The Scottish Tory MSP reacted furiously to a story in The National which said Scotland had been absorbed into England by the 1707 Act Of Union, rather than becoming a “partner” in anything, and had ceased to exist as a state in international law.
Which was a weird response, because that’s been the official stated position of both the UK government and the Conservative Party for at least the last 12 years.
Despite everything, we almost allowed ourselves just the very tiniest little micro-flicker of optimism when we read Tommy Sheppard’s latest in The National.
Because that much is certainly true, and it’s uncommonly candid to have anyone in the SNP admit it. So what’s the answer?
(Kelly’s article is here. Link to Grok’s answer here. The ChatGPT analysis that triggered the article can be read in this tweet thread. A verifiable analysis by Grok of the debate, based on a neutral question, can be read here.)
The legal imprint at the bottom means that that’s official SNP election communication. One assumes it’s intended for leaflets to be put through actual voters’ letterboxes.
Hi! I noticed, with very considerable amusement, your complaint last night that I hadn’t made a “substantive reply” to the [EDIT] EIGHT posts (totalling nearly 11,000 words) of semi-coherent ranting about me that you’ve made on your site in the last eight days.
(I’ll be absolutely honest, I’ve only skimmed the last few.)
We both know the reason that’s so tear-streamingly comical, of course.
In so far as it’s worth talking about Scottish constitutional politics at all these days, it’s worth taking a moment to analyse the bloodless, anodyne nothingness spouted by the First Minister on The Sunday Show at the weekend.
That clip is less than three minutes long, but it’s so soul-crushingly boring and full of content-free drone and waffle that it’s almost impossible to sit all the way through it, so we’re going to translate and summarise it for you.
Warning: despite the quite zingy title this is actually going to be a very dry stats post, readers. It is, on the other hand, based on a man having something disturbingly close to a complete psychotic mental breakdown, so there’s always that for a bit of colour.
Because the paragraph above, and in particular the highlighted part, is without a doubt the most dishonest, diametrically false and wildly extreme lie about Scottish politics that we’ve ever seen anyone tell in the 13.5 years of Wings Over Scotland’s existence.
And as a rule we don’t bother addressing them because they’re so demented you could spend 5,000 words pulling apart all the individual strands of lunacy every time, and lunatics thrive on attention, but this one does merit a very brief comment.
Because “Vote Labour, get indy” wasn’t our plan. It was John Swinney’s.
Even by the embarrassing standards of The National, the gulf between this morning’s blaring front-page splash and the weak, watery weasel words in the actual article is a chasm so wide and so yawning (in every sense of that word) that it would put the epic planetary scar of Mars’ Valles Marineris to shame.
Coupled with a feebly underwhelming Programme For Government (in which the main policy was the re-abolition of peak rail fares just months after the SNP insisted such a move was unaffordable, with no clue as to where the money had suddenly been found) and a pitiful list of candidates for next year’s Holyrood election featuring the likes of Sally “all aboard the gravy bus!” Donald, Kaukab “DECAPITATE TERFS” Stewart, Kirsten “DECAPITATE TERFS” Oswald, Alison “DECAPITATE TERFS” Thewliss and Alyn “throw anyone who doesn’t want to DECAPITATE TERFS out of the SNP” Smith, the story was an abject vision of a bleak future for independence.
On reflection, we feel we may have not taken this story seriously enough. After all, they don’t put just ANY old guff on the front page of the Sunday Mail.
