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The Cuckoos

Posted on July 05, 2024 by

Don’t say we don’t tell you this stuff, readers.

Because we always do.

We figured this one out after a little while too.

Because the answer is that yes, in the short term they do. Reform knew that the way their vote was spread out they’d get very few MPs for their votes under the First Past The Post electoral system.

Each seat won by Reform effectively cost them a little over 1 million votes, by far the costliest in the election. By comparison, the Lib Dems – who got 600,000 fewer votes – got an MP for every 49,000 – just 1/20th of the price.

(The Tories’ MPs came at a similar cost – 56,000 votes each – while Labour’s were the cheapest of all, at 23,500 votes each. Sinn Fein got a bargain at 30,000 a pop, the SNP’s cost 79,000 votes a head and the Greens got stung for 485,000.)

But Nigel Farage’s party are playing a longer game. In 2019 his Brexit Party stood in well under half of seats, giving the Tories a clear run to secure a majority and “get Brexit done”. But this year he went in for the kill.

He knew that if you want to achieve power in a particular sector of politics, you have to first take out the main player in that sector, and to do that you need to weaponise your opponents. So he set out to help Keir Starmer deliver a mortal blow to the Tories by splitting the right-wing vote, with spectacular success.

(The election results show that Labour would have struggled to even be the biggest party in a hung Parliament without Reform, let alone have a colossal majority.)

It’s a lesson that Reform’s obvious parallel in Scotland, Alba, has been slow to learn. They’ve wasted years offering olive branches to the SNP only to be beaten around the head with them.

(In fairness, that’s not entirely dissimilar to Farage’s approach to the Tories, but since Farage had already shown that it didn’t work, Alba should have noted the example.)

Alba now have two vital years to try to seize the initiative, with few of the advantages Farage enjoyed (constant media coverage, wealthy donors and a whole slew of very supportive newspapers). It does have some experienced and talented people, and a charismatic and wily leader who is more than a match for Farage but who as yet hasn’t put the SNP fully in his crosshairs.

But after last night, John Swinney’s party are a mess of broken shells, as vulnerable as they’ll ever be to being evicted from the cosy nest they’ve made for themselves. Alba need to be merciless now, or die. Don’t say we didn’t tell you. We always do.

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Big Jock

Well if Salmond can get the truth out there, and in the courts. He might just persuade enough Yes voters to back Alba in 2026.

To be honest I think the SNP will just think they can carry on to Holyrood 2026. With the same lazy arrogant non campaign. They appear to be incapable of self reflection, or even business acumen.

They also refuse to acknowledge that Yes voters are utterly disgusted with them. Swinney is the lamest of all lame ducks. He was so before any election was called.

Maybe there will be a home for Jo Cherry etc in Alba. That might be how Alba win this thing. The dregs will be left in the SNP and ScotLab.

I heard the new MP for Kilmarnock and she makes Mhairi Black sound articulate. The people have elected even dimmer MPs than the SNP mps they rejected.

Ian

Sometimes Stu, I honestly think we need to burn you as a witch.

100%Yes

The SNP focused on Sturgeon instead of Independence and what did we get a monster who became our enemy and held back Independence, the Alba party has went the same way as the SNP and focused on Salmond instead of the Alba Party you can’t get to Alba without tripping on salmond ego.

Best thing for the SNP and the Alba Party is for both parties to rid themselves of Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond its time for a new generation who’ll take us to Independence.

Campbell Clansman

Reform took note of the fact that many Conservative-leaning voters looked upon Sunak et al as “Blue Labour”–a “Conservative” Party that had abandoned what its voters desired. Reform had a message, one that appealed to far more voters than did Alba’s.

Reform gave those voters something to vote for.

Reform didn’t call upon its supporters to avoid voting, or to spoil their ballots, like many Indy activists did. Reform realized that such childish tactics sends a message to politicians all right–the message that people who do such things can be ignored, because they choose not to have a voice.

Dan

Farage content:
I posted this a couple of weeks back, has anybody actually seen a display of political nous and tactics in supposedly Pro-Indy leaders that comes close to being able to compete with the likes of this.
Folk need to wise up and remember just what we are up against.

link to wingsoverscotland.com

Fortunately archived this BettGunther twitter thread.

link to archive.is

Sven

One can only hope that Mr Salmond, the wiliest and most astute politician of his generation (my view) will now arouse himself from his torpor and step forward like a giant awakening to take the political gloves off and really open up on the troughing pygmies who have wasted the past 10 years.
Mr Farage and Reform have demonstrated the groundswell of enthusiasm and commitment achievable in only 5-6 weeks when their supporters experience almost any degree of genuine leadership. (Or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof).
With the calibre of independence supporting individuals in Scotland and a proven winner in a leading position the next 18 – 24 months could yet prove to be the best opportunity since 2014 to advance.

Andy Ellis

Ceterum autem censeo delendam esse SNP.

Acta non verba.

Cuphook

If you want a picture of the SNP imagine Murray Foote stamping on independence forever.

There are still good people in the SNP. Alba need to attack and point out that the SNP is not the party it once was.

Salmond broke the electoral system when every media outlet was against him. He needs to accept that the SNP is the enemy and work that magic again.

Richardinho

so what’s the end goal? to make the SNP lose an election? they’ve already done that! to follow the Reform example, presumably you expect Farage to do some deal with the Conservative party in the near future, or at least reform itself to be more like Reform? but the difference is that Reform are an electoral force; Alba are not. it would be a different case if Alba had been the cause of the SNP’s downfall in this election, but it wasn’t. and if the argument is that the SNP needs an electoral disaster to force it change course, then we should be seeing that now. Alba have nothing to do with it

Ian McCubbin

Well true about Alba they need to get though. Denise Finlay has a post out on Facebook saying exactly what they need to do.
I hope their executive read it and take action, and distance from SNP ASAP.

Ted

AS is certainly as charismatic as NF and Alba should have been doing the same as you correctly say Reform have done. Take out the biggest enemy first. Reform cost the Tories this election and have piled up votes and percentages in Scotland and Wales along with England. The aim is the regrouping of the Right as is happening all over Europe. Just look at how close to Labour they are in over 100 seats. They would have got nowhere if like Alba with the SNP they had waited for the Tories to implode. In the process of destroying the Tories they have already made big inroads into the Labour vote too which is their next target during the coming few years.600 thousand more votes than the LibDems. (Is Reform third largest party if you only count votes?. Of course they have identified the core issues that move the electorate which is why they have done so well throughout the whole UK. But it defies logic that if Alba are confident that there is still up to 50 percent in favour of Indy they don’t organise to do a “Reform” on the SNP. It only makes sense if perhaps the truth is that the results for Labour, Tories, Lib Dems but especially Reform UK, show that the indy tide has turned in Scotland as it has in Wales. If anybody can bring that back surely it would be AS and Alba?

Tommo

Andy Ellis
Ignored says:
5 July, 2024 at 8:47 pm
Ceterum autem censeo delendam esse SNP.’

Nemo me impune lacessit-and best wishes to all at number 23

Livionian

Could reform’s one million votes per MP be the costliest in any election?

David Wardrope

@ 100% Yes at 8:25pm

Problem with that is that someone has to front the party, and leaders tend not to come without ego

ScottieDog

Don’t stop doing what you’re doing Mr Campbell.

Willie Anderson

Any idea what the SNP membership is now?

Doug

As the Rev says Farage has constant media coverage, rich donors and newspaper support. Salmond and Alba do not. Farage will probably get more support in England. His particular brand of sleazy English/Britishness will, however, help to antagonise a major proportion of the Scottish electorate, not just the pro independence part, which in turn will help to undermine the union.

Campbell Clansman

“St. Alex to the Rescue!”

The same St. Alex who created the SNP as a serious party? The same St. Alex who promoted Sturgeon and Humza to leadership positions? The same St. Alex who kept the current SNP leader (Swinney, as of today) in positions of power?

Farage can rightly position himself as an outsider to Tory voters. St. Alex can’t do the same with SNP voters.

