The Importance of Free Speech; everyone is entitled to free speech, silencing people creates martyrs and martyrs create movements, Tommy Robinson’s Panodrama documentary should be shown on the BBC alongside their documentary, de-platforming is always the wrong tactic, the truth will always out

Dear All

Before I get started on today’s post, which is about #panodrama, I want to say something about Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh. It seems that Ms. Shiekh has taken the Alex Salmond line on timing of indyref 2. To that end she seems to playing the game as Alex Salmond. Salmond and Shiekh are ‘joined at the hip’ producing his TV show on RT.

At the last General Election, Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh was dumped by the people of Ochil and South Perthshire, and to quote Yoda style, ‘her reign, not short enough that was’. Now as Brexit swirls about, she is criticising  the party’s leadership for failing to take action on a future independence referendum.

So, what failure is she talking about?

Failure of Nicola Sturgeon’s government.

Collapse of indy support?

One thing she did get right, is when she said Nicola Sturgeon’s imminent announcements on another vote “have been trailed so often that no-one is taking them seriously now”.

Nicola Sturgeon won’t get a section 30 order from this Westminster parliament currently running, she can only ask. Sturgeon knows that when or if she ever gets one, that is the clock ticking down to the end of her career.

Nicola Sturgeon won’t lead Scotland to independence.

Reading in The National, the Newsquest sop paper for the Nationalists, she took a swipe at the continual delays in her column. Why she has a column in The National is anyone’s guess, but then you could say the same of Mhairi Black or Ian Blackford as well, these people add nothing to the debate on Scotland’s future.

Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh is no oracle, having watched her in the Commons, it was said she had the nickname ‘tedious’, continually standing up to be called by the Speaker to spout inane drivel.

Sheikh said:

"To paraphrase Theresa May ‘now IS the time’ to be presenting coherent plans and campaigning for change”.

Presumably coherent plans aren’t forthcoming from Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, nor Sturgeon or the rest of the cabal in Edinburgh.

Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh is out of politics, no loss there.

Now, back to the main issue, you will have seen on the news, and media sites, the undercover operation and sting of Tommy Robertson. His documentary is called Panodrama and I would like you to view, all the way through. In our democracy, it is important to defend free speech, but the problem is that organisations exist attempt to restrict it by threats, violence, intimidation and blackmail. Although politics is seen by many as a dirty business, you simply cannot just focus on them, you have to look at who operates on the fringe, and in the shadows.

I have done a skim of Tommy Robinson’s doc to get a sense of it, to me, the most interesting part wasn’t the exchange between Robinson and John Sweeney. The most important part was the look on the face of the BBC staff as the exchanges continued.

Especially one man who sat in a chair with his head down.

Everyone is entitled to free speech, and the attempts to silence Tommy Robinson have backfired, rather badly, what is better in the boat pissing out, or out the boat pissing in?  At present, Tommy Robinson is moving to new media platforms which won’t get shut down. You may look at Tommy Robinson’s previous history and not feel sympathy for the man, but like anyone else, we expect he is treated fairly. His Court case was a sham, his imprisonment made him a martyr and his expose of the BBC Panorama made him as an investigative journalist.

The attempts to deplatform him were wrong, utterly wrong, you could make the argument if left to his own devices and where he was, he might have hung himself. One thing that John Sweeney appears to suggest is that the entire British system is run by middle class people. He said that the Labour Party hadn’t done their job properly, which I take to mean not enough working class voices in the MP ranks and elsewhere.

Just as you can’t nail jelly to the ceiling, you will never stop free speech, once you recognise that you also recognise that you don’t have to listen to it either.

Finally, if someone would like to do guest posts on the video above on what they thought of the situation presented, then I would like to hear from you. I am basically Looking for two articles, one for the defence (BBC) and one for the prosecution (Tommy Robinson).

Entries to be sent to my hotmail account,  georgelaird@hotmail.com  titled ‘Panodrama’.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

The Tears of Alyn; SNP MEP Alyn Smith counts down the day to unemployment and obscurity, in a fevered last ditch attempt he seeks to delay Brexit by any means possible, in defiant mode he says he will fight indyref 2 if he loses his job, gosh some people and their ego, cry me a river Alyn, you’re all done

Dear All

Have you ever seen the movie ‘Hannibal Rising’, it charts the early years of Hannibal the Cannibal, the movie has a stella cast, is beautiful shot, and has great production values, in terms of set design. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it to you; it also features the talented Chinese actress Gong Li adding a touch of class. Basically the movie show what happens when young Hannibal witnesses the desperation of starving men turning cannibal.

The SNP has two MEPs, one of whom is Alyn Smith, unlike the other SNP dud; Smith has the passion of wanting to continue his cushy EU existence. Ever since he and the SNP saw their European dream go down the crapper, they have been wheeling and dealing and plotting to attempt to stay. You can see where Smith is coming from, the money is good, the responsibilities are few, and you get to live the high life on expenses.

But…..the party is coming to end, you think he would have grasped that in 2016 by the result, or when me and Brian Monteith won in the Gordon Brewer radio show on the BBC. As we head for the exit on March 29th, mad panic has set in, even at this late date, the Remain side which Alyn Smith is part of want to stop Brexit. They want to use anything such as delay, such as votes in the Commons on stopping ‘no deal’, basically anything and everything they can think of.

It is a very unedifying spectacle.

Alyn Smith needs to pack up his office, drink his entertainment allowances in a massive booze party and depart the premises, with some dignity. Alyn Smith has taken to the press to stir it, he revels in the House of Commons attempts to block a no-deal Brexit, and to extend the Article 50 period. He is a guy hanging from a rope, he is holding on for dear life, but sooner or later the lactic acid will prove too much and he will fall. He sees the slight shift in Labour policy as a foothold; he sees their call for second EU referendum as hope.

But there is no hope.

Prime Minister Theresa May would like her deal to go through but that doesn’t seem to gel with some on the Conservative Party, like them, I opt of hard Brexit. The UK should not be pressganged into a bad deal. 

All the talk of uncertainty is a smokescreen, there is certainty it is called the WTO rules!

If the EU wants a good deal, they need to satisfy our needs not the other way round, the UK I not some hick third world country. In one respect, Alyn Smith has something in common with Brexitters, he regards Theresa May’s deal as disastrous citing that it will have us exit with no clear idea of the future. Smith appears to want to stay, but in the meantime thinks a deal guaranteeing a two-year period whereby our rights will remain the same, looks better, but in truth, he is a short-termist in terms of his wheeling and dealing and job.

He wants a delay not to do anything else but work on staying, he doesn’t get the ‘will of the people’ is still rock solid for leaving, he lives in a bubble in Europe, and his bubble is about to be bust. He wants delay so he can stand again for the EU parliament which is why he says that the SNP is putting together a list of candidates together for the European elections in May. 

