Love Factor Five
Half a decade ago today, on 7 November 2011, Wings Over Scotland was born.
And since we don’t generally do stat posts any more (the last proper one was a year ago), we hope you’ll forgive us a small indulgence to mark the milestone with a light sprinkling of facts and figures.
Articles published (including this one): 4,167
(an average of 2.3 per day, 365 days a year)
Reader comments published: 601,265
(an average of 144 per post)
Total page views (approx): 155,704,001
(approximate because we didn’t really have any proper stats collection for the first four months, and have used various different stats engines, so there’s no single one that covers the entire span)
Words written: 2,002,353
(the 2m barrier was broken just last week, probably with this piece. A typical good-sized novel will come in at anywhere from 70,000 to 120,000 words, so it’s the equivalent of writing somewhere between 17 and 27 books in five years.)
Actual books published: 2
(the Wee Blue and Black Books are not included in the above wordcount)
Total number of contributors: 84
(including numerous current and former MPs)
Successful fundraisers concluded: 8
(nine if you count this one, 10 if you include this one)
Average monthly readership (unique users) in 2012: 9,335
Average monthly readership (unique users) in 2016: 292,388
Factual errors identified by opponents: 0
Our unmeasurable thanks, as ever, go to you, the people without whom Wings would be (a) impossible and (b) pointless. Five years have passed in a blink. Let’s hope that by the time we reach the full decade we’re scrutinising the politics and media of an independent Scotland. It’s never seemed more likely than it does now.
congrats Rev 🙂
Happy Birthday, is there cake?
Happy “birthday” – Glad to have been with you since almost the start! – Keep up the good work Stu!
Congratulations rev may there be many more birthdays in the future..
Happy Birthday Wings! 5 years though? It feels SO much longer!
Where would we be without you, Rev?
Many congratulations and thank you — a phenomenal achievement.
And yes, here’s looking forward to your scrutiny of politics within an independent Scotland.
Congratulations Rev. And many more to come…… Where Would We Be Without You!
Frigate orders…… Only an agreement in principle…… As reported by ….the BBC”s Douglas Frazer….. Hidden away on their webshite ……
link to bbc.co.uk
Marvelous, Stu
“Let’s hope that by the time we reach the full decade we’re scrutinising the politics and media of an independent Scotland. It’s never seemed more likely than it has now.”
But let’s hope right now that all of us here and in the wider independence movement stop taking the baits dangled in front of us by our enemies and arguing and dividing ourselves on issues that will only be appropriate to argue about once we get there.
It is my fervent hope that those purists of whatever hue who insist in cooking the cakes before we even get into the kitchen eventually understand that we can only get there by appealing to the widest possible consensus and shut the fuck up.
I think that last stat is the most pertinent. What’s the numbers for factual inaccuracies found by Wings though? 😀
Congratulations and Happy Birthday Wings!
Thanks for all the sterling work you’ve done over that time, Stu.
And yes, I second your thought that you might be scrutinising an Independant Scotland by the time you reach 10!
Happy 5th birthday, did you make that cake yourself?
Impressive Rev. Seems you’ve become quite popular. Carry on … 😉
Wings! You’re simply the best!
Here,s to political scrutiny from you in an Independent Scotland.
“Factual errors identified by opponents: 0”
Pfft, only because we Alert Readers point out your typos before Yoonbats get a chance to see them (none in this one, incidentally).
Excellent stats. Happy birthday and thank you.
Bloody Well done! Keep up the good work.
Happy Birthday WoS.
Keep doing what you do Stu. Andy Murray has “I play tennis” on his twitter profile. He’s the best in the world.
You expose the lies, and even though there is no official ranking system, I think you’re number 1.
You and the team should kick back with a beer and take the day off.
You guys REALLY deserve it.
Happy Birthday and Thank You xx
No too shabby. 🙂
Happy birthday Wings!
292,388???
You should have baked a bigger cake.
Many Happy Returns.
Happy birthday! Long may you continue the excellent work you do Rev. Thank you for all the words and the hours you must spend trawling the pages and articles published by the great unwashed sycophants of our illustrious masters in yoonland!
Happy birthday Wings!
Congratulations to the ‘go to’ site each day, bringing truth and forensic insight to Scottish politics.
And yes my favourite stat is Factual errors identified by opponents: 0
Keep up the good work, and as long as you are unpopular with the MSM, we know you are on the right track!
Happy Birthday Rev, here’s to many more! Onwards and Upwards
Successful law suits 1 (probably soon to be 2).
Well done, Rev and Wings Over Scotland. A web site where you will find the truth and nothing but the truth.
Congratulations! Appreciated very much.
Happy birthday, Wings, and many more.
Very happy birthday. None of us would be where we are without you.
Happy Birthday Wings.
Rev, just you keep on shining a light into the heart of darkness that is the Yoon Political Establishment propped up by its misleading, manipulative, subversive media.
This is the go to site for evidence to debunk the ‘too wee, too poor and too stupid’ myth.
Happy Birthday Dear Wings
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday Dear Wings
Congratulations Rev. Stu
🙂
Peace Always
Congratulations Rev.
Wings is a huge asset to the cause of Scottish self-government. A non-stuffy and entertaining read, whilst getting the facts over with accuracy and logic.
@Dave McEwan Hill, 12:05 pm
Well said Dave. The London Rule brigade loves the old ‘divide and rule’.
Eyes on the prize.
Happy Birthday Wings, best wishes 🙂
Happy birthday, many thanks for all your hard work over the 5 years.
Go get’m till independence comes. You remain the second most important factor that will get us there, after the FM. I really mean it.
You’re that good.
Best wishes to you and yours.
Fabulous!
Many many people have been woken up in Scotland, by visiting WoS and seeing just how rabidly biased the state run media actually is.
Keep up this crucial work, forever grateful.
Oh and some commenters, like heedtracker, Dr.Jim,A.McLean, have me in stitches at times. That’s a good thing, for the cat, the family and my sanity. 🙂
Congratulations Stu as Wings’ contributions to the last five years of Scottish political debate cannot be underestimated, and as the end’s in sight, thank you! (the last bit of your post there was actually quite sentimental, you old softy x)
Happy Birthday, Wings! Independence is coming.
Stuart, treat yourself to lots of cakes and ale. And more Separats. And many nice things.
Congratulations WoS! Its like WoS has always been here too.
Artyhetty says:12:33 pm
Fabulous!
Oh and some commenters, like heedtracker, Dr.Jim,A.McLean, have me in stitches at times.
Headline in the Scotsman,
Vile CYBERNATS in Knife Attack SHOCKER!
:0)
Great Work over the Years Stu!!!
I have been reading your site since you started covering the debacle at Ibroke in 2012 and moved on to the political stuff when I became more fully engaged with the Indy Ref.
Its one of the first things I go to everyday as soon as I open my browser!
Keep it up as I don’t know what alot of us would do without you.
As ma auld granny used to say
“Time flies when yir enjoying yirsel”
Thanks Rev Stu and Wings. Thanks a Billion
Keeping folk sane.
Congratulations.
Five years ago I wasn’t remotely interested in politics. Only started paying attention when the indie ref loomed. I noticed the demonisation of the cybernats in the papers, and WOS in particular, so I thought I’d have a wee look…totally hooked and a political geek and activist…Ps, if my missus ever meets you she’s gonna kick your c*nt in!!
Hats off to Rev and abody who’s supported this place.
Slainte!
🙂
BBC making up stories again with FoI requests re police station proposed closures. Horror from Mundell Junior- he had no idea!!(who cotacted him or was it the other way around?)
The whole things cobblers in the area I live in as there has been discussions over this for the past year. Existing building would be better used as a museum!!
Police Scotland are looking for new premises and maybe share with the other emergency services such as Scottish Ambulance depot or local fire station. Wouldn’t that make sense as they can share admin staff.
The BBC didn’t have to go to the trouble of FoI!!!
Happy Birthday and LÃ breith sona dhuit.
link to greetingcarduniverse.com
Stu’s figures give me great comfort when I think of the circulation of the UKOK press (other than Sunday Times).
When Mundell junior was on re BBC FOI request on POSSIBLE police station closures, no one asked why don’t the Tories give us back the VAT that goes to London whereas single police force in Northern Ireland is VAT exempt.
Happy Birthday Wings and congratulations Stu on a site that I read more now than I’ve ever read the Dead Sea Scrolls. Cheer’s for all your hard work.
Happy 5th Birthday, Wings over Scotland.
You’re doing a marvellous job,Rev.,of exposing all the lies of the unionist-controlled MSM.
Here’s looking forward to an independent Scotland in the near future.
As Tina Turner would say (altogether now!) –
“You’re simply the best,
Better than all the rest!”
Happy birthday to you and your crack team of proper investigative journalists and showing the so called mainstream hacks how they should be doing their job!!
Really don’t know what would keep me sane if I didn’t have Wings to visit every day.
You are doing Scotland proud, more power to your elbow.
