Hollywood is not the swamp, when you think you know the kind of world you are living in, something comes along that opens your eyes further

Throbbergate: Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP have to launch a sleaze probe after sexual harrassment claims are levelled at her politicians, how safe are the corridors in Holyrood for women, is this ‘can of worms’ the end of the SNP as a party of Government, two sexual harassment investigations underway

Dear All

When you think of sex scandals, you generally think of Westminster where there have been some biggies, but now we have a Scottish Parliament, it seems that the ‘shadow of the unwanted penis’ is allegedly hanging over the heads of some women who work there.

The SNP use a slogan ‘Stronger for Scotland’ as if they are some ‘white knights’ but the truth is the SNP is rather shabby, rather sordid and lacking in so many ways other than just the human aspects.

It seems as sex is the hot topic in the news, the Harvey Weinstein is huge, because Weinstein appears to be the goat sacrificed to attempt to cover up the wrongdoings and alleged wrongdoings of others.

Who in a million years would have thought that a story would emerge of Kevin Spacey. Kevin Spacey has apologized for alleged sex assault with a minor, someone called Anthony Rapp who is currently appearing in the new Star Trek Discovery series.

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/30/entertainment/kevin-spacey-allegations-anthony-rapp/index.html

Closer to home, it seems that Nicola Sturgeon has a real problem, she appears to have her own goats to sacrifice because the SNP are said to be investigating two sexual harassment cases.

This raises the question, where is Police Scotland?

And have the SNP informed the proper authorities, let’s be clear the SNP are not the proper authority to investigate what would be criminal offences. They don’t have the training, the experience and having seen how the SNP operate regarding complaints, I don’t see how anyone can have faith in them, especially anyone who is an alleged victim.

Now that the floodgates are open, the SNP expects women to come forward with complaints against party’s members, so how many women are expected to come forward, hard to say but we should remember that during the Scottish Independence Referendum, it was common knowledge that male SNP members were specifically targeting women for filming.

What did Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon do about that?

Nothing, this begs the question, why is Nicola Sturgeon so concerned about women now?

As usual, and it is an old story, Nicola Sturgeon has said she knows nothing about nothing, which makes her the most ignorant woman operating in Scottish politics today.

So, she says she does know of any allegations against SNP MSPs or MPs so if there are complaints in the SNP why doesn’t her husband bring her up to speed?

Why doesn’t her husband bring her up to speed, now that is a question?

In the case of wife beater Bill Walker, her office staff knew but Nicola Sturgeon says they never told her, so who tells Nicola Sturgeon anything?

A spokesman for the SNP said:

“The SNP has had concerns of this nature raised by two different individuals. The individuals and their concerns are unconnected to each other. These will be fully investigated but enquiries remain at an early stage. We will do nothing to deter people from coming forward and, as such, we will not comment further while investigations are ongoing.”

Kezia Dugdale said:

"There are several male MSPs I have heard referenced in conversations about inappropriate sexual language and sexual harassment. You have to ask yourself, why aren't we hearing these names, why aren't women coming forward?”

When you see the word ‘several’ you have to ask how many is ‘several’ and how safe is it to work in the ‘Pretend Parliament’ if you are a woman know that there are potential sex sharks walking the corridors, lifts and committee rooms.

Now that the ‘can of worms’ has been opened, it seems that someone will have to be held up for possible SNP sacrifice, in the Bill Walker case, the parliament was quick to turn on him, but I am not so sure that this will be the case here, it depends on how much public pressure the SNP feel is on them.

And with the SNP vote collapsing, people might get to see a ‘goat’ staked out.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Ungracious in impending defeat, Team Sarwar obtain a QC opinion that brings legality of Scottish Labour leadership contest into "serious question", this is a new low in a bitter nasty contest which makes Anas’ unity claim post defeat look rather shabby, when people scream 'rigged vote' it leaves a bad taste in the mouth

Dear All

It has to be said that the campaign by Anas Sarwar has been a huge disaster from start to finish, every day it seems his chances of being elected as leader go from nil to worse. The issues to do with his private life relating to his family business were not a problem for him until he stood for the leadership, just as sending his kids to private school sent a bad message that in his family, they weren’t part of the many just the privileged few.

Anas Sarwar using the party line ‘for the many not the few’ doesn’t ring true, but leaving all the personal stuff to the side, the signing of Muslim people simply to get a Muslim leader elected leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Of course the rules of the Scottish Labour are subject to change but the practice of some people in this election contest leaves a lot to be desired, even although the rules allow it.

I debated Anas Sarwar during Brexit, prior to that I have spoken to him in passing, he comes across as likeable in any dealings that I had with him. In fact, some of his personal issues such as sending his kids to private school don’t bother me in the slightest.

How he spends his money is his business.

It seems rather funny that after having such a bad campaign that Anas Sarwar’s campaign team want to put the icing on the cake and have him branded a ‘bad loser’, it seems his campaign team have obtained a QC opinion that brings legality of Scottish Labour leadership contest into "serious question".

So, what is the value of a QC opinion, well the value is the same as a guy who walks his dug along in the park. The Sarwar campaign doesn’t like the mass sign up of supporters by the Unite trade union; however their tactic of ‘sign up a Muslim to elect a Muslim’ appears to be fine with them. This contest is a bitter nasty affair, it didn’t have to be but this is how it has ended up, if anyone things when Anas Sarwar loses the election that there will be unity, they are kidding themselves on.

Anyone saying things like the party has now come together is either stupid, deluded or politically unaware.

So, why get a QC opinion?

Well, I would hazard a guess and say that some people might conclude that this is a tactic to try and encourage people to vote for Anas Sarwar since an insider apparently has said that Sarwar Campaign has ruled out a court challenge. As I mentioned earlier, in other blog posts, the Sarwar campaign is simply awful in their methods and execution.

A Unite spokesman responded to the latest news:

“This is ridiculous. The Labour party has confirmed time and again that Unite's members have signed up to this election legitimately and in full compliance with the rules. These hints and innuendos are a smokescreen to divert from discussion from the real issues at stake. They only bring the Sarwar campaign into disrepute for effectively trying to exclude trade union members who are entitled to a vote.”

The spokesman basically covers all the necessary points, rather than enhance the Sarwar Campaign it is a vote loser. After this contest, what is needed is a Scottish leader who supports Jeremy Corbyn, and Anas Sarwar isn’t that man. Anas pinned his colours to the mast being part of the progress crowd and also by calling for Corbyn to resign as leader. Now that Corbyn’s position is more secure in the party, the fact that Anas Sarwar says he supports Corbyn tends to ring rather hollow.

Kezia Dugdale jumped ship before the Momentum crowd forced her out by way of a leadership challenge, if Anas was elected then it would happen further down the line, it might take a bit more work but that fight would happen.

