Rape Crisis Scotland, who are almost entirely dependent on the Scottish Government for funding, have chosen this evening to wade into the debate over the wording of a new law which is intended to lessen the trauma of people (nearly all women) who’ve been raped. We can only speculate as to whether they were pressured to do so, but the intervention seems likely only to pour petrol on the fire.
In his evidence to a Holyrood inquiry today, having been asked about some troubling WhatsApp messages concerning the case from 2018 which appeared to suggest the possibility of a conspiracy against the former First Minister, Murrell told members of the committee “I’m not on WhatsApp, it’s not a social media platform I use”.
Alert readers will have noticed a very careful use of the present tense there.
We’ve now filed a formal complaint with the Scottish Information Commissioner about this, because what we’d forgotten last week was that our original request was actually sent in September and it’s now been almost 60 working days with no sign of a proper response, not the 20 it’s supposed to take.
Because for some reason the Scottish Government REALLY doesn’t want you to know what the First Minister and Geoff Aberdein talked about in March 2018, and we think that you probably should.
We don’t normally like to devote much time on Wings to things that have been more than adequately covered elsewhere in the media, which is why you haven’t read much here about eg the Internal Market Bill. Unlike some we don’t see much point spending our limited human resources telling people stuff they already know and agree with.
But we’re going to make an exception for this next thing, which was already covered pretty well by Susan Dalgety in last week’s Scotsman, because (a) a lot of our readers, quite reasonably, will have an instinctively adverse reaction to either anything printed in the Scotsman or anything written by Susan Dalgety, and (b) a number of people have asked us to amplify this issue because it’s so important and so awful.
As well as the SNP NEC elections, the weekend saw the election of the first committee of a new grassroots independence organisation which is unfortunately and hopefully temporarily going by the stupendously terrible working name of “Yes Alba”.
15 people were elected to its ruling body by the votes of hundreds of delegates, with the top-ranked picks including SNP MP Angus MacNeil and former SNP MP George Kerevan. The majority of the successful candidates (eight) were female, even though there were no quotas or women-only shortlists imposed, and a wide range of ages was represented from young activists to former UK ambassador Craig Murray.
(We have no idea about any of their sexualities or gender identities, and also no interest in knowing, because those things have not the slightest bearing on their ability to fight for independence and are frankly none of our damn business.)
But that wasn’t good enough for Team Woke.
On a day when Joanna Cherry had a grown-up, reasoned and constructive column in The National calling for unity in the pursuit of independence, the outpouring of snide, sour sneering from a faction still raging with bitterness about being routed on the SNP NEC is instead curdling Twitter even as we speak.
And embarrassingly, not a single one of them has actually bothered to check even the most basic facts.
Alert readers will recall the deranged open letter released by a group of transactivists last Friday, in a nakedly transparent attempt to influence the SNP’s NEC elections that weekend which backfired on them horribly (and amusingly) when the party’s members instead kicked out three-quarters of the committee’s woke faction and replaced them with feminists, socialists and above all advocates of actually achieving independence.
If you don’t have the time to read Alyn Smith’s astonishing response to the SNP NEC election results in today’s National, we’ve edited it down to 10 seconds for you.
