From the archives #16
Someone tweeted this today:
We were curious to find out what we’d said, but it seems to have been expunged from The National’s website. We eventually managed to track the email down in our vaults, though, so just as a bit of a change, here it is, as a reminder of a different time.
Tell us about the start of Wings. Why did you start it up? What were you thinking you could do that wasn’t already being done? Was it always going to be a full time job?
I started it because I was sick of seeing things being said on TV and in newspapers that I knew weren’t true, but which absolutely nobody challenged. The most obvious example is the idea that Labour needed Scottish seats to win UK elections – that’s absolute hogwash, but everyone repeated it like a self-evident mantra.
Having searched in vain for a site debunking the myths, I realised I’d have to do it myself. I never thought it’d become a job – it was just my way of making a contribution, because I wasn’t in Scotland and I couldn’t go knocking doors or anything.
You were, in many ways, a big part of the referendum campaign. At times right at the heart of the campaign. But you were also many, many miles away. What was the referendum like for you?
It was – and essentially still is – an incredible experience. Being geographically out of it is frustrating sometimes, but it also gives you a vital distance, protecting you to some extent from the echo chamber.
In Shawlands on the Sunday before the vote I met lots of people totally convinced we were going to get 60%+, and I knew we weren’t – if we won it was going to be close. But understandably they’d been swept up in what by then was an amazing, intoxicating atmosphere. From 400 miles away, you can observe the facts without that distorting effect.
What do you feel was your greatest achievement during the campaign?
The Wee Blue Book, without a doubt. Wings has been almost entirely airbrushed out of the story of the campaign in the past year, and I always expected it to – history is written by the media, and the media really hates being the subject of scrutiny rather than the scrutineer.
But it’s just laughably, embarrassingly petty on a basic journalistic level that not a single feature was written anywhere about the astonishing achievement of a thrown-together team of grassroots volunteers funding and then distributing a 72-page book of detailed, sourced arguments to every corner of Scotland in a few short weeks.
Those people got boxes and vanloads of books to every island, up every remote farm track in the Borders, every city and town and village, and the lack of coverage and credit they got for it is a disgrace to anyone calling themselves a reporter.
Did you think Scotland would vote yes? How was the 19th for you?
From May 2011 until September the 18th I had no idea if we’d win or not. I said from very early on that there wouldn’t be more than 10 points in it either way, but I honestly hadn’t a clue which way it would go.
On the 18th itself I was miserable. It was a horrible, damp, foggy day that felt ill-omened from the off, and it seemed to last forever. I’ve never known time move so slowly.
On the 19th I felt as wretched as everyone else, and the loyalist thuggery on George Square was sickening, but a Yes activist came round to my mum and dad’s house and cheered me up a bit.
On the Saturday the sun came out and everyone seemed to have been given a bit of a kick in the backside by the violence – I honestly think that’s what re-energised the Yes movement, and it’s never looked back.
Is there anything you’ve written/tweeted that you regret? That you wish you hadn’t?
No. I don’t see the point in regret, but I can’t think of anything I’ve said that I wouldn’t stand by now.
The thing about confected outrage is that even if you actually don’t say something offensive, people trying to smear you will twist something else to MAKE it offensive anyway – we saw a thousand examples in the press of totally innocuous comments having storms whipped up around them.
So you might as well just say what you think in the first place, then at least you’ll be getting attacked for something you actually did.
The SNP don’t really engage with you, and yet, you are easily one of the most high profile and influential campaigners for independence. Does that bother? Have you spoken to anyone senior at the party?
There are two or three elected SNP people I chat to sometimes, but only in their personal capacity, not as party representatives. I’ve never spoken to anyone “senior” – when I went to see Alex Salmond at the New Statesman event in London, for example, I left the post-speech reception before he got there, even though I’d have loved to say hello, because I didn’t want some slimy hack getting a photo of him shaking hands with the “vile cybernat controller” and making a big deal of it.
I’ve been very clear from the first day of Wings that I had nothing to do with the SNP, partly simply because that’s true and partly because it was clear that they were going to run a very happy-clappy feelgood campaign, and because we deal with the media we were inevitably going to be getting our hands a little dirtier.
The Unionist press was desperate to tar the SNP and the whole Yes movement, and because Wings’ style can be a little abrasive I didn’t want to make that easy for them. They’ve tried anyway, but it hasn’t stuck, because nobody’s responsible for anything I’ve done except me.
What’s the future for Wings and the future for you? A Wee Blue Book 2?
Wings will carry on for as long as people want it, and when the second referendum comes along – I don’t think it’s an “if” – there’ll be an updated WBB. Very little of it will need changing, so we’ll be able to get it out sooner – it was a real race against time to print and distribute the last one, and I’d have liked if we’d done it maybe two weeks earlier, though it was always meant to come out pretty late in the day.
Why Rev?
It’s a long story. But it’s a real title, and I’ve used it for many, many years before the referendum campaign. There are a lot of people called Stuart Campbell.
Do you think we’ll see independence soon? Want to put a date on it?
It’s coming, but it’s entirely in the hands of events. If the EU scenario comes about – Scotland voting to stay and the rUK voting to leave – it could be sooner than anyone expects. I think the more likely case is 2021, if the Tories have just won another UK election and the SNP have a majority in Holyrood again. Both of those things are currently odds-on, but 2020 is a long way off and you don’t know what might happen between now and then.
Nobody seems to have ever talked about it, but I felt way before the referendum that the proximity of a UK general election people thought Labour were going to win might be the thing that tipped the balance for No.
While we warned for years on Wings that there was no way Ed Miliband was going to be PM – another upside of living in England – lots of people really believed he would, and I think a significant section of left-wing types thought there was no need for independence if there was a Labour government at Westminster. On current polling, there’s going to be a very different feeling about 2020/21.
It’s always interesting to see what changes in eight years, and what doesn’t.
A great interview Stu, from the days when the National and indeed the SNP were primarily focused on independence. The UK state (and probably Washington) got such a fright in 2014 that they had to split the pro-indy vote, and this could only be done by making the SNP unelectable, and essentially devolutionist. All it took was getting a few of their place-men (can I still use that word 🙂 into the right positions and hey presto.
Look at all the high-ranking SNP people who have attended those American meetings, and also the likes of Milibland, etc. That’s where the real deals are done and the plans drawn up. Simply put, unless Scotland can offer something special to the Yanks, we will never be allowed to become independent, as it hits their Military Industrial Complex in the pocket, and it potentially weakens the anti-Russki alliance throughout Europe.
I remember one of the biggest ‘threats’ that if independence happened, the Scottish people would lose access to watch Eastenders and other British TV programmes.
Fast Forward to 2023 and hardly anyone watches ITV or BBC as they have the choice of NetFlix, Disney+ and other formats of entertainment like YouTube.
https://www.itv.com/news/2023-08-03/tv-audiences-see-sharpest-fall-since-records-began
When people watch TV now, they are more interested in international broadcasts rather than just the insularity of British TV.
I doubt very much people nowadays will be swayed in the independence debate with the ‘threat’ of not being able to see Eastenders.
2021, if only.
The movement and the party seem tied but nobody believes in the party any more
Nicola destroyed it and Humza is just not a leader.
If he wanted to lead he would have cleared out the HQ and brought in Salmond
I see nothing but decline unless the party wakes up, but nicola left it hamstrung
Eight years of ruin caused by Sturgeon’s SNP. The prospect of independence in tatters.The rainbow warriors rule the roost. The SNP have built a Stonewall round themselves. And still people will vote for them. Madness.
It was all going along fine. The momentum continued after 2014……and then Sturgeon slammed on the brakes.
Sturgeon was a business manager not a leader.
A sign of stress in a Manager is when the give up on the Primary challenging role. The scope overwhelms them so the switch to tasks that can become about showmanship instead of the core objective.
She grabbed the stage on COVID and the TransCult. Don’t confuse the stressed manager and the importance of decisions on COVID. It was perfect for her. The big moves were based on Clinical advice. They made the calls, She was there to dance in the spotlight. The TranCult was another topic that suddenly became urgent but required little responsibility…..Holyrood voted remember. The big bonus was using the Cult/NEC to impose total control and the ability to hide the membership and finances.
She turned the SNP into a Private Self Promotional tool.
Such was her control that she could even rig her replacement.
A wasted decade with the next decade suggesting worse to come. Humza was perfect for her and her strategy was to be begged to return to “Save” the Party.
If that TransCult flag behind Humza at the By-election HQ with not a Saltire to be seen doesn’t wake up voters then I doubt anything will.
Have been asking folk via Twitter when they feel the rot set in.
Not easy.
Rev mentioned that physical distance from Scotland at the time helped see things a bit clearer. That’s obviously something that most of us can’t even imagine.
So how would you answer that question? ‘What happened to the independence drive?’
