Below is a very interesting 13-minute chat from this afternoon’s John Beattie Show on Radio Scotland, also featuring Stuart Cosgrove (presenter of the excellent footy prog Off The Ball) and Eamonn O’Neill, who we presume is this Eamonn O’Neill.
Naturally we like it because there’s mention of Wings, which – for just about the first time we can recall on broadcast media in our four-year life – isn’t about how vile and awful we are, but the whole thing is much more wide-ranging and well worth a listen.
(The line “The media the media doesn’t like to talk about” is Beattie’s, not ours.)
The Christmas truce on social media ended unusually early this year as Magnus Gardham, the political editor of the Herald, filed a column which had all the hallmarks of a man who’d overdone the sprouts and redirected the usual outcome of such an error out of his mouth rather than the other end of his digestive tract.
Backed up with a series of borderline-trolling tweets from his Herald colleague David Leask (who ambitiously referred to Gardham as a “genius”), the piece triggered a mild stushie on Twitter which we fully expect to see written up in tomorrow’s papers as “VILE CYBERNATS IN ABUSE STORM”, because it’s Christmas and you’ve got to fill pages with something.
Scotland’s two best-selling newspapers on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day:
We suppose we should just be grateful that they don’t publish on the day itself. The “STARVING REFUGEE BABIES RAPED BY AIDS DOGS” story* they’d doubtless lead with might put people off their turkey.
This was a brief exchange between the Scotland correspondent of the Guardian and the Political Editor of the Daily Record on Twitter last night. (The hug referred to is the one between Nicola Sturgeon, Leanne Wood of Plaid Cymru and Natalie Bennett of the Greens at one of the leaders’ debates for the May general election.)
An alert reader recently decided to get a bit meta and send an FOI request to the BBC about how many FOI requests it got, and how many it responded to with its standard get-out clause that basically amounts to “None of your business, get stuffed”.
This was the response. We’ve added the percentages in red.
You just pay for it, under penalty of law. It doesn’t answer to you.
Mark Beggan on The Idiot Rodeo: “@cynicus Mystic Mark predicts Scotland will progress to the next stage in the World cup. How they get there and…” Dec 15, 00:47
Cynicus on The Idiot Rodeo: “O/T Congratulations on your initial football forecast 3-1 it was.” Dec 15, 00:29
Mark Beggan on The Idiot Rodeo: “Well said. I have advocated for years that Independence is a struggle for future generations. Our concern is to make…” Dec 15, 00:09
Young Lochinvar on The Idiot Rodeo: “Absolutely correct. Liberation Scotland has now started this and that’s why I have withdrawn support. YOOF wing will be next…” Dec 14, 22:57
Lorncal on The Idiot Rodeo: “None of this should be a surprise to anyone. Not if it is accepted that the ‘trans’ lobby and the…” Dec 14, 21:44
robertkknight on The Idiot Rodeo: “Sad but true. Gives me no pleasure to recall door stepping as a candidate, twice, in local elections for a…” Dec 14, 21:20
Hatey McHateface on How Far To Go, How Far: “I guess your attention span didn’t last to the end, Alf. That will be how you missed: “Sovereign Scots just…” Dec 14, 20:13
Hatey McHateface on The Idiot Rodeo: “No way. For your own safety and sanity you’ll get a fifth of a gill of what he’s drinking, in…” Dec 14, 20:08
Eddie Munster on The Idiot Rodeo: “I think it’s our fault. We all joined up as members but never turned up to the local branch meetings,…” Dec 14, 19:56
Platinum on The Idiot Rodeo: “I still can’t believe we’re having to fight against something so phenomenally STUPID!” Dec 14, 19:12
Bobo bunny on The Idiot Rodeo: “Unfortunately, no beers.” Dec 14, 19:05
Bobo bunny on The Idiot Rodeo: “I’ll have a pint of whatever he’s drinking…” Dec 14, 19:03
Alf Baird on How Far To Go, How Far: ““Scotland will be £150+ billion PA better of after Indy.” Deid richt, gie that mannie a coconut! https://yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com/2024/03/19/the-real-economic-price-of-the-uk-union-for-scots/comment-page-1/” Dec 14, 18:39
agentx on The Idiot Rodeo: ““Richplanet TV a real independent journalist” ———————————————— Richard Hall who runs Richplanet. A conspiracist who claimed the Manchester Arena bombing…” Dec 14, 18:09
twathater on The Idiot Rodeo: “PC that would certainly put the cat amongst the snp trannies and would bring plenty of publicity to the cause…” Dec 14, 18:05
twathater on The Idiot Rodeo: “DIRECT DEMOCRACY is the ONLY way to sort THIS and every other lunatic policy out, politicians today are definitely a…” Dec 14, 17:40
PC Foster on The Idiot Rodeo: “Sandie Peggie for First Minister. She needs to stand. The Sandie Peggie Party (SPP). Bring it on please.” Dec 14, 17:25
Liz on The Idiot Rodeo: “The NEC is fixed This is why I disagree with having separate groups, women, LBGTQWERTY, BAME, neurodivergent It leads to…” Dec 14, 16:39
100%Yes on The Idiot Rodeo: “The SNP has spent 90yrs fighting for Independence and replaced it with trans rights. Just take a look at what…” Dec 14, 16:15
100%Yes on The Idiot Rodeo: “The tickets to the Idiot Rodeo Championship go on sale on Thursday 7 May 2026, it’ll be worth watching.” Dec 14, 16:07
100%Yes on The Idiot Rodeo: “But it was posted in the Sunday mail it has to be true! If the SNP had shown as much…” Dec 14, 16:02
Sven on The Idiot Rodeo: “Alison @ 14.50. Jig away, Alison, as far as I’m concerned SNP and Scottish Independence are a contradiction in terms.” Dec 14, 15:26
James on How Far To Go, How Far: “22% turnout. Some ‘victory’. Dinnae pish yer breeks too soon, Yoons.” Dec 14, 15:01
Alison on The Idiot Rodeo: “I’m so fed up with this constant obfuscation & prevarication. This issue will bury the SNP & when it does,…” Dec 14, 14:50
Stuart MacKay on The Idiot Rodeo: “> half-witted cowboys There you go again. Discriminating against horses based just on their appearance. The piece from Out For…” Dec 14, 14:50
Young Lochinvar on The Idiot Rodeo: “Yippee kayae! Holyrood; full of steers and queers. SNPs National Council? I don’t see any horns there so I guess…” Dec 14, 14:50
shug on The Idiot Rodeo: “It looks like the UK gov is holding back on their guidance to let the Scottish Gov make a complete…” Dec 14, 14:43
Marie on The Idiot Rodeo: “I’m so glad that even as a bitterly disappointed “Yes” voter I still decided NOT to give the repugnant SNP…” Dec 14, 14:42
Billy Carlin on The Idiot Rodeo: “Hi Stu They have got to keep their agenda going while keeping people steered away from what is really going…” Dec 14, 14:42
