“WON’T ANYONE RID ME OF THIS TROUBLESOME PRIEST?” (HENRY THE SECOND)

Are you sitting comfortably? The date is December 29 Th. In the year 1170 four Knights, heavily tooled up rode into Canterbury Cathedral. By the time they left the body of Thomas Becket who was Archbishop of Canterbury lay dead and rather badly mutilated. He had really p****d off King Henry the second by siding with the Pope and trying to prevent Henry's grab for power in the church. Henry famously raved at the situation and said "Won't anyone rid me of this troublesome Priest?" The 4 knights heard the King and thought collectively 'that sounds like a job for us' and the rest as they say is history.

I suppose we can describe it as progress that the Canon Chancellor of St. Paul's Cathedral the Rev. Giles Fraser has resigned from his post in protest at plans to 'remove' the 'occupy' protestors from the steps of the church, he is quite rightly a 'Troublesome Priest' but he is still in one piece. No thanks to the powers that be that are now determined to remove the protestors. The St. Paul's clergy are said to be angry at the pressure being put on them by the London Corporation and a certain London Mayor called Boris Johnson who I fancy is wishing it was back in Henry the second's time, then these protestors "would fear him" as Don Corleone said in the Godfather. The Rev. Fraser has resigned because he refuses to sanction "violence in the name of the Church" violence? by the met? Where on earth could he have got that idea? do the Rev. and big Boris worship the same God I wonder? The words of praise and best wishes are now surrounding the Rev. Fraser like a massive halo, what turned out to be his last sermon on Sunday at St. Paul's was highly critical of corporate greed which would not have endeared him to the likes of Boris and the political gangsters he hangs out with, good luck to the Rev. Fraser.

Needless to say the protestors and I would guess countless thousands more are looking on in awe at his sacrifice, quite a turn up in the squalid capitalist cess pit which we call society today. A Christian Cleric at the highest establishment level turns out to be just that, a Christian, who would have thunk it? No doubt there will be investigations at the highest level to find those responsible for allowing this brave dignified cleric to rise so high in Britain's most famous parish and it's most famous church, Boris will no doubt demand that heads must roll.

The question now is will we see the finest from the Met all masked up and numberless beating up and using tazer guns and riot hoses on peaceful protestors at their camp on the steps of such an iconic Christian site. The other question now is for Boris and the Government to work out not whether it is right to do so but to work out whether they can get away with it. Because you can rely on it that if they can work out how to beat up and imprison these people they will do so, they will no more hesitate than the Brown Shirts did in Germany. We all have a duty to witness and protest what is about to happen. Decent Christians if it goes pear shaped I urge you to withhold your support declare yourselves atheists until the church lets the tents back on to the sacred stairs.

RISE LIKE LIONS AFTER SLUMBER – IN UNVANQUISHABLE NUMBER - SHAKE YOUR CHAINS TO EARTH LIKE DEW – WHICH IN SLEEP HAD FALLEN ON YOU – YE ARE MANY THEY ARE FEW. (SHELLEY) ‘THE MASK OF ANARCHY’

The lines above were written by the great poet calling on the masses to rise after the "Peterloo Massacre" when government troops slaughtered protesters in Peterloo Fields Manchester.

Despite the efforts of me and many others over many years it looks like I might well have to revise my opinion often stated that I would not live to see the destruction or at least the significant restructuring of the evil capitalist system. Protests grow all around the world as more and more people start to say enough is enough, the beating heart of this rotten system could be the thing which does it most damage, that beating heart is of course greed, greed for material wealth and greed for power and influence, look at some of the most wealthy in the world and you will see with very few exceptions that no amount of wealth is ever enough. Recent events surrounding the quite awful and sinister figure of Liam Fox our ex 100% dishonest secretary of Defence point to a massive behind the scenes international conspiracy of the rich and powerful to sway how governments make policy and how they take decisions and they get them to make those decisions in the favour of the rich and powerful, the kind of people that the craven Liam Fox is so besotted with.

