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The End Of Hate 185

Posted on March 20, 2024 by

As of last night, the Hate Monster campaign page on the Police Scotland website looks like this:

(Archive version here.)

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A Very Dark Place 168

Posted on March 19, 2024 by

I make no apology for what I am about to write because while I’ve said it before, the time to do so is running out.

In a couple of weeks, the Scottish Government’s Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 will come into effect and my world, and that of women up and down Scotland will enter a very dark place.

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Humza Yousaf Fact Check 295

Posted on March 16, 2024 by

When we read this, our instant reaction was “Well, that’s total horseshit”.

And of course, it is.

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Unserious Crimes Squad 66

Posted on March 16, 2024 by

Meet The Monsters 105

Posted on March 14, 2024 by

He’s the cuddly, lovable character all of Scotland’s talking about, but what do we really know about the Hate Monster? Where did he come from? What’s his backstory? Well, the diligent research team at Wings have been hard at work, and we’re thrilled to bring you this rare archive footage of not one but BOTH of his parents.

Both were in the arts. Here’s his mum, Ruda (originally from Eastern Europe, escaping to the West before the Iron Curtain came down) starring in a 1952 Bugs Bunny short:

And this is his dad, in one of several collaborations with the Scooby Doo team in 1976 under his former wrestling persona of The 10,000-Volt Ghost:

Our boy was born for the stage. No wonder he’s made such an impact.

Everything About You 112

Posted on March 14, 2024 by

We’ve just submitted this Freedom Of Information request to Police Scotland:

I seek the following information with regard to Police Scotland’s programme of materials surrounding the implementation of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021:

(1) What was the total cost of the “Hate Monster” campaign?

(2) Of that, how much was spent on the production of the “Have you met the Hate Monster?” video (below)?

(3) Which pronouns should be used when referring to the Hate Monster in reporting of the campaign? Does the Hate Monster have a sex and/or gender? Were any full-body images of the Hate Monster commissioned, or only its upper body? If the former, please supply any such images held by Police Scotland.

(4) Would the reference on this page to “young men aged 18-30 […] with ideas about white-male entitlement” constitute a possible hate crime or hate incident, under the protected characteristic of race, since it seems likely to stir up hatred of young white men as being disproportionately bigoted and violent on the basis of their colour and lead to their victimisation?

(5) If so, is there a particular third party (such as a sex shop or mushroom farm) to whom this crime/incident should be reported, as when the alleged offender was the police a person might for obvious reasons not “feel comfortable reporting the incident to the police”, as noted on the campaign website?

(6) Which organisations, if any, were employed to provide suitable training to the staff of Third Party Reporting Centres and how much, if anything, were they paid?

(7) Are Third Party Reporting Centres required to accept any report, or can they use their discretion to refuse some reports if they find them objectionable or offensive?

(8) Are there circumstances whereby a report of a hate crime/hate incident could itself constitute a hate crime/hate incident?

Rev. Stuart Campbell
Editor
Wings Over Scotland

We’ll keep you updated with developments as they occur.

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The Spirit Of Sheffield 54

Posted on March 13, 2024 by

Wings has been regularly pointing out for the last 11-and-a-half years that by far the most reliable indicator of who’s going to win an election isn’t voting-intention polls, but “Who would make the best Prime/First Minister?” polls.

So the SNP should be really really alarmed about this.

Because those are some shocking numbers.

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When there’s no-one left to fight 96

Posted on March 13, 2024 by

Everyone’s having a lot of fun with the farcical Hate Crime Act that will finally come into operation in Scotland in just a couple of weeks’ time, fittingly on April Fools’ Day.

Even by the Scottish Government’s abysmally rank standards of legislation over the last decade it’s an embarrassing binfire, with citizens being urged to rock up at fishmongers, mushroom farms and demolished tower blocks to report “hate crimes”.

And you’d have to laugh, except that might be a crime soon too.

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The Elephant In The Road 289

Posted on March 10, 2024 by

Hopefully most of you will have seen this yesterday, but if not, here it is:

So let’s have a chat about Alex’s closing comments.

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Signs Of The Times 73

Posted on March 09, 2024 by

Yet another fine mess 408

Posted on March 04, 2024 by

There’s a Calvin And Hobbes cartoon we like to post on social media when someone’s got themselves in such a pickle that they’re just flailing around desperately firing off every slogan, argument or insult they can think of to get themselves out of it.

And so, wearily, to the SNP.

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The Path Of No Return 102

Posted on March 03, 2024 by

This whole clip is worth watching. It appears to be an evidence session at the Scottish Parliament featuring several members of the Scottish Government’s Expert Advisory Group On Ending Conversion Practices, with which Wings readers will be familiar.

Many things about the session are disturbing, not least the incredibly one-sided nature of both the witnesses and the committee, none of whom seem to have even a token interest in challenging the claims of the witnesses, however absurd or contentious (eg that praying for someone is basically a form of torture).

But one thing in particular leapt out at us.

