She’d insisted explicitly several times that a Jeremy Corbyn administration WOULD block a new indyref, even after being shown a video clip of Corbyn from earlier in the day saying he wouldn’t, and she repeatedly urged readers not to listen to the party’s leader and to instead go and look at the Labour manifesto.
Politics is still on hiatus after the dreadful events of Manchester, so we’ve taken the chance to go and enjoy the sudden summer weather while nothing was happening.
And today, as we (“Drove at a legal speed” – Ed) across the pretty hills overlooking Bath in an inexpensive convertible, a song came on the stereo that made us think of all the Unionist trolls who were still busily raging on Twitter – mainly about the SNP’s awful failure to light up every building in Scotland with the Union Jack in tribute to the dead (no, really), but also at the most recent data “proving” that independence would mean the country regressing to the Stone Age and whatnot.
So we thought we’d share it with you, because as well as having a jaunty tune it’s got a good attitude to adopt when they’re screaming and yelling themselves red, white and blue in the face about something or other, rather than wasting your time and mental equilibrium on being dragged into their fetid mind-swamp.
It works on any day, even if you’re not in a sports car.
(NB The media is understandably mostly occupied today with the horrific events in Manchester. But life goes on – music websites are still talking about music, football websites are still talking about football, videogames websites are still talking about videogames. Any rational observations about terrorism made here would be screamed down as making political capital from tragedy. So let’s get on with the day job.)
If you apply to go on a televised political debate and then submit a question to ask a national leader, it seems a reasonable deduction that you want that issue to be raised and discussed. If you also make it personal by describing your own circumstances, it seems logical that you’d want those circumstances to be widely publicised, and to be asked about them so you could say more and tell your story to the country.
So it’s a bit odd that Edinburgh nurse Claire Austin has suddenly gone off the radar.
Kezia Dugdale tells voters in the Borders, Highlands and a number of other areas that voting Tory is a better way to stop the SNP than voting for her own party’s candidates.
She’s currently contesting Edinburgh West, which the party has some credible hopes of winning, having held the seat for almost 20 years prior to 2015. And it seems that her former employer has decided to try to give her a helping hand.
And, y’know, they’re really not allowed to do that.
With all 32 councils now having declared, the Scottish local elections are over and the SNP have won again, taking 431 seats. Last time round in 2012 they took 425.
You might think you know the difference between 431 and 425. But you don’t.
This post is mostly here to give people somewhere to chat about the council election results as they come in. But this song, with a hat-tip to alert reader SparkleMonkey, is dedicated specifically and personally to the now-former Scottish Labour councillor (and one-time leader of Aberdeen City Council) Willie Young, who was ejected by the electorate earlier today.
Today is going to be a day of realignment in Scottish politics, in which the Tories will formally become the main opposition to the SNP. (Having already pipped Labour to second at Holyrood and having as many Westminster MPs as them.) Expect modest SNP gains and big Tory ones, both mainly from Labour, who have already lost overall control of Glasgow, their last stronghold.
Everything’s different after today, folks. Scotland’s choice will never have been more stark: extreme Tories in the UK for years and years to come, or self-governance. Let the chips fall where the people choose.
TURABDIN on The quality of mercy: “someone opined that the Scots will be free when the last minister is strangled with the last copy of the…” Apr 3, 17:53
Mark Beggan on The quality of mercy: “Baby Swinney says; Drill Baby Drill.” Apr 3, 17:43
Wally Jumblatt on The quality of mercy: “Whether people realise it or not, the ghost of Sturgeon / Murrell has to be brutally exorcised before any progress…” Apr 3, 17:40
Breastplate on The quality of mercy: “Yes, the cringing Scots who will take no responsibility or accountability for making their own decisions are simply, British Nationalists.…” Apr 3, 17:01
Young Lochinvar on The quality of mercy: “Meanwhile in Baron Von Trumphausens “world”; the US has a fighter headed to the moon (made of cheese, great cheese,…” Apr 3, 16:58
Captain Caveman on Clocks And Calendars: ““Bash harder” That’s your line, Fatso. Ugh.” Apr 3, 16:55
DebatableLands on The quality of mercy: “Believing in independence as an idea and being prepared to do something about it, are different things. Lack of enthusiasm…” Apr 3, 16:37
Andrew F on Sicknote Slippers: “But where is the evidence that the protest is “openly antisemitic”? The link doesn’t support the claim.” Apr 3, 15:26
Northcode on The quality of mercy: “The recent “Believe in Scotland” pretence at showing support for Scottish independence was never going to fool most of the…” Apr 3, 15:14
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The quality of mercy: “« I remember him [José Bergamín (Pepe)] saying to me one day that he had realized the Spanish people had…” Apr 3, 15:10
panda paws on The quality of mercy: “I don’t think that the 50% of the population who support independence aren’t committed to it being delivered. I think…” Apr 3, 14:53
100%Yes on The quality of mercy: “Why would the BBC report on a Indy march? The BBC knows the SNP and believe in Scotland have no…” Apr 3, 14:49
Betty Boop on The quality of mercy: “Spot on! There was a time when we could be confident that the leadership believed in Scotland and worked for…” Apr 3, 14:48
Mark Beggan on The quality of mercy: “Just to be there. Oh yes. Just to be there. 2007-2014. They all resigned knowing what they were leaving Scotland…” Apr 3, 14:42
Frank Gillougley on The quality of mercy: “We are getting there though, to a starting point, that is. As soon as this generation of SNP Politicians are…” Apr 3, 14:32
Betty Boop on The quality of mercy: “Spot on! There was a time when we could be confident that the leadership believed in Scotland and worked for…” Apr 3, 14:26
TURABDIN on The quality of mercy: “The Greeks remember the part Scottish George Gordon Byron as the man who made them take the idea of independence…” Apr 3, 14:15
James Che on The quality of mercy: “As far as I can ascertain from your post and stats it relays the information that the independence movement is…” Apr 3, 14:07
Alf Baird on Clocks And Calendars: “Thon’s aboot the size o hit, Northcode – i.e. English domination.” Apr 3, 14:01
James Che on The quality of mercy: “The evidence shows that the 1 . 6 million people whom support Scottish independence are not attached to the political…” Apr 3, 13:48
Sven on The quality of mercy: “Mark Beggan @ 13.24. The World Cup is sport, Mark, so it’s arguable that it’s not winning or losing, but…” Apr 3, 13:42
James Che on Clocks And Calendars: “The false political parties registered in England acting in Scotland like actors, are not representatives of the people of Scotland…” Apr 3, 13:30
Mark Beggan on The quality of mercy: “It’s not winning the World cup that matters it’s taking part in the tournament. The might have beens, The could…” Apr 3, 13:24
Rev. Stuart Campbell on Sicknote Slippers: ““That is nonsense ON MULTIPLE LEVELS.. The flag has nothing to do with the alleged policy of the regime. And,…” Apr 3, 13:23
duncanio on The quality of mercy: “Richard Walker and co are are entirely deluded and have been totally deceived by the myth making primary independence industry…” Apr 3, 13:17
James Che on Clocks And Calendars: “Mark Beggan, Further to conversations on this matter it is still standing as fact and that unionists have never been…” Apr 3, 13:12
James Che on Clocks And Calendars: “Mark Beggan, It is sadly true, People looking for reasons for Scotland to be attached to Englands parliaments. When they…” Apr 3, 13:07
Mark Beggan on Clocks And Calendars: “You can always tell when the radical lunatics are in meltdown. They start listing the reasons for their reason to…” Apr 3, 12:45
