The Scottish media has today leapt all over the front-page lead story from yesterday’s Sunday Times, in which “top economist” Douglas McWilliams of right-wing thinktank the Centre for Economics and Business Research made an apocalyptic prediction of a huge deficit turning an independent Scotland into “a Third World country”.
The Express’ customarily restrained coverage is pretty typical.
We wondered if Mr McWilliams used to have a more optimistic view.
The votes for “God Save The Queen” being driven by Tories, English-born residents and supporters of a particular football club probably won’t come as the biggest shock in the world to anyone.
(Alert viewers will of course have noticed that due to MI5 INTERFERENCE in the poll, there were actually two votes for Hoots Mon, which have been suspiciously rounded down to one. We are conducting an investigation, by which we mean brutal purge.)
An interesting and illuminating exchange has taken place in the last few days between the First Minister and Times columnist Kenny Farquharson, one of the many senior journalists who’ve recently jumped from the sinking ship of The Scotsman to take up less prestigious but more secure positions elsewhere.
It started on Saturday night, when Farquharson tweeted this:
Put your hands on your hearts, readers, and tell us that in the event of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin leading the USA and Russia a year or so from now, you can’t see this actually literally happening. [EDIT: The fight, not nuclear apocalypse. Obviously.]
Look us straight in the eye and tell us there’s a 0% chance.
It’s been such an exciting, action-packed week for Scottish Labour since a dynamic and thrusting PPB launched the 2015 branch-office conference that we worried there might be a danger people had forgotten it already. So we’ve brought it back for a curtain call, in a version a bit more appropriate for what remains of their core vote.
Young Lochinvar on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “H McH About a week ago I started the “getting blood out of a stone” process of asking a genuine…” Jan 7, 17:06
James Cheyne on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “The SNP are doing the job it was meant to do, with the support and assistance of those other political…” Jan 7, 16:47
James Cheyne on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “Scot Finlayson, Pretty accurate analyses, I believe the Civil Servants are being challenge for parading in the trans marches while…” Jan 7, 15:52
James Cheyne on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “Alf Baird. The devolved parliament under Westminster along with the treaty of union is like one of those big Scams,…” Jan 7, 15:42
Marie Clark on Off-topic: “No luck Tinto trying to get a reply from BDTT. I sincerely hope that he is well enough but perhaps…” Jan 7, 15:26
Scot Finlayson on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “The transcult staffers rule the roost at Holyrood, every vote,policy,grant,committee decision and color of toilet paper will be vetted by…” Jan 7, 15:22
James Cheyne on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “That pretendy Scottish parliament is showing the true purpose for what it was set up to do when the time…” Jan 7, 15:16
Alf Baird on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: ““a shameful day” in a shameful chamber. ‘Shameful’ primarily because we ken the UK ‘union’ is a charade, it disna…” Jan 7, 14:48
100%Yes on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “Am not, and never will again. Let the party die.” Jan 7, 14:43
Effijy on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “He will for the umpteenth time ask the big bully not to be a big bully and if he doesn’t…” Jan 7, 14:35
Antoine Roquentin on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “The SNP doesn’t want independence,if you, or anyone else, honestly wants independence why would you vote SNP? Administrative fecklessness and…” Jan 7, 14:27
Aidan on Failure To Learn: ““But not many people in the wider public get to hear about these” Well whose fault is that?” Jan 7, 14:00
100%Yes on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “A vote for the SNP is a wasted vote because after the election the SNP will not use the vote…” Jan 7, 13:47
100%Yes on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “Cynicus, How can Swinney ask for a section 30 order after the election when his plan is to get a…” Jan 7, 13:33
sarah on Failure To Learn: “@ Independent: “The Scottish Independence Party”. There is the Independence for Scotland Party. And they are co-operating with other 2014…” Jan 7, 13:31
100Yes on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “Like wings is saying, the percentages isn’t for the SNP. So why put out a plan for Independence and tell…” Jan 7, 13:28
Campbell Clansman on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “Swinney answering a question he wasn’t asked? The great political comedy “Yes, Prime Minister” had Jim Hacker telling Bernard Wooley:…” Jan 7, 13:20
James Cheyne on Failure To Learn: “The fighting bravery of the Scots was never entirely subdued physically by England though, it took bribes of Scottish elites,…” Jan 7, 13:14
Captain Caveman on And every day was exactly the same: “Very true Hatey, out the frying pan and into the proverbial fire 🙂 Well, at least we can all agree…” Jan 7, 13:05
100%Yes on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “Two things will happen after the election in May 1 the SNP will not get a majority and 2 the…” Jan 7, 13:00
Cynicus on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “Not hilarious but duplicitous. Swinney answered a question he wasn’t asked. The ONLY guarantee he can give in the event…” Jan 7, 12:57
Campbell Clansman on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “The SNP and Greens live up to the words of Thomas Sowell: “It is hard to imagine a more stupid…” Jan 7, 12:51
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Failure To Learn: “The above YouTube brings immediately to mind the statistics of catastrophic Scottish losses in WW1 provided by Sir Tom Devine…” Jan 7, 12:50
100%Yes on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “We have extremely poor interviewers in Scotland, he’s ask the question only for swinney to take over the conversation. The…” Jan 7, 12:49
Hatey McHateface on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: ““Would that we had an SNP with that much courage, or any at all” Not agreeing with that. Not at…” Jan 7, 12:48
Hatey McHateface on And every day was exactly the same: “@ Captain Caveman says: 7 January, 2026 at 11:41 am Another fact we know now that we didn’t know back…” Jan 7, 12:40
100%Yes on Failure To Learn: “Britain to keep Venezuelan gold.” Jan 7, 12:27
James on Failure To Learn: ““Aidan”; Well you know what they say, sweetie. Who smelt it, dealt it, Petal. Better check your pad.” Jan 7, 11:49
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Failure To Learn: “HOW SCOTTISH REGIMENTS FORGED BRITAIN’S EMPIRE YouTube site intro text – « When you picture the British Empire, you see…” Jan 7, 11:48
Captain Caveman on And every day was exactly the same: “In fairness to Alf, I actually agree with him that Scotland *would* have been financially better off – possibly significantly…” Jan 7, 11:41
