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Wings Over Scotland


Into Darkness

Posted on March 25, 2024 by

Welcome, readers, to what may be the final week of Wings Over Scotland.

We’ve been covering the Scottish Government’s horrific, draconian Hate Crime Act for almost four years now. But until this month, we hadn’t felt directly under threat by it. Wings is – sorry if this comes as a shock to anyone – based in Bath, in England, and we couldn’t see how the Scottish police could come after us.

And then we read this.

We initially thought Craig must have got it wrong.

But then lawyer after lawyer queued up to support his interpretation, and we became alarmed. Along with JK Rowling, For Women Scotland and Murray Blackburn Mackenzie, it’s hard to think of anyone the transgender cult would rather bring down than Wings Over Scotland, and the Hate Crime Act puts that goal firmly in reach.

They would not have to achieve any sort of criminal conviction to do so. The point of the law, with its basically non-existent threshold for “hate”, is to terrorise those with views that are unpalatable to the Scottish Government out of voicing their opinions at all, via a method often called “process as punishment”.

Wings has already experienced the technique. In 2017, under a very similar law, I was subjected to a malicious, ridiculous allegation of “harassment” by a journalist whose work we’d critiqued, and arrested. I was dragged off to a police station, thrown in a cell, detained for 15 hours, and then released just before midnight, 10 miles from home in a remote and unfamiliar location with no money and no mobile phone, and told to make my own way back.

I had no phone because all of my phones, along with all my tablets, all my laptops and all my desktop PCs, had been seized – for no justifiable reason, because all of the supposed “harassment” took place online, and tweets aren’t stored on your devices but on Twitter’s servers – when I was arrested and then taken away and impounded by the Metropolitan Police (because the complainer was based in London).

Even bags of badges and promo items were taken. I kept one as a souvenir.

I then spent three months on bail waiting to find out whether I’d be charged. To continue producing Wings in the meantime I had to spend several thousand pounds to replace all the computer equipment that was sitting in a police locker. When the matter was dropped the police refused to return it, demanding that I instead made a six-hour round trip to London to retrieve it myself, although the items were far too numerous and heavy to carry on a train.

(And obviously the hefty cost of all the replacements was non-recoverable. In all sorts of ways, there’s almost no justice available in the UK to victims of false accusations.)

I’m made of reasonably strong stuff – imagine being able to do this job for the last 12 and a half years otherwise – but readers can probably imagine what an unpleasant experience that all was, even though I wasn’t even charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one. And the purpose of the Hate Crime Act is to menace dissident voices with the prospect of being put through that more or less constantly.

Because no sooner would we have replaced one set of confiscated gear than another barrage of complaints would arrive from transactivists, another arrest and confiscation would follow, and the cycle would repeat until we either closed the site down or were swiftly bankrupt.

The principle is similar (in both method and its intended target) to that of the infamous 1913 Prisoners Temporary Discharge for Ill-Health Act, commonly referred to as the “Cat And Mouse Act”, which was deployed against the Suffragettes.

The object was to put women under relentless stress and keep them perpetually cycling in and out of prison in order to break their resistance. But in this case the heroic strength shown by the Suffragettes is not enough by itself to overcome the tactic, because neither we nor FWS nor MBM or any of Scotland’s other gender-critical voices have access to an infinite supply of money to keep buying new electronics.

(JK Rowling probably does, but the police aren’t going to be stupid enough to arrest her in a million years. Foul-mouthed oiks like Wings and working-class women like FWS are much easier targets, as we’ve already seen in the ludicrous cases of women like Jennifer Swayne and Marion Millar, arrested and dragged to court for stickers and ribbons. FWS have also been warned by Police Scotland that the phrase “Women Won’t Wheesht” might constitute a hate crime.)

Such arrests prove that the “reasonable person” test in the law offers no real protection for anyone targeted by the rainbow stormtroopers of the SNP and Scottish Greens’ Twitler Youth. No reasonable person could ever have considered Miller or Swayne guilty of any sort of crime, but they were still put through the torment and expense for months. The process was the punishment.

Nor is there even any reliable hope that you WON’T actually be convicted. It’s under two years since indy activist Dave Llewellyn was convicted of a crime for sarcastically quoting George Galloway’s comments back at him, something that the controversial firebrand MP apparently found so terrifying that the police had to be called.

We can’t help feeling that Galloway may swiftly find himself the recipient of some karma under this law, and no, that isn’t a threat. It’s not too hard to find comments from the member for Rochdale that could be construed as “stirring up hatred” of Israel, say, and supporters on both sides of the Gaza situation are famously level-headed, fair-minded and moderate.

And politicians aren’t immune. Tory MSP Murdo Fraser, who opposed the Act in a fine illustration of the “stopped clock” principle, revealed at the weekend that he now has a “Non-Crime Hate Incident” recorded against his name for saying “Choosing to identify as ‘non-binary’ is as valid as choosing to identify as a cat. I’m not sure governments should be spending time on action plans for either.”

Neither Galloway nor Fraser, of course, are people indy supporters will have much in the way of instinctive sympathy for, but Mark Hirst and Dave Llewellyn should be, and in any event it all just confirms the eternal wisdom of Pastor Martin Niemoller, inmate of Dachau concentration camp.

There are no “reasonable people” in Scotland any more – or at least, if there are they aren’t in charge of anything.

Wings, therefore, after a few brief chats with lawyers, finds itself forced to seriously consider its position, and that means taking proper advice. We have commissioned, and await, a formal legal opinion from a very senior Scottish KC with expertise in the field about whether it’s safe for the site and its social media accounts to continue to exist, either in their current forms or some kind of censored ones.

(If you’ve ever considered following us on Twitter but not got round to it, we strongly advise you to do so before 1 April, as it may be considerably harder afterwards.)

We’ve put up a small fundraiser to hopefully cover the costs of the advice, with some gorgeous Hate Monster enamel badges to tempt people into donating. Click the pic below (or the one at the top of this article) to visit it.

We aim, and fervently hope, to still be here after April Yousaf’s Day. But we also hope readers will understand that in the grotesque, intolerant, dystopian Scotland now being created by the SNP, we need to be sure.

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SusanAHF

The process is indeed the punishment. And no requirement to investigate the history of the accuser, so no chance of counter accusing for vexatious litigation.

Jacqueline

This is hell on earth Stu. I’ve followed you since inception. You are the best. Still don’t have a Wings badge which I would prefer but will contribute again. Good luck with everything x

Geri

It’ll be a sad day to see Wings cease writing but fully understand that your own safety & wellbeing takes president.

Dark times indeed.

What a fcked up state we are in. The lunatics have taken over the asylum & have gone off script. I can’t see any change coming with a change of government either. The West is on a mission to shut down dissent & freedom of speech & any & all information that doesn’t fit their narrative.

Fck knows what other horrors are to come. These things tend to escalate & fast.

James Blair

I am a confirmed unionist, also Scottish. I am also an admirer of the Rev Campbell and his outstanding journalism and writing. This Hate crime bill is a ghastly, dystopian step backwards and is going to destroy genuine free speech. Yousaf and his pals are riding roughshod over the Scottish electorate and the societal damage will be off the charts. Despite my opposition to independence I very much hope that Wings can continue. Let’s be realistic: the supine Scottish press have done nothing to really challenge this ludicrous law and unpalatable though it may be it is the Tories that have opposed it. Shameful stuff.

Doreen A Milne

Terrifying time we live in.

Mac

This is out of control. What are we living in right now.

The Sturgeon post 2014 SNP is a dangerous, sinister entity that needs exterminated at the next election, it really does. Fuck these rainbow neo-bolsheviks rats.

None of this is about stopping hate, never was, it is about stopping free speech, always was.

At what point do people wake up to what is going on I wonder…

Garavelli Princip

I really never thought I would live to witness Scotland falling into fascism.

Nor that it would occur under our party of national liberation.

But that party failed in its primary task, and as post-colonial studies has taught, now finds its role in oppressing its own people on behalf of the Colonial Power – a party now led by morally and ethically bankrupts largely composed of clowns and buffoons, with a degenerate membership, in league with a party of sexual perverts.

Who would have foreseen this as Scotland’s fate?

Greg Scollin

How the hell did Scotland sink this low. A rhetorical question as everyone who has stayed engaged with Scottish politics, especially during the last few years of Sturgeon`s tenure, will well know the answer.

MrRocknRoll

This is basically a ‘gagging order’.
This makes me ashamed of our government. Scotland is now the laughing stock of the world.

Roy Hayes

This is why I read your Blog. No one else tells it as it is. I don’t subscribe to the independence movement – I believe our Island is too small to be divided – I believe in Britain and that there is no reason to lose identity Scots, Welsh, English etc. But altogether BRITISH. I look on, aghast, at what the SNP and Greens are imposing and fear, if not stopped, this will spread throughout our islands as various groups realise the control it gives. Once in place it will be difficult to remove such a “useful” tool. Keep fighting – hopefully the apathy of the majority will fade and you will get the support you need. Forgive for saying, however, not for the destruction of the Union.

Heaver

I wonder if a sympathetic reader could offer you a place to stay in France, or somewhere beyond the reach of the bill. Maybe Ireland, or just Isle of Man.

Bill Fraser

This is outrageous, do whatever you need to to protect yourself Stuart You can’t afford to be put in jail. We have to get rid of them and get this attack on the people quashed. I want rid of the whole system and a way to get right of bad laws and governments put more firmly in the hands of the public. We need more direct,democracy to stop all politicians getting voted in and then deciding to do whatever they want against the public.

Tommo

This is an appalling state of affairs-that a tinpot rabble such as this assembly- infested with racists and fanatics of every hue can legislate-seemingly-for the whole of the UK. The UK government needs to quash this-and abolish the assembly while they are at it, I would suggest.
I disagree with your politics but I admire your journalism and have made a contribution and wish you well.

100%Yes

Please join and support

link to indy1st.scot

Dave Llewellyn

Apparently cross dressers are covered by this bill which will make it arguable that furries also have more rights than women.

My defence will be the the UK Equalities Act protects women and for once I am glad that English Law trumps Scots law and I will appeal it to the Supreme Court if necessary.

Science is immutable.

I am not going to stop posting my beliefs and supposing I am jailed for stating my beliefs this ridiculous law will break before I do .

Martin Luther King said in a letter from jail.

One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”

If we dream of a better future for our country it is our duty to make sure it is not infected by these nutjobs.

I am trying to organise a naked protest at Holyrood at the end of May to protest .

Let’s see if Cross Undressers are legally protected .

Mac

“Process as punishment” is phrase I have been looking for, for a long time. The yanks have another word, “Lawfare”. Using the Law to wage war on someone and exhaust them financially, mentally and emotionally by the process of having to defend themselves.

Rich people use it as well to bankrupt their enemies. But here it is the state employing it against its own citizens.

I was amazed reading (some time ago) the account of what happened to SC in 2017 at the hands of the Police. In particular that they kept all his computers, phones etc for months and months after he had been cleared.

I would bet good money that someone, somewhere trawled through them with a digital fine tooth comb looking for anything they could use against him.

The treatment described above also shows the naked hostility and malice of the Police. Very reminiscent of the treatment the Rangers liquidators were subjected to in Scotland. That of course resulted in millions on damages for malicious prosecutions.

Craig Murray is too frightened to come home. And now this…

So we are in it. This is not some imagined dystopian future, it is a very real dystopian present.

We should all be very shocked at what is going on. These are massive alarm bells going off.

PRJ

The hate crime bill can work both ways. For example the term “cis” is offensive to me. So maybe we should be one step ahead.

100%Yes

The SNP want to retain its dominance in Scotland at any cost, the public most not protest outside our parliament and now this HATE crime bill.

Fraser

What about…..putting in hate crime complai ts about anything to do with the greens or the raving loony trans community ?

John

Will you publish counsels opinion once you receive it?

wulls

£30 bunged in…..
This is fuckin abysmal…..
Only way I can see to combat this is for us all to start reporting the Willyboy et all for a hate crime every time they hurt our feelings by saying they are women.

100%Yes

@Dave Llewellyn

FFS please make it when its a bit warmer hardly need our male bits to recede.

Karen

As someone else said, if charged say you are trans. Then the “crime” will be recorded as trans-on-trans. They won’t like that.

Philip Patrick

I agree with all of this as any decent person should and find the situation looming in Scotland utterly chilling to the point where I’m wondering if it is any more a safe country for a journalist or indeed anyone. I’m one of your unionist readers but would fight to the end to defend this excellent site if there were any way I could do so.

On the other hand Rev, on a personal note, I would like to follow you on Twitter as you suggest, and indeed did so but then you blocked me for disagreeing with you (without being offensive). And several of my critical (but again not in any way offensive)comments here have just not appeared, so maybe stop doing things like that eh?

Wally Jumblatt

I’m sure every single MSP is going to cause me offence and distress over the next couple of months.
If I feel ecxcessively traumatised, I may have to go running to the Polis for action.
It would not be a surprise to me if enough MSPs eventually couldn’t figure out that this is a sledgehammer to crack a soft fruit and it may be worthwhile repealing such a law

William Habib Steele

I wonder if this law has to do with Humza being a Muslim, not a very good Muslim, but his mindset has been formed by Islam. Of coures, he may be engaging in Taqyya, lying about his LGBTQ+ beliefs, to gain and stay in power to promote Islam. Islam is intolerant and where it’s in control there is no free speech.

Patsy Millar

Have done crowdfunding and hope to contribute more in the weeks ahead; anything to help keep you going. Fingers crossed that after I and others report our hatred of the hate monster repeatedly they’ll have to’go homeward and think again’.

Mac

Re-reading the article on George Galloway reporting that as a hate crime and then the railroading of the guy by the judge really was portentous.

And Galloway really was an odious turd for doing that. He knew fine well those were his own words being quoted back at him but he reported them like it was a real threat out of the blue. That is a real scum bag move IMHO. Galloway really does not like it when his hypocrisy is highlighted… His calculated spitefulness here shows it.

A perverted accuser deliberately mis-characterizing his own words, a perverted judge who knew better but did it it anyway, resulting in a predictably perverted outcome.

Well done George, you should be so proud of yourself. Hopefully karma is indeed a bitch.

Paul Davis

Nationalists voted these people into office and thus facilitated them enacting draconian laws. I hope you’re all very pleased with yourselves.

It’s an object lesson in what happens if you get blinded by one objective and fail to see the true nature of a party. It is the ultimate irony that either a unionist party being elected in Scotland, the UK parliament or the UK Supreme Court may ultimately rid you of this particular law.

Alf Baird

James Blair @ 9:37 am

“I am a confirmed unionist, also Scottish.”

Can there be a ‘union’ without a Scottish veto? e.g. enforced Brexit, voted mandates in favour of another indy ref ignored, decisions on war and peace, plunder of our territory, etc?

‘Scots dae whit yer telt’ disnae seem much o a ‘union’. Why would anyone wish to ‘confirm’ something that does not exist?

Molesworth

They won’t dare come after you or JKR. You have become a giant amongst Scottish political commentators.

Steve Ellwood

Aye, terrifying.

Bunged a few bawbees in.

Chas

Your articles are factual, honest and accurate. How they can be seen as ‘hate crimes’ should be of concern to all in Scotland. However, in too many cases, especially with this ill thought out and plain daft legislation, breaking a law can be subjective, especially when WHO decides what actually is a ‘hate crime’.

I read all of your articles Stu but not always on the day they are posted-apologies. The comments section has become a cesspit and a platform for too many nutters to post their mince on all manner of subjects. If any one dares to disagree with them they are fair game for all sorts of abuse which can clearly be construed as a hate crime against an individual. I am unsure if the new loony legislation could result in YOU being targeted by the Poileas, because of ‘hate’ comments from the fringe nutters posting on here? It could be argued that YOU are aiding and abetting them!

Whether our brave Government and the Poileas will interested in the dross produced by so many non-descript posters on Wings remains to be seen but I can guarantee they will have a target list of people who are in the public eye. YOU will be on this list Stu, as you are obviously aware.

