France’s Man in UK, New French ambassador Jean-Pierre Jouyet says Brexit is "not a good thing" for UK or EU, 50% right, Brexit makes the UK a sovereign nation unshackled from the EU project which has ripped the UK off more less since the day we signed up in 1973, leaving wasn’t just a financial necessity, it was a moral imperative

Dear All

Have you heard the expression, ‘he would say that’, well it appears the new French ambassador Jean-Pierre Jouyet is saying Brexit is "not a good thing" for UK or EU. Well, for the UK, it is a good thing and it is a long overdue thing, you see Europe is in chaos, not just financially but also in terms of social cohesion.

The rise of the ‘right’ in Europe which is constantly dubbed the ‘far right’ is actually in the main ordinary citizens who are angry about the way the political both elected and unelected are acting in their own personal interest.

The EU is finding that the new governments in Europe aren’t willing to support them, or their anti sovereignty policies which have undermined their authority for too long. The UK leaving the EU has created a massive problem for the EU, 20% of their budget comes from the UK, and we are only one of the twenty eight member states. What is the UK to the EU, basically we are just their ATM, a cash cow to milk and in return, we get back some of our own money, yes; our own money is returned to us in various ways under the largesse of EU grants towards education, farm payments and building etc etc.

As the new French ambassador’s takes up his post, we get told that he previously has went from washing dishes in a Watford works canteen as a student in the 1970s to the elegant grandeur of the French ambassador’s residence in up-market Kensington.

Rags to riches, everyone likes this type of story, very fairy tale like, however check out his wiki.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Pierre_Jouyet

Once upon a time, washed some dishes, big deal, hopefully he didn’t get dishpan hands or suffered PTSD from the experience, the rest of his life appears to be more silver spoon than wooden spoon to me.

I fought for Brexit, was a campaigner and a Glasgow spokesman, it was a campaign which I am proud to have been involved in, it was at its heart a people’s campaign. The result in Scotland was better than expected and it was a shock for the SNP and the other political parties which all rallied against Brexit.

At present, we are reading that the Brexit divorce bill is rumoured to be £60 billion, which is £60 billion for nothing in return, this is unacceptable, and too high a price to get an urbane, friendly, touchy-feely mandarin such as Jean-Pierre Jouyet in return.   

Jean-Pierre Jouyet said:

“I have known the UK for a long time. When I was a student I was in the UK to earn my living. It was close to London in Watford and I washed all the dishes in a restaurant; it was a canteen for a British company, I don’t remember the name. At the end of the day with British friends, I learned one sport; to launch the darts. I remember each evening we played darts.”

He added:

“When I was in the European Commission with Jacques Delors…I organised a European summit just after Maastrict Treaty in Edinburgh Castle. We spent the night in Edinburgh Castle; so there are some things worse in life. I remember very well this European summit in Edinburgh. Since this time I have liked Edinburgh. I went with my children there 10 years ago.”

What interests me is when Mr Jouyet said:

“I am a pragmatic man and I try throughout the course of all my work to serve the European public interest and the French public interest. It’s clear in France I am the friend of business and finance.”

I don’t see in there, any reference to the people which is supposed to be the prime motivation for a public servant, he reminds me of a New Labour sell out clone who in the final phase of his career has been given a cushy plum job by his pal, the French President, somehow I don’t see to feel all fuzzy and warm towards him, even although he did mention his dishwashing job.

Finally, it seems that as a keen sports fan Mr Jouyet has a dream:

“My dream is to see the derby between Celtic and Rangers.”

A mini Brexit negotiation with a football!

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Nicola Sturgeon’s legacy: Scotland's councils to run out of cash reserves 'within two to three years', 10 years of mismanagement, lack of vision and reform are coming home to roost, the SNP are too ‘Holyrood’ focussed on keeping their MSP jobs to the detriment of local government, constant denial of problems is not governance or management

Dear All

Under the SNP, the government in Scotland at national and local level has been mismanaged, you could put forward many reasons but the chief reason is a lack of vision by the leadership of the SNP under both Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon.

The reasons that Councils suffer greatly is down to what I would suggest is the ‘Holyrood’ focus, the SNP MSP leaders are focussed on protecting their seats and clinging onto power that Councils are being staved of funds. A long time ago, I blogged on how councils should be allowed to take the money from the Scottish Government in their poll tax freeze but also have a 3% increase to build up reserves.

You may remember my idea for a City Sovereign Fund?

If not then please take the time to read the back post.

http://glasgowunihumanrights.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/unpopular-nicola-sturgeon-unveils-new.html

and:

http://glasgowunihumanrights.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/john-swinney-and-scottish-government.html

2011, at this point, I was still in the SNP, but when I tried to publish the idea on the SNP forum, the post I put up was disallowed, it seems that as a rank and file member, I wasn’t allowed to have ideas above my station.

So, here we are in 2017, six years on from my original idea and Scotland's councils are said to be going to run out of cash reserves 'within two to three years'. The lack of vision by Nicola Sturgeon for big ideas of a radical nature comes home to roost like chickens.

Why are cash reserves at some councils risk running out “within two to three years”?

They have been forced to dip into the ‘piggybank’ as they struggle to cope with funding cuts and increasing demand for services, the joined up thinking which we assume is supposed to happen just isn’t there. SNP thinking is and always will be short term because instead of being driven by vision, they are driven by events, which is why you have money flung at Govanhill. Not to help the residents of Nicola Sturgeon’s slum ghetto, but to get the spotlight off Sturgeon herself.

It is a complete nonsense that the 20 local authorities have had drawn on financial reserves for day-to-day spending in 2016/17.

It isn’t like this is a new problem, cash reserves should be there for emergencies, and ‘daily spend’ should not fall into that category.

So, what is the SNP plan to fix this scandal, well, nothing is the modius operandi, as the SNP push through their 7.6 per cent cut in Scottish Government funding for councils since 2010/11. Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP used the lie of efficiency savings onto councils which translates into poor services, longer waiting times, denial of service and job losses, all so they can say they are ‘managing’ the government funds prudently.

A report shows the scale of impending disaster just waiting to happen, with local authorities’ net debt now standing at £14.5 billion.

The Accounts Commission added:

“Councils tell us that they are finding the situation more serious than ever, with savings becoming increasingly difficult to identify and achieve.”

When you are devoid of vision as the SNP are, they use the tactic of fostering the decisions onto councils under the guise of ‘they make decisions on their budget priorities’.

The truth is the SNP mismanaged the money they were given.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said:

"We are already hearing reports of councils contemplating extreme measures like moving to monthly bin collection or closing every library in the local authority.

"Councils are burning through their reserves at a rapid rate. This is not sustainable."

The Accounts Commission’s financial overview for 2016/17 found councils were showing signs of “increasing financial stress”.

Another idea of mine was to use people who went through the justice system to do community service in councils, two main reasons, one to add additional human resources and two, to reduce the prison population which cost the taxpayer about £42k a year to lock someone up.

