The Scottish Greens, in a feat of remarkable hubris and financial profligacy, stood 44 candidates in this week’s general election, knowing that most of them would lose their deposits, which they duly did.
But not quite all of them. And there the comedy arose.
Because while SNP boneheads on social media are raging idiotically at Alba, Wings and others for causing division and damaging the unity of the indy cause yada yada yada, a small handful of Green candidates made a real difference.
The 2005 election was the last time the Daily Record and the Scottish Sun both endorsed the same party at a UK general election. So, y’know, something is going on.
Survation released their final projection for the election last night. It’s quite a boring image because they had to make it mostly grey to correctly illustrate the margin of Labour’s lead.
Those ranges are substantial, but even their BEST-case scenario for the Tories is below 100 seats. The WORST-case scenario for Labour – 447 seats – still gives them a majority of 244, which would smash the all-time record of 209 set by the Tories exactly 100 years ago. (The best case is a dizzying 384.)
Scotland is probably the hardest area of the UK to call. In most polls there are only a few points between Labour and the SNP, and depending on how the votes are spread and who’s best at getting their support out either could still win the most seats.
That won’t, of course, make the slightest difference to the governance of the UK for the next five years. Even 57 Scottish MPs out of 57, for any party, would be completely meaningless to a government with a majority of over 200.
But it’ll make a big difference to the independence movement. Because if the SNP manages to hold onto to a significant proportion of its seats, we can all wave goodbye to the slightest chance of progress for another decade on top of the one that’s been wasted since Alex Salmond resigned.
In the modern political world, you don’t get anywhere without a movement, and movements don’t get anywhere without a flag. So we’ve decided it’s time to take action and stand up for a very large group of people who are genuinely discriminated against and significantly disadvantaged in our society.
Here’s their symbol.
Today is July 1st, and we officially, on behalf of all our oppressed kinfolk, declare this to be People Who Aren’t Eligible For A Railcard Pride Month.
I was going to write this article yesterday, but 2024’s miserable damp squib of a summer unexpectedly delivered a beautiful day – a perfect 20C of unbroken sunshine with a refreshing slight breeze – so I went for a nice walk instead.
Rather than my usual bird-feeding and bear-patrolling beat along the river and canal, I headed off on what used to be my standard summer stroll: up the long steep hill to Beckford’s Tower and its associated cemetery with stunning views over the city.
I’ll scatter a few pics from the walk throughout this feature, as otherwise I’m afraid it’s going to be a bit depressing and angering.
There are now just 10 days until the general election. Wings has never told its readers how to vote and we’re not going to start now. Which is lucky, because if we were, we wouldn’t have a clue how to.
Just, y’know, not for any of these wretched, worthless shiters.
When you’ve been watching Scotland playing football for 50 years of your life, you become accustomed to disappointment. You expect disappointment. Anything better than disappointment becomes a bonus.