Happy Birthday Stu and Wings. And congratulations, what a site, what an achievement…what a guy. Thank you. 🙂
“we hope you’ll forgive us a small indulgence”
Indeed we do, Rev Stu. What asset you are to the cause. I for one am very, very grateful for all you have done.
Here’s to you and all the other Wings regulars, including all those who read every article and post but never add their own input. It doesn’t hurt to post you know 🙂
Dave McEwan Hill …… Well said…..
“Factual errors identified by opponents: 0”
That’s why the hate you, keep up the good work.
Just wanted to wish Wings Ober Scotland a very happy 5th birthday and to congratulate you and the team for all you hard work over the years in bringing us information, truths and stats that gave independence voters a chance to see the truth behind the scaremongering and misinformation.
You have debunked, ripped apart and analysed every aspect of the Unionists campaign of better together, No thanks and the many other guises and names they campaigned under. You have shown us that there was not just a campaign during the Scottish referendum on independence you also showed us the bile and underhand tactics that were at play and how dirty they played in order to get their NO vote.
So thank you all at wings for changing my fear of independence into a positive yes vote and long may you continue.
Happy birthday Wings. Congratulations and thanks for all your hard work.
Yer a star Stuart. Absolutely brilliant performance.
Dread to think where we would be without you.
My monthly payment via Pay Pal seems to have bounced, something to do with the Debit Card.
I’ll get it reinstated ASAP.
Happy Birthday Wishes Stu!
Looking back at first post it took a month for Morag to post a response to it. Now it takes about 30 secs not 30 days.
More power to you!
Happy birfday Wings (and Stu)
Always my go to site of a morning..
The political landscape is always changing but the one constant is the quality of material (comment, reference and snark) which lights up my day.
Long may you cholesterol and BMI remain within tolerable limits.
TD
Happy birthday! Will there be rats?
I’m late to the party, hope there’s some cake left? Well done Rev and long may you continue to keep us informed.
FYI
Davis to make a statement re Brexit at around 3.30pm
link to parliament.uk
Seems a long time ago since I made the same comments re WoS continuing in a Independent Scotland ,it will come to pass. Am no wan fur adoration but there will be a Plinth waiting to be adorned ( mind show yer best side on being sculpted ), ah spelt sculpted rite, many in the Media wid hiv said scalped.
Wings Over Scotland Long may it Reign with us, hiv ah wee drink in celebration Stu.
Have a Very Happy Birthday, indeed, Wings! I first came here following a link in Morag’s JREF thread on the implications of Scottish independence around December 2011/Jan2012, and I’ve been hooked ever since. It has taken over as my primary reading material on a daily basis.
It is so refreshing to have real factual political material presented so succinctly and have the media’s brazen shenanigans pointed out so clearly. I had to get a bigger ipad in order to hold all the pdfs and other documentation, records and images for ready access.
Top notch work, frankly. 😀
Congrats.
Where would we be without you. (Up to our oxters in Yoon shit, that’s where).
Love last 2 sentences too of this article.
Well done, and massive thanks.
Let’s hope the unique users keep increasing, as more people wake up to the crap peddled endlessly out there.
As well as being a brilliant entity on it’s own, the Wings ‘family’ is something I and many others will be eternally grateful for..You helped to get us off our arses and make a difference. Cheers
Well done indeed. Keep on keepin’ on, Stu.
Five life changing years Stu, and not just for you.
Huge thanks.
A great achievement, Rev. Have the rest of the day off!
There isn’t a comparable media outlet in the UK, and there are hunners of media outlets. This is the go-to site for a critque of the MSM. Thanks for all the work you do for us, the people of Scotland, AKA the Sovereign People of Scotland!
Happy Birthday to you! Co latha breith sona dhut!
An invaluable daily monitoring & correction service you provide for us. No wonder the msm hate you. Very many thanks.
@ Snode 1965 2.47. ffs thats me back oan keyboard protecters ,ma ein ur bleedin watter lol.
Congratulations Rev Stu.
Had a chuckle on your Twitter feed with the Daily mail offering a free vintage map of wherever you live.
I wonder if they would supply me with 310 year old map of where I live. That would be lovely, thank you Daily Mail. How very thoughtful.
530 years would be even better, with Berwick back where it belongs.
Fine work Rev C.
That’s over FOUR THOUSAND (4000) instances where you’ve had to correct misinformation and misnomers.
Thankyou for your painstaking research.
Thankyou to those who pass on information and those who are sceptical.
Thankyou to all Wingers for the conversation and satire that sadly must challenge Scotland’s true predicament.
Oh, and..
Thanks to half of this nation for sharing a dignified sense of community, knowing we must improve our systems to prepare for future needs. Knowing that independence is fair and progressive and now, essential.
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to Wiiiinnnnggggs
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Here’s to the future when WoS true value in securing independence will be the stuff of legend . Move over Michael Moore.
Congratulations.
The gold star site for the quality of research and the debunking of establishment lies.
I don’t know how I would get by without this island of sanity in a mad world.
More power to your elbow.
Thanks for your sheer persistence in the face of so much media bull…. which has kept so many of us sane in crazy times. You are still top of your game…keep up the good work…!
Happy Birthday.
Perhaps in the years to come the 7th of November should be Wingsday!
We can light bonfires and let of fireworks 😉
Rab Interprets…
link to imgur.com
Happy birthday Wings.
Congratulations on five years of informing. educating and entertaining.
I only wish we had something like this in Wales to counteract a media and political establishment which is (believe it or not) even more indolent, insolent, incestuous and corrupt than its Scottish counterpart.
Many happy returns Rev.
Long may it continue .And another thanks to all the readers , You helped make this site the best with informative comments and a humour like no other .
YESGUY …. 😉
congrats Rev 😉
Happy Birthday,
I made a special cake for you.
Being a helpful sort of person, I will eat it for you as well.
Thanks.
happy birthday Wings and thank you for all your amazing work, also thanks to BTLers for adding interest, information and entertainment 🙂
Happy Birthday.
Snode1965 @12.47
hahahahahahahaha
mineanaw hahahahahaha 🙂
…thinking of the original BBC charter to ‘inform, educate and entertain’
Wings does that so much better!
“Rage Against The Machine”
Well done and keep on keeping on as they say. Without Wings where would intelligent people have a voice!
Remember the establishment only despise us because we don’t accept being a Zombie nation. It feels good to be a rebel much like Ghandi, Collins and the Parisian revolutionaries.
History will look kindly on us. History will paint a black picture of the UK establishment.
Congratulations on reaching this milestone. Your hard work and diligence is appreciated. Thank you.
Words fail me: “Progressive”
Bi-Election anyone?
link to heraldscotland.com
I did a Happy Burdy but it never appeared
In other news: Did Jocky Wilson ever get to be British?
Ken Buchanan, Jim Watt etc or is Andy a *phemino *phenoi *pynonymun
Different….
Ah yes, I can remember those days when there would be a couple of comments for an article.
Congratulations for such a phenomenally successful source of information, analysis and humour.
The contrast with the abysmal failure of MSM to provide real information at a time when when we looked to changing our future is spectacular.
@Snode 1965 12.47
Mrs M couldn’t be bothered looking for the Rev…
… however, she reckons the new falsetto suits me well. 😮
Happy birthday to Wings, what a fantastic resource it is too.
Keep up the good work Stu, the sanity of half the Scottish population is in your hands.
Congratulations to the Rev – hammer of the britnat media.
@ Nigel Stapley says at 1:41 pm
“I only wish we had something like this in Wales to counteract a media and political establishment which is (believe it or not) even more indolent, insolent, incestuous and corrupt than its Scottish counterpart.”
We Scots all believe you Nigel.
We’ve had a Labour First Minister and a Labour/Fib Dem Coalition Government.
Our indolent, insolent, incestuous and corrupt media now report all the historic problems caused by this Labour/Fib Dem Coalition Scottish Executive as being made by ‘The Scottish Government’ not the Scottish Executive
Our corrupt media also always fail to mention which colour of Tory was in charge of that Scottish Executive.
Joyeux anniversaire!
I think I was following from late 2011 or early 2012. The good old days when I could get through all the comments in 5 mins
I can’t think of one person who has furthered the cause more the you, and on a modest income too. To many more birthdays, independence and beyond
Happy jubilee. Your site is a fine weapon for the ‘Scotland is a country, not a region’ movement and a credit to Scotland’s media scene: certainly if you compare the alternative in England (Guido Fawkes :-D)
It’s been the best of years and the worst of years!
Mein gott, you’ve been the best thing since flavoured crisps 🙂 and where the hell would we have been without your articles, wee books and ascerbic comments?
It’s been a pleasure following you for almost 5 years. Hard to believe!
Let’s X fingers we don’t have to wait 5 more for an Independent Scotland. 🙂 🙂
Right! Third and last attempt. If WordPress tells me I’m commenting too fast I will get a right strop on.
Congratulations to Stu for this marvelous resource that he has provided. Where would we be without Wings.
Hopefully when we are independent Scotland will show Stu its appreciation for all the invaluable contributions.
Happy Birthday to my first port of call every day on the internet.