FionaN

In criticising Alba and AS for not being assertive enough to build recognition, I think people are in danger of forgetting that, whereas Alba has to fight to gain any media attention whatsoever, Farage has never been out of the limelight for weeks and weeks, he has been everywhere on tv, in the papers, right out there in full view and almost lauded by MSM. That is the reason he has made such progress – and also his british nationalism which is so attractive to so many of the sun/record type racist voters in England who are already well stirred up by anti-migrant/foreigner rhetoric and have been since they were persuaded to ‘take back control’ via brexshit. If Alex, Neil and Kenny had half the tv exposure that farage was handed on a plate, they would also have made progress.

One thing sure, AS has unfortunately lost his fire and his efforts to return to that way of being look a bit contrived. I suspect that he is allowing the likes of Taz, the toothless auld ewe in lambs clothing, to have too much input and too much of an advisory role – she is extremely contrived and unauthentic as people realise even subconsciously. Even Kenny isn’t what he used to be and to put him up against Eva Comrie was a major blunder- whose, in Alba, idea was that then?

It is clear from reading posts today on social media, that the snp still haven’t learned to listen, they are still playing the smear and bitter bile cards that helped get them in this mess, so it seems unlikely that the Yes movement will resolve the gaping chasms between factions before 2026. I believe I will be yet another lifelong indy supporter who will be six foot under before ever I hold a Scottish passport.

Tommy

The SNP is not really a “party” anywhere (hence why they do not woo voters, only chase away their own supporters). They are basically a crime syndicate whose whole reason for existing is to cover up, for as long as possible, the crimes committed by Gender Woo Woo Mammy & associates. Politics comes second.

Alba (or a new alternative) has to be like Reform and start speaking a bit more openly about what the SNP has been up to. Why the silence? You only live once. If Salmond hauds his wheesht any longer, he will be deid and it won’t make any difference!

To be honest, I have never bought Salmond’s astuteness, but that is just my own distant opinion, as I am pretty removed from Scottish politics. The closest thing to a Scottish Nigel Farage is staring at you in the face; it is the writer of this blog.

The indy movement needs a sort of Joan of Arc to come up, identifying with the colour white (purity/innocence from crime, i.e. the SNP crime syndicate). There are tons of good people in Alba and beyond. But it needs to be half of professional politicians (Eva Cumrie, Ash Regan, Joanna Currie) and half of stalwarts of the indy movement (Stu, possibly Tommy Sheridan, Phil Boswell, Iain Lawson).

Yes, Reform are “populists”. But “populism” is lacking in Scotland in the sense of open speaking. Except, as far as I can see, in Wings over Scotland. There needs to be a sort of marriage between Wings, Alba and other leading lights (Ewings) who will focus on “cleansing” Scotland of the SNP crime syndicate – just as Farage got stuck into the Tories for their “crime” (in English voters’ minds) of betraying their voters (which is exactly what the SNP did – so where is our “Reform”?).

Oneliner

Salmond knows where the bodies are buried. Swinney will never hand him a spade.

Athanasius

Farage is a slash-and-burner, but sometimes you need to slash and burn. There really is such a thing as creative chaos.

gm

Tommy
Ignored
says:
5 July, 2024 at 9:39 pm

The SNP is not really…

The same people run the SNP today as ran it under Sturgeon. Salmond needs to clear the air and Sturgeon and her team need to go to jail. The SNP will neither recover or die until that happens and the evil twisted bastards will destroy every attempt to unify a movement to keep themselves and their money safe.

Geri

I think you were right about something else you said ages ago.

Along the lines of the whole fecking lot need to go.

Scotland needs an attack dog to take on the establishment & the incompetent procession of dross civil servants polluting Scotland.

We don’t need some wishy washy pish artist endlessly trying to appeal to a Velociraptors *better nature* They don’t have one so understand & take it in.

As for Farage on the media 24/7. True BUT plenty of *alternative media* channels are available & there’s no excuse for not maxing out the FREE media as X, Facebook, YouTube, Tiktok etc.

Can we please now all move on from the dregs left in the SNP & start to discuss other things.

Big Jock

Worth pointing out that the Estonian people. Who became disillusioned with their political parties over independence. Took matters into their own hands. Eventually resulting in independence due to their tangible actions.

This was essentially a popular front. The dog wagging the tail. At the moment in Scotland the tail is wagging the dog. The SNP are the ones deciding when indi is on the agenda, then the media and opposition parties.

Until the people rise up. This will result in inertia. Because parties like the SNP think its too difficult. We need to take over, it’s our country.

PacMan

Hate to rain on everyone’s parade but I can’t help but feel that the parallel’s between Reform and Alba is unwarranted.

Everybody has experienced English exceptionalism but at home, when in England and abroad but at least they are willing at forgo short term pain or long term gain as seen with the economic pain caused by Brexit and splitting the Tory vote in this election.

Contrast with politics here in Scotland where we are still fighting the events of over 40 years ago with Thatcherism and elevating into folk legend for instance the Kenmure Street protests concerining Indian Sikh asylums seekers who had lived in Scotland for over 10 years and lets be honest wouldn’t genuine persecution if they returned home.

We Scots are stuck in the past, fighting the fights of the past and stuck in shadow of English exceptionalism where we try our hardest to by the opposite. We are never going to forge ourselves a future until we find a different path and that isn’t going to happen unless we have we control of our education system and media to help our fellow Scots see a different way forward.

alan scott

I think Stuart’s analysis of Reform /Conservative and SNP/Alba is wrong. While SNP and Alba want exactly the same thing Reform and the Conservative party as constituted up until 4 July had very different policy objectives. Reform stuffed the Tories not because they wanted to hand Sir Kier a victory but because they espoused what were once Tory values. Personal responsibility, free markets to allocate resources, a small state and defending the nation state.
They put forward different policies which the SNP and Alba can’t. They both want the same thing so why should I vote for Alba rather than SNP. There is no product differentiation.

Hatuey

The same people that are saying the independence movement is dead now are the same ones that said it after the referendum in 2014. There was probably a better case for saying it back then.

The movement needs new leadership and when it finds it we can expect it to grow even stronger. I am certain that providence will supply that leadership…

One of the most promising things that has happened recently is the softening of the once rigid constitutional fault line that ran through Scottish politics. It has happened unnoticed and without fanfare in the background as people from both sides of the constitutional divide met in the middle to unite against the diabolical policies of the SNP.

Nobody could have predicted that sort of development just a couple years ago. There’s a level of respect and willingness to communicate across the constitutional divide that simply wasn’t there before and it bodes well for the next referendum when we are faced with the task of trying to convince “no” voters to vote “yes”.

There are obvious dots to be joined in all this but now is not the time.

Shug

I would love to see Salmond pull in tallent like Ms Cherry. There are really great people no longer tied to the SNP.

There are also quite a few plonkers incapable of rational thought to ve avoided

Shug

There is only one person with any degree of strategic thought and it is Salmond

Big Jock

Independence is only dead for the SNP. They are only one political party, they are not the movement. The movement elect politicians to carry out their objectives. If they don’t,they get sacked.

The SNP have been sacked by the movement. This is actually positive change. Like getting rid of a bad manager who has been sitting on his arse for 5 years.

An organisation doesn’t liquidate when they sack a CEO. They appoint a new one, to do as the shareholders instructed.

Our next step is to find a new political vehicle for our movement. It’s not going to be easy, but completely necessary. The first step on this journey is a people’s convention.

Devolution only happened when the people forced our politicians into action. If there had been no convention , then devolution wouldn’t have been on the agenda.

There were at least 3 political parties in the convention. But they weren’t running the show. It was citizen driven. Because if we let politicians take over, then they decide for us. This has been the mistake since 2014. Nicola has been deciding the timetable. She came out with excuse after excuse. A convention would not let one person dictate terms or strategy.

The SNP have been controlling the movement. They have had too much power. This has now ended.

