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.
Geri on Two Men Unalike: “The West sparked a religious war. What did you expect, ya rocket! It demonstrates one thing tho, the West was…” Mar 3, 12:40
Cynicus on Two Men Unalike: “Northcode says: 3 March, 2026 at 5:20 am “Is the American Empire’s Dominance About to End?” ======= That depends on…” Mar 3, 12:23
Jamie on Two Men Unalike: “If you care about the issues raised by wings in this article and you are an Alba party member who…” Mar 3, 12:21
Geri on Two Men Unalike: “I remember now that this is about a past convo. Americas economy: a financial Ponzi scheme. The petrol dollar: The…” Mar 3, 11:31
Alf Baird on Two Men Unalike: “Yes of course an imperial aggressor must ignore international law because that is what makes them an imperial aggressor, much…” Mar 3, 10:56
Hatey McHateface on Two Men Unalike: “Our Scottish ancestors who went off to colonise The Antipodes will be birling in their graves today. In Sydney, Melbourne…” Mar 3, 08:58
Hatey McHateface on Two Men Unalike: “Some musings on international law and the rules-based order: https://unherd.com/2026/03/how-trumps-war-will-hurt-europe/ Perhaps somebody could gently shake Professor Baird awake and tell…” Mar 3, 08:06
Hatey McHateface on Two Men Unalike: “At the very least, flog the motor home for spending cash. The depreciation on those things is precipitous. This is…” Mar 3, 07:46
Hatey McHateface on Two Men Unalike: “Does this mean Sunday’s big hug didn’t work? Or does it mean it worked only too well?” Mar 3, 07:41
Hatey McHateface on Two Men Unalike: “I think I speak for all when I thank Geri for this insight into The Schemie View. Even as we…” Mar 3, 07:39
Northcode on Two Men Unalike: “It’s America, Jim… but not as we know it. I came across an interesting article on the ‘Science Shot’ website…” Mar 3, 05:20
Geri on Two Men Unalike: “Its cause China is making moves to take over the worlds financial empire & replace the $ with the renmimbi.…” Mar 3, 02:18
Geri on Two Men Unalike: “AUOB isn’t the SNP d’oh!” Mar 2, 23:03
Insider on Two Men Unalike: “Sarah, Why doesn’t AUOB take the money from the £660,000 that the the SNP is holding on its behalf ?” Mar 2, 22:24
Hatey McHateface on Two Men Unalike: ““enshrined in international law” Uh oh. That’s fecked then.” Mar 2, 22:23
GM on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Any details escape as to what she was up to? It must have been something.” Mar 2, 22:23
sarah on Two Men Unalike: “Alf Baird has posted a link at 8.59 p.m. to the AUOB crowdfunder to cover the 4 marches this year…” Mar 2, 21:42
Alf Baird on Two Men Unalike: “Yes Robert, Swinney is only attending because this event is specifically for Fanon’s ‘legal tendency’ within the indy movement; that…” Mar 2, 20:59
Geri on Two Men Unalike: “What is this so called Left-wing ideology you speak of?” Mar 2, 20:52
Hatey McHateface on Two Men Unalike: ““bombing the enemies of the chosen people” If only it was possible to have a maturely moderated debate on here,…” Mar 2, 20:01
Hatey McHateface on Two Men Unalike: “I was going to say the sludge will be collected and distributed around certain wards in early May, in an…” Mar 2, 19:46
BLMac on Two Men Unalike: “One thing concerns me about these puberty blocker trials. Are they legal? We have an Age of Consent for a…” Mar 2, 19:36
robertkknight on Two Men Unalike: “Who is he going on behalf of? King Chucky? Sir Kid Starver? MI5? Sure as hell isn’t going along to…” Mar 2, 19:26
Hatey McHateface on Two Men Unalike: “If he wears a tea towel on his heid he’ll blend right in with the rest. You should go too,…” Mar 2, 19:22
Mark Beggan on Two Men Unalike: “As happy as a condemned man spilling his last meal down the toilet.” Mar 2, 19:06
sarah on Two Men Unalike: “Hold the front page. All is not lost for Scotland’s independence. John Swinney is going to be on the Believe…” Mar 2, 18:34
Mark Beggan on Two Men Unalike: “From that comment I think you are already there. You don’t have to die to be in hell. Leftwing ideology…” Mar 2, 18:19
Hatey McHateface on Two Men Unalike: ““Hell does not exist” Apparently, in your reality, neither does humour. Is it possible to get to your reality from…” Mar 2, 18:17
David Holden on Two Men Unalike: “Oh well the Epstein files must be more serious than we thought as the lengths Donald Trump has gone to…” Mar 2, 18:11
Hatey McHateface on Two Men Unalike: “Quite an unrelated response, Marie, but I’ll bite. Unless you’re a co-religionist, you’d be a fourth class citizen in the…” Mar 2, 18:11
