Is Labour’s NCC Unfit for Purpose; Labour MSP Anas Sarwar claims party bosses ‘barred’ him from giving evidence at Islamophobia probe, it seems that Anas has a legitimate grievance but his Islamophobia campaign reminds me of the McCarthy witch hunts of the 1950’s in America, one thing is clear, the party isn’t united

Dear All

In life, there is a saying you have to take the rough with the smooth, sometimes the rough can be a defeat. If you watch politics, you will have noticed Labour MSP’s plucky crusade on Islamophobia. Having been removed from the Health brief and also failing to become the leader of the Labour Party in Scotland, Anas set about building himself a platform to speak. Just as we had the McCarthy witch hunts in 1950’s in America, the new witch hunt for the modern times is the hunt for Islamophobia.

In the Labour Party, it isn’t always the thing to speak your mind, but I would say that many people think Anas Sarwar’s campaign on Islamophobia is pure bull shit. Because Anas Sarwar is seen as being ‘off on one’, he has shown why many people in the Labour Party refused to vote for him as leader.

Anas Sarwar’s campaign on Islamophobia is pure bull shit as observed by some people; his campaign said to be all about him gathering support by flagging up a problem which doesn’t really exist.

Here is a question; do you notice Anas Sarwar making the same effort about Anti-Semitism?

No?

Join the club!

In the aftermath of losing a complaint against Labour Councillor Davie McLachlan, Anas has launched a damning attack on the Labour Party’s disciplinary process. Apparently his complaint had to wait 15 months to be dealt with before being thrown out. Although he has a legit gripe about the time taken, he doesn’t accept the result it seems. Anas Sarwar says he is “deeply hurt and demoralised” by the move and insisted he was “left with the sad impression that Islamophobia is one of the last acceptable forms of prejudice”.

Perhaps if he wasn’t crying wolf all the time; and being seen by some as using Islamophobia as a political vehicle for himself, he would be in a better place.

Anas Sarwar’s campaign on Islamophobia is pure bull shit.

The background to the complaint is that it was alleged last year that Councillor Davie McLachlan had told him "Scotland wouldn't vote for a brown, Muslim Paki". This was at the time of the Scottish Labour leadership contest which was a pretty nasty little affair. When he met with party bosses they insisted that he provide them with further details. David McLachlan, who had been leader of the Labour group on South Lanarkshire Council was suspended following the allegations which he, “categorically denied” making. Fast forward to yesterday and we see the case against McLachlan was dismissed at a meeting of Labour’s National Constitutional Committee (NCC) in Glasgow.

McLachlan said he had been “vindicated”.

But where does that leave Anas Sarwar?

Anas Sarwar is condemning the disciplinary process insisting he was only called as a witness four days before the hearing, and then barred from giving evidence because he had not given two weeks’ notice.

This statement seems strange, how can you be called as a witness then barred from giving evidence? It would seem that if there was a breach of process, then Anas Sarwar should take this up with Labour HQ in London.

In a lengthy statement, he said:

“Just five days ago I was expressing my delight that we had secured the support of political parties in Scotland for the adoption of the All-Party Parliamentary Group’s definition of Islamophobia. It was a landmark moment which demonstrated that Scotland was leading the way in the fight against Islamophobia. I am therefore devastated that it is my own party, the party of equality and with a proud anti-racist tradition; that has failed at the first test. When I made the decision in January 2018 to launch the campaign against everyday racism and Islamophobia and set up the Cross-Party Group on Tackling Islamophobia, I felt it was important to share my own experiences”

“As I said at the time, this was the most difficult decision that I had ever made in politics as it was the first time I was talking so openly about my own race and religion and highlighting my own difference. But I felt it was important to do that as it would hopefully encourage others to do the same, and through that open dialogue we could spark a national debate about everyday prejudice and how we could confront it. One of the examples I gave was of a council group leader telling me that ‘Scotland wouldn’t vote for a brown, Muslim Paki’. I didn’t disclose the name of the councillor in my interview. The Labour Party insisted that I disclose the name of the individual so that it could take action. I received many calls and emails encouraging me to do this including from the Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland and Deputy Leader, Lesley Laird, and from the Scottish General Secretary, Brian Roy.

"I disclosed the name to them and stressed at the time that this was not about any one individual or about one party, but about challenging a culture that was impacting people in playgrounds, college and university campuses and workplaces across the country. After 15 months of little or no communication or updates, I was notified by the Labour Party late in the afternoon last Thursday that the NCC hearing would be on Monday, April 29, at 11am – just four days later. I was asked if I could make myself available as a witness. I emailed back expressing my disappointment at the short notice and asking a number of questions about the process. I got a response back at 8.30am on Monday morning and all the relevant paperwork sent to me just before 9am for a hearing that was due to start at 11am”.

“When I arrived at the hearing I was informed by an NCC representative that I could not give evidence as I had not given the committee two weeks’ notice of my intention to appear as a witness. I was asked to leave and was unable to provide any evidence. The UK Labour NCC panel subsequently ruled that there was no case to answer without any verbal evidence being taken”.

“Given what I read in the paperwork that was produced for the NCC hearing and my experiences since raising this case and the circumstances of the NCC hearing day itself, I am left with the sad impression that Islamophobia is one of the last acceptable forms of prejudice. It is important that disciplinary processes are fair and transparent. But it’s now clear that the Labour Party’s disciplinary process is deeply flawed and not fit for purpose. It is not fair on either the complainant or the accused for the process to last 15 months. It is not transparent if witnesses are not adequately informed and then barred from providing evidence”.

