If your only source of news was the mainstream media, you could be forgiven for thinking that the consensus in the EU regarding an independent Scotland was bleak. Spain would, we’re told endlessly, veto Scotland’s place in the EU out of hand, and so, allegedly, would France.
And when Scotland’s First Minister went to Brussels after the referendum vote to meet with EU officials in regards to Scotland’s membership, we were told that this bold act of outreach fell on deaf ears.
The language of the press was hostile bordering on sadistic. The First Minister, acting to secure the democratic will of the people of Scotland, was apparently “running out of friends” and had to “beg” Ireland to help us out.
The reality, readers will be astonished to hear, is somewhat different.
Some of you will have missed this over the weekend:
Yes – Michelle Mone, of all the people on Earth, really did just go on TV and accuse Nicola Sturgeon of being all about ego. We’ll leave you to absorb that for a bit.
Earlier today we were moved to tweet our scepticism regarding a claim made by the Scottish Labour branch manager Kezia Dugdale, as reported in the Guardian.
Even on the most casual glance, the numbers just didn’t seem to add up. If 62% of Scots voted to stay in the EU and 55% voted to stay in the UK, with no correlation between the two things, then the Venn-diagram intersection between those two groups seems pretty unlikely to add up to more than 50%, let alone a “vast” majority.
The short version is “Everything Tony Blair said was a lie”. The full report can be read in 58 sections at the inquiry’s website here, but in the quite likely event that it gets swamped today we’ve uploaded the entire thing as a single convenient RAR file here.
[EDIT: individual sections now compiled into the print version’s 12 volumes.]
We’re not naturally disposed to sympathy for Tories, but it must be hellish being poor Ruth Davidson at the moment. The poor woman doesn’t know which way she’s facing from one minute to the next. Here she is less than a year ago:
Angela Eagle isn’t happy in the Labour Party and the Tories need a new leader. STV News Edinburgh may have jumped the gun slightly this evening, but this alternative career path makes a lot of sense.
Despite having an even number of participants, the panel is split 3:1 in favour of Remain and 3:1 against independence (surely the biggest specifically Scottish issue likely to arise from the Brexit vote, and which several polls in the last couple of weeks now show is backed by a majority of voters).
Half of the debaters are also Labour politicians, which means that the third-placed party which got 22% of the vote in this May’s election has as much representation as two parties who got 69% between them.
We’ve been racking our brains for a couple of hours trying to work out a way in which such a multiply-skewed line-up could be justified (other than flat-out trolling), and we’ve got nothing. Does anyone have any ideas?
James on The Nobodies: “Aw, Confused; don’t be calling Main a cunt. Everyone knows it’s a “Prick”.” Aug 3, 14:45
Ex President Xiden on Or Something: “There are in fact a third possibility, namely they could be BOTH .” Aug 3, 14:29
am firinn on Or Something: “I think the idea of independence is to get rid of people like these, and ensure, through greater democratic accountability…” Aug 3, 14:19
Hatey McHateface on Or Something: “Your post is telling me you have no idea of what constituted the reality of 1930’s Germany (presumably you were…” Aug 3, 13:55
sarah on Or Something: “Rev, I am sure you are aware of the need to keep yourself safe. Perhaps get some professional advice?” Aug 3, 13:53
Rookiescot on Or Something: “After what they did to Alex Salmond I expect we will see nothing but partisanship. That alone told me who…” Aug 3, 13:48
Colin Alexander on Or Something: “An FOI to the Electoral Commission on related Police / SNP matters was also refused with a: “can neither confirm…” Aug 3, 13:38
Willie on Or Something: “When you read responses like the one thst COPFS has just sent you realise that the COPFS has just issued…” Aug 3, 13:35
Rev. Stuart Campbell on Or Something: “No, there’s a third option: simply explain the reason someone was not prosecuted in the face of what appears to…” Aug 3, 13:10
Hatey McHateface on Or Something: “OK, so I lazily exaggerated. I’ll re-write. Over the months of July and August, when the schools are out, sufficient…” Aug 3, 12:42
agentx on Or Something: ““Sandie Peggie’s employment tribunal appeal to go ahead next year. A statement released on behalf of Peggie’s lawyers said a…” Aug 3, 12:35
Campbell Clansman on Or Something: “The letter demands that the government agency admit they are institutionally inept or corrupted. Here’s a list of the number…” Aug 3, 12:33
H Scott on Or Something: “‘everybody will be on holiday’ Not in Scotland.” Aug 3, 12:20
joolz on Or Something: ““there are only two possibilities: COPFS is institutionally inept, or COPFS is institutionally corrupt. Neither would be a good look.”…” Aug 3, 11:59
am firinn on Or Something: “In fact COPFS have all sorts of duties to explain things. Notably, under section 6 of the Victims and Witnesses…” Aug 3, 11:59
Skip_NC on Or Something: “As I recall, this started as a criminal complaint to the police following John Swinney’s confession and they kicked it…” Aug 3, 11:46
David W Aitken on Or Something: “Is there the slightest prospect of a private prosecution here? It seems clear that only this would break the mulish…” Aug 3, 11:36
AlMac on Or Something: ““Please do not make the mistake of thinking that I will eventually get bored and go away. I will not.”…” Aug 3, 11:28
Frank Gillougley on Or Something: “I think that what they have said to so far amounts to no more than this: 1. Now be a…” Aug 3, 11:14
Robert on Or Something: “COPS may well, and quite reasonably, reply that it’s not their job to explain the law to anyone, or their…” Aug 3, 11:00
DaveL on Or Something: “On number 6 of your listed points, COPFS being either inept or corrupt I have no doubt (despite their inept…” Aug 3, 10:31
Sean Duffy on Or Something: “Excellent riposte. Reminding them that this is not simply going to go away and die quietly and unseen in some…” Aug 3, 10:29
Arbroath1320 on Or Something: “Please do not make the mistake of thinking that I will eventually get bored and go away. I will not.…” Aug 3, 10:22
Hatey McHateface on Or Something: ““wha aye hauds pouer in a donsie wee colony?” According to Fanon, the whites. According to Hatey, that’s a useless…” Aug 3, 10:22
Hatey McHateface on Or Something: “Excellent article. It really could not be made any simpler or any clearer. “in around a month’s time” would be…” Aug 3, 10:18
factchecker on Or Something: “Excellent. Could not be made plainer. Hard for them not to address the real issue without looking either stupid or…” Aug 3, 10:18
Tony Little on The Deaf Eyes: “On the contrary @Northcode COPFS chose to ignore the simple fact that on EVERY occasion the SNP asked people to…” Aug 3, 10:15
Alf Baird on Or Something: ““why COPFS is turning a blind eye?” Good question, Rev. This business suggests people in very powerful positions may be…” Aug 3, 10:06
Ronnie on Or Something: “When you come for the King…….yie ken the rest.” Aug 3, 09:49
Hatey McHateface on The Nobodies: “An interesting article about how the EU – that wonderful EU that so many “Indy” Scots yearn to join with…” Aug 3, 08:25
