Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Swift and Presidential; Donald Trump sacks his acting attorney general Sally Yates, a relic of the Obama administration as she refuses to execute his executive order on for an immigration ban, as minority groups line up fight Trump, polling shows that 57% of Americans support his actions, upcoming Court action should rule in favour of his actions
Dear All
Donald Trump is the 45th President of the United States of America ;
he is also a President who faces a rocky road from day one of assuming the Oval
Office. America ’s
liberal elite want rid of him and are set to challenge him at every turn using
the law and in one case ‘fake tears’.
The fake tears coming from Senate Minority Leader Charles
Schumer who started to get ‘upset’ by an immigration travel ban.
I wonder is there evidence of him crying or making a fuss
when President Obama dropped 100,000 bombs on countries in the Middle East ?
Here is the Youtube video of the ‘Crying Game’.
Feel free to virtue signal if you want to your family, close
friends, work comrades and the public in the street.
As the Trump executive order came into force, their has been
a fund raising drive by the American Civil Liberties Union which has raised $24
million since Saturday morning and added more than 150,000 new members.
Another group to join the bandwagon and go legal is American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR), they have also filed their legal case against what it terms
the "Muslim Exclusion Order".
The anti Trump brigade has decided to use to the
Constitution to and cite that the ban is going against the First Amendment of
the Constitution.
If that is the case that these people are basing their point
and going to the Supreme Court then they will lose. They will lose because the
Trump immigration ban is not about religion; it is about people from seven
countries regardless of religion. US Government lawyers will also cite in
evidence the executive order which makes no reference to religion and also cite
precedents of the past.
Actions of the Obama Administration!
The actions of Trump mirror the actions of Obama, the American
Civil Liberties Union nor anyone else it seemed ran to the Courts to complain
when Obama pushed his Bill through Congress.
While it is true that the Trump immigration ban affects
Muslims, it also affects Christians and people of other faiths and none.
In a show of disloyalty, acting attorney general Sally Yates
refused to uphold the ban, she was appointed by Barack Obama; she ordered
justice department lawyers not to enforce the president's executive order off
her own bat.
After leading the ‘rebellion’, Ms. Yates was promptly fired
by President Donald Trump which was the right thing to do, I would have done
the same thing as Trump. The Trump administration was quick to condemn her in a
White House statement they accused Ms Yates of "betraying" the
justice department and being "weak on borders".
The Trump crowd need to get better PR people who recognise
who to turn a mountain into a molehill.
Ms. Yates’ replacement is Dana Boente, US attorney for the Eastern
District of Virginia who steps up to the plate, he said he was "honoured
to serve President Trump" and immediately directed his new department to
enforce the controversial order.
One out and one in, it seems that Ms. Yates wasn’t the ‘indispensable
man’ and tripped up over her ego going out the door.
What I find laughable was Ms. Yates had no problem when
Barack Obama was doing the same thing but suddenly grew a conscience when
Donald Trump followed the same lead as Obama.
Did Ms. Yates act the same when Obama was ruling the roost?
Or, is she a newly discovered activist?
So, what now?
The World will continue to turn, Ms. Yates will not be a
news story, her gesture is meaningless and perhaps someone should keep an eye
open how long it takes her to find another job.
Some people have a habit of shouting the odds and being ‘radical’
on the way out the door because they have something else lined up.
As Ms. Yates was an Obama Administration holdover, she was
due for replacement anyway.
Also what seems to be a ‘campaign’ of sorts, 100 career
state department officials has condemning the immigration action as un-American
in a letter, no such letter exists of them protesting the Obama Administration
for doing the exact same thing. In fact, the same 100 career state department
officials were noticeably quiet when 100,000 US
bombs were dropped on the Middle East by the Obama
Administration.
Finally, the new U.S. attorney Dana Boente has a reputation
for being tough but even-handed, it seems that Ms. Yates fell on her rubber
sword to only find out that she had been replaced by the ‘better man’.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
Monday, January 30, 2017
800,000 people petition to get the State visit of President Donald Trump cancelled after the US bring in their immigration ban, the regressive left plan to hold protests in London and several UK cities, do you know who selected the seven countries affected, President Barack Hussein Obama, the left call it a “Muslim” ban to manipulate public opinion
Dear All
When Donald Trump got elected, there were a lot of angry people who didn’t want to see him as the 45th President of the United States of America. The American people had a choice to make between Trump and Clinton; Hillary Clinton in my opinion had too much baggage and doubts against her.
Donald Trump was the obvious choice and he won the election as me and other commentators went against the mainstream media, and political Elites choice to declare for Trump.
The Trump immigration ban was long trialled in his campaign, the exclusion of all people from 7 countries which are linked to terrorism is a blunt instrument but this isn’t the first time in US history were people from a majority Muslim country have been banned from entering the US.
Trump isn’t breaking new ground here.
Do you know who flagged up the seven countries selected?
President Barack Hussein Obama, 44th President of the United States of America.
The regressive left are calling this a 'Muslim ban', but it isn't, all people regardless of faith in the seven countries are seeing their applications suspended by the US.
Commentators have said that the people reacting to Trump’s "Muslim ban" are some of the same people who didn’t say a word when President Obama was bombing in the Middle East.
What is worse; an immigration ban or bombing in the Middle East which kills men, women and children?
I think the latter but having said that innocent people have been affected by the immigration ban which was rushed through without being proper thought-out to how this would work in practice.
The ban has seen innocent people being discriminated against purely because they are from one of the seven countries that have been singled out by the ban. The World is truly global and the US is a transit point which airlines use as they operate their services.
If the US administration chose to operate an immigration ban, that is their business and something for them to work out. One thing about Trump is that he isn’t paralysed by the dogma which affects European politicians who have destroyed the fabric of Europe by failing to deal with the migrant crisis and the subsequent terrorism which followed on the back of it.
In the stroke of a pen, Donald Trump also banned refugees from the seven countries.
Europe has seen politicians afraid to act in the national interest because they are all tied into the same political correctness stance which brands them a racist of they step out of the consensus political bubble.
Like it or not Donald Trump is getting things done, however, his methods are a bit crude and rushed.
As the immigration ban came into force in the US, the regressive left has tried to whip up support against the US President calling for him to be sanctioned, this is gesture politics, the same people were silent when President Barack Hussein Obama was doing the same thing. Why, because in the eyes of the regressive left, Obama is okay, he is on their team.
The petition to ban Trump from a UK State visit has a certain kind of amusement value to it, because protests will have no affect whatsoever on the decision whether to allow a State visit.
I understand that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said the State visit should be cancelled but he doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of changing UK Government’s mind. One thing that Jeremy Corbyn is bad at is foreign affairs, and this is an area that he needs to work on if he is to present himself as a credible leader to win the Office of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Some times quiet diplomacy can work better than meaningless ‘student politics’ stunts, personally I don’t do demos or the meaningless political gestures myself, I find them to be unproductive as history has shown. I would also hazard a guess that trying to tinker in US domestic politics will backfire but perhaps there might be room to manoeuvre on the immigration ban which is counterproductive in how it operates.
