Not in the News - Early August Edition

Welcome to the ninth of our bi-monthly series looking back at the stories which the main stream media in Scotland didn't offer much attention to, and comparing them to those that hit the front pages. Our last edition covering late July can be found here.

  

Don't make the games political, or we'll make it personal

The Commonwealth Games were a fantastic event for Scotland. There were numerous trade deals signed which will generate more wealth and jobs for our country, and we proved to ourselves that we can produce a fantastic squad of athletes capable of competing with anyone.

 

Unfortunately, some of our athletes received bullying from UK organisations.

 

 

With a Yes vote, no Scottish athlete will ever be threatened for taking their own flag onto a podium (whether they choose to represent Scotland or the UK). This is one of the key aspects of independence: independent nations are equal nations. There are no second class national flags amongst independent countries.

 
Statistical Gymnastics (the BBC in Scotland is full of nincompoops!)

When it comes to manipulating figures, the BBC deserves a gold medal! We mentioned in our last edition of 'Not in the News' that the BBC had quickly altered figures on their website which originally showed Scotland as a net contributor to the UK. Now, thanks to Scott Minto of Wings over Scotland, we know how they are 'justifying' this change.

 

The scam starts like this: the actual export figures for Scotland in 2012 (the most recent year for which figures exist) were £98,100,000,000 (ninty eight billion, one hundred million pounds). With this figure, Scotland is clearly an net contributor, which is why the BBC had to change it. But how do you change reality? The BBC followed 3 easy steps:

 

1) They excluded oil and gas from Scotland's figures (but not from the UK's). This is immediately biased as the equivalent action of removing funds generated by financial transactions in the City of London are never done or considered. The excuse offered is that there hasn't been a formal agreement yet between the Scottish and Westminster Governments regarding marine territory, although this type of thing is covered extensively in the 'Delimitation of the territorial sea between States with opposite or adjacent coast' and other international agreements. It is also Westminster who refuses to pre-negotiate. The BBC's solution is to assume that Scotland will have no rights anywhere (which is ridiculous).

  

Despite removing one of our most valuable revenue streams, Scottish exports would top £73,700,000,000 per year, which would still show us as net contributors. Something else needed to be done to talk us down.

 

2) The BBC excluded all exports from Scotland to the rest of the UK. No reason is given for this. The total affect of this change is to artificially lower our exports by £47,700,000,000 per year (down to £25,900,000,000). Yet even this figure would be too high for the BBC to use, so 1 more excerise in statistical gymnastics was required.

 

3) The 2012 figures, which are the most up-to-date, were replaced with the lower 2010 totals. The only possible reason for selecting 2010 and not 2011 or 2012 is to artifically put down Scotland's economic performance to fit into the BBC's narrative of lies.

Three unjustifible changes - assuming that Scotland has no oil or gas whilst predicting full UK control and no adjustments to the more volitile City money, the exclusing of all Scottish exports to the rest of the UK (but not the same in reverse) and the misleading of people by selecting out of date figures from a previous year - have been made by the BBC.

 

Yes Scotland is not competing against a no campaign, it is competing the Westminster mouthpiece known as the BBC. They are lying to you and have done so for quite some time. Don't trust the BBC.

 
Sidestepping parliament and the people

On the 29th of July, CND (the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) reported that David Cameron had signed a secret, decade-long nuclear agreement with the Government of the United States.

 

This was done without the opportunity for Parliament to discuss the terms which will not be disclosed to the public or MPs. This is how democracy works at Westminster. You can read more about this story at Newsnet Scotland.

 
The Times they are a lyin'

The Times newspaper: Making up Usain Bolt quotes so the no campaign doesn't have to. The Main Stream Media: Mo power, mo power, mo power, mo nonsense!

 

According to unionist newspapers, this is someone who doesn't like Scotland

 

Do you hate or despise independence?

On the 11th of July popular independence site 'Wings over Scotland' revealed the 16th questions being asked of Scots ex-pats living in the United States. These included such balanced questions as: "Do you think that the Scottish Government has any real idea of the financial and economic costs of ending the Union?" and "Are you more persuaded by the analysis and concerns of The Banker magazine or assured by the statements of the Scottish Government?" (you can look at each of the questions, along with their preambles, here).

