Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year; yet again, another festive season is upon us, I hope you and your family have a wonderful time, be safe, don't drink and drive, enjoy the holidays and if you get the chance, do a good deed, every good deed you do increases someone’s chance of happiness, the battle for the truth will be on a short pause

Dear All

It is that time of the year again so without further ado; Merry Xmas and a happy New Year to you and your family when it comes!

2018 has been a difficult year for many people, Brexit is nearly here and the opposition to it are desperate to stop us leaving the EU.

If they are successful, politics and trust in UK democracy will be broken between the politicians and people in a way not seen before in this country. We could end up seeing a version of the ‘yellow vest’ protests here and we might even see the formation of new political parties in the UK.

2019 is gearing to be an interesting year.

One thing is certain, the winds of change are blowing, and maybe the wind will become a storm, not just in the UK and Scotland but right across Europe.

The problem with politics or challenge is that when one fight ends, you get plunged into another, either in big politics or small politics. The fight never ends because you must always fight against others who are only interested in their self interest.

I would like to thank all the people who took the opportunity to drop by the blog to read and comment on the stories posted.

I would also like to thank those who read my stories and decided to post them elsewhere and then linked it to my blog, which means I must be doing something right.

I would also like to thank the BBC in London for dropping by numerous this year, I do commentating on TV, hint, hint hint.

And I wanted to thank the print press who also keep rolling by to see the George Laird view on the world, especially the newsquest mob.

All in all, it was a good year blogging; a year of angry people who really don’t know what they are fighting against concerning Brexit.

One theme I look at time and time again is people who made it to the top who end up by their own hand disgracing themselves by their own stupidity.

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/elections/2018/12/peterborough-labour-mp-fiona-onasanya-found-guilty-perverting-course

For the sake of a few points on her licence and a few hundred quid, she has been convicted of the course of justice.

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

She studied law at the University of Hertfordshire and then attended the University of Law.

The Labour Party has suspended her and they think she should resign as an MP, in reality they couldn’t have stood by her after what she has done, especially when you consider her status as an MP for the Party.

I wanted to comment on her story in my final post of the year to show two things, one political parties look favourably on people like Fiona Onasanya as candidate material because she has done law, and also because of her minority background, they gerrymander their parties to look inclusive, well look how that turned out in this case. In politics, you have to play it straight as I have said many times on this blog, when you don’t the fall from grace can be severe.

Finally, see you all next year; the battle for truth will be starting early as usual and I will do my very best to show you the good, the bad and the ugly side of politics, because there is a lack of people willing to stand up and speak out.

Have a wonderful Xmas and new year, don’t drink and drive, enjoy the holidays with friends and family and stay safe.

Yours Sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

‘SNP, Party of Bastards’, Toxic SNP feud ends at the Court of Session in Edinburgh as ex SNP Cllr Julie McAnulty is awarded £40,000 in her defamation case, Lord Uist gave Julie McAnulty back her good name saying he had no doubts about her credibility or reliability, another nail in the Nationalist coffin of how they treat people

Dear All

It is nearly Xmas, a time of goodwill to all men and furry animals, a time to reflect and eat turkey, roast potatoes and sprouts. Xmas is a busy time, so any piece of joy must be welcomed and received when it pops up.

Former SNP councillor Julie McAnulty has just received some Xmas joy to the tune of 40 ‘large’, that’s £40,000. Julie McAnulty received this cash because her life was destroyed by a malicious claim of racism during “toxic” party infighting in the SNP. Smearing in the SNP is nothing knew, I was a victim of that myself, far from being protected Julie McAnulty was abandoned by the party’s senior leadership and SNP HQ run by Peter Murrell, Nicola Sturgeon’s husband.

Now that Julie McAnulty has fought and won her case, a defamation action against Sheena McCulloch at the Court of Session, justice has been done. If you think back to my 2017 post when McAnulty quit the party, I didn’t believe she was guilt.

http://glasgowunihumanrights.blogspot.com/2017/03/snp-out-in-may-whistleblowing-snp.html

Sheena McCulloch sowed the seeds of her own destruction, she now faces a hefty bill of £40,000 plus interest, so she better line part time jobs and draw a payment plan. By falsely claiming Ms McAnulty referred to “Pakis” in the SNP, Sheena McCulloch dug a hole she couldn’t climb out of.

£40,000 plus interest!

Lord Uist, who heard the case said Ms McCulloch’s allegation was “outrageous” and "activated by malice and ill-will”. This is the modus operandi of how the SNP treats other members. Uist added it was part of a campaign to damage Ms McAnulty waged by a rival faction in the Lanarkshire SNP linked to two MSPs. You might also remember on and off I said in politics, don’t trust anyone, and watch your back, in fact there is a little episode being played out in Pollok CLP at the moment which I am steering clear off.

Anyway, Julie McAnulty’s career was destroyed, perhaps she might if she had gone on become an MSP or MP, I doubt she will want to rush back towards Nicola’s Party after how she was treated; mainly I think because of the infighting. Lord Uist gave Julie McAnulty back her good name saying he had no doubts about her credibility or reliability.

Sheena McCulloch however didn’t get the same endorsement, and she is a dog groomer!!!!!!

In totally rejecting McCulloch’s evidence, he said:

“I found her to be an unforthcoming witness and formed a generally poor impression of her.”

