Poor old Blair McDougall. He doesn’t think Scotland can do anything.
What a dismally rotten, hopeless wee province he thinks Scotland is. It must be such a miserable experience to be him, constantly ashamed of your own nationality. (Except, of course, Blair’s nationality is British, not Scottish.)
As if it wasn’t enough that one small country had to cope with the terrible burden of hundreds of billions of pounds of volatile oil revenues, now we have to face the grim prospect that with fossil fuels being phased out across the world to protect the climate, Scotland also produces TOO MUCH cheap, clean, infinitely renewable energy.
No wonder the Unionists think we’re too wee and too poor to go it alone.
We’re just going to reprint this piece every year, because only the numbers change.
Today saw the publication of the 2017-18 GERS stats, which are once again triggering a convulsive orgy of “BLACK HOLE!” articles across the media as every Unionist in the land falls over themselves to portray their own country as a useless scrounging subsidy junkie without actually using the exact words “too wee, too poor, too stupid”.
And once again, everywhere you look there’s a “Proud Scot” screaming about how the figures destroy a case for independence that those same people have spent most of the current decade stridently insisting never existed in the first place.
In our latest Panelbase poll, we asked the same independence question we asked in the last one, and got much the same answer. (Technically the indy vote went up by about a sixth of one percent, but that’s statistically meaningless.)
That’s a bit disappointing after the events of recent weeks, but also not very surprising – after all, the way the question is framed pretty much guarantees at least 38% of the population will choose the second option straight off the bat.
Much more interesting is the question we asked next.
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.”
This morning sees the release of another set of GERS (Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland) figures accompanied, no doubt, by the usual strange hybrid of sneering and cringing from Unionist politicians braying proudly that we’re too small, too subsidised and too stupid to ever look after our own country.
So as the annual circus act gets under way again, for a little perspective we took a quick look at Scotland’s actual standing in the international community.
Millionaire-funded diehard loyalist forelock-tugging faction Scotland In Union published an extraordinary blog post yesterday.
Its 606 words comprised a sort of Caledonian Cringe Greatest Hits, allegedly penned by someone called Fiona Annesley (of whom we’re told nothing else, and who has no detectable online presence), but the line that particularly caught people’s eye was this:
Politics is still on hiatus after the dreadful events of Manchester, so we’ve taken the chance to go and enjoy the sudden summer weather while nothing was happening.
And today, as we (“Drove at a legal speed” – Ed) across the pretty hills overlooking Bath in an inexpensive convertible, a song came on the stereo that made us think of all the Unionist trolls who were still busily raging on Twitter – mainly about the SNP’s awful failure to light up every building in Scotland with the Union Jack in tribute to the dead (no, really), but also at the most recent data “proving” that independence would mean the country regressing to the Stone Age and whatnot.
So we thought we’d share it with you, because as well as having a jaunty tune it’s got a good attitude to adopt when they’re screaming and yelling themselves red, white and blue in the face about something or other, rather than wasting your time and mental equilibrium on being dragged into their fetid mind-swamp.
It works on any day, even if you’re not in a sports car.