No Alex Salmond or Natalie McGarry on that ballot paper apparently, domestic troubles I hear relating to criminal courts.

 In a humble way to play to the gallery, Smith said:

“If I’m selected, I’ll be at my post fighting to bring some sense to this, highlighting that there’s no good Brexit.  Scotland’s interests are assuredly best served by remaining in the EU”.

Getting ripped off and paying 20% of the EU budget, a small price to pay for SNP MEP luxury lifestyle in Brussels, a land of happy times, parties and adventure?  

Smith added:

“If Mrs May does succeed in removing us against our will, having done all we can within the UK constitution, then we’ll have another choice to make. That’s a campaign I want to be part of”.

Oh the revenge of Alyn Smith, is that a comedy, or a horror, could it be made into a 15 minutes short, would people pay money to see Alyn Smith in the movie, ‘Second Time Around’, the story of a man who lost Scottish independence twice and his EU job. It must be a comedy. The critical question is who will be the support cast, naturally the cybernats, a few fat specky bams with dugs, they must Tasmina Ahmed Shiekh with her oily Ideal World Presenter charm and her husband being a creative director in the background. Finally, Nicola Sturgeon as the woman kidding on she is 35. The movie will have to be shot on widescreen, that is 16:9, just in case Nicola falls off the diet.

I wonder if Alyn and Nicola will do a song and dance together?

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Brexit or Bust: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn announces it will back second EU referendum, the so called ‘people’s vote’, what happened to respecting the Brexit vote of 2016, Corbyn’s only hope is that this new policy is forgotten and Prime Minister Theresa May keeps on course, Labour doesn’t need a policy to stem defecting MPs, just one word, ‘bye’

Dear All

As the countdown to exiting the EU is almost upon us, it seems that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said that the Labour Party will support a second referendum. When the EU referendum was held in 2016, Parliament voted for it and said it would respect the result. Clearly the commitment to honour the result as we have seen by the new TIG Group was bogus. In politics, party leaders are seen as being all wise and the fountain of knowledge, on this issue Jeremy Corbyn is badly out of step.

If there is a weakeness in any attempt by Jeremy Corbyn to become PM, it rests on his decisions relating to foreign affairs. Jeremy Corbyn telling telling his MPs the party will support a second referendum to prevent a "damaging Tory Brexit" will look to some as him preventing any more Labour MP resignations.

This to me looks what it is, pure and simple, an attempt to stem the defections by Remain Labour MPs to the newly formed Independent Group, instead of riding out the storm. He has shown weakness, and it looks like weakness. We had a public vote, it must be honoured fully, no weasling out of that promise.

  

In recent days, senior Labour figures like John McDonnell have been suggesting the party was “moving towards” backing a People’s Vote. What McDonnell doesn’t grasp or think about fully is the ripple, the ripple in the North of England, which he needs to win power alongside Scotland.

If there was an election tomorrow, what would 17 million leave voters do with their vote, especially when a huge amount comes from Labour heartlands of the north?

Forgive and forget?

At present, some of the details, the nitty gritty are unclear, we have seen the wide paint brush stroke, what is missing is precise question would be on the ballot paper and would staying in the EU be an option. 

This is why I don’t take this intervention seriously, but that being said, the Labour Party needs another car crash like you need the clap.

Corbyn said:

"The Prime Minister is recklessly running down the clock, in an attempt to force MPs to choose between her botched deal and a disastrous No Deal. We cannot and will not accept.

Last week, after our visit to talk to EU officials and leaders in Brussels and Madrid, no one can be in any doubt Labour's alternative Brexit plan is serious and credible. We are convinced our alternative, which puts jobs and living standards first, could command support in the House of Commons, bring people who voted Leave and Remain together, and be negotiated with the EU. That's why we will be putting down an amendment in parliament this week setting out Labour's plan: for a comprehensive customs union with a UK say; close alignment with the single market; guarantees on rights and standards; protection for Britain's role in EU agencies; and a security agreement which guarantees access to the European arrest warrant and vital shared databases. And we will be calling for legislation to underpin this mandate.”

If you steal people’s democracy by ignoring the first vote, exactly how will this bring people who voted Leave and Remain together?

The Labour leader has also made clear that his party would also be backing the Cooper-Letwin amendment to rule out a No Deal outcome. 

All of this is of course to try and force a general election, which I would argue isn’t the right time for Labour, but Jeremy Corbyn is on a clock, he will get one shot at being PM.

Why one shot?

Age.

If Corbyn doesn’t win the next General Election, he loses his window and that forces him and others to plan to bring through a new generation of Labour leaders.

Corbyn added:

“One way or another, we will do everything in our power to prevent no-deal and oppose a damaging Tory Brexit based on Theresa May's overwhelmingly rejected deal. That's why, in line with our conference policy, we are committed to also putting forward or supporting an amendment in favour of a public vote to prevent a damaging Tory Brexit being forced on the country."

David Lammy, Labour MP for Tottenham and a supporter of the People's Vote campaign for a second referendum, said:

"It is welcome news that the Labour Party is now, at long last, signalling it will accept the principle of giving the public the final say on Brexit. Even if MPs can agree some sort of deal, it would be wrong to force it on the British people when we now know so many of the promises made in 2016 have been broken and any deal will be worse than the one we've already got inside the EU. These are dangerous times for the Labour Party and our country. Jeremy Corbyn is today taking the first step to reunite our party by showing he is listening to our voters and members on this, the biggest issue of our time. But it is also crucial when food prices are already rising and car manufacturers are scrapping investment that we provide the clarity needed to plan for the future."

Labour colleague Clive Lewis, on behalf of the pro-EU Best for Britain campaign, said:

"This decision is a hugely positive step for the Labour Party and our movement as a whole. With this announcement we’re now offering real and unambiguous opposition to Tory Brexit and giving the public the final say on the issue. To my mind, we would never have been forgiven for facilitating Tory Brexit. Especially as the true nature of this project has become increasingly clear to the public these past two years. Namely that it is a hard right, deregulating, race to the bottom economic agenda that has not and will not hesitate to indulge in dog-whistle politics and worse.”

The Norwich MP added:

"The Labour leadership is clearly stating that if Labour’s alternative Brexit proposal is defeated this week, we will swing fully behind giving the public the final say on whether to leave the EU or stay and rebuild Britain and create a Europe for the many."

Let us all be clear, this isn’t a Tory Brexit, and I would suggest that this move will come to nothing, but it will anger Leave voters. Having hopped off the fence, Jeremy Corbyn has missed the frying pan and ended up in the fire. His only hope is that the Prime Minister Theresa May keeps on course and distractions like the ‘people’s vote nonsense dies a quick death.  