Post verdict Julie McAnulty welcomed the judgment, and said it had "vindicated" her position and the money isn’t too bad either. When this story was leaked to the Daily Record, which ran the front page story ‘Get the Pakis out of the party’, it was a rather pivotal moment for the music teacher and church organist, which she described as the worst day of her life. So, where was Nicola Sturgeon, the ‘defender’ of womankind?

Out of Dodge folks!

Finally, although there is nastiness in this case, it ended with justice being done, it was also a wake up call for the SNP Cult to watch their step, smearing in the party is ignored by SNP HQ; it is ignored by the leadership as I found out from my personal experience. But once in awhile the guilty get what is coming to them, sadly it takes time as Julie McAnulty. The SNP is a party full of creepy evil nasty people at all levels, and everyone should know that, know what they are voting for, and resolve to get them out of public office.

One funny and mad little group is the Westboro Baptist Church, on one of the demonstrations; they had a sign for the place they lived, ‘Topeka, City of Bastards’, Topeka is in Kansas, US. Maybe someone should do up a sign for the SNP which reflects them properly. ‘SNP, Party of Bastards’, it could stick marketed properly don’t you think?

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Europe Needs New Nuremberg Trials; the political elite have destroyed the fabric of Europe, in a remarkable act, Finland considers revoking citizenship for sex crime migrants after child rape gangs shock country, we must deal with the symptoms but we must also tackle the disease head on of the political elite, ‘Europe Spring’ then ‘political war crimes trials’

Dear All

Tolerance is a wonderful thing, but there comes a point when tolerance is actually a weakness that has been exploited. The migrant crisis is still with us, although you see the press do their best to knock it off the front page, it is still with us. In France, tolerance of the French has reached breaking point, hence you get the ‘yellow vest’ protests, they will probably winded down for Xmas, but they won’t be going away. The ‘yellow vests’ have a focus, President Macron, they want rid of him. Macron is a former Rothschild banker, a President for rich, not a President for all.

Europe is turning more towards the right, in a rejection of the political elite who know the people have finally clicked that these people don’t represent them, and never did. In the UK, behind the scenes, Theresa May’s advisors plot a second referendum which if it occurred would effectively break democracy in this country. The idea of being robbed of Brexit as the Irish have been is so untenable, that publicly Theresa May discounts the idea.

Europe is in crisis, not just from the point of view of society but also politically, we edge towards civil war, we already have civil protests. We already have violence on the streets as exhibited by the French Police. Tear gas, water cannon, baton charges and flash grenades in use to suppress the people, but the people will not be suppressed, they are angry.

One thing that is a spark of decency towards victims is that Finland is considering revoking citizenship for sex crime migrants. Especially those migrants that have come to the West to indulge in the child rape gang culture.

Is this too little too late?

Well, it would be a welcome start, but this idea doesn’t go far enough, kicking them out of the country after a long prison sentence is what people should expect as a minimum. I would suggest that these people should also lost all their assets and money, in effective stripped bare. When they touch down in their former country of origin, they have the clothes on their back and nothing else.   

Finland is no stranger to migrant rape gangs that preyed on young girls, it happens right across Europe, so girls end up dead. The cases of these migrant rape gangs have operated for years because of fear to investigate by police, and cover ups by politicians. The fact that the Finnish parliament is currently considering a bill that would remove citizenship and expel those convicted of terrorism or treason is welcome but interior minister Kai Mykkänen said such sanctions should be considered for those convicted of serious sexual crimes as well.

Not only should we remove citizenship, we should also have permanent exclusion orders, and severe penalties if such people attempt to come back. Our justice must be swift, decisive and uncompromising. We should not allow these people to use human rights as a vehicle to stop deportation and these people should be dealt with by a special court, the one and final arbitrary of their status.

Finland saw an increase of asylum seekers entering the country during the 2015 migrant crisis and through weakness of their refugee programmes; they have seen increased sexual violence in places like Oulo.

Oulu Police Criminal Officer Milla Kynuunniemi said that after the influx, “Increased sexual harassment could be seen in the streets.”

She added:

“Whenever people come from another culture, there will also be clashes. Early on, sexual harassment was observed more than before. It’s no good to deny that it was not visible.”

In early December, authorities in Oulu confirmed ten suspects had been arrested in connection with grooming, rape, and sexual violence carried out against three children under the age of 15. All of the men either arrived during the migrant flow or via the country’s refugee quota scheme. This is the direct result of the free for all started by Angela Merkel, these people were let in with no background checks, they just didn’t start raping children in this country, these people were always violent criminals who exploited the system. They exploited the weakness of virtual signalling politicians, hell bent of making a name for themselves.

These virtual signalling politicians should be in jail.

In Finland, matters have come to a head that has so disturbed the country, that the country’s President Sauli Niinistö made a public statement, condemning the “shocking inhumanity,” saying Finland must “show strength” in punishing the rapists so that Finns “can continue to have a just, safe society.”

Finally, when you have people who don’t respect your values, culture or country, you end up with gangs of predators, these people are without humanity, as the Finnish President Sauli Niinistö said, you must ‘show strength’ but also you must use strength to defeat evil. You have heard of the ‘Arab Spring’, you might see the Europe Spring explode onto the streets of Europe, to sweep away the political elite from power, but more is needed than just that. In Europe, we need ‘political war crimes trials’ so that those politicians responsible are held to account for their actions.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Surviving The Game, Prime Minister Theresa May survives no confidence vote, the result 200-117, the PM has bought time, but Eurosceptic Conservative MPs say they will keep up calls for Theresa May to quit, as a Brexiteer who favours hard Brexit, the ERG crowd need to ‘pump their brakes’, deals can be changed very easily and coups leave a bad taste in the mouth

Dear All

Yesterday saw The Prime Minister Theresa May survive a vote of no confidence by her own party, she won by a margin of 2-1.  A victory is of course a victory, 200-117 but, if you think back to the Margaret Thatcher era, you will know that winning sometimes is only a staging post on leaving.

