THE SNP ARE NOTHING BUT OPPORTUNISTS.

Here is an article by Eva Murray a UWS Student at Hamilton Campus. There is nothing I want to add to it, just read it. 

The SNP have often been described as opportunists, jumping on bandwagons at the last minute in an attempt to gain media attention from an event, campaign or if major, a boost in the polls (don’t worry I won’t be answering any serious questions with “but have you seen the polls”).

But it wasn’t until yesterday that I saw this opportunism first hand.

As some of you may know I have been involved in the Keep UWS in Hamilton campaign, set up by Councillor Monica Lennon. I got involved because I wanted to help out in a campaign & as a UWS student I knew this was one that I could possibly really make a difference in.

Over the past few months Monica along with everyone else involved in the campaign have demonstrated in all weather, petitioned across 3/4 campuses, campaigned on referendum day to make sure students knew what was happening & we even got Jeremy Corbyn to pledge his support through signing the petition. We’ve all done our bit whether that be manning the stall at the Freshers Fayre when we were getting signatures, spreading the word in the local area or letting people know online. We’ve all dedicated time to this campaign & no one has more than Councillor Monica Lennon.

We put so much effort into this campaign, did all we could to pressure the Students Association before they held a referendum & then along with SAUWS pressured the University to listen to students & staffs wants. At it’s lowest points we never gave up. Monica always full of ideas on what we should be doing next. When many elected representatives from the area didn’t even want to know about the campaign (until that almighty U-turn & to this day i’m yet to see any of them partake in any campaigning) we were all there with Monica talking to staff & students, spreading their views & gaining support for the campaign.

This is why it’s so frustrating, yesterday the Hamilton Advertiser wanted to do a victory photo for their campaign which has been running alongside the petition Monica set up. This was such a great idea & I want to thank the Hamilton Advertiser for covering the campaign & doing all they can to help out. 

The photo, a nice reminder to go alongside the one above from the day the campaign launched but sadly with short notice, people working & exams either underway or in the next few weeks, many of the people who had been there from the start couldn’t make it.

Who did turn up though was MSP Christina McKelvie with MP’s Margaret Ferrier & Angela Crawley who also brought along with them around 7 or 8 fellow SNPers including by-election candidate for the upcoming vote in January. None of these people have been out campaigning, openly pressuring the University for answers, questioning their colleague in Holyrood as to why Angela Constance wouldn’t even meet with campaigners, Jeremy Corbyn gave time to Keep UWS in Hamilton campaigners twice in 1 week & even signed the petition. Just saying. I had never seen any of these people out doing anything, in fact I know for a fact some, if not the majority hadn’t even signed the petition. Instead the SNP elected representatives gave wishy-washy answers such as this quote from Margaret Ferrier “we all wish UWS to remain in Hamilton, myself & my colleagues r keeping n close contact with senior representatives fm the uni”. So instead of being visible campaigning for students & staffs wants, they probably sent a few emails to Principal Mahoney then sat back & said that’s us done. Let’s be honest they were probably ignored.

And as for their “joint statement”, it’s all very well making a statement now when the hardwork is done & UWS have decided to stay in Hamilton but why didn’t you speak out sooner? These are your constituents, businesses in your area, UWS is the reason Hamilton is a “University town”. If UWS had went for Maxim would it have been “Och well we tried”? Because I know the campaigners I’ve gotten to know  wouldn’t have accepted that & even now as a SAUWS exec officer I realise that we need to take this back to the students to see how they feel about the decision because the results of the referendum showed us that this was still their second choice. This isn’t a case closed kind of thing.

Those people who turned up for the photograph I had never seen before, I have been there from the start & helped out at every Keep UWS in Hamilton event, those people have never been near. The SNP are opportunists, jumping in a photo in an attempt to gain good publicity. These elected representatives that turned up, over the past months had the chance to really make a difference, after all it was a cross-party campaign & that was made very clear at the beginning with Monica Lennon working extremely hard to make it just that but they didn’t. These politicians did next to nothing & then as the campaign celebrates a victory turned up to pose. That’s exactly what they are, posers. Finding the nearest camera to get their face in the media for something they’ve done absolutely nothing to help with.

I want to point out now that I am not attacking these people simply because they are SNP, if they had gotten involved in the campaign & made their mark then I would be thanking them too, the point is they didn’t.

Campaigns aren’t about photo’s in newspapers. Campaigns are about helping the people in question & the people you meet along the way. It’s been so encouraging seeing the cross-campus support for UWS Hamilton, for once it felt like we were actually one big Uni, standing with our fellow students putting aside the idea that it didn’t effect us directly & instead realising what was going on was wrong! Seeing students take an interest in their campus & realising that their views matter!

I know this post has all been a bit ranty & before I stop I just want to say I’m insanely proud to have been part of this campaign from the start, I’ve met so many incredible people along the way & learned so much. As a UWS student I want to say a huge thank you to Councillor Monica Lennon who without (if you haven’t realised already) we wouldn’t have even had a campaign & I really do dread to think where UWS Hamilton would be right now. If there are 2 words to describe Monica after working alongside her on this campaign they would be Determined & Inspiring. Monica’s determination to do all she could for constituents, to represent the views of students & staff was honestly incredible. During the campaign I stood & was elected SAUWS Exec Officer (Ayr Campus), before I didn’t have any real interest in standing for anything within SAUWS but Monica really inspired me & I learned that if you want to see change, instead of standing back & watching, you need to be at that table during discussions. Putting the views straight to the right people! So Monica I really can’t thank you enough for everything & I know the fight isn’t over yet but I know whatever we find out over the next few months for UWS Hamilton, you’ll have a plan! I also want to say thank you to everyone else who campaigned to Keep UWS in Hamilton, everyone at SAUWS especially President Jack Douglas & Depute President John Black for ensuring the views of Hamilton students were always voiced at court meetings, for putting up with me bringing up the Hamilton campaign at every opportunity since I’ve been elected & welcoming me into the SAUWS family, all the Councillors who’ve been working so hard gain support for the campaign, Hamilton residents, local businesses, staff, students & everyone else who saw the injustice that was happening & decided to take a stand & do their bit. I’ve spoken to some Hamilton students since & they are so grateful for everything this campaign has done!

