The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


The best-laid plans 195

Posted on December 07, 2014 by

Social media has been alive in recent days with No voters concocting a fiendish plan to vote tactically against the SNP at next year’s general election. Labour supporters are urging people to vote Conservative rather than let the SNP take any new seats which might be used to secure a better devolution settlement for Scotland.

bestlaid1

We’re not sure the Nats have too much to worry about.

Read the rest of this entry →

MP For Vendetta 205

Posted on December 07, 2014 by

We’ve noted on a number of occasions that the BBC is fond of using the late-night papers review show on the News channel as a sneaky little Nat-bashing section in which London-based broadsheet journalists (always, always Unionists) get to display the full depth of their arrogant cluelessness about Scottish politics.

Last night’s, however, was quite something even by the usual standards.

Read the rest of this entry →

The definition of redundancy 236

Posted on December 06, 2014 by

Ladies and gentlemen, it gives us great pleasure today to present to you the most unnecessary words ever printed in the history of Scottish political journalism.

“Even Nicola Sturgeon agrees that Scots should vote Labour to make sure David Cameron’s Conservatives do not win the 2015 General Election, Margaret Curran will say today.

The Shadow Scottish Secretary will make the claim in a speech to a Labour summit in Perth when she is also due to attack the SNP.”

On current polling, it won’t be long before Ms Curran emulates her script.

The Masterplan 88

Posted on December 06, 2014 by

masterplan

The future, coming soon 150

Posted on December 05, 2014 by

From a YouGov poll of young (18-24) voters today:

yg1824

Now that’s quite the thing.

Read the rest of this entry →

One more twist of the corkscrew 96

Posted on December 05, 2014 by

The Herald, 1 June 2014:

“[A] YouGov poll compiled by Better Together suggests most Scots want to share pensions and benefits across the UK. Labour released the findings ahead of the launch of its referendum campaign, due to take place at a rally in Glasgow on Tuesday.

Scottish leader Johann Lamont will be joined by former prime minister Gordon Brown at the event. 

Ms Lamont said: ‘According to this Better Together polling, most Scots understand that our pensions and benefits are better being backed across the United Kingdom, spread across 60 million people rather than six million.'”

We’ll let Johann’s rather shaky grasp of the UK and Scottish population sizes slide on this occasion – she taught English, not maths or geography. The important thing is that the No vote in the referendum assured that benefits would remain a central, shared and uniform facet of British life. Right?

Read the rest of this entry →

Not keeping up with the news 156

Posted on December 04, 2014 by

A real letter sent out by the shadow Secretary of State for Scotland this week.

magritblah

Someone do us a favour and explain to her in language she’ll understand that as the Scottish Parliament isn’t trusted by her Westminster pals to control its own resources, the price of oil doesn’t actually impact on “the SNP’s economic plan” in any way whatsoever, would you? We’re not very good with crayons.

A lucky escape 104

Posted on December 04, 2014 by

Phew, eh?

espensions

(April 2014 on the left, December 2014 on the right.)

The Indian giver 123

Posted on December 04, 2014 by

George Osborne’s autumn mini-Budget is the sort of thing that shouldn’t be read late at night. The programme of swingeing cuts to public services it outlined would chill the blood of anyone with an ounce of compassion in their souls.

grumpyosborne

Fortunately, this site concerns itself chiefly with Scottish politics, so we can leave the full horror to others, turn away in fear and focus on a couple of decisions that are particularly interesting in a constitutional context.

Read the rest of this entry →

Votes of confidence 297

Posted on December 03, 2014 by

Alert readers will already be aware that we’re not the biggest fans of prospective Scottish Labour deputy “leader” Kezia Dugdale. Even this site, however, doesn’t think the Lothian list MSP is so inept and slow-witted that she could single-handedly be held responsible for the party losing the next two general elections.

katyclarkletter

Some of her comrades, however, have less faith.

Read the rest of this entry →

The lie and the truth 72

Posted on December 03, 2014 by

The Daily Record, 27 November 2014:

budget2x

So, IS the Scottish Government budget going to “nearly double”?

Read the rest of this entry →

Souls in the system 109

Posted on December 03, 2014 by

We’ve been watching in some bafflement the continuation of this bizarre non-story from yesterday. (For which, incidentally, the P&J has published a correction today.)

wingssquad

As one in five Scottish children live in poverty and temperatures fall at the beginning of winter with many families facing the choice between heating their homes or buying food, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie apparently arrived at the conclusion that the most important thing he could be doing with his taxpayer-funded time was occupying the Scottish Parliament with a demand to know (for no immediately apparent reason) how often civil servants had accessed Wings Over Scotland in the six months leading up to the referendum.

