This is a wretchedly boring time to be writing about politics for a living, readers. Parliamentarians in Edinburgh and London haven’t technically checked out for the summer yet – Holyrood still has a month to go before taking two months off, while Westminster is currently having a couple of weeks off for “Whitsun”, whatever the hell that is, before coming back for a month and a half then sodding off until September.
But really they’re already at the “bringing board games in” stage of term, and both the elected chambers and the media already have their eyes on the beach, which probably explains why we’re being punted drivel like this.
Even if we must afford the graphics team some grudging kudos for the unicoo.
You really have to go some to stand out as a proper grade-A scumbag in the ranks of trans activists, readers, but let’s be fair and commend some serious effort when we see it. Everyone, meet Beth (no, not that one).
Beth is a nasty little grifter trying to monetise “transphobia”, although it’s not going massively well so far, with only five donors signed up. So they’ve come up with an idea, although not a very original one: a list.
Goodness knows we could all do with some cheering up at the moment, so let’s have a momentary change of tone and kick today off with a chuckle or two.
We’ve been working a bit too hard lately, and yesterday’s Wings post went to press with an unprecedented FOUR errors in it, including an “is is” instead of “it is”, a “more far” in place of a “far more” and a “strata” where there should have been a “stratum”. We’re deeply ashamed, and thanks to the alert Wings readers – including our mum – who swiftly drew our attention to them.
The most embarrassing clanger was this one, which we fixed promptly:
So imagine our surprise when we were reading this morning’s Scottish press.
You might think that Scottish political journalists would all be in a shark-like frenzy of excitement at the events of the last few days. But not over on The Guardian.
Apparently it’s all a bit too much for the delicate wee flowers.
Tonight’s debate on Sky News between the three SNP leadership candidates was yet another inconclusive low-scoring draw, with each contender taking a few hits (almost all from host Beth Rigby) and also landing the odd blow on each other.
The most notable of the latter was probably when Ash Regan gave Humza Yousaf a rather uncomfortable time over his claiming credit for the Queensferry Crossing when he was Transport Secretary.
As well as frantically trying to deflect by pretending Regan had attacked the SNP’s record on the project in general, Yousaf insisted that he’d played a major role in the bridge’s delivery. So let’s just check the timeline.
The Unionist media in Scotland (ie all of the media in Scotland) usually keeps up a pretty united front when it comes to the subjects of independence or the SNP. So it’s been fascinating in these last couple of weeks to see a genuine schism develop between them on the subject of the party’s leadership election.
(For the avoidance of doubt, we do not include Holyrood Magazine, whose splendid front cover image that is, in “the Unionist media”.)
Right back at the start of the contest we highlighted The Times’ full-on love-in for Kate Forbes, but most of the Scottish press has now made their preferences clear. And you’ll never guess who they really, really DON’T want to be the next First Minister.
Wings Over Scotland has been monitoring the BBC’s coverage of Scottish politics for over 11 years now, readers, and other than The Nick Robinson Incident we’re honestly struggling to remember seeing anything worse than this.
The Corporation’s “coverage” of Ash Regan’s campaign launch for the SNP leadership election ran for roughly seven minutes. And we suppose we should be grateful that it did at one point feature a brief, incidental cameo appearance from Ash Regan.
A major piece by the Corporation’s Scotland editor James Cook focused on interviews with two of the three contenders – excluding Ash Regan – on the basis that both had launched their official campaigns yesterday while Regan’s isn’t expected to be until later this week.