 

The poll was organised by The Friends of Scotland who claim to be non-political organisation. They sent the survey to just 300 people. With the biased nature of the questions revealed in advance only a desperate rag would try to present their results as any kind of serious analysis.

 

Oh Daily Record, who included it on their Scotland now site. Oh Scotsman, who advertised their rival's website just to let their readers see the results (but not necessarily the questions). Oh Press & Journal, who decided to ignore journalism and follow their tabloid peers.

 
It's hard to keep track of London's expenditure

Keeping up-to-date with all of the non-Barnett expenditure that the UK lavishes on London and the South East of England can be quite tricky (see one of our attempts here), but considering that this one project alone is likely to cost Scotland over £19 billion we thought we would mention it.

 

"Once the Galactic Railroad is complete in London, we'll consider replacing the broken 'give way' sign near Tomintoul."

'Plans afoot for £200bn orbital railway!' was the headline in the Mail online. Unsurprisingly, similar plans for cities and towns in Scotland have not been announced. But don't worry, London expects another £1,300,000,000,000 (with over £120,000,000,000 coming from Scotland). And there are suggestions that they are going to get their wish.

  

Plans to have 39.7% of all UK state investment spent where just 13.14% of the people live are being made. If we're independent, then we can prove to those outside of London that there is an alternative.

 
On the Bonnie or Fracked Banks of Loch Lomond

The international media recently highlighted the expansion of fracking licences across the UK to include national parks and places of outstanding beauty. We now have confirmation that the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs national park is going to be targeted.

 

Those opposed to fracking, which is also known as hydraulic fracturing, do so for both environmental and economic reasons. It triggers earthquakes, poisons water supplies, causes illness and loses money (lots of money). Fracking isn't required in an energy rich country like Scotland but will be forced upon us anyway if Westminster remains in charge.

 

And Westminster isn't likely to change their minds over the process. The blue side is being paid by the fracking companies, and the red side are happy to expand fracking further. There is only one certainty: vote no and Scotland will be fracked!

 
Crude attempts at silence

BP have been examining the potential for vast quantities of oil in the waters west of the Shetland Isles for quite some time. They announced in June that they were excited about the Clair field in particular.

 

Following an analysis of the initial (but as yet not publicly announced) results, Prime Minister David Cameron hurriedly visited the Shetland Islands (something that his predecessors had not done in over in over 30 years). He said little to the press and no further comment has been offered by No 10. Workers are not due to return to the site until after the referendum.

  

This has led to speculation that BP may have found one of the largest deposits of oil in the world.

 

We know from past experience that Westminster has lied to the people of Scotland about our resources. From the McCrone report which was classified for decades as 'top secret', to the cover-up of oil discovered on the west coast of Scotland, and mis-information regarding a future's fund similar to that which Norway has. Even international magazines recognise that the UK Government is lying.

 

Questions remain as to just how much wealth Scotland has. But the UK Government don't want you to know before you vote. Perhaps because the answer would guarantee a Yes.

 
What was once deleted is now un-deleted

Anti-independence comedy troope the Confederation of British Industry were embarrassed yet again in August (just as they have in April [twice], May, June and July). Emails which were thought to have been deleted have been uncovered by the Electoral Commission and finally revealed.

 

For context, here is a quote from a spokesperson for the confederation from earlier this year:

"The early conversations that took place between the EC and the CBI were at relatively junior official level and confined to narrow compliance issues," CBI statement

 

So let's take a look at who the 'relatively junior' officials were:

  

Iain McMillan, Director of the CBI in Scotland

David Lonsdale, Assistant Director of the CBI in Scotland

 

I guess the CBI consider a director (and his assistant) of its (admittedly very small) Scottish branch to be nothing more than a junior official. For once I think I may have to agree with them.

 

But where is the BBC in this story? As paying members of the anti-independence group they would have better access to information than most. Why is there no mention of this story on their news website? It's not as if they haven't highlighted the CBI in the past or stressed the importance of the views of these junior officials...

 

I guess they will keep us waiting until Friday the 19th of September.

No vote guarantees a raid on our troops' pensions

The UK Government will tax service personnel more for their pensions as a result of changes to the tax system from April 2017. The rules surrounding the introduction of a flat rate pension system means that those on a second state pension will no longer receive a rebate on their national insurance (potentially affecting anyone who is a state employee). This will cost the average Army private £162 a year in additional tax.

