PMs change and lol we're all gonna die (but brexit will never end)

lol I thought it was just ppl talking metaphorically or something, her whole family is pure scum!

but, yes I have been locked in pubs before on away match sorties with lots of troglodytes singing no surrender to the IRA...

Barnett was born on 5 February 1985 to convicted criminals, Ian and Michele Barnett. Her father, Ian Barnett, 56, a former surveyor, was jailed for three years and eight months after pleading guilty to keeping brothels with a turnover of more than £2.5m in Manchester City centre, Levenshulme and Cheetham Hill, as well as trafficking women for prostitution. Emma Barnett certainly knew of her parents illegal business as the Police found emails between Mr Barnett and his daughter Emma, talking about his `whores'.

she seems nice

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, it seems. Have previously had no opinions on her either way but I happened to watch Newsnight last night and, Jesus, she was annoying in a post-Paxman pointlessly confrontational way.

who is worse blue ticks or yellow diamonds

I'm sure she's a full-blooded tory monster but that wiki page is kinda disgusting imo

she's paxman's favourite interviewer, allegedly, which seems a mutually damaging revelation

xxp Emma Kennedy, who is one and wants to be the other

if we get a hard brexit a future independent scotland seems pretty much inevitable anyway, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

― Criss Angel Raw: The Mindfreak Unplugged (bizarro gazzara), Thursday, 8 August 2019 bookmarkflaglink

It isn't impossible to see that if Brexit can be made to go away that indyref2 could be won and the union kept. But yes its possibly too late.

Giving up on Scotland would be phenomenally dumb given that most of Labour's most marginal target seats are Scottish. But winning them back might be easier if it doesn't look like it's being directed from Westminster. (I suppose this doesn't allow for Scottish Labour being awful but you have to work with what you have).

you're not wrong but jfc the state of scottish labour

I don't know if I'm being too harsh but Max Leonard comes across like a total dickhead any time I have encountered him on the radio.

Lol Richard even

That's how you get to be leader of Scottish Labour.

scottish labour is a viper’s nest of careerists and dimwits and dim witted careerists and sadly a lot of the left energy that could have been used for its renewal has been channelled (post-2014) into the SNP instead

McDonnell's position is an acceptance of reality that Leonard just hasn't done the business. Labour left is very -- due to McDonnell really -- pragmatic and there is a strategy there. Nothing dumb about it.

There's a strategy there, but I bet you it isn't "ah well, Scotland isn't going to vote for us so let's focus our energies elsewhere, eh?"

They only need to pick up about 2200 votes in the right places to win seven seats in Scotland.

one of those “top performers” davie clegg was eulogising in the comrade zebra piece above

EXCLUSIVE: Scottish Labour ‘kamikaze unionists’ issued indy parliamentary statement against Leonard’s wishes:

Leaked email shows Jackie Baillie MSP knew SLab leader Richard Leonard did not approve the publication of a statement on #indy:https://t.co/dikqx6HcXe pic.twitter.com/48AZzi1znK

— CommonSpace (@TheCommonSpace) August 8, 2019

matt dc otm

comrade alphabet. I’m getting my comrades mixed up. long day

Surely you’re comrade zebra...or had he subsequently been promoted?

what was I saying about nest of vipers

I want to make it clear I did not support this statement going out and neither did many other members of the Labour group - this is an abuse of position by the chair of the group https://t.co/b4n4BUrucI

— Neil Findlay MSP (@NeilFindlay_MSP) August 8, 2019

can anyone recommend anything on the scottish left's plans/thinking post-independence?

nationalising tunnocks and barr’s iirc

Proposing that the St. Andrew's flag be in the shape of a tattie scone.

Jermaine McSporran day.

Sorry not Scottish but sounds good

can anyone recommend anything on the scottish left's plans/thinking post-independence?

― ogmor, Thursday, August 8, 2019 10:36 AM (fifty-one minutes ago)

the 2014 referendum spurred a lot of activity in this area that has continued on afterwards. a lot of that is ephemeral, events, lectures. some of it is dotted about the blogosphere (e.g. on bella caledonia between analysis of political happenings and pieces about the gaelic language). there's some small press books like how to start a new country from the think tank common weal and after independence from luath press. no real central depository that i could point you towards however.

and it should be clarified that basically all pro-indepence voices in scotland are on the left (albeit many in the centre).

They only need to pick up about 2200 votes in the right places to win seven seats in Scotland.

― Matt DC, Thursday, 8 August 2019 bookmarkflaglink

You say it like it's easy but I don't get the sense Scottish Labour could pull it off.

look at the places they won last time - eg glasgow NE is now a labour seat

GE2015 result
Party Candidate Votes % ±
SNP Anne McLaughlin 21,976 58.1 +43.9
Labour Willie Bain 12,754 33.7 -34.7

SLAB were no less parlous in 2017

the thing is, labour can really only win seats off the snp in scotland, which won't help defeat the tories.

I’m not saying it won’t be difficult - sentiment towards SNP not as eroded as you would expect after however many years in charge. and both constitutional issues are very difficult terrain for SLAB. plus scottish public realm not as run down as I gather it is in england due to selectively careful stewardship by SNP - there are seams showing tho and SNP have disproportionately passed on cuts to local authorities eg in glasgow.

2017 was a a backlash election for snp, don't expect too much backsliding from that point in the immanent future tbh.

i mean glasgow north east that you mention only had a few hundred votes in it, could just as easily go back to snp as labour could win any current snp seat

could, of course, and concede that GE17 was a correction as unionist bloc organised itself more tactically. at the same time, labour’s ground game in scotland was rubbish in 17 and yet look at some of the swings. with a better, more targeted approach next time out... their main target seats could be theirs

I'd expect the Unionist Troll vote has been firmed up by Brexit but the Soft "Ruth Davidson impresses me" Unionist vote should be more vulnerable .

those are called lib dems

Probably.

I forgot Richard Leonard even existed until this morning or yesterday morning, whenever John McDonnell's comments were being discussed on Radio Scotland.

They only need to pick up about 2200 votes in the right places to win seven seats in Scotland.

― Matt DC, Thursday, 8 August 2019 17:02 (five hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Apart from anything else*, this would be handy if they had 35 seats, but they've got 7, and the SNP have 35.

*= the rest of the thread since.

does BJ really think forcing through an NDB in the midst of a general election will provide sufficient positive bounce to counteract the supply chain disruption and cratering pound?

Apart from anything else*, this would be handy if they had 35 seats, but they've got 7, and the SNP have 35.

OK this is getting silly. Seven seats could make all the difference when the national picture is so finely balanced. I suspect McDonnell knows that and saying they won't actively block Indyref II is a way of tempting back wavering Scottish voters who want to vote for an unambiguously left-wing programme but also want at least the option of independence. I don't think they're writing Scotland off at all.

(I'm not sure it's possible for any Westminster government to out-and-out block another Scottish referendum but that's another question).

itll be celts against the rest before then anyway

xp to Matt DC - that interpretation of McDonnell's thinking makes absolute sense...unfortunately Scottish Labour are busy shooting it down.

They're idiots, trying to appeal to vague Unionist sentiments is the main reason they've ended up in this enfeebled state.

The ironic thing is, the Tories under Ruth the Mooth have played the Scottish card more adroitly than these clowns.

Agreed.