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Wings Over Scotland


Nicola’s Non-Truths

Posted on January 13, 2025 by

Peter Murrell really ought to have seen the writing on the wall a while ago.

But at least it’s in keeping with her track record.

(Nicola Sturgeon resigned less than two years later.)

(There was no fresh independence referendum.)

(Only 1 in 10 pupils had received their free laptop when the scheme was scrapped.)

(The National Care Service has been abandoned.)

(Scotland did not remain in the EU.)

(A national energy company was not established.)

(Nicola Sturgeon did not host any refugees in her home.)

(The Named Person policy was finally ditched less than two years later.)

(There were no monthly Facebook Q&As, there were no regular town hall public meetings, and even her own MPs and MSPs could barely get to speak to her.)

(No copies of “An Independent Scotland – A Household Guide” were ever produced, and the money raised to pay for them vanished.)

(Despite the Scottish Government sacrificing almost every other priority to pursue it, the Gender Recognition Reform Act did not become law.)

(Scotland was not “ripped out of the UK”.)

We could pledge not to go on. But we, at least, don’t make promises we can’t keep.

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Molesworth

Is it to be a divorce or an annulment on the grounds of non-consummation?

Muscleguy

She quite famously had a stillbirth. So be difficult to argue for that.

Graham Hobson

But did she? Her track record with truth leaves so much to be desired

Owen Mullions

Can we even believe her on that??

David Higgins

nope

Boab

She never had a still birth it was a miscarriage and it was early stages she was at a memorial 2 days after it.

PamG

A miscarriage, allegedly; very different from a stillbirth.

yoon scum

Mind bleach please

Ronnie

That is some track record.

gregor

BBC (2014): Sturgeon vows to be ‘most accessible’ first minister ever:

“Nicola Sturgeon has pledged to be “the most accessible first minister ever” when she takes over from Alex Salmond.

The current deputy leader of the SNP made the promise during a keynote speech in Dundee’s Caird Hall on Friday evening.

Her plans include a monthly Facebook question and answer session with members of the public.
Ms Sturgeon will also stage regular town hall public meetings.

The Scottish Cabinet will meet outside Edinburgh every two months as part of the transparency plans.

And Ms Sturgeon will offer to go before the Conveners Group of the Scottish Parliament on a regular basis to answer questions on the government’s record and plans.

As part of a nationwide tour, which also includes Inverness, Glasgow and Aberdeen, she told the Dundee audience:

“For too long the conversation between politicians and the public has been reduced to 30 second soundbites and stage-managed public appearances.”

Ms Sturgeon said: “We live in a very different world…”:

link to bbc.co.uk

link to archive.ph

gregor

Glenn Campbell: Political Editor, BBC (2025):

“Alex Salmond, once told me he privately warned the couple in 2014 against concentrating so much power in one household.

I have not been able to verify his account but in the years since then others in the SNP have publicly questioned the set up.”:

link to bbc.co.uk

link to archive.ph

100%Yes

Watch your back, Sturgeon and dugdale are regularly visitors to Wings as is Carrot Pete.

gregor

#SovereignScotland

Watch me (I’m back:)

#Epic

gregor

James Brown: The Payback:

“Hey!
Got to, got to payback
(The big payback)
Revenge, I’m mad…

You sold me out for chicken change
(Yes you did)
You told me that they, they had it all arranged
You had me down, and that’s a fact
And now you punk, you gotta get ready
For the big payback…

I can do wheeling, I can do dealing
(Yes we can)
But I don’t do no damn squealing
I can dig rapping
I’m ready, I can dig scrapping
But I can’t dig that backstabbing
(Oh no)
Now brother get ready, that’s a fact
Get ready you mother for the big payback…

You took my money, you got my honey
Don’t want me to see what you doing to me
I can get back, I got to deal with you…

Hey, I’m a man, I’m a man
I’m a son of a man, but don’t they tell you that pappa can
Get ready for the big payback…

Hit me back
WOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Lord
(The big payback)…”:

link to tinyurl.com

#GreatScotlandPayback

gregor

The Fraud (2025): Ex-Scottish Labour leader calls out ‘awful’ Nicola Sturgeon coverage:

“EX-Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale has called out “disgusting” coverage of Nicola Sturgeon’s split from former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell.The former first minister announced she and Murrell would be ending their marriage…

The news appeared on the front pages of almost every Scottish newspaper on Tuesday with Dugdale describing some of the coverage as “disgusting and awful”… Dugdale – who led Scottish Labour from 2015 to 2017 – was asked how sympathetic she felt towards Sturgeon following the announcement, to which she fiercely defended her…

She said: “Deeply sympathetic and I will get a lot of crap on social media for saying that…””:

link to archive.ph

KEZ
gregor

The Independent: There’s a lesson for all politicians in Kezia Dugdale’s resignation…:

“All political careers end in failure…
Dugdale has shown that life is more important than politics.”:
link to archive.ph

FAILED
gregor

@PeteWishart has blocked you:

