The Daily Record have continued to run Kezia Dugdale’s weekly column despite her resignation as Scottish Labour branch office manager (North British division), and this week we were interested to note her assessment of the devolution years, which could be summarised neatly as “Labour devolution good, SNP devolution bad”.
We raised an especially quizzical eyebrow at the claim that the 1999-2007 Labour/Lib Dem administrations had apparently ended homelessness. So we thought we’d do that thing we do when Kezia Dugdale claims something.
This was Scottish Tory uberdunce Jamie Greene a few weeks ago, bitterly attacking the SNP for spending £22,000 on consulting the public over a policy on which the party won a landslide victory in the 2016 Holyrood election.
You might think that a government pursuing the manifesto policies it was elected on was a pretty legitimate thing to do, especially when it was asking voters for their views in order to shape that policy. Perhaps Greene was confused because the Tories have been acting as if they, not the SNP, won the election. But that raises another question.
A story from the Financial Times this week revealed the UK government’s latest act of sabotage against the Scottish renewable energy industry. It’s just one more in a long line stretching back to just after the independence referendum, when a string of “Better Together” promises were broken almost the minute the No vote was secured.
It was a particularly weak argument in the first place – if there’s a market in the rUK for Scottish energy, it’ll be there whether Scotland is independent or not. But it unravelled faster than most as soon as it had done its job.
20 years ago today, Scotland voted to have a Parliament for the first time in almost three centuries, by an overwhelming margin (although with modest enthusiasm – less than 10% more people actually voted for devolution than voted for independence in 2014, at 1.78m and 1.62m respectively).
Just 20 months after the vote the Parliament came into being, and Scotland’s media has been complaining about how useless it is ever since.
Today’s newspapers commemorate the anniversary by unleashing the full pontificating weight of the punditariat – most of whom have been opining wearily on Holyrood’s failings for the entire period – to bleat with their customary single voice about what a disappointment it’s all been.
The weird thing is that after all that time, none of them can actually explain why.
The Scottish Tories came under fire yesterday for a crass attempt by Scotland’s least-elected MSP (2,062-vote Annie Wells) to hijack World Suicide Prevention Day with a blog complaining that more people were being prescribed anti-depressants, which for many are an effective and life-saving solution.
Scottish Labour duly joined in by attacking mental health provision in Scotland despite it having significantly more NHS consultant psychiatrists per head than anywhere else in the UK. (One for every 10,000 people in Scotland, compared to 1 for every 12,500 in England and one for every 17,000 in Wales and Northern Ireland.)
But is there any explanation for why more people are suffering mental health issues?
So once again, Unionist politicians are bitterly castigating the Scottish Government for problems caused by UK government policy. It’s enough to drive you mad.
After a few months with no Scottish polling, today’s Sunday Times carries the results of a Panelbase one which, among other things, reinforces our oft-stated view that Scottish subsamples of UK-wide polls are completely meaningless.
While several of those have shown Labour or even the Tories in the lead, the full-size, properly-weighted poll still has the SNP a massive 14 points in front on 42%, with the Tories trailing behind on 28% and Labour in their now-customary third place at 22%.
Support for independence is also slightly down, with the numbers at 43-57, but it’s some other findings that are the eye-openers.
Great news, readers! After years of requests, it’s now finally possible to possess and cherish your very own adorable cuddly toy version of Wings’ symbolic embodiment of benign and welcoming independence, Hamish the lion!
One of the handiest things for truth-seeking political commentators (admittedly a rare breed) is that the three component nations that make up Great Britain currently all have different parties in government, so it’s always possible to measure the rhetoric of the main parties against their actions in the bit they’re actually in charge of.
(The same is true for many other policies the Scottish Government has implemented to fight Tory austerity, like free university tuition and mitigating the bedroom tax.)
A Scot living in the EU, and an EU national living in Scotland, discuss the implications of the Brexit being forced on Scotland against its will by the UK government.
