From the archives #9 88
Posted on
June 17, 2019 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
The Times, 30 June 1998.
Wait, Michael who? Well, this should be good.
An uncertain future 185
Posted on
February 12, 2019 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Another slow news day, so here’s one from the archives:
Don’t worry, we’re not going to make you try to read it that size.
To better days 224
Posted on
August 14, 2018 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
In the wake of this morning’s news that the Herald and Sunday Herald are to merge, we thought it’d be nice to remember the times – not SO long ago – when the paper used to do some proper journalism and there was some modest semblance of balance and professional integrity in the Scottish media.
Click the pics to enlarge as usual.
The corpse of independence 114
Posted on
August 13, 2018 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
In the continuing absence of any interesting current Scottish politics, we thought you might enjoy this Sunday Mail piece from exactly 11 years ago yesterday, confidently asserting that a quick chat would disabuse Scots of any notion of leaving the UK.
(Click the pic to enlarge.)
The clanging chimes of doom 193
Posted on
March 29, 2018 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
There’s an interesting article on the Holyrood Magazine website today with some fascinating background details about how Scottish (and Welsh) devolution came into being almost 20 years ago, so we thought you might like to see this piece from the time, not least because we suspect it might also be the first recorded citation of the nonsensical concept of the “UK single market”.
(Click for readable size.)
It’s remarkable how seamlessly much of it, especially the last section (from the giant “D”) would still work today with the word “devolution” replaced with the word “independence”. But we find it hard to disagree with Sir John’s conclusion:
“Nor would devolution truly give more powers to the Scottish people. Only independence would do that.”
Preach, brother.
The winds of change 533
Posted on
March 25, 2018 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Remember that time, barely over a decade ago, when the readers of the Scottish Daily Express came out for independence despite national polls only showing support in the 20s, the paper sold over 80,000 copies a day (now just 38,000) and Severin Carrell of the Guardian reported that it was about to adopt independence as its official position?
(Which we don’t think ever actually happened.)
Because nothing is weirder than Scottish politics.
The same as it ever was 44
Posted on
March 15, 2018 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Particularly alert readers may have experienced a pang of deja vu at yesterday’s story highlighting media misrepresentation of polling figures.
We can’t imagine why.
The tunes of glory 227
Posted on
February 25, 2018 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
After Scotland’s rugby team sent proud Edward (Jones)’s army homeward with some well-skelped erses from Murrayfield yesterday, it seemed like an opportune moment to reflect on this from just 12 years ago.
The full story is below.
From the archives #8 156
Posted on
February 21, 2018 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
It’s still thin, thin gruel for Scottish politics in the press – everyone’s desperately trying to pretend income tax is a story again today – so while we do some research it’s back to the vaults for more ironic historical chuckles we go.
Foote replaced by Dick 454
Posted on
February 19, 2018 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Last week, just a day after we highlighted the disastrous sales collapse of the Daily Record during almost certainly the most tumultuous and eventful seven-year period in Scotland’s peacetime history, the paper’s editor-in-chief Murray Foote apparently took the Scottish newspaper industry by surprise by suddenly resigning his position.
(We’re sure, incidentally, this is entirely unconnected with the recent advertising of some senior media vacancies in Scottish Labour.)
Rival hacks dutifully issued a series of glowing tweets about what a smashing guy Foote was and how much he’d improved the paper during his 27-year tenure there in various positions, most recently editor-in-chief, group editor and deputy editor.
So even though Foote accused this site of “debasing public life” with “sewage politics, conspiracy theories, hatred and paranoia” when we forced his paper to reluctantly and belatedly correct a massive front-page lie, we thought we’d join in the salutes.
The less-vigorous approach 447
Posted on
January 28, 2018 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Since we’re talking about sectarianism and bigotry this week, we’ve got you a 1998 Scotsman piece on the subject. The full piece is below, but our favourite lines come from Scotland In Union stalwart and noted Twitter zoomer “Professor” Tom Gallagher.
Wow. And the Ku Klux Klan’s distinctiveness stems from their white identity, we guess, although perhaps they have misgivings about some aspects of lynching black people and setting fire to crosses on their lawns.
