SNP Childish Pointless Games: Nicola Sturgeon’s threatens to torpedo Brexit legislation, writes a letter demanding permission to hold indyref 2, and sounds off long and loud about a new SNP grievance about a Westminster "power grab", IQs continues to drop in the Nationalist ranks, all they have is the ability to be petty and small minded

Dear All

It seems having been blown off by Westminster in her effort to get talks, unpopular Nicola Sturgeon is still trying to prove she is relevant to her supporters, prove she can do ‘something’, she is like someone with a TV aerial waving it about the place trying to get a picture.

Sturgeon’s latest act is to threaten to torpedo Brexit legislation, this is much like you feel a stone in your shoe, you stop to remove then you continue your journey. At present in Scotland, the Nationalists are trying to suck people in to believing there is a Westminster "power grab" about to happen. To that end, the Scottish Greens and Scottish Labour have joined the party, yet again, by hitching up to the SNP bandwagon; Scottish Labour has made them irrelevant in the minds of the public.

The problem for Scottish Labour is that they are too inward looking and not focused on the “bigger picture” because they are entirely Holyrood focused and based. Effectively, they can write returning to Westminster for decades the way they are carrying, and given they are polling so badly, their councillor numbers across Scotland if you believe the polling are about to take a severe hit.

If there was ever a pressing need for someone in Scottish Labour to stand up and speak out against the path they are treading, it is sorely needed now. You almost feel that you want to walk up to some of them and say, ‘are you fucking stupid, is that your problem’.

Remember this, if there was a Labour Government in power at Westminster, you wouldn’t be reading about the Scottish Labour Party backing the SNP.

As we have seen devolution isn’t working, the Great Repeal Bill serves a purpose beyond Brexit, it also offers an opportunity to tailor select powers for Holyrood. It is entirely right that Westminster should get all powers repatriated from Brussels to London; then after careful consideration, decided via a Commission what scope there is to improve devolution which at present doesn’t work properly.

The SNP Government is inept and incompetent, they want constitutional clash between the Scottish and UK governments so they can keep talking about grievance and avoid talking about devolved issues which they are failing to address. This is a situation where the SNP need to be forced to do the ‘day job’, online I see people in newspaper comment sections saying vote independent because these people don’t have to toe a party line, I see this more and more.

If Nicola Sturgeon wants a fight, then it is time to give her exactly what she wants, but this time, the rules will be set by Westminster. Westminster needs to start thinking of the concept that they can step in and overrule Holyrood, and with the SNP at the helm, this would be the first time since devolution.

Sturgeon’s threat that third rate MSPs might withhold consent for the Bill, disrupting and delaying the process is a wonderful opportunity allowing Westminster scope and with justification to fix Holyrood. We all know in Scotland that we have a ‘pretend’ parliament which doesn’t work in the interests of Scots, and hasn’t for about a decade that the SNP have held power. This cannot go on, my thoughts are when the grievance and complaining starts is to simply ignore it and press ahead. And make it publicly clear that what is given can be taken away very easily.

When you look at the state of Scotland, has the SNP created nirvana in the decade they have held power?

When I read that Nicola Sturgeon was “writing” her letter to Theresa May on the sofa of Bute House, I laughed, all that time wasted, but what should the reply be? The reply should be that this matter has been discussed before and the position of the Prime Minister hasn’t changed. Sturgeon’s letter for permission to hold a second independence referendum is merely gesture politics, she has already been told, now is not the time.

This can all be done with a classic one line sentence letter!

Scottish Secretary David Mundell said he thinks the Bill would mean Holyrood passing a Legislative Consent Motion [LCM], but if they don’t then it is easy enough to change the law at Westminster. Westminster could in theory they say just ignore Holyrood and press ahead regardless, but the SNP would seized upon a new grievance to further its case for independence. Westminster needs to be bold, and if they are willing to be, they could change the Scotland Act.

The SNP’s game is very obvious; they are ‘in part’ wanting independence by stealth, this is one of the avenues they are using, so this is why they have started a fierce dispute over which devolved powers returned from the EU go to Holyrood after Brexit. Westminster needs to the SNP powers that they don’t want but are forced as an administration to use, because you know like the EU farm payments fiasco they will mess it up down the line.

One of the things which should be carefully thought about is devolvement of agriculture and fishing so that the UK single market is able to work properly without any problems. My concern about fishing is the SNP might attempt to place the industry in a position where the SNP simply let EU fishing boats into Scottish waters as part of their bid to get fast track EU membership… if they could ever win a referendum.

The SNP don’t give a monkey’s about the devastating effect that EU membership had had on the British fishing industry, and that very much includes the people crewing the Scottish boats. The SNP would sell out anyone even if it is against the Scottish national interest.

Scottish Labour MP Ian Murray said:

“All repatriated powers in devolved areas that return to the UK following Brexit should, in principle, fall under the competency of the devolved administrations. However, this will be a complex process with a number of different stages. Both the UK and Scottish governments have a responsibility to protect the interests of those affected, including businesses, and our farming and fishing industries.”

Scottish Tory Adam Tomkins said:

“The SNP is complaining about the return of substantial new powers which - under its plans - would remain in Brussels. If ever people needed to see their utter hypocrisy, this is it. As the Prime Minister has made crystal clear, the UK Government expects substantial new powers to be delivered to our devolved parliaments as a result of Brexit. At the same time, it is sensible to ensure that UK frameworks are applied so that, as those powers come back, nothing is done that fragments our own United Kingdom. That might be good for the SNP but it would be bad for Scottish jobs.”

At some point, there has to be a fight between Westminster and Holyrood, whether the Conservatives are willing to do this at this time is debatable, the Scottish Conservatives being the second party of Holyrood think they have a shot at being the next government at Holyrood. So, they might not want to ‘rock the boat’ too much but you know the thing about fighting is that once you start you don’t stop.

Brexit is going to happen, Nicola Sturgeon’s letter is meaningless, Scottish Labour need to decide are they a political party or are they now a just focus group for the SNP, Holyrood will not be allowed to derail the Brexit process or use new powers to undermine the stability of the UK single market. The SNP will not be allowed to hold the UK economy as a hostage to fortune.

Finally, did you notice how “happy” Nicola Sturgeon was writing her poisoned pen letter to Theresa May for a second independence referendum; it got me thinking of her last gimmick which blew right up in her face, this one will too, too stupid to learn from her mistakes it seems.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University  

SNP out in May: Whistleblowing SNP councillor Julie McAnulty quits Nationalist Party after being treated disgracefully by SNP HQ, if you speak out in the SNP, you will find yourself ostracized and deselected, the SNP cult don’t tolerate freedom of thought, freedom of speech, SNP ‘Civic Nationalism’ is the most grubby disgusting politics practiced in Scotland

Dear All

It is nothing new that smearing takes place in the Scottish National Party, it was tolerated under the leadership of Alex Salmond, it is tolerated under the leadership of Nicola Sturgeon.

