The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


Piling on 156

Posted on December 01, 2020 by

We must admit, the terrible people that we are, we’ve been enjoying watching today’s extended meltdown by the SNP’s woke faction about last night’s NEC election results. Because it appears their egos are so huge that they’re not even smart enough to play dignified to spoil our schadenfreudish fun. It’s been full-on public tantrums.

But this nonsense needs briefly addressing.

Read the rest of this entry →

The Portillo Moments 177

Posted on December 01, 2020 by

It wouldn’t be human not to take a brief pause to enjoy a victory.

But this is only one battle.

Read the rest of this entry →

Mr Lenin, awaken the boy 162

Posted on November 30, 2020 by

Ridiculously, more than eight hours after voting closed in an all-electronic election in which “counting” should have taken a maximum of one second, and at 11.30pm, the SNP have released the results of this year’s NEC elections.

There are some big stories.

Alyn Smith is OUT as Policy Development Convener, replaced by Chris Hanlon.

Rhiannon Spear is OUT as Women’s Convener, replaced by Caroline McAllister.

Fiona Robertson is OUT as Equalities Convener, replaced by Lynne Anderson.

All of these are dramatic changes for the better.

Joanna Cherry is IN. Neale Hanvey is IN. Roger Mullin is IN. Dorothy Jessiman is IN. Catriona McDonald is IN. Douglas Chapman is IN. All ditto.

Read the rest of this entry →

The Snake In The Long Grass 154

Posted on November 30, 2020 by

We had, we think it’s only fair to say, extremely low expectations of Nicola Sturgeon’s keynote speech this afternoon to the SNP’s soporific, strangled 2020 non-conference. It seems that members felt the same, because 15 seconds before the speech began only 1,166 of them were logged in to watch it.

The speech she just delivered, though, limboed under those expectations in platform shoes and a stovepipe hat without even grazing the underside of the bar.

Read the rest of this entry →

The poison within 169

Posted on November 30, 2020 by

SNP MP Joanna Cherry posted a series of tweets this morning.

She hasn’t asked us to, but they deserve some amplifying.

Read the rest of this entry →

Titanic Blinky 203

Posted on November 29, 2020 by

In a post last month we referenced a ZX Spectrum computer game from 1984 called “Worse Things Happen At Sea”. Today as we watched the First Minister on the Andrew Marr Show, we were put in mind of another nautical-disaster-themed one from a great deal nearer to the end of the Speccy’s life.

It was grim viewing in every sense.

Read the rest of this entry →

The elephants outside 146

Posted on November 28, 2020 by

The Worst People In Scotland 124

Posted on November 27, 2020 by

In case anyone was looking for a list:

One’s just turned up.

Read the rest of this entry →

Not The Plan B 92

Posted on November 27, 2020 by

When’s a Plan B not a Plan B? Well, when it’s something that could and should have been done already, and won’t be anywhere near adequate even if delivered.

Yet that seems to be what some colleagues are now arguing for. It’s welcome that their thoughts are at last turning to the possibility of the Tories saying No to the Scottish people’s democratic vote. But it’s happening dangerously slowly as the dismantling of devolution and reintegration into the UK gathers pace. Which’s why the Yes Movement needs to act now, not after a Holyrood election.

Read the rest of this entry →

The morning papers 62

Posted on November 27, 2020 by

This week on Wings has been altogether more navel-gazey than we’re comfortable with, as various SNP MPs have mounted a series of all-out personal attacks on the site before the weekend’s crucial NEC elections.

So we’ll have a proper article for you a little later on today, but in the meantime it’d be remiss of us not to tidy up the last fragments of shrapnel, so we’ll direct you to the right of reply to Alyn Smith’s column that The National kindly gave us today:

(Sadly they chose to disable comments, we’d quite have enjoyed the reaction from the few remaining diehard leadership loyalists still posting there.)

Read the rest of this entry →

Schrodinger’s Cybernat 200

Posted on November 26, 2020 by

We couldn’t help but chuckle yesterday when the £100K-a-year Westminster MP and obsessive Wings Over Scotland reader “Pension Pete” Wishart announced – in the space of six minutes – that this site was simultaneously an irrelevance that nobody listened to, but also somehow one of the greatest threats to independence.

It got a lot funnier today, though.

Read the rest of this entry →

The day job 164

Posted on November 25, 2020 by

We’ve just been alerted to a new FOI response. It pretty much speaks for itself.

But it’s worth pondering the numbers.

Read the rest of this entry →

  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,892 Posts, 1,239,139 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • 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
    • Mark Beggan on The quality of mercy: “Why Aye man.Apr 7, 02:45
    • 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
    • Andy Ellis on Clocks And Calendars: “@YL Given that “gotten” is – as I stated – probably more common amongst Scots than English users of the…Apr 6, 16:47
    • Young Lochinvar on Clocks And Calendars: “Yee Haw Pardner! You for forget to say FACT after your “construction” (?!?) statement.. Do you also call trousers “pants”,…Apr 6, 16:27
  • A tall tale



↑ Top