If you do decide to shut Wings down, I hate to say it, but you are effectively giving the SNP what they want to achieve, to the detriment of the sane in Scotland. I know there will be a lot of hassle, cost, time and worry in keeping the site going, however your followers of sound mind will support you. Easy to say, I know. Of course, it might be possible to simply ban the more extreme and rabid posters but I expect that this will be impossible to achieve. Too easy to change usernames, EMail addresses or IP numbers. A high profile Court case is inevitable and will be welcome, to kill this lunacy in it’s tracks. Good to hear that you are seeking legal advice now.

Scary times. If do you shut down, what platform will the mentally unstable seek out? All blog writers beware.

Oneliner

Change the site to ‘Irony Over Scotland’ and use antonyms of potentially offensive words – suffixed by ‘(A)’ or just state ‘Irony Alert’

We’ll all catch on. Example:

I think that Nicola Sturgeon has been Scotland’s best(A) first minister and have always been impressed(A) by her honesty(A) and integrity(A)

Breeks

Just a wry observation, but if these grotesque charlatans had been taken to task in 2016 for betraying out Nation by failing to defend the Claim of Right over Brexit, and specifically, Scotland’s democratic and sovereign rejection of it, then NONE of these imbeciles would have been in office these past 8-9 years to promote ANY of this drivell.

Impeach the damned colonial Assembly in Edinburgh and deny these Devolutionist cretins a platform to humiliate our Nation as they’re currently doing.

Lindsey

It will be tragic if Wings is closed down. In case this happens, I would just like to put this out there. Ireland was ranked 2nd in the Global Competitiveness Index 2023. The UK was ranked 29th. An independent Scotland could be up there with Ireland but you’ll never see this on the BBC or in the MSM
link to imd.org.

Ali Clark

Is there a legal route to make Wings ‘owned’ by it’s readers, or have the culpability for transgressing a law be spread across all readers…

Rather than have the Rev in the finely tuned crosshairs we can all be the target… snipers have a problem with too many targets. Is their a court that could take 50, 100 or a thousand accused.

Force them to change their sniper for an Avro Lancaster.

100%Yes

The reality is we need to rid ourselves of the SNP, so the SNP need to be destroyed. We have a perfect opportunity to do by removing the SNP MP’s at Westminster at the next general election. This will hopefully lead to the SNP going bankrupt and then there will be another holyrood election, where we can elect people who are actually going to remove Scotland from the Union with immediate effect and for good.

Kat

Have you joined Free Speech Union yet? link to freespeechunion.org

They may be able to provide help and support for you to keep you online and operational.

Just a thought, Murdo Fraser is availing himself of their services.

Ali Clark

Apologies if the first attempt to post this appears from the depths and it duplicates…

Is their a way of spreading the culpability of Wings breaking any ‘law’ across a human shield of willing readers? It appears the Rev is sitting in sniper’s sights with this law. Why not make the law require an Avro Lancaster to do its job. In more simplistic terms… I’m Spartacus!

Dave Llewellyn

According to Humzas religion he should be stoned (and I dont mean wacky baccy ) for committing Zina , the third worst sin in Islam
with two different women.

I ewonder how he manages to square that circle with his Hate Crime Bollocks.

For Reference
Allah, The Exalted, has sent Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) with the truth and He has sent down the Quran on him, and among the revealed verses was the verse of stoning. I recited it, retained it to my memory and comprehended it. The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) stoned adulterers to death and we did the same after him. So, I fear that, with the lapse of time, someone will say: we do not find the ruling of stoning in the Quran. Then, they become astray due to giving up one of the obligations that Allah, The Exalted, has revealed.”

Ruby

I’m going to report everyone selling or wearing a ‘C U Jimmy’ hat.

link to tinyurl.com

The ‘C U Jimmy’ is without a doubt racist.

As a ethnic Scots person of colour (white, white ,white ) I find that hat very offensive.

That is going to result in a fair number of reported hate crimes.

It’s going to be hard work. Will you join me?

This of course could result in counter claims from sellers & wearers of these racist hats.

The polis & the rape crisis centre are going to be busy, busy, busy.

Why the rape crisis centre I hear you asking it’s because that is where we go to report hate crimes here in Edinburgh.

I will not be ‘reframing my trauma’ with regards to the ‘C U Jimmy’ racist hat.

The CU Jimmy hat like the rainbow lanyards has got to go.

Glasgow = sex shop
Edinburgh = rape crisis centre.

Why?

Dave Llewellyn

I would suggest that EVERY SINGLE PERSON who is GC put in a Freedom of Information Request to Police Scotland to ask what information they hold about your views or posts that you have made on social media that are under the threshold of criminality.
Then put in a new one EVERY week.
Even if they do not hold anything they will have to check and they are already short on manpower and there is not enough transwomanpower to take up the slack .

robertkknight

Next time Yousless talks about whites in the manner he has previously I’m reporting him. Hoisted by his own petard.

Report anyone for anything all the time – Swamp Police Scotland with complaints on a daily basis.

Someone doesn’t like your team scarf – report them.

Someone criticises your driving – report them.

Someone cuts you up in a queue at Lidl – report them.

Break the system!

jill

Not a lawyer. I am wondering, if Police Scotland start arresting people in other parts of the UK, is there any prospect of appealing to local MPs? Is it possible that the Westminster govt could again become involved? Arrest ans/or prosecution would surely constitute violation of ECHR freedom of speech protections, protected elsewhere if not alas in Scotland.? Anybody know what could be done?

Vivian O’Blivion

Hi, it’s me, I’m back, the Central McScrutiniser.

“Eventually it was discovered , that God did not want us to be all the same. This was Bad News for the Governments of The World, as it seemed contrary to the doctrine of Portion Controlled Servings. Mankind must be made more uniformly if The Future was going to work. Various ways were sought to bind us all together, but, alas, same-ness was unenforceable. It was about this time, that someone came up with the idea of Total Criminalization. Based on the principle, that if we were all crooks, we could at last be uniform to some degree in the eyes of The Law.Total Criminalization was the greatest idea of its time and was vastly popular except with those people, who didn’t want to be crooks or outlaws, so, of course, they had to be Tricked into it.”

robertkknight

…. further to last.

Wear an LGBT+ rainbow badge and no matter what someone says or does you can report THAT as being the cause of their actions. Say it’s a hate crime because they only did it because they saw your rainbow badge.

Robyn

Can’t you use a VPN to post from a jurisdiction with no police connections like Japan?

Lenny Hartley

Heaver , anything read online, writing, tv , YouTube etc and read/watched in Scotland is deemed to have been published in Scotland, doesn’t matter where in the universe it was first published. So the Rev could relocate to Mars and after April 1st could be jailed for 7 years for publishing scientific and biological fact.

Stu, if you do stop, thanks for your wonderful analysis and investigative journalism over the past decade or so.
You are head and shoulders above anything I have read Worldwide.

Lorna Campbell

Yes, Rev, the Suffragettes suffered – terribly – and most young people have no idea. The silly young girls who pander to this rotten ideology and the men in whose shadow they crawl on their bellies, will come to understand the very hardest way that they are nothing but fodder for industries for whom they are utterly dispensable and less than human. They will learn.

The terrible twins, Fascism and Totalitarianism, have joined forces to destroy Scotland, the home of the Enlightenment, and put her people in chains. Fools who promulgate this kind of s**t always believe that it will never come for them. You know what? It always does. For me, that day cannot come soon enough.

The Hate Crime, brought in to prevent hate will create so much of it that nothing will ever be the same again. We will be living in a swamp of toxicity thanks to the lobotomized Holyrood inhabitants and their private army, Police Scotland/CoPFS who should have been shouting from the rooftops that this is so dangerous to social stability that our society could crush and burn.

Behind it is Stonewall and its Scottish arms and their private army, the TRAs. Behind d them, the money men of the global corporates who will be laughing like drains as they hoover up the dosh to be made from the detritus. Kept saying that this was very much bigger than independence and had to be dealt with first. Oh, and the GRRB will be brought back, too, whether by SNP/Greens or Labour.

Mark Beggan

Sit back and watch this greasy second generation idiot unravel.

Ruby

We are all persons of colour (unless you are the invisible man)

I resent being excluded from the colour chart.

White is a colour as much as black & brown.

(OK the purist would argue that black, brown & white are not colours but shades.)

George Shanks

People who have confidence in their own beliefs would never seek to silence those with whom they disagree.
They would endorse the old saying, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.’
From full and frank debate come better policies. Views which are challenged can be improved.
Only psychologically insecure, arrogant, spoilt brats, such as the Green and SNP wine bar revolutionaries, who lack confidence in their views, could agree to something as detrimental to freedom of speech as this Hate Crime Bill.Shame on them.
Things have come to a pretty pass when the most formidable obstacle to Scottish Independence is the ruling SNP government.

Willem Van Der Aardvark

Academic intersectionality is demonstrably unreasonable.

Meindevon

I just can’t believe Scotland has come to this. Always wanted to go home. Really not sure now.

Can I ask (selfishly) will those of us that send regular bank payments maybe be ‘in the frame’ too?

Corrado Mella

Use your opponents’ energy and strength against it.
Report anything that offends you as a hate crime and demand swift prosecution.
Choke the Hate Monster with its own medecine.
We are the absolute majority and will win, even if it needs extreme sacrifices.
Stop cowering. Start swinging.

Keith Hynd

First I’ve subscribe to your crowd funder Stu and I also support you with a modest amount each month.

I’m no lawyer and this may be naive but here goes;

If WOS were a subscription only website with no share facility then would anyone who copied an article eg screenshot and posted it on social media not then be considered the publisher?

Ruby

link to youtube.com

‘We’re All Far Right Now’

Better watch it quick!

It’s all brilliant but the ending is a my favourite part.

Dirty little pedo
Hanging around the lido
In his little speedos.

Far right!

We are all pedos now.

McDuff

I am so sorry rev but even more angry that this can happen in this country.
. As far as I’m concerned this is all part of a process since sturgeon took power as FM. She was barely in the door when prominent SNP figures were harassed and prosecuted, Singh. Salmond, Hirst, Murray yet no Unionist touched. A tad odd?
Then the process of both making the SNP unpopular and disreputable. Woke , Hate Crime Bill , and the financial ongoing scandal resulting in tens of thousands leaving the party.And in ten years nothing about independence just meaningless candy floss . And now this bill may force WoS the only meaningful intelligent journalistic voice with a mass audience to close down.
This has all happened in the ten years since the ‘14 ref under sturgeon.
If Stu is forced to close down then it’s the last nail and someone somewhere will be saying
“ job done”.

George Brown

So would I be correct in thinking that certain Scottish slang terms will be considered offensive to men who think that are women. The classic “your grannies a bawbag” and let’s not forget “ya Fanny”.

Alf Baird

Paul Davis @ 10:39 am

“It’s an object lesson in what happens if you get blinded by one objective and fail to see the true nature of a party. It is the ultimate irony that either a unionist party being elected in Scotland, the UK parliament or the UK Supreme Court may ultimately rid you of this particular law.”

Keep up. The SNP is a ‘unionist party’ happy to take their oaths to the colonial power and help run the colonial administration which, as postcolonial theory predicts, becomes ‘an implement of coercion’ (Fanon) tae haud doun the fowk.

As far as I am aware both BritLabour and BritLibDems would keep this law and thus far the BritTories have not binned it, as they might, mair especially noo that big Murdo himsel has got aw upset aboot bein pit on the polis ‘list o bad yins’.

Mark Beggan

I’m just nipping down to the Sex Shop to grass the Rev. Think I’ll get the wife a Rampant Rabbit while I’m there.

Stuart MacKay

How can anyone prove any article on Wings was actually written by a specific person? Sure there’s logs and computers and stuff but they all reside outside of Scotland, where the HCB does not apply. Everything needed for harassment, never mind a prosecution, can only be made available to Police Scotland or the courts, with the collaboration of the authorities in England.

If the Police in England raid you then they’re liable for malicious prosecution since no crime as been committed. How will the courts bring you to justice – issue an extradition warrant? Extraordinary rendition? By private parties?

Under English law can you commit a crime where the evidence would not be recognised by an English court?

Etc., etc.

So many worms just itching to burst out of the can.

They didn’t really think this through, or even at all. They’ll have to bow to activist pressure at some point. They’ll be damned if they do, and damned if they don’t.

Mark Beggan

When will someone tell Useless he’s looking through the wrong end of the telescope.

MrDodo

I wonder if this HCA will be used against those you refer to in this article. Might be the best way of getting rid of it.

Campbell Clansman

Complaining about it won’t do much good.
Much better to flood the system with complaints against Humza et al.
Herewith a modest suggestion: Someone (Wings?) should create and publish a sample “Hate Crime Act” complaint form, filled out in advance as much as possible.

Five minutes spent doing this will be worth more than five minutes spent complaining on Wings.

Mark Beggan

You’ll never believe what happened to me on the way to the Sex shop….

Ian Stewart

Ordered my badge Stuart – it’s a great idea.

On the legal front, I wonder if you put up a (silly) warning message at the start for readers in Scotland that they should be aware that further reading may cause offence then that would amount to sufficient provision legally for accommodating this crazy law?

Although I can’t see how they can apply this law outside Scotland in practical terms – they’re taking on the whole world and the outrage in England at Scottish Police arresting people in England would quickly result in its cessation.

Gregory Beekman

So, if aliens from Alpha Centauri communicated to us through Twitter, they’d fall under Scottish Law?

I’m sure all other nations will be delighted that Scotland has unilaterally declared that the Universe exists within the Scottish legal framework.

robbo

Maybe a wee consultation with these guys would help?

link to lindsays.co.uk

Get an LLP may or may not help?

London Scot

I will be raising this with my MP in London. He was a criminal barrister at the English bar plus is a member of the MOJ Select Committee. I will also contact David Davies MP as he has been a stalwart on the Free Speech issue. My MP told me back in 2020 when the bill was going through Holyrood, that I could be forced to return to Scotland and face charges if I committed a ‘hate’ crime there.I did not know about Section 35 then – if I had I would have urged him to pressurise the SofS for Scotland to go down that route. I was not aware of the ‘published in Scotland’ issue either.

I am Scots & have family there whom I visit it frequently. I also love visting the haunts of my youth when I back packed from Orkney to the borders & toured the Islands (though this time I stay in nice hotels rather than hostels).

In addition to the points that you, CM and others have raised in your excellent articles I have another GREAT concern which does not seem to have been covered by the media or SM.

I post GC comments (very measured) and have also criticised individual Muslims (for their actions e.g. HY), Muslim oraganisations + tenents of Sharia Law. Again measured – I do have a knowledge of Islam haveing grown up in a country with different ‘types’ of the religion & even attending a Muslim School. I am worried about my safely. I have a few non de plumes’ so post anonymously. If Police Scotland investigate all complaints (however unlikely they will reach the courts), presumably they will contact X etc & obtain my real identity and address details. At some stage whether legally or illegally these could enter the public domain.

I can cope with the trans activists spray painting TERF on my wall or demonstrating outside my house. However the thought that some Islamic extremist who has the hump with me and gets to know where I and my family live is worrying. Indeed I live only a few miles from Lewisham Mosque where the 2 Rigby killers worshipped.

I will contribute to your CF & follow you & other sites as soon before April 1st just as I work out how to do so.

Graeme Hampton

Stu, If Wings website was a subscription only service would it be safe. Obviously this is undesirable as the widest possible readership is what is wanted so the largest amount of people know whats going on but if it keeps things goin -\o/-

ross

Will the inevitable continuing of the site in April show this is sensationalised doom mongering, though?

AnneDon

People sneering at Scotland for this law coming in haven’t been paying attention to what’s happening in other countries such as Canada. These crybullies have suborned political parties around the world, and anyone who hasn’t been paying attention to the Labour Party is in for a shock if they win the next General Election.

And for the unionists on here who think it’s a “Nationalist” problem – take a look at who voted for it at Holyrood. Then take a look at who voted for the GRA.

Shug

When unionists don’t make a loud noise about something like this it can only be a mistake.

