It’s taken me four weeks to write this, because I barely knew where to start.
Channel 4 showed the singular and vastly wonderful The Banshees Of Inisherin at the weekend, and as brilliant as it is in its own right, it also came loaded with all sorts of resonances and finally prodded me into action.
The equally singular and wonderful Jonathan Nash, who will be known to readers of this isolated and quiet island parish under a variety of names, died last month, of death. It was sudden yet expected, and in those respects very much the opposite of the man himself.
Alert viewers may have already noticed a new addition to the central links column: The Sealand Gazette. (If so, they should award themselves 200 Alert Viewer Points and add them to their Viewerscore card.)
The Gazette came about because I have a bad habit of using Twitter as a sort of Post-It Note for news stories I want to keep on file for future reference. It is, of course, singularly badly suited for this purpose, because finding anything you posted on Twitter more than a couple of days ago is a hideous trial and – as I learned only recently – Twitter deletes your old tweets forever when you exceed your quota, which varies according to how prolifically you tweet but can be as little as a few weeks.
So instead, now there's the Gazette, the newspaper for people who increasingly wish they lived on an isolated former gun platform in the middle of the North Sea. Published through the rather nifty Scoop.it platform, the benefits are that it's incredibly easy to use – a couple of clicks adds a story – and both persistent and searchable.
(NB To search the Gazette use the "FILTER" function below the banner, not the Search box at the top of the page, which searches the whole of Scoop.it instead.)
At launch many of the stories are old-ish, because I've been going through my Twitter account grabbing everything I've posted there since April before it gets wiped, but from now on it'll be hot-off-the-presses stuff, and there's even a Page Three girl today as an introductory bonus. (Though of course, it's a rather sinister and troubling one.) Readers can also easily suggest stories to add.
The Gazette should be a lot less trouble to maintain than the short-lived "Reasons Not To Recycle" blog, and fulfil much the same purpose. (Misanthropic nihilism, essentially.) But I'll make a special effort to throw in a few nice stories too, because mass reader suicide isn't the goal. Although in the broader sense, it is a bit.
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Fast Track: “Just noticed that English version of above is available here: https://dasg.ac.uk/blog/en” Jun 29, 16:00
Young Lochinvar on Ping-Pong-Fiddle-Aye-No: “NC @ 3.13 Correct. Saxons spoke a Germanic from Saxony/ Holland whereas the Angles spoke a Germanic from Denmark. C3PO:…” Jun 29, 15:58
100%Yes on The Fast Track: “How can a party that at the time had 125,000 members and lets say they all paid £5 a month…” Jun 29, 15:48
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Fast Track: “CÙIRTEAN, CÙISEAN-LAGHA AGUS CEARTAS (Air a sgrìobhadh le Garry Cooke air 18 an Cèitean, 2026) « Mar a tha fios…” Jun 29, 15:40
Young Lochinvar on Ping-Pong-Fiddle-Aye-No: “C3PO @ 2.45 Is that right? Oh well other than shouldering a share of the UKs national debt (which we…” Jun 29, 15:22
Northcode on Ping-Pong-Fiddle-Aye-No: “No – Scots is not descended from Early Middle English. It’s descended from Northumbrian Old English, which is older than…” Jun 29, 15:13
Young Lochinvar on The Fast Track: “J-Logue of COPFS said in the interview that they looked at this initial matter and there was no evidence! Breathy…” Jun 29, 15:10
