I’ve just remembered that I meant to leave this pinned to the front page when I shut Wings down as a blog, so here it is. It’s just a short one.
I am willing to bet anyone in the UK any amount of money of their choosing that there will NOT be a second independence referendum in Scotland while Nicola Sturgeon is First Minister.
If you still believe she’ll deliver one, now’s your chance to demonstrate your faith in public AND get yourself some free cash. (It’s a matter of public record that I’ve never failed to pay up on a losing wager.)
So come on, SNP loyalists and true believers, let’s see you. Put your name and the amount you want to bet in the comments below* and let’s find out how much you really trust her. This is an entirely genuine, serious offer and remains open to anyone** until such times as Nicola Sturgeon stands down as First Minister, even if that’s 20 years from now. Any amount you like. I’m waiting keenly for your responses.
.
*PLEASE DO NOT COMMENT EXCEPT TO TAKE THE BET.
**WAGERS FROM GERRY “THE WELCHER” HASSAN NOT ACCEPTED.
Craig Murray is due to be released from HMP Edinburgh a week tomorrow, having served half of an eight-month sentence for contempt of court via “jigsaw identification”. Our latest poll data from Panelbase, surveying 2000 Scottish voters last week, reveals that just a quarter of Scots think that such an offence merits imprisonment.
Readers may find the figures for male and female respondents of note. The full data tables can be downloaded here.
So, in accordance with the wishes of the readership (and despite rather peculiar claims on some sites that all polls in Scotland are now commissioned by Unionists), Wings has its first polling data for you in its present form, relayed without comment.
In association with Panelbase, this month we surveyed 2000 Scottish voters (double the normal sample size) on a couple of subjects. The first question was this:
“Barring unforeseen events, next year Nicola Sturgeon will overtake Alex Salmond as Scotland’s longest-serving First Minister. She took office in November 2014, in a Scotland which was evenly split on the constitution. (Average support for independence in polling was at 50%, compared to the current 48%.)
Which of the following, if any, do you personally regard as her greatest achievement in office?”
When the Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts died last month, the first of their songs that popped into my head, for no particular reason, was “Under My Thumb”, a mildly controversial 1966 album track the band never released as a single in the West.
Its most infamous place in history, though, is this.
Until Watts’ death I was only very broadly aware of the events at Altamont Speedway in 1969, a free festival at a racetrack near San Francisco at which four people died in scenes of malevolent chaos and which is widely regarded as the grim headstone of the hippy era.
But on seeing the extraordinary footage above for the first time on the day of Watts’ death – taken from “Gimme Shelter”, notionally the official movie of the show, although the first two-thirds of it are actually a mundane travelogue of the preceding tour dates – I did some proper reading up on it.
And as I did, a horribly familiar feeling started to unfold.
Her Majesty’s Prisoner No. 157095, or Craig Murray as we still prefer to call him, is a fascinating piece of living evidence of the Kafkaesque country Scotland has become under the despotic rule of Nicola Sturgeon.
Craig has a number of serious medical conditions, one of which causes him frequent dizziness and fainting spells. To gauge their severity (because obviously it’s hard for Craig to judge, given that he’s dizzy and/or fainting at the time), his doctor gave him a device called a pulse oximeter. Depending on the readings from it after an attack, Craig’s life could be in danger and an ambulance should be called.
But because presumably even the Scottish prison authorities realise that it would look quite bad if a political prisoner like Craig died in jail, they did offer him an alternative.
