The Midas Touch
Posted on
April 24, 2021 by
Chris Cairns
The world's most-read Scottish politics website
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Wings Over Scotland is a (mainly) Scottish political media digest and monitor, which also offers its own commentary. (More)
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A tall tale
Wee Books
Video
Probably a robbery
Transphobia
Nail. Head.
Poor Dougie, he’s even less popular than Boris! There is something strange about the guy though that I can’t quite put my finger on, is he local?
Be great if Dross could be given a free transfer.
I’m sure the English FA would be delighted to have him. They are very welcome to him and I can hear the melody of ‘ he’s coming home, Dross is coming home ‘
Wouldn’t wish him on any other European nation though.
On a different tack , it’s Saturday 07.40 am and a lovely bonnie clear skied sunny day.
And a good day for some Alba campaign work. Time to rise and shine!
Alistair Gibb @ 7.34am . Brilliant, I believe his middle name to be Tibbs.
Wee dougie Ross, always the linesman, never the referee. Same in politics.
Who is that meant to be?
Doesn’t look like anyone I’m aware of.
Methinks Sir Donald will be joining the Baroness shortly.
That is generally how the Tory party rid themselves of duds.
Sorry, Tubbs. Fat fingers.
Is he local?
Yes and remembered at school for being an arrogant ,bullying,snivelling wee clype.
Not nice but nae ad hominem, he actually is a wee joabby!
Having seen him recently, albeit mercifully briefly on telly, for me, Douglas Ross has all the gravitas of a supercilious, pontificating first-class knob end.
Can’t say fairer than that.
No doubt Douglas’s pals, the wee Yoon troll brigade will be online soon telling us all to vote for a unionist party on the constituency to prove we aren’t SNP perverts. No doubt the minute the doors close on May 6th they will disappear like snaw aff a dyke lol. Back to the shadows.
I thing Chris caught The Linesman well there. He definitely looks like a rabbit caught in the headlights.
The linesman is flagging.
Back in the 50’s and 60’s, a young guy was growing-up in Knightswood, Glasgow. We’ll call him George. He lived near the Forth and Clyde canal and was from an ordinary family. He decided to go to Stathclyde University to study engineering where he proved to be an exceptional student who found it all very easy. He went on to Stanford University in the USA and he was an exceptional student there too.
He returned to Glasgow where he went on to become Professor of Civil Engineering at Strathclyde University and quickly turned Strathclyde University into one of the number-one univesities for engineering, certainly in Scotland. He became Chairman of the UK Institution of Civil Engineers and, due to his association with the United States, became a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers. During the 19th and 20th centuries, Scotland used to produce the best engineers in the world and it is fair to say that he is one of them.
George retired and I believe he now has a farm somewhere in Argyll. He is nontheless one of the most respected figures around and he still retains the respect of engineers all over that UK and USA. By the way, his favorite subject was hydrology ‘the movement of water through soil’. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?…believe me, it’s not.
I’ve been telling the story over the past few months of a new school which was built 7-years ago. A civil engineer told them at the time: ‘this will never work; this site is full of water and shifting sand; stop now and get it checked or you will all make fools of yourselves’. He was sacked and they just carried-on. They were the Scottish Government and so they can do that. We’ve all seen it at the Fabiani Inquiry; they just do whatever they like and don’t answer to anyone.
Anyway, it started sinking soon after it was finished and so the civil engineer contacted the American Society of Civil Engineers and asked for their opinion. More than 40No of the best engineers in the world responded and said ‘this will never work; this site is full of water and shifting sand; stop now and get it checked or you will all make fools of yourselves’. 3No members of the UK Institution of Civil Engineers work for the Scottish Government. They responded by saying ‘We’ve checked this school and it’s OK…end of story…go-away…we won’t talk to you any more’. That was in 2016.
So, 40No of the best engineers in the world say that the school will never work and 3No employees of the Scottish Government say it is OK. We have a dilema, don’t we…the Scottish Government don’t respond, the civil engineer’s MSP is the forensic MSP from Dumbarton and if she cannot get anything done then no-one at Holyrood can. Time’s marching-on. What do we do?
Well, the civil engineer contacted the UK Institution of Civil Engineers and asked them to investigate. He reckoned that a number of delinquents at the Scottish Government were just saying: ‘we’re all members of the UK Institution of Civil Engineers’ in order to excuse their malfeasance. If true, then that is pretty bad, so much so that it will get you serious jail time in most countries in the world. They responded within a week. Who could investigate such a vexed subject that the Scottish Government wished to ignore? What about George? That sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it? He’s retired and so has no vested interests and if George runs the rule over this school and expresses an opinion, then no-one will argue. There’s one problem, of course…we are a fortnight away from a Holyrood election. Should that make any difference? Surely not?
If George gives it the thumbs-down, then it is extraordinarily bad news for the Scottish Government. If he has a sense of humour he may well be thinking: ‘what a bunch of delinquent arseholes the Scottish Government are…I’m glad I retired to the farm when I did’. Will he support the Scottish Government or will he support the Americans? Fascinating, isn’t it. How long will it take him to check?…I’d guess, less than a day.
One difference I have noticed between America and Scotland. The Americans investigate and prosecute every time. In Scotland we redact and cover-up….every time. It takes George a day to reach an opinion, which is the opinion of a world-renowned engineer ; how long do you think it will take John Swinney and the Lord Advocate to reach an opinion? If we had more folk like George around today, they wouldn’t be calling us ‘a banana republic without the bananas’, would they. Who needs Holyrood…just ask George.
I’m sure someone with great talent could give us a version of “I am a linesman for the county …..” suitably doctored as a tribute to Dross.
@Willie. “And a good day for some Alba campaign work.”
Alba seem dead in the water, with 1-2% in the opinion polls (Panelbase excepted). They will be lucky to win even 1 seat.
I am not expressing an opinion, merely stating the facts.
Captain Yossarian@833
Well written.
Was the backlash against the super league genuine grass roots or was it coordinated `astroturfing` financed by Premier league,
that`s what thoughts go through my head after reading Wings for 7 years.
anyhoo,
Definition — Astroturfing is the practice of masking the sponsors of a message or organization (e.g., political, advertising, religious or public relations) to make it appear as though it originates from and is supported by grassroots participants.`
this `astroturfing` covers the transcult movement,
supposedly a wee group of the chronically offended rainbow nose ringers but in reality the transcult is financed by billionaire misogynists and paedophiles,
hiring Dentons ,the biggest law firm in the world, would not come cheap.
“Alba seem dead in the water2
Even more the reason to up the ante and continue campaigning for them.
When Captain Yossarian goes for a squirrel, he goes big!
I think Independence and Holyrood elections should be the focus. School, Road, Harbour, Airport etc etc – the standard of construction is an Engineering issue.
Yes, what could possibly go wrong?
Sadly, unionists never miss a trick to promote The Cause. Harken unto the wise words of Davie Moyes (apologies for the small print):
link to web.archive.org
“Why do we have to be England and Scotland and not unite it?”
daodao – Keep drinking the Kool-Aid.
If sturgeon the liar is paying you – I’d ask for the money upfront.
Captain Yoonsarian
Very interesting, but we don’t do essays here on a Saturday morning.
@Captain Yossarian,
surprised there are no cats, big mousers, involved in your story,
anyhoo `astroturfing` as i said `corporate` to look like grass roots.
Dross snubbed a VJ Day memorial event in his constituency last August to run the line and get his £450 at Kilmarnock v St Johnstone.
What’s he going to do on Remembrance Sunday? Turn it into Remuneration Sunday and get his 450 quid at a football ground far away from Moray?
@Captain Yossarian
I know standards are different here but quakes do happen. In 1906 a quake hit San Francisco, they had built on foreshore and reclaimed land. It liquified in the quake. All over the place people took notice.
