David Dimbleby presents Question Time from Dundee. On the panel: leader of the Scottish Conservatives Ruth Davidson MSP, deputy first minister of Scotland John Swinney MSP, Shadow cabinet secretary for Health & Wellbeing Jenny Marra MSP, Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie MSP, Scottish Greens MSP Patrick Harvie and Daily Telegraph columnist Tim Stanley.
An enthralling prospect, I’m sure you’ll agree.
Kick off tonight (Thursday) at 22.50
Notwithstanding Tim Stanley and Ruth Davidson, a pretty poor panel.
I am expecting a debate on mainly Scottish issues, I expect this will include the Scots Nats immature and very childish appproach in their attempts to abuse democracy via the English Votes for English laws mix up.
Both ironically and simulataneously the deciet of the SNP has exposed the continued imcompetence of this Conservative government in not checking in enough detail its proposed laws.
The line of Alex Salmond ‘we will not interfere with laws that do not affect Scotland’ will be, I suspect, brought into the discussion
As regulars are aware, I am painstakingly and determinedly keeping a score on the level of bias amongst the panellists on the EU question.
It currently stands at
remain 18
leave 8
undecided 2
I shall only include the panellists scores tonight should an EU question be raised, in the event of there not being one, I shall not include it.
Oh blimey, I do apologise
Correction Remain had 20, Leave 8.Undecided 2.
I can only put this mistake down to the fact that I had just told my wife that once Britain ruled the waves, had a great empire, was not multi-cultural, was hard working, patriotic, as well as being a highly regarded super power until that is, women got the vote, then it all changed and went wrong.
Needless to say her retort managed to take my eye off of the ball at such a critical time!
She has also told me that I can make my own Cocoa tonight!
Six panellists, five stated that they wish to remain in the EU, Tim Stanley wanted out.
Updated Question Time Panellists EU scores on the doors are as follows
Remain 25
Leave 9
Undecided 2
Disgraceful 5:1 pro-EU bias of panel
5 longstanding pro-EU Scottish politicians
1 anti-EU journalist, and he was ENGLISH into the bargain!
A Project Fear spin we are getting on this is that should we vote for Brexit, this would force another Scottish referendum, and the Union would be split.
I don’t buy into this. I would put money on the Scots still voting to stay in the UK. The alternative is economically unthinkable for them. Stats today (article in the Times) show that Scottish deficit at 9.7% of GDP, double that in the rest of the UK. Without UK subsidies, they would be toast. And apparently the impact of the low oil price hasn’t fully filtered through to their Tax take yet.
Keep your money in your pocket, GastroGolfer; the majority of Scots will want to stay in the UK, I’m sure.
After the despicable and hypocritical behaviour of the SNP last night voting against the Government on ENGLISH ONLY laws, I bet a pound to a haggis DC has noted their demeanour! Watch out for stronger EVEL stuff. I have also said before I think, though not absolutely sure, that another referendum in Scotland can only be held IF granted or allowed by the PM.
Many folk up here are beginning to notice that the SNP are not making that good a fist of government. Most of their committees which are supposed to scrutinise the bills etc are SNP dominated so that’s another joke!
The SNP controls 95% of Scotland’s MPs, though elected with only half of the vote.
Also, the SNP has effectively a small majority of Scotland’s MSPs, but controls (has a majority or a majority with chairman’s casting vote) an undemocratic 90% of Holyrood’s powerful committees.
Of course, there is no revising chamber like the House of Lords!
http://wisermonkeys.uk/snp.html
I would like to know if SNP voters in Scotland are going to support Cameron in the EU referendum.
I thought they hated everything he stood for!
Wronged…I think we’d all like to know the answer to that one! Last time I think I’m right in saying that Orkney and Shetland were the one of the few areas in Scotland to vote no in the 1975 referendum. (I’d need to check that out.) This time, as with other votes in Scotland, a lot depends on where you live. In the Highlands and Islands, many people feel most detached from the centralised Scottish government who seem to believe there are no people north of Inverness – just sheep!!!!
As to whether they would vote to remain and support Cameron, again that’s a difficult one. Scotland in general hate the tories mainly due to Mrs Thatcher’s disastrous poll tax experiment up here which went down like a bag of….! It will take at least one if not two generations to negate that deep hatred I’m afraid. At least that’s how I see it. BUT, having said that, there are more people supporting the tories now and there’s a slim chance they may beat labour to 2nd place in the Scottish election. At least Ruth Davidson is making an impact in opposition – and to be fair, Kezia Dugdale is not too bad either. Wee Krankie was in a right tizzy yesterday at FMQs, but I fear they will get in at the Scottish election in May.
There would be no Scottish referendum unless the SNP were sure they’d win. The whole threat rests upon an assumption that Scots would care enough about in or out of the EU. I strongly suspect that most don’t, even if they might vote Remain.
I think the SNP have shot their bolt, their whole argument seemed to be based upon on oil maintaining it’s then current price, or near to it.
Next time, if there is one which I doubt, the arrogant idiot of a Prime Minister called Cameron might allow the 800,000 Scots who live in the rest of the UK a vote. As it was the 2 million who did vote to stay with the UK won, but with only 55% of the electorate.
I seem to recall that Cameron gave EU visiting students the vote. What a fool he is.
No wonder he failed to renegotiate a better deal for Britain with other EU member countries.
Agree…they won’t ask for one unless they can win it. And then whoever is PM should say NO!
Excellent to see Swine-y lose his temper.
Can’t believe either how the Green Party cnut is just a Swine-y Mini-me.
Credit where it’s due, that was one of the most intelligent and well-balanced audiences so far – not particularly representative of Dundee but none the worse for that – though I must except the bearded ex-Cumbrian Rowan Williams lookalike whose prejudices were as absurd as his minor public school delivery. From the panel Swinney and Harvie could well be brothers, raised in a strict Calvinist household and forced to suck lemons for breakfast to prepare for the rigors of the day.
This apart, most of the bigotry was aimed at Ruth Davidson and the Queen, on the text pages.
The Remainians have it then.
Scotland has the nearest thing to a one party state that democracy allows. With that you get corruption, cronyism and inefficiency. At some point, as Labour and Conservatives continue to present themselves in a better light, enough Scots will wake up to the stupidity of what they have done. The track record of Socialists Nationalists in European history is not good. The SNP are a grubby bunch of grievance- based types who one day will hopefully be consigned back to the minority status they deserve.
Completely agree, EE. Well said.
I believe the woman that James and others are referring is first visible at 23.45 on this, and asks her question at 27.17. She’s addressed by David Dimbleby as Kathy Aliberti, but Labour supporters will know her better as Kathy Wiles, a former Labour candidate who likes to use images of the Hitler Youth to get her point across..
Additionally, is that not Braden Davy, Labour candidate for Gordon featured at 12.03? Why yes, it is! He’s even bragging about it on his Twitter feed!