Finally, the Labour Party leadership has experienced a run of bad luck, but if you prescribe to the theory you make your own luck, you also make your own bad luck. Defecting Labour MPs should be allowed to go, and told, simply, once you go, you aren’t coming back. The new TIG Group might want to form a new party but they don’t have the organisation, they don’t have the support, and they don’t have the numbers. Basically, these people might form a party but when they fight their seat at the next election, their campaigns will be like an independent campaign. Am I willing to campaign for a second referendum vote if asked by the Labour Party, short answer is no. Already Labour MPs in leave areas say this decision will decimate the party in the Midlands and North, no brainer there!

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

The Destroyer of Countries; Ex Prime Minister Tony Blair says Brexit is boosting the case for Scottish independence, the SNP tried that line and it bombed with the Scottish public, Blair blundered in Scottish politics and Brexit is really him ‘applying’ for an EU position, he won’t save Brexit, we are leaving!

Dear All

One of the myths peddled by remainers is that Brexit is boosting the case for Scottish independence. This is not case, the SNP badly judged this, and found that Brexit hadn’t moved their case as they had hope. Despite this being a fact, we still see people using this nonsense to hoodwink the people.

Ex Prime Minister Tony Blair came to power making many promises;  in reality he over promised and failed to deliver a better Britain. The problem with Blair in power was that he forgot he was the Prime Minister of Great Britain, and didn’t have a dual role as lackey to George W Bush. Tony Blair wanted to as he called it a ‘bridge’ between Europe and the US. In order to do this Tony Blair wanted to place himself at the heart of Europe with a European Union Presidency.

Tony Blair is a discredited politician at best and a disgraced politician at worst, his middle eastern adventures which I termed ‘the crusades’ are well documented. He helped George W Bush to de-stablised the region leading to the rise of Islamic terrorism which we see now played out in the world.

To have Tony Blair state that it was “absolutely bloody obvious” to him that if Scotland were wrenched out the EU against its will it would help the Yes movement is him peddling the SNP lie. Scotland wasn’t wrenched out of the EU against its will, the UK as a whole voted to leave. As to helping the Yes movement, his help is all about him helping himself as he continues to angle for an EU job.

   

After his pro Indy outburst, Tony Blair added:

“It doesn’t mean to say I agree with it, but it’s bound to have an impact”.

Not exactly a concrete statement of conviction, ‘bound to have an impact’, there is not impact due to Brexit. As well as failed foreign adventures, Tony Blair brought in devolution 20 years ago; he caused Scotland’s current problems. The Holyrood parliament which promised so much became a dire second rate student union talking shop filled by third rate politicians.

If you look at the EU, you will see their advancement to destroy sovereignty to do so, they wanted to break up countries, into regions. In their UK model, this lead to the current setup today. A further idea of regional assemblies in England punted by John Prescott failed and died on the vine. Blair’s claim that the creation of a Scottish Parliament provided an “alternative to independence” and that if it didn’t exist, the UK might have broken up instead is rubbish.

What ushered in the SNP to power was simple, theft, plain simple uncomplicated stealing of public funds called ‘expenses’ at Westminster by politicians. This simple act caused the people of Scotland to vote against mainstream parties, and the rest is history.  20 years of Holyrood is marked by 20 years of student politics, which is why many want the place closed down as the failed experiment that it is.

When the Holyrood mag asked whether Blair understood why Scotland had voted so differently from the rest of the UK in the EU referendum, he said:

“Yes, because I think the degree to which this was driven by a sense of English nationalism, it’s obviously going to be more powerful in England than Scotland, and also because I think Scotland is quite comfortable with a European identity”.

Scotland didn’t vote differently, why are a million leave voters discounted, because facts don’t sit well with Tony Blair’s agenda.

At present, the Labour Party has more than enough problems to deal, but people like Tony Blair only add to them when he acknowledged Brexit may have made independence more likely.

His get out of jail free card, he said:

“I’m not saying it will happen, because I still think there are very strong arguments against it, and obviously I’m not in favour of it, even after Brexit, if we do Brexit. But you know, I think when I said this before people criticised it, but it seems to me absolutely bloody obvious, if Scotland is in favour of staying in Europe, and you wrench the UK out of Europe, then yep, people who are arguing for independence are going to have another dimension to their argument. It doesn’t mean to say I agree with it, but it’s bound to have an impact. The thing that’s most frustrating to me about politics today is that we’re not arguing about the right thing. We’re arguing about national identity, when it really isn’t the answer to anything, it really isn’t.”

Blair also told the Holyrood mag:

“Ultimately, I think we overestimated, for sure, the degree to which devolution would quash independence, that’s correct … But I think were it not for Brexit now, probably the mood in Scotland would be less in favour of independence than for some time. I think if I had any regret, I would have looked at more ways to keep Scotland and the UK feeling more culturally aligned. But having said that, I think people forget that there was a huge amount of pressure for devolution as an alternative to independence and if we hadn’t offered that alternative, you might have had an independent Scotland by now.”

Tony Blair gave the SNP an official platform to cause trouble, due to his stupidity, the Holyrood system was gerrymandered to allow unelected people to be elected with a list system, also his stupidity. Anyone think he has suddenly woken up with wisdom or do they agree with me, Blair is seeking an EU job.

The UK as a whole voted 52-48 to leave the EU, in a UK wide vote, the driving force was to take back control; the main issue was about sovereignty, all other complaints about the EU were just symptoms of the main issue.

People had been let down by the political class badly.

The arguments to remain were seen as bogus because people felt and saw no benefit to them being an EU citizen.

‘Man with a real job’ and Deputy SNP leader Keith Brown said:

"Make no mistake; Scotland having some powers has been good for Scotland. However today the debate is now fundamentally different from what was asked in 1997.  The foundations of Westminster politics are crumbling, with Labour and the Tories choosing to ignore Scotland’s voice and disregard the will of our Parliament, as they fixate themselves on bitter party infighting. It’s clear that the case for independence is more compelling than ever. While Brexit offers small minded isolationism, independence is about Scotland taking its place on the global stage as an equal partner.”

This intervention by Keith Brown shows clearly one thing, he is still alive!

Every now and then, we see Deputy SNP leader Keith Brown pop up usually at an indy march to let us all know he is about, most of the time, out of sight and out of mind.

Finally, think back to 1997, Tony Blair comes to power, the theme tune used was ‘Things can only get better’, sick joke now, he was the modern architect of third way politics, million Iraqis dead, bedroom tax, and of course benefit sanctions. Out of power about 15 years and still held in contempt.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Come one, Come all, Lib Dems hint they may want the Conservative and Labour defections in TIG to 'pave way for merger with Liberal Democrats', people now talk about ‘broken politics’, but broken part is the myth of representation and respect for the people’s vote, and democracy in general, Brexit sweeps away the cobwebs of how politics operates

Dear All

You now know the state of democracy in the UK by watching the antics of those who seek stop Brexit. The formation of The Independent Group of MPs which now has former Conservatives and Labour in its ranks, shows how politically broken this country is. For years we watched these people play out theatre of how they were standing up for the people. Some in the Lib Dems think that with talk of a new centrist party, a merger will "reshape British politics".

