Wings Over Scotland celebrates its 8th birthday this Thursday. And it looks as though we just might be in for a genuinely unexpected surprise party.
Because very suddenly, through sheer dumb luck, and for the first time in over three years, we can actually see a tantalisingly almost-viable route by which the SNP could, almost entirely accidentally, lead us to independence.
It’s a long time, apparently. Because while a general election on 12 December would be a “barking mad” idea according to the SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford on Thursday, having one on 9 December instead is genius.
So in a month in which this site has been extensively screamed at by SNP diehards as the work of a “traitor” and an “MI5 plant” for suggesting that maybe the SNP could vote with the Tories (or perhaps just abstain) to let Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal go through in exchange for a second indyref, the official SNP plan is to now vote with the Tories to give them the election Boris Johnson has been trying to call for weeks – which all polls suggest he’d win, allowing him to enact any sort of Brexit he wants – but to cleverly NOT get a second indyref out of it.
It’s Monday morning, readers, so welcome once again to the world’s favourite situation comedy, the United Kingdom.
The current position is that absolutely nobody has the slightest idea what’s going to happen this week, or today, or by lunchtime. The Prime Minister is as we speak being taken to court (again), and a whole series of votes in the House Of Commons may or may not take place and may or may not determine anything.
But there’s one particularly interesting thing going on.
As we write this, Boris Johnson’s new Brexit deal appears to hang in the balance. According to Sky News this morning the arithmetic is poised on a knife-edge.
The four “in play” groups down the middle of the graphic are, from the top: three Tory “Spartans” (hardcore Brexiters who might yet back the deal), 19 Labour MPs who’ve suggested they might do so for various reasons, 20 former-Tory “rebels” who had the whip removed by Johnson for voting to block no-deal, and 14 independents, mainly from the “Change UK” wing or whatever they’re called this week.
The government needs 36 of the 56 to vote with it to get the deal through, and can probably count on most of the 20 former Tories. Labour sources are suggesting, quite plausibly, that double-figure numbers of their 19 will also back the deal. So it’s close.
If it passes, England and Wales will get what they voted for (Brexit), Northern Ireland will – after a fashion – get what it voted for (effectively staying in the EU), and Scotland will get shafted. It’ll be placed at a significant economic disadvantage to NI, at a likely severe cost in jobs and investment. The nation which voted the most decisively on Brexit (for either option) will be the only one not to get its democratic wishes respected.
And slightly surprisingly, the whole UK thinks that’s unfair.
As we write this, voting has just ended to elect the membership of a number of key SNP internal bodies, including the Member Conduct Committee which has the power to discipline members and even expel them from the party.
This year has seen a concerted attempt by a small but active faction within the SNP, led by the Young Scots for Independence and Out For Indy groups, to flood the MCC (which in normal times struggles to fill its ranks) with officers aggressively committed to transgender ideology, with the openly-declared intent of purging “gender-critical” women from all party candidate lists and ensuring that anyone seeking to protect women’s sex-based rights can be expunged for “transphobia”.
(An attempt to deselect Joanna Cherry on such grounds failed earlier this year, but with control of the MCC the faction could pretty much dump anyone it wanted to.)
The matter has not escaped the attention of the independence-hostile media.
We avoided discussing the committee elections while voting was taking place because it’s not our business to interfere in the internal affairs of the SNP, and also because a certain element of the party has been having a massive tantrum over some poll results we published last week and it might have ended up being counter-productive.
But make no mistake – the outcome of these elections will have a huge impact on both the SNP’s electoral fortunes and the chances of securing independence. We’re about to find out, in other words, how screwed we are.
As we write this, in between bouts of weeping with exhausted misery, frustration and rage, Her Majesty’s Opposition’s interminable will-they-won’t-they game of attempting – maybe, one day, perhaps – to bring down the government and force a new election leading to a new EU referendum continues.
And as the SNP in particular devotes huge amounts of energy to trying to stop Brexit, against the wishes of its own voters, we wondered how the public not just in Scotland but in the two constituent nations of the UK that voted Leave felt about that.
The first novel I remember reading is “The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy”, shortly after it came out in 1979. I was 12, and it had a huge and lasting effect on me – it was the first thing that made me want to be a writer, and both Adams’ writing style and the worldview it deftly illustrated have been lifelong influences.
Almost every line in the book is great, but this one always stuck with me:
And so to the last of the results from our current poll.
