Nicola's TED TALK

Jane10, totally agree with everything you say, they try to give the impression that everyone up here in Scotland agrees with the SNP, but that is completely wrong, my friends and family all agree that the SNP have ruined Scotland, they only have one purpose, independence, so everything else is secondary to that

I was referring to the defibs on emergency vehicles, not volunteer ones. It's another example of centralised decision-making to the detriment of those outside the Central Belt. www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeen/1773195/life-saving-defibrillators-stripped-from-north-east-fire-engines-and-sent-to-other-parts-of-scotland/

My thought too.
There's a defibrillator 3 minutes away from my home and another 5 mins away. Both funded by donations from the local community.

Suedomin I am puzzled by your reference to defibrillators being removed and sent to the Central Belt. I live in a village right in the middle of the central belt and know for a fact that our defibrillator and the 2nd one we are about to have were not supplied by the NHS or Scottish Government but rather by fundraising and sponsorship within the village. The local paper often reports on defibrillators in neighbouring towns/villages, all acquired in the same way. I also know that the defibrillators on the Ilse of Barra were funded similarly.

Perhaps you could expand on your comment to explain where/why this is happening?

I'm, indeed, a fan of NS and the SNP because they have stuck to what the Scottish people voted for and consistently warned about the dangers for us of leaving the EU.
The Scottish people voted to remain in the UK. They haven’t stuck to that result.
I have not used the word rabidbut I will never forget trying to cross George Square to reach the station and the comments of the marchers about breaking their ranks! A friendly policeman ensured my safe passage!
By the way, NS delivered a well rehearsed TED talk ,full of virtue signalling I hardly recognised her!There was nothing off the cuff about it .

I say that opinions quoted by me do not come the 'rabid facepainted rabble' but from a cross section of intelligent, thinking, educated Scots.
By the way do you include rugby enthusiasts at Murrayfield sporting the Saltire on their cheeks as part of that 'rabble'? Or fans at Twickenham with their red n white face paint as the English equivalent?
This is the binary, polarised thinking that is divisive. It simply doesn't recognise that there is a broad spectrum of opinion.

I used the word 'rabid' as I'm so used to seeing the more vociferous facepainted rabble grabbing attention at the expense of more detailed examination of what SNP have actually done rather than talked about.

English Grans be aware that by watching the TED talk you are seeing her presenting herself in the best possible light. There's another side to it all and it ain't pretty!
I could say much more.

The SNP Grans on here are welcome to their opinions as are us unionist Grans. I don't need to use capital letters.

Funny how independence for Scotland, running their own affairs,no outside interference, throwing off the chains of Westminster and so on is considered so admirable, yet we leavers who want to do exactly the same thing ref: - the EU are considered all the dreadful things under the sun including homophobic,stupid in the extreme, almost criminal, and much more besides! Why is so brave and noble for Scotland to run their own affairs free of outside interference and yet the worse kind of abomination for the rest of us?!!

No SNP supporter (I'm fairly sure I've not used the term 'rabid' - it's not my style) on GN has ever responded to my concerns about SNP policies.

The unfairness of the SNPs concentration of funding in the Central Belt. My area gets the lowest funding for school pupils in the whole of Scotland and that's been the same for years now. Second lowest funding of Countil Tax, also for many years. Glasgow and Edinburgh have so many shiny toys such as cultural attractions, trams, bridges, roads. All we have - finally - is a city bypass, after 70 years (not that all that is the fault of SNP, of course!).

The rot in NHS Scotland. I used to be proud of how good our NHS was compared to England. Not any more. It's disjointed, lacks communication, is understaffed and over-bureaucratic.

The decline of education. Again, I used to be so proud of the education available in Scotland. It's now a shadow of its former self, falling down the PISA tables and using a system not even teachers and parents fully understand. The insistence on testing of small children, despite teachers saying it's not useful. The shortfall of teachers in many areas. John Swinney cannot bear admit he's wrong about anything and our children suffer for it. Please don't come back with 'Ah but we have free university' when many Scottish youngsters cannot avail themselves of a university education because places for Scots are limited while others places for English/non-EU students are unlimited.

The centralisation of emergency services to the CB , which has led to dire situations when emergency help is needed. The removal of defibrillators from this area to the Central Belt because presumably CB lives are more important than ours.

I could go on but I'm getting depressed now so I'm going to go and play with my granddaughter to cheer myself up.

My reaction too Cal. A scattering of capitals, clearly for emphasis, is hardly shouting.
Why on earth in the real world would that be more offensive than using bold text?
The gospel according to 'netiquette'? Grow up!

I too object to being labelled as 'rabid' and have made the effort to voice my support of most SG policies in a rational and courteous way. I have neither invented nor exaggerated comments made by hard-working and professional friends and family ( none of whom could be described as rabid SNP fans).

I don't understand the people who continue to want a no-deal Brexit despite all the warnings.

I've yet to hear sensible arguments for why crashing out of the EU would be worth the wholesale slaughtering of our farm animals (while arranging to double our imports of New Zealand lamb or open the way to huge imports of chicken and beef from the US) in the name of a sharp exit...even less so the rumoured plan for us to send Welsh and Scots lamb to Japan.

I was a natural Lib Dem voter who still can't get over how they unashamedly propped up the Tories at Westminster and the Labour party in the first two terms of the Scottish government.

