Facebook is essentially unsearchable (which in itself is a pretty good reason not to trust anyone who does the majority of their work on it), and even when we went to the Believe In Scotland page and scrolled down and down and down and down for an eternity, it was impossible to find.
But eventually we had a brainwave and searched the site’s pictures for the one used in the Express and found the post. He really said it. And it needs some examination.
The SNP have been all over the place since Wednesday’s judgement of the Supreme Court. Astonishingly, the party hadn’t prepared an agreed line in the event of the Court ruling against it, with the result that various party figures had popped up with all sorts of different versions of what a supposed plebiscite election would mean.
Let’s get straight to the point: this is a straight-up categorical lie.
Since Wednesday’s events there’s been a lot of chatter and confusion on social media about whether the Scottish Government has the ability to trigger a snap Holyrood election and use it as a de facto plebiscite on independence.
The short answer, as we told you yesterday, is “officially no, in practice yes”. But that needs a bit of further explanation, so as usual let’s do the job of actual journalism that nobody else in Scotland can apparently be bothered to.
As a rule I try not to respond to the literally dozens of deranged attacks on this site that are posted by James Kelly of Scot Goes Pop, but I really dislike being called a liar so I’m going to take a moment for this one.
James appears to have taken extraordinary offence to a two-paragraph stats post I put up to mark Wings’ 11th birthday this week, and has written two purple-faced rants about it. So for the record’s sake I’m going to comply with his demand as best I can.
Honestly, readers, swear to God, all joking and sarcasm aside, when we saw this tweet yesterday we were wondering how on Earth some clever satirist had managed to hack Anas Sarwar’s account to insert the screenshot into it.
Because we didn’t believe that even Scottish Labour’s low-watt-bulb of a branch manager would willingly post something that made him look so much of an imbecile.
Even when you’re retired, some things are too journalistically offensive to let pass, such as this piece of absolute garbage we just saw from The National today.
The paper’s anonymous reporter set off all our red warning lights at once.
The first part is certainly true, as it has been of pretty much every Tory Prime Minister of the last 40 years. But the second part simply isn’t borne out by the facts.
Above (click to enlarge) is the graph of Yes polling since Johnson became PM. It shows support for independence FALLING from 52% to 49% during his term in office.
Mark Beggan on Spot The Problem: “Well for starters get your own patter. ” These people” who are these people? and more to the point what…” Aug 28, 02:27
Alan Scott on Spot The Problem: “It’s quite simple you vote them out. If you don’t then the responsibility is yours. Unfortunately the very clever system…” Aug 28, 00:38
Saffron Robe on Spot The Problem: “In the absence of any meaningful separation of powers, it would seem that only a constitutional crisis can bring about…” Aug 28, 00:26
Rob on Spot The Problem: “Do you know, I am pretty sick of the “colonists” are to blame for everything, the union was illegal, the…” Aug 27, 23:45
Dan on Spot The Problem: “Desperate stuff from the site prick there as he tries to deny, ignore and gloss over the massive influence and…” Aug 27, 23:03
robertkknight on Spot The Problem: “Red… “But surely there must be at least one Labour, Liberal, Reform or Tory MSP who isn’t part of the…” Aug 27, 22:24
Hatey McHateface on You’ll Have Had Your Supper: “Ah, James, how I envy you. You will go to your final rest blissfully convinced that one day, Scots will…” Aug 27, 22:11
100%Yes on Spot The Problem: “The National doesn’t make good reading for people wanting Independence or the SNP membership. It states “SNP members’ fury as…” Aug 27, 22:05
Hatey McHateface on Spot The Problem: ““there is no way the pro-union MSM or “Newspapers” will publish the kind of journalism you get on Wings” The…” Aug 27, 21:54
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Spot The Problem: “LAWYERING WITHOUT LAW (1 May 2026) “What Does Legal Authoritarianism Look Like?” www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdG5J4saY3A” Aug 27, 21:53
James on You’ll Have Had Your Supper: “Jappy again; “Scotland’s real riches do lie in energy. The country exports 24% of its surplus electricity south of the…” Aug 27, 21:48
Spartan 117 on Spot The Problem: “Dan & Robert – I can’t disagree with anything in your posts. All good points.” Aug 27, 21:29
Hatey McHateface on You’ll Have Had Your Supper: “The examples provided by all those formerly colonised shitholes suggest your claim doesn’t universally apply. As does the hundreds of…” Aug 27, 21:25
James Barr Gardner on Spot The Problem: “https://www.google.com/url?esrc=s&q=&rct=j&sa=U&url=https://handbook.fca.org.uk/handbook/fcg6&ved=2ahUKEwjtoueTz8GWAxWcWUEAHesdBM4QFnoECAUQAg&usg=AOvVaw0Uq372Zk8zIhKKGuz2zL81 Remember the SNP are a COMPANY !” Aug 27, 21:16
Hatey McHateface on Spot The Problem: ““Certainly makes you think about ” drill baby drill “” All those folks with gas or oil heating, or petrol…” Aug 27, 21:11
gm on Spot The Problem: “I am no longer living in hope.” Aug 27, 21:03
robertkknight on Spot The Problem: “Spartan… Well, if it was good enough for Burgess, Maclean and Philby to piss off to Moscow, then why not…” Aug 27, 20:57
Dan on Spot The Problem: “Spartan 117 says: at 6:13 pm “A good analogy, except for the unavoidable fact that it’s our own fellow Scots…” Aug 27, 20:48
Hatey McHateface on Spot The Problem: “C’moan, Marie! Spill the beans. Dinna be leaving us hanging. If they believed you were important enough to “neutralise” they…” Aug 27, 20:46
Saffron Robe on You’ll Have Had Your Supper: “Scotland will never flourish under the Union because it is an enforced dependency; a suppression of natural development. A country…” Aug 27, 20:30
willie on Spot The Problem: “To change the dial a tad I’ve just been watching the horrendous pictures of the Himalaya floods arising from melting…” Aug 27, 20:26
gm on Spot The Problem: “This thing we call a parliament needs to be closed down. It will deny the political class in Scotland and…” Aug 27, 20:25
Spartan 117 on Spot The Problem: “Robert @ 6:33pm I would not be surprised if the M25 omniclusterfuckpermashambles was involved in some way, even if they…” Aug 27, 20:19
Marie on Spot The Problem: “ALL of them are “crooks” Red. Any budding politician with courage or conviction is dispensed with long before the candidate…” Aug 27, 20:16
Spartan 117 on Spot The Problem: ““You’re on speed, right?” Me or Alf? Can’t speak for the Prof but for me it’s worse. I’m autistic…” Aug 27, 20:15
Spartan 117 on Spot The Problem: “A good post Red, summing up why things are the way they are. It’s not “Colonialism” or “They Inglish” (by…” Aug 27, 20:14
Hatey McHateface on Spot The Problem: “Goalposts shifted again. So the Scottish Government could dismiss the Lord Advocate. But the Scottish Government would just appoint a…” Aug 27, 19:53
Northcode on Spot The Problem: “The Lord Advocate is also a government minister and serves as the principal legal adviser to the Scottish Government and…” Aug 27, 19:37
Hatey McHateface on Spot The Problem: “That’s a wonderful gift you have there, Bob. Stamp your foot, wrinkle your nose, and you can transport yourself backwards…” Aug 27, 19:29