Whether Richard Leonard’s camp has benefited from a huge influx of trade union supporters to vote in the contest is something we will find out as we see the result, although Anas Sarwar has a lot of influence in Glasgow, outside this area, I seriously doubt he has the wider appeal to win, not just the leadership but Holyrood.

Labour MP Ian Murray, who is a Sarwar supporter was a critic who also called on Jeremy Corbyn to resign, he refused to be Shadow Scottish Sec which led to someone from an English seat being appointed.

He burnt his bridges and appears to be continuing that process as he wrote to party General Secretary Brian Roy claiming there was “no doubt whatsoever” that the Unite recruitment drive broke party rules.

Murray has also claimed that the election process was being “rigged” to help Leonard, accusations Unite strongly denied.

One source in the Sarwar camp said:

“Given the level of concern raised about Unite’s sign-up process via text message, expert legal advice from a top QC was obtained that significantly strengthened those concerns about Unite’s practices, bringing the legality of the process into serious question. But in the interests of party unity, and to allow the campaign to focus on the policy debate that members want, no further action was taken and won’t be taken. Richard’s campaign was, however, privately made aware of the advice.”

The bit which is laughable is of course:

“But in the interests of party unity, and to allow the campaign to focus on the policy debate that members want, no further action was taken and won’t be taken”.

I read this and think that Anas is staking a claim to be in a Leonard Shadow Cabinet at Holyrood.

Pat Rafferty, Unite’s Scottish Secretary has decided to be quite outspoken and has hit back at the criticisms of his union. At the Unite’s Scottish Policy Conference in Aviemore, he said:

“Let me make it abundantly clear. Accusations of Unite trying to 'fix' the leadership election are absolutely outrageous and totally unfounded. Unite has broken no rules and has complied with all the requirements laid down to us by the Scottish Labour Party. The party itself has confirmed this to be the case.”

In a stark "message" for Murray:

“Don’t try and use Unite in an attempt to cover up your own failing campaign for Anas Sarwar. Try getting on with your job – instead of backstabbing your leader and resigning from your post. It's people like you who are doing more damage to this party than anything else. It’s not Unite who are rigging the vote! It’s not Unite giving false news stories to the media!”

It should be noted that the majority of CLPs and trade Unions are backing Richard Leonard, not Anas Sarwar.

Former Labour Education Minister Hugh Henry s backing Richard Leonard has had a go at Anas Sarwar for sending his children to a private school.

Henry said:

“It's wrong that parents can still buy privilege in education while our comprehensive system is denied the resources to deliver a first-class education for all.”

And of course, he had a dig over Sarwar’s family firm not paying the real living wage to all its employees as well. In order to kill the story into his business affairs Sarwar relinquished his multi-million pound shareholding in the family firm after the wages being offered at United Wholesale (Scotland) were publicly revealed. Anas Sarwar then compounded that episode by digging a deeper hole.

Finally, one thing which Anas Sarwar might want to focus on after he loses is why his campaign team were so bad, unprepared and stupid, assuming he plans to try again in the future, however when you get rejected for leader once, it rather makes the next time a bigger mountain to climb.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

The Painfully Slow Death of Scotland’s NHS, inept Nicola Sturgeon placed her pal, Shona Robison in charge of Scotland’s flagship public service, and Shona Robison failed as health sec, she has failed marriage, how long must we suffer this fool in charge, Audit Scotland’s report is damning about the failure and lack of vision

Dear All

Since 2007 and before, the State of Scotland’s NHS has been going backwards, although the SNP under Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon managed to cover it up, eventually the truth seeped out like pus out of an open wound.

Alex Salmond appointed unpopular Nicola Sturgeon as Health Sec and a smoke and mirrors operation was enacted to highlight a few targets while the rest of health system was falling apart. When the SNP dumped the government in 2012 to chase independence, this accelerated the process dramatically. The cracks which were opening up under Nicola Sturgeon only came to light as she was moved to be the face of independence.

Alex Neil’s tenure was short and unremarkable, he even fainted during an operation it was said, perhaps this was due to the sight of blood. When Sturgeon took over from Alex Salmond; the ‘clear out’ happened to replace old deadwood with new deadwood politicians running the departments of Health, Education and Justice.

Nicola Sturgeon decided to appoint her pal, Shona Robison as health sec, a woman who couldn’t run her own marriage to Stewart Hosie which saw her MP husband fire into younger flesh. Stewart Hosie picked up a bit of totty at Westminster who said she had trouble keeping her knickers on. This however wasn’t a medic problem due to sudden weight loss so Hosie couldn’t ask his wife to squeeze his new bird for an appointment.

As a failing health sec, Shona Robison clearly out of her depth continued to struggle on with the backing of failing First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, right across the board the NHS in Scotland was failing under Robison’s inept leadership. Now yet again, we are seeing the damning evidence as Audit Scotland publishes a report on NHS Scotland that warns 'quality of care' is under threat as budget cuts increase. We keep hearing from the SNP that Scotland is a rich country, but where is the money going, and more importantly why is there such bad leadership managing our health service?

It is to do with priorities; Government is used as a vehicle for promoting independence, and clueless ministers do the ‘day job’ as a part time job but still take a full whack of the ministerial salary. The concept of Government is beyond the SNP, things aren’t getting better despite the nationalist lies, they are getting worse, in Scotland, the pool of political talent can fit into a teacup, there is no ocean of talent or as Salmond once quipped ‘too many talented people’ in his government.

They are all shite!

What is supposed to be the flagship policy of NHS Scotland is struggling to maintain quality of care with patients waiting longer for treatment, targets missed and no improvement in the nation's health, so no change there then. One way to easy the pressure is to do preventative health measures such as exercise and control of weight, although not technically academic in the round, the best that we get is pamphlets at GP surgeries and fitness centres. Medics may know how the body works, the theory but the practice of a well rounded fit person keeping a body maintained is limited I would suggest.

Problems need to be address before they can develop but there isn’t joined up thinking, just joined up talking shops that produce paper and hot air and little else.

Fitness centres are an excellent way to nip things in the bud but aren’t utilised as they should be. How much could be saved and how much pressure could be taken off budgets if we had a healthier society developed.

Lots!

In this day and age, we still see waste of resources by bed blocking which is a disgrace, the system isn’t slick enough, and we also see number of patients waiting more than 12 weeks for an outpatient appointment has soared four-fold since 2013. I had a hell of a time when I was seriously ill, I nearly died back in 2014 which I blogged on in the past. My experience was mirrored by others as chaos hit our over loaded service, 800 per cent delay for planned inpatient and day case treatments, appointments cancelled. The extent of failure is laid bare by the fact that seven out of the Scottish Government's eight priority targets were missed for the second year in a row in 2016/17. If you are unlucky to be in an A&E department, you are in for a long wait, the SNP can’t keep to the four-hour A&E target. If you have cancer the referral-to-treatment times are getting longer, and hit the treatment target time is just a dream.

