The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


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?

A matter of priorities 192

Posted on September 03, 2014 by

Here’s the BBC News website quoting defence secretary Michael Fallon today, on the announcement of a £3.5 billion order for almost 600 new armoured vehicles:

“‘Nato was formed on the basis that Europe would pay her way. Like any insurance policy, defence only pays out when you pay in.

US taxpayers won’t go on picking up the cheque if we choose to prioritise social welfare spending when the threats are on our doorstep.’

BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale said the comment on threats was a reference to Russian military intervention in Ukraine.”

Let’s study that for a moment, shall we?

Read the rest of this entry →

A thousand-word metaphor 237

Posted on September 02, 2014 by

landfillno

Assessing the earthquake 750

Posted on September 02, 2014 by

If anyone was still harbouring any doubts as to the significance of last night’s poll news, they would surely have been dispelled by this serious, thought-provoking and perceptive analysis on the BBC news channel’s “The Papers” roundup last night.

Of course, the poll might be a rogue. It might just be a temporary bounce from the second Salmond-Darling debate. And it still shows No in front. The Yes campaign will have to redouble its efforts in the last couple of weeks, not start congratulating itself.

But the one thing we can surely all agree on, right across the political divides, is that the most important aspect is whether someone might at some point have been slightly rude to Andrew Lloyd Webber on Twitter or not.

A surprising development 286

Posted on September 01, 2014 by

geyg

The rather sour Times leader linked in the tweet doesn’t actually specify the numbers, and the poll isn’t officially released yet as we write this, but we’d been hearing rumours of a Y47 N53 (excl. DKs) for a little while beforehand, so it looks like they were true.

Less than a month ago, YG stood at Y39 N61. If these numbers are confirmed, that’s a colossal 8% swing in three weeks, from the most No-friendly pollster around.

Game, as they say, on.

Read the rest of this entry →

Bringing the smackdown 123

Posted on September 01, 2014 by

We thought this deserved a wider audience after the Herald’s appalling front-page lead scare story today by Michael Settle and Kate Devlin, channelling Jim Murphy MP:

“SCOTTISH POLICE FEDERATION
5 Woodside Place, Glasgow, G3 7QF

MEDIA RELEASE

The Scottish Police Federation represents all police officers in the ranks of constable, sergeant, inspector and chief inspector, police cadets and special constables, over 18,500 people, 98% of all police officers in Scotland.

To: News Editor
Date: 1 September 2014
Subject: Independence Referendum

In response to the suggestion of absolute carnage in and around polling stations on the 18th Sept Brian Docherty, Chairman of the Scottish Police Federation said;

The independence debate has been robust but overwhelmingly good natured and it would prove a disservice to those who have participated in it thus far to suggest that with 17 days to go, Scotland is about to disintegrate into absolute carnage on the back of making the most important decision in the country’s history.

Politicians and supporters of whichever point of view need to be mindful of the potential impact of intemperate, inflammatory and exaggerated language, lest they be seen to seek to create a self fulfilling prophecy

ENDS”

Oooft. ‘Nuff said.

Brass neck polished again 130

Posted on September 01, 2014 by

The Daily Record, 27 Aug 2014:

“[Gordon] Brown said SNP proposals to cut corporation tax would benefit large companies, including energy firms.

‘The biggest beneficiaries of the SNP’s tax policy are the shareholders and directors of the privatised energy companies in Scotland,” he said. ‘”When you look at the Scottish National Party policies, inequality and poverty will survive until doomsday if Alex Salmond is all that confronts it.”

And Mr Brown again in the Observer, 31 August 2014:

“You’ve got to look at what the SNP is proposing. They’re dining out on Scottish traditions of equality to suggest that Scotland will always be more just in the policies we implement, but their only tax proposal is to cut corporation tax for the richest companies in the country.

They want to cut corporation tax by 3p in the pound. That’s less for health and pensions, not more.”

Veteran readers will know where we’re going next.

Read the rest of this entry →

A significant escalation 185

Posted on September 01, 2014 by

Last week, Yes voters only hated their families, not Scotland.

hatekids

This week it’s both. Can you feel the fear, readers?

New volatility blow for Salmond 88

Posted on September 01, 2014 by

From today’s Financial Times:

“Buyout groups Blackstone and Blue Water Energy are providing $500m to Siccar Point Energy, a new UK-focused oil company, in one of the largest ever private equity investments in North Sea oil.

Investment in the UK North Sea reached a record level of £14.4bn last year, raising hopes that oil and gas production could start to pick up again after years of decline.

‘This is one of the most opportune times to buy assets in the North Sea,’ said Jonathan Roger, chief executive of Siccar Point. ‘The market is very buoyant.'”

Sounds terrible. No wonder Gordon Brown’s so depressed.

34 months later 173

Posted on September 01, 2014 by

Wings Over Scotland officially launched on the 1st of November 2011, with a collection of posts imported from a personal blog. (The first original post didn’t appear until a week later.) It was meant just to be a small aggregator site of interesting stories from the newspapers with a short bit of commentary. That month we had 6,290 pageviews.

We’ve grown a bit since then.