“Just had a look at Alba Twitter. I’ve never seen such hate on any social media site from accounts claiming to be Alba supporters directed towards Nicola Sturgeon. It is simply disgusting.”

link to x.com

link to archive.ph

PETE1
Mark Beggan

Gregor!!

gregor

Congratulations, Mark, et al

re. Hall of Scotland/world shame

twathater

MAYBE her constituents would be excited to even get 30 second soundbites because as it stands that would be 30 seconds more than they currently get

I see the arsewipes in the SP are attempting to block access to their records of attendance in the wee shitey parliament because it causes stress and anxiety to them , maybe the fucking answer would be tae dae yir jobs and attend

gregor

We’ll unlock access and will do a far better job (while we flush the arsewipes away:) –

You’ll enjoy it…

#TeamScotland

Hatey McHateface

A very naughty question springs to mind, th.

How many of the regular BTL posters on here ARE her constituents?

Just imagine – that could explain her reluctance to interact with them, and even gain her some sympathy 🙂

Harry Dunlop

It’s hard not to see this as the end of the beginning of the Branchform process. (I’d like to think it’s the beginning of the end, but not even I am that optimistic).

A marriage of convenience until it was inconvenient, especially when you need to try and persuade people you didn’t know what your husband was up to (so to speak!) 

Last edited 1 day ago by Harry Dunlop
Callum

Who will get the camper van after the divorce?

I suppose this means Sturgeon will not be charged and she has decided to dump Murrell and let him take the wrap. It seems consistent that she will always sacrifice people who she deems a threat. I wonder if she will claim she did not know about the missing money or couldn’t remember who spent it and on what.

Harry Dunlop

Perhaps she won’t be charged. But I’m not sure how she absolves herself from her responsibilities as a signatory to the SNP accounts…

Campbell Clansman

A plea of ignorance by Sturgeon has some credibility as a plea. From her, any admission of ignorance is believable.

Hatey McHateface

“dump Murrell and let him take the wrap”

Is there a disputed wrap too? 🙂

It’s always tragic when a couple split and start haggling over who gets what. Let’s hope there’s at least two copies of “Women Hold Up Half The Sky” in the house.

Haha, bet there’s hundreds, and no doubt muckle great boxes of them in the camper van too.

Helen Yates

The only pledge she made that I’m glad she didn’t keep was the one to ensure Scotlands vote to remain in the EU was kept, I voted remain at the time but have since come to despise everything about the EU.

My wish for my country now would be to see an independent Scotland become a member of BRICS.

John Kinsella

Helen, I’m not Scottish and yes the EU has its faults.

But BRICS has Russia, China and India as members. The first 2 are autocracies and the latter is a very flawed democracy.

Royston

Not at all like the Yookay then…

John K

+1
Yep, I too (reluctantly) voted Remain at the time. Have since changed my mind for “obvious” reasons

Last edited 1 day ago by John K
Ted

Question: does this mean she is free to give evidence against him now?

Callum

Turning King’s evidence to escape prosecution might be the offer she couldn’t refuse.

PhilM

Unfortunately, that’s not how it works.

Ian

I’m not a lawyer, but I believe she always could. Indeed, in Scotland, I believe the prosecution could compel her to give evidence against him if they wanted.

link to legislation.gov.uk

Last edited 1 day ago by Ian
Callum

But will she be able to recall what her soon to be ex-hubby was alleged to have done?

Nemisis Benn

Are you expecting “her” to follow through and actually get a divorce?

Owen Mullions

Will she even be able to recall who her ex-hubby was?

Humza Who?

Surely you meant to ask if Mr. Sturgeon is now free to give evidence against his ex-wife?

100%Yes

If as many people as possible can sign the petition below
link to petitions.parliament.scot

twathater

Already signed and posted the link previously
And if any of the diehard unionist trolls on here have any sense they will also sign it because it relates to them as well

100%Yes

Well done, I don’t expect the SNP to act on it. James Kelly just re-joined the SNP I guess he never really left.

Andy Anderson

Done

James Gardner

Done.

Dan

Yet all the simple minds will still believe all the things she said…

link to youtube.com

gregor

Love it, Dan…

#WiseDan

Derek

Aye, very good! Not one of their better records, to my ears anyway…

robertkknight

Brilliant!

If Nicola Sturgeon told me her name was Nicola Sturgeon I’d still be inclined to seek confirmation from a verifiable source.

So, will she be saving her grand “coming out” reveal for the next time someone takes a thoroughly justifiable swipe at her despicable behaviour in the press?

Oh look! A blue haired squirrel!

shug

It is funny how interviewers when she refers to Salmond never mention that the Jury did not believe the evidence her cronies presented. They never visit the case of clear perjury
Funny how she always gets an easy run, one could almost think they were protecting her.

100%Yes

I hope and pray that peter tells all to his solicitor and the guy has the good sense to realize that Sturgeon is sociopath union crazy woman who HATES Scottish Nationalist, its a fact she does.

GD2218130
robertkknight

That’ll only happen if he gets hold of the negatives and all/any prints, otherwise…

1000023834
Ian

Nicola Sturgeon did not host any refugees in her home.”

