Scotland

What’s so fresh about ‘fresh hell?’

‘What fresh hell can this be?’ Dorothy Parker would ask if the doorbell rang. Now fresh hell has been freshly added to the Oxford English Dictionary. But was Parker the onlie begetter of the phrase? The hunt has been on to find earlier examples. The OED itself quotes a ghostly story within The Pickwick Papers (1837) for a parallel: ‘He started on the entrance of the stranger, and rose feebly to his feet. “What now, what now?” said the old man – “What fresh misery is this? What do you want here?”’ I’ve been doing what counts for me as research. In The Pickwick Papers, Dickens uses fresh twice as

Steerpike

Pollster consistently overstated Scottish independence support

Few events are as eagerly anticipated in Scotland as the release of a bombshell new poll. Unionists and nationalists eagerly refresh their Twitter feeds at the anointed hour, awaiting to praise or castigate the company in question for its latest figures on the all important question of independence. For both sides know the figures will be seized on by the media as ‘proof’ that their side is winning, their cause is just and their campaign’s triumph inevitable. One poll that made more headlines than most was a Savanta ComRes survey in December which found that support for a ‘Yes’ vote to Scotland leaving the Union was polling at 52 per cent compared

Stephen Daisley

Scotland’s Mean Girls election

Presented for whatever is the opposite of your edification, an exchange between the leaders of Scotland’s main political parties. The setting is Tuesday night’s Holyrood election hustings, hosted via Zoom by the National Union of Students. We begin with Nicola Sturgeon accusing Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross of being inconsistent on who gets credit for the Covid vaccination programme in Scotland. Nicola Sturgeon: Make your mind up. Douglas Ross: No, I was saying your rollout was poor. Your rollout was poor. NS: But the point is, the UK chose to— DR: But answer the question— It’s like watching a very dressed-down remake of Mean Girls. Totally not fetch. NS: —procure in

Steerpike

When will Boris next visit Scotland?

Poor Douglas Ross had a difficult outing on Radio 4’s Today show this morning, being asked repeatedly as to whether the prime minister will visit Scotland prior to Holyrood polling on May 6 next month. A squirming Ross argued: I’m not sure if he’s going to come up in Scotland in this campaign. He had hoped to come up, and I thought he may come up, but given the pandemic and the restrictions to campaigning I’m not sure that’s likely now. Asked about Johnson previously visiting Scotland when Covid restrictions had been in force the Scottish Tory leader replied: Well, he’s also leading the UK effort for against a global pandemic