Wings Over Scotland

We know only a few of you sit through these long video clips, but for the benefit of those who do this is a slightly unusual debate organised by the Prospect trade union and chaired by Magnus Gardham of the Herald, which took place at the union’s conference in Glasgow last month and saw Anas Sarwar and Nicola Sturgeon quizzed on some quite specific topics by various representatives of civic Scotland.

Readers can, as ever, come to their own conclusions as to which of the two gave the most convincing and honest answers, but one line from early on did leap out at us.

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WEDNESDAY: Panini “politics sticker album” jokes are evidence of vile abuse:

SUNDAY: Panini “politics sticker album” jokes are light-hearted comedy material:

The BBC: you have to pay for this or you go to jail, readers.

For our 2,500th post we wanted to say something positive about the media for a change, and the opportunity has presented itself, albeit in a sad way. BBC Radio Scotland’s Sunday morning show “Headlines” is the only political programme – radio or telly – that we made a point of never missing, and today is its last episode.

Canned by the state broadcaster for reasons as yet unexplained, it’s going to leave a big hole in our weekends. Presenter Ken Macdonald’s warm, relaxed, funny and always even-handed style never failed to bring out the best in guests from everywhere on the political and cultural spectrum, and it was a show that always sounded like everyone on it was not only having a good time but making the listener part of it too.

We’re fighting hard to beat back our cynicism about the reasons for it going, and our dismay that it’s to be replaced from next week by a new programme hosted by just what absolutely nobody was crying out for – more bloody politicians. So we’ll cut that line of thinking short and just say thanks to everyone on the show for making us smile every Sunday no matter what, and always making the independence debate feel a little bit less nasty, even if only for an hour at a time.

This one’s for you, Ken.

Is mine, of course. From last night’s Scotland Tonight, in case you missed it:

Particular kudos to STV for finding footage (it’s right at the start of this clip) of Clare Lally introducing and launching Johann Lamont’s Scottish Labour leadership bid in November 2011, even though the Daily Record said in August 2012 that she had “no previous political experience”. We expect someone will resign.

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We don’t have the faintest idea what effect (if any) the Tory-millionaire-run “Vote No Borders” campaign might be having on the general public, but for those of us analysing the referendum campaign it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

Whether it’s the extremely suspicious nature of its funding, its employees airbrushing their CVs to remove any mention of ever working for it or the unashamedly blatant misinformation it’s been pumping out remorselessly over a wide range of subjects, it looks increasingly like a very expensive attempt to make “Better Together” appear moderate, reasonable and likeable by comparison.

Last night, in response to a media furore ignited by Wings Over Scotland’s revelation that it had pulled a cinema ad about the NHS after angry complaints from Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, the group finally published an extraordinary, sour and petulant official statement about the incident. As far as apologies go, we think it’s fair to say it leaves something to be desired.

It’s well worth a breakdown.

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Another UKIP voter. This one’s a bit more interesting.

Because the thing about UKIP is that – by their own admission – they don’t actually have any policies about anything other than cracking down on immigration and leaving the EU. Their official position is that the rest of their manifesto is blank paper, to be formulated on all other subjects at their summer conference.

Yet even in the complete absence of any other policies, voters are happy to tell TV cameras that the party “their political agenda suits my opinions”.  What does that tell us? It tells us what the 2015 UK general election will be fought on, and it’s not Ed Miliband’s “cost of living crisis”.

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And let’s make Britain great again.

(Labour only needed to gain three seats from 60 for control of Walsall. They failed.)

Watch (from 5m 50s) as David Cameron refuses to commit to having a bill for more powers for Holyrood in the first Queen’s Speech should he win the 2015 election.

Vote no, get nothing, and get it never.

We’ve been wiping tears of laughter from our eyes most of this morning, after reading one of the most magnificently bare-faced and audacious pieces of black-is-white lying we think we might ever have seen printed with a straight face in a British newspaper.

It appears in the Telegraph, which seems to have positioned itself latterly as the Daily Sport for people with a reading age above seven, and makes the mindboggling claim that “Contrary to its media image, the campaign to save the United Kingdom says it has more boots on the ground than its nationalist opponents”.

In fairness, it doesn’t actually say whether these boots have any feet in them.

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Some more people who want you to vote No so we can all be One Nation.

Although like Scottish Labour, they don’t seem to be very keen on foreigners.

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This morning’s Daily Mail reports that Alistair Darling has been “sidelined” by the No campaign, with Douglas Alexander drafted into his place. We’ve remarked previously on this site about our bemusement over the reverence with which Mr Alexander’s intellect is regarded by the Scottish media, and we’re none the wiser after this:

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