Five minutes and 51 seconds, to be precise, is how long David Mundell, Secretary of State for Scotland, spent frantically quacking out meaningless noise on this morning’s Sunday Politics Scotland in order to avoid answering a simple Yes/No question until the interview ran out of airtime.
We could quibble with presenter Gordon Brewer making the assertion that a Section 30 order would in fact be necessary for a second referendum (something which has never been established in law or conceded by the Scottish Government, with strong and genuine legal opinion on both sides of the argument), and with him letting Mundell get away with the blatant falsehood that an overwhelming majority of Scots don’t want another referendum – in fact, 50% want one within the next two years.
But sometimes you have to let some smaller things slide to avoid distraction and stay focused on your main point, and in our view this was one of those occasions.
Should we check out that link and find out whether the then-FM really DID “claim that the Scottish NHS would be privatised if Scots voted No”, readers? Let’s do!
These are the comments of UK defence secretary Michael Fallon in a short interview with today’s Herald. We don’t know about you, folks, but to us it feels like Christmas.
We think our favourite line is “There are other voices in Scotland now, not least Ruth Davidson’s”, but there are a lot to choose from.
This is Conservative MP Dominic Raab, a member of the Brexit Select Committee, speaking on the BBC News Channel’s “Hard Talk” programme at 00.45 this morning. Perhaps imagining that nobody would be watching at such an ungodly hour, it seems he felt able to be unusually candid.
We left the last bit on in order to demonstrate that he was still talking about Scotland as well as Ireland. (He went on to recite the usual boilerplate about all leaving together as the UK etc etc, you can watch the whole show for yourself on iPlayer.)
But let’s just get that key early exchange down in writing for the record.
Readers familiar with our standing advice to newspaper customers that the headline is nearly always a lie might like to consider today’s Press & Journal.
The word “pyre” comes from the Greek word “pyra”, meaning “fire”. Surprisingly, it’s NOT the same root as “Pyrrhic”, as in “Pyrrhic victory”, meaning one that’s achieved by metaphorically burning your own city down. (Which in fact is named after the Greek general Pyrrhus of Epirus.)
The Sunday Herald ran an extraordinary article on page 2 yesterday, and by the time we’d finished being startled by what nonsense it was, it set us wondering about why.
Because when you really want people with their finger on the pulse of Scottish politics to analyse the implications of the Supreme Court decision on Brexit, where else would you go but to Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff, to hear from um, former rugby league star and haircut pioneer Martin Offiah?
Way back in October last year we analysed what now seems to have become the key plank of Unionist argument against independence in the wake of Brexit – the idea that because Scotland does more trade with the rest of the UK than it does with the EU, independence would be economic suicide because Scotland would be sacrificing “the UK single market” (a thing that doesn’t actually exist ) for a much smaller one.
It’s a completely idiotic position, but to be honest we didn’t do a very good job of boiling the counter-argument down to something snappy and quoteable, so let’s have another go and see if we can manage something a little better.
twathater on The Turning Point: “Here we go again give your vote to someone other than the snp who best represents your feelings, lend your…” Sep 29, 18:23
Spartan 117 on The Turning Point: “Sorry, I vociferously reject the idea that the defence of U is a “strategic objective” for *us*. It *might* be…” Sep 29, 18:15
Hatey McHateface on The Turning Point: “““Tax cuts for the rich, benefit cuts for the poor” he cries” Except the rich aren’t getting tax cuts. And…” Sep 29, 18:13
Captain Caveman on The Turning Point: “@Aidan That’s not to say, however, that we shouldn’t be spending money on our OWN (conventional) defence (not someone else’s),…” Sep 29, 17:59
Hatey Mchateface on Cowering From Destiny: ““Ah dinnae hate you, son; I pity you” Crivens, James, yer maw will hae ye washing yer mooth oot wi…” Sep 29, 17:59
Captain Caveman on The Turning Point: “Don’t you think though, Aidan, if the things you say are true, isn’t it about time that “U”‘s immediate EU…” Sep 29, 17:56
Aidan on The Turning Point: “I will challenge you on this Spartan, the situation in U is extremely serious for all of us in Europe,…” Sep 29, 17:38
James on The Turning Point: “That last was aimed at Adrian, who is cheerleading reducing what is already the lowest -piss poor- state pension in…” Sep 29, 17:30
cirsium on The Turning Point: “Well said Willie 2014 ran them close, closer than we may know and it could not happen again. Given that…” Sep 29, 17:09
Spartan 117 on The Turning Point: “You both raise very sensible points. The fact is the UK are pissing galactic sums of money away on, quite…” Sep 29, 16:47
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Turning Point: “Key historical documentary. Video is remarkably still available here and there online. DÌOMHAIR (CONFIDENTIAL) BBC ALBA 2013. Gaelic with English…” Sep 29, 16:45
Captain Caveman on The Turning Point: “Indeed, Spartan. Very true.” Sep 29, 16:39
Aidan on The Turning Point: “Yes James – in the real world where actual people live, defending ourselves against the real possibility of a wider…” Sep 29, 16:35
Spartan 117 on The Turning Point: “Ignore it. It’s off its tits again on whatever intoxicating substances its managed to raid from the COSHH cabinet. You…” Sep 29, 16:22
James on The Turning Point: “The yapping Armchair General says “we cant afford it”… And yet….. and yet…’we’ can “afford” to waste £205 BILLION on…” Sep 29, 16:15
Captain Caveman on The Turning Point: “What is it with you, Confused? You act like a particularly thick, foul-mouthed, petulant teenager who’s just discovered a keyboard,…” Sep 29, 14:20
gm on His Majesty’s Loyal Sabre: “There are many more anti as opposed to pro independence posts on this site. It makes you wonder about the…” Sep 29, 14:17
Confused on The Turning Point: “sir ranulph fiennes is currently living in my garage; some blondie slipped me a monkey to “look after her dad”…” Sep 29, 13:41
Aidan on Cowering From Destiny: “By “neutral” I assume you mean “undefended”, there will be no remaining neutral for Scotland if all out war breaks…” Sep 29, 13:36
Confused on The Turning Point: “the triple lock – this is something that has been in the sights for a while now, especially in the…” Sep 29, 13:33
James on Cowering From Destiny: “Hilarious, Adrian – stop it! Oh, ma sides….” Sep 29, 13:20
Alf Baird on Cowering From Destiny: “” I’d love more not to be at risk of heading for an all out war in Europe which I’m…” Sep 29, 13:18
James on Cowering From Destiny: “Ah dinnae hate you, son; I pity you.” Sep 29, 13:18
Aidan on Cowering From Destiny: ““P just wants to SELL YOU CHEAP GAS. Think about that when winter comes, you halfwits with your little blue…” Sep 29, 12:50
Aidan on Cowering From Destiny: “Yeah it’s hilarious isn’t it James – all those people being murdered” Sep 29, 12:42
TURABDIN on The Turning Point: “such a shame the woman showed minimal leadership in the direction for which she and her colleagues were elected. Her…” Sep 29, 12:31
robertkknight on The Turning Point: “Oh deary me… What’s the chances you realise that nobody on here, with possibly a single notable exception, actually gives…” Sep 29, 10:39
PRJ on The Turning Point: “The arrest of Murrell should have seen a clear out of the hierarchy of the SNP, they were all complicit…” Sep 29, 09:27
willie on The Turning Point: “The reorganisation of local government is not pointless Peter. The cull of the 32 Scottish Councils into 5 is a…” Sep 29, 08:53
