As well as being the Director of the John Smith Policy Centre (a job with no known responsibilities but which nevertheless pays around the same as being an MSP making laws in the Scottish Parliament) she writes regular columns in The Times and The Courier and is now, hilariously, the new Professor of Practice in Public Service in Glasgow University.
(A post with unspecified duties and unknown salary and which was also not, as far as anyone can tell, ever publicly advertised.)
We were bored so we thought we’d find out, via Panelbase, if her latest lucrative role was perhaps the result of a noticeably impressive performance in the first one.
A year and a quarter ago, we contrasted the performance of the SNP’s last two leaders in terms of building support for independence. As the First Minister crows about how much better she’s been at staying in power than a succession of UK leaders, it seems only proper to bring the stats up to date.
Do you remember, readers, how the next UK election was supposed to be a single-issue de facto referendum on independence if the Supreme Court ruled Holyrood didn’t have the power to hold one itself?
Well, it appears that policy has been abruptly and quietly ditched.
Because just a couple of hours ago SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford told BBC News that “I can assure you” the SNP “will have a growth manifesto” for the whole UK whenever the next election comes around, because in his view the UK economy hasn’t been growing enough for the last few decades and the SNP would have a plan to fix it. Because apparently fixing the UK is the SNP’s purpose now.
Guess we better hope for a good result from the Supreme Court, then.
And while the prediction itself wasn’t vindicated, the reasoning behind it certainly was, because she duly lost her majority just as we said she would, and limped pitifully into oblivion over the next two painful and shambolic years. (While Nicola Sturgeon ponced around hopelessly trying to stop Brexit instead of saving Scotland by getting it the hell out of the UK before it was too late.)
So it’s in that spirit that we’re going to stick our necks out once again and predict that despite the opinions of most political pundits Liz Truss is going nowhere any time soon, because as incredible as it seems, she’s almost certainly the least worst option for the Conservative Party right now.
Between recesses and the mourning period for the Queen, the UK Parliament has been sitting for just four weeks since the 1st of July this year.
In that time the government has somehow managed to lose three Chancellors Of The Exchequer and is about to engage its fourth in the alarming form of Jeremy Hunt, a man whose primary claim to fame and utility to the UK is as rhyming slang.
Sometimes even fools and liars and charlatans speak the truth.
Thing is, we rather liked it when the horses south of the border were frightened. Things happened in those days. But to coin a phrase, those days are past now.
Honestly, readers, swear to God, all joking and sarcasm aside, when we saw this tweet yesterday we were wondering how on Earth some clever satirist had managed to hack Anas Sarwar’s account to insert the screenshot into it.
Because we didn’t believe that even Scottish Labour’s low-watt-bulb of a branch manager would willingly post something that made him look so much of an imbecile.
Because the SNP are now openly, publicly telling you that they’re never going to achieve independence for Scotland, nor even make any meaningful attempt at it.
Young Lochinvar on Clocks And Calendars: “Beggars Oh dear.. Is that the sort of parties you go to? Never can tell with Tories eh.. You aren’t…” Apr 2, 03:00
Captain Caveman on Clocks And Calendars: “Oh do piss off mate. You claimed “400” innocent people were killed by the regime (like, as if this is…” Apr 1, 23:04
Mark Beggan on Clocks And Calendars: “Just put your car keys on the tray.” Apr 1, 22:36
Geri on Clocks And Calendars: ““Worst of all, we have fluffers and apologists for the worst, most murderous regimes on Earth, killing tens of thousands…” Apr 1, 22:20
James on Clocks And Calendars: ““…Just as well we aren’t part of it and we’ve got our own oil….” Oh, ma sides. Stop it!” Apr 1, 22:07
Geri on Clocks And Calendars: “It’s bankers that are the parasite. Forever looking to back & bankroll the Next Empire in it forever wars to…” Apr 1, 22:05
Captain Caveman on Clocks And Calendars: ““Caveman (demoted to private): I read WoS with a degree of detachment but you never fail to impress me with…” Apr 1, 21:53
MaryB on Clocks And Calendars: “Tommy Sheridan’s been reported to the police for calling out USA and I*real. Is this because he’s standing as a…” Apr 1, 21:51
Geri on Clocks And Calendars: “Cave dweller, Okay, I’ll gie yeh just wan the noo.. Willie McRae. Not only did this man shoot himself in…” Apr 1, 21:31
Jay on Clocks And Calendars: “Caveman (demoted to private): I read WoS with a degree of detachment but you never fail to impress me with…” Apr 1, 21:20
Geri on Clocks And Calendars: “I dunno, the EU is detangling itself from the tech mafia & it’s vision of 24 hour surveillance & it’s…” Apr 1, 21:14
Mark Beggan on Clocks And Calendars: “Baby Trump says I was right about everything.” Apr 1, 21:13
Mark Beggan on Clocks And Calendars: “So Europa is to go and fight for their oil. I reckon the EU has 5 years left to exist.…” Apr 1, 21:11
Captain Caveman on Clocks And Calendars: ““Lolz, I’m finding it quite funny being a cave dweller.” It is! I’m mainly here for the shits and giggles.…” Apr 1, 21:04
Mark Beggan on Clocks And Calendars: “1916 Ireland to 2026 Scotland. For starters the uprising in Dublin was a disaster. Half the Irish never turned up…” Apr 1, 21:02
Geri on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Nae Need, I think the next generation won’t be as daft – especially given world events over food & energy…” Apr 1, 20:42
Nae Need! on Clocks And Calendars: “Geri, You do make me laugh. Lolz, I’m finding it quite funny being a cave dweller. Now, just for shits…” Apr 1, 20:37
Captain Caveman on Clocks And Calendars: ““I see yer drooling in anticipation..” Um, hardly. It’s not like you have credible information to back up your outrageous,…” Apr 1, 20:31
Nae Need! on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “I couldn’t agree more, Sarah. Of course its a false construct. It’s an absolutely, almost fantastical, ridiculous situation. But having…” Apr 1, 20:08
Nae Need! on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Holyrood is helping no one, Alan. I think I’ve reached my tolerance limits. my patience limits . . . get…” Apr 1, 20:00
Young Lochinvar on Clocks And Calendars: “4 subs; of which 2 are write offs, 1 is undergoing major surgery while 1 (the very very rusty one)…” Apr 1, 19:55
robertkknight on Clocks And Calendars: “As “basket cases” go I recon the UK has the EU beat, and well beat. As for the the Scottish…” Apr 1, 19:48
Northcode on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: ““People must remember that Holyrood is a Colonial Administration… Scotland must gather 57 pro independence candidates, either party or standing…” Apr 1, 19:43
Nae Need! on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Geri, I understand all that, but it’s no gonna happen 😉 Not in our life times.” Apr 1, 19:35
Geri on Clocks And Calendars: “Cave dweller, I see yer drooling in anticipation.. It’s delicious to watch.” Apr 1, 19:25
