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In earlier columns I stated that Newsnet Scotland (http://newsnetscotland.com/,
a relatively new internet news provider, served Scotland well when the
Scottish ‘mainstream’ press, the London press’s Scottish editions and
the BBC were fervently anti-independence. As years passed, Newsnet’s
increasing exposure of the casual mendaciousness, duplicity and perfidy
of the United Kingdom government became increasingly influential among
Scots. The Scottish ‘mainstream’ papers lost readers in droves and were
forced to make a turnaround or go out of business.
BBC Scotland is another story. The BBC once had an impeccable reputation
for unbiased coverage of general and political news. But they were, and
still are, blatantly hostile to Scottish Independence. They now have a
complete stable of dirty tricks: heckling and purposely interrupting
interviews with Scottish independence supporters, selectively editing
news stories, ‘stacking’ debates with independence supporters, and so
on. But they are protected by their ‘apolitical’ masters. Newsnet
Scotland has made some progress with BBC Scotland, but there is still a
long way to go.
All that said, Newsnet Scotland has a glaring defect: subtly treating
Scotland’s membership of the European Union as a ‘done deal’ upon
independence. The Scottish National Party (SNP) has for decades believed
that the EU will be the salvation of Scotland, and has had a policy of
‘Scotland in Europe”. The Scottish Government ignores the fact that
Scotland's existing membership of the EU through the UK's membership is
the worst calamity to hit Scotland since 1707. Considering the Common
Fisheries Policy (CFP) alone, The CFP virtually destroyed the Scottish
fisheries industry. This policy alone is costing Scotland considerably
more than £1,500 million in lost wealth creation every year. The EU has
destroyed tens of thousands of jobs through the CFP. And the
incompetence of the EU's management of the CFP continues to this day.
I will have more to say about the EU in later columns – if Electric
Scotland will continue to publish them. Meantime, let’s get back to the
current subject, which is about Newsnet Scotland. Comments posted in
Newsnet are subject to moderation, and most of the moderators appear to
be members or strong supporters of Scotland’s membership of the EU. Any
commenter such as myself who points out that the SNP’s dream,
‘independence in Europe’ (meaning the EU) is an oxymoron is extremely
unlikely to see his comment in print.
The SNP and First Minister Alex Salmond refuse to believe that
Scotland could never be independent in the EU. Scotland would
merely be exchanging its overlords in Westminster for overlords in
Brussels.
If the commenter on Newsnet also points out that a YES win in next
year’s Independence Referendum does not give the First Minister – or
anyone else – any authority to subject Scotland to EU membership,
that comment is also highly unlikely to be published.
(I should point out that I have been banned from commenting in Newsnet.) |