There would also be the added bonus of opportunity for rehabilitation of offenders which would benefit them, if they seize the opportunity. Local authorities are facing a “growing range of budgetary pressures”, including funding cuts and “ongoing demand pressures” such as an ageing population but solutions can be found as well as money. There hasn’t been the will to fix councils because the parties fix on a ‘policy’ rather than structural change.

In the last financial year alone, councils slashed 2,200 jobs, this places an added burden on the staff left who see increased workload, we should be protecting public services especially councils which are the first direct contact for many issues by residents. The debt levels have increased by £836 million, with councils spending almost ten per cent of their revenue budgets servicing these bills.

Awhile ago, David Cameron floated ‘Big Society’, an idea that I agreed with but the SNP rubbished it because it was a Conservative idea. Good ideas aren’t the province of any one party but to turn this idea down out of prejudice was wrong.  

Scottish Conservative local government spokesman Alexander Stewart wants the SNP to do something and wants them to provide “far more support to councils right across the country”.

He said:

“Under the SNP government, the financial health of Scotland’s 32 councils has deteriorated rapidly. Debt levels are eye-watering, and millions upon millions of pounds in taxpayers’ cash is now being used just to service it. We’ve even got to the stage where local authorities are dipping into the rainy day fund routinely just to stay afloat. And as auditors say, if that continues, there won’t be any reserves left to call on.”

So, having shouted the odds, the Scottish Conservatives need to take the next step, what would you do?

That is the ‘tricky’ part for them.

Scottish Labour economy spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said the report “lays bare the impact of Tory and SNP austerity on our local authorities”.

She added:

“After a decade of SNP government in Holyrood, our councils are at breaking point with rapidly shrinking budgets and sky-high debts. The truth is this is what happens when we have a government in Edinburgh happy to sit on their hands and pass Tory austerity onto our communities, with the SNP cutting local government budgets by £1.5 billion since 2011.”

It is worthwhile pointing out that no political party that has held power at Holyrood comes out of this with any glory, but rather than accept their part, the SNP Government are defended its funding record.

He said:

“We have treated local government very fairly despite the cuts to the Scottish Budget from the UK Government. Including the extra £250 million to support the integration of health and social care, the overall reduction in local government funding in 2016/17 equated to less than 1 per cent of local government’s total estimated expenditure. The 2017/18 local government finance settlement, including the increase in council tax and Health and Social Care Integration funding, means that local government have an extra £383 million, or 3.7 per cent, in support for services compared to 2016/17.”

Everything you need to know about why the SNP need to be removed from government is right in front of your face, day in and day out, councils are failing, and rather than rebuild the council reserves, the SNP are still playing in their sandbox, playing at government, playing with Scotland’s future, and ultimately the well being of you and your family.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Trump Derangement Syndrome and the Crumbling Media (Scott Adams Pt. 2)

Scotland’s ticking health time bomb, apparently we are a nation of couch potatoes despite £500 million a year ploughed in to taking part in sport, the lack of tuition, lack of instructors and cost of tuition puts exercise beyond Joe Public, politicians might ask the questions but in this case at Holyrood, they don’t know the answers

Dear All

Back in the day, in my youth by a quirk of fate, I ended up as a fitness trainer; my first teaching experience was at Bellahouston Sports Centre where I taught karate to kids. The reason I was teaching was there was apparently a shortage of instructors, so I ended up with the task of teaching a class and getting the kids ready to pass ‘gradings’.  As it happened, I had a flair for teaching and patience, when you teach a class of kids, you need patience.

After awhile, I ended up at Glasgow University, and as fate would have it, a friend asked me to take her to the gym because she didn’t feel comfortable about going alone, and since I was training at the time, I said okay I will show you how to use the machines, and the free weights.

Next thing I know I am knee deep in women apparently I was thought to be brilliant, prior to coming to university, I trained in the gym at Bellahouston in the days of Bobby Preston, who was quite a character and lifter. The powerlifting club there was regarded as one of the best in Glasgow and beyond.

When you get serious about anything you want to find out as much about it as possible, so as well as training and teaching a large part of my time was spent reading up on the technical aspects of weighting. I used a system called EDIP, which if you have been in the military this word is familiar to you.

EDIP, Explain, Demonstrate, Immitate, Practice, this is a tried and tested method of teaching which a lot of other systems use a version of to impart knowledge.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPh_U5QKI64

After awhile, I realised that although my training partners were regarded as pretty good, there was something else that they needed as well to understand the core subject properly, they needed to learn how to teach themselves. University has a wealth of IQ floating around the place but that doesn’t always translate into practical application. My training partners were regarded very highly in the gym due to them being the elite of the University. Later on, I would end up getting fitness qualifications which are always useful because certain people value the ‘piece of paper’ rather than the experience of the individual, however I had in depth knowledge and the paper to back it up.

The biggest drawback in getting Scots involved in sport is and always will be availability of tuition. One of the guys who I taught at University works in London, his time is expensive; he charges the going rate which is £50 a hour. In council facilities and in private gyms, a basic personal trainer charge can set you back £25 per hour, the cost of learning isn’t cheap. Most people unless they have someone like me tend to adopt the sink or swim approach, and when they get going for a while ask other members how to do exercises or just watch someone and then try to copy them. This leads to a high turn over in gym memberships as people without the access to learning and instruction simply don’t see progress and therefore the gym becomes just another thing to them.

A lot of money has been ploughed into making Scots active, £500million a year, but despite throwing cash at the problem, and building facilities which some ‘ignorant’ politicians then claim is ‘world class’, most Scots claim too embarrassed to take part in sport or worried that it’s too elite.

Too embarrassed by lack of knowledge and no real help, and think it is too elite is also a myth as well, training is something which can be learned, what is the first step?

Getting people to turn up!

My classes at University were always full, this is because I as a coach in the GUSA taught for free, and I also taught students for free elsewhere. Politicians don’t understand the problem, if they did they would realise that facilities need instructors and instructors build the gym community, so the pool of knowledge spreads outwards. Pumping hundreds of millions of pounds of public cash into physical recreation and then finding out that the number of Scots taking part in sport or recreational activity has stagnated is an old story.

Although politicians and others talk about the creation of a “legacy of sport” after high profile events like the 2014 Commonwealth Games, it is the person who teaches who comes in on a Friday night in the pissing rain to teach a class for free or paid that is the real legacy which should be helped and supported. Holyrood’s Health and Sport Committee

http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/CurrentCommittees/99783.aspx

This lot don’t know what they are talking about and never did, which is why explaining anything to them is a waste of time and why there will always be a lack of public response to the massive investment. Imagine the amount of money that could be saved if people had the mental tools (knowledge) to lead a healthy lifestyle, the NHS would certainly benefit as would other services which the public access.

