By stewartb
It’s not hard to imagine a regular editorial meeting in Pacific Quay every weekday at c. 1600 hours with a single agenda item: to review the latest Scottish Government press releases (they appear each day at around this time). Might it go something like this?
“We’re here to rank the latest SNP press releases for likely attractiveness to voters. For those attending this meeting for the first time, the most attractive are the ones we ignore – obviously.”
“Next, let’s rank the latest releases for their potential for .. well I suppose for shorthand we can call it gaslighting. The best of these are the ones worthy of further consideration as the basis of a news story.”
“On any of these latter ones, can we source a negative quote from a Tory, Labour or Lib Dem politician and/ or a negative quote from one of those trade unions posing as expert professional bodies? Try to get something from someone prepared to use OTT language – personally, I quite like seeing ‘shameful’ in a quote.”
“And don’t forget to check if we already have or can expect to be given a press release on the same subject from one of the above. No point in expending resource on analysing the Government’s statement and writing up a piece from scratch if we can copy and paste from someone else’s negatives. And don’t forget to use a photo of the minister which is as unflattering as possible. The picture editor’s assistant knows where the best worst pics are filed.”
“Ok thanks everyone. We get through this meeting so quickly nowadays: it’s become so routine! I think we know what to run with. Last thing, make sure someone liaises with the producer of ‘Call What’s Her Name’ to max out the added value we’re bringing.”
“See you all tomorrow afternoon – same time, same place, same agenda.”
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
im sure there are meetings like this all over uk , how to do down anything to do with Scotland
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An MI 5 type, trench coat with the collar up, hat pulled down with the shadow hiding his face, parked in the corner making sure the right sort were on song would have completed the picture. No, I’m not joking.
Golfnut
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Or a dodgy underground car park a man in the shadows dressed in black and all they see is the glow from his cigarette!!!
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That’ll be Michael Gove smoking his crack cocaine.
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They, Westminster, must be truly worried, the attacks on Nicol, the continual debasing of any remaining standing the papers and media in Scotland had. And now I’m finding, this last few months, Scot Gov bad from Radio 4 every day. Before this you would hardly hear anything about Scotland, good or bad. Have they sussed more scots are tuning in to Radio 4 rather than the home based one?
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Well their target audience is 55 yrs and over…..the very same age group Tory/Labour feel are easier to indoctrinate back to the unionist den!!!
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It undoubtedly does “go something like this” given the evidence accumulated, but let’s not be under any illusions, the propaganda stream succeeds in gaslighting England more than it does Scotland because of the BBC’s reporting arrangements, and not just on SG.
BBC Scotland pretty much dictates what goes into the news pool in Scotland ( what the rest of the media report on ) but more insidiously what does NOT – What is kept OFF the front pages appears to pre-occupy PQ – eg this morning – The lead article on the Scotland page (what Furrners are allowed to see) is “Bishop investigated over misleading accounts claim”…. – ” What story are they burying ?” was my first thought, it won’t be for the hacks beginning their workday.
One of the more egregious examples was during the Tory leadership conference in Perth where James Cook deliberately set out to create an alternative ‘news’ piece, the infamous “Moi ?” photo which recurs here – It went national, a story an ‘honest journalist’ being harangued by independence demonstrators, not ” Tory leadership contest not welcomed in Scotland “.
With their new “Furrners” website, the BBC can gaslight everywhere at the touch of a button…..
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That’ll be the ‘Scotland is Shite’ meeting.
GARDYLOO.
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How many B.B.C “journalists”, are Security Service, M.I.5, assets?
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COMPLETELY O/T
Humza Yousaf has ended the Bute House Agreement.
Does this mean there’ll be a new Presiding Officer or does Lorna Slater get to keep the role?
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IGNORE THAT QUESTION
As I’ve been reminded, Alison Johnstone is the Presiding Officer. And I’m a numpty!
