Although this site is blacklisted by the press regulator IPSO and therefore unable to file complaints about inaccurate and misleading newspaper articles, our alert readers sometimes pick up the baton from Wings articles and do the job themselves.
But the reader who took up that complaint has furnished us with a bit of interesting background to the story, and also news of a rather more alarming outcome.
We’re seriously starting to think there’s some sort of competition going on among the Unionist parties of Scotland to see who’s the thickest. We’ve spent quite a bit of time pointing out the scarcely-believable dimness of the Scottish Conservative benches, but this week Scottish Labour really pulled out the stops to try to seize back the initiative.
Yesterday was quite an eventful day, so it’s moderately possible you may have missed the alarming news that some shady Mafia-backed hedge fund or such has apparently funded these irresponsible and morally-suspect chancers (last seen shilling on air for literally Vladimir Putin and BBC Scotland, in that order) to produce an all-new series of scurrilous and dubious fact-grubbing for some inexplicable reason.
We have alerted the appropriate authorities. For safety, remain in your homes.
As you can see, the Speaker offers Ian Blackford MP, who was protesting about last night’s silencing of Scottish MPs, a choice of when to hold a vote under Parliamentary standing orders, but then improperly refuses his choice and orders Blackford from the chamber, at which point the rest of the SNP’s MPs followed him.
Let there be no mistake about what just happened. Last night, Scottish devolution – an institution 111 years in the promising, just 19 years a reality – died. Iain Macwhirter summed it up concisely and accurately.
The Sun (English edition only, the Scottish one goes for a domestic murrdurr story) has an inflammatory front page today, as Parliament debates the most important series of votes so far on Brexit, including one to overrule devolution.
It’s a rerun of a(n in)famous previous front-page illustration from the paper, which you can see below. But there’s something odd about it.
It’s probably fair to say that the voters of Scotland have been feeling a little put-upon lately. In the last decade they’ve been sent to polling stations on no fewer than 12 occasions (Holyrood elections in 2011 and 2016, UK elections in 2010, 2015 and 2017, council elections in 2012 and 2017, European elections in 2009 and 2014, and finally referendums on AV, independence and the EU).
And they’ve been subjected to endless weeks, months or even years of campaigning and haranguing each time. One woman – who only had to endure nine of those 12 – had famously had enough of it.
Yet Scots face possibly three more in the next 12 months or so, if various factions get their way, taking the total to 15 major votes in a decade. And if we want to secure the desired outcome in any of them, we’re going to have to ease the load on folk a bit.
Young Lochinvar on Learning Insanity: “H McH Another your “bad” to add to your count. Wrong again. FACT!” Jan 18, 22:13
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Learning Insanity: “Professor ALF BAIRD’s commendable letter to the MODERATOR of the Church of Scotland is on BarrheadBoy’s site here: SCOTLAND’S COLONIAL…” Jan 18, 19:34
Alf Baird on Learning Insanity: ““Indy should be such an easy sell, a unifying idea, that we really shouldn’t be bringing religion into it. Not…” Jan 18, 19:23
BigJay on Learning Insanity: “…and I’ve found the letter in reply from the Moderator to the Professor: “Dear Alfie, TL;DR. Lots of love, Rosie.”” Jan 18, 18:45
DaveL on Learning Insanity: “I can’t remember this particular halfwits name but I do recall that he was known for constantly ‘flouncing’ off twitter.…” Jan 18, 18:42
willie on Learning Insanity: “So Trump is now at war with Great Britain. 10% tariff on all goods from 1st February and 25% tariff…” Jan 18, 18:36
Lorna Campbell on Learning Insanity: “But it didn’t end, James. Had it ended, there would be no Union. It simply expanded to include the Treaty…” Jan 18, 18:29
TURABDIN on Learning Insanity: “Scotland has a rich intellectual history, dissident and questioning. That i respect, particularly valuable in a time when information is…” Jan 18, 17:27
Insider on Learning Insanity: ““James” Cheyne That is absolutely hilarious “James” !” Jan 18, 16:49
Hatey McHateface on Learning Insanity: “I’ve found Alf’s letter to the Moderator of the Church of Scotland. It’s written in English.” Jan 18, 16:46
Hatey McHateface on Learning Insanity: “What can I say, TURABDIN? If Scottish nationalism is indeed about intellectual reacquaintance with our immensely rich heritage, then the…” Jan 18, 16:23
Hatey McHateface on Learning Insanity: ““the most dangerous in the world” Yet you not only claim to know details of its inner workings, but you…” Jan 18, 16:14
Hatey McHateface on Learning Insanity: “Good one, Confused. There is no more pernicious religion than zealous antisemitism. Take a look in the mirror. As for…” Jan 18, 16:03
Hatey McHateface on Learning Insanity: “Wow! Welcome to 2026 – same as 2025! Post “Orcs” and up pops Implants with some “Great Satan” sophomoric drivel.…” Jan 18, 15:56
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Learning Insanity: “TURABDIN, thank you for your thoughtful and informed contribution. My essential gripe is that few Scots seem to do any…” Jan 18, 15:50
James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “this funny picture sprung into my head of unionist very busy on keyboards trying to..delete.. all the old available information…” Jan 18, 15:28
James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “The treaty between Scotland and England either stands or it does not, IF it is claimed it still stands as…” Jan 18, 15:20
James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “Strange though it may seem, The 1707 treaty of union for and of Scotland only refers to two gender biological…” Jan 18, 15:05
James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “If religion came into it at all, then king Charles and the present governments would be in breach of the…” Jan 18, 14:51
James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “The resulting evidence is that one half of a two country (duel international treaty) [ England ] cannot apply new…” Jan 18, 14:37
Xaracen on Learning Insanity: “James needn’t bother, Aidan. Your appeal to ‘established and recognised case law’ is indefencible on the matter of ‘the’ constitution…” Jan 18, 14:32
Confused on Learning Insanity: “Alf Baird has written an open letter to the church of scotland. Hmm. I keep thinking of that old tom…” Jan 18, 14:04
Confused on Learning Insanity: “https://archive.ph/RRubW https://archive.ph/0MvKL getting young folk off the fucking internet is now seen as being a good thing – unless its…” Jan 18, 13:55
James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “Fearghus MacFhionnlaigh, The difference between policy and law. Law has precedence over policy. As policy is a proposal to becoming…” Jan 18, 13:40
James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “Seeing as I don’t drink alcohol at all I obviously cannot make a comment on how alcohol has an effect…” Jan 18, 13:21
TURABDIN on Learning Insanity: “@Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh The great matter regarding history and its interpretations is that the victors usually write the «official» versions. Versions…” Jan 18, 13:18
Breastplate on Learning Insanity: “John Main, the real reason that the USA want power over Greenland, Venezuela and Ukraine, to name but a few…” Jan 18, 12:49
James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “Reference to the dissolved united kingdom, It States in UK parliament and on records, that Great Britain Parliament end in…” Jan 18, 11:27