When victory is recorded as defeat

Amongst undecided who watched the STV debate between First Minister Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling MP, the Yes side won by 54% to 46%. So who does the newspapers and the BBC declare as the winner? Alistair Darling!

 

The excuse the controlled media gave for claiming that Alistair Darling won is because of a snap opinion poll by ICM. This opinion poll showed what you would expect - those thinking of voting Yes at the start backed the First Minister and those intending to vote no before the debate supported Alistair Darling. But they asked more people who were already committed to voting no than voting yes.

 
Our favourite quote came from Wee Ginger Dug:

"But for the most part the currency question is technocratic pseudowaffle. It’s one of those practical problems to which there is a practical solution. And there are several solutions, ranging all the way from a formal currency union to sticking the UK national debt up George Osborne’s arse and setting up a new Scottish currency, and all points in between. My personal favourite is the sticking it up George Osborne’s arse option, mainly because I’d like to see the look on his face. You can probably tell I’m not primarily motivated by economic arguments there."

Which is why you should read sites like Newsnet Scotland, Wings over Scotland, SCOT goes POP! and National Collective.

 
We don't need Westminster's approval

Contrary to suggestions made by the mainstream media, Scotland does not need Westminster's approval to use the pound or any other currency.

 

These countries share the same currencies, some officially, others unilaterally

Our most popular blog, 'So who else can't use the pound?', goes into detail about how and why we don't need permission from George Osborne or anyone else from Whitehall. Quite frankly, if you believe that Westminster would hurt businesses in England just to spite us, then why on earth would you want them making decisions over Scotland?

 
Why my juggling has prevented atomic war

I have been juggling for a number of years. There has been no nuclear wars during that time. Therefore, my juggling is the reason why there has been no nuclear wars.

 

This is how I learned to juggle

That is the argument put forward by Annabel Goldie MSP. Voting against the removal of nuclear weapons from Scotland alongside her Tory, Labour and Liberal Democrat allies, the representative for the West of Scotland said:

"The fact is that since acquiring Trident, and its predecessor, Polaris, we have had four decades of non-nuclear conflict." Annabel Goldie, presumably being serious

It feels almost embarrassing to point out that non-nuclear states have also avoided nuclear conflict during that time.

 

We have already looked into the reasons why Trident does nothing to keep us safe and is a complete waste of money. We have also examined NATO membership, and why the power to decide what alliances we make will be up to voters in Scotland. For unionist MSPs to actively vote to keep weapons for mass destruction stored a few minutes away from our largest city (and for Scots to continue paying for the things) is abhorant.

 

But after a Yes vote, these parties will change and start acting in Scotland's interests.

 
FREEDOM (of information)!

Our freedom of information request found the the UK Government's leaflet 'What staying in the United Kingdom means for Scotland' had no BSL or audio versions. You can read the full story here.

 

The BBC, which used the low number of orders for the BSL version of the White Paper to attack the Yes campaign, has, as of yet, not given the same attention to an even worse example by Westminster. We can only speculate as to why...

"I say the BBC is biased!" "And I say the BBC is incompetent!" (at least they agree the BBC is full of nincompoops!)

All aboard the love boat

Love is in the air as 200 people who aren't able to vote in the referendum told us that we should vote no because they care so much about us. You can check out some of their personal messages below.

 

First on the list - Piers Morgan:

"OK, Scotland, you've had your fun. Now just quietly vote 'NO' and we'll say no more about it." Piers Morgan, 8th of August

David Starkey:

"If we decide to go down this route of having an English national day, that means we become a feeble little country, just like the Scots and the Welsh and the Irish." David Starkey, BBC Question Time

 

Rob Liddle:

"The only reason any people remain in Scotland is on account of the extremely cheap alcohol available in supermarkets, plus a ready supply of heroin for when the alcohol runs out...Soon Carlisle and Berwick will resemble those awful UN transit camps you used to see in Rwanda; in this case the inhabitants would be millions of displaced, grey-eyed Jocks pleading for a fix of lager or subsidised methadone." Rob Liddle, Sunday Times

"Love us (or else!)" no campaign 'celebrities'

We can't wait to see what plan Ronnie Corbett and Barbara Windsor have to create a more democratic system, what Dan Snow and Dame Vera Lynn proposed to do about the 1 in 5 children in Scotland who live in poverty, or what Mick Jagger and David Bowie think about tax avoidance (I suspect we may have to wait some time for that last one).