A blessing and boon men, the Wings over Scotland pen (to nick an old advertising slogan)
“Factual errors identified by opponents: 0”
Can you show that in a graph please Rev…
A blessing and boon to men, the Wings over Scotland pen
Second attempt at that. 🙂
No better way to sign up for my first post than to wish Wings a very happy 5th birthday.
I have to say, without you, my sanity would suffer, my blood pressure would soar and probably reduce the amount of future birthdays I could have myself.
Many happy returns.
link to youtube.com
Big Jock
I guess Alex Neil missed the fact that it will be a Tory Brexit. I’m curious how he’s planning to convert the Tories.
It’s a bit like listening to the Greens, when you ask have the LabConLibs agreed there is no reply.
Big Jock @1.49
‘History will not be kind to you’ is a powerful gun to be aimed at the bullshit msm. Perhaps it should be added on the bottom line of every reply to them to remind them of what is to come.
Congrats Rev and more power to your elbow.
Your are the stand alone top informative engine driving us towards our rightful destination of Independence
Still lurking…still impressed at all you do.
Happy Wings-day No 5
Happy birthday and congrats on doing a brilliant job of holding the MSM in particular to account.
Thank you for all the reading you do on our behalf (I certainly couldn’t face reading most of them!). Have been an avid reader of your site since I first found it back in 2013.
“Factual errors identified by opponents: 0”
Nice touch 🙂
Has Margaret Currans card arrived yet?
Happy Birthday, Wings! Someday the Yoons will wake up to the fact that their lies are being called out, and will either tell the truth or shut up. Until then you’re our number one caller outerer….Lang may yer keyboard reek!
Rev, the Indy movement and the country owes you and your team a great deal. Many of us are so grateful that, after the bitter disappointment of September 19th 2014, you (and many others) decided to carry on with Wings. It is a war of attrition and the yoons are now hopelessly bogged down. This ain’t over until we have won. With the stench of yoon MSM propaganda hitting our noses every freakin day, WoS is like a breath of fresh air.
Happy 5th Birthday. We will celebrate the 10th one as an independent nation. I’m convinced. 🙂
At the end of The Truman Show there is a scene where some of the audience who have been spell-bound by the action for all these years come to the conclusion that they are now just going to have to come up with another way to fill their time. I guess that is how I would feel about about Wings on the first dawn of an independent Scotland. Till then: thank you so much; and, as always, here’s hoping!
A very happy birthday to you and Wings Stu.
Don’t know how I would survive the media onslaught without you and of course your dedicated alert Wingers.
Many many thanks!
Thank you Stuart for persevering in the face of such an avalanche of guff and sorting it out. And thanks too to all the contributers for the lively input.
Nothing in from the Express nutjob??
No hugs & kisses?
Thought you two were an item ?
???
happy 5th birthday Wings – you’re a formidable child – what will you be like as a stroppy adolescent in 10 years time, holding an Independent Scotland to account?
Happy Birthday to “Wings”,and its founder Stew,
From Florida.
Handand Shrimp says:
7 November, 2016 at 2:17 pm
A blessing and boon to men, the Wings over Scotland pen
That’s an old advertising slogan, for the Waverley Cameron printing and stationery company based in Edinburgh!
They come as a boon and a blessing to men,
the Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley Pen.
It was on a hoarding outside the St Enoch Hotel, Glasgow’s St Enoch’s Square tube station for a long time. All gone now, but the same spot as the great Jim Murphy unrest of 2015, “incredible scenes” reported some BBC Scotland chump.
I only know this as there’s a great mid 70’s photo of commuters at the station online somewhere.
Back then there was the mediawatch email list with a few hundred subscribers – and that was about it as far as scrutiny of the media went.
Now everybody knows who WoS is.
It was my late father who first alerted me to your site some 4 years ago…you and the wee ginger dug in particular have been an inspiration and much needed “cheerer-uppers” since then. Just to say thanks to you and all the contributors on here – don’t know what we’d do without the daily dose of wings to keep us informed and alert.
Congrats Stu you are our first port of call every day followed by browsing the links to other sites you provide. If we achieve independence by your 10th anniversary your forensic debunking of the lies and constant propaganda printed by an increasingly desperate media, will have contributed hugely. Stay healthy!!
And another Happy Birthday from me. You’re the first port of call every day, and usually the last one at night. Great information, meticulous research, astonishing memory, and a genuine wit that should be the envy of any serious journalists left in Scotland. (OK, I know that one won’t fly).
Take some time off. Nothing will happen until after the USA anoints the latest savior if the world. God help us all.
Cheers for the last five, and here’s to the next
“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
Robert Kennedy
Happy Birthday Rev – the man
Happy Birthday to ‘ Wings over Scotland.’ and congrats to Stuart.
from Masachusetts
Paljon onnea 5-vuotispäivänä!
Congrats on your achievement and thank you for all the hard work you’ve put in over these past 5 years. WoS is an invaluable resource, plus entertaining to boot!
I first found WoS through a link to the Alex Salmond Dictator Bingo in Feb 2012 and was hooked. I’m so much more better informed now, thanks to WoS and also the many great BTLers here. Thank you, kiitos!
Impossible to quantify the scale of contribution to the struggle we are engaged in. Many congratulations for your total dedication to the cause.
£1,700?!
“£1,700?!”
Very kind of you to offer, thanks.
link to wingsoverscotland.com
Wow! Well done and keep up the good work.
Bravo!
FEIBO – £1,700?!
Happy birthday, Rev.
I’ve said it before, but Yes wouldn’t have got near 46% in Indyref1 without you. This blog and the WBB changed everything.
And no factual errors identified. That’s why They hate you and why we trust you.
I had to pause in the construction of an IKEA Billy bookcase to send my congratulations.
Thank you for making me pause in the construction of an IKEA Billy bookcase.
Happy Birthday Wings (- and Wingers). We would be the poorer without you. Many thanks for all that you do, inspire and enrich. Here’s to the future!
Happy Birthday!
Thank you for the facts,the common sense, the humour and the hope, you keep me and many others almost sane in this mad world we live in.
Nothing from the pet food dude ?
Neil Lovelace ? David Tuppence?
Nothing ?
How could they forget Stu?
They know everything else about you !
Many thanks and congratulations…
and at the rate of articles, spectacular value for money too :#)
Well done! More power to your keyboard.
Happy Birthday Wings. Many thanks Stu.
Hey, congratulations and well done. I can’t think of anyone outside of the Scottish government who has done more to further the cause of Scottish independence (I might be quoting Bateman there, but it’s true), or who has done more to hold the press to account over their lies and distorions.
Thanks so much for all you have achieved these past 5 years for the cause of Scottish independence.
I would echo the comments of Craig Macinnes @ 3.04 and add that you will be both noted as true heroes of the Scottish revolution.
Looking at all the incredible things that you
Have already achieved at only 5 years old,
I can’t wait to see what you deliver when you
Go into the big school. lol
Sincerest congratulations and thanks for your
Guidance and leadership throughout.
Bill Cochrane @ 2.17
Welcome! Hope it won’t be so long till your second post!! 🙂
Happy Birthday “WINGS”
An lang may yer lum reek.
Turn that noisy pish doon…. oh and congrats, keep pokin the bastards
Happy birthday, and many thanks for all your hard work!
Congratulations Stuart, I really appreciate the effort you and other wingers make so that people living abroad can stay in touch with what is really going on in Bonnie Scotland, instead of sound bites released to the world press from Westminster. Long may it continue beyond an iScotland. God I hope it’s soon!
Hopefully the hosting costs don’t increase at the same rate for the next five years 😉
Congratulations, but your going to need a bigger cake as i want a bit.
Happy Birthday Wings/WoS/ers.
Am a 65+ still going strong hope to see an Independent Scotland before too long.You (Rev Stu.)are the best.
That count of pages read is mind boggling. Lang may yer lum reek.
Rev wrote:
” Let’s hope that by the time we reach the full decade we’re scrutinising the politics and media of an independent Scotland.”
Great sentence! That reassures me that you’re in this for the long haul and wipes away any concerns i had of you getting fed-up with it.
Happy birthday WOS
Stevie Wonder – Happy Birthday
link to youtube.com
Here’s to the next 5 and more Stu. (Hopefully Indy before then though)
Don’t know what we would do without you.
RESPECT.
Congratulations and thank you! It is a stunning achievement, and a delight for this reader.
Two great Scots, two great landmarks to remember:D
link to twitter.com
I play tennis.
link to twitter.com
Lie detector.
Don’t know what we would have done without you in the dark days
dogged determination is what you show and what the rest of us need God Bless
Happy birthday Rev & all the wingers that make this website the most go-to site online.
Had no interest in politics prior to the Indyref but this site has opened my eyes to what Scotland could be. Keep up the good work and enjoy that cake!
Many happy returns Wings and Wings folks.
I hope we’ll celebrate an independent Scotland by next birthday or soon after – never has it seemed more important than now.
We cannot thank you enough for all you do – thanks for keeping us enlightened and determined.
Here’s hoping you don’t have to keep doing this for the next 5 years but both the SNP and the Indy movement owe this site so much. Will they ever acknowledge it?
