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Nicola Sturgeon is rewriting history She purged reason from the gender debate

"She only has herself to blame." Andy Buchanan/ POOL/AFP/Getty Images.

"She only has herself to blame." Andy Buchanan/ POOL/AFP/Getty Images.


February 17, 2023   5 mins

So it’s goodbye from Nicola Sturgeon. During a relatively expansive press conference on Wednesday — the prolonged duration of which somewhat undermined her claim that she always knows when it’s time to go — she offered the official version of why she was stepping down. No, this was definitely not a response to “short-term pressures” such as the Isla Bryson prison controversy or the ongoing investigation into SNP financial irregularity. As if delivering a shocking revelation to her audience, she confided that the real reason was because she was “a human being”. Politics has more “intensity” and “brutality” these days than it used to, she said, and her heart is no longer in it.

During her address to journalists, the First Minister’s well-honed rhetorical abilities cast their usual spell — broken only during the Q&A, when she was asked about her legacy of a collapsing NHS, widening attainment gaps in literacy and numeracy in schools, and soaring numbers of drug deaths every year. Before that, though, we were firmly in Sturgeonland, where — a bit like being on a Highland distillery tour — reality tends to disappear in a euphoric haze and temporarily everything looks better than it actually is.

Despite plummeting personal approval ratings, she focused several times on consoling those who, she assumed, would be saddened by her departure, giving the impression of trying to avert outpourings of weeping in the streets. Putting an optimistic gloss on the general mediocrity of her party, she implied that for too long she had eclipsed the many talented SNP politicians with her own brilliance, promising that from now on we would be able to see them more clearly. And perhaps most startlingly — fresh from calling critics of her government’s gender law reforms “homophobic” and “racist” only a fortnight ago  —  she noted that, over the years, she had somehow become a lightning rod for “irrationality” in the “tone and tenor of discourse” on controversial areas, and expressed the fervent desire that things be less polarised from now on.

All of this must have been quite enraging for one of the few actually talented individuals left in the SNP, Joanna Cherry. Cherry is well-known for disagreeing with the party line on gender law reform in favour of self-identification, arguing that it will harm women’s and lesbians’ rights. In 2021, on the same day that an SNP supporter sent her violent sexualised threats for which he was later convicted, Cherry was sacked from her Westminster front-bench role, apparently for her opposition to self-ID. You don’t get much more “intensity” and “brutality” in politics than that.

Equally, Sturgeon’s new turn as a pacifist in the culture wars must have been hard for Joan McAlpine to hear. She was a highly successful MSP for a decade, but was viciously ostracised in 2019 for expressing reservations about the conflation of sex and gender identity in the Scottish Census. She was eventually pushed out of politics via a gerrymandered party rule change that some suspected was deliberately designed to oust her.

Sturgeon did nothing at the time to reduce toxicity in the party with respect to Cherry and McAlpine, even when SNP MPs were openly describing the pair as hateful for views about self-ID which — it now turns out — most of the Scottish population share. Quite the contrary: she frequently turned the heat up, via the regular delivery of public statements of support for transactivist causes that could easily be read as green lights for others to carry on smearing. Right up until the moment a fortnight ago when the First Minister was left havering on ITV about whether Isla Bryson is or is not a woman, she tended to present any dissent towards the “trans women are women” mantra as the product of confused or malicious thinking. When a headteacher publicly sides with the school bullies, she might as well have declared open season on their victims.

It was also Sturgeon’s government that funded one of the main engines of transactivist insanity in Scotland and the UK more generally, the Scottish Trans Alliance (now Scottish Trans). Effectively, they paid this organisation and its parent charity, Equality Network, to tell them what to think on trans issues, and then obediently did exactly what they were told — including pushing for self-ID, and dismissing all objections to it as hateful.

In 2016, then-director James Morton told the Women and Equalities Select Committee that rape crisis and domestic violence services for women should admit males self-identifying as women, and should work to “educate” any traumatised female service-users who complained — a point that was uncritically incorporated into committee’s final report. And in 2018, Morton wrote about how his government-funded organisation had deliberately influenced the Scottish Prison Service to introduce males into female prisons, reasoning that introducing self-ID in these “very challenging circumstances” would put pressure on other public services to adopt it too. And — factually at least, though not ethically — he was right.

So, for Sturgeon to pose at the press conference on Wednesday as some kind of throwback to the Scottish Enlightenment, urging that “debates should be rational” and that “Scotland should be capable of having them”, may well count as the most brass-necked reverse ferret of her long career. She is certainly no Thomas Reid or Dugald Stewart, two 18th-century philosophers closely associated with the Scottish school of common-sense realism, and who each emphasised the importance of trusting one’s senses and guarding against paradox. For the policy of self-ID is manifestly a failure on both counts.

Never mind that — despite an apparently shared interest in witch-burning, Sturgeon doesn’t even reach the fairly low bar for public rationality set by Presbyterian founder and general miserabilist John Knox. Knox may have been fond of ducking-stools, stocks, and pillories, but at least he thought that people should interpret biblical texts for themselves, without the interposition of priests in funny robes spouting incomprehensible jargon.

Partly thanks to Knox and the high levels of literacy he encouraged in schoolchildren for Bible-reading purposes, Scottish culture has a long and justly famed tradition of valuing independent thinking. There is a rejection of closed hierarchies of power, and a habit of nose-thumbing authority figures. Outward appearances of prestige are supposed to mean little, and the lowliest and poorest member of society is thought equal to the most powerful and well-connected. “A man’s a man for a’ that,” Robert Burns famously told us. “Trans women are women,” piped the incongruent refrain from Sturgeon. To prove it, she put violent, unstable murderers and paedophiles into close living arrangements with impoverished, abused females. And then she left them to get on with it.

Politicians are generally good at rewriting history. In the general Great Forgetting which, I assume, will follow the eventual Great Resetting on gender policies towards something more sensible, the SNP may well feign collective amnesia about their former glorious leader’s role in helping discourse in Scotland on trans matters become as vicious and divided as it could possibly be. For all I know, Sturgeon might be about to announce her appointment as a Visiting Professor of Public Reason at Strathclyde Uni, or something. Stranger things have happened. So just in case — and as the woman herself might say — let me be very clear.

Over the course of her leadership, Sturgeon has presided over a closed system of mutual backscratching between her government and favoured courtier-transactivists, paying them to tell her and her government what to think. She has helped shut down free and lawful public discussion of their demands, enabled the unjust monstering of their critics, and sat silently watching as eminently capable women in her own party suffer unconscionable bullying and smearing from others within the party for dissenting.

Even worse, while posing as both feminist and socialist, she monomaniacally has put the vested interests of a small group of privileged, university-educated activists over the interests of huge swathes of ordinary Scottish women, including many who are vulnerable and traumatised by violence and sexual abuse. And she has apparently done this for what she foolishly believed would be political gain.

Nicola Sturgeon may well be — in fact, obviously is — a human being. But she’s a hypocritical and callous one. She’s right to say that Scottish politics has become more intense and brutal, but she only has herself to blame.


Kathleen Stock is an UnHerd columnist and a co-director of The Lesbian Project.
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Steve Murray
Steve Murray
1 year ago

Kathleen Stock at her finest. The writer herself having fallen foul of the mindlessness which Sturgeon personifies, she uses here the full range of her intellect to put on record the damage caused to both public debate and the reputation of Scottish politics, which Sturgeon has quite simply trashed.

Actually, i’ll revise that. Kathleen scarcely needed anything like the full range of her intellect in putting the record straight. The evidence has been staring us the face, the brazen stare of Sturgeon from her parliamentary pulpit, these past eight years.

Sturgeon’s contempt, as the writer points out, for virtually everyone except a miniscule minority over the issue of self-ID was only matched by Sturgeon’s attempt to self-ID as a glorious political leader. The dancing on the streets of Glasgow at her departure at least provides hope that the good people of Scotland retain some sense.

It remains only to feel vomitous at Sunak’s craven display of imbalanced praise for Sturgeon, that fixed grin every bit as false as the stare to camera of the departed self-idea.

Michael Askew
Michael Askew
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

Nicola Sturgeon had long been the cleverest politician in the UK. But power and success led her to believe that she could do anything, even obviously stupid stuff. Hubris beget nemesis.

jonathan carter-meggs
jonathan carter-meggs
1 year ago
Reply to  Michael Askew

Most Machiavellian rather than cleverest, I think.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago

More like Savonarola!

Richard Craven
Richard Craven
1 year ago

Good shout. Have you read George Eliot’s novel Romola?

Last edited 1 year ago by Richard Craven
CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  Richard Craven

No, to my eternal disgrace I haven’t, but will do so immediately!

Many thanks.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  Richard Craven

No, to my eternal disgrace I haven’t, but will do so immediately!

Many thanks.

Richard Craven
Richard Craven
1 year ago

Good shout. Have you read George Eliot’s novel Romola?

Last edited 1 year ago by Richard Craven
CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago

More like Savonarola!

Howard Gleave
Howard Gleave
1 year ago
Reply to  Michael Askew

Cleverest? What was her legacy, if not serial public policy failure? She was and will always be a one trick pony for whom the answer to everything is “independence”, which would see Scotland taking its economic and fiscal policy, and much else besides, directly from Brussels and Frankfurt.