If you thought that the vote settled matters in the Conservative Party, you would be wrong, one thing the Conservatives do well is changing leaders, usually in a rather ruthless fashion behind the scenes. I never expected Theresa May to lose the party vote, but having 117 MPs having no confidence in her is probably more than many expected.

Theresa May has bought time for leadership, a year at least, but Eurosceptic Conservatives MPs are going to keep up calls for her to quit. I saw the election of Theresa May as leader as having the task to steer Brexit through, after that task, I expected her to stand down and a new leader to come forward.

Think of it as the ‘fresh start’ concept. Under normal circumstances, you would expect matters to be settled for a while, however the fact the Eurosceptic MPs are refused to drop their demand for her to quit means the Prime Minister’s position is far from secure. Clearly, you have to wonder about the no confidence vote in the House of Commons and whether Conservative Eurosceptic MPs will use this as a vehicle to further attack her via abstaining in that vote.

If the loss of that vote is huge, then it puts tremendous pressure to bow to the notion that 2019 will be the year that the UK is plunged into another General election. To lose that no confidence vote is damaging, but the question is how far are the Eurosceptic MPs will to go in the pursuit of their goals?

 In the run-up to the vote, one of Mrs May’s supporters said they hoped the result would put “a stake through the heart” of the European Research Group, presumably if you have watched a vampire movie, sometimes missing the target just makes them even more annoyed. ERG chair Jacob Rees-Mogg said it had been a “terrible result for the Prime Minister”, and he is right, on paper, it’s a good win, politically, it’s a bad win.

Like me who mentioned the vote in the Thatcher era, this has a feeling that having won the first round, her supporters must be considering whether her time is up. 117 Conservative MPs certainly do. In terms of the government working, the vote makes no difference as all Conservatives will rally round in the interim. Jacob Rees-Mogg said Mrs May had survived only after offering to stand down before a general election. This is what I thought she would do, finish Brexit and then pass the torch on, even without all this chaos.

Post May, I would say that the EU deal will not stand the test of time, and I do think it was intended that it ever would hence the new leader mumbling.

Question is who?

Whoever is the next Conservative leader, the feeling I think must be leaning towards someone who is a Brexiteer.

Jacob Rees-Mogg said the result has made Theresa May look fatally weak, he added:

“The urgency of having a new leader is not reduced by today, it’s increased.”

I think there is a problem for the Prime Minister, but I don’t think that the pressure has increased as Jacob Rees-Mogg said, the result bought Theresa May at least a year, Labour PM Harold Wilson famously said, ‘a week is a long time in politics’, May has 52 weeks to play with. The other elephant in the room is the insurmountable problems getting her deal and related legislation through Parliament.

Personally, this is why I am in the hard Brexit camp, what is needed is breathing space and time rather than attempting to ram something through. In this case, no one was ever going to be happy, so a quick kick into the long grass isn’t such a bad option.

In attempting to explain the result Mogg said:

“About half the parliamentary party is in the pay of the Prime Minister one way or another. Out of the remaining 160 or 170, 117 voted against her.Anyone who’s on the payroll and didn’t vote for her should have resigned, and nobody’s resigned, so you’ve got to assume the payroll voted for her. This is 177 out of 160, 170. This is a terrible result for the Prime Minister.”

Mark Francois, vice chair of the ERG, said the result was “devastating”, adding:

“She lost well over half of the backbenchers. That’s an extremely difficult position for any Prime Minister to find themselves in. Most of the pundits said we’d get somewhere between 60 and 80. We’ve blown that clear out of the water. Over a third of her MPs have said they don’t have confidence in her. That is a devastating verdict.”

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said Mrs May had won “very comfortably”.

He said:

“Of course this has been a difficult day for the Conservative Party. But the reality is the Conservative Party, by a substantial margin tonight, has said we want you to carry on and do the job.”

Quite so ma’am!

Finally, this all sounds like doom and gloom, in an ideal world, there wouldn’t have been a no confidence vote in the party, but this flags up how this EU deal is perceived, not just in the Conservative Party but wider afield. People need to focus on the 29^th March 2019; the Prime Minister will want to use her extra time to show that the EU deal is working and credible. If the deal flags up too many problems, she has the option to ditch it. Brexit is still moving forward, albeit with casualties.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no, it’s a wee fat man; Nicola Sturgeon’s proxy SNP leader at Westminster gives Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn until end of day to file no-confidence motion, it seems the ‘little man’ of Scottish nationalism wants to urge the ‘big boys’ onto a fight, SNP still playing pointless childish games, if there is a meltdown at Westminster leading to a general election, they will regret being so stupid

Dear All

It seems that the village idiot, Ian Blackford, the SNP Westminster leader has given Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn until the end of the day to bring a motion of no confidence in Theresa May’s government. In politics, one thing you should never do it wait on others. The ‘threat’ is a ‘nonsense’ of the highest order, but it also shows what the work ethic of the Nationalists is. When I was in the SNP, the ‘leaders’ would ‘pass the parcel’ on do the work in the hope that others would take it up in their stead.