Julie McAnulty says she is the victim of alleged smearing, that cost her a chance to be an MSP.

http://glasgowunihumanrights.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/snp-civic-nationalism-exposed-get-pakis.html

Now, it seems that the SNP have put this whistleblowing councillor into a position that she had no alternative but to quit her local party which she says is in chaos. When it was published that she had failed selection, I have to say, I was surprised and not surprised. SNP Candfidate selection is a joke, especially when you consider the same candidate selection passed Natalie McGarry, Kenny Gibson, Patricia Gibson, Roseanna Cunningham and Tasmina Ahmed-Shiekh and a whole load of people which some people might class as ‘village idiots’.

One of the things I know from personal experience is that her allegation that SNP party headquarters turn a blind eye to bullying is 100% correct.

Who is the Chief Executive of the SNP, none other than the shadowy Peter Murrell, the husband of Nicola Sturgeon, when I had found out I had been allegedly smeared I contact Peter Murrell, Derek Mackay, and Ian McCann. These people completely ignored my complaints, and a short time later, I was accused of being homophobic by the National Secretary William Henderson. After I outed Henderson and his activities to the Daily Record, Henderson stood down as National Secretary.

SNP non cult justice works this way, you are assumed to be guilty until you prove yourself innocent. After complaining about Henderson being both my accuser and organiser of the hearing, the SNP still refused to do anything. I was complaining to the senior leadership at this time, which is why I have no problem in saying publicly that Nicola Sturgeon and her husband Peter Murrell, along with Mackay and McCann are scum.  

   

Julie McAnulty must have known that when she ‘failed’ selection her time was over in the SNP, the "self-serving cabal" exists all over the SNP, they aren’t the best of the best; they are mostly the most wretched people.

One of the things which I have continued blogged on is that the SNP are a party within a party who function much in the same way as a cult. The cult of personality isn’t nothing new, the same system operated under Hitler and Stalin, were the leader was semi divine and all knowing.

The current leader of the SNP is Nicola Sturgeon, she isn’t semi divine and patently thick; her record as a Minister of health, face of Scottish independence and First Minister rather bares that out.

McAnulty by all accounts has done well in local government when you look at her role in several council corruption probes, we expect our councillors to be our representatives and hold council to account, and its staff.

After the ‘Get the Pakis out’ story hit the press last year, she was given a six-month administrative suspension following an allegation of racism.

Julie McAnulty went on to be cleared of watchdogs and is pursuing a defamation action at the Court of Session. At the time of that incident, I wasn’t convinced at all that she was guilty of anything and wrote:

“I don’t know SNP Councillor Julie McAnulty but allegation doesn’t equal guilt, and unless there is concrete evidence to back up Sheena McCulloch’s complaint then McAnulty will continue on her candidacy for Holyrood. However, she doesn’t have to just watch her political opponents; she also has to watch the SNP members from stabbing her in the back”.

When she failed selection, my words of Monday, February 8, 2016, about watching the SNP members from stabbing her in the back was to be played out. You see there is no mystery to how the Scottish National Party operates, they are petty nasty vindictive people.

Julie McAnulty’s reputation has been damaged by the ‘Get the Pakis out’ allegation, there is no question of that in my mind, and one wonders what her accuser must be now thinking as a court case at the Court of Session is in the works?

McAnulty said on leaving the SNP:

“Public office is a privilege, not a right. It is an office that can be held with honour and in all that I have done over the past five years, whether it was reporting the leader of the council to the Standards Commission or going to the Counter Corruption Unit, I have always acted for those whom I represent, whatever the cost to myself. That has led me to my ostracization and deselection. I do not regret it, but it grieves me that I now must leave and fight from the outside for what I believe in.”

I wonder if Julie McAnulty met the deadline for standing as an independent, if so the people of the ward she would be standing in would certainly have to look at giving her their votes.

Public Office is a privilege but in the SNP, it is a privilege which the SNP have abused by their actions, this election coming up is all about ‘getting the SNP out in May’.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

What a FN mess; Nicola Sturgeon has made of Scotland’s NHS, how much longer can Scotland put up with inept and incompetent SNP government, with another four years of independence campaigning being planned by the SNP, and their Ministers about to abandon their desks again, Scotland cannot afford the price.

Dear All

Today’s big huge political story is of course the triggering of Article 50 by the Westminster Government to leave our membership of the European Union. Some people still have doubts; a recent poll put the gap between staying in and leaving at 1% difference.

Today, rather than go with the triggering of Article 50, I want instead to do a story on the new super hospital in Govan, called the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, but being old fashioned and lived in the Pollok constituency for 44 years, I still call it the ‘The Southern General’.

In 2014, I nearly died; I had been sick for some considerable time but kept hiding it from my family and friends. Illness as I used to say wasn’t as ‘much funny’ as it used to be. I was physically in a terrible state, my entire body was shutting down and I was being poisoned internally. Things got so bad that my doctor in 30 seconds of seeing me; ordered me immediately to get to hospital and printed out a letter for them. Previously, I was rejected for treatment as being a ‘time waster’, I was dying but the doctor and the triage nurse ignored my symptoms.

On my return visit, I was rushed straight by everyone within 10 minutes of handing my letter into reception. The time from initial first visit to the return was circa 55 hours, I spent 55 hours in incredible pain which was so bad that I felt like I was dying. What I didn’t know but found out later was the hospital staff were under such intense pressure that genuine cases such as myself were getting overlooked.

Once I got into treatment, the doctor who treated me was brilliant, she did her magic and the immediate danger was dealt with, then came the tricky bit, I was damaged internally, they didn’t tell me  a lot but from what I gleamed they were really concerned by my kidneys. My next shock to the system was being told that I wasn’t going anywhere, they were admitting me as an inpatient, I was expecting a magic pill or something which I expected to fixed me.

Nothing that simple!

I was taken to a ward, scared, not know what was wrong with me, wondering is this it, am I going to die. Physically I was in a terrible state, to say I was drained was an understatement, I felt beyond tired. In the ward, I saw remarkably brave people coping, before patients and staff, lucky for me I was put next to a Mr. Stanley Ockrim. It turned out, all his sons and daughters are doctors, or to be more specific surgeons. Over the next few days, he kept my spirits up, telling me stories about himself and what it means to be Jewish. If there was ever someone in the right place at the right time, it was Stanley Ockrim for me.

When you are on a ward, you see everything and being bed ridden, I saw the NHS in action, doctors, nurses, auxiliary nurses, porters and cleaners. We all taken our NHS for granted, but the staff each day go above and beyond the call of duty. They are definitely underpaid and understaffed. The understaffing in the NHS in Scotland is really a scandal, a scandal which I watched play out over the time I was kept in hospital. If there was anything funny when I did get out, I was faced with humiliation of seeing little old ladies with walking sticks blow right pass me at speed which made me feel sorry for myself. After that I was in and out of hospital like a yoyo as they put me through test after test to see what was wrong with me, and every time I was in they kept asking for more blood.  

My thoughts on the hospital speaking to staff and patients were the hospital had opened too soon and that they were attempting to do too much too soon and didn’t have an adequate plan to make for a smooth change over. The A&E department was too small to cope, people were being stacked up as waiting times weren’t being met, ambulances were also stacked up outside. The A&E department at the QEUH isn’t fit for purpose and needs a redesign, a design to make it bigger, and staff it more.

