Dirty cash 51
Posted on
August 18, 2018 by
Chris Cairns
One-nil to justice 242
Posted on
August 17, 2018 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
A couple of months earlier than we were expecting it, we’ve had the Sheriff’s decision on our court hearing a month ago against Kezia Dugdale.
tl;dr version: we won.
The Helter-Skelter 146
Posted on
August 16, 2018 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
One of the first posts we ever wrote on Wings Over Scotland, back in November 2011, recorded the fact that total daily sales of newspapers in Scotland had dipped below a million for the first time ever (to a total of 986,657).
The six-and-a-half years that have followed have been probably the most tumultuous in Scottish history – an independence referendum, a Brexit referendum and the death of Rangers, to name but three of the significant events that have taken place in just two-thirds of a single decade.
At the very least, then, you’d imagine that the period might have given the declining newspaper industry one last dead cat bounce.
The like-for-like sales total of the same newspapers today is 492,353.
The Different Numbers 81
Posted on
August 16, 2018 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Today’s Daily Record has a “shock” poll revealing what this site told you a week and a half ago – namely that just under half of Scots want a second referendum on Brexit. (Our Panelbase poll said 46%, the Record’s YouGov one says 48%.)
Amusingly, the paper describes this minority as “overwhelming support” for another vote, and runs an editorial leader demanding that Labour and the SNP unite to back such a proposal.
And, y’know, we may as well make the obvious point.
Black Snake Mone 186
Posted on
August 15, 2018 by
Robert Knight
It’s always nice to see Michelle Mone in the news again, especially when the Tory peer crowbars an attempted intervention into Scottish politics into everything she does.
And since there’s not much else going on, it seemed like a good excuse to have a wee delve into what she’s been up to lately.
To better days 224
Posted on
August 14, 2018 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
In the wake of this morning’s news that the Herald and Sunday Herald are to merge, we thought it’d be nice to remember the times – not SO long ago – when the paper used to do some proper journalism and there was some modest semblance of balance and professional integrity in the Scottish media.
Click the pics to enlarge as usual.
The corpse of independence 114
Posted on
August 13, 2018 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
In the continuing absence of any interesting current Scottish politics, we thought you might enjoy this Sunday Mail piece from exactly 11 years ago yesterday, confidently asserting that a quick chat would disabuse Scots of any notion of leaving the UK.
(Click the pic to enlarge.)
Yes, we are a long way from homes 132
Posted on
August 12, 2018 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Several of today’s Scottish newspapers report on a marginal increase in the number of homeless people in Scotland, and in particular – for some reason – those who’ve slept rough for at least one night in the three months before declaring themselves homeless.
Things become a little clearer when you see that the reported stats are courtesy of “research by Scottish Labour”, who’ve scoured the document to cherry-pick the worst-sounding numbers in order to blame “Tory and SNP austerity”, etc etc.
That weirdly specific stat for rough sleepers has risen by 10% over two years, although this year’s increase was only 1% and overall homelessness is only up by less than 1% over the same two-year period.
But all credit to Labour – it’s only taken them two months to come up with that number (which is the second line of Table 2 in the statistics). Because the figures were actually released – and reported – in the middle of June.
It is a quiet time for politics 90
Posted on
August 12, 2018 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Seriously, anyone got anything?
Extended play 118
Posted on
August 10, 2018 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
You may have seen yesterday’s interview with new Catalonian president Quim Torra on The Alex Salmond Show. But we’re very excited to bring you this EXCLUSIVE full edit, almost twice as long as the broadcast edition.
(And yes, we’ve got full copyright clearance for it.)
Summer cleaning 372
Posted on
August 07, 2018 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Scottish politics is still resolutely on holiday, but in response to an enquiry from Prof. Sir John Curtice today we noticed that we still hadn’t published a few snippets of data from our most recent Panelbase poll. So in the absence of anything else to talk about, we might as well have a wee look.
Our poll showed a strikingly large gulf in support for the EU between independence supporters and Unionists. Were there to be a second EU referendum tomorrow, Yes voters would choose remain by an enormous 36-point margin, and by well over two to one, whereas No voters were a much tighter eight points apart, with only barely over half plumping for Remain.
But even that overstates Unionists’ fondness for the European Union.
