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George Galloway briefly detained at Glasgow Airport on his way home from Moscow via Abu Dhabi.
In entirety unrelated news, "Galloway told The Herald he intends to make another political comeback by standing as a candidate in next year's Scottish Parliament election."
$$$
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25499918.george-galloway-detained-gatwick-terrorism-laws/
That's all we need another shameless chancer
hold me closer, shameless chancer...
Now you've ruined a perfectly decent song 😄
Anyone know anything about this? Its a headline in the times but the article is behind a paywall
Anas Sarwar ‘plots bust-up’ with Starmer to save Holyrood campaign
Senior members of Scottish Labour believe that the prime minister is a ball and chain around its chances of ousting the SNP in May’s election
I had a look in the national as well - no obvious mention but this caught my eye
Curtice’s predictions said that the SNP would emerge with 59 seats, six short of a majority, with Labour returning 20 MSPs and Reform 19.
Norstat polling puts the Tories on 10% of support in constituencies and 13% on the regional list, leaving them with half the number of seats they currently hold at just 14.
Meanwhile, the LibDems would have 10 seats and the Scottish Greens seven.
Support has risen for both parties as the Scottish LibDems have gained 11% in constituencies and 10% on the regional list, with the Greens picking up 7% and 8%.
With support for the Greens on the up, it would mean that there would be a narrow pro-independence majority at Holyrood.
https://www.thenational.scot/news/25500362.majority-scots-back-scottish-independence-poll-shows/
Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, has challenged Keir Starmer and party strategists to “stop being shy” of the UK government’s successes, implying that without a dramatically bolder sales pitch Labour faces obliteration in next year’s Holyrood elections.
In a speech peppered with direct attacks on John Swinney, leader of the “knackered” Scottish National party leader, and “poisonous” Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, Sarwar directly his main message internally.
He repeatedly chided Labour for being too shy on boasting about its achievements – appearing to echo growing concerns within the party and the cabinet Starmer is failing to construct a coherent story about Labour’s policies.
With Scottish Labour has surprised its critics by winning several key byelections, its popularity as measured by opinion polls has plummeted, in line with the UK party’s steep decline.
The latest Norstat poll for the Sunday Times Scotland underscored growing anxiety in Sarwar’s party, by placing Labour third behind reform in a Holyrood constituency vote, at 17% to Reform’s 20%. The SNP are comfortably in the lead at 34%.
Despite the byelection wins, many of Sarwar’s allies fear those findings demonstrate Labour is in deep trouble. Sarwar is seen as being increasingly equivocal about whether he believes Starmer is the right Labour leader.
Sarwar used the word “shy” eight times in his speech, as he drummed home his appeal.
"those key byelections" were won by candidates explicitly refuting Westminster policies
Anyone know anything about this? Its a headline in the times but the article is behind a paywall
Anas Sarwar ‘plots bust-up’ with Starmer to save Holyrood campaign
Senior members of Scottish Labour believe that the prime minister is a ball and chain around its chances of ousting the SNP in May’s election
I read it. He is buggered unless he puts some distance between him and Starmer/UK Labour policy before the Holyrood election.
"There is now an acceptance that if Starmer is to remain in No 10 for the Holyrood elections — and some senior Sarwar allies are no longer convinced that is a certainty — the Scottish leader will have to split from the prime minister decisively.
For some around Scottish Labour’s top table, it is now being seen as a question of when, rather than if, Sarwar publicly and loudly breaks with the prime minister."
He is buggered unless he puts some distance between him and Starmer/UK Labour policy
Which is impossible as the Labour Party in Scotland can't have policies any different from the rest of the Party.
Well they can for devolved things. He is stuck with unpopular policies like the 2 child cap though unless London Labour change them.
Sarwar could defect to the SNP as
A Starmer has said there's going to be no second insured.
B SNP 1 and 2 across the board is a dreadfully ineffective strategy hugely unlikely to ever achieve a majority.
So he could safely be part of a centrist government knowing that independence a vanishingly small possibility.
😄
He is buggered unless he puts some distance between him and Starmer/UK Labour policy
Which is impossible as the Labour Party in Scotland can't have policies any different from the rest of the Party.