The pressure on the staff at the hospital is huge at all levels, health isn’t just a top priority with politicians; it is a top priority with ordinary people, even more so when a loved is in pain and suffering. When you face that scenario, you want the best doctors and the best treatment for them, lucky being in Glasgow, you have the University of Glasgow, their medical school is highly rated and if anyone is qualified to comment on this, it is me. I spent 20 years at Glasgow University surrounded by medics, dentists and vets in my various roles in the place. Over the years, I saw people start off in first year, sail through to finals, then jog off to the local hospital to get their first six months as a junior doctor. So, when you get a Glasgow University, you stand a great chance of being someone pretty damn good.

One thing you cannot fault the staff of the NHS on is effort, they really do their best for you, but as you need their help, they also need yours. The Health Service in Scotland is badly managed and under funded, the reality is that health has become a political football, it is a service which should be beyond party politics but it will never be.

It isn’t surprising that things at the super hospital are breaking down, it is a constant struggle for staff, and to be fair, it shouldn’t be, politicians in this case Shona Robison who is Nicola Sturgeon’s pal, aren’t carrying their share of the load. In the case of Robison, some people think she is totally out of her depth as Health Secretary; I am one of those people.

Unfit for the job at hand, and it shows.    

We expect our hospitals to be ultra clean, dirt causes germs to spread, germs cause health problems, you don’t go to hospital to pick up an infection; you go to be cured. Patient trolleys at the QEUH have been found to be contaminated with blood and faeces.

Faeces are better commonly known as shit!

Inspectors are finding dirty equipment still in services, in one case they found two patient trolleys "heavily contaminated with blood and faeces".  These trolleys were in cubicles ready for the next patient in the immediate assessment unit (IAU) at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow. This raises question, is there a plan for a quick turn round by cleaning staff, this isn’t their fault, it lies with the management of the hospital.

As well as trolleys being a problem, the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI) team also found two of the seven communal patient toilets in the unit "heavily contaminated with faeces" on the walls, mirrors and basins. When I was in Stobhill, in one patient toilet, there was someone who missed the bowl and had urinated all over the seat and the floor, the place was in such a bad state, I used another bathroom. It is only right that we have significant concerns about cleanliness in our hospitals, not just for patients but also for staff, illness is and always will be a dirty business.

Alastair McGown, senior inspector for Healthcare Improvement Scotland, said:

"At our first inspection we noted the standard of environmental cleanliness in the majority of wards and staff knowledge of standard infection control precautions was generally good. However, we had significant concerns in the emergency department and immediate assessment unit, and the systems in place for monitoring cleanliness. We formally escalated these concerns to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde's (NHSGGC) senior management team at the time of our inspection and asked them to take remedial action without delay."

The QEUH is a huge facility, so it needs a huge staff, and there is no way round that fact, health care costs money, and it costs time to do jobs right, especially when infections can spread like wildfire. The QEUH is a 1,109-bed acute hospital, which opened in April 2015.

The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate finding a variety of patient equipment in the emergency department contaminated with dust, debris or body fluids is a real concern. They also found additional cause as the majority of patient trolleys and transport chairs ready for use by the emergency department and IAU were dirty. The majority of toilets in the atrium, mezzanine level one and the emergency department waiting area were contaminated with blood, faeces, urine or vomit. This reflects my experience of also being at Stobhill hospital; clearly the problem isn’t limited to a single hospital. One thing which happens when you get ill is that you are shipped to many different hospitals in Glasgow depending on what your medical condition is, I found myself at the QEUH, Stobhill and the Victoria.

What is incredible about the QEUH is that there were no dedicated staff to clean the IAU when the HEI made their visit the first time round, this situation has now been address, but why did it take a Healthcare Environment Inspectorate visit, where was the proactive work? Surely someone must have spotted the continual problems?  

NHSGGC's nurse director Margaret McGuire said:

"Recently an HEI inspection at the QEUH identified shortcomings in the cleanliness of equipment, general cleanliness in the emergency department and domestic record keeping. A more recent follow-up inspection identified that not all of the issues picked up on the first visit had been addressed. This is unacceptable and I want to publicly assure every one of our patients and their families that the issues raised are now being fully addressed and will be rigorously implemented and maintained going forward."

Dr Jennifer Armstrong, NHSGGC medical director, added:

"Our staff take these inspection reports very seriously and have been working extremely hard to address the requirements made by the inspection team."

When you read about stories like this, you have a right to be angry, but you should know where to place your anger, it isn’t the hard working staff you see in the front line, they are working in a system setup and led by others.

The responsibility of the NHS in Scotland lies solely with the SNP, the service has never recovered from the disastrous leadership of Nicola Sturgeon, when the SNP came to power, they said that health was their flagship policy, what we as the public didn’t know was how badly the service had been run down.

Nicola Sturgeon was in charge of the nation’s health service from 17 May 2007 – 5 September 2012, many mistakes and targets were missed, lots of issues were covered up and when everything was about to be exposed, Sturgeon bailed out to become Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities, from 5 September 2012 – 19 November 2014.

Nicola Sturgeon laid the ground work that all future failures in the Scottish NHS were to suffer; then others equally out of their depth were put in place such as Alex Neil and then Shona Robison. Robison is Sturgeon’s pal, but one thing she isn’t a step up for the NHS.

How much longer can Scotland put up with inept and incompetent SNP government, with another four years of independence campaigning being planned by the SNP, and their Ministers about to abandon their desks again, Scotland cannot afford the price.

Finally, I cannot thank the NHS staff enough for saving my life, I am never going to be the same as I used to be regarding my health, but that wasn’t for the want or effort on their part.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

‘Sit Down’ Conservative leader Ruth Davidson tells unpopular Nicola Sturgeon to sit down during #indyref2 debate, the Nationalist sheep react badly as their ‘heroine’ is simply dismissed, rattled Sturgeon points ‘the finger’ in Holyrood Chamber

Clutching at Straws, as the United Kingdom is poised to trigger Article 50 to leave the European Union, an EU report says Scotland 'could remain in EU after Brexit', the trouble with academics is that ‘what ifs and could be’ exist in their minds, Scotland will exit the European Union along with the rest of the UK, and no silly games by SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon will alter that fact, she gambled, she lost

Dear All

We standby for the historic triggering of the application to leave the European Union after over four decades of membership, the United Kingdom isn’t as some people preach about to implode, quite the opposite. Already we know that the Westminster Government after been actively holding talks about “deals” whether military or trade in and outside the EU.

The United Kingdom isn’t going to suffer; it is a real shame that after 40 plus years of membership, but the people of the UK couldn’t put up with the continual loss of sovereignty, it was too high a price to pay.

Sovereignty was the main issue, other symptoms of the loss of that focused some people’s minds were on specific issues like immigration, human rights, border controls and terrorism.  In the end, the issue decided by the people, direct democracy was the mechanism which took British people out of the EU.

Never forget that the people of the United Kingdom did indeed make the right choice, it wasn’t an easy choice; it was a choice that had to be made. If you are familiar with the term ‘the wisdom of crowds’, this was certainly this in action. It was a close vote, some people had been hoodwinked by the main parties who promoted the EU as Europe to confuse people.

