Left to their own devices
We’ve received a response from the Scottish Government to our follow-up letter of last week regarding the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. It’s attached below.
Dear Mr Campbell
Thank you for your further e-mail of 20 May 2020.
Your message of 16 May invited Mr Yousaf to “instruct COPFS, in the first instance, simply to answer my questions properly, fully and without the evasion and equivocation it has deployed until now”. I have responded that he may not do so. The same is true of the Scottish Ministers as a body. As I am sure you are well aware, the Scottish Ministers act as a collective body. Given the provisions of section 48(5) of that Act (to which I see Mr Robert Black alluded in comments on your site), it is no more lawful for the Scottish Ministers to instruct the Crown Office in the performance of their functions, as a body, than for Mr Yousaf to do so, individually.
Writing to the Scottish Ministers as a body is not the most appropriate way to contact the Lord Advocate in respect of his functions as head of the systems of criminal prosecution and investigation of deaths, but in any event, you have written to the Crown Office, which is. Obviously I am not aware of their internal arrangements, but it seems likely that if you had complained to them on 7 May, the fact that you have not received a response by 16 May (or even 26 May) is not very surprising.
It is likely you will receive one in due course; in which case you can consider any further action in accordance with the respective procedures.
Regards
Kevin Philpott
Criminal Justice Division
Two rather concerning things leap out from that reply (or three if you count the fact that the Criminal Justice Division is apparently reading all the comments on Wings articles).
The less important one is that if “writing to the Scottish Ministers as a body is not the most appropriate way to contact the Lord Advocate in respect of his functions”, then it’s perhaps somewhat less than ideal that the official Scottish Government web page listing the functions of the Lord Advocate gives that as his contact address.
But the more alarming part is this one:
“it seems likely that if you had complained to them on 7 May, the fact that you have not received a response by 16 May (or even 26 May) is not very surprising”
We actually wrote to the Crown Office to report the numerous newspapers publishing identifying information on 4 April, not 7 May (something we clearly stated in our initial letter). And we also noted that the police consider the threat to the witnesses, should they be identified, to be so grave that they had to be issued with personal alarms.
So in fact, unlike Mr Philpott, we find it extremely surprising – and worrying – that the Crown Office hasn’t taken any action to remove this supposedly highly dangerous information in almost TWO MONTHS, let alone pursue those who published it.
That seems to us a very cavalier approach to take to the safety of the witness, and what DOES surprise us is hearing a Scottish Government representative casually dismiss the idea that the matter should be treated with any urgency.
We’ve conveyed these views to Mr Philpott. In addition to the Crown Office we’ve also contacted (on 21 May) HM Inspectorate of Prosecutions in Scotland outlining our concerns about the matter. We await acknowledgement of the email, and will continue to keep you abreast of any developments.
Seems like they’re winging it – not the kind of competence, or professionalism, you’d expect from such an organisation – keep on this please Stu, as every stage is more enlightening (the reference to the btl comments was downright hilarious btw)
Harrumph, how very dare you complain to their learned worships, know your place or you will be next laddie.
You very well may be next.
Rev.
I take my hat off to you in having the fortitude to deal with the muppets that control and have power over us, the unworthy.
Time Wolfie Smith was back and the people could at last take control and point out the error of the ways of civil servants otherwise known as the Servants of the Sovereign people of Scotland.
I think the initial response of the various people you have lettered rhymes with “spit” and they are struggling to work out how to respond without showing themselves as part of it.
Forgive me but I feel the need to repeat something I said in relation to the response Stu received to his previous letter. This applies eqiually as well to this latest attempt at deflection.
“The SG response was predictable but utterly disgraceful. How much longer are we as Scots going to put up with this sh#t? Nothing is changing in fact it is becoming ever more dystopian. We need a genuine independence party and we need it now. There is no point in voting SNP unless there is an urgent and complete clear out from top to bottom. As things stand there is nobody I can vote for, I am disenfranchised. I will not vote for more of the same whether it be dressed in blue, red, orange, or the latest hue, yellow.
I fear civil unrest unless our daily diet of lies, obfuscation and corruption is addressed, and soon.”
It’s hilarious how, by refusing to comply with the law, they’re literally greasing the slope they will slip on.
Top trolling, Rev.
Oh, Kev, if you’re reading this: thanks for the hint. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.
Rev, I hope you’ve left a number of sealed envelopes with a web of trusted friends, to be opened if we don’t hear or read from you for an X number of days.
“If you read this…”
.
Rev Stu.,
As Alec Guinness would say…
Be a little kind.
You need to understand these gentle folk who are trying to deal with your forensic enquiries are highly likely to be in lockdown and working from an old laptop in their back bedroom or garden office without their extensive expensive network of civil servants.
It is incredibly difficult to coordinate a group of several hundred people when all you have is a computer and an internet connection from your home. Oops, that is what you do and a bloody good job too.
A touch of irony as we see the massive infrastructure of the British Empire experience what it is like to have to work from home and “wing it” like poor Mr Philpott.
I bet Kevin loves receiving WoS correspondence and he especially likes reading this website ???
What are the odds you have been taken off of the Lord Advocate’s Christmas card list ???.
If the Criminal Justice Division is reading all comments on Wings article then perhaps they’ll also read this one;
Something squalid, perhaps unlawful, is afoot here, and as a tax paying citizen I would prefer the Criminal Justice Division and any other public bodies involved in recent and ongoing ‘irregularities’ take very seriously the concerns being presented by this site.
Flippancy, lack of concern or urgency may seem appropriate to you; I couldn’t disagree more, we couldn’t disagree more.
These grave matters are not going away.
I dealt with nhs complaints for many years and there are defined response times to acknowledge the complaint, respond and manage any appeal process. I would be amazed if this department did not have similar standards- as they are all defined by the SPSO.
What Kenny said at 5.36pm.
Keep at it please, Rev..
Elmac
“I fear civil unrest unless our daily diet of lies, obfuscation and corruption is addressed, and soon.”
