At today’s First Minister’s Questions, the Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale oddly chose to spend her entire allotted time not on any current issues affecting Scotland, but on attacking the SNP’s 2013 White Paper on independence, seemingly unaware that the referendum was held 14 months ago and resulted in a win for the No side.
Happily for Scotland, that decision resulted in a huge £200bn oil bonanza.
Here’s our old pal John McTernan, angrily condemning Labour’s shadow Chancellor John McDonnell quoting Chairman Mao to make a point in the Commons yesterday:
And for once he’s right. What sort of vile cretin would go around quoting Mao?
Obviously, actually including the exact phrases “within 45 minutes” and “weapons of mass destruction” might have been a little bit too near the knuckle, but the message comes across just the same: “Here we go again.”
The Daily Record has this on its front page today.
And that’s fine. The tale of a five-figure sum of money which might (or might not) have gone missing from the accounts of Women For Independence, who’ve promptly called the police to investigate an apparent discrepancy between their donated income and their expenditure, is entirely legitimate news.
We don’t often bring you footage of an Armed Forces Committee session in the US Senate, readers, but this spellbinding six minutes of questioning from a Republican senator on the subject of military action against ISIS doesn’t miss and hit the wall.
(We should note that Sen. Graham is a hawk who wants ISIS bombed back to the Stone Age. But even he can see the insane, irrational nature of the action currently being proposed, which would leave Syria a shattered mess but firmly in the hands of a murderous Russian-backed dictator conducting a ruinous, destabilising civil war.)
For over two years now, this site has been warning that the UK government will take the earliest opportunity it thinks it can possibly get away with to abolish the Barnett Formula, the funding mechanism which the No campaign sold as the biggest benefit of Scotland remaining in the Union.
The Formula is hated almost everywhere else in the UK, by both politicians and the English (especially) public, who see it as an over-generous subsidy to the scrounging Jocks, and with the threat of independence theoretically removed after the referendum there’s very little protecting it.
Neither Labour nor the Tories – with just one Scottish MP each – would have much to lose politically from reducing Scottish funding by billions of pounds they could use to bribe swing voters in England instead. Barnett’s partial survival was the only solid commitment made in The Vow, but it’s set to be slashed by the Scotland Bill, and the smaller it gets the less resistance there will be to its total removal.
This week the House Of Lords made lots of headlines by highlighting the shambolic, half-baked state of the Bill, which hasn’t yet come up with a “fiscal framework” to replace the bulk of Barnett. But make no mistake – the Lords want it gone just as much as everyone else does.
We’ve been pondering this week whether or not to hold a quick fundraiser to pay the £750 fine levied on us recently by the Electoral Commission for being a bit late with some indyref paperwork, readers.
(Our feeling is that there’s still plenty money left in the Wings War Chest from this year’s big crowdfunder, but lots of people have specifically asked for one for the fine, mainly to make a point to both the Commission and the little army of Unionist trolls who almost exploded with glee when the news came out late last month.)