BMA Scotland chair, Dr Peter Bennie, said:

“This latest report makes clear that it is getting harder and harder for the NHS in Scotland to cope with continued austerity. Demands on the NHS are increasing rapidly every year and sufficient resources are simply not being made available to meet the needs of patients.”

The idea that there has been unprecedented" savings of £387.4 million in 2016/17 - up 33 per cent on the previous year is a sick joke, health isn’t cheap, and for some people who end up in hospital, the outcome for them is final.

Cuts aren’t "unprecedented" savings, they are just a marker to explain why care is so limited and so bad, to do the job properly, staff need resources. In 2016/17, the health budget was a record £12.9 billion, 43 per cent of the total Scottish Government budget, a problem is a huge surge in operating costs as demand for healthcare increases.  

So, do we need a new model introduced?

I would say there is scope to explore change, certain things need a hospital setting but other things can and possibly should be delivered at GP level, and as we have seen we are 3,000 GPs short in Scotland, another SNP blunder.

Did you hear of Nicola Sturgeon announcing a recruitment drive?

Me neither.

Medicine, the teaching of students needs to be explained, with an unhealthy Scotland, it seems we have plenty of training material with coughs, scraps, broken bodies and cancer to service this industry.

Should we have a new medical school in Scotland?

I don’t know, I am asking the question, but questions is what should be getting asked, and on a repeat basis. It seems we are spending too much on agency staff, including locum doctors which have increased 79 per cent over five years to £171m.

Why hasn’t the SNP done anything about this?

How long must a problem continue in the SNP Government before it is fixed, this state of affairs smacks of incompetence, our NHS should be properly staffed at all times, and certainly not dependent on agency staff to the tune of £171m.

One solution to the continued crisis by Audit Scotland is that the Scottish Government should shift from one-year funding allocations to three to five year funding cycles.

It said:

“The lack of financial flexibility, with NHS boards required to break even at the end of each financial year, and lack of long-term planning are barriers to moving more care out of hospitals.”

Why hasn’t Shona Robison adopted this, a guess would be that she doesn’t get ‘cost over runs’ because things don’t stop being a problem because of the new budget year.

Caroline Gardner, Auditor General for Scotland, said:

"The NHS in Scotland marks its 70th anniversary next year, and there is widespread agreement that healthcare must be delivered differently if it is to withstand growing pressure on services. There is no simple solution, but these fundamental areas must be addressed if reform is to deliver the scale of transformation that's needed across the NHS."

We don’t have a reforming Scottish Government, we have a lame duck SNP Government with no focus other than independence, Shona Robison failed as health sec, she has failed marriage and she has no vision.

How long must we suffer this fool in charge?

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Can justice be bought in the Ukraine; Oligarch father of Ukrainian road carnage heiress is willing to pay a £1.1 million compensation package to attempt to keep his daughter out of a 10 year prison sentence, a close friend of the Zaitseva family said: 'Everyone clearly understands that Alyona is guilty’

Dear All

One of the things that politicians love to talk about is rights and responsibilities, when it comes to driving, you have certain rights bestowed on you once you pass your test, but also you have responsibilities, not just to yourself but other people whether they are drivers or pedestrians. If you like youtube, you should watch Russian/ Ukrainian car crashes, these are quite interesting and frightening as many drivers use dashcams in Russia. If you think you know what carnage is check out our Russian cousins as they drive in conditions such as snow or blast through a red light.

When you look at some of the driving, you wonder how some people pass their test or why the Russians don’t lower the speed limit in winter conditions, here is a clip to watch, you have seen crashes until you see Russians and Ukrainians do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oUH8SzfqZo

In the press, one case as made headlines and that is the case of the daughter of an Oligarch, Alyona Zaitseva, 20, killed five people and injured six more by crashed her luxury black Lexus at 60mph. Her car skipping a red light and she plough into the helpless crowd. Why was she doing 60 mph in her luxury black Lexus, well because she wanted. If this wasn’t bad enough, it seems that Alyona Zaitseva has a history of bad driving and the paperwork to do with it, to her bad driving is something paid off with a fine, and not something to worry about.

Now, that she has killed five people and injured six more, she has plenty to worry about, she is facing 10 years in jail and such is the seriousness of the case, the judge has refused to grant her bail in case she is a flight risk. At present, lawyers of her oligarch father Vasily Zaitsev are now working on a compensation package which

Ukrainian state TV suggests could help Zaitseva avoid prison.

Does Alyona Zaitseva deserve prison after killing so many people and injuring others, well, if you look at the footage, and glance at the reports, prison seems to be a ‘given’ in this case.  According to reports, her father and mother say they are 'on our knees' begging victims' families to 'forgive' the 20 year old heiress. So, what kind of message does it send out that her rich family want to attempt to use a compensation package to help Zaitseva avoid prison?

I would say it sends out the wrong message and if there was a slim chance of avoiding prison, then that chance is gone, 10 years in a Russian or Ukrainian prison is no joke.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGty3Pfgz7U

It seems that Alyona Zaitseva has been filmed by local media in Ukraine crying, well having experienced the very best in life, she now faces the very worst, is the £1.1million compensation package to buy off the victims and their enough?

Ask yourself, if it was your family member would you want the money or to see justice done, justice shouldn’t depend on how deep your pockets are, everyone in a court should treated fairly and equally.

Personally, the blood money would hold no sway with me, people who have done what Alyona Zaitseva has done deserve prison. Alyona Zaitseva has previous fines for speeding, she thinks the law doesn’t apply to her being rich, well the fact that she has been held in detention for two months pending a criminal investigation into the crash has woken her up to her situation.

And with her facing a 10 years stark reality has set in for her, she turned up at court wearing £1,055 Ceinture Ankle Boots by luxury Spanish brand Balenciaga. She will have found out the Ukrainian State spends considerably less, the accommodation will be less than comfortable, and the food will be less than the standard she was accustomed to at the best restaurants.

What is now being said by her energy tycoon father Vasily Zaitsev is that blames the driver of the car that his daughter collided with before her Lexus span out of control, smashing into the crowd and overturning. Given the footage and what is known at present, along with the fact the other driver has head injuries plus a close friend of the Zaitseva family said:

'Everyone clearly understands that Alyona is guilty’.

This type of statement by her father is rather unhelpful, in fact you could say best to keep quiet; he cannot rewrite history and shouldn’t even try.

