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The Hollow Crown

Posted on March 27, 2023 by

Today is the last day of Nicola Sturgeon’s record-breaking reign as First Minister of Scotland. In a few hours we’ll know who is to succeed her in the role. She was only the second SNP occupant of Bute House, and the legacy she bequeaths compared to the one she inherited from Alex Salmond is a matter of measureable record.

So let’s see the final scores on the doors.

These are the stats from each person’s last day in office. (All numbers are links.)

INDEPENDENCE SUPPORT (last 3 polls avg)

Salmond: 50%
Sturgeon: 47%

SNP SUPPORT (Holyrood)

Salmond: 50%
Sturgeon: 43%

SNP SUPPORT (Westminster)

Salmond: 46%
Sturgeon: 39%

PERSONAL APPROVAL RATINGS

Salmond: +35
Sturgeon: -4

SNP MEMBERSHIP

Salmond: 85,000 (net +78,000)
Sturgeon: 72,000 (net -13,000)

SNP MAJORITY IN SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

Salmond: YES
Sturgeon: NO

SCOTLAND PART OF EUROPEAN UNION

Salmond: YES
Sturgeon: NO

SNP UNDER POLICE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

Salmond: NO
Sturgeon: YES

And that’s what there is to show for her eight years. The end. Next please.

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0 to “The Hollow Crown”

  1. FionaN
    Ignored
    says:

    The stats tell the story. It’s interesting in a detached way, but I for one will have better things to do when the new leader of Nusnp is announced. Once upon a time I would have been on tenterhooks to follow the result, but now it is just a big yawn, more f the same.

    I doubt if it will make much difference to the life struggle just to survive the tories and their murderous policies. While the tories with wide grins soak up all the vast profits from our energy resources that we ourselves cant afford anymore.

    On a brighter note, I do think there will be some entertainment value in watching the new leaders shenanigans, especially if Himza Useless wins.

  2. Ian McCubbin
    Ignored
    says:

    Wow what a shocking legacy.
    Only possible successor who can lift the stats is Ash Regan.
    Let’s hope she is the new FM.

  3. Breeks
    Ignored
    says:

    Is it fickle of me be thinking Alex should come back as FM just long enough to take back his longest serviving FM title?

    Then he could settle the matter forever by being the last ever FM of a subjugated Scotland. I’m sure that’s the job he really wanted all along.

  4. Contrary
    Ignored
    says:

    Good Morning Scotland is all excited about getting a new first minister, Humza Yousaf (Kate Forbes got a brief mention, zero mention of Ash as though she doesn’t exist). Forgotten is any controversy in the election process, forgotten are all those other resignations. I guess we are meant to pretend none of it happened, as well as pretend Humza has any qualities that make him suitable – he doesn’t. I have only contempt for the SNP and the so called Scottish media. I long for the day I no longer have to hear Sturgeons name and the and the pretty picture the media paints over her.

  5. Sharney Dubs
    Ignored
    says:

    Nice done agent Sturgeon, nicely done. We can ever let the sweaty socks get as close to bankrupting us as they did in 14’.

  6. GlesgaJim
    Ignored
    says:

    And I’m fully expecting a man who has been an utterly incompetent failure in his roles thus far to become SFM…..

    Christ. Monday indeed.

  7. Ian Murray
    Ignored
    says:

    Police investigations always take too long, How long did they try to fit up Alex ?

  8. PhilM
    Ignored
    says:

    I wonder if Scotland is ready for Finance Secretary…(gulp!)…Patrick Harvie?!!

  9. Desimond
    Ignored
    says:

    Will say a prayer or two for the poor Ghost Writer

  10. Vivian O’Blivion
    Ignored
    says:

    Sturgeon has done us all a tremendous favour in a fundamental way. She’s revealed that Party politics is irredeemably corrupt. Power and state funded sinecures inevitably attract unprincipled, carpetbagging parasites. It happened to Scottish Labour and it’s happened to NuSNP.
    Best to direct our energies towards campaign groups, new media and real world persuasion.

  11. Rogerborg
    Ignored
    says:

    Aye, but Eck never gave us baby boxes, did he?

    (Just don’t what’s happened to our total fertility rate under Greet Leader – this should really be headline news)

  12. Robert Hughes
    Ignored
    says:

    Will this be a ” Blue ” , ” Happy ” , ” Manic ” or just a ” Monday Monday ” Monday ?

    We can be pretty much certain the only candidate that offered any hope of progress on – lest we forget – what should be the overriding priority of any SNP leader ..ie ..Independence – will not be wearing any crown , other than one made of thorns

    Either of the other two will inherit a harvest of thistles and Scotland will continue to suffer slow death by political asphyxiation , timidity n careering collusion .

    As will the SNP : only much more precipitously n rapidly

  13. Etticus
    Ignored
    says:

    Not sure where the 47% support for independence comes from, the last 3 (credible) polls I’ve seen are 39, 37 and 37.

    Anything that’s come from the national, Scotland goes pop, mark Diffield or any other new SNP shill isn’t worth a thing. These polls are about trying to influence opinion and hide the utter disaster that’s the new SNP.

    One thing is for sure however, once Yousaf gets the job these poll figures will be a distant memory. Yousaf is thick as mince, a horrible unlikeable person and he’s no Nicola sturgeon. When he doubles down on her policies he won’t be able to spin them to the media the same way Srurgeon could. He’s a disaster in waiting which is maybe what the new SNP needs to ensure there is a complete clear out.

  14. Rob
    Ignored
    says:

    I have lived I greater manchester since 1985 and visit your website as I think it’s the only place I can find out what’s going on in my home country. I followed the AS debacle closely and just couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Yes the Scottish MSM have not been reporting what’s going on. But family and friends do not like NS – lots of people must have been voting for her. I guess Labour have to shoulder some of the blame by making themselves unelectable. Keep up the good work.

  15. Oneliner
    Ignored
    says:

    As regards ‘reliable polls’

    I have a friend who is retired and lives in Ayrshire. One of her neighbours who arrived on the estate as a retiree from England, is a canvasser/interviewer for YouGov. She is a Tory supporter and phones round her Tory pals when putting numbers together.

  16. Jlm
    Ignored
    says:

    I expect Yusless or Forbes will be given an easy time by the media at first, to deflect them (and public opinion) from Independece,.. at least initially.

  17. Luigi
    Ignored
    says:

    Folks,it may be worthwhile to obtain a decent sample of SNP voters after the result is declared, just to compare “results”. If a decent sample of voter recall was very different from the actual result declared, what would that indicate? I’m not sure TBH, but it would interesting. Popcorn ready.

  18. Juan Kerr
    Ignored
    says:

    You forgot to add:

    SNP in a governance/financial shit-show: Salmond NO, Sturgeon YES.

  19. sadscot
    Ignored
    says:

    @Contrary 8.34
    Kaye Adams programme is unbelievable as well. It’s all go for Humza! It’s like there’s only one person running.

  20. Republicofscotland
    Ignored
    says:

    Thank f*ck that Sturgeon is out of Bute House today she wasn’t interested in independence as FM, she did far more harm than good to the indy cause.

    Unfortunately the fix is in for the new leader and FM, aided and abetted by GCHQ, and I doubt much will change, infact it will probably get worse.

  21. robertkknight
    Ignored
    says:

    Sturgeon’s tenure in Bute House compares with that of Liz Truss in Downing Street in terms of overall success. You could even go as far as saying she was almost as competent as Theresa May. Almost…

    O/T…Given that the Dear Leader doesn’t have a full driver’s license, are we to assume that the beloved husband, who does, was in the front passenger seat when she drove the Indy bus off the cliff? I do hope that the “L” plates were clearly visible front and rear. After all, we’d hate for either of them to be in trouble with the law, wouldn’t we…

  22. Ian Smith
    Ignored
    says:

    It’s just astonishing how Sturgeon can resign, apparently out the blue, leaving the government and SNP is disarray, and a quickly fiddled succession contest created out of thin air, followed by over half a dozen other bigwig resignations in police, party, civil service, yet the last week has been a complete damp squib with everything swept under the carpet, and hagiographic documentary series already in the works.

    If you thought the country was turning in to an administrative shithole the last few weeks have answered all your questions.