“The UK Labour Party needs to provide a full explanation on its handling of this case, but more importantly it needs to understand the message that this sends about the party’s commitment to tackling Islamophobia and all forms of prejudice. It is ludicrous that complaints made in Scotland aren’t dealt with in Scotland. The Scottish Labour Party should be demanding that disciplinary matters are fully devolved to ensure that cases are dealt with efficiently, quickly and fairly here in Scotland. If even I, as a former deputy leader, interim leader, leadership candidate and Shadow Cabinet member, don’t believe I can get a fair hearing or adequate support from an institution like the Labour Party, then I am left wondering what chance those experiencing discrimination in other walks of life have”.

“This is why the work of the CPG and the campaign against racism and Islamophobia matters so much to me. This is painful, difficult, tiring, and at times lonely, but I feel a responsibility to keep going. I am very grateful for the messages of support I have received from colleagues and friends in the past 24 hours. I ask for your continued support and encouragement, because this is a fight for all of us.”

If there is any lessons to be learned here is that you shouldn’t place your trust in anyone you don’t trust. Anas Sarwar didn’t get a win, David McLachlan but I suspect the real bad PR will end up going to Labour’s NCC which is an allegedly autonomous, quasi-judicial body which is entirely independent of the party leadership.

A Labour Party spokesperson said:

"The Labour Party takes all complaints extremely seriously, which are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken."

Finally, when I didn’t get a vote in the Labour Party candidate selection for Glasgow South West, I didn’t complain, because I knew that I would be wasting my time and energy. Since I didn’t get an opportunity to vote as a paid member, I felt no obligation to be an activist for the candidate. Anas Sarwar appears to have a legit gripe about how this hearing was run but his campaign on Islamophobia is pure bull shit because some people see it as a political vehicle for him to use as a platform since he was removed as shadow health sec by the Corbyn faction led by Richard Leonard.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Round up of the Nicola Sturgeon SNP’s very bad week, Scottish independence poll: One in five Scots back Nicola Sturgeon's Indyref 2 plan, ex SNP MP Natalie McGarry admits embezzlement to the tune of £circa 25,000, but the fight goes on, it’s time opposition politicians upped their game to retake Holyrood

Dear All

Just as there is good news, there is also bad news, which is why you get the saying, ‘do you want the good news or the bad news first’?

The good news is that only one in five Scots back Nicola Sturgeon's Indyref2 plan, the overwhelming majority of Scots do not want a second independence referendum. You may remember that I have continually said that Nicola Sturgeon can’t lead Scotland to independence because Scotland doesn’t want her. In fact I will go further; the Scottish public doesn’t want the SNP to lead an independent Scotland ever.

That is the good news for pro UK supporters who work tirelessly to build up brand UK in Scotland.

The good news for Nicola Sturgeon is there was a general election tomorrow; the SNP would win almost as much of the vote as Labour and the Conservatives combined, and pick up 51 of Scotland’s 59 seats.

So, why the anomaly between what pro UK groups and pro UK political parties in Scotland are doing? Pro UK groups are getting their message across but the political parties aren’t making much headway. The reason is in part strategy, in politics as in business; you need customers; that means you need a product that customers actively want. If this trend continues the SNP will remain effectively unchallenged for some considerable time.

What is needed is a political game changer?

This can be done by promising to deliver policies that the SNP cannot via the Westminster system, use Westminster to retake Holyrood and then use Holyrood to retake seats for Westminster. This brings me back to an enhanced devo settlement which works better and makes the SNP just a memory.

In 2017, the SNP crashed from 56 MPs to 35 MPs, the fact that a poll says that they could take 51 seats given their incompetence and low quality candidates isn’t a surprise, it’s time that the opposition stopped playing the SNP’s game, its time the opposition became more, gave more and done more.

You can’t have failed to notice the drift in opposition politics in Scotland; you can have failed to notice the division or the lack of policy which apparently only comes out in drips and then a spurge at election time.

The static between ‘events’ means no momentum!

No momentum equals no gains, no forward progress, even against the SNP who aren’t able to deliver progress, but are rooted in failure. To outsiders, this state of affairs looks bizarre especially when pro UK groups have done their job and produced 61 per cent of people who want Scotland to stay in the UK.

As we know, Theresa May’s deputy David Lidington yesterday restated the Government’s opposition at a conference in Glasgow.

The Cabinet Office Minister said:

“We don’t see any evidence there is a demand from the people of Scotland for a revisit of the decision  they took in 2014. That referendum was something the First Minister and her colleagues said at the time would settle matters for a generation. We don’t see that a Section 30 Order is called for. I don’t see that is going to help put right Scottish schools and Scottish hospitals.”

The Scottish Conservatives want to push for a win in 2021, and given the Conservatives in Westminster hold the ‘keys to the Kingdom’, they need a Westminster manifesto being played out for a Holyrood win.

Deliver change that the SNP cannot. 

Sturgeon announced on Wednesday she intended to introduce a framework bill for a fresh referendum at Holyrood but with the UK Government refusing to grant a Section 30 order, the Scottish Conservatives dubbed it a “bill to nowhere”. They are right it will be a bill to nowhere but it is also a ‘bill to keep Holyrood power’.

Basically a ‘stopper’ tactic won’t win Holyrood, it is going to have to be a ‘fight’.

