NEIL MACKAY'S BIG READ: Disney makes you sad. Jane Austen teaches you to kill... 19 Sep 2021 at 5:00am
Professor Angus Fletcher has discovered the incredible effects stories have on our minds. They flood us with mood-altering hormones, boost intelligence and even teach us how to be better lovers. Writer at Large Neil Mackay talks to the man behind the science
Iain Macwhirter: If the English are so progressive, as Gordon Brown says, why... 19 Sep 2021 at 5:00am
In April, the UK Commissioner on Race and Equalities, Dr Tony Sewell, reported that Britain is a ?model? of diversity and positive race relations. The roof fell in. He received a barrage of hostile criticism from academics, journalists and politicians for ignoring institutional racism and white privilege. A prominent Cambridge Professor compared him to Joseph Goebbels. The Labour MP Clive Lewis posted a picture of a Ku Klux Klansman approving Sewell's Race Report. Dr Sewell is black, grew up
Michael Settle: Fallout could spell disaster for COP26 19 Sep 2021 at 10:09am
THE frayed UK-US Special Relationship will be restitched this week as Boris Johnson diplomatically snuggles up to Joe Biden across the Atlantic.
Boris Johnson accused of taking ?casual? approach to national security 19 Sep 2021 at 7:58am
Boris Johnson has been accused of adopting a ?more casual? approach to Britain?s national security as MPs warned the Whitehall machine was unable to cope with more than one major crisis at a time.
Linda Kennedy: Wouldn't it be great to have a smoke detector that talks Scott... 19 Sep 2021 at 11:00am
I?M nervous of the new rules for fire alarms. What if I get the wrong type and it starts sprinkling? It will be drizzling indoors. Fire alarms are the topic of the moment. Or I assume so. ?Is yours battery-powered?? said the next table in the café, to chortles.
Barrie Cunning: Humza Yousaf must stand down 19 Sep 2021 at 11:00am
HUMZA Yousaf must take responsibility for the failing NHS crisis in Scotland and do the right thing and step down as Health Secretary.
All the right people 12 Sep 2021 at 9:28pm
…appear to be absolutely raging tonight about this: Folk used to accuse Wings of being divisive. But look who we’ve united! Dim young Mr Kiehlmann of the Twitler Youth there has in fact quite spectacularly misunderstood the judgement in our defamation case against Kezia Dugdale. But that aside, SNP, Greens, Labour, Tories, and desperately-failed old would-be intellectual …
Hearing voices 12 Sep 2021 at 12:17pm
Craig Murray’s speech to the Alba conference yesterday, delivered by his wife Nadira.
The Canary 31 Aug 2021 at 11:04am
Her Majesty’s Prisoner No. 157095, or Craig Murray as we still prefer to call him, is a fascinating piece of living evidence of the Kafkaesque country Scotland has become under the despotic rule of Nicola Sturgeon. Craig has a number of serious medical conditions, one of which causes him frequent dizziness and fainting spells. To …
Behind the walls 27 Aug 2021 at 12:05pm
An ongoing exception to this site’s retirement is for news relating to the scandalous imprisonment of journalist and former UK ambassador Craig Murray, the only human in the history of the planet Earth ever to be jailed for the barely-defined pseudo-crime of “jigsaw identification”. We had another phone call from Craig in HMP Edinburgh yesterday, and …
The last ten seconds of life 21 Aug 2021 at 6:59am
Our cartoonist is still on holiday, but he’d never have beaten this for a joke anyway. Even if it’s an old one.