The short answer to this is no, it won’t reshape British politics, much in the way that a pothole is a problem till it is filled in. You can see the attraction of a merger for the Lib Dems, but if you have a party of Labour, Conservatives and Lib Dems, you have to ask the question, did you really have a genuine choice at the ballot box?

Prior to being in the Lib Dems, Vince Cable was in the Labour Party.

Cable hints at a possible electoral pact between the Lib Dems and the breakaway group but what they need is more defections, a lot more. So, that means fishing in the Labour and Conservative pool, and although you can expect a few more right wing Labour MPs under threat by momentum to possibly switch, they need to hit the magic number.

36 MPs.

36 MPs is the number to secure a party slot in the House of Commons at PMQs, this would push out the SNP, who obviously be hopping mad it that situation took place.

Sir Vince Cable said his party would “hold out the hand of friendship” to the independent group, and said it would be "foolish" for them to stand candidates against each other. The Lib Dems have bombed since Nick Clegg destroyed them by taking them into government and breaking their promise on tuition fees.

They haven’t recovered from that, and the party remains flat both politically and also electorally.

One senior Lib Dem insider said:

 “What has happened has massive potential for big change; change the country needs, which would be a move away from the tired old two-party system.”

The change would be betrayed the public and its democratic vote, you have to ask yourself, why you should vote for or even work for people like this to run our country.

The independent group has 11 MPs, a long way from 36 needed to get the slot at PMQs, if they don’t get this, they are just a fringe group, which even if they become a party, they will be in reality each finding their seats as independents. Most MPs are elected on their parties’ name, not their own, which some will find out in due course.

If you think that all that is going on is just happening, then I suspect you would be sadly wrong, just hours after Joan Ryan left the Labour Party to become the eighth TIG MP, she denounced Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. She also claimed anti-Semitism was “part of his politics.”

The Labour Party isn’t in a good place at the moment, even before 8 of their MPs left, in Scotland, 20% of the membership have left, and activism has slumped rather badly. If you are standing on a doorstep, and someone asks what is the Labour Party doing about anti-Semitism, what do you say?

How do you explain the admittance of Derek Hatton and Jim Sheridan back into the party?

In politics, you expect a few mistakes, but not a car load of trouble stretching across multiple issues.

Although the three Remainer Tories have opened up a new chapter in the story of the Brexit fall-out by resigning their party membership to join the new Westminster TIG group, this is a small development. Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston hit out at Theresa May's "disastrous" handling of Brexit.

I favoured hard brexit in the past, and still favour hard brexit now, it is a waste of time to attempt to bargain with the EU. David Cameron found this out when he went to get his concessions, he got nothing. 

  

Has the Conservative party been taken over by right-wing Brexit hardliners?

No, control still rests with Theresa May.

Ms Soubry said she would not stay in the Conservatives to "skirmish on the margins when the truth is the battle is over and the other side has won".

The Nottinghamshire MP said:

"The right wing, the hardline anti-EU awkward squad that have destroyed every leader for the last 40 years are now running the Conservative Party from top to toe. They are the Conservative Party."

She urged "fellow One Nation Conservatives" and "like-minded Lib Dems" to "please, come and join us" by breaking away from their parties and joining TIG.

In a bizarre statement, Heidi Allen, who represents South Cambridgeshire, said she believed "a significant number" of Conservative MPs were considering joining the trio in TIG.

She added:

“If we do our job right, there won’t be a Tory Party anymore.”

Heidi doesn’t seem politically aware, the Conservatives at the present moment are in poll position to win the next general election.

In Downing St, Mrs May said she was “saddened” by the trio’s decision, stressing how she was determined that under her leadership the Conservative Party would “always offer the decent, moderate and patriotic politics that the people of this country deserve"

.

This is the PM, saying much like Jeremy Corbyn, thank you and goodbye.

Lord Pickles, the former Conservative Party Chairman, said the trio’s expected move was “sad and ultimately a big mistake”.

Eric got that right.

In true to form, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon put her bit in, saying people were seeking an alternative to the "broken, failed Westminster politics". To be clear she means Scottish independence, everything to Sturgeon is about independence.

Sturgeon declared:

"Both the Tories and Labour are imploding at the moment and that's because their leaderships are pandering to extremes."

In the SNP, the ‘extremes are the leadership and the rank and file nutters, the elected are just sheep, picked because they represent no threat.

Laura Parker, the Momentum Group’s National Co-ordinator, said TIG was a “Blairite-Tory coalition,” which their constituents had not voted for".

Nothing gets by Laura!!!!

She said:

“These splinter group MPs ran in 2017 on a manifesto of public ownership, scrapping tuition fees and ending austerity. Now, working hand in hand with the Tories, they’ll revert back to an agenda of privatisation, deregulation and tax cuts for the wealthy. This is unfair, undemocratic and dishonest. If they care about their constituents rather than their own careers, they should step down and fight a by-election.”

Finally, if Momentum hadn’t been going full tilt to de-select Blairite MPs, would the TIG exist? You could put forward the theory that Momentum in part cause the formation of the TIG to get their people selected. Momentum needs to be put in check by Jeremy Corbyn, he cannot afford to lost MPs to TIG.

Keep an eye on TIG’s numbers, the magic number to push the SNP out of a slot at PMQs is 36, they are looking for 14 MPs to join them plus the Lib Dems.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Fixing Labour, steadying the ship; Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn writes to members to say “Our opponents are the Tories, not each other” after seven Labour MPs quit, Deputy leader Tom Watson says more are ready to quit, the choice is simple, either make a deal or purge

Dear All

Here is an email which I got sent, I get sent emails from various parties but this one, I am sharing.

Seven Labour MPs yesterdays quit the party to form another group which now is polling 8% of the vote in a new poll if it becomes a party. In this email below, the seven aren't mentioned by name, their reasons for leaving aren't mentioned, and there is no real counter case for why these people were wrong.

If you have a problem, to me it makes sense to address the problem, rather than shifting focus onto someone else. The Labour Party has problems, but then so do other parties, but those problems need to be talked out.

Anyway, here is the email from Jeremy Corbyn, see what you think.

Dear George,

Our country is in crisis and needs a Labour Government.

Our opponents are the Tories, not each other, and it's disappointing that a small group of MPs have felt unable to continue to work together for the Labour policies that inspired millions at the last election and saw us increase our vote by the largest share since 1945.

