So we have our answer. According to press reports today (although we haven’t seen an actual official reply), John Swinney has refused to formally tell James Hamilton that his inquiry into possible breaches of the Ministerial Code by the First Minister over the Alex Salmond investigation ought to include the matter of whether she repeatedly lied to Parliament about what she knew and when.
Wave goodbye to justice, readers.
Because the First Minister and her deputy are now proven liars and cowards.
There are two articles on the Spectator website today relating to last night’s breaking story about Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon. One of them readers of this site have seen already, because the Spectator has literally just cut and pasted it in its entirety from Wings (without any attribution or acknowledgement).
It’s the text of Salmond’s submission to the Hamilton inquiry, and we know they copied it from us (rather than having been leaked it independently) because of this paragraph:
As we told readers last night, that redaction was made by us – not by Salmond – as an extra precaution to prevent the possibility of one of the complainers in the criminal trial from being identified. It didn’t appear in Salmond’s actual submission, and so Wings is the only possible source for it being in the Spectator.
Stealing our story lock, stock and barrel without a credit is rather poor form from the magazine, but it’s the other piece we’re more concerned about.
If this site seems to spend most of its time being angry at the SNP these days, that’s because we are. And a large part of that is because there’s very little that hacks us off more than people insulting our intelligence.
Smith’s tweet is just a crassly offensive flat-out lie. This week’s vote is NOT about “EU membership”. The United Kingdom hasn’t been a member of the EU since 31 January. We’ve already left and there’s no going back. The vote is about whether we leave with a sliver of a trade deal slightly reducing the self-inflicted harm, or the total catastrophe of no deal at all, and it’s just crushingly embarrassing for all concerned that Smith thinks so little of his own supporters as to believe he can “frame” it otherwise.
We’ve just received the most extraordinary Freedom Of Information response from the Scottish Government, readers. Trust us, you want to go and make yourselves a strong cup of tea before you read it. Or get this guy to bring you one.
We’re grumpy this morning, readers, because it’s Sunday and we were planning a long lie and then someone told us about this. It’s the First Minister appearing on the Sophy Ridge show on Sky News at around 8.45am and you need to see it.
In news that will come as a shock to absolutely no readers at all, McDougall wasn’t just lying, and wasn’t just wrong about one thing, but was both wrong and lying about pretty much everything he said.
Both of the Yes camp’s “scare stories” which were sneeringly mocked by McDougall during a BBC debate in Inverness actually came true – the Tories DID win the next election, and Johnson DID end up as leader of the party and then as Prime Minister.
(McDougall burst into tears at Scottish Labour HQ on the night of the 2015 election as his party lost 40 of its 41 seats despite his services as Jim Murphy’s speechwriter and adviser, his powers of chortling seemingly having deserted him.)
The Daily Record today carries a piece by Scottish Labour MPs Ian Murray and Martin Whitfield (no, us either) bitterly attacking their leadership over the Euro election results.
The two men complain that Jeremy Corbyn and Richard Leonard won’t listen to them, and insist that the party must “heed the people” if it ever wants to wield power again.
So it’s a bit ironic that they won’t take their own advice.
Wings Over Scotland isn’t the only website dedicated to scrutinising the truthfulness of things claimed by politicians and media pundits. There’s the widely-respected and diligent FullFact.org, there’s Scotland’s own The Ferret, and there’s the BBC’s Reality Check (which frequently takes the more unconventional approach of, er, not making a finding either way about what the reality of things is).
And then there’s Channel 4’s FactCheck, which we’re going to generously assume had a liquid lunch yesterday and was a little under the weather.
Because not only is the conclusion that it reached on the subject of an independent Scotland having to use the Euro utter nonsense that’s been debunked roughly 1000 times in the last six years, it doesn’t even agree with itself.
Michael Glackin of the Sunday Times is the only serious contender to the Scotsman’s demented Brian Wilson as the most poisonously, blindly instinctive hater of anything even passingly connected to the SNP or independence in the Scottish media. His weekly bilious rants in the paper make even Scottish Daily Express hacks wince and say “Blimey, that’s a bit strong”.
But even by those standards, this week’s column is quite something. So let’s take a little look at just how much of an idiot you can make of yourself if you never allow facts to get in the way of your rage.
