The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


Author Archive


Tory Cabinet visits Scotland 63

Posted on February 25, 2014 by

EXCLUSIVE FOOTAGE:

Bad news rapidly improves 112

Posted on February 24, 2014 by

A story from Reuters tonight:

“A majority of FTSE 100 chairmen oppose Scottish independence as they fear splitting up would be bad for British business and dilute the UK’s economic influence”

Ooft. How big is this majority of the chairmen of the 100 leading companies, then?

“The poll by executive search firm Korn Ferry found 65 percent of chairmen of 32 FTSE 100 companies said it would be bad for business if – “

Woah there! 65% of 32? Isn’t that, um, 21? That’s not really a “majority” of 100, is it? And while we’re here, how many of the chairmen of FTSE 100 companies have a vote in the Scottish independence referendum anyway? We have a strong suspicion that the effective sample in this survey might actually have been zero.

Read the rest of this entry →

Scottish Labour in one tweet 122

Posted on February 24, 2014 by

By an old pal of ours.

duncstarve

Let’s just walk through that one for a moment.

Read the rest of this entry →

We still don’t get it 170

Posted on February 24, 2014 by

If you were wondering why we hadn’t written about today’s oil-industry shenanigans yet, it’s because we’ve been scratching our heads for hours trying to work out what the heck David Cameron thought it was he was proving on the Cabinet’s trip to Aberdeen.

dishface

Sadly, we’re still none the wiser.

Read the rest of this entry →

We’ll never have that recipe again 89

Posted on February 24, 2014 by

A remarkable insight into how Scottish Labour MPs see the people of Scotland, and the future that awaits us after a No vote, from an article posted on Labour Uncut today:

“Uncut recently put the point to a Scottish member of the [Parliamentary Labour Party] that while it is hard to imagine Scotland voting for an uncertain future outside the EU, keeping the UK together by playing on these fears risks perpetuating Scottish grievance against the English. They were unrepentant.

‘They need to be told. It’s like a child saying they want to play in the rain. They can do if they want but they need to know that they’ll get wet.'”

Hear that, people of Scotland? For even considering taking control of your own affairs like adults, Scottish Labour (ironically) thinks you’re behaving like stupid kids too dumb to come in out of the rain. Mm, feel the respect from your representatives.

Read the rest of this entry →

The remedial class 45

Posted on February 24, 2014 by

We’ve written often about the contempt with which both the No campaign and the media regards voters, particularly in respect of their willingness to tell them even the most insultingly transparent lies in the assumption they’ll be swallowed anyway.

alanmassie

Allan Massie in today’s Telegraph may have set a new all-time record, though.

Read the rest of this entry →

A developing theme 223

Posted on February 24, 2014 by

From today’s Telegraph.

sctelegraph

And there’s plenty more where that came from.

Read the rest of this entry →

The next time 43

Posted on February 23, 2014 by

… someone from the No campaign or a right-wing newspaper tries to tell you that Scotland’s attitudes to the EU aren’t actually very different to those in the rest of the UK, just show them this striking graphic and tell them to shush.

euregions

(And don’t take any “Well then we’d have to join the Euro!” cobblers either.)

If we choose to remain in the UK and the UK has a referendum on EU membership (which it’s highly likely to), there isn’t a whole lot of doubt about the outcome. There’s only one way to make sure Scotland stays in Europe. Businesspeople planning a No vote because they fear “uncertainty” might want to have a wee think about that.

Quoted for partial truth 95

Posted on February 23, 2014 by

A Radio 4 “Point Of View” programme by the writer and philosopher Roger Scruton on Friday evening attracted quite a lot of social-media ire from nationalists. We can only assume they were so angered by a few crass factual errors (“The Scottish economy is subsidised by the English”) and Dr Scruton’s rather patrician manner that they didn’t bother to listen all the way to the end.

“Suppose then we English were finally allowed a say in the matter, which way would I vote? I have no doubt about it. I would vote for English independence, as a step towards strengthening the friendship between our countries.

It was thanks to independence that the Americans were able at last to confess to their attachment to the old country, and to come to our aid in two world wars. Independence is what real friendship requires. And the same is true for those, like the Scots and the English, who live side by side.”

We can’t say we find anything there to disagree with. After some of the cross-border ugliness and bad feeling that’s been whipped up by the actions of Unionists lately, the only outcome of the referendum that will allow the people of Scotland and England to regard each other with dignity and mutual respect in the future is a Yes vote. Crawling pathetically back to London with our tail between our legs won’t do it.

Convergence keeps converging 150

Posted on February 23, 2014 by

(An update on this post.)

polls23feb

If the next Ipsos MORI poll shows a significant drop in the No lead, we can probably call that definitive. The days of the No camp being 30+ points ahead seem to be well and truly over. Five out of the seven British Polling Council members polling on the independence referendum now put the required swing for Yes at just 5-6%. Looks like Wings pollsters Panelbase were at the cutting edge again after all.

Here we go again 114

Posted on February 23, 2014 by

To save time, just take everything we said last week and repeat.

Perhaps the most telling thing, though, about this week’s edition of what now appears to be the BBC’s official late-night No-campaign propaganda slot is that Iain Martin used to be the editor of the Scotsman. Readers can draw their own conclusions.