They are letting the snp walk into the mud to the point they can’t get out.

The key question is which snp ministers are driving this??

The SNP is actively closing down any indy discussion and development in independence. They can cry harassment at any point and take out their opposition

Bringing it forward can only be because they are plants.

Names please people

June

In the political sphere, in 2022 I stood for election for ALBA, I was concerned about attacks from Trans activists. Candidates in the 2024 General election will also be open to attack from trans activists. “Process as punishment” will not be delivered across the board, but only to those who the Police and the crown Office choose as victims.

James Che

The Hate Crime Bill passed in Scotland is interesting, as it is Claiming by extentsion to cross the borders of Scotland into the rest of Britain and beyond holding powers over the Westminster parliament.

The “Scottish devolved government” under “Westminster Statues” appears to have created its own laws of Britain an reversed the power and control of Westminster parliament for the first time since The Dissolution of the Scottish parliament 1707.

Has Westminster parliament created a frankinstien sub- parliament in Scotland that is now turning not only on Scotland, but about to consume the rest of Britain,

“Devolved Scottish parliament” with the Hate Crime Bill, is now master over its master. And taken control over England, Wales and Ireland, and by extention to other Countries.

London Scot

Graeme Hampton
Ignored says:
25 March, 2024 at 12:57 pm
Stu, If Wings website was a subscription only service would it be safe…

Not sure this is the case. The law extends to ‘hate’ crimes committed in private homes, so I am sure private subscription services will be in the net. It only requires on TRA to subscribe to the service and dob us all in.

dan macaulay

“Keith Hynd
Ignored says:
25 March, 2024 at 12:06 pm
First I’ve subscribe to your crowd funder Stu and I also support you with a modest amount each month.

I’m no lawyer and this may be naive but here goes;

If WOS were a subscription only website with no share facility then would anyone who copied an article eg screenshot and posted it on social media not then be considered the publisher?”

This is an idea worth exploring.
So my wee monthly donation would become a subscription to a private newsletter.
Sounds OK.
Certainly worth asking your KC Rev .

rogueslr

Not only is Stu potentially at risk but all BTL contributors. I think I’ll spend the afternoon trying on my partner’s dresses as a fallback position should plod decide to pop round.

James Che

The Frankinstien devolved sub- parliament in Scotland of “Westminster Statues” is fast becoming and taken over the Sovereignty Great-Britain parliament,

Will Scotlands Sovereignty as a Country return to Scotland through back door legislation bills? That Westminster parliament cannot Stop?

Ian Maclaren

I trust you get helpful advice, Stu.
It’ll be interesting too to learn what response you get to your other enquity to Poileas Alba.
The Hate Monster is still on the prowl:
link to scotland.police.uk

Harry Mcaye

Can we retrospectively report Humza for a hate crime for his anti-white diatribe in Holyrood whenever it was. That bloody offended me!

Tammie Norrie

Small ddonation winging its way. Looking forward to my badges. I’ll have to make my own till the “Feeshel” ones arrive.

sarah

Rev, I am so sorry for you for having to consider closing down after you have been the main source of truthful reporting ever since you started Wings. I am sure that you will feature in history.

I am sorry for us, your readers, and for the great cause of restoring Scotland’s rightful status as an independent nation-state. Without Wings it would be even harder.

And of course I am sick, outraged, disgusted by every single one of our politicians in Holyrood, and most MPs in Westminster, for subjecting Scotland to the illegal, immoral tyranny of the UK. I feel the same about the judiciary and every element of the State that has been complicit in denying the truth of Scotland’s status.

Rev, I have been mulling over an idea as to where else your great intelligence and drive could be applied for the sake of independence. Are you willing to stand for the Scottish Liberation Movement Committee? Deadline to apply is 8th April. I would like to nominate you if you are willing to stand.

Sven

Mark Beggan @ 12.32

You found out that, for today, I’m identifying as the most hardline, cultish, extremist religious fanatic inaginable and I regard sex shops and anyone who visits one (for whatever reason) as committing an act perceived as hateful by me. So standby for my complaint about your hate crime being recorded at my nearest Mushroom Farm just as soon as I can get to North Berwick.
On the other hand, I may choose to return to identifying as a fairly sane, liberal easygoing Scot again by tomorrow, so no worries for you on that score after all.

Hatuey

Despite being a genius, I like to simplify things.

Stuart Campbell, Wings, is the most powerful voice in Scottish politics. He’s probably even more influential than me… (shut it)

Anyway, I have a strong sense that this Hate Crime Act was designed very specifically to target him. It sounds a bit far-fetched and it’s all cloaked in the usual virtue-signalling bullshit, but think about it. He’s done more political damage to the SNP and Nicola than any person or organisation out there.

And there’s a very obvious precedent involving the same twisted approach to someone they deemed a threat to the SNP and Nicola. I am referring, of course, to ‘The Procedure’ which represented a radical overhaul of existing legislation, enabling them to investigate and prosecute historical allegations against politicians, etc., and go after Salmond.

I believe legal advice at the time suggested The Procedure was a bad idea too, but it served its intended purpose; to politically destroy Salmond. The fact that it has only ever been invoked once, against Salmond, and has never been used since, tells you a lot.

I see a lot of people worried about this and that, wondering how they are going to be able to implement it, talking about wider jurisdictional issues, etc., but those things don’t come into it if you assume it’s primary purpose is to neutralise Wings. They may use it against others too but, no offence, most of those others would probably be unheard of it wasn’t for Wings and the support he has given them.

A certain course of action logically follows from the above but I wouldn’t presume to give Wings advice. It seems to me though that best and only way to win this game is to stay in the game, and, as it happens, staying in the game is the thing that will annoy the bastards behind all this most…

Normski

Time for folks who value free speech and their own freedom to get familiar with the likes of Proton Mail or Guerilla Mail and TOR.

Margaret Eleftheriou

I see that the crowd funder target has been reached and surpassed,very quickly. What happens to the extra that is still being donated? Does it have to be repaid?

Ian Smith

Humza and Co’s neverending push to extract more tax from me finally triggered me to bump more salary into pension. Rather than gain another few hundred quid from another freeze on the thresholds, and another 1% across the board, they will find they only collected 34% of the previous year’s PATE from me.

It will be even lower next year once my changes run for the full year.

It will take around 25 people in the same situation as me to make up the difference assuming nobody else has the same ideas.

James Che

So where does Sovereignty lye in Great- Britain if not in Westminster parliament as it Claims?
Is it returning to Scotland?

That The legislation of the “Hate Crime Bill” passed in Scotland sur-pass’es and over- rides the “Great Britain parliaments Sovereignty” and controls laws in The rest of Britain .

Westminster parliament is voluntary given up its Sovereignty to Scottish Sovereignty legislation.
If this goes ahead unchallenged this is just the tip of the Iceberg for Westminsters parliaments end of existence.
And the beginning for Scotland,
If Scotland rests the powers of Control out of the hands of Westminster parliament and into the hands of Scotland.
I wonder how long a upstart “devolved Scottish parliament” would last over the question of where and with whom Sovereignty lies with the people of Scotland afterwards.

It is history in the making. And the suspension is in the balance.

McDuff

Harry Mayer
Good point.

Republicofscotland

Yeah the Keystone Cops aka Police Scotland will be given a list of the top folk the politicians and their cronies in Scotland want shut up, these include you, Craig Murray, Mark and David above, Iain Lawson Roddy and several others who they’ve been trying to shut up for years.

The HC Laws are so vague and open to widespread interpretation that just about anything can be construed or massaged to look like a hate crime, at the very least you’ll be ruffed up and put to major inconvenience for at least months.

They really want to use these shutting up of free speech laws to gag dissenters, Christ we’re only a hop skip and a jump away from fascism in Scotland.

So lets see Yousaf the Puppet had a white racist rant as did Sarwar the BLiS manger in Scotland so worth reporting. Also what about the Orange Walk a hatefest if ever there was one that also must be reported on, then there’s the Old Firm games thousands of arrests must surely be on the cards, you’d think eh? Well none of the above will fall under the laws for its not those people that the SNP government and other MSPs who voted for the bill that they want to shut up.

We need to remove those MSPs that voted for these draconian laws beginning with the GE get the SNP out or suffer the consequences as they clamp even further down on any free speech.

They want to shut up, bang up those who criticise/point out the truth and machinations of our politicians its clique bodies and our judiciary and police force, among other people bodies that are up to no good.

Patrick Quinn

The idiots who blindly support and vote snp, no matter their failures and incompetence, have facilitated this law. It is they, who have stood back, and watched our country go backwards, and slide into this abyss, because for them, it is independence at any cost. It is they, who put serial failures and incompetents in power, and never held them to account, because they believed the lies and propaganda spouted by sturgeon and her cabal. It is they who accepted the deal with the Marxist greens, set up by sturgeon, to ensure she couldn’t be held to account.

We now have a situation where free speech is on the line, because a few zealots value the feelings of mentally disturbed fruitcakes and religious fanatics over facts. I’ve no doubt this law in time will fail, and fall by the wayside, like almost everything the snp/greens have tried to implement, but it is the damage it will do before it is binned, where it belongs. The people of Scotland, especially those who vote snp, have only themselves to blame. We have walked blindly into this, and refused to listen or see the signs, as pointed out by many, none more so than WoS.

You only get the government you vote for, and our electorate have been blinkered by expert propaganda and a voting system that allows fruitcakes from the periphery of life to call the shots. We are only reaping what we sowed.

Rab Clark

Off-Topic Scotland published this post yesterday.

We noticed Rev commenting last week (twitter?) that he was taking advice on this stuff and we weren’t sure if he was joking.

Now we know.

🙁

link to offtopicscotland.com

Young Lochinvar

No one has even mentioned yet how AI fits into this.

John H.

So, if someone tries to organise a demonstration or a protest rally they will no doubt be guilty of a hate crime.

sam

From the thread reader of Roddy Dunlop KC, Aug 30, 2023.

Typos remain.

“There has been some confusion about prosecutorial decisions of late. What follows is not aimed at any particular case. I know not why some cases are prosecuted and other are not. But the points below are perhaps not widely known.
1- police are not obliged to report to the procurator fiscal every alleged crime. They have a discretion to issue warnings.

2- however, that does not apply where there is an aggravation. I’d there is then, in general, the case must be reported to the PF.
3- the PF is not obliged to prosecute every reported crime. Again, there is a discretion.

4- once more, however, the discretion not to prosecute is removed, of at least tightly circumscribed, where there is an aggravation.
5- an aggravation relates to certain (but not all) characteristics. Thus race is covered. As is religion; and sexual orientation; and gender reassignment.

6- misogyny, however, is not an aggravation.
7- likewise, being gender critical may be covered under the Equality Act. But it is not covered by aggravations under the criminal law.
8- accordingly, neither an assault on a woman for being a woman, or for being a gender critical woman, is an aggravated crime. A report of such could be dealt with by police warning, or not prosecuted by the PF, under the discretions mentioned above.

9- on the other hand, a s38 (breach of the leave) which involves no assault but which does involve alleged hate crime (re race, religion, sexual orientation etc – but not misogyny) is aggravated and, in general, must be prosecuted and is not subject to those discretions.

10- what this means is a breach of the peace involving verbal abuse of certain minorities must be prosecuted; but the assault of a woman does not have to be. Whether this is desirable or advisable I leave to others. But it’s where the law stands right now. ENDS
Urg. Breach of the “peace”. Not leave.
Apologies for the typos. Haven’t really worked out how to post threads yet… ?
@IainMcCord @camtacs You can see the current aggravations here:

Religion is covered. Belief is not. Nor is sex. parliament.scot/bills-and-laws…
Image

Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill
Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill in the Scottish Parliament
link to parliament.scot
@IainMcCord @camtacs And age is not an aggravation either.

James Che

Stu,

The ” Hate Crime bill Legislation of Scotland under a devolved government”
Has it passed as a Statue?
Did king Charles give it Royal assent in the Westminster parliament as a bill of Great-Britain?

As the parliament of Westminster is supposed to be “Sovereign” over the Devolved parliament of Scotland.
How does it apply to that Westminster parliament losing its Sovereignty control over every other Country? Even within the four Countries that make up Britain.

Lorna Campbell

Ruby: sex shop because our elected reps know full well that the ‘trans’ movement is based entirely on perversions and paraphilias and probably haunt these establishments when they are not searching in bins for soiled nappies and tampons; rape crisis centre so that TRAs will swamp it to make it look busy. Heard that fewer and fewer women are using it and it could go out of business.

Mushroom farm? Could it be because mushrooms resemble the male member and these creeps are obsessed with it? A female prisoner reported having to beg for solitary when put in with a ‘trans’ dolly of the action man variety who w****d 24 hours a day for four days in plain sight and hearing.

Republicofscotland

“The hate crime bill can work both ways. For example the term “cis” is offensive to me. So maybe we should be one step ahead.”

PRJ.

Pay attention its not about protecting REAL women its about selective prosecutions the laws are a big club to bash whatever group or person into submission under the guise of hate crimes.

Campbell Clansman

The Conservatives were the only party in Holyrood to vote against the HCA.
The SNP, Labour, LibDems, Green Party, even Alba’s current poster lady, voted for it.
Most Scots voted for these parties. Most people commenting on Wings voted for these parties.
Those who voted for these parties and are now complaining, should look in the mirror.

100%Yes

Could I suggest Rev starts a petition for this Hate Crime bill to be debated in the WM parliament as breaches Human Rights Act 1998 the right to freedom of expression.

If as we believe this Hate Crime bill is directed at Stuart Campbell then Stuart Campbell needs the UK parliament to intervene to protect his right to free speech along with everyone else’s who has a different opinion to the doctrine of the SNP

Andouilette

I would suggest a letter be sent immediately, either by you (Stu) or a legal representative to the Chief Constable of (presumably) Avon and Somerset Police. A simple question of how they intend to enforce this ludicrous law in their corner of England should be sufficient.
If 50 other people have already suggested this, I apologise. I have not had time to read the whole thread yet.

100%Yes

@Campbell Clansman

This made me laugh “The Conservatives were the only party in Holyrood to vote against the HCA.” The Tories and bigots all of the time not just some of the time. The Hate Crime silences the Tory clans how are these bigots going to survive without their mouth having something to say. I heard that Murdo Fraser has already been reported.

John C

And the purpose of the Hate Crime Act is to menace dissident voices with the prospect of being put through that more or less constantly.

Totally. It isn’t to stamp out hate as if it was, it’d define what hate was not to mention it’d include misogyny as a hate crime though again, this is by design. Activists need to feel free to attack women which means in Scotland in a week’s time one could call a woman a ‘bitch’ to zero action from the law, but if you call a transwoman a ‘man’ you’ll likely get a visit from the police.

Such arrests prove that the “reasonable person” test in the law offers no real protection for anyone targeted by the rainbow stormtroopers of the SNP and Scottish Greens’ Twitler Youth.

The ‘reasonable person’ line is bullshit. We know exactly how this is going to pan out and as we’ve seen online, there’s people right now promising that next Monday they’re going to report people even though the law precludes any historic ‘crimes’. The intent is to ‘be offended’ by the slightest thing as Stu has made clear, the process is the punishment. The idea behind this law is to create a chilling effect that silences people while at the same time allowing activists to use the police as their personal stasi to ‘punish’ people they hate.

Here’s the thing with a lot of cancel culture that’s ignored by the Owen Jones’s of the world. The cancellation isn’t always the end goal. The end goal for some is to ruin & destroy people to the extent they lose everything or kill themselves. This law is designed to make that easier for TRA’s especially to try to force people into such a situation where once they’ve seen jobs, friends, and possibly even their homes vanish then all that’s left is suicide.

This is going to make people’s lives hell for nothing more than the ‘offence’ taken by people looking to impose their ideology upon everyone by any means necessary.

100%Yes

Just Imagine the Tories not being able to release what they have inside about the poor, disabled people or foreigners, it’ll be like having trapped wind.

Willie

Wings should publish the names of all the MSPs who voted for this law.