George Ferguson on Holiday Relief: “I can only speak from experience. I worked in the Western Isles. Never heard Gaelic spoke in the shops. I…” Jun 24, 23:19
George Ferguson on Anatomy Of A Lunatic: “@Sarah 9:34pm How long was the Independence movement active before the Independence vote, well according to Alex Salmond about a…” Jun 24, 22:29
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Holiday Relief: “With respect, Northcode, the points disputed by me here are: 1) your over-the-top disjunction between so-called “Scots” and English, which…” Jun 24, 22:00
sarah on Anatomy Of A Lunatic: “How long was the Yes movement really active before the referendum? Surely the mass activity didn’t really get going until…” Jun 24, 21:34
Alf Baird on A different school: “London is the imperial metropolitan capital, hence it is where most of the corporations and institutions active here in Scotland…” Jun 24, 21:20
Hatey McHateface on Holiday Relief: ““there is good chronicle and place-name evidence that by the tenth and eleventh centuries the Gaelic language was socially dominant…” Jun 24, 21:06
Northcode on Holiday Relief: “Sometimes rampant logical fallacies, like Fallacies of Accent, need to be corrected by showing the whole picture instead of just…” Jun 24, 21:01
Xaracen on A different school: “And thus, Aidan, you have again utterly missed the entire point of my argument and the purpose of my challenge!…” Jun 24, 20:58
ABruce on Anatomy Of A Lunatic: “Well said Alf apart from the SNP’s sort of support which I am not buying. I don’t know why everyone…” Jun 24, 20:52
Stoker on Anatomy Of A Lunatic: “So Stu is expected to ignore the deranged lies blatantly created by the warped weasel? Would you ignore someone making…” Jun 24, 20:49
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Holiday Relief: “Le meas is miadh. Your forbearance. Every so often recalibration of rampant rhetoric is required. Below is a therapeutic extract…” Jun 24, 20:28
robertkknight on Anatomy Of A Lunatic: ““meanwhile our useless minister for health is on a jolly to Japan WHY!!!!!!,” Troughers gonna trough!” Jun 24, 20:25
Scott on Anatomy Of A Lunatic: “Being realistic though, Liberate aren’t going to come anywhere close to winning any Constituency. Would even put money on most…” Jun 24, 20:24
George Ferguson on Anatomy Of A Lunatic: “Stu I agree that Margo MacDonald was never elected as a Constituency MSP but nevertheless she was elected as an…” Jun 24, 20:22
Hatey McHateface on A different school: “It’s defo fascinating to consider that with some 200,000 Scots in it, London is the third-largest Scottish city in the…” Jun 24, 20:21
Hatey McHateface on Anatomy Of A Lunatic: “Very healthy race, the Japanese. Perhaps Mr Gray will be giving them some tips on how they could change that.…” Jun 24, 20:06
Northcode on A different school: “Addendum: It should be apparent to all regardless of intellectual ability that equating London with Scotland, a town with a…” Jun 24, 19:47
Hatey McHateface on A different school: “Cheers dasBlimp! It’s fun to go the funny haha route sometimes. The funny peculiar route I leave to the true…” Jun 24, 19:45
Hatey McHateface on A different school: “I was overcome by a plunging wave of boredom trying to read your post, NC, so I never did quite…” Jun 24, 19:40
Hatey McHateface on Holiday Relief: “Northcode re-discovering yet again the pointlessness of trying to points score in Scots. Nobody can work out what he’s banging…” Jun 24, 19:36
Alf Baird on Anatomy Of A Lunatic: ““Tbh I don’t understand the approach Liberate are taking.” RISE was a left wing political initiative offering a range of…” Jun 24, 19:15
Andrew scott on Anatomy Of A Lunatic: “OT meanwhile our useless minister for health is on a jolly to Japan WHY!!!!!!,” Jun 24, 19:14
Northcode on Holiday Relief: “See hou a’ve learnt thaim wha caw thersels unionists oan here hou tae speik a wee bit o’ the the…” Jun 24, 18:53
Northcode on A different school: “I was overcome by a plunging wave of boredom and so I decided to surf that wave by making this…” Jun 24, 18:08
Scott on Anatomy Of A Lunatic: “Tbh I don’t understand the approach Liberate are taking. For any remote chance of success on the constituency ballot you…” Jun 24, 17:44
dasBlimp on A different school: “This has got to be one of the funniest posts I’ve read here. Gie us mair Hatey gie us mair…” Jun 24, 17:22
Del G on Anatomy Of A Lunatic: “A plague on BOTH your houses. Bye-bye.” Jun 24, 17:12
sarah on Anatomy Of A Lunatic: “I think you’ve said all that needs to be said, Rev. Don’t spend any more time on it. Turning to…” Jun 24, 16:15
Scott on Anatomy Of A Lunatic: “He thinks it annoys him and that everyone is laughing along at the joke. But it’s just James, on his…” Jun 24, 15:55
