The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


Archive for the ‘scottish politics’


Quoted for truth #42 49

Posted on January 13, 2014 by

“Herald View”, the Sunday Herald, 12 Jan 2014:

“The Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, is to be commended for refusing to participate in the victimisation of the ‘undeserving poor’. She promises to scrap the bedroom tax, keep housing benefits and reject the forthcoming Universal Credit, which amalgamates a whole range of benefits into one payment. The Nationalists say they will increase social security benefits and the minimum wage annually by the rate of inflation.

However, they cannot secure these protections under the current constitutional arrangements.”

Read the rest of this entry →

Migration and unemployment 15

Posted on January 13, 2014 by

Chapter 10 of “The Claim Of Scotland”.

claim10

Read the rest of this entry →

Taking our best shot 126

Posted on January 13, 2014 by

This is going to be tough. Alistair Carmichael’s list of the “top 20” reasons for staying in the UK, issued today, is a document so farcical it’s actually quite hard to analyse.

alistaircarmichael4

It’s difficult to react to it in a rational manner, because the rational response is a torrent of angry invective at having one’s intelligence so heinously and crassly insulted. And going for the satire angle isn’t easy either, because it’s quite tricky to think of anything more ridiculous or idiotic than some of the claims the Secretary of State for Portsmouth makes. Striving as ever for balance, then, this is the best we can do.

Read the rest of this entry →

Wanting what you can’t have 36

Posted on January 13, 2014 by

Yesterday’s Scotland on Sunday took a slightly strange angle on the results of a social-attitudes survey conducted by the thinktank “British Future” last month.

“Almost half of the British people believe that the UK would be weakened in the event of Scottish independence, according to the first poll to illustrate the extent that Scotland is valued by its neighbours.”

…or put another way, MORE than half of them DON’T believe that. But anyway.

Read the rest of this entry →

Night bombing 201

Posted on January 12, 2014 by

Now here’s an explosive thing to drop at 10 o’clock on a Sunday night.

ftcom

Click the image to read the full Financial Times story. Did the game just change?

Read the rest of this entry →

The Highlands and islands 42

Posted on January 12, 2014 by

Chapter 9 of “The Claim Of Scotland”.

claim9

Read the rest of this entry →

Days of whine and roses 98

Posted on January 12, 2014 by

It’s a fortunate thing, viewers, that we have a strong will, hardened by years of dreich, endless 1970s Sundays in Scotland with only three channels on the telly (each of them showing programmes entirely about farming and God), everything outside shut except the rainclouds, and nothing to look forward to but school in the morning.

jolly

Because otherwise the frustrations of yesterday’s site problems, followed by waking up this morning to be faced with papers stuffed to the brim with miserable, bleating old Scottish Labour dinosaurs with torn coupons and long catalogues of whinges about you-know-who and you-know-what might just have pushed us over the edge.

Read the rest of this entry →

In Russia, fear projects YOU 120

Posted on January 12, 2014 by

Hello again! We apologise for the recent 19-hour interruption to normal Wings Over Scotland service, which was almost certainly the result of a cyber-attack by the KGB.

saynyet1

Not really, of course. A combination of a badly-coded plugin, human error and the global curse of spam comments is most likely what actually took us offline for most of yesterday and this morning. But in the light of today’s Sunday Herald front-page scoop, it’s hard to be absolutely sure.

Read the rest of this entry →

The conscientious objector 51

Posted on January 11, 2014 by

lionsdodgedbydonkeys

(Story 1, story 2)

The secret of good comedy 63

Posted on January 10, 2014 by

…they say, is timing. Alert readers may have noticed that Scottish Labour have spent all day on a cheap smear attempt against SNP Cowdenbeath by-election candidate Natalie McGarry, based on a couple of personal Twitter comments she made two years ago that were mildly critical of teachers, and which Labour had evidently rather creepily kept on file for all that time just in case she was ever selected to fight a seat.

“How DARE she attack our heroic, flawless and infinitely mighty educators?” had been the line since early this morning, issued alongside the uncompromisingly righteous hashtag #ContemptForTeachers. (Although all Ms McGarry had actually said was that teachers do a good job but liked to moan a bit, which isn’t terribly contemptuous.)

So there was a certain inevitability that the hapless, bumbling D-listers of Labour’s northern branch office would be swiftly humiliated by their UK masters yet again.

Read the rest of this entry →

The takeover bid 38

Posted on January 10, 2014 by

Chapter 8 of “The Claim Of Scotland”.

claim8

Read the rest of this entry →

Some things you should know 72

Posted on January 10, 2014 by

Just a wee round-up.

“Plan for Ukip ‘vote swap’ with Tories to to keep Miliband out of No. 10

Writer and Conservative campaigner Toby Young plans to launch a website that will encourage Conservatives and Ukip supporters to pledge to swap votes in margnial constiuencies”

We’re going to assume they mean “marginal” and “constituencies” there. (Even the Telegraph can’t afford sub-editors now?) But hey, it’s a comforting thought, right?