Anyway, fruity ciders all round. Cheers!
O/T
Nicola will be speaking at the University of Sheffield this evening. Lecture starts at 6pm
Details here
link to speri.dept.shef.ac.uk
Happy Birthday from another lurker and very occasional commenter.
Thanks for all the energy you’ve put into the last five years of analysis and debunking. Game-changer for the indy movement IMHO.
Well done Rev on reaching your 5th birthday, I never really believed that would happen. So much was railed against you but you just kept at it.
Never give up should be your motto and the same for all those that follow Wings. I also want to reiterate what Jock Scott (Yewchoob) said earlier:
Jock Scot says:
7 November, 2016 at 1:26 pm
As well as being a brilliant entity on it’s own, the Wings ‘family’ is something I and many others will be eternally grateful for..You helped to get us off our arses and make a difference. Cheers
Many of us would never have got off our arses if it wasn’t for Wings.
You personally made a big difference in Indy1 and I believe have a lot more to contribute to Indy2. This site, your articles and all who comment could be the difference between Independence of the status quo with Tory overlords still running the roost.
Your an amazing writer and your output phenomenal. Happy Birthday.
Happy Birthday Wings.
Keep the branding irons hot.
Wings has saved my sanity on many occasions when I would otherwise have been banging my head off the wall in sheer frustration. You have also made me laugh, usually at the Unionist media and polishitons who run our country. Lang may your computer spout fire and brimstone. We are now a movement full of alert readers due in large part to your debunking Unionist clap trap on a regular basis, making us all more aware of how we should be reading the media.
Gawn yersel.
Five years of incredible work.
Wings is the best.
Thank you x.
292,388 unique users a month.
When are you taking us all for a pint?
Greetings fae Glasgow ~ Awe ra best Team Wings.
V.
Well done. Stu. Over the years you’ve made an outstandingly superb contribution to the independence movement. Here’s to the next five.
HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY WINGS !!!
Oh well done Rev Stu xxx
You and yours always make my day = )
May God bless this site and all who soar on her Wings.
What a 5 years it has been thank you Rev Stu you took a bunch of misfit political indy cybernats and gave us knowledge,focus,purpose and drive and showed us how to use them.
Divided we fall together we are formidable and have the yoon parties in Scotland twisting and turning in their own cesspit of lies.
Wings achievements over the 5 years is extraordinary anybody they have stuck up against us we dismantle,some indy folk might not like our methods might think we are a bit vile or maybe a bit in your face at times but that is what we do we follow the lies with the truth our best weapon plus someone has to do it.
I remember that dark day back in 2014 and the wingers sadness and how we rallied and descended into the troll wars to fight the better together lies to hold them to account.
lol we kicked ass big time many more birthdays for wings in the future even when we are independent as we must never go back to the mentality of apathy in politics that is how you end up with nutters like May in charge.
mumsyhugs @ 4.11
Thanks. I started following Wings just before indyref1 and has been my go to place for the dissemination of the less than truthful reporting of our so called media.
I have longed for an independent Scotland for almost 50 years. As a young teenager barely into secondary school, knowing nothing about politics but was confused why we were governed by a parliament in another country. I have voted SNP all my life, believing them to be the vehicle to get us there and although not independent yet, it was a fantastic feeling that for the first time in almost 40 years of voting SNP, my vote contributed to getting an SNP MP to Westminster.
After the referendum I joined the SNP like many more did and now an active member in my local branch, ready and willing to take a full part in indyref2.
Like many of the more mature people who contribute to this site, who, not that many years ago would never have believed we would even see a referendum in our lives let alone independence itself.
Many congratulations. My day is not complete unless I read your latest.
Lang may yer lum reek Rev!
Ah the stats are just there to pull in the advertisers – then it’s the click bait!
I’ll get my coat and party hat!
Best of the Internet for 5 years – here’s to more of the same 🙂
Many happy returns Rev, we’d be lost without you, keep up the good work. ?
Brilliant site and excellent posters on here.
Happy Birthday Wings. Terrific work! My first stop every day. No wonder the Britnats and the BUM are raging. I’ll raise a glass to you tonight ….well, maybe more than one!
All the best Wings and a big thanks to Stu for his patience and dedication. Here’s to the next five years.
/raises glass in appreciation !! Cheers !!!
OT
link to dailymail.co.uk
Apologies for posting full link. Does this mean we can get darling and brown.
Aye, and I can’t get a word in edgeways these days, so many readers and comments. I’ve with you from the start, it’s been a great informative 5 years.Well done.
The Daddy of them all : Factual errors identified by opponents: Zero.
Happy Birthday Wings, if we do achieve Indy it will be in no small measure thanks to you.
You’ve done well Stu and “they” dislike you with an intensity borne out of fear, jealousy and loathing. I consider Wings to be the single most effective information source in the whole of the Independence movement.
Lazy, deliberately misleading journalism is exposed almost on a daily basis but those same journalists will ritually scan Wings for either to glean info which they’ve been too lazy to research or to see if their malevolence inaccuracies have been discovered.
Here’s to the next five years.
I don’t tend to post much but this site is the one that I visit daily, usually more than once. I’ve found so much information via the posts and the extended Wings family to have me very well prepared for discussions with Yoons and waverers. Keep up the great work, Rev. Happy anniversary, Wings.
I wish even more would read your posts Rev. They dismiss you ,and are unable to read what you write with an open mind. That is such a pity as they may well be able to recognise all of what you say is actually factual and inevitably true.
A closed mind is a useless thing to have.
Average wishes Wings a very happy 5th Birthday, and says he wishes he could write accurate stuff, perhaps he could learn from the Master if the Rev could spare a few years and be very very patient. He was also delighted with this one as you can imagine:
Angus B NacNeil MP Retweeted
Peter A Bell GERS says Scotland is coping with a £15 bn deficit. Only a VERY healthy economy can cope with a deficit of 10% of GDP. Time for #indyref2
Indeed, and so say all of us. What is it Cpl Jones says again?
Happy birthday and congratulations!
Although no doubt Torrance and others will proclaim the honeymoon is over and/ or you have peaked.
It’ll all go phut. Any day now…
“Average monthly readership (unique users) in 2016: 292,388”
The Wings Indy Party is going to be quite a shindig!
A big enough venue might be an issue 😉
…those early years when we suddenly found a source of information that helped counter the media lies. I still remember the shock of finding not only Wings but the very high calibre of posters. Thank you all for the last 5 years.
To all you wings lurkers you guys are brilliant especially for putting up with some of our more vocal wingers when they have been sampling the brandy ahem 🙂
Right the big question Rev are you wearing a vile cybernat hoodie to the blogger awards? lol
Happy 5th Wings.. no long noo..
Phil Robertson and Colin Ripley will be along with a cake shortly 🙂
Humpty Bumpty Wings.
You will get the celebration tea and scones come Independence, because it will be thanks to you for giving the info and keeping us sane.
Its a great excuse for a wee dram on a school night.
On a serious note, is Ruthie Jong Un still out guising?
Bawheid Bragg says:
Very happy birthday. None of us would be where we are without you.
Aye, instead of staring at our screens, we’d be doing something useful 🙂
(PS Its because of the grand job you’ve been doing Stu)
Congratulations WOS for reaching 5 years old and becoming one of the most success political blogging website.
Here’s to another 5 years
What Croompenstein says, plus Waldo, Aldo, Sensible Dave and Angostura Bittaz (or wotever he’s called) in a taxi with the champers.
Happy Birthday WoS
Hi Tinto Chiel – I’m awaiting a delivery of IKEA Billy bookcases. I will not rest until every square centimeter of wall is covered by Billy bookcases. Good luck with the construction.
For what it’s worth, and I know I have probably said it before in the past, but in 200 years no one will remember me, or even know I existed, not sure the same could be said of The Rev.
Congratulations. Many happy returns. Well Done. Etc.
Which, unfortunately, almost sounds dismissive and trite, which is not my intent. So, to try and add some perspective, may I add the following observations?
The average monthly readership, 282,388, is greater than any of the Scottish newspapers – which means this comment is, possibly being read by more people than the circulation of any Scottish newspaper – gobsmacking!
The average monthly reader will, now, now longer read the news as presented in the deadseascrolls, and be taken in by the hyperbole, distortion, smears, lies, pish and general SNPBADness.
The average monthly reader will now realise that some so-called journalists purporting to be ‘commentators’ are little more than organ grinders, churning out column inches on demand.
And, for that, we thank you.
There ought to be a prize, or special present, but you may have to console yourself with some fork handles. Or a special place at the independence celebrations.
Happy Bufty Wings.A Great achievement. A small step by Stu,A giant leap for Independence.
Congratulations Stu and a heartfelt thanks x
Well done. Keep going, we need you.
@ Croompenstein
I hope Colin brings one of his funny graphs they are a hoot lol
Thinking about the past i wonder what ever happened to our sensible do you think he maybe got the sack after they kind of gave up trying to fight us in our back yard?
Those britnat spooks were hilarious got to hand it to Dave he tried his best but got winged with the truth every time.
