Tartan Tea Party
I enjoyed Kenny Farquharson's article in The Times about the threat by Wings Over Scotland to set up an SNP equivalent of the populist Tea Party which dragged America's Republicans to the far right and paved the way for the Donald Trump.
If you ask me, Wings is just a pound shop Nigel Farage.
Wings party is bound to ruffle SNP feathers
By Kenny Farquharson - The Times
Foreboding among nationalists at the prospect of a rival pro-independence group is justified
A couple of weeks ago I interviewed Scotland’s most controversial internet blogger and it caused a bit of a stir. Stuart Campbell, of Wings Over Scotland, revealed he was in talks to set up his own political party to fight the next Holyrood election. The reaction among SNP folk of my acquaintance was near panic.
You might find such an extreme reaction puzzling if you take Mr Campbell’s intentions at face value. His stated aim, after all, is to game Holyrood’s arcane electoral system to maximise the number of pro-independence MSPs on the regional lists. This, he says, would help ensure a parliamentary majority for a new referendum on breaking up the UK.
To Mr Campbell’s online cheerleaders, including many SNP supporters, the idea of a Wings party is great news. To them it is a big step towards indyref2 and a free Scotland. So what’s not to like? Plenty, say nationalists within the SNP mainstream.
From Nicola Sturgeon’s point of view, a Wings party spells dissent and rebellion within her own ranks. For some time now I have been writing about three hairline fractures in the SNP. A Wings party would be a crowbar jammed into each of these, opening them up into deep and politically hazardous crevices.
You may be familiar with these three fractures. First, impatience with the SNP’s cautious approach to a new referendum on independence. Second, a caustic disagreement over the Scottish government’s plans for new transgender rights. And third, an emerging split between those who are fully supportive of Ms Sturgeon and those increasingly drawn to her predecessor, Alex Salmond.
Read the full article via the following link to The Times.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/scotland/wings-party-is-bound-to-ruffle-snp-feathers-gtlwcmtrv
Wingnuts Over Scotland - 'The Biter Bit' 2 (21/04/19)
The most zealous fans of Wings Over Scotland are still weeping and wailing and gnashing their teeth over their hero's mauling at the hands of Sheriff Ross (see link below).
http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/docs/default-source/cos-general-docs/pdf-docs-for-opinions/2019scedin32.pdf?sfvrsn=0
In essence the 'cybernuts' are struggling to understand how Wee Stu's now infamous tweet was deemed not to be homophobic while, at the same time, Kezia's Dugdale's criticism of the wingnut-in-chief was found by the judge to be 'fair comment'.
Now the answer is that what people say or (in this case) write is not always to be taken completely literally - members of the public are free to interpret what is being said or stated, taking the wider circumstances into account.
So while the literal point of Wings' tweet was to attack the speaking style of David Mundell's son, Oliver, (fair enough) the butt or punchline of his joke came down to the sexuality of David Mundell himself - for no apparent reason other than to be cruel and vindictive.
And so the Sheriff found in Kezia Dugdale's favour and sent Wee Stu home to ponder his behaviour - or not as the case may be.
Wingnuts Over Scotland - 'The Biter Bit' (19/04/19)
Scotland's 'cybernuts' have been venting their spleen on social media since hearing that Stuart Campbell lost his defamation case against Kezia Dugdale, the Lothians MSP and former leader of the Scottish Labour Party.
The bottom line is that the judge was not impressed by the 'Wingnut-in-chief's' case and in Paragraph 97 of a lengthy written decision he rejected that the argument that 'Wee Stu' had been caused any real distress:
"Paragraph 97
When it comes to valuation of Mr Campbell's distress, I do not accept that he can hold others to a higher standard of respect than he is willing himself to adopt. He has chosen insult and condemnation as his style. He has received this in return. To use Mr Dunlop's analogy, having entered the political arena with a quiver of poisoned arrows, to receive an arrow in return might be seen as no more than collateral damage, not an unjust wound. I do not accept that he can dismiss the feelings of his opponents cheaply, but receive a high valuation of his own."
Well said, Sheriff Ross - a case of 'the biter bit' if you ask me.
Wingnuts Over Scotland (01/08/17)
I enjoyed this article by Angela Haggerty in The Herald which highlights a potential court case, a defamation action, involving the Labour leader Kezia Dugdale and the chap who runs the 'Wingnuts Over Scotland' web site, Stuart Campbell.
Now I don't know 'Wee Stu', never met the man and I'm blocked from his Twitter account; nor can I tell you if there's an agreed definition of what constitutes homophobic behaviour these days.
But if it 'walks like a duck and quacks like a duck', personal experience has always taught me to use my own judgment.
In fact, I wrote about Mr Campbell's ugly attack on David Mundell at the time which was very ill-judged if you ask me, because it focused on the man's sexuality rather than his politics.
