The Daily Record have continued to run Kezia Dugdale’s weekly column despite her resignation as Scottish Labour branch office manager (North British division), and this week we were interested to note her assessment of the devolution years, which could be summarised neatly as “Labour devolution good, SNP devolution bad”.
We raised an especially quizzical eyebrow at the claim that the 1999-2007 Labour/Lib Dem administrations had apparently ended homelessness. So we thought we’d do that thing we do when Kezia Dugdale claims something.
We hadn’t been planning to talk any more about the curious case of Claire Austin, the suddenly publicity-shy Edinburgh nurse who – how can we put this? – seemed a rather ill-chosen figurehead for the good cause of getting more pay for a group of people who are rightly well-regarded by the public.
But yesterday, the release of a letter from Scottish Labour branch manager Kezia Dugdale re-opened political hostilities after last week’s hiatus for the Manchester terror attack by shoving the now-reticent Ms Austin right back into the spotlight.
It’s the holidays, so the papers are desperate to fill space and the political parties are all trying to help out by sending them helpful press releases which can be slotted directly onto pages, titled “PARTY X CONTINUES TO SUPPORT POLICY Z WHICH IT HAS ALWAYS SUPPORTED. ALSO, THE OTHER PARTIES ARE BAD”.
Scottish Labour’s contribution is a piece in most papers today reiterating their demand for the Scottish Government to hike the top rate of income tax – a policy on which Labour stood at the last Westminster and Holyrood elections and which was quite stupendously comprehensively rejected by voters, but which Labour inexplicably feel the SNP should implement anyway.
And that’s all very well and good, because Kezia Dugdale gets paid the best part of £80,000 a year by taxpayers and she’s got to say something all day to justify it. The trouble, as we’ve noted at great length on this site, is that so many of the things she says aren’t actually true.
It reveals that the party’s income from donations plunged from £600,000 in 2015 to £100,000 last year, which in the article is blamed on Jeremy Corbyn’s UK leadership (even though Dugdale opposed him in the leadership election).
But there were a few comments in the piece that we thought needed scrutiny.
Kezia Dugdale talking to Gordon Brewer on BBC Scotland today:
“I’m astonished that you’ve spent 10 minutes in this interview talking about independence and Trident when almost 50% of the poorest kids in the country can’t read […] I’m sure you’d be shocked to know that 50% of the poorest kids leave our schools unable to read.”
We suspect he would too. Because it’s total cobblers.
Hatey McHateface on The thickness of blood: “Poor you. I have freedom of speech. A vote too. I can vote for Indy tomorrow if anybody serious wants…” Feb 15, 17:13
Ian McCubbin on The thickness of blood: “This nurse has endured horrific injustice. Also if this gender woo woo is in every health board no wonder waiting…” Feb 15, 17:12
gregor on The thickness of blood: “Trans cult in position of NHS power. What could go wrong…” Feb 15, 16:55
Marie on The thickness of blood: “I’m a yes voter who despises the Scottish Government.” Feb 15, 16:53
Dan on The thickness of blood: “Still doing it when I try to switch between older and new articles. Sod this, goes off to delete yet…” Feb 15, 16:45
Hatey McHateface on The thickness of blood: “Defo some lasting damage from watching an Australian antisemitic shortarse spouting Hollywood script writer’s shite, particularly if, like gregor, she…” Feb 15, 16:42
Marie on The thickness of blood: “We don’t have freedom of speech and we don’t live in a democracy – that’s why we don’t take a…” Feb 15, 16:38
LondonScot on The thickness of blood: “Given that × hormones lead to osteoporosis, I wonder if Peter/Patricia’s wheelchair use is connected to that rather than fibromyalgia?…” Feb 15, 16:38
Marie on The thickness of blood: “A trans woman who has a penis? That’s called a man.” Feb 15, 16:36
Mark Beggan on The thickness of blood: “Brilliant Rev. The plans of rats and she/men.” Feb 15, 16:29
Hatey McHateface on For Mridul And Sandy: “I guess naming his/her online persona after the most famous female troll in popular fiction eventually became too much of…” Feb 15, 16:27
Muscleguy on Bricked-up windows: “The police role should be pretty much over by now. So over to the COPFS. Remember Murrell is due in…” Feb 15, 16:22
Eddie Munster on The thickness of blood: “I have a feeling any documents that are being purposely withheld, are very likely littered with slurs against Sandie. They…” Feb 15, 16:21
Andy Anderson on Bricked-up windows: “We are unique. In 2014 the whole campaign against us ( apart from the failed 1100 plus promises) was that…” Feb 15, 16:18
Dan on The thickness of blood: “I’ve completed a full browser cache clear and history deleted and it’s still auto-downloading. I delete the file and clear…” Feb 15, 16:18
Hatey McHateface on The thickness of blood: “As the malware application is reputed to be one that allows unauthorised remote control of the computer, I naturally assumed…” Feb 15, 16:17
gregor on The thickness of blood: “The Whingers here can’t even describe Scotland’s values. They are an utter embarrassment to Scotland.” Feb 15, 16:17
gregor on The thickness of blood: “SO WHINGERS, WHERES IS IT re. SCOTLAND’S INDEPENDENCE ??? WHERE’S THE FU**ING PLAN… #DespicableWhingerFrauds” Feb 15, 16:15
Insider on The thickness of blood: “You, and the “trans women” should be made to learn grammatical English and correct spelling perhaps ? p.s Are you…” Feb 15, 16:15
twathater on The thickness of blood: “The greatest wee gay parliament in the world being shown up for what it is , a sex addled, deviant,pervert…” Feb 15, 16:14
gregor on For Mridul And Sandy: “Insurrection Barbie @DefiyantlyFree: “The following tactics proved to be losers for the Democratic Party in 2024: 1. Lawfare 2. Inflammatory…” Feb 15, 16:10
Hatey McHateface on The thickness of blood: ““44% of people in the UK now claiming to know a trans person” That stat is misleading unless correlated against…” Feb 15, 16:08
Muscleguy on The thickness of blood: “Apparently Sandie Peggie declined to setyle with NHS Fife as she wants a declaratory judgement. She also needs that to…” Feb 15, 16:04
yoon scum on The thickness of blood: “I would like to present a little sernario and I’d like you lot to consider it and to answer two…” Feb 15, 16:03
gregor on The thickness of blood: “re. “There is many within the “independence” movement who are deeply uncomfortable with freedom of speech Just look at the…” Feb 15, 15:59
gregor on For Mridul And Sandy: “The liberal elite strongly disagree (as usual:)” Feb 15, 15:48
yoon scum on The thickness of blood: “Okay lets go into your world of chick don’t have dicks What is the answer? Should we ban anyone who…” Feb 15, 15:44
gregor on For Mridul And Sandy: “Anonymous disagree. Ignore them, lol” Feb 15, 15:42