That would allow folks to understand exactly who introduced this legislation and for which constituencies and regions they represent.

John C

Let’s be realistic: the supine Scottish press have done nothing to really challenge this ludicrous law

Indeed, and worse, much of the media have unquestioningly supported it or done nothing to question it even though the law itself threatens a free and open press.

If for example, we get another Isla Bryson incident (which is pretty likely) and you want to report it accurately as a man who raped a woman you could be charged with a hate crime by TRA’s for the ‘crime’ of misgendering.

This is Orwellian & not only does it create a chilling effect, it’s dangerous in that it’s allowing potentially dangerous people to act as vigilantes and the police can do nothing about vexatious complaints as the Scottish government have made it clear all complaints will be investigated. Which in a time when crime is going unreported as people know the police aren’t doing nothing about it means that your actual criminals are going to have a field day. After all, an officer can’t come and deal with the car getting nicked if they’re dealing with a TRA’s complaint about a woman.

I do think it won’t last long, possibly 18 months tops but the damage to people’s lives in that time will be horrific & it’ll allow some very mentally ill and dangerous people the chance to ruin people.

Fran

Can I not claim to be non binary if the police come calling? “the malicious complaints made are because of my non binary status & I demand you arrest the bigot who is harrassing me, officer”. We can all claim to be LGBTQ+++++ because no fekker seems to know what the bloody +++ are anyway.

William black

More than one way to skin a cat.look forward to suggestions regarding the fightback against the stazi.

Eddie Munster

When April 1st rolls around, I do hope people will let the MSPs and especially the TRAs, that the hate crime bill applies to them too.

Looking forward to recieving my badges.

stuart mctavish

James Ché @2:13

Excellent point, though if it got Royal assent in 2021 (as the title implies) would it not have been Charles mum that gave it, (shortly before or after being made to sit alone for the funeral of her beloved)?

If so, she may well have seen it as a truly wonderful opportunity for Police Balmoral to be able to pull rank on Scotland Yard, and have UK PM, Speaker & leader of opposition arrested every Wednesday for the hate aggravated crime of attempted* defamation

*Any spurious entry in Hansard that could possibly be considered offensive in Scotland

Patrick

Based on what?? The fact you are BIASED! Just wondering.

Colin Carroll

As my opinions will upset quite a few, to make things easier I’d form a queue outside my local police station (all of 75 yards away) after April 1st to save Police Scotland having to come and arrest me; except that the station was closed 2 years ago to save money (12 miles away), the next nearest is about to be closed, so I’d have to travel to Hamilton – 38 miles away! So they can come and knock on my door instead!
PS I bet that anyone arrested under this shambles of a Bill don’t get bail!

TURABDIN

In a country where these types appear to hold sway link to archive.ph anything might happen.
Gay Greens and the on trend fetish «Palestinian», that fantastic virtuous construct that keeps on signalling to the intellectually challenged.
What a parcel of rogues.
Independence for Somerset!

Sven

Really looking forward to receiving my Hate monster badges, then when some unsuspecting innocent asks me what it means I’ll be able to easily adopt my boring old fart personna and launch into my thoughts on the Stasi like Hate Bill and my views on it.
Hey, I’m a pensioner, locking me up just means someone will pay for my heating, food & I may even be able to access medical and dental treatment.

Dramfineday

A small donation to help the fund Stuart.

Bob Johnston

That’s £45 from me. I am not an independence campaigner, nor am I happy with the state of the Union. This web site has been my prime source of reliable information, given the MSM’s utter failure to hold the SNP to account, and I have to applaud the Rev’s courage in facing down the whole dark weight of the establishment. I’m not brave but I do have £45 and he’s welcome to it.

TURABDIN

«For a time I would feel I belonged still to a world of straightforward facts; but the feeling would not last long. Something would turn up to scare it away»

Joseph Conrad
Heart of Darkness

Shug

Would Cole Hamilton’s speech about scotland not being allowed to exist again ever, sounds like cultural genocide to me, fall under the term hate speech

Albert Herring

@Fran
Surely the +++ means everybody.

Geri

Paul Davis 10:39

No one voted for this. The SNP handed Holyrood control to the Greens for absolutely no reason.

This shit bill is theirs along with Juryless trials.
This is their manifesto & they were rejected at the ballot box.

But hold up, yoons voted it through. Tories are no better with their own new shiny police bill which includes the thought police. Even if they just *suspect* a person is about to commit a crime.

Why aren’t the UK government taking this to the supreme court as fast as they’ve taken all the others? The fact they haven’t tells you everything you need to know as this surely infringes on the UK laws? How can a person in England be prosecuted under Scots law?

Ian Smith

Parliament, civil service and media in Holyrood are all stuffed full of deviants. It is more than a single law that needs repealing, we need to get an entire politics more representative of normal people, even like Ireland, start defending the family.

Bob Johnston

That’s my evening’s entertainment sorted, watching Wings’ fundraiser reaching for the skies. It’s just rising and rising as I’m refreshing the page. Methinks Mr. Yousaf’s law isn’t at all popular.

Robert Hughes

Anyone who knows anything about WOS , the contribution Stu has made to the Independence cause and the harassment he has endured as a result of his commitment to Truth would understand and respect his decision if he concluded it was too dangerous ( for him ) to continue with the site .

It would , however , be doing the job of his enemies for them .

Self-censorship is part of the intention : creating a climate of jeopardy/risk/uncertainty , with potentially severe penalties for deemed infringements .

Causing people to preemptively modify their ( once perfectly legal/acceptable ) behaviour would save the opponents of Free Speech/Thought the effort of having to defend against the ( hopefully inevitable ) outcries when absurd charges are brought against law-abiding citizens ; making a mockery not only of this atrocious attack on liberty ..ie ..the HCB , also on those who * dreamed it up * and inflicted it on the public .

Stuart MacKay

John C, “historic crimes”, you say…

From Craig’s article…

It is a well-established principle in Scots law that anything published on the internet, which can be read in Scotland, is deemed to be published in Scotland. The act of publication is not deemed to be the person actually publishing the item, let us say in Tahiti. The act of publication is deemed to be the reader opening the item on their device in Scotland

So any article, for example, from 10 years ago, is published on the date I open the page.

This would apply to any archived page as well. So, even if the Rev deleted everything he’d still be liable if someone visited, link to archive.is

The law is clearly out of touch with reality. Who will win?

Vivian O’Blivion

Stasiland by Anna Funder could be a useful reference point.
Funder (an Australian) interviews victims of the Stasi (Ministry for State Security) of the Deutsche Demokratische Republik.
In one episode, a target of the local Stasi in the provinces turns the tables on her would be tormentors by threatening to report them to Stasi HQ in Berlin. They are of course terrified as they know well that the watchers have watchers have watchers … ad infinitum.
The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek is also a useful (fictional) resource. Or hero, Svejk uses constructive stupidity to confound the bureaucrats of the Austro-Hungarian Empire who are otherwise intent on feeding him into the mincing machine of WWI

[…] even Wings Over Scotland has serious concerns about what could happen from 1st April, you know it is no […]

Derek

Slight aside; just after 4.30, there was an SNP MP on Radio Scotland having been briefed (presumably as 3rd-largest party) about the Chinese threat to the UK. He was droning on about how the Scottish government should take note.

Is the SNP not supposed to be a threat to the UK as well? Eejit.

Garavelli Princip

Hatuey
says:
25 March, 2024 at 1:44 pm

“Stuart Campbell, Wings, is the most powerful voice in Scottish politics. He’s probably even more influential than me… (shut it)

Anyway, I have a strong sense that this Hate Crime Act was designed very specifically to target him. It sounds a bit far-fetched and it’s all cloaked in the usual virtue-signalling bullshit, but think about it. He’s done more political damage to the SNP and Nicola than any person or organisation out there.

And there’s a very obvious precedent involving the same twisted approach to someone they deemed a threat to the SNP and Nicola. I am referring, of course, to ‘The Procedure’ which represented a radical overhaul of existing legislation, enabling them to investigate and prosecute historical allegations against politicians, etc., and go after Salmond.”

The above is worth repeating (so I have repeated it). It is NOT that far-fetched. For those familiar with the history of Brit ‘dirty-tricks’ it fits into a long-established catalogue of psy-op methods.

But if it is indeed part of “the same twisted approach to someone they deemed a threat to the SNP and Nicola”, then logically it follows that Sturgeon and her Frankenstein mutation of an SNP is very much a Brit Asset.

This means, for example, that while Perfumed Pete may well be a target of Operation Malform, she will escape all penalties.

That then can be a test. If Peridotius Pete is done and she isn’t (or if the only banker is done, or none of them is done – though I suspect they won’t be able to resist doing at least one of them on or around the time of the GE) then the premise of this hypothesis will hold.

That will be insufficient to prove the hypothesis. But in keeping with Karl Popper’s maxims on scientific theories, if Senora Storione is actually done, the above hypothesis is seriously undermined. Though not entirely defunct, since it could be that it will indicate that the use of the fishy-wife to them is spent.

Den

I consider myself a reasonable person, I found Yousafs “Scotlands to white” speech offensive. He needs to watch himself spouting racial hatred willy nilly.

Stoker

Stuart wrote:

We’ve been covering the Scottish Government’s horrific, draconian Hate Crime Act for almost four years now. But until this month, we hadn’t felt directly under threat by it. Wings is – sorry if this comes as a shock to anyone – based in Bath, in England, and we couldn’t see how the Scottish police could come after us.”

For a wee while now i’ve been very slowly trying to break the habit of coming on here as often as i used to, partly driven by the fear of the inevitable. An inevitability i didn’t want to recognise. A part of me didn’t want to know, head in the sand denial type.

But reading those words of Stuart’s somehow makes it real and now impossible to ignore. It’s a very sad fuckin’ day for Scotland, democracy, freedom of speech and the idea of independence. Every one of those categories soiled beyond repair by Skanky Sturgeon & Co.

I for one will never forget nor forgive what she’s done. She came into politics wearing jeans, bovver boots and a black pilot jacket. She ruins all our futures whilst wearing designer suits, owns at least 2 houses and goodness knows how much in jewellery. And absolutely no worries about paying the lecky bill or putting food on the table.

In the decade or so i’ve been dedicated to WOS it has become a major part of my life, just as it has for most Wingers. Closing it down will leave a huge hole in a lot of lives. Sturgeon is responsible for every bit of this destruction, and for what? May she rot in hell. 🙁

Debatable Lands

Then they will have won.

The state will compile its secret list of undesirables. You will become tainted, with no appeal or redress, because an informant has denounced you. You won’t suspect you are on such a list until your applications for things get rejected. Jobs. Housing. Grants. Adoption. Councils and government departments, or any body making an Advanced Disclosure request) against your identity will get results where there will be some convenient form of words where you’ll be quietly excluded.

It won’t actually say you’ve done anything wrong. It just won’t declare you are pure.

Police Scotland will be acting as a political militia.

And should you allegedly commit a crime that crosses some line, wait until they try you without a jury. Which we know the SNP believe is wasted on those that must be guilty.

Don’t laugh, but I’m trying to imagine the English putting up with this sort of direct attack on their rights and freedoms.

Anton Decadent

Private Eye detailed a few years back how similar tactics were used by oligarchs and others who own political parties in English libel courts. If a criticism of them was made in a privately published book or magazine which had been published in say Arizona a single copy would be purchased and brought into the UK, possibly by the lawyers, and from there a prosecution would be lodged claiming that they had been defamed in the UK because a single copy was in the UK.

I am not sure if it rose tinted glasses which causes some people on here to view Humza Yousaf, Anas Sarwar, Patrick Harvie, Lorna Slater, Alex Douglas Home, Beth and people with SWP placards marching in support of he and others like him and a totalitarian crackdown on any kind of criticism of these people and see Nazi Germany as if its rival totalitarian ideology did not happen. We should just rename Scotland Gulagistan and be done with it.

JGedd

Wings should publish the names of all the MSPs who voted for this law.

Agreed.

Debatable Lands

If there is a fundamental breach of human and legal rights that would be considered inalienable elsewhere in the UK, then there are two bodies that could fix this.

One is the UK Supreme Court.

The second is the UK parliament.

I half suspect that this procession of unjust laws coming out of Holyrood are deliberately created just so the UK is forced to step in. At which point saving Scotland from injustice becomes accusations of attacking Scotland.

Stoker

Folks, the ignorance in this one is strong and he doesn’t even know it.

Paul Davis says on 25 March 2024 at 10:39 am:
“It’s an object lesson in what happens if you get blinded by one objective and fail to see the true nature of a party. It is the ultimate irony that either a unionist party being elected in Scotland, the UK parliament or the UK Supreme Court may ultimately rid you of this particular law.”

Campbell Clansman

As a public service, here’s a list of the 82 MSPs who voted for the Hate Crimes Act. 32 voted against, and 4 abstained. (source: link to parliament.scot.)

Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP)
Adamson, Clare (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP)
Allan, Dr Alasdair (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP)
Arthur, Tom (Renfrewshire South) (SNP)
Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North and Musselburgh) (SNP)
Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab)
Bowman, Bill (North East Scotland) (Con)
Boyack, Sarah (Lothian) (Lab)
Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP)
Campbell, Aileen (Clydesdale) (SNP)
Coffey, Willie (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP)
Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Edinburgh Western) (LD)
Constance, Angela (Almond Valley) (SNP)
Crawford, Bruce (Stirling) (SNP)
Cunningham, Roseanna (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP)
Denham, Ash (Edinburgh Eastern) (SNP) (now Ash Regan of Alba)
Doris, Bob (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP)
Dornan, James (Glasgow Cathcart) (SNP)
Ewing, Annabelle (Cowdenbeath) (SNP)
Ewing, Fergus (Inverness and Nairn) (SNP)
Fabiani, Linda (East Kilbride) (SNP)
Fee, Mary (West Scotland) (Lab)
Finnie, John (Highlands and Islands) (Green)
FitzPatrick, Joe (Dundee City West) (SNP)
Forbes, Kate (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP)
Freeman, Jeane (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP)
Gibson, Kenneth (Cunninghame North) (SNP)
Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP)
Gougeon, Mairi (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP)
Grahame, Christine (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP)
Gray, Iain (East Lothian) (Lab)
Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green)
Griffin, Mark (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Harper, Emma (South Scotland) (SNP)
Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green)
Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen) (SNP)
Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP)
Hyslop, Fiona (Linlithgow) (SNP)
Johnson, Daniel (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab)
Johnstone, Alison (Lothian) (Green)
Kelly, James (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lennon, Monica (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Leonard, Richard (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Lochhead, Richard (Moray) (SNP)
Lyle, Richard (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP)
MacDonald, Angus (Falkirk East) (SNP)
MacDonald, Gordon (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP)
Macdonald, Lewis (North East Scotland) (Lab)
MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP)
Mackay, Rona (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP)
Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP)
Maguire, Ruth (Cunninghame South) (SNP)
Martin, Gillian (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP)
Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP)
Matheson, Michael (Falkirk West) (SNP)
McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD)
McKee, Ivan (Glasgow Provan) (SNP)
McMillan, Stuart (Greenock and Inverclyde) (SNP)
McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow) (Lab)
Paterson, Gil (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP)
Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD)
Robison, Shona (Dundee City East) (SNP)
Ross, Gail (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP)
Rumbles, Mike (North East Scotland) (LD)
Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green)
Russell, Michael (Argyll and Bute) (SNP)
Sarwar, Anas (Glasgow) (Lab)
Smyth, Colin (South Scotland) (Lab)
Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP)
Stevenson, Stewart (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
Stewart, David (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)
Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP)
Sturgeon, Nicola (Glasgow Southside) (SNP)
Swinney, John (Perthshire North) (SNP)
Todd, Maree (Highlands and Islands) (SNP)
Torrance, David (Kirkcaldy) (SNP)
Watt, Maureen (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP)
Wheelhouse, Paul (South Scotland) (SNP)
White, Sandra (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP)
Wishart, Beatrice (Shetland Islands) (LD)
Yousaf, Humza (Glasgow Pollok) (SNP)

red sunset

“I see that the crowd funder target has been reached and surpassed,very quickly. What happens to the extra that is still being donated? Does it have to be repaid?”