Convener Neil Findlay MSP said:

“We are disappointed that overall participation figures have remained fairly stagnant over the past decade. We look forward to a response from the Scottish Government to tell us what its plans are to increase participation rates and to hear what lessons have been learned over the past decade".

Lessons learned?

Nil!

As well as the cost of tuition, to be decent, you have to add in the cost of buying the equipment or clothing for the activity that you want to engage in, sport isn’t cheap. If add in the cost of membership, you are paying a good bit of money. Here is an example which I selected at random.

https://www.nuffieldhealth.com/gyms/glasgow-central/membership

This gym charges £46 a month, and that doesn’t include tuition however you do get a very basic induction usually done by a young person who might be a sport science graduate who needs a job.

Holyrood is good at generating paper but when it comes to solutions, their knowledge just isn’t there, the Sport for Everyone Phase 2 report looked into why some Scots adults were failing to achieve the Chief Medical Office physical activity guidelines of 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise a week, 150 minutes of moderate intensity or a combination of both.

Just as some people don’t have the will for different reasons, there is a lack of political will, as to council facilities, they cater to the lowest common denominator, much like the equipment. Although Councils like to say their facilities are world class that is in the main just risible.

Feedback to the committee revealed many Scots who opt out of physical activity do so because they are too embarrassed and worried they might “look foolish, especially in large leisure facilities or palaces of sport.

Basically as I said; no knowledge; cast adrift and left to sink or swim, getting a trainer or coach is a serious business especially when you can get one for free and they are half decent. A lot of time and energy is needed to get someone trained up, it doesn’t just happen, it is planned out and training outcomes established.

So, what is a training outcome in exercise, let’s use weight training as an example, it could be more knowledge, lifting more weight, doing more repetitions, cutting down rest time between ‘sets’.

Sets are a series of repetitions ranging from one rep and upwards.

When I was at school, I wasn’t interested in sport, the reason was the school wasn’t educated much beyond fitba and netball. The PE teachers were old men who were basically passing their time until retirement; they had lost their ability if they ever had it in the first place.

There is a theory that sport is elitist and is lacking in positive role models, we see the Olympics and marvel at this, but getting someone to the Olympics isn’t cheap, these people needed to be funded, and that is why it is seen as elite. It seems that ‘yahoo okay ya’ mob always seem to get to the front of the queue when the cash is handed out, not the wee guy down the end of the street.

And it is usually the wee guy down the end of the street who then goes onto teach others for free but generally without the support and recognition.

The problem is knowledge, the solution is provide instructors, the mechanisms to get that in quantities required to make an impact aren’t developed, if you can’t get taught and access tuition, you don’t have the same connection as those who do.

In my entire time teaching at Glasgow University as an instructor, I wasn’t paid a penny, not even expenses but I did turn out an elite product unlike the university paid staff that turned out an inferior product, so much so some ended up asking my trainees for help.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP headache: Ukrainian ambassador says Alex Salmond is RT’s ‘puppet’, SNP loose cannon rakes in the ‘roubles’ as SNP MPs try to make Salmond take the show off air, the lure of the limelight and the money will be too much for Salmond, no comrades where big bucks are concerned

Dear All

It seems that the Alex Salmond Show on RT isn’t getting glowing reviews off everyone; the Ukrainian ambassador has boldly declared that Alex Salmond is an RT ‘puppet’. If Alex Salmond is an RT ‘puppet’ what does that say about Tasmina Ahmed- Shiekh who has joined Salmond on his media quest for enlightment?

In what must be a brutal intervention, Ukrainian ambassador to UK Natalia Galibarenko has accused Alex Salmond of sacrificing his reputation. 

I think that if Natalia Galibarenko had watched the run up to the Scottish independence referendum that she would have realised that Scotland’s ‘jolly fat man’ Alex Salmond shredded his reputation then.

The SNP lied to the people of Scotland to win, they ran a despicable campaign which some called ‘anti English’ despite protestations of English people in the SNP ranks, the useful idiots as termed by others.

It is quite extraordinary for an ambassador to speak out in this way and we should take note of her concerns, in Putin’s Russia, all isn’t sunshine and roses. Although the Russians might think having an ex First Minister of Scotland is a coup, long term, the Russians will realise that Salmond’s day has long gone, both politics and media.

Oh to be known as “a puppet” on the Kremlin-backed RT television channel!

The Ukrainians have suffered under Russian military aggression.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_military_intervention_in_Ukraine_(2014%E2%80%93present)

The Russians had no business doing what they did there, and it is a blight on their standing within the international community, they did so out of fear, that Ukraine was getting too cosy with the West. It seems that in autumn 2013, Russia warned Ukraine that if it went ahead with a planned agreement on free trade with the EU, this led to a crisis.

Ms Galibarenko said:

“I can understand maybe that he made it (the show) for financial reasons. Obviously they proposed a lot of money, I can presume. But again I think reputation is something you shouldn’t sacrifice.”

Some people’s desire for money can be as big as their belly!

The ambassador also said she had spoken to SNP MPs, who did not support Salmond’s decision; she made it know that some of them were trying to persuade him to take the show off air. Presumably given Salmond’s status and his yoyo leadership in the SNP, they must be doing this quietly just in case he stands again when Nicola Sturgeon steps down.

She added:

“I think this (Russia Today) is the instrument of Russian propaganda. They are making fake news about the Ukraine and about European countries.”

A spokesperson for Slàinte Media, which produces The Alex Salmond Show, said:

“RT UK can speak for itself.  All licensed broadcasters in the UK are regulated by Ofcom and cannot, therefore, by definition operate as propaganda channels. As far as the Alex Salmond Show is concerned, if Ms Galibarenko has a complaint about its content then we will be delighted to hear from her”.

Then in a typical SNP style snide remark, the spokesperson said:

“That would involve her first watching the programme. It would appear from her reported remarks that she has yet to watch the show. That is the normal way of doing things not attempting to bring political pressure to bear on private companies producing programmes for a licensed broadcaster.”

So, Alex Salmond wanted international recognition, well he is getting it, the review appears to be less than glowing, and problematic for the SNP. Less we forget; Ms Galibarenko was in Edinburgh for the unveiling of a memorial to her compatriots, who perished in Holodomor – the act of genocide committed by Joseph Stalin’s Soviet regime that resulted in millions of deaths in the 1930s.

Stalin’s Russia murdered a huge amount of people in what is termed the purges, although the Berlin Wall has come down, communism has collapsed, the old guard of the KGB is still there controlling things behind the scenes! 

The Alex Salmondski Show is currently running on RT, how long that will last might depends on the Kermlin?

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

21 days to find a government, German Chancellor Angela Merkel sees coalition talks collapse in Germany and is unable to form a stable government, if she decides to gamble on new elections she could end up in a worse position, the German people are sending her a message, ‘we don’t want you as our leader’, it is time she took the hint and stepped down

Dear All

Although some elections can be quite boring and a non event especially when a particular party dominates, the recent election in Germany is getting interesting. You might ask, why, the reason is that Angela Merkel has been sent a message by the German people.

