As alert Wings readers will know, we’re fond of a WW2 analogy from time to time. The conflict is so extensively documented, and so deeply embedded in British culture (for both good and ill), that it’s a reliable tool for getting points across concisely and clearly.
(It’s also one of the last major wars in which, overall, the good guys and the bad guys were pretty indisputably easy to identify.)
So let’s keep that in mind for a moment while we look at this.
For 10 years in Germany between 1935 and 1945, Jewish people were not legally human. The Nuremberg Laws, drafted in large part by Wilhelm Stuckart, established the principle in law that Jews were to be denied any rights on the basis that they were untermensch, a German word literally meaning “subhuman”.
It would be, to say the least, highly controversial for anyone to put forward in 2025 the idea that Jewish people had actually ceased to be human beings during that period, even though the various laws had been passed by a legitimately-elected government in peacetime and attracted little in the way of international condemnation.
The truth is that regardless of what the law said, Jewish people remained humans for the whole time, which is why Nazi war criminals were tried after the war for “crimes against humanity”. The passing of a law had had absolutely no effect on their biological reality. (Other than that it led to millions of them being murdered, of course.)
But anyway. Nicola Sturgeon.
Is the above how she imagined her feminist legacy, do you think, readers?
Let’s take a passing moment just to reflect on how grotesque this is.
When she was leader, Sturgeon forced MPs and MSPs like Michelle Thomson and Mark McDonald – neither of whom were even spoken to by police, let alone arrested or questioned or charged – out of the SNP lest even the mere suggestion of wrongdoing bring shame on the party.
She is still under police investigation on suspicion of EMBEZZLING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF POUNDS FROM THE SNP, and her husband and former party CEO has actually been charged with it. She is personally on record, on video, ordering the NEC not to question the state of party finances at the time of the alleged offences.
Yet not only has she had the lack of class not to resign the whip voluntarily, not only has she shown no interest in turning up and doing the job for the last two years, but she’s actually put herself forward to stand again, and doddering, spineless caretaker John Swinney hasn’t had the stones to put a stop to it.
Nobody thinks she’s even going to actually run next year – she spends most of her time gallivanting around celebrity events talking about her life after politics – so she’s just wasting everyone’s time and trolling.
Nobody in history has ever taken the SNP for a ride as cynically as this. But the party is so rotten and broken and weak that it just meekly goes along with it, and yet still dares to pretend it’s up to the rather tougher task of making Scotland independent.
We have no words for anyone still stupid enough to believe in it.
This is the SNP’s latest messaging. Ministers, MSPs, payroll drones and the central party account were all tweeting the graphic and variations on the line yesterday.
And it’s quite difficult even just to count the number of different ways in which it’s not just mind-bogglingly offensive, but also clatteringly, jaw-droppingly stupid.
The wild thing about this poll isn’t the headline that six months after winning a massive landslide majority, Keir Starmer now trails Nigel Farage – leader of a party with five MPs to Starmer’s 411 – as the electorate’s choice for best Prime Minister.
It’s the little grey numbers sitting quietly at the bottom.
As more horrific experiences from survivors of rape torture gangs surface from across the UK, we must focus not on knee-jerk political posturing but on the root cause that led to the failure of these children by our society.
Political inaction has now opened the door to inevitable political mileage, nurtured from stoking vengeance in a rightly-angered public. Those only interested in creating cultural conflicts no more support justice for survivors than those who allowed this abomination to fester by looking away or worse, covering up the problem.
For any functioning society, inflicting unimaginable pain on children on an alarming scale seems unimaginable. Yet, the evidence has been in front of us for years – so why has immediate action to ensure the safeguarding of children – and vulnerable adults – not been a pressing priority?
Any rational assessment of Scottish (or indeed UK or world) politics at the moment tends to be negative and depressing, so since it’s a new year we thought we’d make an extra-special effort at writing something positive.
Unfortunately that does require us to enter the realm of fantasy. But hey, everybody needs a little holiday from time to time, right?
Look, we know that mocking front pages on The National is low-hanging fruit, and this particular example could hardly be any more of a self-parody if it tried.
But just for the sheer mental exercise in that stone-dead last week of December when nobody even knows what day it is, let’s imagine if it came true.