Conservative MSP Maurice Golden said:

“No matter what the SNP says, support for independence simply hasn’t risen since the 2014 vote. That’s all the evidence Nicola Sturgeon should need to take this threat off the table.

“But instead she ploughs on, ensuring Scotland is subjected to yet more division and uncertainty. A responsible Scottish Government should be seeking to bring the country together, not drive another wedge through it.”

So, this brings me back to what is needed a ‘fight’, with the SNP backed by 41%, Labour 24%, the Tories 22%, and the Lib Dems 8%, the Electoral Calculus website said the numbers would translate into 51 MPs for the SNP.

Anyone up for a ‘fight’ because sooner or later, Holyrood must be taken back, and it will not be with a smile, a balloon or a T shirt!

Finally; a few comments on the criminal conviction of Natalie McGarry who admitted embezzlement to the tune of circa £25,000 on Wednesday.

As a victim of Natalie McGarry’s vicious and nasty hateful nature, I am glad to see justice was done against her. 

Natalie McGarry was part of Nicola Sturgeon’s nasty Southside clique who has paid the price for her own stupidity. From high to low, the future looks bleak for McGarry, does she deserve to be put in prison, the answer is yes; it is what the public expects. I am also glad that Prosecutor Gerard Drugan is asking for a hearing to confiscate money from the ex-SNP MP, which will take place next week. 

A fitting end to her ‘career’ is conviction, prison and confiscate of the money she took.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Consigned to the Dustbin of History, ex SNP MP Tasmina Ahmed-Shiekh pushed off the radar and news agenda as Nicola Sturgeon wants the spotlight on her, the attention seeking SNP leader won’t be announcing a specific date for indyref 2, the trailer was a damp squib, now the main event is anti climax, is that it?

Dear All

Yesterday was all about Tasmina Ahmed-Shiekh and her journey into the political wilderness, to home in on the major problem, she has been removed as an approved candidate by the SNP. Today, we get a laugh; we have a Sturgeon spokesman said Sturgeon would "strike an inclusive tone" while "setting out a path forward for Scotland".

But not with Tasmina Ahmed-Shiekh!

The SNP are well known as a pack of liars, cheats and charlatans, they are not about inclusiveness, they are all about minority identity politics, since they can’t get the mainstream support for their cause, they have used minorities. Whether the cause was right or wrong, the SNP ‘welcomed’ people as members as a way to increase their activist pool.

A form of cheap labour!

Tasmina Ahmed-shiekh served a purpose, now since her fall from grace, how quickly she has been cast aside or put on the ‘backburner’. Having been anointed by Winnie Ewing, Tasmina was cast as the professional successful Muslim Asian woman, now she has the fined and being found guilty of professional misconduct, not so marketable. Tasmina fitted in rather well at the SNP after being hailed by Alex Salmond, and her very public bust up with the Conservatives. As a Conservative, she lamented the lack of support when she fought Govan for them, on her way out the door, she played the race card against the party. I thought that was stupid, the Conservatives gave her a chance to shine, but to win Govan, a staunch working class area was a very very tall order indeed.

As is the way with the SNP when they want to push the news agenda on from bad news, and looking at the SNP candidates for election, not a single Asian person selected, the SNP have moved on from Salmond’s promoting minorities to Nicola Sturgeon’s new ‘pet project’ promoting women based on a 50/50 spilt.

Given the lack of original thinking to push Tasmina further onto the backburner, an SNP MP has claimed Scotland does not 'sit in a partnership of equals' within the UK. Oh yes, Stephen Gethins, a Michael Matheson clone has uttered the old fable as he spoke to Adam Boutlon on All Out Politics ahead of the First Minister's announcement on a second independence referendum.

Can you feel the tension in the air waiting for Nicola Sturgeon’s announcement?

No?

Well if you don’t it is because Nicola’s announcement is an anti climax, hype after hype after hype has left people bored senseless. The main focus of course is deflection from Sturgeon’s problems, rather than her members looking at her for her failures, she wants them to look at Indyref 2. This is a joke, a time and face saving measure as Nicola steers herself towards her own exit. In this scenario, Sturgeon gets turned down by Theresa May thus, getting her through this parliament as a ‘complainer’ seeking a mandate for a new term in 2021. The ‘mugs’ will all buy this, they fell for it before, they will fall for it again, you may ask why?

The gullible will be fed Nicola’s version of outrage and the ‘supporting cast’ of MPs such as Gethins along with others will be trotted out again and again to back up her story. As per the norm, Gethins, the SNP's EU spokesperson, did not speculate on what the First Minister planned to announce.

Why not?

Because Nicola Sturgeon is the star, the spotlight light must be solely focused on her, Gethins is a bit player with a nonsense title. Gethins represents the trailer, the main show is Sturgeon delivering a “grievance speech”. In the trailer, Gethins said he wants Scotland to be the same as other European countries.

Obvious broke then!

Most of the EU countries get money from the EU pot because they aren’t doing well.

Gethins told Sky News:

"Within the United Kingdom, we do not sit in a partnership of equals. The European Union is a partnership of equals”.

Remember the EU threatening members states with cuts if they didn’t sign up to the migrant quotas?

Exactly how does that represent equality?

He added:

"What I want to see in terms of independence is us having the same relationship with London that Dublin has, that Oslo has, that Copenhagen has. I just want to be the same as other European countries, and I’m not sure that’s a whole lot to ask."

