Dear All
From Braveheart to Faintheart is truly a spectacular achievement and in such a short space of time makes it all the more remarkable as well.
As Mel Gibson once uttered, ‘they make take our lives but they’ll never take …….. OUR FREEDOM!
Things have changed since Mel Gibson shot his movie in Scotland.
Alex Salmond faces the highly embarrassing situation of being accused by Labour of backing away from the SNP's core policy of Scottish independence.
This is because he apparently wants the devo max question on the referendum ballot paper as well, two bites at the cherry is how many see it.
As well as that its nonsense as the SNP would be effectively be seen as ‘pro’ all the policies they are currently ‘anti’ on like Trident, like keeping nuclear submarines on the Clyde, and so on and such like.
As well as the above, the real issue facing the Scottish National Party is the charge that they have failed to do "the slightest bit of homework" on what it would mean for ordinary Scots.
Just as Ruth Davidson blew Nicola Sturgeon completely out of the water on the issue of the SNP never contacting the EU as a government or as an opposition on Scotland’s membership, Margaret Curran has upped the stakes.
Margaret Curran is the Labour MP for Glasgow East and the Shadow Scottish Secretary in 2010 she won the seat back from SNP MP John Mason by about circa 13,000 votes.
This was a shame; as John Mason had a decent record in Westminster from my checking of Hansard which records parliamentary activity in the House of Commons.
Anyway, Margaret Curran has learned through ministerial written answers that the SNP Scottish Government has not had a single conversation on the consequences of independence with any Whitehall department.
How embarrassing is that?
Well a friend of mine in the party says that they were shocked when they watched Nicola Sturgeon on the Big Debate when Ruth Davidson raise the issue of EU membership and saw the letter being waved about, up until that point, he thought the work was getting done behind the scenes.
It was an eye opener for him.
Curran has said:
"In less than two years, the SNP want to break up the UK but they haven't done the slightest bit of homework to find out what this will mean for people in Scotland. Their policies are based entirely on assertion and fantasy. The Scottish people are going to make the biggest decision they have ever faced and we have a right to get answers to the most basic of questions on separation, including what will happen to our pensions, border controls or employment law."
And that is the SNP’s problem, they haven’t done the work and given the lack of talent in the Scottish National Party, one can only speculate what the quality of any rushed future work may be.
The last piece of rushed work was the offensive behaviour at football games bill, which was condemned by opposition parties and me for what it is.
Pure shit!
At this point I would like to quote Leonardo Dicarpio in the movie, the Quick and the Dead which is applicable to devo max.
‘Do I hear clucking? Did someone bring in a chicken in here?’
UK Ministerial written answers show that the SNP Scottish Government has not had a single conversation on the consequences of independence with any Whitehall department.
Independence cannot be won by spin, cannot be won by gimmicks and if Alex Salmond wants to take up my £500 bet that he will fail in 2014, then the terms and conditions of that bet are on another post.
Yours Sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
12 comments:
Good article, bar one tiny wee error.
Braveheart was mostly shot in Ireland, not Scotland. (I know, picky picky).
George
Like everyone apart from the blind faithful, I too was truly amazed that the SNP hadn't even written to the relevant EU authorities to clarify matters regarding membership.
The best speakers on Independence I've heard so far have definitely been Margo MacDonald and Patrick Harvie.
But I suppose they can afford to say what they want.
I'd like to refer you to my website - just for today - because it might give you a laugh.
Every Tuesday I lampoon one of Joan McAlpine's Daily Record columns.
http://ahdinnaeken.wordpress.com/2012/07/03/salmonds-a-man-with-some-explaining-to-do/
You might like it. I use a quote from Jim Sillars earlier this year in the Holyrood magazine.
Let me know if you don't want me posting links and, if you're feeling especially generous, let me know what you think of it.
It kind of backs up the flavour of what you've just said.
Regards
Dear Anon
Technically speaking I was correct, part of the movie was shot in Scotland, but also in Ireland where the major battle scenes were filmed.
So, my statement is correct and so is yours.
Very nice place Ireland, people very friendly.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
Dear Longshanker
I have read your blog, it is very funny in making its point.
Humour has a way of hitting home.
People in the SNP hate been seen as hopeless and the fact that the work hasn't been done is a disgrace.
I say this as a member of the Scottish National Party speaking in a personal capacity.
As someone in politics I generally welcome comments, I even put up comments when the people don't like me. Of course I draw the line at certain types of cybernat abuse but who wouldn't.
I will stick you on my blog list so others popping by the side can view your publication if they so chose.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
Thankyou for your kind words George.
Your blog has certainly helped add an extra dimension to my blogging.
I'm not pro or agin the SNP, though it might appear I'm agin.
I am agin the cabal which you regularly bring to account.
That's why I consider your blog to be such a valuable resource.
Thankyou again for putting me on your blog roll.
You've been on mine for some time.
Regards.
The nonenities who calls themselves the SNP are an absolute disgrace to Scotland.
Bumbling along all these years pretending to know what they are doing and it turns out they are as bad as doorstep conmen.
Snake Oil Doctors!
Carpetbaggers!
