Trogdor

That's depressing as f**k.

72,186 is the magic number? Did anyone get it right?

I thought @WATTOO had been unusually quiet. On the tactics, it's Bullen, I don't believe the players are just limited and revert to hoppyball when under pressure. I think a proper old heid in an assistant manager would be a good idea. That said, Bullen had the chance to bring someone in and opted to stick with what he had. Too much of Hopkin's kick and rush backroom remain for me. I think Bullen will get next season come what may so this is all rather academic tbh.

It's almost like blocking any MPs from becoming MSPs without resigning first was a bad idea. Who'd have thought that? Party HQ wanted Gus in Edinburgh Central and Cherry nowhere near it. Short term gain for long term pain that one. I expect Gus would have beaten Cherry for the nomination anyway.

5,000,000

Dipo & Dempsey the only ever presents?

I assume you mean Forbes. My hope is that whoever wins, we see the decentralisation of power within the party. There has been an iron grip on the levers of power. From Murrell, the NEC and Sturgeon. Its a chance to allow ordinary members to be a part of the process. I hope we get a newer/fresher cabinet with the odd old heid. The new leader also has to tell the Greens to GTF or get back in their box (I'm looking at Humza here!). They only poll so well on the list because of the SNP and its time they were reminded of that.

You're the master of deflection.

I wonder if we will shell it long all game? *Insert Obi Wan 'Don't try it' meme here. We are capable of winning this and we really ought to be (if our aspiration is the play offs or better). It would be nice to get the cup game out of our system. We are so up and down at the moment it's hard to judge. Head says a draw. Heart says we'll win.

You were right.

Thanks folks, on balance, I'll give it a miss.

Can you lads and lassies let me know if its worth a watch.

Whataboutery.

I'm going to watch the Last of Us, that's bound to cheer me up!

Suffering f**k. Who are these people? Real life happy clappers. I can only assume they don't attend our matches.

I've told everyone at work not to annoy me today. Mostly the policy has been adhered to. I'm still fucking seething. On the upside my son enjoyed his night which is something. He's had a bit of a slow start. The defeats away to QP & Falkirk. Still asking when his next game is. The optimism of youth!

More progressive income tax didn't really involve much legislating. The power has existed for a long time. It is a positive though, there is a tipping point though on the middle earners. I don't know why we haven't restored the top rate of Income Tax to 50%? It seems like a no brainer to me. The Scottish National Investment Bank hasn't achieved much as I can see (I guess covid could be cited in mitigation), its still early but even its leadership of the bank is a shambles. They can't seem to recruit a permanent CEO. On the early life stuff the childcare payment and baby boxes are good. On the expansion of childcare hours I would take issue with it. The 30 free hours for 3 and 4 years old was delayed repeatedly and then Councils were allowed to renege on the implementation dates. I speak from personal experience having to fight the Council to get the hours. I also think they need to go further for childcare for younger kids as well. It's actually a vote winner from Humza - he has that one right. The Greens are an irrelevance and should be treated as such. Governing as a minority isn't really a risk. The SNP have 64 MSPs, 1 short of an outright majority. It takes all of the opposition to combine to actually defeat the government. An independence majority in the Parliament still exists whether in coalition with the Greens or not. Confidence and supply can also be arranged. Fundamentally, I think a party that has never won a constituency seat, polls 8.1% in the regional list (of which I think you could infer that at least half comes from the SNP constituency voters anyway) should have ministers in the government. Its a bit of a nonsense. There also seems to be an obsession with the coalition with the Greens in the media anyway.

No-one suggested binning left wing policies. I can see why you want to frame it that way. Again you are citing successes with the free prescriptions from 2011 and bedroom tax from 2017 (?) Again, what have you done for me lately? If we are playing cherry picking legislation, can I have a go as well? Let's talk the named person scheme or the hate crime bill. Two terrible pieces of legislation one binned as it was incompatible with human rights legislation and the second yet to be implemented because of the resource requirements on Police Scotland. Will it ever be implemented? That's without going near the binfire of the GRR which is a good case study in how not to communicate with the electorate. "You're all transphobes, misogynists, homophobic and possibly racist if you oppose this." A bill which had laudable aims was hijacked for a culture war of which the SG badly miscommunicated with the electorate. The GRR is dead in its current form, it would be electoral self harm to proceed with it. The opposition is more than just Alba das. Single sex spaces need addressed as well. Or how they are protected needs explained to the electorate coherently. The SG need to govern better and legislate better. The last 5/6 years there has been a real dearth of any positive legislation. I think that's best done from the middle ground. Particularly if you want to win 50%+ of the vote. Moving further to the left won't achieve that aim. I wasn't referring to specific candidates but it is one of the reasons I would jettison the Greens. They are pulling policy more leftwards and that's not where the majority of the electorate sits.

I remain on the fence with Bullen. He'll be here next season I have no doubt about that. His playing style is brutal, when it doesn't work he has no idea how to change it or influence a game. Maybe it's pragmatism as Random Guy suggests but it's really hard to enjoy when you know how it's going to end. Performances haven't been great despite our results. Fourth is a real possibility but would you fancy this lot in a two legged playoff? I'm not sure and yet we've beaten everyone (bar ICT) in the division so shouldn't fear anyone. A bit of a weird season all told. Edit - A final thought. Without Dipo where would we be?

I never said she was.

We can play pick the policy if you wish. For reference prescription charges were abolished over 12 years ago. What have you done for me lately? That was my point about getting back to solid governance. The last 5/6 years (probably longer in truth) there has been a real dearth of good policy. Has the party moved more to the left or right in that period?

It's the hope that kills you. I still have hope but I'm taking a break from away games. The last couple I've gone to have been horrible. QP away and tonight's debacle. Both massive games and both leaving me reeling and absolutely dejected with barely puting a glove on the opposition. I just can't stomach it. I'll be at Somerset but that's it for the moment.