This site and other gender-critical voices are regularly accused of being “obsessed” with trans issues, even though the subject has been mentioned in fewer than 0.7% of Wings posts. But this week the SNP’s transgender faction – when it hasn’t been STILL raging about its battering in the NEC elections – has been swamping social media with organised complaints about a tiny prospective legislative change that they themselves insist doesn’t actually matter at all.
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.
Hatey McHateface on A Long Hard Think: ““That is the UK Gov taking action because the Scottish Gov will not!” Correct. By far the most significant development…” Sep 11, 21:45
Hatey McHateface on A Long Hard Think: “Michty Fearghas! You’re remarkably hale, hearty and spry for somebody who’s been riddled with bullets. But to be serious for…” Sep 11, 21:34
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on A Long Hard Think: “« Did we dodge a bullet or did we dodge a bullet in 2014. » No, we invited the hail…” Sep 11, 20:57
Chas on A Long Hard Think: “It did not take too long before the crank professor mounted his hobby horse! I said some years ago that,…” Sep 11, 20:24
Alf Baird on A Long Hard Think: ““We’ll be honest with you, readers, we’re at something of a loss for words at this point.” In the Manichaean…” Sep 11, 19:48
Hatey McHateface on A Long Hard Think: “As things stand, willie, there appears to be £700,000 unaccounted for. In addition, there appears to be items bought with…” Sep 11, 19:14
Frank Gillougley on A Long Hard Think: “Reasoning and law are redundant when used against straightforward brazen and ‘unanswerable to anyone’ corruption. Even this is a waste…” Sep 11, 18:41
Hatey McHateface on A Long Hard Think: ““They are busy locking up thousands of pensioners with cardboard signs” Naw. They’re not. You’re busy either lying or fantasising.” Sep 11, 18:38
willie on A Long Hard Think: “Quite honestly can anyone have any faith in the police. As this response shows Police Scotland are absolutely rotten to…” Sep 11, 18:34
PhilM on A Long Hard Think: “The information may not be held by Police Scotland but is it the kind of information that ought to be…” Sep 11, 18:20
Morgatron on A Long Hard Think: “Just bamboozled! Who says crime doesn’t pay. Obviously not her.” Sep 11, 18:19
robertkknight on A Long Hard Think: “Unlike Rev Stu, I am not at a loss for words, namely… Corruption. This sorry excuse for a country, governed…” Sep 11, 17:56
Mark Beggan on A Long Hard Think: “For many years many people, myself included, have accused Sturgeon and the SNP of being a Cult who’s agenda is…” Sep 11, 17:55
Spartan 117 on A Long Hard Think: “Anyone surprised? Nope, me neither. This state is rotten.” Sep 11, 17:49
ALANM on A Long Hard Think: ““We broke the law so we’d like to apologise for the inconvenience caused.” All crooks wanting to obtain a get…” Sep 11, 17:44
Ronnie on A Long Hard Think: “Don’t know about the rest of you, but I cannot even look at her anymore.” Sep 11, 17:29
Andy Wiltshire on A Long Hard Think: “Is the image at the top the entirety of what they sent you, Rev? If so it looks like it’s…” Sep 11, 17:25
Mark Beggan on A Long Hard Think: “From the perspective of a Right wing fascist who knows the whole barrel is rotten one can only quote a…” Sep 11, 17:21
Ian Smith on A Long Hard Think: “Has any member of the SNP asked the police to track down the items and return them? Can any member…” Sep 11, 17:13
Colin Hope on A Long Hard Think: “Please dont give up on this. Their replies are are getting weaker. If ever there was a need for a…” Sep 11, 17:07
Effijy on A Long Hard Think: “Their next letter will simply state “Computer Says No”. Can the police force become any more pathetic? They don’t know…” Sep 11, 17:06
agentx on A Long Hard Think: ““On Thursday, it emerged that MPs will launch an inquiry into party political funding following the fraud within the SNP.…” Sep 11, 17:03
100%Yes on A Long Hard Think: “Legal hearing on recovering £400k embezzled by Peter Murrell pushed back three months.” Sep 11, 17:01
100%Yes on A Long Hard Think: “We know Peter Murrell was stealing before 2014. Sturgeon met Theresa May and I believe Sturgeon was given two options…” Sep 11, 16:58
100%Yes on A Long Hard Think: “Nicola is being protected why? Because she saved the union, so what John Swinney’s roll in all of this? He’s…” Sep 11, 16:48
agentx on A Long Hard Think: ““if she was half way decent she’d want to divest herself of everything possibly tainted by Murrell’s crimes.” ——————————————– I…” Sep 11, 16:47
gm on A Long Hard Think: “Did the polis recover any of that?” Sep 11, 16:44
100%Yes on A Long Hard Think: “So in the Swagg bag you’ll find SNP, Crown office, Police Scotland, UKG, SG all working hand in hand. She…” Sep 11, 16:38
Hatey McHateface on A Long Hard Think: ““not at all clear whether the laws of Scotland apply to Sturgeon” Don’t tell me you’re losing it, Stu. Seems…” Sep 11, 16:38