I would suggest the surplus be kept for any second phase that might come along. Or to cover any other decent blogger that might also be caught in this trap.

Money is being voluntarily donated to defend promoters of free speech. There’s no need to give any back. The good guys and gals need all the help they can get nowadays.

Margaret Eleftheriou

Regarding what happens to donated funds (just answering my own question). The crowd funder clearly states that the project will received all funds donated within the indicated timescale.
I was in too much of a hurry to check all the text.
Fundraiser doing very well! Let’s keep it up!

Carol neill

Donated , sad and scary times

sam

@LornaCampbell

“rape crisis centre so that TRAs will swamp it to make it look busy. Heard that fewer and fewer women are using it and it could go out of business.”

The decision of Roz Adams tribunal claim against ERCC is likely to be in favour of the claimant.

I followed the case and think the Board who gave evidence may have to stand down.

Brian Doonthetoon

This just occurred to me whilst reading (again) the blurb at the Rev’s crowdfunder page.

link to crowdfunder.co.uk

There will be a general election this year, with thousands of candidates standing across the UK. These candidates will publish their manifestos, which may be reported in the press, both UK (paper and online) and local (UK-wide with a web presence).

Say there was a conspiracy, based in Scotland, for anti ‘gender critical’ activists to monitor the online media for ‘gender critical’ comments and then report content at, for example,

link to somersetlive.co.uk

link to somersetlive.co.uk

link to bathecho.co.uk

to Scot Squad. Would we then see candidates from Somerset and all over the UK being investigated for “hate crime” under Scots Law?

Would that be a first? GE candidates being prosecuted for what is in their manifestos?

The SNP does walk a very small radius tightrope.

PacMan

I had been reading a few comments from posters who had said if they were investigated for Hate crimes they would say they were Trans/Binary.

I did an internet search for Binary and the first link that came up was the following:

link to rainbow-project.org

A part of this article was interesting in regards to this subject:

Some Non-binary will not identify as Trans either and this can be for a number of reasons. Some don’t feel comfortable identifying as being trans if they’ve faced animosity from binary transgender people.

The above paragraph is telling. This law can have a lot of unintended consequences where Trans people will be reporting other Trans people with hate crimes.

While this site is focusing mostly on the Trans part of the legislation, the law also protects other characteristics including race and religion.

Given the comments from some MSP’s on the conflict in the Middle East, could they be reported for hate crimes?

What about Asians reporting other Asians for hate crimes in relation to events in Pakistan/India as well as in India with relations between Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs?

What about Bisexual people who report hate crimes against Gay/Lesbian people who see Bisexual people as not being either gay or straight (I’m not 100% sure about the politics between Gay/Lesbians and Bisexuals but I believe there is animosity between these groups)?

It really does look like it could well be a right mess.

robertkknight

“I see that the crowd funder target has been reached and surpassed,very quickly. What happens to the extra that is still being donated? Does it have to be repaid”

If you think this’ll be the last assault on freedom of speech and expression that the SNP tin-pot tartan dictators will pull, then you’re sadly mistaken.

Rev should keep any surplus in a war chest for fighting the next piece of shit legislation that the lunatic fringe come up with.

I only hope the UK Govt. takes the SNP to the UKSC given the legislation covers the entire UK and should surely fall outside of Holyrood’s competence – in every sense of that word!

….never thought that as a lifelong Scottish Nationalist I’d pray for the day when a Tory Govt. in Westminster might take an SNP Govt. in Holyrood to the UKSC and kicked it’s arse.

Sad times…

Stoker

I don’t hate those responsible for this, no, i detest them.

Is that a “hate crime”? Are we only allowed to say and feel whatever politicians and a corrupt legal system approves of? I detest those responsible and i’ve every right to hold that view.

I’ve never promoted any form of harm towards any of them and i’ve never encouraged anyone else to either. Nobody will ever tell me what to feel and nobody will ever tell me who to like or dislike.

Stuart, i fully understand your position and what you have been put through. Most of us have been, in a sense, on that journey with you every step of the way. Nobody will hold it against you if you decide to err on the side of caution. But i’m with the others who are saying if you do then they win.

Stuart, i hope with every ounce of my being that the advice you receive is a favourable one to our cause. But if you decide to call it a day then we will also respect that decision. Your contribution to the fight can never be questioned, especially by the majority of our so-called pro-indy politicians.

Republicofscotland

These MSPs voted FOR the Hate Crime Bill, lets get them out of office at the first available opportunity.

However we can get the SNP out at Westminster sometime this year lets do it.

“Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP);

Adamson, Clare (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP)

Allan, Dr Alasdair (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP)

Arthur, Tom (Renfrewshire South) (SNP)

Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)

Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North and Musselburgh) (SNP)

Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab)

Bowman, Bill (North East Scotland) (Con)

Boyack, Sarah (Lothian) (Lab)

Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP)

Campbell, Aileen (Clydesdale) (SNP)

Coffey, Willie (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP)

Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Edinburgh Western) (LD)

Constance, Angela (Almond Valley) (SNP)

Crawford, Bruce (Stirling) (SNP)

Cunningham, Roseanna (Perthshire South and Kinrossshire) (SNP)

Denham, Ash (Edinburgh Eastern) (SNP)

Doris, Bob (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP)

Dornan, James (Glasgow Cathcart) (SNP)

Ewing, Annabelle (Cowdenbeath) (SNP)

Ewing, Fergus (Inverness and Nairn) (SNP)

Fabiani, Linda (East Kilbride) (SNP)

Fee, Mary (West Scotland) (Lab)

Finnie, John (Highlands and Islands) (Green)

FitzPatrick, Joe (Dundee City West) (SNP)

Forbes, Kate (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP)

Freeman, Jeane (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley)

(SNP)

Gibson, Kenneth (Cunninghame North) (SNP)

Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP)

Gougeon, Mairi (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP)

Grahame, Christine (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and

Lauderdale) (SNP)

Gray, Iain (East Lothian) (Lab)

Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green)

Griffin, Mark (Central Scotland) (Lab)

Harper, Emma (South Scotland) (SNP)

Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green)

Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen) (SNP)

Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP)

Hyslop, Fiona (Linlithgow) (SNP)

Johnson, Daniel (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab)

Johnstone, Alison (Lothian) (Green)

Kelly, James (Glasgow) (Lab)

Lennon, Monica (Central Scotland) (Lab)

Leonard, Richard (Central Scotland) (Lab)

Lochhead, Richard (Moray) (SNP)

Lyle, Richard (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP)

MacDonald, Angus (Falkirk East) (SNP)

MacDonald, Gordon (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP)

Macdonald, Lewis (North East Scotland) (Lab)

MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP)

Mackay, Rona (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP)

Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP)

Maguire, Ruth (Cunninghame South) (SNP)

Martin, Gillian (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP)

Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP)

Matheson, Michael (Falkirk West) (SNP)

McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD)

McKee, Ivan (Glasgow Provan) (SNP)

McMillan, Stuart (Greenock and Inverclyde) (SNP)

McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow) (Lab)

Paterson, Gil (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP)

Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD)

Robison, Shona (Dundee City East) (SNP)

Ross, Gail (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP)

Rumbles, Mike (North East Scotland) (LD)

Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green)

Russell, Michael (Argyll and Bute) (SNP)

Sarwar, Anas (Glasgow) (Lab)

Smyth, Colin (South Scotland) (Lab)

Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP)

Stevenson, Stewart (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)

Stewart, David (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)

Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP)

Sturgeon, Nicola (Glasgow Southside) (SNP)

Swinney, John (Perthshire North) (SNP)

Todd, Maree (Highlands and Islands) (SNP)

Torrance, David (Kirkcaldy) (SNP)

Watt, Maureen (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine)

(SNP)

Wheelhouse, Paul (South Scotland) (SNP)

White, Sandra (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP)

Wishart, Beatrice (Shetland Islands) (LD)

Yousaf, Humza (Glasgow Pollok) (SNP)”

100%Yes

There is an option for us to punish the SNP at this years Westminster election and that is when the SNP MPs ask us to crowd fund their election campaigns DO NOT GIVE ANY SNP MP a single donation. Leaving these MPs to fund there own campaign or to withdraw from standing altogether in the WM election.

Bob Johnston

In answer to Robert K Knight, I donated long after the initial target had been blown out of the water. The Rev can keep it.

Johnlm

Fun fact
Pastor Neimoller died in 1984 (aged 92)

Hopefully, this too will pass after a few trials and hangings.

This trick is being pulled simultaneously across Western societies now.
It feels like we are reaching the crisis point within the next year.

I take this as a sign of panic by people who know they have lost.

dearieme

You brought it on yourself, Mr Wings. You campaigned for Scotnaz government and you got it.

In the bowels of Christ, think it possible that you may have been mistaken.

Dan

Careful Collins, you’re treading on shaky ground publishing this sort of stuff.

link to collinsdictionary.com

Could this all lead to the Scottish “Government’s” “Sue, you’re shouting at tea” moment.

Helen Yates

First they came for the socialists and i didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a socialist
Then they came for the Trade Unionists and I didn’t speak out because I was not a Trade Unionist
Then they came for the Jews and I didn’t speak out because I was not a Jew
Then they came for all those including Jews who oppose genocide and ethnic cleansing and many didn’t speak out because they are either zionists, ignorant or racist.

PS. If I lived in England I’d be voting for George Galloway.

Sven

Last time I looked the Fundraiser was between £9,000 – £10,000 and still racing ahead.
Seems to this pensioner, who, like so many others, happily gave after the target was achieved, that every penny raised should go to the Rev’s legal fund and any surplus may safely be left to his discretion to be used however he decides.
Far as I’m concerned, after many thankless years ferreting out and disseminating information we should know, Stu has well earned any and all bawbees being given. I couldn’t care what he spends it on; he’s chosen to stand up and be counted in a way many of us keyboard warriors wouldn’t. Anyone who respects truth and honesty should be applauding him regardless of political views.

Doug

I’ll still be wearing my VILE CYBE RNAT sweat shirt with pride, Rev. My jail name will be Red and I’ll get plenty of stuff for you via the prison’s laundry service.

Campbell Clansman

ROS, regarding your list of MSPs who should be voted out, one little correction (which I had in my list):

Denham, Ash (Edinburgh Eastern) (SNP)
is now Ash Regan of Alba.
If you vote against all the MSPs who voted for this bill, you’ll have to vote against Ash Regan, Alba’s only MSP.

BLMac

Let us all register a Hate Crime report against any politician who rails against white men in parliament….

Republicofscotland

Yes Campbell well spotted I missed that, also some of those MSPs are no longer MSPs.

PacMan

Had forgotten to mention with my previous post, will these various Republican & Orange Order parades come under a hate crime now as well as the antics on the stands of Parkhead and Ibrox?

This could well be even more contentious as the OBFA act as it draws in even more people into the judicial system, many of whom thought it would never happen to them.

Effijy

This is the most horrifying thing I have ever seen outside of Orwell’s 1984 Novel.

Next is the claim by the state that not agreeing with them is a hate crime and if hate crime persists life sentences will be issued with hard Labour braking rocks 14 hours per day.

No requests for pay rises as it’s obviously a hate crime against the share holders.

Rev, is there anyway our real identities can be encrypted and we can comment on the truth and question corruption and wokeism.

Can they shut wings down if you are not the architect of the comments.

The world is ending if sites like this where truth and justice, justification and reason flourish while British fake journalism only print what suits the owner’s prejudice. .

John Main

@ Helen Yates says: 25 March, 2024 at 7:25 pm

Then they came for all those including Jews who oppose genocide and ethnic cleansing and many didn’t speak out because they are either zionists, ignorant or racist

Well, I’m stumped. Does that mean they’re coming for Hamas then? Or is it Hamas coming for everybody else?

Here’s a wee quote from the stuff Hamas reveres:

“The Day of Judgment will not come about until Moslems fight Jews and kill them. Then, the Jews will hide behind rocks and trees, and the rocks and trees will cry out: ‘O Moslem, there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him'”

That defo sounds a bit genocidal and ethnically cleansing to me.

Ah c’mon now Ted. You don’t really believe that stuff about the rocks and the trees do you?

What say you, Helen? You seem terribly keen to vote for George, even though you must know all about his pro-Hamas sympathies.

JB

“even though the law precludes any historic ‘crimes’.”

Is that at all meaningful for Internet based publication?

I seem to recall some suggestion that each new read of an article counts as a new publication.

So reading on Monday an article published 2 years ago, may well count as perpetrating an alleged hate crime on Monday.

Which could rather be a way to take down whole sites, and any of their archives.

sarah

Rev, might you give consideration to my suggestion the other day that you stand in the General Election [preferably as an Independent for Independence]?

Just think what you could say with MP privilege. 🙂

george wood

This is a direct consequence of the large numbers of good people who left the SNP.
They left behind an open goal so large that even a Scotland striker couldn’t fail to score.
The only way we are going to fix this is for the good people to join the SNP again and vote out the trans supporters.
The SNP politicians and aspiring politicians, seeing their gravy train under threat, will ditch this stuff so fast it will make your head spin.

Johnlm

One upside to the Wings website closure?

It would free up my day from having to correct Genocide John’s factual ignorances.

dasBlimp

Bugger! I was enjoying my daily laugh at the expense of ‘wings’ BTL’ers

Dan

@ george wood

Many decent folk tried to regain a semblance of influence but to no avail as the Party’s internal democracy was removed.

link to wingsoverscotland.com

Peter C

Well I just donated 50 quid. I hope this works out fine for Wings. I hope you can keep doing what you do Stuart. Best Wishes.

TheKraut

Coming to Scotland for nearly forty years more or less every other year, this year it will feel like visiting auntie in the former GDR, no one would talk freely because you never knew, who of the present was the Stasi snitch. And there were a few in the extended family.

loki

If you have a website and block certain countries from using it ie Scotland, would you still be breaking the law as you’d taken every reasonable step? Not your fault if someone there used a proxy or VPN

Similarly, if someone in Scotland reported your site to the police, wouldn’t the complainant then be liable for using a proxy to infringing your copyright?

moixx

Briandoonthetoon @ 6.26pm

“Would that be a first? GE candidates being prosecuted for what is in their manifestos?”

————————————————–

And how will it affect voting in Scotland? How would we know who we can safely vote for? The ones who are all for it will be able to shout it from the rooftops, but how can a candidate (including independents) or a political party even express alternative views on this?

That was why the recent spat in Alba was really disappointing. I’d initially wondered if their (apparent lukewarm) approach to the whole thing was them just being cautious, because they were anticipating all these problems and didn’t want to leave themselves open to anything. Which I suppose I might find understandable, up to a point. But I’m now not sure if I’d feel confident voting for them after all.

John

But if Craig Murray’s (and corroborating) legal advice is correct, and anyone has a sibling, parent or cousin who just happens to open on Monday 1 April 2024 a previous version of Yousless shouting in HR about everbody in Scotland being white, therefater filing a police complaint, Humza’s diary for that and the next few days would suddly fill up. Ditto for every other SNP lose-lipped ‘hate-crimer’. We’d see how long this lasts!

Geri

I never got that whole “pay for me to get a job” pish anyway. They’re on £85k to £150k+ on top of all expenses, travel, bills, 2nd homes & side hustles etc. They’re already on over inflated salaries for doing fck all.

Especially the SNP contingent. They’ve blown their way through six mandates & achieved the grand sum of fck all for Scotland. They’re not even supposed to be there & they should be shamed at every opportunity for asking for funding from those who can least afford it. I bet they’ve not sat with their heating off.
Sell the camper van ya cheeky barstewards LOL!

SPLITTERS!

Bob Johnston

£10090 at 9.40pm
Well done, Rev. You’ve got people behind you, sir, nationalists AND unionists which points to you fighting the good fight. Whether you can or cannot press on you’ve done a helluva job.

