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.
Mike Russell, currently at the centre of controversy over his appointment as chair of the Scottish Land Commission, hit the political big stage during Scotland’s first ever SNP administration under Alex Salmond, whom, in turn, Mike had previously seen into office as Salmond’s campaign manager.
In 2007 he was appointed as Minister for Environment, then in 2009 he became the Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution, and his conventional ministerial career concluded when he went on to replace Fiona Hyslop as Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning until the end of 2014.
Following the 2014 independence vote, the pre-referendum era ended with Salmond’s dignified (albeit temporary) stage exit; Nicola Sturgeon took the helm and began to reform what had been left to her by her predecessor.
A core pillar of Sturgeon’s centrist reform was the construction of an almost entirely opaque ivory tower of power from which both SNP and the state would run their covert affairs with subversive, centralizing, strong-arm granularity, cleverly camouflaging its sinister implications from the public through cult-of-personality media management.
Instrumental in this, among a very few select others, was Mike Russell.
It’s rather apt that this happened on the last day of the calendar. Because it truly is the rock-bottom moment in the grotesquely sullied history of the Scottish National Party.
We’ve heard that line somewhere before, haven’t we?
The Herald has the barest skeleton of a report, while you have to turn to page 14 of the Daily Record for a similar piece that conveys the basic facts with nothing at all about the significance of the ruling, and STV News – embarrassingly – just runs an agency release despite having the estimable Colin Mackay and Bernard Ponsonby on its staff. (They also had nothing on air last night.) Maybe they were busy.
The Scottish Sun is by far the best of the print media on the subject. It first ran a extensive but very strangely-timed article that included reporting of actual events at the hearing but NOT the verdict, even though the court delivered its judgement mere moments after hearing the counsels’ submissions.
(The piece finishes “The appeal at the Court of Session is expected to last one day, with a written judgement taking weeks or months”.)
It followed up a couple of hours later with another substantial story including the reactions of the Scottish Government and the Scottish Information Commissioner (the opposing parties at the hearing). But the only actual analysis was done by the BBC.
To the surprise of most of those watching, including ourselves, the Court Of Session delivered its judgement immediately at the end of today’s hearing, after only the most cursory of conflabs between the three august panel members.
The short version is that the Scottish Government lost, and must now comply with Wings reader Benjamin Harrop‘s FOI request regarding evidence that was supplied to independent adviser James Hamilton during his inquiry into the unlawful investigation of false allegations against Alex Salmond.
The Scottish Government will make history tomorrow. For the first time ever since the advent of devolution 24 years ago, it will take the Scottish Information Commissioner to the Court Of Session to prevent disclosure of information.
On the bench will be the full firepower of the inner council of the Scottish judiciary. The Lord President himself, Lord Carloway, will be presiding (and presumably lording) over the hearing. Joining him on the bench will be a former Lord Advocate, Lord Boyd, and a former Solicitor General, Lord Pentland – pictured below, and of whom readers will last have heard here.
To use the legal parlance, that’s a big-boy lineup.
To present their case, the Government are fielding not one but two King’s Counsel – James Mure KC and Paul Reid KC.
This top legal talent does not come cheap and nor does a Court Of Session hearing. So what is this vital information that the Scottish Government – which as recently as May this year pledged to “ensure that we are the most transparent Government on these islands” – is trying so desperately to hide from the Scottish public, at the Scottish public’s very considerable expense?
The average prison term for rape in Scotland is just under seven years. So we really don’t want to think about what Andrew “Amy George” Miller did to the poor young girl he abducted to get 20. (Indeed, strictly speaking 28.)
Miller wasn’t charged with rape, the 11-year-old was described as “safe and well” when the police found her and she was missing for just over one day. Miller also entered a guilty plea. So our blood runs cold at the thought of what must have happened in those 27 hours to nevertheless attract such a huge sentence, and we hope never to know.
As alert readers will have noticed, Wings has been perusing the SNP’s Governance And Transparency Review over the last couple of days, a document which tentatively attempts to discern just how big a mess the party’s previous leadership has left it in.
The paper has now also reached the mainstream media.
Wings already touched on that particular aspect of the party’s mismanagement back in August, but in the light of the report now formally acknowledging the problem it’s worth taking a moment to establish just how astonishingly bad it is.
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
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “That’s quite a segue, Alf. I clicked the link to be met with a demand for payment in Yankee dollars.…” Jul 27, 12:04
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““The actual electorate were minor players in the affair and had no statutory right to vote until 1955” Sorry, but…” Jul 27, 11:47
Alf Baird on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““Strangers are just friends you haven’t yet met” Much like critical theory fowk hivna read yet: https://pocketmags.com/us/iscot-magazine/issue-82/articles/the-theoretical-case-for-scottish-independence” Jul 27, 11:46
Onlooker on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Lorncal: ‘debunked’…’a nice thought’… Incredible the mental gymnast lengths you’ll go to to avoid any sort of giving of a…” Jul 27, 11:25
John Cleary on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Hatey, you seem to forget that the 1951 election came just over one year after Labour had won the 1950…” Jul 27, 11:12
diabloandco on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Having watched disgusting footage of the weekends ‘protest’ I would wonder at the phrase ‘Glasgow the friendly city’ I wonder…” Jul 27, 10:43
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““Churchill was returned to power in order to usher in the second Elizabethan Age” So the majority of the British…” Jul 27, 10:03
John Cleary on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Churchill was returned to power in order to usher in the second Elizabethan Age. From 1952 onwards all Parliamentarians, judges…” Jul 27, 09:18
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Good question, Auld Lochnagar. Seeing as how we’re focusing on the irrelevant, why do you think Churchill was returned to…” Jul 27, 08:30
Minceheid on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Lorncal says: 26 July, 2026 at 7:46 pm Minceheid: it’s fire-raising in Scotland. No such crime as arson up here.…” Jul 27, 05:51
Dave Llewellyn on The Wheels Of Industry: “Turnover in 2024 was £300000. Not bad for a dormant company. ( see Companies House ). And if they want…” Jul 27, 02:36
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Northern Visions NVTV interview in Irish with English subtitles. Fionntan de Brun speaks to Seimi Mac Aindreasa in the studio…” Jul 27, 01:12
Young Lochinvar on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “MB You clearly are unfamiliar with the concept of asymmetric warfare. Perhaps you’ve been reading Hateys pieces too much and…” Jul 27, 00:43
Young Lochinvar on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “MB You clearly were never there. I assure you the streets in West Belfast had names that remain imprinted in…” Jul 27, 00:23
Mark Beggan on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “This is a public platform. We don’t want to know what you have done to your genitals.” Jul 26, 21:45
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “THE CRISIS IN HUMANIST POLITICAL THEORY by Herman Dooyeweerd PDF: https://vcho.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/The-Crisis-in-Humanist-Political-Theory-B-Vol-7.pdf” Jul 26, 19:49
Lorncal on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Minceheid: it’s fire-raising in Scotland. No such crime as arson up here. Not trying to be smart or putting you…” Jul 26, 19:46
