While we’re not talking about politics, here’s something else. I’ve just returned from Bath’s fine Royal United Hospital, where I’ve been getting a test done. (So as to avoid unnecessary dramatic tension, as far as anyone knows everything’s fine.)
A while ago I was having some intermittent but rather alarming trouble with swallowing – behave yourselves at the back, there – as well as a bit of general alimentary-canal oddness and mild discomfort, and went to see my doctor. She thought it was probably acid reflux and gave me omeprazole (which fixed the swallowing thing straight away), but just for safety also scheduled me for a barium scan at the hospital.
I’m a bit of a Nervous Nelly when it comes to any sort of medical procedure – this was my first time in a hospital on my own account – and went Googling to see what to expect. I found about 14 different leaflets from various NHS trusts, no two of which said the same thing, which wasn’t exactly reassuring.
What I wanted was a first-hand account or two from actual people who’d had it done, and rather to my surprise I couldn’t find any anywhere on the internet. So since I have a moderately widely-read website, I’m going to write one here for the benefit of not only Wings readers, but anyone else who might find themselves searching for one.
Stand by for some HOT REPORTING. (The above is a genuine RUH sign.)
Zilch continues to happen in Scottish politics, so to pass a bleak November afternoon we’re going to do something we haven’t done on Wings for years: talk about football.
Try not to panic, because it’s really about the Scottish media – just like it used to be back in the good old days when they, rather than the SNP, were the main obstacles to Scottish independence. But there’s going to be quite a bit of football involved along the way, so if you can’t bear it, just go and stare out of the window and wait for Spring.
Wings Over Scotland is 12 years old today. And since absolutely nothing is happening in the world of Scottish independence – and hasn’t for, frankly, years – we thought we’d take you on a trip back to the day we were born, since when things DID change.
Remember when we had a leader who could get the UK government to do stuff it didn’t want to do, readers? AND actually increase support for independence? Good times.
With the shock defection of Ash Regan from the SNP to Alba last week, followed by councillor Chris Cullen, Alex Salmond’s party now has representation at every level of Scottish politics – Westminster, Holyrood and local.
But it still awaits a mass breakthrough, either in politicians crossing the floor or in the polls. In the meantime the SNP is plunging to new lows, recording just 32% in two polls last week, one of which saw them trailing six points behind Scottish Labour.
It seems reasonable to assume that the SNP’s fall is going to continue, with lots more bad news looming in its future – Operation Branchform, the likely humiliating loss of the Section 35 challenge in the wake of Lady Dorrian’s judgement this week, the ongoing ferries and trams inquiries and now the already-damaging COVID inquiry.
So the future of the political side of the independence movement appears to be very much up for grabs and open to debate. With that in mind, Wings sat down by Zoom with Ash Regan to quiz her about where she saw it going.
We held back from writing about yesterday’s judgment from Lady Dorrian in the Court Of Session in the hope that if we stared at it for long enough we could get it to make some kind of sense. But it does not. On the face of it, the country’s second-most-senior judge is simply a drooling imbecile.
Because that submission is not the least bit difficult to follow.
We were interested to read about this earlier this evening:
Not least because it was the first we’d heard about it. At the time of writing this post we’ve still had no communication from the Standards Commission to alert us to the judgement, which is frankly a bit of a poor show. We might file a complaint with the Standards Commission about it, depending on whether we can be bothered to wait another year and a quarter for the result.
We are of course pleased that the odious Cllr Joji has finally been formally censured for her obnoxious behaviour, but frankly she’s gotten off very lightly.
We expected nothing better from Mhairi Hunter, of course, a once-decent human being corrupted by Nicola Sturgeon into an unthinking party drone.
But the reaction of the First Minister of Scotland to Ash Regan’s defection to Alba today is a sour, ugly and childish thing that would have been unworthy of the leader of the Monster Raving Loony Party, never mind a serious grown-up in a position of power.
(Which as far as we can tell is the first direct switch in Scottish Parliament history. Others have stood down to become independents, and subsequently stood for other parties, but nobody has moved straight from one party to another.)
We hope she’s only the first of many. Because the SNP is over. It has no credibility left either as a party of independence or a party of government, and anyone who stays on board the smoking wreck can have no complaints when they go down with it.
Our apologies for the lack of recent activity here, readers, but there’s just been nothing happening worth talking about. Meanwhile, here’s some more music.
