Progressing To Oblivion
It’s now more than three years since this site drew attention to the curious case of Progress Scotland, the zombie “polling company” run by the SNP’s Angus Robertson that had no employees and hadn’t published any polls since October 2020, but was apparently still accepting, and soliciting, donations from subscribers, and appeared to have disposed of a rather substantial amount of money (well into six figures) without producing anything to show for it.
We followed up the next day with another article about the company’s repeated delays in producing its 2021 accounts, which finally showed up in May 2023.
Here’s what the Progress Scotland website looks like today.
And once more, a few questions spring to mind.
(Though just before we get to those, we can’t help noting in passing the aptness of Progress Scotland and the original “ringfenced” indyref fundraiser site both now being dodgy casino pages, casinos being places where lots of ordinary people turn up full of hope and dreams but get cynically fleeced, leaving only the proprietors rich.)
Progress Scotland’s most recent accounts, published a few weeks ago, showed a dramatic drop in assets, from almost £60,000 to just over £8,000.
As the company is only required to publish “micro-accounts”, there was no explanation of where the money had gone, and the identity of the sole employee (and what they do all day) is a mystery. The micro-accounts contain a note saying “The director of the company has elected not to include a copy of the profit and loss account within the financial statements”.
Robertson’s last recorded entry in the MSP register of interests (from March 2026) said that he hadn’t done any work for the company since 2021 and expected to receive only a “final payment” of £501-£1000 for work before then.
The only other person believed to have worked for Progress Scotland, Robertson’s brother-in-law Peter Dempsie, stepped down in 2022.
So a company with no known paid staff, that’s been effectively dormant for almost six years (other than two 2024 polls that shouldn’t have cost more than £10,000 max) and now doesn’t even have a website, has assets that look like this:
That is… a pretty strange trajectory, wouldn’t you say, readers? The firm’s assets have peaked a few weeks after its last known work (having grown exponentially over years when it apparently did nothing at all), and then just vanished overnight, and none of the numbers bear any relation to what it claimed about its subscriber base or any known costs of polling.
With the whereabouts of millions of pounds of money that was supposed to be used for the fight for independence – the SNP’s “ringfenced” fundraisers, the mysterious expenditure of Yes Scotland, and now Progress Scotland slipping quietly offstage – all now in some dispute, it looks more and more as though indy supporters have been taken for a very long ride to nowhere.
“Micro accounts” are also deployed by Believe In Scotland/Business For Scotland, who claim to have raised many hundreds of thousands of pounds in recent years but publish figures comprising only a tiny fraction of that. In 2024 BFS claimed a turnover of £300,000 but reserves of just £1,022 (alongside assets of £40,000) with no information about expenditure, salaries or the like. Where did it go? Wheesht for indy.
(Believe In Scotland has been listed as “dormant” for the past three years despite being the brand used on marches and rallies and in campaigning.)
The system offers a near-bottomless pit for people to hide their finances in, away from public scrutiny, for good reasons or bad.
The money comes in, and then… nobody knows.
And while we wish we had a punchy or optimistic line to end this article on, that seems to be pretty much the end of the story. There’s very little anyone can do to probe the affairs of such companies and find out exactly what happened to the vast bucketloads of cash they extracted from hopeful Yes supporters’ pockets, except that we do know none of it has effected a single step of progress towards independence. The only thing moving forward in the last decade has been certain people’s bank balances.
Not only do we not know where we’re going, but we don’t know where we’ve been, and we can’t even say what we’ve seen. This, folks, is not the road to Paradise.
Let’s be fair here….
Translating “Boku No Piku” into Indonesian isn’t cheap.
Angus Robertson is epitome of what a greedy self-righteous prick, who gets away with stealing from the school tuck shop looks like. He is also the architect of poisoning the minds of Scottish children with Sturgeons pet project: Operation Dyke-supremo. The wiping out of God’s children and all things natural.
Find the smallest jail cell and stuff fat boy into it.
There have been proposals to end abridged accounts for a couple of years but successive Govts have kept kicking the can down the road. It has been announced that they are to end in 2028 but I wouldn’t be surprised if that doesn’t happen as the business lobby will complain about the additional red tape. The real reason they oppose it is because it allows for secrecy. Detailed accounts still have to be sent to HMRC so there is no extra cost in sending them to Companies House.
As if we needed a further example of Leftism in action. A mental disease that starts in the mind then spreads to the rest of the body.
