For the 45th consecutive time I have been invited, organised and then blocked at the last moment from a mainstream media appearance.
On Sunday I received this email from Channel 4:
Channel 4 have cleared their schedule for a live, hour long prime-time programme on Scottish Independence at 10pm on Wednesday 17th September in Edinburgh. I was wondering whether this is something you would consider being involved in?
With just hours to go before Scotland votes, the fate of the whole United Kingdom hangs in the balance. Jon Snow is hosting the debate live from Edinburgh, and will be joined by major politicians, voters, campaigners and well known faces from all across the United Kingdom to thrash it out one last time before the polls open.
We will have a panel of guests, and a front row of experts who will all join the discussion and we would love if he would consider coming along.
Do give me a call if you need more information or have any questions, we’d love to have you on the show if possible
On Monday I phoned them and agreed the details and they told me where to go. This afternoon they cancelled me because “the panel was full”. It was not full when they invited me or agreed everything.
Regular readers will know this happens again, and again, and again. I am invited to a programme, then shortly before the appearance am cancelled because some blocking mechanism steps in. The determination of the establishment to keep dangerous dissent off the airwaves is still implacable – even in Edinburgh tonight. By Friday they will look pretty forlorn.
.
Does the title of the list perhaps be ‘Sane Articulate People Not To Be Invited To Speak’ ??
…but I can’t recall a poll with ‘don’t knows’ excluded. Polls always have don’t knows. Usually it’s not that many, but could prove statistically significant at the end. Odd.
Just about all the polls I’ve seen have excluded don’t-knows. Struck me as strange too. Exorcising the devil in the detail?
Anyway, may the better propagandists win. And may the losers accept it with good grace.
Very ot… But Lindsay The wee warrior girl…. Took them on Gordon Browne tried to scare the life outa this warrior…EXPECT US
Feel free to say good luck…thanks .
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007615517993&fref=nf
That means that those who give out invitations have to have their decision confirmed by someone who excludes anyone on a black list, which you must be on.
You would think that organisations keen on citing costs could get employees issuing invitations to exclude blacklisted people by themselves. So it must be that the black list is considered a sensitive document which only senior people are allowed to operate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyFuZ_CKNFg
THE US EMPIRE _IS_ FALLING – 3
A lot faster if Scotland votes ‘Yes’. Fancy that! ; )
From MK Bhadrakumar, ex-ambassador of India –
“The break-up of Britain will send tremors across Europe and globally. If Scotland moves out, Wales may follow. The opinion in the rump will heavily favor moving out of the European Union. Now, an EU without Britain has profound implications. Germany’s ascendancy or “assertiveness” is already being discussed openly.”
“Clearly, German will move still closer to Russia and the EU may itself take a different form. Again, the trans-Atlantic partnership between the US and its European allies cannot remain the same. Britain played a key role as Washington’s “branch manager” in Europe.”
“There have been ups and downs in the US-UK relationship, and there have been times when the poodle led the bumbling master through blind alleys, but Britain is ultimately irreplaceable in America’s global strategies. It’s unthinkable that the US agenda on NATO’s expansion can go ahead without Britain’s active role. Equally, without the Anglo-American axis, a New Cold War can never start in Europe. Poland or Lithuania simply cannot replace Britain.”
…
“However, Britain’s demise will not be universally mourned. Britain is fairly widely loathed across continents for its brutal colonial record, for its slyness or deviousness (couched in irritating self-righteousness), for its preachy character (despite its scant regard for morality), for its panache to punch above its weight (from under American wings, of course) and for the sheer zest with which it explodes into violent acts against alien peoples who did no harm to it directly or directly.”
Amen, Brother!
Plus lots more –
‘History’s last laugh at Britain’, by MK Bhadrakumar, 18th Septempber 2014 – MK Bhadrakumar blog –
– http://blogs.rediff.com/mkbhadrakumar/2014/09/18/historys-last-laugh-at-britain/
Good morning on Independence Referendum morning. I was at the Yes rally in George Square, Glasgow yesterday evening, and the atmosphere was buzzing. The square was about half full most of the time, always crowded around the stage, with another crowd at the other end opposing a small No rally. Although a moderately sized rally on the face of it, with dozens or possibly even hundreds of Yes supporters arriving and leaving every minute the total attendance must have been many thousands. Other Yes supporters drove through in their cars, with frequent choruses of horn-honking. There was a small police presence and I didn’t see any trouble. One No supporter at the opposite end from the No rally had brought his magnificent trike; he chatted happily with Yes supporters for hours.
I took a friend to vote this morning and then drove to Kelvin Bridge passing a couple of other polling places; turn-out looks exceptionally high.
Actually Channel 4 might get an external agency to operate the black list. In that case, in order for its use to be considered safely deniable, an invitation would have to be given, then a senior person would contact the company operating the black list, and the flunky who invited you would give you an official excuse.
