(We must conclude from all this, incidentally, that John Swinney LOVES the Tories, because he had no problem accepting an indyref from a right-wing party in 2012.)
If Scotland leaves the UK, who might be the Prime Minister of the remains of it is none of his business, and certainly shouldn’t be a dealbreaker in achieving independence.
If there’s anyone left in the SNP with a shred of integrity (and if there is they must be very deep undercover indeed), Swinney ought to be challenged for the leadership at next month’s conference and replaced with someone – the Lord alone knows who – who’s actually willing to pursue the party’s supposed primary goal, because Swinney has now dismissed every possible route to it out of hand.
Something rather extraordinary happened yesterday, dearest readers. Very briefly, we absolutely genuinely thought someone in a position of some influence in the SNP had taken a meaningful step towards being serious about independence.
We are not being sarcastic. Look: here it is. (Transcript at bottom of article.)
Dave Doogan is the SNP’s leader at Westminster. And let’s be clear: that is EXACTLY what the SNP’s stance ought to be. Its only purpose is supposed to be the securing of Scottish independence, and no peaceful democratic means of achieving that ought to be off the table. We couldn’t believe what we were hearing, like it was a dream.
The SNP was not formed with the purpose of denying England/the UK the government it voted for, it was formed to completely sever the governance of Scotland and England from each other as a matter of permanent principle, regardless of the prevailing political climate at any given point in time.
If England wants Nigel Farage as Prime Minister, that’s England’s business. The point of independence is that Scotland doesn’t have to get him too. No more, no less.
So obviously, the hapless Doogan’s brave and bright new dawn was brutally slapped down within a matter of hours.
Now, readers, it’s not much of a secret that anyone who’s still supporting the SNP in the hopes that they’ll deliver Scottish independence is – and let’s put this as gently and kindly as possible – a bit thick.
From a membership high of 125,000 in the run-up to the 2021 Holyrood election, fully 60% have now wised up and left, and the 40% still left paying annual subscriptions to a party that’s stolen their money TWICE and spent it on pepper pots are pretty much by definition the dumbest of dum-dums.
But it looks like even they’re just about beginning to get it now.
Five more years and they might have just about woken up.
We’ve had another email from the Crown Office. Stand by for a surprise!
Well, that seems fair enough: other than the fact that almost £700,000 in “ringfenced” fundraiser money is (still) visibly missing, and the fact that the First Minister of the country and the leader of the party the money was entrusted to has publicly admitted it was misappropriated, there’s insufficient evidence that anything untoward happened to it. Panic over, everyone. Nothing to see here. Carry on with your day.
Great news, everyone – Scottish Labour has finally worked out how to talk to the people of Scotland. This video featuring the party’s MP Melanie Ward just appeared on the Scotland Office’s LinkedIn page, and it explains the complexities of the interlinked Scottish and UK economies in terms that the UK government hopes all of you awful thick Jocko plebs might be able to understand. Enjoy.
And tomorrow morning, do remember to eat your cereal, won’t you?
The contempt for the Scottish public being openly shown by public servants paid from the public purse to answer to the public has at this point reached such endemic levels that we’re not sure an acceptable level of trust can ever be salvaged.
The reply above is not just evasive, not even just pathetic, it’s insulting – not just to us, but to every citizen of Scotland.
Not done with celebrating defeat in an imaginary UDI yesterday, The National has gone with another big polling-based front cover today, and the party’s woke young stormtrooper drones are beside themselves with malignant glee.
The National runs headlines like this quite often.
The sort-of newspaper doesn’t actually have a sports section – it just publishes The Herald’s – but if it did you have to wonder what it would look like.
