As we’ve repeatedly pointed out, Wings has made NO comments about the “workplace harassment” allegations made against Alex Salmond several years ago. We’ve only commented on the CRIMINAL allegations, and workplace harassment isn’t a crime. (It’s a matter for an employment tribunal, not the police.)
But the real question is WHY Andy Wightman is so doggedly attached to these two complainers that he’s determined to keep digging himself further into a hole of lies. And everyone knows what you tend to find when you start digging holes.
“Hello Stuart. We’ve been contacted by a reader who says he also contacted you about a post on the website in the early hours of Saturday. Referring to Nicola Sturgeon, the poster says “Decapitating this witch would stop the SNP dead in their tracks.”
Our reader, Ian Reid, an SNP activist in the Borders, has been a regular Wings reader but was taken aback by the language. He had hoped you would have deleted the post, but that hasn’t happened.
He has reported it to the police and given a statement to them.
He has also given us these comments on why the Alba Party should condemn this sort of material and cut its ties to the Wings site.
“Alex Salmond and the leaders of the new party need to separate themselves from that, they need to call it out. They seem to be trying to set themselves up as the moral guardians for women’s rights, which I absolutely support. At the same time, we’ve got somebody posting this on a blog that they clearly associate with and clearly use.
On the one hand, they’re talking about gender-proofing their policies, which is great. On the other hand, they’ve got this where a woman is being described as the devil herself, and where there’s a reference to decapitating the witch having a justifiable end.
That needs to be called out. The party needs to come out and say something about it. The best possible outcome would be that they do condemn it. It would be such a powerful message. Separating themselves from that cesspit would be a very politically astute thing for them. As long as they don’t, it’s colluding with it, it’s condoning it.”
This is for a potential story online and in print.
If you didn’t already know that the BBC were going to run a character-assassination hatchet job on Alex Salmond tonight (and another one tomorrow), you could surmise it easily enough from the state of the Scottish media in the last few days.
But it’s today’s Daily Record that dredges the depths of the journalistic sewer with a barrel and then scrapes the very bottom of it for the grubbiest, oiliest sludge it can find.
The BBC’s Reporting Scotland is, in our view, directly responsible for at least 80% of Yes supporters’ belief that the UK’s state broadcaster is biased against independence. Almost all of the worst examples of unbalanced or downright dishonest coverage over the last five years come from the flagship teatime bulletin.
Normally the amateur blogger, unqualified would-be economist and unsuccessful dog-food salesman that BBC Scotland and the Daily Record employ on a regular basis to openly troll Yes voters restricts himself, when attacking this site, to crude abuse or smear and innuendo like the below, tweeted on Holocaust Memorial Day last year:
It’s important to note, firstly, that the version of Sadiq Khan’s speech to the Scottish Labour conference he tweeted on Saturday morning simply flat-out said that Scottish nationalists were the same as racists and sectarian bigots. Its meaning was as clear as crystal to the Daily Record, a newspaper which is hardly hostile to Khan’s party.
“No difference” is a stark and unambiguous phrase. The speech did not contain the hastily-added qualifiers about “in this respect” and “of course I’m not saying the SNP are racist” which suddenly appeared when he read it out onstage that afternoon.
There’s a truly abominable piece of hatemongering in today’s Times. A grotesequely dishonest Nat-bashing smear job based on stupendously misrepresented fragments of quotes, it’s penned by Patrick Harkness, someone who the paper identifies as “a past co-chairman of the RSE [Royal Society of Edinburgh] Young Academy of Scotland”.
For some reason it’s chosen to leave a few lines off his CV.
Readers may be aware that Wings Over Scotland is (fairly remarkably, really) the UK’s second-most-read politics blog, behind the hardcore right-wing “Guido Fawkes”.
Our “competitor” isn’t a site we look at a lot – the comments make the Daily Mail readership seem like enlightened and thoughtful moderates – but last week someone asked us about a smear piece they’d run on SNP MP Corri Wilson, and we only just remembered today to check it out. Our initial findings weren’t well received.
It seems that Mr Fawkes and his minions aren’t too keen on scrutiny themselves.
Since the astonishing election of 56 SNP MPs to the UK Parliament last May, the Unionist media – suddenly deprived of a whole contacts book full of friendly Scottish Labour bench-warmers ready to feed it cosy stories over a boozy expenses lunch in Whitehall – has raked through every bin and gutter in the land looking for anything (however pathetic) that it can try to puff up, distort, and rope into service as “dirt” on each of the Nat members, in an attempt to discredit them and the party.
So let’s just have a little look in here and – YIKES!
The Scottish Daily Mail’s front page lead today is so galactically despicable that it’s easy to overlook another story that it bundles in with the same “SNP BAD” attack.
While excoriating Dr Philippa Whitford for having the sheer shameless gall to help save women’s lives in her holidays, the alleged newspaper also devotes a page-high article to an attack on another Nat MP, George Kerevan, for employing his wife.
