The Observer, for example, blamed the stat on “neo-Nazis”.
But even if that were true, it wouldn’t of course disprove the claim. A stopped clock is right twice a day, and something isn’t intrinsically false just because a neo-Nazi says it. Hitler had some pretty messed-up ideas but the world didn’t become flat just because he said it was round.
Last week SNP MP Fulton MacGregor told Newsnight that the grotesque, draconian Hate Crime Act was necessary because “hate crime is a major problem across Scotland”, which “wreaks havoc on individuals, on communities and on families”.
If there have been stories of rampaging mobs terrorising gay people, of a wave of violence against Sikhs, or widespread arson campaigns against Italian chip shops, they’ve escaped our attention.
But of course, the onscreen discussion focused mostly on the group that the Scottish Government is obsessed with to the exclusion of all others – transgender people.
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 the long-running police probe into SNP finances continues, Wings received some slightly surprising news today in the form of an FOI response.
Based on reports from various trustworthy sources we’d expected to hear that the police side of the investigation was by this point winding down somewhat, with most matters of fact already established, detectives assigned to other duties and the ball now largely in the court of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).
We make no apology for returning once again to the depressing subject of the Scottish Government’s proposed new law to ban “conversion practices”, because it provides such an illuminating microcosm of how far a once competent and widely-respected administration has fallen since 2015.
Emma Roddick, who is piloting the bill towards the statute books in much the same way that Mohamed Atta piloted American Airlines Flight 11 towards the World Trade Centre, is a 26-year-old who by her own admission suffers from a serious and debilitating mental illness that any sane country would regard as an insurmountable bar to political office.
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.
After yesterday’s disturbing article about the indoctrination of Scottish schoolchildren into transgender ideology via the Scottish Government’s proposed new “conversion practices” legislation, Wings was contacted by a number of current Scottish teachers telling us we had no idea how far it had already gone.
The message below was by no means untypical:
“This stuff around the UNCRC has been a concern for a while. Some of the articles seem to be being interpreted in ways they were never intended. It has become a vehicle for activist teachers to push their own agendas, all the while hiding behind ‘children’s rights’.
Getting certified is being pushed heavily in every school. Headteachers seem to be under a lot of pressure (coming from Scottish Government) to get it all implemented. We’re currently working towards silver.”
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?
Jim Thomson on A Poor Example: “Expect faux queues at the GN ones. Which means there will be no TW or TM working, so that the…” May 10, 00:07
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 position” May 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’t” May 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 welcome” May 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
