What with this poll apparently being such terrific news for John Swinney’s runaway popularity with the people of Scotland, readers might be wondering why SNP MSP Graeme Dey has apparently forgotten to include the actual figures or link to the source so that people can find out for themselves.
Although we’re retired we already wrote this, so we may as well put it up for the 99.9% of Scots who don’t read the comments on David Leask‘s columns in the Herald.
It’s a claim he’s been banging on about since at least 2014, without ever providing a scrap of evidence to support it (his standard modus operandi), and yesterday was no exception. So let’s show Little Dave how proper big-boy journalists do it.
The First Minister released a short film this week.
While it has the character of a hostage video, with terrorists just off-camera pointing a gun at the unfortunate victim and forcing them to read out a pre-prepared text, sadly we doubt that was the case. We think this is really what she believes and intends.
Even just the tweet above by the author of the Times piece fails all kinds of basic journalistic standards of impartiality, but the article itself is vastly worse.
Any time you’re not sure whether something that happens in Scottish politics is good or bad for the cause of independence, here’s a top tip for you: see how the enemies of independence feel about it.
“Running scared” would seem to be a fair, if understated, summary.
In an attempt to freshen up its usual panel of tired and tiresome politicians and pundits, last night’s Question Time (ostensibly from an oddly-vague location in “the North East”) featured moderately-known circus fortune-teller Gypsy Rose Petulengro, crossing her palm with silver for some analysis in a short break from one of her celebrated seances.
The clip above was her take on whether Nicola Sturgeon would resign if either of the current inquiries found that she’d systematically and repeatedly lied to Parliament and broken the Ministerial Code, and the strange thing about it was that for someone who was professing to be looking into the future, she didn’t even appear to know the basic pertinent facts of the present or the past.
Alert readers will know by now that there’s nothing the Scottish media – and the Scottish Daily Mail in particular – likes more than printing scary-sounding figures with no context whatsoever by which people could judge how big or small they really are.
Nothing’s changed today (other than a rather sneaky inset shot of an old story about a different statistic which misleadingly makes today’s one look like a big increase), so rather than bang on we’ll just fill in the blanks: ScotRail runs around 760,000 trains a year, so this year’s cancellation figures amount to about 3.5% of all trains.
Which is to say, around one time in every 30 that you go to get a train it’ll have been cancelled and you’ll have to wait for the next one, which on the average commuter line will probably mean 15-20 minutes.
Which is still a pain in the hole, of course, but if it’s such a high number ask yourself why the Mail is so pathologically averse to simply telling you what percentage it is.
We’ll see you again with these figures in a few weeks, folks.
Wings Over Scotland isn’t the only website dedicated to scrutinising the truthfulness of things claimed by politicians and media pundits. There’s the widely-respected and diligent FullFact.org, there’s Scotland’s own The Ferret, and there’s the BBC’s Reality Check (which frequently takes the more unconventional approach of, er, not making a finding either way about what the reality of things is).
And then there’s Channel 4’s FactCheck, which we’re going to generously assume had a liquid lunch yesterday and was a little under the weather.
Because not only is the conclusion that it reached on the subject of an independent Scotland having to use the Euro utter nonsense that’s been debunked roughly 1000 times in the last six years, it doesn’t even agree with itself.
Michael Glackin of the Sunday Times is the only serious contender to the Scotsman’s demented Brian Wilson as the most poisonously, blindly instinctive hater of anything even passingly connected to the SNP or independence in the Scottish media. His weekly bilious rants in the paper make even Scottish Daily Express hacks wince and say “Blimey, that’s a bit strong”.
But even by those standards, this week’s column is quite something. So let’s take a little look at just how much of an idiot you can make of yourself if you never allow facts to get in the way of your rage.
