Last month Scotland on Sunday published some findings from a poll covering, among other things, backing for Trident and for a second independence referendum in the event of a Brexit vote.
We didn’t think much about it until a reader told us that Labour MSP Jackie Baillie had trumpeted the Trident result – a wafer-thin 43-42 majority in favour – in her column in the Helensburgh Advertiser. We were curious to see the finer details and set about finding the full data tables for the poll, which was conducted by ICM.
(Under British Polling Council rules, pollsters have to release full data within 48 hours of any headline findings being made public.)
Something remarkable happened in the last couple of days, readers. After we told you about the imminent delivery of the print edition of the Wee Black Book, there was a flurry of orders for several thousand more copies. And that extra influx of cash took the independence movement past a significant milestone.
Alert readers may have noticed that we tend to slack off a bit at the weekend these days. There’s no point burning ourselves out with busywork at a time when there’s not very much going on in Scottish politics (certainly not in terms of independence, at any rate), and weekend traffic is always lower anyway.
So we’ve only just now got round to taking a proper look at something the online Yoon community and punditariat was getting itself very excited about on Saturday.
You can almost physically feel it. Scotland’s opposition and media are absolutely champing at the bit today to try to make some “SNP BAD” political capital out of the tragic and appalling death of little Liam Fee at the monstrous hands of his mother and her grotesque, controlling partner.
Like kids at Christmas, some of them couldn’t even wait for morning.
But something odd struck us as we surveyed the coverage of the case: if the poor wee toddler had a Named Person, how come nobody could name them?
We rarely do stat posts now, because readership has settled to a pretty steady level (generally bobbing between around 250,000 and 300,000 users a month) and we’ve run out of ways to blow our own trumpet. But we’re making an exception this month.
The snide, arrogant, pompous and casually factually-inaccurate comment above was made by a founder/editor of a rather less popular Scottish political website. And in the (statistically unlikely) event that you happened to read it and became concerned, we thought you’d like a little more information about our “ever-decreasing readership”.
There’s been a lot of chat on social media recently commenting on what seems to be a rather low-key approach to the Tory election fraud story.
Despite having the potential to cast the result of the UK general election into doubt, with dozens of Tory MPs under suspicion of being elected illegally, press coverage – particularly on the BBC – has been noticeably thin on the ground compared to, say, the days and weeks of sustained, new-content-free reporting on Michelle Thomson’s business affairs or Stewart Hosie and Angus MacNeil’s love lives.
(We learned very recently, of course, that the police still haven’t even spoken to Ms Thomson, over eight months after the allegations came to light.)
But even we were startled by this:
Yes, if you type “Tory election fraud”into the BBC website, the top result is for some unfathomable reason an article about Hosie and MacNeil, who are neither Tories nor under investigation for any kind of fraud.
Indeed, the current Tory election fraud story is nowhere to be found at all – the next most recent item on the page is from 2012 and about the Liberal Democrats.
We’ll leave readers to draw their own conclusions.
