Oh dear...

This rather strange tweet appeared from Kezia Dugdale:

Dear SNP activists moaning about labour leaflets being printed in England, you're building a Scottish bridge with Chinese steel. Love Kez
— Kezia Dugdale (@kdugdalemsp) February 27, 2015

Now, Kezia Dugdale is the Deputy Leader of Scottish Labour and is an MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians.  Still with me? Good.  Now, up until 1992 Scotland had her very own steelworks based at Ravenscraig.  Unfortunately it was closed when the Tories were in government.  Who were the main political party in Scotland at the time though?  Labour!

I find it very strange that she should be gloating about the Scottish government having to use Chinese steel, when she should know that there is no Scottish steel industry left.  I also find it peculiar to say the least that she even seems to be gloating about it.  Recent polls have indicated that Scottish Labour face a complete wipe-out this coming general election.

To be honest, if Kezia Dugdale is an example of what they have to offer, then I’m not surprised.

Like a Virgin...

A while ago I wrote about the sensational audition of a nun called Sister Cristina on Italy's version of The Voice.  Unsurprisingly to this blogger, she won the competition.  Well, she's about to release her first single, a very good version of Madonna's 'Like a Virgin'.

Here it is:

Enjoy!

Well Scotland...

You blew it big time, didn't you?

The referendum for Scottish Independence ended almost four weeks ago, and it is only now that I feel I can write anything down.  What I am about to write is from the perspective of a 'Yes' supporter.  As I live in England I was not allowed to vote.

So here are my ramblings about various aspects of the referendum.

First of all, let's look at the 'Better Together' campaign.

I have never witnessed such an awful campaign in all my life.  I had to watch, sometimes open-jawed, at the sight of Labour sharing a platform with the likes of the Conservatives, UKIP and the Orange Order.  They told us (including Labour Scottish MP's) that we could not be a country on our own.  We would have no currency.  In fact, Johann Lamont, the leader of the Scottish Labour Party, told us it was not in our genes to make political decisions.  Unbelievable!  The media threw everything at Scotland, except the kitchen sink in the way of lies, lies and more lies.  It was a relentless and uninspiring campaign.

On a much brighter note, the 'Yes Scotland' campaign was much more positive.

They sold us a vision of aspiration.  We can be, we can do and we are good enough.  Sites on the internet such as; Bella Caledonia, Newsnet Scotland and Wings over Scotland proved to be invaluable sources of information and insight.  The energy and buzz created by the Yes movement was never ever matched by Better Together.

To prove my point, here are two images depicting outdoor gatherings from both sides of the debate:


Better Together

Yes Scotland

Now, which one do you think looks like the kind of event that you'd go to?

Despite the fact that the No vote won it in the end, my real, problem is with the three so-called leaders of Westminster coming up a few days before polling to make some rash promise to offer more powers to Scotland if the people voted No.  This was never about more powers, it was about self-determination.

I genuinely believed that when the No vote won that that would be the end of the Yes movement.  I couldn't have been more wrong.

Membership for the SNP has trebled to over 100,000 members, whilst the Greens and Scottish Socialists have doubled their membership numbers.  All great to see.  In fact, I myself joined the SNP because I want to help and contribute to my country gaining self-determination.  So, I need to see what else I can do.  Bella Caledonia, Newsnet Scotland and The Common Weal are all looking at expanding their services to help combat what is seen as the established media's biased coverage.  Things are positive and moving in the right direction.

I am no political pundit but I think that Scottish Labour are in trouble, to the point where I believe that they are finished in Scotland as a political force.  I expect to see the Green Party make great in-roads.  The Scottish Socialist Party are a bit of an unknown quantity to me, but it will be interesting to see that they do.

So, all-in-all I feel lifted from that crushing disappointment and I am full of enthusiasm and optimism that Independence for Scotland will still be achieved.

If anyone thought that the no vote would send the Yes voters running, they were wrong.

We are not going anywhere! 

Compassion missing...

This weekend on Twitter there were two stories that caught my eye and highlighted, to me, just how low we have sunk as a nation since 2010.

This image seemed to get a lot of mentions:

These are the now infamous 'homeless spikes'.  That's right, we've now started to target the homeless and deny them places to sleep.  Have we really become so selfish, self-centred and heartless?

Spikes are not the solution to our homeless problem.  We need to deal with the causes of homelessness and provide a support network to help re-build these peoples' lives.  We need to care for them: not shun them.

The other story is the one of Annette Francis (picture below):

Who is she?  She was 30 years old and had a son aged 11.  She suffered from a mentall illness condition similar to being bi-polar.

When DLA was scrapped and replaced by PIP, she spent six months without receiving any benefits. Unfortunately, her distraught family are still waiting for the results of the post mortem to find out exactly how she died.

Both of the above show a worrying shift in attitudes in the UK.  In the media and from our politicians we have seen an increasing demonisation of: immigrants, the poor, the ill, the needy, you get my drift.

Is this how we want to be?  Is this the 'Big Society' coming to fruition?

Is our compassion missing?

Scotland Yet...

 

I was born and bred in Scotland. I moved to England almost 17 years ago, and yet, now, after all this time, my thoughts drift to a song written and performed by my dad. He was a folk singer and his name is Davy Steele. He was passionate about Scotland and Independence. He wrote a song called, 'Scotland Yet'. The lyrics are:

'Gie noo a thocht to what we hae in this land o’ the leal 
The Highland glen, the Doric stream the fertile Lowland field
They seem tae offer different views when looked at from within
Can strangers be the only eyes to see us a’ as yin 

Chorus The choice will be upon us soon, tae set oor destiny
I’ll drink a toast tae Scotland yet whatever yet may be

Oor mither tongue spoke different weys that past tae present ties
Each separate and yet entwined that’s where oor real strength lies
For should one strand unwind itself the others tae forsake
Then a’ would be forever lost fur a’ the strands would break

While we still seek to blame oor woes and pains on someone else
We’ll never have the strength tae solve oor problems for ourselves 
In truth we fought each other mair learn this from oor past
Then together we can choose fur oorsells at last'

I think this is an exciting for the people of Scotland, and by that I mean everyone who lives there regardless of their country of origin.

The debate has not quite set fire yet in England, but from what I read this is basically how I see it. The 'No' campaign has been one of negativity and a great deal of scaremongering. The 'Yes' campaign seems like it wants to engage as many people as it can in this very important debate.

I remember that a few months before dad was told he had tumours in the brain, we had a discussion about this song.  I had asked him why he never performed it any more on stage. His reply was that the people of Scotland had made their choice with devolution. He had felt that politicians had spoiled a political movement he had been involved in (I am sorry but I have forgotten the name of it).

So, if there any piece of useful advice I would give to the people of Scotland, it is this; please don't allow the politicians to hijack this debate. Like dad, I would like to see an independent Scotland. A country that has it's own Parliament, voted by and for the people.

So here's a toast to Scotland yet, whatever yet may be!