Labour won people over on a programme for the many not the few – redistributing wealth and power, taking vital resources into public ownership, investing in every region and nation, and tackling climate change.

The Conservative Government is bungling Brexit, while Labour has set out a credible alternative, keeping all options on the table, including a public vote to stop a disastrous 'no deal' Brexit.

When millions are facing the misery of Universal Credit, rising crime, homelessness and poverty, now more than ever is the time to bring people together to build a better future for us all. For those millions the only solution is a Labour Government that will invest in and transform our country.

That's why we must be united – not for ourselves but to deliver a Labour Government.

Yours,

Jeremy Corbyn

Finally, will there be a second wave of defection, the question remains open but as leader, I would call a PLP meeting and attempt to fix this personally.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

The Un-magnificent Seven, Chuka Umunna and six Labour MPs split party in Corbyn leadership protest over various issues, Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the TSSA transport union said, "Our voters need our MPs to be made of sterner stuff", luckily ‘Traitors Corner’ in the House of Commons has vacancies for sitting

Dear All

Breakaway groups are nothing new in the Labour Party, if you remember the ‘Gang of Four’, now in 2019; a group of Labour MPs have announced their split from the party in protest over Jeremy Corbyn's leadership. The only surprise about this new group is that they took rather a long time to jump.

Leading the charge out the door are former shadow cabinet ministers Chuka Umunna and Chris Leslie. They have will being resigning the whip, alongside Ann Coffey, Angela Smith, Mike Gapes, Luciana Berger and Gavin Shuker. 

Laughingly this breakaway group will be known as The Independence Group, presumably were they sit in the House of Commons will be hence known as ‘Traitor’s Corner’. Although we will get their version why they are leaving, the fact remains that that Momentum, the Corbyn support group wanted some of these people out the door. A recent victory in the CLP of Chuka Umunna put his position and continued selection as an MP at risk. Chuka saw the writing on the wall, and I am sure some others have also got the message.

Labour MP Luciana Berger has gone as well and told how she had become “ashamed and sickened” by the Labour Party she served. Her reason for going is that she reached the “sickening conclusion” that Labour is “institutionally anti-Semitic.   

Labour MP Chris Leslie, he is a smug prat added:

“In all good conscience we can no longer knock on doors supporting a government led by Jeremy Corbyn and the team around him.”

Labour MP Gavin Shuker said the Labour party had "turned its back on the British public, their hopes and ambitions."

This begs the question, which part of the British public he is referring too?

Shuker says the new Independent Group will "back well-regulated business but in return we expect them to provide decent, secure and well-paid jobs".

He added:

“These are values that once would have been considered main-stream in our parties of government,” he says. Shuker says political parties in the UK are broken and that there is complete absence of leadership at the moment the country needs it most”.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had three choices.

1/ Support the decision of the EU referendum to leave.

2/ Not Support the decision of the EU referendum to leave.

3/ Sit on the fence, do nothing and hope the Conservatives are damaged by their actions so when there is a General election, they pick up seats. In order to make themselves interesting, we had flare ups with people like Keir Stramer running his mouth.

It seems that Corbyn in the main has elected to go with option 3, sit on the fence, and try not offending the people who voted for or against Brexit.

The right wing of the Labour Party has been angry for some time, they want Jeremy Corbyn gone so they can continue the middle class project known to some as ‘Blair-ism’. They are also angry due to Corbyn's refusal to throw the party's weight behind calls for a so-called People's Vote on Brexit.

The people’s vote is a middle class construct to deny democracy in the UK, much like happened in Ireland. The sham of the people’s vote is a sick joke, revolving around middle class self interest and not national interest of the UK.

As you would expect Jeremy Corbyn refused to comment as he left his north London home presumably, he will be meeting with party officials and assess how much damage the independence group has done by leaving. Labour MP Stephen Kinnock told BBC Radio 4's The Westminster Hour on Sunday:

"The talk has been going on so long that I say with great regret that, yes, there probably will be some kind of splintering. It just seems to have been in the rumour mill so long that it's unlikely that wouldn't be the outcome."

Interestingly, shadow chancellor John McDonnell said he did not see "any need for anybody to split from the party", presumably he has missed the bit about momentum and the de-selection strategy for people like Chuka. McDonnell did say that Labour would "look at" a proposal put forward by backbenchers Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson to back a second Brexit referendum in the next round of votes on February 27.

This is the wrong way to go, the people won’t accept a second Brexit referendum, no matter how it is dressed up by the Labour Party. This move can do more harm than good to the party, because how do you explain on a doorstep why you are cheating people out of their democratic vote?

As a Labour member, I will not campaign for a second Brexit referendum, and it is highly likely that will not happen.

As well as MPs, former Labour vice chairman Michael Dugher said at the weekend that he is intending to leave the party, saying he regards it as "institutionally anti-Semitic". In a brutal condemnation, Mr Dugher claimed the party he joined nearly three decades ago "no longer exists".

The bottom line is that although some of the right wing MPs of the Labour Party have gone, the numbers are low so far, and given a general election is a few years away, new candidates can be found.

That said Jeremy Corbyn is under pressure, Brexit will come and go, the ripples of that will fade, however he needs to deal with the perceived anti-Semitic problem, because this is an open sore.

Who are the Labour MPs who quit?

Chuka Umunna MP for Streatham

Chris Leslie MP for Nottingham East

Ann Coffey MP for Stockport

Angela Smith MP for Stocksbridge

Mike Gapes MP for Ilford South

Luciana Berger MP for Liverpool Wavertree

Gavin Shuker MP for Luton South

Finally, having watched Chuka Umunna and Chris Leslie on TV and read about them in print, I am so happy they have left the Labour Party. This is probably the best thing they have ever done for the party by default. This may also give Chuka Umunna more time to find a 'decent club' to go to where he doesn't have to associate with the working class, in the meantime, keep an eye out for him sitting in Traitor's Corner at the Commons!

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

The Wrath of Salmond; Alex Salmond suggests government officials hiding behind HR overhaul, Sturgeon’s Government spunk out £187,000 on a new HR plan, are Team Salmond using sniper tactics to generate panic and fear, presumably if and when the big Salmond V Sturgeon fight happens, the 50 cal politics will be rolled out to pick off Nicola Sturgeon.

Dear All

It seems that ‘attack, attack’ seems to be the modius operandi of former SNP leader Alex Salmond. Rather than keeping his head down and not attracting attention, salmond has suggested the people to blame for the botched misconduct probe into him, are hiding behind the Scottish Government  overhaul of its human resources operations. Having won in the Court of Session, you might have thought that Salmond would be looking to get a big payday on the go. 