So as I mentioned the fight is not over, over the next few months we will see a business plan put in place for the new UWS Hamilton location to make sure it’s a viable option & of course ensure the students are happy!

We may even see the SNP elected reps helping out or maybe they’ll just carry on doing what they do best & turn up for the end photoshoot after all the hard work’s been done by someone else.

A TIME OF PEACE AND LOVE, BUT IN PALESTINE THE HORROR FOR THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIANS STILL GOES ON.

On the subject of Christmas, this is a good time for everyone to remember that Jesus, Mary and Joseph were Palestinian Jews around 2,000 years ago. Were they to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem today they would find a Palestinian town completely surrounded by Israeli tanks and Israeli check points which control everything that happens to Palestinians in the town, it is a huge open prison. The occupiers 2,000 years ago were the Romans and today the occupiers are the Israelis. The difference between these two is that the Israelis make the Romans look like Butlin’s redcoats. This is “The Holy Land” where Palestinian lives are cheap and of no consequence, children, women, the old and the sick are being randomly shot and killed in full view of the rest of the world which does nothing.  Crimes against humanity are being wantonly committed by one of the planets greatest ever military powers against a population who are armed with stones and kitchen knives.

Hope however springs eternal and there are growing signs that the tide is slowly beginning to turn against the war criminal state of Israel, not least among their own people and their great shield America. Among the people of Israel courageous groups of people are defying their brutal government and protesting against what is being done to the Palestinians. Ex members of the Israel Defence Force are coming forward in increasing numbers to tell the truth about what is happening, the truth about the destruction of family dwellings, the arrests and torture of Palestinians of all ages and the pitiless treatment of the indigenous people.

Looming larger by the day is the growing success of an international campaign called BDS which stands for BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT and SANCTIONS against Israel. This crusade urges people to Boycott Israel in every way they can, To refuse to invest in anything Israeli and remove any existing investments that you have associated with Israel and to demand that our government introduces Sanctions against the Israeli State immediately. If this reaction sounds familiar to any of you it is probably because this tactic was significantly important in destroying the Apartheid State of South Africa. We did it then and we can do it again, remember, BDS.

 “I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys”. ~Charles Dickens --- He wasn’t talking about the Palestinians but he could have been.   

"IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO SUCCEED, OTHERS MUST FAIL" GORE VIDAL.

I think Gore Vidal could have been talking about Stuart Hosie SNP deputy leader.

When a politician starts to accuse his/her opponents of manipulating an issue for “petty political gain” the general rule is that he/she is losing that argument and is as we say in these parts ‘gubbed’. I refer of course to the man who used to be Derek Mackay SNP, the rising Nationalist wunderkind who rose without trace due to Alex Salmond’s patronage rather than any ability that he might have had. There isn’t much more that can be added to the fiasco of the Forth Road Bridge and Mackay’s calamitous handling of the events but the noise will continue and reach a crescendo as the enquiry approaches. The traffic pandemonium which has been caused by the duplicity of the SNP government is set to worsen and he is already staggering around like a boxer who has taken on one fight too many.

The final nail in his political coffin might already have been hammered in. It is generally acknowledged by the political chattering classes in Scotland that there are few awful situations that the arrival of Stuart Hosie SNP MSP and deputy leader of the SNP can’t make worse and, right on cue like the pantomime villain he arrives to champion Mackay’s cause. If ever there was an example of the paucity of talent in the SNP it can be seen in the cabinet with this guy as a complete flop, anyone who seen his car crash interview with Andrew Neil would in all honesty have to concur with that statement. He has possibly intentionally made Mackay look feeble and inadequate by his intervention where he bullishly tried to suggest that the FRB situation was not a big problem. He is conceit and ignorance personified and Mackay needs him like a hole in the head. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought it possible that 7 months after the SNP victory in Scotland at the general election they would be in such a state of near collapse. Only 4 years and 5 months to go until the next general election, will they survive until then?.           

THE SNP - THE (SCANDALOUS NATIONAL PARTY) STUCK IN THE MIRE OF LIES ABOUT THEIR INTEGRITY.

And the daily SNP scandal for today is one of the complete disgrace and resignation of the entire board of a charity called Voluntary Sector Gateway West Lothian. This charity which has received in excess of £1million of donations and public funding has been plagued by problems over governance.

The chair of the charity was a Mr. Willie Boyle who is an SNP councillor. The charity remains under investigation and former chair SNP Councillor Mr. Boyle has become unavailable. There is always tomorrow, another day another SNP scandal perhaps, they are “not like other parties” are they? They are much worse.   

"I'M AN EXPERT ON TRAINS, I'VE GOT EVERY EPISODE OF THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE TAPED AND THEY NEVER HAD ANY BRIDGE PROBLEMS" SNP TRANSPORT MINISTER DEREK MACKAY.

With apologies to William Topaz McGonagall.

“the Forth bridge scandal looks very sinister

and this time it isnae the fault of Westminister”.