  23. Ottomanboi
    Ignored
    says:

    SNP membership would do well to reject the absolutes of the Fuehrerprinzip concept. Leaders are only as good as those influencing them. That was certainly the case with Sturgeon.
    Yousaf might turn out to be an influenceable «useful idiot»,in a good way.

  24. Antoine Roquentin
    Ignored
    says:

    Somewhere in the immensity of the universe, probability would have it that a Regan type entity will come through-the-middle this afternoon. In oor insignificant sliver of that incomprehensible vastness, advised only by telly vox-pops, I’m calling-it for couthy wee Forbes and auld-time religion; in no particular order.

  25. Red
    Ignored
    says:

    Just don’t what’s happened to our total fertility rate under Greet Leader – this should really be headline news

    Why would the continued existence of the Scottish people as a viable national community be of interest to the media? It’s of zero interest to the SNP or Scottish Parliament.

  26. Anonymoose
    Ignored
    says:

    Wishing Ash Regan all the best for today.

    She is and has been a light shining into the darkness of the SNP the past few weeks, my only hope is that the beacon keeps burning even stronger no matter the outcome of today.

    I hope this entire process reinvigorates the remaining SNP members into branch votes and deselections of those gradualist and pro-devo-max MSPs & MPs (unionist shills) who have slithered their way into the SNP and corrupted it from the inside, those MSPs & MPs know exactly who they are.

  27. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    We were all taken in by Sturgeon and the tartan shoes. Many have seen the light, many have not.

    She was a failed lawyer but supreme confidence trickster with the gift of the gab. As for ability, that is another matter entirely.

    The greatest statesman for Scotland in my time, must reflect on his nurturing of a viper for so many years who would eventually turn on him and try to kill him and not just politically.

    History will not be kind to Sturgeon.

  28. stonefree
    Ignored
    says:

    @ PhilM at 8:48 am

    Less would likely to go astray I would think

  29. Chic McGregor
    Ignored
    says:

    Anyone brave enough for a prediction?

    Mine is
    Humza 45
    Kate 35
    Ash 20

    Humza wins on 2nd votes

  30. 100%Yes
    Ignored
    says:

    How the deluded all believed Nicola Sturgeon was going to delivery Indyref2 Indycar Ross, Indytruck Dave, The Rag, WeeGingerDug, Lesley Riddoch, Pete Wishart, Alyn Smith, Brian Cox and many more.

    All signing her praises FOR WHAT?

    No single person has done so much damage to Scotland its people, the SNP and Indy.

    She knows all this and yet she has one last dig at everyone of us by saying I wish i could have delivered Indy, me I’m glad she gone and I hope we never see or hear from her again.

  31. desimond
    Ignored
    says:

    The saddest thing is, realistically, after a few days of “Well that’s it!”…it really will be. I give it 24 hours before the new SNP Leader tells us that Independence isnt their priority “right now”

    Folk will just start falling away from pushing for change and with each Humza scowl or Kate backtrack, it will be no steps forward and at best running to stand still but in all likelihood, going backwards.

    The SNP will probably survive another Election, given its Ross or Sarwar as alternative options, but it wont survive many more as someone will rise soon enough to make a claim.

    The circling descent down the plughole awaits us all I fear unless some new Party arrives with actual fresh ideas and the ability and personality to catch the Scottish publics attention, which Alba is not, even if its hearts in the right place.

  32. Mac
    Ignored
    says:

    In any online poll I’ve seen Yousaf is always third by a clear margin. Forbes wins, Regan is second and Yousaf is always third.

    People don’t like him. I know I don’t. Smarmy arrogant guy with more faces than Big Ben. If he gets anywhere near it, it is totally unbelievable for me.

    I see this election as another mini-test of the post democracy hypothesis.

    When I look at the three candidates and ask which one will drive away SNP voters and SNP members more than any other there is one very clear winner by a long way, and of course it’s Yousaf.

    So if he gets the gig it will be to continue Sturgeon’s ‘work’ all right, be sure of that. If it meant all the woke turds lost their cushy numbers it would be worth it, seeing the SNP take a (temporary) kicking at the next electoral opportunity, but of course it is never as precise as that… it would be general carnage.

    Yousaf is the only one of the three that I have heard several long term SNP members say they will leave the party if he gets it as they ‘can’t stand him’. Not heard that once about Forbes nor Regan.

    If the vote is fair I can’t see anything but a clear Forbes win with Regan second and Yousaf third. Anything else and I’d be asking serious questions.

  33. Paul Garbett
    Ignored
    says:

    Pretty much exactly what I think – the key being Humza not getting through on first vote

  34. desimond
    Ignored
    says:

    @Chick McGregor

    Mine is
    Humza 64
    Kate 32
    Ash 4

    Humza carried aloft on a golden throne down the Royal Mile and those pesky Indy-Minded folk reminded of their place whilst Del Amitri’s “Nothing Ever Happens” plays loudly across the land!

  35. Daisy Walker
    Ignored
    says:

    re changing demographics… see Yours For Scotland ‘Healthy Demographics’.

    Some very interesting data.

  36. BOB
    Ignored
    says:

    Also – Salmond terrified Westminster into a Referendum and was powerful enough to be a major player in UK general elections.

    Sturgeon did not. She was ignored south of the border.

  37. dearieme
    Ignored
    says:

    Stands the clock at ten to three?
    And is there honey still for tea?

    Apparently not.

  38. Mairi
    Ignored
    says:

    It’s been horrifying to watch the NuSNP steadily dismantle the trust and integrity of Alex Salmonds legacy.

    We, the people who support independence are guilty of allowing ourselves to be ridden over roughshod by these charlatans. I’m now beginning to believe we deserve all we get for allowing it all to happen in plain sight.

    The only guiding light is this excellent journalism. It’s the last hope I have for Scotland and it’s politics.

  39. Mac
    Ignored
    says:

    The real cost of Sturgeon is the opportunity cost.

    The opportunity cost of having a real leader who had believed in independence and who would have exploited all the golden opportunities presented to Nicola Sturgeon that were one by one spurned and squandered.

    Imagine where we would have been had there been no stitch-up and Salmond had returned versus where we are today… about to get get Humza Dumpling as FM through a fix.

    How do you measure the cost of that. It is beyond calculation.

  40. Calum
    Ignored
    says:

    There seems to be a resigned acceptance that Useless is going to win it.

    Are the SNP membership that unimaginative or is it an actual fix?

    The man is absolutely awful – he’s unintelligent and arrogant which is a really bad character mix and has the charisma of a brick. Plus, he’s obviously just a puppet.

    If this does transpire I think the best we can hope for is a Trussesque short lived crash and burn episode.

    So fucking depressing – I’ll never forgive Sturgeon for destroying the aspirations of a nation.

  41. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    As an illustration of just how miserable life in Scotland can be for some, please have a look at Anton Decadent’s 12.19 comment on the previous thread.

    Horrendous.

    It chimes with me because I had an elderly relative who lived alone in a top-floor tenement flat on Cathcart Road. He never complained to us (we had all moved away from Glasgow) but we knew things were bad because he always seemed to have added another lock to the front door when we visited. Eventually we got him into sheltered housing in Ayshire where he enjoyed his final three years in relative safety.

    Of course it isn’t just Glasgow where people are having to live with such fear on a daily basis but the fact that Anton was living in Sturgeon’s constituency is worth noting as part of the ‘legacy’ described above.

  42. Stephen O'Brien
    Ignored
    says:

    Let’s not forget both Salmond and Sturgeon, sold the jerseys, in 2014, on live tv debate over currency. They had no cohesive plan. That failure ultimately cost us the vote.

    The country, ill prepared for independence, then and now.

    For Sturgeon to so brazenly scupper independence again and again, makes me think that the entire pursuit, even in 2014, has never been a genuine attempt to achieving the so called goal.

    Careers have come and gone on, hitched to this bandwagon. The people certainly want independence. Scottish politicians have it easy hiding behind the apron strings of Westminster. That’s exactly where we are, it’s called Holyrood!

  43. Stuart MacKay
    Ignored
    says:

    Regardless of who gets elected, the real announcement will be any reshuffle in government positions and any change in emphasis of policy. Only then, will what’s really on offer be revealed.

    Who knows, perhaps Yousaf realises he needs to be his own man. Sacrificing a couple of allies would definitely keep the rest in check. Forbes, might not grasp the idea that she has a free hand, more or less, and keep everything the same for the sake of “continuity”. Regan might fall into the same trap otherwise she risks open warfare with the rest of the government which would cripple her leadership immediately.