The Donald Trump petition and all the rallies planned in the UK, the collection of 500,000 signatures to stop UK state visit by Trump are meaningless but if people want to do it, then let them go ahead and protest.
The petition cites that ‘Donald Trump’s well documented misogyny and vulgarity’ is reason enough to disqualify him from being received by Her Majesty the Queen or the Prince of Wales.
It reads:
“Donald Trump should be allowed to enter the UK in his capacity as head of the US Government but he should not be invited to make an official State Visit because it would cause embarrassment to Her Majesty the Queen”.
Having been in the Army during WW2, I think we can be fairly certain that her Majesty the Queen; and the rest of her family who have served in the military also have certainly heard vulgarity in their time.
Prime Minister Theresa May came under pressure to condemn Mr Trump’s immigration policy; personally I don’t think she will be making an issue of it, and I don’t think the policy will be getting stopped but there is a case for it being modified.
The case for the policy being modified is the battle ground that those concerned about the innocent affected by this should be fought on; sadly, it rather looks like there isn’t a lot of interest in trying to find solutions to what could be done.
Ironically, the people who condemn Donald Trump are the same people who hailed President Obama, his foreign policy endeavours saw a lot of innocent people dead, maimed or displaced in the Middle East.
I have kept repeating what President Obama did while in Office as it is important to understand the contrast between him and Trump.
Once you take the time to research what has been said and written to ascertain the facts on the immigration ban, you will be truly enlightened instead of others trying to use you for their own ends.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
Friday, January 27, 2017
A true man of the people: former Labour MP Tam Dalyell dies at 84 years old after a short illness, he will be remembered for the "West Lothian Question" but his real legacy is his dedication to public service and making people’s lives better, he was one of the last of the Scottish political giants
Dear All
There seems to be a decline in Scotland of what passes the
benchmark of a great politician but one of the people who scored above the mark
was Tam Dalyell.
Tam Dalyell was a former Labour MP who gained fame for
posing what became known as the "West Lothian Question".
The "West Lothian Question" concerns what the role
of Scottish MPs would be after the establishment of the Scottish parliament. This
question maybe making a comeback as the question of should there be a federal
UK, if that issue becomes live then the role of Scottish MPs would be further
restricted to foreign affairs and defence. Toss in English votes for English
laws and a Scottish MP in Westminster is nothing more than an interested
spectator who gets to occasionally play.
Tam Dalyell died at the age of 84 after a short illness, we
shouldn’t forget that he had made an enormous contribution and "devoted
his life" to public service, something which is entirely lacking in much
of the political class in Scotland at present. Public service effectively ended
in Scotland decades ago as the Blair years started, it was the tipping point
which brought in the ineffective political representatives which we know today
and which people power has removed in part.
Scotland’s journey to get political representation isn’t
over; there is a long way to go to get back to where we need to be …… public
service.
Tam Dalyell family said:
"Tam Dalyell devoted his life to public service in
Scotland, in the UK, and beyond. He made an enormous contribution in many
spheres. He will be much missed both publicly, and more importantly personally,
by his family and many friends."
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Mr Dalyell had been a
"good friend and comrade".
He added:
"Tam was a titan of parliamentary scrutiny, fearless in
pursuit of the truth. From Iraq to the miners' strike, he doggedly fought to
expose official wrongdoing and cover-ups. "The title of his autobiography
summed Tam up to a tee: 'The Importance of Being Awkward.' But he was much more
than that: Tam was an outstanding parliamentarian, a socialist and
internationalist, and a champion of the underdog, here and abroad."
Tam Dalyell was elected to the House of Commons in 1962, his
career is a shining example a politician needs to challenge the status quo and
not simply go along with it or put on an act that they are railing against it
as some people do.
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown said:
"For four decades, Tam Dalyell was one of the truly
great characters of Scottish political life.
"He was widely respected and admired for his insight,
his integrity and his eloquence. My thoughts are with his family.”
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said:
"The Labour movement has lost a giant. Tam Dalyell was
one of the most influential MPs, writers and thinkers of his generation. Tam
served the people of West Lothian tirelessly for decades through periods of
great change. He truly was their champion. As Father of the House his wisdom
was passed on to countless MPs, serving as a parliamentarian while Britain had
eight Prime Ministers”.
She added:
"A man of peace and a man of principle, his legacy will
live on in the Commons for decades to come. Our thoughts are with his family
and many friends at this time."
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson added:
"Tam Dalyell will be remembered as one of this
country's greatest ever campaigning MPs.
"Throughout his long career, he championed a countless
array of causes, giving voice to people who otherwise would not have been
heard. He was unique - thoughtful, gracious, decent and utterly tenacious. All
political parties today will mourn his loss while celebrating a great political
life."
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said:
"Tam Dalyell was one of those huge political characters
who will leave an even bigger impression on public life well beyond his
life."
When the history of Scotland’s politician class is written
an updated Tam Dalyell will go down as a brilliant parliamentarian.
What made him brilliant was the ability to follow a simple
concept, be first and foremost, a representative of people and ensure that the
government is accountable to the people through parliament.
Scotland is poorer for the loss of Tam Dalyell and equally
sad is that people of his calibre are few and far between.
For his family, this is a difficult time but they should
take comfort that his work and life will be celebrated and remembered, he done
a great job as a public servant because he wanted to make a difference.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
The Personal humiliation of Nicola Sturgeon: UK Supreme Court ruling means the SNP government are irrelevant in the process of Brexit, SNP Minister Mike Russell attempts to move the news agenda on by claiming and accusing UK Government of 'lying', yesterday was highly significant as Sturgeon shown to be impotent and a fantasist
Dear All
Here is a laugh; Holyrood Brexit Minister Mike Russell has accused
UK Government of 'lying', this is from a man who betrayed his wife, and is also
accused of being a liar himself. The internet is the wonder of the modern age,
if it makes it into the public domain, it is there forever online.
This story is above is par for the course with the SNP, a
party which is unfit for government and morally bankrupt, Mike Russell told EU
officials the party had discussed a separate Brexit deal for Scotland
with officials in Madrid. After he made the claim it was quickly and vehemently
denied by the Spanish Government.
Due to the domestic political situation in Spain, there is
no danger that the Spanish would back anything like this or indeed sit down and
discuss it with the SNP.
The SNP like to claim that there is a great ground swell for
a second independence referendum but the reality is that support is dropping;
the high water mark has been reach and the tide of SNP incompetence and lies
like sewage is rather putting people off.
People are sick of referendums in Scotland, a new vote if
you go by the utterings of Alex Salmond could happen as early as 2019, however,
the SNP might want to hedge their bets by trying to get a second question on
the ballot paper which either will be a home rule or federalism option.
Stay tuned…… federalism is coming down the line but the
wider population of Scots don’t know it yet. Have a think about this, David
Cameron gets in 2010, he then starts to talk about trade being expanded with the
Commonwealth, Brexit happens and in 2017, there is talk about ……. trade being expanded with the Commonwealth.
