Boris Johnson’s Friday morning victory speech signalled that a new kind of Conservative Party was on the way. The Tories had swept Labour aside in swathes of working-class seats in what had been Britain’s socialist heartlands. He told bleary-eyed Tory activists: ‘In winning this election we have won votes and the trust of people who [...]
Why this election matters
There is something about the printing of ballot papers that sends politicians reaching for the superlatives. Barely has a single billboard gone up or a solitary postal vote settled on a weary doormat than the parties begin breaking out the apocalyptic rhetoric. ‘This is the most important election of your lifetime.’ How many times have [...]
Sturgeon gets owned by Ross Greer. ROSS GREER.
The latest education rankings have not made easy reading for Nicola Sturgeon. Standards in maths are plummeting faster than John Nicolson’s chances in Ochil and South Perthshire, while Scotland is being outperformed in science by Estonia, Slovenia and a handful of creationist Sunday schools in Alabama. Jackson Carlaw, uncharitable sort that he is, brought this [...]
Sturgeon meets the long arm of the LOL
Boris Johnson may be too afraid to submit to 30 minutes under Andrew Neil’s frosty glare but at least the Scottish leaders are willing to tackle the tough questions. Questions like ‘Bam or no bam?’ and whether the police should have their own jet skis. Putting these searing queries was Cameron Miekelson. Imagine if Andrew [...]
The record is more broken than her waiting times targets
Nicola Sturgeon was in Scotland's other, better capital city yesterday unveiling her party’s pledges for the General Election. Given how many wafer-thin majorities the SNP is defending there, it made sense that the manifesto launch was held in Glasgow. Except to John Nicolson, who’s still trying to work out why they chose Aberystwyth. The slogan [...]
Election profile: Ochil and South Perthshire (not East Dunbartonshire)
As signs of the changing times go, it’s a close-run thing in Alloa between the local MP’s street stall sharing pavement space with a Syrian minimart and that MP being a Tory. Luke Graham is the first Conservative to win Ochil and South Perthshire or its predecessor seats since James Wellwood Johnston, who wasn’t even [...]
How to oust your local SNP MP
Cometh an election, cometh a debate about the merits of tactical voting. Does it work? How risky is it? Is a choice between the lesser of two evils really the best we can do? In short succession: 1) Yes, it can. 2) The greater risk is doing nothing. 3) At this stage, it’s more a [...]
Question Time: Sturgeon was slippier than an eel on a water slide
Nicola Sturgeon turned up for a grilling on last night’s Question Time special but basked instead in the warmth of the audience's ignorance about Scotland. The SNP leader benefited from what appeared to be a coach-load of supporters dotted across the studio but it was the English majority, interested but not obviously clued-up about matters [...]
Sturgeon outfoxed by new face of Scottish Greens
This sketch tries not to make a habit of praising the Scottish Greens, or — in the interests of balance — any other semi-communist rabble of chickpea-fuelled turtle-worshippers. But once again Alison Johnstone, who now enjoys joint custody of the parliamentary party with shouty-angry dad Patrick Harvie, gave a masterclass in getting under Nicola Sturgeon’s [...]
Battleground Stirling: Tories fighting to hold off SNP threat in ultra-marginal
Stirling Tory HQ is oddly hushed for the middle of a General Election campaign. All eyes are on Sky News and most hands clamped around steaming mugs of tea. Outside a biting smirr is building to a downpour. The TV commands the room because of who is on it: Nigel Farage. He is announcing that [...]
