Well-named for his longstanding and consistent ability to twist the truth, Glen Campbell was on his usual form last night, discussing the new Scottish Tory Branch leader and what he needs to do if he’s to make up any ground on the SNP.

Of course, referring as members of other tribes do, to the Scottish National Party as ‘the nationalists’, for subliminal negative effect, he reminded viewers of that popular myth that the SNP is only popular because of Brexit and Boris and despite their failures in government. He told us:

‘The Scottish Government does have problems piling up. There’s the scandal over the Calmac ferry contracts. There are problems in hospitals that have led to a public inquiry and their performance in areas of education and all that before you consider the recent resignation of Finance Secretary Derek Mackay. But the SNP have proven to be remarkably resilient. They still dominate opinion polls. Their ratings are still high BECAUSE in post-Brexit Scotland with Boris Johnson as Prime Minister, for many people, the issue of independence and Scotland’s constitutional future transcends other concerns.’

Problems piling up?

Only seeming to, to some viewers, because of the way you pile them up for them, constructing a view of reality for them. For balance, might you compare their pile with the Tory mountain of real crises?

The Calmac ferry ‘scandal?’

Only a ‘scandal’ because you label it so? Isn’t it just a typical major contract over-run and over-spend but far less scandalous than those of his Conservative Party in HS2, Crossrail or Hinckley C?

Problems in Hospitals?

Really? In Tory England, plummeting A&E waiting times to levels way below NHS Scotland? Hospital builds years late and way over budget in Liverpool and in the Midlands, Norovirus, measles and mumps epidemics as inoculation rates fall, multiple unavoidable baby deaths in East Kent and Shropshire and among the elderly in Stafford, damning inspection reports in the North Midlands. There are more.

Performance in Education?

This much-repeated myth is based entirely on the narrow rote-learning Pisa scores, unused by serious academics, blamed by some for damage to science education. It ignores the research from Stirling University, the statistics showing increasing numbers leaving with qualifications, the narrowing of the poverty gap and the wider achievements highlighted recently in the Glasgow DoE’s ‘guff’ comments in TES.

The resignation?

Again, really? A 16-year-old boy is texted obsessively by a man who has clearly lost it. Creepy I agree but, in Carlaw’s ranks, serial physical abusers of women, users of online paedophilia, fondlers of men’s bottoms in public places and, even, child-rapists.

Transcending concerns?

Clearly, some voted SNP because of Brexit or because of Boris, but I’m aware of no evidence of any kind suggesting that very many do not do so primarily because of their desire for independence. Also, I am aware of a recent survey showing that people in Scotland trust the SNP Government far more than they do the Conservative Government. As for transcending concerns, how many elsewhere in the UK voted for the Tories or just against Corbyn? How many voted for Labour or just against Johnson?

Note: I haven’t included sources here because they are so numerous, they’d break the argument up. All can be easily found or provided by me.