Blue Like The Atlantic 14 Aug 2021 at 7:53am
Slacky The Holiday Boy is once again on his monthly two-week break, so it falls to us to try to amuse you on a Saturday morning with an image of some sort. Unfortunately very little funny is happening in Scottish politics, so all we’ve got is this. Yes, the two most popular politics websites in Scotland at …
I want to make one or two points for you to ponder while I am in jail. This is the last post until about Christmas; we are not legally able to post anything while I am imprisoned. But the Justice for Craig Murray Campaign website is now up and running and will start to have …
This blog will be going dark for a few months. The Queen kindly paid for my dinners for over twenty years while I was a British diplomat and Ambassador, and now she is going to be paying for my dinners again. That is very kind, I thought she had forgotten me. The following is a …
I was down in London last week for discussions around my appeal to the Supreme Court, and staying in a hotel close to Leicester Square, I wandered along to see the fans during their game with Ukraine and its very noisy aftermath. I was hoping to write a piece about disgusting uncouth yobs of racist …
On the final day of the Assange extradition hearing, magistrate Vanessa Baraitser refused to accept an affidavit from Assange’s solicitor Gareth Peirce, on the grounds it was out of time. The affidavit explained that the defence had been unable to respond to the new accusations in the United States government’s second superseding indictment, because these …
The pre-positioning of the BBC correspondent on HMS Defender shatters the pretence that the BBC is something different to a state propaganda broadcaster. It also makes plain that this propaganda exercise to provoke the Russian military was calculated and deliberate. Indeed that was confirmed by that BBC correspondent’s TV news report last night when he …
Sometimes it is worth stating the obvious. The United Kingdom does not have a coast in the Black Sea. British warships are not infesting the Black Sea out of a peaceful intent, and there is no cause for them to be entering disputed waters close to anybody’s coast. This is not a question of freedom …
Alba NEC election outcome 14 Sep 2021 at 9:23pm
I'm really honoured to say that I've been elected as one of the eight ordinary members of the Alba Party's National Executive Committee. The successful candidates are:Female ballot: Tasmina Ahmed-...
Independence polling update 12 Sep 2021 at 10:18pm
A couple of people asked what happened to my blogpost from last night. I realised when I woke up that it (unwittingly) contained misleading information, and I didn't have enough time to edit it, s...
Alba NEC nominations update, and analysis piece in The National 10 Sep 2021 at 9:16am
So a couple of things. First of all, my sincere thanks to all Alba members who nominated me for one of the male places on the party's National Executive Committee. I reached the required threshol...
When Swapping my Provisional License to a Full do I need to send ID again? 19 Sep 2021 at 12:46pm
Hi all, I passed my driving test 2 weeks ago, however I needed to hold onto my provisional to use as id for a week. I?m now in the process of sending it off for a full license. It says to enclose y...
Questions on independence and a return to the EU 19 Sep 2021 at 12:13pm
During 2014 I personally voted to remain a part of the uk, and two years later voted to remain in the EU. After brexit the increase in support for an independence movement has me somewhat torn, I a...
Michael Gove?s new UK Government post will see him attack devolution 19 Sep 2021 at 12:00pm
HE is variously described by people who have had direct experience and contact with him as being deceitful, unscrupulous, scheming and dangerous, but the most frequent comment is about his dishonesty. He is said to be ?deserving an Oscar for straight-faced lying?. Unfortunately, we can safely predict that the UK government post that Michael Gove has been reshuffled into this week will give him ...
Bruce McFee: An appreciation of the life of an SNP stalwart and indy supporter 19 Sep 2021 at 12:00pm
BRUCE James McFee was born on 18th May 1961 in Johnstone. His mother hailed from Edinburgh, and his father from Port Glasgow, and they settled in the West Renfrewshire village of Howwood, where Bruce was raised along with his older brother, Duncan. His father worked in Ferguson?s the shipyard in Port Glasgow.
Boris Johnson's lax approach to national security slammed in new report 19 Sep 2021 at 11:45am
BORIS Johnson?s laissez faire approach to national security has been condemned in a scathing new report which warns Downing Street?s antiquated system is unable to deal with multiple crises.
Rupert St John-Fontaine: Oh dear, seems the Greens are on the Highway to Holy... 19 Sep 2021 at 9:00am
THE besieged board of CalMac have been summoned to a top-secret meeting and I?ve been asked to take notes. It?s the first time I?ve witnessed Nicola Sturgeon in action. Is that a green Lucretia Borgia number she?s wearing? How very fetching. And I could swear she was wearing the new Donati fragrance from L?Oreal.
9/11: Journalistic failure to always hold power to account is endemic 19 Sep 2021 at 9:00am
IT?S over for another year. The annual commemoration of 9/11 and the al-Qaeda attack on America is such a recurring fixture in the global media calendar that producers and commissioners will already be locked in conversations about next year, and what new angles can revitalise an already well told story.
John Drummond: BBC impartiality journey should begin in Scotland 19 Sep 2021 at 8:00am
THERE is an old saying that ?a fish rots from the head down?. The above quote amply demonstrates the accuracy of this maxim. Anyone who has the slightest knowledge of BBC Scotland news output would find risible grouping ?impartiality? and the ?BBC? in the same sentence.
