The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


Images and stereotypes 32

Posted on January 14, 2014 by

Chapter 11 of “The Claim Of Scotland”.

claim11

Read the rest of this entry →

On tenterhooks 40

Posted on January 14, 2014 by

We’re quite keen to peruse the results of this poll, which was conducted a few days ago by YouGov alongside their World War 1 one, but hasn’t yet published.

2014-01-09 14_39_55-YouGov Survey

We got in touch, but the company was unable to tell us when, or whether, the responses to this question (and some others about independence, along with some on Welsh education) would be made public. It doesn’t seem like the kind of question that would be particularly useful as a piece of private polling, so keep your eyes peeled.

We were going to be angry 112

Posted on January 14, 2014 by

…about the shameful, despicable sectarian comments by TV celebrity and occasional politician George Galloway in an Edinburgh Evening News article today, about how he’s been refused permission by West Lothian Council to put on his anti-independence “Just Say Naw” roadshow at a municipal venue in Livingston.

georgegalloway3

But then we kept reading, because we don’t like to go off half-cocked without getting the full story, and were richly rewarded for our effort by a magnificently deadpan line from the paper’s reporter. We’ve unsubtly bolded it for you below.

Read the rest of this entry →

Down on Baker Street 31

Posted on January 14, 2014 by

John Crace, the Guardian, 14 Jan 2014:

“Is it conceivable that [Sherlock] Holmes might have been a Labour voter now? Possibly. New Labour changed the rules of political engagement. What the Daily Mail still doesn’t quite get is that voting Labour is no longer a challenge to the establishment, it’s a part of it. There is no major redistribution of wealth and power for the right to fear.”

British politics: elementary.

Always crashing in the same car 80

Posted on January 14, 2014 by

A must-view for those of you who missed last night’s Scotland Tonight. Watch and marvel (mainly from 2m 28s) as a man falls apart in front of your eyes, reduced to a babbling, incoherent shambles by a calm, eloquent gent in a sharp tweed suit.

Our favourite bit is the desperate, plaintive “Just ask Alistair Darling!” at the end.

50 answers for the No campaign 32

Posted on January 13, 2014 by

(Now to questions typed by someone with a rudimentary command of written English.)

monkeytype

Because as we know “Better Together” will have quite a lot of trouble coming up with any coherent replies, we’ve had a bash ourselves while we wait for them to get started.

Read the rest of this entry →

Quoted for truth #42 49

Posted on January 13, 2014 by

“Herald View”, the Sunday Herald, 12 Jan 2014:

“The Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, is to be commended for refusing to participate in the victimisation of the ‘undeserving poor’. She promises to scrap the bedroom tax, keep housing benefits and reject the forthcoming Universal Credit, which amalgamates a whole range of benefits into one payment. The Nationalists say they will increase social security benefits and the minimum wage annually by the rate of inflation.

However, they cannot secure these protections under the current constitutional arrangements.”

Read the rest of this entry →

Migration and unemployment 15

Posted on January 13, 2014 by

Chapter 10 of “The Claim Of Scotland”.

claim10

Read the rest of this entry →

Taking our best shot 126

Posted on January 13, 2014 by

This is going to be tough. Alistair Carmichael’s list of the “top 20” reasons for staying in the UK, issued today, is a document so farcical it’s actually quite hard to analyse.

alistaircarmichael4

It’s difficult to react to it in a rational manner, because the rational response is a torrent of angry invective at having one’s intelligence so heinously and crassly insulted. And going for the satire angle isn’t easy either, because it’s quite tricky to think of anything more ridiculous or idiotic than some of the claims the Secretary of State for Portsmouth makes. Striving as ever for balance, then, this is the best we can do.

Read the rest of this entry →

Wanting what you can’t have 36

Posted on January 13, 2014 by

Yesterday’s Scotland on Sunday took a slightly strange angle on the results of a social-attitudes survey conducted by the thinktank “British Future” last month.

“Almost half of the British people believe that the UK would be weakened in the event of Scottish independence, according to the first poll to illustrate the extent that Scotland is valued by its neighbours.”

…or put another way, MORE than half of them DON’T believe that. But anyway.

Read the rest of this entry →

Night bombing 201

Posted on January 12, 2014 by

Now here’s an explosive thing to drop at 10 o’clock on a Sunday night.

ftcom

Click the image to read the full Financial Times story. Did the game just change?

