(Which as far as we can tell is the first direct switch in Scottish Parliament history. Others have stood down to become independents, and subsequently stood for other parties, but nobody has moved straight from one party to another.)
We hope she’s only the first of many. Because the SNP is over. It has no credibility left either as a party of independence or a party of government, and anyone who stays on board the smoking wreck can have no complaints when they go down with it.
Our apologies for the lack of recent activity here, readers, but there’s just been nothing happening worth talking about. Meanwhile, here’s some more music.
The average prison term for rape in Scotland is just under seven years. So we really don’t want to think about what Andrew “Amy George” Miller did to the poor young girl he abducted to get 20. (Indeed, strictly speaking 28.)
Miller wasn’t charged with rape, the 11-year-old was described as “safe and well” when the police found her and she was missing for just over one day. Miller also entered a guilty plea. So our blood runs cold at the thought of what must have happened in those 27 hours to nevertheless attract such a huge sentence, and we hope never to know.
This really is grim, folks. Remember the days when there had to be overflow rooms for the leader’s speech at the SNP conference, in venues holding thousands? Now they can’t come close to filling 750 seats in a 2000-seat arena.
The reception afforded to Sturgeon yesterday, who left the party in the pile of wreckage that the hapless Yousaf is still trying to stumble through, was a symptom of desperate people clinging forlornly to the shadow of better times, like an abandoned dog seeking the last bits of warmth and scent from its owner’s chair.
But those days are gone, never to return. This is the barren, foreboding autumn of the SNP, the cold ground thickly carpeted in the lifeless, crumbling and silent remains of lost members fallen from branches.
We thought this was overdue an update. It’s got about 16 new front pages on it, one whole new row and a handful of newly-rediscovered replacements. It really is worth taking a few minutes to peruse it properly (click on the pic to enlarge it) to get the full effect of eight wasted years of deja vu disappointment.
It’s not even The National’s fault. They’re a business, they’re simply trying to sell a few papers to a diminishing audience of endlessly gullible eejits. The real fault lies with the halfwitted SNP members who just keep on doggedly failing to learn a single lesson, and repeatedly vote to carry on doing what they know doesn’t work and never will.
As alert readers will have noticed, Wings has been perusing the SNP’s Governance And Transparency Review over the last couple of days, a document which tentatively attempts to discern just how big a mess the party’s previous leadership has left it in.
The paper has now also reached the mainstream media.
Wings already touched on that particular aspect of the party’s mismanagement back in August, but in the light of the report now formally acknowledging the problem it’s worth taking a moment to establish just how astonishingly bad it is.
The writing, we mean. Because it’s not until you see it baldly written down in black and white that it really hits you how insane it is.
The SNP has 44 MPs now, and has not managed to enter independence negotiations.
Winning 29 seats would represent a LOSS of 15, or more than a third.
And they’re about to stand up in front of voters and insist that that would somehow compel the UK government to hand over what they’ve been flatly refusing since 2016.
(It’s all pretty academic anyway, obv, as we’ll be amazed if they get double figures.)
The very last shred of credibility has left the building, readers.
Dunx on Mad caps: “@Sarah I’ve looked at the blog. The writer refers to Article 25 of the ICCPR which states : Every citizen…” Apr 6, 08:46
Hatey McHateface on Mad caps: “I had a wee look at the text of the International Covenant On Civil And Political Rights online. It consists…” Apr 6, 08:37
Aidan on Mad caps: “@Dunx – it doesn’t say that anywhere and the ICCPR does not provide voters to call for referendums in the…” Apr 6, 07:13
yoon scum on Mad caps: “I see little evidence to suggest the young Ross isn’t exactly the kind of politician that would be embraced in…” Apr 6, 07:04
yoon scum on Mad caps: “You still haven’t told me how long I have to move to england” Apr 6, 07:02
yoon scum on Mad caps: “Trump :- A nationlist arse who promises to make his country again because the OTHERS are oppressing us That is…” Apr 6, 07:00
Ian Brotherhood on Mad caps: “Thanks Robert. It was a total pleasure to meet you in person and I’m just sorry there wasn’t enough time,…” Apr 5, 23:36
Robert Hughes on Mad caps: “Ian B . I had just come on here to say thank you for organising last night’s event and seen…” Apr 5, 22:37
sarah on Mad caps: “The ICCPR gives voters the power to call a popular referendum. The petition was submitted on behalf of Respect Scottish…” Apr 5, 21:28
Dunx on Mad caps: ““ It won’t matter who is in government, we the voters can get direct democracy to stop any executive action…” Apr 5, 20:17
Andrew scott on Mad caps: “Brilliant remark in the Herald When discussing replacement for the green gnome “Ross greer this the only person in scotland…” Apr 5, 20:14
Ian Brotherhood on Mad caps: “Big thanks to all the Wingers who made it to the Eagle Inn last night. Great to chat in real…” Apr 5, 20:05
Mark Beggan on Mad caps: “Ye ye ye. Just sign it.” Apr 5, 19:30
Hatey McHateface on Mad caps: “I’m disappointed in you, sarah. In my grown up world, legislation affecting us all should stand or fall on its…” Apr 5, 19:06
Hatey McHateface on Mad caps: “It’s arguably true that President Trump is half-Scottish. It’s arguably true that he will be the most infamous POTUS of…” Apr 5, 18:50
James Cheyne on The Gender Of Mountains: “As far as I recall in my education, The treaty of union does not mention a devolved parliament for the…” Apr 5, 17:44
sarah on Mad caps: “@ Mark – if you click on the blue link in my comment, the petition comes up for you to…” Apr 5, 16:14
sarah on Mad caps: “Petition is: PE2135 Implement the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights [ICCPR] in Scottish legislation.” Apr 5, 16:02
Mark Beggan on Mad caps: “Where do I sign.” Apr 5, 15:56
sarah on Mad caps: “We CAN get control over any of these politicians. All we have to do is get the UN International Covenant…” Apr 5, 15:42
Mark Beggan on Mad caps: “Wouldn’t it be nice if Greer was parachuted into a mountainous desert where the locals armed to the teeth didn’t…” Apr 5, 15:13
Young Lochinvar on Mad caps: “They are ALL dangerous nut-cases. They don’t even consider or care about Scotlands inalienable right to self determination, ALL they…” Apr 5, 15:09
Sven on Mad caps: “Yoon Scum. Wow, that seems to have pushed your buttons in a fairly immoderate manner. I’ve no idea why you’d…” Apr 5, 14:55
Skip_NC on Mad caps: “YS, the policies each party currently pursues are, in the main, a creature of the devolution settlement. When we attain…” Apr 5, 14:45
Mia on Mad caps: “Oh, is it a handbag? And that was me thinking it was the cap of some handmaid…” Apr 5, 14:38
Mark Beggan on Mad caps: “Greer is a dangerous nut case.” Apr 5, 14:32
Mark Beggan on Mad caps: “Does step three involve halusnagenic mushrooms?” Apr 5, 14:19