Newspaper sales figures in Scotland now come out in a patchy and unco-ordinated sort of way, with different frequencies and at different times of year, so we thought it’d be worth collecting them together for easy reference.
The numbers below are the most recent figures for each title that we know of – for papers classed as “national” that means November last year, and for those counted as “regional” (which includes the Scotsman and Herald titles) it’s this month.
Figures have all been rounded to the nearest 100, and increase/decrease stats refer in all cases to the corresponding sales for one year previously.
So just to clear that up: four times £12 million is £200 million. The mystery of why people are increasingly reluctant to believe what they read in newspapers continues.
So after all the kerfuffle and commotion and comedy, a deal was done, of sorts. The unsquareable circle wasn’t squared, but the day of facing up to it was punted down the line for five years, by which point everyone hopes that it’ll be someone else’s problem. (Which is certainly the case for David Cameron.)
Every newspaper in Scotland tomorrow will look like this:
It’s quite incredible that someone with Jim Sillars’ political experience should be so naive about the tactics surrounding the EU referendum. Regardless of your feelings on the EU itself, there’s absolutely no point in any supporter of Scottish independence voting Leave this June, and here’s why.
Alert readers can’t have failed to notice a desperate Scottish Labour dusting off the old “Tartan Tories” attack on the SNP recently, over the Nats’ unwillingness to join in with Kezia Dugdale’s kerrazy kaper of hiking up income tax.
So after today we can only assume they’ll be looking for some similarly pithy zingers for their colleagues in Wales. They can have this one for free.
It’s curious that as the Scotland Bill negotiations deadlock drags on, well beyond its original deadline of 12 February and now hurtling headlong towards the extended 23 February one with no sign of progress on the horizon, that nobody is remarking on one of the most striking facets of the new devolution proposals.
Remember “pooling and sharing”, readers? Whatever happened to that?
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
Northcode on The Curious Fringes: ““…auld year’s day…” I’ve never heard of the last day of the year being called “auld year’s day”, Alf, or…” Dec 31, 11:11
Southernbystander on The Curious Fringes: “A better term would be hard right. They are the equivalent of a proper hard left socialist party on the…” Dec 31, 10:46
Alf Baird on The Curious Fringes: “Tut tut, auld year’s day an oor colonizer aye canna resist dividin an de-basin the native fowk an thair ain…” Dec 31, 10:00
Northcode on The Curious Fringes: “Here, whit a braw cauld an frosty stert tae the dey is theis mornyn. A fine dey tae end the…” Dec 31, 09:45
Hatey McHateface on The Curious Fringes: “The most wonderful thing about this kind of post from oor verra ain Northie is the crass ignorance it reveals.…” Dec 31, 09:37
diabloandco on The Curious Fringes: “A guid new year to wan and a’ – though I hae ma doots.” Dec 31, 09:26
Hatey McHateface on The Curious Fringes: ““start up your own blog performed solely in the medium of Scots language and see what traction that gains” Something…” Dec 31, 09:21
Northcode on The Curious Fringes: ““I was punished at School for speaking Scots, it is nice to see it being wrote down again. and I…” Dec 31, 09:11
Hatey McHateface on The Curious Fringes: “So Swinney and Rev Stu are in agreement then? I’d place my bets accordingly, although as the bookies also agree,…” Dec 31, 09:08
Northcode on The Curious Fringes: “Well here we are at last, eh? The final day of the 25th year of the 21st century… and guid…” Dec 31, 09:00
Hatey McHateface on The Curious Fringes: ““used to speak north east Scots at home” But that’s not the authentic, ‘true’ Scots. If anybody ever attenpted to…” Dec 31, 08:59
Hatey McHateface on The Curious Fringes: “The Scots on the outside looked from WGD BTL to WOS BTL, and from WOS BTL to WGD BTL again,…” Dec 31, 08:40
Cynicus on The Curious Fringes: “Apologies to Mr. Ellis for misplaced posting intended for Prof Baird” Dec 31, 02:40
Cynicus on The Curious Fringes: “Alf Baird says: 30 December, 2025 at 2:49 pm “a language the majority don’t understand” ======= Alf, if you have…” Dec 31, 02:36
Cynicus on The Curious Fringes: “Alf Baird says: 30 December, 2025 at 2:49 pm “a language the majority don’t understand” ======= Alf, if you have…” Dec 31, 02:33
James Cheyne on The Curious Fringes: “TURABDIN, Is it still a kings shilling? Perhaps its turned-into the-faith of all coinage,” Dec 30, 23:03
James Cheyne on The Curious Fringes: “Never be shamed into avoidance of you’re mother tongue and language, Many times we have been punished because we did,…” Dec 30, 22:56
Mark Beggan on The Curious Fringes: ““Everybody knows that the dice are loaded Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed Everybody knows the war is over Everybody…” Dec 30, 22:08
Northcode on The Curious Fringes: ““Scots is important enough to be taught in schools.” Indeed, Sam. I think the Scots leid is a fantastic language…” Dec 30, 21:52
Aidan on The Curious Fringes: “I should add the “1.5m identified as Scots speakers . . “” Dec 30, 21:30
Aidan on The Curious Fringes: “@Sam perhaps there is some nuance that I’m missing but “Scots identified as Scots speakers and another 267,000 understood it”.…” Dec 30, 20:54
Mark Beggan on The Curious Fringes: “‘I pulled into Nazareth just about half past dead. I just need to find a place where I can lay…” Dec 30, 20:48
