Barely 18 months after this, here’s East Lothian Labour councillor Norman Hampshire (centre) and pals campaigning today with the aid of their new best friend.
As the story collapses and investigations begin into a cut-and-dried case of unlawful civil service interference in politics (and possibly worse), may they reap what they sow. If the current polls come true, never will a party’s fall have been more abject or more complete, nor its fate more richly deserved.
This is quite something. It took 15 hours into “MemoGate” before anyone got a Scottish Government representative on air – even though they’d found time to get quotes from Willie Rennie, who isn’t the leader of a Westminster party and whose party isn’t even involved in the story. When they did, here’s what happened.
Readers can form their own opinions about the interview. But at the very end of the piece the BBC’s James Cook says “this memo does exist”. It may do, but we’re not sure what his current grounds for that statement are.
To the best of our knowledge nobody is claiming to have seen it personally except the Telegraph. The Foreign Office have denied all knowledge of any memo, the Scotland Office apparently refuses to comment, and we have no idea who allegedly wrote it.
Cook has already made, then rowed back on, some rather questionable statements in the last 24 hours. Viewers may feel it might be better if he just stuck to the facts.
That clip (from just past midnight on the BBC News channel) isn’t a bad starting-point summary of last night’s extraordinary story, except by our count the Telegraph’s piece was fourth-hand rather than third-hand.
(First-hand would have been Nicola Sturgeon. Second-hand would have been the ambassador. Third-hand would have been the consul-general. The civil servant – who doubted the story him/herself – is fourth-hand.)
This is also a pretty good primer. Now let’s get to the fun stuff.
Sheesh. We pop out for a couple of hours to feed the Wings Emergency Kitten and we get back to find that it’s the UK press that’s barfed up hairballs all over its front pages.
And the contradictory cross-vortex coverlines aren’t even the mad bit.
sarah on The cost of failure: “Groupo del muerte: Brazil, Morocco and Haiti. Sigh.” Dec 5, 19:04
agentx on The cost of failure: “Hope you have your football wall charts at the ready guys 🙂” Dec 5, 17:14
Cynicus on The cost of failure: “Hatey McHateface says: 5 December, 2025 at 1:25 pm ‘“Mr el Nakla hails from Dundee, correct?” Sorry, Cynicus, perhaps it’s…” Dec 5, 16:02
Mark Beggan on The cost of failure: “This is out and it won’t go away. Too many in Scotland think that bad things get stopped at the…” Dec 5, 15:54
factchecker on The cost of failure: “Every poll suggests that the SNP is unbeatable because pro-union votes are split 3 or 4 ways. Either not voting…” Dec 5, 15:06
Sven on The cost of failure: “Mark Beggan @ 10.51. No chance in the world, Mark. These grifters only ever stop the gravy train long enough…” Dec 5, 14:55
Jon Drummond on Ain’t Got Time To Bleed: “Brilliant Stu, You ripped that dude another dozen arseholes with that reply. I’m sure he’ll know what to do with…” Dec 5, 13:26
Hatey McHateface on The cost of failure: ““Mr el Nakla hails from Dundee, correct?” Sorry, Cynicus, perhaps it’s just me. Mr El Nakla was born in Dundee.…” Dec 5, 13:25
Cynicus on The cost of failure: “Hatey McHateface says: 5 December, 2025 at 7:50 am “The times they are a-changing, Cynicus.” ====== So too, yet again,…” Dec 5, 12:56
Hatey McHateface on The cost of failure: “20 years is all it takes: https://unherd.com/2025/12/the-revolt-on-streetings-doorstep/ How far do we think Scotland is into that 20 year period? 5…” Dec 5, 12:54
Hatey McHateface on The cost of failure: ““So upon the destruction of the SNP we need to immediately get behind the idea of Liberate Scotland” [SIGH] Which…” Dec 5, 11:02
Mark Beggan on The cost of failure: “Grooming gangs debate today. Will Constance resign?” Dec 5, 10:51
100%Yes on The cost of failure: “If our so called leader was a true Independence support he wouldn’t have sacrificed these 39 MPs at last years…” Dec 5, 10:34
100%Yes on The cost of failure: “The National Says “Labour unwilling to support Scottish industry, John Swinney says”. Here is a prime example of what I…” Dec 5, 09:45
Mark Beggan on The cost of failure: “The porn ban is having a positive effect on society. My eyesight has improved immensely. James watches the porn movie…” Dec 5, 09:41
Hatey McHateface on The cost of failure: “The times they are a-changing, Cynicus. What you state is rapidly becoming irrelevant. Plenty of ordinary Scots are of the…” Dec 5, 07:50
Hatey McHateface on The cost of failure: “See fit ye’ve done noo, Mark? Ye’ve goat James hame frae the pub, an reaching for his sock. Hope the…” Dec 5, 07:37
twathater on Ginger beer and fruit and nuts: “@ JCD If you want independence for Scotland and there is a candidate from Liberate Scotland standing in your constituency…” Dec 5, 03:20
Cynicus on The cost of failure: “Hatey McHateface says: 4 December, 2025 at 8:26 pm “To be fair to El-Nakla, they don’t have high buildings where…” Dec 5, 01:32
Mark Beggan on The cost of failure: ““take the Northern Isles” no thanks. They’re fine where they are. “When not if..” In the name of the wee…” Dec 4, 22:59
Hatey McHateface on The cost of failure: ““Independence will never happen” Ah, c’moan noo, Mark. Never is a very long time. When, not if, independence happens, it…” Dec 4, 22:40
Mark Beggan on The cost of failure: “As the BBC always like to say ‘This is what we know so far .’ Independence will never happen. The…” Dec 4, 21:24
Hatey McHateface on The cost of failure: “To be fair to El-Nakla, they don’t have high buildings where he hails from. He wouldn’t have been aware of…” Dec 4, 20:26
Peter McAvoy on The cost of failure: “On reporting Scotland tonight the report showing John Swinney speaking he called Nigel Farage racist,has he forgotten Humza Youseff’s white,white…” Dec 4, 20:02
Hatey McHateface on The cost of failure: “It’s your craven fear of the “resident multi ID troll” reading here that stops you from writing the faintest outline…” Dec 4, 20:02
Mark Beggan on The cost of failure: “In Scotland even the government’s on Benefits.” Dec 4, 19:53
Mark Beggan on The cost of failure: “‘The public wants what the public gets’. Soar Giro!” Dec 4, 19:50
