Wings Over Scotland

The gall of Yousaf. Of course he knows most people will have forgotten that in his campaign for the leadership he talked of 2050 as being the right time to try to get independence.

The National – they too are relying on enough people being too stupid to notice their repeated carrot-dangling reports.

Why does “straitjacket” suddenly come to mind?

Faith is for religion. Politics is not about faith. We are not electing you so we can pray for independence. We elect you to get it done.

At first I thought the use of the phrase “now is not the time” was a joke.
Then I remembered it has basically been SNP policy since winning 56 of 59 seats in 2015 & somehow it has been used to squander ever other chance they’ve had since.

it’s a pity we pinned our hopes on this shower for too long, it wasn’t AMcL turn to use the brain cell they share, the penny has finally dropped for the majority of us though, onward and upwards.

Straight Flush- Right Down the Pan with SNP prospects for independence.

A Spell on the dole appears to be on the cards for this lot.

Simply shocking that such numbskulls have any position.

Imagine being Cherry and people suggesting you work with such low lifes. It would have her blowing the froth of her coffee

Strait as in Dire.

I have a horrible feeling that these idiots might just hold a referendum soon, thinking that they can win it. A referendum we are in no condition to contest. I should have more faith in them. This lot couldn’t organise a whatsit in a brewery.

In context she is Dire

Latest ABC figures show the ‘National’ sells on average 3,210 copies per day. In Addition to 345 paid subscriptions. Not a lot of people know that, or read it!

Maybe she described what she was trying to say to her SPAD in a jazz hands sort of way !
How many staffers do SNP have ? Hunners

Spelling mistakes I can forgive – make them myself all the time. Doubling down on a lost cause however, and ramping up the deception and/or self denial? No sympathy whatsoever.

There is a huge gap between the independence people want and the independence that these muppets in all the Scottish parties would deliver.

You know they’d make a mess of it. Hoping that post-independence grown ups would magically appear, sweep aside the gender confused gravy addicts and be voted in by the electorate? Never going to happen.

It’s a worry.

With their heads in the sand, and continued support of the continuity candidate, it is obvious that Anne and her partner Graham ‘Rastamouse’ Campbell will be heading ‘straight’ for the dole queue soon.

To be fair to Anne, she actually did a lot of pavement pounding for the party, unlike her former leader who must have thought it ‘beneath her’. What I could never understand was that as a big fan of Alex Salmond, Anne (and plenty of others) simply followed the Sturgeon Line on the farcical court case, which was created simply to destroy the career of the best nationalist politician we have ever had.

Mclaglin and the rest of the party’s representatives have simply turned a blind eye to the actions of their former leader, and yet many knew what NS was truly like. But I suppose that the thought of getting on the gravy train was just too tempting. Sadly for them, and for Scotland, the train has been driven down the wrong track, and looks like crashing altogether. I have no sympathy for these people who have stood idly by, and let one person destroy the democracy of the party, and now ruin its reputation, setting the cause of independence back by 20 years at least.

Craig Holden

> Wow, what a helpful post to the cause of independence.

Sadly for us, independence is not a checkbox on an MSP’s expenses claim form otherwise, with people of the calibre of Anne, it would have been in the bag a long time ago.

I can accept a few dumb MPs getting into the ranks. Anne McLaughlin being an excellent example.
However I expect ALL of them to be passionate about Scottish Independence.They are not. The keep telling us they are not. I think we should believe them.

Not one of us would care about the Party Politics of a fellow Indy supporter working with us on a YES stall……but the SNP do. You must support the TransCult, you must support rejoining the EU….etc,etc

Independence should be the only goal. The Primary goal. All else follows but it is for the People to decide not a Party. Not a Majority of MSPs at Holyrood as GRA

The SNP are finished and that is a positive for Scottish Independence

Murrell’s legal fees, to pay or not to pay? I’m happy for SNP to pay his fees, only if it hastens bankruptcy of the party.

SNP politicians, withholding monthly donations, is that a quicker route to bankruptcy? Either way, SNP’s demise can’t come quick enough!

Craig Holden says:
11 April, 2023 at 12:28 pm

Wow, what a helpful post to the cause of independence.

For those seeking station identification here, this could be the Craig Holden who was elected as an Independent councillor in Alloa back in 2007.

He then went over to the SNP in time for the 2012 election, and was successfully elected for them as such in 2012, 2017 and 2022; his new allegiance earning him the Deputy Provostship.

However in 2022, he was no longer made the ‘lead’ SNP candidate for the multi-member ward, but was swapped round for Ellen Forson, the SNP candidate he’d finished comfortably ahead of in the previous two elections.

