The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland

← Previous Entries
Next Entries →

Quoted For Truth Extra 277

Posted on May 10, 2014 by

Better Together co-ordinator defects to Labour For Independence

With just over four months to go until the referendum, a disillusioned Better Together campaign co-ordinator has defected to Labour For Independence and declared his support for a Yes vote on September 18th.

lfi

Gary Wilson, a Labour Party member, was for six months the local “Better Together” co-ordinator within the Edinburgh East Labour Party.

Read the rest of this entry →

Tags:
Category scottish politics

Quoted for truth #51 76

Posted on May 08, 2014 by

Owen Jones in the Guardian, 8 May 2014:

“Despite being occasionally portrayed as the second coming of Vladimir Lenin, Labour’s key policies are a mixture of backing Tory spending plans for a year, real-term cuts to public sector pay, restoring the 50p tax (apparently temporarily), a short-term energy bill freeze and more secure private-sector tenancy agreements.”

A real revolution to rally behind there, eh viewers?

Tags:
Category comment, uk politics

Quoted for wait what now? 100

Posted on May 02, 2014 by

David Cameron, Prime Minister’s Questions, 30 April 2014:

“I think that what Alex Salmond said [about Vladimir Putin] was a major error of judgment and that all of us in this House should be supporting the Ukrainian desire to be a sovereign, independent country and to have the respect of the international community and party leaders for that ambition.”

(Our emphasis.) It’s not only us finding that just the tiniest bit hypocritical, is it?

Read the rest of this entry →

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

The good old days 130

Posted on April 18, 2014 by

Andrew Rawnsley in the Observer, 8 April 2007:

“With fewer than 30 days until the elections, Labour is displaying its nerves by sounding increasingly hysterical about the prospect of an SNP government. When they did their rather grim double-act in Glasgow, the Prime Minister and Chancellor came laden with apocalyptic predictions about the consequences of a nationalist victory.

Labour screams that an independent Scotland would suffer all manner of horrors, from economic cataclysm to a heightened terrorist risk to family breakdown to a plague of locusts and a rash of boils.

Watching the Prime Minister and his heir-presumptive issue dire warnings about tax bombshells and the Union in danger is to witness one of those bizarre transmogrifications that can happen in politics. Tony Blair and Gordon Brown are turning into John Major.”

Imagine if they were still trying that stuff seven years later, eh readers?

Tags:
Category history, scottish politics

Quoted for truth #49 136

Posted on April 15, 2014 by

Matthew Norman in the Independent, 15 April 2014:

“In the entire global history of the political campaign, has any been more misconceived, wretchedly executed and potentially self-defeating than the one designed to keep Scotland within the United Kingdom?

Tags:
Category comment, media, scottish politics

Quoted for truth #48 49

Posted on March 31, 2014 by

David Mitchell in the Guardian, 30 March 2014:

“There’s always a chance that people will decide who to vote for according to policy – and by ‘people’, I mean the people that matter: the indecisive minority who change which party they vote for from election to election according to whim, and consequently determine every result.

But it doesn’t seem likely to me that policy is what’s going to swing the swingers this time – although I may only think that because the Labour Party’s policies are still largely secret.”

People only vote for change if they think there’ll actually be some.

Tags:
Category comment, uk politics

As other selves see us 56

Posted on March 01, 2014 by

Will Self in the New Statesman, 28 February 2014:

“As someone who for the past two decades has visited Scotland at least three or four times a year, and spent a great deal of those visits in and around the former steel town of Motherwell, I cherish few illusions about the country.

On the whole, I’ve considered independence to be something of a no-brainer: if ever there was a small, potentially socialistic state that could do with being detached from its deluded imperialist neighbour, it’s Scotland.”

Despite our misgivings about the shortbread, bagpipes, sporrans, whisky, Nessie and deep-fried Mars bar cover, the magazine’s special “Scotland” issue isn’t bad at all. Of course, as Scots we’re all far too mean to pay £3.95 – £3.95! – for a copy, but do go and browse it on your local newsagent’s shelves.

Read the rest of this entry →

Tags:
Category comment, media

Quoted for reality check 39

Posted on February 11, 2014 by

Labour Uncut, 11 February 2014:

“In the main race between Labour and the Tories, these figures mean the Tories have a higher core vote than Labour.

