The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


A song we’ve heard before 205

Posted on May 04, 2014 by

Respectable author Allan Massie (father of Spectator columnist Alex) rather shames himself in today’s Scottish Mail On Sunday, with a particularly grim piece of what we assume is supposed to be comical crystal ball-gazing, painting a melodramatic picture of an apocalyptic post-independence Scotland as seen by Project Fear.

btglasgowfire

Over 2500 words long, it ticks all the boxes – no currency union, a mass exodus of business, Spain vetoing Scotland’s EU membership, economic Armageddon forcing the return of tuition fees and prescription charges, Trident staying on the Clyde permanently, Orkney and Shetland voting to stay with the UK and somehow taking the oil with them in direct contravention of all international law, and so on.

Which would all be a super piece of knockabout fun, were it not for the fact that we’ve already almost lost count of the number of times the right-wing English media, and in particular the Mail itself, has already trotted out this same dystopian drivel.

Read the rest of this entry →

Tags:
Category comment, media, scottish politics

More crystal bollocks 100

Posted on September 02, 2013 by

Almost every newspaper today reported a declaration by George Osborne that a No vote would result in a boost to Scottish family incomes of a dramatic-sounding £2,000. The headline figure, which some papers gave a more negative spin, was actually a cumulative sum spread over 30 years (because “£67 a year per family”, or £1.29 a week, sounds rather less impressive as a compelling case for the Union).

It hinged on forecast economic growth of 4% – due to “extra trade, labour migration and cross-border investment” – compared to that in an independent Scotland.

cbollocks2

Those are two pretty sweeping predictions. Is the Chancellor that good a fortune-teller?

Read the rest of this entry →

Tags:
Category analysis, comment, scottish politics, uk politics

Crystal bollocks 122

Posted on July 18, 2013 by

Apologies if the headline falls fouls of anyone’s work filter (although it shouldn’t, as it’s officially legally not a swear word), but we can’t think of a more concise and accurate way of describing the phenomenon illustrated by the comically absurd story that’s being blared all over the Scottish media this morning like news of the Apocalypse.

torcuilshite

The price of oil, as the No campaign never tires of telling us, is volatile. Nobody knows what it’ll be in 27 weeks’ time, or even 27 days’ time. Predicting what level it’ll be at 27 hours from now is pushing your luck a bit, and City traders regularly make and lose fortunes betting on that timescale and getting it right or wrong.

So the idea that anyone, let alone the Office for Budget Responsibility, can have even the slightest, vaguest hint of a clue where North Sea oil prices and production will be 27 YEARS from now is – well, see the headline.

Read the rest of this entry →

Tags:
Category analysis, comment, scottish politics, uk politics

  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,788 Posts, 1,222,248 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

    and finally and firstly arithmetic fail braveheart klaxon britnats captain darling cartoons Chris Cairns confused cringe crybabies dateline debates Devo Nano Federalists Unionists and Devolutionists flat-out lies foreigner watch from the archives fundraisers galleries Greg Moodie hamish hypocrisy liars light-hearted banter lizards memogate misinformation one nation perspectives poll project fear project feart qft Scott Minto smears snp accused soapbox the positive case for the union The Vow ticktock toldyouso too wee too poor too stupid unionist of the day vote no get nothing