There were a number of greedy cynical people in whose interest it was to get rid of Alex Salmond and anyone else with a whiff of integrity in the SNP
Angus Robertson has a very dodgy track record from the beginning .He was the one who quietly stitched up the members role in the party.
If I were a suspicious person I would say he was doing his job quite well.
And we best not forget the Equinor hydrogen “deal” which benefits Norway and Germany more than Scotland…
link to robinmcalpine.org
Sadly, Robin’s another one who believes one of the most important things going on right now is G@za.
It’s a crying shame that Scotland’s “finest” can never resist throwing their own pet peeves aboard the Indy bandwagon.
Away and fuck off with your constant nitpicking shite John Hatey Main.
Nobody will be 100% aligned with the views of others. Maybe if you weren’t such a sad twat with fuck all better to do than constantly post your grumblings on here hour after hour, day after day, you could get out more and learn to interact with others in a more constructive and positive way.
The above the line article and following comments were about Angus Robertson, and yet you try to deflect off on an unrelated tangent to have a go at Robin, and deliberately circumventing the site’s moderation filter to do so.
Folk can have a look at the recent articles on Robins site index pages, and they will see you are off the money with your assertion.
link to robinmcalpine.org
OK, Stu, sorry.
I’ll airbrush all your previous criticisms of Robin off the record as I fuck off your site.
Scotland under the SNP has become a very strange, corrupt place….and the politicians seem to be immune. I wonder when this will end?
“…a very strange, corrupt place….and the politicians seem to be immune.”
Not so strange at all when we consider the colonial playbook. Here we are reminded of Fanon’s analyses of the activities of a dominant national party in a contested colonial territory:
“the national party elite makes an accommodation with colonialism”; party elite includes “colonial agents pensioned off at high reward”; “behaves like a gang”; “feathers its nests”; “appoints its friends to high positions”; “takes the movement up a blind alley”; “lacks courage at the
decisive moment”; “becomes part of the (colonial) racket”; “attacks independence radicals using state (i.e. colonial) forces”; “delays independence”; “ruptures the movement”.
The Scottish electorate vote in MSP’s. The majority party then form a Government. The members of the party who form the Government vote in a First Minister who then appoints ministers to serve in his Government. Yet, somehow, this is all the fault of colonialism in the ‘one track mind’ of the learned professor.
The Scottish people are blameless in every thing that has gone and continues to go wrong. Everything would change by magic if Independence was achieved according to the nutters who pollute Wings. No plan required at all or maybe it is a secret only known to the select few. I will ask yet again Mr Baird, who do you see forming an honest competent Government. Some names would be helpful. Don’t be shy.
That is an exact match for the SNP hierarchy nowadays. It couldn’t be clearer.
So form a new national party, Alf, ruthlessly focused on transparency, accountability and honesty.
It’s not rocket science.
Even if Fanon’s diagnosis is spot on (and I’m not conceding that it is) you’d have been sacked long ago if you were a doctor forever repeating what ails the patient.
The patient wants to know what the cure is and see the cure being started.
“The patient wants to know what the cure is”
You know the only cure for colonialism is liberation, Hatey. The problem you and others face is you are still unaware or in denial of the (colonial) condition.
Sticking with my medical analogy, Alf, you’re the doctor telling the patient that the only cure for illness is to get better.
You’re in denial that you haven’t a scooby on how the patient should do that. Short of praying to a higher power (the UN).
But you’re gonna quote Fanon, Cesaire, Memmi and the rest at us for the next 5 years and hope for a miracle.
Typical modus operandi of the mediocrities that inhabit Holyrood. They’ve all got a side hustle on the go to maximize their profits from grifting cash out of the dupes.
Perhaps Robertson was simply anticipating some future household legal expenditure?
Asking for a friend…
‘There’s very little anyone can do to probe the affairs of such companies and find out exactly what happened to the vast bucketloads of cash they extracted from hopeful Yes supporters’ pockets’
Might it interest HMRC ?
I have never understood why the (UK) Companies Act requirements for annual accounts were watered down to permit these “micro-accounts”. It introduced a complete lack of transparency, not just for companies in the independence context but a great many other non-political ones, many with very substantial turnovers.
How the Hell did tHat Happen?
