The list below is a much, much shorter one than we were expecting to run. In the end, just nine MSPs voted today against Johann Lamont’s amendment on forensic medical examinations, with one abstention. The amendment passed by a margin of 104 votes after SNP MSPs voted in favour, with only the Greens and Lib Dems opposed.
Every last one of them is a disgusting coward who doesn’t care about the feelings of rape victims and we’re ashamed to share a nationality with them.
We’ve had plenty to say already this week about the amendment that will be debated at Holyrood this afternoon. So instead we’re going to present you today with the case for each side, as made by two Scottish women on Twitter in the last few hours, and let you decide for yourselves whose argument is the more compelling.
First up, in favour of the amendment, is Scotsman writer Gina Davidson.
The media is focusing on Murrell’s continued evasion of the question of his WhatsApp usage (Murrell bizarrely states he has several messaging apps installed on his phone but uses none of them), but there’s a much more interesting revelation in the second of the letter’s two sections.
This is a direct, unambiguous and categorical statement from the First Minister that the investigation into the false allegations against Salmond was a Scottish Government matter that was absolutely nothing to do with the SNP.
This site and other gender-critical voices are regularly accused of being “obsessed” with trans issues, even though the subject has been mentioned in fewer than 0.7% of Wings posts. But this week the SNP’s transgender faction – when it hasn’t been STILL raging about its battering in the NEC elections – has been swamping social media with organised complaints about a tiny prospective legislative change that they themselves insist doesn’t actually matter at all.
Rape Crisis Scotland, who are almost entirely dependent on the Scottish Government for funding, have chosen this evening to wade into the debate over the wording of a new law which is intended to lessen the trauma of people (nearly all women) who’ve been raped. We can only speculate as to whether they were pressured to do so, but the intervention seems likely only to pour petrol on the fire.
In his evidence to a Holyrood inquiry today, having been asked about some troubling WhatsApp messages concerning the case from 2018 which appeared to suggest the possibility of a conspiracy against the former First Minister, Murrell told members of the committee “I’m not on WhatsApp, it’s not a social media platform I use”.
Alert readers will have noticed a very careful use of the present tense there.
We’ve now filed a formal complaint with the Scottish Information Commissioner about this, because what we’d forgotten last week was that our original request was actually sent in September and it’s now been almost 60 working days with no sign of a proper response, not the 20 it’s supposed to take.
Because for some reason the Scottish Government REALLY doesn’t want you to know what the First Minister and Geoff Aberdein talked about in March 2018, and we think that you probably should.
We don’t normally like to devote much time on Wings to things that have been more than adequately covered elsewhere in the media, which is why you haven’t read much here about eg the Internal Market Bill. Unlike some we don’t see much point spending our limited human resources telling people stuff they already know and agree with.
But we’re going to make an exception for this next thing, which was already covered pretty well by Susan Dalgety in last week’s Scotsman, because (a) a lot of our readers, quite reasonably, will have an instinctively adverse reaction to either anything printed in the Scotsman or anything written by Susan Dalgety, and (b) a number of people have asked us to amplify this issue because it’s so important and so awful.
As well as the SNP NEC elections, the weekend saw the election of the first committee of a new grassroots independence organisation which is unfortunately and hopefully temporarily going by the stupendously terrible working name of “Yes Alba”.
15 people were elected to its ruling body by the votes of hundreds of delegates, with the top-ranked picks including SNP MP Angus MacNeil and former SNP MP George Kerevan. The majority of the successful candidates (eight) were female, even though there were no quotas or women-only shortlists imposed, and a wide range of ages was represented from young activists to former UK ambassador Craig Murray.
(We have no idea about any of their sexualities or gender identities, and also no interest in knowing, because those things have not the slightest bearing on their ability to fight for independence and are frankly none of our damn business.)
But that wasn’t good enough for Team Woke.
On a day when Joanna Cherry had a grown-up, reasoned and constructive column in The National calling for unity in the pursuit of independence, the outpouring of snide, sour sneering from a faction still raging with bitterness about being routed on the SNP NEC is instead curdling Twitter even as we speak.
And embarrassingly, not a single one of them has actually bothered to check even the most basic facts.