It was short and to the point, ‘we don’t want you anymore’.

Angela Merkel has damaged Germany, and beyond due to her policies concerning the country and the EU and how it operates. The EU is in trouble, it is in desperate need of reform, now we are seeing nation after nation turning to what the press are describing as the far Right.

So, what is the far right, this is an overused term to smear political opponents and the press has done a lot to devalue the term along with political thugs, such as the regressive left and supposed ‘liberals’. The problems which Europe faces now are complex because a power struggle has developed. In Germany, the anti Merkel faction of the population has been driven to back AfD, Alternative for Deutschland. Merkel and the political elite ignored the people, so people started to listen to other voices.

Now Angela Merkel faces the stark reality which was always coming with the collapse of coalition talks, this time Merkel can’t muddle through, not with AfD having 94 seats. Germany is paying the political price for leaving its poor behind under the leadership of Merkel’s party.

When you ignore the people, you set yourself on the road to disaster, eventually the majority catch on that you don’t represent them. Who Merkel represents is clear however, she represents big business, big corporations and big money because they and Merkel want the dream of a united Europe which is falling apart.

Germans, Poles, Hungarians, Czechs, Austria and others in the EU are finding national pride; this is suppressed as the EU attempted to push a super state agenda. People like Viktor Orban, Hungary's Right-wing leader who has been accused of xenophobia because of his strong stance in the migrant crisis, and because he stood up to the EU against their migrant quotas. People in Europe have been placed in a state of fear; the migrants have brought terrorism and crime in their wake, we have no go zones in Europe.

There is a lot of anger in Europe.

As I mentioned, I favour hard Brexit, although the Europeans claim Britain is holding up the talks, there isn’t a settled will in Europe due to the German crisis, this means the EU leadership and the European Commission are far too preoccupied with political chaos in Germany. Brexit was a shock to the EU but what is happening in Germany is a bigger threat to their grand European dream.

AfD, Alternative for Deutschland aren’t signed up to the European agenda, they are rooted in a people’s party. There is now a stridently and tangible anti-Brussels, anti-migrant and anti-Establishment movement growing right across Europe as people are sick of being treated as second class citizens in their own country. In Britain, we still have people who are the bitter Remoaners who think and continue to fight to try and stop Brexit, they show the contempt for ordinary people and sneer at Leavers for their stupidity.

In Britain, there is part of the political elite who are unable to accept the decision has been made, soon enough, next year they will have to acknowledge there is no way back because there will be no membership.

To return to Germany, an ally of Angela Merkel has given Germany’s parties three weeks to thrash out a deal and form a stable government. At present, the collapse of talks between the chancellor’s conservative bloc, the pro-business Free Democrats and the greens has thrown Germany into political uncertainty and raised the prospect of new elections.

Merkel is on shaky ground and new elections probably will not solve her problem, in fact it could make matters worse. Peter Altmaier, the chancellery chief and acting finance minister, said:

‘We must be in a situation in the next three weeks where there is clarity about whether there can be a stable government on the basis of this election result.’

Is Angela Merkel right to gamble on new elections in preference to leading an unstable minority government or will she accept that her time is over?

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Scottish Labour Party round up, Richard Leonard beats Anas Sarwar for leader in every aspect of the campaign, Kezia Dugdale goes on ‘I'm A Celebrity’ after being refused permission by Labour Party bosses, their mistake, and two Labour MSPs Jenny Marra and Neil Findlay get their knickers in a twist over Kezia having a couple of weeks off, what to do about Kezia……. nothing

Dear All

It came as no surprise to me that after a nasty bittle campaign, Anas Sarwar lost in his bid to become the leader of the Scottish Labour Party. If you read the press the blow is doubly troubling for him as on paper, he has the ‘professional’ team. This brings me to a little story; I had with Paul Sweeney MP who gubbed the SNP Candidate Anne McLaughlin bigstyle.

Paul Sweeney didn’t get much in the way of help at all from Labour HQ on the ground, I should know because I was there, his team was a mixture of different personalities but they had drive and total commitment.

Some of Anas’ ‘professionals’, I wouldn’t take on to run a bath, never mind a leadership campaign, but maybe he will learn from this little adventure. Although Anas wanted a debate on policies, he lost that aspect of the campaign as well. What possessed him to advocate single market membership of the EU is beyond me, that policy was a loser, and using retread old policies of a job, training or education for school leavers isn’t new.

If Anas does a post defeat review, someone should ask why there wasn’t ‘big ideas’ in the mix. Just to be clear, Anas lost the PR campaign, he lost the member’s vote, he lost the Union vote and he lost the policy debate!

Toss in personal circumstances, Anas Sarwar lost on every count, as a slightly interested bystander I thought what kind of shit campaign is this that he is running?

Now, let’s turn to Ms. Dugdale, I met her once on the 23 rd June at the EU Glasgow count, we chatted for a few minutes when she came up to me for a quick chat, so I said who I was and what side I was campaigning on, it was very pleasant and she was supportive that I stood up for what I thought was right.

Kezia Dugdale had a terrible time as Scottish Labour Leader, it was a series of bad luck and bad calls, it was a role that she wasn’t comfortable in and never made headway. Leadership isn’t easy because as Truman famously said ‘the buck stops here’. I have to say that I was surprised that Kezia Dugdale decided to take part in the reality TV show I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here.

I am also surprised that Labour Party bosses refused her permission to go on the show, did they make a mistake?

Yes!

Did she?

Well, that depends on your view point, I see no problem for Kezia Dugdale taking a few weeks off to do a TV show, I am also comfortable that she will make a few quid for doing so. The fake anger of some in the Scottish Labour Party over this just looks petty to me, especially when you weight up that some elected representatives have full time jobs elsewhere, and others ‘rent’ themselves out as ‘guns for hire’ for networking purposes.

So, in the grand scheme of things is Kezia Dugdale taking a few weeks of a big deal, is it really, is it even real news, it is titbit news. Now that Richard Leonard is leader, and I did vote for him, what should he do about Kezia?

The answer is nothing!

Part of leadership is not getting involved in tat, Labour MSPs at Holyrood are now said to be considering if the former leader should be suspended or not.

So, is the Scottish Labour Party going to suspended everyone with another full time job beyond their elected post and also others who get paid fees for being on TV programmes?

If the answer is no, then if she is suspended, it is unfair by standards of natural justice. If I was Richard Leonard, I would go through the motions of having a think in public, but in private, I would bin this issue. UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has already said that this would not be appropriate, arguing it was Ms Dugdale's choice to take part in the TV programme, and it is, her choice, whether her dissenters wouldn’t do it is neither here or there, and to be frank, most of them won’t get asked anyway.

Leonard told the BBC:

"I've said over the weekend that we need to consider it and I've also expressed my own personal disappointment that that was a decision she has chosen to make”.

