Remember that time, barely over a decade ago, when the readers of the Scottish Daily Express came out for independence despite national polls only showing support in the 20s, the paper sold over 80,000 copies a day (now just 38,000) and Severin Carrell of the Guardian reported that it was about to adopt independence as its official position?
(Which we don’t think ever actually happened.)
Because nothing is weirder than Scottish politics.
We’re at the halfway point of our 2018 fundraiser, and the all-sources total so far is a thumpingly impressive £103,266 in just two weeks. But while that’s a tremendous sum, it’s sobering too.
Firstly because with an average monthly readership of nearly 304,000 people it comes to an average contribution of slightly under 30p per reader. As with most crowdfunded ventures, fewer than 1% of the site’s users have actually backed it financially so far.
And secondly because for perspective, the average Scottish adult – independence supporters included – sends the BBC about £72 a year. (£323m from 4.5m adults.)
While obviously a minority of folk do boycott the licence fee, that still means that the average Wings reader gives the BBC 240 times as much money every year as they give Wings to fight it.
We’ve been scouring our picture archives all afternoon for something more surprising than the fact that the UK government has screwed over the Scottish fishing industry again after it voted Brexit and Tory in 2016 and 2017, and we found this one.
See also: literally anything else that has ever happened on Earth.
A new Scottish Labour propaganda website called The Red Robin attracted some attention at the weekend by claiming that new polling had shown Labour closing the Westminster voting gap on the SNP to just 4 points.
To try to lend some credibility to this rather dubious assertion – the SNP’s average lead is currently around 15 points – it pointed out that the polling company’s owner was the Vice-Chair of the British Polling Council.
Readers would quite reasonably infer from that that Moonlight Research was a BPC member, and BPC rules state that if figures from a poll enter the public domain, the full data tables concerning those figures have to be released within 48 hours so that people can scrutinise them and ensure that the methodology (sample size, weighting, question wording etc) is fully up to scratch and above board.
So since the blog post is now five days old, we dropped Moonlight a line asking if we could see them, and quickly got an interesting reply.
So here’s a headline from the (Dundee) Evening Telegraph.
You know how we’re always pointing out how newspapers love to lie to readers without actually saying things that are untrue? Let’s have a quick case study.
twathater on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Oh boy the yoonies are out in force today backed up by the resident 77th brigade fuckwit , keep going…” May 5, 18:35
Alf Baird on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Scotti/Gaels assimilation of Picts, followed by English assimilation of Scots: assimilation aye fails when peoples remain, even ‘the dregs of…” May 5, 18:23
Young Lochinvar on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Beggars You forgot to mention snails and puppy dogs tails. Whereas of course the ones made in the west are…” May 5, 18:19
Ali on Binfire Of The Vanities: “If Indy preference is at 55% that was done with Swinney in charge. I’m not waking up to gloating unionists…” May 5, 18:15
Young Lochinvar on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Let’s start a poll. Who looks more like Max Hermann, the father of the vampires in the classic Lost Boys…” May 5, 18:12
Captain Caveman on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Aww bless YL, you STILL having a meltdown?! 😀 It’s GREAT living rent free in your head. I’ve been enjoying…” May 5, 18:08
Mark Beggan on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Made in China with coal,oil and child slave labour.” May 5, 18:00
Young Lochinvar on Binfire Of The Vanities: “HMcH @ 5.28 No. Nobody is saying that, well except you and yer fellow spoilers on here but you don’t…” May 5, 17:52
Hatey McHateface on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Please don’t tell us it’s an electric one made in China. Then again, how could it be a diesel one…” May 5, 17:37
Young Lochinvar on Binfire Of The Vanities: “HMcH @ 5.06 Is that it? Lordy, you’re losing it “old boy”, remand coming up again is it? As long…” May 5, 17:33
Hatey McHateface on Binfire Of The Vanities: ““we are to believe that the Alliance to Liberate Scotland Party is to make an immediate impact” FFS, x. Why…” May 5, 17:28
agentx on Binfire Of The Vanities: “I see Swinney has been using a great big SNP battle coach for campaigning. It makes you wonder why a…” May 5, 17:24
Hatey McHateface on Binfire Of The Vanities: ““a vote to extinguish the Scots as a people” I thought you’d be in favour of that, Northy. Surely, as…” May 5, 17:23
Hatey McHateface on Binfire Of The Vanities: ““actually 4 to 5 % of indy supporters tend to vote reform” Surely, it’s 4.539 % so why don’t you…” May 5, 17:19
Hatey McHateface on Binfire Of The Vanities: ““It isn’t the religion of peace invading other countries spreading tyranny, hunger, petulance, famine & death” Aw naw, spitting dummies…” May 5, 17:13
Hatey McHateface on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Here ye gang, YL. Today’s one (1) reply from me, in which I validate your pathetic, pointless, dishonourable, existence. In…” May 5, 17:06
Jamie on Binfire Of The Vanities: “So many, is actually 4 to 5 % of indy supporters tend to vote reform. The truth is, without independence,…” May 5, 16:59
Hatey McHateface on Binfire Of The Vanities: ““piling in like pedos with sweeties at a school gate” Man, 2 days to go! You can almost smell the…” May 5, 16:58
Young Lochinvar on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Beggars Aye very good bumpkin. Didn’t work out very well for you first time round Adolf -“old boy” eh?” May 5, 16:20
Young Lochinvar on Binfire Of The Vanities: “James @ 12.33 Aye, auld Hatey gets upset if you don’t refer to his sodomite sins that he considers mere…” May 5, 16:13
agentx on Binfire Of The Vanities: ““The SNP was formed in 1934 through the merger of the National Party of Scotland and the Scottish Party, with…” May 5, 16:12
Northcode on Binfire Of The Vanities: “All the posturing and analysing and guesswork (tho we already all know the only winner will be England) surrounding Thursday’s…” May 5, 16:11
Cynicus on Binfire Of The Vanities: ““ Be under no illusions – The SNP leadership is working FOR the UK.” ========== Absolutely. Any YOON with half…” May 5, 16:10
Alf Baird on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Aye Northcode, aw the tricks and deceits o colonialism are in full sway here in the auld colony. Oor supposed…” May 5, 15:35
Insider on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Fatso @ 12:38 “looks like it’s newspaper stand business has folded….” Jeezus ! How old are you, Fatso ? Newspaper…” May 5, 15:26
lothianlad on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Another brilliant analysis Stu! Unlike the pretendy indy supporter called… goes pop. The SNP are under direct orders to stiffle…” May 5, 14:14
James on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Aye, Geri; You would think there’s a colonial election soon or something….. They’e piling in like pedos with sweeties at…” May 5, 14:10
Dan on Seven Days Too Long: “And jist what are Aidan’s relevant qualifications and work experience for him to be such an expert on fossil fuel…” May 5, 13:55
Northcode on Binfire Of The Vanities: ““Scotland’s colonial ‘condition’ and role of the Kirk” This is letter to The Moderator of The Church of Scotland written…” May 5, 13:43
Geri on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Looks like someone has increased the twats pay per post from a penny to a whole 5p. He’s flooded the…” May 5, 13:38
