Normally when I go back to Bath after spending time in Scotland, it’s with a mixture of sadness and happiness, because – usually after a delightful but exhausting round of racing around working and catching up with family and old pals – I’m returning to the place where I’ve made my life, where most of my friends and familiar comforts reside.
This time it feels different.
Because I don’t think I’ve ever been this scared for Scotland before.
Last night’s farce in the House Of Commons, where MPs rejected in turn every single possible Brexit option and variant thereof, perfectly encapsulated the ridiculous state of British politics and may well have scuppered any chance of avoiding a no-deal Brexit, because the EU’s terms for a longer Article 50 extension than April 12 were that the UK presented a clear and achievable plan.
But who ultimately sank the plans for either a softer Brexit or a second referendum?
Well, hopefully there won’t be too much of that, as we’ve got a sitter in to keep the Separats in check while we’re away. But activity on Wings will probably be a little sparse over the next few days, for hopefully-obvious reasons.
There’s a limit on how much we’ll be able to say about the case, and chances to post on the site will be restricted in general, but we’ll try to keep on top of any important events. Normal service will be resumed ASAP. In the meantime, behave yourselves.
Wings Over Scotland isn’t the only website dedicated to scrutinising the truthfulness of things claimed by politicians and media pundits. There’s the widely-respected and diligent FullFact.org, there’s Scotland’s own The Ferret, and there’s the BBC’s Reality Check (which frequently takes the more unconventional approach of, er, not making a finding either way about what the reality of things is).
And then there’s Channel 4’s FactCheck, which we’re going to generously assume had a liquid lunch yesterday and was a little under the weather.
Because not only is the conclusion that it reached on the subject of an independent Scotland having to use the Euro utter nonsense that’s been debunked roughly 1000 times in the last six years, it doesn’t even agree with itself.
This was the Scottish Tories two years ago, when Scotland’s economy registered a small downturn for a single quarter, which was definitely the SNP’s fault:
Shall we find out what actually happened, readers?
Several media outlets today relate a story from BBC Scotland’s fascinating three-part documentary of the indyref, revealing that secret UK government polling in the first week of September 2014 gave Yes a lead even bigger than the famous 51-49 one published by the Sunday Times on the 7th.
And naturally we couldn’t help wondering what might have caused it.
Dr Craig Dalzell of the Common Weal is a very sharp guy we’ve run several pieces by on Wings, and he’s currently appearing all over the place with a highly accessible and concise explanation of how an independent Scotland could sensibly run its economy.
If you haven’t been able to make it out to see him, a quiet Sunday might be an ideal time to catch up with it.
So, some official and very brief Wings analysis, because we just watched an army of pundits on the TV all missing the bleeding obvious and talking as if a delay to Brexit was now a done deal.
After tonight’s series of votes in the Commons, all five of which were technically won by Theresa May, there are three possible outcomes. Let’s whizz through them all.
Rogueslr on The Curious Fringes: “To fill the time betwixt Xmas and New Year lets play the ‘John Swinney is’ game. Examples… John Swinney is…” Dec 29, 15:15
Aidan on A matter of class: “That isn’t the figure for GDP per capita in Norway for 2021 either though Alf (c.$93k is the actual figure),…” Dec 29, 14:57
Cameron Lochiel on The Curious Fringes: “Ah, BBS, who infamously called you “Fash Over Somerset”. He seems a bit of a prick” Dec 29, 14:54
Rev. Stuart Campbell on A matter of class: “This comment might appear more than once… if it appears at all. I tried to post it (and versions of…” Dec 29, 14:22
Alf Baird on A matter of class: “GDP-per-capita data I quoted was for 2021-22. That the gap between UK and Norway etc may have since fallen to…” Dec 29, 14:15
Colin Alexander on A matter of class: “So Scotland meets the military conquest marker for a colony? ChatGPT said: It meets one common marker used in colonial…” Dec 29, 13:56
Captain Caveman on A matter of class: “@Aidan Wow. Such elementary, innumerate schoolboy errors must be very embarrassing for our learned friend, one imagines.” Dec 29, 13:35
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “Marie. They want the blood of our children, An interesting observation, if the first Great Britain 1707-1800 is not the…” Dec 29, 12:50
Mark Beggan on A matter of class: “Come to the light James. Free yourself from the colonial shackles. Join us in the Feasting halls. Your Fascist brothers…” Dec 29, 12:41
Alf Baird on A matter of class: ““Call it institutional bias, ideological capture, or just the law doing its job” My contention is that the public persecution…” Dec 29, 12:41
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “The voluntary union is another one of those social Contracts that has been sold as a white elephant. Binding on…” Dec 29, 12:30
Mark Beggan on A matter of class: “If it has been debated in Westminster then why are you going on about it? Do you think that repeating…” Dec 29, 12:26
Aidan on A matter of class: “In a turn of events everyone expected those figures are wrong; – GDP per capita in Scotland is about $53,000…” Dec 29, 12:24
Northcode on A matter of class: ““…invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany.” A temporary invasion lasting a haunfu o years is not colonization. The Scots were…” Dec 29, 12:02
Aidan on A matter of class: “I’m glad to hear that you must go, please don’t feel like you need to come back later.” Dec 29, 11:55
Alf Baird on A matter of class: ““public spending to GDP % ratio in the U.K. is not dissimilar to Norway” Aye, which also explains why public…” Dec 29, 11:48
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “Mark beggan, You obviously did not read it, just made a silly derogative comment, I do not get payed for…” Dec 29, 11:45
Northcode on A matter of class: ““…someone who claims to be a slave…” I’m a house slave and have managed to figure out my English master’s…” Dec 29, 11:43
Mark Beggan on A matter of class: “It pays to feed the wee birds. Just seen a Great spotted woodpecker in the garden. That’s my day made.” Dec 29, 11:42
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “Here in the land of reality called Scotland , we are already dealing with the first White elephant we were…” Dec 29, 11:37
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “As a salesman for the new world of civic Society and Social Contracts you will have prove it works for…” Dec 29, 11:33
Tinto Chiel on Off-topic: “Hi, Ian and Marie. Yes, to absent friends, of whom there are now too many. Life is but a melon…” Dec 29, 11:28
Northcode on A matter of class: ““…it’s essential to compare oranges with oranges.” Agreed… although in AI Dan’s latest incomprehensible collection of internet generated word dribblings…” Dec 29, 11:26
Aidan on A matter of class: “For someone who claims to be a slave you seem to spend a disproportionate amount of time posting drivel on…” Dec 29, 11:24
Marie on A matter of class: “They want the blood of our children for their upcoming wars. Give them nothing.” Dec 29, 11:23
Aidan on A matter of class: “The other thing is that the public spending to GDP % ratio in the U.K. is not dissimilar to Norway/Sweden/Denmark…” Dec 29, 11:21
Mark Beggan on A matter of class: “@James Cheyne Do you get paid directly from Qatar or is there a middle man account. Please don’t tell me…” Dec 29, 11:14
Northcode on A matter of class: ““It was God who gave Pictavia to the Picts who in turn, in an act of great generosity pleasing to…” Dec 29, 11:13
Northcode on A matter of class: ““those nations joyfully celebrating their liberation are significantly worse off than Scotland by almost every metric…” Yes… the Scots might…” Dec 29, 11:04