Captain Caveman on The quality of mercy: “Just one long grift. Rinse and repeat. “A fool and his money” etc.” Apr 7, 17:28
Aidan on The quality of mercy: “These supposedly dedicated independence fighters with the grit and determination to reclaim the nation can’t somehow pull together £1600 each…” Apr 7, 16:41
Young Lochinvar on The quality of mercy: “Beggars Mobilise your air cadets unit then did they? Well I suppose we should be grateful that at least back…” Apr 7, 15:14
sarah on The quality of mercy: “CASH NEEDED. To get new candidates/parties known to the voters, there must at least be a leaflet to every address…” Apr 7, 15:11
Young Lochinvar on The quality of mercy: “DB Yup. Uncle Sam was late for the last two world wars and is just determined to be there in…” Apr 7, 14:50
TURABDIN on The quality of mercy: “THE QUALITY OF MERDE Scots have the right to decide their own future….waffle, waffle, another ref, waffle, waffle https://www.snp.org/first-minister-john-swinney-addresses-the-nation-about-scotlands-right-to-decide-full-speech/ England…” Apr 7, 13:23
James on The quality of mercy: “That right, aye? Back to barracks?” Apr 7, 12:35
lothianlad on The quality of mercy: “All because the SNP has sold out on independence and become the administrators of the british state. All, or nearly…” Apr 7, 12:19
Alf Baird on The quality of mercy: ““they were really really strapped for cash and so had the bright idea to “make the colonies pay”” Yes, colonialism…” Apr 7, 12:15
lothianlad on Sicknote Slippers: “His Majesty’s United Kingdom thanks you for your service, Pete. Never a truer word spoken about comfy slippers!” Apr 7, 12:09
Aidan on The quality of mercy: “The U.K. does not offer “unions” with any other country though does it. The point is that Scotland is much…” Apr 7, 11:43
Iain More on The quality of mercy: “I recall a treacherous lying Yoon Chemistry teacher at school in the early 1970’s telling us that it was the…” Apr 7, 11:30
Confused on The quality of mercy: “let’s get into money, though, real money and deep reasons … that england was really strapped for cash was the…” Apr 7, 11:16
Confused on The quality of mercy: “but, but … https://archive.ph/t9RAY – I thought it was an ENGINE OF WEALTH CREATION the cognitive dissonance is strong in…” Apr 7, 11:15
Geri on The quality of mercy: “I’m amazed that little Engurlund doesn’t have every country in the entire world signing up to one of these fabulous…” Apr 7, 10:14
diabloandco on The quality of mercy: “Is anyone a tad worried by the actions of our great bestie to the west? Or indeed the fact we…” Apr 7, 08:04
Aidan on The quality of mercy: “Absolutely Geri – it’s one of the most important lessons we can learn from great military generals, major construction projects…” Apr 7, 06:45
Mark Beggan on The quality of mercy: “I served in Operation Lionheart. Auf vedersein pet! Was the golden age of British television. Never missed it. Yes Deutsch…” Apr 7, 02:52
Young Lochinvar on The quality of mercy: “Beggars Spend much time on the tools in West Germany or BAOR holding back Ivan?? No? Thought not. I did.…” Apr 7, 00:29
Young Lochinvar on The quality of mercy: “Beggars Quoting Hitler (one on from the derivative Main Kampf here).. You’ve graduated from Moseley it seems.. Not a good…” Apr 7, 00:21
Sven on The quality of mercy: “I’m just betting it wasn’t either of Ms Sturgeon’s “Clyde Built” Ferry boats with painted on windows, Mark. You’d be…” Apr 6, 20:57
George Ferguson on The quality of mercy: “@Fearghas Agreed people don’t understand the Constitutional implications of King Charles not fulfilling the Union treaty to the Church of…” Apr 6, 19:43
Mark Beggan on The quality of mercy: “Why Aye Man. ‘We had no way of staying afloat We had to leave on the ferry boat Economic refugees…” Apr 6, 19:40
Geri on The quality of mercy: “It’s more than ten years & I hate to break it to you but it’s GLOBAL. England has perpetual grudges.…” Apr 6, 19:38
Geri on The quality of mercy: “Agreed! I’m also so over the eejits who constantly think we need to fix this & that before Indy. England…” Apr 6, 19:24
Mark Beggan on The quality of mercy: ““It is thus necessary that the individual should finally realise that his own ego is of no importance in comparison…” Apr 6, 19:24
Alf Baird on The quality of mercy: ““Hate by its very nature is destructive. To hate an entire nation over a period of ten years rips the…” Apr 6, 18:55
Young Lochinvar on Clocks And Calendars: “What in tarnashun boyy! Aint not no none of yer good ol’ boyys talkin’ likee that in tham there Scahtland..…” Apr 6, 18:31
TURABDIN on The quality of mercy: “From WIKI: «The earliest use of the term appears in 1507, when King James IV of Scotland was granted the…” Apr 6, 16:56