Read the rest of this entry →

Not waving but drowning 272

Posted on August 31, 2014 by

So worn-down are we by the job of scrutinising Scotland’s exhaustingly terrible media for three years for you, our beloved readers, that we often can’t bring ourselves to watch current-affairs shows live any more, steeling ourselves to catch up with them on iPlayer only if people say there was something of particular note on them.

We’re glad we didn’t miss this, though. Because it might be the case that no politician in human history has ever been as hopelessly, pitiably, comically out of his depth as Willie Rennie was on this morning’s Sunday Politics Scotland.

Read the rest of this entry →

  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,935 Posts, 1,245,446 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • gm on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “Cheers!Jun 24, 08:48
    • Willie on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “What tools do you think we should be developing Dan. Scotland is a gangster run state, using gangster methods of…Jun 24, 08:45
    • Free Speech Purist on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “It would be nice to hear Nichola answer questions that she has so far not responded to. Murrell is in…Jun 24, 08:32
    • Spartan 117 on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “Guyliner can do one, along with the rest of his rotten party.Jun 24, 08:27
    • Spartan 117 on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “What a lot of keech.Jun 24, 08:25
    • Hatey McHateface on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: ““how many Scots will he have in his cabinet?” Dunno, TURABDIN, but I guess it depends on whether he believes…Jun 24, 08:24
    • Spartan 117 on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “He does have a good point, though.Jun 24, 08:24
    • TURABDIN on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “Should Burnham get the shoo in for the British state’s next PM how many Scots will he have in his…Jun 24, 08:06
    • paul on Job Half Done: “vMs Sturgeon was utterly deceived and let down by her husband whom she had trusted. No need to bring up…Jun 24, 07:39
    • Hatey McHateface on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: ““am i missing something” You forgot to say “we’re doomed!”. “Nothing, and I mean nothing, is off limits in what…Jun 24, 07:30
    • Hatey McHateface on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: ““But if an MSP in Holyrood were to do the same, they would likely find themselves facing down prosecution” To…Jun 24, 07:21
    • Captain Caveman on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: ““… information and Unionist annoyance was in order..” I can’t speak for anyone else, but no annoyance from my side…Jun 24, 07:08
    • Hatey McHateface on The End Of Law: “Nobody should listen much to somebody who self-identifies as a “hobbit” from a set of frankly ludicrous fairy tales. If…Jun 24, 06:53
    • Hatey McHateface on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “Wow! A blow by blow account of your wee, small hours posting effort, finishing at your peak tonto time, 1:45…Jun 24, 06:48
    • Willie on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “Murrell is now in prison guilty of embezzling over £400k of funds. The police and prosecution have been through the…Jun 24, 06:18
    • Marco McGinty on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “Indeed. Neither Fred West or Jimmy Savile (and many others) stood in the dock for their collective crimes. Does Anwar…Jun 24, 05:31
    • Young Lochinvar on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “I write this at around 1am on the 24th of June, the anniversary of the second day of the Battle…Jun 24, 01:43
    • Young Lochinvar on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “What exactly is that human rights lawyer ( apols can’t be bothered looking up his name), champion of the underdog…Jun 24, 00:42
    • Young Lochinvar on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “Yes Apparently during all these years “Honest John” was a nobody.. Really?? Hmmmm 7th level of hell Johnny boy..Jun 23, 23:47
    • Young Lochinvar on The End Of Law: “Wilma Flintstone That sounds like a compliment wrapped up in an insult covered in a biscuit.. Eff aff ya nobody..Jun 23, 23:39
    • Angus on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: ““But the former is absolutely black with her sticky fingerprints, plainly visible to anyone. She was the leader of the…Jun 23, 23:39
    • Angus on Job Half Done: ““Be assured, readers, that Wings won’t rest until it is.” Amen to that.Jun 23, 23:22
    • Angus on Job Half Done: “I agree with C Mac Kay that he will be out within six months. They will find a way to…Jun 23, 23:20
    • agentx on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “No confusion – if someone has dangly bits they go to a male prison – if they don’t then they…Jun 23, 23:09
    • Mark Beggan on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “When Swinney tells lies the rash on his face glows.Jun 23, 21:42
    • Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “Search assistant info: « Glenn Campbell’s Brain Tumour Diagnosis Glenn Campbell, the political editor for BBC Scotland, was diagnosed with…Jun 23, 20:26
    • Confused on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “people wondering why she wasn’t investigated/charged properly by people whoses bosses bosses boss – WORKS FOR HER and/or got their…Jun 23, 20:24
    • Southernbystander on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “I wonder what ‘beyond outrageous’ really looks like? These things tend to be circular so actually it may simply be,…Jun 23, 20:09
    • MaryB on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: “I see that Nicola’s got two Herald headlines this evening. Still protesting her innocence. Funny that. If she was innocent,…Jun 23, 20:04
    • Glenn Boyd on Hey Lord Don’t Ask Me Questions: ““Full interview with the police on what it took to prosecute Peter Murrell” is available on YOUTUBE in which the…Jun 23, 19:58
  • A tall tale



↑ Top