Where would you even start?
https://twitter.com/ianbhood/status/1708771083569054007
Ian Brotherhood @ 13.00
The seeds of the rot (my view) commenced in 2014 with the conversion of an independence movement into a Nicola Sturgeon personality cult.
It was further exacerbated by the expansion of Mr Salmond’s deliberate policy of conflating a movement (independence) with a party (SNP). As more and more independence supporters became disenchanted with the “Big Sister” cult into which the SNP was transformed they just lost heart and disengaged.
Parallels in life: No 3#;
Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon have an uncanny similarity to the Star Wars film Scene with Jabba the Hutt and Princess Leia. Spooky!
Those WERE the days and now it’s night.
Thanks for the wee blue book Stuart, it made a massive impact, much more so, in my opinion, than those Yes “newspapers” I (and hundreds of others) had to deliver.
IanB,
I think it was 2015 (I could be wrong) when Sturgeon said that a vote for the SNP was not a vote for independence (or not a vote for another referendum, I can’t recollect), I thought at the time it was a shit thing for an Independence Party to be saying.
I remember complaining on Wings at the time that if this was the case, they were a Unionist party and no point voting for them, I don’t think it went down very well.
“I think it was 2015 (I could be wrong) when Sturgeon said that a vote for the SNP was not a vote for independence (or not a vote for another referendum, I can’t recollect)”
I mean, I do think that was fair enough in 2015. It really does look a bit off to be demanding another vote for no particular reason just months after you lost one. After the Brexit vote, though, all bets were off. Scotland had voted to stay in two unions but it could only have one or the other, and that was a sufficiently strong justification for the people to be allowed to choose which one they wanted.
I think it was difficult for Alex to let go of the old brand Snp, he wrongly surmise the new brand Snp was one and the same, with a few wayward members,
However the new Snp are following avidly global policies from leaders and corporates outside of Scotland,
And still is.
It is those outside “establishment policies” like gender, racist to Scots hate crime bills, and climate change policies in such a small population as Scotland,
Along with the nusSNPs acting as a private unincorporated Association with “no duty of care” and disassociating them selfs from grassroots Independence for Scotland from Colonial management of our Country.
If anything the NuSnp association turned on the very hand that used to feed them, including on their last first minister, that made them famous,… for new set unelected of masters.
The problem for us is not recognising what kind of politics and politicians are running our pretendy branch office parliament in a serious attempt to destroy the voice of the Sovereign people in Scotland,
Imagine having our own real Scottish parliament, a parliament in Scotland that does not have its politics reserved or run by a entirely different outside Country. With Scots laws.
English votes for english laws by Cameron would never have applied to the UK parliament.
And perhaps Scottish voters would have done a iceland bankers moment on NS and her CEO nuSNP party.
Who’d have guessed that the SNP under Sturgeon’s wrecking ball would, in just eight short years, become what it is today.
Ian 1pm
When did the rot set in?
Three incidents for me.
1. Stu & Mhari Hunter having a bit of a Barney on Twitter over trans women. 1st I’d heard of the trans shit.
2. Sturgeon – United Nations Q&A late 2018 (?)
Rights of the child. An Aussie investigative Jurno let everyone know exactly what was heading our way re trans minors. He let us know what England was doing but not reporting = transing minors. Children as young as 7 couldn’t give consent & parents threatened they’d be removed & placed into care if parents didn’t agree. She more or less called him a liar, didn’t happen & children COULD decide at seven. I couldn’t believe it! I’d to rewind the telly! Lol! Bastard liar because other jurnos started to uncover what we all know now to be Tavistock.
3nd
Women for Independence AGM 2018 I think..
Asked what would happen if Mayhem just kept saying “now is not the time”?
Her reply: ‘We just keep asking’
There we had it straight. There was fck all plan. Fck all being done to even prepare & fck all hope of her doing anything at all despite an election looming with blowhard on the horizon.
Add Leeze, daddy Bears boyfriend, Jordan, Fiona Roberts, Shirley Anne & some wee SNP snotty nosed barsteward activist (who is now a councillor) Out for Indy & the incessant ‘Trans women are women’ & ‘fck Independence – trans rights first’ & knew it was all over for Independence. The weans had taken over the asylum & the devolutionists were more than happy to set that agenda cause they weren’t planning on going anywhere.
Indy has stalled. Morebthsn a pity because I suspect a huge vote will stay at home. We need a carhartic event…a Defibrillator to the Heart of the Movement…to change massive amounts of votes It goes back to the cunning stunts who stiched up Alex with the help of LA Wolfe and the Ch Constable…and the misandery Lady Dorrian. When the liars and perjurers the Alphabet women are finally charged and found guilty …and in parallel the fraud the heart of the nuSNP reaches the obvious concludion. The shock wave…if posative will see a United Yes Indy Movement with the master strategic thinker Alex cleared and in command…not control. Indy, given Starmer wont fix broke Britain…will become once again a reality in the minds of Scots…this time we will do it.
As Stu states, being a participant and still being able to stand back to observe what realities are taken place all around us in Scotland unemotionally is a asset.
Pretty sound interview. – Even the 2021 prediction.
Who knew that England and USA were so close to collapse that they would decide to bring us to this crisis so soon.
There are a multitude of ways out of this treaty of union including Suspending it, while long term investigations on “breaches” of the treaty of union by Westminster take place, by Scotland,
The Snp and the Pretendy parliament know that this is a one viable option. But do not wish to aid the people in Scotlands independence.
Suspending the treaty of union,
Is not “breaking the treaty of union” while investigations into breaches take place,
Alba would be wise getting a vote on that.
Those who dare wins,
Scotland “Suspending the treaty of union” while investigation proceed on any Breaches of the union ……would be a defining moment.
Scotland would discover wether it was a equal partner, or wether it was extinguished in 1707 from the treaty of union.
Scotland would have entitlement to records over the oil and gas industry including the Committees meeting, and reports such as the MacCrone reports and Miscellanious legislation, statues and bills,
As one of only two kingdoms in the fallacious treaty of union this is the way forward,
Alba need to show us that they are not the new addition joined to SNP and the globalists ideology
Put “Suspension of the treaty of union” while under investigation , forward as their party winning vote
Maxxmacc says:
2 October, 2023 at 12:35 pm
“The UK state (and probably Washington) got such a fright in 2014 that they had to split the pro-indy vote, and this could only be done by making the SNP unelectable, and essentially devolutionist. All it took was getting a few of their place-men into the right positions and hey presto”.
robertkknight says:
2 October, 2023 at 2:18 pm
“Who’d have guessed that the SNP under Sturgeon’s wrecking ball would, in just eight short years, become what it is today”.
IMO the UK/US deep state definitely had/have some leverage with Nicola Sturgeon. Not sure what exactly they have on her but it must be substantial. There will likely be a carrot and stick involved. We will soon see what the carrot is.
FM Humza Yousaf, on the other hand is just a clueless dope, easily manipulated.
Kate Forbes, however, does concern me. She obviously has the smarts and political awareness, like Sturgeon, but she also seems to have American connections. Jury’s still out on that one, methinks.
Is Alba restricted and manipulated by established by some leverage like the Snp?
There certainly seems to be a lack of focus, blindness and enthusiasm towards the grass roots. In fact I was surprised when it treated Salvo as it did,
If I were looking for a solution to a colonised Scotland whilst having other no voice or media, (except for Stu and Wings) I would consider all angles and avenues and how they may be advantages or a bonus option to gaining independence by building up a selection of strategies for a plan a), plan b) and a plan c) and many other options
It is very SNP operandi to dismiss everyone else’s point of view but your own, the parties.
I am wary that Alba are to follow a similar political pattern and vein of destruction so early on as the SNP,
James Che @ 3:16 pm
“Scotland “Suspending the treaty of union” while investigation proceed on any Breaches of the union ……would be a defining moment.”
Indeed, and plentiful violations there for a judicial review to chew over, one would have thought? e.g. Scots enforced Brexit, referendums refused, NI ‘Backstop’, ongoing theft of resources, illegal wars, common good violations, Scottish coronation oath/crown, Holyrood itself, etc etc etc.
A JR might also provide an opportunity for the Scottish legal establishment to tell Westminster’s wee pretendy pairlament whaur tae go wi hits many ill-thought ‘reforms’.
Native law and Imperial law are clearly incompatible and unsustainable in a colonial society; the former will/must inevitably be sacrificed to the latter – unless the Treaty and Claim of Right conditions are enforced – and there is only one enforcer left.
Scots Law nae mair = Scottish naition nae mair!
This is another SNP massive target miss to independence while in holyrood was the following,
Let us hope Alba is more astute legally.
The UNIVERSITY of ABERDEEN, 11 July, 2016.
ARTICLE 50, THE ARTICLES OF THE UNION AND USING THE ROYAL PEROGATIVE END THE UNION BETWEEN SCOTLAND AND ENGLAND.
