We’ve had plenty to say already this week about the amendment that will be debated at Holyrood this afternoon. So instead we’re going to present you today with the case for each side, as made by two Scottish women on Twitter in the last few hours, and let you decide for yourselves whose argument is the more compelling.
First up, in favour of the amendment, is Scotsman writer Gina Davidson.
The media is focusing on Murrell’s continued evasion of the question of his WhatsApp usage (Murrell bizarrely states he has several messaging apps installed on his phone but uses none of them), but there’s a much more interesting revelation in the second of the letter’s two sections.
This is a direct, unambiguous and categorical statement from the First Minister that the investigation into the false allegations against Salmond was a Scottish Government matter that was absolutely nothing to do with the SNP.
This site and other gender-critical voices are regularly accused of being “obsessed” with trans issues, even though the subject has been mentioned in fewer than 0.7% of Wings posts. But this week the SNP’s transgender faction – when it hasn’t been STILL raging about its battering in the NEC elections – has been swamping social media with organised complaints about a tiny prospective legislative change that they themselves insist doesn’t actually matter at all.
Rape Crisis Scotland, who are almost entirely dependent on the Scottish Government for funding, have chosen this evening to wade into the debate over the wording of a new law which is intended to lessen the trauma of people (nearly all women) who’ve been raped. We can only speculate as to whether they were pressured to do so, but the intervention seems likely only to pour petrol on the fire.
In his evidence to a Holyrood inquiry today, having been asked about some troubling WhatsApp messages concerning the case from 2018 which appeared to suggest the possibility of a conspiracy against the former First Minister, Murrell told members of the committee “I’m not on WhatsApp, it’s not a social media platform I use”.
Alert readers will have noticed a very careful use of the present tense there.
We’ve now filed a formal complaint with the Scottish Information Commissioner about this, because what we’d forgotten last week was that our original request was actually sent in September and it’s now been almost 60 working days with no sign of a proper response, not the 20 it’s supposed to take.
Because for some reason the Scottish Government REALLY doesn’t want you to know what the First Minister and Geoff Aberdein talked about in March 2018, and we think that you probably should.
We don’t normally like to devote much time on Wings to things that have been more than adequately covered elsewhere in the media, which is why you haven’t read much here about eg the Internal Market Bill. Unlike some we don’t see much point spending our limited human resources telling people stuff they already know and agree with.
But we’re going to make an exception for this next thing, which was already covered pretty well by Susan Dalgety in last week’s Scotsman, because (a) a lot of our readers, quite reasonably, will have an instinctively adverse reaction to either anything printed in the Scotsman or anything written by Susan Dalgety, and (b) a number of people have asked us to amplify this issue because it’s so important and so awful.
As well as the SNP NEC elections, the weekend saw the election of the first committee of a new grassroots independence organisation which is unfortunately and hopefully temporarily going by the stupendously terrible working name of “Yes Alba”.
15 people were elected to its ruling body by the votes of hundreds of delegates, with the top-ranked picks including SNP MP Angus MacNeil and former SNP MP George Kerevan. The majority of the successful candidates (eight) were female, even though there were no quotas or women-only shortlists imposed, and a wide range of ages was represented from young activists to former UK ambassador Craig Murray.
(We have no idea about any of their sexualities or gender identities, and also no interest in knowing, because those things have not the slightest bearing on their ability to fight for independence and are frankly none of our damn business.)
But that wasn’t good enough for Team Woke.
On a day when Joanna Cherry had a grown-up, reasoned and constructive column in The National calling for unity in the pursuit of independence, the outpouring of snide, sour sneering from a faction still raging with bitterness about being routed on the SNP NEC is instead curdling Twitter even as we speak.
And embarrassingly, not a single one of them has actually bothered to check even the most basic facts.