Of course, we should recognise that a motion of no confidence led by the SNP doesn’t have any kudos, no gravitas; all the SNP MPs can do is ride on the coattails of others, to appear to have strength and authority.

In Westminster, the SNP are very much an outcast party, they don’t have friends; they don’t have allies, and are held rightly in contempt.

So, what happens if Jeremy Corbyn doesn’t do as the ‘replacement’ jolly fat man asks? Other minor opposition parties will do it themselves. And if they don’t have the Labour Party onboard, then they will lose any vote, and there is no guarantee even if Labour does climb onboard that they will win anyway.

SNP Westminster Ian Blackford is the ‘led’, the SNP leadership at Holyrood basically tell the ‘sheep’ what to do, what to think and how to vote and when. There is no gravitas in the SNP; they are so weak, that they need on this issue of Brexit to seek the shelter of having joint press conference with opposition parties.

The SNP want to have a vote of no confidence to pave the way for a People’s Vote, but what they absolutely don’t want is a general election. If the SNP go into a general election, they stand in theory to lose more MPs.

2015…… 56 MPs

2017…….35 MPs

2019, without any real narrative or substance, plenty SNP MPs would be joining the ranks of the unemployed, or in their case the unemployable.

The odds of holding certain seats aren’t something anyone in the SNP would want to risk their mortgage on.

The Labour Party position is that they will lodge a motion to topple Mrs May’s government when it is certain to pass the Commons. To translate, they will pop their head over the parapet if they think that a number of Conservatives will abstain. This is called hedging your bets, and at present even the strongest leave MPs in the Conservative ranks aren’t that daft.

The Conservative MPs will be subject to a three line whip.

https://www.parliament.uk/about/mps-and-lords/principal/whips/

On this issue, anyone who breaks this effectively can kiss their political career goodbye.

The SNP think that they can play the role of ‘puppet master’ with Nicola Sturgeon holding the strings, the sense of delusion in that is palpable.

Nicola Sturgeon cannot influence events at Westminster, she isn’t even an MP. One thing which I do hope happens is that Theresa May by act or default runs down the clock and there is a hard Brexit. It would be in the UK national interest to seek safe harbour of the WTO rules rather than align ourselves to the EU. The negotiations between the EU and the UK show that the EU isn’t interested in partnership for the common good; but rather they seek self advantage to promote their agenda which I suspect is to frighten other member states from leaving.

Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP have learned nothing from losing Scottish independence and losing Brexit. Sturgeon tweeted:

"Time is running out and the PM’s tactic is clearly to run down the clock. The opposition must not allow that to happen."

Finally; Nicola Sturgeon doesn’t grasp that time ran out on 23 June 2016, since then far from being effective, she has been pushed, nudged and drag out of the door. The situation is at present, fingers clutching the door frame like a kid not want to go to bed; she won’t be getting what she wants. If she thinks getting shot down in flames is another glorious failure, clearly she needs her head examined.

Having Ian Blackford lead the charge at Westminster is just laughable, it is like watching the ‘little man’ urging the ‘big boys’ onto a fight.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

The rise of the ‘anti democratic’ politicians in the EU, the people of France take to the streets to protest the French Government, President Macron is to appeal to French in wake of latest violent protests which has spread to Marseille, Bordeaux, Lyon, Nantes, Dijon and Toulouse, has the match been struck in Europe against the political elite?

Dear All

Tonight after 4 weekends of rioting, the French President Emmanuel Macron is said to be going to speak at 8 pm to the Nation. If you have missed it, he has been speaking before but in the background which is why French people who have been involved in the protests can be seen covered in blood. It doesn’t and didn’t matter that it was male or female, young or old, even children felt the full force of government to quell unrest.

Having lost the people, President Macron is to appeal to French in wake of latest violent protests, citing that the troubles have been a ‘social and economic catastrophe’. He is also said to be ready to announce “immediate and concrete measures” to respond to protesters’ grievances. The yellow vest protest have spread across France, Paris is a particular hot spot for the protestors which have many disenfranchised white people among their ranks. The fact is that President Macron as a member of the political elite didn’t care for his people; the people have woken up as they have done across the rest of Europe.

An old grievance in politics by people is that ‘nothing ever changes’, well in the name this phrase has a lot of truth behind. Many people are asking, when they vote are they voting for ‘political servants’ or are they voting for ‘political masters’?

If it is the latter, then the democratic system is dead and a sham!

President Macron is said to be meeting local and national political leaders, unions and business leaders to hear their concerns but the real crux of matter is, when he is meeting the ordinary French people? One thing about the yellow vests, they have broken the mould in that they aren’t aligning themselves to local and national political leaders, unions and business leaders. These protests are by people that have been left behind, treated as second class citizens in their own countries while they are forced to stand back and watch others benefit ahead of them.

These protests are, are a nationwide anti-government demonstrations, it would seem obvious what the people of France want, they want Macron gone, they want a general election. And they want it now, they want rid of the political elite. The same feeling has spread to other countries in the EU block, no one wants talks; people want removal and then action. Neither of these two options is something that the 40-year-old centrist French President will consider.

To say that these protests are just about the rising cost of living is a joke, this is the French attempt to ‘manage’ the protestors agenda, haven’t the French had enough of being told what to think?

In Paris, police had prevented a concentration of violence and destruction around the Champs Élysées, as well as the yellow vest protesting, others have joined them, anarchists and criminals. Anarchists think they have found a vehicle to bring down the State, and criminals, they are just looting, taking advantage of the moment.  

