We’ve now filed a formal complaint with the Scottish Information Commissioner about this, because what we’d forgotten last week was that our original request was actually sent in September and it’s now been almost 60 working days with no sign of a proper response, not the 20 it’s supposed to take.
Because for some reason the Scottish Government REALLY doesn’t want you to know what the First Minister and Geoff Aberdein talked about in March 2018, and we think that you probably should.
We don’t normally like to devote much time on Wings to things that have been more than adequately covered elsewhere in the media, which is why you haven’t read much here about eg the Internal Market Bill. Unlike some we don’t see much point spending our limited human resources telling people stuff they already know and agree with.
But we’re going to make an exception for this next thing, which was already covered pretty well by Susan Dalgety in last week’s Scotsman, because (a) a lot of our readers, quite reasonably, will have an instinctively adverse reaction to either anything printed in the Scotsman or anything written by Susan Dalgety, and (b) a number of people have asked us to amplify this issue because it’s so important and so awful.
As well as the SNP NEC elections, the weekend saw the election of the first committee of a new grassroots independence organisation which is unfortunately and hopefully temporarily going by the stupendously terrible working name of “Yes Alba”.
15 people were elected to its ruling body by the votes of hundreds of delegates, with the top-ranked picks including SNP MP Angus MacNeil and former SNP MP George Kerevan. The majority of the successful candidates (eight) were female, even though there were no quotas or women-only shortlists imposed, and a wide range of ages was represented from young activists to former UK ambassador Craig Murray.
(We have no idea about any of their sexualities or gender identities, and also no interest in knowing, because those things have not the slightest bearing on their ability to fight for independence and are frankly none of our damn business.)
But that wasn’t good enough for Team Woke.
On a day when Joanna Cherry had a grown-up, reasoned and constructive column in The National calling for unity in the pursuit of independence, the outpouring of snide, sour sneering from a faction still raging with bitterness about being routed on the SNP NEC is instead curdling Twitter even as we speak.
And embarrassingly, not a single one of them has actually bothered to check even the most basic facts.
Alert readers will recall the deranged open letter released by a group of transactivists last Friday, in a nakedly transparent attempt to influence the SNP’s NEC elections that weekend which backfired on them horribly (and amusingly) when the party’s members instead kicked out three-quarters of the committee’s woke faction and replaced them with feminists, socialists and above all advocates of actually achieving independence.
If you don’t have the time to read Alyn Smith’s astonishing response to the SNP NEC election results in today’s National, we’ve edited it down to 10 seconds for you.
We must admit, the terrible people that we are, we’ve been enjoying watching today’s extended meltdown by the SNP’s woke faction about last night’s NEC election results. Because it appears their egos are so huge that they’re not even smart enough to play dignified to spoil our schadenfreudish fun. It’s been full-on public tantrums.
Ridiculously, more than eight hours after voting closed in an all-electronic election in which “counting” should have taken a maximum of one second, and at 11.30pm, the SNP have released the results of this year’s NEC elections.
There are some big stories.
Alyn Smith is OUT as Policy Development Convener, replaced by Chris Hanlon.
We had, we think it’s only fair to say, extremely low expectations of Nicola Sturgeon’s keynote speech this afternoon to the SNP’s soporific, strangled 2020 non-conference. It seems that members felt the same, because 15 seconds before the speech began only 1,166 of them were logged in to watch it.
The speech she just delivered, though, limboed under those expectations in platform shoes and a stovepipe hat without even grazing the underside of the bar.
