The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland



A lie won’t fly 860

Posted on September 21, 2014 by

Scots voted No, in the end, on a ‘vow’ of greater devolution. Every Scot I have spoken to understands that the promised transfer of power can only take place if the books are balanced and Scots no longer legislate on England-only matters; this is manifestly part of the deal. If the UK government, Tory or Labour, reneges on it then the referendum result will have been fraudulent and founded upon a lie that won’t fly.

nofly3

Read the rest of this entry →

The nasty parties 162

Posted on March 15, 2014 by

Theresa May, the UK Home Secretary, yesterday told the Scottish Conservative conference that a Yes vote in the Scottish referendum would see the UK government putting up passport and immigration controls at the border.

papersplease

Really? Rather than accept a common travel area, as exists with Ireland, the UK government would instigate full international border arrangements – arrangements which exist nowhere else in Europe – on the UK mainland?

Let’s just consider what that would require.

Read the rest of this entry →

Kicking the hinges off 122

Posted on February 18, 2014 by

Some recent comments of mine about how the UK government and European Union wouldn’t – because they couldn’t – strip citizenship from anyone in the event of a Yes vote in the independence referendum brought dissenting responses on Twitter from a few folk who certainly know a thing or two about government.

kickdoors

Their primary arguments were so weak, though, that coming from such able individuals they exemplified how much the establishment is being forced to state obvious untruths in defence of an otherwise perfectly legitimate line of argument. But does politics really have to be this dishonest?

Read the rest of this entry →

Quoted for truth #32 116

Posted on October 23, 2013 by

Eric Joyce, MP for Falkirk, 23 October 2013:

“The announcement by Ineos this morning that Grangemouth’s petrochemical plant is to close is terrible news. Hundreds of jobs lost directly, many more indirectly. The loss of a significant element of Scotland’s industrial capacity. Why has this happened?

Ineos has been flagging likely cuts for months but instead of engaging with the situation and organising a coherent plan to save jobs, Unite called a strike over a pathetic and petty issue related to Labour Party internal politics. By the time the union woke up to the reality workers faced, it was too late.”

Sounds about right to us. Mind how you vote tomorrow, Dunfermline folk.

‘Cybernat’ is a loser’s word 189

Posted on May 31, 2013 by

This week’s papers had a story about ‘cybernats’ posting rude messages on social media about Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy’s opposition to Scottish independence.

cybermugs1

For the uninitiated, ‘cybernat’ is the term used in Scottish politics to refer, ostensibly, to slightly mad old-school nationalists who post vile, personalised attacks on their political opponents. Some politicos in Scotland don’t seem to understand, though, that this attack doesn’t really work as a political device as it seeks to apply a pejorative to the SNP when everyone knows it can be applied to some supporters of all political parties. Take a look at the comment pages of any UK newspaper.

Read the rest of this entry →

Scots would remain EU citizens 55

Posted on December 10, 2012 by

Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, has said that in the event that Scotland votes for independence in 2014 then the new state of Scotland would have to apply for EU membership all over again. Well, I hope Scottish residents vote to stay in the UK and I think the possibility that they may not is mainly media and political hype. But I’d hate to see the kind of tosh we’re being treated to today become central to what should, after all, be a serious debate.

