At the weekend this site noted that on the BBC’s Sunday Politics, presenter Andrew Neil claimed that the Scottish Government’s budget had not been reduced in real terms in “the last five or six years”, and that therefore Scotland has not faced cuts.
But as we pointed out, the Scottish Government budget HAS been cut, year-on-year, since the Tories took office. The independent Fiscal Affairs Scotland assessed the cumulative reduction at a hefty 10%, or a little over £3bn a year.
We weren’t going to take Professor Adam Tomkins’ hysterical “NATMAGEDDON!” article for this week’s Spectator seriously enough to pull it apart line by line.
But once we’d wiped the tears from our eyes we thought we’d better do our job.
Kezia Dugdale made a spectacle of herself again at First Minister’s Questions earlier today. Using time intended for holding the Scottish Government to account over its devolved responsibilities, Dugdale once more decided instead to ignore her duty to the people of Scotland and attack the FM over a matter which is entirely outwith the Scottish Government’s control, namely the past actions of a Westminster MP.
Pausing only to demand that Holyrood interfere in the running of the independent Law Society, Dugdale then abandoned her casual endangerment of a live police inquiry by focusing instead on the morality of the aforementioned MP’s business practices:
But Ms Dugdale’s own ethics left a few things to be desired.
The media and Unionist politicians (we really need to come up with a word to describe that single entity), when not concocting hysterical frothing diatribes against Michelle Thomson or complaining about the Scottish Government giving money to T In The Park – a position we must confess we find ourselves in some sympathy with – have recently been loudly protesting about last year’s “underspend” in the Holyrood budget.
There’s an extremely good article here by Dr Craig Dalzell of the Scottish Greens dealing with the broader issue of why such complaints are idiotic, so rather than go over the ground again we thought we’d look at another angle.
It appeared on any possible interpretation to be complete nonsense, but Ms Dugdale – who’s pledged to make education the issue at the heart of her leadership – has been somewhat reluctant to clarify the statement.
Several queries from her Lothian constituents have gone unanswered, but one Wings viewer did manage to get a single tweet of response.
We didn’t think that could be right, and dug up some figures suggesting that it was nonsense, but of course “the poorest kids” is a highly-flexible metric. Strictly speaking you could just mean the two poorest children in the country, and if one of those two can’t read there’s your 50%.
Luckily, we’ve now had some meat put on the bones of that claim.
Kezia Dugdale talking to Gordon Brewer on BBC Scotland today:
“I’m astonished that you’ve spent 10 minutes in this interview talking about independence and Trident when almost 50% of the poorest kids in the country can’t read […] I’m sure you’d be shocked to know that 50% of the poorest kids leave our schools unable to read.”
We suspect he would too. Because it’s total cobblers.
There’s a remarkable story on the BBC News website today about the latest findings of the British Election Study, last seen destroying the myth that fear of the SNP damaged Labour in England. The piece focuses on the discovery that being seen as “too left-wing” does NOT, in fact, cost Labour votes, despite the hysterical warnings of supposedly leftist pundits.
But there’s a more startling fact buried right at the end.
