As Twitter followers will have noticed, we’ve been busy this week with an extensive remodelling of Wings HQ, which involved the main computer being out of commission for several days while the office was basically torn down and rebuilt from scratch. (It seemed a good time to do it, given that there’s nothing remotely of interest happening in Scottish politics.)
Unfortunately the lack of activity on the site caused the comments on the last post to degenerate into the most wretched playground shrieking match, so let’s see if we can’t distract the children and talk about something else for a bit.
Particularly alert observers will have noted that Kezia Dugdale, the most spectacularly inept and unsuccessful Scottish political leader in history, this week demitted her role as Director of the John Smith Centre, which she was handed as an incentive to quit Scottish Labour after dragging it to 14% in the opinion polls.
We long ago ran out of words to express the magnitude of the contempt in which the SNP now hold the people of Scotland. Which is unfortunate, because this probably calls for the invention of a whole new scale.
Shall we go through just a few of the more crassly insulting holes in this pitiful excuse for a cover story, just to pass the time while we wait for the former First Minister to appear before the COVID inquiry? We don’t know about you, but we’ve got nothing better to do.
Nicola Sturgeon is due to give her evidence to the COVID inquiry tomorrow – if, of course, she remembers anything. We’re awaiting, open-mouthed in genuine shock, her explanation for this.
Because try as hard as we might, we cannot for the lives of us bring to mind a single possible legitimate justification for a First Minister to do such a thing.
Alert readers may however note that 19 March 2020 was just four days before Alex Salmond was cleared of all charges, and might find themselves pondering the reasons why she might want to be in possession of a cheap disposable text-capable phone at that particular point in time.
There are many people in the world deserving of sympathy at the moment, readers, but spare a thought in your busy day for Scotland’s Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain.
Just two and a half years into the post (most incumbents post-devolution have served around five), she’s already had to deal with a lot of what sports people call “hospital passes”. But she’s about to find herself in another nasty spot not of her own making.
On Tuesday 16th January the UK parliament put beyond doubt that their claims down the centuries that the UK is a respectful union of equals is, and always was, a lie.
This was the second time I’d brought my Scotland (Self-Determination) Bill before the house and there are various opinions floating around about the reasons for, and implications of, introducing the legislation as drafted. Wings kindly suggested I set out my reasons for bringing it forward for a second time, and why I consider Tuesday’s defeat in the chamber as a Pyrrhic victory for the union.
We make no apology for returning once again to the depressing subject of the Scottish Government’s proposed new law to ban “conversion practices”, because it provides such an illuminating microcosm of how far a once competent and widely-respected administration has fallen since 2015.
Emma Roddick, who is piloting the bill towards the statute books in much the same way that Mohamed Atta piloted American Airlines Flight 11 towards the World Trade Centre, is a 26-year-old who by her own admission suffers from a serious and debilitating mental illness that any sane country would regard as an insurmountable bar to political office.
James on The Shortest Day: “LOL. Well done youse two! The half-wit and the inmate [but which is which!?]. HI-LARIOUS! Keep em coming, please! Comedy…” Aug 30, 19:55
Alf Baird on The Shortest Day: “What do you folks think independence is, if not decolonization? Because decolonization is what the UN says it is: “Since…” Aug 30, 19:55
gm on The Shortest Day: “An effete, social climbing turncoat. They are so narcissistic these characters, so comfortable in their elitist bubble they can’t see…” Aug 30, 19:53
DaveL on The Shortest Day: “How about settling down and stop your moaning and creeping?” Aug 30, 19:22
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: ““He will share … the secret to success” He’ll reveal how much he has in his pension fund. And you…” Aug 30, 19:19
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: “What’s that you say, Sooty? Why does Auld Lochnagar want to airbrush the Norman Conquest out of history? I guess…” Aug 30, 19:12
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: “Commentators already saying that the thought of being forced to share their wealth as the first net contributor to the…” Aug 30, 19:07
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: ““With stronger coordination, dedicated support and sustained ambition, the potential exists” Wow! After decades of Independence and quite a long…” Aug 30, 19:01
Spartan 117 on The Shortest Day: “Quite pleasing to see a small independent nation reject the EU’s advances. Democratically, as well, rather than bring railroaded by…” Aug 30, 18:57
Hatey McHateface on Spot The Problem: “Prick AND bawbag, Dan. Yet you still expect to be taken seriously? OK, I’ll do it. What kind of soup…” Aug 30, 18:55
Dan on The Shortest Day: “@ AIdan The residents of my village are for the most part appreciative of my efforts to interact and educate…” Aug 30, 18:21
DaveL on The Shortest Day: “Away back to your whinging and moaning about posts you don’t like but can do nothing about. Beg Stu to…” Aug 30, 18:21
Dan on Spot The Problem: “Just noticed the site bawbag and keen typist swerved addressing the main points of my post, and instead tried to…” Aug 30, 17:55
Aidan on The Shortest Day: “Okay – it was first published in Jan and then republished in another journal in May. Either way, it came…” Aug 30, 17:50
sam on The Shortest Day: “Chas seems to be one of those proud Scots who think that Scotland never could manage its own affairs. He…” Aug 30, 17:41
Saffron Robe on The Shortest Day: “Good comment, Sam — thoughtful and forward-looking. An independent Scotland would be a nation reborn and, more importantly, revitalised.” Aug 30, 17:40
Saffron Robe on The Shortest Day: “They may be long dead, but that doesn’t alter the fact that our ancestors never voted for the Union. Our…” Aug 30, 17:34
Mark Beggan on The Shortest Day: “On a lighter note. Has anyone else seen Useless’s new attempt to reinvent himself as a Leader advisor! whatever the…” Aug 30, 17:17
Chas on The Shortest Day: “Strange response Dave. Does the ‘L’ represent loony?” Aug 30, 17:13
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: “Iceland says “No”. I guess it’s too much to hope that we might get a few Icelandic regulars posting on…” Aug 30, 17:03
Mark Beggan on The Shortest Day: “Why don’t you ask the people of Ulster about that one. I’m sure they will be very interested in what…” Aug 30, 17:02
Young Lochinvar on The Shortest Day: “HMcH The supplanting of the name Scotland in lieu of Alba (basically the landmass north of the Forth – Clyde…” Aug 30, 16:51
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: “Good post, Northy. Lacking only references to and quotes from the post colonial boys (Fanon, Memmi, Cesaire, etc.) to make…” Aug 30, 16:47
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: “I’m sure something happened in 1066 that made the “English” of 1018 a different people/race/tribe/dynasty from the “English” of 1067…” Aug 30, 16:39
Young Lochinvar on The Shortest Day: “MB “He (Cnut) became King” Should read “He became King of England”. As for never being beaten, dying at 40…” Aug 30, 16:36
TURABDIN on The Shortest Day: “everywhere fools, useless idiots and referendum freaks. Scottish democracy is a grotesque inarticulate Frankenstein monster best not viewed in daylight.…” Aug 30, 16:10
Mark Beggan on The Shortest Day: “@ young Lochinvar It is artistic licence. Loosely based on history. Uhtred spanned four kings and fought in about eighty…” Aug 30, 15:58
Young Lochinvar on The Shortest Day: “MB Errr, that’s a no. No matter how much you wish it so..” Aug 30, 15:31
