyed how they outnumber independent supporters. I think we all know what Starmer looks like, but honestly….
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They would not take Alba adverts.
The branch will decide. Private vote.
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