I used to live in South Dunedin, NZ down by the beach on a former salt marsh. No buildings over 2 stories are allowed and they are rare. A wooden old hotel/pub is one such. The schools are made of wood so lightweight.
WHEN a quake hits that school that land will liquify and turn to quicksand in the blink of an eye. It happened in Christchurch NZ in the recent quake, sandy mud started coming up out of the ground, houses sank or cracked beyond repair though litigation is ongoing about that.
Christchurch is built on old alluvial gravels. It was thought safe from quakes, no close fault lines. Only very recently has ground penetrating radar become strong enough to peer through many metres of gravel to the bedrock, which found a network of fault lines. The rest is, fatal, history. Parts of Christchurch are now Red Zones, returned to nature or made into parkland. Not safe to build or live on, not any more.
Standard modern construction techniques here make schools much heavier than old NZ wooden schools. Dept of Education standard techniques. Painted teal.
We humans live such short lives, records don’t go back far enough. The Great Glen is a major fault line. A fairly quiet one, but it can still move, occasionally big time. Intervening mountains will absorb some of it south of the Highlands but enough? That all depends.
In the second, fatal Christchurch quake the quake waves were lined up wtih the granite Port Hills the city buts up against. An old volcanic plug. They hit it and were reflected back, the waves destructively interfered with incoming waves causing troughs to be lower, peaks to be higher. Destruction in Christchurch goes in lines marking the peaks of this.
In the later Kaikoura quake which almost cut NZ in half, it did wrt rail. A series of faults over a couple of hundred km unzipped faster than the speed of sound. The seabed lifted up up to 9m as though the rocks are plastic. They can be. The hills fell down though, on the main road and the rail line, blocking river valleys, creating unstable new dams.
The earth is unquiet, those who think they live in quiet places can be given rude awakenings. It is wise to consider the possibility when deciding where and how to build. But then the UK is a country which builds houses on known flood plains.
Is this becoming a forum for civil engineers?
@Muscleguy – I remember seeing a photo of the NZ earthquake and the liquifaction it caused. The photo showed an underground drain and all of the manholes pushed straight out of the ground so that they were lying on top of the road. As you say, the effects of water can either takes years to manifest, or can be immediate.
Muscleguy says:
24 April, 2021 at 9:21 am
@Captain Yossarian
Any reason why you two couldn’t start your own blog instead of piggybacking on this one?
Could we not get some CIVIL engineering done to these rainbow ratbags on twitter?
Scots and Arabs share one existential handicap, predestination, the ingrained belief that people have no control over events because these things are controlled by a divinity or by fate or by some external agency manipulating events.
Both cultures exhibit the frustration that such a perception induces particularly in relationships with outsiders and in dealings with internal authority systems.
The prophets of Calvinism and Islam had no time for the notion of «free will» as anything other than a manifestation of human perversity. Effectively, what you were given you accepted with resignation and equanimity.
As neither Calvinist nor Muslim I look upon both systems with puzzlement, the masters of «lockdown» on the other hand are filled with unalloyed admiration.
Bring on the contrarians!
*The original meaning of the American term «lockdown» is «the confining of prisoners to their cells following a riot or other disturbance»
The cartoon as usual is amazing. Really well drawn with lots of detail. It’s a work of art.
I can’t say more because I know absolutely nothing about fitba.
Anyone remember when the ‘Chinese Spammer’ hijacked the Scotsman’s forum?
I think something similar is happening here on Wings.
I’m looking at you Ottomanboi, Muscleguy & Captain Yossarian
PS Muscleguy did you not leave Wings in the huff a couple of weeks ago? Is this spamming an act of revenge.
At this moment in time Sturgeon is more of a threat to Scotland than Douglas Ross.
And yet the dumb, Perverted SNP 1 brigade want us to vote her and her cronies back into power, to finish off what they started.
I would rather she was defeated at the Polls.
Her biggest fans are the Salmond haters amongst us, who where hoping for a conviction in the courts.
Vote for any Party other than the SNP in the Constituency Vote.
And I have to agree with the post above, this election has come along too soon for the fledgling ALBA Party.
Looking like low single figures for the amount of MSPs.
But whatever happens, we must not vote Sturgeon and her nodding dogs back in to power.
The best we can do is dump the SNP at the next Westminster election.
And then in 2026 ALBA will be better placed to take on the roll of being Scotland’s true Indy Party.
Salmond should take a back seat, because he has no chance of escaping the muck that the yoon media are throwing at him.
A new face should be getting set up as we speak.
And don’t say Cherry, she has transformed herself into a Westminster trougher.
We need to start being honest with ourselves.
Sturgeon has stolen our greatest chance we have ever had of becoming an independent nation.
And I curse that Bastard for her actions over the past five years.
Rot in hell Sturgeon.
On No here’s Gordon another member of the ‘Chinese Spamming Team’.
I was an engineer and lived near Knightswood and studied at Strathclyde
University and when we had a similar problem we sought engineering answers from a company in the Netherlands,the land where little boys dream of holding back water with a finger in the dyke (no tittering at the back) and for a very reasonable price sooked all the water out with powerful pumps and the ground down to the.rock strata was like concrete and they maintain observation to this day.
Google on Dutch Dewatering.
Alba left it agonisingly late to set up and make an impact in my view. Although I’m a founder member, I have no insider knowledge about whether that was deliberate policy or just the soonest they could reasonably do it. Those insisting Alba is dead in the water or that it’s polling % is disappointing are missing the point that without a significant split from the SNP and more high profile folk like Joanna Cherry and others deciding to join them, it was probably never realistic for Alba to aim for more than gaining some representation in Holyrood.
Remember that when an alternative “real” independence party standing only on the list was first mentioned many months ago, it was hoped that it might have enough time and gain enough traction, to hold the balance of power at Holyrood. Instead, we got little progress and the fairly lacklustre ISP and a few other splinter groups that signally failed to reach escape velocity or attract high profile SNP or other indy folk.
In reality, barring some political earthquake in the next few weeks, or a total surprise at the polls, Alba are not going to hold the balance of power. I honestly hope I’m wrong, but if I’m not those of us in the party and those who support its outlook need to look to 2026 elections and start laying the groundwork to ensure we can bring about real change.
We probably needed more than a few weeks to raise awareness of Alba as a party and to show how its policies and manifesto were clearly different from and superior to the flaccid gradualism of the SNP and Greens, as well as ensuring Scottish electors were aware of the inherent illiberalism of the TRA and gender woo extremists in both parties.
Did anyone else notice the return to Wings by all the Salmond haters once all the inquiries were finished with.
They were over the moon that their lying little hero Sturgeon had survived all of the inquiries and came out the other side without a scratch on her.
They were so overjoyed.
Now the Sturgeon fanatics return here to tell us to vote the SNP Bastards back into power for ANOTHER five years of torture.
You know who you are, and so do I.
I will call you out in my own time.
Conspicuous by your absence.
Eh Doogie ya plum,that went well did it no?
Back o the net as usual Chris!
The standard of engineering in Scotland is an absolute disgrace.
If ordinary members of the public had an inkling of the build standards they would be outraged.
It doesn’t take much recollection to realise that in building construction schools were built with walls that weren’t properly anchored and fell down, a billion pound hospital had cladding: windows: ventilation: heating services : water services problems, the Glasgow Art School burnt down whilst being renovated due to a previous fire, and these are just a few headline examples.
But it is the same in civil engineering. The quality build standards on the M73/M74/M8 were an absolute third world disgrace. Bridges where the protection system fell off, drainage that wouldn’t work, attenuation ponds that didn’t flow and a bankruptcy in the middle the works are still not, all these years on completed.
And ditto the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route where the amount of remedial works due to bad works, bad design was absolutely incredible. Of course another bankruptcy in the middle of that but no wonder with the contractors running hundreds and hundred of millions over budget. But yes, a lot of re-work that would astound the general public if they knew.