TBF, I think the refugees got off lightly with that one. Imagine escaping a war zone and being ‘rewarded’ by having to live with Sturgeon.

agent X

A leaked video has emerged apparently showing former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon playing down worries about the party’s finances.

In the video, Sturgeon lashes out after three members of her finance and audit committee resigned in protest because they were refused access to the books.

She said: “The party has never been in a stronger financial position than it is right now and that’s a reflection of our strength and our membership.

“I’m not going to get into the details…but, you know, just be very careful about suggestions that there are problems with the party’s finances, because we depend on donors to donate.

“There are no reasons for people to be concerned about the party’s finances, and all of us need to be careful about not suggesting that there is.

“We’ve got to be careful we don’t reap what we sow, if we have leaks from this body it limits the ability for open free and frank discussion.”

link to dailyrecord.co.uk

Last edited 1 day ago by agent X
twathater

That video was posted widely last year and still the sycophants and apologists still remaining in the membership didn’t believe it
A big boay did it and ran away

James Gardner

Donations have since nose dived……

Hatey McHateface

That’s a quite stupendous list of broken promises.

But just look at the dates on some of them! Way before Covid, but despite all that, millions of Scots clung to every word of Scotland’s Chief Mammy during the Covid Years and showed every sign of believing she was the only thing standing between them and certain death.

I’m at a loss to explain it.

Potace

This is all part of her secret plan, I take it?

Owen Mullions

It’s Sexit!

Dixter

Probably the only effective independence that pair will ever achieve

Nemisis Benn

Good to see that Wings gets a plug in the vicious comments on the Daily Telegraph article.

Stevie

Every time I see a photo of her I grind my teeth as I look into the eyes of a narcissist.

gregor

mygov.scot: Emotional Support:

“You can contact the Redress Emotional Support Helpline on 0800 211 8403.
Calls to the helpline are usually free.

You’ll be asked to leave a message and someone will call you back….

Workers on the helpline are not employed by the Scottish Government…”:

link to mygov.scot

Blackhack

So, When’s she coming out then ??

Glenn Boyd

Oh forget that. The BIG news is that my spy’s inform a Spring Wedding is on the cards for one Patrick Harvey and his beau. I understand that while it’s a rushed and unexpected affair, it will be the LGBTUVXYZ event of the season!

Last edited 1 day ago by Glenn Boyd
twathater

Don’t tell me weeee Paddys preggers

Glenn Boyd

Er…..NO! It’s simply that his “fiance” was married but due to unexpected circumstances – an impending divorce – a proposal followed

PacMan

Shouldn’t be punchline be that Sturgeon has thrown Murrell under the campervan?

PacMan

When looking at Sturgeon at this present moment, the Sex Pistols song Liar comes to mind:

link to genius.com

gregor

Share your/our mind, PacMan…

“I know where you go, everybody you know
I know everything that you do or say
So when you tell lies, I’ll always be in your way
I’m nobody’s fool and I know all
‘Cause I know what I know

You’re in suspension
You’re a liar
You’re a liar
You’re a liar
Lie, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie

Liar, lie, lie, lie, liar, you liar, lie, lie, lie
I think you’re funny, you’re funny, ha-ha
I don’t need it, don’t need your blah-blah
Should’ve realised I know what you are…”

#LIESturgeonistory

Derek

Better song, better band…

link to youtube.com

Last edited 23 hours ago by Derek
gregor

re. The Damned

Angus Robertson
@AngusRobertson:

“The Tories damned Nicola Sturgeon even before she gave evidence. Their pursuit of her scalp rather than standing up for victims of sexual harassment is as transparent as it is distasteful. #IStandWithNicola”:

link to x.com

Continued:

“Nicola Sturgeon is the most popular leader the SNP has ever had and her standing amongst the general public is miles ahead of her rivals….

Her intelligence is rated twice as highly as her rivals, as is her understanding or ordinary people, her genuineness, honesty, trustworthiness and charisma…

Having failed to lay a glove on her, opposition politicians and the anti-SNP commentariat have launched a full-on Trumpist assault, deploying character assassination, wild exaggerations, accusations and conspiracy theories…

Instead of a genuine interest in the female complainants who reported the behaviour of the ex-First Minister, they have attacked his successor….

Nobody disputes that investigations into sexual harassment should have been better handled. Hopefully that will be the ultimate outcome of the investigations.”:

link to archive.ph

lee

Other promises made and broken by rat sturgeon include;

In 2021 she promised she would provide all relevant communications to the Scottish Covid Inquiry, including whats app messages.

She then had to admit that despite this promise, she had actually chosen to delete all her whats app messages relating to Covid and making these available to nobody.

What an absolute rotter.

gregor

ScotlandMatters:

“Senior SNP figures ‘had secret WhatsApp group chat codenamed Vietnam to plot against Alex Salmond’”:

link to scotlandmatters.co.uk

TheCritic: Nicola Sturgeon and the WhatsApp Group of Secrets:

“Openness and transparency with the Scottish public was very important to me,” Nicola Sturgeon, dressed in a funereal black, assured the Covid Inquiry.

