Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the ALDE group in the European Parliament (essentially the Euro Lib Dems), is by no means our standard go-to guy for political guidance. Like most European politicians he’s been criminally silent on the outrages being perpetrated by the government of Spain, and in general he’s a bit neoliberal for our tastes.
But his speech from yesterday is powerful stuff.
As we write this, the UK’s parliament is blundering through a third successive day of toe-curling farce on the floor of the Commons, aimed this time at securing some sort of extension to Brexit to avoid a disastrous no-deal in just 15 days’ time.
It may yet be that such a request will be issued and the EU will grant it, dragging out the whole awful mess for God knows how much longer. But judging by the tone of M. Verhofstadt’s impassioned, exasperated address in Strasbourg, we wouldn’t like to have money on it. It appears that an entire continent has had just about enough of us.
For some time, most polls for “Who’d make the best UK Prime Minister?” – the stat that really decides who wins general elections – have shown a solid lead for “Don’t know”, narrowly ahead of Theresa May and a long way ahead of Jeremy Corbyn.
It’s a prime symptom of a UK-wide contempt for politicians the magnitude of which we’ve never seen in our lifetime, and Scottish voters are in no way immune.
We loaded this question from our latest Panelbase poll in the party leaders’ favours, because you don’t have to think any of them is doing a GOOD job to say that one of them is doing the BEST job out of the four. Everything is relative – and we also didn’t ask the question specifically about Brexit.
But even with those get-outs, “They’re all useless” came out on top by a clear seven points over Nicola Sturgeon, and the rest weren’t even at the races.
Tonight sees what’s likely to be a highly-charged Scottish Cup quarter-final replay at Ibrox Stadium. Defeat will effectively end the losing side’s season, and games between the participants, Aberdeen and Rangers International, have tended to be fierce affairs ever since the latter club was formed in controversial circumstances in 2012, with this season’s clashes already having seen numerous red cards.
(Mainly for the home team’s temperamental striker Alfredo Morelos.)
Football authorities will be hoping for a minimum of flashpoints on the field which might lead to repeats of shocking recent scenes of abuse and violence from spectators, which have prompted the nation’s media to wring its hands in theatrical angst and demand that something be done.
The public’s view on the subject, meanwhile, has remained absolutely consistent.
Sundays have been the low point of Scottish political journalism for a while now. Traditionally a day when newspapers are heavy on comment and light on news (because politics tends to happen on weekdays), they unleash all the weary old dinosaurs who’ve been driving away readers for the last 30 years.
So you really have to stand out to be noticed for especially appalling hackery on a Sunday, which is probably why nobody from Scotland On Sunday wanted to have their name on this toe-curling piece of second-hand, lifted-from-another-paper garbage.
Professor Ronald MacDonald, you say? That name seems to ring a bell.
MARR: “What would [Theresa May] need to bring back [from Brexit negotiations] to win you over?”
DAVIS: “She needs to bring back a clear ability on the part of the United Kingdom to be able to leave this treaty when it chooses to. There is no other treaty in the world I’m aware of where a sovereign nation undertakes to join up and can only leave when the other side says so.”
We’re pretty sure we can think of an example, David.
Michael Glackin of the Sunday Times is the only serious contender to the Scotsman’s demented Brian Wilson as the most poisonously, blindly instinctive hater of anything even passingly connected to the SNP or independence in the Scottish media. His weekly bilious rants in the paper make even Scottish Daily Express hacks wince and say “Blimey, that’s a bit strong”.
But even by those standards, this week’s column is quite something. So let’s take a little look at just how much of an idiot you can make of yourself if you never allow facts to get in the way of your rage.
Watching the Six Nations rugby tournament every year is usually quite a dispiriting experience – not just because of Scotland’s invariably underwhelming performances (broken up by the occasional false dawn), but because talking about it on social media always results in an extremely tedious flood of comments about how rugby is a sport played and watched exclusively by middle-class Tory No voters.
(That’s Scotland skipper Greig Laidlaw there, with Wings mascot Hamish.)
Speaking as someone whose interest in the tournament (in the pre-inflation days when it was the Five Nations) was first sparked when my extremely working-class Bathgate comprehensive school started taking pupils to Murrayfield in the 1980s – 50p for the bus and 50p for the match ticket, which got you a seat on wooden benches actually on the grass – this attitude has always instinctively felt like complete nonsense.
So when we did our latest Panelbase poll during this year’s competition, we figured we may as well actually find out.
