Word reaches us, readers, that Nicola Sturgeon was “furious” when she joined the most recent meeting of the SNP’s Westminster group by Skype. Her rage was driven by the suggestion that the party should trigger a Holyrood election to act as a de facto independence referendum, a policy we’re reliably told is supported by a number of MPs who are too scared of being browbeaten by Sturgeon in front of their colleagues to actually speak out in favour of it.
(We won’t mention their names at this point.)
Our source mentioned to us that they seemed to remember an interview in which the First Minister had revealed a possible reason for her extreme antipathy to the idea – one for the BBC’s extensive and rather good three-part documentary “Yes/No – Inside The Indyref”, which was broadcast in August 2019 and never seen again.
It’s not available on iPlayer or YouTube, but fortunately we happened to still have the show recorded on our Sky+ box, so we went to check, and lo and behold our source’s recollection was correct. Apologies for the slightly wonky quality of this video, as we had to record it off the TV screen.
You can’t move on social media today without tripping over effusive tweets from SNP MPs and MSPs singing the praises of departed Westminster leader Ian Blackford and admiring all his achievements in the position over the last five years, although weirdly nobody has actually listed any of them.
Or possibly the other way round, we’re not sure. All we know is that we’re always surging upwards and forwards but somehow never actually getting anywhere.
If anyone knows when “this process” will have ended and we’ll get our choice – or indeed what she achieved for Scotland in the Brexit negotiations – do let us know.
It’s nice to see the British media (and perhaps, if we might be allowed to dream for a moment, the law) catching up with Michelle Mone.
It’s such a shame nobody did any proper investigative journalism into what a crooked, venal chancer she is before now – seven years ago or even four years ago, say – or the country might have been saved a few billion quid. Ah well, you live and learn, eh?
While this site remains mothballed, it’s nice to keep a steady trickle of traffic going just in case it ever needs to spring back to life, eg if someone actually interested in independence suddenly somehow becomes leader of the SNP again.
So we thought it might be fun to just briefly link to some old articles as and when they became topical once more, and as luck would have it tomorrow is such an occasion.
Because that’s when the SNP will launch the first of a series of new papers outlining the First Minister’s “vision” of independence by waffling on about how it would be a jolly good thing, in the unlikely event that she ever got off her extremely well-paid arse and achieved it.
15 years ago this week (today if you’re counting strictly by date, Thursday if you want to go with election days) the SNP came to power in Scotland for the first time ever. The media operating in Scotland is full of retrospectives and polls on the period, but as usual they’ve missed the real story, as a reader pointed out to us a few days ago.
So for old times’ sake, let’s do their job properly for them one more time.
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.
Ian Brotherhood on Mad caps: “@Sarah (9.16) – Thanks for that and aye, totally agree, there’s nothing like meeting folk in the flesh. Sometimes they’re…” Apr 7, 00:09
diabloandco on Mad caps: “IanB, I do hope so , I am definitely in need of meeting up with the cheerful , positive folk…” Apr 6, 22:10
sarah on Mad caps: “MaryB, it is encouraging that you read para (a) the same way that I do i.e. that it empowers People’s…” Apr 6, 21:27
sarah on Mad caps: “I miss the way btl was. It was always relevant to independence, and pleasant on a personal level. OK Robert…” Apr 6, 21:16
MaryB on Mad caps: “Sarah @ 4.48 & Duncx I tried to post this earlier today, but it didn’t appear. So here it is…” Apr 6, 21:07
Ian Brotherhood on Mad caps: “Hi D, Yes, it was good. Not just because the atmosphere was relaxed (because the Eagle Inn is Robert Slavin’s…” Apr 6, 20:18
Tinto Chiel on Mad caps: “Had forgotten all about that, Robert. No idea what we were discussing. Love, Samantha .” Apr 6, 19:44
Ian Brotherhood on Mad caps: “Hoots aplenty sah, you’ve got me off the hook as Tinto was fingering me for that one! ” Apr 6, 19:41
Aidan on Mad caps: “@Hatey – you aren’t supposed to look into things, you’re supposed to sign the petition and possibly donate money regardless…” Apr 6, 19:39
diabloandco on Mad caps: “Sorry I missed the night too – it sounds as though a good time was had by all. Next time!” Apr 6, 19:27
Robert Hughes on Mad caps: “ha ! you told me your name when you emailed me a while back – including your surname – which…” Apr 6, 18:51
Tinto Chiel on Mad caps: “@Robert Hughes 3.23: nae probs, Robert. See you next time. Had to head off early. Don’t know how you know…” Apr 6, 18:26
Hatey McHateface on Mad caps: “Please tell us, sarah, that when you say you haven’t had a proper look at this thing you are enthusiastically…” Apr 6, 17:46
Mark Beggan on Mad caps: “The First Minister in crucial trade talks confirms someone, no knows who, is very much interested in business.” Apr 6, 16:54
sarah on Mad caps: “@ Dunx at 8.46 a.m. “..had a look at the blog. Article 25 of the ICCPR…nothing there about referendums..” Well…” Apr 6, 16:48
Robert Hughes on Mad caps: “Ah ! likewise , T.C ( Peter ): I never realised you were there , if I had I would…” Apr 6, 15:23
Tinto Chiel on Mad caps: “Sorry I couldn’t stay long, Ian, but thanks for all the effort you and your fellow insurgents put in to…” Apr 6, 14:56
Andrew scott on Mad caps: “If dross geer is the answer What on earth is the question” Apr 6, 12:56
GM on Mad caps: “Apologies Iain, I couldn’t make it. Glad you had a good meet up.” Apr 6, 11:41
Captain Caveman on Mad caps: “@Hatey Agreed. Step 1: Less lawyers. Especially lefty lawyers….” Apr 6, 10:54
Hatey McHateface on Mad caps: “Sure, Marie, we’re doomed. You’ve said this before. Weird, though, how other electorates, in other countries, aren’t doomed. The MAGA…” Apr 6, 10:53
Captain Caveman on Mad caps: ““Whether potential candidates have ever had a proper job is neither here nor there.” That’s factually wrong in the case…” Apr 6, 10:50
Hatey McHateface on Mad caps: ““How such a thing can be achieved, though (or the whole of the UK for that matter) is anyone’s guess.…” Apr 6, 10:42
Marie on Mad caps: “Look it’s not just the Greens – every political party controls its members and potential candidates – national or local.…” Apr 6, 10:31
Hatey McHateface on Mad caps: “I guess, Anthem, you’re blaming the German part of President Trump for the mayhem. Myself, I see the German part…” Apr 6, 10:24
Captain Caveman on Mad caps: “Well, quite, and I daresay that’s the problem: how many of today’s utterly useless, woke-captured, counter-reality Political Class has never…” Apr 6, 09:29
Anthem on Mad caps: “He’s also part German. Think on.” Apr 6, 09:24
Dunx on Mad caps: “@Sarah I’ve looked at the blog. The writer refers to Article 25 of the ICCPR which states : Every citizen…” Apr 6, 08:46
Hatey McHateface on Mad caps: “I had a wee look at the text of the International Covenant On Civil And Political Rights online. It consists…” Apr 6, 08:37
Aidan on Mad caps: “@Dunx – it doesn’t say that anywhere and the ICCPR does not provide voters to call for referendums in the…” Apr 6, 07:13