Read the rest of this entry →

  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,931 Posts, 1,244,901 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • Marie on Response Level Upgrade: “Well McHate-filled @11.17pm – you’ve just described what the Arabs in your favourite (fake) nation have had to put up…Jun 17, 05:18
    • Hatey McHateface on Response Level Upgrade: “I have a crisp tenner that says calling somebody a pygmy – a derogatory term with racist overtones – is…Jun 16, 23:27
    • Hatey McHateface on Response Level Upgrade: “You don’t get it, Marie. Again. An immigrant ceases to be an immigrant when she loves her adopted country. Then…Jun 16, 23:17
    • Hatey McHateface on Response Level Upgrade: “Then I’d have to create yet more identities! Have a heart, Bob. I’m struggling to keep track of even the…Jun 16, 23:08
    • robertkknight on Response Level Upgrade: “This place should be renamed “Hatey McHateface Over Wings”. Rev… Any chance of limiting BTL comments to 5 per person…Jun 16, 22:55
    • Oneliner on Response Level Upgrade: “He called the Donald a ‘war criminal’Jun 16, 22:21
    • Marie on Response Level Upgrade: “Americans are generally thought of as patriots who love their flag and their country and put their hands on their…Jun 16, 21:48
    • Mark Beggan on Response Level Upgrade: “Is it Friday yet?Jun 16, 21:40
    • sam on Response Level Upgrade: “Pygmies, literally and figuratively, fail to recognise words of the inaugural speech of Jimmy Reid as Rector of Glasgow University.Jun 16, 21:29
    • Hatey McHateface on Response Level Upgrade: “MSM reporting that two petitions calling for FIFA to review the refereeing of the Scotland-Haiti match have now reached 155,000…Jun 16, 21:21
    • Mark Beggan on Response Level Upgrade: “Name and shame them Sam.Jun 16, 21:02
    • Mark Beggan on Response Level Upgrade: “A Leftist is someone who wants the immigrant and all his mates to come to their country so they can…Jun 16, 20:41
    • Mark Beggan on Response Level Upgrade: “A patriot is someone who wants the immigrant to go back to their own country ASAP by the fastest route.Jun 16, 20:32
    • Aidan on Response Level Upgrade: “And of course using that definition Alf, every region and county within the U.K. would similarly be a colony, lacking…Jun 16, 20:31
    • Southernbystander on Response Level Upgrade: “I know James, and I am, after all, just a ‘wanker’, though I draw the line at ‘effete arsehole’ as…Jun 16, 20:28
    • Hatey McHateface on Response Level Upgrade: “An immigrant is somebody who hates their adopted country. Discuss.Jun 16, 20:10
    • Hatey McHateface on Response Level Upgrade: ““distributes funds necessary to keep […] much of the native proletariat on side, being ‘the most favoured section of the…Jun 16, 20:07
    • Alf Baird on Response Level Upgrade: ““the book” This may be the correct term given that I assume you are referring to the only research-based book…Jun 16, 20:05
    • Mark Beggan on Response Level Upgrade: “‘A patriot is someone who loves their country. A nationalist is someone who hates everybody else’s country’Jun 16, 19:59
    • Hatey McHateface on Response Level Upgrade: “Can I just say, Marie, that in the Land Of The Stupid Comments, the writer of the Most Stupid Comment…Jun 16, 19:58
    • Marie on Response Level Upgrade: “I consider that a badge of honour for Flynn.Jun 16, 19:01
    • Alf Baird on Response Level Upgrade: ““Public life in Scotland is dominated by fake-nats, bourgeois leftists, anglos, and every variety of grifter and opportunist” Excellent synopsis,…Jun 16, 18:22
    • Mark Beggan on Response Level Upgrade: ““Only have to look at the manner in which opposite sides on political debates dehumanize each other for daring to…Jun 16, 17:48
    • James on Response Level Upgrade: “Poor Adrian. Bites every time.Jun 16, 17:30
    • Mark Beggan on Response Level Upgrade: “Well done American Homeland Security. I wouldn’t let a baldy grifter who doesn’t know the difference between a man and…Jun 16, 16:18
    • Aidan on Response Level Upgrade: “Do you honestly think the British state would pay three people to entertain an irrelevant idiot like you James? If…Jun 16, 16:18
    • Hatey McHateface on Response Level Upgrade: “Havers, sam. It’s all the fault of colonialism.Jun 16, 16:08
    • 100%Yes on Response Level Upgrade: “He’s a British Whig.Jun 16, 16:06
    • Hatey McHateface on Response Level Upgrade: ““hundreds of Scotland fans who had previously been granted an ESTA had had their travel permits withdrawn at the last…Jun 16, 15:56
    • Spartan 117 on Response Level Upgrade: “Interesting quotes with much food for thought. Only have to look at the manner in which opposite sides on political…Jun 16, 15:48
  • A tall tale



↑ Top