This week on Wings has been altogether more navel-gazey than we’re comfortable with, as various SNP MPs have mounted a series of all-out personal attacks on the site before the weekend’s crucial NEC elections.
So we’ll have a proper article for you a little later on today, but in the meantime it’d be remiss of us not to tidy up the last fragments of shrapnel, so we’ll direct you to the right of reply to Alyn Smith’s column that The National kindly gave us today:
(Sadly they chose to disable comments, we’d quite have enjoyed the reaction from the few remaining diehard leadership loyalists still posting there.)
We couldn’t help but chuckle yesterday when the £100K-a-year Westminster MP and obsessive Wings Over Scotland reader “Pension Pete” Wishart announced – in the space of six minutes – that this site was simultaneously an irrelevance that nobody listened to, but also somehow one of the greatest threats to independence.
Wings Over Scotland marked its ninth birthday earlier this month. To be honest, we totally forgot about it until someone reminded us. Normally we mark the anniversary with a small reflection and taking of stock over how things are going, but this year we couldn’t be bothered – we’d already mentioned readership stats in August.
But today in The National we found out that we were apparently dead.
But reports of our demise have been, as the saying goes, somewhat exaggerated.
Some years ago, a friend of mine was on a car journey along the motorway, with their brother driving. The night before there had been a storm and high winds. The bad weather had continued into the morning before easing, but the wind was still strong.
They were chatting in the car and as they continued to chat, my friend noticed that further along, a motorway stanchion that holds the lights had fallen across their path. It was blocking two of the three lanes, including the one that they were on. Despite that, they continued to chat as if it wasn’t there.
The obstacle drew nearer and nearer. Finally my friend said to his brother, “Aren’t you going to drive round that light?” His brother swerved and made it into the unblocked lane with feet to spare.
I asked my friend why they hadn’t swerved sooner. “Neither of us could believe it was there”, he said.
We were going to write a post about today’s Sunday National front page lead story, but it would just have been an angry rant, so instead we’ll let our readers make their own judgements on how convinced they are by this bloviating guff:
On 18 September 2014, Scotland had control over its future. Scots could choose their own path, or continue to have decisions imposed upon them. Those of us supporting the former came close but not close enough. As a result, Scotland exited the EU against its will, is once more under the heel of a right-wing government and now finds its Parliament under attack from London.
Yet the dream has never died and demands for the right to choose our own destiny are growing. Scotland needs to be in the position it held on 18 September 2014, when power lay with its people. It’s their democratic right to decide, so why would you ever cede that power?
No explanation is given for why “writer at large”Neil Mackay has suddenly conducted a “wide-ranging, exclusive interview” with “one of Britain’s most senior spy chiefs” for today’s Herald On Sunday.
As far as we’re aware absolutely nothing has happened in respect of the UK’s nuclear “deterrent” to make the subject topical. Maybe Mackay just coincidentally bumped into Sir David Omand down the pub or something.
Hatey McHateface on The Nobodies: “Calm down. It’s just DEI. It won’t personally affect you. Be much more concerned by the DEI appointments in your…” Jul 27, 20:20
Hatey McHateface on The Nobodies: “Somebody defo told somebody to piss off.” Jul 27, 20:16
Mark Beggan on The Nobodies: “Monica Bellucci was at my door again last night with a red rose. I told her to piss off.” Jul 27, 20:06
Hatey McHateface on The Nobodies: “I think any politician who could fix period poverty will find running the country a dawdle by comparison. Of course,…” Jul 27, 20:03
diabloandco on The Nobodies: “Well put!!” Jul 27, 19:56
Owen Mullions on The Nobodies: “It’s just an AI video of Sturgeon being investigated by Columbo. Quite funny but sadly not happening in the real…” Jul 27, 19:49
Chas on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “My social status is just fine Sam however I can readily understand why yours is on the floor. As to…” Jul 27, 19:31
Aidan on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Most of that list (primarily elderly academics) will be long-since retired by the time there is any chance of Scotland…” Jul 27, 19:04
100%Yes on The Nobodies: “Willie, I don’t have a X account so whats the breaking news?” Jul 27, 18:41
DaveL on The Nobodies: “Strangely enough I was trying to think of that Labour guy’s name the other day, I was pretty sure it…” Jul 27, 18:29
Effijy on The Nobodies: “I think this is the 19th Change of leadership for London’s North Accounting Office, sometimes referred to as Scotland not…” Jul 27, 18:27
Dan on The Nobodies: “Who really cares about the mainstream “Scottish” political parties pissing about in the poundshop devolved Parliament, they just seem to…” Jul 27, 18:27
Joan Savage on The Nobodies: “Excellent comment” Jul 27, 18:19
Northcode on The Nobodies: ““Number 10 North” is a slogan, not a shift in power. A new office in Manchester doesn’t rebalance the constitution……” Jul 27, 18:10
Craig on The Nobodies: “Great picture, made reading the article much more interesting. ?” Jul 27, 18:10
willie on The Nobodies: “It’ll not be the House of Lords that Nicola Sturgeon will be going to with US detective Columbo on the…” Jul 27, 18:06
Nicky T Naquetti on The Nobodies: “If the SNP actually wanted independence, instead of simply keeping their jobs for the next 4 or 5 years -…” Jul 27, 18:06
sam on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Mair shite from Chas who, like me, has a deep seated need to feel a rise in social status. Here’s…” Jul 27, 18:04
100%Yes on The Nobodies: “Theirs a lot in the SNP who are envious that they haven’t been selected to go into the house of…” Jul 27, 17:40
Andrea on The Nobodies: “I said this before, but I think it is worth repeating, who would want to be in the SP? OK,…” Jul 27, 17:24
Chas on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Mair shite from the supposedly learned professor. Can I ask, for the umpteenth time, when we are free for the…” Jul 27, 16:44
Alf Baird on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““hard-headed, grounded Scot who prefer a modicum of comfort and prosperity, whilst speaking English”. That’s a fair description of the…” Jul 27, 16:00
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Right, sam, you won’t heed a fair warning, so stronger measures must be taken. As soon as you’ve picked, husked…” Jul 27, 14:39
Aidan on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Now that you are monetising your work, you surely won’t be offering it around on here for free?” Jul 27, 14:32
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “A subtle morph from “racism” to “doctrinal racism” there, Alf. Perhaps the criticisms are having a positive effect – forcing…” Jul 27, 14:29
sam on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Alf, there is psychological need for those you mention to resort to insults. Search Assist “Colonialists often insult others as…” Jul 27, 14:17
Alf Baird on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Yes, thaim whit kens fine thay are in a bad ideological or ethical condition position are aye clear tae see…” Jul 27, 13:44
Spartan 117 on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “A good text with good points, unlike Alf’s rambling pseudointellectual scattershot linked further below.” Jul 27, 13:25
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “@Southernbystander You dirty English basturts know only too well that a 4-feet wide strip of nettles will turn back even…” Jul 27, 13:14
Chas on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Why would any sane individual want to read the repetitive shite that you write Alfie Boy? You actually turn people…” Jul 27, 12:34