Much of the destruction was caused by roving bands of what is termed “casseurs”, urban guerrillas determined to loot and pillage, some of whom were wearing gilets jaunes. This is a tactic to hide among the crowd when the police arrive to restore order. Among the “yellow vest” protestors were also black-clad and masked youths who, the authorities suggested, belonged to ultra-right, ultra-left, or anarchist groups as I mentioned above. I am surprised that the French identitarian movement hasn’t featured more prominently in these protests or maybe the press is ‘managing’ the news?  

One thing you can online is that French security forces, using armoured vehicles and water cannon, were more mobile and reactive than in previous weeks, this was justified by Paris authorities by saying that there had been “much more damage” to contain.

Paris deputy mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said:

“The sector concerned by the incidents was much larger. With fewer barricades, the protests were more dispersed so many more places were affected by the violence. There was much more damage yesterday than there was a week ago.” Paris is set to remain a hotspot; that said, gilets jaunes demonstrations in Marseille, Bordeaux, Lyon, Nantes, Dijon and Toulouse show that the troubles aren’t localised. After all that France has suffered the people have been pushed to breaking point by politicians.

Although the centrists in Europe love to be called ‘progressives’; what they really are and have become are ‘anti democratic’ politicians! The rise of the ‘anti democratic’ politicians was done by hijacking political parties while preaching about social justice and tolerance.

You have heard of the ‘illiberal elite’?

Think for a quick bit of education.

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

That is what has transpired in European politics.

 President Macron did say this:

“To all the forces of order mobilised today, thank you for the courage and exceptional professionalism you have shown.”

If you saw the bloodied faces of old men and women, you might ask where did they find the courage to do that; and of course is this what passes for exceptional professionalism?

The ministry of the interior said 136,000 people took part in what the gilets jaunes had labelled “Act IV” of their campaign of action. Police arrested 1,723 people, of whom 1,220 remained in custody overnight, 900 of them in Paris alone. This was more than four times as many as the previous week. Officials said 264 people were injured, including 39 police and gendarmes and several journalists. When you cover a ‘war’ you run the risk of being hit in the crossfire from either side, rubber bullets don’t ask questions when launched. Many of the injuries however were caused by the security forces firing flash-ball-style grenades at the crowds. A man who lost a hand after reportedly picking up a crowd control grenade to throw it back, forgot the rule, never pick up live ordnance.

Commenting on the violence in France, US President Trump said:

“The Paris Agreement isn’t working out so well for Paris. Protests and riots all over France”.

Jean-Yves Le Drian, the foreign and European affairs minister is reportedly to have replied bluntly to the American president:

“We do not take domestic American politics into account and we want that to be reciprocated. I say this to Donald Trump and the French president says it too: leave our nation be.”

Finally, when you read the accounts of what is happening in France, you mostly are directed to concentrate on the symptoms by the press and government, but you should look are the causes. The rise of the ‘anti democratic’ politicians is just a French affair, you find the same type of people who have worked themselves into positions of power, the problems of France, are much the same of other countries, the same type of people disenfranchised.

A coincidence or was it more sinister, was it planned?

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

The Woman Who Spoiled Xmas, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon refuses to pledge to freeze tax bills for middle class families; is Sturgeon planning to fleece Scots for everything she can financially, what an end to the year to know Sturgeon plans to kick you and your kids in the teeth yet again, no wonder people can’t stand the sight of her, more money for worse services

Dear All

The woman who spoiled Christmas, yes, fresh from having the Brexit debate cancelled which would have been of interest to many in the UK, bitter Nicola Sturgeon has a message for the Scottish people, ‘gies yer money, more money’. It seems that Nicola Sturgeon is refusing to rule out higher tax bills in next week’s budget. And in what must be as funny as drinking cold sick, she is saying that Scots would get a “fair deal”.

How doesn’t anyone paying more tax and being financially screwed square the circle of that being a ‘fair deal? The reason for taxation is that the SNP are so incapable of growing Scotland’s economy that they fallback to the easy option, tax, tax and more tax.

When it comes to income tax, council tax and business rates, the SNP mantra seems to be let’s help ourselves to more. Finance Secretary Derek Mackay confirmed that middle-class Scotland would not get the same tax break as England in April. This revelation rather puts an end to the SNP lie that Scots are better off under SNP Government, things are getting worse and they have no solutions.

Wednesday’s draft tax and spending plans at Holyrood will give people an insight how much they are going to get stiffed for cash.

Why the higher tax burden now?

This is easy explained, the SNP want to show that they do things different, not better, just different, and when we get a worse service that costs more money; Nicola Sturgeon just blames England. This is the format that the SNP have always used, it never changes, seen as good for government, good for SNP Party Conferences.

High-earning Scots face paying £1100 more next year than their English counterparts, what a nice present in time for Christmas, a bit like when you get your gas and electric bill dropping on the carpet.

Your heart just sinks!

Acting Tory leader Jackson Carlaw predicted the Scottish Greens would demand higher taxes in return for supporting the 2019/20 budget. The Scottish Greens have been fostered on the electorate by the list system. They are like a stone in everyone’s shoe that people can’t get rid of. I support the removal of the list system in Holyrood, and the introduction of smaller Holyrood constituencies. Perhaps if this was to happen, then more people would get help, the list system doesn’t encourage MSPs to work for the people.

In an attempt to be meaningful, the SNP and Greens have discussed raising the 3% cap on council tax rises next year.

