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The heart-breaking stories flooding social media yesterday, demonstrated a scandalous truth: that the life chances of many Scottish children are doomed, regardless of individual effort and ability. They evaporated the illusion of free will, the idea that through grit and determination you can transcend the disadvantages of multiple deprivation and poor schooling. 

The outcry has been predictable, from individual pupils and parents, politicians on all sides, and educationalists. The latter group warned months ago that the SQA moderation process was dodgy. Unlike the equivalent examining body in England, the SQA was allowed to hide its methodology from scrutiny, despite suggesting to the Scottish parliament that they would explain their methods and discuss adjustments with teachers. 

This morning, like many parents in Scotland, I was up early for results day. A few minutes after 8am, my daughter appeared to relay the news. But, something didn’t seem right. Instead of As, two of her results, for Physics and Computing Science, were Bs.

My mind went back to her last parent-teacher conference, just as the Coronavirus crisis was starting. Her Computing Science teacher was effusive in praise. ‘I’ll be recommending an A,’ he said.

Did you hear the one about the lifelong Rangers fan who spoke to George Galloway and decided to work with him to help redefine the Scottish political landscape?

It’s not a joke, it’s exactly what happened to me two weeks ago.

Until this time, I had never interacted with George Galloway and had never felt any wish to do so. From nowhere, a series of tweets appeared from the former MP, urging pro-UK political parties to form an alliance to defeat the SNP. Intrigued, I contacted Mr Galloway, not expecting a response. 

There's something awry in Scotland. The mood is changing, and nasty bigotry is becoming more mainstream. I love it here, but recently, based purely on the way I sound, I have felt judged and not welcome in the country I call home. And it breaks my heart. 

I have lived in Scotland for four years, and before that I worked here for a few months of the year for four years. I represent a mix of nations that is modern Britain. My family history and name are Welsh and I represented Wales at rugby when I was 17.  But I grew up in England, and was lucky enough to get a scholarship and bursary to go to a private school. So I have what some people think is a “posh” English accent.

This article was written on September 11, 2014, a few days before the Scottish Independence Referendum. It is just one of many possible pasts or futures. Let me know what you think would have happened in the comments.

On September 18, 2014, Scotland votes 'yes' to independence by 51%. Independence supporters claimed they wanted a more democratic system, but now 49% of the country is living under a system they don't want.

Commentary by Jamie Blackett

Do you know the Mull of Galloway? The chances are that you don’t; even people who live in Galloway have probably never been there, unless they have a passion for sea birds, or lighthouses. I can recommend it for these two things, plus the seascape, but mainly as a way of exploring one’s inner sense of Britishness.

There, standing on the southern-most tip of Scotland, gazing across an empty Irish Sea, once the nexus of trade in these islands for early Britons, you get the sense that, having travelled miles to be somewhere really isolated, you have actually located the centre point of the United Kingdom.

Commentary by Jill Stephenson

First a couple of definitions.

‘We’ are the good, solid people of Scotland who voted to remain in the UK in 2014. 

‘We’ were relieved, rather than triumphalist, about having won the referendum. 

‘We’ didn’t rub the losers’ noses in it but tried to appease them. 

‘We’ sat back and let the UK government make concessions to the side that had lost. 

‘We’ believed Salmond and Sturgeon when they repeatedly told us that the referendum was a ‘once in a generation’, ‘once in a lifetime’ event.