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O/T
Kemi Badenoch, Tory UK government minister, has stated that “The SNP are too lazy to deal with the Horizon scandal”
In other words Kemi Badenoch is another Tory who expects the SNP to clean up after yet another UK mess that originated from the UK and not Scotland….and thus Scotland being a part of the UK has now been dragged into another one of their UK fiascos & scandals.
It was also not the SNP who decided that the Post office would be privatised.
The reality here is that Kemi Badenoch is being yet another lazy predictable Tory projecting her own party’s involvement and blame in this matter upon the SNP….as how lazy were UK government ministers who refused for years to investigate and address what sub postmasters were telling them about this system….and it was only via a TV drama and the resulting public sympathy and outrage, after this drama was broadcast , that then forced the Tory UK government into action…..so perhaps Kemi Badenoch should be looking closer to home if she wants to see real laziness and apathy and lack of action upon this matter…..but she will not….as instead she is deflecting blame upon those who were innocent….which I believe , as a behaviour, in the Tory party is one that they adopt to try and implicate others to try and absolve themselves from any blame that has been very much proven to be linked to them……
Strange how the PO scandal, via the media, has lead with blame being attributed more upon management at the PO than any UK political party….now imagine if this was instigated by the Scottish government as an IT system and the same history unfolded upon this….do you think that same media would focus blame and accountability more on the PO Management or the Scottish government…..well based on the media’s past (and current) behaviour I think we all know who would be in the firing line via the media & also via opposition parties as more responsible for this ….and the PO management would be secondary as the ones to blame……and we would all witness yet another #SNPBAD media extravaganza….as to Tory Kemi Badenoch’s misjudged statement upon the SNP via this……..well……
This sadly is a very familiar , and yet unhelpful behaviour, by her as a Tory…. to try and politicise something which instead should be, as a situation, something that requires focus, action and a speedy and positive outcome to resolve it, as a situation, for the victims….. which in this case is Sub postmasters…..Kemi Badenoch has decided in this instance to try and politicise this matter…..so we all know where her real focus and resolve is then upon this matter……some things will never change it seems….
Tories always gonna Tory.
NMRN
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“...imagine if this was instigated by the Scottish government as an IT system and the same history unfolded upon this….do you think that same media would focus blame and accountability more on the PO Management or the Scottish government…“
Given Badenoch’s response, it doesn’t have to have been instigated by Scotland for ScotGov to get the blame, NMRN!
Is this one of the perks of being in the Onion?
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Aye indeed, but she, Badenoch, was just having a pop aka cheap shot at the SNP……also to be professional she should have stated ‘the Scottish government’ but instead chose to use the SNP’s party name…..which then makes it okay for us to refer to her government as the Tory government and not the UK government when we highlight the multitude of scandals, incompetence, waste of money etc etc that is always being revealed as connected to them….surely.
Of course the Lib Dem leader is not without blame in this PO scandal either….so much so that a sub postmistress in standing against him in his constituency at the forthcoming GE as she stated “Sir Ed’s attitude “must be challenged”….as she made reference to another accused postmaster, saying: “Here, in [Sir Ed’s] own constituency, the sub-postmaster at Tolworth Post Office lost his home, his business and attempted suicide on more than one occasion”. She also added that” He (this postmaster) tried three times to get in touch with Sir Ed and every time he was turned away, refused or ignored.”
It was also reported that “Sir Ed, MP for Kingston and Surbiton, initially refused to meet campaigner Alan Bates when he was a government minister“…..Alan Bates was the main character in the real life TV drama on the PO scandal…..I bet Ed Davey wished now that he had agreed initially……though where is the huge fallout and consequences for him politically….so that leaves me to once again say that if a Scottish minister had been exposed as behaving this way….well we all know the drill via the Opposition parties and too a media more than happy to publicise their opposition against the SNP and too their role as the Scottish government….where the only ever result/conclusion for them as opposition parties is that someone, in the Scottish government , should RESIGN !
Have a nice evening
🙂
NMRN
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Same to you, NMRN
🙂
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O/T
End of the SNP agreement with the Scottish Green party….