 

Post script - we understand that Mick Jagger will be releasing an album to support the 'no' campaign. Songs include: 'Sympathy for Westminster', 'Tory money is on my side', 'I know it's only child poverty (but I like it)', 'Under our thumb', '19th September Nervous Breakdown' and finishing with 'It's all over now'. The album will be called 'Tax Exile on Downing St'.

 
The Scotsman is telt!

We just wanted to point people towards the fantastic letter by broadcaster Derek Bateman for the editor of the Scotsman "newspaper". It is definitely worth a read!

Wings gives you no bull!

Popular online blog Wings over Scotland has produced its long awaited 'Wee Blue Book'! Digital versions can be downloaded from its website in an easy read format for laptops and smart phones (click here). On its first day it achieved over 100,000 downloads. A physical version will also be coming soon.

  

It is a fantastic read and covers the main issues of the referendum campaign. Short and sweet, it is bound to be a big help to those who are looking for more information (and we know they won't find it in the newspapers - as seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and above).

 

Occupancy rates at over 1,000,000%! 999,000,000 people at risk!!!

Another case of the BBC attacking the Scottish NHS with exaggerated figures. The reason why? Newsnet Scotland covered that back in 2012.

 
Join us again near the end of August for our next look at what's 'not in the news'!
Drew
 
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The World at War

On the 28^th of July 1914 the world witnessed the start of the First World War.

 

The horror of this conflict remains with us to this day.  A conservative estimate counts the loss of life to have been over 16 million, with a further 20 million wounded.

 
The civilian dead made up approximately 7 million of this total although this disregards those who were conscripted, and those who volunteered under false pretences.  These numbers mean little until we consider that every one of them was a human life, with family, friends and loved ones.  These were people who were sent into a nightmare and never returned home.
 

This was a war which hit Scotland hard.  Scots suffered more than 25% of total British casualties, a number far greater than our share of the population.  Indeed the tremendous cost we paid inspired the American Government in 1927 to gift a memorial specifically to recognise the tremendous sacrifice of Scottish Regiments.  You can still see ‘The Call’ in the west end of Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh.  It has a simple inscription which states:

“If it be life that waits, I shall live forever unconquered.  If death, I shall die at last, strong in my pride and free.”

It’s a shame that the Government in Westminster didn't hold the same value to our regiments.

 

Prime Minister David Cameron wants to mark the hundredth anniversary of Britain’s formal entry into the war with “a commemoration that, like the Diamond Jubilee celebrations this year (2012), says something about who are as a people.”  I don’t want to commemorate the beginning of the Great War ‘like the Diamond Jubilee celebrations’.
 

David Cameron wants to mark the anniversaries of certain battles, such as the Somme and Gallipoli, and his intention is to spend part of his £50 million ‘commemoration’ budget in educational programmes for school pupils in England to learn about the “sheer scale of sacrifice.”  I don’t see much focus on the reasons for this violent and senseless conflict, or thoughts on what could have been achieved if this war had never taken place.  The estimated financial cost of $186,333,637,000 alone could have achieved so much.

Last November we ran our serialisation of General Smedley Butler's brilliant book 'War is a Racket'. It examined how war generates obscene profits for a handful of people and offered ways to prevent most conflicts from starting or escalating. The themes explored in 'War is a Racket' and other titles should form the basis of any study of the First World War, and the 136 other conflicts Scotland has been involved in under Westminster rule, yet they are ignored in favour of war advocates.

 

 

It is the end of a war that should be remembered and I hope that amongst the pomp and ceremony that is certain to dominate these commemorations that we’ll remember those who lost their lives in this needless and senseless conflict and aspire to keep our youth from experiencing such horrors.  I hope none of us sees another ‘Great War’, but that will be difficult when our leaders don’t understand the first.

