We had, we think it’s only fair to say, extremely low expectations of Nicola Sturgeon’s keynote speech this afternoon to the SNP’s soporific, strangled 2020 non-conference. It seems that members felt the same, because 15 seconds before the speech began only 1,166 of them were logged in to watch it.
The speech she just delivered, though, limboed under those expectations in platform shoes and a stovepipe hat without even grazing the underside of the bar.
In a post last month we referenced a ZX Spectrum computer game from 1984 called “Worse Things Happen At Sea”. Today as we watched the First Minister on the Andrew Marr Show, we were put in mind of another nautical-disaster-themed one from a great deal nearer to the end of the Speccy’s life.
When’s a Plan B not a Plan B? Well, when it’s something that could and should have been done already, and won’t be anywhere near adequate even if delivered.
Yet that seems to be what some colleagues are now arguing for. It’s welcome that their thoughts are at last turning to the possibility of the Tories saying No to the Scottish people’s democratic vote. But it’s happening dangerously slowly as the dismantling of devolution and reintegration into the UK gathers pace. Which’s why the Yes Movement needs to act now, not after a Holyrood election.
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.
Mark Beggan on Cowering From Destiny: “‘You can count on us to stand up for fairness and justice. You can count on us to bring people…” Sep 25, 21:02
Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: “Typical, isn’t is, SBS? They’ve got a chance to put into power somebody who could increase the bust size of…” Sep 25, 21:00
Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: “Colder houses are warmer houses. Damper houses are healthier houses. Men are women. Higher taxes is more spending money in…” Sep 25, 20:44
Southernbystander on Cowering From Destiny: “Interesting stats Sam. Trouble is they are so volatile they could all be reversed by events, then reversed again. The…” Sep 25, 20:42
Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: “@ Alf Baird says: 25 September, 2026 at 9:31 am “a sign that the people may be closer to liberation…” Sep 25, 20:27
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Cowering From Destiny: “AN TEACHDAIRE PÀRLAMAIDEACH (Bilingual Holyrood Newsletter, issue 25 Sept) « […] Tha sinn cuideachd ag aithris air Aithris Bith-iomadachd na…” Sep 25, 20:27
Mark Beggan on Cowering From Destiny: “The Ministry of Truth War is Peace Freedom is Slavery Ignorance is Strength Fear is Hope In the end the…” Sep 25, 19:56
Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: ““in more savage, feudal times preceding modern borders, democracy and government” Hmmm. I don’t quite see what was more savage…” Sep 25, 19:44
Spartan 117 on Cowering From Destiny: “We obviously disagree, however your response is to call democracy and views different to yours as “stupid”. I’m not feart…” Sep 25, 18:54
Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: ““Sovereignty is an absolute. Its restoration ought to be the aim” The unicorn believers are convinced individual Scottish Sovereignty never…” Sep 25, 18:40
Spartan 117 on Cowering From Destiny: “Sums it all up pretty well to be honest, Hatey. It’s easier to sit back on your taxpayer-funded meal ticket…” Sep 25, 18:30
Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: ““Our interest starts and ends at our borders” What can I say? Irrespective of whether the borders you write about…” Sep 25, 18:28
Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: “I guess you won’t have sussed why Swinney, Sturgeon and co are petrified of Indy support rising. Hint: It’s the…” Sep 25, 18:09
Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: “@Marie says: 25 September, 2026 at 10:08 am “The future is Eurasian” You’ll be able to get surgery to sort…” Sep 25, 17:57
Spartan 117 on Cowering From Destiny: “Yes, I do have a bit of a bee in my bonnet about it. I’m not ignorant of what Ru**ia…” Sep 25, 16:40
Spartan 117 on Cowering From Destiny: ““When Scotland sorts out the underhand economic plunder from our land we too will have a very positive and valuable…” Sep 25, 16:24
lothianlad on Cowering From Destiny: “Swinney and co are petrified of Independence support rising! They are captured by the british state! Make no mistake, Sturgeon…” Sep 25, 15:50
Spartan 117 on Cowering From Destiny: ““Reform have the capacity to be highly authoritarian” Another one asleep since 1997. Were you in a coma post-9/11, during…” Sep 25, 15:40
sam on Cowering From Destiny: “You might be interested in this, published on Sept. 14th. Yougov survey. ( Both online.Pollcheck did not include Yougov in…” Sep 25, 15:03
Frank Gillougley on Cowering From Destiny: “you’d have to submit an FOI request, mate.” Sep 25, 14:23
Southernbystander on Cowering From Destiny: “It stands to reason that a Westminster government even more unpopular in Scotland than present would boost support for independence.…” Sep 25, 14:15
Captain Caveman on Cowering From Destiny: “As a matter of interest, just how “sovereign” do you think a small country with no military to speak of…” Sep 25, 12:46
TURABDIN on Cowering From Destiny: “Maybe time to stop talking about independence and speak of sovereignty instead. A country may be notionally independent but does…” Sep 25, 12:24
Aidan on Cowering From Destiny: “About 5,000 people a year die from tuberculosis in your beloved Ru**ia. More than get pushes out of windows for…” Sep 25, 10:11
Marie on Cowering From Destiny: “Correct Professor. “freefall and rapid socio-economic decline”. The future is Eurasian.” Sep 25, 10:08
BLMac on Cowering From Destiny: ““The party also regularly tells us that to actually achieve independence, support would have to build to an overwhelming consensus…” Sep 25, 10:06
Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: “Bullshit, Alf. After 40 years of deliberate destruction, these industries, jobs and added value chains aren’t coming back in our…” Sep 25, 09:59
Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: “They’re already telling us that AI will render millions of us unemployed and unemployable. Seems that most of us aren’t…” Sep 25, 09:49
Alf Baird on Cowering From Destiny: ““That used to be a big thing for Scotland and the UK, back in the day. Did we export more…” Sep 25, 09:41
