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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.

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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?

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The Highlands and islands 42

Posted on January 12, 2014 by

Chapter 9 of “The Claim Of Scotland”.

claim9

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The takeover bid 38

Posted on January 10, 2014 by

Chapter 8 of “The Claim Of Scotland”.

claim8

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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?

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The immigration falsehood 111

Posted on January 10, 2014 by

It says something about the baleful influence of the right-wing press (not to mention Tory, UKIP and Labour politicians desperate to seek its favour) that some people in Scotland mention immigration as a reason for voting No.

migration

Of the many scare stories originating south of the border, this one is among the least applicable to Scotland. (But is still perpetuated in the media because no major Scottish newspapers are actually owned here.) Scotland needs immigrants, and without sustained immigration over the next half century, we could be in trouble.

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For Mike Dailly 93

Posted on January 09, 2014 by

popnoo1

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Reader alertness test 35

Posted on January 09, 2014 by

Just a quick one, folks. Here’s a story we touched on earlier today, that appeared in today’s Scotsman and Daily Record. (It even briefly showed up in the Herald, but was deleted faster than we could save it.) At first glance it appears to be identical in both papers, but it isn’t. In fact there’s a rather substantial difference. Can you spot it?

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    • sarah on Vibecoding A Better World: “And Robin McAlpine has finally caught up with the Rev i.e. the SNP isn’t worth saving.” Nov 9, 21:43
    • Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: “The big, bad English barsturts may have thieved our wind, but somewhere in Bonny Scotia tonight, oor very ain world’s…” Nov 9, 19:14
    • James on Vibecoding A Better World: “Aye, Dan; it’s one sad bastart of a bot. Quite an achievement, though, to be on the wrang side of…” Nov 9, 18:59
    • James on Vibecoding A Better World: “Who are you, exactly?” Nov 9, 16:16
    • Neil Waugh on Vibecoding A Better World: “Hey Rev Looks like you got a shout-out in the Herald today. Without getting a mention, of course. With her…” Nov 9, 16:03
    • Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: ““understand that your population and its inevitable and longstanding ‘demographic manipulation’ and ‘perishing culture’ under colonial rule is a matter…” Nov 9, 14:00
    • Captain Caveman on Vibecoding A Better World: “Heh! Spot the luddite philistine eh – there’s me going on about “leather effect” watch straps and dials when OF…” Nov 9, 13:41
    • Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: “Liking it, CC. What about a moby app, monitoring your speech and texts in real time? Analysing for key indications…” Nov 9, 13:24
    • Alf Baird on Vibecoding A Better World: ““Many Scots just need to look at the strangers hanging around their High Streets” ….and the need to better understand…” Nov 9, 13:16
    • Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: ““discrediting just about everyone on Wings” Some on here seem unable to distinguish between Wings and Wings BTL. I feel…” Nov 9, 13:12
    • Spartan 117 on Vibecoding A Better World: “A bizarre statement from Alf. Many of us don’t need to look to the media, state or “culture” for intellectual…” Nov 9, 13:04
    • Captain Caveman on Vibecoding A Better World: ““Jeezo, one day I’m the colonised, the next I’m the coloniser.” Maybe we could each wear a large “colonis-o-meter” dial…” Nov 9, 13:03
    • Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: “@ Aidan says: 9 November, 2026 at 11:05 am Excellent post. Many Scots just need to look at the strangers…” Nov 9, 12:51
    • Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: “““endless questions” posed by the colonizer” Jeezo, one day I’m the colonised, the next I’m the coloniser. Any chance of…” Nov 9, 12:41
    • Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: “Prick and twat, eh, Dan? Sounds like you’re one confused individual. Nae wonder ye hae tae mak all yer ain…” Nov 9, 12:35
    • Spartan 117 on Vibecoding A Better World: “It’s often said these days that the difference between a conspiracy theory and truth is about 6 months; from what…” Nov 9, 11:56
    • Spartan 117 on Vibecoding A Better World: “Some of the above posts show a worrying detachment from reality and highlight the main problem with politics and academia…” Nov 9, 11:30
    • 100%Yes on Vibecoding A Better World: “We don’t have a government or a political party in Scotland working for the Scottish people, there either working for…” Nov 9, 11:27
    • Aidan on Vibecoding A Better World: “The way to address that uncertainty is to answer those questions cogently and effectively, not to come up with some…” Nov 9, 11:05
    • Northcode on Vibecoding A Better World: “The lack of wind in Scotland is of course part of a devious conspiracy. Westminster, and its army of brilliant…” Nov 9, 10:10
    • James Che on Vibecoding A Better World: “The Credit pun i no doubt you cottoned on too, But thats the problem with digital banking, Anyone or even…” Nov 9, 09:51
    • Captain Caveman on Vibecoding A Better World: “Do you not feel you could help out here, Alf? All that endless hot air 24/7 – surely more than…” Nov 9, 09:46
    • Northcode on Vibecoding A Better World: ““The problem is all inside your head,” he said to me. “The answer is easy if you take it logically.”…” Nov 9, 09:41
    • Alf Baird on Vibecoding A Better World: “There are always “endless questions” posed by the colonizer to create doubt and uncertainty in the minds of the colonized.…” Nov 9, 09:29
    • James Che on Vibecoding A Better World: “Hatey, No it was not a meant to be a pun, but well spotted, in between discrediting just about everyone…” Nov 9, 09:28
    • Alf Baird on Vibecoding A Better World: “Hopefully one day soon Scots will no longer be made dependent on another people and country’s media and culture for…” Nov 9, 09:21
    • James Che on Vibecoding A Better World: “Wether it is France, Germany, Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands, Canada, Scotland, America, Italy, England, Greece,Spain, or Wales, It might be the…” Nov 9, 09:20
    • Dan on Vibecoding A Better World: “Look at site prick Hatey enjoying the rare opportunity to post his shite when climatic conditions dictate there is insufficient…” Nov 9, 09:16
    • Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: “@James. Imagine if that happened here! We lead the world in grippiness when it comes to the bawbees in our…” Nov 9, 09:15
    • James Che on Vibecoding A Better World: “The rest of the Countries in the world are very important, if those other Countries are not doing so well,…” Nov 9, 09:00
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