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Wings Over Scotland


Two separate facts 114

Posted on April 05, 2023 by

Presented without comment.


And a bonus one, from two years and one day ago:

At the edge of the deep blue sea 76

Posted on April 04, 2023 by

So a week and a bit after the deadline, this arrived.

And it’s not quite what you were told before.

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Inside The Cult 161

Posted on April 03, 2023 by

In June of last year, I started work at Transport Scotland. It wasn’t the best job I’ve ever had. It was pretty much an entry-level post and it was only a temp gig through an agency, but after spending almost six years out of the workforce following a bout with cancer, two frozen shoulders, and chronic knee and hip pain, it was a huge relief just to be earning my keep again.

Of course, June is Pride Month, and Saltire (the Scottish Government’s intranet) was full of news and blogs about “LGBTI+” issues.

Also on the Saltire front page was a prominent invitation to two training sessions to understand the issues facing these groups: “LGBT+ Awareness 101” and “Trans 101”.

These were both run by the LGBTI+ Network, one of several “affinity networks” for civil servants belonging to different groups. With the GRR Bill on the horizon, and having heard stories about how difficult it had been for gender critical groups to get a hearing from the Government in relation to it, I was very curious to hear what this training involved, and I signed up to attend via Teams.

The first session was “LGBT+ Awareness 101”. This session was fairly inoffensive. The content regarding gay people was about what you would expect, and the T+ stuff was clearly biased, but not terrible.

However, the tone of the event suggested quite strongly that you weren’t meant to disagree with anything that was said. Towards the end, when questions were invited, I typed my question into the chat:

“How does the Scottish Government handle conflicts between TERFs and trans people?”

And there my troubles began.

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Whatever else may change 161

Posted on April 01, 2023 by

Scottish politics might be a binfire floating down an overflowing sewer, but it’s nice to know there are at least a few things that are reliable constants, and one of them is that George Foulkes is an idiot.

But while his tweet is wrong, it’s not VERY wrong.

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As you were 103

Posted on April 01, 2023 by

Minority Report 131

Posted on March 31, 2023 by

It’s not often we have to correct the figures of an esteemed KC like Joanna Cherry, but she’s made a straight-up mistake in her column for The National today.

Because of course Ash Regan and Kate Forbes did rather better than that.

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Before the storm 394

Posted on March 29, 2023 by

To be honest, Humza Yousaf’s new Cabinet satirises itself – everyone’s picking on the absurdity of noted idiot Shona Robison becoming Finance Secretary but the funniest is surely omnifailure Shirley-Anne Somerville as Trans Rights – sorry, “Social Justice” Secretary – so rather than waste our breath on it today we’re going to catch up on some results from our latest Panelbase poll that we haven’t managed to squeeze in amid the mayhem of the last couple of weeks.

They tell us some interesting things about the Scotland the new FM now leads.

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Better living through higher prices 331

Posted on March 28, 2023 by

Well, we’re off to a flying start.

This is certainly what the public want. So let’s see his plans.

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The beginning of the end 361

Posted on March 27, 2023 by

The beam on Kate Forbes’ face was quite something.

She’d clearly been exhausted by the contest some time ago, and must have been dreading winning and having to continue fighting the assault from within her own party. Her evident delight and relief at her own failure was a revealing moment.

The great unknown in this election was just who the SNP membership was. No poll could tell us, and with over 50,000 people having quit the party in the last three years, nobody knew who was left. But we know now: idiots.

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The Hollow Crown 197

Posted on March 27, 2023 by

Today is the last day of Nicola Sturgeon’s record-breaking reign as First Minister of Scotland. In a few hours we’ll know who is to succeed her in the role. She was only the second SNP occupant of Bute House, and the legacy she bequeaths compared to the one she inherited from Alex Salmond is a matter of measureable record.

So let’s see the final scores on the doors.

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The Smell Of It 113

Posted on March 26, 2023 by

This is the second time Wings Over Scotland has asked Police Scotland a question through the proper official channels, only to read the response in the tabloid press before we’d heard it firsthand (which we still haven’t, incidentally, several days after the 28-day deadline expired).

But the sidebar piece in today’s Sunday Mail raises more questions than it answers.