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    Wings Over Scotland is a (mainly) Scottish political media digest and monitor, which also offers its own commentary. (More)

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    • Jay on The Gender Of Mountains: “Why pay so much attention to posts whose main feature is total lack of ethical consistency? Mind you, various other…Apr 4, 20:59
    • Alf Baird on The Gender Of Mountains: “Swinney is claiming Trump’s tariffs will damage Scotland’s GDP but fails to understand that colonial rule is already costing Scotland…Apr 4, 19:58
    • twathater on The Gender Of Mountains: “Lead Gunn Barrat’s post on her Dear Scotland site indicates that America has 750 military bases in 80 countries around…Apr 4, 18:33
    • Hatey McHateface on The Gender Of Mountains: “First mention of the ‘g’ word, Jenny side, for this week, goes to MAI. Very well done. Fascinating to think…Apr 4, 18:12
    • Mark Beggan on The Gender Of Mountains: “She said “will you let go!”Apr 4, 17:57
    • Hatey McHateface on The Gender Of Mountains: “Auld Ayr, wham ne’er a town surpasses, For honest men and bonnie lasses. I had a squint at the lady…Apr 4, 17:45
    • Hatey McHateface on The Gender Of Mountains: “Of course.Apr 4, 17:37
    • Aidan on The Gender Of Mountains: “That’s assuming everyone who has signed the petition is a Scottish resident with an entitlement to vote, and hasn’t signed…Apr 4, 17:07
    • Mark Beggan on The Gender Of Mountains: “Do you know what a palmist once said to me?Apr 4, 16:48
    • Andy Ellis on The Gender Of Mountains: “Yeah, the yoons will be fair shitting themselves that 0.1% of the over 16 voting age population have (consults notes)…..singned…Apr 4, 16:47
    • Mia on The Gender Of Mountains: ““First Minister John Swinney is set to champion Scottish trade during the annual Tartan Week celebrations in New York, urging…Apr 4, 14:55
    • Mia on The Gender Of Mountains: ““In what universe is preparing to protect yourself against a vicious, domineering, bullying, brutal, violent oaf regarded as “aggression”.” The…Apr 4, 14:37
    • Mark Beggan on The Gender Of Mountains: “No no not at all. You can take the girls out of Ayrshire but ye canny take Ayrshire out of…Apr 4, 14:18
    • Hatey McHateface on The Gender Of Mountains: “We’re all doomed. Doomed, I tell you. There is nothing left for us, but to work till we drop. Look…Apr 4, 14:16
    • Hatey McHateface on The Gender Of Mountains: “The conclusion is inescapable. The poor woman’s been “colonised”. Is it the generic English making her behave like that, or…Apr 4, 14:11
    • Mark Beggan on The Gender Of Mountains: “Memory loss runs in the family.Apr 4, 14:01
    • Marie on The Gender Of Mountains: “It’s as though our politicians are having their strings pulled by powerful people who live in other nation states entirely.…Apr 4, 13:49
    • Ian Brotherhood on The Gender Of Mountains: “Superb stuff C, cheers. 🙂Apr 4, 13:37
    • sarah on The Gender Of Mountains: “Thank you for posting the link, IB – I hoped someone would!Apr 4, 13:30
    • Mark Beggan on The Gender Of Mountains: “It’s official Mother Nature is homophobic.Apr 4, 13:30
    • Confused on The Gender Of Mountains: “stuck indoors, waiting for some workmen to show up … nothing much in the wasteland wings has become check this…Apr 4, 13:28
    • Ian Brotherhood on The Gender Of Mountains: “@Sarah (12.37) Thanks for reminder. Have signed and tweeted link. (Currently has 6,430 signatures) 🙂 petitions.parliament.scot/petitions/PE2135Apr 4, 13:01
    • Hatey McHateface on The Gender Of Mountains: “This is powerful and enlightening stuff, MAI. But inevitably, some of the readers are going to be struggling to keep…Apr 4, 12:49
    • Hatey McHateface on The Gender Of Mountains: “Mind and get your funeral plan paid up. You’ll be needing that (perhaps more accurately, your relatives will) long before…Apr 4, 12:38
    • sarah on The Gender Of Mountains: “Let’s do what we CAN do. There are so many things that worry us and which we can do nothing…Apr 4, 12:37
    • diabloandco on The Gender Of Mountains: “Sven , thanks for that – not a lot I can boycott by the looks of it! I’ll just have…Apr 4, 12:04
    • Mia on The Gender Of Mountains: “A lot of smoke coming from the US new tariffs. Isn’t that rather convenient? Meanwhile, the deeds of the pathetic…Apr 4, 11:05
    • Sven on The Gender Of Mountains: “diabloand co @ 09.12. In 2023, the latest figures I’ve viewed; Machinery and Transport Equipment 19.9 Billion pounds. Fuel 18.7…Apr 4, 10:18
    • diabloandco on The Gender Of Mountains: “Could someone tell me what exactly we import from the USA other than Ford and Harley Davidsons? I need to…Apr 4, 09:12
    • Hatey McHateface on The Gender Of Mountains: “Seems that neither Sven nor Bob have anything sensible to say about the war in the east. No change there…Apr 3, 19:26
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