We’ve already posted a shorter and snappier soundbite from this video on our Twitter, but it’s really worth watching the full version here:
Because the body language is remarkable. For three and a half minutes, Neil Gray is completely unable to look his former colleague – an SNP MSP until a few months ago, a fellow government minister until 2022 – in the eye.
He sits stiff as a board, his teeth gritted, his face like thunder, staring directly ahead at the back wall of the studio as Ash Regan patiently and calmly outlines the extremely modest requirements Alba had set out in return for supporting Humza Yousaf and the SNP government in Parliamentary votes of confidence.
And when host Stephen Jardine asks him what exactly was so unreasonable about them, he can’t help himself, and blurts out that it was really all about preventing Alex Salmond from regaining any sort of influence on Scottish politics and insisting that his “rehabilitation” could not be permitted, even if the result of blocking it was the loss of an SNP First Minister and the potential bringing down of an SNP government.
And at this point a fair-minded person might ask: rehabilitation from what, precisely?
So, it being Good Friday, we’re definitely not going to receive our legal opinion before Monday now, so Wings Over Scotland will be shutting down, at least temporarily, on Sunday evening. No posts will be visible on the site and our Twitter account will be either locked down or deactivated while we await advice on whether either can return.
In the meantime you can hear of any developments, or get in touch, on my personal account @RevStu or on @TheGhostOfWings, both of which have had, or are about to have, all their old tweets wiped.
We’re not going to overdramatise, because we hope this is only for a few days. We’re optimistic that the Scottish Government’s abysmal, sinister and totalitarian Hate Crime Act, opposed across every sector of Scottish society and even by the police charged with implementing it, will not put an end to 12 and a half years of political journalism.
There’s a Calvin And Hobbes cartoon we like to post on social media when someone’s got themselves in such a pickle that they’re just flailing around desperately firing off every slogan, argument or insult they can think of to get themselves out of it.
More than three months have passed since Alex Salmond launched a lawsuit against the Scottish Government for its grotesquely botched handling of false allegations of sexual misconduct against him.
With Scottish politics currently in a completely moribund state, as the party of government disintegrates shambolically and the main opposition party keeps its mouth shut and its head down in an attempt to not destroy its newfound and extremely fragile status as a credible alternative, one might imagine that the political media would be desperate for the case to get under way and provide them with some juicy content.
So it’s slightly surprising that none of them has noticed the latest development.
As Twitter followers will have noticed, we’ve been busy this week with an extensive remodelling of Wings HQ, which involved the main computer being out of commission for several days while the office was basically torn down and rebuilt from scratch. (It seemed a good time to do it, given that there’s nothing remotely of interest happening in Scottish politics.)
Unfortunately the lack of activity on the site caused the comments on the last post to degenerate into the most wretched playground shrieking match, so let’s see if we can’t distract the children and talk about something else for a bit.
Particularly alert observers will have noted that Kezia Dugdale, the most spectacularly inept and unsuccessful Scottish political leader in history, this week demitted her role as Director of the John Smith Centre, which she was handed as an incentive to quit Scottish Labour after dragging it to 14% in the opinion polls.
We long ago ran out of words to express the magnitude of the contempt in which the SNP now hold the people of Scotland. Which is unfortunate, because this probably calls for the invention of a whole new scale.
Shall we go through just a few of the more crassly insulting holes in this pitiful excuse for a cover story, just to pass the time while we wait for the former First Minister to appear before the COVID inquiry? We don’t know about you, but we’ve got nothing better to do.
Nicola Sturgeon is due to give her evidence to the COVID inquiry tomorrow – if, of course, she remembers anything. We’re awaiting, open-mouthed in genuine shock, her explanation for this.
Because try as hard as we might, we cannot for the lives of us bring to mind a single possible legitimate justification for a First Minister to do such a thing.
Alert readers may however note that 19 March 2020 was just four days before Alex Salmond was cleared of all charges, and might find themselves pondering the reasons why she might want to be in possession of a cheap disposable text-capable phone at that particular point in time.
The Scottish Government’s website about its controversial and extremely disturbing new “conversion practices” legislation assures citizens that the proposal was formed after consultation with an “Expert Advisory Group”.
But all of a sudden it doesn’t seem to want you to know who they were.
It’s from a 2018 BBC3 documentary called Becoming A Trans Man – Leo. The 15-year-old child in the video plays with a Rubik’s Cube as Wolton, who was 31 at the time, enthusiastically grooms her into transitioning into a “man”, advocating chest binders, a double mastectomy and the irreversible mutilation of her genitalia (“Lower surgery – you want that”) that will, Wolton confirms, lead to her permanent sterilisation, as well as the destruction of her future adult sexual function.
The BBC presents it as a heartwarming tale of friendship.
