(NB The media is understandably mostly occupied today with the horrific events in Manchester. But life goes on – music websites are still talking about music, football websites are still talking about football, videogames websites are still talking about videogames. Any rational observations about terrorism made here would be screamed down as making political capital from tragedy. So let’s get on with the day job.)
If you apply to go on a televised political debate and then submit a question to ask a national leader, it seems a reasonable deduction that you want that issue to be raised and discussed. If you also make it personal by describing your own circumstances, it seems logical that you’d want those circumstances to be widely publicised, and to be asked about them so you could say more and tell your story to the country.
So it’s a bit odd that Edinburgh nurse Claire Austin has suddenly gone off the radar.
We’re not going to join in the attacks on a nurse who criticised Nicola Sturgeon during last night’s BBC election debate. While her lifestyle seems at a glance to be wildly at odds with her claim that she relied on foodbanks to survive, there are – genuinely – possible explanations for at least most of it.
Owning a convertible car isn’t proof that someone’s wealthy – I have one myself that’s worth less than £1000, and I also have a relative who has very little money but who nevertheless owns a horse just like Claire Austin’s daughter seemingly does. (It’s also possible to be quite poor but still own things you bought when you were less poor.)
It ill befits Yes supporters – who are happy to deploy the existence and growing use of foodbanks to justifiably attack the UK government – to complain if someone who calls the First Minister “wee Jimmy Krankie” adopts the same tactic. More to the point, we entirely agree with Ms Austin’s core view that nurses should be paid more in general, as we suspect most people do.
(And in Scotland, of course, they ARE paid more than in the rest of the UK, and under the SNP have always been given the full pay rises recommended by the independent pay board, which hasn’t been the case in England.)
But that still leaves some things hanging disquietingly in the air.
Following the striking success of their tactical voting campaign at the general election of 2015, the Unionist parties are keen to repeat the strategy this year, and have once again deployed THE WHEEL.
There’s only one problem. They can’t quite agree on the colours of the spokes.
Kezia Dugdale tells voters in the Borders, Highlands and a number of other areas that voting Tory is a better way to stop the SNP than voting for her own party’s candidates.
(Alert readers may have noticed that I had to adopt a wee bit of subterfuge to get on by saying – truthfully – that I was from Bathgate, because BBC Scotland don’t tend to take my calls when I say where I am.)
As you’ll hear, Rennie had no answer to the question (even when put to him again by Adams), trying to deflect the issue onto SNP BAD instead.
His position was that the British people should have the right to another vote in case they’ve changed their mind about Brexit, even though there’s been no material change of circumstances, but that the Scottish people SHOULDN’T have the right to another vote on independence even though there HAS been a huge material change.
We were intrigued to hear Labour activist Duncan Hothersall tell radio listeners this morning that his party’s opposition to independence was rooted in “Labour values”, and most specifically by his assertion that “nationalism and socialism are opposites”.
So we thought we’d take a look back at our last Panelbase opinion poll, which we conducted in February, and see what the values of Unionists were.
diabloandco on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Isfahan is a beautiful place in Iran – youtube has couple of informative videos , well worth seeing!” Mar 26, 13:44
Geri on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: ““Geri – It’s a fascinating interpretation of international law there, I wonder who taught you, Ghengis Khan?” International court of…” Mar 26, 13:36
Northcode on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “My identifying as a Pict is no mere affectation, no passing fashion statement or lifestyle choice… my Pictish identity connects…” Mar 26, 13:34
Northcode on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: ““Oh dear, this is embarrassing.” Yes, indeed it is, James. The unionists (colonialists if preferred… same thing) wha ponce roond…” Mar 26, 13:18
Confused on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “I would heartily support this (just as long as they stayed in their ain middens after) https://archive.ph/MlTPt – but you…” Mar 26, 12:59
Red on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Cynicus – You have surely heard before now that ‘if you do not know where you came from, you will…” Mar 26, 12:58
Confused on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “questions that must be asked https://archive.ph/Wl7HG the SNP have locked in the tranny vote then https://archive.ph/0kYPu sad, lying bollocks https://archive.ph/Hso58” Mar 26, 12:57
Cynicus on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Red “No, stop retreating into the past….“ You have surely heard before now that ‘if you do not know where…” Mar 26, 12:30
Geri on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Cave dweller, There is a dossier lodged at the UN of R intelligence of exactly why they invaded. It was…” Mar 26, 12:11
Red on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Geri – those women are risking arrest, and potentially death: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/dec/24/iran-women-flouting-dress-code-hijab-laws Why do you think the Iranian women’s football team…” Mar 26, 11:53
Aidan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “@CC you’ll see below a long list of excuses from Geri as to why all of the appalling acts of…” Mar 26, 11:42
Captain Caveman on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Hahahah! Get a load of this everyone: “Geri” thinks murdering tens of thousands of innocent civilians by shooting them in…” Mar 26, 11:33
Geri on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “– American bases. Legitimate targets. That’s where they attacked from. They’ve a right to render them destroyed. – Targeting blow…” Mar 26, 11:09
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Sorry to break the news Northy. They were all hanged last Wednesday or was that the athletes. It’s hard to…” Mar 26, 10:57
Captain Caveman on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “@Aidan Well, quite. 🙂 Even if it is the case that the US has acted “illegally” in its war with…” Mar 26, 10:52
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Why don’t we all chip in and get Alison Johnston a big box of crayons for her/his/it’s retirement.” Mar 26, 10:44
Geri on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Would you just look at all those women & you girls not being dragged out & beaten for not wearing…” Mar 26, 10:37
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Nothing like a threat to the gravy boat to bring the Snats crawling out of the woodwork.” Mar 26, 10:37
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “For all the good it will do them. They would be as well to. Seriously. A big leap from the…” Mar 26, 10:35
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “I tried to use words you could understand. I’m your conscious Geri. You know that nagging feeling somethings wrong. That…” Mar 26, 10:31
Red on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: ““Are you not describing a catastrophe that culminated under two centuries ago, after a process stretching back over centuries?” No,…” Mar 26, 10:27
Aidan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Whereas I suppose; – Bombing the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman; – murdering your own citizens engaging in a peaceful…” Mar 26, 10:10
Northcode on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “If the link below don’t work just search yatube for: “Real IRAN : What Western Media Won’t Tell You About…” Mar 26, 09:58
Geri on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “I think you’re on the wrong forum. The Daily Fail is that way —— > You’ll find far more fannies…” Mar 26, 09:30
Cynicus on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Mark Beggan says: 25 March, 2026 at 11:32 pm “WOW! Just seen the SNP advert on Tube.” ======= Seriously? Is…” Mar 26, 09:10
Northcode on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: ““Areswipe…” A brilliant comment, Geri. Insightful, informed, and expertly decorated with ‘rude’. I never tire of reading your stuff.” Mar 26, 08:29
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Amongst the many reasons Nazi Germany lost the war was their policy on women. Unlike the allies German women were…” Mar 26, 08:20
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Leftwing ideology is the lunatics way of getting back at society. A nobody’s way to try and become become a…” Mar 26, 08:09