Aye, there’s more important things than the pandemic.
Keep going at it Stu. You’re doing the job the MSM have neglected to do.
Assuming there has not been a significant reduction since 2013, an investigation into how Keir Starmer is able to claim to have had 8000 staff in his charge as director of public prosecution, when wiki indicates that there are only 7000 such staff in England and Wales, might shed some light on the apparent vacuum of responsibility.
https://order-order.com/2020/05/26/starmer-on-staff-sackings/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Director_of_Public_Prosecutions_(England_and_Wales)
keep biting them on the bum, REV
for everyone else
… enjoy the fresh new feel of a new clean thread …
you have about 5 minutes to enjoy till the twats from the last thread turnup – the all day spammers, the disruptors, the new handle enthusiasts …
3 – 2 – 1 …
The “you could be next Stu” is a bit I like cos I reckon that you could crowdfund more than that alicsammin managed and cos you have your own website also more publicity too! Good for you(us) bad for them!
It’s bad enough Boris and the Tories telling us we are
Insignificant but now the Scottish Government are joining
In with another tier of get lost you have no rights to seek
Answers or justice.
I shall be sending this on to my SNP MP, MSP and Branch
Officials to give me some kind of answer and failure to do
So satisfactorily will result in another members direct debit
Biting the dust.
Even if there civil servants were crooked unionists and hiding
This from the Party leaders I’d be astonished if they didn’t
Have the sense to read this blog daily.
This sort of shenanigans makes me fear for an independent Scotland under an SNP Government.
Very much a case of ‘meet the new boss – same as the old boss’.
Why wouldn’t someone trust government? Democide?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democide
‘The objectives of democide include the disintegration of the political and social institutions of culture, language, national feelings, religion, and the economic existence of national groups; the destruction of the personal security, liberty, health, dignity; and even the lives of the individuals belonging to such groups.’
‘research shows that the death toll from democide is far greater than the death toll from war. After studying over 8,000 reports of government-caused deaths, Rummel estimates that there have been 262 million victims of democide in the last century.’
‘One of his main findings is that liberal democracies have much less democide than authoritarian regimes. He argues that there is a relation between political power and democide. Political mass murder grows increasingly common as political power becomes unconstrained. At the other end of the scale, where power is diffuse, checked, and balanced, political violence is a rarity. According to Rummel, “The more power a regime has, the more likely people will be killed. This is a major reason for promoting freedom.”
‘Rummel concludes that “concentrated political power is the most dangerous thing on earth.”‘
I could rest my case on that. But I will not.
OOOOH! THEY READ BTL! Waves to Kev and the team.
On a more serious note there is Robert Black, Professor Emeritus of Scots Law at Edinburgh Uni who is an eminent QC and who works with Morag on the Lockerbie stuff.
Not sure if that is the same Robert Black who posted that comment. Maybe that is why they noted the name?
Nice work Stu, not so nice ‘work’ from sarky Kev perusing the btl comments on a blog that we repeatedly are told nobody cares about!
Unbelievable that there is no-one able to answer a pretty clear question. Too many indians perchance?
Thanks Confused 😀
Wonder who will be first to deflect!
In Scotland there’s a great show of adhering to the rules. We also like to think we are a grown-up ‘rule of law’ country. In my experience being seen to follow the rules is a sign that you’re in the ‘in group’. When someone in the ‘out group’ points out that rules are not being followed, then suddenly you get an education from the in group that there are all these exceptions that you never knew existed, or the person you need to speak to is on annual leave which often becomes a rolling cascade of people being on annual leave, or your carefully crafted letter falls into the deep bureaucratic void of perfect silence. You shout back “hello?” and all you hear are echoes of your own voice…
We badly, badly need a constitution and the teaching of civics from at least the last year of primary school. In Scotland, the in group are the constitution making us a country of men, not laws, which is the exact opposite of the definition of the rule of law.
Oh, look! It’s the 80th anniversary of Dunkirk! From tomorrow it’ll only be 364 days until the 81st. Counting down the days…
We also need a Scottish version of Private Eye, but then the courts would probably ensure that it was sued out of existence in very short order.
https://www.change.org/p/uk-parliament-public-vote-of-no-confidence-in-pm-johnson?recruiter=false&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_medium=whatsapp&recruited_by_id=11f6aef0-9f54-11ea-9c1c-e5543a44527a
I can hear the fools barking about this latest petition.
It up to you but I and 136,000 have signed unable to
Stomach the lies and arrogance of Cummings and accessories not to the fact.
Confused 6.16
Very true my friend on all points
Could they be reading the site to find you making a contempt?
Truly ,tru!y desperate stuff.
So the CJD reads your blog Rev, for who’s benefit I wonder, by the sounds of it the left hand doesn’t know what the right hands doing when they can’t even get the dates correct, and they just couldn’t be bothered to respond to you sooner.
As for removing the info, didn’t you get the memo, it’s only independence supporting journalists, bloggers, that are in the crosshairs of the judiciary.
I wish Salmond would hurry up with his new book, or that Craig Murray reveals all before he’s fitted up, let’s get it ALL out in the open. Surely the revelations will bring the house of cards that’s the SNP tumbling down, or to be more precise Sturgeon and her clique.
@ Kenny 5.36pm I also echo and endorse the sentiments expressed by you and others , the obfuscation and diversionary tactics being used by the justice department to answer Stuart’s and our genuine beliefs that a miscarriage of justice has taken place and justice is not being equitably dispersed is suspicious and unedifying
My advice to the justice dept JUST ANSWER THE BLOODY QUESTION
This is exactly why WE NEED INDEPENDENCE these (un)civil servants NEED to be answerable for their decisions , to ensure fairness and that there is no underlying partisanship or political motivation directing their decisions
I for one am sick of the condescension and corruption endemic within the establishment
Oh you are awful, but I like you! He’s obviously a lurker.
This is all just so cockeyed.
