The splendid video below is a short clip from one of a Scottish Labour “campaign rally” held on Saturday morning. (And we do mean Saturday morning – the gathering seen in the distance at the very beginning as Murphy walks up through a deserted Buchanan Street appear to be waiting outside the Sainsbury’s Local, which opens at 7am.)
One can only admire Anas Sarwar’s upbeat view of his audience. But from the broader perspective, readers might be forgiven for wondering what on Earth was going on.
Our alert readers will probably be aware of the psychological phenomenon commonly known as the five stages of grief. If not, there’s a rather good piece by Andrew Nicoll in today’s Scottish Sun about it in the context of Scottish Labour.
But while perceptive, Nicoll is a little behind the times, because it appears that the party’s branch office manager Jim Murphy has invented a sixth.
Welcome, viewers, to the new final stage of grief: delusion.
The Sunday Times front page today reports (although in fact we can’t find the story anywhere on its website or in its iPad app) the 8,745th “intervention” by Gordon Brown in Scottish politics, the thing which is at least notionally still his actual day job.
We’re going to need someone to explain to us why even the punch-drunk inhabitants of Scottish Labour HQ could possibly imagine that to be a good idea.
A variant on the story below appears in most of the right-wing press today.
That’s the Daily Mail version, which is the most detailed. The Express’s reporting was similar. But in order to manufacture a grievance on behalf of UKIP and the Tories, every paper which covers the story is required to torture the data beyond all reason.
In the wake of the latest Ashcroft polls, the only line being deployed by Scottish Labour is that the projected outcome of an SNP landslide would be great news for the Conservatives and lead to David Cameron returning in triumph to Downing Street. One would presume, then, that the Tory press is delighted by the prospect.
So let’s check out some stories from today’s Daily Mail and Scottish Daily Mail.
We know we’ve made this point several times before. But can someone explain to us again how there’s no significant difference between the (broad, collective) political outlook of the respective peoples of Scotland and England? Because if there isn’t, doing this kind of thing just doesn’t make any sense at all.
“Scottish Labour” apparently launched its election “manifesto” somewhere in Scotland today. The “leader” of the fringe “party”, Jon Murnaghan or something, seemingly got a bit confused and made a number of pledges regarding devolved issues over which the Westminster government to be elected next month will have no control whatsoever, and would properly belong in a manifesto for the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.
Mr Morley or whatever his name is, who – assuming he wins his own seat – will be an insignificant backbench MP in the event of Ed Miliband’s Labour party winning the election, also said a bunch of other stuff about the SNP being “bad” because they refused to tell him what would be in their 2016 manifesto, further supporting the idea that the agitated branch official had lost track of what year it was.
So, let’s just get this one straight, this morning’s English edition of The Sun – two parties with 316 seats are “stealing” an election from two parties with 309 seats?
Want us to walk you through that whole “counting” thing again?
Last night’s juxtaposition of somewhat contradictory front covers on the Herald and Scottish Daily Mail was modestly amusing, but nothing new. We pointed out weeks ago that papers on both the left and the right were – often on the same days – painting the SNP as hand-in-glove allies of either Labour or the Tories according to whatever suited their own agendas, and nothing’s changed in that respect.
But it’s interesting to take a look behind the headlines of the respective stories and see the degree to which the truth can be bent, exaggerated or in some cases simply made up from thin air.
