Hats off to the SNP. Every time we think that the party’s leadership election can’t get any more absurdly farcical, they pull something extra-mad out of the bag.
After this happened yesterday, it suddenly become “known” across the Scottish media that the SNP NEC was going to hold an extraordinary meeting in order to authorise the release of the membership figures after all three candidates demanded them.
Some of the country’s most senior hacks, including BBC Scotland’s Political Editor and the editor of the Daily Record, sombrely informed their readers of the development.
Tonight’s debate on Sky News between the three SNP leadership candidates was yet another inconclusive low-scoring draw, with each contender taking a few hits (almost all from host Beth Rigby) and also landing the odd blow on each other.
The most notable of the latter was probably when Ash Regan gave Humza Yousaf a rather uncomfortable time over his claiming credit for the Queensferry Crossing when he was Transport Secretary.
As well as frantically trying to deflect by pretending Regan had attacked the SNP’s record on the project in general, Yousaf insisted that he’d played a major role in the bridge’s delivery. So let’s just check the timeline.
The Unionist media in Scotland (ie all of the media in Scotland) usually keeps up a pretty united front when it comes to the subjects of independence or the SNP. So it’s been fascinating in these last couple of weeks to see a genuine schism develop between them on the subject of the party’s leadership election.
(For the avoidance of doubt, we do not include Holyrood Magazine, whose splendid front cover image that is, in “the Unionist media”.)
Right back at the start of the contest we highlighted The Times’ full-on love-in for Kate Forbes, but most of the Scottish press has now made their preferences clear. And you’ll never guess who they really, really DON’T want to be the next First Minister.
We’ve been telling you for quite some time now that after eight wasted years of doing absolutely nothing with endless mandates, the SNP establishment want to back away from the party’s defining goal of Scottish independence and settle in for some lovely cosy lifelong careers at Westminster and in the devolved Holyrood, with well-paid staffer jobs for all their pals, followed by tidy £50,000-a-year pensions.
In fairness, you can’t really accuse them of hiding it any more.
The faint hearts and pension-seekers of the SNP think that their time has come – the moment when the party’s pursuit of independence can be quietly downgraded to a vague long-term aspiration that will ensure their seats on the gravy train for decades.
Starting at noon tomorrow is your very last chance to stop them.
There is growing domestic and international attention on my plan to use the ballot box to decide whether Scotland becomes an independent country.
I have the only plan that has historic precedent, can be delivered legally by Scotland alone, moves us beyond the referendum stalemate, and today I can confirm that this plan is supported by 93% of SNP voters and 52% of Scottish voters.
While idly browsing Twitter this morning, we made a startling discovery triggered by the SNP leadership election, and it was this: nobody in Scotland really knows what the nation’s law on abortion is.
It was prompted by these two tweets, both of which appear to be true:
The thing they agree on is that Humza Yousaf has just declared that he wants to change the law around abortion so that women can abort babies in Scotland solely on the grounds that they don’t like which sex they are. And that seems like something that should probably be bigger news.