As I shared my thoughts on my blog I asked myself the following question: "What kind of person thinks it's OK to speak in this vile manner, what's wrong with the man?"
Many years ago an old friend of mine responded to a persistent heckler at a trade union conference with the immortal words: "The more I hear from you, the more I believe in birth control" - which was genuinely funny because it was not about the heckler's sexuality or the sexuality of the heckler's dad.
The same cannot be said, I'm afraid, of Mr Campbell's ill-fated attempt at 'humour' at the expense of David Mundell.
And what's not clear to me is why 'Wee Stu' is suing Labour's Kezia Dugdale, but not the cabinet minister David Mundell or his son Oliver who also appear to have condemned the nasty little tweet as 'homophobic', according to the Daily Record and Sunday Mail.
The thing about 'jokes' is they are supposed to be funny, but who knows how this decidedly unfunny episode will end up or who will have the last laugh via the courts.
I doubt it will be the independence movement though because as someone who voted Yes in 2014, I have to say that I think the bullying language of the 'Wingnut-in-chief' is way, way over the top.
If you ask me, he must be a terribly arrogant, self-righteous individual if he thinks this business is worthy of a court case.
Yet, the biggest laugh of all lies in the fact that the 'gobby' Mr Campbell appears not to have the courage of his own convictions because he's asking other people to pay his legal costs.
Now that is hilarious.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15442390.Angela_Haggerty__Is_court_action_the_best_way_to_challenge_views_we_disagree_with_/
Angela Haggerty: Is court action the best way to challenge views we disagree with?
By Angela Haggerty - The Sunday Herald
Angela Haggerty: Is court action the best way to challenge views we disagree with?
DEFAMATION cases can backfire spectacularly. We need only look at the Tommy Sheridan case. After Sheridan successfully sued the News of the World over allegations about his sex life, he was then convicted of perjury. The bitter back and forth between Sheridan and his former colleagues in the Scottish Socialist Party dragged his reputation through the mud, and halted what may otherwise have been an enduring ascendency for the party.
Today, a new defamation case is on the horizon. Pro-independence blogger Stuart Campbell, who operates the Wings Over Scotland website, is suing Scottish Labour leader, unionist and gay woman Kezia Dugdale for damages of £25,000 after she accused him of making homophobic remarks.
At the centre of the case is a Wings Over Scotland tweet aimed at Oliver Mundell, son of gay Scotland Secretary David Mundell, which read: “Oliver Mundell is the sort of public speaker that makes you wish his dad had embraced his homosexuality sooner.”
Wingnuts Over Scotland (05/03/17)
Scotland's angriest 'Wingnut' is making the news headlines again after a particularly ugly Tweet at the expense of a gay cabinet minister, David Mundell.
The Sunday Mail reports that Stuart Campbell tried to laugh his remarks off by saying they were 'Toryphobic' which is nonsense, of course, because his comment was directed at the man's sexuality not his politics.
If you ask me, Campbell is to civic nationalism what Bernard Manning was to stand-up comedy - joyous he ain't.
Read the full report below in the link to The Daily Record/Sunday Mail.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/david-mundell-slams-indy-blogger-9963256
David Mundell slams Indy blogger Wings Over Scotland for 'homophobic' Tweet
Tory MSP Oliver Mundell, son of the openly gay cabinet secretary, also condemned the 'absolutely disgusting' comment.
BY KATRINE BUSSEY - The Sunday Mail/Daily Record
BY KATRINE BUSSEY - The Sunday Mail/Daily Record
Scottish Secretary David Mundell has blasted the tweet (Photo: Getty)
The Scottish Secretary and his Tory MSP son have blasted a "homophobic" tweet from controversial pro-independence blogger Wings Over Scotland.
When Oliver, the MSP for Dumfriesshire, addressed the Tory conference on Friday, the blog tweeted: "Oliver Mundell is the sort of public speaker that makes you wish his dad had embraced his homosexuality sooner."
David Mundell became the first openly gay Conservative Cabinet secretary when he came out in January 2015.
The Scottish Secretary reacted to the comment, saying: "This sort of behaviour has to be called out. We're not going to face down homophobia unless we call out people who practice it."
His son, who was elected to the Scottish Parliament last May, branded the Wings Over Scotland comment "absolutely disgusting and unacceptable".
But the blogger later insisted that the tweet was "Toryphobic" rather than homophobic.
The Conservative MP also reacted on Twitter, saying: "@NicolaSturgeon asks 'What kind of country do we want to live in?' My answer: not one where homophobia is acceptable."
The Scottish Secretary and his Tory MSP son have blasted a "homophobic" tweet from controversial pro-independence blogger Wings Over Scotland.
When Oliver, the MSP for Dumfriesshire, addressed the Tory conference on Friday, the blog tweeted: "Oliver Mundell is the sort of public speaker that makes you wish his dad had embraced his homosexuality sooner."