willie on The Guilty Party: “It doesn’t take much to disable a party. Under Salmond the SNP and the wider independence movement were motivated and…” Jun 26, 01:13
Young Lochinvar on The Guilty Party: “Rarely, for once, I agree with you. Don’t get over excited, you normally post anti Scots sh1te that I don’t..” Jun 26, 01:05
Steve A on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “Indeed, it may not be possible to polish shite- but with a bit of ingenuity, it could be “gold plated”…” Jun 26, 00:58
Steve A on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “Indeed, it is not possible to polish shite. But, with a bit of ingenuity, I am certain it would be…” Jun 26, 00:48
AdamH on The Guilty Party: “Good people. I beg you to watch the video in full. To hear two ordinary women who wanted to help…” Jun 26, 00:33
BLMac on The Guilty Party: “Don’t worry full exposure will happen shortly, but maybe not in the way you seek… https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/national-nude-day/” Jun 26, 00:12
Young Lochinvar on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “AI Dun No clues are given to whose eyes yer trying to scratch out with that rant, but, in the…” Jun 26, 00:09
Young Lochinvar on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “HMcH HE’S back and projecting, deflecting and plain making things up “Smaug stylee”.. Yes it’s the bond of military brotherhood…” Jun 25, 23:32
Aidan on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “Right, so you’re going to sit there, with a straight face, and tell us that you aren’t a ranting loon?…” Jun 25, 23:25
Alf Baird on The Guilty Party: “Fearghas’ logic follows the postcolonial reality, Hatey, where two main population shifts may be anticipated: 1. their privileges ended, the…” Jun 25, 22:45
Ian Smith on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “You can be 99.999% sure that there will never be a defamation case that puts Sturgeon in the witness box…” Jun 25, 22:16
Colin Dawson on The Guilty Party: “How many of those who attended that NEC meeting were elected as supposedly “Good Guys” at the 2020 conference and…” Jun 25, 22:12
Red on The Guilty Party: “I want my country back and I want these people gone.” Jun 25, 22:05
James Barr Gardner on The Guilty Party: “The Police did not interview me at all strange seeing as I was the only one who went public about…” Jun 25, 21:54
Hatey McHateface on The Guilty Party: “A rare departure from common sense for you, Fearghas. I won’t be exhilarated post Indy by a flood of chancers,…” Jun 25, 21:02
Hatey McHateface on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “Just noticed some odd posts from somebody who tells us he voluntarily signed up, first chance he got, to be…” Jun 25, 20:55
Hatey McHateface on The Guilty Party: “World Hijab Day. I’m beyond outraged that nae cant telt me.” Jun 25, 20:25
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Guilty Party: “One could fairly assume Scottish independence would have triggered the exhilarating return of very many highly able exiles – rather…” Jun 25, 20:22
agentx on The Guilty Party: “I have said it before and I will say it again:False accounts were submitted to the Electoral Commission. The Electoral…” Jun 25, 20:07
Spartan 117 on The Guilty Party: “I don’t think any bullet was dodged, after Alex’s resignation we ended up with The Murrills and their misanthropic posse…” Jun 25, 19:48
Spartan 117 on The Guilty Party: “A pretty damning dissection of this murky business. Interested to note an ex-leader of Highland Council in the middle of…” Jun 25, 19:46
MP on The Guilty Party: “I suspect they’re hanging on and hoping that Murrell repays a good chunk of the money, and then they’ll say,…” Jun 25, 19:41
sarah on The Guilty Party: “@ wullie: if we had actually managed to leave the Union in 2014 – remember that it was only an…” Jun 25, 19:33
SOG on The Guilty Party: “In my career I became a Fellow of a Professional Body, which has rules about obligation of probity to employers…” Jun 25, 19:28
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “See also Christian Institute News Release (Thursday, 25 June 2026): “Government Unveils Controversial ‘Conversion Therapy Ban’ Draft Bill Amid Renewed…” Jun 25, 19:26
Young Lochinvar on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “Er you go, right on cue two bleats from The Banter Boys no.2, (yawn BTW), just waiting now for Banter…” Jun 25, 19:16
Captain Caveman on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: ““it would all have blown over by now.” What would’ve “blown over”? The imaginary voices in your head, presumably? The…” Jun 25, 18:54
Captain Caveman on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: ““You and Hatey start posting in the morning at exactly the same time” Heh! Big difference between 7am and 3am…” Jun 25, 18:49
wullie on The Guilty Party: “With that caliber of people in politics I think we dogged bullet IN 2014. I want my money back ,years…” Jun 25, 18:41
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Guilty Party: “Thank you Revd Stuart Campbell for this further sure-footed step forward through the dense mine-field surrounding Sturgeon. Thank you Allison…” Jun 25, 18:30