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.
James Che on Spot The Problem: “Your comments yesterday regards the Monarch of England “self declaring ” the position of king of Scotland It helps to…” Aug 28, 10:22
James Che on Spot The Problem: “am firinn. It really is a treat to find intelligent responses to some of the misleading information projected towards the…” Aug 28, 09:41
James Che on Spot The Problem: “Sparten 117, Thank you for your knowledgable intervention yesterday regards the Fabian Society infiltration into the position of governments advisors.…” Aug 28, 09:29
Hatey McHateface on Spot The Problem: “An interesting article “Canada-US trade war has exposed a Brexit double standard”: https://unherd.com/newsroom/canada-us-trade-war-has-exposed-a-brexit-double-standard/ The author is pointing out that Canadian…” Aug 28, 09:03
Chas on Spot The Problem: “You are not alone in your thoughts Rob. The ‘Wings’ comments section has evolved into a forum where bitter, twisted…” Aug 28, 09:02
Hatey McHateface on Spot The Problem: ““sick of the “colonists” are to blame for everything, the union was illegal, the UN will fix it and all…” Aug 28, 08:24
Hatey Mchateface on Spot The Problem: “It’s a verifiable fact that nobody’s fingers ever went through the bog roll while wiping a runny one until Thatcher.” Aug 28, 07:52
Hatey McHateface on Spot The Problem: “@ Dan says: 27 August, 2026 at 11:03 pm “prick” “cunts” Got something on your mind, Dan? Maybe your next…” Aug 28, 07:45
Aidan on Spot The Problem: “What’s even more amazing Chas, is that when this very question was being considered by the Supreme Court, which it…” Aug 28, 06:02
Aidan on Spot The Problem: “Well Northcode – a rare event has occurred, you are right and I am wrong. It is as you say,…” Aug 28, 05:58
Nicky T Naquetti on Spot The Problem: “Oh, fuck – I ran out of toilet paper… the 1707 treaty must be to blame…” Aug 28, 05:19
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