It is a fact that politically and socially we aren’t like Norway or Denmark, and if you remember Ireland going bust, we are much more aligned like them.

In the SNP script, the Conservatives are always the ‘bad guys’, which is why Gethins said:

"We know that the direction that this Tory government is taking us in will lead to decades of economic loss and social loss. This is about building better public services and is about what people really care about. It’s about building economic prosperity for the future."

The SNP can’t run the health service properly, can’t run the trains properly, they can’t run education properly. Given all the natural resources allegedly lying about why isn’t there a massive jobs boom in Scotland?

Governments don’t build economic prosperity for the future, business do, a fact that shut up Nicola Sturgeon on TV when she was gobbing off.

Today’s big announcement is just an exhibition of self publicity for Nicola Sturgeon as it is she won't announce a specific date for another vote. Just like Sturgeon is unable to deliver Government services, she isn’t capable of delivering a date. The irony is that her efforts to set out steps to protect her existing referendum mandate don’t exist because there is no mandate.

Finally, it is all smoke and mirrors of a defeated SNP politician who can’t accept her time is over, the signs are there, she is cutting ties, as Tasmina Ahmed-Shiekh found out, she knows she is secure this term. She knows she stands in poll position to lead a minority government post 2021, and then expect her to make way or bail out.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

‘That All Sounds Lovely’, Former SNP MP Tasmina Ahmed-Shiekh has been barred from standing as a nationalist candidate in the SNP, no room at Brussels for ‘Livid’ Tasmina as Nicola Sturgeon’s crew slam the door shut on her European Dreams, as an actress you would have thought she could have improvised a story on being found guilty of professional misconduct were she was the heroine, but alas no!

Dear All

Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, the former SNP MP who co-hosts The Alex Salmond Show has been barred from standing as a nationalist candidate. When you look at this show, there are two distinct phases apparent in my mind, pre trouble, and post trouble, for both of those presenters. In the case of Alex Salmond, his troubles are acute, while Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh’s problems are more chronic in nature. Ms. Ahmed-Sheikh doing her piece to camera on RT looks and sounds increasingly like a woman who could be selling vacuum cleaners on Ideal World!

Ms. Shiekh hitched her star to the wagon of Alex Salmond quite early.  

Away back in 2014, I was campaigning against Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh online as she toured around Glasgow with a group trying to get elected. The little support group as I recalled where hanging around Glasgow South West, basically places like Darnley. This was also the year of the Scottish independence referendum, the Salmond era was at its high, but was also to, spectacularly to fall as events unfolded. The SNP’s ‘summer offensive’ rolled on like the Germans did in Operation Barbarossa, the political fighting was fierce with Nationalists targeting women from Better Together while the referendum and the election ran parallel for a time.

Hate filled the air, but when the smoke cleared in the EU election, the ‘summer offensive’ to get three seats was to turn out to be a disaster, the SNP only returned two MEPs and the nasty campaign by the SNP was turned into a race thing. This election also saw David Coburn of Ukip nip in and get that third seat so prized by Tasmina and the SNP.

It was a night of joy and laughter, well laughter from me at any rate.

In the aftermath of being rejected, Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh was to win the seat of Ochil & Perthshire South in 2015, but in two short years, the snap election saw her punted down the road, losing to a Conservative candidate.

It was a night of joy and laughter, well laughter from me at any rate.

Since losing the seat of Ochil & Perthshire South in 2017, she has been found guilty of professional misconduct and fined £3,000 over her handling of a trust fund at a law firm where she was previously a partner. Now, that the SNP is on the political slide, Nicola Sturgeon can’t afford to have Tasmina Ahmed-Shiekh as a Euro Candidate! And with elections for Holyrood and Westminster so time away and Sturgeon looking for the exit, Tasmina could be back! Of course to cement her position it would be helpful if Alex Salmond regained the leadership.

You have to wonder what was going through Tasmina’s mind when she thought that standing was a good idea, when patently ‘the baggage’ was a major problem. According to sources it was said that she was “livid” after her initial vetting application was put on the back burner, destroying her bid to be selected for the May 23 elections.

Having sucked up to the leadership in my opinion, maybe she thought that she had a pass, but it seems that Nicola Sturgeon party thought otherwise. During an internal appeal hearing on Thursday, Ms Ahmed-Sheikh is said to have given a passionate defence of her suitability for elected office.

But let’s face it, when your face doesn’t fit, it doesn’t fit!

As I previously blogged there are two courts in the SNP, the Court of King Alex and the Court of Queen Nicola. Tasmina was in the wrong court, plus her being on RT as a presenter for Alex Salmond doesn’t play well. In politics, it helps to have ‘allies’, in the case of Tasmina, it appears that Joanna Cherry, an SNP MP and an ally of Salmond, raised concerns about the vetting process at a meeting of the party’s ruling national executive.

We can expect more from the Court of King Alex in future as the SNP spilt into two factions. No surprised that Ahmed-Sheikh’s appeal was dismissed and the party ruled that she should not be on the approved list of potential candidates.

Removed from the approved list of potential candidates is what you should focus on here, because unless there is a power shift, it is doubtful that Holyrood or Westminster will ever be available to her again. Less than two years ago she was part of the SNP front bench at Westminster, not that this is a thing.

It is understood that the ‘main reason’ for the rejection of Ms Ahmed-Sheikh was that she was fined £3,000 in January after being found guilty by a tribunal of professional misconduct.

