The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


An innocent man 950

Posted on March 23, 2020 by

Today a mostly-female jury drawn from the most Unionist city in Scotland and directed by a female judge delivered the only verdict it was credibly possible to reach on the (total absence of) evidence before it: that Alex Salmond was not guilty of any crime.

After two weeks hearing an assortment of lurid allegations from former friends and colleagues hidden behind cloaks of public anonymity, the jury – having been advised by the prosecuting counsel that they were the sole arbiters of fact – decided that there was no truth to them.

Since the two most serious charges, in particular, were both matters of the accuser’s word against that of the accused, and the two parties gave completely irreconcilable accounts of the facts (rather than competing interpretations of agreed events), it can only be the case that one side was lying absolutely, and the jury decided that it was the anonymous accusers who were doing so.

It remains to see whether there will be a legal reckoning for those lies. But more than one sort of reckoning will surely follow from these events.

Read the rest of this entry →

Bolted from the blue 334

Posted on March 21, 2020 by

The delay phase 982

Posted on March 14, 2020 by

Gagging order 646

Posted on March 07, 2020 by

Six questions for Nicola Sturgeon 349

Posted on March 03, 2020 by

There are now exactly two weeks remaining of the Scottish Government’s second fake “consultation” into its proposed reforms to gender law.

We say “fake” not out of cynicism or mad paranoia, but because the cabinet minister responsible for the reforms has already made it explicitly, publicly and repeatedly clear that she intends to press ahead with them regardless of the responses, and that the only purpose of the “consultation” is to try to persuade people to agree with them.

Shirley-Anne Somerville reiterated this position just days ago, telling Scotland Tonight that she was “absolutely determined” to enact the bill and only interested in silencing opposition and removing any “medicalisation” of the process of gender transition.

While the Scottish Government has met literally hundreds of times with transactivist groups with regard to the reforms, it has refused to meet women’s groups critical of them, and frequently lied about that refusal.

(It also funds transactivist pressure groups with hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayer money to create a “feedback loop” supporting its position. Gender-critical women’s groups receive no such funding, largely because the conditions attached to Scottish Government funding specifically and deliberately exclude them.)

The consultation document and the draft bill leave enormous logical and legislative gaps which are likely to cause untold chaos if the reforms are implemented. The Scottish Government has apparently learned nothing from the shambolic fiascos around the Offensive Behaviour (Football) Act and Named Person legislation, both of which have collapsed despite widespread public support – something the proposed gender reforms emphatically do NOT enjoy.

We’re obliged for the sake of sanity to assume that at some point the First Minister, the Cabinet Secretary or both will have to undertake at least one proper interview on the subject of these extremely serious and potentially catastrophic proposals.

For the consideration of whoever may conduct these interviews, we submit below some questions which a very considerable number of people in Scotland – primarily but by no means exclusively women, and encompassing a majority of every political and social demographic – urgently want answered.

Read the rest of this entry →

The fateful day 946

Posted on February 23, 2020 by

A few weeks ago when we said Wings was going to take a break for a bit, we also said “There may be posts now and then if something particularly significant happens”. Well, this week something particularly significant happened.

It was a development that we’d been predicting ever since Boris Johnson became UK Prime Minister, but it’s no less important for that. And it’s not an exaggeration to say that it could be the deciding factor in whether Scotland becomes independent.

Read the rest of this entry →

The silver lining 99

Posted on February 22, 2020 by

The vote of confidence 791

Posted on February 15, 2020 by

Baptism of fire 752

Posted on February 08, 2020 by

The prisoner 1,240

Posted on February 01, 2020 by

The Betrayer 522

Posted on January 31, 2020 by

So that’s it, then. That’s the grand plan.

We’re sorry, but we’d say the game’s a bogey, gang.

Read the rest of this entry →

When you put your life in their hands 35

Posted on January 31, 2020 by

Well, here’s your New Britain. Here’s your “better deal”. Own it, you tossers.

