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Archive for May, 2024


You’ve Been Had 268

Posted on May 13, 2024 by

The picture editor of The Times must have been delighted with this gift.

But it’s a very accurate picture, and fairly used.

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Window Dressing 108

Posted on May 11, 2024 by

The Circus Of Hate 286

Posted on May 09, 2024 by

Well, what a nice statement of unity and tolerance this is:

And only slightly undermined by coming from THIS guy:

But Smith’s new message of tolerance hasn’t fully penetrated the party ranks.

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The Symbolist 71

Posted on May 09, 2024 by

Comment seems superfluous, really.

So we’ll just make a couple of the obvious points for the sake of it and then we’re off to the park.

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Continuity continued 87

Posted on May 08, 2024 by

So that was a big waste of everyone’s time.

We’re not sure why John Swinney made a big show of dragging all his ministers away from their desks to Bute House today in order to tell them nothing had changed. All he’s done is give Kate Forbes the smallest possible sliver of Shona Robison’s job and everything else has stayed the same.

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A watery grave 139

Posted on May 07, 2024 by

We watched a TV documentary about the sinking of the Bismarck last week.

The most striking aspect of it was the visible and audible distress on the faces and in the voices of some of the Royal Navy sailors who’d been on the ships which sent the German battleship to the Atlantic seabed as they told the story of the final battle.

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The Groomers’ Union 119

Posted on May 06, 2024 by

We were going to write a follow-up piece to this last week, until the SNP detonated a hand-grenade in its own trouser pocket. But with the coronation of John Swinney this afternoon after the only challenger sold out for some shiny beads and trinkets, we can get back to some serious news.

The controversial charity LGBT Youth Scotland, which has been involved in a number of serious child sexual abuse scandals, continues to exert considerable influence on Scotland’s education system, thanks to extremely lavish funding from taxpayers – well over a million pounds from hard-pressed councils in the last year alone to address unspecified issues whose urgency is difficult to identify.

After our last piece we sent LGBTYS a letter raising our concerns about their improper interference with primary schools, something we were obliged to do before we could file a formal complaint with Scotland’s charity regulator, the OSCR.

We received an automated reply on 24 April saying “We are currently experiencing staff shortages and it may take up to a week to respond to your email.”

That deadline expired five days ago, and we will now be writing to the OSCR. But in the meantime LGBTYS persists in exceeding its remit, with deeply alarming results.

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The Unforgiven 163

Posted on May 05, 2024 by

We’ve already posted a shorter and snappier soundbite from this video on our Twitter, but it’s really worth watching the full version here:

Because the body language is remarkable. For three and a half minutes, Neil Gray is completely unable to look his former colleague – an SNP MSP until a few months ago, a fellow government minister until 2022 –  in the eye.

He sits stiff as a board, his teeth gritted, his face like thunder, staring directly ahead at the back wall of the studio as Ash Regan patiently and calmly outlines the extremely modest requirements Alba had set out in return for supporting Humza Yousaf and the SNP government in Parliamentary votes of confidence.

And when host Stephen Jardine asks him what exactly was so unreasonable about them, he can’t help himself, and blurts out that it was really all about preventing Alex Salmond from regaining any sort of influence on Scottish politics and insisting that his “rehabilitation” could not be permitted, even if the result of blocking it was the loss of an SNP First Minister and the potential bringing down of an SNP government.

And at this point a fair-minded person might ask: rehabilitation from what, precisely?

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Excess Baggage 108

Posted on May 04, 2024 by

If you want to know the facts 197

Posted on May 02, 2024 by

…just read Wings Over Scotland, folks.

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    Wings Over Scotland is a (mainly) Scottish political media digest and monitor, which also offers its own commentary. (More)

