Wings Over Scotland: Stuart Campbell announces end of controversial independence blog

Controversial Scottish independence campaigner Stuart Campbell has announced he is ending his involvement with the Wings Over Scotland blog.

In a post on the site, Mr Campbell wrote that he wanted to prioritise his health and happiness in the coming years, which he said would be “a long period of darkness” for the Yes movement.

Launching a scathing attack at the SNP and Nicola Sturgeon and their association with the Scottish Greens, Mr Campbell spoke of his frustration at Holyrood having a pro-indy majority, “but no will to do anything with it”.

He said: “So what’s coming now is five miserable years of deja vu.

“Since I haven’t actually spelled it out yet: Wings is over.”

Wings Over Scotland which was founded in 2011, is one of the most influential political blogs in Scotland.

But it has attracted criticism for its stance on a range of issues, and, in December 2019, the blog’s official Twitter account was permanently suspended for violation of the platform's rules against hateful conduct.

Writing on Wednesday, Mr Campbell said he would wait until November this year, which would mark Wings Over Scotland’s tenth anniversary, to make a final decision on the blog’s future.

“But in truth,” he wrote, “I can’t imagine anything will have changed, and certainly not for the better.

Mr Campbell said the blog site would remain live until November, and weekly cartoons would still be posted.

“Comments will be open for people to chat, but the actions of trolls have already ended the approval of new commenters and that will continue.

“But we’re not going to spend thousands of pounds a year keeping it online indefinitely, so use the time to archive anything you want to preserve,” he told readers.

“The last nine and a half years have been an incredible honour. Thanks for everything,” he wrote.

“It’s time to find something else to do with my life.

“We’ve said everything there is to say and I’m not going to spend the next five years pointlessly repeating myself while Nicola Sturgeon busily turns Scotland into a vicious, spiteful, intolerant, authoritarian and misogynist country I’ll be ashamed to come from and am already afraid to live in.”

The 53-year-old added: “I want no part of the lie they’re going to foist on indy supporters for the next few years.

“I want no responsibility for how people are going to feel as it slowly, gradually dawns on them that they’ve been conned and taken for fools in exactly the same way Tony Blair did to Labour voters 20 years ago.

“Nor am I willing to destroy my health and happiness by putting myself through the fury of being lied to every day, never mind all the accompanying abuse.”

He warned: “We’re entering a long period of darkness for the Yes movement. I hope we get through it.

“Goodnight, readers, and may your god and your guardian angel go with you.”

The Scotsman has approached Wings Over Scotland and Mr Campbell for comment.

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