Garrion

If I were to asked who was the most adept, brilliant, focused and strategic politician we have ever had, I would without doubt point to Salmond, however, the man has been attacked and undermined and harried for much of his political career by the dark forces of the British establishment (and friends thereof) for those precise reasons (the fuckaround that Sturgeon was the face of was not the first, although despite it’s staggering and shambolic incompetence, it succeeded). I can only imagine the stress and pain that he has had to endure.

Scots are a funny bunch. We’re still very tribal, inasmuch as we’re always seeking a leader to embody whatever aim or goal we collectively desire.

This is always going to be an exploitable weakness – few individuals can survive the attentions of the dark arts for long. I believe that Sturgeon, who was 100th of the politician and human that Salmond was is a case in point.

Salmond is not the answer to the problem of independence. He may yet be a key agent in its achievement. Active campaigning by the Scottish people, as many and as loudly as possible, focused on the single issue of independence and all the injustices and harms that being a vassal state entails, is the answer. They can crucify an individual, but they can’t crucify everyone. So the challenge and question is, how can we catalyze that?

David Hannah

Superb commentary from Wings Over Scotland. The best political commentator in Scotland. And Britain. You have a gift Stuart. Like no other. It’s remarkable what you do.

And you put up with all my crazed comments at times.

I love you blog. You’re a truth teller. An incredible journalist. One of the greats of Scotland. You’re up there with Alex Salmond in my opinion on giants of Scottish politics.

I agree with you. I’m with Alba all the way. With your insight Alba can become the new nationalist home and the new vehicle for Independence.

David Hannah

“Even Kenny isn’t what he used to be and to put him up against Eva Comrie was a major blunder- whose, in Alba, idea was that then?”

Get Eva Comrie back in the Alba Party. Make her the woman’s convenor. She’s a class act. more than 800 people voted for her. She’s loved by many in her area. Hopefully this labour man that’s been voted in will do something to save Grangemouth oil refinery.

I actually feel really uplifted since the election. Like we’ve all been vindicated. I was just glad I had a party to vote for in Alba. Thank goodness for the candidates that stood. As spoiling my ballot at the last council elections is not good for your self esteem.

I’m glad Farage stepped in. Sunak deserved to go. Seeing guys like Jacob Rees Mogg and Penny Morodaunt losing their seats. Absolutely magic ahaha. YESSS!

Also. Tell Alex Salmond to get himself on I’m a celebrity. He’d be brilliant in the Jungle and he might lose a few pounds. We need him in tip top condition going into his 70s. Presidential style. Good luck to everyone enjoy your summer holidays when you can!

gm

alan scott
Ignored
says:
5 July, 2024 at 10:31 pm

I think Stuart’s analysis of …

I think that is a good point. I would come at it from a slightly different angle though and say that the SNP, Tory, labour, lib dem, green are all part of the same political club and offer the same opportunities of money and status to the same types of cynical people who want to join that club. None of them, now, are real political party’s. They are fronts for the same types of performance actors. with much the same outlook who could easily have pitched up and stood wearing any of their rosettes. Alba appeared to be offering an alliance with this charade or maybe as an ally of or a cut down version of SNP. Farage is offering English nationalism and is talking in straightforward terms about important issues when there is no interest at all anywhere inside ‘the club’ to tackle or debate them pr sometimes even recognize that these issues exist.

Geri

Forget Cherry.

She’d ample popularity & ample time to call time on the SNPs impending train wreck under Sturgeon. She went along with the Brexshit pish too (trying to reverse her own mandate & overthrow another country’s democratic vote in the process) concerned herself with Westminsters Sovereignty instead of her own country’s & took up the cause of gay rights in parliament.

None of the above was anything to do with what she was actually fucking voted into government to do. English pish that didn’t concern US.

You’d think a savvy KC would’ve been a lot smarter eh?
There’s another clue.
Kings council. Baubles & pieces of eight…

There in NO ONE good left in the SNP. The only good ones were the ones that left ages ago through principle & leaving voluntary. There is no saving the shit that’s just been ejected or the dross sitting in Holyrood either. The Ewing’s included. They’re only interested in their pay packet cause they knew Sturgeons game long before this day arrived & did absolutely nothing about it. Now they’ll go bust. Good riddance.

& This news just in for the yoons crawing. Reform helped Labour win cause the UK is about to be royally fucked by the financial crash that’s coming just round the corner & Labour will carry the can until it’s safe for the Tories to regroup & crawl back out from their sewers to take power again once the worst of it is over.

David Hannah

The Dream Shall Never Die. With Alex Salmond.

I’ve been reading this “Wee Ginger Dug.”

Wee Ginger Dug says “is over as a political project.”

Alba is only beginning.

My analysis on the whole Scotland United campaign was it was a good idea. Salmond tried everything he could to save the SNP.

It’s time to destroy the SNP in Holyrood 2026. And take all the list seats. Let’s up the anti.

We want to know where the missing 600K is stolen from yes voters.

We want to know about the James Hamilton redacted report that shows it was a blatant conspiracy.

We want Alex Salmond to have the £3 million he deserves from the malicious prosecution. I know big Eck reads this. We’re with you all the way.

Set the truth free!

David Hannah

Big Jock: “The SNP have been sacked by the movement. This is actually positive change. Like getting rid of a bad manager who has been sitting on his arse for 5 years.”

I actually feel amazing. I feel great. It meant so much to me to see those seats going to Labour and the Tories. I was cheering on every SNP MP losing their seat.

What was once a monolithic entity, standing tall against the winds of unionism, now finds itself besieged by those who feel it has strayed from its original path.

The SNP, in its quest for independence, became embedded within the mechanisms of the British political framework it sought to escape. This perceived entrenchment has not gone unnoticed by the ardent supporters of the Yes movement. They have risen, with the fervour and determination reminiscent of the very spirit that once fuelled the SNP’s rise, to challenge the party’s direction and reclaim the mantle of Scotland’s independence!

Ruby Saturday

Ceterum autem censeo delendam esse SNP.

Acta non verba.

Fuck sake! Who does he think he is? The Pope!

GrahamG

Cannot fault your analysis Stu.
Reform picked their pitch very astutely this time. Their message was a somewhat tweaked version of what the Tories were too shy to say out loud and they split that vote based on where the Tories didn’t quite go far enough to placate their normal electorate.
They also stuck to genuine, if sometimes misplaced, concerns. The UK, and particularly Scottish electorate are very much small ‘C’ conservative about a great many things. Punting a progressive agenda is not the best idea given that there is so much to criticise regarding some of the wilder things that the SNP have put forwards, so that should have been an easy wedge to drive into their support. People are fed up with austerity and the SNP are vulnerable with their stupid tax policies and virtue-signalling legislation. Alba should, like Farage does, just stick to a message that largely appeals to most reasonable people, and which is missing from the SNP – otherwise nothing else that they try will be palatable enough to get mainstream appeal. Then again, it’s going to be Labour now, which if Alba are astute enough, should be shooting fish in a barrel as their policies start to fall apart under the inevitable weight of public expectations.
Truly, we live in interesting times.

David Hannah

We’ve done it ladies and gents. We’ve toppled the SNP! Well in.

You deserve to celebrate tonight. God bless you all. And wings over scotland.

Outstanding work!

Big Jock

The SNP still have a way to fall. Interesting parallels with the Party Quebecas.

They disintegrated when they dropped sovereignty.

link to en.m.wikipedia.org

Brian Doonthetoon

Hi Geri.

You typed,
“As for Farage on the media 24/7. True BUT plenty of *alternative media* channels are available & there’s no excuse for not maxing out the FREE media as X, Facebook, YouTube, Tiktok etc.”

The problem is that the average person on the Fintry bus gets their news from BBC Scotland, STV, The Courier and The Tully or the Scottish regional versions of the mainstream printed press. They don’t form their opinions from stuff they haven’t read on the web, because the web is an entertaining distraction, that’s all.

Geri

What would get most appeal would be abstention.

Absolutely nothing can be gained by taking seats to sit through endless debates about shit that we’ve hee-haw chance of influencing or changing. Absolutely nothing will be gained making an arse of themselves trying either. Scotland will always be the subject of their ridicule.