Duncan Strachan on Just Good Friends: “I agree Sarah. I think that we could have a check on the politicians by using a citizens assembly as…” Jul 11, 11:06
100%Yes on Just Good Friends: “I been stating this for months now that next years election isn’t going to be about Independence and even if…” Jul 11, 09:39
Alf Baird on Too Tight To Mention: ““The old Scottish parliament members entered the Westminster parliament of England” Aye James, lest they had no shame, I suspect…” Jul 11, 09:26
Callum on Just Good Friends: “People tend to gravitate towards those who share similar values, interests, and prejudices.. They choose to surround themselves and give…” Jul 11, 09:12
Young Lochinvar on Too Tight To Mention: “I reply to P3nisbreath @5.05pm “We” the “Scots”.. Yer having a laugh.. There’s no-one on this site that has put…” Jul 11, 03:42
Young Lochinvar on Too Tight To Mention: “In reply to Penisbreath @ 4.48pm Hmmmm.. At what point then, if not already, do you want Brown people to…” Jul 11, 02:43
Young Lochinvar on Just Good Friends: “The company some people keep.. The MSM has a lot to answer for in covering this up over all the…” Jul 11, 02:26
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Just Good Friends: “DOOYEWEERD: NORMS AND NORMATIVITY « No doubt there occur female feelings in men, and male feelings in women. But this cannot…” Jul 10, 22:38
Lorn on Just Good Friends: “A vox populi was carried out in London some months ago, and it asked passing young men whether they believe…” Jul 10, 21:16
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Just Good Friends: “DfE SAFEGUARDING GUIDANCE PROTECTING GENDER-QUESTIONING PUPILS FINALLY PUBLISHED « Safeguarding guidance which recognises the risks of ‘social transitioning’ has finally been…” Jul 10, 21:01
agent x on Just Good Friends: “@ insider Many thanks – it worked for me.” Jul 10, 20:56
Hatey McHateface on Just Good Friends: “I’ve been swithering, x. Should I claim there’s a typo in your post? An extra pair of letters on the…” Jul 10, 20:00
Insider on Just Good Friends: ““I can’t read more because it is a paid for article” Go to your device’s “settings” and disable javascript for…” Jul 10, 20:00
James Galt on Just Good Friends: “Of course the exact opposite is the case – the women are firmly in charge – no middle-aged white male…” Jul 10, 19:49
Hatey McHateface on Just Good Friends: “They won’t bring it forwards because it was only ever intended as a Trojan Horse to protect men who masquerade…” Jul 10, 19:42
agent x on Just Good Friends: ““Crime writer Val McDermid has branded the current political landscape an “absolutely cesspit of misogyny.” The best-selling author suggested the…” Jul 10, 19:21
Mark Beggan on Just Good Friends: “The whole Scottish government is corrupt to it’s core. Our future must have a different political system. Party politics is…” Jul 10, 19:20
Anthem on Just Good Friends: “It would solve a lot of problems. Just saying.” Jul 10, 18:51
Hatey McHateface on Just Good Friends: “David Davis? The Westminster English Tory? That David Davis? Isn’t WM the pit of Hell, and aren’t Tories the devil’s…” Jul 10, 18:16
Hatey McHateface on Just Good Friends: “I’ve had more than enough of that lot. Strangely enough though, the people in the ME who really understand what…” Jul 10, 18:10
Hatey McHateface on Just Good Friends: “That’s just daft, sarah. If the people have direct and immediate power, then there is no need for politicians at…” Jul 10, 18:02
Hatey McHateface on Just Good Friends: “Cheers, Callum. I’m defo not a Yoon by that definition. I think Scots are too corrupt, too perverted and too…” Jul 10, 17:54
Red on Just Good Friends: “Don’t forget Nicola’s refugee pals. According to Police Scotland’s Operation Cerrar, they’ve raped a load of weans in Glasgow. Silence…” Jul 10, 17:34
Onlooker on Just Good Friends: “You lost me at ‘y’all’. Yank idiocy.” Jul 10, 17:34
Callum on Just Good Friends: “U.K. has given Scotland Thatcher, Major, Blair, Cameron, May, BoJo, Truss, Sunak, Starmer and possibly Farage. That represents institutional idiocy.…” Jul 10, 17:25
Cathures72 on Just Good Friends: “She really seems to gravitate towards the worst people.” Jul 10, 17:23
Hatey McHateface on Just Good Friends: ““Only the most cowardly and idiotic still support them” Yet they are predicted to do well in 2026. Because a…” Jul 10, 17:10