Let's roll the dice and see where it takes us, all across the world people are losing jobs and homes while the rich and powerful continue to stack up the wealth. Today's newspaper carries a story into what must be one of the best examples of capitalism's failure, America likes to see itself as the backbone of the free market the place where laissez faire rules supreme and; of all places in America the place which is the most obvious example of this is Las Vegas. This plastic paradise is the crudest example of mankind's avarice. A massive glittering sparkling obscenity which screams at the world "fraud" here in Vegas thousands of jobs are being lost and huge amounts of people losing their homes and hundreds and growing are sleeping rough, this is the casino society learning what myself and many others much cleverer than me have been saying for years which is that capitalism will eventually destroy itself as Karl Marx said. Because it's a huge card game a massive risk; a huge gamble and as anyone who has ever gambled will tell you everyone can't win and it produces far more losers than winners.

It is really apt that this protest movement should start in America, I have become frustrated at watching the knuckle dragging racists of the tea party parading in all their ignorance and said to myself in despair "where are the left" well we are seeing them now and I hope they grow and grow America still has the ability to be a great country and it's people are not right wing as the rich man's media would have us believe. I can say that because I am of an age to have witnessed the Civil Rights movement and the Anti Vietnam War movement "I aint goin cause no Vietnamese ever called me nigger" (MUHAMED ALI ) both causes championed by the left and both victorious despite beatings, prison and Police and Government sponsored brutality and they can win again the prize is a better fairer world.

The students are next up with another massive demo in early November and a massive strike to take place near the end of November, the government are not moving so we will have to persuade them. The people who are suffering are the worst off while the rich are not paying anything, quite simply this is unfair and just possibly the Government here and others across the world have made a massive misjudgement and the people are beginning to realize that, more power to the demonstrators and strikers class war now!

"The present demonstrations have already thrown up an unlikely hero, I give you the Rev. Giles Frazer the Canon of mighty world famous St. Paul's Cathedral London. Protestors were prevented from getting near the centre of the financial district and they moved to St. Paul's where they found more police preventing them from occupying the famous steps up to the church. Then the unassuming gently spoken Rev Frazer came out and moved the police on from the church and invited the protestors to stay, perhaps this real Christian clergyman remembered Jesus throwing the money lenders out of the Temple, a hero for our times just like the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Bishops who stood side by side with the persecuted travellers at Dale farm, is god making a comeback?.

THE COMPUTER IS BANJAXED!

Will the last two people who sent comments to me, one on the Davidson V Mackay spat and the other who defended Liam Fox please resubmit their comments. There is a problem with my computer and I will have to wait until my children arrive back from abroad before I can have it sorted, I will reply then.

DEREK MACKAY SNP MSP LEFT REELING ON THE ROPES BY IAN DAVIDSON LABOUR M.P. ON TV.

Watched a Lovely little cameo which inadvertently described the utter lack of ability of the people in the SNP on the Politics Show at the weekend. My old sparring partner Derek MacKay SNP who has risen without trace sat next to Labour's Ian Davidson on the studio sofa, the matter for discussion? 'Independence' Finding himself going round in circles and quite unable to hazard a description of what they (THE SNP) mean by independence Mackay decided to muddy the waters by complaining about Davidson previously describing the Gnats. as 'Neo Nazis' This was said by Davidson when he described the SNP tactic of interrupting speakers, talking over them and shouting them down as being reminiscent of the Nazis hence the 'Neo Nazi' insult, having been a member of Renfrewshire Council for 12 years I can assure you that that is exactly how they behave.

Mackay however displayed his immaturity and tactless stupidity by speaking over Davidson interrupting him and shouting him down, it was jaw dropping inanity. Davidson, crafty old politician that he is appeared to struggle through MacKay's behaviour with a patient but sad expression on his face. He couldn't believe his luck as Mackay displayed all the attributes which caused Davidson to come up with his previous description of the SNP car crash stuff from the SNP member who by then could be seen trembling and looking longingly at the exit door. He has previous for such stupid blunders, in a debate on the Tory Libdem budget at Renfrewshire Council when his composure was deserting him he blurted out and I quote "the government's budget cuts are about right" he was like a drunk man trying to negotiate steep stairs a complete loss of dignity and a shambles. He has since tried to deny saying this but everyone heard it and it's a sign of his stupidity to try to deny he said it.

