THE pathetic attempt by BBC presenter Emily Maitlis to attempt to describe the obvious BBC bias as simply a series of cock-ups is as unbelievable as a Reporting Scotland investigation into Scotland’s NHS!
If her theory was true then almost everyone in the BBC should be sacked for gross incompetence. These so-called cock-ups have been gong on since well before the indyref of 2014 and continue each and every day on BBC Scotland. Each blatant biased piece of reporting is attacked online and results in letters and emails of complaint to the BBC, if they were genuine cock-ups then why did the BBC not apologise or correct their errors? Instead we’re fed a constant diet of how bad the SNP is and how Scotland is too wee, too poor and too stupid to run our own affairs. Maitlis’s comments only highlight the problem – if she can’t see the BBC’s obvious bias then she is part of the problem.
READ MORE: People read conspiracies into 'cock-ups' at BBC, Maitlis claims
Like many others I no longer watch BBC news (or any of their stuff) and don’t pay their TV tax. We’re coming to the traditional time of year when people make their new year’s resolutions, well why don’t more people make a pledge not to waste £145 or so on the TV licence fee which goes to support the BBC’s lies? How many other new year resolutions will not only save you money but will put pressure on a corrupt establishment broadcaster which treats us all as fools?
Councillor Kenny MacLaren
Paisley
EXCELLENT letter from Andy Anderson regarding the need for the SNP and Greens to adopt an effective and realistic strategy for the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections (Let’s make the Green vote count for more with an SNP pact, December 29). This election must deliver a 50%+ mandate for an Indy 2 referendum. If we fail to do so we will remain prisoners in post Brexit UK for the foreseeable future. It is naive to pretend otherwise.
READ MORE: Let’s make the Green vote count for more with an SNP pact
SNP office bearers tell us, when quizzed on the subject, that we mustn’t risk the SNP vote by voting for another party in the Regional vote. Voting SNP in the Regional vote is our safety net they tell us. I disagree. If we cannot deliver a large number of SNP MSP’s in the first past the post vote then support for independence simply isn’t strong enough. If, as we hope, a large number of SNP MSP’s are delivered by first past the post then a regional vote for the SNP is a waste of votes. If all SNP first past the post voters repeat that in the Regional vote we will add only a small single digit number of Regional SNP MSPs.
The Green Party need to become more realistic. The world they desire will never happen under Tory Westminster. In fact we are likely to go backwards on climate issues. If they want to deliver change, rather than shout about it from the side-lines, they need to help us deliver independence asap. Their rhetoric and strategy during the GE was naive and achieved nothing, other than a loss of party funds.
An effective SNP/Green partnership, solely to deliver an independence mandate, requires grown up realistic thinking and discussion between the parties and these should be starting now. Done well we will achieve a large number of SNP MSP’s from the first past the post vote and a much greater number of Regional Green MSP’s. This then creates a super majority for Indy 2 in the Scottish Parliament after 2021. Members of both parties need to start applying pressure on their leaders in early 2020. Self interest may well make them initially resistant but they must be told this is unacceptable to the members.
Ian Johnston
Via email
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