Almost nine in ten Scottish voters now back a second referendum on independence. This rather startling news was brought to us at the weekend by an unlikely source, in the form of walking brain vacuum Annie Wells MSP.
Wells was absolutely unequivocal that NO other vote this Thursday – not Labour, not Lib Dem, not Brexit Party – would constitute opposition to a second indyref.
(She emphasised the point by RTing a tweet from the Scottish Tories’ boorish and obnoxious head of media Adam Morris which described both Nigel Farage and Vince Cable as “weak on Scotland’s place in the UK”.)
We watched the whole of the Labour shadow Scottish Secretary’s interview on this morning’s Sunday Politics Scotland, and can confirm that this is a wholly accurate representation of what she said on it with regard to Labour’s position on Brexit.
So for those of you keeping score: Labour does NOT support a second referendum, does NOT support the current deal, does NOT support no deal, but WOULD vote for the current deal if it included a second referendum, and would INSIST on a second referendum on any alternative deal.
Honestly, we have no idea why anyone’s still confused.
We got a tweet this morning from one of those odd Twitter accounts that’s been going for eight years and still only has six followers. This one appears to be a fairly moderate right-wing, UK-nationalist Brexiter with only a few dozen tweets (nearly all replies) to their name since 2011.
Almost exactly two years ago, this website suggested that it might not be the smartest idea for Labour to go along with Theresa May’s call for a snap election. (Under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, it couldn’t have happened without Labour’s support.)
And it occurred to us today that if they hadn’t, the current government would only have a maximum of one year left to run.
The Conservatives’ disastrous handling of, and failure to deliver, Brexit seems to have finally begun to hurt them in the polls, with a clutch of recent stats showing Labour with a significant lead for the first time in many months.
Most seat projections on the numbers show Labour failing to reach a majority either on their own or with the Lib Dems, but being able to get Jeremy Corbyn in to Downing Street with the assistance of an increased number of SNP MPs.
We’ve still got a few of the results from our last Panelbase poll (conducted last month) to round up, and this one seems pertinent this week:
As has been the case ever since we started asking this question about the nation’s twin constitutional dilemmas back in July 2015, the single most popular option in a four-way choice remains an independent Scotland inside the EU, which leads the impending reality (a UK Scotland outside the EU) by a clear 10 points.
Scotland isn’t merely about to get something it doesn’t want, it’s about to get the exact opposite of the thing it wants most. But oh boy, is it ever more complicated than that.
Billions of years from now, when the Sun finally dies and expands to swallow and burn up the Earth in a final cataclysmic explosion, the very last thing to turn to dust and atoms will be Scottish Labour’s brass neck.
Coming from The Eternal Abstainers themselves that’s already quite a breathtakingly hypocritical claim, but if you look at last night’s results closely it gets a lot worse.
Angus on How To Succeed In Scotland: “Anyone still shouting from the rooftops that the Scottish plebs are sovereign?” Nov 12, 04:04
Colin Alexander on How To Succeed In Scotland: “Three adults in a room. The abuser (a health professional), the victim, and a witness. Complaint of abuse made to…” Nov 11, 22:27
James on How To Succeed In Scotland: “Ah. all oor ain fault again, eh? “Hell will freeze over before we let somebody from a different tribe win…”…” Nov 11, 22:25
Hatey McHateface on How To Succeed In Scotland: ““A few Scots used to run the largest empire in history” But then according to the Post Colonial Boys, they’ll…” Nov 11, 21:22
Hatey McHateface on How To Succeed In Scotland: ““do you think the situation is worse in Scotland” A little. For the reasons outlined by President Donald Trump when…” Nov 11, 21:08
Hatey McHateface on How To Succeed In Scotland: ““At least with indy you can get rid of the bastards” Check out the result of the last Hollyrood election,…” Nov 11, 20:58
Southernbystander on How To Succeed In Scotland: “Genuine question – do you think the situation is worse in Scotland than, well, anywhere? Where I work in England,…” Nov 11, 20:49
Confused on How To Succeed In Scotland: “ah, the smug older brother dentist who patronised everyone during covid (along with asian babe and skeletor barbie) – don’t…” Nov 11, 20:15
Hatey McHateface on How To Succeed In Scotland: ““the top jobs in Scotland primarily advertised in the London press” You make it sound like English printed newspapers, the…” Nov 11, 19:58
Scot Finlayson on How To Succeed In Scotland: “A few Scots used to run the largest empire in history, on behalf of an Anglo/Norman German/French elite in Englandshire,…” Nov 11, 19:56
sarah on How To Succeed In Scotland: “Yogurt has its good points. Kez? – none that I know of.” Nov 11, 19:30
Alf Baird on How To Succeed In Scotland: “Quite so, and this of course means our institutions are also a determinant of independence: https://yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com/2021/08/01/the-determinants-of-independence-institutions/” Nov 11, 19:02
shiregirl on How To Succeed In Scotland: “Not been on for a a few years so good to be back. Been reading, though. And lurking. Kez. Blessed…” Nov 11, 18:50
Aidan on Stand By Your Posts: “It is a state however, and only states can be the administering power of colonial territories for obvious reasons.” Nov 11, 18:46
Aunty Flo on How To Succeed In Scotland: “Well said, Professor. So, we can no longer realistically characterise our political ‘system’ either as democracy, or indeed as a…” Nov 11, 18:38
Dan on How To Succeed In Scotland: ““Almost every public office is filled by a proven failure, because failures are all we make any more.” Interesting use…” Nov 11, 18:12
Alf Baird on How To Succeed In Scotland: “Politicians are only a minor part of the establishment elites running a country. The Elitist Scotland report a few years…” Nov 11, 17:51
sarah on How To Succeed In Scotland: “Emma Roddick was selected on the basis of qualifying as disabled. The members gave her 2% of the vote but…” Nov 11, 17:31
Aidan on Stand By Your Posts: “The United Kingdom of course. But obviously London is not a colony, just as Scotland is also not a colony.…” Nov 11, 17:30
Forbes Johnstone on How To Succeed In Scotland: “It would be well received if any of these over paid abject failures who have mastered incompetence could respond and…” Nov 11, 17:13
gordon on How To Succeed In Scotland: “It’s more insidious than that, since 2015 selection has been determined by whether the candidates would just be happy with…” Nov 11, 16:48
James on Stand By Your Posts: “What country is London a colony of, Adrian? Tell us, tell us.” Nov 11, 16:34
panda paws on How To Succeed In Scotland: ““Almost every public office is filled by a proven failure, because failures are all we make any more.” Plenty of…” Nov 11, 16:31
Lynn Fraser on How To Succeed In Scotland: “The company who sponsor the Ponsanby & Maisie podcast are advertising to recruit the new Chief Exec for the Scottish…” Nov 11, 15:39
Spartan 117 on How To Succeed In Scotland: “To say I’m triggered is an understatement. On a day when I was messaged to say I had to pick…” Nov 11, 15:04