Alf Baird on The Empty Hearse: ““We do actually need a government behind the movement.” The ‘nationalist’ Scottish Government should be fully supporting the movement’s Liberation…” Aug 2, 09:23
Dan on The Empty Hearse: “@ George Hope you had a braw holiday break and your health is good. That Qualcast sounds like the original…” Aug 2, 08:38
Iain More on The Empty Hearse: “With Laura Mitchell standing as the Woke SNP Candidate in Moray I wont be voting on the Constituency vote for…” Aug 2, 03:05
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Empty Hearse: “Transition formatting garble: Title should be just TROD with no question marks.” Aug 2, 01:41
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Empty Hearse: “TROD?? bhuail glainne fìona an sinc TIFF glass of wine hit the sink” Aug 2, 01:37
Peter McAvoy on The Empty Hearse: “Earlier today I read that the one of Alexander Dennis sites in Scotland has been put up for sale. If…” Aug 2, 01:14
Northcode on The Empty Hearse: ““An optimist will tell you the glass is half-full; the pessimist, half-empty; and the engineer will tell you the glass…” Aug 2, 00:17
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Empty Hearse: “LOMAIRE-FEÒIR Chuala mi lomaire-feòir gu h-àrd anns an adhar a‘ gearradh tron ghuirme. Chunnaic mi air oidhche fhuair fras reòite…” Aug 1, 23:19
sarah on The Empty Hearse: “@ Big Jock: the lack of a political force is why we need to spread the word about the political…” Aug 1, 23:07
Big Jock on The Empty Hearse: “Dan ask yourself this. Are we closer to independence than September 2014? If you are honest the answer is an…” Aug 1, 22:45
George Ferguson on The Empty Hearse: “I was gifted a 1950s Qualcast mower. No engine. Made the lawn look like Wembley. It was heavy roller at…” Aug 1, 22:34
Dan on The Empty Hearse: “The Scottish Government Poundshop Administration of Devolved Powers wanting “a detailed seabird compensation plan”. FFS, I’m pretty sure most Scots…” Aug 1, 22:10
Northcode on The Empty Hearse: ““I disagree with NOT voting at all in the Scottish elections” I appreciate that each of us must form our…” Aug 1, 21:50
Dan on The Empty Hearse: “Sigh. “All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men (and women) to do nothing”… There’s plenty going…” Aug 1, 21:18
Lorn on The Empty Hearse: “I agree, Hatey. However, the independence parties might be hard hit as many people will mistake Corbyn for a socialist…” Aug 1, 21:13
Lorn on The Empty Hearse: “Yes, no votes SNP is the only possible answer. Angus Robertson’s book, ‘Vienna’ is quite brilliant, but, when it comes…” Aug 1, 21:04
George Ferguson on The Empty Hearse: “@Agent X Simply because their higher echelons don’t care for their welfare. My brother is an ex Police Fed guy…” Aug 1, 20:44
Willie on The Empty Hearse: “Just to move to the Sandie Peggie case reports are suggesting that NHS Fife’s legal bill is now nearing £700k…” Aug 1, 20:36
Big Jock on The Empty Hearse: “Like many in the movement. I feel numb with the morass we find ourselves in. I used to post on…” Aug 1, 20:36
agent x on The Empty Hearse: “A charity has been praised after serving more than 18,000 meals to police officers during US President Donald Trump’s visit…” Aug 1, 20:07
agent x on The Empty Hearse: ““If the negotiations aren’t successful, then we’ll move to dissolve the union. It’s perfectly legal to do so.” No explanation…” Aug 1, 18:52
Colin Alexander on The Empty Hearse: “Even simpler for me: No votes for any candidates / parties that will swear fealty to the English Crown /…” Aug 1, 17:48
100%Yes on The Empty Hearse: “It would appear the SNP branches are taking action on Independence. Have a read, not before time. https://grousebeater.wordpress.com/2025/08/01/snp-branches-rebel/” Aug 1, 17:45
The Flying Iron of Doom on The Empty Hearse: “Meet the new carrot, same as the old carrot… 🙄” Aug 1, 17:45
agent x on The Empty Hearse: “Headline: “SNP rebels challenge John Swinney with radical independence plan” “Rebel SNP members have laid down the gauntlet to John…” Aug 1, 17:30
twathater on The Empty Hearse: “Very seldom I disagree with any of your comments NC but I disagree with NOT voting at all in the…” Aug 1, 17:29
George Ferguson on The Empty Hearse: “Sir Keir Starmer is a seasoned barrister apparently accomplished in International Law. He has never heard of Inalienable rights and…” Aug 1, 17:04
Mark Beggan on The Empty Hearse: “Fearghas Kenny Smith article. Thanks for that interesting read. It seems to me the Stuart’s like the Romanovs failed to…” Aug 1, 16:54
James Cheyne on The Empty Hearse: “As far as I can surmise, The Scottish “Claim of Right ” is stating that there was no personal union…” Aug 1, 16:04
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Empty Hearse: “Hi Aidan, I respect the fact that you have academic credentials in International Law. My own formal qualifications are in…” Aug 1, 13:16
