"Hotshot" Stephen Flynn - next SNP leader? | Election 2024 | The New Statesman

[@alexboitz8540]

Some facts about the Pesa results. Scotland has 8.2% of the UK population. 3,257 Scottish pupils from 117 schools were tested but only 4,763 English pupils from 165 Schools were tested. The equivalent rate of testing for England would be 39,720 pupils in 1,427 schools. Hardly a fair comparison.

[@KatieD-dh5zn]

Stephen Flynn still has his integrity fully in tact. And he has the courage of his convictions. He is the future of the SNP for sure.

[@julianshepherd2038]

"Oil and gas are still significant in Scotland. In 2022-23 they amounted to £10 billion, and in 2023-24 they are now forecast to amount to £5 billion.27 Mar 2024" IFS. There are only 5 million of us. Maybe a grand or two is loose change in Mr Derrins imagination

[@johnslavin2270]

Saying it's Scotland 's energy and the wealth generated should stay in Scotland is as shocking as saying City of London wealth should stay in London? Well the latter happens but the former does not. I live in the Highlands surrounded by wind farms. We have no .. that is no public transport. London has TFL. We have no dentists, our nearest hospital is 1 1/2 hours away and it has no maternity facilities.

[@julianshepherd2038]

It is weird living I an oil rich country and we don't have dual carriageways, we have a single track railway from Perth to Inverness and we have a shortage of all medical staff especially as Eastern Europeans like the Highlands. Youse voted for Thatcher to destroy our industries and then spent the oil money on tax breaks for rich people based in the S East.

[@endermasa9451]

Point being that as a British audience being told by a Scotsman that they’re not granted to the full wealth of the country comes across as divisive and overly nationalistic… I agree with your point on the issues facing Scotland dont get me wrong, but in many parts of the UK wealth is extracted and bunched into centres. So not just a Scottish problem but a British problem

[@ParadiseView24]

W're no longer oil rich. It's running out and increasingly more expensive to extract. Currently, around half of social welfare entitlement is in practice corporate welfare for Utility Companies. Scotland in this decade is on the cusp of becoming renewable energy rich. Why should the people of Scotland freeze to death, every winter, to ensure EDF and British Gas make unnecessary profits off what little future this planet has? Why should we fund Starmer 's GB Energy scam? It's Scottish Energy. Especially renewable sources we're developing. At the cop26 it was clear by 2030 we (Scotland) would be producing four times the total renewable energy produced by the whole Europe. We came out of the COP26 with an agenda by the fossil fuels companies to ensure bill hikes would put people off the transformative measures. A vast majority of these profits is the money required to ensure all our homes can take advantage of this. Then there is the issue, as Ed Milband raised in early 2023, "gas hiked prices across Europe is pure profiteering from the war in Ukraine". The problem for Steven Flynn and the SNP is that the type of political organisation they are means they do not have the agency to deliver what the people of Scotland need. GB Energy is scam, but sadly what the SNP has done since 2020 is equally as much a scam!

[@colingourley1222]

The wealth generated by the City of London goes into government coffers to be spent on the U.K. as a whole. The administration in Scotland is given proportionally higher per capita cash than in other parts of the U.K. The population of London is greater than that of the whole of Scotland. Snake oil salesmen like Flynn will be the destroyer of my country. And by that I mean Scotland.

[@mentality-monster]

Yep, the lady's comment just shows how out of touch the average journalist is in this country with how the rest of the country views England/London and I'm in the south of England!

[@cxulga]

TV debates are a waste of time, and the media are no better than the politicians.

[@buzzukfiftythree]

Have great admiration for him, dealing with the health issues he’s had since childhood. I’ve had medical issues since my mid 30s (now 69) so know what it means to live with them.

[@ericgillespie7799]

Detractive comments like 'attack dog' should be expected when a Daily Mail and Telegraph writer is asked about an articulate, thoughtful SNP politician

[@Obrannt]

He’s brilliant, I’m Irish and he comes across so calm, assured and knowledgeable. And he’s SNP so he is the man.

[@PatOfTheRick]

Turns out a SNP member is a Scottish Nationalist, who could have guessed. Strange standard to hold for some politicians. Like ‘oh does he really want independence then?’

[@jimstirling7223]

I know it would be comical if it was not so sad, the only person on the podium worth a vote . After their fake catfight did you see Rayner and Mordant exchange it is just a game to them kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZnOXZ6CKjrCsnbs

[@ianfraser6161]

Stephen Flynn will be FM and lead Scotland to independence.

[@JYT-of8cw]

What???

[@blackislepeastoo]

BS

[@stbuddie]

Deluded

[@JerryBear59]

Good to see Flynn also standing up to Farage and pointing out the practical necessity of immigration.

[@samuelmelton8353]

But Farage is saying a large portion of immigration are economically unproductive or dependants.

[@julianshepherd2038]

Mr Flynn needs to come back to Scotland and run a ministry before he can be First Minister

[@julianshepherd2038]

Foriegn students do not displace Scottish ones. The current crisis is because the London government is discouraging students coming here.

