Tuesday, 27 May 2014

Busy busy busy... (Euro-elections, that arse Coburn and VNB's.)

So, its been a busy time recently and for my own part I have to admit to a bit of target paralysis.

Normally this happens to me in the aisles of a supermarket, I'll be wanting a loaf of bread or something for dinner but the choice is so abundant that making a decision becomes quite difficult. My bread-buying paradigm for example is quite simple: is it white and does it have seeds? If the answer to both is no (and it must be both) then we're on track. The thing is, there are a gazillion types of bread you can buy that a) isn't white and b) doesn't have seeds in.

Add to that the proclivity of certain food producers to periodically change their food packaging (to keep us on our toes...) I can often be seen gently corkscrewing in supermarket aisles until the circles close up and I collide with myself and fall over like a frightened goat.

Just realised looking at how blog previews appear on side bars (over at Tris' place for one,) the picture of David Coburn below was appearing. Well, I can't have that, so here is a picture of a fainting goat instead.
And so it has been recently up to a point. We've had so much going on - much of which has been ably reported and debunked by all the usual sources. Vote No Borders (of which more later) has had its tea dished out and been shown up for the fake that it is - right up to the SNP's 'humiliation' at the most recent Euro elections, even although they won it. Then we have the loathsome creature that is David Coburn of UKIP gaining a seat at the European Elections and the resultant crowing from unionists about Scots 'not being that different from the English after all'. Except, in England UKIP came first, in Scotland they came fourth.

More must be said about David Coburn. Openly gay and civilly partnered for some thirty years, he's an outspoken opponent of same sex marriage. He was reported (in the Scotsman) via this Pink Press article as saying:
“Civil partnerships should be enough. Gay marriage breeds homophobia as people are happy enough to tolerate gay people. 
“I don’t see the point of crossing the road to pick a fight with people of faith.”
There is so much wrong with that statement, coming as it does from a gay man, if it is typical of his judgement in that area, one shudders to think about what other views he has.

People 'are happy enough to tolerate' gay people? You'll have to excuse the profane language but fuck you David if you think I'm going to be happy with 'toleration'. And double fuck you for daring to tell young people growing up with the spectre of difference in their lives that the best they can expect from society is to be 'tolerated'.

When it comes to equality and the lives of young folk dealing with sexual orientation - or not, in some tragic cases -  I'd cross a lot more than a road to pick a fight with any sort of intolerance - which by the way, if you are merely 'tolerating' something - is exactly what intoleration means you absolute wastrel of a man.

Just having this here turns my stomach.
It goes with out saying, although I'll say it anyway, in this area Coburn is the worst sell-out; a poltroon, coward and yellow belly. In his newly elevated position he could become a role model, instead, he's a traitor set on echoing the same message that often drives young folk to the absolute brink.

Nobody expects you to join Stonewall Dave but you could at least shut your fucking face on the topic.

(I don't suppose Newsnight Scotland will be mentioning this blog article in their round up... Oh, hold on, Newsnight Scotland got the axe didn't it... Oh well... Scotland Tonight maybe... No?)

And so to Vote No Borders, the 'grassroots' vote no campaign not funded or staffed by grassroots unionists. Unless if by grassroots you mean a rich Tory donor more used to chucking his cash at the Conservatives in general or the sinister Michael Gove in particular - aided by a company specialising (or not because they were going bust) in developing national or regional images for countries around the globe?

You might have seen adverts in the cinema, I don't go often, but I was passing a large digital billboard in Edinburgh's Murrayfield area and a 'VNB' advert was running. These adverts consist of real Scottish people giving spontaneous... Wait a minute... If by real Scottish people you mean Jean T from Glasgow & Elizabeth also from Glasgow or Paul G from Paisley & Robert C from Glasgow plus a few more besides and if by spontaneous you mean these artfully presented interviews containing opinion based at best on misinformation and at worst on out-and-out inaccuracy - then yes.

I only mention it because although Vote No Borders has been thoroughly debunked and outed as a marketing exercise by a London-based organisation, its still out there like some posh landowner in his muck spreader drizzling Scottish cinema-goers & motorists alike with a not-so-fine spray of feculence.

For the real skinny on Vote No Borders, you might want to have a look at this spoof site on YouTube, although telling the difference between the two is often quite hard to do.