Or the new Queensferry Crossing. An engineering beauty. But does anyone have a clue as to the build quality – design issues. Of course they don’t.
And then we turn to the industrial engineering type contract at the Polmadie waste to energy incinerator. Don’t even ask about that because that’s another absolute disaster.
But these are just examples and the big question is why the construction – civil engineering industry now has such poor standards.
A complex issue to maybe understand since engineers at the granular level are mostly capable and skilled. But at the corporate level and at the procurement level and entirely different story.
The rise of PFI procurement perchance. It has changed the landscape of procurement and delivery and not for the better. But hey, what do the punters know, or do they even care. Sometimes I wonder.
And as for the SG they just spin and spin and spin.
The civil engineering case is pertinent because it demonstrates a very serious malaise at the heart of government and a contempt for due process. Corruption tends to be considered in abstract terms until it hits you directly and it is only then that you appreciate just how destructive it can be, and just how corrupt the system is.
Things have got a lot wrose over the last few years. We no longer have a reliable prosecution service, the Ombudsman is really a government employee, and all major institutions have been contaminated by NS/JS acolytes.
I fear for Scotland and the real prospect that we are sleepwalking towards the status of a rogue nation. It would not have happened with AS, but it is happening with his successor.
link to tns2019.org
Famous15
It seems that civil engineering is no different from politics.
There is a wide range of opinion out there.
Says Ruby aka SNO 1 AND 2.
Don’t annoy numbnut.
willie says:
24 April, 2021 at 10:08 am
The standard of engineering in Scotland is an absolute disgrace.
If ordinary members of the public had an inkling of the build standards they would be outraged.
Reply
“The Chinese Spamming” continues.
That’ll be:-
Ruby SNP 1 AND 2.
@Famous 15 – Excellent advice came from an engineer in the Netherlands. He was fairly pessimistic about the success of this building. He advised sooking the water out of the ground too.
Oh dear Gordon.You are so obvious.
The plan,the cunning plan of SNP1 Alba2 is not in support of Sturgeon but the best,fastest way of restoring a trustworthy indi movement.
But Gordon ,you do not want indi and you do not even have a care for Scotland but have your master’s agenda.
Follow the money.Who pays your wages Gordon?
The true Salmond haters haven’t even got the balls to tell us they are Voting SNP 1 AND 2.
So they post the lie that they are Voting SNP 1 and ALBA 2.
What a waste of air these Bastards are.
Just leave this here
link to twitter.com
Gordon says:
24 April, 2021 at 10:09 am
Says Ruby aka SNO 1 AND 2.
Don’t annoy numbnut.
Reply
?????? ??????
Oops wrong lik
link to twitter.com
Ruby
Maybe he was referring to the Scottish National Orchestra
Are they still going?
Famous 15
Right on the money Famous. That’s the usual SNO 1ers answer when they loss the argument.
I will never ever vote for the SNP ever again.
They are for the pervs and devolutionists amongst us.
Andy Ellis,
I believe it is the case that no matter if Alba had started 3 months earlier, for example, they were always looking at having to build upon this election.
For those who keep asking, are we there yet?
We’ve only just got in the car and yet to start the engine. We have 5 years to go to get Alba where we need it, so buckle up for a longer journey.
Ruby aka SNP 1 AND 2.
Hope that clears it up for you.
And if ever there was an example that woke up the public for a little while it has to be Grenfell in London, and maybe the Cameron House at Loch Lomond.
At Grenfell we know the story. Deficient fire standards, often produced by the industry producing the defective or misused / defectively designed cladding system and all wrapped up with inadequate supervision and overview. But post Grenfell it came to light that there were many many more building with defective and dangerous cladding systems.
So how come. Eighty were torched in Grenfell. An absolute third world horror story in a so called first world country.
But on a lesser scale what about Cameron House. two young men burned to death in a luxury five star hotel that turned into an inferno within minutes of an ash bin igniting paper in a reception cupboard.
Like Grenfell the fire spread ferociously up through cavities through the well understood ” chimney effect ” and into the floor and roof space where the timbers were soon ablaze.
Identified as a fire risk in a safety audit why was nothing done stop the storing of hot ash in a cupboard. More importantly again, why, given the hotel construction and the lack of fire stop, was the hotel given an operating certificate. And why did it take THREE YEARS to get the results of the fatal accident enquiry.
SNP government spin, spin, spin. Nicola Sturgeon’s government have blood on their hands.
But again, do the public really care. I wonder if they do. The dead in Grenfell and here at Loch Lomond are, save for their family and friends, long forgotten. The Cameron House is now all but rebuilt, ready for opening. In fact approval to rebuild and the start of rebuild was quicker than the enquiry into the fatal fire. Tells you all about how money talks with the SG and their corporate friends.
Standards, what standards, when there’s money changing hands.
“like snaw aff a dyke”
Humza will be on your case for that one, Luigi. Hope you like prison food.
Andy Ellis,
I meant add that I agree with you and that others bemoaning low polling percentages should have more patience and realistic outlook of where we are and where we want to get to.
link to tinyurl.com
Lady in Red!
Can any one of the SNP 1 Brigade tell me how Voting SNP 1 is going to move the Indy debate on one iota forward, with the prospect of only having about three MSPs from the ALBA Party?
This is another SNP fanatics con trick. They are conning the hard of thinking among us to vote SNP.
Sturgeon will never open up the Indy debate and anytime ALBA try, Sturgeon will
Go off on another Salmond rant about him not apologizing to the women he abused, end of Indy debate.
Do not vote SNP.
Their destruction has to start now.
Nice one, Chris. Football clubs have long-since been bought over by big capital, taken away from fans, so I didn’t understand the fury over a few looking to make even more money and prestige. Anyhow, that’s for others to argue. I only watch world cup games.
Been thinking about the arts for Scotland lately not footie, and mention a bit in this about art schools that might interest you…..
Your essential weekend reading:
‘An Arts Policy for Scotland’: link to wp.me
Whilst being civil to our engineer pals I am sure it’s tangential to our purpose here. But guys it’s really interesting stuff send us a short link and I am sure many of us will read further. What I won’t read further is numpties who just D’Hondt get the tactic of SNP 1Alba 2. Some are genuine in their angst about voting for Sturgeon others though are suggesting those of us making that reasonable calculation are New SNP drones or worse rainbow roasters. These are the roasters who have put a leaflet through a door or engaged in a constructive conversation. So please put that on another forum as well.
“The standard of engineering in Scotland is an absolute disgrace.”
Surely, the examples you cite are descriptive of the standard of implementation and subsequent quality checking?
The ‘engineering’ is the bit that goes into the design. And Scottish engineering stands up against the best in the world (having given the world so many of the inventions that make modern life so comfortable).
Yossarian: “the forensic MSP from Dumbarton”
Comedy Gold.
The tactics of SNP 1 and Alba 2 is supposed to optimise the chances for Alba on the List and at the same time give the SNP enough rope to hang themselves.
Many SNP supporters will expect an independence referendum next term because they believe the SNP to be an independence party, if that doesn’t happen, many of those supporters will be looking for an alternative home.
Of course, it’s unpalatable for many to vote for them but it may be worth considering the pros and cons of the bigger picture before deciding, although nothing is guaranteed.
@Willie – I’ll tell you an interesting thing about the Grenfell fire: When Thatcher first became PM she was taken on a visit to the Building Research Establishment (BRE). At the time, it was world-leading in its research and was government funded which made it completely separate from the interests of ‘for-profit’ business. Thatcher privatised it straight away and that changed it to a body which just traded on its reputation for quality and impartiality. It really didn’t have these qualities any longer. They started approving things which a few years previously they would never have approved. Aluminium composite panels and phenolic foam insulation are amongst them.