Confused

The hate crime bill is fascinating in how it shows up the power dynamics underneath much of politics : it hit me the other day – this bill was made for one purpose only, to placate the trannies and silence any critics.

Any political observer is used to the presence of lobbies and how they get what they want, inter-relate, sometimes cancel each other out; but this shows without any doubt – the trannies are the most powerful political lobby on the planet right now. Other lobbies can’t match them – the hate crime law was not done for e.g. the jews, muslims, black lives matter, feminists, “ordinary decent gays”, the disabled – no, all that gets tagged on to make it look less obvious.

It’s trannies, trannies all the way down.

Which is hard to believe since it is a small number of sad sack men in bad wigs who get their jollies from wanking off in the womens loos … so where does this power come from?

Also, in case you doubt me, the Ghanaians had a crack down on all this nonsense the other week, and immediately the IMF – the IMF! – are coming out saying “youze ur gonnay get it … ”

– imagine if Scottish nationalists had that sort of clout; after 2014 we could have “made the call” and had international finance crash the pound and classify UK debt as junk until they “let my people go”.

So, it is not organic this power, it is astroturf. Rich people, oligarchs, funding it all, from way back, the foundations being the money pumped into the ivy league to finance “gender studies” and “queer” subjects – these things aren’t real, it’s nonsense, but even Harvard will take the money if the cheque is big enough.

People mention obviously, the Pritzkers, but they have to work with the consent of others.

Overall, it seems bizarre, but then you realise what it was all along – a trojan horse for paedophilia, and that is something our elites seem to be into, every sex scandal, no one is into “milfs”. Elites have libertine tastes and at the top of the tree there is little to do other than eat fancy food, swan around a lot, and screw, and when you do a lot, your tastes move to the exotic.

To spell it out, if a child can consent to mutilating its body then consenting to sex with an adult seems a small thing; “sexual rights for children!”, yeah right. It was always the old philosophical paedo argument “but what if the child consents?”

The rainbow people want to turn the whole of society into a fetish club and a general free for all – get the primary kids on tinder/grindr, let them “explore their sexuality” – which makes for a colossal showdown because, much more so than the middle class who are easy to brainwash, the working class don’t give a shit about “the nonsense people talk in universities” and most crucially “if anyone touched my kids, i’d murder them … ” – people won’t fight for their political or economic rights anymore, but they will die for their kids.

I predicted a while ago, there will be murders and – the juries will let the killers walk, and there will be a huge backlash and then everyone will be running for cover trying to say “it wasn’t me”.

Victory is assured, but you still have to fight the battle. You could start with mass fake hate crime reports, and any woman who sees a man in the loos should report an assault.

The case of the Wings website may be another specific target (consider how juryless sex crimes trials came in AFTER Salmond defeated them); WOS has been almost the only place to consistently hold the fake-nats feet to the fire this last decade and I am sure they would like to be rid of him, alas the SNP private militia, aka Police Scotland don’t have the reach down to Bath.

WOS is now a crime scene; given these LLMs like ChatGPT scan the entire internet, then the whole wings back catalogue is in there, and I am sure people with resources are datamining the shit out of it and this includes the BTL, and we are easy prey, small fry – no one is going to fund our legal defences, no fancy QCs for us, no, we can get picked up and thrown against a wall, any time; the rev and the ambassador have partial protection due to their fame, we do not.

The “bad law” aspects of the law have been covered elsewhere, but the get out clause is religion; if you are accused just say you are a devout christian or muslim, then you can quote the passages from Deuteronomy/Leviticus and the hadiths of the prophet.

– if you want real protection, go for the muslim angle; the trannies might think they are tough, but if they “defame the prophet” and the muslims arrive, they will get their arses kicked; in a way I admire the muslims a little, they stick together, stick up for what they believe, fear no one and usually people shite it from them. But as pointed out in the article “the punishment is the process”.

– it’s been a pleasure posting with you all, the insulting and butting of heads too

I would like to point out all my posts were satirical in nature and I for one, welcome our new

woke tranny rainbow bottom inspector police scotland overlords

Geri

The trouble is the Westminster system. It doesn’t matter who you vote for.

Once these arses get voted in there is absolutely nothing the public can do to remove them until the next election. 5 years to cause as much damage as possible.

Once they’re in power they can vote on what they like & push their own wee pet projects.

There was nothing in the SNP manifesto for this shit or for Self ID. It was independence, NHS, Children’s free bikes & laptops but we end up with this draconian pish instead & venturing way off script into Juryless trials & identity nonsense despite public opinion & backlash.

This must come from some outside force cause unless I’ve missed it, I can’t think of anything thats happened in Scotland that warrants this bullshit.

The Tories, Lab & Lie Dumbs – they’re all the same. Whether in Holyrood or Westminster.

England has introduced their own draconian Police bill which is just as horrific so it’s not just Scotland. Ireland is doing the same regards clamping down on free speech & what’s posted on the internet.

It’s a directive from somewhere.

sarah

Removing the absolute power of politicians is the only way to ensure the freedom of the people.

The pre-1707 Scottish constitution DID give the people the power to remove, even imprison, politicians and judges who sought to deny the people’s rights. This is what we need to restore. Salvo is campaigning for this and educating us all about our lost constitutional rights.

Another way to limit the ability of politicians to behave oppressively is, of course, to end the party political system – it is a lot harder to get a group of independent MPs/MSPs to agree on something whereas a party grouping can be controlled by a clique or even by just one powerful person.

This is where Independents for Independence comes in. These candidates for Westminster aren’t in it to get themselves a permanent job – they want Scotland’s independence. “Settle up, not settle down.”

If the Rev does have to close Wings down then his energies and talents would be very useful to both of these initiatives.

Effijy

Can we strike first?
Boris called Scots Vermine.
He wishes to put us in a ghetto and eliminate us.
He said black women had watermelon smiles and
Muslim women live life looking out a letterbox.

Will a certain Tory racist donor be first to be prosecuted?
Not if the racist Met Police have anything to do with it.

The police can’t attend break-ins and they can’t stop shop lifting as they don’t have the resource? They will all Need to be office based recording he said she said stories while Scotland burns.

Geri

Dan 8:22pm

Good find.

I was lead to believe it was 2015 & by Angus Robertson. The mastermind behind giving Sturgeon full control of the party.

I wish people had spoken out a lot more loudly at the time. There was little to no point being a member.

Margaret Eleftheriou

The fundraiser last until 28th April. Are you likely to receive advice that may need more than the donations so far? I donated instantly but have more in reserve if needed. Presumably you would let us know if that should be the case. I don’t live in Scotland any more but have taken a keen interest in this blog since the Wee Blue Book, which helped me, as a dithering pensioner, to make up my mind.

Bob Johnston

I’m guessing the question about what happens to the excess money collected today, and for the next 27 days, is a gag related to the SNP’s £660K that was “woven” into the accounts, rather than questioning Wings’ use of the money. I suspect if we want to defeat Yousless’s daft act then we’re going to have to back the Rev a bit beyond £5000.

Derek

“Geri says:
25 March, 2024 at 10:08 pm

There was nothing in the SNP manifesto for this shit or for Self ID. It was … Children’s free bikes ”

I’m involved (as a mechanic) in that scheme. It’s been a really good thing for all involved; not only does it get kids onto bikes that might not otherwise do so, but they want to go out riding with their parents – who then have to get bikes.

It’s quite a small thing in the grand scheme of things, but it’s a good step, I’d say.

James Jones

Rev. Stuart Campbell on 25 March, 2024 at 3:53 pm
“‘Nationalists voted these people into office and thus facilitated them enacting draconian laws. I hope you’re all very pleased with yourselves.’

Oh do stop it with this pish. Labour and the Lib Dems enthusiastically backed the Act all the way, and Labour and the Tories both have lengthy histories of doing similar, if not quite as egregiously as this.”

At the moment it’s uniquely Scottish though. Why?

Redacted

Have you considered a holiday, or an extended bear patrol?

There’s a fair chance Royal Assent was granted on the Bill to hand Holyrood the shark to jump.

Obviously, the bescootered one, took a long run up to the ramp, then fell straight into the waiting jaws of an incredulous Westminster who probably still can’t believe anyone would fall for this.

Aleister Jack is probably waiting with a big padlock from his storage business to lock Holyrood up as we clearly can’t run anything.

Rarely, in the realm of politics, has so much been destroyed, by so few, for so little.

Kcor

I had feared that the unionists would get you during the referendum campaign and had advised you to move to Iceland (the country not the shop).

Ironically, the SNP will succeed where the unionists failed (or showed some restraint).

The SNP have immortalised the words of Donald Dewar:

“Independence is stone dead”.

For the next 620 years anyway.

Stay safe to fight another day.

And thank you for personally reading every comment of mine.

Kcor

Tommy Sheridan’s campaign against the poll tax forced the mighty Thatcher to back down.

But something similar can no longer happen in Scotland for two reasons.

There is no Tommy Sheridan like leader left in Scotland.

Scots have become spineless.

And it takes 620 years to grow a spine.

Bob Johnston

Derek’s comment on free bikes is encouraging. It proves that, at some, presumably low, level the SNP are actually doing the job of governing. This, though, was something the East German government were excellent at. At the lowest level politics was encouraged, like home owners’ associations. The trade off was leaving the big stuff to the professionals. What happens, though, when the ‘professionals’ aren’t that professional?

Hatuey

Garavelli Princip: “But in keeping with Karl Popper’s maxims on scientific theories, if Senora Storione is actually done, the above hypothesis is seriously undermined…

I get your point but as I see it the theory will be validated if Wings is targeted by the new laws . As always when it comes to Scottish politics, I hope that I am wrong.

I’ve given up on the debate about the skank’s motives.

Ian Murray

Surely Police Scotland do not have the resources to administer the multitude of complaints they are likely to receive ?

Heck the sturgeon SNP investigation has been ongoing for what 104 years now ?

Geri

James Jones

“At the moment it’s uniquely Scottish though. Why?”

It isn’t. Posie Parker has been arrested a few times.
Police in England have new extensive powers.

Derek

It is an excellent policy. Well done.

I was giving the example that the SNP made no mention of all the bad stuff they have ushered through parliament with such gusto but the Greens did regards self ID & meddling in the justice system.

Anyone voting SNP ended up with the Greens manifesto (rejected at the ballot box) because sturgeon handed them complete power for absolutely no other reason than she could.

So ppl further up thread need to stop complaining about the YES movement & nationalists. The YES movement didn’t vote for any of this & the Greens aren’t nationalist.

Alf Baird

James Jones @ 11:03 pm

“At the moment it’s uniquely Scottish though. Why?”

Like Stu says, Lab and Libs are not Scottish, they are British (i.e. colonial) parties. Postcolonial theory suggests a dominant national party within a colonial society that becomes a colonial administration “helps the government to hold the people down…becomes more and more clearly anti-democratic, an implement of coercion” (Fanon). This is not ‘uniquely Scottish’, it is a consequence of colonialism.

link to yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com

Alan

The answer is simple.
Everyone (as many as possible) breaks that law on day one 2 & 3 ongoing. You cannot enforce something that is un enforceable

Justme

I can’t afford to donate just now but i will as soon as i can (i want a badge lol)

Johnlm

This censorship of free speech on social platforms has been rolling out steadily since at least 2015.

The street theatre terror events which took place between 2015 and Covid were analysed quite comprehensively online at the time and raised many good questions.
The response was to attack these channels for arbitrary reasons, giving ‘strikes’ and bans, with YouTube finally removing content that denied “well-documented violent events,”
– one YouTuber I know of lost 17 channels

Then came Covid where doctors and scientists who raised concerns were de-platformed and sacked, with politicians screaming ‘the science is settled’ and ‘trust the science’
Science is never settled.

Similarly with the climate debate.

It’s all a scam, and largely a bluff to see how far we can be pushed.

Low jab take up rates in Austria, motivated the government to threaten the unjabbed with jail. Nothing happened. They decided not to arrest 30% of the population.

Likewise, the NHS threat to sack unjabbed staff.
They took it to the wire then backed down.

The Highwire covered this subject in their last broadcast
USAID’s CENSORSHIP CAMPAIGN REVEALED – The HighWire

Truth is like water, it always finds a way.
They are terrified that we are waking up.

Breeks

How can we have a Bastille Day if there’s nobody in the Bastille?

Courage mon brave. Fight this.

Breeks

Johnlm
Ignored says:
26 March, 2024 at 4:11 am
This censorship of free speech…..

Truth is like water, it always finds a way.
They are terrified that we are waking up.

If only it was “just” free speech being censored. The active and passive propaganda, patently endorsed to the hilt by the state, which so gravely distorts the reality of events in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, frankly beggars every belief.

To be so utterly brazen in the deceit is the frightening thing, because it reveals they have lines of deception and undermining of the truth already pre-planned, on permanent standby to validate and corroborate their own disinformation.

They have “think tanks” and “independent experts” on speed dial, ready to initiate any skewed conversation the need to seed and / or steer the narrative towards their own agenda.

We Scots should know this better than anyone, because these vile liars serve their apprenticeships indoctrinating the people of Scotland with flagrant disinformation about the plundering of our nation, combined with fawning adulation of the Royal parasites kept aloft by wealth screwed out from the rest of us.

I don’t agree they’re terrified of us waking up. I believe they’re supremely confident they’ve got it covered. They’re truth proof.

I used to believe that truth would always prevail. I used to believe in Santa Clause too.

Johnlm

Breeks
What !?!? Santa Claus doesn’t exist? Aw naw.

The psychological fear show has been run full bore since 911.
Problem, reaction, solution.

I’m encouraged that most folks took over a decade to accept that 911 was iffy, but the Covid nonsense took only a year.
Now Public trust is totally gone. We just haven’t worked out what to do about it.

The fear and destruction of society seems to be speeding up as if they have a specific date to be ready for and are behind schedule.

The twin towers were supposed to come down in 1993.
The internet wouldn’t have been a issue then.

Frank Gillougley

There’s no two ways about it. This will be their reign of terror. They will use all the endless means at their disposal to silence any dissent. For the foreseeable future, yes, they’ll win – that is how it’ll go. But in the long term it won’t be sustainable as the centre can never hold. The sooner we stop voting for this set up the better. Red, blue, yellow, green mixed together is just grey brown sludge. At least the humour will have to reinvent itself albeit along eastern European lines. It’s amazing what they actually got away with before the 90s.

Science in general will be next, biology has already fallen. Quantum physics in Stalin’s soviet union did not exist. Anything they say can and will go. All the law is defunct.

Johnlm

The 1993 WTC b0mbing was carried out under the supervision of the FBI and their agent Emad Salem.
link to en.wikipedia.org

Ironically, the bombing was unsuccessful probably because Atwell Security didn’t get the security contract and a proper security company was employed by mistake.
The FBI (Doh!) blocked the company because it was owned by a war criminal Avraham Shalom.
link to en.wikipedia.org

President Xiden

The sooner the asteroid arrives, the better.

John Main

So the twin towers was a put-up job?

So the relatives of Wings BTL readers who choked to death from Covid were actors?

So Russti armies hundreds of miles inside free, sovereign 404, destroying everything and everyone in their sights, is just reality-distorting propaganda?

That’s not the water of truth finding its way.

That’s a stream of pish staining this site and stinking to high heaven.

There’s plenty of Scots who need to waken up to the reality that a movement supported by people who think, talk and write like these bozos is only ever going to crash and burn.

Maybes next time around, Indy 2 will be a bit more discriminating in who it allows onside, eh?

And for this time, maybes waken up these bozos and tell them they’re lying (in both meanings of the word) in puddles of their own, steaming, fetid pish.

John Main

@Frank Gillougley says: 26 March, 2024 at 7:09 am

It won’t be a Stalinist reign of terror until unmarked cars are picking people up from their homes at midnight and taking them directly to a basement where a guy (or gal – it’s 2024) tanked up on vodka (or whisky – it’s Scotland) shoots them in the back of the head.

Will everybody please calm down

Thank you.