The Prosecution service as far as I know is only independent in how they apply the law.I
However Holyrood can at any time ,change the law as circumstances dictate. They can determine what the law actually is.
To therefore say Ministers have no input to how the law is enacted or created or applied is just plain wrong.
Round and round the rugged rock etc
The official complaints procedures in place within almost all organisations requires acknowledgement within 7 days or, in some cases, 10 working days & some kind of answer within a further 21 days. Strange, though perhaps unsurprising given their antipathy to being held accountable, that the Scottish government & Crown Prosecution Service fails to follow this basic good practice.
Let’s be careful what we wish for.
Do we want a Lord Advocate answerable to the Scottish Government (and therefore able to be pressurised by them), or do we want an independent judiciary. Most civisied countries go for the independent judiciary, for very good reasons.
But I still think this whole thing smells …. well done Stuart for pursuing this. I’ve contacted my MSP, but answer came there none.
You’ll have to get yourself a big magnetic whiteboard, like they have in police procedurals, so you can draw links between the myriad contact points in this Kafkaesque saga. Eventually, the lines will all lead to the culprit/s. But only after a mole slips you the key.
Observe the actions of a tinpot dictatorship.
When we question the behaviour of the independent judiciary, who do we question?
They work for you.
Thanks Mr Philpot for emphasising the need for a written Constitution. It’s clear that it needs to cover not just the conduct of our elected representatives but also their bag carriers and particularly those who are laughingly described as public servants.
Yours truly.
Your actually boss
I remember Frank Mulholland Lord Advocate and the bin lorry crash in Glasgow. The families there did not receive justice because the Advocate believed his deputy rather than six independent witnesses( including lawyers), about a claim ‘re where the driver had previously experienced bouts of unconsciousness.
We’re not told the status of Kevin Philpott. Does he make the tea for whoever makes the coffee?
Re Alex Lomax @ 6.05pm
Yes there is.
So the Criminal Justice Division is monitoring btl comments on WOS. Here’s one for them to appreciate and digest then.
The neurobiological basis of gender dysphoria
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/12/191202135655.htm
Good grief! Bl**dy amateurs.
Mr Philpott is a senior policy advisor, been in the job 25 years,
near retirement ?
probably got away with such obfuscation all his days,
probably thought last job before retirement to Whitby or Skegness , `i`ll deal with this nuisance, nae problem`,
should have kept his head down do what he`s always done got out gold watch home and dry,
instead Kevin Philpott is now in the centre of what will be a
massive exposé of Scottish establishment corruption.
This interview was censored on Youtube. It is very much worth a watch –
https://www.bitchute.com/video/Avc6_ftzk3w/
@Criminal Justice Division
You appear committed to respecting natural law in all concerns other than gender and constitutional law. Why is that? Also, you are aware that anti-foundational legal practice is incompatible with liberal democracy?
ABC for a Gender Sensitive Constitution
HANDBOOK FOR ENGENDERING CONSTITUTION MAKING
https://www.efi-ife.org/sites/default/files/ABC%20for%20a%20Gender%20Sensitive%20Constitution.pdf
@Criminal Justice Division
Do you have any intention of defending Scotland’s democracy, or do you intend destroying through the GRA and Hate Crime bills?
Constitutional Rights and Proportionality
https://journals.openedition.org/revus/2783
It could be that the Crown Office’s structure was best summed up by this fellow’s assessment…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_qR00Xbspo
@Joe,
You do realise that the comments underneath your you tube video contain such gems as
“The colleges are run by black witches. Look at the robes on the Professors handing out the diplomas”
Oh Lord.
Somethings not right here. Kevin Philpott and everyone who approved his response know it will be seen by all who look at Wings, and shared further. I don’t know how many that is that will see it but such a response to such a wide audience is quite simply out of keeping with the SG comms team and how they deal with this sort of thing.
Typo in there Rev. You’ve said “on 4 April, not 16 May.” If I understand correctly, that 16 should be 7. Wouldn’t want you to make something unclear.
As I thought they are playing departmental ping-pong with you in the hope that you will give up and go away.. It seems they have little knowledge or understanding of your tenacity hitherto.
@Criminal Justice Division
Do you support a legal respect for the human genome? It doesn’t look like it from here.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4395810/
@Bob Mack
I’ll translate that to: ‘I don’t have anything I can say that addresses the meat of the subject, however I do have to appear to make some kind of argument against it’.
Fairly desperate. I do hope your not actually payed for this shite performance.
Sorry for going a bit OT so early.
Someone way up the line said that KP is a senior policy advisor which makes him a B3 grade in the SG and trust me, there is nothing senior about that.
You are a brick stu.
This whole thing stinks, from the Scottish government to the judiciary to the police.
I would never have believed that this could happen under an SNP government, but I do now.
Smacks of the present UKGov omnishambles – making shit up on the hoof and hoping they can get away with it.
In other words…”let me introduce you to the magic roundabout”
They are taking you in circles.
Cameron fuck off with your intellectual clap trap I would give you some credit if you read all that theoretical shite . Get back on your meds
@Julia Gibb says:
26 May, 2020 at 9:54 pm
In other words…”let me introduce you to the magic roundabout”
They are taking you in circles.
That was clever the SG not so.
I suspect you will lose the battle but perhaps there is a way to win the war. Looking at them in isolation, the replies that you have received so far have been entirely correct. It is a matter of fact that the complaint can only be made to COPFS. It appears that HM Inspector of Prosecution is rather like the Inspectors General of the various federal government departments here in the USA. So they act as auditors rather than, dealing with specific complaints. That is not to say that they cannot take your correspondence into account when planning or executing an audit. It’s just that you should not expect a substantive response from them – certainly not in a timely manner.
So where does this leave us? Well, here in the USA, if we do not like a prosecutor or other law officer, we can vote them out at the next election. They have four year terms. Judges are also subject to elections. Terms are either four or eight years, depending on the office. However, there is nothing like that in Scotland. You have demonstrated that there is no sure-fire way of getting COPFS to pay attention and there is no complaints procedure for specific complaints. It seems to me that you have demonstrated conclusively that the current justice system in Scotland is not fit for purpose and that it must change.
ronnie anderson
Just who do you think you are you cheeky fucker?
