A super-alert reader pointed out something about today’s Sunday Politics that we hadn’t noticed. Before the galaxy-class trainwreck that was the Scottish leaders’ debate, the networked section of the show had a piece on Scottish polling, and our eagle-eyed viewer spotted that the chart of projected seats wasn’t in proportion.
So we measured, and this is what it should have looked like.
With there only having been three hours of the Scottish political party leaders (and Jim Murphy) debating on TV so far this week, and four days to wait for another one, BBC Scotland thought they might need another 40 minutes on this afternoon’s Sunday Politics Scotland to discuss the issues around the forthcoming general election.
It went well, but for busy readers in a hurry we’ve edited the show down to a compact nine-minute cut, which still gets across everything the full version did.
A great example of adult discourse, expertly set. Well done, everyone.
There’s very little actual political news today, so the papers have largely been forced to either basically not have any at all (the Sunday Post and Scottish Sun On Sunday) or make up totally mad stuff for laughs to fill the space.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Scottish Liberal Democrat manifesto 2015:
I voted for this pathetic shower of useless snivellers for 23 years, folks. I’ve learned my lesson. Once again, I can only hang my head and beg forgiveness.
With the “biggest party forms the government” lie now sunk and rusting slowly on the seabed (weighed down even further by polls suggesting that Labour actually will be the largest party even if they lose all of Scotland to the SNP), and four weeks of campaigning left to fill, Scottish Labour have had to grab a hammer, smash the glass on the “EMERGENCY – IN CASE OF DESPERATION” box and clutch desperately at whatever they found inside.
The abject answer is “Project Fear 2 – This Time It’s Full Fiscal Autonomy”.
After this week’s STV and BBC debates, in which the Scottish Labour branch-office manager’s combative performances were favourably received by the Scottish media, Wings exclusively interviews armed-forces enthusiast Jim Murphy for a response to the latest numbers from YouGov, pausing first for the delivery of some refreshments.
It’s worth reminding yourself before you watch this clip from BBC News this morning that the gentleman at the lectern isn’t some rabid Daily Mail columnist, but is in fact the Secretary of State for Defence, Michael Fallon.
The “SPACE MONSTERS!” rationale for foreign policy. Who saw that one coming?
Last night the not-noticeably-cybernat Liberal Democrat Voice website declared that a young woman in the audience of the STV leaders’ debate, professing herself to be an undecided who’d been “totally convinced” by Jim Murphy to vote Labour, appeared to be the same person as one who’d previously appeared in Labour leaflets.
Then this happened.
I don’t know why anyone is surprised that revelation having teenage lassie in Tuesdays STV debate was a Labour plant. They are desperadoes.
We already KNOW the solution to the problem of panellists shouting all over each other. It’s used every day in the Scottish Parliament: the chair is in charge of all the microphones and only the person whose turn it is to speak gets theirs switched on.
If someone else raises a good point while someone is speaking, the chair can hear it and bring them in in a controlled manner if appropriate, rather than the self-defeating, time-wasting exercise in irony that is shouting at everyone to stop shouting.
The fact that the system is never used therefore leads us to only one possible logical conclusion – the broadcasters WANT chaotic rammies where nobody gets to make their points properly. As for why, you’d have to ask them.