Apparently the Royal Perogative is not reserved under the Scotland Act 1998.
The SNP could have invoked and ended the treaty of union, using the Royal perogotive.
Go read this in more detail on the site above to explain it all in better detail.
Rev,
I understand what you say and it is reasonable to assume another referendum might not have been in the offing but in answer to IanB’s question, I think that was a new dawn concerning how the SNP looked at independence.
We may not have wanted to believe that at the time but with all the magnificence of hindsight, we can look at certain aspects of the past with a different perspective.
Having said that, my personal opinion on referendums was that we should have them as often as was practical and/or necessary just the same as General Elections.
Referendums shouldn’t be seen as some sort of gift, it should be thought of as an obligation to put your tuppence worth in how your country should be run. We should be responsible and accountable for our own decisions on an individual level as well as a national level.
It really would do us no harm as a nation to be more than a bit bolder about self determination.
Scotland is not winning or gaining independence because it Scotland does not know enough legalities behind the scenes.
Time to brush up on these issues and get wise, and fight for independence on a even keel.
No, James Che, you read your own linked article in more detail. Scott Styles blog post from 2016 is based on a conditional premise, along the lines of “if x is the case, then y follows”. The ‘if part’ was to do with the UK govt’s legal strategy for leaving the EU.
Scott Styles was arguing about a scenario that was plausible before the Gina Miller case at the Supreme Court was decided against the govt’s proposed use of the prerogative power. That ruling cut the legs off Scott Styles’ argument AND your own which is now six years out of date.
I don’t know why you persist in arguing about things you don’t have the capacity for. It’s not your fault in a way but you should finally realise your limitations and give us all some peace.
Please.
Labour will be a disaster for Scotland. And the faithful will lap it up. Scotland is finished by it’s own hands. Disgusting!
Alf Baird.
And there are many breaches indeed to suspend the treaty of union while under investigation, in no particular order.
1: The Scottish Universities.
2: The Burghs of Scotland,
3: Scots law passed was to remain as it was, law reform ( Scotland) acts.
4: The poll tax,
5: The Bank of England remaining the bank of england not Great Britain, and questions over national debt, eg, bank of England act 1708.
6: Treaty of England – Ireland 1800.
7: Treaty of Trade england – America.
8: Article V repealed.
9: Article XXi repealed.
10: The first parliament of the United Kingdom.
11: The missing Eleven days from the treaty of union by Westminster parliament under the the 1751 change of Calendar.acts.( Scotland was already using the same Calender as the rest of europe,)
12: The royal Monarch of England Queen Anne was never crowned Queen of Scots or their kingdom at any time in her life, as was every other Scots monarch, which disputes authority to give her royal assent on behalf of Scotland in a United kingdom.
13:
The legislation by Westminster for a second parliament devolved, breaches the treaty of union for one parliament./government . Eg, That the United kingdom of great britain be represented by one parliament.
14: Small landholding Colonial (Scotland) act 1911,
15: statue law revisions ( Scotland) acts. And there are many.
16: the Repeal of Scots 1707 acts, land tax,
Representation of people act 1948.
The Board of education ( Scotland) act 1877.
Alf, this is only a partial list of Breaches of the treaty of union by Westminster parliament, I have recorded as much again if not more.
Luigi…
I’ve no doubt that the US Department of State and/or UK Special Branch/MI5 have Kompromat on several key individuals within the SNP, and probably have well placed moles gathering intel on those same individuals.
As the UK is the lapdog of the US on the UN Security Council, in return for which the UK is permitted to rent the D5 Trident Missile delivery system for its four Vanguard class ballistic missile submarines, (thereby enabling it to retain its seat on the SC), the prospect of an independent Scotland without UK/US influence would undoubtedly be regarded by both states as a clear and present danger to their national and strategic interests.
Put simply,they won’t let us go without a fight, and they’ll be only too happy to play dirty. Democracy in Scotland is simply collateral damage when set against their priorities.
PhilM
No you missed the point altogether,
The the Royal perogative is not a reserved matter to Westminster under the Scotland Act,
Further more the devolved government to Scotland breaches the article of the treaty of the union,
That there will be one parliament of great britain,
We now have at least three possibly four, in legislation,
Edinburgh city council and Police Scotland block YES bikers from leading the AUOB march on October 7th.
“The march will see independence activists gather at Holyrood Park before walking up the Royal Mile and then south to the Meadows.
Plans had been for the Yes Biker group to lead the way – as happened at a similar event in 2019 – but the city council is blocking plans”
Neither Police Scotland nor Edinburgh city council blocked the YES bikers in 2019, which passed without event.
“Gordon McCrae, an organiser with AUOB, said: “We are surprised and disappointed that at this late stage Edinburgh city council and Police Scotland are objecting to the Yes Bikers joining the AUOB demonstration in Edinburgh on Saturday October 7.
“Both the council and police have known of our plans for several months now, which are a repeat of what we did in October 2019. We do not accept these objections and have requested an emergency meeting with the council and police to resolve this matter urgently.
“AUOB and the Yes Bikers are determined to exercise our democratic right to protest and campaign for Scottish independence. We call on the wider indy movement to join us in their thousands and to support the Yes Bikers joining us on the day.”
This kind of shit happened during the coronation of the English king in England, months before The Republic a anti-monarchist movement spoke with the English police force and an agreement was made, that the police wouldn’t do anything to hinder the Republics static demo on the fringes of the coronation, the night before the coronation the police swooped and arrested the main demonstrators, the same happened on the morning to those who made it to protest.
https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenational.scot%2Fnews%2F23828499.auob-rally-organisers-challenge-council-yes-biker-plans-blocked%2F
Many big actors may not want to let Scotland go, and they may play dirty, that is a forgone conclusion,
But only two parties are in and signed up to the treaty of union.
Scotland and England, America nor the EU are in it, they all are hundreds of years later,
The dispute over suspending the treaty of union upon investigations of suspected breaches of that treaty can only be taken on board legally by Scotland or England,
Replublicofscotland.
Re political decisions and positions by Councils may I refer you to Alf Bairds speech and Salvo at Edinburgh.
Republicofscotland.
Surely the bikers have the right to roam, where ever they please,
They could go through Edinburgh aimlessy and continue on once rested.
Repulicofscotland.
Do Edinburgh Council and police Scotland prevent other bikers through out the year when tourism is high and the streets are busy in Edinburgh from the the ” right to roam” or is it a political decision motivated and discrimmitory only against bikers that may go wandering through Edinburgh when AUOB is in Edinburgh.
Republicofscotland,
The laws in place, are often used against the people but they also are legally active as a means of protection for those roaming through Scotland freely, and may be a hiccup for those dispersing these laws,
It works both ways, even if it is not meant too.
It is not only the right to free speech or the right to protest, but also the right to roam aimlessly in scotland,
And the Council and police Scotland maybe acting against the law in being selectivepolitically.
The Wee Blue Book was amazing.
It did get a mention on a Rory Bremner Show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p9rXRzF3QQ
I couldn’t find it on this one must be a different Rory Bremner show.
That one is worth watching if you want a trip down memory lane.
I’m off to try to find mentions of ‘The Wee Blue Book’
Did ‘The Wee Blue Book’ get banned from Glasgow’s Clockwork Orange or was that something else.
NB At the time that video was made the only scandal at Holyrood was
‘Piegate’. No shortages of scandals now!
Re the blocking of the bikers, tell them to get electric bicycles and a delivery backpack and they will be able to lead the march down the pavement if they so choose unless only certain people are exempt from the law in that regard.
On that note last month whilst walking into town I noticed a poster advertising a march/gathering in George Square. It was from August and was looking for blasphemy laws to be imposed with regard to the Koran and quite likely in response to events in Sweden where it was being publicly burned, people there must have thought that this was a no consequence action like publicly tearing up or burning Bibles (both should be legal). We should pay very careful attention to who is is being placed at the head of the political parties without a public vote and being given BBC puff piece series’ in Scotland.
Alf Baird,
It is re-occuring .arrogent syndrome of Westminster, that Scotland to all intents and purposes appears to dictate and act in a Colonial mannerism towards Scotland by the parliament of Great Britain,
But to extend that Suggestion to the treaty of the union itself actually becoming Colonised by Westminster parliament.
We must remember that Scotland is not signed in to a treaty of union with the United kingdom and Ireland.
We are only in a supposed and very fallacious 1707 treaty of union with England. No other Country,
Most people forget this,
Including England.
@James Che says:2 October, 2023 at 6:33 pm
Surely the bikers have the right to roam, where ever they please
We’ve been over this a few times, but it stands another repetition.
You will mind Covid well. You will mind we weren’t allowed to roam anywhere, apart from in strictly limited circumstances. You will mind that people seeking to harmlessly get out in the open air, maybes wanting to do a bit hill walking, were turned back by polis, and fined if they persisted.