It was the BRE who issued ‘Agrement Certificates’ for Grenfell cladding. The materials were OK according to them and if it was OK with the BRE then it was OK with Building Standards too. Materials no longer had to be ‘non-combustable’; they only had to ‘not support combustion’ which is a completely separate and much more subjective criteria. The disaster which followed was in many ways inevitable and I know many who were uncomfortable about using these products. I remember seeing a panel of phenolic foam burn on an open fire and it was alarming. How the BRE could certificate that as ‘not supporting combustion’ is really the cause of this needless tragedy.
What we are seeing from the Scottish Government just now are dishonest and unaccountable people who are hiding from the truth. I went to the American Society of Civil Engineers who are the best engineers in the world and I sent their opinions off to John Swinney over 3-years ago. The best he could come-up with was ‘everyone who needs to know about this knows about it and no-one agrees with you’…’I’m not speaking to you any more’. The American engineers cannot believe the arrogance of it. What should take days, takes 7-years in Scotland.
We’ll soon know what George thinks.
link to tinyurl.com
Lady in Red!
Capt Yossarian
“The best he [John Swinney] could come-up with was ‘everyone who needs to know about this knows about it and no-one agrees with you’…’I’m not speaking to you any more’.”
Ha! Word for word what I got from him.
He is the antithesis of what an ‘effective contributor’ and a ‘responsible citizen’ should be.
A blight on the educational landscape of the nation.
@TNS2019 – I have worked in countries which have a properly functioning judiciary and John Swinney would be serving serious prison time just now in either of these countries. That is not an exaggeration, it is simply a statement of fact.
link to tinyurl.com
Lady in Red!
Gordon @ 10.40 am
Huv you no goat some campaigning in Southside tae dae ya lazy fucker?
If I was Sarwar I wid be a bit pissed aff wae you, ya useless twat!
Get your UJ flag oan and get tae work.
@ Captain Yossarian
Over the months you’ve been commenting btl, you regularly elude to a school built on watery ground having issues, I can’t recall you actually mentioning the specific school in question.
If the risk of it sinking is real then I suggest it is your civic duty to inform the public of said school so parents can send their bairns to the school with hard hats and buoyancy aids.
And to be on the safe side, maybe push for mandatory swimming lessons and Bronze Medallion lifesaving courses for all attending pupils.
A potential knock on benefit of these activities might be that the kids actually put down their fuckin smartphones for long enough to gets some exercise, and the mouth to mouth resuscitation practical might also stir the loins of the bairns so Scotland can begin to increase its population growth rate again, so it isn’t just filled with old grey reekin of pish wrinklies with not enough young folk to pay taxes to fund and carry out looking after us!
I recall a while back the new secondary school in Duns was built on a wet area of ground. It was still there last time I drove by, but that was pre lockdown…
@Dan – link to scotsman.com
SNP must be totally broke cash wise too.
My are has some Digital Billboards and all
sorts of unionist shit is on it from Scot business
better in U.K., the Royals, DRoss himself and
Labour nonentity back door Kelly.
Our local SNP MSP is a side street paper billboard.
Absolutely no expense spent!
Cheers, I’ll have a quick read, but I’ve engineered your link to be archived.
link to archive.is
@Gordon
I’ve read wings for years and only started posting when I started to realise that the lying criminal Nicola Sturgeon was going to get away with her crimes. A process that should have ended with her being convicted of perjury and perverting the course of justice fizzled out to nothing because of the corrupt SNP controlled criminal justice system. It turns my stomach that they lying bastard is even allowed to stand for election.
What I didn’t expect after months of forensic reporting by Rev Stu demonstrating in great detail her crimes was for sturgeonite SNP trolls to actually have the brass neck to come on here and defend the bastard Sturgeon and effectively undermine and call Rev Stu a liar. Then again I should have known better just now morally bankrupt these people are. The SNP1 “one more time” “elect her to hold her feet to the fire” is nothing but complete and utter bullshit. The idea that you punish a confirmed liar and criminal by re-electing her and giving her the levers to control the legal and justice system is certifiably insane and only a complete and utter moron should believe such nonsense.
As for Alba, the idea is good but the execution is poor. Salmond should have moved sooner, or at least got his groundwork done far in advance so it wasn’t such a rush job. Also the idea of re-electing a person he has called corrupt and a liar is absolutely fucking nuts. It completely undermines his credibility in my eyes and I’ve supported the man for over 25 years. It’s nothing personal against Salmond as I said the same about the carpetbagging opportunist Tommy Sheridan and the former Lib Dem Craig Murray, I also have a lot respect for Craig but the way he ripped the scab off the festering Sturgeon regime and then told people to vote for her was utterly insane. Craig should have put the white suit on and taken on Angus Robertson on an anti-corruption ticket, why he never did that and instead chose to back someone who looks like he lives in a shop doorway is beyond me.
So much lost opportunity, it’s actually painful thinking about it. One can only hope that Alba gets I a ducks in a row and decides to properly take on the New SNP next election.
AYRSHIRE NOB, the dumbest Bastard on Wings trying to put some constructive input into the debate, but fails miserably, again.
As usual it turns out to be his usual gatekeeping shite.
You trying to impress the burds in your wee gang AYRSHIRE?
I’m talking about Ruby, Famous, Liz g, Mia, and the rest of the ugly ducklings.
What a pity, every one of them is of the Sturgeon persuasion, no what a mean?
You wouldn’t know you were trained by the english army AYRSHIRE, honest.
You are as bright as a 3 Watt bulb.
Shocked. 11.29
Excellent post.
Lots of unanswered questions there that have to be answered before we can move on.
@Dan – Thank you. I suppose the question is: ‘how long does an investigation take?’
George can investigate in a day. Should it really take Scotgov 5-years?
I see someone ‘s multiple personality disorder is not getting any better. Acht well time yet I suppose.
Actually might pick a burd up at meet today. You’re quite welcome to come along and give us your speil on Glasgow Southside. Don’t be surprised if someone rips you a new arse to go along with your others.
Have a nice day e’all
@Shocked 11.29 am
I don’t think there was enough head of steam to do much earlier. As I recall there was definitely an appetite amongst some who were horrified at the SNP’s lack of action and it’s direction of travel to try and stand up a “full fat” real independence party quite some time ago, but it was always couched in terms of (at least initially) fighting only on the list seats, and being based on there being enough “big beasts” to front it like Alex Salmond, Joanna Cherry and hopefully others. Perhaps that was always unrealistic given Alex’s understandable focus on his court case and clearing his name.
It’s also undeniable however that without enough people being outraged enough to actually do something, we weren’t going to achieve that 12 or 18 months ago. It’s taken quite a while for the scales to fall from many peoples eyes with Alex’s acquittal and the enquiries since, as well as the SNPs descent into the realms of full TRA idiocy and exposing themselves as the supine gradualists they really are.
We need to be looking at 2026 I fear.
OT — There is a headline on Sky News ( I know!!) just now regarding GRA and an ongoing case down South that may be worth reading. I don’t want to post the direct line but it’s the first story on their website just now.
Andy Ellis, 2026 or 2024? Let’s elect a contingent of MPs that will go to Westminster to settle up, as a springboard to 2026. Yes, I know the betrayal of 2015 is raw for a lot of folk. Heck, it’s raw for me and I’m 3,000 miles away. But we cannot sit around for five years.
Definitely the ALBA party for the List.
Nice one Chris, the big clubs are only interested in money now, fans come a distant second.
Anyway I had a wee laugh to myself when Sturgeon came out guns blazing and all, on the sleaze surrounding the Tory government, oh don’t get me wrong, the stench is overpowering.
However, the stench of sleaze is also extremely overpowering that’s emanating from the SNP government.