This story is yet another tale of someone who had it all and by their own hand destroyed themselves, one thing is certain, if Alyona Zaitseva ends up doing a lengthy prison sentence, she wouldn’t be the same person who comes out of prison, she will find the experience soul destroying.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Winds of Change or Winds of War, people power see the ushering in of anti immigration parties right across Europe, Austria, Germany and Czech Republic see gains for alt right parties, Czech Republic could have a Eurosceptic billionaire as new Czech PM, the failing EU project is looking increasingly like an organisation which is out of touch led by a smug elite who care little for Europe’s people

Dear All

It seems that people power is on the march in Europe, the reason for this lies in the failure of the current political elite to act in the best interests of the people. People in Europe have stopped listening to the very people who have brought Europe to the brink, they have found new voices. As one commentator aptly put it now is the ‘autumn of Europe's discontent’.

In many ways, you say that Brexit was a response to the damage that has been self inflicted in Europe as a result of the migrant crisis, but that would be too short term, the destruction of Europe began long before this event was thrust into the public domain.

The migrant crisis has destroyed social cohesion in Europe.

Due to the aftermath caused by Merkel’s stupidity, there is now a strong anti-immigration stance which is growing right across the continent which continues to grow and flourish and develop. In places like Austria, we see people forming groups such as the Identitarian Movement led by people like Martin Sellner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqGsI4KE7SU&t=4s

When this group was formed in Austria, they talked about the ‘great replacement’, the Identitarian Movement represents an entirely new phenomenon in contemporary European radical right. They have gained visible support both outside anti-system movements typically referred to as protest movements. Simply put, the Identitarian Movement represents a stream whose aim is to draw attention to the threat of the Islamization of Europe. These people seek to renew the identity of European nations which is why each Identitarian Movement differs from other in European countries.

Even in Scotland, this movement has found roots:

https://www.facebook.com/Generation-Identity-AlbaScotland-252173821949581/

These groups are getting more organised, which in part is a response to people like Antifa which use violent protest for political ends. If you listen to the guy in this video, he talks openly about breaking the law.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjnaVXTsg30

In Glasgow, the Identitarian Movement held a meeting in a pub:

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/right-wing-nerds-flee-glasgow-11023129

In Europe, we are seeing people willing to vote for an anti-immigration Eurosceptic billionaire who apparently is set to be the new Czech PM. What this signifies is that across Europe, voters are rejecting everything the EU in Brussels stands for. The stranglehold of their politics is slowing coming apart. You can’t have missed the recent election results in Germany and Austria, which have seen a surge in support for far-Right nationalist and Eurosceptic parties. I said to an Austrian that the last Dutch, French and Austrian elections it wasn’t the time for the ‘alt right’ to win power, they weren’t organised and the timing was wrong.

I proved to be right.

It is now the turn of the tiny Czech Republic to rail against Brussels, the Czechs have been at the forefront of dealing with the migrant crisis. I said that we might see Europe on the road to civil war if manners aren’t taken in hand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=EbINrdyAXlE

If the ‘Czech Donald Trump’ whose real name is Andrej Babis gets in it is a continuation of the work of Viktor Obron, his party is bluntly named Action for Dissatisfied Citizens, although not catchy it is effective. In the election, he won 29.6 per cent of the vote which translates to 78 out of 200 seats in the lower house, firmly shifting his nation to the Right. The political elite view him as a danger to democracy because of his authoritarian leadership style but we are living in dangerous times, and we have seen how the ‘myth of democracy’ has been used for the personal agendas of political parties and individuals for their own self interest.

The EU; a self serving elite is losing support from member states, this is good news, members must reclaim the sovereignty, this is a key issue for other EU member states which cannot go unchecked. We have a smug Euro-elite out of touch with the people they represent, one in five of whom earn over £100k a year, shop in private supermarkets, and have other perks which are quite frankly obscene.   

In September, Germany’s Angela Merkel had a bad election which saw her emerged weakened and put a far-Right, nationalist party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), into the Bundestag for the first time.

This is history, because it is an expression of direct democracy, people power against the 'establishment’, we have many angry people in Germany who are frustrated with the euro project, now getting a proper return for their savings, continual bailouts for countries such as Greece. You add in the migration issue and terrorism and you can see why Merkel is still struggling to form a coalition.

Angela Merkel’s time has come and gone, she is in the way of a new Europe where economic security for it’s citizens will be a dominating feature along with national security.

Finally, Sebastian Kurz of the Austrian People’s Party is poised to form a coalition with the far-right Freedom Party. Although coalitions are nothing new in politics, some of the members of that party campaign wearing the insignia of a blue cornflower, the secret symbol associated with the Nazi Party.

It seems we are heading towards uncharted waters, when will the EU fail, who can say but change will certainly have to happen in this organisation which is looking increasingly like the new Politburo.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University  

The 'Dumb and the Furious' at Holyrood; SNP MSP Joan McAlpine makes a complete fool of herself claiming that the UK single market doesn't exist, insult to injury as she is corrected by two Professors, one of whom is a Law Professor, Nationalist trot out their ignorance as a matter of course, but this take stupid to a whole new level

Dear All

It appears that brains are in short supply when it comes to SNP MPs or MSPs, where it is married MSP like Kenny Gibson diving off to Costa Rica with a married party aide, attending illegal referendums like Joanne Cherry or talking bollocks like Joan McAlpine, there is a nationalist for every occasion to let Scotland down.

If there was prizes for stupidity, Joan McAlpine would have to be included in the line up, to leave her out would be a crime, her latest major gaffe is claiming there is no such thing as the UK single market. You might be shocked at how someone elected to public office can stand up and say this and think it would be allowed to pass unnoticed.

The United Kingdom is the most impressive single market that has ever existed, where you are Scots, English, Welsh or Northern Irish, there is border-free movement of goods, capital, people and services. In fact the free movement of trade has gone on for centuries which probably explain why people like; Joan McAlpine doesn’t get it.

The revelation makes you wonder how on earth someone like Joan McAlpine gets to be the convener of Holyrood’s European Committee especially when she comes out with statements like this which shows  stark lack of reality.

The claim made at the Scottish Parliament’s Festival of Politics however didn’t stand the test of time as she said:

“This talk of the UK single market, it’s a bit of a nonsense when you think that under the devolved settlement we already have different approaches to things. Health, for example, and lots of other areas as well where we take a different approach. So we don’t really have a UK single market.”

Up pops Professor Nicola McEwen, Associate Director of the Centre for Constitutional Change at Edinburgh University who told her:

“Yes, we do.”

Followed by Alan Page, Professor of Public Law at the University of Dundee who also set her staright by saying:

“Buying and selling goods, moving job, capital - all of these things move freely within the United Kingdom to the extent that we don’t even think about it. We live in an economic and monetary union. We do have, no question, a single market in which goods, people, capital move freely within the UK.”

Short, sanppy and to the point, even an idiot could understand this, McAlpine was born in Gourock, Renfrewshire, that being said, education is taught in that neck of the woods, and when you throw in her stint at Glasgow University where she did MA (Hons) in Scottish History and Economic History, you can only come to the conclusion that McAlpine is an ‘arse’.