I wonder if he is a yesser yet or maybe one of those independence for England guys,i like them they are not imperialist nutters and have a grasp of the truth that England needs to end its UK domination and rebuild its society after decades of neo liberal slash and burn policies to public sector investments and that the major block to doing that is westminster the UK parliament.
Wave your George cross England be proud to be English and do not get British confused with being English,take back your nation and we will do the same time for both us to do our own thing.
Aye were’s sensibleahuramazdapetefaeedinandotherassortedloonyoons congrats? Ungrateful bums.
Well done and much ta
Congratulations Wings and Stu
Can I ask you something Stu, as I am having a argument elsewhere . . . are bots filtered out of these stats?
@K1
LOL
Is there a spanner in the treasure chest?
Congratulations, many many thanks and keep it going. I still read Wings daily, even if I don’t post so much.
Last post didn’t go on.
So here we go again.
Humpty Bumpty Wings, thanks for the constant info and helping sanity.
When Indy comes you will get special mention.
Wee dram celebration on a school night.
Num Num.
Thanks Stu.
Many happy returns.
Happy Birthday Wings!!!
-from all at the Ponderosa.
In another 5 years Scotland will hopefully be independent due in no small part to our Rev Stu and his one man demolition of the unionist press and TV. 🙂
Interesting report by Regeneris about BT’s contribution to Scotland and the UK, reported in Herald only for Scotland’s figures which makes them sound impressive, but being me, I worked out the comparative figures from the actual report:
UK £23.1 billion GVA, Scotland £1.08 billion = 4.7%
UK 259,000 jobs, Scotland 12,600 jobs = 4.9%
UK £9 billion with suppliers, Scotland £171m = 1.9%
UK 92,000 employees + contactors, Scotland 7,400 = 8.0%
UK 167,000 further people, Scotland 5,170 = 3.1%
All compared with Scotland’s 8.3% of the UK population.
link to home.bt.com
We wuz robbed. Again.
Happy Birthday Wings . Wish I knew so i could have baked a cake. Thanks Stu.
Stu,a thousand thanks for all that you have done for Scotland, nothing beats the truth, the liars cannot hack it.
.Factual errors identified by opponents: 0
Really?
Has this been independently verified?
Only kidding. No, really only kidding! (Just remembered the “or I WILL KILL YOU WITH HAMMERS” in the commenting rules).
Congratulations! This blog is life-changing.
Birthdays are just nature’s way of telling you to eat more cake. I was brought up to respect my elders; I’m now that old that I don’t have to respect anybody.
You realise of course that the Dead Tree Scrolls, and Ruth Wullie, and Dugdale, will ‘seasonally adjust’ your stats.
In dog years WoS is 35 years old, so your incredible figures will be divided by 35 instead of 5, and your incredible Thunderer dismissed as a harmless niche minority Cybersite.
Roll on the next five years! Thank you for the last five, Stu.
5 years all ready? I remember your early start. From small acorns… I see the Scottish journalist are a bit thin skinned today. Keep going.
Anyone want to take that BT thing and do an article on it, you’re welcome, always welcome with anything I ever post, but check the full report first (linked to on that page). I took the highlight figures from BT + a couple from the Herald (feeling lazy).
With Scotland having 99% pro rata the economy of the UK as a whole, I think you’d expect the BT figures to be per capita also, which would give an extra £845 million GVA (no idea the mathematical relation to GDP), an extra £580 million spent with suppliers, an extra 9,000 total jobs, roughly same employees and contractors (+300), but an extra 8,700 indirect jobs in the economy. No idea though of BT’s relative market share, or turnover.
I wonder how much that set of figure reflects other “national” infrastructure bsuinesses?
Awe.
” Davidson has said she would not lead the ‘No’ campaign if there was a second independence referendum. Since the Conservatives became the main opposition at Holyrood, the Scottish Tory leader had been touted by some commentators as a likely leader of the Unionists in the event of another vote.”
Hootsman says. Who will they get, another SLab super star maybe. Its hard to get lower than 16% and Ian Murray MP.
@Marcia
My how you’ve blossomed Marcia in those five years. Wings must have been doing you some good :
Happy Birthday, Stu. Have a drink or two, buy yourself a card and a present, and then get back to work – this is no time for slacking.
Also Hootsman, surprised there’s anything left to shut down these days in their Scottish region of greater England. Still for a giant nuke bullseye over the Clyde though, way too deadly to keep near important places of teamGB
“Eight military sites in Scotland will close in the next 15 years, cutting the defence estate by 20 per cent.
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said major Army bases at Fort George near Ardersier, north of Inverness, Glencorse Barracks near Penicuik, Midlothian, and Redford Cavalry and Infantry Barracks in Edinburgh.”
Its going to be like dads army up here.
Firstly…Happy Birthday Wings! Keep going, Scotland is nearly there. Indy is within touching distance. On the down side I am now an addict…a Wings addict and there doesn’t seem to be a cure. (Good!)
Secondly, thank you Nana for that link (one of your many great links) to Nicola’s talk to SPERI. It made my wee Scottish heart burst with pride. I watched it beginning to end. She needs to keep doing these talks down here. The SNP get nothing but sneers and condescension in the HoCs. This shows that many down here do not want austerity. Thanks again.
@yesindyref2
Definitely worth an article. But. IFF Scotland has around 8.3% of the BT customer base. And it probably is.
If, for some reason, we only have, say 4%, then not such an impact.
Aye Heed, mair like abandoning Scotland tae the natives 🙂
They’re probably still ‘arranging’ a suitable alternative site in Texas fur the nukes… something we won’t be privy to afore it happens.
“Factual errors = 0”
Brilliant 🙂
Happy Birthday WoS. Wings Gives You No Bull.
Andy Murray will be attending the British football match between the Kingdoms of Scotland and England
Andy being the number one tennis payer in the whole wide world is from Dunblane which is in the Kingdom of Scotland
Andy will be wearing his usual football supporting clothing which will consist of him being warmly wrapped up against the cold (instructions from Wife Mum and coaching team) plus his chosen colours of support which are “See you jimmy bunnet with associated rid hair, Scotland strip and scarf to match”
Andy will of course be surrounded by folk from the country of his birth so will scream the usual vocal support required for the occasion, no doubt until he’s hoarse
In the event of a win for the Kingdom of Scotland Andy will be suitably pleased for the team and their performance and without doubt will express that pleasure in the usual Scottish way with the usual Scottish dialect, however if his beloved Scotland team shoud lose the football match he will accept the victory of the English team with stoic resolution as all Scots will because we know up here in the Kingdom of Scotland we have the bestest tennis batter in all of the known world and elswhere as well, and when the English enjoy claiming Andy Murray as their own they should perhaps think of how foolish they seem to us Scots when we would never even think of claiming another human being as anything other than they would claim for themselves
Britain is lots of places, no one is from them all that’s a physical impossibility
So folk from the other parts of Britain have a little pride in where you’re from and who you are, there’s no need to steal the pride of other Nations for politics
Get some pride of your own
Happy Birthday to Wings and Wingers, but mostly to ‘Our Hero’, – Rev Stu.
Been a follower since early 2012, and is always my first port of call in the day, bit like an itch that needs to be scratched!
I left Alex Salmond in no doubt of my opinion that I reckoned that outside official politics, you’d done most to further the cause.
Next time it’ll be an Emergency!
May you live in interesting times.
May, you live in interesting times.
The importance of the comma.
nah Heed Ruthie does not want to lead the no campaign i mean imagine what getting a thumping will do to her budding TV personality ambitions,no buffaloes will let her straddle them and the repo man might take her tank away.
The tories will find some smuck eejits to do it so they dont get their grubby little paws dirty,hello Slabbers!
Though who will they get, will flipper defend the yoonland and his ermine jacket will they pull out an old Labour MP again or a Labour lord,cant see any of the lords doing it since they are a bunch of in it for me myself and only me parasites.
And the biggest question will Labour be thick enough to get used and conned by the tories again and not figure out they are being used and conned,i think we know they are thick enough 🙂
K1 says:
7 November, 2016 at 8:01 pm
Aye Heed, mair like abandoning Scotland tae the natives
It’s going to be sad to see Fort George turned into flats, executive Stewarty Milne style mega blocks of architectural hell on earth.
But it was built to slaughter as many Scots as possible by our chums in the south, so good luck to you Stewarty Milne!
@Heed
Naval base MoD Caledonia in Rosyth ??? (when QE class gone maybe)
Royal Marines Condor Airfield, Arbroath, 2020
Craigiehall, Edinburgh, 2018
Meadowforth Barracks (HQ 51 Highland Brigade), Stirling, 2022
Redford Cavalry Barracks, Edinburgh, 2022
Redford Infantry Barracks, Edinburgh, 2022
Fort George, Scotland, 2032
Glencorse Barracks, Scotland, 2032
Happy 5th Birthday Wings. You have opened my eyes to the despicable UK/Scottish media. And my Dad’s eyes too, he was a No voter but came over from the dark side when he realised he was being lied to and voted Yes.
Loving the Wings Over Scotland rollercoaster.