He added:

"I am not persuaded the immediate step that the Labour Party needs to take is to suspend Kezia from membership of the Labour Party but I do think we need to have a discussion about it."

This isn’t an issue, but to keep some people ‘happy’ there needs to be some ‘play acting’.

Two Labour MSPs caught my attention, Neil Findlay and Jenny Marra who voiced dissent.

Jenny Marra said:

“Election to parliament is a privilege to serve and represent people. It’s not a shortcut to celebrity”.

When I see people say ‘Election to parliament is a privilege’, I tune out because that is usually bullshit to shine people on.

Labour MSP Neil Findlay described the move to the jungle show as "utterly ludicrous".

He said:

''We have a situation where we're in the run-up to the budget in Scotland, where local government is on its knees, where the NHS is showing pressures like never before, when people's living standards are falling and they expect their MPs, MSPs, councillors, elected representatives, to be in fighting on their behalf and I don't think people would expect them to jet off around the world and sit around the camp fire eating a kangaroo's appendage. 'I think it demeans politics when people get involved in that."

Just to be clear is Neil Findlay talking about passing a Labour budget for the Scottish Parliament?  

Does Kezia Dugdale being there ‘fix’ local government?

Does Kezia Dugdale being there ‘fix’ the Scottish NHS?

As to representation, I am sure that there are many members of the public who have experience of not getting proper representation from some elected Labour members who aren’t jetting off around the world.

And as her employees aren’t going with her, I am sure they can hold the fort, after all, they are supposed to be professionals.

Finally, part of leadership is having the ability to ‘ignore’ certain things, hopefully Richard Leonard has that ability, it is clear that Labour MSPs Jenny Marra and Neil Findlay haven’t picked up that skill yet.

I hope that Kezia Dugdale has a nice time on the show.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Throbbergate part 5, the throbbing just won't stop, shamed and disgraced SNP Minister Mark McDonald has been suspended by the SNP after second allegation against him emerges, Nicola Sturgeon publicly backed him as an MSP, her judgement has been found to be wanting, party before victim, what a horrible creature she is and a poor excuse for a human being

Dear All

It seems that throbbergate just won’t stop throbbing, when Nicola Sturgeon backed disgraced former SNP Minister McDonald and cited him as a ‘good MSP’, another critical error of judgement on Sturgeon’s part was on display, it was party before victim.

So, what was the George Laird view, I said on the blog that Mark McDonald should be suspended.

The SNP refused to do so!

You would think that having got McDonald in for a ‘chat’, that someone would have asked ‘the question’….. is there any more issues that we should know about, after all since Sturgeon backed McDonald, she placed her neck on the line. And if you are sticking your neck, you want to know all the facts, up to and including the painful truth.

Now, we see that disgraced SNP MSP Mark McDonald has been suspended from SNP as it emerges that he faces a second complaint of inappropriate behaviour. It was only nine days since Nicola Sturgeon defended him publicly.

As I previously blogged, McDonald dubbed by some as the ‘poundland Harvey Weinstein’ is too toxic, and cited the case of Bill Walker who the parliament turned on rather quickly when allegations against him came to the fore.

Can Holyrood do no less with Mark McDonald?

The decision to dumped from the party after further allegations were lodged at the SNP HQ, now yet again, its Operation Save Nicola Sturgeon.

The reason for ‘Save Sturgeon'; is McDonald’s resignation was played down publicly by the First Minister, who said on November:

“Some may well have thought it was not serious enough to resign for.”

Well clearly events have moved on but what is interesting is how the SNP reacted early on to the second allegation, a Nats spokesman denied the story, saying:

“No complaint has been received.”

Now that story is changed to:

“Following new information being received by the SNP over the course of the last 24 hours relating to the behaviour of Mark McDonald, he has been suspended from both the parliamentary group and the party while further investigation takes place.

“In the interests of due process and appropriate confidentiality no further comment will be made.”

In the wake of the new revelations, I have found the perfect song on youtube to sum up the situation of ‘poundland Harvey Weinstein’; it is the classic by Chuck Berry. In a situation like this, the song by Elton John, ‘don’t go breaking my heart’ with Kiki Dee just won’t cut it, plus, I needed something to set the mood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaEC-lWSlmI

The SNP under Nicola Sturgeon is very much a ‘my ding-a-ling’ outfit, hardly the ‘civic and joyous’ experience that Salmond espoused.

So, yet again, why did Nicola Sturgeon appoint Mark McDonald as a Children’s Minister because we have to ask this question again and again and again? Of course bad judgment isn’t new when it comes to Nicola Sturgeon; there is enough of that to fill a library.

Anyway, I think I have also found the perfect song and singer which could fit Nicola Sturgeon to a tee.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRH6FhkbQmY

Finally when pressed about whether female constituents of the ex-Children’s Minister should feel comfortable speaking to McDonald, Nicola Sturgeon boldly declared:

“I think people can and should”.

Given Mark McDonald has been suspended does that ‘advice’ still hold true?

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Immigration Debate and Racial Tensions in America (Johnny C. Taylor Pt. 2)

Dear All

One of the things you should do is get a broad range of views, if you haven't watched The Rubin Report, you are missing out.

George

The Black Community, Education, and Taking Down Statues (Johnny C. Taylor Pt. 1)

Political Exodus: Alex Salmond new career is facing a major setback as major politicians in the UK decide to boycott his TV show on the Russian channel RT, already John Bercow the Commons Speaker pulls out, David Cameron won’t appear, even Nicola Sturgeon backed off, nice to have friends isn’t it!

Dear All

At some point in your life, you start new chapters, it happens to everyone, one thing doesn’t pan out and you move on to something else. When Alex Salmond among others in the SNP lost their seats at the General Election, it sent shockwaves through the SNP.

In the space of two years, the new party of the establishment had taken a massive hit as the SNP as a party lost the trust and respect of the voters. In some cases new SNP MPs saw their previous share of the vote fall dramatically.

In Glasgow, the SNP lost the seat of Glasgow North East by a mere 242 votes to Paul Sweeney, in other places like Glasgow South West and Glasgow East, the SNP held on by their finger tips.

When the news that Alex Salmond and Angus Robertson had lost their seats along with Tasmina Ahmed Shiekh, I must admit I was over the moon, if anyone deserved a Michael Portillo moment, these three chancers certainly did. On a personal note, in Glasgow North East, the SNP Candidate Anne McLaughlin crashed and burned, it was a campaign which I gave up all to see her go down in flames!

Salmond has went to try his hand at entertainment which we now see includes TV, the major and minor home grown TV stations in the UK aren’t touching him with a bargepole so Alex has signed up to the Russian Channel.