Aden Wellsmith
Aden Wellsmith
1 year ago
Reply to  Howard Gleave

Exactly. The English are to blame for her incompetence. A one trick pony whilst other suffer and she rakes in the cash.

Aden Wellsmith
Aden Wellsmith
1 year ago
Reply to  Howard Gleave

Exactly. The English are to blame for her incompetence. A one trick pony whilst other suffer and she rakes in the cash.

Alphonse Pfarti
Alphonse Pfarti
1 year ago
Reply to  Michael Askew

I would suggest that while she was even more teflon-coated than Blair and exceedingly ruthless, she faced little competent opposition at Holyrood, save for Ruth Davidson who frequently bettered her at FMQs. With a compliant media and a population that kept voting for her party despite endless scandals and failures, she never really had to do anything other than bang on about independence. First time she really nailed her colours to the mast and holed below the waterline. I suspect that much of the woke zealotry came from being in coalition with the utterly insane Scottish Greens.

Phil Rees
Phil Rees
1 year ago

Yes, especially to that last sentence. Hopefully the Greens can now take their rightful place at the bottom of the list in Scottish politics.

Phil Rees
Phil Rees
1 year ago

Yes, especially to that last sentence. Hopefully the Greens can now take their rightful place at the bottom of the list in Scottish politics.

Albireo Double
Albireo Double
1 year ago
Reply to  Michael Askew

The woman is clearly as thick as pig-dung since she clearly actually believes that it is possible for people to change sex. So if she is the most clever politician in the UK it sets a very low bar. However this is probably appropriate, looking at the crazed antics of so many of the deluded denizens of Westminster

Last edited 1 year ago by Albireo Double
Richard Craven
Richard Craven
1 year ago
Reply to  Albireo Double

Surely she doesn’t actually believe that men can become women. Nobody sincerely believes that.

Richard Craven
Richard Craven
1 year ago
Reply to  Albireo Double

Surely she doesn’t actually believe that men can become women. Nobody sincerely believes that.

Jonathan Nash
Jonathan Nash
1 year ago
Reply to  Michael Askew

Nonsense. She simply demonstrates how craven and superficial the political media is in this country, and particularly in Scotland.

Christine Thomas
Christine Thomas
1 year ago
Reply to  Michael Askew

Something perhaps to do with the bizarre happy acceptance and now common practice of calling heads of presumed democracies as our “Leaders”, the title chosen and one is tempted to feel inspired by none other than the ‘success of Herr Hitler?

Notable too it seems in is its milder form with public speakers addressing their audience as “folks” as if assuming already a shared identity and common goal; and like revivalist preachers presume to be offering salvation to those seeking confirmation and/or persuasion with answers to as yet unresolved “burning issues’.

Sectarianism and fanaticism no stranger to political parties any less than religions in a godless world. And as so often these days, success in capturing the levers of power goes to one’s head that on the way up one had kept modestly covered.

jonathan carter-meggs
jonathan carter-meggs
1 year ago
Reply to  Michael Askew

Most Machiavellian rather than cleverest, I think.

Howard Gleave
Howard Gleave
1 year ago
Reply to  Michael Askew

Cleverest? What was her legacy, if not serial public policy failure? She was and will always be a one trick pony for whom the answer to everything is “independence”, which would see Scotland taking its economic and fiscal policy, and much else besides, directly from Brussels and Frankfurt.

Alphonse Pfarti
Alphonse Pfarti
1 year ago
Reply to  Michael Askew

I would suggest that while she was even more teflon-coated than Blair and exceedingly ruthless, she faced little competent opposition at Holyrood, save for Ruth Davidson who frequently bettered her at FMQs. With a compliant media and a population that kept voting for her party despite endless scandals and failures, she never really had to do anything other than bang on about independence. First time she really nailed her colours to the mast and holed below the waterline. I suspect that much of the woke zealotry came from being in coalition with the utterly insane Scottish Greens.

Albireo Double
Albireo Double
1 year ago
Reply to  Michael Askew

The woman is clearly as thick as pig-dung since she clearly actually believes that it is possible for people to change sex. So if she is the most clever politician in the UK it sets a very low bar. However this is probably appropriate, looking at the crazed antics of so many of the deluded denizens of Westminster

Last edited 1 year ago by Albireo Double
Jonathan Nash
Jonathan Nash
1 year ago
Reply to  Michael Askew

Nonsense. She simply demonstrates how craven and superficial the political media is in this country, and particularly in Scotland.

Christine Thomas
Christine Thomas
1 year ago
Reply to  Michael Askew

Something perhaps to do with the bizarre happy acceptance and now common practice of calling heads of presumed democracies as our “Leaders”, the title chosen and one is tempted to feel inspired by none other than the ‘success of Herr Hitler?

Notable too it seems in is its milder form with public speakers addressing their audience as “folks” as if assuming already a shared identity and common goal; and like revivalist preachers presume to be offering salvation to those seeking confirmation and/or persuasion with answers to as yet unresolved “burning issues’.

Sectarianism and fanaticism no stranger to political parties any less than religions in a godless world. And as so often these days, success in capturing the levers of power goes to one’s head that on the way up one had kept modestly covered.

Peter Woodifield
Peter Woodifield
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

I agree with every word of what you say, except for the last paragraph. One of the key things that did for Sturgeon was Sunak invoking Section 35 to block her GRR law, against advice of many Ministers and officials, and the subsequent realisation that a majority of Scots welcomed the intervention rather treating it as yet another reason to hate the English. Sunak hardly gave Sturgeon a ringing endorsement following her announcement, he was just being his usual polite self.

Steve Murray
Steve Murray
1 year ago

Yes, i’ll accept that. The trouble is, those who don’t look too closely into the legislative framework (probably a majority of the electorate?) will only see the soundbite. It would appear i’ve done both!! Sunak may have been better served by adding that particular difference to provide more balance.

Steve Murray
Steve Murray
1 year ago

Yes, i’ll accept that. The trouble is, those who don’t look too closely into the legislative framework (probably a majority of the electorate?) will only see the soundbite. It would appear i’ve done both!! Sunak may have been better served by adding that particular difference to provide more balance.

Rob Mcneill-wilson
Rob Mcneill-wilson
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

That seems a reasonable assessment of Kathleen Stock but she she was on on the ‘progressive’ bandwagon until she made the mistake of clambering off when the lunacy got too much.

harry storm
harry storm
1 year ago

These type of comments are as predictable as they are tiresome.

Wilma Grant
Wilma Grant
1 year ago
Reply to  harry storm

So is yours. If one day Kathleen Stock finds herself next to Sturgeon in some smart Edinburgh nursing home they can do their ‘forgetting’ together. Unless they have already forgotten for real.

Wilma Grant
Wilma Grant
1 year ago
Reply to  harry storm

So is yours. If one day Kathleen Stock finds herself next to Sturgeon in some smart Edinburgh nursing home they can do their ‘forgetting’ together. Unless they have already forgotten for real.

harry storm
harry storm
1 year ago

These type of comments are as predictable as they are tiresome.

Ethniciodo Rodenydo
Ethniciodo Rodenydo
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

No I am sorry
It is a very good article but as far as I can see until the recent falling out KS was very much in the same camp as Sturgeon and her ilk and enabled them
Where have we seen this tactic before
“Effectively, they paid this organisation and its parent charity, Equality Network, to tell them what to think on trans issues, and then obediently did exactly what they were told —”

Phil Rees
Phil Rees
1 year ago

Eh? I think you’ve lost touch with reality, Stock has never ever been in the same camp as Sturgeon.

Phil Rees
Phil Rees
1 year ago

Eh? I think you’ve lost touch with reality, Stock has never ever been in the same camp as Sturgeon.

Aden Wellsmith
Aden Wellsmith
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

Someone has the file of dirt and has aid they aren’t afraid to use it if you don’t resign.

Peter Drummond
Peter Drummond
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

I think Sunak’s praise for Nicholas was fulsome, using the cheat meaning of the word.

Alphonse Pfarti
Alphonse Pfarti
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

Residing at the other end of the M8, I am interested in the reaction to her departure in the dear old ‘Weeg’. As a major SNP stronghold, how has this been received? I’m raising a glass with the lads later, that’s for sure. I think a nice pink cosmopolitan cocktail in honour of her favourite business suit. Made with Beefeater London gin.

Phil Rees
Phil Rees
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

Wow, I thought Stock’s article was hard hitting enough but this adds to it! And I thoroughly agree with both.
“Scottish culture has a long and justly famed tradition of valuing independent thinking. There is a rejection of closed hierarchies of power, and a habit of nose-thumbing authority figures.”
Let us hope that Scotland can now return to that tradition which made the Scottish Enlightenment justly famed throughout Europe.

Michael Askew
Michael Askew
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

Nicola Sturgeon had long been the cleverest politician in the UK. But power and success led her to believe that she could do anything, even obviously stupid stuff. Hubris beget nemesis.

Peter Woodifield
Peter Woodifield
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

I agree with every word of what you say, except for the last paragraph. One of the key things that did for Sturgeon was Sunak invoking Section 35 to block her GRR law, against advice of many Ministers and officials, and the subsequent realisation that a majority of Scots welcomed the intervention rather treating it as yet another reason to hate the English. Sunak hardly gave Sturgeon a ringing endorsement following her announcement, he was just being his usual polite self.

