As we write there’s a protest going on outside the Scottish Parliament regarding the privatisation of ferry services to the Western Isles. It was formally announced almost three hours ago that there definitely wasn’t going to be any privatisation and that the service would remain in public hands, but the protest still went ahead.
The people conducting the protest, who’ve got the exact thing they wanted, are now doing their level best to lose it again. Welcome to Scottish politics.
Over the past few days, readers, we haven’t been able to avoid noticing a recurring theme among Unionist types on social media – namely that the Holyrood election results are proof that support for independence is declining.
But it’s not until you ask them to explain that it gets completely mental.
For much of its life, this site has been warning readers that, as their default position, they should always assume newspaper headlines are a lie until proven otherwise.
Today, Britain’s biggest-selling newspaper admitted it in public.
You win a historic third election with a second massive landslide, getting more than twice as many seats as your nearest challenger – the first time such a thing has ever happened in a Holyrood election – on the back of what’s (self-evidently) by and large a very popular policy programme and record, and before you’ve even taken your seats in the chamber all the parties you just thrashed out of sight line up to explain how you’ve been doing everything wrong.
And as alliances go, they don’t get much less holy.
We’re supposed to be taking a few days off, but it’s been tipping it down outside for 36 solid hours, so when an alert reader emailed us a question relating to this article from Monday, we couldn’t help but go and research it just to pass some time.
They’d asked how many of the Tory MSPs elected last Thursday had been rejected by the voters of a constituency seat on the same day, and we were startled by the answer – of the 24 Conservative members of the Scottish Parliament elected on the list last week, every single one was also a failed constituency candidate.
In amongst a torrent of pretty mad analysis of the election result at the weekend, we noticed the most insane reason yet suggested for the loss of the SNP’s majority:
The co-founder of a much-lauded but little-read pro-independence website asserted that the SNP were cruising to victory until the Nats got the backing of the Scottish Sun and Nicola Sturgeon was pictured posing with the front cover endorsing her party.
The whole litany of gaping flaws in that argument is something the Yes movement has needed to talk about for some considerable time now. So let’s bite the bullet and do it.
A few weeks ago we rather cruelly highlighted an old post from Kezia Dugdale’s blog in which she bitterly bemoaned the practice of candidates who’d been rejected by voters in constituency seats still being able to get into Parliament via the “back door” of the regional lists.
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: “Oh dear, Northy. If there are any psychologists reading here they’ll be in no doubt about what ails you. Get…” Dec 22, 17:05
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: “Hey, Northy, you’ve succeeded in conveying a real sense of hysteria through your prose. If it’s genuine, and not just…” Dec 22, 16:54
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: “Good one, Sam. “Sovereigntists”. Like it. Throwing a spelling error though. “Sovereign tits” doesn’t, so perhaps that’s what the author…” Dec 22, 16:51
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: ““Surely any self respecting native Scot would communicate solely in their own language, not that of their oppressor?” This. 100…” Dec 22, 16:45
Insider on A matter of class: “For Christ’s sake ! Will ye just shut up woman and pit ma dinner on !” Dec 22, 16:44
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: ““Bawbag”, eh, Dan? Let me guess – you’ve packed in the calls for productive dialogue on here as part of…” Dec 22, 16:40
James on A matter of class: ““…I actually worked in industry in the early 80s…” LOL. Aye,right.” Dec 22, 16:29
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “When England went Solo as an English parliament in 1800 so did Scotland, When the monarch of England went Solo…” Dec 22, 16:15
James on A matter of class: “Who’s “we”? LOL. You think anyone reads the shite that you post? What you might think you “know” in your…” Dec 22, 15:57
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “North Code, Scotland does need to wake up, and pretty quick, If England claims only Scotland is bound by the…” Dec 22, 14:29
sam on A matter of class: “https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1467-923X.13214 “Exploring Sovereignty in Scotland” David McCrone Michael Keating “The largest proportion in the sample, 30 per cent are ‘Scottish…” Dec 22, 14:21
Captain Caveman on A matter of class: “I couldn’t care less whether the likes of you believes me or not – as I’ve already told you. Feel…” Dec 22, 14:09
Aidan on A matter of class: “The bigger picture Dan is that the only thing you seem to be in favour of is highest taxes on…” Dec 22, 14:09
Andy Ellis on A matter of class: “@Alf Baird 8.24pm Like any peoples language the Scots language plays ‘a vital role in shaping and defining ethnic identity’,…” Dec 22, 14:07
James on A matter of class: “We’ve only got your word for that though, haven’t we sweetie? You’re a Reform shill so probably a born liar.” Dec 22, 13:53
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “Alf Baird. Even with the trickery, bribery and deceit it must be remembered that the Scottish participation was only set…” Dec 22, 13:48
Captain Caveman on A matter of class: ““A braw chortle at young unionist Aidan whining about the demise of industries in Scotland.” Aw, look at old Dan,…” Dec 22, 13:17
diabloandco on A matter of class: “Just caught up with Led by Donkeys projection on Windsor castle – nice work!! And Nicola Jennings cartoon in the…” Dec 22, 12:33
Northcode on A matter of class: ““Scotland does need to wake up…” She surely does, James. Her bedside alarm is now ringing, at least, and I…” Dec 22, 12:32
Northcode on A matter of class: “I’ve always thought of the word ‘inchoately’ as being a particularly unhelpful word; a word with no clear and singularly…” Dec 22, 12:17
Alf Baird on A matter of class: “Indeed so, James, and in addition, there is plenty of evidence of bribery and coercion involved at the time which…” Dec 22, 12:15
Alf Baird on A matter of class: ““Unreasoning nativists can scream inchoately” You mean like American Professor Michael Hechter in his detailed scientific analysis of the ‘UK…” Dec 22, 11:49
Northcode on A matter of class: “Yet another excellent and informative post, Alf. Personally, I’m sick of swallowing Westminster’s green and mouldy moon cheese. An observation:…” Dec 22, 11:45
Northcode on A matter of class: “Foul language restrained in writing is a sad and pathetic sight to behold. Foul language by its nature is wild…” Dec 22, 11:25
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “The Union remembers and fears the day coming in and shining a light over the treaty, It fears that Scotland…” Dec 22, 11:09
Alf Baird on A matter of class: “Yes, and the stink of “colonialism …drives the most peaceable populations to despair” (Cesaire) Aside from the obligatory racism and…” Dec 22, 11:09
The Flying Iron of Doom on A matter of class: “Hatey McHateface says: 20 December, 2025 at 3:30 pm Thanks for your reply, Stuart. As it happens, I lack a…” Dec 22, 11:06
Northcode on A matter of class: ““What fascinating dialogues we could have” Here’s some dialogue for you (really more a command): “DANCE!” Dance tae whitiver tune…” Dec 22, 11:01
Captain Caveman on A matter of class: “@Hatey “… As to their younger years, a casual look at their typical posts suggests they could never have done…” Dec 22, 11:00
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “England did not need a referendum to leave the treaty of union in 1800. But Scotland does need a referendum…” Dec 22, 10:58