Certainly when there has been fightback from Scottish labour and any attempt to show differences from London Labour, Scottish labour have been roundly slapped down. they did get away with it for a couple of byelections where the candidate specifically rejected London Labour policies. Seems like individuals can get away with it but the Scottish party? Not allowed
" SNP 1 and 2 across the board is a dreadfully ineffective strategy hugely unlikely to ever achieve a majority."
Every SNP list vote is wasted. I am amazed that 27% of SNP voters are voting 1 and 2.
Almost as if they don't understand the system.
https://wingsoverscotland.com/lets-make-this-simple/
Is it an SNP ploy to stop Alba getting a foothold?
I don't think so as Alba are no hopers and will not win seats this time. SNP have picked up list seats IIRC just not many. 2nd vote green is the way to go
Wings is a pure diddy
SNP won't pick up many list seats where they win constituency seats, they could pick up list seats where they don't win constituency seats. It's going to be impossible to work that as an effective strategy
I'm an SNP member but the SNP does not own the concept of Scottish independence and should work with other parties and other organisations outside of parliamentary politics to build support for independence
Is it an SNP ploy to stop Alba getting a foothold?
Absolutely. The SNP needs to drum it into the head of every voter in Scotland that they are the only way of achieving independence. Letting that link slip means losing many votes and, ultimately, power. Imagine relying on someone like the Alba Party to prop you up in government and them demanding a new IndyRef in return for their support!
At a glance it looked ok ish - no accounting for regions just dealing with it as a national list so inaccurate
First time I have looked at anything for a while after I read a load of conspiracy bollocks he posted.
You could always try ScotGoesPop he can't stand Wings. However they're broadly in agreement that SNP 1 and 2 won't work.
https://scotgoespop.blogspot.com/2025/09/yougov-seats-projection-is-good-for-snp.html
Oh I agree with the basic thesis. Vote 2 green always 🙂
Senior members of Scottish Labour believe that the prime minister is a ball and chain around its chances of ousting the SNP in May’s election
I suspect Starmer isn't that enthusiastic about Labour's election campaign in Scotland being headed by Anas Sarwar either. He's not a high performer and he's the nepo baby of Mohammed Sarwar. Starmer's dad didn't get him the job...actually, not sure if you know this about Starmer's dad but...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/news/05/0525/sarwar.shtml
"At a glance it looked ok ish - no accounting for regions just dealing with it as a national list so inaccurate"
Last time the SNP only got 2 list seats. Possibly South Scotland? So for a practical estimate a national list is good enough when the SNP are polling 35% on the constituency vote.
The main point that for almost all cases a list SNP vote is a waste. Being a diddy doesn't change that. So why are the SNP pushing for 1 and 2? If they were interested in the biggest number pro indy MSPs they wouldn't. I guess as usual party politics comes first.
I did know about that politecameraaction but I also read this
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/sarwar-cleared-of-election-bribery-1083035.html
Yes, the jury agreed that Sarwar Sr was only lending his rival in the election £5000 in a plastic bag out of the goodness of his heart. 🤷♂️
Yes they also agreed that the News of the World providing the other man concerned with a secret tape recorder and £45000 made the whole story look like a set up
I’m still thinking about which party to vote for. My old reliables are not deserving of my X.
I have been seriously disappointed with the SNP, and I cannot vote for the greens with their current beliefs about a few things - no way do I want them anywhere near government again.
I guess I’ll be voting Alba as a kind of protest, and I’ll see nearer the time what the maths says for my list vote.
An increase on observations of/visibility of this sort of sentiment has popped up a few times. I'm less optimistic than some on this.
The below is something I've been seeing more of locally.
Immigration is "getting out of control", she says.
"It looks like they are going to overspill us," she says. "We will be the underdogs."
When challenged on her evidence for her claims, she responds: "I don't have any evidence".
Asked what she means by "they", she says: "All the ones that are coming in, especially Muslims."
She said she was not racist but was instead saying "just truth" and "my opinion".
Sounds like a pretty good solution for the 'chronically hard of thinking' problem.
But yeah, I guess we should try sorting out the problem where the ultra-wealthy are making everyone poor first. Then we can see if the gene pool still needs thinning out a bit.
Shame to lose the Saltire to these mouth breathers but unfortunately once racist shites take something it tends to stay taken.
