We’ve now filed a formal complaint with the Scottish Information Commissioner about this, because what we’d forgotten last week was that our original request was actually sent in September and it’s now been almost 60 working days with no sign of a proper response, not the 20 it’s supposed to take.
Because for some reason the Scottish Government REALLY doesn’t want you to know what the First Minister and Geoff Aberdein talked about in March 2018, and we think that you probably should.
We don’t normally like to devote much time on Wings to things that have been more than adequately covered elsewhere in the media, which is why you haven’t read much here about eg the Internal Market Bill. Unlike some we don’t see much point spending our limited human resources telling people stuff they already know and agree with.
But we’re going to make an exception for this next thing, which was already covered pretty well by Susan Dalgety in last week’s Scotsman, because (a) a lot of our readers, quite reasonably, will have an instinctively adverse reaction to either anything printed in the Scotsman or anything written by Susan Dalgety, and (b) a number of people have asked us to amplify this issue because it’s so important and so awful.
As well as the SNP NEC elections, the weekend saw the election of the first committee of a new grassroots independence organisation which is unfortunately and hopefully temporarily going by the stupendously terrible working name of “Yes Alba”.
15 people were elected to its ruling body by the votes of hundreds of delegates, with the top-ranked picks including SNP MP Angus MacNeil and former SNP MP George Kerevan. The majority of the successful candidates (eight) were female, even though there were no quotas or women-only shortlists imposed, and a wide range of ages was represented from young activists to former UK ambassador Craig Murray.
(We have no idea about any of their sexualities or gender identities, and also no interest in knowing, because those things have not the slightest bearing on their ability to fight for independence and are frankly none of our damn business.)
But that wasn’t good enough for Team Woke.
On a day when Joanna Cherry had a grown-up, reasoned and constructive column in The National calling for unity in the pursuit of independence, the outpouring of snide, sour sneering from a faction still raging with bitterness about being routed on the SNP NEC is instead curdling Twitter even as we speak.
And embarrassingly, not a single one of them has actually bothered to check even the most basic facts.
Alert readers will recall the deranged open letter released by a group of transactivists last Friday, in a nakedly transparent attempt to influence the SNP’s NEC elections that weekend which backfired on them horribly (and amusingly) when the party’s members instead kicked out three-quarters of the committee’s woke faction and replaced them with feminists, socialists and above all advocates of actually achieving independence.
If you don’t have the time to read Alyn Smith’s astonishing response to the SNP NEC election results in today’s National, we’ve edited it down to 10 seconds for you.
We must admit, the terrible people that we are, we’ve been enjoying watching today’s extended meltdown by the SNP’s woke faction about last night’s NEC election results. Because it appears their egos are so huge that they’re not even smart enough to play dignified to spoil our schadenfreudish fun. It’s been full-on public tantrums.
Ridiculously, more than eight hours after voting closed in an all-electronic election in which “counting” should have taken a maximum of one second, and at 11.30pm, the SNP have released the results of this year’s NEC elections.
There are some big stories.
Alyn Smith is OUT as Policy Development Convener, replaced by Chris Hanlon.
We had, we think it’s only fair to say, extremely low expectations of Nicola Sturgeon’s keynote speech this afternoon to the SNP’s soporific, strangled 2020 non-conference. It seems that members felt the same, because 15 seconds before the speech began only 1,166 of them were logged in to watch it.
The speech she just delivered, though, limboed under those expectations in platform shoes and a stovepipe hat without even grazing the underside of the bar.
