Yesterday we noted that rational people arrive at decisions about things based on the facts, not the personalities of who else might support or oppose those things. But in the interests of balance, allow us to present the counterpoint.
As it happens, we agree with McDonald on NATO membership. It would be a pointless folly and an exercise in self-destructive virtue-signalling to leave an organisation which is willing to defend Scotland militarily for free because of its strategic location, and it would be extremely unpopular with the Scottish public (including SNP voters), no matter how much those on the left might wish otherwise.
His reasoning above, however, is a wretched embarrassment.
If this site seems to spend most of its time being angry at the SNP these days, that’s because we are. And a large part of that is because there’s very little that hacks us off more than people insulting our intelligence.
Smith’s tweet is just a crassly offensive flat-out lie. This week’s vote is NOT about “EU membership”. The United Kingdom hasn’t been a member of the EU since 31 January. We’ve already left and there’s no going back. The vote is about whether we leave with a sliver of a trade deal slightly reducing the self-inflicted harm, or the total catastrophe of no deal at all, and it’s just crushingly embarrassing for all concerned that Smith thinks so little of his own supporters as to believe he can “frame” it otherwise.
There is no good position for the opposition parties in the House Of Commons to take on the impending Brexit deal vote this coming week.
It’s a terrible deal, and voting for it – as Labour will do – makes you look like an idiot, especially when it completely fails the “six tests” you swore never to vote for it without. On the other hand, time is absolutely up and were it to be somehow defeated the only alternative left to the deal would be a no-deal exit, which is the only thing worse.
With precisely the grim level of cynicism we’ve now come to expect as standard, the Scottish Government has released a key document relating to the Salmond inquiry two days before Christmas, hoping it’ll be buried in the ongoing coronavirus-and-Brexit-related implosion of the UK.
The document, which contains legal advice relating to the judicial review brought by Salmond regarding the Scottish Government’s investigations into false allegations of misconduct against him, is extremely heavily redacted. But a few interesting passages remain, so let’s have some fun.
On 8 December this site ran an article about the Chief Executive Officer of the Scottish National Party, Peter Murrell. It has recently been drawn to our attention that the piece contained a serious inaccuracy, which we would like to remedy.
For much of last year, this site advocated a rational but unpopular position – namely that the SNP, which at the time held the balance of power in the UK parliament, should offer to support Theresa May’s soft-Brexit deal in exchange for the transfer of powers to hold a second independence referendum.
The logic was clear – nothing was ever going to stop Brexit from happening, but passing May’s deal would save the UK from the catastrophe of a no-deal. Everyone would be a winner – England and Wales would get what they voted for, Remain-voting Northern Ireland would get special terms that kept it in the EU in all but name, and Scotland would get the chance to stay in the EU as an independent nation.
“But no!”, everyone screamed at us. “We can’t possibly do any sort of deal with the Tories or we’d be electorally crucified and lose the referendum, you idiots!”
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.
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.
Alert readers will recall the deranged open letter released by a group of transactivists last Friday, in a nakedly transparent attempt to influence the SNP’s NEC elections that weekend which backfired on them horribly (and amusingly) when the party’s members instead kicked out three-quarters of the committee’s woke faction and replaced them with feminists, socialists and above all advocates of actually achieving independence.
If you don’t have the time to read Alyn Smith’s astonishing response to the SNP NEC election results in today’s National, we’ve edited it down to 10 seconds for you.