The European Union is a political organisation which acts an umbrella group for 28 Member States, it isn’t a country, and it has grown too powerful without the necessary checks and balances to hold it to account. In the EU, there is no ‘wisdom of crowds’ because the political elite don’t serve the people’s interests, they serve big business and big corporations, the EU is anti worker and anti country.

The 29^th March 2017 is a day for the history books as Theresa May prepares to trigger Article 50. To get the ball rolling and make it legal, we will have the White Paper on the Great Repeal Bill.

Nothing is doing to stop the United Kingdom in its entirety leaving, one out means all out, Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland leave as one unit. The membership of the EU doesn’t rest with one country but the United Kingdom as a whole, and since this was a UK referendum, all leave.   

To say the EU is unhappy about the UK would be an understatement, there are 28 Members of the EU but the UK provides 20% of their budget. Clearly there will be a knock on effect to the other member states. Every year bar one, the UK had been a net contributor to the EU pot, now as we go, the EU thinks they can charge the UK for 50 billion pounds, this is laughable. The people of the UK will not agree to paying an exit fee so that the EU can have a 5 year buffer to restructure their funds, they are going to just have to ‘lean’ on the poorer members.

Imagine if you are one of the less developed Nations getting less aid and stumping up more money, with the added kicker of having to bid for it? When you look into the nuts and bolts of the EU, the less attractive it is becoming, in some respects, it reminds me of the James Bond’s Spectre movie, political elite siphoning off cash with no limit to what they can get away with.

Quick question, they estimate that millions disappear in the EU every year, when was the last time you heard of a prosecution? That question might stump you for quite some time, and I would like you to miss out the MEP scandals as they are small potatoes in the overall picture. MEPs are there to give the ‘illusion of democracy’ where none exists. Of course, the illusion is well camouflaged; you throw people crumbs and make it sound appealing.      

But to create the illusion, you are paying for it, about a million pounds a year for each of the 751 MEPs, plus add in their staff, the Commission staff, the parliament staff and everyone else who gets a ‘turn’, we are talking north of a billion pounds a years. One of the features of the European Parliament is committees much like we have here at Westminster and Holyrood. So, now we have a report by a European Parliament committee which says that Scotland and Northern Ireland could both remain in the EU pending an independence referendum.

Have you heard about an independence referendum for Northern Ireland doing the rounds? The SNP have been attempting to get indyref 2 off the ground and started but they don’t have the authority and Nicola Sturgeon is backing away from calling an advisory one because that will lead to problems for her and Holyrood.

The European Parliament’s constitutional affairs committee has produced research claiming that there was enough "constitutional flexibility" for Scotland and Northern Ireland to remain in the EU ahead of independence referendums being held. One thing the EU is not allowed to do is interfere with the domestic political arrangements of a Member State, this "constitutional flexibility" clearly only exists in their minds. During Brexit talks, neither the Westminster Government nor the EU team will raise this, and we can certainly take comfort that the SNP will not be part of the UK team or get to be in the room.

One of the things which is quite clear in Scotland is that the ‘will of the people’ is for staying part of the United Kingdom, the question was settled in September 2014. If you look up the petition against a second independence referendum, the numbers against have reached over 200,000 signatures. There is a huge groundswell against a second referendum which is causing uncertainty and division. We now have the EU Parliament’s constitutional affairs committee stoking those fires; this is particularly bad when you consider the Irish question and the blood that has been shed during the troubles.

Clearly the European Parliament’s constitutional affairs committee is steering itself towards dangerous political waters as far as the United Kingdom is concerned.  

The SNP government said the findings showed a ‘desire’ in Brussels for Scotland to remain in the EU. A few people in Brussels with no political power in the UK doesn’t make for anything other than nuisance value.

A SNP government source said:

“It’s quite clear from the tone that Brussels is open to the idea of Scotland keeping its place in Europe, in line with the way people here voted, even if that was conditional on the outcome of the independence referendum. That openness contrasts with the Tory intransigence we have seen from Westminster. But the bottom line is that people in Scotland will be given a choice on this country’s future, in line with the cast-iron democratic mandate which exists for holding the referendum, which we hope will be strengthened when parliament votes on the issue this week.”

Or another way of looking at it, having lost 20% of the EU, the people in Brussels is playing political games to try and increase their bargaining position at the talks. The EU position is that they are on the losing side, although concessions here or there maybe made on certain areas; the final decision doesn’t lie with them.

The membership of the United Kingdom is getting cancelled.

As to the vote in Holyrood this week, it is meaningless; this is the SNP together with the Scottish Greens trying to apply pressure since they don’t have the ‘will of the people’ in their corner, now they have had to say this is the ‘will of parliament’.

The important thing to remember is that the Holyrood vote is meaningless; this is Nicola Sturgeon trying to do anything and everything to save her own political skin. She ramped up the hype so much that she had nowhere to go, so Westminster says ‘not now’, it means no second referendum in 2018 o 2019, you could be looking at 2021 as a possible date if it is allowed to happen at all.

It is entirely doubtful that the Unionist parties in Scotland particularly Scottish Labour will be in a position to stop an SNP victory at Holyrood at present. Scottish Labour needs to change radically, and with council elections in which they are said to be heading for a massive defeat, you have to wonder when or if a revival is possible. Personally, they know things are bad in Scottish Labour but they still don’t want to commit to change.

As to their ‘Federalism’ idea, no one in Scotland is talking about this, you see the case for federalism is a rather long discussion which cannot be broken up into sound bites, this discussion doesn’t sit well with Nationalists, or Unionists who want to save the Union as is.

Who is Kezia Dugdale’s target audience?

If she thinks everyone is sitting about waiting for ‘third way’ politics, she is well out of touch. Federalism is the last stop before independence in the United Kingdom. If you are at that position, running everything except foreign affairs and defence, you would be at the point of no return nearly.

Political scientist Brendan O'Leary in his report will no doubt have created a talking point, 'Detoxifying the UK's Exit from the EU' sounds rather catchy but Westminster will not accept his conclusions. 

Here is his CV to get a look at, it looks impressive but he is reaching if he thinks his report can get traction.   

His report said:

“An exponent of constitutional flexibility argues that given the status of these dependencies, separate arrangements can also be made for other parts of the UK when England and Wales leave the EU. Northern Ireland and Scotland could remain within the EU, at least pending the resolution of their UK status via a border poll (Northern Ireland) or an independence referendum (Scotland). Their current status as parts of the UK union have been altered by the decision to leave the EU - a decision rejected by both countries - and as such it would be unfair to forcibly remove them from another union, i.e. the European one. This view may hold merit but has no traction with the Westminster government.”

The idea that because Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man as British dependencies have different arrangements with the EU is in no way reflecting what the political situation is in the UK. The Act of Union of 1707 isn’t simply just a piece of paper, and it isn’t going to be acceptable in the eyes of many people to try and overwrite it with a new Act of Union as has been floated by Scottish Labour or the Constitutional Reform Group.

