When someone sent us a link last week to a picture of an Anas Sarwar election leaflet, we were immediately struck by the fact that it had the weird characteristic of being ostensibly handwritten but underlining every word in a sentence individually, which reminded us of one we’d seen from Douglas Alexander back in January.
So after a busy weekend of saving stray cats from going blind, we went to dig the two leaflets out, in the modest hope of getting a quick cheap joke about them both using the same fake-handwriting font. But instead we got a bit of a surprise.
This is how Scotland is seen in the largest part of the UK today. There’s nothing at all new about Scots being portrayed as “stealing” money rightfully belonging to England, of course, nor in the stereotype depicted by the Jimmy hat. It’s the word on the placard that tells the story: “immigrant”.
A lot of people this week quoted a line supposedly from the former Labour cabinet minister Roy Jenkins, which runs “a statement is only interesting if a sane man could say the opposite”. We haven’t been able to verify if he ever really said that or not, but it doesn’t really matter, because it’s true either way.
If you ask them on social media, Labour MPs and activists will all hotly deny that the party signed up to the Conservatives’ plan for £30bn of austerity cuts in the next five years. It’ll be interesting to see whether they try to continue doing so in the light of Ed Balls’ appearance on the Andrew Marr Show this morning.
Alert readers will have noticed that this week we’ve been fascinated by the differences between the mostly-identical Scottish and English editions of The Sun. For example, the editorial below from today’s English edition doesn’t make it across the border.
Here’s a clip from last night’s Question Time from Leeds, in which Anna Soubry MP for the Conservatives, Lucy Powell MP for Labour, Charles Kennedy MP for the Lib Dems, ardent Unionist Ian Hislop from Private Eye and various audience members spent 20 minutes attacking the SNP, with no SNP representative present.
(The closest thing was Natalie Bennett, leader of the Greens in England and Wales, who was relentlessly mocked, derided and harangued from all sides for most of the programme’s duration, including by the “anti-establishment” Hislop.)
It seems to us that the solution to the problem is simple.
For some time, readers, we’ve been puzzling to ourselves about quite why the idea of having to work with the SNP in the UK parliament enrages the Labour Party quite so much. Because it doesn’t make any rational sense.
Indeed, on any intelligent analysis the arrangement currently suggested by opinion polls is a dream outcome for the party. Think about it logically for a moment. Minority government lifts the burden of responsibility from your shoulders – there’s always someone else to blame if you bail on a manifesto promise, because you can say “We didn’t have a majority to push it through”.
(The SNP, it should of course be recorded, took advantage of this benefit of minority government more than once at Holyrood between 2007 and 2011)
But in Labour’s specific case in 2015, there’s what seems an even bigger boon.
Unionist politicians, journalists and trolls have barely been able to contain themselves with glee at today’s figures suggesting that Scotland’s economy was weaker in the last fiscal year than in previous years (though still healthy). We’ll keep this short.