You may even mind that vigilantes vandalised parked cars, padlocked gates, blocked off parking spaces, and warned off visitors with menaces.
Those were the days we Scots all lost our “right” to roam.
What we have left is a general permission to roam, which can be withdrawn or circumscribed, as the authorities choose.
Shame, but then as we weren’t prepared to fight for it then, what do we expect now?
BTW. Do you mind how, at around the same time, a hell of a lot of us were very exercised indeed about the brutality of the police in Minneapolis, USA? We Scots were marching about that in every city in the land!
Strange, eh? Wha’s like us?
The publishing & distribution of The Wee Blue book was amazing.
I wonder if a People’s referendum couldn’t be organised along similar lines.
All you would need would be boxes where people could put their ballot cards. Printed Yes/No ballot cards or just bits of paper.
Each voter would require to put their name, address & insurance number on the card.
These boxes could be all over the place. In pubs, clubs, post offices, libraries etc.
This could be done as many times as the volunteers were willing.
It wouldn’t be a secret ballot but I wonder if anyone cares about that.
The SNP could do that sort of thing but they are too lazy and prefer the absolutely no effort de facto referendum election.
Bikers being cancelled.
No bikers because AUOB can’t be allowed to upstage the Humza & Kelly Show.
AUOB must have a few pipers leading the march followed by silent people looking as if they are going to a funeral.
No singing, no fun, no cheering just quiet sombre people looking as if they are being paid to be there.
‘SNP devotes one hour forty minutes to independence debate at conference’
That shows what priority they attach to indepedence.
Will the donkeys still nod and try to get the carrots?
Of course they will. When will they learn.
Going back to indyref & Sturgeon…
She created the best of both worlds for naw voters & that’s what has caused the lack of movement.
Brexit was an ideal situation to break the gridlock & it was also a manifesto commitment so the fecker even had a mandate.
At the moment I’m feeling like Indy bohys famous George Square rant lol *Fuck it, gie them everything & when there’s no NHS don’t come greetin tae us cause we voted YES.fuck it – let’s rock & roll” lol!
Give Holyrood to Labour. Stop mitigating £600 million on Unionist policies – let nawbags actually *feel* exactly what Unionism is, cause as I suspected, regards Ash leadership & plan for indy elections, all the unionists went into fucking meltdown on twitter *It wisae fair* They vote SNP for policies happy in the knowledge if there was ever a ref called, the dumb fckrs would vote naw. What dumb morons..
Give it to Labour. It’d be interesting to see if they actually devolved anything, tho I suspect Trans would be okay, Scots can have that pup.
But, imo, let them live with Unionist policies. They must be the same as England so we can all look forward to the bedroom tax, elderly care removed, school meals etc etc..I don’t see any other way out the gridlock. It’ll just be a perpetual loop of any future indyref campaign if everyone can actually just be like the advert & shut up & eat our cereal cause we’ve the best of both worlds.
I suspect the SNPs new followers will be the 16/17 yr olds.
I heard that the SNP March was going
to be led by tractors until they thought better of it.
Surprisingly.
The right to roam is Scots law,
The virus lockdown were promoted the unelected members of the WHO which are not in Scotland or its laws, which Britain endorsed and sturgeon being a unionist,
Scotland is still a separate Country with borders from England,and from the EU,
Scotland could have acted different from the laws of England,
Closed its borders to all incomers during the virus period, shut down airports and vehicles of tourism,
And took a very different medical policy on care homes, hospital patients and ppI equipment. Had a different alternative medical solution instead of uncompleted Vaccinations trials.
But Sturgeon being a funded globalist and a funded unionist changed her tune from her fist statement whereby she said it would not be compulsary in Scotland,
We, ” Scots” that were ignorent of the laws of Scotland, Well some of us) at the time could have moved around more freely within the borders of Scotland themselves and contested the unelected WHOs dictatership policy of making all the wrong decisions and locking the people of Scotland up like China did to its people.
If you think like sheep you will be penned in like sheep.
James Che.
The blocking of the bikers reeks of political hypocrisy, the YES bikers are a real attraction at an AUOB event, maybe by blocking them Edinburgh council and the Police think that the AUOB event would be cancelled.
I think Edinburgh city council is ran by BLiS in a coalition with other branch offices of their London HQs. Mind you the SNP loathe the AUOB because they can’t control it.
https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/news/article/13481/labour-to-lead-council-in-edinburgh
Yes bikers..
That’s a deliberate fck up. I’ll bet they’d have planned a tribute or something for the yes biker who lost his life.
I despise everything about Edinburgh. It may as well declare itself English & be done with it. Only English events are allowed. They can barricade off the gardens for the English gentry most of the yr but Yes bikers can’t use a fucking public highway? Give that council laldy!
WTF do they think they are?
George – I read your opinion yesterday on Branchform. You said before that it was 50/50 whether charges would be brought. It led me to think of the recent photograph of Fergus Ewing being supported by Kate Forbes after his one-week suspension was announced. Can you imagine Fergus Ewing or Kate Forbes using burner phones? Can you imagine Humza using a burner phone? That’s the difference, isn’t it. I very much hope that charges will be brought. Certainly in the context of the Salmond trial which was approved for trial by the PF despite them having no proof whatsoever that alphabet woman H was in Bute House at the time. I found that astounding. However, great damage has been done to the SNP brand regardless and reputations are now shredded beyond any hope of redemption.
The future of our country isn’t even worth a two-hour debate at the SNP conference, that’s how much they care about freeing Scotland from this rancid union.
No more votes for the SNP at any elections.
Vote Alba or the ISP do it for Scotland.
THE SNP have allocated less than two hours for party delegates to debate independence strategy at the party’s annual conference, The National can reveal.
“The finalised agenda for the conference, seen by this paper, says that just 1hr40 will be given to delegates to debate the leadership’s motion on independence strategy – as well as the seven proposed amendments.
Proposed jointly by First Minister Humza Yousaf and the SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, the motion calls on the party to agree that “if the SNP subsequently wins the most seats at the General Election in Scotland, the Scottish Government is empowered to begin immediate negotiations with the UK Government to give democratic effect to Scotland becoming an independent country”.”
https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenational.scot%2Fnews%2F23828991.snp-conference-agenda-reveals-time-allocated-independence-debate%2F
It will be Starmers orders.
The Bain principal applies here too just as it does in Westminster & why we see Labour as absolutely fcking useless in Scotland & rendered mute in Holyrood. The parliament that’s supposed to *work together* They won’t work with or agree on anything unless they are in charge.
I seen the same BS played out over removing the 2 child cap..*We’ll do it but only if we’re in power* & they won’t because that’s a reserved benefit of universal credit & one that Starmer will not touch with a bargepole because England would need it removed too.
It’ll be fun if they ever do get back to Holyrood. They’d be forced to admit the flaws of working in a straight jacket.
James Che…
Right to roam applies only to Shank’s nag, with caveats, and certainly not to any other mode of transport. To use a horse, bicycle or any form of motorised transportation requires consent and/or compliance with existing legislation.
Immediate negotiations..
SNP: Can I have a referendum, please?
WM: No.
SNP: Okay, ta. How’s the wife & family btw? Nice Christmas? See ya in Strangers later? Mwah, mwah. Can I come to all yer parties?
Complete waste of time. SNP can go whistle Dixie out their arse. They’ve blown all trust & Sturgeons intake are all fcking weapons. I wouldn’t trust them to get a round of drinks..
Anybody know what’s happening with the Hate Crime Bill? Like everything else, it just seems to have been mucked up, then disappeared. Which is probably a good thing.
“if the SNP subsequently wins the most seats at the General Election in Scotland, the Scottish Government is empowered to begin immediate negotiations with the UK Government to give democratic effect to Scotland becoming an independent country”
Soz an a’ that, but I don’t even understand what that means.
Take “most seats” for starters. Is that more seats than any other party, or more seats than all other parties combined?
If it’s more seats than any other party (my best guess) then why the feck not say so?
But then we reach the next mystification. Are they really saying, that in the hypothetical situation where SNP has 30 seats (say), Labour has 31, Alba has 5, Greens have 5, then the theoretically pro-Indy Alba and Greens seats don’t fecking count?
After all, in that scenario, pro-Indy parties will have 40 seats in total, but the SNP will not actually have more seats than Labour, so what then?
Jeezo, this stuff is unbelievable in its incompetence.
Captain Yossarian says:
2 October, 2023 at 8:25 pm
George – I read your opinion yesterday on Branchform. You said before that it was 50/50 whether charges would be brought.
This is the ideal outcome for MI5. Splits the indy movement.
This is what we will get.
Anyone want to place bets as I am a bit short of cash just now due to ScotGov corruption?
Howde wings.
South side like.