The immediate result of this was rather than being elected on the first round of ballots as on the previous three occasions (one being as an independent, remember), he now found himself squeaking home by the skin of his teeth ahead of the Tories after seven rounds of transfers – the fate previously for Forson.

Come December last year, he announced he was returning to being an independent due to “my views and the views of the group were widely different” – the political equivalent of a band’s “artistic differences” cliche. Being a self-confessed Freemason probably didn’t do him much good either (Alloa Lodge 69) with the yoof members, even in the “we’ll take anyone” SNP of today.

Faith will see them through, Yousaf wi’ his Qouran an’ Blackford wi’ he’s book o’Psalms in he’s inside jaikit pooch ready fur the fray. The rest o’ us will jist hae tae wait oan the call tae prayer!!

If it’s the accepted view, that SNP has set independence back by 20 years, why the fuck is Holyrood not under siege?

Maw, paw and the weans, at another rally, doesn’t cut it!

maybe doing her an injustice,
Dictionary could have been borrowed for the Dub Poetry Soiree
Says much for the National who couldn’t spot it

SNP auditors resigned 6 months ago says Humza.” Seriously that is mid November. It sounds like they have not fond anyone to take over. NO reputable company wants to touch them.

Maybe Humza is in Dire Straits
He’s certainly all at sea?

Hang on a minute. The auditors resigned six months ago and thew SNP have yet to find a replacement? Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. That is a terrible look. Granted, the field is small. You’re looking at Big 4, then maybe a handful of the Group A firms, such as Grant Thornton. Say ten or twelve firms. You probably don’t want a firm that audits another political party, unless it’s one of the Big 4, who can build Chinese walls.

I said a few days ago that the SNP might have to look beyond Scotland to find a suitable auditor. It seems to me that would be highly embarrassing but it may also be necessary.

When The National came out I bought and supported it as well as I could. Yes, some of the ‘journalism’ was terrible and the articles written by people who were clearly idiots, but the purpose of the paper was a noble one I was glad to support. A few years after it started it became an SNP newsletter and as Stu has pointed out, designed itself to pull the indy movement in one way which was to vote SNP ‘to get independence’.

Nearly a decade later we’ve got strong support for independence but we’re nowhere near getting it let alone having a referendum to actually kickstart a campaign which is dead. The odd march isn’t going to convince anyone and is purely to keep the faithful happy which is why an actual date is needed.

The SNP however don’t want independence. Too many people enjoying nice lifestyles at our expense while the party maintains an iron grip on power in Scotland. A Scotland which has begun to stagnate in every way from politics to culture which isn’t entirely the SNP’s fault (their supporters and the opposition parties have a large hand in this) but they’ve been a catalyst for it. We need a reset as well as a purge of the political & cultural class who have dragged us into this hole.

@ Jim at 2.32: “..elect politicians by lottery and for one term only. … removing the grift..”

Sortition is the system Jim suggests. There are pros and cons – there are some serious ones of both, of course.

Certainly the current system that permits career politicians hasn’t done us much good.

The proper Scottish constitution whereby the people can boot out politicians immediately, as opposed to having to wait for an election, would be a big improvement. So to regain that People’s Sovereignty we must get at least 100,000 to sign the Edinburgh Proclamation on http://www.liberation.scot and get the process explained by Salvo.scot rolling.

What’s stopping link to liberation.scot from hitting it’s target of 100,000 signatures.

I’m mystified as to why their goal has not already been reached. Liberation Scotland is setting the bar, for self-determination, by public demand.

Get signed up immediately.

Mr. Precision strikes again.

Hunza says the auditors resigned ’round about October.’ This is the latest of his lack of knowledge or lack of willingness to give a straightforward answer to a more than simple question.

He’s already becoming known as ‘I’ll have to check on that’, just as Sturgeon was famous for ‘I can’t rememeber’ etc.

Those who said he was an idiot seriously over-rated his ability.

And this clown is Scotland’s First Minister, just like the other clown. Continuity indeed.

The SNP has lost all credibility and its reputation has been seriously damaged, the rerunning of the leadership contest in a transparent and democratic fashion minus GCHQ would go some way to restoring a modicum of faith in the indy masses especially after what the last few weeks have thrown up.

However there seems to be a lack of urgency from the SNP MSPs and the membership to stave off anymore damage to the party’s credibility, everyone within the party and the membership knew the first contest was tainted, and now they have the chance to correct that, but its as if a sense business as usual has fallen over the SNP MSPs and membership, a kind off yeah we knew the contest was a a farce but now its over lets move on.