[@artsed08]

Always someone else's fault, isn't it?

[@kenfairbrother2937]

​@Millie.com232this is incorrect. The Scot Gov sets funding to institution for a fixed Scottish student quota that the Scot Gov can afford. Depending on the funding settlement a Scottish University can receive more funding per Scot student than a English student where they only receive the capped UK gov fee figure. This is all about how much we choose to invest in Tertiary Education UK-wide, not about class sizes.

[@JerryBear59]

​@@artsed08 Snarky, but try answering the point of you're able to prove it wrong.

[@kerrynewnham8946]

Stephen had an excellent seven person debate, as did most of the small parties but he was outstanding. he was a great orator and sincere, in contrast Labor Party and the Tories attacking each other in a very undignified way and both seemed guarded and just fighting on party lines. Nigel in contrast was absolutely loving it

[@puddyvalentine]

Time for the second Scottish Enlightenment....

[@199019852007]

When was the first one?

[@Netflix999]

He looks and acts like a 70s skinhead

[@dazjackson1972]

I'm sure TV debates only exist to maintain the relevance of certain media outlets. Hardly anyone watches the full debate - most are only exposed to carefully curated clips, which can be used to create any desired fiction.

[@derekwhite2929]

Just trying to find some benefit from the infected blood stuff coming out myself, turns out that's a lot more difficult than you might think!

[@andrewwhite3793]

O SHOCKAROONIE Not . John Swinney is a party leader managing the demise of the SNP and keeping the seat warm for Stephen Flynn. Only thing is the SNP membership will not be happy with another shoe in leader. Come on guys you need to get out of your bubble Stephen Flynn is the anointed son who's job will be rebuild the SNP and that could take 10-20 years

[@mcdibbern9919]

Allegedly Stephen Flynn advised Humza Yousaf to sack the two Green ministers in the Scottish Government to demonstrate how tough he was, then had to resign( really good advice that turned out to be but useful to advance Flynn’s ambitions to lead the SNP in Scotland). Douglas Ross has demonstrated just what an opportunistic, self serving wee nyaff he is but the good news is that he will probably fail in his ambitions. Stephen Flynn May be a talented politician but so was Nicola Sturgeons and Alex Salmond and that didn’t turn out so well for them. Be careful what you wish for.

[@josephhughes1498]

He came across best out of everyone in the debate and I’m a Green Party member that would prefer Scotland to remain part of the UK

[@colingourley1222]

Possibly because no one else on the panel knew enough of Scottish politics to call him out on his statements.

[@scomo7820]

Chris Deerin’s entire worldview is shaped by the fact that he had a difficult time in 2014.

[@julianshepherd2038]

It is weird living I an oil rich country and we don't have dual carriageways, we have a single track railway from Perth to Inverness and we have a shortage of all medical staff especially as Eastern Europeans like the Highlands. Youse voted for Thatcher to destroy our industries and then spent the oil money on tax breaks for rich people based in the S East.

[@colingourley1222]

I’m amazed Flynn got a good review here following the seven header debate. Anyone who saw his sleekit performance on Any Questions recently can be in no doubt as to his trustworthiness. Or lack of it!

[@colinthompson3111]

Appreciate Mr. Derrin explaining Scotland politics while wearing Celtic clothes. Looking forward to further updates.

[@julianshepherd2038]

What would Jock Stien say?

[@mcdibbern9919]

He would could you spell my name right.

[@BuddyBoy68]

​@@mcdibbern9919He would say?...

[@gatehanger1385]

He surely couldn't be worse than the previous three incumbent.

[@Rossy167]

I think the other 6 seemed pretty good at dealing with Farage. They are a livelier bunch; they are all a bit more honest and a bit funnier. Farage works really well against stuffy dodgy politicians like Starmer and Sunak, but Carla Deyner and Daisy Cooper are not that, even Penny Mordaunt has some charisma. I think Farage has a bit of a harder time with them because he doesn't have a monopoly on humour, and he can't catch them out on obvious wormy politician lies.

[@janicehopwood9528]

Big mistake taking independence out of the SNP slogan and ditching it from the ballot paper. No popular vision and a leader with the charisma of a suburban Bank Manager. I will vote SNP, but if a pro indy party such as ALBA had better prospects in the election I would vote for them. It is unfortunate that our SNP candidate isn't someone I can claim to like. However, I'm voting for the party not the person.

[@thomascatford2627]

Flynn in a prize neep

[@JYT-of8cw]

flynn? good greif. no way.

[@tonyking2030]

Stephen Flynn would make an excellent leader of the SMP…..make it so!

[@mikestory6023]

Who is Chris??.

[@ericgillespie7799]

A former Conservative MSP candidate and writer for the Telegraph and Daily Mail

[@ericboxer3053]

He wants infinite Africans for Scotland. Traitor

[@jimstirling7223]

You might want to take a look at actual demographics not that it matters but Scotland is one of the whitest countries in the world somewhere around 96% of the population are white . And thanks to our glorious weather even people of colour are paler than elsewhere 😀 Though really it is better judge a person by their deeds and actions than the colour of their skin