So important, it turns out, that she took a great deal of care what she was open and transparent about.”:

link to thecritic.co.uk

Effijy

Is this a need for cash being so desperate to sell a story to an old Tory on behalf of the most corrupt and anti-Scottish newspaper the daily hail.
Will moving in with a lesbian couple lead to another revolation for sale?

James Gardner

She’ll need loads of cash, lawyers ain’t cheap an’ the SNP heid office is skint so nae haun oots ther……..

Pete W

Now that she’s cut Murrell adrift, what’s the betting that Branchform is about to announce its findings.

PacMan

I tried to post a positive comment on here over the festive period that Sturgeon would probably end up packing selves, obviously forgetting that she has a fat FM pension pot to fall back on if all her revenue streams did dry up.

Even though she isn’t going to experience the hardships of life that the rest of us have to face but is it possible that she is going to fade in obscurity in the coming years?

Progressive politics in in full retreat at the ballot box and the Tech Billionaires are also in retreat from throwing their companies money at Woke/Progressive policies as they know where their bread is buttered as they chase for lucrative government contracts under the upcoming Trump administration.

On top of that, who in Progressive circles is going to want to be associated with Sturgeon given her baggage, no legacy under her political tenure as well as her ‘public image’ being shallow and different from who she really is.

As well as that, how relevant is she or what she says now? There is no doubt she is a great communicator and great at ‘reading the room’ but she lacks depth in substance. It looks like she is trying to get a literary career but is anybody going to buy her books.

Outside of Scottish nationalist circles, in the year to come while she be seen as Nicola who?

Hatey McHateface

“no doubt she is a great communicator”

Naw. One doubter right here. Never could stand to listen to her for more than 30 seconds.

gregor

Criminal:

“Relating to crime:

Criminal activity.
A criminal act/offence.
Criminal behaviour.
A criminal investigation.”

“Very bad or morally wrong:

It’s criminal to charge so much for a book.”:

link to dictionary.cambridge.org

#NiCriminal

Harry Dunlop

A colleague made an interesting comment to me about her ‘legacy’… I ventured that it would be the Child Payment (£20/wk for some) or the Bay Boxes. His reply was they’re things she did, but they don’t create an outcome, a legacy. So there really is nothing at all in the credit side of the ledger.

DavidT

The thing is, the SNP were getting elected on the back of many of these pledges.

Chas

I always thought Sturgeon’s nickname at University was very appropriate.

Seaweed-Even the tide widnae take her oot.

Daisy Walker

The only ‘writing on the wall’ Pete will be looking at is the writing on the big fat cheque he will be getting in order to be the fall guy and keep shtum. Be a short life if he were to disclose what really happened. Hypthetically….Prepare for a trial where he pleads guilty from the start, so minimal public exposure, a suspended sentence, community service, a new start in Portugal…..

PacMan

Remember the quote from the old TV prison comedy Porridge about Christopher Biggins character where those inside are worried about what their partners do on the outside but his partner is worried about what he will get getting up to inside.

Why does that scene come to find with Pete’s potential stretch inside?

Scot Finlayson

Enoch Powell said,
“All political lives, unless they are cut off in midstream at a happy juncture, end in failure, because that is the nature of politics and of human affairs.” 

sarah

All these reminders of the treachery under Sturgeon, and the repeat being gaily talked about by Swinney and Forbes, is maddening. The only thing I find comfort in is knowing that some very capable people are working to make an impact at the 2026 election, and others are working for recognition of our colonial status at the United Nations.

Meanwhile I sign any petition e.g. New Scotland Party’s and the ICCPR one to holyrood.

Cuphook

Jay Gatsby said, “What was the use of doing great things if I could have a better time telling Daisy what I was going to do?”

Swap ‘Daisy’ for ‘Scotland’ and it’s the charlatan Sturgeon’s story.

gregor

True.

Socrates MacSporran

This break-up is hardly a shock – we’ve all known for years that Nicky prefers Heather to Pete, while Pete prefers Tams to Nickys.

diabloandco

Nicky -tams???

For those who don’t know they were bits of string tied round trousers at the knee to stop getting dirt on them – hmm!

George Ferguson

Some people say it was a Lavender marriage. Although she did have a spontaneous abortion at a Rangers match. So there was love there. And I wouldn’t wish that on anybody after my wife experienced the same albeit between successful child births. We all know Nicola Sturgeon would have a fight in an empty house. Time for her to depart the Scottish political scene as way to much bandwidth is taken up by her personal foibles. Scotland has to move on. Can we address the immediate problem of failing Public Services? And especially Operation Branchform, get it done and move on. And she should listen to Moira and stop attacking the legacy of Alex Salmond. Her legacy is baby boxes and nothing else. A pale imitation of Salmond.

sarah

Baby box idea was kickstarted by Alex!

Chas

Actually it was a Labour initiative.

PacMan

The period of Sturgeon in and out of power in Scottish politics it has been Scotland’s lost decade.