The deafening silece from (most of) our elected representatives, the MSM, and the legal watchdogs, regarding the fallout from the Salmond stitch-up and continuing attempts at silencing dissenting voices on the internet, leads me to conclude tht we do not live in a functioning democracy any more.
Perhaps we never did.
ronnie anderson
What makes you think you can question my rationality and judgement?
The Neuroscience Revolution, Ethics, and the Law
https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/bioethics/resources/the-neuroscience-revolution-ethics-and-the-law/
Am the same cheeky fucker thats sat down wie you and discussed your irrational behaviour when you came of your meds & your doing the exact same thing .
Dont you see Cameron all that shite your posting is a distraction from the theme of the Revs post .
ronnie anderson
I apologised for jumping the gun and you simply don’t understand how my PTSD affects me. So I’d appreciate it if you were not to assume you are qualified to speculate on the status of my mental health. It’s height of bad manners.
The more they write to you, the deeper in the brown stuff they get. Keep going you are winning. Every time they are seen to be talking nonsense the stronger your case.
It does show that when independence does come there needs to be a significant clear out of Westminster puppets. A good purge is required.
@Joe,
Clearly I have looked at it and even read the comments. It’s a crackpot site for crackpots Joe.What else is there to say.
You may appreciate the content but I do not.
Hud oan ah minute Cameron tae ah git ma crutch of ah Mega Cisterna wie complications , like the last time you went haywire your the last person to recognise it .
Your only contributing to the work of the Trolls on Wings & a lot of Wingers went out of their way in promoting this WoS site but because of your shite posting nobody would want to come on to this site .
Take the fuckin Medication
ronnie anderson
What’s your Mega Cisterna got to do me, how does that inform you as to my mental health? I’m on my meds yah cheeky twat.
It’s interesting
But it’s not “ Scottish independence”
We all know that the britnat media is the spearhead of England’s propaganda war against Scotland and against the SNP and NS
The law lords will never charge arrest or criminalise the britnat media for accidently on purpose releasing information barred by the courts but they will charge arrest criminalise the other side for doing the same thing
That’s how political propaganda works
Scotland prides itself in having its own legal system but it aligns itself very strongly and very humbly with England’s law
The Scottish government might think it acts within Scots law but Scotland’s law lords and lawyers defer to the English courts and Londons House of Lords weak souls that they are
You are seeing it played out here as WOS seeks a response to a question the COPFS does not have to answer and probably never will
Scottish independence is about taking back control
ronnie anderson
I’m doing my best to inform the debate with relevant specialist knowledge. So I don’t appreciate you undermining my efforts by questioning the quality of my judgement. I’m one of the most rational bastards you’re likely to meet.
BRAIN EQUALITY: LEGAL IMPLICATIONS OF
NEURODIVERSITY IN A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE
http://nyujilp.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/NYI102.pdf
This stuff matter. Constitutional law must respect neurodiversity and if it hopes to support human rights. Neither Brexit or the proposed reform of the GRA are compatible with a legal respect for neurodiversity.
Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights
Human Rights and Constitutional Law
Patterns of Mutual Validation and Legitimation
https://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199688623.001.0001/acprof-9780199688623-chapter-16
CBB
Keep on some of us appreciate it.
Cameron Irrationality in now your stock & trade G/Nite
divide and conquer
I am sad that the SNP have taken us all for mugs over the last few years, we now have a Party led by a leader who has no intention of fighting for Scottish Independence.
Sturgeon is trying to Scunner us.
Whether it’s about Salmond or whether it’s about Scottish Independence,,,she is not interested.
Her handling of this Virus outbreak
Will now get her votes from Nationalists AND Unionists, giving her a majority to carry on with the same shite of fighting for nonsense policies and Independence will get kicked even further down the road.
If only we could wipe the slate clean and wipe the SNP inner circle off the face of the earth.
Sturgeon has become a dictator.
I can’t get away with how she has changed from being a bubbly new leader of Scottish Independence, to this cold self centered Devolutionist, who has no time for anyone.
ronnie anderson
You’re not competent to pass judgement my mental health.
cynicalHighlander
Will do. 😉
The Political Mind: A Cognitive Scientist’s Guide to Your Brain and Its Politics
https://edisciplinas.usp.br/mod/resource/view.php?id=2329688
@ CBB – most of what you post I scroll by. I just don’t have the time/brain space to follow up most of your links. But very occasionally you post something that interests me. For that I’m grateful.
I do wish you’d ignore the obvious trolls. I don’t mean ronnie anderson who I believe to be genuine. But there are people posting here who have no interest in independence for Scotland. Their sole intention is to distract, degrade and divert.
Ignore them. Save yourself the trouble of responding.
Millennium
How long have you been working for SIU?
Capella
I think it’s great you feel you gain something, if only a little. Ronnie is definitely genuine and I know that I’m possibly responding to algorithms. They give me a chance to introduce relevant knowledge though. At least that’s what I thought I was doing, especially concerning public health.
Capella
It’s with people like you and your uncritical support for Nicola Sturgeon that is holding up Independence.
You and your kind are the fuckin problem
Sturgeon is not interested in Scottish Independence,,,and you are too fuckin stupid to see it
So get out of the way and let us take up the fight.
Ya fuckin idiotic blind bitch.
I actually think your blind support for Sturgeon is now a feminist thing with you,,,woman power and all that shit,,,your support for Sturgeon can’t be based on her
Fight for Scottish Independence,,, because that is sitting at zero
I remember this site from way back before the 2014 vote , it was filled with information and interesting intelligent folk tossing around ideas on the direction the SNP should take it was the place to go for people to add to their knowledge and understanding of what was going on and why certain things were happening ,
Now I am afraid it’s like the fkn Wild West now littered with total f/n arseholes whose only aim is to fight with everyone in sight , and totally scupper the only way any of us going to push for an independent country, is that the plan f/k up the engine of the only vehicle we have and that’s the SNP , you Clowns and you know who you are take yer shite and f/k off , if it was my site I would remove every single one of you Hunts and that’s putting it Politely .