\o/\o/\o/\o/
\o/\o/\o/\o/
\o/\o/\o/\o/
\o/\o/\o/\o/
A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO WINGS OVER SCOTLAND…
WEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
@yesindyref2 says: 7 November, 2016 at 7:17 pm:
” … We wuz robbed. Again.”
Naw wi wisna, yesindyref2. It wis jist the wance wi wus robbed an it startit oan the day a Scot invented the telephone.
Fort George to close…..with all due respect and condolances to those in the locality who shall, no doubt, suffer form this decision. Let us not forget, this was built to subdue the Scottish people (particularly the Highlanders).
So, one small request to the M.O.D. before you leave…could you blow the bloody place up before you go?
Fort GEORGE…the name tells it’s own story.
yesindyref2 says:
7 November, 2016 at 8:14 pm
@Heed
Do you want to be Captain Mannering? I’ll be corporal Pike. Mind ex PM Cameron’s crew said vote toryboy Scotland and we’ll build you a super barracks in the central belt, for Scottish military comeing back from Germany
STV tory liars in action, as usual
link to stv.tv
“Although we regret the decline of the RAF in Scotland, we welcome Scotland’s army back after ten years of being under our population share of services personnel located in Scotland. This is deserved recognition by the Ministry of Defence of the immense contribution Scotland has made for generations to our armed forces.”
Happy Birthday Wings! Keep on flying high!
@Marcia says: 7 November, 2016 at 7:38 pm:
” … I see the Scottish journalist are a bit thin skinned today.”
Whit!
Whaur!
When!
Scottish journalists are an endangered species and a rare sight indeed. That is why the Westminster Establishment has made them a protected species … and wow! do they protect them.
Happy 5th Birthday to Wings Over Scotland & Stuart. The goto place for the truth about the media & the union. You make your country proud Stu, well done.
Thank you also for opening the eyes of one of Scotland’s newest inhabitants way back in mid 2014. So glad I found this site 🙂
Congrats, absolutely fabulous effort Rev Stu, so much appreciated and thank you for the platform for all the posters, such intelligent and informed dialogue!
I am grateful everyday day for the Wings Family. xx
Many thanks and Congratulations!
Well done Rev, looking forward to many more years to come 🙂
The most ironic choice to lead the next NO campaign would undoubtedly be David Mundell.
He is laughingly titled, “The Secretary of State FOR Scotland”, but is known by all as the Secretary of State AGAINST Scotland.
Farage and co’s new UK zone flag design.
link to bbc.co.uk
DerekM says:
A very good question.
I can’t see it being aTory because they would have to spend all their time back footed trying to defend their WM chums. And that is a very tall order indeed. Tories in Scotland spend their time pretending not to be Tories! Even to them it’s a dirty association.
Someone from Labour? All the IndyRef1 characters have been burnt out as proven deceivers. A fresh Labour face? There are none.
The obvious conclusion is that IndyRef2 NO2 will be simply media smearing and propaganda devoid of personalities!
There best chance is to try to stop indyref2 actually happening. That seem s to be the plan at the moment.
Well, well, well. I just nipped out for 14 hours to earn some money and came back expecting some new yoon madness to appear.
Instead, voila..! The Rev is five years ol.. sorry WOS is five years old. 🙂
Congrats to the Rev for the idea.
Congrats to WOS for being our “Newspaper”.
Congrats to all the Wingers who breathed life into WOS and made it the thorn in the Union’s backside.
AND thanks to you all for keeping me sane at this special time in Scotlands history. 🙂
Capella @6.24: no wall space left here.
Easy to build but now can’t find door.
Good luck.
Regarding MoD Estates in Scotland @ heedtracker says at 7:48 pm and @ yesindyref2 says at 8:14 pm
Westminster shafting the 51st Highland Brigade again?
Don’t worry though as long as the Union exists they’ll no shut the ranges up here as they still need somewhere to test all the ordnance they keep seeing to Saudis.
@Meindevon
I thoroughly enjoyed the lecture, and going by twitter so did the audience.
link to twitter.com
Re mod closures, to be honest if we’re no Independent or having having won Indyref 2 by the time most of these bases are due to close, I doubt we ever will be.
I understand your sentiments regarding Fort George @ Bill Hume says at 8:32 pm
However, Fort George is an amazing example of 18th Century Military Architecture the best preserved of its type in the UK.
It also represents a part of our cultural history.
Can’t agree with your “blow it up” comments.
Keep it for posterity, let it bring in the tourists and let it serve as a reminder of how much the Union was prepared to invest (even 250 years ago) to subjugate Scotland.
With you all the way, Wingers.. thank you to all involved!
Please, please, please let the leaders of the next NO campaign be Tomkins, Sarwar and Wee Wullie.
Tomkin is arrogant enough to think he could pull it off, Sarwar is power hungry enough and Wee Wullie is daft enough.
Guest appearances obviously by Jakey Rollin, Gordzilla and countless Celebs like (Dan ‘acres o’ Scotland’ Snow) as and when required.
Scotland in Union putting up billboards across our fair land.
Thank you Rev Stu for all your efforts for the last 5 years. There are some decent blogs around, but WOS is the the champion without a doubt.
Hope you can continue being what we’ve needed to challenge the rubbish from the MSM.
Hmmm, “Team Wings” there is another good badge idea to add to
the rest. Or special for inner sanctum!
O/T (sorry to interrupt the birthday party but this one is quite something).
The UN has accused the UK of, “Grave and systematic violations”, of disabled people’s rights.
Changes to benefits, “disproportionately affected”, disabled people, The UN Committee on the Rights of Disabled Persons, (CRPD), found.
The Tories said they, “strongly refuted”, the committee’s findings and its, “Offensive”, view of disability. That should really get right up the UN’s collective noses.
The Westminster Establishment is certainly racking up some really fine enemies at the moment. First the EU and now the UN.
No doubt this will ensure that after Scotland, Gibraltar and N.I. all leave and go their different way. the remaining Kingdom of England will have achieved its aim of true Hard Brexit.
With the best will in the World, I can only wish them God Speed and wave them an enthusiastic goodbye with a Saltire in one hand and the Royal Rampant Lion banner in the other hand.
Hearty Backslaps!
Wishing you many multi-packs of success for the future, all of them in enjoyable flavours.
Happy Birthday Wings. 5 years. What I want to know is has anyone actually been killed with hammers?
HB2U wings. Not easy being vile for so long, practise, practise. They deserve ALL they get. Prepare fur yer Nips & Dumps
We are the wind beneath your Wings!! Have a good one, a large one ….or two….or…………!
Re defence closures, as a professional put it in Herald, the one to keep would be Rosyth. Being ruthless the others are doing an SG future defence plan a favour, Salmond’s while warm and fuzzy was unrealistic keeping everything, it would cost too much to keep them open. Leuchars has been promised £8 million investment, this must go ahead, and I hope to see a little more air force integration there as well, Indy Scotland will need it. UKG had better get a move on, I want it finished by end March 2019!
Hi Rev Stu.
Congrats on your 5th anniversary. The existence of ‘Wings Over Scotland’ has become essential on so many levels.
But it’s not just a web site / blog you have created. As stonefaction mentioned above, you have also created “the extended Wings family”.
Since early 2014, Wingers have been getting together to chew the cud and it’s all your fault!
The links below show examples of Wingers getting together, from all points of the political spectrum but all convinced of the right to Scottish self-determination.
I’ll split these into two comments, in the hope that they will be posted without the need for moderation.
Pics from the Wings get-together in Glasgow, May 2014.
link to sites.google.com
The Arbroath Seafest weekend, August 2014.
link to sites.google.com
The second Invergowrie get-together, February 2015.
link to sites.google.com
The Helensburgh get-together, July 2015.
link to sites.google.com
(Continued…)
5 years of hard graft disecting msm crap and you have grown beautiful roses.
We shall be a Nation again, and Wings has been and still is a vital element of the struggle.
Many, many thanks!
Wings Over Scotland, along with the rise of the SNP, the best things to have happened to Scotland in more than 300 years.
To continue…
The third Invergowrie get-together, October, 2015.
link to sites.google.com
The Aberdeen get-together, January 2016.
link to imgur.com
The Glasgow get-together, including ‘Inform Scotland’ workshops, March 2016.
link to imgur.com
Lastly, pics from various events over the past couple of years, including assembled Wingers in George Square on 30th July 2016 and some pics from the weekend of 17th/18th September 2016.
link to imgur.com
You are responsible for all this insurrection, Rev Stu. More power to your elbow!
Happy fifth birthday Wings – it’s been a great five yars.
I see some chat about who will lead the No campaign in Indyref2. I believe, if Fluffy Muddle gets the gig, the English really do want rid of us.
@Brian Doonthetoon
OK then Brian so what happened to the Counting House, Glasgow 1st May 2015 just before that momentous election. Or did I just dream that I went to that one?
Forgot to take any pics, Lollysmum. Was too busy bletherin’…
Same thing for Embra in the last link, hence only one pic!
