The role of the media in #indyref

[Guest]

Well dodged HB.

As expected.

[Dipped Flake]

I don't read newspapers .

I also don't take my worldview from idiot journalists, so I couldn't really care less what the media reports on the issue.

I have no idea how partial or impartial the media are on this niche issue. I suspect it depends on the views of the journalists and editorial slant of the newspaper itself.

I'll take that as a no then, thanks.

[H_B]

I'll take that as a no then, thanks.

You can take it whatever way you like. I'll ask you a question :-

"Are you blaming the media for Yes's defeat?"

[Dipped Flake]

You can take it whatever way you like. I'll ask you a question :-

"Are you blaming the media for Yes's defeat?"

as usual you refuse to answer any questions but I'll answer yours. The YES campaign will win, despite the unionist bias at all levels of the media. People see the same scare stories all the time and they will eventually realise that the no camp have nothing to offer.

[DjembaDjemba]

the media decides every election on the planet its very naive to think otherwise

[deky]

You can take it whatever way you like. I'll ask you a question :-

"Are you blaming the media for Yes's defeat?"

Did I miss the vote?

That's pure shite so it is.

[AUFC90]

the media decides every election on the planet its very naive to think otherwise

Agreed. Its a fact that I cant get away from when trying to be confident of a yes vote.

[DjembaDjemba]

I don't think a yes vote is a possibility, if you think about all sources of info are controlled by the no camp, it would literally be a miracle to achieve a yes vote in those circumstances, absolutely incredible.

[AUFC90]

There is a chance. A small chance but a chance none the less. Here's hoping.

[DjembaDjemba]

I don't see it, the lies will only become louder and more vociferous the closer it gets to the vote

[Kaz]

So, basically just preaching to the converted?

That''ll get you far!

What I'm suggesting is not wasting time trying to persuade people who are pretending to be open to persuasion but aren't, and instead focus on those with an ability to process logical arguments. But then I think you knew that.

[Baxter Parp]

I don't see it, the lies will only become louder and more vociferous the closer it gets to the vote

Misery guts. The polls are no worse than they were for the SNP at the same period before the last election.

Which reminds me: http://www.snp.org/media-centre/news/2013/dec/final-poll-2013-shows-substantial-snp-lead

[Kaz]

Misery guts. The polls are no worse than they were for the SNP at the same period before the last election.

Which reminds me: http://www.snp.org/media-centre/news/2013/dec/final-poll-2013-shows-substantial-snp-lead

I don't recall there being a widespread and concerted campaign in the national media before the last election telling people that if they voted SNP every aspect of their lives would get worse.

[Baxter Parp]

I don't recall there being a widespread and concerted campaign in the national media before the last election telling people that if they voted SNP every aspect of their lives would get worse.

Then your powers of recall are weak, young padawan.

[DjembaDjemba]

You know that whole if all yes voters convince one no voter to vote yes we win, well if all yes voters killed one no voter we would win too

[I'm Brian]

the lies will only become louder and more vociferous the closer it gets to the vote

I agree, but I would also throw the word desperate into that as well.

No one can argue with any substance, even the most hard nosed unionist can't, that what has come out so far is desperate stuff from Better Together. But they are making some glaring mistakes, and this has to be the main reason as to why the no vote is shrinking. The noises coming from Tory Central Office would back this up.

They are a movement that has no unity and different people are saying different things. And over the course of the next nine months it will get so much worse. You can only fool people for so long. They have no credible counter argument.

Don't underestimate the role of the online world though. There are less than a million papers sold in Scotland every day. That's large majority of people that don't buy them. The online world is the one thing that the Unionists cannot control.

Even if the stuff that I share around my various outlets convinces one person to vote Yes then it will be worth it. I know most of my contacts that will be voting read it. Whether they agree with it or not is a different matter, but they do read it. And more importantly they are getting an alternative viewpoint, which they wouldn't get if they read the papers.

[DjembaDjemba]

I would like to be that optimistic but IMO the election like any other will be decided by the majority of people who don't actively seek any kind of news or info and just believe what they are fed, and also in this one bigoted Rangers fans, I don't see how the yes camp can overcome that.

[Baxter Parp]

I would like to be that optimistic but IMO the election like any other will be decided by the majority of people who don't actively seek any kind of news or info and just believe what they are fed, and also in this one bigoted Rangers fans, I don't see how the yes camp can overcome that.

By being relentlessly positive whilst also pointing out the dangers of voting no.

[I'm Brian]

I would like to be that optimistic but IMO the election like any other will be decided by the majority of people who don't actively seek any kind of news or info and just believe what they are fed, and also in this one bigoted Rangers fans, I don't see how the yes camp can overcome that.

Believe me I am your stereotypical Scot, always down on themselves. Before I became engaged with the debate I was a Yes voter who thought we wouldn't win. But once I started doing a bit of research and saw what the Unionists were up to I started to believe we can win. I took more of an active role because if come the 19th September Yes had lost, and I had done nothing to try and gain a yes vote, I could never forgive myself.

The way I look at the Rangers point is that they are offset by the Celtic fans. Generally speaking of course.

Not all Rangers fans will be voting No, in the same way that not all Celtic fans will be voting yes, but I would be willing to stick my neck out and say that they will mirror each other in the voting stakes.

The battleground in this referendum is the don't knows. My opinion is that the Hard No's and the Hard Yes's are roughly equal in size. Convincing the don't knows is crucial to either side's victory and they are the ones who will be looking for information to make their decision.

[ddfg]

I don't believe that you are undecided. You are a typical no voter. I think it was Swampy who pointed it out on another thread, but it's amazing how people like yourself become hard nosed political sceptics when discussing SNP policy, but time and time again give Westminster a free pass. Nothing in life is certain. None of us know what's going to happen tomorrow in our own lives or in politics. 20 years ago, could you have predicted the UK government involving us in 2 pointless, expensive wars? Could you have predicted the pension age rising? Could you have predicted the Royal Mail/NHS being sold off? Could you have predicted the huge increase in the need for foodbanks? Could you have predicted an 11% payrise for politicians when the rest of the country is struggling? Could you have predicted the economic crash? Being part of a larger union didn't protect us or give us certainty about any of those things.

What you can do though is look at the past behaviour of all parties and the future intentions of all parties and make an educated guess as to who is likely to serve the future of Scotland best. For example, does Westminster or Holyrood have a better record of managing a budget properly? Would Westminster or Holyrood be more likely to make decisions which expose us or shield us from boom/bust economics? Which government is more likely to make the best use of the remaining oil? These are just a few examples.

Unionists don't want to address these sort of questions honestly. They want to sit back and concern troll like you have just done. I've changed my mind on this recently and can now see why a lot of people on the yes side simply cannot be bothered trying to have a reasonable discussion with such trolls with their strange little emotional attachment to the Unionist family, and prefer to focus on those who are genuinely interested in listening and

discussing things properly.

Thanks for keeping me right, I actually voted SNP at the last two Holyrood elections as I thought they were the best option of the parties available to vote for. I remain to be convinced that they have answers to some of the questions that are important to me on relation to the referendum, if they can answer those then my position may change. I fail to see how having a differing opinion makes someone a troll.