For much of last year, this site advocated a rational but unpopular position – namely that the SNP, which at the time held the balance of power in the UK parliament, should offer to support Theresa May’s soft-Brexit deal in exchange for the transfer of powers to hold a second independence referendum.
The logic was clear – nothing was ever going to stop Brexit from happening, but passing May’s deal would save the UK from the catastrophe of a no-deal. Everyone would be a winner – England and Wales would get what they voted for, Remain-voting Northern Ireland would get special terms that kept it in the EU in all but name, and Scotland would get the chance to stay in the EU as an independent nation.
“But no!”, everyone screamed at us. “We can’t possibly do any sort of deal with the Tories or we’d be electorally crucified and lose the referendum, you idiots!”
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 Looking up at the stars: “Yeah, way to answer the points raised. Not. I’m sure “5,000 year old guff” was a HUGE consolation to those…” Mar 20, 09:52
Aidan on Looking up at the stars: “An informed and interesting comment Alf – thank you. In the current fiscal climate bluntly however, I would rather the…” Mar 20, 09:44
Northcode on Looking up at the stars: “Five thousand years before God (morning, God) sent His son, Jesus – or ‘God-Wearing-A-Disguise’ as I like to call Him…” Mar 20, 09:41
Alf Baird on Looking up at the stars: “My preference would be for Scotland to reduce dependence on England’s supply chain and develop the direct ferry link to…” Mar 20, 09:11
Captain Caveman on Looking up at the stars: ““An unprovoked act of aggression.” Yeah, “unprovoked”, apart from that bit where they hosed down tens of thousands of their…” Mar 20, 09:09
Chas on Looking up at the stars: “I am always amazed how people like Geri have their finger on the pulse of EVERYTHING that is happening in…” Mar 20, 09:04
Jamie on Looking up at the stars: “Yes, a 4th volume of his cartoons would be most welcome in the next year or two also.” Mar 20, 08:52
Geri on Looking up at the stars: “Because most of us who follow international news are more informed of the facts rather than the propaganda the MSM…” Mar 20, 08:51
Jamie on Looking up at the stars: “Scotland to this day still produces 4 to 5 times what it uses, we are a net exporter still and…” Mar 20, 08:48
Mark Beggan on Looking up at the stars: “It’s hard to believe the Lefty Liberal pearl clutchers on here hoping Trump looses the war. Loose to a regime…” Mar 20, 06:51
Aidan on Looking up at the stars: “Okay I realise this is like trying to explain the concept of Latin to a dog, but let’s give it…” Mar 20, 06:31
Geri on Looking up at the stars: “Allegedly, Kushy & Witless accepted $50 billion from the Saudis to throw the peace talks. Makes sense. Also, Kushy, Witless…” Mar 20, 02:57
Cynicus on Looking up at the stars: ““Meanwhile the chosen people keep killing anyone that the Donald could deal with…” ========= That son of Scotland, Dòmhnall Iain…” Mar 20, 01:01
Geri on Looking up at the stars: “It wasn’t surprising that the gayist parliament in Scotland, with the gayist parties, would jump aboard the latest gay crusade…” Mar 20, 00:23
robertkknight on Looking up at the stars: “https://news.sky.com/story/north-sea-oil-is-it-time-to-reconsider-drilling-13520893 Someone’s been pissing down our backs again…” Mar 20, 00:06
Iain More on Looking up at the stars: “I see the Kleptomaniac Sassanachs are now talking about rationing Gas, Petrol and Diesel. I guess the policy of maliciously…” Mar 19, 23:46
Geri on Looking up at the stars: “That comment to Japan was cringe. He’s lost it. What an embarrassment he is. It’s right up there with telling…” Mar 19, 22:31
sarah on Looking up at the stars: “A Plea to Chris Cairns, Cartoonist of that Ilk Woe, woe, thrice times woe! Get out your pencils. Pin paper…” Mar 19, 22:18
Lorncal on Looking up at the stars: “I support independence, Dan. Always have, always will. I was making no “digging response”. I was very annoyed that you…” Mar 19, 22:10
Geri on Looking up at the stars: “Areswipe, I hope Alf tells ye to GTF after all yer snide comments every other time. Have you never heard…” Mar 19, 22:09
Aidan on Looking up at the stars: “@Alf Baird – this is somewhere I’d welcome your opinion” Mar 19, 21:10
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: ““who will be left for the great deal maker to work with?” Do you think you may have put your…” Mar 19, 20:50
Young Lochinvar on Looking up at the stars: “Aidan As I said, grown ups will find a way. There are plenty of ports, the madness has been loading…” Mar 19, 20:46
Young Lochinvar on Looking up at the stars: “HMcH Childish silly names? What, like Hatey? Fair one, it is a childish name, but, I am not its creator.…” Mar 19, 20:33
Young Lochinvar on Looking up at the stars: “HMcH Ah! Then so much for “saving neutral Belgium” and second time around Poland..” Mar 19, 20:28
Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “Well, YL, you’ve called all the people you dislike silly, childish names. So I guess you’re winning.” Mar 19, 20:22
David Holden on Looking up at the stars: “Several weeks into Donald’s big Persian excursion and still the tankers do not move unless you strike a deal with…” Mar 19, 20:21
Young Lochinvar on Looking up at the stars: “HMcH Fair point though I suppose 1950s type technology may possibly be less susceptible being pre circuit board technology. Plus…” Mar 19, 20:18