Hatey McHateface on The Long Walk To Freedom: “Did you know that cat is just tac spelled backwards?” Dec 8, 18:55
Hatey McHateface on The Long Walk To Freedom: ““And how much I hate them. For failing us all entirely.” Quite a reek of smouldering breeks from that post,…” Dec 8, 18:53
Northcode on The Long Walk To Freedom: “I would rather be a deluded eejit than a colonialist… and, thankfully, I am. Phew! And, yes. I WILL be…” Dec 8, 18:51
stuckdoonhame on The Long Walk To Freedom: “And true to type, Misreporting Scotland has just treated us to a pile of wibbling drivel about the outcome and…” Dec 8, 18:44
Aidan on The Long Walk To Freedom: “Quite right! Both votes SNP, that’ll show the yoons! Or you could be one of the ten people voting for…” Dec 8, 18:41
Nae Need! on The Long Walk To Freedom: “Indeed, Northcode. And for once, I’d prefer (hold me back, hold me back) NOT to go on a huge rant…” Dec 8, 18:17
Hatey McHateface on The Long Walk To Freedom: “@ Northcode says: 8 December, 2025 at 5:50 pm “ALL colonialists are bad” Oh aye. That’s why you go to…” Dec 8, 18:13
twathater on The Long Walk To Freedom: “HaHaHaHa another wee yoonionist shittin his breeks , now lads we are all good Jockos lets get together and vote…” Dec 8, 18:07
Nae Need on The Long Walk To Freedom: “No. But by fuck the wriggling on the line puts ALL worms to shame. Talking of worms . . ;-)…” Dec 8, 18:04
Hatey McHateface on The Long Walk To Freedom: ““it’s time the Scots stopped whining” Finally. Please tell us you’ll be leading from the front, although your “released from…” Dec 8, 17:58
Northcode on The Long Walk To Freedom: “ALL colonialists are bad… that’s why they’re colonialists.” Dec 8, 17:50
Nae Need! on The Long Walk To Freedom: “Lolz, you having a laugh? To LABOUR? 🙂 Fuxache.” Dec 8, 17:48
agentx on The Long Walk To Freedom: ““It is not the role of the court to adjudicate on the arguments in the public domain on the meaning…” Dec 8, 17:44
Nae Need! on The Long Walk To Freedom: “One of Stu’s recent pieces, I’m sure, outlined a plan for tactical voting: vote Your Party. We’ll see nearer the…” Dec 8, 17:43
twathater on The Long Walk To Freedom: “Like GM , Benjamin I would like to thank you for your tenacity and doggedness in trying to get this…” Dec 8, 17:34
Hatey McHateface on The Long Walk To Freedom: ““a ‘digested’ form of another civilization that had once gatecrashed into” Scotland, where it remains still” Sure. There’s at least…” Dec 8, 17:31
Hatey McHateface on The Long Walk To Freedom: “2:46 pm on a Monday and James finally has baith socks on (on his feet, that is). Tired are you,…” Dec 8, 17:25
Nae Need! on The Long Walk To Freedom: “Spot on, Effigy. Stu, I marvel and wonder at your tenacity. I love it. We need you to continue to…” Dec 8, 17:12
Alf Baird on The Long Walk To Freedom: “‘The Initimate Enemy: Loss and Recovery of Self under Colonialism’ (Ashis Nandy) From which we might similarly consider, as Nandy…” Dec 8, 16:58
Northcode on The Long Walk To Freedom: “The cost of failure is nothing when compared with the cost to a people subjugated and seeking their freedom. This,…” Dec 8, 16:55
Marie on The Long Walk To Freedom: “Another spurious decision from a Scottish judge – Camp Zeist/not-proven nonsense all over again. Get rid of the Scottish legal…” Dec 8, 16:36
James on The Long Walk To Freedom: “More utter bollocks from the Site Prick, there. *Yawn*.” Dec 8, 14:46
Tinto Chiel on Off-topic: “Is there anybody there?” Dec 8, 14:14
James Cheyne on The Long Walk To Freedom: “Usually if you can’t get a direct answer from the office worker staff, then you go to boss of the…” Dec 8, 14:04
James Cheyne on The Long Walk To Freedom: “I often swither between their being a union between Scotland and England or aTreaty, If a treaty exists then the…” Dec 8, 13:36
agentx on The Long Walk To Freedom: “https://www.judiciary.uk/judgments/sandie-peggie-v-fife-health-board-and-another-judgment-and-summary/ Link to Sandie Peggie Tribunal decision.” Dec 8, 13:27