It’s fucking Tuesday like
Get me out of here.
Cunts everywhere.
Viscount – Sadly, this is an all-Scottish cover-up. If evidence was required, it would be found. If notice was required to dispose of evidence, it would be provided.
Just back from a music festival in the Town of Callander.
The increase in the amount of English residents since the last time I visited the town was quite alarming.
The bastards are everywhere.
The only downside to the whole weekend was hearing those horrible English accents in every venue i visited.
There should be a ban on all English bastards from immigrating from South of the border to our beautiful Scottish communities,,,where they would go on to vote NO in any referendum on Scottish Independence.
@Ron Clark says:3 October, 2023 at 4:58 am
Sorry to hear your experience of this year’s festival was a disappointing one.
Feedback, other than yours, has been positive. The performers and the many music-loving attendees all had a great time. This is our 17th year, and the festival just goes from strength to strength. We are already planning enthusiastically for next year – we expect demand for performance slots and tickets to be high.
Soz again and a’ that, but the conclusion is unavoidable, your problem is you.
It has been reported that mental illness/instability is on the rise in Scotland. A quick perusal of the comments on any Wings article confirms this to be true.
Ron Clark is an embarrassment to any sane and sensible Scot.
62 comments on this thread. 19 of them from the same sad individual who pollutes just about EVERY article with his/her/it’s posts. It would not be so bad if the comments were in any way meaningful but it is the same shite over and over again.
See my previous post regarding mental illness!
re What then
You could start by taking 12 seats from those caught cheating and try thrashing it out from there.
Alternatively, if you can’t catch the bastards with those numbers, might be best to forget it and find a different route now that the (ahem) free world is willing to try and criminalise the questioning of counting machines (Coffey County, Georgia) – irrespective of an electorate’s understanding of the Boyer-Moore majority vote algorithm (& variations thereto)
Here Chas maybe we could take a leaf out of the Tory rext book where home secretary Suella Braverman supported by levelling up minister Michael Gove and do the business secretary Kemi Badenoch are promoting the removal of human rights with Britain withdrawing from 48 member ECHR.
Like the Germanss before them in the 1930s who had a method of getting rid of the fltsom people it seems the English have plans too on how to get rid of human detritus.
The Germans marched into neighbouring countries and started cleaning up and shipping out the deemed human scum. That would certainly, in some minds, English minds perhaps, be a way to deal with those rebellious Scots to crush.
In fact with the potato famine in Ireland and the London governments conclusion that there was nothing they could do as millions died and corn was shipped out to England, the English do have form in their colonies.
And of course around a third of the Scottish highlands and islands was shipped out to Canada and Australia in the 1860s.
But maybe such observations offend your sensibilities. You are clearly a sensible man with time on your hands?
Conference dates 15th to 17th October, ending with Humza Yousaf giving his closing speech at 3.15pm on the third day.
One and forty minutes of which will be used to debate the motion on Yousaf’s strategy for gaining Independence plus seven amendments.
WOW! As much time as that?!
Scotland has poor communications with the world. The years of «ScotNat» rule have done little to improve on the Scotland-London Hub thing. Sturgeon’s love in with Khan over that third runway at LHR was bizarre.
Similarly foreign journalists who, when they might deign to report on Scotland do so looking through the London Eye with the predictable bias. It is such a bother to physically get to the place.
The wasted years of SNP governance, the Britain/UK terminology still as strong.
Where is the Scottish wolf, the Scottish tiger, the deadly Scottish scorpion?
Scottish politics requires a reset, if not a complete reboot, the mold/mould of conventional thought ought to be shattered.
Heros who just do not give a damn. Very frustrating.
Ron Clark @4.58am.
The penny drops for another Scots, its an invasion by another name if you ask me.
@Willie says:3 October, 2023 at 9:05 am
Germans before them in the 1930s
the potato famine in Ireland
a third of the Scottish highlands and islands was shipped out to Canada and Australia in the 1860s
You are so, so right. Only fair that revenge be handed down generations after the events. The sins of the fathers etc etc to the what? ninth generation?
What’s your preferred way of doing this, Willie? Actually identify the great, great grandchildren of the perps? Or just assign racial guilt to an entire people or nation or class? Do tell.
See your spiel about Braverman, Gove and Badenoch. It’s not clear whether you agree with them, or think they are wrong. Could you rewrite so that we can tell if you believe gifting illegal immigrants benefits, accommodation, health care, etc at the expense of hard-working indigenous inhabitants is a good thing, or if you just see it as divisive virtue signalling to appease the sharpest elbowed grifters.
It’s complicated, eh Willie? Maybes actually best if you just ignore my post.
One and forty minutes of which will be used to debate the motion on Yousaf’s strategy for gaining Independence
I thought he’d already moved out of his Mum’s house.
How is Humza meant to sit and listen to what he calls “vight people” for nearly 2 hours? You do realise that cuts into his iPad time.
@TURABDIN says:3 October, 2023 at 9:33 am
Where is the Scottish wolf, the Scottish tiger, the deadly Scottish scorpion?
Emigrated lang syne. Off to the unashamedly named “colonies”, there to exterminate and/or forcibly resettle the indigenous inhabitants. Now the descendants of the emigrated Scots are mostly content and often prosperous in the America, Australia, New Zealand, etc our ancestors stole.
It’s truly remarkable how little we Scots seem to understand the reality that any uneducated farmer could tell us. Ship out the best of your herd’s breeding stock, year after year, decade after decade, and the quality and health of what is left will inexorably decline.
FFS, we even have to outsource leadership of our Indy party these days!
Shady British American Project (that grooms dis-united kingdom politicians to favour US foreign policies) member Kate Forbes worms her way in with Fergus Ewing, to bolster her no existent approval rating with the indy masses.
“Kate Forbes has hailed Fergus Ewing as a “living legend” and said she did not want him to “stand alone” following his suspension from the SNP.”
Forbes who couldn’t contain her glee when Humza Yousaf “won” the SNP leadership fit up, I mean contest, has also stated along with Yousaf that we need approval from Westminster to hold a indyref via an S30.
Forbes like Yousaf, is part of the SNP roadblock towards existing this bucket of shit union.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) says that at least a tenth (500,000) of Scots are living in deep poverty, I say its more.
Scotland is a wealthy country so where is the money going?
Well obviously Westminster and many corporations are draining Scotland’s assets on a daily basis, making huge profits from them, Westminster has allowed the energy firms who grease these b*stards palms to put their prices up and that’s hurting Scots who have an abundance of energy which is stolen from our people and sold back at a higher price.
We have a colonial government that out to fill its own pockets its made up of lying deceitful careerist grifters who’ll say anything and everything to to keep their snouts in the gravy boat.
This colonial government has wasted millions on ferries bottle return schemes, and sent £65 million quid to a Eastern European nation whilst some of our ain folk back home are in abject poverty.
Our public services are in decline our towns and cities are crumbling, yet our colonial administration is wasting millions of Scottish taxayer money to fight a court case for the unamended GRRB, when the majority of the Scottish public don’t want it.
Scotland cannot progress with independence its as simple as that.
Chas 8:24am
Re mental illness.
You counted someone’s posts & then typed out to let us all know how awful this site is Lolz!
You’ve zero self awareness.
Regards English incomers. We’re getting all the pensioners who are about to croak it & landlords snapping up properties. It’s all of our benefits – it’s a Mecca. Providing elderly care, prescriptions, eye care, dental & their offspring can enjoy childcare, school dinners, nursery places, new top up benefits & let’s not forget the flammable baby box all in the comfort of voting naw at elections.
Then we’re blessed with those other fucking weapons, the nomad fluters of 1690. FFS.
Oh, wait, now the Betty-Sue brigade are heading here to snap up all the places at women’s clinics. Seemingly their prostate may have ovarian cancer & who doesn’t love a free mammogram?!
Scotland, why are you so fucking cursed?
And then there’s Brexit – I don’t blame talent fecking off to pastures new. Who’d stay in this shitehole where fck all works & we’ve an anti social neighbour who doesn’t recognise mandates.
End all the benefits. Give the no voters what they want. Unionism.
I can’t wait for Labour to be back in Holyrood. I wish Sunak would hurry the fck up & announce the date.
I hope the SNP are taken to the cleaners on Thursday.
Naive of me perhaps, but how about an encouraging shout out for Saturday’s AUOB march in Edinburgh. A chance to emphasise Indy support isn’t the same as SNP support.
On top of the profits from our assets being stolen by Westminster Scots have contributed a whopping £10 billion pounds to HS2 so far, that will see Scots get absolutely no benefit from it.
Scotland cannot make progress without independence, as long as we’re held in this undemocratic vile union and our wealth drained things will only get worse not better.
JOHN MAIN
The US, stuffed with immigrants, is not doing well.
https://za.investing.com/magazine/top-us-cities-americans-are-leaving-due-to-crumbling-industry/?