Conservative MSP Jackson Carlaw claimed a “brand new tax on householders across Scotland” was looming and called on Ms Sturgeon to rule out a “new tax on homes of hard-pressed ordinary Scots”. As to that claim, the SNP don’t tend to do much other than tinkering at the edges so maybe saying “brand new tax on householders 2 is a bit rash. Especially when you factor in this hasn’t been flagged up by the media and talked about in any meaningful way.

Anyway Carlaw added:

“The First Minister’s budget is now going up. She has the money to spend. The fact is no further tax rises are necessary. Isn’t the right choice this year to commit to no further increases on Scottish taxpayers?”

Although the details of the budget tend to be secret as the government and Nicola Sturgeon want a big day for PR purposes, the electorate are always the losers.

On thing which show how bad the SNP are government is summed up in the issue facing Capercaillie B&B and restaurant in Killin, this is a business that employs 16 people, whose business rates are set to rise from £333 to £1750 a month.

So, where is the fairness for this small business which it is alleged to be up for sale?

Where is the Scottish Government help?

Where is one of the ‘fabled’ SNP taskforces to save them?

The truth is that the SNP can’t grow Scotland in a business sense because they are clueless, it is worse than that; they are also inward looking when it comes to ideas. In Glasgow, there is a body called the Glasgow Action Group, which is made up of key figures in the city’s hospitality sector. They have issued a warning that rate hikes could cost 20,000 jobs countrywide. You would think that Nicola Sturgeon would have grasped that protecting jobs is equally as important as taxing them.

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard also pitched in to raise the budget at FMQs, calling for more investment in schools, as he revealed there has been a 7% fall in specialist additional support needs teachers since 2014. With Nicola Sturgeon asking people to judge her on education it seems that some pupils can’t get a decent one as there has been 32% increase in pupils requiring help.

As we wait for the budget to be announced, what we will not be seen is the reform of the Scottish Government departments, we wouldn’t be seen better services, we wouldn’t be seeing genuine help for businesses, we wouldn’t be seeing a credible plan to grow Scotland’s manufacturing base.

We wouldn’t be seeing anything which indicates that Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP can do anything but to get another budget passed. Is it surprising that when it comes to the SNP Government that many people keep expressing the same thought…. ‘Is that it?’

Finally, I wonder if Nicola Sturgeon has any plans to surround herself in the run up to Christmas with kids when it is clear that she plans to fleece their parents for everything she can financially?  

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Ukip Will It Rise or Fall; Brexit Leader Nigel Farage Quits UKIP, 25 years a member, and leading the party for nearly a decade, Nigel Farage doesn’t like the new direction of Gerald Batten, time will tell who was right and who misjudged

Dear All

One thing about being a good leader is being a good orator, a handy tool to have in getting your message out. Nigel Farage is a good orator, he is highly entertaining to watch with countless people posting his appearances at the EU Parliament and on news outlets. If there is one thing he can be proud of is his efforts to secure an EU referendum and help to win it. This was his crowning achievement in his career so far in politics.

Time moves on and people change just as parties do; now Nigel Farage has decided to quit Ukip over its anti-Muslim 'fixation'. Farage spent 25 years as a member, he made the party sellable to the public, save it from going under and achieve a fantastic result in the Euro elections.

The reason for quitting is that after 25 years saying he no longer recognises party as run by Gerard Batten. Since Farage stepped down, Ukip has had numerous changes of leadership, Diane James, left the post after 18 days. I think her decision to step away was a shame, she had the ability but felt the role wasn’t for her once the spotlight turned on her.

With public attention comes public hate.

Her replacement, Paul Nuttall led the party and had a disastrous 2017 election, Ukip didn’t do well, because Ukip lack a narrative, and lost momentum, when you stand for election, it helps to have policies in depth and a ground campaign. Ukip has had its fair share of disappointment in the selection of some candidates who turned out to be ‘warmers’.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/generalelection/general-election-2015-nasty-party-ukip-faces-fresh-questions-over-candidates-on-eve-of-vote-10228122.html

In politics, you have to understand certain things, one is playing the game, being a team player; not to put your foot in your mouth, kissing babies is optional.

The next leader of Ukip, Henry Bolton, was forced out in a members’ voter over offensive comments made by his girlfriend. Old guy and young bird, young bird opens her mouth and makes a fool of herself. Henry Bolton’s career was sunk, another thing in politics is watch who you hang about with, especially the radioactive types.

Gerald Batten took over the reins of Ukip in February without a leadership contest, the brief to stabilise the party and reset the path of direction. In this context, he has made a few decisions which were unusual. Normally in politics, high profile people who are liabilities or have baggage are usually kept at arm’s left. Gerald Batten changed that thinking by supporting Tommy Robinson.

Tommy Robinson is a high profile individual as a result of his pervious history which includes spells in prison. The same people who condemn Robinson are the same people who would welcome Nelson Mandela as a hero with open arms, if Mandela was still alive. Prison can be a setback in politics as several people have discovered or it could be an asset in the case of Mandela.

Nigel Farage’s view on Robinson in politics is clear.

“The idea of Tommy Robinson being at the centre of the Brexit debate is too awful to contemplate.”

That said, people in politics have to recognise that Robinson has a following, the disenfranchised working class in the Ukip. Where once these people could turn to a mainstream party for help; they have found that their voices have been ignored!.

Robinson found a gap in the market.

Having stepped down from Ukip, Nigel Farage has still kept busy; he has been on TV a lot especially loved by the American Fox News Channel. It seems former leaders have a tendency to gravitate to TV and Radio studios.