sam on Ping-Pong-Fiddle-Aye-No: “Posted By: Scottish Financial Review January 30, 2025 Analysis published by the Office of the Chief Economic Advisor has estimated…” Jun 29, 15:08
lothianlad on Ping-Pong-Fiddle-Aye-No: “The SNP leadership is controlled by MI5. Eventually the truth will be revealed. Keep up the Good work Stu. Without…” Jun 29, 15:00
lothianlad on The Fast Track: “Gie it Lalday Stu!!!!” Jun 29, 14:52
Mark Beggan on The Fast Track: “Commit a complex crime to hide a simple, in your face, bigger crime. Peter Murrell took one for the team.” Jun 29, 14:45
Spartan 117 on Ping-Pong-Fiddle-Aye-No: “Would this be the Scots language which is directly descended from Early Middle English?” Jun 29, 14:45
sam on Ping-Pong-Fiddle-Aye-No: “Being British. This disnae mention Norn Iron. I suppose there is just too much deviancy and cover up involved in…” Jun 29, 14:34
Northcode on Ping-Pong-Fiddle-Aye-No: “To summarise, using thon foul Inglis tongue we Scots hiv aw been forced tae use, what Sam is saying here…” Jun 29, 14:30
Hatey McHateface on Ping-Pong-Fiddle-Aye-No: ““we Scots who identify as Scottish only don’t feel the same way” Sure, Northy. But you do like to spend…” Jun 29, 14:30
Mark Beggan on Ping-Pong-Fiddle-Aye-No: “All this crap you spout? Is it because you are not allowed in the girls toilets anymore? Tell us the…” Jun 29, 14:27
sam on Ping-Pong-Fiddle-Aye-No: “https://www.communitylandscotland.org.uk/blown-away/ “A recent report from the Centre for Local Economies (CLES) puts paid to the idea that there isn’t enough…” Jun 29, 14:19
Hatey McHateface on Ping-Pong-Fiddle-Aye-No: ““they are all ‘fucking morons’” Good Lord, Northy! Back peddling already. Hardly no time since you were calling them fucking…” Jun 29, 14:12
Northcode on Ping-Pong-Fiddle-Aye-No: “That’s because, as I have recently explained, those Anglo-Scots absolutely, definitely love being fucked in their arses by their ‘superior’…” Jun 29, 14:04
Hatey McHateface on Ping-Pong-Fiddle-Aye-No: “Your post lacks those tiny but telling details that identify that no matter how ridiculous, exaggerated and simply tonto it…” Jun 29, 13:53
Northcode on Ping-Pong-Fiddle-Aye-No: “My mistake is brilliant news for Scotland. You have cut the number of eejits identifying as Scottish AND British by…” Jun 29, 13:50
Spartan 117 on Ping-Pong-Fiddle-Aye-No: “Our own Scots in Holyrood seem very willing to fuck us all up the arse, as the Murrills and Co…” Jun 29, 13:43
Hatey McHateface on Ping-Pong-Fiddle-Aye-No: “Careful! You might resurrect the stereotype of the Scots as mean, grasping, penny pinching misers. Everybody knows there is no…” Jun 29, 13:38
Hatey McHateface on Ping-Pong-Fiddle-Aye-No: “Wheesht, sam, what does it matter what the figures are? Northy’s objective is to establish that anybody disagreeing with his…” Jun 29, 13:29
Hatey McHateface on Ping-Pong-Fiddle-Aye-No: ““no one wants SOSHALISZM, which CAN NEVER EVER WORk” You got that bit right. Well done you. You’ll be one…” Jun 29, 13:21
sam on Ping-Pong-Fiddle-Aye-No: “Northcode, Your figures cannae be right. 1.5 million Scots are not identifying as British and Scots. It’s not half a…” Jun 29, 12:55
Colin Dawson on The Guilty Party: “Some did, but not all. It would be interesting to see a history of the “Good Guys” campaign as it…” Jun 29, 12:46
Spartan 117 on Ping-Pong-Fiddle-Aye-No: “Mental, isn’t it. Your summary of what is now regarded as “feminism” is indeed accurate. It is a nilhistic misanthropic…” Jun 29, 12:38
Northcode on Ping-Pong-Fiddle-Aye-No: “Call it what you like – a unification, a partnership, a marriage, a merger, a fusion, a joining, an alliance,…” Jun 29, 12:13
