I will just leave this here and duck for cover

Obviously meant Sturgeon.

Want to be independent but in the EU. Sounds like a contradiction to me.

"Skip to the good bits and don’t mention our ‘failures’, SNP and Greens tell speechwriters"
Well, it'll keep the speeches short and to the point...

Lyng17

Want to be independent but in the EU. Sounds like a contradiction to me.

Be honest. You voted for Brexit, didn't you?

One out of the last 15 polls all of which did not want another referendum. Wouldnt put much credence on it. The sheer incompetence of the handling of the ferries debacle even made the main news last night.

Urmstongran

"Skip to the good bits and don’t mention our ‘failures’, SNP and Greens tell speechwriters"
Well, it'll keep the speeches short and to the point...

Telegraph journalists discover how political speeches work.

Aveline

One out of the last 15 polls all of which did not want another referendum. Wouldnt put much credence on it. The sheer incompetence of the handling of the ferries debacle even made the main news last night.

Hope you're sitting down Aveline

The handing of the ferries contract is inept. How can they not have included penalty clauses?

Anyway, still haven't changed my mind about independence.

OMG I nearly fainted volver! I know you're a fan of independence rather than SNP but I still desperately want to remain part of the United Kingdom. The name says it all.

Being a Unionist and supporting the UK is a perfectly honourable position, you know I think that Aveline.

People who rip into the leader of the SNP, calling her an idiot and making out she's got some magical hold over the country, then calling us stupid; not so much.

Well Urmsgran, runny down Nichola for not resigning over various deeds. Can I just ask what about Johnson and his lies etc, they far outweigh anything that has happened in Scotland

volver

Aveline

One out of the last 15 polls all of which did not want another referendum. Wouldnt put much credence on it. The sheer incompetence of the handling of the ferries debacle even made the main news last night.

Hope you're sitting down Aveline

The handing of the ferries contract is inept. How can they not have included penalty clauses?

Anyway, still haven't changed my mind about independence.

The handling was inept; and in my opinion they're the wrong ferries.

However I do find it amusing that anyone who supports a government that gives Chris Grayling responsibility can actual utter the word "ferries" with a straight face.

Fair enough Barmeyoldbat.
I suppose if the SNP weren’t popular they wouldn’t keep getting voted in!

It's only because the opposition is so fragmented. If Labour, Lib Dem and Conservatives worked together for the benefit of the country that SNP lot would be out on their ear.
Am currently fulminating having seen that a large part of the Covid funding for small business support was diverted to the failing shipbuilding yard doing such a disastrous job with the ferries.
Desperately poor decision making to add to litany of SNP failures. Millions wasted that could have been spent alleviating poverty. Am raging as you can probably tell!

Does the election system in Scotland favour the SNP?

Labour and Conservatives working together.

Aye, that'll work.

In the interests of clarity:

The funding for the yards did not come from any small business support pot, but from the Covid Business Resilience and Support Directorate.

This Directorate have given out £1bn so £20million is hardly a large part. It's 2%.

We've all agreed that the management was inept but there's no need to make stuff up now, is there?

Urmstongran

Does the election system in Scotland favour the SNP?

You've been listening to Neil Oliver, haven't you?

No. I’ve no idea who he is volver.
My question was genuine.
There’s a second vote on the ballot paper isn’t there? I just wondered whether that helps keep the status quo.

I wonder if England could vote on whether we wanted freedom from Scotland what the vote would be?
I reckon Scotland would be long gone.

OK, apologies for jumping to conclusions.

Neil Oliver was interviewed on GBNews a few weeks ago ranting about how the Scottish Parliament was set up to make it very hard for any party to get a majority. Which it was. He then made the point that since the SNP nearly got a majority, they must have found some trick to get themselves into power. Aye, the trick is that people vote for them .

The second vote on the ballot paper actually works against the party that gets most votes in the constituency vote. So no, there isn't a system that helps keep the status quo.

You do know who Neil Oliver is, you probably just haven't put two and two together. The Coast Guy!!

It does not bother me one jot if Scotland or the other discontented peripherals go their own way, as long as they realise that they are not likely to be able to join the EU independently.
With an open land border with England that is not going to happen, of course a closed border is possible but is it really what they want.

Which is better, do you think?

Being stupid or being a discontented peripheral?

If we voted for independence we'd be both stupid and peripheral

Speak for yourself m'quine.

Thanks for the explanation volver. Yes it seems therefore that the SNP must be very popular. Fair enough.

Oh the ‘Coast’ guy! I recognise him. Thanks for the photo.
I assume therefore he’s a unionist??

I assume therefore he’s a unionist??

I think that's a fair assumption . Seriously, he's got very weird recently. Bit of an anti-lockdown advocate as well.