Stu 12.22.
link to archive.ph
@ Captain Y
5 years does seem like a long time for an issue to be resolved.
I’ve just searched images for the school and straight off can see it is just yet another one these weird modern designs with loads of superfluous shite clagged onto it.
All those awkward intersecting jaunty roof and wall angles and corner window placement which may look cool and “modern”, but are often a complex build and maintenance nightmare.
Holyrood Parliament is similar in many ways…
That is just my observation of the aesthetics though, the unseen structural engineered integrity of the building and foundation and drainage design appropriate to the site are aspects that should be absolutely sorted prior to commencement of any build.
@Dan – Agreed.
Thanks Cenchos
@SkipNC 12.28 pm
I’m unconvinced 2024 Westminster elections (assuming that’s when they are) will provide the necessary impetus. If Alba stand candidates against the SNP it risks splitting in the pro-indy vote and letting more yoons win seats. If it is couched as a plebiscitary vote by the pro indy parties, whereby >50% of Scots voting for pro-indy candidates translates to a mandate for indy, then I’d be all for it.
Much depends on what happens to the SNP as a party post May, whether Sturgeon and her cabal retain power and what (if any) progress they make. If they stay in power and don’t deliver a referendum and perform badly in general then it’s possible they may be ejected. If they aren’t however, it’s difficult to see how they will make common cause with Alba or anyone else to do anything different than keep on banging the S30 Gold Standard referendum drum?
Alba should certainly be ready to take advantage of changing circumstances, but it things don’t fall to our advantage the truth is we have to prepare the ground for the hard slog of taking on the SNP head on and aim if not to actually replace them, to at least make it abundantly clear to the SNP that it have no plausible route to independence without co-operation.
Alba doesn’t need to be the biggest pro-indy party, it just needs to be big enough to hold the balance.
@Andy Ellis
At one point I was expecting Joanna Cherry to pop up as an Alba candidate in Edinburgh central and take on Robertson but I don’t know what’s going on. I’m not sure if she is actually I’ll or if she needed a time out to get away from the horrible trans New SNP lunatics who have been attacking her. I’m surprised she hasn’t resigned from the SNP in disgust because it would appear that she will be sidelined permanently for actually having a brain.
Shall we now have a chat about the Great British Bakeoff or the merits of artificial grass?
Skip past the idiots who are posting guff like Captain Yossarian. When morons like Muscleguy get hooked he has done his job.
Shocked and Andy tag team now on duty. I’ll come back later when their shift ends.
Interesting comment from Shocked re Joanna Cherry. I do hope she is well.
The apparatus of the British state is not kindly disposed to those who make it appear foolish.
Boris is a great reason to vote for independence now.
The astonishing depth of corruption and incompetence
all gone in 5 years time.
England will put in power the next Tory with a new set of lies
and claims that past history was nothing to do with them.
We are in a perfect storm for independence and SNP are trying
to steer Westminster through it all the while earning nice money
for them selves and a profile they don’t deserve.
I had better leaders in the Cubs than some of them in SNP.
Please watch and share this….we need to get the New Media out there to make up for the msm blackout of the ALBA Party #ALBA2 #WomenWontWheesht link to youtube.com
Who would be the replacement for Mrs. Murrell?
I have a feeling that she’ll step down after this election in a sort of ‘Well, that’s my work done here’ sort of way but she wouldn’t do that unless she personally has someone already lined up to replace her.
So, who would be the most likely person that Mrs. Murrell would see as her logical successor?
TheSNPleftme so I’m gonna campaign day and night to get them re-elected. Lol!
Genesis 1 v 27
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
Is this why the SG have repealed the blasphemy laws?
Andy Ellis @ 12.50PM
I think it’s fair to say that the SNP will be finished by the next WM election.
Even the most ardent party faithful by them will have had to face the realisation that they ain’t going to deliver independence – by that time they’ll have spent all their energy on warping the meaning of women and hoping we’re still in a pandemic.
We just need to ensure the independence movement still has a political arm in Alba that can capitalise on independence voters to sweep the WM and HR elections in 2024 and 2026.
Wherever Alba is most likely to pick up seats in this HR21 election is where energies need to be focused. Get the word out as Alba need some seats to build its future base. Can someone crunch some numbers?
Apart from that, need to expose the Greens as the weirdos that they are. And it pisses me off no end that their green policies are as weak as piss.
We’re up to the wire here – it really requires people power to try to get Alba over the line. Do whatever it takes
– speak to people, educate them
– get campaign material out there even if it means printing it at home
– share. share, share on social media (i know it can be manipulated on who can see posts but still gotta try)
If I can get my little old 80 year old maw over the line to vote Alba (who didn’t vote yes in independence), then we can all get folks on board. MSM can’t compete with that.
Get talking folks.
And get ALBA campaign material visible in houses and streets. The more visibility, the more the brand is recognised, then more people will mark the X – herd mentality – age old marketing strategy.
Had a lengthy chat this afternoon with one of my pals – who for his sins, remains a Tory activist.
He was telling me, their canvassing returns, both via telephone and from knocking on doors is that a lot of people, while unwilling to go the whole hog and vote Tory, are telling the Tories – I cannot vote for this SNP, as led by Sturgeon.
If this is a Scotland-wide trend, it could be bad for the short-term hopes for Independence and for the long-term future of the SNP.
ALBA is the future, unless the SNP ditches Sturgeon.
Andy Ellis,
The point of the Westminster elections is that it makes bugger all difference to Scotland if the SNP or the open Unionists get elected.
If there ARE Westminster elections in Scotland in 2024 that will already prove the SNP have betrayed the people and wasted yet another mandate. We will have no choice but to stand against them.
“who would be the most likely person that Mrs. Murrell would see as her logical successor?”
Angus Robertson?
@Craig Murray 3.13 pm
I tend to agree that there is little point to Westminster elections. Time will tell how Alba approach them I suppose. I don’t share your confidence (or hope?) that anything substantive will happen between May’s elections for Holyrood and the next Westminster elections however.
Of course it is always possible that there will be some political earthquake in the meantime as I have often caveated my own – admittedly – “glass half empty” outlook. In my defence, I’d say that given the apparent supine nature of the SNP rank and file membership, and their total inability to bring about any meaningful change in the party over the past few years, I see very little realistic prospect of “events” handing us an earlier opportunity than the 2026 Holyrood election.
I’ll happily eat my words if I’m proven wrong, but given current circumstances it’s not unreasonable for Alba to be targeting a 5 year timescale to build up its support and voter base and prepare to try and force the hands of the gradualists to make the 2026 elections plebiscitary. It’s going to take at least a few years for a decent percentage of SNP and Green voters to realise they have been had, and to realise the demonisation of Alba by the devolutionary gradualists, misogynists and men’s right activists in the SNP and Greens are as big an obstacle to achieving indy in the short to medium term as the British nationalists.
Some Alba supporters aren’t doing the party any favours. A few of them going into fields and chopping down posters / boards – mainly Tory ones.
Doesn’t help when some numpty filmed themselves sticking an Alba poster over another party’s board, then posting it all on Twitter.
On the whole “trans”/LGBTQI+ (etc…) thing, stumbled across another piece to the puzzle.
Obviously it’s a global rather than local phenomenon.
There’s a ‘pdf’ easily found called “GlobaTrends_2040” put out by the CIA (at least the “DNI” under which they supposedly operate). It involves the usual mix of projection and wishful thinking but at around page 74 there are some interesting points:
“The expansion and increasing prominence of identity groups demanding recognition and rights are forcing an increase in debate about the social and economic foundations of societies. Intensifying and competing identity dynamics are likely to provoke increasing political debate and polarization, societal divisions, and in some cases, unrest and violence. ….