twathater on The Shortest Day: “This post on substack might be informative and relevant to people who want to be kept informed and up to…” Aug 31, 02:49
Young Lochinvar on The Shortest Day: “HMcH Some fair points. However Taiwan was part of China till the Japanese took it over then obviously lost it…” Aug 31, 00:51
Young Lochinvar on The Shortest Day: “Well hold on there Bald Eagle! Engineering and span without curtailing the building footprint below? Nah! Santa Sophia in old…” Aug 30, 23:57
Young Lochinvar on The Shortest Day: “HMcH @ 10.53 Is that it?! Seriously? A bit pathetic eh? Below par – not that it’s a very high…” Aug 30, 23:26
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: “From the MSM: “Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration was “in advanced talks with…” Aug 30, 23:08
Young Lochinvar on The Shortest Day: “Meant to add: Maggie Thatcher! The King! Winston Churchill! Graham Botham! Jimmy Hill! Danny La Rue! Longshanks! Fat Hal 8!…” Aug 30, 22:58
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: “So you’re the founder and sole member of a one-man debating club, Auld Lochnagar? Oh to be a fly on…” Aug 30, 22:53
Aidan on The Shortest Day: “@Sam – the paper YOU posted concludes: “And that’s how David Cameron’s entire calamitous economic policy – and all of…” Aug 30, 22:44
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: ““you forgot to answer the question” I learned that at the feet of a master, Alf, YOU. Haha, just my…” Aug 30, 22:43
Young Lochinvar on The Shortest Day: “HMcH You are guilty again it appears of sliding off the subject in hand and jumping instead to a subject…” Aug 30, 22:27
gm on The Shortest Day: “Nicely put. The Scottish democratic elites seem quite happy within themselves nonetheless. They are maybe just a shower of self…” Aug 30, 22:25
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: “Cheers, James! Actually … it’s not up. Although I don’t like to boast, I can well understand why one of…” Aug 30, 21:48
Alf Baird on The Shortest Day: “In your regular set task to divert, you forgot to answer the question, Hatey: If not decolonization, what do you…” Aug 30, 21:40
James on The Shortest Day: “LOL. What a “Prick”. Keep it up….” Aug 30, 21:29
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: ““There were economists who thought austerity was the wrong policy” There were and still are economists who think that ever…” Aug 30, 21:23
sam on The Shortest Day: ““Aidan says: 30 August, 2026 at 11:47 am It’s nonsense to suggest that this single paper was the entire basis…” Aug 30, 20:59
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: ““Ye cannae educate pork” Ye cannae educate a fatberg either. But ye can flush it. I get the impression that…” Aug 30, 20:34
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: ““Since the birth of the United Nations, more than 80 former colonies comprising some 750 million people have gained independence…” Aug 30, 20:20
James on The Shortest Day: “YL; kudos for trying, but you are wasting your time on the paid-poster that we all know as “Site Prick”.…” Aug 30, 20:01
James on The Shortest Day: “LOL. Well done youse two! The half-wit and the inmate [but which is which!?]. HI-LARIOUS! Keep em coming, please! Comedy…” Aug 30, 19:55
Alf Baird on The Shortest Day: “What do you folks think independence is, if not decolonization? Because decolonization is what the UN says it is: “Since…” Aug 30, 19:55
gm on The Shortest Day: “An effete, social climbing turncoat. They are so narcissistic these characters, so comfortable in their elitist bubble they can’t see…” Aug 30, 19:53
DaveL on The Shortest Day: “How about settling down and stop your moaning and creeping?” Aug 30, 19:22
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: ““He will share … the secret to success” He’ll reveal how much he has in his pension fund. And you…” Aug 30, 19:19
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: “What’s that you say, Sooty? Why does Auld Lochnagar want to airbrush the Norman Conquest out of history? I guess…” Aug 30, 19:12
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: “Commentators already saying that the thought of being forced to share their wealth as the first net contributor to the…” Aug 30, 19:07
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: ““With stronger coordination, dedicated support and sustained ambition, the potential exists” Wow! After decades of Independence and quite a long…” Aug 30, 19:01
Spartan 117 on The Shortest Day: “Quite pleasing to see a small independent nation reject the EU’s advances. Democratically, as well, rather than bring railroaded by…” Aug 30, 18:57
Hatey McHateface on Spot The Problem: “Prick AND bawbag, Dan. Yet you still expect to be taken seriously? OK, I’ll do it. What kind of soup…” Aug 30, 18:55
