BBC1’s weekly Question Time political debate shows are heavily over-subscribed. Only a couple of hundred tickets are typically available for would-be members of the studio audience, and far more than that apply to attend, so your chances of getting through the initial vetting are fairly slim. You’re especially unlikely to be selected if you’re not from the city where the show is being held, for obvious reasons.
While the group of failed Scottish Labour parliamentary candidates is, let’s say, rather larger than it used to be, it’s still a pretty select club of a few dozen people.
And if you DO make it into the QT audience, the chances of you being picked out to speak are also rather poor – not more than 1 in 10 at best, probably nearer 1 in 20.
Depending on which parts of the media you were reading yesterday and this morning, the economic case for independence was either “shattered” (the Herald), “demolished” (the Spectator), “shredded” (Daily Record), “smashed to smithereens” (Willie Rennie, bless) or any number of other apocalyptic metaphors for total destruction, by a 1% fall in Scottish revenues resulting from a steep drop in oil prices which led to a notional Scottish budget deficit that by some measures was as high as 10% of GDP.
We must assume, then, that the economic case for the UK being an independent nation was rendered unto ruins in 2009-10, when its deficit exceeded 11% of GDP.
Economics: The art of explaining why all of your models fail to accurately predict either the future or the past.
It’s the time of year again when everyone glances at the first page of a dense booklet of complex economic data and immediately starts using it to make wild forecasts and proclamations despite the long-known problems with doing so.
So it’s also, once again, time to try looking a little further to tease out some details that others might have – let’s be generous here – accidentally missed.
(The GERS figures actually showed Scotland’s revenues in 2014/15 dropping by ONE PERCENT as a result of the oil price collapse. Non-oil revenues were UP by 3.2%.)
This year’s GERS figures will be published today, purporting to illustrate the financial relationship between Scotland and the rest of the UK. With oil revenues down, they’ll undoubtedly provoke an orgasmic explosion of glee among Unionists crowing about “black holes” and how Scotland is too wee, too poor and too stupid to survive alone.
We’ve already run an extremely detailed explanation of all the flaws and booby-traps in GERS, but of course we’re a pro-independence website and we would say that. So instead we’ll direct you to someone who’s very much NOT on our side.
This week Scottish Labour have been attacking the SNP’s rather timid plans for the reform of Council Tax, which is an entirely fair and legitimate opposition pursuit.
But as is their wont, Kezia Dugdale’s branch office just can’t help overplaying their hand and doing it in a highly dishonest way.
An alert reader just found this. It’s quite something.
We especially liked this bit:
“The growing practice of the socialist government is to take decisions vitally affecting Scotland in Whitehall… this is a process which we have every intention of setting in direct reverse.”
We thought you might like to see this snippet from a recent edition of the BBC News channel’s newspapers round-up, spotted by an alert reader.
We particularly enjoy the obviousness with which presenter Martine Croxall is being fed random titles into her earpiece by a panicking producer in response to freelancer stringer Matthew Green’s unexpected observation.
