Paul Burrell and his 'opinions'

[whatwouldbigfatfannydo]

So us Scots only have oil and a monster in a lake! How will we ever survive independence!!?

And WHAT does Paul Burrell have to contribute to the conversation? Not to mention Nicola McLean and Carol bloody Malone!

Did anyone else see the segment on Jeremy Vine? It was days ago and I still feel rage when I think about it.

Yeah, they were pig-ignorant. Jeremy Vine really showed his true colours when he shushed the only Scot.

Burrell’s comment that Scotland can’t leave because Scotland belongs to the United Kingdom made my blood boil. Please could we ban him from Scotland?

He's an ex royal butler on a daytime tv barrel scraping segment. He and the rest of them including the audience thought they were being funny. Stereotyping for laughs is generally frowned upon but oh yeah it's ok to shit on Scotland

I'm happy they did it though. Got some anger from previous fence-sitting friends and one said she was starting to see that independence will give Scotland respect rather than the contempt we are getting in the media now. I said probably not initially but we will have our own media then (wish we had it now!)

Ask your friend how being a Northern Venezuela will make us respected.

In what way like Northern Venezuela?

Run by incompetents, dependent on oil at a low price, inflation running higher than adjacent countries, attempting to tax their way to prosperity, growth loe.

Independent Scotland will be run by whoever Scotland votes to run it. We will be self governing for Scotland's good. You really seem to hate that idea. It may be Conservative, Labour, Green, SNP, Libdem, coalition, or some other new party but it will be Scotland's government.

That's something to work for and respect. How can we respect the WM shambles? Fingers in too many pies, trying to be a world player

I don't get your absolute hatred for that goal. Independence isn't about a political party. If you hate the SNP then get indy and then vote them out!

I watched it earlier and could feel my blood pressure rising! The only consolation i take is that hopefully some undecideds see this, and realise that independence is the way forward.

Calyx72 - it wouldn't make any difference no one in Holyrood has the slightest talent.

If the SNP would take its finger of independence and got education, roads, rail and the bridge right then I might consider independance but until then why encourage those who fucked up the country do more.

Time to hold a referendum on shutting down Holyrood.

Totally disagree with you @cdtaylornats. I voted No to independence but I’m glad there is a Scottish Parliament as it brings decision making closer to the people. Yes MSPs don’t get it right all the time but it feels like they are more accountable to the population.

It doesn’t matter who I vote for in Westminster as my MP, along with all the Scottish MPs are such a small group that they make no difference. The utter contempt towards Scotland and the Scottish in the last couple of years really boils my piss.

What I’d like to see is an English parliament/ assembly so Westminster is only about matters that effect the whole of the UK. I doubt it’ll happen though as why would the English electorate or mps want to change the system? The system works for them.

I think that economically independence would be difficult but on all other policies - environment, fisheries, education, agriculture, transport, social security, housing, nhs, we are at opposite ends of the political spectrum to Westminster and the English Right. So next independence referendum I might vote with my heart instead of my head.

Holyrood doesn't though, they have reduced the powers of local areas by merging the emergency services. It is all about the Glasgow - Edinburgh - Stirling triangle and hang the rest.

It;'s been nearly 2 years since Holyrood took over EU farm payments and they still aren't getting through.
The SNP are determined to abandon our fishermen to the CFP.

I think we should chop the UK into Wales size parts as a federal system. Wales, Northern Ireland, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Highlands and Islands, Borders and as many bits of England as required.

Leave Defence, Immigration, trade in Westminster and everything else local.

And do fuck off with this contempt thing.

What about the voters to remain in the UK and those who voted to leave the EU treated with disdain by our rulers in Holyrood.

Even Holyrood is held in contempt as can be seen by the SNP carrying on their education bill despite Holyrood voting against it and carrying on with named person despite being told it contravened the law.

Is that the £160 million EU Convergence Uplift payments meant for Scottish hill farmers that was allocated elsewhere? Michael Gove having now admitted that Scottish farmers will get none of it back? And the education bill has recently been shelved, do keep up.

What you're saying is that we're too stupid. No talent in Holyrood? Oh, so Westminster would look after us so much better?

Education is better in Scotland than in England (sorry, don't know what it's like in Wales or NI. NHS better in Scotland than rest of UK.

Your idea of carving the UK up into Wales-sized chunks is... unlikely, shall we say?

I'm sorry you're so against the thought of Scotland being a normal, independent country, cdtaylornats, but you really shouldn't complain about people who voted to stay in the UK being treated with contempt by the SNP. It simply isn't true. We are still in the UK (unfortunately). The SNP won't have a referendum until there's a majority who want one. It's been 5 years since the last one, longer than a general election. There has been nothing undemocratic about the SNP's conduct.

As for the people who voted to leave the EU being treated with contempt by the SNP, what are you talking about. The SNP want to remain, as the vast majority of Scottish voters do. But in what way have they 'treated leave voters with contempt'?

Whereas MrsAmaretto is right. Scotland and her voters and MPs are being treated shamefully by Westminster and in the media. This Paul Burrell thing is simply more obvious than most and it's really pissed a lot of people off.

Oops! Didn't mean to post and run. Busy weekend and no time to check back in.

The worse thing about it was his drivel about the poor queen and 'her' commonwealth!

I'm ashamed by the forced association I have to Britain's colonialism and the royal family are the biggest 'benefit scroungers' in existence!

(FWIW, I don't believe that there's anywhere near the amount of benefit frauds reported by the media).

Considering the level of austerity enforced by the tories, WHY are they determined to subsidise a country that is apparently a drain on the resources with nothing to contribute!!?

Also, while I completely respect that many will disagree with me, if it comes down to either Nicola Sturgeon or Theresa May (or god forbid, Boris Johnson) as a leader, I know who I'd pick!

It really comes down to the fact that I am sick of being ignored, discounted and oppressed by the Westminster gorvernment. There is no place for the royal family, or house of lords or anything like that in the 21st Century and I'd love nothing more than to be free of their influence.

Scotland has a much lower population than England and until we have independence, we'll be at the whim of a country who we share very little in common (in terms of political values). It's nothing to do with being anti-English, although the more hard borders in place between us and Tommy Robinson and Nigel Farage, the better!!

Really, who cares what he thinks? He's a nobody, no relevance to politics, or Scotland, or anything else.