The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


Archive for the ‘investigation’


A Poor Example 15

Posted on May 09, 2025 by

Social media was having a good chuckle at this earlier today.

But as it turns out, it’s a bit more than just an embarrassment.

Read the rest of this entry →

Some People Try To Fuck With You 85

Posted on April 20, 2025 by

Well, it’s always nice to be a landmark for free speech.

But let’s start at the beginning.

Read the rest of this entry →

A kind of freedom 11

Posted on April 15, 2025 by

Alert readers will have noticed our so-far-fruitless attempts to extract information from the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator regarding the disturbing activities of the controversy-plagued LGBT Youth Scotland.

We are far from the only people raising concerns about the charity – we know of at least 17 separate formal complaints against LGBTYS in the past year alone, yet the OSCR has declined to open any sort of formal inquiry into them. (It carried out three such inquiries in 2024.)

But despite the OSCR’s assertion that “we strive to be transparent and accountable”, when we went to find those complaints (including, of course, the one from ourselves) to link you to them, we hit a brick wall that rapidly turned into a whole new concern.

Read the rest of this entry →

Once more the pantomime 21

Posted on April 15, 2025 by

In relation to yesterday’s article, we’ve now filed the following with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.

I request a review of this decision.

Firstly, I wish to note that since the response I received was a wholly generic one containing no reference or relevance to any of the specifics of my case, it should not have taken until the 28th day of the 28-day deadline to deliver. This appears to be a deliberate stalling tactic.

The information I sought did not involve the disclosure of any sensitive identities or data. It is in fact an attempt to establish the answer to an extremely basic question of first principles: why is LGBT Youth Scotland operating so far outwith its stated remit?

Since the fact that it IS doing so is not in any question – its own public statements declare that it is operating widely and openly in primary schools – it is a matter of plain and overwhelming public interest that this glaring anomaly be explained. The charity itself refuses to do so, or even to enter into any discussion of the matter, so it becomes a matter for its ostensible regulator.

Since the public is unable to ask the OSCR to speak on behalf of LGBTYS, the only remaining option to achieve transparency, accountability and public confidence is to seek the information requested and thereby discern the answer via the OSCR.

Particularly given LGBTYS’s unfortunate record of involvement with extremely serious child abuse, and its highly controversial position on matters such as “puberty blockers” – on which it is starkly at odds with the stated position of the Scottish Government – this matter cannot simply be swept under the carpet and the public ordered to mind its own business. Someone, somewhere, at some level of Scottish civic life, must answer the question:

Why is an organisation whose remit concerns intrinsically sexual matters and exclusively encompasses 13-25-year-olds being allowed to operate in primary (and indeed nursery) schools and discuss such sexual matters with children 10 years below its minimum stipulated age range?

Given LGBTYS’s refusal, that duty then lies with the OSCR, and it should not evade it. The public deserves to know both that OSCR has in fact complied with its own responsibilities and carried out a satisfactory investigation, and what the outcome of that investigation was, given that nothing has changed in respect of the charity’s actions since concerns were raised with the OSCR a year ago and LGBTYS continues to far exceed its stated brief.

There are in this case no redactions which would reveal any sort of information that would place anyone at risk. The identities of LGBTYS and/or OSCR employees could be safely redacted if appropriate, while the substance of the discussion remained visible. What matters is that the question was asked, and that the public be told the answer.

None of OSCR’s stated objections to answering the FOI request are pertinent to this particular enquiry. It has no valid excuse to refuse. We fully expect it to do so anyway, because nobody in Scotland is answerable for anything any more. But we’re required to give them another 28 days to waste everyone’s time before we approach the only person in Scotland who appears to still believe in their civic and professional duty: the Information Commissioner.

Barring a miracle, we’ll see you on the 15th of May, readers.

The Groomer’s Shield 126

Posted on April 14, 2025 by

Alert readers will recall that Wings has for the past year been attempting to establish why controversial charity LGBT Youth Scotland is being allowed to operate in primary schools across Scotland, discussing sexual matters with children as young as four, despite only being supposed to deal with young people aged between 13 and 25.

Having received no response from multiple emails to the charity, we raised the matter with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator last year, and heard nothing from them about the results of their investigation – or indeed, come to that, about whether they’d actually conducted an investigation at all.

So a month ago we sent them a Freedom Of Information request to find out. At the last possible second before the deadline to reply expired, the OSCR have this morning deigned to grace us with their response, which you can read below.

Read the rest of this entry →

The Gender Of Mountains 249

Posted on March 28, 2025 by

It’s increasingly common now for the Scottish news to feature another prison scandal or employment-tribunal judgment highlighting the extent of gender-ideology capture in the country’s public authorities.