Another example:
http://www.channel4.com/news/construction-blacklist-fund-compensation-secret-list
A similar phenomenon can be seen in the Martin Ritt film starring Woody Allen “The Front”.
Cheers Brendan. Good to hear your thoughts.
~~
Clark Welcome back. Where u bin? Down yon bonny banks and braes or similar? 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXGVFJqSqqg
Just back from the polling station.Spoke the Yes guy greeting voters at the church hall. He said he’d been getting many winks,nods and handshakes and said that it had been busy.It’s looking good he said.One policewoman on duty smiling drinking coffee on a dreich day chatting with the locals.Good atmosphere.Now have the hired car decked out in flags and am getting smiles and thumbs up ,flashes on the road.Met family last night who I was sure would be No’ers.They’ve switched to Yes in the last 2 weeks because of the negative campaigning and lies over North Sea oil.. Everybody here has someone who wrks offshore,and everybody knows whats being invested.There is 40 years left in the old North sea where they are beginning to decommission..never mind the new Clair field,west coast or Forth estuary.
Good natured, no trouble, and would say the Ayes have it.
Meanwhile Tony Blair gets as far away from Scotland as possible. To opine about Scotland. Hosted by JP Morgan. To a former FBI director.
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/2014/09/former-uk-prime-minister-tony-blair-talks-scottish.html
Caution, antiemetic medication required.
Tony seems to be doing a reverse ferret on ISIS, btw. His messianic philosophy has wobbled from bombs back to “private education, private education, private education”, and he is promoting himself as some kind of guru on the subject. Though a decreasing number of people give a fuck what he thinks, happily. He’s in New York today, and probably until at least the 22nd. Expect a storm of platitudes.
In the 1979 Scottish devolution referendum, we were lied to. Westminster politicians, newspapers and TV conspired to paint a false picture. We were fed scare stories, the polls were rigged, false figures were issued. We know this for a certainty now, but the lies were believed long enough for Westminster to get the result it wanted. They didn’t care if we found out the truth afterwards because by then it was too late.
Don’t let Westminster make suckers of you again, Scotland.
“Even in the unlikely event there was something to it, well our middle east ventures are to blame anyway. Abbott is a vile human being.”
That simple, huh? No other factors at play? Any theories about what has transpired over the last 1500 years?
Donny Darko, Clark, Brian and others up there in wee bonnie Scotland thanks for the reports. It sounds electric. Any exit polls yet?
There’s a lot of big UK money in Edinburgh and a straw poll indicates an overwhelming No vote there.
https://newhub.shafaqna.com/EN/UK/3090225
‘Straw poll’ means simply ‘we asked some people’, John. No pretence at a statistically meaningful sample, randomised selection of interviewees, or compensation for factors such as the time of day (eg workers gone to work, pensioners and unemployed dominate punters on the street).
Nor is it stated where in Edinburgh. Morningside, maybe?
Anyway, no point whatever in trying to guess the result. It’ll be clear enough when the ballot’s in.
Ba’al, yes I realise that, but opinion polls have been very cagey with the undecideds likely to sway the result one way or the other. Time of day also matters. Anyway, it is exciting. 🙂
Anon1
17 Sep, 2014 – 6:18 pm
“Well if they didn’t want you on then they wouldn’t ask you in the first place.”
Anon1
17 Sep, 2014 – 6:27 pm
“Perhaps they just don’t want you, Craig?”
You are a complete tosser Anon1.
Go and toss yourself off (a mountain).
Gutter
17 Sep, 2014 – 8:49 pm
“Scotland and England will both turn to the right.”
—————————————-
Why would that be Gutter?
Here’s an idea. Why not test the matter out? Mr Murray, surely there must be someone you know well in media programming, or someone you know well who knows someone in media programming. Why not get them to invite you on? Then when the hammer comes down, you can get a first-hand or second-hand description of what actually happened.
Possible? Worth a try? Of course, you would have to sit on the fact that you had been passed the information, through another half-dozen or so invitations and rejections. But at least you’d know. Perhaps you know already and can’t say so! Warm regards, John
GeneralGiap
18 Sep, 2014 – 12:33 am
“Just thought I’d throw in the Jerusalem Posts two Shekels worth.”
———————————–
GeneralGiap, there was an earlier article in the JP where the author suggested that the Scottish Jews would have to flee to England if Scotland voted YES.
From your link:
“Only in one clearly identifiable area will there be a difference – that of foreign policy, especially concerning Israel.”
“Should Scotland vote “yes,” putting the Scottish Nationalists in the driving seat, “their foreign policy is not likely to be favorable for us,” Morron said.”
[By “us” he does not mean the Jewish Scots but the Zionists]
“The communal leader also warned that even if another political party were subsequently to win power in an independent Scotland – be it Labor or a coalition of the SNP or Labor with the Liberal Democrats or the Green Party – the same would apply. All of the parties have displayed hostility toward Israel – especially during the recent Gaza war.”
