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.
Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the ALDE group in the European Parliament (essentially the Euro Lib Dems), is by no means our standard go-to guy for political guidance. Like most European politicians he’s been criminally silent on the outrages being perpetrated by the government of Spain, and in general he’s a bit neoliberal for our tastes.
But his speech from yesterday is powerful stuff.
As we write this, the UK’s parliament is blundering through a third successive day of toe-curling farce on the floor of the Commons, aimed this time at securing some sort of extension to Brexit to avoid a disastrous no-deal in just 15 days’ time.
It may yet be that such a request will be issued and the EU will grant it, dragging out the whole awful mess for God knows how much longer. But judging by the tone of M. Verhofstadt’s impassioned, exasperated address in Strasbourg, we wouldn’t like to have money on it. It appears that an entire continent has had just about enough of us.
For some time, most polls for “Who’d make the best UK Prime Minister?” – the stat that really decides who wins general elections – have shown a solid lead for “Don’t know”, narrowly ahead of Theresa May and a long way ahead of Jeremy Corbyn.
It’s a prime symptom of a UK-wide contempt for politicians the magnitude of which we’ve never seen in our lifetime, and Scottish voters are in no way immune.
We loaded this question from our latest Panelbase poll in the party leaders’ favours, because you don’t have to think any of them is doing a GOOD job to say that one of them is doing the BEST job out of the four. Everything is relative – and we also didn’t ask the question specifically about Brexit.
But even with those get-outs, “They’re all useless” came out on top by a clear seven points over Nicola Sturgeon, and the rest weren’t even at the races.
willie on Vibecoding A Better World: “Here is an extract in a report about the possibility of future conscription. “Should gender equality conscription be introduced in…” Nov 5, 12:33
Captain Caveman on Vibecoding A Better World: “Umm, you do realise the whole “beardy bloke” thing is a product of the Left and in Scotland’s specific case,…” Nov 5, 12:33
Bilbo on Vibecoding A Better World: “Sounds like the deranged rantings of a beardy bloke in a dress. Okay, Unionist mugs, who’s bird is it?” Nov 5, 12:12
Captain Caveman on Vibecoding A Better World: ““The consequences are far more serious for a colonized people” Well, it was always a dead cert that you would…” Nov 5, 11:55
Aidan on Vibecoding A Better World: “Once you realise how much time government machinery spends: – entertaining legacy media organisations; versus – making effective long term…” Nov 5, 11:44
Alf Baird on Vibecoding A Better World: ““So what’s your excuse” Only once you get with the colonial vibe can you begin to decolonize the mind, Hatey;…” Nov 5, 11:14
Spartan 117 on Vibecoding A Better World: “It’s what happens when politics becomes an industry and a career in itself rather than a service. Qualifications are meaningless…” Nov 5, 10:39
Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: ““so long as a people remain subject to territorial alienation there is no ‘democracy’” So true, Alf. I mind fine,…” Nov 5, 10:38
Alf Baird on Vibecoding A Better World: ““Our democracy has produced this rotten “inverse meritocracy” system, at least as far as the Left is concerned. It’s all…” Nov 5, 10:07
Captain Caveman on Vibecoding A Better World: “” I’d also question – loudly – why on earth a Liberian with a philosophy degree is trusted with dictating…” Nov 5, 09:30
Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: “I see nothing stopping “muesli eater” becoming a valid, protected identity in Scotland. But it does suffer from one shortcoming…” Nov 5, 08:55
Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: “CM says in his blog he wants to go to Ir@n so I guess there could be plenty of people,…” Nov 5, 08:39
Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: “Within five years or so, expect former oil & gas workers to be hunted down and, if still alive, charged…” Nov 5, 08:33
Aidan on Vibecoding A Better World: “Intriguing Alf – in what ways do you think that James is trying to “seek to develop” his nation? If…” Nov 5, 07:56
Minceheid on Vibecoding A Better World: “Haud oan a minute – if very special people can nowadays identify themselves as being catgender, does that imply that…” Nov 5, 07:28
sarah on Vibecoding A Better World: “100%Yes – I was thinking the donors could get their money back out of crowdjustice and then donate via another…” Nov 4, 21:51
Alf Baird on Vibecoding A Better World: “““Naw ye cannae”” is the constant refrain of the colonizer toward the colonized; the latter ‘seeks to develop’ his nation,…” Nov 4, 21:45
100%Yes on Vibecoding A Better World: “Usually when you give money that’s the end of it, I’ve never heard of something like this happening but then…” Nov 4, 17:03
Spartan 117 on Vibecoding A Better World: “https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqn734d24l0go I see the Fuckwits-on-Thames have published a bill to outlaw new oil and gas drilling. They really do want…” Nov 4, 16:45
Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: ““could face up to five years in prison” Michty! Why seek to persuade somebody when you could kill them and…” Nov 4, 15:29
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Vibecoding A Better World: “TELLING SOMEONE ‘YOU ARE NOT A CAT’ COULD BE ILLEGAL UNDER GOVT’S CONVERSION PRACTICES BILL Attempting to convince a person…” Nov 4, 13:33
Aidan on Vibecoding A Better World: “I’m sure there is a message somewhere within that barely legible blether. Doubt it’s worth spending any time working out…” Nov 4, 13:29
Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: ““Surely the donors should be notified and be able to claim their money?” Like the donors to the ring-fenced Referendum…” Nov 4, 12:53
Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: ““Naw ye cannae” That’s what the academics call a truism when applied to you, James. “Naw ye cannae” describes you…” Nov 4, 12:41
sarah on Vibecoding A Better World: “O/T: Does anyone here know if a donor can retrieve their donation from a crowdfunder that has been closed by…” Nov 4, 12:31
James on Vibecoding A Better World: ““…Birds of a feather eh, you thick lefty twat….” Hark; behold the wisdom of the benefactor unionists, ocean going shits…” Nov 4, 12:28
Hatey McHateface on Vibecoding A Better World: ““better not feck with my muesli” Alert readers of Viz will recall that discussions of which foodstuffs can and can’t…” Nov 4, 12:12
Spartan 117 on Vibecoding A Better World: “Regardless of what’s happening over there, it remains a deeply divided nation with clowns to the left and jokers to…” Nov 4, 12:06
Minceheid on Vibecoding A Better World: “Hatey McHateface says: 4 November, 2026 at 10:10 am Tumbleweed this morning, as the fall from power and influence of…” Nov 4, 11:36