Read the rest of this entry →

  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,847 Posts, 1,231,916 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • Mark Beggan on The Long Walk To Freedom: “Funny you should say that. I nearly caused a riot when I started reading my copy of, ‘Homosexually in modern…Dec 9, 15:01
    • Northcode on The Long Walk To Freedom: “(please note: Any text capitalized and italicized and spelled in American-English and surrounded by single quotation marks in any of…Dec 9, 15:00
    • Mark Beggan on The Long Walk To Freedom: “Typical pleb with hands out begging for your tax back.Dec 9, 14:49
    • Northcode on The Long Walk To Freedom: ““…while my modified version would work in the real world…” It might well work in some other ‘real’ world… just…Dec 9, 14:39
    • James on The Long Walk To Freedom: “Alex wouldnae piss on the likes of you if you were on fire.Dec 9, 14:23
    • sarah on Off-topic: “Hi Marie and Tinto, I’m sitting in the car after 2 teeth extractions whilst MOH has one done so I…Dec 9, 14:20
    • Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Long Walk To Freedom: “Written by Anonymous: ———————- Much ado about Alex: I was standing at the bar of the  Kilcreggan Hotel, alone, on…Dec 9, 13:49
    • Alf Baird on The Long Walk To Freedom: “The important point in liberating any colonized people is that elected national representatives no longer hold allegiance or take an…Dec 9, 13:45
    • Hatey McHateface on The Long Walk To Freedom: ““The Scottish people can, if they so wish at any Scottish election, vote for a party or parties who wish…Dec 9, 13:05
    • Tinto Chiel on Off-topic: “Amen to all that, Marie. We live in difficult times, which Globalist Milliband would probably make even worse. Glad you…Dec 9, 13:03
    • Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Long Walk To Freedom: “EL RETRATO EN LA ROCA by Pablo Neruda (extract). Miré y allí estaba mi amigo: de piedra era su rostro,…Dec 9, 13:01
    • Hatey McHateface on The Long Walk To Freedom: “Too many weasel words, Alf. I’ve taken the liberty of modifying your sentence so that it would work in the…Dec 9, 12:39
    • Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Long Walk To Freedom: “The following are excerpts from the closing pages of the book ‘THE DREAM SHALL NEVER DIE: 100 Days that Changed…Dec 9, 12:35
    • Alf Baird on The Long Walk To Freedom: “This remains a key question, James, as to why none of Scotland’s three elected majorities of supposedly ‘nationalist’ MPs since…Dec 9, 11:27
    • James Cheyne on The Long Walk To Freedom: “Once the parliament of Great Britain came under dissolution in 1800/1801, The Westminster parliament of England cannot reinstate the treaty,…Dec 9, 11:24
    • James Cheyne on The Long Walk To Freedom: “The information I posted can be found in House of Lords. Select Commitee, Parliament Business, Lord grey Vs government, This…Dec 9, 11:07
    • Marie Clark on Off-topic: “Hi Tinto and Sarah, I look in to OT now and again to see if anyone is still around. Sad…Dec 9, 09:41
    • Willie on The Long Walk To Freedom: “The Sandi Peggie result is a good one. Very much in line with public sentiments. Putting a biological man with…Dec 9, 09:14
    • Hatey McHateface on The Long Walk To Freedom: “Good news for once? The branding for Great British Railways (GBR) has been revealed and the amount of blue in…Dec 9, 08:18
    • Hatey McHateface on The Long Walk To Freedom: “Looks like she’s in line for compo. Do you think she’ll want to divi it up with the poor saps…Dec 9, 08:10
    • Mark Beggan on The Long Walk To Freedom: “‘Hello, hello, hello. Is there anybody in there, just nod if you can hear me, is there anyone home. Relax,…Dec 9, 02:10
    • Mark Beggan on The Long Walk To Freedom: “Well done Sandie Peggy. She’s got balls!! ?Dec 9, 01:45
    • Peter McAvoy on The Long Walk To Freedom: “Would you prefer the abolition of jury trials. How many miscarriages of justice have taken place in England compared to…Dec 9, 01:40
    • Tinto Chiel on Off-topic: ““…..aided and abetted by the UK high heid yins”, a fact sadly never reflected in the MSM. Mrs Tinto has…Dec 8, 22:33
    • sarah on Off-topic: “Well, you’re not wrong about world events, the most awful things going on, aided and abetted by the UK high…Dec 8, 21:53
    • James Cheyne on The Long Walk To Freedom: “The final analyses of the dissolution of the parliament of Great Britain time and again so the parliament of England…Dec 8, 21:31
    • James Cheyne on The Long Walk To Freedom: “The parliament of England after acting as the parliament of England to make treaties and contractual agreements legally cannot re-…Dec 8, 21:07
    • James Cheyne on The Long Walk To Freedom: “So what did I omit in my ramblings and thoughts to you all while I swither over the treaty of…Dec 8, 20:45
    • Tinto Chiel on Off-topic: “Hi, Sarah: oh, no, just girding my loins (ooh, matron!) for The Last Battle. I’ve only looked in two or…Dec 8, 19:59
    • Aidan on The Long Walk To Freedom: “I’ve no idea to be honest Hatey, but as long as they are FIGHTING that is good enough for me.…Dec 8, 19:58
  • A tall tale



↑ Top