    It’s a poison chalice for anybody other than the most determined. Yousaf won’t last long unless this really is a stitch-up from top to bottom. Forbes will try but will ultimately fail. Regan has the greatest changes of survival if she can connect with the membership and avoids being stabbed in the back by the party leadership. She’s going to have to crack a lot of skulls to succeed.

  44. Kevin Cargill
    Ignored
    says:

    I’m certain Forbes will get it. She started fine then it was clear she was being groomed to be the continuity candidate MkII. She’s more likeable and personable than Useless and the “fixers” know this. Regan’s fire to stop the corrupt election seemed to go out in the last week or so. Maybe she was bought off, I don’t know. But the corruption is now embedded and Forbes will simply be the mouthpiece for Dumza and the last Sturgeonista hangers-on!

  45. Scot
    Ignored
    says:

    Hollow crown
    The weight of it was too much for Sturgeon.

    “Haunted by the ghosts they have deposed”

  46. Martin
    Ignored
    says:

    If we’re making predictions..

    Humza 96%
    Forbes 12%
    Regan 0%

    After all, it was rigged…(hence why there’s more than 100% above, do keep up)

    If Useless becomes FM we can say goodbye to *any* independence chat until at least after he is gone. Thankfully I wouldn’t expect him to last until Autumn.

    As for Sturgeon’s record, the above stats are excellent but let’s not forget the harder to quantify stuff. As ran a competent government by means to persuade people we can go it alone. Every single thing the scotgov has power over has declined on Sturgeon’s watch. The minister responsible for the greatest decline in each department they’ve been involved with is, of course, Humza Useless.

  47. 100%Yes
    Ignored
    says:

    Stuart MacKay

    Until Mr Yousaf moves away from Nicola’s controlling middle finger he’ll never be his own man.

    That clip was enough for anyone to see he wasn’t right for the job as FM.

  48. stuart mctavish
    Ignored
    says:

    @Chick McGregor

    Supposing there about 700 elected members and 2300 payroll then, going on public statements so far, and the old adage objective-strategy-execution, how about:

    Humza – 2% (1400/70,000)

    Kate – 2.2% (1600/70,000)

    Ash – 95.8%

  49. Den
    Ignored
    says:

    I think the only people who will be happy with a Yuseless win will be the careerist troughers in the SNP and the Scottish Pakistani community, it would indeed be a historic day for them as the first Asian FM of Scotland. Not sure anyone else in Scotland will have a lot to celebrate.

  50. Luigi
    Ignored
    says:

    Ash Regan has to go into survival mode this afternoon IMO. An attempt to deselect her would be really despicable but I can see it coming down the line. This is, after all the nuSNP (where really bad things often happen to good people). I’m almost looking fwd to a Humza victory this afternoon (almost, but not quite) because surely the ensuing chaos would finally wake people up and lead to an eventual clean out of the party. Maybe things need to get worse before they get better. Unfortunately, with Humza as FM things could get a lot worse in the short term.

  51. fruitella the hun
    Ignored
    says:

    The old Left think they need oil to solve poverty. The New Left think they need authoritarian government to solve inequality. Environmentally-minded Greens (as opposed to the New Left ones currently in control) think oil fuels a destructive economy causing poverty and war, and authoritarianism entrenches an elite. Not a lot of common ground there.

    There us no shared vision to base a winning independence alliance upon. The (presumably therapeutic) bile aimed by some contributors here at the very concept of the Greens has been instructive. It’s as bad as what came from he Left in the late 70s. In fact it’s worse because we now have experimental evidence rather than the predictions we had back then.

    The only thing we agree on is that Queer Theory is a menace – still plenty in each of our tribes, especially the young, avidly support it. A majority alliance will not come from there.

    The way forward is far from clear.

  52. Luigi
    Ignored
    says:

    Humza does not appear to have much respect for the two ladies challenging him. It’s like he feels they are junior to him and should not really be challenging him. This is the same guy always seen sucking up to Nicola Sturgeon. So, dismissive of two women, but terrified of another. Must be the chain of command. He seems to have a strong belief in “Know your place”.

  53. Stephen O'Brien
    Ignored
    says:

    The Sturgeon/Salmond dog fight, another utter distraction from the core issue. Holyrood career salesmen, continue to sell us all a dummy.

  54. Red
    Ignored
    says:

    Daisy Walker says:
    27 March, 2023 at 10:05 am
    re changing demographics… see Yours For Scotland ‘Healthy Demographics’.

    Some very interesting data

    It is, but they’re focused on the wrong thing:

    Since Scotland’s Independence Referendum 2014, anecdotally, people in Scotland have been talking about a marked increase in English people retiring to Scotland. If true, in addition to changing the dynamics of areas, (pricing young workers out of the area), placing a higher burden on rural care services, it might have a considerable influence on any future vote for Scottish Independence.

    There are a lot more English people retiring in Scotland and it will have an effect on Indyref2 but it’s a pointless waste of time for Scottish nationalists to worry about this too much, and being seen as “anti-English retirees” isn’t a winning platform.

    What should worry everyone in Scotland is our horribly failing birth rates. While the Scottish Parliament debates how many protesters can dance outside an abortion clinic, the Scots simply aren’t having enough children to replace themselves.

    Family formation has broken down for a number of reasons, not least thanks to how eye-wateringly expensive it now is for young couples to buy a house, and our continued insanity of sending large numbers of young people who aren’t particularly academic to an expensive 4 year jolly at “yooni” instead of encouraging them to get a job and get married while they’re still young and fertile.

    Unless we want to live in the Children of Men future, Scotland needs to stick a Barry White record on and get busy with romantic sexytimes.

  55. Anonymoose
    Ignored
    says:

    I wonder where those 6000 ghost ballots will land today, it is something that the MSM has deliberately sidelined from the news and not mentioned or questioned at all, although it is glaringly obvious to anyone of sound mind that just from the published figures that, on numbers, the process is corrupt from the get-go and that could only have started form one place, the SNP’s head-office.

    If you recall the SNP stated that MiVote/MiVoice sent out 78,000 ballots, we later found out that the SNP only has 72,000 members when Nicola Sturgeon’s husband Peter Murrell and the architect of the illegal purdah breaking “vow” Murray Foote used their get-out-of-jail cards to vacate the party (they didn’t fall on their own swords no matter how much the Notional paints them as “saving the party credibility”, they left purely out of self-interest as that’s the type of corrupt unionist pricks that they are).

  56. orri
    Ignored
    says:

    My prediction would be more along the line of the 45 / 35 / 20 split with all of Ash’s 2nd votes going to Kate when she’s eliminated.

    Going with the scenario of Humza having a peek at the views it might be the same situation as how Davidson got an idea of how things stood in the referendum by seeing the back of the postal votes. Only this time the information might be the majority of those voting for him haven’t put a second preference and either those voting for the others have but not enough, if any, have him as their second.

    What will be his downfall is the statement about concentrating on 1st preferences. That could be interpreted as arrogance.

  57. Daisy Walker
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Red says, ‘There are a lot more English people retiring in Scotland and it will have an effect on Indyref2 but it’s a pointless waste of time for Scottish nationalists to worry about this too much, and being seen as “anti-English retirees” isn’t a winning platform.’

    The article specifically talks about the funding of Scottish NHS, and how retirees moving in from other areas of UK have not contributed.

    It makes the point, that if part of their planning was to benefit from a functioning Scottish NHS, Independence would very much be in their interests.

    And that could very well be a winning, or at the very least a constructive platform.

  58. thothScot
    Ignored
    says:

    Prediction
    Regan 0%
    Forbes 0%
    Yousaf 108%

    Based on 78000 returns from only 72000 possible members (maybe)

  59. Shug
    Ignored
    says:

    The more I see the MSM manipulating Humza to the top the more I want to see an injunction issued.

    Not sure I have the confidence in the Scottish courts thought

  60. Geri
    Ignored
    says:

    We’ll that was a given..

    She was a serial failure who missed countless open sitters.
    A fair clue she wasn’t in this for Scotlands benefit. You can’t hide shite. Now that you’ve killed the indy vote it’ll be interesting where it goes to next..
    Goodbye, Imelda. You can run but you’ll not be free until karma pays the house of Murrell a visit..