This is why you should pay attention to what is being said and
who says it in politics, while Cameron talked about trade; the military was
upgrading military bases along the trade routes. You might now have an idea
that long term planning is involved to get the public onside for possible
change.
So, as I mentioned, keep an ear to the ground bout
federalism, and who is promoting it, a clue maybe the entry to Holyrood of Adam
Tomkins, he is a Constitutional expert and Professor of Law.
Yesterday Nicola Sturgeon got well and truly spanked down at
the UK Supreme Court as the court ruled that she had no business sticking her
nose into reserved issues. The case yet again highlighted an age old Scottish
problem, the SNP are ‘dafties’. The case will be reported on the international
stage and once again, the SNP have lost a case at the highest court in the
land.
Nicola Sturgeon is a serial embarrassment to Scotland.
Sturgeon’s Brexit sidekick fares no better in accusing the
UK Government of lying, the integrity or the plain lack of it readily on show,
the notion of building bridges is alien to the SNP because at their core they
can rise above acting like……. little shits!
The lack of integrity just lowered relations between London
and Edinburgh and is set to continue and further deteriorate because the SNP
narrative is that this is Scots against the English under the term Westminster.
The bottom line is to foster a racist hate of the English while at the same time
saying the SNP welcome all.
It reminds me of a quote:
‘How noble the individual, how wretched the nation as a whole’.
In this case, 45% of the Scottish population who voted in
2014 have been made wretched by the SNP; they placed their faith in a party
which is a vacuum.
When I hear calls mount for a second independence referendum,
my immediate thought is what phoney little SNP run group acting as ‘civic’
Scotland is behind this rubbish.
And it is rubbish.
Scotland’s Brexit minister Michael Russell said the SNP
government had already decided the turf on which a second referendum would be
fought, the trouble with that statement is that the opposition don’t have to
fight on the SNP chosen battlefield.
And let us be clear Nicola Sturgeon may ‘call’ for a second
referendum but she has no authority to hold one, the SNP lie is that them
calling for one equals authority, it doesn’t.
The SNP have no more authority to call one than your next door
neighbour, think about that for a hot second!
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Jackson Carlaw said:
“We need the Scottish Government to be engaging positively
to help secure the best possible settlement for Scotland and the UK. Instead,
we have a minister who would rather hurl insults from the sidelines. Mike
Russell is lumbering from one unevidenced accusation to the next, and is only
causing embarrassment to himself and his party in the process.”
Today’s story by Mike Russell is a sham, it is a fake news
item to move the agenda on from the significance of what happened in the UK
Supreme Court, to clarify that for you, the Court effectively ruled that Nicola
Sturgeon and the SNP are irrelevant in the Brexit process, they hold no weight,
no authority and a merely interested partners much like voyeurs peeking behind
a curtain.
Yesterday was personal humiliation for Nicola Sturgeon.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Scotland dodges the SNP bullet; Nicola Sturgeon is fast becoming a ridiculous spectacle as she pushes for a separate immigration policy for Scotland, SNP want to foster an unworkable policy on Scots which will harm and limit their access to jobs, housing, health care and access to education
Dear All
There is a saying in Court when you are the defence, never
ask a question you don’t already know the answer to, if you do you risk sinking
your client because at that point you no longer control the narrative.
Basically she is asking for something which she cannot get
and to ask in the first place is incredibly stupid.
When you keep asking for things you can’t get you become
irrelevant in the eyes of the public, failure is no criteria for continuing as
leader. To show that her failures are being noticed in the Nationalist circles,
a former SNP leader Gordon Wilson says that the SNP need to stop the ‘pointless
posturing’ on Brexit. Gordon Wilson has also said Scotland
needed “a reality check” about how weak its negotiating hand with London had become since
the 2014 referendum. By Scotland ,
he really is talking about the SNP leadership who he commented on as needing a ‘reality
check’.
No one is to blame for the weakness of Scotland ’s position in the UK except Nicola
Sturgeon and the SNP. Her petty stupid games within Holyrood and Westminster has shown the
party is just a protest group, who find themselves with the reins of power.
Power that they don’t understand and don’t know how to use.
So; why can’t there be a separate immigration policy for Scotland ?
If you leave aside the reserve issue, the real problem is
that a hard border would need to be established between Scotland and England ,
and it would cause division, and Westminster
wouldn’t entry into playing grievance politics. Giving the SNP control of
immigration would also cause security issues and open a highway for illegal
immigration into England
from Europe .
Regardless whether Scotland was independent or not, a
unified controlled system of co-operation would be in the best interests of
everyone. But, the SNP don’t see that or indeed do co-operation.
There is no trust between Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP and Westminster , never
existed before and doesn’t exist now, forget the leaders posing for the
cameras, it’s a front of false unity.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd ruling out a separate immigration policy for Scotland
said introducing different rules “would complicate the immigration system,
harming its integrity” and cause problems for businesses.
Harming its integrity is code for security concerns, un-vetted
economic immigrants claiming to be asylum seekers who maybe ISIS terrorists
seeking a foot hold in the UK .
To condemn the Westminster
approach which is entirely sensible, SNP MP Tommy Sheppard said the move as
foolhardy and accused Ms Rudd of showing both arrogance and complacency.
Sheppard is a comedian and his credentials to be an MP and
see the big picture are in my opinion a tad weak.
Kezia Dugdale recently backed a separate immigration policy
for Scotland
when I read she had done so, my immediate thoughts were…. Not another disastrous
appeasement move to attempt to win back the disillusioned working class Labour
voters who left to vote for independence and thereafter vote for the SNP.
Here is a question for Kezia Dugdale, do unemployed Scots
want more competition for jobs, housing, health care and access to education?
Are they willing to sacrifice all of the above for
diversity?
If she thinks the answer is yes, she is deluded and will
kill off the Labour Party in Scotland for decades, if she thinks the answer is
no, then what the hell is she thinking proposing something as stupid as this in
the first place?
Here is an interesting video which conveys a mood, it isn’t Scotland ; it is from someone in Austria .
I put this on a previous post yesterday but I really want
viewers to watch it and then make their own minds up.
Back to Sturgeon, and her dead duck thinking, to continue
flogging a dead horse on immigration was a sham, there is no political mileage
in it, especially when Scottish Secretary David Mundell, and Immigration
Minister Robert Goodwill have already ruled out the Scottish Government having
separate powers over immigration. It seems as other commentators have noticed
the SNP record is stuck, and needs to move on.
The Home Secretary said:
“Immigration remains a reserved matter and we will consider
the needs of the UK .
Applying different immigration rules to different parts of the UK would complicate the immigration system,
harming its integrity and cause difficulties for employers who need the
flexibility to deploy their staff over the UK .”
To show how bad relations have become between the SNP and
Westminster Government the Home Secretary suggested the Scottish Government
would be able to attract more immigrants if it improved its health and
education services.
