It’s weird. Less than 24 hours ago, we were being firmly told that a vote in the Scottish Parliament was an insignificant, indeed “meaningless”, choice between two words that meant exactly the same thing and were “interchangeable”.
So when the Parliament decided last night, by an overwhelming 113-9 margin, which of the two words it wanted to use, you’d imagine that that’d be no big deal and everyone would shrug it off in a casual, indifferent sort of way, right?
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.
Captain Caveman on Scotland’s Most Frightened: ““Iran isn’t totalitarian.” Oh really, “Geri”? They were literally hosing down thousands of their own innocent men, women and children…” Mar 10, 13:00
100%Yes on Scotland’s Most Frightened: “Have you seen the latest article from the bitter and twisted ScotGoesMadonIndy.” Mar 10, 12:48
Hatey McHateface on Scotland’s Most Frightened: “Dig deep. Your grifters need you. Mind and ask not fit they can dae fer ye.” Mar 10, 12:47
Hatey McHateface on Scotland’s Most Frightened: “Yet again, Alf, havers. The Scots, as sovereign people, never went into the EU’s precursor. It was the UK that…” Mar 10, 12:43
Lorncal on Scotland’s Most Frightened: “It’s really not, James/Hatey. Let’s find out, shall we? Post the SE?” Mar 10, 12:40
Geri on Scotland’s Most Frightened: “‘Iran does practice (forceable) gender transitions’ Whit? Like the West does? It wasn’t that long ago sleepy Joe was offering…” Mar 10, 12:34
Hatey McHateface on Scotland’s Most Frightened: “Ah, c’moan noo, Geri. Ah cannae be the only ane who thinks the “royal ascent” is something special tae witness.…” Mar 10, 12:34
sarah on Scotland’s Most Frightened: “The magic of Wings or the demise of Alba – whatever the reason, the donation numbers have increased to the…” Mar 10, 12:23
Alf Baird on Scotland’s Most Frightened: ““longing for Brussels rule” The point was about ‘democracy’ Hatey, and on such matters the Scots decided at the time…” Mar 10, 12:09
Hatey McHateface on Scotland’s Most Frightened: “Yet others claim, Geri, that being “ready to end the war” and “wanting to quit” isn’t the same as “had…” Mar 10, 11:45
Geri on Scotland’s Most Frightened: “Be off with you then.. They have the exact same institutions as we do except you have a monarch that…” Mar 10, 11:45
Hatey McHateface on Scotland’s Most Frightened: “All joking aside, Northy, your post is actually quite cruel. At least by comparison with my own well meant suggestions.…” Mar 10, 11:38
Hatey McHateface on Scotland’s Most Frightened: ““elites traffic weans for torture through Romania” That’ll be because they drive on the same side of the road.” Mar 10, 11:31
Hatey McHateface on Scotland’s Most Frightened: “Is it universally true then, Alf, that scrape off the blue pent on every Scot Nat and you find someone…” Mar 10, 11:28
Hatey McHateface on Scotland’s Most Frightened: “Fits this, Aidan? Have you been “mowing down civilians so you can rob them blind & strip them of their…” Mar 10, 11:23
Geri on Scotland’s Most Frightened: ““in a medieval totalitarian dictatorship like Iran” That medieval country is whipping your ass good & proper! You racist colonisers…” Mar 10, 11:17
Aidan on Scotland’s Most Frightened: “Iran is a republic with democratic institutions, alright I don’t think I’m going to waste my time arguing with that…” Mar 10, 11:06
Southernbystander on Scotland’s Most Frightened: “My killer post, that sailed high above all the petty cares of unionists and nationalists alike, and thus thoroughly floored…” Mar 10, 10:47
James Che on Scotland’s Most Frightened: “Scotlands most frightened are no different in context than Englands most frightened. Either that or their both very innocent of…” Mar 10, 10:42
James Che on Scotland’s Most Frightened: “North code. Good Morning, Reference to your last post at 8: 50 am, We must remember that it is not…” Mar 10, 10:36
Geri on Scotland’s Most Frightened: “Without sanction? Well look at you, ya wee totalitarian areswipe. Guess whit, sunshine. I don’t live in Iran. What that…” Mar 10, 10:31
James Che on Scotland’s Most Frightened: “An independence supporter would think of the word “Colonialism” when no treaty can be found linking or existing between Scotland…” Mar 10, 10:17
Alf Baird on Scotland’s Most Frightened: ““the comparatively very free and democratic country within which you live” ?? That forced Brexit on Scots agin oor wull?…” Mar 10, 10:17
Geri on Scotland’s Most Frightened: “YL As per usual – historians are divided. Countries confirmed the Japanese approached them seeking an off ramp & contacted…” Mar 10, 10:04
Alf Baird on Scotland’s Most Frightened: ““Why do you let the coloniser shape the thoughts in your heid” The colonized cannot prevent it, and that is…” Mar 10, 09:43
Aidan on Scotland’s Most Frightened: “The ironic thing Geri is in a medieval totalitarian dictatorship like Iran a gobshite like you would quickly find yourself…” Mar 10, 09:42
Northcode on Scotland’s Most Frightened: “Good morning, James. Keep up the good work. If you weren’t right the colonysts wouldn’t be attacking you. And you…” Mar 10, 09:03
Northcode on Scotland’s Most Frightened: “Good morning all you liberty seeking Scots out there in here… ready to give those Inglis(if they aren’t they should…” Mar 10, 08:50
Hatey McHateface on Scotland’s Most Frightened: ““keep repeating the conversation … until the penny drops in Scotland” I am quite unable to comprehend whether or not…” Mar 10, 08:39
James Che on Scotland’s Most Frightened: “Scotland only had a treaty with the parliament of England in 1707, Not the successor State of the parliament of…” Mar 10, 08:29
