Readers familiar with our standing advice to newspaper customers that the headline is nearly always a lie might like to consider today’s Press & Journal.
The word “pyre” comes from the Greek word “pyra”, meaning “fire”. Surprisingly, it’s NOT the same root as “Pyrrhic”, as in “Pyrrhic victory”, meaning one that’s achieved by metaphorically burning your own city down. (Which in fact is named after the Greek general Pyrrhus of Epirus.)
The Sunday Herald ran an extraordinary article on page 2 yesterday, and by the time we’d finished being startled by what nonsense it was, it set us wondering about why.
Because when you really want people with their finger on the pulse of Scottish politics to analyse the implications of the Supreme Court decision on Brexit, where else would you go but to Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff, to hear from um, former rugby league star and haircut pioneer Martin Offiah?
Way back in October last year we analysed what now seems to have become the key plank of Unionist argument against independence in the wake of Brexit – the idea that because Scotland does more trade with the rest of the UK than it does with the EU, independence would be economic suicide because Scotland would be sacrificing “the UK single market” (a thing that doesn’t actually exist ) for a much smaller one.
It’s a completely idiotic position, but to be honest we didn’t do a very good job of boiling the counter-argument down to something snappy and quoteable, so let’s have another go and see if we can manage something a little better.
We followed with interest an exchange over the weekend between Times columnist Kenny Farquharson and the anti-Brexit QC Jolyon Maugham, regarding the difference between the UK government’s insistence that there won’t be a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland because of the UK leaving the EU, and its continued insistence that there WOULD have to be one between the rUK and an independent Scotland, despite the legal circumstances being indistinguishable.
Farquharson, who like much of the Scottish political commentariat clings doggedly to the implausible dream of a “federal” UK, was adamant that the rules would – and indeed that they should – be different for the two ostensibly identical situations, and his given reason was a deeply disturbing one.
Kenny, it seems, thinks Scottish nationalists should do a lot more murdering.
Actual Scottish politics news continues to be thinner on the ground than the crowds at a Donald Trump inauguration, so we sympathise once more with the gentle souls of the Scottish press as they endeavour to fill empty pages without doing anything more journalistically strenuous than slightly rewording a Labour or Tory press release.
Fortunately for us, of course, we’ve always got their dismal efforts to talk about.
I’ve always found that argument a bizarre one, firstly because it takes no account of people’s emotional attachments to either the UK or Scotland, and secondly because as this site has repeatedly pointed out Scotland is both a producer and consumer of hydrocarbon fuels, so low or high prices are neither an unalloyed good or an unalloyed bad thing for her citizens.
What is incontestable is that the revenue from 45 years of North Sea production has not been well managed by the United Kingdom in comparison to the other states who have benefited from this bounty.
So far so uncontentious.
Outside of constitutional questions, party politics in Scotland revolves around health, education and jobs, with every party more or less in favour of all three. But what if there was an existential threat not just to this trinity but to our entire way of life? Where would that fit in to our politics?
Judge Dredd: Origins was published in 2007, although in fact the basic story of how Bad Bob Booth became the last President of the USA and what he did next was established right back at the 1970s beginnings of Dredd’s parent comic 2000AD.
We actually have a theory that it’s all the Lib Dems’ fault.