A major error of judgment given he is a privy council, but hey, a guy has got to earn a coin hasn’t he, he is too old to start an apprenticeship, and too old for labouring as well. Instead we see Alex Salmond doing what he does best, talk about how wonderful he is on his new show ‘The Alex Salmond Show’. You might think that having spent so much time in the House of Commons and Holyrood that Salmond would be heaving with top weight politicians but sadly for him, this isn’t the case.

The news is that Salmond is facing TV boycott as Commons Speaker John Bercow pulls out, Bercow who appeared at Salmond’s stage show doesn’t want to be on RT, the Russian channel. And the good news just keeps on coming, apparently his ‘friends’, his former cult members in the SNP Government, they don’t want to appear either as it is considered an error of judgment.

RT is an interesting channel, I have seen some stuff and it is very good, but when you view RT, you have to accept that it is widely seen as a mouthpiece of President Vladimir Putin. The channel is registered in the US as an arm of the Russian Government, there are of course some very nice Russians kicking about the place, I know two in passing, they aren’t interested in politics.

It seems that the boycott of Salmond’s new show is the ‘in thing to do’ as former Prime Minister David Cameron had been asked by Salmond in a phone call last week to appear on the show. If you watch Westminster regularly you will remember that David Cameron has no love at all for the SNP, in fact during PMQs, he once mouthed silently to Angus Robertson…. ‘will you fuck off’.

No love there methinks.

A senior Conservative hits the nail on the head when he said:

"It shows Salmond's total lack of self awareness. There's no way the former PM would do a Russia Today chat show with the nationalist leader, and Dave quite rightly told Alex to get stuffed. Alex is going after a lot of Tories and getting a lot of knock backs."

Yesterday Kenny MacAskill said that the UK Conservative Government should have given Alex Salmond a ‘job’, so he wouldn’t have needed to go on RT, this begs the question, why isn’t Nicola Sturgeon not giving Alex Salmond a job?

Finally, how long will it be before the Alex Salmond Show resembles a ‘poundland’ Borat episode? 

You have to wonder as well, how long it will be before Alex Salmond and Tasmina Ahmed Shiekh realises their show is well and truly over!

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

‘Putin’s puppet, former SNP leader Alex Salmond insists unpopular Nicola Sturgeon is poised to press the button on a second independence referendum, it is the same old tired rhetoric from a bunch of losers, Scottish independence was lost in 2014, the boat sailed and no trumped up nonsense over Brexit will change that piece of history, gone is gone!

Dear All

Have you ever watched a movie, where the bad guys press the button to cause a massive explosion and nothing happens?

If you have, you will see the look of the bad guys face as the hero busts in to kick his ass and he ends up dying in a horrible fashion, justice being done, the hero gets the girl, the music starts and they walk away to live happily ever after.

It seems that the bad guys in the shape of Scotland’s ‘jolly fat man’ Alex Salmond  who is called by some people, ‘Putin’s puppet’ is saying Nicola Sturgeon is ready to press second independence referendum button swiftly after Britain leaves EU.

Well, the button isn’t going to work, no matter how many times that SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon presses it, all she can do is make a request and as we know, there is no danger than she will be entertained in this term of the Westminster Parliament.

Theresa May has kicked the problem to beyond 2021, and if you have been paying attention to the polls and the trend, and the scandals, the SNP is falling, the trajectory is downwards.

I have done a good bit of campaigning, and I am very proud that in both referendums I was 100% right in my judgment of the right course of action. The SNP leaders at the time; were completely wrong, which is par for the course. Several years ago, I highlighted that the Scottish Independence boat had sailed, and no excuse like Brexit or any other trumped up story or event will change that scenario.

Now, we know the SNP isn’t an independence party, many people have woken up, to the fact the SNP want to give control of Scotland to an unelected group called the EU, a political organisation of 50,000 people.

In return, the senior SNP would be bought off with jobs and MEP slots, they would lead the ‘high life’ while ordinary Scots suffered greatly, we would be the Greece of the North, broke and depending on handouts.

What the SNP want is EU membership, failing that they want EU membership under the guise of the single market, all the cons and none of the pros for Scotland. The single market like the EU membership is a problem, a problem unfixed by the EU which is seeing a shift to the right which they dub the ‘far right’ in order to smear, in places like Poland, Hungary and in the Czech Republic, the people aren’t as EU friendly or willing to comply.

Former First Minister Alex Salmond has a TV show starting on the Russian channel RT, along with him comes Tasmina Ahmed Shiekh as a roving reporter, RT is registered in the US as a branch of the Russian Government. Salmond sounding about a second referendum is a ‘hello look at me’ event, he wants to stir up trouble and then sit back and benefit from it.

What is going to happen is that the Russians having taken Salmond as a novelty value useful idiot will realise that his ‘effect’ will be limited, and as to the content of his new show, he might think he is wonderful but this adventure will end up as a Wayne’s World caper before it dies a death. People will watch not for knowledge but for information to hang Salmond, Sturgeon and the SNP, which is why the SNP are saying no SNP ministers will be appearing on the show, now or in the future.

The people of Britain want control of their country back, they want our elected politicians to be accountable to us, this is normal, and problem for Britain is immigration especially illegal immigration which the EU under Merkel has seen explode in Europe which has been a disaster.

A German Army report predicts civil war in 20 years.

If there is a civil war, Nicola Sturgeon if she gets her way will have dragged Scotland into it, and brought many problems to our country, but as a childless leader, she doesn’t care about the future much like Salmond, another childless leader. One of the problems in Europe is the rise of childless leaders.

Here is a point of view on this topic of childless leaders.

http://www.cetusnews.com/news/Macron--May-%26-Merkel--Will-Europe%E2%80%99s-childless-leaders-halt-demographic-decline-.H1eAztZ7WW.html

Sturgeon might see Scottish independence as her ‘baby’ but she won’t be delivering it under her timetable if at all, Sturgeon told MSPs she will “reset” the timetable for another referendum, guess what, no authority to go forward with it. The SNP wanted a quick referendum between autumn 2018 and spring 2019, this was to try and get unionist pro EU voters in Scotland on board but that came to nothing. As to the nonsense and it is nonsense that another vote is still "likely" before the May 2021 Scottish Parliament election.

Absolutely no chance!

Absolutely no chance means that the next hurdle is the 2021 election which given the state of the political flux in Scotland would see the SNP lose their chance, and even if they get the Scottish Greens to go with them the math is that Nicola Sturgeon will not have enough votes to get a second referendum passed.

If Nicola Sturgeon fails to do this, her position in the SNP as leader becomes untenable, you could make the case that it is that way now with recent defeats, all self inflicted and scandal in the wings.

So, do I support hard Brexit?

The answer is yes, I do support hard Brexit, because I suspect that the British people don’t fancy being ripped off twice which is what the EU wants to do to the British people and has the support of the useful idiots in various parties.

51.9% of voters backed Brexit, if EU want to play silly games let them, when big business realises what the EU is doing, they will turn on them very quickly indeed, you may see a clear out. People like Angela Merkel don’t want to be caught in the middle of big business and angry German workers fearful of their jobs.