  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,903 Posts, 1,241,087 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • David Miller on Pick Your Poison: “Yes the old politician spouting the same tired old well I havebeen knocking on the doors and getting our message…May 8, 10:03
    • Northcode on Pick Your Poison: “Hooray! England’s “Scottish piss-take-parliament” election is over, thank Christ. We only have the *untrustworthy count to go and a day…May 8, 09:41
    • 100%Yes on Pick Your Poison: “We all know the SNP will not get a majority. I was just wondering how much of the SNP membership…May 8, 09:40
    • Geri on Pick Your Poison: “Cause it’s harder to rig if a sample has already been announced. The didn’t have one for indyref either. The…May 8, 08:57
    • Aidan on Pick Your Poison: “Well you know CC, sometimes it’s nice to be proven right. It’s like someone who’s about to follow their satnav…May 8, 08:50
    • Mark on Pick Your Poison: “Why no exit polling in scotland?May 8, 08:29
    • 100%Yes on Pick Your Poison: “SNP well short of majority but to remain largest party by far, says leading pollster. If this is true and…May 8, 07:48
    • Captain Caveman on Pick Your Poison: “@Hatey Good morning 🙂 Looks like Reform are smashing it; people are persuaded en masse across the political spectrum by…May 8, 07:20
    • Captain Caveman on Pick Your Poison: “Ooft. That’s gotta hurt… Whilst no one but the most gullible will be surprised at this outcome, I admire your…May 8, 07:16
    • Aidan on Pick Your Poison: “Oh dear James, how embarrassing for you and Alf and the others, I didn’t realise another approach had been rejected…May 8, 06:11
    • twathater on Pick Your Poison: “Alf / Dan, I got roasted by grousebeater for suggesting that Kenny MacAskill had ignored and rejected the hand of…May 8, 02:41
    • Geri on Pick Your Poison: “It’s not nonsense & Marie is correct. Every vote cast for this colonial outpost is a vote to maintain &…May 8, 01:30
    • Mark Beggan on Pick Your Poison: “If the SNP are skint where did they get the money to pay for so many leaflets?May 8, 01:03
    • Geri on Pick Your Poison: “Shiteface, So you admit Scotland only has a say in Westminster if it votes Unionist. Thanks for confirmation that we…May 8, 00:21
    • GM on Pick Your Poison: “I didn’t bother on the constituency either. It turned out there might have been a pro independence party on it,…May 8, 00:05
    • GM on Pick Your Poison: “Staff at polling station said turnout was vert good, surprisingly. I was extremely surprised as it is unusual for the…May 7, 23:35
    • Geri on Pick Your Poison: ““because the Kingdom of England just hijacks the Westminster elections as their own, thus simplifying the choices and reducing the…May 7, 23:18
    • Cuphook on Pick Your Poison: “I have the right to vote, but it’s not compulsory. And I don’t need your respect. My choice to not…May 7, 22:36
    • James on Pick Your Poison: “Well Northy…here we go…. The United Nations Has Received the Evidence: Scotland Is a Colony and the World Now Knows…May 7, 22:08
    • Wally Jumblatt on Pick Your Poison: “I was handed the peachy sheet for the List candidates, a rag, tag & bobtail sheet of non-people and fantasy…May 7, 22:06
    • James on Pick Your Poison: “To paraphrase a great thinker talking about Fish Face previously; not all people who vote “Reform” are racist, but all…May 7, 21:29
    • James on The value bet: “Excellent. Boxes full here as well. Hopefully ATLS will do weel! Soar Alba.May 7, 21:10
    • Chris Downie on Pick Your Poison: “At this stage, would it actually be better if the pro-independence majority was lost, so that minds could refocus and…May 7, 21:02
    • Geri on Pick Your Poison: “They’re read by the candidates throughout the count so they can all agree to discard them/proof they’re spoiled. It may…May 7, 20:51
    • Bilbo on Pick Your Poison: “I don’t know if I have understood Grousebeater correctly but is he saying that we should be voting for SNP…May 7, 20:33
    • Marie on Pick Your Poison: “If you’d read my original post you would know that I intend to vote on the list paper. That’s where…May 7, 20:30
    • Bilbo on Pick Your Poison: “@ Cuphook 7 May, 2026 at 12:22 pm Of course for those that support Reform and have made up their…May 7, 20:29
    • Rev. Stuart Campbell on Pick Your Poison: “One of you has a capital J, the other doesn’t.May 7, 20:28
    • Rev. Stuart Campbell on Pick Your Poison: “Even if lots of idiots vote SNP 1+2 it won’t be because that mad wee chimp told them to.May 7, 20:26
    • agentx on Pick Your Poison: “There is still time to go to vote.May 7, 20:15
  • A tall tale



↑ Top