The malaise seems everywhere in the West. Is there a link between leadership deficit and decline?
Mediocrity will out.
My mother says its poor «breeding stock» but she thinks in centuries of somewhat selective breeding ?
@ Rob at 10.57: “how about an encouraging shout out for Saturday’s AUOB march in Edinburgh”.
Yes indeed, Rob. I was at the 2018 and 2019 marches and they were wonderful occasions.
And the next Saturday, are you all aware of the Chain of Freedom on the Forth-Clyde Canal? It is certainly a beautiful setting and also a beautiful idea. It needs 45,000 to make the chain complete and I think they are still short of that number so could all Wings followers who can possibly make it get yourselves registered for a section of the Chain today?
The strongest practical argument for indy is on right now – the tories conference in manchester. Well worth watching to get how they tick.
– it’s like a trade union for psychopaths. Something distinctly anti-life, anti-human, and the union represents rule by the greatest force of pure evil on the planet, for eternity.
Michael Gove is like an experiment who escaped containment. You should nuke it from orbit, just to make sure, to be safe.
– their political philosophy :
when you kick a man when he is down, surely that is the best way to encourage him back on his feet …
One thing I never got has been the popularity of suicide bombing over the past 30 years, but … in a sense I get it now. Suppose you get the pancreatic cancer – 96% fatal in 18 months and the tory conference is across the street from you, one year from now.
Better to burn out than fade away.
An SNP ideologically dominated by the Greens, pervs of all varieties who want to destroy the economy and mutilate your children – looks like amateur hour by comparison; cubic zirconia to the hard pure diamond evil of the tories. Also remember the worst govt in an indy Scotland is better than the best UK govt – for one thing, there has never been a good UK govt, and secondly – we can always get rid of a bad scottish govt.
ps Gove in his speech lied so fast, I could not keep up. Just lie after lie.
HS2 would be better served by being renamed as the FAST LONDON COMMUTE LINE
– places now in commute range of London will have higher property prices. High property prices mean you are richer, not poorer, as everyone in the south east believes.
Northern poverty can be solved by making its housing more expensive, which will lead to an economic boom. One way to do this is to spread anthrax randomly across half the land – this will make the unpoisoned land far more valuable.
this last remark is a satire on a form of market rigging called supply restriction, which is rampant, for real, in Scotland, which is why in a near empty country we all live in a tiny strip, paying high prices.
Robertkknight,
All Dictionary definitions , Roam,
”
It does not mention what method has to be used in that word definition “Roam” To wander Aimlessly,
Confused,
My smile for today was courtesy of yourself with the description of tories and the tory that acts like mick . Gov 🙂
And there is Chas.
Yet another colonialist, whether an actual colonialist, or an indigenous apologist for colonialists. No matter, a colonialist either way.
@Confused –
Hear hear and hear again.
😉
Ian Brotherhood says:
3 October, 2023 at 12:32 pm
” @Confused –
Hear hear and hear again. ”
And again .
Brilliant , Mr ( un ) Confused .
The point is, legally, politically, Scotland and its people do have ways to suspend or exit the dodgy treaty of union,
And as the only other “Country” in the treaty of union With England, Scotland can suspend the treaty of union while investigating Breaches made under laws in England, that are incompatable with the treaty articles,
It is arrogant in believing that the 1707 Scottish parliament was dissolved and extinguished from the treaty of union,
It was also arrogant in its believe that the queen of England, whom was (never crowned queen of Scots or Scotland) could give Englands Royal assent to the union between two kingdoms where she had no legal right to do so not being the officially investitured or crowned nor took the Scottish oath, as a crowned Queen of England,
Why no one thinks, “Hold on a minute that is all wrong,
She was not crowned, and all monarchs in history are, even today,
The only exemptions are the monarchs of England are still not crowned in Scotland as monarchs of Scotland, queen anne being the first,
The commissioners were all given chosen and given approval by England.
Scotland did not participate, and our monarch was absent,
The Scots, it was decided should not be offered a vote to join the union as they would probably vote no.
When light is shone the historical recorded facts, it suggests a great leap of imagination by Scots (to pretend) that they are anywhere near a united union with Englands parliament, with the Country, Its kingdom or that we had a shared, monarch, but uncrowned.
The Snp are Well aware of this, as is all politicians and all parties,, wether they be in Scotland or England.
With these anomallies to the fore, why do we have to ask for a section 30 referendum or accept the crown courts of England as judicature is matters of Scotland,
The Sovereign Scots that were (not asked to join) the treaty of union and thus not under one and the same Crown of England have the right to convene a meeting on wether,
Scots should Suspend Scotlands side of a fallacious and perhaps deceitful treaty, until further investigations have been carried through and concluded.
If Westminster /Uk parliament in England state, and they do, in 2023, there has been no Scottish parliament in the the treaty of union since it was extinguished in 1707. ( not joined, not subsumed ) let Scotland investigate if this is a correct statement.
One of the strongest arguments for indy is that it is then within the people of Scotland’s hands to get rid of bad Scottish politicians. Something the Scottish Parliament List system is designed to prevent.
Scotland has negligible influence with regard to getting rid of bad UK Govts.
The purpose of pro-indy politicians should be to accelerate the end of England’s imperial rule over Scotland, not make it more acceptable / palatable.
Scotland’s people and politicians are denied self-determination within the UK political set-up, so it is indefensible for pro-indy politicians to continue with a business as normal attitude: taking vows to serve the UK head of state, so they can take their WM or Hoor-rood seats to help administer the UK state and enjoy all the cash and easy living as a UK politician.
Yep, most commenters are still reliably bonkers.
@Geri says:3 October, 2023 at 10:48 am
End all the benefits. Give the no voters what they want
Hmmm.
Must be 50 years since I first realised that any country with generous benefits and open borders is in for a rude awakening. So I am very pleased to see the scales have fallen from your eyes. Now are you going to tell the SNP? Who’s gonna tell their sycophantic acolytes?
Incidentally, as somebody who has been paying eye-wateringly high taxes all of my life, and recently has been paying even more tartan taxes to support the troughing and incompetency at HR, my view on generous benefits maybes doesn’t match yours.
Nowt for you to worry about, unless there are a few more hundreds of thousands of us Sovereign Scots in the country who are sick of shelling out our hard-earned.
Rob,
Not naive of you, very accurate, shout out for all those that will be at the march on Saturday,
@Confused says:3 October, 2023 at 11:49 am
the greatest force of pure evil on the planet
Ah c’mon now Ted.
You’ve posted on the wrong site by mistake. You must have been intending to post on Private Eye’s “From the Message Boards”.
I mean, can there possibly any other rational explanation?
@TURABDIN says:3 October, 2023 at 11:12 am
The US, stuffed with immigrants, is not doing well
Sure, but then neither are we. And we’re stuffed with immigrants too.
In fact, taking the past 30 years into account, I have often wondered how the two graphs of national decline over time and inwards migration over time would look if plotted together. I suspect there would be remarkable similarities.
But correlation ain’t causation, folks!
My mother says its poor «breeding stock»
Could be. I incline to the theory that every society begins to collapse when a sizeable minority cotton on to the fact that they don’t have to graft – they can just vote themselves free stuff instead.
Sooner or later, the remaining grafters pack it in, and then there is only one direction things can go in.
Kate Forbes continues to try and endear herself with the indy faithful, this time she attacks the pr*ck Douglas Ross, recently she called Fergus Ewing a living legend.
Forbes is a (BAP) member British American Project its remit to get onside dis-united kingdom politicians who will be very “favourable” to US foreign policies.
Forbes also reiterates Yousaf’s we need Westminster’s position for an indyref via a S30 mantra.
Like the other SNP MPs and MSP we need to vote Forbes out of Holyrood when the time comes, lets hope she doesn’t jump ship to the Alba party.
Vote Alba or vote for the ISP, vote for Collette Walker in the Rutherglen & West Hamilton by-election, she is for abstention, no oath sworn to a foreign countries monarch and heirs, no kings shillings taken.
Abstention is the way forward no real indy party should take up their seats at Westminster, by taking their seats they give Westminster an air of credibility BLiS the Lib/Dems and the Tory parties in Scotland aren’t Scottish they are branch offices of their London HQ’s so they WILL take up their seats at Westminster.
https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenational.scot%2Fnews%2F23829471.kate-forbes-hits-back-douglas-ross-conference-comments%2F
Colin Alexander.
I agree with you on many of your points,
We should not be encourage the continued imperialism over Scotland through the politicians and the devolved Scottish government,
If Scotlands parliament was extinguished ( not joined and not subsumed ) in England in 1707, as Westminster states on their site in 2023,
it is therefore automatically extinguished from the treaty of parliamentary union,
So what on earth are we doing with politicians swearing a oath to the monarch of England that lost its Sovereignty in 1698 under the bill of rights and to top it all in a substituted fake Scottish parliament which breaches the fallacious treaty of union articles anyway,
Why would we just vote out a particular politician, and still wish remain under a rigged Colonial system set up to manage Scotland like a devolved government which breaches the treaty of union articles.