But it’s normally quite hard to get an overall picture of just how captured any particular public body really is, so we should offer some thanks to the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) who’ve helpfully provided us with a comprehensive primer in the form of a briefing for a board update later this week.

Innocent readers might have thought that the people managing a national park would be most concerned about attracting visitors, protecting wildlife, repairing paths and keeping local businesses sustainable, that sort of thing. But that’s not how things work in Scotland any more.

Because the CNPA are about to present the organisation’s 19 board members with an 91-page report and annex detailing all their vital work on… equalities issues.

Y’know, in case Ben Macdui isn’t queer enough.

Read the rest of this entry →

Live chat update 98

Posted on March 17, 2025 by

So as promised, and having now spent 11 months trying to get answers any other way, this afternoon we had a live chat with controversial charity LGBT Youth Scotland.

Below is how it went.

Read the rest of this entry →

The Unquestionables 24

Posted on March 17, 2025 by

In April last year we wrote to LGBT Youth Scotland asking them to explain why they were conducting activities in primary schools (and even with pre-school children) about sexual matters despite only having a remit to work with young people aged 13-25.

We received no reply, so we contacted the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, who sent a rather sniffy acknowledgement saying:

“If your concern leads us to making inquiries with the charity, we are unable to update you on the status of those inquiries. For more information about what to expect after you submit a concern, read our guidance on how OSCR deals with concerns and inquiries.”

That link, you’ll be amazed to hear, leads to a dead page.

Read the rest of this entry →

The thickness of blood 227

Posted on February 15, 2025 by

Much of Scotland, and indeed the rest of the UK and beyond (the story below ran in the London Standard), has been grimly gripped this week by the ongoing and scarcely believable trainwreck that is Sandie Peggie Vs NHS Fife.

The tribunal has now overrun the time allotted to it, and will reconvene for another 10 days in the second half of July, ramping up the already considerable costs incurred by NHS Fife, which is in the middle of a huge financial crisis.

According to legal experts, there is little doubt about the law surrounding the dispute. NHS Fife is clearly and unambiguously in the wrong – Dr Beth Upton, the transwoman at the centre of the problem, is legally as well as biologically male, and had no lawful entitlement to be in a female changing room. The authority also appears to be in very considerable potential trouble over failing to disclose key documents and evidence when ordered by the original judge.

So it seems remarkable that the board of NHS Fife is allowing the case to continue rather than immediately conceding to save money and any more public humiliation of both itself and its staff, like the hapless nurse manager Esther Davidson who endured a very uncomfortable two days in the witness box this week, and the clearly manifestly incompetent Equality And Human Rights Lead Officer, Isla Bumba, who yesterday deleted her LinkedIn page after being identified as the person who gave Davidson incorrect and unlawful guidance.

(Bumba is a 29-year-old immunology graduate and former bartender who ditched the challenging and gruelling field of vaccine development for a rather cushier number in pronoun-policing for £40-47,000 a year, somewhat more than the £31,000 average wage for staff nurses like Sandie Peggie, who’s been in the profession for longer than Bumba has been alive.)

Readers may reasonably wonder if the makeup of the board might offer some clues.

Read the rest of this entry →

Bricked-up windows 98

Posted on February 11, 2025 by

Readers may have noticed recent speculation in the media (based on the wording of a press release) that Police Scotland had ended their investigations regarding Operation Branchform. As it happened we’d already submitted a Freedom Of Information request aimed at finding that out, and the response arrived this evening.

You can read it below.

Read the rest of this entry →

Nicola’s Non-Truths 167

Posted on January 13, 2025 by

Peter Murrell really ought to have seen the writing on the wall a while ago.

But at least it’s in keeping with her track record.

Read the rest of this entry →

Eyes Full Of Beams 204

Posted on January 09, 2025 by

The National carried a strange article yesterday, apropos of seemingly nothing, about a Brussels-based political thinktank supposedly linked to the right-wing Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban. The piece actually originated on superwoke “fact-checking” site The Ferret a couple of days earlier, and professed to expose how the thinktank was “stoking Scotland’s culture war”.

Alert readers will already have pricked up their ears at this point, because “culture war” is a radical-left dogwhistle term used to obscure, belittle and dismiss groups (largely though not exclusively comprising left-wing feminists) fighting for the safeguarding of children and the protection of women’s and LGB rights.

And sure enough, nothing’s different this time.