Mia on Let’s Make Jen Safe Again: “Yes, now that I have calmed down a bit and I have had a bit more time to think, suddenly…” May 6, 17:54
Yoon Scum on Let’s Make Jen Safe Again: “The more I look at the plans for the economy , the currency and the people we have in Holyrood…” May 6, 17:18
Mia on Let’s Make Jen Safe Again: “The political fraud Sturgeon is quoted in the Herald as saying: “The question for me and I think for a…” May 6, 17:14
SilentMajority on Let’s Make Jen Safe Again: “The Sturgeon revisionist bio will certainly be a hoot…hopefully straight into the recycle waste via the ‘bargain bin’.” May 6, 14:39
Michael Laing on Let’s Make Jen Safe Again: “An interesting account, albeit the Germans didn’t have four-engined bombers. Unless I’m mistaken, all their bombers were twin-engined.” May 6, 14:10
Marie on Let’s Make Jen Safe Again: “And no apology to women and girls. Sturgeon is arrogant deluded and dangerous.” May 6, 13:07
Michael Laing on Let’s Make Jen Safe Again: “The lives of unemployed and ill and disabled people are ‘almost unliveable’. Indeed, many have been forced to live on…” May 6, 13:01
Stuart MacKay on Let’s Make Jen Safe Again: “Meanwhile in various hot places not so near to here, the establishment, of which Sturgeon is a fully paid up…” May 6, 12:59
Dave Hansell on The Takeover: “Well, Hatey. I would debate the issue with you – and have tried to on several occasions over the past…” May 6, 12:43
Vivian O’Blivion on Let’s Make Jen Safe Again: “Speaking to reporters in the Scottish Parliament Sturgeon told reporters : “… in my mind that we are at risk…” May 6, 12:17
Jay on Let’s Make Jen Safe Again: “In a few years reading Wings, i have not seen such an ignorant attempt at criticising Rev Campbell as that…” May 6, 12:16
Hatey McHateface on Let’s Make Jen Safe Again: “@William G Walker He sometimes asks people on here if they are heterosexual or homosexual. Read into that what you…” May 6, 12:14
Hatey McHateface on Let’s Make Jen Safe Again: “Hands up everyone who absolutely loves, LOVES! I tell you, the proud, patriotic, nationalist, blue-arsed Scots, who don’t know the…” May 6, 12:08
Jay on Let’s Make Jen Safe Again: “Agree with WG Walker, hating that female anatomy suggests some of the worst aspects of the trans movement, therefore a…” May 6, 12:06
Oneliner on Let’s Make Jen Safe Again: “AGREED. But I doubt your viewpoint will gain much traction with the people of Grangemouth. Whilst the Rev is right…” May 6, 10:54
twathater on Let’s Make Jen Safe Again: “@ Andy Storrie YOU sound like a snp diehard and apologist can you then tell me what has the snp…” May 6, 02:30
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Let’s Make Jen Safe Again: “HOME GUARD by Stuart McKinlay. At eighteen years of age, I was a member of the Home Guard, then known…” May 5, 23:46
Bilbo on Let’s Make Jen Safe Again: “https://archive.is/iUF0F “The ORP Piorun was docked at the John Brown Shipyard for repairs on March 13, 1941, when the town…” May 5, 22:44
Andy Storrie on Let’s Make Jen Safe Again: “Wit ye gawny dae wae yersel noo, Campbell. That’s yer favourite talking point fucked, son. I dunno who has been…” May 5, 22:32
Bilbo on Let’s Make Jen Safe Again: “Also to note as well, there is talk in the MSN of right-wing misogyny affecting on social media like Andrew…” May 5, 22:30
Bilbo on Let’s Make Jen Safe Again: “As others have mentioned, these concepts of left, right and centre are meaningless in today’s climate. I’d like to pick…” May 5, 22:19
Oneliner on Let’s Make Jen Safe Again: “And yet all Scottish based squadrons were commanded to remain on the ground. Scotland’s ‘Coventry’” May 5, 22:07
sarah on Let’s Make Jen Safe Again: “Now that the beginning of the end of the gender war has been won, I hope that the 12 month…” May 5, 19:35
agent x on Let’s Make Jen Safe Again: ““The Blitz on the industrial town of Clydebank, seven miles from the centre of Glasgow, was one of the most…” May 5, 18:43