    Good luck Ash, the only real SNP candidate. The only SNP lifeline. Spring clean would start in earnest..If not the SNP is dead.

    To SNP support: Every single one who voted GRR must go. Every single one who backed Humza must go. Every single one who courted 2050 & devolution must go.

    Kate is a unionist Tory – she’ll not rock the boat. She’ll show fealty to her London masters & seek advice from her elders at church. A boring slow burn ahead. Carol Vorderman without the clock.

    Humza is an authoritarian nutjob. He’ll be an absolute weapon in government with his Green chums. He could possibly go off script & tell Sturgeon & Harvie to get themselves tae… He’s that sleekit. It’d be his gig now. Men smacking thier women folk around to show some discipline will be law by Friday..locking him in power by Monday.

    Whit a day ahead..a week even. I hope Stu is well rested for the week ahead. Let the temper tantrums begin…

  61. Stuart MacKay
    Ignored
    says:

    100%Yes @10:49am

    “controlling middle finger”, aaarrrrggghhh, where’s the brain bleach.

  62. sadscot
    Ignored
    says:

    @Stuart Mackay
    “perhaps Yousaf realises he needs to be his own man.”
    Yousaf has never been his own man in his life. Throughout this contest he’s needed constant support and prompting. That will continue and he’ll be following her orders from the back benches. His incompetence in every other post tells you all you need to know about him.

  63. Ron Clark
    Ignored
    says:

    To think of the early days of the Sturgeon reign, where she never went anywhere without her beloved mobile phone.

    She couldn’t wait to get in about the crowds to get the selfies taken.

    Those days are long gone.

    Never again will she be able to mix it with the Scottish public.

    There are too many people who now detest the horrible little bastard, (me included), and her security team will be strongly advising against such activities.

    She’ll be chauffeur driven from one TV studio to another.

    Very much like the way Tony Blair does.

  64. Jim Robertson
    Ignored
    says:

    If / when Useless gets elected – that gives Hutchie Grammar FPs 2 out of 3 top jobs…. Douglas Ross emerges as the only state-schooled party leader. (I exclude the Greens and Libs of course..)

  65. sadscot
    Ignored
    says:

    @Shug
    “The more I see the MSM manipulating Humza to the top the more I want to see an injunction issued.”

    They want him to win as he will take the SNP out of office faster than anyone else. That’s why he’s had such an easy ride despite the endless lies he’s spouted since day one of this contest.

  66. Wullie B
    Ignored
    says:

    My prediction for the fix I mean leadership election is
    Humza 58%
    Kate 32%
    Ash 16%
    I don’t like that Hazmat Uselss knew that he was in the lead, gave me bad memories of Ruth the Tank Commander on Sept 18 2014 at 22:30 on TV results show

  67. Rev. Stuart Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    “Not sure where the 47% support for independence comes from, the last 3 (credible) polls I’ve seen are 39, 37 and 37.”

    Those figures include Don’t Knows. I’m comparing like with like.

  68. robertkknight
    Ignored
    says:

    Are bookies even giving odds on Humdrum Yousless? I didn’t think they touched contests that were, “cough…”, tainted by a suspicion as to their being fair, open and honest.

    As has been mentioned, 78,000 votes available for 72,000 members? Aye, right! If I were a Bookie I’d not touch a bet on this supposed three horse race with a barge pole.

  69. Owen Mullions
    Ignored
    says:

    The SNP Commandments

    1 I am the transgender God, thou shalt have no other gods before me.
    2 Thou shalt not take the name of Nicola in vain.
    3 Remember to keep holy the Week of Pride.
    4 Honour the Sturgeon and the Murrell.
    5 Thou shalt kill independence.
    6 Thou shalt commit adultery with staffers.
    7 Thou shalt steal indyref money.
    8 Thou shalt bear false witness against Alex Salmond.
    9 Thou shalt covet a French wife.
    10 Thou shalt covet a husband’s ass.

  70. Rev. Stuart Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    “Let’s not forget both Salmond and Sturgeon, sold the jerseys, in 2014, on live tv debate over currency. They had no cohesive plan. That failure ultimately cost us the vote.”

    This is guff, I’m afraid. The reality in 2014 is that the UK *would* have agreed – in a heartbeat – to a currency union. We also polled on the issue, and the truth is that the public wasn’t that bothered. It was only the hardcore Yoons and the Scottish media (let’s for a moment pretend those are two different things) that liked to shout about it.

    Wings said repeatedly at the time that the campaign was too evasive about saying what its second option was – everyone knew it was Sterlingisation in the short term – and that WAS a failing, but it made little difference to anything because the public (rightly) just didn’t believe the UK would actually refuse a currency union.

  71. Beauvais
    Ignored
    says:

    Sturgeon didn’t just miss an open goal for independence. She deliberately missed it, and does not have an ounce of contrition about it. Same as she has no shame over her plot against Salmond. A truly disgusting individual.

  72. Anton Decadent
    Ignored
    says:

    @Ian Brotherhood 10.35am

    The stuff I mentioned in that post did not happen in Govanhill/NS Constituency but in a neighbouring area(s) if you are heading into the town direction (Gorbals/Oatlands/Hutchesontown in that order). At least one, the last of the three, was a Labour area, I know this because I went to the Labour councillor for help and he instead threatened me on behalf of a local organised crime family.

  73. Willie
    Ignored
    says:

    Baby boxes was what she said she gave us but body boxes were the reality.

    Hundreds of thousands,many elderly, in cold houses unable to afford heating and lighting. And many many more all too often disconnected in a country blessed with energy.

    And the body boxes are no exaggeration. The level of increased deaths, excluding covid is absolutely shocking. Death it seems with no exaggeration is the legacy of Sturgeon and her policies

  74. Anton Decadent
    Ignored
    says:

    Re NS, a couple of years ago I was walking along the Clyde and saw her sitting alone in the passenger seat of a wee run of the mill hatchback which was parked outside of the office of a Glasgow based law firm, imagine Humza if he was a lawyer, the arrogance etc, will give you an idea of which lawyer.

  75. Antoine Bisset
    Ignored
    says:

    Red says:
    27 March, 2023 at 11:16 am
    Daisy Walker says:
    27 March, 2023 at 10:05 am
    re changing demographics… see Yours For Scotland ‘Healthy Demographics’.
    Some very interesting data
    It is, but they’re focused on the wrong thing:

    Indeed. I looked at the figures for abortions in Scotland. They run at about 10,000 a year.
    The number since the Abortion Act is maybe 500,000. Had these children been born that would have had children, and those children would have had children.
    Scotland is short of about 1m Scots because of abortions. An almost unimaginable figure. Yet we have successive First Ministers bleating about how Scotland needs immigrants.

    How did Scotland manage to have shipyards, factories and mines and other industries all of which required lots of workers – jobs that no longer exist – a hundred years ago when our population was smaller?

  76. Rakali
    Ignored
    says:

    What time has the SNP set for the coronation of Humza the First?

  77. Luigi
    Ignored
    says:

    If Humza wins, I will need to order a truckload of popcorn. It will be a laugh a minute. The party (and country) is in such a mess, I almost feel sorry for Kate if she wins. At least it will be satisfying to see the greens throw their dummies oot the pram and go off in a rage (or will they)? There’s whispers that Ash has done pretty well, unlikely to be enough, but much better than expected.

  78. desimond
    Ignored
    says:

    Looking forward to the “5000 new members sign up to SNP!” headlines tomorrow morning in The National…and membership never mentioned again…

  79. thothScot
    Ignored
    says:

    Took a quick peek at the Beeb for updates.
    Spotted a who are the candidates section

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-scotland-65086830

    Regan – unknown rebel against her party.
    Forbes – savaged for her views
    Yousaf – polished, experienced and popular.

    No attempt to hide who they think should be getting the job.

  80. Bortwhiskels
    Ignored
    says:

    I have put the popcorn away, I can’t see any of the heavily implied skeletons making an appearance any time soon. The votes have been cast, disregarded and binned, and soon we’ll know if the SNP hierarchy have decided to go with their first choice, or, if he has come so hopelessly last that SNP members will become suspicious when they can’t find a member who did vote for him, their second choice. Numbers will be invented, passed to the press, and the choreographed celebrations will drown out the sound of those closet doors slamming the skeletons away for good.

    If we’re waiting for someone in the SNP, police Scotland or the COPFS doing the right thing I think we’ll be waiting forever.