Make Bosses Pay 19 Sep 2021 at 11:09am
Make Bosses Pay (Pluto Books) is ambitious in scope, sophisticated in argument, and draws from thorough research, all of which Livingston makes lively and accessible through her sharp, lucid prose. The book opens with a list of bad boss behaviour that will be uncomfortably familiar for much of the contemporary workforce: it tells a story […]
The Britain of Yesterday 19 Sep 2021 at 10:28am
There’s a darkness underneath Parody Britain. Beneath comedy there’s the macabre aspect of Conservative rule argues Mike Small. If “hurtling backwards” has been the direction of travel and Vanguard Cry of Tory Britain for a long time, it now has a precise date, 1971. For no reason at all – other than the suffocating hyper-nostalgia […]
Scottish Independent Media Then and Now 19 Sep 2021 at 10:04am
Upcoming event brought to you by the Scottish Magazines Network that Bella is taking part in. What can today?s Scottish media learn from the magazine culture of the 1970s-90s? And how should we interpret various shifts in the Scottish public sphere since that period? This event brings together three speakers from Scotland?s independent media, with […]
Bella Chat ? Hannah Lavery 18 Sep 2021 at 1:11pm
In our latest Bella Chat I speak to Playwright, Poet and Director Hannah Lavery about her recent work. Hannah has recently been appointed as Edinburgh’s Makar; she wrote and directed Lament for Sheku Bayoh at this years Edinburgh Festival at the same time as her adaptation of Dr Jeckyl and Mr Hyde was being staged […]
The return of hunger as a political weapon shames us all 17 Sep 2021 at 8:57pm
Attending the Job Centre once a week was always a curious ritual. I recall long waits, being handed lots of bits of paper, stares from bored children and G4S security guards performing a carceral pirouette or two. All of this strangeness, bordering on the obscene (why force people to bring children to such a place?) […]
Believe in Scotland kickstarts new Indyref2 campaign 17 Sep 2021 at 6:20pm
Believe in Scotland is this weekend kickstarting the grass roots campaign for Scottish independence, leading up to indyref2 with a national Day of Action for independence tomorrow (Saturday, September 18). The day will see a huge range of events held by 110 Yes groups all over the country to signal the start of the organisation?s […]
Sea and rivers. Animals, birds. The seasons and sky. Memory, the future. 17 Sep 2021 at 6:09pm
Kathleen Jamie?s first task as Makar – Scotland?s National Poet – is to create a collaborative nature poem. Members of the public and fellow writers are all being asked to submit a single line of nature poetry to the project. These words can be expressed in English, Scots or Scottish Gaelic. I?d like you to […]
Economics of the Climate Crisis 17 Sep 2021 at 9:47am
“If the pandemic is a dress rehearsal for the climate crisis then the human race has failed the audition” – Steve Keen. Interview with Steve Keen, Australian economist and author. He considers himself a post-Keynesian, criticising neoclassical economics as inconsistent, unscientific and empirically unsupported. He is the author of Debunking Economics.
Push the Boat Out 16 Sep 2021 at 6:35pm
PUSH THE BOAT OUT, 15-17 OCTOBER Push The Boat Out is the dream that wouldn?t die. Despite all the preparations that were undertaken last year to create Edinburgh?s first ever International Poetry Festival, Covid pole-axed the plans. But the ideas and creative vision behind this festival were too good and too original to be stopped […]
Clearly British 16 Sep 2021 at 2:42pm
As you’ve picked yourself up from the spectacle of watching the human detritus being exchanged around the Cabinet ‘reshuffle’ here’s a glimpse of what a desperately failing culture looks like. The i newspaper reports that “Ministers plan legal requirement for broadcasters broadcasters to make ?clearly British? shows like Only Fools and Horses”. The paper reports […]
Can Rashford and Southgate save the union? They?ll have their work cut out | ... 17 Sep 2021 at 5:13pm
Gordon Brown says they represent a new Englishness that Scots can warm to. But let?s not forget who?s in No 10You may have heard talk of Gary Neville as a future mayor of Manchester. But what about Marcus Rashford and Gareth Southgate as saviours of the union, the two of them combining to win a t...