Mark Beggan on Anything But That: “Food for thought. It is not a case of if but when will Reform take power and when they do…” Sep 4, 04:11
GM on Anything But That: “Well, you are a Pict? Probably.” Sep 4, 02:50
GM on Anything But That: “Unless of course they are actually lining us up for a vote we are in an utterly dire position to…” Sep 4, 02:08
GM on Anything But That: “By the way, the people I see on the street, actually sleeping on the street I have never seen drunk…” Sep 4, 01:27
GM on Anything But That: “67% of all available housing must go to immigrants(not people seeking refuge or folk from abroad who have found themselves…” Sep 4, 01:13
James on Anything But That: “Better a Pict than a “Prick” though eh, SP?” Sep 3, 22:33
James on Anything But That: “Hey everybodee… England gets the revenues. Scotland gets the nukes! Yaaaaaay! Rejoice!” Sep 3, 22:22
Hatey McHateface on Anything But That: “I asked Google: “how many countries or peoples can be described by specific English words by those who hate them”…” Sep 3, 21:29
agentx on Anything But That: “what is it in your Indigenous language?” Sep 3, 21:24
Hatey McHateface on Anything But That: “Well, you are a Pict. A thousand year old, space traveling one at that. Whether in reality, or just self-identified,…” Sep 3, 21:12
Northcode on Anything But That: ““…you hate the English.” They hated me first! But, seriously, I don’t hate the English… I don’t hate anyone. I…” Sep 3, 20:28
Aidan on Anything But That: “We get it Northcode, you hate the English.” Sep 3, 19:49
Northcode on Anything But That: ““… yet the two nations and peoples can be friends now.” Setting aside this logic falling victim to the fallacy…” Sep 3, 19:23
Aidan on Anything But That: “Yeah again I think most people can get over the events of 300+ years ago. Within some people’s lifetimes, the…” Sep 3, 18:47
Northcode on Anything But That: “… or even “Keyboard Tourettes” for those who think the possessive term is misplaced. Perhaps i do suffer from keybored…” Sep 3, 18:32
agentx on Anything But That: “@ Marie – I live overlooking Gareloch and have fished there with my sons and eaten mackerel that we caught.…” Sep 3, 18:30
Northcode on Anything But That: “For the pedantic, “Keyboard Tourets” should read “Keyboard Tourette’s” Thair – sortit.” Sep 3, 18:29
Northcode on Anything But That: “Keyboard Tourets The term “keyboard tourettes” is not officially recognized, but it describes a phenomenon where individuals, often in online…” Sep 3, 18:08
TURABDIN on Anything But That: “WW3 & the AI loonies….. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/03/peter-thiel-argentina-javier-milei?CMP=share_btn_url El Niño too.” Sep 3, 18:04
Hatey McHateface on Anything But That: “How odd that you don’t want to pose the question in Scots, Northy. Got to say, I’m pissed that according…” Sep 3, 17:50
Hatey McHateface on Anything But That: “Benefits to who?” Sep 3, 17:34
Hatey McHateface on Anything But That: “I have this theory, Northy, that you spout shite in inverse proportion to the likelihood of Scotland becoming independent. On…” Sep 3, 17:32
Northcode on Anything But That: “Westminster is nervous… and for good reason. The main event that could trigger a great upsurge in Scottish demand for…” Sep 3, 17:29
Marie on Anything But That: “Alf Baird @ 4.06pm – thanks for the link. I was in Helensburgh last month and looking out at Gare…” Sep 3, 17:21
Northcode on Anything But That: “It was always England’s empire. You never hear of Britain’s “Green and Pleasant Land” or “There’ll Always Be a Britain”…” Sep 3, 17:13
James Barr Gardner on Anything But That: “The fact that most smaller nations in Europe operate on consensus politics seems to have escaped Swinney’s vision, his view…” Sep 3, 17:07
Stevie on Anything But That: “The SNP disgusts me – nothing new then” Sep 3, 16:44
Hatey McHateface on Anything But That: “Now, now WWW. Use its proper name. 8 Ace.” Sep 3, 16:34
Hatey McHateface on Anything But That: “So it’s the English empire now, Alf? What you doing here? Channeling your inner Trump? He likes to rename stuff…” Sep 3, 16:31
Alf Baird on Anything But That: ““I don’t think many Scot’s see themselves as downtrodden natives or Scotland as a dystopian occupied territory.” Scots, and yersel…” Sep 3, 16:06