We’ve just had ten years of it & all it’s achieved is kill the SNP stone deid because they became distracted & embroiled by endless drivel they’d no business interfering in. They had ONE job. Independence. Instead they meddled in every English psychodrama that inflicts the English on a daily basis. They’ll always have a crisis. It’s what they do.

Win seats & then abstain like Sinn Fein. What the SNP should have done in 2017 & again in 2019.

Geri

Brian

The web may be an entertaining distraction for you but not for others & especially not for young ppl who are on mobiles & tablets.

Alternative news is huge with huge views & huge (free) subscription followers & best of all, it’s not given a script to follow so ppl get the real story & not the glossed over MSM version of half truths & spin.

It’s also FREE. Alba & others could have had podcasts, YouTube channels, been guests on alternative media or even started their own.

But please gawd, if they ever do, please find someone that knows how to use a microphone FFS! LOL. I’ve lost count of the ones I’ve switched off cause of poor sound.

Andouilette

Ruby, the Latin is an adapted quote from Cato and very apt. it means “Furthermore, I consider the SNP to need to be destroyed”. In the original it was Carthage.
The second line translates to “Acts, not words”
I am not the pope, I just like Latin!

Andouilette

Ruby, the Latin is an adapted quote from Cato and very apt. it means “Furthermore, I consider the SNP to need to be destroyed”. In the original it was Carthage.
The second line translates to “Acts, not words”
I am not the Pope, I just like Latin!
I would add the following; “Nil desperandum”!

Geri

I should also add that according to the BBC a lot of Scots don’t have a TV licence. Obviously may still be watching but I suspect most don’t.

I don’t have a license or pay the rags subscription/pay wall fees either.

I watch streaming services as I suspect many others do these days. I think it’s only people of a certain age who still get their news from an actual television programme live.. social media is always way ahead.

Campbell Clansman

Funny how the Moonhowlers claim that the media promoted Farage/Reform when the actual fact is just the opposite. The media did their best to shut down Reform’s message.

Remember the BBC Question Time party leaders “debate” where Farage and Reform were excluded, even though the LibDems and the SNP leaders (both polling less than Reform) were invited? For the amnesiacs here, visit link to uk.news.yahoo.com

In the real world, Alba and ISP got far more media attention than their miniscule public support deserved.

Kcor

Absolutely right.

Alex Salmond is much greater than Farage but was far too “polite” to the SNP despite how they conspired to get him locked up on false charges of rape.

The two ALBA MPs had a perfect opportunity to reveal the identities of Salmond’s accusers at Westminster but were too stupid to take it.

Same with Craig Murray. He could and should have exposed all of the conspirators before the gag came in, but spectacularly failed to do so, ending up in jail instead.

I am delighted that the biggest opportunist of all, Cherry, has lost her seat.

She did ZERO for independence while she was a Westminster MP.

Fat use to Scotland were her attempts to force the reopening of Westminster.

A warning in advance to those gullible independence supporters who will now hope for her to lead the SNP.

She is more ambitious than the biggest tractor in Scottish history.

What stopped her from joining ALBA?

Her ambition to lead.

How many WoS posters got an SNP MP elected in their constituency because they were too stupid to take the Rev. Stuart Campbell’s advice to vote tactically against the SNP, even if it meant voting for an obnoxious unionist?

Short term pain for long term freedom.

As the Rev. Stuart Campbell says, Alba now have two vital years to try to seize the initiative.

For that to happen, first Alex Salmond will need to become ruthless with everyone who tried to frame him – starting with biggest tractor in Scottish history.

Second, extremely gullible independence supporters will need to start following the advice of those smarter than themselves.

If the 100% trustable Rev. Stuart Campbell advises to vote tactically for a unionist to get the SNP out, you have to do it, no ifs, no buts.

High principles will not bring independence from the wily British establishment and the enemy within in a billion years.

Geri

The only moonhowler here is you.

Reform & Farage weren’t an elected party in Westminster, ya fud.

ScottieDog

It is going to be fascinating over the coming months. Given the combined vote for reform and the tories, starmer has to go some way to placate the right – I doubt he’s going to look left. So how will this go down in Scotland, and how will the new ‘Scottish’ contingent of labour MPs react? I think we all know, they will meekly obey the whip. It needs exposed, again and again, between now and the Scottish elections.

Campbell Clansman

1%-of-the-vote-Geri: Glad to see you admit that the party polling 3rd in the race and sometimes 2nd (Reform) was excluded from the debate.
Which of course confirms the point I made, that the media was doing their best to downplay Reform, not promote Reform.

David Hannah

Alba needs to go full blood and soil with some cultural protectionism. With reform coming third in lots of places in Glasgow – even though the candidate for Anniesland never set foot in Glasgow! Salmond wants the 600,000 homes built in Glasgow. We need a natives first policy. Houses for the Scots.

The foreigners wouldn’t like it! and we need some benefit sanctions for newcomers! That would go down well!

Geri

You don’t confirm any point.

The debate was between the four main parties in Westminster. It wasn’t a debate where everyone was to be included because of some random polling figure.

And as for Farage – he’s not been off the telly, radio, talkshows & newspapers since his UKipper days. He was practically part of the BBC furniture at Question time & has a whole TV station with GB news to punt his right wing message so do pipe down with yer bullshit & stop crying he wasn’t on a *leadership* debate when he didn’t even qualify at the time. He wasn’t in Westminster.

David Hannah

Scotland needs its own tartan day. Every city in Scotland needs its own tartan day parade. We’ve got all these multicultural festivals in Glasgow – The MELA for example I went to then went to watch the Scotland game in the pub. The MELA was an Indian/pakistani festival. I respect that it’s their day out.

We need a national house building corporation as big Eck said.

600,000 homes I like that. Nationalise the housing stock if that’s even possible.

Nationalise the energy. Housing. Energy. Priority 101.

And then transport. Nationalise the buses but BRING PRICES DOWN!!

We’ve got our airport Prestwick. Time to launch our own Airline. ScotAIR. With the saltire and tartan seats. And put on the Map!

Fucking nationalise everything that’s what I say.

And make the immigrants pay for it! In higher taxes!

Geri

What is Reform offering Scotland?

Absolutely nothing.

David Hannah

link to simpleflying.com

This is what we need for Prestwick. Air Scotland. Our own Jetliner to challenge British Airways.

I want to see the Saltire flying high in the sky. Across to Canada. Australia and the United States.

It’s a shame that a labour Government has just been voted in hasn’t it?

It’s all pie in the sky isn’t it?

David Hannah

link to yesterdaysairlines.com

No way. The Highland express. Why have we not got these things anymore.

We need Saltires everywhere. On the sides of our trains. On our logos. Our buses. Our trains. We need to restore Scottish pride.

And not a transgender flag in sight. and we need to say this is what we want so it offends all the right people. and attracts support.

Hatuey

ScottieDog: “how will the new ‘Scottish’ contingent of labour MPs react? I think we all know, they will meekly obey the whip. It needs exposed, again and again, between now and the Scottish elections…”

Nah. Criticising SLAB would just help the SNP. That’s how these things work.

We’ll talk about SLAB when the SNP ceases to exist.

Geri

& why wouldn’t we do that? It’s Slab that’s in power now via their imperial master. They’re not a different party.

Geri

David

Aye, it’s pie in the sky.

Remember during indyref they were to be blown up lol Incase an immigrant arrived in England via the backdoor.

So I hardly think the Britnats would be up for funding increasing travel.

Go look the figures of Prestwick before & after Indyref. It looks like it’s being deliberately run into the ground & business diverted.

What Scotland needs is more Andy Wightman’s to expose who exactly owns what.

jockmcx

This is a request,a plea,a last resort,probably the last post I will ever make on this site,…
I have supported the snp most of my life (put up my first snp poster in my window when I was about 14 year.s old}…

suffered a lot through the thatcher era…recovered, or should I say survived!…i am now OK…but I don’t forget.

