This evening’s Question Time saw one of the most incident-packed passages on the show in recent memory. From left to right onscreen the panellists were Paul Marshall (hedge fund manager, head of a chain of academy schools and co-author of the Lib Dems’ infamous “Orange Book”), Alex Salmond, Tory minister Greg Clark, Labour’s shadow home secretary Andy Burnham and right-wing think-tanker Jill Kirby.
We’d hoped to be bringing you in-depth analysis of the Scottish Labour manifesto by now, readers, but a couple of hours after their launch event there’s still no sign of it anywhere (we’ve checked their website, Facebook page and Twitter feed, all blank).
So we’re going to nip out to the shops for a bit. In the meantime, here’s some footage we recorded of the fantastic live stream of the launch the party put out.
We’re looking forward to the publication of the Scottish Labour manifesto for next month’s election, which is due to be published on Wednesday, just eight days before the vote. We confidently anticipate that it will definitively clear up a few issues we’re still not absolutely sure of the branch office’s position on.
Considering we’re only eleven days from a general election, there’s remarkably little politics coverage in the Sunday papers today. Most of what there is is in the Sunday Herald, which has a substantial (and quite entertaining) interview with Kezia Dugdale and another two pages devoted to what’s essentially spluttering attempted justification of its shambolic front-page lead from last week.
We’re not going to go into it in depth, as James Kelly on Scot Goes Pop! has already had a close look and made a pretty fair assessment. But for want of anything more interesting to talk about, and in the wake of some depressing Twitter conversations with people who apparently STILL don’t understand either the Holyrood electoral system or basic arithmetic, we’re going to have one more wade in the list-vote debate.
You might want to see if there’s football on or something.
But note how delicately that tweet is phrased. The clear implication – while not directly stated – is that only the Tories were responsible for the promises.
We’ve noted on numerous occasions previously that one of this site’s prime functions is merely to remember things – to serve as a repository of fact which can be referred to when politicians or the media try to mislead people about what happened in the past. It was a thought we were struck by again on reading The Times this morning.
Because as we beheld Kenny Farquharson’s account of the SNP’s manifesto launch, and how its emphasis on the word “RE-ELECT” was unfamiliar and “very different” to their last Holyrood manifesto launch, we were sure that wasn’t how we recalled it.
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.
Mark Beggan on The Land Of No Laws: “As my father used to say: “If they weren’t doing that they’d be mugging old women.”” May 17, 04:22
twathater on Steadying The Ship: “Sarah and anyone else interested in donating to Craig Murray’s blog I would advise them to check out his latest…” May 17, 03:13
Cynicus on Steadying The Ship: “Mark Beggan says: 16 May, 2026 at 4:19 pm “Sven meaning: Norse, boy, lad, young warrior.” ======== Its actual Old…” May 17, 01:02
Red on Steadying The Ship: “Why does nobody in the Scottish Parliament care about the industrial scale rape of Scottish children by Muslim colonists? Is…” May 17, 00:50
George Ferguson on Steadying The Ship: “@Sarah You are positively the most positive person on this site. But for over a decade money has gone into…” May 17, 00:21
ABruce on Steadying The Ship: “I’ve already contributed for Mark, Sarah. I hope many more will do so.We can’t let the bastards win.” May 16, 22:53
Alf Baird on Steadying The Ship: “” that we do, in fact, hold two contradictory, but, nevertheless, valid senses of ourselves.” You might, Lorncal, tho A…” May 16, 21:47
william G Walker on Steadying The Ship: “OTT Sorry mis-type above. It shouls have said: JAMBO says that “there are only three inavoidable rules in life –…” May 16, 21:39
Lorncal on Steadying The Ship: “Scottish antisyzygy is probably nearer the truth, Alf. Almost every Scottish writer, poet, artist, playwright, philosopher and political commentator displays…” May 16, 21:23
sarah on Steadying The Ship: “O/T Turning away from the topic of being stuck with the most embarrassingly incompetent bunch of MSPs ever, there are…” May 16, 21:10
william G Walker on Steadying The Ship: “OTT Jambo says that “There are only three inavoidable rules in life – death, taxes the Scottish Football Establishment based…” May 16, 20:54
Alf Baird on Steadying The Ship: “” We syriacs/assyrians know the schizoid condition well.” And ditto for us schizoid Scots. As David Purves wrote: “Since the…” May 16, 19:26
George Ferguson on Steadying The Ship: “The punishment has begun. After watching fitba all day. We are listening to Take the Floor. Apparently the second half…” May 16, 19:20
Mark Beggan on Steadying The Ship: “The English electorate are far from stupid. The arrogance of the Labour party passing seats to their mates so they…” May 16, 19:14
Alf Baird on Steadying The Ship: “Even today Hume’s self-hatred of Scottish culture looms large among assimilated native intellectuals and elites who ‘mimic the colonizer’ (Memmi)…” May 16, 18:58
Xaracen on The Broken Rainbow: “’I have always believed the truth will set us free and always will.“ Well, that can’t be true, Hatey; I…” May 16, 18:14
TURABDIN on Steadying The Ship: “@CYNICUS. no they are not, they are my «construct. Hume was very «antisyzygic». We syriacs/assyrians know the schizoid condition well.…” May 16, 18:03
Northcode on Steadying The Ship: ““you are the biggest contributor of irrelevant, pointless drivel BTL.” Wow! I’ve just realised you’re right… I’m a bore, you’re…” May 16, 17:57
George Ferguson on Steadying The Ship: “Anybody that has met John Swinney knows he has the Charisma of an ex Insurance Salesman of course prior to…” May 16, 16:44
Cynicus on Steadying The Ship: “TURABDIN says: 16 May, 2026 at 1:11 pm” “THIS IS THE PREAMBLE TO AN ACADEMIC WORK. HUME IN AND OUT…” May 16, 16:35
Mark Beggan on Steadying The Ship: “Sven meaning: Norse, boy, lad, young warrior.” May 16, 16:19
Cynicus on Steadying The Ship: “Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh says: 16 May, 2026 at 10:33 am “Cynicus: « the name of the author is Robert Curry. Not…” May 16, 16:19
twathater on Steadying The Ship: “It’s nice to see the gross stupidity of the engerlish electorate publicised daily on broadcast and media , I thought…” May 16, 16:18
Mark Beggan on Steadying The Ship: “If your name is your destiny Turabin then you are a reference manual with incorrect spelling!” May 16, 15:40
Mark Beggan on Steadying The Ship: “Samuel that’s a good Jewish name. Means prophet, heard by God.” May 16, 15:36
Mark Beggan on Steadying The Ship: “You have been eating too much sugar again.” May 16, 15:29
Mark Beggan on Steadying The Ship: “So what about your name Sam?” May 16, 15:16
Captain Caveman on The Broken Rainbow: ““Now that you admit they’ll not be providing you with a running commentary, they’ll not be sending you any decision…” May 16, 15:12
Mark Beggan on Steadying The Ship: “Correct but it was Beggins. Changed when my grandfather came to Scotland. Mark Beggan translated means Brave of the small.” May 16, 14:58
