You can’t move on social media today without tripping over effusive tweets from SNP MPs and MSPs singing the praises of departed Westminster leader Ian Blackford and admiring all his achievements in the position over the last five years, although weirdly nobody has actually listed any of them.
A week ago, readers, I had not the slightest interest in bringing Wings Over Scotland back full-time. I had my Twitter account again and was having fun and I was happy with that. It scratched the itch of being able to engage with politics (and people) without the depressing business of wading in it for work.
And then I witnessed the quite extraordinary sight of an elected member of Parliament, in the shape of the SNP’s pico-witted ambulant brain vacuum Karen Adam, publicly gloating about having managed to shut down the voice of someone critical of her party.
At the same time, an extremely minor blogger (the word “rival” would be to over-dignify them) re-opened hostilities in his campaign of self-declared “open warfare” against this site, with a rapid succession of posts (just a few of dozens) forming such a demented scattershot tirade that to patiently debunk all of it would have taken until Christmas.
And I’ll be honest, folks, it all pushed my buttons a wee bit. It really shouldn’t have, but it was properly outrageous and I’m occasionally human, so I thought “Sod it, if I’m going to have to put up with all this crap anyway I might as well make it worthwhile”.
Do you remember, readers, how the next UK election was supposed to be a single-issue de facto referendum on independence if the Supreme Court ruled Holyrood didn’t have the power to hold one itself?
Well, it appears that policy has been abruptly and quietly ditched.
Because just a couple of hours ago SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford told BBC News that “I can assure you” the SNP “will have a growth manifesto” for the whole UK whenever the next election comes around, because in his view the UK economy hasn’t been growing enough for the last few decades and the SNP would have a plan to fix it. Because apparently fixing the UK is the SNP’s purpose now.
Guess we better hope for a good result from the Supreme Court, then.
Sometimes even fools and liars and charlatans speak the truth.
Thing is, we rather liked it when the horses south of the border were frightened. Things happened in those days. But to coin a phrase, those days are past now.
You know how the SNP are always going on about how bad the Tories are and how urgently we need to get rid of them? Well, it turns out they don’t want that to happen for at least a couple of years. They just want a different Tory as Prime Minister, even though they keep telling us that Boris Johnson is the greatest recruiting sergeant for independence there could be.
I am living for the day when someone in the Scottish media finds some courage from somewhere and asks Nicola Sturgeon, because she’s going to blink so fast her face might catch fire. But that phone will just keep on ringing until someone answers.
Just for a little bit of fun. This is actual footage of North Korean TV news (source: NK News) from today, but I thought it deserved a more moving soundtrack.
Ian Smith on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “If police were made aware that the SNP had pilfered the cash, are they duty bound to sit on their…” Aug 18, 23:13
Hatey McHateface on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “Aidan, I don’t think that’s what was said. I think the lady simply agreed with James. I think I understand…” Aug 18, 23:08
Hatey McHateface on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “Marie says: 18 August, 2026 at 2:54 pm “Monarchy – a relic. Time to get rid.” You were doing so…” Aug 18, 22:51
Hatey McHateface on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “Even if every poster on here agrees with Alf tomorrow that Scotland is a colony, Alf still fails to provide…” Aug 18, 22:43
Hatey McHateface on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “If another fit of boredom strikes you, Northy, why don’t you re-write the lawyer’s letter in a superior form? Not…” Aug 18, 22:35
Hatey McHateface on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “Fucks sake, Jay Main. It’s a well-known quote, widely repeated. Why don’t you educate yersel? And yes, if a nation…” Aug 18, 22:29
Strathglass on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “replying to Northcode (A) OK. not really important in the scheme of things. (B)Ditto. (C) So Police Scotland are saying…” Aug 18, 21:39
Aidan on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “@Alf – if it is the high-quality work you say it is, then why is it published in a student-run…” Aug 18, 21:24
Aidan on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: ““A distinction is appropriate, here, because Alf has been accused of obsessive references to various writers who deal with Colonialism”…” Aug 18, 21:20
Alf Baird on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “An extensive summary of the ‘Doun-Hauden’ book’s findings and theoretical framework developed to explain Scotland’s colonial condition, inclusive of extensive…” Aug 18, 21:14
Spartan 117 on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “I don’t always agree with Alf however he does make compelling points and makes his points without any disrespect or…” Aug 18, 20:48
Saffron Robe on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “I’m not sure I agree with your conclusion, Stuart. What if independence is the only way to bring about justice?…” Aug 18, 20:28
James Che on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “The devolved Scottish governance is English by nature and law under legislation and Statues from the Westminster parliament in which…” Aug 18, 20:15
Northcode on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “Police Scotland’s reply… tone, structure, and meaning. This letter is calm, procedural, factual, standard, professional, and non?reactive. It’s exactly what…” Aug 18, 19:19
Jay on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “Anthem and Alanm, your assessment is correct. Thatcher and her associates intended to corrupt potentially democratic politics with a massive…” Aug 18, 18:16
Northcode on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “You’re wrong, Jay. Alf only references those pioneers of postcolonial theory to punt his book, “Doun-Hauden: The Socio-Political Determinants of…” Aug 18, 17:56
Jay on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “Confused as to the utility of your comment (referring to J. Arday) for remedy of the ills with which Rev…” Aug 18, 17:24
James Che on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “With Scotland not having a legal parliament of its own, ( as presently its under the legislation and statue’s of…” Aug 18, 16:17
James Che on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “It would appear that Stu is dealing with the wrong Crown offices of England and english laws, not Scots law,…” Aug 18, 16:01
James Che on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “Union minded people are beginning to fight a losing battle in its efforts to hold Scotland even as a Colony.…” Aug 18, 15:47
Aidan on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: ““So universities now teach there is no union between Scotland and England” Which universities teach that?” Aug 18, 15:39
Northcode on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “A fit of boredom came upon me… so I had a closer look at the lawyer’s letter for something to…” Aug 18, 15:30
Jay on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “They say your name is J. Main: you speak only for yourself.” Aug 18, 15:21
James Che on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “Just talking to a lady from England with full qualifications on studies on geography and world war one and world…” Aug 18, 15:16
robertkknight on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “Agreed, Alf. Ignore the site pricks/usual suspects.” Aug 18, 15:08
Hatey McHateface on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “I was unaware of the correlation between republicanism and Christianity, Spartan. In fact, I thought it was republicans who foisted…” Aug 18, 12:51
Mark Beggan on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “Yes Alfie that’s right. Now tell us about your academic journey and any marathons you took part in.” Aug 18, 12:46