I am now 63 years old…(wow think about that..(a whole lifetime,shat on by the revolting things that asked for my support,..got it,and then abused it…

Why then (and this is the plea}…to theREV STU,or anybody else here…Why the fuck should i bother my arse with Scottish people or Scotland anymore,…why! I can’t even stand the sight of a man in a kilt these day’s….Why should I not become a self serving selfish tory cunt and say to hell with those idiot voter’s who continue, even after this election to so support the rancid sturgeon and the snp.

I don’t know what else to say,…

twathater

David Hannah says:
6 July, 2024 at 2:26 am

“Alba needs to go full blood and soil with some cultural protectionism. With reform coming third in lots of places in Glasgow – even though the candidate for Anniesland never set foot in Glasgow!”

Salmond the GREAT strategist according to some, has, alongside his bitter rivals the woke monster snp has been endlessly pushing the civic progressive mantra inviting all comers and anyone interested in telling Scots how they should exist that they will have a vote on our constitutional future whilst languishing at 1% of the vote , the snp have just been RAVISHED because they are more interested in deviants and perverts than they are in ORDINARY people
YET Reform a party of mostly english centric interests and views is gaining and stealing votes after only a few weeks of forming, you can say that the english suffer from exceptionalism or are racist or bigoted but they are VOTING for what THEY want and it is blood and soil nationalism, Take Back Control is their mantra
ALBA and SNP is FUCK Scots everybody else comes first

Charles Hodgson

Brilliant analysis from Stu.
Alba need to get behind destroying the SNP, like Reform have done to the Tories.
Does Salmond have what it takes to be the kind of bastard Farage or Galloway are to their former parties?
Or will he be the meek Corbyn like figure who will plead forever more for reconciliation?
He will need to develop a Killer instinct in order to destroy and replace the SNP in 2026.
Like Sturgeon tried to do to him
“No compromise in the name of truth.” (Una Baine, Blue Orchids, 1982)

Charles Hodgson

Brilliant analysis from Stu.
Alba need to get behind destroying the SNP, like Reform have done to the Tories.
Does Salmond have what it takes to be the kind of bastard Farage or Galloway are to their former parties?
Or will he be the meek Corbyn like figure who will plead forever more for reconciliation?
He will need to develop a Killer instinct in order to destroy and replace the SNP in 2026.
Like Sturgeon tried to do to him
“No compromise in the name of truth.” (Una Baines, Blue Orchids, 1982)

jockmcx

I am very,very angry…and even more so with the likes of that indy truck dopey and his dumbell’s…that refused to see the truth…go read a book or something you dimwit’s…!

jockmcx

Last word,
Just to be clear…As a lifetime supporter (and still) supporter of
Scottish independence…I will never give my vote,never give a penny,
and never give anything else to anything supportive of of the snp!

(if that was the plan all along,then well done You).

DISGUSTED…
jockmcx…have a nice life,…bye!

jockmcx

this was me,
link to youtube.com

Now,
I’m just disgusted..

Peter A Bell

“The independence movement fared badly in the General Election 2024 and while much will be written about the failings of the SNP. It is important not to forget the ALBA party and the reasons why they have been unable to make an impact.” – Denise Findlay

link to denisefindlay.org

Luigi

To be fair, a snap WM election was always going to be a difficult one for Alba. I think that showing a presence in a handful of constituencies was the right thing to do at this stage. Forage gave the tories a chance to get Brexit done before he took the gloves off. The SNP also got their chance,
they destroyed themselves effectively now Alba have to up their game. Huge numbers of Independence supporters stayed at home on Thursday. After 2 years of Labour WM rule they will be raging. Holyrood 2026 will be existential. If a timid SNP try business as usual yet again then Alba need to fight hard and contest every single seat – list and constituency. No more Mr Nice guy. Our future is at stake.

Ruby Saturday

Geri
Ignored
says:
6 July, 2024 at 2:43 am

What is Reform offering Scotland?

Absolutely nothing.

They were offering to get the rainbow flags out of schools and replace them with Union Jacks.

That might appeal to some in Scotland.

Some may have just focused on getting the rainbow flags out of schools part.

It would be interesting to know how much the gender woo woo stuff influenced the voting.

I know you think it’s a trivial issue Geri but I’m not convinced it is.

Of course that might be because that is what I’m principally focused on.

I’m even wondering now if there was homophobia involed in Joanna Cherry & Neale Hanvey losing their seats.

There might be a lot of people who don’t know the difference between LGB & LGBTQ+ and just lump them all together and think it’s all gender woo-woo.

I think you said yourself you were becoming a bit homophobic.

How much damage has TQ+ done to the LGBs?

I noticed Eva Comrie gained more votes than Kenny MacAskil Eva 2.1% Kenny 1.5%.

Not quite sure why I thought that was important to note at the moment but there must be some lesson to be learned from this result

PS I can’t remember what else was on the Reform manifesto I’ll need to go back and have a proper look. If I were pushed to make an assessment at the moment I would say it seemed all like just common sense.

Ruby Saturday

Number of out LGBTQ+ MPs falls following election – but Labour has a reason to be proud

Just spotted this headline on Pink News.

I haven’t read it but maybe my idea of homophobia causing gay politicians to lose their seats might not be as off the wall as all that.

How many TQ+ politicians were there?

Homophobia caused due to association with TQ+

jockmcx

Since we all know by now that politician’s are knuts,

what is the route to Scottish independence…without Knuts…

Who were these Knuts anyway…why did we bother voting for them…

are we all dafties?…squabbling!

sheep?

cattle?…like it say’s in the bible…(the business man’s bullshit bible)…

Enough of this shite,…Do something, or fuck up and fuck off…

jockmcx

To,peter a bell,

The independence movement did not fare badly in this general election,

the snp did…and thank God for that…i Don’t want any of those creeps anywhere near or associated with Scottish independence…those
:people:…were using and abusing Scottish people’s desire for an independent country for their own gain…

The desire for Scottish independence is alive and well,…the SNP first and foremost ‘must’ DIE’…can you not understand that…they are over!

jockmcx

The UK establishment has put a nice little pink collar round the neck of the SNP poodle,…

The SNP is no longer of any use to the Scottish Independence movement
………………………………

Let it go…

Start today ,or Don’t bother…not sure I care anymore…

Best compliment or least term of abuse I can come up with for sturgeon
is she was an idiot…(living and proffiting from the bloody hard graft of Salmond}…(I watched him for decacdes}…(when they said he was the most most dangerous man in Britain…they meant it)…let it go…the SNP is over…DEAD!

Start over, from today. (NO SNP)…don’t wait for the labour scandal’s etc…or just ignore me,and pay your taxes…oh and through a 50p into a homeless persons plastic cup if it makes you you feel human,…wake the duck up people!

Stoker

Big Jock says on 5 July 2024 at 8:21 pm: “To be honest I think the SNP will just think they can carry on to Holyrood 2026. With the same lazy arrogant non campaign.”

Indeed! Two very big clues were there for all to see during the election coverage. Two big clues stating exactly what the current snp’s priorities are.

The first one came before a single result came in and it involved Angus Robertson reacting to the exit poll. As he sat next to Labours Ian Murray he practically had his tongue down Murray’s throat as he almost begged Murray about “working together”.

The second one came from Swinney himself and was also a boak-inducing type of plea to Labour and wanting to work with them etc. That, for me, told me exactly where the SNP’s priorities would be.

If they were serious about indy they would have put out an olive branch and rallying call to *ALL* pro-indy parties and organisations instead of trying to get in the sack with anything wearing a red rosette.

Geri

Ruby 6:59

“I know you think it’s a trivial issue Geri but I’m not convinced it is.”

Stop twisting my words. It is more trivial than on the cusp of nukes & WW3.

I’m sure Scotland wouldn’t give a shiny shite about chicks with dicks cause none of us would be here to give a feck.

But you carry on. Knock yerself out prioritising.

