The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


Archive for the ‘apocalypse’


Unicorns over Cowcaddens 137

Posted on September 13, 2014 by

The below appears to be Magnus Gardham’s column in today’s Herald.

magnusg

Read the rest of this entry →

The neverending plague 247

Posted on September 03, 2014 by

From industry recruitment website oilandgaspeople.com today:

“Scotland could be sitting on more than double the amount of oil and gas reserves currently predicted, a new independent industry investigation has found. The investigation reveals that the scale of Scotland’s untapped frontier West Coast or Atlantic Margin has been underestimated.

The investigation was undertaken by oilandgaspeople.com, the world’s largest oil and gas industry jobs board, and independent North Sea oil and gas industry experts. The investigation included interviews with industry experts and collated seismic and expert evidence from a range of independent sources such as the British Geological Survey, DECC, oil and gas companies, the Institute of Petroleum Engineering and the  Energy Institute.

The findings show that the current predictions of extensive untapped reserves of oil and gas could be underestimated by 100%. The West Coast alone could provide oil and gas for at least 100 years with an estimated value of more than £1 trillion.”

Another 100 years? A trillion pounds? When will this curse be lifted from Scotland?

Younger leopard, same spots 161

Posted on July 28, 2014 by

Our “Better Together” mole has just leaked us this exclusive extract from a new cinema advert with a re-imaged Alistair Darling listing the consequences of a Yes vote.

It’s really from the 1981 Labour conference, of course. But it’s fascinating to note that while the No camp leader’s politics may have softened somewhat over the intervening 33 years, his modus operandi hasn’t changed a bit.

The chocolate teapot 110

Posted on July 28, 2014 by

The UK Trident programme encompasses the development, procurement and operation of the current generation of British nuclear weapons, and the means to deliver them. It was announced in July 1980 and patrols began in December 1994. Its stated purpose is to provide “the minimum effective nuclear deterrent as the ultimate means to deter the most extreme threat”.

It has also been described by former Vulcan squadron commander (the UK’s original nuclear deterrent) and current vice-president of CND, Air Commodore Alastair Mackie, as Britain’s “stick-on hairy chest”.

choctea1

And yet other than “We should/shouldn’t get rid of it”, it’s rarely the subject of any serious debate or investigation. And as it’s the summer close season for politics, this seemed like a good time.

Read the rest of this entry →

The cataclysm continues 247

Posted on July 10, 2014 by

Only our very alertest readers are likely to recall our first brush with Azeem Ibrahim of the “Scotland Institute”, a right-wing think tank which recently came up with a report on an independent Scotland’s debt that was picked up by some of the less discerning newspapers but which we ignored for being too boring.

ibrahimageddon

And we must concede fair play to the eternally attention-seeking Mr Ibrahim, because he’s come storming right back with something altogether livelier.

Read the rest of this entry →

To punch above our weight 211

Posted on July 07, 2014 by

Earlier today we referred to a story from the Sunday Times, picked up by some of the tabloids this morning, about how Scotland manager Jock Stein tried to cancel a World Cup scouting trip to New Zealand in 1982 in a panic because he feared that Margaret Thatcher was about to start a nuclear war over the Falklands.

hiroshima

It seems remiss not to note a chilling passage from the original ST piece.

Read the rest of this entry →

Map Ref. 55°N 5°W 295

Posted on July 02, 2014 by

About 11 minutes and 30 seconds into last night’s Scotland 2014, Labour MP Gemma Doyle repeated one of the strangest arguments Labour use against independence. Having first denied that she’d ever seen any polls suggesting that the people of Scotland wanted to get rid of the Trident nuclear weapons system, she then fell back on the curious but much-used Labour line that getting rid of it would only move it “100 miles or so down the road”, and therefore be pointless.

There are all sorts of glaringly obvious flaws in that argument. One is the de facto case that the UK actually has nowhere else it can put Trident, and therefore if Scotland expels it the rUK will become a non-nuclear-weapons state by default.

The second is that even if there was somewhere for it to go, Scotland still wouldn’t be paying for it any more, which would be a huge benefit to the Scottish budget and a pretty good reason entirely aside from the moral and safety issues.

tridentmap

And the third is that Gemma Doyle doesn’t appear to know where England is.

Read the rest of this entry →

This is not a spoof 180

Posted on May 16, 2014 by

We have not made this story up. It’s not the work of BBC Scotlandshire.

bbcoil5yrs

Just casually, there, beneath an unassuming, innocuous headline. No big deal.

Read the rest of this entry →

Bring me sunshine 112

Posted on April 24, 2014 by

Remember how the No campaign was definitely going to be much more positive from now on, pushing a feelgood “sunshine strategy” to persuade Scots that the UK was the best of both worlds?

gethurt

Let’s see how that’s going, shall we?

Read the rest of this entry →

Expressway To Fear 193

Posted on February 21, 2014 by

DOOM!

“Blair Stewart, head of the company’s Edinburgh Residential Department, said: ‘Going by the current movement in property market, I should think there will be a three to five per cent growth in the £300,000 to £800,000 bracket and the £1million-plus will remain static.

I am expecting a slowdown as we near the referendum with buyers adopting a ‘wait and see’ attitude.'”

GLOOM!

“Delaying introduction of average speed cameras on the A9 until after the referendum has been branded a ploy to avoid an anti-independence backlash.”

We’re not sure we can take many more blows like this.

