Having failed over the course of several years to label the SNP “Nazis” and “fascists” (or, depending on which sort of newspaper you were reading,“Tartan Stalinists”), the party’s political and media opponents have a new(ish) meme to punt: that the SNP is a religious cult made up of credulous, fanatical zealots impervious to logic or facts.
The leader of this new front is right-wing columnist Alex Massie, who by our count has managed to flog someone this diatribe at least four times already this year – the most recent being in yesterday’s Times:
Alert readers can’t have failed to notice the media working itself up into a particularly dopey froth this week over the subject of a second independence referendum. First the press, short of actual news in the political silly season, pumped up Alex Salmond stating the bleeding obvious into some kind of hold-the-front-page revelation.
(Salmond has said, like, forever that he believes Scotland will be independent in his lifetime. That can only happen through a referendum. It therefore stands to reason that he must believe a second referendum is inevitable. Him saying so, for the 500th time, in response to a direct question is about as far from “news” as it’s possible to get.)
Then today all the papers reported David Cameron ruling out any possibility of another one while he’s Prime Minister, as if it was any of his business to do so.
(Should the SNP stand on a manifesto commitment to another referendum, and win a majority on that platform, it’d be not only an affront to democracy but politically idiotic to block it. Even those Scots opposed to independence, or to another referendum, still want their country’s democratic will respected.)
With David Mundell and Ian Murray both having appeared on today’s “Good Morning Scotland” singing the praises of the wonderful Scotland Bill and how it would deliver all a nation could ever dream of, it seems a good time to publish the results of our recent Panelbase poll on the subject.
The nation, it seems, has rather more ambitious dreams.
The battle-cry of right-wing Labour apologists all this week has been “realism”. It’s all very well people like Jeremy Corbyn having crazy old principles about what Labour is supposed to stand for, runs the argument, but you can’t argue with public opinion and public opinion is desperate for Labour to become Tories with a slightly softer edge.
We’re sorry to keep going on about this, readers, but we’ve been going over and over it in our heads and we just can’t get it to make sense.
Below is the failed Labour amendment to the Welfare Reform And Work Bill:
As you can see, its sole intended purpose was to refuse a second reading to the Bill. Labour voted for their own amendment (an achievement, we suppose), which means they didn’t want to see the bill get a second reading.
After last night’s debacle in the House Of Commons, various Labour activists and cheerleaders have been scrambled on social and print media to firefight the appalled reaction from voters on the left to the party’s abstention on the Tory welfare bill.
The government’s brutal, monstrous welfare reform bill passed its second reading in the Commons tonight by 308 votes to 124, meaning that somewhere in the region of 80% of Labour MPs abstained on it.
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “Scotland is a Colony by deceit, not Due to it actually being a Colony, but because the propaganda knew Scottish…” Dec 27, 11:33
Colin Alexander on A matter of class: “ChatGpt: “Dicey’s claim of unlimited parliamentary sovereignty rests on long-standing judicial obedience to Acts of Parliament, not on any explicit…” Dec 27, 11:28
Northcode on A matter of class: ““Civic nationalism DOES represent the silent majority” If it’s silent how can it possibly be known if civic nationalism forms…” Dec 27, 11:23
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “Due to the many records wrote down to make a Union puzzle theory fit the narrative that they wished to…” Dec 27, 11:17
Dan on A matter of class: “Franchise Fanny says: “Just like the troons and their allies in the TWAW debate you’ve actually convinced yourselves somehow that…” Dec 27, 11:13
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “The people in Scotland need to pay more attention to research and records of what has passed behind closed doors…” Dec 27, 11:06
Aidan on A matter of class: “Indeed Andy and as far as I am aware there isn’t a single example of a country anywhere in the…” Dec 27, 10:49
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “Westminster parliament in England is fully aware that their actions in Scotland over Centuries wobble on a axis and pivotal…” Dec 27, 10:45
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “And all this going on while Westminster parliament Hansard records in the Select Committee make Statements like the following in…” Dec 27, 10:36
Andy Ellis on A matter of class: “So what values would you prefer Scot? You’d prefer to live under the benevolent rule of Uncle Vlad or Chairman…” Dec 27, 10:16
Dan on A matter of class: “Stuff going on in Scotland. https://www.isp.scot/december-20th-december-26th-2025/” Dec 27, 10:00
Andy Ellis on A matter of class: “@Bilbo 8.02pm Civic nationalism DOES represent the silent majority though Bilbo. No amount of self referential posting by Professor Baird…” Dec 27, 09:47
Bilbo on A matter of class: “The third article was excellent and a lot I agree on, particularly Covid being used as a sort of ‘Jubilee’…” Dec 27, 08:27
Bilbo on A matter of class: “Ah, the one referred to as Franchise Fanny. You paint two extremes then push your narrative under a voice of…” Dec 27, 08:02
willie on A matter of class: “Absolutely Scott Finlayson. Germany. like in the 1930s is in absolute full swing rearming to the absolute hilt. The white…” Dec 27, 01:57
Saffron Robe on A matter of class: “A trio of very interesting articles, well worth reading – if a tad depressing!: www.ronpaulinstitute.org/europe-is-about-to-commit-financial-self-immolation-and-its-leaders-know-it/ www.brusselssignal.eu/2025/12/the-eu-could-be-gone-in-four-years-a-revolutionary-eruption-is-coming/ www.off-guardian.org/2025/12/23/land-of-confusion-the-great-reset-in-motion/” Dec 27, 00:12
Northcode on A matter of class: “I’ve opened all my pressies. I’ve had my Christmas meal. I’ve watched some Christmas telly, But now I really feel.…” Dec 26, 22:21
Northcode on A matter of class: ““I’m not a colonising colonist… I’m a civic nationalist,” said the colonising colonist.” Dec 26, 21:18
agentx on A matter of class: “For God’s sake how false can people on here be? All this Peace and Goodwill to all men. Why can…” Dec 26, 20:11
Anne on The Valley Of The Dolls: “Alex Salmond would have remained in charge of the SNP if we had won the referendum and this would have…” Dec 26, 19:38
Scot Finlayson on A matter of class: “European empire builders have r@ped and plundered the planet for centuries, turned the Earth red with the blood of `foreigners`,…” Dec 26, 19:35
Alf Baird on A matter of class: “So called ‘civic nationalism’ reflects this in the finding that (Bond 2015): ‘Many of those who contributed to the decision…” Dec 26, 18:59
Alf Baird on A matter of class: “Like gender ideology, so-called ‘civic nationalism’ ideology is also “Delusional nonsense” of the ‘snake oil’ variety, and cost us our…” Dec 26, 18:45
Andy Ellis on A matter of class: “Delusional nonsense I’m afraid James, which is sadly of a piece with the rest of the tsunami of bilge you…” Dec 26, 16:20
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “Charles(not the R one). This is infiltration of people encouraged to move to Scotland has been on going for Centuries,…” Dec 26, 14:26
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “That Britain and France encouraged this move, tells you all you need to know. This is what the person whom…” Dec 26, 13:27
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “Maybe some of the Scottish people are not aware of what the warmongering EU attempted to do that was illegal.…” Dec 26, 13:10
Charles (Not the R3 one) on A matter of class: “Willie wrote : “And of course the plantation of Scotland with English immigrants is moving apace. Glendale in Skye, famous…” Dec 26, 13:09
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “If Scotland is stupid enough to go along with encompassing civic nationalism, EU and StarmerS dodgy plans, our land and…” Dec 26, 13:00
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “I hope you all had a lovely Christmas day with family and friends, PR stunt for the king of England…” Dec 26, 12:39
