We suppose we should be grateful nobody had any ribbons to hand, or a full-scale terrorist alert might have been declared, riot police deployed and martial law declared.
Yesterday we watched the first day’s proceedings of For Women Scotland taking the Scottish Government to court over its definition of what a woman is.
The topic is really very niche but will affect us all if the judge rules for the government (we won’t know the outcome for at least a month or two), so here’s the short version of what it’s all about.
Do you remember, readers, how the next UK election was supposed to be a single-issue de facto referendum on independence if the Supreme Court ruled Holyrood didn’t have the power to hold one itself?
Well, it appears that policy has been abruptly and quietly ditched.
Because just a couple of hours ago SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford told BBC News that “I can assure you” the SNP “will have a growth manifesto” for the whole UK whenever the next election comes around, because in his view the UK economy hasn’t been growing enough for the last few decades and the SNP would have a plan to fix it. Because apparently fixing the UK is the SNP’s purpose now.
Guess we better hope for a good result from the Supreme Court, then.
And while the prediction itself wasn’t vindicated, the reasoning behind it certainly was, because she duly lost her majority just as we said she would, and limped pitifully into oblivion over the next two painful and shambolic years. (While Nicola Sturgeon ponced around hopelessly trying to stop Brexit instead of saving Scotland by getting it the hell out of the UK before it was too late.)
So it’s in that spirit that we’re going to stick our necks out once again and predict that despite the opinions of most political pundits Liz Truss is going nowhere any time soon, because as incredible as it seems, she’s almost certainly the least worst option for the Conservative Party right now.
Between recesses and the mourning period for the Queen, the UK Parliament has been sitting for just four weeks since the 1st of July this year.
In that time the government has somehow managed to lose three Chancellors Of The Exchequer and is about to engage its fourth in the alarming form of Jeremy Hunt, a man whose primary claim to fame and utility to the UK is as rhyming slang.
For anyone with the slightest remaining grip on their critical faculties, the cat was truly let out of the bag on the day of the First Minister’s infamous “broom cupboard” video last January, in which she abjectly grovelled at the feet of a tiny handful of adolescent transactivists who’d left the party in a loud and choreographed public tantrum because it still hadn’t burned Joanna Cherry at the stake for believing in human biology.
One of those she was abasing herself to that day was the repulsive and now mercifully deceased drug dealer and abusive racist misogynist Leeze Lawrence (above, left), but he was only the tip of a filthy iceberg.
Which even in the hopelessly politically-debased world of the modern Scottish judiciary might be one of the most extraordinary miscarriages of justice in the nation’s history.
We were sent something disturbing recently. It’s from a training course civil servants are being sent on by the Scottish Government.
As you can see, one of the sites that staff are directed to is something called The Trans Language Primer. We thought you should see some of its content.
For many years now, whenever I’ve done one of those “Which Political Party Should You Be In?” online quiz things, it always says that I’m a Green, which is weird because I really hate cyclists. Nevertheless, it was still the result when I did one most recently, just last month.
So I decided that for the first time in my life it was finally time to join a political party.
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Marshalling Plan: “« Thit a shúil ar bharr tí in aice leis an gcairéal. Cosúil le splanc tintrí osclaíodh na fuinneoga ann,…” Feb 5, 00:34
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Marshalling Plan: “« His eyes fell on the top storey of the house at the edge of the quarry. The casement window…” Feb 5, 00:30
Cynicus on The Marshalling Plan: “@ Sarah “ A better system existed in Scotland before 1707 ” ======== In what way? Better that in the…” Feb 5, 00:29
Cynicus on The Marshalling Plan: “100%Yes says: 4 February, 2026 at 9:12 pm “The PM has no intention of standing down……” ======== He may have…” Feb 4, 23:58
James on The Marshalling Plan: “YL; Indeed. A very pertinent question.” Feb 4, 23:44
James on The Marshalling Plan: ““Do us all a favour and stop posting mince on here.” Oh, “Chas” – please, PLEASE!” Feb 4, 23:39
James on The Marshalling Plan: “What’s the collective noun for two ****’s in a row?” Feb 4, 23:35
James on The Marshalling Plan: “Randy Andy & Mandy are being lined up as patsies; fall guys to cover th rest of them. 6 months…” Feb 4, 23:33
James on The Marshalling Plan: “#Site Prick; “Bet I’m a fascist…” First truth you’ve ever posted. Well done. Own it.” Feb 4, 23:29
James on The Marshalling Plan: ““..that a handful of folks got some scraps off the table, to lick the spoon, is no cause for celebration,…” Feb 4, 23:24
Young Lochinvar on The Marshalling Plan: “Well said Sarah. As I have said here several times though; why does this site ignore such initiatives? Why?!” Feb 4, 22:10
100%Yes on The Marshalling Plan: “The PM has no intention of standing down and why does he need too. These politicians aren’t the same as…” Feb 4, 21:12
DaveL on The Marshalling Plan: “Why would he be apoplectic? It’s par for the course and nothing unusual. Colonialism, it’s invasive and everywhere. You obviously…” Feb 4, 21:03
sarah on The Marshalling Plan: “Great news that Alliance to Liberate Scotland is now registered with the Electoral Commission. This gives a real pro-independence option…” Feb 4, 20:58
Southernbystander on The Marshalling Plan: “Maybe they like the colour?” Feb 4, 20:52
James Barr Gardner on The Marshalling Plan: “Birds o’ a feather flock the gither……..” Feb 4, 20:38
Willie on The Marshalling Plan: “Anybody like to put odds on how long before the Prime Minister stands down. Like a rat in a trap…” Feb 4, 20:32
Rev. Stuart Campbell on The Marshalling Plan: ““I dont think the constituency vote is first past the post” The constituency vote is DEFINITELY First Past The Post.” Feb 4, 20:03
Chas on The Marshalling Plan: “Did you notice that the curlers are British? That colonialism gets everywhere! Baird will be apoplectic.” Feb 4, 19:52
Nae Need! on The Marshalling Plan: “Apparently there’s pressure on McSweeney to take the rap for Mandy’s appointment. But, without McSweeney where is 2Tier?” Feb 4, 19:02
Cynicus on The Marshalling Plan: “@ agentx “Speaking to ITV Border on Wednesday, Scotland’s first minister……” ========= Swinney was also on STV an hour later…” Feb 4, 18:57
The Flying Iron of Doom on The Marshalling Plan: “Ah, so Reform won’t be coming up with the goods either? That’s going to annoy a few folk, but what…” Feb 4, 18:44
Nae Need! on The Marshalling Plan: “The conversation has moved since I was last here, and so has my thinking (or what passes fir thinking in…” Feb 4, 18:40
agentx on The Marshalling Plan: “Don’t forget the curlers are in action in the Winter Olympics – live on iPlayer now.” Feb 4, 18:08
Cynicus on The Marshalling Plan: “A Farage fanboy opines. I have no idea what he means and don’t really care.” Feb 4, 18:08
Aidan on The Marshalling Plan: “‘No judges’ – so how do you think the law might be administered in that context?” Feb 4, 18:08
Hatey McHateface on The Marshalling Plan: “If Reform do what they say, reform our politics, then they will have succeeded in working themselves out of a…” Feb 4, 17:21
agentx on The Marshalling Plan: “John Swinney has ordered an investigation into his government’s dealings with Peter Mandelson to see if the “interests of Scotland…” Feb 4, 17:21