Northcode on The View From Row Z: “Good God! I don’t believe I’ve ever witnessed a mind so thoroughly outpaced by the speed of its owner’s unthinking…” Jun 1, 10:11
diabloandco on The View From Row Z: “Turabdin, that is another success story for the ‘sweeping under the carpet ‘ brigade. No-one held to account, absolutely shocking.” Jun 1, 10:02
Northcode on The View From Row Z: “What’s your game in this place? What’s your angle? I’m a Scot speaking up for Scotland and my people, the…” Jun 1, 09:49
agentx on The View From Row Z: ““With what certainly sounded like a warning of repercussions, she sternly rebuked those in the NEC in 2021, in a…” Jun 1, 09:48
Northcode on The View From Row Z: ““was it exposure to the English” Indeed, many peoples around the world have expressed how their interactions with England, their…” Jun 1, 09:22
TURABDIN on The View From Row Z: “STILL awaiting the punishment of those responsible for the gross neglect that destroyed the GSA «iconic» Mackintosh building. The perception…” Jun 1, 09:21
Northcode on The View From Row Z: “Good God! I don’t believe I’ve ever witnessed a mind so thoroughly outpaced by the speed of its owner’s unthinking…” Jun 1, 08:36
Frank Gillougley on The View From Row Z: “Clearly, the ability to intelligently lie is inversely proportional for those in authority, hence she couldn’t have seen the motorhome…” Jun 1, 08:06
Hatey McHateface on The View From Row Z: “The Hate Crimes Act remains in force in Scotland. As it happens, no political party seems to see any popular…” Jun 1, 08:05
Rogueslr on The View From Row Z: “Is there any evidence the motorhome ever left the drive? And if so, where was it spotted on the ANPR…” Jun 1, 08:03
Hatey McHateface on The View From Row Z: “A masterclass, Northy, on how it is possible to circle even a single wagon. Here’s what a wondering world wants…” Jun 1, 07:32
Hatey McHateface on The View From Row Z: “An excellent post, Ian. There can now be no doubt that the SNP has foisted two in a row of…” Jun 1, 07:25
Roastin on The View From Row Z: “Point taken about London based journalist not being as clued up as Scottish journalists but the main Scottish papers have…” Jun 1, 07:13
Hatey McHateface on The View From Row Z: “What’s to deal with, YL? There’s not one of us who hasn’t sat up into the wee, small hours, crafting…” Jun 1, 07:09
Hatey McHateface on The View From Row Z: “Big deal, Northy. Now correct the rest of the shite.” Jun 1, 07:02
Aunty Flo on The View From Row Z: “Do you reckon that Nicola’s pathetic behaviour & exposure of many lies told during this whole corrupt pantomime has jeopardised…” Jun 1, 06:10
twathater on The View From Row Z: “The ONLY reason she is NOT on trial is because of the COPFS who are obviously NOT interested in serving…” Jun 1, 03:59
Young Lochinvar on The View From Row Z: “You know, see when you sit and slowly reflect on the human condition as it’s developed.. Well, Building another Ark…” Jun 1, 01:42
Cynicus on The View From Row Z: “Or, to paraphrase Oscar Wilde’s comment on reading of the death of Little Nell: “ it would take her heart…” Jun 1, 01:42
Young Lochinvar on The View From Row Z: “She probably did but any of the alphabetties needing “incentivised” would be one lead that should be followed..” Jun 1, 01:31
Cynicus on The View From Row Z: “Campbell Clansman says: 31 May, 2026 at 5:00 pm “With her lies Sturgeon climbed to the top of the (Holyrood)…” Jun 1, 01:19
Del G on The View From Row Z: “If oor Nicola didn’t see most of these items, my question is: Who were they going to? This sounds like…” May 31, 23:59
Mark Beggan on The View From Row Z: “No Comment. Mind your own business.” May 31, 23:52
Northcode on The View From Row Z: “Correction: Muriel Stark should of course read as Muriel Spark.” May 31, 23:38
Northcode on The View From Row Z: “You lot are too harsh on the lassie. She’s a simple wee soul who only wants to be known and…” May 31, 23:10
prj on The View From Row Z: “I suspect that when the police got involved they found a more serious crime to investigate and that was Murrell.…” May 31, 22:40
robertkknight on The View From Row Z: “Aye… Bring a tear to a glass eye, so it would.” May 31, 22:28
William G Walker on The View From Row Z: “Hello All, Whatever happened to the £667,000 which was “ring-fenced” in the late 2010s for Independence? Never mind the £410,000…” May 31, 22:26
Ex President Xiden on The View From Row Z: “She is currently on TV trying to reinvent herself amongst the wokeraty.” May 31, 22:26
