THE SUMMER OF LOVE?

I trust that you all have recovered from the disappointment that the World Cup is not, in fact coming “home.” Well done France, and commiserations to plucky, wee Croatia.

So what’s been happening in the crazy world of UK politics? Well, to say that it has been an eventful couple of weeks, is putting it mildly. We had the Chequers Agreement – to use the word “agreement” has proved to be a contradiction in terms. Firstly David Davis jumped off the sinking ship, leaving Boris between the devil and the deep blue sea – he eventually swam for shore – leaving Captain May to go down with the sinking ship. And that’s what Brexit is, a rudderless sinking ship. Of course those “principled” Brexiteers, Fox and Gove, have stayed with Tessie . Those two being a perfect example of what J.M. Barrie described as “Scotsmen on the make” Let us just be glad they are “there” not “here.” Also amusing is to hear Jacob Rees Mogg complain that if a hard Brexit is not achieved then the UK will become a “vassal state.” The irony of that is not lost in Scotland. The saving grace of all this is that Scotland has a get-out option. Independence. Of course, timing is everything, but my feeling is that we are looking at months not years. The Tories are like ferrets in a sack, it has nothing to do with the good of the country, it is now all about the internal wrangling for power within that Party. I believe that soon we will know when the time for a referendum is right – this time we won’t miss and hit the wall. Even former unionists are beginning to see the light, that there is no future for Scotland in an increasingly isolated and xenophobic Westminster Government.

Trump has been visiting Europe leaving chaos in his wake as usual. He started by telling Nato countries to up their contribution to 4% of GDP, an impossible figure on which he got no agreement. By the way, even if NATO members raise their defence spending, the money would go to their own armed forces, not a penny would go to the US Treasury. Personally, I would tell Trump to shove NATO. It is, after all, an organization dreamt up by the US to ensure that any war or attack was kept as far away as possible from the continental United States. All of the US military treaties are designed with this in mind. (please note that this view does not , unfortunately, reflect SNP policy.)

Then of course Trump visited the UK. I have to admit I felt a wee bit sorry for Theresa whom he totally humiliated with his interview with the Sun. I even had a tinge of sympathy for the Queen, who had no choice but to entertain this dangerous buffoon and his trophy wife.

I was somewhat amused when the US Consulate in Edinburgh issued a warning to US citizens living in Scotland to keep a low profile during Trump’s visit to Scotland. What an admission from an Embassy that their President is persona non grata in this country. In order to do my bit, I gave my husband a large “to do” list for the weekend, thus keeping him off the streets and thereby ensuring the low profile of at least one US citizen.

If there has been one interesting thing about all this, surely it is the fact that the Tories have at last found something to do with their Secretary of State for Scotland (I use the term loosely!) Poor wee David Mundell drew the short straw, and had to meet and greet Trump at Prestwick Airport. Just waiting on the headline “Puppet greets Muppet.”