Why not have a Sovereign Scottish peoples committee parliament whilst suspending the treaty of union for breaches by Westminster to be investigated by Scotland,
Westminster parliament in England only has one other Country (Scotland) it is in a treaty with to create The Great British parliament,
And it extinguished Scotland from that treaty in 1707,
Yvonne Ridley said something very scary on Sunday’s Through a Scottish Prism.
She said that Sturgeon is planning to come back as leader.
OMG.
She will be able to do so because Police Scotland won’t pursue the Branchform [£600,000] case. If Murrell were to be charged, so long as she is married to him then she can’t be made to give evidence, apparently.
Republicofscotland,
Queen Anne of England, was never crowned officially as queen of Scots or the territory of Scotland like all previous Scottish monarch,
She never took the Oath to Scots, she never wore the Scottish Crown and she never followed what was the usual investitures required,
There was no following banquet,
Nothing,
It is a fallacy and a presumption by England parliament and the queen of England that she was queen of Scotland by inheritance alone.
Every monarch has a ceremony and crowning in Scotland regardless of wether they are a “descendant by inherited means of the family name”
The latter is a the law of England, but even so, they still require that the normal official protocal is required and followed for a coronation..
The Coronation Protocal never happened to Crown the queen of England Queen of Scots or Scotland,
And she was not queen of Scots or Scotland when she gave Englands Royal assent to the Commissioner to start a treaty of union,
She was not Queen of Scots or Scotlands without a Coronation previously taken place to unite the two kingdoms or give Scots Royal assent for the treaty.
Scotland and Scots have been maligned, misrepresented and Colonised under the supposed
Hoax treaty
Why Scots have never asked, When? and Where? was Queen Anne the last Stuart line in England, crowned officially in Scotland as the new Queen of Scots.
@Sarah (3.08) –
Was she joking?
Sarah,
As stu posted a little while ago,
The Snp are a Unincorporated Association,
They cannot be sued by each other as that is equivalent to suing oneself,
But they, can however be sued by people outside the their Unincorporated Association,
Individuals or the public or the whole of Scotland,
Now that would be a excellent fundraiser on Wings if Stu was to agree, or by AUOB or by SALVO, by any other political party out with the Association or by the public gathering together,
Because police Scotland do not pursue it does not let the SNP Unincorporated Association of the hook for Scamming money under false promises , pretenses and misleading the people in Scotland,
Or that the SNP did not reveal openly prior to elections that it was Unincorporated Assosiation,
How can I vote for Craig Murray to be the Alba executive.
https://nitter.net/CraigMurrayOrg/status/1708960000779882692#m
The British State can’t break him. Scotland’s political prisoner. Our man in behind the wire. Incredible life he’s lived. Mr Ambassador Craig Murray! The truth teller, the scholar the rector. The guy has done it all. He loves his country. He loves the truth!
He’s everything our country needs on the road to freedom and Independence. We need freedom fighters and truth tellers like Craig Murray. He says what he thinks!
Get him on the board of the Alba Party. They’ll be infiltration when Craig Murray is at the table.
God bless him. God bless the Alba Party. I’ll vote for him!
*they’ll be no infiltration when Craig Murray is on the board at the Alba Party. The Independence Party will be in safe hands.
I vote for him.
Every man must stand behind the wire. Our
man in Saughton Jail. He was in there for us. For freedom and liberty. Scotland’s truth teller. A great journalist. He represents the truth and freedom.
I hope he gets voted on the board. The Alba Party will be in safe hands. The establishment will not be able to lay a finger on the Alba Party with Craig Murray at the top.
I’m voting for him if given the option. I’m a founder member of the Alba Party. I believe in the truth. We need the guardians of the truth at top table for it to work.
If the police will not proceed with charges.
Let the people of Scotland bring a case or three against the murrells.
The more the merrier for it may cost them dearly,
As it may cost any present or future Snp members that has misrepresented information or that with held information from the public in exchange for taken public finances and peoples personal savings while running for office status in the devolved government.
Did you know that a Unincorporated Association often has it own Constitution,
That the Association may be running a personal constitution of their own, for Scotland and not following Scotlands legal laws and Constitution,
Did they reveal that to the electorate and public prior to voting in election s took place,
@sarah says:3 October, 2023 at 3:08 pm
She said that Sturgeon is planning to come back as leader
To be scrupulously fair, if the election process this time around isn’t flawed and isn’t fraudulent, then that will defo be an improvement.
Haud oan though, I forgot, it’s only me that cares that poor, wee, Scotland’s pretendy leader was never validly elected in the first place.
So much wrong with Scotland. So much that is beyond our control. But when we won’t deal with awkward things that are very much within our control – that’s when alert observers see there is no hope.
Sarah @ 15.08
I may be mistaken here, however my understanding is that section 86 of The Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 has now made a spouse both a competent and compellable witness against their partner/spouse.
The women of the Alba Party are in great hands. They’ve got Yvonne Ridley. What a life she’s lived. She’s amazing I love listening to her every week on the prism show. And the equalities team in safe hands with Eva Comrie the lawyer. She’s brilliant absolutely fantastic. Such brilliant people.
So I don’t what the woman in the Alba Party are moaning about because, we’re you’ve got the vote. And we love your position. We endose and and are inspired by it.
I believe in the truth and the Independence cause first. Scotland First. So we need some strong incredible people on the board of the Alba Party. And if I can vote for Craig Murray. He says he needs ten people. Well count us in. Right behind you all the way.
@ Ian Brotherhood at 3.35: was Yvonne Ridley joking about Sturgeon coming back as leader? No she wasn’t. She cited the fact that there has been no change whatsoever in SNP party policy and that there are still 40+ MSPs willing to vote to suspend Fergus Ewing. Yvonne feels that Sturgeon is still pulling the strings.
@ Sven at 4.11: re spouses not required to be a witness in spouse’s trial: I’m not a lawyer so am reliant on the comments by lawyers. I can’t remember where I saw it but it was saying there are certain conditions when a spouse can be required to give evidence but they didn’t seem applicable to Sturgeon.
The Alba party need some kind of leader thats for sure, they are are lion with no teeth, they have no fire in their bellies,
It is irksome to see them following global ideologies even if it mildly under the radar.
I would prefer them not to act like sheep meekly following a wolf into its den the old fashioned Way.making party More important than the people.
If they say in their manifesto and with full commitment to follow up on that promise in office “We will suspend the treaty of union immediately to investigate breaches of the Articles of Union”
Join up with other independence movements and give them a fair hearing on all points of views to genuinely be discussed in the open.
Voters and new membership to Alba would rise considerably and perhaps quickly.
It would become a party with lions teeth,
David Hannah @ 3.53pm
Just had a look at your nitter link. Looks like Craig Murray (who I admire in so many other ways) is already getting a bit tied in knots with his gender/self-id stance.
@Captain Yossarian 8:25pm
As I responded to Merganser if criminality and wrongdoing has occurred then charges should follow. It would for me and you. But I will row behind Police Scotland on this occasion as there has been so much chaff, smoke and mirrors for them to cut through. If you like I am managing expectations and we should just wait on the outcome. Simply put what happened to the 600k? What happened to the Prima Facie case of perjury in the Salmond trial. Public confidence is at stake. It’s the SNP that has suffered damage to their reputation not the Independence movement as a whole. After all it was the movement that put up the 600k in the first place.
sarah says:
3 October, 2023 at 3:08 pm
” Yvonne Ridley said something very scary on Sunday’s Through a Scottish Prism.
She said that Sturgeon is planning to come back as leader. ”
Dorothy Devine and I both agreed – just after Hapless had been * elected * leader – one of the reasons Murrell & Sturgeon were so desperate to get him into position was for him to act as an easily replaced ( ie bound to fuck-up ) flak-catcher until such times as the furore over what’s-his-name Bryson had died down and Operation Fig Leaf had reached it’s conclusion – of ” nothing to see here ” . It which point Stoogeon will be play the returning saviour and come back to enjoy the undying gratitude and worship of her flock – in the process equalling Alex Salmond’s remarkable Second Act .
I still think she would much prefer her longed-for elevation to some Globalist position , but , as of yet , none seem to be forthcoming . Must be galling for her that her younger , more photogenic Prog Sisters – Marin & Ardern – have been rewarded for their compliance re Covid , the P War , * Gender * idiocy etc : the – get this – Tony fucking Blair Institute For Global Change hahahahaha & Harvard University ” Harvard University, where she will ” study and speak on leadership, governance and online extremism. ” respectively .
