As well as being the Director of the John Smith Policy Centre (a job with no known responsibilities but which nevertheless pays around the same as being an MSP making laws in the Scottish Parliament) she writes regular columns in The Times and The Courier and is now, hilariously, the new Professor of Practice in Public Service in Glasgow University.
(A post with unspecified duties and unknown salary and which was also not, as far as anyone can tell, ever publicly advertised.)
We were bored so we thought we’d find out, via Panelbase, if her latest lucrative role was perhaps the result of a noticeably impressive performance in the first one.
A year and a quarter ago, we contrasted the performance of the SNP’s last two leaders in terms of building support for independence. As the First Minister crows about how much better she’s been at staying in power than a succession of UK leaders, it seems only proper to bring the stats up to date.
Do you remember, readers, how the next UK election was supposed to be a single-issue de facto referendum on independence if the Supreme Court ruled Holyrood didn’t have the power to hold one itself?
Well, it appears that policy has been abruptly and quietly ditched.
Because just a couple of hours ago SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford told BBC News that “I can assure you” the SNP “will have a growth manifesto” for the whole UK whenever the next election comes around, because in his view the UK economy hasn’t been growing enough for the last few decades and the SNP would have a plan to fix it. Because apparently fixing the UK is the SNP’s purpose now.
Guess we better hope for a good result from the Supreme Court, then.
And while the prediction itself wasn’t vindicated, the reasoning behind it certainly was, because she duly lost her majority just as we said she would, and limped pitifully into oblivion over the next two painful and shambolic years. (While Nicola Sturgeon ponced around hopelessly trying to stop Brexit instead of saving Scotland by getting it the hell out of the UK before it was too late.)
So it’s in that spirit that we’re going to stick our necks out once again and predict that despite the opinions of most political pundits Liz Truss is going nowhere any time soon, because as incredible as it seems, she’s almost certainly the least worst option for the Conservative Party right now.
Between recesses and the mourning period for the Queen, the UK Parliament has been sitting for just four weeks since the 1st of July this year.
In that time the government has somehow managed to lose three Chancellors Of The Exchequer and is about to engage its fourth in the alarming form of Jeremy Hunt, a man whose primary claim to fame and utility to the UK is as rhyming slang.
Sometimes even fools and liars and charlatans speak the truth.
Thing is, we rather liked it when the horses south of the border were frightened. Things happened in those days. But to coin a phrase, those days are past now.
Honestly, readers, swear to God, all joking and sarcasm aside, when we saw this tweet yesterday we were wondering how on Earth some clever satirist had managed to hack Anas Sarwar’s account to insert the screenshot into it.
Because we didn’t believe that even Scottish Labour’s low-watt-bulb of a branch manager would willingly post something that made him look so much of an imbecile.
Because the SNP are now openly, publicly telling you that they’re never going to achieve independence for Scotland, nor even make any meaningful attempt at it.