Drew
 
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Not in the News - Early July Edition

Welcome to the eighth of our bi-monthly series looking back at the stories which the main stream media in Scotland didn't offer much attention to, and comparing them to those that hit the front pages. Our last edition covering late June can be found here.

 

Electoral Commission and the CBI - better together?

That reliable source of comedy, the Confederation of British Industry, was making more headlines (online - the controlled media aren't very interested in mocking them). It was revealed that before they attempted to register as an official partner of the no campaign (alongside such groups as the far right Britannica) they had shared private conversations with the Electoral Commission.

This was at odds with statements made by CBI Director General John Cridland, who claimed he had no knowledge that his organisation would be making an application.

"In his submission to the Electoral Commission, Cridland insisted the CBI had received no legal advice prior to the application form being signed.  However days earlier in a BBC interview the CBI Director General claimed his organisation had indeed received advice." Newsnet Scotland, 27th of June

Will there be a Scottish Parliament on the 19th of September?

In an unusual outbreak of frankness, Liberal Democrat and no campaigner Willie Rennie MSP, confirmed that Westminster can close the Scottish Parliament down at any time unless we vote for independence. He confirmed that it is a temporary institution and went on to say:

"They [the Westminster Parliament] can legislate on anything to do with the Scottish Parliament at any time." Willie Rennie MSP, June 2014

Of course, if a second question had been added to the ballot paper offering more powers and guaranteeing the Scottish Parliament's existence, then this wouldn't be an issue. But that option was opposed by...Willie Rennie. Great to see how much he values our parliament.

 
Dun telling the truth

The BBC and the Daily Record both posted dramatic images and headlines: "Costs of setting up separate Scottish state could top £2bn" cried the Daily Record.

 

The story's are allegedly based on a report by Professor Dunleavy. Unfortunately for the BBC and the Daily Record, Newsnet Scotland and Wings over Scotland have been checking their bleak interpretations.

"Professor Patrick Dunleavy has said the £1.5bn figure, touted by newspapers and the BBC is, "not a figure I accept"." Newsnet Scotland, 28th of June

Professor Dunleavy explained that he believed the likely set-up costs (the cost of returning jobs to Scotland and setting up IT systems) would be £200m. He added that over a 10 year period the maximum charge would be an additional £400m. To put these in perspective, the cost of the UK pulling its military forces from Afghanistan is going to be £300m.

  

So the BBC has been caught exaggerating by 700% (or, if they simply don't understand the difference between start-up and transition costs, by 250%). The Daily Record was even worse. Wings over Scotland highlighted 4 separate lies in its 5 sentence report. They need to try harder to make every sentence a lie.

 
Can't count, won't count

It was great fun attending the BBC Bias protest on Sunday, the 29th of June. There were so many people and so much excitement. Over 2,000 people were present to show their discontent at the anti-independence bias which the BBC in Scotland produces.

 

The BBC, which stated that everything they have produced has been "fair and accurate" (we presume that they are including each of the 35+ stories here in their 'fair and accurate' assessment), claimed there were only 350 protesters. Check out sources from these blogs, domestic news and international news sites and below and judge which report is more accurate.

The reason we were protesting the BBC is the same reason they claimed that only 350 people were present...those at the top of the organisation are biased.

Can't count, will estimate

The BBC bias protest was not the only event taking place on the last weekend in June. Armed Forces Day was held in Sterling on Saturday, the 28th. The BBC used the MOD's (ridiculous) attendance figure of 35,000 when reporting the event, however you can see here (and here) that this is very detached from reality.

 

We know that the BBC is biased and would be keen to underplay the attendance of the protests against itself, but why give a false and inflated impression of Armed Forces Day?

"The Armed Forces Day events are supposed to be in honour of those who served or have served in the armed forces. It honours and remembers those who fought and died and sacrificed. At least that’s what it’s supposed to be.

But choosing to hold the event in Stirling on the anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn was a shamefully transparent attempt to politicise what ought to have been a solemn and non-political event in order to use it as a stick with which to beat the Scottish political opponents of the Westminster parties. That’s a perversion of the stated purpose of Armed Forces Day. If you honestly believe that it was sheer coincidence that the event was held where it was and when it was, I have a Stirling Bridge to sell you." Wee Ginger Dug, A tale of two events

It's clear that many working for a no vote view militarism as a method for gaining support, but the reasoning goes beyond this. The UK Parliament is looking increasingly likely to pass a National Service Bill, which will make military service (or community service, something which Westminster views as a punishment) very likely for those who will be voting for the first time. It is this link between the state broadcaster and the state interests which causes so much concern.