What a misnomer PROGRESS SCOTLAND is , it should probably be renamed as NAE PROGRESS SCOTLAND or bloated Angus’s personal piggy bank
Angus likes to look after the Dempsies , maybe he is worried that his wife’s memory is easily confused about her whereabouts at any given time , his BIL is listed as some apparent genius in marketing yet there is no significant upsurge of movement and publicity in moving Progress Scotland ANYWHERE
Surely this has many similarities to other snp attached groups , where donations are encouraged from independence supporters based on the promises that the said organisation will progress Scotland’s chances of independence
I must admit if I had donated my HARD EARNED money to any of these organisations I would be incandescent with anger that my donation seems to have disappeared without a trace, I would be so enraged that I would ask Polis Scotland to investigate what the money had been spent on , maybe it is keeping the ring fenced indy ref money company
Keep turning up the heat.
Does Robertson’s wife still have a lucrative job within the SNP?
AI Overview
Angus Robertson’s wife, Jennifer Dempsie, does not hold a job within the SNP. She is a founding partner and director of her own public relations and communications agency, Spey (trading as Baxter-Robertson of Speyside Ltd) and subsequently changed its registered name to Spey Media Limited in March 2017. It is not a major operating entity.
But does that really matter when you probably have a really fancy ass coffee machine and an expensive fountain pen…
I’m sure Toshan of Quality Polis will have investigated who filled out the warranty applications for all those expensive fancy goods Murrell procured.
… Anyone else get the feeling we could be looking at Murrell as the tip of a very large “Made in Scotland” iceberg, what with the seemingly increasingly evident political (and legal) trajectory?
Still, maybe I’m not “progressive” enough.
I think that should be “Made in England, by Scots in Scotland”, CC.
Have a look at your pocket Fanon. That’ll keep you right.
I keep saying because no one else will!!!
Wings points out the problems regarding the SNP, which is essential. But what about the misinformation reported by so called Independence supporters.
Yes The National says it supports Independence but that’s it, maybe Peter A Bell can tell me exactly what The National has done to further Scotland cause since its formation, Nil.
AUOB was destroyed by believe in Scotland, setting up their own marches, I’d love to know how much money goes into these buckets they pass around and where is the money spent.
The so called Independence live what has this done to educate or further the cause of Independence since it started, Nil.
I used to put my hand in my pocket all the time, now I don’t.
These so called Bloggers and reporters who are using Independence as a means to make a living.
Everything we know about the SNP and how this party has denied Scotland right to be Independent over the last 12yrs. I really can’t believe that these so called Independence organization still believe that the SNP will delivery Independence, no one is that stupid or is there something or bigger that lots of us just aren’t seeing.
Scottish Independence isn’t about Independence it never was since Sturgeon took over its the cash cow that keeps giving.
Not one post even acknowledging the superb win by Spain last night?
Football 1 – 0 Cheating
It’s enough to make a conspiracy theorist suspect the usual suspects were all rooting for the best team at bringing the beautiful game into disrespect. For the usual tiresome, petty, twisted reasons.
Viva Espana!
And why not? Gotcha!!!
Yup, cheating dirty bastards.
Fuck off.
F.S…hatey posting complaints about what’s not been posted about and managing to denigrate regular posters too! What a winner!
Who’d be hatey? (AKA Wee Adolf)
What’s that you say, Sooty?
Why no words of congratulation to Spain from Dave, for a superb game of positive football against the dirty disgrace that was the Argentina team?
I mean, he took the time and trouble to share his tuppence worth, so why not, eh?
Today the new English PM will stand outside downing Street and state the north seas will be drained dry (Scotland) of oil and gas and what has the SNP/Greens done STOPPED new build from having gas central heating. So all the gas in Scotland will head to England but it won’t be reported in The National or Independence live how the SNP and the Greens have been screwing Scotland over for the benefit of England.
The problem isn’t England its the SNP everything is down to the SNP and greens. While we have these so called Indy supporters being devoid of logic Scotland will be tied to this union and the SNP will remain the dominating party followed by the creepy Greens.
Surely everything is down to far too many Scots repeatedly voting for the SNP and the Greens?
Way I see it, if Scots didn’t like their policies, then they’d vote for parties with different ones.
But they don’t, and thus we see:
“Individual Scots generally value their tribal identity above consideration of whether tribalism well serves either themself or Scotland” (Hatey).
If current assets at 2024 of £57,570 consisted of cash in hand or at bank then a dividend of, say, £50k, would not appear as a revenue item in the 2025 accounts. It would appear only as a reduction in the current assets. Dividends are paid to shareholders. Progress Scotland Ltd lists only one person with significant control, owning 75% of the shares or more.
politicians institutions political parties. In Scotland think grooming gangs. As far as I can see that is all they are. Grand theft [ auto ] SCOTLAND.
Mark Diffley worked for Better Together before working for Progress Scotland. He is an experienced pollster.