This is a clear dig at the epic failures of the SNP in
government over a decade where the standards under the Nationalists are
falling, Scots kids being failed, our health service in crisis in multiple
areas of expertise.
Rudd added:
“Immigrants will come to a place where they see an improving
education system, an improving health system and perhaps the SNP should spend
more time on applying itself to those important issues rather than
constitutional ones.”
The SNP leadership of Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon have
neglected the ‘day job’ since 2012.
2012 is when they abandoned their desks to chase Scottish
independence and look how that turned out, they went on a series of other
failures, most notably on Brexit and Trump getting both spectacularly wrong.
Failing to deliver a separate immigrations policy for
Scotland is Scotland dodging a bullet, the only comfort is that Nicola Sturgeon
is such a bad shot we have been saved from harm ……… this time might not be so
lucky down the line unless we get rid of the SNP leadership from power.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
Monday, January 23, 2017
Boring, boring, boring; Failed SNP Minister Mike Russell says Indy campaigners could make 'winning progress' in another vote, the tired old broken record and musings of a clapped out political party bereft of ideas and vision is ‘inevitable’ but unwelcome, Scotland has moved passed Nicola Sturgeon, didn't she get the memo?
Dear All
Just recent Scotland ’s
‘jolly fat man’ Alex Salmond said that Scotland
will split from the UK
by the end of decade.
This is the same fool that said:
The basis on his claim is hinged on a 50 page cobbled
together piece of crap to keep Scotland
in the single market.
The real reason for the document is to say ‘everything will
be better with independence’. In other words, this is a gigantic con trick to
try and salvage the careers of the SNP leadership, you see having marched his
army up to the top of the hill; he had to march them down again.
The SNP single market document was always going to be
rejected, and here is my take on how life will possibly unfold over the next
few years. Nicola Sturgeon has to resign as First Minister in 2018, this
creates a crisis and Holyrood has to hold elections. If the SNP cannot win a
majority of the seats in their own right then they cannot get a mandate for a
second independence vote. Think back to what David Cameron said in interviews
for him granting a Section 30 order, the SNP had a majority, not that Holyrood
had a majority of Yes.
If the SNP cannot create the perfect storm, they cannot get
a majority in their own right in Holyrood, Theresa May will not grant a Section
30 order. This then leaves Nicola Sturgeon up a creek without a paddle, once
the screaming dies down, the reality sets in.
A majority in their own right in Holyrood, nothing less is
the benchmark, Patrick Harvie’s Scottish Greens jumping on the bandwagon is
meaningless, claims of this being undemocratic are also meaningless, in this
case precedence demands that Sturgeon means the criteria of the 2011 Holyrood win.
Support for the SNP is dropping, scandals and incompetent
government are taking their toll, however, this doesn’t mean an exodus back to
Scottish Labour; they are set to lose control of councils and seats in May’s
election. Glasgow City Council is now under a serious threat, even within
Labour’s ranks they seem resigned to defeat and the loss of the city.
As part of the drive to say that there will be a second
independence vote, the SNP and others are using a word….. ‘inevitable’. The
latest non SNP ally being former Labour First Minister Henry McLeish who pops
up to mouth this off on TV and in the printed press like a jack in the box!
To keep the momentum going, we have failed ex Education
Minister and current failed Brexit “Minister” Mike Russell saying that Independence
campaigners could make 'winning progress' in another vote.
If he thinks that there will be a boost from Theresa May's
plans for a so-called 'hard Brexit'; he is entirely wrong. Uncontrolled
immigration has destroyed the social cohesion of Europe; the far right is
making serious gains right across Europe . The
SNP and others who have bought into the failed European project are basing
their hope on a public being ignorant.
I found an interesting video, this is from the Austrian Identitarian
Movement which tackles the dogma of diversity and why you are not allowed to
question it.
Europe is changing, the view of the political elite is out
of step with the people just as the view of the political elite was out of step
in America which ushered in
Donald Trump as 45th President of the US . As Nicola Sturgeon tries to
hitch her political star to the EU, their star is failing dramatically, if
Marine Le Pen gets in as French President, you might find a vote for EU exit in
France .
A similar situation could also happen in the Netherlands
if Geert Wilders gets into power, what then for Europe ?
It didn’t work then; won’t work now!
Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP have been issuing threats of
indyref 2 for sometime but their bluff has been called now which has led to
some back pedalling by the SNP with Alex Salmond as the loose cannon mouthing
off on the sidelines.
Michael Russell said that "clock is ticking" on
the Brexit issue and accepting the SNP’s 50 page plan, it was already rejected
before a single word was typed on a page, the entire premise was wrong.
Brexit is basically simple, either we are in or we are out,
and out means all out, not part out, not a big bit down south out, not a
special deal in Scotland in. The SNP know that they are trying to hoodwink
Scots, this is about grievance, the tiresome grievance that will eventually
lead to a breakaway centre right nationalist party being formed in Scotland
which will not operate along the discredited ‘civic nationalism’ lines.
The only thing which is ‘inevitable’ about the SNP’s Brexit
plans is that they will fail, fail to be enacted, failed to garner support and
fail to stop the slide in the SNP vote no matter how many kids Nicola Sturgeon
starts hugging.
It is getting near that time when Nicola Sturgeon will have
kids put in her arms as part of the SNP PR stage managed routine that she is
likeable and create an impression that she has the interests of families at
heart.
Finally, please take the time to recognise that the SNP
claims outlandish in nature are the equivalent of fake news to dominate the
news agenda, as such they are just meaningless and hot air.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Friday, January 20, 2017
Defying the leader, defying a three line whip; Labour MP Ian Murray says he is going to defy Jeremy Corbyn and vote against triggering Brexit countdown, the Labour Party need to stamp out the dissent by the PLP by making an example of some MPs, Ian Murray and Mike Gapes should have the whip removed for the rest of this parliament
Dear All
Culls are useful political tool to reset a party where the
elected MPs have gone rogue, although dissent is healthy in the political
eco-system, there comes a point where effective management dictates a cull.
There are many Labour MPs who don’t like Jeremy Corbyn, the
last leadership election solved nothing but some have jumped ship to the
private sector. Those that have jumped ship are no loss to the party.
If you have spent anytime watching the ‘civil war’ in Labour
you are aware how unhealthy this is for the party. At present there are two
Labour Parties operating, the Blair version, a clone of the Conservatives and
the momentum version which has Corbyn as the leader.
At some point things will come to ahead and that means
momentum candidates challenging the Blair faction for seats.
It is said that some Labour MPs could vote against the leadership
on Brexit, in effect defying Corbyn but also the public. The Labour Party is in
dire straits, people want a Labour Party back which stands up for working class
people. The vanguard of the working class people are the working class, this
however has been taken over in the party by the middle class.
The result has led to the collapse of Labour as graphically
seen in Scotland .
I hope that dozens of Labour MPs do go against the party's
leadership if there is a vote on starting the Brexit process. Let these people
show their true colours, let the people see them as they really are, out from
the shadows and into the cold light of day.