Peakcrew on A matter of class: “This not the first time Kemp has done this. Claims under multiple heads failed because he found doctors more “credible”…” Dec 19, 21:44
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: “So why did you leave early?” Dec 19, 21:05
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: “They’ll be sniffing aroond yer erse next, Northy. It must be the dug in ye. Bad dug! Nae biscuit! If…” Dec 19, 20:53
Oneliner on A matter of class: “I’m just back from the Duff & Phelps Christmas party. They’re all having a good laugh over there.” Dec 19, 20:36
Northcode on A matter of class: “I feel it is incumbent upon me to warn those who find themselves, perhaps in a confused daze, perpetually sniffing…” Dec 19, 20:29
Marie on A matter of class: “Significant falls in the number of mainly women (working class) applying to Scottish nurse training courses year on year. This…” Dec 19, 20:10
Lorncal on Contempt Of Government: “Start stealing their knickers, Lee. If they say anything – they’ll probably blame each other first – step in and…” Dec 19, 20:10
Lorncal on A matter of class: “You hit the nail plum on the head, Rev. It was a travesty. Legally, contemporaneous notes can be strongly evidential…” Dec 19, 19:58
Mark Beggan on A matter of class: “Socialism is a parasite that feeds on the host nation (fanny).” Dec 19, 19:58
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: “It’s naw, though. I’ve checked. Your vision’s getting blurry, Northy. What have you been up to?” Dec 19, 19:52
Mark Beggan on A matter of class: “The Red menace contaminated the water long before that. Or was it the will of God. No. Alas it’s University…” Dec 19, 19:43
Northcode on A matter of class: ““You missed ane, Northy, Scottish Water.” Nope… it’s right there in the “whatever else is left over” class of things…” Dec 19, 19:42
Hatey McHateface on Contempt Of Government: “I think of the (checks pocket edition of Fanon) hundreds of millions dead at the hand of oppressive, alien colonialism…” Dec 19, 19:34
Mark Beggan on A matter of class: “You’re on those magic mushrooms again.” Dec 19, 19:33
Lorncal on Contempt Of Government: “I would agree with that, Hatey. Our instincts are honed through millennia to protect us. That is why it is…” Dec 19, 19:27
Lorncal on Contempt Of Government: “It is the indulgence of these men in public spaces that is the real problem, James. I have to say…” Dec 19, 19:22
Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: ““NHS, civil service, police force, Judiciary, local councils, education authorities, transport and shipping, financial institutions; arts and culture, the Scottish…” Dec 19, 19:18
Northcode on A matter of class: “The only folk surprised by all this ‘stuff’; this “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” stuff; this “Independence Day” stuff; this…” Dec 19, 18:50
Hatey McHateface on Contempt Of Government: “Animals have “norms” through the functioning of instinct. People have instincts too, far more so than we want to admit.…” Dec 19, 18:48
Ken MacIntyre on Contempt Of Government: “Anarcho tyranny defined: ‘the combination of oppressive government power against the innocent and the law-abiding and, simultaneously, a grotesque paralysis…” Dec 19, 18:40
100%Yes on Contempt Of Government: “I willing to be a well cooked sausage that Bridget Phillipson has banged on over the years while she been…” Dec 19, 18:35
panda paws on Contempt Of Government: ““She is only the SNP’S Minister for Education so ‘m dubious she’s even bothered to try.” Bridget Philipson is the…” Dec 19, 18:28
twathater on Contempt Of Government: “TBQH is anyone surprised at Philipson she has previous for supporting the woke lunacy as does her whole party and…” Dec 19, 18:20
Aidan on The Idiot Rodeo: “Here here CC, well said. How a scumbag bottom feeder like James gets to look down on anyone is beyond…” Dec 19, 18:15
twathater on A matter of class: “Thank you for this post Gethin , And YET all this evidence about their conjecture allied with the obvious myriad…” Dec 19, 18:15
PC Foster on Contempt Of Government: “Maybe they should take up competitive Fencing or Boxing or some other sport- then they will see that you are…” Dec 19, 18:05
Mark Beggan on A matter of class: “DEI. We need to weed the garden. After all weeds are just flowers in the wrong place.” Dec 19, 18:03
Hatey McHateface on Contempt Of Government: “Announce you’re trans (stay intact, no desperate measures!) and live the life full time. Ladies bogs, getting naked in your…” Dec 19, 18:02
Aidan on The Idiot Rodeo: “You’re right Northcode, any time spent engaging with you is a losing endeavour” Dec 19, 18:00
Hatey McHateface on The Idiot Rodeo: “Aw, CC, leave James alone 🙂 His eyesight is too weak for him to hold down a job, owing to…” Dec 19, 17:56