Young Lochinvar on Failure To Learn: “Day zero? Would that not be the incumbent Unionist parties at that point in time? Love a bit of unearned…” Jan 6, 05:02
Young Lochinvar on And every day was exactly the same: “Wilma Flintstone @ 6.32 Oh dear! Not so young “unrequited love”.. Have you tw8ts not worked out that your idols,…” Jan 6, 04:47
Peter McAvoy on Failure To Learn: “Regarding anthems I believe that Flower of Scotland was inspired by the Battle of Bannockburn.Then what inspired the Star Spangled…” Jan 6, 02:46
Willie on Failure To Learn: “The creation of an additional bank holiday is not in the gift of the SNP. They do not have the…” Jan 6, 02:12
BLMac on Failure To Learn: “The problem with Scottish fitba is the real men play shinty… 🙂” Jan 5, 23:25
Independent on Failure To Learn: “Just a couple of thoughts from a long time reader/ lurker. Why not a party solely set up to recreate…” Jan 5, 23:22
Dumbarton Rock on Failure To Learn: “We await a decision by Scottish Ministers . Here’s a letter to send to Ivan McKee – send to MinisterPF@gov.scot…” Jan 5, 23:19
Campbell Clansman on Failure To Learn: “How much will it cost (in lost work, tax revenue, etc.) to have this “holiday?” Millions?” Jan 5, 22:15
Scot Finlayson on Failure To Learn: “In 78 Peru were the Copa América cup holders, having beaten Brazil on the way to the final, and beating…” Jan 5, 22:03
Ross on Failure To Learn: “Or they just think it’s a nice idea to signal giving ordinary Scots a day off for the day after…” Jan 5, 21:35
100%Yes on Failure To Learn: “The SNP don’t even mean it. Its a political stunt, all in bad taste, for a party who’s done nothing…” Jan 5, 21:11
Alf Baird on Failure To Learn: ““England is also a non-sovereign state.” Naw, yer wrang thair: England’s parliament was never dissolved in 1707, it continued. England…” Jan 5, 20:56
agentx on Failure To Learn: “A Bank Holiday = a sobering up holiday in Scotland.” Jan 5, 20:52
100%Yes on Failure To Learn: “I was just wondering what is the real state of affairs in the SNP with regards to money and support,…” Jan 5, 20:35
Hatey McHateface on Failure To Learn: “Boycott by who? If President Trump gets oil below $60 permanently, hundreds of millions of people all around the world…” Jan 5, 20:03
Hatey McHateface on Failure To Learn: ““Maybe if we win the World Cup the UN will gie us membership, or at least confirm our Listing for…” Jan 5, 19:55
factchecker on Failure To Learn: “Wrong, Professor. By the same definition, England is also a non-sovereign state. Neither is a colony, according to the UN.” Jan 5, 19:48
David Holden on Failure To Learn: “No need to worry about bank holidays etc because if Trump makes good on his intent to take over Greenland…” Jan 5, 19:48
Hatey McHateface on Failure To Learn: “Wasn’t it “reduced to infantile gimmickry & giveaways” on Day Zero when they all voted themselves medals? Plenty of people…” Jan 5, 19:43
Hatey McHateface on And every day was exactly the same: “Nice one, YL. My 6 YO grandson could never have thought of your “It wisnae me, it wis you” reply.…” Jan 5, 19:38
Alf Baird on Failure To Learn: “Yes, Flower of Scotland is a dirge, a lament, but a lament accurately reflects the grief of our colonial reality,…” Jan 5, 19:30
Tinto Chiel on Off-topic: “Came across this depraved Glaswegian filth yeterday: www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlrUzAmKO1Y Enjoy!” Jan 5, 19:08
100%Yes on Failure To Learn: “Didn’t the owners of Flamingo land donate money to the Tory’s and now reform. I like the song as it…” Jan 5, 18:53
Captain Caveman on And every day was exactly the same: “@Andy Ellis “So you think the only thing that’s relevant is population density? Um, no, not at all? You? Do…” Jan 5, 18:32
Rev. Stuart Campbell on The Gulf War: “Don’t be silly. If you can’t be arsed to vote, you accept either outcome.” Jan 5, 18:27
Rev. Stuart Campbell on Failure To Learn: “To be fair, he actually said “Loch Lomond”.” Jan 5, 18:25
Young Lochinvar on And every day was exactly the same: “H McH @ 9.32 Well, obviously, that would be you. Have lost count of how many contributors here have caught…” Jan 5, 18:15
twathater on And every day was exactly the same: “@ David Holden , OMG you have hit on a very touchy subject David , the Franchise Fanny actually had…” Jan 5, 18:11
Broughty Boy on Failure To Learn: “Jeez. To think how many of us campaigned for Parliament to reopen. 25 years later it’s reduced to infantile gimmickry…” Jan 5, 18:11
100%Yes on Failure To Learn: “Russell Findlay backed calls to replace the Flower of Scotland lyrics anthem are ‘cringe’, says Scottish Tory leader. Mr Findlay…” Jan 5, 17:26
