The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


Archive for the ‘scottish politics’


A kind of transparency 210

Posted on September 11, 2020 by

On 17 January last year, the First Minister told the Scottish Parliament that she, her administration and her party would “co-operate fully” with the parliamentary inquiry into the Scottish Government’s handling of false allegations made against Alex Salmond.

She further assured the Parliament, unambiguously and without any qualification, that the committee investigating the matter “will be able to request whatever material they want, and I undertake today that we will provide whatever material they request”.

So just over a month in, we thought we’d check on how that was going so far.

Read the rest of this entry →

The Government Payroll 429

Posted on September 09, 2020 by

The SNP’s official 2019 accounts, which were due to be published today (five weeks late), have not appeared on the Electoral Commission website. We’ve rung the EC and we’re still waiting for someone to get back to us with a reason and/or a new date.

[EDIT 3pm: the EC say they’re “fairly confident” the new date will be 23 September.]

In the meantime, there’s something else of note.

Read the rest of this entry →

Contempt of justice 389

Posted on September 07, 2020 by

We’ve had another letter from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

And slowly, painfully, we’re starting to get at least some answers.

Read the rest of this entry →

Into our own hands 188

Posted on September 06, 2020 by

The Scottish political focus has been on Holyrood in recent days, with the Programme For Government announced and Westminster returning from recess. But parliaments can only do so much. Extra-parliamentary action is required for many reasons, not least because activists are increasingly frustrated at delays and uncertainty.

Giving direction and something constructive to do is therefore important; and that will have to come from within the grassroots movement.

Read the rest of this entry →

Let’s just kill ourselves 230

Posted on September 05, 2020 by

Bad news, readers. We’ve done some research, and it’s our grave duty to report to you that according to the evidence we’ve discovered, there’s a high statistical probability that everyone reading this website will one day die.

Luckily there’s a solution: we can all just commit suicide right now.

Wait – that’s a stupid idea, right?

Read the rest of this entry →

Last nights of the proms 49

Posted on September 05, 2020 by

Selling the jerseys 308

Posted on September 03, 2020 by

Let’s be clear about something straight away – we’re NOT about to write an article in defence of Tony Abbott. He IS a sexist, a misogynist and a climate change denier (and a homophobe), and as far as we can ascertain he’s NOT actually all that good at trade either. So even though the bar for improving the competence of the UK government is astonishingly low, we don’t want him in it any more than anyone else does.

But this is still an incredibly brainless thing to say:

And it explains a lot about what’s gone wrong everywhere.

Read the rest of this entry →

Expressing a preference 310

Posted on September 02, 2020 by

Throughout the summer, the Scottish Government has been talking consistently about its goal being the “total elimination” of the coronavirus, and specifically contrasting that with England’s approach of merely “suppressing” it.

In the “framework for decision making” published in late April, the administration stated bluntly that “There is no such thing as a level of “acceptable loss”“ from the virus. But then yesterday something changed.

Read the rest of this entry →

Blah, blah, blah 246

Posted on September 01, 2020 by

Oh, is it that time again? Gosh, it seems to come round quicker every year.

So forgive us if we feel like we’ve heard this song already.

Read the rest of this entry →

The blockage 278

Posted on September 01, 2020 by

Well, imagine our surprise.

If only we’d been telling you for the last two years, eh?

Read the rest of this entry →

For certain purposes 132

Posted on August 31, 2020 by

We suppose we should be happy to learn that Scottish Government ministers are at least still sometimes capable of understanding that men and women are different and there are times when it’s inappropriate for men to be in women’s spaces.

We just wish they didn’t keep reminding us of something so much.

We really hope the 27% of Scots who already think the Sun revolves around the Earth isn’t getting bigger.