Read the rest of this entry →

The Highlands and islands 42

Posted on January 12, 2014 by

Chapter 9 of “The Claim Of Scotland”.

claim9

Read the rest of this entry →

  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,910 Posts, 1,242,392 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • Geri on The Queer Parliament: ““for blowing up non-combatant Europeans…” LOL, ya dunce, the whole of NATO is involved with trying to attack R &…May 22, 16:32
    • Jim Thomson on Only An Excuse: “The SPFL are “investigating” apparently. Not going to hold my breath https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c70vk78271roMay 22, 16:22
    • 100%Yes on Only An Excuse: “The National went from £20 for a full years subscription to Get 3 months of The National for just 73p,…May 22, 15:52
    • Northcode on The Queer Parliament: ““Northy, you’ll soon be back to your usual sharp-witted self…” Yes… I expect I will be soon enough, Caveman. A…May 22, 15:28
    • lothianlad on Only An Excuse: “Correct Stu !! Glasgow centric Scottish establishment organisations cannot be held to account. in this day and age, Anything seems…May 22, 15:18
    • Insider on Only An Excuse: “Aye Alf ! I should have guessed… Poor decisions by Scottish football referees are caused by “colonialism” ! Perhaps it’s…May 22, 15:17
    • Captain Caveman on The Queer Parliament: ““Never apologise! Never give up! Never surrender! Yeah, I’m in one of those moods theday… it will pass – hopefully…May 22, 14:37
    • Captain Caveman on The Queer Parliament: ““In other news, allegedly R can now remote control U drones & reverse them back to whence they came &…May 22, 14:30
    • Col on Only An Excuse: “Interesting to note that Gordon Smith reckons teams should get points deducted for pitch invasions by their supporters. Seems reasonable,…May 22, 14:27
    • Alf Baird on The Queer Parliament: ““the only Scottish legal academics to do so” ? Here is an alternative learned perspective on Scotland’s colonial reality, presented…May 22, 13:59
    • BLMac on Only An Excuse: “If there’s a fan invasion, the game should become a win for the other team.May 22, 13:41
    • Luigi on Only An Excuse: “The SFA have always been a bunch of cowards, afraid to stand up to the Old Firm. One reason (not…May 22, 13:16
    • TURABDIN on Only An Excuse: “ENGLAND is making mincemeat of Scotland, the first element to go in the mincer Scotland’s collective balls. Is mr Swinney…May 22, 12:59
    • Willie on Only An Excuse: “Its unlikely in the extreme that a resumption of tbe match for a last minute would have changed the result.…May 22, 12:59
    • Northcode on The Queer Parliament: “Never apologise! Never give up! Never surrender! Yeah, I’m in one of those moods theday… it will pass – hopefully…May 22, 12:30
    • Alf Baird on Only An Excuse: “A colonial Establishment = ‘legalized lawlessness’ (Elkins): Repressive when challenged; well-practiced cover-ups; never held accountable for its actions/mistakes. Expect Hearts…May 22, 12:23
    • Alf Baird on The Queer Parliament: ““The *no way out* claim is defeatist bullshit” Indeed, and it is clearly not only “the colonizer (who) maintains that…May 22, 12:03
    • Williams on Only An Excuse: “Absolute disgrace and travesty, etc. Both Celtic & Hearts need to be relegated immediately (especially Hearts – for something they’re…May 22, 12:01
    • Geri on The Queer Parliament: “Okeydoke, my mistake. There used to be poster called Lorna. I assumed you were the same one. My bad..May 22, 11:56
    • Lorncal on The Queer Parliament: “James Che: your insults are just silly and I won’t rise to them. Just because Westminster says or does something…May 22, 11:54
    • Northcode on The Queer Parliament: “I repeat (and in bold, anaw)… independence first, then everything else! We Scots who seek our liberation from oppression should…May 22, 11:49
    • Lorncal on The Queer Parliament: “I use Lorncal, Geri, as you use Geri. Shall I call you something else? I suggest that you and others…May 22, 11:39
    • Northcode on The Queer Parliament: ““If Scotland’s malady has been mis-diagnosed, and we’re not suffering from colonisation, does that mean you’re prescribing the wrong remedy?…May 22, 11:14
    • Geri on The Queer Parliament: “Shiteface, Can’t. It’s running out remember? The pishy UK cannot refine it & it lacks the infrastructure to do so.…May 22, 11:00
    • Jamie on The Land Of No Laws: “Considering Scotland only managed to remain independent due to international alliances most prominently with France in the auld alliance, I…May 22, 10:58
    • Geri on The Queer Parliament: “So the Scottish parliament never signed off on the union if it closed shop? It also wasn’t within their remit…May 22, 10:27
    • Geri on The Queer Parliament: “They were on the phone begging them for aviation fuel too. R told them to GTF. Imagine having the audacity…May 22, 09:56
    • James Che on The Queer Parliament: “Lornicl, The political parliamentary treaty of union between Scotland and England does not exist when both Countries cancelled and ceased…May 22, 09:45
    • James Che on The Queer Parliament: “history lessons and exam results must have all held C’s and D’s.and fails for Lornical. But due to saying they…May 22, 09:25
    • David on Only An Excuse: “I think we can agree there was at least a minute to go. It is unlikely Hearts would have scored…May 22, 09:20
  • A tall tale



↑ Top