[All of the parties have displayed hostility toward Israel? What he means, of course, is criticism of Israel is regarded as hostility or even anti-Semitism]
“Only if the Conservatives win power would there be a change in policy, and I certainly do not anticipate that,”
[Here he reveals what many of us already know; that the Tories are the main Zionist supporting party in the UK]
The people of the Yes movement are mostly socialist, Green and/or progressives. I honestly haven’t encountered one single instance of anti-English attitudes – though there is plenty of opposition to Westminster. Mostly I’ve been seeing pro-NHS and anti-Tory badges and posters.
Mary, hello. To avoid too much banter here I’ll confine my general chit-chat to squonk.tk/blog
I’m re-posting this from Ben E.
18 Sep, 2014 – 12:40 am
Don’t skip through it!
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/17/opinion/israels-nsa-scandal.html?_r=0
Angrysoba
18 Sep, 2014 – 1:02 am
“I have a question regarding diplomatic stuff?”
———————————————–
Firstly Angrysoba, I counted six questions there.
Secondly, why the panic? Scotland will not become independent tomorrow and the UK embassies will not be abandoned overnight.
There will be negotiations on all pertinent matters, including your points which will take about 18 months.
PS If you’re Angrysoba what are you like when you get pissed?
Scottish voters UNITE and vote YES
Israel | Palestine: After the Ceasefire
Posted by The Medialens Editors on September 18, 2014, 9:45 am
After the Ceasefire
Omar Robert Hamilton 12 September 2014
On 26 August a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was agreed, bringing a fragile end to a war that killed 2150 Palestinians (mostly civilians) and 73 Israelis (mostly soldiers). Since then Hamas has not fired a single rocket, attacked an Israeli target, or done anything to break the terms of the ceasefire. Israel has done the following:
1. Annexed another 1500 acres of West Bank land
2. Seized $56 million of PA tax revenue
3. Not lifted the illegal blockade (as required by the ceasefire)
4. Broken the ceasefire by firing at fishermen on four separate occasions
5. Detained six fishermen
6. Killed a 22-year-old, Issa al Qatari, a week before his wedding
7. Killed 16-year-old Mohammed Sinokrot with a rubber bullet to the head
8. Tortured a prisoner to the point of hospitalisation
9. Refused 13 members of the European Parliament entry into Gaza
10. Detained at least 127 people across the West Bank, including a seven-year-old boy in Hebron and two children, aged seven and eight, taken from the courtyard of their house in Silwad – and tear-gassed their mother
11. Continued to hold 33 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council in prison
12. Continued to hold 500 prisoners in administrative detention without charge or trial
13. Destroyed Bedouin homes in Khan al Ahmar, near Jerusalem, leaving 14 people homeless, and unveiled a plan to forcibly move thousands of Bedouin away from Jerusalem into two purpose-built townships
14. Destroyed a dairy factory in Hebron whose profits supported an orphanage
15. Destroyed a family home in Silwan, making five children homeless
16. Destroyed a house in Jerusalem where aid supplies en route to Gaza were being stored
17. Destroyed a well near Hebron
18. Set fire to an olive grove near Hebron
19. Raided a health centre and a nursery school in Nablus, causing extensive damage
20. Destroyed a swathe of farmland in Rafah by driving tanks over it
21. Ordered the dismantling of a small monument in Jerusalem to Mohamed Abu Khdeir, murdered in July by an Israeli lynch mob
22. Continued building a vast tunnel network under Jerusalem
23. Stormed the al Aqsa mosque compound with a group of far right settlers
24. Assisted hundreds of settlers in storming Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus
25. Prevented students from entering al Quds University, firing stun grenades and rubber bullets at those who tried to go in
26. Earned unknown millions on reconstruction materials for Gaza, where 100,000 people need their destroyed homes rebuilt. The total bill is estimated at $7.8 billion
http://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2014/09/12/omar-hamilton/after-the-ceasefire-2/
Brendan
18 Sep, 2014 – 7:13 am
“…a sitting Prime Minister has, with the collusion of the security services, manipulated the terror alerts in order to further his foreign policy. That should be a prison offence. And I don’t buy any of it for an instant. As usual it was probably some knuckleheads being manipulated by the security services, then ‘caught’ at the last minute. Happens all the time in the US. “
“Even in the unlikely event there was something to it, well our middle east ventures are to blame anyway.”
Well said Brendan
Anon1
18 Sep, 2014 – 7:44 am
“Ah yes, it’s always a conspiracy. And if it’s not, it’s our fault anyway.”
——————————
Yes we know Anon1; there are no such things as conspiracies and no such thing as cause and effect.
Even if an independent Scotland were to adopt policies hostile to Israel, why would that mean Jews would have to flee from Scotland?