Several things which Joan McAlpine seems to have no problem are listed in her wiki page, such as employing Gail Lythgoe, was found to have emailed a women's equality group, alleging that the Labour politician Ian Davidson has a history of bullying women and called on them to demonstrate against him, that ended badly for Lythgoe. Then there was failing to turn up to Ministerial Questions to ask a question which she had tabled in the Scottish Parliament as she was eating dinner in a restaurant. This was something I blogged on the deer muncher story.

http://glasgowunihumanrights.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/return-of-deer-muncher-snp-msp-joan.html

Forced to apologise!

Then there is my two personal favs, the speeding in a car incident and the classic story of McAlpine in a sex romp:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2568325/Alex-Salmond-aide-six-month-affair-axed-party-worker-used-public-money-pay-cheated-wife.html

A touching story of McAlpine breaking up a 29 year old marriage, at the time she said that she hadn’t had an affair but a relationship. According to her lover at the time, he said on the circumstances:

“We were both on our own in the city (Inverness at SNP Conference), drink was taken and we ended up in bed together. It was a fling. To me it was never more than a fling. It was me doing that thing that many married men do – when the opportunity is there you take it. I’m not proud of it.” 

Having done history, it seems that Joan McAlpine is unable to learn from history, or has a short term memory problem, her committee last year wrote the foreword to a paper which referred to the UK single market.

It said:

"The devolution settlement, like the European Union, is based on a ‘single market’ in goods, persons, services and capital."

If Ms McAlpine thinks she has a career as a propangandist, in the past she worked for newspapers, perhaps she should think again, her career is littered with gaffes where she ends up becoming the story due to ‘bad messaging’.

A spokesman for the Scottish Tories said:

“It appears Joan McAlpine has decided to temporarily leave the reality-based community. Of course we have a UK market - just ask anyone who has popped across the border from Carlisle to Gretna to do some shopping. Given Ms McAlpine is a South of Scotland MSP; you’d think she’d be the first to understand this. It’s therefore extremely odd she doesn’t.”

If you are ignorant, daft or feebleminded, a good strategy is to say nothing which draws attention to yourself, that way you can sup up the taxpayer cash as an MSP and no one will know you exist. After all, there are plenty of MSPs that no one has ever heard of at the Scottish Parliament.

Joan McAlpine is just another in the line of failed SNP politicians which the public is seeing on a daily basis, some like Tasmina Ahmed-Shiekh, Angus Roberston, Anne McLaughlin have been kicked out of office but other like Joan McAlpine still remain, one day, I hope to see the end of the Holyrood list system which allows people like Joan McAlpine into the Scottish Parliament, that day cannot come soon enough in my opinion.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

The Running Man: another major PR gaffe for Anas Sarwar emerges as he waited an entire year after his election before registering for living wage accreditation at Holyrood, he has lost the race to be leader several times over, his lack of preparation and attention to detail is astounding as questions are raise yet again about his commitment

Dear All

As campaign go, the attempt by Anas Sarwar to become the leader of the Scottish Labour Party has been a total PR disaster both professionally in terms of how he ran his campaign and personally regarding his personal life.

If it could go wrong in his campaign it has, the new issue is of credibility as Anas plunges into a new row over his commitment to the living wage.

It now transpires that the Scottish Labour leadership candidate failed to register as an accredited living wage employer. This little gem follows on from the revelation that his family’s business where he was a shareholder also didn’t pay the living wage. It has taken Anas Sarwar  more than a year after being elected to Holyrood to do, it appears that Anas is tidying up loose ends as he was accredited as a living wage employer just a mere two weeks ago.

This shows a pattern, a pattern of failing to lead while in public office, of course it is not the first time that Scottish Labour has elected a leader who hasn’t be capable or downright careless but Anas just blunders from mistake to mistake.

Anas Sarwar is a millionaire Glasgow MSP, the stories that emerge are damning but the alleged ‘voting rigging’ scandal; ‘sign up a Muslim to elect a Muslim’ has killed his campaign stone dead. If Anas Sarwar wins, he will be facing a civil war with Momentum or the Campaign for Socialism, Kezia Dugdale ducked that fight but the pro Corbyn group are growing.

In contrast to Anas’ blunder, his left-wing rival Richard Leonard registered in late 2016, obviously Richard Leonard has an eye for detail which Anas has failed to show.

What makes his latest failure so bad is it questions about the importance of the issue to him, and by default his credentials for standing in this leadership race. His tidying up exercises also saw him offload is his 23 per cent stake in his family firm, worth around £4.8m, to a trust for his three children. This was a cynical bid to draw a line under that controversy.

Anas Sarwar never ‘gave away’ £4.8m, the shares have been kept in his immediate family.

This raises the question, who suggested transferring the shares?

Is it appropriate to ‘use your kids’ in this fashion?

I would strongly suggest no!

Interestingly, it seems that Sarwar’s campaign team was last night unable to say whether he applied for accreditation. It begs another question was it before or over the row over UWS pay rates erupted on September 10?

When Ken Macintosh stood as Labour leader, he missed his window of opportunity, he stood against Johann Lamont who apparently didn’t want to be leader, and her time wasn’t exactly a success. When Ken Macintosh stood again against Kezia Dugdale, he had completely lost his chance, which is why he now sits as Presiding Officer. In some respects, his failure led to a better situation in my opinion.

A spokesperson for Mr Leonard said:

“Richard Leonard applied for accreditation as a living wage employer in October 2016 and was verified on 2nd November 2016. Richard pays his staff at least the real living wage and has done so since they were employed in Sept/Oct 2016.”

In terms of this contest, Richard Leonard doesn’t seem to have put a foot wrong, Anas on the other hand hasn’t put a foot right, professional disasters, personal disasters and lost every round of the PR battle as well.

Anas Sarwar is looking more like Ken Macintosh, a man who lost his opportunity to be leader, but with the added kick in the teeth that there isn’t a Presiding Officer’s job available.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University 

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon doesn’t have the “intellectual capability” for the job as party leader and First Minister of Scotland; she hangs onto her job because of the lack of a decent replacement, Jim Sillars says he hopes she will improve, considering her bad judgement and track record, that is a bridge too far

Dear All

For years, and years, I have harped on about the complete lack of talent within the SNP, not just in the activist base but right through the entire party. Now the focus has turned on Nicola Sturgeon and her lack of ability which if you seriously looked at her performance not just as a Minister but also as an MSP has been poor. No matter what area Nicola Sturgeon has involved herself in a constituency area be it Govan or Govanhill, the population suffer due to her couldn’t careless attitude.

The Govanhill ghetto is a classic example of how an area can be run down, and the MSP, her staff and other elected members have completely failed the people, the area, and the City of Glasgow.

