Margaret Hamilton (Page 11)

Tax. No one wants to pay it but everyone wants what it is able to provide. That’s life. What also seems to be life, in this modern world, is that the Nationalists seem to keep upsetting the Unionists. Last week this was extremely evident at the budget presentation. The unionists thought they had all worked out what was going to happen and had all prepared their speeches beforehand. Nasty nationalists had not leaked what their intentions were. Result…………….very embarrassing, unionist leaders were unable to think on their feet. They read out their prepared statements and as such, much of what they said was irrelevant. TheyRead More →

Europe’s oldest independently run political newspaper The other week saw us take the Scots Independent newspaper to yet another conference. Conferences are important to attend as we engage with many of our subscribers and contributors as well as meeting potential new subscribers. Conferences have become so large these days that often delegates never find their way to the exhibitors hall due to the distance between it and the auditorium. Many new delegates do not know what the exhibitors’ hall is about and those who find their way to us often say ‘never knew you existed’ or ‘never heard of you’. So this week I amRead More →

It seems to be a week for all three. I had to laugh yesterday at the clip I saw of the Scottish leaders address to the Liberal Democrats conference. Not only was the speech pitifully poorly attended, those that were there seemed to be napping, on mobile gadgets or reading agendas. When he said that the SNP were not going to win the next Holyrood election because of the hard work of Lib Dem activists and their supporters, a very feeble trickle of applause was heard. Now I am not saying that there is no way the SNP can lose, of course that is alwaysRead More →

  This week is a fairly momentous one for Scotland. I saw this morning the videos and pictures on social media of the light show on the Queensferry Crossing to mark the hand over in ownership of the bridge. I give not a toss for the ‘official’ opening by Her Majesty. This was the true celebration of the completion of the bridge. The men and women, in their work gear, handing over what had been their baby for 6 years. The people who braved all the elements of weather the Forth estuary has to offer to produce a unique design in engineering. What brought aRead More →

For some considerable time now I have struggled to understand why the Scottish Government’s decision to implement the minimum unit pricing policy has been such a bug bear to the Scottish Whisky Association. Way back we used to go to their fringe meeting at SNP conference. They were a nice bunch of guys who chatted informally while allowing the invited delegates to try different whiskies. When we started the Moray Whisky fundraiser stall for Moray SNP constituency they were extremely complimentary of our display and promotion of the Speyside malts. Two things happened. Firstly, the wooden marquee bouncy floor and health and safety meant noRead More →

So, as I write this we are in a bigger mess than last week. I am going to the Country, she said, to get the mandate I need to complete Brexit. What she meant was I will get a majority that no-one can overturn and I will plough Brexit through the way I want it. The good people of the United Kingdom of course had other thoughts. For those in England who did not realise they were voting for more austerity last time, they looked around. They saw that Jeremy was enjoying campaigning, relaxed, and saying things they liked the sound of. If only theRead More →

This morning (Tuesday 23rd May) I awoke with no other thoughts in my head other than finish leafleting the village and prepare for an appointment in the afternoon. Switched on laptop to check mail and social media. SHOCK! Our youth, our future had been attacked, killed, injured and maimed for life. Out of nowhere at what should have been an enjoyable night, as they should have been going home chattering and singing. Understandably all political parties called a cease to campaigning. I have wandered round all day, not really settling to any task. There has been so much silence and too much time to thinkRead More →

Being my turn this week I thought what can I write about? Schools on holiday, Parliaments in recess. Just leaves local election campaigns and believe me you don’t want me to go there! Then I looked at today’s newspaper. Another cash cow in the public system, halted by the SNP and wanted to be reinstated by a professional body. I had absolutely no idea that health service consultant doctors were being given a performance bonus of up to £75,000 per year. I am not a total innocent in the health care world. In a previous life I was a nurse. I sort of drifted intoRead More →

My interpretation of what I heard of Theresa May’s speech is this. You will be proud to be a backward looking failed British Empire. You will do as we tell you. We will shut our door to our European neighbours and be most unwelcoming to people from other lands. No matter how we treat others they will be glad to trade with us as we know we are the superior Nation. In the Great British Empire days we traipsed around the world riding rough shod over other countries. We told them how to live and to worship. We enslaved them and shipped them to farRead More →