I find this kind of attitude incredible when not only is the reputation and survival of the SNP at stake here, but the future of what direction Scotland takes as well.

Yousaf is on record saying at a hustings, Nicola Sturgeon is the smartest person I know, if she can’t deliver independence no one can.

Yousaf says Murrell will not be suspended because he is innocent until proven guilty – BBC website.

Has anyone else been suspended from the SNP while they were still innocent?

@Sarah

Couldn’t agree more!

Sign the Edinburgh Proclamation on http://www.liberation.scot Get the process explained by Salvo.scot

Is that the Mike Russell horsebox getting put to use transporting that INDEPENDENCE to the racecourse will that be Musselburgh racecourse or Ayr .

Fkin waxer .

She’s been thinking of lifeboats when she said Strait .

Maxxmacc 1.03

McLaughlin didn’t pound any streets she sat on her arse and was driven round her constituency & I got that from the people who did pound the streets to get her elected . But no more .

Bless her. Anne’s probably confused having spent so much time complaining about dire straights.

I cant spell either but anyone who thinks this race is anywhere near the final straight needs their head examined.

Just as soon as I’ve sold them this bridge.

You would think a SNP Minister somewhere would draft a letter of notice signed by others,for the party HQ to come clean or else we resign.But I guess that requires free finking and strait-talking.

The National was supposed to attack the mainstream press and be different. It morphed into what it was supposed to be challenging against. Was very comfortable when it done so as capital provided the funds to keep it going.

Of course that’s what happens when voters are not given a choice and the media is awash with neoliberal, globalist GROUPTHINK.

Capital will provide the funds to keep the SNP solvent not the membership.

Alba will face the same funding issues. Once businesses get involved you become captured. They have to refuse to accept money from capital. Or they will end up like the National and SNP.

I have nothing but contempt for the people still supporting this cabal of moronic imbeciles , from current members who are still paying dues to this repellent group of time wasters to people who cannot be bothered looking at the state of Scotland under sturgeon’s incompetent misrule

Is Scotland’s education system so bad that people are unaware of the gross incompetence of all the politicians of all the political parties currently SQUATTING in Holywood , do we Scots really deserve this have we not learned anything from the decades of liebour taking the piss , how anyone living in the UK never mind Scotland can be content at the political dross we have representing us is unfathomable

And what is so unbelievably galling is that people think they can denigrate and demean people in Scotland who want independence whilst they turn their faces away from a BIGGER clusterfuck being ongoing by ALL uk parties in their respective countries

“She’s the mastermind if you ask me behind the destruction of Scotland”

Mastermind? Surely you have to be joking.

Sturgeon is at most a ruthless implementer following a script written by somebody else. There was nothing masterful or elegant in any of her political moves. Every single one of her moves was a text book example of blunt tools used to firefight a problem and deliver quick results. From distance, at times Sturgeon’s moves had the same feel of somebody using a flamethrower to keep their lawn at bay.

There are so many examples. Already in 2015, she bluntly debased the SNP by claiming, a few weeks before the election, that a vote for the SNP was not a vote for independence, betraying the constitution of the party. There is not much blunter than that. At that point, polls were putting yes ahead, so Sturgeon’s sly move was a clear example of aggressive firefighting/damage limitation on behalf of the powers that be to pull the emergency break on independence. That move alone revealed her to be a political fraud, a colonial minion working for the preservation of the union rather than for Scotland’s independence.

Her attempts to delay indyref with the many useless papers she wasted our time and resources writing to “keep the UK in the single market” when she should have been concentrating on the constitutional problem and on how to detangle Scotland from England’s grip, were another of her many blunt exercises in stalling.

Then, under her watch, an unlawful tainted with bias complaints procedure was rushed through so the only man with the will and ability to deliver independence was either put in prison for the rest of his life or removed from politics completely. This was an incredibly blunt tool. It was quite telling that a similar process was put through in Wales resulting in the death of an innocent man. Just like the acusers in Mr Salmond’s case, the accuser of this man in Wales was given the privilege to hide behind anonymity and a false presumption of victimhood. And I say false presumption because the victimhood of this accuser was never tested in court. There are many parallelisms with Mr Salmond’s case. And even more remarkable is the fact that they were happening almost at the same time, which inescapably leads one to think this plan was not born in Scotland. The poor, inefficient and sloppy implementation and execution of the plan took place in Wales and Scotland, but the original plan comes from somewhere else.