We are continually told about all this talent in the SNP so how did this wet behind the ears boy get where he is in such a short time? I personally know lots of SNP people who can talk absolute rubbish in a far more coherent way than this guy, he I believe is one who has less backbone than most and as such fits wee Alex (the spiv's) ideal model of the trembling sycophantic 'yes man'. I predict that Mackay's willingness to prostrate himself at the feet of his leader will ensure a place at Salmond's table. There is always room for another "wee sleekit cowering timorous beastie" in Salmond's world.

WOULD IT NOT BE POSSIBLE TO INVENT A NEW GAME THAT SCOTLAND WOULD EXCELL AT, WHAT ABOUT “THROWING THE BUCKIE BOTTLE”

Scotland should withdraw from international football for a couple of years to allow new coaches and managers to reconstruct our game without the constant humiliations which are being visited upon the team at the moment. A period without pressure and the constant gaze of a football press who are a laughing stock would be a welcome break. I'm sure some of the players cringe when they read the drivel churned out by ex players and coaches like Hately, Henry, Dodds, McLeod, Walker, McLean, Provan etc. and so called experts like Keevins, Traynor and the doyen of them all the odious Bill Leckie. Thank god for Archie McPherson almost in his dotage and still head and shoulders above this self serving rabble, they should be forced to listen to people like David Pleat, Joe Royle and Gerry Armstrong before uttering another word. These self appointed experts would not be allowed anywhere near a word processor if they weren't ex footballers and I strongly suspect they get paid for putting their names to wretched articles by tabloid journalists who are somewhere below slave traders in the decency pecking order.

As far as last night's game was concerned I watched it with a mixture of resigned sadness and delight at the play of the Spaniards how do you go about measuring the gulf between them? Surprisingly the only Scottish player who would not have looked out of place in a Spanish strip was Bannan who is a relative newcomer. He is very quick and very skilful with a lovely left foot but most significantly he is clever he seems to know what move to make and when to make it, unlike most of his team mates he is happy to take the ball in tight situations even against Spain, that's a sign of good technique and self confidence, a very impressive player. He is very small by today's standards but so are about 5/6 of the Spaniards and Barcelona don't have any giants in their team but they are easily the best team in the world at the moment.

At my age I have seen some great sporting champions and some great sports teams and I am delighted to be able to say that some of the people I am seeing now are as good if not better than some of the giants of the past, judge for yourself. Charlton was better than Di Stefano and Maradona was better than Pele and Messi is better than any of them. In boxing the greatest! was Ali and I never thought I could possibly see better but the Phillipino world champion Manny Pacquiao , is the best pound for pound boxer I have ever seen and that includes Sugar Ray Robinson as well as Ali. I never thought I would see a better tennis player than Rod Laver and then I saw McEnroe and changed my mind and then I saw Federer and changed it again. I saw the great Valeriy Borzov and then American black power demonstrator Tommy Smith both of whom would only ever see Usain Bolt's rear as he ran away from them with ease. Scotland might produce players like Bremner, Baxter and Jimmy Johnstone again but I can't see at the moment where they will come from our two biggest clubs Celtic and Rangers have one young home grown player each in their regular starting teams Gregg Wylde and James Forrest, Celtic and Rangers won European trophies with all their players home grown as did Aberdeen, it's going to be a long way back if we ever do get back.

THE JUNKETS, THE JOBS, THE MONEY, THE GLAMOUR, ALL FOR HIS YOUNG CHUM WERRINGTON, WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT LIAM FOX WAS SUCH A LOVELY GIVING CHAP?

