The above image was put together by Nicola Bolognese of P7, Fisherton Primary School in Dunure, Ayrshire, in a workshop based on: Exclusive: Humza Yousaf faces 15 rebel SNP MSPs prepared to challenge government by Kathleen Nutt, in the Herald on Sunday 2 April. Settling down after an outburst of laughter when Nicola presented her idea to the class, Mrs Butcher recorded the best of the class responses to the article. Bobby (11) – The writer says they’re going to rebel but then quotes them saying they won’t vote against Humza. Marie (10) – The writer says that this group … Continue reading Herald praised for providing best ever Media Studies spoof for Primary pupils

The Scottish media love to report a single poll result and to use that to predict dramatic shifts in voter intentions. Those with more between the ears like to look at more substantial evidence over a longer period to consider what trends there may be. In six polls going back a year to April 2022, the pollster Savanta has five with a 2% lead for No, one with a 1% lead for No and none with a lead for Yes despite 12 other polls by different pollsters finding Yes leads. Using identical sampling, this consistency from a pollster thought unsympathetic … Continue reading Pollster confirms support for independence is solid and improved in SIXTEEN polls over two years

We’ve had a month with some very large leads for No in polls, including one at 9% and three at 8%, by five different pollsters. There has been only one with a Yes lead, funded by the very pro-independence Scot Goes Pop. Today, Savanta for the Scotsman have reported a dramatic narrowing to only a 2% lead for No. This is a 15% improvement on the YouGov poll result of only 39% at a point when it was thought Kate Forbes might win. This puts the Yes movement in a strong position prior to campaigning and suggests that the appointment … Continue reading Support for Independence surges again after Humza win

Improper use of public cash, you say? Since Johnson, all of the UK’s PM’s have been also ‘Minister for the Union’ without the title being democratically confirmed at any level. Do they then have staff to support that function? If so, at what cost to the public? In 2021, we could read: Boris Johnson’s four-person union unit, dedicated to averting Scottish independence, had become used to operating quietly behind the scenes. That is until what one MP termed a “Whitehall psychodrama” exploded and propelled the team into the headlines. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/feb/28/the-union-unit-inside-the-no-10-team-tasked-with-keeping-uk-together Four staff? Was this in the manifesto for the public in … Continue reading Is it ‘proper’ then to use public cash for a Minister for the Union?

Alasdair Galloway As with John and Stewart I think no fair-minded person could possibly excuse Margaret Ferrier’s conduct of travelling by train back to Glasgow, having been informed of a positive finding from a COVID test taken a few days before. Stewart’s piece helpfully takes us inside the Select Committee report, and that in particular there was considerable push back on 30 days suspension, and that it should be replaced by 9 days which would not bring the possibility of a by election. This was supported not just by Alan Dorrans (SNP) but by Alberto Costa and one of his … Continue reading Prospect of blood in the water clearly motivates Iain Murray

Only BBC Scotland has headlined a story of police officers under pressure, yet only Scotland has less crime and more officers. BBC England, Wales and Northern Ireland have no such report today. Let’s look at the ‘work’ first. While I feel sure there are other tasks un-connected with crime, the level of crime in a country must be the major factor in pressure on police officers. If it’s not, then perhaps the senior officers need to think about what they’re doing and how they’re doing it. Recorded crime is lower in Scotland and much lower than in England & Wales. … Continue reading Only in the country with the least ‘work’ and the most police officers

By stewartb The latest meeting of the House of Commons Liaison Committee took place on 28 March. This is the event at which the chairs of Westminster’s select committees have the opportunity to question the Prime Minister at length.  The proceedings received little or no coverage by the news media. This is an attempt to compensate, to amplify matters arising at the meeting which may be of interest to TuS readers. The full transcript of the oral evidence can be found here: https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/12944/html/ 1) On UK defence expenditure The PM: ’The MoD’s budget was increased by £5 billion at the … Continue reading Time to listen up Scotland – the Prime Minister has spoken!

Small sub-polls but when they all say the same thing, there is something there. From People Polling with data collected on 29 March, has increased lead : Scottish Labour 20% Scottish Cons 14% SNP 48% Greens 4% UK Labour 42% UK Cons 24% People Polling on March 22, had: Scottish Labour 21% Scottish Cons 9% SNP 44% Greens 5% UK Labour 43% UK Cons 22% https://peoplepolling.org/tables/202303_GBN_W12_full.pdf#subsection*.12 People Polling on March 17, had: Scottish Labour 32% Scottish Cons 12% SNP 46% Greens 6% UK Labour 45% UK Cons 20% https://peoplepolling.org/tables/202303_GBN_W11_full.pdf#subsection*.12 Message? No worries. Continue reading First poll since Humza win has increased support for SNP

stewartb As many will be aware, there are mixed views amongst the public – some strongly held and I suspect for various reasons – on the case of Ms Ferrier’s breeches of lockdown rules. What has not been reported by the media is that there were mixed views within Westminster’s Committee on Standards too, not on the facts that she was wrong to do as she did but on the severity of the sanction that should be applied to her. Here is a link to the relevant Committee on Standards report: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/290/committee-on-standards/news/194555/committee-on-standards-publishes-report-on-the-conduct-of-margaret-ferrier-mp/ Whilst the Committee by a majority voted for Ms … Continue reading Further thoughts on the Ferrier case

The Herald, like Nazi Germany, is not a monolithic organisation, where everything is geared to attacking the SNP. It is mostly, and its Goering, Himmler and Goebbels-like figures, Monteith, Gordon and Wilson (I’m joking! A bit), dominate the narrative. Just as Hitler let them all fight it out to impress him, the Herald’s editor (who?) wants readers before anything else, so will allow dissenting voices at times. Ian McConnell is one, almost the only one admittedly, who regularly tells it like it is even if that might support the SNP. Today, he has SNP worse on business and economy than … Continue reading Sturgeon and business: Herald reporter knows what he’s talking about!