By gaslight 200

Posted on August 29, 2020 by

  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,981 Posts, 1,251,796 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • Mark Beggan on Cowering From Destiny: “‘You can count on us to stand up for fairness and justice. You can count on us to bring people…” Sep 25, 21:02
    • Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: “Typical, isn’t is, SBS? They’ve got a chance to put into power somebody who could increase the bust size of…” Sep 25, 21:00
    • Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: “Colder houses are warmer houses. Damper houses are healthier houses. Men are women. Higher taxes is more spending money in…” Sep 25, 20:44
    • Southernbystander on Cowering From Destiny: “Interesting stats Sam. Trouble is they are so volatile they could all be reversed by events, then reversed again. The…” Sep 25, 20:42
    • Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: “@ Alf Baird says: 25 September, 2026 at 9:31 am “a sign that the people may be closer to liberation…” Sep 25, 20:27
    • Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Cowering From Destiny: “AN TEACHDAIRE PÀRLAMAIDEACH (Bilingual Holyrood Newsletter, issue 25 Sept) « […] Tha sinn cuideachd ag aithris air Aithris Bith-iomadachd na…” Sep 25, 20:27
    • Mark Beggan on Cowering From Destiny: “The Ministry of Truth War is Peace Freedom is Slavery Ignorance is Strength Fear is Hope In the end the…” Sep 25, 19:56
    • Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: ““in more savage, feudal times preceding modern borders, democracy and government” Hmmm. I don’t quite see what was more savage…” Sep 25, 19:44
    • Sargie on How To Create Racists: “Spot on, Stu.” Sep 25, 19:33
    • Spartan 117 on Cowering From Destiny: “We obviously disagree, however your response is to call democracy and views different to yours as “stupid”. I’m not feart…” Sep 25, 18:54
    • Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: ““Sovereignty is an absolute. Its restoration ought to be the aim” The unicorn believers are convinced individual Scottish Sovereignty never…” Sep 25, 18:40
    • Spartan 117 on Cowering From Destiny: “Sums it all up pretty well to be honest, Hatey. It’s easier to sit back on your taxpayer-funded meal ticket…” Sep 25, 18:30
    • Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: ““Our interest starts and ends at our borders” What can I say? Irrespective of whether the borders you write about…” Sep 25, 18:28
    • Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: “I guess you won’t have sussed why Swinney, Sturgeon and co are petrified of Indy support rising. Hint: It’s the…” Sep 25, 18:09
    • Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: “@Marie says: 25 September, 2026 at 10:08 am “The future is Eurasian” You’ll be able to get surgery to sort…” Sep 25, 17:57
    • Spartan 117 on Cowering From Destiny: “Yes, I do have a bit of a bee in my bonnet about it. I’m not ignorant of what Ru**ia…” Sep 25, 16:40
    • Spartan 117 on Cowering From Destiny: ““When Scotland sorts out the underhand economic plunder from our land we too will have a very positive and valuable…” Sep 25, 16:24
    • lothianlad on Cowering From Destiny: “Swinney and co are petrified of Independence support rising! They are captured by the british state! Make no mistake, Sturgeon…” Sep 25, 15:50
    • Spartan 117 on Cowering From Destiny: ““Reform have the capacity to be highly authoritarian” Another one asleep since 1997. Were you in a coma post-9/11, during…” Sep 25, 15:40
    • sam on Cowering From Destiny: “You might be interested in this, published on Sept. 14th. Yougov survey. ( Both online.Pollcheck did not include Yougov in…” Sep 25, 15:03
    • Frank Gillougley on Cowering From Destiny: “you’d have to submit an FOI request, mate.” Sep 25, 14:23
    • Southernbystander on Cowering From Destiny: “It stands to reason that a Westminster government even more unpopular in Scotland than present would boost support for independence.…” Sep 25, 14:15
    • Captain Caveman on Cowering From Destiny: “As a matter of interest, just how “sovereign” do you think a small country with no military to speak of…” Sep 25, 12:46
    • TURABDIN on Cowering From Destiny: “Maybe time to stop talking about independence and speak of sovereignty instead. A country may be notionally independent but does…” Sep 25, 12:24
    • Aidan on Cowering From Destiny: “About 5,000 people a year die from tuberculosis in your beloved Ru**ia. More than get pushes out of windows for…” Sep 25, 10:11
    • Marie on Cowering From Destiny: “Correct Professor. “freefall and rapid socio-economic decline”. The future is Eurasian.” Sep 25, 10:08
    • BLMac on Cowering From Destiny: ““The party also regularly tells us that to actually achieve independence, support would have to build to an overwhelming consensus…” Sep 25, 10:06
    • Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: “Bullshit, Alf. After 40 years of deliberate destruction, these industries, jobs and added value chains aren’t coming back in our…” Sep 25, 09:59
    • Hatey McHateface on Cowering From Destiny: “They’re already telling us that AI will render millions of us unemployed and unemployable. Seems that most of us aren’t…” Sep 25, 09:49
    • Alf Baird on Cowering From Destiny: ““That used to be a big thing for Scotland and the UK, back in the day. Did we export more…” Sep 25, 09:41
  • A tall tale



↑ Top