KT Lorimer on Scotland’s Saviour: “You think it is up to Starver and the English parliament to decide if we can determine our future?” Jul 28, 20:11
Mark Beggan on Scotland’s Saviour: ““1000 years from now there will be no guys or girls, just wankers”” Jul 28, 20:09
100%Yes on Scotland’s Saviour: “John Swinney is the sort of man, if he worked in a office no one would even notice he was…” Jul 28, 20:05
Alf Baird on Scotland’s Saviour: “Yes, the Liberate Scotland unity alliance is offering the best option for Yes voters, also providing the opportunity to use…” Jul 28, 20:03
100%Yes on Scotland’s Saviour: “The National, the Unionist paper pretending to be Pro-Indy has all the SNP faithful crying someone to help as John…” Jul 28, 19:50
sarah on Scotland’s Saviour: “@ willie: I’m very afraid that you are right. We need to get decent principled people into politics who will…” Jul 28, 19:38
Hatey McHateface on Scotland’s Saviour: “Not much to argue with there, willie. Perhaps the trick to survival will be to adopt the kind of protective…” Jul 28, 19:36
Hatey McHateface on Scotland’s Saviour: “Good post, JC. You’re certainly more on the ball on this subject than perhaps you are on the shenanigans around…” Jul 28, 19:16
willie on Scotland’s Saviour: “The links to coral us are indeed being joined up and shortened James Cheyne. Every aspect of our being, our…” Jul 28, 19:14
Hatey McHateface on Scotland’s Saviour: “🙂 Always assuming there’s any roofs left.” Jul 28, 19:09
Andy Wiltshire on Scotland’s Saviour: “Well done to the Lionesses though.” Jul 28, 19:07
Mark Beggan on Scotland’s Saviour: “The Corbyn and Sultana cake party. Mixed fruit and nuts.” Jul 28, 18:58
Stuart on Scotland’s Saviour: “Nooooo Rob! You are determined to be a fun sponge. The Greens are the best comedians in Holyrood! Where else…” Jul 28, 18:53
JockMcT on Everybody’s Normal Nowadays: “The flea on the tail, wagging the dog is completely abnormal.” Jul 28, 18:50
JockMcT on Everybody’s Normal Nowadays: “NHS Fife, there’s leaning into a subject, then there is falling completely onto your face and giving yourself a bloody…” Jul 28, 18:48
JockMcT on Scotland’s Saviour: “Yeah, WTF, where has the indy vote to go? ALBA just does not seem to cut it for so many…” Jul 28, 18:36
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Safety First: “JONATHAN SWIFT (ANGLO-IRISH, 1667-1745): « The conveniency of ports and havens, which nature has bestowed so liberally on this kingdom, is…” Jul 28, 18:12
100%Yes on Scotland’s Saviour: “Jeremy Corbyn says he is building something special as his new socialist party gains 500,000 members and pushes for real…” Jul 28, 18:10
James Cheyne on Scotland’s Saviour: “Scotlands Saviour will be the crushing of England by policies that have nothing to do with Scotland, but with the…” Jul 28, 18:05
Ian McCubbin on Scotland’s Saviour: “I agree with Sarah and hope Alba comes in with Liberate Scotland to give us at least 12% Can’t see…” Jul 28, 18:03
James Cheyne on Scotland’s Saviour: “Willie, The corruption goes deep, and is long standing, is it about time people started thinking about how they would…” Jul 28, 17:50
Aidan on Scotland’s Saviour: “I’d be personally amazed if Jezbollah makes it to fielding candidates in Holyrood for 2026. I doubt they’ll have much…” Jul 28, 17:33
mike cassidy on Scotland’s Saviour: “I think that’s a reference to the fact there will be no nets waiting when they get thrown off the…” Jul 28, 17:19
willie on Scotland’s Saviour: “Scotland’s Saviour will be when people wake up and take control of their political and social system. There is no…” Jul 28, 17:14
Hatey McHateface on Safety First: “Dinna be daft. Certain aspects of Sharia are incompatible with and antithetical to UK, English and Scottish laws. And with…” Jul 28, 17:00
Liz on Scotland’s Saviour: ““NET-ZERO TRANS QUEERS FOR PALESTINE!”” This is why I love this site” Jul 28, 16:58
Hatey McHateface on Scotland’s Saviour: “So no out-and-out Palestine party? That’s odd. I thought that’s the only subject the voters of Scotland care about.” Jul 28, 16:51
100%Yes on Scotland’s Saviour: “To vote SNP would betraying Scoland again I did in 2021 because of the super-majority not this time, for me…” Jul 28, 16:47
James Cheyne on Scotland’s Saviour: “Excuse my ignorance when it comes to the parliament of Scotland elections, where are all these political parties registered as…” Jul 28, 16:38