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.
Young Lochinvar on Looking up at the stars: “Re. My previous inexcusably intemperate post. May I obsequiously and regretfully add the correction that references to “Brown people” meant…” Mar 13, 02:18
Young Lochinvar on Looking up at the stars: “Yup MB It’s just so much more civilised that the “chaps” just blow up the camel jockeys, mullahs and stupid…” Mar 13, 01:59
Cynicus on Looking up at the stars: “Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh says: 12 March, 2026 at 7:26 pm “Peers backed the change by 227 votes to 221” ===== Well…” Mar 13, 01:31
Mark Beggan on Looking up at the stars: “Right Hatey Bin Hateful Stop invading countries right now and Give that stuff back. Geri as your a self confessed…” Mar 13, 00:31
Iain More on Looking up at the stars: “Now i hear that the toxic Kaye Adams was removed from the BBC following alleged misconduct complaint against her. Several…” Mar 13, 00:23
Young Lochinvar on Looking up at the stars: “HMcH Yawn.. An oath made under duress of unemployment in an area devastated by HMs psychotic government is no oath…” Mar 12, 23:26
robertkknight on Looking up at the stars: “Taxi for Swinney with G4S on the side would be nice…” Mar 12, 22:27
Iain More on Looking up at the stars: “So the SNP SG continues to drag its heels over releasing the dirt on MI6 Agent Sturgeon. Taxi for Swinney…” Mar 12, 22:24
Geri on Looking up at the stars: ““People are going to lose $trillions in wealth” Says the American on the telly. “Trump needs to get on the…” Mar 12, 22:10
Geri on Looking up at the stars: “Stop talking utter shite. It’s Westerners who are squatting all over the ME & Asia Pacific. Military bases everywhere &…” Mar 12, 21:30
Geri on Looking up at the stars: ““What can take it’s place. Well my answer to that is nothing will take it’s place. ” A vacuum will…” Mar 12, 21:14
Northcode on Looking up at the stars: “James, you are one of those ‘fortunate’ Scots who sees the truth of Scotland’s relationship with England and has broken…” Mar 12, 21:11
Northcode on Looking up at the stars: ““…we don’t even have our own academics of anti-colonialism.” There’s a Scottish academic who goes by the name of Professor…” Mar 12, 21:05
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “One interesting side effect of the opening of World War 3’s third offensive front is seeing all those maps of…” Mar 12, 20:54
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “Bet Wilson is white and thus an easy target for two-tier justice.” Mar 12, 20:42
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “Irony of ironies, Alf. We’re so colonised, we don’t even have our own academics of anti-colonialism. We have to import…” Mar 12, 20:37
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “Looks like James has the sock puppets. But considering what he’s been doing in them, best await an offer from…” Mar 12, 20:25
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “Dodged the questions again, Alf. Entirely expected, but don’t kid yourself the alert readers don’t notice.” Mar 12, 20:20
agentx on Looking up at the stars: ““A mother-of-10 who kept a vulnerable woman captive as a slave for 25 years has been jailed for 13 years.…” Mar 12, 20:20
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “Fact has it that you’re a man whose word can’t be trusted. Someone who swears an oath of fealty. Then…” Mar 12, 20:13
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “Whatever we Scots have achieved, Northy, it’s fuck all to do with you. You’re a Pict. An untermensch. We Scots…” Mar 12, 20:03
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: ““We’ve only had one vote and we voted yes” Don’t you just hate it when commoners adopt the royal we?…” Mar 12, 19:59
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Looking up at the stars: “PEERS VOTE TO GO BEYOND GOVT’S PLEDGE TO END NON-CRIME HATE INCIDENTS The House of Lords has voted to strengthen…” Mar 12, 19:26
James Che on Looking up at the stars: “Northcode, Three hundred years and more of conditioning has to have had an effect on the people of Scotland, Goodness…” Mar 12, 19:06
Sven on Looking up at the stars: “Diabloandco @ 15.55. He did indeed, D & Co, in the (very) late 1700s. His statue stands outside the establishment,…” Mar 12, 19:00
James Che on Looking up at the stars: “Factchecker, You are right of course, the Scottish people have to attain the will to wake up first, prior to…” Mar 12, 18:48
James on Looking up at the stars: “Apologies, Geri, but I’ve got to correct you there; it’s not “rubbish” the site Prick babbles 24/7, but pure, unadulterated…” Mar 12, 18:46
James Che on Looking up at the stars: “Mark Beggan, The age of aquarius is supposed to be the age of enlightenment, so its said, when truths are…” Mar 12, 18:32
Young Lochinvar on Looking up at the stars: “James Rumour is that Hatey likes Dickens, just not on the first date! Allegedly..” Mar 12, 18:31