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    • Skip_NC on The Jokers: “I don’t think Alba’s decision not to stand was all that remarkable. I am not privy to senior leadership discussions…Jun 6, 03:08
    • Willie on Ball Of Confusion: “The Hamilton by-election result is now out and unpopular as Labour are they have won with the SNP second and…Jun 6, 02:53
    • Big Jock on Ball Of Confusion: “Didn’t Souness say he wished he was English? Surely Farage should be a natural home for this plastic Jock. Him…Jun 6, 00:08
    • Chris Downie on Ball Of Confusion: “Souness was a world-class player, but also the biggest hacking bastard the Scottish game has ever seen. A true Loyalist…Jun 5, 23:39
    • Hatey McHateface on Ball Of Confusion: “A lot of things were better in earlier times, TURABDIN. Heck, take the Yes movement. Who wouldn’t want to go…Jun 5, 21:06
    • Hatey McHateface on A Butterfly On Absinthe: “@Bill Craig If you’re really up for staying as objective as we can: “have no valid historical claim to the…Jun 5, 21:01
    • TURABDIN on Ball Of Confusion: “THE ANAGRAM of REFORM is former, i.e belonging to an earlier time. just like its supporters.Jun 5, 20:43
    • Rev. Stuart Campbell on Why genocide is brilliant: ““I’ve been a loyal reader and fan of this blog for well over a decade, but I’m done. Our government…Jun 5, 19:54
    • Rev. Stuart Campbell on A Butterfly On Absinthe: ““Stu, I’m surprised and disappointed in your remarks on this issue.” Seems to me what you have an issue with…Jun 5, 19:50
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    • twathater on Ball Of Confusion: “I think the daily rectum is going for a reverse psychological position to voters, denigrate the man whilst shoving his…Jun 5, 18:43
    • Hatey McHateface on Why genocide is brilliant: “Ah ken fit ye mean, Donald. The Humous boys could end the ongoing genocide by the weekend. But they don’t…Jun 5, 18:15
    • Hatey McHateface on Why genocide is brilliant: “It’s not blokes revealing their “fangs” in supposedly safe places that our women folk are concerned about. It seems clear…Jun 5, 18:06
    • Skip_NC on Ball Of Confusion: “You’re just trolling “Jammies” Kelly now, aren’t you, Stu? The paragraph that begins “If there’s anyone in Hamilton…,” is just…Jun 5, 18:06
    • sarah on Ball Of Confusion: “If a very low turnout we might know the result before 11.00 tonight!Jun 5, 18:05
    • Captain Caveman on Why genocide is brilliant: ““an in Scots – yer nivver ower auld tae lairn!” No, Alf, that’s not “Scots”, that’s English mate. Albeit with…Jun 5, 17:24
    • agent x on Ball Of Confusion: “We will know the result in the morning. Will be interesting.Jun 5, 17:11
    • robertkknight on And No Great Mischief Should They Fall: ““If the majority of Scots wanted independence they simply need to vote for it overwhelmingly” Are you suggesting 50%+1 isn’t…Jun 5, 17:03
    • Northcode on And No Great Mischief Should They Fall: ““The Scottish independence movement, Liberate Scotland, Salvo, Liberation.Scot…” Should have read: “Professor Alf Baird, The Scottish independence movement, Liberate Scotland,…Jun 5, 16:54
    • Northccode on And No Great Mischief Should They Fall: ““The Scottish independence movement, Liberate Scotland, Salvo, Liberation.Scot…” Should have read: “Professor Alf Baird, The Scottish independence movement, Liberate Scotland,…Jun 5, 16:52
    • Alf Baird on Why genocide is brilliant: “an in Scots – yer nivver ower auld tae lairn!Jun 5, 16:48
    • PhilM on Ball Of Confusion: “Perhaps we need to petition the parliament to consider legislation to ban Graeme Souness and anyone with a similar bubble…Jun 5, 16:43
    • Aidan on And No Great Mischief Should They Fall: “Yes Northcode – the end of the Union is imminent, all we need to do is grab a beer and…Jun 5, 16:42
    • Cuphook on Ball Of Confusion: “By the weekend we’ll see articles from the usual guardians of the discourse likening the SNP and Reform and denouncing…Jun 5, 16:21
    • Northcode on And No Great Mischief Should They Fall: ““…independence is the number one priority for the Scottish people and enjoys 99% support across the country.” I didn’t think…Jun 5, 16:15
    • Aidan on Ball Of Confusion: “Purdah doesn’t mean that media organisations have to remain politically neutral in the run up to an election. It just…Jun 5, 16:08
    • Mark Beggan on Ball Of Confusion: “Souness used to be called something else if I remember correctly. It rhymes with meaness but begins with a P.Jun 5, 16:05
    • sarah on Ball Of Confusion: “Don’t purdah rules apply to Holyrood elections? Or are all votes in Scotland free of purdah rules, as in 2014…Jun 5, 15:38
    • diabloandco on Why genocide is brilliant: “Blimey Alf , you have your very own James Kelly to contend with , seems all he ,she or it…Jun 5, 15:12
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