The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland



Lies, damned lies and welfare reform 28

Posted on July 11, 2012 by

The “No to independence” campaign launched last month, and at its showpiece event we listened to Alistair Darling talk of the things that we’ve shared as the United Kingdom – we heard him talk proudly, for example, of the NHS and the Welfare State. At the same time David Cameron was spelling out future welfare reforms for a system which will exclude the under 25s from housing benefit and which may lead to people on benefits in the South East receiving more money than those in the less affluent areas of Britain. Once again, David Cameron is targeting the poor and the most vulnerable in society in an effort to fix the mess that the rich and the greedy caused.

Read the rest of this entry →

The difference between words and talking 11

Posted on June 21, 2012 by

And so the phoney war rumbles on and gathers pace. The ‘No’ campaign – or whatever it decides to refer to itself as – will be unveiled shortly and we’ve heard (with a certain sense of deja vu) that the SNP has been debating the relative merits of the words “independenT” and “independenCE”. We have independence and Unionist groups galore appearing on Facebook and the web, we’ve got Cybernats and Britnats, republicans and monarchists, hawks and pacifists and goodness knows what else.

In the meantime, I still have the bills to pay, the washing to dry in the incessant rain, the mundane monotony of the “what’s for dinner?” conversations. Today a friend’s daughter is having a baby, while another lady I know has lost her best friend. The neverending cycle of joy and tears, grief and laughter rolls on.

Politicians would do well to stop and think about this – that away from Parliaments ordinary people are still living their everyday lives, and when we occasionally get to lift our noses from the grindstone we might appreciate a little passion from our politicians, a little honesty, some better research, and an end to the sniping and spin that threatens to suffocate the independence debate.

Read the rest of this entry →

Why nationalists aren’t racists 54

Posted on May 31, 2012 by

Despite the launch of the rainbow-coalition Yes campaign on Friday, we’re still fighting the assertion that Scottish nationalism is both racist and bigoted – one typified by a recent article by George Galloway in the Daily Record.

I have to admit to a guilty soft spot for the MP for Bradford West. I know he’s ridiculous in many ways, but I like him. Watching George on Question Time recently, I knew he’d be entertaining and sometimes disrespectful. It’s a nice change from the grey men of politics we usually see. I like the idea that some politicians have the bottle to say and do pretty much what they want and sod everyone else. Not always pleasant and often enough to make your toes curl with embarrassment, George is, at least, a character and we could do with a few more like him in politics.

But as I read the article he wrote for the Record, in which he talked about seeing people who have “what can only be described as a virulent hatred of English people and a belief they are the source of Scotland’s troubles”, I began to wonder what country George was looking at.

Read the rest of this entry →

Weekend: The state of our union 9

Posted on May 19, 2012 by

As part of our continuing look at the people who haven’t yet their minds up about independence, we’re delighted to present this piece by Sue Lyons. If you’re a “Don’t know” too, we’d love to hear from you – why not drop us a line?

I am a mum and a wife. In point of fact, I’m an English wife married to a Scottish husband, with three English children from my first marriage and two Scottish children from my current marriage. Why would I even bother to mention that at all, you might wonder – surely it doesn’t matter where my children were born, surely I love them just the same? And you would be right.

What makes it worth mentioning is that my husband is a Scottish nationalist. In fact, he’s such a Scottish nationalist that were the UK government to say tomorrow “You can have independence for Scotland but you have to pay for it yourself”, he would say, “Where do I sign?”

He describes himself as “rabid” and he’s absolutely right – if you cut off his leg he would have a saltire running through it like a stick of rock (but not Blackpool rock, because that’s in England). Not for him the sitting on the fence that others might do, not for him the idea that you can vote for the SNP and yet still be undecided on independence. John is for an independent Scotland completely and absolutely. That sometimes causes fun and games in our own personal Union – our home.