There was criticism of the fact that he received £27,000 for the recruitment of a representative group of 120 people to take part in the Citizen’s Assembly.
If anyone is interested there is a link here to the work of the Citizen’s Assembly and the research into the process that followed.
link to gov.scot
Misplaced apostrophe.
The national
” Breaking
John Swinney looks forward to ‘constructive’ talks with Andy Burnham on independence”
———————————-
I am sure they had exactly the same Breaking News when Starmer became PM.
In Scotland, about 80% of the electorate did not elect a UK Labour or colonial SNP government, yet we are ruled by them.
In 2026 John Swinney explicitly said voting SNP was about Scottish independence.
If you believe the figures, they show there was:
“669,000 fewer votes for the SNP in 2026 than voted Yes in 2014”.
38% of the total electorate voted YES: 45% of 86% turnout
22% of the total electorate voted SNP in 2026 (constituency vote): 38% of 53% turnout
So, just over 1 in 5 of registered voters cast a vote for the SNP in 2026. (constituency vote).
At Westminster, it’s even more undemocratic, the UK Labour Govt rules the UK with absolute power with just 20% of UK registered electorate having voted Labour.
In Scotland it’s even worse: The UK Labour Govt rules Scotland with absolute power with only 18% of registered voters in Scotland having voted Labour at the last general election.
So, blaming the electorate for voting in rotten governments, is misleading.
Manchester’s Finest as the new PM does excite as a concept, but – Stephen Patrick Morrissey – is still in LA as far as I know, has been for 20 years (and would be considered too “far right” even by the new anglo demagogue, Rupert Lowe, who is out-faraging the Farage) – and so we have “this guy”.
We have a great phrase “toom tabard” – which means empty coat – that sums up what is going on here. But I think we can add a new one; when I was a lad women were fond of these things called Pac-a-Macs – they were plastic raincoats which allowed them to go out all nice and glammed, without the need for a heavy coat, but if the rain came on, you put on one of these. These raincoats were disposable.
– we are now in the era of the “pac a mac” – the disposable “empty coat”. Prime Ministers, now by Lidl, save over 50% on the cost of branded Prime Ministers, get a pack of 10 and make the savings today! – we could even have BOGOF deals, if the gubmint hadn’t banned them.
Starmer seems peculiarly lacking in substance, looking back; a frightened man, who didn’t know what to do or how to react, other than read it off a script, likely passed on by his “wife”, or rather his handler, working for a foreign power. Mind that Labour “talked a good pagger” before it got in, then systematically turned on all of its natural supporters, starting with the disabled. Then Reeves, out of her depth, shat it whenever the city raised an eyebrow at her.
One of the first things Starmer did was to pledge a blank cheque for those eastern crooks and their pointless war; something which Burnham just did there, almost immediately, like it was important to the people that matter.
Starmer, who once ran interference for Jimmy Savile, and may have been the guy who kept the Rudakabanas in the UK (away from the Rwandan war crimes judges) – may get looked after for his service, or may get thrown to the wolves. Good riddance. No one will really care, or notice much when you are gone. His job was to sell us one bad idea after another, but he was useless at it.
While everyone likes to -try- to be optimistic about the new guy, when something doesn’t work the last N times, why should it work the (N + 1)th?
– the day before he got in, the IMF are in the business press with a message for Andy, basically :
DONT TOUCH THAT DIAL
i.e. you better not “try anything”, or just to be safe, don’t even think about “trying anything”. We are watching; you can still “do stuff”, but just make sure it shovels billions to private capital and corporate interests first – we all have to “wet our beaks”, we all need a “little taste”. One thing you will be allowed is to spend more on defence, one plan about which is to drill for more of (our) oil to pay for it. Thanks, lads, happy to help.
link to archive.ph
(- I know the story says the plan was -vetoed-, but … trust me … its a matter of time)
England is an over populated, under resourced, sad sack, bankrupt old shithouse of a country, which can’t “get real” with the world as it suffers from mental delusions about its imperial past (all fur coat and no knickers, on a maxxed out credit card); indy Scotland would be under populated, over resourced, and a candidate for the small, rich countries club – or you can just stay poor forever, another hopeless gang of “white n1ggers” propping up this fucked up pantomime horse of a nation. “better the devil you know” some will say, but people have no idea of how things can always get worse and how bad they can yet become; cue – Farage – a man who thinks he can “revitalise” the country by complete capitulation to the city and taking a super thatcherite super wrecking ball to the last remaining load bearing pillars which are holding the roof up.
At least the sun is shining. Time for a bike ride.