One of the favourite sneering Unionist memes of the independence referendum was the mocking dismissal of claims by some Yes supporters that there might be “secret oil fields” in a location off the west of Shetland known as Clair Ridge.
So amused were the Unionists by this notion that they were still sniggering about it regularly years after the referendum, right up to earlier this month.
Curiously, they’ve gone a little quieter in recent days.
As the Prime Minister prepares to meet the First Minister and doggedly give her “now is not the time” mantra another few dozen run-throughs for the cameras, we thought that you might enjoy a little trip down Memory Lane.
Normally the amateur blogger, unqualified would-be economist and unsuccessful dog-food salesman that BBC Scotland and the Daily Record employ on a regular basis to openly troll Yes voters restricts himself, when attacking this site, to crude abuse or smear and innuendo like the below, tweeted on Holocaust Memorial Day last year:
There’s a new hot buzz-phrase in the Yoonstream: “GERS deniers”.
It’s actually been around for quite a few months – coincidentally since this site started exposing the true nature of the figures – but has become a constant mantra recently, in particular since the intervention of an actual proper expert who doesn’t sell cat litter for a living, Professor Richard Murphy.
Ever since he set tongues and tails wagging by writing a series of hard-hitting articles for his widely-renowned Tax Research UK blog last week, rubbishing the quality of the data, Unionists have been in an increasingly shrill flap about it.
Today the Scottish Parliament spent several hours heatedly debating a motion to call for a second Section 30 order to enable a new independence referendum (several more will follow tomorrow before the vote). We watched all of it so you didn’t have to, and are delighted to present you with a few clips that probably won’t make the news.
On such a momentous topic, this was the intervention that Scottish Labour list MSP Monica Lennon felt was the most pressing issue to raise, for example:
We’re very touched, obviously, and will add it to our file of other mentions in the chamber and elsewhere. But there were probably more important things to discuss.
It seems counter-intuitive – given Rupert Murdoch’s often-overstated (despite endless and fevered speculation, the Scottish Sun didn’t back a Yes vote) but still seemingly real support for Scottish independence – that Sky News should be seen as the most hostile of the nation’s broadcasters to the Yes movement.
Here’s the Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, speaking to BBC News this morning and giving a striking illustration of the term “dancing on the head of a pin”.
Comically, his excuse for demanding another referendum on leaving the EU while opposing a second Scottish independence referendum is that his new EU vote would be a completely different question – he’d be asking voters if they wanted to accept the Brexit deal and exit from the EU (which one might reasonably summarise on the ballot paper as “Leave”), or to refuse to approve the deal and stay in the EU (or put another way, “Remain”).
Glad we cleared that up, then. But then it got weirder.
Alf Baird on Looking up at the stars: ““pet-Jock moon howlers” Ah, and there’s plenty of them, each following Mannoni’s “dependency complex…that these groups are psychologically made for…” Mar 13, 15:56
sam on Looking up at the stars: “I know, Sven. It is impossible to know anything with certainty about illegal immigration numbers. You can get some idea…” Mar 13, 15:55
agentx on Looking up at the stars: “Following the Union St fire the demolition company is Burnfield Demolition. Ironic.” Mar 13, 15:54
Mark Beggan on Looking up at the stars: “Police Scotland refused a request under the freedom of information to reveal the criminal numbers connected to immigrant hotels. Their…” Mar 13, 15:29
Mark Beggan on Looking up at the stars: “That has been the elite establishments plan all along. The socialist post-colonial ideology. Get into bed with the death cult.…” Mar 13, 15:23
Mark Beggan on Looking up at the stars: “That would be the exact Nasty Nats answer just get to one over the English bastards. Then they would staple…” Mar 13, 15:14
Mark Beggan on Looking up at the stars: “@ Sam How many illegal immigrants came into Scotland? I don’t know They don’t know. You don’t know. Did they…” Mar 13, 15:03
Sven on Looking up at the stars: “Sam @ 14.26. I’m guessing that would be legal immigrants, Sam. As I doubt asylum seekers awaiting classification, illegals or…” Mar 13, 14:50
Sven on Looking up at the stars: “Mark Beggan @ 14.12. I do, Mark. And if they don’t, I believe the full power of the state will…” Mar 13, 14:31
sam on Looking up at the stars: “Jist fir til let ye know, ken? https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/2022-reports/scotland-s-census-2022-ethnic-group-national-identity-language-and-religion/ The largest group of immigrants in 2022 was from the category, “Other…” Mar 13, 14:26
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “Careful you dinna scuff the covers of your holy book, Geri. If you do, some meditative, focussed cant will have…” Mar 13, 14:15
Mark Beggan on Looking up at the stars: “I think you mean the government. The country is fit and able. This summer is going to be the crunch…” Mar 13, 14:12
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “I miss oor national mammie. She excelled at topping whatever England did. That was more or less her entire and…” Mar 13, 14:07
Geri on Looking up at the stars: “Meditation is good for the soul. Focus is good for the mind. If a child can recite an entire book…” Mar 13, 13:58
Sven on Looking up at the stars: “Too little, too late, Mark B. I doubt this country has either the will nor the means to locate, identify,…” Mar 13, 13:19
Mark Beggan on Looking up at the stars: “Should Scotland seriously consider sending the illegal immigrants hame tae think again?” Mar 13, 13:09
Mark Beggan on Looking up at the stars: “Too late your mask slipped there Herr Von Leichtenvar.” Mar 13, 12:53
Mark Beggan on Looking up at the stars: “In yer dreams big boy. Mr Apple comes first too geezer dead clever cunt. Then there’s wee Bert the atom…” Mar 13, 12:50
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “Could you clarify who’s first, Mark. Is it me or you?” Mar 13, 12:37
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “You continue to ignore the reality, Alf, that your remaining Naw voters maybe just check out the incompetent, corrupt, grifting,…” Mar 13, 12:31
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “An oath’s an oath, YL. Whoever telt ye itherwise lied through their teeth. Must have been anither whose word is…” Mar 13, 12:20
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “As always, Northy, your Pathetic Scottish Cringe renders you incapable of understanding my point. Alf continually quoting some third world…” Mar 13, 12:13
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “You raise an interesting point, Geri. I was reading in the MSM yesterday, that one of the schoolgirls tragically killed…” Mar 13, 11:53
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “Ah, C’moan noo, Mark. Let me keep the sand atween ma toes. It’s a bugger tae shift. And a dish…” Mar 13, 11:44
Northcode on Looking up at the stars: “My disagree disagrees with your disagree and, furthermore, I disagree with the notion that I am not being entirely reasonable.…” Mar 13, 10:54
Alf Baird on Looking up at the stars: ““because it’s taking our country right now” Aye, but dae ye e’en ken whit kintra ye mean tho? Imperialism aye…” Mar 13, 10:37
Mark Beggan on Looking up at the stars: “Did you know that the technology in your phone is based on the works of James Clark Maxwell a Scottish…” Mar 13, 09:42
robertkknight on Looking up at the stars: “British not Scottish that one… Yoo-kaye Adams, formerly of the Brit-Nat Brainwashing Channel. She’ll be on GB News next, with…” Mar 13, 09:10
factchecker on Looking up at the stars: “A perfectly rational response. NC is telling us that it is entirely right to ignore the sovereign wishes of the…” Mar 13, 08:22
100%Yes on Looking up at the stars: “She’ll still put BBC before nationality.” Mar 13, 07:48
