For ages now it’s been nagging at us that there wasn’t a quick and easy reference point for all the opinion polls we’ve commissioned, listing all the subjects covered by each poll and linking to both our own analyses of the figures and the raw data tables for people who wanted to go delving in amongst the stats themselves.
So now there is – it’s here. (And in future you can easily locate it under “Polls” in the menu bar running across the top of the front page.) We’re off for a bit of a lie down.
We thought we might leave this here so that Scottish journalists could print it out and stick it on their monitors as a memory aid. It’s something they keep unaccountably forgetting for some reason.
You never know, it might just cheer them up a bit.
Joan McAlpine, SNP MSP for the South of Scotland, extensively documented at the weekend the obstructiveness of Labour councillors in Dumfries and Galloway, who in an attempt to score some SNP BAD points were refusing to inform their constituents about the Scottish Government’s £1500-per-household flood relief grants to help people cope after recent storms.
The councillors eventually backed down and informed hard-pressed householders and businesses of the help available, but today the issue was debated on the floor of the Holyrood chamber, and when Labour once again tried to make the issue party political, the Deputy First Minister ran out of patience.
We had a lot of requests for the footage, so there it is.
Despite what you may have read in the newspapers at the weekend (and then in the Daily Record a day later), Scotland was today rocked by the news that the SNP’s manifesto for this May’s general election in fact DOES contain a commitment to a second independence referendum within the term of the coming Scottish Parliament.
Who says so? Why, it’s Oliver Mundell, son of the only Conservative MP in Scotland and the Scottish Tory candidate for the Holyrood seat of Dumfriesshire, in a leaflet hitting the doorsteps of constituents in the Borders today.
As we noted on Tuesday, Scottish Labour’s opening election salvo for 2016 has been to blame the Scottish Government for unaffordable house prices.
Of the 450 most obvious flaws in that argument, not least the extraordinary efforts a 13-year Labour government went to to keep the housing bubble inflated, the one that caught our eye was that in the past three years we were regularly told of one thing that definitely WOULD bring prices down dramatically, but which Labour pathologically fought every step of the way.
If you’re primarily or solely contesting regional seats, and you’re chiefly (as seems to be the case) targeting people who are going to use their first vote for the SNP, “Vote for us so that we can provide strong opposition to the SNP” is a pretty weird pitch.
You’re basically asking people to use their second vote to cancel out their first. And that’s quite a tough angle to be trying to sell them. Just saying, like.
We suppose we shouldn’t technically be surprised that today’s newspapers carry no analysis whatsoever of Kezia Dugdale’s big speech yesterday detailing Scottish Labour’s first big election pledge – a £6000 handout to first-time home buyers.
After all, current polling suggests Scottish Labour have about as much chance of exerting any influence in the next Scottish Parliament as Lemmy has of posthumously winning the Eurovision Song Contest, so it doesn’t really matter if Kezia Dugdale promises every voter a free unicorn made of diamonds and glitter.
Still, if only for the mental exercise, it’s worth taking a look in detail.
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
Alf Baird on Push The Button: ““a king of England addressing Congress” For thon’s whit he is, King o the English Imperial State; he’s nivver been…” Apr 29, 10:50
Aidan on Push The Button: “I doubt it only took you five minutes but whatever, it’s a complete waste of your time. James Cheyne needs…” Apr 29, 10:25
TURABDIN on Push The Button: “OF PASSING NOTE. Mr Trump said US founding fathers like John Adams and George Washington “might be absolutely shocked” to…” Apr 29, 10:21
Northcode on Push The Button: “It took me a mere five minutes, including the time it took to copy and paste the grammarcheck generated stuff,…” Apr 29, 10:09
Geri on Push The Button: “AI has been caught red handed lying to its customers, issuing refunds to customers against company policy & being all…” Apr 29, 10:09
Geri on Push The Button: “I wouldn’t trust him. He’s probably setting it all up for the American takeover. Canada is one of their future…” Apr 29, 10:00
Aidan on Push The Button: “What an absolute load of rubbish. Imagine spending your time writing all that.” Apr 29, 09:50
Northcode on Push The Button: “After more than 300,000 years of enthusiastically embracing stupidity, homo sapiens – the modern human – has not only merely…” Apr 29, 09:36
James Che on Push The Button: “Mark Carney ex – governor of the bank of England, not the Bank of Great Britain or of the Bank…” Apr 29, 08:28
James Che on Push The Button: “Fearghas, Thank you for contributing those snippets of information, much appreciated,” Apr 29, 08:08
Bilbo on Push The Button: “You would think this is a parody but it is actually real as per Linkedin link shows that he is…” Apr 29, 07:26
Peter McAvoy on Push The Button: “In the original statement of the article,there are two more options press both at the same time to cancel each…” Apr 29, 02:15