An English train (oh the shame of it all) has been rerouted to Scotland to help to alleviate the escalating mayhem caused by the cavalier attitude and performance of the SNP Government and their hapless transport minister Derek Mackay over their mishandling of the Forth Road Bridge closure. The bill for this train and another similar train being used will of course be met by we taxpayers as Scotrail are now run by a private Dutch company who are not legally responsible for any of this and, call me an old cynic if you will but I reckon they do not do charity. It also appears that for the SNP and Mr. MacKay, ‘sorry is the hardest word to say’ as they doggedly cling to their now predictable catch all defence of “we knew nothing about this”. The lead engineer for the bridge however disagrees with them and states unequivocally that warnings were given more than three years ago about the danger of “delaying repairs” the SNP it seems either knew better or took no heed of those warnings. Mackay rightly faces accusations of trying to mislead the public. He stated that the crack on the structure was not located where the cancelled repairs were and 24 hours later he said the repairs had they been carried out would have included replacement of the spot where the crack occurred. The result as it stands is that the most efficient method of reaching Fife and further north from Edinburgh is by walking or cycling to avoid the 11 mile tail backs,  

Hard incontrovertible evidence exists that the Forth Estuary Transport  Authority who were in charge between 2012 and 2013 can show minutes of meetings held at that time which clearly state that repairs were delayed following a 65% cut in the capital budget by the SNP government. SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon’s position at the moment is that the 65% cut was the right thing to do. Derek Mackay as I write is still brazenly hanging on to his job, needless to say so is Sturgeon. Both are pedestrian, lightweight over promoted individuals who are where they are not because of ability but through the patronage of Alex Salmond, they both still bear the imprint of him sitting on them, they are what we used to call “yes men/women”. They still think that the bribe of abandoning bridge tolls to harvest votes was worthwhile just as they do with Local Tax freezes and free prescriptions for those who don’t need them, despite the state of public services and the health service. Duplicity on such a scale is bound to pile up future problems; the SNP are a shambles now and getting worse.     

THE FORTH ROAD BRIDGE IS BEGINNING TO LOOK LIKE A METAPHOR FOR THE SNP.

Is it possible that the SNP have just set an incredible world record? It has now been revealed that the SNP oil revenue forecast was 6,000 % out, yes you read that right, SIX THOUSAND PERCENT OUT. This was their biggest lie ever and it was told at the time of the referendum. " It would be bad enough if the government responsible for collecting an increasingly large share of our taxes had been out by 10% or 20%. But the First Minister was out by 6,000% On the money needed to fund our schools, our hospitals and our pensions” Kezia Dugdale. 

This SNP Bulldung must be a candidate for the ‘Guiness Book of Records”. Is it any wonder they are now retreating from the referendum or ‘advancing in the opposite direction’ as Nicola Sturgeon would put it? Can you imagine Angela Merkel, Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin, Francois Hollande and the rest of them on a conference call discussing this, following hysterical laughter, each of them would resolve to remember these clowns when it came to any question of ever taking them seriously. Who will fall to bits first, the SNP or The Forth Road Bridge?.                                                 

"RUMOURS OF THE DEMISE OF THE LABOUR PARTY ARE GREATLY EXAGGERATED" APOLOGIES TO MARK TWAIN - LABOUR WIN OLDHAM BY ELECTION.

How do the keyboard swindlers explain this? It is very hard indeed to find a more difficult scenario for the Labour Party to overcome than that which existed at yesterday’s Oldham West By Election, caused by the death of Michael Meacher who was a much loved and very talented MP. The forces lined up against Labour, ‘some shamefully from its own side’ were enormous, malevolent and mainly driven by a desire to tear down Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. Make no mistake about it, to the right wing establishment in the UK as well as the time serving careerists in his own party Mr. Corbyn is a very dangerous man. In Corbyn’s Labour Party refreshingly, your name, your wealth and your connections mean nothing. Ability, hard work and a Socialist ethic have become the ticket to power and influence. The changes have brought about a welcome upheaval in the party ranks, our numbers have grown enormously making us the party with more members than all the other parties put together and that explosion in the membership coincided with the election of the left wing Socialist Leader Jeremy Corbyn, thus making any accusation of Labour not being a Socialist Party sound absurd.

Oldham West was a triumph for the people over their hidebound capitalist exploiters, the Tories, The Libdems, UKIP and the SNP, as well as the right wing press which now shamefully includes The Guardian. To win 62% of the vote against such hostility was a remarkable achievement and it serves to remind us that the UK is a Socialist country. As is now the norm we have the usual smears being thrown around by the opponents of Labour when we win. UKIP cry foul and bad losers are complaining about bullying and intimidation over the Syrian bombing vote, some MP’s clearly see their positions as precarious based on the fact that the massive surge in membership was down to Corbyn’s Leadership victory and they have been doing what they can to bring him down, there can be no doubt that the vast majority of Labour Party members are opposed to bombing Syria and they have a voice. For those Labour members who are new I would urge you to check the rules about de-selection of sitting MP’s. This is a long standing procedure which is perfectly legal, democratic and is the very essence of democracy. As far as the nasty and vicious emails, texts and threats are concerned about Syria I would urge people to consider which political party has the worst by far reputation for such behaviour, that is the SNP. Now consider whether the notorious SNP Cybernats would send such filth to Labour MP’s who voted for bombing, is that difficult to answer. Perhaps those who intend to investigate these matters should be looking North.     

"IT'S ALWAYS THE OLD WHO LEAD US INTO WAR AND IT'S ALWAYS THE YOUNG WHO FALL" (I AINT MARCHING ANYMORE) PHIL OCHS.

Are we going to rerun past nightmares? Is it possible that we are going to repeat past blunders? How many innocent civilians will we slaughter this time? How many children will we kill this time? How many families will we devastate this time? I find it hard to believe that despite all our experience and recent blood-spattered history that we are possibly going to make the same catastrophic mistakes again. I am distraught at some of the Labour Party names who are lining up to do this, they are ready to flick the switch like ‘gung ho’ armchair warriors, safe at home watching the carnage on their TV’s, “when will we ever learn”?  I can obviously only speak for myself but in future I will not support anyone who was complicit in such an immoral and preventable act. 

Anyone seeking to be a Labour Party Candidate will face hustings meetings and if they have been involved in supporting this sickening business I will not only refuse to endorse them I will organise as much opposition to them as I possibly can as well. Corbyn is taking the flack from the usual right wing sources while the reality is that he has got it right, Labour Party members back him by a huge majority and by the time this starts I predict that the majority of people in the country will also be supporting him as well. People are not stupid, they know only too well that we have carried out this kind of adventure before and it was disastrous, they know that it is not necessary and they will not support it. Shame on those who are baying for blood, they need to re-examine their consciences.  As for the SNP, Sturgeon has dishonourably sat on the fence long enough to decide that the anti bombing side is the one that the public will favour and she has acted accordingly in her time worn populist way, the nats. remain as always beneath contempt .      

