THIS week the Scottish media has been preoccupied with the evidence being given to the Covid Inquiry and revelations contained in WhatsApp messages that Nicola Sturgeon had been sweary about that f***ing clown Boris Johnson.

To be honest if she hadn't responded to the antics of that bloviating serial liar and corrupt incompetent with a torrent of abuse and invective, it would merely have been presented as evidence by her many enemies that she was not paying attention and was guilty of a dereliction of duty.

In other unsurprising news we also learned that Johnson did not appear to be listening when he was on calls with the leaders of the devolved governments.

That's the influence on the British Government that Scotland derives from being part of the UK for you. Still, at least Johnson answered calls and pretended to be paying attention even though he was really watching the cricket.

That lettuce of a Prime Minister Liz Truss didn't even bother to call any of the leaders of the devolved governments during her thankfully brief tenure in office. She was far too busy tanking the economy and blaming the resultant chaos on those well-known socialists in the Bank of England and the international money markets.

READ MORE: New Scottish independence poll gives Yes four-point lead over Union

If you take nothing else from the dismal experience of Conservative rule, you must at least go away with the revelation that currency traders in the City of London spend their days brushing up on Leon Trotsky's tome "In Defence of Marxism: Defending the materialist foundations of scientific socialism."

Yesterday Liz Lloyd, Nicola Sturgeon's former chief of staff and current First Minister Humza Yousaf gave evidence to the Inquiry.

We learned that the Scottish Government paused work on pursuing independence during the pandemic. However, this truce in Scotland's defining political and constitutional division was one sided.

The British Government did not pause its pushing of an anti-independence case and had no compunction about shamelessly using the pandemic in order to further its British nationalist agenda.

In other news that comes as a surprise to no one, Alister Jack is an over promoted self-regarding bag of uselessness.

The First Minister told the Inquiry that when Jack was present on four nations' calls to discuss how to coordinate a response to the crisis, more often than not he said nothing at all and did not participate.

The National:

The First Minister was asked about Jack's role in the Scotland Office by Jamie Dawson KC, who said there was an "obvious need" for four-nation cooperation.

The First Minister said: "I can only speak for the fact that when we were on these four-nation calls his engagement was very limited. There would often be meetings when he wouldn't say anything at all. Perhaps he was there to observe."

He added: "I was curious at times why he was on the calls if there was no contribution being made, call after call."

Jack was on the calls to keep an eye on the restless natives on behalf of the Colonial Office.

Demand for control on indyref remains strong, according to new poll

An opinion poll which was published this week has confirmed a pattern shown in many previous polls.

Irrespective of their views on independence itself, a large majority of people in Scotland believe that it should be up to the Scottish Parliament to decide whether an independence referendum should be held.

Indeed this was also the position of the anti-independence parties, most notably the Scottish Tories' Ruth Davidson, right up until they realised that the people of Scotland would take them at their word and keep electing Scottish Parliaments with pro-independence majorities.

We are now in the twilight world of a Schrödinger's right to an independence referendum which simultaneously exists and doesn't exist.

The British parties continue to claim that the UK is a voluntary union and that it's for the people of Scotland to decide the future of Scotland, even as they refuse to say what the mechanism is for the people of Scotland to obtain an independence referendum.

Both Labour and the Tories collude in denying that the current Scottish Parliament has a mandate for an independence referendum and both also deny that an SNP victory in the next Westminster general election would constitute a mandate for an independence referendum either.

READ MORE: Tories demand Jason Leitch 'resign or be fired' after WhatsApp row

They are very quick to say what is not a mandate for an independence referendum, but unwilling to say what it actually is.

The poll, carried out by FindOutNow on behalf of the Alba Party, found that 57.5% of respondents agreed that the Scottish Parliament should have the power to negotiate and legislate for independence.

The poll comes as Alba MSP Ash Regan is looking to get a draft member's bill proposed to the Scottish Parliament on her plan to hold a referendum on the 10th anniversary of the independence referendum: September 18, 2024.

It asks whether or not the Scottish Parliament should have the powers to negotiate for and legislate for independence.

Speaking about her proposed bill she said: "It is clear that an overwhelming majority of the Scottish public would back the Parliament having these powers so I would be confident we would secure a Yes vote in a referendum."

The National: Ash Regan

However, we can be quite certain that both Labour and the Conservatives will continue to override the will of the people of Scotland as they did when a large majority of Scotland's MPs voted to support Alba MP Neale Hanvey's recent bid to have the Scotland Act amended in order to give Holyrood the legal power to authorise an independence referendum.

In a naked display of contempt for the will of Scotland's democratically elected representatives, Labour and the Tories used the voting strength of their MPs representing constituencies elsewhere in the UK to vote Scotland's MPs down on a measure about the future of Scotland.

Court ruling on Israel puts pressure on Tories and Labour

In a blow to the far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu, the International Court of Justice in the Hague has refused to dismiss South Africa's case alleging that the state of Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ruled that South Africa has standing to bring a case of genocide against Israel.

The court stopped short of ordering an immediate ceasefire but ruled that Israel must ensure its forces do not commit genocide and ensure preservation of evidence of alleged genocide.

Israel was also told to take immediate, effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip.

READ MORE: Lessons in media spin and misinformation from Covid Inquiry

Following the ruling SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn challenged the Labour and Conservative leaders on the situation in Gaza, saying: "Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer can no longer remain silent on the atrocities being committed in Gaza. They must back an immediate ceasefire now."

He added: "The Prime Minister must come before the House of Commons outlining both his support for the court’s ruling and what action he intends to take, as a key ally of Israel, to safeguard civilian lives."