Yi ken whuh’ it’s like, iye? I am sure others will have taken pics that are available, somewhere…
8=)
@Brian Doonthetoon – thank you for the pics – makes me feel again all those lovely vibes of the Yes campaign. And good to put some faces to the Wingers bylines.
Wings and Wingers are astonishing – I look in [far too often] every day for enlightenment and entertainment.
My eyes too were opened courtesy of the Rev’s efforts. I think his work should be acknowledged and welcomed by the SNP officialdom – or might that lessen his credibility?
Happy 5th birthday and continued success to Wings Over Scotland by far the best independence supporting website.
Happy birthday Wings. I am not social media friendly, so to speak. Today is my first immersion in this web site and i feel at home with most of the sentiments expressed herein. So you may assume that civilians out there are still waiting to sign up, as I most cerainly do so, as from now. Hailse
Hi sarah.
RE: your mention of the SNP.
If you check out the Invergowrie pics/videos, you will spot the only MP with a ponytail…
Also this pic, from St Andrew’s Day, 2014.
@Brian Doonthetoon – Chris is hard to miss, isn’t he!
Your pics have cheered me up – I sometimes get a bit low what with the UK Gov’t getting away with murder and the media letting them. But where there’s Wings/ers, there’s hope.
Indyref2;
i’m surprised if they close Meadowforth barracks in Stirling since that is where the nuclear convoys rest overnight.
Maybe there won’t be any convoys after 2022?
5 years of shooting down the lies,propaganda,misinformation by Labour and Tory,BBC and Scottish Press,
and all their twisted minions.
Well done Stu- 5 great years of amazing work.
This site is a superb achievement.
Thank you
It hasn’t been 5 years of keeping me reasonably insane and maybe more like 3. So ta for that. I might have lost the plot utterly if this didn’t exist? Happy Birthday.
Iain More @12.00
Totally agree.
I found this blog in January 2014 and it has been my saviour, and sanity, since then.
So a very Happy Birthday to Wings and Wingers.
@Meg merrilees
I found this fairly recently, here it is. They travel in dark hours and have two crews so can make it in a oner. Don’t know if they do or not. I’m also a bit surprised it says “most of these convoys travel via the M4, M25 and A1 as far as Newcastle and then on through Glasgow.”, but perhaps that too is changing as they don’t need bases down the ways which are mostly on the east coast. I’d have thought M74, M6, M5, M4.
“On average there is a convoy movement once a month. Many of these are for training purposes with a limited number of fully-laden movements. Until 2004 the conyos only moved during daylight hours so took several days to reach their destination, but a change of MoD policy means they can now make the 500 mile road trip in one go.”
link to cnduk.org
I was there at the very beginning Stu! Have followed you ever since and am constantly amazed by your work output!
Do I get a special prize?
Greetings and congratulations to Wings and Wingers from Catalonia, from where my chances of learning the real news behind the news would be poor to zero without this site.
indyref2 @ 12.17
I do know the convoys cross the Erskine Bridge as reported by Scottish CND, even in high winds which was reported by SCND in January last year.
I can see the Erskine Bridge from my back windows so you can understand why I have been worried about nuclear weapons since the early/mid 70s.
@Marga
Greetings from Scotland! We’re right behind your bid for Independence.
I take it with all the concern over this Chinese company this deal is over with too?
link to telegraph.co.uk
Indyref2
re Nuclear convoys overnight stays in Stirling barracks (which are in the centre of the city) –
I was told by an MSP that the convoys use Stirling barracks overnight during a discussion we had following the Brian Quail/Alasdair Ibbotson interception on a Stirling roundabout recently. This was in a built up area, in full daylight.
There was no M/way involved – A84. This road is frequently only single carriageway. The protestors acted because they believed that the convoy was carrying material connected with nuclear warheads. Brian’s argument being that it is illegal to be involved in the manufacture/transport of weapons of mass destruction and UK has signed some treaty accepting that.
Change of topic: Tomorrow’s national has an article re the tories calling for a new deal between China and Scotland after the SNP “bungled” the last one SO Baaadly!
“It doesn’t just look amateurish for the SNP, it damages Scotland’s credibility too.”
You cudnae make it up!
link to thenational.scot
Found this article on Yahoo…
link to vanityfair.com
Think it’s quite a good resume of where the UK is just now. Also reaches some telling conclusions e.g.
” … after the U.K.’s vote to leave the E.U., however, much is threatened by renewed calls for Scottish independence—most compellingly, Britain’s influence on the international stage, the viability of its nuclear arsenal, and its position as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.”
It refers to Nicola as Scotland’s sure-footed First Minister.
Definitely worth a read.
Happy 5th birdy Stu and WOS faimily, what a great and uplifting crowd of people there are on here ,many a time after hearing the BBC newspish I feel deflated but when I come on here the comments and posts re energise me .Thanks Stu for all you do
Congratulations!!
Ironically, I found Wings in 2013 after reading frequent negative reference to it, on the comment section of the Scotsman, from what we now call yoons. As well as frequent accusations of every indy commenter being someone in Bath? Some things never change, eh?! Except I don’t comment there anymore!
Ha ha of course like everyone, I read every article and almost all the comments. Although I enjoy many of the frequent commenters, Nana’s links are great and Nana I do actually look for them 😀
And Robert Peffers, whose contributions are illuminating and thought provoking. That is not to mention others I enjoy but too many to list!
Love to all
@Meg merrilees 2:49
That’s a cracking article Meg. Much more insightful than many others that have gone to print. Perhaps the rest of the World is getting the picture loud and clear after all.
What a sad and desperate shortage of proper journalism there currently is in the U.K. when Vanity Fair has a better grasp of UK politics than the entire UKOK media establishment.
Nice to see new names posting and some old ones who don’t post so much now.
Meg merrilees, excellent find that Vanity Fair piece. Reaches the bits that UK press avoid as does most of the reporting from outside UK.
Well now we’re five and off to proper school, time for some real work!
Congrats!! Lang may yer lum reek!! To be environmentally politically incorrect.
I find it heartening to think that we can actually envision a time when wings will still be relevant in an independent Scotland!!
Hey well said cearc, keep talking new and known peoples 🙂
Team Scotland.
X.
Meg merrilees may I add my thanks for that uplifting piece.
Twathater , I know how you feel .It can fair depress the hell out of you .the MSM is in full vitriolic flow.
But then I go to WGD , Wings , Grouse and a few others who lift my spirits , put a smile on my physog and hope in my heart – and for that I give them and all the BTLers my thanks.
@Meg merrilees
A good link and worth sharing around. 🙂
Happy birthday Wings and Stu! I found WOS towards the end of 2013, and at first didn’t visit all that often – for some reason I felt a bit put off that the site was run by a man of the cloth, the Right Reverend Stu. Must say I was a bit surprised by his threats re hammers and the like.
Then when I read articles in the likes of the Scotsman that blared SNPBAAAD, and I felt confused about the accusations, I found that Wings cut right through the lies and spin and gave me the truth.
At the same time the BTL comments in Scotsman were becoming ever more spiteful and downright nasty and I gave up going there, to become a full-time WOS lurker. Then an occasional commenter.
Wings helped me get over that dreadful black Friday in Sept 2014, and the following depression. And then the amazing kindness and help of so many Wingers during a very black period this year.
When I was at my lowest, I received an unexpected little parcel through the post. On opening it, I found a Wings card and some packets of sweeties, and I had to burst out laughing, because of Stu’s Fingers gesture to the Electoral Commission who fined him, and he raised thousands in a fundraiser in a day, to pay their rigged fine as well as to ‘spend on sweeties’ Made my day, made my week!
I cant begin to express just how much all that help and caring and even fun that I have found from Wingers has meant to me. So a huge thank you to Stu, Wings and Wingers! You are the best!
Scotland is to be stripped of even more military assets over the next few years. Despite the usual waffle from a strange we man who eats things off his beard!.
My thoughts on that is that they assess that Scotland will become Independent in the near future.
Then what they are doing follows the mantra of a colonial overlord removing all things military, as they strip a future new country of as much military assets as they can. Followed with theft of all valuable assets they can get their sticky hands on. All in order to weaken and deprive the new country.
Sounds feasible to me.They have the history that makes the scenario very likely.
Links
link to alexsalmond.scot
James Kelly
Brexit High Court ruling is no laughing matter – for the Remainers, it’s an emergency
link to talkradio.co.uk
Has the UK already castrated itself?
link to archive.is
link to holyrood.com
link to newsbtc.com
link to uk.businessinsider.com
link to lbc.co.uk
link to tompride.wordpress.com
link to politicshome.com
British welfare reforms trampled on disabled rights – U.N. inquiry
link to uk.mobile.reuters.com
link to politics.co.uk
link to ecfr.eu
link to thecanary.co
link to bright-green.org
Check out the latest Redacted tonight videos on youtube for Clinton Obama stuff. The US have a hell of a choice to make.
