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.
Captain Caveman on Let’s Not Make Some Plans: “Ah, another trademark valued contribution to the site from our corpulent wastrel friend. I’ve crying rivers here, Chief. Keep your…” Jun 18, 12:44
Chas on Holiday Relief: “Maybe Robin realises it is all a load of shite. Unlike the fantasists on here!” Jun 18, 12:25
lothianlad on Holiday Relief: “Surely the SNP members will start to see they are being lied to!? its taking them lomng enough!” Jun 18, 12:17
James on Let’s Not Make Some Plans: “Welcome back, Northcode! Yes indeed they are becoming much bolder.” Jun 18, 12:16
James on Let’s Not Make Some Plans: “Go easy on her, YL, she was a “captain” – of industry ROTFL. And the Site Prick “P3nisbreath McP3nisbreathface”… LOLZ” Jun 18, 12:11
sam on Holiday Relief: “I wonder if Alf will be at Holyrood tomorrow, meeting 12.15, to protest and meet FH with regard to ferries…” Jun 18, 11:38
Northcode on Holiday Relief: ““…completely missed the big news for the independence movement…” It seems unlikely McAlpine missed the news of the Liberation.Scot petition…” Jun 18, 11:37
Aidan on Holiday Relief: “Perhaps Robin is aware that the highly vaunted “approach to the UN” has been completely rebuffed at the first hurdle?…” Jun 18, 11:27
sarah on Holiday Relief: “That is interesting, Alf. I generally agree with what Robin says and I hadn’t noticed theses striking omissions. Can someone…” Jun 18, 10:58
Alf Baird on Holiday Relief: “A daeless Swinney and his hot-air speechwriter seems an easy target, however Robin and certain other seemingly pro-indy intellectuals within…” Jun 18, 10:06
Sven on Holiday Relief: “Crazycat @ 23.12. I believe that policy was effectively jettisioned back in 2015 when Ms Sturgeon forced the then PM…” Jun 18, 09:02
Hatey McHateface on Let’s Not Make Some Plans: ““roll back over and cosy up with yer new “bestie” P3nisbreath McP3nisbreathface..” Aw naw! Signature double-tap there from Wings’ only…” Jun 18, 08:24
Callum on Holiday Relief: “‘The world’s most embarrassing relaunch’ by Robin McAlpine | 16 Jun 2025 “So anyway, we have learned loads here. Mainly…” Jun 18, 08:22
Sven on Holiday Relief: “Off Topic; Hardly surprising that our SNP led devolved administration (was never a government) have declined to have an inquiry…” Jun 18, 08:21
Captain Caveman on Let’s Not Make Some Plans: “Heh! Gone “fishing” have we YL? About the only thing you’ll catch (in your piss-stained shoes) is an empty bottle…” Jun 18, 07:55
Hatey McHateface on Let’s Not Make Some Plans: ““Is it my imagination or is our coloniser becoming bolder in its shameless extraction of Scotland’s wealth?” Every night before…” Jun 18, 07:36
Hatey McHateface on Let’s Not Make Some Plans: “Whats this then? Three lengthy posts from NC, all of them written in the King’s English? Isn’t that the language…” Jun 18, 07:28
Northcode on Let’s Not Make Some Plans: “A little, hopefully informative and not overly didactic, light-hearted diversion. Aristotle is one of my favourite ancients and was a…” Jun 18, 06:25
Northcode on Let’s Not Make Some Plans: “The only plans they’re concerned with are their pension plans. And the only future they’ll be shaping will be the…” Jun 18, 06:07
Northcode on Let’s Not Make Some Plans: “Great news! It turns out I was feeling a wee bit sensitive the other day and just needed some me…” Jun 18, 05:40
Young Lochinvar on Let’s Not Make Some Plans: “Fred Flintstone aka (so called Captain Caveman) at 8.26am with a p1sh English beer hangover! Good morning jaikie!! Just up…” Jun 18, 05:00
GM on Holiday Relief: “I PDF’ed most of his articles in the period after Iain died. I go back to them from time to…” Jun 17, 23:46
crazycat on Holiday Relief: “The legislation only applies to England and Wales. It always used to be SNP policy not to vote in cases…” Jun 17, 23:12
Insider on Holiday Relief: “agent x…… Well, we must all wait with bated breath to see what “post colonialism” tells us ! It will…” Jun 17, 22:45
Towbar Sullivan on Holiday Relief: “This vote on Abortion – did the SNP go AWOL? There’s no record of them voting at all. WTF? https://votes.parliament.uk/votes/commons/division/2058” Jun 17, 22:35
George Ferguson on Let’s Not Make Some Plans: “@James 9:56pm Welcome to the World of lost deposits. I was a member of the SNP and Alba. I thought…” Jun 17, 22:35
Scot Finlayson on Holiday Relief: “What is wrong with this British Labour government, Starving kids, freezing pensioners, allowing the mass rape of young girls, assisted…” Jun 17, 22:23
James on Let’s Not Make Some Plans: “Voting for me? Dunno what planet you’re on, George. I ditched my membership in 2018 when the missing money/Salmond stitch…” Jun 17, 21:56
George Ferguson on Let’s Not Make Some Plans: “@James An SNP thug. Nuf said. When you come up with intelligent policies I will start voting for you again.…” Jun 17, 21:20