Byron wrote:I agree that Whitehall can't take on Scotland and Brussels simultaneously, at least. Especially not with Brussels rolling out the red carpet to Scottish EU membership (not out of any love of Caledonian aspirations; the Eurocrats are itching to punish the UK for Brexit, and what better way than chopping it in half).

mrjonno wrote:I wouldn't put it past the Tories sending in the troops to seize Holyrood but I would love to see any civilised country trade with the UK in these circumstances (China wouldn't care about the troops but would care about the lack of economic stability here)

Byron wrote:

mrjonno wrote:I wouldn't put it past the Tories sending in the troops to seize Holyrood but I would love to see any civilised country trade with the UK in these circumstances (China wouldn't care about the troops but would care about the lack of economic stability here)

Even if they wanted to go that way, given that it'd risk a full-scale mutiny (there being rather a lot of Scottish regiments, soldiers, and soldiers with Scottish families), and would certainly lead to a civil war (with the Scottish government, controlling the machinery of state north of the border, being in a much stronger position that the Sinn Féin in 1918), we can safely class this alongside your other entertaining but unlikely scenarios.

mrjonno wrote:With Brexit we have gone past the limits of normal civilised sane politics, anything is possible now. It's certainly no less likely than Scotland declaring unilateral independence which you have suggested as a policy which is just putting up two fingers and saying 'bring it on'

Big announcement from @NicolaSturgeon. If @theresa_may takes UK out of single market - will push for #indyref2 before end of article 50 negs

Scot Dutchy wrote:In English? Fuck twitter talk please.

The SNP’s plan for #indyref2 confirms that Nicola Sturgeon’s priority is not education, or healthcare, or tackling poverty.

The sluagh ghairm of the second Scottish independence referendum is ringing from the hills and glens of the country. All across this ancient land, an anguished people cry out, “It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for Pot Noodle and Marmite, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.” ...

CarlPierce wrote:This thread wants to find its own independent website elsewhere.

CarlPierce wrote:This thread wants to find its own independent website elsewhere.

Hi @BBC. I'm a supporter of Scottish independence. I was wondering if it'd possible for you to show Question Time every night? Cheers.

Spot on from @AlexSalmond

Byron wrote:Another belter from Paul Kavanagh over at Wee Ginger Dug:-

The sluagh ghairm of the second Scottish independence referendum is ringing from the hills and glens of the country. All across this ancient land, an anguished people cry out, “It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for Pot Noodle and Marmite, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.” ...

CarlPierce wrote:This thread wants to find its own independent website elsewhere.

An emotional @NicolaSturgeon announces "root and branch review" of care system as heart cards waved #SNP16

For all the naysayers of the Care kids, sometimes love isn't pre planned. Love is free from agenda and shines the light of hope. #snp16

It is very hard to understand why The Spectator would wish to pay Nick Cohen substantial money to write a column defending Brian Spanner and Stephen Daisley, and claiming the SNP has destroyed free media in Scotland.

To start with the most astonishing, Nick Cohen vociferously denies that “Brian Spanner” is a misogynist. Yet his own article contains a series of appalling tweets from Spanner, sent to Cohen by John Nicolson MP in an effort to make Cohen see sense. They include these tweets:

Margaret Curran: is she a victim of FGM? She is a torn faced cunt.
Mhairi Black is a nasty little fuck.
Poor Roseanna Cunningham. The change really has made her a bitter shovelled old cunt.

Plainly Cohen’s repeated assertion that Spanner is not misogynist is simply a lie. Cohen’s argument – that Spanner could not be misogynist as he is a friend of J K Rowling – is nonsensical. For those who were not already aware of her appalling neo-con politics, Rowling’s friendship with whoever “Spanner” really is might give some worrying indication of Rowling’s character. But it can in no way be said to prove Spanner is not misogynist. I am not sure it is possible to imagine more misogynist material than the above.

Long term readers of this blog will know that Daisley and Cohen are old comrades in arms. Daisley, Cohen, Murdoch attack dog Oliver Kamm and the Guardian’s Hadley Freeman indulged together in a mainstream media anti-Craig Murray hate fest on twitter.

A year ago I published about Daisley:

It is amazing to me that a supposed “journalist” working for a broadcaster would be so completely open about their anti-SNP, unionist, anti-Corbyn and far right agenda. Daisley is only very small beer, a stinking, sweating foot-soldier of the forces of reaction. But if you can stand it, the way the unionist establishment interacts and thinks is revealed very clearly from a study of his twitter feed. Messages are exchanged with Aaronovitch of Murdoch, Nick Cohen of the Guardian, with John McTernan of the Blairites and with J K Rowling of the 1%, and a great many others. The SNP and Corbyn are smugly derided by all. These well-paid state supporters live in a cosy Panglossian paradise and have contempt for anyone who is not “in”.

Cohen’s fury that a member of his neo-con clique should be denigrated, leads him to deny the existence of the most extreme misogyny imaginable. It also leads him to make the laughable assertion that the SNP control the media in Scotland. In Scotland the BBC, STV and 80% of the newspapers are viciously anti-SNP. Plainly that is not enough for Cohen. He hates the SNP for providing an alternative to unionism, he hates Corbyn for providing an alternative to neo-liberalism, and he hates the idea of anybody criticising the neo-con cheerleaders. His pathology is simple enough. But why does the Spectator pay him for it?