Admittedly at first we were chiefly doing it in order to embarrass the increasingly angry and belligerent BBC presenter Andrew Neil, who insisted repeatedly last year that there’d been no real-terms cut to the Holyrood budget since the Tories came to power.
That claim put Neil at odds with all manner of people pointing out that the opposite was true, to which we can now add the FoAI:
But we already knew Andrew Neil was an idiot, so that was no big deal. It was another chart in the document that caught our eye and made us think.
As several alert readers have already spotted, our Twitter account was suspended at some point in the early hours of this morning. We’ve had no email from Twitter offering any sort of explanation, but it seems most likely to have been at the behest of a Daily Express hack called Siobhan McFadyen who’s been huffily bleating to the company’s executives over the weekend about this tweet:
The reason we tweeted that comment is detailed here and here. But apparently it’s an opinion that you’re no longer allowed to have.
Daily Express hack Siobhan McFadyen had a quite extraordinary meltdown on Twitter last night and this morning after we highlighted an appalling article that she’d written for Saturday’s paper.
After angrily attacking other users for a few hours, by the end she’d declared a full-on DefCon One, sending out a desperate plea for hauners from entities as diverse as the Times, the New York Times, the Telegraph, the NUJ, the Washington Post, Guardian Scotland, BBC Radio 4, the Drudge Report, the CEO of Twitter and JK Rowling.
We’ve already highlighted the abominable state of the Daily Express this week, but an article in today’s edition is surely some sort of record-breaking low.
Hold onto your hats, folks, you won’t believe this one.
The tone of coverage deployed by the Daily Express (Scottish and English editions alike) with regard to the First Minister of Scotland in recent weeks has been both bizarre and disturbing. Yesterday the paper ran this “story”:
It’s a load of gibberish, obviously. But if the FM was preparing herself for a punch-up, you could hardly blame her given what’s apparently been going on.
Supporters of Scottish independence have known for years that the civic “nationalism” espoused by the Yes movement bears no relation to the so-called “blood and soil” varieties found in many other countries. Every racist or ethnic-nationalist organisation in Britain – the BNP, the EDL/SDL, the National Front and so on – was stridently No.
The BBC lunchtime weather forecast of 15 October 1987 is now fondly looked back on as a moment of shared national doh-what-are-we-like? comedy, in the same vein as a Morecambe and Wise Christmas show or something.
Sven on Looking up at the stars: “Maybe be more specific as to which particular “site prick” you identify, James, some of our views may differ.” Mar 14, 17:38
Aidan on Looking up at the stars: “Yeah you come and round me up James you stinky fat shit. It’ll definitely go well for you.” Mar 14, 17:08
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Looking up at the stars: “[« The Scottish approach was based on their misunderstanding of the two words ‘Scotia’ and ‘Scotus’. From the fourth century…” Mar 14, 16:55
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Looking up at the stars: “« Bunaíodh cur chuige na nAlbanach ar an míthuiscint a bhain siad as an dá fhocal ‘Scotia’ agus ‘Scotus. Ón…” Mar 14, 16:53
Mark Beggan on Looking up at the stars: “Ok. You have just advocated murder and torture. You are a cowardly prick. Now get to fuck.” Mar 14, 16:03
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “Not that long AGO, Rev Stu published an article on here, ripping THE shit out of somebody for producing material…” Mar 14, 15:58
James on Looking up at the stars: “Can we start the round ups and lynchings with the 77th bunch? And unplug the Site Prick while we’re there?” Mar 14, 15:57
James on Looking up at the stars: “Wish someone would offer £20 for you to fuck off.” Mar 14, 15:31
sarah on Looking up at the stars: “Rugby score looking better: Ireland 19 – 12 Scotland at 53 minutes.” Mar 14, 15:28
James on Looking up at the stars: “He wisne frae Edinburgh ya fucking unionist clown.” Mar 14, 15:28
twathater on Looking up at the stars: “As usual poor wee hatey nae pals has to have a go at elderly Scots people who have paid their…” Mar 14, 15:05
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: ““every accusation is a confession” Erm. Nah. Don’t tell him.” Mar 14, 14:28
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “The original Roman calendar was based on the lunar cycle. The Ides was the first full moon of the month.…” Mar 14, 14:25
Confused on Looking up at the stars: “The london regime is an illegitimate terrorist junta by any decent standards of normal human behaviour, operating as an organised…” Mar 14, 14:07
Sven on Looking up at the stars: “How applicable to Scotland if one subscribes to colonial theory, and apposite also on the eve of the Ides of…” Mar 14, 13:37
Northcode on Looking up at the stars: “The Ides of March arrive tomorrow… I wonder if anyone has told Trump what that means. Et tu, Hegseth?” Mar 14, 13:17
Dan on Looking up at the stars: “Wings killed itself because it continued to allow obvious disruptors to piss pretty much everyone off btl to the point…” Mar 14, 11:54
Northcode on Looking up at the stars: ““…if the metric is posting repetitive unhinged drivel then your team wins…” You are funny, AI Dan… for an artificial…” Mar 14, 11:11
Northcode on Looking up at the stars: “Would you look at that! Naw e’en haufway thru the day and us liberty lovin Scots seekin oor liberty frae…” Mar 14, 10:59
Aidan on Looking up at the stars: “Oh no doubt Northcode, if the metric is posting repetitive unhinged drivel then your team wins the gold! Obviously it’s…” Mar 14, 10:57
diabloandco on Looking up at the stars: “Thanks Turabdin – that’s a brilliant quote.” Mar 14, 09:39
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: ““it’s becoming a bore” Ach, Northy, you’ve brought a fleeting smile to my slow, weekend breakfast. Alert readers can clearly…” Mar 14, 08:54
Northcode on Looking up at the stars: “Maistly a surfeit o humour-free, tantersome, bauch and cat wittit colonist remerks in here yesterdey… which be hou maistlins nane…” Mar 14, 08:27
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “85,000 failed asylum seekers at £10,000 each is still less than £1 billion pounds. Small change for our UK government.…” Mar 14, 07:48
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “Great posts, YL. There’s something about 2 AM that just seems to bring out your best. Re your claims. Do…” Mar 14, 07:34
Mark Beggan on Looking up at the stars: ““it has centuries of experience” 47 years of totalitarian theocracy. The Persians are the only ones who can justly claim…” Mar 14, 05:42
twathater on Looking up at the stars: “I commented recently that I had contacted ALL my MP’s and MSP’s of ALL parties to complain about Shabana Mahmood’s…” Mar 14, 03:39
Young Lochinvar on Looking up at the stars: “HMcH Oaths? Let’s have a wee look at yours eh? 1. The Cub Scouts: Rule number 3: (That you swear…” Mar 14, 01:57