Read the rest of this entry →

  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a (mainly) Scottish political media digest and monitor, which also offers its own commentary. (More)

    Stats: 6,753 Posts, 1,217,466 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • Dan on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “Aye, an aquaintence works in the technical design side of planning and implementing the new HVDC transmission lines from Scotland…May 9, 21:11
    • Hatey McHateface on A Poor Example: “How can the law and judiciary of Scotland and the UK be held in even more contempt? Max contempt was…May 9, 21:01
    • joolz on A Poor Example: “Anyone can have a meeting for anyone as long as you don’t misrepresent it. If she had publicised the event…May 9, 20:47
    • Vivian O’Blivion on A Poor Example: “Another double digit lead for RefUK and another breach of the 30% barrier. BMG Research, Westminster voting intention, field work…May 9, 20:13
    • Yoon Scum on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “can the stupid English worshipper ask After Scotland leaves the union What forms of power generation will be allowed?May 9, 19:27
    • agent x on A Poor Example: “Scottish trans activists are in “denial” about the Supreme Court decision that confirmed the term ‘woman’ in the Equality Act…May 9, 19:24
    • Aidan on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “@Anthem – the wind farms in England are efficient which is why one of the largest offshore wind farms anywhere…May 9, 19:21
    • Anthem on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “@Dunx. That’s absolute garbage. They exist because Westminster sell the licences to American equity companies who invest for maximim profit…May 9, 19:05
    • James Cheyne on A Poor Example: “It is still obvious. Nothing has changed biological women are and always were women, the supreme court did not change…May 9, 18:46
    • Yoon Scum on A Poor Example: “You have to be a whole new level of stoopid to advertise a women’s only event in her positionMay 9, 18:12
    • Mark on A Poor Example: “Don’t think so. As explained above, biological sex is the determiner for a “same-sex” service. “Trans women” are biological males,…May 9, 17:16
    • Anna on A Poor Example: “Not for us in Scotland it won’tMay 9, 16:42
    • Yoon Scum on A Poor Example: “There is part of me that wishes the far left get their dream of Scotland becoming an islamic state Would…May 9, 16:24
    • Sven on A Poor Example: “It all just seemed so obvious only a decade ago; Biological men are men. Biological women are women. Anyone gets…May 9, 15:23
    • stonefree on A Poor Example: “It stinks like a Sturgeon-esk Franchise 34 Quid off,Decent people are not welcomeMay 9, 15:11
    • Dunx on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “@Michael England does generate a lot of wind power. They are not helping themselves. The wind companies pay the SG…May 9, 14:58
    • Vivian O’Blivion on A Poor Example: “YouGov, British attitudes towards discrimination in the workplace, published 9th May. By group, do you think positive discrimination has gone…May 9, 14:19
    • Lorn on A Poor Example: “Don’t understand how so many people can read the ruling and still get it wrong. It is – and there…May 9, 14:14
    • Andrea on A Poor Example: “Would it be allowed to have an event that is for women AND trans woman? I should think so, but…May 9, 14:02
    • Vivian O’Blivion on A Poor Example: “As someone who lives across the road from a Mosque, I can assure you they wouldn’t admit chicks with dicks…May 9, 13:56
    • Aidan on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “@Michael – you’re talking about the wind here, not some hugely valuable unique energy resources (e.g. oil and gas) which…May 9, 13:52
    • factchecker on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “Wonderful to see some rationality here. Two comments. You say ‘we believe independence to be a normal situation’. I would…May 9, 13:24
    • 1971Thistle on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “I would agree. Has there been a drop off in the number of ‘anon’ comments on blog? He seems to…May 9, 13:22
    • Stuart MacKay on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “The Stalker probably sits all day clicking on the links, with the result that his blog is currently sitting in…May 9, 13:11
    • Michael Laing on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “@ Dunx: So we’ve to thank England for helping itself to Scotland’s energy and selling it back to us at…May 9, 13:05
    • Lorn on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “Also, Yon, politicians used to at least try and explain their policies to the people. Now, they just ignore all…May 9, 13:00
    • Confused on All Or Nothing: ““sons of satan” and “enemies of the human race” (*) – do you not read your bible, main? I would…May 9, 12:58
    • Captain Caveman on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “Reform – and only Reform. Even the Tories can’t be trusted, particularly concerning “net zero” nonsense. (As for the rest…May 9, 12:57
    • Lorn on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “Yoon, to set up a crowdfunder around like-minded people and build a case to take to the courts. Plenty of…May 9, 12:52
    • sarah on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “Real independence alternative candidates for constituencies AND list: Indy4Indy and ISP will start announcing names in the next few days,…May 9, 12:23
  • A tall tale



↑ Top