Aidan on The Idiot Rodeo: “Okay Northcode – your babble has reached a degree where it isn’t possible to interpret any argument you might be…” Dec 18, 17:20
Northcode on The Idiot Rodeo: ““Far from being ‘agin oor will’, it was in fact by our will.” Absolute nonsense… and you call yourself a…” Dec 18, 16:54
Chas on The Idiot Rodeo: “The usual dross from the resident Master Baiter. Probably upset because it can’t get fishing!” Dec 18, 16:18
Mark Beggan on The Idiot Rodeo: “That season greetings doesn’t apply to Socialists. They don’t have a soul.” Dec 18, 16:13
Northcode on The Idiot Rodeo: ““…the entirety of academic research concerning urban transport systems conducted by universities and other institutions all over the world is…” Dec 18, 16:10
Mark Beggan on The Idiot Rodeo: “I have recently acquired a Diversity Barrier which I have now attached to my body. Be safe this Christmas. Merry…” Dec 18, 16:03
Aidan on The Idiot Rodeo: “Of course, and I bet James is the type of man to go in and make a huge fucking mess…” Dec 18, 16:02
Aidan on The Idiot Rodeo: ““There is strong and increasing evidence that the Act of Union was never implemented, and hence that the prevailing governance…” Dec 18, 15:50
factchecker on The Idiot Rodeo: “Factually, of course, the campaign to eradicate Gaelic language and culture in Scotland starts with the Establishment of Schools Act…” Dec 18, 15:32
Captain Caveman on The Idiot Rodeo: “No, Fatso, you were clearly looking down on people serving fries or salad for a living, ergo hardworking, Working Class…” Dec 18, 15:17
Aidan on The Idiot Rodeo: “Yes Northcode, the entirety of academic research concerning urban transport systems conducted by universities and other institutions all over the…” Dec 18, 15:07
James on The Idiot Rodeo: “Leave it another decade or so next time, champ, there’s a good lad.” Dec 18, 15:06
James on The Idiot Rodeo: ““This site is for grown-ups !” rotflmfao. Jeezo, self-awareness bypass on stilts.” Dec 18, 15:04
James on The Idiot Rodeo: “I’m not. Im looking down on the likes of you.” Dec 18, 15:01
Northcode on The Idiot Rodeo: ““There is no shortage of academic literature to support this…” Maybe so… but none of it is by Scottish academics.…” Dec 18, 14:43
Captain Caveman on The Idiot Rodeo: “I’m used to metropolitan lefties leering at and putting down the actual working classes they (laughably) purport to represent, but…” Dec 18, 14:41
Chas on The Idiot Rodeo: “Logged on to the comments section for the first time in weeks. A quick look at the names of the…” Dec 18, 14:34
Northcode on The Idiot Rodeo: ““There is strong and increasing evidence that the Act of Union was never implemented…” A very good answer to my…” Dec 18, 14:31
Aidan on The Idiot Rodeo: “I bet James is no stranger at his local maccies although I imagine they make him walk round to the…” Dec 18, 14:24
Aidan on The Idiot Rodeo: “I’m glad to hear that they didn’t take any notice of you then either. I still think a tram/light rail…” Dec 18, 13:55
Insider on The Idiot Rodeo: “Fatso @ 12:34 Criticising the obsessive nutters who swamp this site daily with utter drivel (and cause so much damage…” Dec 18, 13:33
Alf Baird on The Idiot Rodeo: ““Hou kin wi Scots pit oor feth in ony o whits left o Scotlan’s ance braw ceevic institutiouns and trou…” Dec 18, 13:31
James Cheyne on The Idiot Rodeo: “When asked, of the Scots do you want to remain), there must be a pre- emptive question asked, to set…” Dec 18, 13:29
James Cheyne on The Idiot Rodeo: “The Anglo parliament and Anglo – Irish parliament would have required to use the Great Seal of England, to make…” Dec 18, 13:14
DaveL on The Idiot Rodeo: “You’d be hard pressed to pick a winner James, they’re both champions.” Dec 18, 13:13
Captain Caveman on The Idiot Rodeo: “Even if I did work at Maccies (I didn’t btw), that’d still be a darn sight better than anything you’ve…” Dec 18, 12:55
James Cheyne on The Idiot Rodeo: “England left the parliament of Great Britain and separated as the parliament of England, it came back as England and…” Dec 18, 12:54
Northcode on The Idiot Rodeo: “I think it’s important, no, absolutely necessary, that we indigenous, independence supporting Scots and Picts – Gaels tae, I suppose…” Dec 18, 12:53
Young Lochinvar on The Idiot Rodeo: “Sarah Scotch Conservative (&)Unionist Member. Part of the wider Scotch Tory Diaspora.. 🙂” Dec 18, 12:49
James Cheyne on The Idiot Rodeo: “England had fore gone its active roll as the parliament of and for Great Britain to become the parliament of…” Dec 18, 12:39