The SNP still haven’t woken up to the fact that Scotland has moved passed them, they are the past; a new future needs to be written, a future with the SNP out of power and out of government.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Spotlight on an Uber Rat, Nicola Sturgeon downplayed the disgusting antics of former SNP minister Mark McDonald who now admits causing woman "considerable distress", at present disgraced ex minister is refusing to come to Holyrood, the situation is too toxic for Sturgeon not to suspended him now, Scots don't need a 'poundland Harvey Weinstein' as an MSP

Dear All

When SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon drastically downplayed the events of her former SNP minister Mark McDonald, you just knew there was more to the story, Sturgeon’s actions smelt to high heaven.

From 2012 till present, the SNP and particularly Nicola Sturgeon made a major play for the women’s vote in elections, in the referendum this was also fronted by Women for Independence which had heavy SNP involvement. In the aftermath of defeat, Nicola Sturgeon made a lot of noise about how women were under represented, not just in Holyrood but also elsewhere in Scotland’s public life. The idea was a cynical political ploy that suggested that Nicola Sturgeon valued women.

We now know that is a ‘crock of shit’.

The Mark McDonald scandal shows what I and many others have been hammering away at, the SNP is a cult, run by a cult for the benefit of the cult; sadly these people have managed to achieve the reins of power.

In light of recent events, we are now finding out that ex SNP Childcare Minister Mark McDonald is now receiving professional “support”, he is struggling to cope having put a woman through hell, who will believe this rubbish?

In trying to sell that crap, Nicola Sturgeon also backed him by saying his behaviour was of a kind “that some others may well have thought was not serious enough to resign”.

Sturgeon added:

“He's a good MSP and he will continue to be so."

Does this sound like an SNP leader who claims to be a staunch defender of women and their rights?

Of course, the SNP view women as a vote cache, people to be used and then discarded, the fact that Nicola Sturgeon has abandoned the victim shows the true calibre of Sturgeon and her mentality.

After going into hiding to escape the press for the last 10 days, McDonald said he would now be returning to work at his Aberdeen Donside constituency office but as the heat is still on him, he would not return to parliament for an unspecified “period of time”.

Like a rat, he will reappear when the ‘coast is clear’, whether that will be his judgment or his SNP handlers remains to be seen.

Although the actions of Mrk McDonald are disgusting, the spotlight needs to focus on why Nicola Sturgeon appears to be doing nothing, why isn’t Mark McDonald suspended for his conduct, clearly the woman is a victim, clearly she has suffered.

Why won’t Nicola Sturgeon punish Mark McDonald?

Why hasn’t Mark McDonald been suspended?

The questions surrounding throbbergate haven’t stopped, what happens if the woman takes McDonald to court, where will the SNP stand then?

Finally, I said the SNP was a ‘rat ship’, the fact this woman has been pushed to the brink lets you know what kind of people the SNP are producing to be elected representatives, clearly as I previously stated Mark McDonald needs to resign and a by-election needs to be held. In the case of Bill Walker, the parliament shunned him very quickly; can they do no less when Mark McDonald returns?

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Throbbergate Part 4, there needs to be a by-election in Donside Aberdeen, this is due to the behaviour of SNP MSP Mark McDonald, there has been a material change of circumstances in what the people of Donside voted for as a representative, no by-election shows Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP are running scared

Dear All

It seems that the spotlight is starting to shine on Nicola Sturgeon after being faced with renewed questions after she backed Mark McDonald to continue as an SNP MSP for Aberdeen Donside. As the scandal heightens, questions remain unanswered over why a Scottish Government children's minister Mark McDonald sent a suggestive text message to a woman which included a reference to a sex act.

Clearly this is not normal behaviour!

In fact this is extraordinary behaviour, and his political future is hanging by a thread, clearly there needs to be a by-election since there has been a ‘change of circumstances’ since he was elected. You may recall that the SNP cite a ‘change of circumstances’ to justify a Scottish referendum on Brexit, why not a by-election so that the voters of Donside can be heard?

What is Nicola Sturgeon so scared of?

Why aren’t we being told what the alleged suggested sexual act was?

The victim of Mark McDonald who made the complaint has insisted “people have to change. The bottom line in this is there’s no point in people coming forward if people don’t change. People have to change in the future. Apologies are all well and good but if it doesn’t change how people act. That’s why people have come forward. People don’t want this. I don’t want it.”

Reading this, it sounds like this poor defenceless woman has suffered greatly and she should seek not just help in the form of counselling but also legal help as well.

A spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives said:

“The longer this saga drags on, the more difficult the public will find it to accept Nicola Sturgeon’s knee-jerk explanation. Understandably, they wonder how it can be fine for him to continue as an MSP, but not fine for him to be a junior government minister.”

This is the nub of the matter, he patently cannot continue as an SNP MSP, the whip should have been withdrawn immediately but as we have seen with others, there is a lack of transparency and where Nicola Sturgeon is involved integrity as well. Nicola Sturgeon is a shallow hollow inept vacuous woman who will say anything, in this case backing Mark McDonald was a major mistake.

You can almost see the election leaflets next time round, and the hustings where person after person stands up to ask why Mark McDonald did what he did and does he think he is a person worthy of being an MSP.

A Labour source hit the nail on the head when they highlighted that McDonald's resignation had “created more questions than answers - namely what conduct he believes is unacceptable for a junior minister but not for an MSP”.

They added:

“Nicola Sturgeon doesn't seem to realise that being evasive on this issue is sending an awful message to the victims of abuse and harassment. This is not a level of transparency that many in the SNP will feel comfortable with.”

Nicola Sturgeon’s failure to act by not withdrawing the shows that she is a weak leader, she has managed to destroy the base for independence and she has destroyed her own credibility and voter base!

The public have had enough of Nicola Sturgeon and her toxic brand of civic nationalism along with her cohort of third rate politicians masquerading as ‘caring people’ with Scottish people’s interests at their heart.

Sturgeon told Holyrood McDonald had resigned over behaviour “some others may well have thought was not serious enough to resign”.

Scottish Government children's minister + female + text message with reference to a sex act = certain resignation, if Sturgeon knows some others who don’t grasp the situation, then they are just as deluded as her.

The Donside by-election needs to happen; let the voters decide due to a ‘change of circumstances’ in what was presented to the public by the SNP.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Throbbergate Part 3: unpopular Nicola Sturgeon appears to confess that her former minister Mark McDonald made certain women feel uncomfortable, SNP MSP goes into hiding, his office is shut down, and Sturgeon is defending him, Nicola Sturgeon failed to protect women, anyone asking the question……. Why?

Dear All

It may come as a surprise to you that Nicola Sturgeon is defending her former minister Mark McDonald as the Holyrood 'sex scandal' rumbles on, but not me, much like Alex Salmond getting on the wrong side of history is more or less a given with her.