Publics increasingly will depend on their favorite gatekeepers — such as news media outlets, social media platforms, and trusted voices of authority — to sift truth from fiction. Efforts to arbitrate controversial content, such as flagging or removing demonstrably false claims, are unlikely to be effective in changing beliefs and values aligned with one’s closely held identities, however. Identity-based beliefs tend to eclipse truth-seeking because of the overriding need to belong, obtain status, understand the social world, maintain dignity, and feel morally justified.”
Very interesting to see the CIA’s take on it.
More from “the New Media”. Brilliant chat with Alex and John Drummond says he is hoping to have Nicola Sturgeon on next week! I wonder what excuse she’ll have to get out of that one? link to youtube.com Watch and share. Let’s show the msm how irrelevant they are. #ALBA2
.
The True Golden Midas Touch Award Goes To…
The top website accessed from the Scottish Government computers…
The SNP: 890 site visits.
Wings Over Scotland: 1,100.
The Winner as reported in the Glasgow Herald is…
Wings Over Scotland
Source: link to archive.is
Andrew F
Global Trends – beliefs tend to eclipse truth seeking
/
The CIA and others have understood this since their inception.
That’s why they sow seeds into the popular discourse some of which will take root there
It looks like you don’t even need to go to the “pdf”, the same content is online:
link to dni.gov
Perhaps more suited to the Rev’s previous article. Not only that but he’s mentioned all these people in previous articles.
Transgender: Follow the money, the sums are astronomical as if the political reach.
link to thefederalist.com
The people saying Alba left it too late are forgetting that Alex S had to wait for the findings of Hamilton and the Fabiani whitewash to reach a conclusion.
Had NS resigned, it would have been a different ball game IMO.
Also those talking about polls, forget them. ScotGPop always used to talk about the importance of previous results for waiting – tbh, I don’t understand exactly.
Then some polls have apparently only been asking about constituency voting intentions, no mention of list.
Another point a huge number in the Asian community have moved to Alba, that is very significant.
I recognise faces that I used to campaign with for NS.
I was astonished to find one lady, I won’t name – speaking at the Alba women’s conference.
She was a massive NS fan until very recently.
I don’t believe they will do great but I do believe this is the start of the future.
PS forgot to say, Craig you’ve made DRoss look far too cute.
I mean Chris, sorry
Chris should have drawn in his forked tongue, horns and tail
The only desirable result is a strong ALBA presence holding the balance of power.
The vast majority of Wings reasders don’t post comments.
I hope they will be sensisble enough not to fall for the lies of the Sturgeon-Murrell-SNP apologists who have hijacked Wings over Scotland.
It is not necessary to vote SNP 1 to help ALBA. ALBA’s chances are not affected by the constituency vote:
Paul Cockshott says,
“There is a misaprehension that failure to vote SNP 1 will affect the number of Alba seats. It will not. The number of Alba seats depends only on the percentage of votes Alba gets on the list. Failure to vote SNP 1 just alters the number of SNP Tory or Labour constituency seats. If Sturgeon loses to Sarwar then that does not affect Albas number of seats, provided Alba gets some 6% or more on the list. If the divisor for the SNP falls by 1 that for Labour rises by 1 in compensation. The voting system is cleverly designed to give proportionality i n a way that is independent of which parties win in the constituencies.”
‘crazycat’ has also posted something similar.
Vote wisely, not blindly to avoid five more years of the same and worse.
ALBA’s presence will have no effect whatsoever if the ‘Supermajority’ consists of a corrupt lying criminal SNP majority together with the Green perverts.
Deny the SNP a majority if you genuinely want independence and vote tactically to get rid of Sturgeon, Swinney. Yousaf and Dempsey-Robertson once and for all.
Joanna Cherry is not up for election. No point in her doing anything rash right now.
She can cross to ALBA anytime she wants (or not at all). Right now she is much more of a threat to the rancid and decaying Sturgeon regime inside the SNP (fighting them there) than she is outside.
If ALBA fails JC will survive to fight another day. Eggs, baskets, that sort of thing.
Yes Captain Yosarian, the privatisation of the Building Research Establishment was the start of a process that put building construction and civil engineering on a downward quality spiral.
There is always a man who can and will do it cheaper cutting costs and quality standards in the pursuit of profit and the whole Private Finance Initiative, in conjunction with the privatisation of standards has been a key driver in where we have ended up.
Large design build own and transfer schemes or DBOOT as they were once called delivers public assets through the vehicle of a Special Purpose Company set up to build and operate the facility whatever it may be for the specified operational concession period.
This is quite a different proposition from the traditional procurement approach where a designer or architect designed on behalf of a client and a separate contractor employed by the Employer built the works. But now fund, design, build and self certify as to completeness is all rolled into one – with the client ( ergo the taxpayer ) simply a bystander renting the facility for the concession period until handed over.
It therefore doesn’t take much savvy to realise how this pushes the design and quality envelope to the margins that a commercially connected party will sign off on. ( Think of the designer and certifier being paid by the Contractor who is being paid by the corporate ghost that is the Concessionaire or Special Purpose Vehicle and you get the picture. Not a healthy environment for quality – but a healthy environment for the big money masters of the universe indebting countries and states for decades with PFI ( or Scottish Futures Trust ) debts.
But do the people care. Do they heck. For them maxing out on the most expensive store card, or side street lender is no concern to the average taxpayer. Crikey even Dan @11.06 makes light of a school built on bad ground being an opportunity for swimming lessons. A bit of dark humour maybe but not so funny if people bought new houses finding them only tears later ( sorry years later ) to be falling down because of substandard building quality. But don’t laugh – lots of new, expensive flats bought with expensive mortgages, now have the problem of being built with dangerous cladding.
Interesting how a number of commentators with an interest and knowledge of the built environment are commenting in some detail with examples of the absolutely poor infrastructure build that has appertained these last years.
Maybe this gives rise to a wry joke about having the excitement of living in a new flat where there are fire guards ( new flats on the Clyde! ) or the even blacker joke about about folks not being able to sell because nobody will buy a house that the banks will not lend on because of poor fire safety construction. That’s a real he-haw laugh – its happening now, and not a cheep from the Spin Mistress Sturgeon herself and her government that let it all happen.
Yes Captain Yossarian there is a lot lot wrong and no willingness by our corporate enthralled government to do anything about it.
And we used to laugh at construction in Spain forty years ago!
Update, some Swiss clarity, on the ‘orrible tale of Covid.
link to swprs.org
A disaster for the many, a goldmine for the very, very few.
Enough!
I hope people reading this blog will not fall for the lies of the Labour activist who has hijacked this website to campaign for Anas Sarwar.
He has multiple accounts. He’s not difficult to spot.
He is the type of person who gets very abusive if you don’t agree with him.
Ruby I think all people on WoS are smart enough to make up their own minds.
Liz says:
24 April, 2021 at 5:21 pm
Ruby I think all people on WoS are smart enough to make up their own minds.
Reply
Is that your way of telling me to shut-up?
I wasn’t referring to people on WoS.
Perhaps you should re-read my post. Cheers
Not sure if I agree with you regarding everyone on WoS being smart.
Sure there are some very smart well informed people on WoS but there are also a fair number of bampots, trolls & nasties.
@Willie – I don’t know if you remember the Cole Inquiry. It was only a few years ago; 2016-2017.
That was to investigate the Oxgangs Primary School incident when a wall blew-down in a gale-force wind. Shortly before that a wall was pushed-over at Liberton High School which tragically resulted in a fatality. So, there’s a specific safety problem with schools and we all know that.
Professor Cole’s investigative team included a lawyer and a structural engineer. At the end of his inquiry, Professor Cole said that the structural engineer was necessary and we need far more engineers, but the lawyer was unneccessary and we need far fewer lawyers.
Despite that, the Scottish Government persists in sacking engineers and hiring lawyers. The school I am talking about has had 4No law firms working on it over 7-years. How much do you think that has cost and has it done any good at all?