Read the rest of this entry →

Natpocalypse now 69

Posted on December 17, 2013 by

We enjoyed this satirical piece on Buzzfeed today picturing how various world media outlets would handle the end of civilisation via a double meteor strike/zombie virus catastrophe. We’ve pinched some of their UK examples for illustrative purposes, and added a couple of our own at the end.

zombieguardian

Have a go! It’s easy* and fun!

Read the rest of this entry →

Welcome to the debate 250

Posted on November 27, 2013 by

Dear Yes Scotland,

Please immediately contact Channel 5 and ask them how much they want for this:

Pay any price they ask, and show it on September 17th. 100% Yes, in the bag.

(Download links 1 and 2.)

Read the rest of this entry →

  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,867 Posts, 1,234,471 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • Xaracen on Learning Insanity: “The dates do add up, James, as long as you remember that for more than a century the two kingdoms…Jan 17, 21:41
    • Xaracen on Learning Insanity: “Not so, James, I pointed out to you the first time you stated this assertion that it was nonsense, and…Jan 17, 21:31
    • Confused on Learning Insanity: “https://archive.ph/vWA7t if america imposes 25% tariffs on carlsberg special brew, it represents a direct attack on the jakey community and…Jan 17, 19:29
    • Young Lochinvar on Learning Insanity: “H McH You’re wrong. FACT!!Jan 17, 19:26
    • Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Learning Insanity: “TURABDIN@3:08pm “Khomeini, Persia’s answer to J Knox?” —————— Maybe let’s not be so quick to knock Knox… John Knox’s plan…Jan 17, 18:17
    • Lorna Campbell on Learning Insanity: ““For the Scotland Act to apply to Scotland there has to be parliament of England in existence in 1998 and…Jan 17, 17:52
    • TURABDIN on Learning Insanity: “CATASTROPHE is always round the corner, it pays to have a mirror on a stick. sadly such a simple device…Jan 17, 16:42
    • SophiaPangloss on Learning Insanity: “Metagender is obviously people who are attracted to breaking the fourth wall during sex, turning to the camera with a…Jan 17, 16:40
    • Hatey McHateface on Learning Insanity: “Aye, TURABDIN, no fool like a progressive, pseudo intellectual, lefty fool. As we sometimes observe on Wings BTL!Jan 17, 15:38
    • TURABDIN on Learning Insanity: “@Hatey McHateface You might have seen this, https://archive.is/wUC4L The west has more to concern itself with this type and the…Jan 17, 15:08
    • Aidan on Learning Insanity: “@James Cheyne perhaps you could set out what you think those persuasive legal arguments are and what precedence in case…Jan 17, 14:32
    • Hatey McHateface on Learning Insanity: “Scotland’s geographic position is indeed significant, not just for England but for Europe too. That makes independence less likely, not…Jan 17, 14:06
    • TURABDIN on Learning Insanity: “One route is growing realization that the British State is in deep trouble with future in the hands of English…Jan 17, 13:33
    • sarah on Learning Insanity: “Sorry to say that the Not Proven verdict was abolished wef 1.1.26 by our hugely learned [ahem] SNP government.Jan 17, 13:07
    • James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “There are many possible routes to a independent Scotland, some of the more obvious ones are being ignored. But aligned…Jan 17, 12:30
    • Hatey McHateface on Learning Insanity: “Could it be that the sword is mightier than the pen? Another simple question.Jan 17, 12:26
    • James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “The true devastating effects on Scotland has been over three hundred years of opression and suppression of its people and…Jan 17, 12:15
    • James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “No one questions that the treaty between the parliaments agreement of Scotland and England ended in 1800 when the parliament…Jan 17, 11:53
    • James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “England has 11 missing days in its side of the treaty of union in 1752. No one questions this lost…Jan 17, 11:49
    • James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “There are so many issues on incorrect chronological dates alone that I am surprised that they have never been questioned…Jan 17, 11:43
    • James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “Scots law does have the ” Not proven ” judgement applied to it in Scotland, it also has trial by…Jan 17, 11:38
    • willie on Learning Insanity: “Not much intellectual rigour from Ulster University and Queen’s Belfast then if they restrict speech. Woo woo wacky is certainly…Jan 17, 09:00
    • Hatey McHateface on Learning Insanity: “I see you’ve done that authentically Scottish thing, YL, come up with a couple of disparaging names. How very productive.…Jan 17, 08:35
    • Young Lochinvar on Learning Insanity: “Fear not Sarah, all will be well in the M.E. now that Teflon Tony and (super) Mario Rubix (cube) are…Jan 17, 02:21
    • Cynicus on Learning Insanity: “Marie says: 16 January, 2026 at 11:38 am Re:Darlington nurses victory – no muddying of the waters there. Thank you…Jan 17, 01:39
    • Jim Tadgercock on Learning Insanity: “What Lorna Campell says. Absolutely spot on . Nothing needs to be added to her statement. Regards.Jan 17, 00:17
    • sarah on Learning Insanity: “O/T: a delightful few minutes watching the livestream of the Craig Murray initial hearing [has he standing or not re…Jan 16, 21:41
    • holymacmoses on Learning Insanity: “People with absolutely NO self-control who demand total control over others. Singular dictatorshipJan 16, 21:26
    • Aidan on Learning Insanity: “Sorry Stu, someone (James) has come and done a massive turd all over your latest blog post BTL. Some insane…Jan 16, 20:51
    • Lorna Campbell on Learning Insanity: “What an excellent idea, H McH.Jan 16, 18:48
  • A tall tale



↑ Top