It's pretty obvious that no work towards Independence has been done, which, to me, is a bitter blow.
Angry, furious and disgusted comes immediately to mind.
Dear Longshanker
When I first started to blog, 10,000 people dropped by in the first year.
Year 2 saw 60,000.
At the end of my third I was getting somewhere in the region of 8 to 10 thousand a month depending on stories published.
When I joined the SNP I thought very highly of it and Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon.
However, I find my trust was misplaced as both Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon refused to act on bullying and smearing in the party from a rather nasty poisonous clique which surrounds them.
These people aren't just plain nasty, they are untalented to boot, for that reason the people of Scotland will look right through them and see them for what they are.
I am the leader that Glasgow SNP was waiting for, but I was discriminated against when I put myself forward as a candidate.
In the next 5 years at Glasgow Council, you will see the SNP clique around Nicola Sturgeon achieve nothing.
Westminster 2015 is already lost and I truly believe in 2016 on the back of three straight losses that the SNP majority will also be lost.
Already in this parliament nothing is getting done of note, except the national police force and fire service, both ideas I submitted in Sept 2010 at the SNP National Assembly in Perth.
Now, I am to be disciplned on a trumped up charge that I am homophobic to smear me, but rather than keep quiet I will be showing this up for what it is, discrimination.
It seems that people can run a hate campaign in the SNP and not be disciplined but working class people exercising free speech can be picked on.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
Hi George, it was me who commented about filming location, forgot to sign in!
I've followed your blog as well for some time and you're on my blog roll (sounds bad that!).
The SNP are falling into the same trap as Labour did under Blair - arrogance has set in, and those who toe the party line get all the rewards, rather than the party selecting the best candidates for the job. Joan McAlpine is a prime example - journalist yes, politician bl***y useless.
That could partly explain why no action has been carried out with Whitehall. Or perhaps it is because their strategy is about winning elections then try and figure out what to do once they've won.
Ruth Davidson and other clowns should do a little research.
http://newsnetscotland.com/index.php/referendum/4446-indy-eu-boost-as-commission-says-scotland-and-rest-of-uk-already-two-equal-parties
clown!
Dear Barb
“Hi George, it was me who commented about filming location, forgot to sign in!
I've followed your blog as well for some time and you're on my blog roll (sounds bad that!)”.
Always happy when people correct me if I have made an error, it helps me learn.
“The SNP are falling into the same trap as Labour did under Blair - arrogance has set in, and those who toe the party line get all the rewards, rather than the party selecting the best candidates for the job. Joan McAlpine is a prime example - journalist yes, politician bl***y useless”.
You are right about the SNP and arrogance.
I seen people who did nothing get treated like they are celebs and others such as myself treated like I am just a c*nt.
To put it into context, in the SNP, some people think because they picked ‘the colour of the bathroom’ that amounts to genius on their part, but people like me actually helped build the skyscraper from the bottom up at very stage are just losers to be used.
As to Joan McAlpine, her track record of car crashes speak volumes about her abilities, to me she is a laughing stock which she proved by boozing during the working day when she should have been in the chamber asking questions.
Boozing during the working day!
Previously, she was a member of the Maryhill &Springburn branch, when I was there she never attended any meetings, she never attended any branch activities and I never saw her at any social events. The sole time I did see her was at the SNP National Assembly at which I proposed the Scottish National Police Force and also National Fire Service in Sept 2010.
“That could partly explain why no action has been carried out with Whitehall. Or perhaps it is because their strategy is about winning elections then try and figure out what to do once they've won”.
My opinion is that the SNP leadership are solely interested in winning at Holyrood because all the leadership is at Holyrood.
After Holyrood 2011, the SNP in Glasgow effectively didn’t have candidates in place until the end of January.
That’s nine months which tells a story.
Oh and I nearly forgot, after bragging about how they were going to win the council, the SNP spectacularly lost by miles.
Team Sturgeon isn’t as clever as they think they are and Nicola Sturgeon made a mistake in letting them have that campaign. She saw me at the Glasgow Count and walked straight past me without saying hello, probably thinking back 18 months ago when I told her in public that Glasgow SNP needed to be fixed, she didn’t listen.
And the chickens came home to roost, there will be more chickens coming home to roost for the SNP when the panic sets in proper, so far we have seen the start of it with Alex Salmond talking up devo max. When London says no to second question, then it will be full blown.
As to me, I am sitting about doing sweet FA.
I know I have talent and also there is precious little in their little SNP clique, I am letting them go the wall, just like I did at the Glasgow Council Election.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
George
Once againm you are right on the money with this excellent article.
The SNP party have come from being contenders with a vision for the future to a joke party.
I dont know if it is arrogance or just negligence on therepart to gift the labour party a theatrical win on TV. I feel there is a change of feeling in scotish voter with the party so publicly shooting themselves in the foot.
Dont you think the party will need to do the research or the could sink into oblivion
George, you're a 50 year old, long-term unemployed man. You've never been on a community council.
Yet you seem to genuinely believe you should not only have been a council candidate (when only 1 person voted for you!) but Glasgow SNP leader.
Quite bizarre
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