Doug Buchanan
Another one of Capella’s Flat Earthers
Did it take you all night to think up that post Dougie numb but?
How about posting something contractive Dug,,like how to get rid of Sturgeon so we can get in with fighting for Scottish Independence
Robert Graham
ANOTHER one of Capella’s Flat Earthers
What happened,,, has one your monthly meetings just finished or something?
I may have an explosive temper but that does not mean I lack rationality, or that my judgement is generally poor.
Emotions in constitutional design
https://academic.oup.com/icon/article-pdf/8/3/354/1728004/moq009.pdf
Millennium.Your out of order .Apologise to the lady.Theres disagreement and piss taking but you’re off the fucking reservation loony tune.
Dog
Away and take a good fuck to yourself
Dug
You post your shit,,,,and I’ll post mine
Simples!!!
Robert Graham the Independence Movement is stuck with a political conundrum right now namely a certain Nicola Sturgeon. The movement is bogged down.Perhaps this is what an army looks like in defeat?
Millennium you sure do post shit.
Crack pot talks, talks to himself with 2 of his usernames.
Lmao
clown
Raf A400 circling around Glasgow again.
Nothing better to do during a crisis?
It would be funny if Scotland’s democracy wasn’t in peril.
Commentary on “Toward a Neuroscience of Empathy: Integrating Affective and Cognitive Perspectives”
https://psicoterapiabilbao.es/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Neuroscience_of_Empathy.pdf
You’re reading this wrong Robbo and by the way it’s silicon warriors like you with a rotten attitude that attract trolls.
@Robert Graham
When i started commenting here I was much more conversational. I got hit with a wall of ad hominems and abuse for stepping out of the accepted bubble. Nobody said ‘wow, dont call Joe a Nazi because he disagrees. So I have zero respect for what you are saying. It was full of passive aggressive gormless leftist pricks
It has gotten a little spicy btl. 🙂
Poll reveals declining trust in UK government before Cummings crisis
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2237475-poll-reveals-declining-trust-in-uk-government-before-cummings-crisis/
In fact a look at what progressives have done to the SNP and Scottish independence you shouldnt just be glad of a change of narrative, you should be thankful its happening and ashamed of what this halo-polishing, ever-so-moral, hypocrite leftist bullshit has done. That would take character and some ability to self reflect however
The woke perspective can’t be considered progressive, as it entrenches sexist stereotypes and undermines the cultural and legal status of biological women.
@CameronB Brodie
It certainly wasnt the individualist right wing (us unclean deplorables) who started us on the path to having grown male perverts showering with wee lassies and writing laws to criminalise criticism of it.
Joe
I’m pretty sure the only similarity we share is our human biology.
Introduction: Empathy, Shared Emotions, and Social Identity
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11245-019-09641-w
Joe @ 1.07
That ye know of….check the funding!
English Torydum’s determination to complete Brexit, provides sufficient legal justification to terminate the union. So we really must get a chance to vote on whether we wish to cause significant harm to the fabric of international human rights law. by allowing the Tories to define Scotland’s constitutional identity and rights.
Cognitive Inflexibility Predicts Extremist Attitudes
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00989/full
@Liz G
Ive had that argument before. Someone IS financing it but it IS also dumb progressive leftist wankers voting for it and arguing for it. NOT me or people like me. If YOU voted for Sturgeon last time then its also on YOU. Not me
@Criminal Justice Division
How do you imagine you will serve Scottish justice, by turning a blind eye to international law?
The International Law of Recognition
https://academic.oup.com/ejil/article/24/2/667/494129
“(or three if you count the fact that the Criminal Justice Division is apparently reading all the comments on Wings articles).”
This bit made me laugh out loud.
Joe @ 1.42
We don’t vote for a leader here,we vote for a constituency msp and a list msp….I’d have thought you would have known that?
It’s certainly a pet hate of mine that some people can’t seem to grasp this it’s a basic tenent of the parliaments on these islands and a great shame more people don’t realise it!
.
Robert Graham,
I can understand your nostalgia about how Wings Over Scotland was full of positive folk all pulling in the same direction towards independence for Scotland.
You then have a wee rant, born of frustration which is totally understandable.
But before you call me and others here “clowns”, please can you perhaps explain…
1). Which one of the EIGHT mandates that Nicola Sturgeon has been given to take Scotland to Independence she intends to honour and why has she broken her promises so often to date?
2), Are you happy that a bunch of lying women tried to get Alex Salmond jailed, possibly for life, on fake rape charges with the intention of getting him off of the UK and Scottish political landscape?
3). Which ONE of these first ministers do you believe has/would/will honour their promise to take Scotland to Independence: (a) Alex Salmond, or (b) Nicola Sturgeon?
Robert, and all other Nicola Sturgeon supporters, maybe take a step back and answer the above three questions honestly?
The 77th Brigade and all their pals have done their job well.
Scottish Independence has been utterly flulcked up for the time being.
Fortunately, once Covid is ameliorated, Alex Salmond will publish his book and that is highly likely to extinguish the tractor that replaced him and stabbed him in the back. In other words, Ms Sturgeon will be exposed as a scheming, British Establishment plant as a sleeper employee of the state recruited in Dreghorn and her jotters are well marked.
She WAS very good when she took over as First Minister. But then again, Alex Salmond gifted her the SNP on a huge electoral and membership bounce back.
In the past six years, Nicola Sturgeon has very sleekitly managed the decline of the SNP to a branch management of Westminster along with the fat banker from the Isle of Skye.
One last point…
Every political journalist in Scotland and many from the UK read this WOS website for snippets of SNP-BAD information to exploit.