Rob Mcneill-wilson
Rob Mcneill-wilson
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

That seems a reasonable assessment of Kathleen Stock but she she was on on the ‘progressive’ bandwagon until she made the mistake of clambering off when the lunacy got too much.

Ethniciodo Rodenydo
Ethniciodo Rodenydo
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

No I am sorry
It is a very good article but as far as I can see until the recent falling out KS was very much in the same camp as Sturgeon and her ilk and enabled them
Where have we seen this tactic before
“Effectively, they paid this organisation and its parent charity, Equality Network, to tell them what to think on trans issues, and then obediently did exactly what they were told —”

Aden Wellsmith
Aden Wellsmith
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

Someone has the file of dirt and has aid they aren’t afraid to use it if you don’t resign.

Peter Drummond
Peter Drummond
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

I think Sunak’s praise for Nicholas was fulsome, using the cheat meaning of the word.

Alphonse Pfarti
Alphonse Pfarti
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

Residing at the other end of the M8, I am interested in the reaction to her departure in the dear old ‘Weeg’. As a major SNP stronghold, how has this been received? I’m raising a glass with the lads later, that’s for sure. I think a nice pink cosmopolitan cocktail in honour of her favourite business suit. Made with Beefeater London gin.

Phil Rees
Phil Rees
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

Wow, I thought Stock’s article was hard hitting enough but this adds to it! And I thoroughly agree with both.
“Scottish culture has a long and justly famed tradition of valuing independent thinking. There is a rejection of closed hierarchies of power, and a habit of nose-thumbing authority figures.”
Let us hope that Scotland can now return to that tradition which made the Scottish Enlightenment justly famed throughout Europe.

Steve Murray
Steve Murray
1 year ago

Kathleen Stock at her finest. The writer herself having fallen foul of the mindlessness which Sturgeon personifies, she uses here the full range of her intellect to put on record the damage caused to both public debate and the reputation of Scottish politics, which Sturgeon has quite simply trashed.

Actually, i’ll revise that. Kathleen scarcely needed anything like the full range of her intellect in putting the record straight. The evidence has been staring us the face, the brazen stare of Sturgeon from her parliamentary pulpit, these past eight years.

Sturgeon’s contempt, as the writer points out, for virtually everyone except a miniscule minority over the issue of self-ID was only matched by Sturgeon’s attempt to self-ID as a glorious political leader. The dancing on the streets of Glasgow at her departure at least provides hope that the good people of Scotland retain some sense.

It remains only to feel vomitous at Sunak’s craven display of imbalanced praise for Sturgeon, that fixed grin every bit as false as the stare to camera of the departed self-idea.

Jeremy Bray
Jeremy Bray
1 year ago

An excellent evisceration of Sturgeon’s departing message by Kathleen Stock. However, Sturgeon’s modus operandi was to double down on the worst ideas that had already been adopted or proposed south of the border.

Self ID is still the prevailing official practice in large swathes of England in Bureaucratic circles even if many conservative politicians are seeking to draw distinctions. It should never be forgotten that the proposed introduction of this policy in Scotland was supported by Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green parties and it remains official policy of these parties in England. The Conservative Party would stand some chance of revival if only it could gird itself up to clearly adopt a conservative rather than progressive policy in this area.

Tom Watson
Tom Watson
1 year ago
Reply to  Jeremy Bray

I think you misspelt ‘any’ as ‘this’ at the end there.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  Tom Watson

Precisely.

Jeremy Bray
Jeremy Bray
1 year ago
Reply to  Tom Watson

Indeed my comment was too narrowly directed to this particular woke policy that has little popular support.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  Tom Watson

Precisely.

Jeremy Bray
Jeremy Bray
1 year ago
Reply to  Tom Watson

Indeed my comment was too narrowly directed to this particular woke policy that has little popular support.

Melissa Martin
Melissa Martin
1 year ago
Reply to  Jeremy Bray

Gender Identity ideology isn’t progressive, it’s regressive. The wealthier you are, the less it costs you. The poorest, least advantaged women pay the price. It legally defines us (all of us; people haven’t understood that the GRA redefined legal sex for everyone) by identification with regressive sexual stereotypes.

Jeremy Bray
Jeremy Bray
1 year ago
Reply to  Melissa Martin

I accept your point but I think we all understand that “progressive” identifies a particular type of destructive policies advanced by the woke left.

Alan Hawkes
Alan Hawkes
1 year ago
Reply to  Jeremy Bray

Could we please stop accepting the definition of ‘progressive’ as it is trotted out to us. It is a way of pandering to minorities and is totalitarian in direction. We shouldn’t take such people at their own evaluation: it’s just another form of self-identification.

Alan Hawkes
Alan Hawkes
1 year ago
Reply to  Jeremy Bray

Could we please stop accepting the definition of ‘progressive’ as it is trotted out to us. It is a way of pandering to minorities and is totalitarian in direction. We shouldn’t take such people at their own evaluation: it’s just another form of self-identification.

Allison Barrows
Allison Barrows
1 year ago
Reply to  Melissa Martin

More precisely, transgressive.

Ethniciodo Rodenydo
Ethniciodo Rodenydo
1 year ago
Reply to  Melissa Martin

This is true of every so called progressive idea. The wealthy can indulge themselves financially insulated from the consequences and the poor reap the consequences

Jeremy Bray
Jeremy Bray
1 year ago
Reply to  Melissa Martin

I accept your point but I think we all understand that “progressive” identifies a particular type of destructive policies advanced by the woke left.

Allison Barrows
Allison Barrows
1 year ago
Reply to  Melissa Martin

More precisely, transgressive.

Ethniciodo Rodenydo
Ethniciodo Rodenydo
1 year ago
Reply to  Melissa Martin

This is true of every so called progressive idea. The wealthy can indulge themselves financially insulated from the consequences and the poor reap the consequences

Bruce Luffman
Bruce Luffman
1 year ago
Reply to  Jeremy Bray

I agree but she was also very anti English in every thing she did and said. I have lived in Scotland for almost 30 years and her rhetoric, which carried on from Salmond, was always anti English and that was carried forward by her supporters all over Scotland. Any colour or race so long as not White English were welcome and although it is not easily seen in public, it sits under the surface everywhere and that is why her mindless supporters could be rallied at every election.

Ethniciodo Rodenydo
Ethniciodo Rodenydo
1 year ago
Reply to  Bruce Luffman

I suspect you are right but what you speak of may have a longer history.
There was a BBC radio 4 documentary broadcast more than 20 years ago about about the discrimination and even violence suffered by English people living in Scotland. It stuck in my mind because it came as such a surprise.
Very much more recently a colleague told me that when her parents divorced she moved with her mother from the home counties up to the west of Scotland. She attended a local school where she had to be kept in during breaks and at lunchtimes to avoid being beaten up. The attitude of the staff was that this was more or less inevitable because she was English and there was nothing else to be done

Brenda Holliday
Brenda Holliday
1 year ago

Even longer ago than 20 years. More than 40 years ago, having moved from Bedfordshire to Scotland my son was told in the (unsupervised) school playground “go home f—–g englishman”. Innocently unaware of anti English racism we were stunned and found no support from the school staff.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago

Typical.

John Smith
John Smith
1 year ago

Sorry to hear that Brenda. As a native of Scotland now residing in Bedfordshire, any real anti-Scottish racism is extremely rare in my personal experience.
How things have changed. In 1966 the overwhelming majority of Scots supported England against Germany in the World Cup Final. Now it is ABE (Anyone But England) which I find disgraceful.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago

Typical.

John Smith
John Smith
1 year ago

Sorry to hear that Brenda. As a native of Scotland now residing in Bedfordshire, any real anti-Scottish racism is extremely rare in my personal experience.
How things have changed. In 1966 the overwhelming majority of Scots supported England against Germany in the World Cup Final. Now it is ABE (Anyone But England) which I find disgraceful.

Brenda Holliday
Brenda Holliday
1 year ago

Even longer ago than 20 years. More than 40 years ago, having moved from Bedfordshire to Scotland my son was told in the (unsupervised) school playground “go home f—–g englishman”. Innocently unaware of anti English racism we were stunned and found no support from the school staff.

Ethniciodo Rodenydo
Ethniciodo Rodenydo
1 year ago
Reply to  Bruce Luffman

I suspect you are right but what you speak of may have a longer history.
There was a BBC radio 4 documentary broadcast more than 20 years ago about about the discrimination and even violence suffered by English people living in Scotland. It stuck in my mind because it came as such a surprise.
Very much more recently a colleague told me that when her parents divorced she moved with her mother from the home counties up to the west of Scotland. She attended a local school where she had to be kept in during breaks and at lunchtimes to avoid being beaten up. The attitude of the staff was that this was more or less inevitable because she was English and there was nothing else to be done

Ron Bo
Ron Bo
1 year ago
Reply to  Jeremy Bray

Progressive or’progresssive’?

Tom Watson
Tom Watson
1 year ago
Reply to  Jeremy Bray

I think you misspelt ‘any’ as ‘this’ at the end there.

Melissa Martin
Melissa Martin
1 year ago
Reply to  Jeremy Bray

Gender Identity ideology isn’t progressive, it’s regressive. The wealthier you are, the less it costs you. The poorest, least advantaged women pay the price. It legally defines us (all of us; people haven’t understood that the GRA redefined legal sex for everyone) by identification with regressive sexual stereotypes.