There is a lot of apathy and lingering anger towards her so best let everybody get all the bile out now and then move on.

Hatey McHateface

“get all the bile out now and then move on”

If only!

What ever happened to the rumour that NS is planning a comeback, after Swinney calls it a day?

crazycat

Love is not a prerequisite for conception. Otherwise most arranged marriages would be barren.

John.H

I think we’d all like to move on. The problem is that she won’t go away.

George Ferguson

Thank you for the responses. WoS can tolerate debate. I don’t have any answers to the Scottish Independence debate except it’s time Nicola Sturgeon moved on. A handicap we could do without. The Queen over the water waiting in the Wings is delusional beyond credibility. In golf terms we are five down with four to play.

Chas

You are not allowed to mention golf on here George. It upsets the natives who, for some reason, class golf as a bourgeois activity.
The fact that golf adds hundreds of millions to the Scottish economy is simply irrelevant to them.

Anthem

She couldn’t lace his boots!

James Gardner

The Finns started the Baby Box but tied it in with parenting classes etc. Scot Gov only did the the boxes, only half the scheme……

Mark Beggan

Baby boxes were designed for refugee camps they are also intended as coffins.

gregor

Julie Bindel
@bindelj:

“Who would ever have thunk it? Revealed: Nicola Sturgeon is staying at flat of her close friend Val McDermid after split from her husband…”:

link to x.com

FLATT
gregor

“…she posed for photos alongside Ms McDermid just 24 hours after Humza Yousaf scrapped the Bute House Agreement.

Ms Sturgeon is currently writing her memoirs, which experts have estimated could make her as much as £1 million from the deal with Pan Macmillan.

Ms McDermid has given advice to the former First Minister on writing the book.

Ms Sturgeon previously said: ‘I was sitting in front of the computer really struggling to get anything down, so I texted Val and said “Does this happen to you, do you get writers block?”

‘I was hoping for some very sage, writerly advice. What I got back, and this is a direct quote was “Stop f*nnying about on WhatsApp and just get on with it.” That’s been my mantra ever since.’

The £72,196-a-year politician set up Nicola Sturgeon Ltd to handle her outside earnings, and recently received a payment of £25,000 plus VAT from ITV for appearing as a pundit on the channel’s election night programme.

The swish Edinburgh flat Ms Sturgeon has been seen leaving is owned jointly between Ms McDermid and her wife…”:

link to dailymail.co.uk

QUEEN
gregor

The Fraud (2025): Sky News host called out on SNP gaffe in Nicola Sturgeon report:

A Sky News host has been called out after appearing to incorrectly refer to the SNP as the “Scottish nationalist party”:
link to thenational.scot

SNPGROUPSLGBTI:

link to snp.org

CIS
gregor

Nationalist:

“Wanting your country to be politically independent:

A nationalist movement.”:

link to dictionary.cambridge.org

Flag_of_Scotland.svg
gregor

“Sturgeon also admitted Scottish independence is now “off the radar” but believes nationalists will achieve the goal in her lifetime.”

link to archive.ph

TRANSRIGHTS
Mark Beggan

How did the operation go.

Mark Beggan

Nothing missing?

Mark Beggan

Largactil can work wonders

Mark Beggan

What size of shoe are you?

Mark Beggan

I’ve gotta lovely pair of Penelope Keith garden wellingtons..

Mark Beggan

Only problem is they’re British Racing Green.

gregor

You’ll find my response, here:

link to wingsoverscotland.com

Mark Beggan

Challenge her to do a Forty minute interview with the Rev.

willi

Well she kept that under wraps – separated for some time she says no less,

One can only wonder what triggered the announcement about separation and divorce coming out now. 

Everything with someone like Sturgeon happens for a reason. And there will be a reason here.

And whilst she was at it announcing that she was ” with a heavy heart ” getting divorced it seems that her heavy heart didn’t stop her laying in to the memory of the deceased Alex Salmond. Upsetting for Salmond’s widow and family with Salmond dead and unable to defend these accusations from his one time close colleague. It certainly seems that Sturgeon has no heart as to a heavy heart.

Anyway, we can only watch and wait to find out what drove this announcement. Everything happens for a reason!

Anthem

Totally agree.
What’s worse is the bought and paid for press & media are playing along.
I also hope the use of the accommodation was free of charge!

MaryB

Wee Nicky’s become an irrelevance and she doesn’t like it. This is classic attention seeking behaviour. Criticise the late Alex Salmond; criticise John Swinney; grab attention about her divorce (which isn’t even news). She’s had no job offers. No nice international posts for her. Hasn’t even helped her constituents with their winter fuel problems. She doesn’t like being ignored, so we should expect more of these childish outbursts from her.

Cynicus

The timing of the Sturrell  split is very interesting: the same day as the Glen Sannox is finally launched with genuine (not cardboard) funnels and actual (not painted) windows.  Was that cosmetic, fake launch a few years back an apt metaphor for the Murgeon partnership?

If so, I look forward to the false beards coming off when each can be seen arm-in-arm with a companion of their choice. 

