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.
There’s still a day and a half of January 2021 to go, but it’s already been the busiest month for traffic on Wings Over Scotland in several years, despite endless claims from detractors (both Unionists and Pete Wishart types) that we’re in tragic decline.
And since Saturday afternoons are the one quiet moment we get these days – and it’s not like we can go out for a nice walk in the sunshine or have a potter round the shops – we thought we’d take a deeper look into the stats.
Liza Laine on Not So Octopus: ““the same old faces” – same old faeces surely? As for the low profile of Claire Williams on social media,…” Apr 9, 14:17
Geri on The quality of mercy: “& what Western propaganda story teller told you they were dictators? Both are democracies. With elections. I think they may…” Apr 9, 14:14
duncanio on Not So Octopus: “A Parliament of the Never-Will-Bes awaits us on 8th May.” Apr 9, 14:04
Geri on The quality of mercy: “It’s all pantomime. He’s just a puppet to distract the plebs until the organ grinders rearm & think of their…” Apr 9, 14:00
Captain Caveman on The quality of mercy: “Reform could conceivably combine forces with the Tories (the only other right wing party) but none of the others -…” Apr 9, 13:27
Cynicus on The quality of mercy: “My thanks, Fearghas, for bringing Robert Carver to our notice. Pace James MacMillan et al. , Robert Carver remains our…” Apr 9, 13:06
Sven on The quality of mercy: “Stevie @ 11.46. If only. Meantime, ” Both votes SNP”, the anthem echoes on from Mr Swiney and others.” Apr 9, 12:39
Stevie on The quality of mercy: “I’m moving slowly to the conclusion that the SNP will be in opposition as Labour, Libs, Greens and Reform band…” Apr 9, 11:46
auld highlander on The quality of mercy: “www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-7faZAW20k” Apr 9, 11:36
Northcode on The quality of mercy: “Trump is the bloated, unpleasant face of US neocolonialism… a face that often adopts expressions not unlike those of Winston…” Apr 9, 11:17
Aidan on The quality of mercy: “Oh so it’s complete deflection and distraction, got you. Anyway I thought you liked dictators?” Apr 9, 10:57
Cynicus on The quality of mercy: “When informed that the notoriously uncommunicative president, Calvin Coolidge had died, Dorothy Parker famously remarked, “How could they tell? Would…” Apr 9, 10:34
Geri on The quality of mercy: “Let me help you… I think the jist of it is that Tory thieving barstewards have taken campaigning donations from…” Apr 9, 10:01
diabloandco on The quality of mercy: “If any of you know how to link the song Scotland the Free , sung by Eden Power to this…” Apr 9, 08:08
Aidan on The quality of mercy: “You addressed the comment to me but I’ve no idea what it’s trying to say sorry.” Apr 9, 06:12
Mark Beggan on The quality of mercy: “If no-one else is going to say it then I will. Thankyou Police Scotland for protecting the Scottish people from…” Apr 9, 00:33
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The quality of mercy: “A lovely poignant 16th Century Scottish song — REMEMBER ME MY DEIR (Amarcord – Harmonia Mundi) https://gobha-uisge.blogspot.com/2021/05/remember-me-my-deir-scottish-16th.html” Apr 8, 21:09
Geri on The quality of mercy: ““Best to await the outcome of their performance before making assumptions.” Best to just have a referendum eh? Y’know, what…” Apr 8, 20:52
Geri on The quality of mercy: “Cave dweller “The usual disingenuous, ill informed drivel from you.” Google AI – dickhead. Why don’t you go get a…” Apr 8, 20:39
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The quality of mercy: “MUSICK FYNE: JAMES IV, ROBERT CARVER « Thirteen years into the sixteenth century, King James, the fourth Stewart of that…” Apr 8, 20:20
Northcode on The quality of mercy: ““…the people are finally beginning to understand their colonial ‘condition’.” Frantz Fanon said “Once a people realize they have been…” Apr 8, 20:10
James on The quality of mercy: “YL – Excellent stuff. Certainly the French assumed the Alliance was still in place, with English ships being charged port…” Apr 8, 19:53
Young Lochinvar on The quality of mercy: “%er I don’t actually think the National comic and BIS have really that much influence on the majority ie Joe…” Apr 8, 19:13
Young Lochinvar on The quality of mercy: “C Meant to respond, aye, the auld alliance had its ups and downs but it was big French aid to…” Apr 8, 18:48
100%Yes on The quality of mercy: “We have recent polls suggesting that the SNP is going to get a outright majority or the SNP is going…” Apr 8, 18:44
Bilbo on The quality of mercy: “Cynicus says: 8 April, 2026 at 10:43 am TACO Trump is employing Madman theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madman_theory The problem is how does…” Apr 8, 18:29
agentx on The quality of mercy: “Alf Baird says:”Hence the Alliance to Liberate Scotland Party standing at this election means the people are finally beginning to…” Apr 8, 17:43
Mark Beggan on The quality of mercy: “The very same system that allows the worst in our society to sneak in and spread their poison. Progressives are…” Apr 8, 17:21
Young Lochinvar on The quality of mercy: “C Amen to that! However even though they found Dick da Turds corpse in a Leicester municipal car park, they…” Apr 8, 17:17