Then people can understand why the Labour Party members must
chose new MP candidates.
Jeremy Corbyn has said all his MPs will be told to approve
the triggering of Article 50 because they should accept the result of last
year's referendum. This is what leadership is all about, focus on a direction
of travel, sadly the middle class ‘rebels’ don’t want this, they want a middle
class clone of the Conservatives offering people no real choice.
In June's referendum, 51.9% of voters backed leaving the EU,
while 48.1% supported remaining in the 28-nation group, it was a tough fight, a
small band of people including myself fought the good fight with hardly any
time, money or resources.
And we won!
The victory was very much a people’s victory, it was a
statement that sovereignty must return to the British people from the unelected
and anti democratic elite of the EU who are bring European countries to their
knees in their drive to create a European Super state.
Corbyn has said:
"I have made it very clear that the Labour Party
accepts and respects the decision of the British people. We will not block Article
50."
The problem with that statement is that although Corbyn has
the backing of his part of the party, the other side don’t agree with between
60 and 80 of the party's MPs ready to defy the leadership if there is a vote in
Parliament. If these Labour MPs defy a three-line whip then every one involved should
be suspended and barred from standing again as a candidate at any level within
the Labour Party.
This is the real test which Jeremy Corbyn must pass if the
Labour Party is to go forward as a party.
Labour's Mike Gapes has been outspoken in his criticism of Corbyn
in the past, told the Ilford Recorder he would not be toeing the party line.
I would have him suspended pending an investigation, if his
comments are true, I would remove the whip from him for the rest of this
parliament without a second thought.
There is a pain barrier which the Labour Party needs to go
through, in Scotland ;
the sole Labour MP Ian Murray is said to going to Jeremy Corbyn and vote
against triggering Brexit countdown. Murray
is an ally of Kezia Dugdale, her leadership is looking less secure as momentum
fully intend to get rid of her as soon as possible.
Ian Murray should be suspended pending investigation; the Labour
Party cannot tolerate him defying a three-line whip. Once suspended this will
send a clear message to the Blair faction, you are there to serve the party and
the leader to ensure the return of a Labour Government. Clearly what Murray is doing is
undermining the party and the leadership, Labour must get rid of him.
It is funny, when you start getting rid of people, other
people start to ‘wise up’, they start asking themselves questions, questions
like can I pay the mortgage, will I be able to get another job, will I be able
to pay the bills and put food on the table.
As a justification, Labour MP Mike Gapes cites:
"I will show the same loyalty he did when he voted, 500
times, against the Labour whip under successive party leaders. The people of Britain
did not vote to become poorer and I will not vote in favour of any deal that
would see us leave the single market."
He has overstepped the mark, not on his comments about
Corbyn defying the whip but him defying the national interest of the British
people.
If he wants to be ‘principled’ he can go join the
unemployment queue and take his chances on JSA.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Nicola Sturgeon’s ultimate shame: Iranian child sex offender uses human rights to circumvent justice and deportation, Sturgeon and Pollok SNP elected officials failed to stand up and speak out for the people of Glasgow, politicians need to be brave and speak out, the silence by the SNP is deafening yet again
Dear All
One of the reasons for some people to vote for Brexit was
the way that Human Rights Laws were perverted in order to circumvent justice
taking place. Time and time again, the Court system was made a mockery of and
the British public could do nothing as human rights were used as a shield to
foster injustice.
Lawyers used the weak human rights legislation to run up
massive bills using taxpayers’ money to feather their nest by using endless
appeals. Human Rights are a good thing, the problem is how the law is used and
twisted from its original concept, a tool for justice.
An Iranian sex offender called Amir Beroghani assaulting two
teenage boys in a swimming pool and community centre. He was caught and
convicted, spending seven months in prison in Barlinnie.
Currently he is staying in the Pollok Constituency, in the
Penilee area, when he should be deported back to Iran .
Why is someone as dangerous as Beroghani allowed to walk
Scotland’s streets and why aren’t SNP Leader Nicola Sturgeon, SNP MP Chris
Stephens and Pollok SNP MSP Humza Yousaf doing anything meaningful about it?
Why is the silence from the SNP so deafening on this issue?
The SNP want control of immigration but the reason isn’t for
the protection of Scots it seems.
The saga of trying to deport this deranged pervert has been
going on for about a decade, and he has had his case looked and refused ten
times. Justice as we all know works slowly but a decade is beyond a joke.
The sickening thing about this case is that Amir Beroghani
wants to argue that proof of his crime is a good reason for staying in Scotland .
He believes that his claim to be a homosexual is good enough
to convince a Court that he risks persecution for his sexuality and criminal
record in his home country.
I suppose if that fails he will try and appeal again using ‘right
to a family life’ if he is deported as another gag if he hasn’t used that one already
before.
According to a 2011 Court of Session judgement he was
convicted of indecent behaviour towards two teenage boys in 2006. He then in
2008, he made a fresh claim for asylum on the basis "he would face
persecution on return to Iran
because he would be known as a sex offender and because he was a
homosexual".
This begs the question did he commit his crimes as part of a
plan to avoid deportation or is he just a pervert acting on his urges?
Previously when he claimed to be a homosexual, court papers
stated:
"The immigration judge dismissed his appeal, holding
that he had failed to prove to the lower standard of proof applicable in asylum
cases that he was a practising homosexual."
Politicians must speak up when foreign criminals commit
serious crimes, and when serious crimes such as those committed by Amir Beroghani
are known, deportation should be automatically part of the sentence.
Beroghani's legal representatives said:
"He is still here, and we are seeking asylum on the
basis that if he is returned to Iran
he will be persecuted, firstly because he is gay, and secondly because he has
previous convictions."
The scandal of Amir Beroghani must be brought to an end, he
shouldn’t be allowed to allowed to walk the streets of Glasgow but held in
detention as soon as possible and then deported with all speed.
It is well known that the Scottish National Party is weak on
crime especially when it concerns minorities, but in this case the woefully
inept Nicola Sturgeon, the Glasgow SNP MP Chris Stephens MP and the incompetent
Transport Minister and Pollok MSP Humza Yousaf need to attempt to show
leadership by calling publicly for deportation.
The SNP elected representatives are happy to stand behind a
slogan saying that the SNP are ‘stronger for Scotland’ but that is far from the
truth during the decade that they have been in power they have proven to be
weak on substance and strong on spin.
Nicola Sturgeon has failed Scotland , failed to deliver
justice, failed to deliver safety and failed to protect communities.
Amir Beroghani remains at large under Nicola Sturgeon’s
watch in Glasgow, he is a danger to the children of the Pollok Constituency and the SNP as a
Party remain oh so quiet!
You have to ask yourself………. why?
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
‘Fake Scot’ SNP MP Angus Robertson accuses Theresa May of running a 'Little Britain Brexit' campaign which will hit jobs and pay, the grievance mode is deflection from the facts of life, Nicola Sturgeon has to go to the polls in 2018 for an outright SNP majority for a mandate for indyref 2, the Nationalists bluff has been called, put up or shut up!