If they become king-makers again in either place the vote will be wasted and we will be stuck with more of the same.

I'm, indeed, a fan of NS and the SNP because they have stuck to what the Scottish people voted for and consistently warned about the dangers for us of leaving the EU.

Under proportional representation, it is very difficult for any party to have an overall majority in Scotland and far easier for smaller groups like the Tories to have representation which would be denied under first-past-the-post. A better system all round and the Greens have proved to be excellent coalition partners while remaining true to their own principles.

A lot of very sensible pro-SNP comments here get battered down unreasonably and I am very glad to see that so many people have watched the video before commenting.

I agree with Jane10 that for some of us on both sides, minds will not be changed, but that should not stifle debate or prevent reasonable points being made.

I don't think the word rabid was helpful or fair.

Quite so, Jane10! I suppose I could just copy & paste my previous responses.

It's not worth engaging with the rabid SNP fans. It's not like either of us are going to change the others' mind!

Granny23 I've frequently rebutted Paddyann's claims on other threads but she seems not to like that and prefers to SHOUT instead.

Using all capitals is bad online etiquette (netiquette). It should not be used for emphasis, it is considered to be shouting.

I think if you want to emphasise a point you could embolden the print like this.

Putting a few words in caps is not shouting - it is an accepted method of emphasising words or points in written work.

Why not address the points raised and contribute something to the debate/conversation and complain (if you must) in Pendants Corner

If you have to shout to make your point, you've lost the argument.

^Sad isn;t it that folk dont hav eenough confidence in OWN country to want it to rule itself .I

Confidence,like respect, has to be earned!
Now, where have I said I hate Wee Nicola?
BTW ,your shouting rather makes my point.

Nicola Sturgeon IS doing the day job and doing it a damn sight better than ANY unionist politician in WM.She rarely mentions Independence which is grass roots led NOT SNP led .
She has consistently worked for a better Scotland, at home and abroad and the hatred shown to her even here by people who should know better is appalling.
It would appear that its those who SAY they are Scots BUT are happy to be ruled by people not who we didn't vote for and who know nothing about our country and care even less.Why is it that Scotland needs PERMISSION to hold a referendum yet Westminster didn't need our permission to hold the Brexit one? Aren't we SUPPOSED to be parnters in this DIS united kingdom? Sad isn;t it that folk dont hav eenough confidence in OWN country to want it to rule itself .

The media, principally the BBC (who made Drug related deaths in Scotland their top story) failed to mention that policy on drugs is a reserved matter, nor that drug related deaths are recorded differently in Scotland than in the rest of the UK - i.e in Scotland, any death where an illegal substance is found in the body during a post mortum is recorded as drug related, even when the cause of death is an accident, murder, or the result of a pre-existing medical condition. This is not the case in the rest of the UK, where only deaths CAUSED by illegal drugs are recorded as drug related.

Nor did the BBC report that in the same set of figures released by the Office for National Statistics it was shown that

Scotland is the only country in the UK to have seen a significant reduction in alcohol-related deaths this century, an official report has revealed. In 2017, Scottish males were twice as likely to die from alcohol-related causes than those in England.But the report said the number had fallen by 21% since 2001. In Northern Ireland it rose by 40% over the same period.

This is significant because the SG DOES have powers in respect of alcohol/alcoholism because this is regarded as a Health Issue and has used these powers successfully to cause/contribute to, a 21% reduction in alcohol related deaths, particularly among younger people.

To those who consider that the SNP is a one trick pony, obsessed with Independence, I can only say that they have many admirable polices (remaining in the EU, making Scotland nuclear free, protecting the environment, creating a more equitable society) which will only come to fruition if/when Scotland is a self governing country, free to make its own decisions based on the needs, hopes and ambitions of its own people.

Fair enough! I don't follow her closely enough obviously. Nevertheless, I still think the TEDtalk was inspiring.

If she weren't obsessed with independence, she could (hypothetically) concentrate on other issues.
But the other issues are the job she’s paid for!!
She is very good at virtue signalling but we’ve seen and heard it all before

Paddyann I think your assertions about Westminster preventing Scotland solving its drug problem were pretty much exposed as fake news on another recent thread about the drugs issue.

An awful lot of people in Scotland are very fed up of the SNP. In the last fortnight I've learnt that two sets of friends have decided to up sticks and move to England. Not just over the border, either, but to within a couple of hours of London. I was absolutely astounded when I heard, as I consider them Scottish through and through and never dreamt they would want to live anywhere else.

Which is why I think it's a shame that Sturgeon is Scottish. For the record, I think Scottish independence is a rubbish idea, although I really can understand why some Scots would resent Westminster, just as I can understand why some people in many of the English regions resent Westminster.

Nevertheless, I think Sturgeon has some good qualities as a politician and I'd actually quite like to have her on "my" side, in preference to some of the idiots we have. If she weren't obsessed with independence, she could (hypothetically) concentrate on other issues.

Hope I've explained myself clearly.

Wee Nicola only remembers/forgets what she wants to remember/forget.Her hypocrisy beggars belief.

Scotland didn't vote for Boris as PM, she whines. Perhaps she needs reminding she was not voted in as First Minister.

In 2016 she lost her own seemingly unassailable majority and had to form a minority government shored up by a party of extremist cranks.
Remind you of anyone?

For the SNP ,independence transcends everything. They only care for their own narrow reason for existence,and for that to be achieved at any cost.