  81. Beauvais
    Ignored
    says:

    The votes have been counted……..and discounted.

  82. Breeks
    Ignored
    says:

    Rev. Stuart Campbell says:
    27 March, 2023 at 12:13 pm
    “Let’s not forget both Salmond and Sturgeon, sold the jerseys, in 2014, on live tv debate over currency. They had no cohesive plan. That failure ultimately cost us the vote.”

    This is guff, I’m afraid. The reality in 2014 is that the UK *would* have agreed – in a heartbeat – to a currency union….

    Program on TV last night about Market Gardens in England closing down, 10% closed already, with many unable to get staff or pay the cost of heating their vast green houses.

    Lea Valley who produce 75% of Britains Cucumbers, Peppers & Aubergines, talking about closing down within 5 years. I forget the figure (30% ?) of other Market Gardens already applying for Planning Permission to demolish greenhouses and build warehouses instead. Get used to empty shelves in your supermarkets.

    Still think England won’t negotiate with energy rich, and water rich, Scotland post Independence?

    Personally, I even think they’ll be begging for Scotland not to secede and walk away debt free. They’ll “suddenly” remember the UK is a Union of Constitutional Equals.

  83. Bortwhiskels
    Ignored
    says:

    * edit

    Or the media, for that matter.

  84. Wee Chid
    Ignored
    says:

    Antoine Bisset says:
    27 March, 2023 at 12:27 pm
    And who do you suggest looks after the proportion of the aborted foetuses that are unwanted as opposed to the ones that were necessary or advised? Given the goings on in Children’s Homes I’d be interested if you’d rather condemn a child to that sort of future. Remember, it was only in 1967 that the govt stopped sending kids to be abused in the outposts of the empire in order to “keep the empire white”. Maybe if unmarried moms weren’t so demonised by society, even today, then the abortion rate wouldn’t be so high.

  85. Frazerio
    Ignored
    says:

    Er, I’m assuming there just wasn’t a big enough asterisk available next to the membership numbers. If the SNP today have 72,000 members then Humza Yousuf is the greatest politician of his generation.

    We know it’s definitely not 72,000 because the SNP told us that it is.

    Ash Regan is the only credible choice, she’s the only one with an actual plan for indy and she’s the one the Unionists (incl Sturgeon et al) fear most, so commiserations to Ms Regan when the results come. Simply too good for that shower of corrupt rats.

  86. twathater
    Ignored
    says:

    I will NOT shed a tear for the STUPID remaining clowns in the now deviant perverted paedo enabling Scum Nonce Party, that includes their cowardly parasitic incompetent politicians and their brain dead moronic membership who stood by whilst this trojan horse unionist and her woke taliban destroyed and decimated YOUR party , a party that was founded and created to take Scotland to independence and YOU allowed a deviant narcissist to take total control of and steer away from independence whilst telling REAL independence supporters who were warning you to SHUT UP FOR INDY

    I feel outrage anger and revulsion that Scotland has been betrayed by a shower of TRAI TORS, 1 lot who are only interested in feathering their own nests and Lot 2 a shower of numpties who haven’t the intelligence to see a con woman/man for the lying corrupt piece of excrement that IT is even although she proved it every day
    As for your new leader whoever it may be from the three of them, their self serving Scotland hating attitude will be supported and applauded by the numpties who voted for them , whilst the rest of Scotland will suffer as usual from your stupidity

    There are 3 candidates and all 3 refused to EXPOSE the rank corruption and lies, NOT one of them had the courage or integrity to CHALLENGE what is evident to all, instead they were only interested in looking after themselves and their padded arses, FUCK independence, FUCK Scotland, FUCK womens and girls rights,FUCK family poverty , FUCK OAP’S heating, and FUCK voters and democracy
    REMEMBER when you are asking in 15 years time what happened to independence, dumb snp voters FUCKED it

  87. A Bruce
    Ignored
    says:

    thothScot @ 12:51

    ” polished” ? Impossible, you can’t polish a turd. Dumb za post Yousless makes dross look like Einstein.

  88. dasBlimp
    Ignored
    says:

    Breeks says:
    27 March, 2023 at 1:06 pm

    Still think England won’t negotiate with energy rich, and water rich, Scotland post Independence?

    Personally, I even think they’ll be begging for Scotland not to secede and walk away debt free. They’ll “suddenly” remember the UK is a Union of Constitutional Equals
    ———————–
    UK Government sends 37.5 billion pounds to Scotland annually. How much energy and water do you think that will buy?

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/10/07/foreign-aid-could-slashed-balance-books/

  89. Oneliner
    Ignored
    says:

    1332 HRS

    No sign of a leak from Holyrood?

    Has Cleggy heard anything?

  90. Effijy
    Ignored
    says:

    Humza will be ripped to shreds by the Unionist Media and London politicians.
    More holes in his armour than a colander.
    Liberal Party based old king Cole all saying people don’t want Indy but for all Party politicians to work together on the economy.

    Mr Cole, can you tell us to what degree the Tory Party have consulted with the 4th largest Party the Lib Dem’s, the 3rd largest party SNP or even the Labour opposition.

    The Tories have destroyed the economy over the last 13 years and they haven’t listened or cared about any other party while they have a 80 seat majority.

    How do Scotland build its economy with no financial controls over their budget that is constantly eroded by Westminster.

  91. Republicofscotland
    Ignored
    says:

    Its absolutely cringe worthy that the results of this utter farce of a leadership election will be held at our national rugby stadium.

    When Yousaf or Forbes is announced as the next FM, the balloons will be released and gender daft crew will be dancing with GCHQ staff in delight.

    That die-hard Britnat Glen Campbell, had the chutzpah to say on the English state propaganda news channel BBC Shortbread that nobody knows whose won yet, aye right.

    This is a sad day for Scotland, a day of regret, a day to forget, its a day the SNP will be replaced by Alba as the party for Scottish independence, this is the day the SNP died.

  92. Confused
    Ignored
    says:

    stumbled across this old link the other day –

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbSJT4znjTU

    the CFR is a far right conspiracy theory; that this organisation was setup by rockefeller and pals, spawned many offshoots, and exists as part of, may be the centre of the deep state of the USA, the permanent government, the national security state/continuity of government (Chomsky), freemasonic alien reptiles (Icke, Jones) and so on. This is global central and davos is its b1tch.

    so it clearly “doesn’t exist”, and yet – BOOM – there she is

    I haven’t watched this for a while, but I am sure it is a lot of Nikki, sticking it to global capital about land reform and nationalised infrastructure … chortle … how did we miss this and why did we ever think it was gonna happen with her?

    One thing, Nikki’s memory and recall seems spot-on in this; we all know her as the only control-freak who has a mind like a sieve and canny remember anything, whitamilike

  93. John C
    Ignored
    says:

    Sturgeon’s legacy is going to be a sad, depressing one. She took a vibrant, diverse movement made up of all ages, races, classes and based round a basic set of socially democratic ideas and policies, and flushed it down the toilet for a hard neoliberalism where our assets and resources are being sold to the worst people in the world but all labeled as ‘green’ and endorsed by the equally hollowed out shell of the Scottish Greens.

    Independence went from one huge last push to a generation away at least, while a new political class has emerged who are amazingly even worse than under Labour.It’s a shocking legacy and one Scotland won’t recover from until it breaks as the previous one did when Labour were in power.

    And now we face it getting worse regardless who becomes the new FM.

  94. Confused
    Ignored
    says:

    Once the ballots are checked by GCHQ in an RAF hangar in Northolt, I hope Murrell, in the interests of safeguarding democracy, has all the ballots securely destroyed in case far right extremist nationalists somehow obtain the raw results and misinterpret them maliciously to fuel their own unfounded conspiracy theories.

    – trust the system.

  95. PhilM
    Ignored
    says:

    The seating arrangements…it’s going to be Humza…

  96. robertkknight
    Ignored
    says:

    RoS…

    “this is the day the SNP died.”

