Ian Blackford steps down as SNP leader at Westminster. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Apologies volver you are right the Edinburgh Royal High School is now a state run comprehensive. Howeve it has a very long and prestigious history and a long list of distinguished alumnae.

Agreed varian.

Isn't the Scottish education system wonderful 😉

It certainly used to be wonderful. Not so wonderful since the SNP took over.

Walked into that, didn't I? 😁

And Joanna doesn't want the SNP to interfere?

It’s what she was quoted as saying earlier today volver and it appeared on a strap line on SKY News at teatime.

I wonder what she means then? Would it be the process?
ie. not just parachuting someone into the post but a vote being taken? Obviously I have no idea on this. It might be better explained tomorrow.

Joanna Cherry is quoted as saying….” I hope the SNP Westminster group will now be left to choose our new leader without outside interference “
Wonder who would like to interfere 😂😂 ?
Joanna Cherry was removed from her post as the S N P s spokesperson for justice and home affairs because she criticised the Scottish Government’s legislation which makes it easier to obtain a gender recognition certificate.

The thick plottens.

That's a shame as I've always liked him as he has fire in his belly

JaneJudge

That's a shame as I've always liked him as he has fire in his belly

I agree. He was always prepared to call out the liar in chief, Johnson. I think he will be a hard act to follow, a big personality.

He lost credibility when he described himself as … just a simple crofter…. He was an investment banker .
He also faced calls to resign in June this year for his handling of a sexual harassment allegation against SNP Patrick Grady . A leaked video showed him urging SNP MPs to support Grady while not even mentioning the victim.
Think this resignation was on the cards or was he pushed ?

He is being pushed out by his own party.

Grandmabatty

Because he's tired of being treated badly by those in power? He's done it for five years and is getting older so wants to focus on his constituents? Or someone has said, time to go? Mhairi Black would be good at the job I think.

Because he's tired of being treated badly by those in power?

How is he treated badly? Do you mean by those in his own party in power in Scotland or by the government in Westminster?

It's his job to oppose where he sees fit, where he thinks they are wrong and it's the government's job to counter that if they feel they are right.

That's politics.

Those in power who told him to F*** off back to Skye and who chant "Who ate all the pies" when he stands up to speak?

Maybe he's had enough of that.

That's not politics.

Oh. Missed that.

He is one I liked to listen to on the rare occasions I might have watched Parliament.

Those in power who told him to F* off back to Skye and who chant "Who ate all the pies" when he stands up to speak?

Who said that?
Not Rishi Sunak I imagine.

Does it matter? A Tory, of course. Or several of them.

I seem to remember it was Nicholas Soames but I could be wrong, don't quote me.

I don’t like Blackford, but he was better than his predecessor who is my bet for wanting Sturgeon’s job.

I seem to remember it was Nicholas Soames but I could be wrong, don't quote me

Oh dear.
He should know better.

Selfishly, I was hoping that Angus Brendan McNeil would become the new leader, but accept that he is too much of a loose cannon to be considered. Why did I want him? Only so that we would hear him more often, speaking English in his wonderfully lilting, native Gaelic speaking accent.

I won't miss his bleating one line track of questioning at PMQs about Scotland being "dragged screaming out of the EU". He continually neglects that fact that, in the last Scottish Referendum on Scottish Independence, more Scots voted to remain within the UK but then in the UK Referendum on EU membership more people voted to Leave than Remain.

And we're off...

Bleating included for good measure.

There was an occasion at Prime Minister’s Questions when Ian Blackford raised the claim that Boris Johnson had been having a party and eating cake at one of the events during Covid being investigated by Sue Gray. Boris hit back by saying something like this to Ian Blackford. “ I don’t know who has been eating more cake “ . obviously mocking IB ‘ s weight.

Callistemon21

^I seem to remember it was Nicholas Soames but I could be wrong, don't quote me^

Oh dear.
He should know better.

Seems I used a bit of poetic licence with the "F*** off" bit.

twitter.com/bbcpolitics/status/1075050916854804480

So, Stephen Flynn.

I know nothing about him. Mhairi Black's the deputy leader.

Me neither volver. An unknown quality. I do like Mhairi Black though.