The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


Brian Wilson is a liar 167

Posted on September 06, 2014 by

Alert readers will already be aware that former Labour MP, minister and nuclear-power lobbyist Brian Wilson is one of our least favourite figures in the independence debate.

bwilson1

A man utterly consumed by tribal hatred of the SNP – even by the standards of Scottish Labour, which is no mean accolade – his Scotsman columns are some of the most mendacious, bilious propaganda to be found in the country, to the extent that we don’t even link to them in our “Zany Comedy Relief” section.

Today, however, he’s outdone himself in spectacular style.

Read the rest of this entry →

Story of a thought process 98

Posted on September 06, 2014 by

One being shared by more and more Scots.

Something in reserve 81

Posted on September 06, 2014 by

finalbend

*Readers! Meet Chris in person next Thursday as part of the Scottish Cartoon Art Studio. Tickets are FREE but you need to book in advance. – Ed.

Ein Yolk, Ein Reich, Ein Fuhrer 198

Posted on September 05, 2014 by

Because throwing an egg is EXACTLY HOW HITLER STARTED.

einyolk

Read the rest of this entry →

Rational thinking will have to be made 220

Posted on September 05, 2014 by

This is Andy Brough, the Executive Director at Schroders Investment Management Ltd, discussing the referendum and currency on the Bloomberg channel yesterday.

He predicts a Yes vote in the referendum, and that Scotland and the rUK will share the pound, regardless of what George Osborne says. He predicts a “chaotic” aftermath, but seems rather relaxed overall at the prospect of an independent Scotland in a currency union. And for a senior City financier, he seems to have a very perceptive grasp on the reasons behind Scottish Labour’s backing for the Union.

Questions and sort-of answers 99

Posted on September 05, 2014 by

Last week we highlighted the dismissive, contemptuous attitude of many Scottish Labour MPs and MSPs to questions from their constituents, an approach perhaps borne of the safe seats occupied by most of those concerned. However, some politicians from the three Unionist parties in Scotland do still deign to correspond with the electorate, and it would be unfair of us not to acknowledge and credit them for that.

Below, then, are the other responses that Wings readers received to a number of questions relating to independence that we suggested they might like to pose to their elected representatives way back in July. (We’ve given it six weeks, and it seems safe to assume that any who haven’t replied by now aren’t going to.)

It’s a lengthy read, but we think you’ll find it enlightening.

Read the rest of this entry →

What didn’t really need saying 210

Posted on September 05, 2014 by

Here are two snippets from a couple of recent “Better Together” leaflets:

btshopping

Curiously, that 16% increase has fallen to 13% in their latest “briefing” full of made-up numbers Blair McDougall has pulled out of – well, let’s be polite and say “thin air”. But since they’ve been specifically named, let’s just check the claim with Tesco.

Read the rest of this entry →

If you can’t say something nice 502

Posted on September 04, 2014 by

…you probably write for the Express.

Yesterday we posted a couple of tweets observing the fact that the Scottish media had conspicuously ignored the phenomenon that is The Wee Blue Book. (We’d have made more of the total blanking had we been even a little bit surprised.)

benborland

Despite having extensively reported almost every other document published about the referendum debate (such as Sir Tom Hunter’s almost-impenetrable digital-only effort), the press saw nothing at all newsworthy about a 72-page book that’s been downloaded over 400,000 times online and which a small team of complete amateurs had managed to fund, print and distribute more than 250,000 physical copies of in a matter of days, with demand still far outstripping supply.

But it turned out we were being a little unfair.

Read the rest of this entry →

On moving to Yes 182

Posted on September 04, 2014 by

Bill Leckie in the Scottish Sun, 4 September 2014:

“I still have a list of nagging doubts, not least over who emerges to lead this new state. It’s just that… well, whereas not so long ago these doubts were what held me back, today they somehow seem exciting.

Will it turn out a Yes vote? Don’t ask me. I’m still too busy trying to work out exactly what it was about that conversation [with my son] that changed my mind on the most important collective decision we will ever make.

Today, I can still only offer this guess. That when all is said and done, maybe it just feels better to believe in something that could be amazing than to settle for what can never be better than OK.”

Time to get busy 609

Posted on September 03, 2014 by

All 250,000 copies of the Wee Blue Book have now left the printers and should have reached their destinations, from which they’ll be spread far and wide. Many are already in Yes shops and on street stalls and thousands are in the hands of the public.

wbbinverness

If you’ve got one, please read it and PASS IT ON afterwards – we’ll print truckloads of souvenir editions after a Yes vote, so you don’t need to hang onto it as a keepsake. It’s no good adorning the mantelpiece, it needs to be in front of undecideds and soft No voters. (Or hard ones if you think there’s even a sliver of light in their minds.)

We don’t have a definitive list of where the books can be found – the Yes movement is an organic grassroots network and there’s no way of predicting where they’ll end up after the pallet comes off the printers’ lorry. We’ve shipped boxes to Shetland, Skye, Stornoway and Selkirk and all points in between. (Some not beginning with “S”.)

But we’ll keep you updated when we hear of sightings. The info hotline is our Twitter feed, and you can also keep an eye on the dedicated Wee Blue Facebook page.

Meanwhile, though, there’s other stuff you can do.

Read the rest of this entry →

Love on the rocks 193

Posted on September 03, 2014 by

The neverending plague 247

Posted on September 03, 2014 by

From industry recruitment website oilandgaspeople.com today:

“Scotland could be sitting on more than double the amount of oil and gas reserves currently predicted, a new independent industry investigation has found. The investigation reveals that the scale of Scotland’s untapped frontier West Coast or Atlantic Margin has been underestimated.

