The Observer, for example, blamed the stat on “neo-Nazis”.
But even if that were true, it wouldn’t of course disprove the claim. A stopped clock is right twice a day, and something isn’t intrinsically false just because a neo-Nazi says it. Hitler had some pretty messed-up ideas but the world didn’t become flat just because he said it was round.
The Cass Review into gender medicine, which has been almost six long years in the making, was finally published this morning, and despite the fears of some – including us – that it was going to be watered down, it’s turned out to be an absolutely explosive document even on a quick skim. (It’s 388 pages long.)
The most damning aspect, though, is almost certainly this one:
Those quotes annihilate any concept of an “innocent good intentions” defence for the gender clinics. Because if you genuinely believe that you’re doing good, you don’t try to bury all the evidence.
Ruth Davidson finally emerged today from a summer of hiding from press stories about her racist and sectarian councillors and MSPs to give a bizarre, nervy and gabbling interview to Good Morning Scotland.
Highlights included calling Show Racism The Red Card an “anti-Semitic” organisation and proposing the building of eight entire new towns in Scotland (the funding source and potential locations for this colossal undertaking were not specified), all filled with social housing which would nevertheless be for sale under Right To Buy.
(Which if it could somehow magically be done would of course lead to the homes being quickly sold at heavy discounts, leaving councils insufficient money to fund their replacements and creating another massive housing bubble and crisis.)
But our very favourite bit was when (at 2h 17m) she said this:
To be honest, readers, if we encountered a 30-sq-foot drunk waving a broken glass around in a pub, we’d just be looking for the door as fast as possible. But clearly Ruth Davidson frequents different sorts of bars to us.
So just for a bit of light-hearted Friday fun, we thought we’d ask: what WOULD you say to that person in that situation?
This is amazing, readers. It’s an extract from this afternoon’s The Big Debate on Radio Scotland, in which a journalist – the BBC’s Gordon Brewer – finally gets round to asking someone from Scottish Labour how they can make the extra £500m they need to fund their tax-credits “policy” while keeping all taxes the same.
You might have to listen through a few times to get your head round it, because that really is what a grown woman actually tried to get away with in front of a live audience.
An alert reader pointed us today to this audio clip of Jim Murphy. It’s not tagged, but we THINK it’s from a Radio Clyde interview about three weeks ago which oddly didn’t seem to get picked up at the time by anyone in the media.
Below is a clip from today’s “Morning Call” on BBC Radio Scotland. Speaking (from 16m 24s on the full show) are SNP MSP Mark McDonald, presenter Kaye Adams and Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald. There are a couple of noteworthy moments.
A caller named “George” had rung in concerned that the SNP might be giving up on their goal of independence, and Adams invited Mark McDonald to set his mind at rest. Here’s what happened in the next three minutes.
Today we’ve become quite obsessed with Jim Murphy’s pathological avoidance of a straight answer to the question of whether income tax should be fully devolved to the Scottish Parliament or not. The BBC now has a report on his much-trailed speech in Glasgow, but we’ll get to that in a moment. First it’s worth having a listen to this.
It’s an interview taken from the “Pienaar’s Politics” podcast on Radio 5 Live earlier this month. And it makes for an intriguing study of the art of evasion.
We know some readers hate listening to audio (we do too), so here’s a full transcript of this interview from this morning, with some brief added commentary.
Andy Ellis on Well, this is a little embarrassing: “The idea has legs Mr McHateface! Sadly* I see that many of those who would have been most embarrassed by…” May 17, 21:29
sarah on Well, this is a little embarrassing: “@ 100% Yes at 6.30: the KC Prof Robert Black was forensic in proving the falsity of the “United Kingdom”.…” May 17, 21:22
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Well, this is a little embarrassing: “« I’m off out to feed the swans. » (recent Stu Campbell remark) _________ « we may as well do as Rev does…” May 17, 21:00
Hatey McHateface on Well, this is a little embarrassing: “I’ve enjoyed reading the Grok analysis and assessment of the “debate”. I wonder if it would catch on BTL too.…” May 17, 20:58
Hatey McHateface on Well, this is a little embarrassing: “I’m not sure it’s not a folk memory now. The place bears little resemblance to what it was in my…” May 17, 20:34
Hatey McHateface on Well, this is a little embarrassing: “Sounds like your post needs fixing. How about “explosive stuff regarding the union by a fake KC” Any political and…” May 17, 20:20
Bilbo on Barbie Stories: “I was trying to stick the dagger deep but others have done so much better than me. She’s certainly no…” May 17, 19:08
TURABDIN on Well, this is a little embarrassing: “Cutting to the crux, unless Scots grow a pair their country will just be a folk memory. There are no…” May 17, 19:07
100%Yes on Well, this is a little embarrassing: “This is what annoys me, people who claim to want Independence then advocate two votes for the SNP 1&2 when…” May 17, 18:30
aLurker on Well, this is a little embarrassing: “@Willie John Aye, pick a nitter instance that is currently in good health [1]. Then use the nitter service instance…” May 17, 17:20
Skip_NC on Well, this is a little embarrassing: “Stu, if we are to believe James Kelly’s characterization of you, you were born in Hanover in 1960 (a few…” May 17, 17:00
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Well, this is a little embarrassing: “GLASGOW DAWN (For my brother Stuart, 21 March 2009) Were they not great those hours we spent up in your…” May 17, 15:31
Ebok on Well, this is a little embarrassing: “I think Rev, that you are attacking the system from the wrong angle and playing by the rules of the…” May 17, 14:39
Willie John on Well, this is a little embarrassing: “Anybody got any tips on how I can read the whole saga without joining twitter/x? (Which I politely decline to…” May 17, 14:27
Skip_NC on Well, this is a little embarrassing: “Stu, despite your obvious-self confidence, I am amazed that you actually had a debate on this issue with Scotland’s foremost…” May 17, 14:14
Jon Drummond on Barbie Stories: “Yes, I remember Zambonini. Just posted pice of her drunken socialising. Lips hanging of her skull with a hundredweight of…” May 17, 14:00
Jon Drummond on Barbie Stories: “Holy Mother of Christ. How the SNP (NuSNP) have fallen. Her only life/work experience is stocking the printer with with…” May 17, 13:51
lothianlad on Barbie Stories: “The SNP have been infiltrated, and are now utterly discredited.” May 17, 13:15
ScottieDog on Well, this is a little embarrassing: “There are complex algorithms used in portfolio investment decision making, yet research concluded that the use of simple hueristics such…” May 17, 10:21
MPW on Well, this is a little embarrassing: “I asked if he could provide a link as stu had done, he delete the post. Therefore I believe stu…” May 17, 10:03
Andy Ellis on Well, this is a little embarrassing: “It says a lot (none of it good) about any pro-independence person who is involved in Scottish politics at the…” May 17, 09:39
A Browne on Well, this is a little embarrassing: “I fixed on of the ‘Anonymous’ comments: AnonymousMay 17, 2025 at 8:56?AM The problem is that at the moment young…” May 17, 09:23
duncanio on Well, this is a little embarrassing: “Having re-converted to the SNP perhaps he feels the need to go full-on anti-Wings to prove his credentials as a…” May 17, 09:06