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A Danger To Women 52

Posted on September 23, 2024 by

As we write this article, Sandy Brindley (on the left of the picture below) is still in post as the CEO of Rape Crisis Scotland.

For as long as that remains the case, rape victims in Scotland will not be safe.

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Say What You See 142

Posted on September 20, 2024 by

Don’t say we don’t tell you, readers.

Because we do tell you.

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The Land Of Immunity 101

Posted on September 12, 2024 by

Astonishingly, there isn’t a single word of apology anywhere in this statement.

There isn’t a scintilla of contrition, not the tiniest glimmer of admission of culpability or responsibility. There isn’t even a weasel-worded expression of “regret”.

Rape Crisis Scotland is unfit for purpose, and its CEO must resign.

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Coming Yet 63

Posted on September 09, 2024 by

The dogged persistence of alert Wings contributor Benjamin Harrop with regard to the Hamilton inquiry has been truly heroic, and today it has borne fruit in dramatic style.

The 10-page adjudication from the Scottish Information Commissioner that you can download by clicking that image is a somewhat labyrinthine (but fascinating) read, but the upshot of it is that the Commissioner has now ordered the Scottish Government to release all of the legal advice it was given with regard to its refusal to publish the written evidence submitted to James Hamilton for his inquiry into the events around the alleged conspiracy to falsely convict Alex Salmond of sexual assaults.

(See, even that one-sentence summary was quite hard going.)

But why does that matter and what does it mean?

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All The Rainbows In The Sky 125

Posted on September 02, 2024 by

There may, readers, be a connection between this:

and this:

But the key fact about the SNP is the same either way.

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The casual hand grenade 79

Posted on August 30, 2024 by

We’ve just watched a hearing at the Court Of Session with regard to Alex Salmond’s civil claim against the Scottish Government. It was an ostensibly minor one, in which Salmond’s team were requesting a sist (pause) in the case for the fourth time, on the grounds of a number of ongoing police inquiries related to the events around the claim.

For most of the time Wings was the only journalist in a (virtual) room full of lawyers – although a couple of Scottish Daily Mail hacks turned up midway through – and we got to hear a dramatic surprise revelation.

James Hynd is a civil servant who was head of the Scottish Government’s cabinet, parliament and governance division during the inquiry.

(And he may still be – he’s a man with a microscopic digital footprint, and pretty much every piece of what little there is to be found concerns the inquiry. Indeed, the same is true of his entire department, which is extremely publicity-shy.)

But the hearing revealed for the first time that Hynd is currently subject to a criminal investigation by Police Scotland, with the name Operation Broadcroft, on suspicion of the serious crime of “wilfully making false statements on oath” to the inquiry.

And the ramifications of that extend much further than Mr Hynd himself.

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One Just Man 73

Posted on July 24, 2024 by

David Davis may be the last of his kind – a libertarian Tory from a council-scheme and grammar-school background, and also one of the few remaining big beasts occupying the political jungle of the back benches.

(He could in fact have been Tory leader, and would have been if David Cameron and George Osborne hadn’t teamed up to defeat him in 2005 after he won the first ballot.)

He resigned from Cameron’s shadow cabinet in June 2008 on a principled issue of civil liberties (winning the subsequent by-election with a massive 72% of the vote) and from Theresa May’s Cabinet over Brexit, and he was one of a tiny handful of MPs prepared to defend Julian Assange from extradition.

And in 2022 it was Davis who rose from the back benches to tell Boris Johnson to “in the name of God, go”.

So on the rare occasions when he leads a Commons adjournment debate, as he did last Thursday evening, those with an educated eye for politics sit up and take notice.

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Let Justice Be Done 307

Posted on July 18, 2024 by

You should probably watch the whole of this speech by Sir David Davis this evening, even if you saw the trailer three and a quarter years ago.

It’s both a comprehensive refresher of events surrounding the Scottish Government’s conspiracy to convict Alex Salmond on false charges, and a sharp reminder of why Scotland is, in truth, not yet a country in a fit administrative state for independence.

But one part in particular ought to be the headline news tonight.

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As far as they can take it 354

Posted on June 09, 2024 by

Particularly alert readers may recall this from a few months ago:

An SNP pledge? About independence? Bound to be kept, then, right?

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Agents Of Change 122

Posted on June 04, 2024 by

We’re going to be really, REALLY generous and not quibble about the “us”.

Because it’s not even nearly the funniest thing here.

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Contractual obligations 99

Posted on May 24, 2024 by

We suppose we should talk about the general election for a bit.

It’s going to be awful. Will that do?