The European Union has just held its 60th anniversary with an informal summit in Rome, Theresa May didn’t attend, the EU is flawed, and the situation in Europe is going to get worse and that includes what the Turks are threatening re migrants. The far right is rising, and becoming active, more people are flocking to them. The EU at some point will have to reform, they are about to hit a financial crisis with the loss of 20% of their budget.

Some of the other 27 Member States are about to experience painful decisions which will not go down well with their people, no wonder the EU is clutching at straws citing phantom arrangements which will not working in practice and will not be allowed to happen.

The light burns brightest before it goes out; much like Nicola Sturgeon screaming her head off about second independence referendums?

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

White Pride Day in Edinburgh appears to be going ahead as police and council cannot outlaw the organisers right to hold a static demonstration in the Capital, so, moral maze question, if you were elected a councillor would you ban a Scots White Pride demo march?

Dear All

It is not unusual to see groups walking the streets parading their beliefs, we see this all the time with anti racism marches, ‘Gay’ Pride marches by the homosexual community and various other people such as CND. Along with marches we have things such as black history to celebrate the achievements of the black community.

If you get elected as councillor and sit on the committee which deals with marches you can on occasion have to make hard decisions on whether or not to allow a march to take place.

Public safety being a prime consideration, you listen to advice from the Police and other people in making that decision. What you are not supposed to do is allow your prejudice to interfere in making a just decision. Lots of  councillors shy away from sitting on the parades committee because if you pass a march which your party doesn’t support or is deemed unacceptable, you may face abuse.

Today, I have come across something which following the London attack raises the classic moral maze questions.

Would you allow a Scots White Pride demo?

Would you allow a Scots White Pride demo on the day that hundreds of Sikhs hold a procession?

White Pride is tainted because the people are associated with being extremists and then there is the continued references to Nazism; and of course some of the demonstrators don’t tend by enlarge to come from the higher end of the IQ scale. In the latter half of the last century’s the National Front was a big thing, they were connected to soccer thugs and had a tendency to slash people with open razors and Stanley knifes.

One of the famous thugs of the era was Charlie Sargent, he wasn’t a role model for anything but violence. When people think of Neo Nazis, he sits right up there as a case study. Here is some info from him.      

http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/blog/nick/go-directly-to-jail-do-not-pass-go-4142

Sargent was released from prison last year after being convicted for the murder of Chris Castle in 1997. He was also a member of C18, or Combat 18 as they known for extreme violence.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combat_18

So, there is a long history in trying to establish what some people call ‘White Pride’ in the UK because of the people it attracts and how they conduct themselves, and also who turns up to oppose them.

Usually when groups like the ‘Anti-Nazi_League’ or ‘Unite Against Fascism’ turn up to protest, there is trouble, which is why there is generally a big police presence at these events. Here is something on the Anti Nazi League, they were setup by SWP, the Socialist Workers Party, these people spread their message on University and College Campuses.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Nazi_League

The White Pride crowd plan to stage a 'static demo' in Edinburgh which effectively means they can go ahead without any official permission being sought. If there is a clampdown on ‘static demos’, this would undermine the democratic right to protest in this country which would be a bad thing.

Nearby the Sikh group, Guru Nanak Gurdwara Edinburgh who are doing their thing, say they will be carrying on as normal and having consulted with police, they do not fear any trouble.

And to be honest, no one really expects trouble from the Sikh community who have integrated very well into UK society and have done since they came to the UK.

One National Front Scotland circular about the White Pride demo says it is a time to "gather together with white pride flags and flags of white nations, to celebrate the great history of the white race and to speak out against anti-white racism. A must attend day for any white activist!"

These people are a million miles away from Identitarian movement, who are also branded under the far right label.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identitarian_movement

Skin colour isn’t a think to be celebrated; rather the culture of a country which the identitarian use is seen by some as much better. The identitarian movement is basically a European construct which is big in France and developing in places like Austria.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqGsI4KE7SU

identitarians like Martin Sellner make it quite clear that they don’t want racists in the identitarian movement or to be associated with them. The National Front, the BNP, the EDL or Scottish Defence League don’t attract the kind of support they would like because they basically don’t know politics, how to play the game and how to win hearts and minds of communities. You could say this is a blessing in disguise; ignorance can sometimes come in useful, provided it is the other side using it.

In the interests of public safety it would be better if everyone who wants to demonstrate static or marched worked with the police to avoid problems, this however is unlikely to happen.

A  National Front Scotland spokesman said:

"We will not be silenced by Cultural Marxists or those who wish to deny us our right to Freedom of Speech and Free Assembly!"

The Council say at least 28 days notice of the event which must be given and then will be considered by officers and police. Council sources say if no notification was received any march would be essentially illegal. If necessary, the council has the power to prohibit a procession but mostly council are reluctant to exercise that power because everyone has a right to have their voice heard in a democracy even if their views are against everything you stand for. 

Since the White Pride crowd don’t intend to march, a police source confirmed they were aware that there would be a static demo happening and that there was "no legislative requirement" to seek permission. You would assume that police will be there in case one of the various anti racism groups turn up to start violence. These people are easily recognised, they are the ones wearing the masks.

So, back to the moral maze questions, if you were a councillor.

Would you allow a Scots White Pride demo march?

Would you allow a Scots White Pride demo march on the day that hundreds of Sikhs hold a procession?

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Sick to death of the SNP 2, Nationalists drag Scotland’s reputation into the gutter, after Islamic terror attack yesterday in London; heroes emerged to aid the dead and injured but SNP elected representatives and supporters disgrace themselves with such crass behaviour, it is only right that someone calls them out as unbelievable low life trash

Dear All

Yesterday, the streets of London ran blood red after a horrific Islamic terror attack in Westminster, right at the heart of our democracy.4 people dead and 20 seriously injured, people yesterday were asked not to call the ambulance services unless it was a real emergency; such was the demand on their services at Westminster.

Yesterday saw many ordinary people emerge as heroes such as the policeman who tragically died tackling a violent jihadi extremist.

Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood's blood-stained face as he performed CPR on the knifed policeman has become a defining image of yesterday's horrifying terror attack. He worked frantically in his attempts to save the policeman killed. PC Keith Palmer's made ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. Today in an emotional House of Commons, Conservative MP James Cleverly was in tears as he described serving with the married father-of-two in the Royal Artillery regiment 25 years ago when he knew him as 'Gunner Keith Palmer'.

He said:

'He was a strong, professional public servant and it was a delight to meet him again only a few months after being elected.'

It is as many people know; a small world!

Tobias Ellwood's blood-stained face as he performed CPR on the knifed policeman became a defining image of yesterday's horrifying terror attack but we should remember all you answered the call to help. Today in the Commons, he sat in the Commons in tears; there is a human cost to bravery, while people tried to get away from the incident unfolding, he was heading towards it to help without thought for his own safety, lives were in danger.

Already, ISIS has claimed responsibility for the Westminster terror attack, but they will not break our resolve. The attack happened on the anniversary of the Brussels attack a year ago so it was timed to show symbolism and support for other Islamic terrorists. Already after the London attack, news is in about a French Muslim arrested after trying to drive a car loaded with liquid gas, firearms and knives into a crowd at high speed on a busy shopping street in Antwerp. This person has been arrested, it is not clear if both incidents are linked, the police investigation may possible be joint with British security services.