Troops drafted in to help out Scottish ambulance service 17 Sep 2021 at 2:32pm
Government calls for military assistance as service faces ?unprecedented? pressureSoldiers will be drafted in to drive Scottish ambulances, the head of the ambulance service has confirmed, after reports of a succession of harrowing cases where patients have endured lengthy waits.The Scottish ambu...
Scottish government requests military support for ambulance crews 16 Sep 2021 at 6:17pm
Nicola Sturgeon apologises to patients experiencing long waiting times as she calls in army assistanceCoronavirus ? latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Scottish government has officially requested support from the military to deal with pressure in the ambulance service that has exte...
Gordon Brown: Scots see that English values aren?t all about ?toffs and Brexit? 16 Sep 2021 at 12:01am
Former PM launches polling results showing unity among people of UK nations on equality and toleranceScots recognise that English values are more aligned with Gareth Southgate and Marcus Rashford than ?toffs and Brexit?, Gordon Brown has said.The former prime minister has launched polling results...
The Guardian view on the SNP: deliver on public services, not just a referend... 13 Sep 2021 at 6:48pm
It may be too difficult for the Scottish government to enact big bang reforms while pursuing an independence voteSince 2007, the Scottish National party has been the largest party in Holyrood, dominating politics to become a credible party of government. It has now begun its fourth term in power....
Nicola Sturgeon urges SNP to resist Brexit arguments against independence 13 Sep 2021 at 3:15pm
Scottish first minister warns that Westminster will use EU exit fallout as reason it is unworkableWestminster will use the damage inflicted by Brexit to argue that Scottish independence is unworkable, Nicola Sturgeon has said, calling on her party activists to ?resist [this] with all we?ve got?.I...
Covid solidarity will oil wheels of new Scottish independence referendum ? St... 13 Sep 2021 at 12:19am
But Scottish first minister repeats promise to postpone poll until coronavirus crisis is overCoronavirus ? latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe spirit of cooperation between the Scottish and UK governments established during the pandemic should result in agreement on a second indepen...
Scottish campaigners condemn Cop26 as ?the most exclusionary ever? 9 Sep 2021 at 1:26pm
Activists say almost 2,000 people on waiting list for place to stay owing to lack of affordable accommodationScotland-based climate campaigners have condemned ?the most exclusionary Cop ever?, as they reveal a waiting list of nearly 2,000 delegates and activists who were still seeking affordable ...
Nicola Sturgeon starts work on a new push for Scottish independence 7 Sep 2021 at 6:05pm
First minister unveils legislative programme including referendum and policies agreed with GreensNicola Sturgeon has told civil servants to start making a new case for independence, which offers people ?an informed choice on Scotland?s future? in the Scottish government?s first legislative progra...
Protesters against transgender rights changes boo Nicola Sturgeon 2 Sep 2021 at 7:30pm
Plans to simplify system for people to change sex on their birth certificate are polarising opinionProtesters opposed to transgender rights changes in Scotland booed Nicola Sturgeon outside the Holyrood parliament before the first session of first minister?s questions of the new term.Marion Calde...
Tories appeal to the past because they have nothing to offer the future
Over the past few days the news has been dominated by Boris Johnson’s cabinet reshuffle in which one Conservative careerist fractionwit has been replaced by another careerist fractionwit, all of which has provided a very convenient distraction from the decision of this government of none of the talents to press ahead with clawing back the […]
Johnson?s bridge to nowhere
It’s hardly surprising that there are reports that the UK Treasury has cancelled Boris Johnson’s grandiose scheme to construct a fixed link, either a bridge or a tunnel, between Scotland and Northern Ireland. Just about any engineering project is possible if money and resources are unlimited. A fixed link between Scotland and Northern Ireland could […]
Time to cancel Gove?s panto gig
Recordings have come to light of Michael Gove making offensive comments during speeches he made to the Cambridge Union while he was a student there in his 20s. The comments are not just racist, sexist, and homophobic, they also cover several other offensiveness bases for good measure, including slurs directed at the royal family, which […]
A Conference for independence
The SNP and Alba party conferences were held over the weekend and it’s now possible to assert with confidence to the doubters that a second independence referendum is most definitely on its way and will be delivered by the only people capable of delivering it. That would be the SNP and Scottish Green MSPs who […]
A new financial prospectus for an independent Scotland