ANGUS BRENDAN MCNEIL SNP MP - AN ALL TOO TYPICAL SNP SUCCESS STORY.

Angus Brendan MacNeil snp MP once again pops up to grab a headline for the increasingly disgraced snp, by demanding “Scots. Votes for Scots. Laws” a cheap headline from a cheap nasty politician, this odious piece of work is an example of not only the most unpleasant type of person in politics but the worst kind of person you will find anywhere, he is a shameless populist and is completely without a thread of dignity. Angus Brendan MacNeil will forever be known as the SNP MP who not only exposed his own squalid character but he also exposed the gross duplicity of the people of the Western Isles who voted for him.

The people of the Western Isles were renowned for being honest, upright, devout Christians and, young  Angus, with rat like cunning never missed an opportunity of demonstrating that he was one of them, the better to win their votes.

Most young married men would consider a time when their pregnant young wife was in hospital to be very worrying and stressful, but not young Angus, like the “hielan stoat” that he is, he saw his young wife’s pregnancy problems as an opportunity to betray her in the most repellent way. His concern for his pregnant wife and their unborn child was such that he managed to contrive a situation where he was caught plying underage girls with drink and kissing and fondling them in a hotel room. The sanctity of marriage, the pregnancy of his wife, their unborn child, his devout religious beliefs, all trashed and shown up as a pitiless facade, what a guy eh?

“He is finished” said most observers “the people of the Western Isles will not stand for that kind of unforgivable unchristian behaviour” but they did. They voted for him again, proving if any proof were needed that the Western Isles were no more self-righteous or Christian than anywhere else. He has of course thrived in the SNP where such behaviour is apparently of no consequence, this man and his party are as we are now seeing utterly beneath contempt.    

THE SNP CHARM OFFENSIVE AT WESTMINSTER CONTINUES.

My dear Nicola, to lose one MP may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two MP’S looks like carelessness. Only 4 & ½ years to go to the next General Election. Who would have ever thought that politics could be such fun? Is it true that The House of Commons restaurant staff have been told to count the spoons before any SNP diners leave the restaurants? Have they installed cctv cameras to makes sure no SNP MP’S creep out without paying? Is loose change going missing in the cloakrooms when SNP members are lurking around?.

Meanwhile we ‘honest decent Scots’ back home here have to hide our faces in shame at the appalling antics of the SNP rabble in Westminster, “the buck stops with you Nicola” it’s time already to consider your position before Scotland’s reputation is traduced any further, it’s time to do the decent thing. Appoint wee Mhairi Black as leader ASAP and bring back some chic, sophistication and elegance before its too late.      

A VOICE OF REASON AND DECENCY FROM A FACEBOOK POSTER.

"Can i just take this opportunity to remind you all that Mr Mohammed from your local shop wasn't involved in Friday nights attacks on Paris. Neither was Mrs Azeer from Lloyds Bank or her family. Kamal from down the road has never been to Paris, and his brother Abdul, the taxi driver, was watching the news in horror along with everyone else.

The people behind last night's attacks weren't Muslims, they were extremists using religion as vindication for their cowardice.

Please, I urge each and everyone of you, do not lay blame at the doors of the innocent just because of what they believe. They are no more to blame for Paris than you are.

We are one world and one family. Treat each other as such, because what happened last night should bring us closer together, not make us lash out against our neighbours for a perceived religion affiliation".

"we feel in England that we have treated you (Irish) very badly, it seems history is to blame" James Joyce Ulysses.

The young Irish footballer James McLean is once again in the news for refusing to wear a poppy and, I am glad to see that his resolve is as strong as ever and support for him continues to grow. Ireland looms large of course in this matter for James McLean as it does for many Irish people and their descendents, like me in fact and my large extended family. He hails from a place he and many others call Derry which is called Londonderry by those who want to highlight their Britishness over their Irishness and Derry by those who want to emphasise their Irishness over their Britishness. It was historically known as Derry and renamed Londonderry by the British after their invasion and occupation of Ireland which, continues to this day. The relationship between Britain and Ireland has been a fraught one and young Mr. McLean is from the tradition that sees itself downtrodden, just as I do. He has his cause and he is going to stand up for it and I for one salute him for that.

My Father was one of 5 brothers who all fought in WW2, I never once saw him or any of my uncles wear a poppy. He was in the 8^Th. Army and served in Greece, North Africa and Italy. The only time I ever heard him say anything about WW2 was when he periodically declared his hatred for Field Marshall Montgomery, Winston Churchill and the Monarchy, all of whom were part of the conspiracy to make his life perilous and uncomfortable. He would have behaved in exactly the same way as James McLean and so would I; he is doing the truth a favour when he reminds us of Britain’s brutal past. The usual armchair generals and right wing journalists will continue to go for him but I reckon that this young man will not break. The annual remembrance day events lost any dignity they might have had many years ago and are now jingoistic military celebrations which are in denial about Britain’s history. It’s time for it to be stopped and replaced by something dignified and a bit more low key. We ought to start with getting rid of the poppies and the odious “poppy police”.    

Stuart Hosie, Angus Robertson, Angela Constance and Mhairi Black. Make it the BBC 4 the SNP 0.

How is it possible to make the Tory prince of Darkness Ian Duncan Smith look genial, gentle and generous? Put him up against the hopelessly out of her depth Mhairi Black and watch him show his fatherly chivalrous side. What a humiliation, her and Angela Constance should form a comedy duet. Did you see her  car crash TV interview today?. A couple of weeks ago it was SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson and SNP Holyrood Deputy Leader Stuart Hosie being traduced and shown up as incompetent idiots by Andrew Neil. Only another four and a half years of this mortification and squirming embarrassment for Scotland to suffer through.

ALL SCOTLAND IT SEEMS IS APPLAUDING THE TORY GOVERNMENT'S DEFEAT OVER TAX CREDITS EXCEPT WHO?. THE SNP THAT'S WHO.

