29 thoughts on “IT’S AN UTTER SCANDAL… OH, WAIT”

  1. The SQA is what’s known as a an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body.
    The whole point of an Executive NDPB is that it should be independent of ministers and of political interference.

    Here’s how functions of an Executive NDPD are described on the Scottish Government web site:

    Functions of NDPBs are such that:

    it is appropriate for Ministers to set the strategic framework for the body and remain ultimately but not directly responsible for the services it provides, as opposed either to bringing it under more immediate Ministerial control or transferring the function or service to a private sector body, contracting it out, or abolishing it

    the functions or services in question require specialist knowledge or expertise which civil servants would be unable to provide

    there is a need for a body to provide independent, expert advice to Ministers

    the services in question should be provided by a body which is responsible for taking its own decisions without political influence or interference

    https://www.gov.scot/publications/public-bodies-in-scotland-guide

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  2. So the spittle flecked vehemence that comes to mind when thinking about Colonel Baroness Davidson and down-grading Higher scores shall become tight lipped silence? Thought so.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Never sure which version of Colonel Windbag is the least repellent, the snarling harriden, the tight lipped pouter or the gushing “in you come and have nice cuppie” media construct. Whichever it is, we’ll be well shot of here on her £330 a day + travel + subsidised meals + even less accountability than now.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. I think all three personas are equally unlikeable, Iain.

        I think, additionally, there’s the liar that hasn’t got the bottle to tell her boss (Mr Johnson) that she is resigning because she can’t stand him, and who chooses instead to make her little boy the excuse for standing down (incidentally, in doing so, hacking off at least one, to my certain knowledge, absolutely dedicated Tory voter who was outraged at the damage that her actions had done to women who want to have kids and work.

        I’m pretty sure the noble baroness was tempted back with a transfusion of blue blood, a silly 17th century title and £330 a day door opener, when Cummings’ plan to ditch the hapless Jackson hit the buffers with the image of 8 months of Annie Wells making a gibbering nonsense of herself on a daily basis as deputy stand-in leader until his wee message boy, Dross by name and dross by nature, could get himself the Scottish equivalent of a peerage in the Holyrood parliament.

        They all make me sick.

        Liked by 2 people

        Reply

    3. Here she is getting air-time on the BBC…something about falling on a sword.
      Her concern now is less to do with the students and their awarded qualifications and more about what she calls the “u-turn”.
      Would I been cynical to suggest that the plan all along was to “get Swinney” one way or the other ?
      https://t.co/0k4vUdQW76

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

        1. So that’s twice she was made to look stupid. Bet she wishes she was in her new place of work listening to the refined and gentile snores of the ancient and noble aristos

          Liked by 2 people

          Reply

          1. … and in particular the pearls of wisdom that drop from the lips of that shining star of forensic intellect, Baron Foulkes of Cumnock, whenever he rouses from the torpor induced by his heroic consumption of taxpayer-subsidized fine wines and spirits.

            Alas, she will not hear the dulcet tones of lifelong committed socialist Baron Darling of Roulanish, who has rusticated himself onto the international after-dinner speakers’ circuit; should she wish to engage him to bloviate and bluster in favour of dependence and to sing the Red Flag during the upcoming Better Together II campaign, he may be contacted through his booking agency All American Entertainment (AAE) on https://archive.vn/ntou5.

            She should be warned, though, that his services will cost her campaign’s shy and retiring donors a lot more than £300 a pop plus travel and expenses.

            Liked by 1 person

            Reply

          2. Listened and watched this video.
            Why did the PO stop Ross Greer in the flow of his speech?
            Then we hear ruthie giving him a lecture on the Dross output but not saying much.
            Then a bit of noise in the chamber.
            The PO then says ‘Let’s hear the question’
            But there was no question just a statement.
            Is this what the PO considers a reasonable intervention or is it reasonable for a onionist to be given more rights than the others.
            Surely the ruthie should have been told to sit down as she didn’t address the point Ross Greer was making, was the Dross going to support the disgraced williamson.
            What is it about the tories and the desk thumping?
            I got the lochgellie for that kind of BAD behavior at school.

            Liked by 1 person

            Reply

          3. Great typo, Tris. Only gentile snores? Ho ho! Does alleged Labour anti-
            semitism now extend to their arstocrats as well and only non-Jewish members of the Hordes of Louse are allowed to snooze noisily?

            Oops. On re-reading, I think I made a typo as well, but worth keeping, I’m sure you’ll agree. Especially as it’s so appropriate for the latest Scottish appointee. Or appointshe, to appease the feminists among us.