I don't think we've lost the saltire to them yet but if they can continue with the high profile rallies then that's a real possibility. The independence marches that still go on don't get the media coverage.I don't believe that all of those who think immigration is a problem are racist but many are. It's going to be difficult if not impossible to convince folk that it's structural issues in our economy that are making us (or many of us) poorer not immigrants
Glasgow is the frontline of the UK's immigration system, with more arrivals than anywhere else...Glasgow takes in more asylum seekers than any other city
This is rubbish. My single local council in London has more asylum seekers than the whole of Glasgow. Glasgow has the highest per cap council-housed population of asylum seekers, which is different.
20% of all asylum seekers live in one city - London. And that number is increasing, not decreasing, as cities like Glasgow takes fewer through dispersal schemes.
https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/asylum-accommodation-in-the-uk/
Scotland has traditionally been seen as a left-leaning nation where inward migration is welcomed.
Scotland is 96% white (much higher than UK average), 10% immigrant (much lower than UK average), and has the highest proportion of councils that declined to settle any asylum seekers at all - one third of all councils.
The whole premise of the article is "Glasgow was the UK's asylum seeker capital but the mood is changing", but the whole premise is fabricated!
Shame to lose the Saltire to these mouth breathers but unfortunately once racist shites take something it tends to stay taken.
I noticed in a classic union flag waving part of the central belt that they weren't using the saltire for their anti immigration protests but were flying the Lion Rampant. My local expert tells me that they refuse to fly the saltire because of its association with independence and the SNP, and want to emphasise their allegiance to his majesty. I chose not to question if the Windsors were in fact immigrants!
This is rubbish
Well, they're still running with it...
Latest UK-wide figures show Glasgow was the local authority with the highest proportion of housed asylum seekers at 59 per 10,000 inhabitants (a total of 3,716).
John Swinney is calling for a "pause". I don't go anywhere near Glasgow, but some of the articles wording feels like it'll feed anti asylum seeker sentiment.
Ten years on from Sheku Bayou's death, and the Police Federation have managed to bounce out Bracadale. Self-satisfied, self-congratulatory, shambolic government.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3vnwpkn977o
Lord Bracadale only has himself to blame. Having private meetings with one party does not give the appearance of neutrality.
"The SPF said Lord Bracadale's position had become "untenable" after it emerged he met privately with the family of Mr Bayoh on at least five occasions since the start of the inquiry and "discussed evidence with them".
Top tip: if you actually want to solve a problem, don't give a retired judge an infinite amount of time and money to fanny around. But if you want to kick a problem into the long grass, do exactly that. It's a great day for the SNP and Police Federation.
I rarely have anything positive to say about Thatcher. But her Home Secretary commissioned Lord Scarman to examine the causes of the Brixton Riots 2 days after they were over, and the report was delivered less than 6 months later. The Scarman Report wasn't perfect, but it was 90% snd it was timely!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarman_Report
Top tip: if you actually want to solve a problem, don't give a retired judge an infinite amount of time and money to fanny around. But if you want to kick a problem into the long grass, do exactly that. It's a great day for the SNP and Police Federation.
I rarely have anything positive to say about Thatcher. But her Home Secretary commissioned Lord Scarman to examine the causes of the Brixton Riots 2 days after they were over, and the report was delivered less than 6 months later. The Scarman Report wasn't perfect, but it was 90% snd it was timely!
But Scarman was a retired Judge was he not?
Lord Cullen led two inquiries (Piper Alpha and Dunblane) which were widely considered to result in major change.
I'm not sure the SNP will want it to drag on any more? Surely everyone has already made up their mind?
Top tip: if you actually want to solve a problem, don't give a retired judge an infinite amount of time and money to fanny around. But if you want to kick a problem into the long grass, do exactly that. It's a great day for the SNP and Police Federation.
I rarely have anything positive to say about Thatcher. But her Home Secretary commissioned Lord Scarman to examine the causes of the Brixton Riots 2 days after they were over, and the report was delivered less than 6 months later. The Scarman Report wasn't perfect, but it was 90% snd it was timely!
But Scarman was a retired Judge was he not?
Lord Cullen led two inquiries (Piper Alpha and Dunblane) which were widely considered to result in major change.