Yet I have NOT YET read one meaningful MSM report criticising Nicola and her administration following her removal of Alex Salmond from the entire Scottish political history and the massive bourach that currentLY infects the SNP and splits the pro-Salmond against the pro-Sturgeon WINGS.
The fact the British Government stablishment is giving Nicola an easy ride in relation to her knife in the back of Alex Salmond stinks to high Heaven.
To be blunt, the MSM and BBC are giving Nicola a free pass and easy time as they know Nicola is NOT going to honour her promise and NOT going to allow Independence.
Robert, I genuinely feel for good, honourable SNP members who have been shat upon by Nicola Sturgeon. The same happened to New Labour when decent people THOUGHT Tony Blair was a fair and honest Prime Minister. The Iraq War showed the true colours of Blair. Then he appointed ATOS to kill of several thousand disabled people and his number was up. Tony Blair has a dreadful reputation and history has judge him as a very bad leader. Same will happen with Nicola Sturgeon. Tic Toc.
I cannae wait for Alex Salmond to publish his book and get back into Scottish politics. Then and only then will ordinary people have hope for Scottish Independence.
Liz g
I think Joe has dropped a number of hints that he views the world from a American perspective on the right. Possibly even to the right of Alex Jones. 🙂
Full text.
Cognitive Linguistics, Ideology, and Critical Discourse Analysis
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285975968_Cognitive_Linguistics_Ideology_and_Critical_Discourse_Analysis
Cameron B Brodie @ 2.46
He may very well be Cameron,but it’s no impossible ( thanks to the Media, and the right wing media at that) that he,like many, many, others buy into personality politics.
In this instance he seemed to assume that I could vote for Nicola Sturgeon ……. I can’t, and very few people in Scotland actually can….
This far in to the maturation of BTL Wings that’s a worry !
Mainly for the SNP….good news for the SIP though
An absolutely arrogant response if I may gently opine.
It most certainly comes across as having been drafted by someone who would spit in your face for the having the temerity to ask a question. It is framed in the arrogance of unaccountable feudal superiority.
But such responses ignore one vital thing. Public service exists for one reason and one reason alone which is to serve the public and to do that it must operate fairly and be accountable.
Forget that and you eat into the very heart of a functioning society with a rule of law. It is that simple. The edifice crumbles..
Keep up the very good work Rev Stu.
Willie @ 4.38
Tis indeed most arrogant!
The Author though is not the problem.
It’s the ability to Author such a thing and be within “Scottish Government Guidelines” that needs examination!
Robert Graham at 1219am,
I agrree with some of your comment. The BTL comments on here are full of trolls, pretending to be indy supporters. I do not engage with them, but sadly certain people do, and so it continues.
However, I was also here in the very early days, and agree their used to be lots of informed comments, but that was when the SNP and its leadership REALLY were set on independence. I have gone from being a total fan of NS to despising everything she does and says regarding independence. She is a fraud. Time after time after time, she has had one golden opportunity after another, yet she won’t do anything. Maybe deep down she would like independence, maybe – although all the evidence now suggests she doesn’t – but we need action, not words.
Scotland is getting dragged out of the EU against its wishes by a totalitarian, wholly dysfunctional and corrupt English government. No leader of ANY other country in the world would tolerate that for one second. But when push came to shove, NS did nothing. All talk, no action.
Right now, brexit is just as much an ememrgency as Corona for Scotland. As First Minister she should be ‘clearing the decks’ of all and any legislation or debates that do not deal with those two topics, but she hasn’t done so. Instead she and her government have allowed themselves to be bogged down in nonsense legislation which make piddle all difference to Scotland’s future or prosperity.
People want action. No political party can survive, constantly seeking political mandates for independence at the ballot box, and when they are duly delivered, refuse to act. Just ask British Labour in Scotland.
It strikes me, that many in the SNP hierarchy have become so bogged down in technicalities and nonsense legislation, that they cannot see the bigger picture. They need to be brave. It is NS that needs to set the agenda, but instead she carries on waiting for godot, or something. The futility, as in the stage play, is self evident. Indeed that seems to be the point. Only the key protagonist has failed to notice.
Do I think NS will ever call indyref? Nope. We are stuck with England’s finest c**tery, Alexander Boris De Pfeffle Johnson, Dominic ‘let them die’ cummings and his coterie of other psycopathic, murderous, Tory sh*tes.
No wonder folk are fed up. It could make you weep.
I smell a cover up of growing deceit and fibbing.
Keep up the pressure Stu eventually a crack will open.
Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
·
6h
….Twitter is completely stifling FREE SPEECH, and I, as President, will not allow it to happen!
Not been here for a while and hope everyone is well. I was following the last thread when I found this.
https://truepublica.org.uk/united-kingdom/dominic-cummings-a-cover-story-obscuring-something-far-darker/
If you want to know why Cummings is being protected have a read. Follow the link for Carol Cadwallader it goes to a Twitter page click the link for the bylines story (picture of dom in black wig) it’s made me shudder!
These images say so much on so many levels I do not know where to begin.
https://aroundworld24.com/2020/05/23/muslims-pray-in-berlin-church-to-comply-with-social-distancing-rules/
https://mikeshouts.com/burger-king-social-distancing-crowns/
https://curlytales.com/german-cafe-uses-pool-noodle-hats-for-social-distancing/
ITN news on STV this morning went over to local news where you live.
The local Scottish presenter gives her name and then-
“ UK News for Scotland”.
That’s it. The news the UK structured their news to keep Scotland in its place.
The years leading up to brexit was the time for separation, wrong strategy wrong people in charge,before we know it it’ll be another ten years and still nothing happens, renewables will boom oil will still be coming out the ground all over the world including Scotland, whiskey will still be getting distilled and they’ll still be catching fish and Scotland will still be going down to London cap in hand, a country with great resources but we can’t manage on our own, there’s something wrong that we’re not seeing, we can all march once a week but it won’t make a difference if we don’t get the right leaders and broadcasting.