"[T]he demonstration rated a few seconds at the end of the BBC Scotland evening news broadcast, and attendance was described as “hundreds of people”. Interesting is it not that one event’s attendance was inflated to 35000, while the other was reported as a vague low estimate. The protest did not rate three film crews and live coverage throughout the duration of the event followed by endless analysis and discussion afterwards. A demonstration against BBC bias itself demonstrates the bias that the demonstration seeks to highlight. BBC management don’t do irony." Wee Ginger Dug, A tale of two events

The YouGuff Surveys

Survey Group YouGov has come under criticism from online analysts for how it records support for independence amongst SNP voters.

  

The group, which now gives the lowest figures of support for a Yes vote and had stated as early as 2011 that a Yes vote was 'literally impossible', have so far refused to explain it's unusual methodology of splitting SNP supporters into two groups when weighting support. They have also failed to justify their position of not offering the base numbers in their datasets.

 

Laurence Janta-Lipinski, an employee of YouGov, stated on Twitter during an exchange with Scot Goes Pop:

"no, you will not get breakdown (of the hidden SNP datasets). Why? Why should you? We don't put up 1000s of potential xtabs at behest of bloggers" Laurence Janta-Lipinski

Survation and Scot Goes Pop, whose successful crowdfunding appeal raised £3,475 earlier this year, highlighted the flaw in the YouGov defence:

"(YouGov) specifically cites the eccentric practice of splitting SNP voters into two distinct groups as a reason for thinking YouGov are right and others are wrong. I'm not quite sure where that leaves Mr Janta-Lipinski's claim that it's OK to be ultra-secretive about that part of the methodology because it's just one trivial detail out of 'thousands'!" Scot Goes Pop, 2nd of July 2014

 

We have written before regarding how opinion polls can influence elections (see: 'It's Great to be Different') but experts appearing on the controlled media are not highlighting when polling agencies artificially lower Yes support in their figures. Thankfully, the controlled media is a dinosaur, and it is soon to be extinct!

 
Labour MPs helping David Cameron?

On Wednesday the 2nd of July, Jim Sheridan MP had a chance to challenge David Cameron during Prime Minister's Questions. What question would be the best to ask on behalf of his constituents in Paisley and Renfewshire North? Would he ask about widespread increases in poverty during a supposed recovery?

"Does the Prime Minister agree with me that there is a moral responsibility on employers to inform their employees what the consequencies of any separation of Scotland from the UK in order they can make an 'informed' choice prior to the referendum?" Jim Sheridan MP, 2nd of July 2014

Former Trade Union Convener Jim Sheridan thought the best way to represent his constituents was to ask a planted question to a Tory Prime Minister asking managers to tell their employees how to vote. Just read that line a few times again so that it sinks in. A Labour MP, a former Trade Union Convener, is helping David Cameron by asking a soft question encouraging bosses to be able to influence how their workers vote.

Mr Burns, a hero of Labour MP Jim Sheridan (probably)

Of course, this tactic of having large corporations coercing their employees to vote a certain way isn't new. Jim Sheridan is calling on the UK Government to take the same approach that failed US Presidential candidate Mitt Romney encouraged in 2012.

 

But is there any economic justification for this approach? Earlier, Mr Sheridan claimed that companies were withholding investment in Scotland due to the referendum. This is at odds with reality as Scotland has seen a dramatic increase in investment since the referendum was announced. Good to see that he is aiding a Conservative Prime Minister for ideological rather than practical reasons!

 
Don't offer an opinion!

It was revealed that international news broadcaster Russia Today was warned against discussing the Scottish Independence referendum on their most popular show 'The Keiser Report'.

  

The show's host, Max Keiser, tweeted that he was not allowed to offer any opinion on-air at the risk of the channel losing their licence on Freeview. A petition to uncover who at OFCOM issued this warning to an outspoken supporter of a Yes vote and to allow Russia Today to report freely again has been started here.