Prior to the Nice attack which was horrific, I was speculating on Islamic terrorists using vehicles as weapons of terror, sadly the predication turned out to be true. The use of vehicles as weapons will continue, they are deadly and effective, you might even find that cities become more guarded that the terrorists will also use motorways where they can build up speed to cause massive piles. The authorities need to start planning for these types of scenarios and how to deal with this, terrorism can and will strike anywhere. If you think of your worst nightmare, you can be sure that the Islamic terrorists will also be thinking of it.

Here are some examples, on Bastille; 86 people were killed when a truck was driven through crowds enjoying fireworks in Nice. Four months down the line, a copycat ISIS-inspired massacre took place in Germany when a terrorist drove a truck through a Christmas market in Berlin; twelve people were killed in the attack on December 19. This year, a Palestinian lorry driver mowed down and then reversed over Israeli soldiers, this killed four people.

Yesterday saw many people emerge as heroes, there are too many to name, doctors and nurses ran from nearby hospital to treat victims of the London terror attack despite not knowing what horrors awaited them. The staff at St Thomas Hospital deserves special recognition; nurses from St Thomas' hospital loaded blankets outside the hospital to take to victims of the London terror attacks. It was a team effort in times of need; everyone comes to the fore without thought of self.

We can be rightly proud of our NHS.

As well as heroes, yesterday also saw Scotland being made a disgrace as several of the SNP brought our country down. Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham accused of 'absolutely disgraceful behaviour' after Westminster terror attack. The Perthshire MSP shouted and jabbed her finger at the Tory benches after Holyrood was suspended.

More controversially, Tory sources also claimed she allegedly said

“This is because you didn’t want to talk about independence”.

Most of her anger it is said was specifically targeted at Tory MSP Murdo Fraser, who had earlier called for a suspension in light of the unfolding events at Westminster.

A witness said:

“She was having a bit of a meltdown. What I heard her say was something like this. 'You are giving into terrorists, even the Tories at Westminster carried on in the face of the IRA.' Others then heard her say something like, 'You are only doing this because we are debating independence.’”

As well as senior SNP at Holyrood being a disgrace, SNP MP George Kerevan posted a selfie at the height of the Islamic terrorist incident. As people fought to save lives, as other people lay dead and about 20 people were seriously injured, Kerevan was smiling.

I tweeted his picture and asked the question:

4 people dead at #Westminster, can someone explain why an SNP MP is smiling, what's funny? #NicolaSturgeon #WeAreNotAfraid pic.twitter.com/kVP3lsJLcr

Another senior nationalist Linda Fabiani MSP and Deputy Presiding Officer, was well within her right to have suspended Parliament yesterday after Murdo Fraser MSP raised it as a point of order.

SNP MSP Linda Fabiani, refused to suspend the independence debate as any decent human being would have done with a second's thought. She didn't not have to waiting for confirmations from Ken Macintosh or the parliamentary manager, her crack of ‘business as usual’ was one of the defining moments of SNP civic Nationalism.

Just as elected SNP representatives at Westminster and Holyrood disgraced themselves, the odious Wings Over Scotland along with other bottom feeders such as Mr.Malky showed clearly that the Nationalist camp is utter wretched with crass comments.

In an attempt to rally public support, today we have Nicola Sturgeon today saying that Scotland stands with London. This is in stark contrast to what the SNP were doing yesterday, which was utterly disgraceful.

What low life scum these people are, we saw heroes emerge yesterday; in the SNP we also saw emerge unbelievable low life trash.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Sick to death of the SNP, indyref 2 isn't even got a date but already Holyrood sees the angry tone develop for the next fight, Gina Miller went to Court on Brexit, is a legal challenge in the works for the way that the SNP are being unconstitutional over indyref 2, where was the public consultation?

Dear All

If what happened at Holyrood yesterday is anything to go by the next Scottish independence referendum will a nasty vicious affair, even more than the last one in 2014.

To refresh your memory if you wish to fight on the pro UK side, stand by to be called paedophile, racist, homosexual, homophobe, apologist, Uncle Tam, misogynist and anything else the Nationalists can think of to smear you or your family.

I, myself was a victim of a hate crime as many people know; this led to the arrest of one of the seven worst cybernats outed in the Daily Mail. Tommy Ball repeated tweeted about sexual intercourse with very young children using a fake account setup in my name, using my picture and linking to my blog. It took several years to get him into Court but the effort was worth it.

He was convicted and was fined £1500 at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

http://glasgowunihumanrights.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/unmasked-nicola-sturgeons-independence.html

The SNP can claim to have the real scum on their side.

What unpopular Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP are doing at present is to play a sick game called neverendum, they think they can setup a scenario where Scotland every few years gets pushed into a referendum by them on a trumped up excuse.

The SNP think that they can literally bully Scotland into voting Yes. Sturgeon says that denying Scots a second referendum would be “wrong, unfair and utterly unacceptable”. She lost two referendums, in two years, Scotland is saying no to Nicola Sturgeon if there is another vote.

To get straight to it, the SNP can no longer claim they are acting on the ‘will of the people’ so instead they are now claiming that they are acting on the ‘will of parliament’.

People are rightly becoming sick to death of the SNP but they have an opportunity to send Nicola Sturgeon a message at the Council elections and vote for pro UK candidates such as myself.

Vote George Laird for Ward 3 Greater Pollok!

The new referendum isn’t a choice over accepting Brexit as claimed; it is a political calculation in which the Nationalists think that Unionists who voted Remain will switch to them, that won’t happen. Remain voters will realise as do SNP members that Brexit opens a new load of opportunities for them and Scotland.

The SNP know that they are about to lose 180,000 EU National votes as once we leave the EU, they will have no right to get a vote. In order to try and ring fence their votes, the SNP want to start talks now before we leave. You will have notice that they want the window of autumn 2018 and spring 2019.

The laughable thing is that Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP wouldn’t get a new independence vote in this timescale, they won’t even get talks started, everything will be put on hold till after Brexit.

And the post Brexit landscape will be rather unappealing to the SNP because a new deal will exist with Europe, already behind the scenes the UK and Germany are talking on many issues.

The SNP aren’t part of any of these talks that are going on, they have been left behind, a good deal for the UK spells disaster for the SNP so they want to go early so they can claim that Scotland’s interests are being damaged which will be far from the case.

Brexit makes Scotland open to the World.

Sturgeon said:

"The future of the people of Scotland should not be imposed upon us. It should be the choice of the people of Scotland.”

It seems that Nicola Sturgeon isn’t interested in the will of the people who spoke only a couple of years ago.

Brexit is just a pretext to attempt to secure independence, it is dishonest politics, it is the politics of the gutter and it shows how low the SNP leadership are willing to sink in their attempts to win.

You can expect now to see the SNP faced a barrage of criticism as campaigners take to the streets so that Westminster knows that the sovereignty of the Scottish people rests with the people and not Holyrood. For too long the silent majority have been silent, this can no longer be the case. People need to protest, to be vocal, and to fight the SNP at every opportunity.