There is still a persistent whiff of deep state corruption emanating from Mr Salmond’s criminal case that points towards another blunt move to cover the tracks of the main culprits in a political conspiracy. Looking at the evidence presented during the Holyrood inquiry and the attitude of the crown agent and the crown towards the suppression of crucial evidence, such as the whatsapp messages around the Vietnam group, it very much looks like Mr Salmond’s criminal case was built with the purpose of certain actors gaining permanent legal anonymity so their names and by default any information with their names on it could be redacted and suppressed from the public. Again, there is no masterplan or mastermind behind this. This is a very, very blunt, spectacularly unintelligent, cowardly firefighting move which has led to the total discredit of the civil service, the police, the COPFS, the courts, Holyrood’s parliamentary inquiries, the SNP executive and Sturgeon’s cabinet.

Then there is also the blunt way Sturgeon reacted towards Alba when Mr Salmond started to talk about a supermajority. There was nothing masterful in the way this political fraud helped the colonial parties to keep seats in Holyrood in order to stop that supermajority. It was another of her many firefighting moves, another blunt tool that in this case led to the unforgivable waste of one million of SNP votes. Again, this had the feel of somebody using a flamethrower to cut keep the lawn at bay.

There was nothing masterful either in the way she attemptted to silence dissent against the self-ID nonsense with the Hate bill or with the incredibly blunt assault on democracy which was opening the consultation for potential legislation for Scotland to the entire world.

There was nothing masterful either in the way she attempted to remove from herself accountability for wasting 8 years of time and majorities without getting even near to deliver indyref by bluntly transferring her own accountability on to the lord advocate and the supreme court. It was another poor, unelegant, incredibly coward firefighting move with no strategy behind. Just the use of brute force.

There was nothing masterful in the way she pushed away the people significantly more able and capable than her and dissenters and instead surrounded herself with idiots and nodding donkeys. This was a nothing but a blunt and pathetic political survival move.

Any move Sturgeon made during her tenure was a blunt, firefighting, unelegant, bully-like move. Every single one. There was no strategy behind, no masterplan, no careful thought. Everything was rushed carelessly through, like a bull in a china shop. By the look of it, she just appeared to have one objective and one objective only: to stop Scotland’s independence by making the SNP unelectable and helping Labour to win the next GE.

The timing of Sturgeon, Murrell, Lloyd and Foote’s exit (after of course Livingstone, the crown agent Harvie and the most valuable assets among the civil servants involved in the complaints procedure were put safe out of the way), and the move of the police for Murrell’s arrest with their theatrical display of tents, seems impeccably chosen to ensure the SNP does not stand a chance in the next GE. How much more shit are we going to hear in the next year or so? Probably quite a bit. Again, this does not look like the product of a mastermind. This looks like a very, very blunt tool used to bring the SNP down to the ground and force a labour win. It is like a controlled demolition.

It is my opinion this political fraud was tasked with holding the reins of the yes movement to give the powers that be time to find the way of delivering some form of additional devolution to create the illusion of reform. I am also of the opinion that Yousaf and Robertson before him, were tasked with the exact same remit, otherwise Yousaf would not have been so stupid as to claim independence needs to wait until 2050. Either Mr Yousaf is an ignoramus the size of Jupiter, or he is a parrot repeating a script which seeks to delay independence until the point there will not be sufficient natives in Scotland to counteract a no vote. At the rate the native population of Scotland is being substituted by migrants from elsewhere, by 2050 there will be less than a 50% of native population left in Scotland.

Sturgeon is no strategist, never mind mastermind. In 8.5 years she did not show any forward vision beyond the tip of her nose. I would say the “masterminds” behind the controlled demolition of the SNP in preparation for the next GE are sitting at both sides of the Atlantic.

Mia @ 6.36

Brilliant post , sista 🙂

We may never know EXACTLY what’s behind the events of the last 8 years ; but it stretches plausibility to believe the grievous bodily harm that’s been wrought on the Independence Movement in that time is down to simple incompetence & a flawed personality alone . The damage is too severe .

If someone had written a blueprint of how to * terminally * fuck-up the drive to Independence it’s realisation would look like where we are now . Floundering

Perhaps the ‘straits’ she has in mind are the ones with Charybdis on one side and Scylla on the other.