Hatey McHateface on A Long Hard Think: ““Why would they come to Scotland” Because their ancestors came from Scotland. “such a shithole as you constantly try to…” Sep 12, 19:21
Hatey McHateface on A Long Hard Think: “Near ten hours for that one, twathater. Please tell us it took you nine and a half hours to clean…” Sep 12, 18:59
Dan on A Long Hard Think: “Why would they come to Scotland if it is such a shithole as you constantly try to point out. Why…” Sep 12, 18:55
James on A Long Hard Think: “Young Lochinvar is adept at educating Scots regarding their own history, much of which has been airbrushed out of existence…” Sep 12, 18:53
Hatey McHateface on A Long Hard Think: “Sure you’re Scottish, sam? Back when I was a loon, clyping was beyond the pale. The one unforgivable that marked…” Sep 12, 18:47
Dan on A Long Hard Think: “The issue with that is covered in this post. https://wingsoverscotland.com/a-long-hard-think/#comment-3445700 Totes win for the corrputed cunts when they simply remove…” Sep 12, 18:47
Hatey McHateface on A Long Hard Think: ““I think a Unified Ireland is coming” Then you must also think a million or so Ulster Unionists are coming…” Sep 12, 18:34
Hatey McHateface on A Long Hard Think: “Fa’s the James that posts “Prick”? His posts gie readers muckle mair time tae hae a life.” Sep 12, 18:25
twathater on A Long Hard Think: “And as usual Arsehole Main deliberately misses the point of my comment , as a member of the 77th brigade…” Sep 12, 18:15
Stuart Swanston on A Long Hard Think: “If enough of us keep libelling Nicola Sturgeon as a person who has handled stolen goods and when informed by…” Sep 12, 17:32
Mark Beggan on A Long Hard Think: “Maybe they will rape you instead.” Sep 12, 17:08
Mark Beggan on A Long Hard Think: “72 million! The war chest is full. Let battle commence. No quarter asked No quarter given. Let’s; Make Scotland Normal…” Sep 12, 17:04
sam on A Long Hard Think: “The documents reportedly included information on torture:physical and psychological torture was employed against suspected Mau Mau members and sympathisers. There…” Sep 12, 16:39
James on A Long Hard Think: “See, Jockos; it’s all yer own fault. So sing the “all day, every day” unionists. Dealing with a hollow, insulting…” Sep 12, 16:36
Captain Caveman on A Long Hard Think: “‘Ferries procurement’ comes to mind. Well, if your entire government – and bloated Civil Service – is filled to the…” Sep 12, 14:32
Marie on A Long Hard Think: “@chas 11.41am – 300 years is nothing. Absolutely nothing. And yes, the colonial authorities did destroy documentation relating to their…” Sep 12, 14:28
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on A Long Hard Think: “Many thanks to Prof Alf Baird for this presentation: THE COST OF COLONIALISM (5 Sept 2026) www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnfqeZr-2fU” Sep 12, 14:24
100%Yes on A Long Hard Think: “Please have a look at the link below, your be amazed at the shit that’s happening in Scotland. https://www.isp.scot/september-5th-september-11th-2026/” Sep 12, 13:47
Knuckle_Heid on A Long Hard Think: “Kind of related to Stu’s headline story – on 14th of July (almost two months ago) David Hendry & Sean…” Sep 12, 12:35
Knuckle_Heid on A Long Hard Think: “Very interesting Willie, I read Robin McAlpines articles about the Standards Commission / Fiona Higgins case and was appalled at…” Sep 12, 12:28
Alf Baird on A Long Hard Think: ““There really are jobs that take years, even decades, of experience to master” That’s a valid point, Hatey. ‘Ferries procurement’…” Sep 12, 12:00
Confused on A Long Hard Think: “everyone else is doing it, why don’t we https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/12/trump-united-ireland-would-be-a-great-thing/ trump, at the very least, doesn’t give a fuck about england.…” Sep 12, 11:53
willie on A Long Hard Think: “Interesting how on his visit to Ireland that President Trump said he thought a united Ireland would be a good…” Sep 12, 11:45
Chas on A Long Hard Think: “Yep. 300+ years will be wiped out because professor crank says so. Of course, with some help from some dubious…” Sep 12, 11:41
Hatey McHateface on A Long Hard Think: “Fair enough, Alf, post-Indy everybody currently running Scotland will flee to London as predicted by the post colonial boys. Does…” Sep 12, 11:32
Hatey McHateface on A Long Hard Think: ““Scotland’s people are closer to ending the UK ‘union’ hoax than many think” That will undoubtedly rely on a personalised…” Sep 12, 11:16
Hatey McHateface on A Long Hard Think: ““you’re the wings champion” Shucks, I’m welling up here. Tell you what, Dave, if you post another after this one…” Sep 12, 11:05
Alf Baird on A Long Hard Think: ““if we’d voted Yes in 2014, although even the most cursory thought would tell us it would be much the…” Sep 12, 10:30
Hatey McHateface on A Long Hard Think: “Anarcho tyranny and neo feudalism are two of the terms being used to describe the state of affairs we see.…” Sep 12, 10:23
DaveL on A Long Hard Think: “…don’t stop there! Last word, come on you can do it. We all know you can do it, you’re the…” Sep 12, 10:18