The sham vote in Holyrood changes nothing as the SNP and the Scottish Greens scheme to set the country on a dangerous course which Brian Wilson wrote about, the are engaged in 'deliberate attempt to sectarianise Scottish politics', you can see this in their language as they use the word ‘Unionist’ all the time. The importing loaded political language from Ireland hasn’t gone un-noticed by UK Ministers who drafted in Martin McGuiness for help in dealing with the SNP. The thing is to ‘deal’ with the SNP you have to marginalise them from power.

Holyrood needs fixed, one of the problems is the discredited list system which effectively blocks out independents in favour of smaller parties such as the Scottish Greens. Margo McDonald was effectively the only person to really make it through that system.

We don’t need so 129 MSPs when in the past Scotland had representation at Westminster with 59 MPs, perhaps it is time to redraw the political map of Scotland downwards?

There will be no Section 30 order granted for a referendum between the autumn 2018 and spring 2019, the likelihood is that if at all, everything will be pushed back towards at least 2021.

It maybe the case that the only way to realign Scottish politics are for new pro UK parties to come forward with a radically different agenda instead of the current status quo.

Scottish Labour sitting at 14% in the polls is looking like being decades from power, and they still haven’t got a narrative that works for them, or a united party. As to the new idea of federalism, it is the wrong thing, at the wrong time, it is almost like Scottish Labour is fiddling while Scotland burns!

Finally, if you tune in regularly to the blog, you will already have read I said that indyref 2 would be even nastier than the first, George Laird right again.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness, former deputy first minister of Northern Ireland, dies aged 66, as politicians offer condolences, his victims cannot forget his role in the terror campaign which saw innocent people murdered, Martin McGuiness goes to his grave with secrets

Dear All

Former IRA terror commander Martin McGuinness has died at the age of 66; in Irish politics he will be remembered both as an IRA Commander and his part in the peace process.

Years ago I watched a programme called ‘The Cooke Report’ which was fronted by Roger Cooke, one of the programmes featured McGuinness as part of a story.

It was alleged that Martin McGuinness had approached the mother of a man that the IRA wanted to get hold of, the meeting was supposed to take place in the South of Ireland. It was said that the meeting was a ‘talk’ and that McGuinness had guaranteed the man’s safety.

The man was murdered!

I always remember this story as much as the big IRA stories of the killing of Lord Mountbatten, the Brighton Hotel explosion; the Guildford and Birmingham pub bombings and of course the 1987  Enniskillen "Poppy Day" bomb.

The terror campaign by the IRA killed many innocent people, too many, too many young people; it divided Ireland and left deeply scarred communities. I love Ireland, I have been there a few times in my youth, and found the people to be absolutely first class only too happy to help strangers. If you haven’t visited then you are missing out on a real treat.

How do I feel about the death of Martin McGuinness, neither happy or sad, I remember the evil that he done in targeting innocent people, today we will be seeing politicians pay “tribute” to McGuinness saying how he was a passionate man of peace and of course leaving out his past, his victims will fill in that aspect of his life.

    

One person who isn’t sad about the death of Martin McGuinness is Norman Tebbit, whose wife was paralysed by an IRA bomb. The Brighton bomb was an attempt to kill as many senior Conservatives at their party conference as possible.  

Lord Tebbit has today said the 'world is a sweeter place.'

He was nearly killed and his wife was paralysed for life, it is understandable that he hasn’t forgotten the night that the IRA struck the hotel.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brighton_hotel_bombing

Lord Tebbit says that Martin McGuinness turning to peace 'to save his own skin' because he wanted to avoid being charged with murder.

He added:

'The world is a sweeter place today. He was a coward who never atoned for his crimes. There can be no forgiveness without a confession of sins'.

When asked about McGuiness’s role in the peace process he said:

'You might just as well say that if Himmler had succeeded Hitler and wiped out the Jews it would have removed the problem and there could have been peace in Europe'. 

Lord Tebbit in a less then generous mood concluded:

'He claimed to be a Roman Catholic. I hope that his beliefs turn out to be true and he'll be parked in a particularly hot and unpleasant corner of hell for the rest of eternity.'

Lord Tebbit has always refused to forgive Mr McGuinness for his terrorist past because 'forgiveness requires confession of sins and repentance'….. there was none of that.'

Five people were killed in the Brighton bombing, those killed were Conservative MP Sir Anthony Berry, Eric Taylor (North-West Area Chairman of the Conservative Party), Lady (Jeanne) Shattock (wife of Sir Gordon Shattock, Western Area Chairman of the Conservative Party), Lady (Muriel) Maclean (wife of Sir Donald Maclean, President of the Scottish Conservatives), and Roberta Wakeham (wife of Parliamentary Treasury Secretary John Wakeham).

The IRA claimed responsibility the next day, and said that it would try again. Its statement read:

“Mrs. Thatcher will now realise that Britain cannot occupy our country and torture our prisoners and shoot our people in their own streets and get away with it. Today we were unlucky, but remember we only have to be lucky once. You will have to be lucky always. Give Ireland peace and there will be no more war”.

Stephen Gault whose father, Samuel, was one of 11 people killed in the 1987  Enniskillen "Poppy Day" bomb, said he would remember Mr McGuinness only as a "terrorist".

There will be a lot of mixed emotions today for people who lost loved ones who were killed by the IRA, in the end what did the ‘troubles’ really achieve?

Was the loss of life of all those innocent people worth it, as I said I always remember the man murdered who the subject of The Cooke Report, what were his final hours like?

As he lay dying did Martin McGuiness regret his actions, did he see the faces and remember the names of all the people who were murdered by the IRA?

One thing is certain; Martin McGuiness goes to his grave with secrets.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

The dawning of her political death; Nicola Sturgeon has made a very big mistake, over indyref 2 and it's just beginning to dawn on her, there is no possible chance that she can keep political momentum going for the next four years, people of Scotland are sick to death of the SNP talking non stop about independence, they want a government in power who are willing to do the ‘day job’, is this the start of the end of the SNP as a political party?

Dear All

Nicola Sturgeon has made a very big mistake and it's just beginning to dawn on her.

You might be tempted to say, is there any proof?

Well, a crack in the façade was clearly on show when Colin MacKay dropped the news to her that Theresa May had turned down her request for a new Scottish independence referendum, at that point you could see her brain going into overdrive.

Then fuse!

After getting the bad news of no Section 30 order, she also got told that Westminster wouldn’t entry into talks. You could clearly see her head go down as she dived into the lift at Holyrood to escape, but there is no escape from the very big mistake she has made, no rewinding of history or time.

In an attempt to appear relevant; Nicola Sturgeon has made clear she remains determined to hold indyref2, its just talk, but not for the people of Scotland but for her supporters. Having overplayed her hand and facing the disastrous consequences of that miscalculation, she has left herself wide open to questions about her suitability to continue on as SNP leader.

