On:
In: Jim Lynch

When I started this yesterday I should have qualified it by stating how things changed rapidly when in a General Election. I ended up commenting on how hectoring Andrew Neil was to Nicola Sturgeon, talking over her, not listening to answers and generally being more obnoxious than he used to be – or am I just being forgetful? However the next day he did the same to Jeremy Corbyn; Mr Corbyn, like Nicola, kept a calm sough and did not shout back. I wait to see with interest how he behaves against his beloved Boris. To my wife’s great astonishment I did not watch theRead More →

On:
In: Stephen Bird

One of the side effects of the lunacy which is Brexit, is that it has highlighted just how differently Scotland and England view Europe and everything about it. We’ve always had the idea, perhaps because of the Auld Alliance etc, that we take a much more positive approach and are more amenable to Europe and Europeans than our Southern cousins. Perhaps because England has tended to view Europe as a source of threat rather than support. Allied to the fact that, especially after the last war, England tended to think that it had no need of foreigners far less to accommodate their needs and developRead More →

On:
In: Grant Thoms

Amid much bravado and authority, Nigel Farage dictated terms for his Brexit Party’s engagement in the General Election on 12 December. Boris’s Deal was in effect May’s Deal and was unacceptable. Support No Deal or we’ll stand against you in all 632 GB seats, Farage telt Boris. Fast forward two weeks and Boris has effectively called Farage’s bluff; and the Essex stockbroker capitulated. Now the Brexit Party will only fight non-Tories in the most blatant electoral pact since… the Lib Dems, Greens and Plaid Cymru agreed a deal last week! In Scotland, the removal of Brexit Party candidates is likely to give the Tories aRead More →

On:
In: Margaret Hamilton, Uncategorized

The ability to open mouth and not engage brain when dealing with Scotland and the SNP continues to amaze me. Today, Sky broadcasting’s reaction to the SNP’s complaint about not being included in tv debates was to say Scotland is not Britain (according to circulation on social media). The Conservatives seem to be doing a grand job at upsetting ordinary people. Everytime their leaders open their mouth they show a profound inability to understand the majority of people who don’t live in their privileged bubble world. I see the latest thing with the Scottish conservatives is to plaster their literature with their name, photos andRead More →

On:
In: Margaret Hamilton

Remember when Westminster passed legislation that each parliamentary term would be 5 years? Apparently, this was to stop governments from calling elections when they felt the mood of the country was in their favour. Didn’t take long to break that one, did it? Seems to be Mr Johnson’s favourite pass time, breaking the rules and getting away with it. Can’t get anything railroaded through parliament so let’s call for a new parliament that will do what it’s told. He seems to think even the law of the land does not apply to him. What Boris wants, Boris gets! I have Tuesday night as a deadlineRead More →

On:
In: Jim Lynch

Among all the cantrips in the weeks up to Halloween Operation Yellowhammer has emerged yet again; to remind readers, this is the panic created by the Government and its toadies to get a deal of any sorts through the House of Commons or be faced with a No Deal scenario. This will be forced on it by a greedy dictatorial EU – well that is their interpretation. Mrs Theresa May was the one who decided to move Section 50, think that is the section, and then had to go bonnet (ladies do not wear caps!) in hand to the EU to agree the terms ofRead More →

On:
In: Stephen Bird

There is a re-colonization of UK politics taking place before our eyes. As the more “one-nation” Tories leave the zealots behind and, like an alien life force, take over the Lib Dems. Think Heidi Allen, Sam Gyimah or Philip Lee. What they all have in common is a policy agenda and approach to politics which is shared by the new LibDem ”leader” Jo Swinson. They are all supporters of the broad thrust of anti-social policies so enthusiastically pursued by not only David Cameron’s Tories but by Nick Clegg’s LibDems through the five horrendous years of the coalition. Little wonder that people who still think ofRead More →

On:
In: Grant Thoms

Forty years after the initial Claim of Right for Scotland was signed and triggered the Scottish Constitutional Convention which in turn led to the re-establishment of a Scottish Parliament with devolved powers, 50 cultural heavyweights have united to publish a “manifesto for independence” –a prospectus of “guiding principles” on independence for Scotland.  The manifesto concludes: “It is our belief that the best option now open to the Scottish people is for Scotland to become an independent country. The alternative is to accept that Scotland’s fate would remain in the hands of others and that the Scottish people would relinquish their right to decide their own destiny.”   Read More →

On:
In: Maureen Forbes

And still the Brexit burach continues; into the final month, again, there is still no progress made, no clear direction on what will happen but still a wilful ignorance from those that should be leading us. From what was for all intents and purposes, a political coup, neatly overturned by by a court case painstakingly organised by Joanna Cherry MP, and rumoured to be ignored by the Prime Minister, the stakes are now ramped up; we are told legislation WILL be out in place to prevent the continuation of the Scottish Parliament in order to “protect” the Union. Quite what this will achieve is anybody’sRead More →

On:
In: Margaret Hamilton

I write this on Tuesday 24th of September 2019. This day has just become a date to note in history. Lady Hale delivered her concluding speech of the trial as I sat at my workbench and listened on radio Scotland. As she talked I started slowing in my work till I fond myself sitting engrossed. One of the UK’s top lawyers and I was understanding what she was saying. Well delivered using words the non-lawyer could understand. I still find it difficult to believe that all 11 judges agreed and came down on the side of democracy. Many of you, like me, might have thoughtRead More →