There are some people who no matter how hard I try always get the better of me and I have to admit that Dr. Liam Fox MP, Minister for Defence in the "ragtag n bobtail" British Coalition Government is one of them. He and I would not agree about anything I guess and we are political anathema to each other but, that applies to a great many others who don't get the better of me in the way he does because I am not just referring to politics here, this is personal. It might come as a surprise to some of you who read this blog but I have always tried my best to avoid hating anyone no matter how much I abhor their views and their actions, some people however defeat me. There are some obvious examples such as Thatcher and Salmond as well as too many revolting Libdems to count who have always brought out the worst in me and Dr. Fox comes in to that category.

Having watched this strutting little puffed up gauleiter over the years I now find myself enjoying his embarrassment, not something I'm proud of but it is true and I can't apologise for it. This guy given the chance would march us all back to the Thatcher days and then some, he is a hidebound knuckle dragging reactionary and an appalling example of someone who chose the wrong career of medicine in a quite spectacular way, imagine if you will his bed side manner; the mind boggles! "the scary sinister man in the white coat lurking by your bed is the doctor honest he is, just try to ignore that fact that he wears a fixed truculent sneer and can't look anyone in the eye I'm sure he's qualified"

Like others before him he sees himself as above most people and is always ready to lecture us on our behaviour and he now displays repugnant hubris by expecting us to believe his story that there was nothing inappropriate regarding his special relationship with his chum 17 years his junior Adam Werrity who was resident in Dr. Fox's home at no expense: paid for by you and me the taxpayers. He also made a rich living by using his connection to Dr. Fox in the business world handing out cards saying he was a "special advisor to Liam Fox MP" and was allowed to operate a right wing charity from Fox's office in the British Parliament again paid for by us. This charity patronised by among others the war criminal Thatcher was closed down for being too right wing!

As I write it is 18:34 PM and Fox has just apologised in an attempt to save his career and no doubt there will be a campaign to save his mendacious skin, he ought to have been fired by now and both of them facing charges but will it come to that? This young chum of Fox's had the run of the Ministry of Defence estate with access to god knows what and he had no right of any kind to be allowed anywhere near the place, you would think would you not that Dr. Fox can't possibly survive wouldn't you? Watch this space though remember these are the Tories, decency and truth do not apply to them, Cameron's position will be badly weakened if he allows him to survive. First it was Laws then the Murdoch dustbin raker Coulson and now Fox and the odious Libdem Judas Huhne is next in line to have his collar felt. He blamed a speeding charge on his wife then made the mistake of cheating on her and dumping her, "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" as the saying goes and she did the decent thing and grassed the bastard, what did he expect? Meanwhile it's "hubba, hubba, hubba let the show go on" let these pompous hypocrites swing in the wind. To paraphrase Cameron PM "they are all in it together" Personally I blame those draughty private schools they all went to, all that running around bare arsed flicking each other with wet towels I always said no good would come of it.

RUGBY-ENGLAND V SCOTALND – AS EXCITING AS WATCHING THE FIRE GO OUT!

New Zealand 83 V Japan 7 – Canada 34 V Romania 3 – Australia 42 V Romania 3 - Cote D'Ivore 0 V Scotland 89.

The above are some of the scores in the Rugby World Cup which is being played in New Zealand at the moment, you can tell that the tension in games like this can be unbearable can't you? What possesses people to watch this c**p and how do they persuade themselves that there is some merit / competition / entertainment in it? I can only hope that the tax payer did not contribute anything to the costs of paying for the Scottish team to go there and take part in such a farce. I found my two daughters watching the England V Scotland game on TV and I asked why they were watching it and they said it was exciting. What they were really saying was that the scores looked exciting on paper in that Scotland needed to win by 9 points to qualify; I confidently said they have no chance, why! they protested to which I replied because they are useless.