When the Prime Minister delivered her “now is not the time” message, whether Sturgeon liked it or not, it was entirely wrong and foolhardy to think that in the middle of the most serious talks over Brexit that anyone would have time for her. No one has time for her during Brexit, not even the Europeans; they will be seeking an accommodation because the ‘men in the grey suits’ aren’t going to sit idly by and see hundreds of millions of investment being put in danger. Money as they say makes the world go round, and into today’s interlinked global market no one gets to be a ‘problem’.

Nicola Sturgeon just made herself a ‘problem’ which is why she was so quickly and effectively shutdown by the real people in power.

Sturgeon doesn’t as she claims have an "unequivocal mandate" to hold a second referendum, she doesn’t have power, she doesn’t have legal authority and she doesn’t have moral authority. There will be no declaration of UDI as the real nutters of the Nationalist camp periodically cry.

Sturgeon said to the BBC:

"You are asking me to accept that a Conservative Prime Minister, who has one MP in Scotland has the right to lay down the law to Scotland's democratically elected parliament. That is unacceptable."

She thinks that Holyrood or to be more specific the SNP have the right to override Westminster because they control Holyrood, they don’t have any right and more importantly they know it. Interestingly Carole Malone, the TV pundit was quick to call Nicola deluded.

Malone said:

“I think she talks about this referendum all the time to hide the fact that she’s making a mess of running Scotland. It has a massive deficit, it has a £15bn deficit which is proportionately twice as much as the UK’s deficit. Education is in a mess, health is in a mess.”

The heat was further thrust on the Nationalists as John Humphrys tore into the Deputy First Minister John Swinney as he tried to dodge a simple question on independence four times. Swinney stalled as the veteran broadcaster repeatedly asked if the SNP would be prepared to hold an advisory referendum. If the SNP do attempt this, this could see the Scottish Government and Parliament shut down and power returned to the Scottish Office.

Shutdown Holyrood if there is an advisory referendum stands a very good chance of happening, once power is out of the SNP’s hands, they lose all control and effectively becoming powerless. Westminster will reluctantly be forced to use their powers which could mean down the line that the current Holyrood setup is radically changed to prevent this happening again.

The wheels are falling off the SNP bandwagon, they can no longer claim to be acting on the ‘will of the people’ so now they are claiming that they will be acting on the ‘will of parliament’ clearly the SNP cannot be trusted and as much as the SNP try to muddy the water on timescales.

Finally; John Humphrys mocked the SNP new attempts for a fresh independence as he flippantly said:

“Maybe we should redefine generation to being a rabbit generation, how long do they live, three or four years?”

The subtext for his listeners was that the SNP are dishonourable and liars, they aren’t honouring the Edinburgh Agreement and as such cannot be trusted.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

SNP Smackdown: No new Scottish independence referendum as Theresa May says 'now is not the time', so the question now is, will unpopular Nicola Sturgeon collapse the Scottish Government to try for an absolute majority, petition to stop indyref 2 now sits at over 155, 395 signatures, Sturgeon gambled everything and lost, will she now ‘bet the farm’?

Dear All

There is a buzz in the air it seems, as a rather catchy phrase is coming from the people of Scotland to Theresa May….. ‘just say naw’!

Saying naw is what is expected of Prime Minister Theresa May with regards to ruling out a second Scottish independence referendum.

And this happy state of affairs could every well happen this afternoon and makes for a good showpiece for a party leader to rally the troops.

But what for the shop soiled poor white hope from Dreghorn Nicola Sturgeon, apparently she is gearing up to hear what many people keeping saying in reply to her gibberish…. No!

Nicola Stugeon marched the ‘troops’ up the hill only to find out the opposition are merely laughing at them, the about face and walk down the hill is a humiliation.

Imagine finding out that you are a small fish in a big pond, this is what Sturgeon is finding out, already we have the SNP screaming and whining by calling that refusing to give into SNP demands is in someway 'defying democracy'.

Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon had their vote, their chance and lost badly, 55% to 45%, it was a decisive victory by a clear 10 point margin. The aim of indyref 2 is to cause trouble, and it is to weaken the UK government in up coming Brexit talks. This action wouldn’t just be noticed here and down south, it will make the EU feel that they are empowered as they try to shaft us.

We could end up in a situation where a deal isn’t possible, hard Brexit happens and we are operating under World Trade Organisation rules (WTO), once thing to remember, nothing is settled yet, and it is in the interests of Europe to find an accommodation.

What I like is the sick joke mooted by the SNP that if the Westminster government don’t give the SNP their way for a new vote it would act as the "biggest recruiting sergeant possible" for the cause. The SNP have sucked up pretty much everyone who is interested in their ‘cause’. In fact the only way is down wards for the membership, incompetent SNP government will hasten that decline.

To show how rattle the SNP and how much Nicola Sturgeon is living in fear of her own side turning on her, up pops Pete Wishart, who is more blowhard than diehard to waffle:

“Will there be a statement from the Government approving a section 30 order to approve a legal independence referendum if the Scottish Parliament, as is likely, votes to request one next week? Surely there can be no case for standing in the way of democracy and defying the will of the democratically elected parliament in Scotland?”

Take the time to note that he isn’t saying 'the will of the Scottish people’, and with the collapse of Scottish Labour and the poor showing of other unionist parties, their ‘test’ of democracy can hardly be measured using Holyrood as a benchmark.

           

One thing that the Conservatives have developed as a theme is something which I have banged on about for years, incompetent SNP government, Commons Leader David Lidington said the Government "will want to look at whatever requests might come from the Scottish Parliament".

But he also fired off:

"But I just say this gently to you, that the Autumn Statement and the spring Budget together have given roughly £1.25 billion of extra spending to the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament. They could use that money to reduce the tax hikes on business and middle income families in Scotland. They could use it to improve failing schools in Scotland, to help struggling hospitals in Scotland. I think that would be a much better service to the people of Scotland than posturing about a further referendum."

At present the petition to stop a second independence referendum is sitting just below 155,000 signatures, it is only a few days and the response has been impressive, people are sick of the SNP attempting to plunge the UK into crisis, they are sick of referendums, they are sick of incompetent government and they are sick of being held to ransom.

One thing which has happened is that The Queen has signed the Brexit Bill into law which means it leaves Theresa May free to kick-start leaving the EU. One out, means all out, Scotland will be leaving the EU along with the rest of the UK, and there will be no special deal for Sturgeon.

Nicola Sturgeon gambled and lost, lost everything, played a rather stupid game and came away looking weak and more importantly stupid.

So, no Section 30 order, no legal authority to hold a new referendum; so what now, does Nicola Sturgeon then move onto plan B?

Plan B, try and get an absolute majority by collapsing the Scottish Government and forcing an election.

So, if she doesn’t get her absolute majority, which was the basis that the last franchise was made available, does she have the bottle to collapse the Scottish government twice in a row?

Finally, it is not all doom and gloom, here is a funny video done by someone down south who is vaguely familiar with the Scottish situation, he starts off a bit shaky on what Nicola Sturgeon’s title is, calling her the Prime Minister of Scotland, its actually First Minister. Then as if by magic, we get treated to him swearing etc etc.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/you-fg-jock-cs-englishman-10033610

Sadly someone has altered the video so you don’t get the whole rich experience but if I find a youtube copy unedited then I will stick it on the blog, education so important.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University