David Cameron and The Meaning of Pig Gate

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  1. Frank says:

    Pretty pointless piece, which is more about the self promotion of Cat Boyd than anything else.
    I have detected a tendency in recent weeks for Bella to act as a fanzine for the so called Rise movement. I’m not anti-Rise, merely pointing out that it may be a strategic mistake for Bella to become a mouthpiece for the far left in Scotland.

    A colleague of mine, whose opinion I trust, attended one of the Rise meetings in Edinburgh only to discover that it was mainly ex SWP types, and a handful of folk in the SSP. The gulf between rhetoric and reality, between the official Rise hype, and what’s happening on the ground, is quite considerable.

    1. Jon Buchanan says:

      Pretty pointed comment Frank, for a piece which discusses Westminster corruption and power plays and its deep rooted connections to public school elite rituals as exemplified by Piggate, without once mentioning RISE. Cat’s opinion pieces and those of others involved with RISE or the wider Scottish left appeared in Bella long before RISE formed as a grouping, right through Indyref, I don’t think the editorial team took a collective decision to become a ‘mouthpiece’ for them, they just continue to publish a spectrum of Yes supporting opinion as far as I can see, though I have noticed quite a few comments drawing attention to the fact they appear now in recent weeks, funnily enough since the same figures came out in support of the RISE grouping.

      What rhetoric and reality is there a gulf between that you want to highlight? What you heard from a friend about certain ‘types’? Many of the RISE meetings were available to view on IndependenceLive, transparency there from the inception, pathfinders to launch to circle meetings, and no one was saying one thing doing another; in a networked world, especially one built on the kinds of trust and community based networks of the Yes movement, where those kind of gaps, if they existed, could easily be exposed, it would be a wholly disingenuous PR exercise surely; beginning a comment with an ‘I’m not anti…(fill in the blank here), but…’, disclaimer tends to offer certain pointers as to where the opinion might be headed, and this one seems to follow a slightly familiar pattern, though I’d be willing to be disabused of that notion.

      1. Clare Galloway says:

        I’m with Jon on that one- well responded, Jon!

      2. Frank says:

        Jon, one example where there is a gulf between rhetoric and reality, and this applies to the far left in general, and not just Rise (they are yet to be tested electorally), is the curious fact that a movement which aims to speak for ‘the people’ or the working class as they would frame it, usually gets such derisory election results. I think the average far left vote is around 1%. The point I am making is this – what the far left promises, and what it can actually deliver, are miles a part.

        Other problems abound. The far left vote is potentially split across three other left wing parties – interestingly none of the others get promoted on here – only Rise, but the likelihood is that none of them will get elected. Their hatred for one another is deeply unpleasant for anyone who has witnessed it, and even if they do get elected, I’m not sure what it is they want to achieve in parliament. They lack detailed policies, think mainly in slogans, and are stuck in a constant narrative of what it is they are against, and seldom outline what they stand for.

        The ‘types’ I mentioned and I was clear about this, were ex SWP types who in the main are ultraleftists, political dogmatists with a poor track record of delivery and committed to a type of politics which I think is outdated.

        God, I’m cynical!

    2. Darby O'Gill says:

      Firstly Frank, RISE only came into existence four weeks ago at their launch on 29th August. An event involving collaboration between RIC, the SSP and those non-aligned on the left of politics, and with guest speakers from Canada, USA, Poland, Germany and Greece is bound to be reported on with some enthusiasm by Bella Caledonia, but that hardly makes it a ‘fanzine’. Anyway the organisation itself will not be constituted until November.

      There has only been one meeting of the Edinburgh ‘Circle’ so far. It involved 40 or so individuals who identified themselves by name. Some chose to mention their political party as well. I chose not to, as did about two-thirds of those present, the majority of whom seemed to be from RIC.

      1. Lenny says:

        I think it’s fantastic that an organisation which has no leaders, has decided to field electoral candidates in all Scottish regions next year and has managed to get guest speakers from so many different countries. All of this from an organisation which has yet to be constituted is a real lesson in democracy.

    3. Professor John Robertson says:

      Spot on Cat. Frank, if Cat’s comments are interesting, it matters little if there’s an element of self-promotion. When you accuse someone else of self-promotion, stop and think if it might apply to you too.

