Two polls by Opinium and YouGov in May 2021, put SNP support for the constituency vote above 50%, after 10 polls putting them below 50% and, of course, Savanta ComRes for the Scotsman repeatedly and suspiciously putting them much lower. In the regional vote Opinium has them up at 41% after 9 polls putting them below 40%. The YouGov poll gives the Greens 13% and Opinium gives them 8% with both giving Alba 3%. In terms of seats, we’re looking at an overall SNP majority of 4 plus around 10 Greens to create a super-majority of between 25 and 30. Continue reading Two polls: SNP surges to highest score since beginning of April

At the end of an otherwise well-judged piece in Foreign Policy on 16th March 2021, An Independent Scotland Would Bring No Surprises for Allies: Scotland is in a great position to be a good global citizen, SNP MPs Alyn Smith and Stewart McDonald write: Like Ireland, Scotland will be a smaller state but within a global A-Team, a good news story for the EU out of the despond of Brexit. Unlike Ireland, Scotland will seek to be a reliable NATO partner; it’s in too vital a strategic position not to be. Unlike Ireland? Global A-Team? Here’s the situation: In 1999 … Continue reading Leave the toadying and anti-Irish sentiments to the Unionists?

By stewartb If you plan to listen to the leaders’ TV debate this evening, reflect on what follows when an inevitably aggressive Douglas Ross talks over Nicola Sturgeon as she answers his predictable, context free charges the poverty-related attainment gap in Scotland. Reflect on what follows when Ross’ Unionist allies seek to make out that Scotland’s government has been exceptionally bad in not closing this gap more quickly or completely. Recall that according to Audit Scotland the gap is closing but not fast enough. This is from the Education Policy Institute’s ‘Education in England: Annual Report 2020’ (https://epi.org.uk/publications-and-research/education-in-england-annual-report-2020/ ) The EPI … Continue reading Before the leaders’ debate, read this on attainment

Described as ‘a transatlantic think tank based in London‘, the Henry Jackson Society has lots of ‘previous’ on bias and lack of transparency of its donors. In 2014: A rightwing thinktank, accused of pushing an anti-Muslim agenda, has pulled funding for two parliamentary groups which focused on homeland and international security after refusing to disclose its donors to the Commons’ standards watchdog. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/dec/30/rightwing-thinktank-pulls-funds-commons-groups-disclosure-rules In 2017: They were accused of running an anti-China propaganda campaign after the Japanese embassy gave them a monthly fee of £10,000. The campaign was said to be aimed at planting Japan’s concerns about China in British newspapers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Jackson_Society#:~:text=In%202017%2C%20the%20Henry%20Jackson,about%20China%20in%20British%20newspapers. … Continue reading Fake news from right-wing think tank to undermine Independence campaign

Once more headlining the non-essential industries and favouring them over SNP Government health concerns, days before the election, BBC Scotland remembers only selectively what the 4 Nations approach achieved last year at this time – mass infection and death. They open with: Scotland should align itself with other UK nations when deciding when to allow holidays abroad, a travel industry representative has said. Alan Glen, from the Scottish Passenger Agents Association, said there was “no way” it would work if Scotland had a different system to England. Non-essential travel abroad will be allowed from England from 17 May. However, the … Continue reading Not enough infection and death? Join the ‘Four Nations System’ again?

Coincidentally, just after referring to Anas Sarwar’s campaign, Reporting Scotland brought back one of their most long-running and regular stories to cast doubt on the competence of the SNP Government – the death of one child. We’re told: The mother of a ten-year-old girl who died at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow in 2017 has called for the health board to resign and for a fatal accident inquiry so lessons can be learned from her daughter’s death. Ten-year-old Milly Main was in remission from leukemia in the Royal Hospital for Children when she dies ‘after’ contracting an infection. … Continue reading How many times will Reporting Scotland use this child?

Leaving aside the facts that almost a third of Scotland’s imagined deficit is due to interest on debt that Scotland as the only part of the UK with a long-standing trade surplus, would not have incurred and that all countries other than Norway (see below) run a deficit, the above notion that SNP voters are somehow delusional is of course delusional. Business for Scotland explained this years ago: In the 1970s, Scottish oil revenues stopped the UK from going bust and requiring a bailout, but they were not enough to stop the UK debt mountain from growing. Scotland was then … Continue reading SNP voters KNOW deficit figures are made up

From SNP Media: The SNP has accused Tory Chancellor Rishi Sunak of being one of the biggest threats to Scotland’s recovery as he is poised to impose years of Tory austerity on Scotland. It comes after Sunak joined his boss Boris Johnson in denying the democratic wishes of the people of Scotland in the Scottish Daily Mail. Earlier this year, the Chancellor who has previously said that austerity was ‘absolutely the right thing to do’ set out how he will return to years of Tory austerity, squeezing public sector pay and imposing cuts across the board.  He has already failed … Continue reading Sunak: ‘Austerity was absolutely the right thing to do’ and he’ll do it again

From SNP Media The SNP today said that experienced leadership is essential for Scotland as we continue to emerge from the pandemic. With the next set of decisions about Covid and a potential relaxation of the rules, including on meeting people in private homes, to be made just days after the election, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon urged voters not to take a chance on Scotland’s progress, as she asked voters to back her for First Minister. The next review of Covid restrictions, which could see society open up further on 17th May, is due to take place immediately after the … Continue reading ‘There is nothing that Scotland cannot achieve’