The Deputy First Minister John Swinney has confirmed that the Scottish Government is to publish a “comprehensive financial plan” for independence. The plan aims to provide the public with “relevant and realistic” information about the financial prospects of an independent Scotland. This kind of information is sorely needed as until now the debate about Scotland’s […]
A programme for independence
The Scottish Government has set out its programme for government for the coming year. This is the Holyrood version of the Queen’s speech in Westminster only without the fancy costumes and the Mediaevalesque traditions that were really only made up in Victorian times in order to give the proceedings an aura of historical legitimacy so […]
The Elections Bill: A Conservative attack on democracy
In the USA the natural demographic shifts in the population are tending over time to favour traditionally Democrat voting groups such as Hispanics and African-Americans and the increasingly secular urban population while the white Conservative Evangelical Christian population in the rural Midwest and South which for decades have provided the bedrock of Republican support is […]
The infantile politics of the Scottish Conservatives
Yesterday was the first session of First Minister’s Questions following the return of Holyrood after its summer break. Anyone who had hoped that the Scottish Conservative contingent would return from the break and behave in a more constructive aand grown up manner was quickly disabused of that notion. The session began with the First Minister […]
The BBC: a world leader in doing Scotland down
In an important respect the BBC in Scotland is the exact opposite of the BBC in the rest of the UK. It’s the exact opposite of state broadcasters, indeed even most privately owned broadcasters, anywhere else in the world. The BBC in its broadcasts to the rest of the UK not only fully buys into […]
This week?s episode of There?s Been a Murdo
Murdo Fraser is a national treasure, by which I mean that he gives every appearance that some geeky person with a metal detector dug him up from under a rock. In his head Murdo is an incisive and cutting politician, giving us sharp insights into the politics of the day. Outside his own head the […]
Michael Greenwell
So long as men worship the Caesars and Napoleons, Caesars and Napoleons will duly arise and make them miserable. - Aldous Huxley
A Fun New Game
The UK government has recently brought back an old idea about plastering “Funded by the UK government” on lots of things in Scotland, with a big Union flag somewhere. This is supposed to make us forget about the various disasters that the UK govt seem to be hoping will just miraculously disappear by themselves. However, …
The Scottish Independence Podcast 187 ? Odes To Our Adversaries
Just occasionally in all the years I’ve been doing this, mostly for laughs, I’ve made a few little, ahem, tributes, to some of our political adversaries. The 187th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast is a run through of some of the best of these, because I think most of us are in need of …
The Scottish Independence Podcast 186 ? Tory Lies, Trump, Empire
The 186th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast is amongst other things, a mix of some bad excuses. There’s a bad excuse for a Prime Minister, a bad excuse for a President of the United States, and a few bad excuses for the behaviour of the British Empire. Along with that, there are people trying …
Sometimes It?s Too Blatant To Let It Go
Last night the story came out that the US Department of Justice would rather like a wee word or two with Prince Andrew regarding his connections with Jeffrey Epstein. Well, they have wanted to have a little chat with him for a while, but they actually filed a ‘Mutual Legal Assistance’ request. This “moves Andrew …
One Thing Doesn?t Negate The Other
Whatever you think about the very current activities with regard to defacing or pulling down statues, what was written on the Churchill statue is a statement of fact. Let’s have a look at some of Churchill’s statements (not the we will fight them on the beaches stuff). You may have seen most of them before …
The Scottish Independence Podcast 185 ? Billy Kay on Scotland and Identity
The 185th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast is a talk by Broadcaster, writer and activist and former guest on the show, Billy Kay, about Scottish identity. Have you ever noticed when you go abroad that the locals always seem to know what happened in 1437 in every wee nook and cranny of their town. …
The Times Handed Its Arse by Football Club
The Times, or at least The Sunday Times, has a history of getting things wrong about Hitler. And it seems to have happened again. This was the response by Schalke 04, a German football team, to the latest mistake…
Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon: A Tale of Two Very Different Leaders and Pa...
Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon: A Tale of Two Very Different Leaders and Parties Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, 15 September 2021 Last weekend the world marked 20 years since the 9/11 attacks, while many of us were absorbed in the birth of a new British tennis star, Emma Raducanu, as she sensationally won the US …
The post Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon: A Tale of Two Very Different Leader...