Dorothy Devine

Rev Stu , take care you and some others are essential in Scotland’s fight. Tak tent and more!

Frank Gillougley

@john Main above

What you desribe will be true, except they wont be shooting them in the back of the head, but they’ll make their life impossible.

Have you ever been arrested and put on trial? And i am perfectly calm, believe you me.

Johnlm

Main still thinks two airplanes collapsed 3 steel framed buildings. Bless.
Getting high on his own pish, I fear.

Fun fact
Marvin Bush Director of Securacom who provided security for the WTC on 911

John Main

An innarestin article on Unherd this morning:

link to unherd.com

It’s written from an anglo-centric POV, but Scots will have no problems translating the language into something more relevant to our situation within the UK.

Here’s some wee quotes:

“From a zero starting point, Ireland suddenly possesses Europe’s fastest-moving, if inchoate, populist insurgency, to the discomfort of its political class”

“Ireland’s protests are overwhelmingly law-abiding family affairs, with the archetypal Irish “mammy” well at the forefront”

If only it could happen here, eh folks?

Actually, come tae think oan, why couldn’t it? Where’s oor mammies?

Rab Clark

Aye, we should just let government decide how we think and what we can see and say…here’s an example of where that leads.

link to offtopicscotland.com

Bobbyp

Alan at 11.52 has the right answer.
Do not comply with these peoples vile anti civil rights laws.

John Main

@Frank Gillougley says: 26 March, 2024 at 8:01 am

Have you ever been arrested and put on trial?

Just remember there are hundreds of thousands of people in the UK right now with no identification, no bank account, no registered address, etc.

Take a stroll down your local High Street and you’ll likely see one or two of them.

Just remember hundreds more arrive every single day.

Just remember that even where the UK state has managed to round up thousands of them, it is quite unable to do anything with them, and meantime, it is turfing dangerous criminals out on the street to make room in its finite (in size and in budget) prison system.

Many of these illegals within the UK and within Scotland are finding their lives to be a long way from “impossible”.

If push comes to shove, we can learn from them how they do it.

If things get really bad, we can learn from the dissidents of Russtiland, China and even North Korea how they do it.

If even that fails, the nuclear option will remain open for a while: crossing the wide-open border and seeking asylum in England.

Geri

The West has not only lost 404 some territory – they’ve also lost the propaganda war. The shite they have peddled out is so far from reality it’s beyond a joke if it wasn’t so tragic.

The media is always the first to go & that happened so long ago. Now there are just typists with scripts & toeing the line they wish to feed.

It’s rattled the elites so now the internet is getting it. Mayhem also floated that idea years ago.

I haven’t followed twitter for months so I’m not up to speed on this bill but do I have this right? There is going to be a “third party” manning the phones? Job creation ‘looking for curtain twitchers’

George Ferguson

@John Main 8:09pm
Who says our protests are not law abiding? The whole point of this fundraiser is to establish independent legal opinion from a KC no less. With regards to Ireland at least Varadkar had the decency to resign. An anathema to Scottish politicians unless they have a blue tent outside their house.

Bobbyp

Kcor 11.25pm. ‘Scots have become spineless’
Example, haw Rab ur yi gawn oan the mairch the morra,
Um a f**k the polis wull lift me, i’ll dae ma shouting fae the pub. Cos um a big feartie at hert. Wha’s like us eh.

holymacmoses

It IS time to take a stand and stop relying on other people to do it for us.

Stuart MacKay

Rab Clark @8:21am

From the article…

> I’m referring to the total and complete lack of public debate in Israel about any of this.

hahahahahahaha

So all those protests against the genocide by Israelis in Israel are just my imagination.

That the genocide has overwhelming support in Isreal, is just my imagination too.

However the article has one thing right. The ability of the Israeli management of consciousness has become so expert, its propaganda skills, so profound and total, that it’s working not on Israelis but the entire west.

Willie

Baltimore Bridge collapse. Was it terrorism?

TURABDIN

The government of the United Kingdom is ultimately responsible for all matters concerning Scotland’s governance whether «devolved» or not.
It might suspend or even abolish the Edinburgh parliament should it a perceive a «need» to do so.
As the SNP theoretically represents a challenge to the territorially integrity of the British state it and any supporting its foundational purpose might be subject to «restraint».
The growing background noise of nationalism in the British state machine and its ancillaries ought not to be ignored.
An old beast is at its most ferocious at the hour of existential threat.
The sooner the «hour of the beast» comes the better.
Clear the arena.

stuart mctavish

Bob Johnson @11:30 pm

What happens when the professionals aren’t that professional..

If I remember Peter Alliss’s pro-ams correctly the amateurs all got plenty free hits, and the professionals had to be given two or three extra to boot.

Guess only time will tell whether that’ll be enough to have the bill’s authors locked back in the closet for misogyny, or a police Scotland murder tent sent to the front garden of the Russian policeman that forced the (suspected) terrorist to eat his own ear, or even a serious investigation into whether deepfakes of Princess Kate* are hiding anything sinister.

Meanwhile it is clearly worth investigating whether there’s a corollary to the bit about hateful Scottish publications, ie one that laments the relative absence of a positive take on its future, such that suppression of that particular truth can also be considered criminal
🙂

*Even if only to be furnished with a robust defence from the establishment whilst reinforcing private rights in the interim).

Alf Baird

TURABDIN @ 9:18 am

“An old beast is at its most ferocious at the hour of existential threat”

Indeed, this is expected whenever ‘colonialism is imperiled’, and here we are reminded of the place we are in, and that, according to Aime Cesaire:

“Fascism is the application of colonial procedures (and) Civilization helps us locate the origins of fascism within colonialism”.

On the rationale for and urgency of independence, which is decolonization and national liberation, Cesaire states that this is: “not posed in terms of capitalism versus socialism, but in terms of the complete and total overthrow of a racist, colonialist system that would open the way to imagine a whole new world.”

Stuart MacKay

Breeks @6:16am

I think a lot of the narrative is down to self-censorship. They know that unless they stay on message on the neo-liberal agenda that their next job might be given to someone else who is more of a team player.

A good example for me was a couple of years ago when the agreement over servicing the International Space Station using Soyuz rockets was terminated. They had a spokesman on from NASA to talk about the situation since SpaceX wasn’t quite ready, and all he could do was talk about how Russia should be designated as a state-sponsor of terrorism.

But back to the topic on hand. The HCB is just the set rules that the Uniparty use to regulate themselves in written form. All those codes of conduct are more of the same. It looks like the rest of the world is giving the finger to the Rules Based Order which just means they’re going to double-down on the rules that their captive populations have to follow. Stay tuned.

John Main

@stuart mctavish says: 26 March, 2024 at 9:19 am

front garden of the Russian policeman

I believe the Russti policeman claims his front garden is in the suburbs of Kiev. That makes him a Russti hero, so as untouchable under the Russti regime as the guys who smear door handles and remove the fasteners from upper floor window catches.

deepfakes of Princess Kate* are hiding anything sinister

By definition, a deepfake is undetectable. You’re dealing with a shallowfake, so call off your attack dogs.

Maybes once you’ve lived life a bit more, you’ll understand that to anybody diagnosed with cancer, that’s something sinister in its own right.

John Main

@Alf Baird says: 26 March, 2024 at 9:39 am

complete and total overthrow of a racist, colonialist system that would open the way to imagine a whole new world

I’m always keen to discover what that “complete and total overthrow” would look like, Alf. You may be running out of time to tell us (on here, at least), so why not put what could be the last days of Wings BTL to good use?

Be hung as a sheep, rather than a lamb, as my own dear, departed mammie used to say.

You have dropped tantalising hints in the past, for example about all non-Scots speakers being denied employment, but please don’t let me put words in your mouth.

Tell us yourself. What does the Scottish new world after the “complete and total overthrow of a racist, colonialist system” look like?

Dinna be shy, noo!

Frank Gillougley

John Main 8.29

Oh dear, to be patronised over the semantic use of the word ‘impossible’, this early in a morning. However, in the interests of social cohesion, i will partly take on board your points even though they are ‘relative’, because i know what you mean. Please note though, that impossibility cannot be relative. It either is or it isn’t. Ask Marion Millar how she felt about her life awaiting trial.

But words have real meaning beyond their design, John, hence my simple question to you, which as you know remains unanswered as I am curious to know whether you have had any first-hand experience of realpolitik at the hands of the scottish polis and the judiciary. For me, that’s a reasonable question.

Lastly, the ‘Reign of Terror’ was French (as you will well know) and my example of totalitarian ideology denying science really isnt that far removed from where we are now. My example of Stalin and quantum physics was an apposite example and really not that far-fetched.

Lastly, I’m not too sure if asking everybody to ‘calm down’ is the right thing to say. A bit too close to, eat yer cereal and get tae the back o the bus, for me.

I need to get on with my work now, and you have a good day too. I’ll wheest now.

Margaret Eleftheriou

Very interesting news about the Assange appeal.

Dorothy Smegma

In the event that you must cease publication and close down your entire site post-March, is there any way of downloading all your posts “at once” rather than individually?

Mrs H

Avid Wings reader but never commented before.
Finding the dive into living in an authoritarian state all a bit unhinged, and I say that most sincerely as a mental health professional.

Alf Baird

John Main @ 10:04 am

“What does the Scottish new world after the “complete and total overthrow of a racist, colonialist system” look like?”

You might want to take a look at some of the more than 80 former colonies that have ended ‘the scourge’ and become independent and cast out imperial rule since the end of WWII and the birth of the UN, and others before then.

I’m thinking a democracy a bit like Switzerland, and an economy and infrastructure/public services comparable to some of our Nordic neighbours. I appreciate your vision may differ?

But the essential thing is that independent Scots should be making decisions about and for Scotland, nae mair ‘dependence’ on some ither fowk an cultur tae mak decisions for us, and an end to cultural assimilation which is an oppressive colonial procedure.

stuart mctavish

Look again & you should discover deepfakes to be more lies by definition than undetectable by definition.

Doubtless there’s infinite Nessie scenarios where such elaboration does not also constitute hate, by default, but that’s why an investigation under hate crime legislation is appropriate – over and above returning the right to privacy defence mentioned before, it also renders the affair an excellent test as to whether an allegation of hateful conduct (eg spreading lies or making spurious allegations) is sufficient grounds to justify investigating (/finding) a crime to go with it.

Agree with you re cancer, and I’m guessing the hate crime bill aims to contain a digital form of it, but there’s plenty pain that can be relieved with more laughter, let alone honesty (which is apparently not yet a defence), whether the world is able to meet us half way or not.

[…] podcast and other ideas were all either in hand, in preparation or under consideration. Having read Stu Campbell’s article on Wings Over Scotland, however, I am now having serious second thoughts. If he is even half right about the potential […]

dasBlimp

Alf Baird
Ignored says:
26 March, 2024 at 11:46 am
John Main @ 10:04 am

But the essential thing is that independent Scots should be making decisions about and for Scotland, nae mair ‘dependence’ on some ither fowk an cultur tae mak decisions for us, and an end to cultural assimilation which is an oppressive colonial procedure.

You need to chuck that dodgy keyboard, Alfie boy. Does it need new batteries or is it just you having an occasional spasming of the fingers? (best let your wifey (or boyfriend) have the benefit of those episodes)

So let’s assume (extremely unlikely) you get your independence and the SNP or similar are in full control. Who you gonna blame then?

Xaracen

TURABDIN said;

“The government of the United Kingdom is ultimately responsible for all matters concerning Scotland’s governance whether «devolved» or not.

It is certainly responsible for all that it does, but it doesn’t have all the authority it claims to have, because Scotland’s sovereignty, along with its Treaty-guaranteed constitution, says otherwise.

It can be encapsulated very neatly;

‘OI! England! Get the fuck off my lawn!’

Ray Sunshine

According to Iain Macwhirter in The Spectator, Murdo Fraser is threatening to take legal action against Police Scotland, He says they have “behaved not just outrageously but unlawfully.”

link to spectator.co.uk

Xaracen

dasBlimp said;

“So let’s assume (extremely unlikely) you get your independence and the SNP or similar are in full control. Who you gonna blame then?”

Whoever’s in full control, obviously. Who else did you think should get the blame? Currently, that’s actually the UK’s English government, because they absolutely insist on having full control, even if they have to lie about the Union’s true constitutional basis to get it.

Campbell Clansman

What is the Alba Party’s official position on the Hate Crimes Act, seeing as how their lone MSP, Ash Regan, voted for the HCA?

dasBlimp

So, you say the “English governmenmt’ is in total control? How does that square with your previous comment? You can’t have it both ways Xaracen. Or maybe you do – because you like it.

Mark Beggan

Childrens books!

Humza and the Hate Monsters

Not suitable for under fives.

willie

Still no mention whatsoever of what caused the Baltimore bridge disaster.

From looking at the video it certainly looks like the container ship was set to collide with the central bridge pier. Ships have travelled under this bridge for nearly fifty years and it therefore is most strange that this terrible accident has now occurred.

The world has a lot going on just now. Nord pipeline, attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, attacks on the Kherson bridge, the Moscow shopping mall attack, the middle east. So could this ship accident be a message, a maritime 26/3.

Who knows. It’s a big bad world just now and ordinary folks would be the last to know anything about what really goes on.

One thing for sure this is, aside of a few tragic deaths, a huge hit on the US economy – accident or no accident.

George Ferguson

@Campbell Clansman 1:04pm
Ash Regan voted for HCA whilst being a member of SNP and we know the pressure brought to bear by the SNP hierarchy on their own backbenchers. No matter the Alba policy is to withhold the operational roll out of the HCA pending a series of ammendments to be compatible with existing human rights legislation. (See previous legal opinion stated by Aidan O’Neill KC for the Christian Institute). Failing that the HCA leglisation will be repealed. So we have at least one political party that will have in their manifesto a commitment to repeal the HCA in 2026.

London Scot

TheKraut
Ignored says:
25 March, 2024 at 8:46 pm
Coming to Scotland for nearly forty years more or less every other year, this year it will feel like visiting auntie in the former GDR, no one would talk freely because you never knew, who of the present was the Stasi snitch. And there were a few in the extended family.

I believe 25% of the population were informers. Family, friends, neighbours, colleagues.

Bob Johnston

Nicked from a Spectator commentator today. Scotland: Home of the Endarkenment.

London Scot

Legal question here re NCHI. Can the Scots Police record a NCHI against anyone who lives in rUK? Would that information come up in an enhanced DBS for someone living in and applying for a professional job or voluntary role in England? i.e. Would UK Police outside Scotland have access to it?

I had to have an advanced DBS as a sponsor of a Ukrainian mum and child 2 years ago. I was worried in case NCHI had been recorded against me without my knowledge and that they would be denied entry to the UK as their sponsorship would fall through.

As it was I was OK. But I shall do a SARS on a regular basis. Although the UK government has now told English forces not to record NCHIs except for exceptional cases, I believe many people are still on the system. And I course I might end up on the Scots database.

Confused

one thing we have to remember in Scotland is how laws are selectively applied; as for “hate”, such a thing exists, but not what they say it is – rather it is what you get at the 600 orange marches a year in the west of Scotland and in other places. They get police protection and ambulance/health support, and they don’t pay for it – we don’t know what it costs, no one will tell you.

– this is a belter, a riot, but bear in mind the guy got off with it and “some of his friends are -coloured- “; he gets a pass, for some reason.

link to archive.is

hospitality suites at ibrox are a fucking sewer, in a way worse than much of the crap in the stands, as the middle class are “meant to know better”.

Onlooker

Sorry to sound cynical, or even insensitive, but this whole thing just sounds like an excuse for Stu to give up the site because the Scottish political (b)landscape is so moribund, depressing, and seemingly unfixable right now. Can’t say I would blame him, if this were the case, and I could well be wrong.

Vestas

@ Rev. Stuart Campbell

Assuming a shutdown, which seems likely from what I’ve read are you going to cancel the monthly subs yourself ? The ones from whatever CF site got rid of you because someone complained – I can’t even remember the site name now 🙂

The “Contact” link at the top of the website hasn’t worked for ages and I’m not joining X/whatever to request cancellation.