James Cheyne on Safety First: “Scotland has good evidence for being a sold nation, Is a sold country and its people still recognised by the…” Jul 28, 11:51
James Cheyne on Safety First: “We must be one of the oldest nations whose people and Country were sold for English gold to still left…” Jul 28, 11:43
willie on Safety First: “One last point on immigration and division. I think it is accepted that there has been a huge influx of…” Jul 28, 11:42
Alf Baird on Safety First: ““In Scotland where we have not had a high level of immigration” On the contrary, inflows of approx 100,000 per…” Jul 28, 11:40
James Cheyne on Safety First: “Alf Baird, The truth is if Scots an their nation country were sold in a trade deal to financially benefit…” Jul 28, 11:37
willie on Safety First: “Interesting piece in the paper reporting on how the the Government down south had been advertising for a Shariah law…” Jul 28, 11:08
Northcode on Safety First: “Scots First Donald Trump tells the world that America – and presumably the Americans who live there – comes first.…” Jul 28, 11:06
Xaracen on Everybody’s Normal Nowadays: “You are projecting, Aidan, and deflecting. You’ve just backtracked on your original assertion and are now attempting to pretend that…” Jul 28, 09:33
Dan on Safety First: “Well, aw it taks for darkness tae prevail is for guid folks tae continue tae allow the lights to be…” Jul 28, 09:05
Aidan on Everybody’s Normal Nowadays: ““Aidan is getting no more from me” – exactly, because you have no more to give. The idea that you…” Jul 28, 06:23
The Flying Iron of Doom on Safety First: ““I also seem to recall that Scotland was once home to the enlightenment, those days are clearly long gone.” Well,…” Jul 28, 05:50
Young Lochinvar on Safety First: “As my good lady wife pointed out to me, the whole affair has been an exemplar of fine footie but…” Jul 28, 02:22
Stuart on Safety First: “The trans gender nonsense continues, this time in the shape of Museums and Art Galleries Scotland, this from the Herald.…” Jul 27, 23:37
Mark Beggan on Safety First: “What’s the penalty for pretending to have a bomb on an aeroplane these days? Boy! This lads ass is grass.” Jul 27, 22:53
Mark Beggan on Safety First: “‘colonially subjugated’ I find a glass of warm water with a teaspoonfull of cider vinegar does the trick.” Jul 27, 22:49
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Safety First: “Encouraging high-register article by KATHLEEN STOCK on UNHERD (25 July 2025) – ‘IS THIS THE END OF TRANSGENDERISM: We are…” Jul 27, 22:38
Mark Beggan on Safety First: “Under Thatcher they would have taken away the wheelchair.” Jul 27, 22:37
Southernbystander on Safety First: “@Dave L. International fees can be set by the university. International fees in an ordinary ni in England are about…” Jul 27, 22:31
Alf Baird on Safety First: “Yes James, a colonized people are ‘procured’ (Memmi), the wages of colonialism (‘Equivalent’) paid to native elites, many already assimilated…” Jul 27, 22:27
Hatey McHateface on Safety First: “@NN! You need to prove that you are not paid to come on here and make Scotland and Indy look…” Jul 27, 21:45
GM on Safety First: “Welcome. Anything to report since you have been away?” Jul 27, 21:35
Hatey McHateface on Safety First: “Yes NN!, I have considered the matter. For a start, my considerations lead me to believe it’s not a “fact”…” Jul 27, 21:26
MaryB on Safety First: “Sarah, Northcode etc I find that inde-car ie Gordon Ross, also known as Partick Driver, is the best place to…” Jul 27, 21:06
Captain Caveman on Everybody’s Normal Nowadays: “@Xaracen ‘… I’m disinclined to acquiesce to your request.’ Oh, I bet you are. Imagine my surprise.” Jul 27, 21:05
Nae Need! on Safety First: “Well, I enjoy Confused’s posts, sometimes simply cos they annoy YOU so much, but mostly cos they’re excellent. None of…” Jul 27, 20:56
Southernbystander on Safety First: “@Young Lochinvar. English students pay the same as they would in England yes. I suspect overseas students from China, India…” Jul 27, 20:49
Andy Ellis on Safety First: “Folk are of course free to support the referral to the UN using the process and procedure which is in…” Jul 27, 20:39
Xaracen on Everybody’s Normal Nowadays: “@Captain Caveman; I’m disinclined to acquiesce to your request.” Jul 27, 20:38
DaveL on Safety First: “So how much do they pay?” Jul 27, 20:38
Stuart on Safety First: “Mr Ellis, how dare you mention the obvious solution! Not when those pushing this farce at the UN can keep…” Jul 27, 20:26