            Liked by 2 people

            Reply

  3. And there was Alex Massie in The Spectator just now seeming to say that the exams crisis debacle U-turn scandal shock horror ESSEMPEEBAD Nicola Sturgeon outrage would be the thing that turned fatigued and impatient Scottish voters off the SNP and the idea of independence in favour of the shining New Jerusalem in dear old Blighty’s Brexity COVID-free uplands. Or something.

    Those fools and charlatans down there couldn’t break an omelette without getting egg on their faces and shooting themselves in both feet, I always say.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  4. Just for certainty, the Welsh and Irish use the same examination boards.
    My view is that the examinations were not fully available and a workround was decided .
    If you hear the head of the english board she says that the results were engineered to model previous years outcomes.
    All we need to do is to stop education of the masses. Just send in your post code and a pass certificate will be posted out to you. Much like the american system that a certain doctor paisley used.
    We can do away with teachers, lecturers and all the buildings, just have child care IF it’s necessary.
    That’s a stupid position but that’s what they have started.
    Handing out results certificates when there were NO testing other than prelims or mock exams.
    The SQA also handle the Modular System of education.
    There the methodology is to educate and test in short pieces of study material, testing of individual segments can be weekly.
    Maybe the request by ruthie for the scripts to be returned shows that they know very litle of what happens in Scottish Education at present. Lots of subjects are taught and tested continuously throughout the year.
    How do you continuously assess when the students don’t turn up due to a virus.
    You can model your new system on the Open University model of education, tv, video,computers and written material, testing by postal returns.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. Mr Williamson did make a valid comment though about the risk of giving people unrealistic expectations beyond their actual level of attainment – after all they can’t all be in the UK cabinet.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  7. A week is a long time in politics. A week ago the MSM thought they had the Holyrood administration where they wanted them to start a lot of negative newspaper columns. However John Swinney’s department pulled the rug from under their feet. Let see how the education department of the Westminster government deal with their unhappy students. The icing on the cake this week was the poll that confirmed what we already new the support for independence is stable. It wasn’t that long ago that certain newspaper editors said that support for independence will struggle because of the pandemic as Scots will want the comfort of Westminster. If we did it would be a death wish.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Oh dear, they just don’t have a clue, do they?

      The comfort of the worst country in Europe?

      The comfort on a laughing stock second only to Trump, in the Fat Controller?

      The comfort of monstrous ministers such as Patel, Rees Mogg, Gove?

      The comfort of 800 aristos including the Fat Controller’s brother and Ian Botham?

      Jings. Not a bloody clue.

      Like

      Reply

  8. The mention of the 17th century above, and alongside the post below, makes me inclined to believe that the tityre-tu have in mind some hamesucken/hamesookin.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. Wikileaks exposure resulted in a large number of USA media operatives being charged for Seditious Conspiracy and breaches of the RICO (Racketeer Infuenced and Corrupt Organisations) Act.
    Is your favourite politico or Journalist in this list of 90?

    I am not sure if this is new information as the original article is dated January 2020. It could be that the indictments have just been unsealed and arrests made, I don’t know at this juncture.

    https://threader.app/thread/1213240094703935488

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a reply to trispw Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Talking-up Scotland / Scottish media fact checking is like shooting fish in a barrel

I cost nothing to run so donate to https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/

The Dunglishman

The bilingual blog about all things British

STAGE LEFT

Love, theatre and ideas

Scotty Grant

Wildonline.blog

British Wildlife & Photography

scotlandisdifferent

Why Scotland should be an independent country

BrawBlether

Thoughts about Scotland & the world, from a new Scot

Divided We Fall

Bipartisan dialogue for the politically engaged

Insightful Geopolitics

Impartial Everytime Always

maxspilleroftea.wordpress.com/

Black Isle Media

We Provide The Facts, You Make The Decisions

The Broad Spectrum Life

Exploring Rhymes, Reasons, and Nuances of Our World

Musical Matters...

Mark Doran's Music Blog

Zoolon

Songwriter / Guitarist

Best in Australia

This site supports Scottish Independence

thehistorytwins

A comic about history and stuff by FT

For Scotland

My Life as Graham

The embittered mumblings of a serial malcontent.

Jamie Maxwell

Raptor Persecution UK

Pride's Purge

an irreverent look at UK politics

ScienceSwitch

Exploring the Depths of Curiosity

Mark All My Words

Nature + Health

netbij.com

http://netbij.com

Chris Hallam's World View

Movies, politics, comedy and more...