Bruce Luffman
Bruce Luffman
1 year ago
Reply to  Jeremy Bray

I agree but she was also very anti English in every thing she did and said. I have lived in Scotland for almost 30 years and her rhetoric, which carried on from Salmond, was always anti English and that was carried forward by her supporters all over Scotland. Any colour or race so long as not White English were welcome and although it is not easily seen in public, it sits under the surface everywhere and that is why her mindless supporters could be rallied at every election.

Ron Bo
Ron Bo
1 year ago
Reply to  Jeremy Bray

Progressive or’progresssive’?

Jeremy Bray
Jeremy Bray
1 year ago

An excellent evisceration of Sturgeon’s departing message by Kathleen Stock. However, Sturgeon’s modus operandi was to double down on the worst ideas that had already been adopted or proposed south of the border.

Self ID is still the prevailing official practice in large swathes of England in Bureaucratic circles even if many conservative politicians are seeking to draw distinctions. It should never be forgotten that the proposed introduction of this policy in Scotland was supported by Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green parties and it remains official policy of these parties in England. The Conservative Party would stand some chance of revival if only it could gird itself up to clearly adopt a conservative rather than progressive policy in this area.

AC Harper
AC Harper
1 year ago

My question is why did Nicola Sturgeon chose to “put the vested interests of a small group of privileged, university-educated activists over the interests of huge swathes of ordinary Scottish women”.
Was it to support deeply held political beliefs, was it a quid pro quo for some political advantage, or did she find herself on a bandwagon going too fast to jump off?
In any event you might reasonably argue that Sturgeon had only contempt for huge swathes of ordinary Scottish women. Machine politics at the most obviously worst.

Linda Hutchinson
Linda Hutchinson
1 year ago
Reply to  AC Harper

A very good question. I have yet to hear a very good answer. Ms Sturgeon has been portrayed as a canny politian, and yet she went with this programme. Did she not know how the aversge Scot felt about this? Or did she just think that she was somehow so beloved by all that she could do as she wished? The same seems to hold in England, will we have to wait for something like the Isla Bryson debacle before people will wake up to all this? Also, it’s not just the trans stuff, there is also the “anti-racism” movement who are determined to destroy any racial harmony in this country, to trample over free speech and reduce our universities to madrasas.

Melissa Martin
Melissa Martin
1 year ago

It was a display of power. The absurdity of the lie is a feature not a bug. And she very nearly got away with it.

Ethniciodo Rodenydo
Ethniciodo Rodenydo
1 year ago
Reply to  Melissa Martin

I cannot remember who, but someone who had been a subject in a socialist regime speculating why the regime forced its subject to profess support for or belief in ideas that were patently absurd.
His conclusion was the purpose was to humiliate you and to teach you that you were powerless

Julian Farrows
Julian Farrows
1 year ago

Theodore Dalrymple pretty much said the same thing:

“Political correctness is communist propaganda writ small. In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, not to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore, the less it corresponded to reality the better. When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to repeat the lies themselves, they lose once and for all their sense of probity. To assent to obvious lies is in some small way to become evil oneself. One’s standing to resist anything is thus eroded, and even destroyed. A society of emasculated liars is easy to control. I think if you examine political correctness, it has the same effect and is intended to.”

Ethniciodo Rodenydo
Ethniciodo Rodenydo
1 year ago
Reply to  Julian Farrows

Julian
Thank you. It was Mr Dalrymple I was thinking of. Of course he puts it far better than I ever could

Last edited 1 year ago by Ethniciodo Rodenydo
Ethniciodo Rodenydo
Ethniciodo Rodenydo
1 year ago
Reply to  Julian Farrows

Julian
Thank you. It was Mr Dalrymple I was thinking of. Of course he puts it far better than I ever could

Last edited 1 year ago by Ethniciodo Rodenydo
Julian Farrows
Julian Farrows
1 year ago

Theodore Dalrymple pretty much said the same thing:

“Political correctness is communist propaganda writ small. In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, not to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore, the less it corresponded to reality the better. When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to repeat the lies themselves, they lose once and for all their sense of probity. To assent to obvious lies is in some small way to become evil oneself. One’s standing to resist anything is thus eroded, and even destroyed. A society of emasculated liars is easy to control. I think if you examine political correctness, it has the same effect and is intended to.”

Peter Johnson
Peter Johnson
1 year ago
Reply to  Melissa Martin

I am starting to think that this is the correct explanation. It is an act of submission to pretend to believe this. That is the whole point in forcing people down this path.

Alan Osband
Alan Osband
1 year ago
Reply to  Peter Johnson

Trans activism is huge in the US. She could count on plaudits from the New York Times , and that paper’s Anglophobia would have made it seem an attractive ally.

Last edited 1 year ago by Alan Osband
Terry Stewart
Terry Stewart
1 year ago
Reply to  Alan Osband

I don’t know why the New York Times is always singled out as Anglophobic, the Washington Post is even worse

Terry Stewart
Terry Stewart
1 year ago
Reply to  Alan Osband

I don’t know why the New York Times is always singled out as Anglophobic, the Washington Post is even worse

Alan Osband
Alan Osband
1 year ago
Reply to  Peter Johnson

Trans activism is huge in the US. She could count on plaudits from the New York Times , and that paper’s Anglophobia would have made it seem an attractive ally.

Last edited 1 year ago by Alan Osband
michael stanwick
michael stanwick
1 year ago
Reply to  Melissa Martin

Interesting thought.
I myself am leaning toward her having a belief in a special gnostic disposition. That is, a disposition that a person can have an intuitive or revelatory secret higher truth or knowledge (gnosis) – that they have been thrown into a prison of being, of existence or of their body, that they must escape from.
That gnosis grounds their way of understanding the world – their epistemology.
That is why she was wrapping herself up in a Gordian Knot when interrogated by the ITV journo. She could not say the secret part out loud. Perhaps that is because, if my explanation is right, she might be a Gnostic?

Last edited 1 year ago by michael stanwick
Ethniciodo Rodenydo
Ethniciodo Rodenydo
1 year ago
Reply to  Melissa Martin

I cannot remember who, but someone who had been a subject in a socialist regime speculating why the regime forced its subject to profess support for or belief in ideas that were patently absurd.
His conclusion was the purpose was to humiliate you and to teach you that you were powerless

Peter Johnson
Peter Johnson
1 year ago
Reply to  Melissa Martin

I am starting to think that this is the correct explanation. It is an act of submission to pretend to believe this. That is the whole point in forcing people down this path.

michael stanwick
michael stanwick
1 year ago
Reply to  Melissa Martin

Interesting thought.
I myself am leaning toward her having a belief in a special gnostic disposition. That is, a disposition that a person can have an intuitive or revelatory secret higher truth or knowledge (gnosis) – that they have been thrown into a prison of being, of existence or of their body, that they must escape from.
That gnosis grounds their way of understanding the world – their epistemology.
That is why she was wrapping herself up in a Gordian Knot when interrogated by the ITV journo. She could not say the secret part out loud. Perhaps that is because, if my explanation is right, she might be a Gnostic?

Last edited 1 year ago by michael stanwick
Andrew Wood
Andrew Wood
1 year ago

I suspect she agreed with it but moreover it was seen another low cost way of burnishing her image as a progressive figure and wanting to be on ‘the right side of history’ (whatever that actually means). She also never lost any opportunity to create or amplify any differences with England, so I think she probably thought there was some easy political capital to be made.

michael stanwick
michael stanwick
1 year ago

I agree. I have yet to hear or read a good answer.

Melissa Martin
Melissa Martin
1 year ago

It was a display of power. The absurdity of the lie is a feature not a bug. And she very nearly got away with it.

Andrew Wood
Andrew Wood
1 year ago

I suspect she agreed with it but moreover it was seen another low cost way of burnishing her image as a progressive figure and wanting to be on ‘the right side of history’ (whatever that actually means). She also never lost any opportunity to create or amplify any differences with England, so I think she probably thought there was some easy political capital to be made.

michael stanwick
michael stanwick
1 year ago

I agree. I have yet to hear or read a good answer.

Arkadian X
Arkadian X
1 year ago
Reply to  AC Harper

I think because she thought it would be an easy win that would make her look good. When it started to unravel she could never back out for fear of losing face, so she kept doubling down.
I, for one, don’t believe she believes it.

Adrian Maxwell
Adrian Maxwell
1 year ago
Reply to  AC Harper

She took this route so that, upon the inevitable triggering of s.35, she could dramatically advance the cause of nationalism by claiming Westminster was blocking a policy of Hollyrood. Quite straightforward political gamesmanship, banking on the momentum apathy or mass boredom. Her strategy failed only when the trial of the trans rapist careered into front and centre, a risk her advisors had not seen, quite a misstep and actually an indicator as to how clever she was as a politician.

S Wilkinson
S Wilkinson
1 year ago
Reply to  AC Harper

I think it was an inevitable extension of how she perceives herself and her need for recognition/adulation. She sees herself as one of the great progressive change makers but felt that ‘Scotland’ was too insignificant to showcase her credentials to a global audience.
I don’t think she’s actually very intelligent or a deep thinker so she looked at what others she wanted to be ranked alongside were championing and lighted on what Ardern and Trudeau were effecting with ‘trans rights’.
She bit off more than she could chew in the alliances she formed and never stood a chance of controlling the process and how far it went. As Kathleen and others have noted her tactic is always to double down when things don’t pan out – she could have reined it back in under the guise of “further consultation” at numerous points but can’t bear to admit that she isn’t in control.