It is quite clear that the snp are so malicious and sectarian that they can't bring themselves to applaud the damage inflicted on the Tory government over the issue of tax credits. 

They are proving once again as they did with the bedroom tax that they would rather watch Scottish people suffer so that they can blame the hated English. They are poison. 

“SHCOTLUND HUV NEVER LOST AT ANYTHING WITHOUT BEING CHEATED” SHUGGIE MAC CYBERNAT.

Nicola Sturgeon is again trotting out demands about Trident and lying to people on an industrial scale. It could be 7 or 8 years before another referendum if there is ever going to be one and then there is no guarantee that Scotland would vote for separation, and then they would have who knows how long to set it up if they gained that separation.To get rid of Trident Scotland would first have to be independent and the SNP are in retreat from even discussing independence, This makes their sabre rattling about Trident rather futile does it not. They (the snp) do however definitely need a distraction. They are also guilty of over estimating Scottish support for getting rid of Trident. They also refuse to mention that this issue is about ‘means to an end’, I do not know a single person who does not want to get rid of Nuclear Weapons throughout the whole world, including Scotland, and that makes their whole argument a tissue of lies. The biggest lie of all which is perpetrated by the snp and their supporters is ‘if you don’t vote to get rid of Trident then you are in favour of nuclear weapons’ this is a deliberate deception. Those who say it will make us safer if we get rid of Trident are either misinformed or deceitful, to accept their analysis you would have to believe that nuclear weapons based in England, N.I. or Wales would not present any danger to Scotland and that is clearly untenable. These weapons could be relocated close to Scotland’s large population centres by placing them on the N.I. coast or near the English border Trident has been flogged to death as an excuse for voting for separation, it is a massive lie and it’s about time the SNP started telling the truth about it.   

Conference time - During and after the Labour conference people like Corbyn, McConnell and John Prescott were hounded by the press and TV, Neil V Prescott is a must see for lessons on how to take the wind out of the sails of an arrogant interviewer, the ebullient  Prescott was “floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee” hilarious stuff.

Sporting Scotland? - It is noticeable that Nicola Sturgeon has been dragged kicking and screaming in to castigating the SNP cybernats for their attacks on Scottish rugby supporters mainly JK Rowling and Muriel Gray after Scotland’s defeat at the hands of Australia. These people are thugs and it is ironic that no one did more to create these vile characters than Salmond, ably supported by the increasingly distressed Sturgeon. This latest outburst of nationalist poison was caused by a game of rugby! a game played in Scotland by those who are not good enough to play football, the paucity of rugby pitches emphasises that the coverage this sport gets is out of all proportion to it’s popularity. The reaction of these ‘tartanshirt clowns’ suggests that if there was a World Cup for girning and whining Scotland would win it. It would appear that any person who attains a high level in sport, science, entertainment or discovery is according to these morons not entitled to call themselves Scottish if they disagree with the SNP!       

These people live in a delusional tartan bubble where Sean Connery is a far better actor than Laurence Olivier, Robert Burns is superior to Shakespeare and Bobby Charlton couldn’t lace Jim Baxter’s boots. “Nationalism is a disease, it’s the measles of the planet Earth” said Albert Einstein. SNP apologists plead that their kind of nationalism is not like that, they claim to be ‘civic’ nationalist not ‘ethnic’ nationalist when all the evidence clearly shows that they are indeed ethnic nationalists of the worst kind. It was Billy Connolly who said “when the best thing you have going for you is where you come from, you are in deep s**t” I can’t put it any better than that. Just over four and a half years of this to go before the next general election, the rest of the world might just have died laughing at us before then.      

A QUESTION FOR STURGEON AND THE SNP.

What will happen first, will Scotland win the World Cup or will the SNP put independence on the agenda. I wonder what the new members think now, surrounded as they are by shysters and crooks and a leadership which is afraid of pursuing what was once their single political issue, whisper it, shshshsh “independence". 

NO PETERLOO THIS TIME.

Manchester Cathedral was packed last night to hear Jeremy Corbyn speak and 7,000 people gathered outside to hear him on loud speakers. The last time a huge political gathering of this kind took place in Manchester it led to what became famous as “The Peterloo Massacre” which was much bigger and it was where Mounted State Troopers wielding sabers charged the crowd killing 18 and injuring 700 of the estimated 70,000 who were there to hear an MP known as “Orator Hunt” speak on behalf of parliamentary reform. Many of the crowd had not long returned as heroes of the battle of Waterloo hence the ironic name of Peterloo was adopted by the people. The great radical poet Shelley wrote about these events in his epic poem “The Mask of Anarchy” it is an inspiring tour de force and well worth reading it contains this famous verse which has inspired workers in  strife ever since.

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."   

The people are stirring, the crowds are getting bigger, the Tory capitalist press are panicking as people flock in their thousands to Labour’s banner. Now is the time for everyone to play their part, Tories out! Crush capitalism!. 

DOES NICOLA STURGEON HAVE AN EVIL IDENTICAL TWIN?.

Over 4 years as Scottish Health Minister and sturgeon, when asked about the state of that health service says, ‘I know nothing’. When caught lobbying on behalf of serial fraudster Abdul Rauf who was found guilty of an £80,000 benefits fraud Nicola Sturgeon said ‘I know nothing’. She also described his previous pensions and benefits frauds amounting to £60,000 as ‘mistakes’. There’s more, when asked about serial wife beater SNP MSP Bill Walker who was jailed for a year managing to get through the SNP’S vetting procedures, Nicola Sturgeon said ‘I know nothing’.

When home owners are struggling to pay their mortgages and going through a period of despair along comes SNP MP Michelle Thomson and screws them into the ground, purchases their homes for knock down prices and trousers the profits and guess what?, you have got it haven’t you?, Nicola Sturgeon announced ‘I knew nothing’ about it’, “it” by the way which Nicola knew nothing about was a property portfolio worth £1.7 million accumulated by cruel, pitiless, capitalist abuse of people who are vulnerable.