The investigation was undertaken by oilandgaspeople.com, the world’s largest oil and gas industry jobs board, and independent North Sea oil and gas industry experts. The investigation included interviews with industry experts and collated seismic and expert evidence from a range of independent sources such as the British Geological Survey, DECC, oil and gas companies, the Institute of Petroleum Engineering and the  Energy Institute.

The findings show that the current predictions of extensive untapped reserves of oil and gas could be underestimated by 100%. The West Coast alone could provide oil and gas for at least 100 years with an estimated value of more than £1 trillion.”

Another 100 years? A trillion pounds? When will this curse be lifted from Scotland?

  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,858 Posts, 1,233,083 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • DaveL on A matter of class: ““But then think back to the Jimmy Saville scandal and who was close to that.” Willie at 1.57pm. That’d be…Dec 24, 15:12
    • agentx on A matter of class: “willie says: “Anyway, child abuse, even when in Scotland, seems not to be an issue for our athorities – or…Dec 24, 15:11
    • James Cheyne on A matter of class: “agentx, Thanks for that info, Local Councils do not give out planning permission very easily in Scotland especially in Green…Dec 24, 15:10
    • James Cheyne on A matter of class: “DaveL, Thank you, Let Scots make our own mistakes, stop telling us what mistakes to make. Much appreciated.Dec 24, 15:02
    • agentx on A matter of class: ““7 March 2025 Demolition work has started at a cottage in the Highlands formerly owned by Jimmy Savile. The site’s…Dec 24, 14:59
    • James Cheyne on A matter of class: “Willie, No you are not missing the mark, Jimmy Savelle even had a holiday cottage in Scotland. While the crown…Dec 24, 14:44
    • I. Despair on A matter of class: “A Ferrari? Doesn’t appeal as a daily driver. Too cramped inside. I’d happily have a shot in one at a…Dec 24, 14:40
    • sam on A matter of class: ““Scots take an inclusive approach to independence Only 50% of those who support Scottish independence say that being born in…Dec 24, 14:23
    • DaveL on A matter of class: “I reckon about twenty percent of posts btl here belong to Hatey. I think most are in reply and all…Dec 24, 14:16
    • James Cheyne on A matter of class: “The difference between the two is the English approach to the Scottish approach, English Approach. One tells, lies or bullies…Dec 24, 14:11
    • Stuart MacKay on A matter of class: “Andy. you’re looking at it from a values and morals perspective. You don’t seemed to have learned anything from the…Dec 24, 14:01
    • willie on A matter of class: “Scotland the colony. Scotland the corrupt. Its all in play as the establishment and the system reveal time after time.…Dec 24, 13:57
    • sam on A matter of class: “Maybe you might look at the survey work by McCrone and Keating#. I posted a link above. It looks at…Dec 24, 13:57
    • James Cheyne on A matter of class: “One wonders at the intellectual Standard required for tribunals or Judges in Scotland if they have to turn to artificial…Dec 24, 13:49
    • Charles Findlay on A matter of class: “My granny used to say a lot of things, and I remember them all. “If wishes were horses, beggars would…Dec 24, 13:36
    • Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: “My dear auld mammie used to say the lowest form of humour is limbo stand-up.Dec 24, 13:34
    • Andy Ellis on A matter of class: “@cynicus 11.02AM It is you who are the newbie, sunshine. I have been around here a LOT longer than you…Dec 24, 13:15
    • Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: “Guardian Online reporting the funeral of Stanislav Orlov. That such a tragic fate should strike down early such a nice…Dec 24, 13:04
    • Dan on A matter of class: “Hmm, what are the views and concerns of Scots… https://wingsoverscotland.com/the-ginger-stepchild/ Immigration being in the top three, and the rise of…Dec 24, 13:01
    • Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: “Hey Young Lochinvar. I do hate it when none of the usual suspects can be arsed to respond to a…Dec 24, 12:49
    • Andy Ellis on A matter of class: “Independence for Scotland does not necessarily mean your version. But rather the Scots people as a whole,.. Perhaps not, but…Dec 24, 12:47
    • James Cheyne on A matter of class: “The Snp , the dodgey trials, the governance, the gender issue, british media bias reporting or none reporting, resources and…Dec 24, 12:25
    • James Cheyne on A matter of class: “Is it worrying that Scotland does not appear to be in the united kingdom of England and Ireland since 1800,…Dec 24, 12:01
    • James Cheyne on A matter of class: “Name calling and sarcasm are the lowest form of wit my granny used to say,Dec 24, 11:48
    • Young Lochinvar on A matter of class: “Aidan @ 8.49 Oh dear; a few too many dry sherrys for you last night and the intemperate sore head…Dec 24, 11:43
    • James Cheyne on A matter of class: “It never falls far from the thread of supporting Scottish independence, whereas your own falls into name calling and personal…Dec 24, 11:42
    • Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: ““I have been around here a LOT longer than you have” Sure, Cynicus. All the more perplexing then that judging…Dec 24, 11:29
    • Hatey McHateface on A matter of class: ““we also live in that of the eternal, conceited, bully boy superpower” Sorry, TURABDIN, but I can think of at…Dec 24, 11:21
    • Cynicus on A matter of class: “Andy Ellis says: 24 December, 2025 at 9:14 am “You must be relatively new here if you think off-topic posting…Dec 24, 11:02
    • Cynicus on A matter of class: “Hatey McHateface says: 24 December, 2025 at 8:05 am “Defo worth a read” ====== Agreed. Why don’t you give it…Dec 24, 10:55
  • A tall tale



↑ Top