Here’s (a few seconds into the clip) George, Baron Foulkes Of Cumnock.
Born in 1942 in Oswestry in Shropshire and privately educated at The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School in Hertfordshire, George was first elected by the public in 1979, serving for 26 years. During his time as an MP he was convicted of a drunken violent assault on a policeman and fined £1,050. In 2005 he was ennobled into the House Of Lords and will make laws for UK citizens until he dies, no matter what voters say.
You’d think he’d have learned better manners by now.
As we write there’s a protest going on outside the Scottish Parliament regarding the privatisation of ferry services to the Western Isles. It was formally announced almost three hours ago that there definitely wasn’t going to be any privatisation and that the service would remain in public hands, but the protest still went ahead.
The people conducting the protest, who’ve got the exact thing they wanted, are now doing their level best to lose it again. Welcome to Scottish politics.
Over the past few days, readers, we haven’t been able to avoid noticing a recurring theme among Unionist types on social media – namely that the Holyrood election results are proof that support for independence is declining.
But it’s not until you ask them to explain that it gets completely mental.
For much of its life, this site has been warning readers that, as their default position, they should always assume newspaper headlines are a lie until proven otherwise.
Today, Britain’s biggest-selling newspaper admitted it in public.
You win a historic third election with a second massive landslide, getting more than twice as many seats as your nearest challenger – the first time such a thing has ever happened in a Holyrood election – on the back of what’s (self-evidently) by and large a very popular policy programme and record, and before you’ve even taken your seats in the chamber all the parties you just thrashed out of sight line up to explain how you’ve been doing everything wrong.
And as alliances go, they don’t get much less holy.
We’re supposed to be taking a few days off, but it’s been tipping it down outside for 36 solid hours, so when an alert reader emailed us a question relating to this article from Monday, we couldn’t help but go and research it just to pass some time.
They’d asked how many of the Tory MSPs elected last Thursday had been rejected by the voters of a constituency seat on the same day, and we were startled by the answer – of the 24 Conservative members of the Scottish Parliament elected on the list last week, every single one was also a failed constituency candidate.
In amongst a torrent of pretty mad analysis of the election result at the weekend, we noticed the most insane reason yet suggested for the loss of the SNP’s majority:
The co-founder of a much-lauded but little-read pro-independence website asserted that the SNP were cruising to victory until the Nats got the backing of the Scottish Sun and Nicola Sturgeon was pictured posing with the front cover endorsing her party.
The whole litany of gaping flaws in that argument is something the Yes movement has needed to talk about for some considerable time now. So let’s bite the bullet and do it.
Peter McAvoy on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “I agree with another comment about Scottish books and other stories being filmed in Scotland with a majority Scottish cast…” Apr 15, 02:02
Young Lochinvar on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “He’s here! He’s there! He’s absolutely No effin where! Hatey Auld Hateys Back In remand.. 🙂 🙂 🙂” Apr 15, 00:20
Young Lochinvar on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “C @ 11.11 Lanark? Well! If it’s anything like Londons Uber trendy West End rendition of “Hamilton” then I’m afraid…” Apr 15, 00:06
Cynicus on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “I note that erstwhile stalwart supporters are annoyed with that son of Scotland, Dòmhnall Iain Trump for outing himself as…” Apr 14, 23:57
Confused on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “note the cunning way this is framed – free energy, or worse still – being PAID to use it, is…” Apr 14, 23:12
Confused on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “oooh … I remember that now … it was so over the top … and yet a great “analogy” for…” Apr 14, 23:11
George Ferguson on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “@Dan Great stuff Dan. I went on a cruise for a special anniversary and saw how the other half live.…” Apr 14, 20:55
Dan on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “Don’t do it George, because that’s exactly what the “Greens” want you to do! There’s nothing says you’ve reduced your…” Apr 14, 20:24
Geri on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: ““A full investigation into the media allegations” Notice it’s not into the clowns who planned on recruiting this fantasist! I…” Apr 14, 19:59
Young Lochinvar on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “C I think they did the bad Anglo desperate to bum the Scots hero already in Outlander.. Maybe they’ll do…” Apr 14, 19:47
Alf Baird on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “The top of the iceberg, considering our colonial hierarchy. Might be an idea to check on the hundreds of other…” Apr 14, 19:15
George Ferguson on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “I have just viewed the highlights of the Scottish Greens manifesto. I am awa to cut my wrists.” Apr 14, 18:08
Confused on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “American reboots can be terrifyingly awful – the wicker man (nicolas cage), get carter (stallone) – but Cavill is a…” Apr 14, 17:39
Young Lochinvar on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “I see they’re filming a Highlander reboot. A classic film, something of its time complete with Christopher Lambert and his…” Apr 14, 16:39
agentx on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “A TOP LGBT activist has quit amid claims he used fake credentials to secure a senior position in a charity…” Apr 14, 16:33
JCD on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “Check this out if you will. Kind of o/t but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try to bring some…” Apr 14, 16:10
100%Yes on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “I thought today I’ll have a look for a Scotland football top with a view to support Scotland and the…” Apr 14, 14:59
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “Cynicus says: 14 April, 2026 at 11:43 am « Are there questions for Scottish politics here? » ————————— For sure.…” Apr 14, 13:35
Nicky T Naquetti on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “LOOKS LIKE HE GOT THE BOOT,(assuming he even had an arse that could be kicked in the non-digital realm). Either…” Apr 14, 12:33
Alf Baird on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: ““What have the English stolen from you James?” Our land and national identity, replaced by the colonial myth, same as…” Apr 14, 12:27
Cynicus on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “Thanks for the new link, Fearghas. Are there questionqs for Scottish politics here? Orban’s downfall was partly due to his…” Apr 14, 11:43
Geri on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “LOL! Aye, they’re always the life & soul of the party. Not! I don’t think I’ve ever met a happy…” Apr 14, 10:54
C MacKay on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “No-one with that name registered as a birth in Scotland’s people,there is a marriage in 2017” Apr 14, 09:10
C MacKay on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “No-one with that name registered as a birth in Scotland’s people” Apr 14, 09:09
Mark Beggan on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: ““Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s”” Apr 14, 04:26
Young Lochinvar on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “C’mon Beggars Seriously now: I think you need to calm down and have a Horlicks, you’re in way over your…” Apr 14, 01:42
Young Lochinvar on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “Northcode @ 9.26 “Wish the Unionists would be wittier on here”.. It’s the dour pro English Presbyterian Calvinist thing; like…” Apr 14, 01:29