Applying the defection rate to the Tories 2010 total gives a core vote of 23%, 1.5% ahead of Labour. It could well be that the generational churn identified by the Fabians evens out this Tory advantage, but in terms of actual voters who participated at the last election, YouGov’s analysis shows us that the Tories have a clear core vote lead.”

It may be worth remembering that these figures also don’t, as far as we can ascertain, factor in those UKIP voters likely to return to the Conservatives when it comes to the crunch of a UK election that might install Ed Miliband as Prime Minister rather than a Tory leader promising to hold a referendum on EU membership.

Don’t come crying to us in May 2015, No voters. We keep telling you what’s coming.

Tags:
Category stats, uk politics

Coming to you live from 2019 139

Posted on February 06, 2014 by

Peter Arnott in The Global Dispatches, 29 January 2014:

“We have been tempted to believe in Scotland that our tactical pattern of voting one way in a Westminster elections and another in Holyrood elections would continue to shelter us from the worst neo-liberal excesses of Westminster – our parliament after all came into existence as a retroactive shelter from what was inflicted on us (and everyone else in non-Tory Britain) the last time the Conservatives were in power. 

We are still behaving as if this is the case even while history is whisking that carpet from underneath our feet.”

And that, readers, is why it matters that I live in England.

Read the rest of this entry →

Tags:
Category comment, scottish politics, uk politics

When it’s horrible being right 59

Posted on January 20, 2014 by

Me, writing in April 2010, before there was a Wings Over Scotland:

“Brown doesn’t have a pig in a sausage factory’s chance of still being PM in a month’s time. So all he’s doing with this disgusting, desperate attempt to grab a few Mail-reader votes in marginals is setting a tone of contempt for the poor that the Tories will seize on, and thereby triangulate their own position to somewhere even more loathsome. God help the poor if Cameron gets in.”

Once in a while it’d be nice to get it completely wrong.

Tags:
Category uk politics

Down on Baker Street 31

Posted on January 14, 2014 by

John Crace, the Guardian, 14 Jan 2014:

“Is it conceivable that [Sherlock] Holmes might have been a Labour voter now? Possibly. New Labour changed the rules of political engagement. What the Daily Mail still doesn’t quite get is that voting Labour is no longer a challenge to the establishment, it’s a part of it. There is no major redistribution of wealth and power for the right to fear.”

British politics: elementary.

Tags:
Category comment, uk politics

Quoted for truth #42 49

Posted on January 13, 2014 by

“Herald View”, the Sunday Herald, 12 Jan 2014:

“The Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, is to be commended for refusing to participate in the victimisation of the ‘undeserving poor’. She promises to scrap the bedroom tax, keep housing benefits and reject the forthcoming Universal Credit, which amalgamates a whole range of benefits into one payment. The Nationalists say they will increase social security benefits and the minimum wage annually by the rate of inflation.

However, they cannot secure these protections under the current constitutional arrangements.”

Read the rest of this entry →

Tags:
Category comment, scottish politics

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »

  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,875 Posts, 1,235,955 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