Hatey McHateface

“timing of the Sturrell  split is very interesting”

Then again, Cynicus, if you look at what is happening elsewhere in the world, in places arguably far more important than Scotland, it’s obvious that everybody is holding their breath and/or jockeying for favourable positions in anticipation of the tectonic shifts scheduled to commence on Monday of next week.

Lots of significant changes are going to happen, or at least, major players on the world stage believe that to be the case.

Perhaps there’s a knock-on effect at work, even here in sleepy wee Scotland.

Meantime, recognising this reality, we could wish that those BTL posters forever loudly predicting the imminent end of American imperialism could tone down the rhetoric a smidge.

A new boy is moving into the White House, and everybody here tacitly accepts their own lives are going to change as a result.

Now that’s raw power, imperialism, and dare I say it – colonialism!

Alf Baird

The spin and collective amnesia of a mediocre colonialist meritocracy sent by Whitehall to run our public bodies was in full evidence; and oh the joy of natives celebrating with cans of Tennent’s before 0800 in preparation for climbing Goat Fell. What an opportunity to stereotype and debase the dependent colonized.

The reality of this illustration of ‘British Exceptionalism’ is that this was £200m and 7 yrs wasted on a very badly specified and designed boat that could have been built in Asia for £20m in 2 years. The boat it replaces, Pentland Ferries ‘Alfred’ was built in Asia for £14.5m in twa year!

But what do I know (as the only Professor of Maritime Transport/Business in Scotland and with a PhD in Global Shipping Strategic Management) compared with the ever so bricht mynds of colonial officials and other assorted eejits dabbling in national ferry ‘procurement’?

The reality here is that real nationalists with the right skills and expertise are never appointed to run things in a colonial society for fear they will do things rather better in the interests of their nation rather than serve the colonial power and their own interests; which also helps explain why the colony is always under-developed, its main function being to serve the needs of the ‘mother country’.

link to yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com

maxxmacc

Mister Murrell might as well change his name to ‘Patsy’, as the cards are lining up nicely to leave him to take the rap for all the missing SNP cash. ‘Oor Nicola’ can then claim to have been in the dark about it all, and drive off into the sunset in the family motorhome.

But let’s not forget that she is still pulling the strings of the SNP and will always remain top of the MSP list, so no matter what happens she will still be around. My guess is she will make a comeback as leader before the decade is out.

The incredible thing is that there was never a serious rebellion by the MPs or MSPs who must have known of the entire farce. They were largely happy to stay quiet and draw in their hefty salaries as long as the party support didn’t flatline. I blame them more than anyone else in this fiasco, which has set Scottish nationhood back 50 years.

PacMan

But let’s not forget that she is still pulling the strings of the SNP and will always remain top of the MSP list, so no matter what happens she will still be around. My guess is she will make a comeback as leader before the decade is out.

With Murrell gone, it’ll be interesting to see what the Young Pretender, Bonnie Princess Katee will do.

Forbes is young, energetic and politically astute for her own ends for example by missing the GRR vote by going on leave.

I don’t know what will actually happen in the second term Trump world but given that that the UK economy is tanking and there is no route to grow over-selves out of it, sober and safe politicians are more likely to be attuned to the public.mood.

Given her religious, conservative background is Forbes more likely to be popular with that public or the old, worn and proven divisive figure of Sturgeon?

Common sense goes with Forbes being in charge of the SNP but it is the SNP we are talking about.

Hatey McHateface

“there is no route to grow our-selves out of it”

Wash your mouth out with soap, PacMan, or perhaps more realistically, get yourself out of your comfort zone and have a look at different online websites.

There’s routes out of our current mess, but they will require whoever is in charge to slay some of the sacred cows that so far, Starmer & Reeves lack the courage to go near.

And so we have 4.5 years of managed decline and helpless hand-wringing to thole, until the next election cycle might permit a new set of braver cutlass-wielding politicians to take over.

Obviously, circumstances should be ripe for a resurgence of Scottish nationalism, but I’m seeing no sign that our local politicals have the courage to tackle the sacred cows either.

So what would be the point of replacing one set of failed policy pushers with another set, eh?

The sacred cows of neo-liberalism, centralised government micro-management, diversity worship, net zero and elevated human rights for the criminals of the entire world should have been rendered down for glue long since.

Instead, they remain thriving in our midst, protected by both WM and HR.

Dan

That almost reads like fluffing for Forbes…

link to wingsoverscotland.com

PacMan

Firstly, I had typed the message on autopilot. I had meant she is photogenic which seems to be liked by the media.

Secondly, I didn’t intend the reply as support for Freeport Forbes. I was inferring that Sturgeon is finished in front line politics where there are far more younger and ruthless individuals like Forbes about in the SNP waiting in the wings.

Mark Beggan

I take it when Reform gets in she’ll virtual signal in her bra and knickers. Noggin the McNog. The highland dwarf.

Vivian O’Blivion

Three out of four, Westminster voting intention polls conducted entirely within this year have RefUK leading the Tories (marginally). The latest is YouGov, field work 12 – 13 Jan.

