When you’ve been watching Scotland playing football for 50 years of your life, you become accustomed to disappointment. You expect disappointment. Anything better than disappointment becomes a bonus.
Having solved cat hunger in Greece, the tireless Holiday Boy has now turned his hand to addressing Scotland’s crippling golfing shortage, so we’ve got a different sort of cartoon again for you this weekend.
The clip below is from a 1981 arcade videogame called Venture, by Exidy, in which you play a cheerful character called Winky on a mission to loot treasure from a series of monster-infested dungeons.
For the purposes of this article the treasure in the room above, which takes the form of a castle tower, represents Scottish politics. The room itself is the Union.
The SNP released their general election manifesto today. We’re not going to link you to it, because we don’t want to be responsible for wasting your time. This is everything it has to say on the party’s (cough) strategy for achieving independence.
It deserves much, much less respect than we’re giving it. Tomorrow, ice lolly reviews.
I’m a professional community organiser, and a tenant and housing activist for some 20 years. I saw the old Scottish Tenants Organisation get smashed by Jack McConnell’s government to make way for council housing privatisation, which in Glasgow created the Glasgow Housing Association.
I’ve long wanted to rebuild a national body to give housing schemes a political voice and to push to end the housing crisis. That’s why I got involved with Living Rent, organising my community to become their first branch. Little did I know that would lead to a brush with crazed gender ideology, and see Queer Theory used to try to destroy it.
We’re still trying not to pay attention to the election because it’s so tedious and awful and pointless, but this is worth putting on the record because it’s in The National and otherwise nobody’s going to read it.
Holiday Boy has of course chosen the general election campaign to spend the next three weeks feeding stray cats somewhere sunny, so here’s a cartoon by the brilliant webcomicname that summarises the Baillie Gifford story for anyone joining us late.
January 2018, with no general election due for four and a half years: “I very rarely talk about Scottish independence in the chamber, because I talk about things that matter”
June 2024, with an election in four weeks and a £91,346 salary, expenses and pension at stake: “ROBERT THE BRUCE! BANNOCKBURN! DECLARATION OF ARBROATH! FLOWER OF SCOTLAND! FREEEEEEEEEDOOOOOOMMMM!”
100%Yes on Search And Replace: “The murrel’s conviction was meant to lay the SNP’s embezzlement to rest, but it hasn’t. Its now got more people…” Jul 5, 16:36
duncanio on Search And Replace: “Your compare and contrast of the Crown Agent’s views of a) the Murrell use of monies from the SNP bank…” Jul 5, 16:31
Eric on Search And Replace: “I hope the lack of comments is I just stumbled in as you posted. We simply must not grow weary…” Jul 5, 16:10
Dominic Berry on Search And Replace: “I think Murrell stole from the SNP, and the SNP stole from the donors. The SNP would like him to…” Jul 5, 16:07
Aidan on Narrowing the options: “Yes Xaracen – and similar to the argument that Article 61 of Magna Carta means it is optional to pay…” Jul 5, 16:00
Ryan on Search And Replace: “Peter Murrell is a total dafty but to get 5 years for that and some get off with less for…” Jul 5, 15:44
Mark Beggan on Narrowing the options: “If I took this pish as serious as you do then I would be out there with my rubble flag…” Jul 5, 15:25
Xaracen on Narrowing the options: ““It goes without saying that none of these nonsensical alternative law doctrines enjoy any support or recognition by any authority…” Jul 5, 15:08
Hatey McHateface on Narrowing the options: ““Far more sensible people than you very likely will be convinced” Far more sensible people and far less sensible people…” Jul 5, 13:51
Hatey McHateface on Narrowing the options: “Thanks for clearing that up, Anthem. I get it. The case for Indy is so open and shut that you…” Jul 5, 13:37
Captain Caveman on Narrowing the options: “Good grief, you must be bored and very bitter, Fatso. It’s not all about how much more “free” stuff you…” Jul 5, 12:45
James on Narrowing the options: “They must actually think that the Scotch zip up the back of the heid. Why let the facts, plain for…” Jul 5, 12:22
agentx on Narrowing the options: ““Police are investigating claims £1.5million went missing from the accounts of the 2014 Yes campaign. The organisation had close links…” Jul 5, 11:32
Aidan on Narrowing the options: ““Xaracen says: 5 July, 2026 at 10:28 am And what on earth makes you think that we can’t build a…” Jul 5, 11:31
Aidan on Narrowing the options: “There are people in England who claim that due to their own interpretation of Magna Carta, that whole swathes of…” Jul 5, 11:27
Xaracen on Narrowing the options: “And what on earth makes you think that we can’t build a case around Alf’s stated theft of £150+Billion per…” Jul 5, 10:28
Xaracen on Narrowing the options: “But that ‘reality’ is unlawful and unconstitutional precisely because of those ‘musty 300 YO documents’, Hatey. Even merry old England…” Jul 5, 10:10
Hatey McHateface on Narrowing the options: “As I’ve just said to Xaracen, beats me how you can’t leverage that claim, if it’s true, into a slam…” Jul 5, 09:54
lothianlad on Narrowing the options: “Glad the Scottish establishment is being held to account.” Jul 5, 09:52
DavidT on Narrowing the options: “Operation Branchform uncovered embezzlement but was primarily an investigation into fundraising fraud following a complaint about the handling of a £667,000 ring-fenced…” Jul 5, 09:38
Hatey McHateface on Narrowing the options: “Not compelling. Not persuasive. Not practical. Not aligned with reality. Find something else. For example, Alf’s claim that Scotland loses…” Jul 5, 09:36
Alf Baird on Narrowing the options: “Aye Hatey, they are well worth their £2 billion budget for “those who are working for the security services” to…” Jul 5, 09:29
Xaracen on Narrowing the options: ““I’m struggling to identify a single SNP MSP or MP who I would trust to organise a piss-up in a…” Jul 5, 08:47
Xaracen on Narrowing the options: “James, it wouldn’t matter even if Article XVIII (and/or the Tenor attached to Article XXV by the Scottish parliament) didn’t…” Jul 5, 08:42
Hatey McHateface on Narrowing the options: “@Andy Wasn’t it Elkins who proved that in a colony, everybody not working for the security services actually is? Plus,…” Jul 4, 23:18
Hatey McHateface on Narrowing the options: “One thing you may have missed is the recent call by one of the more outspoken spokesmen for the religion…” Jul 4, 23:05