Alf Baird on Yelling at the tide: “Aye Willie, and here we are reminded that “whenever colonialism is imperiled, the colonizer reveals his fangs” (Fanon). So why…” Jan 23, 12:26
Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: “You remind me of the people who claim to believe that the killing of one woman as she interferes with…” Jan 23, 11:07
Northcode on Yelling at the tide: ““… speaking, reading and writing only in Scots…” Who do those folk who believe an independent Scotland would insist that…” Jan 23, 10:56
Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: “The calls for the slaughter of English cants crop up beneath just about every article, willie. It’s beyond credibility you…” Jan 23, 10:49
DaveL on Yelling at the tide: “Ah Wee Adolf McHateface, there you are, you’ve been quite subdued just lately. What was it got you all upset…” Jan 23, 10:21
TURABDIN on Yelling at the tide: “THE THREE R’s…..revolution, revolt or resistance….Scots do have choices other than to capitulate to the «motherhood and apple pie» schmues…” Jan 23, 10:20
TURABDIN on Yelling at the tide: “ORGANIZED THUGGERY…..whether in the name of fascist corporatism, hallucinogenic woke or faux messianic americanism we all know it when we…” Jan 23, 10:19
willie on Yelling at the tide: “And meanwhile, no word from the judiciary, or comment from the Scot Gov on the grave concerns about a judge…” Jan 23, 10:17
willie on Yelling at the tide: “Here Hatey you’re off on the big rant this morning. Prof Baird is a Scot who supports the maximisation of…” Jan 23, 10:07
Northcode on Yelling at the tide: ““A Glasgow choir will aim to ‘bridge the gap’ between queer and Gaelic identity when practises begin next month… The…” Jan 23, 09:09
Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: “All very well, Fearghas, but which is it gets us the most disposable dosh, the biggest house, the fastest car,…” Jan 23, 08:09
Cynicus on Yelling at the tide: “Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh says: ‘Josephine Bartosch commented that the cyber-attack has “stripped away the chintzy veil of victimhood that has long…” Jan 23, 02:38
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Yelling at the tide: “« Marx’s secularisation of the messianic seems to me to be accurate and precise, up to this point. But can…” Jan 23, 01:07
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Yelling at the tide: “Thanks TURABDIN. Good SPECTATOR article by MARY WAKEFIELD. “And look at Professor Gordon: they’re right to be scared. It’s not…” Jan 23, 00:09
Dave G on Yelling at the tide: “@Alf Baird 5:05pm Have you considered seeking professional help?” Jan 22, 22:55
Alasdair Roy on Yelling at the tide: “These positions as President of the Employment Tribunal (Scotland) are dangerous, especially given the backgrounds of these women. They carry…” Jan 22, 21:52
Alf Baird on Yelling at the tide: ““Which is precisely why there is no few dozen Scots prepared to organise themselves for Indy.” Och aye thar is:…” Jan 22, 20:34
Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: “He also said a few pertinent things about the prognosis for small countries now that it’s finally becoming clear to…” Jan 22, 19:42
Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: “What I know, Alf, is that our inalienable right to self determination needs but a few dozen of us to…” Jan 22, 19:32
Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: “Aye, ah bet it’s an English cheese tae. Cheddar or Stilton. Haud oan though. Fit nationality were they Fanny and…” Jan 22, 19:23
sam on Yelling at the tide: “Link https://murrayblackburnmackenzie.org/2025/12/12/statement-on-the-closure-of-our-petition-pe1876-on-recording-sex-accurately-in-cases-of-rape/ “We would like to thank Tess White MSP, Carol Mochan MSP, Michelle Thomson MSP, Ruth Maguire MSP, Rachael…” Jan 22, 17:32
sam on Yelling at the tide: “From MBM Policy on 12/12 /2025 “Statement On Wednesday 10 December the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee closed our…” Jan 22, 17:29
Alf Baird on Yelling at the tide: “What we do know is that current “Diversity” policy totally ignores and is definitely not about prioritising the rights or…” Jan 22, 17:05
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Yelling at the tide: “TRANS ACTIVISTS HACK FREE SPEECH GROUP IN IDEOLOGICALLY DRIVEN ATTACK A free speech organisation has been hacked by a trans…” Jan 22, 16:07
David Rodgers on Yelling at the tide: “Fair points but I will take independence first – woke or no woke.” Jan 22, 16:03
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Yelling at the tide: “HEALTH SEC CHALLENGED OVER ‘IDEOLOGICALLY DRIVEN’ PUBERTY BLOCKER TRIAL ******* QUOTE: “… It is important to reiterate that gender incongruence…” Jan 22, 15:50
Michael McCoy on Yelling at the tide: “Brilliant! Unbelievable that this is necessary but thank god, someone is prepared to hold these chancers to account. Well done…” Jan 22, 14:38
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Yelling at the tide: ““Cha ro-innleachd cianalas.”” Jan 22, 14:10
sam on Yelling at the tide: “From the For women Scotland website. “Ahead of the judicial review of the Scottish Prison Service Policy for the Management…” Jan 22, 14:01
