Monthly Archives: November 2019

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 sloganContinue reading “The record is more broken than her waiting times targets”

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 evenContinue reading “Election profile: Ochil and South Perthshire (not East Dunbartonshire)”

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 aContinue reading “How to oust your local SNP MP”

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 mattersContinue reading “Question Time: Sturgeon was slippier than an eel on a water slide”

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’sContinue reading “Sturgeon outfoxed by new face of Scottish Greens”

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 thatContinue reading “Battleground Stirling: Tories fighting to hold off SNP threat in ultra-marginal”

The solitary joy of election campaigns is when politicians and journalists encounter the voters, those strange creatures they shelter from in parliaments and television studios the rest of the time. The voters are an unreliable sort. They don’t conform to the message grid, ask all the wrong questions and actually expect answers. These are peopleContinue reading “Nicola Sturgeon’s priorities are not yours”

Pollsters are generally unloveable creatures but oftentimes they spot trends in public opinion that the rest of us miss. Some of these analysts are now warning that the Conservatives’ poll lead may not be all it seems. For instance, the current poll of polls has the Tories 11 points ahead of Labour, which sounds likeContinue reading “What is Nicola Sturgeon thinking trying to put cranks and racists in power?”

Halfway through First Minister’s Questions, Willie Rennie threw up his hands, shook his head, and sunk back in his seat. The Liberal Democrat leader had been defeated, as so many lesser mortals are, by Nicola Sturgeon’s superhuman capacity for waffle. The feisty Fifer had enquired about NHS waiting times, which everyone familiar with the FirstContinue reading “Aspiring grown-up Ross Greer sprouted up like a green shoot”

Nicola Sturgeon is right. This marks the debut of that phrase in this column but, then, the First Minister hasn’t given me much to work with. Until now, that is. While stumping for votes over the weekend, she predicted that Prime Minister Jeremy Corbyn would allow her a second referendum on Scotland exiting the UK,Continue reading “Scottish Labour has abandoned Scotland and the Union”