Question is, how can she in future rewrite this piece of history to be the heroine?

Finally, if insult to injury is worth noting in this case, the SNP list of European candidates are;

Alyn Smith, an angry wee man who lost badly to me on the Gordon Brewer Radio Show.

Former MSPs Aileen McLeod and Christian Allard, one is past it and the other never had it.

Margaret Ferrier, the former MP, a complete banger of the highest order.

Heather Anderson, a councillor who I have never heard of.

Alex Kerr, a party activist.

Finally, as Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh looks and laments at this list and the woefully and dreadful lack of talent, she might feel quite angry which is rather understandable. This group doesn’t represent choice or quality which is sorely needed at the EU Parliament. Given the state of politics, it will probably be two that get elected if the election goes ahead in May. Getting three is a bit of a stretch but do keep a lookout for Tasmina on the campaign trial just in case Nicola Sturgeon throws her a Westminster biscuit!

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Knights charge across the desert -A George Laird Production

Dear All

Happy Easter to you all, in the meantime enjoy my two new video clips.

George

Star Destroyer leaving the Hoth System - A George Laird Production

Dining Out On Rape; SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon’s Government playing petty politics on welfare issue exposed as an utter sham as SNP minister refuses to find 'rape clause' cash, having manufactured a fake problem over two child cap limit, SNP leader and her female cabal left looking like inarticulate fools and charlatans

Dear All

The UK Government has set a two-child limit on benefits, in order not to disadvantage the victims of crime who have been raped, the UK government sensibly put in place measures so that the small number of women affected would get financial help. 

The two child limit is sensible, as is making provision for the victims of crime, in this case rape. One thing about politics which is pointless is faux outrage, all done with a purpose, to garner support, garner votes and make out, they are the people who should be in charge.

The SNP seized on the two child limit and then started to bang on about the help for rape victims claiming there was a ‘rape clause, leading the charge was SNP MP Alison Thewliss, a former councillor. Having whipped up the mob, Ms Thewliss, not the smartest tool in the box, has been dining on this for years.

Alison ‘rape clause’ Thewliss.

Not much of a legacy when she is eventually put out the door at Westminster.

The SNP has used the ‘rape clause’ as a stick to beat the Conservative Government, but the truth is that what the SNP say and what they do speaks volumes, they talk the talk but don’t walk the walk. Scotland’s Social Security Secretary has been criticised after insisting she will not find the money to offset the so-called ‘rape clause’. The faux outrage exposed again for what it is petty politics playing a cruel game with people as pawns. Shirley Anne-Somerville has repeatedly deplored its impact but when push comes to shove, she said the responsibility lay squarely with the UK Government.

So, to be clear, the government led by ardent and passionate feminist, Nicola Sturgeon won’t provide a financial fix. In a press interview with the Times, Somerville also sidestepped a question on whether she had even asked Finance Secretary Derek Mackay for money to mitigate the benefit curb.

Why so shy?

Coming a bit late to the party, Scottish Labour accused Somerville of being too stubborn to fix a “callous policy”. Is it not amazing that Scottish Labour is jumping in for scraps, of course, we should remember this Westminster issue is being used for domestic Holyrood politics.

Somerville said

“People are calling for us to mitigate but we are taking this as far as we can at this point. It’s not our policy to alleviate the two-child cap.”

So, what is taking this as far as we can actually mean?

Just talk, no action!

Asked how she could oppose mitigating the rape clause when she appeared not to know the cost of doing so, she replied:

“Well, I know there is no additional money in the Scottish budget. I think we need to continuously push to get these things dealt with at source rather than the assumption being that we can mitigate against this.”

This is classic SNP, unwilling to do a job themselves but quite happy to push it onto others to fix, in this case, the UK Government, even if the problem is an SNP invention.

Asked if she had asked Derek Mackay for the funds to mitigate the rape clause, she said:

“I don’t think you can set one cabinet secretary against another. We are all frustrated. We would all want to do more.”

I want world peace, but that is just a hope, also a house move, but that is just aspiration as well.

Put to her that the SNP preferred not to act because it left the rape clause as a political tool to beat the UK government, she replied:

“I don’t get any pleasure from this at all. But I also won’t stop, because the responsibility lies in Westminster to see the damage that policy is creating.”

Asking someone to tell the truth so that they can get help and what they are entitled too is responsible government, no matter what the colour or the party, in this case, the Conservatives identified a problem and put in place help. This exercise in petty politics is all about getting the two child cap limit scrapped, which will not happen even in the event that there is a change of government at Westminster.

And don’t kid yourself on that one.

Scottish Labour Social Security spokesperson Mark Griffin MSP said:

“This stubborn refusal of the SNP to take action on the two child cap will exasperate people across Scotland.  The 2016 Scotland Act delivered new powers to our parliament that allows for the creation of new social security payments for people in Scotland. If the SNP government wanted to, it could effectively end the cap and scrap the rape clause, and do what we can to reverse the devastating effects of this callous policy. Instead, ministers are refusing to do so, despite the Scottish Parliament taking action on the bedroom tax and housing benefit cuts. This inconsistency will infuriate people across the country who want to see the government using its powers to protect people.”