What concerns Farage about Robinson is Batten’s decision to throw Ukip’s support behind an anti-Brexit demonstration in London on Sunday organised by Robinson and his associates, saying it was likely to “inspire violence and thuggish behaviour”. The truth is when Robinson and his associates take to the streets, the counter protestors turn up in masks to cause violence. Political parties have to be careful and steer away from anything which detracts from their stance on law and order. The appointment of Tommy Robinson as an adviser is unusual to say the least, I have to say I was surprised by that move.

Brexit is at a crucial point, there is a lot of trouble, other parties attacking the government to attempt to get their agenda moving forward. The recent defeats of Theresa May’s Government in the Commons is an example of this, Labour want a general election, the SNP want a second Scottish referendum, and disgruntled Conservatives hate the Brexit ‘deal’.

Lots of smoke and heat but, little clarity at present!

Finally, when you step away from a political party if you have been a leader, the best thing to do is let people do their own thing without comment. Nigel Farage is still an MEP; he is also a TV pundit, once you go, you go. Nigel Farage may at some point end up in another party, who knows, as to Ukip, they seem to have a new direction, whether it pans out in terms of voters is too early to tell. They could end up getting a boost if Brexit goes sideways, and the public get angry.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

SNP MEPs And The EU Gravy Train, SNP MEP Alyn Smith thinks the opinion of ECJ Advocate General Manuel Campos Sanchez-Bordona saying the UK can revoke Article 50 unilaterally equals a huge win for the Remain side, the delusion is laughable, the exit clock is still ticking down, the EU will lose the British ‘cash cow’ and Smith will be losing his job

Dear All

Here is a laugh, which isn’t so funny, according to European Court of Justice Advocate General Manuel Campos Sanchez-Bordona, the UK can unilaterally revoke its withdrawal from the EU.

This is his opinion, an opinion which can be ignored by the UK government and will be.

The last laugh of course is that the UK will not be revoking its withdrawal from the EU; we are too far down the road to turn back. The Conservative Party has no interest in political suicide, which is the bottom line here, the government said they would honour the result of the referendum vote, and they will be judged on that commitment.

What this case brought by malcontents means is absolutely nothing although what did European Court of Justice Advocate General Manuel Campos Sanchez-Bordona mean by ‘the UK’, did he mean the House of Commons or did he mean the government?

This intervention reminds me of how Irish people were tricked out of their democracy by the EU.

 A statement from the ECJ said:

"In answer to the question from the Scottish court, the Advocate General proposes that the Court of Justice should, in its future judgment, declare that Article 50 TEU allows the unilateral revocation of the notification of the intention to withdraw from the EU, until such time as the Withdrawal Agreement is formally concluded, provided that the revocation has been decided upon in accordance with the member state's constitutional requirements, is formally notified to the European Council and does not involve an abusive practice.”

One of the people who brought the case is SNP MEP Alyn Smith, who has never accepted that he is going to be unemployed in the very near future, ripped out of his cosy EU bubble.

He said:

"This is a huge win for us, and a huge step forward from the highest court in the business, and confirms what we have been hoping for: that the UK can indeed change its mind on Brexit and revoke Article 50, unilaterally.

Actually, it isn’t a huge win, and it isn’t a win, because the UK Government is still going ahead with Brexit.

Smith added:

“This is big news. Now, while Westminster is debating legal advice, just how much public money has the UK government blown *trying to stop* this being known? The Advocate General Opinion is not the final judgment, but the practice of the ECJ is that the judges tend to follow the Opinion, so this is a major landmark. We now have a roadmap out of the Brexit shambles, a bright light has switched on above an 'Exit' sign and the false choice being offered to MPs at Westminster - that it is Mrs May's disastrous deal or chaos - is shown for what it is, an abuse of Parliament. There are other options, and we can stop the clock.”

What a pity for him that the UK public wouldn’t accept ‘stopping the clock’, and the Conservatives know the only timetable is to get out of the doomed EU project. What this court case highlights is how politicians don’t represent us.

Yesterday in my post on the ‘yellow vests’, this is a feeling that has gained real traction across Europe. There is a change in the mentality of people towards politicians, from public servants they are now being seen as public enemies. The treatment that Macron of France gets in public is a sure sign that the trust has broken with the political class.

What will emerge is new parties of the right, who will exclude the type of people who brought Europe to its knees. You could see political revolution in Europe and new parties emerging which put the people first and safeguard the national interest.

Conservative former attorney general Dominic Grieve said of the development:

"It's clearly significant. Of course it doesn't necessarily have to be translated into a judgment, but the opinion of the advocate general is often very influential in forming the opinion of the court and it reinforces something I have to say I personally always thought was probably the case.”

To reassure you that nothing has happened of significance by the remain side, Advocate General for Scotland Lord Keen QC, representing the UK Government, said the case is a "hypothetical validity challenge" and those behind it seek "political ammunition to be used in and to pressure the UK Parliament".

He isn’t worried and neither should you be if you fought for Brexit.

Legal representatives for the UK Government believe the case is inadmissible as it deals with a hypothetical situation; the Government's policy is not to revoke Article 50. You could also chuck in that the EU is forbidden to get involved in country’s internal domestic politics, doesn't this fall squarely into that category? 

Finally, Labour MEP Catherine Stihler is quitting being an MEP to get a job elsewhere; this to me is the real acid test because it is an acceptance of reality something which her fellow Scottish MEPs haven’t grasped yet. The party is over, the good times are over; it is time to pack up their offices and use up their allowances before the trek home. Of course, one would expect that the EU would do anything to keep the British ‘cash cow’ pumping money into the EU budget any judgement by the EJC will be seen as tainted, they have no business sticking their nose into UK domestic politics.