Money talks, money talks, dirty cash I need you!  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9o0rAvZtM7w

But no, it seems that Alex Salmond wants blood, scalps, and not just plebs, to that end, a  spokesman for Salmond said top official Leslie Evans and others seemed to be “trying to sub-contract their own responsibility onto their personnel department”. Alex Salmond has a criminal trial to face, 14 charges relating to alleged sexual misconduct, two counts of attempted rape.

Alex Salmond strongly denies any criminality.

The Salmond spokesperson said:

“They should not be allowed to get away with it. The buck should stop with those in charge.”

If the buck stops here with those in charge in the Salmond case, this unsurprisingly echos the words of "The buck stops here", a phrase that was popularised by former U.S. President Harry S. Truman! How many people will think that this use of words doesn’t apply to the top civil servant but to Nicola Sturgeon?

Nicola Sturgeon is in charge of the Scottish Government not Leslie Evans.   

The SNP Government is in a mess, news that they are spending £187,000 hiring consultants to help it develop an “HR Transformation Strategy” for its troubled People Directorate is a sham. In a government filled with lawyers and HR people, why bring in outsiders? Is it to give legitimacy to their reputation? They didn’t seem troubled in the past running an unfair and bias system until they were taken to Court.

And let’s be clear but for Court action, the same unfair and bias system would be used on others.  

So, what does £187,000 buy the Sturgeon government, well Edinburgh-based PA Consulting Group is due to start work on Monday on options, targets, a “transformation roadmap”, plus an outline business case and a detailed business case.

A new plan for £187,000!

The company’s task will covers “HR best practice”, suggesting shortcomings in the current set-up which have been played in the courts and perhaps some other stuff which might be legally dodgy.

A spokesperson for Salmond added:

“In the Court of Session case it was the decisions of the Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans as First Respondent which were found to be “unlawful”, “unfair” and “tainted by apparent bias”, at a potential cost to the Scottish taxpayers of over half a million pounds. The other respondents were Scottish Ministers. This latest development looks like they are trying to sub-contract their own responsibility onto their personnel department. They should not be allowed to get away with it. The buck should stop with those in charge.”

This to me, smacks of the plot from the Star Trek Movie, The Wrath of Khan, you might remember this movie as one of the most popular of the Star Trek franchise. Having been bested by Kirk, Khan decides to blow up the Defiant with the Genesis device taking down his enemies.

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

Salmond is a Star Trek fan.

Replace the crew of the Enterprise in your mind and think of Nicola Sturgeon and her gang, as you watch the above clip on youtube.

Let the tumblers of the mind spin!

Khan: 

“To the last I grapple with thee. From hell's heart I stab at thee. For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee”.

The Scottish Government has rejected any link between its HR overhaul action and the failures exposed in Salmond’s judicial review.

A spokesperson said:

“These issues are entirely unconnected. This contract is part of a three year programme to improve the digital systems for our HR service, which started in October 2017. The business case for this phase was approved four months ago in October 2018.  We operate a shared HR service for a number of different government agencies. We are transforming the service to meet the needs of the increasing customer base and to ensure the efficiency of our processes and technology.”

It seems that according to the Scottish Government, they appear to be saying that Team Salmond is talking nonsense. Salmond last month made his debut appeared in court charged with two counts of attempted rape, nine of sexual assault, two of indecent assault and one of breach of the peace. You would think such a charge sheet would leave little time to be preoccupied with anything else. And of course he still has a TV show to do on RT, but you can understand his need for revenge on the Sturgeon government.

I wonder how many people see top civil servant as a proxy for Nicola Sturgeon. You can’t have help but notice that rumours are swirling about the end of Sturgeon as SNP leader and First Minister, the rumours also of, is she hunting for job offers.

Finally, in the Wrath of Khan movie; Khan says: 

“Ah, Kirk, my old friend. Do you know the Klingon proverb that tells us revenge is a dish that is best served cold? It is very cold in space”.

Salmond may not get his revenge on what some have dubbed the ‘Sisterhood’ of the Sturgeon government, but in the end, death is the great leveler. If things pan out for Salmond, he will return to the SNP, challenge Nicola Sturgeon for leadership, and then if he gets control of the party and Scottish Government, major unhappiness for some will follow. In the meantime, it seems that Team Salmond has plenty to say, and strangely very quiet about Nicola Sturgeon.  When Salmond done the book, ‘they dream will never die’, how many would have thought there would be other dreams about revenge?

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Runners and Riders Holyrood 2021, Scottish Conservative Deputy Leader Jackson Carlaw says Ruth Davidson 'likely' to be Scotland's next first minister, SNP Government is failing the public, and SNP Leader Nicola Sturgeon looks increasingly like a lame duck, the race is on, but we should remember this is a genuine three way race, huge amount will rest on getting the political message out on the ground to the voters

Dear All

The next Holyrood is in 2021, this election is important in a number of ways for different people, most people at present are seeing the election as a genuine three way contest between SNP, Scottish Conservatives and Scottish Labour. I still believe that we are looking at a possible hung parliament if the current situation remains more or less the same.

Prior to Holyrood 2021, there will be no Scottish independence referendum which will suppress any chance of momentum for the SNP. Given that is the prospect, this election could be all about the ‘hard grind’ on the doorstep, politicians having to fight for every vote instead of the contest being cluttered up with bogus dreams of independence. The Scottish Conservatives are the second party of Scotland at present, they have a chance to take control of the Scottish Government as much as the other two.

No one is getting a walk through, the Scottish Conservatives need to widen their appeal and work areas that perhaps they are traditionally strong in, like gold mining; there will be a lot of toiling for votes. In politics, it isn’t unusual for parties to bum their load on their prospects at an election. Everyone thinks they are ‘in with a shout’. To that end, Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson is "likely" to be Scotland's next first minister according to her deputy Jackson Carlaw. Jackson Carlaw insists it was "perfectly possible, if not in fact now likely" that she would lead the next Scottish Government.

Given the SNP is effectively leaderless with Nicola Sturgeon, given the scandals, failures and inability to manage government, the SNP are looking more than tired. If you factor in the constant rumours swirling that Nicola Sturgeon is looking for another job, especially after her American trip, you can see why people think a change of government is in the wind. Run as a one man band, the SNP haven’t a leader in waiting post Sturgeon, in fact post Sturgeon, the best they can hope for is a John Swinney return as caretaker leader.

Far from being a party with a wealth of talents, the SNP is populated by small people.

One thing which Jackson Carlaw uses to float his claim is that he likens the current SNP administration at Holyrood to the end of the Conservatives' 18 years in power at Westminster, under Margaret Thatcher and then John Major. During that era, there was infighting by the Conservatives which doesn’t really translate to the situation the SNP find themselves in now. Although there is the Salmond problem in the wings, Alex Salmond is out of the party, his disgruntled supporters might be vocal but their modius operandi is to plug Scottish independence.

