A totally patronising, inaccurate and superficial view of the Megrahi issue from Michael Portillo, failed Tory politician. "The little Scottish government would not have dared ... to take such a decision ... without being pushed by this Government."
An equally patronising view of devolved government by a Labour woman - whose name I can't be bothered to find out. Devolved administrations " ... don't always understand how significant some of their decisions are."
There speak two archetypal representatives of a failed political culture and structure and a discredited, dying United Kingdom. In their little Westminster village, and blinkered media bubble, they are completely unable to understand the feelings, aspirations and significance of other countries such as Scotland.
No wonder the Egyptian revolution caught such people in the UK Government and diplomatic services with their collective knickers down.
And Andrew Neil, a Scot, sat there and swallowed the insults, with only the most feeble of rebuttals. This is what UK politicians and their media hacks think of Scotland, the Scots and their elected government.
Reach for your forelock, smile ingratiatingly, Scots, or for God's sake stand up and do something about it on May 5th - and beyond.
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The BBC is an anti democratic biased organisation which has got far to big, privately I think Mubarak would be proud of them.
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ReplyDeleteThanks, cynicalHighlander.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with you about the BBC being biased. It in fact is about the only media outlet, other than Channel Four, that offers relative objectivity. It is recognised as a model of public service broadcasting and the voice of freedom worldwide. Try Fox News if you want to see what bias really is - that's what faces us without the BBC.
Anti-democratic? Well, in its organisation it is as democratic as any other large company, essentially hierarchical and top down in structure, but it does have checks and balances, and provides mechanisms for canvassing wider opinions.
It probably is too big in certain respects - excessive salaries to top talent and senior managers, expenses etc.
It is after all, the BRITISH Broadcasting Corporation, and until Scotland has its own public service broadcaster, a latent, unconscious bias will persist.
It is also overly influenced by the Israeli Zionist lobby.
I have recently exchanged emails with Mr Portillo. I complained to him specifically about the use of the term 'little Scottish Government'
ReplyDeleteHis response?
"I am sorry you are offended, but the Scottish government does not have devolved powers covering foreign policy and yet took a decision with extraordinary repercussions for our relations with the United States and the fight against terror. My contention was that it seemed implausible that a government which had no power in this area should take such a momentous decision unless the bigger government of a bigger country (the UK) had pushed it."
He has chosen to ignore the offensive remark he made - and I have written to tell him that!
Thanks BrianM - that was well worth doing.
ReplyDeleteHow dare a 'little country' like Scotland with its own devolved government and powers exercise those powers without regard to the UK's subservience to US foreign policy, one that is completely amoral, and blights our world with its inhumanity.
Zip your lip, Little Man Portillo - you had nothing useful to say as a Thatcherite politician, and even less of relevance now that you're a sofa pundit.
Keep your mouth out of Scotland's affairs.
Just listen 09.50am its got beyond a joke.
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ReplyDeleteThanks for that, cynicalHighlander.
ReplyDeleteI've captured this shabbly little one-sided 'debate', with only one viewpoint expressed by a 'Sun' journalist and an Irish sports writer. (I may post it and blog on it tomorrow.)
Any balance was presumably meant to be represented by a statement made by Alex Salmond recorded from another program.
Bad show, Shereen - if you aspire to be taken seriously, you'll have to do better than this specious unionist propaganda from a Murdoch tabloid rag's representative, and a Johnson Press sports writer.
I'll leave my comments on the Professor of Politics until I blog on it ...
Peter,
ReplyDeleteHaving just recently been given an EBC Monitoring account thru my line of work and attended an open brief by the team. I took them to task post meeting to question them over their spin. The answer was that they categorically despise EBC News and it's political bias, the spin and how New Labour curried favour to have each and every piece of policy sent out as blatant Propaganda.
So I respectfully disagree, I still refuse to pay them 1 iota of fiat currency, Id rather set myself on fire, maybe:(
CD
Don't set yourself on fire CrazyDaisy, fuel's too expensive these days.
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