Readers, we’d like you to meet Steven MacGregor. He’s the chap on the right of this pic, taken last Monday while campaigning for the Tories in Ochil & South Perthshire with party leader Ruth Davidson, just a foot or so away from him.
Disclaimer first: as we always say in situations like this, BOOKMAKERS’ ODDS ARE NOT PREDICTIONS. They’re based in significant part on the level of wagers placed, which means that you could affect the odds simply by making a large bet, which of course wouldn’t actually change the likelihood of a particular candidate winning.
So with that proviso, we present the following information purely for interest.
…which we felt it important to preserve for posterity lest anything happen to it. We’d charitably blame it all on the Telegraph, who made it, were it not for the fact that the Scottish Conservatives have posted it on their own Facebook page.
This is how today’s BBC News summed up (fairly accurately) the two main themes of last night’s Question Time special with Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn:
May managed to largely get away with her party’s abysmal track record of brutal cuts and austerity, while Corbyn was made very uncomfortable by a howling mob of angry, terrifyingly bloodthirsty old white men over Labour’s policy on Trident.
And while Corbyn’s position on the nuclear deterrent is idiotic and makes him an easy target for opponents, the main reason for the differing outcomes is language.
We’re being told that this Tory leaflet, where Stephanie Smith is described as “Ruth Davidson’s candidate” for Edinburgh South, is standard across the whole country.
…that will satisfy the Unionist parties. Last night Ruth Davidson told STV viewers that even getting more than 50% of the vote in a general election wouldn’t give the SNP a mandate to pursue their manifesto policies.
She was echoing the words of Kezia Dugdale just over a year ago:
So that’s clear. Davidson has reversed her previous view. There is now no peaceful democratic avenue by which the people of Scotland could express the wish for a second referendum which the two main Unionist parties would accept. They have EXPLICITLY said, in full public view, that they would reject any democratic mandate.
She’d insisted explicitly several times that a Jeremy Corbyn administration WOULD block a new indyref, even after being shown a video clip of Corbyn from earlier in the day saying he wouldn’t, and she repeatedly urged readers not to listen to the party’s leader and to instead go and look at the Labour manifesto.
Today’s Daily Record has a swipe at Jeremy Corbyn for, well, let’s call them “mixed messages” over a second independence referendum. It suggests his Scottish branch manager Kezia Dugdale would have “her head in her hands” over his latest comments, which is a bit rich considering Dugdale’s own history on the subject.
And since her headline boast when she took over as leader of the North British office was that people would know exactly what Labour stood for (and indeed she spent all of the weekend’s keynote Sunday Politics interview listing all the things she’d been very very clear about), we thought we’d have a recap and see how that was going.
Willie on A matter of class: “Pretty much like any other colonial institution, it seems, in imposing its alien cultural ‘values’ on the people of an…” Dec 25, 14:41
Stuart MacKay on A matter of class: “Rallies are the perfect activity for forests, which can soak up the carbon emissions immediately. It’s not as if the…” Dec 25, 14:01
Captain Caveman on A matter of class: “Merry Christmas! A fly press tastic happy new year! 🙂” Dec 25, 12:05
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: “I’m bloody annoyed now, Alf, because you’ve made me break the promise I made to myself. But please tell me…” Dec 25, 11:28
Alf Baird on A matter of class: ““what are they like” Pretty much like any other colonial institution, it seems, in imposing its alien cultural ‘values’ on…” Dec 25, 11:07
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “Merry Christmas to all, My best wishes to everyone for the coming year,” Dec 25, 10:57
Northcode on A matter of class: “A Merry Christmas tae aw youse wha roam theis place. May God leuk favorably upo ye and yer kin theis…” Dec 25, 10:26
agentx on A matter of class: “Bloody Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) what are they like eh!” Dec 24, 21:30
Willie on A matter of class: “As someone once said there’s three in this relationship. Diana, Charles and could it be perchance our current queen, our…” Dec 24, 19:29
Cynicus on A matter of class: “Andy Ellis says: 24 December, 2025 at 1:15 pm “Ah hae ma doots bud! I’ve been posting since well before…” Dec 24, 19:09
Dan on A matter of class: “I hear next year’s Speyside Stages car rally based around Elgin has been cancelled due to not being able to…” Dec 24, 18:33
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: “I’m sure you’re right, willie. And I’m sure the authorities will be all over it soon. But first they have…” Dec 24, 18:10
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: “As always, sam, more illuminating for what is omitted rather than what is said. Where are the figures permitting comparisons…” Dec 24, 17:50
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: “C’moan noo, Andy. I’m certain Twatty is spelled wi twa ‘T’s.” Dec 24, 17:36
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: “I make it 21%, Stu. Are you rounding up or rounding down? And Stu, why aren’t you posting under your…” Dec 24, 17:29
Dan on A matter of class: “And a quick update for that third comment from Andy. “moonhowling, nativist, bigotry, ethnic nationalism, blood and soil nationalism, Siol…” Dec 24, 17:26
Andy Ellis on A matter of class: “@twatbynametwatbynature The onus is on you to prove that moonhowling nativist bigotry is the norm Twaty. There’s oodles of evidence…” Dec 24, 17:20
Dan on A matter of class: “Just for adjudication purposes for those playing Franchise Fanny Crimbo Bingo Numberwang! In this comment trail currently including two of…” Dec 24, 17:12
twathater on A matter of class: ““Those who have apparently abandoned civic nationalism in favour of divisive ethno-nationalism always take umbrage when I say that they…” Dec 24, 17:03
Andy Ellis on A matter of class: “@sam 1.57pm Yeah, I think that looks familiar: I’m not convinced by the (at least to my mind) simplistic correlation…” Dec 24, 16:21
DaveL on A matter of class: ““But then think back to the Jimmy Saville scandal and who was close to that.” Willie at 1.57pm. That’d be…” Dec 24, 15:12
agentx on A matter of class: “willie says: “Anyway, child abuse, even when in Scotland, seems not to be an issue for our athorities – or…” Dec 24, 15:11
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “agentx, Thanks for that info, Local Councils do not give out planning permission very easily in Scotland especially in Green…” Dec 24, 15:10
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “DaveL, Thank you, Let Scots make our own mistakes, stop telling us what mistakes to make. Much appreciated.” Dec 24, 15:02
agentx on A matter of class: ““7 March 2025 Demolition work has started at a cottage in the Highlands formerly owned by Jimmy Savile. The site’s…” Dec 24, 14:59
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “Willie, No you are not missing the mark, Jimmy Savelle even had a holiday cottage in Scotland. While the crown…” Dec 24, 14:44
I. Despair on A matter of class: “A Ferrari? Doesn’t appeal as a daily driver. Too cramped inside. I’d happily have a shot in one at a…” Dec 24, 14:40
sam on A matter of class: ““Scots take an inclusive approach to independence Only 50% of those who support Scottish independence say that being born in…” Dec 24, 14:23
DaveL on A matter of class: “I reckon about twenty percent of posts btl here belong to Hatey. I think most are in reply and all…” Dec 24, 14:16
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “The difference between the two is the English approach to the Scottish approach, English Approach. One tells, lies or bullies…” Dec 24, 14:11
