The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland



Fire Water Burn 994

Posted on September 08, 2022 by

Robert Burns was well known for liking a wee dram. He grew up in the aftermath of the failed rising of 1745, living through the harsh and brutal consequences inflicted on Scotland by the Act of Proscription.

In “Earnest Cry and Prayer” the Bard was responding to the UK Parliament’s Scotch Distillery Act of 1786, a protectionist act aimed at supporting London’s gin industry by hiking duties on whisky sold in England and by taxing Scottish still capacity. It was a call for action to Scotland’s 45 members of Parliament from a man who understood the destructive power of such acts.

He asked which Scot would not feel his blood boil at seeing the resources of the nation’s stills destroyed and its wealth plundered, roaring to the MPs:

“God bless your Honors! can ye see’t,
The kind, auld, cantie carlin greet,
An’ no get warmly to your feet,
An’ gar them hear it,
An’ tell them wi’ a patriot-heat,
Ye winna bear it?” 

As the UK Parliament is set to return from its summer holiday it is hard not to see continued parallels over the ages and again today.

Read the rest of this entry →

An Open Letter To Nicola Sturgeon 200

Posted on February 23, 2021 by

Dear Nicola,

I write to express to you the views of many people in Scotland. Our movement is very upset by the actions they currently see unfolding before them.

These actions are the direct responsibility of your staff, your officials and your advisers. And therefore, ultimately, you.

Read the rest of this entry →

A dangerous quality 123

Posted on February 18, 2021 by

The Scottish political arena is a funny place at the moment. Never before in modern history has there been so much dangerous hypocrisy, particularly on social media.

And what’s equally dangerous is that right now this hypocrisy is being doubled by a notion that independence of thought is a dangerous quality in a political movement that seeks to gain independence for a nation.

Read the rest of this entry →

The stealing of the SNP 247

Posted on January 29, 2021 by

“If voting made a difference they wouldn’t let you do it” is one of many quotes that are regularly misattributed to Mark Twain.

However, the sentiment could very much be used to sum up the current management of the Scottish National Party.

Read the rest of this entry →

Nine Times That Same Song 126

Posted on November 05, 2020 by

Last year I was booed on the stage of the SNP’s annual conference for attempting to have a debate on how we can achieve independence in the face of Boris Johnson’s unswerving refusal to agree to a referendum.

I know that it still sticks in the craw of many that an SNP representative was booed at an SNP conference for wanting to discuss how Scotland will become independent (the very idea!), but it only made me even more determined to ensure that the democratic voice of Scotland is heard.

Read the rest of this entry →

The monstering 100

Posted on September 20, 2018 by

Chris McEleny is an SNP councillor. This is a personal opinion.

Three weeks into the Salmond saga and the MSM are getting increasingly desperate. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the breathless excitement of reportage of the Daily Record and their sister paper the Sunday Mail.

For three successive days last week they led on the “story” which meant it was the third week running where Salmond appeared on the front page of the Mail.

However, our friends down in Central Quay have a problem.

