Not too many surprises here. (Except, perhaps, the 18% of respondents who claimed to be football fans yet also said they had no interest in the World Cup.)
Excluding the disinterested the numbers were:
England 24% England’s opponents 38% Others 40%
And for people actually born in Scotland the figures came out at
England 20% England’s opponents 41% Others 39%
And that’s pretty much the natural order of things. If you’re a “Rangers” fan and you cheer for Celtic when they play (let’s not say “compete”) in the Champions League, or a Celtic fan who backed “Rangers” in the Petrofac Training Cup, you’re the weirdo.
We were having an idle browse on Google Play Books this morning for some bargain holiday reading when we happened upon a startling new cover for Chris Mullin’s 1982 classic A Very British Coup.
We found ourselves thinking “rise to what, exactly?”
And as it happened, we had some new Panelbase polling data on that.
Now, we’re not sure “you’ve had the government you’ve voted for about half the time in a two-horse race” would be all that great a selling point in the first place, but shall we see if it’s actually true, readers?
We wouldn’t say that the Scottish Daily Mail was obsessed or anything, but this is just today’s hysterical coverage of possible changes to taxation in Scotland which haven’t even been PROPOSED yet, let alone actually passed into law.
The efforts by the Scottish Tories to pull off some frankly ambitious shenanigans over today’s Budget continued overnight in increasingly bizarre fashion.
As with the Poppy Scotland funding, the party appears to be quite openly punting the line “We knew all along that this was possible and the right thing to do, but we deliberately punished Scotland for not electing enough Tory MPs”, in what can only be reasonably interpreted as an attempt at blackmailing future electorates.
The Scottish media, meanwhile, is doing its best to sell the issue as “a plague on both their houses”, holding the Scottish Government and UK government equally culpable for the mess. So let’s see what we know.
We’ll be honest, readers – if this doesn’t make you want to leave the UK all by itself, it may be that there’s nothing that ever will and we should just give up.
(Alternative titles considered for this piece included Live And Please Let Die, Doctor Oh God No, The Barely-Living Daylights and Quantum Of Bollocks.)
Yesterday’s Daily Record (which would increasingly be an accurate three-word name for the paper) ran an innocuous piece of page-filler fluff rubbish, and for once we’re not talking about a David Torrance column.
It featured the “psychic” predictions of a man who, the Record told us – no fewer than FIVE times in the opening few lines – previously predicted Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election, and who had a track record of “incredible accuracy”.
Northcode on A Matter Of Declinature: “These requests in the form of legal letters for information surrounding the SNP’s ring-fenced monies will most likely be answered…” Jul 16, 10:08
Black Joan on A Matter Of Declinature: “It’s great to see it spelled out in an exemplary legal letter: “We are instructed by the REVEREND Stuart Campbell”…” Jul 16, 10:08
Alf Baird on A Matter Of Declinature: “There are two Crowns and Kingdoms here. The important question, which has remained for over three hundred years is which…” Jul 16, 09:51
100%Yes on A Matter Of Declinature: “I believe the turn of events is now proceeding faster than the SNP and its organizations can cope with!!! Two…” Jul 16, 09:08
Angus on A Matter Of Declinature: “Police refusing to investigate a massive known crime in a civilised state can be because of one of the following…” Jul 16, 04:03
Cynicus on A Matter Of Declinature: “I know what “qwerty” means, and I know what “captured” means. But the phrase “qwerty captured “ baffles me. AND…” Jul 16, 01:22
Cynicus on The Invisible Rabbit: “Amen to that. Don’t stay away too long again, Breeks.” Jul 16, 01:08
Young Lochinvar on The Invisible Rabbit: “HMcH Errrrrrrr.. That’s a No. Please accept my explanation that it no way infers respect or conviviality! PS: anyways remember…” Jul 16, 00:11
Hatey McHateface on Blue In The Face: “Scottish voters were denied their right to an Independent Scotland because not enough Scottish voters turned out to vote for…” Jul 16, 00:01
Young Lochinvar on A Matter Of Declinature: “DB Qwerty = (top line of a keyboard) is a kind of shorthand for LGBTQIgodknows what else gobbledegook gibberish freakery..…” Jul 15, 23:55
Hatey McHateface on The Invisible Rabbit: “Well, Breeks, I note you’re still of the opinion that former colonies should roll over and accept forced re-colonisation by…” Jul 15, 23:38
Hatey McHateface on The Invisible Rabbit: “Aw, YL. I’m touched to discover you’re thinking of me. I guess there’s absolutely no point in asking you to…” Jul 15, 23:30
James on The Invisible Rabbit: “Long time no see, Breeks. Best to you.” Jul 15, 23:26
Graf Midgehunter on A Matter Of Declinature: “Viagra. Take two and be a world champ” Jul 15, 23:20
Skip_NC on A Matter Of Declinature: “The assorted has-beens and never-will-bes on the BBC are blaming Tuchel and it’s not just because he went defensive very…” Jul 15, 23:18
robertkknight on A Matter Of Declinature: “Either that, or the supine media have been served DSMA-Notices and are avoiding mentioning the elephant in the room in…” Jul 15, 23:10
Captain Caveman on A Matter Of Declinature: “No one is blaming the manager, although his subs were crap. We scored a great goal with 30 minutes to…” Jul 15, 22:56
Young Lochinvar on A Matter Of Declinature: “Viagra.. For when you can’t make it past a semi.. PS; Its just a game 🙂” Jul 15, 22:43
Andy Wiltshire on A Matter Of Declinature: “Great stuff – you can almost imagine the rising panic as they read it. Squeaky bum time!” Jul 15, 22:36
Confused on A Matter Of Declinature: “INGLUND have “HEARTS-ED IT” LAVVERLY JABBLY – now let’s play : BLAME THE MANAGER ‘es a bit forun innee ……” Jul 15, 22:25
Andrew scott on A Matter Of Declinature: “YAH BEAUTY Btw how come that horror who “works” for Aberdeen uni is still in a job after HIS terrible(now…” Jul 15, 21:53
Oneliner on A Matter Of Declinature: “Indeed. Prior to his resignation, Healy was the last Defence Secretary to call out the SNP as being ‘a threat…” Jul 15, 21:13
robertkknight on A Matter Of Declinature: “The more they (Police Scotland/COPFS) squirm the more it smacks of someone in Thames House playing the National Security card…” Jul 15, 20:36
Carol Neill on A Matter Of Declinature: “Dug wi a bone , wish we had more of you” Jul 15, 20:13
Aidan on A Matter Of Declinature: “@RevStu – has anyone initiated the victims right to review with respect to the original complaint? I’ve no doubt that…” Jul 15, 19:51
diabloandco on A Matter Of Declinature: “Young Lochinvar, sorry you lost me with your comment , can you explain – I know being old restricts my…” Jul 15, 19:33
Mark Beggan on A Matter Of Declinature: “Qwertys days are numbered. Just like that mentally unstable transvestite who calls himself Confused.” Jul 15, 19:22