Or is it a case of we need to cancel at the bank?

Not jumping the gun, just being realistic. This law isn’t getting revoked anytime soon.

Mark Beggan

Why are most Trannys overlay tall? Is it a genetic thing or what?

Bob Johnston

Some genius has just suggested a name for the Hate Monster. How does Humza sound?

Stuart MacKay

George Ferguson @1:37pm

> Alba policy is to withhold the operational roll out of the HCA pending a series of ammendments

Are you serious? So rather than trying to build a society based on respect, civility and tolerance – letting everyone go about their business and minding their own business, they are going to forge ahead with the toxic concept of “hate”, which will only ever be weaponised not necessarily by Alba but certainly by everyone else with an axe to grind.

If so, I’m glad I left.

Alf Baird

dasBlimp @ 11:57 am

“So let’s assume (extremely unlikely) you get your independence and the SNP or similar are in full control. Who you gonna blame then?”

More astute commentators here accept that there is no chance of the new-SNP securing independence; their entire focus since 2014 and after 6 unused nationalist majorities has clearly been to thwart independence and instead ‘manage’ the colonial administration. Which suggests there is little prospect of the SNP being in control of an independent Scotland.

Dorothy Smegma

Rev. Stuart Campbell:
26 March, 2024 at 11:57 am

“In the event that you must cease publication and close down your entire site post-March, is there any way of downloading all your posts “at once” rather than individually?”

Most decent web-spider apps will do this for you.

Many thanks. Hopefully, if everything here does go dark, the Wayback Machine will still be able to maintain a backup.

dasBlimp

More astute commentators here accept that there is no chance of the new-SNP securing independence; their entire focus since 2014 and after 6 unused nationalist majorities has clearly been to thwart independence and instead ‘manage’ the colonial administration. Which suggests there is little prospect of the SNP being in control of an independent Scotland.

I was saying the same thing when commentators here, just a few years ago, thought the sun shone out of the SNP’s collective arse. It has always been obvious that post-Salmond, ye hae nae chance o indy!

Oops that keyboard thingy must be catching.

Bob Johnston

Onlooker @ 1.53pm The Rev has put the site on hold in the past and came back by popular demand. If he wanted to shut up shop I reckon he would just say, rather than drawing more ire from his detractors by seeking legal advice.

Xaracen

@dasBlimp;

It squares perfectly well with my previous comment! You are being obtuse. I CAN have it both ways because they do not contradict each other. If you want to claim they do, then you need to explain exactly why you think they do.

Geri

DasBurstBalloon…

“So, you say the “English governmenmt’ is in total control? How does that square with your previous comment? You can’t have it both ways Xaracen. Or maybe you do – because you like it.”

You have it the wrong way around.

The English government *thinks* it’s entitled to full control. It isn’t. It’s in a Union.

The English Government also *permitted* Scotland to vote for a Devolved parliament – then quickly shat itself when it was a YES & decided to ham string it into knots on what was Devolved & what was Reserved.

Guess what all the reserved is? Anything with money attached.

Scotland has voted to leave with various mandates. SNP hasn’t carried out the instruction. It’s only a matter of time. Why don’t you start a campaign for English independence? Rather than ask who Scots will blame post independence – who will the English blame for being skint without a pot to piss in?

Scots will manage just fine. We’ve had 300+ yrs of being in a union & it’s been utter shite & of no benefit to anyone but England constantly stealing resources for itself. Africa is awake now too & colonisation is over. The yanks imperialism looks to be over too.

Mark Beggan

What will Police Scotland do with people who hate themselves.

Bob Johnston

Mark Beggan @ 2.39pm I’d guess most of them are in the SNP, so nothing.

Andrew F

First they came for the “conspiracy theorists” (you know, those people who suggested that there was something smelly about introducing martial law for the flu, and said this was a slippery slide toward a more totalitarian security state under the guise of “protecting the weak and vulnerable”).

But I didn’t speak out, because not only was I not a “conspiracy theorist” but I actually agreed with the people calling for the punishment and exclusion from society of those people.

Then they came for me, but the strange thing is that the “conspiracy theorists” who had survived the pogroms I supported actually came to my defence….

Freedom is freedom. Anyone is welcome to join in anytime to defend it, even if they’ve previously fought against it.

Xaracen

The UK’s Union is unequivocally an associative one, not an incorporative one, despite the English establishment’s best attempts to pretend otherwise. The fact that the border, even after 317 years, still delineates the interface between the two kingdoms’ distinctive peoples, territories, sovereignties, monarchies, constitutions, legal systems, justice systems, state religions, languages, and cultures, is indisputable proof of the former description, and not of the latter one.

The authority that England’s establishment wields over Scotland via their MPs is ultra vires, and therefore fraudulent, and therefore unlawful when exerted in spite of Scots MP’s refusal. Neither the Treaty nor either Act of Union gave any power over Scotland to England or to England’s MPs. It is the Scots MPs alone who wield the sovereignty of the Scottish half of the Union in the Union’s shared parliament.

The English establishment’s assertions that simple democracy mandates English dominance over Scotland gain no formal provenance of any kind from the Treaty or Acts, making the numeric majority of England’s MPs’ completely irrelevant, as does Scotland’s sovereignty, which clearly tells them; ‘The hell it does!’

dasBlimp

Geri and Xaracen

The previous comment I was referring to was Xaracens ‘Get off the lawn.’

George Ferguson

@Stuart MacKay 2pm
You have misunderstood my post. The HCA will be operational from Monday 1st April under this SNP/Green Government. Alba’s policy is to postpone the HCA until it is compatible with existing human rights legislation. Eminent legal opinion I quoted suggest that might not be possible because of the conflicts with the rights of others. Alba’s default position is to repeal the HCA if this is not achieved. Clear blue water between Alba and the SNP/Green Government.

Hatuey

Onlooker: “this whole thing just sounds like an excuse for Stu to give up the site because the Scottish political (b)landscape is so moribund, depressing, and seemingly unfixable right now.”

I think that’s bullshit. If Stu wanted to give up, I’m sure he would; he doesn’t need an excuse.

I think it’s almost a certainty that the day the Law comes into effect there will be multiple complaints made against Wings. That’s how it will most likely play out. It won’t be ScotGov or the authorities that kick it off, it will be unseen and unheard of people who make complaints. He has every reason to be concerned and make plans.

As for the state of Scottish politics, in a lot of ways it’s more interesting than it has been in 10 years. The investigations going on in the background could at any moment change everything. The SNP is already on the slide, their position expected to go from bad to worse, and God knows what awaits that bunch of losers.

Once it is clear that the SNP is finished, though, half of the electorate will go looking for a new vehicle. That process is already underway and likely to accelerate if one or two of the investigations develop in a certain way, but what really matters, providing a massively important silver lining, is the enduring support for independence.

It’s inconceivable that support for independence and the political force it represents will not at some point find expression. We can’t see it right now, the SNP are muddying everything, but things could change very quickly.

Geri

DasBurstBalloon…

“So, you say the “English governmenmt’ is in total control? How does that square with your previous comment? You can’t have it both ways Xaracen. Or maybe you do – because you like it.”

You have it the wrong way around.

The English government *thinks* it’s entitled to full control. It isn’t. It’s in a Union.

The English Government also *permitted* Scotland to vote for a Devolved parliament – then quickly shat itself when it was a YES & decided to hamstring it into knots on what was Devolved & what was Reserved.

Guess what all the reserved is? Anything with money attached.

Westminster has control over Holyrood. They rendered it useless when they drew up the Scotland Act & have consistently removed further powers from it. They have no control over what happens outside of it regards the legalities of the Act of Union.

Scotland has voted to leave with six mandates. SNP hasn’t carried out the instruction. It’s only a matter of time until someone else does. Why don’t you start a campaign for English independence? Rather than ask who Scots will blame post independence – who will the English blame for being skint without a pot to piss in when Scotland walks?

Scots will manage just fine. We’ve had 300+ yrs of being in a union & it’s been utter shite & of no benefit to anyone but England constantly stealing resources for itself. It’ll be no great loss.

Have you been here since 2017? Under what name? Because that’s when people knew Sturgeon was a busted flush & talking pish & trying to nulify her own mandate over Brexshit. She subsequently went on to lose 21 seats as a result so behave at trying to imply you were educating anyone on here yrs ago. You weren’t.

Geri

Oops! Apologies for double post. When I came back to the screen it was still showing so I added a bit more & submitted. eek!

dasBlimp

That’s OK, Geri. I didn’t read either of them.

moixx

George Ferguson @ 3.16pm

“The HCA will be operational from Monday 1st April under this SNP/Green Government. Alba’s policy is to postpone the HCA until it is compatible with existing human rights legislation. Eminent legal opinion I quoted suggest that might not be possible because of the conflicts with the rights of others. Alba’s default position is to repeal the HCA if this is not achieved. Clear blue water between Alba and the SNP/Green Government.”

———————————————————

The SG is currently drawing up a new Human Rights Bill and legislation for Scotland (they ran a ‘consultation’ on it last year) which specifically names LGBTI as a group for special treatment within it. So if that gets passed into law, the HCA might then actually be compatible with ‘existing’ human rights legislation.

sarah

@ Margaret Eleftheriou: the Assange “verdict” is worrying. Another postponement to give the USA a chance to come up with a form of words that the UK judges can accept as “guaranteeing” Julian Assange’s physical safety. The UK justiciary are not what they were. I can’t see Lord Denning going along with any of the UK judges at any level in their decisions to date.

@ Xaracen at 3.10: agree.

David

Would using ‘New private window’ Ctrl+Shift+P be a way of getting round things,

George Ferguson

@Moixx 3:49pm
There are many concerns of conflicts with other human rights not just sexual orientation. The recent Murdo Fraser case outlined other breaches e.g.data compliance. I hope he goes ahead with his Judicial Review. Meanwhile Stu’s sterling fundraiser will hopefully thrash out other infringements our human rights. I really think the HCB will be repealed. We have a Scottish Government that cannot craft good Law. It should be a shoo in.

AndyH

Well done NSP!

Well done Youslaz & co.

You’ve turned me into a Tory voter.

moixx

George Ferguson @ 4.21pm

As you probably realise, I wasn’t referring to the ‘sexual orientation’ aspect of it. But it’s heartening to hear a hopeful comment, and I hope you’re right.

Anton Decadent

What’s new in Baltimore?

I wonder if we will be given a special wing(s) for those convicted whilst wearing the badges? I also wonder if any of us will notice each other through them.

Xaracen

dasBlimp said;

“That’s OK, Geri. I didn’t read either of them.” (of Geri’s double post)

Yeah, right!

Sven

Anton Decadent @ 17.46

My badges will all identify as Willie Warmers (well, except for the one who will think he is a condom and advocates safe sex) so I’m hoping that will safeguard me from the Poileas suspecting I’m being hateful about the Hateful Act.

Mark Beggan

Holyrood is the cess pit of Scottish morality.

John McGregor

Do as you have to do to keep your self on the right side of this law Anybody can wake up in the morning and be offended by anything The country is F#@ked

Stuart MacKay

George Ferguson

Perhaps, I misunderstood, however I still find it worrying that in principle that Alba agrees with the purpose of the HCA and they’re only hesitant because the details.

If you look at the whole mess we’re in because of “thou shall”, “thou shalt not” as dictated by special interest groups and a small minority in power, then the whole rule book needs to be torn up and thrown away. Clearly expectations need to be set for behaviour in public, but that’s not necessarily the job of government, simply because it’s impossible to codify every case in law. Take the simple case of calling a trans-woman a b*tch, in a public setting. Is that perfectly acceptable misogyny or a hate crime?

I’d rather a much more robust system based on personal responsibility, where anti-social behaviour was considered unacceptable rather than illegal. Peer and societal pressure is likely far more effective rather than an overstretched police force who only have the resources to tackle the politically sensitive cases.

Rebel Yell

Very serious question: can you be prosecuted under the Hate Crime Swill for dinner table conversation? If you can, I have an amazing idea for a master hater crime to report when the shit hits the fan. But I need to know the dinner table part is defo legit. I know it was there in the initial 2021 version of the swill bill, but I had it in my mind it was taken out during amendments. I need to be sure. So…? Thanks I advance.

James

I’m a silent wings reader, never posted before.

This is terrifying, if you think it through.

Geri

I hear the TRAs have been branded a terrorist organisation by Ruskies & are banned LOL.

& Who can blame them? They’ve terrorised everyone in their wake. From rewriting books, enforcing everyone to comply to their wackadoo demands & removing woman’s rights or else they’ll go holiday daft & start jailing people for hurry words.

They’re on a par with the Taliban. Next step, Wembley stadium for a good beheading.

That’s leadership. Someone telling it like it is & who knows to knock silly biology denying nonsense on the nut.

Geri

Stuart MacKay

Well said.

Alba needs to grow a set & distance itself immediately from playing along with this shite. Who are they scared of upsetting? A tiny minority of eejits who wouldn’t vote for them anyway?
Fascism seems more the TRAs gig. Not Independence.

The majority of Scotland is against this nonsense. Alba will never get anywhere playing mini SNP. I wish tae fck they’d take it on board & get off that hobby horse. The majority are leaving/have left the SNP for a reason & they seem hellbent on copying the same thing that has brought the SNP to electoral suicide.

Even Labour isn’t offering anything to stop this nonsense so why is alba not seizing the opportunity instead of going limp?

George Ferguson

@Stuart MacKay 6:44pm
OK plain language. The available legal opinion is that HCA as it stands will never be compatible with existing human rights legislation. Ergo Alba can repeal. But remember this is Scottish Parliament Leglisation. Which brings to light the Sun Tsu tactics of the Labour Party. They have supported all the progressive legislation over the years only to stand by and watch the SNP take the hit.

Cee Bee Beaumont

Is the dinner table reporting thing from the hate crime bill gen up? Surely it can’t be?

[…] Wings Over Scotland: […]

Al

They can’t jail thousands; stay firm. Happy to
have a paid holiday in BarL if they want to prosecute -and I’m not a die-hard Indie

John McDonald

I think the only answer is after 1 April for all of us to flood the Police Scotland website with endless complaints about “hate”. We could report every time Humza tweets! If we flood the system with thousands of complaints, we can crash it.

James Hammerton

“In 2017, under a very similar law, I was subjected to a malicious, ridiculous allegation of “harassment” by a journalist whose work we’d critiqued, and arrested.”

In the situation you describe here, the Met police travelled to Bath to haul you in. You’re positing that Police Scotland might do similarly regarding an offence they regard as committed in Scotland. This raises a question in my mind – Scotland and England are 2 different legal jurisdictions, with different laws applying either sides of the border, rather than just 2 different police jurisdictions as per Bath vs London.

Can Police Scotland travel into England in order to detain someone for something that isn’t an offence in England? It seems to me that would be required if you were to be e.g. hauled to Scotland on suspicion of stirring up hatred on the grounds of gender identity and thus the situation wouldn’t be quite the same as the Met doing so.

Hopefully you’re legal advice will be clear on this point.

James Hammerton

In this tweet I asked Prof James Chalmers about this cross border detentions under the new offences: link to twitter.com

This was his reply: “Unlikely that would satisfy the “substantial part” test unless it was specifically aimed at Scotland. Conversely, likely anything that could meet the requirements of the offence would also be an offence under s 127 of the Communications Act 2003, which applies across the UK.”

Given the circumstances in which people have been detained or even convicted under S 127, I wasn’t entirely reassured! The “substantial part” test is that a substantial part of the offence occurred in Scotland – Chalmers explained this earlier in the thread.

Also I note this from the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994: link to legislation.gov.uk Note subsections 2 and and 5. It looks like the Scottish police can indeed cross the border to detain someone if the exercise of the power to detain would have been lawful had the suspect been in Scotland and the offence concerned was committed in Scotland.

[…] the links in this article, readers, because Wings might not be here tomorrow and it’s important. According to the Scottish Government, our beloved country is in the grip […]


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