Hatey McHateface on Spot The Problem: “Always the best way, James – Day Zero of Year Zero. As a Sovereign Scot, I hereby declare myself outside…” Aug 28, 11:27
James Che on Spot The Problem: “Hatey, I have never worried about the Crown of Scotland, In Case you have never noticed it is England that…” Aug 28, 11:22
James Che on Spot The Problem: “I forgot the SNP were a Company, Thanks for the reminder. So laws against a Company could differ considerable compared…” Aug 28, 11:13
Hatey McHateface on Spot The Problem: ““Scotlands Crown was not Sovereign over the parliament or people” If you put it like that, James, there’s absolutely no…” Aug 28, 11:06
James Che on Spot The Problem: “The SNP is Company first and foremost. Its a Company running Scotland, Where is that company registered? Can we use…” Aug 28, 11:01
James Che on Spot The Problem: “History from the past creates the present history, the present history creates future records and history, Disassociating one from the…” Aug 28, 10:40
James Che on Spot The Problem: “Your comments yesterday regards the Monarch of England “self declaring ” the position of king of Scotland It helps to…” Aug 28, 10:22
James Che on Spot The Problem: “am firinn. It really is a treat to find intelligent responses to some of the misleading information projected towards the…” Aug 28, 09:41
James Che on Spot The Problem: “Sparten 117, Thank you for your knowledgable intervention yesterday regards the Fabian Society infiltration into the position of governments advisors.…” Aug 28, 09:29
Hatey McHateface on Spot The Problem: “An interesting article “Canada-US trade war has exposed a Brexit double standard”: https://unherd.com/newsroom/canada-us-trade-war-has-exposed-a-brexit-double-standard/ The author is pointing out that Canadian…” Aug 28, 09:03
Chas on Spot The Problem: “You are not alone in your thoughts Rob. The ‘Wings’ comments section has evolved into a forum where bitter, twisted…” Aug 28, 09:02
Hatey McHateface on Spot The Problem: ““sick of the “colonists” are to blame for everything, the union was illegal, the UN will fix it and all…” Aug 28, 08:24
Hatey Mchateface on Spot The Problem: “It’s a verifiable fact that nobody’s fingers ever went through the bog roll while wiping a runny one until Thatcher.” Aug 28, 07:52
Hatey McHateface on Spot The Problem: “@ Dan says: 27 August, 2026 at 11:03 pm “prick” “cunts” Got something on your mind, Dan? Maybe your next…” Aug 28, 07:45
Aidan on Spot The Problem: “What’s even more amazing Chas, is that when this very question was being considered by the Supreme Court, which it…” Aug 28, 06:02
Aidan on Spot The Problem: “Well Northcode – a rare event has occurred, you are right and I am wrong. It is as you say,…” Aug 28, 05:58
Nicky T Naquetti on Spot The Problem: “Oh, fuck – I ran out of toilet paper… the 1707 treaty must be to blame…” Aug 28, 05:19
Mark Beggan on Spot The Problem: “Well for starters get your own patter. ” These people” who are these people? and more to the point what…” Aug 28, 02:27
Alan Scott on Spot The Problem: “It’s quite simple you vote them out. If you don’t then the responsibility is yours. Unfortunately the very clever system…” Aug 28, 00:38
Saffron Robe on Spot The Problem: “In the absence of any meaningful separation of powers, it would seem that only a constitutional crisis can bring about…” Aug 28, 00:26
Rob on Spot The Problem: “Do you know, I am pretty sick of the “colonists” are to blame for everything, the union was illegal, the…” Aug 27, 23:45
Dan on Spot The Problem: “Desperate stuff from the site prick there as he tries to deny, ignore and gloss over the massive influence and…” Aug 27, 23:03
robertkknight on Spot The Problem: “Red… “But surely there must be at least one Labour, Liberal, Reform or Tory MSP who isn’t part of the…” Aug 27, 22:24
Hatey McHateface on You’ll Have Had Your Supper: “Ah, James, how I envy you. You will go to your final rest blissfully convinced that one day, Scots will…” Aug 27, 22:11
100%Yes on Spot The Problem: “The National doesn’t make good reading for people wanting Independence or the SNP membership. It states “SNP members’ fury as…” Aug 27, 22:05
Hatey McHateface on Spot The Problem: ““there is no way the pro-union MSM or “Newspapers” will publish the kind of journalism you get on Wings” The…” Aug 27, 21:54
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Spot The Problem: “LAWYERING WITHOUT LAW (1 May 2026) “What Does Legal Authoritarianism Look Like?” www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdG5J4saY3A” Aug 27, 21:53
James on You’ll Have Had Your Supper: “Jappy again; “Scotland’s real riches do lie in energy. The country exports 24% of its surplus electricity south of the…” Aug 27, 21:48
