Let’s get straight to the point: this is a straight-up categorical lie.
Since Wednesday’s events there’s been a lot of chatter and confusion on social media about whether the Scottish Government has the ability to trigger a snap Holyrood election and use it as a de facto plebiscite on independence.
The short answer, as we told you yesterday, is “officially no, in practice yes”. But that needs a bit of further explanation, so as usual let’s do the job of actual journalism that nobody else in Scotland can apparently be bothered to.
As a rule I try not to respond to the literally dozens of deranged attacks on this site that are posted by James Kelly of Scot Goes Pop, but I really dislike being called a liar so I’m going to take a moment for this one.
James appears to have taken extraordinary offence to a two-paragraph stats post I put up to mark Wings’ 11th birthday this week, and has written two purple-faced rants about it. So for the record’s sake I’m going to comply with his demand as best I can.
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.
Even when you’re retired, some things are too journalistically offensive to let pass, such as this piece of absolute garbage we just saw from The National today.
The paper’s anonymous reporter set off all our red warning lights at once.
The first part is certainly true, as it has been of pretty much every Tory Prime Minister of the last 40 years. But the second part simply isn’t borne out by the facts.
Above (click to enlarge) is the graph of Yes polling since Johnson became PM. It shows support for independence FALLING from 52% to 49% during his term in office.
We’ve observed that over the last few days a number of Unionists, led by tuba-honking dunderhead Blair McDougall (the man who turned a 30-point No lead into a 10-point one, who lost Labour 5000 votes when he stood in East Renfrewshire in 2017 on the basis of being the guy who saved the UK – trailing in an embarrassing 3rd in a seat where Jim Murphy had once won over 50% of the vote – and who is probably more responsible than any other individual for the utter destruction of Scottish Labour as a political force), have revived the ancient “Better Together” scare story about pensions in an independent Scotland.
Although we’re retired we already wrote this, so we may as well put it up for the 99.9% of Scots who don’t read the comments on David Leask‘s columns in the Herald.
It’s a claim he’s been banging on about since at least 2014, without ever providing a scrap of evidence to support it (his standard modus operandi), and yesterday was no exception. So let’s show Little Dave how proper big-boy journalists do it.
The SNP collected slightly over 1 million list votes in Thursday’s election, which nevertheless elected just two list MSPs because SNP voters care about power for the SNP rather than about independence, and chose to let dozens of Unionist MSPs get seats rather than other pro-indy parties.
But the bigger tragedy is that one of those two was Emma Roddick.
willie on Learning Insanity: “Not much intellectual rigour from Ulster University and Queen’s Belfast then if they restrict speech. Woo woo wacky is certainly…” Jan 17, 09:00
Hatey McHateface on Learning Insanity: “I see you’ve done that authentically Scottish thing, YL, come up with a couple of disparaging names. How very productive.…” Jan 17, 08:35
Young Lochinvar on Learning Insanity: “Fear not Sarah, all will be well in the M.E. now that Teflon Tony and (super) Mario Rubix (cube) are…” Jan 17, 02:21
Cynicus on Learning Insanity: “Marie says: 16 January, 2026 at 11:38 am Re:Darlington nurses victory – no muddying of the waters there. Thank you…” Jan 17, 01:39
Jim Tadgercock on Learning Insanity: “What Lorna Campell says. Absolutely spot on . Nothing needs to be added to her statement. Regards.” Jan 17, 00:17
sarah on Learning Insanity: “O/T: a delightful few minutes watching the livestream of the Craig Murray initial hearing [has he standing or not re…” Jan 16, 21:41
holymacmoses on Learning Insanity: “People with absolutely NO self-control who demand total control over others. Singular dictatorship” Jan 16, 21:26
Aidan on Learning Insanity: “Sorry Stu, someone (James) has come and done a massive turd all over your latest blog post BTL. Some insane…” Jan 16, 20:51
Lorna Campbell on Learning Insanity: “What an excellent idea, H McH.” Jan 16, 18:48
Lorna Campbell on Learning Insanity: “The Darlington nurses have won (most of) their claims against the health authority, but the fragrant (not) ‘Rose’ has been…” Jan 16, 18:46
Hatey McHateface on Learning Insanity: “Does anybody know if one of these people convinced they are in the wrong body has ever claimed to have…” Jan 16, 16:07
Hatey McHateface on Learning Insanity: “Prick and cunt, eh? Puir James. Every bit at sea with gender as the hairiest, biggest-bollocked bloke cramming himself into…” Jan 16, 15:55
Doug on Learning Insanity: “Fit like? or Foo’s yer doos?” Jan 16, 15:32
sam on Learning Insanity: “Lorna, You are right. Some studies do find that some children with gender dysphoria grew out of it. In Ireland,…” Jan 16, 14:01
James on Learning Insanity: “Site Prick; Jeezo, cunty, can’t you get ANYTHING right? “..If you intend to invoke the words of history’s greatest physicist,…” Jan 16, 13:26
James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “The trade union are public bodies, and often supported by government also a public body. She could use article XV111…” Jan 16, 12:28
Hatey McHateface on Learning Insanity: ““Postcolonial theory also confirms” “what we are dealing with in any colonial society” If you intend to invoke the words…” Jan 16, 12:26
James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “If the treaty that England states still has any legality to it, then it can be tested by all the…” Jan 16, 11:50
Marie on Learning Insanity: “Re:Darlington nurses victory – no muddying of the waters there. Thank you Judge Sweeney. Listen and learn Kemp.” Jan 16, 11:38
PC Foster on Learning Insanity: “https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/why-i-am-suing-my-trade-union/” Jan 16, 11:27
Alf Baird on Learning Insanity: “Following on from the Rev’s title above (‘Learning Insanity’), we are reminded that the definition of insanity is ‘doing the…” Jan 16, 11:04
James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “Learn that one law / article of the treaty of union ( if the union is to hold) and knock…” Jan 16, 11:00
James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “This is where we are failing ourselves here in Scotland on all these issues, The SNP and the devolved governance…” Jan 16, 10:42
TURABDIN on Learning Insanity: “IN ENGLAND, it’s all hooray for the Blackshirts whereas in Scotland it’s rabbits caught in the headlights of a clapped…” Jan 16, 09:33
Young Lochinvar on Learning Insanity: “I think it was channel 4 news I overheard (not 100% sure though) tonight that NHS England was quoted as…” Jan 16, 01:22
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Learning Insanity: “NI UNIVERSITIES ACCUSED OF CENSURING GENDER-CRITICAL STUDENTS Universities in Northern Ireland risk “silencing” students who uphold the reality of sex,…” Jan 15, 23:02
PC Foster on Learning Insanity: “Order of the Bollox Expounders (OBE)” Jan 15, 20:27
Hatey McHateface on Learning Insanity: “Nah, TURABDIN. Wearing a burqa should obviously fall to the minister with responsibility for postal deliveries. BTW, why your capitalisation…” Jan 15, 20:07
Hatey McHateface on Learning Insanity: “Seeing as how Rev Stu has inspired us all by his article to look closely at the real meaning of…” Jan 15, 20:02
Hatey McHateface on Learning Insanity: “Don’t all women experience a tiny frisson of excitement when they think of those mighty pistons thrusting in and out?…” Jan 15, 19:45
