The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


Archive for the ‘world’


Ain’t No Sunshine 324

Posted on December 02, 2023 by

The Safest People On Earth 218

Posted on November 21, 2023 by

Yesterday was “Transgender Day Of Remembrance”, which was the 41st “special” day of 2023 so far for trans people.

(Including but not limited to International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia; International Pronouns Day; International Transgender Day Of Visibility; Transgender Awareness Week and of course the whole of “Pride Month”, which is now an almost entirely trans-focused event).

Citizens of Scotland and the UK were solemnly instructed to “remember the many trans people whose lives have been tragically cut short by violence”, although weirdly none of the politicians issuing the orders actually named any.

However, since we’re endlessly being told that trans people are the most marginalised, oppressed and vulnerable members of our society, and that an actual “trans genocide” is currently in progress, we expect there have been loads.

Read the rest of this entry →

The Widowmaker 160

Posted on September 30, 2023 by

The greatest intellectual weakness of the independence movement is its attitude towards Trident, and trying to reason with people about it (whether readers or other independence activists) is consistently one of the most frustrating aspects of writing Wings, because nuclear disarmers and Unionists are equally impervious to logic on the subject.

The UK’s nuclear “deterrent” – or as it was more accurately and memorably described by the former Vulcan nuclear bomber squadron commander Air Commodore Alastair Mackie, “a virility symbol, like a stick-on hairy chest” – is the greatest gift to a future Scottish independence negotiating team imaginable.

The rest of the UK gets a lot of economic and infrastructural benefits from Scotland, like water and energy, but ultimately it’s not massively bothered about those. Water is not yet a critical area and energy can be sourced elsewhere, and in any event Brexit shows us that the UK is more than willing to do itself enormous harm in the service of ideological political goals.

But Trident is a whole different kettle of sweaty underwater men.

Read the rest of this entry →

The Stupidity Of Vanity 891

Posted on July 31, 2023 by

The reality-TV let’s say “personality” Kelly Given – who Wings readers previously met on a trip to New York for Tartan Week with a raft of SNP let’s say “celebrities” a couple of months ago – has been off on another nice holiday.

Last night she told both the viewers of BBC Scotland’s “Seven Days” that she’d just spent three weeks on an island in Greece, where apparently she was quite shocked to discover that the Mediterranean nation was hot in July.

Read the rest of this entry →

Hostile takeover 73

Posted on June 17, 2023 by

Inspired by this tweet:

We thought we’d try the idea out.

Read the rest of this entry →

Scouting For Bears 111

Posted on June 02, 2023 by

There’s still nothing happening in Scottish politics, so inspired by the Hieland Coo from yesterday’s godawful Economist front-page story, and for those of you who don’t use Twitter, and by reader request, meet some of my new friends from the last couple of weeks of strolling around Bath, guarding against ursine incursion.

Because VIGILANCE MUST BE MAINTAINED AT ALL TIMES.

Read the rest of this entry →

If you tolerate this 165

Posted on May 12, 2023 by

Below is a clip from last night’s ITV News West Country.

It really needs a wider audience.

Read the rest of this entry →

The Upside Down 61

Posted on January 25, 2023 by

Sorry readers, been a bit busy with research today. But here’s a news:

Now the Catholic Church loves all The Gays and Stonewall hates them. It’s 2023, and welcome to whatever the Hell this is, everyone.

The Rorschach Test 85

Posted on January 10, 2023 by

The release of some early 2021 census statistics relating to gender was greeted with glee and elation by Nancy Kelley, CEO of Stonewall in the UK. Vindication at last!

(Kelley declined to mention that her figure of 262,000 was substantially less than half the number of trans and non-binary individuals – 600,000 – that her organisation has habitually claimed for years.)

The census suggested that England and Wales are home to 48,000 transwomen (and 48,000 transmen), from the total who’d answered No to the voluntary question asking if their gender identity aligned with their sex at birth.

(The largest number that said No, around 118,000, didn’t tick the boxes of transwoman, transman or non-binary, nor wrote in their own. An unknown number of these may have been rejecting “gender” altogether. 30,000 ticked “non-binary” and 18,000 wrote in a gender because they were REALLY special.)

But, as we’ve been told time out of number, we must accept what people say about themselves. So 48,000 transwomen it is. So few. So vulnerable. And that number got me thinking.

Read the rest of this entry →

Armageddon 2 128

Posted on March 25, 2022 by

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.