Stoker on Anatomy Of A Lunatic: “Well, there you have it folks. Over the space of 2 WOSarticles what have we learned? Firstly, We learn that…” Jun 24, 06:30
Aidan on A different school: “@Xaracen – you haven’t made any arguments so there isn’t anything to be dismissed. You simply assert what you are…” Jun 24, 06:23
Northcode on A different school: “Very good, WhoRattledYourCage. And well deserving of another plug fae me: THE ACCIDENTAL WORLD WAR Definitely worth a read.” Jun 24, 06:18
WhoRattledYourCage on A different school: “Thanks. Glad ye enjoayed it.” Jun 24, 03:26
duncanio on A different school: “After the people have voted for the restoration of Scotland’s full self-government there will be no ‘negotiations for Independence’. The…” Jun 24, 00:03
Insider on A different school: “Mia 10:54… Please stop perpetuating the myth that Scotland is “too wee, too poor, too stupid” to be independent !…” Jun 23, 23:42
Insider on A different school: ““it would only take 10 doors to be knocked on every day” sarah… Do you not realise that many people…” Jun 23, 23:34
Mia on A different school: ““Brexit was a necessary step on the true road to genuine Independence” Of for goodness sake. Here comes the gaslighting…” Jun 23, 22:54
Morgatron on Anatomy Of A Lunatic: “Stu, we need a new party urgently to lead us out of the myre. Please consider it along with Robin.…” Jun 23, 22:42
Insider on Anatomy Of A Lunatic: “As my dear old granny would have said.. Aye! He’s no the full shillin, that yin !” Jun 23, 22:32
agent x on A different school: “In 2023 the number of households in Scotland was 2.5 million 10 doors per day – 2,500,000/10 = 250,000/340 days…” Jun 23, 22:28
David on Anatomy Of A Lunatic: “Thanks for clearing that up. Former SNP member here. Dear, Scot Goes Pop. I’ll be listening to Stuart Campbell. As…” Jun 23, 22:15
Lorn on A different school: “Yes, two sets of politicians from The Czech Republic and Slovakia decided that the two parts could no longer live…” Jun 23, 22:12
Hatey McHateface on A different school: ““would only take 10 doors to be knocked on every day to get the message to every household in Scotland…” Jun 23, 22:09
sarah on A different school: “Good question. Given that their candidate has made a public declaration about standing down to give Fergus a free run,…” Jun 23, 22:06
Lorn on A different school: “Hatey: I take your point about the minority forcing independence on the majority, which is why I have always accepted…” Jun 23, 22:00
McDuff on A different school: “Another great piece Rev where you once again expose the SNP for what they are, lying chancers drowning us in…” Jun 23, 22:00
Lorn on A different school: “Aidan: it has nothing to do with creating a new legal order. The law is the law is the law.…” Jun 23, 21:46
Xaracen on A different school: “You’ve never addressed the arguments I’ve made about the current legal order and its origin myths, Aidan; all you’ve ever…” Jun 23, 21:44
agent x on A different school: “Has anyone asked if Fergus Ewing will stand as a Liberate Scotland umbrella candidate?” Jun 23, 21:40
Lorn on A different school: “Which part of Eastern Europe are you talking about, Hatey? Ukraine? Was it inevitable that there would be war between…” Jun 23, 21:38
Lorn on A different school: “Actually, Aidan, you could not be more wrong. Modern law stems from earliest times in both Scotland and England. It…” Jun 23, 21:28
agent x on A different school: “@Mia Thankyou for listing the reasons why I have never voted SNP and never will.” Jun 23, 21:28
sarah on A different school: “The question we should be discussing is “How is the word to be spread to the voters about the need…” Jun 23, 21:20
Hatey McHateface on A different school: ““some may even reject their own liberation – i.e. Vote No” Some may develop schizophrenia. They will vote Yes for…” Jun 23, 21:16
Sue Varley on A different school: “Sounds great in theory but you say: “Best case, we begin negotiations for our independence” and here is the problem.…” Jun 23, 21:04
Hatey McHateface on A different school: ““L. A disgusting surrender to brexit” Brexit was a necessary step on the true road to genuine Independence. Your denial…” Jun 23, 21:01
sarah on A different school: “I enjoyed that, Rattled – thanks for posting! It brought back memories of bonfire nights when I was little -…” Jun 23, 20:54
Aidan on A different school: “You’re right, I don’t, but that’s because I don’t have dozens of people day after day trying to invent some…” Jun 23, 20:41
Chas on A different school: “Good for you Sarah. No plan, forecasts or projections on anything. ‘It will all be fine’. Scotland will simply plunder…” Jun 23, 20:39
