By Professor John Robertson OBA
When I first saw the above guardian cartoon, I didn’t know what to make of it. @Prae54Rae gets it.
It’s endless. A foul-smelling stream of supposedly liberal leftist sentiment, as confused and snearing, as any on the hard right in England.
Here’s the previous:
Peter Brookes in the Times, gleefully shared by the slimy be-wigged lard-bucket that is Andrew Neil, the above. Imagine doing that with the leaders of any other country?
Sadly, it’s not new.
In February 2024, again from Peter Brookes in the Times, a snide and offensive take on the SNP’s supposed troubles.
Brookes
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Last year, we had:
Martin Rowson with another dim-witted stereotype of Scots to conceal the fact that the SNP had a substantive, serious, motion, on one of their only 3 days, based on years of consistent support for the human rights of the Palestinian people, hijacked by a bullied Labour Party speaker and his pro-Israel leader, to prevent them being embarrassed by many of their MPs voting for the SNP motion.
Rowson, 7 years ago:
Note the comments below Sturgeon.
Rowson
They’re all the same. Oh so liberal and witty with it, until it comes to us.
Peter Brookes in 2020.
Steve Bell in 2015.
Steve Bell in 2014.
Steve Bell in 2013.
Bell looking like me but twice the man
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I emailed Steve Bell then to express my disappointment after years of enjoying his work.
He replied ‘Nationalist dupe.’
I wrote ‘Bellend.’
Two other Times thicko cartoons by Dave Brown that @alanferrier posted:
Brown (left)
Maybe Scottish cartoonists are bit better. What about that guy at the Herald?
The Herald’s Steven Camley’s interpretation of the SNP leader’s performance in the House of Commons on Wednesday.
Like the English cartoonists, he attempts to conceal the fact that the SNP had a substantive, serious, motion, on one of their only 3 days, based on years of consistent support for the human rights of the Palestinian people, hijacked by a bullied Labour Party speaker and his pro-Israel leader, to prevent them being embarrassed by many of their MPs voting for the SNP motion.
In November 2022, I wrote:
I’ve always thought that Camley’s cartoons were a bit crap but this one stinks of political bias.
The idea that Scotland’s waiting times figures are being ‘massaged’ comes from the opposition parties. Here are the facts again:
From Public Health Scotland today, for September 2022:
69% of attendances at A&E services were seen and resulted in a subsequent admission, transfer or discharge within 4 hours.
For the same month in England, the figure was 56.9%.
NHS Scotland has thus performed 21.3% better.
Remember, it’s not just 21.3%. That means thousands more seen within 4 hours in Scotland than if they’d been treated in England and hundreds of thousands more waiting more than 4 hours in England than if they’d been treated in Scotland.
In Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, a staggering only 31.8% were seen in 4 hours. The areas has 3 Labour and 1 Con MP (IDS).
Scotland’s worst performing board, Lanarkshire, saw 56.7% in 4 hours.
Has Camley improved? Still the same crap cartunionist.
Camley
https://x.com/Prae54Rae/status/1845599571210367039
The OBA – https://scotsindependent.scot/?page_id=116
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Absolutely correct, John. I was shocked to see the Guardian cartoon today so disrespectful. I read it on-line but refuse to donate in spite of repeated pleas and a high count of articles I have read.
I try to explain that I will not contribute unless it changes its policy on reporting Scottish affairs but nothing has changed.
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My view too
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I really, really, really wish some good could come of Alex’s death in that it would galvanise the support for independence and bring the majority of us together to push it through.
I’d also like to believe in magic.
*sigh*
RIP Mr Salmond.
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They could not tell the truth if their lives depended on it.
Having said that the SNP have never countered it letting the narrative remain and be repeated and they still have how many criminal and civil cases ahead??
They have indeed destroyed the party by either incompetence or compromise.
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LETS START PUTTINGBTHE BOOT INTO EVERY NEWSPAPERTHEY ARE LYING TO ALL SCOTSNOW DESPICABLY SLAGG
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The line about incest in the Peter Brookes cartoon is absolutely classic racism of which he seems to be quite proud. The portrayal of brutality against SNP leaders is such a heavy drumbeat it has to be considered deliberate instigation to violence. I can only imagine the outrage if any of those were done about an English political leader.
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And its not just newspapers , ive seen so many comments from people here in Scotland copying the slanderous newspaper comments.WGD and other bloggers keep making comments about Alex saying he was “flawed” , we are all flawed , every person on this planet is flawed but these people saying this just after his death are saying it as a kind of hidden slight on his character and personality , its a disgrace , better behaviour is expected from them, especially WGD and others who claim to be supporters of Scottish independence , they ought to take a look in the mirror to see flawed.When someone has just died its not the time for such comments they have made.
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Firstly, Prof, thanks for the work you do analysing and critiquing the structure of articles. I’ve now automatically used it when I read them.
Let’s – as you’ll know if you’re a regular reader, is often said on this blog – give a bit of context to WGD’s remarks.
