Our most extra-specially alert readers may have recently noticed the website of some dodgy chancer claiming that a recent opinion poll by Survation showed high support for a pro-independence list party led by Alex Salmond.
Unfortunately, no such poll existed. The site owner blanked every request to back up his assertion with a link to the supposed survey, and it rapidly became clear that it was a totally fabricated piece of attention-seeking which we won’t indulge with a link.
We were looking for something else this afternoon, but accidentally found this:
Just two weeks before the last Holyrood election, widely-respected analysts Weber Shandwick had put together a prediction of how the results would pan out. Just for a bit of fun, let’s compare it to the reality.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet the new World Speed-Reading Champion:
Almost 1200 words in 15 seconds is mighty impressive going in anyone’s book. (Either that or it’s REALLY slow for a 12-word tweet.) But we wondered if there might be any other reason why Mrs Angus Robertson wouldn’t want people reading that article.
We’ve just been out for our evening constitutional in the relatively cool night air (Bath sweltered at an oppressive 30C today and Bear Patrol was pretty gruelling), and we thought readers might be interested in what we saw.
The city has observed lockdown with great diligence, as we’ve previously documented, and to be honest we’re not sufficiently familiar with the latest rules to say it wasn’t still doing so tonight. But a nearby park, around 9.30pm, was a disconcerting scene.
The ramifications for Scottish politics of the failed stitch-up of Alex Salmond over false allegations of sexual abuse have hardly begun to be felt. The Parliamentary inquiry into the affair, which formally began yesterday and is due to start interviewing people in August, looks set to be swamped in material – or at least, whatever material hasn’t been quietly and conveniently disposed of already – and nobody knows how long it’ll take to reach any sort of conclusion.
It seems a safe bet that the SNP leadership will be praying it doesn’t do so before the 2021 Holyrood election, for all sorts of reasons – not least that it appears beyond any credible doubt that Nicola Sturgeon lied to Parliament about the investigation.
But while Salmond was found innocent on every charge, he continues to be attacked from behind a shield of anonymity by the accusers that the mainly-female jury declined to believe, supported and co-ordinated by organisations funded almost entirely by the Scottish Government and with very close personal links to it.
So when we were putting out our latest Panelbase poll, we thought we’d find out what the people of Scotland thought about it.
factchecker on Yelling at the tide: “This relates to the Statutes of Iona; my post referred to the Scottish Privy Council Establishment of Schools Act of…” Jan 24, 08:31
factchecker on Yelling at the tide: “Well researched and accurate as usual, Fearghas. This Privy Council decision was reinforced by several Acts of the Scottish Parliament…” Jan 24, 08:25
Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: “The SNP have been leading the polls for what seems like forever and are comfortably placed to be the biggest…” Jan 24, 08:24
Cynicus on Yelling at the tide: “TURABDIN says: 23 January, 2026 at 5:09 pm “Language is more than the sum of its functional utilitarian communication capacities,…” Jan 24, 01:19
James Barr Gardner on Yelling at the tide: “John Swinney’s party will go into the Holyrood Election with a new Chief Executive and new head of communications as…” Jan 24, 00:47
Bilbo on Yelling at the tide: “@ Main Got some shares in your portfolio of certain American Pharmaceutical companies?” Jan 24, 00:11
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Yelling at the tide: “Regarding Norse pronunciation effects on Gaelic, the late Professor Derick Thomson wrote: « In phonology Scottish Gaelic differs from Irish…” Jan 23, 23:08
Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: ““Or am I missing something?” That’s my conclusion. Only one reply – this one. Please don’t shoot the messenger.” Jan 23, 22:48
Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: “Sorry, Sven, too late in the day for yet another language. Besides, Hobbit Boy beat you to it.” Jan 23, 22:43
Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: ““how many woman think Trans woman are woman” I wonder how many women (and men) think the plural of woman…” Jan 23, 22:41
PC Foster on Yelling at the tide: “Lorna – I could not agree with you more- I will not vote nationalist until the woke/trans are well defeated…” Jan 23, 22:12
Bilbo on Yelling at the tide: “Trumps only interest and only audience is the people of the United States of America.” Jan 23, 22:01
Run the Border on Yelling at the tide: “You would get a more coherent set of responses from a formal complaint about your energy supply. This is a…” Jan 23, 21:53
Run the Border on Yelling at the tide: “Happy to write.Get the Rev to organise it.” Jan 23, 21:41
Marie on Yelling at the tide: “Oh that fool will still be calling Donnie the worlds greatest living half Scotsman. Pitiful really.” Jan 23, 21:40
Bilbo on Yelling at the tide: “I wonder how many woman think Trans woman are woman as well?” Jan 23, 21:21
Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: ““While social media is much maligned, it does give us a more realistic viewpoint of American society” No shit, Sherlock!…” Jan 23, 21:19
Sven on Yelling at the tide: “Kundi foroyskt vera upprunaliga skotska máli? ?” (Could Faroese be the original Scots language ?). Or mayhap it was Norn.…” Jan 23, 21:18
agentx on Yelling at the tide: “Sturgeon issued a statement on Friday evening, saying: “I understand Ms Darroch’s determination to get answers, and my thoughts are…” Jan 23, 21:18
Lorna Campbell on Yelling at the tide: “David Rodgers: as a male, a man, that is your privilege. It is not mine or that of every woman…” Jan 23, 21:16
Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: “The SG foresee the day, when Scotland leads the world in woowoo and every Scot is trans, when babies will…” Jan 23, 21:05
Lorna Campbell on Yelling at the tide: “Precisely, Ian. Feed in what you want to be regurgitated as ‘fact’ and you have the kind of dog’s breakfast…” Jan 23, 21:00
Bilbo on Yelling at the tide: “American values that depends on the right to carry guns doesn’t work in every county that doesn’t have that right.…” Jan 23, 20:49
sam on Yelling at the tide: “The SED [Scottish Education Department] was initially presided over by the Committee of Council in Education in London and had…” Jan 23, 20:25
Lorna Campbell on Yelling at the tide: “It was illegal, James, from the moment only Scotland, Wales and NI devolved. England should also have devolved in keeping…” Jan 23, 20:24
Bilbo on Yelling at the tide: “I see that it is trending in the UK MSM about Trumps inferred comments towards British soldiers in recent conflicts…” Jan 23, 19:51
Southernbystander on Yelling at the tide: “These baby boxes seem incredibly cruel. How have the SG got away with providing boxes to stuff a baby in…” Jan 23, 19:48
Bilbo on Yelling at the tide: “Increased standard of livings but better quality of life?” Jan 23, 19:47
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Yelling at the tide: “« Gaelic culture reached its zenith in Scotland during the eleventh century, when the borders of the kingdom were extended…” Jan 23, 19:23
Northcode on Yelling at the tide: ““Scots has faced every pressure a language can face, and yet it’s not only still here—it’s growing.” – from “How…” Jan 23, 18:14
