One of the handiest things for truth-seeking political commentators (admittedly a rare breed) is that the three component nations that make up Great Britain currently all have different parties in government, so it’s always possible to measure the rhetoric of the main parties against their actions in the bit they’re actually in charge of.
(The same is true for many other policies the Scottish Government has implemented to fight Tory austerity, like free university tuition and mitigating the bedroom tax.)
A Scot living in the EU, and an EU national living in Scotland, discuss the implications of the Brexit being forced on Scotland against its will by the UK government.
To be honest with you, readers, we’re still trying to make some sort of sense of the whole “vote Scottish Labour to get independence” thing. Because try as we might we can’t think of a single way in which having a Scottish Labour MP is better than having an SNP one in terms of either independence OR socialism.
In the continuing summer absence of any sort of Scottish politics news (the Sunday papers consist of Michelle Thomson understandably taking a swipe at the SNP in the Sunday Post, the Sunday Times spluttering in impotent fury that Michelle Thomson wasn’t prosecuted, and the Sunday Herald giving a glowing write-up to idiot Tory MSP Annie Wells while savaging sections of the Yes movement yet again – this time “older white men”), we thought you might enjoy a piece from the archives.
Discovered by an alert reader, this 1976 Times article features Labour MP for Basildon Eric Moonman discussing the seemingly-imminent prospect of Scottish devolution, to which he was implacably opposed and instrumental in defeating, ultimately leading to the collapse of a Labour government and the election of Mrs Thatcher.
Last month saw the first meeting between the UK Brexit delegation and the EU’s, and by many accounts it fell far short of the UK’s expectations. David Davis spent months drumming up the “strong and stable” approach which would see both the divorce deal and the subsequent post-Brexit trade deal negotiated simultaneously. He was told by everyone that this wouldn’t happen, but simply brushed off the warnings. When push came to shove, he finally accepted that he’d have to negotiate the divorce deal first.
This is just the latest in a long string of failures and ineptitudes over the course of the UK’s handling of the whole farcical process and it got me thinking. If Scotland had voted Yes in 2014, what would it have looked like if the Scottish Government had handled that vote the way the UK has managed Brexit?
Today’s Daily Record covers the story we mentioned yesterday about a report from a Scottish Labour campaign group making the pretty factually-uncontestable point that the branch office’s dismal strategy in last month’s election held the UK party back.
Captain Caveman on Vibecoding A Better World: “Heh! Spot the luddite philistine eh – there’s me going on about “leather effect” watch straps and dials when OF…” Nov 9, 13:41
Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: “Liking it, CC. What about a moby app, monitoring your speech and texts in real time? Analysing for key indications…” Nov 9, 13:24
Alf Baird on Vibecoding A Better World: ““Many Scots just need to look at the strangers hanging around their High Streets” ….and the need to better understand…” Nov 9, 13:16
Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: ““discrediting just about everyone on Wings” Some on here seem unable to distinguish between Wings and Wings BTL. I feel…” Nov 9, 13:12
Spartan 117 on Vibecoding A Better World: “A bizarre statement from Alf. Many of us don’t need to look to the media, state or “culture” for intellectual…” Nov 9, 13:04
Captain Caveman on Vibecoding A Better World: ““Jeezo, one day I’m the colonised, the next I’m the coloniser.” Maybe we could each wear a large “colonis-o-meter” dial…” Nov 9, 13:03
Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: “@ Aidan says: 9 November, 2026 at 11:05 am Excellent post. Many Scots just need to look at the strangers…” Nov 9, 12:51
Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: “““endless questions” posed by the colonizer” Jeezo, one day I’m the colonised, the next I’m the coloniser. Any chance of…” Nov 9, 12:41
Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: “Prick and twat, eh, Dan? Sounds like you’re one confused individual. Nae wonder ye hae tae mak all yer ain…” Nov 9, 12:35
Spartan 117 on Vibecoding A Better World: “It’s often said these days that the difference between a conspiracy theory and truth is about 6 months; from what…” Nov 9, 11:56
Spartan 117 on Vibecoding A Better World: “Some of the above posts show a worrying detachment from reality and highlight the main problem with politics and academia…” Nov 9, 11:30
100%Yes on Vibecoding A Better World: “We don’t have a government or a political party in Scotland working for the Scottish people, there either working for…” Nov 9, 11:27
Aidan on Vibecoding A Better World: “The way to address that uncertainty is to answer those questions cogently and effectively, not to come up with some…” Nov 9, 11:05
Northcode on Vibecoding A Better World: “The lack of wind in Scotland is of course part of a devious conspiracy. Westminster, and its army of brilliant…” Nov 9, 10:10
James Che on Vibecoding A Better World: “The Credit pun i no doubt you cottoned on too, But thats the problem with digital banking, Anyone or even…” Nov 9, 09:51
Captain Caveman on Vibecoding A Better World: “Do you not feel you could help out here, Alf? All that endless hot air 24/7 – surely more than…” Nov 9, 09:46
Northcode on Vibecoding A Better World: ““The problem is all inside your head,” he said to me. “The answer is easy if you take it logically.”…” Nov 9, 09:41
Alf Baird on Vibecoding A Better World: “There are always “endless questions” posed by the colonizer to create doubt and uncertainty in the minds of the colonized.…” Nov 9, 09:29
James Che on Vibecoding A Better World: “Hatey, No it was not a meant to be a pun, but well spotted, in between discrediting just about everyone…” Nov 9, 09:28
Alf Baird on Vibecoding A Better World: “Hopefully one day soon Scots will no longer be made dependent on another people and country’s media and culture for…” Nov 9, 09:21
James Che on Vibecoding A Better World: “Wether it is France, Germany, Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands, Canada, Scotland, America, Italy, England, Greece,Spain, or Wales, It might be the…” Nov 9, 09:20
Dan on Vibecoding A Better World: “Look at site prick Hatey enjoying the rare opportunity to post his shite when climatic conditions dictate there is insufficient…” Nov 9, 09:16
Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: “@James. Imagine if that happened here! We lead the world in grippiness when it comes to the bawbees in our…” Nov 9, 09:15
James Che on Vibecoding A Better World: “The rest of the Countries in the world are very important, if those other Countries are not doing so well,…” Nov 9, 09:00
Hatey Mchateface on Vibecoding A Better World: “Whoops! Insufficient wind today: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/nov/09/rare-call-more-electricity-supplies-windpower-drops-britain-energy-shortfall Thank The Lord we’re near the end of winter and renewable leccy conditions will shortly…” Nov 9, 08:41
Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: ““Does that sound likely to you?” It doesn’t sound likely to me. I’m of the opinion it doesn’t sound likely…” Nov 9, 08:29
Aidan on Vibecoding A Better World: “So the plan is for a small group of retirees to go to the UN and ask them to somehow…” Nov 9, 07:26
Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: “Excellent point, Alf. I guess the UN can chuck the UK out of the UN once they’ve been told the…” Nov 8, 23:00
Alf Baird on Vibecoding A Better World: “As James Che rightly points out below, there is no reason to hold a referendum on leaving a ‘United Kingdom’…” Nov 8, 21:47
CatalogueTrewsers on Vibecoding A Better World: “John Main is a Shitebag ! An his Maw was a Shitebag anaw !! He gets paid to. I don’t” Nov 8, 21:42