David Mundell became the first openly gay Conservative Cabinet secretary when he came out in January 2015.
The Scottish Secretary reacted to the comment, saying: "This sort of behaviour has to be called out. We're not going to face down homophobia unless we call out people who practice it."
His son, who was elected to the Scottish Parliament last May, branded the Wings Over Scotland comment "absolutely disgusting and unacceptable".
But the blogger later insisted that the tweet was "Toryphobic" rather than homophobic.
The Conservative MP also reacted on Twitter, saying: "@NicolaSturgeon asks 'What kind of country do we want to live in?' My answer: not one where homophobia is acceptable."
Wings Over Scotland is run by Stuart Campbell
'WIngnuts' Over Scotland (30/04/16)
I see that 'Wingnuts' Over Scotland's been in the news again with both The Herald and Daily Record reporting on the oafish antics of the angry wee Wingnut-in-chief, the not very reverend Stuart Campbell.
The Herald
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14456179.Anger_as_pro_independence_blogger_blames_Liverpool_fans_for_Hillsborough_disaster/?ref=ar
Anger as pro-independence blogger blames Liverpool fans for Hillsborough disaster
By Brian McLaughlin - The Herald
A PROMINENT blogger has come under fire for blaming Liverpool fans for the Hillsborough disaster despite an inquest vindicating them.
Stuart Campbell, the popular blogger who runs the pro-Independence website Wings over Scotland, faced demands to apologise after he stood by his views that Liverpool supporters were partly to blame for the 1989 tragedy.
On Tuesday, jurors in the Hillsborough inquest concluded that the 96 Liverpool fans who died in the disaster were unlawfully killed.
The Daily Record
Wings Over Scotland blogger slammed for blaming Liverpool fans for Hillsborough tragedy
BY RECORD REPORTER
PRO-INDEPENDENCE writer Stuart Campbell refuses to backtrack on his twisted claims view despite a court ruling the supporters were blameless and were unlawfully killed.
Wings Over Scotland blogger Stuart Campbell blames Liverpool fans for Hillsborough tragedy
A CONTROVERSIAL pro-independence blogger came under fire yesterday over comments made about the disaster.
Stuart Campbell, who runs Wings Over Scotland, was previously criticised for claiming Liverpool fanswere partly at fault over the deaths of the victims.
In 2012, the blogger insisted that “every single solitary person who died at Hillsborough was killed by Liverpool fans”.
But when asked on Twitter about the verdict yesterday, he said: “My thoughts are that anyone trolling for a reaction on it can go and get f***ed.”
Asked if his views had changed since 2012, he said: “No” and vowed to block those “trolling” him.
A CONTROVERSIAL pro-independence blogger came under fire yesterday over comments made about the disaster.
Stuart Campbell, who runs Wings Over Scotland, was previously criticised for claiming Liverpool fanswere partly at fault over the deaths of the victims.
But when asked on Twitter about the verdict yesterday, he said: “My thoughts are that anyone trolling for a reaction on it can go and get f***ed.”
Asked if his views had changed since 2012, he said: “No” and vowed to block those “trolling” him.
'Wingnuts' Over Scotland (14/03/16)
Because this blocking business arose after I criticised as 'juvenile and sexist' an image that was being promoted by 'Wings' (and some his online chums) to mock and ridicule JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books.
Now the chap behind 'Wings' goes by the name of Rev Stuart Campbell who is not a real reverend, by the way, and lives in middle-England despite being a fervent Scottish nationalist.
But the Rev had the brass neck to say that I 'disrespected' him (as if he was deserving of my respect in the first place) during our Twitter exchange which focused on whether the image was crude and stereotypical.
Needless to say Wings and his Twitter pals thought differently, like naughty schoolboys at the back of the class with their name calling and personal abuse, although I could well imagine the uproar if Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, had been portrayed in a similarly unpleasant light.
If you ask me, the Rev must suffer from 'wee man' syndrome which is familiar to folk in the west of Scotland; the symptoms normally affect vertically challenged males who are highly sensitive to criticism or ridicule while being in a permanently 'gobby' and angry state themselves.
In other words, they love to dish it out but they don't like it one little bit if others stand up to their boorish male behaviour.
From my short exposure to these Twitter loons I would rebrand them as 'Wingnuts' Over Scotland because their intolerant and oafish behaviour is a poor advert for Scottish independence which is presumably why Yes Scotland decided to disown Wings during the 2014 referendum campaign.
Or as Frankie Boyle remarked on Twitter recently:
"Can't help feeling that this persuading people to vote for Independence by telling them to go fuck themselves tactic has a few flaws."
Now that is funny, thoughtful and perceptive, and so much more important, politically speaking, than the angry, finger-jabbing invective that is often found on Twitter.