Robert Hughes says:
If someone had written a blueprint of how to * terminally * fuck-up the drive to Independence it’s realisation would look like where we are now . Floundering’

Sadly for me- I am for the Union- I am not sure you’re right
I think one of the most successful political con-jobs of recent times has-at last- been skilfully dissected by the Learned Editor of this site
That said I think the final ‘soldier’s farewell’ from your former leader-her plea for ‘privacy’-really makes me retch; ignores the times beyond number I had to listen to her wisdom-faithfully publicised by the BBC- during the Chinese Lurgy unpleasantness, when her views had F-all to do with me in Wales. That’s one good thing, I suppose…

The straits o’re Messina are unco and grey
‘n’ pair bloody squadies are weary

Just watched Yousaf’s video on “rolling up our sleeves” on Independence and being ‘United.’

Aftee immediately sacking Kate Forbes his election rival as Finance Secretary.

After cheating his way to the ballot box. By seeing MI5 voice votes.

After lying to the gender benders he’d challenge section 35 then backtrack.

After lying he’d make Independence his priority day 1.

After lying about going to the All Under one Banner. But instead going to the Coronation.

After discrediting Sturgeon’s section 30 begging letter.

After Murrell cooked the books, the auditors quit. After they defrauded the yes voters out of a missing 600K. Trousered and vanished and turned into a caravan.

Then his big plan for Independence is to talk to himself around the country to groups like AIM and Maggie Chapman.

The guys a cheat. Always has been. Once a cheat. Always a cheat.

Time for Yes voters to roll up our sleeves and demand the collapse of Holyrood.

We can be rest assured the SNP won’t be delivering Scottish Independence. Too much work.

Their twitter accounts all have the Ukraine flag. It’s all let’s get behind British foreign policy and pretend to play solider.

While they let their hands wander in Strangers bar in London. Hiding away in the big city. Getting pissed on House of Commons champagne and rubbing Kit Kat into their gums. They can’t keep their hands to themselves. Selfish bastards the lot of them.

The timetable for Scottish independence has not changed.

link to robinmcalpine.org

The part of the front page that got to me was:

‘UK withholding nuclear secrets from Scotland’

That’s Jackie Baillie’s constituency – I’m sure she’ll be all over it. Or maybe she’s waiting on another donation from Jim Sillars.

It’s Day 14 of Yousaf.

The current best score is Truss at 44 days.

Get him out now and put Scotland in the number 1 position.

We still have 30 days, but to be certain of a result things need to get moving.

Yousaf. Yousaf. Yousaf. Out! Out! Out!

A couple of quick questions.

1) What is the extent of the liability the members of the NEC are facing.

2) as an appointed member of a particular group to the NEC will the liability rest with the individual or the sponsoring group.

3) how many members of the NEC are there.

I guess they must be facing the cost of the flawed election, the £600k, their legal bill, the bill of the person raising the issue and an excess for mismanagement generally but I am guessing. I think not a lot of change out of a million overall.

I am just trying to get my head around the bill each NEC member could be facing

The tendency of posters here to ascribe responsibility for the corruption in Scotland to everyone else, the English, Westminster, the BBC, GCHQ….staggering.Truth is, it’s all down to your government, your press, and your voters. It’s easy to blame others, but deep down, you know it’s just an excuse. The temptations to corruption were there, easily available, no one would look, no one would check. Your centralised police were complicit. Your press were complicit. Your voters were complict. Why? Because you voted in a pressure group, activists without talent or ability. You have been blinded by the vision of independence, but forgot that an independent country must function. You forgot about your children, your young men and women dying in shocking numbers, your islands, your old people, your women. You voted for shady people selling a shady prospectus with absolutely no interest in opening your eyes to what has been, and continues to go on around you.
Blame everyone else. It just makes you look sadder and more and more desperate. Or wake up.

@dasBlimp

Yes, and it grieves me. The dynamic of a country founded on this repellent philosophy won’t end well.

Unpalatable but factually correct Lee. Will it get through? I’m afraid not.

@LeeFloyd

Excellent observation
It seems to me that any proper independence movement should first concentrate on being the absolute best government possible within the constraints of the current devolution settlement

I see absolutely no evidence of this under Sturgeon’s reign which has seemed more and more like a personality cult than a functioning political party

Furthermore her absolute refusal to come clean on the most basic plans for a transition to full independence has stymied any potential referendum and makes one wonder if power within her fiefdom was always the objective

Ronnie , seconded and carried unanimously!

Pillocks the pair of them ,trying to disrupt and irritate.

F OFF ya pair of tossers I myself have Family/ connections all over england & many friends to boot .

Dorothy Devine says:
12 April, 2023 at 5:35 pm
Ronnie , seconded and carried unanimously!

Pillocks the pair of them ,trying to disrupt and irritate.

Bobbyp says:
13 April, 2023 at 9:06 am
DasBlimp/floyd, probably members of 77th brigade

And there we have it, my point made.