As for Alba – I think the problem is Westminster. People realise that even with 56 MPs there is hee-haw ever going to happen there. When Alex won his seat in 2015 he should have demanded Sturgeon stuck to the original SNP policy of immediate withdrawal by majority. I know Sturgeon crawled it wasn’t a vote for indy but it was if Scotland voted remain, which it did. She’d a triple mandate that year. We know she’s a treacherous knt but what’s his reasoning for playing along? He could’ve went public & resigned. They weren’t sent to Westminster to pick out office space.

Westminster is also increasingly difficult for new parties to break through. They need colossal votes. FPTP is intended to keep the main parties & lock everyone else out.

Charles (not the R one)

I have seen the results of the election, and all the comments in this thread, pretty much all of them fair and valid.

But keep these points in mind as regards the SNP –

1. Of all the people entitled to vote, not quite six in ten did.

2. Of those who voted, three in every ten actually voted for SNP candidates.

One has to wonder what it will take to persuade that nearly two in ten of the total electorate that the SNP is now and has been for twenty years or more, is now exposed as a disgusting clique of self-aggrandising money-grubbers.

Just think – had the 2014 Referendum result gone the other way, we would be ten years into ‘independence’ and those very people we all revile so roundly would be in full control of the country today.

It hardly bears thinking about.

Dave Llewellyn

David Hannah at 12.03
“We need to destroy the SNP and take all the list seats .”
There’s not a snowballs chance in hell that that will happen now . With the wind in Labours sails the SNP are no longer likely to win the lions share of lust seats as they were in the previous election and with 40 unemployed MoS looking to get back on the gravy train ASAP their best option to do that is through the list . Many of the incumbents will realise that they will be culled in a similar manner to July 4th so look forward to that BLACKFORDS ,SMITHS,MACDONALDS AND ROBERTSONS doing everything they can to maximise their chances of getting their snouts back into the trough. The dynamic for the elections in 2026 has now changed completely and though Alba might snatch a couple on a minimal vote there is no chance that the SNP will accept an SNP 1 and Alba 2 unless current events leave them fighting on the verge of insolvency and if they are so badly damaged that they are prepared to do that deal then Alba should refuse it and put the wounded beast out of its misery and go for everything and chop off the SNPs head . Voters will vote for a perceived winner. That’s why half a million Yessers either decidedly voted Labour or stayed at home .

Alf Baird

Stoker @ 8:31 am

“the SNP’s priorities”

Yes indeed, and this is because, as postcolonial theory confirms, the dominant national party elite (which functions ‘like a gang’) represent Fanon’s ‘legal tendency’ (e.g. Section 30) of the independence movement; hence they will only ‘move closer to colonialism’.

Colonialism, which is a co-operative venture with native elites, effectively ‘draws the national party leaders under its wing’. Thankfully most of the now ‘sickened’ independence movement has cottoned on to their dangerous game, as evidenced by the election outcome.

The movement also begins to understand what independence really means and that a different approach is required to liberate the people, outwith the ‘colonial corset’ that aye hauds thaim doun:

link to yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com

wally jumblatt

Clearly the man in the street doesn’t know Alba from a hole in the ground. There weren’t half a million Alba voters sitting at home not voting. There won’t be half a million desperate to vote in the Holyrood election in 2 years time.
The first job was to wipe out Sturgeon’s SNP. That’s been half-done & & Swinney’s vacant ineptitude will ensure their complete demise by 2026.
Alex Salmond won’t be allowed back onto the stage so you have to start again.
And now you’ve got Old, Corrupt Labour back in and you have to start again.
It’s a long road and there ain’t no shortcuts.
Remember, there is no talent in the Scottish government and there hasn’t been for a decade. Everybody must be thrown out -including the civil servants.

Geri

Charles.

SNP wouldn’t even exist in an Independent Scotland.

We would still have elections you know.
A brand new parliament, brand new voting system, brand new oath, brand new constitution, brand new civil servants & brand new SCOTTISH political parties to vote for.

Stop peddling Better Together pish that we’d be a one party state. It was absolute nonsense back in 2014 as it is now ten years on.

Liz

Couple of points.
I agree Alba need to takes the gloves off.
If they’re going to fail, go down fighting.

Why do people have a problem with populist policies?
Surely that’s giving the people what they want rather than telling them what they need.

Also not everyone is pro rampant immigration.
Voices are closed off because people are scared of being called racist.

It’s not racist to put your own people first.

Ann McLaughlin, now booted out hopefully forever, was more vocal about one illegal asylum seeker being deported than she ever was about any of her constituents, some of who will have many problems to deal with.

SNP are still full on woke
Forget LEZs, climate zero, fucking trans rights over everyone else.

They’ve made ordinary peoples lives worse.
As for Labour, since some of their candidates only set foot in Scotland to be elected, we can’t rely on any of them to do good by us.

As for Sturgeon, she will never be forgiven by me

Geri

I think the best YES can do at this point is forget all political parties.

Start the movement again by having a convention & building public momentum again. It was the people who made Indyref & it was the people who demanded devolution – not the politicians. Starting with Salvo, liberation & constitutional convention & carry on from there.

The political parties will follow & public consensus will build. That’ll be the time to construct a political party to stand. I agree with Denise. Alex didn’t want to sever his SNP ties but it was a disaster not to. No one was ever going to lend their vote to SNP under a Scotland United banner when the whole of Scotland despised what they’d become. It only took a glance at twitter to know that was never going to fly. Salmond, imo, should step down from the political scene completely & call a convention. He has the clout & his phone book to get it organised..

Tam

Salmond was hoping for a nationalist supper majority in the previous Scottish election. That strategy is now pointless. It would be interesting to see what the SNP do in the event alba get 15% of the vote I suspect they would sooner do a deal with labour than salmond.

Geri

Aye & some folks need to remember that yoons do vote for the SNP.

Just as some Yessers still vote for Labour.

Some seem to forget that fact. 2014 was ALL parties, not just the SNP & Yessers need to get back to that.

There’s no voters on my twitter who went ballistic at Ash Regans plebiscite plan. Complaining it was unfair. They vote SNP cause they like their policies, safe in the knowledge that A. Sturgeon didn’t have the balls to call Indyref & B. They could just vote NO again if she did.
& Labour voters too. If indyref was called they’d back independence but until then “they’ve always been labour”

The best of both worlds crew that’s causing the roadblock.

Ruby Saturday

Geri
Ignored
says:
6 July, 2024 at 9:43 am

I’m sure Scotland wouldn’t give a shiny shite about chicks with dicks cause none of us would be here to give a feck.

That would apply to every topic posted here.

I’m sure Scotland wouldn’t give a shiny shite about independence cause none of us would be here to give a feck.

But you carry on Geri. Knock yerself out prioritising!

Rob

S’funny, the comment about if the 2014 referendum had been approved we would be independent but the same clowns that everybody is now complaining about would be in charge.
This is the main reason why even though I voted yes in 2014 I would vote no at the present time.
The clown show that is the SG simply frightens me, I can’t imagine just how bad things would now be with the present crowd of woke moronic incompetents in actual charge without some restrictions.
In fact I would go so far as to say the SP has failed and should shut its doors and cease to exist, it not worth what it costs us

Geri

Ruby

I wasn’t the one having a meltdown because people weren’t talking about what you wanted them to talk about.

That was you.

When you finally got a response on your favourite topic it didn’t exactly go as planned eh? Maybe you should’ve left it alone after all.

We weren’t talking about indy either. We were discussing current word events & you kept persisting on pushing GRR as somehow more important than a nuclear fallout. You carry on. I’m sure TRAs will be the hight of conversation while we search through the rubble for a shoe.

moixx

Geri @ 2.19 pm

“…you kept persisting on pushing GRR as somehow more important than a nuclear fallout. … We were discussing current word events…”

————————————-

That’s a bit disingenuous.

Given Wings isn’t leaving it alone as a topic, it might be more interesting to know why you *really* think this one topic, in particular, should be left alone?

Alf Baird

Liz @ 10:14 am

“It’s not racist to put your own people first.”