@sarah
Perhaps there is a loophole if the marriage has never been consummated.
https://www.albaparty.org/scotlands-people
The strongest feminist voices in Scotland. The Alba Party. Yvonne Ridley. They are winning. Their position is adopted they have done incredible and the conversation is changing. For example Males to be banned from female wards. That should happen in Scotland.
But the Party is for Independence. Scotland First. We’re all together as one Scotland United many different political views and beliefs.
We need a guy like Craig Murray on the board, so that the party isn’t infiltrated by careerists, opportunists and sabotaged by the SNP.
The Alba Party are incredible. The lives these people have lived are inspiring. We need the party to continue to shake the established order. To be able to speak freely on areas of disagreement then come together for the common goal of Independence.
I don’t know Craig Murray personally I just listened. I sit at the back and listen to the debates. I’m there for the atmosphere! I’d love him to be one of the main men of the party it would be in safe hands.
Scotland is too small a country for the amount of privatization of infrastructure the British connexion has imposed.
Any future independent state ought to have infrastructure i.e energy, telecom, air/sea/land communications etc development fully within its control.
The «shorttermist», free for all to cherry pick policy of UK central government is out of step with Scotland’s urgent basic needs.
The technical expertise in such fields should return to being home grown not be hired, at cost, from sources indifferent to the country’s long term requirements.
Let the globalist vultures look for prey elsewhere.
Yvonne Ridley. Eva Comrie. Denise Findlay
All those women that wouldn’t wheesht. They’ve done incredible to stand up for women.
I listened in the back to that Denise Findlay. Powerful stuff. You don’t need your body or personality to change. She said. Another women talking about prostitution powerful.
The women’s voices in the Alba Party are heard and applauded loud and clear.
I’ve not been to the last few conferences. I take a back seat I suppose it’s my self confidence but I listen to everyone and I know that they are speaking the language I want to hear. I support them all the way.
And think that Craig Murray would be brilliant to be a top table. The party will be in safe hands, no infiltrators will be able to get a sniff in! a broad church of opinions all valued.
Scotland United for Independence!
“Queen Anne of England, was never crowned officially as queen of Scots or the territory of Scotland like all previous Scottish monarch,
She never took the Oath to Scots, she never wore the Scottish Crown and she never followed what was the usual investitures required,
There was no following banquet,
Nothing,”
That’s right James, one of the reasons that the so called British constitution (it doesn’t exist in reality) isn’t codified is that the English constitution and the Scottish constitution are utterly incompatible, in England the monarch is sovereign whilst in Scotland its the people that are sovereign, so no British constitution can be valid.
For there to be a British constitution English monarchs would have had to swear to uphold the Claim of Right which holds the people of Scotland as sovereign, and Scotland would need to have been totally subsumed by England which it isn’t.
@ moixx 4.54pm just like you I admire Craig for his sacrifices and unstinting support of our countries fight for independence but for ANY male to believe he has the lived experience or right or ability to comprehend what the GRRB means to REAL females is a fallacy
I am male 72 yoa and I totally and unreservedly support our females rights to vehemently oppose the perverted and deviant policies put forward and supported by the political morons that infest and pollute HR (that means every one of them including the tories who are quietly in favour of the deviance)
I look at the women who support this lunacy and compare them with the scum proud Scots BUT unionists who are determined to keep their country and fellow Scots tied to this corrupt and vile union despite seeing every day the DAMAGE it is causing
I look at the poor fools who continue to support and vote for the nonce snp scum troughers and I despise them for what they KNOWINGLY are doing , The EVIDENCE is BLINDINGLY OBVIOUS
PS Confused as usual you are bang on right
RoS,
there isn’t a Scottish constitution, and all talk of the Scottish people being sovereign is utter mince. Scotland is about 10% of the U.K., and so gets 10% of the vote.
George – re the camper-van: I worked in African for a few years and rented a house from the chap that owned the local Toyota dealership. Folk who wanted a new Toyota would present themselves with a shoe-box full of Libyan Dinars. Both would stand at a desk and count and agree the money. Keys would be handed-over and that was that. I wonder if the same thing happened with the camper-van? Who handed over the money and took the keys?
@ Anton Decadent at 5.27: “Perhaps there’s a loophole if the marriage has never been consummated.”
Thank you – that gave me a good laugh!!
Royal arse licker extraordinaire Nicholas Witchell is to retire, good f*ckin riddance I say.
@Captain Yossarian 6:36pm
Captain we have to leave it to Police Scotland, they have impounded the Campervan. Their investigation continues. It’s tough for them, when dealing with seasoned liars. Who have elevated lying to an existential artform and called it politics.
ASA’s been at the scrumpy again!
ASA
‘As a nation, [the Scots] have an undoubted right to national self-determination; thus
far they have exercised that right by joining and remaining in the Union. Should they determine on independence, no English party or politician would stand in their way,however much we might regret their departure.’
Consequently, the ambiguities and disputes surrounding the right of self determination ‘have hardly arisen in the Scottish case. Even the most unionist of politicians accept the legitimacy of Scottish independence, on condition only that this is the will of the Scottish people.’19 Therefore it is generally accepted that Scotland has a political right to self-determination. It could be said this right to self-determination is implicit in the concept of union.20
The right of the Scottish people to self-determination supports the view that Scotland is more than a mere region within the UK. However, several other factors contribute to Scotland’s constitutional status. Two major influences are the interpretation of the 1707 Union Agreement21 and categorization of the UK as either a ‘unitary’ or a ‘union’state. As Turpin and Tomkins note:22 It used to be generally thought that the UK has a unitary constitution… however, it may be that the better view is that the UK has a union constitution that is neither straightforwardly unitary nor systematically federal in character. In a unitary state
‘the same rules regarding legal authority apply throughout the state, and there is no
division of sovereignty between the centre and the sub-state levels, as in a federal
state’23 Due to the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty in relation to the Westminster Parliament, this could be seen as an accurate description of the UK. The opposite of a unitary state is a federal state, such as the United States of America. Lying somewhere in the middle of these polarized concepts is the ‘union’ state: ‘one in which, because of the way the state emerged historically, heterogeneity of governance arrangements
between constituent regions or nations has become a normal and persistent feature.’24
https://www.strath.ac.uk/media/1newwebsite/departmentsubject/law/documents/studentlawreview/Halliday_SSLR_article_1.6.pdf
It’s not expunged at all. It’s exactly where it was left – or at least the page is still live on The National where you linked to it on this page: https://wingsoverscotland.com/the-rest-of-the-story/
Back up out of bed, spouse not been well on and of all this week.
Grabbing a cuppa before return to bed and reading the nonsense of unionist mind, with nothing to back up what they are stating other than pure idiotic persistent arrogant bulls..t.
Not one comment with regards when? Or where? was the last Stuart monarch of England Queen Anne officially crowned Queen of Scots in Scotland,
It cannot be any time after the date of the 1707 hoax treaty of union, the Scottish parliament was extinguished, and there is no such record. In Scotland of that ceremony and Coronation,
And research into records does not find any date for the Coronation of the Queen and monarch of England
Being crowned as “Queen of Scots” or Scotland prior to the fallacious treaty of union 1707.
I am in no mood for continued lies, deceits of utter stupidity, and hot air bluster and arrogance.
Just because you allege there was a parliamentary Union 1707 without Scotland parliament and just because allege the was a union of kingdoms under one coronated monarch of England,
Without you ( Unionist ) providing the evidential date of the queen of Englands Coronation in Scotland , I will certainly consider you mouthy empty headed people who want to believe in the union like a childs fairy story,
And have you provided a date or detailed explanation for Why the Westminster parliament is also the parliament of England, creating treaties and connected by the exchequer and treasury to the Bank of England —-not great Great Britain.
At the same time period “we ” in Scotland are informed only the parliament of Scotland was Extinguished in 1707.
With out you providing the dates and times of evidence to all of us here on Wings, ……..yet you just keep opening and shutting your mouths.
Sometimes people like that with the severe case of incapability to (apply logic, reality,) to life and records wrote down, might be either considered ignorant, illiterate, or weak minded in attempting to change the whole world to suite their narrower world, they are incapable of understanding.
But to argue to be wilfully stupid, arrogant and ignorant and argue that case is a discision.
Yes, Eva Comrie is a good shout, i used to follow her when i did Twatter. I would add her and Cherry to my team of 10 indy negotiators. That’s me now got 4: Alex Salmond, Stuart Campbell, Eva Comrie and Joanna Cherry. Already sounding like a successful law firm, LOL!
re: my last comment. I stand corrected: they took your name off it. That’s just sad, National-guys.
“Anybody know what’s happening with the Hate Crime Bill? Like everything else, it just seems to have been mucked up, then disappeared. Which is probably a good thing.”
It’s coming into effect early next year. There was a fair bit of stuff about it in the papers last week.