This site has never told readers how to vote in Scottish elections and never will, partly because its editor has no vote there and doesn’t have to live with the consequences whoever wins. (Something that ISN’T true about independence, in which case Wings would relocate to Scotland, which is why we freely express a firm view on that.)
It’s in that context that we make the following observations about next month’s vote.
The Sunday Herald, which enjoyed a major sales boost from being the first Scottish newspaper to officially back independence but has since seen its circulation increase partly eroded, has this morning chosen to throw a stick of dynamite onto the fire.
The paper’s front page today teases a double-page spread inside with the headline “SPECIAL REPORT: HOW INDEPENDENCE SUPPORTERS SHOULD USE THEIR SECOND VOTE”. And then things get a little strange.
While we’re on the subject of Ruth “line in the sand” Davidson of the Ruth Davidson No Surrender To The SNP Anti-Referendum Party making U-turns, we thought we might remind you of another one, this time from rather more recent history than 2011.
Just nine months ago, apparently Ms Davidson’s view was that “it would be wrong for the Tories to stand in the way” of another referendum “if the SNP gets a democratic mandate from the public”.
Sounds like a firm, resolute commitment to democracy and the incontrovertible right of the people of Scotland to determine their own destiny. Stirring stuff. We approve.
Last weekend’s edition of the Sunday Times gave an article to a Green activist and party worker – not billed as such, even though until last month he was on the party’s regional candidate list for Lothian – to predict that the Greens would get 10 seats at next month’s election.
Much campaigning by the various fringe parties for the Holyrood contest has been based on “seat predictors” like the one deployed to produce the figures in the piece, purporting to show that a tactical-voting strategy on the list can deliver a large gain in numbers of pro-independence MSPs compared to using both votes for the SNP.
We’ve examined that argument in considerable depth already, both theoretical and practical. But its also worth noting that so-called “seat predictors” are a rather shaky basis for making such bold forecasts.
We’ve made some progress. It’s just three days since we outlined a question that all the leaders of the Unionist parties should be asked, and we have our first answer. An alert reader emailed it to Willie Rennie, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, and to his credit he gave a quick, straight and unequivocal response. This is it:
“I don’t like addressing too many hypothetical situations but in this case let me be clear. If we voted to leave the EU then I would still vote to remain in the UK. I am very pro European and will campaign to remain in the EU. In the disappointing situation of Brexit I would not seek to heap more division on that divisive situation.”
Now it’s Kezia Dugdale of Scottish Labour and Ruth Davidson of the Ruth Davidson No Surrender To The SNP Anti-Referendum Party’s turn. We’re sure that if any of their constituents were to drop them a line, they’d be equally forthcoming.
We were having a quiet night in, readers. (Living in a cul-de-sac, it’s quite peaceful here in the evenings, unless we’re hosting a soirée.) We’d just made ourselves a late snack of a tasty baguette – preceded by a small apéritif, and a few canapés serving as hors d’oeuvre – as the au pair is on holiday in Paris this week with the chauffeur, taking in some haute couture.
As we relaxed on the chaise-longue, pondering an indulgent dessert of a chocolate eclair or some crème brûlée, we glanced at Twitter, in the hope of being amused by a few bon mots in the milieu of the internet. Sadly, the reality was a cliché.
Dismayingly, this magnificent piece of virtuoso television interviewing from last night’s Scotland Tonight doesn’t appear to have been recorded in full splendid isolation for posterity anywhere, so it would be a grave failure of duty on our part not to preserve it for those viewers unfortunate enough to have been otherwise engaged.
Aidan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “@CC you’ll see below a long list of excuses from Geri as to why all of the appalling acts of…” Mar 26, 11:42
Captain Caveman on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Hahahah! Get a load of this everyone: “Geri” thinks murdering tens of thousands of innocent civilians by shooting them in…” Mar 26, 11:33
Geri on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “– American bases. Legitimate targets. That’s where they attacked from. They’ve a right to render them destroyed. – Targeting blow…” Mar 26, 11:09
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Sorry to break the news Northy. They were all hanged last Wednesday or was that the athletes. It’s hard to…” Mar 26, 10:57
Captain Caveman on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “@Aidan Well, quite. 🙂 Even if it is the case that the US has acted “illegally” in its war with…” Mar 26, 10:52
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Why don’t we all chip in and get Alison Johnston a big box of crayons for her/his/it’s retirement.” Mar 26, 10:44
Geri on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Would you just look at all those women & you girls not being dragged out & beaten for not wearing…” Mar 26, 10:37
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Nothing like a threat to the gravy boat to bring the Snats crawling out of the woodwork.” Mar 26, 10:37
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “For all the good it will do them. They would be as well to. Seriously. A big leap from the…” Mar 26, 10:35
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “I tried to use words you could understand. I’m your conscious Geri. You know that nagging feeling somethings wrong. That…” Mar 26, 10:31
Red on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: ““Are you not describing a catastrophe that culminated under two centuries ago, after a process stretching back over centuries?” No,…” Mar 26, 10:27
Aidan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Whereas I suppose; – Bombing the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman; – murdering your own citizens engaging in a peaceful…” Mar 26, 10:10
Northcode on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “If the link below don’t work just search yatube for: “Real IRAN : What Western Media Won’t Tell You About…” Mar 26, 09:58
Geri on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “I think you’re on the wrong forum. The Daily Fail is that way —— > You’ll find far more fannies…” Mar 26, 09:30
Cynicus on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Mark Beggan says: 25 March, 2026 at 11:32 pm “WOW! Just seen the SNP advert on Tube.” ======= Seriously? Is…” Mar 26, 09:10
Northcode on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: ““Areswipe…” A brilliant comment, Geri. Insightful, informed, and expertly decorated with ‘rude’. I never tire of reading your stuff.” Mar 26, 08:29
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Amongst the many reasons Nazi Germany lost the war was their policy on women. Unlike the allies German women were…” Mar 26, 08:20
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Leftwing ideology is the lunatics way of getting back at society. A nobody’s way to try and become become a…” Mar 26, 08:09
Geri on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Areswipe, Let’s remind the group this is an illegal war. Every single one of those attacks is a war crime.…” Mar 26, 08:08
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “What age are you. You spout like an angry teenager who has Just read animal farm. Scotlands very own Greta.…” Mar 26, 07:31
Aidan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Having your entire leadership wiped out, your navy destroyed, your army weakened severely and significant damage to your oil exporting…” Mar 26, 06:39
Aidan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “I’d be surprised if 4% of people earn over £100k in Scotland, I’d suggest it’s probably lower than that. But…” Mar 26, 06:27
twathater on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Geri your demolition of the yoonionists on here is something to behold , so much so that Corporal Cave dweller…” Mar 26, 03:41
Cynicus on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Red says: 25 March, 2026 at 5:20 pm “…the Scots will be reduced to a powerless, hated and poor minority…” Mar 26, 02:01
Anthem on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “What do you expect when it’s filled with English unionist parties?” Mar 26, 00:17
Geri on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Not a bad ad. Punchy with facts & to the point. & TBF, yoons do have a low attention span.…” Mar 26, 00:17
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “WOW! Just seen the SNP advert on Tube. Not a party political broadcast but an advert with very colourful and…” Mar 25, 23:32
100%Yes on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “He’s just a bitter and twisted individual. I ignore his site and everything about him. He just attacks anyone who…” Mar 25, 22:37