Geri on The Pit Of Vipers: “Surprise, surprise that the new greater map includes all the oil & gas all over the region. The USA, who…” Apr 21, 11:35
Captain Caveman on The Pit Of Vipers: ““Years of working” 😀 😀 😀 Like AS IF pal.” Apr 21, 11:31
Captain Caveman on The Pit Of Vipers: “Well, if it’s any business of yours, “Geri”, I’m here for the interesting (and at times highly revelatory) blog pieces…” Apr 21, 11:27
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Pit Of Vipers: “Some sort of historical version of “devolution”? — « At times of war, the enemy city could be conquered and destroyed…” Apr 21, 11:01
Alf Baird on The Pit Of Vipers: “It always comes back to English ‘liberal imperialism’, where Churchill’s infamous Auxilliaries and Black & Tans who honed their ‘legalized…” Apr 21, 10:30
Geri on The Pit Of Vipers: “Begs the question of why yer still here eh? Only a complete loon hangs about a forum when they don’t…” Apr 21, 09:41
TURABDIN on The Pit Of Vipers: “NEVER offer a propaganda opportunity. https://archive.is/Cb73q” Apr 21, 09:13
Captain Caveman on The Pit Of Vipers: “It’s “take the piss out OF”, Rambo. Mind you, posting at a “mere” 10:30pm and reasonably succinct…? It’s almost “normal”…” Apr 21, 06:54
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Pit Of Vipers: “Young Lochinvar @ 20 April 9.41 pm: “Bottom line, a multiplicity of different languages are a barrier”. ——————— National borders…” Apr 20, 23:57
Geri on The Pit Of Vipers: “Defender of the faith LOL! A divorced adulterer… Possibly even murder in there too, definitely stealing & coveting too. They…” Apr 20, 23:54
Young Lochinvar on The Pit Of Vipers: “A murrain on their parties, their houses, their incomes and their legacies.. They persecute an innocent and think it justice!…” Apr 20, 23:37
Geri on The Pit Of Vipers: “Aye, he’s king. Only by consent of the Scottish people. He could possibly remain Head of State in an Independent…” Apr 20, 23:36
Young Lochinvar on The Pit Of Vipers: “Did they seriously say “defender of the faith”? That’s a church of England thing. Sums up how we got into…” Apr 20, 23:21
Angus on The Pit Of Vipers: “Colin Alexander, do you think the Scottish independence referendum was a good thing or a bad thing? Do you have…” Apr 20, 23:03
Angus on The Pit Of Vipers: “Is there any possibility at all of ever bringing the conspirators to justice? Can no one in the whole world…” Apr 20, 22:58
Angus on The Pit Of Vipers: “Alex Salmond, the greatest leader in Scottish history. Succeeded by the biggest betrayer in Scottish history, who turned Scotland into…” Apr 20, 22:43
Young Lochinvar on The Pit Of Vipers: “Jay Don’t hold yer breath; all three spoilers will no doubt be back.. As; GP cogently noted a while back…” Apr 20, 22:30
Jay on The Pit Of Vipers: “Beggan: waste of space, and for whom (by name of candidate(s) will you vote? Is Beggan a starmer? Seems no…” Apr 20, 21:55
Young Lochinvar on The Pit Of Vipers: “Von Trumphausen is still posturing about us and the Straits of Hormuz.. Remember Suez (same problem just the other end…” Apr 20, 21:51
Young Lochinvar on The Pit Of Vipers: “Fearghas Interesting hypothesis Fearghas but ultimately one I don’t hold with. If people spoke the same tongue we could relate,…” Apr 20, 21:41
Colin Alexander on The Pit Of Vipers: “Wiliam Wallace when accused of treason against the King of England, Edward I: “I cannot be a tray-tor, since I…” Apr 20, 19:14
Geri on The Pit Of Vipers: “Cynicus.. Mark Sedwell was. See the linked article above. Sturgeon & Mark Sedwell “decided that she should extend her stay”” Apr 20, 19:05
Young Lochinvar on The Pit Of Vipers: “Beggars old boy! What have I said that’s anti Semitic ya gas-lighter ye? If you can’t take what’s written in…” Apr 20, 15:58
Young Lochinvar on The Pit Of Vipers: “Aye Why didn’t Dorian Grey jail HER for that bit of blatant contempt of court eh? Sorry, my bad, forgot,…” Apr 20, 15:49
Mark Beggan on The Pit Of Vipers: “Billy Liar pants on fire.” Apr 20, 15:41
agent on The Pit Of Vipers: “During a COVID-19 media briefing, while referring to the complaints against Alex Salmond, Sturgeon stated: “The behaviour complained of was…” Apr 20, 15:31
Mark Beggan on The Pit Of Vipers: “Although it’s torture to listen to Starmer. I just need to hear him talk his way out of this. Then…” Apr 20, 15:23
Mark Beggan on The Pit Of Vipers: “Sturgeon is a wanker.” Apr 20, 15:19
Sven on The Pit Of Vipers: “Mark Beggan @ 13.18. Fairly uncontroversial statement that one Mark, but like saying that when it comes to inquiries Nicola…” Apr 20, 14:30
Mark Beggan on The Pit Of Vipers: “Your anti Semitic dribble is frothing over. Nothing like a reference about Judaism to weed out the anti Semitic arse…” Apr 20, 14:00