Scottish sub-sample is: Con 11%, Lab 23%, LibDem 8%, SNP 33%, RefUK 18%, Green 7%. Very little can be reliably inferred from these micro-samples (198), but headline indications would be; the SNP still lag around 15% behind support for independence, and so much for RefUK being an England & Wales only phenomenon.

Dan

Aye, yet for a good while now some have been saying there is nothing going on in Scottish politics… yet the steady rise of Reform shows there was / is.
For years some of us could see and feel this happening and regularly expressed and made the matter be known and proffered potential solutions…
There’s a reason why some folk I interact with are beginning to lose trust in our supposedly brightest and best “pro-indy” fowk when it has been patently obvious on the ground that there was a vacuum forming and pro-indy folk and groups needed to get with the program and work to harness that situation; But did little instead.

robertkknight

Monday’s front pages – Salmond.

Can’t have that, thinks the poisoned dwarf… takes to social media.

Tuesday’s front pages – Sturgeon

Much better, thinks the poisoned dwarf… toothy grins all round.

If Wilde’s Dorian Gray registered 10 on the narcissism scale, she’d hit 11 easy.

Ian Smith

Was Murrell told, or was it a typical dash to the cameras.

Mark Beggan

I hope she sticks around Long enough to witness her Party get bitch slapped by the Scottish people.

Michael Laing

Sturgeon quite deliberately and systematically wrecked the SNP, so I doubt if she’ll care when it goes down the pan.

sam

Mandy Rhodes also nails it

link to holyrood.com

Marie

Well written piece. As a disappointed “yes” voter I’m glad I never gave the SNP a single penny of my hard earned cash. They will never get my vote again.

Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh

Mandy Rhodes:
?Flynn thought he was the oxygen needed to breathe life into a moribund party, but he could yet prove to be the final nail in its coffin.”

Ally R

Has there ever been a less successful leading Minister in the UK let alone Scotland?

Even people like BoJo managed to get some stuff done and he was terrible.

Socrates MacSporran

That is some piece Robin McAlpine posted yesterday about Sturgeon. He doesn’t miss her and hit the wall. Should be compulsory reading.

robertkknight

Link B useful…

When does post-Sturgeon begin? | RobinMcAlpine.org

link to robinmcalpine.org

diabloandco

Most excellent! Thanks for the link.

Portysoul

Bravo Robin McAlpine, a brutal, but accurate slaying of Sturgeon. Thank you for the link.

Mark Beggan

Makes Mandy Rhodes article look like a Ladybird guide to Scottish politics.

Alf Baird

A good article, however, Robin rather misses a key point in his listing of certain other prosecutions that were more rapidly and vigorously processed, which is that: “the native seldom seeks for justice in the colonial framework”; and here we are also reminded that, “colonialism depends on a very solid government and justice system” (Memmi).

We are led to believe that we have a ‘Scottish’ justice system and even a ‘Scottish’ government but the reality in any colonial society is that, institutionally, “it is only the values of the colonizer that are sovereign”.

How a colonial system treats co-opted elites is another matter, much as we see.

Chas

I wonder how many people no longer read the articles or comments on Wings as they are simply put off by the same repetitive bilge by the same repetitive posters. I personally know three who have had enough and no longer visit.
Che, Geri and Ros have thankfully disappeared of late, fingers crossed that it lasts. If only Gregor and yourself would do the same.
There are some posters whom, I will politely say appear ‘misguided’, but there are none who continually try and self promote themselves as much as you.
You strike me as a ‘professional committee man’. Involved in all sorts of causes but, at the end of the day, do nothing other than talk or write and tell people what to do or think. I am not sure that I have ever seen a post from you that relates to the subject matter, within the article, which is always well researched and crafted by Stu.
It is not all about you trying to show what a clever dick you are!
No doubt some of the gullible will rush to your defence. The realists just leave without saying a word.

gregor

re. “do nothing other than talk or write and tell people what to do or think.”

“disappeared of late, fingers crossed that it lasts. If only Gregor and yourself would do the same.”

“all about you trying to show what a clever dick you are!”:

Agreed (smirk)

Insider

How true Chas !
No post on this site is safe from poor old Alf’s spamming and random quotes (most originally made about 19th century colonisation in Africa)
Not to mention his desperate attempts to sell his self-published “book”.
Has he never considered the harm he does to the Indy cause ?

gregor

Considered:

“Considered opinion/view/decision.”

“An opinion or decision that someone has reached after a lot of thought:

It is my considered opinion that he should be promoted.”:

link to dictionary.cambridge.org

#ScotlandGuardians

gregor

Clever dick:

“Someone who shows that they are clever, in a way that annoys other people:

If you’re such a clever dick, you finish the crossword puzzle.”:

link to dictionary.cambridge.org

Mark Beggan

I’ve just ordered a hundred thousand Sturgeon face masks…

… Anyone care for a free mask..

robertkknight

If they’re the black pvc ones with the fake pony tail and the zipper across the mouth, then I’ve already got one, thanks.