Nicola Sturgeon doesn’t have the ability to led, but that isn’t just her problem, her ability to make good judgement is also debateable along with something which former Deputy leader Jim Sillars says Sturgeon lacks, she lacks “intellectual capability”. I think Jim Sillars nails it completely when he says that Nicola Sturgeon should step aside to make way for someone of greater “intellectual capability”. The problem is along Nicola Sturgeon is terrible, there is the lack of a decent replacement within the SNP, something which I noticed as a member.

Because the SNP is run like a cult, the promotion of less than capable people was used in order to secure the leadership, this wasn’t just a new thing to keep Sturgeon in post, it was a continuation of what was done in the Salmond era. Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond kicked Scottish Independence stone dead in 2014. In the wake of Brexit, the SNP led by Nicola Sturgeon is incapable of moving on, instead battles are refought that have already been lost.

What type of leader is Sturgeon when she can’t get passed the word No?

Nicola Sturgeon is a bad leader; she is a vacuum, a shallow and hollow politician who cannot make herself relevant to the political world that has changed around her in Scotland.

The fact that Jim Sillars criticised Sturgeon’s “helter skelter” push for a second referendum shows that she is worried about her position and the people in the SNP behind her. 2014 has been and gone, the debate now is Scotland’s position in the UK in a post Brexit era.

I doubt that Nicola Sturgeon will heed Jim Sillars’s call to “step aside” as SNP leader due to the simple issue of money, £145k a year is something which Nicola Sturgeon couldn’t hope to achieve in a post Sturgeon Scotland. Did you see a line of Fortune 500 companies rush to sign up Alex Salmond after he stepped down?

Me neither!

Jim Sillars told BBC Sunday Politics Scotland:

“Suppose Nicola was knocked over by a bus... where are the candidates of the necessary stature to take over the leadership of the SNP? So she’s what we’ve got at the present time. I would like to see her improve.”

One problem in that respect, a closed mind can’t develop, Nicola Sturgeon may have a university education but the mindset is still that of the ‘scheme’. Her pre MSP history wasn’t exactly that of a high profile lawyer, no one was beating down her door from a prestigious law firm.

Check out her wiki page and other resources to see what others said about her.

Jim Sillars added:

“At my age I can talk honestly. If there was someone better around who had the intellectual capability to understand that you’ve got to analyse things first before you take a decision, yes, I think she should step aside. But there’s no one there at the moment. So we’ve got Nicola and I hope Nicola improves. We lost seats at Westminster because the day after the [EU] referendum she went helter-skelter for a second referendum which everyone knew we would lose and most people didn’t want.”

I have to agree with Jim Sillars that there will be no second independence referendum before the 2021 Holyrood election, and the SNP may not be able to hold one after that, this is because the SNP have peaked, and their support is going down. The situation at present according to polling is that 2021 is looking like the SNP unable to form a majority. This is prompted a few to suggest a deal with Scottish Labour which is doubtful because the SNP and Scottish Labour fish in the same pond for the same thing, the working class vote.

As to Sturgeon’s rush for an independence referendum on the back of Brexit, he said:

“You cannot have [a referendum] sensibly until you know exactly what the Brexit deal is in detail, and then take time to assess it, and then take time to formulate an argument for independence. Because we’re in a new paradigm. What was in 2014 will no longer be the case when we Brexit. So we have to have a new thinking of the structure which we put to the Scottish people. It’s a huge amount and discussing that needs to be done.”

He is of the opinion that 2022 or 2023 is a date for a second referendum but if the majority goes in 2021 with pro independence parties at Holyrood, these proposed dates are moot. The 2021 election for Holyrood is one of the most important elections in the political calendar of this country.

Finally Nicola Sturgeon doesn’t as Jim Sillars says have the “intellectual capability” to lead Scotland to independence, her track record of failure, promoting pals to jobs such as Shona Robison tells a story all by itself. Sturgeon hasn’t made a success of being First Minister, we aren’t living in the days of a better tomorrow regarding health, education and jobs. The fact is the SNP is lacking in genuine talent right through the organisation, it is a party that is rather squalid, petty and unimpressive.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Cry Baby Politics: Scottish Labour leadership contest is being "rigged" says Labour MP Ian Murray, he also wants interim leader Alex Rowley kicked off the chair of a panel set up to vet new recruits, this campaign letter tactic is rather squalid and counterproductive and doomed to failure

Dear All

It seems there is unhappiness which has publicly emerged in the Scottish Labour Party leadership which an allegation that the election process is being “rigged” to help left-wing candidate Richard Leonard.

A few days ago, I wrote about the Sarwar supporters signing up Muslims to vote for a Muslim, in this case Anas Sarwar, the fact that race politics has emerged in this contest is appalling.

I don’t like race politics myself, and I certainly don’t like vote rigging either.

http://glasgowunihumanrights.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/bad-taste-in-mouth-scottish-labour.html

I wonder how , Edinburgh South MP Ian Murray feels about what I wrote about just recently, is there anything in his letter about new Muslim members joining with same email addresses and mobile phone numbers?

I would suspect not as Ian Murray is a known anti Corbyn supporter. In a letter to party headquarters, Edinburgh South MP Ian Murray called for Labour to re-consider the validity of the members of the Unite trade union who had signed up to vote in the contest.

Under the rules, the Unite trade union has done nothing wrong, and if you take the wider view then the Sarwar supporters have done nothing wrong in their ‘sign up a Muslim to elect a Muslim’. As to the people who were signed up by Unite, the union wouldn’t be holding their hands when it comes to the vote, these people will be free to cast a vote for either candidate.

Another interesting turn is that Ian Murray wants interim leader Alex Rowley kicked off the chair of a panel set up to vet new recruits, I doubt that would happen, and although privately Rowley expressed a preference for Richard Leonard, he is entitled to his private views.

So that request will be chucked in the bin, along with his letter, Murray wrote:

“We are in danger of undoing all the progress we have made in the last year because the defence of the leadership election process is, at best, clumsy and, at worst, being rigged for a particular process.”

So, who exactly is doing the rigging for a particular process?

I joined up after the actions of Sarwar’s supporters because I don’t think their modus operandi sits well with; in fact, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth, and taints everyone connected to his campaign along with Anas. 

Anas Sarwar called for the debate to be about policy after news stories about his personal life and family business practices became public, we have seen what his supporters are up to, is that about policy?

Sign up a Muslim to elect a Muslim!

I would have thought someone has educated as Anas Sarwar would have recognised that a broader appeal base would have served him well rather than what has come to pass.

A Unite spokesman said:

"Ian Murray is wrong. Unite has adhered to the SLP's rules to the letter, and indeed the general secretary and the party's legal and governance unit have all confirmed that our affiliated members are valid. We urge Mr Murray to take Brian Roy's advice on this and in doing so withdraw his wrongful accusations about Unite."

No luck there for Ian Murray.

I am sure that the rules do need to be reviewed in the Scottish Labour so that they reflect fairness and are appropriate to a modern party but this contest is running and the rules are the rules as they stand at present.

