Tonight somebody’s sent us a copy of the SNP’s official Social Media Policy, which is exactly the sort of awful corporate wonk-drivel you’d probably expect it to be.
Our favourite part was this masterpiece of unrememberable gibberish in the vein of the Scottish Government’s hopeless “FACTS” slogan (honestly, without going and looking can you remember what ANY of the letters represent?) for the coronavirus :
And here’s a tweet from earlier today from a prospective SNP candidate:
We’re not sure which of the letters that conforms to.
Alert readers will have noticed by now that while we were at the dentist getting rid of all our excess money, the Fabiani inquiry has published Alex Salmond’s written evidence submission, ahead of his in-person appearance currently scheduled for next week.
We’re feeling a bit confused this morning, readers. Maybe someone can help.
Below is the key part of the letter sent by the Clerks of the Scottish Parliament, acting on behalf of the Fabiani committee, to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) a week and a half ago, requesting material for their investigation into the Scottish Government’s botched handling of false allegations against Alex Salmond.
As we’d told you at the time, the request was a sham, designed to produce nothing of any value, because it carefully excluded the only person whose communications with Sue Ruddick were actually of relevance – SNP chief executive Peter Murrell.
(Murrell being an employee of the party, NOT a member of the Scottish Government, a civil servant or a special adviser.)
Readers, we swear to you we are not making this up. What you’re about to read are genuine extracts from the SNP’s official new (probably illegal) Equalities Mechanism explanatory note, detailing what does and doesn’t count as a disability when it comes to jumping the queue for a regional list nomination.
And straight away it’s a real punch in the gut for firestarters, muggers, rapists, flashers and, in most cases, hay-fever sufferers. THIS BIGOTRY WILL NOT STAND.
Having never been part of a political party, an area where Wings lacks expertise is in understanding the nuts and bolts of their operation, and how a party’s rules can be used to usurp their members’ power. We’re delighted to have someone equipped to provide a valuable insight into how that’s happened to the SNP in the last two years.
The following line is still a definitive statement in the SNP constitution:
“National Conference is the supreme governing and policy-making body of the Party.”
But in practice it is no longer the case. The 2018 redraft of the constitution centralised power in the Leader and in the NEC. The party Leader has sole and total power over policy – both in the manifesto and in government – and the NEC has sole power over who represents the party and what they are allowed to say.
So in effect, since 2018 the party elite – not the membership – has ruled the SNP.
Something most people don’t know about the infamous Spanish Inquisition is that it was never the Catholic Church that actually executed heretics. Particularly if a prisoner had refused to confess their vile heresy even under torture, the Church instead handed them over to the “mercy” of the state to deliver their end.
So SNP MP Kirsty Blackman (or as we understand some are already calling her, “the Tiny Torquemada“) would have fitted right in with it.
Or more likely, they just wanted to try to bury all of their skeletons at once in a single giant avalanche of crookedness. But either way, enough is enough. Criminals accused of perjury don’t get to decide if they’ll answer for their lies or not.
The Fabiani committee has the power to compel witnesses to attend. They must now use that power without further delay, or they must call on the police to arrest the SNP’s chief executive immediately and drag him into an interview room by his ears if need be with a solicitor in attendance. (Doubtless also paid for by SNP members.)
Scotland is not GoodFellas. Nobody is above the law. Stop this damn rot now.
The reaction to it was absolutely explosive. Half of the Parliamentary SNP spent the whole night running around social media frantically firefighting their own members, who were absolutely furious about what they’d just discovered. Poisonous abuse from the party’s woke faction poured out like never before. We got called every kind of bigot under the sun by SNP officeholders.
(The article, of course, made no mention of any sort of bisexual people, Jewish people, trans people or women as a group, let alone actually being prejudiced against anyone. Ironically just about the only kind of prejudice that wasn’t alleged was ageism, possibly because it might have looked a smidge too ironic coming from a bunch of bedwetting children whose core ideological stance is that anyone over 29 is a Nazi.)
But there was one thing you DIDN’T read amid the torrents of hate.
You didn’t read anyone saying a single word of the post was untrue.
We don’t yet know what happened regarding the supposed definition of transphobia – our source thinks that it may have been postponed due to not being able to get the required 2/3 vote for an emergency agenda item.
But we know that something even madder DID happen.
