The last faint hope of any remotely positive or at least interesting outcome of May’s election just left the building.
It wasn’t MUCH of a hope, and it’s absolutely no surprise in the wake of the comically shambolic, belief-defyingly inept farce that has been the birth of Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana’s fringe-of-the fringe Your Party, but all the same its extinguishing means the next two months will be even more of a waste of time than they looked like being.
Frankly, readers, we may as well not bother having an election at all.
The number of parties who got MSPs elected at the last election is… five. (Though in fairness there are now six, Reform having a single MSP after Graham Simpson defected from the Tories. The Lib Dems are even outnumbered by independents, of whom there are seven.)
So Cathy Newman of Channel 4 News got herself a scoop last night.
And to be honest, readers, we were a bit confused. “Gender critical views” are not only lawful things to hold and express, they’re one of a small subset of opinions that are explicitly protected as such in law. And why would a man very occasionally airing some lawful and protected views on social media be a news story? You might as well run “BREAKING: Premiership footballer discovered to enjoy cheese-and-ham toasties”.
Which is handy, because today is also the day of the Gorton and Denton by-election in Manchester (fun fact: a seat we’d very likely have lived in ourselves if not for Osama bin Laden, but that’s another story), and that throws up some interesting parallels.
There is a not particularly funny joke that is sometimes told in legal circles about why a law student failed to finish his coursework – because he had no conviction. With rare exceptions lawyers aren’t renowned for their sense of humour but I can’t help thinking someone, at the highest levels of our justice system, is having a right laugh at my expense and those who have loyally supported me over the past six years.
I’m talking about the Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain KC – a sitting member of the Scottish Government’s cabinet who was nominated by Nicola Sturgeon to that post in 2021, five months after I was acquitted.
For those unfamiliar with my case, I offer this brief summary. In March 2020 I made a short video on my mobile phone that was two minutes and thirty eight seconds in length. I hadn’t planned to make the video when I went out for a walk in a field near my home. But I was annoyed and wanted to articulate that annoyance, although at the time I recorded it I wasn’t intending for it to go much further.
Later that night, just before turning in, I uploaded it to my YouTube channel on a closed, unlisted link and then posted that link to my Twitter account that, at the time, had a modest 1000 or so followers. I then forgot about it.
Little did I know that short mobile phone video would result in me facing initially a criminal trial, then a five year legal battle in the highest civil court in Scotland and now, most likely, an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
So on the one hand there’s obviously very little point paying attention to the SNP’s regional list candidates for May’s Holyrood election, because as this website has comprehensively demonstrated over recent months, the chances of the SNP having any list MSPs elected are remote.
However, nothing is impossible, so let’s take a look at the B team, which also serves as a guide to the party’s upcoming talent taking its first steps towards the gravy bus.
As the six-year fight for justice for Alex Salmond continues, we thought you might like to see this clip from this morning’s Mike Graham Show, interviewing Paul McManus, the businessman and drummer in Glasgow rock band Gun who’s stepped up to fund the Salmond family’s case against the Scottish Government despite disagreeing with much of what Alex stood for politically.
George Ferguson on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Classic STV coverage. Don’t mention Jordan Lindon was SNP. But foam at the mouth at a 2018 comment made at…” Mar 26, 18:16
100%Yes on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “The neverendum, I remember Mr Pete Wishart saying in 2019 through the Rag newspaper that claims to support Independence, we…” Mar 26, 18:11
Young Lochinvar on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “A hoy there me hearties! Jolly Rogers aloft as HMS Raleigh and HMS Drake reprise the English Elizabethan role of…” Mar 26, 18:04
Sven on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “I wonder what type of Egregore a collective of would be Picts would bring into being. I sometimes feel that…” Mar 26, 18:02
Young Lochinvar on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Cards on the table, I don’t really fully understand the science behind the proposed tests but the main thing is…” Mar 26, 17:54
Geri on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “I suggest you go Google public opinion polling figures on the illegal invasion of Iran. Then the polling on jenny.…” Mar 26, 17:35
Red on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Sven I do support officially renaming Glasgow to “Funky Town” Unfortunately, Susan Aitken ate Funky Town” Mar 26, 15:52
Northcode on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Totally agree, the Scots suck… the Picts, however, were a class act, and their descendants (myself included) are carrying on…” Mar 26, 15:31
Northcode on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: ““Maybe Alba ?” Absolutely no way – Alba is a Scotti Gaelic word meaning ‘bright’ or some shit… from the…” Mar 26, 15:20
agentx on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Apparently the SNP have found enough enough money to run its “biggest and best campaign” over the next six weeks.” Mar 26, 15:14
Ian Smith on Irony you can’t buy: “Surely the book advance would not be immediate income, but would have been handled in am much more tax sensitive…” Mar 26, 15:07
Onlooker on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Welcome to every single Scottish video on the net. It’s depressing how quickly and easily (mostly younger) Scottish people have…” Mar 26, 15:00
Sven on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “I’m not sure I’d fancy renaming Scotland with the Latinised “Pictavia” which the Romans called it. Maybe Alba ? I…” Mar 26, 14:55
Alf Baird on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Decolonization implies removal of an oppressor, which explains the panic among colonialists.” Mar 26, 14:40
Sven on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Off Topic/ Just had the delight of hearing Mr J Swiney telling us that Scotland will be independent by 2031,…” Mar 26, 14:34
Aidan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “You have no public support at all on your side apart from a tiny number of internet trolls or deluded…” Mar 26, 14:12
diabloandco on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Isfahan is a beautiful place in Iran – youtube has couple of informative videos , well worth seeing!” Mar 26, 13:44
Geri on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: ““Geri – It’s a fascinating interpretation of international law there, I wonder who taught you, Ghengis Khan?” International court of…” Mar 26, 13:36
Northcode on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “My identifying as a Pict is no mere affectation, no passing fashion statement or lifestyle choice… my Pictish identity connects…” Mar 26, 13:34
Northcode on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: ““Oh dear, this is embarrassing.” Yes, indeed it is, James. The unionists (colonialists if preferred… same thing) wha ponce roond…” Mar 26, 13:18
Confused on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “I would heartily support this (just as long as they stayed in their ain middens after) https://archive.ph/MlTPt – but you…” Mar 26, 12:59
Red on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Cynicus – You have surely heard before now that ‘if you do not know where you came from, you will…” Mar 26, 12:58
Confused on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “questions that must be asked https://archive.ph/Wl7HG the SNP have locked in the tranny vote then https://archive.ph/0kYPu sad, lying bollocks https://archive.ph/Hso58” Mar 26, 12:57
Cynicus on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Red “No, stop retreating into the past….“ You have surely heard before now that ‘if you do not know where…” Mar 26, 12:30
Geri on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Cave dweller, There is a dossier lodged at the UN of R intelligence of exactly why they invaded. It was…” Mar 26, 12:11
Red on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Geri – those women are risking arrest, and potentially death: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/dec/24/iran-women-flouting-dress-code-hijab-laws Why do you think the Iranian women’s football team…” Mar 26, 11:53
Aidan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “@CC you’ll see below a long list of excuses from Geri as to why all of the appalling acts of…” Mar 26, 11:42
