(It seems needlessly churlish and picky to also point out that McGarry currently isn’t an “SNP MP”, so we won’t do that.)
Instead, the author, worth hundreds of millions of pounds, intends to try to pressure McGarry into making a donation to her childrens’ charity, Lumos, which we can only presume is happy to receive money generated by what some people might regard as intimidation bordering on blackmail.
So that’s all well and good. If you’re going to bully people, after all, it’s probably best if it’s at least for a worthy cause. Rowling was full of praise for abusive Tweeter “Brian Spanner” when he raised some money for the same charity last year by selling t-shirts mocking the loony “Scottish Resistance” campaign group.
But not all charitable donations attract such gratitude.
The Scottish Daily Mail’s front page lead today is so galactically despicable that it’s easy to overlook another story that it bundles in with the same “SNP BAD” attack.
While excoriating Dr Philippa Whitford for having the sheer shameless gall to help save women’s lives in her holidays, the alleged newspaper also devotes a page-high article to an attack on another Nat MP, George Kerevan, for employing his wife.
As we noted on Tuesday, Scottish Labour’s opening election salvo for 2016 has been to blame the Scottish Government for unaffordable house prices.
Of the 450 most obvious flaws in that argument, not least the extraordinary efforts a 13-year Labour government went to to keep the housing bubble inflated, the one that caught our eye was that in the past three years we were regularly told of one thing that definitely WOULD bring prices down dramatically, but which Labour pathologically fought every step of the way.
Kezia Dugdale made a spectacle of herself again at First Minister’s Questions earlier today. Using time intended for holding the Scottish Government to account over its devolved responsibilities, Dugdale once more decided instead to ignore her duty to the people of Scotland and attack the FM over a matter which is entirely outwith the Scottish Government’s control, namely the past actions of a Westminster MP.
Pausing only to demand that Holyrood interfere in the running of the independent Law Society, Dugdale then abandoned her casual endangerment of a live police inquiry by focusing instead on the morality of the aforementioned MP’s business practices:
But Ms Dugdale’s own ethics left a few things to be desired.
Earlier today we made an observation about the overblown way the media has been covering the Scottish Government’s underspend of 1.3% of its budget (a figure about which the David Hume Institute today cooed approvingly “Even Mr Micawber could not budget more accurately”).
To nobody’s great amazement, Scottish Labour rentahonk Jackie Baillie – fresh from making a complete idiot of herself over the Michelle Thomson case – couldn’t resist jumping on the bandwagon.
Quite aside from the fact that it means no such thing – there’s no less money, it’s just that some of it will now be carried over and spent this year instead – we suppose the tweet does at least mean that Scottish Labour’s policy position is clear: the Scottish Government should always spend every penny of its budget. Right?
The editor of the New Statesman just tweeted this image, trailing an interview with Jim Murphy, who alert readers may recall led Scottish Labour for a few months this year before its apocalyptic disaster of a general election campaign which saw it lose 40 of the 41 Scottish seats it won in 2010:
Oh, wait – maybe he’s trying to claim the credit for it.
Last night we highlighted the reaction from various right-wing columnists to the SNP’s torpedoing yesterday of Tory attempts to relax the laws on foxhunting in England and Wales. Today the same commentariat has turned its rage to thoughts of revenge, in the form of “English votes for English laws”.
And we’re confused, because we don’t know what this “England” they speak of is.
By now you should all have had a chance to marvel at the extraordinary madness that is Scottish Labour’s 51-page suicide note of SNP members who’ve said rude words on the internet since 2012.
You may even have had time to read a data protection expert (and Labour voter)’s assessment of all the ways in which the dossier breaks the law.
STV’s notorious quisling correspondent Stephen “Stevo” Daisley has an interesting piece today about the latest manufactured “cybernat” shock-horror outrage being punted by the Daily Mail (although curiously, the major “CYBERNAT WEB OF HATE!” exposé they promised readers would be published on Thursday is yet to materialise).
Daisley’s column makes some valid points about how the SNP could distance itself from the most extremist elements of its online support, but with one important flaw – it overlooks a crucial factor driving internet rage, and as a result its recommendations would only actually make the situation worse.
But fear not, gentle and sensitive reader. Conveniently, there’s an easy solution.