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The Groomers’ Union 117

Posted on May 06, 2024 by

We were going to write a follow-up piece to this last week, until the SNP detonated a hand-grenade in its own trouser pocket. But with the coronation of John Swinney this afternoon after the only challenger sold out for some shiny beads and trinkets, we can get back to some serious news.

The controversial charity LGBT Youth Scotland, which has been involved in a number of serious child sexual abuse scandals, continues to exert considerable influence on Scotland’s education system, thanks to extremely lavish funding from taxpayers – well over a million pounds from hard-pressed councils in the last year alone to address unspecified issues whose urgency is difficult to identify.

After our last piece we sent LGBTYS a letter raising our concerns about their improper interference with primary schools, something we were obliged to do before we could file a formal complaint with Scotland’s charity regulator, the OSCR.

We received an automated reply on 24 April saying “We are currently experiencing staff shortages and it may take up to a week to respond to your email.”

That deadline expired five days ago, and we will now be writing to the OSCR. But in the meantime LGBTYS persists in exceeding its remit, with deeply alarming results.

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    • Hatey McHateface on Coping with change: “12 hours, Geri. Remember, he’s half Scottish. Do the math!Oct 8, 15:58
    • Geri on Coping with change: “He’ll solve it in 24 hours cause he has no choice. He’s discovered he isn’t fighting defenceless unarmed civilians &…Oct 8, 15:26
    • Republicofscotland on Coping with change: “GB Energy, won’t reduce your electricity bills – it will however – use public money to help subsides the energy…Oct 8, 15:22
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    • sarah on Coping with change: “It was obvious, Mac. I believe from previous comments that AA is not a supporter of Scotland regaining its rightful…Oct 8, 14:14
    • Mac on Coping with change: “No not really. I was being sarcastic about Swinney. He’s a useless cunt. I thought would be obvious!Oct 8, 13:53
    • Geri on The whole caboodle: “I remember when I first started commenting rather than lurking & that one didn’t exactly lay out the welcome mat.…Oct 8, 13:36
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    • Geri on Coping with change: “Aye as Kev, the dug food salesman said, a long time ago, its mean not to share. It was akin…Oct 8, 13:09
    • James on Things happen slowly: “Erm, what Scottish international container port does all the whisky depart from then, Aidan?Oct 8, 12:57
    • Upteenth Steve on Coping with change: “Any chance of blacker writing? Gray on white is very cool and all that but black on white is easier…Oct 8, 12:26
    • Dan on Coping with change: “1st point: You overlook that some folk did stand as non-party affiliated candidates in the recent GE. They were always…Oct 8, 12:09
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    • Ruby on Coping with change: “It’s an improvement on the old system. Not too keen on the ‘Awaiting for approval’ malarky but that’s the price…Oct 8, 11:42
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    • Dode on The whole caboodle: “Isolationist is a word beloved of unionists, is it nor?Oct 8, 11:11
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    • Alan Austin on Coping with change: “Really?? A FM who thinks if his mate steals £11,500 from the Scottish Electorate its ok if he pays it…Oct 8, 11:05
    • Cuilean on Things happen slowly: ““Things happen slowly, then all at once”. I hope so. But I have little faith left in the Crown Office…Oct 8, 10:36
    • Mac on Coping with change: “As for Trump, he is resembling Inspector Clouseau bumbling his way around avoiding a series of comical assassination attempts through…Oct 8, 10:33
    • Hatey McHateface on Coping with change: “Good summary, Mac. NOT!!! Please step away from anything to do with running Scotland in the real world. I don’t…Oct 8, 10:26
    • Geri on Coping with change: “You’re obsessed. & No it isn’t an accurate description. They were continually offered a peace deal from day one. He’s…Oct 8, 10:15
    • Mac on Coping with change: “Seems to me like the Ir@nians were demonstrating two key things in the space of a few days of each…Oct 8, 09:59
    • Hatey McHateface on Coping with change: “That’s an accurate summary of Pres P in para 1, Geri. After that you kinda lost it. You need to…Oct 8, 09:51
    • Garavelli Princip on Things happen slowly: “That makes sense, Harry. And reassuring – if that’s what happens!Oct 8, 09:50
    • Geri on Coping with change: “A few months ago the deranged one said he’d just initiate a scorched earth policy. Like a demented teenager not…Oct 8, 09:41
    • Hatey McHateface on Coping with change: “for years I’ve suggested non-party affiliated local candidates genuinely representing their specific constituent’s needs would be a better way to…Oct 8, 09:26
    • Hatey McHateface on Coping with change: “Congrats on steering the subject back to the usual. I hadn’t heard of this unusual event, nor of its conspiracy-themed…Oct 8, 09:14
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