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Wings Over Scotland


Progress to nowhere 160

Posted on April 14, 2023 by

Alert readers may be familiar with the market research and polling company Progress Scotland. Readers of The National certainly will be, as the semi-newspaper has run over 120 stories about it, most of them around the company’s creation in early 2019.

The company was formed by Angus Robertson, at the time an unemployed former SNP MP after he lost his Moray seat in the 2017 election, and its stated goal was to persuade those not yet fully decided.

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When you’re already gone 308

Posted on April 12, 2023 by

So it turned out there was very little new information in this story.

But the tiny bit there was raises an extremely disproportionate number of issues.

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Also Humza Yousaf 89

Posted on April 12, 2023 by

7 April 2023: “Your priorities will be my priorities.”

1 April 2023: “Here are our priorities.”

Now for the surprise!

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Standing on quicksand 143

Posted on April 11, 2023 by

So let’s just recap where we are with this.

Because it really doesn’t look very good.

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From the mouths of idiots 113

Posted on April 11, 2023 by

Readers with any modest working knowledge of Scottish politics in recent years would naturally assume at first sight that the illiterate, corrupt, self-serving, gravy-hoovering drama student with whom the SNP hilariously replaced experienced KC Joanna Cherry as shadow justice secretary simply couldn’t spell “final straight”, a term meaning the easy last stretch of a horse race where there are no jumps or turns.

(We are, after all, talking here about someone who can’t spell her own name.)

But they might be wrong.

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The Party’s Over 399

Posted on April 09, 2023 by

On a day like today, all an honest person can really do with the Scottish National Party is make like Pontius Pilate and wash their hands of it.

Because there ain’t no resurrection from this.

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That Sinking Feeling 217

Posted on April 08, 2023 by

Stranger Things 364

Posted on April 05, 2023 by

Well, what an odd day that’s been.

Because for a start, if you’re the one person in Scotland who believes the above, please drop us a line. We’d love to have a chat with you.

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Lipstick On Your Collar 338

Posted on April 05, 2023 by

Until a few weeks ago Calum Steele was the chief of the Scottish Police Federation, so as due-credits go we particularly appreciate this one.

So let’s remind ourselves of a few things.

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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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    • Alf Baird on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “““the rich”” i.e. normal developed sovereign countries (GDP per capita, 2025, US$: Statista): Ireland – $130,650 Switzerland – $115,620 Singapore…Jul 25, 14:08
    • sam on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Jim Cuthberts academic qualifications, his work experience in the Scottish office and elsewhere puts him head, shoulders, torso, pelvis, legs…Jul 25, 14:06
    • sam on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “This is what I said above in my reply to Factchecker. “His point is not that more powers have been…Jul 25, 13:38
    • Alf Baird on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““I never claimed to have my own work” So that’s a big ‘naw’ then, ye’ve nivver published hee-haw aboot onythin.…Jul 25, 13:24
    • Anthem on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Did you make that up all by yourself CC. That’s some pile of shite.Jul 25, 13:24
    • Captain Caveman on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Good points, eloquently raised. Well debated. 🙂 I’m walking the dog and have to do some shopping, but will come…Jul 25, 13:06
    • Captain Caveman on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““More bullshit about tax from the resident fuckbrains. – the rich don’t pay taxes. They never did.” Well, the forum…Jul 25, 12:40
    • Northcode on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “You’ve raised several points, but they rest on assumptions that don’t quite align with the structure of the discussion. “Ah,…Jul 25, 12:38
    • Confused on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “More bullshit about tax from the resident fuckbrains. – the rich don’t pay taxes. They never did. (And the french…Jul 25, 12:20
    • Captain Caveman on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “*yourJul 25, 11:58
    • Captain Caveman on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Ah, the old “where’s your own work” deflection. How weak. I never claimed to have my own work (self published…Jul 25, 11:39
    • Colin Alexander on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “x.com/SSalyers2/status/2079606783400980946 “We have concluded given other evidence that the party is captured at the highest levels so that the very,…Jul 25, 11:34
    • Alf Baird on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““or maybe cite your own work again” You seem to be one of the muckle mou’s on the great benefits…Jul 25, 11:18
    • Captain Caveman on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “”… which also explains why we have had zero economic growth for most of our lifetimes within the colonial straitjacket:”…Jul 25, 10:20
    • Captain Caveman on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “”Where are you getting this idea from that the U.K. and Scotland in particular is a low tax country? The…Jul 25, 10:12
    • MaryB on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Sarah, I can’t find it on Sara’s Twitter. Can you cut and paste?Jul 25, 10:09
    • Willie on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Sarah. It is becoming ever more apparent that the collapse of the SNP and the focus against independence was premeditated.…Jul 25, 10:00
    • Alf Baird on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““Scotland is a very highly taxed country” Its not only high taxes Scots endure due to colonial rule and plunder.…Jul 25, 09:43
    • Dan on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “I don’t have time or the inclination to be on twitter / x. It would be useful to know the…Jul 25, 09:04
    • Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “It’s called Levelling Doon, Aidan. sam won’t be happy until every Scot sitting idle and envious on his flabby erse…Jul 25, 09:01
    • Aidan on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Where are you getting this idea from that the U.K. and Scotland in particular is a low tax country? The…Jul 25, 07:02
    • Red on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “and as a nationalist here my problem Aa a nationalist, your problem is that the SNP hates you, and wants…Jul 25, 00:06
    • Red on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Let’s get rid of them. Hook, crook, or chased into the sea. I don’t care.Jul 24, 22:29
    • robertkknight on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Rip it up and start again. SNP is lost to the Woo-Woo brigade. They’re welcome to it!Jul 24, 22:26
    • sarah on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “O/T but very relevant to the overall theme of why the SNP hasn’t made any progress in restoring Scotland’s independence…Jul 24, 21:53
    • Alf Baird on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““Sometimes I wonder where Scotland would be if we weren’t “colonised” Probably aroond aboot £150 billion a year better aff,…Jul 24, 21:29
    • Hatey McHateface on The Wheels Of Industry: ““No one is talking about expunging people” Oh yes they are. Just about weekly. You ignore it, Northy, because you…Jul 24, 20:48
    • Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “All very well, sam, but what does Cuthbert know of Fanon, Cesaire, Memmi and the rest? That’s the yardstick by…Jul 24, 20:38
    • Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Cheers, James! Although your obsession with my tackle does raise a few red flags. But hey, a child could see…Jul 24, 20:29
    • Southernbystander on The Wheels Of Industry: “Just needs a ‘like’ really as I cannot disagree with much. Just one thing, ‘recover’ is a bit of a…Jul 24, 20:16
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