btb

10 years ago I'd have said no chance but between the 2017 & 2019 GEs there were a number of polls amongst English Tory voters showing a majority replying that losing NI and/or Scotland would be an acceptable price for Brexit and in the end that was BJs choice when he shafted the DUP and took what was essentially the EUs first Brexit offer, one (he'd been TMs Foreign Secretary when she rejected it) and a deal he'd said no Conservative PM could countenance only a few weeks before at the Tory Party Conference - I certainly remember Unionists chuckling when BJ said "No Surrender to the EU". Unlikely but the old certainties are gone.

For Davidson to open with the EXACT same question as last week to unsurprisingly be met with the same answer is pathetic on her part. What did she expect and she seemed surprised at the response and had very little in reserve as a comeback. She strikes me as someone simply going through the motions. I still think RLs performance, leading with his chin and getting caught out on the issue of what powers reside with which parliament was bordering on incompetent - that said he seems to be tacking to the right in the hope of pleasing Starmer & keeping the "branch job".

Colonel Ruth & Rychyrd Lynyrd competing to be the least competent opposition leader at FMQs - with RL winning by a margin.

Not bad for a guy who started off reporting Saints games for the Paisley Daily Express!

That was the official line down south this morning (Business Secretary Alok Sharma @ 11:39) but BJ has just announced this will change if advice from their scientific/medical advisors recommends it - so next week at the latest.

Wouldn't have been a red card when he made those sorta challenges on a weekly basis back in the 80s.

Promotion overturned!

Eggheads (& other quiz trivia shows) where contestants are allowed to witter on about how they know the answer to as if it's some sorta virtue, in this case, which film George C. Scott declined to accept his Oscar (Patton - which I knew) but as I say there's no glory in this. In general I think a memory for trivia is a minor aspect of intelligence and one which with the internet is less useful. I'm used as the gotoguy for 60/70/80s pop'n'rock at work but even I have to say regularly "you'd better check that on the net". Having said that knowing things like which Mindbender's hit Wayne Fontana sang on has been more use to me than any of my Highers! **************** Edit - Having said all that my son just phoned up to find the name of some 90s fillum about cannibalism that starred a Scottish actor........

Or he could form his own Southern Rock band Rychyrd Lynyrd.

He's come a long way since reporting on St. Mirren games for the Paisley Daily Express.

Yup, I never saw her as a political colossus, she was shown up continually at FMQs (in her first spell) & on TV hustings. My opinion is that she was "in the right place, at the right time" when the NO vote coalesced behind the Tories in 2017 - time will tell, she's got 9 months to prove us wrong!

Yeah she should stick to cheese related issues...

It's the ones that come up behind you silently and brush by scaring the bejesus out of you...

Divisions below the top flight don't start until October 17 so Premiership clubs should have a major advantage. - famous last words......

Yup the "successful businesswoman" certainly played a blinder over the last few months, Hearts fans should be looking closer to home regarding who's to blame for reconstruction failing...

Pretty much sums up my opinion - Whether it was GMs fault or we're just to small a club for a DoF role it didn't work out last summer, also our signing policy changed to focus on more experienced players on 2 year contracts once JG arrived - all this was pretty much acknowledged by GLS last autumn when he said events had left us "behind the curve". Again as you say GM had a pivotal role in The Great Escape Mk II so he leaves with my best wishes.

Yup & after Ruthie's consultancy debacle last year and with her imminent departure to the Lords, I think her credibility up here will have taken a nose-dive (although maybe not amongst the staunch community ) I guess time will tell.

Genuinely fell sorry for Thistle especially as I have mates who support them and I'm amazed we've so seldom been in the same division since you were relegated from the Top Flight in the early 80s. My hope back in April was that we would get 3 divisions of 14 teams (Saints certainly wanted a 14 team Top Flight) but IMO it was Ann Budgie's initial insistence that reconstruction should be for one season only and general aggressive attitude that scuppered any chance of reconstruction and led to a "screw you" response from the rest of the SPFL clubs, to an extent Thistle (& Stranraer) were collateral damage - Ann Budge that's where the bulk of your ire should be directed.

I'm amazed at where we find ourselves - but like you I see the situation as being selfish rather than corrupt. Again I go back to April & Budgie being tasked with finding a solution - her original idea of reconstruction for one season only was the moment where any sympathy for Hearts in particular was lost. The financial fallout to Scottish football of the pandemic is clearly gonna last more than a season and by the time Budgie came back in June with a permanent 14 team Top Flight the moment had passed although personally I think the argument that by then it was too late to change was weak & yeah selfish. Really Thistle's ire should be directed at Ann Budge - I find it amazing that after losing her £3m "secret" benefactor, no doubt substantial legal fees (even if it is gonna be paid by benefactors but that's still money that won't be available a second time) and potentially an SFA fine - all for a case Budgie belatedly admitted she'd been advised by Hearts QC was an "uphill battle" that any Hearts fan can still support her as Chair of the club.

Their home grass must be unreal...

Top 3 for me!

I remember seeing a Noddy Holder interview where he said the band's worst ever gig was in Cumnock and likened it to The Blues Brothers C&W gig! Staying on Sir Noddy, he was offered the vocalist slot with AC/DC after Bon's death - would've been interesting but I think Brian Johnson was a better fit.

Contentious one - Allan Johnstone. If you look back to 2009/10 you'll see that in the 10 league games Allan Johnston played for us that season we got 16 points compared to the 18 points from 28 games when he was absent. AJ might very well have been a crock at the tail end of his career but in the games he did play he did a great job for us helping us to retain possession (compared to the usual panic when he was missing) and possibly saved us from being relegated that season. http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=9199&season_id=139 https://spfl.co.uk/league/premiership/table

Can't remember what night we went but we got tickets on the night quite close to the front in the stalls, my memory might be, ahem, a bit hazy but it was nowhere near full. Same encore the night I went... *********************** On a tangent again I was on the train to Glasgow to see Walter Trout the same night as Take That (with Robbie) played Glasgow - it was a boisterous train up with the laydeez knocking back bottles of Bacardi etc like there was no tomorrow - as ever Walter was top notch while the TT boyz must've done the business coz the laydeez were definitely post-coital on the way back.

On a skool trip to London & we were originally scheduled to see some Shakespeare play being recorded for TV but it fell through and somehow we ended up at an In Concert recording of Rockpile - Dave Edmonds, Nick Lowe, Billy Bremner (not the footballer) & Terry Williams - still in my Top 10. First gig I bought tickets for was Nazereth with Saxon supporting at The Apollo in 79. Going off at a tangent another one of my fave gigs was Bob Marley at a half filled Apollo - how many copies has Legend sold, as they say nothing helps your career like dying...