The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


Archive for the ‘comment’


Of no materiality 351

Posted on May 27, 2020 by

We’ve just learned that we’ve lost the appeal over our defamation by the then-Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale, when she repeatedly and publicly made the appalling, damaging and wholly untrue smear that I was a homophobe, even though the appeal judges all agreed with the original sheriff that the smear was false and defamatory.

But when it comes to deciding the verdict in a defamation case, it seems that the fact that absolutely everyone agrees I was definitely defamed is, to borrow a phrase from later in the judgement,“of no materiality”.

Read the rest of this entry →

Is it safe? 784

Posted on May 23, 2020 by

Another problem solved 454

Posted on May 21, 2020 by

When the news isn’t news:

Lots of Scottish newspapers (most notably everything in the Herald And Times Group) had already ducked out of providing ABC figures at all, but this will be a godsend for the rest to save their growing embarrassment.

Wings readers can remember the pitiful state of the last published figures here.

In the hands of others 121

Posted on May 20, 2020 by

On the 1st of January, Chinese authorities took the decision to close the Wuhan food market. The following day, 41 admitted hospital patients in Wuhan, were confirmed to have contracted 2019-nCoV (novel coronavirus) which we now know as COVID-19.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a New Year message, from the private island of Mustique in the Caribbean, that the “first item” on his agenda remained his commitment to take Britain out of the EU by the end of January.

Within weeks the virus had spread across the world to many countries including Italy, Germany, Australia, the USA and of course the UK.

Read the rest of this entry →

A bit of spot colour 141

Posted on May 19, 2020 by

We thought readers might be interested in a small update on yesterday’s post. As we told you, Graham Shields – the Head of Strategic Communications and Engagement at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service who fobbed off our complaint about newspapers enabling the identification of sexual assault accusers – was the editor of the Evening Times until he was let go in December 2017.

Which is just two months after this happened:

So you’d think that if anyone knew what jigsaw identification looked like, he would.

Token offerings 354

Posted on May 16, 2020 by

Image adjustment 142

Posted on May 15, 2020 by

We lost a few quid to Graham Linehan at poker this afternoon and we needed a wee bit of cheering up, so God bless the SNP Twitler Youth for coming to our rescue.

Okay, now we’re worried.

Read the rest of this entry →

Our enemies among us 278

Posted on May 14, 2020 by

There’s a great quote from one of the founders of the SNP that Yes types are fond of using in response to the endless onslaught of brainless Unionist accusations that the independence movement is “anti-English”.

But we had no suspicion of just how remarkably true it was until now.

Read the rest of this entry →

The object of power 361

Posted on May 11, 2020 by

We were a bit startled to be leaked this early draft from the 2021 SNP manifesto:

We’re sure it’ll be softened up a bit in the editing process.

Read the rest of this entry →

The fifth column revealed 131

Posted on May 09, 2020 by

Just an SNP activist tonight, saying that it doesn’t matter whether there’s a majority for independence in the Scottish Parliament or not, and that it’s undemocratic for a new pro-indy party to stand democratically for election like any other and take seats from Unionists (as long as the SNP hold power in the devolved administration, of course).

Other SNP activists, meanwhile, are already openly trying to dig dirt and undermine the women leading the new party, which is only planning to contest list seats and therefore poses no threat to the SNP whatsoever. Does anyone still think the current SNP care about independence, rather than power?

In lockstep 147

Posted on May 09, 2020 by

Neck and neck 131

Posted on May 05, 2020 by

We’re so underwhelmed and nonplussed by this information that to be honest it barely even occurred to us to write it up, but here we go anyway:

