[Tubby Isaacs]

The Greens are indeed still being dumb.

[Tubby Isaacs]

This account may not be offering this advice in good faith, but the SNP could do a lot worse than John Swinney. It wouldn't exactly look confidently futuristic- he was leader 20 years ago- but cosolidation is what they need. He'd handle Salmond and tell the Greens to stop fucking about.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Swinney is “reflecting”. And well he might. Kate Forbes is favourite. Hard to see how she isn’t defeated by the same things as last time, unless she can square faith with governing a bit better.

[Philip Marlow]

He gone.

https://amp.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... nister-snp

Yousaf told a press conference at Bute House, his official residence, on Monday that he would remain in post until his successor was elected to ensure a “smooth and orderly transition”.

Well good luck with that.

I know the online world ain’t the be-all and end-all, but a quick survey of immediate reactions suggests that some of the worst people in the world are very happy.

[Abernathy]

Swinney might get the job on an interim caretaker basis. I agree that Forbes will probably have another go, but she is still a bigoted Wee Free god-botherering homophobe, which I think was what, rightly in my view, blew up her previous attempt.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I think Swinney will be good for those SNP-LAB switchers who support Yes but in a more Wales way than Catalonia way.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Swinney and Forbes both sound serious about running. Forbes would likely get tripped up by the same stuff as last time.

[Killer Whale]

SNP have come a long way since they were vulnerable to 'Tartan Tory' accusations. They're not going back to that, I wouldn't think.

[Bones McCoy]

SNP have come a long way since they were vulnerable to 'Tartan Tory' accusations. They're not going back to that, I wouldn't think.

As I was saying to #2 son last night.

Any candidates in urban areas - you can rely on having a generally social-democratic outlook.

Out where the ferries don't run, you might have any odd combo of wee frees, orcadian separatists, neo Jacobites, language activists and the odd unreformed "Blame the English for everything" ranter.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Forbes supporting Swinney. Would be surprised if anyone else ran. That's the best way forward for the SNP, I think.

[Abernathy]

Forbes has clearly, to shamelessly mix metaphors, both realised that the writing is on the wall, and that she knows which side her Mother's Pride is buttered.

Which is to say that she has got the message that for all her popularity among party activists, Wee Free homophobic bigotry was, and probably still is even more so, an insurmountable barrier to ever being elected SNP leader and thereby First Minister. And that her best chance of an at best second-tier political career zenith is to throw her Wee Free weight behind John Swinny, whom you might reasonably describe as the Scot Nats' Michael Howard.

[The Weeping Angel]

The sense of victimood is strong here. This came from another forum and the person's post is truly something

Well one thing has been made clear over the past week or so is how little the UK media really pay attention to regional/local politics in Scotland. As they regularly do in Ireland and the EU and anywhere else that isn't Westminster or the US. A number of journalists have been shown to have not been doing their homework or shown their now, barely concealed, dislike of the SNP, and by extension a significant proportion of the Scottish population, for not conforming to 'traditional norms' for the last 17 years.

We have had 2 MPs killed in the last 8 years and a number of threats of death and violence against politicians from all parties. Yet, as of time of writing not one senior politician from any of the other UK political party has come out and spoken against the latest example from the Times today.

Images like the ones above are not only seen as acceptable in the UK press, but are actively cheered on by journalists like Andrew Neil. Additionally, they championed by supporters of the union and fellow travellers in England/Wales who have had their heads filled with the same drip-drip dross that was pushed in the British press about the EU for years. Same style, different target.

Most Scottish political news stories are effectively just pre-made press releases from the Scottish Conservatives, Labour or the Scottish Liberal Democrats. Usually, taking a freedom of information request, finding the most negative spin on it or to make Scottish government performance appear as bad if not worse than England and Wales, which are then published almost verbatim by various media outlets looking for easy-made content. The negative "SNP bad" headline is all that matters, regardless of whether or not it is true.

For example, we had the Scottish Conservatives making the claim that the SNP cut down 16 million trees for wind turbines since 2000. Sounds awful for a pro-environment party trying to show off it's green credentials. First of all the SNP wasn't in power between 2000 and 2007 so can't be blamed for that. Secondly, it neglects to mention the 272 million trees that were planted in the same period of time. Finally, it neglects to mention the SNP are planting 75% of all new trees in the UK even if we are falling short of our own high targets.

Labour are just as bad. For example, here is one on ferry cancellation figues. 40989 cancellations sounds like a lot over a 6 year period but yet the majority of these were due to the weather. As if CalMac or the SNP have control over that. And when compared to nearly 1M scheduled crossings there were meant to be over the same period. It's practically a trivial number, albeit very annoying for those who were affected by the cancellations.

It's worth noting that Labour also went very quiet on both the Gender Recognition Bill and Hate Crime Bill even though they voted for both in Holyrood. They are more than happy to throw trans and other minority groups under the bus just to score some short term political points and are not allies to those groups, especially the trans community. Though Anas Sarwar calling for an early Holyrood election because the SNP are changing leader less than a month after his Labour counterparts in Wales did the exact same was admittedly more funny than anything.

As for the Scottish Liberal Democrats, there's this story about ScotRail compensation. £330,000 is a lot of money, sure but there's no comparative points of data. Nor does it acknowledge that a lot of the cancellations were caused by storm damage, storm risk adversion after the Carmont rail crash, tresspass incidents or RMT strikes against UK government. In that context, to have 97.2% of services running puts ScotRail as one of the best in the UK.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats did the same on water quality, talking about sewage dumping in Scotland. Failing to mention that Scottish water quality has improved from 82% to 87% being ranked "good" or "high" in the last 6 years while English beaches increasingly bathe in ¤¤¤¤e and English and Welsh rivers become more and more polluted.

These are just some examples of many I could use and I've not even gone into the completely fake, borderline libellous "SNP Bad" stories such as this one from the Daily Mail. There is no interest in policy scrutiny from the Scottish Conservatives, Labour or the Scottish Liberal Democrats. Nor are there alternative policies or ideas to improve the lives of people in Scotland. Just hate. Hate for people like me who are SNP members and supporters of an independent Scotland who want to part of Europe and the world in a way we can't be under the current constitutional arrangement. There is simply no way for the SNP to effectively work with other parties while they are solely consumed by their obsession to defeat the SNP whatever the cost. Be it in Holyrood or in Westminster.

As for the week's events, Forbes' big push down south last week and last year was very similar to how Corbyn was pushed as 'the biggest threat to opposition' when actually it was the opposition most favoured opponent due to her major flaws. Thankfully, senior folk within the party managed to do what they couldn't do last year while she was on maternity leave which was to sit down and talk her out of running. I hope she comes back as Finance minister, that way the party can take advantage of her capabilities without having her deal with social policy which appeals to the broader party and public but is in conflict with her religious beliefs.

TL;DR - Empty vessels make the most noise, especially when it comes to discussing Scottish politics.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Perhaps a clue as to why his party didn't try very hard to save him here. He's not very bright.

WASPI, whatever you think of the issue, is a particular issue for a single generation. The only effect on his daughters will be to pay more tax. (And of course his actual position is populist drivel, which would be swiftly abandoned in an independent Scotland).

But it says something for the shit he gets that I'm almost pleasantly surprised that there aren't more racist comments. I have blocked a lot, mind, so that could be the reason.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Can this be true? If so, the rules are insane? How can somebody not in Holyrood or Westminster lead the SNP/Scottish Government?

[Tubby Isaacs]

He’s pulled out after talks with Swinney.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I'm still finding it hard to believe the Westminster polls. But the council by-elections suggest the polls aren't much out. The Tories could most of their 6 Westminster seats.