The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland

Next Entries →

One nation under St George 60

Posted on October 03, 2012 by

We’d be getting a little nervous at the moment if we were citizens of Northern Ireland who wanted to stay part of the United Kingdom. Because over recent weeks and months, the concept of the UK has been increasingly pushed aside, in favour of that of Great Britain. (A construct which, of course, excludes the entire island of Ireland.)

The home team at the London Olympics, lavishly celebrated at the Labour conference yesterday, was branded “Team GB”, rather than “Team UK”, and although there are three devolved administrations and parliaments within the UK, only two of them were featured at the same conference’s “Better Together” session.

The situation in Northern Ireland is none of this site’s concern. But it’s not just the Unionists across the sea who ought to be worried. Because on the strength of what Ed Miliband said in his keynote speech yesterday afternoon, Scotland and Wales face a future of being absorbed, in every practical sense, into a Greater England.

Read the rest of this entry →

Tags:
Category analysis, scottish politics, uk politics

Lamont vs reality 22

Posted on October 01, 2012 by

So we’re told that Scottish Labour are to launch yet another devolution commission, which will report on which new governmental powers Labour has suddenly realised the Scottish Parliament needs since the Calman Commission closed down in 2009.

(We like to imagine that as they proudly published their last report, someone at the press conference casually asked what they’d concluded about fiscal autonomy, and the Commission board all slapped their foreheads and wailed “Doh! We knew there was something we’d forgotten to talk about!”)

We’ve already examined the commission’s yawning credibility gap ourselves, but over the weekend we digested a couple of articles from more impartial sources that make it even clearer just how hollow and meaningless any Labour promises of greater devolution to come after a No vote in 2014 will be.

Read the rest of this entry →

Tags:
Category analysis, scottish politics, uk politics

Next Entries »

  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,886 Posts, 1,237,728 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 Douglas Daniel Federalists Unionists and Devolutionists flat-out lies foreigner watch from the archives fundraisers galleries 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

    • diabloandco on Looking up at the stars: “Thanks Turabdin – that’s a brilliant quote.” Mar 14, 09:39
    • Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: ““it’s becoming a bore” Ach, Northy, you’ve brought a fleeting smile to my slow, weekend breakfast. Alert readers can clearly…” Mar 14, 08:54
    • Northcode on Looking up at the stars: “Maistly a surfeit o humour-free, tantersome, bauch and cat wittit colonist remerks in here yesterdey… which be hou maistlins nane…” Mar 14, 08:27
    • Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “85,000 failed asylum seekers at £10,000 each is still less than £1 billion pounds. Small change for our UK government.…” Mar 14, 07:48
    • Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “Great posts, YL. There’s something about 2 AM that just seems to bring out your best. Re your claims. Do…” Mar 14, 07:34
    • Mark Beggan on Looking up at the stars: ““it has centuries of experience” 47 years of totalitarian theocracy. The Persians are the only ones who can justly claim…” Mar 14, 05:42
    • twathater on Looking up at the stars: “I commented recently that I had contacted ALL my MP’s and MSP’s of ALL parties to complain about Shabana Mahmood’s…” Mar 14, 03:39
    • Young Lochinvar on Looking up at the stars: “3. Proud Boys” Mar 14, 02:06
    • Young Lochinvar on Looking up at the stars: “HMcH Oaths? Let’s have a wee look at yours eh? 1. The Cub Scouts: Rule number 3: (That you swear…” Mar 14, 01:57
    • Cynicus on Looking up at the stars: “Iain More says: 12 March, 2026 at 10:24 pm “So the SNP SG continues to drag its heels over releasing…” Mar 14, 01:33
    • Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “On the subject of pets, Geri, hows the dugs? At weekends, do you usually permit them more freedom? Let them…” Mar 13, 22:37
    • Geri on Looking up at the stars: “House Jock implies someone who still lives here who suffers an identity crisis. Pet Jock is about right, the token…” Mar 13, 20:41
    • Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “Monarchy is the default for humanity, TURABDIN. It’s wired into our DNA, almost certainly because over the long term, it…” Mar 13, 20:31
    • Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “Sure, Alf, these arguments go round and round with such depressing regularity that we can now all predict where they…” Mar 13, 20:30
    • Scot Finlayson on Looking up at the stars: “Lord Byron penned the song, Dark Lochnagar,about his youth in the highlands, Ah ! there my young footsteps in infancy…” Mar 13, 20:30
    • Alf Baird on Looking up at the stars: ““as if their Scottish Sovereignty is superior to the Scottish Sovereignty of other Scots” You appear to misunderstand the colonial…” Mar 13, 20:00
    • TURABDIN on Looking up at the stars: “«The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike…” Mar 13, 19:43
    • 100%Yes on Looking up at the stars: “What is there to talk about that hasn’t already been said. Looking at the Rag today I had to look…” Mar 13, 19:20
    • TURABDIN on Looking up at the stars: “The MASSIVE elephant in the room is the US and its emerging absolutist «monarchy». If the sun sets on the…” Mar 13, 18:52
    • sarah on Looking up at the stars: “O/T Does anyone know what is happening with the Voices for Independence site? There has been no entry for today…” Mar 13, 18:41
    • Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: ““the case with most of” What’s this, Alf? Are Cesaire’s ideological foundations starting to crumble? That “most” permits some doubt…” Mar 13, 18:09
    • twathater on Looking up at the stars: “WOW John boy Main is getting more unhinged by the day, he is now telling Geri that her views could…” Mar 13, 17:58
    • Hatey McHateface on Looking up at the stars: “Drink! Haha, just my wee joke, Alf. Obviously the only option open to us is to buy a copy of…” Mar 13, 17:53
    • Alf Baird on Looking up at the stars: ““I see a few are waking from the ways that were taught them, will the all wake up or will…” Mar 13, 16:23
    • Alf Baird on Looking up at the stars: ““pet-Jock moon howlers” Ah, and there’s plenty of them, each following Mannoni’s “dependency complex…that these groups are psychologically made for…” Mar 13, 15:56
    • sam on Looking up at the stars: “I know, Sven. It is impossible to know anything with certainty about illegal immigration numbers. You can get some idea…” Mar 13, 15:55
    • agentx on Looking up at the stars: “Following the Union St fire the demolition company is Burnfield Demolition. Ironic.” Mar 13, 15:54
    • Mark Beggan on Looking up at the stars: “Police Scotland refused a request under the freedom of information to reveal the criminal numbers connected to immigrant hotels. Their…” Mar 13, 15:29
    • Mark Beggan on Looking up at the stars: “That has been the elite establishments plan all along. The socialist post-colonial ideology. Get into bed with the death cult.…” Mar 13, 15:23
    • Mark Beggan on Looking up at the stars: “That would be the exact Nasty Nats answer just get to one over the English bastards. Then they would staple…” Mar 13, 15:14

  • A tall tale



↑ Top