In modern Scotland, you’ll struggle to find a politician from any party who won’t agree with two propositions: that Scotland is a nation and that devolution has, on balance, been a positive experience.
Debates about Scottish nationality are rare these days too. A substantial majority of Scots define themselves as “Scottish only”. Even UKIP has quietly ditched its plan to abolish Holyrood and now talks of forming a government.
But for all this consensus, Scotland’s inability to fully represent itself on the airwaves and onscreen remains one of the most critical issues we must now face up to.
The referendum created an eclectic range of alternative media. But, whether we like them or not, large media institutions like the BBC maintain a reach both online and offline that only a very select number of new platforms can begin to rival.
No single project can address this problem. Only a systematic renewal of Scotland’s media landscape will change the current reality of managed decline.
The Daily Record is currently faithfully blaring out Labour’s anti-SNP “NHS in crisis” message, as part of the embattled party’s bizarre strategy of fighting a Westminster election solely on policies that are devolved to Holyrood, like health and education.
But an article on its website today dredges new depths even for the Record.
Yesterday we noted that nothing had yet been heard from Scottish Labour’s policy review into universal services, launched amid much hoopla in September 2012 off the back of Johann Lamont’s infamous “something for nothing” speech.
The party has spent much of its time since then attacking the SNP over social justice, claiming that universal benefits are a middle-class subsidy, hurting the poor by spending money on giving the well-off free stuff they could afford to pay for.
Those two years have come and gone, and nearly six months more, and there’s been no sign of a single report from the commission. And it turns out there never will be.
The Scottish media’s daily MurphyGram this morning (which is dutifully reported by the Scotsman, Herald, Courier and doubtless more) is that a vote for Labour in next year’s Holyrood election won’t mean a return to tuition fees for university students.
We’re not absolutely sure why a Holyrood election pledge is news just weeks out from a Westminster one, but we’ll let that slide, because we’re more interested – as ever – in what the reports DON’T say.
Scottish Labour’s mustard-keen Kezia “Deputy” Dugdale bravely tried a tweet all on her own on Friday without running it past Labour central office in London first.
The categorical support of Andy Murray for Scottish independence, though only finally unambiguously revealed in today’s Sunday Times (the tennis star’s day-of-poll tweet backing Yes could by a strict semantic interpretation have been said to be somewhat equivocal), isn’t much of a surprise.
So it’s perhaps worth reminding ourselves what the media told us.
Perhaps we’re just being over-sensitive, readers, but we think the Daily Record might be a little bit upset with us.
That’s the editor of the semi-popular Scottish Labour fanzine, Murray Foote, pictured above this afternoon apparently issuing his own very special honours list, but it’s not the crankiest thing the Record’s published in the last 24 hours.
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Push The Button: “An effort at Scottish Gaelic lyrics for “OH SHENANDOAH” – https://gobha-uisge.blogspot.com/2026/04/oh-shenandoah-paul-robeson-bryan-terfel.html” Apr 27, 23:51
Willie on Push The Button: “The charges relate to three incidents: a vehicle fire in Kentish Town, a fire at the prime minister’s private home…” Apr 27, 22:52
TimePilot on Push The Button: “You are missing the point of what is otherwise a straighforward rational logic puzzle by imprinting it with your own…” Apr 27, 22:30
Alf Baird on Push The Button: ““oddball ragtag of misfit Yoons” The colonialists aye noo suffer fae anxiety near every Scottish election, because they ken fine…” Apr 27, 22:01
Southernbystander on Push The Button: “It was and I’m a Ronnie fan. Great match and Higgins came on really good towards the end of the…” Apr 27, 19:44
Dan on Push The Button: “CC says: “B.O. that could make a grown man weep – and breath that could strip the fur from a…” Apr 27, 19:23
agentx on Push The Button: “Great win by the “Wizard of Wishaw” today 🙂” Apr 27, 19:23
Lorncal on Push The Button: “I meant that ‘suicidal empathy’ must be excised, not liberalism and tolerance. The ‘suicidally empathetic’ regard all old-style liberals (small…” Apr 27, 19:18
Lorncal on Push The Button: “All the -isms do that, Captain: Capitalism, Socialism, Communism, Stalinism, Maoism, Nationalism, Britishism, Americanism… They all demand that we make…” Apr 27, 19:12
sarah on Push The Button: “Rev, we need a reprint of the Wee Blue Book so that all the people who couldn’t vote because under…” Apr 27, 18:59
James on Push The Button: “Adrian; see post above, petal. Away back to your glossy mag.” Apr 27, 18:52
Captain Caveman on Push The Button: “Exactly Aidan, maybe “more to be pitied than scorned”. He hasn’t exactly been spoilt has he? Penniless, porcine, B.O. that…” Apr 27, 18:52
Lorncal on Push The Button: “‘Suicidal empathy’, Confused is almost entirely the preserve of the middle class/political class and is not bull of any kind.…” Apr 27, 18:50
Aidan on Push The Button: “Exactly CC – the whole time I’ve been posting I don’t think I’ve seen “James” post a substantive comment or…” Apr 27, 18:31
James on Push The Button: “There’s a phrase…..what is it again…..? Oh aye; “Away and take a flying fuck to yourself”. Next.” Apr 27, 18:25
Grog on Push The Button: “No I meant if your statistical confidence in the blue vote being between 78-82% was 99% let’s say. That isn’t…” Apr 27, 18:12
Sven on Push The Button: ““Who would press it ?” Probably the same people who have to test, “Wet Paint, don’t touch” signs and stroll…” Apr 27, 18:09
Northcode on Push The Button: “I am cancelled… by a unionist here whose sparkling wit I have long admired! Yes, folks, set aside my heavy…” Apr 27, 18:02
Mark Beggan on Push The Button: “I think this question could have been made a lot easier if there was just one button saying: Do Not…” Apr 27, 17:35
Captain Caveman on Push The Button: “Yeah…. as opposed to you randomly spouting “Prick” in response to posts, eh Fatso. I’m sure we’re all in awe…” Apr 27, 17:31
Hatey McHateface on Push The Button: “@Aidan Relax. They’d deploy the F16s. They’d never get aff the groond!” Apr 27, 16:31
James on Push The Button: “The comments section on Wings is poor with the repetive, accumulated shite from the likes of Chas, Adrian, Wilma Flintstone…” Apr 27, 16:28
James Che on Push The Button: “Now we know that the UN is not independent as it claims to be, and it will never be allowed…” Apr 27, 16:23
James Che on Push The Button: “Not a rational thinker I note, having difficulties achieving thinking links that join a to b and b to c,…” Apr 27, 16:03
Hatey McHateface on Push The Button: ““There’s no objective evidence that being alive is better than being dead” I believe the Romans had a saying that…” Apr 27, 16:00
Hatey McHateface on Push The Button: “Occam’s Razor says it’s because Independence is but a matter of weeks or months away at most. 7th May. That’s…” Apr 27, 15:53
Athanasius on Push The Button: “You accept it as a foundational assumption. There’s no objective evidence that being alive is better than being dead, but…” Apr 27, 15:20
Hatey McHateface on Push The Button: ““Socialist Norway is one of the richest countries in Europe and regularly voted one of the best countries in the…” Apr 27, 15:19
Chas on Push The Button: “The comments section on Wings is poor with the repetive, accumulated shite from the likes of Northclown, Baird, Confusused etc…” Apr 27, 15:15
Hatey McHateface on Push The Button: ““This is not a black and white dilemma” No, it’s a red and blue dilemma. That means there’s a great…” Apr 27, 14:22
