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.
We don’t often wholeheartedly agree with anything “Rape Clause Ruth” Davidson says at First Minister’s Questions, but we can’t fault this observation from earlier today.
sam on Governing For Beginners: “Glubb Pasha an aw. Hi, Northy. Cheer up. The dancers from the Bolshy ballet will soon be in town. Serge…” Jan 12, 21:56
Scot Finlayson on Governing For Beginners: “This year will see the 100,000th killing, by assisted death, in Canada since the regime voted for it in 2016.…” Jan 12, 21:43
Hatey McHateface on Governing For Beginners: “As of 2025, concerning debt to GDP ratios, four EU countries were in a worse state than the UK. Looking…” Jan 12, 21:28
Hatey McHateface on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “Looky here, Professor Baird. DaveL wants to discuss classic poetry written in the Scots leid. This is gonna be great!” Jan 12, 21:14
Hatey McHateface on Governing For Beginners: ““You’ll know all about assisted death at the sharp end” Er, naw, Mastermind Dave. If I was at the assisted…” Jan 12, 21:02
DaveL on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: ““Walking the walk is a different matter.” Aye for sure it’s hard yards when you’re goose stepping everywhere.” Jan 12, 20:39
DaveL on Governing For Beginners: “You’ll know all about assisted death at the sharp end being a Bandera fanboy. It just occurred to me that…” Jan 12, 20:32
100%Yes on Governing For Beginners: “Calls for an “immediate” general election are set to be debated by MPs after more than 1 million people signed…” Jan 12, 20:09
Hatey McHateface on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “Aye, Alf, weel spattit. The extra word wrecked the scansion, and that would have sore aggrieved Grieve. My prediction about…” Jan 12, 20:01
Northcode on Governing For Beginners: “Sir John Glubb says this about the citizens at the heart of once great empires that are in their death…” Jan 12, 19:54
100%Yes on Governing For Beginners: “You can’t even make the SNP membership see sense on Independence never mind anything else. The SNP and its membership…” Jan 12, 19:48
Hatey McHateface on Governing For Beginners: “Want to bet I’m smart enough to attach a reply to the post I’m replying to? Another £20 says I…” Jan 12, 19:47
Hatey McHateface on Governing For Beginners: ““check out “THE FATE OF EMPIRES” by Sir John Glubb” Ooo Northy, fit are ye like, eh? Quoting an Inglis…” Jan 12, 19:38
agentx on Governing For Beginners: “I still have my ZX Spectrum with added full size keyboard, 64K expansion pack and printer. I will have to…” Jan 12, 19:33
Alf Baird on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “Aye, weel spattit, Hatey. Ye shoud mebbe get a wee jobby as a colonial watchdug? Ye hiv tae handit tae…” Jan 12, 19:33
Laughable on Governing For Beginners: “Want to bet £20 you can spell ‘swallow,’ as in donkey spunk? I bet you can.” Jan 12, 19:32
Northcode on Governing For Beginners: “Aye, the end of empires is always a bit messy and the sheets on their death beds very often need…” Jan 12, 19:05
Hatey McHateface on Governing For Beginners: “Want to bet I can spell callow? £20 says I can.” Jan 12, 18:23
Laughable on Governing For Beginners: “The usual wretched, calow, shallow right-wing drivel from you.” Jan 12, 17:41
Hatey McHateface on Governing For Beginners: “Could be the explanation is a lot simpler. When so many people are now dependent on sucking at the swollen…” Jan 12, 17:32
Hatey McHateface on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “I dunno what edition you’re looking at, Alf. But there’s no “(lose)” in the last line you quote in mine.…” Jan 12, 17:10
Patsy Millar on Governing For Beginners: “I’d never seen that film and am now in a somewhat traumatised state. I knew Tony Blair was evil and…” Jan 12, 16:32
sarah on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “Good points, James! More and more I see what Cunningham Grahame meant when he said that the problem for regaining…” Jan 12, 16:30
James Cheyne on Governing For Beginners: “Does or will fear of dying prevent you dying, If that was the decision you allowed someone else to make,…” Jan 12, 16:29
sarah on Governing For Beginners: “Thank you, Rev – another clear explanation and description of the current state of our existence. Direct democracy would improve…” Jan 12, 16:26
Alf Baird on Grandpa John’s Nightmare: “MacDiarmid was certainly conscious of the reality of colonialism, identity and loss of nationality for Scots under English domination, as…” Jan 12, 16:24
James Cheyne on Governing For Beginners: “Most of the wealthy believe their are to many people on this planet, however fail to note they are also…” Jan 12, 16:06
James Cheyne on Governing For Beginners: “Stu. Very astute analyses to the position the politicians have reached mentally. The other side of that coin, Is if…” Jan 12, 15:59
