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.
Eternally angry Conservative MSP Adam Tomkins has been even shoutier than usual this week, purple-faced with rage about the fact that the SNP has decided to spend some of its own money (not taxpayer cash) asking people for their opinions.
It’s a curious argument from a member of a party that’s been rejected in successive elections in Scotland in 1964, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1974 again, 1979, 1983, 1987, 1992, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2015 and 2016, but keeps turning up and barking orders anyway. You’d think the first 50 years might qualify as a hint.
Fear and lies work. Over many decades (and really for centuries) the Unionist parties and the media have succeeded in persuading a large percentage of Scots that they’re beggars, scroungers, vagrants and “subsidy junkies” dependent on the ever-generous charity of England to keep them from starvation.
And in terms of the facts, that hasn’t always been an easy sell.
Hatey McHateface on Wider Than A Mile: “They could have saved on the hotels if they had hired (or borrowed) a campervan. Probably borrowed. There’s bound to…” Jun 11, 21:13
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Wider Than A Mile: “I searched online for “Animal Welfare Charities”. This came up immediately: « RSPCA – The Largest Animal Welfare Charity in…” Jun 11, 21:05
Geoff Anderson on Wider Than A Mile: “https://x.com/simon_telegraph/status/2065150358989459824?s=20” Jun 11, 20:56
willie on Wider Than A Mile: “And where pray tell has Mr Swinney gone today. left the country it seems and off to America with three…” Jun 11, 20:44
Graham Fordyce on Wider Than A Mile: “An action for count, reckoning, and payment is a legal procedure that compels a party to account for their management…” Jun 11, 20:34
James Jones on Wider Than A Mile: “Actually the opposite is true. Westminster devolved power to Scotland and the Scot’s went, “Weyhey!” with it. Now Westminster can’t…” Jun 11, 20:09
Hatey McHateface on Wider Than A Mile: “I think I’m starting to understand. We weren’t colonised until Blair etc set up the Scottish Parliament at HR and…” Jun 11, 18:56
Hatey McHateface on Wider Than A Mile: “Ouch! A smidge harsh, Mark. Unless … one week until the by-elections. If the SNP candidates win, feel free to…” Jun 11, 18:47
diabloandco on Wider Than A Mile: “I wouldn’t want to see any animal suffer but the RSPCA has a huge number of folk who can donate…” Jun 11, 18:24
agentx on Wider Than A Mile: “I see Swinney is flying out to the US today for Scotland’s game on Sunday. Pretending that he is also…” Jun 11, 18:09
Onlooker on Wider Than A Mile: “Sturgeon is appearing shortly at the Dundee Book Festival. Wee Nicola has now been pimping her worthless autobio for TEN…” Jun 11, 17:36
Aidan on Wider Than A Mile: “Sure – I would look at: – Reference by the Lord Advocate of devolution issues under para 34, sch.6 of…” Jun 11, 17:32
James Che on Wider Than A Mile: “Alf Baird, The discussion on wether Scotland or its old parliament has been connected to England through a treaty a…” Jun 11, 17:12
Young Lochinvar on Wider Than A Mile: “I see whitevanman is justifying his first months HR ££salary££ by going of on one on trainspotter toilets at Holyrood.…” Jun 11, 16:54
James Che on Wider Than A Mile: “Aide, Which issue has been dealt with at length and with great discussion, please name when and where and what…” Jun 11, 16:52
Mark Beggan on Wider Than A Mile: “Val McDermid bears a strong resemblance to the mandrake plant.” Jun 11, 16:18
Mark Beggan on Wider Than A Mile: “You forgot to mention Trump. It can’t be a proper self delusion if you don’t manage to connect Trump to…” Jun 11, 15:42
lothianlad on Wider Than A Mile: “People in the independence movement need to start getting realistic with the facts that the SNP inner clique as utterly…” Jun 11, 15:20
Mark Beggan on Wider Than A Mile: “And what a lovely spring it was Sarah. I remember it like it was yesterday. The class of 1707′ Where…” Jun 11, 15:15
sarah on Wider Than A Mile: “Thanks, Confused. I’m sure that the Convention wouldn’t truck GRR or men in women’s prisons, either. I’ve just heard back…” Jun 11, 14:15
James Barr Gardner on Wider Than A Mile: “Double adapter….” Jun 11, 13:57
Ian on Wider Than A Mile: “Scientific analysis indicates two main characteristics of SNP members. Old codgers and young chancers.” Jun 11, 13:36
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Wider Than A Mile: “Consulted a thesaurus: double-dealer? double-speak? double-faced? double-bind? double-agent?” Jun 11, 13:14
Confused on Wider Than A Mile: “when someone is on the fiddle, gets caught at one thing, the sensible thing to say is not “you were…” Jun 11, 12:59
Confused on Wider Than A Mile: “you’re right, the convention wasn’t called this guy has the details https://angrypict.substack.com/ NB the convention’s entire purpose was to stop…” Jun 11, 12:57
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Wider Than A Mile: “Cynicus @ 1.54 am “Is Honest John double-jobbing as a banana wholesaler?” —— Double-crossing, certainly…” Jun 11, 12:40
Alf Baird on Wider Than A Mile: ““the pretendy Scottish parliament” Yes James, the “Manichaeism of colonial rule” (Fanon), where we see: – a people in ‘colonial…” Jun 11, 12:26
sarah on Wider Than A Mile: “How many people know that Scotland had a two-tier system to approve legislation? England had, and has, the Commons and…” Jun 11, 12:23