PB on The Interests Of The Many: “I was very confused when, in 2022, the Scottish Government announced that there WOULD be a referendum, and even announced…” Jul 8, 23:42
George Ferguson on Search And Replace: “@Hatey McHateface Duty I have been doing my duty all of my life. Of course it’s people like me that…” Jul 8, 23:09
James on Search And Replace: “Snowflake Adrian threatening handbags at dawn. LOLZ Better get some of the hard stuff doon ee first, petal. Try a…” Jul 8, 23:04
Dick Wall on The Interests Of The Many: “alf, Here’s what I found was decolonisation online. Beyond political independence, decolonisation also involves undoing the cultural, social, and psychological…” Jul 8, 21:52
robertkknight on The Interests Of The Many: “I’d like to think so, but as will all forms of the press they are guided by sales. It’d be…” Jul 8, 21:49
sarah on The Interests Of The Many: “@ robertknight: yes, amazing that The National should publish such an honest appraisal of the SNP’s failings on independence. Is…” Jul 8, 21:28
agentx on The Interests Of The Many: “The Clacton by-election is a farce – yes maybe the SNP should be involved!” Jul 8, 21:21
Hatey McHateface on Search And Replace: “Ah, c’moan noo, Aidan. Weapons grade halitosis for certain.” Jul 8, 21:10
100%Yes on The Interests Of The Many: “John Swinney has been totally played by Nicola Sturgeon she left the scene with no Interest to return to Scotland.…” Jul 8, 21:02
Aidan on Search And Replace: “At the end of the day James, you’re just some sad little keyboard warrior getting a pathetic thrill by mouthing…” Jul 8, 21:01
Hatey McHateface on Search And Replace: “Aw, Wally, I can see you’re suffering. Hope it’s something that will involve root canal work. Hope you have to…” Jul 8, 20:56
100%Yes on The Interests Of The Many: “Some of us have been saying on here since 2015 about the SNP and Sturgeon its a pity most not…” Jul 8, 20:28
John McGregor on Search And Replace: “I hope wee Pete in his cushy jail cell write’s a book n sets out everything he’s got on (ex…” Jul 8, 19:55
James on Search And Replace: “What would YOU know aboot normal Scots, Prick? Warmongering unionist Tory. GTF.” Jul 8, 19:43
Hatey McHateface on Search And Replace: ““This is a Scots Indy site” No shit, Wally, here’s a haddie just for you. Why don’t you post something…” Jul 8, 19:31
Hatey McHateface on The Interests Of The Many: “They could dust off and re-use the policy statements, economic arguments, and timeline they presented to great popular acclaim in…” Jul 8, 19:27
Southernbystander on The Interests Of The Many: “This is actually a good idea. The media will be glad of anything that isn’t Farage or Binface.” Jul 8, 19:24
Hatey McHateface on Search And Replace: “Give over, Dan. Even schoolkids will know that it’s the 40 ton HGV’s doing 95% of the road damage. I…” Jul 8, 19:21
Dan on Search And Replace: “All good here Confused, thanks. Trust life is good for yourself tae. Aye, the trio of bawbags hard at it,…” Jul 8, 18:22
robertkknight on The Interests Of The Many: “Has The National finally realised that their meagre subscriptions/sales among the Wee Ginger Fud loyalists aren’t cutting it? Or has…” Jul 8, 18:21
James on Search And Replace: “Away and take a flying fuck to youself; this is a Scots Indy site and it’s you who is the…” Jul 8, 17:46
Aidan on Search And Replace: “If you don’t like it here James, you can always fuck off. It’s not like you add anything to any…” Jul 8, 17:14
James on Search And Replace: “Larry, Curly & Moe; all day, every day. *yawn*” Jul 8, 16:16
James Barr Gardner on The Interests Of The Many: “All this SNP information was on “SAGE” for the Police investigating a doddle to interrogate those who donated and those…” Jul 8, 16:15
sarah on The Interests Of The Many: “O/T: Clacton by-election. Surely this is a good opportunity for a Scottish independence candidate/party to stand? Their platform could be…” Jul 8, 15:29
lothianlad on The Interests Of The Many: “This is the scrutiny that is so needed. Well done Stu and your team. There is no doubt in my…” Jul 8, 14:44
MaryB on The Interests Of The Many: “Count Binface is really Jon Harvey, a Corpus Christie, Cambridge graduate.” Jul 8, 13:59
Hatey McHateface on The Interests Of The Many: “Football’s all very well, TURABDIN, and some people are enjoying Wimbledon, but the greatest televisual spectacle of the moment is…” Jul 8, 13:37
Hatey McHateface on Search And Replace: “At least nobody’s popped up to say there was a boy developed a car that ran entirely on water, but…” Jul 8, 13:33
TURABDIN on The Interests Of The Many: “OVERHEARD in a shop today. Old Man…….Trump just wants to set the world to right. Young Man…Yeah, but he should…” Jul 8, 13:05