We now come to SNP MSP and Minister for culture Fiona  Hyslop who is under investigation about a Scottish Gov. £150,000 gift to the T in The Park music festival?. The owners of the festival have made £12 million profit over the last 3 years. Jennifer Dempsie who was an aid to Alex Salmond and is married to Angus Robertson SNP’S Westminster leader brokered the meeting between Ms. Hyslop and the festival, she has now decided to withdraw her candidacy for an MSP’s job, I can’t help but wonder why, can you?. Incidentally Nicola Sturgeon ‘knew nothing’. 

Thursday October 1^st. 2015 – 09.00 am. And this morning’s newspaper revelations are that 16 SNP MP’S at Westminster have second incomes from property deals. Nicola Sturgeon has not yet been asked to comment but, I suspect that she may well say ‘I knew nothing about this’.   4 years and 7 months to go until the next general election and the SNP are off to a flier. 

INTERNECINE WAR BREAKS OUT IN THE RENFREWSHIRE SNP GROUP.

The circus rolled back in to town 2 days ago as The full Renfrewshire Council held it’s statutory meeting. The SNP group look dispirited as their numbers at these events continued to dwindle through suspensions and internal strife; they now look like the American Indians who were forced off their land in what became known as The Trail of Tears in the 1830’s, a sorry sight indeed, fractious, and capricious, they are now preoccupied with fighting each other. They even moved a motion to change the name of the new Queen Elizabeth the 2^nd Infirmary and one of their own number Cllr. Doig, the one who is not suspended moved that the debate be stopped?. Based on what their new rising star Cllr. Kenny McLaren had to say they wanted the name changed, he rather strangely did not mention the other numerous places which are named for members of the royal family, The Queen Elizabeth the first ship and the 2^nd, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews, there are thousands of examples but he did not seem to have any plans for them. I know that he reads this blog so I invite him to tell us what he proposes for all these other places, buildings, theatres etc. with Royal names.

On this occasion the meeting had to be temporarily stopped until order was restored among the opposition who seemed to be mobbing and rioting among themselves. Mr. Andy Doig who was ‘otherwise detained’ missed the meeting, thus avoiding the embarrassment of having to sit through a discussion and motion condemning hate crimes. He is of course now indisposed because he has been exposed as the sender of an email where he made ‘Misogynistic’ and ‘Homophobic’ remarks, the latter theme was directed at his fellow SNP ‘Ex friend’ Scottish Government Minister Derek Mackay MSP. In my humble opinion the fact that Mr. Mackay declared his sexuality in public makes him twice the man that the nasty email sender could ever be. I wrote at the time and I repeat now that Derek Mackay and I have crossed swords many times and I believe that he has many faults and is wrong on many things but being gay is not one of them and that is as it should be.   Mr. Doig is now referring to himself as an ‘Independent’ which doubles our number of ‘Independent’ councillors and he will now likely be sharing a room with the other ‘Independent’ Cllr. Mack, some Cllrs. are already referring to this room rather unkindly IMO as “The Special Unit”. We also managed to donate money to the Refugee Crisis and reiterate our support as a council for them. We were given an update on the situation and informed that a minimum of 50 refugees would be coming here in the not too distant future, so the meeting wasn’t a complete waste of time. I only hope that the refugees coming to Renfrewshire are not shown any webcast films of this council meeting.          

CORBYN THE REPUBLICAN HUMILIATES STURGEON, SALMOND AND THE SPINELESS SNP MEMBERS WHO ALLOW THEM TO WALK OVER THEM.

WHEN you've shouted "Rule Britannia," when you've sung "God save the Queen," 
When you've finished killing Kruger with your mouth,
Will you kindly drop a shilling in my little tambourine
For a gentleman in khaki ordered South? Rudyard Kipling.

The author of the above words was a great enthusiast for the British Empire and a man who sympathised greatly with the rank and file British Army soldier.

On the same day that the British gutter press orchestrated an explosion of vile personal abuse against Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, the Tory Government passed a bill which ensures that three million of Britain’s poorest families are to lose £1,000 per year through cuts in tax credits. His sin? he was seen not singing the national anthem god save the queen at a centenary commemoration of the battle of Britain.

This will no doubt shock you but I have never in my 66 years stood for the national anthem and I have no intention of starting to do so now. If I find myself unavoidably at an official occasion I stand silently rather than cause offence to my hosts but, generally speaking I make it my business not to be around places where this preposterous dirge is sung. I salute those who fought and died and as well as those who were wounded in the fight against Nazism and I can’t help but note the irony involved here, because, if the Nazis had won anyone caught not singing the national anthem “god save our gracious Hitler” would be shot.

The cut in tax credits will not of course affect the Royal Family despite the fact that none of them have ever done a day’s work in their lives or indeed heard a gun fired in anger, the only benefit we gain from such absurd Gobbelsesque press behaviour is that we are reminded of what a mind numbingly dim-witted, insensible and downright rotten our society is. The real reason for the outpouring of hatred from the establishment is of course that Corbyn and people like him shine a light on the unchecked greed of the rich and powerful, he makes them look and feel guilty, what a breath of fresh air he is proving to be.    

ALI TO FOREMAN "MAN YOU ARE IN THE WRONG PLACE TO GET TIRED".

Muhamad Ali’s words above were said as Foreman started to miss and stumble  in the famous ‘rumble in the jungle’ world heavy weight title fight. These words from the great Ali strike a chord with me now with the SNP as the lies and abuse continue to increase in the attacks on Jeremy Corbyn. The right wing Tory/SNP media are getting a reaction but, it’s not what the Tory/nationalist cabal expected.

Since Corbyn’s stunning election triumph on Saturday over 30,000 people have joined the Labour Party, “the people’s on the march” as the famous song says and the “times they are a changing” as another famous song says. The polls which the SNP recently became so fond of are now predicting a severe kick in the “Niagara Falls” for the tartan shirted fascists. I watched them in Parliament today and they already look like a busted flush. How long can a “single issue” sustain a political party?, people are seeing through them and their “one trick pony” of anti English bigotry and we are only 6 months in to a 5 year parliament. We are now hearing pleading almost on a daily basis from the SNP to Labour to form a coalition, what will they be like in 4 years time?. One thing only surprises me in all of this, I thought it would take a little longer for it to go pear shaped for the SNP but I’m not complaining.     