Cue Mr Harvie & Ms Slater …..when chased down by the media for their reactions.
Mr Harvie was asked “whether the Scottish Greens would be as co-operative with the government over things like the budget, he replied: “Do you think the current government will still be in place for the next budget?”….
Ms Slater “described the ending of the Bute House agreement as an “act of political cowardice by the SNP” and accused the party of “selling out future generations”.
The media’s reaction….glee.…the SNP voters reaction could be upon hearing both of their responses to the hostile media, now be one where they, as voters, then decide to not give the Green party their second vote in any Scottish elections for Holyrood or Scottish councils….especially if they, the Scottish Greens, decide to be yet another hostile opposition force within the Scottish parliament against the SNP….I mean fair’s fair.
After all as Mr Harvie decided to be snide and insinuate that the SNP, may “not be the government in place come the next Scottish government budget” and Ms Slater portrayed the SNP as cowards”……they surely cannot assume that just because they, the Scottish Greens, support independence that will then protect them and help them get votes in subsequent elections from those of us who support and vote for the SNP…….. not forgetting that the Scottish Greens, expected the SNP to be ultra patient and await their decision only after they, the Greens, had a General meeting to decide whether they, as a party, would continue to sustain this agreement with the SNP…..I mean the Scottish Greens had not even announced the date of the meeting but the media had been told “it will happen some four weeks after members have been emailed to inform them of it”….and this would be happening amidst an ongoing speculation by the media and opposition parties to include assumptions, inferences and too a portrayal of this situation being chaotic and unstable by both that same hostile media and an even more hostile combined political opposition……..
Funnily enough Mr Harvie was quoted as saying that he would resign as leader if his party members decided to not continue with this agreement with the SNP….so obviously he thought it was acceptable to declare that he would relinquish his leadership of the Scottish Green party upon this matter….but if the FM decides to end the agreement with Mr Harvie’s party it is then somehow, that is , to Mr Harvie, be seen as a a totally unacceptable decision/position to make and take…..so he, Mr Harvie, could ‘run away’ from the Greens if they wanted out of this agreement but the SNP must not also have that option (though they, the SNP, did not ‘run away’ but they instead took a decisive action based on being expected to await…too long….upon what ultimately the Scottish Greens decided to do upon this matter)……that sounds fair….NOT.
Being in some form of coalition or formal agreement should surely mean that compromises and concessions must be made…..to stamp one’s feet and have a major strop when you think you, as the smaller party in that agreement, must always get your own way via your policies and initiatives being implemented and surviving is rather naïve and a tad selfish…..and not an agreement but instead quite controlling as a behaviour.
Plus TBH if anyone knows……. it is the Scottish Green party that know fine well….. the indisputable fact that the SNP, as Scottish government , do not govern an independent country….and alas that results in circumstances which restricts and limits how much they the Scottish government can do and intend to do….what with the limited powers and too the limited financial resources available to them as a devolved government of a country…..while simultanously being undermined, dictated to , overly criticised, underfunded and (over) ruled by a UK government…..plus they, the SNP, are also attacked by both a hostile uber critical pro UK media and too the various hostile uber critical pro UK political branch offices masquerading under the disguise of being ‘Scottish’ political parties and thus supposedly distinct from their respective HQ’s…..however whenever it is a GE that then exposes that not to be the case at all (as in them being distinct from their HQ’s)….as if you elect an MP in a UK GE via a pro UK party then he will be one who sits in the HOC and forms part of the party numbers as either the party that is elected as the UK government or the official opposition………… or in the Lib Dems case the fourth party in the HOC.
Perhaps this agreement ending with the Scottish Greens will now result in more support for the SNP……and if the Scottish Greens decide to become a Thorn in their, the SNP’s, side then alas it will I suspect not end well for them, the Scottish Greens, at the ballot box……they may be feeling hard done by just now but going forward I would say they need to be canny as to what they say to the media if they wish SNP voters to support them in future elections…..the ball is in their court on that !
NMRN
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