    Nah mate…

    Sturgeon’s rancid SNP has been dead for years – its Zombie state just means the arseholes who are members and who vote for it just don’t realise it, yet…

  97. Ottomanboi
    Ignored
    says:

    Scotland has «geographic» assets, the British state is not going to give those up without a struggle. Whoever heads the SNP, and what the hell has this got to do with «the king», must internalize that and be well prepared to strike where it countd.
    No more «fooling around».
    Scotland ending the Union will bring the remnants of the British imperium crashing down:
    Gibraltar, Malvinas, Cayman, Bahamas, Bermuda, Isle of Man, Jersey and other tax havens.
    Sharing out the joint UK assets should be fun. They imagine they are entitled to the lot…

  98. Confused
    Ignored
    says:

    In light of their affiliations and loyalties, the result should be announced to a rousing backdrop of Gary Glitters Rock and Rock Part2

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nras3c8r45k

    “do you wanna be in my gang … ohyeah!”

    join the party for a ketamine fuelled paedo blood orgy

  99. robertkknight
    Ignored
    says:

    What a crock!

    Bye-bye SNP, bye-bye…

    Don’t let the door hit your ar$e on the way out of Scotland’s political scene.

    Humbug Yousless… Ha-ha-ha! Good luck! You’ll fricking need it!

  100. Andrew scott
    Ignored
    says:

    Useless gets it

  101. Republicofscotland
    Ignored
    says:

    LIke I said today is the day the SNP died.

  102. Karen
    Ignored
    says:

    Humza got it, God/dog help us all.

  103. robbo
    Ignored
    says:

    We’re doomed!

  104. INDEPENDENT5
    Ignored
    says:

    Huza useless by 2 %

  105. bluegrass banjo
    Ignored
    says:

    gutted

    KATE so close

  106. Confused
    Ignored
    says:

    did I get that right – Ash Regans second preferences favoured Humsa?

  107. Geri
    Ignored
    says:

    We’re well & truly fuuuuuuuuuckd..

  108. desimond
    Ignored
    says:

    And we are officially f*****

  109. Confounder
    Ignored
    says:

    SNP RIP

  110. Anonymoose
    Ignored
    says:

    The game’s a bogey.

  111. Effijy
    Ignored
    says:

    Humza put in by unionists and the stupid.

  112. Ken+Lowson
    Ignored
    says:

    Looks like the fix was set up before Murrell resigned.

  113. 100%Yes
    Ignored
    says:

    Today we witness the SNP demise as a party and Scotland independence movement dead and buried for good.

  114. Gerard McGhee
    Ignored
    says:

    …And so the longest suicide note in history is signed off by the SNP.

  115. Steve davison
    Ignored
    says:

    Shock result

  116. Stravaiger
    Ignored
    says:

    Well fuck me. What an absolute disaster.
    PLEASE ALBA, stand candidates in every constituency. Otherwise I’m going to have to spoil my ballot.

  117. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    Around 4000+ who voted for Ash Regan didn’t put sown a second preference?

  118. Brian Doonthetoon
    Ignored
    says:

    Around 4000+ who voted for Ash Regan didn’t put down a second preference?

  119. Lothianlad
    Ignored
    says:

    HY This is how a liar speaks.

  120. Scot
    Ignored
    says:

    Numbers game
    Dodgy.
    Only 70% of 70,000 voted, mostly electronically – so it must be assumed before the shit hit the fan.

  121. Vestas
    Ignored
    says:

    As I predicted last week, Yousaf gets in on second votes.

    Believe it or not, makes no odds. SNP is finished for independence. Over and done with for good.

    Time for you all to stop going on about them and move on to a party which IS interested in independence.

  122. Beauvais
    Ignored
    says:

    Kirsten Oswald had to have her wee two minutes of limelight before Finn came to the microphone. Pathetic. Encapsulates everything that’s wrong with the SNP.

  123. And spouse
    Ignored
    says:

    Oh No!

  124. dasBlimp
    Ignored
    says:

    You are all fucked!

  125. scunner
    Ignored
    says:

    Humza’s saved me some cash.
    I’d seriously considered leaving in December but waited it out.

    With him in charge there’s no chance

  126. Ian Brotherhood
    Ignored
    says:

    Ash looks much more than disappointed – she looks utterly fuming.

    No doubt we’ll find out why in due course.

  127. Bob Mack
    Ignored
    says:

    Same carrot—– different donkey.

  128. Sapri
    Ignored
    says:

    Anyone else struggling to join the Alba party right now?

  129. William Wallace
    Ignored
    says:

    So it’s Humza then.

    Sad day for Scottish democracy.

  130. SusanAHF
    Ignored
    says:

    So yousaf has it, the fix worked. Exactly what he has to offer beats me- serial failure, anti white, chip on his shoulder. Goodbye nuSNP

  131. Republicofscotland
    Ignored
    says:

    Right then from this day forth we MUST get right behind the Alba party, RIP SNP, Ash Regan watch your back.

  132. robbo
    Ignored
    says:

    Why did only 50k or so vote- wtaf is that aboot?

  133. 10/30
    Ignored
    says:

    Desmond at 12.38

    Just cancelled my SNP membership and standing orders!

  134. 100%Yes
    Ignored
    says:

    Excellent news for the Alba Party and for Scotland.

  135. shug
    Ignored
    says:

    Well it is hard to believe the SNP can ever recover from this.

    Any sign of an interdict

  136. Confused
    Ignored
    says:

    he is very buzzword friendly isn’t he

    it’s a cunning plot by far right racists you know –

    make a pakistani FM, just so we can all be really racist about him

    aamer anwar has a semi

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hkCKN1xCLQ

    too soon?

    just enjoy vini reilly’s beautiful guitar playing

  137. bluegrass banjo
    Ignored
    says:

    ash 11%

    not bad considering was trashed in the media

  138. dasBlimp
    Ignored
    says:

    In his first speech as FM he says NS has left them with a great foundation to build upon (unbelievable) That’s lie number one of many.

  139. Beauvais
    Ignored
    says:

    Humza Yousaf is the new SNP Pleader.

    Please can we have a Section 30 order?

    Can we have a Section 30?

    We deserve a Section 30….please.

  140. PhilM
    Ignored
    says:

    Is it actually the case that nearly 30% of the SNP membership don’t know how to switch on a computer??!!!
    Or is 50,000 nearer the actual number of members???
    What a shambles of a party…puggled…

  141. Jamesy
    Ignored
    says:

    I have four friends who are all Tory voters (they’re nice people, just a bit crazy and they egg each other on). Anyway, they’re all members of the SNP just in case of such a situation as we’ve just witnessed. They all voted for Humza. You’ve been had.

  142. panda paws
    Ignored
    says:

    “Kirsten Oswald had to have her wee two minutes of limelight”

    Well she’d better enjoy it because she’s toast after the next election.

  143. London Scott
    Ignored
    says:

    Ottomanboi says:
    “Scotland ending the Union will bring the remnants of the British imperium crashing down:
    Gibraltar, Malvinas, Cayman, Bahamas, Bermuda, Isle of Man, Jersey and other tax havens.”

    I doubt it. Orkney has already said that in the event of independence they would apply to become a Crown Dependent Territory. As for the Malvinas – known by the locals as the Falkand Islands – you are joking, they might as well put up a sign saying “Welcome Argentina, invade us now.”

    On a general note – good news for Unionists and I suspect the SNP will lose seats in Glasgow and the SW to Labour, Islands to the LDs, NE Scotland and the south to the Tories at the GE next year. Kate Forbes and Ash Regan would have been more of a threat to the Union. I suspect that HY will be out by the end of 2024.

  144. panda paws
    Ignored
    says:

    First ballot results

    Ash Regan: 5,599 – 11.1%

    Kate Forbes: 20,559 – 40.7%

    Humza Yousaf: 24,336 – 48.2%

    Second ballot results

    Kate Forbes: 23,890 – 47.9%

    Humza Yousaf: 26,052 – 52.1%

  145. Beauvais
    Ignored
    says:

    Only three spoiled ballots. Does that sound likely for such a controversial election with plenty of pissed off voters?

  146. Ebenezer Scroggie
    Ignored
    says:

    Kate Forbes looked like the cat that had licked the cream.

    Clearly, she’d cut a deal whereby she gets the £167K ministerial paypacket and the government limo and the flunkies and the adoration and the fat gold-plated pension.

  147. Sharney Dubs
    Ignored
    says:

    Just like 14’ the outcome was never in question, their only problem was how to get the electorate to accept it without them guessing what we really did. Smoke and mirrors, smoke and mirrors! “See how close they ran!” At least they didn’t have to be as crude as “THE VOW!!”
    We have to get over it and move on, make sure they are dead in the water next tally! Come on Alba!!