 
A super big rally (with 220 people)

Prime Minister David Cameron was the star attraction at the super-mega important Rally for the Union. Just 220 people attended. Cough. That isn't even enough to fill a large passenger bus or even the economy seats on a 747 (not that David Cameron or his pals would ever need to travel economy!)

I'll give you £15 million a year for just £270 million (Deal or no Deal)

That is the offer Prime Minister David Cameron offered Scots in early July. This is a terrible deal which no amount of spin from the Daily Express can hide for long. Rather than reporting the reality that Glasgow will receive a paltry 6% of the cuts in welfare payments back, they instead claim that money being invested by the Scottish Government is also Cameron's (although if his family had paid tax in the UK it would probably equal this amount!).

 
Nurse, Nurse!

Earlier this year Sir Paul Nurse, a senior UK scientist, claimed that cancer research could be harmed by a Yes vote. Despite having obvious flaws, this statement was given blanket coverage throughout the controlled media.

  

In early July, Professor Anne Glover, Chief Scientific Adviser to outgoing EU president Jose Manuel Barroso, refuted the assertion that a Yes vote would negatively affect research in Scotland.

"On the 19th of September I don't see that changing because if I am in China or in North America, I want to work with the best and if the best are in Scotland, I'm still going to work with the best." Professor Anne Glover, Holyrood Magazine

Professor Glover has no titles to gain speaking positively or negatively regarding the referendum. So how does the BBC report this important (and independent) assessment? "Scottish Independence: Academics say 'Yes' vote could harm scientific research". You know BBC, writing headlines like this which are the opposite of reality is why so many people turned up to the 'anti-BBC bias' rally last month!

 

Then again, perhaps all of this could have been prevent if people stopped mixing science with politics! Nurse!!

 
Nurse, Nurse (2)!

We view the online version of the Huffington Post quite a lot. However this post from the 4th of July was read purely for its comedic value.

Dr Nicholas M Almond, who states that he is 'a quarter Scottish', made so many mistakes that it could be the most ill-informed piece of writing regarding the referendum. Thankfully, Reverend Stuart Campbell at Wings over Scotland made a full review of them.

"So that’s 16 flat-out major factual blunders, and a whole bunch of screaming batshit madness on top, squeezed into just 914 words. That’s one serious mistake every 57 words. (This paragraph has 65.) God alone knows how many it would have been if he hadn’t been a quarter Scottish. The bar’s certainly been set high for Johann Lamont’s next speech, that’s all we can say." Rev Stuart Campbell, Wings over Scotland

"Whatever it is, I'm against it!" Dr Almond (probably) [note: not actual photo!]

I think we would get more sense from Dr Hackenbush!

Oil, oil everywhere (except in the Scottish newspapers!)

On Sunday, the 6th of July, Professor Donald Mackay, board member of right wing think tank Reform Scotland, declared that the UK government's projections for an independent Scotland's oil revenues was woefully undervalued and half of what it should be (resulting in an extra £8,000,000,000 of revenue every year).

 
On Monday, the 7th of July, the following media outlets said nothing:

 
Daily Record
Scottish Sun
The Scotsman
The Herald
Scottish Daily Express
Scottish Daily Mail
Guardian
Courier
Press & Journal
BBC Website
STV website

Only the Sunday Mail ran with the story. What was even more ironic, was the response of the OBR (Office of Budget Responsibility). Upon their predictions being described as absurdly pessimistic, they further reduced their expectations for oil revenues. This aspect of the story was covered by the Times, Telegraph, Scotsman, Herald, Independent, Scottish Sun, Daily Record, Courier, Guardian, Press & Journal, Daily Mail, Financial Times, BBC and STV.

 
Many thanks to Wings over Scotland for spotting and covering the story.
 
Europa Un-Universalis

Professor Sionaidh Douglas-Scott of Oxford University produced a study in an independent Scotland's membership of the EU following a Yes vote. You can read it here. It highlighted that it was in the interests of other EU states to support Scotland's continued membership. Derek Bateman stated:

"[The report] lends an unimpeachable voice to the only sane solution on the EU, the one with least hurdles for existing members and the course already laid out by the Scottish Government. Her calm exposition reads like straightforward common sense when compared to the childishly hysterical screams of alarm from Unionist MEPs and commentators who don’t know any better." Derek Bateman, 8th of July 2014

  

That's pretty clear. And we received statements from Italy (who will hold the presidency of the EU till the end of the year) and the new president of the European Commission stating that the wishes of the people of Scotland will be respected. How many of the newspapers will highlight this?..

