This Wings story from April about a wildly untrue Scottish Daily Mail front-page splash has been entirely vindicated by a correction in the paper today, conceding both of the key complaints we made in our piece.
The Mail has, as you’d imagine, printed the correction rather smaller than the original story, so we thought we’d blow it up a little here for easier reading.
Because we’re sure they wouldn’t want anyone to miss it.
Some new data from the long-running Scottish Social Attitudes Survey was released tonight, and it makes for fascinating reading.
The headline stat is that for only the second year in the 18 years the study has been running, independence is the most popular option for the governance of Scotland:
This doesn’t, however, mean that it’s the majority view, because while independence is backed by 45% the “No” option is split into two – support for devolution (41%) and those ultra-Yoons who want Holyrood abolished (8%).
Now, considering that as recently as 2012 those figures were independence on 23%, devolution 61% and no Parliament 13%, that’s still a remarkable shift in Scottish public opinion in a very short space of time – support for indy has DOUBLED in five years while devolution has dropped by a third.
And indeed, when the survey asked a straight Yes/No question the results came out even closer, at 48% Yes to 52% No – a 3% swing to Yes from the 2016 figures.
We must admit, folks, that our initial reaction to this Scotsman headline from a couple of days ago was simply a weary sigh of “Oh FFS, here we go again”.
Blaming the Scottish Government for a private company’s decision to close down its plant and make hundreds of Scottish workers redundant is just the sort of ludicrous negative spinning we’ve come to expect from the country’s press over the past seven years, so this latest example just seemed like nothing more than par for the course.
But there turned out to be a little more to it than that.
So this story is the front page of tonight’s Evening Times.
It’s a pretty slim piece deploying a Glasgow mother to attack the SNP-run city council over a recent increase in nursery fees, and it sounds like the new higher cost might be a pretty big deal to her.
And no, we don’t even mean the FOUR spelling mistakes in this 42-word tweet.
We mean the bit that we’ve highlighted above in blue. Because what Scottish Labour’s lowest-watt bulb was gloating about earlier today was that Lord Bracadale concluded there’d been no gap created in the law by the Kelly-driven abolition of the OBFA.
And that’s… well, that’s not quite what Lord Bracadale said.
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “There is very little doubt Nicola Sturgeon is protected and future-proofed by State promise. The Rev Stuart Campbell’s patiently incisive…” Sep 15, 00:02
PhilM on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “That route falls off a bit cliff like Wile E. Coyote until you see the big ‘poof!’ as private prosecution…” Sep 14, 23:47
BLMac on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “It’s good to see this being pushed if only to see some revers Karma for Scotland’s latest addition to the…” Sep 14, 23:37
robertkknight on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “Well done Rev, but given how events have unfolded over the past few years one can only conclude that Agent…” Sep 14, 22:26
Rev. Stuart Campbell on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “She knows they weren’t. He pleaded guilty. She said on the interview she knew some of them were bought with…” Sep 14, 22:05
sarah on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “Liberation Scotland will be presenting a petition to the C-24 Decolonisation Committee of the UN next month!!! This is great…” Sep 14, 22:01
sarah on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “I don’t think we need fear that the current lot of MSP/MPs will be organising the separation. They haven’t the…” Sep 14, 21:31
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “LIBERATION SCOTLAND 2026 CROWDFUNDER ANNOUNCEMENT « Dear Liberation Scotland member / Independence supporter: Liberation Scotland’s mission is to restore the…” Sep 14, 21:13
Rocky on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “You would have to get rid of all the trough-munching, incompetent managerial classes, too. They keep it all going.” Sep 14, 21:02
Mark Beggan on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “‘Goebellsian “The National” agitprop circular. It’s readers are out of this world. I think some readers are wanting for the…” Sep 14, 20:52
McDuff on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “Sorry Sarah but I disagree,the rev is right Scotland is not fit for independence at this present time. Yes the…” Sep 14, 20:50
agentx on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “Ah – OK thanks – my apologies. But I am sure that Sturgeon would entirely agree with the reasons for…” Sep 14, 20:47
Spartan 117 on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “Indeed Hatey. Bad me. Wings BTL gets all the more hysterical and surreal with every passing day.” Sep 14, 20:26
PhilM on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “Incorrect. Check again. There was about a six-month gap before she was sworn in as FM.” Sep 14, 20:18
Hatey McHateface on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “There’s no way that can happen if it hasn’t been foretold by the post colonial boys.” Sep 14, 20:16
Hatey McHateface on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “Hoho, Spartan, twathater has you bang to rights. You’ve been enabling and celebrating their corruption for far too long. High…” Sep 14, 19:46
Hatey McHateface on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “If they’re largely Muslim with a Christian minority, they give us advance warning of what Scotland will likely be in…” Sep 14, 19:39
Yorkie on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “I would imagine that Murrell had enough money of his own – from his salary etc. If she argues that…” Sep 14, 19:25
Spartan 117 on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “Ahem. I was criticising the blatant hypocrisy, not supporting Reform. I also made the point that Nigel and his TechBros…” Sep 14, 19:13
M.E on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “> “is isn’t fit for anything.” Your grammar checker ain’t isn’t is fit for anything, Stu. Also the way you…” Sep 14, 18:56
Spartan 117 on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “I think the graphic to the right of this page titled “A Tall Tale” composing a pastiche of laughable front…” Sep 14, 18:47
bumsrush on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “I admit to just a cursory reading of the Proceeds of Crimes Acts but it does appear Stu has taken…” Sep 14, 18:44
Bonzo Dogg on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “In this case a Citizen’s arrest is not appropriate, not least because you have to establish that detention is necessary…” Sep 14, 18:43
twathater on Like Responsible Citizens Do: ““The only thing that will defeat this blatant corruption will be diligent investigative journalism and holding the corrupt to account.”…” Sep 14, 18:29
agentx on Like Responsible Citizens Do: ““Why the Rule Was Changed Historically, the common law presumed that a wife was under the total coercion and control…” Sep 14, 18:19
Chas on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “Again I note that the missive is unsigned. Somebody is clearly watching their back or has been instructed!” Sep 14, 18:16
Dan on Like Responsible Citizens Do: “Well done Stuart for doing this. Though tbh I am a bit miffed nobody else had done this already after…” Sep 14, 18:02