Indeed. Postcolonial theory describes this as ‘defensive’ racism (Fanon) which is necessary if an oppressed people are to reject and remove the aggressive, forceful and ‘hateful racism’ that is colonialism (Cesaire), and to reclaim their sovereignty and recover their culture. Failing which a colonised group will perish as ‘a people’, culture and nation, for they are ‘already in the process of perishing’ (Memmi).

Greg

Salmond needs to somehow find a way to reveal the name of the main accuser in his trial. It would send shockwaves through Scottish politics and might finally wake up the Scottish public as to how the whole thing was a set up. This is the main thing holding Alba back right now.

Rob

The whole GRR topic is so far down the list of priorities it is essentially out of sight.
Just about everyone is completely uninterested in it and all its associated ramifications but a very few keep trying to push it back to the number 1 issue that government needs to deal with.
Nobody cares about the issue very much and I personally would think it is more relevant to deal with real issues relating to the 50% of the population that is female rather than worrying about the 0.057% there are guys wearing dresses that would like to be female.

Dan

@ Greg

Alex could start cruising around in a car…

Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles

#ToynbeeTiles

I recall seeing graffiti when I was younger, is that still a thing?

#TongsYaBass

Seeing a the Deposit Return Scheme failed there’s loads of bottles not getting recycled…
So loads of concerned Scots could start sending an SOS to the world to try to let the “international community” know we are living under the control of a corrupt elite.

Take a lesson from The Police! No, not that plod, The Police 😉

link to youtube.com

#MessageInABottle #SendingOutAnSOS

Walked out this morning, don’t believe what I saw, hundred billion bottles washed up on the shore…

Like a sperm, it only needs one to get through…

moixx

Rob @ 12.32 pm

“S’funny, the comment about if the 2014 referendum had been approved we would be independent but the same clowns that everybody is now complaining about would be in charge.
This is the main reason why even though I voted yes in 2014 I would vote no at the present time.
The clown show that is the SG simply frightens me, I can’t imagine just how bad things would now be with the present crowd of woke moronic incompetents in actual charge without some restrictions.”

Rob @ 4.06pm

“The whole GRR topic is so far down the list of priorities it is essentially out of sight. … Just about everyone is completely uninterested in it and all its associated ramifications… Nobody cares about the issue very much…”

———————————

You now wouldn’t vote for independence because of the “woke moronic incompetents” but at the same time you think that the very thing that’s lead to this situation isn’t a relevant topic for discussion. Seems a bit self-contradictory (assuming it’s the same Rob).

Ruby Saturday

You now wouldn’t vote for independence because of the “woke moronic incompetents” but at the same time you think that the very thing that’s lead to this situation isn’t a relevant topic for discussion. Seems a bit self-contradictory (assuming it’s the same Rob).

Well said moixx. The situation regarding discussing is very weird.

Paul Davies

@FionaN: An analysis that reads like it was written by somebody with no clue what is happening in England, which I suspect it was. Oh and what is this bizarre obsession amongst “independence” supporters for Scotland to be governed by unelected technocrats in Brussels? Either you want independence or you don’t. Substituting London for Brussels to give you subsidy and bail you out when you screw up isn’t independence it’s insecurity. Oh and the fanatically anti-English fringe of the independence movement calling the English racist takes the biscuit. Buy a mirror hen.

Anyway re Farage, yes, he is often in the media but Talk Radio and GB News aside they hate him and it’s all negative coverage. He succeeds despite the media not because of it. If there was a positive story about Reform or Farage in any of the MSM during the campaign then I certainly didn’t see it. By contrast the BBC has been fawning over the SNP since the Salmond days, fat lot of good it’s done them.

Rob

I did not say that it should or could not be discussed, I said it was way down the list of things the majority of folk would like discussed and dealt with.
A very small but vocal group keep bringing it back to the top of the list.
I would not vote for independence at the moment because the SG are morons. Not because of the woke agenda, although that doesn’t help, but because of the incompetence they have onstantly demonstrated regarding the NHS, taxes, immigration and several other issues where they have taken a position contrary to either common sense or reason and directly in opposition to what the majority would want them to.
It’s almost as if they sit down and think each time, OK what would folk want, and then do the opposite!

moixx

Rob @ 9.03pm

“I would not vote for independence at the moment because the SG are morons. Not because of the woke agenda…”

—————————————

The SNP utilised the woke agenda to get rid of, sideline or silence all of the competent people within the party, and also to promote incompetent, easily controlled replacements who they knew wouldn’t do anything to challenge them or their actions, but instead would be loyal no matter what.

The woke agenda isn’t something separate to that, it’s an integral part of it.

Anton Decadent

I posted recently about how the Herald had that day ran an article claiming that GRR was very low on peoples priorities and used a polling company as proof. On looking this polling company up I found that between 2022 and 2024 its co founder had removed from his CV on the website that he used to be Head Of Education at Stonewall with the purpose of taking Stonewall into the schools.

The same company which owns the Herald also owns The National, I believe, which employs Owen Jones who was found to have been conducting witch hunts within the Guardian against any staff, particularly female, who were not on board with the trans lobby. Why are sections of the media promoting an ideology which has very little support but then claiming that there is instead very little opposition to it and using fellow activists to push slanted figures to back this up and provide false legitimacy via front operation polling agencies?

Lorna Campbell

Ruby/Moix/Liz: they don’t get it. They never will till it’s far too late. ‘Chicks with dicks’ are only the front-line and they affect only females, so the chaps don’t give a flying whatsit – even though these ‘chicks with dicks’ scuppered the SNP. They will scupper the whole of the West if allowed to, and who will be left to push the red button?

Tory and Lib Dem voters voted Labour in large numbers and Reform UK split the Tory vote to allow Labour through the gap. Independence supporters from the working-class and the older female vote stayed at home or spoiled their ballot papers. The Unionists do unity rather well. The SNP is too stupid to learn from them.

Mr Salmond made a huge error in not coming out against the SNP when they refused to treat with him or any other independence party/grouping. ALBA also made a huge error in not supporting SALVO/Liberation.

He will now go home to think again, and I think he will come back to organize a constitutional convention and draw all the threads together for the fight ahead in 2026. He will end up as the first Scottish President, an honorary position.

Independence is far from being off the agenda: it is going to metamorphose into something very different, but, and it is a huge but, the gender woo woo has to be defeated and not allowed to push through any more reform. If Labour thinks it can use the ‘trans’ lobby against the Tories/Reform or against the independence movement in Scotland, they will be unleashing the Kraken and will not be able to control it. Anyone who believes the ‘trans’ lobby and its globalist capitalist backers are a push-over is as deluded as to reality as many of its adherents.

moixx

@ Lorna Campbell

Very well put.

My heart sinks when I hear people dismiss it as ‘of relatively low importance’. How can we be so well aware of the damage the ‘trans’ lobby can and will do, and yet still not view it as an on-going threat.

@ Anton Decadent

They’re prepared to change our understanding of reality to suit their needs, it must be nothing for them to manipulate a few figures.

Rob

There is little the trans lobby can do if everybody simply sticks to simple fact based positions on the subject.
The biggest mistake is confusing sex and sexuality and the trans lobby have made it their strategy to try and mix these two separate issues together to muddy the waters for their own purposes.
However the very few trans folk around are not really the issue, they are frankly ludicrous. It is the not trans folk supporting them cos it is “right on” that amplify the message.

twathater

@ Lorna, Moixx,Ruby, Liz, Please do NOT class all males as thinking like Rob, Rob is entitled to his opinions and it has been apparent there are indeed some males on here who support his view, BUT as Dan and Robert Hughes has commented there are others including Stuart Campbell whose blog it is who repeatedly highlights the ongoing lunacy and has ignored minimal pleas from some to move on as he considers it of paramount importance

I have stated repeatedly I am a 73 year old male with a wife, daughter and granddaughters who unreservedly supports the fight against this deviancy and perversion, I believe it is a move by I presume the new world order hierarchy to confuse and create ongoing division and to impose a hive mentality on people where individual thought is forbidden, according to advertising companies and news outlets gender and sex changes are commonplace and the norm, and the world is comprised of same sex couples, with families consisting of mixed race children , as usual YOU are not supposed to be aware of this brainwashing and if you are and comment on the attempted normalising of these lies YOU are ostracised and ridiculed

Nigel Passmore

I am a Unionist who has enjoyed this site for a couple of years now. I am also a conservtive (note small c) and also share your pain. Just as you true independants have been misrepresented by the SNP for 14 years, so have I by the not Conservative party. I actually share your pain for very diffferent reaons.