  148. William Wallace
    Ignored
    says:

    Even though I knew deep down it would be fixed in Humza’s favour, I am still saddened and angered by the result.

    Where do we go from here as an independence movement in terms of political representation? I’m an Alba member myself but can we convince enough of the Scottish electorate to join up and become the major force in Scottish politics that the SNP once was?

    Is it even worth putting my marching boots on this season? I feel like marching is no longer enough and that direct action would be more effective. We have put up with this nonsense long enough.

  149. sadscot
    Ignored
    says:

    @Robbo
    I’m not even going to attempt the maths! They already said they sent out 78,000 ballot papers. Now today they’re declaring a 70% turnout on 72,000 ballot papers. I wonder what happened to the other 6,000.

  150. Garavelli Princip
    Ignored
    says:

    No wonder the Yoons look happy.

    Looks like they ‘lost’ a large number of ballots!

    But good news for the payroll vote!

    SNP done and gone!

    Hopes overfed a generation – at least!

  151. London Scott
    Ignored
    says:

    Make of it what you will. When HY started speaking, my 18 1/2 year old Tabitha (cat) starting growling and yowling. Born in Kent, and has lived in London most of her life. I has no inkling she was interested in Scottish politics. But perhaps she is just a good judge of character.

  152. Colin
    Ignored
    says:

    The 70% turnout jumped out at me as well. Astonishingly low from paid up members.

  153. Xaracen
    Ignored
    says:

    Confused said:

    “did I get that right – Ash Regans second preferences favoured Humsa?”

    No, Ash’s 2nd votes to Forbes were almost double her 2nd votes to Yousaf. Forbes gained 3331 votes from Regan’s 2nd prefs, Yousaf gained 1696 votes from them.

  154. Cameron Lochiel
    Ignored
    says:

    Himza Yousless “wins” a totally corrupt contest. He’ll be a disaster of course and, hopefully, won’t last very long. While he does, though, we’re all fucked

  155. twathater
    Ignored
    says:

    Ash Regan looked raging and ready for tears, Kate forbes obviously on a promise sitting with a wee knowing smile (sell out), NO sympathy Ash you sold out your integrity knowing the corruption that was taking place and you went along with it pandering to these liars and you will reap the reward of vilification from the woke taliban who will DEMAND your deselection , HELL slap it intae yae , there is NO COMPROMISING with scum

  156. Ian Smith
    Ignored
    says:

    Close enough that Ash’s suggestion of allowing early voters who selected before half a dozen high profile resignations occurred to change their ballot might well have swung it.

  157. Luigi
    Ignored
    says:

    Would the last real independence supporter to leave the SNP please turn off the lights?

  158. Sarissa
    Ignored
    says:

    Beauvais – only 1849 voted postally. Presumably the online version didn’t allow spoiled ballots?

  159. Nick Kershaw
    Ignored
    says:

    Crikey, no surprises; Ms Forbes would have been formidable opposition to the revolting British establishment instead you have this clown idiot. Goodbye snp hellow Alba.

  160. sadscot
    Ignored
    says:

    @Effijy
    “Humza will be ripped to shreds by the Unionist Media and London politicians.”
    And about time too! Forbes and Regan were targeted mercilessly by the media.
    Let’s hope today is the day he finds out that the media has only let him away with all his lies in the hope he wins and they can then take him down, as First Minister, in their own time.
    Now we will see how truly useless he really is.

  161. desimond
    Ignored
    says:

    @10/30
    Nice work but I fear you wont make the news. It will be The Queen is dead, long live the King” for the rest of the week.

  162. twathater
    Ignored
    says:

    Ash Regan looked raging and ready for tears, Kate forbes obviously on a promise sitting with a wee knowing smile (sell out), NO sympathy Ash you sold out your integrity knowing the corruption that was taking place and you went along with it pandering to these liars and you will reap the reward of vilification from the woke taliban who will DEMAND your deselection , HELL slap it intae yae , there is NO COMPROMISING with scum TBH when the scum turn on her I wouldn’t let her into ALBA because she has proven that truth and integrity is not a priority

  163. panda paws
    Ignored
    says:

    Kate’s wean, Naomi, in the second row could do a better job than Useless. She looks like she’s more about her than he does.

    https://twitter.com/i/status/1640343580152659974

  164. Bob
    Ignored
    says:

    Well, Stu, just seen the result. Looks like your work here is not yet done.

  165. Den
    Ignored
    says:

    How quickly can a vote of no confidence be held? We need a GE we can’t have an incompetent like this as FM of our country. The guys a fucking wank.

  166. Anton Decadent
    Ignored
    says:

    The idiots are winning.

  167. London Scott
    Ignored
    says:

    Beauvais says:
    27 March, 2023 at 2:39 pm
    Only three spoiled ballots. Does that sound likely for such a controversial election with plenty of pissed off voters?

    As someone who has been in politics for 40 years and attended many a count, I was astonished by this and said something about it to my husband.

  168. MarkH
    Ignored
    says:

    Only question I have, was ‘Smitty’ at the wind up from the start?

  169. 100%Yes
    Ignored
    says:

    What we have witnessed today from the membership of the SNP is that the SNP is no longer a party for Independence, considering only 11% voted for Ash Regan and th.

  170. Morgatron
    Ignored
    says:

    I’ve just cancelled my DD to SNP HQ and will now double my Alba dues. Fucking mess of a party.

  171. Confused
    Ignored
    says:

    and the cops say : nothing to see here, move along …

    I mean, it could work out. I, for one, salute our new islamic overlord, FM is too paltry a title, make him Caliph

    now all he has to do is :

    declare the UNION to be absolutely HARAM

    make the ENGLISH all KUFFARS

    and make the YES Movement a NATIONAL JIHAD

    and … we’re fucking done.

    If it had to be a muslim, I would have preferred IMRAN KHAN – he has been trying to clean up Pakistan, rid it of the globalist scum and spooks, but it’s clear he is going to get shot, maybe very soon; at least our cricket team would improve.

    – you have to go with the flow.

  172. laukat
    Ignored
    says:

    Something happened a week ago. After Murrell’s resignation Yousaf had given up and Forbes was well ahead.

    Murrell and Lloyd leaving the scene either scared some of the other SNP HQ bampot’s into fixing the election or Sturgeon directly took hold of it.

    Either way the SNP is finished. Its bad enough for a party to vote in a leader who doesn’t really support the parties founding mission but its terrible for a party in government to vote in somebody so incompetent.

    Its time for some defections. I hope Regan and Forbes look at how they’ve been treated and consider moving to Alba asap. Also think Angus McNeil and a few other MP’s need to make that journey if the value their political careers.

    If they stay you can only assume that they are only there for the pay or because they think Yousaf will last as long as Truss.

  173. Tony Little
    Ignored
    says:

    I find it impossible to believe that any of Ash’s second vote preferences would have gone to Humza. Who is kidding whom here?

  174. London Scott
    Ignored
    says:

    10/30 says:
    27 March, 2023 at 2:27 pm
    Desmond at 12.38

    Just cancelled my SNP membership and standing orders!

    Don’t. That’s why HY won – because of the 53K resignations. Stay a member, just don’t do any work or give donations. I think HY will be out after the GE and a proper contest will take place.

  175. Confounder
    Ignored
    says:

    @Garavelli Princip, 2:41 p.m.

    Well, I am a yoon and I am not happy. I want to see the country governed competently more than I want it to remain part of the union. This result is a disaster for Scotland. The sooner the SNP is put out of its misery the better. If the independence movement then progresses to a truly democratic departure from the union, so be it.

  176. Al-Stuart
    Ignored
    says:

    .
    Hi Stuart,

    I love your style of writing. A beautifully concise set of comparables. An indictment of Sturgeon The Betrayer.

    https://wingsoverscotland.com/the-betrayer/

    THAT summary needs putting on EVERY page of the Wings Over Scotland website PLEASE… in the same way as the (sadly) iconic FRONT PAGE montage from THE NATIONAL where Nicola (who she?) Sturgeon PROMISED INDYREF2 every year since 2015 to 2023.

    May I also congratulate Humza Yousaf’s parents. Their wee boy did good. Sadly for him, Humza will be the tartan version of SLABs Henry McLeish.

    The erection of Humza Yousaf to be head honcho of the NuSNP heralds 20 years in opposition for the once honourable Indy party.