Read the rest of this entry →

  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,787 Posts, 1,222,157 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • Northcode on According As We Need Them: “My Tercet – almost – of the Day: AI Dan; The clue is in the name, the artifeecially smert; Artifeecial…Jul 17, 18:43
    • Northcode on According As We Need Them: ““…your posts will achieve new hights of wonder and delight for us readers” Envy is a terrible sin… and a…Jul 17, 18:39
    • Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: “I missed this earlier. Strong, the disappointment is, in me. Still, NC, why not use “thocht” or even “ween”? Even…Jul 17, 18:28
    • Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: ““an alley to trans people but also an alley to women” The seeker after [REDACTED] would do well to stroll…Jul 17, 18:20
    • twathater on According As We Need Them: “You Posted, “You’ll just look like the other unemployment daytime drinker shopping channel serial masturbaters that seem to lurk on…Jul 17, 18:16
    • Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: ““don’t … contribute financially or socially to Scotland or Scots” And you do, TH? You’ve really swallowed the “assistance” line…Jul 17, 18:12
    • Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: ““as a wee mid-week treat for one” There ye gang, NC, fixed it fer ye. Pamper yersel soon!Jul 17, 18:07
    • Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: ““Governments aren’t really interested in the health and welfare of the poorest” By a remarkable coincidence, neither are most people.…Jul 17, 17:58
    • Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: “But first we have to understand why the oh-so-nice, touchy-feely, generous, warm, welcoming BRICS luvvies would be so mean as…Jul 17, 17:47
    • Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: “Sam always likes to fret about this kind of thing, all the while choosing to ignore the immense and accelerating…Jul 17, 17:29
    • Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: “@Northcode Strong, the fight is in this one, while the pseudonym holds fast, and the bedroom curtains tightly shut out…Jul 17, 17:13
    • Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: ““moved to Glasgow” Are there no depths of hideous depravity to which the abusive, coercive state apparatus will not sink?…Jul 17, 17:02
    • Northcode on According As We Need Them: “In the interests of harmonious relations between the two parties to a hoax union, or alternatively ‘The Union That Never…Jul 17, 15:52
    • Northcode on According As We Need Them: ““…so you are willing to say to the face of any English neighbours ‘you are a plundering colonial occupier please…Jul 17, 15:10
    • Rev. Stuart Campbell on According As We Need Them: ““The latest poll (IPSOS) of voting intentions for Holyrood has the SNP at 31%, “Other” (Alba, Liberation, ISP, etc.) at…Jul 17, 15:02
    • Aidan on According As We Need Them: “@Mark – I love the way it’s described as “damaged a fence” as if it was some kind of innocent…Jul 17, 14:57
    • Northcode on According As We Need Them: ““But to most people I suspect, what you are rationalising is bigotry, plain and simple. This is why I find…Jul 17, 14:43
    • Mark Beggan on According As We Need Them: “It’s reality time for the Lefty do gooders. Terrorists forfeit their rights.Jul 17, 14:02
    • Southernbystander on According As We Need Them: “Right, so you are willing to say to the face of any English neighbours ‘you are a plundering colonial occupier…Jul 17, 13:33
    • Aidan on According As We Need Them: “That’s a fair summary – Xaracen is at least engagable, if wrongJul 17, 13:32
    • Marie on According As We Need Them: “Correct. I remember reading The Black Report decades ago about the shocking differences in morbidity and mortality between rich and…Jul 17, 13:31
    • Aidan on According As We Need Them: “Even if we took your view that life expectancy dipped from 2011 rather than 2010 (although the data does not…Jul 17, 13:22
    • sam on According As We Need Them: “Aidan You say: “namely that the causal impact must at least in part be caveated against the fact that life…Jul 17, 12:39
    • Captain Caveman on According As We Need Them: “Sam’s a dullard cut ‘n paste merchant and troll, but he’s actually one of the “better” correspondents if you can…Jul 17, 12:33
    • Aidan on According As We Need Them: “Oh it’s another cult member, they really do seem to make their way out of the woodwork don’t they. I…Jul 17, 11:40
    • Stuart on According As We Need Them: “So no more about the ‘D’ notice then Professor Baird? Clearly you are not a guest of His Majesty. Safe…Jul 17, 11:26
    • sam on According As We Need Them: “Intellectually, Aidan isn’t fit to lick the boots of Alf Baird so he resorts to insult. Yesterday, Aidan was trying…Jul 17, 11:04
    • sarah on According As We Need Them: “And another awful thing – see Craig Murray’s piece today about the three women whose car damaged a fence of…Jul 17, 10:35
    • Aidan on According As We Need Them: “Yes, obviously, I need to update the PM on how many times Alf Baird has posted that Scotland is a…Jul 17, 10:27
    • sarah on According As We Need Them: “@ Dan and sam: Robin McAlpine’s article is a clear and compelling analysis of where the SNP is and our…Jul 17, 10:26
  • A tall tale



↑ Top