Red on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “and as a nationalist here my problem Aa a nationalist, your problem is that the SNP hates you, and wants…” Jul 25, 00:06
robertkknight on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Rip it up and start again. SNP is lost to the Woo-Woo brigade. They’re welcome to it!” Jul 24, 22:26
sarah on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “O/T but very relevant to the overall theme of why the SNP hasn’t made any progress in restoring Scotland’s independence…” Jul 24, 21:53
Alf Baird on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““Sometimes I wonder where Scotland would be if we weren’t “colonised” Probably aroond aboot £150 billion a year better aff,…” Jul 24, 21:29
Hatey McHateface on The Wheels Of Industry: ““No one is talking about expunging people” Oh yes they are. Just about weekly. You ignore it, Northy, because you…” Jul 24, 20:48
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “All very well, sam, but what does Cuthbert know of Fanon, Cesaire, Memmi and the rest? That’s the yardstick by…” Jul 24, 20:38
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Cheers, James! Although your obsession with my tackle does raise a few red flags. But hey, a child could see…” Jul 24, 20:29
Southernbystander on The Wheels Of Industry: “Just needs a ‘like’ really as I cannot disagree with much. Just one thing, ‘recover’ is a bit of a…” Jul 24, 20:16
sam on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Jim Cuthbert has a M.A. in mathematics and economics. A M.Sc. in mathematics and statistics and a D Phil in…” Jul 24, 20:01
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “@Onlooker An analysis of Confused’s posts suggests you missed one: Confused’s parent’s home. How else to explain his recurring, extreme…” Jul 24, 19:56
Dan on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “@ factchecker Thanks again for confirming the significant and negative predicaments Scotland endures whilst being in a Union with the…” Jul 24, 19:27
Onlooker on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Lorncal says: “There has never, to my knowledge been a matriarchy in human history…” Wrong. https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/ancient-cultures-matriarchal-society-0011588 https://historified.in/2024/12/24/matriarchy-a-historical-and-cultural-perspective/ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/angela-saini-patriarchy-matriarchy-gender-equality https://www.maloriesadventures.com/blog/the-forgotten-matriarchal-societies-that-still-exist/” Jul 24, 19:26
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Thank the Good Lord ScotGov doesn’t have control of North Sea licensing, eh? They’d have shut in the entire place…” Jul 24, 19:22
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Good post, FC. You’re understanding why, outside of the UK, Scotland is as likely to split apart as it is…” Jul 24, 19:10
Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““tartaned up and kilted bourgeoisie strutting about” Crivens, help m’boab! Some cunning cant maist hae telt them they were aboot…” Jul 24, 19:01
factchecker on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Nothing inadvertent almost it, Dan – just a statement of the obvious. Please name me a democratic union of formerly…” Jul 24, 18:20
Dan on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Well aye, guilty as charged Judge Mark, but when one’s talking about the proper sensible governance of an entire country…” Jul 24, 18:17
Mark Beggan on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““we have to grow our tax revenues…” You have to pay some Tax in the first place. Talking of which,…” Jul 24, 18:17
100%Yes on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Dan, The funny thing is the Scot hater who where born in Scotland, when abroad call themselves Scottish and when…” Jul 24, 18:04
Mark Beggan on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “For a wee guy you talk really big. You and the rest of the pure Yessers are going to do…” Jul 24, 17:53
Dan on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “^^^ That’s a very lame post, but I guess Mark jist tried to squeeze in as many derogatory digs as…” Jul 24, 16:53
factchecker on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Fair enough, sam; but you are quoting the opinion of Jim Cuthbert, a single civil servant, albeit a well-informed one,…” Jul 24, 16:40
Lorncal on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “I’m not into male-female rivalry, Mark/H McH. There has never, to my knowledge been a matriarchy in human history because,…” Jul 24, 16:39
Lorncal on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Proselytise means to aggressively push your religion/ideology/whatever on to others, not to give them a wee lecture and a couple…” Jul 24, 16:21
sam on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Factchecker says: “Please note: Analysts from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre concluded that the fiscal changes set out in the…” Jul 24, 16:16
factchecker on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “100%Yes says: 24 July, 2026 at 1:36 pm Scotland had a referendum in 2014, I know the Unionist mention it…” Jul 24, 15:24
Mark Beggan on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Colonial. This word is getting thrown about here as if it has some sort of special powers. Just add “colonized”…” Jul 24, 14:15
100%Yes on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Scotland had a referendum in 2014, I know the Unionist mention it all the time. The day before the referendum…” Jul 24, 13:36