A senior Labour source described the Murray letter as a “massive diversionary smokescreen” created to take attention away from the member recruitment strategy pursued by supporters of the other leadership candidate,  I would have to agreed with that, although Anas is in this contest to the end, it wouldn’t be a contest that ends in unity.

Not after the shit his supporters got up to, not only have they ‘queer the pitch’ for his campaign, they have also done it for themselves if any of them are elected representatives, who is going to be an activist willing to work for them.

Perhaps the Sarwar crowd think people have short memories?

This battle has become one of the dirtiest leadership contests in years, it didn’t have to be but this is how it ended up. Recently, I got an invite to take part in workshops for new members from someone called Kayleigh Quinn who is a Scottish Organiser, I won’t be going to these sessions as I am rather busy at present, whether I go to others will depend on how I feel, at present seeing what is going on, I am not impressed enough to offer my services as I did before as an activist.

Being a member and being an activist are two different things entirely.

Finally, Ian Murray's letter was a huge mistake, it damages the Sarwar campaign, not helped it, amazing stupidity on his part. 

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

The Harvey Weinstein Scandal: Aftermath

Remainers in denial: National crying session organised over Brexit headed up by third rate politicians and the politically dispossessed, this event is really an anti democracy event which shows how much contempt people views are held in, the British people voted to leave the EU

Dear All

The crying game is in full swing as supporters of the UK’s membership of the European Union will stage another pathetic rally in Edinburgh this weekend. The aim of this non event is to make UK Government to “think again” on Brexit. The event is titled ‘Rally for Europe’ but this is a con trick, the rally is actually for the European Union, a political organisation with 50,000 employees, one in five of whom earn more than a £100k plus expenses a year.

This rally is not for Europe.

It now seems likely that there will be no Brexit deal with Europe given the nonsense coming out of Brussels from people like Jeam Claude Junker and Guy Verhofstadt. These people think they can hold the United Kingdom to ransom, when or if the talks collapse, they will realise how much they miscalculated the will of the British people.

So, at the weekend, we will see speakers at the rally urge other Scottish local authorities to follow the City of Edinburgh Council’s lead by signing an open declaration to become “hubs of EU activity and connections”.

What does that mean?

It means nothing, Brexit isn’t about rebuilding a wall, it is about reclaiming sovereignty for the people. The connections with EU institutions in various forms will continue such as in academia and security but the relationship will change, in some cases this will relate to funding issues.

When people vote for Remain, they didn’t know what they were voting for, they were deceived into think the vote was a vote against the other 27 member states instead of the EU organisation. In a post Junker world, which will be coming soon enough, the EU organisation will have to change because other EU members will follow the UK lead and leave.

I have my money on Hungary or Poland, although Nigel Farage thinks Italy is the next big player to follow its tents and march out.  

Vanessa Glynn, chairwoman of the European Movement in Scotland, said:

“More than 15 fifteen months on from the Brexit vote, the current UK Government still has no clear idea of where it’s going”.

I would hazard a guess and say No deal is going on!

Glynn added:

“As groups rally up and down the country, information about disarray within the cabinet is trickling down. The clock is ticking with negotiations on Britain’s future relationship with EU still on the starting blocks, and yet we do not see any clarity about the relationship that will follow between the UK and the EU, nor between the constituent nations of the UK. One cannot help but wonder when the cabinet will hear the increasing concerns from the man or woman on the street”.

One million Scots in the EU referendum said no, and this was done on a shoestring budget, little resources, people or time. Glynn isn’t speaking for Scotland or anything like it.

Glynn added:

“We are taking this opportunity to urge Scotland’s cities to spearhead opposition to Brexit and to mitigate the damage to our country as this process takes place.”

Scotland’s cities, by this I assume she means councils, as if they speak for the people, people aren’t buying into this rubbish.

This event will be covered by the press but it is a load of rubbish because the line up of speakers is of the third rate variety; speakers include Tommy Sheppard of the SNP, Labour’s Ian Murray and Scottish Greens co-convenor Patrick Harvie.

Dross!

I don’t do ‘demos’, never have never will, I don’t waste my time on rubbish like this, the refusal to accept the result of the act of direct democracy is very telling, these people don’t like the fact they have been told no!

Get it over it, the people have moved passed the EU and as this organisation gears up to suppress internal dissent by creating an EU army, we are well done with them.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Bad taste in the mouth: Scottish Labour leadership contest is hit by massive row over new Muslim members joining with same email addresses and mobile phone numbers, now official complaints have been made to Scottish Labour by two secretaries of Constituency Labour Parties, this is a bitter nasty episode which taints those involved, and will not be forgotten post result

Dear All

On Monday, I highlighted in a post a problem within the Scottish Labour Party, two days later it seems that matters have gotten much worse.

https://glasgowunihumanrights.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/immoral-and-repugnant-destiny-to.html

I stated that after this contest was over that people will have a new view on Anas Sarwar and his supporters, and it won’t be positive. As much as the stories which have already came out regarding Anas Sarwar’s personal life and situation, this new revelation is the worst yet.

The Labour leadership contest hit by row over new members joining with same email addresses, when I read about this, my first thought was this isn’t happening from the campaign of Richard Leonard.

What is clear; is that the Scottish Labour Party needs to introduce new rules of membership voting. It is now out in the public domain that a sizeable number of new recruits who had signed up in recent weeks provided identical personal details in their applications. This has and should set alarm bells ringing because if single email address is being used then it raises the prospect of an individual casting someone else’s vote in the electronic ballot.

This cannot be a good thing for internal democracy and certainly won’t leave a good taste in anyone’s mouth post election, whoever wins, this grotty little episode will reflect badly on certain people.

Such is the concern that two secretaries of Constituency Labour Parties (CLPs) that nominated left-winger Richard Leonard for the leadership have raised concerns with Scottish Labour about this issue. When I started to read about what was going on, my immediate thought was how immoral and repugnant the practice was; now it seems that this contest is going to be seen by some as akin to vote rigging in order to attempt to win the leadership for Anas Sarwar.

The Leonard campaign has reacted by saying if complaints had been made then "we expect these will be dealt with through Scottish Labour Party's procedures." At this point in time, there isn’t much else that they can say.

A spokesperson for the campaign of Anas Sarwar however completely ignored the issue by saying:

“It’s incredibly encouraging that people across Scotlandhave joined the Labour Party and we are confident that many have been enthused to do so by Anas’s positive campaign and by a belief that he can be the next Labour First Minister.”

Anas Sarwar isn’t going to be the First Minister of Scotland, and if Richard Leonard gets elected then I doubt that Anas Sarwar will be holding the health brief, if any, and there should be an investigation into this affair.

This contest between Leonard and Sarwar has become a nasty bitter affair; this will encourage more support for people to join the Campaign for Socialism or Momentum if Sarwar wins.