Read the rest of this entry →

  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,788 Posts, 1,222,241 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • Mark Beggan on Points Into Prongs: “Well put. Couldn’t agree more.Jul 18, 20:57
    • Young Lochinvar on Points Into Prongs: “Meantime NHS Fifes DEI “expert”(sic) Ms Bumba replied when asked to comment on the £9m £6m new (non working) House…Jul 18, 20:38
    • Frank Gillougley on Points Into Prongs: “Having just read all this political bollocks above, the simple thought occurred to me that to compare and contrast what…Jul 18, 19:47
    • Andrew scott on Points Into Prongs: “O/T REV YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE A FIELD DAY WITH THIS SHAMBLES IN FIFEJul 18, 18:45
    • Confused on Points Into Prongs: “Frankly: The revelatory memoir from Scotland’s first female and longest-serving First Minister the greatest living englishmen provides us with much…Jul 18, 18:36
    • twathater on Points Into Prongs: “It just shows the level of contempt this arsehole Swinney and his fellow lying scum noncers have for the people…Jul 18, 18:32
    • Dan on Points Into Prongs: “Sheesh… I only got halfway through the first paragraph and haz concerns Robin is morphing into Kelly Given… https://robinmcalpine.org/scotland-has-no-controlling-intellect/ https://wingsoverscotland.com/the-stupidity-of-vanity/…Jul 18, 18:23
    • twathater on According As We Need Them: “NC I am not a dedicated lover of poetry but I am a lover of the Scots language, our culture…Jul 18, 18:19
    • 100%Yes on Points Into Prongs: “Alf Baird, I would have thought you would have been the best person placed to continue Iain Lawsons blog, Welcome…Jul 18, 18:07
    • socratesmacsporran on Points Into Prongs: “Mark Beggan @ 4.33pm You posted: “Swinney isn’t useless. You are quite correct, Swinney isn’t even competent enough to pass…Jul 18, 17:45
    • Alf Baird on Points Into Prongs: “Swinney and previous SNP leaders since 2015 have been very effective at delaying independence, which is clearly their main purpose,…Jul 18, 17:38
    • Dickie Tea on Points Into Prongs: “VeryJul 18, 17:05
    • joolz on Points Into Prongs: ““the way to deliver independence is only with an emphatic SNP win in 2026”. Goodbye indy. They never learn ?Jul 18, 16:39
    • Mark Beggan on Points Into Prongs: “Swinney isn’t useless. Useless was the other one.Jul 18, 16:33
    • agent x on Points Into Prongs: ““Nicola Sturgeon compared to Barack Obama in ‘sycophantic’ review of new book Nicola Sturgeon was mocked after she was compared…Jul 18, 16:33
    • Hatey McHateface on Points Into Prongs: “It’s a valid point, x. The state of Britain today should be all the evidence a competent Indy movement needs…Jul 18, 16:24
    • Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: “James, back in my student days we fuckology students used to look down on the wankology class. Since graduating, I’m…Jul 18, 16:15
    • Young Lochinvar on Points Into Prongs: “Aye, he’s a real firebrand of a political leader..Jul 18, 16:13
    • Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: ““Scotland, there is no better country in the world” Hmmm. I can defo think of a few. But that’s not…Jul 18, 16:11
    • agent x on Points Into Prongs: ““But I will also be urging people who were not persuaded of the merits of independence in 2014 to see…Jul 18, 16:02
    • sarah on Points Into Prongs: “Thanks for this, Cynicus – I thought Cup hook was updating Diderot. It is even better to know of the…Jul 18, 16:00
    • Mark Beggan on Points Into Prongs: “The BbC used to be known as Aunty until it was revealed as a perverted old Uncle who the rest…Jul 18, 15:59
    • Mike on Points Into Prongs: “Exactly. If Scotland ever achieves independence there will be no need for the National cheerleaders, nor for the SNP, who…Jul 18, 15:57
    • Hatey McHateface on According As We Need Them: ““the Scots might produce works which show the Scots existing without, before, in no need of, and in no relation…Jul 18, 15:56
    • Hatey McHateface on Points Into Prongs: “That’s 10 minutes I won’t ever see again.Jul 18, 15:48
    • Doug on Points Into Prongs: “Professional politicians of all estlished parties continue to separate themselves from their traditional support base. I can see Swinney greetin…Jul 18, 15:35
    • 100%Yes on Points Into Prongs: “If people commenting in The National about Swinney being useless and lets remember these are the Sturgeon loyalist so It…Jul 18, 15:29
    • agent x on Points Into Prongs: ““Dr Pitt outlined what happened on that night when she came across Dr Upton, saying she “looked very shaken, distressed…Jul 18, 15:28
    • 100Yes on Points Into Prongs: “I just want to take a minute and have a little giggle. For me I left the SNP in 2015…Jul 18, 15:24
    • Andew scott on Points Into Prongs: “He was SOBBING big girls blouse(that’s the problem) -he is a six foot man +peggie much smallerJul 18, 15:09
  • A tall tale



↑ Top