Andy Ellis on The Curious Fringes: “@Hatey 3.08 pm Aye, Alf, and as the poll in the next article shows, a solid 3.6% of Scots believe…” Dec 31, 15:37
Hatey McHateface on The Fear Of The Briar: “C’moan Confused. Still 9 hours to go. Save some for the bells.” Dec 31, 15:19
Hatey McHateface on The Curious Fringes: “Aye, Alf, and as the poll in the next article shows, a solid 3.6% of Scots believe we will be…” Dec 31, 15:08
Confused on The Fear Of The Briar: “reform smashing it in these northern constituencies www.youtube.com/shorts/IG7XTz8INtA Has OberGrueppenFuehrer Nigel von Farage made any statement about the Bondo-Caust? -…” Dec 31, 15:00
Hatey McHateface on The Fear Of The Briar: ““Reform are the protest vote against the incumbents” True, but far more importantly, that makes Reform the last throw of…” Dec 31, 14:59
Hatey McHateface on The Curious Fringes: “Your memory is playing you false, James. It’s: “Feck”. “Arse”. “Drink”. “Gurls”. You see, if Father Jack had been uncontrollably…” Dec 31, 14:44
Chris Downie on The Fear Of The Briar: “Another very good article and one which is on point, but I think there is at least one more twist…” Dec 31, 14:41
Hatey McHateface on The Curious Fringes: “Leaving 50% as … mince? Let’s hope so. The alternatives are even worse.” Dec 31, 14:38
Hatey McHateface on The Curious Fringes: “The “BTL” (appears 4 times) refers to Below The Line. Hopefully all is now clear.” Dec 31, 14:35
Alf Baird on The Curious Fringes: “Aye, Scots hiv come a lang wey in the lest few year tae better unnerstaund oor doun-hauden colonial condeetion. An…” Dec 31, 14:30
Aidan on The Fear Of The Briar: “It’s possible the conservatives offer better terms, but equally I can see a world where they see being a junior…” Dec 31, 14:29
Towbar Sullivan on The Fear Of The Briar: “There is nothing to stop the SNP standing for election in England. In fact, I myself am considering standing as…” Dec 31, 14:23
Rob on The Fear Of The Briar: “As usual most folk are missing the point, and the reasons why reform seem to be doing so well and…” Dec 31, 14:22
Alf Baird on The Fear Of The Briar: “Also on the plus side, Reform are the only major party opposed to damaging and oppressive woke policies such as…” Dec 31, 14:17
Rev. Stuart Campbell on The Curious Fringes: “I don’t see any chains holding you down, Hatey. A solid 50% of the beef in these comments seems to…” Dec 31, 13:54
James Cheyne on The Fear Of The Briar: “A curious side question but still related to voting, Can the Snp stand Candidates for election south of the border,…” Dec 31, 13:50
100%Yes on The Fear Of The Briar: “If I had been one of these Westminster MP’s who lost their jobs last year. I certainly wouldn’t be happy…” Dec 31, 13:46
Captain Caveman on The Fear Of The Briar: “Hard to imagine any scenario where the Tories wouldn’t offer the same level of assistance for far less onerous terms,…” Dec 31, 13:40
sarah on The Fear Of The Briar: ““The independence movement needs someone to get behind..”. We need the activists of 2014 embodied as the necessary parliamentary mechanism.…” Dec 31, 13:38
Aidan on The Fear Of The Briar: “@RevStu I was pretty skeptical about your suggestion to make an offer of an independence referendum on terms where the…” Dec 31, 13:24
Mark Beggan on The Fear Of The Briar: “When it comes to Scottish independence I’m drawn to the old Indian story about ten men and an elephant. Another…” Dec 31, 13:03
Cynicus on The Fear Of The Briar: “David Beveridge says: 31 December, 2025 at 11:51 am “Hard to believe that once upon a time the SNP were…” Dec 31, 12:25
Morgatron on The Fear Of The Briar: “I read the headline this morning and thought the very same thing, but less eloquently than you Stu. The independance…” Dec 31, 12:21
Cynicus on The Curious Fringes: “Hatey McHateface says: 31 December, 2025 at 8:40 am “The Scots on the outside looked from WGD BTL to WOS…” Dec 31, 12:03
Heather McLean on The Fear Of The Briar: ““ But while the motivation of those in the independence industry – who need it to never happen in order…” Dec 31, 12:02
David Beveridge on The Fear Of The Briar: “Hard to believe that once upon a time the SNP were a means to an end and it was just…” Dec 31, 11:51
Captain Caveman on The Curious Fringes: “@Andy Ellis Well, Google characterises the term “far right” and its manifestations as follows: “… Far-right ideologies have historically included…” Dec 31, 11:49
sam on The Curious Fringes: “Northcode, guid wishes yersel. Perhaps you might like this poet? “Efter SPL filtered throu dizzens o Scots poems publish in…” Dec 31, 11:40
Southernbystander on The Curious Fringes: “Have had this argument before with friends about voting: is there not always a lesser of evils to choose from…” Dec 31, 11:18