Bilbo on Anatomy Of A Grift: “I’ve got a feeling that social media is going to change beyond recognition in 5 years time. This is going…” Aug 6, 16:57
agentx on The Party Of The Dead: ““John Swinney @JohnSwinney ? The publication of the SNP’s accounts today shows that at the end of 2025 the party…” Aug 6, 16:51
Ian Smith on The Party Of The Dead: “I would not be surprised if they lined up positions for anyone leaving with one of their pet quangos or…” Aug 6, 16:43
Effijy on The Party Of The Dead: “They could busk until dusk and not finance the next election. Anyone with glass bottle returns, Embassy Coupons or Greenshield…” Aug 6, 16:42
Knuckle_Heid on The Party Of The Dead: “Good point Elmac and even if the SNP do manage to claw back the £400k from Peter Murrell, hopefully enough…” Aug 6, 16:38
Ian Smith on The Party Of The Dead: “Has anyone heard when the campervan and miscellaneous luxuries go up for auction? With no appeals, would it generally all…” Aug 6, 16:37
agentx on The Party Of The Dead: “I notice that they spent £221,079 on Information technology (page 15) and £117,636 on Audio Visual at the Conference (page…” Aug 6, 16:32
agentx on The Party Of The Dead: ““In November, the SNP’s ruling body agreed to a more “streamlined” staffing structure and announced plans to cut jobs from…” Aug 6, 16:22
Alf Baird on Anatomy Of A Grift: “People are conditioned by their environment, Hatey. Thus, in a colonial society the oppressed colonized group tend to suffer from…” Aug 6, 16:15
Elmac on The Party Of The Dead: “I assume that the liability of the SNP to those who donated to the ring fenced fund stolen by the…” Aug 6, 15:54
Skip_NC on The Party Of The Dead: “The drop in salaries cannot be explained by Murrell’s activities alone. There must have been redundancies and pretty hefty ones…” Aug 6, 15:37
I. Despair on The Party Of The Dead: “Eech, two articles on consecutive days headed by pictures of the “Heather Herbert” polycule.” Aug 6, 15:23
lothianlad on The Party Of The Dead: “I cant help believing that this is all part of the SNP being utterly corrupted by greed and brit nat…” Aug 6, 15:22
Chas on The Party Of The Dead: “Murrell has apparantly stated that he will repay the £400k+ that he stole from the SNP. He obviously has this…” Aug 6, 15:15
Hatey McHateface on Anatomy Of A Grift: “You’ve changed your tune, Alf. Only a couple of weeks since you (and your faithful sidekick Northy) were claiming that…” Aug 6, 14:10
Aidan on Anatomy Of A Grift: “Well exactly CC, vote in the most unqualified, malevolent, fanatical people into power election after election and then blame the…” Aug 6, 13:46
Captain Caveman on Anatomy Of A Grift: “If people vote in left wing governments year after year in Scotland, they shouldn’t be surprised at the outcomes. No…” Aug 6, 13:25
Rookiescot on Anatomy Of A Grift: “My head has fallen off and I have misplaced it. I have started a Go Fund Me account so I…” Aug 6, 13:21
Cynicus on Anatomy Of A Grift: “Herbie goes a-courtin’ https://archive.is/479cV” Aug 6, 12:18
Alf Baird on Anatomy Of A Grift: ““Every now and again we read of something going on in Scotland that makes patriotic Scots resolved to say “We’re…” Aug 6, 11:53
Southernbystander on Anatomy Of A Grift: “Fine line though isn’t there between incitement to murder and apathy to it possibly happening? I assume you would agree…” Aug 6, 11:17
Hatey McHateface on Anatomy Of A Grift: “So what’s the name for the clump of grass and soil gouged out before the ball is hit? Is it…” Aug 6, 09:22
Kate L on Anatomy Of A Grift: “There’s an out of fashion female coded word I’d be happy to bring back for this cohort to help alleviate…” Aug 6, 09:19
Chas on Anatomy Of A Grift: “I ALWAYS replace my divots. For those who are unsure, in golf, a divot is the clump of grass and…” Aug 6, 08:54
Andrew scott on Anatomy Of A Grift: “These 3 will be demanding Queer milk next” Aug 6, 08:41
Hatey McHateface on Anatomy Of A Grift: “Where were you yesterday then? You could have piled in to say that expressing apathy about hotels being burned down…” Aug 6, 08:26
Hatey McHateface on Anatomy Of A Grift: “Yay! An entire new income stream for the lawyers. A guarantee of continued employment for those grifters whose jobs rely…” Aug 6, 08:20
twathater on Anatomy Of A Grift: “At least the weirdo won’t have to worry about Polis Scotchland or COPFS ( Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Service )…” Aug 6, 02:52