Northcode on The Nobodies: ““Number 10 North” is a slogan, not a shift in power. A new office in Manchester doesn’t rebalance the constitution……” Jul 27, 18:10
Craig on The Nobodies: “Great picture, made reading the article much more interesting. ?” Jul 27, 18:10
willie on The Nobodies: “It’ll not be the House of Lords that Nicola Sturgeon will be going to with US detective Columbo on the…” Jul 27, 18:06
Nicky T Naquetti on The Nobodies: “If the SNP actually wanted independence, instead of simply keeping their jobs for the next 4 or 5 years -…” Jul 27, 18:06
sam on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Mair shite from Chas who, like me, has a deep seated need to feel a rise in social status. Here’s…” Jul 27, 18:04
100%Yes on The Nobodies: “Theirs a lot in the SNP who are envious that they haven’t been selected to go into the house of…” Jul 27, 17:40
Andrea on The Nobodies: “I said this before, but I think it is worth repeating, who would want to be in the SP? OK,…” Jul 27, 17:24
Chas on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Mair shite from the supposedly learned professor. Can I ask, for the umpteenth time, when we are free for the…” Jul 27, 16:44
Alf Baird on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““hard-headed, grounded Scot who prefer a modicum of comfort and prosperity, whilst speaking English”. That’s a fair description of the…” Jul 27, 16:00
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Right, sam, you won’t heed a fair warning, so stronger measures must be taken. As soon as you’ve picked, husked…” Jul 27, 14:39
Aidan on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Now that you are monetising your work, you surely won’t be offering it around on here for free?” Jul 27, 14:32
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “A subtle morph from “racism” to “doctrinal racism” there, Alf. Perhaps the criticisms are having a positive effect – forcing…” Jul 27, 14:29
sam on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Alf, there is psychological need for those you mention to resort to insults. Search Assist “Colonialists often insult others as…” Jul 27, 14:17
Alf Baird on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Yes, thaim whit kens fine thay are in a bad ideological or ethical condition position are aye clear tae see…” Jul 27, 13:44
Spartan 117 on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “A good text with good points, unlike Alf’s rambling pseudointellectual scattershot linked further below.” Jul 27, 13:25
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “@Southernbystander You dirty English basturts know only too well that a 4-feet wide strip of nettles will turn back even…” Jul 27, 13:14
Chas on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Why would any sane individual want to read the repetitive shite that you write Alfie Boy? You actually turn people…” Jul 27, 12:34
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “That’s quite a segue, Alf. I clicked the link to be met with a demand for payment in Yankee dollars.…” Jul 27, 12:04
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““The actual electorate were minor players in the affair and had no statutory right to vote until 1955” Sorry, but…” Jul 27, 11:47
Alf Baird on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““Strangers are just friends you haven’t yet met” Much like critical theory fowk hivna read yet: https://pocketmags.com/us/iscot-magazine/issue-82/articles/the-theoretical-case-for-scottish-independence” Jul 27, 11:46
Onlooker on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Lorncal: ‘debunked’…’a nice thought’… Incredible the mental gymnast lengths you’ll go to to avoid any sort of giving of a…” Jul 27, 11:25
John Cleary on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Hatey, you seem to forget that the 1951 election came just over one year after Labour had won the 1950…” Jul 27, 11:12
diabloandco on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Having watched disgusting footage of the weekends ‘protest’ I would wonder at the phrase ‘Glasgow the friendly city’ I wonder…” Jul 27, 10:43
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““Churchill was returned to power in order to usher in the second Elizabethan Age” So the majority of the British…” Jul 27, 10:03
John Cleary on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Churchill was returned to power in order to usher in the second Elizabethan Age. From 1952 onwards all Parliamentarians, judges…” Jul 27, 09:18
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Good question, Auld Lochnagar. Seeing as how we’re focusing on the irrelevant, why do you think Churchill was returned to…” Jul 27, 08:30
Minceheid on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Lorncal says: 26 July, 2026 at 7:46 pm Minceheid: it’s fire-raising in Scotland. No such crime as arson up here.…” Jul 27, 05:51
Dave Llewellyn on The Wheels Of Industry: “Turnover in 2024 was £300000. Not bad for a dormant company. ( see Companies House ). And if they want…” Jul 27, 02:36
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Northern Visions NVTV interview in Irish with English subtitles. Fionntan de Brun speaks to Seimi Mac Aindreasa in the studio…” Jul 27, 01:12
