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.
Mark Beggan on Push The Button: “Senator John Kennedy says: Stramers polling in the United Kingdom “is up there with ghunarea”.” Apr 30, 00:05
agentx on Push The Button: “Fabulous “Wizard of Wishaw” tonight. 🙂” Apr 29, 23:07
James on Push The Button: “They’d all be gan roond wi bandages on their feet…..” Apr 29, 22:51
Young Lochinvar on Push The Button: “Beggars Aye very good bumpkin.. Can just imagine Quality Polis Toshan tooled up in the Donut shop queue; “Excuse me…” Apr 29, 22:26
Young Lochinvar on Push The Button: “Beggars “The Americans get overexcited”.. Have you seen “British” media recently? Now there is overexcited; “ooooh, special relationship, the Americans…” Apr 29, 22:13
Mark Beggan on Push The Button: “I think all Scottish Police Officers should be armed. Thankyou for your attention.” Apr 29, 21:53
Geri on Push The Button: “Nah, he’ll be over there grovelling to Trumpet to hurry up & call a truce. The UK is losing a…” Apr 29, 21:42
Mark Beggan on Push The Button: “The Americans get overexcited. The idea is to let the King speak then clap. A knockout speech. A Big Bromance…” Apr 29, 21:11
Iain More on Push The Button: “I guess Lord Six Houses Six Boats 5 Cars Haw Haw Offal will be an English/Brit Nat NAZI gift that…” Apr 29, 21:06
TURABDIN on Push The Button: “the point i was trying to make concerned the title obsolete «king of England, there hasn’t officially been one since…” Apr 29, 19:33
Young Lochinvar on Push The Button: “But.. Whit happens if you press both buttons?” Apr 29, 18:59
Young Lochinvar on Push The Button: “Yikes! Just saw a close up facial of Melanoma Trump.. Scary stuff; Remove the wig, make up and fake tan…” Apr 29, 18:57
Geri on Push The Button: ““but, if you compare 100 years ago with today, we were all better off, are we not?” No. Only the…” Apr 29, 16:27
Geri on Push The Button: ““I think it’s possible I might, given you being called out explicitly by the site owner for this behavior (more…” Apr 29, 16:05
Lorncal on Push The Button: “Northcode: capitalism – not the unregulated or global kind – has actually been the catalyst which has pulled the people…” Apr 29, 15:57
Andrew F on Push The Button: “Same scenario… There are 2 buttons: If you push button 1, you will survive. If you push button 2, there…” Apr 29, 15:12
Aidan on Push The Button: “Thanks Geri – that’s really helpful, I’ll peruse the rules. BTW – when I’m doing that, do you think I’ll…” Apr 29, 13:17
Aidan on Push The Button: ““I don’t have a spare 30 seconds right now” has got to be one of the weakest most pathetic reasons…” Apr 29, 12:57
Geri on Push The Button: “AI Dan Stu is the owner of this site. Not you. He isn’t looking for a moderator either. It’s none…” Apr 29, 12:55
Northcode on Push The Button: “” I can’t think of a single comment of yours…” Of course, you can’t… but I already knew that. I…” Apr 29, 12:27
Captain Caveman on Push The Button: ““Why would a unionist do this, on an [sic] Scottish independence website? Are you being paid mebbies?” …. DUH. I…” Apr 29, 12:07
Aidan on Push The Button: “@Northcode – I can’t think of a single comment of yours that: – is relevant to the blog post; -…” Apr 29, 11:51
Northcode on Push The Button: “Thank you, James… your sentiment is greatly appreciated.” Apr 29, 11:34
Northcode on Push The Button: ““Seems The Donald – bein the maist powerful (Scots)man in the warld – mebbe aspires tae be King o Scots?:”…” Apr 29, 11:31
Northcode on Push The Button: “Read my comment again and you’ll see most of it is grammarcheck generated copy and paste. You compare my ability…” Apr 29, 11:25
Aidan on Push The Button: “Yeah I bet you would, because at least half of my posts are embarrassing whatever incoherent, easily disprovable nonsense argument…” Apr 29, 11:10
Southernbystander on Push The Button: “No, this isn’t a correct analysis and you give yourself away by saying blue voters are at best ‘stupid’ but…” Apr 29, 11:05
James on Push The Button: “Adrian; do us all a favour and piss of to the daily mail website or wherever it is you belong.…” Apr 29, 10:53
James on Push The Button: “Adrian; I’d rather read Northy’s posts all day than any of the specious, divisive unionist bollocks that you seem to…” Apr 29, 10:51