Northcode on List Voting For Cretins: “Excellent post, Alf…very interesting and informative.” Jan 2, 21:09
BLMac on List Voting For Cretins: “I’ve finally cracked the conundrum! The SNP’s obsession with Gender Reform is the clue. They self-ID as an independence party…” Jan 2, 20:37
Captain Caveman on List Voting For Cretins: “Your swearing black is white won’t save you or your ilk, Dave. Not interested in your ego-saving crass revisionism, projection…” Jan 2, 20:34
Alf Baird on List Voting For Cretins: “Due to the usual tricks by the imperial power, France, New Caledonia applied the undernoted ‘secondary criteria’ in one of…” Jan 2, 20:32
factchecker on List Voting For Cretins: “James said “Wanting other folk to do your research again, Yoon? How about….umm…”France”. Heard of it? You Inglis don’t like…” Jan 2, 19:56
Dave Hansell on List Voting For Cretins: “Yeah, right. A media outlet which has pushed Establishment narratives since its first edition is ‘left-wing’. One notes that, woke…” Jan 2, 19:16
Bob on List Voting For Cretins: “I’ve offered wondered: what’s the difference between the shadowy billionaires who fund Reform (Boo! Hiss!) and the shadowy billionaires who…” Jan 2, 18:59
Northcode on List Voting For Cretins: ““…they will be disappointed because farage is part of the establishment and he thinks LEGAL immigration is acceptable…” Aye, TH.…” Jan 2, 18:58
Northcode on The Gulf War: “I’ve just realised something germane to the ‘franchise’ argument RAGING (chortle) below the line here in this place. The Scots…” Jan 2, 18:48
sarah on Off-topic: “You shouldn’t have mentioned the pastry, IB – it brought some sighs from my husband and recollections of his mother’s…” Jan 2, 18:48
factchecker on List Voting For Cretins: “My dear twathater, it is the professor who is citing the Survey in support of his assertion. It is for…” Jan 2, 18:40
Northcode on List Voting For Cretins: ““Please explain how the Survey defined a ‘Scot’, and how it sourced and assembled the data…” Folk are so lazy…” Jan 2, 18:37
twathater on List Voting For Cretins: “Away and dae some research yirself ya lazy arse instead of asking others tae dae it , Alf isnae yir…” Jan 2, 18:32
twathater on List Voting For Cretins: “Hear Hear Northy I too could be convinced by those criteria , but unfortunately the progressive , civic , DEI…” Jan 2, 18:26
James on List Voting For Cretins: ““….give some examples of countries in the world where the franchise is based on something different that makes it “regular”….”…” Jan 2, 18:25
Captain Caveman on List Voting For Cretins: “No Dave. You’re “living proof” of (yet another) Lefty attempting crass revisionism because facing up to reality has become too…” Jan 2, 18:24
Northcode on List Voting For Cretins: ““… the tiny minority of ethno-nationalist bigots don’t get to decide…” I’ll have you know I’m over six feet in…” Jan 2, 18:24
Northcode on The Gulf War: ““The right of peoples to self determination does not provide anyone with the right to… exclude minority ethnicities from participating…” Jan 2, 18:15
Dave Hansell on List Voting For Cretins: “Only in your subjective opinion, Cave dweller. It says Daz on the side of buses, but they don’t sell soap…” Jan 2, 18:14
factchecker on List Voting For Cretins: “Alf Baird says: 2 January, 2026 at 5:26 pm “if Scots can’t assemble a pro-independence majority from pro-independence native born…” Jan 2, 18:08
Alf Baird on List Voting For Cretins: ““give some examples of countries in the world where the franchise is based on something different” You might consider UN…” Jan 2, 18:05
Andy Ellis on List Voting For Cretins: “@ Alf 5.26 pm Thankfully Alf you and the tiny minority of ethno-nationalist bigots don’t get to decide who is…” Jan 2, 18:04
Northcode on The Gulf War: ““… such policies are described as “abhorrent to the conscience of mankind” if anyone were to be in any doubt…”…” Jan 2, 18:02
Northcode on The Gulf War: ““…Ten years residence…” You’re very generous, James. That’s at least 290 fewer residency years than I was thinking. I think…” Jan 2, 17:56
Andy Ellis on The Gulf War: “@ James 5.27 pm There’s no precedent for anything more than a 24 month residence criteria for a self determination…” Jan 2, 17:56
twathater on List Voting For Cretins: “VOTE for the Scum Nonce Party OR Alba if you WANT to remain tied to this VILE , ABUSIVE uk…” Jan 2, 17:56
Alf Baird on The Gulf War: “” the civic nationalism which characterises the recent progressive self determination campaigns in liberal democracies such as Quebec, Catalonia and…” Jan 2, 17:55
Aidan on The Gulf War: “Absolutely Andy I agree with all of that, and I suspect the reason why we are treated to endless riddles…” Jan 2, 17:46
Xaracen on The Gulf War: “Aidan said; “Of course though the example you give isn’t human hallucination, it is an accurate statement of the UK’s…” Jan 2, 17:45
James on The Gulf War: “The twa Franchise Fannies circling round again changing the meaning of others posts. It’s easy. Ten years residence, or born…” Jan 2, 17:27
