It’s a rare occasion when we feel compelled to salute Scotland’s mainstream media, but their restraint on discovering that a whole slew of PFI schools commissioned by Labour might be in danger of falling down at any moment was highly commendable.
The Unionist parties are taking such a kicking in the polls for next month’s Holyrood election that you could forgive them for not always knowing where they were.
The above tweet does indeed have the potential to be “astonishing”, given that (a) Ruth Davidson isn’t standing in Carnoustie, and (b) the 2011 result suggests that there are only around 700 Labour voters to find in the entire town behind the “1000s” of doors that 20 Tories have impressively managed to knock by teatime.
(Indeed, the area is so Labour-unfriendly that the Tories actually managed to come 2nd five years ago, getting over 50% more votes than the Labour candidate.)
But it’s not the only piece of geographical confusion afflicting the UK parties.
Alert readers may recall that a few months ago the Scottish press got itself in a right old lather about a temporary closure of the Forth Road Bridge. The SNP were attacked relentlessly in the media for what a subsequent inquiry in fact found to have been an “unforeseeable” fault on the bridge which posed no risk to life. But fair enough.
This week, 17 schools in the Edinburgh area were closed down over fears that they might be unsafe after the wall of one of them fell off in high winds, two years after another wall in an Edinburgh school collapsed and killed a 12-year-old girl.
All 17 had been built under a controversial PFI scheme signed in 2001, when the UK government, Scottish Parliament and Edinburgh City Council were all controlled by Labour, and which isn’t due to be finally paid off for another 20 years.
The Scottish press and opposition’s incandescent and somewhat vague fury at the Scottish Government working to bring billions of pounds in investment to Scotland has continued undiminished in this weekend’s newspapers. Scottish Labour in particular are getting themselves very worked up about today’s Sunday Times.
“Incredible”? Sounds exciting. Let’s find out more.
Those of you who read our post of earlier today probably didn’t feel there was anything ambiguous going on in it. When Ruth Davidson intervened in an election debate to protest that the chair, the BBC’s Louise White, was being unfair to Nicola Sturgeon, it was pretty obvious who she meant, and White’s response removed any doubt.
Which makes this eye-witness account of the event, spotted by an alert reader this afternoon, odd in several ways.
We were rather gobsmacked, readers, when we tuned into this morning’s BBC Radio Scotland phone-in at 9am. Ostensibly discussing the promotion of “Rangers” to the Premiership, presenter Louise White adopted the most astonishingly, openly partisan and aggressive approach we’ve ever heard from a host on the state broadcaster (which is no small feat), on the subject of whether the club was a new one or not.
Callers were harangued, interrupted and hustled on for daring to suggest the truth. It was a jaw-dropping display of disregard for not only impartiality but basic journalistic regard for the plain, uncontestable facts of the matter.
But don’t panic, football-haters. This post is about something else.
This is an intriguing and engrossing extended chat between Christopher Silver and Iain Macwhirter for what will hopefully become a regular series by the excellent Phantom Power Films, creators of Altered States and lots more:
It’s well worth whiling away a little bit of your afternoon on.
Northcode on A matter of class: “…and remember, folks – bonded sex-slaves aren’t just for Christmas.” Dec 23, 11:16
Northcode on A matter of class: “Guid mornyng aw… a howp ye aw hae a guid day afore Christmas Eve day the day.” Dec 23, 11:09
Aidan on A matter of class: “Quite Andy, it’s not like there is a overwhelming deluge of people constantly singing the praises of the union, it’s…” Dec 23, 11:07
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “Like all nations around the world are beginning to realise sorting their own problems out at home has become the…” Dec 23, 10:57
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on A matter of class: “LEGAL ACTION AGAINST PRIME MINISTER AND CIVIL SERVICE OVER PRIDE MARCHES COMMENCES The Christian Institute has now formally commenced legal…” Dec 23, 10:38
twathater on A matter of class: “My My wee John MacFuckwit is oot o his hammock early today whits the matter johnny have you pished the…” Dec 23, 10:34
Andy Ellis on A matter of class: “What has happened to this site? The decline of the level and quantity of engagement and of quality of BTL…” Dec 23, 10:33
willie on A matter of class: “It goes without saying that were there to be a glut of oil then the geo political economic impacts would…” Dec 23, 09:47
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: “Jeezo, Dave. A mere 20 minutes from my post to you proving just what I’m on about and what this…” Dec 23, 08:59
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: “Some background on the ongoing sabre rattling around Venezuela being orchestrated by our greatest living half-Scot, President Donald John Trump:…” Dec 23, 08:37
DaveL on A matter of class: “Never mind the wee small hours how about addressing my request of late last night. Go on tell us about…” Dec 23, 08:37
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: ““What has happened to this site?” Not exactly rocket science, YL. Check out the posts in the wee sma’ hours…” Dec 23, 08:17
Young Lochinvar on A matter of class: “What has happened to this site? What has happened to the BTL/ Below the Bridge comments more like? Just sample…” Dec 23, 03:35
twathater on A matter of class: ““If only Wings BTL provided a forum where adults could maturely discuss and debate stuff like this. What fascinating dialogues…” Dec 23, 02:04
twathater on A matter of class: “You will notice Alf that as soon as the Franchise Fanny rolls up with his usual round of progressive poncy…” Dec 23, 01:55
DaveL on A matter of class: “Concerning your reply to my above request all you came up with was a sort of pantomime ‘they’re behind you’…” Dec 22, 23:15
Dan on A matter of class: “@Lorna What post of mine are you actually responding to with that wordy spiel? A Ctrl F search of page…” Dec 22, 23:05
Lorncal on A matter of class: “Dan: the problem is that this stuff is not going away any time soon. It has infiltrated every aspect of…” Dec 22, 22:10
Dan on A matter of class: “John Bot sounds a bit weary and lacking in accuracy as it churns out more drivel. A quick refresher, perhaps……” Dec 22, 21:16
agentx on A matter of class: “Alf Baird says: 21 December, 2025 at 2:05 pm Hatey, I assume you have good reason for suggesting that ethnic…” Dec 22, 20:27
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: “You’ll eat and enjoy the traditional denner (not dinner) of True Scots everywhere: mince.” Dec 22, 20:20
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: “Sure, Dan, you’ve stated a lot of things, in between the insults, the hair-trigger rants and the potty-mouthed childishness. And…” Dec 22, 20:16
Scot Finlayson on A matter of class: “North Briton`s Judges,everyone a public school twonk, Craig Murray was jailed by Judge for eight months for contempt of court…” Dec 22, 19:52
Dan on A matter of class: “Jesus fuck, if I’d wanted to hear from an arsehole, I’d have farted. But what a sad little bot twat…” Dec 22, 19:41
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: ““decade’s worth of posts on here on a myriad subjects” Sure, Dan. I don’t doubt that. Just as I don’t…” Dec 22, 19:21
Dan on A matter of class: “Aidan says at 2:09 pm “The bigger picture Dan is that the only thing you seem to be in favour…” Dec 22, 18:32
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
