So, in accordance with the wishes of the readership (and despite rather peculiar claims on some sites that all polls in Scotland are now commissioned by Unionists), Wings has its first polling data for you in its present form, relayed without comment.
In association with Panelbase, this month we surveyed 2000 Scottish voters (double the normal sample size) on a couple of subjects. The first question was this:
“Barring unforeseen events, next year Nicola Sturgeon will overtake Alex Salmond as Scotland’s longest-serving First Minister. She took office in November 2014, in a Scotland which was evenly split on the constitution. (Average support for independence in polling was at 50%, compared to the current 48%.)
Which of the following, if any, do you personally regard as her greatest achievement in office?”
Right, as promised, one last piece of admin. (This post will be removed in due time.)
We left yesterday’s piece and the associated poll up for two full days to make sure the people who don’t read Wings at weekends saw it and had the chance to vote in it too. But in truth it was pretty obvious how the vote would go from about 20 minutes in.
When the Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts died last month, the first of their songs that popped into my head, for no particular reason, was “Under My Thumb”, a mildly controversial 1966 album track the band never released as a single in the West.
Its most infamous place in history, though, is this.
Until Watts’ death I was only very broadly aware of the events at Altamont Speedway in 1969, a free festival at a racetrack near San Francisco at which four people died in scenes of malevolent chaos and which is widely regarded as the grim headstone of the hippy era.
But on seeing the extraordinary footage above for the first time on the day of Watts’ death – taken from “Gimme Shelter”, notionally the official movie of the show, although the first two-thirds of it are actually a mundane travelogue of the preceding tour dates – I did some proper reading up on it.
And as I did, a horribly familiar feeling started to unfold.
For many years now, whenever I’ve done one of those “Which Political Party Should You Be In?” online quiz things, it always says that I’m a Green, which is weird because I really hate cyclists. Nevertheless, it was still the result when I did one most recently, just last month.
So I decided that for the first time in my life it was finally time to join a political party.
Her Majesty’s Prisoner No. 157095, or Craig Murray as we still prefer to call him, is a fascinating piece of living evidence of the Kafkaesque country Scotland has become under the despotic rule of Nicola Sturgeon.
Craig has a number of serious medical conditions, one of which causes him frequent dizziness and fainting spells. To gauge their severity (because obviously it’s hard for Craig to judge, given that he’s dizzy and/or fainting at the time), his doctor gave him a device called a pulse oximeter. Depending on the readings from it after an attack, Craig’s life could be in danger and an ambulance should be called.
But because presumably even the Scottish prison authorities realise that it would look quite bad if a political prisoner like Craig died in jail, they did offer him an alternative.
Hatey McHateface on The Modern Politician: “@Andy You left Tibet off that list, not to mention around 20 colonies the Orcs have their claws into, plus…” Feb 15, 15:57
Insider on The Modern Politician: “Colin Alexander says: “That’s King Charles, King of England and head of the UK state. Also, his heirs continue to…” Feb 15, 15:53
Hatey McHateface on The Modern Politician: “You think, SR? 319 years of “history stuff” can be unwritten by proving that something underhand went down in 1707?…” Feb 15, 15:42
Lorna Campbell on The Modern Politician: “Dan: I said it was dire because it was. I do not fgotget that it was many people’s living. Of…” Feb 15, 15:31
Colin Alexander on The Modern Politician: “James Cheyne “All political parties in Scotland are registered in England.” Is it only me that sees a problem with…” Feb 15, 15:27
Andy Ellis on The Modern Politician: “The right of any people to self determination is guaranteed by the UN. There is however no general agreement of…” Feb 15, 15:23
Saffron Robe on The Modern Politician: “Excellent comment, James. I really appreciate your insights. All power to your elbow! Don’t let the naysayers discourage you, it…” Feb 15, 14:27
TURABDIN on The Modern Politician: “@Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh THANKS for the most engaging link to the Poncarová article on Erskine. The lady is a Czech, i…” Feb 15, 14:02
Young Lochinvar on The Modern Politician: “Yup, Big Theo has gone, in a huff no doubt. Watch out private health providers, troublemaking pervert circling in the…” Feb 15, 13:54
TURABDIN on The Modern Politician: “AT THE MOMENT it is all down to the algorithm «training». At the moment that is certainly far from being…” Feb 15, 13:47
Northcode on The Modern Politician: “I say, old chap, Mogger’s unnatural and deeply condescending accent is straight out of the empire’s metropolitan centre, don’t ya…” Feb 15, 13:25
Xaracen on The Modern Politician: “@Andy Ellis; The way you stated “Scotland becomes de facto an independent state the moment a majority of votes is…” Feb 15, 13:20
Young Lochinvar on The Modern Politician: “Confused A great many national anthems are shitty and dirges, heck God save the King is defo top ten chart…” Feb 15, 12:59
Hatey McHateface on The Modern Politician: “BBC reporting that Upton has walked from NHS Fife. Perhaps a case of New Year – New Grifts.” Feb 15, 12:56
Andy Ellis on The Modern Politician: “@Xaracen & @Aiden There is no cast iron guarantee that the either the British nationalist state OR the international community…” Feb 15, 12:45
Hatey McHateface on The Modern Politician: “I think it’s the Covid Spreaders who like to say that a journey of one thousand miles starts with the…” Feb 15, 12:37
Cynicus on The Modern Politician: “Thanks TURABDIN for the excellent FT link on US Strategy for AI. “Its pillars focus on supercharging domestic AI development…” Feb 15, 12:23
Alf Baird on The Modern Politician: ““Englands Great Britain hoax” Aye, an Imperial hoax drawing in the ‘crazed’ colonized. According to the great Rees-Mogg himsel, where…” Feb 15, 12:08
Northcode on The Modern Politician: “Guid day tae aw ma fallae scribbledouners here in this place this fine Sunday day, aye. May Christ oor saviour…” Feb 15, 11:58
TURABDIN on The Modern Politician: “I DOUBT FEW WOULD NOW ARGUE against the case for calling the US politician Donald Trump a species of «fascist»and…” Feb 15, 11:18
James Cheyne on The Modern Politician: “All political parties in Scotland are registered in England,” Feb 15, 11:10
James Cheyne on The Modern Politician: “Colin Alexander, Both the SNP and the Greens party in Scotland are registered parties in England.” Feb 15, 11:08
James Cheyne on The Modern Politician: “All these problems in and for Scotland.while Colonised. And Scots sleep away the weeks, months and years in a daydream…” Feb 15, 11:05
Aidan on The Modern Politician: “@Xaracen – I don’t think the plebiscite election route is guaranteed to succeed by any stretch of the imagination. It…” Feb 15, 10:00
Xaracen on The Modern Politician: ““Scotland becomes de facto an independent state the moment a majority of votes is achieved.” And has any leader of…” Feb 15, 09:45
Hatey McHateface on The Modern Politician: “Not from me, YL. I will always support the right of every Scot to imagine whatever vividly phantasmagorical hallucinations his…” Feb 15, 09:12
Hatey McHateface on The Modern Politician: “@Aidan Any pits that do re-open, most of the dirty, dangerous work will be done by ROVs and robots. It’s…” Feb 15, 08:55
Aidan on The Modern Politician: “Dan’s back and he’s fucking complaining, to nobodies surprise. Of course Lorna is right, coal mining was both dangerous and…” Feb 15, 07:55
Sven on The Modern Politician: “Willie @ 05.07. Gosh Willie, if it left Turkey around the 19th January and is now scheduled to arrive Corunna…” Feb 15, 07:12