The Tory attack on the right to vote is a threat to democracy
The Tory attack on the right to vote is a threat to democracy Gerry Hassan The National, 14 September 2021 The Tory Elections Bill, debated last week in the Commons, sounds on the surface like an anodyne piece of legislation, tidying up arcane procedures on voter registration, identification and how we vote. However, it is …
The post The Tory attack on the right to vote is a threat to democra...
The Alex Salmond Scandal and its Aftermath
The Alex Salmond Scandal and its Aftermath Gerry Hassan Bella Caledonia, 9 September 2021 Break-Up: How Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon Went to War, David Clegg and Kieran Andrews, Biteback Publishing, £20. Scottish politics has been transfixed the past three years by the fallout between Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon ? the defining figures of …
The post The Alex Salmond Scandal and its Af...
The World Turned Upside Down: Life after 9/11 and the West?s War Machine
The World Turned Upside Down: Life after 9/11 and the West?s War Machine Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, 8 September 2021 Twenty years ago, the world changed dramatically on 11 September 2001 when al-Qaeda attacked the USA and overturned the post-Cold War assumptions of the West. Prior to this, in the decade following the collapse of …
The post The World Turned Upside Down: Life after 9/11 and ...
Why we need to get serious about sectarianism in modern Scotland
Why we need to get serious about sectarianism in modern Scotland Gerry Hassan The National, 7 September 2021 In 1999, within months of the Scottish Parliament?s establishment, composer James Macmillan delivered an address that had a major impact, ruffling feathers and beginning a long overdue debate. Entitled ?Scotland?s Shame?, it spoke about our long disgraceful …
The post Why we need to ge...
The Limits of Seeing Glasgow in Black and White Terms
The Limits of Seeing Glasgow in Black and White Terms Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, 1 September 2021 Last weekend Rangers and Celtic met in the first ?Old Firm? derby of the season. Hotly anticipated in some quarters and dreaded in others, it was marked by a Rangers victory with supporters of the club then walking …
The post The Limits of Seeing Glasgow in Black and White Terms appeared first...
Glasgow 2040: The City and the Stories of the Future
GLASGOW 2040: THE CITY AND THE STORIES OF THE FUTURE PROJECT OUTLINE Introduction Glasgow is a city rich in stories, metaphors and mythology. These affect the way the city is presented, represented and understood in public discourse, media and wider culture. They also impact on those who live in the city ? and on the …
The post Glasgow 2040: The City and the Stories of the Future appeared fir...
Afghanistan, ?forever wars? and the reality of Empire State Britain
Afghanistan, ?forever wars? and the reality of Empire State Britain Gerry Hassan The National, 31 August 2021 The news of the past couple of weeks has been filled with the humiliation of US and UK forces in Afghanistan alongside the humanitarian tragedy unfolding before our eyes; an upsetting wake-up call to those who have become …
The post Afghanistan, “forever wars” and the reality of Empir...
The Guardian view on the SNP: deliver on public services, not just a referend...
The Guardian view on the SNP: deliver on public services, not just a referendum The GuardianNicola Sturgeon's address to #SNP21 Conference ? Scottish National Party SNPSNP members call for creation of state-run energy company The GuardianScotland?s Nicola Sturgeon bangs independence drum at SNP conference POLITICO EuropeSturgeon asks SNP to trust her on independence referendum strategy Fin...
Scots can have another referendum if 60 percent want one, says UK minister - ...
Scots can have another referendum if 60 percent want one, says UK minister POLITICO EuropeSturgeon accuses UK government of ?making up? Scottish independence vote rules Financial TimesAlister Jack says Scottish independence referendum could happen if polling shows 60% support The ScotsmanScots can have independence referendum if 60% want it, says minister The IndependentScottish independenc...
Nicola Sturgeon asks UK government to agree to second Scottish independence r...
Nicola Sturgeon asks UK government to agree to second Scottish independence referendum Sky NewsHas Scotland moved closer to a second independence referendum? BBC NewsScottish Independence Vote Would Be on Knife Edge, Polls Show Bloomberg'Democracy will prevail' to allow independence referendum, Nicola Sturgeon insists The IndependentScottish Independence: SNP and Green deal 'strengthens sup...
Seven years on
Seven years on from the independence referendum, and it turns out that we're not Better Together after all. Who'd have thought it?
Have your views on independence changed since 2014?
I voted Yes in 2014, and nothing since then has made me think that I was wrong to do so. If anything, eve...