I wanna hold your hand

Our favourite story from early July involved Tory MP Rory Stewart. His 'hands across the border' (not actually taking place at the border) was designed to show how much people in the UK oppose decisions affecting Scotland being made in Scotland. However for 'logistical' reasons, this has been called off.

"I wonder if those "logistical" problems might conceivably include - a) not enough people, and b) the wrong border?" SCOT goes POP!, 9th of July 2014

 

I think that Scot goes Pop is wrong in this instance. The only problem must be that those about to take part just didn't know how to hold hands so, for the benefit of the no campaign and their leaders in Westminster, we have linked to this 'How to Hold Hands: 10 Steps' by wikiHow. Now that the real logistical problem has been solved, 'hands across the border' can take place...or maybe not.

What side would you like to be on?
This is a question those in the main stream media should be asking themselves (but so far aren't):

 
The BBC - A guide to how to mess up referendum coverage

The UK state broadcaster has made a number of unusual editorial decisions (unusual until you understand that it is merely an extension of Westminster that will do anything to maintain a status quo) but its latest spending choice is probably its biggest blunder of the campaign so far.

It's good to know that the state broadcaster always respects our licence fee

The BBC wants to host a debate in Glasgow regarding the referendum one week before the vote. This is fine, however they then proceeded to pay £100,000 so that a live audience of 12,000 people where maybe 0.0015% of them would be able to even ask a question (just 17 questions were asked in the 3rd US Presidential Debate which was 90 minutes long). If that was a stupid idea, then allowing the budget to spiral out of control to £500,000 is even worse.

 
What were they thinking?!

You've got mail (but don't worry, we deleted it)

"Communications between the Electoral Commission and the CBI that led to a meeting to discuss the independence referendum, have been deleted the electoral watchdog has told Newsnet Scotland." Newsnet Scotland, 12th of July 2014

Is this how the impartial, accountable and professional Electoral Commission is supposed to behave? Is it right that they don't appear bothered by errors in the official no campaign registration or have much interest in the spending and actions of the no campaigning Orange Order? We will leave these questions up to you readers.

 
I would cycle 500 miles

A number of the Sign for Scotland team managed to meet Indy Cyclist Mark Coburn on his 500 miles fundraiser. The campaign, which was generating funds for 10 local yes groups as well as Maryhill food bank, started on Thursday, the 10th of July and easily surpassed the initial goal of £5,000. The fundraiser officially ends on Friday the 18th so if you haven't donated yet then please consider doing so.

Well done Mark!
 
Checking your purse before your pulse
This is one of the most important reasons for supporting a Yes vote:

"But there is a further threat facing the NHS. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is the fruit of long-running negotiations between the EU and the US over trade liberalisation. One of its fundamental principles is that services, including state services, should be open to private competition from American multinationals. According to Garcia Bercero, the EU Commission official with responsibility for TTIP, health services in Europe will be opened to private competition, but only where privatisation is already established.
 
In other words, where there is an existing state monopoly, foreign companies cannot sue the government in question for unfair competition.
 
But the UK Health and Social Care Act opened the UK system to TTIP because it explicitly introduces a private market in health provision in England. After a No vote, private providers and insurance companies may argue that, since Scotland is not a sovereign state but a region of the UK, it cannot be exempted from competition for health provision. We are a long way from that being tested in law, but what is beyond doubt is that the UK has made the NHS in England TTIP compliant. It seems highly likely that the Scottish system will be seen as an unacceptable anachronism in a unitary state." Sunday Herald, 13th of July 2014

 

Independent nations are capable of defending and representing themselves. Even if you believe that health care should be privatised, it is wrong for that view to be forced upon the people against their wishes. If you believe it, then you should have the courage of your convictions, start campaigning and win debates, not wait for an uncontrollable Westminster to force it through (especially since many of the House of Lords stand to gain financially if health care profiteering takes place).

 
Join us again near the end of July for our next look at what's 'not in the news'!
Drew
 
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