Ian McCubbin on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “I am sith those who say vote Alliance to Liberate Scotland. Like the English party manifestos I think the English…” Apr 21, 11:45
Geri on The Pit Of Vipers: “Typical Yoon. Always with the lies & drama. Truth is never a strong point. I’ve never been banned or silenced…” Apr 21, 11:42
Geri on The Pit Of Vipers: “Surprise, surprise that the new greater map includes all the oil & gas all over the region. The USA, who…” Apr 21, 11:35
Captain Caveman on The Pit Of Vipers: ““Years of working” 😀 😀 😀 Like AS IF pal.” Apr 21, 11:31
Captain Caveman on The Pit Of Vipers: “Well, if it’s any business of yours, “Geri”, I’m here for the interesting (and at times highly revelatory) blog pieces…” Apr 21, 11:27
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Pit Of Vipers: “Some sort of historical version of “devolution”? — « At times of war, the enemy city could be conquered and destroyed…” Apr 21, 11:01
Alf Baird on The Pit Of Vipers: “It always comes back to English ‘liberal imperialism’, where Churchill’s infamous Auxilliaries and Black & Tans who honed their ‘legalized…” Apr 21, 10:30
Geri on The Pit Of Vipers: “Begs the question of why yer still here eh? Only a complete loon hangs about a forum when they don’t…” Apr 21, 09:41
TURABDIN on The Pit Of Vipers: “NEVER offer a propaganda opportunity. https://archive.is/Cb73q” Apr 21, 09:13
Captain Caveman on The Pit Of Vipers: “It’s “take the piss out OF”, Rambo. Mind you, posting at a “mere” 10:30pm and reasonably succinct…? It’s almost “normal”…” Apr 21, 06:54
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Pit Of Vipers: “Young Lochinvar @ 20 April 9.41 pm: “Bottom line, a multiplicity of different languages are a barrier”. ——————— National borders…” Apr 20, 23:57
Geri on The Pit Of Vipers: “Defender of the faith LOL! A divorced adulterer… Possibly even murder in there too, definitely stealing & coveting too. They…” Apr 20, 23:54
Young Lochinvar on The Pit Of Vipers: “A murrain on their parties, their houses, their incomes and their legacies.. They persecute an innocent and think it justice!…” Apr 20, 23:37
Geri on The Pit Of Vipers: “Aye, he’s king. Only by consent of the Scottish people. He could possibly remain Head of State in an Independent…” Apr 20, 23:36
Young Lochinvar on The Pit Of Vipers: “Did they seriously say “defender of the faith”? That’s a church of England thing. Sums up how we got into…” Apr 20, 23:21
Angus on The Pit Of Vipers: “Colin Alexander, do you think the Scottish independence referendum was a good thing or a bad thing? Do you have…” Apr 20, 23:03
Angus on The Pit Of Vipers: “Is there any possibility at all of ever bringing the conspirators to justice? Can no one in the whole world…” Apr 20, 22:58
Angus on The Pit Of Vipers: “Alex Salmond, the greatest leader in Scottish history. Succeeded by the biggest betrayer in Scottish history, who turned Scotland into…” Apr 20, 22:43
Young Lochinvar on The Pit Of Vipers: “Jay Don’t hold yer breath; all three spoilers will no doubt be back.. As; GP cogently noted a while back…” Apr 20, 22:30
Jay on The Pit Of Vipers: “Beggan: waste of space, and for whom (by name of candidate(s) will you vote? Is Beggan a starmer? Seems no…” Apr 20, 21:55
Young Lochinvar on The Pit Of Vipers: “Von Trumphausen is still posturing about us and the Straits of Hormuz.. Remember Suez (same problem just the other end…” Apr 20, 21:51
Young Lochinvar on The Pit Of Vipers: “Fearghas Interesting hypothesis Fearghas but ultimately one I don’t hold with. If people spoke the same tongue we could relate,…” Apr 20, 21:41
Colin Alexander on The Pit Of Vipers: “Wiliam Wallace when accused of treason against the King of England, Edward I: “I cannot be a tray-tor, since I…” Apr 20, 19:14
Geri on The Pit Of Vipers: “Cynicus.. Mark Sedwell was. See the linked article above. Sturgeon & Mark Sedwell “decided that she should extend her stay”” Apr 20, 19:05
Young Lochinvar on The Pit Of Vipers: “Beggars old boy! What have I said that’s anti Semitic ya gas-lighter ye? If you can’t take what’s written in…” Apr 20, 15:58
Young Lochinvar on The Pit Of Vipers: “Aye Why didn’t Dorian Grey jail HER for that bit of blatant contempt of court eh? Sorry, my bad, forgot,…” Apr 20, 15:49
Mark Beggan on The Pit Of Vipers: “Billy Liar pants on fire.” Apr 20, 15:41
agent on The Pit Of Vipers: “During a COVID-19 media briefing, while referring to the complaints against Alex Salmond, Sturgeon stated: “The behaviour complained of was…” Apr 20, 15:31
Mark Beggan on The Pit Of Vipers: “Although it’s torture to listen to Starmer. I just need to hear him talk his way out of this. Then…” Apr 20, 15:23
Mark Beggan on The Pit Of Vipers: “Sturgeon is a wanker.” Apr 20, 15:19