Momentum is the pro Corbyn group within the Labour Party.

At the weekend, we heard that around 1600 sign-ups to Scottish Labour had happened with around 1200 of these being Asian members. This brought some to suggest that the sig ups were to “edge it” for Sarwar. The new facts put the application process under the microscope with a senior party source stating that in some cases, the same mobile phone number has been provided for all or many of the new members in a household. And it is also stated that in some multi-resident households put down the same email address.

Imagine that Anas Sarwar wins, who is going to work with anyone who is a supporter of him?

It is a bitter contest and for the sake of the party there has to be  a victory for Richard Leonard or civil war will probably erupt in Scottish Labour, Momentum didn’t get their fight with Kezia Dugdale, she jumped ship but they will get new members by the truckload if this contest is seen as being vote rigged.

It isn’t enough that justice is done; it needs to be seen to be done!

Finally, a verification panel, chaired by interim party leader Alex Rowley, has been set up to scrutinise the sign-ups but given the way the Scottish Labour Party rules operate there appears little that can be done, and that is the real shame of this sorry episode.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Talking out his Ass, SNP MP Pete Wishart speaks at Nationalist fringe event on the horrors of Brexit citing Scots must board ‘lifeboat of independence’ before Brexit disaster, apparently the mantra independence solves everything is alive and well in SNP circles, SNP no longer relevant to a future Scotland

Dear All

How would you like to get off a sinking rat ship onto a lifeboat which is unseaworthy?

Does it appeal to you?

Pete Wishart, the SNP comedian has stated that Scots must board the ‘lifeboat of independence’ and row ‘as fast as possible’ away from the UK to avoid a potential economic downturn caused by Brexit.

If anyone is in need of a lifeboat, I would suggest that it is Pete Wishart, he won his seat by a mere 21 votes. It is possible at the next Westminster election, he will be unemployed and unemployable, of course busking remains an option. The issue of Brexit is a red herring used by the SNP to appear relevant; Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon lost the independence referendum in 2014 rather badly indeed. This led to Nicola Sturgeon grasping at any issue to claim this is a ‘trigger’ for indyref 2. At the present moment, it is unlikely that indyref 2 will happen for a long time. The SNP can’t do anything right; and the prospect of a hung parliament in 2021 looks for some a racing certainty.

The reason for this is the Scottish Conservatives upswing in terms of votes and seats; however, although a hung parliament seems on the cards, the SNP at present is set to have the largest amount of seats. The political flux is still continuing in Scotland, losing 21 seats at the General election was a wake up call for the SNP, so they are trying to buy the vote, it worked before, this time around early on we see the bribe of childcare.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/15586139.Sturgeon_commitment_to_childcare_in_keynote_conference_speech/

There will of course be other trinkets, there will have to be, the SNP can’t win over people on their appalling record so they will have to use the public purse. The Brexit debate was won, the vote was won, and still the SNP can’t accept that the people made a decision.

Britain is leaving the European Union!

If, there is another referendum, and that is a big ‘if’, you are talking 2024 at the earliest as Theresa May will not make any decision until after the election in 2022, you can in the process of a Bill and other issues like talks, and 2024 comes in as a ‘maybe’. That being said if there is no majority for the SNP and Scottish Greens, then the SNP will not get a mandate out of Holyrood.

At that point the political career of Nicola Sturgeon is toast completely; she goes to make way for new blood. In fact, many senior nationalists are at the end of their political life, including Alex Salmond and Pete Wishart, it is time to take the pensions and run.

I just laugh at Pete Wishart’s claim that every household in Scotland faces a £10,000 hit over the next 20 years as a result of Britain leaving the European Union. It is fantasy based on scaremongering; Brexit opens up Britain to global trade unconfined by the European Union which is increasingly looking like an organisation which has no future.

Recently even a German MEP was tearing into the organisation over Brexit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4JMdeh4NG8

Oh and Pete Wishart says 8,000 jobs at risk north of the border, the one he needs to watch is his own. The crying over leaving the EU in Nationalist circles is based on the few profiting by treading down the many for personal advantage. At present the SNP wake or Conference is happening in Glasgow, the attempt to appear upbeat and jolly is stage managed at least in the main hall, but in the fringe events, we get the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) on the myths and opportunities of Scottish independence. Doom and gloom with a fairytale ending, independence solves everything, the same flawed message of 2014 which bombed with the public, the public wouldn’t be led, they won’t be tricked and they are now wiser to the SNP and their game now.

Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) is a London-based think tank has released a research paper arguing an ‘entirely federal solution’ is the most appropriate system of government for the UK. This is something which the public does not want; it is being pushed by several parties including some in the Labour Party in Scotland. Federalism does not solve the independence question and neither did the Scottish Parliament.

One think which I see when I look at Pete Wishart is someone who isn’t a deep thinker, so when he trots out that a new economic message - one that moved away from debates on currency and focused more on the opportunities available to an independent Scotland was required ahead of any second referendum, I think fairytale Part 2. The people of Scotland were lied to during the first independence referendum by the SNP and the phoney groups setup by their members to garner support from those who didn’t want to stand under the nationalist banner.

In an attempt to appear like a leader, Wishart said:

“We will be having another independence referendum, not because we want it but because the Scottish nation will be crying out for it as they start to experience the horrors of Brexit. They will be coming to the Scottish National Party saying ‘get us out of this mess’.”

I need to say bollocks at this point because he is talking bollocks.

He added that “being shackled to the United Kingdom as we approach Brexit is the worst possible place to be economically. We have the opportunity, there’s a lifeboat attached to the good ship UK that’s heading for that Brexit iceberg - it’s called Scottish independence. Let’s get on board that lifeboat, let’s row as fast as possible.”

Wishart’s ability to sell a message, otherwise known as spin is rather pitiful, let’s use a ship sinking and a lifeboat because the ‘wee people’ will get what I am saying! I don’t know about you but I am not so easily sold on any subject when someone comes out with rubbish like this, I don’t need someone to paint me a picture.

In his final pitch, Wishart said:

“We have to start thinking about it pretty soon because Brexit could collapse in two years time, he said. We could be leaving without any deal; the EU could just get thoroughly bored with the whining UK. How on earth did the Unionists get away with presenting the case substantially that economically rich Scotland, resource rich Scotland, Scotland that has so many fantastic economic opportunities would somehow fail as an independent country? “Somehow we have let the Unionists get away with this and we must never ever allow this to happen again. We must start to redesign and rechart our economic case for independence, which starts by saying what a wonderful country this is and how economically prosperous we are.”

In fact, Scotland is so rich that the SNP would impose cuts severe immediately if they ever tricked Scots into voting for their nonsense.

Economically rich Scotland, where is the nirvana then?

We spend more than we collect in taxes, economic reality escapes Pete Wishart.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University