Our work here is done 309

Posted on August 28, 2021 by

Hostile environment 990

Posted on May 15, 2021 by

  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a (mainly) Scottish political media digest and monitor, which also offers its own commentary. (More)

    Stats: 6,718 Posts, 1,214,058 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • Aidan on Signal and noise: “A combination of very little going on in the pro-Indy front, and the deluge of cranks and trolls who, like…Mar 14, 12:38
    • Aidan on The tint of rose: “@Mia – no it doesn’t stand to reason at all, that implication would have an enormous impact on future union…Mar 14, 12:31
    • Chas on Signal and noise: “Very few comments being posted on Wings nowadays. Even the nutters and cranks who posted umpteen times, every day, now…Mar 14, 11:36
    • agent x on Signal and noise: “I saw reports that Sturgeon had put her name forward for re-election in 2026. Was it published anywhere that she…Mar 14, 11:35
    • willie on Signal and noise: “So Swinney has had tea and biscuits with Eric Trump. Not bad for a man who only a few weeks…Mar 14, 11:25
    • Mia on The tint of rose: ““Clause XXV does not say that at all, it says that the respective parliaments shall void incompatible laws, it doesn’t…Mar 14, 11:20
    • Lorn on The evolution of fairness: “On that we can agree, NN.Mar 14, 10:54
    • Aidan on The tint of rose: “@Mia – Clause XXV does not say that at all, it says that the respective parliaments shall void incompatible laws,…Mar 14, 10:51
    • Aidan on The tint of rose: “@Xaracen – there is no distinction between constitutional law and domestic law, constitutional law is domestic law by its own…Mar 14, 10:43
    • Mia on The tint of rose: ““your views hold no more weight than any other opinion” The text of Article XXV of the treaty of union…Mar 14, 10:33
    • Aidan on The tint of rose: “@Mia – the effect of Clause XXV is a requirement that both parliaments of England and Scotland shall void any…Mar 14, 10:26
    • Xaracen on The tint of rose: “Correction to an unnoticed error; “They have never been asked to change any part of it, and even if they…Mar 14, 10:14
    • James Barr Gardner on Signal and noise: “The first step in privatising the Scottish NHS will be the SNP advocating “Both Votes SNP”. After that the plan…Mar 14, 10:14
    • Xaracen on The tint of rose: “@ Aidan; Bullshit, Aidan! My initial premise has always been that the sovereignty of Scotland was just as unequivocally real…Mar 14, 10:07
    • Aidan on The tint of rose: “@Mia – we’ve also gone around the houses on this, we get to the point where you say that every…Mar 14, 09:42
    • Mia on The tint of rose: ““you appear to make an absolutely fundamental error which is to treat older laws as taking priority over newer laws,…Mar 14, 09:22
    • Captain Caveman on The tint of rose: “Very informative and decisive post @7:42, Aidan. Hopefully this will conclude and put the matter to rest (finally and long…Mar 14, 09:19
    • Xaracen on The tint of rose: “You could hardly be more wrong, Hatey; it is the English establishment’s interpretation that doesn’t mesh with the constitutional and…Mar 14, 09:01
    • Mia on The tint of rose: ““Your interpretation does not mesh with reality, Xaracen” Actually, Hatey, it is YOUR interpretation the one that does not mesh…Mar 14, 08:32
    • Vivian O’Blivion on Signal and noise: “Former MP for Glasgow South, Stewart McDonald delivers his hagiography for Saint Nicola of Brigadoom. “… preeminent electoral juggernaut”, aye,…Mar 14, 08:26
    • Mia on The tint of rose: ““We voted Remain by 62% on a turnout of 67.2%. By the inexorable laws of maths, we can all see…Mar 14, 08:05
    • Aidan on The tint of rose: “@Xaracen – again the problem is that your reasoning is largely circular, in that you use the conclusion as justifying…Mar 14, 07:42
    • Tinto Chiel on Off-topic: ““Says it all about him, doesn’t it.” Yes, sarah, Swinney the Incredible Husk, the New Toom Tabard, etc. etc. Other…Mar 14, 07:38
    • Hatey McHateface on The tint of rose: “Your interpretation does not mesh with reality, Xaracen. In reality, if the vote was intended to separately determine the fates…Mar 14, 06:37
    • sarah on Off-topic: “I gave that slogan to Swinney during the general election when he visited a nearby heritage site that was central…Mar 13, 23:24
    • sarah on The tint of rose: “@ Mia at 7.30 p.m. Very well explained, Mia – comprehensible to the meanest understanding, one would think.Mar 13, 23:13
    • Xaracen on The tint of rose: “Hatey said; “We voted Remain by 62% on a turnout of 67.2%. By the inexorable laws of maths, we can…Mar 13, 22:58
    • Tinto Chiel on Off-topic: “Stuart McHardy cuts through the crap re The Jacobites: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx7fJY1hr98 Remember history is usually written by the victors unless the…Mar 13, 21:18
    • Hatey McHateface on The tint of rose: “Boo hoo, Mia gurnin aboot being “forced oot o the EU agin oor will” again. Hindsight is, of course, a…Mar 13, 20:38
    • Mia on The tint of rose: ““I cannot see anything which would suggest that the treaty intended to retain two separate sovereign states with their respective…Mar 13, 19:30
  • A tall tale



↑ Top