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Empty Space 204

Posted on March 25, 2023 by

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    • robertkknight on The ginger stepchild: “Frankly my dear, not a shit will be given either way. The SNP are charlatans in tartan suits selling snake…Dec 11, 22:19
    • BLMac on Strike One: “This sort of judgement is reminiscent of what happened in Queensland a few decades ago. As it turned out the…Dec 11, 22:13
    • Tommo on Strike One: “This is truly an amazing piece of forensic dissection (by the Editor and a few others) of a piece of…Dec 11, 22:05
    • willie on The ginger stepchild: “Sixth on the list is crime. But what is crime and what is the perception of what crime actually is.…Dec 11, 22:04
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    • Andy Wiltshire on Strike One: “Quite right – it used to be English hats off to the Scottish legal and educational systems. No more.Dec 11, 21:54
    • Andy Wiltshire on Strike One: “Don’t let them buy you off though, Rev.Dec 11, 21:52
    • Bilbo on The ginger stepchild: “Hardly surprising that the SNP voters are not interested in independence because the support the SNP for a wide variety…Dec 11, 21:51
    • Ex President Xiden on Strike One: “Jackasses are going to jackass.Dec 11, 21:43
    • Iain More on The ginger stepchild: “SNP are just another Yoon Party now.Dec 11, 21:12
    • Geoff Anderson on Strike One: “£400k spent on the KC by NHS Fife. https://x.com/_RebeccaMcCurdy/status/1999055522188943455?s=20Dec 11, 21:07
    • Alf Baird on The ginger stepchild: “The only in-credible thing here is the vast GDP-per-capita gap between a much poorer yet resource-rich Scotland and near neighbour…Dec 11, 20:48
    • Geoff Anderson on Strike One: “https://x.com/newsandpics/status/1999194291365683484?s=20Dec 11, 20:21
    • robertkknight on The ginger stepchild: “The SNP is NOT the party of Independence any more… Any member who cared about Indy is long gone, leaving…Dec 11, 19:52
    • Geoff Anderson on Strike One: “Now we know why…… https://x.com/iwontwheesht/status/1999180012893929938?s=20Dec 11, 19:41
    • Northcode on The ginger stepchild: “The problem, TH, is that if Liberate Scotland gets TOO much attention and – God forbid- gets the mass backing…Dec 11, 19:39
    • Mark Beggan on Strike One: “Let’s play Judges and Lawyers. Unsuitable for under fives.Dec 11, 19:28
    • Mark Beggan on The ginger stepchild: “We’ll cut aff oor noses to spite those English bastards faces. That’s them telt. Bastards. Soar Giro!Dec 11, 19:27
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    • Lewis Moonie on Strike One: “Anyone ever seen a trans woman who didn’t stick out like a sore thumb? Me neitherDec 11, 18:58
    • Hatey McHateface on The ginger stepchild: “Perhaps the pollsters were unaware women are allowed to vote. Perhaps when the pollsters asked people, the men refused to…Dec 11, 18:48
    • Geoff Anderson on Strike One: “I think this one needs a detailed explanation from the judge https://x.com/anyabike/status/1999121983481536635?s=20Dec 11, 18:45
    • Lorncal on Strike One: “It seems to me to be far too accurate in its misinterpretations and unsound quotes to be purely AI or…Dec 11, 18:41
    • Lorncal on Strike One: “I’d second that. Alex Massie has written a glowing reference to the Rev, too, acknowledging his forensic analyses.Dec 11, 18:25
    • Karen on The ginger stepchild: “I’m surprised that women (and children’s) rights come in at 3% or less.Dec 11, 18:25
    • Hatey McHateface on The ginger stepchild: “Cart before horse, Alf. First you have to get a solid majority of Scots to believe your number. Then you…Dec 11, 18:22
    • twathater on The ginger stepchild: “The rev talks about supporting yoonionist parties in an attempt to destroy or remove the stench of the Scum Nonce…Dec 11, 18:15
    • Northcode on Spoiler Alert: “I’m not allowed friends anymore. Not since… sorry, I’ve been told I can’t talk about it. All I can tell…Dec 11, 18:08
    • Dan on The ginger stepchild: “Aye Sarah, it is pretty obvious, so one has to question the motives of supposedly pro-indy politicians, activists, and bloggers…Dec 11, 17:54
    • Hatey McHateface on Spoiler Alert: “Wow, Northy! Right out with the worst insult you can come up with. You’re gonna love Sharia.Dec 11, 17:51
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