Jackson Carlaw is acting as interim leader while Ruth Davidson is on maternity leave, his stint in the chair is going reasonably well, and he hits the nail on the head when he says that SNP having been in power in Scotland since 2007 have developed a sense of entitlement. When parties get that feeling, the rot sets in, politicians don’t work, they don’t serve their constituents and eventually the party machine collapses where a few kid on that they are micromanaging many, except that is only on paper. The activist base collapse and no one comes out, the party ends up forgetting how to campaign properly in an area.

Jackson told the Holyrood magazine:

"The second SNP administration - and this one too - reminds me a little bit of the period of the Major years as they wore on, where, after 18 years of Conservative government, there was more of a sense of entitlement setting in, and a sense among people that this is how it now is in the ordered way of politics and nothing is ever really going to change that. Well, we found out very rudely in 1997 that the electorate is very capable of deciding when it's time for a change and it can decide for a change in a way that you would never have thought possible, even five years before it happened."

The biggest letdown leads to Conservatives losing the government to me always appears to centre round management of domestic politics. The opposite can be said of the Labour Party, their fall at the end of the Blair/Brown era centres around badly damaging foreign policy decisions.

A smart party takes care of the both the home front and foreign adventures, keep that in balance and everyone loves you, tilt too much and you’re out the door!

The other party in contention for Scottish Government is the Scottish Labour Party led by Richard Leonard. Leonard is still finding his feet, being slotted as the third party of Holyrood has been a shock to the Labour Party. They might not have seen that coming but others did, the Labour Party reaped the consequences of their actions, too many changes of leaders at Holyrood, and effectively no impact. Proposing policies one minute and the next campaigning against them doesn’t gel with the public. If you take the SNP’s ‘poll tax on wheels’, and think back to 2000, the Labour/Lib Dem came up with this, only to see it dropped.

 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-44354925

Another gem which probably sticks in people’s minds more is PFI hospital car parking charges which Scottish Labour brought in and then when opposition mounted a fierce campaign against them.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7593400.stm

Of course, you could be swayed by people saying that those policies of the past where brought in by people who are now gone, and the new team never supported them. You have to ask the question why people then didn’t know such policies were against Labour values. Richard Leonard needs to get Scottish Labour active, but to be active, you need something to sell on a doorstep, and of course you need to believe in the candidate whether it be for Holyrood, Westminster or council. The clock is ticking for Scottish Labour and they have to abandon the mindset that 15 minutes at FMQs at Holyrood represents ‘work’ and makes up for the lack of activism in the party.

Looking at the Scottish Labour Party at present, I liken it to an engine, although certain people have turned the ‘key’ the engine hasn’t kicked over. If you take a recent CLP meeting of Pollok CLP as an example, the candidate Matt Kerr called for ‘volunteers’ to help his campaign.  Outside what some would recognise as his group, no one volunteered. His election agent then asked for people to deliver ‘introduce the candidate’ leaflets, no one volunteered for that either. Of course this being the first CLP meeting of the year, you might have expected that people might not be ready to dive back into activism. Team work is important in politics, and it helps that you understand how to manage a team, especially if they are helping you providing free labour. Cllr Matt Kerr won the selection for Glasgow South West on the 12th September 2018, so that is about 5 months, give or take, given he said he had 12 people coming out for him, I am highly surprised that he hasn’t finished leafleting the Govan side of the constituency. If one person can manage to leaflet the bulk of the Govan ward on the Pollok side in about 10 days, why can’t Team Kerr finished Govan?

Obvious Team Kerr will have to work harder and smarter.

Finally, Holyrood 2021, everything is up for grabs for the three parties, SNP, Scottish Conservatives and Scottish Labour. The Scottish Greens aren’t worth talking about as they have limited appeal in Scotland. Jackson Carlaw thinks his party is in with a shout, and his assessment might pan out. Nicola Sturgeon said she became active in politics because of the Conservatives, how ironic would it be if she had to hand over the keys of Bute House to Ruth Davidson?

I suspect the howls of laughter down the corridors of Holyrood would be epic!

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Pity The New Neighbours, SNP Cllr Russell Robertson’s partner David Hara pleads guilty to sectarian abuse, gems included “the Pope was a paedo”; filth vile is poured over female neighbours, in mitigation defence lawyer trots out the LGBT card and there is talk of ‘regret’ Sheriff Lindsay Wood needs to jail David Hara for six months, a strong message is needed

Dear All

As if doomed SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon hadn’t enough on her plate, there has been a spate of people in the SNP and formerly of the SNP heading towards the criminal courts of late.

Some of them..... allegedly close friends! 

SNP Cllr Russell Robertson, 59, was accused of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at his Gartcosh home on September 2, last year. The good news for Robertson and presumably the SNP in Glasgow is that the charge against him of making offensive and sectarian remarks has been dropped.

No by-election in Glasgow which no doubt will disappoint some people, including me, the chance to get another of the SNP out of public office has been missed, but hey, another day right?

The bad news for Nicola Sturgeon is that SNP Cllr Russell Robertson’s partner, a 29-year-old university student called David Hara admitted shouting “the Pope was a paedo” during a neighbour dispute.

Hara pled guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court yesterday to shouting the remarks. Robertson denied the charge, which prosecutors accepted. The rammy kicked off when a female neighbour allegedly heard Hara make the comments;

“you fat smelly cow” and “you fat smelly tramp” which she believed were about her which is like a red rag to a bull, things went downhill after that leading to remarks aggravated by religious prejudice. As well as the ‘smelly’ comments, Hara is said to have made remarks about “hating the Queen” and that “the Pope was a paedo”.

In cases like this, we have to be understanding and think of the victim, also think about the wider society. Although Hara has been freed on bail pending reports, in a case like this we really do need to send out a message about this type of sectarian behavior and make use of the prison system.

Although David Hara is a 29-year-old university student, people in a case like this would expect a sentence of imprisonment, no special favours for political or sexual preference should be available.

A good solid six months in  prison would be the right way to go.

Sheriff Lindsay Wood branded Hara’s behaviour “atrocious” and said “that’s down to your drinking, you’ve hurt people, you’re offending people - do you get that?”

Given at an earlier hearing David Hara pled not guilty by denying the charge apparently not methinks!

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/snp-councillor-russell-robertson-appears-in-court-on-sectarian-slur-rap/ar-BBOXia9

Rather than cough up, David Hara took the view to buy time, waste court time and kick the can down the road.

In a hushed court Procurator fiscal depute Gemma McKechnie said Hara was at the back door of the house drinking and talking to Russell. A female neighbour nearby heard Hara make the comments of “you fat smelly cow” and “you fat smelly tramp”. Then once the floodgates were open more comments about “hating the Queen” and that “the Pope was a paedo” followed.

