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.
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““even Westminster has acknowledged that the GDP Per Capita of an independent Scotland would be far greater” Even that claim…” Jul 26, 08:49
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Aye, Auld Lochnagar. If Wally W. Walrus can just get his flailing flippers around double quotes, the academically accepted way…” Jul 26, 08:35
James Che on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “The Crown laws of England / Wales / irelands UK parliament do apply to England wales and Ireland. However the…” Jul 26, 08:35
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Worth repeating the fact that Scotland doesn’t have the highest electricity prices in the UK, either for unit rate or…” Jul 26, 08:23
Aidan on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Thank you – we know this now, so there won’t be a need to make any further posts on this…” Jul 26, 08:23
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Cheers, James. TBQH I was immensely put out at the lack of reaction to my observing that the UN Decolonisation…” Jul 26, 08:05
Aidan on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Which contrasts with the eloquent and informative contributions by you fat stinker?” Jul 26, 07:59
Aidan on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Not a single measure described above would do anything to increase GDP on an overall or per capita basis. It…” Jul 26, 07:35
James Che on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “The parliament for England / Wales / Ireland did not renew or remake a new treaty with Scotland after the…” Jul 26, 07:27
James Che on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Anas Sarwar is already a official parliamentary member of the England – Wales and Irelands Great Britains UK parliament with…” Jul 26, 07:17
James Che on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “There is no UK other than the parliament for England and Wales making an agreement with the parliament of Ireland…” Jul 26, 06:58
Young Lochinvar on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “CC @ 11.39 Well hold on there Bald Eagle! “Scotland was doing much of the colonis1NG before and after the…” Jul 26, 00:06
Alf Baird on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Worth repeating the fact that even Westminster has acknowledged that the GDP Per Capita of an independent Scotland would be…” Jul 25, 23:01
Alf Baird on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Thanks for this Sam. I’ve met Mr and Mrs Cuthbert who are a tremendous asset to Scotland with their expert…” Jul 25, 22:15
James on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Dan; on the “money” as always, what the Unionist Wallopers don’t want the Scotch to see: JOHN JAPPY As a…” Jul 25, 22:02
James on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “So. The WALLOPERS have spoken. Take note, Scotch folk; you’ve never had it so good. Scotchland is the richest country…” Jul 25, 21:07
James on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “So. Precious tactics failing, the new 77th tactic is “swamping”? Endless reams of unionist “shite” vomited up ad nauseam by…” Jul 25, 20:53
James on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““Please note: “The Vow” did not break the law.” “Analysts from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre concluded that the fiscal…” Jul 25, 20:43
James on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “I wish someone would get a grip of you, ya AI unionist walloper…Westminster apologist, tosser of the first order…for years…” Jul 25, 20:30
Northcode on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Captain Caveman @3:42 pm Once again you’ve raised several points, so I’ll address them in the same way as before.…” Jul 25, 19:50
sam on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Alf, raising taxes in an independent Scotland.A study by Jim Cuthbert which I have edited to reduce its length “Fiscal…” Jul 25, 19:49
factchecker on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Some good news today. “…a spokesman for the Scottish government said: “Our economy is one of the best performing parts…” Jul 25, 18:41
Spartan 117 on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Few things worse in life than “Socialists” who at the slightest sniff of power dig in and engorge themselves at…” Jul 25, 18:23
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “@Alf Re your wish list at 4:08. Surely the most third-rate economist would understand that the feasibility and profitability of…” Jul 25, 18:11
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Some great comments today. There remains but for Wally W. Walrus to expectorate partly masticated rotting fish guts over it…” Jul 25, 17:50
Young Lochinvar on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “On a cheerier note. Listening to Smooth Radio the hourly newsreader had me smiling, for all the world her rendition…” Jul 25, 16:37
Aidan on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““ By definition, it is surely a rhetorical question also, since I am hardly likely to have published work on…” Jul 25, 16:32
