CENSORED BY THE HERALD AGAIN.

The late Jimmy Reid has now taken on the mantle of an snp secular saint. This has been achieved by doing two things, 1/ dying, and 2/ dying while an snp member with a once illustrious history. He is often referred to lovingly by snp sycophants who hate the trade unions with venom as the great working class leader and heroic Scotsman. Contradictory? absolutely but, this is the snp we are talking about here. He lends his name now to a so called 'think tank' which is nothing more than a nationalist glee club "The Jimmy Reid Foundation". They are trying now to make it sacrilegious to be anything other than obsequious to his memory, needless to say, with me and a great many other Socialists of my generation it will not work. The best they can hope for is a grudging silence out of respect for what he once was but, the snp being what they are are not content with that they want to use him against the Labour Party, the Unions and anyone who does not follow their brand of narrow racist tinted nationalism. 

A recent exchange on the Glasgow Herald's comments net page led to some nationalists comparing him favourably with Arthur Scargill and in doing so chose to besmirch the ex NUM leader. I decided to mention his less than noble behaviour to balance the argument and I wrote the following. The Herald refused to print it.  ___________        

"Under Thatcher the unions and the working people of this country were under unrelenting attack by the Tories and the fight put up by Scargill and the miners was nothing short of heroic. 

When they needed support and solidarity they were let down. People who should have been 100% behind them betrayed them, none more so than Jimmy Reid who attacked Scargill and the NUM. 

When they were crying out for help and comradeship he stabbed them in the back. This was at the height of the dispute and he did great damage to their cause and their morale. 

We have always had to suffer at the hands of "flinching cowards and sneering traitors" and attacks from one such as him were hard to take considering his background. We are still standing though, still carrying on the struggle and despite the behaviour of such people we will eventually prevail. 

The people who stood firm, those who fought the hardest. the ones who did not shirk, they are the ones for whom Scargill was a hero and has remained so to this day. Today we see history repeat itself as leaders like Bob Crow and Len McCluskey get the same treatment as Arthur Scargill got. These men are cut from the same cloth as Arthur Scargill and I hope we see more like them emerging in the future, we are going to need them". 

SEPARATION 7/1 AGAINST THE UNION 1/9 ON.

I have just done my regular laugharendum check with the experts.  The ones who are non affiliated, the experts who cannot be accused of bias, not even by the rug chewing separatists who are becoming even more desperate as doomsday approaches. The man I spoke to smoked a large cigar, wore a fur coat and drove a jaguar, most of you will have guessed by now that this chap was a 'Turf Accountant' or 'bookie' as he is colloquially known.

A genial and prosperous chap, he was happy to offer me odds of 7/1 against a yes Victory and 1/9 on, on a No victory. He kindly volunteered the information that no one, not one f*****g punter as he delicately put it had placed a bet on a Yes victory despite the very generous odds, and very few had betted on a No victory because of the very ungenerous odds. He wondered aloud if the authorities would consider following the example of the "sport of Kings" and handicap the red hot favourite. He kindly suggested a system where a Yes vote counted twice while a No vote counted but once admitting that this would still see a convincing No triumph he thought that the more patriotic separatist might be encouraged to have a go. This he said would enable them to boast that they had in the face of great odds backed the cause of bonny wee Scotland the Brave.

When I report these findings I am immediately tackled by the cybernat crazies who remind me that the crazies won the Scottish election despite the opposition being favourites then as well. Very few though were brave enough then to try a wager so "win lose or draw" as the old song says they won't be effected in the pocket this time either. So we have a situation where some very large wagers have gone on the No campaign but not much by the way of the usual modest amounts normally seen changing hands in the local gambling den. I reckon it's down to a mixture of feartiness and the famous traditional Scottish reticence associated with opening the moth infected sporrans where the 'bawbees are tightly imprisoned. It's looking like Red Rum against the horse that pulls the milk cart.

 

  

THE SHAME OF THE ONCE MIGHTY "THUNDERER" THE SUNDAY TIMES.

OK it’s only my blog but I can’t pass up the chance to publicise the behaviour of The Sunday Times. I am reminded of the words of the great Irish writer James Joyce who described The Dublin Times a “The arse wipers weekly”

Statement by Unite the union on the report today by the Sunday Times

03 November 2013

Today's Sunday Times carries an extensive attack on Unite the union, apparently based on emails given to the newspaper by Ineos or its agents.  The Sunday Times submitted a list of questions to Unite yesterday, in response to which the union sent a statement to reporter David Leppard, well within the deadline he had imposed for receipt of answers.  Not a word was carried in the Sunday Times today.  Attempts to secure an explanation for this from Mr Leppard have been ignored. 

We release below the statement sent to Mr Leppard, in order to place Unite's response to the allegations on the record and also to draw attention to the debased standards of journalism now practised at the Sunday Times, little more than a mouthpiece for Lynton Crosby's Tory agenda. 

"This report is a rehash of issues already investigated by Police Scotland and the Labour party, both of which found that Unite had done nothing wrong, and had broken neither the law nor the party’s rule book as it stood at the time. 

“Specifically, Unite entirely denies any involvement in or knowledge of the forging of signatures on application forms or of any documents whatsoever; the coercing of individuals to join the Labour party – however that might be accomplished; the recruitment of individuals to the party without their knowledge or any other breach of Labour party rules.  Unite called for an independent public enquiry into what happened in Falkirk, and we remain entirely happy to assist such an inquiry – and draw appropriate lessons from it if necessary – should one be established. 

“Some of the questions submitted, however, appear to relate to conduct by third parties, about which Unite cannot comment.  Unite would also point out that once individuals join the Labour party they can involve themselves as much or as little in the party’s business as they choose, but Unite would certainly encourage any of its members to play as full a part in the party’s life as they can.  

“On the separate matter of Mr McCluskey’s call to Mr Grant, Unite entirely denies that he used the words cited.  Unite has never made any secret of its support for Stevie Deans, nor does it now, but the suggestion that Mr McCluskey was threatening unlawful industrial action is entirely repudiated.  It is for Ineos to explain its handling of Mr Deans’ case.” 

STICK WITH THE UNION BROTHERS AND SISTERS.