Let’s take a passing moment just to reflect on how grotesque this is.
When she was leader, Sturgeon forced MPs and MSPs like Michelle Thomson and Mark McDonald – neither of whom were even spoken to by police, let alone arrested or questioned or charged – out of the SNP lest even the mere suggestion of wrongdoing bring shame on the party.
She is still under police investigation on suspicion of EMBEZZLING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF POUNDS FROM THE SNP, and her husband and former party CEO has actually been charged with it. She is personally on record, on video, ordering the NEC not to question the state of party finances at the time of the alleged offences.
Yet not only has she had the lack of class not to resign the whip voluntarily, not only has she shown no interest in turning up and doing the job for the last two years, but she’s actually put herself forward to stand again, and doddering, spineless caretaker John Swinney hasn’t had the stones to put a stop to it.
Nobody thinks she’s even going to actually run next year – she spends most of her time gallivanting around celebrity events talking about her life after politics – so she’s just wasting everyone’s time and trolling.
Nobody in history has ever taken the SNP for a ride as cynically as this. But the party is so rotten and broken and weak that it just meekly goes along with it, and yet still dares to pretend it’s up to the rather tougher task of making Scotland independent.
We have no words for anyone still stupid enough to believe in it.
This is the SNP’s latest messaging. Ministers, MSPs, payroll drones and the central party account were all tweeting the graphic and variations on the line yesterday.
And it’s quite difficult even just to count the number of different ways in which it’s not just mind-bogglingly offensive, but also clatteringly, jaw-droppingly stupid.
The wild thing about this poll isn’t the headline that six months after winning a massive landslide majority, Keir Starmer now trails Nigel Farage – leader of a party with five MPs to Starmer’s 411 – as the electorate’s choice for best Prime Minister.
It’s the little grey numbers sitting quietly at the bottom.
As more horrific experiences from survivors of rape torture gangs surface from across the UK, we must focus not on knee-jerk political posturing but on the root cause that led to the failure of these children by our society.
Political inaction has now opened the door to inevitable political mileage, nurtured from stoking vengeance in a rightly-angered public. Those only interested in creating cultural conflicts no more support justice for survivors than those who allowed this abomination to fester by looking away or worse, covering up the problem.
For any functioning society, inflicting unimaginable pain on children on an alarming scale seems unimaginable. Yet, the evidence has been in front of us for years – so why has immediate action to ensure the safeguarding of children – and vulnerable adults – not been a pressing priority?
Any rational assessment of Scottish (or indeed UK or world) politics at the moment tends to be negative and depressing, so since it’s a new year we thought we’d make an extra-special effort at writing something positive.
Unfortunately that does require us to enter the realm of fantasy. But hey, everybody needs a little holiday from time to time, right?
Look, we know that mocking front pages on The National is low-hanging fruit, and this particular example could hardly be any more of a self-parody if it tried.
But just for the sheer mental exercise in that stone-dead last week of December when nobody even knows what day it is, let’s imagine if it came true.
Bilbo on Yelling at the tide: “@ Main Got some shares in your portfolio of certain American Pharmaceutical companies?” Jan 24, 00:11
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Yelling at the tide: “Regarding Norse pronunciation effects on Gaelic, the late Professor Derick Thomson wrote: « In phonology Scottish Gaelic differs from Irish…” Jan 23, 23:08
Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: ““Or am I missing something?” That’s my conclusion. Only one reply – this one. Please don’t shoot the messenger.” Jan 23, 22:48
Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: “Sorry, Sven, too late in the day for yet another language. Besides, Hobbit Boy beat you to it.” Jan 23, 22:43
Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: ““how many woman think Trans woman are woman” I wonder how many women (and men) think the plural of woman…” Jan 23, 22:41
PC Foster on Yelling at the tide: “Lorna – I could not agree with you more- I will not vote nationalist until the woke/trans are well defeated…” Jan 23, 22:12
Bilbo on Yelling at the tide: “Trumps only interest and only audience is the people of the United States of America.” Jan 23, 22:01
Run the Border on Yelling at the tide: “You would get a more coherent set of responses from a formal complaint about your energy supply. This is a…” Jan 23, 21:53
Run the Border on Yelling at the tide: “Happy to write.Get the Rev to organise it.” Jan 23, 21:41
Marie on Yelling at the tide: “Oh that fool will still be calling Donnie the worlds greatest living half Scotsman. Pitiful really.” Jan 23, 21:40
Bilbo on Yelling at the tide: “I wonder how many woman think Trans woman are woman as well?” Jan 23, 21:21
Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: ““While social media is much maligned, it does give us a more realistic viewpoint of American society” No shit, Sherlock!…” Jan 23, 21:19
Sven on Yelling at the tide: “Kundi foroyskt vera upprunaliga skotska máli? ?” (Could Faroese be the original Scots language ?). Or mayhap it was Norn.…” Jan 23, 21:18
agentx on Yelling at the tide: “Sturgeon issued a statement on Friday evening, saying: “I understand Ms Darroch’s determination to get answers, and my thoughts are…” Jan 23, 21:18
Lorna Campbell on Yelling at the tide: “David Rodgers: as a male, a man, that is your privilege. It is not mine or that of every woman…” Jan 23, 21:16
Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: “The SG foresee the day, when Scotland leads the world in woowoo and every Scot is trans, when babies will…” Jan 23, 21:05
Lorna Campbell on Yelling at the tide: “Precisely, Ian. Feed in what you want to be regurgitated as ‘fact’ and you have the kind of dog’s breakfast…” Jan 23, 21:00
Bilbo on Yelling at the tide: “American values that depends on the right to carry guns doesn’t work in every county that doesn’t have that right.…” Jan 23, 20:49
sam on Yelling at the tide: “The SED [Scottish Education Department] was initially presided over by the Committee of Council in Education in London and had…” Jan 23, 20:25
Lorna Campbell on Yelling at the tide: “It was illegal, James, from the moment only Scotland, Wales and NI devolved. England should also have devolved in keeping…” Jan 23, 20:24
Bilbo on Yelling at the tide: “I see that it is trending in the UK MSM about Trumps inferred comments towards British soldiers in recent conflicts…” Jan 23, 19:51
Southernbystander on Yelling at the tide: “These baby boxes seem incredibly cruel. How have the SG got away with providing boxes to stuff a baby in…” Jan 23, 19:48
Bilbo on Yelling at the tide: “Increased standard of livings but better quality of life?” Jan 23, 19:47
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Yelling at the tide: “« Gaelic culture reached its zenith in Scotland during the eleventh century, when the borders of the kingdom were extended…” Jan 23, 19:23
Northcode on Yelling at the tide: ““Scots has faced every pressure a language can face, and yet it’s not only still here—it’s growing.” – from “How…” Jan 23, 18:14
Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: “That’s OK though, sam. The “Education (Scotland) Act 1872” was undoubtedly enacted by some big, bad, English barsturts who then…” Jan 23, 17:50
Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: “So what they say about incest is true. Crivens, help m’boab!” Jan 23, 17:45
sam on Yelling at the tide: “Wuz that yer Da n Ma? Interested? https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/scots-language” Jan 23, 17:41
Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: “Great post, Alf. And here was me thinking the people of these islands had always enjoyed quite a privileged and…” Jan 23, 17:40
sam on Yelling at the tide: “Linguistic professors, McLeod and Jones of Edinburgh University chart the decline of the use of Gaelic language. “In the mid…” Jan 23, 17:32
