Comments by "Andy Monaghan" (@229andymon) on "Daily Record" channel.

Yes, it’s called democracy. Frustrating when it doesn’t go your way, eh? Firstly, even if your utterly skewed analysis was somehow right, there would be logic in voting SNP even if you don’t agree with all they do, or even most of what they do. And that is because they are the best path to achieve independence, which, once achieved, will change everything. Until we get independence, we can only tinker with the extremely limited marginal powers unionist (only) politicians decided Holyrood was to have. This will include of course the ability to choose or reject the SNP as the government of our new independent country. After independence, the SNP will have to gain our votes for other than to gain independence. I wish them luck. And yes, we do indeed want to end our Brit Brexit isolation and rejoin the EU. In the EU we will, if we so choose to join, agree to devolve some sovereignty to Brussels in return for the benefits of EU membership including membership of the critically important Single Market. Compare this to our incorporation into the Brit union where Scotland has no sovereignty to trade for benefits in the first place. Sounds like a great deal to me. As for not having a vote in the EU, not sure if you’re old enough to have voted in Euro elections, but we actually had them. You could say that our votes had little effect on the composition of the EU Commission, and you’d be right, just like we Scots don’t have much effect on how Brit governments are also formed. Lastly, English people do indeed exercise their votes, and to good effect. After all it is they who determine who rules in Westminster and they can also decide to leave the UK union whenever they like for whatever reason they like. A choice denied the rest of us. Wonderful, eh?
4
Voters are known to do crazy things, and I’m sure we’ll see that proven when it emerges some independence supporters actually voted Reform. But it stretches credulity to imagine many people that want independence will vote for a party utterly, loudly and visibly opposed to it. Which leads to the inescapable conclusion the vast majority of Reform votes in Scotland will come from other unionist parties.
4
@Alwaysquestion123 I’m sure they were appropriately impressed.
2
Will you say the same when Labour does it too? (Oh yes it will).
1
Back in his natural habitat.
1
@Alwaysquestion123 Yes, as long as there’s greed, elitism, cronyism, incompetence, nepotism, callousness and sleaze, the Tories will always be with us. However, that is unless the raving right usurps them in the shape of yon Trump wannabe Farage and his howling mob. If that happens the UK is definitely over. Accepting Tory rule we never vote for is bad enough, having a Farage Westminster is beyond what even the Scots will tolerate.
1
@Alwaysquestion123 She wasn’t running a country, Tories we never vote for were running it. She was running a devolved Parliament with very limited powers assigned to it by a bunch of unionist politicians who deliberately ignored every independence supporting MSPs suggestions. Hence we have what war criminal and devo architect T Blair described as something akin to a Parish Council. So by all means lecture Scottish leaders on how they’re running our country - once they’re running it. Which hopefully won’t be long. However, as the previous commenter says, it might come with a bit more credibility if Westminster wasn’t run by people you wouldn’t leave in charge of a whelk stall. I seriously doubt the SNP camper van has reduced people’s pensions, unlike Truss’s Olympic level incompetence.
1
@ Is Scotland a country? Well, what is a country? If you mean just a place and people, then Scotland is a country, but, is Scotland a country same as, for example, Brazil, then no, Scotland is not a country. What’s the difference? Sovereignty. Brazil has 100% sovereignty, Scotland has 0%. Without sovereignty, what do you have? Not a (real) country in my book and I expect most people’s. As for the camper van, no it’s never OK to steal. But if you steal a Mars Bar from Tesco you’ll get treated one way, rob the Bank of England, you’ll get treated another. In UK, the SNP steals a Mars Bar (assuming they did) and there’s police tents outside the party leader’s house, while UK theft like the truly outrageous PPE corruption, involving biblical amounts of trousered cash by figures at the top of the UK establishment, goes ignored. And let’s not mention the expenses scandal or we’ll be here all day. Incidentally, since you’re so concerned about hungry and homeless people, the alleged theft of party funds by the SNP involved, well, party funds, unlike the PPE scandal that involved massive sums of taxpayer’s hard earned money - that could’ve been used to house and feed people. Scotland needs no lessons in ethics from Westminster.
1
@modularmorne Agreed. I’m not religious, but the biblical saying “Look not at the mote in God’s eye, but rather the beam in thine own” comes to mind….
1
@Alwaysquestion123 Who was convicted of what? I’ve just checked and Sturgeon and Beattie were released without charge, meaning the cops that were so keen to do them they pitched a tent in her garden couldn’t find any evidence to do so. Murrel has been charged, but not convicted, meaning, unless Reform has already taken over and set up vigilante justice, he’s innocent unless he’s found guilty as charged. I expect you’re really disappointed. So, my brainwashing is leading me to the conclusion no one’s been found guilty of anything, and might never be, apart from you being guilty of a bit of overexcited Brit unionist zeal. I recommend you read less Mail and Express.
1
@Alwaysquestion123 Yes, the people did vote for union 11 years ago. But, who makes the decision we don’t get another? The democratically elected Scottish Parliament requested another via Indyref2, as it was democratically mandated to do by us. Why should it even have to do that and what right does Westminster have to say no? Why doesn’t Westminster stop acting like a child and listen to the democratic will of the Scottish people?
1
@Alwaysquestion123 As for the failures of each Parliament and how much each one’s failures cost us, I’ll be very happy to trade Scottish for Brit with you. But are you really sure you want to go there? I wouldn’t if I were you. Up to you. PS hope you’re not a pensioner. Truss’s festival of incompetence wiped £425bn off pension funds assets.
1
@Alwaysquestion123 Sorry, but I’m so brainwashed I’m obviously not up to speed on this one. Can you please tell me who has been convicted?
1
@Alwaysquestion123 It was the SNP that requested Indyref2.