    • Iain More on The Modern Politician: “I see our resident Yoon Troll NAZI Child Rapist Protector is back.” Feb 12, 22:17
    • Marie on The Modern Politician: “@2.23pm – a man speaks. And he’s wrong.” Feb 12, 22:06
    • sam on The Modern Politician: “Cambridge Journal of Economics, Volume 44, Issue 2, March 2020, Pages 319–342, https://doi.org/10.1093/cje/bez037 “1979 and all that: a 40-year reassessment…” Feb 12, 21:54
    • Hatey McHateface on The Modern Politician: ““a fully liberated people will need to remove its colonial collaborators” You’ve got some balls, Alf. Respect. You’ve made it…” Feb 12, 21:00
    • Hatey McHateface on The Modern Politician: “Looks like you’ve got SFA practical, plausible or sensible that could make a start on righting the troubles Scotland is…” Feb 12, 20:51
    • David Holden on The Modern Politician: “Looks like the troll collective has got some overtime pay. Oh deep joy.” Feb 12, 20:21
    • Lorna Campbell on The Modern Politician: “Alf: ditching England is not going to be the final answer because there are other kinds of colonisers just waiting…” Feb 12, 19:39
    • Hatey McHateface on The Modern Politician: ““We adhere to national guidance set by the National Police Chiefs’ Council in relation to custody searches involving transgender suspects”…” Feb 12, 19:16
    • Hatey McHateface on The Modern Politician: “Well now, willie, why didn’t you say earlier? If Prince Andrew and Peter Mandelson are for selling off the SNHS…” Feb 12, 19:05
    • Hatey McHateface on The Modern Politician: “The point is that it’s 35 years since Thatcher exited stage right, and despite some of the opportunities I list,…” Feb 12, 18:59
    • Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Modern Politician: “NORFOLK POLICE CRITICISED OVER INACCURATE RECORDING OF SUSPECTS’ SEX Norfolk Constabulary has faced strong criticism for recording suspects’ preferred gender…” Feb 12, 18:30
    • willie on The Modern Politician: “Nigel Farage’s policy is to privatise the health service in the style of the corporate market supplied healthcare in the…” Feb 12, 18:28
    • sam on The Modern Politician: “You are such a fucking idiot I usually ignore what you say. UK life expectancy has been improving ever since…” Feb 12, 18:20
    • Hatey McHateface on The Modern Politician: ““one in four Scots is intending to vote Reform, a party with a leader who supports USA style privatisation, the…” Feb 12, 17:27
    • Hatey McHateface on The Modern Politician: “Aye, sam, ye’re a grand auld fossil so ye are. We should slap a protection order oan ye. You can’t…” Feb 12, 17:15
    • Willie on The Modern Politician: “To be fair Sam the Scottish Government under Alex Salmond did much to try to minimise the Thatcher type policies…” Feb 12, 17:01
    • sam on The Modern Politician: “Just a little bit of the effect of Thatcher on the NHS https://www.pilc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/PILC_OS_Sum_PRESS.pdf A survey last year of 9000 Unison…” Feb 12, 15:47
    • Alf Baird on The Modern Politician: ““we need to cleanse the Augean Stables first” By implication, a fully liberated people will need to remove its colonial…” Feb 12, 15:23
    • PC Foster on The Modern Politician: “@andrew scott Aye- a woman in a dress actually means- a man in a frock (MIAF).” Feb 12, 15:09
    • Hatey McHateface on The Modern Politician: “Lorna, thanks for your reply. “most SNP voters who want independence, and they are not the only ones who vote…” Feb 12, 15:07
    • Lorna Campbell on The Modern Politician: “H McH: if you believe that politicians get voted in because they are doing nothing wrong in the public’s perception,…” Feb 12, 14:43
    • Hatey McHateface on The Modern Politician: “Sure, Bilbo. You’re gonna slag off Ratcliffe, not because he’s wrong, but because he’s got more money than you. I’m…” Feb 12, 14:30
    • Lorna Campbell on The Modern Politician: “Willie: I think the fundamental problem is that adherence to this ordure is a mental ill-health issue, not a physical…” Feb 12, 14:25
    • Hatey McHateface on The Modern Politician: “Denying the very existence of the female sex would be the ultimate in anti female hate, Marie. But I’m unaware…” Feb 12, 14:23
    • Marie on The Modern Politician: “Denying the very existence of the female sex is the ultimate in anti female hate. That has come from the…” Feb 12, 14:04
    • Hatey McHateface on The Modern Politician: ““In the 20c Europe initiated two apocalyptic wars” We don’t do that any more, TURABDIN. We’ve lost all will to…” Feb 12, 13:52
    • Hatey McHateface on The Modern Politician: “Worth asking, Confused, have you ever submitted material to Viz? For some reason “The Bottom Inspectors” comes to mind.” Feb 12, 13:39
    • Rab Pollock on The Modern Politician: “Does the Daily Record ever feel like they are flogging the wrong horse?” Feb 12, 13:37
    • Hatey McHateface on The Modern Politician: “You spent too long cooped up in barracks, YL. Normal Scots don’t think being nice requires blow jobs to be…” Feb 12, 13:26
    • TURABDIN on The Modern Politician: “THE 1973 futurist fantasy by the french travel writer/trad. catholic/monarchist/ nationalist Jean-Paul Raspail called Le Camp des Saints deals graphically…” Feb 12, 12:46

  • A tall tale



↑ Top