I'm not sure the SNP will want it to drag on any more? Surely everyone has already made up their mind?
Top tip: if you actually want to solve a problem, don't give a retired judge an infinite amount of time and money to fanny around. But if you want to kick a problem into the long grass, do exactly that. It's a great day for the SNP and Police Federation.
I rarely have anything positive to say about Thatcher. But her Home Secretary commissioned Lord Scarman to examine the causes of the Brixton Riots 2 days after they were over, and the report was delivered less than 6 months later. The Scarman Report wasn't perfect, but it was 90% snd it was timely!
But Scarman was a retired Judge was he not?...
I'm not sure the SNP will want it to drag on any more? Surely everyone has already made up their mind?
Scarman wasn't given an endless leash to piss around, and Thatcher (stunningly!) didn't pretend that what he was looking into was somehow ourside the business of government.
Your second assertion absolutely proves the point - the SNP has managed to allow this to rumble on for so long that you think everyone has made up their mind before the report has been presented and before the inquiry has summarised the facts, causes and implications. Certainly the idea of consequences or responsibility - legal, political or moral - for anyone has gone right out the window. Being the most deranged actor, it's the Police Federation's narrative that had got the most airtime. The Scottish establishment has closed ranks, got on its high horse about US police choking a black man to death, and did absolutely **** all to address its own police force choking a black man to death on the street.
1982 was also the year that Lord Carrington resigned as Foreign Secretary for failing to anticipate the Falklands invasion by Argentina, even though he personally clearly had not been at fault. Nonetheless he took responsibility for the success and failure of the ministry he led. Was that year the end of accountability in public life?
This seems a fair summary to me.
I'm not sure this link's gonna work but:
https://twitter.com/ElectionMapsUK/status/1990701503997210881?t=_2gWsdn0xcHpbFKJvrrD9A&s=19
The SNP is polling flat at 3% for Westminster voting intentions despite Labour and Conservatives being in a shambles. Reform should be less attractive in Scotland than England & Wales (because its strongly unionist position should? alienate half of voters) and the Polanski effect on the Greens should be muted (because technically its a different party even if there is a bit of halo/spillover). So why isn't the SNP doing better? It seems a little odd to me.
So why isn't the SNP doing better? It seems a little odd to me.
Interested to hear what a good number would be for the SNP on a poll like that.
If the SNP managed to convince 100% of registered Scottish voters to vote for them they would be polling at 8%. If they managed to convince half the population to vote for them they would be polling at 4%.
As it is, given that 3% could mean anything from 2.5% to 3.4999%, that means somewhere between 30% and 42% of the population plans on voting SNP. Assuming that this poll was based on 1000 respondents, that means the Scottish sample size of around 83 people. So when they asked the question, somewhere between 25 and 35 people said they were going to vote SNP.
I'm not saying your analysis is wrong, just curious as why you thought a Westminster poll was the best one to support your argument. You would probably get a better sample size by asking the Scottish voters of STW who they planned on voting for.
I think issues are going to come to a head when it becomes clear to the remaining LibDem, Labour, and Tory voters that it's time to shit or get off the pot. Your choice is either support independence or support a Union led by Nigel Farage.
From the data below, it certainly seems like the Unionist vote is firmly coalescing around the frog-faced ****, but there are still several voters who have to decide if they are going to continue wasting their vote pretending things can ever go back to the way things were before by voting either LibDem, Tory, or Labour, or they can finally decide which horse they are going to back.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_Scottish_Parliament_election
So why isn't the SNP doing better?
According to the latest Scottish/Westminster opinion poll (last week of September) SNP were on 31% which is a touch more than the 30% they got at the general election.
Reform on the other hand have surged even more in Scotland than they have nationally, they have more than trebled from 7% to 23%
Support for Labour and the Tories have dropped though. It seems that the SNP are actually holding their own with the Greens doubling their support in Scotland.
Any lessons to be learnt? Well maybe that Labour and the Tories swinging to the right and the SNP and the Greens holding their ground benefits them?
reform voters in Scotland (ex tory/unionists) are mostly wearing blue football shirts and singing sectarian ditties about a 350yr old corpse, so perfectly at home in such a party as reform.