Readers may be aware that Wings Over Scotland is (fairly remarkably, really) the UK’s second-most-read politics blog, behind the hardcore right-wing “Guido Fawkes”.
Our “competitor” isn’t a site we look at a lot – the comments make the Daily Mail readership seem like enlightened and thoughtful moderates – but last week someone asked us about a smear piece they’d run on SNP MP Corri Wilson, and we only just remembered today to check it out. Our initial findings weren’t well received.
It seems that Mr Fawkes and his minions aren’t too keen on scrutiny themselves.
Ever since Scottish Daily Mail political editor Alan Roden jumped ship to go and rearrange the deckchairs for Labour, his former paper has very noticeably toned down its hysterical “SNP BAD” content. We can go through the Mail for days on end now without finding some ludicrously distorted misrepresentation or screaming outrage piece about how a Nat MP found 20p down the back of their sofa without declaring it to HMRC or such.
But we suppose that it’ll at least be bleakly funny, whenever the second independence referendum comes round, watching Labour try to sell a vote for the UK as a vote for internationalist brotherhood and solidarity.
To be honest, readers, we gave up on taking any notice of David Torrance‘s mundane attempts at trolling in the Herald some time ago. But some alert readers pointed us towards this week’s column, suggesting that it was a bald rewriting of history some way beyond their usual bland irritancy.
This was the passage they objected to:
It’s a patronising piece of “shut up and eat your cereal” condescension for sure. But to be fair to Torrance, it does also happen to be true. Wait, not true. The other thing.
The starting pistol hasn’t actually been fired on the two-year Brexit process yet, but now we have a clear statement of when it will be: this morning on The Andrew Marr Show, the Prime Minister pledged that it would happen before the end of next March.
(We might end up broke, in other words, but at least we’ll be good old British broke, with none of those awful smelly foreign Euro-Johnnies around to see it.)
And nobody was getting a sick note.
And for supporters of independence, that’s about as good as news gets.
The Daily Telegraph just released a video called “100 Reasons Why Brexit Was A Good Thing”. It listed them to a soundtrack of “Jerusalem”, the same song that closed the Labour Party conference earlier this week with its stirring ode to just one of the four nations of the United Kingdom.
We’ve saved a few of the highlights below, just in case the Telegraph should delete the video in a fit of sanity. We’ve also added one fake one. See if you can spot it.
Low-wattage Labour list MSP Neil Findlay (rejected by the electorate of Almond Valley by a thumping 8,393 votes in May) puffed himself up to maximum socialism this week and attacked the SNP’s rather more popular Paisley MP Mhairi Black over a Scottish Daily Express story about travel expenses.
It might have been an idea if he’d read the piece all the way to the end.
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on A matter of class: “Just came across this video. Essential viewing. Brings immediately to mind the statistics of catastrophic Scottish losses in WW1 provided…” Dec 29, 00:51
Confused on A matter of class: “trannyism bores me, I like geopolitics and history, and we need to think bigger if we want indy … but…” Dec 28, 23:36
GM on A matter of class: “All the best for 2026, when it comes” Dec 28, 22:16
GM on A matter of class: “Mainly pro-union troll accounts posting comments here now David.” Dec 28, 21:22
Ian Brotherhood on Off-topic: “Festive greetings to TC, Marie, Sarah, and abody else who may pop in. Thin traffic these days but hey-ho, so…” Dec 28, 21:21
Northcode on A matter of class: ““And Scotland sings a sad lament…” A good comment, Alf… and a point well made.” Dec 28, 20:29
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on A matter of class: “A quote from Michael Newton’s book: « In perhaps no other domains of the immigrant experience are the ironies and…” Dec 28, 20:13
Alf Baird on A matter of class: ““to paraphrase the words of our national anthem something which is in the past, and in the past it must…” Dec 28, 20:09
Insider on A matter of class: “Dan, Your ranting and vile abuse about Andy speaks volumes ! Andy can run rings round the likes of you…” Dec 28, 19:59
robertkknight on A matter of class: “Indeed… Yoons be suffering from Stockholm Syndrome: “Stockholm syndrome is a psychological response where victims of kidnapping or abuse develop…” Dec 28, 19:14
Dan on A matter of class: “@ Franchise Fanny Aye, maybe in your screwed up delusional head ya trolling bawbag. Guess your highly selective and twisted…” Dec 28, 18:46
David Holden on A matter of class: “Is it a full moon or something as the trolls seem to be hunting in packs. I wonder if you…” Dec 28, 18:45
Northcode on A matter of class: “The psychology behind the colonization of the mind is interesting… and very powerful. I read an article on psychology… years…” Dec 28, 18:27
James on A matter of class: “Dan; yip, Unionist Troll Central on here now, both attack and concern varieties…They’e f*cking endless. Tragic.” Dec 28, 17:54
Northcode on A matter of class: “Alf Baird @2:40 pm “I was long resistant to suggestions that Scotland has been colonised. But as I read Alf…” Dec 28, 17:51
sam on A matter of class: ““Even the name ‘British Empire’ is fake, a disguise for a locus of power in London which in which the…” Dec 28, 17:41
Mark Beggan on A matter of class: “Q.What do you call a person who likes to spend other people’s money? A. A socialist.” Dec 28, 17:29
Andy Ellis on A matter of class: “….feel free to banish me from this shithole you’ve allowed to be filled with trolls for evading your ridiculous moderation…” Dec 28, 17:25
Mark Beggan on A matter of class: “Child: When I grow up I want to be a socialist. Parent: You can’t do both.” Dec 28, 17:18
Andy Ellis on A matter of class: “I particularly liked the conclusion: The Nationalism of the Scottish National Party is not based on ethnicity but territory, it…” Dec 28, 17:17
Dan on A matter of class: “Or alternatively, to do a way with endless yak, jist go with the simple abbreviated version in the dictionary. colony…” Dec 28, 17:02
Captain Caveman on A matter of class: ““Some of the many things said about the English is that they treat nothing seriously and the men are sublimated…” Dec 28, 16:48
sam on A matter of class: “https://journal.thenewpolis.com/archives/1.1/Saville-Smith.pdf “The matter is settled, Scotland is not a Colony because it was part of an Incorporating Union. But what…” Dec 28, 16:27
Andy Ellis on A matter of class: “You may be right. Reform’s rise seems mostly to be cannibalising disillusioned Tory voters and the hard core brexiteers though:…” Dec 28, 16:21
James Cheyne on A matter of class: “Xaracen, I take on board you’re excellent analyses of the position of Scotland territory and Sovereignty still belonging to the…” Dec 28, 16:14
TURABDIN on A matter of class: “Some of the many things said about the English is that they treat nothing seriously and the men are sublimated…” Dec 28, 16:13
Captain Caveman on A matter of class: “In actuality, Andy, I believe British nationalism is enjoying quite the renaissance of late, most notably in the form of…” Dec 28, 15:19
Alf Baird on A matter of class: “““The intellectually low lumens” (wattage at a push) … metaphor to compare intellect to the brightness of light” Yes Northcode,…” Dec 28, 14:40
Mark Beggan on A matter of class: “For those who can. I hope you are feeding the wee birds this winter. They also need fresh water at…” Dec 28, 14:35
Northcode on A matter of class: ““Of course your keyboard being all sticky can’t help either.” Intellectual my perfectly smooth and rounded porcelain buttocks, Andy Inglis.…” Dec 28, 13:47