Regardless what they say, the public will take no interest in this bogus case, the UK is taking back its sovereignty on 29 March 2019.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Vive La France; French President Emmanuel Macron Considers State of Emergency After France Experiences Worst Civil Unrest Since 1968, has the road to civil war in Europe taken a significant step forward, the people of Europe are sick of their political leaders, if there is a general election, what could populist right-wing leader of the National Rally Marine Le Pen achieve at the ballot box?

Dear All

While we sit twiddling our thumbs waiting for the Brexit vote in the House of Commons, I thought I would cast an eye over to the happenings in France. Quite a few years ago, I said that Europe was heading towards a possible ‘civil war’. I said that the migrant problem would rebound on the political elite and that slowly and steadily the trust between politicians and the people would break. The political elite of Europe have betrayed their people in favour of the EU, crime escalated, violence has escalated and all that was needed was a ‘trigger’.

We aren’t at the shooting stage just yet, but we are beginning to enter the violence and rioting on the streets.

French President Emmanuel Macron is considering imposing a state of emergency after France experiences worst civil unrest since 1968. Here is a blast from the past to get you started.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_1968_events_in_France

Of course, rioting in France does flare up from time to time, but generally it is localised over an incident. We are much more aware of seeing French protests such as farmers complaining about CAP, the Common Agricultural Policy.

Back in 2015, I was blogging on how the military would be needed on the streets of Europe.

http://glasgowunihumanrights.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-calais-migrant-crisis-has-gotten.html

The protests by the ‘yellow jackets/ vests’ far from dying down have spread across Europe, in France, there have been have been violent protests in Paris which saw the Arc de Triomphe vandalised and hundreds of arrests. The protestors are many and the issues they are unhappy about are also many, these protests have many heads, it isn’t a single issue.

French President Emmanuel Macron has been polling badly, the public have lost confidence in him as their leader, He has been repeatedly over time been met with jeers and calls for his resignation. From the attack in Nice to present day where he toured the damage along the Champs-Élysée after his return from G20 in Buenos Aires, he doesn’t inspire.

It must have been uncomfortable for Macron to read graffiti that read “Macron resign” and “Yellow Vests will triumph” after the capital experienced its third straight weekend of civil unrest. People are sick of how they are treated and used as cash cows to be milked; this was the spark that set the ball rolling in France.

Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux has now confirmed a state of emergency was on the table, saying: 

“It is out of the question that each weekend becomes a meeting or ritual for violence.”

What is laughable is that the French Government are saying that the president was ready for dialogue with the Yellow Vest protesters, which is meaningless, as he will not back down from his green agenda.

He said:

“We won’t change course. It’s the right direction. We are certain of that.”

What is there to talk about?

The person must to benefit from the civil unrest is the populist right-wing leader of the National Rally Marine Le Pen. It is also said that these protests might garner support for far-leftist Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of the Unsubmissive France party. These two people have called for Parliament to be dissolved and fresh elections to be held, plunging France into turmoil. In previous elections, Marine Le Pen didn’t get enough support to bridge the gap. This gap is narrowing, people see a need for political change, change that only can happen via the ballot box for what is needed to restore Europe.

The alternative is the bullet and the bomb, civil war which isn’t desirable, is a general election on the cards, well, Macron has public support hovering at around 25 per cent. This is enough to predict he isn’t going anywhere near a ballot box. If you consider he has done only one and a half years into his five-year mandate, he will want to ride out the storm. This assumes that he keeps the considerable support in the French legislative assembly. Leadership is a lonely place when those around you fail to offer continued support, especially if their necks are on the line.

According to interior ministry figures, 3,000 people took part in the rioting in Paris, police made 412 arrests and used over 10,000 tear gas canisters and stun grenades in an attempt to defuse protesters. 133 people were injured, including 23 police officers. Aside from the damage inflicted on the Arc, rioters also attacked the neighbourhood’s luxury homes, high-end boutiques, and set cars on fire. Officials estimated that 75,000 people took part in action across the country, one driver died on Sunday in Arles, in the south of France at a roadblock. If you ever watched the movie Ronin starring Robert De Nero, you will recognise Arles, it is a historical town with plenty of history.

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

In panic, Macron has labelled all protesters as violent however, French politicians and the government have recently been keen to draw a distinction between Yellow Jacket protesters and extremists on the left and right who have infiltrated the protests. The ‘yellow vests’ have a high amount of support from the French public. French protests always get used as a vehicle by the extremists on the left and right, this is nothing new. They want protests to be violent as it suits their agenda to bring down the government; the problem is Macron and his group.

One thing the Yellow Jackets said which rings true is that French President Emmanuel Macron is a “president of the rich” and does not care about the concerns of everyday citizens. Macron is a clone of what has been described as Europe’s childless leaders.

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10306/childless-europe

They don’t care about the future because they have no family which will be a part of it.

Finally, if you think back to 1968, the occupations, riots, and strikes were so severe French Politicians feared civil war and revolution. The violence maybe the worst in 50 years but it also could escalate further. Is the tax hikes the last straw for the French public, how far will Macron go before he breaks society in France? Will the military soon be walking the streets of France? How will the French public react to that, there are lots of questions which spring from what is happening in France but answers seem to be few and far between in how solve the problems under Macron.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University