Cynicus on Contempt Of Government: “Thanks for getting back, Kevin. Sorry about mis-naming you in my first attempt. At least you are not, “mis-gendered”!” Dec 21, 02:33
Cynicus on Contempt Of Government: “Thanks for getting b ack Ken. your new information is very interesting but doesn’t come close as evidence for your…” Dec 21, 02:27
Saffron Robe on A matter of class: “I think it is worth noting that the separation of powers does not exist in Scotland and therefore Westminster can…” Dec 21, 00:24
Benhope on A matter of class: “The latest Epstein release of files in America are so similar to the heavily redacted files in Scotland by John…” Dec 20, 23:56
Mark Beggan on A matter of class: ““Sweet Loretta Martin thought she was a woman But she was just another guy All the girls around her said…” Dec 20, 23:49
Achnababan on A matter of class: “Maist o oor civil service leaders are frae sooth o the Boarder. This is the colonial response to clip the…” Dec 20, 23:13
Mark Beggan on A matter of class: “Macadanism. Built by the Irish, patented by the Welsh and overseen by the English. It wasn’t the Red coats that…” Dec 20, 22:06
Alf Baird on A matter of class: ““he concept of’Justice’ in that society depends on shared moral values” There are inevitably two different sets of values in…” Dec 20, 20:59
Mark Beggan on A matter of class: “On the point of Lady Justice. You could hang a wet duffle coat on those nipples.” Dec 20, 20:08
Saffron Robe on A matter of class: “Like the picture of Lady Justice at the top of your article, Stuart, here was I thinking that justice should…” Dec 20, 19:39
Alf Baird on A matter of class: “A decent ‘factchecker’ should know that “colonialism is always a co-operative venture with native elites” (Fanon). Burns rightly called them…” Dec 20, 19:10
factchecker on A matter of class: “Professor Baird says: 20 December, 2025 at 12:34 pm Aye, ‘Justice’ is at best a rather theoretical concept in a…” Dec 20, 18:48
agentx on A matter of class: “I look forward to seeing you listed on Peggie’s legal team as the race discrimination expert.” Dec 20, 18:47
Dan on A matter of class: “Aye, Bilbo. CC can get it right up him with that pish. Maybe he’d be a fan of the rainbow…” Dec 20, 17:44
Bilbo on A matter of class: “Captain Caveman Intelligence bordering on imbecility and delusion beyond belief. The Tories were in power for 14 years and the…” Dec 20, 17:12
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “Confused. But Confused our royals are german to, although have had some weird bedfellows and friends associations through out history…” Dec 20, 16:36
Alf Baird on Contempt Of Government: “Yes James, ‘colonialism is based on psychology’ (Cesaire) leaving a dangerous pathology and ‘disease of the mind’ whereby those afflicted…” Dec 20, 16:13
James Cheyne on Contempt Of Government: “Perversion alway starts and thrives through the association with money” Dec 20, 16:04
James Cheyne on Contempt Of Government: “Keven Cargill. I suppose the evidence is speaking for itself by the amount of men bringing in and twisting the…” Dec 20, 16:01
James Cheyne on Contempt Of Government: “The root of the problem goes much deeper and further back, as often said by my self, “The door in…” Dec 20, 15:50
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: “Sorry, Alf. I overlooked the Amalgamated Scottish UN Petitioners and Associated Grifters.” Dec 20, 15:44
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: ““Write more gibberish” But it’s yer turn, Northy. Gie us ane o yer lengthy epistles written entirely in yer fabricated…” Dec 20, 15:41
Confused on A matter of class: “civic nationalism at its best https://x.com/i/status/2002168538082005419 – we need to welcome the “new britons” furtheconomy-n-growf handthehenhaichess – luckily, 30 minutes…” Dec 20, 15:34
Confused on A matter of class: “as stewart lee might say … – you rape ONE BABY … https://archive.ph/urAU8 – and they CALL YOU A PEDOPHILE…” Dec 20, 15:31
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: “Thanks for your reply, Stuart. As it happens, I lack a union-flag covered duvet. As it happens, you missed a…” Dec 20, 15:30
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “Its a class war, If Sandie peggy was a doctor, and upton was the nurse… If Sandie Peggy was English…” Dec 20, 15:26
James on The Idiot Rodeo: “Yeah yeah, blow it out of your ass, crackpot. Fecking loony tune. Anyway some of us have things to do…” Dec 20, 15:20
Hatey McHateface on The Idiot Rodeo: “@James 1:04 Did yer maw teach you nothing? What you wish for in your letter to Santa is supposed to…” Dec 20, 15:15
Captain Caveman on The Idiot Rodeo: ““Supercilious”..? You’re the one looking down on McDonalds and fast food restaurant workers you fat, lazy berk, not I. Get…” Dec 20, 15:12
Jay on A matter of class: “Assuming young Theo has male chromosomes and genitalia then, if he were to tell me that he is a woman,…” Dec 20, 14:59