Hara told another female neighbour who was nearby that her and her daughter were “sluts”.

In cases like this, is there a need for ‘heterophobia’ legislation to come before Holyrood, does this case make that litmus test for an inquiry into future laws. In what must have been a difficult decision after being subjected to such vile filth, the women bravely phoned the police.  

In an attempt to mitigate the crimes, Defence lawyer Jack Brown said a lot of drink had been taken that day and his client and Mr Robertson believed the neighbours disapproved of their relationship.

It seems that to water down the sentence of David Hara, the LGBT card has been trotted out as some kind of justification.

It is said that Sheriff Lindsay Wood list his interests as family, football, keep fit, music, travel, reading and maintaining a sense of humour. Hopefully in this case, he will keep his sense of humour and use the ‘judgement of Solomon’ and shove six months in prison up David Hara’s ass!

Finally, it appears that the house used by Robertson and Hara is on the market, and they are making plans to leave the area, well given they have worn out their welcome that isn’t surprising. 

Call me old fashioned but you have to pity their future new neighbours don’t you?

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Living the Un-American Dream; SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon says Scotland will be independent in five years, utter delusion, if Sturgeon is looking for job opportunities I can highly recommend a ‘high frying’ job, behind the counter of KFC post FM, her career prospects aren’t on the international Geo political scene, TV or academia but the scrapheap

Dear All

When SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon went to America on her ‘tour’, to some people rather than promoting Scotland, Sturgeon seemed to be promoting herself and independence. As the ‘tour’ progress, it was looking more and more like Nicola Sturgeon was looking for job opportunities.

You might ask, why might Nicola Sturgeon be looking for job opportunities?

You might reply to that question; that Nicola Sturgeon isn’t going to be delivering a second Scottish independence referendum in this term of the Scottish parliament and with the serious prospect of a hung parliament post Holyrood 2021, there will be a lot of angry Nats about. Yes, as in normal in SNP politics, someone will step up to stab Nicola Sturgeon in the back politically, telling her she needs to go for the benefit of the independence movement. Ex politicians when their careers peter out sometimes hop off to industry or academia or set up their own business. Given the history of failure in politic office by Sturgeon, no one in business will take her, academia is out of the question, and as to setting up her own business, don’t see it.

In such a situation what is needed is someone gullible, someone who doesn’t know the real Nicola Sturgeon, someone who hasn’t seen behind the fake persona.

What she needs is a mug or a collection of mugs that are looking at Nicola Sturgeon with rosy tainted glasses.

As part of her tour, Nicola Sturgeon said on CNN current affairs show Amanpour & Company that Scotland will be independent in five years. Sadly our hillbilly cousins in the US aren’t up on Scottish domestics politics too well as they would realise that Sturgeon was trying to sell them a pup. Although politicians use aspiration, the future for Sturgeon is ‘political asphyxiation’, the oxygen is being sucked out of the Sturgeon government leading to it withering and dying, a long slow death.

Having made a clear bizarre claim; Sturgeon decided to add to it re the EU by saying:

“I would love to think so and I think it will. I’m not going to put a particular timescale on it right now but in the not too distant future, I think Scotland will be an independent country looking to join the EU and looking to take a seat the United Nations.”

The World is global but for Nicola Sturgeon, the World in terms of opportunities is shrinking, ex SNP leaders don’t go on to do well post political career. They are like some Asda products that are on permanent ‘rollback’. Nicola Sturgeon in this tour couldn’t have failed to notice that she isn’t a statesman, the more she travels abroad, the more that message must sink home to her.

The SNP banked on Brexit working in their favour which although they said they were against it, they wanted a crisis, a lever to say they needed a second Scottish independence referendum. They never really campaigned against Brexit and they never spent the money to stop it. To say that Brexit would have a significant factor for her plans and she was confident that more Scots would back independence in a referendum is wrong, people, ordinary people in Scotland have accepted Brexit and that we are leaving, that is the reality.

Leaving the EU became more apparent and acceptable to Scottish people. 

Sturgeon added:

“We’re in this position because we’re not independent”.

Fighting to be independent and then wanting to sell out Scotland to Brussels, what is the point of a party which claims to want to live in an independent country only to give control to un-elected bureaucrats?

Sturgeon continued:

“That democratic deficit, that Scotland faces as being part of the UK, undoubtedly makes many people want to look again at the issue of Scotland becoming an independent country. I think there will be another independence referendum. And when that happens, I think Scotland this time will vote to be independent. It will be a way of us protecting our place in Europe and make sure the decisions that influence the direction of our country are taken in Scotland not in London. The timing of that is yet to be determined - obviously, there is a lot of concern about the Brexit process. As First Minister, I’ve said that I will set out my view on the timing of another independence referendum in the next few weeks once we see how this Brexit process plays out.”

The only thing which Nicola Sturgeon has played out is the false act that she and the SNP are relevant in the UK and in Scotland.

Oh and before we all demand our taxpayer money back for this trip, Sturgeon said that Scotland remained "opened for business".

And she also said:

“It’s no secret that I’m not aligned politically with the current president of the United States. We disagree on many things. But Scotland and the US have a very strong and long-standing relationship, and that relationship endures regardless of who occupies the office of president or of first minister”.

Anyone notice Nicola Sturgeon at the White House, or an invite to visit?

Sturgeon rambled on:

“The timing of my visit is more to do with developments in the UK. I want to make sure the rest of the world knows, not with standing Brexit, Scotland remains open for business. Scotland didn’t vote to leave the EU, that’s something happening to us against our will, but we want to make sure that other countries know that Scotland remains open and welcoming - we want to attract businesses and individuals to come and live and work in our country.”

Open and welcoming, presumably there is a visa attached to that thinking, we don’t have an open door policy.

The US visit by Nicola Sturgeon was attacked by the Scottish Conservatives chief whip Maurice Golden.

He said;

“Nicola Sturgeon took a week away from government business to bang the drum for independence, and that’s completely unacceptable. The First Minister was supposed to use this dubious trip to promote Scotland’s business and economy. Instead, she spent her time lecturing America about her selfish plans to break up Britain.”

Basically what I have been saying, it is time that there should be an inquiry to stop taxpayer money being used for political campaigning, it isn’t enough to say at some stage that ‘Scotland is open for business’ as a cover for independence campaigning.

Finally, in America there is a term called ‘redneck’.

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

In the case of Nicola Sturgeon it is apt, but Nicola Sturgeon isn’t just redneck material, she is also brass neck material, hoping that someone will pay her attention and look upon her as a serious political player. That strategy has backfire, Sturgeon is inward looking, she is a short term-ist; she isn’t a team player. If Nicola Sturgeon wants a piece of the American dream in terms of job opportunities, then I can recommend a ‘high frying’ job, behind the counter of KFC post FM.  

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University