The Vow paper the Daily Redcoat
Has a story condemning SNP and Nicola,nothing new there,
Prof Woolhouse, part of our health advisory team went to a
Holiday Home before the lockdown ?
It seems to be outrageous he didn’t consult Mystic Meg about
What might happen a few days after he went there.
Do these people wonder why their readers are abandoning them
Link a sinking ship full of rats.
The Boris must resign petition where he ideally holding hands with Cummings is growing
Fast with 142,000 signatures.
https://www.change.org/p/uk-parliament-public-vote-of-no-confidence-in-pm-johnson?recruiter=false&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_medium=whatsapp&recruited_by_id=11f6aef0-9f54-11ea-9c1c-e5543a44527a
@Liz G
Sorry. But stop talking shite. Nicola Sturgeon or SNP – its the same thing when it comes to GRA and its effect. YOU put your pet wishes before human/female rights when you voted for these people and now your sliding and sliming out of admitting. Fucking contemptable, thick hypocrites you are
The thing is – you were all warned. By this troll. Before WOS started raising the alarm either.
But no – take no responsibility for your choices. Blame someone else. No wonder Scotland cant get independent with a shower of ‘supporters’ who are always 2 years behind the curve and too small and pathetic to take some responsibility
Was Ian Blackford the only MP who was forbidden to go to his home after Parliament Shut down?
I watched the other day the accusations towards Ian Brotherhood of being ‘right wing’ and ‘one of them’ because he uttered his wish to expand his horizon of thought beyond the insipid, useless circle jerk that is progressive indy supporting narrative. It seems like even people wjo proven themselves are not immune to attacks when they attempt free thought
Joe
The SNP leadership is due criticism, but that’s not what you’re doing. You are simply indulging in hostility towards those who politics you disagree with. Subsequently, it appears you’re simply a rocket, so kindly do one.
Empathy and Critical Thinking Go Hand-in-Hand
http://johnmichaeldemarco.com/empathy-and-critical-thinking-go-hand-in-hand/
Keep up the good work on this one, it’s important to extract an answer.
O/T. 🙁
A planned new nuclear power station will help kick-start the economy following the coronavirus crisis, energy giant EDF has said.
The power supplier has submitted an application to build the Sizewell C plant on the Suffolk coast, which it says will generate enough electricity to power six million homes and bolster the UK’s energy resilience by reducing the need for imports.
Thought is free. Written opinion is not.
Cherry @ 8.00am
Thanks for the link,I think we can safely assume that at the end of this clusterf**k England will officially be the 52nd State .What concerns me however is where the so called Scottish government see themselves in all of this because if Sturgeon is a shrewd operator as is often flaunted by some on here she better have a plan of complete “detatchment” ready to go.Maybe we use the sitting of Trident as the ultimate bargaining chip.The Yanks would buy into that even for the short term. (Irony oozing at this point)
Good article.
I assume the Cameron B Brodie column is a bonus editorial feature these days?
The guy deserves to have his own blog.
The Dominic Cummings Fan Club AGM.
https://twitter.com/BBCBreakfast/status/1265156627994497025
G H Graham
Thank you but am happy to exploit the most popular politics blog in Scotland.
How Dialogue Teaches Critical Thinking and Empathy
https://www.gettingsmart.com/2016/11/how-dialogue-teaches-critical-thinking-and-empathy/
@Cameron,
Good link Cameron and much better than the usual dry Academia you regularly post. I especially liked no 2 on the list “Red Flags”. Very apt for recent postings.
Bob Mack
Thanks. There are broad expanses of knowledge I’ve yet to engage, though I’m following the argument, so the tone of the material I’m posting is kind of set for me. I am trying to make my selections as accessible as possible. 😉
Self-Determination Theory: How it can help you thrive in uncertain times
https://www.bishopg.ac.uk/self-determination-theory-how-it-can-help-you-thrive-in-uncertain-times/
Just catching up with the M/T.
Shocked Ian Brotherhood has been outed as a right-winger. Mind you, I thought his Brooklyn beanie was always a bit over the top. There must be sleepers everywhere, right enough.
Hey, if you’re out there, Ian, have you any spare Keith Joseph posters? Mine’s a wee bit torn.
I pretty sure Ian isn’t a man of the right and I’m sorry if it appeared I was suggesting he is. I’m critical but I’m not despicable. 🙂
Collective Self-Determination: How the Agent of Help Promotes
Pride, Well-Being, and Support for Intergroup Helping
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0146167217695553
@TC –
Nae Keith Joseph posters I’m afraid, but could I interest you in a rather faded Tebbit t-shirt?
I would have thought , given that the U.K. seems the victim of a corporate fascist coup, now is a good time for First Minister to drive Scotland to Independence. While we’re locked up Government has the political advantage over the people the article posted by Cherry would seem to back that up. While the cats away the mice will play. We are being robbed by this Government of Tory gangsters.They lock us up and rob us the fool Sturgeon is in on it unless she plans to exploit the situation in favour of Independence? I would. Exploit the situation I mean.
Famous 15 fuck Ian Blagkguard.
@Ian Blackford
Please fill your boots.
Law of treaties
Section A: Introduction to the law of treaties
https://london.ac.uk/sites/default/files/uploads/study-guide-postgraduate-laws-law-treaties.pdf
Having read Craig Murray’s blog It seems to me the courts are rubber stamping Mr Murray into prison Judges who rubber stamp legal documents are another hallmark of the fascist state. The fact that the indictment is what you might call and incompetent indictment’ should rightfully be thrown out. I fear the Shade of Roland Frieseler in Scotland’s courts and Joseph Goebles Scotland’s journalists guiding star.
@ Cherry 8.00 – thx for the link. I have been following those links with interest. The film on BREXIT – An Uncivil War – highlighted the machinations of the Matthew Elliots and Rees Moggs of the Neo Right. It’s probably still available.
@ Tinto Chiel – was it the darts that tore your Keith Joseph poster?