Read the rest of this entry →

  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,892 Posts, 1,239,139 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • Young Lochinvar on The quality of mercy: “Beggars Mobilise your air cadets unit then did they? Well I suppose we should be grateful that at least back…Apr 7, 15:14
    • sarah on The quality of mercy: “CASH NEEDED. To get new candidates/parties known to the voters, there must at least be a leaflet to every address…Apr 7, 15:11
    • Young Lochinvar on The quality of mercy: “DB Yup. Uncle Sam was late for the last two world wars and is just determined to be there in…Apr 7, 14:50
    • TURABDIN on The quality of mercy: “THE QUALITY OF MERDE Scots have the right to decide their own future….waffle, waffle, another ref, waffle, waffle https://www.snp.org/first-minister-john-swinney-addresses-the-nation-about-scotlands-right-to-decide-full-speech/ England…Apr 7, 13:23
    • James on The quality of mercy: “That right, aye? Back to barracks?Apr 7, 12:35
    • lothianlad on The quality of mercy: “All because the SNP has sold out on independence and become the administrators of the british state. All, or nearly…Apr 7, 12:19
    • Alf Baird on The quality of mercy: ““they were really really strapped for cash and so had the bright idea to “make the colonies pay”” Yes, colonialism…Apr 7, 12:15
    • lothianlad on Sicknote Slippers: “His Majesty’s United Kingdom thanks you for your service, Pete. Never a truer word spoken about comfy slippers!Apr 7, 12:09
    • Aidan on The quality of mercy: “The U.K. does not offer “unions” with any other country though does it. The point is that Scotland is much…Apr 7, 11:43
    • Iain More on The quality of mercy: “I recall a treacherous lying Yoon Chemistry teacher at school in the early 1970’s telling us that it was the…Apr 7, 11:30
    • Confused on The quality of mercy: “let’s get into money, though, real money and deep reasons … that england was really strapped for cash was the…Apr 7, 11:16
    • Confused on The quality of mercy: “but, but … https://archive.ph/t9RAY – I thought it was an ENGINE OF WEALTH CREATION the cognitive dissonance is strong in…Apr 7, 11:15
    • Geri on The quality of mercy: “I’m amazed that little Engurlund doesn’t have every country in the entire world signing up to one of these fabulous…Apr 7, 10:14
    • diabloandco on The quality of mercy: “Is anyone a tad worried by the actions of our great bestie to the west? Or indeed the fact we…Apr 7, 08:04
    • Aidan on The quality of mercy: “Absolutely Geri – it’s one of the most important lessons we can learn from great military generals, major construction projects…Apr 7, 06:45
    • Mark Beggan on The quality of mercy: “I served in Operation Lionheart. Auf vedersein pet! Was the golden age of British television. Never missed it. Yes Deutsch…Apr 7, 02:52
    • Mark Beggan on The quality of mercy: “Why Aye man.Apr 7, 02:45
    • Young Lochinvar on The quality of mercy: “Beggars Spend much time on the tools in West Germany or BAOR holding back Ivan?? No? Thought not. I did.…Apr 7, 00:29
    • Young Lochinvar on The quality of mercy: “Beggars Quoting Hitler (one on from the derivative Main Kampf here).. You’ve graduated from Moseley it seems.. Not a good…Apr 7, 00:21
    • Sven on The quality of mercy: “I’m just betting it wasn’t either of Ms Sturgeon’s “Clyde Built” Ferry boats with painted on windows, Mark. You’d be…Apr 6, 20:57
    • George Ferguson on The quality of mercy: “@Fearghas Agreed people don’t understand the Constitutional implications of King Charles not fulfilling the Union treaty to the Church of…Apr 6, 19:43
    • Mark Beggan on The quality of mercy: “Why Aye Man. ‘We had no way of staying afloat We had to leave on the ferry boat Economic refugees…Apr 6, 19:40
    • Geri on The quality of mercy: “It’s more than ten years & I hate to break it to you but it’s GLOBAL. England has perpetual grudges.…Apr 6, 19:38
    • Geri on The quality of mercy: “Agreed! I’m also so over the eejits who constantly think we need to fix this & that before Indy. England…Apr 6, 19:24
    • Mark Beggan on The quality of mercy: ““It is thus necessary that the individual should finally realise that his own ego is of no importance in comparison…Apr 6, 19:24
    • Alf Baird on The quality of mercy: ““Hate by its very nature is destructive. To hate an entire nation over a period of ten years rips the…Apr 6, 18:55
    • Young Lochinvar on Clocks And Calendars: “What in tarnashun boyy! Aint not no none of yer good ol’ boyys talkin’ likee that in tham there Scahtland..…Apr 6, 18:31
    • TURABDIN on The quality of mercy: “From WIKI: «The earliest use of the term appears in 1507, when King James IV of Scotland was granted the…Apr 6, 16:56
    • Andy Ellis on Clocks And Calendars: “@YL Given that “gotten” is – as I stated – probably more common amongst Scots than English users of the…Apr 6, 16:47
    • Young Lochinvar on Clocks And Calendars: “Yee Haw Pardner! You for forget to say FACT after your “construction” (?!?) statement.. Do you also call trousers “pants”,…Apr 6, 16:27
  • A tall tale



↑ Top