    Henry McLeish ended his reign as FM by the proclamation: ”It’s a muddle, not a fiddle”.

    I bet £100, Humza McUseless will have someone hailing: “Taxi for Yousaf.”

    The epitaph for McUseless will be…

    “It’s a muddle AND a fiddle.”

  177. thursoberwick
    Ignored
    says:

    Murrell’s avoid jail now because Sturgeon’s b@tch has won?

  178. Skip_NC
    Ignored
    says:

    Panda paws, by my maths, Kate Forbes got Ash Regan’s second preferences by about 2:1. Using your vote numbers, 552 votes did not transfer. That leaves 5,047 that did. Kate Forbes went up by 3,331 and Humza Yousaf by 1,716.

    I think the SNP is done. Anyone who believes- truly believes in independence must now look for a new political home. Independence supporters of all political stripes will find a home in Alba. That is the political solution to independence. The SNP is now firmly a devolutionist party.

  179. AndyH
    Ignored
    says:

    Tainted as tainted can be.

    This is actually a good result.

    Shorter route to them getting totally and utterly demolished.

    Alba must be rubbing their hands in glee.

  180. Rakali
    Ignored
    says:

    It’s amusing to hear the results of an “election” when everyone knew what the results were going to be.

    SNP head office seems to be staffed with the operatives the Soviet Union rejected.

  181. Stuart MacKay
    Ignored
    says:

    Oh dear, the seals over at WGD don’t seem to be in a clapping mood.

  182. McDuff
    Ignored
    says:

    Yes we are truly friar tucked.
    Despite there being outside influences at play in the end it’s Scots who have shafted Scots.
    They make me sick.

  183. Jimmy Boyd
    Ignored
    says:

    The real reason for the installation of Yousaf will become all too apparent fairly soon. You just need to ask yourself why they really want this serial incompetent as FM so much, as to rig the ballot ? It has nothing to do with him scuppering the YES movement on behalf of the Murrells and Westminster. Westminster have been told to break up the UK and Scottish Nationalism is going to be the conduit to do it.

    Breaking up the UK is not the same as independence – be very clear about this. The deal with the WEF’s Starmer,Sunak and Sturgeon has been done already to implement this. Starmer will grant another vote when installed. Scotland is now only ONE rigged ballot from complete regime change and Yousaf will be crowned ruler absolute. It cannot be stopped now.

    This will affect N Ireland and Falkland Islands,Gibraltar and other UK interests. Islamic Eurasia is being created and the global government formed. The era of US hegemony is over. Just my opinion mind. I could be way off the mark.

  184. Frank Gillougley
    Ignored
    says:

    In the manner of the phoney racecourse commentator in ‘The Sting …
    And Dickswinger wins it by a …

  185. John Main
    Ignored
    says:

    The result is in.

    It’s official.

    We are too wee after all.

    From our 5.5 million, nobody can any longer be found that has it in him or her to lead us.

    So we have outsourced that too.

    I think of the proud and patriotic members of my family that have gone before. None of them would have wished to live to see this day.

    I am grateful they were spared this final humiliation.

  186. Frank Gillougley
    Ignored
    says:

    .. a length!

    Oh well then, see you all in an afterlife of your own choosing. The baw’s oan the slates.

  187. Rev. Stuart Campbell
    Ignored
    says:

    “Orkney has already said that in the event of independence they would apply to become a Crown Dependent Territory.”

    Of course they haven’t.

  188. Cherrybank
    Ignored
    says:

    I first met Humza Yousaf in 2008 when he was one of three candidates for the Glasgow East by -election. John Mason and a middle aged SNP veteran were the other two candidates. Humza seemed a likeable young man and gave a decent speech to the members.The candidates withdrew and we had a discussion on each of them.Just as we were preparing to vote,Humza came in and announced he was withdrawing from the contest as he realised how inexperienced he was in comparison with his two competitors. The young Humza has fairly developed in the intervening 15 years.

  189. Mac
    Ignored
    says:

    Wow Kate Forbes sold out and went along with it (what a week ago) when she endorsed the integrity of the election process.

    Don’t believe 39% of Ash Regan first preferences had Yousaf as second preference.

    Dont believe Ash Regan’s vote was that low.

    Don’t believe Yousaf was the most popular in the first round.

    The entire process stank.

    There needs to be a Scottish general election as this is illegitimate in the extreme. Yousaf has zero mandate from the Scottish people and especially from a process as secretive and bent as this one.

    All Yousaf is, is the unelected stooge parachuted into the job by his corrupt predecessor using a rigged process from start to finish.

    Which Kate Forbes endorsed. For what reward we will soon see I guess (but if so she can f**k off forever). Hope she loses her seat in the inevitable coming backlash at next election… very disappointing.

    2017 is going to look like nothing for what is coming.

  190. A Bruce
    Ignored
    says:

    I’ve just been reading the comments in Der Spiegel online, who have reported on Yousless being the new leader. Gushing praises from the commentariat on how good it was that someone from an immigrant family could now lead Scotland to independence.

  191. Cynicus
    Ignored
    says:

    MarkH says:
    27 March, 2023 at 2:55 pm
    Only question I have, was ‘Smitty’ at the wind up from the start?
    ====

    Indeed

    According to “Smitty”, Humza had seen the numbers, knew he couldn’t win, and would withdraw from the contest!

  192. twathater
    Ignored
    says:

    If anyone thought our deviant leader was going anywhere I have a few good condition bridges for sale, sturgeon realises that to go anywhere else she would become exposed as the incompetent fake that we know is the real her, as a narcissist she cannot face that reality so has devised the situation where she can still remain in control but all failures will be attributed to the public face of Useless

    She can and will operate her puppet from the back benches and as we have seen any dissent from the proven cowards will be threatened with deselection or other punishment, so the continuity of the troughing salaries and pensions for the fake independence politicos will continue unabated thanks tae OOR Nicoliar , THAT is why the cowards love her

  193. A Bruce
    Ignored
    says:

    You could be right Twathater. I can just see him sitting there with an earpiece in his lug getting instructions from mummy boss at the back.

  194. President Xiden
    Ignored
    says:

    As predicted. Clown world.

  195. Mia
    Ignored
    says:

    We are expected to believe over 1,000 of second votes of those who voted for Ms Regan as first choice went to the pro-GRR continuity candidate. Sorry, I do not believe that for even a second.

    In fact I do not believe the result nor I believe Yousaf is the legitimate leader. The leadership contest, in my personal view, has been rigged from beginning to end to catapult this man to the leader position and we have been treated as absolute fools. This ends today.

    If the contest had not been rigged, they would have acepted for the members to change the vote when we all know that option was available and Mr Russell was just insulting our intelligence with impunity when he claimed that option was not available.

    I am very disappointed on Ms Reagan for not pursuing the interdict. She and Ms Forbes can claim as much as they like that they respect the result. I am afraid I do not and therefore will never listen to another word the SNP says.

    But at least there is something positive for me to take from this contemptuous assault on democracy and the trust of yes voters: the SNP as a vehicle for independence has been dead for a while and this was just its much needed funeral. Yousaf maybe an even better funeral director than Sturgeon was.

    We have had already 8 years of opportunity to grieve, so this rigged leadership process has brought much needed closure.

    It is time to move on and put our eyes and hopes in a different, more reliable vehicle. I refuse to waste my vote in a political corpse or a green trojan horse. If neither Alba, ISP or another anti-union party stand candidates in my constituency, the only option left available to me is to spoil my ballot. I am determined to vote for independence at the next GE no matter what and for vote for independence I will. If that means creating the option in the ballot myself by spoiling the ballot, so be it.

    The next few months will determine if we may need to completely ditch the political route and jump instead on an apolitical vehicle like Salvo.

    But for now:

    RIP SNP. May it soon rest is lost soul in the dustbin of Scotland’s poltiical history.

  196. Sapri
    Ignored
    says:

    I can’t help wondering if Humza is a seatwarmer to take the pain of anything that can’t be covered up long enough for them to move bums from Westminster to Holyrood so another candidate can come forward to challenge when the coast is clear. I am a little bit relieved that neither Kate nor Ash got it, as I don’t think either deserves what’s coming.

    Of course, I think that plan is dead in the water because a good proportion of activists and former SNP supporters just aren’t going to do what they’re/we’re told come the next election. But I’ve been disappointed before.



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