We’ve been off for a little break in the country, and as far as we can tell we’ve missed absolutely nothing in the moribund world of Scottish politics. We did, however, arrive back just in time for something mildly interesting, or at least revealing.
It’s the latest episode of a new podcast by veteran Scottish political journalist and broadcaster Bernard Ponsonby and jobbing opinion columnist Alex Massie, inventively titled The Ponsonby And Massie Podcast.
The first 35 minutes or so weren’t very noteworthy, other than the curious omission – when predicting the makeup of the next Scottish Government – of the idea of a Labour-SNP coalition, which to this site remains by far the most practical and logical outcome of the 2026 Holyrood election.
David Davis may be the last of his kind – a libertarian Tory from a council-scheme and grammar-school background, and also one of the few remaining big beasts occupying the political jungle of the back benches.
(He could in fact have been Tory leader, and would have been if David Cameron and George Osborne hadn’t teamed up to defeat him in 2005 after he won the first ballot.)
So on the rare occasions when he leads a Commons adjournment debate, as he did last Thursday evening, those with an educated eye for politics sit up and take notice.
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.
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.
Holiday Boy has of course chosen the general election campaign to spend the next three weeks feeding stray cats somewhere sunny, so here’s a cartoon by the brilliant webcomicname that summarises the Baillie Gifford story for anyone joining us late.
January 2018, with no general election due for four and a half years: “I very rarely talk about Scottish independence in the chamber, because I talk about things that matter”
June 2024, with an election in four weeks and a £91,346 salary, expenses and pension at stake: “ROBERT THE BRUCE! BANNOCKBURN! DECLARATION OF ARBROATH! FLOWER OF SCOTLAND! FREEEEEEEEEDOOOOOOMMMM!”
gregor on For Mridul And Sandy: “BBC GLOBAL: BREAKING… Donald Trump wanted to be a dictator for a day. Is Donald Trump morphing into something more…” Feb 15, 03:28
gregor on For Mridul And Sandy: “Oh, God! Oh, Jesus Christ! Oh, my God! Christ! No, no, dear God!! Negatron has called on his uglier cousin:…” Feb 15, 02:48
gregor on For Mridul And Sandy: “BBC (15/02/25): Scientists warn there’s 1 in 50 chance of Asteroid striking Earth: https://tinyurl.com/yc73tyyn” Feb 15, 02:35
gregor on For Mridul And Sandy: “Elon Musk @elonmusk: “Funding for racist baby training is canceled”: Christopher F. Rufo @realchrisrufo: “The Department of Education funded this…” Feb 15, 02:11
gregor on For Mridul And Sandy: “re. “Scotland needs a desk, a saltire, some of those executive order folders & pen -stat! I’ll sign them along…” Feb 15, 02:05
gregor on For Mridul And Sandy: “Fake Robin McAlpine News: Bundling and the path to barbarism: “I am engaged in a correspondence – a reader who…” Feb 15, 01:56
gregor on For Mridul And Sandy: “Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson: “BREAKING: President Trump signs Executive Order cutting ALL federal funding to schools that mandate the COVID vaccine.”:…” Feb 15, 01:23
gregor on For Mridul And Sandy: “STV News: US Vice President JD Vance attacks Scotland’s anti-abortion buffer zones: “He criticised Safe Access Zones in Scotland… “Now,…” Feb 15, 01:11
gregor on For Mridul And Sandy: “Ned’s Atomic Dustbin: God Fodder: Nothing Like: “I don’t know what you’re thinking when you fail to see things are…” Feb 15, 00:42
gregor on For Mridul And Sandy: “WEF is starting The Great Reset initiative: …determining: “future state of global relations” “direction of national economies” “priorities of societies”…” Feb 15, 00:21
gregor on For Mridul And Sandy: “The Times (14/02/25): Keir Starmer: I have sympathy for Gen Z, but they can’t just opt out: “First, young people…” Feb 15, 00:15
gregor on For Mridul And Sandy: “re. “Folks talking to their own children about growing up isn’t abuse FFS.” These freaks are sick child predators and…” Feb 14, 23:47
gregor on For Mridul And Sandy: “BBC (14/02/25): Transgender references removed from Stonewall monument website: “The Trump administration has erased references to transgender people from New…” Feb 14, 23:37
Geri on For Mridul And Sandy: “I hope the good people of Glasgow give that ad a makeover. It’s false advertising. Folks talking to their own…” Feb 14, 23:26
gregor on For Mridul And Sandy: “Absurd Smoque: Q: Cassiopeia: https://tinyurl.com/mwmzw2tn ELON MARS: Cassiopeia: https://tinyurl.com/55z4dmuu #We” Feb 14, 23:14
gregor on For Mridul And Sandy: “ELON MARS: Zero, My Crazy: https://tinyurl.com/mr27tzb8” Feb 14, 22:54
George Ferguson on For Mridul And Sandy: “Hopefully fingers crossed. Anyway I have been trying my wife’s black pointed stiletto shoes on. How do women manage to…” Feb 14, 22:54
G m on For Mridul And Sandy: “the Ellis Group is not a Team-Scotland player – Well put man.” Feb 14, 22:46
gregor on For Mridul And Sandy: “Q: WELCOME TO SOUL,PRESENT: “Wow Welcome Thank you for joining me here In the place to be You’ll understand That…” Feb 14, 22:45
gregor on For Mridul And Sandy: “Absurd Smoque: Q: Exploring Existence Itself: https://tinyurl.com/4wpvafkj Absurd Smoque: Q: Space and Time: https://tinyurl.com/43n6ckjs Zero One: Zero One: The Start:…” Feb 14, 22:36
gregor on For Mridul And Sandy: “Darwin to Jesus @darwintojesus: “…We observe that the universe is expanding And so we can extrapolate backwards in time until…” Feb 14, 22:30
gregor on For Mridul And Sandy: “I’m not a xenophobe (I love all peoples’/humanity) – I’ve got England in my DNA e.g. my dad is English.…” Feb 14, 21:42
G m on For Mridul And Sandy: “We’re no though Ian. Our ‘elite’ have simply sold us out. They are just self-centred wanks, stealing their wages who…” Feb 14, 21:14
G m on For Mridul And Sandy: “Hope you get it sorted soon George.” Feb 14, 21:10
gregor on For Mridul And Sandy: “It’s true, Mark – The whingers here are extremely reckless and dumb (stuck up their own bigoted a**e, 365 -…” Feb 14, 21:05
Ian Brotherhood on For Mridul And Sandy: “Off-topic for sure but submitted in a spirit of week-enderly bonhomie… There aren’t enough Milligans around these days. James Hogg…” Feb 14, 20:51
Mark Beggan on For Mridul And Sandy: “I’m upstaged on that one. Bravo.” Feb 14, 20:39
Ian Brotherhood on For Mridul And Sandy: “Whatever he wants you to.” Feb 14, 20:35