Kezia Dugdale talking to Gordon Brewer on BBC Scotland today:
“I’m astonished that you’ve spent 10 minutes in this interview talking about independence and Trident when almost 50% of the poorest kids in the country can’t read […] I’m sure you’d be shocked to know that 50% of the poorest kids leave our schools unable to read.”
We suspect he would too. Because it’s total cobblers.
Alert readers of The National will have noticed an article by me in it today. It reads slightly weirdly, jumping from subject to subject, because it was originally done as an interview but they then decided to cut the questions out to get more text in.
That’s all absolutely fine – they okayed it with me first – but some readers may be interested in seeing the full original piece, which is about twice as long. If you are, you can read it below. If you’re not, um, do what you like. I’m not your mum.
There’s a remarkable story on the BBC News website today about the latest findings of the British Election Study, last seen destroying the myth that fear of the SNP damaged Labour in England. The piece focuses on the discovery that being seen as “too left-wing” does NOT, in fact, cost Labour votes, despite the hysterical warnings of supposedly leftist pundits.
But there’s a more startling fact buried right at the end.
I’m writing on behalf of hundreds of thousands of Labour Party members; some new, and some, like me, who have been loyal party members throughout our adult lives. I’m not writing to any one of you in particular.
All five of the opinion pollsters who regularly poll on Scottish politics (Panelbase, YouGov, TNS, Ipsos Mori and Survation) have now published surveys in the past two weeks asking the independence question. So it seems reasonable to expect there’ll be no more polls before the anniversary of the referendum on Friday.
Given the conventional wisdom that the economy, underpinned by that pesky volatile oil, was the main reason not enough Scots could be persuaded to take the leap into self-government, readers might expect that the dramatic collapse in the oil price since last year (when we checked today it was trading at just over $47 a barrel, less than half the $97 it was at the start of September 2014) would only have cemented voters’ feeling that they made the right decision.
There’s been a veritable flurry of polls commissioned to mark the impending one-year anniversary of the independence referendum. In the last 48 hours alone we’ve seen ones from Survation, YouGov and Panelbase, making a variety of interesting findings. As ever, though, the trick is in the interpretation.
As we were poking around with this, we thought it’d be useful to have all the basic donations and spending information about the referendum in one place. It’s normally scattered around different places and hard to access easily, and it’s quite interesting.
twathater on Contempt Of Government: “Your memory seems to be failing you again 100% yes , EVERY party in HR and WM including the tories…” Dec 20, 03:03
Cynicus on Contempt Of Government: “An interesting hypothesis. Do you have any evidence to support it?” Dec 20, 02:37
Angus on A matter of class: “Following the successful appeal, Judge Sandy Kemp must be sacked, no ifs no buts.” Dec 20, 00:06
Kevin Cargill on Contempt Of Government: “I’m sick and bloody tired of saying it but once more for those not listening. Transexual prostitution is one of…” Dec 19, 23:57
Oneliner on A matter of class: “Humbug (or any other kind of topical bug)” Dec 19, 22:53
GM on Contempt Of Government: “Bang on the money there Robert. Non the less it is interesting that she was picked out from the crowd…” Dec 19, 22:09
Peakcrew on A matter of class: “This not the first time Kemp has done this. Claims under multiple heads failed because he found doctors more “credible”…” Dec 19, 21:44
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: “So why did you leave early?” Dec 19, 21:05
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: “They’ll be sniffing aroond yer erse next, Northy. It must be the dug in ye. Bad dug! Nae biscuit! If…” Dec 19, 20:53
Oneliner on A matter of class: “I’m just back from the Duff & Phelps Christmas party. They’re all having a good laugh over there.” Dec 19, 20:36
Northcode on A matter of class: “I feel it is incumbent upon me to warn those who find themselves, perhaps in a confused daze, perpetually sniffing…” Dec 19, 20:29
Marie on A matter of class: “Significant falls in the number of mainly women (working class) applying to Scottish nurse training courses year on year. This…” Dec 19, 20:10
Lorncal on Contempt Of Government: “Start stealing their knickers, Lee. If they say anything – they’ll probably blame each other first – step in and…” Dec 19, 20:10
Lorncal on A matter of class: “You hit the nail plum on the head, Rev. It was a travesty. Legally, contemporaneous notes can be strongly evidential…” Dec 19, 19:58
Mark Beggan on A matter of class: “Socialism is a parasite that feeds on the host nation (fanny).” Dec 19, 19:58
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: “It’s naw, though. I’ve checked. Your vision’s getting blurry, Northy. What have you been up to?” Dec 19, 19:52
Mark Beggan on A matter of class: “The Red menace contaminated the water long before that. Or was it the will of God. No. Alas it’s University…” Dec 19, 19:43
Northcode on A matter of class: ““You missed ane, Northy, Scottish Water.” Nope… it’s right there in the “whatever else is left over” class of things…” Dec 19, 19:42
Hatey McHateface on Contempt Of Government: “I think of the (checks pocket edition of Fanon) hundreds of millions dead at the hand of oppressive, alien colonialism…” Dec 19, 19:34
Mark Beggan on A matter of class: “You’re on those magic mushrooms again.” Dec 19, 19:33
Lorncal on Contempt Of Government: “I would agree with that, Hatey. Our instincts are honed through millennia to protect us. That is why it is…” Dec 19, 19:27
Lorncal on Contempt Of Government: “It is the indulgence of these men in public spaces that is the real problem, James. I have to say…” Dec 19, 19:22
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: ““NHS, civil service, police force, Judiciary, local councils, education authorities, transport and shipping, financial institutions; arts and culture, the Scottish…” Dec 19, 19:18
Northcode on A matter of class: “The only folk surprised by all this ‘stuff’; this “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” stuff; this “Independence Day” stuff; this…” Dec 19, 18:50
Hatey McHateface on Contempt Of Government: “Animals have “norms” through the functioning of instinct. People have instincts too, far more so than we want to admit.…” Dec 19, 18:48
Ken MacIntyre on Contempt Of Government: “Anarcho tyranny defined: ‘the combination of oppressive government power against the innocent and the law-abiding and, simultaneously, a grotesque paralysis…” Dec 19, 18:40
100%Yes on Contempt Of Government: “I willing to be a well cooked sausage that Bridget Phillipson has banged on over the years while she been…” Dec 19, 18:35
panda paws on Contempt Of Government: ““She is only the SNP’S Minister for Education so ‘m dubious she’s even bothered to try.” Bridget Philipson is the…” Dec 19, 18:28
twathater on Contempt Of Government: “TBQH is anyone surprised at Philipson she has previous for supporting the woke lunacy as does her whole party and…” Dec 19, 18:20
Aidan on The Idiot Rodeo: “Here here CC, well said. How a scumbag bottom feeder like James gets to look down on anyone is beyond…” Dec 19, 18:15