In a 1030-word obituary?/eulogy? we get to word 956 before we see “Alex Salmond was a flawed man…” And even that only quotes half of what was said. (You forgot “…but he was a great man“) The fuller context is (starting from c word 756, so apologies for a longish quote here):
“I am not going to talk about the controversies, legal issues, and the fall out with Nicola Sturgeon which dogged his later years. Neither am I going to discuss the political consequences of his passing on the Alba party, the SNP, and the wider independence movement. All of that can be discussed another day once we have collectively processed this shocking news. This is not the time for that. Those discussions are for another day. This is a time for celebrating the achievements of a titan of the Scottish independence movement and marking a sudden, untimely, and tragic loss which all of us will feel deeply irrespective of our politics.
Like many in the Scottish independence movement, I had my own personal interactions with him. In the days after my stroke in October 2020, while I lay paralysed and afraid in a hospital bed, he sent a personal message of support and encouragement which was a huge emotional boost at a time when I was at my lowest, and for that I will be eternally grateful.
Alex Salmond was a flawed man, but he was a great man, a man who loved Scotland, and he will go down in history as part of the pantheon of flawed but great champions and heroes of Scotland, taking his place with Robert Bruce, William Wallace, and Robert Burns. It’s the end of an era for the Scottish independence movement, and the start of a new one. It’s time to finish the work he started.”
Hardly comparable to the cartoons above I’d’ve thought.
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Did you expect me to quote the whole seven or eight paragraphs ? My point is that there was no need to say he was a flawed man , no need whatsoever , who does that when you are talking of someone who has just died ? we all have flaws , when you do a eulogy you dont say he was a flawed man , think about it , would you say that when your mother died ? or when your father died ? no you would not the whole point of a eulogy is to praise the persons contribution to life .
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My point is that there was no need to say he was a flawed man, no need whatsoever”
Actually, I do see your point – and I sympathise with it. I’m not sure that this was a eulogy though, it was more of an obituary. They’re not always positive but I think this one was.
Given some of the nastier contributions which we’ve both seen there was, perhaps, a need. Mr Salmond was a great figure in politics but he was divisive. What was written in the final and antepenultimate paragraphs actually forestalled them. It stated that the article was solely about “celebrating the achievements of a titan of the Scottish independence movement and marking a sudden, untimely, and tragic loss which all of us will feel deeply irrespective of our politics.”
“Did you expect me to quote the whole seven or eight paragraphs ? “
I didn’t expect you to quote them, no. However, I wouldn’t have expected to see 3 words quoted which changed meaning completely by adding the next 6 “…but he was a great man” either. Especially when the rest of that paragraph compares him to Robert the Bruce, William Wallace and Robert Burns.
As for “would you say that when your mother died ? or when your father died ?“
I wrote my sister’s eulogy. As my niece put it “Please. The vicar wants one and we (she, her husband and grown-up son) just can’t think of a good word to say about her…”
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Now you say you are not sure if WGD s comments were a eulogy ? but in your first response to me it was you that said it was a eulogy ? So at 11 yrs of age you did not do a eulogy , same as everyone i would say and as for an aunt said something about your mum ….yeah my aunts have said things too but you are deliberately avoiding the point i made which is that saying a person was flawed is insulting and unnecessary especially when they have just died and they cannot respond , you see that is why a eulogy is about praise .Again i will repeat that this nonsense of ” he was a flawed man ” is a view being repeated at this time because there are still people who say Alex Salmond was guilty even after the court said he was not guilty and i can safely say that WGD and some his buddies on his blog continue to say this periodically , poor show , you supporting it poor show too.You are in the wrong here.
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This whole thing about some people a minority of people, saying ” Alex Salmond was a flawed man ” would never have arisen if it were not for the continued insinuation that he s guilty of those charges he was found in court to be not guilty of , that is where this is coming from , as for WGD there are quite a few on there who regularly repeat that he is guilty of those things even now and WGD must agree because he doesnt ban them of give them a ticking off for saying it , he bans others for much less
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The Guardian always begging for donations has £Billion in reserves. They advocate the policies Scotland has implemented but criticise the Scottish Gov for implementing them.
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“I really, really, really wish some good could come of Alex’s death in that it would galvanise the support for independence and bring the majority of us together to push it through.”
I’m not sure it’s “good coming out of his death”, but…
For some time I’ve noticed that YES have been mooting a fresh ‘slogan’ .
Maybe his last recorded words on independence provide not only that, but:
What would people think of
SCOTLAND – a COUNTRY, NOT a County
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Sorry , a country not a county doesnt ring true to the feeling people have about Scottish independence people already know Scotland is not a county , we need a better straight to the point slogan than that , this is not about some english people treating us as if we are a county , Scottish people dont think of Scotland as a county thats a purely english thing , even Scottish NO,s dont think of Scotland as a county , we need something better something short and concise that refers to our return to freedom so we can handle our own affairs .
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Insulting someone on their death then saying “but he was a great man ” doesnt cut it , it was crass and capricious
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My apologies, Prof
I seem to have inadvertently brought discord to your blog…
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Well I for one do not think you have brought any discord at all onto here.
But you have tried to engage in healthy debate iusedtobeenglish.
Indeed in all of my (infrequent) interactions with you on here I have always found you to be most respectful ,very friendly and very much well informed too.
Usually I add comments under Anonymous and I have an unhealthy aka irritating tendency to always add a bold emphasis onto way too many words – like I have done just now Ha Ha
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🤣
And thank you. I try to be…
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