We all take our own time to get there

Murray Foote was editor of the "No" supporting Daily Record at the time of IndyRef1. It was he who published the infamous Vow, just prior to the vote, in which Messrs Cameron, Brown and Clegg pledged to devolve more powers to Scotland if we voted to remain in the UK.

He subsequently resigned from the DR and announced that he now supported independence for Scotland.

Today he was appointed Head of Communications for the SNP.

We all get there in the end. Murray Foote took a little longer than some. More and more are following suit.

I do think that you are right and it now stands at about 50:50 as you said elsewhere. It will be critical to see how it pans out for everyone in Scotland and also, so vital to heal divisions that exist.

I see you are counting your chickens early again!

Murray Foote appears to always have been an SNP supporter, so he no doubt voted the same way as you in 2014. So I wouldn't count his vote as a 'switcher'.

From the news....

However, after retiring in 2018 after a 33-year newspaper career, Mr Foote declared himself as an SNP supporter and said he had always been "sympathetic" towards independence.Today Mr Foote said "no trees should be wasted" on writing about his appointment. Asked about "The Vow", he said: “I had a job to do. My job was to represent the views of the readership of the Daily Record. That was what I did to the best of my ability, regardless of my political persuasion.”

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Originally Posted by Goodfellers

Today Mr Foote said "no trees should be wasted" on writing about his appointment. Asked about "The Vow", he said: “I had a job to do. My job was to represent the views of the readership of the Daily Record. That was what I did to the best of my ability, regardless of my political persuasion.”

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Aye, I've lied in job interviews too.

My experience of the IndyRef1 campaign was that the Vow had a really significant impact upon the vote. I was heavily involved in my local Yes group at the time and all through the campaign we could feel support for Yes growing. We knew we were gaining votes. Early in the campaign when we held street stalls we had abuse hurled at us. By late August we had folk queuing up to ask questions and to ask for posters, badges etc. Our polling showed we had turned things around. Then the Vow was published and given blanket coverage by the MSM. And the balloon burst. The Vow effectively gave people a third choice - a federal Scotland within the UK. It meant the difficult choice; the leap of faith didn't have to be made. I think, in our group at least, we knew the game was up. The change in mood was palpable.

So, whilst I am pleased to see Murray Foote has formally changed sides and taken up a new post I do find his defence of his previous role a little hard to stomach. He must have known his actions were likely to be a game-changer. If he feels as strongly about independence as I do no amount of money, or indeed job security, would induce me to be complicit in its scuppering.

The way I see it, he was either always an indy supporter, therefore no new vote for 'your side' or as you imply, he lied to get the job. In which case 'we' have an insider in charge of snp media. That's a win win I think :)

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Originally Posted by Goodfellers

The way I see it, he was either always an indy supporter, therefore no new vote for 'your side' or as you imply, he lied to get the job. In which case 'we' have an insider in charge of snp media. That's a win win I think :)

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Unless he is a double agent, of course, in which case you lose. I'm not that bothered either way. We have the wind in our sails and Boris Johnston is the best recruiting sergeant we could have hoped for. I'll only get worried if Blair McDougall or Alistair Darling claim to have had Damascus Road experiences.

Nice to see your sounding so positive. I'll leave a drink behind the bar for you when you get independance. Hopefully I've got a long time to save up.

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Originally Posted by Goodfellers

Nice to see your sounding so positive. I'll leave a drink behind the bar for you when you get independance. Hopefully I've got a long time to save up.

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Well, I don't drink alcohol but if we get Indy and you are buying the drinks I'll make an exception.

Murray Foote is going to have his work cut out working for the SNP if today is anything to go by. Poisoned chalice job.

I don't think anyone could 'spin' a good side to that story.

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Originally Posted by Goodfellers

Murray Foote is going to have his work cut out working for the SNP if today is anything to go by. Poisoned chalice job.

I don't think anyone could 'spin' a good side to that story.

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Probably not...but they could spin a good argument on the blatant hypocritical leaning of a Unionist focused MSM who do not expect UK PMs to comment on, or take responsibility for ,every "inappropriate" action by its MPs.

To illustrate the differences between the way the MSM deals with the Government of the UK and the Government of Scotland, I input Sturgeon and Derek Mackay into google to see what came up, and in the first 24 hours after his 6th February resignation, there were at least five headlines including both names with various bits of additional information (which is all most people will read), and others with a photo/photos of both Sturgeon and Mackay as illustration, even if Sturgeon was not specifically named in the headlines.

I then input the same for May and Andrew Griffiths, the Minister for Small Business, who sent more than 2,000 sex texts and resigned around 14th July, and got nothing mentioning May and Griffiths in the same headline in the first 24 hours, and no article illustration photos of them together at all, in fact the first headline mentioning them both was a week later and was more about bullying allegations swept under the carpet previously than the sexting....and the next headline mentioning them both was when he was reinstated to the Government whip in the following December, before any investigation had taken place into his actions (actions for which the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner later said were OK because only "some" were sent in office hours).

So it is easy to NOT report on something, if reporting on it might damage the governing party in the UK.....but imperative, and as often and loudly as possible, to report on it when it might damage the government of Scotland. And then people still think that the MSM is fair and unbiased, when it shows with regular monotony that it is not.(Just as Foote publishing the VOW during purdah illustrates) Bear in mind that neither Griffiths OR Mackay, did anything illegal...just terminally stupid.

Why is there so little about the SNPs current floundering in scandals on The National website?

It's also odd that the SNP have apparently airbrushed Alex out of thier history....even though he has not yet been found guilty of anything. Each 'side' promotes the stories that suit its agenda. I expect this has always been the way since politics was 'invented'.

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Originally Posted by Goodfellers

It's also odd that the SNP have apparently airbrushed Alex out of thier history....even though he has not yet been found guilty of anything. Each 'side' promotes the stories that suit its agenda. I expect this has always been the way since politics was 'invented'.

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How has the SNP airbrushed Alex out of their history? If they have, it has hardly worked considering you still remember him. At this present moment he is not an SNP party member, and is not involved in the SNP present, so does not warrant a mention....but his years in the SNP have not been airbrushed out. They can never be as long as the MSM doesn't airbrush him out of their archives anyway.

https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.c...history-152489

In the words of Roy "Chubby" Brown.....

"Alex, Alex, Who [on earth] is Alex?