(You might also like to look at this from Lady Alba - A.K.A. @zanyzaz - who brought you Lady Alba's Bad Romance/Ga Ga for Indy. Who said there was no satire or humour in the debate?)

This independence referendum is about what kind of country you want to live in. Is it the mean-spirited vision of libertarianism expounded by the likes of David Coburn & Westminster Tories with their fuck-you-I'm-alright-jack form of society? Or is it the society-by-management-consultant, land of false hope & lies coming from British Labour?

You don't really need to look too deeply into either side of the campaign, ever more its becoming less about what they say and more about how they're saying it. Having a good sense of humour does not a successful country make, but having no humility what-so-ever makes the kind of country only the most committed authoritarian dictator could approve of - and this is where we seem to be drifting with UKIP and Westminster politics.

So there's your choice; a humourless drudgery dressed up as a libertarian paradise as advertised by the likes of Coburn who's libertarian views end with his own personal beliefs, a society where unionists (via an establishment-funded fake grassroots movement) apologetically tells you nothing will ever work 'unless you do it our way' - or a positive independence campaign that doesn't just tell you voting no is a terrible idea but tells why voting yes would be so much better - a positive case for independence - something the no campaign cannot match.

And, you get a bit of humour and humility into the bargain.

It was, is and continues to be: a no-brainer.

And no, there is still no sign of the mug.


  1. Who says the camera never lies?

  2. Just in case you are unaware Vote No Borders have had their much complained about Cinema Adverts withdrawn, only trouble is that aso has Better Together and YES.

  3. Pa

    I don't think we will hear very much from the UKip guy really. He is not going to represent anyone and won't attend debates or parliament but no doubt will see fit to collect his £80,000 a year wages.

    I haven't seen any of the No Borders stuff, likewise anything from BT goes in the bin so can't say much other than say that all of the unionist guff is funded by the Tories, fronted by labour with bad news from Danny Alexander. A truly ground let people's campaign that I have no doubt will convince even me to vote no.


  4. Hi Helena.

    I did see something along those lines on twitter this morning, not sure what to make of it, the VNB stuff was particularly daft so in hindsight, it might have been better if it had been allowed to remain.

    I suppose it works both ways; we complained when BT moaned about the 'unfairness' of having Yes stalls at fetes etc when they couldn't field any one.

    It's a shame they can't filter on factual errors and lies. VNB weren't just spinning, they are/were telling out-and-out fibs.

  5. Hey Bruce.

    I hope we don't hear anything from him but you know the BBC, they seem less interested in balanced reporting than attracting viewing numbers.

    While Coburn isn't as erudite as the Farage Balloon, he's pretty out-spoken. Fortunately he's also quite odious so I hope they give him free reign on behalf of the no crowd.

    As you say, in terms of actual politics, we have nothing to fear from him. He'll be too busy counting his money to turn up.

    Being an MEP is a lucrative gig. George Lyon must be greetin' his yacks oot.


  6. First of all, I'd like to say thank you for removing that person from my sidebar. I mean, even if you can tolerate his right wing racist sexist politics, he's hardly a comely sight.

    The goat, on the other hand, is absolutely brilliant, probably has a lot more of interest to communicate, and is a wee smasher.

    Given the buffoon that Coburn has made of himself when he has given interviews ('I can't remember a single reason I stood for parliament, because I'm tired after not getting much sleep' AWWWWWWWW) I'm sure his intolerance will be of great value to the Yes campaign.

    It's not just gays that he has had a go at... although I take your point that "tolerate" is a disgusting word in this context.

    No, he doesn't think we need to have any inward migration. He just thinks that women should stay home and be baby machines.

    Never mind how they are going to be able to afford to do that given that the Uk spends all its borrowed cash on clout. Added to which his party wants to do away with maternity leave, so they will have to give up work to do the necessary.

    Scottish women might well give over their entire lives to baby having, but if the poor wee buggers die of starvation when mothers' milk runs out... it's not going to do much good to the level of population.

    Do you think sometimes that they haven't quite thought this out?

  7. I think Tris you let them paraphrase that last line in your comment as a strap line for their entire party.

    Just change the 'sometimes' for 'never'.

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