It’s 10 years on from the Scottish vote on independence, resulting in 55% to 45% voting to stay inside the UK. Despite the clear result, the Nats are still harking on about how life would be better and everyone’s problems would be solved if the Scots were independent. Since then, senior SNP figures have been arrested four times and their popularity has plummeted. No doubt that’s the fault of being tied to Westminster…

A quick recap of the anatomy of Scottish scandals since the vote:

• Salmond accused of multiple cases of sexual misconduct (acquitted of all charges). The row continues as he’s still involved in a court case against the Scottish government over the handlings…
• Sturgeon arrested in 2023. Guido’s sure the “sorry for your arrest” flowers given to her from her MSPs softened that blow…
• Her husband and former CEO of the party, charged with embezzlement. He was arrested not once, but twice…
• SNP Treasurer Colin Beattie also arrested over the scandal.
• Unresolved questions about ‘missing’ independence funds and a luxury campervan. Parked outside a shockingly ugly house of Sturgeon… 
• Both Humza Useless and Sturgeon admit to deleting Covid WhatsApp messages.
• Humza Useless forced to resign after scrapping the SNP deal with the Greens.

Meanwhile, the SNP’s greatest achievements include their huge tax hikes and cracking down on “hate crimes” over crimes like theft. Shockingly, Scottish voters didn’t see the charm in the tax-happy, scandal-ridden SNP. They lost 81% of their seats in the last election, and lost approximately 44% of their members from its peak in 2019 of 125,000 to December of 69,000. Numbers don’t lie…

Still, all this hasn’t got SNP Leader John Swinney down. Today he spoke about the “positive impact” of these decisions in Scotland, cheerily adding “Scotland is closer to independence now than in 2014″. Guido hates to be the bearer of bad news, but the polls are actually worse, suggesting 56% would vote against an independent Scotland. Won’t stop them from crying freedom, though…

It’s good to remind co-conspirators that, when it comes to the party’s sole stated objective, the SNP threw down the gauntlet for this election. Nicola Sturgeon said clearly to the Scottish Parliament in 2022:

“If it does transpire that there is no lawful way for this Parliament to give the people of Scotland the choice of independence in a referendum and if the UK government continues to deny a section 30 order my party will fight the UK General Election on this single question: should Scotland be an independent country?”

No doubt Sturgeon will be keen to talk about that in her role as pundit for ITV tonight. Two leaders later, John Swinney told Sky News yesterday that “regardless of how the SNP perform, his party will be pushing the new UK government for a referendum on Scottish independence.” Just with no mandate…

The terms are set. You can see how YouGov predicts that will go here…

Hat-tip: Sam Taylor

Nicola Sturgeon’s husband Peter Murrell has been re-arrested today in connection with the police probe into the SNP’s finances. A Police Scotland spokesperson said:

“The matter remains active for the purposes of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 and the public are therefore advised to exercise caution if discussing it on social media. “As the investigation is ongoing we are unable to comment further at this time.”

Humza Yousaf’s week isn’t getting any better…

As Gove’s renter control bill flounders in the Commons, opposition is mounting to socialist policies in Scotland. Tthe Scottish Government has just published the response to the consultation for its “New Deal for Tenants“, which seeks to extend rent controls, primarily by preventing rents being adjusted in-between tenancies. That’s after Sturgeon’s disastrous 2022 rent freeze and subsequent cap began obliterating the housing market…

ScotGov’s own survey of the sector shows the SNP’s policies have gone down like a cup of cold sick. They admit “the considerable majority of those commenting on rent controls clearly noted their opposition to the proposals” because, as was always obvious, the law will lead to “private landlords choosing to leave the sector and to shortages exacerbating rent inflation“. As comprehensively proved in Berlin and Ireland…

The vast majority of responses attack rent controls in particular. The Scottish Government then goes on to complain of the “relatively high proportion of respondents taking a landlord perspective“, despite the actual number of landlords being less than half. There are already 22,000 fewer homes available to rent in Scotland than only a year ago thanks to SNP policies – a whopping 6.4% of properties have been withdrawn from the market. This is the socialist housing nightmare that Sadiq Khan keeps begging to impose on London…

Sturgeon has had a marathon run at the Covid Inquiry which doesn’t leave her looking rosy. She tried to argue that she didn’t delete her WhatsApp messages, which just “weren’t retained“. Sturgeon was pressed repeatedly by Jamie Dawson KC. “But did you delete them?” he asked. Sturgeon said: “Yes”. On top of that, Nicola:

• Argued she “did not take decisions for political reasons” and that IndyRef work was suspended in March 2020. Guido is reminded of secret minutes of a Scottish Cabinet meeting from June 2020 which stated ministers “agreed that consideration be given to restarting work on independence and a referendum”…
• Admitted that decisions were made and work undertaken, for example on expanding testing capacity, without any official documentation at all.
• Couldn’t explain why Kate Forbes, then finance minister and leadership rival, was kept out of response planning meetings.
• Was shown messages which displayed decisions were made informally over WhatsApp despite Sturgeon claiming they were not.
• Insisted she “had a strong commitment to four nations working” despite regularly trying to undermine the UK government response.
• Said “I thought Boris Johnson was the wrong person to be prime minister, full stop” while at the same time claiming : “I don’t think in my entire life have I ever thought less about politics generally and independence in particular than I did during the course of the pandemic“. Even as she uses the inquiry itself to play politics…
• Tried to deflect the disruptive effect of Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer resigning over rule-breaking by saying it “stands in contrast to other incidents“. A clear Cummings jibe.
• Admitted “we absolutely didn’t get” all decisions right after Sturgeon spent much of the first half of the pandemic giving lip service to a Zero Covid strategy, egged on by her top advisor Devi Sridhar.
• Admitted she should “probably not” have tweeted derisive messages about Boris’ visit to Edinburgh. Sturgeon then argued she was only responding to “a particular narrative” from No 10…

Sturgeon broke into tears in the afternoon à la Matt Hancock and said “I was the First Minister when the pandemic struck and part of me wishes I hadn’t been“. So do we…

The SNP will always have its defenders. This morning ScotNat apologist Kelly Given rowed with BBC Scotland presenter Kaye Adams about the Covid Inquiry’s decimation of Sturgeon and Yousaf. Given whined at scrutiny of politicians:

“I think, you know, why are we holding these people to account as if they’re not human beings? Nicola Sturgeon got a new phone or whatever, deleted her messages or whatever…“

Adams made the obvious point: “Because in this instance they’re not human beings, they’re politicians“. Guido has been saying it for years…

Given went on to defend Humza Yousaf allegedly being given a workaround by top officials to avoid wearing a mask at events – “just hold a drink in your hand“. Given said “the coverage around Humzsa Yousaf is outrageous… the advice was constantly changing, what is the problem with him asking for clarification of mask rules?”

“Kelly, he was the health secretary…” ‘Nuff said…