  • Recent Comments

    • Young Lochinvar on Points Into Prongs: “I read that Bill Clinton (allegedly) said that Hillary had “eaten more pussy than he had”. Sturgeon had her famous…” Jul 19, 07:32
    • DaveL on Points Into Prongs: “What is it about the above post that offends you? Maybe you’re just being abusive because you can, is that…” Jul 19, 07:00
    • Young Lochinvar on Points Into Prongs: “I suspect the whole thing was a sting/ set up and that he (Upton) was the chosen but willing stalking…” Jul 19, 04:57
    • Young Lochinvar on Points Into Prongs: “Begone Unionist foul sprite; your lot are just as bad, just trailing behind a little, but the rot and deviancy…” Jul 19, 01:56
    • Hatey McHateface on Points Into Prongs: “Did you press the button too soon, TH, or are the “assistance” boys on a really tight schedule?” Jul 19, 01:39
    • Hatey McHateface on Points Into Prongs: “That’s a touch mean spirited, x. You’re forgetting that for many years she held up half the sky (admittedly with…” Jul 19, 00:32
    • Hatey McHateface on Points Into Prongs: “Could you be more precise? There have been several useless other ones.” Jul 19, 00:25
    • Mark Beggan on Points Into Prongs: “Well put. Couldn’t agree more.” Jul 18, 20:57
    • Young Lochinvar on Points Into Prongs: “Meantime NHS Fifes DEI “expert”(sic) Ms Bumba replied when asked to comment on the £9m £6m new (non working) House…” Jul 18, 20:38
    • Frank Gillougley on Points Into Prongs: “Having just read all this political bollocks above, the simple thought occurred to me that to compare and contrast what…” Jul 18, 19:47
    • Andrew scott on Points Into Prongs: “O/T REV YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE A FIELD DAY WITH THIS SHAMBLES IN FIFE” Jul 18, 18:45
    • Confused on Points Into Prongs: “Frankly: The revelatory memoir from Scotland’s first female and longest-serving First Minister the greatest living englishmen provides us with much…” Jul 18, 18:36
    • twathater on Points Into Prongs: “It just shows the level of contempt this arsehole Swinney and his fellow lying scum noncers have for the people…” Jul 18, 18:32
    • Dan on Points Into Prongs: “Sheesh… I only got halfway through the first paragraph and haz concerns Robin is morphing into Kelly Given… https://robinmcalpine.org/scotland-has-no-controlling-intellect/ https://wingsoverscotland.com/the-stupidity-of-vanity/…” Jul 18, 18:23
    • twathater on According As We Need Them: “NC I am not a dedicated lover of poetry but I am a lover of the Scots language, our culture…” Jul 18, 18:19
    • 100%Yes on Points Into Prongs: “Alf Baird, I would have thought you would have been the best person placed to continue Iain Lawsons blog, Welcome…” Jul 18, 18:07
    • socratesmacsporran on Points Into Prongs: “Mark Beggan @ 4.33pm You posted: “Swinney isn’t useless. You are quite correct, Swinney isn’t even competent enough to pass…” Jul 18, 17:45
    • Alf Baird on Points Into Prongs: “Swinney and previous SNP leaders since 2015 have been very effective at delaying independence, which is clearly their main purpose,…” Jul 18, 17:38
    • Dickie Tea on Points Into Prongs: “Very” Jul 18, 17:05
    • joolz on Points Into Prongs: ““the way to deliver independence is only with an emphatic SNP win in 2026”. Goodbye indy. They never learn ?” Jul 18, 16:39
    • Mark Beggan on Points Into Prongs: “Swinney isn’t useless. Useless was the other one.” Jul 18, 16:33
    • agent x on Points Into Prongs: ““Nicola Sturgeon compared to Barack Obama in ‘sycophantic’ review of new book Nicola Sturgeon was mocked after she was compared…” Jul 18, 16:33
    • Hatey McHateface on Points Into Prongs: “It’s a valid point, x. The state of Britain today should be all the evidence a competent Indy movement needs…” Jul 18, 16:24
    • Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: “James, back in my student days we fuckology students used to look down on the wankology class. Since graduating, I’m…” Jul 18, 16:15
    • Young Lochinvar on Points Into Prongs: “Aye, he’s a real firebrand of a political leader..” Jul 18, 16:13
    • Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: ““Scotland, there is no better country in the world” Hmmm. I can defo think of a few. But that’s not…” Jul 18, 16:11
    • agent x on Points Into Prongs: ““But I will also be urging people who were not persuaded of the merits of independence in 2014 to see…” Jul 18, 16:02
    • sarah on Points Into Prongs: “Thanks for this, Cynicus – I thought Cup hook was updating Diderot. It is even better to know of the…” Jul 18, 16:00
    • Mark Beggan on Points Into Prongs: “The BbC used to be known as Aunty until it was revealed as a perverted old Uncle who the rest…” Jul 18, 15:59
    • Mike on Points Into Prongs: “Exactly. If Scotland ever achieves independence there will be no need for the National cheerleaders, nor for the SNP, who…” Jul 18, 15:57

  • A tall tale



↑ Top