Tartan Tory on The Marshalling Plan: “Yes Iain, I will be voting for an English Nazi party. I’ve spoiled all my votes for almost the past…” Feb 5, 17:50
Cantankerous Skank on The Marshalling Plan: “That comment about (do do do the funky) Given being given a place on a law course with bad grades…” Feb 5, 17:37
Sven on A Stitch In Timing: “John Burns @ 16.42. Obviously inspired by their succes with the Fur Farming prohibition Act of 2002, our devolved administration…” Feb 5, 17:06
John Burns on A Stitch In Timing: “Only the SNP could bring a bill before the Scottish Parliament to ban something that doesn’t exist in Scotland (…” Feb 5, 16:52
Andy Wiltshire on A Stitch In Timing: “I’m almost tired of being tired of being outraged. It really seems that there is nothing that can actually be…” Feb 5, 16:38
100%Yes on A Stitch In Timing: “It make you wonder if the incompetence of justice system in Scotland isn’t being done by design, in order to…” Feb 5, 16:28
Jesus H. Cunt on A Stitch In Timing: “Scots law, along with Scottish institutions and Scottish democracy, is being deliberately and systematically undermined and discredited in plain sight…” Feb 5, 16:28
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Marshalling Plan: “ROOTS OF WESTERN CULTURE by Herman Dooyeweerd PDF of full book HERE: https://vcho.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Roots-of-Western-Culture-B-Vol-15.pdf” Feb 5, 16:11
100%Yes on The Marshalling Plan: “Cynicus, The Euro lottery is enough. Who ever becomes PM nothing changes for the Scots.” Feb 5, 15:51
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Marshalling Plan: “(Perhaps not the optimum choice of headline, but anyway…) WOMEN’S GROUP PETITIONS FOR BLANKET BAN ON MEN IN WOMEN’S PRISONS…” Feb 5, 15:49
sarah on The Marshalling Plan: ““Better” in many ways e.g. that the people were sovereign, in addition to the examples I mentioned re politicians being…” Feb 5, 15:32
sam on The Marshalling Plan: “Starmer should, and probably will, have questions to answer about Palantir. Although the Tories used Palantir for managing England’s NHS…” Feb 5, 15:31
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Marshalling Plan: “I again deplore the anti-Jewish element of your discourse. I would draw people’s attention to GEORGE STEINER’s essay THE HOLLOW…” Feb 5, 15:28
Alf Baird on The Marshalling Plan: ““In a nutshell” Fascism: state actors immunity from prosecution. Scots hiv tholed hit for mair nor chree hunner year, an…” Feb 5, 15:05
Cynicus on The Marshalling Plan: ““it would be Ed Miliband who’d be the next PM.” You can get odds of almost 8 to 1 against…” Feb 5, 14:50
Confused on The Marshalling Plan: ““now it’s dark … ” one of the annoying things about the yooni is how they teach you to speak…” Feb 5, 14:45
Confused on The Marshalling Plan: “KELLY GIVEN WAS ON SCOTCAST … wait what ? – are the brothels full ?? no she is telling us…” Feb 5, 14:40
100%Yes on The Marshalling Plan: “The only thing Starmer needs to do to win any vote regarding his leadership, is to threaten his MP’s with…” Feb 5, 14:29
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Marshalling Plan: “Grouse Beater article today: MARK HIRST CASE « In a nutshell: Scotland’s Court of Session has ruled that Scots Law…” Feb 5, 14:21
sam on The Marshalling Plan: “Epstein seems to have had at least 15 Russian visas. https://allchronology.com/2026/02/04/the-quiet-meeting-that-sparked-a-storm-inside-the-mandelson-starmer-palantir-connection/ Peter Thiel co-founded and is CEO of Palantir. Thiel…” Feb 5, 14:17
Hatey McHateface on The Marshalling Plan: “All very well Fearghas, but what did Dooyeweerd have to say about Fanon and Memmi? Surely he took the knee…” Feb 5, 13:19
Hatey McHateface on The Marshalling Plan: “Could be just me, Northy, but I’m not minded to take advice from somebody self-identifying as a colonising, inter-stellar Pict.…” Feb 5, 13:01
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Marshalling Plan: “DOOYEWEERD: Critique of 20th Century Fascism Herman Dooyeweerd (1894-1977) lived through the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. The family sheltered…” Feb 5, 13:01
James Cheyne on The Marshalling Plan: “So who is Scotland voting for, in Scottish elections under a united kingdom of England and Ireland and a devolved…” Feb 5, 12:54
Northcode on The Marshalling Plan: “Few Scots understand the true nature of Scotland’s relationship with England. Many believe they have a political voice; that they…” Feb 5, 12:38
Hatey McHateface on The Marshalling Plan: “The barsturts! Now we know, that changes everything. Do you think this is gonna be the number 1 topic on…” Feb 5, 12:37
James Cheyne on The Marshalling Plan: “The parliament of England and Ireland as a united kingdom did a over-reach by then passing legislation for a devolved…” Feb 5, 12:35
James Cheyne on The Marshalling Plan: “Englands parliament of Great Britain acting as the parliament of England decided to alter the treaty of union with Scotland…” Feb 5, 12:16
Hatey McHateface on The Marshalling Plan: “Aye, Willie, you’re gonna be a very rich man. Tell us how much you’ve backed your predictions by, and at…” Feb 5, 12:14
Hatey McHateface on The Marshalling Plan: “Ah c’moan noo, Alf, ye must be slipping up. You missed your chance to get an accusation of racism in…” Feb 5, 12:08