Andrew scott on Points Into Prongs: “O/T REV YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE A FIELD DAY WITH THIS SHAMBLES IN FIFE” Jul 18, 18:45
Confused on Points Into Prongs: “Frankly: The revelatory memoir from Scotland’s first female and longest-serving First Minister the greatest living englishmen provides us with much…” Jul 18, 18:36
twathater on Points Into Prongs: “It just shows the level of contempt this arsehole Swinney and his fellow lying scum noncers have for the people…” Jul 18, 18:32
Dan on Points Into Prongs: “Sheesh… I only got halfway through the first paragraph and haz concerns Robin is morphing into Kelly Given… https://robinmcalpine.org/scotland-has-no-controlling-intellect/ https://wingsoverscotland.com/the-stupidity-of-vanity/…” Jul 18, 18:23
twathater on According As We Need Them: “NC I am not a dedicated lover of poetry but I am a lover of the Scots language, our culture…” Jul 18, 18:19
100%Yes on Points Into Prongs: “Alf Baird, I would have thought you would have been the best person placed to continue Iain Lawsons blog, Welcome…” Jul 18, 18:07
socratesmacsporran on Points Into Prongs: “Mark Beggan @ 4.33pm You posted: “Swinney isn’t useless. You are quite correct, Swinney isn’t even competent enough to pass…” Jul 18, 17:45
Alf Baird on Points Into Prongs: “Swinney and previous SNP leaders since 2015 have been very effective at delaying independence, which is clearly their main purpose,…” Jul 18, 17:38
joolz on Points Into Prongs: ““the way to deliver independence is only with an emphatic SNP win in 2026”. Goodbye indy. They never learn ?” Jul 18, 16:39
Mark Beggan on Points Into Prongs: “Swinney isn’t useless. Useless was the other one.” Jul 18, 16:33
agent x on Points Into Prongs: ““Nicola Sturgeon compared to Barack Obama in ‘sycophantic’ review of new book Nicola Sturgeon was mocked after she was compared…” Jul 18, 16:33
Hatey McHateface on Points Into Prongs: “It’s a valid point, x. The state of Britain today should be all the evidence a competent Indy movement needs…” Jul 18, 16:24
Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: “James, back in my student days we fuckology students used to look down on the wankology class. Since graduating, I’m…” Jul 18, 16:15
Young Lochinvar on Points Into Prongs: “Aye, he’s a real firebrand of a political leader..” Jul 18, 16:13
Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: ““Scotland, there is no better country in the world” Hmmm. I can defo think of a few. But that’s not…” Jul 18, 16:11
agent x on Points Into Prongs: ““But I will also be urging people who were not persuaded of the merits of independence in 2014 to see…” Jul 18, 16:02
sarah on Points Into Prongs: “Thanks for this, Cynicus – I thought Cup hook was updating Diderot. It is even better to know of the…” Jul 18, 16:00
Mark Beggan on Points Into Prongs: “The BbC used to be known as Aunty until it was revealed as a perverted old Uncle who the rest…” Jul 18, 15:59
Mike on Points Into Prongs: “Exactly. If Scotland ever achieves independence there will be no need for the National cheerleaders, nor for the SNP, who…” Jul 18, 15:57
Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: ““the Scots might produce works which show the Scots existing without, before, in no need of, and in no relation…” Jul 18, 15:56
Hatey McHateface on Points Into Prongs: “That’s 10 minutes I won’t ever see again.” Jul 18, 15:48
Doug on Points Into Prongs: “Professional politicians of all estlished parties continue to separate themselves from their traditional support base. I can see Swinney greetin…” Jul 18, 15:35
100%Yes on Points Into Prongs: “If people commenting in The National about Swinney being useless and lets remember these are the Sturgeon loyalist so It…” Jul 18, 15:29
agent x on Points Into Prongs: ““Dr Pitt outlined what happened on that night when she came across Dr Upton, saying she “looked very shaken, distressed…” Jul 18, 15:28
100Yes on Points Into Prongs: “I just want to take a minute and have a little giggle. For me I left the SNP in 2015…” Jul 18, 15:24
Andew scott on Points Into Prongs: “He was SOBBING big girls blouse(that’s the problem) -he is a six foot man +peggie much smaller” Jul 18, 15:09
Alison Rollo on Points Into Prongs: “Ian I’m in Swinney’s constituency too and this latest announcement confirming no Independence convention and not making it a plebiscite…” Jul 18, 15:00
Mark Beggan on Points Into Prongs: “The BBC is falling over itself to tell us how Upset Upton cried and cried till he was sick.” Jul 18, 14:57
Mark Beggan on Points Into Prongs: “Kate Forbes will have to get herself a new wardrobe for the big day.” Jul 18, 14:55