As is so often the case I was right, near the end there was a huge pile of bodies writhing around in a big mob which looked like the County Square taxi rank at 2 am when some Scottish clown in full view of everyone stamped on some guy in the crowd, a blind man passing on a galloping horse would not have missed it and the resulting award to England resulted in a try and conversion. The real story though was the fact that the game itself was mind numbingly boring, these guys are as bad as our Football team and that is saying something. They treated the ball like a huge bar of hot soap and their coordination reminds one of a drunken shire horse on a slippery road, would a moratorium on Scottish international sport for a couple of years not be a good way of restoring some dignity? As long as Scottish Rugby remains an elitist sport we are destined to watch these privileged oafs embarrassing all of us it's time for a rethink, they were going to fight to the bitter end the risible Scottish sports press told us, it turned out they couldn't fight sleep. surely this lot could make a stab at Tug of War, Mud Wrestling, Blind Man's Buff perhaps, Musical Chairs?

GYPSY TRAVELLERS – DIFFERENT BUT EQUAL!

As the Gypsy Travellers barricade themselves in at Dale farm in Basildon; waiting for the bailiffs and the police as well as private security men to come for them, (my guess is they will come for them at the traditional time of 03:00 AM) we discover in today's press that a £97M grant made in 2008 by the then Labour Government has had only £17M spent on what it was for which was to provide new and upgrade present traveller's sites millions has been spent on housing projects which exclude travellers, this is a scandalous theft of money which needs to be pursued. A nasty but typical campaign is now being run by reactionary newspapers and commentators against the travellers with the Nazi/Hitler loving Daily Mail leading the charge they perhaps remember what the Nazis did to Gypsies and Travellers and they pine for more of the same.

This fascist rag is running pictures of caravans surrounded by rubbish and scrap and claiming that it is the Dale Farm Travellers site with no proof whatsoever while sympathetic supporters who visit the site from artists like Vanessa Redgrave to Bishops of different local denominations describe a clean tidy orderly place where doors are not locked because there is no crime and children play happily as the whole community looks out for each other, questions, questions as they say so; who do you believe is it the Nazi newspaper or the local bishops! It's a tough one right? Travelling people have had to live with this prejudice since time began the reason? Because they are different, they can be identified as such and blamed for every evil just like the Jews in 30's Germany is that really us? Is this really Britain today? It's shameful.

Gypsies have been around for as long as there have been people and they are recognised as a race like everyone else and they are entitled to proper treatment as outlined by the European Union. That means a place to stay and education and health care for their families. Some people do not agree: well tough, this is the law and it is being broken by lots of councils, Renfrewshire was meant to provide a place for them to stop years ago and has not yet done so, that is another disgrace. A couple of years ago there were complaints about Gypsy Travellers in my ward and I went to see for myself what the site was like, as I drove by preparing to turn in to the site I saw women gossiping and lots of kids playing in the sunshine. When I had negotiated my way past their makeshift barriers to access the site I found myself alone except for an old man sat in a chair outside a caravan he smoked a pipe and had a mug of tea by his arm as he watched me get out of the car and approach him. I realized that my presence had had the effect of clearing all the women and children away and I could feel their eyes on me from behind the curtains of their caravans, this sent a feeling of shame over me I know some people who would have revelled in a feeling of power, some are Renfrewshire Councillors but I felt shame.

After 10 minutes chat or craic as he would call it the children and women reappeared when he beckoned them out meaning I was harmless, a mug of tea appeared and I was made welcome. I decided to go and see them because there were so many vicious lies flying around the area at the time being told by some scurrilous people who were chasing votes, it was ever thus. My purpose was to let them know that as the local councillor I supported their right to live their own way without harassment and I took steps to make sure that we in Renfrewshire Council provided them with details of medical help if required, education where suitable and necessities like bin bags and babies nappies, I hope the guy upstairs was watching me as well as watching those who persecute others for racist reasons.

Perhaps if all local authorities were to provide what the law says they must provide things would improve for everyone: I have no fear of Gypsies or Travellers because they are simply people just like the rest of us to paraphrase William thingmy in "The Merchant of Venice when Shylock says "what is a Jew, if you prick me do I not bleed, if you tickle me do I not laugh"? Those hordes of upright Basildon house owning Christians in the Dale farm area should take a good look at themselves, if they do they might conclude that its time they joined the human race and learned to live and let live.