The difference between the ‘bedroom tax’ and the ‘rape clause’ is that it has wider voter appeal and is ‘more trendy’ as a political tool, the ‘rape clause’ isn’t trendy at all, in fact it is a conversation killer. Having manufactured a fake problem for petty political argument, the SNP are now being beaten with the same stick they created. You can see how much stock the SNP put into the ‘rape clause’ farce by looking at who they got to front it. 

The same Alison Thewliss who was known by some wags as 'Alison Clueless' down the Glasgow City Council!

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

First Order in Glasgow - A George Laird Production

Dear All

Another clip, best played at full screen on a computer, updating your skills in key in politics, the VFX revolution hasn't hit politics yet, only a matter of time.

George

Desert walk by Cartoon Boy - A George Laird Production

Dear All

As the Brexit war continues, the backlash is building, which people will use if we are plunged into the European elections.

So, we wait and see, in the meantime, wee clip to watch, while I am caught up in other things at the moment, how do you like it.

George

Airwolf on Paisley Road West Glasgow - A George Laird Production

Dear All

This is my latest clip of VFX, it features the helicopter, Airwolf, flying into Paisley Road West, Glasgow.

Hope you like it, best viewed full screen 1080 resolution.

George

The ‘Problem’ Left and Labour Party; Jewish Labour Movement expresses no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn or his leadership following party's anti-Semitism rows, it is time to end ‘identity politics’ in the Labour Party

Dear All

One thing you would like to think when you make a complaint is that it is treated fairly and not interfered with by others, especially from higher up in the Labour Party. After all as a member, you accept you have certain rights, but it seems some others think they get special rights as well. There has been for sometime an ongoing issue within the Labour Party about anti-Semitism and how those complaints are handled.

A Sunday Times apparently said it had seen leaked internal documents which showed the party's system for dealing with complaints had been beset by delays, inaction and interference from the leader's office.

The question this begs is why anyone from the leader's office, think they have the right to act in this way, is there a rule which allows this?

I doubt it.

There should never be a question about the integrity of the complaints system in the Labour Party.

Such actions have led to the Jewish Labour Movement saying that it has no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn's leadership. In order to win a Premiership, Jeremy Corbyn would need all sections of the community to back him. The damaging anti-Semitism rows in the party place his aspirations of walking into Number 10 as PM in doubt. It is pretty damaging that a no-confidence vote was passed "overwhelmingly" at JLM's annual general meeting considering that the group, has been affiliated to the party for almost a century.

At this meeting was a stern critic of Jeremy Corbyn, Labour MPs Dame Margaret Hodge along with Ruth Smeeth and Dame Louise Ellman. The no-confidence motion was passed despite a plea from Baroness Chakrabarti, the Shadow Attorney General. What is interesting about Sami Chakrabarti is how she has risen so quickly in the party without bother of a track record. She led Labour’s internal inquiry into anti-Semitism, which wasn’t seen as a great success. Anyway having been elevated personally by Jeremy Corbyn, she said the JLM should "personalise" the issue on Jeremy Corbyn.

She said:

"My plea to the JLM is to stay in the Labour movement and to tackle racism together, not to personalise it and make it about Jeremy Corbyn, because he is one person and he won't be leader forever."

In other words, keep quiet!

It appears that Jewish members will not heed Ms. Chakrabarti’s view as a motion noting the "crisis of anti-Semitism" within the party since Mr Corbyn's election as leader was passed "almost unanimously" at the meeting. The problem in my opinion stems partly from ‘identity politics’ where everyone must be put into a category in order to ascertain their ‘victim status’.

This is one of the major failures of the ‘left’ in the Labour movement.

Divide, separate and conquer in order to attain and hold onto power, of course this leads to problems such as membership falls, a failure to get involved in activism, and other measures to support the party. One of the other failures of the ‘left’ in the Labour Party is entitlement, where some people who get selected expect your loyalty and work as an activist when they have earned it. This is part of the mindset of the university educated middle class in the Labour Party.

A party spokeswoman on the JLM row:

"The Labour Party takes all complaints of anti-Semitism extremely seriously and we are committed to rooting it out of our party. All complaints about anti-Semitism are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures. We can't comment on individual cases."

She went on:

"Lines have been selectively leaked from emails to misrepresent their overall contents. One of the emails shows the General Secretary's Office ending the practice started by former staffers of asking the Leader's Office for their help with clearing the backlog of cases. This practice lasted for a few weeks while there was no General Secretary and was ended by Jennie Formby [following her appointment to the role]."

Finally, I voted for Jeremy Corbyn to lead the Labour Party, he represented the best choice for change from what has previously been in place. That being said, it appears that some of his supporters who post comments online such as "Heil Hitler" and "Jews are the problem" are bring him down. There should be one standard to adhere to in the party, and anti-Semitism shouldn’t be tolerate or people get a pass on their conduct only to get back in again when the heat dies down. If a complaint is lodged by anyone, the matter should be taken seriously; there shouldn’t be anything that interferes with it, not by anyone, no matter how high up in the party.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Nicola Sturgeon’s Brexit Madness: SNP leader in TV interview says ‘I don't want Scotland to settle for second best’ post Brexit, if you take the measure of Govanhill in her constituency as a benchmark, Scots have settled for much worse due to her utter neglect, Global UK will be a strong player on the World stage

Dear All

If she isn’t handing out wrong advice, backing the wrong people, failing to do her ‘day job’, or rectifying past mistakes, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon is happy to talk down Scotland by making wild accusations which she has no evidence.

