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.
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.
James Che on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “Even the treaty of union states the people of Scotland are Sovereign in that they have their own private rights…” Aug 17, 18:22
James Che on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “The realisation of what you know and what is legal in Scotland. The devolved parliament and those who claim they…” Aug 17, 18:08
Alf Baird on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: ““this has the British state all over it” Indeed, and Frantz Fanon explained the inner workings of a colonial justice…” Aug 17, 18:03
James Che on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “And in Scotland the devolved parliament is not a Sovereign entity nor those that sail under that banner, The people…” Aug 17, 17:54
James Che on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “Where do you go once discovered that there is no official crown office in Scotland due to the treaty of…” Aug 17, 17:49
Frank Gillougley on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “The sooner they put the Scottish parliament building up for sale the better. It’d make quite an impressive second-hand furniture…” Aug 17, 17:14
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: ““GORGON HEAD OF POWER” Extracts from ‘The Crisis in Humanist Political Theory’ (1931) by Herman Dooyeweerd: « In his work…” Aug 17, 17:14
Aidan on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “I’m going to say that this is very unlikely to be true Northcode, Roddy Dunlop only has the information that…” Aug 17, 17:08
Northcode on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “You’ve put forward a reasonable question. Here’s an answer that might help clarify things. Signing off accounts does not meet…” Aug 17, 15:55
sarah on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “Without restoring Scotland’s independence, we will never have a chance to rectify the corruption of our various institutions. We needn’t…” Aug 17, 15:42
ALANM on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “This case provides further evidence of a phenomenon which has been growing rapidly since the start of the century. I…” Aug 17, 15:36
cirsium on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “Rev – I thought that the fact that Scotland is not currently fit to be an independent nation again was…” Aug 17, 15:30
100%Yes on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “The noose around Scotland neck is Holyrood and thinko’s who work their.” Aug 17, 15:29
Graf Midgehunter on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: ““It makes no sense to me that here is the golden opportunity to rid the UK of the Scottish national…” Aug 17, 15:18
Heather McLean on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “Unfortunately Scotland is a banana republic without the actual bonus of bananas. The contempt for the people of Scotland is…” Aug 17, 15:11
Ian Smith on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “It was a big achievement to push the Murrell court date past the election, and hardly likely to be a…” Aug 17, 15:07
Skip_NC on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “Because with Holyrood there is the pretence that we have some control over our own affairs. Without it, the truth…” Aug 17, 15:06
100%Yes on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “McDuff, I quite agree, the British state knows and is involved. Sturgeon is being protected. Independence isn’t going to die…” Aug 17, 14:50
Hatey McHateface on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: ““you have nothing worth fighting for” What tripe. It’s worth fighting for the establishment of a system of justice that…” Aug 17, 14:46
robertkknight on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “… let’s face it. If the SNP were prosecuted on what is clearly an open and shut case and were…” Aug 17, 14:32
TURABDIN on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “THE WORLD of do as you Please. https://nypost.com/2026/08/17/us-news/trump-warns-us-will-bomb-the-s-t-out-of-oman-if-they-interfere-in-strait-of-hormuz-conflict/ Greenland is safe….for the moment. «If you don’t have justice as a…” Aug 17, 14:23
Northcode on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “The Dean of Faculty tells us that he believes the crime of embezzlement has been committed in the case of…” Aug 17, 14:19
McDuff on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “Quite agree. I find it just a tad strange that when questions were being asked about the missing Indy Ref…” Aug 17, 14:17
robertkknight on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “The only conclusion to draw is that Swinney’s weasel worded 100-second confession had previously been given in private to Police…” Aug 17, 14:15
desimond on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “Apropos of nothing… How much has Scottish Police budget increased in last 12 years: In cash terms, the policing budget…” Aug 17, 14:04
Hatey McHateface on Believers In The Ruins: “As always, sam, lack of demographic analysis of the respondents answers renders these statistics meaningless. As always, sam, you know…” Aug 17, 14:02
macdonut69 on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: ““It [Wings previous letter] does not identify any significant new information that was not available to investigators at the time”…” Aug 17, 13:51