Hana Kovler
Hana Kovler
1 year ago
Reply to  S Wilkinson

Best explanation

Hana Kovler
Hana Kovler
1 year ago
Reply to  S Wilkinson

Best explanation

Katharine Eyre
Katharine Eyre
1 year ago
Reply to  AC Harper

It is one of the biggest ironies of Sturgeon that she so clearly holds large portions of the Scottish population in contempt and pushes on with vastly unpopular policies regardless…while all the time sounding off that the Scots are being denied democracy because the UK government won’t (yet) allow another independence referendum (a constitutionally cut-and-dried question).
You cannot make this stuff up.

Gavin Stewart-Mills
Gavin Stewart-Mills
1 year ago
Reply to  AC Harper

Scotland is fast becoming indistinguishable from South Africa. The ANC and SNP are effectively untouchable, regardless of the misery they inflict upon citizens. Once you have such a situation, power and it’s pursuit simply becomes its own end; the chilling redactions after the (illegal) action against Salmond; the insulting & robotic “I do not recall” protestations; the sinister abuse of the Procurator Fiscal as an SNP party tool; we are in full one party junta territory.

Linda Hutchinson
Linda Hutchinson
1 year ago
Reply to  AC Harper

A very good question. I have yet to hear a very good answer. Ms Sturgeon has been portrayed as a canny politian, and yet she went with this programme. Did she not know how the aversge Scot felt about this? Or did she just think that she was somehow so beloved by all that she could do as she wished? The same seems to hold in England, will we have to wait for something like the Isla Bryson debacle before people will wake up to all this? Also, it’s not just the trans stuff, there is also the “anti-racism” movement who are determined to destroy any racial harmony in this country, to trample over free speech and reduce our universities to madrasas.

Arkadian X
Arkadian X
1 year ago
Reply to  AC Harper

I think because she thought it would be an easy win that would make her look good. When it started to unravel she could never back out for fear of losing face, so she kept doubling down.
I, for one, don’t believe she believes it.

Adrian Maxwell
Adrian Maxwell
1 year ago
Reply to  AC Harper

She took this route so that, upon the inevitable triggering of s.35, she could dramatically advance the cause of nationalism by claiming Westminster was blocking a policy of Hollyrood. Quite straightforward political gamesmanship, banking on the momentum apathy or mass boredom. Her strategy failed only when the trial of the trans rapist careered into front and centre, a risk her advisors had not seen, quite a misstep and actually an indicator as to how clever she was as a politician.

S Wilkinson
S Wilkinson
1 year ago
Reply to  AC Harper

I think it was an inevitable extension of how she perceives herself and her need for recognition/adulation. She sees herself as one of the great progressive change makers but felt that ‘Scotland’ was too insignificant to showcase her credentials to a global audience.
I don’t think she’s actually very intelligent or a deep thinker so she looked at what others she wanted to be ranked alongside were championing and lighted on what Ardern and Trudeau were effecting with ‘trans rights’.
She bit off more than she could chew in the alliances she formed and never stood a chance of controlling the process and how far it went. As Kathleen and others have noted her tactic is always to double down when things don’t pan out – she could have reined it back in under the guise of “further consultation” at numerous points but can’t bear to admit that she isn’t in control.

Katharine Eyre
Katharine Eyre
1 year ago
Reply to  AC Harper

It is one of the biggest ironies of Sturgeon that she so clearly holds large portions of the Scottish population in contempt and pushes on with vastly unpopular policies regardless…while all the time sounding off that the Scots are being denied democracy because the UK government won’t (yet) allow another independence referendum (a constitutionally cut-and-dried question).
You cannot make this stuff up.

Gavin Stewart-Mills
Gavin Stewart-Mills
1 year ago
Reply to  AC Harper

Scotland is fast becoming indistinguishable from South Africa. The ANC and SNP are effectively untouchable, regardless of the misery they inflict upon citizens. Once you have such a situation, power and it’s pursuit simply becomes its own end; the chilling redactions after the (illegal) action against Salmond; the insulting & robotic “I do not recall” protestations; the sinister abuse of the Procurator Fiscal as an SNP party tool; we are in full one party junta territory.

AC Harper
AC Harper
1 year ago

My question is why did Nicola Sturgeon chose to “put the vested interests of a small group of privileged, university-educated activists over the interests of huge swathes of ordinary Scottish women”.
Was it to support deeply held political beliefs, was it a quid pro quo for some political advantage, or did she find herself on a bandwagon going too fast to jump off?
In any event you might reasonably argue that Sturgeon had only contempt for huge swathes of ordinary Scottish women. Machine politics at the most obviously worst.

David Giles
David Giles
1 year ago

“The Great Forgetting”; brilliant Kathleen, absolutely brilliant. Perfectly sums up the way our politicians glide on past and leave behind their car crashes without a backward glance.

Diane Tasker
Diane Tasker
1 year ago
Reply to  David Giles

……and are usually the recipient of an ‘Honour’ for their ‘dis-service’ to the country…..

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  David Giles

Fortunately that is far more difficult these days where “Sin lasts forever” and there is NO forgiveness.*

(* Thanks to the Internet.)

NIGEL PASSMORE
NIGEL PASSMORE
1 year ago
Reply to  David Giles

Alison Pearson has, for months, been using that expression to describe all those fans of extended lockdowns in the great Covid panic who now claim they were always against them now that the truely disasterous consequences of them are really starting to bite.

Currently in Auld Reekie. Genuinely surprised at how joyous everybody I’ve met is that Sturgeon is almost gone. Even those I expected to be neutral or even fans have been expressing their relief.

Regards

NHP

Diane Tasker
Diane Tasker
1 year ago
Reply to  David Giles

……and are usually the recipient of an ‘Honour’ for their ‘dis-service’ to the country…..

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  David Giles

Fortunately that is far more difficult these days where “Sin lasts forever” and there is NO forgiveness.*

(* Thanks to the Internet.)

NIGEL PASSMORE
NIGEL PASSMORE
1 year ago
Reply to  David Giles

Alison Pearson has, for months, been using that expression to describe all those fans of extended lockdowns in the great Covid panic who now claim they were always against them now that the truely disasterous consequences of them are really starting to bite.

Currently in Auld Reekie. Genuinely surprised at how joyous everybody I’ve met is that Sturgeon is almost gone. Even those I expected to be neutral or even fans have been expressing their relief.

Regards

NHP

David Giles
David Giles
1 year ago

“The Great Forgetting”; brilliant Kathleen, absolutely brilliant. Perfectly sums up the way our politicians glide on past and leave behind their car crashes without a backward glance.

Diane Tasker
Diane Tasker
1 year ago

A magnificent rapier thrust at the death of a toxic reign! Kathleen, unarguably, is a standout Unherd Star! This insightful evisceration of Sturgeon’s ‘legacy’ cleverly holds up a mirror to all the sycophants who supported her, whilst their eyes were telling them that ‘the king had no clothes’. This political obituary needs to be out there, beyond Unherd.

Steve Murray
Steve Murray
1 year ago
Reply to  Diane Tasker

I agree that it deserves a much wider audience. I wonder if Unherd would look to syndicate the article?

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

Seconded.

Jane Awdry
Jane Awdry
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

Be interesting to see whether the Guardian would run it..

Dave R
Dave R
1 year ago
Reply to  Jane Awdry

Thought crossed this mind as well… I fear, the “snowball-in-hell” analogy applies.

Dave R
Dave R
1 year ago
Reply to  Jane Awdry

Thought crossed this mind as well… I fear, the “snowball-in-hell” analogy applies.

Diane Tasker
Diane Tasker
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

My thoughts too. Thinkers such as Kathleen can reach the parts that politicians /political pundits can’t – she would liven up the turgid debates on ‘Question Time’ – the weekly ‘bear bating’ of hapless politicians indulged in by the BBC.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

Seconded.

Jane Awdry
Jane Awdry
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

Be interesting to see whether the Guardian would run it..

Diane Tasker
Diane Tasker
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

My thoughts too. Thinkers such as Kathleen can reach the parts that politicians /political pundits can’t – she would liven up the turgid debates on ‘Question Time’ – the weekly ‘bear bating’ of hapless politicians indulged in by the BBC.

Steve Murray
Steve Murray
1 year ago
Reply to  Diane Tasker

I agree that it deserves a much wider audience. I wonder if Unherd would look to syndicate the article?

Diane Tasker
Diane Tasker
1 year ago

A magnificent rapier thrust at the death of a toxic reign! Kathleen, unarguably, is a standout Unherd Star! This insightful evisceration of Sturgeon’s ‘legacy’ cleverly holds up a mirror to all the sycophants who supported her, whilst their eyes were telling them that ‘the king had no clothes’. This political obituary needs to be out there, beyond Unherd.

Hilary M
Hilary M
1 year ago

Superb article, well expressed. For too long it has seemed impossible to voice criticism of Nicola Sturgeon or to mention the appalling failures for Scotland during her tenure, and policies brought in by the SNP with little credible opposition. It is not healthy in a democracy to have so much power in the hands of one political party, and in particular one particular person.

Hilary M
Hilary M
1 year ago

Superb article, well expressed. For too long it has seemed impossible to voice criticism of Nicola Sturgeon or to mention the appalling failures for Scotland during her tenure, and policies brought in by the SNP with little credible opposition. It is not healthy in a democracy to have so much power in the hands of one political party, and in particular one particular person.