WEE NICOLA, QUEEN BETTY'S NEW LADY IN WAITING.

I have just witnessed the most excruciatingly funny thing I've ever seen in my life when I saw Nicola Sturgeon trying her best to sing God Save the Queen without moving her lips, she could have easily been standing in front of a firing squad by the looks of her. She gets full marks however for hypocrisy and her willingness to show her 'Janus face' when there is something in it for her. It was a remarkable display of duplicity as she wallowed in the celebrations of Queen Betty's longevity. She was so sycophantic in fact that we were left in no doubt at all that had there been a requirement to sing the whole dirge right through she would have sung this, the last verse, with great gusto.

Lord grant that Marshal Wade
May by thy mighty aid
Victory bring
May he sedition hush
And like a torrent rush
Rebellious Scots to crush
God save the Queen.

To paraphrase Jonathan Swift :- "If you have a Scotsman on a spit you can always pay another Scotsman to turn him for you".  

THE BELEAGURED REFUGEES ARE IN "NEED OF A NEIGHBOUR". WILL YOU HELP OR CROSS ON THE OTHER SIDE?.

When I hear those Christian hypocrites like Prime Minister David Cameron make his squalid remarks about refugees, I think of the great Christian and Quaker Sydney Carter who wrote this song called “When I needed a neighbour” He is better known for writing the phenomenally popular “Lord of the dance” but this song speaks directly to those who are concerned by the refugee crisis and hopefully genuine Christians everywhere as well as people of every race, creed and colour and those who are not religious as well will empathise with it.   

When I needed a neighbour

Were you there, were you there?

When I needed a neighbour

Were you there?

And the creed and the colour

And the name won't matter

Were you there?

I was hungry and thirsty

Were you there, were you there?

I was hungry and thirsty

Were you there?

And the creed and the colour

And the name won't matter

Were you there?

I was cold, I was naked

Were you there, were you there?

I was cold, I was naked

Were you there?

And the creed and the colour

And the name won't matter

Were you there?

When I needed a shelter

Were you there, were you there?

When I needed a shelter

Were you there?

And the creed and the colour

And the name won't matter

Were you there?

When I needed a healer

Were you there, were you there?

When I needed a healer

Were you there?

And the creed and the colour

And the name won't matter

Were you there?

Wherever you travel

I'll be there, I'll be there.

Wherever you travel

I'll be there.

And the creed and the colour

And the name won't matter

I'll be there.

GAZA CAME TO SCOTLAND AND THEIR PEOPLE FOUND THEMSELVES AMONG FRIENDS.

With reference to the flier below about Gaza. Last Sunday saw the event to raise funds for the relief of Gaza take place at the Normandy Hotel. A large crowd attended and the very worthwhile charity benefitted. Food similar to that which the people of Gaza eat was served (small portions) to remind the audience of the reality of life in the Gaza Strip. The hotel lobby was transformed in to a Palestinian Bazaar with Palestinian/Arab goods on sale, ornaments, crockery. clothing, books etc. Rugs, curtains and table cloths hung on walls giving the place a traditional appearance and very exotic it all was, A very high standard of skill and craftsmanship was on display. I half expected to see Claude Rains, Sidney Greenstreet and Humphrey Bogart huddled together at a corner table plotting something.   

The keynote speaker Professor Norman Finklestein gave an impassioned and very informative speech about the Middle East and Palestine and the Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Manual Hassassian also gave a speech full of passion, information and opinion, it was good to hear these people talk about Gaza and explain some of the myths which Israel pedals about it. The MC for the evening was one of Palestine’s best known, loyal and hard working supporters Labour’s Pauline McNeil.

The people of Palestine have to put up with hellish conditions and brutal occupation, living as they do in the case of Gaza in the most overcrowded place on the Earth. The misery for them never ceases as Israel continues to invade and occupy their land and destroy their homes and villages, it is nothing short of genocide and is the longest occupation ever of one country over another, 48 years. This is far from over, public opinion slowly but surely is turning against Israel who are now recognised worldwide as war criminals.

A word of congratulation to those at one of the tables at the dinner, completely overturning the reputation of football fans were a group of young football supporters who are supporters of the Palestine cause and they also support Glasgow Celtic and they are known as the “The Green Brigade”. As Bob Dylan once famously sang “The times they are a changing”. VIVA PALESTINA !!!         

GAZA COMES TO SCOTLAND!

On August 30^th. 2015 at the Normandy Hotel Inchinnan Road Renfrew an event is taking place which is a must for those who want to learn about the Palestine Israel conflict and hopefully help the beleaguered people of Gaza. Below you will find details of the all day events which culminate in a dinner and speakers from Palestine as well as Professor Norman Finklestein who is an American Political Scientist and an expert on the Middle East. I would urge anyone who might be interested to ‘Google’ or U Tube Mr. Finklestein, this is rare chance to see him and hear him speak.        

   

Below is a copy of the itinerary provided by the organisers...

For the workshop you can register here...http://www.hopeoverfear.info/workshops/

To buy tickets... http://www.hopeoverfear.info/register/

the website has information http://www.hopeoverfear.info/ on the event.

Below you will find information about the charity...

Al-Khair is a humanitarian aid charity organisation, established in 2003 with branches throughout the UK, East Africa and subcontinent Asia. Primarily our focus is delivering emergency aid and relief in regions suffering the aftermath of natural disasters, conflict zones and communities plagues by abject poverty. The Foundation is constantly engaged in humanitarian project internationally as well as charitable work here in the UK, assisting those who are in need of help and assistance.

