Honest, competent, transparent, safe… these are just some of the words I would never use to describe John Swinney. Although first minister by default, he is a failure. The loyal consigliere – his role now seems to be a reprise his last stint as SNP leader and take the fall for the next electoral defeat.Continue reading “Honest John?”
Tag Archives: #NicolaSturgeon
Chinese Whispers
Is the SNPs Scotland a Chinese Trojan Horse? Is Scotland on the verge of becoming China’s Trojan Horse within the United Kingdom? This question is neither rhetorical nor exaggerated. As the Scottish National Party (SNP) continues to push for independence, there is mounting concern that the party is either naively or deliberately opening the doorContinue reading “Chinese Whispers”
Stranger than Fiction
What do the Scottish Government’s book purchases tell us about the cry for help from the centre of a dysfunctional organisation?
Send In The Clowns
“Scotland: the only country in the world where the artists conspire with the government against the people.” Stephen Daisley Who took the satire out of the Saltire? The following article will delve into the Scottish Comedy scene and its relationship with politics. Looking back to comedy in Scotland before the Nationalists came to power: whenContinue reading “Send In The Clowns”
The Lady Doth Protest Too Much
The lady doth protest too much, methinks. Queen Gertrude, Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 2 In politics, the phrase “the lady doth protest too much, methinks” from Hamlet often rings true. This line, uttered by Queen Gertrude, suggests that an overabundance of denial or protestation can inadvertently reveal the truth. Politicians, in their quest to maintainContinue reading “The Lady Doth Protest Too Much”
The History of the SNP and the EU: A Tale of Antagonism
This blog post is based on a YouTube video titled “Why is the history of the SNP and the EU actually really antagonistic?” The Scottish National Party (SNP) portrays itself as a pro-European party, especially in recent years. However, a closer look at the party’s history reveals a more complex and often antagonistic relationship withContinue reading “The History of the SNP and the EU: A Tale of Antagonism”
Helping Nicola Sturgeon Resign
It will be hard for Nicola Sturgeon to go, and unclear who will replace her: but go she must. We offer advice on when, and how, to quit.
A Pinch of Salt
It’s natural Unionists want to see what the SNP do in the dark be brought to the light – but we should be cautious before sharing anything from the recent SNP email breach.
How to spot a populist
A populist is a political leader or movement that seeks or obtains power by claiming to represent the interests of ordinary people and combat what they designate as the “elite” or the powerful. This is the ideational definition of populism I refer to in the prologue to the Populists handbook, which sees populism as aContinue reading “How to spot a populist “
How to deprogram a nationalist.
Subscribe to get our latest articles into your inbox Disagreement in a debate can be healthy – one definition of politics is how civilised society makes decisions when members disagree. But the online debate is often poisonous, and there are genuine and well-founded concerns about the polarisation of societies; in the UK generally, specifically hereContinue reading “How to deprogram a nationalist. “
Size Matters
What’s the best size for a country? The Scottish National Party make much of Scotland’s population of around 5 million as conveniently the best size for a country – as though simply by being around 5 million nations are predestined to be “wealthier, happier and fairer” but does their claim stand up to investigation? InContinue reading “Size Matters”
Shunning Sturgeon
Renouncing Nicola Are the faithful having doubts? The key figure in the push for Scottish independence since 2014 has been Nicola Sturgeon, the current First Minister of Scotland and the Scottish National Party leader. While her position on fossil fuels, feminism, and Europe has changed with the wind over the decades, Sturgeon has always beenContinue reading “Shunning Sturgeon”
Scottish Soothsaying
Prophecy is a staple trope of mythology, and if Nationalism is anything, it’s an emotional appeal to mythology, often of an idealised past. The mythology of Scottish Nationalism has included a prophecy of the inevitability of victory, the surety in the collapse of the union, a glorious day coming where real or imagined wrongs willContinue reading “Scottish Soothsaying “
Separation Anxiety
The separation of the legislature and the judiciary is an indication, not a failure, of a healthy liberal democracy. It is the defining behaviour of populists to claim that they speak with the will and the authority of ‘the people against some defined elite. Independent courts must be able to hold the people’s representatives toContinue reading “Separation Anxiety”
Promising the Impossible
One of the 12 tactics of Populists; Promising the Impossible. Why do they do it? How do they get away with it?! And what can we do about it?
The Populist's Playbook 