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The rule of law 212

Posted on March 30, 2018 by

A large and imposing statue built in 1974 still stands today on Clyde Street in Glasgow. It depicts a woman called Dolores Ibarruri, known as “La Pasionaria”, who was one of the heroes of the anti-fascist resistance in Spain in the 1930s.

The statue was funded by “the British Labour Movement”, but Conservative councillors in the city protested angrily when it was erected and vowed to tear it down if they ever controlled the council (which cynical readers might consider an empty threat).

How times change. Read the rest of this entry →

If the Scots had won 44

Posted on March 28, 2018 by

There was (unintentionally, we presume) a very revealing turn of phrase used by Tory MEP Jacqueline Foster on today’s edition of Good Morning Scotland:

(Good Morning Scotland, BBC Radio Scotland, 28 March 2018)
.

“Scotland held a referendum on independence a couple of years earlier, and if the Scots had won that referendum to leave the United Kingdom, they’d have left the European Union.”

We suppose it’s nice that even the Tories finally agree that Scotland lost by voting No. But it’s interesting to hear that apparently there has never been any way for Scots to stay in the EU – if they voted Yes in 2014 they were out, if they voted No in 2014 they were out, and even though they voted Remain in 2016 they’re going out.

Any fair-minded democrat would surely then accept that Scotland’s voters deserve one chance to actually make that choice in a meaningful way, no?

Plenty more fish in the sea 308

Posted on March 19, 2018 by

We’ve been scouring our picture archives all afternoon for something more surprising than the fact that the UK government has screwed over the Scottish fishing industry again after it voted Brexit and Tory in 2016 and 2017, and we found this one.

See also: literally anything else that has ever happened on Earth.

Our problems and how to solve them 357

Posted on March 05, 2018 by

As the winter Scottish political news drought enters its 17th week, mainstream and alternative media commentators alike are scratching around desperately for anything to write about, which tends to end up in overlong reflective and/or hectoring essays about how to secure independence, invariably concluding that what we need is for everyone in Scotland to start thinking and acting exactly like the author of the article.

We’re going to aim for something a bit shorter and more practical, at least.

Read the rest of this entry →

The uninvited 493

Posted on March 03, 2018 by

The tea party 151

Posted on February 24, 2018 by

The makings of a deal 374

Posted on February 22, 2018 by

A timely reminder about how much 85% of British people (or to put that another way, English people) really value the rest of the UK.

“Lead us, Scotland, don’t leave us!” is going to be a pretty hard sell next time.

Riding the rollercoaster 367

Posted on February 13, 2018 by

…with the Secretary of State for Scotland.

Boo! But wait!

Read the rest of this entry →

Impact assessment 426

Posted on February 10, 2018 by

Brexit: The Story So Far 89

Posted on February 05, 2018 by

Something to keep in mind 263

Posted on January 15, 2018 by

…as the Scottish Government releases its Brexit impact paper.

(Panelbase, Scottish adults, fieldwork mid-December 2017)

Read the rest of this entry →

The essence of democracy 129

Posted on January 05, 2018 by

This is the well-known hardcore Corbynite commentator John McTernan on the radio yesterday, detailing how outrageous it would be for politicians to attempt to block a second referendum on a divisive but important issue.

(Talkback, BBC Radio Ulster, 4 January 2018)
.

No, not THAT kind of second referendum, silly!

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