Reform have now driven a bus through this conversation. While I disagree with the outcome, I hope ALba are able to do the same for you.

Best wishes to you all.

Regards

NHP

Richard Sutherland

What will the SNP do with their ‘ front bench ‘ in Westminster ? In the last administration, this was 23 people.

Now with 9 people left, is the front bench to be disbanded as it could meet at a card table now ?

Could Flynn then have the time to take lessons from Farage in growing the vote share for example ? Will they form a small party coalition to vote and work together ?

This is what the front bench team were when they had 23 – link to en.wikipedia.org

Dan

@ twathater

Ach, unfortunately it seems some usually articulate folk on here are content or even motivated to continue to either intentionally or unintentionally wind folk up by using loose or vague terminology in their posts. I thought this was dealt with btl half a dozen threads back, but no, it rears its head again.

For some inexplicable reason, when some blokes do bother and step up to enter the minefield of attempting to convey their support for women and girls against the whole gender debacle, they just get strafed anyway by ill aimed sniping fire against “males” for their efforts.
And these same folk then continue to double down and complain that not enough men show concern or support for them… Quelle fooking surprise!
It’s really not a genius modus for those wanting to form and build a complimentary female and male alliance support base against the genderwoowoo lunacy.

Mac

The situation in Ukr@ine right now is off the risk scale. The US is essentially now at war with Ru$$ia.

Ru$$ia’s foreign minister told the US ambassador (after the Crime@ beach bombing) “we are no longer at peace”.

The situation in the middle east is equally dangerous. It is almost impossible to see how it does not escalate given the players involved are determined to make into a war with Iran and bring in the US.

Either of those could easily lead us into a majorly serious global conflict.

And no one knows who is really in charge in the US. This has been true for years.

They are barely even talking to the Ru$$ians. There is no diplomacy.

This situation is so dangerous it boggles my mind.

We are in real deep shit here folks.

Mac

Agree with Dan 10.07. I have noticed similar and it is very counter-productive IMHO.

I don’t get it either.

The book I linked to was called Men On Strike, written by a female psychologist.

Basically feminism has silenced (many) men. And now they are silent…

I guess I can see why some might see some karma in that and there is some truth to it.

Personally I have made many strong comments against the whole gender insanity but I noticed a very vitriolic response to just raising that point about men being indifferent these days.

Dan is absolutely right in what he says. Making all these negative comments about all men in general is only going to drive them further away.

Lorna Campbell

twathater: I know that you, the Rev, and several others on here, including David and John, Robert and others do see through the fog of this movement. Too many men, however, independence supporters, just do not get it because to appears not to affect them. It will if it is given the licence to do so. Sinn Fein is riding high right now, but it has been infiltrated by this lobby, and the Irish Republic, which they hope to unite with, is overrun with gender ideologues. It actually brought down the last PM of Ireland, but they seem to have learned nothing. All we hear is how right-wing Europe is becoming, and everyone is concentrating on that instead of understanding that the hard left is just as totalitarian as the far right and this is how they are doing it. The ‘trans’ lobby/’wokerati are allied to global capitalism (their backers are corporate CEOs). The other side of the global corporate coin. The AGPs and fetishists are the foot soldiers, as are the Queer Theorists in academia and the Post Modernist/Structurlist anti intellectuals.

Lorna Campbell

Mac: feminism silenced no one. Feminism was driven by a response to a misogynistic world view. The ‘trans’ lobby is vey much a part of that misogynistic world view because it is the men who are the real danger, not the deluded wee lassie and the experimented-upon children. Therein lies the issue for far too many men who are incapable of distinguishing feminism from pretendy and trendy oppressions that exist in someone’s head. Are you suggesting that feminism was not a response to very real oppressions? Real oppressions are still operating against women and girls, now also against children of both sexes and certainly still against working-class people – all over the world. I am not having a go at men who could be our allies; I am saying that these men do not understand how the global corporate backers of the ‘trans’ lobby are as dangerous to them as they are to us.

Rob

I am not sure what opinion some folk think I have about trans issues, reading some of the above it seems that some think it different to what I think it is!

moixx

Mac @ 11.00 am

“Making all these negative comments about all men in general is only going to drive them further away.”

——————————————————–

The negative comments probably arise from a mixture of fear and frustration. It’s a big and complex issue making it difficult to pin down, and it’s easy to have misunderstandings in that atmosphere.

I’m often not even sure how to refer to it: trans rights; self-id; gender identity; gender woowoo; identity politics; queer theory; TQ+; GRR/GRA; TRAs; trans lobby; etc. All the terminology that’s been created and all the various ways it’s having a huge impact has led to a complexity that makes a lot of people want to ‘switch off’ rather than engage with it.

Like Lorna Campbell, I also think that men are in danger and it will affect them more than they realise. I really don’t want to see that happen any more than I want to see women and children suffer for it.

Rob

I call “chicks with dicks” crossdressers as they were always known as till recently.
I wouldn’t call even a pot op guy a woman because biologically they can never be despite cosmetic surgery and they do not have the shared life experience of a woman. They are imitating a woman, some very well, but no cigar.
I tolerate them thinking they may be female if they like but it doesn’t mean I think they are right or have to agree with them in any way, including culturally. I am very much on the side of the women in this argument.

george william addison

Well they voted REFORM & Douglas Ross got pumped out. Both Moray seats would have gone to the Tories but Ross would have had a 4620 majority.

Now I dont know what on earth made the Inverness (SNP) candidate think he needed a double recount but losing by 2160 was not even close to being the narrowest of margins, but saying he wouldnt even attend the count or recounts pretty much sums up how arrogant these self centred waste of spaces are!

Brian Doonthetoon

Hi george william addison.

From what I’ve read and seen, the reason for the recounts was because the verified votes didn’t match up, numerically, with the total number for the candidates. Recounts ordered by the Returning Officer, rather than requests by a candidate.

Kcor

Rev. Stuart Campbell
8 July, 2024 at 2:07 pm

“In fact they were instructed by the clerks that due to the ongoing police investigations they would not be legally protected by normal Parliamentary privilege.”

Aren’t the ongoing police investigations about the stolen £600,000?

Alex Salmond was acquited so what police investigations are going on about the case against him?

Anyway, this suggests that the much tauted Parliamentary privilege at the Westminster parliament is only available with the advance permission of the powers that be.

willie

Unlike in England where Labour won not through growing their vote but rather through the Tory vote splitting with Reform the politics are different in Scotland.

In Scotland the vote shifted and moved from the SNP to Labour. The SNP quite simply lost public support and with it the SNP vote went to Labour.

Thus far Alex Salmond and Alba have tried to play the United Scotland card. Yes was a success because under Salmond the SNP and his government supported a wide national movement. Under Sturgeon the SNP destroyed Yes and the national movement.

Salmond, Alba and others now have the opportunity to take the National Movement from voters who have shifted to Labour and in this no one, absolutely no one going forward can accuse Salmond of undermining the SNP. The SNP are undermined, spent goods, a spent force, dead in the water and the road is now open for a new party, a new movement.

Salmond was the greatest First Minister Scotland ever had. He formed an administration that became a Government. he negotiated sucessfuly with Westminster and made many international allies. He put Scottish independence on the map using the SNP to support a national movement – and they nearly won against the British state.

The rotten SNP have played themselves out. They are gone. Do not underestimate therefore Mr Salmond and his skill set. The SNP turkeys in Hollyrood are hoving into the crosshairs of their demise and replacement.

John McGregor

Is Salmond court case against the Snp coming soon too a cinema near you ????


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