Read the rest of this entry →

  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,975 Posts, 1,250,229 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • Spartan 117 on Anything But That: “Well, yes. This is the problem. There needs to be a cogent, logical and factual argument as to the benefits…Sep 3, 10:02
    • Hatey McHateface on Anything But That: “Agreed 100% Considering how much worse things are in the UK and Scotland than they were the last time, this…Sep 3, 09:57
    • Spartan 117 on Anything But That: “Indeed, Call Me Dave campaigned for Remain (which was the official Government policy of the time) and promptly scarpered when…Sep 3, 09:56
    • Hatey McHateface on Anything But That: “MH 8:47 Cleared your plate, eh? Thicko twat numpty. Ye’re nae meant tae eat the shell 🙂Sep 3, 09:52
    • Hatey McHateface on Anything But That: “Mussels thrive in polluted, shitty water, rapidly converting the effluent into succulent, delicious seafood. The trick, if you wish to…Sep 3, 09:48
    • Rob on Anything But That: “It is this sort of conspiracy led guff that turns folk away from independence. The only way to get another…Sep 3, 09:42
    • James Che on Anything But That: “At the time of the treaty of union in 1707, England as a Country not have a written Constitution, At…Sep 3, 09:41
    • factchecker on Anything But That: “Good Lord, James Che, where to start? Perhaps a simple, demonstrable piece of rubbish. “Perhaps we should keep re running…Sep 3, 09:23
    • James Che on Anything But That: “Scotland as the only other Country in the treaty of union if ot a hoax that created the Great Britain…Sep 3, 08:54
    • Minceheid on Anything But That: “Captain Caveman says: 3 September, 2026 at 7:44 am @Dan I can see your point to a degree. I was…Sep 3, 08:47
    • James Che on Anything But That: “When you know your elections have been interfered with and are told they were openly. Then those results are not…Sep 3, 08:37
    • James Che on Anything But That: “It is an interesting scenario that Scots keep getting what did not vote for, but being told they did vote…Sep 3, 08:21
    • Captain Caveman on Anything But That: “*Sorry – meant to say only eat oysters, mussels etc. when then *IS* an R in the month (i.e. autumn,…Sep 3, 08:17
    • James Che on Anything But That: “Who do we vote for in Scotland,? It appears does not matter much anymore, as we don’t get to count…Sep 3, 07:58
    • Captain Caveman on Anything But That: “@Dan I can see your point to a degree. I was always told not to eat bivalves like oysters, clams…Sep 3, 07:44
    • Young Lochinvar on Anything But That: “I Assuming that is that you are actually on X..Sep 2, 22:47
    • Insider on Anything But That: “ask mummy to show you how to click on the “x”Sep 2, 22:08
    • DaveL on Anything But That: “It doesn’t say much for me except ‘give us a pound’.Sep 2, 21:23
    • Young Lochinvar on Anything But That: “P Couldn’t read it all as I don’t and won’t subscribe to the Tories favourite comic. And let’s be honest;…Sep 2, 21:20
    • Young Lochinvar on Anything But That: “S Good stuff, need to pop over and see it.Sep 2, 21:11
    • Phil on Anything But That: “This says it all. https://spectator.com/article/when-will-scottish-nationalists-come-clean-about-devolution/Sep 2, 21:07
    • Young Lochinvar on Anything But That: “CC/ Dan Haven’t been fishing Wolf Clyde this year as Mrs YL has been poorly (but improving). I really miss…Sep 2, 20:16
    • Dan on Anything But That: “@ CC Sod eating quite so many molluscs that will be filtering and capturing so much of the effluent and…Sep 2, 19:45
    • Hatey McHateface on Anything But That: “I thought one of the purposes of AI data centres is to eventually route everything you try to do online…Sep 2, 18:18
    • twathater on Anything But That: “TURABDIN how dare you insult a magnificent depiction of history, next you will be saying that it is nothing but…Sep 2, 18:10
    • Hatey McHateface on Anything But That: “I’ve met a few Normans in my time and every one was a busturt so yes, send them back. Daves…Sep 2, 18:10
    • Captain Caveman on Anything But That: “East End Essex here. 🙂 Never done jellied eels, pie and mash is OK but wouldn’t seek it out. Always…Sep 2, 17:22
    • sarah on Anything But That: “Yes, Billie. And conference went along with the change of rules – it used to need 100 signatures with signatories…Sep 2, 17:05
    • Spartan 117 on Anything But That: “Careful, you’re applying logic to the illogical. The Siol nan Gaidheal activists will be along shortly to give you what…Sep 2, 16:43
    • Southernbystander on Anything But That: “You read some strange stuff on here but this comment is one of the oddest. You think England should still…Sep 2, 16:27
  • A tall tale



↑ Top