Liz g – complete ignoral is the best remedy IMO. There is no point in arguing with a bot.
We are all being taken for a ride under cover of the virus .Smoke and camouflage.It has been said before on this site that Government is up to no good but anyone questioning ‘lockdown’ gets attacked. While we are under house arrest we are at a political disadvantage. It’s illegal to demonstrate.Sociak distancing is designed to atomise society isolated individuals are easier to control. Can you not see the tactics underpinning the Government’s strategy?
Fancy a bit of ethical reason?
Grappling with the Ethics of Social Distancing: A Framework for Evaluating Reopening Policies
https://bioethics.jhu.edu/research-and-outreach/projects/grappling-with-the-ethics-of-social-distancing/
Last point on ‘why has this comment section changed so much’
It is true there are new voices here and not all are very polite, including me which I should get a grip on. However probably the biggest contributing factor is the fact that many of these intellectual giants some of you seem to miss so much collectively threw their toys out of the cot when WOS began to justifiably criticise The Dear Leader.
Time for a bit of Educational Philosophy and Theory? Full text.
Love and social distancing in the time of Covid-19: The philosophy and literature of pandemics
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00131857.2020.1750091
Joe said:
“…many of these intellectual giants some of you seem to miss so much collectively threw their toys out of the cot when WOS began to justifiably criticise The Dear Leader”.
Absolutely correct. Capella, Marie Clark, Ronnie Anderson, Yesindyref2, Alex Clark / ThePNR, Cubby etc, were all self-appointed political Commissars of Sturgeon’s SNP political ideology. Instantly denouncing all who dare criticise Stalin, erm I mean Sturgeon or Sturgeon’s SNP.
They bullied, defamed, insulted or threatened anyone who criticised the mantra of indy = SNP and SNP=indy.
But they are just some examples of the ethos of most of the indy movement who believed all indy efforts must be concentrated in backing the SNP unquestioningly. And any criticism of the SNP was anti-indy.
The result: all power concentrated in the SNP and all SNP power concentrated in the leader of the SNP.
But Sturgeon didn’t come up with this. It first happened under Alex Salmond, when he was leader. And we all knew the old adage but many of us thought it didnae apply to the SNP: “… absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely”.
It’s now easy to blame Sturgeon and Salmond and the SNP leadership but, the indy movement went along with the concentration of power in the SNP leadership.
On the plus side, support for indy climbed to around 50% in opinion polls. However, Scotland is no closer to indy than it was over 20 years ago, when Alex Salmond became leader of the SNP.
“However, Scotland is no closer to indy than it was over 20 years ago, when Alex Salmond became leader of the SNP”.
Arguably it is further away than it’s ever been since the SNP was created,
And that’s because Sturgeon’s SNP have adopted the position that indy can only happen with the UK state’s approval at every stage of the process.
And the UK state / British Empire is now more unlikely to give approval.
The Scots Judges have been resisting a Register of Interests for decades. The high heid yin judge refuses to attend Holyrood Committees to explain.
Until we are independent and have a legislative body which is not limited to devolved matters only, and with a robust written constitution, like any other normal country, the judiciary will grimly hang on to its unwritten power.
Being part of the British Empire means absolute subservience to UK Parliamentary rule.
The Imperial convention being that UK Parliament is absolutely sovereign. Above the law. Above the courts, it being in effect the highest court with Lords and Commons being the highest judges / lawmakers.
Scotland can only be independent by refusing to be part of that system any longer, dissolving the Union, legally denouncing the Union, declaring independence, phrase it how you will.
The EU required member states to be in compliance with EU Law.
It undermined the Imperial convention of absolute power of UK Parliament.
So one reason why many British imperials wanted out of the EU, was to once again concentrate absolute power in UK Parliament.
The most recent population figures show the birth rate is extremely low in Scotland, as low as its ever been. Deaths, especially now with Coranvirus, are greater than births.
A good comparison is churches populated with elderly parishioners. The few younger ones are all that will be left in the next 20-30 years etc.
Or look at Wings, I doubt there are more than a handful under 60.
The small number of babies being born now represents Scotland’s adult breeding population in 20 years. The SNP’s primary policies nowadays is to promote homosexuality and sex changes.
Purely from a biological / reproductive aspect, these policies mean disaster for Scotland.
So, the SNP look to population growth / stability from inward migration, primarily from England.
It’s a fact the overwhelming majority of English residents in Scotland are pro-Britain / anti-independence. So, I see nothing to suggest new incomers will come with anything but pro-British voting intentions.
Scotland is fast becoming another Wales.
All credit to English Scots for indy and others, trying to educate / de-program others, whether they are English or Scottish but who have suffered from decades of British Empire brainwashing / indoctrination / propaganda and suppression of truth about Scotland.
But trying to persuade English settlers to see the merits of an independent Scotland is in many cases like trying to persuade Scottish Orange Order / Loyalist types to see the merits of an independent Scotland. It’s dealing with people with closed minds who regard Scottish independence with an irrational fear and loathing.
If indy does not happen in the next 5-10 years, I doubt it will ever happen without a civil war.
And nobody with any sense wants a civil war. Scotland would lose anyway. Scotland cannot win a civil war with an army of middle-aged, pensioners and a handful of younger people.
@Colin Alexander
I agree. Except I also detest the EU for reasons I wont get into here.
Ive said it before – politicians think in election cycles and campaigns. The people who control politicians think in terms of demographics and education.
I hope folk are able to distinguished between constructive criticism and opportunistic virtue signaling.
The Social and The Distancing: Internet Ethics in a Time of Crisis
https://www.scu.edu/ethics-spotlight/covid-19/the-social-and-the-distancing-internet-ethics-in-a-time-of-crisis/
Capella @ 11.51
I think yer right Capella 🙂
Best to stick with people who actually understand the voting system in Scotland right now anyway..
We can correct the uninformed during the campaign….. 🙂
How can society have public accountability if nothing takes responsibility…