      1. Frank says:

        The comment I made about self-promotion was a dig at people trying to make careers out of the independence movement, and there are many. I’m just not that keen on ‘professional radicals’; and I would have preferred if the left could have sat down around a table and agreed not to stand against one another (non-aggression pacts shall we say), but some people will put their ambitions to be MSPs before the cause – and that includes Tommy Sheridan as well, and not just the Rise group. As for the comments being interesting, I would say that manufactured ranting about the Tories, Westminster and public school boys, is well, how can I say it, predictable as hell.

        1. Conor Cheyne says:

          Who are you to call anyone careerists? People such as Cat gave much of their own time and money to try win a Yes vote. Just because she isn’t in the SNP doesn’t mean she doesn’t deserve credit for what she has accomplished.

          Your accusations about Bella being a mouthpiece for RISE. I’m sorry, I never realised that Bella couldn’t post articles from other Pro-Indy parties other than the SNP? For every RISE article there are hundreds for the SNP. Is it a bad thing that I could then accuse Bella of being an SNP mouthpiece?

          Bella is a platform for Independence movement. That includes everyone in the Independence movement, whether you like it or not. If you just want to see SNP related articles where no one will challenge them, go over to Wings.

          1. Frank says:

            Connor, when you post videos of yourself making speeches on the Internet, when you engage in self-promotion, and the deliberate marketing of yourself as a political figure, then the public has every right to criticise and disrupt the narrative you are trying to present. Welcome to politics.

            Also, I’m not sure I get your point about the SNP either; I am just as critical of the SNP on this site as I am of the group Rise.

  2. Grant says:

    I thought this was a really worthwhile piece, echoing what Cat said in her column in the National this week (an article which complemented Michael Gray’s analysis of the same issue from a different angle.

    As for RISE, we are a diverse movement. I’ve talked to a number of folk who have attended different meetings – none are alike. We’re not doing anything based on some predetermined formula and the shape, agenda and dynamic are dependant on who is involved in each area.

    The reality is that it’s very early days. Being dismissive at this stage is a tactic of the mainstream media to deal with something it doesn’t or doesn’t want to understand. Meanwhile, we’ve only just left the starting blocks. Keep watching!

  3. Kimberley Cadden says:

    I really liked Cat’s article on this and others that were written on the same subject. It’s her conflation of SNP and Scottish Labour (in terms of the politics of the two) that meant I couldn’t share her particular article as that is absurd, but I don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater – as always she makes many good points.

  4. bringiton says:

    I am afraid that you are correct Cat.
    The brain dead Daily Mail readers who despise dependency when it comes to “benefit scroungers” but see nothing wrong with voting to have Scotland remain dependant on handouts from London,are completely unfazed by any revelations about Westminster sleaze so long as their lifestyle is maintained.

  5. bill fraser says:

    I just loved this article by Cat .She showed just what is wrong with the ruling and moneyed classes of our near neighbors.We can create a much fairer country than what we are at present having to abide.The answer is in our own hands.

  6. Tony Rozga says:

    Spot on Cat. your right, the pig thing is actually trivial. It’s the control that the elite exercises over the rest of us. As a starter, in an independent Scotland, I would do as the Norweigans do, and ban the making of profit from education, therefore scrapping the private education system. Manufacturing nothing more than a ruling class.

  7. Chris Ramsey says:

    Great vlog Cat. I must be getting old to quote religious leaders but.. ‘Self-publicity is okay, so long as you don’t inhale’- George MacLeod, Iona Community

  8. john young says:

    Do those of the right far or otherwise have any proposals for a fair and better society if they have I haven,t seen any of this.Is it also true that Dodgy wasn,t involved in politics early doors but couldn,t find employment in the citeh even with his background,the allegation is that it was a phone call from Buck house to the tory central hq office to put up Dodgy.

  9. James Dow A voice from the diaspora says:

    Frank, In his time I think Jesus could have been described as a self promoting radical. What say you Frank?

    1. Frank says:

      Jesus, was another pseudo radical chancer if you ask me. But I am laughing out loud at the thought of JC doing an internet ‘vlog’.

  10. Brian Fleming says:

    James, and look how he ended up.

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