George will achieve more in a day that these law firms have achieved in 7-years. He will probably do the work for free. He’s an honorable engineer and will do it for the entertainment value. He doesn’t need £500/hour at his age.
In the case of this school, the Government’s lawyer was told repeatedly that the school had to be checked but he did nothing. It’s now too late.
The primary problem we all have in Scotland right now is the lack of strict separation between Scotgov and the legal profession. You see it at this school, but also at the Fabiani Inquiry. It’s an embarrassment really.
Dorothy Devine says:
24 April, 2021 at 8:35 am
I’m sure someone with great talent could give us a version of “I am a linesman for the county …..” suitably doctored as a tribute to Dross.
How about this Dorothy:
I am a linesman for this country
And I creep the back roads
Crawling in the rain for a lying overpaid toad
I hear him bawling down the wire
I can hear his Old Etonian the whine
And the Nairn Tory linesman
I’m just toeing the Tory line
I know I need a long vacation
And you know I’m a right pain
But I’ve got my orders from down south
Or I’ll never stand the again
And I need you more than you need me
And I want you to vote to betray your own country
So please vote for me.
Please!
With apologies to Glen Campbell (No not that one)
Ottomanboi,
Your links are junk pseudoscience.
link to mediabiasfactcheck.com
link to healthfeedback.org
link to reuters.com
And here’s a link to an earlier article from a Bavarian news site pointing out that prior COVID-19, the ‘P’ stood for propaganda where they posted anti-US articles.
link to translate.google.com
Stop trolling your pish.
Some FACTS to protect decent genuine independence supporting folks from the lies of the Sturgeon-Murrell-SNP apologists who have hijacked Wings over Scotland to get their Saint Nicla re-elected:
Anas Sarwar needs no campaigning on Wings over Scotland. He is on the top of Labour’s Glasgow region list and will get elected no matter what.
And I am sure the Rev. Stuart Campbell has not hijacked his own website:
Rev. Stuart Campbell says (Scheming on a mirage),
“It’s much the same as the Glasgow Southside situation. You’re not choosing between Anas Sarwar and Nicola Sturgeon – Sarwar is top of the Labour list so he’s getting in no matter what happens. What you’re effectively doing with your constituency vote in Glasgow Southside is choosing between two SNP MSPs – Sturgeon or Roza Salih. If you’d prefer Salih, vote Sarwar on the constituency paper.)”
Rev. Stuart Campbell says (Rallying to the banner),
“If you believe Sturgeon is a block on independence it’s a very rational position.”
Liz says:
24 April, 2021 at 5:21 pm
“Ruby I think all people on WoS are smart enough to make up their own minds.”
Ruby says:
24 April, 2021 at 5:33 pm
“Reply
Is that your way of telling me to shut-up?”
“on WoS but there are also a fair number of bampots, trolls & nasties.”
That is one “bampot, troll and nasty” revealing herself for all to see.
Kcor says:
24 April, 2021 at 5:50 pm
Some FACTS to protect decent genuine independence supporting folks from the lies of the Sturgeon-Murrell-SNP apologists who have hijacked Wings over Scotland to get their Saint Nicla re-elected:
Anas Sarwar needs no campaigning on Wings over Scotland. He is on the top of Labour’s Glasgow region list and will get elected no matter what.
Reply
Really smart people on WoS would have recognised that my earlier post was a wind/up a flamebait!
A very successful flame-bait!
I caught him hook, line & sinker.
Airpunch!
Well I’ve my fence boards up and have been asked a few questions,result
Fuck this election campaign is boring and depressing.
Is Alex going to pull a rabbit out of the hat?
Michael Stimson says:
24 April, 2021 at 1:59 pm
Who would be the replacement for Mrs. Murrell?
Reply
Michael Stimson
Have you ditched the Mist account?
Some folk reckon she may have been replaced already by a bearded lady.
@ willie at 4.52pm
My comment was made in dark humour. Of course I am far from happy with shoddy workmanship and poor enforcement.
But that’s what we get when all those with control and power earning the big bucks wear pristine ironed shirts and ties rather than boilersuits.
Meanwhile… I see the First Minister has called for an inquiry into allegations of the Prime Minister’s “contracts for cronies, donations for decorating and text messages for tax breaks”.
Contracts for cronies, un minuted meetings and conspiring by text messages are something that would never happen up here…
Scottsrenewables
I think hope he might be
Apologies for spelling
Garavelli Princ.
Loved the ditty and no apologies needed. The REAL Glen, and only one worth listening to, does not work for a freaky biased broadcaster and only has the one n.
Captain Yossarian
Engineers’ self-respect is entirely based on the idea that if you have to cover your arse they’ve done a bad job. Lawyers on the other hard, covering your arse is their job.
Garavelli Princip says:
24 April, 2021 at 5:48 pm
Dorothy Devine says:
24 April, 2021 at 8:35 am
I’m sure someone with great talent could give us a version of “I am a linesman for the county …..” suitably doctored as a tribute to Dross.
How about this Dorothy:
I am a linesman for this country
And I creep the back roads
Crawling in the rain for a lying overpaid toad
I hear him bawling down the wire
I can hear his Old Etonian the whine
And the Nairn Tory linesman
I’m just toeing the Tory line
I know I need a long vacation
And you know I’m a right pain
But I’ve got my orders from down south
Or I’ll never stand the again
And I need you more than you need me
And I want you to vote to betray your own country
So please vote for me.
Please!
With apologies to Glen Campbell (No not that one)
Reply
Bravo!
Bravo! 
Hand clapping! Poppers! 
& lots of 
We need more emojis!
Any chance of you singing it and putting it up on You Tube?
Never mind, Scotland will get the government they deserve on may 6th.?
Yep captain Yossarian, the cost of legal fees in construction – concession contracts is now absolutely huge. It has been a dripping roast for the big legal firms.
of course the big legal fees together with the absolutely monstrous finance charges is something that we all have to pay for in our taxes.
You mention schools with walls falling down. But that’s only part of it. Near me are three new secondary schools built under the Scottish Futures or PFI model.
The first just before it opened had a major heating issue due to inadequate gas supply. Discovered when the boilers on full load test tripped out, there were thereafter frantic gas feed modifications during the summer holidays to get the school for the school resumption after the holiday.
The second school was opened a couple of years later only to find that the new sports facilities could not be used due to light and noise intrusion into adjacent houses. Apparently on dark evenings adjacent houses were absolutely flooded with light.
The third school, well it had to be moved late the design phase to be squeezed 25 metres away from 144,000 volt power transmission lines due to there being a requirement for the construction of a massive underground attenuation tank the sixe of an Olympic swimming pool.
The site selected was at the base of hills and due to the fact that water runs down hills big gabion basket retaining walls had to be constructed with huge interceptor drains to catch the hillside run off. Unfortunately the drainage measures have proved problematic and a new primary school, constructed separately has had big water problems too. Site selection may have been the start of the problem but inadequate design carried it on.
So more piss poor quality building. Three secondary schools in one small council area. But do the government care – of course they don’t when the hapless taxpayer is stumping up for Scotland.
Yes Captain Yossarian our new built environment is of the poorest quality. But as I say, most folks don’t care as they stump up for shit.
Anyway, don’t tell Nicola. She thinks everything is fine. And if she say so, it must be so.
Willie
And then there is the fiasco over the construction of hospitals….
Ruby says:
24 April, 2021 at 5:33 pm
Reply
Is that your way of telling me to shut-up?
No, that’s not how I read it Ruby.
I took her to mean most regular Wingers can spot a troll without needing anybody to point it out. They are pretty obvious, and not very self aware.
Don’t let them get under your skin. Half the time there isn’t a “them” at all, and it’s kinda sad when they’re having a “conversation” with himself… I mean each other.