Hatey McHateface on Faces In Sand: ““It’s the sheer indefatigability and lack of self-awareness that shocks you” It’s of fascinating academic interest, certainly. I’m of the…” Oct 25, 14:01
TURABDIN on Faces In Sand: “MODERN COLONIALISM IN ACTION https://venezuelanalysis.com/opinion/venezuela-from-revolution-to-recolonization/ USA, the country that supported Saddam Hussein in a proxy war against its neighbour then…” Oct 25, 13:51
Hatey McHateface on Faces In Sand: ““reminds me of the evil Nanny from the Omen with that glaikit satanic glare she has” Ah, the wondrous wittering…” Oct 25, 13:39
auld highlander on Faces In Sand: “I would rather read Alf posts than the sassenach yoons deliberate deflections and crap. Keep on posting Alf, it rattles…” Oct 25, 13:31
William Smith on Faces In Sand: “You continue to post several times a day, that the Scottish Parliament was dissolved on the 28th of April 1606…” Oct 25, 13:02
Captain Caveman on Faces In Sand: “Good grief, it’s just relentless. Truly, it doesn’t matter how many times Alf is shot to ribbons, up he pops…” Oct 25, 11:49
James Che on Faces In Sand: “Alf Baird, The question of referendums for Scotland to leave the rUK become legally obsolete as soon as the Scottish…” Oct 25, 11:12
Alf Baird on Faces In Sand: ““to deny the reality of the country you live in” Which is essentially the intended effect of a colonial mindset,…” Oct 25, 10:57
James Che on Faces In Sand: “When indigenous populations starting with Scotland are dismissed So are other populations and nations, The politics and records do indeed…” Oct 25, 10:54
James Che on Faces In Sand: “Recognising indigenous Scots is going to become the same legal issue in recognising whom are indigenous English people, Irish people,…” Oct 25, 10:40
James Che on Faces In Sand: “Hatey, I can see that understanding the situation politically or lack of, may be out of your line of view…” Oct 25, 10:22
Hatey McHateface on Faces In Sand: ““there is no ‘United Kingdom’” A recurring advert on TV has a comely young lady, the daughter of an Italian…” Oct 25, 10:12
Geri on Faces In Sand: “During March 2022 Senate testimony, U.S. Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland stated that U possessed biological research facilities and…” Oct 25, 10:09
Alf Baird on Faces In Sand: ““Does Scotland need a referendum to leave the rUK. If it is not legally in the rUK” Yes James, the…” Oct 25, 09:48
James Che on Faces In Sand: “The framework to End the power of the false mighty empires = is the diversity agenda. Wether it is Gender…” Oct 25, 09:34
Hatey McHateface on Faces In Sand: ““Scotland is independent” Great news, James. What do you intend to do with your life now?” Oct 25, 09:07
Hatey McHateface on Faces In Sand: “@Lorncal There is no protective gear providing 100% effectiveness. The best that can be said is that some may be…” Oct 25, 09:05
James Che on Faces In Sand: “Does Scotland need a referendum to leave the rUK. If it is not legally in the rUK since the 28th…” Oct 25, 08:38
Hatey McHateface on Faces In Sand: “How odd, Bob. My benchmark 30 seconds of internet research, which any eejit can repeat for herself, reveals that in…” Oct 25, 08:35
James Che on Faces In Sand: “Scotlands prison without bars is just a story book that Westminster parliament made up to impress other Countries and officials…” Oct 25, 08:25
Hatey McHateface on Faces In Sand: ““stick yer moon cheese up yer arse ya rocket” Good to see you having a relaxed Saturday night, Dan. Sad…” Oct 25, 08:18
Hatey McHateface on Faces In Sand: “Whoops, Geri! Ye’ve dropped 10 biolabs there. One of the many problems with making stuff up. You lose track. “No…” Oct 25, 08:00
James Che on Faces In Sand: “Scotland democratic vote for a referendum to leave the UK, There is no democratic way or mechanism, Hatey is correct,…” Oct 25, 07:47
Dan on Faces In Sand: ““The same people with a flourishing space program and credible plans to exploit the Moon.” Oh aye, have they fired…” Oct 24, 22:52
robertkknight on Faces In Sand: “Posted without comment… Religion: CofE: 80.6% No, 19.4% Yes” Oct 24, 22:12
Geri on Faces In Sand: “See Shit face, there exists this little thing called international treaties. Those treaties carry international clout. They’re, supposedly, upheld by…” Oct 24, 22:11
Lorncal on Faces In Sand: “Hmmmmm… You may be right, H McH. I did read somewhere that some of the masks for medical staff were…” Oct 24, 21:36
robertkknight on Faces In Sand: “2014 Referendum Study Demographics Birth place: oUK: 57.1% No, 42.9% Yes rUK: 72.1% No, 27.9% Yes SCO: 47.3% No, 52.7%…” Oct 24, 21:35
Hatey McHateface on Faces In Sand: ““the real nations are the tribes and the country boundaries reflect nothing of this” Check out the big brain on…” Oct 24, 20:14
Hatey McHateface on Faces In Sand: “Having made the bulk of the transition to renewables (which I believe Norway has), it’s foolhardy to pull up the…” Oct 24, 19:49