The latest ‘its all about me’ stunt is First Minister Nicola Sturgeon saying that she would consider a second independence referendum in the event of a “sub-optimal”  Brexit  compromise. If you haven’t kept up with her delusion, it doesn’t matter if the UK gets a ‘good deal’ post Brexit, nothing will ever be good enough for her. Everything to the SNP is about getting independence, ironically to them hand it over to a political organisation called the European Union.

In front of Channel 4 news, Sturgeon’s latest soundbyte is that she didn't "want Scotland to have to settle for second best and become a marginalised part of a marginalised UK.” For the record, the UK has never been marginalised in its history and Scotland’s voice has been well placed in the UK parliament. In recent years, the voice was diminished by the quality of SNP MPs at Westminster.

Getting on the telly, Sturgeon added:

"If we end up being taken out of the European Union against our will, on the basis of a sub-optimal compromise that actually jeopardises Scotland's interests, I don't want Scotland to have to settle for second best and become a marginalised part of a marginalised UK”.

Scotland isn’t being taken out of the EU against its will, the EU referendum was a UK wide vote; Scotland didn’t vote as a country, this lie peddled relentlessly has failed to take root with anyone of any real sense.

Sturgeon continued:

“And I think in those circumstances, it would be right for Scotland to consider again whether being independent and having the option of being independent in Europe was better for our future”.

Scotland?

What she is talking about isn’t the people, the majority of Scots in recent polling all say the same thing, no to independence, the gap is getting bigger, as the inept government of Sturgeon drags painfully on.

Sturgeon:

"In terms of the timing of that choice, I think it's reasonable before I set out a path with timings, to first see what the starting point of that path will be. I hoped we would know that by now, but hopefully, we'll know that in the not too distant future."

So, yet again, Nicola Sturgeon refuses to ‘name the day’, because she doesn’t have a clue what she is doing, what is she waiting for like a passenger at a bus stop, events dear boy, events!

On the issue of currency, Nicola Sturgeon tried to fudge the issue if she ever won independence by saying that she accepted the principle of working towards the Euro, this means Brussels would ‘run’ Scotland and Sturgeon and co would be the regional overseers. They would control policy and budgets; we would become a slave colony losing jobs, investment and status.

And get this, people would have no job security under the EU, companies would simply bring in cheap foreign labour replacing Scots. In relation to the Euro problem, she added

"The practice is what matters here; and you don't have to be theoretical about this. Sweden is an example of a country that joined the EU after the requirement to join the Euro is in place, is not in the Euro and has no intentions of going into the Euro”.

Then she cites the outgoing EU Chief,  Jean-Claude Juncker by saying:

"Jean-Claude Juncker said at one point that the EU is not in the business of forcing any country into the Euro against its will. Now Scotland wouldn't necessarily even meet the requirements for ERM (European Exchange Rate Mechanism). You have to be in the ERM two years before you can be in the Euro initially”.

How wonderful that Sturgeon can read off a piece of paper, but if you look at Greece, they entered the Euro by fudging figures and their country ended up being asset stripped, the got ‘loans’ from the EU and the money didn’t go to the people but to wealthy bankers along with Greek assets. If you want to know what future hell would be in store in an EU Scotland then Greece is your role model. Sturgeon would give up our fishing rights, oversee the national resources stripped, and SNP cult ‘bought off with a few trinkets’.

Europe is going to change over the next decade; the EU is losing support as people turn to parties interested in securing the sovereignty of their countries. In France, the suppression of the people has begun; the yellow vest protests running every week for the last 6 months have been threatened by state violence. Macron is finished the next time France gets a chance at the ballot box. In the midst of countries in the EU fighting for independence, one woman stands alone wanting inter-dependence, Nicola Sturgeon.

A Law professor once said he has failed in teaching Nicola Sturgeon democracy.

https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/alistair-bonnington-one-party-state-is-an-enemy-of-democracy-1-4183472

The Prof said:

“I fear I must accept responsibility here. I taught Nicola Sturgeon when she was in law classes at Glasgow University. I seem to have failed to instill in her the most basic rules of how the institutions of government work in the free world. We tried to teach that a one-party government which tramples on the independence of the other arms of the state, and indeed the independence of its own members, is the very antithesis of true democracy. How sad that we failed”.

Having read the assessment of her teacher, anyone get a sense of what Nicola Sturgeon is all about? As we have seen by the state of Govanhill in her constituency, people are never a priority for Nicola. Like her former boss, the lust for status is blinding her to the reality all around her.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

The SNP’s broken Brexit record: SNP Leader Ian Blackford hits out at ‘disrespect’ for Scotland as he and the ‘chimps’ tea party’ of Scotland scream about indyref 2, the SNP show how lacking in skill they are politically, their ‘it’s my ball’ approach reeks of petty self interest and contrived grievance

Dear All

According to what passes for an SNP leader at Westminster, we get a repeat of the broken record, ‘The day is fast approaching when Scotland will vote for independence because it is sick of being ignored at Westminster’. If there is anything to ignore at Westminster, it isn’t Scotland but rather the SNP MPs, the equivalent of a ‘chimp’s tea party’. Whether it is clapping like a seal, dozing on the benches, looking up at the ceiling or pretending to be meaningful MPs with someone to say, the SNP are a wretched bunch.

At the present moment, Westminster is in panic mode, as some MPs in the House struggle with trying to subvert the democratic vote of the EU referendum, like a can, they keep kicking it down the road. At some point, they will run out of road or time, and if we are all lucky, we will get a WTO Brexit.