Scottish Parliament f**k-ups
Offhand I can only really think of the ferry fiasco and the failed rail link projects to Glasgow and Edinburgh Airports.
However, I?m sure others will help me out.
Scottish Parliament Achievements
What are the top achievements of the Scottish Parliament?
Of the top of my head, these are the first 10 which came to mind. I have no doubt missed a few more.
the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 - Right to Roam legislation
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Act 2005 - stopped...
BBC bias
Is anyone going to tell welshbairn about yesterday's hilariously blatant SNP smear the BBC conducted yesterday, as they do most days? Or is he better to be allowed to live in blissful delusion that the BBC wouldn't lie cause reasons?
If anyone has stats on how many foi requests the BBC has ...
The normalisation of the far-right continues
Tommy Robinson.
6 months ago nobody had heard of the c**t, and if they had it was only to recognise him as an ignorant, racist nutter.
Today I had the car radio on and listened as BBC 5Live gave this guy a full 20 minutes of coverage, including having a reporter outside prison waiting bre...
When will indyref2 happen?
Not when you would like it to happen, but when do you believe indyref2 will happen?
Brexit slowly becoming a Farce.
Let's face it, this Tory Govt has no intent on pulling out of EU. It will go on and on and on until lie of land changes!
The DUP
What's the craic? I believe they love the union and are fairly religious, that's about all I know. Fill me in.
The official Boris pm cluster-fuck thread
Day to day discussions relating to the bumbling, chinless twat. He's currently giving a trumpesqian speech in Manchester relating to his Northern powerhouse plan - building a railway between Manchester and Leeds. He's went off message a few times, notably guessing when Stephenson's rocket was a ...
General Politics Thread
Firstly, what happened to capybara's thread? I've went back about four pages and can't find it. Am i going blind/dottled?
Anyway, until it is found.
I know it's purely an English/Welsh issue, but the junior doctors' dispute is not improving. Looks like the government is going to try to impose ...
What is the point of Labour
Much as I hate the tory party (and christ do I do) you have to give them credit for a couple of things.
1. They have stupid unionists voting for them despite the fact Scotland is going to shit.
2. They think brexit is a good thing for the UK and bring stupid unionists to think the same an...
Geopolitics in the 2020s.
So five months into the decade where are we?
The coming demographic changes in Europe are going to have huge social and economic impacts. The drop in in younger people will begin to bite this decade. This means less demand for the kinds of goods young people buy and liquidating the assets of ...
Tartan
Army Message Board (often features political threads)
Orange Walks
It seems like many people are sick of this shit every year. But where and how do you balance peoples right to parade with those you might offend?
Vaccine Passports
3 weeks notice to venues to implement this.
Hampden gonna be a riot next month. Bad enough getting in at the best of times
My prediction is that thev won't even be looked at when going in.
Indy Ref 2
Since no-one's started the thread...
A lot of former No voters including some pretty prominant activists, politicians and commentators either coming out for Yes or softening their position - even Chris Deerin saying today that he's not saying that he would vote Yes but that he couldn't say th...
This Board Needs Tunes
Been off the board for a few weeks and have no idea what's going on.
Couldn't resurrect the original thread so here's a timely new beginning. Come on back folks!
Our beautiful Scotland.
Beer goggle pin up
It?s a bit bleak on here just now, not helped much by us being unceremoniously papped out the Euros.
A few weeks ago I heard that Gordon Ramsay and Lorraine Kelly were voted Scotland?s top beer goggle pin ups so thought it might be fun to hear the Tambers nominations. They dont need to be Sc...
It's China
Now we're out of Afghanistan.
Tune in at 10pm
Duolingo gaelic course
Has anyone completed or doing this?
I started last year, and now on a 272 day streak. I'm really enjoying it but it really is a difficult language to get a grip of.
I woke up this morning saying Tha treana a' tighinn (a train is coming) so it appears to be sinking in.
I'm thinking of ...
2016 Tamb Running Thread
Thought it might be an idea to kick off a new thread for the new year.
Kick started today for a few of us in Aberdeen with a double parkrun. The beach was a bit tough today, with the sand levels on the proms being crazy in parts.
Tomorrow sees the first 10km race of the year again, at Lumphanan.
...