willie on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “Listening to Laura Kuennsberg this morning the prog is all about why Sir Keir Starmer allowed Peter Mandelson to be…” Apr 19, 09:43
willie on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “A timely article in today’s Sunday Mail publishing emails in relation to the Alex Salmond attempted stich up. https://archive.is/oavLF” Apr 19, 09:31
Aidan on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “Again that’s more total bollocks from the both of you, the motorway network does not “mostly stop at Carlisle” does…” Apr 19, 09:22
MaryB on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “Nobody will ever agree with every policy of any one specific political party, especially in the current political climate. But…” Apr 19, 09:11
Alf Baird on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “Excellent point Dan. The same might be said for motorways which mostly stop in Carlisle, and all other essential infrastructure…” Apr 19, 08:46
John McNab on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “You don’t need ‘none of the above’, as by definition, it will be at the bottom of the ballot paper,…” Apr 19, 08:41
Nicky T Naquetti on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “Something I forgot to mention about Sheridan – his waste of public funds, by claiming legal aid in order to…” Apr 19, 08:18
Nicky T Naquetti on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “Tommy Sheridan? I suppose it may be possible to enjoy the services of prostitutes while still “respecting women” – he…” Apr 19, 07:29
Dave on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “Wow, a demonstration that grammar, punctuation, and spelling are entirely optional if conviction is high enough. ‘you’re blinkers’ ? ‘your…” Apr 19, 07:06
Mark Beggan on The Narcissism Of No Differences: ““I never thought I’d live to see the day when the right wing would become the cool ones giving the…” Apr 18, 23:25
Dan on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “This may interest you. I’ve often mentioned that for all the renewble power generated in Scotland’s geographic area, the rail…” Apr 18, 21:54
Bilbo on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “It’s nearly 50 years since the Sex Pistols released Anarchy in the UK which heralded Punk music into the mainstream.…” Apr 18, 21:41
Aidan on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “Yet another boring post. It’s a lovely evening here on Skye. Hopefully it is where you are. Go and enjoy…” Apr 18, 20:43
Lorncal on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “Turabdin: I believe you are right. We have had enough. I also believe that women have had enough, too. These…” Apr 18, 20:34
Young Lochinvar on Happy Anniversary: “George I reckon the whole counting crosses process should be topped off by the candidates doing an arm wrestle. :-)…” Apr 18, 20:03
Young Lochinvar on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “LOL! The post reads as follows. Adrian says; How incredibly boring. Succinct and to the point really plus a round…” Apr 18, 19:55
George Ferguson on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “@Dan 6:18pm Absolutely Dan A principled stance was my core belief. I don’t want taxpayers money. I had the formation…” Apr 18, 18:53
Dan on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “@George You’ll have to wait a long time for a decent and easier to instigate recall policy being implemented by…” Apr 18, 18:18
George Ferguson on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “@Sven 5:26pm True especially for wayward MSPS. I favour a recall mechanism for MSPs. A recent vote in the Scottish…” Apr 18, 17:55
Mark Beggan on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “The only winners in this election are the Civil servants and Lawyers. The only hope is that the whole woke…” Apr 18, 17:45
Alf Baird on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “Scots surely have the additional challenge dealing with colonial rule based on racial and cultural subordination which adds another dimension…” Apr 18, 17:43
Sven on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “Genuine query, George. What action is available to bring to bear on an MSP newly installed for the next 5…” Apr 18, 17:26
George Ferguson on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “@twathater Wow calm down. We live in age of social media. Every promise they make will be played back to…” Apr 18, 17:02
twathater on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “So George how are the elected politicians going to be held accountable for their ignoring their manifestos and the voters…” Apr 18, 16:19
sarah on Happy Anniversary: “It has got worse since Westminster imposed the reduction in Councils – no more District Councils, only Highland Council with…” Apr 18, 16:15
George Ferguson on Happy Anniversary: “My Father in law was a Caithness Councillor he won it on a toss of the coin. A draw and…” Apr 18, 15:46
sarah on Happy Anniversary: “I almost agree with Mrs Henderson – I’m in the Wester Ross section of the constituency – perhaps God will…” Apr 18, 15:21
George Ferguson on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “The manifestos may be categorised as fantasy but this time we have studied them and recorded them. And the elected…” Apr 18, 14:52
Sven on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “Rookiescot @ 13.53. Somehow I doubt that public disinterest or disillusionment will suffice to deter the professional, career politicos who…” Apr 18, 14:43
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “An ongoing conundrum regarding the desolating course the Scottish independence movement has taken since Sturgeon (and now policed by Swinney)…” Apr 18, 14:30
