Mainstream and social media alike are now well into their second day of an absolutely epic meltdown at the news that Alex Salmond is to broadcast a chat show on RT, the Russian equivalent of the BBC.
It really is almost impossible to overstate the magnitude of the shrieking fit the decision has produced. Addled old Lords with criminal convictions for violently and drunkenly assaulting Her Majesty’s police have with an audacious lack of self-awareness decried the immorality of one of HM’s advisors going on TV to talk about stuff, and one Lib Dem MSP has even gone so far as to raise a Holyrood motion demanding that the state interferes with the lawful employment choices of a private citizen.
We imagine that RT will be beside itself with joy at the avalanche of publicity the UK press and political sphere is giving it. We’d be amazed if the hysterical brouhaha didn’t double or treble the audience figures that Salmond could otherwise have expected.
Investigative site The Ferret this afternoon published a report into the Scottish Futures Trust, the SNP’s replacement for Labour’s cripplingly costly PFI projects.
The report was undertaken by Jim and Margaret Cuthbert, a pair of economists well regarded in nationalist circles, and makes some interesting if vague comments about downsides that MIGHT, in theory, exist in the SFT now or in the future.
The headline claims are all full of highly-qualified language (“may not deliver value for money”; “profits may be unduly high”; “could restrict growth”; “potentially has adverse implications”; “impossible to tell whether“), and it’s a long way down the page until you get to anything approaching a hard fact, or indeed the revelation that the report seems to have been paid for by Scottish Labour.
We stuck this short clip up on YouTube yesterday as a throwaway while watching the Labour conference in slack-jawed astonishment (a visitor from an alien planet would have concluded it was the gathering of a party that had just won a landslide victory, not lost its third general election in a row), but on reflection it deserves a proper post.
If you know anything at all about the story of how female Glasgow City Council employees have fought for equal pay, you’ll probably be as outraged as we are at Baxter’s bulletproof brass neck. But the video actually demonstrates what appears to be Scottish Labour’s master strategy for winning back Scotland.
(Alert readers may have noticed that I had to adopt a wee bit of subterfuge to get on by saying – truthfully – that I was from Bathgate, because BBC Scotland don’t tend to take my calls when I say where I am.)
As you’ll hear, Rennie had no answer to the question (even when put to him again by Adams), trying to deflect the issue onto SNP BAD instead.
His position was that the British people should have the right to another vote in case they’ve changed their mind about Brexit, even though there’s been no material change of circumstances, but that the Scottish people SHOULDN’T have the right to another vote on independence even though there HAS been a huge material change.
We weren’t going to dignify the utterly absurd media stushie over a tweet by Glasgow MSP John Mason yesterday with any coverage because it was too cretinous to even bear thinking about, but this from today’s Daily Record was just too good.
sam on The Wheels Of Industry: “Professors Henderson and Wyn Jones have done studies on the “Future of England” over a number of yeaars. The findings…” Jul 20, 20:33
Hatey McHateface on The Wheels Of Industry: “I didn’t know the devil bought soles.” Jul 20, 20:25
Knuckle_Heid on The Wheels Of Industry: “Seriously, who pays money to read this garbage? Endlessly promising a better future (we just need to be patient &…” Jul 20, 20:15
100%Yes on The Wheels Of Industry: “Thank god you told us the nitty gritty. To be honest I’d rather sell my sole to the devil than…” Jul 20, 19:57
Hatey McHateface on The Wheels Of Industry: “@Dan Your final paragraph is exactly right.” Jul 20, 19:46
sam on The Wheels Of Industry: ““The findings showed: 60% of voters in England say current politics makes them feel angry 55% say it makes them…” Jul 20, 19:26
100%Yes on The Wheels Of Industry: “robertkknight A parasite is a living thing the SNP is dead.” Jul 20, 18:33
100%Yes on The Wheels Of Industry: “John Swinney leader of the SNP, just been elected on a huge lie, but his top priority is the cost…” Jul 20, 18:27
Dan on The Wheels Of Industry: ““He doesn’t cite any evidence for that figure, although it does pretty much correspond with what pro-indy parties got in…” Jul 20, 18:22
Neil Singleton on These Words Are My Own: “Do remember that Sturgeon is one of the two “Shipman Sisters” with the now departed Freeman. And never forget that…” Jul 20, 18:19
twathater on The Wheels Of Industry: “What grinds my gears is the amount of gullibility surrounding independence supporters, FFS are they blind can they not see…” Jul 20, 17:53
sam on The Wheels Of Industry: “Depressingly accurate demolition of BiS. Next up AUOB? Funds misappropriated? I do hope not. We need a few marches in…” Jul 20, 17:42
Neil Singleton on These Words Are My Own: “The ferries scandal has all the hallmarks of a corrupt, money laundering scam. Obscene and unjustifiable cost increases throughout the…” Jul 20, 17:34
Dan on Progressing To Oblivion: “But does that really matter when you probably have a really fancy ass coffee machine and an expensive fountain pen……” Jul 20, 17:25
Ex President Xiden on The Wheels Of Industry: “Your reference to the greatest book on politics ever written reminded me of the greatest political speech ever given. I…” Jul 20, 17:24
robertkknight on The Wheels Of Industry: “I scribbled 6 paragraphs and tossed the lot with the exception the last line… “The SNP is a parasite”. All…” Jul 20, 17:07
100%Yes on The Wheels Of Industry: “A Citizen’s Convention is a con if run by anyone put in charge by the SNP.” Jul 20, 17:07
MaryB on The Wheels Of Industry: “I’ve often heard it said that Gordon MK is really an arm of the SNP. He’s tried to split the…” Jul 20, 16:29
100%Yes on The Wheels Of Industry: “England and America will drain Scotland dry of all oil and gas while the SNP sit back and look onward…” Jul 20, 16:26
duncanio on The Wheels Of Industry: “GMK doesn’t know what Swinney and the SNP are going to do next. So he’s just keeping all ‘options’ on…” Jul 20, 15:06
Confused on Progressing To Oblivion: “Manchester’s Finest as the new PM does excite as a concept, but – Stephen Patrick Morrissey – is still in…” Jul 20, 14:49
Colin Alexander on Progressing To Oblivion: “In Scotland, about 80% of the electorate did not elect a UK Labour or colonial SNP government, yet we are…” Jul 20, 14:15
agentx on Progressing To Oblivion: “The national ” Breaking John Swinney looks forward to ‘constructive’ talks with Andy Burnham on independence” ———————————- I am sure…” Jul 20, 14:09
Aidan on These Words Are My Own: “Aye well this is the problem Hatey, an independent Scotland can’t be everything to everyone even when people have conflicting…” Jul 20, 14:09
Captain Caveman on These Words Are My Own: “😀 Fair do’s Dan. I’ll try and do better next time!” Jul 20, 13:50
Dan on These Words Are My Own: “CC says: “SIX goals!” & “Sadly I drank far too much “Cheshire Cat” ale at the pub.” Such a lacklustre…” Jul 20, 13:19
Hatey McHateface on These Words Are My Own: “@Aidan It means that an Independent Scotland would do as I say. What you say too, of course. And what…” Jul 20, 13:14
Hatey McHateface on Progressing To Oblivion: “What’s that you say, Sooty? Why no words of congratulation to Spain from Dave, for a superb game of positive…” Jul 20, 13:08
DaveL on Progressing To Oblivion: “F.S…hatey posting complaints about what’s not been posted about and managing to denigrate regular posters too! What a winner! Who’d…” Jul 20, 12:19