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Yelling at the tide: “Thanks TURABDIN. Good SPECTATOR article by MARY WAKEFIELD. “And look at Professor Gordon: they’re right to be scared. It’s not…” Jan 23, 00:09
Dave G on Yelling at the tide: “@Alf Baird 5:05pm Have you considered seeking professional help?” Jan 22, 22:55
Alasdair Roy on Yelling at the tide: “These positions as President of the Employment Tribunal (Scotland) are dangerous, especially given the backgrounds of these women. They carry…” Jan 22, 21:52
Alf Baird on Yelling at the tide: ““Which is precisely why there is no few dozen Scots prepared to organise themselves for Indy.” Och aye thar is:…” Jan 22, 20:34
Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: “He also said a few pertinent things about the prognosis for small countries now that it’s finally becoming clear to…” Jan 22, 19:42
Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: “What I know, Alf, is that our inalienable right to self determination needs but a few dozen of us to…” Jan 22, 19:32
Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: “Aye, ah bet it’s an English cheese tae. Cheddar or Stilton. Haud oan though. Fit nationality were they Fanny and…” Jan 22, 19:23
sam on Yelling at the tide: “Link https://murrayblackburnmackenzie.org/2025/12/12/statement-on-the-closure-of-our-petition-pe1876-on-recording-sex-accurately-in-cases-of-rape/ “We would like to thank Tess White MSP, Carol Mochan MSP, Michelle Thomson MSP, Ruth Maguire MSP, Rachael…” Jan 22, 17:32
sam on Yelling at the tide: “From MBM Policy on 12/12 /2025 “Statement On Wednesday 10 December the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee closed our…” Jan 22, 17:29
Alf Baird on Yelling at the tide: “What we do know is that current “Diversity” policy totally ignores and is definitely not about prioritising the rights or…” Jan 22, 17:05
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Yelling at the tide: “TRANS ACTIVISTS HACK FREE SPEECH GROUP IN IDEOLOGICALLY DRIVEN ATTACK A free speech organisation has been hacked by a trans…” Jan 22, 16:07
David Rodgers on Yelling at the tide: “Fair points but I will take independence first – woke or no woke.” Jan 22, 16:03
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Yelling at the tide: “HEALTH SEC CHALLENGED OVER ‘IDEOLOGICALLY DRIVEN’ PUBERTY BLOCKER TRIAL ******* QUOTE: “… It is important to reiterate that gender incongruence…” Jan 22, 15:50
Michael McCoy on Yelling at the tide: “Brilliant! Unbelievable that this is necessary but thank god, someone is prepared to hold these chancers to account. Well done…” Jan 22, 14:38
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Yelling at the tide: ““Cha ro-innleachd cianalas.”” Jan 22, 14:10
sam on Yelling at the tide: “From the For women Scotland website. “Ahead of the judicial review of the Scottish Prison Service Policy for the Management…” Jan 22, 14:01
sam on Yelling at the tide: “Copy of letter sent on 6/1/2026 by For Women Scotland to John Swinney. Dear Mr Swinney, Thank you for your…” Jan 22, 13:52
James Cheyne on Yelling at the tide: “Sam, The Scottish government is under the legislation of the Great Britain parliament. Scotland Act, Scotland does not have a…” Jan 22, 13:15
James Cheyne on Yelling at the tide: “The parliament of Great Britain and the UK parliament having made no such international treaty with Scotlands 1707 parliament, Having…” Jan 22, 13:01
James Cheyne on Yelling at the tide: “North Code, A mythical and magical fantasy world of the parliament of England to be precise.” Jan 22, 12:36
sam on Yelling at the tide: “This is from the blog at Legal Feminist, Naomi Cunningham writing under the title “Three Questions”. “The second question arises…” Jan 22, 12:33
James Cheyne on Yelling at the tide: “Alf Baird . Scotland made a treaty of union with England 1707. Scotland did ( not ) make a treaty…” Jan 22, 12:28
James Cheyne on Yelling at the tide: “Alf Baird. Scotland does not hold nor ever has done a 1707 Treaty of Union with the parliament of Great…” Jan 22, 12:01
James Cheyne on Yelling at the tide: “Scots law. The laws that were to “remain the same as before the union” in the treaty of union. NOT…” Jan 22, 11:41
Alf Baird on Yelling at the tide: ““A magical tale set in a fantasy world” Indeed so, Northcode. Which follows on from the fantasy of a mythical…” Jan 22, 11:09
Northcode on Yelling at the tide: “Whit an erse am !… I only went and postit my laist comment up oan the wrang threed. Here it…” Jan 22, 09:40
Hatey McHateface on The Secondhand Amendment: “£20 says it can be trusted to inspire millions of Scots to vote for it in May.” Jan 22, 09:37
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Yelling at the tide: ““Nostalgia is not a strategy.” (Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada, Davos WEF, Switzerland, 20 Jan 2026)” Jan 22, 09:28
TURABDIN on Yelling at the tide: “AULD LANG SYN…..or maybe not. https://archive.ph/7wBQA” Jan 22, 09:27