Mark Beggan

I was going to say ‘use this mask and get away with murder’ but I thought better of it.

gregor

They/Them LGBT+ Liberation Front (2025): Steph Paton: Why social media faces existential threat:

“The internet has always been an anarchic space…

…if the signs from early 2025 come to fruition – more restricted vehicle for railroading far-right authoritarianism into mainstream discourse.

With Donald Trump’s return to the White House imminent, tech oligarchs are lining up to kiss the feet of fascists and imperialists the world over. By doing so, they threaten to dismantle the greatest means of communication…

X/Twitter and Facebook is now constantly diverted by bots, fake profiles and AI-generated slop…

…rebranding globally-accepted words such as “cisgender” as a slur or giving a green light to racist abuse and misinformation.

All of which serves to remove the “social” from social media.

It has evolved into an unrecognisable creature from its infantile days, when Facebook began as a misogynistic tool…”:

link to thenational.scot

link to archive.ph

TERMINOLOGY
Mark Beggan

And that pool of dribble was brought to you by

#ScreamingLadySuch

gregor

Scottish Trans: TERMS:

It is important to remember that trans terminology is constantly changing and evolving. Particularly as many terms are related to people’s personal identities, the terms may be used by different people to mean different things

Cisgender/cis person:
A person who is not transgender. They identify as their assigned sex at birth.

Cissexism:
The set of norms in society that enforce ideas about the gender binary, and assumes that everyone will identify as their assigned sex at birth.”:

link to scottishtrans.org

SHAPESHIFT
gregor

Steph Paton
@stephenpaton134:

“No plans to leave just yet, but I’m on Bluesky as a backup.”:

link to x.com

BlueSky: Columnist for @ScotNational:

Pinned:

“Hello! My name is Steph, formerly @stephenpaton134 on Twitter. I’m a Scottish journalist and filmmaker. They/them on the streets, also in the sheets… I write about politics from the Left, LGBTQ+…”:

Social media quotes/re-posts:

“Apparently an extremely polite conversation about the lack of trans voices in the press, and the dehumanisation of my community, is enough to get blocked by the co-founder of @bylinetimes.bsky.social”

“Wrong people listened to on puberty blockers ban”.

“re. Graham Linehan leaving Britain:
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!”

“Truly embarrassing behaviour from Alba. We don’t need Musk – with his history of workers rights abuse and tax avoidance – anywhere near Scotland.”

“Meta is fundamentally evil company that deserves to be wiped off the face of the planet.”:

link to archive.ph

#LGBTQGROUPSexRights

SHEETS
Vivian O’Blivion

What a rollercoaster ride in nine years. In the 2015, Westminster, General Election, the SNP went from having six seats to fifty six seats. At our 4th July orgy of indifference and outright rejection, they returned to single figures in terms of MPs. Most of the feckless fifty six have returned to well earned obscurity. A few have parlayed their moment adjacent to the corridors of power to feather their nests for their post electoral careers. What distinguishes the lumpen canon fodder of the 2015 intake from those who have flourished? That would be the imprint of the Anglo/American Security State. 

Last week, it emerged that creepy pederast Patrick Grady has landed on his feet. £43k p/a for a four day week on a Scottish Government QUANGO no less. Wee Pat was touched by the magic hand of the US State Department, as an inductee of their International Visitors Leadership Program. No hardship must be permitted to fall upon him.

What of his fellow SNP MP who went on a two week all expenses paid jolly to Washington and California in July 2016; Angela Crawley? Well, Angela is on the Board of Who Cares? (Scotland). This is another charitable, third sector outfit funded by the Scottish Government (via Scottish Local Authorities who are of course recipients of the Block Grant). 

Patrick and Angela failed to report their trip to the States in their House of Commons, Register of Interests (despite the visit taking place while Westminster was in session). Apparently, their plebeian constituents didn’t need to know what they’re were up to while they were “on the clock”.

Former MP for Glasgow South, Stewart McDonald has fully committed as far as turning his ten day trip to the Woodrow Wilson Centre for International Scholars (Defeating Disinformation Workshop, Feb 2020) into a career defining moment. McDonald has used his most recent article in the Spectator (he’s a regular columnist) to tangentially praise Donald Trump’s colonial ambitions regarding Greenland. It’s all apparently necessary to combat the existential threat from China.

Quite a feat of cognitive gymnastics for a supposed nationalist to be supporting the subjugation of a native peoples by an imperialist power. Not that I’m suggesting that McDonald is lending his name to a piece penned in Foggy Bottom. By this point, McDonald is enough of a whore that he instinctively kens whit to say to please his paymasters.

His fevered justifications for colonialism make more sense if you factor in that McDonald has joined the Board of the John Smith Centre, populated as it is with more than a smattering of former and active spooks.

Andy Harrison

She threw Alex, her long time friend and mentor under a bus to protect her own self interests. It looks like her hubby is going the same way.

McDuff

As usual Rev you have once again demolished any credibility this women has never had.
I t is astonishing that people still think that the sturgeon has any interest in independence,Scotland or its people.
She disgusts me.


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