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.
Apologies in advance about this, folks, but it’s driving us mad. We got into a Twitter argument with some Tory balloon last night and this morning, and to cut a long story short it got us looking at the 1951 UK general election result.
History records it as a Tory majority, securing just over half of the Parliamentary seats (321 of 625) and forming the government under Winston Churchill despite narrowly losing the popular vote to Labour (48% to 48.8%).
But if you examine the result in the House Of Commons Library the numbers don’t add up, and we can’t figure out why.
Young Lochinvar on These Words Are My Own: “This is all fascinating Rev Gaun yersel.. However one wee thing that whispers in my ear, amongst others you have…” Jul 18, 04:20
Mark Beggan on These Words Are My Own: “It’s the crap they spent the money on that gets people. A national scandal that involves the very highest of…” Jul 18, 02:07
Young Lochinvar on A Matter Of Declinature: “James You got in before me there as I had the 19th noted. Salutations anyway my friend! And correct about…” Jul 18, 01:59
Young Lochinvar on These Words Are My Own: “AH But, but.. “She loved that necklace, so why should she” surrender any of the items??!? Honestly, who speaks like…” Jul 18, 01:28
James on These Words Are My Own: “What a brass neck she has. Always the victim, always. Her time in court will come, Salmond will get justice.…” Jul 18, 01:13
Angus on These Words Are My Own: “Masterstroke by Stuart to challenge the biggest coward, the biggest tractor and the biggest liar in Scottish history who has…” Jul 18, 01:03
Angus on These Words Are My Own: “Utmost thanks to David Davis for exposing the utter corruption of the Scottish state. Can he not also name the…” Jul 18, 00:55
Angus on These Words Are My Own: ““What happened with the £60,000-worth of items that were dropped from the indictment: the hairstylers, the lingerie and the books…” Jul 18, 00:47
Heaver on These Words Are My Own: “She will flee justice by going abroad. Where? That could be revealing. The alphabetty accusers will be checking their passports…” Jul 18, 00:43
Jay on These Words Are My Own: “It is regrettable that the House of Commons at Westminster had to be the channel through which Sturgeon/Murrell might be…” Jul 18, 00:31
Oneliner on These Words Are My Own: “MI5 is working on a plan to save her. Apparently they are not averse to lying in court if it…” Jul 18, 00:22
David Ferguson on These Words Are My Own: “Well, things are bubbling along nicely… Just to keep everything tidy, matters requiring attention: 1. The “ring-fenced” fund. I’d still…” Jul 18, 00:21
James on A Matter Of Declinature: “For Young Lochinvar, and to upset the three stooges….. Thank feck that’s (almost) over for another 4 years. So….July 18th…..must…” Jul 18, 00:01
willie on These Words Are My Own: “The COPFS apparently justify that the dropping of £58.3k of stolen goods from the indictment on the grounds that it…” Jul 17, 23:57
willie on These Words Are My Own: “The dam is ready to absolutely burst. Sturgeon is being exposed for the foul individual that she is. Her lying…” Jul 17, 23:48
Neil in Glasgow on These Words Are My Own: “We are all Stuart Campbell. A couple of quid from each of us and She’s toast. Unlike the sycophants that…” Jul 17, 23:48
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on These Words Are My Own: “« The Shadow of that hyddeous strength, Sax myle and more it is of length. » – ‘Ane Dialog betuix…” Jul 17, 23:47
Al Harron on These Words Are My Own: ““What happened with the £60,000-worth of items that were dropped from the indictment: the hairstylers, the lingerie and the books…” Jul 17, 23:30
sarah on These Words Are My Own: “Oh dear, Rev. You will never get on in public life. Far too principled and brave.” Jul 17, 22:53
Hatey McHateface on A Matter Of Declinature: “I see, Alf. Inevitably, yes, but individually to a greater or lesser extent. Like death, inevitable, but not for everyone,…” Jul 17, 22:39
Hatey Mchateface on A Matter Of Declinature: ““More to be pitied then scorned sadly” Ach, why not stick in your comfort zone and scorn ignorantly? Or sit…” Jul 17, 22:33
sam on These Words Are My Own: “Sturgeon is unlikely to ever want to face cross examination in court on any of the issues you raise. And…” Jul 17, 22:28
Hatey McHateface on A Matter Of Declinature: “Scots blokes are able to present themselves as women. It doesn’t mean they’re women. If you don’t understand what “present”…” Jul 17, 22:22
robertkknight on These Words Are My Own: “Well said all round. The dogs in the street know who did what to whom and when and why. Agent…” Jul 17, 22:21
Ian on These Words Are My Own: “Q to AI – Sturgeons head bobs around when she seems under pressure or maybe lying. She also blinks a…” Jul 17, 22:20
Tommy B on These Words Are My Own: “If there is a requirement for a fundraiser for legal fees, you can rely on a donation from this direction.…” Jul 17, 22:20
Alf Baird on A Matter Of Declinature: ““A consequence that is inevitable would inarguably and unarguably leave all Scots suffering from a colonial mindset.” Yes, this must…” Jul 17, 22:09