1
@Alwaysquestion123 Oh no, I am aware of Murrell. But he hasn’t been convicted. You appear to be mistaken. Sorry to disappoint.
1
@Alwaysquestion123 I’d have to agree with you that Sturgeon had more issues than Truss, but then she was elected by the people and served as FM (unlike Truss who never stood as PM) and served for around a decade or so in Holyrood. So you’d kinda expect that, eh? However, what Dizzy Lizzy lacked in tenure (less than a lettuce I believe?) she more than made up for in impact, eh? 40odd days and almost half a trillion quid down the pension drain. What a gal. But Truss is only one star in a Brit constellation. We can go onto Bojo’s reign. How about HS2 overruns, up for that? You know, the train line to unite North and South that went to Birmingham from London?
1
@Alwaysquestion123 So, let me get this straight. The SNP is a party absolutely committed to Scottish independence, far from hiding this, they shout it from the rooftops. Anyone, even unionists, could not seriously claim a vote for them is not a vote for independence. They went to the polls and asked for a mandate to go for Indyref2 and got it. So they’re *not* listening to us by doing exactly that? While you ponder that, and who’s been convicted, please answer me this. Do you consider it fair that of the 4 nations that make up the UK, only 1 can leave the union whenever it pleases, for whatever reason it pleases, while the rest of us can’t. Take your time, don’t jump into this without thinking.
1
@Alwaysquestion123 Yes, no problems at all. HS2, hailed as the Great Brit Project to unite north and south, to run from over centralised London to Manchester and Leeds for a cost of approx £32bn. It’s now a semi local line linking 2 southern cites that a Construction Industry report estimated recently will cost £100bn, and counting. The line to Birmingham was originally due to be complete next year, latest estimate 2033. How about the good old Brit triumph of their CV19 test and trace system? From chair of Public Accounts Committee. The national Test and Trace programme was allocated eye watering sums of taxpayers' money in the midst of a global health and economic crisis. It set out bold ambitions but has failed to achieve them despite the vast sums thrown at it. They went on, It is muddled, overstated and eye wateringly expensive. They added the use of “overpaid consultants” alone would cost £ hundreds of millions. This Brit disaster cost taxpayers almost 20% of the entire NHS budget for England in 2021. Up for more? I have plenty more. As for the A9, it’s not 20 years late as I suspect you know full well. The SNP wanted to do it earlier but we’re prevented by unionists forcing thru the Edinburgh tram project instead. It began in 2015 and is running approx 10 years late with an estimated cost of £3.7bn. Not good, for sure, but not in the Brit league either… not by a long, long way.
1
@Alwaysquestion123 Buddy, we live in a representative democracy. That means you give who you vote for the power to act. So if you vote for someone that says they’ll go for Indyref2, then you must accept that’s what they’ll do. Besides, studies have shown that some people who vote for unionist parties want indy, especially Labour voters. Incidentally, let’s not get personal here, I don’t lie and I’m not accusing you of doing that. You’re just wrong.
1
@Alwaysquestion123 You have no idea whatsoever whether Murrell is guilty, all you do have is a grim, dark, burning desire for him to be so. I don’t know either, so am waiting for professional people to make that judgement. If he is I hope he receives an appropriate sentence. If not, I hope he, Sturgeon and Beattie get an apology for the unionist media circus they were put through. I expect you also “knew” Sturgeon was just as guilty.
1
@ Can you please answer my question? Do you believe it fair or not that only England can leave the UK union whenever it likes for whatever reason it likes while the rest of us can’t. If you do that I’ll answer your counter questions fully. I have answers for your points, I can assure you.
1
@Alwaysquestion123 It is not for you, or me, to decide whether anyone is guilty of a crime or not. It’s for the courts of law. If Murrell is cleared he is an innocent man, whether you like it or not. There is no place in a healthy society for vigilante justice.
1
@Alwaysquestion123 What activity did Sturgeon not know about? Do you mean the activity he hasn’t been convicted of? You remind me hugely of the legendary judge Roy Bean “You’ll get a fair trial and a good hanging”. Incidentally, did you happen to note that poor lass in the Prince Andrew case has committed suicide? Sometimes justice doesn’t even get a chance.
1
 @Alwaysquestion123 Who would decide the English need a referendum? And if they do, who could stop them having it?
1
 @Alwaysquestion123 No that's how a jury works, not "the people". Unless you're in the jury then you and everyone else don't get a say.
1
 @Alwaysquestion123 Well, we can only wonder what the alternative was. But yes, if you have the millions certain people in UK can avoid what those of us who haven't got millions can't.
1
@Alwaysquestion123 Yes, the answer is actually both. If the English voted for an English indy party at anything like the same support as the SNP in Scotland has on many occasions, and that translated into MP numbers, they could either choose to have a referendum, which no one could challenge, or just declare English UDI. That's it, that's all they need to do. Agreed?
1
But who would England ask to have another referendum? There is one gigantic difference between England and Scotland in this regard. If an English Nat party (ENP) got SNP level support they wouldn't have anyone to ask. The SNP has to ask the Westminster (unionist) govt to do anything. As we see, if that doesn't suit them, they stop it in it's tracks. But an ENP in that circumstance would *be* the Westminster govt. They'd be asking themselves. Agreed?
1
@Alwaysquestion123 Look, I'm not blaming the English for being in this position where they can leave the UK anytime they like and we can't, I blame Scottish unionists for not caring about it. Well them and Westminster unionist politicians who haven't the courage to face the democratic choice of the Scottish people in another referendum. But we've reached the end of this road, eh? When the personal stuff starts it's time to say bye. I wish I could say it was worthwhile.
1
Because you're hopelessly biased?
1
 @greigsanderson Crass, snobbish, uninformed, heartless and generally odious remark.
1