Melissa Martin
Melissa Martin
1 year ago

Her mien is very ‘reassuring sensible Mummy who will protect you and solve problems’. That Mummy actually wants you banged-up with a rapist to keep herself in power takes some processing but the women of Scotland got there in the end.

Last edited 1 year ago by Melissa Martin
Linda Hutchinson
Linda Hutchinson
1 year ago
Reply to  Melissa Martin

Interesting. If she were my mummy I would have run away from home at the earliest possible moment. Her mien is, to me anyway, quite creepy.

Linda Hutchinson
Linda Hutchinson
1 year ago
Reply to  Melissa Martin

Interesting. If she were my mummy I would have run away from home at the earliest possible moment. Her mien is, to me anyway, quite creepy.

Melissa Martin
Melissa Martin
1 year ago

Her mien is very ‘reassuring sensible Mummy who will protect you and solve problems’. That Mummy actually wants you banged-up with a rapist to keep herself in power takes some processing but the women of Scotland got there in the end.

Last edited 1 year ago by Melissa Martin
Peter Quasi-Modo
Peter Quasi-Modo
1 year ago

As always, a brilliant article from Dr. (now Professor again?) Kathleen Stock.
If I might be allowed one micro-quibble, unless you were being sarcastic, I think you exaggerated “independent thinking” as a Scottish trait. You only have to look at the frontrunners for Nicola’s replacement to get the general idea.
Kate Forbes’ faith group, the Free Church of Scotland is “free” in the same sense that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is democratic. They are never happier than when padlocking the playground swings on the Sabbath.
You quoted Burns’ “A man’s a man for a’ that”, but
Angus Robertson always brings to mind P.G. Wodehouse’s quip: ‘It is never difficult to distinguish between a Scotsman with a grievance and a ray of sunshine.’
Peter Murrel (not a runner, but Nicola’s bloke and SNP president) brings to mind J.M. Barrie: “There are few more impressive sights than a Scotsman on the make”.
I say this as someone who would never dream of leaving Scotland, despite Nicola’s higher tax rate.

Last edited 1 year ago by Peter Quasi-Modo
Peter Quasi-Modo
Peter Quasi-Modo
1 year ago

As always, a brilliant article from Dr. (now Professor again?) Kathleen Stock.
If I might be allowed one micro-quibble, unless you were being sarcastic, I think you exaggerated “independent thinking” as a Scottish trait. You only have to look at the frontrunners for Nicola’s replacement to get the general idea.
Kate Forbes’ faith group, the Free Church of Scotland is “free” in the same sense that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is democratic. They are never happier than when padlocking the playground swings on the Sabbath.
You quoted Burns’ “A man’s a man for a’ that”, but
Angus Robertson always brings to mind P.G. Wodehouse’s quip: ‘It is never difficult to distinguish between a Scotsman with a grievance and a ray of sunshine.’
Peter Murrel (not a runner, but Nicola’s bloke and SNP president) brings to mind J.M. Barrie: “There are few more impressive sights than a Scotsman on the make”.
I say this as someone who would never dream of leaving Scotland, despite Nicola’s higher tax rate.

Last edited 1 year ago by Peter Quasi-Modo
Linda Hutchinson
Linda Hutchinson
1 year ago

An absolutely wonderful piece by Dr Stock, and I realise that she was addressing only one issue here, but she did mention in passing the near destruction of Scotland’s health service and her education system, the epidemic of drug deaths and the corruption in Scotland, as well as the public vendetta against Alex Salmond – I have little love for him, but he didn’t deserve what happened. In all, she has made Scotland into her own fifedom, and she is stepping down after trashing it. It might have been the trans mess that finally brought her down, but the Scottish people are better off without her toxic presence. It remains to be seen if they get anything better, because the SNP is not exactly bristling with highly competent people (as is also the case for the parties in England and Wales). In general the SNP needs to clean up its act, what it should be doing is preparing Scotland for independence whilst it is in power, this is its sole purpose – it’s what it says on the tin. As it stands, Scotland’s dependence on English tax-payers means that it is ill-prepared for any such move.

John Solomon
John Solomon
1 year ago

I know it’s a typo, but I absolutely love the idea of Scotland being Wee Burnie’s ‘own fifedom'(sic).

John Solomon
John Solomon
1 year ago
Reply to  John Solomon

Actually, given who wrote it, it might not be a typo, just an example of outstanding wit. I wish I had thought of it.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  John Solomon

“Flattery Will Get You Everywhere”.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  John Solomon

“Flattery Will Get You Everywhere”.

John Solomon
John Solomon
1 year ago
Reply to  John Solomon

Actually, given who wrote it, it might not be a typo, just an example of outstanding wit. I wish I had thought of it.

John Solomon
John Solomon
1 year ago

I know it’s a typo, but I absolutely love the idea of Scotland being Wee Burnie’s ‘own fifedom'(sic).

Linda Hutchinson
Linda Hutchinson
1 year ago

An absolutely wonderful piece by Dr Stock, and I realise that she was addressing only one issue here, but she did mention in passing the near destruction of Scotland’s health service and her education system, the epidemic of drug deaths and the corruption in Scotland, as well as the public vendetta against Alex Salmond – I have little love for him, but he didn’t deserve what happened. In all, she has made Scotland into her own fifedom, and she is stepping down after trashing it. It might have been the trans mess that finally brought her down, but the Scottish people are better off without her toxic presence. It remains to be seen if they get anything better, because the SNP is not exactly bristling with highly competent people (as is also the case for the parties in England and Wales). In general the SNP needs to clean up its act, what it should be doing is preparing Scotland for independence whilst it is in power, this is its sole purpose – it’s what it says on the tin. As it stands, Scotland’s dependence on English tax-payers means that it is ill-prepared for any such move.

Graeme Laws
Graeme Laws
1 year ago

She was a very clever operator when she promoted anti English sentiment. Unpleasant, but clever. She ran an absolutely hopeless Government. There is no successor in prospect who can be expected to do much better. Political pygmies all. So the legacy of Blair’s cynical policy of devolution, designed to keep Labour in power at Westminster, is two failing devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales. Drakeford has already committed himself to go down Sturgeon’s trans rabbit hole. Two wonderful parts of the UK, with glorious country and great people, damaged by fourth rate politicians most of whom have been nowhere and achieved nothing of substance in their lives. Shame.

Graeme Laws
Graeme Laws
1 year ago

She was a very clever operator when she promoted anti English sentiment. Unpleasant, but clever. She ran an absolutely hopeless Government. There is no successor in prospect who can be expected to do much better. Political pygmies all. So the legacy of Blair’s cynical policy of devolution, designed to keep Labour in power at Westminster, is two failing devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales. Drakeford has already committed himself to go down Sturgeon’s trans rabbit hole. Two wonderful parts of the UK, with glorious country and great people, damaged by fourth rate politicians most of whom have been nowhere and achieved nothing of substance in their lives. Shame.

Howard Gleave
Howard Gleave
1 year ago

Excellent article. I detest Sturgeon as quite possibly the most divisive, rabble rousing, hypocritical, and downright thuggish politician in Britain in decades. Instead of focusing on trans as the next big wedge issue over which to pick a fight with Westminster (a colossal and felicitous misjudgement) she should have focused on delivering on very well funded bread and butter concerns like health, education, drug deaths, alcohol abuse and even ferry building, all areas of decline and intergalactic mismanagement.

Douglas H
Douglas H
1 year ago
Reply to  Howard Gleave

Yes, but bread-and-butter decency and efficiency don’t generate headlines and drive wedges.

Douglas H
Douglas H
1 year ago
Reply to  Howard Gleave

Yes, but bread-and-butter decency and efficiency don’t generate headlines and drive wedges.

Howard Gleave
Howard Gleave
1 year ago

Excellent article. I detest Sturgeon as quite possibly the most divisive, rabble rousing, hypocritical, and downright thuggish politician in Britain in decades. Instead of focusing on trans as the next big wedge issue over which to pick a fight with Westminster (a colossal and felicitous misjudgement) she should have focused on delivering on very well funded bread and butter concerns like health, education, drug deaths, alcohol abuse and even ferry building, all areas of decline and intergalactic mismanagement.

Alan Hawkes
Alan Hawkes
1 year ago

Amazing how Nicola Sturgeon, and others, are prepared, thinkingly or unthinkingly, to say things they only believe when they are in a safe-place. Nicola was unlikely to be bothered by violent men claiming to be women in a Rape-Refuge Centre, unlikely to be sharing a shower in a prison with such a character, unlikely even to have to worry about unwanted attention in a changing-room trying on a new dress at a fashion shop. First Ministers have the level of protection not available to most women.
But when the storm broke over a convicted rapist, with a wonderful sense of timing when to announce a gender-change, all the protection officers in the world couldn’t shield Humpty Dumpty from the outrage of people who are not on the invitation list to the WEF. Had she really believed that, ” a trans-woman is a woman” she could have stood her ground and said, “No. She says she is a woman, so she’s a woman. A conviction for rape is irrelevant. As a woman she belongs in a female prison.”
Suddenly reality broke in, and the rest is history. It remains to be seen if the eventual autobiography outsells, “Spare”, and how far history is to be further re-written.