Our programmes include food supplies and access to clean and safe water solutions, medical aid, temporary and permanent shelter constructs, educational institutes, and livelihood training facilities. Insha’Allah we are currently sponsoring widows and orphans in Gaza, Insha’Allah will soon build a hospital in Khan Younis (our maternity hospital was destroyed last summer during Ramadan), we are currently supplying hospitals with medicine and medical equipment, we have a food programme to feed families in need, Insha’Allah we will be sponsoring undergraduates in all of Gazas universities and many more programmes.  Al-Khair Foundation is a 100% donation charity.

 The workshops will be live with Gaza so that we may see first hand the problems facing Gazans and hear it directly rather than second or third hand. As a studen tthis is an ideal way to gain experience and use your knowledge to help Gazans via skype 2-3hrs a week and also at the same time helping a humanitarian cause.

Insha’Allah our aim is non political and we will be holding workshops during the day time to find solutions to problems Gazans face on a daily basis.  Our aim is to find mentors and businesses willing to help Gazans via Webcam, as they are unable to leave their open prison and we outsiders are unable to enter. Insha’Allah we are hoping to start a mentoring and apprentice programme to help them and the day will culiminate in an auction dinner.

Morning Workshops – 10am to 1pm

Education – currently a student in gaza who has done an online course with a Scottish university but unable to attend her exams in Alexandria as crossing for raffah is closed – find solutions ie exam in Gaza with agreement with universities?

Emergency services – invite fire brigade & rescue services

Afternoon Workshops – 2pm to 5pm

Business and Construction – businesses together can they offer solutions for apprenticeships via webcam etc Apprenticeships for Gaza Students and solutions for problems/ difficulties facing Gazans on an every day level alternative methods of building without using cement

Health / Medical – natural health remedies / medical personnel to work closely via webcam etc with hospitals in Gaza giving advise etc

Exhbition – Palestine and Gaza

Stalls – Palestinian goods / services stalls only £40

Palestinian theatre group during the day – if they manage to leave gaza

EVENING EVENT

Auction dinner £20 per person – for our orphans programme (many lost of limbs in last war) and education (we have just signed an MoU with UNWRA last week to build schools in Gaza and educate children) and food programmes in Gaza.

Our keynote speaker will be Norman Finkelstein, son of holocaust survivors

Imam Qasim – Chairman of Al-Khair Foundation

Aamer Anwar – Human Rights Lawyer

Manual Hassassian – Palestinian Ambassador

Further information can be found on our event website www.hopeoverfear.info and tickets for the evening can be bought at our shop or online.

Al-Khair Foundation Glasgow Office 441 Victoria Road Glasgow G42 8R

Tel. 0141 423 5747

Registered in England and Wales Charity Registration No: 1126808

Al-Khair Foundation109-119 Cherry Orchard Road, Croydon, CR0 6BE, United Kingdom Registered Charity No. 1126808 - AL-KHAIR FOUNDATION. 

TO PARAPHRASE MARK TWAIN - "REPORTS OF OUR DEATH ARE AN EXAGGERATION" - THE LABOUR PARTY.

Rumour has it that the majority of those present were saying, "whose the grey haired guy with the beard talking to Terry Kelly" (see picture).

The Athens of the North, Auld Reekie, Edinburgh, this afternoon Aug. 14th. 2015 at the Festival Conference Centre, where the main auditorium is chock-a-block with what looks well in excess of its 600 capacity, another hall in the complex is also packed with several hundred people. The Jeremy Corbyn crusade to become leader of The Labour Party of course was in town and for today this was the hottest ticket in Edinburgh including the festival. 

The usual cross section of good causes were being touted at the door as Fringe goers as well as the “well set” burghers of this beautiful city looked on and wondered if we “had all had oor tea”. They also wondered what was going on and whether they should join the queue just in case they missed a show, this time honoured rugby scrum of competing political groups jostled for position as always and as always they managed to do this without trouble breaking out, you might think that with all the groups being left wing to one degree or another this would be easy but it's not, so well done to all of them today. My theory for this is that the lack of rancour was down to the man we were there to hear Jeremy Corbyn, who is respected by all left wing groups and before anyone asks, no he did not offer me a place in his cabinet if he wins. 

In over 40 odd years in the Labour Party I can only think of those febrile meetings against Thatcher during the coal dispute where an atmosphere like this was experienced. Corbyn if truth be told really is the nice guy he appears to be and his speech to the meeting and his ability to answer questions was exceptional. notwithstanding irate remarks from the audience targeted at those party members, some senior who are accused of having disgraced themselves with their attacks on Corbyn, he unwaveringly refused to retaliate and in so doing looked like a giant among pygmies. He does this with ease because he appreciates as many of us do that the 'personal' stuff is being hyped out of all proportion by the Tory press, this is nothing more than the now customary struggle for the heart of the party as well as control of it or, to put it more simply, left V right. The additional energy and enthusiasm is down to the impetus now being with the left for the first time in quite a while and as our old friend Corporal Jones would say "they don't like it up em, they just do not like it up em" were the positions inverted we would hear very little because the press would be more contented. 

Jeremy Corbyn is enjoying a tremendous surge in support because his three opponents are very similar and each represents what is now the genuine 'Old Labour' the Labour of the Blairites which, despite winning three elections has taken us to where we are now, their mantra about three victories in a row is worn out and the changes they made have not stood the test of time. Along with many others, I, while loving the Labour victories was never at ease with the direction we were taking , I fought on like many other comrades, regrettably other's didn't but it is my fervent wish that they will come back. The reality is that when you look in depth at our society it is impossible in all honesty to describe it as decent or tolerant, I don't think that I need to rehearse again my reasons for saying that, they are all around us. 

The cure remains what it has always been, not always in the same words or order but.  Equality, Peace, Justice for all, the meaning of the old "clause 4", Solidarity, The Redistribution of Wealth from Rich to Poor, I could go on but you have heard it before, it is now back on the agenda and it is still why I joined The Labour Party and more importantly why I am still in it. The Party is not the preserve of The Parliamentary Labour Group it belongs to all members, let's show that to be the case and elect Jeremy Corbyn.