NANA:
Good morning Nana,thank you for links,your indispensable.Kettle on. 🙂
Peace Always
posting too fast yesterday to say happy birthday -but very thankful you are doing an amazing job and keeping one half of scotland sane. Funnily enough K with an E not talking about losing all the military places in scotland today always got something else to whinge about when it is another promise not being kept or scotland being treated unfairly – nothing about contract on clyde not signed yet (only talk and more promises which can be broken) and nothing about pensions and the possible loss of triple lock – selective moaning – it only gets an airing if they can say snp baaaad.
@Nana
Some excellent links there Nana. The Salmond piece, though short, gets right to the point. Mr Dunt’s article on May’s India talks and the Verhofstadt piece really set the tone. The reality of Brexit is sinking in.
A home bred runaway narrative of hatred and suspicion have acheived what few in history could and brought the UK and specifically England to the brink of economic, political and societal disaster.
The media looking in toward the UK and the more objective across the business community titles can see the effects beginning to take shape now. The other shoe dropping on the worst act of political and societal self harm in the UKs political history is about to break in a matter of months. No serious or objective commentator or title can see any other outcome.
All the yoonbat headlines from the daily heil or getsworse won’t stop extreme economic hardship from hitting the public where it hurts. No amount of fleg waving, outing and alienating Johnny Furriner. No amount of bunting, royal births or strictly come headlines will deflect from the reality of the idiocy their own government and its media unleashed on them.
Its going to be messy and all over the place.
I don’t know what good fortune led to our parly having the right folk in place at the right time, but Scotland is fortunate to have an out if it wants one.
@Smallaxe
There’s a lot this morning and actually had a whole lot more, difficult to decide which to post.
Hope you are doing well these days.
@Macart
It’s a horror show Sam, both UK & US are on the road to hell [sure there’s a song about that] As you say it is going to be messy.
I’m off to see WGD tonight in Dingwall, looking forward to it very much. Hope to see lots of folk there.
Haven’t seen call me dave posting lately. He had man flu so maybe he’s still under the weather.
@Nana
RE: WGD
Should be good tonight. Look forward to him hopefully marking the south west on his calendar at some point. I think he’s been to Dumfries near the border and Girvan in the early autumn. Still, he’s a busy fella these days and wearing out a good deal of shoe leather on the road. 🙂
Another insight into what the US and the UK do to meet their
objectives.Do we really want things like this done in our name?
Not in mine anyway.
link to thecanary.co
Thanks Nana, the Michael Moore ‘viral’ ‘hair raising’ message goes to the heart of what is happening in the States. He absolutely nails it, it’s simply the same phenomenon at play there as it is here. The democrats are the ‘red tories’ and like those in Brexit England the people have no alternative, Trump isn’t what they really ‘want’ but it’s all the media did to promote him and marginalise Jill Stein, Bernie Sanders et al.
People really should watch this video, the radio presenter continues after Michael Moore’s critique to further delve into this and makes some salient points that we are all too familiar with here.
We are so so so fortunate to have had a ‘vehicle’ in the SNP that is ‘aligned’ with our own values, it’s not perfect but it’s that thin saltire line between us and the ‘full’ impact of what this right wing culture war is destroying across the rUK.
(Hamish thon Michael Moore swears like a fucking trooper, best cover yer ears…I think he’s deficient in ‘vocabulary’ skills and his ‘hair raising message’ woulda been more effective if he’d just ‘not’ swore…cause y’know that’s what so ‘remarkable’ forget the ‘message’ and focus on the ‘swearing’….)
link to thecanary.co
Where would we all be without the last five years of Wings, its articles, its peeps & its links?
Keep yer hauns aff Fort George!
Nana:
I’m fine Nana,thanks for asking.I hope you are not overdoing it.Take care of those Golden Fingers.
Many happy returns.
A day without Wings is a day without sunshine
Nana:
I’m fine Nana, thanks, I hope you are not overdoing things.Look after those Golden Fingers.
Peace Always
Congratulations!
I always like to think that Wings is in some small way a little baby of mine. I was the author of an early pro-independence blog called “Independence”, which was, for example, by far the biggest Scottish political blog at the 2005 UK general election. (Nowhere near modern stats, but very high for the time.)
I used a similar (if inferior) analytical style to Wings and have always wondered if the Rev was in some small way motivated to enter the arena by my humble efforts? I know that James Kelly (Scot says pop) was, because he has written words to that effect.
The Scottish political blog roundup was also a baby of mine.
All the best, and thanks for doing a much better job than I ever managed.
@Nana
Wow! that Michael Moore video. We’re all going down the stank.
Aye @ Thepnr says at 2:59 pm
“Wow! that Michael Moore video. We’re all going down the stank.”
That’s why I think he’ll get in.
‘states version of Brexit.
Protest vote against the ‘elite establishment’.
Your getting 16/1 on Trump winning by 5% – 10% of the vote just now and that actually seems plausible listening to Moore.
Unfortunately Rev. Stuart Campbell says @ 3:59 pm
I’m more of a £5 each way cheapskate.
Still it’s that kind of tenacity that makes Wings what it is. 🙂
5 years but fork handles on the cake!!
Late for the party again… Happy 5th Wings and many more!
Good to “see” a lot of new faces on the comments pages recently; you would think Wings was popular or summat… 🙂
@ Thepnr, 2:59pm
Your prediction may be scarily accurate. US suffering same malaise as the UK.
Thanks @ Nana for posting the Moore link. I think he nailed it, but, who would want the choice they have over the pond?
Congratulations and thank you Stu and all who bring Wings to us.
My favourite thing about Wings is that I know that it is based on truth. I can comfortably dismiss the outpourings of some others, that Wings is a place of nastiness, as malicious lies.
Right is most certainly on our side and that comforts me in difficult times.
arthur thomson says:7.09 pm
9pm
“Right is most certainly on our side and that comforts me in difficult times.”
I may be totally wrong, please forgive me if this is the case, Arthur.
All of us, including myself, take comfort from the articles and comments here on Wings, people discuss and as you know,sometimes argue with each other but as you say, we have right on our side.
Another thing that we have on our side is a strong desire, a desire Arthur to see our beautiful Kingdom of Scotland Independent and being Governed by Her Sovereign People.
I am sure that for all of us,Independence can not ever come soon enough ,especially those to whom our present situation has brought extreme hardship. .When we have people hungry, cold and desperate to hold on to some dignity, it shames all of us.
The day will come when our destiny is back in our own hands, of this I am sure.
Meanwhile, though, it does everyone good to take a day off from politics ,I occasionally like to spend a day fishing, most of all though, I love spending time with my grandchildren, after all, theirs is the Scotland to come.
I come back to the fray refreshed and ready to do battle against our “Betters”, in the small way that I am able. I truly hope that you take a break if it is possible for you to do so Arthur, be gentle with yourself physically and mentally.
Peace, Love and Comfort to you and to those you Love.
I just re-read what I wrote earlier and it reads as being really sanctimonious. It wasn’t meant to be, it was just the way it came out. It just offends me when others bad mouth Wings and I know that their bad mouthing is just a deliberate smear.
arthur thomson:
I did not find your post at all sanctimonious Arthur,on the contrary, I read it exactly as I think most people would I hope, with great empathy, we mostly take comfort from the fact that here on Wings we will be amongst like minded people.
Like yourself, I too get annoyed by the detractors of this site and sometimes I take a complete break from politics to relax and give my aching spirit a rest.I find that it can be stressful at times.
I apologise unreservedly if my post gave you the wrong impression, I can assure you that I meant only to let you know that I too feel the need for comfort at times as I am sure, do many like us.
I wish you all the best, in the future my friend.
Peace Always
Bah. Didn’t even know that I shared a birthday with this site.
Got a few miles more in me than the site though.
Hope that the site doesn’t have many more anniversaries (stop on Independence Day, it should be Re-independence Day but not very snappy title that one)
Smallaxe – The anti Wings hysteria was created by the media and other right wing parties. I sometimes post twitter links to people and they say:” Oh you don’t follow that guy do you!”
Stu scares the hell out of the lying toe rags like Record and Daily Mail. Hence they create smokescreen smear stories. Always easier to demonise people than to look in the mirror. Stu tells it like it is and that’s why we love Wings.
I feel sorry for my fellow nationalist who have bought into the Wings = bad. I read Wings everyday no matter where I am. There is great comfort in knowing Wings will have an answer to just about every Yoon Snp bad story.
Anyone can read, but only intelligent people can question and understand. We are not passive we are assertive and questioning. We will not ever accept that our nation is less than any other and less valid than any other democracy. We are the fire in Scotland’s belly. We will do this.
Big Jock:
I totally agree my friend,if you look around, and see the utter shambles that W/Minster has caused in our beautiful and intrinsically valuable Kingdom and then like myself, think how so much better it could and should be, it’s tragic.
We will never give up until we have back control of our own affairs.
Our children and grandchildren deserve so much better and we will do our utmost to ensure that they have it.
Peace is worth Fighting for
Peace and Love to You and yours my Friend
Jimmy The Pict says:
8 November 2016 at 11:07 pm
“Bah. Didn’t even know that I shared a birthday with this site.”
Jimmy, may I wish you a belated, Happy Birthday.
Peace Always
Happy Birthday to you