Alan Hawkes
Alan Hawkes
1 year ago

Amazing how Nicola Sturgeon, and others, are prepared, thinkingly or unthinkingly, to say things they only believe when they are in a safe-place. Nicola was unlikely to be bothered by violent men claiming to be women in a Rape-Refuge Centre, unlikely to be sharing a shower in a prison with such a character, unlikely even to have to worry about unwanted attention in a changing-room trying on a new dress at a fashion shop. First Ministers have the level of protection not available to most women.
But when the storm broke over a convicted rapist, with a wonderful sense of timing when to announce a gender-change, all the protection officers in the world couldn’t shield Humpty Dumpty from the outrage of people who are not on the invitation list to the WEF. Had she really believed that, ” a trans-woman is a woman” she could have stood her ground and said, “No. She says she is a woman, so she’s a woman. A conviction for rape is irrelevant. As a woman she belongs in a female prison.”
Suddenly reality broke in, and the rest is history. It remains to be seen if the eventual autobiography outsells, “Spare”, and how far history is to be further re-written.

Elliott Bjorn
Elliott Bjorn
1 year ago

the zeitgeist of today’s global decay

Tredeau, Biden, Sturgeon, Boris, Sunak, Hunt+Hancock, Jacinda, Macron, Merkel, Erdogan, Lula, Zelenski, et al…………….And then…….. Gates, Bezos, Claus, Yuval Harari, Zuckerberg, Dorsey, Fink, Buffett, Soros, Xi and Putin, Dalio, Legarde, the WEF’s faces…….

These are the elected world leaders??????? During the greatest existential times in all history? Fools, corrupt, useful idiots, and then sheer evil directing from the real top power….

Never has the world been led by such evil from behind the scenes, and then such corrupt fools as the elected heads of state. A powerful machine works behind the scenes to get the very worst of all elected.

No worry – someone as stupid and destructively useless will replace her, as surely as Kamala would replace Biden..haha, the world is F*** ed –

Steve Murray
Steve Murray
1 year ago
Reply to  Elliott Bjorn

Your mindless hyperbole does a disservice to this fine article. Your rhetoric is actually part of the problem, firmly in the same territory that Kathleen Stock eviscerates with such intelligence.

Warren Trees
Warren Trees
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

I think Galeti has been short on the stock market for a while.

Alphonse Pfarti
Alphonse Pfarti
1 year ago
Reply to  Warren Trees

You think Sanford, maybe? There’s more than one contender among the current crop of regular posters.

Alphonse Pfarti
Alphonse Pfarti
1 year ago
Reply to  Warren Trees

You think Sanford, maybe? There’s more than one contender among the current crop of regular posters.

Warren Trees
Warren Trees
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Murray

I think Galeti has been short on the stock market for a while.

Paul T
Paul T
1 year ago
Reply to  Elliott Bjorn

Elected? You don’t appear to know what the word means.

Dominic A
Dominic A
1 year ago
Reply to  Elliott Bjorn

Somebody forgot to take their meds today.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  Dominic A

Too cruel.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  Dominic A

Too cruel.

Steve Murray
Steve Murray
1 year ago
Reply to  Elliott Bjorn

Your mindless hyperbole does a disservice to this fine article. Your rhetoric is actually part of the problem, firmly in the same territory that Kathleen Stock eviscerates with such intelligence.

Paul T
Paul T
1 year ago
Reply to  Elliott Bjorn

Elected? You don’t appear to know what the word means.

Dominic A
Dominic A
1 year ago
Reply to  Elliott Bjorn

Somebody forgot to take their meds today.

Elliott Bjorn
Elliott Bjorn
1 year ago

the zeitgeist of today’s global decay

Tredeau, Biden, Sturgeon, Boris, Sunak, Hunt+Hancock, Jacinda, Macron, Merkel, Erdogan, Lula, Zelenski, et al…………….And then…….. Gates, Bezos, Claus, Yuval Harari, Zuckerberg, Dorsey, Fink, Buffett, Soros, Xi and Putin, Dalio, Legarde, the WEF’s faces…….

These are the elected world leaders??????? During the greatest existential times in all history? Fools, corrupt, useful idiots, and then sheer evil directing from the real top power….

Never has the world been led by such evil from behind the scenes, and then such corrupt fools as the elected heads of state. A powerful machine works behind the scenes to get the very worst of all elected.

No worry – someone as stupid and destructively useless will replace her, as surely as Kamala would replace Biden..haha, the world is F*** ed –

Jeffrey Mushens
Jeffrey Mushens
1 year ago

The point about the Government funding charities to say what the Government wants is not brought out enough.
I am increasingly of the view that Government funding of charities or non profits is wrong – certainly if it is more than, say, 10% The charity will become dependent of Government and unmoored from its donors and original purpose.

Jeffrey Mushens
Jeffrey Mushens
1 year ago

The point about the Government funding charities to say what the Government wants is not brought out enough.
I am increasingly of the view that Government funding of charities or non profits is wrong – certainly if it is more than, say, 10% The charity will become dependent of Government and unmoored from its donors and original purpose.

Douglas McNeish
Douglas McNeish
1 year ago

Beyond Sturgeon’s narcissistic power-wielding and hypocrisy, she has also demonstrated a glaring lack of political instinct in placing her bets on the “trans women are women” issue. It was a slow-motion own goal that the nation could see unfolding – but to which she seemed utterly oblivious. Political circles are willing to excuse bullying and hypocrisy in pursuit of political gain clearly, but poor political instinct is a deal-breaker.

Douglas McNeish
Douglas McNeish
1 year ago

Beyond Sturgeon’s narcissistic power-wielding and hypocrisy, she has also demonstrated a glaring lack of political instinct in placing her bets on the “trans women are women” issue. It was a slow-motion own goal that the nation could see unfolding – but to which she seemed utterly oblivious. Political circles are willing to excuse bullying and hypocrisy in pursuit of political gain clearly, but poor political instinct is a deal-breaker.

John Riordan
John Riordan
1 year ago

“She purged reason from the gender debate.”

In fairness to her, she wasn’t the only one. I say this not to defend her – I cannot stand the woman and good riddance to her – but where this trans-rights fiasco is concerned, she’s merely one in a very long list of irrationalists, the rest of whom are still in jobs and still wrecking our institutions.

John Riordan
John Riordan
1 year ago

“She purged reason from the gender debate.”

In fairness to her, she wasn’t the only one. I say this not to defend her – I cannot stand the woman and good riddance to her – but where this trans-rights fiasco is concerned, she’s merely one in a very long list of irrationalists, the rest of whom are still in jobs and still wrecking our institutions.

John Le Huquet
John Le Huquet
1 year ago

She promoted the idea that all Scottish ills were the fault of the English. Maybe I’m sensitive but some of her rethoric was bordering on racist. One question that was never fully answered and was fundamental to Scottish independence, what would the Scottish nation use as a currency?

John Le Huquet
John Le Huquet
1 year ago

She promoted the idea that all Scottish ills were the fault of the English. Maybe I’m sensitive but some of her rethoric was bordering on racist. One question that was never fully answered and was fundamental to Scottish independence, what would the Scottish nation use as a currency?

Arkadian X
Arkadian X
1 year ago

“[Sturgeon] monomaniacally has put the vested interests of a small group of privileged, university-educated activists over the interests of huge swathes of ordinary Scottish women… And she has apparently done this for what she foolishly believed would be political gain.”

You can’t put it any better!

Arkadian X
Arkadian X
1 year ago

“[Sturgeon] monomaniacally has put the vested interests of a small group of privileged, university-educated activists over the interests of huge swathes of ordinary Scottish women… And she has apparently done this for what she foolishly believed would be political gain.”

You can’t put it any better!

polidori redux
polidori redux
1 year ago

Good takesdown of Sturgeon. She is an easy target, but it is important that easy targets are indeed targetted.

polidori redux
polidori redux
1 year ago

Good takesdown of Sturgeon. She is an easy target, but it is important that easy targets are indeed targetted.

Cynthia W.
Cynthia W.
1 year ago

“may well count as the most brass-necked reverse ferret of her long career”
Outstandingly vivid verbiage there. “Reverse ferret” should be a band name.

Cynthia W.
Cynthia W.
1 year ago

“may well count as the most brass-necked reverse ferret of her long career”
Outstandingly vivid verbiage there. “Reverse ferret” should be a band name.

CF Hankinson
CF Hankinson
1 year ago

Stupendous clarity, a plank, a blast, as we foundered in the doldrums of mainstream commentary. Thank you so much. Can now share and get on with my day.

CF Hankinson
CF Hankinson
1 year ago

Stupendous clarity, a plank, a blast, as we foundered in the doldrums of mainstream commentary. Thank you so much. Can now share and get on with my day.

William Shaw
William Shaw
1 year ago

Toxic seems an apt description.

William Shaw
William Shaw
1 year ago

Toxic seems an apt description.

Frank McCusker
Frank McCusker
1 year ago

Generally, I agree with the article. However, with apologies for cavilling, it’s arguably not quite accurate to suggest that Sturgeon and other transactivists are “hypocritical”. My impression is that they actually believe in it.
I consider trans ideology to be wholly illogical and that so-called trans people are mentally disturbed and / or exhibitionists and / or immature and in need of support and / or gay-denialists. 
However, most transactivists I read about seem to be sincere in their beliefs. 
Of course, when challenged in a debate about such matters, the various sink holes in their logic become apparent.
But that is not to say they’re hypocrites. Trans ideology is a mad secular church which seems to exert a powerful grip on well-meaning and otherwise rational people. 