Jokes
A Chinese doctor can't find a job in a hospital in the US, so he opens a clinic and puts a sign outside that reads "GET TREATMENT FOR $20 - IF NOT CURED GET BACK $100."
An American lawyer thinks this is a great opportunity to earn $100 and goes to the clinic.
Lawyer: "I have lost my...
Question Time Tonight
From Kelso The panel includes Labour's shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry MP, the Scottish government's finance secretary John Swinney MSP, Conservative chairman of the defence select committee Rory Stewart MP, Scotsman columnist Lesley Riddoch and editor-at-large of the Independent on Sund...
A Very Happy Birthday To...
...the antichrist, who turns 20 today. ??
Perhaps you should have an extra slice of cake as your future is the worst one imaginable. ???
Revelation 20:10 "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall...
The 2017 General election debacle had Murrell been the chief strategist of an...
Devolved Government in Scotland The introduction of a Scottish parliament in 1999, with devolved powers (forced on the UK government by the EC) should have been a game changer. For the first time in 300 years Scots were to have a forum allowing discussion of matters local to Scotland over which their elected representatives would …
Craig Murray: Lady Dorrian Was Apparently Unaware of the Contempt of her Cour...
January 2021 High Court Edinburgh Craig Murray, faced a contempt of court hearing after posting information on his blog in advance of Mr Salmond?s trial. The contempt proceedings at the High Court, Edinburgh, before Lord Justice Clerk, Lady Dorrian, heard Alex Prentice QC, for the Crown argue that information Craig posted on his blog in …
Citizen Journalism is the Platform That Provides Solutions to the Mistrust t...
Citizen Journalism Citizen journalism is the platform that provides solutions to the mistrust the public has towards the corporate controlled news media and government when discrepancies arise from government and other establishment bodies statements and actions. These civic minded individuals should be afforded the same protection from harassment and punitive punishment afforded to …
Malfeasance in government must not be condoned The Lord Advocate needs to sto...
Malfeasance – a word to be disassociated with The Alex Salmond debacle provided evidence of serious shortcomings in the SNP government led by Nicola Sturgeon and there are growing concerns her government has become distracted by the pursuit of controversial political doctrine with result that it has lost its way in the efficient provision of …
Another act of attrition the jackboot of the UK Supreme Court brings Scotland...
Jurisdiction over appeals to the sovereign (1876- 2009) The House of Lords had authority over appeals from the lower courts since all such matters were to the Sovereign-in-Parliament, and she was represented by the Lords. Commoners did not participate in judicial matters. The House of Lords did not necessarily include them but would be attended …
Scotland was brutally reminded of its colonial status in 1737 and a similar r...
The Porteous Affair 1737/38 The affair brought Scots of all political persuasions together under the “Patriot” banner to protest against Whig government abuse and disrespect of Scottish legal and political autonomy. It began in the spring of 1736 when two habitual burglars were done for breaking and entering and robbing the Collector of Customs building …
Craig Murray Lady Dorrian Questioned the Crown?s Motives
January 2021 High Court Edinburgh Craig Murray, faced a contempt of court hearing after posting information on his blog in advance of Mr Salmond?s trial. The contempt proceedings at the High Court, Edinburgh, before Lord Justice Clerk, Lady Dorrian, heard Alex Prentice QC, for the Crown argue that information Craig posted on his blog in …
KIrsty Wark is a Labour Party hack pretending to be an unbiased BBC journalist
Kirsty Wark is a BBC commentator, correspondent, journalist and political progamme maker. She is a close friend of senior Labour Party officials and office holders. Connected and powerful her influence over public opinion in Scotland is accepted by some as being absolute. She speaks the public listens and follows her lead. Is she impartial. Not …
Oliver Mundell?s past indiscretion surfaces at an inopportune time
Oliver Mundell – Dumfriesshire is the Mundell family dynasty Oliver Mundell is to stand for re-election in tomorrow’s Scottish Parliament Election. He is confident that his strong stance in defence of the Union, in the South of Scotland will count in his favour with voters. education & early employment After leaving school in Moffat, he …
Liberal Democrats in terminal decline under Willie Wonka Rennie
The decline of the Liberal-Democratic Party in Scotland 2007: In the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections, the party won one fewer seat than in the two previous Scottish elections. The outcome led to criticism of the party’s election strategy. Although it was arithmetically possible to form a majority coalition with the Scottish National Party and the …
