JJ

I agree with pretty much everything, but I wouldn't say they've done it with aplomb. They've set a few obvious traps and Labour have just walked straight into them. But again, Labour's strategy is to win a few hundred thousand Tory votes instead of going after the millions who don't vote, or those who've left over the years to vote SNP, Lib Dem, Green etc, so it was inevitable that they were going to fall for these Tory tactics.

Labour have become such a lame opposition that you have to wonder how the hell they can turn it around by 2020. The constant abstentions on bills that could have been defeated but instead passed is just enabling this Tory government to push through it's vile policies. Labour need to win people back as there's a mass of people who either don't vote or vote for another party, but instead focus their entire strategy on winning a few hundred thousand votes off the Tories in marginals, and thus this is the feeble opposition you get.

Is the Lockwood Cup going to be an annual event? Very much enjoyed it last year, and would definitely get down again for it. RIP Jon. Time really does fly.

I got swine flu. Now that was no fun. Was not in any danger of actually kicking the bucket, but fuck me I've never been more ill in my life.

http://wingsoverscotland.com/the-great-workndole-swindle/ Pretty good read.

It's rare that a politician passes and literally no-one has a bad word to say about him. One of the rare good ones. RIP.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Regarding the two players playing in the SPL. I'd definitely sign van Dijk. Guidetti is shite.

By the looks of all the studies of voting habits by demographics, we'd have won by an extremely narrow margin. It would have been 51-49 if not even narrower. But we shouldn't win by excluding certain groups because they might not vote the way we want them to.

So the decisions on who can vote is essentially excluding those groups most likely to vote to stay in. No EU born citizens living in Britain. No British citizens living on the continent. And it looks like they'll ignore the call for 16 and 17 year olds. Imagine the outcry if we'd stopped English, Welsh and Northern Irish people living in Scotland voting in our referendum? But now that we're excluding just regular foreign people I guess it's fine....

Could have a by-election on the agenda already. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-32849065

Dave is getting nothing.

I can remember many a Eurovision bet with DanTheMan on here. Only way I could possibly get interested. Hope Australia win just for the nonsense.

Aye it was shite. Worth it for the historical purposes and the spectacle, but nothing else.

Not to put words in your mouth, but I get the impression that your response to TTIP is along the lines of "it's already shit so what's the difference if it gets shitter?"

Curious rant. You say people complaining about TTIP need a wake up call, and your reasons have nothing at all to do with TTIP. Just a rant against the EU, which in all fairness wasn't incorrect. Although as I mentioned elsewhere on the board, Britain has the 2nd worst worker rights record in the EU. It's not all the EU's fault that 26 member states of the EU have more workers rights than us. The problem with TTIP is it'll take decisions and power and place even more of it in the hands of corporations. That's why it's an attack on sovereignty. It's a corporate power grab that will result in even more deregulation, even less rights for workers, even more privatisation and even less power for people at the ballot box. If a company wants to dump nuclear waste in the ocean because it's cheaper and the government says no, the ISDS clause will allow them to sue the government (and probably win) because they're infringing on profits. TTIP is not about jobs or safety or regulations, or even trade as it says in the name. It's about money, money, money for the big companies, and any attempts to put people first when there is bad practice will result in a lawsuit.

I was on the TV talking about it a few months ago. I've got it covered. But aye, it's a piece of shite deal.

Oh and Andy Burnham on the Andrew Marr Show was a poor today. Didn't have any vision of anything when pressed, apart from dancing to the beat of the UKIP drum on immigration. Nothing inspiring or useful from him when pressed about what he'd bring.

Like in 2010 when Miliband got the job? Seems to be a very well put forward point that Miliband got the job because Len McCluskey wanted him. McCluskey of course, didn't become the president of Unite until a year later. For the record McCluskey didn't want Jim Murphy as Scottish Labour leader, and got him anyway. So he's so far got a 0% success rate.

I can't find it, but it was research that was done last year during the referendum campaign by the Jimmy Reid Foundation about how Britain's economy will continue to stagnate in terms of helping normal people even if it became one of the fastest growing economies in the advanced world (which we did predict would happen, and we also predicted it would stagnate either at the end of 2015 or the start of 2016, so we'll see) and why we need to do something about the minimum wage. It's a massive policy research piece but here's what I remember. In the advanced world we have the 2nd lowest paid economy and the 4th most unequal society (it was 3rd most at the time, so yay for progress) with poor employment rights that went from above average 10 years ago to some of the worst. There was more research done that calculated if you took two businesses that were absolutely identical except for one being unionised, the likelihood was that the unionised work force would be 20% more productive, because if you're treated properly at work, you're more likely to care. Which in itself might explain why Britain's overall attack on the unions has played a part in us running a low productivity economy. Obviously not the only reason, but a factor. I've forgot more than I remember about the overall research on this as it was massive and covered a lot of different bases. It was basically part of the blueprint that some of us wanted to build in Scotland if it had voted Yes. Much more useful than the White Paper ever was.

Labour are too busy babbling on about wealth creators and aspiration and stuff like that that we know what direction they're about to go in, and it's not a direction that is going to fly with the trade unions. We need the trade unions, but they must give serious consideration to severing the links. I read somewhere Unite will debate doing so with Labour at their conference. Good on them. Jim Murphy launched a scathing attack on Len McCluskey yesterday when he stepped down as leader of Scottish Labour, and I couldn't blame Unite for smelling where this is all going and just giving up. The UK is 27th our of 28 in the EU when it comes to workers rights. Only Lithuania is worse. We need the unions more the ever. My worry of course is that if the unions do disaffiliate that we'll see similar demonisation of the unions from Labour as we get from the Tories, but it's a relationship that isn't working anymore.

I think the sad thing is is that there's no real tension or nerves about next weekend. What will be will be. Apathy is the most dangerous thing.

Gave it a bash.

Correct. No-one is seriously going to propose it right now, but providing they don't skip a generation and Charles becomes King, there'll be a serious debate. I'm all for a republic.