When it’s grim being right 272

Posted on February 22, 2014 by

btglasgowfire

Read the rest of this entry →

  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,891 Posts, 1,238,767 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • Frank Gillougley on Clocks And Calendars: “Aye, ‘Vote fur Jack Duggan Sarwar’, it’s definitely got a ring tae it. Pure wild wae it so he is.Mar 30, 17:23
    • Young Lochinvar on Clocks And Calendars: “Yee haw pardner.. Uncle Sam’s getting all worked up about a super bigly expensive low gear fly by mission “to…Mar 30, 17:21
    • Alf Baird on Clocks And Calendars: “Past time The Hootsman changed its teetle tae ‘The Hoose Jock’; or just go the hale hog as ‘The Colonialist’.…Mar 30, 15:50
    • Aidan on Clocks And Calendars: “Labour are really going to form a coalition with Reform are they? Oh aye i bet they’ll be shouting about…Mar 30, 15:14
    • Captain Caveman on Sicknote Slippers: “Although approaching things from a different perspective to my own, what a marvelous post, though doubtless largely wasted here. Bravo.…Mar 30, 14:12
    • Mark Beggan on Clocks And Calendars: “If you thought that was crazy did anyone see Scottish Labours political broadcast online. A day in the life of…Mar 30, 14:11
    • David on Clocks And Calendars: “I assume this was written and supplied to The Scotsman by a deluded Labour Hack. Why don’t The Scotsman republish…Mar 30, 14:10
    • Campbell Clansman on Clocks And Calendars: “Labour, and The Scotsman, must think voters are dumb enough to take this “analysis” seriously. Which says a lot about…Mar 30, 13:28
    • Lorncal on Sicknote Slippers: “The real far right is a tiny minority of heid-the-bas. Always was. Even in the halcyon days of Mosley. What…Mar 30, 13:25
    • Confused on Sicknote Slippers: “better together, pooling and sharing so, exactly what benefit do we draw from this “arrangement”, being siamese-twinned to these kleptomaniac…Mar 30, 12:59
    • Northcode on Protest But Don’t Survive: “A fine adaptation from Allende’s speech, James, and a quote most apt in the context of Scotland’s subjugation by a…Mar 30, 12:11
    • Northcode on Sicknote Slippers: “*Do yous want tae march? Apparently 99% of actual, real and genuine liberty seeking, independence supporting Scots didn’t want to……Mar 30, 11:47
    • Stevie on Sicknote Slippers: “I thought last year that REFORM would bevcome the official opposition and I still think that. Why would anyone who…Mar 30, 11:47
    • Captain Caveman on Protest But Don’t Survive: “… So who, pray, are you giving your hard fought and hard won vote for, Northie? Or – don’t tell…Mar 30, 11:20
    • 100%Yes on Sicknote Slippers: “If you weren’t convinced the SNP didn’t won’t Independence you will now, “FRIST Minister John Swinney will push the UK…Mar 30, 10:53
    • 100%Yes on Sicknote Slippers: “In a Independent Scotland we shouldn’t pay pension pots of these individuals who have made a carer out of the…Mar 30, 10:23
    • Northcode on Protest But Don’t Survive: “Saturday’s “We Believe in Scotland… but only as a region of England” march was bad for the SNP, bad for…Mar 30, 10:08
    • Willie on Sicknote Slippers: “A Lordship in waiting he hopes is Me Peter Wishart. And where else would one be than in London over…Mar 30, 10:04
    • Andy on Sicknote Slippers: “I am an anti semite. I did not realise this till 2 years ago when Netanyahu announced that anyone who…Mar 30, 09:59
    • Northcode on Protest But Don’t Survive: “Even the acting talent that is the world famous Brian Cox (albeit he was working with a poor script) could…Mar 30, 09:24
    • Jamie on Sicknote Slippers: “Read the roll of honour, Scotland’s bravest men…Mar 30, 07:47
    • Mark Beggan on Sicknote Slippers: “Anyone waving the Iranian regime flag is advocating the destruction of Israel. The emblem on this flag states that the…Mar 30, 02:41
    • Cactus on Irony you can’t buy: “Backbench.Mar 30, 02:39
    • Cactus on Irony you can’t buy: “Hey… You’ve got to hide yer love away… Groovy whit Scotland’s calling. Cheers. REV.Mar 30, 02:39
    • Cynicus on Sicknote Slippers: “Rev, your link to “a pretty openly anti-Semitic protest “ shows nothing of the kind. It is to a Twitter…Mar 30, 02:21
    • Young Lochinvar on Sicknote Slippers: “Meant to conclude: Signed: Your angry and defrauded long term true independence voter base..Mar 30, 01:12
    • Young Lochinvar on Protest But Don’t Survive: “Yup.. You know what grips me; these testimonial interviews? What about his rank failures in post on transport (ultimately passed…Mar 30, 01:06
    • Young Lochinvar on Sicknote Slippers: “Absolutely Geri, but also Dhondt (Westminsters git) as well! The non-achieving political and Quango class parasites are everywhere, and, I…Mar 30, 00:51
    • Geri on Sicknote Slippers: “Aye, “Trust in Nicola” I’m still waiting on this grand plan she was supposedly working on in the background. Whit…Mar 29, 23:26
    • 100%Yes on Sicknote Slippers: “Well done to Fiona for her tweet it must have taken this coward hours to reply with a correct response.…Mar 29, 23:07
  • A tall tale



↑ Top