Jane Awdry
Jane Awdry
1 year ago
Reply to  Frank McCusker

A pertinent point about who ‘believes’ or not is that some activists & ‘allies’ do seem to have at least some sense of compassion for the ‘gender confused’.

However, many of those actually calling themselves ‘trans’ know very well that they can’t change their sex. Their coyness about ‘bottom surgery’ suggests that they’re completely aware of what they’re doing & the vast majority of them who say they are ‘trans’ are fully intact downstairs. A sex fetish requires the sex organs to function after all! But they have a compulsion to fit a ‘female’ stereotype – to be seen as ‘beautiful’. Like preening peacocks crowing “Look at my fine feathers”. These are fetishist narcissistic autogynephiles seeking maximum attention & it seems to be driven by a deep resentment of women for the way they have become the dominant preeners in society – women get to wear the make-up, the dazzling gowns, all the trappings of super self-enhancement. (Even though the overwhelming majority of women don’t dress this way at all – most of us live in jeans & t shirts or jumpers). In the animal kingdom it’s the male that has the fine feathers & the more spectacular partner-attracting outward appearance & there’s no reason why human males can’t adorn themselves the same way if that’s what they want. It’s just not the current social norm, although Michael Jackson openly admitted that he embarked on his endless facial reconstruction specifically so that he could look like Diana Ross.

The other aspect of this entire fandango is that it seems to be only adult males who want to ‘be’ women. Where are all the adult human females who are clamouring to be men so that they can compete in men’s sports, go in the men’s toilets & be housed in women’s prisons? Young girls in their teens have been presenting recently as ‘gender-confused’, but their reasons are vastly different from those of adult men & in any case most of them grow out of it as they mature – the opposite of the male trajectory… not a word is ever reported about such an obvious anomaly.

This is a male porn & sex fetish that has leapt out of the closet & is now sitting at the end of the bed like a succubus. Personally I don’t give a toss what consenting adults do in private or how they choose to present themselves to the world. But the seemingly deliberate denial of all objective truth & reality is something we should all fight to the end to protect.

Jane Awdry
Jane Awdry
1 year ago
Reply to  Frank McCusker

A pertinent point about who ‘believes’ or not is that some activists & ‘allies’ do seem to have at least some sense of compassion for the ‘gender confused’.

However, many of those actually calling themselves ‘trans’ know very well that they can’t change their sex. Their coyness about ‘bottom surgery’ suggests that they’re completely aware of what they’re doing & the vast majority of them who say they are ‘trans’ are fully intact downstairs. A sex fetish requires the sex organs to function after all! But they have a compulsion to fit a ‘female’ stereotype – to be seen as ‘beautiful’. Like preening peacocks crowing “Look at my fine feathers”. These are fetishist narcissistic autogynephiles seeking maximum attention & it seems to be driven by a deep resentment of women for the way they have become the dominant preeners in society – women get to wear the make-up, the dazzling gowns, all the trappings of super self-enhancement. (Even though the overwhelming majority of women don’t dress this way at all – most of us live in jeans & t shirts or jumpers). In the animal kingdom it’s the male that has the fine feathers & the more spectacular partner-attracting outward appearance & there’s no reason why human males can’t adorn themselves the same way if that’s what they want. It’s just not the current social norm, although Michael Jackson openly admitted that he embarked on his endless facial reconstruction specifically so that he could look like Diana Ross.

The other aspect of this entire fandango is that it seems to be only adult males who want to ‘be’ women. Where are all the adult human females who are clamouring to be men so that they can compete in men’s sports, go in the men’s toilets & be housed in women’s prisons? Young girls in their teens have been presenting recently as ‘gender-confused’, but their reasons are vastly different from those of adult men & in any case most of them grow out of it as they mature – the opposite of the male trajectory… not a word is ever reported about such an obvious anomaly.

This is a male porn & sex fetish that has leapt out of the closet & is now sitting at the end of the bed like a succubus. Personally I don’t give a toss what consenting adults do in private or how they choose to present themselves to the world. But the seemingly deliberate denial of all objective truth & reality is something we should all fight to the end to protect.

Frank McCusker
Frank McCusker
1 year ago

Generally, I agree with the article. However, with apologies for cavilling, it’s arguably not quite accurate to suggest that Sturgeon and other transactivists are “hypocritical”. My impression is that they actually believe in it.
I consider trans ideology to be wholly illogical and that so-called trans people are mentally disturbed and / or exhibitionists and / or immature and in need of support and / or gay-denialists. 
However, most transactivists I read about seem to be sincere in their beliefs. 
Of course, when challenged in a debate about such matters, the various sink holes in their logic become apparent.
But that is not to say they’re hypocrites. Trans ideology is a mad secular church which seems to exert a powerful grip on well-meaning and otherwise rational people. 

John Dewhirst
John Dewhirst
1 year ago

Sometimes it’s not enough to blame the English.

John Solomon
John Solomon
1 year ago
Reply to  John Dewhirst

But it is a good place to start.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  John Solomon

Where else indeed?

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  John Solomon

Where else indeed?

John Solomon
John Solomon
1 year ago
Reply to  John Dewhirst

But it is a good place to start.

John Dewhirst
John Dewhirst
1 year ago

Sometimes it’s not enough to blame the English.

Julian Pellatt
Julian Pellatt
1 year ago

An excellent essay, Kathleen! I admire your devastating ending:
“She’s right to say that Scottish politics has become more intense and brutal, but she only has herself to blame.”
Spot on!

Noel Chiappa
Noel Chiappa
1 year ago
Reply to  Julian Pellatt

Well, I’m not sure sturgeon is the only one to blame. She certainly dished out a large bowl for herself, though.

Noel Chiappa
Noel Chiappa
1 year ago
Reply to  Julian Pellatt

Well, I’m not sure sturgeon is the only one to blame. She certainly dished out a large bowl for herself, though.

Julian Pellatt
Julian Pellatt
1 year ago

An excellent essay, Kathleen! I admire your devastating ending:
“She’s right to say that Scottish politics has become more intense and brutal, but she only has herself to blame.”
Spot on!

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago

“general miserabilist John Knox.”

A wonderful description, but let us NOT forget that Knox spent three years, naked, chained to the oar of a French galley.

What is Sturgeon’s excuse?

Last edited 1 year ago by CHARLES STANHOPE
Steve Murray
Steve Murray
1 year ago

The Oar in a Scotch galley? No-one ever pulled on one.

Steve Murray
Steve Murray
1 year ago

The Oar in a Scotch galley? No-one ever pulled on one.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago

“general miserabilist John Knox.”

A wonderful description, but let us NOT forget that Knox spent three years, naked, chained to the oar of a French galley.

What is Sturgeon’s excuse?

Last edited 1 year ago by CHARLES STANHOPE
John Callender
John Callender
1 year ago

Brilliant article Kathleen, many thanks!

John Callender
John Callender
1 year ago

Brilliant article Kathleen, many thanks!

John Howes
John Howes
1 year ago

The eventual demise of a demagogue who believes their own PR and believe it to be unassailable.

John Howes
John Howes
1 year ago

The eventual demise of a demagogue who believes their own PR and believe it to be unassailable.

Martin Smith
Martin Smith
1 year ago

Many mots justes here, but I still give the prize to Galloway: “Her pronouns are now ‘was’ and ‘were’.

Martin Smith
Martin Smith
1 year ago

Many mots justes here, but I still give the prize to Galloway: “Her pronouns are now ‘was’ and ‘were’.

Mashie Niblick
Mashie Niblick
1 year ago

Good stuff. How silly to be brought down by such silliness.
Go woke or go broke.

Last edited 1 year ago by Mashie Niblick
Dominic A
Dominic A
1 year ago
Reply to  Mashie Niblick

Isn’t this actually a case of ‘Go woke – go broke’?

Dominic A
Dominic A
1 year ago
Reply to  Mashie Niblick

Isn’t this actually a case of ‘Go woke – go broke’?

Mashie Niblick
Mashie Niblick
1 year ago

Good stuff. How silly to be brought down by such silliness.
Go woke or go broke.

Last edited 1 year ago by Mashie Niblick
Carol Moore
Carol Moore
1 year ago

Kathleen an excellent article. I’m shocked that Nicola Sturgeon has had so much influence, given your analysis of her actions. I always considered her to ooze self satisfaction but didn’t realise the extent of her hubris.

Carol Moore
Carol Moore
1 year ago

Kathleen an excellent article. I’m shocked that Nicola Sturgeon has had so much influence, given your analysis of her actions. I always considered her to ooze self satisfaction but didn’t realise the extent of her hubris.

Gilmour Campbell
Gilmour Campbell
1 year ago

Thank you, Kathleen. I am a born and bred Scot who has lived for many years in the south of England from where I have looked on in helpless horror at what has been done to my beautiful country and its people (not that politics down here is anything to write home about). I enjoyed the benefits of a good Scottish education and was brought up with the values of independent thinking, rationality, honest work and kindness as principles to live by. So much damage has been done to Scottish society by this party under NS’s leadership. I hope the other parties get their acts together quickly so that the electorate can escape the current stranglehold situation they have been subject to as a result of the voting/election arrangements that currently prevail in Holyrood.