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.
George Ferguson on Only An Excuse: “Well thats the Trongate trashed tonight. And most Celtic supporters won’t be able to tell you why. It was Father…” May 23, 16:49
Alf Baird on Only An Excuse: “Hatey, in a colony we are all colonised to some extent, some groups more, some less, and those exhibiting denial…” May 23, 16:47
Geri on Only An Excuse: “Shiteface, Do you need a hanky?” May 23, 16:45
Geri on Only An Excuse: “AI Dan, It’s quite easy to call you a sad bastard. You & Shiteface give so many opportunities. Whit other…” May 23, 16:32
Young Lochinvar on Only An Excuse: “I’mnogay McI’mnogayface @ 8.11 Well well well! 😉 What a Julian Clareyesque rant! Raw nerve hit eh.. I think you’ll…” May 23, 15:56
Young Lochinvar on Only An Excuse: “I’mnogay McI’mnogayface @ 8.46 Your projecting again “old boy”.. And not one reference to oaths either, you’re slipping..” May 23, 15:39
Hatey McHateface on Only An Excuse: ““I’ve used “Yisra’el”, the unRomanised Hebrew form of the country’s name just in case using its modern, Romanised, version offends…” May 23, 14:56
Hatey McHateface on Only An Excuse: “Shocking, Northy. He’ll be claiming to be a thousand year old, space traveling Pict in no time. Nevertheless, your post…” May 23, 14:36
Marie Clark on Off-topic: “Aw Naw Tinto, don’t tell me that, you’ll break my wee heart. You are naughty. Onywho, as long as MrC…” May 23, 14:30
Skip_NC on Only An Excuse: “Alf @ 11:17pm, if you’re going to present Douglas Ross (which spellcheck wanted to change to Toss) in evidence then…” May 23, 14:27
Hatey McHateface on Only An Excuse: “So if last Saturday’s ref (remember him) has “many decades of solid, competent, uncontroversial service behind him” that’s just him…” May 23, 14:27
Hatey McHateface on Only An Excuse: “Leave Geri alone, Aidan. For all you know, she could be having an organism too! But if you’re not, Barbs,…” May 23, 14:15
Hatey McHateface on Only An Excuse: “Elite Pechts, eh? Pechtish Kings, eh? Your lot would go all Taliban on them if you got a chance. Destroy…” May 23, 14:09
Hatey McHateface on Only An Excuse: “Scot today, Pict tomorrow, or was it yesterday? Consistent never.” May 23, 14:01
Captain Caveman on Only An Excuse: “Heh, worth a bash. I’m potty about rosemary anyway and grow loads of the stuff, flowering like crazy as we…” May 23, 13:17
Northcode on Only An Excuse: “Guid day tae ye, Geri. Thanks for the hair advice I might give it a try. I’ll let ye ken…” May 23, 13:05
Northcode on Only An Excuse: “Guid day tae ye, Sam. A braw we bit o Scots leid thair – it fair cheered me up.” May 23, 12:55
Alf Baird on Only An Excuse: ““it strikes me that Saturday’s ref may have many decades of solid, competent, uncontroversial service behind him” Indeed, might even…” May 23, 12:47
Geri on Only An Excuse: “Slap some Rosemary oil on yer napper. It’s supposed to be good for stimulating hair growth. The proper recommended strength…” May 23, 12:32
Aidan on Only An Excuse: “@Alf – it’s going to be 23 degrees in Edinburgh this week, do you think the coloniser will allow the…” May 23, 12:23
Aidan on Only An Excuse: “What a load of drivel.” May 23, 12:16
Aidan on Only An Excuse: “Great post Geri – you get em told mate. Did you go to sleep between the post written at 2am…” May 23, 12:13
sam on Only An Excuse: “This is the Sovereignty Act 1606. Still on the bukes. Not a hint of the peeple. Just bowing, scraping and…” May 23, 12:07
Aidan on Only An Excuse: “Northcode however has lost both his hair and his marbles so it’s a double pain, although on the latter I…” May 23, 12:04
sam on Only An Excuse: “Mornin Northcode Up at the screek o’ dawn? My mum always said screagh o’ dawn. But then we used pleugher…” May 23, 12:02
Northcode on Only An Excuse: “I posted this on the off-topic thread by mistake… So here it is again on the correct thread – not…” May 23, 11:58
Northcode on Off-topic: “This from a story by Maybelyn B. Paden for the IBTimes UK: “Donald Trump was accused by Fox News viewers…” May 23, 11:54
sarah on Off-topic: “Make the most of everything. Though easier said than done, I find. However, we’re still here and we’re still speaking…” May 23, 11:33
sarah on Off-topic: “Make the most of everything. Though easier said than done, I find. However, we’re still here and we’re still speaking…” May 23, 11:32
Captain Caveman on Only An Excuse: “I feel your pain, Northy – bald as a coot. Watching the last wisps of my once-great “Bruce Dickinson” stylee…” May 23, 10:47