If we are all lucky!

In grievance mode, SNP leader Ian Blackford said a majority of Scottish MPs had voted for three of four options out of the Brexit impasse put to a second round of indicative votes. So, what, the House of Commons operates on a UK wide level, which Blackford is presumably well aware of. His non starter point is that Scottish MPs, had their views “disrespected”, as MPs overall had rejected all four choices.

When you don’t win a vote or series of votes, it is called democracy.

In the midst of the SNP plan, which is unwinnable, they want a second vote on Brexit, the so called people’s vote, what they don’t want is a general election as they stand to lose more seats. Yes, although Nicola Sturgeon says she would love a general election, you can take that with a pinch of salt. Plenty of the ‘chimp’s tea party’ MPs would be punted down the road.

That too would be democracy in action.

One thing that Blackford said to the Commons is that it would be an “outrage” if Theresa May now sought to bring her thrice-defeated Brexit deal back for a fourth vote. Clearly the PM is not for turning; however, a fourth vote loses likely to lose. If you keep getting told no, chances are people are pretty fixed on defeating her deal.

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay has suggested another vote for the same deal was a live possibility, Blackford said:

“It really is about time the Government accepted reality, that the deal the Government put forward has been defeated three times. We need to try and see where we can find consensus and work together. Fundamentally for us that represent seats in Scotland, we voted to remain in the EU. A vast majority of Scottish MPs voted to revoke Article 50, a vast majority of Scottish MPs voted for a People’s Vote, a vast majority of MPs voted to stay in the single market and customs union. It is crystal clear to us from Scotland that our votes in this House are disrespected. It’s becoming increasingly clear to the people of Scotland that if we want to secure future as a European nation that we’re going to have to take our own responsibilities. Sovereignty rests with the people of Scotland, not with this House, and the day is coming when we will determine our future and it will be as an independent country.”

The tired old broken record of everything is better with independence, how many times has the SNP said this, triple digits plus?

Well saying it doesn’t make it so!

Although the SNP are making proposal’s, in reality, they want to revoke Article 50 to avoid a no-deal Brexit. They are still clinging to the nonsense that they can join the EU without going through the proper procedures. They don’t want to accept that legally, the 27 EU members can veto their application; there is no way round that bunny if they choose to do so.

So, why did the SNP again abstained on the option that came closest to passing?

The plan for a permanent customs union proposed by Tory veteran Kenneth Clarke, well it was keep alive their dream of stopping Brexit totally. The SNP isn’t interested in consensus no matter what story Blackford and co float to the media or anyone else. You could say that by abstaining from the Clarke option, which needed just six votes to pass, they have laid the bricks for a no deal Brexit.

Yet again, the SNP show how lacking in skill they are politically, their ‘it’s my ball’ approach reeks of selfishness, but in this case, thank goodness for idiots. Post stupidity Blackford later denied the SNP had made a no-deal more likely by not backing the idea.

In panto, they would say, ‘oh yes you did’!

Scottish Green MSP Patrick Harvie, who is seen by some as an SNP stooge tweeted:

“Dismaying that once again MPs have failed to find a majority – but only just. It is still clear that if those backing a softer Brexit and those demanding a People’s Vote can join forces and agree a motion that proposes both, a clear majority can be found. But the clock’s ticking.”

This is a guy who couldn’t defend the current EU in a debate with me!

Ian Murray, the Labour MP for Edinburgh South and a long-term campaigner for a People’s Vote, said:

“It’s disappointing no options secured a parliamentary majority, and it’s particularly frustrating the legal minimum of a customs union failed to pass after SNP MPs abstained, despite it being their policy for some time. If we end up with a hard Brexit or a no-deal Brexit, voters will see that some have played politics rather than doing what is in the national interest. However, the level of support for a people’s vote is encouraging, and a parliamentary majority to give the public a final say is now within our grasp, as it won tonight with the highest number of votes. Over the coming days, we must redouble efforts to secure this and give control back to the British public.”

Personally, I would like to see Ian Murray join the TIG group, since he is a Blairite stooge who doesn’t even hide that he won’t support the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

One little bit of interesting waffle came from Tory Brexiter Richard Drax, he made an extraordinary personal statement in which he said he “made the wrong call” in backing Mrs May’s deal on Friday.

The Dorset MP said:

“I have not been true to myself…. What I should have done, and did not do, was to trust my instincts and those of the British people.”

He is also calling on the PM to resign immediately if Mrs May did not commit to taking the UK out of the EU on April 12. I think that the PM should take the UK out of the EU on the 12^th. Ideally we should already be gone, and we shouldn’t even be thinking of preparations for the May 23 EU elections as a “contingency” step.

Brexiter MP Andrew Bridgen told Channel 4 News that Mrs May had “one chance to save the Conservative party by backing a no-deal next week.

He said:

“She has got over half the parliamentary party, the vast majority of our volunteers and members in the country and our supporters, supporting a managed no-deal Brexit on April 12, which would end the uncertainty for business and get us out of the European Union. I don’t have confidence in Mrs May but she has one chance to save the Conservative Party, to save our democracy and get us out of the EU.”

Finally, you might look on the chaos down the road at Westminster and feel a little het up, but now isn’t the time to get worried by what if or whatever, let things play out and plan form there. No is not the time to lose your nerve, burn energy, freak out or want to go on a demo, it is a time to learn patience.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University