Dear All
It looks like it is going to be what is described as ‘hard’
Brexit as it should be, there are many issues relating to why people voted to
leave the EU but these are symptoms of what the main point was concerning the British people.
Sovereignty!
Sovereignty is the key reason of why 17 million people voted
to leave the EU after over 40 years of membership.
I personally doubt we will be the last country to leave, but
we have set what could be a trend. I was as many blog readers know a fan of the
EU. The EU was set up for noble reasons to promote peace and trade in Europe , but the organisation didn’t develop as it should
have done.
It became clearly anti worker and anti country, took over by
politicians who put the interests of big corporations before European harmony.
People had put up with a lot but the tipping point came when
people like Merkel and Juncker decided that they could threaten the UK and others
into doing their will by using denial of finance as a weapon. On and off you
will have read my stuff on how currency is a weapon of the modern age just as
much as the bomb and the bullet.
Currency was used to destroy Greece so effectively that they
have never recovered, it also allow the country to be asset stripped as well.
Yesterday was an interesting day in politics, for some
people the significance of the day wasn’t realised as Theresa May made a speech
on the EU and upcoming talks on Brexit.
Domestically the Prime Minister Theresa May called unpopular
Nicola Sturgeon’s bluff on a second independence referendum by default. The by product
sent the SNP into a meltdown as they have been called out to put up or shut up,
down the line this leaves Nicola Sturgeon with a question.
The question isn’t whether she calls for a second
independence referendum but whether she gambles on going to the polls in 2018.
Nicola Sturgeon needs another Scottish mandate to present to
Westminster ; the Conservatives may feel that
they stand to gain North and South of the Scottish border because the Labour
Party is in chaos, particularly in Scotland .
Can the Conservatives in Scotland do better than their 2016
Holyrood showing?
Now, that is a question, clearly between now and a possible
2018 election, I don’t see Scottish Labour making a recovery either within its
ranks or with the public. The Scottish Labour Party has an upcoming civil war
to fight between Kezia Dugdale’s centre right and Momentum. I expect that episode
to dominate Labour’s thinking as everyone expects Labour to be crushed in 2017
at the Council elections.
The SNP are cooked on Brexit, overplayed their hand and
nowhere to go, they are reduced yet again to sniping at the Tories. Englishman
Angus Robertson who I describe as a ‘fake Scot’ is trying to muddy up the
waters so that you the voter get distracted from the disaster that is unfolding
before your eyes.
Robertson’s take is that Theresa May is steering the UK
into a "Little Britain Brexit" that will hit jobs and pay.
The SNP leader in Westminster
added that all political parties in Scotland
are united in their opposition to plans to take the UK out of the single market.
This statement isn’t true!
Ukip Scotland
isn’t supporting this, regardless how you personally feel about the party; they
are a party legally recognised by the Electoral Commission. The Ukip position
is to be out of the single market.
What Robertson is going is using language to de-legitimise
the party in the eyes of the public; he is doing propaganda, simple and crude,
and easily destroyed by simple research that doesn’t go beyond general
knowledge.
Angus Robertson being a fool isn’t new by any means, however
his demand to know if the Prime Minister will stick to her promise to treat Scotland as an
"equal partner" is erroneous. Scotland
has 59 MPs and England has
533 MPs, so when people talk about equal partnerships, they are talking about
equality in the individual and not the countries that make up the Union .
Clearly 59 MPs cannot have the same influence as 533 MPs.
During PMQs, he said:
"Shortly after the Prime Minister confirmed that she
wants to take the UK out of
the single European market, the Scottish Parliament voted by a large,
cross-party majority to remain in the single European market, just as a large
majority of people in Scotland
voted to remain in the European Union. The Prime Minister has said that Scotland is an equal partner in the United Kingdom .
Does she still believe this is true or is she just stringing the people of Scotland
along?"
If you think back to my BBC appearance on the Big Debate, I
said that all the devolved administrations should have some role in the Brexit
talk;, something that Gordon Brewer said was ‘very noble’.
It may or may not be very noble but it was more to do with
practical matters which needed to be taken into account, later on the
Conservatives announced the same idea as me.
George Laird right again and ahead of the curve.
The Prime Minister has insisted she is committed to working
with Scotland and all the
devolved administrations as she severs ties with Brussels which is pretty standard fare,
nothing much can be read into that at present.
According to her the biggest threat to Scotland and the Scottish economy
was the nationalist threat of another independence referendum.
She said:
"I refer you to my speech yesterday, where I reiterated
my commitment to be working with the devolved administrations to ensure that
their voice is heard, that their interests are taken into account as we proceed
along this path of negotiating our exit from the European Union. And, also, I
specifically referenced the Scotland
plan. I understand the Welsh Government will be producing a plan for Wales for us to
look at too. That Scotland
plan will be being considered by the JMC (Joint Ministerial Committee) on
European negotiations tomorrow, I believe. We will be looking at it seriously
and working with the Scottish Government on the proposals they bring
forward."
Is there a possibility of another independence referendum?
Yes, there is that possibility but the SNP need to win
another outright majority like they did in 2011 and given the list system that
is a crap shoot. The second independence referendum won’t be given on the basis
a majority in Holyrood, Sturgeon is effectively forced to get an outright
majority by the SNP.
If there is a second campaign, I don’t see a Better Together
2 being formed, that project turned out to be a costly disaster that didn’t
properly mesh together.
So, who could set in and be BT 2?
An interesting person to note is ex Labour MSP Graeme
Pearson, he is the Chief Executive, he maybe in charge of a campaigning
organisation but the reality is he doesn’t really know sweet FA about
campaigning really. He stood for Labour and was selected as a candidate based
on his past employment not on his history of political activism.
If I was a betting man, I would lay money that he isn’t
going regular activism for the Labour Party week in week out.
The Scotland
in Union organisation seems to be the only logical choice as the main vehicle
for any indyref 2 that comes down the pipeline for the pro UK side, although they aren’t
developed enough at present they are gearing up their ground operations.
Keep a weather eye on their future activities.
After being called out a panicked and hysterical is keen to
shift the spotlight off Nicola Sturgeon’s failure, to that end, grievance mode
is in full swing with Angus Robertson saying Scotland's leading economic
forecaster has warned that "real wages will fall" as a result of
Brexit.
He added:
"The forecast for people's income is that it is likely
to drop by £2,000 and that 80,000 people may lose their jobs in Scotland as a
result of the hard Tory Brexit plan of the Prime Minister. Does the Prime
Minister believe that this is a price worth paying for her little Britain
Brexit?"
If that is the case, the question then arises how many jobs
would have been lost if Scotland
had voted for independence.
The losses are estimated at 320,000 job losses and £32
billion in GDP; let that sink in for a moment. Think of it in these terms every
public service body hit by savage cuts, every council shedding jobs, services
and cutting budgets and critically the Health Service is a crisis you can
fathom.