Most of the time, not feeding the trolls is the best medicine, and that sometimes looks like the person being trolled is isolated, but everybody can see what’s really going on, and restraining themselves so as not to feed them and avoid giving the arseholes the satisfaction of disrupting a thread.
Just lately, they seem to be very upset about any prospect of an SNP / ALBA supermajority, so apparently anybody voting SNP1 and ALBA2 is a “pervert”. Lol. Most folks grew out of those kind of name calling games at primary school, but not our in-house trolls obviously.
Ruby says:
24 April, 2021 at 6:16 pm
Michael Stimson says:
24 April, 2021 at 1:59 pm
Who would be the replacement for Mrs. Murrell?
My favourite would be the useless crash test dummy I keep comparing her to. That would deliver an immediate improvement in pro-Independence output, and leave Alex Salmond running the show and trying to convince the SNP voters that firstly, he’s not actually the Antichrist, and secondly, that a Supermajority would be brilliant news and massive step taken towards Independence.
@Stuart Mackay – ‘everyone that needs to know about this school does know about it and no-one agrees with you’ – that’s the standard response issued to you by all Holyrood parliamentarians and their lawyers.
Now if you go to the American Society of Civil Engineers or the UK Institution of Civil Engineers, you get an entirely different response. They look at this very, very carefully because they know it is serious. No lawyers are involved.
We have produced many great engineers and our reputation overseas is still fabulous. I don’t think you can say that about our parliamentarians or our lawyers, can you.
Garavelli Princip, A round of applause ! Well done indeed.
Ruby says:
24 April, 2021 at 9:33 am
“Muscleguy says:
24 April, 2021 at 9:21 am
@Captain Yossarian
Any reason why you two couldn’t start your own blog instead of piggybacking on this one?”Any reason why you two couldn’t start your own blog instead of piggybacking on this one?”
Ruby says:
24 April, 2021 at 9:51 am
“PS Muscleguy did you not leave Wings in the huff a couple of weeks ago? Is this spamming an act of revenge.”
Guys, don’t you realise Wings has already been hijacked by the Ruby/Mia/AYRSHIRE ROB/Breeks/Famous15 Sturgeonist brigade?
Stop disrupting their vote SNP 1 re-elect Sturgeon mantra or they will condemn you to hell.
Ruby says:
24 April, 2021 at 9:33 am
”Any reason why you two couldn’t start your own blog instead of piggybacking on this one?”
Mia, Breeks are you listening?
Mikey d says:
24 April, 2021 at 6:39 pm
“Never mind, Scotland will get the government they deserve on may 6th.”
As a whole, yes, definitely.
Although many who don’t deserve it will nevertheless get it because of the Saint Nicola cultists whose presence we can see here day and night, day in day out.
@ Kcor/Rock
I see you’re back(wards) on here.
You haven’t modified your posting style while you were away; it’s still heavily dependent on copy and paste.
Earlier today, for at least the third time, you referred to me, asserting that I had posted something “similar” to a paragraph by Paul Cockshott, which you reproduced.
I saw Paul’s comment at the time. My opinion is that it was simplistic and partially inaccurate.
I considered responding to him, but eventually chose not to, on the grounds that I would need to write at some length to address what he had said.
Please desist from associating me with a comment I do not agree with as much as you may think.
Thank you.
@ Scozzie says:
24 April, 2021 at 2:36 pm
Andy Ellis @ 12.50PM
I think it’s fair to say that the SNP will be finished by the next WM election.
Even the most ardent party faithful by them will have had to face the realisation that they ain’t going to deliver independence’
I’m not so sure the party faithful will face the realisation that the current SNP is not going to deliver.
Sadly, I think, like New Labour before them, they are going to blame Alba for causing a split (which they haven’t) but I’m not seeing any realistic weighing up of facts with this section.
We can only do what we can do.
Kcor says:
24 April, 2021 at 7:19 pm
Ruby says:
24 April, 2021 at 9:33 am
”Any reason why you two couldn’t start your own blog instead of piggybacking on this one?”
Mia, Breeks are you listening?
Reply
Breeks your advice is not to feed the troll.
Should I just ignore the above?
Captain Yossarian
To a large extent you can put it down to “managerialism” infecting government. When Thatcher started the drive to make more business-like I’m sure they had no idea that all they’d end up doing is importing more bureaucracy and the associated jargon.
Now everything is “stakeholders” this and “critical path” that. You hear the words come out of their mouths but the expression on their faces show clearly they haven’t the faintest clue what they are saying.
It’s a massive cargo-culting exercise where they believe that if they speak the language of business then they must be as efficient as the most efficient business. It’s the same story in the universities (at least here), funding is tight but millions are spent getting scientists to jump through hoops to justify why they should get a few thousand.
The attitude the like of Swinney demonstrates is just the cherry on top of the rotten cake. He probably wouldn’t recognise a school if it fell on top of him, metaphorically speaking. But yet he maintains this holier than thou attitude that he walks on water and is utterly infallible. We got the same with Labours PFI. Perhaps politicians should be licenced like engineers and hence become liable for their decisions. What a breath of fresh air that would be.
@Daisy 7.44 pm
From your lips to God’s ears.
Would anyone like a wee bit cheerie, maybe even a wee laugh…
Cast your mind back to the heady days of the Indyref – remember how the BBC ignored the hundreds of Yes Campaigners in favour of a close cropped shot of 2 or 3 No supporters, with large banners and no view of the surrounding apathy?
Remember that…. Well,
Now contrast and compare, baring in mind its the second weekend before the election…
First have a wee look at todays Alba Twitter feed, then have a wee look at SNP Twitter Feed.
And then see if you don’t find yourself going Haaaaaaa, haaaaa, haaa.
Those 12 thousand new recruits are very, uhmmm, slim, to the point of invisible.
The Super League got a Red Card Red Card Red Card but not from Douglas Ross. It took English Fitba Supporters getting stroppy to do that.
Just been looking at the political donations raised by the parties through Crowdfunder for this election.
SNP – £194,151
Labour – £59,641
Alba – £55,855
No surprise that the SNP in existence for eighty years and the lead in the minority government just finished.
No surprise Labour at £59,641. Albeit at only 30% funding of what the SNP secured the money raised very much reflects the Labour party’s out of favour popularity.
But look at Alba. Out of nowhere and in a couple of weeks with a party now only four weeks old since launch, it has secured nearly as much as the Labour party.
Quite incredible really and shows the level of support lurking to support Alba. And that’s with the establishment and the media censoring and blacking out Alba coverage.
Just another indication of the underlying support for the nascent Alba.
A fantastic result much needed. Change is coming. The people are going to speak.
Hi Kcor/Rock.
As others have pointed out, you have reverted to your previous style, ie pasting quotes from other’s comments.
No doubt Rev Stu is keeping an eye on you…
RE: support for ALBA.
I think a lot of peeps are gonna be surprised/shocked on the 7th/8th of May, when the results come through.
Top toon Chris – Yeah so much for their €$£.
– – – – – – – – – –
Hi willie –
Just to add… on top of the quoted Alba generated monies so far (via Crowdfunder only), our Scottish Arabs for Independence have very kindly donated an additional 5-figure sum to Alba, outwith the original fundraiser.
As Team Alba are also receiving many other supporter contributions offline, I wouldn’t be surprised if the overall figure was closer to or over a 6-figure sum by now, by Jove.
The monthly member contributions should also boost the overall figure considerably as well, swell.
All in all, all good.
Alba X.
Me too BDTT,
I can’t believe there’s not gonna be at least a bit of a showing from Alba.
It just doesn’t sit right with my gut feelings about what’s happening
crazycat says,
“I saw Paul’s comment at the time. My opinion is that it was simplistic and partially inaccurate.”
In other words:
“‘crazycat’ has also posted something similar.”
I will quote it as much as I like.