Nicola Sturgeon picked Mark McDonald, and in this case, all roads not to Rome but back to her, it is her judgement which is flawed, now she has to defend him because she has to defend herself.

So, what should happen to Mark McDonald of the SNP?

Well the speculation continues to mount about his political future as it seems that he has failed to return to the Scottish Parliament or his Aberdeen Donside constituency office. When you get outed for your behaviour in the current climate, the only way is down, are the SNP secretly preparing for a by-election?

Mark McDonald of the SNP has admitted “inappropriate” previous behaviour, in the case of wife beater Bill Walker, he was shunned almost immediately by the parliament; can there be any less treatment in store for McDonald?

A Tory spokesman added:

“The public don’t understand how a minister could suddenly resign in the way he did, and for the SNP to expect everyone else to fill in the blanks. Mark McDonald going into hiding is hardly helping things.”

And you can add to the mix, we haven’t heard the accusations, and we haven’t heard from the victim, it seems that the ‘wall of silence’ benefits McDonald, but is he or the SNP playing for time, well I think many people would strongly suggest that is the case.

In trying to put a clean pair of heels behind her Nicola Sturgeon has decided to appoint a woman to the role vacated by McDonald, naming the Highlands and Islands MSP Maree Todd as his replacement.

Where it all falls down is when Sturgeon said he had "done the right thing and taken responsibility".

Did he have a choice, and what does taking responsibility means in the SNP anyway, it means nothing.

Sturgeon who doesn’t want a by-election added:

"He's a good MSP and he will continue to be so."

How can you be a good MSP if you leave public office as a minister in disgrace?

Sturgeon also mentioned in trying to spin NcDonald as a ‘good guy’:

"He has reflected on his behaviour having had things brought to his attention, aspects of his behaviour that he thought was humorous or friendly he now knows made certain women feel uncomfortable. He's done the right thing by taking responsibility for that. I'm not going to say any more about the detail of that because as well as Mark's position, these situations of course involve the privacy and confidentiality of women and if we are to encourage women to come forward and raise concerns then it's important that they know their privacy will be respected."

So, did Sturgeon just allegedly admitted that there is more than one victim, exactly how many victims of Mark McDonald are they and what positions do they hold at the Scottish Parliament?

It would appear that the SNP strategy is that Mark McDonald should go into hiding until he and the SNP think the heat has died down then reappear. An SNP spokesman said:

“Mark McDonald will be returning to parliament shortly and is continuing to serve his constituents in Aberdeen Donside.”

But, the big kick in the teeth is that a senior SNP source said he hoped Mr McDonald would be able to return as a minister in the future.

Has to resign due to alleged creepy behaviour and they think a return as a minister of the crown is possible?

No, and when the next election rolls round, McDonald will have a fight to keep the Donside seat because you be sure the women’s vote will take a hit, a big hit.

Finally, Nicola Sturgeon has made a great play about standing up for women, although those in the know think this is horseshit, which it is, the lack of action relating to Nicola Sturgeon doing anything about McDonald is very telling indeed. It shows yet again, that Nicola Sturgeon’s judgment is warped, and the SNP is still as I stated years ago, a ‘rat ship’.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Throbbergate Part 2, SNP Leader Nicola Sturgeon’s bad judgement is laid bare as SNP close ranks around shamed minister Mark McDonald, mysterious sexual harassment allegations not shared with public, has a risk assessment been done, why haven’t we heard from the alleged victim, in the SNP it seems justice cannot be seen to be done, this stinks to high heaven

Dear All

The SNP have a thing about presenting themselves as Scotland’s saviours, the white knights who are beyond reproach, squeak clean and honourable. The truth is quite the opposite, the SNP is a party dripping with sleaze when it comes to sexual matters.

In the Scottish Parliament, there has been a development in the sexual harassment allegations sweeping through the Chamber.

No surprises where the first resignation has occurred, yes, you be right if you said SNP Government Minister.

Childcare Minister Mark McDonald who was said to be a ‘rising star’ (aren’t they all); has resigned over alleged “inappropriate” actions. What shows this stinks to high heaven is the SNP is closing ranks around the former shamed minister Mark McDonald, we are not getting to hear what the allegations are and we haven’t heard from the complainer.

Former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said:

“These revelations engulfing our political system are so rotten, even the clean up stinks.”

On social media SNP MSP Mark McDonald has been dubbed the ‘poundland Harvey Weinstein’, a reference to the sex fiend mogul who was outed in the press. Once the Holywood dam broke, it seems to have spilled over into UK politics and reached Scotland.

What the public need to know about the Aberdeen Donside SNP MSP are the allegations to that they can make a risk assessment on this individual, is it safe for their female family members?

Not to be told the allegations will not kill the story as Mark McDonald is currently said not to be resigning as an MSP. This raises other questions by his critics who highlight if his conduct was unacceptable for a government minister, why is he still continuing as an MSP?

Shouldn’t MSP have the standard as a minister?

As part of his defence, the Aberdeen Donside SNP MSP said that his behaviour was “humorous or attempting to be friendly” but apologised to “anyone I have upset”.

This doesn’t sound convincing to me.

Now, the Holyrood dam is said to be breaking, it seems that claims sexual harassment are rife in the Scottish Parliament according to sources, but what does it say that the SNP have close ranks on protecting Mark McDonald?

What does it say about Nicola Sturgeon’s judgement that she appointed a man as a childcare minister who ends up having to resign in disgrace?

What weight can be put on Nicola Sturgeon’s statement ‘men are the problem’ when she as the female leader allows Mark McDonald to remain in the party?

If you want to know the real Nicola Sturgeon, and not the fake presented to you, then her spokesman sums up Sturgeon perfectly when he said McDonald remained a “valuable” part of the SNP group at Holyrood.

Party before alleged victim?

The spokesman added:

“Mark has taken the right action in apologising and recognising that in his current role it would be inappropriate for him to remain in government.  He will continue to make a valuable contribution to parliament as the MSP for Aberdeen Donside.”

Sturgeon’s party was dragged further into scandal after it now has come to light that a second SNP MSP, Willie Coffey, was reported to Holyrood bosses after a civil servant complained about his alleged behaviour.

An administrative assistant complained of “inappropriate language” and “unsolicited attention” from the 59-year-old backbencher.

It seems that the problem in this case was made six months ago and centred on alleged approaches made by the Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley MSP in person and in email. 

When did Nicola Sturgeon know about this?

What action did the SNP take?

Was there an investigation by the SNP bosses?

Was the civil servant interviewed by the SNP?

A Scottish Labour source:

“Mark McDonald’s apology went down like a lead balloon. His resignation created more questions than answers - namely what conduct he believes is unacceptable for a junior minister but not for an MSP. This is not a level of transparency that many in the SNP will feel comfortable with.”

Something stinks to high heaven about Nicola Sturgeon’s judgement, another bad judgement in a series of bad judgements on handling crisis.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University