Change can be progressive if thought-out and planned, but in
certain scenarios, there will not be goodwill on both sides and as the threats
escalate from Europe ; hard Brexit maybe a pain
worth paying because it won’t be one sided.
The British market for cars is said to help employ about a
million people in Germany, if there isn’t a tariff free trade agreement you
might find down the line that there will be a lot of Germans facing
unemployment, and when big business loses money they ‘lean’ on politicians.
Lots of things are happening at present so you have to look
close to see if there is a pattern emerging, I think that a risk is taking
place, a gamble, that gamble is whether the SNP risk going the polls in 2018.
Will unpopular Nicola Sturgeon have the bottle to risk her
political future not on the win but getting an overall majority in her own
right as proof of mandate for a second indyref 2?
In the mean time, watching the Nationalists squirm has a
certain amusement value don’t you think?
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
The Hardest Jail In Los Angeles, isn't it time that we have a serious debate about people in prison in the UK
Dear All
I like looking at lots of different stuff to get ideas, I
found this prison video interesting, admittedly it is American but still worth
a watch.
One of the things which I believe is long overdue is a good
debate on prisons in the UK
and who we lock up and why.
Is prison still functioning in the best interests of
society?
Are prisoners getting released getting a fair chance of future?
Are there other ways to punish offenders which have better
outcomes in rehabilitation?
I think these and other questions are worth hashing over,
not in the interests of cash saved but in people being reclaimed for society.
Isn’t life to short to let anyone waste it.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
Monday, January 16, 2017
#Fakepolitics is just as bad as #fakenews: former Labour FM Jack McConnell says MSPs must put constituents above party loyalty; you have to ask why he believes that a culture needs to be created in the first place, Holyrood needs to remove the Holyrood list system and create 129 constituencies
Dear All
Holyrood is full of crap MSPs.
This revelation isn’t new, but it gets drowned out by the
phoney politics exhibited in the place.
Just as people are waking up to the concept of #fakenews
thrust on us by the media, the fakery also extends to politics.
A classic example of #fakepolitics is the campaign to save
Glasgow Jobcentres from closure. The Labour Party for example knew 9 months ago
that Anniesland Jobcentre was closing but kept quiet about it.
Any proof?
The application for turning the jobcentre into flats was
submitted to Glasgow City Council, it had to be passed by Councillors.
9 months ago.
It is only now that that the political parties such as
Scottish Labour, the SNP and the Scottish Greens are speaking up.
Why were they quiet in the past?
Are we to assume that that Glasgow Councillors didn’t pass
this information onto MPs and MSPs? And if they did, why did they keep quiet?
The reason is simple; helping the poor is a low priority for
Scotland’s political elite, unless there is mileage in running a campaign to
dupe unemployed working class people into getting their votes.
I will not be ‘joining’ the campaign to stop Glasgow Jobcentre
closures because the campaign is a con; its all ‘fake’ and nothing can be done
about it. If I was to campaign I would
be just as big a fraud doing #fakepolitics as the rest of people promoting
this farce.
If there is a campaign worth supporting it is the janitors’ campaign in Glasgow.
If there is a campaign worth supporting it is the janitors’ campaign in Glasgow.
Janitors are fighting the Labour council ALEO Cordia which
is effectively trying to screw them out of money and conditions. In the past I
wasn’t a supporter of the ALEOs created by the Labour Council and I am still
aren’t, councils should run public services and protect their staff. The reason
they don’t is because of the poor state of Scottish politics and Holyrood in particular.
The political elite always take the easy route to ‘save’ money and that is done
by cutting staff and budgets under the lie of ‘savings’.
Holyrood is a major disappointment, it is as many people note
full of third rate politicians who are little more than drones, they take the
money and just sit there.
Jack McConnell was a former Labour First Minster, he lost
the Scottish election in 2007, here is an interview which shows that Scottish
Labour’s problems have existed for a rather long time, please watch both parts
of the video.
And of course, the epic car crash of Jack McConnell interviewed
by Bernard Ponsonby is also worth a watch.
The World spins on its axis and people get replaced but as
we have seen not by better, Jack McConnell lost to the SNP rather badly, like
many politicians; he didn’t keep an eye on the day job or a finger on the pulse
of the people.
And paid the price!
Did Scottish Labour deserve to lose in 2007?
Yes; they did deserve to lose, and the trajectory of the
party has kept declining downwards because the same type of people keep getting
picked from the same group.
Jack McConnell says MSPs must put constituents above party
loyalty.
For the avoidance of doubt, this will not happen in the SNP
or in Scottish Labour; the Labour councillors aren’t going to support the
workers against ALEO Cordia and neither the elected party members who are the Glasgow
list Labour MSPs. If it is workers being treated badly by a Labour Council ALEO
then elected representatives are all signed up to following group decisions whether
they are right or wrong.
The Labour Councillors are wrong on the janitor situation just
as they are wrong on the G51 Parking and the attempt to outsource IT facilities
all of which is against the interests of the public.
If you want to speak out, you can in the Labour Group but
you can’t do so publicly, it is the same in all parties. If I had been selected
by Labour as a candidate, I wouldn’t be able to speak out about the Glasgow
rail link project which is a turkey, I would have to keep my mouth shut and
lump it.
As an independent, I don’t, I don’t support the attempt to
get the failed Glasgow rail link project back on its feet, too costly and I don’t
see a case to support it, other parts of the City plan for Glasgow I might
support in the interests of jobs if the jobs are long term.
Jack McConnell says Holyrood needs radical reform to make
sure the Scottish Government is held properly to account.
The important reform that is needed in Holyrood is an end to
the list system which allows people not elected by the public to become a
political representative; this is a disgrace that the general public cannot
remove these people.
Jack McConnell always wants the committees to be given more
power, you can argue the toss on the merits of that idea over the quality of
the MSPs already there in place, more power to an idiot only makes a situation
worse does it not?
As to the idea of the parliamentary day should be more
flexible, the current crop of MSPs fill their day up doing not an awful lot as
it is.
The next point of backbenchers should be encouraged to give
their first loyalty to the parliament and their constituents, not their
parties.
This is bogus, it won’t happen and it cannot happen, MSPs
sign up to follow group orders just as MPs and Councillors do.
Jack McConnell says he doesn’t support the idea of a second
chamber at Holyrood or an increase in the number of MSPs. I would go along with
those ideas at present, a second chamber would be filled with worse dross than
currently sitting on the Holyrood benches, and there is no case to increase
MSPs.
It seems that I do concur with Jack McConnell on the need
for better MSPs when he stated:
“The solution is not more MSPs, its better MSPs, better
procedures, hard work and proper scrutiny.”
Lord McConnell said: “There does need to be a check on the
power of ministers and the government. I believed that as first minister and I
proposed changes then.
“I believe, if anything, the evidence has grown and
strengthened that case over the last 15 years. The immediate thing
to do is to strengthen the role of the backbench MSP and create a culture where
they know they are there to represent their constituents."
Finally, please watch the videos which I have listed because
it shows a symptom of what Scottish Labour’s problems are, people proposing changes
and when questioned don’t know what they are talking about because they electioneering
not developing policy.
As Bernard Ponsonby said:
“The answer is you don’t know”!
If you asked Jack McConnell how his idea of how to create a
culture where MSPs know they are there to represent their constituents, you
have to ask why a culture needs to be created in the first place.
Isn’t that what they were supposed to be doing all along?
The most important reform to Holyrood is the removal of the
list system and the creation of 129 constituencies.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Monday, January 9, 2017
UK Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell calls for 'radical federal UK', this policy could be another poisoned chalice for the Labour Party as it attempts to shift ground on union, Scotland isn’t in a position to embrace federalism due to the poor economic state of its finances, this could blow up in Jeremy Corbyn’s face and see Labour out of power for decades
Dear All
Some time ago, I was talking about federalism coming down
the pipeline, this is supposed to ‘cure’ Nationalism and save the Union.
If you think back to my post last written in Nov 2016, you
will see how I touched on the Constitutional question.
A part of that post:
“Alex Rowley, her deputy believes Labour should back home
rule rather than just opposing independence, the only game in town isn’t called
‘home rule’, it is called Federalism, and it maybe a bandwagon which Kezia
Dugdale maybe forced to move onto in a highly public fashion. Federalism isn’t
plain sailing, just as the Scottish football team isn’t geared up to win,
neither is Scotland geared up to accept Federalism under its current financial
position, we don’t pay our way, and the idea of cuts to an already failing
system isn’t a vote winner”.
Kezia Dugdale as I predicted was forced to move onto Federalism
as her speech in London later was to show.
One of the groups driving for a Federal Uk is the
Constitutional Reform Group, if you have the time, you should have a look at
their website.
So, how long did I know that the winds of change were
blowing Federal?
Quite some time, in fact six months ago, I was making up a
video for what I think is needed in Scotland.
When you click on the youtube link, you see an intro for a
party that doesn’t exist but might in the future, a centre right Federal Party
of Scotland. In theory federalism could work if the country was setup right.
In my post of Nov 2016, I highlighted also that there are
dangers if the federal route is gone down, dangers for the Labour Party in
Scotland but also for the SNP, Scotland isn’t geared up to be in a Federal UK.
The nub is cash, we don’t pay our way, and the country isn’t as I mentioned above set up either and
I don’t the public is on board with the concept either.
The Labour Party is in the UK is in a mess, Scotland has
been lost; the leadership down South are facing an uphill struggle to connect
with the people. Jeremy Corbyn hasn’t the support of his MPs and never will
unless there is a big replacement, and even Labour voters think the
Conservative PM would do a better job of governing the UK.
Lots and lots of problems!
I have to say that in the mist of chaos that Labour MP John
McDonnell comes swanning along and calls for a 'radical federal UK' as Labour
shifts ground. The surprise is that the ground under Labour is solid enough to
go on adventures. The Constitutional settlement isn’t why Scots abandoned the Labour
Party, the reason is quite simple, the Labour Party failed to protect and serve
the working class people.
If there is a federal UK, you might to wait a rather long
time before you see the Labour Party become the government of the UK again.
UK Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell said:
“I believe there is immense potential in developing a
radical federal structure [for the UK].”
To be absolutely clear, the people of Scotland who voted
Labour but switched to the SNP wouldn’t be coming back because the Labour Party
stuck a federal carrot on the table; the problems of why they were rejected
still exists. And another thing, the team at Holyrood isn’t seen as having the
best or the brightest in the Labour Party in Scotland.
Third rate is how many describe some of them and that’s
being kind about it.
If the Labour Party tries to ram through federalism, they
would have to have a referendum, and there is no guarantee that they would win
it, the Unionist vote that transcends party politics wouldn’t be up for it and
the SNP are making noises like they aren’t keen either.
So, what is the problem for the SNP?
Lack of money and having to take responsibility for what
might be a poisoned chalice whoever sups from it.
The big thing to note at present is that the people of
Scotland aren’t calling for federalism.
Former London mayor Ken Livingstone said he was
"certain" Labour under Corbyn would embrace federalism. Given that
Labour need Scottish MPs to form a UK government, you have to wonder if this
idea will turn the Labour Party into a candidate for political suicide, after
all many English Conservatives see federalism as a way to rig the vote towards
continuous Conservative government.
The Labour alternative to both Scottish independence and the
status quo of the Union could see the party plunged into a cycle of defeat
which could be incredibly hard to break away from in my opinion. In politics,
certain things have a time and place; federalism isn’t the Golden Fleece for
Labour.
The best know supporters of Federalism as a policy are the
Lib Dems at UK level, they haven’t made any headway with the public on their
quest.
When Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale backed federalism
in a major speech in London last month, she said the UK needed “a new political
settlement” to stop an erratic and uneven distribution of power between its
regions and nations.
I doubt that Kezia Dugdale will be at the helm of Scottish
Labour to deliver federalism because I doubt that Scottish Labour and the party
in the rest of the UK are further away from power than they have ever been in
their history.
Only the Conservatives are in a position to deliver federalism
but this will not be happening anytime soon under Theresa May as Prime
Minister. UK Labour's national elections
coordinator Jon Trickett is said to be examining a radical policy package for
the party at Westminster to deliver a federal British state if it wins the 2020
General Election.
He need not bother, the Conservatives are going to win the
next UK General Election provided that they deliver Brexit in full and don’t
attempt to fudge the issue; but let’s be clear; the Labour Party in 2020 will
not be the majority party at Westminster. Jeremy Corbyn has already lost that
with his support for freedom of movement.
Some parties seem hell bent on destruction, the idea may or
may not have merit but the timing is wrong, the policy is wrong and there are
too many dangers. Clearly there needs to be more devolution on domestic matters
such as a devolved Scottish DWP to address injustice but a country like Scotland
would cope badly in a federal set up unless there was additional support such
as a Barnett Formula in place.
Federalism poses real dangers for the Labour Party getting
back Scottish seats at Westminster, the significance of a Scottish MP already
shut out by English votes for English Laws would raise the question does having
59 Scottish MPs at Westminster justify the cost given their massive reduced
work load?
MPs would be reduced to the status of MEPS, everyone know
they exist but the question of what good are they doing at Westminster flags up
when they are effectively reduced to only commenting on foreign affairs and
defence.
Ken Livingstone said:
“I've advanced the devolution approach all my political
career. If you'd had north east and north west regional parliaments or
assemblies they would have got massive investment. So federalism absolutely. We
need it as people in regions in all parts of the UK are being excluded by little
elites."
Every journey has a start and a destination, however if the
Labour Party set the Federal train rolling, they might not like the destination
and it could end up a train wreck for them.
Now is not the time to consider federalism, and Labour should
reframe from playing politics with the constitution, the people aren’t calling
for this at all.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University